The people behind the game
Veselin Topalov
Won the San Luis tournament, then lost the 2006 reunification match to Kramnik.
- Born
- 1975
- Country connections
- Bulgaria
At the board
The games. The ideas.
Explore classic encounters and championship battles. Play every move, or jump straight to the moments that tell the story.
2010 · World championship · Game 12
The last classical game
The deciding classical game of the 2010 championship. Anand’s central pawn breaks expose Topalov’s king.
Read the position
Every move sets the scene.
Use the controls to explore the full game, or select an annotated moment below. Each explanation describes the position immediately after its highlighted move.
Complete move list 56 moves
The journey
A remarkable path.
Topalov won the FIDE title in the 2005 San Luis tournament. His 2006 match against Kramnik reunited the competing championships. He challenged Anand for the undisputed crown in 2010, losing by 6½–5½. [1]
Explore the championship record →The championship record
Time with the crown.
- 2005–2006FIDE world championship · split era
Reigns are periods of title ownership, not a count of championship victories. Open-ended reigns reflect the record checked on 18 October 2026.
Sources & credits
Biographical details and title records checked . Country connections describe the player’s career and background, rather than a live federation listing.
Portrait: This photo was taken by Przemysław JahrAutorem zdjęcia jest Przemysław JahrWykorzystując zdjęcie proszę podać jako autora:Przemysław Jahr / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0. Displayed in monochrome and cropped.
