Morelia/Linares R5

Aronian 2744 - Anand 2779 [D23]

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Qc2 dxc4 5.Qxc4 Bf5 6.g3 Nbd7 7.Nc3 e6 8.Bg2 Be7 9.0-0 0-0 10.Re1 Ne4 11.Qb3 Qb6 12.Nh4 Bxh4 13.gxh4 Nef6 14.e4 Bg6 15.Qxb6 axb6 16.Bf4 Rfe8 17.Rad1 b5 18.Bd6 e5 19.d5 Nh5 20.Bf1 f6 21.b3 Nf4 22.a4 bxa4 23.bxa4 Bf7 24.Rb1 Ra7 25.Red1 Rc8 26.Ne2 Nxe2+ 27.Bxe2 cxd5 28.exd5 Nf8 29.Bb5 Raa8 30.Be7 Ng6 31.d6 Nxe7 32.Bd7 Nc6 33.Rxb7 Nd4 34.Bxc8 Rxc8 35.Rdb1 Rf8 36.Rb8 Be8 37.a5 Nf3+ 38.Kf1 Nd2+ 39.Ke1 Nxb1 40.a6 Bc6 41.a7 Kf7 42.d7 Ke7 43.Rxf8 Kxd7 44.a8Q Bxa8 45.Rxa8 h5 46.Ra7+ Ke6 47.Rxg7 Kf5 48.Rg3 1-0

Carlsen 2690 - Topalov 2783 [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 Re8 11.Rad1 Qe7 12.Rfe1 Rac8 13.e4 Nxe4 14.Nxe4 dxe4 15.Qxe4 Bb4 16.Rf1 Ba3 17.Bxa3 Qxa3 18.Qc2 Nf6 19.c5 Ba6 20.Bxa6 Qxa6 21.Ne5 Nd5 22.Nc4 Red8 23.a3 Rc7 24.Qc1 Ne7 25.Rd2 Nf5 26.Rfd1 b5 27.Ne5 Qc8 28.Rd3 f6 29.Nf3 Rcd7 30.Qf4 Rd5 31.Qe4 Qd7 32.R3d2 h5 33.h4 a5 34.Kf1 Re8 35.Re1 Kf7 36.Red1 Nh6 37.Re1 Re7 38.Qf4 Rf5 39.Qd6 Qc8 40.Rde2 Rd5 41.Qf4 Nf5 42.Re4 Rd8 43.g4 hxg4 44.Qxg4 Qd7 45.h5 Kg8 46.Kg2 Qd5 47.Qg6 Rf8 48.h6 Qd8 49.d5 Qxd5 50.Rg4 Qd7 51.Rh1 Qe8 52.hxg7 Rxg7 53.Qh7+ Kf7 54.Rxg7+ Nxg7 55.Rh6 Qd8 56.Qg6+ Kg8 57.Qh7+ Kf7 58.Qg6+ Kg8 59.Rh7 Qd7 60.Nd2 f5 61.Nf3 Rf6 62.Qxf6 Kxh7 63.Ng5+ Kg8 64.Qg6 1-0

Turns out that Topalov resigned in a position that is a draw. Carlsen showed him the defense immediately after he had resigned {64...Qd5+ 65.f3 e5 66.Qh7+ Kf8 67.Qh8+ Qg8 68.Nh7+ Draw}. So if it happens to the world's highest rated player, I shouldn't feel too bad that it happened to me.

Carlsen in lead at +2

Morelia/Linares R4

Anand 2779 - Morozevich 2741 [C95]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 0-0 9.h3 Nb8 10.d4 Nbd7 11.Nbd2 Bb7 12.Bc2 Re8 13.Nf1 Bf8 14.Ng3 c6 15.Nf5 Qc7 16.dxe5 dxe5 17.Nh2 c5 18.Qf3 c4 19.Bg5 Re6 20.Rad1 Nc5 21.Bxf6 Rxf6 22.Ng4 Re6 23.Nge3 Qa5 24.a3 g6 25.Nd5 Rd8 26.Qg3 Rd7 27.Nfe3 Qd8 28.Qf3 Bg7 29.a4 Red6 30.axb5 axb5 31.g4 Qh4 32.Ra1 Ne6 33.Qg3 Qxg3+ 34.fxg3 Nc5 35.h4 h6 36.Ra5 Bc6 37.Nb4 Bxe4 38.Bxe4 Nxe4 39.Rxb5 Nd2 40.Kg2 e4 41.Re2 Bf8 42.Ned5 e3 43.Nxe3 Re6 44.Nbd5 Nb3 45.Nf4 Rc6 46.Nxc4 Rxc4 47.Rxb3 Kg7 48.Rb5 Bc5 49.g5 hxg5 50.hxg5 Be7 51.Kf3 Bd8 52.Re4 Rc6 53.Kg4 Rd2 54.Rd5 Rxd5 55.Nxd5 Re6 56.Rxe6 fxe6 57.Nf4 Kf7 58.Nd3 Bc7 59.Kf3 1-0

Ivanchuk 2750 - Carlsen 2690 [A46]

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 b5 5.Nbd2 Bb7 6.Nb3 a5 7.Bd2 Nc6 8.Nc1 Bd6 9.Nd3 0-0 10.0-0 Ne4 11.Be3 b4 12.Re1 Ba6 13.Nfe5 Ne7 14.f3 Nf5 15.Bf4 Nf6 16.c3 Ne7 17.Qd2 bxc3 18.bxc3 Rc8 19.Bg5 Bxd3 20.Nxd3 Nd7 21.e4 c5 22.exd5 exd5 23.Bh3 cxd4 24.cxd4 h6 25.Bf4 Bxf4 26.Nxf4 Rc4 27.Bf1 Rc8 28.Bh3 Rc4 29.Bf1 Rc8 30.Rab1 Nf6 31.Rb5 Nc6 32.Rc5 Qb6 33.Rec1 g5 34.Ne2 Ne5 35.Qc3 Nc4 36.Kh1 Nd7 37.Rxc8 Rxc8 38.Qd3 Nf6 39.Nc3 Qb2 40.Rc2 Qa1 41.Qd1 Qxd1 42.Nxd1 Re8 43.Kg2 Ne3+ 44.Nxe3 Rxe3 45.Kf2 Ra3 46.Bb5 h5 47.Ke2 Kg7 48.Rb2 h4 49.Kf2 hxg3+ 50.hxg3 g4 51.Be2 gxf3 52.Bxf3 a4 53.Rb5 Rxa2+ 54.Ke3 a3 55.Ra5 Ra1 56.Kd2 a2 57.Kc2 Rf1 58.Bd1 Ne4 59.g4 Nf2 60.Rxa2 Rxd1 0-1

Leko 2749 - Aronian 2744 [E10]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.g3 Bb4+ 5.Bd2 Be7 6.Bg2 0-0 7.0-0 c6 8.Bf4 b6 9.Nc3 Bb7 10.Rc1 Nh5 11.Bxb8 Qxb8 12.Ne5 Nf6 13.e3 Rd8 14.cxd5 cxd5 15.f4 Qd6 16.Nb5 Qb4 17.Rc7 Ba6 18.a4 Bxb5 19.axb5 Bd6 20.Rxf7 Bxe5 21.fxe5 Kxf7 22.Qh5+ Kg8 23.exf6 gxf6 24.Qg4+ Kh8 25.Qxe6 Rf8 26.Qxd5 Rae8 27.Rf3 Qe1+ 28.Bf1 Rxe3 29.Qd6 Ree8 30.Rxf6 Kg7 31.Rxf8 Rxf8 32.Qe5+ Qxe5 33.dxe5 Re8 34.Bc4 Rxe5 35.Kf2 Kf6 36.b3 Re4 37.Bd3 Re7 38.Kf3 h6 39.Kg4 Re5 40.Bc4 Rc5 41.Kf4 Rf5+ 42.Ke4 Rf2 43.h4 Rd2 44.Ke3 Rd8 45.Ke4 Rd1 46.Bd5 1/2-1/2

Anand in sole lead at +2

Morelia/Linares R3

Carlsen 2690 - Anand 2779 [E15]

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Nf3 Nbd7 6.Bd3 dxc4 7.Bxc4 b5 8.Bd3 Bd6 9.0-0 0-0 10.b3 Bb7 11.Bb2 a6 12.Ne4 Nxe4 13.Bxe4 Nf6 14.Bc2 c5 15.dxc5 Bxc5 16.Ng5 Qxd1 17.Raxd1 Kh8 18.g3 h6 19.Bxf6 hxg5 20.Bb2 Rac8 21.Rc1 Rfd8 22.Rfd1 Bf3 23.Rxd8+ Rxd8 24.a3 b4 25.a4 f5 26.Kf1 f4 27.Be4 Bxe4 28.Rxc5 Rd1+ 29.Ke2 Rb1 30.Bc1 f3+ 31.Kd1 Rxb3 32.Rc4 Bd3 33.Rc8+ Kh7 34.e4 Rb1 35.Kd2 Bxe4 36.Ke3 Bd5 37.Bd2 Rb3+ 38.Kd4 Rb2 39.Be3 Re2 40.Rc1 Ba2 0-1

Morozevich 2741 - Aronian 2744 [D38]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.cxd5 exd5 6.Bg5 Nbd7 7.e3 c5 8.Be2 Qa5 9.0-0 0-0 10.Nd2 Bxc3 11.bxc3 Qxc3 12.Rc1 Qa3 13.dxc5 Qxa2 14.Bf4 Re8 15.Nf3 Ne4 16.Bb5 a6 17.Ba4 Nexc5 18.Rxc5 Nxc5 19.Bxe8 Be6 20.Be5 Rxe8 21.Bxg7 Kxg7 22.Qd4+ Kg8 23.Qxc5 Qc4 24.Qd6 Rc8 25.h3 Qc7 26.Qb4 a5 27.Qh4 Qc2 28.Nd4 Qe4 29.Qe7 b6 30.Kh2 Bf5 31.Qf6 Bg6 32.f4 Qxe3 33.Rf3 Qc1 34.Rg3 Qa1 35.f5 Rc1 36.Re3 Rh1+ 37.Kg3 Re1 38.Rf3 Rf1 39.fxg6 Rxf3+ 40.Qxf3 Qe1+ 41.Kf4 hxg6 42.Qxd5 Qf2+ 43.Nf3 1/2-1/2

Svidler 2728 - Ivanchuk 2750 [C42]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Bd6 7.0-0 0-0 8.c4 c6 9.Re1 Bf5 10.Qb3 Qd7 11.Nc3 Nxc3 12.Bxf5 Qxf5 13.Qxb7 Qd7 14.Qxd7 Nxd7 15.c5 Bxh2+ 16.Nxh2 Ne4 17.Bf4 Rfe8 18.f3 Nef6 19.Nf1 Nf8 20.Rxe8 Rxe8 21.Rd1 Re7 22.Nd2 Ne6 23.Be5 a5 24.Nb3 Ra7 25.a4 Nh5 26.Re1 h6 27.Kf2 Nhf4 28.Re3 h5 29.g3 Nh3+ 30.Ke1 g5 31.Nc1 g4 32.fxg4 hxg4 33.Rb3 Nhg5 34.Bb8 Rd7 35.Ne2 Nf3+ 36.Kd1 Nfxd4 37.Nxd4 Nxd4 38.Rb6 Re7 39.b4 axb4 40.a5 Re3 41.Rxb4 Nb5 42.Kd2 Re8 43.Rxg4+ Kh7 44.Bd6 d4 45.Bf4 Ra8 46.Rh4+ Kg7 47.Be5+ f6 48.Rg4+ Kf7 49.Rf4 Ke6 50.Bxd4 Nxd4 51.Rxd4 Rxa5 52.Rd6+ Ke5 53.Rxc6 Ra3 1/2-1/2

Anand, Ivanchuk in lead at +1

Morelia/Linares R2

Ivanchuk and Carlsen in the lead at +1.

Ivanchuk 2750 - Topalov 2783 [B90]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e5 7.Nf3 Be7 8.Bc4 0-0 9.0-0 Be6 10.Bxe6 fxe6 11.Na4 Ng4 12.Qd3 Nxe3 13.Qxe3 b5 14.Nb6 Ra7 15.Nd5 Rb7 16.Qd2 Nc6 17.Rad1 Rd7 18.Qc3 Nb8 19.Nxe7+ Qxe7 20.Rd3 h6 21.Rfd1 Rfd8 22.h4 Kh7 23.R1d2 Qf8 24.Qb3 Qe8 25.a4 Qg6 26.axb5 axb5 27.Re3 Na6 28.Qxb5 Nc5 29.Qc4 Ra7 30.Re1 Qe8 31.b4 Na4 32.Qb3 Nb6 33.Red1 Rad7 34.Qd3 Rc8 35.c3 Ra7 36.Qe3 Ra6 37.Qe2 Nc4 38.Ra2 Rac6 39.Ra7 R6c7 40.Rda1 Qf7 41.Qxc4 1-0

Anand 2779 - Svidler 2728 [C88]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.h3 Bb7 9.d3 Re8 10.a4 h6 11.Nbd2 Bf8 12.c3 Na5 13.Bc2 c5 14.d4 cxd4 15.cxd4 exd4 16.e5 Nd5 17.Nxd4 Nb4 18.axb5 Nxc2 19.Qxc2 axb5 20.Nxb5 Qb6 21.Nc3 Qc6 22.Nf3 Nc4 23.Rxa8 Bxa8 24.Bf4 Bb4 25.Qb3 Ba5 26.Rc1 Qe6 27.Ne1 Bc6 28.Ne2 Nxe5 29.Qxe6 Rxe6 30.Nd4 Bxe1 31.Rxe1 Nd3 32.Nxe6 Nxe1 33.Nd4 Nd3 34.Bd6 Nxb2 35.f3 Nc4 36.Bb4 h5 37.Kf2 f6 38.Nf5 Ne5 39.Bc3 Kf7 40.Nd6+ Ke7 41.Nf5+ Kf8 42.Ke3 g6 43.Nd6 Ke7 44.Bb4 g5 45.Nc4+ Ke6 46.Nxe5 fxe5 47.Bd2 1/2-1/2

Morelia/Linares R1

Carlsen (2690) - Morozevich (2741) [E66]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 Bg7 4.Bg2 0-0 5.Nc3 d6 6.Nf3 c5 7.0-0 Nc6 8.d5 Na5 9.Nd2 e5 10.b3 Ng4 11.h3 Nh6 12.Nde4 f6 13.Nxd6 Qxd6 14.Ne4 Qd8 15.Nxc5 f5 16.d6 e4 17.d7 Nf7 18.Rb1 Qe7 19.dxc8Q Raxc8 20.Na4 Rfd8 21.Qe1 Nc6 22.Nc3 Nd4 23.Bb2 b5 24.Nd5 Qd6 25.Bxd4 Bxd4 26.Rd1 Be5 27.Qa5 bxc4 28.Ne3 Qc7 29.Qxc7 Bxc7 30.Nxc4 Ne5 31.Rxd8+ Rxd8 32.Rc1 Nxc4 33.Rxc4 Rd1+ 34.Bf1 Bd6 35.e3 a5 36.Kg2 Kf7 37.Rc2 Ke7 38.Be2 Rd5 39.Bc4 Rd1 40.g4 f4 41.exf4 Bxf4 42.Re2 Rd4 43.Bd3 Kf6 44.Bxe4 Rd2 45.Rxd2 Bxd2 46.Kg3 Be1 47.Kf3 Bb4 48.h4 h6 49.Ke2 Bd6 50.Kd3 Bc5 51.f4 h5 52.g5+ Kg7 53.Kc4 Bd6 54.Kb5 Bxf4 55.Kxa5 Bg3 56.Kb5 Bxh4 57.a4 Bxg5 58.a5 Kf6 59.a6 Be3 60.Kc6 g5 61.b4 Ke5 62.b5 Kxe4 63.b6 g4 64.a7 g3 65.a8Q Kf3 66.b7 Bf4 67.Qf8 Ke4 68.Qe8+ 1-0

The other three games ended in draws, so Carlsen is for the moment in the lead at +1.

Wijk aan Zee results

Topalov, Aronian and Radjabov win, 1/2 point ahead of Kramnik.

World Cup Results

Note that despite being sponsored by FIDE and being called the World Cup and taking place in 2007, this is NOT the 2007 FIDE World Cup that will determine the world championship candidate in late 2008, per FIDE's latest proposal for mis-managing the world title.

		1/4		1/2		Final		Winner
Sokolov
0.5-1.5		LEKO
LEKO
		2-0		LEKO
RUBLEVSKY
1.5-0.5		Rublevsky
Naiditsch
				3-2		LEKO
Smirin
0.5-1.5		Shirov
SHIROV
		0.5-1.5		Gelfand
GELFAND
2-0		GELFAND
Nakamura
						2.5-1.5	LEKO
Harikrishna
2-3		Morozevich
MOROZEVICH
		0.5-1.5		Radjabov
RADJABOV
1.5-0.5		RADJABOV
Bareev
				0-2		Ivanchuk
Bologan
2-3		Bacrot
BACROT
		0.5-1.5		IVANCHUK
IVANCHUK
2-0		IVANCHUK
Amonatov

January 2007 Rating List

Rank	Name	Title	Country	Rating	Games	B-Year
1	Topalov, Veselin	g	BUL	2783	17	1975
2	Anand, Viswanathan	g	IND	2779	0	1969
3	Kramnik, Vladimir	g	RUS	2766	11	1975
4	Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar	g	AZE	2754	25	1985
5	Ivanchuk, Vassily	g	UKR	2750	33	1969
6	Leko, Peter	g	HUN	2749	9	1979
7	Aronian, Levon	g	ARM	2744	13	1982
8	Morozevich, Alexander	g	RUS	2741	15	1977
9	Adams, Michael	g	ENG	2735	0	1971
10	Gelfand, Boris	g	ISR	2733	19	1968
11	Radjabov, Teimour	g	AZE	2729	6	1987
12	Svidler, Peter	g	RUS	2728	28	1976
13	Polgar, Judit	g	HUN	2727	6	1976
14	Ponomariov, Ruslan	g	UKR	2723	15	1983
15	Navara, David	g	CZE	2719	16	1985
16	Grischuk, Alexander	g	RUS	2717	16	1983
17	Shirov, Alexei	g	ESP	2715	21	1972
18	Bacrot, Etienne	g	FRA	2705	0	1983
19	Kamsky, Gata	g	USA	2705	0	1974
20	Akopian, Vladimir	g	ARM	2700	15	1971
21	Sasikiran, Krishnan	g	IND	2700	14	1981

• Topalov hangs on to the #1 slot, 4 points ahead of Anand
• Mamedyarov moves up 8 slots to #4 with a 26-point gain
• Svidler drops 9 slots to #12
• Sasikiran joins the 2700 club
  

Another interesting factoid from this quarter's list is that Korchnoi (age 75) is #85 on the list at 2629, whereas Karpov while rated higher than Korchnoi does not appear on the list due to inactivity. Korchnoi is by far the oldest player ever to be ranked in the FIDE top 100. The second-oldest player on the list is Beliavsky (age 53).

Two more games

RMD-ALD, 12/23/2006

1.Nc3 Nf6 2.e4 e5 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.Bb5 Bb4 5.d4 {5.O-O O-O 6.d3 (C49)} Nxe4 6.Bxc6 {6.Qd3, Paulsen Louis - Morphy Paul, New York 1857; 6.O-O Bxc3 (6...Nxc3 7.bxc3 Bxc3, Smejkalova Martina - Simlova Jana, Czech Republic 2001) 7.bxc3 a6, Pearson Alexandra - Sakthivel Gaya, Sydney 2002} dxc6 7.Nxe5 O-O 8.O-O Nxc3 9.bxc3 Bd6 10.Qd3 Qh4 11.Nf3 Qf6 12.Ng5 Qh6 13.g3 Bh3 14.Nxh3 Qxh3 15.Re1 Rfe8 16.Bd2 Re7 17.Rxe7 Bxe7 18.Re1 Qd7 19.Kg2 Re8 20.h3 Bd6 21.Re4 Rxe4 22.Qxe4 Be7 23.Qf4 Qd5+ 24.Kh2 Bd6 25.Qg4 h5 26.Qc8+ Kh7 27.Qxb7 h4 28.Bf4 Bxf4 29.gxf4 Qxa2 30.Qb3 Qxb3 31.cxb3 Kg6 32.Kg2 Kf5 33.Kf3 f6 34.Ke3 g5 35.fxg5 fxg5 36.f3 a6? {36...a5!=} 37.b4 c5 38.d5? {38.dxc5! +/-} cxb4 39.cxb4 Ke5 40.Kd3 Kf4 41.Kd4 Kxf3 42.Kc5 g4 43.Kc6 gxh3 44.Kxc7 h2 45.d6 h1Q 46.d7 Qc1+ 47.Kb7 {47.Kd6} Qd2 48.Kc8 Qxd7+ 49.Kxd7 h3 0-1

RMD-ALD, 12/26/2006

1.e4 c5 2.Bc4 Nc6 3.Nf3 e6 4.O-O d6 5.d3 Nf6 6.Nc3 Be7 7.Be3 O-O 8.d4 cxd4 9.Nxd4 Bd7 10.b3 Ne5 11.Be2 Rc8 12.Qd2 d5 13.exd5 exd5 14.a4 Ne4 15.Nxe4 dxe4 16.a5 Bc6 17.a6 b6 18.c4 Bc5 19.Rfc1 Ba8 20.b4 Bxd4 21.Qxd4 Qxd4 22.Bxd4 Nc6 23.Bc3 Rfd8 24.h3 Nd4 25.Bg4 f5 26.Bxd4 fxg4 27.Be3 gxh3 28.Kh2 hxg2 29.Kxg2 Bc6 30.b5 Be8 31.Kg3 Rd3 32.Kf4 Bg6 33.c5 bxc5 34.Rxc5 Rf8+ 35.Ke5 Rf5+ 36.Ke6 Rxc5? {36...Rf6+! -/+} 37.Bxc5 Rc3 38.Bxa7 Rc7 39.b6 Bf7+ 40.Ke5 Re7+ 41.Kf4 Bd5 42.b7 Bxb7 43.Bc5 Rf7+ 44.Ke3 Bxa6 45.Rxa6 g6 46.Ra8+ Kg7 47.Ra7 Rxa7 48.Bxa7 Kf6 49.Kxe4 g5 50.Kf3 h5 51.Bb6 Kf5 52.Bd8 g4+ 53.Kg3 Kg6 54.Kh4 Kh6 55.Bg5+ Kg6 56.Be3 Kf5 57.Kxh5 1-0

One of my games

Haven't posted one in a while. In fact, it's been exactly one year since my last post.

RMD-ALD, 12/23/2006

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.Bf4 Bb4+ {3...c5 (A46/4); 3...d5 (D02/16)} 4.c3 Be7 5.e3 {5.Nbd2} O-O 6.Bd3 c5 7.O-O Nc6 8.Ne5 Nd5 9.Nxc6 bxc6 10.Bg3 cxd4 11.cxd4 Qb6 12.b3 Nb4 13.Nc3 Nxd3 14.Qxd3 Rd8 15.Na4 Qa5 16.Qc3 Qxc3 17.Nxc3 d5 18.f3 c5 19.Nb5 cxd4 20.Nxd4 Bf6 21.Rfd1 Ba6 22.Rac1 Rac8 23.Nc6 Re8 24.Nxa7 Ra8 25.Nc6 Bb5 26.Nb4 Be7 27.Nxd5 exd5 28.Rxd5 Ba6 29.a4 Bf6 30.e4 h6 31.e5 Be7 32.f4 Rab8 33.Rb1 Rec8 34.Be1 Bc5+ 35.Bf2 Bxf2+ 36.Kxf2 Bc4 37.Rd2 Bxb3? {37...Rxb3} 38.Rdb2 Rc3 39.a5 Ra8 40.Ra1 Rc2+ 41.Rxc2 Bxc2 42.g3 Kf8 43.Ke3 Ke7 44.Kd4 Ke6 45.Kc5 Kf5 46.Kb6 Kg4 47.Kb7 Be4+ 48.Kb6 Kh3 49.Ra2 Bg2 50.a6 Kxh2 51.g4 Kg3 52.f5 Bd5 53.Ra4 Kh4 54.Kc5 Bf3 55.e6 fxe6 56.fxe6 Bxg4 57.e7 Kg5 58.Kd6 Bh5 59.a7 Be8 60.Ra5+ Kf6 61.Kc7 Kxe7 62.Kb7 Rd8 63.a8Q Rxa8 64.Rxa8 Bf7 65.Kb6 Kf6 66.Kc5 g5 67.Ra1 g4 68.Rf1+ Kg6 69.Kd4 h5 70.Ke3 Bd5 71.Kf2? {71.Kf4!=} Kg5 72.Kg1 h4 73.Kh2 Be6 74.Rf8 g3+ 75.Kg2 Kg4 76.Rf6 h3+ 77.Kg1 Bd5? {I thought there was a win here as I was playing the game, but I couldn't find it. The winning move was 77...h2+! 78.Kg2 (78.Kh1? Bd5+ 79.Rf3 Bxf3#) Bd5+ 79.Kf1 h1Q+ with mate to follow. - ALD} 78.Rg6+ Kf3 79.Rf6+ Ke2 80.Rh6 {Of course not 80.Rf5?? h2# or 80.Rg6?? h2#} h2+ 81.Rxh2+ gxh2+ 82.Kxh2 Draw

Top Six Tournaments Of All Time

#1 Vienna 1882
#2 Linares 1993
#3 Nottingham 1936
#4 AVRO 1938
#5 Linares 1992
#6 Wijk aan Zee 2001

All six of these tournaments featured the players rated 1-8 at the time.

David Bronstein, RIP

Bronstein tied a match against Botvinnik for the world championship 12-12 in 1951.

http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=3525

Tal Memorial 2006

An amazingly strong tournament - ten players rated 2698 or higher. Won by Aronian, Leko and Ponomariov with 5.5 out of 9.

http://www.russiachess.org/eng/content/view/12/71/

Essent 2006

Mamedyarov and Polgar are the winners.

Top Ten Games of Informant 95

1.	DREEV, A. - BAREEV, E.	329	7	10	2	9	8	9	2	-	47
2.	VOLOKITIN, A. - NAKAMURA, H.	198	8	3	-	5	10	10	10	-	46
3.	BACROT, E. - RUBLEVSKY, S.	127	9	8	4	8	7	-	-	10	46
4.	BRUZON, L. - CARLSEN, M.	105	10	5	-	3	3	3	9	8	41
5.	GALKIN, A. - YEMELIN, V.	177	6	4	10	7	4	2	6	-	39
6.	GRISCHUK, A. - KAMSKY, G.	253	-	9	-	6	9	8	-	7	39
7.	DREEV, A. - MINASIAN, ART.	56	4	-	-	10	5	5	5	2	31
8.	VAN WELY, L. - RADJABOV, T.	405	-	7	9	4	6	1	-	-	27
9.	JOBAVA, BA. - BELIAVSKY, A.	367	-	-	6	-	2	-	7	-	15
10.	NI HUA - MCHEDLISHVILI, M.	376	-	-	5	1	-	7	-	-	13

It's interesting that not one of the ten winners is from among the top 15 players in the world. Grischuk is the highest ranked player on this list.

By contrast, the nine best games of Informant 54 (nothing special about this issue, just had it handy) consisted of 3 Kasparov wins (#1), 2 Karpov wins (#2), 1 Short win (#4), 1 Anand win (#5) and 2 Kamsky wins (=#7). And the losers were equally impressive: Kasparov once, Karpov twice, Short three times, Gelfand (#6), Shirov (=#7), Bareev (#11).

That is what I expect to see as the best games in Informant - fighting chess by the best players in the world. That's what made these guys not just the highest rated, but the best. Nowadays, the highest rated players are just not producing any interesting games. That's why Kasparov and Karpov were the kings of chess, and these guys are just schmucks. No wonder interest in professional chess is waning so drastically even as the number of players is increasing.

Topalov having a tough time

Only one draw in three games in the first half at Essent.

Long Live the King!

Kramnik undisputed champion!

Kramnik wins tiebreak 2-1 with one draw.

Player	Rating	R1	R2	R3	R4	Tot.
Veselin Topalov	2813	½	0	1	0	1.5
Vladimir Kramnik	2743	½	1	0	1	2.5

Analysis by GM Marin

Topalov-Kramnik Game 1
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. e3 e6 7. Bxc4 Bb4 8. O-O Nbd7 9. Qe2 O-O 10. e4 Bg6 11. Bd3 Bh5 12. e5 Nd5 13. Nxd5 cxd5 14. Qe3 Re8 15. Ne1 Rc8 16. f4 Bxe1 17. Rxe1 Bg6 18. Bf1 Rc2 19. b3 Qa5 20. Bb5 Rd8 21. Re2 Rcc8 22. Bd2 Qb6 23. Rf2 a6 24. Bf1 Rc6 25. b4 Rc2 26. b5 a5 27. Bc3 Rxf2 28. Qxf2 Qa7 29. Qd2 Ra8 30. Rc1 Nb6 31. Bb2 Nxa4 32. Ba3 h6 33. h3 Be4 34. Kh2 Nb6 35. Bc5 a4 36. Ra1 Nc4 37. Bxc4 b6 38. Qe3 Rc8 39. Bf1 bxc5 40. dxc5 Qxc5 41. Qxc5 Rxc5 42. b6 Rc6 43. b7 Rb6 44. Ba6 d4 45. Rxa4 Bxb7 46. Bxb7 Rxb7 47. Rxd4 1/2-1/2

Kramnik-Topalov Game 2
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. b3 O-O 8. Be2 b6 9. O-O Bb7 10. Bb2 Re8 11. Rad1 Qe7 12. Rfe1 Rac8 13. Bd3 e5 14. e4 dxc4 15. Bxc4 b5 16. Bf1 g6 17. Qd2 Rcd8 18. Qg5 a6 19. h3 exd4 20. Nxd4 Qe5 21. Qxe5 Nxe5 22. Nc2 g5 23. Bc1 h6 24. Be3 c5 25. f3 Bf8 26. Bf2 Bc8 27. Ne3 Be6 28. Ned5 Bxd5 29. exd5 Ned7 30. Rxe8 Rxe8 31. a4 b4 32. Ne4 Nxe4 33. fxe4 Nf6 34. d6 Nxe4 35. d7 Rd8 36. Bxa6 f5 37. a5 Bg7 38. Bc4+ Kf8 39. a6 Nxf2 40. Kxf2 Bd4+ 41. Rxd4 cxd4 42. a7 Ke7 43. Bd5 Kxd7 44. a8=Q Rxa8 45. Bxa8 1-0

Topalov-Kramnik Game 3
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nh4 Bg6 7. Be2 Nbd7 8. O-O Bd6 9. g3 dxc4 10. Bxc4 Nb6 11. Be2 O-O 12. Nxg6 hxg6 13. e4 e5 14. f4 exd4 15. Qxd4 Qe7 16. Kg2 Bc5 17. Qd3 Rad8 18. Qc2 Bd4 19. e5 Nfd5 20. Rf3 Nxc3 21. bxc3 Bc5 22. Bd2 Rd7 23. Re1 Rfd8 24. Bd3 Qe6 25. Bc1 f5 26. Qe2 Kf8 27. Rd1 Qe7 28. h4 Rd5 29. Qc2 Nc4 30. Rh1 Na3 31. Qe2 Qd7 32. Rd1 b5 33. g4 fxg4 34. Rg3 Ke7 35. f5 gxf5 36. Bg5+ Ke8 37. e6 Qd6 38. Bxf5 Rxd1 39. Bg6+ Kf8 40. e7+ Qxe7 41. Bxe7+ Bxe7 42. Bd3 Ra1 43. Qb2 Rd1 44. Qe2 Ra1 45. Qxg4 Rxa2+ 46. Kh3 Bf6 47. Qe6 Rd2 48. Bg6 R2d7 49. Rf3 b4 50. h5 1-0

Kramnik-Topalov Game 4
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Be2 Bb7 9. O-O Be7 10. e4 b4 11. e5 bxc3 12. exf6 Bxf6 13. bxc3 c5 14. dxc5 Nxc5 15. Bb5+ Kf8 16. Qxd8+ Rxd8 17. Ba3 Rc8 18. Nd4 Be7 19. Rfd1 a6 20. Bf1 Na4 21. Rab1 Be4 22. Rb3 Bxa3 23. Rxa3 Nc5 24. Nb3 Ke7 25. Rd4 Bg6 26. c4 Rc6 27. Nxc5 Rxc5 28. Rxa6 Rb8 29. Rd1 Rb2 30. Ra7+ Kf6 31. Ra1 Rf5 32. f3 Re5 33. Ra3 Rc2 34. Rb3 Ra5 35. a4 Ke7 36. Rb5 Ra7 37. a5 Kd6 38. a6 Kc7 39. c5 Rc3 40. Raa5 Rc1 41. Rb3 Kc6 42. Rb6+ Kc7 43. Kf2 Rc2+ 44. Ke3 Rxc5 45. Rb7+ 1-0

Match Ends 6-6

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nh4 Bg6 7. Nxg6 hxg6 8. g3 Nbd7 9. Bd2 Bb4 10. Qb3 Bxc3 11. Bxc3 Ne4 12. Bg2 Nxc3 13. Qxc3 f5 14. O-O Qe7 15. cxd5 exd5 16. b4 Nf6 17. Rfc1 Ne4 18. Qb2 O-O 19. b5 Rac8 20. bxc6 bxc6 21. Qe2 g5 22. Rab1 Qd7 23. Rc2 Rf6 24. Rbc1 g4 25. Rb2 Rh6 26. Qa6 Rc7 27. Rb8+ Kh7 28. Qa3 Rb7 29. Qf8 Rxb8 30. Qxb8 Qf7 31. Qc8 Qh5 32. Kf1 Nd2+ 33. Ke1 Nc4 34. Bf1 Rf6 35. Bxc4 dxc4 36. Rxc4 Qxh2 37. Ke2 Qh1 38. Rc5 Qb1 39. Qa6 Qb2+ 40. Kf1 Qb1+ 41. Ke2 Qb2+ 42. Kf1 Rh6 43. Qd3 g6 44. Qb3 Rh1+ 45. Kg2 Rh2+ 46. Kxh2 Qxf2+ 47. Kh1 Qf1+ 1/2-1/2

Analysis by GM Marin
Analysis by GM Belov

It's worth noting that Kramnik overperformed relative to his rating...

Player	Rating	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Tot.	Perf.
Veselin Topalov	2813	0	0	½	½	(1)	½	½	1	1	0	½	½	6.0	2702
Vladimir Kramnik	2743	1	1	½	½	(0)	½	½	0	0	1	½	½	6.0	2844

I still think he might smoke Topalov in the tiebreak, making any talk of lawsuits moot. Tomorrow might see a new (?) world champion.

Game 11 Drawn

It all comes down to the last game.

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nh4 Bg6 7. Nxg6 hxg6 8. Rb1 Nbd7 9. c5 a5 10. a3 e5 11. b4 axb4 12. axb4 Qc7 13. f4 exf4 14. exf4 Be7 15. Be2 Nf8 16. O-O Ne6 17. g3 Qd7 18. Qd3 Ne4 19. Nxe4 dxe4 20. Qxe4 Qxd4+ 21. Qxd4 Nxd4 22. Bc4 O-O 23. Kg2 Ra4 24. Rd1 Rd8 25. Be3 Bf6 26. g4 Kf8 27. Bf2 Ne6 28. Rxd8+ Bxd8 29. f5 gxf5 30. gxf5 Nf4+ 31. Kf3 Nh5 32. Rb3 Bc7 33. h4 Nf6 34. Bd3 Nd7 35. Be4 Ne5+ 36. Kg2 Ra2 37. Bb1 Rd2 38. Kf1 Ng4 39. Bg1 Bh2 40. Ke1 Rd5 41. Bf2 Ke7 42. h5 Nxf2 43. Kxf2 Kf6 44. Kf3 Rd4 45. b5 Rc4 46. bxc6 bxc6 47. Rb6 Rxc5 48. Be4 Kg5 49. Rxc6 Ra5 50. Rb6 Ra3+ 51. Kg2 Bc7 52. Rb7 Rc3 53. Kf2 Kxh5 54. Bd5 f6 55. Ke2 Kg4 56. Be4 Kf4 57. Bd3 Rc5 58. Rb4+ Kg3 59. Rc4 Re5+ 60. Re4 Ra5 61. Re3+ Kg2 62. Be4+ Kh2 63. Rb3 Ra2+ 64. Kd3 Bf4 65. Kc4 Re2 66. Kd5 1/2-1/2

Analysis by GM Belov
Analysis by GM Marin

From a sporting point of view, Topalov needs to win this last game. Otherwise the free point will taint his victory. A drawn match will lead to a moral victory for Kramnik, even if he loses the tiebreak.

Should the decision of FIDE regarding the fifth game have any influence on the awarding of the World Championship title, with Mr Topalov receiving the title after being granted a free point for the unplayed game, Mr Kramnik declares unequivocally: “I will not recognize Mr Topalov as World Champion under these conditions, and I will take legal action against FIDE at the end of the World Championship.”

Kramnik wins, Match at 5-5

Third decisive result in a row.

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. g3 Bb4+ 5. Bd2 Be7 6. Bg2 O-O 7. O-O c6 8. Bf4 Nbd7 9. Qc2 a5 10. Rd1 Nh5 11. Bc1 b5 12. cxd5 cxd5 13. e4 dxe4 14. Qxe4 Rb8 15. Qe2 Nhf6 16. Bf4 Rb6 17. Ne5 Nd5 18. Bxd5 exd5 19. Nc3 Nf6 20. Nxb5 Ba6 21. a4 Ne4 22. Rdc1 Qe8 23. Rc7 Bd8 24. Ra7 f6 25. Nd7 Rf7 26. Nxb6 Rxa7 27. Nxd5 Rd7 28. Ndc3 Rxd4 29. Re1 f5 30. Qc2 Rb4 31. Nd5 Rxb5 32. axb5 Qxb5 33. Nc7 Qc4 34. Qd1 Bxc7 35. Qd7 h6 36. Qxc7 Qb4 37. Qb8+ Qxb8 38. Bxb8 Nd2 39. Ra1 g5 40. f4 Nb3 41. Ra3 Bc4 42. Bc7 g4 43. Bxa5 1-0

Analysis by GM Marin
Analysis by GM Belov

Topalov Wins Again

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nh4 Bg6 7. Nxg6 hxg6 8. a3 Nbd7 9. g3 Be7 10. f4 dxc4 11. Bxc4 O-O 12. e4 b5 13. Be2 b4 14. axb4 Bxb4 15. Bf3 Qb6 16. O-O e5 17. Be3 Rad8 18. Na4 Qb8 19. Qc2 exf4 20. Bxf4 Qb7 21. Rad1 Rfe8 22. Bg5 Be7 23. Kh1 Nh7 24. Be3 Bg5 25. Bg1 Nhf8 26. h4 Be7 27. e5 Nb8 28. Nc3 Bb4 29. Qg2 Qc8 30. Rc1 Bxc3 31. bxc3 Ne6 32. Bg4 Qc7 33. Rcd1 Nd7 34. Qa2 Nb6 35. Rf3 Nf8 36. Rdf1 Re7 37. Be3 Nh7 38. Rxf7 Nd5 39. R7f3 1-0

Analysis by GM Belov
Analysis by GM Marin

Topalov's First Win, Match Now Even

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Be2 Bb7 9. O-O b4 10. Na4 c5 11. dxc5 Nxc5 12. Bb5+ Ncd7 13. Ne5 Qc7 14. Qd4 Rd8 15. Bd2 Qa5 16. Bc6 Be7 17. Rfc1 Bxc6 18. Nxc6 Qxa4 19. Nxd8 Bxd8 20. Qxb4 Qxb4 21. Bxb4 Nd5 22. Bd6 f5 23. Rc8 N5b6 24. Rc6 Be7 25. Rd1 Kf7 26. Rc7 Ra8 27. Rb7 Ke8 28. Bxe7 Kxe7 29. Rc1 a5 30. Rc6 Nd5 31. h4 h6 32. a4 g5 33. hxg5 hxg5 34. Kf1 g4 35. Ke2 N5f6 36. b3 Ne8 37. f3 g3 38. Rc1 Nef6 39. f4 Kd6 40. Kf3 Nd5 41. Kxg3 Nc5 42. Rg7 Rb8 43. Ra7 Rg8+ 44. Kf3 Ne4 45. Ra6+ Ke7 46. Rxa5 Rg3+ 47. Ke2 Rxe3+ 48. Kf1 Rxb3 49. Ra7+ Kf6 50. Ra8 Nxf4 51. Ra1 Rb2 52. a5 Rf2+ 0-1

Analysis by GM Mihail Marin
Analysis by GM Vladimir Belov

Game 7 Drawn

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Bd3 dxc4 6. Bxc4 c5 7. O-O a6 8. Bb3 cxd4 9. exd4 Nc6 10. Nc3 Be7 11. Re1 O-O 12. a4 Bd7 13. Ne5 Be8 14. Be3 Rc8 15. Rc1 Nb4 16. Qf3 Bc6 17. Qh3 Bd5 18. Nxd5 Nbxd5 19. Rcd1 Rc7 20. Bg5 Qc8 21. Qf3 Rd8 22. h4 h6 23. Bc1 Bb4 24. Rf1 Bd6 25. g3 b6 26. Qe2 Ne7 27. Rfe1 Bxe5 28. dxe5 Rxd1 29. Qxd1 Nfd5 30. Bd2 Rc5 31. Qg4 Nf5 32. Qe4 b5 33. h5 bxa4 34. Qxa4 Rb5 35. Rc1 Qb7 36. Bc2 Nb6 37. Qg4 Rxb2 38. Be4 Qd7 39. Be1 Nd5 40. Bd3 Nb4 41. Bf1 Nd3 42. Qd1 Nxe5 43. Qxd7 Nxd7 44. Rc8+ Kh7 45. Rc7 Rb1 46. Rxd7 Rxe1 47. Rxf7 a5 48. Kg2 Kg8 49. Ra7 Re5 50. g4 Nd6 51. Bd3 Kf8 52. Bg6 Rd5 53. f3 e5 54. Kf2 Rd2+ 55. Ke1 Rd5 56. Ke2 Rb5 57. Rd7 Rd5 58. Ra7 Rb5 59. Bd3 Rd5 60. Bg6 1/2-1/2

Analysis by GM Marin
Analysis by GM Belov

Game 6 Drawn

Game 5 is still a win to Topalov. Kramnik has agreed to continue the match (under protest of course). Kudos to him. When this match started, I was rooting for Topalov over Kramnik; that has definitely changed given his highly unsportsmanlike conduct.

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. Ne5 e6 7. f3 c5 8. e4 Bg6 9. Be3 cxd4 10. Qxd4 Qxd4 11. Bxd4 Nfd7 12. Nxd7 Nxd7 13. Bxc4 a6 14. Ke2 Rg8 15. Rhd1 Rc8 16. b3 Bc5 17. a5 Ke7 18. Na4 Bb4 19. Nb6 Nxb6 20. Bxb6 f6 21. Rd3 Rc6 22. h4 Rgc8 23. g4 Bc5 24. Rad1 Bxb6 25. Rd7+ Kf8 26. axb6 Rxb6 27. R1d6 Rxd6 28. Rxd6 Rc6 29. Rxc6 bxc6 30. b4 e5 31. Bxa6 1/2-1/2

Analysis by GM Marin
Analysis by GM Inarkiev

Top US Chess Players

	Title	FIDE Rank	FIDE Rating	USCF Rank	USCF Rating
Kamsky, Gata	g	1	2705	1	2753
Onischuk, Alexander	g	2	2668	3	2702
Nakamura, Hikaru	g	3	2640	2	2709
Seirawan, Yasser	g	4	2638	N/A	N/A
Ibragimov, Ildar	g	5	2616	5	2682
Shulman, Yuri	g	6	2614	6	2679
Akobian, Varuzhan	g	7	2598	10	2654
Ehlvest, Jaan	g	8	2597	7	2666
Stripunsky, Alexander	g	8	2597	11	2650
Kaidanov, Gregory S	g	10	2595	4	2692
Ivanov, Alexander	g	11	2587	15	2640
Goldin, Alexander	g	12	2577	17	2613
Polgar, Zsuzsa	g	12	2577	21	2597
Shabalov, Alexander	g	14	2575	11	2650
Christiansen, Larry M	g	15	2572	8	2663
Gulko, Boris F	g	16	2570	9	2661
Novikov, Igor A	g	17	2568	11	2650
Benjamin, Joel	g	18	2565	14	2646
Finegold, Benjamin	m	19	2543	19	2603
Becerra Rivero, Julio	g	20	2542	18	2605
Perelshteyn, Eugene	g	21	2540	20	2601
De Firmian, Nick E	g	22	2539	25	2581
Kudrin, Sergey	g	23	2532	23	2592
Fishbein, Alexander	g	24	2529	16	2616
Yermolinsky, Alex	g	25	2520	22	2594
Dlugy, Maxim	g	26	2518	24	2586
Serper, Grigory	g	27	2513	26	2574
Gurevich, Dmitry	g	28	2510	27	2573

October 2006 Rating List

1	Topalov, Veselin	g	BUL	2813	0	1975
2	Anand, Viswanathan	g	IND	2779	0	1969
3	Kramnik, Vladimir	g	RUS	2750	7	1975
	Svidler, Peter	g	RUS	2750	7	1976
5	Morozevich, Alexander	g	RUS	2747	10	1977
6	Ivanchuk, Vassily	g	UKR	2741	12	1969
	Aronian, Levon	g	ARM	2741	7	1982
	Leko, Peter	g	HUN	2741	7	1979
9	Adams, Michael	g	ENG	2735	18	1971
10	Gelfand, Boris	g	ISR	2733	11	1968
11	Radjabov, Teimour	g	AZE	2729	10	1987
12	Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar	g	AZE	2728	12	1985
13	Navara, David	g	CZE	2725	22	1985
14	Shirov, Alexei	g	ESP	2720	11	1972
15	Akopian, Vladimir	g	ARM	2713	0	1971
16	Polgar, Judit	g	HUN	2710	0	1976
	Grischuk, Alexander	g	RUS	2710	11	1983
18	Bacrot, Etienne	g	FRA	2705	1	1983
	Kamsky, Gata	g	USA	2705	9	1974
20	Ponomariov, Ruslan	g	UKR	2703	11	1983