Game summary
Hikaru Nakamura beat Veselin Topalov with the black pieces in 53 moves in round 1 of Champions Showdown G5 in Saint Louis, USA, on 12 November 2017. The opening was the Queen's Gambit Declined (D37).
- White
- Veselin Topalov
- Black
- Hikaru Nakamura
- Result
- Black won (0-1)
- Place
- Saint Louis, USA
- Date
- 12 November 2017 (2017.11.12)
- Round
- 1.1
- Opening
- Queen's Gambit Declined (D37)
- Length
- 53 moves (106 plies)
All moves of Topalov, V vs Nakamura, Hi (PGN move text)
1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.d4 Be7 5.Bf4 O-O 6.a3 c5 7.dxc5 Bxc5 8.e3 Nc6 9.Qc2 Qa5 10.Ra2 Be7 11.b4 Qd8 12.h3 b6 13.cxd5 exd5 14.Be2 Be6 15.Ng5 Rc8 16.Nxe6 fxe6 17.Ba6 Bxb4 18.Bxc8 Qxc8 19.O-O Bxc3 20.Qxc3 Ne4 21.Qc1 Qd7 22.Rc2 Nc5 23.Rd1 Na5 24.Rxc5 bxc5 25.Qxc5 Nc6 26.Bg3 Rc8 27.Qb5 Ne5 28.Qa6 Nc4 29.Rb1 Nb6 30.Be5 Rc6 31.Bd4 Qc7 32.f4 h6 33.Kh2 Rc2 34.Bxb6 axb6 35.Rxb6 Qc3 36.Rb8+ Kf7 37.Rb7+ Kf6 38.Qa8 Kf5 39.Qf8+ Ke4 40.Rxg7 Qxe3 41.Qf6 Qxf4+ 42.Qxf4+ Kxf4 43.a4 d4 44.Rd7 e5 45.Rd6 Ra2 46.h4 h5 47.Rf6+ Ke3 48.Rf5 e4 49.Rxh5 d3 50.Rd5 Kd2 51.h5 e3 52.h6 Rxa4 53.Kg3 e2 0-1
About This Game
Topalov, V and Nakamura, Hi met over the board in this full-length game at Champions Showdown G5 in Saint Louis USA in 2017. The game dates from the contemporary engine era.
From Queen's Gambit Declined (D37) the players entered a fight over the centre with long-term structural themes. Here the struggle frequently turns on the central pawns and the resulting minor-piece play.
Running to 53 moves, the game moved through a full middlegame into an endgame. Games of this length show how a small advantage is carried from one phase to the next — useful technique to absorb.
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.
Working through a full game like this trains pattern recognition. The more complete games you study, the more quickly you will spot familiar structures and ideas in your own play.
After the contest, Nakamura, Hi won with the black pieces. Replay the full game move by move above, analyse it with the engine to find the turning points, and use Practice mode to play out the critical positions yourself.
Frequently asked questions
Who played this game?
This game was played between Topalov, V (White) and Nakamura, Hi (Black), at Champions Showdown G5 in 2017.
What opening was played?
The game used Queen's Gambit Declined (ECO code D37). A fight over the centre with long-term structural themes.
What was the result?
Nakamura, Hi won with the black pieces.
How long was the game?
The game lasted 53 moves (106 plies).
Can I replay this game move by move?
Yes. Use the interactive board on this page to step through every move, or open the analyser for engine evaluation and Practice mode to play the positions yourself.
Where can I find more games like this?
Browse the full Queen's Gambit Declined collection, Topalov, V's complete game archive, and thousands more grandmaster games in the RamaChess archive.