Bilbao R4: Topalov, Carlsen, Arionian win
5 September 2008 22:09 PM CET | Last modified: 17:36 | By Peter Doggers | Filed under: Reports | Tags:
With a smashing win against world champion Anand, Topalov added another three points to his score. So did Carlsen, who defeated Radjabov with White in a Chinese Dragon, becoming the virtual world’s number one for the first time. Aronian won too - he beat Ivanchuk.
It was a victory that was clearly based on home preparation, Topalov admitted after his win against the world champion, which had lasted just 25 moves. This time Anand didn’t avoid the latest theory in a Queen’s Indian, but perhaps he should have.
His reaction to Topalov’s novelty wasn’t the best, and after one more inaccuracy his position already looked very difficult. A surprising final move suddenly ended the game very rapidly - Anand was outplayed today.
Topalov scored one of his most easy wins ever against Vishy Anand
Carlsen-Radjabov was the best game of the tournament so far - what a joy to have these two great fighters around, and luckily they will be for a few more years to come! Radjabov recently picked up the Dragon after Carlsen had more or less re-introduced it at the highest level, and in this game the Azeri GM went for 10…Rb8 - the “Chinese Dragon”.
Black was probably doing fine in the middlegame, but in timetrouble it was White’s attack that proved decisive. The whole Plaza Nueva knew what was going on because of the live commentary by Leontxo Garcia and Susan Polgar, assisted by Rybka on Leontxo’s computer, and I must say it was a great experience to see so many people enjoying chess.
Due to his win, and Anand’s loss, Carlsen has suddenly taken over Anand’s number one position in the live ratings which can be viewed in the right column.
Radjabov is not afraid of playing the Dragon against the player who rehabilitated this ultra sharp opening
Aronian-Ivanchuk did’t get much attention today, but here too the white pieces were victorious. Aronian got a nice position out of the opening and was slightly better for a long time, but Ivanchuk managed to avoid real problems.
Because of some repetitions this game was one of the few in the tournament without timetrouble, and after move 40 the players seemed to head to a draw, until Ivanchuk started to make mistakes. 52…Ba6?! and especially 53…Nd3? were wrong, after which Aronian had no mercy.
Aronian winning his first game of the tournament, climbing to 3rd place
Aronian - Ivanchuk 3-0
Carlsen - Radjabov 3-0
Topalov - Anand 3-0
Bilbao Grand Slam Final Round 4 Standings
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | ||||||
| 1 | Topalov,V | 2777 | +177 | * | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 8.0/4 | ||
| 2 | Carlsen,M | 2775 | +73 | 0 | * | 3 | 3 | 1 | 7.0/4 | ||
| 3 | Aronian,L | 2737 | +45 | 1 | 0 | * | 3 | 1 | 5.0/4 | ||
| 4 | Radjabov,T | 2744 | -49 | 1 | 0 | * | 1 | 1 | 3.0/4 | 3.00 | |
| 5 | Ivanchuk,V | 2781 | -106 | 1 | 0 | 1 | * | 1 | 3.0/4 | 2.75 | |
| 6 | Anand,V | 2798 | -126 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | * | 3.0/4 | 2.50 |
This time there isn’t a difference between the “football” and the “classical” system:
Bilbao Grand Slam Final Round 4 Standings (classical system)
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | ||||||
| 1 | Topalov,V | 2777 | +177 | * | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 3.0/4 | ||
| 2 | Carlsen,M | 2775 | +73 | 0 | * | 1 | 1 | ½ | 2.5/4 | ||
| 3 | Aronian,L | 2737 | +45 | ½ | 0 | * | 1 | ½ | 2.0/4 | ||
| 4 | Radjabov,T | 2744 | -49 | ½ | 0 | * | ½ | ½ | 1.5/4 | 3.00 | |
| 5 | Ivanchuk,V | 2781 | -106 | ½ | 0 | ½ | * | ½ | 1.5/4 | 2.75 | |
| 6 | Anand,V | 2798 | -126 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | * | 1.5/4 | 2.50 |
Pairings Round 5
Ivanchuk - Topalov
Anand - Carlsen
Radjabov - Aronian
Topalov having a great start in his home country (he lives in Salamanca)
Thus far Anand, like Kramnik, is not having a great last tournament before the big match
Carlsen and Aronian witness the moment when Anand resigns
The four webcams of the official site in action
The blitz tournament, held daily next to the glass cube
GM Manuel Leon Hoyos, this tournament assisting Ivanchuk again, and today wearing a Liverpool shirt
17-year-old Magnus Carlsen: virtually the world’s number one, for the very first time
Aronian and Ivanchuk “analysed” (Levon standing, Vassily still sitting at the board) for about ten minutes after the game…
…and one variation was apparently quite funny!
Boris Vasilievich, the 10th World Champion, has arrived today - he’ll do the commentary at the plaza with Leontxo Garcia during the second week
Links:
Thank you for the great, hires pictures and commentary. And thanks for the live webcam.
On another topic, does anyone know where to find post game interviews?? For example, in Formula 1, there are always (sometimes brief) driver interviews after a race, even from those who did not win. Motorsport.com compiles these from the various teams and puts them on their website. Surely the GMs do not run from the press like Fischer use to. As proof, yesterday I saw video of Topalov talking into a microphone outside the playing cube. Does anyone transcribe comments made by the GMs after a game each day or write daily reports with player comments interspersed? I would like to read some comments if they are available.
Thanks again.
Susan Polgar has some on her blog: http://susanpolgar.blogspot.com/
Take a look at ICC’s game of the day. It’s all Carlsen so far, every round.
It seems to me, every now and again Anand will play a really bad game where he just collapses, having played well below par. Perhaps it’s good for his World Championship hopes that he played a game like that yesterday - getting it out of his system, maybe!
Am i the only one who is missing anands head on the picture?He looks like a freaking ghost.
@Joe - No you’re not. Maybe that’s why he lost?!!
Yes, it is a very strange picture. Did he bowed his head near the chessboard?
Great video, thanks!
“Yes, it is a very strange picture. Did he bowed his head near the chessboard?”
I think the photo was taken from outside of the aquarium and the people you see where Anand’s head should be are actually a reflection in the glass. Keep that in mind and you can see the contour of his head.
The english version of Chessbase continuos to write about a ¨Moscow bug¨ that Carlsen might have.I couldn´t find any references to this bug in the spanish version and wrote to them asking for their sources.They never answer.I looked on Magnus´s blog andin the videos and in chessdom and here , and couldnt find anything.My thx to anyone who adress this matter.
Both Magnus and Henrik didn’t feel very well when they arrived in Bilbao and they thought it might have been something they ate in Moscow. Both are fine now I believe.
Thx for answering! May i ask what are your sources on this subject? regards
Well, I talked to Henrik a few days ago and then already they were doing a bit better.
>>”Am i the only one who is missing anands head on the picture?He looks like a freaking ghost.”
Haha, yes, truly fantastic picture, and not just because Anand is “missing”.
(In 10 years time this could be a great triva question: ‘Who’s the ghost in the blue shirt?’ :D)