Former FIDE World champi on Veselin Topalov lost the first and third game at this year’s M-Tel Sofia round-robin and drew the second. Nobody, at that point, would have predicted that he would come from behind to win the event. His loss to a young grandmaster from Azerbai jan, Shakriyar Mamedyarov, in the third round must have been painful, but it must also have made his final victory especially sweet.

MAMEDYAROV VS, TOPALOV
(white) (black)
QUEEN’S PAWN GAME

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. Qb3 Nd7 A more popular plan here is 7…dxc4 8. Qxc4 Nd7. 8.e4!? dxe4 9. Nxe4 Qf4 10. Bd3 e5 11.0-0 exd4 The theory of this variation is based upon the classic game Euwe -Fine 1938, which proceeded 11…Be7 12. Rfe1 exd4 13. Nxd4 (13. Ng3!? preventing the black king from castling deserved attention) 13…0-0 14. Bc2 Nf6 15. Rad1 g6! And black obtained a good game and eventually won. It’s easy to make the assumption that Mamedyarov had prepared an improvement over the play of the former world champion, so Topalov deviated from Euwe’s path. 12. Nxd4 Nc5 Black cannot now transpose the position into the one which arose in Euwe-Fine because in the event of 12…Be7? white has 13. Nf5! and the knight is untouchable because of the check on d6. 13. Nxc5 Bxc5 14. Rae1+ Kf8 15. Re4 Qf6 16. Qc3! a5 Black had hoped to evacuate his king to g7 and obtain a comfortable position because of his two bishops, but white’s strong 16th move prevents this. 16…g6? is impossible because of 17. Ne6+. Also unattractive is 16…Bd7 17.b4! Bxd4 18. Rxd4 g5 (18…g6 19. Bxg6! fxg6 20. Rf4! Qxf4 21. Qxh8+) 19.f4! with strong pressure from white. 17. Rfe1 Bd7 18.R1e3! Bb4?! Black is condemned to conduct a prolonged defense because he has no clear way to release his h8 rook. But his position is firm until white can include his bishop in any assault. So black’s primary objective had to block the c4 pawn, which restricts the white bishop. After 18…b6 19. Rf3 Qd6 20. Ref4 Kg8 black could continue to organize effective resistance. 19. Qc2 Qd6 20. Rf3 h5?!

(See diagram)

By means of an excellent positional pawn sacrifice, white mobilizes his bishop and the assault become unstoppable. 20…Bc5 21. Nb3 Kg8 22. Nxc5 Qxc5 23. Rfe3 would leave white with a significant advantage. The best chance for defense was offered by simplification: 20…Re8!? 21. Rxe8+ Kxe8. 21.c5! Bxc5 22. Bc4 f6 23. Ne6+! Bxe6 24. Rxe6 One of the paradoxes of chess strategy revolves around oppositecolor bishops. In the endgame they are sign of a drawish tendencies. Even two extra pawns often don’t guarantee a victory when opposite colored bishops are all that remain. But in the middle game, even the faintest initiative can be fatal, as in this instance, when black can do nothing to protect the white squares around his king. 24… Qd7 25. Qf5 Qd4 Black is also defenseless after 25…Qd1+ 26. Bf1 Bd4 27. Re4! Bb6 28. Qe6. 26. Re4 Qd1+ 27. Bf1 Bd6 White would also penetrate the white squares after 27…b6 28. Rd3 Qc1 29. Rd7 28. Rd3 Bxh2+ 29. Kxh2 Qxf1 30. Rd7

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