Certain kinds of paradigmatic chess positions demand certain kinds of typical responses. In the Sicilian Defense, white almost always attacks on the kingside while black counterattacks on the opposite flank. At the SuperGM intercontinental tournament in Mexico and Spain, Veselin Topalov broke out of this basic paradigm in his encounter with Vassily Ivanchuk. After initiating a pawn-storm on the kingside, he suddenly started attacking on the queenside, black’s traditional field of operations. Taken by surprise, Ivanchuk was crushed. One of the basic paradigms of chess is that no paradigm survives for long.

TOPALOV VS. IVANCHUK (White) (Black) Sicilian Defense

1.e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8.f3 Nbd7 9.g4 b5 10.g5 b4 11. Nd5 Practice has proved than this move promises white more than 11. Ne2, which in Anand-Kasparov 2002, after 11…Nh5 12. Qd2 a5 13. Ng3 Nxg3 14. hxg3 a4 15. Nc1 Qa5 16. Nd3 d5!, gave black a good game. 11… Nxd5 12. exd5 Bf5 13. Bd3 Bxd3 14. Qxd3 Be7 15.h4 Ivanchuk himself reached a promising position with white against Bu in 2005 after 15. Rg1 0-0 16.0-0-0 a5 17. Kb1 f5 18. gxf6 Nxf6 19.f4. 15… a5

(See Diagram)

Typical of the kinds of tense positions that arise in this variation is Leko-Kasparov 2002 and after 15…0-0 16.0-0-0 a5 17. Kb1 a4 18. Nd2 f5 19.f4 Qc7 Ivanchuk decided to postpone castling to facilitate a white assault on the enemy kingside. 16.a3! A brand new and very surprising conception. Instead of the usual path of castling on the queenside and attacking the position of black’s king, white opens a front on the queenside, catching Ivanchuk unawares. 16… a4!? In case of 16…0-0 17. axb4 axb4 18. Kd2 white could build his play around black’s weak b4 pawn. 17. Nd2 Rb8?! Suddenly after this overly optimistic move, black starts to face serious trouble. No better was 17…Qb8?! 18. axb4 Qxb4 19. Qc4! and black doesn’t have 19…Qxb2? 20. Rb1 Qa3 21. Ke2 e4 22.f4 0-0 23. Ra1 Qb2 24. Rhb1 which loses a queen. Black had no time to lose. After 17…bxa3! 18. Rxa3 0-0 the position would be unclear. 18. axb4 Rxb4 19. Qa3! Qb8 20.c3! Rxb2 21. Qxa4 Rb7 Preparing to castle, black loses coordination of his pieces. No better was 21…Qd8 22. Qc6 0-0 23. Ra7 Nc5 24. Ke2! with a huge advantage for white. 22. Ke2! Rc7 White would also continue penetrating the black camp after 22…0-0 23. Rhb1. 23. Rhb1 Qc8 24. Bb6! Rb7 There is also no defense after 24… Rxc3 25. Ne4! Rc4 (25…Rc2+ 26. Kd3! Rg2 27. Rc1 Qb8 28. Bc7) 26. Rc1! Rxc1 27. Rxc1 Qxc1 28. Qa8+ Nb8 29. Qxb8+ Kd7 30. Nc5+! dxc5 31. Qb7+. 25. Ba7! e4 A desperate attempt to seek relief via a pawn sacrifice. Equally hopeless was 25…0-0 26. Rxb7 Qxb7 27. Qc6! Qc8 28. Be3 and 29. Ra7, or 25…Rxb1 26. Rxb1 0-0 27. Qc6. 26. fxe4 Rxb1 27. Rxb1 0-0 28. Qc6 Ne5 29. Qxc8 Rxc8 30. Rb8! Rxb8 31. Bxb8 Kf8 32. Nf3 Ng6 33.c4 Ke8 34.e5! Kd7 White would also win after 34…dxe5 35. Bxe5 Nxe5 36. Nxe5 f6 37. Nc6 Bc5 38. gxf6 gxf6 39. Kd3 h5 40. Nd4 Kd7 41. Ke4. 35. Kd3 h6 36. exd6 Bxd6 37. Bxd6 Kxd6 38. gxh6 gxh6 39. Kd4 f6 40.c5+ Kd7 41. Ke4 h5 42.d6 Ke6 43. Nd4+ Kd7 44. Nf5 Ne5 45. Kd5 Nc6 46. Nd4 1-0