Linares R12: Kasparov, Topalov win

The XXII Torneo Internacional de Ajedrez "Ciudad de Linares", a category 20 double round robin, is being held in the Spanish town of Linares and from February 23 until March 10 2005. During each round one player rests, and in addition there are full rest days on March 1st and 7th. The games start at 15:30h local time (CET = GMT 14:30h = 9:30 a.m. NY) in the Hotel Anibal. Live coverage of the event is expected on the official web site and on Playchess.com. We will be reporting daily on our news page.

Round twelve

On Monday the ChessBase team moved its headquarters from City Nord in Hamburg to the city of Linares, located in Andalusia (pronounced with a very slack jaw and a broad lisp), Spain. The trip takes half a day: first the flight to Madrid, then a four-hour drive to Linares. Starting in Madrid there was a very bright light switched on, which mystified us northern Europeans. The light accompanied us all the way to Linares. The Spanish call it "el sol".

At last: the famous Anibal hotel where the participants stay and play their games.

In Linares we took up quarters in the famous hotel Anibal, which for some inexplicable reason always reminds us of Anthony Hopkins. It is owned by the founder of the great Linares chess event, Luis Rentero, who bought it in 1988. Probably he found it cheaper to own the place than to keep renting the facilities for the chess tournament every year.

One of the great advantages of the "Ciudad de Linares" is that everyone – players, their entourages, the journalists and the spectators – are all stuck together. You meet everyone at breakfast, lunch and dinner (we have not figured out how to stay at the Hanibal without full board). Naturally each participant has his own favourite table, some occupy the same area year after year.

Like Garry Kasparov, who is in Linares for (deep sigh) the fourteenth time. It is normally not wise to try and fraternize while he is in leave-me-alone I'm-working" mode. But this time he was quite accessible. Our conversation: So how are you feeling, Garry? Like an old man, Fred, trying to keep up with these energetic young Turks. Wry smile. This 42-year old is brimming with creative (and aggressive) energy, making everyone else look octogenarian.

The first round we saw live in Linares was dominated by the game Michael Adams vs Garry Kasparov. In the past Adams has caused this opponent some problems with the white pieces, and that's exactly what seemed to be happening in round 12. As usual his Russian opponent scorned the Petroff and went for a super-sharp Sicilian, and with Kasparov's king under heavy attack most people in the press room expected a first defeat for the leader.

Adams,Mi (2741) - Kasparov,G (2804) [B90]
XXII SuperGM Linares ESP (12), 08.03.2005
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e6 7.Be2 Qc7 8.Qd2 b5 9.a3 Bb7 10.f3 Nc6 11.0-0-0 b4 12.axb4 Nxb4 13.g4 Be7 14.g5 Nd7 15.h4 Nc5 16.Kb1 Rb8 17.h5.

With all the white kingside pawns advancing, and all the white pieces poised for a mating attack there, what does Kasparov play. To cat-calls in the press center: 17...0-0. Here Adams must have felt a big surge of adrenalin, forcing him to go into full attack mode. 18.g6 Bf6 19.Rdg1 Ba8

How would you feel as Black? What would your expectations be if you had the white pieces? Afterwards Kasparov explained that it was important in such games that your opponent got the feeling that he was winning. To make sure that he would keep on the attack and not look for a draw. To give him ample opportunity to go astray. And that's exactly what happened to Adams, most likely on the next move: 20.Bg5 (?). Ladies and gentlemen, switch on your chess engines and check out the lines that Kasparov and Adams tossed at each other during the post mortem, at a speed which only people who live above the 2700 climatic zone can follow. 20...Be5 21.gxh7+ Kxh7 22.Nb3? This was a genuine blunder which quickly ended the game.

22...Nxc2. First suggested by Ljubomir Ljubojevic in the press room, and soon confirmed by Fritz. 23.Nxc5 Na3+ 24.Ka2 Qxc5 25.Na4? Fatal, but the position is lost anyway. 25...Nc2 26.Kb1 Qa3 0-1.

This game gave Kasparov a plus five score, a 2815 performance and a virtual guarantee for his ninth victory in the 22nd Linares tournament. Not bad for the oldest player in the tournament.

The youngest has not been doing too good, and he faced the second seed in this round. Francisco Vallejo, 22, could hardly expect very much more than a sound beating at the hands of Vishy Anand, who was the only player who could theoretically catch Kasparov. Vishy was doing his thing efficiently, but around the time that Kasparov was beating Adams the Indian chess star blundered in his opponent's time trouble. Well, not directly blundered, just lost the thread and ended up in a very bad position.

Everybody was counting Anand out in the press room, where we were broadcasting the games with live audio commentary on Playchess.com. But Anand looked mysteriously relaxed in the rook ending a pawn down, and kept on playing. In the press center people were waiting for a key European football game, Chelsea vs Barcelona, to start and speculated playfully that Vallejo, himself a great soccer fan, would offer Anand a draw so as not to miss the live TV coverage of the game.

Anand,V (2786) - Vallejo Pons,F (2686) [A30]
XXII SuperGM Linares ESP (12), 08.03.2005
1.Nf3 c5 2.c4 Nf6 3.g3 b6 4.Bg2 Bb7 5.0-0 e6 6.Nc3 Be7 7.d4 cxd4 8.Qxd4 Nc6 9.Qf4 Qb8 10.Qxb8+ Rxb8 11.Bf4 Rc8 12.Nb5 Ne4 13.Rfd1 a6 14.Nd6+ Nxd6 15.Bxd6 Bxd6 16.Rxd6 Ke7 17.Rad1 Rc7 18.b3 f6 19.Ne1 Rb8 20.Nc2 Bc8 21.f4 Nd8 22.e4 Nf7 23.R6d2 Bb7 24.a4 a5 25.h4 Rd8 26.Kf2 Rc5 27.Nd4 Ba8 28.Ke3 Bb7 29.Bf3 Ba8 30.f5 Re5 31.g4 Nd6 32.fxe6 dxe6 33.Nb5 Nf7 34.Rxd8 Nxd8 35.Na7 Bb7 36.Rb1 Kd7 37.b4 axb4 38.Rxb4 Ra5 39.Nb5 Nc6 40.Rb1 Ne5 41.Be2 Rxa4 42.Nc3 Ra3 43.Kd2 Kc6 44.g5 Ba6 45.gxf6 gxf6 46.Rf1 Nxc4+ 47.Bxc4 Bxc4 48.Rxf6 b5 49.Nd5 Bxd5 50.exd5+ Kxd5 51.Rf7 h5 52.Rh7 e5 53.Rxh5 Kd4 54.Rh8 Ra2+ 55.Kd1 Rh2 56.h5 b4 57.h6 Kd3 58.Kc1 Kc3 59.Rc8+ Kb3 60.Rh8 Kc3 61.Rc8+ Kb3 62.Rh8 e4 63.Kd1 Kb2 64.Ke1 b3 65.h7 e3 66.Kd1

Vallejo is doing fine and should win this one. But the soccer game is starting in a few minutes and perhaps subconsciously this caused him to play 66...Kb1?? 66...Rd2+ 67.Ke1 Rd7 68.Ke2 Re7 was definitely the way to proceed. Now, however, the position is a draw. 67.Rb8 Rxh7 ½-½

Paco Vallejo watches the soccer game with his second Renaldo Vera from Cuba minutes after the draw against Anand. Chelsea beat Barcelona 4:2.

Veselin Topalov, a very exciting player and a thoroughly nice guy to boot, did not give his opponent Rustam Kasimdzhanov the ghost of a chance in their Queen's Gambit Declined.

Topalov,V (2757) - Kasimdzhanov,R (2678) [D31]
XXII SuperGM Linares ESP (12), 08.03.2005
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Be7 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.Bf4 0-0 6.e3 c5 7.dxc5 Bxc5 8.a3 Nc6 9.Qc2 Qa5 10.Nd2 Bb4 11.cxd5 exd5 12.Bd3 d4 13.0-0 Bxc3 14.Nc4 Qh5 15.bxc3 Nd5 16.Bg3 dxe3 17.Rae1 Be6 18.fxe3 Nde7 19.Nd6 b6 20.Rb1 f6 21.Rb5 Ne5 22.Rf4 N7g6 23.Rd4 Bd7 24.Rbd5 Be6 25.Be2 Qh6 26.Bf4 Nxf4 27.exf4 g6

A typical Topalov execution follows: 28.Qe4 Bxd5 29.Qxd5+ Kh8 30.Re4 Nd7 31.Nf7+ Rxf7 32.Qxf7 1-0.

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Current standing

Scores Kasparov +5 Anand +2 Topalov +2 Leko 0 Adams –1 Vallejo –3 Kasimdzhanov –4

• All games so far in PGN

Linares picture gallery

Crossing snow-covered mountains to get to Spain and Linares

It's a four-hour trip by car from Madrid airport to Andalusia and Linares

The town square, as seen all over the country

Linares at last – a main road with the venue at the intersection

The ubiquitous Spanish department store reflecting the town hall in front of it

Making friends with a very, very young resident of the city

Everything you need for the enjoyment of your hobby

The playing hall, with many scores of chairs, but just a handfull of visitors

The day starts with an aggressive Sicilian by Kasparov against Adams

Schedule

Links

• Official web site
• All ChessBase reports
• ChessBase reports on Linares 2004
• ChessBase reports on Linares 2003