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The second round of the Morelia round of the event saw two decisive games and the shortest game was 34 moves.

Viswanathan Anand was faced with an unusual variation of the Ruy Lopez Marshall. At first he seemed to be doing well but after Aronian sacrificed his h-pawn things became more complicated and a bad plan caused Anand's position to melt down very quickly.

Anand,V (2799) - Aronian,L (2739) [C89]
XXV SuperGM Morelia/Linares MEX/ESP (2), 16.02.2008
[Malcolm Pein]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.c3 d5 9.exd5 Nxd5 10.Nxe5 Nxe5 11.Rxe5 c6 12.Re1 Bd6 13.g3 Re8 14.d4

(14. Rxe8+ Qxe8 15. d4 Bg4 (15... Ra7) 16. Qxg4 Qe1+ 17. Kg2 Qxc1 18.Qe2 with a slight edge for white)

14...Rxe1+ [14...Bg4 15.f3 Rxe1+ 16.Qxe1 Bxf3 17.Nd2 Bh5 18.Ne4 Bc7 19.Bd2 Bg6 20.a4 h6 21.Bd1 Bb6 22.axb5 axb5 23.Bf3 Kh7 24.Kg2 Rxa1 25.Qxa1 Qe7 26.Qe1 Bf5 27.h4 Bc7 28.Qe2 Bc8 29.Nc5 Qd6 30.Be1 Qg6 31.Kh2 Qf6 32.Kh1 g6 33.h5 g5 34.Be4+ Kg7 35.Qf3 Bg4 36.Qxg4 Qf1+ 37.Kh2 Qxe1 38.Bxd5 cxd5 39.Qf3 f5 40.Nd3 Qe4 41.Kg2 Kf6 42.Nc5 Qxf3+ 43.Kxf3 g4+ 44.Kg2 Bd6 45.Nb7 Bb8 46.Nd8 Kg5 47.Nc6 Bd6 48.Na7 b4 49.Nb5 bxc3 50.Nxc3 Kxh5 51.Nxd5 Kg5 52.Ne3 Bxg3 53.Nxf5 Bf4 54.Ng7 Bb8 55.Ne6+ Kf5 56.Ng7+ Ke4 57.Nh5 Kf5 58.b4 Kg5 59.Ng3 h5 60.b5 h4 1/2-1/2 Moberg,K (2200)-Sandstrom,L (2225)/Helsingborg 1991/EXT 1997] 15.Qxe1 Ra7 This may be an old idea from the 1970s. 16.Be3 Re7 17.Nd2 Qe8 18.Nf1

(18... Bh3 19. a4 Bxf1 20. Bxd5!)

h5 19.a4 Be6 20.Bd1 h4 21.axb5 axb5 22.Bf3 Bh3 23.Bxd5

(23. b3 hxg3 24. hxg3 Nxe3 25. Nxe3 Bxg3 26. Bxc6 Qxc6 27. fxg3 Rxe3 28.Qxe3 Qg2#)

23...cxd5 24.Qd1 f5 Giving up the h-pawn but for fine compensation. 25.Bg5 [25.Qb3] 25...Re4 26.Bxh4 [26.Qb3] 26...Qg6 27.Bd8 f4 28.Qd3

(28. Bb6 Re8 29. Bc5 Bc7 30. Ra7 $2 (30. Qf3 Qf5 {Threat Bg4 forcing Qh1}) 30...Qe4 31. f3 Qe1 32. Ra1 Qxd1 33. Rxd1 Re2)

Qh5 29.Nd2?

Things are already difficult for example 30. Bh4 Rxd2 31. Ra8+ Bf8! {Kf7 Ra7+ draws} 32. Qxd2 Qf3 33. Rxf8+ Kh7!{and not Kxf8 Qxf4+}

30...Re3! and its all over. 31.fxe3 Qxf3 32.Qc2 fxg3 33.hxg3 Qxg3+ 34.Kh1 Bf5

(34... Bf5 35. Qxf5 Qh2#)

0-1

The other decisive game of the day was between Vassily Ivanchuk and Peter Leko. Ivanchuk got two rooks for his queen in a variation of the Ruy Lopez anti-Marshall that isn't normally regarded as dangerous for black. His pieces were bottled in for much of the game but obviously if the rooks ever penetrated he could turn things around. Leko didn't make a very good job of using his development and space advantage and missed a final chance to force weaknesses just before the first time control after which he was just flat lost.

Ivanchuk,V (2751) - Leko,P (2753) [C88]
XXV SuperGM Morelia/Linares MEX/ESP (2), 16.02.2008
[Mark Crowther]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.d4 Nxd4 9.Bxf7+ Rxf7 10.Nxe5 Rf8 11.Qxd4 c5 12.Qd1 Qc7 13.Ng4 Nxg4 14.Qxg4 d5 15.Qh5 dxe4 16.Qd5+ Kh8 17.Qxa8 Bb7 18.Qa7N Ivanchuk finds a slightly different way to sacrifice the queen. [18.Qxf8+ Bxf8 19.Nd2 Bd6 20.Nf1 Be5 21.c3 h6 22.Be3 Bd5 23.h3 Bc4 24.Nd2 Bd3 25.a3 Bh2+ 26.Kh1 Bd6 27.b4 cxb4 28.cxb4 Qc3 29.f3 exf3 1/2-1/2 Vorobiov,E (2580)-Novik,M (2466)/Sochi RUS 2007/The Week in Chess 653] 18...Ra8 19.Bf4 Qc6 20.Qxa8+ Bxa8 21.Be3 If white can co-ordinate his pieces and penetrate with his rooks he will be better. But that's a long way off. 21...Qf6 22.c3 Bd6 23.Nd2 Qe5 24.g3 h6 25.a4 Bc6 26.axb5 axb5 27.Nb3 Bf8 28.Red1 Bd5 29.h4 Kg8 30.Nc1 g5 31.hxg5 hxg5 32.Ra5 Qc7 33.Ra6 Qf7 34.Rb6 Be7 35.Rxb5 Be6 36.Rb8+ Kg7 37.Rb7 Kh6 38.Re1

Veselin Topalov played the Berlin Variation as black against Teimour Radjabov's Ruy Lopez. This variation doesn't really seem in keeping with Topalov's style but he did win a pawn through a small tactic. It probably wasn't best for white to allow this but he still had plenty of compensation and the position gradually drifted to a draw.

Radjabov,T (2735) - Topalov,V (2780) [C67]
XXV SuperGM Morelia/Linares MEX/ESP (2), 16.02.2008
[Mark Crowther]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.dxe5 Nf5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.Nc3 Ne7 10.h3 Ng6 11.Bg5+ Ke8 12.Rad1 Bd7 13.Nd4 h6 14.Be3 Be7N Topalov has been this way before in his game against Peter Svidler. At the time it was commented that this really isn't Topalov's style of position. [14...h5 15.f4 h4 16.f5 Nxe5 17.f6 Rh5 18.Ne4 g6 19.Bf4 c5 20.Nf3 Nxf3+ 21.Rxf3 Be6 22.Rfd3 c4 23.R3d2 c6 24.Ng5 Bc5+ 25.Kh2 Bd5 26.Re2+ Kf8 27.Rde1 b5 28.c3 a5 29.a3 Rc8 30.g4 hxg3+ 31.Kxg3 Be6 32.h4 Kg8 33.Re5 Bf8 34.Nxe6 fxe6 35.Rd1 Rh7 36.Rxe6 Rb7 37.Re4 Kf7 38.Bg5 Re8 39.Rxe8 Kxe8 40.Kg4 Rh7 41.Re1+ Kd7 42.a4 bxa4 43.Re5 c5 44.Bf4 Rh8 45.Bg3 Bh6 46.Re7+ Kc6 47.Bf4 Bxf4 48.Kxf4 Rh5 49.Re5 Rxh4+ 50.Kg5 Rh5+ 51.Kxg6 Rxe5 52.f7 Re6+ 53.Kg5 Re5+ 54.Kg4 Re4+ 55.Kg3 Re3+ 56.Kf2 a3 57.f8Q axb2 58.Qc8+ Kb5 59.Qb7+ Ka4 60.Kxe3 Ka3 61.Qb5 a4 62.Qxc5+ Kb3 63.Qb4+ Kc2 64.Qxa4+ Kxc3 65.Qa5+ Kc2 66.Qf5+ Kc1 67.Qf1+ 1-0 Svidler,P (2765)-Topalov,V (2801)/Morelia/Linares MEX/ESP 2006/The Week in Chess 589] 15.f4 h5 16.Ne4 h4 17.c4 Rh5 18.Rd2?! Not as bad as it could have been but losing this pawn can't have been a good idea. [18.Rfe1] 18...Nxe5 19.b3 [19.fxe5 Rxe5 20.Rf4 is good for black.] 19...f6 20.Re2 Nf7 21.Bf2 Kf8 22.Nf3 Re8 23.Nxh4 Rh6 24.Rd1 Bc8 25.Nf3 b6 26.Nd4 Nd8 27.Ng3 Bb4 28.a3 Rxe2 29.Ndxe2 Be7 30.b4 Kf7 31.Nd4 g6 32.f5 Rh8 33.fxg6+ Kxg6 34.Nge2 Kf7 35.Nf4 Rg8 36.Kf1 Bd6 37.Nd3 Ba6 38.Nf5 Bf8 39.Rc1 Bc8 40.Nd4 Bh6 41.Re1 Bf8

Alexei Shirov and Magnus Carlsen discussed a variation of the Sicilian Kan Variation and interesting play saw pieces gradually exchanged and a perpetual check in a drawn position resulted.

Shirov,A (2755) - Carlsen,M (2733) [B42]
XXV SuperGM Morelia/Linares MEX/ESP (2), 16.02.2008
[Mark Crowther]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Bd3 Ne7 6.0-0 Nbc6 7.Nxc6 Nxc6 8.Be3 Be7 9.Nd2 d5 [9...Rb8 1-0 Gouliev,N (2514)-Giffard,N (2348)/Thorigny 2005/EXT 2007 (49); 9...0-0 10.c3 b5 11.a4 Rb8 12.axb5 axb5 13.b4 Bf6 14.Ra3 Ne5 15.Be2 d6 16.f4 Nc6 17.Bd3 Bd7 18.Qe2 Qc7 19.Nf3 e5 20.f5 Qb7 21.Bc2 Ra8 22.Rxa8 Rxa8 23.Bb3 Ne7 24.Bg5 Qc7 25.Rc1 Bc6 26.Rd1 Ra3 27.Bxf6 Rxb3 28.Bxe7 Qxe7 29.Qd3 h6 30.Qxd6 Qa7+ 31.Kh1 Bxe4 32.Qxe5 Bxf3 33.gxf3 Qf2 34.Qe4 Kh7 35.f6+ g6 36.Qd5 Kh8 37.Rg1 Rb2 38.Rxg6 Qxh2# 0-1 Almasi,Z (2640)-Kramnik,V (2772)/Monaco MNC 2001/The Week in Chess 333] 10.exd5 exd5 11.Nb3 0-0 12.Re1 Re8 13.c3 Bd6 14.Qc2 g6 15.Bc5 Bc7 16.Rxe8+ Qxe8 17.Qd2 Qe5 18.Qh6 Bf5 19.Bxf5 Qxf5 20.Nd4 Qe4 21.f3 Qe8 22.Nxc6 bxc6 23.Bd4 Be5 24.Qd2 Qb8 25.g3 Qd6 26.Re1 Bxd4+ 27.cxd4 c5 28.Kg2 c4 29.h4 h5 30.g4 hxg4 31.fxg4 Qd7 32.Kg3 Re8 33.Rxe8+ Qxe8 34.h5 Qe4 35.hxg6 fxg6 36.Qf4 Qe1+ 37.Kh3 Qh1+ 38.Kg3 Qe1+ 39.Kh3

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