Chess Monday December 18th 2006

Veselin Topalov has officially thrown down the gauntlet to the world champion Vladimir Kramnik and challenged him to rematch in his home city of Sofia. The Bulgarian was defeated by Kramnik in a match held at Elista which unified the world title that had been split since Nigel Short and Garry Kasparov broke away from Fide in 1993.

Topalov’s manager Silvio Danailov is using the recently introduced regulation, a ludicrous one, that enables any of the top players to issue a challenge provided they could come up with 1 million Euros in prize money. The prize fund offered is 1.5 million dollars and Danailov proposes the match take place in March so as to leave a six month gap before the next World Championship event in Mexico City.

Needless to say Kramnik is invited to play in Bulgaria and there is not the slightest chance he will particularly as both Danailov and Topalov continue to make the most ludicrous allegations about the match at Elista. The most recent comments from Topalov, in an interview with a Spanish newspaper would end him up in court were he domiciled in the UK or, if made in a properly regulated sport, a large fine from the governing body.

It is really rather sad to see how a man who was a chess hero and who threatened to take over Kasparov’s mantle can reduce himself so rapidly to a complete laughing stock. I do not wish to give Topalov’s comments an airing in detail here but the following gives you a good general idea: “The Kremlin won't admit they killed that Russian spy or that Kramnik cheated"

Its time for Topalov to put and shut up particularly as Kramnik has agreed put his title on the line at Mexico City in September. Topalov agreed that the loser at Elista be excluded from that contest but that was his own arrogant miscalculation, he did not consider the possibility of defeat.

Although the Classical Chess World Champion defeated the Fide man Veselin Topalov it was never totally clear whether he would agree to participate in a contest which breaks the Classical Chess tradition of head to head matches. There will be eight players at Mexico City with Kramnik, Vishy Anand, Peter Svidler and Alexander Morozevich being joined by four qualifiers from the Candidates Matches which include England’s Michael Adams who faces Alexey Shirov.

The Russian Championship went to a play off here is one of the best games of the event.

Inarkiev,E (2628) - Nepomniachtchi,I (2545) [C11]
ch-RUS Superfinal Moscow RUS (9), 13.12.2006
[IM Malcolm Pein]

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Be3 cxd4 8.Nxd4 Bc5 9.Qd2 0-0 10.0-0-0 An attacking race is in prospect. Black's development is inferior but he has an open c file. 10...a6 11.Kb1 Nxd4 12.Bxd4 b5 13.Qe3 Bxd4 14.Rxd4 [14.Qxd4 Bb7 15.Bd3 Qe7 16.Rhe1 b4 17.Ne2 a5 18.Qe3 Nc5 19.Nd4 Ne4 20.Bxe4 dxe4 21.Nb3 Rfc8 22.Nd2 Qc7 23.Rc1 a4 24.c4 bxc3 25.Rxc3 Qd8 26.Rxc8 Rxc8 27.Nxe4 Bxe4+ 28.Qxe4 Qd2 29.Qe2 Qxf4 30.a3 Qxh2 31.Qe4 h5 32.Rf1 Qg3 33.Rxf7 Kxf7 34.Qb7+ Kg6 35.Qxc8 Qe1+ 36.Ka2 Qxe5 37.Qc2+ Kg5 0-1 Dolmatov,S (2600)-Korchnoi,V (2676)/Las Vegas USA 1999] 14...Qe7 15.Bd3 b4 16.Ne4! a5 [16...dxe4 17.Qxe4 g6 18.Qxa8] 17.Nd6

17...f5 [17...Ba6 18.Bxh7+!! Kxh7 19.Qh3+ Kg8 20.f5 Nxe5 21.Rh4 g6 22.Rh8+ Kg7 23.Qh6+ Kf6 24.Qh4+ Kg7 25.f6+ Qxf6 26.Qh6#] 18.g4! fxg4 19.Be2 Nc5 20.Bxg4 Nb7 21.Nxb7 Bxb7 22.Rg1 Rf7 23.Qh3 Re8 24.f5! Qc5 [24...exf5 25.Bxf5 g6 26.Bxg6 hxg6 27.Rxg6+ Rg7 28.Rdg4 wins.] 25.Rdd1 Rc7 26.f6 Qxc2+ 27.Ka1 Bc8 28.Bh5 Rd8 29.Qh4 Rf8 30.f7+ Rfxf7 31.Bxf7+ Kxf7 32.Qg5 [32.Rxg7+ Kxg7 33.Qf6+ Kg8 34.Rg1+ Qg6 35.Rxg6+ hxg6 36.Qd8+] 32...h6 33.Qd8 [33.Qxg7+ also wins.] 33...Ba6 34.Rxg7+ Kxg7 35.Rg1+ 1-0

In Rapid Chess, pieces can drop off. This one was a tricky one to spot.

Camarena Gimenez,R (2330) - Vassallo,M (2380) [A90]
3rd Rapid Masters Benidorm ESP (9), 10.12.2006
[IM Malcolm Pein]

1.d4 f5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 e6 4.c4 Bb4+ 5.Nd2 0-0 6.Ngf3 Nc6 7.0-0 a5 [7...Bxd2 8.Bxd2 1/2-1/2 Bosboom Lanchava,T (2272)-Harmsen,J (2170)/Rotterdam NED 2000] 8.Qc2 d6 9.Nb1 e5 10.a3 e4 11.axb4 exf3 12.exf3 Nxd4 13.Qd1 Nc6 14.bxa5 Rxa5 15.Rxa5 Nxa5 16.f4 Be6 17.b3 d5??

18.Qe1 1-0