Live verslaggeving: ronde 12
27 januari 2007 14:16 | Laatste bewerking: 18:45
Laatste update: 18.30 uur (filmpje online!)
De belangrijkste ronde van het toernooi is begonnen. Natuurlijk alle aandacht gaat uit naar Topalov-Kramnik. Vooraf waren er speculaties of men de handen zou schudden voor de partij of niet. En we hebben het op video (binnenkort).. Geen handenschudden. Het is gekkenhuis in Wijk aan Zee op het moment door de enorme media aandacht. En de partijen? Kramnik verraste iedereen door het Orthodox Damegambiet te spelen in plaats van het Slavisch/Meraner die hij speelde tijdens de WK match. Een scherpe stelling met tegengestelde rochades, weinig theorie dus interessant moet het zeker worden.
Carlsen-Karjakin is een theoretische discussie in het open Spaans. Navara-Pono ziet er gelijk uit en Svidler speelt zijn favoriete Grunfeld tegen Loek van Wely, die ook wel kaas hiervan gegeten heeft. Wij voorspellen remise 
Radjabov spreekt wederom zijn vertrouwen uit in het Konings-Indisch. Motylev pakt het vooralsnog rustig aan maar de stelling is zeker onduidelijk. Tivi gaat weer voor zekerheid en Aronian heeft geen openingsproblemen in deze anti-Marshall. Later meer.
Update 14.47 uur: De nu al historische beelden van het begin van Topalov-Kramnik!
Update 15.52 uur: Loek heeft gewonnen! Onze voorspelling is dus bepaald niet uitgekomen, maar uiteraard maakt ons dat eventjes niets uit 
Tiviakov heeft remise gespeeld, we kunnen nu al spreken van de verrassing van de dag… (Natuurlijk is remise tegen Anand gewoon goed.) Erg spannend is de partij van de supertalenten Karjakin en Carlsen. We hopen beelden van de persconferentie van Loek snel online te hebben! …Zwarts Lxh6 was volgens Loek in elk geval fout.
Update 17.10 uur Het lijkt erop dat Kramnik en Topalov nu toch echt de handjes kunnen schudden, figuurlijk gesproken dan. Hetzelfde geldt ongetwijfeld voor Karjakin en Carlsen. Bij Motylev en Radjabov moet de strijd nog beginnen, en Ponomariov gaat nog een hele onaangename middag tegemoet. Curieus was trouwens ook de remise tussen Atalik en Werle, alle 16 pionnen stonden nog op het bord en de stelling was potdicht.
Update 17.28 De persconferentie van Loek van Wely staat online. Klik hier om Loeks verhaal te bekijken. Inmiddels heeft Radjabov trouwens gewonnen.
Update 18.10 De remise tussen Topalov en Kramnik kwam op volstrekt bizarre wijze tot stand. Na zet 44 was het duidelijk dat de stelling potremise was. Wat zou er gebeuren? In een overvolle speelzaal werden honderden toeschouwers minutenlang in spanning gehouden. Topalov dacht na, Kramnik liep rond. Wie zou het eerst de handdoek in de ring werpen? Er werd een stel paarden geruild. Kramnik keek een seconde lang op. Topalov knikte. Kramnik pakte zijn notatieformulier en zette een handtekening. Terwijl de wedstrijdleider de koningen in het midden van het bord neerzette, werden notatieformulieren ondertekend. Kramnik verliet direct het pand, Topalov werd door een legertje journalisten opgevangen. Hij beantwoordde wat vragen (waarvan spoedig beelden), toen verliet ook hij, Met Cheparinov maar zonder Danailov, de Moriaan. Een historisch moment!
Update 18.40 CET Een korte reactie van Topalov direct na afloop van zijn partij tegen Kramnik
Following up on the article in the Süddeutsche Zeitung, perhaps it would be an interesting idea for the chessvibes cameramen to follow Mr. Silvio Danailov today. Later on we can then try to crack the code, and see what exactly Danailov is signalling to Topalov by taking his glasses off and putting them on again, by biting his thumb, or by scratching his ear three to six times.
Not a nice example for the rest of the chess players, indeed, when the two top seed of the world do not shake hands before the game. Shaking hands is not about people, I think, it’s about the game itself. Also a bad sign about the possibility of a re-match, but who knows, money makes the world go round.
I bet these guys have already made many people missing Kasparov, who by the way is now following games on-line in a PlayChess server. One always finds one’s burden again, they say. A pitty he has been very quiet so far, with no kibitzes.
Karjakin - Carlsen: this looks good for white after 26.f5!
Tiviakov - Anand: probably a quick draw, I predict.
Van Wely - Svidler: intersting Grunfeld, white has the better centre and perhaps some play at the king side, but black is solid and has a pawn majority on the queen’s side to boost on. BTW, white might have some Ne2-f4-h5 tricks.
Shirov - Aronian: indeed no problems for black here.
Motylev - Radjabov: opposite castling, always interesting! Now who is going to break where!?
Navarra - Ponomariov: I like white after 15.Rad1, white definitely has pressure against the black queen’s side.
Topalov - Kramnik: the ending appears to be more comfortable for white, but I think it might be pretty difficult to beat Kramnik in such positions. I just hope Topalov will give it a try!
Here is the cameraman: I can tell you, there are 500 people standing in front of the players.. Impossible to come near the players…
Van Wely - Svidler: for example 19… Rfc8? would allow 20.Nf4!But Svidler’s 19… Bg4 also appears to be wrong, isn’t 20.Nf4! very strong now?
Het ‘jongens, jongens, jongens rustig an,’ van de arbiter is om in te lijsten.
I agree with R.Mutt - this could be a joke , even not very funny. Lets concentrate on the games. I wish Jeroen (which i admire) could talk about topalovs position -looks dangerouse on the Qs site?
i mean in danger ,sorry :]
Thank you for the historical footage, Forest.
According to the German reporter, Danailov prefers a corner where he can’t see the board or the monitors but can have eye-contact with Topalov. Is it as crowded there?
Van Wely has played 20.Nf4! and it appears Svidler is in big trouble now!
Topalov is a little better after f.e. 18.f3. Some plans could be moving the kingside pawns, challenging the d-file (Rd1), or going after the pair of bishops with Na5!?
(I agree that it is probably all nonsense, of course)
18.f3 played. Kramnik’s pieces are not exactly harmoniously placed…
Wow- a media frenzy, somewhat! At the risk of sounding a little prudish, with all that flashing, whirring, & bustling around the table, it looked a bit like a tiny little Vegas boxing ring & not a chess game.
Stunning footage! Thanks, Chessvibes!
19.Bc7 played, i wouldn’t wanna be black…. come on Kramnik show em who the world champ is!!!!!
Indeed with all the cameras around you… it’s not top chess-filosophy. But i suppose they don’t need to think a lot untill move 8,9 or 10. “It’s all theory”
and journalists leave after 5min or so right?
isn’t Bc7 waste of time after Rc8 can someone explain why not Bd6 in Topalov game
well i suppose you don’t want to be trading off material when you have a spatial advantage, it releaves the pressure on blacks side who is not well organised, i suppose.
Will someone follow Kramnik and count his visits to the WC today? (Water Closet meant, and not World Champion)
I like black’s knight on d8
Topalov outplays positionally Kramnik so far in the game!
probably it was the idea to move the Rook to c8 and after Be5 f6 to play Bd4 attacking a7. That’s obvious that you don’t want to trade material but it’s not posible I guess in that position. It could be a psychological move just to show him that is playing for win i don’n know.
Now the point of Bc7 is clear: only with a rook on c8 21.Nd6 was possible.
Nas the real world champion is only one and this is Topalov. He is going to prove it in the re-match in Sofia. And as you can see from this tournament Kramnik is not more than a middle-class player.
No se dieron la mano!!, no se miraron, la tension fue alta!! y las camaras de foto, solo de foto con esos flashes incomodaron a Kramnik, ni que decir de los movimientos iniciales decisivos para la partida. Camaras sin flashes y se tiene que reducir el tiempo, mucho cuidado.
Cusco-Peru.
Kramnik’s Nd8 and Ra8 are extreamly active!!! Just like Kramnik: run and hide in the mouse pit!
Interesting to see all these contenders for first prize playing the black pieces. Could be some hairy dramas ahead.
alguien esta siguiendo esta partida con los programas Ribka y Fritz? que dicen son igualitas?…sinceramente Yo creo que nunca hubo trampas entre Topalov y Kramnik y menos de Topalov en Argentina, pero no esta de mas sugerir como otros que sigan cada movimiento de cada equipo para comprobar lo que digo.
great play from Van Wely….wonderfull, the last knight of the Gruenfeld now shattered down on his own playgrund
Svidler knocked out of the race in a mere 22 moves, GG King Loek!
There is another possible interpretation of the Top-Kram game. Let’s suppose the game ends in a draw (which is not an unlikely result, by the way). Then Kramnik may argue that he was able to draw Topalov with such moves as Rc8, Ra8, Ne8 and so on, and without even have to put a piece beyond the 4th rank (apart from the rook exchanhe in move 13). This is equivalent to say “I can hold a game with you with the black pieces anytime as easy as falling off a log” even against the best and most prepared Topalov.
You know things can be interpreted in many different ways.
Que cosas, tan sencillo y tan terriblemente pierde Svidler?…
Round uo 16:00:
Van Wely has won, good show Loek!
Tiviakov - Anand: draw as predicted.
Topalov - Kramnik: still a slight edge for white, but no weaknesses in black’s position. Probably this is going to be a draw.
Karjakin - Carlsen: exciting stuff, now Carlsen’s king looks the more exposed one.
Navarra - Ponomariov: white is a pawn up and should be winning.
Motylev - Radjabov: Radja is the first to break with f6-f5, but all 3 results are still possible. Tough fight coming up, I expect.
Shirov - Aronian: black has the advantage here, so watch out: Aronian might be a favourite to win Corus this year!
haha do you think they will sit down playing a post-mortem after the match??
Hey is there a toilet near Kramnik. If there is none what will he do? He is lost
Niko Kitov, if Kramnik were only a middleclass player, how could a rematch prove anything?
He is only lost if Topalovs Manager is near.
Kramnik plays only for draw there is no other interpretation remember Petrof that’s the reason
Vesko plays only d4 with Kramnik but nevertheless
Topalov has centralized King space advantage so lets hope Topalov will be able to convert it to
a wining position.
The Germans are notorious for their sense of humor indeed
I wonder what does it mean when Danilov scratches his balls 
Can you guys hunt all of us rybka-less fans how does the game look on the theoretical side?
Hand-shake or not, I am happy that there is -at last- exitement and tension on and especially around the chessboard back again. The Championship 1972 became famous because of the things going on around the chessboard, not (just) because of the quality of the play. Look at the media interest at the start of the round!
That is really good for chess. I like that.
And speculating about somebody maybe cheating with a computer today is in my opinion at least as a serious matter as investigating the opponent´s chair for negative vibes back in 1972.
Sometimes there just like childs
Topalov - Kramnik: many pawns are coming off. 31.gxf6+ looks logical and how will black take back the pawn? 31… gxf6 is obvious, but maybe 31… Nxf6!? is possible as well, to use the 8th rank for the rook.
Topalov - Kramnik: I consider 28.g2-g4 to be the most logical move .But maybe Topa is giving it such a thought because of 28. …Rd8.
Ah OK, so 31.gxf6+ Nxf6 being played! 32.Rg1 is strong, I like white’s position! Karpov used to win such endings in the past, but is it really enough to beat Kramnik!?
In group B the game Atalik-Werle is a funny position. Maybe it is going to be a draw because of the 50-move rule, while all pawns are still on the board! A nice one for Tim Krabbe’s chess curiosities
Rybka 2.1: 33.Rg6, Kf8 34. Bf3, Rh8 (+/- 0.29)
Very interesting moment in the Topalov-Kramnik game: Rybka didn’t like Kramnik’s 33… Bb7, because it weakens the b5 square. 34.a4 returns the favour, however. 34.Bd3! might be a nice white advantage. Now 35… Nf7 threatens g5! and I think it is going to be a draw….
Topa might go 36.e5!? still with an edge!
Hm, after 36.a5 g5! it really looks drawish now….
Topalov is the best (active) player in the world, get it? He is not cheating and he plays way better than Vlad “King of Draws in 20 moves” Kramnik. Look at his other wins without Danailov, he does not need that. Come on! We are talking about a guy that has beaten Kasparov many times since he was like 20 or so… TOPALOV IS THE BEST!!
thx peter for these great videos ,bravo!
It is most likely a draw now . But people can see the game and decide for themselves who is the better player. Topalov is No1.
I enjoy the chess and not all the “pressures” from the soap opera outside the chessboard. The accusations keep flying about secret signals and hand signals and anything else that could be mentioned. Both Topalov and Kramnik are great players and they have proven it many times in their play. I enjoy watching the games between these players and all the players at this tournament. Whoever wins this tournament rightly deserves so…Good luck to all the players!
“Well said, Dale” says my Rybka!
Kramnik has the nice tactical shot 40… Bf3! to draw.
To MedPsycho:
Topalov may be the best player. That’s easy to to say, because there is the ELO Ranking exactly made for that.
The World Champion however is the guy who wins the championship. That is Kramnik for the time being. Like it or not. And Topalov got one forfeit win in the match as well, remember.
And as long, as there is no proof of cheating, i wouldn’t accuse someone. Topalov simply made some mistakes during the match.
To make sure that a player doesn´t cheat during tournaments and championships is the organizer’s responsibility.
Therefore I fully support Topalov’s requests during the match, that the organizers have to make sure, that the opponent cannot easily cheat.
I hope Radja wins, so we get a nice last game Radjabov vs Topalov
40. …, Bf3!
It’s a draw, gentlemen…
To BRUZ_LEE:
EXACTLY!! People should stop arguing about who is cheating or not… we are not there, we cannot know. Topalov has outplayed his opponents in the last 2-3 years. Kramnik won the match, surprisingly, but we cant say he cheated, nor Topalov.
Hmm, people shouldn´t just discard Kramnik´s experience as match player, where he is clearly better than Topalov for the time being.
Radjabov primero con 8 puntos. Mañana entre Topalov y Radja se define al ganador.
Topalov - Kramnik: 41.a6! doesn’t seem a draw at all to me. Vladimir (The Toilet) Kramnik will have to push his brain cells a little more than cheap tricks like Bf3 to make a draw.
Aronian-Tiviakov mañana will be fun to watch too
Topalov blew it
Kramnik neither Topaliv want to offer a draw…
Topalov that is
Topalov-Kramnik esta a muerte hay mas posibilidades que gane el Bulgaro pero tendra que sufrirla y mañana talvez sucumbir ante Radjabov.
If they don’t speak they will have to play it to the end, heh
Topalov - Kramnik: 41.a6 = and draw!
Let’s play another one…
Ok, can Aronian win? If so he wins the tounament, I bet.
Fascinating body language at the start of the game!
Lots of aggressive gestures - a real psychological battle!
Does anybody know they shake hands after the game, or not?
Kramnik is such a waste… all he looks for is the draw… doesn’t even look try to win… only way he wins is if his opponent blunders…
so yeah he plays perfect chess, which is a drawn game…. but in order to win, you must deviate and create complications as Topalov does… I bet 95% of chess fans prefer to watch Topalov play over Kramnik.
Si. Topalov es lo mejor jugador en este deporte. pero fue Anand que he construido a este partido…por cierto
Zauf and others, please remain silent when you don’t understand real chess (from Kramnik).
What is the real chess? To play for a draw in a match you should definitely win if you wanna continue the battle for the first place? I strongly don’t believe that.
In practice the weaker player always plays avoiding complications. Fear maybe ?
Geez, 99% of all super GMs would play for a draw with the black pieces against Topalov. Get a grip, lol.
It’s beyound suspicion now. Topalov does cheat. And yes I’m referring to the chessbase article. You know when these many people suspect someone, there is something wrong. I remember Topalov trying to explain his moves on the board, but he often forgets what move he made, could it be because he didn’t make those moves? This is a shame. Topalov should be banned for 10 years. Thank you all.
rain, that’s ridiculous! It’s a stupid article that does not mean and prove anything!
” You know when these many people suspect someone, there is something wrong.” - well… the same thing goes with Kramnik and his toilet saga :).
and btw it’s not a chessbase article, but just their translation of an article from a German newspaper.
Niko Kitov… where did you learn chess? I always thought the weaker player is the one who needs to complicate to have a chance against a stronger opponent - or else he will lose in some positional way he barely understands.
Your anger, frustration and rudeness is no more funny.
Kramnik is boring:
Can anyone tell us what the last novelty was that Kramnik showed to us?
Kramnik being a champ is bad for the chess.
Novelty?? Is chess really all about opening novelties?
In my youth, I read from chess books how the crowd always praised the attack-oriented players, and thought this had to be some stupid exaggeration by the writers. Well, it’s true, of course, but I still have difficulties believing what I see: all sorts of club players and coffehouse gurus and perhaps even some town-championship-tenth-places keep trolling around in forums and teaching world’s best players how they should play chess.
Niko Kotov you are very funny! Kramnik is the best today. Who is topalov what is his title? Kramnik is UNIFIED CHAMPION!
Who is topalov!! He is a cheater as chessbase said today, he is a shame for chess world. If someone will be a middle player he is just only topa-low. As his name reminds me top-a-low a top rated low player!!
Kramnik, if he is smart he will except the rematch with Topalov. He will get 1 mil dollars. Because he will lose the title in Mexico for sure. Either with forfeit, or behind the board. You think people will buy the 2 champion stuff again?
No, sir, they will not. His only chance is to drastically changes his stile of play for Mexico, and tries to Play like Kasparov-Topalov. Peace.
Just to point out that the report is no by ChessBase but by a German newspaper. It is VeselinTopalov.com that attacked ChessBase for an article it did not write - CB.com did nothing but provide a translation of a press article.
So, after all, today it was Topalov who tried to avoid complications. So much for a people’s beloved relentless attacker.
Jeroen, are you GM Piket by any chance? Your analysis sure is master strength! Thanks.
I think Kramnik must not accept a re-match before Mexico. After the mexico if Topalov still insists they can play in Sofia or in Topalov’s mothers house!! Nothing changes for champion! Either topalov himself or with any computer asistance it’s not so easy thing to defeat Kramnik, as Kasparov says “He (Kramnik) is the most difficult player to beat”..
As we see in Elista and as we see against Kasparov and as we see against computers he played! He is a chess genious!
Anand is one of the best sportspersons India has ever produced. I am very proud of his achievements. However, this tournament is a turning point in his career. I predict that by the end of this year he will no longer be in top 3, which is a sad thing for all Indians, but it seems inevitable. He has peaked and now clearly on a plateu. Young challengers like Radjabov, Navara, Carlson and Karjakin are going to challenge top players and it is going to be an exciting few years. Good luck to Anand.
Ravi
I think the manager of Kramnik is German so they
plays dirty tricks whit that German newspaper this is not serious for Silvio Danailov
but now there is a clear association Kramnik - toilet and they are trying to dirty Topalov reputation but I belive they dirty only themselvs
Following the accusations published today in ChessBase it is obvious by now that somebody has to act, specially FIDE and the Arbiters Commission, regarding Danailov’s behaviour. If this are hard facts, then it is an obvious thing that Topalov is, to put it mildly, surrounded by the wrong people. While from the other players perspective, it is time for them to act unified against this kind of things. While this issue is not solved, Kramnik must not accept any challenge from Topalov. I expect some strong acts from FIDE.
Hairy, try to master a few proper English words before filling this forum with your infantile opinions. Kramnik is extremely defensive and very boring to watch, while Topalov at least tries to move dynamically and frequently behind his moves one can feel the touch of a genius. The latest on the rematch is that it might not happen, but that Topalov will be allowed to participate in Mexico. Kramnik will definitely lose the title, as he is pusillanimous and while he scores endless draws, other players like Topalov and possibly Anand, Svidler, and perhaps Leko, will be winning their games and moving ahead.
In terms of the so-called cheatings of danailov and Topalov–hey, guys, is there an UFO flying above? And is the world coming to an end? Maybe a ship swimming in the sky? These accusations are so lame that even van Wely called them an “offense” to the entire chess community.
Nicely said, Chris. Well even Van Wely explained at the press conference that he was already lost out from the opening, and by that suggested it was home preparation that won, and not some Kramniks fan accusations. They just cant get over the fact their “champ” plays so without will. After all 2 wins and 10 draws is just a shame for World champion. Do you think Fischer or Kasparov or any other champ in the past ever scored such a stupid result? This accusations are just absurd, do Topalov speak hand language as well? Ah, yes, maybe he can read Danailovs mind connected to the Fritz 10, while only watching somehow in the corner of Danailovs eye, even sometimes danailov not being there ( we saw Dainalov watching monitor on few pictures with Cheparinov)…Peace.
I agree with Chris & Alesh. Very nicely said!
Citation: “Kramnik is such a waste… all he looks for is the draw… doesn’t even look try to win… only way he wins is if his opponent blunders…”
Lol, that’s right.Absolutely right.Every world champion till now has been remarkable chess player.I don think Kramnik is remarkable chess player.The world champion of chess to play almost always for a draw??!?Really funny!
“Lol, that’s right.Absolutely right.Every world champion till now has been remarkable chess player.I don think Kramnik is remarkable chess player.The world champion of chess to play almost always for a draw??!?Really funny!”
Just how many of them do you know? Just Fisher and Kasparov, probably?
There were plenty of champs (Karpov, Petrosian) who played defensive chess.
Don’t forget about the greatest talent ever: Misha Tal
yep loosing as a champion is the worst thing that can happen to you, that’s probably why they play so cautious…one wouldn’t want to lose face or to many ELO points while your on top.
Amyway great game for Tpolov. I hope he keeps it up.
[...] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpL8-abJ97Y http://www.chessvibes.com/?p=526 [...]
You folks are funny!
No matter how strong Topalov is (and he is strong, no doubt about that), Kramnik proved again that Topalov is just not quite strong enough to beat him.
In Elista, they went +2 for Kramnik at the board, plain and simple. And everynone’s got what he deserved - Kramnik got the title and Topalov got disrespect from fellow players who, in no uncertain terms, supported Kramnik.
As to the very popular argument that Topalov’s chess is exiting and Kramnik’s chess is not, it’s irrelevant. Champions win, they don’t entertain. Circus clowns do.
Get over it. Typing “Topalov is the real-real-real champion” using capital leters won’t change a thing. Unless you try font size of 28 or something.
A few pictures or rounds 11 and 12
http://www.jmrw.com/Chess/Wijk_aan_Zee_2007/index.htm
[...] the magical number of 64 comments that were left. (By the way, 100 comments were made under the article on the game Kramnik-Topalov, their first tournament encounter since the WCC [...]