It was a double round robin event with four GMs: Magnus Carlsen (2826), Viswanathan Anand (2800), Judit Polgar (2682) and Jon Ludvig Hammer (2636). Time controls were 20 min. + 10 sec. increment per move.
Anand topped the preliminary stage, thumping Polgar and Hammer twice and drawing his games with Carlsen. Magnus beat Polgar and his fellow Norwegian Hammer who managed to, well, hammer his more famous compatriot in their second game. The stage was then set for a final two-game match between the world champ and the world’s no. 1. (Hammer, by the way, edged Polgar in their match for the bronze, with a draw and a win against the strongest female player in chess history.)
But before we go the decisive game between the current and future kings, here’s the latest FIDE ratings, showing the world’s top 20:
1) Carlsen, Magnus NOR2826
2) Topalov, Veselin BUL2803
3) Anand, Viswanathan IND2800
4) Aronian, Levon ARM2783
5) Kramnik, Vladimir RUS2780
6) Eljanov, Pavel UKR2761
7) Grischuk, Alexander RUS2760
8) Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar AZE2756
9) Ivanchuk, Vassily UKR2754
10) Gelfand, Boris ISR2751
11) Ponomariov, Ruslan UKR2749
12) Shirov, Alexei ESP2749
13) Radjabov, Teimour AZE2748
14) Karjakin, Sergey RUS2747
15) Nakamura, Hikaru USA2733
16) Wang, Yue CHN2732
17) Svidler, Peter RUS2731
18) Adams, Michael ENG2728
19) Jakovenko, Dmitry RUS2726
20) Malakhov, Vladimir RUS2725
Game of the week. Annotations from ChessBase.
White: M. Carlsen (2826)
Black: V. Anand (2800)
Neo-Gruenfeld Defense
Kristiansund 2010
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.g3 0-0 5.Bg2 c6 6.0-0 d5 7.Nbd2 Bf5 8.b3 Ne4 9.Bb2 Na6!? A rare continuation that had never been played by a top player until now. 10.Nh4 Nxd2 11.Qxd2 Be6 12.Rac1 Qd7 13.Nf3 Rfd8 14.Rfd1 Nc7 15.Qa5 Ne8 16.e3 Bg4 17.Rd2 Bxf3 18.Bxf3 e6 19.Rdc2 Nd6 20.a4 f5 21.Qe1 a5? Anand was severely critical of this move after which “Black just loses a pawn.” 22.Bc3?! Fortunately for Black, the Norwegian’s reply is not decisive (yet). Black would indeed lose a pawn by force if play had continued with 22.cxd5! exd5 (If 22…cxd5? 23.Rc7 Qe8 24.Ba3 Bf8 25.Bxd6 Bxd6 26.Rxb7) 23.Rc5 And the a5 pawn falls. For example 23…Qc7 is unplayable due to 24.Bxd5+! 22…dxc4 23.Bxa5 cxb3 24.Rb2 Rdc8 25.Rxb3 Bf8 26.Rcb1 Ra7 27.Kg2 Nc4 28.Bb4 Bxb4 29.Rxb4 Nd6 30.Qc3 Rca8 31.Qc2 Ra6 32.h4. White already starts softening up the opponent’s kingside. 32…h533.e4! R8a7 34.exf5 Nxf5. Anand could not retake with the pawn with 34…exf5? because of 35.d5! and things go downhill very quickly. 35.Re1 Ra5 36.Qb3 Kf7 37.Re4?! Ne7. 37…b5 would have been better. 38.axb5 cxb5. 38.Qc2 Nd5 39.Rc4 Ra8 40.Re5! Ne741.Bxh5! The bishop is untouchable. 41…Rxe5. 41…gxh5? 42.Qh7+ Kf6 (42…Ke8 43.Qxh5+ Kf8 44.Rxa5) 43.Rg5 Threatening Qg7 mate. 43…Rxg5 44.hxg5+ Kxg5 45.Qg7+ Kf5 46.Qf7+ Kg5 47.Rc5+ and Black loses the queen or is mated. 42.dxe5 Qd5+ 43.Bf3 Qxe5 44.Re4 Qd6 45.h5! Rf8 46.Qb2 b5 47.axb5 cxb5 48.Qxb5 Nf5 49.Qb7+ Kf6 50.Qh7 gxh5 51.Bxh5 Qd5 52.Bf3 Qd2 53.g4 Ng754.g5+! After 54…Qxg5+ 55.Rg4 ends it. 1-0.
Puzzler.
White: Qa1, Nd5, Bg5, Kh7
Black: Ke5
White to play and mate in three.
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