| May-19-07 | | ahmadov: A great game! Even though it is a draw, it can claim to be the game of the tournament... |
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| May-19-07 | | hitman84: Great defense by Mamedyarov. This is the best game of the tourney for sure! |
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| May-19-07 | | virginmind: what a draw! i remember how we patzers kept shouting from time to time: topa is lost! mame is doomed! mame is fabulously winning this! thats what the beauty of chess is for... |
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| May-19-07 | | ahmadov: Also, credits should go to Sofia rules that do not allow boring draws made. Those boring draws are replaced with such wonderful games... Hmmm... to correct myself, I should say that both Topa and Shark are fighting chess monsters who usually do not make short draws... |
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| May-19-07 | | hitman84: <Also, credits should go to Sofia rules that do not allow boring draws made. Those boring draws are replaced with such wonderful games> <ahmadov>I feel players are still getting into the groove. The quality of the games has been poor. The wins were neither a swindle nor a brilliancy. I feel this is going to continue for a while until the players get accustomed to the Sofia rules. One good thing is that we get to learn a lot watching longer games. |
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| May-19-07 | | hitman84: I wonder how players like Peter Svidler perform under Sofia rules. |
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| May-19-07 | | Magician of Riga: Svidler played at Mtel Masters in 2006 under Sofia Rules. Scored a solid 5/10 for 4th place and performed as expected for his rating at the time. Kramnik however doesn't do so well under Sofia Rules. In Mtel 2005 Kramnik did somewhat worse scoring 4/10 having a better tiebreak but sharing last with Michael Adams. I'd bet you could expect a score about 50% or less from Leko. |
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| May-19-07 | | Karpova: <In Mtel 2005 Kramnik did somewhat worse scoring 4/10 having a better tiebreak but sharing last with Michael Adams.> Kramnik was ill during 2005 so this result doesn't serve the purpose of showing how Kramnik performs under Sofia rules. I don't think that the Sofia rule is the problem but the ridiculous schedule of the Mtel Masters with 10 rounds and only one rest day. So in the end the player with more stamina wins... |
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| May-19-07 | | Mameluk: This game shows it is not so bad with quality of chess, even if it was just draw, I know:) Chessbase praises Topalov for agressiveness but it was Mam who made this game and had he played 35...e3, who knows how would Topa cope with it. |
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| May-19-07 | | Gilmoy: Hammer and tongs ... boggling. Both sides kept finding huge threats. At the end, Topalov triple-forks both Rooks on b and a mate threat, and skewers the a-pawn -- neither R can go to a, and Black can't win. (52 .. R8b6?? 53 Qf8+ Kh7 54 Bd3+ mates in 3.) Was 52 White's only move to hold the draw? Would have been a nasty puzzle. GMs create pawn tension, and then they both just leave it there for several moves -- too deep for me (and the fish I swim with :) Poetic justice for Topalov to play against two connected pawns -- clearly Mamedyarov did not sac enough material to get them, so the chess gods favored him not. Top: Two pawns, yes, but you have too many Rooks and not enough Bishops.
Mam: Dang. Well, I give you a Knight. Top: Knights don't count, I take it without harm. Mam: Look, how about I give you a Rook. Top: I will not take it. Check. Mam: Dang. Both [in unison]: I'm still winning. |
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| May-19-07 | | Ezzy: Topalov,Veselin (2772) - Mamedyarov,Shakhriyar (2757)
(8), 18.05.2007
M-TEL MASTERS
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Nxc6 bxc6 7.Bd3 d5 8.0–0 Nf6 9.Re1 Be7 10.Qf3 0–0 11.Bg5 <I know Topalov's second. Cheparinov has played 11 Bf4 in this position. Not sure about 11 Bg5> 11...d4 12.Na4 e5 13.b3 Nd7< I know 13...Be6 has been played before, so this might be the novelty.> 14.Bxe7 Qxe7 15.c3 c5 16.Rac1 Qd6 17.Qg3 Bb7 18.Rc2 Rac8 19.Rec1 Qh6 <Black could be wanting to play 20...c4 21 bxc4 f5 22 exf5 e4 23 cxd4 exd3 24 Qxd3 with an unusual position of a piece for 4 pawns.> 20.Nb2 f5 21.exf5 e4 22.Bc4+ Kh8 23.cxd4 <Also extremely complicated is [23.Be6 d3]> 23...cxd4 24.Bf1 <to stop 24...Rxf5> 24...Qxc1< Great stuff! Queen against rooks> 25.Rxc1 Rxc1 26.Qf4 <necessary to defend the f pawn and attack black's rook with tempo.> 26...Rc5 27.g4 Ne5 28.Nc4 Nf3+ 29.Kg2 Nh4+ 30.Kh3 Nxf5 31.b4 <[31.gxf5 Rcxf5 32.Qd6 Bc8 33.Be2 Rf3+ 34.Kg2 Bh3+ 35.Kh1 Rxf2 Threatening 36...Rf1+ and mates. White is lost.]> 31...Rc6 <Threat is 32...Rh6+ 33 Kg2 Nh4+ winning the queen >32.gxf5 Rxf5 33.Qb8+ <Topalov must have been looking for more than a draw, which this line seems to be heading. [33.Qxf5 Bc8 34.Qxc8+ Rxc8 35.Nd6 Rc2 36.Nxe4 Rxa2 37.Kg3]> 33...Bc8 34.Kg2 <Threatening 35 Nd6 winning >34...Rf8< Mamedyarov threatens 35...Bh3+ winning >35.Qe5 Rg6+ 36.Kh1 e3 <Threatening the devastating 37...Bb7+> 37.Qe7 <Now it's Topalov's turn to threaten mate> 37...Rgf6 <[37...Bb7+ 38.Qxb7 exf2 39.Qg2 Rxg2 40.Kxg2 is probably drawn. Amazing how both players are looking for ways to win, keeping it complicated.]> 38.Ne5 <Only move. Black wants to play 38...R6f7 and then 39...Bb7+ winning.> 38...exf2 <Now black threatens 39...d3 winning. [38...Rxf2 39.Bc4 Threatening mate in 2 - 40 Ng6+ hxg6 41 Qh4 mate!!]> 39.h4 <The king needs an escape route> 39...Be6 <The position has stabilised and the winning threats on both sides have been covered. What an unbelievable game!!!!> 40.Kh2 Bxa2 41.Nd7 R6f7 42.Qc5 Re8 43.Qxd4 Rd8 44.Qb2 Rfxd7 45.Qxa2 Rd4 46.Kg3 Rxb4 47.Qxf2 a5 48.h5 h6 49.Qf7 a4 50.Bc4 a3 51.Qe7 Rdb8 52.Qd6 a2 53.Bxa2 R4b6 54.Qd3 Rb2 55.Bc4 R2b4 56.Qd6 R4b6 57.Qd5 Rb4 58.Bd3 Rb3 59.Kf4 Rxd3 60.Qxd3 Rf8+ 61.Ke5 Rf6 62.Qd8+ Kh7 63.Qxf6 gxf6+ 64.Kxf6 Kh8 65.Ke5< Phew!! fantastic game by both players. ½–½> |
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| May-19-07 | | Ezzy: Fantastic game by both players!! Threats and counterthreats abound in a thrilling duel between 2 exciting players. Both players being a tempo away from losing during an explosive middlegame. Great stuff!! |
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| May-20-07 | | Whitehat1963: How about 26. Qd6, threatening rook, knight and pawn? |
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| May-20-07 | | Gilmoy: <Whitehat1963: 26. Qd6> e3 looks winning -- Black's Rf8 is protected, and he can just sac his N (and B, but White will never have that much time). 27 Qx(d4,d7) e2 28 h3[] exf1=Q+. 27 fxe3 dxe3 28 Qxd7? e2. Hence 26 Qf4 -- he must drive that R off his back rank to indirectly stop the pawns. |
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| May-20-07 | | Ezzy: <Whitehat1963:>
26.Qd6 e3 <Threatens 27...exf2+ and black is winning,> so 27.Nd3 e2 28.Nxc1 e1Q 29.Qxd7 Bxg2 30.Kxg2 Qxc1 31.Bxa6 which is probably worse for Topalov than the game continuation. All this is so complex, I'm amazed at how well the players assess the position in their head. |
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| May-21-07 | | newton296: brilliant save by both sides . I loke the rook sak black made at the end to set up a fortress? Unreal , I would never have found that OTB!! |
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| May-25-07 | | refutor: <best game of the tournament> i totally agree...complicated material imbalance middlegame...interesting tactics at the ending...well met |
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Kibitzing
