CHESS #568

Despite the controversial changes in the title cycle and the subsequent loss of enthusiasm for the Grand Prix, the Elista GP has got off to a decent start. It is a replacement venue after Doha pulled out. It’s also a replacement field with Carlsen and Michael Adams both pulling out.

Nevertheless, it’s category 19. Radjabov leads with 3 points from four games, followed by Jakovenko, Grischuk, Gashimov who all have 2.5. The 14-player field also includes Mamedaryov, Wang Yue, Leko, Bacrot and Eljanov who are all 2700-plus.

Play so far has featured a couple of spectacular games, several short draws and one amazingly deep “novelty” that stopped a potentially record-winning streak. In Round one, Dmitry Jakovenko ended an unbeaten 82-game run by Wang Yue. At top levels, only the immortal Mikhail Tal has a longer streak of 93 games (1973-74) though Sergei Tiviakov went 110 without loss against weaker, or more mixed opposition in 2004-05.

Wang has a penchant for the Berlin Defence to the Spanish and he had thrice drawn marginally inferior bishop endings with the obdurate Berlin Wall. Jakovenko found a new plan starting Move 39 in a position with only king, bishop and pawns on board and demonstrated that it could be won!

Action at the Elista GP coincided with the Pearl River GM tournament in Nanjing. Nanjing has an even stronger though much smaller field than Elista, consisting of Topalov, Aronyan, Bu Xiangzhi, Svidler, Ivanchuk and Svidler. The Pearl River tournament has an interesting history.

Nobel prize-winning economist Robert Mundell who did most of the theoretical spadework for the Euro was apparently responsible for its conception. Professor Mundell was in Beijing several years ago on a conference and he was asked by various party apparatchiks what the PRC and its major cities could do to showcase itself.

One of his suggestions was to hold international chess tournaments. Like many game theorists, he is a keen amateur player, who also dabbles in other games of skills such as Go and Chinese Chess. The Nanjing local government took his advice to heart. Mundell was there at the opening ceremony and a regular visitor for several rounds.

At Nanjing, Topalov and Bu lead with 4 points from 6 games in the double round-robin. Aronyan is on 3 and the others have a minus score. If he maintains this pace, Topalov is going to pull his rating over 2800 again and remain no:1 on the January rating list.

The Diagram, WHITE TO PLAY, (Bacrot Vs Leko, Elista 2008) is much more slam-bang than Jakovenko’s filigree technical demonstration though both will make anthologies. White played 31. Qh7+!! (1-0). The variations are 31...Kxh7 32.hxg7+ Bh4 33.Rxh4+ Kg8 34.Rh8 mate; or 31...Kf8 32.Bb4+ c5 33.Bxc5+ Rfe7 34.hxg7+ Kf7 35.g8Q mate.