Erasmus Programme

Veselin Aleksandrov Topalov – Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov
Chess Festival Eighth Centenary of Salamanca University; Salamanca, October 25, 2018
Spanish Game C92

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. 0-0 Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 0-0 9. h3 Bb7 10. d4 Re8 11. Nbd2 Bf8 12. a3 Nb8? Considering Karpov’s experience and virtuosismo (with both colours) in the Flohr-Zaitsev Variation, his major theoretical blunder appears quite stunning. Both 12. ... g6!? 13. Ba2 Bg7 14. d5 Nb8 15. Nf1 Nbd7 16. Ng3 Qe7 17. b3 c6 18. c4 bxc4 19. bxc4 cxd5 20. cxd5 Nc5= Karpov – Gligorić, 1st International Tournament, Bugojno 1978 and 12. ... h6 13. Bc2 Nb8 14. b4 Nbd7 15. Bb2 c5 16. bxc5 exd4 17. cxd4 dxc5∞ 18. Bb1 (18. d5 c4 may be critical and quite unclear as well) 18. ... Qb6 19. e5 Nd5 20. Ne4 ½ : ½ Karpov – Smejkal, Moscow 1981 are sounder and safer choices. 13. Ng5! Re7 14. Ndf3 Nbd7. If 14. ... exd4 then 15. Nxf7 Rxf7 16. Ng5 d5 17. Nxf7 Kxf7 18. e5 Ne8 19. Qf3+ Kg8 20. Bg5! Qxg5 21. Bxd5+ Bxd5 22. Qxd5+ Kh8 23. Qxa8 Qd8 24. Rad1 c6 25. Rxd4 Qc8 26. Red1 Be7 27. Qa7 Nc7 28. Qb7 Qd8 29. Ra1 1 : 0 Bauer – Renet, 82nd French Chess Championship, Aix-les-Bains 2007. 15. Nxf7 Rxf7 16. Ng5 d5 17. Nxf7. 17. exd5 Bd6 18. dxe5 Nxe5 19. Rxe5 Bxe5 20. d6 Qxd6 21. Qxd6 Bxd6 22. Bxf7+ Kf8 23. Ba2 Bc8 24. Be3 also seems to be powerfully telling, Luther – Slobodjan, 12th ZMD-Open, Dresden 2003. 17. ... Kxf7 18. f4! Probably sharper than 18. Bg5 c5 19. dxe5 Nxe5 20. f4 Nd3 21. Bxd5+ Bxd5 22. Qxd3 Bc6 23. Qc2 which yet leaves White with the upper hand, Kindermann – Dutreeuw, 9th European Team Chess Championship, Haifa 1989. 18. ... exd4 19. e5. 19. cxd4 c5 20. e5 might have been stronger and hardly handleable by Black. 19. ... dxc3 20. bxc3 Kg8 21. exf6 Nxf6 22. Be3 c5! 23. a4

23. ... b4! Time passes, but it does not vanish, and of course there is a reason for which Karpov is the only player in chess history to have won 184 tournaments in a lifetime (so far). 24. cxb4 c4! 25. Bc2 Bxb4 26. Re2 a5!? Probably in order to prevent a4-a5, and fixing at the same time the a4-Pawn. 27. Bd4 Ne4!? Karpov takes risks, looking for dynamic compensation. 28. Re3! Qd7? 28. ... Qd6(!) seems more to the point and still rather unclear. Karpov, however, was now terribly short of time. 29. Qe2! Rc8 30. Rd1 Qf7 31. Rf3? On his part, Topalov, too, misses the chance to put his opponent at a greater distance by 31. Bxe4 dxe4 32. Rg3 Bf8 33. Be5 with a dominant position for White. 31. ... Re8 32. Re3 Qxf4. The game has finally equalised. 33. Bxe4 Rxe4 34. Rxe4 Qxe4 35. Qf2 Bc6 36. Qg3 Qg6 37. Qc7 Bxa4 38. Rf1 h5 39. Rf3 Bd6! 1 : 0. Black apparently overstepped the time limit while making his move. After 40. Qxa5 Bc6 the position is at least equal.

Veselin Aleksandrov Topalov (right) vs. Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov (left). Photo: Gajate y Diego G./Noticiascyl.