Round 3 Linares – Aronian lets Topalov slip away with a draw

Armenian Grandmaster Levon Aronian let former world champion Veselin Topalov off the hook in the third round of the City of Linares Super GM chess tournament at Linares, Spain. With all the three games ending in draws, the lead remained unchanged in the hands of Grischuk and Topalov at 2/3.

Aronian-Topalov turned out to be an interesting Benoni game, that held white a small edge right through. With Aronian expanding his pieces and space on both the flanks, Topalov looked to in a tight corner. A resourceful player that he is, the Bulgarian found a timely knight intervention with 36….Nd6 that saved him the day. The game was agreed drawn after 51 moves, when only the bishops of opposite color remained, with two separate pawns of Aronian offering no scope for victory.

The other game where white missed a possible win was that of Israeli Boris Gelfand against local favorite Spaniard Vallejo Pons. The Slav game was of oscillating fortunes, and Gelfand kept missing early options for initiative – 17 Bxd7+ Kxd7 18. Rd1 – and the game concluded on even note by 42 moves.

Photo Courtesy :

http://www.ajedrez.ciudaddelinares.es/index.htm

LIVE GAMES :

http://livechess.chessdom.com/site/

Levon Aronian – Veselin Topalov

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 c5 4. d5 exd5 5. cxd5 d6 6. Nc3 g6 7. Bg2 Bg7 8. Nf3 O-O 9. O-O Re8 10. Nd2 a6 11. a4 Nbd7 12. h3 Rb8 13. Nc4 Nb6 14. Na3 Bd7 15. e4 Nc8 16. Qd3 Re7 17. Rb1 Be8 18. b4 cxb4 19. Rxb4 Rc7 20. Bd2 Nd7 21. Rc1 Nc5 22. Qb1 b5 23. axb5 a5 24. Rb2 Nb6 25. Ra2 a4 26. Ne2 Rcb7 27. Bf4 Nc8 28. Rxc5 dxc5 29. Bxb8 Rxb8 30. f4 g5 31. e5 gxf4 32. gxf4 f6 33. Qe4 fxe5 34. fxe5 Qg5 35. Nc4 Bxb5 36. h4 Qg6 37. Qxg6 hxg6 38. Rb2 Nd6 39. Nxd6 a3 40. Ra2 Bxe2 41. Rxe2 Bxe5 42. Nc4 Bb2 43. Nxa3 Bxa3 44. Re6 c4 45. Rxg6+ Kf7 46. Rc6 Rh8 47. Rc7+ Kf8 48. Rxc4 Be7 49. Rc8+ Kg7 50. Rxh8 Kxh8 51. h5 1/2-1/2

Vugar Gashimov – Alexander Grischuk

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Qb6 8. Qd3 Qxb2 9. Rb1 Qa3 10. f5 Be7 11. fxe6 fxe6 12. Be2 Qa5 13. Bd2 Qc7 14. g4 h6 15. Qh3 O-O 16. g5 hxg5 17. Nxe6 Qc6 18. Rf1 g4 19. Bxg4 Nxg4 20. Rxf8+ Bxf8 21. Qxg4 Qd7 22. Nd5 Qxe6 23. Qxe6+ Bxe6 24. Nc7 Ra7 25. Nxe6 b5 26. Nxf8 Kxf8 27. Bb4 Ke7 28. e5 Nc6 29. exd6+ Ke6 30. a4 Nxb4 31. Rxb4 bxa4 32. Rxa4 Kxd6 33. Ra5 g6 34. h4 Re7+ 35. Kd2 Re4 36. Rxa6+ Kc5 37. Rxg6 Rd4+ 38. Kc3 Rc4+ 39. Kd3 Rd4+ 40. Kc3 Rc4+ 1/2-1/2

Boris Gelfand – Vallejo Pons

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 dxc4 4. e4 b5 5. a4 b4 6. Na2 Nf6 7. e5 Nd5 8. Bxc4 e6 9. Nf3 Ba6 10. b3 Bb7 11. Ng5 h6 12. Ne4 Qh4 13. Qe2 Nd7 14. O-O c5 15. dxc5 Bxc5 16. Bb5 Be7 17. Bd2 Rd8 18. f4 O-O 19. Rac1 f6 20. Nd6 Ba8 21. Be1 Qxf4 22. Rxf4 Nxf4 23. Qc4 fxe5 24. Qc7 Bg5 25. h4 Nd5 26. hxg5 Nxc7 27. Rxc7 Nb6 28. Bxb4 Nd5 29. Rd7 Nxb4 30. Nxb4 Rxd7 31. Bxd7 Rd8 32. Bxe6+ Kf8 33. Nf5 a5 34. gxh6 gxh6 35. Nc2 Bxg2 36. Kxg2 Rd2+ 37. Kf3 Rxc2 38. Ke4 Re2+ 39. Kd3 Rg2 40. Bc4 h5 41. Ke4 h4 42. Nxh4 1/2-1/2

Popularity: 2% [?]