Twenty Minutes to Broadway

Veselin Aleksandrov Topalov – Hikaru Nakamura
Champions Showdown; match game 7 (20 minutes); Saint Louis, November 11, 2017
Sicilian Defence B80

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. f3 e6 7. Be3 h5 8. Qd2 Be7 9. Be2 b5 10. a4! b4!? Improving on 10. ... bxa4? 11. Nxa4 Nfd7 12. 0-0 Bb7 13. Bc4 Qc8 14. Qe2!? Nc6 15. Nxe6! fxe6 16. Bxe6 Ncb8? 17. Nb6! with overwhelming effect, Moradi – Ghorbani, 40th Iranian Chess Championship, Tehran 2006/2007. 11. Na2 d5?! Very probably Black cannot afford this thematic counter-push. Not now, not yet, at least. 12. e5 Nfd7 13. f4 Nc5 14. 0-0 Ne4 15. Qe1 Qb6 16. c3 Nc6

17. a5! Regardless of the results, Topalov is playing with great imagination and flair, what is quite commendable for someone who “striked” for a long time. 17. ... Nxa5 18. Nxb4 Bc5?! It’s easy to criticize Nakamura’s ugly move, but it’s not easy to propose something better, as White is threatening a crushing breakthrough by f4-f5 (18. ... g6 19. f5!). 19. Nxd5! exd5 20. b4! Nc4 21. Bxc4 dxc4 22. bxc5 Nxc5 23. f5! Black has been literally destroyed by his opponent, and there would not be much more to say about what follows, except that – just to say it in Bobby Fischer’s words – “Any resemblance to chess is purely coincidental”. 23. ... h4 24. Qe2 h3 25. Qg4 Qb2 26. Bf2 Qb7 27. Nf3 Nb3 28. Rfb1!? 28. Qxg7 Rf8 29. Rfe1 seems really scary for Black. 28. ... 0-0 29. Qxc4 hxg2 30. Ng5!? Of course, 30. Qf4 was much simpler and profitable. 30. ... Nd2 31. Qd3!? 31. Qg4! appears here very strong, as after 31. ... Nxb1 32. Qh3 Rd8 (Black must probably give up his light-squared Bishop) 33. Qh7+ Kf8 34. Qh8+ Ke7 35. f6+! gxf6 36. exf6+ Kd7 37. Qh7! White’s attack continues irresistibly. 31. ... Qd7 32. Bd4!? Stockfish’s 32. Qxd7 Bxd7 33. Rd1 Nb3 34. e6! Bb5 35. Rab1 was probably White’s best way to keep playing for the win. 32. ... Nxb1 33. e6 fxe6 34. Qh3? 34. f6! gxf6 35. Nxe6! was at least good enough to save the day. 34. ... Rxf5 35. Qh7+ Kf8 36. Qh8+ Ke7 37. Qxg7+ Ke8? 37. ... Kd6 38. Ne4+ Kc7−+ would have been too much like an injustice, so in the end all’s well that ends well! 38. Qg8+ Ke7 39. Rxb1 Rf1+ 40. Rxf1 gxf1=Q+ 41. Kxf1 Qb5+ 42. Kf2 Qb2+ 43. Ke3 Qc1+ 44. Ke2 Qc2+ 45. Ke3 Qc1+ 46. Ke2 Qc2+ 47. Ke3 Qc1+ ½ : ½.