Game 10
Game 10
A new idea chosen by Topalov with black in Catalan was met by Kramnik concretely and agressively, that allowed Vladimir to achieve a position that required accurate defence from his opponent. And at that moment we all got the most spectacular illustration of what an immense exertion the highest sport achievements do cost. Topalov being clearly on the rise, and yet he makes an unexplaineable blunder, ruining his position instantly. Converting of the advantage to a win by Kramnik aroused a feeling that even the End of the world in process would not allow the victim to escape.
Once again everything turns upside down: the press room saw happy Kramnik and sad and abstracted Topalov. Vladimir eagerly answered all the questions, even about ‘dead’ and ‘live’ water on his table during the previous game. Veselin would have probably preferred ignoring the press conference, if it were not for the contract…
– Vladimir, you were asked several times about spending your last day, and I would like to ask how did you spend the last night?
– The day wasn’t so good, but I had a good night’s sleep. I said many times that I am professional. Yes, that game was not the best in my career, but this is not a reason to get depressed. As you see, I played okay today.
– Vladimir, have you heard applause after the game? And when it was the last time you heard applause addressed to you after your game?
– Yes, some people applauded after the game… I heard applause in Dortmund, after I defeated Leko in the last game, and won the tournament. The crowd boos more often after my games, but sometimes they applaud, too (smiles). The best reaction I ever heard was in Belgrade – there were more than a thousand observers, and they were giving ovation after each game, if it was not a dull draw. I felt like in a theatre.
– What did you feel when Veselin played 24…f6?
– To be honest, this move came as a big surprise. I was dazzled: I have Qg4 and Nd7 – what to choose? Why Veselin played this move? The tension was high, and he also makes mistakes. Yesterday I made a present to Veselin, today the roles have changed. As for objective evaluation of the position, I think Black holds if he plays correctly – it should be a draw. I was so much into calculating long variations that the move f6 came as revelation. First I thought it is some kind of trap, and spent time trying to find it. I did not find anything stunning, and proceded with 25.Nd7. Later Veselin continued making mistakes. For example, 28…Rxd4 is another error; he had to move the rook to e7, after which White must display some technique. After Black’s 28th move, White wins anyhow. I tried handling the position in the most human way, avoiding any risk. In principle, I could have taken the piece by playing f2-f3, but preferred to exchange everything and proceed to a won ending instead.
– You said the game would have ended in a draw if both sides played correctly. Had you considered that this is your next-to-the-last White? The clock is ticking, so maybe it was time to show some killing novelties?
– I don’t know how to answer this question – after all, I nevertheless won the game! First, there was no immediate draw, there was a complex position. Before the game I wanted to obtain a complex position with many pieces, maintain the tension and wait for the opponent to make a mistake. It worked today.
– Proneness to time trouble is often considered a sign of poor form. How do you assess your form, considering your frequent time troubles?
– Well, time trouble is a loose concept. I wasn’t in real zeintnot today. I was spending more time than Veselin, which is natural – he selected a new setup, so I had to find the way to neutralize it. However, there was no time trouble. I did not feel pressured.
– Veselin tries to exploit his time lead…
– Yes, he does. However, so far I have never been in a real time trouble during the match. There was some tension, but it is normal. Poor form is shown when you have a minute for 20 moves, and I had 5 minutes for 3 moves, which is okay. Veselin spares about half an hour by the control move, but this is his problem. For me there is no difference whether you spare 5 or 30 minutes. Making good moves is more important. I spent more time thinking today, but my thinking was more efficient.
– How do you assess the opponent’s strategy – trying to keep you away from the relaxation room by making the moves fast?
– I think they just want to create uncomfortable conditions for me. Indeed, I got used to spending my time in the relaxation room during the WCC games. There is a demonstration board, and one can keep thinking about the position; the air is fresher, and nothing disturbs you. The opponent’s strategy aims at disrupting my rhythm. However, I have no problem sitting quietly at the board. I don’t think such strategy is justified – there is no real reason to make mediocre moves quickly only to disrupt my rhythm.
– Vladimir, at some point of the previous game you brought two glasses with mysterious liquid to your table. Your position was so disgusting that I somehow associated it with dead and live water. Can you reveal whether the liquid was the same, or different?
– This liquid is standing on the table – it’s [mineral water] Arkhyz!
– And why there were two glasses instead of one?
– I kept one in reserve. I got used to drink a lot during games. Once I forgot to take the glass with me to the room, and filled another one just in case. Sometimes you have to think seriously, and there is no water… This is why I brought two glasses of water.
– Do you expect an appeal against using two glasses?
– No, I think two is acceptable. If there were three glasses, the Appeals Committee would have started working…
– You won today, so your visit to a Buddhist temple was not in vain?!
– Actually I visited it the day before yesterday, and one cannot say it helped me in yesterday’s game. I hope I deserved this victory by my play. I really hope…
– Veselin, how can you explain 24…f6?
– Just a bad blunder. There were so many pieces on board. Really, I just blundered.
– What did you overlook? Was it Nd7 or something further?
– My overlook was a bit further, but it doesn’t really matter. I think I had to take on b5, and there is nothing to worry about. This was my initial idea, but then I decided 24…f6 being interesting, too.
– You clearly possessed the match initiative in the recent games. Maybe you became a bit complacent, which resulted in the blunder?
– No, I don’t think so. The position was complex with many variations to consider. I wasn’t complacent; I just came to play chess, but blundered.
– And was there any underestimation of the demoralized opponent from your side?
– I decided that 24…f6 is a more complex move compared to taking on b5. After 24…Bxb5 White has certain pressure in the resulting endgame. I glanced at the clock, saw the opponent running behind on the clock, and decided to play the sharpest move.
– Have you anticipated a stunning novelty from Kramnik, or expected a quiet game with slight initiative to White?
– I didn’t have any expectations. I selected a variation leading to sharp struggle, and was ready for any turn of the plot. Kramnik selected a quiet course. Everything would have been fine, had I not blundered in one move…
Veselin Topalov: It was just a bad mistake. When there are so many pieces on the board, one can blunder. It happens.
What exactly did you miss? That the knight could come to d7, or something further on?
A bit later, but that doesn’t really matter. I should have taken on b5 and Black is not too badly off. This was my first idea, but then I decided that 24…f6 was also interesting.
In the last few games, you have clearly had the initiative in the match. Could it be that the move 24…f6 was the result of a certain relaxation, or over-confidence?
No, it was a complicated position, it was necessary to calculate concrete variations. There was no relaxation, I was simply playing chess, but when you blunder…
And you did not underestimate your demoralised opponent?
It seems to me that 24…f6, compared with taking on b5, is the more complicated move. If I play 24…Bxb5, we get an ending with slight pressure for White. I looked at the clock, and since my opponent had less time, I decided to play the more complicated line.
Did you expect Kramnik today to produce some strong novelty, and take the bull by the horns, or to play quietly and settle for a small initiative?
I had no concrete expectations. I chose this variation, we got a complicated fight. I was ready for any type of situation – Kramnik chose quiet tactics. Everything would have been normal, if I hadn’t blundered everything away, virtually in one move..
Game 11
GAME 11
Traditional meeting with the press started with more than a half-hour delay. The reason was more than serious – Vladimir Kramnik and Veselin Topalov attended a doping control. Curiously, this topic was not discussed at the press conference at all – everybody got tired of toilet stories.
– Many games of this match are played under the motto ‘Let the opponent offer a draw!’ Why so? Nobody wants to yield?
– I didn’t think in such terms today. The post-opening position was very close to equal, but Topalov had two bishops, which secured him slight advantage, so it was impolite for me to offer a draw. After White made a poor move 35.Be4, I could play for a win absolutely without risk, so then Veselin was not in a position to offer a draw. Still, the game was within limits of a draw all the time in my opinion. See – there aren’t many cases we can offer draws in this match; it is not about psychology, adrenaline, etc.
– Vladimir, your actions since the start of the ‘Bathroomgate’ were highly appropriate and decent. However, before today’s game we saw a controversial open letter written on your behalf. What was the reason for writing this letter?
– I see nothing wrong with it. I just wanted to remind everybody about my position: I do not recognize the result of the Game 5 as well as current score being 5.5-5.5. It was important to underscore this in anticipation of future legal actions. It is by no means a psychological attack on the opponent, and I did not intend to initiate a scandal of any kind.
– Vladimir, if you were not playing in this match, would you placed your bet on Kramnik or Topalov?
– (Smiling) Hmm… One should not forget that I have White, although it is obvious that anything can happen in such games when everything is at the stake. Good nerves and luck are very important. The outcome is difficult to foresee. I have some related experience; I know what to do, but nobody can guarantee anything in such situation.
– What is your attitude to the fact that the fate of the title can be decided in rapid chess or even blitz?
– Well, it is not so bad, compared to a situation when the fate of the title is decided in a court!
– Veselin, are you disappointed by today’s result? This was your last White…
– The result is okay. Of course, I always want to win, but the result is appropriate. I did not have sufficient advantage to talk about winning seriously.
– Now you have to play your last game as Black…
– There is a rest day, and I will be preparing for the Game 12. Right now I am happy to have passed the doping test easily! I’ll start thinking about the final game tomorrow…
– Veselin, how are you going to spend your last free day?
– We will think about the last game strategy. And… I don’t know, I think there is some football on TV (laughter in the audience)! By the way, I am planning to appeal: there is no NTV-Plus in my cottage. Maybe the organizers will install it – I can’t afford it (another burst of laughter)…
– You are not going to the Khurul or an orthodox church?
– I received a couple of invitations, but I will likely decline them. I already visited the new Khurul when we arrived, and got a bit tired of walking…
– You said you lack match experience. Kramnik’s experience is abundant, and the finish of the match with Leko showed that Vladimir can gather his strength at the right moment. Did you feel his concentration in the last games of the match?
– That was the only match when he really was concentrated! In my opinion, each match flows differently, and each game must be considered separately. Let us see how the match ends.
Experience is good, but memory collects not only positive, but also negative moments. Kramnik was subject to extreme stress at times. In this sense, I am like tabula rasa – I have neither good nor bad memories. – Proximity to success significantly complicated things for a player who was in the lead in Kasparov-Kramnik and Kramnik-Leko matches. Did you feel any pressure in the recent games?
– Such pressure is normal, and I don’t see why it should influence my play negatively. After all, this is not my first tournament, and even not my first world championship, so I am not bothered by nervousness. Of course, many things depend on the result of the last game: it is money, and the unified title; maybe this is the main competition in my life, but it doesn’t matter. I have to forget about everything, concentrate on the board and make the best moves! Nothing else…
– Veselin, the match comes to an end. Did anything in Kramnik’s play surprise you? Do you feel the 70-point rating difference?
– The only thing I feel is that all games I lost to Kramnik in Elista were lost because of one-move blunders. The first two games, then the Game 10… I stood objectively worse only in the Game 3; in all other games I owned the initiative and had better positions.
There was nothing surprising for me in Kramnik’s play, although I guess I also failed to surprise him. It is difficult to achieve – we know each other for 17 years! – If one forgets about blunders, did you show your best play in Elista?
– No – it is pointless to talk about high-quality play if you blunder in one move or constantly overlook better continuations. I think if I were in my best form, the match would have ended by this point, judging by positions I had. I am happy with some of my games, but even happier to catch my tempo of playing and make important decisions quickly!
– Can I suppose that with such play you vote not only for Sofia rules, but also for FIDE time control?
– I am not very interested in this subject. It is up to sponsors to decide about the time control. I think if a rich sponsor demanded us playing 5-minute chess, everybody would be playing blitz. But I like FIDE control: you finish your games quickly and without interruptions.
Game 12
GAME 12
To our surprise, it was the first time when the players’ assessment of the situation on board was diametrically opposite. Both claimed an advantage – maybe because both wanted to win the game and the match. However, it ended in a draw by perpetual, thus postponing the match conclusion by one day.
At the after match press conference: – Vladimir, what is your score against Topalov in rapid chess, and will it affect the outcome of the tiebreak in any way?
– The match booklet states it is +4 in my favor. However, it counts rapid and blindfold games to-gether. Will the score matter? I hope it will, but actually tiebreak is a lottery. A lot will depend on small details: luck, night’s sleep, etc. It is impossible to predict the result. In principle, I already won the match from my point of view, so I think this will make playing easier for me.
– Could you do without tiebreak? What can you say about today’s game?
– It is a very interesting and combative game. I exerted pressure, but the opponent managed to create counterplay and made a draw. Maybe I could play more accurately, I cannot tell without de-tailed analysis. But the draw is generally logical.
– And yet, you had White, which means something at the WCC …
– Modern chess theory develops in such direction that it is very difficult to find sharp positions with advantage. So it is not surprising that both opponents were satisfied with a complex position. Maybe my advantage wasn’t big, but playing White was more pleasant. Veselin was lucky to or-ganize his defense on time, but there was a chance for me, too! I did my best, but alas… I played for a win, but did not want to go too far. My attitude in the Game 10 was the same – and that time it worked.
– Are you superstitious? The tiebreak is scheduled on Friday, 13th… Also, tomorrow is 13th, 10th month, year 2006, and the sum of all digits gives 13. Kasparov would have been very pleased, and what about you?
– Fortunately I am not playing against him tomorrow. So I am alright! All these horrors are ap-plicable to my opponent as well, so I do not feel any discomfort…
– Which color is better to have at the start of the tiebreak?
– I think it doesn’t matter. Tiebreak is decided by nerves.
– You wrote an open letter before the 11th game. What further steps will you take, and do you think the unification idea works?
– I have nothing to add to the letter. As for the unification, you realize it is difficult to talk about reconciliation in such a heated atmosphere…
– One could note certain rotation order of your suits during the match against Kasparov in London. Why did you alter it today?
– I began to experiment by the end of the match: wearing the same dress is boring. I changed trousers and jackets, and even combined a jacket with jeans in the Game 10. I am trying to catch my luck!
– Do you consider this research promising?
– I don’t know; we’ll see tomorrow. I have to consider my dress for tomorrow quite seriously!
– Did you feel any agitation during the game?
– I was a bit nervous in the end, as I felt I am winning the game and the match. The opponent made several saving moves to make a draw. As for agitation – this is not my first game at the high-est level…
– How do you evaluate the course of the match in general?
– On the whole, I was better prepared, and obviously had more fresh ideas and winning opportu-nities. I had the initiative in most games, but only managed to convert two chances. Kramnik, on the contrary, utilized everything he had. It was a very strange match: after a false start I not only managed to tie the score, but even took the lead at some point. And then committed another blun-der, making the score even again.
– Do you feel the burden of unforced errors?
– It is impossible to make an error if you agree to a draw after 15 moves. If each of your games lasts 50 moves, errors are unavoidable. Errors are natural consequence of struggle! If we always played at maximum effort, there would be more errors – we are humans.
– You always play for a win, but if you were told before today’s game that it is going to end in a draw, would you feel happy?
– That depends on the way this draw is achieved. I am not satisfied with the way I drew today, because I felt the victory is very near; but maybe the feeling was false, and the position was drawn.
Topalov at the press conference
– Veselin, how do you see the future of chess? For example, for the next 10 years… How will it develop, and will it become unified?
– Unified? I have no idea why some people consider chess split! In my opinion, chess is unified since San Luis. The unification has already taken place! I don’t know what will happen in 10 years. There is FIDE, and there is FIDE President and Ex-ecutive Committee; it’s their business. The only thing I can do as champion is to try improving the image of chess. I cannot solve all our problems.
– Let us talk about tomorrow. What do you think about the tiebreak? You had a chance to play rapid against Kramnik in Monaco…
– To be honest, I am still not sure whether we will play 25 or 15-minute games. In general, Kramnik has a small plus… Actually, talking about the tiebreak, I’d rather blunder a queen or a mate in one than appear in the situation of Leko in 2004. He did not yield to Kramnik two years ago, but Leko is nobody now, and Kramnik is a world champion. Tiebreak is a good thing, and it doesn’t matter for me how it ends. If I lose, it will happen because of my own fault, not because of the regulations.
– This match arose many suspicions. Don’t you think such scandals will soon scare away everybody but fanatics?
– I don’t think the popularity of chess suffered because of the misunderstandings that occurred during the match. Looking back at the history of chess, it enjoyed maximum popularity at times of political confrontation. First it was Spassky-Fischer match, then Karpov-Korchnoi, and then Kar-pov-Kasparov. A high point for 20 years straight! At the same time, only a small group of profes-sionals was interested in pure chess content. Others are excited by scandals.
– So, ‘world peace’ does not benefit chess in your opinion?
– No, I am against war! And we did not plan unleashing it. Our team just submitted a casual ap-peal… Laymen do not always understand complicated maneuvers of pieces or players’ ideas, but they like watching hand flicker in time trouble…
Tiebreak games (by GM Belov)
Play-off Round 1
Game 1
Topalov,V – Kramnik,V
One has to note that despite short time control the game was played at the top level. Kramnik solved opening problems and seized the initiative, but Veselin confidently overcame the difficulties by making several accurate defensive moves. Topalov did not calm down, and expressed his ambitious style by sacrificing a pawn. His opponent repaid by unobvious 36…Nc4, getting rid of the problems. On the 42nd move Black could obtain a clearly better ending, but he missed the opportunity, and soon the resources were depleted.
Play-off Round 2
Game 2 Kramnik,V – Topalov,V
An excellent game by Kramnik! After not very ambitious opening, Vladimir got a hardly noticeable advantage in the endgame, which had to evaporate provided Black defends correctly. However, Veselin continued playing aggressively without queens, and his aggression was not justified positionally – 22…g5? White executed an expert bishop maneuver Bc1-e3-f2 followed by Ne3-d5. One got an impression that the Bulgarian did not prevent White’s plans. 31…b4 was the final mistake that allowed Kramnik to created a passed pawn on the a-file, which decided the outcome of the battle.
Play-off Round 3
Game 3 Topalov,V – Kramnik,V
As Kramnik said at the final press conference, the tiebreak games were a litmus paper of the match. Each player showed his advantages: Kramnik outplayed Topalov in approximately even endings, and Topalov won a game in his manner. The Bulgarian grandmaster was unstoppable in the 3rd game. New opening idea and light initiative created excellent prerequisites for a decisive attack against the king. It transpires how important it is for the players to obtain positions to their liking. It is difficult to detect where Vladimir made a fatal mistake – the position was very complex, and Black’s situation, which seemed rather safe, very quickly became precarious and then defenseless. One can suggest that Kramnik underestimated 33.g4! and 35.f5!
Play-off Round 4
Game 4 Kramnik,V (2743) – Topalov,V (2813) [D47]
The concluding game is very characteristic for the new world champion’s style. The endgame was handled brilliantly. It is impossible to recognize this game as rapid without knowing it. One should single out an excellent tactical resource 21.Rab1!, after which it became clear that White fights for an advantage. Topalov committed a couple of minor errors: 26…Rc6?!, 33…Rc2? Soon Kramnik netted a pawn, and flawlessly conducted the technical stage, which was abruptly and symbolically ended by Topalov’s blunder 44…Rc5 – the last one if the match.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Total | |
| Topalov, V | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 7 ½ |
| Kramnik, V | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 ½ |