[Event "World-ch Kramnik-Topalov +3-3=6"]
[Site "Elista"]
[Date "2006.09.23"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E04"]
[WhiteElo "2743"]
[BlackElo "2813"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "149"]
[EventDate "2006.09.23"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventRounds "12"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 115"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2006.11.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2006.11.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{The match had a promising start: 75 moves of uncompromising battle, abrupt
changes in the course of the game and... a decisive result. It could have all
ended in an "interesting draw" right after the first time control if Black had
been any other player than Topalov. For Kramnik, the general pattern must be
quite familiar. Two years ago in Brissago, he also won the first game of his
match with Leko after his opponent overstepped the limit of admissible risk.} 
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 dxc4 5. Bg2 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 a5 {This line is
rarely seen in normal tournaments, but has been submitted to some intense
theoretical discussion in recent high level events. What makes Topalov's
choice more interesting is that Kramnik had employed this line with Black, too.
} 7. Qc2 ({The other popular continuation is} 7. O-O O-O {is better.} ({
Now, it is premature to defend the c4-pawn before it is attacked:} 7... b5 $2
8. a4 $1 Bxd2 (8... c6 9. axb5 {[%csl Yb4][%cal Ra1a8] /\Bxb4} Bxd2 10. Nfxd2
$1 {[%cal Rg2a8]}) 9. Nfxd2 Ra7 10. axb5 Qxd4 11. Na3 Bb7 12. Bxb7 Rxb7 13.
Ndxc4 $16 {1-0 Genov,P-Kuzev,J/BUL-ch 1995/EXT 97 (29)}) 8. Nc3 (8. Qc2 {
1/2-1/2 Karpov,A (2710)-Piket,J (2615)/Monte Carlo 1999/CBM 070/[Piket] (43)})
8... Nc6 9. a3 Bxc3 10. Bxc3 Nd5 11. Bd2 b5 12. e4 Nb6 13. Be3 Bb7 14. Qc2 Ne7
15. Rad1 $44 {1/2-1/2 Bareev,E (2709)-Kramnik,V (2754)/Monte Carlo 2005/CBM
105 ext (36) White has adequate compensation for the exchange due to his
strong pawn centre and pair of bishops. However, Black's position is quite
solid.}) (7. Na3 {looks like a tempting alternative. 'Ribli'} Bxa3 8. bxa3 O-O
(8... a4 $1 {as suggested by Psakhis would have allowed Black to consolidate
his queenside by a further ...b5, without fearing the undermining of the
b5-pawn.}) 9. Qc2 b5 10. a4 (10. Ne5 Nd5 11. Rb1 c6 12. O-O $44) 10... c6 11.
Rb1 Ba6 12. a3 $1 $44 (12. Ne5 b4 $132) 12... Nbd7 13. O-O Rb8 14. Rfd1 Qb6 15.
e4 h6 (15... Rfe8 16. e5 Nd5 17. Ng5 $44) 16. Bc3 (16. Bf4 b4 $1) 16... Qc7 17.
axb5 cxb5 18. d5 {/\Nd4} e5 19. Nh4 Kh7 20. Qd2 $14 {1/2-1/2 Marin,M-Psakhis,L/
rpd. 25', WorldChessNetwork.com 2005 (32)}) 7... Bxd2+ {Facing White with the
task of taking an early decision.} (7... Nc6 {leads to a position that is
usually achieved from the Bogo-Indian defence: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Bb4 4.
Bd2 a5 5.g3 d5 6.Bg2 Nc6 7.Qc2 dxc4 8.Qxc4 Qd5 9.Qd3.}) 8. Qxd2 $5 {This move
is in slight contradiction with the general rules of development: White moves
for the second time in a row with an already developed piece. Even more
paradoxical is the justification of such a decision: White intends to
effectuate a new series of 3 consecutive moves with the queen in order to win
the pawn back! In fact, moving around with the queen before the development of
the other pieces has been completed is quite typical for the Catalan, the most
recent example in Kramnik's practice being his game against Naiditsch from
Dortmund 2006. The explanation why such radical deviations from the normal
course of the game are viable is probably connected with what I would call
"The quality of development". Indeed, the Catalan bishop is sometimes so
strong that it can compensate for a delay in the mobilization of the other
forces.} ({The more natural} 8. Nbxd2 {allows Black maintain his extra pawn
with} b5 {and although White certainly gets compensation for it, for instance}
9. a4 c6 10. b3 cxb3 11. Nxb3 O-O 12. O-O Ba6 13. Nc5 Nbd7 14. Rfd1 $44 {
1/2-1/2 Avrukh,B (2614)-Eljanov,P (2629)/Mallorca 2004/CBM 104 (23). it was
just sufficient for a draw.}) 8... c6 ({Black cannot achieve complete equality
by means of such neutral moves as} 8... b6 9. Ne5 Ra7 10. Na3 Bb7 11. Bxb7 Rxb7
12. Naxc4 O-O 13. O-O Qe7 14. Rfd1 $14 {1/2-1/2 Wojtkiewicz,A (2554)-Gulko,B 
(2585)/San Diego 2006/CBM 112 (31). with better development and an advantage
of space in the centre for White.}) 9. a4 b5 10. axb5 cxb5 11. Qg5 {We can see
a similar sortie by the queen in the Queen's Indian: 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6
4.g3 Ba6 5.b3 b5 6.cxb5 Bxb5 7.Bg2 Bb4+ 8.Bd2 a5 9.Bxb4 axb4 10.Qd2 Nc6 and
now, precisely on the same 11th move, 11.Qg5, hitting g7 and b7, just like in
our game.} O-O {From structural point of view, both attacked pawns were quite
important, because the elimination of any of them would be equivalent to a
chronic weakening of the structure on that side.} ({Although for the purpose
of ensuring the safety of the king, the g7-pawn is of crucial importance,} 
11... b4 {is not completely out of place. Black's aim would be to maintain a
strong queen side majority.} 12. Ne5 (12. Qxg7 Rg8 13. Qh6 Bb7 {leaves Black
with viable play in a rather unbalanced position.}) 12... Ra7 13. Nxc4 Qxd4 $5
14. Nd6+ $5 Qxd6 15. Qxg7 Rg8 16. Qxf6 Nd7 17. Qh4 Qe5 $13 {with a fairly
unbalanced position.}) 12. Qxb5 {From the static point of view, White has a
great position. His structure is more compact and his queen's knight has a
perfect blocking square on c3. Black's chances consist mainly of dynamic play.}
Ba6 $146 {This novelty could hardly have come as a surprise to Kramnik, since
it is Fritz' first option. Black intends to win some time for his development
by chasing the enemy queen.} (12... Na6 $6 {fails to question the viability of
the enemy queen's incursion.} 13. Qxc4 Nb4 14. Qb3 e5 15. Nxe5 Rb8 16. O-O Qxd4
17. Rxa5 Be6 18. Qc3 Qd8 19. Rc5 $16 {1-0 Grischuk,A (2719)-Moiseenko,A (2662)/
Sochi 2006/CBM 111 ext (102)}) 13. Qa4 {With his development as yet incomplete,
White does not feel ready to embark in forced tactical battles.} ({However,
since after the game continuation he will not manage to obtain an advantage,} 
13. Qxa5 {deserves to be taken into consideration.} Bb7 14. Qxd8 Rxa1 $1 15.
Qxf8+ {White has to return the material, otherwise he would end up under very
dangerous attack.} (15. Qb6 $2 Rxb1+ 16. Kd2 c3+ $1 $17 {and a fork on d5 will
soon win the queen.}) (15. Qc7 $2 Rxb1+ 16. Kd2 Rxb2+ 17. Kc1 c3 18. Qxc3 Rxe2
$17 {with very strong threats in conditions of approximate material equality.})
15... Kxf8 16. O-O {This is the most natural move, but removing the king from
the centre is a far from one-sided decision from the perspective of the
approaching endgame.} ({An interesting alternative would be} 16. Kd2 Ra2 17.
Rc1 {in order to maintain the e2-pawn defended with the king. However, this
would leave the g2-bishop undefended, which would restrict White's active
possibilities.}) 16... Ra2 {Black will most likely win his pawn back, but
White can count on a small achievement, too: he has almost completed his
development and maintained the control of the c3-square at the same time.} 17.
Ne5 (17. Nbd2 {is met by} Bxf3 $1 {when each way to re-capture has its
drawbacks. In principle, it would be desirable to maintain the c4-pawn under
pressure, but} 18. Bxf3 {allows} c3 $1 19. Nc4 cxb2 20. Kg2 Ra4 $11 {with
complete simplifications and a draw.}) (17. Rc1 Rxb2 18. e3 {leaves the
f2-square vulnerable, for instance} Nbd7 19. Nbd2 Ng4 $1 {and White cannot
free himself easily.}) 17... Ba6 (17... Bd5 18. Nc3 Rxb2 19. e4 $14) 18. Nc3
Rxb2 19. Rb1 {It is important to exchange or at least drive back the active
black rook.} Rxb1+ (19... Rb3 20. Rc1 Nfd7 21. f4 $14 {followed by the
centralisation of the king.}) 20. Nxb1 Nd5 21. Bxd5 (21. e4 $2 c3 $1 $19) 21...
exd5 22. Nc3 $14 {White has a minimal but stable advantage. The main
achievement of the early queen's manoeuvre, namely the control of the
c3-square, has been preserved until very deep in the endgame. However, it is
not easy to evaluate whether he has real chances for a win. Black has a passed
pawn after all, which considerably restricts White's active possibilities.})
13... Qb6 14. O-O ({The immediate} 14. Nbd2 {deserves to be mentioned.} Bb5 $1
(14... Qxb2 $2 15. Rb1 Qc3 16. O-O $18 {[%csl Yc3][%cal Gf1c1]}) (14... Nc6 $6
15. Nxc4 Bxc4 16. Qxc4 Rfc8 17. O-O Ne7 18. Qa2 Rc2 19. Qa3 Ned5 (19... Ra7 $6
20. b4 $1 a4 21. Rfc1 Rxe2 $6 22. Bf1 Re4 23. Bd3 Rg4 24. h3 $16 {traps the
rook.}) 20. Rfc1 Rxe2 21. Qxa5 Qxa5 22. Rxa5 Rd8 23. Rb5 Ne4 24. Ne5 $14 {
Black does not seem to have enough for the pawn.}) 15. Qa2 (15. Qa3 Nc6 16. Rc1
Rad8 17. e3 Qa6 {In this line, we can notice the main drawback of the
development of the knight to d2: the c3-square is not blocked, which makes
castling slightly problematic.}) 15... Nc6 16. Nxc4 Qd8 $11 17. Rd1 $2 Nb4 18.
Qb3 Nfd5 $1 {/\a4} 19. Rc1 Rc8 20. Nfd2 Nb6 $17) 14... Qxb2 15. Nbd2 Bb5 16.
Nxc4 {A forced move, but I cannot help thinking that after capturing this pawn,
White will not anjoy stability on c3 for his knights any more.} Bxa4 17. Nxb2
Bb5 {Finally, the piece in which White has invested 5 tempi of development has
been exchanged. White has a nice pawn structure and, after the next move,
strong pressure along the h1-a8 diagonal. However, Black's a-pawn should not
be underestimated. In order to block it or simply capture it, White will need
to concentrate a considerable amount of resources on the queenside, leaving
the other wing slightly weakened. Compared with the final position of the
variation given in the notes to White's 13th move, the relation between the
black bishop and the white queen's knight is reversed. Here, the bishop is
dominating the knight.} 18. Ne5 Ra7 19. Bf3 Nbd7 20. Nec4 {One important
aspect is that all the outposts for the minor pieces offered by the central
chain of pawns are a bit too far from the passed pawn. The knight only enjoys
relative stability on c4.} (20. Nxd7 Nxd7 (20... Bxd7 21. Ra3 $14 {[%csl Ga5]
[%cal Yf1a1,Yb2d3,Yd3c5]}) 21. Rfb1 $5 {[%csl Gb5][%cal Yb2d1,Yd1c3]} Rc8 {
Apparently, the only way to maintain the balance even. The bishop needs
support along the c-file.} (21... a4 22. Nd1 Bc4 23. Ne3 $16 Bb3 $2 24. Rxb3
$18) (21... Rb8 22. Nd1 Rb6 23. Ra3 $14) (21... e5 22. Nd1 e4 23. Rxb5 exf3 24.
exf3 Rfa8 25. Nc3 Kf8 26. Ra4 Ke7 27. Kf1 $16) 22. Nd1 Bc6 (22... Bc4 23. Ne3
$16 {/\Rb7}) 23. Rc1 Rac7 (23... Bb7 24. Rxc8+ Bxc8 25. Nc3 Nf6 26. Kf1 Bd7 27.
Ke1 Kf8 28. Kd2 Ke7 29. e4 Bc6 30. Kd3 $14 a4 $6 31. Ra3 Rb7 32. Bd1 $16 Rb2
$140 33. Ke3) 24. Rxc6 Rxc6 25. Bxc6 Rxc6 $11 {Now, the position has been
simplified even further and White's advantage in space becomes less relevant.
Black should not face too big a problem.} 26. Rxa5 $2 Rc1 27. Ra8+ Nf8 $19)
20... Rb8 {Defending the a5-pawn by indirect means.} ({As pointed out by GM
Lupulescu, this is an attempt to take over the initiative already. Black could
have forced a draw with} 20... Rc7 {for instance} 21. Ne3 (21. Nxa5 Bxe2 22.
Bxe2 Rc2 $15 {leaves White with a weak pawn on d4, while his piece activity is
of temporary nature.}) 21... e5 $1 22. Rxa5 exd4 23. Nf5 Rc5 24. Nxd4 Bxe2 $1
25. Rxc5 Bxf1 $11 {Lupulescu}) 21. Rfb1 ({Kramnik could hardly have considered
the possibility of starting the (probably successful) fight for a draw with} 
21. Rxa5 {at such an early stage of the game and match.} Rxa5 22. Nxa5 Bxe2 $15
) 21... g5 $5 {A multi-purpose move. Black avoids any back rank problems,
opens a path for the king's activation and questions White's stability on the
kingisde. In the long run, the operation initiated by the advance of this pawn
will put White under serious pressure.} 22. e3 ({White could have prevented
the further advance of the g-pawn by means of} 22. h3 h5 23. Ne3 {. However,
it is not clear how he would have continued if Black had just gradually
improved his position by means of} a4 (23... e5 {is premature because of} 24.
dxe5 g4 25. hxg4 hxg4 26. Bg2 Nxe5 27. Nbc4 $14 {when Black will most likely
lose his a-pawn.}) 24. Ra3 Kg7 $13) 22... g4 23. Bd1 {The most consequent
continuation. White intends to prove that placing the bishop on f3 was just an
intermediate phase in the process of its further activation. Among others, the
a4-square is taken under control. The main drawback of the bishop retreat
consists of the fact that it leaves the long diagonal undefended.} ({However,
in the case of} 23. Bg2 {followed by an eventual move with the c4-knight,
Black could play ...Be2 followed by ...Bf3, with a similar situation as in the
game.}) 23... Bc6 24. Rc1 ({Again, the pawn is taboo.} 24. Nxa5 $2 Be4 $17)
24... Be4 25. Na4 {Finally, White has reached some queenside stability.
However, after placing the knight on a4 the pressure against the a5-knight is
released, allowing Black more freedom of action.} Rb4 26. Nd6 Bf3 $5 {This
certainly looks like a double-edged decision: will the pawn be a strength or a
weakness? The further course of the game offers us partial answers in both
ways. The pawn kept White passive for a long time but then perished without
glory after Black's first slip. However, further analysis proved that with
correct play Topalov's decision was entirely viable.} 27. Bxf3 gxf3 {For the
time being, we can notice that the pawn is not easy to attack and that it
causes White some back rank problems. Besides, if the d6-knight moves away,
the wonderful e4-square would become available to the black knights.} 28. Nc8 {
The adherents of the Catalan Opening like very much to place knights on the
c6-square, especially if they cannot be driven away easily. In this concrete
case, however, it is not clear yet whether this yields White any concrete
advantage, because the knight is too far from such important squares as e4 or
f3. Kramnik probably intended to put the a5-pawn under pressure in order to
eliminate it at any cost and reach absolute safety.} (28. e4 $5 {[%csl Gf3]
[%cal Ya1a3] Korotylev}) (28. Nc3 $5 {[%cal Yc3e4,Ye4d2,Ra5a4] Korotylev,
Notkin} Ra6 29. Nde4 Nxe4 30. Nxe4 a4 $132) 28... Ra8 29. Ne7+ Kg7 30. Nc6 Rb3
31. Nc5 {The other knight jumps forward, taking over the duties of his
colleague regarding the control of the e4-square.} Rb5 32. h3 $6 {This
over-cautious move could have led White to troubles.} ({As known, the best
form of defence is attack!} 32. Ra4 $5 Nxc5 33. dxc5 Nd7 34. Rac4 $1 $13 {
[%csl Rf3][%cal Yc6d4,Rc5c6] leaves White with active possibilities, although
the a-pawn remains quite dangerous.}) 32... Nxc5 33. Rxc5 (33. dxc5 Nd7 34. Ra4
(34. Nd4 Rxc5 35. Rxc5 Nxc5 36. Nxf3 a4 $17) 34... Nxc5 35. Rg4+ Kf8 36. Nd4 {
and now Black can save his hanging pieces with} Nd3 37. Rd1 Nb2 $15) 33... Rb2
{Suddenly, White has problems. The threat ...Ne4 is very strong.} 34. Rg5+ {
An apparently inoffensive intermediate check that faces Black with a far from
easy choice.} Kh6 $6 {The concrete reasons why this move reduces Black's
chances for success are not obvious yet.} ({However, intuitively} 34... Kf8 {
deserves to be preferred. The king has little chance of getting active
possibilities on the kingside, where it is restricted by the barrier created
by the g3- and h3-pawns and should rather aim to travel around the whole board
like Columbus, up to e2. Here is a possible continuation that illustrates
Black's chances:} 35. Rgxa5 (35. Raxa5 $2 Rxa5 36. Nxa5 Ne4 $19) 35... Rxa5 36.
Nxa5 (36. Rxa5 $2 Ne4 $19) 36... Ne4 37. Rf1 f6 38. Nc4 ({The main difference
compared to the game is that} 38. Nc6 {fails to restrict Black's activity, for
instance} Ke8 39. d5 e5 40. g4 Kd7 41. Na5 Rc2 42. Nc6 Kd6 $17) 38... Ra2 39.
Nb6 Ke7 40. Nc4 Kd7 41. Nb6+ Kc7 42. Nc4 Kc6 43. Rc1 {What else? The knight
was in danger already.} Kb5 $1 (43... Rxf2 $2 44. Nd2+ Kd5 45. Rc5+ Nxc5 46.
Kxf2 Ne4+ 47. Nxe4 Kxe4 48. g4 $11) 44. Rc2 Ra1+ 45. Kh2 Rf1 46. g4 Kb4 {
/\Kb3 and White is in big trouble. When moving his king to h6, Topalov might
have intended to restrict White's choice by attacking his rook. However, we
have seen from the previous lines that after ...Kf8 White could hardly have
deviated from the main course. Another possibility is that the FIDE World
Champion had not decided yet to play on in spite of being a pawn down 
(although knowing Topalov's reputation, I can hardly believe that!)}) 35. Rgxa5
Rxa5 36. Nxa5 Ne4 37. Rf1 Nd2 {I suspect that most of the spectators and
commentators were expecting a draw by repetition to follow soon. At least,
this was what I initially thought.} 38. Rc1 Ne4 39. Rf1 f6 {An important move,
preventing the enemy knight's transfer to e5, when the f3-pawn would be in
danger.} 40. Nc6 Nd2 41. Rd1 Ne4 42. Rf1 Kg6 {At this moment I understood that
we were going to have a long game. With such perfect coordination of his
pieces (R + N + P), Topalov correctly assumes that he can play for a win
without too much risk. He might have also thought that even if White would
hold a draw, it would useful to take the psychological initiative from the
very first game of the match.} 43. Nd8 {[%csl Re6,Rf7] When playing his 34th
move, Topalov must have underestimated the strength of the enemy knight, which,
in spite of being cut off his colleagues, is able to restrict Black's activity
by attacking the enemy pawns from behind, preventing the activation of the
king via f7 at the same time!} Rb6 {By employing the rook for the purpose of
defending the e6-pawn, Black allows the partial activation of the enemy rook.}
(43... e5 $5 {deserved serious attention. Even though the eventual exchange of
one pair of pawns would increase the "risk" of a draw in certain cases, White
would face serious problems saving his poorly coordinated army.} 44. Nc6 {
(Exchanging on e5 would not only open the king's access to the other wing via
f6, but also deprive the white knight of the c5-square.)} Kf5 45. Nd8 {
Continuing to cut the king's access off.} h5 {Playing for zugzwang.} ({Black
should not release the tension in the centre either.} 45... exd4 46. exd4 Rd2
47. Nc6 Ke6 48. Re1 Re2 49. Rf1 Kd5 50. Ne7+ Kxd4 51. Nf5+ Ke5 52. Ne3 {
would most probably lead to a draw.}) (45... Rc2 {is less accurate because it
allows} 46. Nb7 Ke6 47. Nc5+ Nxc5 48. dxc5 {when Black would retain just a
more pleasant position with} e4 $15 {but probably not more than that.}) 46. Nc6
({White should refrain from such moves as} 46. h4 {[%csl Gg4]}) 46... Ke6 47.
Nd8+ Ke7 48. Nc6+ Kd6 49. Na5 Kd5 {/\...Rb5. In order to save his knight,
White has to release the tension already.} 50. dxe5 fxe5 51. Rd1+ Ke6 52. Rf1
Rc2 53. Nb3 Kd5 $17 {and White is in serious trouble.}) 44. Rc1 h5 45. Ra1 h4 {
Apparently, Topalov was convinced that the shorter way to the enemy king is
the best.} ({He could have probably transposed to the previous variations with
} 45... e5 {still, initiating the long trip of the king.}) ({Re-directing the
king without the pawn exchange in the centre, starting with} 45... Kg7 {
would have been less promising if faced with adequate white defence.} 46. Rc1
Kf8 47. d5 $1 (47. Nc6 {would more or less transpose to the variation from the
comments on White's 34th move:} Ke8 48. Na5 Rb2 49. Nc4 Ra2 50. Rf1 Kd7 {
and so on.}) 47... exd5 (47... e5 48. Ne6+ Ke7 49. Ng7 {allows White to
eliminate the h5-pawn and get his knight on to a reasonable square at the same
time. It should be mentioned that if White had initiated the whole plan
without advancing the h-pawn, then Rc7+ followed by Rxh7 would have been
possible, while with the pawn on h6, White could play g4 and Nf5 in the
current position. Besides that, in all cases Nc5 would have been an
alternative, exchanging knights and retaining a cramped but defensible
position.}) 48. Nc6 Ng5 {Black has to react quickly in order to prevent Nd4.}
49. Kh2 Rb2 50. Rf1 Ne6 51. Kg1 Ke8 52. h4 $1 (52. Rd1 $2 Ng5 $1 $19) 52... Kd7
53. Rc1 {and White seems to be out of danger. Next, he could play Nd4, when
after ..Nxd4 exd4 the f3-pawn would be just as weak as the d4-pawn.}) 46. gxh4
Kh5 47. Ra2 Kxh4 48. Kh2 Kh5 49. Rc2 Kh6 {The rather tortuous path chosen by
Topalov for his king was dictated by the aim of putting White in zugzwang.
More about it later.} 50. Ra2 Kg6 51. Rc2 ({Actually, White could have
maintained his rook on the more active a2-square by playing} 51. Kg1 {when}
Rb1+ 52. Kh2 Rf1 $6 {does not work because of} 53. Nxe6) 51... Kf5 {Topalov
managed to play this move in a moment when the check on the fifth rank is not
available. However, it will be not easy to build on this partial success.} 52.
Ra2 {White can do very little apart from sit and wait.} Rb5 {Protecting the
king but releasing the knight from its cage.} 53. Nc6 Rb7 54. Ra5+ Kg6 55. Ra2
Kh5 $6 {After long manoeuvres, Black has managed to create the deadly threat ..
.Rg7-g2. However, White's (possibly) unexpected answer will mark the turning
point in the game.} ({A safer way to clear the g-file consisted of} 55... Kh6 {
Shipov, Sakaev and Yemelin found the following path to safety for White:} 56.
d5 $1 Rg7 $1 (56... exd5 57. Nd4) 57. dxe6 Rg2+ 58. Kh1 Kg7 $1 (58... Nxf2+ $6
59. Rxf2 Rxf2 60. e7) 59. Ra7+ Kg6 60. Ne7+ Kh6 61. Ra2 Nxf2+ (61... Ng3+ 62.
fxg3 Rxa2 63. Kg1) 62. Rxf2 Rxf2 63. Nf5+ Kg6 64. Nd6 $1 {[%csl Rf7][%cal
Ge6e7]} Rf1+ 65. Kh2 f2 66. e7 Rh1+ $1 67. Kg3 (67. Kxh1 f1=Q+ 68. Kh2 {
is also a draw}) 67... f1=Q 68. e8=Q+ Kh7 {with perpetual.}) 56. d5 $1 e5 ({
For the time being, Topalov reacts correctly.} 56... exd5 {loses the pride of
Black's position after} 57. Nd4) (56... Rg7 {also seems to keep Black in the
game after} 57. dxe6 Rg2+ 58. Kh1 Nxf2+ 59. Rxf2 Rxf2 60. e7 Rf1+ 61. Kh2 Rf2+
62. Kg3 Rg2+ 63. Kxf3 Rg8 {Black has managed to stop the pawn with a supreme
effort, but his position remains optically difficult. However, it is possible
to save the game with a certain degree of accuracy.} 64. Nd4 (64. Ke4 Kg6 65.
Kd5 Kf7 66. Kd6 {looks very promising for White, but Black has at his disposal
the only saving move} Rg3 {which enables him to control the e7-pawn from
behind.}) 64... Kg6 65. e4 Kf7 66. Nf5 Rg1 67. h4 Rh1 68. Ke3 Rd1 69. h5 Rh1
70. h6 Rh2 71. Kd4 Ke8 $1 72. Kd5 Kd7 {and White cannot make progress.}) 57.
Ra4 {Now, Black loses stability in the centre and has to prove certain
inventivity in order to save the game.} f5 $2 {A tragic moment.} ({Probably
surprised by the unexpected course of events, Topalov fails to find his last
saving possibility, consisting of} 57... Nxf2 58. Kg3 e4 {and if} 59. Kxf2 {
then} Rb2+ {with perpetual. The over-ambitious} 60. Kg3 $2 {would even lose to}
Rg2+ 61. Kf4 f2 62. Ra1 Rg1) 58. Nxe5 Rb2 59. Nd3 Rb7 ({At the press
conference, Topalov confessed that he overlooked Rd4. He probably had in mind
the variation} 59... Rd2 60. Rd4 $18 ({Indeed, other moves fail to offer White
winning chances, for instance} 60. Ra3 Kh4 $1 {restricting the enemy king
before capturing on f2.})) 60. Rd4 Rb6 {Still hoping to maintain some sort of
blockade...} 61. d6 {The most convincing winning method. Finally, Black has to
free the enemy king.} Nxd6 62. Kg3 Ne4+ 63. Kxf3 Kg5 64. h4+ $5 {Stein used to
joke: "In such kind of positions I am especially strong!" With two extra-pawns,
White can allow himself display certain fireworks that would make the final
part of the game more enjoyable.} Kf6 (64... Kxh4 65. Nc5 $18) 65. Rd5 Nc3 66.
Rd8 Rb1 67. Rf8+ Ke6 68. Nf4+ Ke5 69. Re8+ Kf6 70. Nh5+ Kg6 71. Ng3 Rb2 72. h5+
Kf7 73. Re5 Nd1 74. Ne2 Kf6 75. Rd5 (75. Rd5 Rb1 (75... Rxe2 76. Rd6+ {or
simply 76.Rxd1}) 76. h6 $18) 1-0

[Event "World-ch Kramnik-Topalov +3-3=6"]
[Site "Elista"]
[Date "2006.09.24"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D19"]
[WhiteElo "2813"]
[BlackElo "2743"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "126"]
[EventDate "2006.09.23"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventRounds "12"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 115"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2006.11.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2006.11.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{Another highly dramatic game. Topalov built up an irresistible king side
attack but then missed a simple win and started playing less confidently.
Kramnik's main merit consists of finding ways to face his opponent with
difficult psychological problems. The score is 2-0 now for Kramnik, but given
the elevated tension of the fight this could be of little relevance from the
point of view of the final result.} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 dxc4 5.
a4 Bf5 {Kramnik has not played this line since 1999 and probably intended it
to be a small surprise.} 6. e3 ({Also slightly unexpected. Topalov usually
plays the more straightforward} 6. Ne5) 6... e6 7. Bxc4 Bb4 8. O-O Nbd7 9. Qe2
Bg6 10. e4 O-O 11. Bd3 Bh5 {[%cal Ye6e5]} 12. e5 ({From the point of view of
the general laws of development,} 12. Bf4 {looks slightly more consistent and
only if} Re8 {[%cal Ye6e5] , then} 13. e5 {. However, after} Nd5 14. Nxd5 {
Black can try} exd5 $5 {[%cal Yd7f8,Yf8e6] already, with interesting play.})
12... Nd5 13. Nxd5 cxd5 14. Qe3 {This can be considered a classical line
already. Black has a solid position, but White's advantage in space offers him
chances for a king side attack, be it of strategic or tactical nature.
Recently, Black's earlier deviations such as 9...Bg4, 9...Ne4 and 11...h6 have
become increasingly popular. Actually, 9...Ne4 can hardly be called a new move;
it has just been well forgotten for a long while, but it was employed during
the Alekhine-Euwe matches. Kramnik himself faced 9...Bg4 against Bacrot in the
Olympiad and failed to demonstrate a convincing antidote.} Bg6 15. Ng5 Re8 16.
f4 Bxd3 $146 {In spite of the fact that the previous games played from this
position did not justify any special worries for Black, Kramnik decides to
restrict White's attacking chances to the minimum.} (16... Nf8 17. g4 Bxd3 18.
Qxd3 Qc7 19. f5 Qc4 20. Qd1 f6 21. Nf3 Rac8 $44 {1/2-1/2 Donner,J-Teschner,R/
Bamberg 1968/MCD (33)}) (16... Rc8 17. g4 f6 18. Bxg6 hxg6 19. Nf3 Qc7 20. Qd3
Nf8 21. f5 gxf5 (21... Qc2 $1 $132 {Deviatkin}) 22. gxf5 fxe5 23. Nxe5 exf5 24.
Qxf5 Bd6 25. Nf7 Re7 26. Nxd6 Qxd6 27. Qxc8 Qg6+ 28. Bg5 Qxg5+ 29. Kh1 {
1-0 Pelletier,Y (2624)-Deviatkin,A (2487)/Moscow RUS 2003}) 17. Qxd3 f5 {
Starting from this moment, I expected that Topalov would sacrifice the knight
on e6 in one way or another. However, Topalov had other plans. By gradually
concentrating all his forces on the king side, he will aim to create very
dangerous threats. This was to a certain extent in accordance with his general
match strategy. Instead of rushing in, he mostly preferred to take his chances
in long battles.} 18. Be3 ({Taking into account Black's possible improvements
on the 19th move,} 18. g4 {deserves serious attention.} h6 $8 (18... g6 $6 19.
gxf5 gxf5 (19... exf5 20. Qb5 $18 {[%csl Yb4,Yd5]}) 20. Qg3 $18 {for instance}
Qe7 21. Nxe6+ Kh8 22. Ng5 h6 23. Qh3 $1 {and White avoids any inconveniences
along the g-file.}) 19. Nxe6 $1 (19. gxf5 hxg5 20. fxe6 Rxe6 21. f5 Nxe5 $1 $15
) 19... Rxe6 20. gxf5 Re7 21. Kh1 $44 {[%cal Yf1g1,Yc1e3,Yg1g6,Ya1g1]}) 18...
Nf8 19. Kh1 ({Now, it is too late for} 19. g4 {already because of} Qd7 20. Kh1
Be7 21. Nxe6 (21. gxf5 exf5 {[%csl Ge6][%cal Ye7g5,Yf8e6]}) 21... Nxe6 22. gxf5
Nc7 23. Rg1 Kh8 {[%csl Gf5][%cal Ye8f8] and White's attacking chances are
questionable.}) 19... Rc8 $6 {Black systematically prepares his queenside
counterplay, but tolerates the knight on g5 for too long.} ({True,} 19... h6 $6
{[%csl Gg6] would have been risky by weakening the g6-square unnecessarily.}
20. Nxe6 $5 (20. Nf3 Rc8 21. Rg1 {[%cal Yg2g4]}) 20... Nxe6 21. Qxf5 $44 {
[%csl Gg6]}) ({However,} 19... Be7 $1 {[%cal Ye7g5] as recommended by several
commentators was better.} 20. Nxe6 $6 (20. Nf3 {is safer, but then White
should abandon his attacking ideas, since} Rc8 21. Rg1 Qc7 22. g4 $6 {is met by
} fxg4 23. Rxg4 Qc2 $15) 20... Nxe6 21. Qxf5 Qd7 $1 (21... Nf8 22. Qg4 Qd7 23.
f5 $40) (21... Qb6 22. a5 Qa6 23. Qg4 $40) 22. Qh5 (22. Qg4 $6 Nc5 $1) (22. Qh3
Rf8 23. Rf3 Rac8 {[%csl Gd4][%cal Yc8c4]} 24. f5 Ng5) 22... g6 23. Qh3 Rf8 24.
Rf3 (24. g4 Ng7 $1 {[%csl Gf5][%cal Yh7h5]}) 24... Rac8 25. g4 Rc4 $17 {
and Black's counterplay is faster than White's attack.}) 20. g4 Qd7 21. Rg1 Be7
22. Nf3 {Shattering my last illusions about a possible Nxe6. True, I felt
fully rewarded for it by the spectacular sequence starting with the 28th move.}
({However,} 22. Nxe6 $5 {might have been a more dangerous continuation of the
attack.} Qxe6 (22... Nxe6 23. gxf5 $16 Nc7 24. f6 $40) 23. gxf5 Qa6 (23... Qf7
24. Rg4 Rc6 (24... Rc4 25. Rag1 g6 26. fxg6 hxg6 27. Rxg6+ $18) (24... Kh8 25.
Rag1 g6 26. fxg6 hxg6 27. f5 $18 gxf5 $6 28. Qxf5 $1 {[%csl Yg7,Yg8,Gh6]}) 25.
Rag1 g6 26. fxg6 hxg6 (26... Rxg6 27. f5 Rxg4 28. Rxg4+ Kh8 29. Bh6 $18) 27. f5
Rec8 28. Bh6 $40) 24. Qxa6 $5 {The following lines are suggestive of the
dangers facing Black even in the endgame.} ({However, the simple} 24. Qd2 $40 {
[%cal Yd2g2] might be just better.}) 24... bxa6 25. f6 Bxf6 26. exf6 Rxe3 (
26... g6 27. Ra3 {[%cal Yf4f5]} Kf7 28. Rg5 Red8 29. Re5 $14 {[%cal Yf4f5,
Ye3f2,Yf2h4,Ya3b3,Yb3b7]}) 27. Rxg7+ Kh8 28. Rag1 Ne6 29. R7g4 {[%cal Yf6f7,
Yg4g8]} h5 (29... Rb3 30. f5 Nc7 31. Rg7 $16 {[%csl Gc7]} Rbb8 $6 32. R1g4 $18
{[%cal Yg4h4,Yh4h7]}) 30. Rh4 $1 Rc7 31. Rxh5+ Rh7 32. Rxh7+ Kxh7 33. f5 Nf8
34. Rg7+ Kh8 $8 (34... Kh6 35. Rg8 Re8 36. f7 Rb8 37. a5 Kh7 38. Kg2 $18) 35.
Rxa7 Re4 (35... Rf3 36. Rxa6 Rxf5 37. b4 Kh7 38. b5 Kg6 39. a5 $18) 36. Rxa6
Rxd4 37. a5 Rb4 38. Rd6 Rxb2 39. Rxd5 Ra2 $11) 22... Rc4 23. Rg2 fxg4 24. Rxg4
Rxa4 25. Rag1 g6 26. h4 {Dark clouds have gathered around the black king.
Without calculating too much, it is obvious that the position becomes very
dangerous and that Black needs to play very accurately in order to avoid
disaster.} Rb4 $1 {[%cal Yd7b5] The only way to stay alive is to question the
stability of the white queen along the b1-h7 diagonal.} 27. h5 Qb5 28. Qc2 $3 (
{The only way to keep the attack going.} 28. hxg6 $2 {was premature because
after} Qxd3 29. gxh7+ Kxh7 30. Rg7+ Kh6 31. f5+ {the bishop is hanging.}) 28...
Rxb2 $1 {For the time being, Kramnik finds the only path through the jungle of
variations, most possible by intuition.} (28... Rb3 $6 {[%cal Yb5d3] has been
unanimously recommended as a safer defence, but it allows White to retain an
advantage.} 29. hxg6 h5 (29... Qd3 $2 30. gxh7+ Kh8 31. Rg8+ Kxh7 32. Qh2+ $18)
30. R4g3 $1 (30. g7 hxg4 31. gxf8=Q+ Kxf8 32. Qh7 Qd3 $11 {and White has not
more than perpetual, as pointed out by Svidler.}) 30... Qd3 (30... h4 31. g7
hxg3 32. gxf8=Q+ Kxf8 33. Qg6 Qd3 34. f5 $1 {[%cal Ye3h6]} Qxe3 35. Rxg3 $18)
31. g7 $3 {Quite similar to the game continuation.} Nh7 (31... Qxc2 $2 32.
gxf8=Q+ Kxf8 33. Rg8+ Kf7 34. R1g7#) 32. Qc7 {[%csl Ge6,Ge7,Ge8][%cal Yc7d7]
White's army is much better coordinated. Several of Black's pieces are passive
or even vulnerable.} ({If White fears the queenside passed pawns from the main
line, he can also choose the safer} 32. Qxd3 Rxd3 33. Bd2 {[%csl Ye6,Yh7][%cal
Rg3h3,Rg1g6]}) 32... Qc4 (32... Qb5 33. Nd2 $16) 33. Qxc4 dxc4 34. Nd2 Rxb2 35.
Nxc4 Rc2 36. Nd2 $16 {[%csl Ge7,Ge8,Gg8,Gh7][%cal Yd2e4,Yg3g6,Rd4d5,Rd2f3,
Rf3d4] and White's kingside pressure is hardly bearable. With four rooks on
the board, Black's queen side pawns are much less dangerous than in the game.
Still, the position would remain complicated and difficult to handle in an
over-the-board game.}) 29. hxg6 $1 {Now, capture of the queen leads to mate,
so Black has to keep the g-file closed, at least for a while.} h5 $8 (29...
Rxc2 $2 30. gxh7+ Kxh7 31. Rg7+ Kh6 32. f5+ Kh5 33. f6 $18 {[%csl Gg5]}) 30. g7
$1 hxg4 31. gxf8=Q+ Bxf8 $2 {This move should have led to an abrupt end.} ({
Both players started missing things by this moment. This is easy to spot when
assisted by Fritz, but in conditions of over-the-board play things are
different. About the previous day's game it has been said that 57...f5 was a
terrible blunder and that 57...Nxf2 would have drawn easily. I do not feel
that this is really so obvious without an engine by one's side. Anyway, I
suppose that Kramnik considered the line} 31... Kxf8 32. Qg6 Qe2 33. Qxg4 {
as completely hopeless for him, overlooking the unexpected resource} Bg5 $1 {
when White has to insert} 34. Re1 {before he captures the bishop.} Qc2 35. Qxg5
(35. fxg5 Kg7 36. Rc1 Rh8+ 37. Kg1 Rb1 38. Rxb1 Qxb1+ 39. Kf2 Rf8 $13 {[%cal
Ya7a5,Yb7b5] Svidler} 40. Bd2 Qe4 41. Qh3 Qxd4+ 42. Kg3 Rxf3+ 43. Kxf3 Qxd2 44.
Qh6+ Kg8 45. Qxe6+ Kf8 46. Qf6+ Kg8 $11) 35... Re7 36. Rc1 Rh7+ 37. Kg1 Rg7 38.
Rxc2 Rxc2 $13 {Svidler}) 32. Qg6+ $2 ({Both players must have had their eyes
focused on the king side, which made them overlook that after} 32. Rxg4+ Bg7 {
White can attack the g7-bishop from the other side with} 33. Qc7 {preventing ..
.Re7 (which could follow after 33.Qg6) and leaving Black with the possibility
of giving just one last check with} Qf1+ {when} 34. Ng1 {ends the day.
Although Topalov's move does not let the win slip away yet, it surely marks
the start of his gradual decline, after a brilliantly conducted first part of
the game. This seems to be a hidden weakness of the FIDE World Champion.
Sometimes, if the opponent gets some symbolic counterplay in a basically lost
position, Topalov starts becoming less confident. (To a certain extent, this
was also typical for Fischer, with whom Topalov has been frequently been
compared for his uncompromising style). In Topalov-Leko Linares 2005 and
Topalov-Anand San Luis 2005 he just missed relatively simple wins but in
Aronian-Topalov Morelia 2006 he even came close to losing at a certain moment.
This game continues this unfortunate tendency: he will eventually lose the
full point...}) 32... Bg7 33. f5 $1 Re7 (33... exf5 $2 34. Ng5 $1 (34. Bh6 Qd7
35. Ng5 Rb6 $13) 34... Qc6 (34... Re7 35. Qh7+ Kf8 36. Qxf5+ Kg8 37. Rc1 $18)
35. Qf7+ Kh8 36. e6 $18 {[%cal Yg1c1,Yc6b5,Ge6e7,Rf7h5,Rh5h7]}) 34. f6 Qe2 35.
Qxg4 Rf7 36. Rc1 $2 (36. Bh6 Rb3 37. Rg3 Rb1+ 38. Ng1 $6 (38. Rg1 $11) 38...
Qxg4 39. Rxg4 a5 $132) ({Computers suggest} 36. Qh5 $1 {as stronger and they
seem to be just right, but this is pretty hard to spot during the game by a
mere mortal, be he even a World Champion. Topalov's choice is perfectly
understandable, humanly speaking, but from objective point of view it should
have led to a draw.} a5 (36... Qxe3 37. Ng5 $18) (36... Rb3 37. Rxg7+ Rxg7 38.
fxg7 Rb1+ 39. Bg1 Kxg7 40. Qg5+ Kh7 41. Qe7+ Kh8 42. Qf6+ Kg8 43. Qxe6+ Kg7 44.
Qf6+ Kg8 45. e6 $18) 37. Rg3 Qxe3 (37... a4 38. fxg7 Rb1+ 39. Bg1 $18 {Lui})
38. fxg7 Rb1+ 39. Kh2 Rb2+ 40. Kh3 Rxg7 41. Ng5 Qf4 (41... Rxg5 42. Qe8+ Kh7
43. Qf7+ Kh8 44. Rxe3 $18 {Lui}) 42. Qe8+ Qf8 43. Qxf8+ Kxf8 44. Nxe6+ $18)
36... Rc2 37. Rxc2 Qd1+ $2 {Kindly returning the favour. Black should not help
the enemy king get centralized.} ({Kramnik was probably afraid that after} 
37... Qxc2 {White would get a decisive tempo with} 38. Ng5 {In fact, now that
the king's defence has been somewhat weakened, the checks would have allowed
him save the game.} Qb1+ 39. Kg2 Qc2+ {and White should probably accept a draw
by perpetual check or repetition somewhere.} 40. Kh3 $5 (40. Kf3 Qd1+ 41. Kf4
Qf1+ 42. Qf3 Qxf3+ 43. Kxf3 Bxf6 44. Nxf7 Kxf7 45. exf6 Kxf6 $11 {see the
notes to White's 41st move}) 40... Qd3 (40... Bxf6 41. exf6 Qf5 42. Qxf5 exf5
43. Nxf7 Kxf7 44. Bg5 a5 45. Kg3 a4 46. Bc1 Kxf6 47. Kf4 $18 {see the notes to
White's 42nd move}) 41. Qf3 Bh6 42. Nxf7 Qxe3 43. Qxe3 Bxe3 44. Nd8 b5 $1 (
44... a5 45. Kg4 $1 a4 46. Nxe6 a3 47. Kf5 $1 {[%cal Yf5g6,Yf6f7,Yf7f8]} Kh7 $8
{The difference compared to 44...b5 is that with the b-pawn on the third rank
Black would win with 47...b2 now, because he would promote with check.} 48.
Nf8+ Kh8 49. e6 a2 50. e7 a1=Q 51. e8=Q Qb1+ 52. Ke6 Qe4+ 53. Kf7 Qxe8+ 54.
Kxe8 $18 {[%cal Yf8e6,Yf6f8]}) 45. Nxe6 b4 {and White is in trouble.}) 38. Kg2
Qxc2+ 39. Kg3 {[%cal Yg4e6]} Qe4 {A culminating moment. Black desperately
tries to simplify the position, even if this would imply making some
positional or material concessions on the kingside since his apparently
inoffensive queenside pawns will be a terrible weapon in the ending. White
faces now a very difficult choice right before the control.} (39... Qf5 40.
Qxf5 exf5 41. Ng5 Rc7 (41... Bxf6 42. Nxf7 Kxf7 43. exf6 Kxf6 44. Kf4 {
transposes below to a subline from the comment to White's 42nd move.}) 42. Kf4
$18) 40. Bf4 $2 ({It required a lot of analytical effort to prove which
exactly is the move that turns a better (or winning) position into a worse (or
losing) one, but it is obvious that we are getting close by now.} 40. Qxe4 dxe4
41. Ng5 {would have lead to relatively similar positions as in the game, with
the difference that White could put his pawns into motion more quickly. For
instance} Bf8 ({White wins after} 41... Bxf6 42. Nxf7 Kxf7 43. exf6 Kxf6 44.
Kf4 {although some elementary technique is still needed.} a5 45. Bd2 b6 46.
Kxe4 Ke7 47. Ke5 Kd7 48. Bc1 (48. Bh6 Ke7) 48... b5 49. Bd2 b4 50. Bg5 a4 51.
Bd2 b3 (51... a3 52. Bxb4 a2 53. Bc3 Ke7 54. Ke4 $18 {[%cal Ye4c2,Yc2a2]}) 52.
Bc1 Ke7 53. Bb2 Kd7 54. Ba3 $22 $18 {[%csl Ge6]}) (41... Bh6 42. Nxf7 Bxe3 43.
Nd8 a5 (43... Bxd4 $2 44. f7+ Kf8 45. Nxe6+ Kxf7 46. Nxd4 a5 47. Kf4 a4 48. Nb5
$18) 44. d5 $1 $18) 42. Nxe6 a5 43. Ng5 Bh6 ({The pawn race favours White after
} 43... a4 44. Nxf7 Kxf7 45. d5 a3 46. Bd4 {followed by e6+}) 44. d5 {when the
white pawns look pretty awesome.}) 40... Qf5 41. Qxf5 (41. Ng5 $5 Qxg4+ $1 (
41... Rc7 $2 42. Qxf5 (42. Nxe6 $6 Rc3+ 43. Kh4 Qh7+ 44. Kg5 Bh6+ 45. Kh5+ Bg7+
46. Kg5 $11 {Svidler}) 42... exf5 43. Ne6 $18 {transposes below.}) 42. Kxg4
Bxf6 $1 43. Nxf7 Kxf7 44. exf6 Kxf6 45. Bd6 Kf7 46. Kf4 Ke8 47. Ke5 Kd7 48. Bb4
b6 $11 {For once, this type of ending is drawn, as pointed out by Luiza Marin.
The importance of the d5-pawn (compared to the note to White's 40th move)
becomes clear after} 49. Bd2 a5 50. Be1 a4 51. Bb4 $2 (51. Bc3 $142 a3 52. Kf6
a2 53. Ke5 b5 54. Kf6 b4 55. Ba1 Kd6 $11) 51... Kc6 $1 52. Kxe6 Kb5 $19 {
when White has no time to unblock his own d-pawn.}) 41... exf5 42. Bg5 $2 ({
Topalov likes to do things in a systematic way, approach with the king,
maintain the chain of pawns intact, and so on, but there is simply not enough
time for it! There are two enemy passed pawns on the other wing! Capturing the
bishop with} 42. fxg7 Rxg7+ 43. Kf2 $13) ({or} 42. Ng5 $1 {would have been
better.} Rc7 (42... Bf8 43. Kh4 $1 a5 44. Kh5 a4 45. Kg6 a3 46. Nxf7 a2 47. e6
a1=Q 48. e7 Qg1+ 49. Bg5 $18 {Deviatkin}) (42... Rxf6 43. exf6 Bxf6 {With
chances for a draw according to Deviatkin, but White seems to be just in time
to eliminate the central pawns and block the queenside pawns, for instance:}
44. Be3 a5 (44... Bxg5 45. Bxg5 {transposes below}) 45. Kf4 a4 46. Nf3 a3 47.
Bd2 b5 (47... Kf7 48. Kxf5 b5 49. Ne5+ $18) 48. Kxf5 Be7 49. Ke6 Kf8 50. Kxd5
b4 51. Bh6+ Ke8 52. Nd2 $18) 43. Ne6 Rc3+ 44. Kh4 Bxf6+ 45. exf6 Kf7 46. Nc7
Rxc7 (46... Rb3 47. Kg5 a5 48. Kxf5 a4 49. Ne6 $18 Rb6 50. Ng5+ Kg8 51. Bc1 Rb3
52. f7+ Kg7 53. Bf4 Rb6 54. Be5+ Kf8 55. Bf6 $18 {[%csl Yf7][%cal Yf5g6,Gg5h7]}
) 47. Bxc7 Kxf6 48. Bf4 a5 49. Bd2 b6 50. Kg3 Kg6 51. Kf4 Kf6 52. Bc3 Ke6 53.
Kg5 Kd6 54. Kxf5 Kc6 55. Ke6 a4 56. Bb2 Kb5 57. Kxd5 Kb4 58. Kc6 Kb3 59. Kb5
$18) 42... a5 $17 43. Kf4 (43. fxg7 $5) 43... a4 44. Kxf5 a3 45. Bc1 (45. Nd2
Rc7 46. Nb3 a2 47. e6 Bxf6 48. Kxf6 Kf8 49. Ke5 Rh7 50. Bd2 Rh3 $19) 45... Bf8
46. e6 (46. Bxa3 Bxa3 47. Ke6 b5 48. Kxd5 b4 49. Nd2 Rd7+ 50. Kc4 Kf7 $19)
46... Rc7 47. Bxa3 Bxa3 48. Ke5 Rc1 49. Ng5 Rf1 ({Allowing the transposition
to a problematic ending.} 49... Rg1 $5 {would have probably been simpler.}) 50.
e7 Re1+ 51. Kxd5 Bxe7 52. fxe7 Rxe7 53. Kd6 {Humanly speaking, this position
looks close to a draw. White's forces are perfectly coordinated and the
elimination of the b-pawn should not be a problem. Dr. John Nunn and the
tablebases seem to have a different opinion, though...} Re1 ({When Nunn
announced that} 53... Re3 {is here the only winning move, I could not spot the
reasons behind that immediately. Apparently, it has something to do with the
restriction of the knight, but the real explanation will be revealed slightly
later. Here follow Nunn's analysis and comments: "} 54. d5 Kf8 55. Kd7 b5 56.
Ne6+ Kg8 57. d6 b4 58. Nc5 {the rook controls b3 and is therefore ready to
support the b-pawn without wasting a tempo. Then the continuation} Kf7 59. Kc6
Rc3 60. Kb5 b3 61. Na4 Rc2 62. d7 Ke7 {leads to a ar win. It is interesting to
note that all Black's moves from move 53 to move 62 are unique winning moves 
(apart from a possible repetition at one point). Of course this would be tough
to find in a game. I think the hardest part is the manoeuvre ...Kg8-f8-g8-f7,
which looks quite paradoxical. (Nunn)"}) 54. d5 Kf8 55. Ne6+ ({But now,} 55.
Kd7 {, preventing the approach of the enemy king, looks better for human
standards and it is the only saving move according to the tablebases, too. So,
humans and computers can have common views sometimes...} b5 56. Ne6+ Kf7 (56...
Kg8 57. d6 b4 58. Nc5 $11) 57. Nd8+ Kf6 58. Nc6 Rb1 59. Kd6 $1 b4 60. Kc5 $1
$11) 55... Ke8 56. Nc7+ Kd8 57. Ne6+ Kc8 {Now that Black has managed to
regroup, it is all over.} 58. Ke7 Rh1 $1 {Probably missed by Topalov.} (58...
b5 $2 59. d6 Rd1 60. Nc5 b4 61. d7+ Kc7 62. Na6+ {or 62.Ne6+, with a draw.})
59. Ng5 $6 (59. Kd6 {would be more stubborn.}) 59... b5 60. d6 Rd1 61. Ne6 b4
62. Nc5 Re1+ 63. Kf6 Re3 0-1

[Event "World-ch Kramnik-Topalov +3-3=6"]
[Site "Elista"]
[Date "2006.09.26"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E02"]
[WhiteElo "2743"]
[BlackElo "2813"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "76"]
[EventDate "2006.09.23"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventRounds "12"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 115"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2006.11.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2006.11.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{By the very high standards of this match, the third game can be called... a
short uneventful draw. Compared with other matches or top tournaments, it
looks more like a very interesting game, though. Topalov did not seem to be
too affected by the unfavourable course of events so far and managed to obtain
counterchances in what looked like an unpleasant position for him, possibly
helped by Kramnik's excessive caution.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 {
In previous matches for the World Title, the Catalan Opening has usually been
a sign that White finds himself in a peaceful mood. However, it seems that
Kramnik intends it as more than just a one-game surprise-weapon.} dxc4 5. Bg2
Nc6 ({Deviating from} 5... Bb4+ {which had been played in the first game.
According to old advice regarding general match strategy, one should not
repeat a variation that led to defeat, even if the result of the opening had
been satisfactory. The main point is to avoid having bad memories during the
new game. On the other hand, Topalov's apparently multilateral preparation
against the Catalan makes one think that he did not discard such an opening
choice of Kramnik during his pre-match preparation.}) 6. Qa4 {Here we go again.
I have already mentioned in the notes to the first game White's tendency to
spend a lot of time on early queen moves in the Catalan.} Bd7 {This line is
supposed to lead to slightly worse play for Black. Since Topalov got into
trouble soon, one could wonder what could his preparation have consisted of.
Possibly, the unpleasant psychological situation caused by the disastruous
beginning of the match explains the precarious nature of this opening
experiment.} 7. Qxc4 Na5 8. Qd3 c5 {Curiously, the game Kramnik-Naiditsch,
Dortmund 2006 reached a similar position with the only difference that the
f6-knight had been transferred to b6 already. This had been made possible by a
rather tortuous trajectory of the white queen (c4-b5-b3-d3) as an answer to
Black's 6...Nd5. Dr. Tarrasch used to evaluate an opening position by counting
the tempi needed by the pieces of each side to occupy their actual squares.
According to his method, Naiditsch was two whole tempi up (or better) than
Topalov, but in fact it seems that the knight is better placed on f6 than on
b6! In that game Kramnik captured on c5 and after ...Bxc5 played Qc3,
attacking on c5 and g7 at the same time. This should have brought him an
advantage but he later avoided the most ambitious continuation and the game
ended in a draw after interesting but balanced fight. See the annotations in
CBM 114.} 9. O-O Bc6 {Black has managed to neutralize the Catalan bishop at
the cost of several tempi and the awkward placement of his queen's knight.
This compensates entirely for the loss of time provoked by the white queen.}
10. Nc3 ({This is more natural than} 10. Rd1 {, although it could simply lead
to transposition. Here is a game with some independent value:} c4 11. Qc2 (11.
Qc3 b5 $1 $132) 11... Be4 12. Qa4+ Bc6 13. Qc2 Be4 14. Qd2 (14. Qa4+) 14... h6
$1 15. Qe1 Nc6 16. Qf1 $5 Bd5 17. Nc3 Bb4 18. Nxd5 (18. Ne5 Bxc3 19. Nxc6 Qb6
$5) 18... exd5 19. Ne5 O-O $1 {0-1 Lautier,J-Karpov,A/Ubeda (m/5) 1994/[Karpov,
An] (58)}) 10... cxd4 {It might seem as if Topalov wanted to exchange pieces
as soon as possible in order to make a draw and prepare for his come-back in
the match. Not something very typical for him, I agree. However, the
alternatives are not that appealing.} (10... Rc8 11. Rd1 cxd4 (11... c4 $5 12.
Qc2 Bb4 13. d5 $1 exd5 $8 14. e4 Bxc3 15. exd5 Nxd5 16. bxc3 O-O 17. Ng5 g6 18.
Ne4 Qe7 19. Bg5 $36 {0-1 Ftacnik,L-Lechtynsky,J/Czekhoslovakia 1979}) 12. Nxd4
Bxg2 13. Kxg2 Bc5 14. Qb5+ Qd7 15. Be3 Qxb5 16. Ndxb5 a6 17. Bxc5 Rxc5 18. b4
Rc6 19. bxa5 axb5 20. Nxb5 $16 {1-0 Dizdarevic,E (2475)-Vukovic,Z (2425)/
Cetinje 1990/EXT 97 (63)}) (10... Be7 11. Rd1 O-O 12. e4 $14 {1/2-1/2 Ribli,Z 
(2603)-Pelletier,Y (2589)/Germany 2005/CBM 106/[Ribli] (45). leaves the
c6-bishop and the a5-knight rather passive.}) (10... c4 $6 11. Qc2 Bb4 12. Bg5
O-O (12... h6 13. Bxf6 Qxf6 14. e4 O-O 15. Rad1 Rac8 16. Ne5 Rfd8 17. f4 Be8
18. d5 $36 {1-0 Donaldson,J-Shapiro,D/Framingham USA 2001/(38)}) 13. Rad1 h6
14. d5 exd5 15. Bxf6 Qxf6 16. Nxd5 Bxd5 17. Rxd5 Nc6 18. Rb1 $14 {1-0 Nielsen,
P-Hjartarson,J/Copenhagen 1996/CBM 54 (64)}) 11. Nxd4 Bc5 ({In practice, the
more straightforward} 11... Bxg2 12. Kxg2 Nc6 {has been successful so far} 13.
Qb5 $6 ({The developing sequence} 13. Be3 $1 Be7 14. Rfd1 $14 {looks like a
better way to maintain White's initiative.}) 13... a6 (13... Qd7 14. Nxc6 bxc6
15. Qa6 $14 {1/2-1/2 Roiz,M (2507)-Plachetka,J (2422)/Saint Vincent 2002/CBM
086 ext (41)}) 14. Nxc6 Qc7 15. Qc4 (15. Qb3 Qxc6+ 16. f3 Be7 17. Be3 O-O 18.
Rac1) 15... Rc8 16. Bf4 Qxc6+ 17. Qxc6+ Rxc6 18. Rac1 Be7 19. Na4 Nd5 $11 {
1/2-1/2 Antic,D-Lazarevic,S/JUG-sf Niska Banja 1996 (31)}) 12. Rd1 (12. Be3 {
deserves being mentioned, too. White has chances to retain a tiny edge.} Bxg2 (
12... Bxd4 13. Bxd4 Bxg2 14. Kxg2 Nc6 15. Qb5 {just transposes}) 13. Qb5+ $1
Nc6 14. Kxg2 Bxd4 15. Bxd4 a6 ({After} 15... Qxd4 16. Qxb7 O-O 17. Qxc6 $14 {
White can maintain his extra pawn in spite of Black's superior activity.}) 16.
Bxf6 axb5 17. Bxd8 Rxd8 18. Nxb5 Rd2 19. b3 $14 {and again, Black's activity
does not seem to fully compensate for the minimal material defficit. True,
White needs a lot of technical effort (and maybe some help from the opponent...
) in order to make progress.} Rxe2 {is answered by} 20. Nd6+ Ke7 21. Nxb7 {
with similar evaluation.}) 12... Bxg2 $6 {Possibly overlooking White's next
move.} ({The correct move order to simplify the position consists of} 12...
Qxd4 13. Qxd4 Bxd4 14. Rxd4 Bxg2 15. Kxg2 Nc6 {although after} 16. Rd1 {
Black cannot claim complete equality yet.} Rd8 (16... Ke7 $6 17. b3 $1 $36 {
[%cal Yc1a3]}) 17. Bg5 Ke7 18. Ne4 $14 {How real is White's advantage here?
This is a typical question for many "almost symmetrical" endings arising from
the Catalan, right after the opening. It all depends on the personality of the
players. Black is not in danger of losing unless he feels uncomfortable in
this position and (very important!) his opponent has very good endgame
technique. It is the kind of ending that allowed Vladimirs Petrovs and Zoltan
Ribli to defeat such outstanding World Champions as Alexander Alekhine and
Anatoly Karpov, respectively.}) 13. Qb5+ $1 {An important intermediate check
that finally forces Black remove his king's knight from its optimal square.}
Nd7 14. Kxg2 a6 15. Qd3 {It might look that White just lost two additional
moves, but in fact Black now faces problems castling because of the threat
Nc2! attacking the d7-knight and enabling the fork on b4. (Nxe6 would be worse
because it would open the f-file for the enemy rook).} Rc8 $146 {Not a very
inspired novelty and we can only guess whether during his home preparation
Topalov missed 16.Bg5 or 17.Ne4 or did not prepare at all.} (15... Be7 {
covers the g5-square but leaves Black with the problem of his hanging
d7-knight, which prevents him from castling.} 16. Bf4 Rc8 17. Nf3 Nc4 18. Na4
b5 19. b3 Ncb6 20. Nxb6 Nxb6 21. Qxd8+ Bxd8 22. e4 $14 f6 $2 23. Rd6 $16 {
1-0 Tkachiev,V (2670)-Solozhenkin,E (2528)/France 2000/EXT 2001 (33)}) ({
It could be that the safest continuation consisted of the return of the knight
with} 15... Nf6 16. Bg5 ({The immediate} 16. Qf3 {is insufficient for an
advantage because of} Bxd4 17. e3 O-O 18. exd4 Nd5 $11) 16... Bxd4 ({But in
the case of the careless} 16... O-O $6 {White could play} 17. Qf3 {already,
because after} Bxd4 18. e3 $36 {[%cal Ye3d4,Yd4d5] /\exd4, d5, Black cannot
unpin the knight and maintain the control of the d5-square at the same time,
for instance} Qd7 $2 19. Bxf6 $1 gxf6 20. Rxd4 $16 {and the presence of queens
makes the weakness of the black kingside quite relevant.}) 17. Qxd4 Qxd4 18.
Rxd4 Nc6 19. Rd2 Ke7 20. Rad1 Rhd8 21. Ne4 $14 {with a familiar ending.}) 16.
Bg5 $1 {A nice way to connect rooks with gain of time. Each player with long
experience in the Catalan has probably played such a move at least once.} Be7 (
{The bishop is taboo.} 16... Qxg5 17. Nxe6 {would lead to a very strong white
attack.} Qe7 ({The relatively better} 17... Ne5 {just loses a pawn after} 18.
Nxg5 Nxd3 19. Rxd3 $16) 18. Nxg7+ Kd8 (18... Kf8 19. Nf5 Qe6 20. Qxd7 $18) 19.
Nd5 $18) ({Now it is too late for} 16... Nf6 {because after} 17. Bxf6 Qxf6 $6
18. Ne4 ({Fritz prefers} 18. Nb3 Qxf2+ 19. Kh1 $18 {but I have kept the "human
line" as the main variation.}) 18... Qxd4 {(Otherwise, White's advantage in
development is crushing.)} 19. Qxd4 Bxd4 20. Nd6+ $18 {winning an exchange and
the game.}) ({Or if} 16... Qc7 {then} 17. Ne4 $1 $16 {[%csl Gc5,Gd6,Gg7][%cal
Ra1c1,Rd3c3] , clearing the c3-square for the queen (in case of ...Ne5),
putting the enemy bishop under pressure and threatening Rac1.}) 17. Bxe7 $6 {
This can be regarded as a premature release of the tension, diminishing
White's advantage.} (17. Ne4 $1 {was much stronger.} Nc4 (17... Ne5 18. Bxe7
Qxe7 19. Nf5 Nxd3 20. Ned6+ Kd7 21. Nxe7 Rc2 22. Ndc8 $18) (17... Bxg5 $2 18.
Nd6+ Kf8 19. Nxc8 Qxc8 20. Qa3+ Qc5 21. Qxc5+ Nxc5 22. b4 $18) 18. Rac1 Nde5 (
18... Bxg5 19. Rxc4 Be7 20. Nf3 Rxc4 21. Qxc4 O-O 22. Qa4 $16) {In a practical
game, many players would content themselves with} 19. Qb3 ({although} 19. Qb1 {
does not seem bad either:} Bxg5 20. Nxe6 fxe6 21. Rxd8+ Bxd8 22. b3 Na3 {
. Forced. Otherwise, White would play Nd6+.} 23. Qb2 Rxc1 24. Qxc1 $16 {
and Black's poor coordination will cause him the loss of several pawns.}) 19...
Bxg5 (19... Qd5 20. Bxe7 Qxe4+ 21. f3 Qd5 22. Ba3 $18) 20. Nxe6 Qe7 21. N6xg5
$16) 17... Qxe7 18. Rac1 {White has completed his development, while Black
still needs to find a way to remove his king from the centre. For the first
time in the match, the outcome of the opening looks very promising for Kramnik,
in spite of his previous inaccuracy.} Nc4 19. Na4 b5 {Black could have
inserted a knight jump to e5 somewhere, but Topalov seems to prefer simpler
ways today.} (19... Nde5 20. Qe4 O-O 21. b3 f5 22. Qh4 (22. Qf4 $2 g5 $19 {
[%csl Gf4] traps the queen.}) 22... Qe8 23. Qf4 $14 {Korotylev}) 20. b3 O-O 21.
bxc4 bxa4 $14 {For practical reasons, White is a pawn up, which ensures him a
long term (though minimal) advantage.} 22. Nc6 {Probably the only way to fight
for an advantage. If Black was allowed to get his knight to c5, he would
hardly faced any problems. In this case, the double pawns would have been
quite useful. The a6-pawn would have denied the enemy knight's access to b5-d6
while his colleague would have prevented the exchange of the own knight by
means of Nb3.} (22. Nxe6 $4 Ne5 $1 $19) 22... Rxc6 23. Qxd7 Qc5 $5 ({It is
hard to say whether White's winning chances in the ending arising after} 23...
Qxd7 24. Rxd7 {would be realistic. However, it is clear that Black would have
had to endure long suffering.} Rfc8 (24... Rb8 25. Rb1 $1 $16) (24... Rc5 25.
Rb7 a5 26. Rb5 $16) 25. Rb7 g5 26. Rb4 a3 27. Kf3 Kg7 28. Ke3 a5 29. Ra4 Rc5
30. Kd3 Rd8+ 31. Kc3 g4 32. Rxa3 Kf6 {. Topalov's move shows that he does not
wish to give away the psychological initiative in the match completely. By
keeping queens on board, he preserves his own chances for active play.}) 24.
Rc3 g6 25. Rb1 h5 ({The attempt to obtain counterplay with} 25... Qf5 {is
easily parried with} 26. Qd3 $1 ({Shipov and Korotylev analyze only} 26. Qxc6 {
until a draw. White's main problem in their lines is that his pieces remain
uncoordinated.}) 26... Qc5 (26... Qxd3 27. exd3 {leads to an improved version
of the previously mentioned ending, because the c4-pawn is safely defended.})
27. Qf3 $14 {White has regrouped his pieces in optimal way, ensuring his
kingside against enemy aggressions and maintaining his advantage intact.}) ({
Taking into account White's possible improvement on the 27th move,} 25... a3
26. Rb7 e5 {as suggested by Parligras comes into consideration.}) 26. Rb7 e5 {
Black has to clear the a2-g8 diagonal in order to prevent Rf3.} (26... h4 $6
27. Rf3 $40) 27. e4 {It is difficult to give a straightforward evaluation of
this move. It probably suits Kramnik's style, by ensuring White stability in
the centre and offering to his pieces an excellent outpost on d5. On the other
hand, the king's position is somewhat weakened now.} (27. Rf3 $2 Qxc4 $1 {
[%cal Yc4f7]}) ({Korotylev recommended} 27. a3 {, threatening Rb4 among others.
The move looks logical, but I suspect that Kramnik was not sure about the
final consequences of the following line:} Qd4 $5 {(Not mentioned by Korotylev)
} 28. Qxc6 (28. Qxd4 {is hardly sufficient for a win.} exd4 29. Rc2 Rd8 30. Rb4
Kg7 {. Necessary prophylaxis in order to avoid ...d3 being answered by Rd2!}
31. Rxa4 d3 32. exd3 Rxd3 $14 {With such active rooks, Black should be able to
hold a draw.}) 28... Qxc3 29. Qxa4 h4 {. It is not easy to stabilize the
position with White, especially that his pieces are far away from the own king.
}) 27... Rf6 ({The point behind Kramnik's previous move can be seen after} 
27... Qd4 $2 28. Qxc6 $1 Qxc3 29. Qd5 $18 {[%csl Ya2,Gd5,Yf7][%cal Yc4c5]
followed by the advance of the c-pawn. Black would remain a mere spectator of
his own defeat, because the white a-pawn would be safely defended and the
queen very stable on d5. For instance} h4 30. c5 Qc2 {(/\...h3)} 31. gxh4 Qc1 {
/\ ...Qf4} 32. Qxe5) 28. Rc2 Qa3 $6 {Black's offensive initiated by this move
will have a volatile character.} (28... h4 {was a better chance for
counterplay.} 29. Qd5 (29. gxh4 Rf4 30. h5 gxh5 $13 {Korotylev}) 29... Qa3 $132
{Korotylev}) 29. Qd1 Rd6 30. Rd2 Rfd8 31. Rd5 ({This is much stronger than} 31.
Rb8 {, which would lead after} Rxd2 32. Rxd8+ Rxd8 33. Qxd8+ Kg7 34. Qd2 {
to a better, but possibly not won queen ending.}) 31... Rxd5 32. cxd5 $2 ({
A critical moment. Optically speaking, the position is just asking for} 32.
exd5 {when, for the second time in a row in this match, Kramnik would have
obtained two connected passed pawns, quite advanced this time. He probably
feared that his far from optimal coordination would not allow him defend them
properly, especially in view of the outside passed a-pawn (after an eventual ..
.Qxa2) as well as of intermediate moves cush as ...e4. However, finding a
specific line of resistance or counterplay for Black that could have inhibited
Kramnik from this natural move was far from easy. Finally, I came up with} Rc8
$5 (32... Qxa2 33. Qd3 $16) (32... e4 33. Qe2 $16) 33. d6 (33. Qd2 {might be
insufficient for a win, indeed, after} e4 34. Qf4 Qf3+ 35. Qxf3 exf3+ 36. Kxf3
Rxc4 37. d6 Rd4 38. d7 Kg7 39. Ke3 Rd1 40. h4 Kf6 41. Ra7 Ke7 42. Rxa6 Kxd7 43.
Rxa4 Ra1 44. Rd4+ Ke6 45. Rd2 Kf5 $132 {[%csl Gh4][%cal Yf7f6,Yg6g5]}) 33...
Qc5 34. Qd5 $1 {This move is easy to underestimate when making the choice
between cxd5 and exd5.} (34. d7 Rd8 35. Qxa4 h4 $132) 34... Qxd5+ 35. cxd5 Rd8
36. Rb6 a5 37. Kf3 f5 38. Ke3 Kf7 39. f4 e4 40. Kd4 $18 {and Black cannot
resist for too long.}) 32... Qxa2 33. Qf3 Rf8 34. Qd3 ({Another tempting
alternative was} 34. Qf6 {. Indeed, White's coordination looks perfect, but
after} Qa1 $132 {the weakness of the king makes itself felt.} 35. d6 $2 {
can even lead to trouble after} Qd4 $1 $17) 34... a3 35. Rb3 {Apparently,
Black has no way to avoid the loss of both his a-pawns now.} f5 $1 {Now that
the white pieces have retreated, this move does not present any risk for the
black king. In fact, the pressure against the f2-pawn forces White to take a
draw by perpetual.} 36. Qxa6 Qxb3 37. Qxg6+ Kh8 38. Qh6+ Kg8 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Kramnik-Topalov +3-3=6"]
[Site "Elista"]
[Date "2006.09.27"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D47"]
[WhiteElo "2813"]
[BlackElo "2743"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "107"]
[EventDate "2006.09.23"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventRounds "12"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 115"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2006.11.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2006.11.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{Kramnik seems to gradually be stabilising the situation in the match. In
spite of Topalov's efforts to unbalance the position in the fourth game 
(including two early pawn sacrifices, of which only the second one was
accepted), he never managed to confront Black with serious problems. The game
was drawn in the best tradition of the Sofia rule, by the almost complete
exhaustion of material.} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 {After four games,
we can notice a certain pattern in the players' match strategy. Kramnik sticks
to the openings that enabled him take up the lead (the Catalan with the black
pieces and the Slav with Black), while Topalov deviates at a very early stage.
Their attitude must have some psychological implications, because logically it
is only Topalov who can be content about the outcome of the opening in the
first two games.} e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 Bb7 9. a3 ({
In the main lines starting with} 9. O-O) ({or} 9. e4 {White has generally
faced problems proving an advantage. By choosing a relatively unexplored line,
Topalov shows that he does not intend to question Kramnik's famously accurate
preparation and that he prefers to move the the fight to the middle game. This
might be a reason why in the second game he refrained from his habitual 6.Ne5.}
) 9... b4 10. Ne4 Nxe4 11. Bxe4 bxa3 12. O-O Bd6 ({Another point behind
Topalov's choice is that Kramnik had previously played} 12... axb2 13. Bxb2 {
1/2-1/2 Ivanchuk,V (2695)-Kramnik,V (2725)/New York 1994/CBM 041 ext (25).
Although the game ended in a draw, accepting the pawn sacrifice at the cost of
improving White's development looks quite risky and Topalov probably found an
improvement somewhere. However, Kramnik does not seem to be that easy to trap:
what is an acceptable choice for a rapid game does not necessarily suit a
World Championship match.}) 13. b3 ({Much more ambitious than the immediate
capture on a3. White intends to develop his bishop on the a3-f8 diagonal in
order to control the important c5-square. Another interesting move here is} 13.
b4 {as played in a couple of games.}) 13... Nf6 14. Nd2 {Typical for modern
chess: even in rare lines, novelties occur at a relatively advanced stage of
the game... Topalov rightly estimates that he does not need to retreat with
the bishop, since the capture on e4 would lead Black with problems completing
his development.} Qc7 ({For instance, if} 14... Nxe4 15. Nxe4 Bxh2+ 16. Kxh2
Qh4+ 17. Kg1 Qxe4 {then} 18. f3 {followed by Bxa3 and Black cannot castle
short any more.}) 15. Bf3 $5 ({Having failed to convince his opponent to win a
pawn on the queenside, White repeats the invitation on the opposite wing. The
main alternatives are} 15. Bxa3) ({and} 15. h3 {. By retreating the bishop to
f3 (instead of d3 one move earlier) Topalov intends to keep the enemy queen
side under pressure, in order to cause problems with carrying out the freeing
move ...c5.}) 15... Bxh2+ ({As GM Lupulescu remarked, rejecting the pawn
sacrifice with} 15... O-O {would have led to the same position as after
White's 21st move in the game, with the significant difference that... there
would be a pawn on h2 after} 16. Nc4 Be7 17. Bxa3 Rfd8 18. Bxe7 Qxe7 19. Ra5 {
The evaluation "+-" would not be entirely out of place, I would add.}) 16. Kh1
Bd6 17. Nc4 Be7 {Kramnik's moving around with the bishop bears some similarity
with the early queen excursions from his games with White. Black's position is
quite solid and the extra pawn offers compensation for the slight delay in
development.} 18. Bxa3 O-O 19. Bxe7 Qxe7 {Black's extra-pawn does not make
itself felt yet and White's supremacy in the centre certainly offers him
adequate play.} 20. Ra5 {In the previous games of the match, Topalov's play
had generally focused towards the enemy king's castled position. It happened
in equal, in better and in worse positions and it proved quite effective up to
a certain point. In the present game, the regroupment of the minor pieces
suggested that he will mainly play on the queenside, but the last move is a
clear hint that opposite wings communicate and that the queenside diversion
could be just a prelude to a kingside attack.} Rfd8 21. Kg1 {The abstract idea
behind this move is clear: before starting concrete action, White removes the
king from a relatively exposed square. It is also some sort of way of proving
that White is confident in his positional domination and that he does not need
to rush into things in spite of being a pawn down. In his peak years, Kasparov
won a couple of attacking games where the prophylactic king move to h2
deprived Black from counterplay along the back rank. Here, the main danger
consists of the open h-file, of course.} ({A more concrete illustration of the
necessity of improving the king's position is revaled by the variation} 21. Qc2
Rd5 $5 {(Topalov must not have had problems finding this resource, being such
an outstanding exchange sacrifice specialist.)} 22. Bxd5 Ng4 $1 23. g3 cxd5 24.
Nd2 (24. Ne5 Nxe5 25. dxe5 d4+ 26. e4 f5 27. exf6 Qxf6 $44) 24... e5 $1 $44 (
24... Qf6 $2 25. Qc7 $1 Qh6+ 26. Kg2 $18) 25. Qf5 $140 $2 Bc8 $1 $40) 21... c5
$5 {Kramnik probably had enough of being submitted to long term pressure by
his opponent in the first games of the match and uses the first given
opportunity to free his position by returning the extra pawn.} (21... h6 22.
Qc2 $44) 22. Rxc5 {We can see here another point behind leaving the queen on
d1 for one more tempo (instead of the natural 21.Qc2). The bishop is protected
and White does not need to capture on b7 himself. The structure resulting from
the mutual pawn sacrifices is rather unusual. I do not remember any similar
case in World Championship matches; at least. White's superiority in the
centre is likely to leave him the upper hand in the long run, while the
absence of the h-pawn is not too relevant yet.} Ne4 {For Black, it is not easy
to deal with the tension created by the opposition of the bishops along the
long diagonal. We can see a similar situation in certain lines of the
fianchetto Queen's Indian, where the higher stability of the bishop (which is
defended by the K) ensures White chances for an advantage. Kramnik decided to
maintain his bishop in order to avoid problems connected with the weakness of
the c6-square, but he will achieve that only partly, because even after the
following exchange his bishop will not enjoy stability on the long diagonal
either.} (22... Bd5 {does not solve Black'sproblems because of} 23. Qe2 $14 {
[%cal Ye3e4] /\e4}) (22... Be4 23. Qe2 Rac8 (23... Qb7 24. Na5 Bxf3 25. Qxf3
Qxf3 26. gxf3 $16) (23... Rab8 24. Na5 $14 {[%csl Yc6]}) 24. Ra5 $5 $14 (24. b4
Qb7 $1 {[%csl Gb4]})) 23. Bxe4 Bxe4 24. Qg4 Bd3 ({It would seem more logical
to block the d4-pawn and place the bishop on a less vulnerable square with} 
24... Bd5 {but Kramnik might have disliked} 25. e4 $5 Bxc4 26. Rxc4 Rac8 (26...
Rab8 27. Qf3 $14) 27. Rd1 $14 {[%cal Yd4d5]}) 25. Ra1 Rac8 (25... Rab8 26. Ne5
{[%csl Yc6,Yd3]} Bb5 $8 27. Rac1 Rb7 28. R1c3 $14) 26. Raa5 (26. Rxc8 Rxc8 27.
d5 {looks tempting.} {During the press conference, Topalov declared that he
refrained from this line because of} h5 {and he seems to be right.} ({The
counterplay initiated by} 27... f5 $6 {is of a temporary character only:} 28.
Qd4 (28. d6 fxg4 29. dxe7 Bxc4 30. bxc4 Kf7 $11) 28... Be4 29. dxe6 Qg5 30. f3
Bxf3 31. Ra2 $16 {[%csl Yg2,Yg7] and the weakness of the g7-square is more
relevant than that of the g2-square, mainly because of White's strong
centralization.}) 28. Qxh5 Bxc4 29. bxc4 Rxc4 30. Qe5 Qc7 31. d6 Qd7 {[%csl
Gd6][%cal Yc4c8,Yc8d8,Ya7a5,Ya5a4,Ya4a3] , as given by Innarkiev, leaves White
with a rather symbolic advantage. By advancing the a-pawn, Black will soon
provoke its exchange for the d6-pawn.}) 26... Rb8 {Now that the first rank has
been weakened, Kramnik changes plans. This slightly speculative approach will
eventually work out well because White's domination has not a very stable
character yet} (26... Rxc5 27. Rxc5 {[%csl Gd3][%cal Yc4a5,Ya5c6] /\Na5-c6, /
\ץd3} Bxc4 $6 28. bxc4 $1 $16 {[%csl Yc4,Yd4]}) 27. Qd1 {Topalov declares his
intentions to outplay his opponent in a long battle, refraining from forcing
the issue now. I believe that this position is quite characteristic of the
first part of the match. Topalov has managed to outplay his opponent from the
opening and seems to be so close to achieving something concrete. And yet,
this has generally proven to be an illusion (with the exception of the missed
mate in three from the second game, of course). In spite of evidence, Black is
holding his own by balancing on a very narrow edge. Here are the possible
consequences of a more direct approach on White's part:} (27. Ne5 {[%csl Yd3]
[%cal Ge5c6]} Rxb3 (27... Bf5 28. Qf4 Rxb3 29. Nc6 Rb1+ 30. Kh2 Qf6 {[%csl Gh2]
[%cal Yg7g5,Yf6h6,Yh6h4] /\g5, Qh6} 31. Rxf5 $1 exf5 32. Nxd8 {+/- Lupulescu}
Qxd8 33. Rxf5 $16 {[%csl Ga7][%cal Yd4d5,Ye3e4]}) 28. Nc6 Qd6 ({This is
probably more accurate than} 28... Rb1+ {, which is in fact playable, too.} 29.
Kh2 Qd6+ 30. Qg3 Qxg3+ 31. Kxg3 {Lupulescu evaluates this position as "+/-",
mentioning that Black cannot prevent White from doubling rooks on the seventh
rank. In fact, he can do that with} Ra8 32. Ne5 Bg6 33. Rxa7 Rbb8 $1 {when
White's advantage is more of an optical nature.}) 29. Rc1 Ra8 30. Qf3 Qf8 31.
Ne5 {(+/- Lupulescu)} Bg6 {and Black is out of any danger.}) (27. Qg3 {[%cal
Yc5c7]} {The simple} Rb7 {keeps Black in the game.} (27... Rxb3 $2 {is too
risky.} 28. Rc7 Qb4 (28... Rb1+ 29. Kh2 Qf6 30. Ne5 $16 {[%csl Gf7] Lupulescu}
Bg6 $140 $2 31. Ng4 $18) (28... Rd7 $2 29. Raxa7 Rxc7 30. Ra8+ $1 $18) 29. Rxf7
Kxf7 30. Rxa7+ Ke8 31. Qc7 Bg6 32. d5 $3 {[%csl Ge7][%cal Yd5d6]} exd5 33. Qe5+
$1 $18 {[%cal Ye5g7,Yg7g8]}) 28. Ne5 Be4 {[%csl Gc6]} 29. f3 (29. Qf4 Bd5 30.
e4 Qf6 $1 $11) 29... Bd5 30. e4 $36 {[%csl Yc6,Gd5]} Bxb3 31. Nc6 Qd6 $1 {
[%csl Gg3]} (31... Qd7 32. Nxd8 Qxd4+ 33. Kh2 Qxd8 34. Rcb5 $36 {[%csl Gb3]})
32. e5 {[%csl Gd5]} Qd7 33. Nxd8 Qxd4+ 34. Kh2 Qxd8 $44 {[%cal Yb3d5]}) 27...
Be4 28. Qa1 Rb7 29. Nd2 Bg6 30. Qc3 h6 31. Ra6 Kh7 32. Nc4 Be4 33. f3 Bd5 34.
Nd2 Rdb8 35. Qd3+ f5 {Finally, White has managed to induce a small weakness in
the enemy structure, but this is a price Black is ready to pay for the
stability of his centralized bishop.} 36. Rc3 {White will now try to occupy
the centre with e4, which would offer him an advantage, but Black will defend
very accurately.} (36. e4 Rxb3 (36... fxe4 37. fxe4 Bxb3 38. Qg3 $44) 37. Nxb3
Rxb3 38. Rc3 (38. Qc2 {[%csl Ge4]} Qh4 {[%csl Gg1][%cal Yh4e1,Ye1h4]} 39. Ra1
Ra3 $1 $11) 38... fxe4 39. fxe4 Rxc3 40. Qxc3 Bxe4 $44 {[%csl Gg2][%cal Ye4d5]}
) 36... Qh4 37. Ra1 Qg3 38. Qc2 Rf7 39. Rf1 Qg6 40. Qd3 Qg3 41. Rfc1 Rfb7 42.
Qc2 Qg5 43. Ra1 ({One of the hidden lines from this phase is} 43. e4 $2 Bxb3 $1
{when the c1-rook would be hanging.}) 43... Qf6 44. Qd3 Rd7 45. Ra4 Rbd8 46.
Rc5 Kg8 47. Nc4 Bxc4 $6 {Finally, Kramnik loses patience.} (47... Qh4) 48.
Raxc4 $6 (48. Qxc4 $1 {[%cal Gc5e5,Ga4a6]} f4 49. Re5 $1 $14 {would have most
probably led to a double rook ending with a passed extra pawn on the b- or
c-file.}) 48... f4 {White cannot avoid complete the complete simplification of
the position now.} 49. Rc6 fxe3 50. Qxe3 Rxd4 51. Rxe6 Qh4 52. Rxd4 Qxd4 53.
Re8+ Kh7 54. Qxd4 {Even according to the Sofia rule the position should be
considered a dead draw.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Kramnik-Topalov +3-3=6"]
[Site "Elista"]
[Date "2006.09.29"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "0-1"]
[WhiteElo "2743"]
[BlackElo "2813"]
[PlyCount "0"]
[EventDate "2006.09.23"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventRounds "12"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 115"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2006.11.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2006.11.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{forfait}  0-1

[Event "World-ch Kramnik-Topalov +3-3=6"]
[Site "Elista"]
[Date "2006.10.02"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D17"]
[WhiteElo "2813"]
[BlackElo "2743"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "2006.09.23"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventRounds "12"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 115"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2006.11.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2006.11.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{After several days of intense off-the-board turbulence, we saw a quiet game
today. Kramnik employed a rare and peaceful variation against Topalov's
aggressive setup and then gradually neutralized White's (possibly only
apparent) advantage by cold-blooded defence.} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4.
Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. Ne5 {After having employed positional systems of
development in the first two games where he had White, Topalov switches back
to his trusted weapon against the Slav, probably hoping for a sharp fight. If
that is true, Kramnik's choice must have come as a disapointment.} e6 7. f3 c5
$5 ({Not the most topical continuation. For decades, there have been intense
theoretical disputes in the line starting with} 7... Bb4 8. e4 Bxe4 {. Both
players had good score with it when playing with White.}) 8. e4 Bg6 ({But this
is really a rare move. The history behind it is rather surprising. The modest
bishop retreat (which had only occasionally been seen before) was popularized
in the late '90s by a player approaching his 80th birthday: Vassily
Vassilyevich Smyslov. The former World Champion had played the sharper} 8...
cxd4 {in the eighties, when he was (remarkably) still participating in top
class events, such as the Candidates' Matches. It should be mentioned that
both World Title contenders from the Elista match had had this position with
White:} 9. exf5 Nc6 10. Nxc6 bxc6 11. fxe6 fxe6 12. Bxc4 (12. Qe2 dxc3 13.
Qxe6+ Qe7 14. Bxc4 {1-0 Topalov,V (2700)-Gelfand,B (2700)/Dos Hermanas 1996/
CBM 053/[Huebner,R] (41)}) 12... dxc3 13. Qxd8+ (13. bxc3 Nd5 14. Qd4 Qf6 15.
Qxf6 gxf6 16. Bd2 Rb8 17. Ke2 Bd6 18. g3 Rb2 19. Bxd5 exd5 20. Rhb1 Rxb1 21.
Rxb1 Kd8 {[%cal Yh8e8,Ye8e7] 1/2-1/2 Huebner,R (2625)-Smyslov,V (2595)/Velden
1983/Candidates (62). and Black managed to keep White's advantage within
bearable limits.}) 13... Rxd8 14. bxc3 Nd5 15. Bd2 Bd6 16. O-O-O Kd7 17. Kc2 h5
18. h4 Kc7 19. Rde1 $14 {1-0 Kramnik,V (2775)-Piket,J (2570)/Monte Carlo 1996/
CBM 052 ext (62)}) 9. Be3 cxd4 10. Qxd4 ({Keeping queens on board will enable
Black carry out the strategically desirable exchange of the dark-squared
bishops without problems.} 10. Bxd4 Nc6 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. Bxc4 Qa5 {[%cal
Yf8c5,Ya8d8]} 13. Qe2 {1/2-1/2 Pelletier,Y (2525)-Smyslov,V (2500)/Zuerich
1998/EXT 99}) 10... Qxd4 11. Bxd4 {White is better developed and enjoys a
considerable advantage in space. Besides, the g6-bishop is cut off from the
play for a long time. However, Black has some trumps of his own, too. First of
all, his position is quite solid and has no weaknesses at all, which is likely
to make White's advance in development less relevant. Besides, the b4- and
d4-squares have been weakened by the advance of White's pawns, which gives
Black some chances in the long-term fight.} Nfd7 $1 ({Now,} 11... Nc6 {1-0
Cramling,P (2505)-Smyslov,V (2500)/Roquebrune 1998/CBM 067/[Huebner,R] (70).
seems to be inferior.}) 12. Nxd7 {By accepting the exchange, White drives the
enemy knight away from the d4-square.} (12. Nxc4 Nc6 13. Be3 Bc5 {and Black's
control over the dark squares promises him a comfortable game.}) 12... Nxd7 13.
Bxc4 a6 $146 {Strictly speaking, this is a novelty, but Black's truly new
concept will be revealed later.} (13... Rc8 14. Ba2 a6 15. Ke2 Nb8 {Black
re-directs the knight towards c6, in order to keep the important b4- and
d4-squares under observation and drive the enemy bishop away from the centre
in order to enable the development of his own bishop. The main drawback of the
manoeuvre consists of the fact that the b6-square will remain undefended.} ({
Here, too, Kramnik's plan} 15... Rg8 16. Rhd1 Bc5 {might have been more
appropriate.}) 16. Rhd1 Nc6 17. Bb6 Bb4 18. Rd2 Ke7 19. Rad1 Nb8 {There was no
other way to free Black's position, but now, with a couple of energetic moves,
White will take over the initiative.} 20. Bf2 $5 f6 (20... Rhd8 $2 21. Bh4+ f6
22. Rxd8 Rxd8 23. Rxd8 Kxd8 24. Bxe6 $16) 21. Bg3 Be8 (21... Rhd8 $4 {[%csl
Gb8]}) 22. Rd4 a5 {A necessary weakening move.} (22... Nc6 $2 23. Rxb4 Nxb4 24.
Bd6+ $18) 23. Bd6+ Bxd6 24. Rxd6 $14 {1/2-1/2 Cramling,P (2504)-Smyslov,V 
(2485)/Marbella 1999/CBM 074 (60)}) 14. Ke2 Rg8 {This is Kramnik's new concept.
Black spends one more tempo in order to enable the development of his
dark-squared bishop. I would like to comment here on Kramnik's strategic
vision that enabled him to understand that Black can afford to play like this
and stay alive. To a certain extent, the situation is similar to the Berlin
Ruy Lopez (one of Kramnik's specialties, too) where Black's development looks
terrible according to the classic canons, but White has problems proving an
advantage.} 15. Rhd1 Rc8 16. b3 Bc5 17. a5 {White needs to convert his better
development into something more concrete. The weakness of the b6-square can be
such an element.} Ke7 18. Na4 Bb4 19. Nb6 {By exchanging knights, White gives
up any chance to benefit from his spatial advantage.} ({More consistent would
be} 19. Nb2 {[%cal Yb2d3] , although it would most likely lead to
simplification, too, for instance:} e5 (19... Bd6 $5 {[%csl Gh2]}) 20. Nd3 Bxa5
$1) 19... Nxb6 20. Bxb6 f6 {Black only needs to neutralize White's pressure
along the d-file by means of ...Rc6-d6 and the position would become plain
equal.} 21. Rd3 Rc6 22. h4 Rgc8 23. g4 {As mentioned above, in order to take
advantage of such an impressive advantage of space, White would have needed a
knight. With just bishops on board, Black is quite safe.} Bc5 {Finally
exchanging White's most active piece.} 24. Rad1 Bxb6 ({This well calculated
move will lead by force to mass simplifications. The careless} 24... Be8 $6 {
would have allowed White maintain his pressure with the slightly unexpected}
25. Bd8+) 25. Rd7+ Kf8 26. axb6 Rxb6 27. R1d6 Rxd6 28. Rxd6 {[%cal Yd6b6]} Rc6
$1 {Exchanging White's most active piece.} 29. Rxc6 bxc6 30. b4 (30. Bxe6 Ke7
31. Bc4 a5 $11) 30... e5 31. Bxa6 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Kramnik-Topalov +3-3=6"]
[Site "Elista"]
[Date "2006.10.04"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D27"]
[WhiteElo "2813"]
[BlackElo "2743"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "119"]
[EventDate "2006.09.23"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventRounds "12"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 115"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2006.11.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2006.11.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{Topalov could not get any significant advantage from his (practically) third
game with White in a row. His only chance for attack consisted of a more
resolute advance of the g-pawn on the 25th move. Later, he sacrificed two
pawns in order to get some activity, but his initiative was just sufficient to
maintain the balance even.} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 {Both players
remain true to their match strategy displayed so far. Kramnik sticks to the
same openings (well, the fifth game was an exception; we can hardly call it "a
Catalan") while Topalov tries to find the Achilles heel in the opponent's
preparation by permanently changing the systems of development.} e6 5. Bd3 dxc4
6. Bxc4 c5 {But this is a deviation from the mentioned pattern already:
although the game started as a Slav, it transposed now to a genuine... Queen's
Gambit Accepted! I suppose that Kramnik did not play 2...dxc4 in order to
avoid the sharp lines based on 3.e4, consequent to his policy of playing solid,
though sometimes passive positions with Black.} 7. O-O a6 8. Bb3 cxd4 9. exd4
Nc6 10. Nc3 Be7 11. Re1 O-O {Kramnik has considerable (and rather successful)
experience with this position as... White! It might seem as if Topalov
intended to confront his opponent with the difficult psychological situation
of playing "against himself", but the next move clearly contradicts this
hypothesis.} 12. a4 {A practically unexplored move. White usually develops his
queen's bishop to f4 or g5. The position bears some similarity with those
arising after the 6.a4 system, but I feel that the small differences tend to
favour Black. After 6.a4 (well, it would actually be 7.a4 with the move order
from this game), the bishop would be placed on c4, allowing the transfer of
the a1-rook to the king side in certain cases. Besides, the queen would stand
on e2 and the king's rook on d1, creating the permanent threat of opening the
centre with d5. On the other hand, after 6.a4 Black is not forced to capture
on d4 and open the c1-h6 diagonal. The plan based on ...Qc7 and ...Bd6 is
considered to be more solid. Be that as it may, Topalov's last move suggests
that he is not necesarily aiming for an advantage from the opening, but hopes
to outplay his opponent in a complicated middlegame.} Bd7 13. Ne5 Be8 {By this
temporary retreat, Black puts the d4-pawn under pressure, preventing the early
development of the c1-bishop on an active square such as g5.} ({Kramnik might
have refrained from the immediate} 13... Rc8 {because of something like} 14.
Bf4 Be8 (14... Nb4 15. Re3 {[%cal Ye3g3]} Nbd5 16. Bxd5 Nxd5 17. Nxd5 exd5 18.
Qb3 $36 {[%csl Gb7,Gd5][%cal Ya1e1]}) 15. d5 {where White is slightly more
active in a symmetrical position. He might have been worried by the fact that
Topalov could have analyzed such a possibility.}) 14. Be3 Rc8 15. Rc1 Nb4 {
Now that the queen side development has been completed, Black releases the
pressure against d4. If White plays Bg5, he will lose a tempo just as Black
will do by playing ...Bd7-e8-c6.} 16. Qf3 Bc6 17. Qh3 Bd5 {Forcing the
exchange of one pair of minor pieces, which is always advantageous for the
side playing against the isolani.} (17... Nbd5 18. Bg5 $14) 18. Nxd5 Nbxd5 {
The strong light-squared bishop has been neutralized temporarily. Black's
position in the centre is solid but slightly immobile. If the d5-knight moves
away, White will get tactical chances along the a2-g8 diagonal.} 19. Rcd1 ({
Generally, the exchange of major pieces is supposed to favour the player with
an isolani, but here the fact that the c-file is open would leave the back
rank vulnerable after} 19. Rxc8) 19... Rc7 20. Bg5 Qc8 (20... Qd6 21. f4 $5)
21. Qf3 (21. Rd3 {[%cal Yh3h4,Yd3g3]} Bb4 $1 (21... Rd8 22. Qh4 $1 $40 h6 $2
23. Bxh6 $1 $18) 22. Rf1 (22. Re2 {would make a further Rg3 impossible because
of ...Rc1+.}) 22... Ne4 $1 $132) (21. f4 $5) 21... Rd8 {Black has completed
his regroupment and has a very solid position. White's chances for a kingside
attack are rather vague as yet.} 22. h4 h6 $6 {This move might not threaten to
capture the bishop in view of the weakness of the f7-square, but it certainly
prevents a further advance of the White h-pawn, when ...h6 could be answered
by Bh4 already. However, giving White such a mark for a kingside attack is at
least risky.} 23. Bc1 $6 {This looks too passive.} (23. Bd2 $14 {[%csl Gb4]
[%cal Yg2g4,Yd2a5]} Bb4 $6 {This attempt to simplify the position leaves the
light diagonal vulnerable for just an instant.} ({If} 23... Bd6 {then} 24. g4 {
would be more dangerous as it could have been in the game, because the white
king's rook and, even more important, his queen's bishop are more actively
placed. For instance} Bxe5 25. dxe5 Nh7 26. Ba5 b6 27. Bxd5 $16) 24. Bxb4 Nxb4
25. Nxf7 $1 Rxf7 (25... Kxf7 26. Bxe6+ Qxe6 27. Rxe6 Kxe6 28. g4 $36) 26. Bxe6
Qc7 27. d5 $16 {It is important to prevent the blockade on d5.} Kf8 (27... Kh8
28. d6 $1 $18) 28. Qb3 Qc5 (28... Qd6 29. Bxf7 Kxf7 30. Re6 Qf4 31. d6 $16) (
28... a5 29. d6 $1 $18) (28... Nbxd5 $16) 29. d6 $16) 23... Bb4 24. Rf1 Bd6 (
24... Nc3 $5 {would have been an attempt to underline the vulnerability of
White's bishops. Kramnik might have feared} 25. Bxh6 $5 (25. bxc3 Rxc3 {
[%csl Gb3,Gc1]}) 25... Nxd1 26. Rxd1 Nd5 27. Qg3 Bf8 28. h5 $44 {when Black
cannot free his position easily, because the c-file is well defended by the
bishops.}) 25. g3 ({Actually, I was expecting} 25. g4 {with some attacking
chances for White. True, such a resolute advance of the g-pawn involves a
certain amount of strategic risk, but after Topalov's over-cautious move,
White will not get even close to such a possibility.} Nh7 $5 26. g5 hxg5 27.
hxg5 Bxe5 28. dxe5 Nf8 {Svidler.}) 25... b6 26. Qe2 Ne7 27. Rfe1 Bxe5 28. dxe5
Rxd1 29. Qxd1 Nfd5 {The material situation (and, to a certain extent, the
structure) is similar to that from the dramatic 5th game of the match
Karpov-Kortschnoj, Baguio 1978. In that game, Kortschnoj had an advantage with
White and eventually missed a simple mate just before the second time control.
The main difference here consists of Black's firm control of the c-file. Under
these circumstances, his knights, enjoying stable squares in the centre, are a
worthy match for the white pair of bishops. White's main problem is that he
cannot build up a mating battery along the b1-h7 diagonal.} 30. Bd2 Rc5 31. Qg4
Nf5 32. Qe4 b5 33. h5 bxa4 34. Qxa4 Rb5 35. Rc1 Qb7 36. Bc2 Nb6 37. Qg4 Rxb2
38. Be4 Qd7 39. Be1 {In order to get some acttivity, Topalov sacrificed the
relatively insignifiant b2-pawn. However, he is far from creating dangerous
threats yet.} Nd5 40. Bd3 Nb4 41. Bf1 Nd3 42. Qd1 Nxe5 43. Qxd7 Nxd7 {Black
has won a second pawn but his initiative has been completely extinguished. It
will be White who will do the attacking now, but this will only compensate for
the considerable material deficit.} 44. Rc8+ Kh7 45. Rc7 Rb1 46. Rxd7 Rxe1 47.
Rxf7 {In view of the activity of his rook and of the weak position of the
black king, White is no longer in danger of losing, in spite of Black's extra
pawn.} a5 48. Kg2 Kg8 49. Ra7 Re5 50. g4 Nd6 51. Bd3 Kf8 52. Bg6 Rd5 53. f3 e5
54. Kf2 Rd2+ 55. Ke1 Rd5 56. Ke2 Rb5 57. Rd7 Rd5 58. Ra7 Rb5 59. Bd3 Rd5 60.
Bg6 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Kramnik-Topalov +3-3=6"]
[Site "Elista"]
[Date "2006.10.05"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D47"]
[WhiteElo "2743"]
[BlackElo "2813"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "104"]
[EventDate "2006.09.23"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventRounds "12"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 115"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2006.11.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2006.11.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{Kramnik's solid play with Black has been quite impressive over the past three
games, but today he offered a rather feeble resistence when finally getting
the white pieces. Confroned with an unexpected opening, a rare sub-variation
and a relatively early novelty, Kramnik soon landed in an unpleasant ending.
By carelessly advancing his kingside pawns, he only made things worse for
himself, by providing Topalov with targets for attack. The game ended four
moves away from mate.} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 {Apparently, during the last three
games Kramnik has managed to convince his opponent that the Slav is not such a
bad opening after all.} 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 {But this must have been the real
surprise for Kramnik! Topalov usually employs the ...a6 systems and has only
occasionally played the Semi-Slav throughout his carrier. If his intention was
to confront Kramnik with the unpleasant psychological situation of fighting
against his own weapons, we can safely state that the experiment has been
crowned with success.} 5. e3 Nbd7 ({Even here, Topalov preferred} 5... a6 {
in his game against Ponomariov, played at Sofia 2006.}) 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5
8. Be2 {Kramnik is consequent with his policy of avoiding sharp opening lines.
The modest bishop retreat to e2 is supposed to offer White little chances for
a palpable advantage, but even less danger of getting into trouble.} Bb7 9. O-O
b4 {Topalov's desire to take his oppponent out of the well-known paths as soon
as possible becomes obvious. Black usually plays 9...Be7 here or, even more
frequently, 8...a6.} 10. Na4 c5 11. dxc5 Nxc5 12. Bb5+ {This move and the
whole sequence that follows looks hard to resist, but shows some slight
illogicality. The natural question is whether White should aim for sharp play
once he has chosen a basically quiet variation in the first line. Further
practice is needed to give a definitive answer, but the following 2 games seem
to be more in the spirit of the 8.Be2 system, by aiming for a tiny advantage
in a symmetrical position.} (12. Bd2 Ncd7 13. Nd4 Bd6 14. Nb5 Be7 15. Qe1 a6
16. Nd4 Nb6 17. Nxb6 Qxb6 18. a3 bxa3 19. Ba5 Qa7 20. Bb4 $1 Nd5 $6 (20... axb2
21. Bb5+ Kf8 22. Bxe7+ Kg8 $8 23. Rb1 $36 {[%csl Yg8]}) 21. Bxe7 Kxe7 22. Rxa3
$16 {1-0 Lputian,S (2607)-Grabarczyk,M (2506)/Ohrid 2001/CBM 084 (41)}) (12. a3
Ncd7 13. Qd4 bxa3 14. b4 Be7 15. Bxa3 O-O 16. Rfd1 Nb6 17. Nc5 $14 {1-0
Aleksandrov,A (2535)-Filippov,V (2530)/Moscow 1996/EXT 2000 (80)}) 12... Ncd7
13. Ne5 Qc7 14. Qd4 Rd8 15. Bd2 {Looking at this position, I have the feeling
as if players had changed roles with each other. It is Kramnik who has a
slight advance in development, while Topalov mainly relies on the solid
character of his position. Quite the opposite to what we have seen during the
last few days.} Qa5 $146 {And now, Topalov moves for the second time with his
already developed queen, something that Kramnik did frequently in the first
part of the match. The move is a novelty, which is quite curious because it is
the computer's first suggestion. We can suppose that Kramnik had looked at it
at home (even though not especially for this game or match) and the time spent
on the next moves was destined to let him remember the old analysis.} (15... a6
$2 {is an obvious loss of time, weakening the b6-square at the same time.} 16.
Rfc1 Qa5 17. Bc6 Bxc6 18. Nxc6 Qxa4 19. Nxd8 Kxd8 20. a3 $16 {1/2-1/2
Cvetkovic,S-Bagirov,V/Vrnjacka Banja 1974/EXT 99 (42)}) 16. Bc6 Be7 (16... Bxc6
17. Nxc6 Qxa4 18. Nxd8 Kxd8 {is too risky for Black, although White can easily
go astray, too.} 19. Qc4 $1 {[%csl Ya4][%cal Ya1c1,Yf1d1,Yc4c8]} (19. Rfc1 $6
Qb5 $1) (19. a3 Qa5 20. axb4 Qb6 $13) 19... Ne5 (19... Qa5 20. Rfc1 Bc5 21. a3
$1 $16) (19... Bc5 20. a3 $16) 20. Qf4 (20. Qd4+ Ned7 $11) 20... Qb5 21. Rfd1
Kc8 22. Rac1+ Kb7 23. a3 $36) 17. Rfc1 {This looks like the more logical way
of maintaining the advance in development.} (17. Bxb7 $2 Nxe5 $19) ({Knowing
the further course of the game it is easy to recommend} 17. b3 O-O 18. Bxd7
Nxd7 19. Nxd7 Bc6 $11 {and White cannot save all his pieces placed along the
d-file.}) 17... Bxc6 {Without fearing any ghosts, Topalov embarks the sharp
forced line.} 18. Nxc6 Qxa4 19. Nxd8 (19. b3 Qb5 (19... Qa6 20. Bxb4 $44 {
Korotylev}) 20. Qxa7 {Korotylev} Qb6 $1 21. Qa4 Nd5 22. Nxd8 Qxd8 23. e4 Nc3
$15 {Svidler}) 19... Bxd8 20. Qxb4 Qxb4 21. Bxb4 Nd5 22. Bd6 {At first glance
it might look that White is doing just great. His material deficit is almost
insignificant, while his rooks are ready to invade the enemy queen side.
However, there is a certain detail that favours Black: the centralized
position of his king. Since the white king would need a considerable amount of
time to get into play, we can state that for practical purposes Black is a
whole... king up! From this point of view, Kramnik's 20th move is slightly
questionable. In order to prove 17.Rfc1 to be playable, White needs to
exchange queens only after Black gets castled. The only open question remains
whether this can be achieved in practice.} f5 23. Rc8 N5b6 24. Rc6 Be7 25. Rd1
Kf7 26. Rc7 Ra8 27. Rb7 Ke8 {Black's last three moves can be considered some
sort of artificial (but huge) castling.} (27... g5 {Svidler: "trying to gain
some space on the K-side, also made sense - but by allowing White to play
h2-h4 Black succeeded in opening the h-file for his rook, so perhaps it was a
conscious decision on Veselin's part."}) 28. Bxe7 Kxe7 29. Rc1 a5 (29... Nd5
30. Rc6 a5 {is a more accurate move order, according to Svidler.}) 30. Rc6 (30.
Rcc7 $1 {Svidler}) 30... Nd5 {Both sides have completed the first phase of
piece mobilisation. The placement of the white rooks creates a strong optical
impression, but they fail to create any serious threats. With the e6-pawn and
the d7-knight safely defended by the king, Black has no problems keeping
things under control. At the same time, the transfer of the white king to the
queen side is highly problematic, because of the numerous possible forks. We
can safely state that Black is better, although it is not entirely clear yet
how much better precisely. One important element of his general plan of
converting his minimal advantage is to avoid the exchange of one pair of rooks,
which would make his coordination more difficult.} 31. h4 $6 {"Do not move
pawns on the wing where you are weaker" they say. It is remarkable how much
quicker Black will make progress on this wing after White's unnecesary pawn
move.} ({Here is a variation illustrating White's difficulties in obtaining
counterplay:} 31. Kf1 g5 32. Ke2 g4 33. a3 {(Necessary, in order to enable the
further advance of the king without fearing the fork on b4.)} a4 34. Kd3 h5 35.
Kc4 h4 36. Kb5 N5f6 {[%cal Yf6e4] Black's advantage of space on both wings
leaves him with the better chances in case of the pawn race that is likely to
arise after} 37. Ra6 Rxa6 38. Kxa6 Ne4) 31... h6 ({Black could have also played
} 31... g6 {, but this does not seem to be necessary as can be seen from the
next comment.}) 32. a4 (32. h5 {[%csl Yh5]} a4 (32... N5f6 $6 33. Rcc7 {
[%csl Gd7][%cal Yb7a7]}) 33. Kf1 Ra5 34. Ke2 N5f6 35. Rcc7 Kd6 36. Ra7 Rb5 37.
Rc2 (37. Rcb7 Nb6 $17) 37... Rb4 38. Rd2+ Nd5 $17 {In order to avoid the loss
of the h5-pawn, White has been forced to allow the radical activation of
Black's forces.}) 32... g5 33. hxg5 hxg5 34. Kf1 g4 {Now, White has to
permanently count with the enemy rook's penetration through the h-file or the
pawn break ...g3.} 35. Ke2 N5f6 {The start of a highly original manoeuvre.} 36.
b3 ({Korotylev gives a long analysis intended to prove that White would have
held a draw with} 36. Rcc7 {. In my opinion, Black retains his advantage with}
Kd6 {(Not considered by Korotylev)} 37. Ra7 Rb8 38. Rc2 (38. Rcb7 {does not
work because after} Rxb7 39. Rxb7 Nc5 {White loses a pawn:} 40. Ra7 Nxa4 41. b3
Nc5 $17 {It is early to talk about Black's win yet here, but it is even more
out of place to claim equality for White.}) 38... g3 $1 39. fxg3 Rb3 40. Rxa5
Nd5 {and Black's activity has taken dangerous forms.}) 36... Ne8 $1 ({Black
intends to drive the enemy rook away from the b-file by means of ...Nd6. The
seemingly more active} 36... Ne4 {, bearing the same idea, would have been
less accurate in view of} 37. Rcc7) 37. f3 $6 {Even though this move is bad,
it is hard to apply to it the same kind of criticism as to White's 31st move.
Kramnik must have felt that he is rapidly losing ground and aimed to exchange
as many pawns as possible.} g3 $1 {Rejected.} 38. Rc1 Nef6 {Now that White has
weakened his king side, the knight changes plans.} 39. f4 {But this looks like
suicide already. White weakens his structure even more, in order to get the
possibility to attack the g3-pawn, without noticing that it is posioned.} Kd6
40. Kf3 Nd5 41. Kxg3 $2 {White offers to his opponent the only thing that he
was missing yet: an open file for the attack.} Nc5 42. Rg7 Rb8 43. Ra7 Rg8+ 44.
Kf3 Ne4 {Black has a decisive attack already.} 45. Ra6+ Ke7 46. Rxa5 Rg3+ 47.
Ke2 Rxe3+ 48. Kf1 Rxb3 49. Ra7+ Kf6 50. Ra8 Nxf4 51. Ra1 Rb2 52. a5 ({Allowing
mate in 5. However,} 52. Rg8 {would have failed to safely defend the g2-square
because of} Kf7) 52... Rf2+ 0-1

[Event "World-ch Kramnik-Topalov +3-3=6"]
[Site "Elista"]
[Date "2006.10.07"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D12"]
[WhiteElo "2813"]
[BlackElo "2743"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "2006.09.23"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventRounds "12"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 115"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2006.11.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2006.11.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 ({This is the first time Kramnik has
deviated from the course of an earlier game of the match. In the seventh game
he transposed to the Queen's Gambit Accepted with} 4... e6 5. Bd3 dxc4 6. Bxc4
c5) 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nh4 Bg6 7. Nxg6 hxg6 8. a3 $5 {Almost never played before.
Topalov usually plays ...a6 as Black in the Slav Defence and now he gives it a
try from the other side of the board. I would allow myself a small divagation.
Three quarters of century ago, the somewhat mysterious Indian player Sultan
Khan (not the most erudite theoretician of his time, for sure) frequently
employed the modest advance of the a-pawn with both colours and irrspective of
the opening. Among others, he beat the great Capablanca in what is called
today the Petrosian-Kasparov system and accidentally "invented" the Chebanenko
- Slav much before the birth of the Moldavian trainer. Returning to our game,
the point behind Topalov's last move will become clear soon.} Nbd7 9. g3 Be7
10. f4 {After having eliminated the black light-squared bishop, White has
arranged several of his pawns on dark squares. This is aimed at ensuring the
free circulation of his own bishop, which became the unchallenged master of
the light squares. However, combining a3 with f4 also pursues a more concrete
aim. White threatens to block the position with c5, when the thematic central
break ...e5 would be impossible. At the same time, the attempt to undermine
the powerful chain of pawns from the other side with ...b6 is safely answered
by b4, because ...a5 is inoffensive since the b4-pawn has been defended in
advance. This would leave White with considerable advantage in space, without
any possibility of counterplay for Black.} dxc4 ({Giving up the centre so
easily is a risky decision.} 10... a5 {deserves attention, with the idea of
answering 11.c5 with 11...b6.} {If} 11. Rb1 {then} dxc4 12. Bxc4 O-O 13. e4 b5
{[%csl Ge4] is different already.} 14. Bd3 $8 b4 15. Na4 c5 $132) 11. Bxc4 O-O
(11... Qc7 $5 12. e4 Rd8 $5 {[%cal Yc6c5] Shipov}) 12. e4 {Looking at this
position, I cannot stop asking myself: what does it mean to play a hypermodern
opening? 1...d5 is supposed to be a classical way of starting the game, but
isn't here White's advantage in the centre just as big or maybe even bigger
than, say, in the Gruenfeld? One of the reasons why the Slav is so popular
nowadays is that it allows Black choose any type of structure he wishes,
according to the style of play or, why not, the mood in that specific moment.
It can lead to more or less symmetrical positions or to very unbalanced
situations. As a compensation for White's advantage in space and powerful pair
of bishops in the current position, Black is few tempi ahead in development.
It remains an open question whether this is enough. Kramnik's play in the next
phase of the game does not really sustain this hypothesis, but objectively
speaking Black should be OK.} (12. Be2 c5 $1 13. d5 exd5 14. Nxd5 Rc8 $1 {
[%cal Yc5c4,Yd7c5]} 15. O-O c4 16. Bf3 Nc5 {[%csl Yd3]}) 12... b5 13. Be2 {
We can see here a further merit of a3: in order to undermine the e4-pawn,
Black needs to spend an extra tempo, allowing White to transfer the bishop on
to the optimal square.} b4 ({This logical move implies a big strategic risk,
because it leaves Black's structure in ruins and it opens new horizons for the
f3-bishop, by weakening the c4-square. If the piece pressure fails to yield
the expected effect, Black will find himself in a hopeless situation.} 13...
Qb6 {was a more restrained continuation, although it could lead to animated
play, too.} 14. Be3 Rad8 15. O-O c5 16. e5 cxd4 17. exf6 (17. Bxd4 $2 Bc5 18.
Bxc5 Nxc5 $19 {[%cal Yb6g1,Yd8d1]}) 17... Nxf6 18. Bf2 dxc3 $1 19. Bxb6 Rxd1
20. Raxd1 axb6 21. bxc3 Nd5 $132) 14. axb4 Bxb4 15. Bf3 Qb6 $6 {Kramnik lost
this game mainly because he did not try to get rid of his backward c-pawn in
any way. The plan of breaking the enemy centre with ...e5 has not sufficient
strategic basis.} ({This was probably the last moment when Black could obtain
adequate play by means of} 15... c5 16. e5 (16. Be3 Nb6 $132 {Golubev}) (16.
Kf1 $5 $14 {[%cal Yf1g2] Golubev}) 16... Nd5 ({For some reasons, only the
intermediate exchange} 16... cxd4 $6 {has been analyzed so far. Black simply
loses a pawn after} 17. Qxd4 Nd5 18. Bxd5 Bc5 19. Qd3 exd5 20. Qxd5 $14 {
[%csl Gc5,Gd7][%cal Ye1f1,Yf1g2] . The fact that the black minor pieces are
hanging prevent Black from starting a rapid counter-attack, thus allowing
White complete his development with Kf1-g2.}) 17. Bd2 (17. Bxd5 exd5 18. Be3
Nb6 19. dxc5 (19. Qe2 Nc4 20. Bf2 Rb8 21. O-O Bxc3 22. bxc3 Rb2 $132) 19... Nc4
20. Bd4 Nxb2 21. Qc2 (21. Qe2 Nc4 22. O-O Bxc3 23. Bxc3 Qd7 $11) 21... Nc4 22.
O-O a5 $132) 17... Bxc3 (17... N7b6 18. Nxd5 Nxd5 19. Bxb4 cxb4 20. Qd3 Qc7 21.
O-O $14) 18. bxc3 ({In fact,} 18. Bxc3 $5 {might be simpler. Capturing the
bishop would lead to the loss of the a7-pawn, while the threat Bxd5 is
stronger now that the white queen side has not been weakened.} Qb6 19. Qa4 Rfd8
20. O-O $14) 18... cxd4 19. Bxd5 (19. c4 N5b6 {[%cal Yd7c5]} 20. Bxa8 Qxa8 21.
O-O Nxc4 22. Bc1 Rd8 $44 {[%csl Yd4][%cal Ra8h1,Rd8d1]}) 19... exd5 20. cxd4
Qb6 {We have reached a position typical for the Sдmisch variation of the Nimzo
Indian Defence. White's advantage in the centre is compensated by Black's
counterplay along the c-file.} 21. Ba5 Qe6 22. O-O Rfc8 23. g4 Rc4 24. Ra2 Rac8
25. f5 gxf5 26. gxf5 Qh6 $13) 16. O-O e5 {This was the counterplay Black was
relying on. However, White has sufficient resources to avoid any structural
damage in the centre.} 17. Be3 Rad8 {Apparently, a logical move. The d4-pawn
is pinned along the g1-a7 diagonal and, indirectly, along the d-file. However,
these minor problems are rather easy to solve.} 18. Na4 {Black has to release
the first pin now.} Qb8 ({This slightly mysterious move was probably connected
with a concrete detail mentioned below. However, the more active} 18... Qb5 {
might have been better and if} 19. Qc2 {then} exd4 20. Bxd4 c5 {followed by ...
Nb6, with certain counterplay.}) 19. Qc2 exf4 20. Bxf4 ({Kramnik's idea is
revealed after} 20. gxf4 {when} Rfe8 {creates the threat ...Nxe4 and the
generally desirable Bf2 loses the f4-pawn. However, White's last move
maintains the advantage in the centre intact.}) 20... Qb7 21. Rad1 Rfe8 {
Both sides have completed their development and time has come to make a first
evaluation. Optically speaking, White's advantage is overwhelming. He has
maintained his control in the centre, has placed his bishops actively and has
the more compact structure of pawns. However, converting this advantage into
something more concrete is likely to be a laborious process. It might look
tempting to start advancing the central pawns, but this would just provide the
black knights with stable squares in the centre. At least for a while, it is
much wiser to create simple threats (be they real or imaginary) on the wings,
maintaining the centre intact. This would most probably cause Black to
gradually lose his coordination and then the pawns could advance unhindered.}
22. Bg5 Be7 23. Kh1 Nh7 24. Be3 Bg5 25. Bg1 {Of course, exchanging pieces
would somewhat relieve Black's position.} Nhf8 26. h4 {Not only restricting
the enemy bishop, but creating the potential threat of an attack by means of
h5.} Be7 27. e5 {Now that the knights do not have access to d5, this move is
well-timed. In order to defend his c6-pawn, Black is forced to retreat even
more.} Nb8 28. Nc3 Bb4 29. Qg2 {Now, such threats as d5 or h5 start to look
feasible. Black's main problem is that he cannot easily guess what are White's
intentions and each minor slip could be decisive. At the same time, White can
allow himself to miss one or two promising continuations, because they would
be there few moves later, too.} Qc8 30. Rc1 {Enabling the knight's jump to d5,
eventually followed by Nf4, in order to take under observation one of Black's
last remaining outposts, the e6-square.} Bxc3 $2 {Black finally cracks under
the pressure. This exchange is equivalent to an unconditional strategic
surrender.} ({He could have stayed in the game with} 30... Qb7 {, avoiding the
knight jump and preventing the central break d5 at the same time.}) 31. bxc3 {
Nothing can stop White's pawns now. However Topalov will employ the same
method as in the previous phase of the game, maintaining the threat of
advancing the centre in reserve. This could have slightly complicated matters
as we shall see.} Ne6 32. Bg4 $6 {Putting pressure on the generally well
defended e6-knight but allowing the other knight join the battle by releasing
the pressure against the c6-pawn.} ({The simpler} 32. Rcd1 Qc7 33. c4 $18 {
looks crushing.}) 32... Qc7 33. Rcd1 Nd7 34. Qa2 {We can feel here the effects
of the huge advantage in space: White's pieces can easily be transferred from
one wing to the other. It might look that White is planning to put the a7-pawn
under pressure, but we shall soon see that his target is much more important.}
Nb6 {However, the reserve knight has reached a stable square, too. Black is
much worse, but still breathing for the moment.} 35. Rf3 {Slightly careless.
Topalov probably thought that his strong centre allows him to manoeuvre his
pieces without any restrictions.} (35. Ra1 $5 {Would have more or less forced
Black to interrupt his queen's access to f7 in order to defend a7} Rd7 (35...
Re7 36. Rxf7 $16) (35... c5 36. Qxa7 cxd4 37. cxd4 $16 Qxa7 38. Rxa7 Nxd4 39.
Rfxf7 $18) {thus allowing} 36. Rxf7 $1 Rxf7 (36... Kxf7 37. Rf1+ Kg8 38. Bxe6+
Kh8 39. Bxd7 Qxd7 40. Rf7 Qh3+ 41. Qh2 $18) 37. Bxe6 Nd5 $16 {Black's control
over the light squares offers him chances to resist in spite of the material
disadvantage.}) 35... Nf8 $2 {This voluntary knight retreat is hard to
understand.} ({"Any unpromoted pawn majority risks becoming a weakness". This
old statement by Nimzowitsch applies here perfectly. Taking advantage of the
temporary lack of coordination between White's major pieces, Black could have
attaked the enemy centre by means of} 35... c5 36. d5 (36. Rdf1 cxd4 37. cxd4
Qc6 38. Kh2 Rd7 {and Black has achieved stability in the centre.}) 36... Nf8 {
[%csl Ge5]} 37. d6 Qb7 {[%cal Yb7h1]} 38. Rdf1 Rxe5 39. Qxf7+ Qxf7 40. Rxf7 Nd5
{[%csl Gc5,Gd6,Gg4][%cal Yd5f6] White's still has an advantage thanks to his
powerful pair of bishops, but play becomes more concrete now and requires
certain accuracy.}) 36. Rdf1 Re7 37. Be3 $18 {White's last piece joins the
attack, threatening Bg5. Suddenly, Black is just lost.} Nh7 38. Rxf7 $1 Nd5 39.
R7f3 {Or anything else.} 1-0

[Event "World-ch Kramnik-Topalov +3-3=6"]
[Site "Elista"]
[Date "2006.10.08"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E08"]
[WhiteElo "2743"]
[BlackElo "2813"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "2006.09.23"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventRounds "12"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 115"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2006.11.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2006.11.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

{Topalov chose a solid variation but then went for a slightly risky experiment.
Kramnik managed to find the weak spot in Black's whole concept and obtained a
very pleasant position. After Topalov's blunder on the 24th move the game was
practically over, re-establishing equality in the match.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3.
Nf3 d5 4. g3 Bb4+ {Being ahead on the scoreboard for the first time since the
beginning of the match, Topalov refrains from capturing on c4 already. Instead,
he adopts a hybrid between the Bogo-Indian and the Catalan, supposed to offer
Black a solid position. Maybe not the best psychological approach...} 5. Bd2
Be7 6. Bg2 O-O 7. O-O c6 8. Bf4 ({Here are two previous games played by our
heroes that bear some relation with further situations from the present game.} 
8. Qc2 Nbd7 (8... b6 9. Bf4 Ba6 10. Nbd2 $6 {[%csl Yf4]} (10. b3) 10... Nbd7
11. Rfd1 Rc8 12. Rac1 Nh5 13. e4 (13. Be3 $5) 13... Nxf4 14. gxf4 {[%csl Yf4]}
Nf6 15. Ne5 Nh5 16. Qa4 Bxc4 17. Nxc6 b5 18. Qa6 Rxc6 19. Qxc6 Nxf4 20. Nxc4
bxc4 21. exd5 exd5 22. Rc3 Bh4 {0-1 Radjabov,T (2624)-Topalov,V (2743)/Wijk
aan Zee 2003/CBM 093 [Ribli] (61). and Black's authoritarian control of the
dark squares eventually yielded him a win.}) 9. Rd1 b6 10. b3 Ba6 11. a4 Rc8
12. a5 b5 13. c5 Ne4 14. Be1 (14. Nc3 $5 f5 15. Na2) 14... f5 {Black has
almost blocked the position but he has left several squares available for the
enemy minor pieces.} 15. Nc3 Qc7 16. Na2 Rce8 17. Nb4 Bc8 18. a6 Bf6 19. Nd3 {
1/2-1/2 Kramnik,V (2807)-Leko,P (2736)/Monte Carlo 2003/CBM 093 ext (36).
White's advantage is of symbolic nature.}) 8... Nbd7 ({Last year, Topalov
experimented twice with another move order, but without too much success:} 8...
b6 9. Nc3 ({The more restrained} 9. Qc2 {could eventually transpose to the
note from Black's 9th move.}) 9... Ba6 10. cxd5 cxd5 11. Rc1 Nc6 (11... Nbd7
12. Qa4) 12. Nxd5 Qxd5 13. Ne5 Nxd4 14. Bxd5 Nxe2+ 15. Qxe2 Bxe2 16. Bxa8 Rxa8
17. Rfe1 Bb5 18. Rc2 Nd5 19. Rec1 Ba6 ({An attempt to improve over} 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 {1-0 Ponomariov,R (2695)-Topalov,V (2778)/Sofia 2005/CBM 107 
[Ribli] (40). and Black was completely paralyzed.}) 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 {
1-0 Kramnik,V (2744)-Topalov,V (2788)/Dortmund 2005/CBM 108 [Ribli] (41). and
Black could not hold this ending.}) 9. Qc2 a5 {This move refrains from
weakening the c6-square yet, but does not really contribute to the development
in any way.} ({The main variation is supposed to be} 9... b6 10. Rd1 Ba6 11. b3
{. By refraining from such a course of events, Topalov might have taken into
account the fact that Kramnik likes to transpose to this position from the
main variation of the Queen's Indian. (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Ba6 5.b3
Bb4+ 6.Bd2 Be7 7.Bg2 c6 8.0-0 d5 9.Qc2 0-0 10.Bf4)} Rc8 12. Nc3 dxc4 (12... c5
13. cxd5 Nxd5 14. Nxd5 exd5 15. dxc5 Rxc5 16. Qd2 Nf6 17. Be5 Qd7 18. Bd4 $14 {
1-0 Kramnik,V (2758)-Adams,M (2715)/Wijk aan Zee 2000/CBM 075 (49)}) 13. Nd2 c5
14. dxc5 Bxc5 {1/2-1/2 Kramnik,V (2770)-Leko,P (2743)/Budapest 2001/CBM 081 
(28)}) 10. Rd1 Nh5 11. Bc1 b5 ({Each of these last moves is typical of this
variation, but only if taken separately. Removing the knight from the centre
and advancing the queen side pawns at the same time certainly looks risky.
When preparing for the game, Topalov might have overlooked White's logical
reaction. It should be said that} 11... Nhf6 12. Nbd2 b5 $5 {does not offer
Black an easy game in view of} 13. c5 Qe8 14. e4 $14 {Marin-Pogorelov,
Barcelona 1994, an old game I like to speak about.}) 12. cxd5 $5 $146 ({
White's standard reaction to ...b5 is} 12. c5 {. However, in this concrete
position Black could take advantage of the insertion of ...Nh5 by playing} f5 {
as in the only game where this risky plan was seen so far, Rahman-Ghaem, Doha
2003. Optically, White enjoys a more flexible structure but it is not too
clear how and where will he be able to open the position. Kramnik was
perfectly aware of these aspects from his aforementioned game against Leko,
from Monte Carlo 2003 (see the note to White's 8th move).}) 12... cxd5 13. e4
$1 {The only logical continuation after the exchange on d5. Otherwise, Black
would have a very comfortable position, because of the relative passivity of
his Catalan bishop, severely restricted by the black chain of pawns.} dxe4 ({
Black would have faced a difficult defence after the more solid} 13... Nhf6 {
, too.} 14. Ng5 ({Catalan players are circumspect when it comes to block the
position with} 14. e5 {, because their pet bishop could well remain passive
for a long time. Here is a line where White could solve this problem by
tactical means:} Ne4 15. Ne1 f5 16. f3 Ng5 17. Bxg5 Bxg5 18. f4 Be7 19. Nc3 Rb8
20. Nxd5 exd5 21. Bxd5+ $44 {and White's central pawns look threatening.})
14... h6 (14... dxe4 15. Nxh7 $5 Nxh7 16. Bxe4 $14) (14... Bb7 15. e5 $16 {
wins a pawn.}) 15. exd5 exd5 (15... hxg5 16. d6 $16) 16. Nf3 ({We can suppose
that after having lost with a rook for two knights just two games earlier,
Kramnik would not have embarked on the sharp line} 16. Bxd5 Ra7 17. Bxf7+ {
where Black is probably out of trouble anyway.}) 16... Ba6 17. Ne5 Rc8 18. Qf5
$14) 14. Qxe4 $14 {Once the position has been opened, Black's delay in
development starts making itself felt. Apart from having provoked considerable
loss of time, the advance of the queen side pawns has left Black with several
weaknesses.} Rb8 ({The only way to justify the move ...a5 would be the
slightly more active development of the rook to a6, but after} 14... Ra6 15.
Qe2 {the queen would target the h5-knight and the b5-pawn at the same time.})
15. Qe2 Nhf6 {Black's main trump consists of the control of the d5-square,
which makes this willing knight retreat perfectly understandable.} ({The
natural} 15... Bb7 {can be met by the brutal} 16. Nc3 $5 b4 17. d5 $1 {for
instance} exd5 (17... bxc3 18. dxe6 $16) 18. Nxd5 Re8 19. Qd3 Nhf6 (19... Ndf6
20. Nxe7+ Qxe7 21. Be3 $14 {[%csl Yh5]}) (19... Nc5 20. Qc4 $14 {[%csl Yc5,Yd8,
Yf7][%cal Gc4f7,Gd1d8]}) 20. Ng5 $1 {[%csl Yf7,Yh7]} Nf8 21. Qb3 $36 Bxd5 (
21... Nxd5 22. Nxf7 $1 $16) 22. Rxd5 Nxd5 23. Nxf7 $16) 16. Bf4 Rb6 17. Ne5 (
17. Nc3 $6 Ba6) 17... Nd5 (17... Bb7 {loses a pawn to} 18. Bxb7 Rxb7 19. Nc6
Qe8 20. Nxa5 $16) (17... Nb8 18. Nc3 Ba6 19. d5 ({Maybe now that the enemy
knight has retreated to such passive square, White could choose a quiet path,} 
19. Ne4 $5 {[%csl Yc5] where his advance in development would leave him on the
top irrespective of the control of the d5-square.}) 19... b4 20. dxe6 Bxe2 21.
Rxd8 Bxd8 22. exf7+ Rxf7 23. Nxe2 Re7 (23... Rf8 24. Nc4 Rb5 25. Nd4) 24. Rc1
$44) ({For} 17... Nxe5 18. dxe5 Nd5 {see 19...Nxe5.}) 18. Bxd5 $1 {A brave
decision. Black would need just one tempo to consolidate with ...N7f6 in order
to get a perfectly viable position. It frequently happens in the Catalan that
White has to give up the pride of his position in order to maintain the
initiative.} ({He could have offered the other bishop for exchange by means of
} 18. Nc3 Nxf4 19. gxf4 {, when White has considerable advantage of
development to compensate for the structural defects. However, Kramnik might
have remembered Topalov's win against Radjabov, when the FIDE World Champion
exploited the weakness of the f4-square in very efficient way. Besides, Black
could have refrained from capturing on f4, by consolidating his central knight
with 18...N7f6.}) 18... exd5 19. Nc3 Nf6 (19... Nxe5 20. dxe5 d4 (20... Be6 21.
Qd3 d4 22. Qxd4 Qxd4 23. Rxd4 $14 {[%cal Yc3e4,Ye4d6,Rc3d5,Ya1d1] Black's pair
of bishops is kept under control by White's centralized pieces.}) 21. Be3 dxe3
22. Rxd8 exf2+ {Zagrebelnyi} 23. Qxf2 Bxd8 24. Nd5 Re6 25. Qd4 {The position
of the white king is wide open, but once again, White's centralization seems
to prevent the enemy bishops from becoming too active. However, the position
would remain sharp.}) 20. Nxb5 Ba6 21. a4 {White has not only won a pawn, but
also completed his development in the meanwhile. It is likely that Black will
manage to re-establish the material equality by means of an exchange on b5 in
the near future, but this would make the weakness of the white king side less
relevant, leaving White with the more pleasant play in an almost symmetrical
position.} Ne4 22. Rdc1 Qe8 {[%csl Yb5]} 23. Rc7 {This tempting move might be
not the best. In the case of accurate black defence, the lack of communication
between the white rooks would make itself felt.} (23. Rc2 {would be more
flexible. With this modest looking rook lift, White defends in advance the
b2-pawn and the queen and enables either the autoritarian occupation of the
c-file by means of Rac1 or the transfer of the queen's rook to e1, in order to
harass the e8-queen (or, as we shall see, any other piece occupying that
square).} Bd8 {[%csl Gc7] (/\Bxb5)} ({The immediate capture on b5 would
re-establish material equality only temporarily:} 23... Bxb5 24. axb5 Qxb5 25.
Qxb5 Rxb5 26. Nc6 Bd8 (26... Bb4 27. f3 Nf6 28. Bc7 $16 {[%csl Ya5]}) 27. Nxd8
Rxd8 28. f3 Nf6 29. Bd2 $16 {White cannot save his a5-pawn because of the
weakness of the back rank.}) ({If Black plays the prophylactic} 23... h6 {
(<->8, /\Bxb5), the importance of the fact that the queen is defended is
revealed in the line} 24. Nc7 $5 Bxe2 25. Nxe8 Rxe8 26. Rxe2 $14 {which allows
favourable simplifications. Converting the extra-pawn is not easy here, though,
because of the lack of flexibility of the queenside structure.}) 24. Re1 $5 $14
{indirectly defends on b5:} Bxb5 $2 25. axb5 Qxb5 26. Qxb5 Rxb5 27. Nd7 Re8 28.
f3 Nd6 29. Rxe8+ Nxe8 30. Rc8 $18) 23... Bd8 24. Ra7 f6 $4 {A terrible move
that loses outright.} ({It is understandable that Topalov was not too
enthusiastic about the position arising after} 24... Bxb5 25. axb5 Qxb5 26.
Qxb5 Rxb5 27. Ra2 {when White's position looks quite active. However, White's
rooks are not too efficient, being cut off the a5-pawn, safely defended by the
bishop.} f6 ({The extravagant} 27... g5 $5 {is also playable:} 28. Be3 f5 29.
Nd3 Bb6 30. Rd7 Rf7 $11 {and Black cannot complain about his position.}) 28.
Nc6 Bb6 29. Rb7 Rf7 30. Rb8+ Rf8 31. Ne7+ {. The only way to avoid the
exchange of the rook, which would leave Black with a comfortable position.} Kf7
32. Nc8 Rxc8 33. Rxc8 Bxd4 34. Rc2 Nc5 $44 {It is not easy to formulate an
active plan for White. Besides, the exchange sacrifice would suit Topalov's
taste pretty well.}) 25. Nd7 $1 ({Even if Topalov had missed this move, it is
not very clear what he had in mind against} 25. Qg4 $5 {which also looks very
promising for White.}) 25... Rf7 26. Nxb6 Rxa7 27. Nxd5 {White has won a
second pawn and threatens to consolidate by retreating the d5-knight to c3 and
eventually close the long diagonal with d5 if Black tries to start an attack
with ...Bb7. From this point of view, Topalov's next moves are easy to
understand, but in fact they just shorten his suffering.} Rd7 28. Ndc3 Rxd4 (
28... Re7 29. Qd3 $18) 29. Re1 ({There seem to be nothing wrong with} 29. f3 {
, when Black simply loses the knight because after} Nd6 30. Qxe8+ Nxe8 {
the b5-knight would be not pinned anymore, which enables} 31. Nxd4 $18 {
. However, it is easy to understand Kramnik for avoiding such a "weakening"
move as f3 after having lost two games in a row. Just remember the
consequences of this same move in the seventh game...}) 29... f5 {More or less
forced, but now the a2-g8 diagonal becomes very weak.} 30. Qc2 {Simple chess.
White is a pawn up, has the better piece coordination and the safer king's
position. In other words, "+-" already.} Rb4 31. Nd5 Rxb5 {Topalov carries out
his "trademark" exchange sacrifice, which has brought him so many successes
over the past years. However, it can hardly change the course of this specific
game.} 32. axb5 Qxb5 33. Nc7 Qc4 34. Qd1 {There was nothing wrong with
exchanging queens at once, of course. By playing such an unexpected move (to a
certain extent similar to the earlier Qc2) , Kramnik might have intended to
get some sort of psychological initiative for the remaining two games of the
match.} Bxc7 35. Qd7 h6 36. Qxc7 Qb4 37. Qb8+ Qxb8 38. Bxb8 {The rest is easy.}
Nd2 39. Ra1 g5 40. f4 Nb3 41. Ra3 Bc4 42. Bc7 g4 43. Bxa5 1-0

[Event "World-ch Kramnik-Topalov +3-3=6"]
[Site "Elista"]
[Date "2006.10.10"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D12"]
[WhiteElo "2813"]
[BlackElo "2743"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "131"]
[EventDate "2006.09.23"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventRounds "12"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 115"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2006.11.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2006.11.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nh4 Bg6 7. Nxg6 hxg6 {
From the point of view of general match strategy, a courageous decision.
Kramnik has nothing against repeating the opening variation that had led him
to a rather convincing defeat in the 9th game.} 8. Rb1 $5 $146 ({Another
opening surprise prepared by Topalov. The idea behind his last move is similar
to that of} 8. a3 {, as played in the 9th game, namely to prepare c4-c5.}) 8...
Nbd7 9. c5 ({This might look a bit too straightforward to offer White an
advantage, but is not without venom. The pair of bishops and the considerable
advantage of space on the queen side offer White interesting possibilities. If
compared with the previous game where this variation was played, White cannot
prevent the central break ...e5 by playing f4 before c5 because Black would
take over the control of the e4-square by means of ...Bb4 (even if with loss
of time after 9.g3 Be7 10.f4). From this point of view,} 9. a3 {deserves some
attention and if} a5 {then} 10. f4 {but apparently Topalov intended to give
the game an independent course in order to avoid the opponent's preparation.})
9... a5 $1 ({A well timed move. Before starting his counterplay in the centre,
Black makes sure the a-file will be open for his rook. In case of} 9... e5 10.
b4 {it would be too late for} a5 {already, because of} 11. b5 {with a
promising queenside position for White.}) 10. a3 {Practically forced in view
of the threat ...b6.} e5 11. b4 axb4 12. axb4 Qc7 13. f4 {Probably still
following the plan prepared at home. White prevents Black's counterplay from
taking threatening forms and forces him take a decision at once.} exf4 ({
In the case of} 13... e4 {[%cal Yb4b5,Yf1e2,Yg2g4] White could gradually start
active operations on both wings. The advance of the b7-pawn to b5 is not a
reliable solution against White's intended queen side attack because of the
permanent danger of a piece sacrifice for two pawns on b5.}) 14. exf4 Be7 ({
Topalov probably relied on the fact that the weakness of the e4-square is not
so easy to take advantage of. If} 14... Ne4 $6 {(now or on the next few moves),
then simply} 15. Nxe4 dxe4 16. d5 $16 {with initiative in the centre. However,
Kramnik's accurate regroupment will eventually enable the generally desirable
knight jump.}) ({The somewhat simplistic aim to stabilize the queen side with} 
14... b5 {achieves the opposite after} 15. Nxb5 cxb5 16. Bxb5 Be7 17. O-O O-O
18. Bd3 $44 {[%cal Yc1e3,Yd1f3,Yf4f5,Yb4b5]}) 15. Be2 (15. Bd3 $5 Nf8 16. Qf3
Ne6 {(Topalov)} 17. Ne2 {(+/= Belov)} b5 $5 {Now that the sacrifice on b5 is
not possible anymore, this ensures Black against a queenside attack.}) 15...
Nf8 16. O-O Ne6 17. g3 ({White has to be careful. He has no time for} 17. Qd3 {
because of} g5 {, solving all Black's problems.}) 17... Qd7 18. Qd3 Ne4 {
It's now or never. White threatened to consolidate his advantage in space by
means of Be3 and Bf3, when Black would have been reduced to passivity.} 19.
Nxe4 dxe4 20. Qxe4 Qxd4+ 21. Qxd4 Nxd4 22. Bc4 {In spite of simplifications,
White retained his advantage in space and the pair of bishops. However, the
rook's activity along the a-file and his lack of weaknesses offer Black
reasonable counter-chances.} O-O 23. Kg2 Ra4 24. Rd1 Rd8 ({This is one of the
moments when Black has to refrain from taking immediate advantage of the
active placement of the rook on a4.} 24... Bxc5 $2 25. Be3 $1 Ne6 26. Bb3 $1
Rxb4 27. Bxc5 Nxc5 28. Bxf7+ $18) 25. Be3 (25. Rd3 Kf8 (25... Bxc5 26. Bxf7+
Kxf7 27. bxc5 $16 {Golubev}) 26. Bd2 Bf6 27. Bc3 Ne6 $1 (27... Ra3 $2 28. Rbd1
$1 (28. Ra1 $2 Rxc3 $1 $11)) 28. Bxf6 gxf6 29. Rxd8+ Nxd8 $11) 25... Bf6 (25...
Bxc5 $2 26. Bxf7+ Kxf7 27. bxc5 $16 {[%csl Gb7,Gd4]}) 26. g4 ({A questionable
move. By weakening the f4-square without previous preparation, White
practically commits himself to the further advance of pawns, which will offer
Black stable squares for his minor pieces and excellent prospects for
counterplay. A more restrained alternative was} 26. h4 {, leaving Black with
long-term problems regarding the defence of the f7- or (if ...f6 is played)
the g6-pawn.}) 26... Kf8 27. Bf2 {Enabling the threat g5, without allowing the
intermediate ...Nf5.} ({However,} 27. g5 $5 {deserves to be investigated.} Nf5
28. Rxd8+ Bxd8 29. Bf2 {/\Kf3, h4, Rb3, Bd3-e4, b5} {Black should probably
remove the f-pawn from the exposed square by means of} f6 $5 (29... Bc7 30. Kf3
Ra3+ 31. Rb3 Ra4 (31... Ra2 32. Rd3 Rc2 33. Bxf7 $1 $16) (31... Rxb3+ 32. Bxb3
$16 {After the exchange of rooks, Black is left completely without counterplay.
}) 32. h4 Ke7 33. Bd3 {[%cal Yd3e4,Yb4b5]} Ra2 34. b5 Ra4 35. Be4 $36) 30. h4 (
30. gxf6 Bxf6 $5) 30... Bc7 {with excellent chances for equality:} 31. Kf3 Ra3+
32. Rb3 Ra2 33. Rd3 (33. h5 {is interesting but insufficient, because it
diminishes the number of remaining pawns even more.}) 33... Rb2 34. Rd7 Rxb4
35. Rxc7 Rxc4 36. Rxb7 $11) 27... Ne6 28. Rxd8+ {Under certain circumstances,
g5 would have consolidated White's advantage in space. This would be
impossible here because of ...Nxf4 and ...Bxg5, which reveals one of the
positive aspects of the recommended 26.h4.} Bxd8 29. f5 ({With so many pawns
placed on dark squares, White's advantage after} 29. Bxe6 fxe6 {would probably
have a purely symbolic character.} 30. Rb3 (30. h4 Bc7 31. Kf3 e5 32. f5 Ra3+
33. Ke4 gxf5+ 34. gxf5 Rc3 $11) 30... Bc7 31. Bg3 (31. Kf3 g5 $1) 31... Kf7 32.
Kf3 $14 {White has managed to stabilize the position, but it is far from clear
how he will make further progress.}) 29... gxf5 30. gxf5 Nf4+ 31. Kf3 Nh5 32.
Rb3 Bc7 33. h4 Nf6 {Black has regrouped in an optimal way. The f5-pawn is
safely blocked, preventing an eventual attack of the b7-pawn by means of Bc8,
while the white king's activity is restricted by a barrier along the fourth
rank. We can also notice that the advantage of space has a relative character
already. Since the white pieces cannot easily sustain the pawn's offensive,
the whole space left behind can be used mainly by Black for counterplay. If we
compare with the positions examined in the notes to the 27th move, the knight
is much more stable on f6 than it was on f5.} 34. Bd3 {The pressure against
the f7-square did not promise White much and Topalov decides to remove the
bishop from the active but slightly exposed position in order to enable b5.}
Nd7 35. Be4 $6 ({But this looks over-ambitious already. The immediate} 35. Bb1
{, preventing the enemy rook's activation aong the second rank, looks like a
safer decision. White might have been still OK in this case.}) 35... Ne5+ 36.
Kg2 Ra2 37. Bb1 Rd2 38. Kf1 Ng4 39. Bg1 {The white pieces have been pushed
even further back from their own pawns, which leaves the whole kingside in
some danger.} Bh2 $1 $17 {Intending the elimination of the main defender of
the dark squares.} 40. Ke1 Rd5 $6 {Now, Black's advantage remains within
bearable limits, because the game will soon transpose to a rook and opposite
bishops ending.} ({Black should have insisted on exchanging his own bishop for
the enemy one by means of} 40... Rg2 41. Bd4 Be5 $17) 41. Bf2 Ke7 42. h5 Nxf2
43. Kxf2 Kf6 44. Kf3 Rd4 45. b5 {Finally, White has managed to carry out this
thematic advance, undermining the c6-square and opening new perspectives for
his bishop. In spite of the inevitable loss of the h5-pawn, this will more or
less guarantee a draw.} Rc4 46. bxc6 bxc6 47. Rb6 Rxc5 48. Be4 Kg5 49. Rxc6 Ra5
50. Rb6 Ra3+ 51. Kg2 Bc7 52. Rb7 Rc3 53. Kf2 Kxh5 54. Bd5 f6 55. Ke2 Kg4 56.
Be4 {Black has managed to maintain his minimal material advantage and avoid
the exchange of rooks at the same time. However, his extra pawn is hardly
relevant and his last remaining chance consists of creating some threats
against the enemy king, possibly combined with the relative lack of stability
of the enemy bishop along the b1-e4 diagonal. We can see that White's
advantage in space finally does him a good service. If we lift the whole king
side structure with, say, 2 ranks, Black would get reasonable winning chances,
one of the possible ideas being the exchange sacrifice in order to remove
White's last pawn.} Kf4 57. Bd3 Rc5 58. Rb4+ Kg3 59. Rc4 Re5+ 60. Re4 Ra5 (
60... Rxf5 61. Re3+ Kg4 62. Bxf5+ Kxf5 63. Re7 $11) 61. Re3+ Kg2 62. Be4+ Kh2
63. Rb3 Ra2+ 64. Kd3 {In order to avoid Black's playing on in the conditions
of limited time, the white king has to attack the g7-pawn, when a draw would
become obvious. However, the shorter path could prove dangerous here. Once the
king reached h5, there would be such a mating construction available: ...Rg5+
Kh4 Bg3 (or e1) mate.} Bf4 ({Black could have maintained a symbolic advantage
with} 64... Kg3 65. Rb7 Be5 {when White could not keep his bishop along the
optimal diagonal anymore.} 66. Bd5 (66. Rxg7+ Kf4 {[%csl Ge4][%cal Yf4f5]})
66... Kf4 67. Be6 Ra3+ 68. Ke2 Rg3 69. Rb4+ Kg5 {followed by ...g6.}) 65. Kc4
Re2 66. Kd5 1/2-1/2

[Event "World-ch Kramnik-Topalov +3-3=6"]
[Site "Elista"]
[Date "2006.10.12"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D12"]
[WhiteElo "2743"]
[BlackElo "2813"]
[Annotator "Marin,M"]
[PlyCount "94"]
[EventDate "2006.09.23"]
[EventType "match"]
[EventRounds "12"]
[EventCountry "RUS"]
[SourceTitle "CBM 115"]
[Source "ChessBase"]
[SourceDate "2006.11.15"]
[SourceVersion "1"]
[SourceVersionDate "2006.11.15"]
[SourceQuality "1"]

1. d4 d5 {With the exception of the first game of the match, Topalov faced
serious opening problems in the Catalan. It is little wonder that for the
decisive game he chose the rock-solid Slav.} 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 5.
Nc3 e6 6. Nh4 Bg6 7. Nxg6 hxg6 {On the day I connected with some delay to the
playchess.com server. When I saw the current position my first thought was
that I had clicked on an earlier game in which Topalov had White. Indeed, this
is the first time in the match when the players have repeated a previously
tested variation with reversed colours.} 8. g3 {Kramnik had occasionally
played this variation with White, but only in rapid events. Unlike Topalov, he
does not seem inclined to make experiments, preferring to follow the well
known paths.} Nbd7 9. Bd2 ({Kramnik had also played} 9. Bg2 {which leads to a
position typical for the Catalan gambits after} dxc4 {when Black can defend
his extra pawn with a further ...Nb6.}) 9... Bb4 $146 {Topalov is consequent
with his handling of this position with White. We can understand now that one
of the purposes of his 8.a3 had been to prevent ...Bb4, which he apparently
considers the most efficient way to counter White's strategy, based on placing
several pawns on dark squares. Previously, Black developed the bishop mainly
to e7. Although White generally maintained a tiny plus, he did not achieve any
special successes in practice.} (9... Be7 10. b3 $5 {[%csl Yc4][%cal Gf1g2]} ({
Topalov himself also aimed to give the position a Catalan - Gambit character
with} 10. Rc1 a6 11. Bg2 Nb6 12. b3 dxc4 13. Ne2 cxb3 14. Qxb3 a5 15. Nf4 Bb4
16. Bxb4 axb4 17. Qxb4 Rxa2 18. O-O Ra4 19. Qb3 Ra7 20. Ra1 Rxa1 21. Rxa1 O-O
22. Rb1 Nfd7 23. Nd3 Qc7 24. h4 Rb8 25. Qb4 Nd5 26. Bxd5 cxd5 {1/2-1/2 Topalov,
V (2757)-Vallejo Pons,F (2686)/Monte Carlo 2005/CBM 105 ext}) 10... O-O (10...
e5 11. cxd5 exd4 12. exd4 Nxd5 13. Nxd5 cxd5 14. Bg2 Nf6 15. O-O O-O 16. Re1
Re8 17. Bf4 Qd7 18. Qd3 Bb4 19. Rxe8+ Rxe8 20. Be5 $14 {1/2-1/2 Sasikiran,K 
(2652)-Malakhatko,V (2556)/Vlissingen 2005/CBM 107 ext (58)}) 11. Bg2 dxc4 ({
One of the few White wins in this line was caused by a gross blunder after} 
11... Ne8 12. O-O f5 13. f4 $14 g5 $4 14. cxd5 exd5 15. Nxd5 $1 $18 {1-0
Malakhov,V (2670)-Nikolic,P (2584)/Khanty Mansiysk 2005/CBM 111 (28)}) 12. bxc4
e5 13. Qb3 (13. Rb1 $5) 13... Rb8 14. Rd1 Qc7 15. O-O Rfd8 16. Bc1 Nf8 17. Bb2
$14 {[%csl Yb2,Yg2] 1/2-1/2 Kramnik,V (2754)-Gelfand,B (2696)/Monte Carlo 2005/
CBM 105 ext (26)}) 10. Qb3 Bxc3 11. Bxc3 Ne4 12. Bg2 (12. Qxb7 $2 Rb8 13. Qxa7
(13. Qxc6 Rxb2 $1 $40) 13... Qf6 14. f4 Nxg3 $132) 12... Nxc3 13. Qxc3 {
Topalov probably assumed that all these exchanges will offer Black an easy
game. However, White's supremacy in the centre, his authoritarian control over
the dark squares and his slightly better development leave him able to count
on some advantage.} f5 $5 {By switching to the Dutch Stonewall structure,
Black not only restricts the enemy bishop even more, but also creates himself
chances for a king side attack.} ({The opening of the centre by means of
"purely" Slav methods by means of} 13... Qe7 14. O-O dxc4 (14... O-O {might be
safer.}) 15. Qxc4 e5 {does not offer complete equality:} 16. Rad1 (16. d5 Nb6
$11) (16. dxe5 Nxe5 17. Qd4 O-O {[%csl Ge5][%cal Yg6g5,Yg5g4]}) 16... Nb6 17.
Qc2 (17. Qb3 e4 $5 {[%csl Gd5]}) 17... O-O 18. dxe5 Qxe5 19. Rd4 Rad8 20. Rfd1
Rxd4 21. Rxd4 $14 {The structure is similar with that from the second play-off
game. Compared to that position, the previous exchange of the dark-squared
bishops favours Black, but the control of the d-file is a more significant
element.}) 14. O-O Qe7 $6 {By delaying castling, Black keeps his opponent
under some psychological pressure regarding the possibility of a brutal attack
along the h-file.} ({However, defining the queen's position so soon was not
necessary. Since after ...f5 Black would hardly play ...e5 anymore, he should
have first played} 14... Nf6 {, which is more or less "forced" given the
current pawn structure. The knight stands best on e4 or, possibly, on d6. If
White plays in the same way as in the game, namely} 15. cxd5 exd5 16. b4 {
play can continue} O-O (16... Ne4 17. Qd3 Nd6 {fails to prevent b4-b5.} 18. a4
a6 19. b5 $1 axb5 20. axb5 Rxa1 21. Rxa1 Nxb5 22. Bxd5 $3 $16) 17. a4 ({
The immediate} 17. b5 cxb5 18. Qb3 Qd7 {leaves Black with a whole extra tempo
compared to the variation given in the notes to the 17th move.}) (17. Rab1 Ne4
18. Qd3 a6 19. a4 {is best met by} Nd6 $1 $11 {[%csl Yc4][%cal Gb7b5]} 20. b5
$6 axb5 21. axb5 Nxb5 22. Rxb5 cxb5 23. Qxb5 Ra5 $1) 17... Ne4 18. Qd3 Qd7 19.
b5 g5 {with similar play as in the game, where the move a4 is not necessarily
useful.}) 15. cxd5 {We can feel that Kramnik's treatment of the position
differs from that of his opponent in a radical way. In the previous game
Topalov blocked the queenside by means of c5, while two games earlier his
whole opening play prepared this move, eventually causing Black to give up the
centre with ...dxc4. It is remarkable that Kramnik refrained from blocking the
queen side in the last 10th game, even though that is the almost authomatic
reaction to Black's ...b5 in the Catalan. There, too, he exchanged on d5, in
order to retain some initiative in an half-open position.} exd5 16. b4 {
The minority attack remains a simple and dangerous plan in spite of
simplifications. Black cannot avoid the weakening of his queen side.} Nf6 17.
Rfc1 ({The immediate} 17. b5 $5 {offered better chances of developing the
initiative:} O-O (17... cxb5 18. Qb3 $36 {[%cal Yf1b1,Ya2a4]} Qd7 19. Rfb1 Rc8
20. a4 Ne4 21. Qxb5 Rc6 22. Rb2 $14 {Korotylev}) (17... Rc8 18. Qa5 b6 19. Qa6
O-O 20. bxc6 Rxc6 21. Rfc1 $14 {[%cal Yc1c8] Notkin} Rfc8 22. Qxc8+ $1) 18.
bxc6 Rac8 19. Rfc1 (19. c7 Qxc7 20. Qb3 Qd7 21. Rfc1 g5 {Compared to Notkin's
line, both sides have equal rights over the open c-file here.}) 19... bxc6 20.
Rc2 Ne4 21. Qd3 g5 22. Rac1 Qd7 23. Qa6 Rf6 24. f3 $16 {[%csl Gc6]}) 17... Ne4
18. Qb2 O-O 19. b5 Rac8 20. bxc6 bxc6 {White can count on a small but stable
advantage because of his more compact structure.} 21. Qe2 {White's general
plan consists of pressure along the c- and b-files, but he should not neglect
prophylactic measures on the other wing. By placing the queen on e2 he inhibit
to a certain extent the attack based on ...g5 and ...f4 (when the queen would
place the knight under unpleasant pressure and keep the weakened g4-square
under control). Besides, the last move is useful for active purposes, too, by
enabling the transfer of the queen to a6 in the most rapid way.} g5 22. Rab1 ({
The continuation of the same policy. Before choosing the concrete plan,
Kramnik improves the position of his pieces. After taking the b-file under
control, the threat Qa6 becomes unpleasant. The more straightforward} 22. Rc2 {
would have allowed Black continue his king side play with} Rf6) 22... Qd7 {
A multi-purpose move. Black avoids the pin along the e-file (enabling ...f4 in
certain cases) and over-defends the c8-rook and the c6-pawn in order to enable
...Rf6 without fearing Qa6. However, the removal of the black queen from the
e7-square is a small success for White, who will not have to worry about a
possible sacrifice on g3 in the case of a later f3.} 23. Rc2 ({White
overdefends the second rank (the f2-square in first line) and prepares to
doublie rooks along the c- or b-file. Abstractly speaking,} 23. Rb2 {looks
less adequate because it would leave the rook overloaded by the control of the
second rank and the b-file, although from a practical point of view it would
have probably made little difference.}) 23... Rf6 24. Rbc1 ({In the case of} 
24. Qa6 f4 25. Rb7 Qf5 {Black attack could become dangerous.}) 24... g4 ({
Black decides to eliminate the possibility of White's f3.} 24... Rh6 {was
possible, too, when after} 25. Qa6 {(threatening to win a pawn with f3 already)
he would have had a choice between transposing to the game with 25...g4 or play
} c5) 25. Rb2 $6 ({For the same aforementioned reasons,} 25. Rb1 {, might have
been more accurate. The difference will become clear at a later stage of the
game.}) 25... Rh6 {A logical but very commital plan. If the attack along the
h-file fails, the rook will be left out of play, leaving White a free hand on
the opposite wing.} 26. Qa6 Rc7 ({Now,} 26... c5 $6 {would be strongly met by}
27. Rb7 $1 {when the weakness of Black's central pawns would make itself felt.}
) 27. Rb8+ Kh7 28. Qa3 {We can notice now another effect of the move Qe7-d7.
This important diagonal became available to the white queen. Suddenly, the
threat Qf8 puts the black king in some danger.} Rb7 29. Qf8 $6 ({After this
move the game will soon enter drawish paths. White's last chance for an
advantage consisted of} 29. Ra8 {, when exchanging queens on e7 or d6 would
not absolve Black from all his strategic problems. The safest continuation
would probably be} Rf6 {, covering all the squares for infiltration, as
suggested by Golubev.}) 29... Rxb8 30. Qxb8 Qf7 31. Qc8 Qh5 32. Kf1 Nd2+ ({
With the rook on c2, this check would not have been possible. Besides, against
} 32... Qg6 {(which would have been a worthy alternative in the game), White
could have continued his invasion along the b-file with 33.Rb2. In the game,}
33. Rb1 $4 {is impossible because of the fork on d2.}) 33. Ke1 Nc4 {Covering
the weakness of the c6-pawn.} 34. Bf1 {Well, at least temporarily...} Rf6 35.
Bxc4 dxc4 36. Rxc4 {White has managed to fragment Black's structure even more,
but now the light squares around his king are weak, allowing Black to display
strong counterplay.} Qxh2 37. Ke2 Qh1 38. Rc5 Qb1 39. Qa6 Qb2+ 40. Kf1 Qb1+ 41.
Ke2 Qb2+ 42. Kf1 Rh6 43. Qd3 {After the return of the queen to the centre, the
white king is out of danger.} g6 (43... Qa1+ 44. Ke2 Qxa2+ 45. Kf1 g6 {would
win a pawn, but after} 46. Qc4 {he would have to give perpetual anyway. The
rook ending would be microscopically worse in view of White's better structure
and the inevitable loss of the a7-pawn.}) 44. Qb3 Rh1+ 45. Kg2 Rh2+ ({Another
way of reaching a draw would be} 45... Qa1 46. Qf7+ Kh6 47. Qf8+ Kh7 $11) 46.
Kxh2 Qxf2+ 47. Kh1 Qf1+ 1/2-1/2

