Topalov wins 4.5-2.5

Veselin Topalov has won the World Chess Challenge over Gata Kamsky, following a dramatic game 7 of their match in Sofia, Bulgaria. Topalov's win gives him an insurmountable 4.5-2.5 lead, and sets up a match with World Champion Viswanathan Anand.

As in Game 5 Topalov opened with 1.e4 and Kamsky replied with the French Defence. Although it was another Tarrasch Variation, Topalov chose a variation where he had a 3:2 majority of pawns on the queenside, rather than inflict and isolated queen pawn on Kamsky. On move 16 Topalov chose to sacrifice his b pawn, and was rewarded with both activity, and extra chances as Kamsky once again ran short of time. However he almost threw it away by pursuing a policy of playing trying to play quickly in Kamsky's time trouble as on move 31 Kamsky could have reached a winning position with b4! Instead he played two poor moves in a row and suddenly Topalov was on top. Kamsky fought on, reaching the first time control (move 40) but by that stage he was down a rook. At move 45 he decided he'd seen enough, and he resigned the game and the match.