Also in the last round, Teimour Radjabov beat Levon Aronian with the black pieces, while Magnus Carlsen drew with Vishy Anand, who lost to Toppy and Aronian and halved the point with the rest — a most lackluster performance on the part of the world champ.
The final standings: first — Topalov, 6.5 points; second-fourth, Aronian, Ivanchuk, Carlsen, 5; fifth, Radjabov, 4.5; and sixth, Anand, 4.
According to the Bilbao scoring system, Carlsen gets the second prize of 70,000 euros or $99,000! Topalov’s victory amounts to 150,000 euros or $213,000! ChessBase says these sums are unprecedented for an event like this. Only world championships have fatter prize purses.
In the unofficial live ratings, ChessBase reports, Topalov is now in first place in the world, ahead of Alexander Morozevich, Carlsen and Ivanchuk. Anand has dropped to fifth place, seven points behind Toppy. Eleven points behind Anand is Vladmir Kramnik, whom he will meet next month in a match, while 15 points behind the Indian is Aronian.
Game of the week. Here is Topalov slaying young Carlsen’s dragon in the eighth round. IM Malcolm Pein annotates.
According to Pein, “Topalov sacrifices two pawns for enduring pressure and Carlsen eventually cracks. Although Black’s position may have been defensible the practical problems facing a defender in the absence of any counterplay are considerable.”
White: V. Topalov (2777)
Black: M. Carlsen (2775)
Sicilian Dragon
Bilbao 2008
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 Rc8 11.Bb3 Ne5 12.Kb1 a6 13.h4 h5 14.g4 hxg4 15.h5 Nxh5 16.Rdg1 Rc5 17.Bh6 Kh7 18.Bxg7 Kxg7 19.f4 Nc4 20.Bxc4 Rxc4 21.f5 (Threat Rxh5 gxh5 Qg5+ and mate follows) 21…e5 22.Nde2 Rh8 23.b3 Rc6 24.Rxg4 Nf6 25.Rgg1 Rxh1 26.Rxh1 Ng4 27.Ng3 (Black’s weak king and d6 point give White good compensation for a pawn) 27…Kg8 28.Nd5 Rc5 29.Ne3 Nxe3 (29…Qg5 30.Qxd6 Nxe3 31.Qxd7 Qxg3 32.Qd8+ Kg7 33.f6 mate) 30.Qxe3 Qf6 31.Qh6 Qg7 32.Qg5 (The threats of Qd8+ and f5-f6 force a serious weakening) 32…f6 33.Qd2 Rc6 34.Kb2 gxf5 35.Qa5 Qe7 36.Qd5+ Be6 37.Qd1 Qg7 (37…fxe4 38.Qh5 Qg7 39.Qe8+ Qf8 40.Qxe6+) 38.exf5 Bf7 39.Ne4 Kf8 40.Nxd6 Ke7 (40…Bg8) 41.Nxb7 Qg8 42.Qd2 (42.Rh7 Qxh7 43.Qd8 mate) 42…Rb6 43.Rd1 Qc8 (43…Rxb7 44.Qd6+ Ke8 45.Qd8 mate) 44.Nd6 Qd7 45.Nxf7 Qxd2 46.Rxd2 Kxf7 47.c4 Ke7 48.Kc3 1–0
Puzzler.
White — pawns on b3, b4, h2; Qa8, Ke1, Be4, Ne7
Black — pawns on a5, b5, e5, g5; Na7, Bb6, Ke3
White to play and mate in three moves.
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