GM Andreikin - GM Topalov annotated by GM Balogh |
| Written by Administrator | ||||
| Thursday, 03 April 2014 | ||||
 By GM Csaba Balogh, Hungary Best FIDE rating: 2672  Andreikin scored his first win in a highly unusual game. View the game or check out the "text + diagrams" version below.  Photo from the official website Andreikin,Dmitry (2709) - Topalov,Veselin (2785) [D30] FIDE Candidates 2014 Khanty-Mansiysk RUS (7.2), 21.03.2014 [Balogh Csaba] 1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.Bg5 h6 5.Bxf6 Qxf6 6.Nbd2 Andreikin employed this sideline succesfully against Kramnik last year. That game continued with 6...g6 and was analyzed in detail in our newsletter. Topalov was well prepared and came up with an effective plan. 6...Be7 Black wants to finish the development as fast as possible with 00 followed by challenging the central pawns with c5. Usually Black is worried about getting his queen misplaced on f6, but here White cannot do anything with it. 7.Qc2 This is the novelty. Hardly an improvement, but Black was also fine in the previous games. 7...00 8.e3  [White obviously should not gor for poisoned pawn with 8.cxd5 exd5 9.Qxc7? Nc6 followed by Bf5 and Nb4, with more than enough compensation. White needs too many moves to castle.] 8...c5! With his Qc2 move, White wanted to prevent or at least make it harder to execute the c5 idea, but Topalov is not afraid of a pawn sacrifice for the intitiative. 9.dxc5 [If White starts with 9.cxd5 exd5 10.dxc5 Black can either transpose to the game with Nd7 or he has an extra possibility of playing 10...Bf5] 9...Nd7! Black would like to recapture the pawn. White should try to keep it somehow, otherwise Black simply ends up in a slightly better position thanks to the two bishops. 10.cxd5 exd5 [10...Nxc5!? was an alternative to sacrifice a pawn. White still needs a few moves to secure his king's position, but this gives Black enough time to find counterplay. 11.dxe6 Bxe6 12.Bc4 (12.Nd4 Rac8 looks very dangerous.) 12...Bf5 White already has to be very careful to avoid getting into trouble. 13.e4! (13.Qc3 Na4 14.Qxf6 Bxf6 wins back the pawn with a better endgame.) 13...Nxe4! 14.Nxe4 Qg6 15.Nfd2 Bb4 Black wins back the piece, but White is just in time to solve the problems. 16.00 Bxd2 17.Qxd2 Bxe4 18.f3 with equality.] 11.Nb3 Trying to hold the pawn as long as possible. 11...a5 12.a4 Knowing the consequences, this is a slightly risky decision.  [12.Be2 was safer, although it gives Black a very easy game. 12...a4 13.Nbd4 Nxc5 14.00 Bd7 Black has an isolated pawn, but the two bishops and the active pieces give him the initiative. Rfc8 is coming next with a tempo.] 12...b6! Black wants to open the files as long as the king stands on e1! The bishop is coming to b4 with a really unpleasantcheck! 13.c6! The only chance to keep the position closed. 13...Bb4+  14.Kd1! Of course such moves are not advisable in general. However in the current position this is the best chance. White is going to place his knight on d4 and his bishop on b5. The structure is static, therefore it is very difficult to open the center on the d1 king. [14.Nbd2 would have strongly been met by 14...Nc5 15.Bb5 Bf5 Black at least wins back the b2 pawn as Qc1 loses to Nb3.] 14...Nc5 [14...Nb8!? was a good alternative, but for such a strong dynamic player as Topalov, such backward moves are not coming into his consideration. White cannot hold the c6 pawn for long... 15.Nbd4 Bc5 16.Bb5 Bg4! Threatening to play Bxd4, therefore the only move is 17.h3 Bxf3+ 18.Nxf3 Nxc6 Black restored the material balance and is ready to open the center with d4! Black has an edge here.] 15.Nbd4 Ne4? An active move, but Topalov misses Andreikin's subtle plan and he soon ends up without compensation. [The key of Black's counterplay would have been to destroy the stabily of the d4 knight. The most effective way to do thiswas 15...Bg4! 16.Bb5 Ne6! 17.Kc1 Bc5! Black focuses all his pieces on the two white knights. White cannot hold them for long, which means the salvation of Black's problems.] 16.Bb5 g5? Topalov was sure that the only way to connect the rooks and give shelter to his king was Ke2, Rhd1 and Kf1, therefore he prevented this idea with the g4 plan and the f2 falls. However, Andreikin had a different idea in mind, where he could hide his king and the g5 move soon becomes a self-destroying operation... [16...Bg4 was more natural, although there is no full compensation after 17.Ke2! followed by Rhd1 and Kf1. That is why Topalov tried to scare his opponent with g5g4...(17.Kc1 is less clear now because of 17...Bh5! and Bg6 next.) ] 17.h3 h5  18.Kc1! An uniqe idea by Andreikin! The point is already clear: he simply wants to play Kb1a2 and Rad1, executing an artificial long castle. The d4, b5 and c6 pieces are so stable that Black has no chances to create any counterplay. 18...Bc5 [The tactical justification of White's plan was that 18...g4 19.hxg4 hxg4 is met by 20.Kb1! White can simply ignore the hanging piece, because after gxf3 gxf3 he gets an enormous attack on the kingside. 20...gxf3 21.gxf3 Ng5 22.Ka2! The a1 rook joins the attack. An illustrative line to finish the game is 22...Re8 23.Rag1 Kf8  24.Rxg5! White had other wins too, but this is the most pretty one. 24...Qxg5 25.Rh8+ Ke7 26.Rxe8+ Kxe8 27.c7+! Kf8 28.Qc6! winning the a8 rook and the game as 28...Ra7 loses to 29.Qe8+ Kg7 30.Qxc8+ the c-pawn promotes soon.] 19.Kb1 Only one move is left to connect the rooks. 19...Re8 [19...g4 is met by the same as before: 20.hxg4 hxg4 21.Ka2+; 19...Bxd4 20.exd4 (The endgame after 20.Nxd4 Qxf2 21.Qxf2 Nxf2 22.Rc1 is also very promising. White advances his c-pawn next. He can activate his a1 rook along the 3rd rank.) 20...Bf5 21.Bd3+ followed by Ne5 with an healthy extra pawn and a better position for White.] 20.Ka2 Ra7 Black has basically lost the battle. He is a pawn down and left without any counterplay. White brings both of his rooks to the game. 21.Rad1 Kf8 Black has no useful move... Perhaps Topalov wanted to get his king away from the kingside in order to sometimes threaten to play g4, but White parried this idea forever with his next move. 22.Rhf1 Protecting the f2 pawn in order to free the f3 knight. 22...Kg7 [22...g4 already doesn't make any sense as the f2 pawn is not hanging. 23.hxg4 hxg4 24.Ng1+ followed by Ne2f4.] 23.Ka1!? White does not need to hurry. Andreikin hides his king to the safest square on the board. He already prepares for the forthcoming plan of winning the d5 pawn and he leaves from the Be6 pin just in case. 23...Bf8  24.Ne2! All white pieces are improved to the maximum, it is time to deliver the final blow! 24...Rd8 25.h4! Working out the f4 square for the knight. 25...g4 26.Nf4! This double threat on h5 and d5 finishes the game. 26...Kg8 27.Nxd5 [Black resigned in view of 27.Nxd5 Qf5 28.Qxe4 (28.Nxb6+ is equally good.; 28.Nd4 Qxd5 29.Nb3+ also wins on the spot.) 28...Qxe4 29.Nf6+ Kg7 30.Nxe4 Rxd1+ 31.Rxd1 gxf3 32.gxf3 Be7 33.Nd6+ With a decisive material advantage. The cold-blooded king maneuver brought White the full point. It was working extremely well in this game, but we don't recommend to try this in your own games, only in some exceptional cases.]  Photo from the official website 10 More annotated games, tactics & endgame puzzles, surprise section/study can be found in the weekly Chess Evolution "Top GM Secrets" bulletin. 25 pages total. Subscribe!  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