Linares R5: Kasparov defeats Adams, takes lead

by ChessBase
2/28/2005 – Garry Kasparov outplayed Michael Adams, seemed to lose the thread and head for a draw a pawn up in a queen and rook ending. But the world's strongest player proved what that adage means, using grim determination to grind down his British opponent. We bring you games, results and pictures in our round five report.

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The XXII Torneo Internacional de Ajedrez "Ciudad de Linares", a category 20 double round robin, is being held in the Spanish town of Linares and from February 23 until March 10 2005. During each round one player rests, and in addition there are full rest days on March 1st and 7th. The games start at 15:30h local time (CET = GMT 14:30h = 9:30 a.m. NY) in the Hotel Anibal. Live coverage of the event is expected on the official web site and on Playchess.com. We will be reporting daily on our news page.

Round five

Garry Kasparov has had the advantage in all four games so far, and his score could easily have been 3.5 or, with a little luck, even 4/4. When his pawn-up winning position against Michael Adams started to drift towards a draw one could almost feel his frustration on the Playchess server. There about 1,500 people were watching the games (of over 5000 logged in on the server), with a number of GMs explaining the positions and predicting the outcome of the games. Everyone was treated to a six-and-a-half hour spectacle as Kasparov refused to let the full point slip away. In a queen and rook ending he outplayed Adams to close the deal on move 54.


Garry Kasparov takes on Michael Adams with grim determination

Kasparov,G (2804) - Adams,Mi (2741) [E37]
XXII SuperGM Linares ESP (5), 27.02.2005
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 d5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.Qxc3 Ne4 7.Qc2 e5 8.cxd5 Qxd5 9.f3 Nd6 10.dxe5 Qxe5 11.e4 Nc6 12.Ne2 Be6 13.Bf4 Qa5+ 14.Nc3 0-0-0 15.0-0-0 f5 16.Bxd6 Rxd6 17.Rxd6 cxd6 18.Bb5 Nd4 19.Qd3 Nxb5 20.Nxb5 fxe4 21.Qxd6 Qxb5 22.Qxe6+ Kb8 23.Qxe4 Re8 24.Qf4+ Ka8 25.Kb1 g5 26.Qf7 h6 27.h4 a6 28.hxg5 hxg5 29.Qf6 Qd3+ 30.Ka1 Qd2 31.Qf7 Re5 32.Qc7 Re8 33.Qf7 Re5 34.Qf6 Re8 35.g4 Ka7 36.Qf5 Ka8 37.Kb1 Rd8 38.Rc1 Rd5 39.Qe4 Ka7 40.Rc3 Qd1+ 41.Ka2 Qd2 42.Rc2 Qd3 43.Re2 Rd4 44.Qe3 a5.

Adam's last move was considered by many to be unwise. Kasparov immediately went into full attack and outmanoeuvred his British opponent: 45.Re1 Ka6 46.Qxg5 Qxf3 47.Qg6+ Ka7 48.Re5 Ra4 49.Qh5 b6 50.Qe8 Rc4 51.g5 Rc7 52.Qe6 a4 53.Re4 Qd1

In a lost position Adams made things easier for his opponent with his last move. 54.Rb4 and White is threatening Qxb6 and mate. Black's only defence is 54...Rb7, after which White can play 55.Qc6, picking up the a-pawn and the full point. 1-0.

Rustam Kasimdzhanov, the reigning FIDE champion, is doing just one thing in Linares – but doing it well. Kasim is not letting anyone beat him. His white game against Veselin Topalov was solid and defensive, never allowing the world's number three to harbour ideas of victory. Actually most people saw him in front when he had 32.Qb6 at his disposal, giving him a queen for two rooks plus an outside passed pawn. But Kasimdzhanov took the secure path (32.Rc1) and the game was soon drawn in an unavoidable perpetual.


With five draws in succession Rustam Kasimdzhanov is solid if anything

Vishy Anand and young Paco Vallejo are good friends, sometimes working together in Anand's home in Madrid. But in a tournament like this no holds are barred, and Anand, playing the black side of a Queen's Indian, went after his colleague with a vengeance. But in spite of a clear advantage Anand was unable to break Vallejo's defences and the game ended in a draw after 41 moves.


Friends and opponents: Francisco Vallejo vs Viswanathan ("Vishy") Anand


Vijay Kumar of India's Doordarshan TV, which reaches almost a billion viewers.


Kasparov takes a stroll in a battle that lasted six and a half hours.

Round 5 (Sunday, February 27, 2005)
Rustam Kasimdzhanov
½-½
Veselin Topalov
Francisco Vallejo
½-½
Viswanathan Anand
Garry Kasparov
1-0
Michael Adams
Round 6 (Monday, February 28, 2005)
Garry Kasparov
Viswanathan Anand
Veselin Topalov
Francisco Vallejo
Peter Leko
Rustam Kasimdzhanov
Games – Report

Current standing
Scores
Kasparov
+2
Anand
+1
Leko
0
Kasimdzhanov
0
Topalov
0
Adams
–1
Vallejo
–2

Schedule

Round 1 (Wednesday, February 23, 2005)
Veselin Topalov
1-0
Michael Adams
Peter Leko
½-½
Garry Kasparov
Rustam Kasimdzhanov
½-½
Francisco Vallejo
Round 2 (Thursday, February 24, 2005)
Garry Kasparov
½-½
Rustam Kasimdzhanov
Michael Adams
½-½
Peter Leko
Viswanathan Anand
1-0
Veselin Topalov
Round 3 (Friday, February 25, 2005)
Peter Leko
½-½
Viswanathan Anand
Rustam Kasimdzhanov
½-½
Michael Adams
Francisco Vallejo
0-1
Garry Kasparov
Round 4 (Saturday, February 26, 2005)
Michael Adams
1-0
Francisco Vallejo
Viswanathan Anand
½-½
Rustam Kasimdzhanov
Veselin Topalov
½-½
Peter Leko
Round 5 (Sunday, February 27, 2005)
Rustam Kasimdzhanov
½-½
Veselin Topalov
Francisco Vallejo
½-½
Viswanathan Anand
Garry Kasparov
1-0
Michael Adams
Round 6 (Monday, February 28, 2005)
Garry Kasparov
Viswanathan Anand
Veselin Topalov
Francisco Vallejo
Peter Leko
Rustam Kasimdzhanov
Games – Report
Round 7 (Wednesday, March 2, 2005)
Francisco Vallejo
Peter Leko
Garry Kasparov
Veselin Topalov
Michael Adams
Viswanathan Anand
Games – Report
Round 8 (Thursday, March 3, 2005)
Michael Adams
Veselin Topalov
Garry Kasparov
Peter Leko
Francisco Vallejo
Rustam Kasimdzhanov
Games – Report
Round 9 (Friday, March 4, 2005)
Rustam Kasimdzhanov
Garry Kasparov
Peter Leko
Michael Adams
Veselin Topalov
Viswanathan Anand
Games – Report
Round 10 (Saturday, March 5, 2005)
Viswanathan Anand
Peter Leko
Michael Adams
Rustam Kasimdzhanov
Garry Kasparov
Francisco Vallejo
Games – Report
Round 11 (Sunday, March 6, 2005)
Francisco Vallejo
Michael Adams
Rustam Kasimdzhanov
Viswanathan Anand
Peter Leko
Veselin Topalov
Games – Report
Round 12 (Tuesday, March 8, 2005)
Veselin Topalov
Rustam Kasimdzhanov
Viswanathan Anand
Francisco Vallejo
Michael Adams
Garry Kasparov
Games – Report
Round 13 (Wednesday, March 9, 2005)
Viswanathan Anand
Garry Kasparov
Francisco Vallejo
Veselin Topalov
Rustam Kasimdzhanov
Peter Leko
Games – Report
Round 14 (Thursday, March 10, 2005)
Peter Leko
Francisco Vallejo
Veselin Topalov
Garry Kasparov
Viswanathan Anand
Michael Adams
Games – Report

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