After taking a few days to warm up the players in Wijk aan Zee showed real
signs of life today. Four players scored their first wins. The only game shorter
than 42 moves was the sharp drawn between Anand and Bologan in which the Indian
missed a clear win! The only other draw was Sokolov-Leko, a very hard-fought
game in which all of Leko's defensive aplomb was required.
As the length of the games would indicate, it was the day of the squeeze. Topalov
steadily converted a classic 3 vs 2 on the queenside against Akopian. Bareev
corralled Shirov's pieces in impressive fashion for his first win. Adams outplayed
Zhang in a see-saw Najdorf.
There are now five players on top with +1. In a shout-out to Professor Arpad
Elo, they just happen to be five of the seven top-rated players in the event.
Kramnik is leading the event by my personal tie-break system, most wins! Two
of the leaders meet in round five, Adams and Leko. Kramnik has noir against
his bete noir, Shirov. Svidler has a chance for immediate spiritual revival
with white against Anand.
A few years ago when he was an up-and-coming star, Peter Svidler said that
he couldn't be considered one of the top players yet because he hadn't beaten
Anand or Kramnik. (He beat Kasparov in their first meeting in Tilburg, 1997.)
Now he's a four-time Russian champion and the new fourth-ranked player in the
world. In an interview he credited
his infant twins for his recent rise.
Today in Wijk aan Zee it was Kramnik's turn to benefit from Svidler's charitable
spirit. After an epic squeeze in the finest Kramnik style, it looked as if Black
had finally reached a drawn endgame with bishops of opposite colors. Black was
down a pawn but he could blockade White's passer and maintain a positional draw.
Suddenly he confounded all analysis by resigning! Analysis is still coming in,
but the latest verdict is that you trust the 2700+ guys! (That is, apparently, you can trust them the next day. The latest from Wijk is that Kramnik, Anand, and, sadly, Svidler, all agree it was drawn. More soon.)
Round 1 (Saturday, January 11,
2004) |
Topalov, Veselin |
½-½ |
Adams, Michael |
Sokolov, Ivan |
½-½ |
Timman, Jan |
Leko, Peter |
½-½ |
Anand, Viswanathan |
Akopian, Vladimir |
1-0 |
Kramnik, Vladimir |
Van Wely, Loek |
½-½ |
Bareev, Evgeny |
Bologan, Viktor |
½-½ |
Zhang Zhong |
Svidler, Peter |
½-½ |
Shirov, Alexei |
|
|
Round 2 (Sunday, January 11, 2004) |
Adams, Michael |
½-½ |
Shirov, Alexei |
Zhang Zhong |
½-½ |
Svidler, Peter |
Bareev, Evgeny |
½-½ |
Bologan, Viktor |
Kramnik, Vladimir |
1-0 |
Van Wely, Loek |
Anand, Viswanathan |
1-0 |
Akopian, Vladimir |
Timman, Jan |
0-1 |
Leko, Peter |
Topalov, Veselin |
½-½ |
Sokolov, Ivan |
|
|
Round 3 (Tuesday, January 13,
2004) |
Sokolov, Ivan |
½-½ |
Adams, Michael |
Leko, Peter |
½-½ |
Topalov, Veselin |
Akopian, Vladimir |
½-½ |
Timman, Jan |
Van Wely, Loek |
½-½ |
Anand, Viswanathan |
Bologan, Viktor |
½-½ |
Kramnik, Vladimir |
Svidler, Peter |
1-0 |
Bareev, Evgeny |
Shirov, Alexei |
½-½ |
Zhang Zhong |
|
|
Round 4 (Wednesday, January 14,
2004) |
Adams, Michael |
1-0 |
Zhang Zhong |
Bareev, Evgeny |
1-0 |
Shirov, Alexei |
Kramnik, Vladimir |
1-0 |
Svidler, Peter |
Anand, Viswanathan |
½-½ |
Bologan, Viktor |
Timman, Jan |
0-1 |
Van Wely, Loek |
Topalov, Veselin |
1-0 |
Akopian, Vladimir |
Sokolov, Ivan |
½-½ |
Leko, Peter |
|
|
Round 5 (Thursday, January 15,
2004) |
Leko, Peter |
|
Adams, Michael |
Akopian, Vladimir |
|
Sokolov, Ivan |
Van Wely, Loek |
|
Topalov, Veselin |
Bologan, Viktor |
|
Timman, Jan |
Svidler, Peter |
|
Anand, Viswanathan |
Shirov, Alexei |
|
Kramnik, Vladimir |
Zhang Zhong |
|
Bareev, Evgeny |
Games – Report |
|
Round 6 (Saturday, January 17,
2004) |
Adams, Michael |
|
Bareev, Evgeny |
Kramnik, Vladimir |
|
Zhang Zhong |
Anand, Viswanathan |
|
Shirov, Alexei |
Timman, Jan |
|
Svidler, Peter |
Topalov, Veselin |
|
Bologan, Viktor |
Sokolov, Ivan |
|
Van Wely, Loek |
Leko, Peter |
|
Akopian, Vladimir |
Games – Report |
|
Round 7 (Sunday, January 18, 2004) |
Akopian, Vladimir |
|
Adams, Michael |
Van Wely, Loek |
|
Leko, Peter |
Bologan, Viktor |
|
Sokolov, Ivan |
Svidler, Peter |
|
Topalov, Veselin |
Shirov, Alexei |
|
Timman, Jan |
Zhang Zhong |
|
Anand, Viswanathan |
Bareev, Evgeny |
|
Kramnik, Vladimir |
Games – Report |
|
Round 8 (Monday, January 19, 2004) |
Adams, Michael |
|
Kramnik, Vladimir |
Anand, Viswanathan |
|
Bareev, Evgeny |
Timman, Jan |
|
Zhang Zhong |
Topalov, Veselin |
|
Shirov, Alexei |
Sokolov, Ivan |
|
Svidler, Peter |
Leko, Peter |
|
Bologan, Viktor |
Akopian, Vladimir |
|
Van Wely, Loek |
Games – Report |
|
Round 9 (Tuesday, January 20,
2004) |
Van Wely, Loek |
|
Adams, Michael |
Bologan, Viktor |
|
Akopian, Vladimir |
Svidler, Peter |
|
Leko, Peter |
Shirov, Alexei |
|
Sokolov, Ivan |
Zhang Zhong |
|
Topalov, Veselin |
Bareev, Evgeny |
|
Timman, Jan |
Kramnik, Vladimir |
|
Anand, Viswanathan |
Games – Report |
|
Round 10 (Thursday, January 22,
2004) |
Adams, Michael |
|
Anand, Viswanathan |
Timman, Jan |
|
Kramnik, Vladimir |
Topalov, Veselin |
|
Bareev, Evgeny |
Sokolov, Ivan |
|
Zhang Zhong |
Leko, Peter |
|
Shirov, Alexei |
Akopian, Vladimir |
|
Svidler, Peter |
Van Wely, Loek |
|
Bologan, Viktor |
Games – Report |
|
Round 11 (Friday, January 23,
2004) |
Bologan, Viktor |
|
Adams, Michael |
Svidler, Peter |
|
Van Wely, Loek |
Shirov, Alexei |
|
Akopian, Vladimir |
Zhang Zhong |
|
Leko, Peter |
Bareev, Evgeny |
|
Sokolov, Ivan |
Kramnik, Vladimir |
|
Topalov, Veselin |
Anand, Viswanathan |
|
Timman, Jan |
Games – Report |
|
Round 12 (Saturday, January 24,
2004) |
Adams, Michael |
|
Timman, Jan |
Topalov, Veselin |
|
Anand, Viswanathan |
Sokolov, Ivan |
|
Kramnik, Vladimir |
Leko, Peter |
|
Bareev, Evgeny |
Akopian, Vladimir |
|
Zhang Zhong |
Van Wely, Loek |
|
Shirov, Alexei |
Bologan, Viktor |
|
Svidler, Peter |
Games – Report |
|
Round 13 (Sunday, January 25,
2004) |
Svidler, Peter |
|
Adams, Michael |
Shirov, Alexei |
|
Bologan, Viktor |
Zhang Zhong |
|
Van Wely, Loek |
Bareev, Evgeny |
|
Akopian, Vladimir |
Kramnik, Vladimir |
|
Leko, Peter |
Anand, Viswanathan |
|
Sokolov, Ivan |
Timman, Jan |
|
Topalov, Veselin |
Games – Report |
|
|