Linares R5: Kasparov defeats Adams, takes lead

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.

• Click here to replay today's games in a separate window.

Current standing

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

• All games so far in PGN

Schedule

Links

• Official web site
• All ChessBase reports
• ChessBase reports on Linares 2004
• ChessBase reports on Linares 2003