Topalov, V and Nakamura, Hi met over the board in this middlegame battle at 2nd Sinquefield Cup 2014 in Saint Louis USA in 2014. The game dates from the modern computer-influenced era.

Play followed Ruy Lopez (C78) — classical development and rapid piece play. Such positions test classical principles: quick development, central control, and king safety.

Lasting 37 moves, the game was settled in the middlegame. This is the phase where piece activity, pawn breaks and king safety all collide, and replaying it slowly is a good way to train your own middlegame judgement.

Topalov, V is one of the grandmasters featured in the RamaChess archive, where you can browse their complete game collection, favourite openings and notable wins. Studying many games by a single strong player is one of the fastest ways to understand practical chess decisions.

Games such as this one are useful at every level. Beginners can follow the opening principles, club players can study the middlegame plans, and stronger players can examine the finer endgame and decision-making points.

After the contest, Topalov, V won with the white pieces. Use the board above to replay every move at your own pace, switch to the analyser for engine evaluation of the key moments, or open Practice mode to test your own ideas from any position.