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Veselin Topalov vs Garry Kasparov
"The Boy Who Would be King" (game of the day May-05-2006)
Moscow Olympiad (1994), Moscow RUS, rd 6, Dec-06
Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation. Delayed Keres Attack (B81)  ·  1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 4 OF 4 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Jun-16-17  Walter Glattke: Final mate: 28.-Kf8 29.Nxe6+ Kg8 30.Rg7#
28.-Kd8 29.Ra7?? Rf8+ 29.Kg2 Rg4+ 30.Kh3 Rg3+ mating, but 0-1 / 28.-Kd8 29.Nc6+ Kc8 30.Na7+ Kd8 31.Rbd7#
Jun-16-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  Willber G: <stst: One line:
26.Rce7+ Kd8
27.Red7+ Ke8 (if Kc8 Rc7+ takes N)
28.Rfe7+ Kf8
29.Rd8#>

If
27...Kc8 28.Rc7+
then
28...BxR

Jun-16-17  bcokugras: Thx AlicesKnight
Jun-16-17  morfishine: Rook Shuffle: <26.Rbe7+> 26...Kd8 27.Rd7+ Ke8 28.Rfe7+ Kf8 & <29.Rd8> mate

*****

Jun-16-17  malt: I got 26.Nd4 to divert the bishop, and threaten 27.Rfe7+
Jun-16-17  GrandMaesterPycelle: <albion 1959>
<only one of three wins in forty one attempts against the mighty GK>

Actually, it's one of three wins in 27 attempts, the 41 games between them in the database include rapid and blitz, where Topalov has another 3 wins.

Jun-16-17  mel gibson: The computer says:

26. Nd4 (26. Nd4 (♘e2-d4 ♗e5-g3+ ♔e1-f1 ♘c4-e3+ ♔f1-e2 ♘e3-f5 ♘d4xe6 ♗g3-h4 ♘e6-g7+ ♘f5xg7 ♖f7xg7 ♖h3-h2+ ♔e2-f3 ♖h8-f8+ ♗b4xf8 ♔e8xf8 ♖g7-h7 ♔f8-g8 ♖h7xh6 ♖h2-f2+ ♔f3-e3 ♗h4-g5+ ♔e3xf2 ♗g5xh6 ♖b7-b6 ♔g8-f7 ♖b6xa6 ♗h6-g5 c2-c4 ♗g5-f4 ♔f2-f3) +5.49/19 151)

score for white +5.49 depth 19

Jun-16-17  saturn2: <Walter Glattke: Final mate: 28.-Kf8 29.Nxe6+ Kg8 30.Rg7#> Mate comes one move later as a rook-knight mate: 30 Rg7+ BxR 31 Rg7++
Jun-16-17  kevin86: rooks kill king!
Jun-16-17  saturn2: <morfishine: Rook Shuffle: <26.Rbe7+> 26...Kd8 27.Rd7+ Ke8 28.Rfe7+ Kf8 & <29.Rd8> mate> Nice idea, but black has 27..Kc8
Jun-16-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  Jimfromprovidence: I got 26 Ra7, below.


click for larger view

The threat is 27 Re7+, seeing 28 Ra8+ with mate imminent.

I believe white can overcome the rook checks and win a piece.

Jun-16-17  saturn2: <Jimfromprovidence: I got 26 Ra7> What have you prepared against 26..Bd6?
Jun-16-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  Jimfromprovidence: <saturn2> What have you prepared against 26..Bd6?>

Trade bishops, check on e7 then bring white's knight into it.

Something like 27 Bxd6 Nxd6 28 Rfe7+.


click for larger view

Now if black plays 28..Kd8 then 29 Nd4. if 28...Kf8 29 Nf4. White threatens to check with the knight in either scenario. Black's king cannot move from either f8 or d8 as well.

Jun-16-17  morfishine: <saturn2> oops, but thanks for looking!

*****

Jun-16-17  botvinnik64: Kasparov once called Topalov a "vampire."
Not sure if it was after this game!
Jun-16-17  ChessHigherCat: <botvinnik64: Kasparov once called Topalov a "vampire." Not sure if it was after this game!>

Maybe so. According to his biographers, this was when he started eating enormous amounts of garlic and hiding in his room until sunrise.

Jun-16-17  devere: This is not a good problem because many White moves win. 26.Rfe7+ Kd8 27.Nd4 is the best among winning lines, and by luck it happened to catch my eye first.
Jun-16-17  The Kings Domain: Missed this one, too focused on the rooks. Nice win by Topalov, must have dented Kasparov's Antarctic-sized ego to an amusing degree.
Jun-18-17  Moszkowski012273: 18.Nge2... is stronger.
Jun-18-17  TheBish: I didn't see any commentary on why 26. Rfe7+ Kd8 27. Nd4 is inferior to the immediate 26. Nd4!. The reason is 27...Kc8!, and while White is winning, it's not the quick knockout that the game continuation is. Black will have to give up major material to stop mate (i.e. 28. Nc6 Rh1 29. Ke2 Rh2+ 30. Kd3 Rd8+ 31. Nxd8 Kxd8 32. Kxc4). On the other hand, Garry could have held out longer with 26...Bg3+ (instead of 26...Re3+) followed soon by ...Bh4, but I'm sure he knew he was busted anyway by this point.
Jun-19-17
Premium Chessgames Member
  HeMateMe: white can also win with: 28...K-f8, 29.Nxd6+,K-b8 30.R-g8+, BxR 31. R-g7++.
Jan-07-18  morfishine: Another inaccurate & failed game title that can quietly be removed, bagged up and disposed of: Topalov was 19 years old, not a 'boy' at all

*****

Nov-21-18  laskereshevsky: IMHO the pun is connected with a Rudyard kipling story, and a movie based on it with Sean Connery...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_M...

Jun-07-21
Premium Chessgames Member
  chancho: 28...Kf8 29. Rec7+ Bd6 30. Rc8#

28...Kf8 29. Rec7+ Nd6 30. Rc8#

28...Kd8 29. Nc6+ Kc8 30. Na7+ Kd8
31. Rbd7#

May-21-25  ColdSong: In this game,like in quite a lot of other Sicilians with black,Stockfish shows that Kasparov could be beaten with very precise moves.He was goat nevertheless,chess is so complicated.
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