Sunday
May092010
Game 11, With Notes
Sunday, May 9, 2010 at 9:50PM As usual, we offer full(er) annotations to supplement the live commentary. It was a great game, so have a look, here.
Sunday, May 9, 2010 at 9:50PM Sunday, May 9, 2010 at 9:50PM As usual, we offer full(er) annotations to supplement the live commentary. It was a great game, so have a look, here.
Reader Comments (14)
Dennis,
Great work. Been following your Chessbase shows for years. Too bad they've stopped.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who'd like to make this comment. Whenever you annotate a game, you never (as far as I know) allow a PGN download.
It just frustrates people like me. Yes, I can use Chessbase 10 with Mega 2010 and follow your comments to replicate the entire game. But why make it so frustrating?
If you were to allow PGN downloads, we (I'm sure others would do the same) would put your annotated PGN into a sub-folder under your name so we can always go back to your annotated games.
This would only make your audience remember you more. Ease of use would (for us) only be beneficial to you in the long run.
Think about it.
Thanks for all the good stuff in the past and, I'm sure, great work from you in the future.
How did this game become drawn? There's no 3 fold repetition!
Putting together a 'best of chessmind' cd and selling it is something you should consider as well.
What's the verdict on 50..Rf4 ?
It would be easier if Dennis posted the pgn, but you could always get the game in pgn elsewhere. It's very easy to find.
I hope Anand plays QID in the last game and gets into a sharp battle with Toplaov. I have a feeling that Toplaov would likely overextend and lose.
I am not sure, but I recall Anand's QID results being rather weak, and trotting out a third-line opening in such a critical (understatement) game would be questionable. I would expect him to play the Grunfeld, which he prepared especially for this match, and to follow the main line further than its most recent outing. The Slav is an option as well, but he isn't suited to accurately executing technical plans. I think the problem is that he gets bored - he can play like Kramnik, but he doesn't enjoy it - so the Grunfeld seems reasonable to breathe some life into the position.
I'm surprised he didn't keep the Semi-Slav, given the work he must have done on it for the Kramnik match, but he's committed to his strategic plan.
Thanks for your very nice analyses!
Using CB to put your comments on the Web looks a bit old fashioned to me (to say the least). The appearance (GUI) is only part of the problem but if you expect (after so many years) their clumsy and very expensive software to be bugs-free you will be disappointed. Let's take a look: try selecting 57.Rd8 in your "56...-- 57.Rd8 -- 58.Rf8#" variation line; I failed with two different browsers. If you think that's a minor issue -- think twice. It clearly shows that professional testing is not part of what they do. In software development terms, that's a low quality guarantee. If you're still in doubts, try loading this page in Chrome browser and see if the current move is highlighted at all. At this point I suggest you ask yourself about all the money you paid for such buggy software. After that you should be able to see what a colossal waste of time this has been.
Luckily, there're many other and more attractive solutions (not to mention completely free). Just look around.
How did this game become drawn? There's no 3 fold repetition!
Despite the so-called Sofia rules being in effect, I think Topalov conceded the repetition as inevitable, and agreed to the draw without forcing Anand to play it out on the board.
Schroedimger - I too like the Semi-Slav idea for Anand. The great thing is that he is not the one who has to play for the win. Odd as it may seem, I actually think that Topalov is at a disadvantage with white in the final game.
The great thing is that [Anand] is not the one who has to play for the win. Odd as it may seem, I actually think that Topalov is at a disadvantage with white in the final game.
If you assume that Anand would be happy with a draw, but Topalov only with a win...then yes, it’s advantage Anand: three of Topalov’s previous five White games ended in draws, so that is clearly the most likely outcome.
On the other hand, if you ask which player’s temperament is better suited to a must-win game, I’d have to say Topalov It’s his nature to attack at all times, so he probably won’t play this game any differently than he’d play any other game. In this respect, contrast Topalov to someone like Kramnik, who needed to change his playing style pretty dramatically when he faced a must-win game vs. Anand. (Of course, in that game Kramnick had Black.)
Will Topalov play this game as if he were actually down by a point? That’s the interesting question. I tend to doubt it.
computer geek: I'm not sure what's supposed to be a big waste of time, but if you're unhappy with CB write them, not me. I'm able to make the null-move work in Firefox. They are coming out with a new version of ChessBase soon, so if you think there's a bug, tell them.
Marc Shepherd, part 1: Topalov decided not to stand on ceremony for once, and simply went along when Anand offered the draw. It's at least still in the spirit of his self-declared boycott, as Anand is forcing a perpetual at the end, and just hasn't bothered to wait until the full repetition occurred.
Schrodinger: You're insane. (Not literally!) Anand is a pretty serious favorite in rapid, so he's going to play a variation that factors into Topalov's two greatest strengths: preparation in tactical lines and the ability to use the initiative in highly imbalanced positions? I don't think so. There's a reason Anand plays the Semi-Slav against Kramnik and even Aronian, but never in his entire career against Topalov.
Marc Shepherd, part 2: Don't confuse a player's preference for attacking play with fighting spirit or toughness. Kramnik, who can attack but obviously isn't as aggressive as Topalov, beat Leko in the final game of their match to save the title. Kasparov beat Karpov in game 24 in Seville not by going for the jugular, but by keeping the tension and grinding out a long, tough win. There doesn't seem to be a best style. You just try to get a position where you can cause your opponent problems and hope for the best.
I'm assuming Anand will have to diverge early to avoid TNs - what about stuff like the Schelcter-Noteboom Slav or Chebanenko Slav? Can they cause Topalov enough problems over the board?
Noteboom has long been known to be very very dubious.