[chessmind] Dennis Monokroussos: MTel Masters, Round 8: Ivanchuk still leads, but barely

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Posted by Dennis Monokroussos:
MTel Masters, Round 8: Ivanchuk still leads, but barely
http://chessmind.powerblogs.com/posts/1210952971.shtml


   Vassily Ivanchuk's once big lead and dominating play are fading into
   the past. After his third consecutive draw, his lead is down to a
   single half point, and he was probably fortunate to draw. Bu Xiangzhi
   may be having one of the worst tournaments of his adult life, but he's
   still a 2700, and today he was demonstrating his normal level quite
   convincingly. He was better throughout and had a clear advantage in
   the ending, but after choosing 40.Rc6 instead of 40.Rb7 (keeping
   Black's king bottled up) Ivanchuk played very well to achieve the
   draw.
   A good thing, too, as Veselin Topalov absolutely butchered his
   countryman and frequent second, Ivan Cheparinov, to reach an
   impressive +4 total for the event.
   Finally, in the game Aronian-Radjabov, zeitnot played a decisive role
   in the result. White's position was precarious after 37...g5, but with
   more time to think Aronian probably could have maintained the balance.
   Instead, his 38.f5 misfired, and the follow-up, 39.Rg3, more or less
   lost on the spot. A good result for Radjabov, who has climbed to +1,
   but another blow in an ongoing disaster for Aronian.
   Standings after Round 8:
   1. Ivanchuk 6.5
   2. Topalov 6
   3. Radjabov 4.5
   4. Cheparinov 3.5
   5. Aronian 2
   6. Bu Xiangzhi 1.5
   Pairings for Round 9:
   Bu Xiangzhi - Topalov (Topalov will win)
   Ivanchuk - Aronian (Ivanchuk may win, but I'm expecting a draw)
   Radjabov - Cheparinov
   Links, videos (check out the Spassky "interview" [really a press
   conference]), and the games on replayable boards (at least once you
   install Silverlight) [1]here.

References

   1. http://www.chesscenter.com/twic/twic.html#news733