World Chess Championship 2010 (4)
Crushing win for Anand in Game 4
IM Malcolm Pein - Friday 30th April 2010
Anand took the lead for the first time in his World Chess Championship Match with Veselin Topalov with a crushing sacrificial win on the white side of a Catalan.
Big win for Anand in Game 4. Photo © | http://www.chessdom.com
The defending champion Vishy Anand took a 2.5-1.5 lead with a crushing victory over Veselin Topalov in the fourth game played at the Central Military Club in the challenger's home city of Sofia. Anand scored his second win with the white pieces, ending the game in just 32 moves with a sacrificial attack.
Anand again employed the Catalan Opening that Vladimir Kramnik used with success against the Bulgarian in 2006. Topalov reacted uncertainly to a novelty on the tenth move and left his king undefended.
The match is the best of twelve games and the prize fund is 2 million Euros. Topalov plays white in game five this afternoon. At the halfway stage colours are reversed so Anand will play white in games six and seven.
Topalov described 20...h6 as a bad move but in general he appeared quite upbeat at the press conference after the game and relations between the players seem good. The worry for Topalov must be that he has played badly in his two games with black and seen playable positions deteriorate rapidly.
The third time Anand has played like Kramnik
Opening Notes
a) 7...Nc6 8.Qxc4 Qd5 is another line and very solid
b) 8.Nbxd2 b5 9.a4 c6 10.b3 cxb3 11.Nxb3 gives White has some play no advantage
c) 9.Ne5 b5 10.Nxc6 Qc7 11.Qg5 Nxc6 12.Qxg7 Ke7 13.Qxh8 Bb7 14.Qg7 Nxd4 with advantage to Black
d) 10.axb5 cxb5 11.Qg5 0-0 12.Qxb5 Ba6 13.Qa4 Qb6 14.0-0 Qxb2 15.Nbd2 Bb5 16.Nxc4 Bxa4 17.Nxb2 Kramnik-Topalov game 1 Elista 2006
V Anand (2787) - V Topalov
WCh Sofia (4)
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.g3 dxc4 5.Bg2 Bb4+
(5...a6 was game 1)
6.Bd2 a5 7.Qc2 Bxd2+ 8.Qxd2
c6 9.a4 b5 10.Na3!
(A novelty)
10...Bd7
(The bishop looks awkward but if 10...Ba6 11.Ne5 Nd5 12.Nxc6 Nxc6 13.axb5)
11.Ne5
(Not 11.axb5 cxb5 12.Qg5 h6! 13.Qxg7 Rh7! traps the queen)
11...Nd5 12.e4 Nb4
13.0-0 0-0 14.Rfd1 Be8 15.d5! Qd6
(15...exd5 16.exd5 cxd5 17.axb5 Nd7 18.Nc6 Nxc6 19.Qxd5!)
16.Ng4 Qc5 17.Ne3 N8a6 18.dxc6 bxa4
(18...Bxc6 19.axb5 Bxb5 20.Naxc4! Bxc4 21.Rac1 with a nice edge)
19.Naxc4 Bxc6 20.Rac1 h6?
(20...Qe7 21.Nxa5 Rfd8 22.Nxc6 Nxc6 23.Qc3)
21.Nd6 Qa7?
(This really surprised me - Anand who indicated Qg5, a better move would be met by h4 or f4)
22.Ng4!
(After a long think. Black's position is critical, his king has no defenders)
22...Rad8
(22...Rfd8 23.Nxh6+ gxh6 24.Qxh6 Qe7 25.e5 Bxg2 26.Rd4 Bf3 27.Rcc4! if 22...h5 23.Ne5 Anand or 22...f6 23.Rc4 followed by e4-e5)
Veselin Topalov
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Viswanathan Anand
Position after 22...Rad8
23.Nxh6+! gxh6 24.Qxh6 f6 25.e5 Bxg2
(25...Qg7 26.Qxg7+ Kxg7 27.Bxc6)
26.exf6! Rxd6
(26...Qh7 27.Qg5+ Kh8 28.Rc4 Rg8 29.Nf7+! Qxf7 30.Rh4+ Qh7 31.Rxh7+ Kxh7 32.Qh5#)
27.Rxd6 Be4
(27...Bd5 28.Qg6+ Kh8 29.Rc4! Bxc4 30.Rd4! Qh7 31.Rh4 Rf7 32.Rxh7+ Rxh7 33.Qe8#)
28.Rxe6 Nd3 29.Rc2 Qh7 30.f7+ Qxf7 31.Rxe4 Qf5 32.Re7 1-0
Veselin Topalov
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Viswanathan Anand
Final Position after 32.Re7
