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Peter Svidler vs Veselin Topalov
"Svidler on the Roof" (game of the day May-04-2009)
Corus Group A (2004), Wijk aan Zee NED, rd 7, Jan-18
Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation (B90)  ·  1-0

ANALYSIS [x]

FEN COPIED

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Given 17 times; par: 60 [what's this?]

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Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 4 OF 4 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Mar-07-21  newzild: I found 17. Rg3, but White's 19th move came as a surprise.
Mar-07-21  Brenin: Silly me: I should have ignored Qs and other pieces being en prise, Rs blocking Bs, etc, and concentrated on getting in Nc5 and Nxe6 while Black wasn't looking, so that White (still a P down) has created a weak P on e6 to attack. No wonder I'm not (yet) a GM. Did anyone consider 17 Qd4, by the way?
Mar-07-21  mel gibson: I didn't know.

Stockfish 13 gives close to a draw-
only half a point but still a loss to White.

17. Rg3

(17. Rg3 (♖g1-g3 ♗h4xg3 h2xg3
♖c3-c7 ♘b3-c5 ♕d8-c8 ♘c5xe6 f7xe6 ♗b6xc7 ♕c8xc7 a2-a3 ♘h5-f6 ♕f2-d2 ♖f8-d8 g3-g4 ♕c7-c5 c2-c3 d6-d5 e4xd5 ♖d8xd5 ♗f1-d3 ♕c5-d6 ♕d2-e2 h7-h6 ♗d3-c2 ♖d5xd1+ ♗c2xd1 e5-e4 f3xe4 ♘f6xe4 ♗d1-c2 ♘e4-f6 ♗c2-g6 ♕d6-d5 c3-c4 ♕d5-d6 ♕e2-f3 ♕d6-c7 ♕f3-e2 e6-e5 ♕e2-f3 ♔g8-f8 ♕f3-f5 ♔f8-e7 g4-g5 h6xg5 ♕f5xg5) -0.53/41 167)

score for White -0.53 depth 41

Mar-07-21  Brenin: <Walter Glattke>: If 17 Qg2 Qxb6 18 bxc3 then 18 ... Bf2 regains the exchange with advantage to Black, since 19 Rh1 allows 19 ... Nf4 20 Qg5 f6 trapping the Q.
Mar-07-21  saturn2: 17. Bxd8 Bxf2 18. Rg2 Rxf3 19. Be7 Re8 or
17. bxc3 Bxf2 18. Bxd8 Bxg1 19. Be7 Rc8

Black keeps the plus pawn and Queens are traded. So white looks for something else

Mar-07-21  Pawn Slayer: Oh dear. I saw the game line until 18.....Rc7, judged black to have a very slight advantage and looked for something better for white. I didn't find it. Maybe explains why I never got the IM title and gave up chess for 40 years in disgust.
Mar-07-21  Cheapo by the Dozen: The engine thinks White is at a disadvantage in the -.70 range most of the way through the "solution".
Mar-07-21  belgradegambit: What Cheapo said.
Mar-07-21
Premium Chessgames Member
  agb2002: I know this game.
Mar-07-21  Walter Glattke: BRENIN: Ok, 18.-Bf2 19.Rxd6 Qxd6 20.Qxf2, 19.Qg5 Bxg1 20.Bd3, 19.Bd2 Bxg1 20Rxg1 g6 /17.Rg3 better
Mar-07-21
Premium Chessgames Member
  chrisowen: Nymphs vintage victor gotcha Rg3 finish able lee it way vintage nymphs hackin booted vindication it in i quarry wrestle victor gotcha joggies fulcrum fluz its rew victor vintage phony test cud crux vintage vulcan flush buddies xena totups victor floods highlight huffle on janitor Rg3 blush?
Mar-07-21  Z legend 000000001: Did somebody mention vintage nymphs?!

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipe...

.

Mar-07-21  Granny O Doul: The -70% Solution.
Mar-07-21  Nosnibor: 30...Qe1 mates in two. Why was a player of Svidler`s ability missing this ?
Mar-07-21  RandomVisitor: After 16...Bh4:


click for larger view

Stockfish_21022619_x64_modern:

<62/84 3:22:52 -0.30 17.Rg3 Bxg3 18.hxg3 Rc7 19.Nc5 Qb8 20.Nxe6 fxe6 21.Bxc7 Qxc7> 22.a3 h6 23.Rd3 Nf6 24.Bh3 Re8 25.Qa7 Re7 26.Rc3 Qd7 27.Bf1 Kf7

The computer more or less agress with the game line up until move 22, with white to move:


click for larger view

Black has an extra pawn but a rim-dim knight. White's bishop can make limited threats due the large number of pawns on the board. This is apparently the 'solution' to the puzzle.

Mar-07-21
Premium Chessgames Member
  chrisowen: Hoe it down ar rg3 no?
Mar-07-21  cormier: <<<<<<<<22. Bh3 Re8 23. Rd3 better is 23.Qh2 g6 24.Qd2 Qe7 25.Bg4 Nf6 26.Qxd6 Qxd6 27.Rxd6 Kf7 = -0.40 (24 ply)> 23... Nf6 ⩱ -1.04 (22 ply)> 24. Qa7 Kf7 better is 24...d5 25.a3 dxe4 26.fxe4 Nxe4 27.Qe3 Nf6 28.Bg2 Nd5 ⩱ -0.97 (25 ply)> 25. Rc3 = -0.36 (25 ply)> 25... Qd7 26. Qb6 Re7 27. Rd3 d5 better is 27...Ne8 28.Qb3 h5 29.Rd1 Qc6 30.Qd3 Rc7 31.a3 Qc4 32.Qd2 ⩱ -0.65 (24 ply)> 28. ed5 = 0.00 (28 ply)> 28... Nd5 29. Qc5? 29.Qa5 Qc6 30.Qe1 Qc5 31.a3 Rc7 32.c3 Nf6 33.Re3 e4 = -0.16 (26 ply)> 29... Qb5 ⩱ -0.94 (28 ply)>
Mar-07-21
Premium Chessgames Member
  scutigera: <Nosnibor>: 30 ..Qe1? is countered by an appeal to the tournament director and a command to make a legal move with the touched piece; Stockfish gives it a ?!?! and crashes.
Mar-07-21  1g1yy: <Nosnibor: 30...Qe1 mates in two. Why was a player of Svidler`s ability missing this ?>

30 ...Qe1 isn't possible, unless I'm missing something?

Mar-07-21  saturn2: <30 ...Qe1 isn't possible, unless I'm missing something?> Probably you mean 30...Qe8, but 30...Qe1 is really impossible.
Mar-07-21  Brenin: I suspect that <Nosnibor> had Black's Q on the wrong square, a5 instead of b5. From a5, 30 ... Qe1+ 31 Rd1 Qxd1 is indeed mate, but from b5 there is no such threat.
Mar-07-21  RandomVisitor: At move 22: white has nothing forcing


click for larger view

Stockfish_21022619_x64_modern:

60/72 8:12:21 -0.41 22.Bh3 Re8 23.Qh2 g6 24.a3 Qc5 25.Bg4 Nf6 26.Bh3 Kg7 27.g4 h6 28.g5 hxg5 29.Qd2 Kf7 30.Rh1 Rc8 31.c3 g4 32.Bxg4 Rg8

60/78 8:12:21 -0.56 22.Qh2 Nf6 23.Qd2 Rd8 24.g4 Qc6 25.Be2 Rd7 26.a3 Qc5 27.c3 d5 28.exd5 Rxd5 29.Bd3 Qd6 30.Qe2 h6 31.Ka2 Kf8 32.Bc2 Rxd1

60/78 8:12:21 -0.56 22.a3 Nf6 23.Qd2 Rd8 24.g4 Qc5 25.Be2 Rd7 26.c3 d5 27.exd5 Rxd5 28.Bd3 Qd6 29.Qe2 h6 30.Ka2 Kf8 31.Bc2 Rxd1 32.Bxd1 Nd5

Mar-07-21  ndg2: My Droidfish says everything was fine for black until 39..Kg8 (Ke8 was correct). Svidler played correctly with 17.Rg3, but he was never in advantage for over 20 moves!
Mar-07-21
Premium Chessgames Member
  sjunto: 24. . . . Qc5 would have forced the exchange of Queens and left black with a slight advantage.
May-02-22
Premium Chessgames Member
  plang: The position after 13 moves is one of the main lines of the Najdorf. Svidler tried 14 Qf2? rather than following the main line with 14 Kb1. Although he had briefly looked at the standard exchange sacrifice on c3 with 14..Rxc3! he had underestimated the follow-up with ..Bg5+ and ..Bh4. Just one example of Black's idea was 17 Bxd8..Bxf2 18 Rg5..Rxf3 19 Be7..Bh4 20 Bxf8..Bxg5 21 Bxd6..Rf2 22 Bxe5..Bg4 which favors Black. Svidler had originally planned 19 Qd2 but realized that after 19..Rxc2 White would be busted. 19..Bc8 was perhaps a better way for Black to play for an advantage. Black missed the opportunity to play 24..Qf7 when after 25 Rxd6..Qh5 26 Bg2..Qh2 27 Qf2..Rf8! 28 Rd1..Nxe4 29 Qb6..Ng5 he would have had a big advantage. Black also missed 33..e4! which would have been winning after 34 f5..exf 35 Bxf5..Nd3! (not 35..e3 36 Bxh7!) 36 Qd5+..Kf8 37 Qd8+..Re8 38 Qd6+..Kg8.

Svidler after 36 Qd6:
"I felt this was quite good for me - Black's king is not very safe and his rook is incredibly passive. Should be enough for a draw, I thought."

Black continued unwisely to play for a win and after 39..Kg8? was lost; 39..Ke8 40 Qc4..Qc6 41 Qh4..Rd7 42 Qxh5+..Kd8 would have been equal.

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