Saturday, March 14, 2009

World Championship News

A FIDE Presidential Board meeting in Istanbul decided to postpone the World Championship match between Viswanathan Anand and Veselin Topalov until 2010 and opened the bidding process. Originally the match was scheduled for September this year. Translation: No bids were received

The Board also accepted the bid by UEP to stage the world chess championship cycle 2010-2011. In 2010, there will be a Candidate Matches/Tournament [so which is it?] consisting of Kamsky, the loser of the Anand-Topalov match, two players from the Grand Prix series, one player from the World Cup, the two highest rated players not already qualified and a player nominated by the organizer [I hate this idea, which has become so prevalent in recent years]. The winner will play the World Champion in 2011.

Saturday, March 07, 2009

Linares Round 14 (Final) - All games drawn

Grischuk and Ivanchuk 1st-2nd at +2; Grischuk on tiebreak (most wins)
Carlsen 3rd at +1
Anand 4th with an even score

Friday, March 06, 2009

Linares Round 13

Ivanchuk,V (2779) - Aronian,L (2750) [D45]
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 e6 5.e3 Nbd7 6.Qc2 Bd6 7.b3 0-0 8.Be2 b6 9.0-0 Bb7 10.Bb2 Rc8 11.Rac1 c5 12.dxc5 bxc5 13.Rfd1 Qe7 14.g3 Rfd8 15.cxd5 exd5 16.Nh4 Bb8 17.Bf1 Ne5 18.Bh3 Rc7 19.Bg2 d4 20.Nf5 Qe8 21.exd4 cxd4 22.Nxd4 Bxg2 23.Kxg2 g6 24.Ne4 Qe7 25.Nxf6+ Qxf6 26.Qe2 Rxc1 27.Rxc1 Qd6 28.Qe4 Qb4 29.Rc2 f5 30.Qe2 Qb7+ 31.Nc6 Re8 32.Kg1 Nf3+ 33.Qxf3 Re1+ 34.Kg2 Qb5 35.Rc4 1-0

Standings:
Ivanchuk, Grischuk at +2
Carlsen at +1

Thursday, March 05, 2009

Linares Round 12

Carlsen,M (2776) - Grischuk,A (2733) [B84]
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be2 e6 7.0-0 Be7 8.a4 Nc6 9.Be3 0-0 10.f4 Qc7 11.Kh1 Re8 12.Bf3 Bf8 13.Qd2 Rb8 14.Qf2 e5 15.fxe5 dxe5 16.Nb3 Nb4 17.Ba7 Ra8 18.Bb6 Qe7 19.Rad1 Be6 20.Nd5 Bxd5 21.exd5 e4 22.d6 Qe6 23.Nc5 Qf5 24.Be2 Qxf2 25.Rxf2 Nbd5 26.a5 Nxb6 27.axb6 Rab8 28.Rxf6 gxf6 29.Nd7 f5 30.c4 a5 31.c5 Bg7 32.Nxb8 Rxb8 33.Ba6 Bf6 34.Bxb7 Rxb7 35.c6 Rxb6 36.Rc1 Bxb2 37.d7 1-0

Standings:
Grischuk at +2
Ivanchuk, Carlsen at +1

Tuesday, March 03, 2009

Monday, March 02, 2009

Linares Round 10

Carlsen,M (2776) - Wang Yue (2739) [D10]
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 a6 5.Nf3 b5 6.b3 Bg4 7.Bd2 Nbd7 (7...e6 8.h3 Bh5 9.g4 Bg6 10.Ne5) 8.h3 Bxf3 9.Qxf3 b4 10.Na4 e5! 11.Rc1 Bd6 12.cxd5 cxd5 13.dxe5 Nxe5 14.Qd1 0-0 15.Be2 a5 16.Rc2 Qe7 17.Bc1 Rad8 18.Bb2 Ng6 19.0-0 Ne4 20.Bd4 Nh4! 21.Bd3 (21.Bb6 Qg5 22.Bg4 h5! 23.Bxd8 Rxd8 24.f4 Qe7 25.Bxh5 Ng3 26.Re1 Nxh5 27.Qxh5 Bxf4 28.Qe2 Bg5) Nf5 22.Bb6 Rb8 23.Bxe4 (23.Qe2!? Qe5 24.g3 Rfc8 25.Rxc8+ Rxc8 26.Rd1 g6 27.Qf3 h5) Qxe4 24.Rd2 (24.Qe2 Nh4 25.f3 Qg6 26.Rd2 Rfe8) Rxb6! 25.Nxb6 Qe5 (25...Nxe3!? 26.fxe3 Qxe3+ 27.Rdf2 Qxb6 28.Kh1 Qe3 29.Qf3 Qe5 30.g3) 26.Re1? (26.g3! Nxg3 27.Re1 Ne4 28.f4 Qe6 29.Rg2 Bc5 30.Na4 Ba7 31.Qg4 g6 32.Qxe6 fxe6=) Qh2+ 27.Kf1 Qh1+ 28.Ke2 Qxg2 29.Rxd5 Ng3+ 30.Kd3 Bc7! 31.fxg3 Bxb6 32.Kc4 Rb8! 33.Kb5 Bd4+?! (33...Bd8+!) 34.Ka6 Bc7 35.Qd4 Qxh3 34.Kc4 Bf6 35.Qd3 Qxg3 36.Rd1 Qc7+ 37.Rc5 Qb7 38.Qd6? (38.Qd7! Qe4+ 39.Rd4 Qc2+ 40.Kd5 Qg2+ 41.e4 g6 42.Rc8+ Rxc8 43.Qxc8+ Kg7 44.Rd3) Qe4+ 39.Rd4 Qc2+ 40.Kd5 Qg2+ 41.e4 Rd8 42.Qxd8+ Bxd8 43.Rc8 g6 44.Rxd8+ Kg7 45.Rd3 Qc2 46.Kd4 a4 47.bxa4 Qxa2 48.Kc5 b3 49.Rb8 b2 50.Rdb3 Qxa4 51.Rxb2 Qxe4 52.R8b3 Kh6 53.Rc3 f5 54.Rbb3 Qe5+ 55.Kc4 Kh5 56.Kd3 Kh4 57.Kd2 f4 58.Rf3 g5 59.Rfd3 Qc5 60.Rbc3 Qf2+ 61.Kd1 Qf1+ 62.Kd2 Qg2+ 63.Kd1 Qe4 64.Kd2 h5 0-1

Radjabov,T (2761) - Aronian,L (2750) [A07]
1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 Bg4 3.Bg2 e6 4.0-0 Nd7 5.d4 c6 6.Nbd2 Ngf6 7.Re1 Be7 8.e4 dxe4 9.Nxe4 0-0 10.c3 Re8 11.Nxf6+ Bxf6?! 12.h3 Bh5 13.Qb3 Qb6 14.Nd2! e5 15.d5 Qc7 16.d6 Qb8 17.Ne4 Bd8 18.Be3 Bb6 19.h4 h6 20.Bh3 Qd8 21.Bxh6! Nc5!? (21...gxh6 22.Bxd7 Qxd7? 23.Nf6+) 22.Nxc5 Qxd6 23.Nd7 Qxh6 24.Nxb6 axb6 25.Qxb6 Bf3 26.Qe3 Qh5 27.Bg2 Bxg2 28.Kxg2 Ra4 29.Qg5 Qxg5 30.hxg5 Kh7 (30...Rg4 31.f4!) 31.a3 Kg6 32.Rad1 Re6 33.Rd7 b5 34.Red1 Rc4 35.Rc7 e4 36.Rdd7 e3 37.fxe3 Rxe3 38.Rxf7 Rg4 39.Rxg7+ Kh5 40.Rh7+ Kg6 41.Rcg7+ Kf5 42.Rf7+ Kg6 43.Rhg7+ Kh5 44.Rf3 Re2+ 45.Kh3 Rxg5 46.g4+ Kh6 47.Rxg5 Kxg5 48.b3 Kg6 49.Kg3 Ra2 50.Kf4 Rxa3 51.b4 Kf7 (51...Ra1 52.Rd3) 52.Ke5+ Ke7 53.Rh3 Kd7 54.g5 Ra1 55.Rh7+ Ke8 56.Rc7 1-0

Standings:
Grischuk at +3
Ivanchuk at +1

Sunday, March 01, 2009

Linares Round 9

Dominguez Perez,L (2717) - Carlsen,M (2776) [B78]
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.Be3 Bg7 7.f3 Nc6 8.Qd2 0-0 9.Bc4 Bd7 10.0-0-0 Rb8 11.Bb3 Na5 12.Bh6 Bxh6 13.Qxh6 b5 14.g4 Nxb3+ 15.Nxb3 b4 16.Nd5 Nxd5 17.exd5 Rb6 18.Rhe1 e5 19.dxe6 fxe6 20.Re3 Rf7 21.Nd2 d5 22.Nb3 Qc7 23.Kb1 Rb8 24.Rde1 Rc8 25.R1e2 Qb6 26.h4 d4 27.Re5 d3 28.cxd3 Rxf3 29.d4 Bb5 30.R2e3 Bd3+ 31.Ka1 Qxd4 32.Rxe6 Rf1+ 33.Re1 Qxg4 34.Rxf1 Qxe6 35.Nc5 Qe2 36.Rc1 Bf5 37.Qf4 a5 38.h5 Qe7 39.Qc4+ Be6 40.Qc2 Qg5 41.hxg6 hxg6 42.a3 bxa3 43.Qc3 axb2+ 44.Kxb2 Qd5 45.Rc2 a4 46.Ka1 a3 47.Qe3 Bf7 48.Qc3 g5 49.Qe3 Re8 50.Qc3 Re2 51.Nb3 Rxc2 52.Qxc2 Qe5+ 53.Kb1 Kg7 54.Qd2 Bxb3 0-1

Standings:
Grischuk at +3
Ivanchuk, Carlsen, Aronian at +1