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Anand’s exchange sacrifice pays dividends against Shirov. Topalov beats Aronian from a eccentric Nimzo-Indian. Leko bludgeons Radjabov’s Sveshnikov. Carlsen draws with Ivanchuk.

Shirov – Anand

Anand meets Shirov’s aggressive main-line Sicilian Najdorf with an exchange sacrifice to damage White’s queenside. Shirov commences operations in the centre, sacrificing a pawn open lines against the Black king. But Anand takes over the initiative and with a series of threats, the attack on the White king. In desperate trouble Shirov blunders allowing Black an unstoppable mate.

Topalov – Aronian

Aronian gets an edge from the Romanishin Nimzo-Indian, but quickly goes loses it as Topalov’s fianchettoed light-squared bishop makes it hard for Aronian to develop his queenside. Topalov makes full use of his bishop pair and rook pair to prevent Aronian from completing his development. Aronian buckles under the pressure and drops the exchange and his position collapses.

Leko – Radjabov

Radjabov builds up typical kingside play on the Black side of a Sveshnikov Sicilian, but it is Leko’s pressure against the d6-pawn that gives White a slight advantage. Leko turns the screws on the position, and Black’s pawn centre collapses. The White rook enters the seventh rank, and Radjabov drops a piece.

Carlsen – Ivanchuk

Carlsen’s Bc4 line against Ivanchuk’s Sicilian Najdorf allows him thematic pressure down the d-file. In the series of exchanges leaves a semi-endgame where the d6-pawn is still weak. Ivanchuk’s queenside sortie breaks up the position and it dissolves into a rook and minor piece endgame where both parties are contented with a draw.

Carlsen and Aronian both draw to secure first place in Wijk Aan Zee 2008. Carlsen’s first place is a marvellous result and shows a rapid maturing of talent. Anand and Radjabov are half a point behind. Kramnik is showing that he is still human, and Topalov is playing like 1995, great wins interspersed with great losses.

Gelfand’s English leads to a winning kingside attack against Eljanov. Anand’s kingside attack is defended actively by Kramnik. The Arkhangelsk Ruy gives Adams a relatively straightforward draw against Topalov. Leko dismantles Mamedyarov’s Steinitz Ruy Lopez. Aronian and Polgar play to a lengthy draw. Carlsen’s Ruy Lopez handling of Radjabov’s King’s Indian is an interesting concept, but not a decisive one. Ivanchuk cannot convert his opening advantage against van Wely’s solid counter play.

Gelfand – Eljanov

Gelfand seizes the centre from a Nimzo-English and saddles Eljanov with hanging pawns. Gelfand tugs and toys with Eljanov’s position forcing weaknesses on the kingside. He forces the win of a pawn. Eljanov tries counterattacking through the centre but finds himself caught in a trap as this opens up the position for all of White’s pieces to co-ordinate in the attack on the Black king. So Eljanov throws in the towel.

Anand – Kramnik

Anand’s Nc3 line against Kramnik gives him a small advantage out of the opening. Both queens are jockeying for position. Anand tries to open up against the Black king with a pawn storm, sacrificing a pawn to open lines. Kramnik’s queen is forced to the side and Anand’s better placed pieces sew some difficulties in Kramnik’s position. When Anand looks to have his kingside attack flowing, Kramnik has his central counterplay going too – his rooks dominating the e-file and seventh rank. This proves sufficient for a draw, and Anand agrees.

Topalov – Adams

Adams defends the Arkhangelsk Ruy Lopez and has no difficulty in equalising against Topalov, so the players split the points.

Leko – Mamedyarov

Mamedyarov has a solid position in a Steinitz Ruy Lopez. Leko plays a patient game building up slowly. Mamedyarov weakens his d6-pawn in an attempt to free his position, but Leko locks it down an accentuates the weakness. With a forcing manoeuvre Leko breaks through the d-file with his rooks. The attack on the light squares will force the win of material, so Mamedyarov throws in the towel.

Polgar – Aronian

Polgar adopts Svidler’s d3 idea in the Ruy Lopez Marshall. A pseudo piece sacrifice mobilises White’s pieces sufficiently to defuse Black’s raging initiative and the game settles into a long rook and knight versus rook and bishop endgame. Near the second time control both players content themselves with a draw.

Carlsen – Radjabov

Carlsen avoids Radjabov’s King’s Indian by adopting a Trompowsky. Carlsen transposes into a closed Ruy Lopez and handled the middle game in thematic style. He gets his rooks into strong positions, but Radjabov has sufficient resources to prevent a slaughter. This leads to an opposite-coloured bishops ending and a draw.

Ivanchuk – van Wely

Van Wely pushes Ivanchuk’s English into a Slav Grunfeld. Ivanchuk goes on the rampage on the queenside, and van Wely counters solidly with a pawn advance through the centre. Van Wely temporarily sacrifices a piece to shepherd his passed pawn through, Ivanchuk having to give back the piece when the pawn queens. This results in a knight and pawns endgame where both players agree to a draw.

Kramnik’s pawn grab comes to grief against Carlsen. Polgar converts the endgame against Adams. Eljanov catches Topalov out in a Modern Benoni. Anand lets a strong advantage lapse to a draw against van Wely. Radjabov and Leko head straight for the draw. Aronian cannot make the extra pawn count against Ivanchuk. Mamedyarov gets an easy draw against Gelfand using the Closed Sicilian.

Kramnik – Carlsen

Carlsen heads into a Hedgehog against Kramnik’s English. Carlsen manoeuvres effectively inside his confined position, centralising his pieces. With the centre well guarded Carlsen strikes out with a kingside expansion. Kramnik gets caught out pawn-grabbing on the queenside which allows Carlsen’s rook into White’s position. With a clamp on the kingside and active rooks on the queenside Carlsen squeezes Kramnik’s position and is two pawns up when Kramnik tenders his resignation.

Adams – Polgar

Polgar surprises Adams with a Petroff. Adams gains some pressure on the kingside, but this is quickly defused. Polgar takes over the initiative thanks to her control of the e-file and potential backrank mate threats. She holds an edge into the pawn endgame thanks to a better pawn structure. She polishes off the endgame and Adams resigns in a zugzwang position.

Eljanov – Topalov

Topalov essays the Modern Benoni, and in turn Eljanov forces Topalov into a combination, sacrificing a piece to remove White’s kingside pawns and have the makings of a kingside attack. Topalov gains some compensation but seems reluctant to seize the initiative, preferring to build up steadily. Instead of embedding a knight into the heart of White’s position Topalov exchanges it off. He relies on the power of his dark-squared bishop. Eljanov’s regrouping pushes Topalov back, he forces the exchange of Topalov’s dark-squared bishop. Eljanov finishes off with a series of threats against the Black king, forcing a resignation.

van Wely – Anand

Anand gets a protected passed-pawn in the centre right out of an old main-line Queen’s Indian. By blockading the semi-open e-file and starting a pawn advance on the kingside Anand holds on to his advantage all the way through to the endgame. Anand has two connected central passed pawns against van Wely’s protected passed d-pawn. But Anand misses a chance to convert his advantage, with van Wely finding the most accurate reply leaving Anand with nothing more than a draw.

Radjabov – Leko

Both players enter into a long variation of the Queen’s Indian that leads straight to a drawn position.

Aronian – Ivanchuk

Aronian emerges with a big edge in a Queen’s Gambit Accepted against Ivanchuk, thanks to a passed pawn on the queenside. He manages to exchange off a pair of rooks and the queens whilst still maintaining his pawn advantage. Aronian finds he can make no more progress, and the points are shared.

Mamedyarov – Gelfand

The Closed Sicilian makes a guest appearance against Gelfand. The f-file opens up and pieces get exchanged off rapidly. The endgame looks tepid so the players take a draw.

Anand fends off a Carlsen sacrificial attack and reaps the rewards. Aronian’s combative play sweeps aside van Wely. Eljanov builds up a strong attack against Polgar and sweeps to a win. Gelfand blunders against Radjabov. Mamedyarov cannot capitalise on his advantage against Topalov. Ivanchuk and Adams shuffle towards a draw. Leko and Kramnik have a short but entertaining battle ending in perpetual check.

Carlsen – Anand

Carlsen plays classically against Anand’s Scheveningen Sicilian, following in the path of the famous Karpov-Kasparov game. Carlsen gets stuck into his kingside attack forcing an Anand retreat. Carlsen sacrifices two pawns to gain a tempo to swing his rook over to the kingside. Carlsen commits to the attack, sacrificing two pieces, but gets a little carried away with a forcing sequence and misses a better continuation. Anand’s king escapes from the kingside. Anand plays a nice blend of attack and defence, and Carlsen’s material disadvantage is terminal.

Aronian – van Wely

Van Wely sacrifices a pawn out of an …a7 Slav. He has compensation in pressure against White’s e3-pawn. Aronian is over-ambitious, but van Wely doesn’t react actively enough as Aronian builds up a pawn storm against the Black king. Aronian returns the pawn and centralises his pieces. He sacrifices an exchange gaining a tempo and an extra piece in the attack. A further piece sacrifice nets the Black queen and a raging attack against the Black king. Under serious pressure van Wely blunders and his position collapses as his king is stuck in a mating net.

Polgar – Eljanov

Polgar avoids a Ruy Lopez Berlin with a quieter opening that results in Steinitz-like Ruy Lopez. Eljanov gets a slight edge in the resulting middlegame, thanks to his co-ordination on the black squares. Eljanov builds up a threatening kingside attack, and Polgar blunders allowing Eljanov to open up the h-file against the White king. Eljanov’s major pieces strong-arm their way into the White position, leaving Polgar no option but to resign.

Gelfand – Radjabov

Radjabov regroups his pieces against Gelfand’s Gligoric King’s Indian Defence and gets his thematic …f5 break underway. Gelfand reacts on the queenside, but loses his defensive grip on the kingside allowing Radjabov to close in on the white king. Both sides blunder in time trouble before the first time control, but its Gelfand who makes the last mistake falling into a forced mate.

Topalov – Mamedyarov

Mamedyarov gets his kingside counterplay moving quickly out of a Petrosian King’s Indian. He has a slight initiative, and his dark-squared bishop is potently placed. Topalov stumbles, but Mamedyarov misses the strongest continuation, but still holds an edge thanks to his protected central passed pawn. Topalov effects a blockade and shores up his kingside. Mamedyarov cannot find a way to exploit his advantage, and after the first time control a draw is agreed.

Ivanchuk – Adams

Ivanchuk gets a Catalan like structure from an English opening. After a bit of shuffling Ivanchuk opens the a-file for his rook to enter the Black position. This forces Adams on the defensive. Ivanchuk doesn’t see anything better than repeating the position, taking the draw.

Leko – Kramnik

Leko’s 5. Nc3 against Kramnik’s Petroff gives him a solid position. Leko allows Kramnik’s little combination that demolishes the queenside pawn structure around the White king. Kramnik has to part with the exchange to circumvent Leko’s threats of smothered mate. Kramnik invests another piece to allow him a perpetual check.

Ivanchuk outplays Eljanov. Van Wely blunders his queen in a winning position, gifting Carlsen a whole point. Leko has no problems with Anand’s side-line in the Ruy Lopez. Topalov sacrifices an exchange against Radjabov and gains a draw. Gelfand applies a bind to Kramnik’s position, but Kramnik breaks it easily enough to split the points. Polgar holds the black side of a Rubinstein French against Mamedyarov. Adams’ pawn sacrifice pushes the game towards a draw.

Eljanov – Ivanchuk

Ivanchuk sacrifices a pawn on the Black side of a Catalan/Semi-Slav. With better open lines and development, Ivanchuk has compensation for the pawn. Ivanchuk recoups the pawn and has a much better pawn centre. His active pieces dominate the position, and gains a strong advantage. Ivanchuk converts his advantage to an outside passed pawn, and seals a victory combining its advance with threats against the White King.

van Wely – Carlsen

Carlsen unleashes the Benko Gambit against van Wely. Van Wely’s development cuts across Carlsen’s plan, but despite that, Carlsen finds decent squares for his pieces. Van Wely’s plays a risky queenside advance and gains a strong advantage, including a monster passed pawn on c6. Van Wely has a winning position winning both exchanges, but Carlsen fights back by activating his remaining pieces. Combined with his queen Carlsen creates threats in the centre of the board. Van Wely blunders his queen and resigns.

Anand – Leko

Anand bypasses Leko’s Marshall Gambit by a side-line of a Closed Ruy Lopez (6. d3). Leko equalises fairly quickly and gains a solid position. Draw agreed.

Radjabov – Topalov

Radjabov avoids Topalov’s Berlin by heading into a Scotch game, and emerges with an advantage thanks to Topalov’s shattered queenside pawn structure. Radjabov wins the exchange, but allows Topalov to activate his two bishops. Although Radjabov demolishes Topalov’s pawns structure, Topalov’s outside passed pawn offers compensation, and Radjabov is satisfied to split the points.

Kramnik – Gelfand

Kramnik selects an unusual queenside expansion in a Nimzowitsch Queen’s Indian Defence, which allows Gelfand equality in the centre. After kit-gloves type manoeuvring from both players Kramnik gets ambitious with his queenside pawns. The fight rages for control of the long light-squared diagonal a8-h1, with Gelfand using the central dark-squared, and the Kramnik’s knights opting for the central light-squares. Gelfand gets a knight strongly positioned on e4, and offers the exchange to open up the long diagonal and apply a bind to White’s position. Kramnik resists the temptation, Gelfand gets the bind, but his own light-squared bishop remains locked-in. Kramnik has the two bishops and uses the light squares to create threats that force a retreat from Black and the queens get exchanged. Neither side has the edge in the endgame and it winds its way to a draw.

Mamedyarov – Polgar

Mamedyarov fianchettos his light-squared bishop against Polgar’s surprising Rubinstein French. Mamedyarov prepares and executes a d5 pawn-break, and the position simplifies to a balanced endgame, and the players agree to a draw.

Adams – Aronian

Adams bypasses Aronian’s Marshall by opting for sacrificing his d-pawn for open lines and activity. Adams develops quickly and disrupts and weakens the black central pawn structure, gaining compensation for the pawn. Both players are happy to split the points.