Linares Round 14 & Closing ceremony
Thursday Magnus played black against Aronian. In the Queen Indian line he played 9....Bxd5 and later Nd4 sacking the exchange to put his knight on c2. The important question is if white can coordinate his defences and attack / remove the knight or not.
The computers give white an advantage but Aronians plan moving his queen to f3 does not give any real counterplay and Magnus managed to keep the up the pressure.
Aronian obviously did not find any way to utilize his material advantage and offered a draw after move 28 with Bc1 forcing Rc3 and the exchange of queens. Magnus did not consider his position advantageous and was reasonably happy to draw with black.
Leko seemed to equalise as black against Topalov after the opening, but Topalov managed to regain the initiative after active play and before the time control Leko went astray. Topalov kept improving his position reaching a winning rook endgame.
Before the last round, three players could in theory catch up with Anand. As white against Topalov, Anand was clearly the tournament favourite. With his mini-match victory against Magnus he only needed a draw to secure the Linares trophy for the second year in a row.
(If he had lost, Magnus would win the trophy with a draw or a victory against Radjabov while Topalov would win if he managed to beat Anand and Magnus lost as well. Aronian could in theory have reached shared first but was not in contention for the trophy due to poor tiebreak.)
Radjabov surprised Magnus in the opening by following the same line as he had played against Topalov, a game in which he was worse or slightly worse throughout the game but managed a draw in the end.
On the other hand Magnus was reasonably satisfied to be in a position to put pressure on his opponent without any real danger of losing.
After Magnus played h4 Radjabov probably realised that his position was becoming difficult and thought for a long time. Fortunately for him, he found g5! sacking a pawn to activate his queen. After that Magnus was still somewhat better, but facing good defence from Radjabov, he couldn't really come close to winning.
Meanwhile, Anand and Topalov had drawn so that Anand was already the winner of Linares 2008. Congratulations!
With all games drawn yesterday, the standings are unchanged from round 13. Despite not being happy with a draw as white in the last round, Magnus is very satisfied with his overall performance and the clear 2nd half a point ahead of Topalov and Aronian, with Radjabov in 5th place.
Magnus' rating performance was again above 2800 and we expect him to get 2765 and rank 5 on the April 2008 Fide rating list. Furthermore he will be the highest ranked GP participants in Baku.
(Whatever ambitions Magnus may have had for 2008 they must be fulfilled already :-) )
The closing ceremony was held at 12:30 in the Cervantes Theatre.
The Linares choir performed some very nice songs, and I'm told that the Linares mayor Juan Fernandez emphasised the importance of the tournament for Linares city and confirmed that the tournament will go on for years to come.
The deserved winner V. Anand receives the Linares thropy.
A satisified Magnus receives his plaket.
Seven Linares tournament participants and Iberoamerican championship winner Julio Granda Zuniga.
Last, but not least, I would like to thank the Linares and Morelia organisers for this great tournament, and for all the practical efforts, including arranging tennis, swimming, fotball etc undertaken to make the stay pleasant and memorable for all participants!
After the closing ceremony we headed directly for Madrid and has just returned from Santiago Bernabeau stadium watching Real Madrid beat Espanyol 2-1 !
Magnus' next tournament is starting a week from now, the Amber Rapid & Blindfold in Nice.
Henrik Carlsen,
Madrid, March 8th 2008
The computers give white an advantage but Aronians plan moving his queen to f3 does not give any real counterplay and Magnus managed to keep the up the pressure.
Aronian obviously did not find any way to utilize his material advantage and offered a draw after move 28 with Bc1 forcing Rc3 and the exchange of queens. Magnus did not consider his position advantageous and was reasonably happy to draw with black.
Leko seemed to equalise as black against Topalov after the opening, but Topalov managed to regain the initiative after active play and before the time control Leko went astray. Topalov kept improving his position reaching a winning rook endgame.
Before the last round, three players could in theory catch up with Anand. As white against Topalov, Anand was clearly the tournament favourite. With his mini-match victory against Magnus he only needed a draw to secure the Linares trophy for the second year in a row.
(If he had lost, Magnus would win the trophy with a draw or a victory against Radjabov while Topalov would win if he managed to beat Anand and Magnus lost as well. Aronian could in theory have reached shared first but was not in contention for the trophy due to poor tiebreak.)
Radjabov surprised Magnus in the opening by following the same line as he had played against Topalov, a game in which he was worse or slightly worse throughout the game but managed a draw in the end.
On the other hand Magnus was reasonably satisfied to be in a position to put pressure on his opponent without any real danger of losing.
After Magnus played h4 Radjabov probably realised that his position was becoming difficult and thought for a long time. Fortunately for him, he found g5! sacking a pawn to activate his queen. After that Magnus was still somewhat better, but facing good defence from Radjabov, he couldn't really come close to winning.
Meanwhile, Anand and Topalov had drawn so that Anand was already the winner of Linares 2008. Congratulations!
With all games drawn yesterday, the standings are unchanged from round 13. Despite not being happy with a draw as white in the last round, Magnus is very satisfied with his overall performance and the clear 2nd half a point ahead of Topalov and Aronian, with Radjabov in 5th place.
Magnus' rating performance was again above 2800 and we expect him to get 2765 and rank 5 on the April 2008 Fide rating list. Furthermore he will be the highest ranked GP participants in Baku.
(Whatever ambitions Magnus may have had for 2008 they must be fulfilled already :-) )
The closing ceremony was held at 12:30 in the Cervantes Theatre.
The Linares choir performed some very nice songs, and I'm told that the Linares mayor Juan Fernandez emphasised the importance of the tournament for Linares city and confirmed that the tournament will go on for years to come.
The deserved winner V. Anand receives the Linares thropy.
A satisified Magnus receives his plaket.
Seven Linares tournament participants and Iberoamerican championship winner Julio Granda Zuniga.
Last, but not least, I would like to thank the Linares and Morelia organisers for this great tournament, and for all the practical efforts, including arranging tennis, swimming, fotball etc undertaken to make the stay pleasant and memorable for all participants!
After the closing ceremony we headed directly for Madrid and has just returned from Santiago Bernabeau stadium watching Real Madrid beat Espanyol 2-1 !
Magnus' next tournament is starting a week from now, the Amber Rapid & Blindfold in Nice.
Henrik Carlsen,
Madrid, March 8th 2008
Comments:
Posted by:
amber er urated ?
Posted by:
ja, hurtigsjakk og blindsjakk....... kan ikke rate det :-)
Posted by: Feuervogel
jeg tror at magnus kunne være den siste for å slå machinen ...
vi ska se.
vi ska se.
Posted by:
Last year Magnus impressed with a long row of stable 2750 performances.
This year he has not only broken the 2800-barrier for the first time, but even has scored 2800+ in both tournaments.
Amber could be fun and even be a place for experimenting,
but of course it is the Grand Prix results that counts.
Looking forward to that!
Good luck!
yh
This year he has not only broken the 2800-barrier for the first time, but even has scored 2800+ in both tournaments.
Amber could be fun and even be a place for experimenting,
but of course it is the Grand Prix results that counts.
Looking forward to that!
Good luck!
yh
Posted by: Nina
Gratulerer med nok en fantastisk turnering Magnus!
Lykke til i the Amber Rapid & Blindfold!
Lykke til i the Amber Rapid & Blindfold!
Posted by: Tony
Congratulations on your meritorious second place in Morelia-Linares!
Another 2800+ perfomance event and now you are going to be in the Top 5 on the next FIDE list - what are you planning for 2009??
Another 2800+ perfomance event and now you are going to be in the Top 5 on the next FIDE list - what are you planning for 2009??
Posted by: Eivind
Utrolig flott innsats av Magnus! Jeg sitter timesvis og følger med.... :-)
Mange av topp-spillerne har med en sekundant i turneringer. For Magnus sin del har han hatt Peter Heine Nielsen og Kjetil Lie.
Med tanke på at Magnus nå er i yttereste verdenseliten og spiller på det høyeste nivået, vurderer dere/Magnus å ha en sekundant som er med fast i hver turnering? (Med all respekt for deg, Henrik!
:-) ) Og spesielt med tanke på den kommende GP-turneringen?
Mange av topp-spillerne har med en sekundant i turneringer. For Magnus sin del har han hatt Peter Heine Nielsen og Kjetil Lie.
Med tanke på at Magnus nå er i yttereste verdenseliten og spiller på det høyeste nivået, vurderer dere/Magnus å ha en sekundant som er med fast i hver turnering? (Med all respekt for deg, Henrik!
:-) ) Og spesielt med tanke på den kommende GP-turneringen?
Posted by: Sam
Congratulations on yet another successful tournament!! To finish joint first in Corus and second in Linares is a huge achievement, which I think has surpassed everyones' expecations! Keep up the good work and good luck for Amber, and thanks again to Henrik for maintaining this hugely popular and informative blog!
Posted by: Peter, Krisitansnd
Gratulerer så meget med innsatsen i Morelia Linrares. Det har vært utrolig spennede og underholdende å følge turneringen. Resultatet er bare imponerende.
29.01, etter Corus, skrev jeg følgende kommentra til The dayly dirt chess blog.
"Magnus Carlsen is not great, for his unique talent and fantastic achievements only, but equally for his attitude.
He reminds me of the worlds most successful alpine skier ever, Kjetil Andre Aamodt of Norway.
Kjetil Andre's recipe for success might be put down to:
Be as well prepared as you possibly can.
Always run to win
Don't be afraid of loosing
Focus on the task at hand, don't worry about the result.
Always look for improvements
Have fun.
Of course Kjetil Andre didn't always win, but nobody in the history of alpine skiing has won as many Olympic gold medals and world championships as he.
Short draws is not Magnus's style.
Playing to win is his style
Continuous improvements is his style
Having fun playing chess is his style
Entertaining the audience is definitely his style
Even if Norway does not enjoy a strong chess tradition, Magnus like Kjetil Andre benefits from the support of a skilled, wise and proud father.
Magnus is a world champion contender when he performs at 2800+ over a periode, and demonstrates repeatedly that he can win against anyone. In other words, if he performs in the next tournaments like he did at Corus 2008, then he is there.
We are looking forward to Linares"
Etter Lineares kan vi bare konstatere at Magnus virkelig holder koken. Fortsett slik, og det blir gøy framover!
29.01, etter Corus, skrev jeg følgende kommentra til The dayly dirt chess blog.
"Magnus Carlsen is not great, for his unique talent and fantastic achievements only, but equally for his attitude.
He reminds me of the worlds most successful alpine skier ever, Kjetil Andre Aamodt of Norway.
Kjetil Andre's recipe for success might be put down to:
Be as well prepared as you possibly can.
Always run to win
Don't be afraid of loosing
Focus on the task at hand, don't worry about the result.
Always look for improvements
Have fun.
Of course Kjetil Andre didn't always win, but nobody in the history of alpine skiing has won as many Olympic gold medals and world championships as he.
Short draws is not Magnus's style.
Playing to win is his style
Continuous improvements is his style
Having fun playing chess is his style
Entertaining the audience is definitely his style
Even if Norway does not enjoy a strong chess tradition, Magnus like Kjetil Andre benefits from the support of a skilled, wise and proud father.
Magnus is a world champion contender when he performs at 2800+ over a periode, and demonstrates repeatedly that he can win against anyone. In other words, if he performs in the next tournaments like he did at Corus 2008, then he is there.
We are looking forward to Linares"
Etter Lineares kan vi bare konstatere at Magnus virkelig holder koken. Fortsett slik, og det blir gøy framover!
Posted by: Maia Von Lazarinni
yeeeeii!! congratulations!! to Magnus!!
great!! i'm really happy!! yeah!!... and...
good luck to Magnus in all the next
tournaments in the future... well
i have to go... take care all of you!! ohh!!...
and... one last thing... i think that
Magnus felt better with the visit of his
family. jojo... well i have to go now...
ciao!!
great!! i'm really happy!! yeah!!... and...
good luck to Magnus in all the next
tournaments in the future... well
i have to go... take care all of you!! ohh!!...
and... one last thing... i think that
Magnus felt better with the visit of his
family. jojo... well i have to go now...
ciao!!
Posted by: Simen S
Henrik!
I read that it was uncertain whether Morelia, Mexico would be interested in staging the first part of the Linares tournament next year, and that Linares might be looking for a new partner location.
Do you think there is any chance that the first leg of this tournament could be staged somewhere here in south-eastern Norway (e.g. Oslo)?
With Magnus' growing fan base here in Norway and thus the media attention that such an event would get if it was staged here, isn't it about time someone started investigating the possibility of having an annual super-GM-tournement here in Norway?
I read that it was uncertain whether Morelia, Mexico would be interested in staging the first part of the Linares tournament next year, and that Linares might be looking for a new partner location.
Do you think there is any chance that the first leg of this tournament could be staged somewhere here in south-eastern Norway (e.g. Oslo)?
With Magnus' growing fan base here in Norway and thus the media attention that such an event would get if it was staged here, isn't it about time someone started investigating the possibility of having an annual super-GM-tournement here in Norway?
Posted by: Christian R
Gratulerer nok en gang! Satt på ICC og fulgte med hele veien, med chess.fm på høytalerene. De klarte ikke slutte å snakke om hvor fantastisk Magnus' framgang har vært. Gleder meg til neste turnering!
Posted by: Ole M. Persen
Another fantastic achievement by Magnus! I think it's time to reflect what Magnus has achieved so far in his young life and career. He has shared first in Corus, he has twice finished second in Linares, the most prestigous event. He has reached the semi-finals of the world cup. He has won Biel International. He has been second in the rapid part of the Amber tournament. He has had a 2800+ performance in the Turin Olympiad. And he's still only 17. These achievements are something one would be proud of if they were lifetime achievements after a long career, and I repeat...Magnus is still only 17! For a country with virtually no chess culture this is simply amazing...totally unbelievable. Actually it's beyond words, but I have to try, right?
Now you all can take a deserved few weeks off, then Amber awaits. Good luck there too, as all chess fans I look forward to still being amazed by Magnus' games.
Now you all can take a deserved few weeks off, then Amber awaits. Good luck there too, as all chess fans I look forward to still being amazed by Magnus' games.
Posted by: Ole M. Persen
Meant a few days of course...!!
Posted by:
Heinrik, I was always wondering if u knew before Magnus was born that your kid would be a chess champion?
Did u give him young enough the proper training because you had a clear goal in head?
Thx for your answer,
Nicholas
Did u give him young enough the proper training because you had a clear goal in head?
Thx for your answer,
Nicholas
Posted by: Henrik C.
Thank you very much for all the support and enthusiasm!
Eivind,
Magnus må gjerne ta med en sekundant til hver eneste turnering for min del. Selv synes han nok at det ikke bare er en fordel fordi det også krever endel involvering av ham selv. Derfor har han i praksis ikke hatt med sekundant på mer enn snaut halvparten av turneringene det siste året.
Peter;
nice posting, your assessment is pretty good in my opinion!
Tony,
having reached his long term objective of 2750 Magnus was tempted by inquisitive journalists in a Corus press conferance into raising his long term target to 2800 or slightly above. For 2009 I don't think he has any specific ambition with regard to rating.
Simen S,
I would appreciate having sufficient support and sponsorship in Norway for a super-tournament but I'm don't think it is a very likely senario yet.
Nicholas,
I suppose your question pertains to having an ambition and not on clair voyance.
And no, I did not have such plans at all. And the fact that I tried to teach Magnus and his elder sister chess back in 1996/7 but more or less concluded that they lacked chess talent despite being bright, has tought me quite a lesson with regard to having patience with childen, the learning curves of children etc.
Fortunately Magnus really got attracted to chess at the age of 8 despite very little effort from my side :- )
Henrik C.
Eivind,
Magnus må gjerne ta med en sekundant til hver eneste turnering for min del. Selv synes han nok at det ikke bare er en fordel fordi det også krever endel involvering av ham selv. Derfor har han i praksis ikke hatt med sekundant på mer enn snaut halvparten av turneringene det siste året.
Peter;
nice posting, your assessment is pretty good in my opinion!
Tony,
having reached his long term objective of 2750 Magnus was tempted by inquisitive journalists in a Corus press conferance into raising his long term target to 2800 or slightly above. For 2009 I don't think he has any specific ambition with regard to rating.
Simen S,
I would appreciate having sufficient support and sponsorship in Norway for a super-tournament but I'm don't think it is a very likely senario yet.
Nicholas,
I suppose your question pertains to having an ambition and not on clair voyance.
And no, I did not have such plans at all. And the fact that I tried to teach Magnus and his elder sister chess back in 1996/7 but more or less concluded that they lacked chess talent despite being bright, has tought me quite a lesson with regard to having patience with childen, the learning curves of children etc.
Fortunately Magnus really got attracted to chess at the age of 8 despite very little effort from my side :- )
Henrik C.
Trackback
Trackback-URL for this entry:
http://app.blogg.no/trackback/ping/5734884
http://app.blogg.no/trackback/ping/5734884
