The decisive game of the Linares super-tournament in Spain saw Veselin Topalov have White against Alexander Grischuk.
1.e2-e4 c7-c5 2.Ng1-f3 d7-d6 3.d2-d4 c5xd4 4.Nf3xd4 Ng8-f6 5.Nb1-c3 a7-a6 6.Bc1-e3 Nf6-g4 7.Be3-c1 Ng4-f6
[IF]The knight would come back to this square anyway, especially after White's next move. [END IF]/p>
8.h2-h3
[IF]This rare move was a sometimes favourite of Bobby Fischer. [END IF]/p>
8...Nb8-c6 9.g2-g4 Qd8-b6 10.Nd4-e2
[IF]The contemporary approach involves 10.Nd4-b3. An alternative riposte, here or earlier, involves g7-g6. [END IF]/p>
10...e7-e6 11.Bf1-g2 Bf8-e7 12.b2-b3
Play begins to get inventive. 12.Bc1-e3 Qb6xb2?? fails to 13.a2-a3, trapping the queen.
12...h7-h6
[IF]Black could castle, but to discourage g4-g5 is also useful. [END IF]/p>
13.Qd1-d2 g7-g5
Black inhibits f2-f4 but leaves the kingside pawns brittle. Castling is also perfectly reasonable, as is 13...Bc8-d7 14.Bc1-a3 when Black, like White in the game, has an interesting choice between castling long and putting the rook on the queen's square.
14.Bc1-a3 Nc6-e5 15.O-O-O
15.Ra1-d1 saves the f2-pawn but fails to bring the h1-rook into play. 15...h6-h5! would force White to make concessions, in the form of the self-blocking 16.f2-f3, as a price of that pawn.
15...Qb6xf2 16.Ba3xd6 Be7xd6 17.Qd2xd6 Nf6-d7 18.Ne2-d4 Qf2-f6!
Taking the bishop would be catastrophic after Nd4xe6!.
19.Qd6-a3
Opening up a retreat square for the queen at c3 with 19.Nc3-a4 does provide White with good play, though at some points in the chain one wonders whether the initiative has run out. Topalov finds an alternative plan.
19...Qf6-e7 20.Qa3-b2 O-O
Diagram: Time can be a crucial factor. White had 72 minutes, and Black 27, to complete move 40.
21.Nd4-f5
Topalov took a mere three minutes to make this risky piece sacrifice. Other, natural, moves such as 21.Nd4-f3 or 21.Nc3-e2 (-g3) also bring no advantage, and allow Black to develop harmoniously without having to make a lot of crucial decisions.
21...e6xf5 22.Nc3-d5 Qe7-c5 23.e4xf5 a6-a5!
Although Black took five minutes to make the two preceding moves, this unforced and important defensive move came quickly.
24.h3-h4 g5xh4 25.Rh1xh4
The suggestion 25.Kc1-b1 after 25...Ra8-a6 26.Qb2-c1 a5-a4 is fine for Black.
25...Ra8-a6 26.Kc1-b1?
White prepares Rd1-h1, which if played immediately would fail to the knight fork at d3. The computer suggests 26.Rh4-h3. Then Qc5-f2 27.Nd5-e7+ Kg8-h7 28.c2-c4! Qf2-f4+ (the endgame would be unclear) 29.Kc1-b1 Qf4xg4 (Rf8-e8 30.Ne7xc8 Nd7-c5! is also interesting) 30.Rd1-h1 Rf8-e8 31.Qb2-d2 (31.Ne7xc8 Ne5xc4 32.b3xc4 Re8-e2!) Re8xe7 32.Rh3xh6+ Kh7-g8 and White has a perpetual check but no more. If that does not satisfy Black, he has 27...Kg8-g7 when everything changes, but the result still is not clear. The conclusion is that White's sacrifice on move 21 is good for a draw, at best.
26...Qc5-f2
This strong and straightforward move took seven minutes, leaving Grischuk with less than 13 to reach move 40.
27.Nd5-e7+ Kg8-g7
Another five minutes, and it turns out to be a mistake. 27...Kg8-h7 should win.
28.Rh4-h2 f7-f6?
After 28...Qf2-g3 29.Rd1-h1, Ne5xg4 would win more material, but the knight is pinned. Black would still retain the advantage with 28...Rf8-e8 because of a little tactic at the end of White's continuation: 29.Ne7xc8 Re8xc8 30.Bg2xb7 Qf2xh2 31.Bb7xc8 Ra6-a7 and the merciless exploitation of the pin with 32.Bc8xd7? fails to Ra7xd7 33.Rd1xd7 Qh2-g1+ when White must unpin.
29.g4-g5?
Stunning, but White missed 29.Qb2-c1; the attack on h6 overloads Black's short-range knights. For example 29...Ne5xg4 30.Ne7xc8 Nd7-c5 31.Rd1-f1! Qf2-e3 32.Qc1xe3 Ng4xe3 33.Rf1-g1! and there are still some tricky lines, but White emerges with the advantage.
29...f6xg5!
A strong and brave move. Black had about two minutes.
30.Ne7xc8 Ra6-f6! 31.Nc8-e7 Rf8-f7?
After 31...Qf2-g3! Black wins a piece: 32.Rd1-h1 Ne5-g4.
32.Ne7-d5 Ne5-f3?
The knight should go to g4.
33.Bg2xf3 Qf2xh2 34.Nd5xf6?! Nd7xf6 35.a2-a4?! Qh2-f4?! 36.Bf3-d5 Rf7-d7 37.Rd1-e1! Qf4xf5! 38.Bd5-c4?! Qf5-f2?
When one minute remains, subtleties can go out the window. Black with 38...Qf5-c5 would retain an advantage.
39.Qb2-e5! Qf2-d4 40.Qe5-f5! Qd4-g4
The threat of Bc4-d3 and invasion at g6 forced Black to give up the hard-won central square. Now White finally equalizes material, and a long-range bishop shows well in an endgame where both sides have potential passed pawns.
41.Qf5xa5 Rd7-d1+ 42.Re1xd1 Qg4xd1+ 43.Kb1-b2 Qd1-d6
Russian grandmaster Sergey Shipov analyzed that Black could, just barely, draw after a queen trade 43...Qd1-d4+ 44.Qa5-c3, but with the clock ticking and no computer to rely upon, Grischuk was unable to make such a commitment.
44.Qa5-a7 Qd6-e5+ 45.Kb2-a2 Qe5-e4 46.Bc4-d3 Qe4-c6 47.a4-a5 Nf6-d5 48.Qa7-d4+ Nd5-f6
This passive manoeuvre is the only way to defend against a5-a6.
49.Qd4-e5! Kg7-f8 50.c2-c4
White expended about seven minutes from his store on this move, while that amount was all that Grischuk still had before move 60. White should have played 50.Ka2-b2, with excellent winning chances.
50...g5-g4 51.Bd3-f5 Kf8-f7 52.Qe5-b8 Nf6-e8?
Black had about four minutes before this move, but it didn't matter that he had about three afterward. Correct was 52...h6-h5 53.Bf5-c8 Qc6-c5! 54.Qb8xb7+ Kf7-g6 when advancing the a5-pawn leads to perpetual check.
53.Qb8-f4 Qc6-c5 54.Bf5xg4+ Ne8-f6 55.Qf4-f5 Qc5-d4 56.Bg4-f3 Qd4-f2+ 57.Ka2-a3 Kf7-g7 58.Ka3-a4 b7-b6 59.a5xb6 Qf2xb6 60.c4-c5 Qb6-a7+ 61.Ka4-b5 Qa7-b8+ 62.Kb5-c4 Qb8-g8+ 63.Kc4-c3 Qg8-e8 64.b3-b4 Qe8-e1+ 65.Kc3-c4 Qe1-f1+ 66.Kc4-b3 Qf1-b5 67.Bf3-d1 Qb5-c6 68.Bd1-c2 Kg7-f7 69.Bc2-d3
Black resigned.