Topalov On Top At Zug; Zugs Up In The New Rating List

He's baaaaack! Veselin Topalov closed out the Grand Prix tournament in Zug, Switzerland in emphatic fashion, Actually, that may overstate things a bit. He won today (in what was the only decisive game of the round) almost in self-defense against Sergey Karjakin. Topalov needed only a draw to clinch clear first (a loss combined with a win by Hikaru Nakamura would leave them tied for first), but Karjakin got ambitious after coming out of the opening with an edge. He was justified in that ambition, but on this occasion his reach exceeded his grasp, and he was soon punished. Thus Topalov finished with a very impressive +5 score (and a 2929 TPR), gained 22 rating points and jumped up to #4 on the brand new rating list, not too far below the 2800 barrier he had traversed in the mid '00s.

Even more good news for Topalov is that he leads in the overall Grand Prix standings. He has played in two of the three Grand Prix events held so far, and in addition to his clear first in Zug he tied for first (with Boris Gelfand and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov in the other, in London last year). There will be three more such tournaments in the current series, with each player participating in four of them. The overall winner and runner-up will receive automatic berths into the next Candidates' event, so while plenty of time remains his chances are looking extremely good at the moment. Of course, if he keeps playing like this, he may manage to qualify by rating even if somehow two players manage to squeak past him by the end of the series.

Final Standings:

1. Topalov 8 (out of 11)
2. Nakamura 6.5
3-4. Ponomariov, Caruana 6
5-6. Kamsky, Morozevich 5.5
7-9. Giri, Leko, Karjakin 5
10-12. Radjabov, Mamedyarov, Kasimdzhanov 4.5

Zug Grand Prix, Rounds 9 & 10: Lots Of Action; Topalov Leads

I'm a bit too tired to offer a substantive report on the goings-on at the FIDE Grand Prix in Zug, Switzerland; so I'll confine myself to "just the facts" comments and a few links. The last two rounds have been something of a bloodbath with three decisive games (of six) in round nine and four of six in round 10. This is at least partially due to a pretty fair number of blunders.

The most important decisive games in round 9 were Kamsky-Caruana (a well-played win for Caruana [send him back!] in a Closed Ruy and Nakamura-Morozevich (in which Morozevich self-destructed, going from much better to worse to dead lost and resigning in a game of just 34 moves; that was his third consecutive loss). After the round Topalov (who drew with Mamedyarov) still led, but by just half a point over Caruana; Ponomariov, Karjakin and Nakamura were a further half a point behind. (For further, fuller reports on the round there are plenty of options including the official site and TWIC.)

So what pairing headlined the tenth round? Caruana-Topalov, naturally. The played a Byrne Attack Najdorf that saw Topalov eschew the eponymous Topalov Variation (8...h5) with one featuring an eventual ...a5. That's not the most common approach in the Byrne Attack, and the players agreed afterwards that White had some advantage. (Though they seemed to differ about how large the advantage one - Caruana seemed more sanguine.) Topalov played the second half of the game much more accurately and incisively than Caruana, however, and managed to grind out the full point. He thus increased his lead over the field, but only to a full point rather than a point and a half. That's because Nakamura won his second straight game, and even more quickly than in round 9. Nakamura defeated Mamedyarov in just 22 moves. (There is some feeling that Mamedyarov may have resigned prematurely, but his position was clearly inferior in any case.)

Standings After Round 10:

1. Topalov 7
2. Nakamura 6
3-4. Ponomariov, Caruana 5.5
5-7. Kamsky, Karjakin, Morozevich 5
8-9. Giri, Leko 4.5
10-12. Radjabov, Mamedyarov, Kasimdzhanov 4

Final Round Pairings:

• Leko - Kasimdzhanov
• Kamsky - Giri
• Topalov - Karjakin
• Nakamura - Caruana
• Radjabov - Mamedyarov
• Ponomariov - Morozevich

Zug Grand Prix, Round 2: Champions' Day!

Maybe their FIDE World Championship titles don't rank as high as those associated with the historical lineage through Kasparov, but Veselin Topalov, Ruslan Ponomariov and Rustam Kasimdzhanov are all great players capable of taking down any opponent on a given day. In round 2 of the Grand Prix in Zug, they and only they were successful in bringing home the full point - though not without some trouble.

Topalov in particular was at times in serious trouble against Peter Leko, but the latter's time trouble errors on moves 39 and 40 brought Topalov from much worse to much better. Leko erred a final time, in the second time control, and that left Veselin victorious.

Kasimdzhanov likewise had some anxious moments in his game before winning. Like Topalov, Kasimdzhanov had the white pieces but wound up outfoxed in the complications. I don't know if Kamsky ever had a serious advantage, but he was the one pressing through most of the middlegame. The imitation also carried over in the negative way too, though: like Leko, Kamsky went awry in time trouble, and Kasimdzhanov enjoyed a fairly easy technical task in the second time control.

The third winner was Ponomariov, who showed Fabiano Caruana and all watching the considerable technical prowess that allowed him to become the FIDE World Champion back in 2002 as a mere 18-year-old.

In other games, Hikaru Nakamura (lightly) pressed Anish Giri for a long time, but only because of the rule against draw offers. (As an editorial note: when a player as renowned for his ferocious fighting spirit as Hikaru Nakamura says that such a rule is dumb, as he did in the post-game press conference, it might at least incline one to suspect that it really is dumb, and that other critics of the rule aren't necessarily objecting because they pine for the days of the 30-move draw. In fact, in that same press conference Nakamura offered his general approval of the idea of not having draw offers before, say, move 40.)

Finally, Alexander Morozevich and Teimour Radjabov both enjoyed some advantage on the white side of the Gruenfeld against Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and Sergei Karjakin, respectively, but little slips let their opponents reach safety.

Morozevich, Ponomariov and Topalov are the early leaders with 1.5/2; here are the round 3 pairings:

• Mamedyarov - Kasimdzhanov
• Caruana - Morozevich
• Karjakin - Ponomariov
• Giri - Radjabov
• Leko - Nakamura
• Kamsky - Topalov

London Grand Prix: Gelfand, Mamedyarov and Topalov Tie For First

The first leg of the current FIDE Grand Prix has come to an end, with three players sharing first (no tiebreaks) in the inaugural leg in London. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov came into the round in clear first, but whether due to a lack of ambition or simply good prep from Peter Leko he got nothing with the white pieces and finished quickly (in terms of time) with a 41-move draw.

That gave Boris Gelfand, Veselin Topalov and Alexander Grischuk the chance to catch him in a tie for first, if they could win in the last round, and two of them did. Grischuk had White against Hikaru Nakamura, but despite that and the latter's generally poor form in the tournament he held a draw without much trouble. Nakamura repeated a relatively minor line of the Dragon he used as a surprise weapon against Anish Giri in Wijk aan Zee earlier this year. Grischuk was probably prepared and varied first, but may have been surprised anew by Nakamura's 18...Rab8 (18...b4 is usual). Grischuk didn't get much, and after 24.Bxg7 (the engine claims that 24.axb4 may offer White a very small edge...maybe) it was equal and the players were satisfied with an unforced (but reasonable) draw by repetition.

Veselin Topalov won a Carlsen-like game. Anish Giri had a very small pull with White in a Queen's Gambit Declined sideline, but it looked for all the world like it was heading for a quick draw. It was an even ending, but Giri started to drift. His 30th and 31st moves weren't so bad, but they sowed the seeds of his later troubles. The bishop remained shut out on a5 for a long time, while 31.h4 allowed Topalov to break up the kingside and eventually create a pair of central passers. For whatever reason, Giri was badly outplayed in the endgame, and Topalov won (or at least tied for first) in a major event for the first time in some years.

Another player who had gone quite some time without winning a round-robin event was Boris Gelfand, but with an impressive win over Rustam Kasimdzhanov, he did it. Generally speaking, it was a convincing victory, but as he admitted after the game he "blundered" 14...Bc6. (Linguistic note: there's a strange trend I've only noticed over the past year or so, but it seems to be everywhere now, and that's using the word "blundered" as a synonym for "overlooked". That isn't what the word means!) Fortunately for him, Kasimdzhanov "blundered" it too, and Gelfand went on to win in style. Kasimdzhanov blundered (correct usage!) into a forced mate at the end, but even without the helpmate White's win was routine.

Final Standings:

1-3. Topalov, Gelfand, Mamedyarov 7
4. Grischuk 6.5
5. Leko 6
6. Wang Hao 5.5
7-8. Ivanchuk, Adams 5
9-10. Kasimdzhanov, Dominguez 4.5
11-12. Giri, Nakamura 4

Olympiad, Round 10 Game of the Day

It's not the game of the day in my opinion, as its significance for the medal standings at the Olympiad was nil, but Rustam Kasimdzhanov's quick and overpowering win over Veselin Topalov was an impressive and noteworthy game. So consider it noted, and have a look at IM Andrew Martin's quick presentation (it's mostly a theoretical overview of the variation, with bonus coverage of a game Tregubov-Savchenko, but that's largely because Topalov fell apart so quickly!) here (near the bottom of the page).

Other Events: Vallejo Wins Rapid Match vs. Topalov; Karpov-Seirawan Game 1 is Drawn

The 6-game rapid match between Francisco Vallejo Pons and former FIDE world champion Veselin Topalov finished today in a 3.5-2.5 victory for the Spaniard. Vallejo won game 5 with the white pieces to clinch overall victory. Topalov won the last game after Vallejo blundered at the end of a long defense, but it wasn't enough to save the match. Vallejo certainly isn't a bad player, but whatever Topalov had going for him in the mid-2000s still seems to be gone, long gone. I haven't rooted for Topalov since "Toiletgate", but while I admit to feelings of schadenfreude it's still a pity to see such a great player become a mere shadow of his former self.

Meanwhile, as one match featuring a former world champion (of sorts) finishes, another match with a former world champion begins. The tripartite classical/rapid/blitz match between Anatoly Karpov (he's the former world champion, for the younger internet crowd) and Yasser Seirawan started earlier today in St. Louis, and game 1 was a long and hard-fought draw. Karpov had White in a 4...Bg4 Slav, and for a while had a very slight edge. At a certain point he was a bit careless, however, and then it was Seirawan's turn to torture him for a few hours. Karpov eventually lost a pawn, but defended well despite a permanent time shortage. They'll play a second classical game tomorrow, and the next day things will start speeding up.

Vallejo, Topalov Exchange Wins; Vallejo Leads 2.5-1.5 after Day 2 of Their Rapid Match

In today's first game, Francisco Vallejo crushed Veselin Topalov with White in a Najdorf-cum Keres Attack Scheveningen, rounding the game off with a nice combination. In the day's second game, however, Vallejo varied from the McCutcheon French, which proved so successful in game 2 on Friday. This time he played the quieter 4...Be7, allowing Topalov to obtain the initiative all to himself. This has never been the recipe for playing Topalov, and it wasn't today, either. The former FIDE champion built up an attack and won easily.

Vallejo maintains a 2.5-1.5 lead going into tomorrow's final games, but Topalov is back in the match.

Topalov-Vallejo Rapid Match: Vallejo Leads 1.5-.5 After Day 1 of 3

For all his achievements in classical chess, which in the middle of the last decade were staggering, Veselin Topalov has never been known as a great rapid player. His form hasn't been very good in general the past several years, but one would still expect him to be able to handle Francisco Vallejo Pons in their 6-game rapid match.

He may yet manage, but not so far: after a draw in game one Vallejo won with Black in game two to take the lead. However, this isn't the fault of Topalov's relative lack of prowess in rapid chess, but of his singularly unconvincing line against Vallejo's McCutcheon French. He was much worse very early in the middlegame and lost for much of the game, but fought back to objective (though not practical) equality before giving it back at the end and finishing with a blunder. (I haven't seen time records for the game, but given that it was rapid he was very likely very low on time by then.)

Four games to go.

Topalov 5-Simul Opponents 3

In late April Veselin Topalov played a simul in Vienna, Austria against eight opponents under the age of 18. (Only four of the youngsters were themselves Austrian.) He won pretty comfortably with a 5-3 score, winning four games, drawing two and losing two. Ironically, the losses came in the same opening (the Classical King's Indian) - once with each color - and to the highest and lowest-rated players in the event. GM Richard Rapport defeated him with Black, while Martin Huber beat him on the white side. Those games, along with what was possibly his nicest win, over Tadeas Kriebel, can be replayed here, with brief notes.

[HT: ChessVibes Openings]

Topalov Interview

ChessVibes' series of pre-Wijk aan Zee interviews concludes with a chat with former FIDE world champion Veselin Topalov. He seems surprisingly mellow - almost a little too mellow and unambitious. Maybe he's just trying to stay under the radar; we'll see, starting tomorrow, when Wijk aan Zee gets underway!