Same target, same distance

Four draws in Morelia Linares round 10. Report and replayable games

Carlsen is willing to fight until the bare Kings, but when World Champions offers a draw with white, one should carefully consider if declining is good option. Carlsen had a tough 7-hour game on the previous day, and with distinctively bad current score against Anand, he accepted the proposal. Shirov recently had good results against the Ruy Lopez Marshall Attack, but Leko was able to hold the balance and achieve a draw. Games between Azeris and Armenians are always full of emotion and so was this time. Aronian declined the initial attack in Anti-Moscow Semi-Slav, and just like in Morelia, he was the one to offer a draw. Ivanchuk and Topalov played a long Sicilian game, but neither of them managed to gain significant advantage and draw was agreed before the 2nd time control.

Round 10 results:

Vishy Anand - Magnus Carlsen draw
Alexei Shirov - Peter Leko draw
Vassily Ivanchuk - Veselin Topalov draw
Teimour Radjabov - Levon Aronian draw

Round 10 standings:

1. Vishy Anand 6.5
2. Magnus Carlsen 6.0
3. Levon Aronian 5.5
4. Veselin Topalov 5.0
5-7. Teimour Radjabov, Alexei Shirov and Vassily Ivanchuk 4.5
8. Peter Leko 3.5

In his previous game with white, Vishy Anand beat Alexei Shirov in the Sveshnikov Sicilian. Magnus Carlsen was not intimidated by this fact and entered the same opening, only different subvariation. He didn't repeat the mistake (15...a5?!) that caused him a defeat against Gata Kamsky at the 2005 World Cup. Anand thought there was no advantage from the opening, after black achieved optimal setup, and offered a draw which was accepted. The two have remained on the top of the crosstable.

Alexei Shirov - Peter Leko provided us anxiously awaited improvement for black in the Ruy Lopez Marshall Attack that served Shirov so good in the crucial games at the last World Chess Cup. Leko tracked Shirov-Karjakin before he struck with 21...b4 instead of Karjakin's f6. Cleansing of the b-file increased the scope of black's pair of bishops and he comfortably held a draw after the rooks trade.

The hot Anti-Moscow Semi-Slav received another review in the game between Teimour Radjabov and Levon Aronian. Aronian knows the secrets of this system as he plays it with both white and black, but Radjabov was the only one to defeat variation's biggest advocate Vishy Anand in the recent months. He played a new move 16. Qc1, Aronian reacted accordingly and draw was agreed after it became clear that queenside pawns will disappear from the board.

The game between Vassily Ivanchuk and Veselin Topalov took a regular course in the Sozin Naidorf Sicilian and the balance was provided until the time control approached. At one moment, Topalov was probably content with the moves repetition, but Ivanchuk suddenly deviates and continues to play. Topalov immediately overreacts with 34...d5 and white gets some advantage. However, after the queens exchange and with doubled c-pawns it was hard to accomplish much, even if both players tried everything until the theoretically drawn endgame.

Goran Urosevic

Round 11 pairings:

Teimour Radjabov - Vishy Anand
Levon Aronian - Vassily Ivanchuk
Veselin Topalov - Alexei Shirov
Peter Leko - Magnus Carlsen

Please note that Sunday, March 2nd, is rest day. Join us on Monday at 10:00 EST / 16:00 CET for the live commentary on the 11th round of Morelia-Linares. See you there!