Linares Round 1: Topalov draws first blood

by ChessBase
2/23/2005 – While Garry Kasparov pushed hard with black against Peter Leko, Michael Adams was doing the same against Veselin Topalov. But whereas the first game ended in a draw, Topalov turned tables in the second and defeated Adams resoundingly. We bring you games and results, and a full illustrated 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 one

Leko,P (2749) - Kasparov,G (2804) [B90]
XXII SuperGM Linares ESP (1), 23.02.2005
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.f3 e6 7.Be3 b5 8.Qd2 Nbd7 9.g4 Nb6 10.a4 Nc4 11.Bxc4 bxc4 12.a5 Bb7 13.Na4 Rc8 14.Qc3 Nd7 15.0-0-0 Be7 16.h4 Bxh4 17.Ne2 Bf6 18.Bd4 e5 19.Be3 Be7 20.Kb1 Qc7 21.Nb6 Nxb6 22.axb6 Qd7 23.Rh5 f6 24.Ng3 g6 25.Rh2 0-0 26.Rhd2 ½-½

Spectators on the Playchess.com server – over a thousand strong – had been following this game with keen excitement. GM Yasser Seirawan was full of anticipation that it would be a deep and exciting struggle, but just as he was working on the most promising lines for Kasparov (Black is a pawn up) suddenly the draw symbol flashed up on the screen.

Nigel Short, watching the game from his home in Greece, was stunned. "I don't understand," he said, "the position has a lot of play in it. Either Black is better because he is a pawn up, or White has very good compensation. This has to be played out. The only reason I can think of is that both players were afraid. Now Kasimdzhanov vs Vallejo was a draw, a proper, solid, well-engineered draw. This I can understand. But but this game... Shirov once explained to me that there are draws which nobody understands, including the two player at the board. Even if we assume that the position is a perfect draw, it had dynamic equality. Still, it has not been played out. There is not a draw in sight. It is just a position that ends prematurely, a game which stops for no reason. It is a ludus interruptus, a prematurely terminated game." You could feel the deeply disappointed of someone who had been enjoying this encounter and looking for an exciting continuation.

The other game that was at the focus of attention was the Topalov vs Adams, which for a while looked like a black win for the top British GM. But then things went badly astray for Mickey Adams.

Topalov,V (2757) - Adams,Mi (2741) [E37]
XXII SuperGM Linares ESP (1), 23.02.2005
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 d5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.Qxc3 Ne4 7.Qc2 e5 8.e3 exd4 9.cxd5 Qxd5 10.Nf3 Nd6 11.Nxd4 Bd7 12.f3 Nc6 13.Nxc6 Bxc6 14.a4 Qh5 15.Be2 Qh4+ 16.g3 Qh3 17.Kf2 0-0-0 18.Ra3 Rhe8 19.Bf1 Qe6 20.Be2 g5 21.Rf1 g4 22.fxg4 Qh6 23.Kg1 Qh3 24.Bd3 Ne4 25.Rf4 Nxg3 26.Rc3. Until now it was Black, if anyone, who has been pushing for a win.

With his last move White is threatening 27.Rxc6 bxc6 28.Ba6+ Kd7 (28...Kb8 29.Qb3+ Ka8 30.Qb7#) 29.Rxf7+ Ke6 30.Bc4+ Rd5 31.Qf2 (threat: Qf6#) Kd6 32.Bxd5 cxd5 33.Qf4+ and mate to follow. The defence to this threat was 26...Rxd3 27.Rxd3 Rg8, but Adams chose 26...Re6?? with fatal consequences: 27.e4! (threatening simply 28.Bf1 Qh6 29.Rxg3) 27...Nh5 28.Bc4 Qh4 29.Bxe6+ fxe6 30.gxh5 Qxh5 31.Rd3 and Black is a rook down. Adams struggled on for a while, probably out of deep disappointment: 31...Rg8+ 32.Rg3 Rd8 33.Be3 e5 34.Rf1 h6 35.b4 a6 36.b5 axb5 37.axb5 Bxb5 38.Rg7 c6

This allows a forced mate: 39.Qa2 Ba6 40.Qe6+ Kb8 41.Qd6+! and Black resigned because of 41...Rxd6 42.Rf8+ Qe8 43.Rxe8+ Rd8 44.Rxd8 mate. 1-0.

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
Rustam Kasimdzhanov
Michael Adams
Peter Leko
Viswanathan Anand
Veselin Topalov
Games – Report


Poster by a local artist, depicting a "chess thinker"


The tournament hall in the Anibal Hotel


The start of round one. Officiating are the Mayor of Linares Fernandez Gutierrez
and the Cocejal de Deportes (Sport Minister) Emilio Moro


The fateful encounter of the day, a tragedy in two acts


FIDE World Champ Rustam Kasimdzhanov vs local hero Francisco Vallejo


A chess set by artist Pablo Gallego

Photos by Jesús J. Boyero

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
Rustam Kasimdzhanov
Michael Adams
Peter Leko
Viswanathan Anand
Veselin Topalov
Games – Report
Round 3 (Friday, February 25, 2005)
Peter Leko
Viswanathan Anand
Rustam Kasimdzhanov
Michael Adams
Francisco Vallejo
Garry Kasparov
Games – Report
Round 4 (Saturday, February 26, 2005)
Michael Adams
Francisco Vallejo
Viswanathan Anand
Rustam Kasimdzhanov
Veselin Topalov
Peter Leko
Games – Report
Round 5 (Sunday, February 27, 2005)
Rustam Kasimdzhanov
Veselin Topalov
Francisco Vallejo
Viswanathan Anand
Garry Kasparov
Michael Adams
Games – Report
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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