Kavalek on Anand and the Lasker's Defense

Lubomir Kavalek is my pick to win the CJA's "Best Chess Blogger" award next year for his wonderful articles at The Huffington Post (which appear with even greater speed than his Washington Post columns ever could). His most recent post is "Chess Champion's Class Act" (republished at ChessBase), where he analyzes Anand's impressive victory today in Nanjing, again using the Lasker's Defense to beat Topalov, just as he did in the last game of their World Championship match.  I have written quite a bit on the Lasker's Defense (see my recent "Lasker's Defense to the Queen's Gambit Webliography" for details), and I am especially fascinated by the line that Anand deployed: the nearly forgotten Cotlar Counter-Attack (as documented by Edward Winter in Chess Notes 3581, 3584, 3613 and 6085), about which I have long been planning to write myself.  I may update this post later with additional analysis of this fascinating game that might appear on the web.  

• Nanjing Super-GM, Round 3 annotated by Anish Giri 
• Carlsen and Anand Win by IM Malcolm Pein at TWIC
• Three Decisive Games at Nanjing at ChessVibes
• Breath Taking Third Round by Xu Jun and Shen Yang

Anand - Topalov Webliography

Last week, Viswanathan Anand won the final game of the World Chess Championship against Veselin Topalov in Sofia, Romania, to retain his title.  The games in this championship were not error free, but they were always exciting and have rightly received a lot of commentary.  I have compiled links to annotations of all 12 games.  I will be adding more links in the coming days and welcome additions from readers.

Game One

Topalov - Anand, Gruenfeld Exchange Variation (D86), 1-0

• Pein on sofia Game One - What Went Wrong? by Malcolm Pein at ChessBase
• Campeonato Mundial, Partida 1 by Hector Leyva
• Topalov Draws First Blood at ChessBase
• Chessdom on Game 1 with Alexandra Kosteniuk and others commenting live

Game Two

Anand - Topalov, Catalan (E04), 1-0

• Sofia Game Two - More Analysis and Pictures by Malcolm Pein at ChessBase 
• World Championship, Game 2 annotated by Dennis Monokroussos
• Campeonato Mundial, Partida 2 by Wilfredo Sariego Figueredo
  
• Anand Strikes Back in Game Two by Anish Giri
• Chessdom on Game 2 with Alexandra Kosteniuk and others commenting live
• Chess Notes by Patrick Wolff in The Boston Globe

Game Three

Topalov - Anand, Slav (D17), 1/2-1/2

• Game three Drawn by Anish giri at ChessBase 
• Campeonato Mundial, Partida 3 by  Guillermo Soppe
• Chessdom on Game 3 with Alexandra Kosteniuk and others commenting live
• Title Match Remains Tied after Game Three Is Drawn by Dylan Loeb McClain

Game Four

Anand - Topalov, Catalan (E04), 1-0

• World Championship - Sleepless in Sofia? by Malcolm Pein at ChessBase 
• Anand Wins Game Four, Takes the Lead by Anish Giri at ChessBase
• World Championship, Game 4 annotated by Dennis Monokroussos 
• Anand - Topalov, World Championship Game 4, annotated by Boris Schipkov
• Campeonato Mundial, Partida 4 by Jorge Luís Fernández
• Chessdom on Game 4 with Alexandra Kosteniuk and others commenting live
• Anand on Top So Far by Ian Rogers at USCF Online

Game Five

Topalov - Anand, Slav (D17), 1/2-1/2

• World Championship G5, commentary and impressions by Malcolm Pein at ChessBase
• Campeonato Mundial, Partida 5 by Hector Leyva
  
• Chessdom on Game 5 with Alexandra Kosteniuk and others commenting live  
• Game 5 of Title Match Is Drawn; Anand Retains Lead by Dylan Loeb McClain

Game Six

Anand - Topalov, Catalan (E04), 1/2-1/2

• Sofia R6: Draw, Anand Leads at ChessBase 
• World Championship, Game 6 annotated by Dennis Monokroussos
• Campeonato Mundial, Partida 6 by Guillermo Soppe
• Chessdom on Game 6 with Alexandra Kosteniuk and others commenting live

Game Seven

Anand - Topalov, Bogo-Indian (E00), 1/2-1/2

• World Championship, Game 7 annotated by Dennis Monokroussos
• A nerve-shattering, blood-curdling draw at ChessBase 
• Campeonato Mundial, Partida 7 by Jorge Luís Fernández 
• Chessdom on Game 7 with Alexandra Kosteniuk and others commenting live

Game Eight

Topalov - Anand, Slav (D17), 1-0

• Campionato Mundial, Partida Ocho by Wilfredo Sariego Figueredo
• Another Look at Game Eight by Malcolm Pein at ChessBase
• Chessdom on Game 8 with Alexandra Kosteniuk and others commenting live 
• Topalov Strikes Back by Ian Rogers at USCF Online 
  Critical moments from games 5-8 discussed.
• Topalov Wins to Tie Championship Match by Dylan Loeb McClain

Game Nine

Anand - Topalov, Nimzo-Indian Defense (E53), 1/2-1/2

• Giri on Game Nine by Anish Giri at ChessBase
• World Championship, Game 9 by Dennis Monokroussos
• Campeonato Mundial, Partida 9 by Antonio Torrecillas
• Chessdom on Game 9 with Alexandra Kosteniuk and others commenting live  
• Anand Wins Championship by Jack Peters for the LA Times 
• Title Match Remains Tied after Champion Misses Win by Dylan Loeb McClain for The New York Times

Game Ten

Topalov - Anand, Gruenfeld (D86), 1/2-1/2

• Campeonato Mundial, Partida 10, annotated by Hector Leyva at InforChess
• Giri on Game Ten by Anish Giri at ChessBase
• Chessdom on Game 10 with Alexandra Kosteniuk and others commenting live 

Game Eleven

Anand - Topalov, English Reversed Dragon (A29), 1/2-1/2

• Campeonato Mundial, Partida 11, annotated by Hector Leyva at InforChess
• World Championship, Game 11 annotated by Dennis Monokroussos
• Giri on Game Eleven by Anish Giri at ChessBase
• Chessdom on Game 11 with Alexandra Kosteniuk and others commenting live

Game Twelve

Topalov - Anand, Queen's Gambit Declined, Lasker Defense (D56), 0-1

• Giri on Game Twelve by Anish Giri at ChessBase
• World Championship, Game 12 annotated by Dennis Monokroussos
• Sofia R12 at ChessBase 
• Chessdom on Game 12 with Alexandra Kosteniuk  and others commenting live
• Anand Keeps World Championship Title by Alexandra Kosteniuk
• Anand - Topalov World Championship Game 12 by Mark Crowther at TWIC
• Anand Wins Championship by Jack Peters for the LA Times
• Anand Beats Topalov, Retains World Title at ChessVibes with game 
• Campeonato Mundial, Partida 12 by Antonio Torrecillas
• Polgar: World Chess Champion Successfully Defends His Title by Susan Polgar at Lubbock Online. 
• With One Blunder, Challenger Lets Champion Keep Title by Dylan Loeb McClain in The New York Times
• Anand Retains World Title by Ian Rogers at USCF Online
  Includes coverage of games 9-12, focusing on the critical moments only.
• Anand Retains Title!! by The Chess Coroner

The last game was most interesting to me as it may well revive interest in my favorite Lasker's Defense to the Queen's Gambit Declined.

Other commentary can be found at the official Anand - Topalov website, Convekta, as well as on ICC and ChessLectures.com (both of which require subscription). 

Anand Interviewed

With the ash from Iceland's volcano disrupting air travel and grounding Vishy Anand's flight, there is still some question whether or not he will make it to Sofia in time to play the World Championship match. Meanwhile, Al Jazeera has posted a very informative interview with Anand in two parts.

Anand - Topalov Countdown

The World Chess Championship match between Viswanathan Anand and Veselin Topalov begins in exactly a month, on April 23, in Sofia, Bulgaria.  Prematch predictions have tended to favor Topalov, if only because he is playing on his home turf -- as Vladimir Kramnik points out in a recent interview.

Magnus Carlsen Wins Corus 2010 at Wijk aan Zee

World number one Magnus Carlsen won the Corus 2010 chess tournament at Wijk aan Zee (pronounced "wake ahn zey" say ChessBase and ChessVibes), followed by Vladimir Kramnik and Alexey Shirov in second.  All three top finishers had held the first place spot at one point in the event, with Shirov starting the tournament extremely hot with five wins in a row, Kramnik catching up, then Carlsen grabbing the lead at the finish (despite losing to Kramnik).  World Champion Vishy Anand (with the tournament's only undefeated record) and U.S. Champion Hikaru Nakamura finished tied for fourth.  The B-group was won by 15-year-old Dutch GM Anish Giri (profiled at ChessBase) who led for most of the way (see B-player profiles at ChessBase).  The C-group was won by Li Chao (see C-group profiles at ChessBase).  US youngster Ray Robson led the C-group by the middle of the tournament but fell back to fourth by the end following his loss to Li Chao in the Dragon. You can play over the games from the A-section at Chessgames.com.  There was excellent coverage of the event by ChessBase, TWIC, Chessdom, Mig's Daily Dirt (where there is always good discussion), ChessVibes, ChessOK and others.

Round 13 - Sunday, January 31st

Magnus Carlsen Wins Wijk aan Zee 2010 from ChessBase
Carlsen wins 72nd Corus Chess Tournament by Arne Moll at ChessVibes
ChessVibes featured a number of video reports throughout the tournament, all accessible from this page.
more

Round 12 - Saturday, January 30th

Anand beats Kramnik, Carlsen leads by Steve Giddins at ChessBase 
Anand defeats Kramnik to hand Carlsen the lead by Mark Crowther at TWIC
Anand - Kramnik annotated by Dennis Monokroussos
Anand - Kramnik annotated by Jorge Luis Fernandez

Round 11 - Friday, January 29th
Carlsen wins again, catches Kramnik at ChessBase 
Carlsen catches Kramnik with two rounds to go by Mark Crowther at TWIC
Carlsen - Dominguez Perez annotated by Hector Leyva

Round 10 - Wednesday, January 27th
Anand and Carlsen win, Kramnik leads at ChessBase 
Kramnik leads after Shirov loses by Mark Crowther at TWIC
Round 10 Games annotated by Dennis Monokroussos
Kramnik - Ivanchuk annotated by Antonio Torrecillas
Anand hands Kramnik the lead by Malcolm Pein
The Hare and the Tortoise by Ian Rogers at USCF 



Round 9 - Tuesday, January 26th
Kramnik beats Carlsen, leads with Shirov by Steve Giddins at ChessBase
Kramnik defeats Carlsen to join Shirov in the lead by Mark Crowther at TWIC
Kramnik beats Carlsen in great game by Malcolm Pein 
Carlsen - Kramnik annotated by Antonio Torrecillas
Round 9 Games annotated by Dennis Monokroussos



Round 8 - Sunday, January 24th
Kramnik beats Nakamura by Steve Giddins at ChessBase 
Kramnik - Nakamura annotated by Hector Leyva 
Kramnik - Nakamura commented at Chessdom by Jason Juett
Kramnik moves second after beating Nakamura by Mark Crowther at TWIC

Round 7 - Saturday, January 23rd
Nakamura beats Shirov, Carlsen beats Ivanchuk by Steve Giddins at ChessBase 
Nakamura defeats Shirov to close the gap to half a point by Mark Crowther at TWIC
Kramnik holds on against Short by Malcolm Pein 
Carlsen - Ivanchuk annotated by Hector Leyva
Round 7 Games annotated by Dennis Monokroussos

Round 6 - Friday, January 22nd
Kramnik, Dominguez, Leko win, Short stops Shirov by Steve Giddins at ChessBase 
Shirov finally held, Kramnik moves joint second by Mark Crowther at TWIC 
Dominguez Perez - Tiviakov annotated by Hector Leyva

Round 5 - Thursday, January 21st
Shirov beats van Wely, leads with 5.0/5 by Steve Giddins at ChessBase 
Shirov moves to 5 from 5 and extends lead by Mark Crowther at TWIC
Nakamura - Carlsen annotated by Dennis Monokroussos 
Smeets - Kramnik annotated by Antonio Torrecillas
Another win for Shirov by Malcolm Pein

Round 4 - Tuesday, January 19th
Ivanchuk beats van Wely, Shirov wins yet again by Steve Giddins at ChessBase 
Shirov wins again, as does Ivanchuk by Mark Crowther at TWIC 
Shirov rampage continues by Malcolm Pein
Shirov - Smeets annotated by Wilfredo  Sariego Figeuredo
Shirov - Smeets annotated in the Telegraph
Round 4 Games annotated by Dennis Monokroussos

Round 3 - Monday, January 18th
A black day in Wijk, with blood on the floor by Steve Giddins at ChessBase 
Black day for the underdog by Mark Crowther at TWIC 
Tiviakov - Shirov annotated by Hector Leyva
Third win for Shirov by Malcolm Pein

Round 2 - Sunday, January 17th
Shirov, Nakamura and Carlsen win, Shirov leads by Steve Giddins at ChessBase 
Shirov makes a 2/2 start by Mark Crowther at TWIC 
Carlsen's First Win by Malcolm Pein
Nakamura - Van Wely annotated by Guillermo Soppe 
Nakamura - Van Wely annotated by Jack Peters
Carlsen and Shirov wins annotated by Dennis Monokroussos

Round 1 - Saturday, January 16th
 Shirov, Van Wely draw first blood at ChessBase 
Caution from the favorites on Day 1 by Mark Crowther at TWIC 
Van Wely - Short annotated by Guillermo Soppe
Cautious start in first round by Malcolm Pein







Preliminary Reports
Wijk aan Zee -- let the games begin at ChessBase
Another Great Line-up for 2010 by Mark Crowther at TWIC 
Corus Wijk aan Zee gets underway by Malcolm Pein

72nd Corus at Wijk aan Zee Opens

The schedule is set for the three groups (see A, B, and C) participating in the 72nd Corus Chess 2010 tournament at Wijk aan Zee.  Players include Carlsen, Anand, and Kramnik in an all-star field, with U.S. players Hikaru Nakamura (A), Varuzhan Akobian (B), and young Ray Robson (C) taking part, fresh off their silver medal in the World Team Championship in Bursa, Turkey.  The tournament should receive daily coverage at ChessBase (see "Wijk aan Zee Super-GM Starts Saturday"), TWIC (see preview), The Chess Mind, Chessdom, ICC, ChessVibes, Chessgames, the official site, and numerous other places around the net.