CARLSEN TAKES REVENGE, CARUANA SLOWS AND THE CLASSIFICATION IS TIGHTENED AFTER THE FIRST ROUND OF THE MASTERS FINALS IN BILBAO.
– The Italian, with 11 points, still leads, but only with two points over Carlsen and three over Aronian.
Day 6 results:
– Carlsen (Norway) (w) – Caruana (b) 3-0 (duration: 4h 2m, 66 plays).
– Vallejo (Spain) (w) – Anand (India) (b) 1-1 (duration: 2h 25 m, 39 plays).
– Karjakin (Russia) (w) – Aronian (Russia) (b) 1-1 (duration: 1h15m, 35 plays)
Final classification of the first round:
Fabiano Caruana: 11 points.
Magnus Carlsen: 9 points.
Levon Aronian: 8 points.
Viswanathan Anand: 6 points.
Francisco Vallejo: 4 points.
Sergei Karjakin: 4 points
Bilbao, 10/08/2012
Taking revenge of their previous clash in Sao Paulo, in which Carlesen had the play but he ended up loosing by a fatal error, Magnus Carlsen, the world No.1, won this evening to the provisional leader, Fabiano Caruana, tightening the classification in the first day of the second round of the Masters Final, which is being played in Bilbao.
In the other two games, which have matched, on the one hand, the spanish champion, Francisco Vallejo and the world champion, Viswanathan Anand, and on the other hand the Armenian and Olympic champion Levon Aronia versus the russian Sergei Karjakin, the result has been tie in both games.
With this results, the provisional classification is led by the Italian-American Caruana with 11 points, and followed by the Norwegian Carlsen, with 2 points less and by Aronian, three points below Caruana. In the middle of the classification we can find the world champion Anand with 6 points, who has ended up all the games draw so far. Vallejo and Kariakin close the standings with four points each.
This second round of the final, which takes place in the Alhondiga Bilbao will be held in Bilbao until next Saturday, after the first phase which took place in Sao Paulo, Brazil´s economic capital.
Despite the four points advantage that Caruana brought from Brazil, the scoring system applied in the Chess Masters Final, the so-called “Bilbao rule” –which gives three points for a win- makes it possible for the differences in the classification not to be so extraordinary. In fact, in the last edition, the Ukrainian Vasily Ivanchuck finished Sao Paulo round 3 points ahead of his next follower, the American Nakamura, and the tournament was decided the last day in a tie-breaker play between Ivanchuk and the world No. 1, Magnus Carlsen, who eventually won.
In the stellar grief of the day, vital for the development of the tournament, Carlsen, who started with the initial advantage of playing white, has defeated Caruana after an extensive game, which lasted over four hours. The Norwegian and the world No. 1 has surpassed the french defense raised by the Italian to raise his pieces, showing the so-called “Indian attack”.
As a result, Carlsen has entered the middle game with a slight advantage, which after a simplification of some pieces, has ended up in a hard-fought but equal final. Nevertheless, the serious inaccuracies committed by the revelation of the tournament and provisional leader, Caruana, have enabled the Norwegian to win, even tough logic dictated that he should not get the three points at stake.
In the game played by the olympic champion Aronian and the Russian Karjakin, the Armenian has used one of his favorite weapons, the so-called “Marshall attack”. However, the curiosity has been that the variant used by the Olympic champion had been designed together with his coach Sargissian more than three years ago, but had never been used before, as Aronian has stated. The Russian player, in front of this ploy, has distrusted the surrender of the bishop and has looked for a quiet play. By avoiding the trap, Kariakin has achieved a fast ongoing until the draw.
For the sixth consecutive game, the world champion Anand has ended up his game tie, in this case, versus the Spanish champion, Francisco Vallejo. The Indian has started with a Spanish opening, variant “Arckhangelsk”, which is an election very uncommon for him. As far as the great Basque master José Luis Fernandez is concerned, “Anand has prepared this variant in order to defend himself against Caruana, who uses it regularly, and not finding the correct defense, he has decided to start using it himself.” Vallejo has found a slight material advantage of a pawn, but the position has been controlled by both players during the whole game, constantly in the equity field. The world champion has found the correct defense and without hard effort, has set tie.
In the opinion of the analysts who have followed the games, like the great master José Luis Fernández, “taking into account how the games have been developed this afternoon, we can affirm that during this week, between the first and second round, all the players have invested time in studying the other players, and that is the reason why there have not been great surprises or the players have not risk too much in the games.”
The games can be followed in live via the tournament official website www.bilbaomastersfinals.com. The broadcasts will resume with the games Carlsen-Vallejo, Caruana-Kariakin and Aronian-Anand.
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Nakamura can give Carlsen a pawn odd and still win a 10 game match.
Dear Suan,
I really don’t know what’s wrong with some people, judging that the average Nak can beat the great Carlsen. It is subjective comment, more then that it’s digusting and totally disrespectful for someone who has and still proves in each and every tournament he plays that he is the best player in the world. His rating proves it, the way he plays proves, the statistics prove it.
Susan, you should not allow these comments! They are based on thin air and provocative. Th Nak has proven nothing in his ‘rich’ chess career. Years and years of opportunities to get where Carlsen is now…but he just can’t reach. In fact, the Nak has reached his top at about 2790, which is great. But he’s on his way down. Again performing very disappointing in London and considering his career performance, i just can’t figure out how anybody can state what’s said in the first comment. It has to be someone blind and frustrated.
Don’t allow it, Susan!
A True Chess Lover!
Dear Chessman,
The irony and sarcasm in the Nakamura remark are as obvious as a mate in two.
Lighten up. Many of us are anticipating the day when the American grand master matures both as a player and a person.
Dear anonymous,
My deepest respect, admiration and thanks for your educative, well written and allmost poetic comment! Reading it again it’s a true enrichment on the article. Supurb! I apologize.
Checkmate.