The Favourite Game

Wesley So – Veselin Aleksandrov Topalov
4th Sinquefield Cup; Saint Louis, August 10, 2016
English Opening A29

1. c4 e5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Nc3 Nb6 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. 0-0 Be7 8. d3 0-0 9. a3 Be6 10. Be3 Nd5 11. Nxd5 Bxd5 12. Qa4 Re8 13. Rac1 a6 14. Nd2. It does not promise anything more than 14. Rc3 Bf6 15. Rc5 Ne7 16. Rfc1 c6 17. Bg5 Bxg5 18. Nxg5 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Nf5 20. Qg4 Nd6 21. e3 Qf6 22. Ne4 Nxe4 23. Qxe4 Rad8 24. R1c3 Re6 25. b4 g6 26. a4 Rd4 27. exd4 exd4 28. Qxe6 Qxe6 29. R3c4 Qd6 30. a5 h5 31. h4 Kg7 32. Kg1 Kf8 33. Rc1 Qe6 34. R5c4 Qe5 35. Kf1 Qd5 36. Re1 Qh1+ 37. Ke2 Qd5 38. Kf1 Qh1+ 39. Ke2 Qd5 40. Kf1 ½ : ½ Karjakin – Topalov, Candidates Tournament, Khanty-Mansiysk 2014. 14. ... Bxg2 15. Kxg2 Nd4 16. Bxd4 exd4 17. Qb3 Rb8 18. e4 dxe3 19. fxe3 Rf8 20. Ne4 Qd7 21. Rf3 Rbd8 22. d4 c6 23. Rd1 Qd5. Black has easily equalized. It’s hard to believe that he’s gonna lose the game. 24. Qc2 g6 25. g4. Wesley played thus in order to prevent ... f7-f5, but not with a light heart, because now he will always have to take care of a possible attack of Black’s duo Bishop-Queen along the diagonal b8-h2. 25. ... Rde8 26. h3 Bd8. Topalov’s evidently aiming to build the battery with the Bishop on c7 and the Queen on d6. Luckily enough, Wesley doesn’t lack resources for distracting his opponent. 27. Nc3 Qe6 28. Na4 b6 29. Rc1 c5 30. dxc5 b5 31. Nc3 Qc6 32. Qd2 Re5? This is the decisive mistake, probably due to an overestimation of his own attacking chances. Correct was 32. ... Qxc5 in order to answer 33. Nd5 by 33. ... Qa7 with roughly even play. 33. b4 Bg5. Topalov evidently relied upon this “counterattacking” move.

34. Rd1! But here is Wesley getting him on the run. 34. ... Bxe3? Demoralized, Topalov disintegrates very quickly. 34. ... Rxe3 35. Qd5 was a little better, but always disappointing. 35. Qd7 Qa8 36. Nd5 Bg5 37. c6 Bh4 38. Rd2 Re1 39. Rc2 Kg7 40. Nb6 Qb8 41. Qd4+ 1 : 0. Bravo to Wesley for his historical win in the 4th edition of the Sinquefield Cup. He probably owes it to Topalov as much as to himself.

Wesley So
Photo: Lennart Ootes