WCC 2010-11: Gladiator Battle, but no Winner

While this match has had its share of mistakes, no chess fan on the planet will say that the match was not hard-fought. This match has had many exciting battles where the game hung in the balance such that the result was unclear.

Game #11 was different because it featured 1.c4, the first time a game has opened other than 1.d4. The English resembled a type of Sicilian Dragon reversed, but was unconventional. At one point, black’s pieces were huddled in the center of the board like a battleship.

White sets a trap after 61.Rc3. If black plays 61…b2, then white wins with 62.Rxc5! b1(Q) 63.Ne6+ K-moves 64.Rc8+ mating.

After a series of exchanges, Topalov’s task became easier. Anand had expanded on the queenside and ended up with an overextended pawn on b5 which he eventually sacrificed. His idea was to activate his pieces and go for a win! Most commentators and fans were worried that Anand’s plan was flawed and that Topalov would score the full point. However, Anand played actively and set several traps. Topalov waded through the land mines, defending against the looming “king attack” and settled for a draw. (See Game #11)

4 Comments

  1. It’s down to the wire now. We should know what’s cooking in the next 2.5 hours…exciting day!

  2. Mehul,

    I’ve been reading the blogs and many seem to believe that Topalov will be aggressive and that going to tiebreaks would result in an advantage for Anand. They may be correct all all accounts, but perhaps Topalov would do well to go into tiebreaks where he can at least have more time to prepare. If Anand loses, I hope it is not due to an experimentation on the “money” game.

    For the betterment and growth of chess in developing countries and for a controversy-free crown, I’m hoping Anand will win.

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