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Ding Liren - Topalov Game 4

What a finish. First time or long time that I have been genuinely impressed with the final move(s)
Very impressive indeed on several counts :

1) 11.c5 before pushing e4 ! It's not a novelty (corr.game Campbell-Dearnley, BCCA 2015, according to chess-db.com) , and the c5-push is certainly thematic, but 11.c5 Bc7 12.e4 is a big improvement for White over 11.e4 dxc4 (Gledura-Bluebaum 2015).

2) Black believed that the bishop dance leading it to d5 would equalize, but 18.Re3! (or equivalently Re2) makes sure that Nc3 comes on the next move *without* a pin by Ba5. If Black just plays Ba5 before White's knight lands on c3, then the bishop has given up the control of d6 and the knight will go there instead of c3. Again, anticipating the pin by Ba5 is "prophylactic thinking", not exactly a new concept, but this idea had to be anticipated to make 11.c5 work. If Black's bishop could be stable on d5, White would get nothing out of the opening.

3) 21.Bf1 is made possible by the fact that 18.Re3 was chosen rather than 18.Re2, that looks equivalent (and actually Komodo prefers Re2) but doesn't lead to such a simple plan as the one seen in the game. With Re3 the knight on f3 is protected and the bishop is freed of guarding duty. So if this whole line is a computer-assisted preparation, it was a conscious deviation of the computer's first choice in order to make the advantage simpler to nurture.

Of course Topalov missed a counterattack with 36...Qb8 instead of 36...Bd8. Not only it would be an unexpected candidate move, but it doesn't save the game, it just leaves White with a smaller advantage than in the game : 36...Qb8 37.exf6+ Kg8 38.Rc6! (the only move that doesn't allow a perpetual check) Qxg3+ 39.Kd2 Qxh4 (if 39...Rb8 prepares Qf2+-e1+, then 40.Rb6! allows White's king to escape to the b-file) 40.Kc3 Qxf6 41.Qh2! with still a clear advantage for White. Black will find it hard to advance the three connected passed pawns compensating for his piece deficit, because that would expose his king.

That missed opportunity by Topalov does not diminish Ding Liren's outstanding performance (maybe based on an extremely subtle computer preparation) in this game. I'm not sure that the Bb4+-d6 idea for Black against the Catalan will recover any time soon.
For the records, here is the game:

Wow, this is inspiring chess! Nice to see the Catalan back at the top level after Kramnik stopped using it so much
I've never understood this ...Bb4-d6/e7 shimmy, "misplacing" the bishop on d2. With White I've often been able to find a use for this bishop on the a5-e1 diagonal. I like that b2-b4 no longer needs preparation, and Black ought to be on the look-out for White gaining a quick queenside initiative. With Black, I've gotten excellent results with the modest 4...Be7. Anyways, 39.Bg6 is a beautiful shot. Thanks for sharing.

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