GM Sergey Ivanov annotates the games of the 11th round: Round 11 Vallejo - Adams Kasimdzhanov - Anand Leko - Topalov Free day: Kasparov Hello dear chess friends! The web-site continues to work and annottate the games of Linares-2005 for you despite of the weekend and holidays. 11th round today. The sole leader Garry Kasparov is resting today. Let's see whether his competitors can shorten the distance. It will be very difficult to do that, since Anand and Topalov are playing with Black. Certainly the central game of the round is the game Leko-Topalov. The last games between these opponents are played in the sharp, uncompromised struggle, moreover Topalov dictates in these games (for example the games of the 1st round and in Wijk aan Zee). It's very interesting whether Leko will be able to get over this tendency and to get rid of the vicious circle of the numerous draws. For certain Anand playing with Kasimdzhanov Black will try to play in reliable and solid way, taking into account the experiences from the first round when he did not even try to realize an extra-pawn. The 3rd pair are the failures of the event Vallejo and Adams. Adams plays in interesting, fresh style, however due to the some inexplicable reason he cannot bring his plans till the ends. Maybe it's the time for him to forget the last failures? And so, the round is beginning. Stay with us! Leko - Topalov 1/2 No Ruy Lopez(which by the way could help Topalov to solve opening's problem in the game with Kasparov) and again the fighting opening on the board - Sicilian! Topalov again is ready to play the English attack, despite of the defeat in the game against Anand in the 1st round, although then the variation was not the reason of the defeat. But Leko was not ready to play this, and instead of 7.f3 he preferred 7.Be2, transfering the game into the Scheveningen variation. Usually Adams play so, and 3 rounds ago he has put some serious problems before Topalov in this variation. However then Veselin chose a rare 7...Nbd7, now he has played typical 7...Be7. 9.g4 - sharp thrust, which shows that Leko is in agressive mood today. After 9.0-0 Nc6 we would see the usual Scheveningen. 9...d5 - right classical reply: counter-blow at the center against flank attack. After the 12th move appeared position is seen in the modern practice not so often. From well-known games one may recall the game Shirov-Kasparov, Linares 2001, there was 13.Nf5 Qa5 14.Bd2 Qc5 15.Ne7 Qe7 and it was drawn after complicated struggle. On the 14th move Topalov has used a very sensible novelty 14...Bb4!? (it looks like he has invented it at the board - according to the time he spent for this move). In 2 games where this position was seen before Black played 14...Qc5 (or 14...Qc7, Shaposhnikov-Najer, St.-Petersburg 2003) 15.Ne7 Qe7 16.c3 b5 with complicated play (Shirov-Kasparov, Linares 2001). Leko replied 15.Ne3 and seems it was the only good continuation (and already this proves the importance of the Topalov's novelty), in case of 15.Nd6? e3! 16.Bb4 Qb4 17.c3 Qf4 White would get bad position. The same situation in case of 15.c3?! ef5 16.cb4 Qb6 centralized White's King gets under attack. By 17...b5!? Black sacrifices the pawn, but there was not seen any other alternative though. Probably Leko should have dared to take on e4, after possible 18.Qe4 Qb6! 19.Bf3! Ra7 (or 19...Bd7 20.Qb7!) 20.Nc2 Bb7 21.Qe2 Bf3 22.Qf3 Rad7 23.Be3 Bc5 24.Bc5 Qc5 25.Nd4 Rd5 with idea 26.0-0 Nc6! Black has not bad compensation for the pawn, but no more than this. After the game's move Black's Bishop gets the long diagonal and his perpectives looked already better. An at this moment when the struggle was in full swing the drawn agreement happened. Sooner of all Leko did not like the position, he offered the draw, and Topalov could not find reasons to refuse... It's a pity, the continuation of the game could be very interesting. Well, the 10th draw of Leko in a raw. Seems something wrong with the excellent Hungarian mechanism... Kasimdzhanov - Anand 0-1 Contrary to our prognosis in this game not Anand, but Kasimdzhanov with White is playing very accurately. Probably authority of Anand is pressing on him. At least one may see that from the Rustam's opening moves: 3.c3, 4.Be2, 5.d3. As result White has got worse edition of the variation 3.Bb5 Nc6 4.0-0 Bd7 5.c3 Nf6 6.Re1 a6 7.Bf1 Bg4 8.d3 e6 etc. which is not dangerous for White even in it's main line. Maybe Kasimdzhanov wanted to repeat his game from Olympiad against Sadvakasov, which was successful for him: 8...ed5 9.Ne3 Be6 10.d4! and White has got an advantage. Anand replied better, he took the pawn by the Knight, and as it turned out the thrust Qa4 gives nothing to White. So, in case of 10.Ne5 Be2 11.Nc6 Qd7 12.Ke2 Ne7! with following Nc6 Black would get a clear advantage. Anand forced White's Queen to retreat (10...Nb6!) and finished development quietly and due to his control over the center his chances look better. By 18... f5!? he has showed his agressive intentions. Position in the style of Anand - active pieces play full of the tactical motives. Not easy defence is waiting for Kasimdzhanov. Now it's possible: 19...f4 20.Ne4 Nb4!? 21.Bf3 Nd3 and Black has got an initiative. Anand has realized the same idea to push the f-pawn and to limit the White's minor pieces, but in some other form. By one more active thrust 22...b5! he has showed that White's pieces has not enough room in his camp. Kasimdzhanov had to play several the only moves - not to lose at once. Thus, it was impossible 23.Qb5? Be4 24.Re1 Bd3!-+ or 23.ab6? Nb6 24.Rd8 Na4-+ or 23.Qd4? Qc7!, and White is losing material. After 23.Qc2 Anand could get very perspective ending - 23...Nb4!? 24.cb4 Be4 25.Re1 Bc2 26.Re5 Bd1!, but he played much better - did not force the actions, did not let White to get rid of the Black's pressure. The hopeless of White proves the following variation: 26.Bd1 (instead of happened in the game 26.Qd1) 26...Qe5 27.Bd2 Rd8, and White cannot save his Bishop. Practically on the every move Anand had very good alternatives, for instance on the 29th: 29...e4! (instead of 29...Be2) 30.Bd3 Rd3-+, and White is almost in Zugzwang. But he lead his line quietly and surely. 31...e3! and 32...f3 - decisive break, White is quite hopeless Doesn't save 33.Qc2, covering 2nd horizontal (instead of 33.Qb5) - after 33...Qe6! 34.Bd2 Qh3 35.Be1 Bc5 White gets checkmate. The agony was not long, in the event 37.h4 wins 37...Qg6! with decisive penetration. Excellent win of Anand and one more hard defeat for Kasimdzhanov. Now taking into account the game Kasparov-Anand (in the next round Anand of course will try to win against Vallejo) the intrigue of the struggle for the 1st place still remains. Stay with us! Vallejo Pons - Adams 1/2 The opponents have played the classical system, so-called "Hedgehog". Adams is very experienced in this scheme, so it will be very interesting for specialists to look after his actions today. Vallejo decided to develop his Bishop on b2, another popular plan is 9.Bg5, for example Adams played so against Kasparov(Moscow 2004). The game is played not hurrying, each side executes the "obligatory program": White set the Rooks in the center, transfered the Knight to d4 and then through c2 to b4, where it prevents the typical breaks d6-d5 and b6-b5. Black in his turn transfered his Bishop on g7 and got ready to carry out one of the pawns breaks. Opponents are repeating the moves, do they really want to finish this game without any struggle? No, by move 23.Re2 Vallejo refused to repeat the moves. Now the turn of Adams, by closest moves he has to start some constructive actions. Alas, no struggle in the game. Opponents just set the position, manoeuvred carefully in their own camps and looked at the actions of each other. Was not any activity and after thrice repetition of position they agreed for a draw. How to play these positions(especially with Black) we will know next time probably.