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Click here for GM Polgar's analysis and comments on games 1-4
Click here for GM Polgar's analysis and comments on games 5-9

Game 10

Kramnik,V (2743) - Topalov,V (2813)
World Chess Championship Elista, RUS (10), 08.10.2006

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.g3 Bb4+ 5.Bd2 Be7 6.Bg2 O-O 7.O-O c6 8.Bf4 Nbd7 9.Qc2 a5

This is still theory for the Catalan.  However, this is an opening that usually gives White a solid game, something Kramnik would be looking for. Yasser Seirawan added: "The "normal move here is 10.Rd1 although White has played... 10.Nbd2 10 Nc3 10 Ne5 and probably 10.Rc1 as well."

10.Rd1 Nh5 11.Bc1 b5 (Once again, Topalov is ahead on the clock by nearly 20 minutes after only 11 moves!  This is a serious concern for Kramnik as bad moves came around time pressure. Yasser Seirawan also agrees about the clock situation: "I suppose White's two main choices are 12.Ne5 and 12.b3 (Why else to retreat the bishop to c1).  Yes, again, a huge discrepancy on the game clock."  Yasser also added something which I find very interesting: "I recall an interview Vladimir once gave... Imagine the moves 12.c5 f5 are played... Vladimir said he didn't think that the g2-Bishop was any better than the c8-Bishop.  I thought it an insightful comment.... But wrong.")

12.cxd5 (I am a little surprised by this move. 12.Ne5 would be another choice.)

12...cxd5 13.e4 dxe4 14.Qxe4

I think White is a tiny bit better.  This is the kind of position Kramnik likes.  Black's problem right now is the a8-Rook.  He needs to be careful with it.  3 choices are Rb8, 14...Ra7 or 14...Nb6.  I would choose 14...Rb8 though.  However, this is a critical moment as to how Topalov wants the game to continue.  That is why he is really taking his time.

14...Rb8 (As I expected. This is the safest place for the Rook for now.)

15.Qe2 (This is the kind of position where Black has to be VERY patient and cautious.  Black's pieces are not coordinated yet.  His h5 Knight is unprotected.  His b8 Rook could be in a potential danger and his c8 Bishop is still undeveloped.  Topalov would need to consolidate his position before doing anything dangerous.)

15...Nhf6 (15...Bb7 is also fine.  But I can't blame Topalov for retreating the unprotected Knight.  Here, I think 16.Bf4 would be a sensible choice.  That is what I would consider.  Another note is Topalov is once again up by around 25+ minutes on the clock.  This is really amazing!  By the way, I will be on Chess.FM on Tuesday night with Fred Wilson to talk about this match.  This is his last show on the match after game 11.  I believe it will start at 8:30 PM NY Time.)

16.Bf4 (That is what I expected. It's a sensible and logical move.)

16...Rb6 17.Ne5 (I think Black should chase the Bishop with Nd5. Otherwise, White would have too much advantage. Yasser noted: "Now the question is how to continue after 17...Nd5 Black readies Bb7 and "good" development. Will Kramnik play 17...Nd5 18.Bxd5, giving up the beautiful g2-Bishop? After 18...exd5 19.Nc3 could win a pawn...")

17...Nd5 (As I just mentioned above, this is the most sensible move.)

18.Bxd5 (This is where the tough decision comes. Should White trade the g2 Bishop for the Knight? As Yasser commented earlier, Kramnik does not seem to care for the g2 Bishop. He thinks his g2 Bishop is equal to Black's undeveloped c8 Bishop.)

18... exd5 19.Nc3 (Now the best choice for Black would be to give up the b5 pawn with 19...Bb7 20.Nxb5 a4 or 19...Nf6 20.Nxb5 Ba6..)

19...Nf6 20.Nxb5 Ba6 21.a4 Ne4

We are seeing once again that Topalov does not have a problem sacrificing materials.  It would not be normal if Topalov plays the entire game without sacrificing something.  In this position, Topalov is down a pawn.  However, his compensation is his Bishop pair, good Knight on e4 and the White Knight is pinned on b5.  22.Rdc1 is the most logical move here.  However, Kramnik is spending a lot of time on his 22nd move.  The tough question is how to continue this game?  He no longer has the lead.  Therefore, he cannot waste a game with White by allowing a draw.  He needs to score.

22.Rdc1 Qe8 23.Rc7 (Now Kramnik tries to be aggressive just like Topalov.  Black must play Bd8 and chase the Rook away.  He cannot allow Nd7.  That would mean game over!  Kramnik CAN play aggressive chess if he WANTS to.  The problem is sometimes he is over-cautious and is happy to play safe.  But who can blame a guy who was over 2800 and defeated Kasparov in a match?)

23...Bd8 (The only logical move.  This is the kind of position that is very suitable for Kramnik, a nice game with good flow and little risk.  In the mean time, this is an uncomfortable position for Topalov.  He needs to be VERY careful and VERY patient!  One wrong move and game over.  This is certainly one of Kramnik's better games.  Let's see if he can capitalize on it and if Topalov can hold it.  Will the time issue spoil Kramnik's game?  We shall see.)

24.Ra7 (I am not sure if I am very comfortable with this move. The problem I see is 24...Bxb5 25.axb5 Qxb5 26.Qxb5 Rxb5 27.Ra2 and does White have enough to win here? I am not sure.)

24...f6?? (This is a horrible blunder!  This will cost Topalov this game!  25.Nd7 Rf7 26.Nxb6 Rxa7 27.Nxd5 and White has a winning position!  Nigel Short said: "Will Kramnik think of moving his knight?  What do you think?:-) )

25.Nd7 (Now it would take a miracle or a Kramnik blunder for Topalov to survive this position!  I am stunned of the 24...f6 move!  And he played it so fast!  Big mistake!)

25...Rf7 (Now Nxb6 and game is almost over!)

26.Nxb6 Rxa7 27.Nxd5 (It is completely hopeless for Topalov.  All he can hope for is some cheap tactical shots.)

27...Rd7 (Now 28.Ndc3 and there are no more tricks for Topalov.)

28.Ndc3 Rxd4

Now 29.f3 and the game is done.  Rxd4 made things even worse.  This is a shocking turn of events for Topalov.  I had a bad feeling for Topalov some moves ago.  As I pointed out earlier, this was a very uncomfortable position for Topalov, a position which required a lot of patience and precision.

29.Re1 (Just as affective as 29.f3)

29...f5 30.Qc2 (The best move!  30.f3 does offer Black some tactical chances.)

30...Rb4 (All Kramnik has to do is play about 10 moves in 17 minutes and not walk into any cheap shot and the game is his.  White is up a pawn and is about to do damage to the pinned Knight on e4.)

31.Nd5 (This is not the most precise move.  32.f3 would have been better.)

31...Rxb5 32.axb5 Qxb5

Now Topalov is down an exchange.  The only thing Topalov has is a pair of Bishops and White has weaknesses on the light colored squares.  Kramnik needs to be a bit careful but he still has an overwhelming advantage.

33.Nc7 (Black can play 33...Bxc7 or 33...Qc4, both are not so great.  White should win this without much difficulties.)

33...Qc4 (White can simply trade Queens and he will have a simple endgame.  Yasser Seirawan also said: "Yep, trade Queens and Ra1, looks simple to my eyes.")

34.Qd1 (I am not sure why Kramnik does not choose the simplest endgame win.  Why take any chance at all.  Yasser also added: "I'm having a real hard time guessing Vladimir's moves!")

34...Bxc7 35.Qd7 h6 36.Qxc7 Qb4

This is still a fairly easy win but Kramnik is making himself work harder.

37.Qb8+ (Exchanging Queens.  He should have done this a while back.)

37...Qxb8 38.Bxb8 Nd2 (Another inaccurate move but it really does not matter anymore.  39.Ra1 looks strong.  How will Black defend the pawn?)

39.Ra1 (The strongest move, putting pressure on the a pawn.  Black has no play at all.  This is completely over.  This games shows the weakness in Topalov's game.  As I pointed out earlier, I am not sure if he had the patience to play an inferior position without doing something drastic.  As it turned out, he lost it by playing a blunder 24...f6.)

39...g5 40.f4 (Nothing left to play for.  Time to resign.  Kramnik made time control.)

40...Nb3 (GM Nigel Short said: "The fat lady has taken her position on stage."  GM Jonathan Rowson offered his opinion: "I think Kramnik has probably passed the nervous/anxious lets put the ball in the back of the net phase and is now enjoying himself."  GM Dima Tyomkin said: " in general, Kramnik is better tactician than Topalov.")

41.Ra3 Bc4 42.Bc7 (Is there anything left for Black?  Nigel added his humor: "Researching my family history I discovered that my great-great grandfather Short had been a toilet cleaner (honestly).  He would have come in handy for this match.")

42...g4 43.Bxa5 and Black finally resigned!  The score is officially 5-5 with 2 games to go.  It is 3 wins for Kramnik and 2 wins for Topalov on the board, + 1 forfeit win.

This was a very well played game by Kramnik.  He got the exact position that he's best with.  In the mean time, Topalov got into a position where he was not so comfortable with.  I personally believe that it was a bad choice of opening for Topalov today.  He got himself in a very uncomfortable position right from the start.

After yesterday's game, so many were saying that Topalov will now roll over Kramnik.  After this game, the tide has turned.  Many now go the other way. GM Tyomkin said: "Topalov has horrible blunders every 3-4 games, if you noticed, too much for someone who claims to be a WC."

And just as I said yesterday, it is FAR FROM OVER.  Do not count either one of them out.  They are capable of losing or winning consecutive games, especially with their contrasting styles.  We have two more games left.  It will come down to the wire.  Let's sit back and enjoy the exciting ending.
 

Kramnik: I deserved this victory

Below is the interview of the two players after game 10:

Once again everything turns upside down: the press room saw happy Kramnik and sad and abstracted Topalov. Vladimir eagerly answered all the questions, even about ‘dead’ and ‘live’ water on his table during the previous game. Veselin would have probably preferred ignoring the press conference, if it were not for the contract…

– Vladimir, you were asked several times about spending your last day, and I would like to ask how did you spend the last night?
– The day wasn’t so good, but I had a good night’s sleep. I said many times that I am professional. Yes, that game was not the best in my career, but this is not a reason to get depressed. As you see, I played okay today.

– Vladimir, have you heard applause after the game? And when it was the last time you heard applause addressed to you after your game?
– Yes, some people applauded after the game… I heard applause in Dortmund, after I defeated Leko in the last game, and won the tournament. The crowd boos more often after my games, but sometimes they applaud, too (smiles). The best reaction I ever heard was in Belgrade – there were more than a thousand observers, and they were giving ovation after each game, if it was not a dull draw. I felt like in a theatre.

– What did you feel when Veselin played 24…f6?
– To be honest, this move came as a big surprise. I was dazzled: I have Qg4 and Nd7 – what to choose? Why Veselin played this move? The tension was high, and he also makes mistakes. Yesterday I made a present to Veselin, today the roles have changed. As for objective evaluation of the position, I think Black holds if he plays correctly – it should be a draw. I was so much into calculating long variations that the move f6 came as revelation. First I thought it is some kind of trap, and spent time trying to find it. I did not find anything stunning, and proceeded with 25.Nd7. Later Veselin continued making mistakes. For example, 28…Rxd4 is another error; he had to move the rook to e7, after which White must display some technique. After Black’s 28th move, White wins anyhow. I tried handling the position in the most human way, avoiding any risk. In principle, I could have taken the piece by playing f2-f3, but preferred to exchange everything and proceed to a won ending instead.

– You said the game would have ended in a draw if both sides played correctly. Had you considered that this is your next-to-the-last White? The clock is ticking, so maybe it was time to show some killing novelties?
– I don’t know how to answer this question – after all, I nevertheless won the game! First, there was no immediate draw, there was a complex position. Before the game I wanted to obtain a complex position with many pieces, maintain the tension and wait for the opponent to make a mistake. It worked today.

– Proneness to time trouble is often considered a sign of poor form. How do you assess your form, considering your frequent time troubles?
– Well, time trouble is a loose concept. I wasn’t in real zeintnot today. I was spending more time than Veselin, which is natural – he selected a new setup, so I had to find the way to neutralize it. However, there was no time trouble. I did not feel pressured.

– Veselin tries to exploit his time lead…
– Yes, he does. However, so far I have never been in a real time trouble during the match. There was some tension, but it is normal. Poor form is shown when you have a minute for 20 moves, and I had 5 minutes for 3 moves, which is okay. Veselin spares about half an hour by the control move, but this is his problem. For me there is no difference whether you spare 5 or 30 minutes. Making good moves is more important. I spent more time thinking today, but my thinking was more efficient.

– How do you assess the opponent’s strategy – trying to keep you away from the relaxation room by making the moves fast?
– I think they just want to create uncomfortable conditions for me. Indeed, I got used to spending my time in the relaxation room during the WCC games. There is a demonstration board, and one can keep thinking about the position; the air is fresher, and nothing disturbs you. The opponent’s strategy aims at disrupting my rhythm. However, I have no problem sitting quietly at the board. I don’t think such strategy is justified – there is no real reason to make mediocre moves quickly only to disrupt my rhythm.

– Vladimir, at some point of the previous game you brought two glasses with mysterious liquid to your table. Your position was so disgusting that I somehow associated it with dead and live water. Can you reveal whether the liquid was the same, or different?
– This liquid is standing on the table – it’s [mineral water] Arkhyz!

– And why there were two glasses instead of one?
– I kept one in reserve. I got used to drink a lot during games. Once I forgot to take the glass with me to the room, and filled another one just in case. Sometimes you have to think seriously, and there is no water… This is why I brought two glasses of water.

– Do you expect an appeal against using two glasses?
– No, I think two is acceptable. If there were three glasses, the Appeals Committee would have started working…

– You won today, so your visit to a Buddhist temple was not in vain?!
– Actually I visited it the day before yesterday, and one cannot say it helped me in yesterday’s game. I hope I deserved this victory by my play. I really hope...

– Veselin, how can you explain 24…f6?
– Just a bad blunder. There were so many pieces on board. Really, I just blundered.

– What did you overlook? Was it Nd7 or something further?
– My overlook was a bit further, but it doesn’t really matter. I think I had to take on b5, and there is nothing to worry about. This was my initial idea, but then I decided 24…f6 being interesting, too.

– You clearly possessed the match initiative in the recent games. Maybe you became a bit complacent, which resulted in the blunder?
– No, I don’t think so. The position was complex with many variations to consider. I wasn’t complacent; I just came to play chess, but blundered.

– And was there any underestimation of the demoralized opponent from your side?
– I decided that 24…f6 is a more complex move compared to taking on b5. After 24…Bxb5 White has certain pressure in the resulting endgame. I glanced at the clock, saw the opponent running behind on the clock, and decided to play the sharpest move.

– Have you anticipated a stunning novelty from Kramnik, or expected a quiet game with slight initiative to White?
– I didn’t have any expectations. I selected a variation leading to sharp struggle, and was ready for any turn of the plot. Kramnik selected a quiet course. Everything would have been fine, had I not blundered in one move…

Source: Official website

Kramnik - Topalov [E08]
WCC Match 2006 (Game 10) 10-08-2006

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.g3 (Again Kramnik plays the Catalan as we have seen it already twice before in this match.)

4...Bb4+ (Here Topalov chose to vary from game 1 and 3 where he played the Open Catalan with 4...dxc4. With the game move, Black seems to lose a tempo but as we shall see, the White Bishop will also lose a tempo on move eight.)

5.Bd2 Be7 6.Bg2 0–0 7.0–0 c6 8.Bf4 Nbd7 (In such positions, White is not too worried about Black capturing 8...dxc4 because after 9.Ne5 White wins the Pawn back quickly.

The other main plan in these positions for Black is to play b7-b6. Topalov certainly had some sour memories of the following two games: 8...b6 9.Nc3 Ba6 10.cxd5 cxd5 11.Rc1 Nc6 12.Nxd5 Qxd5 13.Ne5 Nxd4 14.Bxd5 Nxe2+ 15.Qxe2 Bxe2 16.Bxa8 Rxa8 17.Rfe1 Bb5 18.Rc2 Nd5 19.Rec1 and now 19...Bc5 20.Bd2 f6 21.b4 Bf8 22.Ng4 Rd8 23.Rc8 Rd7 24.Nh6+ gxh6 25.Bxh6 Rf7 26.Rd8 Ne7 27.Rc7 Ng6 28.Rcc8 e5 29.f4 Bd7 30.Ra8 Bh3 31.Kf2 b5 32.Rdb8 exf4 33.gxf4 Bd7 34.h4 Bc6 35.h5 Bxa8 36.hxg6 hxg6 37.Rxa8 f5 38.Kg3 a6 39.Kh4 Rg7 40.Kg5 1–0 Ponomariov - Topalov [Sofia, 2005] or 19…Ba6 20.Bd2 f6 21.Nc4 Rd8 22.a3 Kf7 23.Ne3 h5 24.Nxd5 Rxd5 25.Bb4 Bd8 26.Rc6 Be2 27.Rd6 Rxd6 28.Bxd6 Ke8 29.Bb8 a5 30.Bc7 Bf3 31.Rc3 Bd5 32.f4 Kd7 33.Bxd8 Kxd8 34.Kf2 Kd7 35.Ke3 e5 36.fxe5 fxe5 37.Rc1 a4 38.Rf1 Ke6 39.Rf8 b5 40.Rg8 Kf6 41.Rb8 1–0 Kramnik - Topalov [Dortmund, 2005])

9.Qc2 a5 (Kramnik on the Black side played the more popular 9...b6 holding equality in both games. 10.cxd5 (10.Rd1 Bb7 11.Nc3 dxc4 12.Nd2 Nd5 13.Nxc4 Nxf4 14.gxf4 Qc7 15.e3 Rac8 16.Rac1 1/2 Khalifman - Kramnik, 2005.) 10...cxd5 11.Rc1 Bb7 12.Nbd2 Rc8 13.Qd1 h6 14.Rxc8 Qxc8 15.Rc1 Qa8 16.Ne5 Rc8 17.Nxd7 Nxd7 18.Nf3 a5 19.Ne5 Nxe5 20.Bxe5 Ba6 21.Rc2 a4 22.Bf1 b5 23.Qc1 Rc4 24.b3 axb3 25.axb3 Ba3 26.Qd2 Bb4 27.Qc1 Ba3 28.Qd2 Bb4 ½–½ Karpov - Kramnik [Monte Carlo 2001])

10.Rd1 Nh5 (Another move which has been played in some games is 10...a4.)

11.Bc1 (White wants to keep their pair of Bishops. After this retreat White plans Nbd2 and b2-b3, Bb2.)

11...b5 (White was better after 11...Nhf6 12.Nbd2 b5 13.c5 Qe8 14.e4 Nxe4 15.Nxe4 dxe4 16.Qxe4 Nf6 17.Qc2 Nd5 18.Re1 f6 19.Bf4 += Marin –Pogorelov [Barcelona, 1993]. I would not feel very comfortable transposing to a Stonewall type of position with the a7-a5 move included.)

12.cxd5 (A new move and an improvement over the following game: 12.c5 f5 13.Nc3 g5 14.a3 Bf6 15.Qd2 h6 16.h4 g4 17.Qxh6 gxf3 18.Qxh5 fxg2 19.Qg6+ Kh8 20.Qh6+ Kg8 21.Qg6+ ½–½ Rahman - Ghaem Maghami [Doha, 2003]. Two less energetic options were 12.Ne5 or 12.b3.)

12...cxd5 13.e4! (An ambitious and good move! Strategically speaking, it seems risky as after the trade on e4 White will be left with an isolated Pawn on d4. However, White's dynamic play will more than compensate for that weakness.)

13...dxe4 (A must! Otherwise White would push e4-e5 gaining space and a serious advantage.)

14.Qxe4 (Black has three problems to face in this position, the two pieces on unprotected squares [the Knight on h5 and the Pawn on b5, which at times could be simultaneously attacked by Qe2] as well as Nf3-e5-c6 with various unpleasant threats.)

14...Rb8 (The most logical move as it protects the Pawn on b5. However, after Nf3-e5, there will be a fork threat with Ne5-c6. If, 14...Nb6 15.Ne5 Nd5 16.Qe2 Nhf6 17.Nc3 White is better; 14...Ra7 15.Qe2 Qb6? 16.Ne5 Nhf6 17.Nc6+-)

15.Qe2 (A very sensible move! White is moving the Queen away from the upcoming attacks of Bc8-b7 or Nh5-f6.)

15...Nhf6 (15...Bb7 16.Ne5 Nhf6 17.Bxb7 Rxb7 18.Nc6 Qe8 19.Nxa5 and White is up a Pawn.)

16.Bf4 (Certainly the most natural move! White is developing while winning a tempo by attacking the Rook on b8.)

16...Rb6 (Moving to the a8-h1 diagonal (to b7 or a8) would be worse as White would gain another tempo with discovery attack 17.Ne5.)

17.Ne5 (Threatening with 18.Nc6.)

17...Nd5 (White would have a visible advantage after 17...Nb8 18.Nc3 or 17...Nxe5 18.dxe5 Nd5 19.Bxd5 exd5 20.Nc3 and White is winning a Pawn. Now White wins a Pawn.)

18.Bxd5! exd5 19.Nc3 (A dual attack on both the b5 and d5 Pawns.)

19...Nf6 (19...Bb7 20.Nxb5±)

20.Nxb5 (White won a Pawn. However, the cost was to give up the light squared Bishop from g2.)

20...Ba6 (Pinning the Knight. 20...Bh3 would be scary for White if Black could get some more forces near the White King. But that is not likely to happen.

21.a4 (The only move to protect the Knight.)

21...Ne4 (With the idea of Ne4-d6 as well as to clear the f6 square.)

22.Rdc1 (A good move, occupying the open c file, and threatening with 23.Nc6 Qd7 24.Nxe7 Qxe7 and then 25.f3 using the pin.)

22...Qe8 (Stopping Nc6 as well as attacking b5 a third time.)

23.Rc7 Bd8 (23...Bxb5 24.axb5 Rxb5? 25.Nc6+-)

24.Ra7 (The critical moment of the game.)

24...f6?? (This move gives the game away. A shocking move! Much better would have been 24...Bxb5 25.axb5 Qxb5 26.Qxb5 Rxb5 27.Ra2 when Black would have to defend an unpleasant endgame.)

25.Nd7 (This is the strongest continuation. Kramnik also considered 25.Qg4 which is not as strong as the move he actually made. This game is basically over. The rest is just techniques.)

25...Rf7 26.Nxb6 Rxa7 27.Nxd5 (As a result of the last few forced moves White won a second Pawn.)

27...Rd7 28.Ndc3 Rxd4 29.Re1 (Here, White could have won a piece by using the pin by 29.f3 but it may offer Black small counter attack chances due to the weak King. Kramnik decided on a much safer continuation as he does not want to take any chance whatsoever.)

29...f5 30.Qc2! (A very strong move! Kramnik wanted to get out of the pin while attacking the Black's Rook and at the same time making f2-f3 an even more dangerous threat.)

30...Rb4 31.Nd5 (31.f3 worked too but this gives less counter chances for Black.)

31...Rxb5 (31...Bxb5 32.axb5 Rxb5 33.Qc4 Kh8 34.f3+-)

32.axb5 Qxb5 33.Nc7 Qc4 (33...Bxc7 34.Qxc7 Qxb2 35.Qd8+ Kf7 36.Qd7+ Kg6 37.Qe8+ Kf6 38.Rxe4 fxe4 39.Qc6+ +-)

34.Qd1 (34.Qxc4+ Bxc4 35.Ra1+-)

34...Bxc7 35.Qd7! (A cute double attack threatening with 36.Qe8 checkmate.)

35...h6 36.Qxc7 Qb4 37.Qb8+ (Following the known basic principle: When you are ahead in material, trade, especially Queens!)

37...Qxb8 38.Bxb8 (Black’s position is resignable.)

38…Nd2 39.Ra1 g5 40.f4 Nb3 41.Ra3 Bc4 42.Bc7 g4 43.Bxa5 1–0
 

Game 11 LIVE Commentary | Topalov vs. Kramnik

So we have another open letter. This one comes from Kramnik. How long before we will see an open letter from Topalov? Unbelievable! I hope they will take their anger and frustration out on the board in the next 2 games.

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 Bf5 5.Nc3 e6 6.Nh4 Bg6 7.Nxg6 hxg6 8.Rb1 (Instead of a3 before. This is a novelty according to my database. Kramnik responded instantly!)

8...Nbd7 9.c5 (I can't find any game in my database with this position. Neither can GM Larry Christiansen. It seems that Topalov had this prepared. GM Yasser Seirawan noted: "Black needs to get in his central break ...e6-e5 as a means of generating future counterplay. White has committed himself to a QS clamp. So White's theater of action is easy to see... Whereas Black's is not. So ...e6-e5 is key. Otherwise, I can guess that Vladimir is considering 9...b5, in order to put the breaks on White's QS expansion...")

9...a5 (A very surprising choice, to open up the Queenside. Yasser: "10...a5 rather guarantees that the QS is pried open." To be honest, I am not sure why Kramnik wants to open up the Queenside. That would only help Topalov.)

10.a3 e5 11.b4 axb4 12.axb4 (The most logical way to recapture. Kramnik is once again down by nearly 15 minutes on the clock in the first 11-12 moves. For those of you who do not have access to any server, you can see the LIVE game here.)

12...Qc7 (GM Jonathan Rowson offers his assessment: "I think Black is comfortable, mainly because White will have problems making use of his light squared bishop." Personally, I prefer 12...Be7 but nothing wrong with the move played either.)

13.f4 (Incredible! I do not think a single person could have expected this move. One of the biggest problem playing against Topalov is similar to playing Poker. You have no idea if he is really well prepared at home or he is just bluffing over the board. It is up to Kramnik to call his bluff if he feels that White has nothing in this position.
I do not see much for White. In fact, Black's position seems to be fine.)

13...exf4 (The ChessBase Fritz team suggested: " Fritz is contemplating some tricks with 13...Nh5 14.dxe5 Ng3 15.hxg3 Rxh1 16.e4 dxe4 17.Nxe4 Be7 etc.)

14.exf4 Be7 (There are certainly a lot of actions. Kramnik basically has to figure everything out over the board since this has never been played before. GM Nigel Short added: "One has to be a little careful not to get squashed with Black but the positions feels quite satisfactory.")

15.Be2 (Nigel Short says: "The opening is typical of Toppy's maximalist approach ramming his pawns up the board, grabbing bishops and space at the cost of development and a certain looseness." I asked GM Gata Kamsky of his assessment for Black. He responded: "I think black is comfortable. Additional ideas: nf8-e6, f5, bf6, ne4 is ideal setup for black." Nigel Short stated: " Black has two open files for his rooks. What good does it do him? Not a lot. Someone ought to write about the quality of open lines." GM Rowson also added: " Having grown-up playing 1d4 d5 2Nf3 Bf5?! and allowing 3.c4 e6 4.Nc3 c6 5.Qb3 Qb6 6.c5 etc, this position looks to me to be quite decent for Black. That said, I stopped playing that line because I felt that even the positions that looked decent weren't very good.")

15...Nf8 (Following the suggestion of super GM Kamsky, with the idea of going to e6.)

16.O-O (Topalov made this move IMMEDIATELY!)

16...Ne6 17.g3 (Now Topalov is up by about 35 minutes on the clock. There is nothing wrong with what Topalov just played. I am not sure I like g3 as much as Topalov. I think White needs to be more aggressive with something like 17.b5. There is no time to slow down and be conservative after choosing such an opening. When Gata was asked about Pottygate, he responded: "I don't really want to add anything to the whole bathroom issue, the player's managers are quite good in dealing with it." Black has a number of choices here: 17...b5, 17...b6, 17...Kf8, etc.)

17...Qd7 (Kramnik chose a move that no one considered. I certainly did not. Gata Kamsky says: "Topa's position is loose and krammy's motions are loose - who will win???" Nigel Short: "Qd7 is positionally well-motivated." Gata Kamsky: "Ne4 now is a threat." ChessBase team: "We were looking at some remarkable lines, like 18.Be3 Ne4 19.Nxe4 dxe4 20.Bc4 Nc7 21.Qc2 Nd5 22.Ra1 Rxa1 23.Rxa1 Nxe3 24.Qxe4 0-0 25.Qxe3." GM Rowson: "Three ideas behind qd7- Ne4 without allowing d4-d5, General idea of Qh3, and, on a very good day, with a following wind, Bd8 in order to have Ba5 at some moment.")

18.Qd3 (Hoping to stop 18...Ne4 but I believe Kramnik will play it anyway. Yasser Seirawan: "Now I don't think Vladimir should hesitate. He must play Ne4 quickly! White is trying to plug the e4-leak but it doesn't stop the jump.")

18...Ne4 19.Nxe4 dxe4 20.Qxe4 (If Kramnik takes with the Queen, we may soon head into an endgame. White would be slightly better but Kramnik thinks he can hold. Nigel Short: " Vlad will take with the queen Kh1." Yasser: "Of course Qxd4+ is "impossible" to resist.")

20...Qxd4+ 21.Qxd4 Nxd4 22.Bc4 O-O (I am not sure if this is what Topalov had in mind with his last White game of the match. Yes, White is better. The question is would this be enough to win? I do not think so. GM Rowson explains his assessment: "Draw 75%, T win 7% K win 15%, D-factor 3% (Danailov has been quiet for the last few days.")

23.Kg2 (Just as many people have predicted. GM Rowson: "If needs be, Black can even park the knight on b5 because White risks being worse if he takes, and if he doesn't the hops to a3 and c3 could be annoying.")

23...Ra4 (I aked Gata Kamsky: "Gata, I see nothing serious for White to score a full point in this position. Do you see White having serious chances to win?" He responded: "It's double edged susan,someone might overpress. If both pair of rooks are gone, white is undoubtedly better. Seems that kramnik is pressing for a win." 24.Rd1 is logical at this moment.)

24.Rd1 (Thanks everyone for pointing out the typo. Now that's teamwork!)

24...Rd8 25.Be3 (Gata suggests 25...Bf6. Other playable options are 25...Nc2 or Nf5.)

25...Bf6 (I like 26.Rd2 here and so does Gata. White maintains a decent advantage but again the question is would that be enough to win? I still do not think so. One important note to point out is Topalov is spending more time in this game than in the past few games. He slowed down during critical positions such as on this move.)

26.g4 (I do not like this move at all. I prefer 26.Rd2 better.. Now 26...Ra3 and Black is fine. Gata added an endgame tip: "23...Ra4 is not doing anything, and number one rule in chess endgame is to improve position of your pieces.")

26...Kf8 (26...Ra3 would have equalized Black's position. This game will really test their endgame techniques. Kramnik is generally regarded as a wonderful endgame player while Topalov is more known for his attacking skills and not endgame skills. But do not under estimate Topalov. He won a few brilliant games in endgames in San Luis last year.)

27.Bf2 Ne6 (Now, after the Rook trade, White maintains a solid advantage. Kramnik missed his easy opportunity to equalized with 26...Ra3.)

28.Rxd8 (28...Nxd8 would be a little better than taking with the Bishop because of 29...Bxe6 threat. I am being outvoted. Both Yasser Seirawan and Nigel Short think that 28...Bxd8 is better than 28...Nxd8.)

28...Bxd8 (And Kramnik agrees with them :) What can I say? I am outvoted.)

29.f5 (No one predicted this move. It may be a scary move against a human but the computer thinks it is a bad move that gave away all the advantages. Now 29...gxf5 30.gxf5 Ng5 =. My choice would have been 29.Bxe6 fxe6 30.Rb3 with the idea of b5 at a later point. With this line, White can maintain his advantage and keep the pressure on Kramnik.)

29...gxf5 30.gxf5 (IM Ken Regan offers: "Very concretely, 30...Nf4+ 31 Kf3 Nxd5 32 Bxd5 cxd5. How dangerous is White's Q-side majority now? Ah, that does look good for White."

30....Nf4+ 31.Kf3 Nh5 (Black is fine now. I do not see much chances for White to do anything damaging.)

32.Rb3 (GM Christiansen thinks this move is lame. He said that Karpov would never make a move like this. I am also puzzled by this move. What does he want to accomplish?)

32...Bc7 (Gata Kamsky sees this as a clear draw. So do I. White has nothing here. I am sure this is not what Topalov wants to achieve with his last White of the match.)

33.h4 Nf6 (GM Tyomkin says: " Kramnik is definitely safe here, my betting line is 90% for the draw, 9% for Kramnik's win and 1% for Topalov's win [Danailov locks Kramnik in WC].)

34.Bd3 Nd7 (White has nothing. And Topalov better be careful not to overpush in this position. If 35.Ke4 then Ba5 and Black is clearly better.)

35.Be4 (35...Ne5+ is logical. Topalov is not playing this endgame well at all.)

35...Ne5+ 36.Kg2 (Black is now slightly better. Topalov has completely mishandled this endgame. Just a quick reminder, I will be on chess.fm tonight. The show runs from 8:00 to 10:00 PM (EST - NY time) tonight. As always, there will be replays of the show almost immediately afterwards for our chess enthusiasts on the West Coast & elsewhere, and often there will be several replays the following day.You can access it at www.chess.fm if you are an ICC member. However, if you are not, you can sign up for a one week FREE trial membership by visit www.chessclub.com)

36...Ra2 (Topalov is not doing so good now. Black is in control of this game now, perhaps not enough to win but definitely enough to make Topalov work hard to hold on.)

37.Bb1 Rd2 38.Kf1 Ng4 (Now, 39.Be1 is a must if he wants to hold on. I am stunned to see how poorly Topalov has played this endgame. Thank you GM (handle
oliveoyl on ICC) and everyone else for correcting my typos :) I kept tapping the wrong key to type 2 instead of 3. All of a sudden, Topalov is taking his time. I think his downfall was 29.f5?)

39.Bg1 (I believe this is another horrendous defensive move. Black now has 39...Bh2 and if 40.Bxh2 Rxh2 and Black has a very solid advantage.)

39...Bh2 (Just as I expected and now Black is doing very well. Topalov will have quite a task to hold this position now. It is doable but he made tough work for himself for no reason at all. GM Tyomkin says: "All started with 29.f5. Super-aggresion by Topalov which isn't a good strategy against Kramnik.")

40.Ke1 (Now I expect 40...Rg2 and Black is clearly better. A blogger asked how I can find the strongest move while these 2 players sometimes not. Well, I am sitting at hom at my leisure, no pressure. When everything is on the line with the clock ticking and the whole world watching, pressure mounts in. It is not easy for them. When I played in my last World Championship match in 1996, I made mistakes too, the kind when I do not normally make. It is a lot easier being on the sideline than on the board.)

40...Rd5 (A very surprising move to me and most of everyone else. I think White's chances to draw is now almost certain. 41.Bxh2 Nxh2 42.Rd3 and the position is drawn.)

41.Bf2 (He opted to still trying to win. Sometimes you have to wonder if this stubborn mentality of going for the win all the time would come back to haunt him as in game 1.)

41...Ke7 42.h5 Nxf2 43.Kxf2 (Here, we are heading for a drawn opposite color Bishop endgame. Draw will be the most likely result. Gata Kamsky said: "Ok, I'm not taking sides in this match, people will always attack you, whethere there is a reason or not." Yasser said:"As long as one of those things is chess, we are all happy :)")

43...Kf6 44.Kf3 (White should have little problem drawing this game. It certainly improved in the last few moves.)

44...Rd4 45.b5 (By trading the pawns, the chances for the game to head to a draw increase.)

45...Rc4 46.bxc6 bxc6 47.Rb6 Rc5 48.Be4 Kg5 (The game looks drawish. I do not see much chances for either side.)

49.Rxc6 Ra5 50.Rb6 Ra3+ (Still very much drawish.)

51.Kg2 Bc7 (GM Rowson offers his assessment of the position: "I am not sure if Black has serious chances- I doubt it, but in any case I am sure the computers are no longer a good guide- in my experience they never get opposite coloured bishop positions right. I think if I was white against Kramnik, I would still be a bit nervous, but I suspect Topalov is quite chilled.")

52.Rb7 (Players often clash in big matches. When you play in a match this big, people do and say things that they normally do not do due to extreme pressure. For those fans who sit at home and make judgment, it is not always as easy as 1, 2, 3 as it seems at home. Imagine that EVERY move you make will be a part of history. How you walk, how you talk, how you sit, how everything will be magnified 1,000 times. I may have said something during my World Championship match that I am not proud off. That is why when I met Xie Jun again at the Olympiad in 2004, we went out for coffee and chat to put any misunderstanding behind us and focus on doing things to help chess in our respective countries."

52...Rc3 53.Kf2 Kxh5 54.Bd5 f6 55.Ke2 (Even with a pawn up, the game is a draw. In chess at this level, it would be an insult for the side with a pawn down to offer a draw. Therefore, it is up to Kramnik to offer the draw anytime he is ready.)

55...Kg4 56.Be4 Kf4 57.Bd3 Rc5 58.Rb4+ Kg3 59.Rc4 Re5+ 60.Re4 Ra5 61.Re3+ (It is just a matter of time before they will shake hands. There is no chance for either side to win at this level. One blogger asked if giving my example means that I am condoning the players' behavior. The answer is no. I just want to share with the readers a perspective that few have experienced. As in regards to my match against Xie Jun, some of you asked what I said. I am not sure what I said wrong or right. It did not really matter. However, during the heat of the match, many things could be misunderstood. That is why I did not want any misunderstanding between 2 champions. I have the highest respect for my opponent and I just wanted to let her know that.)

61...Kg2 62.Be4+ Kh2 63.Rb3 Ra2+ (Still dead draw.)

64.Kd3 Bf4 65.Kc4 Re2 (I am not sure why they are playing this out. I see virtually no chance to Kramnik to win this game.)

66.Kd5 and they officially agreed to a draw.
 

Game 11 Analysis | Topalov 1/2 Kramnik

Topalov - Kramnik [D12]
WCC Match 2006 (Game 11) 10.10.2006

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 Bf5 5.Nc3 e6 6.Nh4 Bg6 7.Nxg6 hxg6 8.Rb1 (A new move already on move 8! In Game 9, Topalov played 8.a3 and won. Obviously Kramnik was ready to surprise Topalov there. Most popular are 8.g3 and 8.Bd2. Although some Queen moves such as 8.Qb3 or 8.Qc2 were experimented with also in the past. However, a new move does not always mean a significant improvement over the current theory.)

8...Nbd7 (Black responds with the most natural developing move.)

9.c5 (A logical follow up of White's previous move. If 9.b4 dxc4 10.Bxc4 Bd6=)

9...a5 (A good move to include the exchange of the a Pawns before White advances b2-b4-b5.)

10.a3 (Continuing with the b2-b4 plan. 10.f4 b6 11.cxb6 Qxb6 and c6-c5 is fine for Black.)

10...e5 (This is one of Black's two main plans. The other was 10...b6 11.cxb6 Qxb6 and c6-c5 soon.)

11.b4 axb4 12.axb4 Qc7 (Putting pressure on the h2 Pawn.)

13.f4 (Similarly to Game 9, Topalov makes a lot of ambitious Pawn moves. 13.h3 would be more reserved.)

13...exf4 14.exf4 Be7 (What an unusual view: White has only a Knight out all the other pieces are still on the back rank after move 14! If 14...Nh5 [with the idea of Nh5-g3 using the pin] it could be stopped by 15.Qf3.)

15.Be2 Nf8 (White would be better after the natural 15...0–0 16.0–0 followed up by f4-f5.)

16.0–0 Ne6 (Now of course 17.f5 would be a terrible blunder allowing 17...Qxh2+. Avoiding that problem is the explanation behind White's next move.)

17.g3 (After the solid 17.Be3, Black could answer with 17...g5.)

17...Qd7 (This is the beginning of a simplification plan with the idea of Nf6-e4. Also if White is not careful the Black Queen may appear on h3 in some variations.)

18.Qd3 (After 18.Bf3 the answer would have been the same 18...Ne4.)

18...Ne4 (A temporary Pawn sacrifice.)

19.Nxe4 dxe4 20.Qxe4 Qxd4+ 21.Qxd4 Nxd4 (After all these trades White is still hoping in the power of the pair of Bishops. But actually the position is very close to equal.)

22.Bc4 0–0 (Finally! Even though we are practically already in the endgame phase of the game, castling still puts the King to the safest place.)

23.Kg2 (Moving out of any potential Knight or Bishop checks.)

23...Ra4?! (I don't particularly like this move. Perhaps Kramnik missed White's trap set on move 25.)

24.Rd1 (White's hope is to enter the seventh rank [on d7] if the Black Knight moves away.)

24...Rd8 25.Be3 Bf6 (At first it seems that Black wins a Pawn after 25...Nc2?! 26.Rxd8+ Bxd8 27.Bf2 Rxb4? [27...Nxb4 28.Rd1 Bf6 29.Rd7 Nd5 30.Bxd5 cxd5 31.Rxb7 Rc4 32.Rd7 d4 33.g4 Kf8 34.Rd5 and White is better] but, amazingly White has a cute trap with 28.Bb3!! Na3 and 29.Bxf7+! Kxf7 30.Rxb4+-)

26.g4?! (I prefer 26.Rd2 Raa8 27.Bf2 with a small plus for White.)