Game of the Month

Too Casual

With all the fantastic games being played at the highest level these days, it sometimes seems like one can get away with almost anything, as complications and counterchances will surely arise. But in the game between the two young superstars Vesselin Topalov and Peter Leko from the annual Dortmund Chess Festival, the old rules applied. After making a measured sacrifice of a piece for two pawns, Topalov continued as if there was no crisis on the board. But a couple of deft defensive moves by Leko, and poof! – the compensation disappeared. Once this transpired, Topalov's two pawns for the piece provided no shield against the consistent threat of exchanges, and a fate typical of the casual sacrificer awaited him.

Topalov, V – Leko, Peter

Dortmund, July 1999

[ECO "C65"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5

The Classical Defense to the Ruy Lopez. The best way to get here is generally held to be via the Berlin Defense (3 ... Nf6, as played) because the immediate 3 ... Bc5 (after 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5) is strongly met by 4 c3, and if 4 … Nf6 (or Black can play the wild 4 … f5) 5 d4 Bb6 6 Qe2! (also seen is 6 Nxe5 Nxe5 7 dxe5 Nxe4 8 Qg4) and White will get in the push e4-e5.

5. c3

The other main line is the "fork trick" 5 Nxe5 Nxe5 6 d4, after which Black usually selects from two very complex lines - 6 ... Nxe4 7 Qe2!, or 6 ... a6.

O-O 6. d4 Bb6

DIAGRAM

7. Bg5

In Ehlvest – Short, Belgrade 1989, the novelty 7 Qd3 was introduced, leading to very sharp play after Black took the opportunity 7 … d5 8 Bxc6 bxc6 9 Nxe5 Nxe4 10 Nd2! (better than 10 Nxc6 Qd6) Bf5 11 Qf3 Qf6 12 Nxc6 Rae8 with clear play for the pawn. Another interesting idea is 7 a4 first. Then after 7 ... a5 8 Bg5, Karaklajic – Vasiukov, Bela Crkva 1989 continued 8 … d6 (8 ... h6 is no good here due to 9 Bxf6! Qxf6 10 Bxc6 Qxc6 11 Nxe5 Qxe4 12 Nd2 and 13 Ndc4) and White's quiet play with 9 dxe5?! Nxe5! 10 Nxe5 dxe5 11 Qf3 h6 12 Rd1 ran into the queen sacrifice 12 … hxg5!! 13 Rxd8 Rxd8 with great activity. Finally, a radically different approach for White is 7 dxe5, allowing 7 … Nxe4. Then one line is 8 Qd5 Nc5 9 Bg5 Ne7 10 Qd1 Ne4 11 Bh4 d5 with a complex middlegame as in Smirin – Weinstein, Israel Championship 1992.

h6 8. Bh4

This is the main line. 8 Bxf6 Qxf6 9 Bxc6 Qxc6 10 Nxe5 Qxe4 is at least equal for Black - in contrast to the line above, Black has not yet moved his a-pawn – and in Rozentalis – Beliavsky, Groningen 1992, Black moved onto the offensive after 11 Nd2 Qf5 12 Nec4 d5 13 Nxb6?! axb6 14 Re1 Qg6.

d6 9. Qd3

In Dgebuadze – Macieja, Pardubice 1993, White played 9 a4 (also possible is the immediate 9 Bxc6 bxc6 10 Nbd2 Re8 11 Re1; then 11 … g5 is probably best) a5 10 Bxc6 bxc6 11 Nbd2 Re8 12 Re1 exd4 13 Nxd4 Bd7 14 Qf3 but then 14 … g5 15 Bg3 h5! turned out nicely for Black.

Bd7

Not 9 … a6 10 Bxc6 bxc6 11 Nbd2 and Black has insufficient play against White's center.

10. Nbd2 a6 11. Bc4

To play 11 Bxc6 Bxc6 would confer no advantage; Topalov does not shrink to such techniques to avoid a crisis. Interesing is 11 Ba4; then 11 … Nxd4!? Is possible and would lead to 12 Bxd7 Nxf3+ 13 Qxf3 Qxd7 14 Bxf6 gxf6 15 Qxf6 Qe6, which also should be ok for Black. Therefore, the text (11 Bc4) aims to take advantage of Black's last two moves, although Black now has the chance to take some potshots against White's central formation.

exd4

Timing is everything in this very complex opening. No concession would be forced by 11 … g5 12 Bg3 and then 12 … exd4 13 Nxd4! Or 12 … g4 13 dxe5! Therefore, Leko needs to give up the center first if … g7-g5 is to have real effect. Of course, if White now plays 12 Nxd4, then 12 … Ne5 affords easy equality.

12. cxd4

DIAGRAM

g5 13. Nxg5

It appears that on 13 Bg3 g4 14 Nh4 Bxd4, White does not have sufficient compensation; therefore, this piece sacrifice is forced.

hxg5 14. Bxg5 Kg7

A fundamental defensive move, not only defending the knight on f6 and enabling the maneuver … Nc6-e7, but also avoiding the nasty trap 14 … Bad4? 15 e5! Bxe5 16 Qg6+ Kh8 17 Qh6+ Kg8 18 Ne4.

15. Nb3

It is very unfortunate, after making a violent piece sacrifice, to have to spend one's time defending a pawn! However, this was a piece sacrifice for two pawns, not a huge material imbalance, and therefore normal caution is in order. The first alternative to consider was the violent 15 e5. Then 15 … dxe5 16 Ne4 Bf5! Provides a nice defense. Next on the candidate moves list was 15 Qg3 – this is much more difficult to evaluate. The strange thing is that while White is setting up a vicious-looking discovered check, it is not at all clear what the actual threat is. After 15 … Bxd4 16 Nf3 the situation is very unclear. Finally, 15 Nf3 was an alternative way of defending the d-pawn. But this would have been clearly inferior, blocking both the path of the White queen to the kingside and the path of the White f-pawn. Topalov must have carefully investigated 15 Qg3 (to get that move in first, and then possibly move the knight to f3) and found it untenable.

Ne7

Having done its job on c6, the knight swings over for defensive purposes. Now if Black is left to his own devices, his next move would be … Nf6-h7.

16. Bxf6+

Again 16 Qg3 was an intriguing alternative, this time with the threat of e4-e5. Black should respond by giving back the piece with 16 … Nxe4 17 Bxe7+ Nxg3 18 Bxd8 Nf5! 19 Bg5 Nxd4 with what appears like a slight endgame advantage (for Black). Other 16^th moves for Black are quite dangerous. But Topalov preferred to put his stock in an outright attack.

Kxf6 17. f4 Be6

Leko gets in a quick bishop exchange before being smothered by f4-f5.

DIAGRAM

18. Kh1

There is a good chance that this move is a mistake. Most intuitive is play 18 f5 to immobilize Black's king on the horrible f6 square. After 18 … Bxc4 19 Qxc4 Ng8, then White has 20 Qc1! Then Black's best would probably be 20 … Ke7 (not 20 … Kg7 21 f6+ anyway) 21 f6+ Kd7 and the Black king heads for the hills, although the knight is frozen.

Bxc4 19. Qxc4 Kg7

Having survived the first wave of the attack, Leko has suddenly shifted the onus to his opponent to show exactly what he has for the material deficit.

20. f5 f6

This is the problem with 18 Kh1. Black has time to put together a makeshift home for his king behind his f-pawn, especially now with the White bishop gone.

21. Rf3 Rh8 22. Rg3+ Kf8 23. Qe6 Ng8

Black's advantage has become indisputable. Now 24 e5 would only invite the exchage of queens after 24 … dxe5 25 dxe5 Qe7.

24. Re1 Qe8 25. Qc4 Qf7 26. Qc3 Re8

Huddling everybody around the king, Leko can now start to emerge, using the threat of piece exchanges as leverage.

27. Rg4 Qh5 28. Qg3 Ne7

DIAGRAM

29. h3

There is not much to lose by mixing it up here, but 29 Rf1 would have provided better resistance.

Nxf5 30. Qf4 Rg8

This rook exchange dispels any illusions about threats to Black's king.

31. Rxg8+ Kxg8 32. Rf1 Ng7 33. Qxf6 Rxe4

The consolidation phase is just about complete.

34. Kh2 Qe8 35. Qg5 c6 36. Qg3 Qe6 37. Nd2 Rxd4 38. Nf3 Rd5 39. Re1 Qf7 40. Qg4 Bd8 41. Qc8 Qc7 42. Qxc7 Bxc7 43. Re7 Bb6 44. g4 Rb5 45. b3 Kf8 46. Rd7 Ne6 47. Nh4 Ke8 48. Rh7 Nf8 0-1