Chess: Veselin Topalov rallies in Bulgaria

Position No. 6106: Black to play. Find the quickest win. From the game Indra Lahiri-Leo Kamgar, Western Pacific Open, Los Angeles 2010.

Solution to Position No. 6105: Black wins the Queen by 1…Bd3+ 2 Kc1 Nf3, as White cannot stand 3 Nd5 Rfc8+ or 3 a3 Nxd2 4 axb4 Nb3 mate. Another method is 2…Rfc8, foreseeing 3 Rde1 Rxc3+ or 3 Bxd4 exd4.

Challenger Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria won Tuesday’s eighth game against world champion Viswanathan Anand of India in Sofia, Bulgaria. Topalov’s victory tied the score at 4-4 in the best-of-12-games world championship match.

Each has won an attacking gem and an endgame squeeze. Anand has played slightly more impressively, but style points don’t count.

The match is scheduled to conclude with games at 5 a.m. PDT Sunday and Tuesday. If the score reaches 6-6, tiebreaks will be played Thursday. For live coverage, see the official site, anand-topalov.com.

U.S. Championship

The 2010 U.S. Championship begins Thursday in St. Louis. The 24-player field, one of the strongest ever, features 2009 champion Hikaru Nakamura and 20 other grandmasters. Varuzhan Akobian and Melikset Khachiyan will represent Southern California, and former state champion IM Levon Altounian, who now lives in Arizona, will also participate. The nine-round tournament is scheduled to end May 25.

International news

Former world champion Vladimir Kramnik of Russia, former U.S. Champion Gata Kamsky and GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov of Azerbaijan tied for first last weekend in the President’s Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan. Each scored 5-2 in the round robin of 25-minute games.

The sixth Grand Prix tournament begins today in Astrakhan, Russia. The 14-player round robin will be the final event in the 2008-2009 series that was delayed by the withdrawals of three sponsors. Levon Aronian of Armenia has already clinched first place in the Grand Prix, but the second-place winner will also be invited to the eight-player competition that will determine the challenger in the 2011 world championship.

Local news

Simon Kogan scored 3 1/2-1/2 to win the latest tournament at the Santa Monica Bay Chess Club. The club runs tournaments continuously on Monday evenings in St. Andrew’s Church, 11555 National Blvd. in Los Angeles. Call Pete Savino at (310) 827-2789 for more information.

Tatev Abrahamyan leads IM Tim Taylor, 2 1/2-1 1/2, in their six-game match at the Los Angeles Chess Club.

Today’s games

GM Viswanathan Anand (India)-GM Veselin Topalov (Bulgaria), World Championship, Game No. 4, Sofia 2010: 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 d5 4 g3 The Catalan Opening. dxc4 5 Bg2 Bb4+ The second and sixth games began 5…a6 6 Ne5 c5 7 Na3 cxd4 8 Naxc4. 6 Bd2 a5 7 Qc2 Bxd2+ To hold the pawn. Black can nearly equalize with 7…Nc6 8 Qxc4 Qd5. 8 Qxd2 Also wild is 8 Nbxd2 b5 9 a4 c6 10 Ne5 Nd5. c6 9 a4 Black would not mind 9 Ne5 b5 10 Nxc6 Qc7. b5 10 Na3 New. Topalov lost as Black against Kramnik in 2006 after 10 axb5 cxb5 11 Qg5 0-0 12 Qxb5 Ba6 13 Qa4 Qb6 14 0-0 Qxb2, although he achieved a promising position. In 2009, Kramnik took Black and drew easily against Leko with 14 Nbd2 Bb5 15 Qa3 Nc6. Bd7 Not 10…Ba6?! 11 Ne5 Nd5 because 12 Nxc6! Nxc6 13 axb5 favors White. 11 Ne5 Nd5 12 e4 Nb4 13 0-0 0-0 14 Rfd1 Be8 15 d5 Counting on 15…exd5?! 16 exd5 cxd5 17 axb5, when Black’s pawns are vulnerable. Qd6! The imprecise 15…Qb6?! runs into 16 dxe6 fxe6 17 Qd6! Qxf2+? 18 Kh1, when 19 Rf1 becomes a deadly threat. 16 Ng4 Qc5 17 Ne3 White has ample compensation. N8a6 18 dxc6 bxa4 If 18…Bxc6, then 19 axb5 Bxb5 20 Naxc4! Bxc4 21 Rac1 recovers the pawn advantageously. 19 Naxc4 Bxc6 20 Rac1 h6 More natural is 20…Qg5 21 Nd6 Rfd8, but 22 h4 Qe7 23 Nec4 maintains annoying pressure. 21 Nd6 Qa7 22 Ng4 Rad8? Letting White destroy his Kingside. Too uncomfortable would be 22…Qe7 23 Ne5 Be8 24 Qd4, but Black could hang on with 22…f6 23 Qe2 Nc5 or 22…f6 23 Qc3 Nc7. 23 Nxh6+! gxh6 24 Qxh6 White plans 25 e5 and Rc1-c4-g4. f6 Black has no saving defense. After 24…f5 25 Qxe6+ Kh8 26 exf5, White has both material and attack. Or, if 24…e5 25 Qg5+!, Black suffers after either 25…Kh8 26 Qf6+ Kh7 27 Nf5 or 25…Kh7 26 Bh3 Bd7 27 Nf5. 25 e5! Bxg2 Black could linger, hopelessly, by 25…Qg7 26 Qxg7+ Kxg7 27 Bxc6 fxe5 28 Bxa4. And 25…Bd5 loses quickly to 26 exf6 Rxd6 27 Rd4. 26 exf6! Rxd6 Two other attractive finishes are 26…Bd5 27 Rd4 Qh7 28 Qg5+ Kh8 29 Rh4 Rd7 30 f7 and 26…Qh7 27 Qg5+ Kh8 28 Rc4 Rg8 29 Nf7+! Qxf7 30 Rh4+ Qh7 31 Rxh7+ Kxh7 32 Qh5 mate. 27 Rxd6 Be4 White refutes 27…Bd5 spectacularly with 28 Qg6+ Kh8 29 Rc4! Bxc4 30 Rd4 Qh7 31 Rh4 Rf7 32 Rxh7+ Rxh7 33 Qe8 mate. 28 Rxe6 Threatening both 29 Re7 and 29 Rxe4. Nd3 No better is 28…Qh7 because 29 Qg5+ Bg6 30 f7+! Kxf7 31 Re7+ Kg8 32 Rxh7 Kxh7 33 Rc4 wins. 29 Rc2 Qh7 30 f7+ Qxf7 Or 30…Kxf7 31 Rf6+. 31 Rxe4 Qf5 Against 31…Nxf2, very convincing is 32 Rf4. 32 Re7, Black Resigns. If 32…Rf7, White forces checkmate with 33 Rc8+! Qxc8 34 Qg6+ Kh8 35 Qh5+.

Kiril Badev (Bulgaria)-IM G. Petar Arnaudov (Bulgaria), Bulgarian Championship, Kyustendil 2010: 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 e6 5 Nc3 Qc7 The Taimanov variation of the Sicilian Defense. 6 g3 Fischer’s favorite. a6 7 Bg2 d6 8 0-0 Bd7 9 Nce2 Nf6 Premature is 9…b5?!, as 10 Nxc6 Bxc6 11 Nd4 Bb7 12 a4 takes the initiative. 10 c4 Trying to gain space and to control d5. Black could reply 10…Nxd4 11 Qxd4 e5!? 12 Qd3 Rc8 13 b3 b5, but Arnaudov prefers to complete development. Be7 11 b3 0-0 12 Bb2 Rac8 13 Rc1 Qb8 Preparing …b7-b5. White’s advantage is minimal. 14 Re1 b5 15 Nxc6 Bxc6 16 Nd4 Ba8 Dreaming of liberation with …d6-d5. Instead, 16…Bd7 fails to equalize after 17 cxb5 axb5 18 Qe2. 17 cxb5 axb5 18 a3 b4!? Giving White a valuable passed a-pawn, but Black creates a potential outpost at c3. 19 a4 Bb7 20 Rxc8 Rxc8 21 Nb5 e5!? Another dynamic decision. The immediate 21…d5 would let White dominate the dark squares by 22 exd5 Nxd5 23 Be5 Qa8 24 Qg4 g6 25 Nd6 Bxd6 26 Bxd6. 22 Qd2 Bf8 Inviting 23 Qxb4 d5 24 Qa5 Nxe4. 23 f3 Bc6 24 Bf1 If White gets time for Bf1-c4 and Re1-d1, Black will be permanently stifled. He must act at once. d5! 25 exd5 Bc5+ 26 Kg2 Bxd5 27 Bxe5 Bxf3+ Forced and forcing. Black has no followup to 27…Qb7? 28 Qd1. 28 Kxf3 Qb7+ 29 Kf4?? Losing. The proper result would be a well-played draw after 29 Ke2 Qe4+ 30 Kd1 Qb1+ 31 Ke2 Qe4+. Black’s attempt to win by 30…Qf3+ 31 Be2 Qxb3+ 32 Qc2 Rd8+ (the tempting 32…Be3?? is cleverly foiled by 33 Bc4!) 33 Bd4 Qd5 produces a drawn endgame after 34 Qc4. g5+! 30 Kf5 After 30 Kxg5 Ne4+ 31 Rxe4 Qxe4, White has no good defense to the threats of 32…Be3+ and 32…Be7+. Qf3+ 31 Bf4 Qg4+ 32 Kxf6 gxf4 33 Bc4 The toughest defense, 33 Qd1, still loses to 33…Be7+! 34 Ke5 (or 34 Kxe7 Qg5+ 35 Kd6 Qc5+, leading to mate) f3 35 Bc4 Kg7, threatening 36…f6+. Rc6+ 34 Ke5 Re6+! Anyway! 35 Bxe6 Qxe6+ 36 Kxf4 Qh6+, White Resigns.