The JR Chess Report (February 27): Topa Takes Linares; Upsets in Reykjavik; Baden Baden Falls in BL

[Jack Rabbit]

Topalov Wins Linares



Former FIDE world champion Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria won the 27th Torneo Internacional de la Ciudad de Linares Wednesday with 6½ points out of ten rounds in capital of the state of Jaén in the Andalucía region of Spain.

Topalov defeated World Cup champion Boris Gelfand of Israel in the final round to finish a half point ahead of the defend tournament champion from 2009, Alexander Grischuk. Grischuk took down Topalov in 56 moves on Tuesday to set up the final round dramatics. Grischuk, the reigning Russian national champion, drew his final game against Paco Vallejo, the reigning Spanish national champion.

Armenia's Levon Aronian defeated Vugar Gashimov of Azerbaijan to take third place with 5½ points. It was Aronian's only decisive game against nine draws.

Many observers were disappointed with this year's Linares, which featured only six players and ten rounds, instead of the usual format of eight palyers going 14 rounds.



Reykjavik Open Begins: Ukrainian GM Baklan in Front after 5 Rounds



The Reykjavik Open began Wednesday with 104 players.

Top seed Vladimir Baklan of Ukraine is leading after today's double round schedule with 4½ points in five rounds after defeating Icelandic IM Thorbjorn Bromann in 50 moves. Bromann won the right to play on the top board after upsetting Bosnian GM Ivan Sokolov in the fourth round, which was played this morning.

Bromann's defeat of Sokolov was the second major upset in Reykjavik this week. In yesterday's third round, Indian IM Dronavalli Harika, the former world girls' champion, took down form US national champion Yuri Shulman in 47 moves.

The tournament continues tomorrow with one round a day until Wednesday. Some top games are broadcast live at the official website of the Iclandic Chess Federation. The games begin at 3:30 pm in Reykjavik, which is a reasonable 7:30 am PST.



Bundesliga Rd 10: Bremen Upsets Baden Baden



In Bundesliga action today in Heidelburg, the team from Bremen scored a 5-3 upset win in a match with league powerhouse Baden Baden, which hit a major snag while looking for its fifth consecutive Bundeliga title.

Baden Baden continues to lead the world's most prestigious chess league by virtue of superior individual scores, but is now tied in match points with 18 each with Bremen and Solingen, which defeated Wattenscheid in Solingen today by a score of 5-3.

Six of the eight games in Baden Baden-Bremen match were drawn. On board six, Bremen's Alexander Areshcheko of Ukraine set back British GM Mickey Adams of Baden Baden in 51 moves while Israeli GM Michael Roiz, playing for Bremen, took down Germany's top player, Arkadij Naiditsch, in 41 moves.

Reigning world champion Vishy Anand broke training for his April title match against Veselin Topalov to play for the Baden Baden team this weekend.

Action continues tomorrow when Baden Baden faces Hamburg and Bremen meets the home team in Heidelburg, while in Solingen the host team plays against the Emsdetten eight.



Calendar

European Individual Championships, Rijeka (Croatia) 5-19 March.

Melody Amber Rapid/Blindfold Tournament, Nice. 12-25 March. Aronian, Carlsen, Domínguez, Gelfand, Gashimov, Ivanchuk, Karjakin, Kramnik, Morozevich, Ponomariov, Smeets and Svidler.

Bundesliga 0910, Rounds 12-13, Emsdetten, Katernberg, Munich, König Tegel (Berlin). 21-22 March.

Philadelphia Open 31 March-4 April. This replaces the Foxwoods Open after the Foxwoods Resort announced expected room rate hikes.

Russian Team Championships, Dagomys 1-12 April.

Bundesliga 0910, Rounds 14-15 (season finale), Erfurt, Eppingen, Bremen, Baden Baden. 10-11 April.

Women's Grand Prix, Nalchik 23 April-6 May.

Anand-Topalov Match for the World Title, Sofia 23 April-10 May.

Grand Prix, Astrakhan (Russia) 9-25 May.

US Championship, St. Louis 13-25 May.

Chicago Open 27-31 May.

Women's Grand Prix, Jermuk 23 June-6 July.

World Open, Valley Forge, Pennsylvania 29 June-5 July.

Women's Grand Prix, Ulan Bator (Mongolia) 29 July-12 August.

World Junior Championships, Chotowa Czarna (Poland) 2-17 August.

Chess Olympiad, Khanty Mansiysk 19 September-4 October.

European Club Cup, Plovdiv 16-24 October.

Women's Grand Prix, Vina del Mar (Chile) 27 October-9 November.

World Youth Championships, Halidiki (Greece) 19-31 October.

FIDE Women's Knock Out (Women's World Championship), Turkey 2-25 December.