[chessmind] Dennis Monokroussos: Bilbao, Round 8: Topalov on top

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Posted by Dennis Monokroussos:
Bilbao, Round 8: Topalov on top
http://chessmind.powerblogs.com/posts/1221089414.shtml


   It's a topsy, turvy world out there! Going into the eighth round of
   the [1]Grand Slam Final in Bilbao, Carlsen led the tournament and the
   rating list. In fact, let's take a look at both, going into the round.
   Standings after Round 7:
   1. Carlsen 11 (Real score: 4 points)
   2. Topalov 10 (4)
   3. Aronian 9 (3.5)
   4. Ivanchuk 8 (3.5)
   5-6. Radjabov, Anand 6 (3 apiece)
   Live Top List: (Top nine players)
   1. Carlsen 2791.2
   2. Anand 2789.6
   3. Morozevich 2787
   4. Ivanchuk 2786.8
   5. Topalov 2780.2
   6. Kramnik 2771.9
   7. Aronian 2755.3
   8. Radjabov 2750.7
   9. Leko 2746.6
   Ah, memories. Here are today's results:
   Topalov - Carlsen 1-0
   Ivanchuk - Radjabov 1-0
   Anand - Aronian 0-1
   Now, after round 8, the standings - and what bizarre standings they
   are! - look like this:
   1. Topalov 13 (real score: 5)
   2. Aronian 12 (4.5)
   3-4. Ivanchuk (4.5), Carlsen (4) 11
   5-6. Radjabov, Anand 6 (3)
   And everything has gone crazy on the [2]live rating list, which now
   looks like this:
   1. Ivanchuk(!!) 2791.3
   2. Morozevich 2787
   3. Carlsen 2786.2
   4. Topalov 2785.2
   5. Anand(!) 2783.9
   6. Kramnik 2771.9
   7. Aronian 2761.1
   8. Leko 2746.6
   9. Radjabov 2746.2
   The upcoming world championship match is looking increasingly
   disappointing. At the start of the year, Anand and Kramnik were tied
   atop the rating list, and the match looked like the culminating moment
   in their careers. The two greatest players of the past dozen or so
   years not named Kasparov were finally having at it for ultimate
   bragging rights in the chess world. Now they're numbers five and six
   in the world, and both players are entering the match with poor
   results. What was an EVENT is in danger of becoming just another
   interesting battle between elite players.
   Topalov, on the other hand, who went into a tailspin after the Kramnik
   match, now seems close to his 2005 form; Morozevich is living up to
   the promise he showed in the 90s; Ivanchuk seems like a genius in
   event after event; and Carlsen, despite the occasional hiccup, looks
   like he'll have a strangehold on the #1 spot within a year.
   Now to the games. Topalov-Carlsen was yet another Dragon with 12...a6,
   and Topalov's prep looked a lot better than Carlsen's. There wasn't
   any especially dramatic moment; Topalov was just able to keep the
   attack going long enough to exploit the weak squares in Black's camp.
   Topalov's 2-0 score against Carlsen in this event is the reason he's
   in first and the youngster isn't.
   Aronian is in second now, thanks to his victory - with Black - over
   Anand. Anand chose the Scotch (for the first time ever?), repeating
   the Radjabov-Aronian game from round 5. Aronian varied first, but
   Anand managed to obtain a slight edge nevertheless. By move 30,
   Anand's pressure was starting to look serious, but Aronian's
   brilliant, tactically laden defensive idea turned the tables. By move
   38 Anand was a pawn ahead with three connected passers, but Aronian's
   one passed pawn on h4 was the biggest trump on the board. Two White
   inaccuracies later, and Aronian enjoyed a winning advantage, and
   despite Anand's desperate resistance, Black won.
   Finally, Ivanchuk won his second straight game, defeating Radjabov
   with White in a complicated Scheveningen Sicilian. Not only did this
   push him to #1 on the rating list, it also puts him right back in the
   thick of things with two rounds to go. As long as the players don't
   lose their fighting spirit during tomorrow's rest day, it should be a
   fantastic finish for the Grand Slam Final.
   (The games, with my comments, are [3]here.)

References

   1. http://www.bilbaofinalmasters.com/
   2. http://chess.liverating.org/
   3. http://chessmind.powerblogs.com/files/bilbao2008_rd8.htm