Tromso, Norway

It is time for the Chess World Cup 2013 – in Norway
Please click here for the official site.

Photo and message from Europe-Echecs Twitter account See the official video to know who is taking part. My favourite this time? I think Etienne Bacrot.

Chess Players arriving at the university of Tromso for the opening ceremony – photo SPolgar [twitter]

Susan Polgar doing exactly what she says on these tweets

Susan interviews her ‘baby’ sister, Judit on 13/8/2013

NO Susan, he is NOT funny and insightful, read HERE why I don’t think he is and make sure you read the first 10 lines carefully. [hmf]

Tromso – image: Barents Observer

Lovely colourful houses in Tromso [image:getintotravel]

Tromso Chess – 17/8/2013 Game 3 round 1

Tromso round 3 tight security

Final game 1 – Kramnik wins

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Anand – Champion of the Chess World!

Anand – Photo: CNN-IBN News [Twitter]

Tie break: Gelfand vs Anand: 1 1/2 – 2 1/2

These are some of the Tweets  from Twitter about Anand retaining his title – for the 5th time – as World Chess Champion.

Update: 4/6/2012 – Pogonina on Twitter

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Chess in Schools 415 signatures, Applause in the European Parliament!

It was in the late 90’s when I said to my ex-headteacher that I would love to see chess as a subject in schools, for all the known reasons why children would benefit from it. – There are many entries on my blog about research and the benefits of chess – in the ‘search’ box you can type key words and you should find about 10 entries-or even more about the benefits of chess. You can read similar/same entries on many other sites too. Research conducted by various people from various countries in different/same areas has shown the same results. There is no doubt that chess, not only help children with all subjects in school [including reading!], but also support children in building/developing their skills for life. The fact that the European Parliament has made this decision,  is great news for chess and chess-lovers all over the world!

“This is a historical success for the European chess. The date of March 13th, 2012 will go down in chess history as the date when the game of chess advanced to a higher level of recognition by the society – not just like sport, but also like a part of education in the modern world.” – said Mr. Silvio Danailov, the President of the European Chess Union.

The President of the European Chess Union Mr. Silvio Danailov was applauded by all the MEPs for the success of the ‘Chess in School’ Declaration. This happened during the official parliamentary session at the EU Parliament where Mr. Danailov was invited as a special guest and presented by the Bulgarian MEP Mr. Slavi Binev. The President of the EU Parliament, Mr. Martin Schulz officially announced from the rostrum that the Written Declaration 50/2011 about Chess in School was endorsed by the EU Parliament.
After the session, some of the MEPs said to Mr. Danailov that the acceptance of the Declaration is really a great success, because the EU MEPs usually adopt only small number of Declarations, 10-15% of them. The final number of the MEPs who have signed the Written Declaration 50/2011 is 415.
Silvio Danailov, Bulgarian MEP Slavi Binev and the chess legend Garry Kasparov, also gave an official press conference, which reached audience on 250 national TV stations from Europe and the world. All activities and events connected to the project “Chess in school” were held under the high patronage of the previous President of the European Parliament, prof. Jerzy Buzek and Mr. Slavi Binev, who is the main supporter of the project and who introduced the Written Declaration 50/2011. During the press conference, Mr. Danailov gave a special award to Mr. Binev for his big contribution to the acceptance of the Written Declaration. MEPs John Attard-Montalto and Hannu Takkula, who were among the strongest supporters of the project, also took part in the press conference.
The Written Declaration will officially be communicated from the Parliament to the Commission and to the Parliament of each EU Member State together with the list of signatories.
The Declaration calls on the Commission and Council:

– To encourage the introduction of the program ‘Chess in School’ in the educational system of the Member States;

– To pay, in its forthcoming communication on sport, the necessary attention to the program ‘Chess in School’ and to ensure sufficient funding for it from 2012 onwards;

– To take into consideration the results of any studies on the effects of this program on children’s development.

The development and implementation of the program will be carried out as a joint project between the European Chess Union and Kasparov Chess Foundation Europe.

Source: Please click HERE for the site of EUROPECHESS

Toasting success! Garry Kasparov, Silvio Danailov and the team celebrate. Image: chess.com

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Chess as a Slow Dance of Seduction

It’s a long time since I’ve blogged something chessy – so here goes… time is tight! I don’t even have enough time to play a proper chess game. Luckily, it’s almost Easter Hols and then I might have a few spare hours to play a game or two. I do miss playing chess though! I’ve come across this movie-article and thought to share it with you. The movies can’t go without chess! It’s Spring and trees around us are almost covered in blossoms. This flower-pic was taken in August last year. I hate these bees we have here, they are surely not friendly and look quite scary.

In ‘Queen to Play’ Sandrine Bonnaire plays a chambermaid empowered by playing chess.

Chess as a Slow Dance of Seduction

By STEPHEN HOLDEN

Published: March 31, 2011

Caroline Bottaro’s tangy comic bonbon, “Queen to Play,” plucks the game of chess out of the metaphorical realm of spy thrillers and reimagines it as a fable about relationships and upward mobility. Adapted from Bertina Henrichs’s novel “The Chess Player,” this slight but captivating movie (Ms. Bottaro’s directorial debut) compares the strategies of chess to the erotic maneuvers in a flirtatious pas de deux that may be more satisfying than actual sex. At the same time, a woman’s winning the game symbolizes female empowerment in a man’s world and ascent from working-class drudgery to the bourgeoisie.

Hélène (Sandrine Bonnaire), the movie’s sly, middle-aged Cinderella, is an attractive chambermaid at a luxury hotel in Corsica. While going about her chores, she observes a chess game being played by a sexy American couple (Jennifer Beals and Dominic Gould) on the balcony of their suite. Stealthy moves accompanied by insinuating eye contact culminate with the woman’s defeating the man and flashing Hélène a smile of conspiratorial glee.

Hélène takes the hint, and at a birthday party for her husband, a handsome dockworker named Ange (Francis Renaud), she presents him with an electronic chess set in the hopes of reigniting the spark in their marriage. Ange is mystified and vaguely annoyed by the gift. When he expresses no interest in learning the game, Hélène begins teaching herself to play and quickly becomes obsessed.

“Queen to Play” is a lighthearted, grown-up fairy tale in which chess consumes Hélène’s imagination and transforms her life. As she mops a black-and-white checkered floor, it becomes a surreal dreamscape. At a restaurant she makes chess pieces out of crumbled bread and pushes them around the squares of the red-and-white tablecloth.

The intimate looks exchanged by the characters as they compete for advantage in a game in which the queen is the most powerful piece tell us as much about them as anything they say. Sometimes chess even suggests a mental striptease in which the players shed their defenses as they exchange glances and dare each other to go forward. At other times it conjures a war between the sexes, with Hélène the feminist upstart challenging male dominance.

Avid to learn more, she discovers a chess set in the house of Dr. Kröger (Kevin Kline, in his first entirely French-speaking role), a widowed American professor for whom she works as a part-time housecleaner. She volunteers to clean his place in exchange for weekly chess lessons. A mysterious figure suffering from an unidentified lung ailment, Kröger agrees. When, after only a few lessons, she is regularly beating him, he urges her to enter a local tournament.

In small but significant ways, “Queen to Play” defies expectations. It dangles the possibility of an affair between Hélène and Kröger in games that the film likens to courtship rituals in a classic screwball comedy. But their flirtation is never physically consummated.

Hélène’s relationships with her husband and rebellious teenage daughter, Lisa (Alexandra Gentil), undergo surprising transformations. Ange, initially threatened by Hélène’s passion, which keeps her out late and distracts her from housework, is initially so suspicious that he follows her to a lesson and spies on her. But once he realizes that she has a gift, his jealousy turns to admiration, and the flame of desire is rekindled. Lisa, who is so ashamed and contemptuous of her parents for being “poor” that she refuses to invite boyfriends to the house, becomes her mother’s fervent champion.

Ms. Bonnaire’s Hélène subtly evolves from a harried, resentful domestic wearing a perpetually hurt expression into a woman who discovers her power. Mr. Kline, as the haughty, secretive professor with a kind heart under a prickly exterior gives one of his finest screen performances, executed with minute fluctuations in his body language.

In their most delicious scene Hélène and Kröger play an imaginary game of chess away from the board. Gazing into each other’s eyes, they engage in what has the ring of intellectual pillow talk. Although the conversation is entirely chaste, in the intensity with which they study each other’s signals, they might as well be newlyweds.

QUEEN TO PLAY

Opens on Friday in Manhattan.

Directed by Caroline Bottaro; written by Ms. Bottaro and Caroline Maly, based on the novel “The Chess Player,” by Bertina Henrichs; director of photography, Jean-Claude Larrieu; edited by Tina Baz Le Gal; music by Nicola Piovani; set design by Emmanuel de Chauvigny; costumes by Dorothée Guiraud; produced by Dominique Besneard and Michel Feller; released by Zeitgeist Films. In French, with English subtitles. Running time: 1 hour 36 minutes. This film is not rated.

WITH: Sandrine Bonnaire (Hélène), Kevin Kline (Dr. Kröger), Francis Renaud (Ange), Jennifer Beals (the American Woman), Dominic Gould (the American Man), Valérie Lagrange (Maria) and Alexandra Gentil (Lisa).

A version of this review appeared in print on April 1, 2011, on page C8 of the New York edition..

Source: http://movies.nytimes.com/2011/04/01/movies/kevin-kline-in-caroline-bottaros-queen-to-play-review.html

Time is tight – enjoy!

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South African Open 2010

It is time to enter for the South African Open 2010. Click the image for the Official website of the organisers: Ramlodi. The link is also on my blog’s side bar. Last year we had 3 GM’s to play in this tournament online from different continents and it was the first Fide tournament to be played online. You can visit the official website or follow some of the links here. Games/photos will be followed and blogged here as results will become available during the tournament.
Please click here for the ONLINE entry form. [Links will open in a new window] NON-Citizens of South Africa: Click click here to pay via PayPal or visit the Official site for the same link.
 

The Venue: Tswane University of Technology [Pretoria]

Venue: Inside [Theunis Bester Hall] – see more pics on the Official site.

Schedule SA Open 2010 or click on this PDF-link to download the schedule.
SA Open 2010 Schedule in PDF

History of the South Africa Chess Open Championships
The Cape Town Chess Club is the oldest chess club in the country, boasting an un-interruped existence since its foundation in 1885! However, it is almost certainly not the first club that was formed. Besides the reference above to a club which met in Cape Town in 1847, the Grahamstown Journal of 29 December 1969 reports the result of a match of three games played by correspondence that year between Amateur Chess Club of Port Elizabeth and the Grahamstown Chess Club. Grahamstown won all three games.
The 1st SA Championship, Cape Town 1892
At the Cape Town Chess Club’s 7th Annual General Meeting in March 1892, J.H. Clark, one of the club’s most prominent member introduced a proposal that a general chess tournament, open to all chess players in South Africa, be held in Cape Town under the auspices of the Cape Town Chess
Club. This proposal was received with enthusiasm and the club set about organising the tournament. The Metropolitan Hall in Burg Street was the venue. The tournament was opened by the club’s President, the Bishop of Cape Town, and others on the platform were General Cameron, officer commanding the local British forces. Prize money offered amounted to £25. The rate of play was 25 moves per hour, with sessions of four hours duration, but few games lasted that long. Eleven players were accepted for the Championship proper and ten played in the Minor tournament, both being round-robins. The tournament was to last six days, during which the contestants had to play 10 games. This heavy schedule was quite acceptable to all, it seems. Rivett and Roberts each scored 9½ out of 10. They then contested two games to break the tie, the first beginning at 4pm on the sixth day of the tournament. Roberts won this and at 7:30pm that same day the second game commenced. Rivett was successful so the title was shared.

The 2nd SA Championship, Cape Town 1897
After a lapse of five years the Cape Town Chess Club again took the initiative and staged the second SA Championship in 1897. The committee has budgeted for a total expenditure of £200 and it is noteworthy that the full amount was subscribed by donors, among whom was President Steyn of Orange Free State, who gave £5. The Prizes in the Championship were £30, £20, £10 and £5, with a further £10 for consolation prizes. For the Minor tournament, which attracted a field of 11, £25 was
allocated for prizes. The tournament was in fact a triumph for the Cape Town players, for after Roberts came Cameron
with 9 points and then another club representative Friedman was tied with Kummel for third and fourth placings, each scoring 8½.
The 3rd SA Championship, Durban 1899
The 4th SA Championship, Johannesburg 1903
The 5th SA Championship, Cape Town 1906

Source: Ramlodi.co.za

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Chess and the little green men from space

In the Chess World the Russian Chess Federation was under sieged…it seemed. Read on this link what happened. Kasparov and Karpov are both involved in this FIDE-matter. [The link will open in a new window.] There are some little green men –dressed in yellow – involved too. I hope you enjoy my edited image. [click on the image for a larger view] See original images
HERE and also here. You can see Mr Spock playing chess in Star Trek here.
See two more edited images of  ‘Flash’ Karpov here on my blogger-blog.

Image: chessgames

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Anand vs Topalov 2

Image: Official site

Anand vs Topalov ..the battle continues! Anand is my favourite…go Anand! See my other entries  HERE and  HERE where you can see chess graphics of their other games, especially on the first link.

See the Official Website’s link to the sidebar of my blog…top right.

GAME 7: 3rd May 2010 Anand vs Topalov 1/2

Game 7 move 8

Game 7 move 25

Game 7 – Anand playing white : Image: chessdom

Click on images for a clear view – move 28

 Game 7 Move 31

Game 7 move 44

Game 7 end position Anand 1/2 Topalov 1/2

[Event “Sofia BUL, WCC 2010 game_7”]
[Site “Sofia BUL”]
[Date “2010.05.03”]
[Round “7”]
[White “Anand, V.”]
[Black “Topalov, V.”]
[Result “1/2-1/2”]
[ECO “E11”]
[WhiteElo “2787”]
[BlackElo “2805”]
[PlyCount “115”]
[EventDate “2010.04.24”]
[EventType “match”]
[EventRounds “12”]
[EventCountry “BUL”]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Bb4+ 5. Bd2 Be7 6. Bg2 O-O 7. O-O c6 8. Bf4
dxc4 9. Ne5 b5 10. Nxc6 Nxc6 11. Bxc6 Bd7 12. Bxa8 Qxa8 13. f3 Nd5 14. Bd2 e5 15. e4 Bh3 16. exd5 Bxf1 17. Qxf1 exd4 18. a4 Qxd5 19. axb5 Qxb5 20. Rxa7 Re8 21. Kh1 Bf8 22. Rc7 d3 23. Bc3 Bd6 24. Ra7 h6 25. Nd2 Bb4 26. Ra1 Bxc3 27. bxc3 Re2 28. Rd1 Qa4 29. Ne4 Qc2 30. Rc1 Rxh2+ 31. Kg1 Rg2+ 32. Qxg2 Qxc1+ 33. Qf1 Qe3+ 34. Qf2 Qc1+ 35. Qf1 Qe3+ 36. Kg2 f5 37. Nf2 Kh7 38. Qb1 Qe6 39. Qb5 g5 40. g4 fxg4 41. fxg4 Kg6 42. Qb7 d2 43. Qb1+ Kg7 44. Kf1 Qe7 45. Kg2 Qe6 46. Qd1 Qe3 47. Qf3 Qe6 48. Qb7+ Kg6 49. Qb1+ Kg7 50. Qd1 Qe3 51. Qc2 Qe2 52. Qa4 Kg8 53. Qd7 Kf8 54. Qd5 Kg7 55. Kg3 Qe3+ 56. Qf3 Qe5+ 57. Kg2 Qe6 58. Qd1 1/2-1/2

 Update from the Official site:

The FIDE World Chess Championship match resumed on Monday with Viswanathan Anand once again having the White pieces, as according to the regulations, the piece colors are alternating halfway through the match.

The players seem to be very persistent in thorough investigation of the Catalan opening, as the same setup appeared four times when Anand had White pieces.

Once again Topalov switched the variation, and included 4…Bb4+ instead of 4…dxc4. Later on, instead of the almost automatic 8. Qc2, Anand preferred the rare 8. Bf4, which prompted Black to immediately capture the pawn on c4 and then hang on it with b5.

The similar position was seen in the encounter Gelfand-Ivanchuk. Topalov varied from that game by playing 11…Bd7.

Anand accepted the gift in the view of exchange on a8, and the game became highly imbalanced as Black caught up the initiative.

A timely opening of the a-file and breach to the 7th rank gave Anand solid counterplay. After the exchange of the Bishops, it appeared that White managed to stabilise and block the dangerous d-pawn.

Topalov brought his heavy artillery to the 2nd rank, but could not achieve more than perpetual check as White kept the enemy Queen under contact attack.

But Anand refused the possibility of perpetual, on two occasions, and continued to fight for more. Nevertheless, the Black passed pawn demanded lots of caution, and White was unable to gain more with the Knight burdened on f2. The draw was finally agreed on move 58.

Game eight is taking place tomorrow, with Veselin Topalov playing the White pieces. Live commentary at the official website is starting at 14:45 local time.

GAME 8 – Topalov vs Anand : 4th May 2010

Game 8 move 8

Game 8 move 53

Game 8 Final position Topalov 1 – Anand

[Event “Sofia BUL, WCC 2010 Game_8”]
[Site “Sofia BUL”]
[Date “2010.05.04”]
[Round “8”]
[White “Topalov, V.”]
[Black “Anand, V.”]
[Result “1-0”]
[ECO “D17”]
[WhiteElo “2805”]
[BlackElo “2787”]
[PlyCount “111”]
[EventDate “2010.04.24”]
[EventType “match”]
[EventRounds “12”]
[EventCountry “BUL”]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. Ne5 e6 7. f3 c5 8. e4 Bg6
9. Be3 cxd4 10. Qxd4 Qxd4 11. Bxd4 Nfd7 12. Nxd7 Nxd7 13. Bxc4 Rc8 14. Bb5 a6 15. Bxd7+ Kxd7 16. Ke2 f6 17. Rhd1 Ke8 18. a5 Be7 19. Bb6 Rf8 20. Rac1 f5 21. e5 Bg5 22. Be3 f4 23. Ne4 Rxc1 24. Nd6+ Kd7 25. Bxc1 Kc6 26. Bd2 Be7 27. Rc1+ Kd7 28. Bc3 Bxd6 29. Rd1 Bf5 30. h4 g6 31. Rxd6+ Kc8 32. Bd2 Rd8 33. Bxf4 Rxd6 34. exd6 Kd7 35. Ke3 Bc2 36. Kd4 Ke8 37. Ke5 Kf7 38. Be3 Ba4 39. Kf4 Bb5 40. Bc5 Kf6 41. Bd4+ Kf7 42. Kg5 Bc6 43. Kh6 Kg8 44. h5 Be8 45. Kg5 Kf7 46. Kh6 Kg8 47. Bc5 gxh5 48. Kg5 Kg7 49. Bd4+ Kf7 50. Be5 h4 51. Kxh4 Kg6 52. Kg4 Bb5 53. Kf4 Kf7 54. Kg5 Bc6 55. Kh6 Kg8 56. g4 1-0

 GAME 9 Thursday 6th May 2010

Game 9 move 8

Game 9 move 43

Game 9 Final Position Anand 1/2 Topalov 1/2

[Event “Sofia BUL, WCC 2010 Game_9”]
[Site “Sofia BUL”]
[Date “2010.05.06”]
[Round “9”]
[White “Anand, V.”]
[Black “Topalov, V.”]
[Result “1/2-1/2”]
[ECO “E54”]
[WhiteElo “2787”]
[BlackElo “2805”]
[PlyCount “165”]
[EventDate “2010.04.24”]
[EventType “match”]
[EventRounds “12”]
[EventCountry “BUL”]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 c5 6. Nf3 d5 7. O-O cxd4 8. exd4 dxc4 9. Bxc4 b6 10. Bg5 Bb7 11. Re1 Nbd7 12. Rc1 Rc8 13. Bd3 Re8 14. Qe2 Bxc3 15. bxc3 Qc7 16. Bh4 Nh5 17. Ng5 g6 18. Nh3 e5 19. f3 Qd6 20. Bf2 exd4 21. Qxe8+ Rxe8 22. Rxe8+ Nf8 23. cxd4 Nf6 24. Ree1 Ne6 25. Bc4 Bd5 26. Bg3 Qb4 27. Be5 Nd7 28. a3 Qa4 29. Bxd5 Nxe5 30. Bxe6 Qxd4+ 31. Kh1 fxe6 32. Ng5 Qd6 33. Ne4 Qxa3 34. Rc3 Qb2 35. h4 b5 36. Rc8+ Kg7 37. Rc7+ Kf8 38. Ng5 Ke8 39. Rxh7 Qc3 40. Rh8+ Kd7 41. Rh7+ Kc6 42. Re4 b4 43. Nxe6 Kb6 44. Nf4 Qa1+ 45. Kh2 a5 46. h5 gxh5 47. Rxh5 Nc6 48. Nd5+ Kb7 49. Rh7+ Ka6 50. Re6 Kb5 51. Rh5 Nd4 52. Nb6+ Ka6 53. Rd6 Kb7 54. Nc4 Nxf3+ 55. gxf3 Qa2+ 56. Nd2 Kc7 57. Rhd5 b3 58. Rd7+ Kc8 59. Rd8+ Kc7 60. R8d7+ Kc8 61. Rg7 a4 62. Rc5+ Kb8 63. Rd5 Kc8 64. Kg3
Qa1 65. Rg4 b2 66. Rc4+ Kb7 67. Kf2 b1=Q 68. Nxb1 Qxb1 69. Rdd4 Qa2+ 70. Kg3 a3 71. Rc3 Qa1 72. Rb4+ Ka6 73. Ra4+ Kb5 74. Rcxa3 Qg1+ 75. Kf4 Qc1+ 76. Kf5 Qc5+ 77. Ke4 Qc2+ 78. Ke3 Qc1+ 79. Kf2 Qd2+ 80. Kg3 Qe1+ 81. Kf4 Qc1+ 82. Kg3 Qg1+ 83. Kf4 1/2-1/2

 Game 10 Topalov vs Anand 7th May 2010 – 1/2

Game 10 move 7

Game 10 move 52

Game 10 End position Topalov 1/2 Anand 1/2

[Event “Sofia BUL, WCC 2010 Game_10”]
[Site “Sofia BUL”]
[Date “2010.05.07”]
[Round “10”]
[White “Topalov, V.”]
[Black “Anand, V.”]
[Result “1/2-1/2”]
[ECO “D87”]
[WhiteElo “2805”]
[BlackElo “2787”]
[PlyCount “119”]
[EventDate “2010.04.24”]
[EventType “match”]
[EventRounds “12”]
[EventCountry “BUL”]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bc4 c5 8. Ne2 Nc6 9. Be3 O-O 10. O-O b6 11. Qd2 Bb7 12. Rac1 Rc8 13. Rfd1 cxd4 14. cxd4 Qd6 15. d5 Na5 16. Bb5 Rxc1 17. Rxc1 Rc8 18. h3 Rxc1+ 19. Qxc1 e6 20. Nf4 exd5 21. Nxd5 f5 22. f3 fxe4 23. fxe4 Qe5 24. Bd3 Nc6 25. Ba6 Nd4 26. Qc4 Bxd5 27. Qxd5+ Qxd5 28. exd5 Be5 29. Kf2 Kf7 30. Bg5 Nf5 31. g4 Nd6 32. Kf3 Ne8 33. Bc1 Nc7 34. Bd3 Bd6 35. Ke4 b5 36. Kd4 a6 37. Be2 Ke7 38. Bg5+ Kd7 39. Bd2 Bg3 40. g5 Bf2+ 41. Ke5 Bg3+ 42. Ke4 Ne8 43. Bg4+ Ke7 44. Be6 Nd6+ 45. Kf3 Nc4 46. Bc1 Bd6 47. Ke4 a5 48. Bg4 Ba3 49. Bxa3+ Nxa3 50. Ke5 Nc4+ 51. Kd4 Kd6 52. Be2 Na3 53. h4 Nc2+ 54. Kc3 Nb4 55. Bxb5 Nxa2+ 56. Kb3 Nb4 57. Be2 Nxd5 58. h5 Nf4 59. hxg6 hxg6 60. Bc4 1/2-1/2

 GAME 11 Anand vs Topalov 9th May 2010

Anand vs Topalov game 11 results: 1/2

Game 11 move 7

Game 11 move 15

Game 11 move 26

Game 11 move 39

Game 11 move 47

[Event “Sofia BUL, WCC 2010 Game_11”]
[Site “Sofia BUL”]
[Date “2010.05.09”]
[Round “11”]
[White “Anand, V.”]
[Black “Topalov, V.”]
[Result “1/2-1/2”]
[ECO “A29”]
[WhiteElo “2787”]
[BlackElo “2805”]
[PlyCount “130”]
[EventDate “2010.04.24”]
[EventType “match”]
[EventRounds “12”]
[EventCountry “BUL”]

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2 Nb6 7. O-O Be7 8. a3 O-O 9. b4 Be6 10. d3 f6 11. Ne4 Qe8 12. Nc5 Bxc5 13. bxc5 Nd5 14. Bb2 Rd8 15. Qc2 Nde7 16. Rab1 Ba2 17. Rbc1 Qf7 18. Bc3 Rd7 19. Qb2 Rb8 20. Rfd1 Be6 21. Rd2 h6 22. Qb1 Nd5 23. Rb2 b6 24. cxb6 cxb6 25. Bd2 Rd6 26. Rbc2 Qd7 27. h4 Rd8 28. Qb5 Nde7 29. Qb2 Bd5 30. Bb4 Nxb4 31. axb4 Rc6 32. b5 Rxc2 33. Rxc2 Be6 34. d4 e4 35. Nd2 Qxd4 36. Nxe4 Qxb2 37. Rxb2 Kf7 38. e3 g5 39. hxg5 hxg5 40. f4 gxf4 41. exf4 Rd4 42. Kf2 Nf5 43. Bf3 Bd5 44. Nd2 Bxf3 45. Nxf3 Ra4 46. g4 Nd6 47. Kg3 Ne4+ 48. Kh4 Nd6 49. Rd2 Nxb5 50. f5 Re4 51. Kh5 Re3 52. Nh4 Nc3 53. Rd7+ Re7 54. Rd3 Ne4 55. Ng6 Nc5 56. Ra3 Rd7 57. Re3 Kg7 58. g5 b5 59. Nf4 b4 60. g6 b3 61. Rc3 Rd4 62. Rxc5 Rxf4 63. Rc7+ Kg8 64. Rb7 Rf3 65. Rb8+ Kg7 1/2-1/2

 GAME 12 – Final game

Results: Anand retains his title!! YIPPEE!!!

Topalov vs Anand 0-1

Game 12 move 7

Game 12 move 15

Game 12 move 22

Game 12 move 48

Game 12 End Position

[Event “Sofia BUL, WCC 2010 Game_12”]
[Site “Sofia BUL”]
[Date “2010.05.11”]
[Round “12”]
[White “Topalov, V.”]
[Black “Anand, V.”]
[Result “0-1”]
[ECO “D56”]
[WhiteElo “2805”]
[BlackElo “2787”]
[PlyCount “112”]
[EventDate “2010.04.24”]
[EventType “match”]
[EventRounds “12”]
[EventCountry “BUL”]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 O-O 7. e3 Ne4 8. Bxe7 Qxe7 9. Rc1 c6 10. Be2 Nxc3 11. Rxc3 dxc4 12. Bxc4 Nd7 13. O-O b6 14. Bd3 c5 15. Be4 Rb8 16. Qc2 Nf6 17. dxc5 Nxe4 18. Qxe4 bxc5 19. Qc2 Bb7 20. Nd2 Rfd8 21. f3 Ba6 22. Rf2 Rd7 23. g3 Rbd8 24. Kg2 Bd3 25. Qc1 Ba6 26. Ra3 Bb7 27. Nb3 Rc7 28. Na5 Ba8 29. Nc4 e5 30. e4 f5 31. exf5 e4 32. fxe4 Qxe4+ 33. Kh3 Rd4 34. Ne3 Qe8 35. g4 h5 36. Kh4 g5+ 37. fxg6 Qxg6 38. Qf1 Rxg4+ 39. Kh3 Re7 40. Rf8+ Kg7 41. Nf5+ Kh7 42. Rg3 Rxg3+ 43. hxg3 Qg4+ 44. Kh2 Re2+ 45. Kg1 Rg2+ 46. Qxg2 Bxg2 47. Kxg2 Qe2+ 48. Kh3 c4 49. a4 a5 50. Rf6 Kg8 51. Nh6+ Kg7 52. Rb6 Qe4 53. Kh2 Kh7 54. Rd6 Qe5 55. Nf7 Qxb2+ 56. Kh3 Qg7 0-1

 Anand 6 1/2 – Topalov 5 1/2

Anand retained the title of the World Chess Champion

The last classical game of the FIDE World Chess Championship was opened with Lasker variation of the Queen’s Gambit Declined as Viswanathan Anand sought for a solid defence in which White would have only minimal chances to score a victory. The opening went quietly until Anand moved the slightly unusual 16…Nf6. This was the moment where Veselin Topalov took a bit longer to decide on the middlegame plan.

Topalov allowed Black to trade the Be4 and in return he forced an isolated pawn on c5. But is was not easy to besiege this pawn as Black successfully coordinated pieces and obtained excellent counterplay.

White took some time to consolidate the position and avoid tactics on the back-rank and against the Knight on d2. Anand silently offered a moves repetition with Bd3-a6, but Topalov snubbed the offer.

White established the Knight on c4, while Black Bishop possessed a long diagonal from a8. Exactly in this moment, Topalov erred in an attempt to prevent Black’s e5-e4. He played e4 himself, but Anand did not hesitate long before breaking the formation with 30…f5 and 31…e4.

Topalov carelessly traded the pawn on e4 and fell under a strong attack. The Black battery Queen-Rook-Bishop worked perfectly in the pursuit after White King. It looked like the game was over, and even Anand admitted that he couldn’t see a defence for White, but Topalov found some remarkable resources and managed to prolong the game.

But with a series of precise moves, Anand managed to convert the advantage and bring victory home on move 56. The final score is 6,5:5,5.

Thus Anand retained the title of the World Chess Champion! Congratulations!

Source: Official site… Anand-Topalov

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