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Home » Chess News » Events » FIDE Grand Prix London 2012 » Topalov, Gelfand and Mamedyarov tie for first in the London FIDE Grand Prix

Leader Shakhriyar Mamedyarov was happy enough to trade to a draw against Peter Leko's Nimzo-Indian and secure at least a share of first place.

Boris Gelfand scored his fourth win of the event defeating Rustam Kasimdzhanov in a nicely played game. Gelfand had serious pressure by move 19 and whilst 31.c6 was possibly not the very best ( 31.Ne5 being better) as it allowed 31.Be4 with the possibility of eliminating the queenside pawns at the cost of a piece after 31...Rfa8? Gelfand brought home the full point. Gelfand looked to have great preparation following his world title match against Anand. Thus Gelfand caught Mamedyarov in the lead.

Gelfand,Boris - Kasimdzhanov,Rustam [D43]
1st FIDE GP London 2012 London ENG (11.3), 03.10.2012

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 e6 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bxf6 Qxf6 7.e3 g6 8.Be2 Bg7 9.e4 dxe4 10.Nxe4 Qf4 11.Qc2 0-0 12.0-0 c5

[12...f5 1-0 Moiseenko,A (2670)-Korobov,A (2684)/Kharkiv UKR 2010/The Week in Chess 838 (38)]

13.dxc5 Bd7 14.b4!

White seems to get at least enough for this exchange sacrifice.

14...Bxa1 15.Rxa1 Bc6 16.Nd6 Nd7 17.Qc1 Qf6

Ambitious.

[17...Qxc1+ 18.Rxc1 Rfd8]

18.Rb1 g5 19.Qe3!

Already white's pieces seem very well co-ordinated and black's position quickly becomes quite difficult to play.

19...Rad8 20.Nd4 a6 21.Re1 Ne5 22.h3 Ba4

[22...Rd7]

23.Qa3 Nc6 24.Nf3 Bc2 25.b5 axb5 26.cxb5 Ra8

[26...Nd4 27.Nxd4 Qxd4 28.Nxb7 Ra8 29.Qe3 Qb4 30.Ra1 Qb2 31.Qc1 Qe5]

27.Qc1 Nb4 28.Qd2 Qf4 29.Qxf4 gxf4 30.Nxb7 Rxa2

31.c6

[31.Ne5 Might even be better.]

31...Rfa8?

Loses.

[31...Be4 going for the elimination of the white queenside pawns at the cost of piece was the best chance.]

32.Nd6 Bd3 33.Bxd3 Nxd3 34.Rf1 Rc2 35.Nd4 Rc5 36.b6 Nb4

[36...Rb8 37.b7 Nb4 38.Ra1 Kg7 39.Nxf7 Rxc6 40.Nxc6 Nxc6 41.Nd6 wins too.]

37.c7 Rf8 38.Rb1 Na6 39.N4b5 Rc6 40.b7 Nxc7 41.Nxc7

[41.Nc8!! Na6 (41...Nxb5 42.Ne7+ Kg7 43.Nxc6 Nd6 44.b8Q Rxb8 45.Rxb8) 42.Ne7+]

41...Rxd6 42.b8Q Rxb8 43.Rxb8+ Kh7 44.Rb4 Rd1+

[44...Rc6 45.Ne8 e5 46.Rb5 f6 47.Rb7+ Kg6 48.Rg7+ Kf5 49.Rg4 Rc1+ 50.Kh2 won't hold out in the long term.]

45.Kh2 e5 46.Ne8 f5 47.Rb7+ Kg6 48.Rg7+ 1-0

Veselin Topalov also got into a share of the lead after defeating Anish Giri in the final round and relegating him to a share of the basement with Hikaru Nakamura something that definitely wouldn't have been predicted at the start of the event. Topalov hasn't been in top form in London but he certainly had an appetite for the battle, he scored 3 wins and drew the remaining games. Giri drifted into trouble on the run up to first time control, he didn't seem decided on what he was playing for and by move 42 was definitely lost.

Giri,Anish - Topalov,Veselin [D37]
1st FIDE GP London 2012 London ENG (11.1), 03.10.2012

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bf4 0-0 6.e3 Nbd7 7.Be2 dxc4 8.0-0 c5 9.dxc5 Nxc5 10.Bxc4 Qxd1 11.Rfxd1 b6 12.Nd4 Bb7 13.Rac1 a6 14.b4 Nce4 15.Nxe4 Bxe4 16.a3 a5 17.f3 Bd5 18.e4 Bxc4 19.Rxc4 axb4 20.axb4 Rfc8 21.Rdc1 Rxc4 22.Rxc4 h6 23.Kf1 Kf8 24.Nc6 b5 25.Rd4 Ra6 26.Nxe7 Kxe7 27.Rd2 Nd7 28.Rc2 g5 29.Bc7 f6 30.Ba5 h5 31.h4

I don't like this. It didn't turn out to be helpful at all to Giri in the long term.

31...gxh4 32.Rc8

[32.Rc7 maybe.]

32...Ne5 33.Rc7+ Kd6 34.Rb7

[34.Rh7 maybe the better way to secure the draw.]

34...h3 35.gxh3 Nxf3 36.Rxb5 Nd2+ 37.Kg2 Ra8 38.Rxh5 Rg8+ 39.Kf2 Nxe4+

Black is definitely the one with the winning chances now. With best play white should probably hold.

40.Ke3 f5

White may only have a very small margin for error if he wants to hold here.

41.Rh7?

[41.b5 Ra8 42.Bb4+ Kd5 43.Rh7 Rb8 44.Kf4 looks like it might hold.]

41...e5

Now white is in trouble.

42.Bc7+

This seems to lead to a forced loss.

42...Ke6 43.Kd3 Rg3+ 44.Kc4 Rc3+ 45.Kb5

And with white's king driven out of the way and black's pieces perfectly coordinated this is now winning.

45...f4 46.Rh6+ Kd5 47.Bb6 f3 48.Rh8 Ra3 49.Bg1 f2 50.Bxf2 Nxf2 51.Rd8+ Ke4 52.Kc6 Rc3+ 0-1

Alexander Grischuk and Hikaru Nakamura drew a Sicilian Dragon by repetition on move 31 in a level position.

Vassily Ivanchuk never quite got going in the event and today was no different. He got something against Wang Hao but maybe should have just grabbed a pawn (27.Qxc8 Rxc8 28.Rxa6) instead he had to settle for perpetual check a few moves later.

Michael Adams drew against Leinier Dominguez Perez in a technical Sicilian which was more or less equal throughout.

1st FIDE GP London (ENG), 21 ix-3 x 2012															cat. XX (2739)
					1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	0	1	2
1.	Topalov, Veselin	g	BUL	2752	*	½	½	½	½	½	½	1	½	1	1	½	7	2839
2.	Gelfand, Boris	g	ISR	2738	½	*	½	0	½	1	1	½	1	½	½	1	7	2840
3.	Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar	g	AZE	2729	½	½	*	0	½	½	½	½	1	1	1	1	7	2841
4.	Grischuk, Alexander	g	RUS	2754	½	1	1	*	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	6½	2802
5.	Leko, Peter	g	HUN	2737	½	½	½	½	*	½	½	1	½	½	½	½	6	2774
6.	Wang, Hao	g	CHN	2742	½	0	½	½	½	*	½	½	½	½	½	1	5½	2738
7.	Adams, Michael	g	ENG	2722	½	0	½	½	½	½	*	½	0	½	½	1	5	2704
8.	Ivanchuk, Vassily	g	UKR	2769	0	½	½	½	0	½	½	*	½	½	½	1	5	2700
9.	Kasimdzhanov, Rustam	g	UZB	2684	½	0	0	½	½	½	1	½	*	½	½	0	4½	2678
10.	Dominguez Perez, Leinier	g	CUB	2725	0	½	0	½	½	½	½	½	½	*	½	½	4½	2675
11.	Giri, Anish	g	NED	2730	0	½	0	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	*	0	4	2637
12.	Nakamura, Hikaru	g	USA	2783	½	0	0	½	½	0	0	0	1	½	1	*	4	2632

Round 11 (October 3, 2012)
Gelfand, Boris	- Kasimdzhanov, Rustam	1-0	48	D43	Anti-Meran Gambit
Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar	- Leko, Peter	½-½	41	E32	Nimzo Indian 4.Qc2
Grischuk, Alexander	- Nakamura, Hikaru	½-½	31	B77	Sicilian Modern Dragon
Adams, Michael	- Dominguez Perez, Leinier	½-½	46	B52	Sicilian Rossolimo
Ivanchuk, Vassily	- Wang, Hao	½-½	39	B90	Sicilian Najdorf Variation
Giri, Anish	- Topalov, Veselin	0-1	52	D37	QGD 5.Bf4

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