| Young people cannot withstand competition from masters A little more than half of the super tournament has been played in Linares, and the interim results can be summed up. The tournament table shows an interesting picture, quite consistent with the table of ranks: ahead is the entire color of the FIDE rating list. After seven games played, Kramnik and Leko have 4.5 points each, followed by Kasparov and Anand with four points, Radjabov and Ponomarev (2.5 points each) and Vallejo (2) close the tournament race. True, the latter played a game less than the other opponents.
The experience of holding tournaments with a small number of participants with a well-balanced class composition shows that “plus two” (the excess number of wins over draws) is often sufficient for leadership. The current world champion followed this rational path. Having won a fundamental game against Ponomarev at the start, Kramnik subsequently limited himself to short draws and before the intermediate finish gave a decisive battle to Radjabov.
It is hardly possible to remember such a prolonged sluggish start in Kasparov’s practice (with two draws, he lost to Radjabov and could have lost to Leko), especially after the demonstration of his strength at the Bled Olympics. But the performance of the world ranking leader in the last three games inspires optimism among his many admirers. In the fifth round, the main favorite of the tournament defeated his future match opponent Ponomarev in a fundamental duel, and at the finish of the first round, he defeated Anand, who was in the lead at that time. Kasparov's future opponent on the way to the chess crown, the Hungarian Leko, had to play 7 hours in three games. It is known that the class of great masters is assessed by their ability to play the endgame. This is what Leko managed to demonstrate in his games with Ponomarev and Vallejo. But if the Ukrainian was able to escape in time trouble after an inaccuracy on the 107th (!) move, then Peter did not give the Spaniard a single chance of salvation: a couple of passed pawns forced him to surrender with material equality of forces. Undoubtedly, the upcoming Kramnik-Leko match within the unification cycle will be the most intriguing. By the way, at the FIDE Presidential Council on February 23, the Einstein Group delegation assured that problems are unlikely to arise in its organization.
Any result can be expected from Anand, the winner of the last tournament in Wijk aan Zee. Judging by the imperturbable appearance of the Indian magician, one gets the impression that he can control everything - both the technique in the endings of the games with Ponomaryov and Leko, and the computer accuracy of the defense in the meeting with Radjabov. And if not for the defeat by Kasparov, who has traditionally been a difficult opponent for Anand since their World Championship match in 1995, the leaders would have felt less comfortable. Young Radjabov made his titled rivals quite nervous in the first rounds: his victory over Kasparov was impressive, Leko barely escaped defeat, and Anand miraculously escaped. And yet one feels that Teimur was tired and did not offer any resistance to Kramnik at the end of the first round.
The performance of FIDE world champion Ponomarev against the backdrop of the game of “classical champions” is not the best advertisement for the world championship in the knockout system, which to a certain extent is of a lottery nature. One feels that Ruslan is inferior to the chess giants not only in strength, but also in the level of preparation. How else can we explain White’s opening problems in games with Kramnik and Leko in the Sicilian Defense and anti-positional flaws against Kasparov.
The world ranking leaders have already completed the program of head-to-head matches. In their second meeting, Kasparov and Kramnik pleased the organizers with a Spanish game, which ended in a draw with a perpetual check. As a result, Kramnik, who was leading in splendid isolation, was defeated by Leko, who beat Radjabov for the second time in the tournament. Teimur, as in the previous game against Kramnik, could not hold on as Black in the French Defense. It seemed that Anand would join the leaders after Ponomarev once again stalled. Ruslan again failed to find an advantage with White and ended up with a difficult position. But at that moment, when Anand came close to victory, he made a mistake and immediately offered a draw. Oleg STETSKO |
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