Topalov-Kramnik Grudge (rapid) game
As part of the the Zuerich Chess Club 200th Anniversay Jubilee, there was a Rapid tournament with a number of ex-World Chess Champions, Viswanathan Anand, Werner Hug, Anatoly Karpov, Alexander Khalifman, Vladimir Kramnik, Judit Polgar, Ruslan Ponomariov and Veselin Topalov. Kramnik won the tournament edging out Anand although both were undefeated. In Rd 4, there was the inevitable clash between Kramnik and Topalov. Kramink won. here is the game.
What is interesting is the use of well-known Lucena endgame manoeuvre even when there is an extra pawn on board. The manoeuvre begins on move 56...Rd5.
Here are IM Malcolm Pein's annotations:
V Topalov (2813) - V Kramnik (2759)
Champions Rapid Zurich (4)
Catalan
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.g3 dxc4 5.Bg2 c6 6.Ne5 Bb4+ 7.Bd2 Qxd4 8.Bxb4 Qxe5 9.Nd2 b5 10.Bc3 Qc7 11.a4 Bb7 12.Bxf6 gxf6 13.Ne4 Ke7 14.Qd2 Nd7 15.axb5 cxb5 16.Qb4+ Nc5!! 17.Ra5
(Winning a piece is bad for White. If 17.Qxc5+ Qxc5 18.Nxc5 Bxg2 or 17.Nxc5 a5 18.Qa3 b4 19.Qe3 Bxg2; or 17.Nxc5 a5 18.Rxa5 Qxa5 19.Qxa5 Rxa5 20.Bxb7 b4 21.Ne4 Ra1+ 22.Kd2 Rxh1 or in this line 21.Na6 Ra2 22.0-0 Rxb2)
17...Bxe4 18.Bxe4 Rab8 19.0-0 Kf8!
(Black returns one of his extra pawns to get his king to safety)
20.Rfa1 Kg7 21.Rxa7 Qe5 22.Bf3 Rhf8 23.Re7 Nb3 24.Raa7 Nd4 25.Kg2 Nxe2 26.Rac7 Nd4 27.Rc5 Nc2 28.Rxe5 Nxb4 29.R5xe6 Nd3 30.Bh5 Nxb2
(Black's passed pawns are more potent than White's activity)
31.Rc6 Rbc8 32.Rb6 Rb8 33.Rc6 Nd3 34.f4
(34.Rcc7 Ne5 35.f4 Ng6)
34...Nb4 35.Rcc7 Nd5 36.Rxf7+ Rxf7 37.Rxf7+ Kg8 38.Rd7 Nb6 39.Rc7 b4! 40.Bf7+ Kh8 41.Bxc4 Nxc4 42.Rxc4 b3 43.Rc1 b2 44.Rb1 Kg7 45.g4 Rb3 46.Kf2 Kg6 47.Ke1 h5!
48.gxh5+
(48.h3 Rxh3 49.gxh5+ Kxh5 50.Rxb2 Rh1+ 51.Kd2 Rh2+ 52.Kc3 Rxb2 53.Kxb2 Kg4)
48...Kxh5 49.Kd2 Rh3 50.Rh1 Kg4 51.Kc2 Kxf4 52.Kxb2 f5 53.Kc2 Ke3 54.Kd1 Kf2 55.Re1 Rd3+ 56.Kc2 Rd5!
(The standard technique to shield the king from checks once the pawn has reached the seventh rank and the king has to emerge)
57.Re8 f4 58.Rh8 f3 59.h4
(One tempo too late)
59...Kg3 60.h5 f2 61.Rg8+ Kf4 0-1
IM Pein goes on to say:
M Pasman - M Stean
Beersheba (12) 1978
1.d4 e6 2.c4 Nf6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 dxc4 5.Nf3 c6 6.Ne5 Bb4+ 7.Bd2 Qxd4 8.Bxb4 Qxe5 9.Na3 b5 10.f4 Qc7 11.Nxb5 cxb5 12.Bxa8 Bb7 13.Bxb7 Qxb7 14.0-0 Qb6+ 15.Kh1 Nc6 16.Bc3 Ng4 17.Qd6 Ne3 18.Rfd1
(18.Rf3 Nf5 19.Qd1 b4 20.Be1 0-0 looks good for Black but the computer points out 18.f5!! Nxf5 19.Rxf5 exf5 20.Rd1 Qb7 21.e4 fxe4 22.Bxg7 e3 23.Kg1 winning and after 18.f5 Nxf1 19.fxe6 fxe6 20.Rxf1 White has a strong attack)
18...Qb7! 0-1
In view of 19.Kg1 Nd4! and mate on g2.
What is interesting is the use of well-known Lucena endgame manoeuvre even when there is an extra pawn on board. The manoeuvre begins on move 56...Rd5.
Here are IM Malcolm Pein's annotations:
V Topalov (2813) - V Kramnik (2759)
Champions Rapid Zurich (4)
Catalan
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.g3 dxc4 5.Bg2 c6 6.Ne5 Bb4+ 7.Bd2 Qxd4 8.Bxb4 Qxe5 9.Nd2 b5 10.Bc3 Qc7 11.a4 Bb7 12.Bxf6 gxf6 13.Ne4 Ke7 14.Qd2 Nd7 15.axb5 cxb5 16.Qb4+ Nc5!! 17.Ra5
(Winning a piece is bad for White. If 17.Qxc5+ Qxc5 18.Nxc5 Bxg2 or 17.Nxc5 a5 18.Qa3 b4 19.Qe3 Bxg2; or 17.Nxc5 a5 18.Rxa5 Qxa5 19.Qxa5 Rxa5 20.Bxb7 b4 21.Ne4 Ra1+ 22.Kd2 Rxh1 or in this line 21.Na6 Ra2 22.0-0 Rxb2)
17...Bxe4 18.Bxe4 Rab8 19.0-0 Kf8!
(Black returns one of his extra pawns to get his king to safety)
20.Rfa1 Kg7 21.Rxa7 Qe5 22.Bf3 Rhf8 23.Re7 Nb3 24.Raa7 Nd4 25.Kg2 Nxe2 26.Rac7 Nd4 27.Rc5 Nc2 28.Rxe5 Nxb4 29.R5xe6 Nd3 30.Bh5 Nxb2
(Black's passed pawns are more potent than White's activity)
31.Rc6 Rbc8 32.Rb6 Rb8 33.Rc6 Nd3 34.f4
(34.Rcc7 Ne5 35.f4 Ng6)
34...Nb4 35.Rcc7 Nd5 36.Rxf7+ Rxf7 37.Rxf7+ Kg8 38.Rd7 Nb6 39.Rc7 b4! 40.Bf7+ Kh8 41.Bxc4 Nxc4 42.Rxc4 b3 43.Rc1 b2 44.Rb1 Kg7 45.g4 Rb3 46.Kf2 Kg6 47.Ke1 h5!
48.gxh5+
(48.h3 Rxh3 49.gxh5+ Kxh5 50.Rxb2 Rh1+ 51.Kd2 Rh2+ 52.Kc3 Rxb2 53.Kxb2 Kg4)
48...Kxh5 49.Kd2 Rh3 50.Rh1 Kg4 51.Kc2 Kxf4 52.Kxb2 f5 53.Kc2 Ke3 54.Kd1 Kf2 55.Re1 Rd3+ 56.Kc2 Rd5!
(The standard technique to shield the king from checks once the pawn has reached the seventh rank and the king has to emerge)
57.Re8 f4 58.Rh8 f3 59.h4
(One tempo too late)
59...Kg3 60.h5 f2 61.Rg8+ Kf4 0-1
IM Pein goes on to say:
Did Kramnik invent this daring line of defence? No, the credit goes to English GM Michael Stean - now retired from active play.
M Pasman - M Stean
Beersheba (12) 1978
1.d4 e6 2.c4 Nf6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 dxc4 5.Nf3 c6 6.Ne5 Bb4+ 7.Bd2 Qxd4 8.Bxb4 Qxe5 9.Na3 b5 10.f4 Qc7 11.Nxb5 cxb5 12.Bxa8 Bb7 13.Bxb7 Qxb7 14.0-0 Qb6+ 15.Kh1 Nc6 16.Bc3 Ng4 17.Qd6 Ne3 18.Rfd1
(18.Rf3 Nf5 19.Qd1 b4 20.Be1 0-0 looks good for Black but the computer points out 18.f5!! Nxf5 19.Rxf5 exf5 20.Rd1 Qb7 21.e4 fxe4 22.Bxg7 e3 23.Kg1 winning and after 18.f5 Nxf1 19.fxe6 fxe6 20.Rxf1 White has a strong attack)
18...Qb7! 0-1
In view of 19.Kg1 Nd4! and mate on g2.
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