The world chess championship tournament, Mexico 2007

[Donna Ferentes]

Well the first port of call would be these people. They may be able to recommend you training material geared to your level as well as books.

 

[Donna Ferentes]

Round six underway (and never mind that it still says Round 5 in the corner).

Aronian, interestingly, is playing Kramnik's own favourite Catalan against him.

 

[Donna Ferentes]

Early draws with Black for the Big Two but it's all happening in Grischuk v Svidler...

 

[Donna Ferentes]

After White's move 27

Extraordinary complications - my computer's got no idea what's going on though my gut feeling is that Grischuk is winning.

 

[Donna Ferentes]

He might or might not have been, but he didn't win, anyway.

Gelfand did, and joins Anand in the lead.

No report yet but the round five report is in.

 

[Donna Ferentes]

Round seven.

Svidler will have to have a real go at Aronian tonight, otherwise he's out of it. Ditto Morozevich playing against Leko. Kramnik is white against Gelfand: persumably we'll get a Catalan squeeze? And I don't know whether Anand will try to take advantage of a White against Grischuk, or decide that whatever happens, he's very likely to at least share the lead after this round, halfway through the tournament.

 

[Donna Ferentes]

Well, Svidler didn't have a real go: a quick draw. Anand lookds to me to be turning the screw on Grischuk and Morozevich-Leko is very tense. Most intriguing is Kramnik-Gelfand where the latter looks to me to be doing pretty well, and with the Black pieces too.

But I must to bed.

 

[marksims68]

Kramnik and Gelfand is a draw. Anand is actually down material in his game against Grischuk but Morozevich v Leko is stil intriguing........

 

[marksims68]

Three draws and an Anand victory. That puts him in the lead I think.....

Some good games played last night!

 

[Donna Ferentes]

Yeah, Anand looked like he had more than enough on the kingside and so it proved.

Here's the previous round's report: looking forward to the round seven report as I'm keen to know what was really happening in Kramnik-Gelfand.

 

[Donna Ferentes]

Round eight.

I expect Leko to push Grischuk hard, for there to be lots of action in Aronian-Morozevich and rather less in Svidler-Kramnik. The top game of the night is Gelfand-Anand: can the Israeli ex-Byelorussian put himself into the lead? Will he make the attempt?

Saturday is a rest day.

 

[Donna Ferentes]

Well, Gelfand didn't really make the attempt and he stays half a point behind Anand after their quick draw. Understandable, but it probably betrays a deep lack of confidence that he can really beat the Indian, who is surely now the big favourite. In the next round on Sunday he's the only one of the leading three to have the White pieces. Monday he plays Black against Kramnik: a win and a draw and I think he'd have it in the bag.

 

[Donna Ferentes]

Report from the previous round.

 

[Donna Ferentes]

Round eight report.

Round nine shortly:

Leko v Svidler
Grischuk v Gelfand
Anand v Aronian
Morozevich v Kramnik

 

[Donna Ferentes]

Now it's Anand's turn to have a quick draw with White. What was that about?

 

[marksims68]

Now it's Anand's turn to have a quick draw with White. What was that about?

Anand DREW??? In that position? Blimey.......

 

[Donna Ferentes]

Anand DREW??? In that position? Blimey.......

Well, he may be a pawn up but he's well behind in development, his king's a little exposed and Aronian has two fine bishops. It's not the draw in the position that surprises me - it's that Anand found himself in that position so soon, bearing in mind he must have prepared the opening line.

 

[Donna Ferentes]

Great drama last night as both Gelfand and Kramnik went down to defeat. Gelfand seemed to me to be OK but after the queens went off he was hopelessly passive: Kramnik got manouevred early on into a Benoni-type structure, something of which he's got little experience, and was outplayed by Morozevich.

Kramnik has to beat Anand tonight or forget it.

 

[Donna Ferentes]

Here we go. Kramnik has to win tonight.

 

[Donna Ferentes]

He didn't: nor did Gelfand, so Anand is a point ahead and surely odds-on favourite.

 

[keybored]

Kampagnola v Spatsky

 

[Donna Ferentes]

Report from the previous round. Morozevich bambooozling Kramnik the highlight.

 

[Donna Ferentes]

Round eleven. If Gelfand's going to have a go he surely has to have a go tonight.

 

[Donna Ferentes]

Grischuk and Kramnik have already shaken hands and buggered off. Gelfand might be in trouble against Svidler (uncastled king, queen short of squares) but Grunfelds are hard to judge. Meanwhile Anand might be about to give a good knight v bad bishop tour de force against Morozevich that would clinch the tournament.

 

[unusual_solid]

been away for a week but will be keeping up with things on this thread DF.
:thumb:

 

[Donna Ferentes]

Well, that basically wraps it up: it's a rest day today and there are three rounds to go, but nobody's going to catch Anand. He's a point and a half ahead after giving the aforesaid tour de force last night: the finish is quite amusing too.

 

[marksims68]

Well, he may be a pawn up but he's well behind in development, his king's a little exposed and Aronian has two fine bishops. It's not the draw in the position that surprises me - it's that Anand found himself in that position so soon, bearing in mind he must have prepared the opening line.

Good point.......Still a bit early for me though, I like a bit of drama when playing!

 

[Donna Ferentes]

Previous round report.

 

[Donna Ferentes]

Round eleven report.

 

[Gmart]

A deserving world champion, Anand, he's been a great player for ages!