Champions Showdown: The Madras Tiger roars in St. Louis
All eyes are on the United States of America this November. It began with the greatest of matches — Donald Trump vs. Hillary Clinton. This political match saw an unexpected victor in Trump. In New York, Magnus and Karjakin are duking it out, with news houses all over the world covering it. But there is another big ticket showdown taking place right now in St. Louis. We have an illustrated report with master analysis.
Champions Showdown: The Madras Tiger roars in St. Louis
The Champions Showdown in progress
This is the first time in almost a decade that the world is witnessing a World Chess Championship without Viswanathan Anand fighting for the title. Since 2007, there have been six world championships excluding the current one and Anand has played in each one of them.
St. Louis has truly become the center of the chess world with well-organized tournaments, unmatched coverage, and great chess. Called the Champions Showdown, the 2016 edition has...
...World No. 2 Fabiano Caruana, World No. 8 Hikaru Nakamura, five-time world champion Vishy Anand and former FIDE champion Veselin Topalov.
The match began on November 10. Over five days, the players are competing in two Classical Round Robins (G/60 +5” delay), two Rapid Round Robins (G/15 +5” delay) and four Blitz Round Robins (G/3 +2” delay).
| Rank | Name | Rating | Classical | Rapid | Blitz | Total Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GM Vishy Anand | 2779 | 2½/4 | - | - | 2½ |
| 2-3 | GM Hikaru Nakamura | 2779 | 2/4 | - | - | 2 |
| 2-3 | GM Veselin Topalov | 2760 | 2/4 | - | - | 2 |
| 4 | GM Fabiano Caruana | 2823 | 1½/4 | - | - | 1½ |
At the end of the end of four rounds played over two days in the classical time control leg, Anand leads by a half-point margin.
Round 01
| White | Result | Black |
|---|---|---|
| Topalov, Veselin | 1 - 0 | Caruana, Fabiano |
| Anand, Viswanathan | ½ - ½ | Nakamura, Hikaru |
The tournament began with Topalov taking on Caruana. Topalov is known for his unique, Talish, tactical style of play.
And the game swiveled out of control as Topalov sacrificed his bishop for no visible compensation! This shocked not just Caruana, but also Nakamura...
...and Anand, who left his game en prise to watch Topy.
The game caught the fancy of our 12-year-old analyst Nihal Sarin who annotated it, without an engine because it was telling him that Topalov had blundered!
Nihal commented, "A wonderful game by Veselin Topalov, who sacrificed a piece very early in the opening for a long lasting initiative. Caruana did not make some serious mistakes, but defending is often much harder than attacking. The engine does not like the decision, but it is not at all easy for a human to defend that position."
[Event "2016 Champions Showdown"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.11.10"]
[Round "1.1"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D24"]
[WhiteElo "2760"]
[BlackElo "2823"]
[Annotator "Nihal, Sarin"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.06.08"]
[TimeControl "3600"]
[WhiteClock "0:10:48"]
[BlackClock "0:00:24"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.11.10"]
[Round "1.1"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Caruana, Fabiano"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D24"]
[WhiteElo "2760"]
[BlackElo "2823"]
[Annotator "Nihal, Sarin"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.06.08"]
[TimeControl "3600"]
[WhiteClock "0:10:48"]
[BlackClock "0:00:24"]
1. c4 {0 This move is chosen in many top level games, probably to avoid
Grunfeld, and steer to a KI posititon with the move order...1.c4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6
3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4!} Nf6 {0 Keeping all options available.} 2. Nc3 {26} e6 {0} 3.
Nf3 {16} (3. e4 {is also very common.}) 3... d5 {0} 4. d4 {0 Now the game
transposes into the Queen's Gambit Declined.} dxc4 $5 {0 Caruana goes for the
Vienna Variation, which he had recently tried against Eljanov and drew, in the
Isle of Man Open 2016.} (4... Bb4 {The Ragozin.} 5. Bg5 {This is a very
popular move.} dxc4 $5 {This transopses into the Vienna Variation after 6.e4
c5, but the advantage of this tranposition is that, it avoids the 6.Bxc4 pawn
sacrifice line as in the game. But anyway, black can equalise with precise
play.}) 5. e4 {1 The sharpest continuation.} (5. e3 {was played in
Eljanov-Caruana.} a6 6. a4 c5 7. Bxc4 Nc6 8. O-O Be7 9. Qe2 cxd4 10. Rd1 e5 {
Best way to equalise.} 11. exd4 exd4 12. Nxd4 Nxd4 13. Qe5 Qd6 $1 14. Qxd6 Bxd6
15. Rxd4 Bc5 16. Rd1 O-O $11 {Eljanov,P (2741)-Caruana,F (2813) Douglas IoM op
2016 (8) 1/2-1/2}) 5... Bb4 {0} 6. Bxc4 {2 This pawn sacrifice is considered
to be the critical test for black.} Nxe4 {0} 7. O-O {0} Nxc3 {0} 8. bxc3 {
0 Taking the second pawn is very dangerous.} Bd6 {0} (8... Bxc3 $6 9. Rb1 {
White has very powerful compensation. He could attack the black king with Bd3,
Rb5 etc.} (9. Ba3 $5 Bxa1 10. Qxa1 {White has good compensation.})) (8... Be7 {
is the main move here.} 9. Ne5 O-O 10. Qg4 Nc6 11. Re1 f5 12. Qf3 Nxe5 13. Rxe5
Kh8 {Is a very popular line.}) 9. Re1 {314} (9. Ng5 {is the most popular move
here.} h6 10. Qh5 O-O 11. Ne4 (11. Re1 $5 hxg5 12. Bxg5 Be7 13. Bd3 f5 14. Bxe7
Qxe7 15. Bxf5 Rxf5 16. Qxf5 exf5 $6 (16... Nc6 $1) 17. Rxe7 {Sulskis,S (2577)
-Lupulescu,C (2657) EU-chT (Men) 18th 2011 (4.1) 1-0}) 11... Be7 12. Bxh6 $5
gxh6 13. Qxh6 $13) 9... O-O {78} 10. Qd3 {26 A novelty by Topalov. White has
some ideas of Ng5 and Ne5, or may be something like Bb3-c2, some plans of
setting up a battery along the b1-h7 diagonal.} Nd7 {34 The most natural move.}
11. Ne5 $5 {437 An interesting decision by Topalov. White has some intentions
of sacrificing a piece for a long lasting initiative.} Bxe5 {374 Caruana
accepts the challenge.} (11... Qf6 12. Qg3) (11... Nf6 12. Qg3 {with idea Bh6.}
) 12. dxe5 {0} Nb6 {0} 13. Qg3 $1 {232 I really like this bold decision of
Topalov! White is sacrificing a piece.} Nxc4 {396 Has to accept.} 14. Bh6 {317}
g6 {0} 15. Rad1 {0} Bd7 {249} 16. h4 $1 {197 White does not want the rook on
f8! He plans h5, and some ideas with Bg5- f6.} Nb6 {402} (16... Re8 17. Bg5 Qc8
18. h5 {followed by Bf6 and Qg5-h6.}) 17. h5 {137 White ignores the rook,
continues the attack.} Qe7 {237} 18. Rd4 {131 A strong centralising move.} Be8
{467} (18... Rfd8 19. Bg5 Qf8 20. Red1 {seems to be strong.}) 19. Bg5 {274} f6
$4 {0 Black is doomed.} (19... Qc5 20. Bf6 Nd5 $1 (20... Bd7 21. Qf4 Rfe8 22.
Rd6 $18) 21. Rxd5 Qxd5 22. Qg5 Bc6 23. f3 $19) 20. exf6 {71} Qc5 {366} (20...
Rxf6 21. Qh4 Nd7 22. Rxd7 Qxd7 23. Bxf6 $16 {White is a pawn down, but his
bishop is a monster!}) 21. Rxe6 {233 Black has freed himsef a bit, but now his
king is very weak.} Qf5 {80} 22. Re5 {254} Qb1+ {0} 23. Kh2 {0 White has too
many threats.} gxh5 {469} (23... Bf7 24. hxg6 hxg6 (24... Qxg6 25. f4 $1 $16)
25. Qh4 Bxa2 26. Qh6 Rf7 27. Rh4 $18) 24. Bh6+ {240} Bg6 {0} 25. Bxf8 {18} Rxf8
{7} 26. Qg5 {2 Now Re7 is a very strong threat.} Qxa2 {382} 27. Re7 {4} Qxf2 {
35} 28. Rg7+ {16} Kh8 {0} 29. Rxg6 {4} 1-0
Grunfeld, and steer to a KI posititon with the move order...1.c4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6
3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4!} Nf6 {0 Keeping all options available.} 2. Nc3 {26} e6 {0} 3.
Nf3 {16} (3. e4 {is also very common.}) 3... d5 {0} 4. d4 {0 Now the game
transposes into the Queen's Gambit Declined.} dxc4 $5 {0 Caruana goes for the
Vienna Variation, which he had recently tried against Eljanov and drew, in the
Isle of Man Open 2016.} (4... Bb4 {The Ragozin.} 5. Bg5 {This is a very
popular move.} dxc4 $5 {This transopses into the Vienna Variation after 6.e4
c5, but the advantage of this tranposition is that, it avoids the 6.Bxc4 pawn
sacrifice line as in the game. But anyway, black can equalise with precise
play.}) 5. e4 {1 The sharpest continuation.} (5. e3 {was played in
Eljanov-Caruana.} a6 6. a4 c5 7. Bxc4 Nc6 8. O-O Be7 9. Qe2 cxd4 10. Rd1 e5 {
Best way to equalise.} 11. exd4 exd4 12. Nxd4 Nxd4 13. Qe5 Qd6 $1 14. Qxd6 Bxd6
15. Rxd4 Bc5 16. Rd1 O-O $11 {Eljanov,P (2741)-Caruana,F (2813) Douglas IoM op
2016 (8) 1/2-1/2}) 5... Bb4 {0} 6. Bxc4 {2 This pawn sacrifice is considered
to be the critical test for black.} Nxe4 {0} 7. O-O {0} Nxc3 {0} 8. bxc3 {
0 Taking the second pawn is very dangerous.} Bd6 {0} (8... Bxc3 $6 9. Rb1 {
White has very powerful compensation. He could attack the black king with Bd3,
Rb5 etc.} (9. Ba3 $5 Bxa1 10. Qxa1 {White has good compensation.})) (8... Be7 {
is the main move here.} 9. Ne5 O-O 10. Qg4 Nc6 11. Re1 f5 12. Qf3 Nxe5 13. Rxe5
Kh8 {Is a very popular line.}) 9. Re1 {314} (9. Ng5 {is the most popular move
here.} h6 10. Qh5 O-O 11. Ne4 (11. Re1 $5 hxg5 12. Bxg5 Be7 13. Bd3 f5 14. Bxe7
Qxe7 15. Bxf5 Rxf5 16. Qxf5 exf5 $6 (16... Nc6 $1) 17. Rxe7 {Sulskis,S (2577)
-Lupulescu,C (2657) EU-chT (Men) 18th 2011 (4.1) 1-0}) 11... Be7 12. Bxh6 $5
gxh6 13. Qxh6 $13) 9... O-O {78} 10. Qd3 {26 A novelty by Topalov. White has
some ideas of Ng5 and Ne5, or may be something like Bb3-c2, some plans of
setting up a battery along the b1-h7 diagonal.} Nd7 {34 The most natural move.}
11. Ne5 $5 {437 An interesting decision by Topalov. White has some intentions
of sacrificing a piece for a long lasting initiative.} Bxe5 {374 Caruana
accepts the challenge.} (11... Qf6 12. Qg3) (11... Nf6 12. Qg3 {with idea Bh6.}
) 12. dxe5 {0} Nb6 {0} 13. Qg3 $1 {232 I really like this bold decision of
Topalov! White is sacrificing a piece.} Nxc4 {396 Has to accept.} 14. Bh6 {317}
g6 {0} 15. Rad1 {0} Bd7 {249} 16. h4 $1 {197 White does not want the rook on
f8! He plans h5, and some ideas with Bg5- f6.} Nb6 {402} (16... Re8 17. Bg5 Qc8
18. h5 {followed by Bf6 and Qg5-h6.}) 17. h5 {137 White ignores the rook,
continues the attack.} Qe7 {237} 18. Rd4 {131 A strong centralising move.} Be8
{467} (18... Rfd8 19. Bg5 Qf8 20. Red1 {seems to be strong.}) 19. Bg5 {274} f6
$4 {0 Black is doomed.} (19... Qc5 20. Bf6 Nd5 $1 (20... Bd7 21. Qf4 Rfe8 22.
Rd6 $18) 21. Rxd5 Qxd5 22. Qg5 Bc6 23. f3 $19) 20. exf6 {71} Qc5 {366} (20...
Rxf6 21. Qh4 Nd7 22. Rxd7 Qxd7 23. Bxf6 $16 {White is a pawn down, but his
bishop is a monster!}) 21. Rxe6 {233 Black has freed himsef a bit, but now his
king is very weak.} Qf5 {80} 22. Re5 {254} Qb1+ {0} 23. Kh2 {0 White has too
many threats.} gxh5 {469} (23... Bf7 24. hxg6 hxg6 (24... Qxg6 25. f4 $1 $16)
25. Qh4 Bxa2 26. Qh6 Rf7 27. Rh4 $18) 24. Bh6+ {240} Bg6 {0} 25. Bxf8 {18} Rxf8
{7} 26. Qg5 {2 Now Re7 is a very strong threat.} Qxa2 {382} 27. Re7 {4} Qxf2 {
35} 28. Rg7+ {16} Kh8 {0} 29. Rxg6 {4} 1-0
After spending ages staring at the ceiling, Naka held Anand to a draw with black.
Round 02
| White | Result | Black |
|---|---|---|
| Caruana, Fabiano | ½ - ½ | Nakamura, Hikaru |
| Topalov, Veselin | ½ - ½ | Anand, Viswanathan |
Naka, who played his second consecutive black, drew with Caruana.
Topalov settled for a draw with his old rival Anand.
Round 03
| White | Result | Black |
|---|---|---|
| Anand, Viswanathan | ½ - ½ | Caruana, Fabiano |
| Nakamura, Hikaru | 1 - 0 | Topalov, Veselin |
Topalov came into the third round the next day in good spirits — he was leading after a crushing win over Caruana and now had black against an equally uncompromising player.
Naka was also looking forward to a titanic struggle when something unbelievable happened!
Topalov blundered on the 12th move with ...Bf5??! White to play and win.
[Event "2016 Champions Showdown"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.11.11"]
[Round "3.2"]
[White "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E35"]
[WhiteElo "2779"]
[BlackElo "2760"]
[PlyCount "27"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
[TimeControl "3600"]
[WhiteClock "0:55:03"]
[BlackClock "0:47:51"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.11.11"]
[Round "3.2"]
[White "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E35"]
[WhiteElo "2779"]
[BlackElo "2760"]
[PlyCount "27"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
[TimeControl "3600"]
[WhiteClock "0:55:03"]
[BlackClock "0:47:51"]
1. d4 {6} Nf6 {0} 2. c4 {0} e6 {1} 3. Nc3 {1} Bb4 {0} 4. Qc2 {1} d5 {2} 5. cxd5
{2} exd5 {0} 6. Bg5 {1} h6 {13} 7. Bh4 {0} c5 {44} 8. dxc5 {1} g5 {37} 9. Bg3 {
1} Ne4 {0} 10. e3 {3} Bf5 $4 {28 Topalov blunders.} 11. Bxb8 {235} Nxc3 {457}
12. Qxf5 {18} Ne4+ {0} 13. Ke2 {15} Qxb8 {147} 14. Qxd5 {13 White is already
two pawns up. But not only that! He is also winning a piece!} 1-0
{2} exd5 {0} 6. Bg5 {1} h6 {13} 7. Bh4 {0} c5 {44} 8. dxc5 {1} g5 {37} 9. Bg3 {
1} Ne4 {0} 10. e3 {3} Bf5 $4 {28 Topalov blunders.} 11. Bxb8 {235} Nxc3 {457}
12. Qxf5 {18} Ne4+ {0} 13. Ke2 {15} Qxb8 {147} 14. Qxd5 {13 White is already
two pawns up. But not only that! He is also winning a piece!} 1-0
Caruana put Vishy under pressure with black!
But Anand turned the tables and gained an edge. It was not enough as the long game ended in a draw.
Round 04
| White | Result | Black |
|---|---|---|
| Caruana, Fabiano | ½ - ½ | Topalov, Veselin |
| Nakamura, Hikaru | 0 - 1 | Anand, Viswanathan |
Caruana took on Topalov again. After losing so quickly in the previous round, Topalov didn't do anything 'amazing' this time around and settled for a draw.
Nakamura was leading the event after defeating Topalov and now had white against Vishy.
Here, he is being interviewed by Ramirez.
But the Madras Tiger roared with the black pieces in an unbalanced game.
Nihal also annotated this important victory for Anand. He says, "Anand sacrificed an exchange early in the opening and got excellent compensation. I think white could and should have delayed Ne5 move."
But what should Naka have played instead? Nihal proposes a crazy idea:
[Event "2016 Champions Showdown"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.11.11"]
[Round "4.2"]
[White "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A21"]
[WhiteElo "2779"]
[BlackElo "2779"]
[Annotator "Nihal, Sarin"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.06.08"]
[TimeControl "3600"]
[WhiteClock "0:00:55"]
[BlackClock "0:02:40"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.11.11"]
[Round "4.2"]
[White "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A21"]
[WhiteElo "2779"]
[BlackElo "2779"]
[Annotator "Nihal, Sarin"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.06.08"]
[TimeControl "3600"]
[WhiteClock "0:00:55"]
[BlackClock "0:02:40"]
1. c4 {3} e5 {20 This is a very popular response against 1.c4. It leads to
some kind of Sicilian with an extra move for white, but black gets good play
in the center.} 2. Nc3 {2} Bb4 $5 {0 Intending to take on c3 at some point.} 3.
Nd5 {0 This is the most natural move.} Bc5 {0 This is by far the main move.
(372 games in Mega 2016)} (3... Be7 {is also very popular.(371 games in Mega
2016)}) 4. Nf3 {12} c6 {1} (4... e4 5. d4 Bf8 6. Ng5 c6 7. Nc3 f5 8. h4 $5 {
Tomashevsky,E (2758)-Moiseenko,A (2692) Wch Blitz Berlin 2015 (3) 1-0}) 5. Nc3
{0} d6 {0} 6. e3 {5} Bb4 {22 Again going behind the knight.} 7. d4 {7} e4 {2}
8. Nd2 {0} Bxc3 {0} 9. bxc3 {0} Nf6 {0} 10. Ba3 {4 A novelty from Nakamura.} (
10. f3 {was tried in Nepomniachtchi,I (2740)-Anand,V (2776) Moscow Tal
Memorial 10th 2016 (8) 1/2-1/2.}) 10... O-O {10} 11. c5 {0 The pawn structure
is changing.} (11. Be2 Re8 12. O-O h5 $5 {Black plans h4 or Bg4.} 13. Rb1 (13.
Bxh5 {falls into a cute trap...} Qa5 $1 {Attacking both the bishops.}) 13... h4
14. h3 Na6 (14... b6 $5) 15. Qa4 (15. c5 dxc5 (15... d5 16. Bxa6 bxa6 17. Qa4
Re6 {is not bad for black.}) 16. Bxa6 Qa5 17. Bxb7 Bxb7 18. Bxc5) 15... c5 16.
Qb3 (16. Nb3 b6 17. Qc6 Bf5 18. Rfd1 Qc7 (18... Qe7 19. dxc5 dxc5 20. Nd4 $1)
19. Qb5 Bd7 20. Qxa6 Bc8 21. Qa4 Bd7 22. Qa6 Bc8 23. Qa4 (23. Qb5 a6) 23... Bd7
) 16... Qa5 17. Qb2 b6 18. Nb3 Qa4 19. Nd2 Nc7 20. Bd1 Qd7 {Black is
comfortable here.}) 11... d5 {5} 12. Be2 {0} Re8 {55 Very logical move.} 13.
O-O {34} (13. c4 $5 Qa5 {This seems to be the best reply. Maybe this is the
reason why Naka rejected 13.c4.} 14. Qb3 Na6 15. Rd1 b6 16. cxd5 cxd5 17. c6 (
17. Bb5 Bd7 18. c6 Bg4 19. Rc1 Nc7 20. Bf1 b5 21. Bb4 Qb6) 17... Bg4 18. Bxg4
Nxg4 19. O-O Rac8 $15) 13... b5 $5 {213 This move is aimed against c4.} 14. Bc1
{52} a6 {99} 15. a4 {3} Qd7 {44 A very closed position has arisen. Black wants
to play something like Qb7, Bf5 and Nbd7, or Ra7 and Rb7 followed by Qf5 and
Qg6/ g5 with a comfortable position.} 16. f4 {315 Naka tries to close the
position on the kingside.} exf3 {129 This is, of course, a natural and strong
move.} 17. Nxf3 {19} Ne4 {462} 18. Ne5 {87 I think white could have delayed it.
} (18. Qc2 $5 f6 (18... Qb7 19. Nd2 Nxd2 20. Bxd2 Nd7 21. Rxf7 $5 {This could
be dubious, but not easy to defend against it in a practical game.} (21. c4 $5
{This is really crazy!} bxc4 22. Rxf7 Kxf7 23. Qxh7 Nf6 24. Rf1 $13 {May be
white is losing here, but it not easy to defend this position for black.} Ke6
$2 (24... Bf5 $3 $11) 25. Bg4+ $1 {Here a good move!} Nxg4 26. Qf5+ Ke7 27.
Qf7+ Kd8 28. Ba5+ $18 {No pawn on c3!}) 21... Kxf7 22. Qxh7 Nf6 23. Rf1 Ke6 24.
Qf5+ (24. Bg4+ $1 Nxg4 25. Qf5+ (25. Qg6+ $1 Nf6 26. Rxf6+ gxf6 27. Qxe8+ Qe7 (
27... Kf5 28. g4+ Kxg4 29. Qg6+ Kf3 30. Qg2#) 28. Qxc6+ $18) 25... Ke7 26. Qf7+
Kd8 {White unfortunately has a pawn on c3!}) 24... Ke7 25. Qg6 Kf8 26. Bh5 Be6
27. e4 Bf7 28. Rxf6 gxf6 29. Qxf6 Kg8 30. Qg5+ Kf8 31. Qh6+ Kg8 32. Qg5+ $11)
19. Nd2 Nxd2 20. Bxd2) 18... Rxe5 {91 Forced, but strong.} 19. dxe5 {4} Nxc3 {
39} 20. Qc2 {274} Nxa4 {162 Black gets two pawns for the exchange, and white
has two more( atleast one more)weak pawn/s But his small problem is that his
queenside pieces are still at their starting positions, but they will come out
soon.} 21. e4 {274 White has to try to open the game as fast as possible.} Qe8
{35 Anand attacks the e5 pawn, and has some intentions of playing Be6 and Nd7.}
22. Bd3 {831} (22. exd5 Qxe5 23. Bf4 Qc3 24. Qxc3 Nxc3 25. Bf3 Nxd5 26. Bxd5
cxd5 27. Rfd1 Bb7 {Black has excellent compensation.}) 22... d4 {194} 23. e6 {
113 Only try. Otherwise white is almost completely hopeless after Be6.} Bxe6 {9
} 24. Bf4 {0} a5 $1 {101 Anand wants to play Na6.} 25. Bd6 {116} Na6 {10} 26.
e5 {0} g6 {4} 27. Rf4 {397 With some hopes of attacking along the h-file.} Nb4
{646} 28. Qd2 {0} Nxd3 {15 It is important to eliminate the bishop.} 29. Qxd3 {
82} Nc3 {126} 30. Rxd4 {7} b4 $17 {131 The black pawns are very fast.} 31. Qd2
{113} h5 {102 Reducing the effect of Qh6.} 32. h3 {53} Qd8 {217 Anand wants to
prevent Bc7 in future.} 33. Rf1 {14} Kh7 {97 A useful prophylactic move,
preventing Qh6.} 34. Rf6 {124} Nd5 {55} 35. Qg5 {2} Qg8 {116 There is no need
to take on f6 immediately.} 36. Qh4 {294} (36. Rh4 {May look scary, but black
has nothing to fear after...} Qg7) 36... Nxf6 {73} 37. exf6 {18} b3 $19 {
14 The game is decided. Nakamura fights desperately, but Anand wins easily.}
38. Be5 {10} Qf8 {15} 39. Rd6 {89} Bd5 {17} 40. Kh2 {152} a4 {3} 41. Qb4 {21}
Qe8 {23} 42. Bb2 {14} a3 $1 {83 A good game. Anand sacrificed an exchange
early in the opening and got excellent compensation. I think white could and
should have delayed Ne5 move. The sacrifice with Rxf7 looks interesting.} 0-1
some kind of Sicilian with an extra move for white, but black gets good play
in the center.} 2. Nc3 {2} Bb4 $5 {0 Intending to take on c3 at some point.} 3.
Nd5 {0 This is the most natural move.} Bc5 {0 This is by far the main move.
(372 games in Mega 2016)} (3... Be7 {is also very popular.(371 games in Mega
2016)}) 4. Nf3 {12} c6 {1} (4... e4 5. d4 Bf8 6. Ng5 c6 7. Nc3 f5 8. h4 $5 {
Tomashevsky,E (2758)-Moiseenko,A (2692) Wch Blitz Berlin 2015 (3) 1-0}) 5. Nc3
{0} d6 {0} 6. e3 {5} Bb4 {22 Again going behind the knight.} 7. d4 {7} e4 {2}
8. Nd2 {0} Bxc3 {0} 9. bxc3 {0} Nf6 {0} 10. Ba3 {4 A novelty from Nakamura.} (
10. f3 {was tried in Nepomniachtchi,I (2740)-Anand,V (2776) Moscow Tal
Memorial 10th 2016 (8) 1/2-1/2.}) 10... O-O {10} 11. c5 {0 The pawn structure
is changing.} (11. Be2 Re8 12. O-O h5 $5 {Black plans h4 or Bg4.} 13. Rb1 (13.
Bxh5 {falls into a cute trap...} Qa5 $1 {Attacking both the bishops.}) 13... h4
14. h3 Na6 (14... b6 $5) 15. Qa4 (15. c5 dxc5 (15... d5 16. Bxa6 bxa6 17. Qa4
Re6 {is not bad for black.}) 16. Bxa6 Qa5 17. Bxb7 Bxb7 18. Bxc5) 15... c5 16.
Qb3 (16. Nb3 b6 17. Qc6 Bf5 18. Rfd1 Qc7 (18... Qe7 19. dxc5 dxc5 20. Nd4 $1)
19. Qb5 Bd7 20. Qxa6 Bc8 21. Qa4 Bd7 22. Qa6 Bc8 23. Qa4 (23. Qb5 a6) 23... Bd7
) 16... Qa5 17. Qb2 b6 18. Nb3 Qa4 19. Nd2 Nc7 20. Bd1 Qd7 {Black is
comfortable here.}) 11... d5 {5} 12. Be2 {0} Re8 {55 Very logical move.} 13.
O-O {34} (13. c4 $5 Qa5 {This seems to be the best reply. Maybe this is the
reason why Naka rejected 13.c4.} 14. Qb3 Na6 15. Rd1 b6 16. cxd5 cxd5 17. c6 (
17. Bb5 Bd7 18. c6 Bg4 19. Rc1 Nc7 20. Bf1 b5 21. Bb4 Qb6) 17... Bg4 18. Bxg4
Nxg4 19. O-O Rac8 $15) 13... b5 $5 {213 This move is aimed against c4.} 14. Bc1
{52} a6 {99} 15. a4 {3} Qd7 {44 A very closed position has arisen. Black wants
to play something like Qb7, Bf5 and Nbd7, or Ra7 and Rb7 followed by Qf5 and
Qg6/ g5 with a comfortable position.} 16. f4 {315 Naka tries to close the
position on the kingside.} exf3 {129 This is, of course, a natural and strong
move.} 17. Nxf3 {19} Ne4 {462} 18. Ne5 {87 I think white could have delayed it.
} (18. Qc2 $5 f6 (18... Qb7 19. Nd2 Nxd2 20. Bxd2 Nd7 21. Rxf7 $5 {This could
be dubious, but not easy to defend against it in a practical game.} (21. c4 $5
{This is really crazy!} bxc4 22. Rxf7 Kxf7 23. Qxh7 Nf6 24. Rf1 $13 {May be
white is losing here, but it not easy to defend this position for black.} Ke6
$2 (24... Bf5 $3 $11) 25. Bg4+ $1 {Here a good move!} Nxg4 26. Qf5+ Ke7 27.
Qf7+ Kd8 28. Ba5+ $18 {No pawn on c3!}) 21... Kxf7 22. Qxh7 Nf6 23. Rf1 Ke6 24.
Qf5+ (24. Bg4+ $1 Nxg4 25. Qf5+ (25. Qg6+ $1 Nf6 26. Rxf6+ gxf6 27. Qxe8+ Qe7 (
27... Kf5 28. g4+ Kxg4 29. Qg6+ Kf3 30. Qg2#) 28. Qxc6+ $18) 25... Ke7 26. Qf7+
Kd8 {White unfortunately has a pawn on c3!}) 24... Ke7 25. Qg6 Kf8 26. Bh5 Be6
27. e4 Bf7 28. Rxf6 gxf6 29. Qxf6 Kg8 30. Qg5+ Kf8 31. Qh6+ Kg8 32. Qg5+ $11)
19. Nd2 Nxd2 20. Bxd2) 18... Rxe5 {91 Forced, but strong.} 19. dxe5 {4} Nxc3 {
39} 20. Qc2 {274} Nxa4 {162 Black gets two pawns for the exchange, and white
has two more( atleast one more)weak pawn/s But his small problem is that his
queenside pieces are still at their starting positions, but they will come out
soon.} 21. e4 {274 White has to try to open the game as fast as possible.} Qe8
{35 Anand attacks the e5 pawn, and has some intentions of playing Be6 and Nd7.}
22. Bd3 {831} (22. exd5 Qxe5 23. Bf4 Qc3 24. Qxc3 Nxc3 25. Bf3 Nxd5 26. Bxd5
cxd5 27. Rfd1 Bb7 {Black has excellent compensation.}) 22... d4 {194} 23. e6 {
113 Only try. Otherwise white is almost completely hopeless after Be6.} Bxe6 {9
} 24. Bf4 {0} a5 $1 {101 Anand wants to play Na6.} 25. Bd6 {116} Na6 {10} 26.
e5 {0} g6 {4} 27. Rf4 {397 With some hopes of attacking along the h-file.} Nb4
{646} 28. Qd2 {0} Nxd3 {15 It is important to eliminate the bishop.} 29. Qxd3 {
82} Nc3 {126} 30. Rxd4 {7} b4 $17 {131 The black pawns are very fast.} 31. Qd2
{113} h5 {102 Reducing the effect of Qh6.} 32. h3 {53} Qd8 {217 Anand wants to
prevent Bc7 in future.} 33. Rf1 {14} Kh7 {97 A useful prophylactic move,
preventing Qh6.} 34. Rf6 {124} Nd5 {55} 35. Qg5 {2} Qg8 {116 There is no need
to take on f6 immediately.} 36. Qh4 {294} (36. Rh4 {May look scary, but black
has nothing to fear after...} Qg7) 36... Nxf6 {73} 37. exf6 {18} b3 $19 {
14 The game is decided. Nakamura fights desperately, but Anand wins easily.}
38. Be5 {10} Qf8 {15} 39. Rd6 {89} Bd5 {17} 40. Kh2 {152} a4 {3} 41. Qb4 {21}
Qe8 {23} 42. Bb2 {14} a3 $1 {83 A good game. Anand sacrificed an exchange
early in the opening and got excellent compensation. I think white could and
should have delayed Ne5 move. The sacrifice with Rxf7 looks interesting.} 0-1
| White | Result | Black |
|---|---|---|
| Nakamura, Hikaru | Caruana, Fabiano | |
| Anand, Viswanathan | Topalov, Veselin |
| White | Result | Black |
|---|---|---|
| Caruana, Fabiano | Anand, Viswanathan | |
| Topalov, Veselin | Nakamura, Hikaru |
In this 1-minute interview, Anand talks about chess in India and if he will play in the Olympiads for Team India!
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