Anand wins Game 4

[Kerry Liles]

Looked like a real barn burner... nice to see Vishy beat Topo at his own game (tactical beatdown). Anand leading 2.5-1.5

[Paul Beckwith]

Re: Anand wins Game 4

Very nice game. 20....h6 looked like a waiting move but turned out to be very weak as it gave Anand a nice target. 26....Rxd6 looked weak also, perhaps 26...Bd5 can hold the position?

[Paul Bonham]

Re: Anand wins Game 4

Very nice game. 20....h6 looked like a waiting move but turned out to be very weak as it gave Anand a nice target. 26....Rxd6 looked weak also, perhaps 26...Bd5 can hold the position?

After 26. ... Bd5, I'm finding what looks like a forced mate:

27. Qg6+ Kh8 28. Rd4 Qh7 29. Rh4! Rd7 30. Nf7+ Rdxf7 31. Qxf7 Rxf7 32. Rc8+ Rf8 33. Rxf8#

If I haven't missed anything, then 29. Rh4! is amazing, showing that the semi-open h and g files are deadly for Black. It seems he must take the Nd6 immediately just to get his B to e4, but still obviously loses.

[Paul Bonham]

Re: Anand wins Game 4

After 26. ... Bd5, I'm finding what looks like a forced mate:

27. Qg6+ Kh8 28. Rd4 Qh7 29. Rh4! Rd7 30. Nf7+ Rdxf7 31. Qxf7 Rxf7 32. Rc8+ Rf8 33. Rxf8#

If I haven't missed anything, then 29. Rh4! is amazing, showing that the semi-open h and g files are deadly for Black. It seems he must take the Nd6 immediately just to get his B to e4, but still obviously loses.

I'm amazed that no one is commenting here on this game, given that today was a rest day in the match and so there's time to analyze some incredible complexities. To my mind, this was quite a remarkable game, unusual in many respects for top-level chess matches. Here are some comments I wrote up earlier today, and apologies if my analysis seems half-baked; obviously I'm not credentialed to give quality commentary on such matches, so feel free to contest my statements :)



The move 20. ... h6 here by Topalov looks to me like a very "human" move, meaning it appears to have psychological overtones. Rather than a mere waiting move, it appears to be Topalov saying to Anand, "bring it on". Topalov had to foresee his Queen being chased to a7, and had to account for the possibility of Ng4 followed by the sac for the h- and g-pawns (which, by the way, did he even consider ... Kh7 instead of gxh6?). If he was set on gxh6, then I'm sure he must have also seen the White push to e5 and Black taking the B on g2. He may have decided that his material advantage would overcome Anand's initiative. What he may not have fully realized was the deadliness, after the e5 push, of the Rook lifts (2 of them!) to the 4th rank, and what little his Q-side Knights or his B on g2 could do for countering or defense. There was time on move 22 for a Na6-c5-Nbd3 counter manoeuvre, but he went for Rad8, I wonder if Anand anticipated this?

A very fascinating turn in this match! I think Anand's decision to play Nxh6, after the tactical beating he took in Game 1, is an amazing and highly unusual example of courage and judgment at the top levels of chess (but then, I don't follow top level chess much, and there may be equal or better examples even quite recently). In any event, I would not be surprised if Topalov will be seen playing much more positional as Black for the rest of this match.

BTW, a move like ... h6 in this position is IMO the kind of move a person who plays a lot against computer engines (the "e-chess" player, where "e" is for "engine") might make, but not for the psychological reason mentioned above. Very few, if any, computer engines will follow up 21. Nd6 with the Ng4-xh6 and Qxh6 path that Anand chose, i.e. the speculative attacking gambit. So an e-chess player who for any reason didn't like the look of ... Qe7 or ... Qg5 in this position might choose ... h6 as a waiting move, not forseeing at all what a human opponent might see as an exciting opportunity.

Can anyone report whether, after ... h6, the latest Rybka prefers Anand's speculative attack?

[Frank Dixon]

Re: Anand wins Game 4

Fabulous win by Anand in game 4!! This one has to be a 10 out of 10. :) :) Topalov is really struggling on the Black side of the Catalan, with two losses in two games. Anand looks like he has shaken off the ill effects of his 40-hour car journey from Frankfurt to Sofia, necessary because of closed airspace in Europe due to the Icelandic volcanic eruption. Game 5 today looks drawish on about move 30; another dull Slav Defence.

[Ken Craft]

Re: Anand wins Game 4

Game 5 is now drawn

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

Re: Anand wins Game 4

Can anyone report whether, after ... h6, the latest Rybka prefers Anand's speculative attack?

Somebody analyzed and showed that Hiarcs saw Nxh6 in the shortest period (I think it was in several seconds) For other engines it took longer.
As for humans, I think, the blitz players immediately saw Nxh6 :) (in the worst case it would be two pawns for a knight :D