It seems like if black played a move, lets say 33...Rd7 that he's inviting 34.g4 which will make the rooks come off anyway because e6 will be hanging.
If black's rook could infiltrate on the d file and cause some problems (and if e5 wouldn't be a nice passer itself after e6 is given up) then the rooks may have been able to stay on.
Part of the reason may be that Topalov was threatening to win the e6 pawn by playing g4, forcing the bishop away. Maybe he thought he could block or take the pawn.
I think the rule of thumb applies here because that passed pawn was a big part of the reason Anand resigned.
[edit:]If that pawn was going to become a passed pawn anyway, Anand might have figured it would be easier to deal with if it were one file closer to his king and there was no rook to block his path.]
Rxd6, creating a passed pawn on the 6th rank
for Topalov).
I don't understand this move(okay, I grasp
very few moves in this complex game) but
I thought the rule of thumb was to avoid
passed pawns. Is there compensation for
Anand I am missing here?