Leko improves on a previous Radjabov game.

• 18. Qd3 Qd7 19. O-O g6 20. Bb5 Qb7 21. Bxc6 Nisipeanu – Radjabov, Gothenburg 2005, 1/2 (21)
• 18. O-O g6 19. Qf3 f5 20. Rd1 Qd7 21. h3 Bh4 22. Rd2 f4 23. Ng4 Qf7 24. Nh2 Bd8 25. Qd1 h5 26. Nf3 Rg8 27. Nxf4 exf4 28. Rxd6 Bxc4 29. Rxc4 Ne7 30. Ng5 Qf8 31. Qd4+ Qg7 32. Nf7+ Kh7 33. Nxd8 Qxd4 34. Rcxd4 Re8 35. Rd7 Kg8 36. Rxe7 Rxe7 37. Nc6 Reb7 38. Nxb8 Rxb8 39. b4 a4 40. b5 a3 41. Ra4 Rxb5 42. Rxa3 Rb1+ 43. Kh2 Rb2 44. f3 h4 45. Ra7 Rc2 46. Rc7 Kf8 47. c4 Rc1 48. Rh7 g5 49. Rc7 Ke8 50. Rc5 Ke7 51. Rxg5 Radulski – Nataf, Vrnjacka Banja 2005, 1-0 (51)

Shredder 7: 18… Bxe3 19. Nxe3 Bxc4 20. Nxc4 f5 21. O-O fxe4 22. Qd5 Qc7 23. Ra3 Rf6 24. Qxe4 Ne7 25. Rxa5 Rf4 26. Kh1 Rxe4 [eval 0.42/15]

Inferior is 19. Nxf4 exf4 20. Nd5 Ne5 21. Nxf4 Bd7 =+

The knight returns satisfied. Black has some serious weaknesses around his king.

21. Nxf4?! exf4 22. Nd5 Ne5 23. Nxf4 Bxc4 24. bxc4 Re8 =

Black can’t defend all the weaknesses around his king, so he opts for the next best thing, counterattack and counterplay down the f-file.

Now that Black has been tied down on the kingside, White switches to the weak a-pawn and forces his way through the queenside.

Black generates some desparate counterplay down the weak a8-h1 diagonal. White has to blockade.

33. Nxd5?! Rbf8 34. Rf1 Rf3 =+

Both white rooks are en-prise. The position has reached critical proportions.

35. Nxf6? doesn’t solve anything 35… Bxd5 (35… Qxa1+? looks interesting, but 36. Rd1 Qa3 37. Qc4 Kxf6 38. Qc7 +-) 36. Nxd5 Qxa1+ 37. Kg2 Qa8 -+ (37… Rxb3 is clearly inferior 38. Qc2 Rf3 39. Qc7+ (Better is 39. Kxf3 Qh1+ 40. Kg4 Qxd5 =) 39… Rf7 40. Qxd6 +/-)

The white pieces flood through the vapourous Black defence. The Blacklight-squared bishop is staked out and ready to perish.

A blunder in a bad position, and running short of time.

36… Qxc4 Offers more resistance 37. bxc4 Kf7 +-

37… Kf8 38. Rxb7! Eliminates the defender b7 38… Rxb7 39. Qc8+ Re8 40. Qxb7 Qe4+ 41. f3 Qc2+ 42. Kh3 Rd8 +-

Removing the light-square protection. Now White’s major pieces and knight force the inevitable decision.

39… Qb4 40. Qe6 Kf8 41. Qf6+ Rf7 42. Rd8+ Rxd8 43. Qxd8+ Kg7 44. h6+ Kg6 45. Qg8+ Kf5 46. Qxf7+ Ke4 47. Qd7 +-

40. Qd5! keeps an even firmer grip 40… Re7 41. h6+ Kh8 +-

Building up pressure against the mating h7-square.

42. Qxe5+?! is not possible 42… Qxe5 43. Nxe5 Rbe8 =

With the a1-h8 diagonal open, the queen decisively returns to the d5-square.

44. Qc2 Rf3 45. Qb2+ Rc3 46. Nf6 Rc7 47. Rxc7 Qe7 48. Rxe7 Rxb3 49. Rxh7#

44… Rbe8 does not improve anything 45. Qxg5 Rxf2+ 46. Kh3 Rh2+ 47. Kxh2 Qd2+ 48. Rxd2 Re7 49. Rd8+ Re8 50. Rxe8#

Radjabov chokes on this knight

45. Nf6 Rxf6 46. Rd8+ Qf8 47. Rxf8+ Rxf8 48. Qd4+ Re5 49. Qxe5+ Rf6 50. Qxf6+ Kg8 51. Qg7#

14. Ncb4 was successful in Anand – van Wely in the same round.

Topalov’s improvement. Black has tried out a number of choices at this point:

• 17… g6
  • 18. O-O f5 19. Qa4 Bd7 20. Bb5 Rxb5 21. Qxb5 Nb4 22. Qxa5 Nxa2 23. Qxa2 fxe4 24. b4 Be6 25. c4 Qc8 26. Qb3 Kg7 27. Rb1 Rf7 28. Rd1 h5 29. Qc2 Qa8 30. h3 Bh4 31. Rf1 Qf8 32. b5 Bc8 33. Nc3 Bb7 34. Ned5 Qc8 35. Qe2 Bxd5 36. Nxd5 Qc5 37. b6 Qd4 38. Qc2 Kh7 39. Kh2 Rxf2 40. Rxf2 Bxf2 41. Qc1 e3 42. b7 Qa7 43. Qb1 e2 44. Ne7 Bg3+ Anand – Kasparov, Linares 2005, 1/2 (44)
  • 18. h4 Bxh4 19. g3 Bf6 (19… Bg5 20. b3 (20. f4 exf4 21. gxf4 Bh4+ 22. Kf1 f5 23. b4 fxe4 24. Rah2 g5 25. b5 Ne5 26. Qd4 Rb7 27. Rxh4 gxh4 28. Ke2 Re8 29. fxe5 Rxe5 30. Nf4 Qg5 31. Qxd6 Bg4+ 32. Ke1 Qxf4 33. Qd8+ Kg7 34. Qg8+ Kh6 35. Rxh4+ Kramnik – van Wely, Amber Rapid 2005, 1-0 (35)) 20… Bxe3 21. Nxe3 f5 22. Rd2 f4 23. gxf4 exf4 24. Rxd6 Qc7 Amonatov – van Wely, Aeroflot Open, 1/2 (24)) 20. b3 Bg7 21. f4 exf4 22. gxf4 Re8 23. Qf3 Kg8 24. Rah2 h5 25. Rxh5 gxh5 26. Qxh5 Re6 27. Qh7+ Kf8 28. Rg1 Rg6 29. Rxg6 fxg6 30. f5 Qg5 31. Nf4 Ne7 32. Nxg6+ Ke8 33. Nd5 Qg1+ 34. Kd2 Qg5+ 35. Ke1 Bf6 36. Ngxe7 Bxe7 37. Qh8+ Kd7 38. f6 Qg3+ 39. Ke2 Qg2+ 40. Ke3 Qg3+ 41. Ke2 Qg4+ 42. Kf2 Bd8 43. Bf1 Kc6 44. Qxd8 Qh4+ 45. Kg1 Qg3+ Ponomariov – Kramnik, Corus Wijk aan Zee 2005, 1/2 (45)
• 17… Be6 18. Qa4 Qc8 19. O-O g6 20. b3 f5 Almasi – Radjabov, 15th ETC, Gothenburg 2005, 1/2 (20)
• 17… Ne7 18. O-O Nxd5 19. Nxd5 f5 Kosteniuk – Dvoirys, 58th ch-RUS Semi-Final 2005, 1/2 (19)

The knight likes it on d5

White is slowly remobilising his pieces to play against the weak d6-pawn, as well as give himself options on the kingside.

27. b4 axb4 28. cxb4 Rc8 29. Ra7 +=

Preparing to open th b1-h7 diagonal by a timely g2-g4.

Certainly an aggressive plan – attacking the slightly isolated Black king, but Topalov has more than sufficient resources to counter it. A plan more into the demands of the position is to expand on the queenside with his stronger pawns.Shredder 7: 30. Ra2 Bc6 31. Qg4 Rf5 32. Ne3 Nf3+ 33. Kh1 Rf4 34. Qg6 Rf6 35. Qc2 Qa8 [eval 0.49/13]

Making his mind up to sacrifice a pawn for the sake of the attack.

Both Topalov’s rooks are attacked – on the surface White’s position looks promising, but Topalov has everything under control.

The c3-rook is safe because the attacking knight on d5 is pinned to the mating square g2.

A logical reply

Both Black rooks are still en prise!

Now comes a typical Topalov flurry of attacks: 35. Qb5 is better 35… Rf8 36. Qxb7 -+

36. Nxc3 doesn’t change anything anymore Qh4 37. Kh2 Ne3 -+

37… Rxg2?! 38. Nxg2 Qg3 39. Kg1 -+

39… Rxb3?! is much weaker 40. Rxd6 Rb8 41. Be4 -/+

The king can protect himself from White’s mate threats.

Still covering the white rooks entry to the back rank – this time the c8-square, but also setting up his own finish.

a brilliant end

48. b4 a4 49. b5 -+

49. Rxh4 is one last hope g5 50. Rhg4 -+

50. Rxa5 does not win a prize 50… Qf3+ 51. Kh2 e2 52. Ra7+ Kf8 -+

50… g6 51. Kg4 Qf1 -+

Not a new idea, but nevertheless very difficult to combat over the board.

White’s compensation for the pawn lies in the mobility of his passed b-pawn. Advancing this quickly will result in the Black rook being tied down to the potential queening square, and White will then have a little time to generate a manoeuvre to eject the rook from the …b8 square.

19… g6 20. Qc6 Bd2! 21. b5 Ba5 Strongpointing the b6 square as a prelude to a blockade. 22. Bb7 f6 23. b4 Bb6 24. Nxb6 Rf7! Regaining the piece. 25. Rd1 Rfxb7 26. Rxd6 Qxd6 27. Qxd6 Rxb6 28. Qd5+ Kf8 29. h4 R8b7 30. g4 Rxb5 31. Qd6+ Kg7 32. g5 fxg5 33. hxg5 h6 34. Qf6+ Kh7 35. gxh6 Rxb4 36. Qxe5 Rf7 37. Kg2 Rb6 38. Qd4 Rbf6 39. e5 Rxf2+ 40. Qxf2 Rxf2+ Barua – Lalic, Ubeda 1998, 1/2 (40)

The exchange of queens has not made Black’s defence any easier.

Offering a pawn for the sake of decoying Black’s dark-squared bishop from getting to the queenside quickly.

Better is 23… Bxh4 24. Re1 Rf8 -/+

A comfortable square for the white knight. Black can’t bring his king nearer to the queenside via d7 because of Bb5+.

27. Nc6+ Kd7 28. Nxb8+ Rxb8 = White’s attack is repulsed because his rook has no easy way of reaching the c-file.

The Black king has no easy way to approach the White b7-pawn, so he has to meekly withdraw.

27… Kd7 28. Bb5+ +-

27… Kd8 The c7-square is guarded by the White knight.

Threatening to cut the bishop’s watch on the c1-square, thus expediting the White rook’s entry down the c-file.

Manoeuvring to the c-file, using the light-squares.

30. Rxe4 Red8 31. Rc4 Rd7 =

Trying to prevent the threatened entry of the White rook on the c-file with Rd8-d7, thus exchanging off the rooks if White infiltrates to the c7-square.

solves nothing. 34… d4 35. Rc2 e3 36. fxe3 Bxe3+ 37. Kf1 e4 38. Bc4+ Ke7 +/-

Black intends e3

36. Rxe4?! is the less attractive alternative Kd6 +/=

The white rook eventually arrives.

a sacrifice that ends the game