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Veselin Aleksandrov Topalov – Garry Kimovich Kasparov

Champions Showdown Chess960 2018; rapid match game 2 (30+10); Saint Louis, September 11, 2018

nqbbrkrn/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/NQBBRKRN w KQkq - 0 1

Position 309

1. c4. In the first rapid game, after a not too encouraging opening, Kasparov managed to hold on, though not without a little help of tactics: 1. e4 e5 2. 0-0 0-0 3. Nb3 Ng6 4. Ng3 d6 5. d4 b6 6. c4 c5 7. d5 b5! 8. cxb5 Qxb5 9. a4 Qb8 10. Qc2 Bd7 11. Nd2 Ba5 12. Re3 Nb6 13. b3 Nf4 14. Nc4 Nxc4 15. bxc4 g6 16. Ne2 f5 17. Nxf4 (if 17. Ng3 Black could reply with 17. ... Nxg2 18. Kxg2 f4) 17. .. exf4 18. Rb3 Qd8 19. exf5 Bxf5 (on 19. ... Bxa4? 20. fxg6! White wins material) 20. Qb2 Bc8 21. Bd2 Bxd2 22. Qxd2 Re4 23. Rb8 Qe7 24. Bf3! Rxc4 25. Qa5 (threatening 26. Rxc8! Rxc8 27. Qa6) 25. ... Qd7 26. Ra1 Qg7 27. Rf1 Qd7 28. Ra1 Qg7 29. Rf1 Qd7 30. Ra1 ½ : ½ Kasparov – Topalov, Champions Showdown Chess960 2018, Saint Louis 2018, rapid match game 1 (30+10). 1. ... e5! 2. Qxh7? A risky Pawn snatch, to say the least. 2. ... Ng6. Threatening to win the Queen by ... Rg8-h8. Her Majesty is compelled to beat an inglorious retreat, leaving Black well ahead in development. 3. Qh3 Rh8 4. Qg3 b5! 5. cxb5. Or 5. b3!? Bh4!? (also after 5. ... c6!? 6. h3 d5 7. cxd5 cxd5 8. d4 Bc7 9. Nc2 e4 10. Qc3 a5! White stands very badly, Aronian – Domínguez Pérez, Champions Showdown Chess960 2018, Saint Louis 2018, blitz match game 1) 6. Qc3 b4 7. Qe3 f5 with great advantage to Black, Giri – So, Champions Showdown Chess960 2018, Saint Louis 2018, blitz match game 1. 5. ... Qxb5 6. 0-0 d5 7. Nc2 c5 8. d3 e4!? It’s not clear whether 8. ... Ba5 would have been actually more effective than the text: Topalov would probably have ended up sacrificing the Exchange as in the game, maybe under worse conditions. Whatever it is, Kasparov chooses a most classical approach, which is not always the most suitable one in Fischerandom chess. 9. dxe4. If 9. Qd6+ then 9. ... Ne7 threatening to trap the Queen by ... Bd8-c7. 9. ... dxe4. 9. ... Rxe4!? 10. Qd6+ Be7 11. Qxd5 Bb7 was another interesting way to go. 10. Qa3! Kg8 11. Ng3! Ba5 12. Be3. Now White obtains more than enough for the Exchange. 12. ... Bxe1 13. Rxe1 Nb6

14. b3. Perhaps not necessary, but the immediate 14. Bxc5! doesn’t make all that difference: after 14. ... Nf4! Black retains good prospects for initiative. 14. ... Nd5. 14. ... f5!? 15. Qxc5 is much unclear. 15. Bxc5 Ngf4 16. Qa4. Maybe White could first play 16. Qxa7 and only after 16. ... Bb7 offer the exchange of Queens by 17. Qa4. 16. ... Qxa4 17. bxa4 Nc3 18. Nd4 Nxd1 19. Rxd1 Rd8 20. e3 Nd3 21. Bxa7 Bb7? Kasparov is still playing under the illusion of initiative, in fact throwing away a draw: 21. .. Nb2 followed by ... Nb2xa4 should lead to equality. 22. a5 g6? This is fatally useless; Black should rather have saved time by 22. ... Kh7 23. f3 Rd7, though with very little hope of survival. 23. f3 Kh7 24. Bb6 Rd7 25. Nxe4 Bxe4 26. fxe4 Ne5 27. Rc1 Ng4 28. Nf3 Re8 29. Bd4 f6 30. h3 Ne5 31. a6 1 : 0. Beautiful but unlucky.

Veselin Aleksandrov Topalov – Garry Kimovich Kasparov

Champions Showdown Chess960 2018; blitz match game 2 (5+5); Saint Louis, September 11, 2018

nqbbrkrn/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/NQBBRKRN w KQkq - 0 1

Position 309

1. d4 d5 2. 0-0 0-0 3. Nb3 Ng6 4. e4 dxe4 5. Rxe4 e5 6. dxe5 Rxe5 7. Ng3 Rxe4 8. Nxe4 f5 9. Ned2 Bf6 10. Nf3 b6 11. c3 c5 12. Bc2 Ne7 13. Re1 Qd6 14. Nbd2 Be6 15. Rxe6? Topalov falls into a hallucination. Simply 15. Nf1 gave White a pull in an almost thematic position — if it weren’t for that Queen on b1... 15. ... Qxe6 16. Bb3 Nd5 17. Qd3 Nac7 18. Nf1 b5 19. c4 Nb6 20. Ne3 Rd8 21. Qc2 bxc4!? 21. ... a5! 22. cxb5 c4 23. Bxc4 (23. Nxc4? a4!) 23. ... Nxc4 24. Nxc4 Nxb5 seems even stronger. 22. Nxc4 Nxc4 23. Bxc4 Nd5 24. h4 h6 25. Be3 Kh8 26. Bxc5 Qd7 27. b4 Nc3 28. g3 Ne4 29. Be3 Qe7 30. Qb3 Bc3!? Black’s Bishop embarks itself in a controversial mission. Simpler and stronger appears to be 30. ... Qb7! threatening both ... Ne4xg3 and ... g7-g5. 31. a3 Bd2 32. Bd4! Be1 33. Kg2? (33. Ne5! Bxf2+! 34. Kg2 Qe8 35. Nf7+ Kh7 36. Nxd8 Bxd4∞) 33. ... Nd2! 34. Nxd2 Rxd4. All’s well that ends well: Black wins. 35. Nf3. Very bad, but not particularly better is 35. Nf1 f4 (or 35. ... Qb7+ followed by ... f5-f4).

35. ... Rd8? 35. ... Qe4! (threatening both ... Rd4-d2 and ... Rd4xc4) would have easily won. 36. Bd3 f4? Panic and courage at the same time! 36. ... a5! could have been still good enough to keep everything together. 37. g4? It’s not clear how Black could have justified his gamble after the cool 37. gxf4, but... not everything can be said in five minutes. 37. ... Bxf2! The doomed Bishop comes back to life! 38. Bb1. Not 38. Kxf2 because of 38. ... Qe3+ 39. Kg2 Rxd3 and mate in a few moves. 38. ... Bxh4!? 38. ... Qe2! 39. Qc2 Qxc2 40. Bxc2 Nxh4! was an easy win. 39. Qc2 g6? It’s no trick. Black should have continued his long and winding (winning?) road with 39. ... g5. 40. Qxg6?? And finally Caïssa gives back her pledge. 40. Nxh4 Qxh4 41. Qc3+ would have lead to a draw by perpetual check. 40. ... Qe2+ 0 : 1. Beacuse of 41. Kh3 Qxf3+ 42. Kxh4 (42. Kh2 Qg3+ 43. Kh1 Rd1 mate) 42. ... Qh1 mate.