World Championships postponed by one day

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World Chess Championships 2010 (Postponed)

World Championships postponed by one day

IM Malcolm Pein - Friday 23rd April 2010

Anand's lengthy journey by road causes the start to be postponed by a day.

Anand inspects the venue

Anand inspects the venue | http://www.chessdom.com

The World Chess Championship final between champion Vishy Anand and challenger Veselin Topalov has been postponed by a day and Topalov will play white in game one that has been re-scheduled to tomorrow afternoon at 1pm. FIDE Vice President Georgios Makropoulos took the decision after Anand was stranded at Frankfurt for three days and eventually arrived on Tuesday, having travelled overland for forty hours through five countries. The world champion watched nearly the entire Lord of The Rings trilogy during the journey in a luxury Mercedes that had to be brought from Holland as no transport of any kind could be found in Germany. As befits the world's fastest player his car was also stopped near the Bulgarian capital for being well over the speed limit although when the police realized who the passenger was they let his driver go with just a polite reminder to go a little slower.

The films may have put Anand in the right combative frame of mind but having arrived in the early hours he was exhausted and had lost several days preparation with his team. Anand had put in a request for a three day postponement so Makropoulos' decision seems like a reasonable compromise and the opening ceremony went ahead as planned on Wednesday. There was a drawing of lots and Topalov chose white.

Game two will be on Sunday after which the format is game, game, rest day until Game 11 on May 9 after which there is another rest day for the final game.

While Anand's tournament form has been patchy, Topalov's has been superb and his most recent outing at Linares was another triumph. Here is the only Topalov victory from Linares we have yet to examine as the Bulgarian gradually outplays Linares debutante Vugar Gashimov. Gashimov's dynamic play, accepting pawn weaknesses for activity, worked out well and had he found the resource on move 17 the game might have turned out differently. The closing stages are interesting. Material is equal but Gashimov's weak pawns make his king vulnerable while Topalov's king is totally safe and he gradually infiltrates.

V Topalov - V Gashimov

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 a6 5.Qc2 g6 6.Bd3 Bg7 7.0-0 0-0 8.Nbd2 Nbd7 9.cxd5 cxd5 10.b3 Nb8 11.Ba3 Nc6 12.Rac1 Be6 13.Qb2 Re8 14.h3 Rc8 15.Rc2 Bf5!? 16.Bxf5 gxf5 17.Ne1 Ne4

(17...f4 seems reasonable for Black when 18.exf4 Nh5! attacks d4 and f4. Black rids himself of the double pawns and should be about equal)

18.Nd3 e5 19.Nxe4 dxe4 20.Nxe5 Nxe5 21.dxe5 Rxc2 22.Qxc2 Qa5 23.Bd6 Bxe5 24.b4 Qd8 25.Bxe5 Rxe5 26.Rc1 Rd5 27.a4 b5 28.axb5 Rxb5

(28...axb5 29.g3 Rd2 30.Qc8 Qxc8 31.Rxc8+ Kg7 32.Rc5)

29.Qa4 Qd6 30.Qa1! Qe5 31.Qxa6

(Black may hold after 31.Qxe5 Rxe5 32.Ra1 but with the black king so weak it makes sense to keep queens on. Topalov judges correctly that his advantage on the kingside is enough hence he liquidates the queenside pawns so there is no chance of counterplay there)

31...Rxb4 32.Qh6 Rb8 33.g3 Qe6 34.Qf4 Rc8 35.Rd1! Rc6

(35...Re8 36.Rd6 Qe5 37.Rd8! or 35...Re8 36.Rd6 Qe7 37.Rd5 winning a pawn)

36.Rd8+ Kg7 37.Kg2 h6 38.Qb8

(There is no defence now)

38...Qf6 39.Rd5

(39.Rh8!)

39...Re6 40.h4 h5 41.Rd8 Kh7 42.Rg8 f4 43.gxf4

(43.Rg5 wins immediately)

43...Qxh4 44.Rh8+ Kg6 45.Qg8+ Kf6 46.Qd8+ Re7 47.Rh6+ Kf5

(47...Kg7 48.Qh8#)

48.Qd5+ 1-0

48.Qd5+ Kg4 49.Qd1+ Kf5 50.Rxh5+