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Morelia/Linares Round 14: Anand first alone after all games drawn.

by Mark Crowther with additional notes by IM Malcolm Pein. Photos and videos by Peter Doggers of ChessVibes.

Viswanathan Anand against Veselin Topalov in Round 14. Photo © ChessVibes.

Viswanathan Anand took care and easily secured the draw he needed to win the tournament at least on tie-break after just two and a quarter hours play. The first tie-break was individual results and as Anand had won his mini-match against Magnus Carlsen he secured the tournament win. Veselin Topalov tried his best but winning with black against an Anand determined on a draw is a virtually impossible task. Anand played the steadiest in the event and fully deserved his win. His second in a row in this event. Anand said that he didn't think he was worse and after Bc4 white can be better in a few lines. Bf6 Rb7 a5 threatens a4 and he wasn't completely sure how that would pan out. He had only just briefly looked at this variation before the game. Anand (along with Aronian from Corus) has qualified for the Grand Slam final that those two events along with MTel and an event in Mexico the winners plus two invitees will play in Bilbao in the final. In spite of the proximity to Anand's match with Kramnik he expressed an interest in playing. It seems that the event won't be back in Morelia next year and the organisers of Linares may look for another city to collaborate with or even take a year off.

Anand,V (2799) - Topalov,V (2780) [B92]
XXV SuperGM Morelia/Linares MEX/ESP (14), 07.03.2008

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be2 e5 7.Nb3 Be7 8.Bg5 Be6 9.Bxf6 Bxf6 10.Qd3 Nc6 11.0-0-0 Qb6 12.Qxd6 Be7N [12...Qxf2 13.Bh5 g6 14.Nd5 Bxd5 15.exd5 Rd8 16.Qc7 Nb4 17.Rhf1 Bg5+ 18.Nd2 Qxd2+ 19.Rxd2 0-0 20.Bf3 Rc8 21.Qxb7 Rb8 22.Qa7 Rfc8 23.Kd1 Bxd2 24.Kxd2 Rxc2+ 25.Ke3 Rbc8 26.Be4 1-0 Willemze,T (2283)-Bezemer,A (2375)/Amsterdam NED 2004/The Week in Chess 507] 13.Nd5 Bxd5 14.Qxd5 0-0 15.Qd2 Qxf2 16.Bc4 Qh4 17.Qe2 White seems happy to draw as its all he needs to win the tournament. 17...Rac8 18.a3 Ruling out Nb4. 18...Bf6 Trying to get in Nd4. 19.Kb1 [19.Rd7 a5 and Anand couldn't assess how this would work out. ] 19...Nd4 20.Nxd4 exd4 21.g3 Qg5 22.Rhf1 Qe3 23.Rf3

Black isn't going to win this game with bishops of opposite colours and Anand wins the tournament. 1/2-1/2

Peter Leko against Levon Aronian in Round 14. Photo © ChessVibes.

Peter Leko and Levon Aronian followed the game Fressinet against Naiditsch from 2007 for a very long way and the result of this game didn't change the assessment that this position is absolutely fine for black. The game ended in a repetition on move 34.

Leko,P (2753) - Aronian,L (2739) [C88]
XXV SuperGM Morelia/Linares MEX/ESP (14), 07.03.2008

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.d3 d6 9.c3 Na5 10.Bc2 c5 11.Nbd2 Nc6 12.Nf1 Re8 13.h3 h6 14.Ng3 Be6 15.d4 cxd4 16.cxd4 exd4 17.Nxd4 Nxd4 18.Qxd4 Rc8 19.Bb3 Bxb3 20.axb3 d5 21.e5 Bc5 22.Qf4 Ne4 23.Nxe4 dxe4 24.Rxa6 Qd3 25.Qxe4 Bxf2+ 26.Kxf2 Rc2+ 27.Kg1 Qxe4 28.Rxe4 Rxc1+ 29.Kh2 Rd1N

The players took a long time getting here but this is a novelty. Doesn't change the assessment that this is just a draw. [29...Rc2 30.Rb6 Rxb2 31.Rxb5 Re7 32.b4 Kh7 33.Rc5 Re6 34.Rcc4 g5 35.Re3 f6 36.Ree4 1/2-1/2 Fressinet,L (2654)-Naiditsch,A (2639)/Werder Bremen GER 2007/The Week in Chess 683] 30.Ra7 Kf8 31.Rf4 Re7 32.Ra8+ Re8 33.Ra7 Re7 34.Ra8+ 1/2-1/2

Magnus Carlsen against Teimour Radjabov in Round 14. Photo © ChessVibes.

Teimour Radjabov repeated the variation of the Schliemann Defence against the Ruy Lopez that he held against Veselin Topalov against Magnus Carlsen. There looks like there should be a way for white to break through but its certainly very difficult. In the end Carlsen emerged with 4 pawns vs 3 rook and pawn ending where black had substantially set up the correct structure to save the game.

Carlsen,M (2733) - Radjabov,T (2735) [C63]
XXV SuperGM Morelia/Linares MEX/ESP (14), 07.03.2008

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 f5 4.d3 fxe4 5.dxe4 Nf6 6.0-0 Bc5 7.Qd3 d6 8.Qc4 Qe7 9.Nc3 Bd7 10.Nd5 Nxd5 11.exd5 Nd4 12.Nxd4 Bxd4 13.Bxd7+ Qxd7 14.a4 a6 15.Be3 Bxe3 16.fxe3 0-0-0 17.Rf2 Rdf8 18.Raf1 Qe7 [18...Rxf2 19.Rxf2 Kb8 20.b3 Qe7 21.Qe4 g6 22.Qf3 Rc8 23.c4 c6 24.dxc6 Rxc6 25.e4 Qg5 26.h3 Qc1+ 27.Kh2 Qe1 28.Rf1 Qd2 29.Qf8+ Rc8 30.Qe7 Qd3 31.Rf3 Qxe4 32.Qxd6+ Ka7 33.Rf7 h5 34.a5 g5 35.Qe6 Rg8 36.Rf6 Rh8 37.Qd5 Qxd5 38.cxd5 e4 39.Re6 Rd8 40.Re5 e3 41.Kg3 g4 42.hxg4 hxg4 43.b4 b6 44.axb6+ Kxb6 45.Kxg4 Kb5 46.Re4 e2 47.Rxe2 Kxb4 48.Rd2 Kc5 49.Kh5 Rxd5+ 50.Rxd5+ Kxd5 51.g4 Ke6 52.Kh6 Kf7 53.Kh7 Kf6 54.Kh6 1/2-1/2 Topalov,V (2780)-Radjabov,T (2735)/Morelia/Linares MEX/ESP 2008] 19.Qe4 g6 20.Rf3 Kb8 21.b3 Rxf3 22.Qxf3 Qg5 23.h3 [23.a5] 23...Rc8 24.Kh2 Qh4 25.c4 a5! White might have like to play this move himself. 26.e4 Qh6 Freezing white's heavy pieces to the f-file because otherwise black will play Rf8. 27.Qf2 b6 28.g3 Kb7 29.Kg2 Ra8 30.h4 g5 31.Qe3 Rg8 32.Rf5 Qh5 33.hxg5 Qd1 34.Rf7 Qh5 35.Qf3 White has managed to create some problems but Radjabov defends well. 35...Qxg5 36.Rxh7 Qf4 37.Rh5 Rg7 38.Qd3 Qc1 39.Qf3 Qf4 40.Qxf4 exf4 41.Rh3 fxg3 42.Rxg3 Rh7

This ending is draw, but black of course has to exercise some care. 43.Kf3 Rf7+ 44.Ke3 Rf1 45.Kd4 Rd1+ 46.Rd3 Re1 47.Re3 Rd1+ 48.Kc3 Rc1+ 49.Kd2 Rb1 50.e5 dxe5 51.Kc2 Rh1 52.Rxe5 Rh3 53.Re2 Kc8 54.Rd2 Kd7 55.Rd3 Rh2+ 56.Kc3 Rh1 57.Rg3 Rd1 58.Rg7+ Kd6 59.Rg6+ Kd7 60.Rc6 Rc1+ This is white's final try but black would have to blunder now. 61.Kb2 Rd1 62.Kc2 Rd4 63.b4 axb4 64.Kb3 Rd1 65.Kxb4 Rb1+ 66.Kc3 Ra1 67.Kb3 Rb1+ 68.Ka2 Rb4 69.Ka3 Rb1 1/2-1/2

Alexei Shirov against Vassily Ivanchuk in Round 14. Photo © ChessVibes.

Alexei Shirov and Vassily Ivanchuk went very slowly at the start with only 13 moves played after two hours in a French, MacCutcheon Variation. Shirov played 5.exd5 and when Ivanchuk played 5....exd5 instead of 5....Qxd5 the game was always going to be pretty drawish and that proved to be the case in spite of all the time spent.

Shirov,A (2755) - Ivanchuk,V (2751) [C12]
XXV SuperGM Morelia/Linares MEX/ESP (14), 07.03.2008

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 Bb4 5.exd5 exd5 [5...Qxd5 is the normal reaction to this not very ambitious try from white.] 6.Bd3 0-0 7.Nge2 c6 8.0-0 Re8 9.Ng3 [9.Qd2 Nbd7 10.Ng3 Nf8 11.Rae1 Ne6 12.Bh4 Bd7 13.Nf5 Bf8 14.h3 g6 15.Nh6+ Kg7 16.Re5 Be7 17.Rfe1 Ng8 18.Bxe7 Rxe7 19.Nxg8 Qxg8 20.Nd1 Ree8 21.c4 f6 22.R5e3 Qf8 23.cxd5 cxd5 24.Nc3 Nc7 25.Be2 Rxe3 26.fxe3 f5 27.Bf3 Qd6 28.Ne2 Ne6 29.h4 b6 30.Nf4 Nc7 31.Nd3 Re8 32.Ne5 Re7 33.Rc1 Be8 34.Qc3 h6 35.Kf2 Kf6 36.Qc2 Kg7 37.g3 Kf6 38.Nc6 Rg7 39.Nxa7 g5 40.hxg5+ hxg5 41.Nc6 f4 42.Ne5 fxe3+ 43.Kxe3 Re7 44.Rh1 Bg6 45.Qxg6# 1-0 Braga,F (2455)-Gonzalez,J/Buenos Aires ARG 1997] 9...h6 10.Bd2 Nbd7 11.Nce2 Bxd2 12.Qxd2 Nf8 13.Nf4 Qd6 14.f3 Bd7 15.Bf5 Re7 16.Bxd7 Qxd7 17.Nd3 Ng6 18.Nc5 Qc7 19.Nf5 Ree8 20.g4 b6 21.Nd3 Re6 22.Rae1 Rae8 23.b4 Nh7 24.h4 Nhf8 25.h5 Ne7 26.Nf4 Rf6 27.Nxe7+ Rxe7 28.Rxe7 Qxe7 29.Nd3 Re6 30.Re1 Rxe1+

There is not a lot to play for here. 1/2-1/2

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