Position No. 6097: White to play and win. From the game Veselin Topalov-Boris Gelfand, Linares 2010.
Solution to Position No. 6096: Black wins with 1 . . . Rxg3 2 fxg3 (as 2 Rxg3 h4 costs White a Rook) Qb6 3 g4 Qg1+ 4 Kg3 Ra3+ 5 Kh4 (or 5 Kf4 Qd4+ 6 Qe4 Qd6+) g5+ 6 Kxh5 Rxh3+ 7 gxh3 Q
The great double round robin in Linares, Spain, ended in a dramatic victory for world championship challenger Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria. Like a crafty pitcher who wins without his best stuff, Topalov succeeded without revealing any opening secrets he had prepared for his April match against champion Viswanathan Anand. Two of his four wins came from inferior positions, and only once did he outplay his opponent thanks to an advantage in the opening.
Topalov's legendary determination highlighted the final round. His cautious opponent, Boris Gelfand of Israel, reached an obviously drawn endgame, yet Topalov induced an almost imperceptible error that he exploited with an artistic and original finish. See today's puzzle!
Scores: Topalov, 6 1/2 -3 1/2 ; Grischuk, 6-4; Levon Aronian (Armenia), 5 1/2 -4 1/2 ; and Vugar Gashimov (Azerbaijan), Francisco Vallejo Pons (Spain) and Gelfand, each 4-6.
Grischuk, who won the 2009 tournament in Linares, played the highest-quality games, but he spoiled a promising position against Topalov in the fifth round. He did win the ninth-round rematch. Aronian was the only undefeated player.
Topalov's victory boosted his rating seven points, not quite enough to displace Magnus Carlsen of Norway from the top spot on the rating list. According to the unofficial rankings at liverating.com, Carlsen is rated 2812.9, while Topalov is 2812.2. Next are Vladimir Kramnik (Russia), 2789.9; Anand (India), 2788.7; Aronian, 2783.5; and Grischuk, 2769.6.
Sicilian Match
Grandmasters Gregory Kaidanov of Kentucky and Judit Polgar of Hungary tied a four-game match in Hilton Head, S.C., where Black was required to play the Sicilian Defense. The result was discouraging for Sicilian Defense advocates -- four consecutive wins for White. In a blitz tiebreaker, White won the first two games and then Polgar took the match by finally winning with Black.
Local news
The Western Class Championships, an eight-section tournament run by the Continental Chess Assn., takes place Friday through Sunday in the Renaissance Hotel, 30100 Agoura Road in Agoura Hills. Entrants may choose a two-day schedule, beginning Saturday. For more information, see chesstour.com.
The Santa Monica Bay Chess Club, which meets Monday evenings in St. Andrew's Church, 11555 National Blvd. in Los Angeles, will begin a four-round tournament at 7 p.m. Monday. Call Pete Savino at (310) 827-2789 for details.
Today's games
GM Judit Polgar (Hungary)-GM Gregory Kaidanov (Kentucky), Game No. 2, Hilton Head 2010: 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 d4 cxd4 4 Nxd4 Nf6 5 Nc3 g6 6 Be3 Bg7 7 f3 The Yugoslav Attack against the Sicilian Dragon. Nc6 8 Qd2 0-0 9 Bc4 Bd7 10 0-0-0 Rc8 11 Bb3 Ne5 12 Kb1!? A fashionable finesse. The immediate 12 h4 h5 13 g4 hxg4 seems defensible for Black. Re8 The insertion of 12 Kb1 and 12 . . . Re8 favors White, but Black has few other useful moves. He has scored poorly with 12 . . . a5 13 a4 and 12 . . . Nc4 13 Bxc4 Rxc4 14 g4 b5?! 15 b3 Rc8 16 Ndxb5, while 12 . . . a6 13 h4 h5 14 g4!? lets White attack as in the game. 13 h4 h5 14 g4!? hxg4 15 h5 Nxh5 16 Rdg1 The Rook lines up against Black's King, imagining a variation such as 16 . . . gxf3?? 17 Rxh5 gxh5 18 Bh6 Bg4 19 Qg5 Ng6 20 Qxg6, mating. e6 17 Bh6 Qf6 Black's last two moves are customary, but hardly cure-alls. He welcomes 18 Bg5? Nxf3 and 18 Bxg7?! Kxg7 19 fxg4 Qf4!, but White selects a third path. 18 fxg4 Bxh6 19 Qxh6 Qg7 20 Qd2 Nf6 21 g5 Nh5 22 Nce2 To eliminate the Knight that blocks the h-file. Nc4 Neither 22 . . . Kf8 23 Qb4 nor 22 . . . Nc6 23 Nb5 helps. If 22 . . . Bc6, hoping for 23 Rh4 d5, White ignores Black's threat and attacks with 23 Ng3! Nxg3 24 Rxg3 Bxe4 25 Rh4 d5 26 Rgh3. Perhaps Black should return the pawn by 22 . . . d5 23 exd5 exd5 24 Bxd5 Nc4. 23 Bxc4 Rxc4 24 b3 Rc5 25 Ng3 Black cannot prevent disaster on the h-file. The Dragon has been slain again! Nxg3 After 25 . . . Bc6 26 Nxh5 gxh5 27 Nxc6 Rxc6 28 Rxh5 Rec8 29 c4 Qg6 30 Rh4, White's King is much safer than Black's. If 30 . . . d5 31 Qh2! Kf8 32 Qe5!, White threatens both 33 Qf6 and 33 cxd5. 26 Rxg3 Rec8 White refutes 26 . . . e5 by 27 Nf5! gxf5 28 Qxd6 f4 29 Qxd7 Rec8 30 Rg4, foreseeing 30 . . . Rxc2 31 g6 and 30 . . . R5c7 31 Qf5 Rc6 32 Rgh4, setting up 33 Rh7. 27 Rgh3! e5 28 Rh4! exd4 29 Qh2 Kf8 30 Qxd6+ Kg8 31 Qxd7 Not 31 Qf6?? Qxf6 32 gxf6 because 32 . . . Rh5 stops checkmate. d3 Black would lose a Rook by 31 . . . Rxc2 32 Qh3 Kf8 33 Rh8+. 32 c4 Qc3 33 R4h2 Very convincing. If Black tries 33 . . . R5c7 34 Qd6 Rc6, one method is 35 Qe7 d2 36 Rxd2! Qxd2 37 Qe5 f6 38 gxf6. b5 34 e5! Qxe5 35 Rh7 R5c7 Or 35 . . . Rf8 36 Qh3 Qxg5 37 Rh8+ Kg7 38 Qh7+ Kf6 39 Rxf8. 36 Qd6!, Black Resigns. It's mate after 36 . . . Qc3 37 Qf6.
