Chess Classic de Londres R5: Adams vence a Topalov

[Event "London 2016"] [Site "?"] [Date "2016.12.13"] [Round "?"] [White "Adams"] [Black "Topalov"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "A00"] [Annotator "Kosintseva,Nadezda"] [PlyCount "65"] [EventDate "2016.??.??"] {Even though both players lost their chances to fight for first places in the tournament, this game was by far the most interesting in this round. Whereas the leaders had mostly theoretical battles that ended in draws, this game is the only one that was sharp and had a result different from draw. Surprising enough, Michael Adams overplayed Veselin Topalov in a very sharp battle, which we usually would not expect. Let's see how it happened.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 {Adams chooses a very positional system and avoids the theoretical jungles of main Berlin lines.} Bc5 {Personally, I think this is the better move. The alternative d6 is too passive.} (4... d6 5. O-O Bd7 6. Re1 $14 {And as for me, white will always be slightly better in such positions because of the bad dark-squared bishop of black.}) 5. Bxc6 {Again, this move represents not the most popular continuation but at the same time I would say that it is one of the most positional choices for white. White gives up the light-squared bishop on purpose to limit activity of black pieces. Typical play for Adams - get a drawish position, play it for a hundred moves, and get a point betting on his outstanding technique. However, this game developed according to a different scenario.} dxc6 6. Nbd2 ({The pawn on e5 is tabu:} 6. Nxe5 $4 Qd4 7. Be3 Qxe5 8. d4 Qxe4 9. dxc5 Qxg2 10. Rf1 Bh3 11. Nd2 Qg6 12. Rh1 O-O-O $19 {with a decisive initiative of black.}) (6. Be3 {This is line is playable, but too many pieces get exchanged after, for example:} Bxe3 7. fxe3 Bg4 8. h3 Bxf3 9. Qxf3 Nd7 {1/2-1/2 (59) Nepomniachtchi,I (2656)-Ponomariov,R (2737) Dagomys 2010}) 6... Be6 7. O-O {Now the pawn e5 hangs.} Bd6 ({As an alternative,} 7... Nd7 {seems to be more solid, on the one hand, as white has no immediate d4. But on the other hand, white gets at his disposal an additional resource to play} 8. Nb3 Bb6 9. Ng5 {,forcing black to trade his light-squared bishop for a white knight.}) 8. d4 Nd7 ({Of course not} 8... exd4 $4 {in view of} 9. e5 $18) 9. Nxe5 Nxe5 10. dxe5 Bxe5 {Normally black should have no problem in this position. Strange enough he got a lot of them...} 11. f4 Bd4+ (11... Qd4+ $5 {Seems to be risky from a human point of view as this queen can be easlly attacked by white's pieces. But at the same time with such centralized queen black can provoke white to play too aggressively and then counter attack under favorable conditions.For example:} 12. Kh1 Bd6 13. c3 (13. f5 Bc4 14. c3 (14. e5 Bxf1 15. exd6 Bxg2+ $1 16. Kxg2 O-O-O 17. dxc7 Rd5 $132) 14... Qc5 15. Nxc4 (15. e5 Bxf1 16. exd6 Bd3 17. Qe1+ Kf8 18. dxc7 Qxf5 $13) 15... Qxc4 16. e5 Bxe5 17. Re1 f6 18. Qd4 Qd5 19. Bf4 O-O 20. Bxe5 fxe5 21. Qxd5+ cxd5 22. Rxe5 Rad8 $11) (13. e5 Bc5 14. f5 Bd5 15. Qe2 b5 $1 $132) 13... Qd3 14. f5 (14. Rf3 Bg4 $1 15. Rxd3 Bxd1 16. Nc4 Bc2 17. Nxd6+ cxd6 18. Rxd6 Bxe4 $11) 14... Bd7 (14... Bc4 15. Rf3 Qe2 16. Qg1 $36 {[%csl Ye2]}) 15. Rf3 Qb5 16. a4 Qe5 17. Nf1 O-O-O $132) 12. Kh1 f6 {Very natural move. Black restricts further advance of white's central pawns.} (12... f5 $5 {An interesting alternative.} 13. Qe2 (13. exf5 Bxf5 14. Re1+ Kf7 $132 {And temporary position of the black king in the centre is fully compensated by activity of black's bishop pair.}) (13. e5 Qd5 $132) 13... O-O 14. Nf3 Bc5 15. Ng5 Qe7 {And again, the activity of black pieces seems to be a good compensation for a worse pawn configuration:} 16. Be3 (16. Nxe6 Qxe6 17. e5 Rfd8 $18 18. Be3 Bxe3 19. Qxe3 Qc4 $132) 16... Bxe3 17. Qxe3 Bc4 $1 18. Rfe1 fxe4 19. Qh3 (19. Qxe4 Qxe4 20. Rxe4 Bd5 21. Rd4 h6 $36) 19... h6 20. Rxe4 Qf6 21. Rxc4 hxg5 $132) 13. c3 Bb6 ({If Topalov had a second chance to play this position, he would probably prefer} 13... Be3 {,trading his dark-squared bishop for the white knight and betting on the drawish tendency of opposite-colored bishops.}) 14. f5 Bf7 15. e5 $1 {This is the only good idea for white in the position. If he does not play dynamically, he is at risk to get in trouble in a long run since the position became quite open and the pair of black bishops pretty soon can turn into a real power.} fxe5 {Black had no choice.} 16. Qg4 Qd3 {The major difference between Qd3 and other queen moves is that white cannot play Ne4 - the rook on f1 hangs. Otherwise, if the knight gets to e4 white has an excellent compensation for the pawn.} (16... O-O { seems to be very dangerous, in view of} 17. Ne4 ({But not} 17. f6 $2 Bg6 $17) 17... Bd5 (17... h5 18. Qg3 Bc4 19. Bh6 Rf7 20. Rfd1 {And white has very strong initiative for the pawn, for example:} Qc8 21. Nf6+ Kh8 $8 (21... Kf8 22. Qxe5 gxh6 23. b3 $1 Ba6 24. Rd7 $3 Rxd7 25. Nxd7+ Qxd7 26. Qh8+ Ke7 27. Qg7+ Kd6 28. Rd1+ $18) 22. Nxh5 gxh6 23. Qxe5+ Kg8 24. Nf6+ Rxf6 25. Qxf6 Bf7 26. Rd3 Qf8 27. Rg3+ Kh7 28. Rd1 $36) (17... Bg6 18. Bg5 Qc8 19. Ng3 $40) 18. Ng3 $1 {It is very important for white to keep the knight that can participate in an attack against the black king.} Kh8 19. b3 Qe7 20. c4 Bf7 21. Bb2 $36) ( 16... Qd5 17. Ne4 $1 (17. Qxg7 $4 Rg8 $19) 17... O-O-O 18. Bg5 Rde8 19. f6+ Be6 20. Qh4 $36) 17. Qxg7 Rg8 (17... O-O-O {fails due to} 18. Qxf7 Be3 19. Qe6+ Kb8 20. Qxe5 Bxd2 21. Bxd2 Qxd2 22. f6 $16 {And white's passed pawn should be a decisive factor in this position.}) 18. Qxe5+ Kd7 19. Qe4 {The last moves were more or less forced, but now Topalov had a very important choice and he did not solve the puzzle. The best bet for black was Qd5.} Qa6 $2 (19... Qd5 $1 20. c4 (20. Qxd5+ $2 {Trades and simplifications are not always good for the side that has a material advantage. So, in this particular position after} Bxd5 21. Nf3 Raf8 $15 {Black gets the pawn back and his bishops will dominate the position.}) 20... Qd4 $1 (20... Qxe4 21. Nxe4 Bxc4 22. Nf6+ Ke7 (22... Kc8 23. Nxg8 Bxf1 24. Bg5 Bc4 25. Re1 $18 {with a deadly threat of Re8.}) (22... Kd6 23. Re1 $1 Rgf8 24. Bf4+ Kc5 25. Ne4+ Kb5 26. a4+ Ka6 27. a5 Bd4 28. Ra4 $18) 23. Nxg8+ Rxg8 24. Rf3 $14 {followed by Be3.}) 21. Rd1 Kc8 22. h3 $14 {And in spite of the fact that white keeps an extra pawn, black has good chances to survive in the endgame thanks to his bishop pair.}) 20. f6 {Now black gets in real trouble.} Rae8 $6 {A follow-up mistake. It was essential for black to secure his king, even if it means to give up another pawn.} (20... Rad8 $1 { But also here white has a clear advantage after} 21. b3 Kc8 22. Nc4 $16 { The reason is that the black queen became so decentralized.} Bd5 23. Qf5+ Kb8 24. Bg5) 21. Qf5+ $1 {The pawn on h7 is poisonious.} (21. Qxh7 $2 Qe2 $1 22. Qxf7+ Kc8 23. g3 Rh8 $19) 21... Kd8 (21... Be6 22. Qxh7+ Kc8 23. f7 Bxf7 24. Qxf7 Qe2 25. Qf3 $18) (21... Re6 22. c4 $1 {Cutting off the black queen!}) 22. c4 $1 {Adams plays like a machine. I wonder whether he might have analyzed this position at home and we see again another game that actually "was not played on board" as Peter Svidler said it recently... ?!} Qa5 (22... Bd4 23. Rd1 c5 24. Nf3 Qxc4 25. Bg5 $18 {And black is helpless.}) 23. Qh3 $1 {Again the strongest move.} (23. Qxa5 {The endgame is not only not better for white, it might be better for black!} Bxa5 24. Nb3 Bb4 25. Bd2 Bxd2 26. Rad1 Kc8 27. Nxd2 Re2 $44) 23... Qb4 ({In the case of} 23... Be6 {White wins material after} 24. Qd3+ Kc8 25. f7 Bxf7 26. Rxf7 Re1+ 27. Rf1 Qg5 28. Qh3+ $18) 24. Qxh7 $6 { That looks too greedy. There was a better continuation.} (24. Nb3 $1 {Here black probably would resign in a couple of moves.} Qxc4 (24... Re1 25. Bg5 $1 Rxf1+ 26. Rxf1 Rxg5 27. Rd1+ $18) (24... Be6 25. Qd3+ Qd6 26. Qc2 $18) 25. Rd1+ Bd5 26. f7 Qe2 27. Rxd5+ cxd5 28. fxe8=Q+ Kxe8 (28... Rxe8 29. Bg5+ $18) 29. Bf4 $18) 24... Qf8 $6 {Too passive.} ({Perhaps, the best chance was} 24... Bg6 25. Qh3 Rh8 26. Qg4 Bh5 27. Qf5 {The position is still won for white, but the game goes on and requires some precision.}) 25. b3 Bd4 (25... Re2 $4 26. Qd3+ $18) 26. Qd3 Qd6 (26... c5 27. Nf3 Bg6 28. Qd1 Qxf6 $4 29. Bg5 $18) 27. Ne4 { The game is coming to an end.} Qd7 (27... Rxe4 28. Qxe4 Bxa1 29. Bf4 Rg4 30. Bxd6 Rxe4 31. Be7+ Ke8 32. Rxa1 $18 {The endgame is bad in itself, but to play such ending against Adams makes absolutely no sense.}) 28. Rd1 {Now black loses by force.} Kc8 (28... c5 29. Nxc5 $18) 29. Qxd4 Qg4 30. Bg5 $1 {Very strong last trick!} Rxe4 (30... Rxg5 31. Nxg5 Qxg5 32. Qd7+ Kb8 33. Qd8+ Rxd8 34. Rxd8#) (30... Qxe4 31. Qxe4 Rxe4 32. h4 $18 {Again, no chance here for black.}) 31. Qxa7 {The threat on a8 is deadly.} Bd5 32. Qa8+ Kd7 33. Rxd5+ { After 33....cxd5.34.Qxg8 white wins.} 1-0