Much like the last great hope of American chess, Gata Kamsky, Nakamura always
plays on to the bitter end, something that can occasionally gain points, almost
never loses points, but doesn't win popularity contests with other players.
I say, tough. Apart from the occasional half-point gained and the amount you
learn, having a reputation as a Sitzfleischmeister can create psychological
pressure on your opponents. (And it doesn't hurt for tournament organizers to
know that you always give 100%.)
Svidler kept Anand's sacrificed pawn into a queen endgame with little hope
for conversion. Leko and Adams preferred a rook ending. We're all too tired
of looking at the Kramnik-Svidler endgame from yesterday to look at these too
deeply, I'm afraid! There is never a final word in chess, but the latest on that
one is that it was indeed a draw, and not nearly as complicated a draw as we
thought.
Kramnik can't complain about a lack of luck after that one. You don't get many
free half-points from 2700+ players not named Ivanchuk. Today Kramnik calmly
fought off Shirov's initiative to reach one of the day's two short draws.
The other was Topalov's opening surprise against van Wely. The Bulgarian accepted
a miserable pawn structure in exchange for development and equalized easily.
Timman repulsed Bologan's hasty attack, nabbed a pawn, and outplayed his opponent
in a bishop endgame. Even better, it's a ready-made endgame for his New In Chess
column! After Friday's rest day the veteran will have the white pieces against
Svidler.
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 |
½-½ |
Adams, Michael |
Akopian, Vladimir |
1-0 |
Sokolov, Ivan |
Van Wely, Loek |
½-½ |
Topalov, Veselin |
Bologan, Viktor |
0-1 |
Timman, Jan |
Svidler, Peter |
½-½ |
Anand, Viswanathan |
Shirov, Alexei |
½-½ |
Kramnik, Vladimir |
Zhang Zhong |
½-½ |
Bareev, Evgeny |
|
|
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 |
|
|