Crisis Point in the Benko Gambit Part Two

Hello Chess lovers and serious players, I will now look at a sideline which Topalov himself had to face and
we can open up a debate as to whether white can improve on the line. Using the game Topalov vs Leon Hoyos Mexico City 2010 as a starting point of a discussion, we can look at the merits of different setups in this sideline which has been Championed by GM S Kasparov.

Topalov v Leon Hoyos
Mexico City 2010

1.d4Nf6 2.c4c5 3.d5b5 4.cb5a6 5.ba6g6 6.Nc3Ba6 7.g3d6 8.Bg2Bg7 9.Nf3Nfd7 Here black plays a logical move.The bishop on g7 improves its scope and like a sniper, overlooks movement on the h8 -a1 diagonal.The knight can move to b6 and then there is one possibility Ba6-b7 and N8a6-b4/c7.White has to delay Rb1 and b3 for a moment.The drawback which Avrukh has pointed out is that this migration to the queenside leaves the black kingside almost bare. In this game Topalov chose :

10.0-0 -Natural but now white must take time to get the rook on to d1 after Qc2. Avrukh is of a different view and puts forward the following idea:
10.Qc2Nb6 (10...0-0 11.h4Nf6 12.h5Nh5 13.Rh5gh5 14.Ng5f5 15.Ne6 with a big advantage to white)
11.h4!?h6 (11...h5?! 12.Ng5; 11...Bb7 12.e4Na6 13.h5Nb4 14.Qd1Ba6 15.Bf1!?) 12.Nh2N8d7 13.h5g5 14.Ng4Nc4 15.0-0Qa5 16.a3!? with the idea of Ra2 and then b2-b3.
I hope people will try it so we can see how the battles went.
Topalov's  decision is natural.

10...Nb6 11.Qc2N8d7 12.Rd1 now e2-e4 can be played. 12...0-0 13.Rb1 13.Nd2 has been tried without practical success. Topalov gets into a setup he faced against Kramnik in 2003 where he was outplayed in the ending.

13....Bc3 Crisis point-Black goes for the return on his investment of a pawn.However this turned out to be a massive concession in the game.Topalov is in his element with the 2 bishops. 14.Qc3Be2 15.Bh6! Its important to note how very strong players always go for the equal or stronger threat. Fischer was a major advocate of this.

15....Nf6 16.Rd2Bf3?! another concession.The problem is that white's two bishops will face off against the two knights and facing Topalov in this situation is not mentally comfortable.Computer evaluations do not matter in this practical scenario.

17.Bf3Re8 18.b3Nbd7 19.a4 -This outside passed pawn often consumes massive energy on the part of black and with the possession of the two bishops, white's chances look very good.
19...Qa5 and here black probably feared some white aggression on the kingside and so goes for a queen exchange-quite understandable.Interestingly Topalov does not resist this exchange and goes for it. There is scope for improvement here.

20.Qa5Ra5 21.h3 at this point Topalov adopts the patient approach expecting black to do something about the a4 pawn.He wants to take away squares from black's knights.

21...c4 This move is typical in these types of lines.When we look at the main line we shall see how this is also played.
22.bc4Ra4 23.Rc2Rc8 24.Rbc1Ne5 25.Be2 notice the patient unhurried buildup play in the ending.
25...Ne4 26.Kg2f5 27.Be3Kf7 28.g4Nf6 29.f3Ra3 30.Bh6Ra7 31.c5Rc5 32.Rc5dc5 33.Rc5Ra2
34.Kf1fg4 35.hg4Ra3 36.Bc1! Topalov is showing how much he has grown since 2003 when Kramnik beat him as white in this line.His experience of playing equal positions here tells.

36....Rb3 Black makes a slip which Topalov punishes.The black king position on f7 makes a double attack threat with Bc4 likely.

37.d6! opening the a2-g8 diagonal. 37...Nfd7 38.Rc7Rb6 39.f4!Rd6 40.fe5Ne5 and Topalov's patience is rewarded.This is where the difference in the strength of the GMs is shown.

41.Bg5Rd7 42.Rc5Nd3 43.Rc3Nb4 44.Kg2 these are the simple things super GMs do-improve their pieces when there is no massive battle going on.
44...Nd5 45.Bc4e6 46.Rf3Kg7 47.Kg3Rf7?! a natural looking move which Topalov punishes.
48.Bh6!Kg8 49.Rb3Rc7 50.Bd5ed5 51.Rd3Rd7 52.Kf4 the king's entry is decisive. 52....Kf7 53.Ke5g5
54.Rf3 and black gave up as he loses by mate or by the torture of seeing his pawns being fed to the bishop.

I hoped to show two approaches at move 10. Topalov goes the natural way.Avrukh wants to punish this migration to the left of the board by black and so hit black on the right of the board. I hope that like Avrukh I have opened the debate to more people. Take care and enjoy chess!!!