[Event "Linares"]
[Site "1"]
[Date "1978.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Eslon, Jaan"]
[Black "Pacheco, V."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B03"]
[WhiteElo "2365"]
[BlackElo "2200"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "91"]
[EventDate "1978.??.??"]

{The first Linares tournament was a master event. I have analysed one game of
the winner, Jaan Eslon.  Jan van Reek.} 1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. Nf3 g6
5. c4 Nb6 6. exd6 cxd6 7. h3 Bg7 8. Nc3 O-O 9. Be3 Nc6 10. Rc1 e6 $5 11. Be2 d5
12. c5 Nd7 $6 ({Black should have taken the risk of} 12... Nc4 $5 13. Bxc4 dxc4
14. O-O Qa5) 13. O-O Ne7 14. Bf4 a6 15. Bd3 Nf6 16. b4 Nc6 17. a3 Re8 18. Bh2
Nh5 19. Bb1 Bh6 20. Rc2 Bf4 21. Ne2 $6 Bxh2+ 22. Nxh2 Ng7 $6 23. Rd2 Na7 $6 {
Noncommital chess is played on both sides.} 24. Qb3 b5 $6 25. f4 $6 ({An
attack is started by} 25. cxb6 Qxb6 26. Ng4 Qd8 27. Qf3) 25... Nc6 26. Nf3 f6
27. g4 Bd7 28. g5 f5 $2 29. Ne5 Nxe5 30. dxe5 Bc6 31. Nd4 $1 {Blockade can be
applied after a blunder.} Qd7 32. Bd3 Nh5 33. Be2 Ng7 34. Bf3 Red8 35. h4 Kf8
36. Rh2 a5 37. h5 axb4 ({The natural} 37... a4 38. Qc2 Kf7 39. hxg6+ hxg6 40.
Rh7 Rh8 41. Qh2 Rxh7 42. Qxh7 {will lead to the fall of pawn g6.}) 38. axb4 Kf7
39. Qb2 Rh8 40. Ra1 Rxa1+ 41. Qxa1 Ra8 42. hxg6+ hxg6 43. Ra2 Rxa2 44. Qxa2 Ne8
45. Qa6 Bb7 46. Qb6 {Pawn b5 cannot be defended.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "2"]
[Date "1979.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Christiansen, Larry"]
[Black "Castro, Oscar"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A84"]
[WhiteElo "2475"]
[BlackElo "2430"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "55"]
[EventDate "1979.??.??"]

{The second event was a small grandmaster tournament. Larry Christiansen
became the winner.} 1. d4 f5 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. c4 d6 5. Nc3 c6 6. e4 Nh6
$5 7. exf5 Nxf5 8. Nf3 O-O 9. O-O Kh8 $6 {Black loses time.} 10. g4 Nh6 11. h3
Na6 $6 ({Better is} 11... Nf7 12. Be3 e5) 12. Re1 Nf7 13. Bf4 $1 e6 14. Qd2 c5
15. dxc5 Nxc5 16. Rad1 {Christiansen demonstrates his solid style.} Qa5 $2 ({
Black has to conquer e5 by} 16... e5 $1 17. Be3 Qa5) 17. Nb5 $5 Qxd2 18. Rxd2
e5 19. Be3 Ne4 20. Rdd1 Bd7 21. Nd2 a6 22. Nxe4 axb5 23. Nxd6 Be6 24. cxb5 Rxa2
25. Nxf7+ Bxf7 26. Bxb7 Rxb2 27. b6 h5 28. Rb1 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "2"]
[Date "1979.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Christiansen, Larry"]
[Black "Kortschnoj, Viktor"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E01"]
[WhiteElo "2475"]
[BlackElo "2695"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "134"]
[EventDate "1979.??.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 c5 4. O-O Nc6 5. d4 cxd4 6. Nxd4 e6 7. c4 Bc5 8. Nb3
Bb6 9. cxd5 Nxd5 10. Nc3 Nxc3 11. bxc3 Qxd1 12. Rxd1 Bd7 13. Ba3 O-O-O 14. c4
Bc7 15. Rab1 Be8 16. Rxd8+ Nxd8 17. Nd4 Bc6 18. Bxc6 Nxc6 19. Nxc6 bxc6 {The
lesser player hopes for a quick draw, but the star goes on.} 20. Rd1 h5 21. h3
f5 22. Be7 Re8 23. Bg5 Bb6 24. Kg2 Kc7 25. Bd2 Bc5 26. Bc3 e5 27. h4 g6 28. e3
Kb6 29. Rb1+ Ka6 30. Kf3 Bd6 31. Ke2 e4 32. Rd1 Be5 $5 33. Bd4 ({Christiansen
avoids the risky} 33. Bxe5 $5 Rxe5 34. Rd6 Rc5 35. Rxg6 Rxc4) 33... Bc7 34. Kd2
Rd8 35. Kc2 Bb6 36. Rd2 Ba5 37. Rd1 Rd7 38. Rf1 c5 39. Bc3 $2 (39. Bxc5 Rd2+
40. Kb3 Rd3+ 41. Kb2 {achieves the desired draw.}) 39... Bb4 40. Rb1 Ka5 41. a3
Bxc3 42. Rb5+ Ka4 43. Kxc3 Rd3+ 44. Kb2 $2 ({The subtle manoeuvre} 44. Kc2 $1
Rxa3 45. Kb2 Rd3 46. Kc2 Rd7 47. Kc3 $1 {seems to hold the game.}) 44... Rd2+
45. Kc3 Rxf2 46. Rxc5 Ra2 47. Rc6 Rxa3+ 48. Kd4 Rd3+ 49. Ke5 Rxe3 50. Rxg6 Rf3
51. c5 Kb5 52. c6 Kb6 53. Kd6 Rd3+ 54. Ke5 e3 55. Kxf5 Rd5+ 56. Kf4 Re5 $1 {
Kortschnoj decides the game with a nice combination.} 57. Kxe5 e2 58. Kd6 e1=Q
59. Kd7 Qd1+ 60. Kc8 Qc2 61. Rf6 Qxc6+ 62. Rxc6+ Kxc6 63. g4 hxg4 64. h5 g3 65.
h6 g2 66. h7 g1=Q 67. h8=Q Qg4+ {Kortschnoj defeated his main rival but lost
two other games.} 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "3"]
[Date "1981.??.??"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Christiansen, Larry"]
[Black "Spassky, Boris"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D36"]
[WhiteElo "2515"]
[BlackElo "2635"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "1981.??.??"]

{We follow the games of Christiansen and Karpov.  Jan van Reek} 1. d4 d5 2. c4
e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5 Be7 6. e3 O-O 7. Bd3 Nbd7 8. Nge2 Re8 9. Qc2
Nf8 10. h3 c6 11. g4 {Christiansen is not intimidated by his opponent and
plays his own game.} Bd7 12. O-O-O Rc8 13. Kb1 b5 14. Nf4 $1 a5 15. Bf5 a4 {
Both sides advance towards the hostile king.} 16. Nd3 Bxf5 $5 17. gxf5 N8d7 $2
(17... Ne4 $1 18. Bxe7 Nxc3+ 19. Qxc3 Qxe7 {makes useful exchanges for the
defender.}) 18. Rhg1 Bf8 19. Rg2 c5 $6 ({Preferable is} 19... Kh8 20. Rdg1 a3)
20. dxc5 Nxc5 21. Nxc5 Rxc5 22. Qd3 Kh8 $6 (22... b4 $5 {counterattacks.}) 23.
Ne4 $1 {A brilliant combination decides the game.} Rxe4 24. Qxe4 Qc8 25. Qd3
Ne4 26. f3 Nxg5 27. Rxg5 Be7 28. f6 $1 Bxf6 29. Rxd5 h6 30. Rxc5 Qxc5 31. Rc1 {
It looked like Spassky handled the white pieces with such verve.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "3"]
[Date "1981.??.??"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Quinteros, Miguel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E01"]
[WhiteElo "2690"]
[BlackElo "2505"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "93"]
[EventDate "1981.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. Nf3 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e6 5. g3 d5 6. Bg2 e5 7. Nf3 d4 8. O-O
Nc6 9. e3 Bg4 10. h3 Bxf3 11. Bxf3 Be7 12. exd4 exd4 13. Bf4 O-O 14. Nd2 h6 15.
Re1 Bd6 16. Bxd6 Qxd6 17. Nb3 Rad8 $6 (17... d3 {advances the passed pawn at
the right time.}) 18. c5 Qc7 19. Rc1 Rd7 20. Bg2 Rfd8 21. Qd3 $5 Re7 22. Rxe7
Qxe7 23. Rd1 (23. Bxc6 $1 bxc6 24. Rc4 $1 {strikes at the centre pawn.}) 23...
Qe6 24. Kf1 Rd7 25. Qe2 Qf5 $1 26. Kg1 Re7 27. Qf1 Ne4 28. Nxd4 Nxd4 29. Rxd4
Nxc5 30. Rd8+ Kh7 31. Qd1 b6 32. Rd4 Rd7 $6 (32... a5 $1 {prevents the next
move (Bukic).}) 33. b4 $1 Rxd4 34. Qxd4 Ne6 35. Qd7 $1 a5 36. a3 axb4 37. axb4
{The resistance has become shaky.} Kg6 $2 (37... Qf6 $1 38. Qa7 Nd8 {tries to
establish a new defence line.}) 38. Qd6 Qb1+ $6 39. Kh2 Qf5 ({The pointe is} 
39... b5 $2 40. Qe5 Qxb4 41. Be4+) 40. Qxb6 h5 41. h4 Kf6 42. Bh3 Qe4 43. Bxe6
fxe6 44. Qc5 e5 45. b5 Qb7 46. Qd6+ $1 Kf5 47. b6 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "3"]
[Date "1981.??.??"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Kavalek, Lubomir"]
[Black "Christiansen, Larry"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B07"]
[WhiteElo "2550"]
[BlackElo "2515"]
[PlyCount "23"]
[EventDate "1981.??.??"]

1. e4 d6 2. d4 g6 3. c3 Nf6 4. Nd2 Bg7 5. Ngf3 O-O 6. Bd3 Nc6 7. O-O e5 8. Re1
Nh5 9. dxe5 Nxe5 10. Nxe5 dxe5 11. Nf3 h6 12. Be3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "3"]
[Date "1981.??.??"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Portisch, Lajos"]
[Black "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A29"]
[WhiteElo "2650"]
[BlackElo "2690"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "74"]
[EventDate "1981.??.??"]

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. g3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Bg2 Nb6 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. d3 Be7 8. a3
Be6 9. b4 a6 10. Bb2 Qd7 11. Ne4 f6 12. Qc2 Bh3 13. O-O Bxg2 14. Kxg2 g5 $5 15.
d4 $6 g4 $1 16. Nh4 exd4 17. Nf5 $1 O-O-O 18. Rfd1 {Black takes over the
initiative.} Nc4 $1 19. Nxe7+ Qxe7 20. Nc5 Nxb2 21. Qxb2 h5 22. Rac1 Rd5 23.
Qc2 Qd6 24. Nd3 h4 25. Nf4 f5 $6 ({Stronger is} 25... hxg3 26. hxg3 Rg5) 26.
Nxd5 Qxd5+ 27. f3 Kb8 28. Qd3 Qe6 29. fxg4 fxg4 30. Rf1 hxg3 31. hxg3 Qd5+ 32.
e4 $1 Qe6 33. Rce1 Qd6 34. Rh1 Rd8 35. Qc4 d3 36. Qc5 $2 ({The cautious} 36.
Qc3 {counters the threats.}) 36... d2 $1 37. Rd1 ({The pointe is} 37. Qxd6
dxe1=N+ $1) 37... Qd3 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "3"]
[Date "1981.??.??"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Christiansen, Larry"]
[Black "Gligoric, Svetozar"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D55"]
[WhiteElo "2515"]
[BlackElo "2530"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "1981.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bg5 O-O 6. e3 h6 7. Bxf6 Bxf6 8. Rc1
c6 9. Bd3 Nd7 10. O-O dxc4 11. Bxc4 e5 12. Bb3 exd4 13. exd4 Nb6 ({Usual is} 
13... Re8 {(Gligoric-Spassky, Soviet Union 1865).}) 14. Ne5 $1 Nd5 $2 ({Better
is} 14... Bxe5 15. dxe5 {(Taimanov-Lenguel, Tallinn 1975)} Qe7) 15. Nxd5 cxd5
16. Qd3 g6 $2 ({More resistance is offered by} 16... Bxe5 17. dxe5 Be6 {
(Kharitonov).}) 17. Rfe1 Bf5 18. Qb5 Bg5 19. Rc5 b6 20. Rxd5 Qe8 21. Qf1 $1 Qc8
{Gligoric has no proper defence.} ({Or} 21... Be6 22. Nxg6 $1 fxg6 23. Rxe6 $1
{(Bukic).}) 22. Rd6 Kg7 23. f4 Be7 24. Rc6 Qd8 25. Qf2 Bh4 26. g3 Bf6 27. Rd1
Rc8 28. Rxc8 Qxc8 29. d5 Bg4 30. Re1 Bh3 31. d6 Qb7 32. Rd1 b5 33. Bd5 Qa6 34.
Bg2 $1 Be6 35. a3 Bd8 36. Kh1 Bb6 37. Qe2 Qa4 38. Bd5 Bh3 39. Nxf7 $1 Rxf7 40.
b3 Qxa3 41. Qe5+ Kh7 (41... Kf8 42. Qh8#) 42. Bxf7 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "3"]
[Date "1981.??.??"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Larsen, Bent"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B19"]
[WhiteElo "2690"]
[BlackElo "2610"]
[PlyCount "94"]
[EventDate "1981.??.??"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. h4 h6 7. Nf3 Nd7 8. h5
Bh7 9. Bd3 Bxd3 10. Qxd3 e6 11. Bd2 Ngf6 12. O-O-O Be7 13. Ne4 Nxe4 14. Qxe4
Nf6 15. Qe2 Qd5 16. c4 Qf5 17. Ne5 c5 18. g4 Qe4 19. Qxe4 Nxe4 20. Be3 Rc8 21.
Kb1 O-O 22. f3 Nf6 23. f4 Ne4 24. dxc5 Bxc5 25. Bxc5 Nxc5 26. Rd4 Rfd8 27. Rhd1
Rxd4 28. Rxd4 a5 29. b3 Kf8 30. Kb2 Ke8 31. Kc3 f6 32. Nd3 Ke7 33. a3 Nxd3 34.
Kxd3 Rg8 35. Ke4 g5 36. hxg6 Rxg6 37. Kf3 Rg8 38. c5 Rc8 39. b4 axb4 40. axb4
b6 41. cxb6 Rb8 42. Ke4 Rxb6 43. Kd3 f5 44. gxf5 exf5 45. Ke3 Kf6 46. Kf3 Kg6
47. Kg3 Kh5 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "3"]
[Date "1981.??.??"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Ribli, Zoltan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A30"]
[WhiteElo "2690"]
[BlackElo "2585"]
[PlyCount "45"]
[EventDate "1981.??.??"]

1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 e6 4. g3 b6 5. Bg2 Bb7 6. O-O Be7 7. d4 cxd4 8. Qxd4
d6 9. e4 O-O 10. b3 Nbd7 11. Bb2 a6 12. Rfd1 Qc7 13. Qe3 Rfe8 14. Rac1 Bf8 15.
Nd4 Rad8 16. Re1 Qb8 17. Qe2 g6 18. Rcd1 Bg7 19. Qc2 Nc5 20. Kh1 Qa8 21. f3 Qb8
22. Qf2 Ba8 23. Ba1 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "3"]
[Date "1981.??.??"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Quinteros, Miguel"]
[Black "Christiansen, Larry"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A30"]
[WhiteElo "2505"]
[BlackElo "2515"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "92"]
[EventDate "1981.??.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 b6 3. g3 Bb7 4. Bg2 c5 5. O-O g6 6. Nc3 Bg7 7. d4 cxd4 8. Nxd4
Bxg2 9. Kxg2 O-O 10. e4 Na6 $5 ({More solid is} 10... Nc6 {(Botvinnik-Lilientha
Botvinnik-Lilienthal, Moscow 1936).}) 11. Be3 Rc8 12. b3 Nc5 13. f3 d6 14. Qd2
a6 15. Rac1 e6 16. Rfd1 Qc7 17. Nde2 Rfd8 18. Bg5 Qb7 $2 {A tactical phase
begins.} 19. Qf4 $6 (19. e5 $1 Ng4 $1 {(Kharitonov)} 20. Bxd8 Nxe5 21. Qe3 Rxd8
22. b4 $1 {gains an advantage.}) 19... Nh5 20. Qh4 f6 21. Be3 f5 $1 22. exf5
exf5 23. Bg5 Re8 $5 24. Rxd6 b5 $1 25. Ng1 $4 ({Right is} 25. b4 $1 Nd7 26. c5)
25... Bxc3 $1 26. Rxc3 Ne4 $1 {Christiansen strikes back.} 27. Rcd3 (27. fxe4
Rxe4 $1 {wins material.}) 27... Nxd6 28. Rxd6 bxc4 29. bxc4 Qb2+ 30. Bd2 Qxa2
31. Qd4 Qxc4 32. Qxc4+ Rxc4 33. Rxa6 Rc2 34. Rd6 Re1 35. f4 Nf6 36. Nf3 Re2+
37. Kf1 Rf2+ $1 38. Kxf2 Ne4+ 39. Ke3 Nxd6 40. Kd3 Ra2 41. Be3 Ne4 42. Bd4 Kf7
43. g4 Ra3+ 44. Ke2 fxg4 45. Ne5+ Ke6 46. Nxg4 Kf5 {Larry took the lead.} 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "3"]
[Date "1981.??.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Christiansen, Larry"]
[Black "Portisch, Lajos"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D41"]
[WhiteElo "2515"]
[BlackElo "2650"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "1981.??.??"]

1. c4 c5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 e6 4. g3 Nc6 5. Bg2 d5 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. O-O Be7 8. d4
O-O 9. e4 Nxc3 10. bxc3 cxd4 11. cxd4 Bf6 12. Bb2 b6 13. Rb1 Bb7 $5 ({My
preference goes to} 13... Ba6 $1 14. Re1 Rc8) 14. d5 $1 exd5 15. exd5 Na5 16.
Ne5 Bxe5 $6 ({Another fatal line is} 16... Rc8 $6 17. Re1 Nc4 18. Nxc4 Rxc4 19.
d6 {(Berg-Velikov, Pernik 1984).}) ({Byrne and Mednis analyse} 16... Qd6 17.
Nc6 $1 Nc4 18. Bxf6 Qxf6 19. Qd3 Nd6 {and White has an advantage.}) 17. Bxe5
Rc8 ({Not} 17... Nc4 $2 18. Bxg7 $1) 18. Rc1 Qd7 19. Bc3 Ba6 20. Re1 Nb7 21.
Qd4 f6 22. Bb4 Rxc1 23. Rxc1 Rc8 24. Rxc8+ Qxc8 25. h4 Bb5 26. d6 Nc5 27. Qd5+
$1 Kf8 28. Qe4 $1 {Christiansen has found a beautiful decision.} Kf7 ({The
point is} 28... Nxe4 29. d7+) 29. Qe7+ Kg6 30. h5+ Kxh5 31. Qf7+ {Lajos
started with 1 out of 5. Larry had scored 4 1/2 points!} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "3"]
[Date "1981.??.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Ljubojevic, Ljubomir"]
[Black "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B19"]
[WhiteElo "2605"]
[BlackElo "2690"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "124"]
[EventDate "1981.??.??"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. Nf3 Nd7 7. h4 h6 8. h5
Bh7 9. Bd3 Bxd3 10. Qxd3 e6 11. Bf4 Qa5+ 12. Bd2 Qc7 13. O-O-O Ngf6 14. Ne4
O-O-O 15. g3 Nc5 16. Nxc5 Bxc5 17. Qc4 Bd6 18. Qa4 Kb8 19. Ne5 Nd5 20. f4 Nb6
21. Qb3 Bxe5 22. dxe5 Nd5 23. c4 Ne7 24. Be3 c5 25. Rxd8+ Rxd8 26. Rd1 Rxd1+
27. Qxd1 b6 28. Qd3 (28. g4 $1 Nc8 29. Qf3 {keeps a plus.}) 28... g6 $1 29.
hxg6 fxg6 30. a3 a5 31. b3 h5 32. Qe4 Nf5 33. Bf2 Qd7 {Black has improved his
position.} 34. a4 Kc7 35. Kc2 Qd8 $1 36. Kc1 $2 (36. Qh1 $1 {prevents the next
move.}) 36... g5 $1 37. fxg5 Qxg5+ 38. Kc2 $2 ({Right is} 38. Kb2 $1 Ne7 39.
Qe3 $1) 38... Ne7 39. Qh7 ({No use has} 39. Qe3 Qf5+ $1 40. Kc3 Ng6) 39... Kd7
40. Qe4 Qf5 41. Qd3+ Kc6 42. Qxf5 exf5 $1 43. Be3 Ng6 44. e6 $1 Kd6 45. Bg5
Kxe6 46. Kd2 f4 $1 47. gxf4 h4 48. Ke3 h3 49. Kf3 Kf5 50. Kg3 Nxf4 $1 51. Bd8
Ne2+ 52. Kxh3 Nd4 53. Bxb6 Nxb3 54. Bd8 Ke4 55. Kg4 Kd3 56. Kf4 Kxc4 57. Ke4
Kc3 58. Bf6+ Kc2 59. Be5 c4 60. Ke3 c3 61. Bf6 Nc5 62. Ke2 ({Or} 62. Bd8 Kd1 $1
63. Bxa5 c2 64. Bd2 Nb3 {(Karpov).}) 62... Kb3 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "3"]
[Date "1981.??.??"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Christiansen, Larry"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B09"]
[WhiteElo "2690"]
[BlackElo "2515"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "1981.??.??"]

1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. f4 Bg7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be3 Nc6 7. Qd2 e5 $5 8.
dxe5 $1 dxe5 9. Qxd8 Rxd8 10. fxe5 Ng4 11. Bg5 Rd7 $1 12. Bb5 h6 $6 (12...
Ngxe5 $1 13. Nxe5 Bxe5 14. Nd5 Kg7 15. O-O-O f6 $1 {can be played.}) 13. Bd2 $6
({Better is} 13. Bf4 $1 g5 $1 14. Bd2 $1 {(Seres-Oppenrieder, corr. DDR 1988).}
) 13... Rd8 14. Nd5 Ncxe5 15. Nxc7 Rb8 16. h3 $6 (16. c3 {consolidates the
position.}) 16... Nxf3+ 17. gxf3 Nf2 $1 18. Rf1 Bxb2 $1 19. Rb1 Bd4 20. Nd5
Nxh3 21. Bxh6 Be6 22. Rd1 Be5 23. f4 $6 ({More useful is} 23. Rh1 $1 {(Timman).
}) 23... Bg7 $6 (23... Kh7 $1 24. fxe5 Kxh6 {gains a plus.}) 24. Bxg7 Kxg7 25.
Rd3 g5 $2 (25... Rbc8 $1 26. f5 $1 Bxd5 27. Rxd5 Rxd5 28. exd5 gxf5 $1 29. Rxf5
f6 {equalises.}) 26. Rg3 $1 Bxd5 27. exd5 Rxd5 28. Bd3 Rh8 29. Rff3 Nxf4 30.
Rxf4 Rh2 31. a4 b6 32. Rc4 Rh1+ 33. Kd2 Ra1 34. Rf3 Rd7 35. Rf5 f6 36. Kc3 Rf7
37. Rd5 Rg1 38. Rc8 g4 39. Rh5 f5 40. Bxf5 g3 41. Rh7+ {The champ had restored
the rank order.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "3"]
[Date "1981.??.??"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Christiansen, Larry"]
[Black "Ribli, Zoltan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E12"]
[WhiteElo "2515"]
[BlackElo "2585"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "72"]
[EventDate "1981.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 b6 4. Bf4 Bb7 5. Nc3 Bb4 6. Qb3 Bxc3+ 7. Qxc3 O-O 8.
e3 d6 9. Be2 Nbd7 10. h3 Qe7 11. Rd1 Rfd8 12. O-O c5 13. b4 cxd4 14. exd4 a5
15. a3 axb4 16. Qxb4 Ne8 17. Rfe1 Ndf6 18. Nd2 b5 19. Qxb5 Rdb8 20. Qg5 Rxa3
21. Ra1 Rba8 22. Rxa3 Rxa3 23. Rb1 Bc6 24. Be3 h6 25. Qf4 Qd7 26. h4 Qc8 27. d5
$6 {Christiansen plays too risky in an effort to win.} exd5 28. Bd4 Qe6 $1 29.
Bf3 Ra6 30. Rb8 Kh7 31. Bxf6 Nxf6 32. Rd8 Bb7 33. cxd5 $6 Bxd5 34. Qd4 $2 Ra3
$2 ({Ribli misses the win} 34... Qe1+ $1 35. Kh2 Ra2 36. Qd3+ g6 37. Qd4 Qe5+
$1 38. Qxe5 dxe5) 35. Bxd5 Nxd5 36. Qe4+ Qxe4 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "3"]
[Date "1981.??.??"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Garcia Gonzales, Guillermo"]
[Black "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A30"]
[WhiteElo "2520"]
[BlackElo "2690"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "88"]
[EventDate "1981.??.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. g3 b6 4. Bg2 Bb7 5. O-O e6 6. d4 cxd4 7. Qxd4 d6 8. Nc3
Be7 9. Rd1 a6 10. b3 Nbd7 11. Bb2 O-O 12. e4 Qc7 13. Qe3 Rfe8 14. Nd4 Bf8 15.
Rac1 Rad8 16. Qe2 Qb8 17. Re1 g6 18. Rcd1 Bg7 19. Qc2 Ba8 20. Qb1 Nc5 21. Re2
Ng4 22. h3 Nf6 23. Kh2 h5 24. h4 Rc8 25. Kg1 Ng4 26. f3 Ne5 27. Rdd2 Qa7 28.
Kh1 Red8 29. f4 $2 {White commits a fatal weakening of the kingside.} Ng4 $1
30. Nd1 e5 $1 31. Nf3 b5 32. cxb5 axb5 33. Ng5 b4 $1 34. Nf2 Bb7 35. Nxg4 hxg4
36. f5 $5 f6 37. Ne6 Nxe6 38. fxe6 {White will lose the lonely pawn.} Ba6 39.
Rf2 Qe7 40. Bf1 Bxf1 41. Qxf1 Qxe6 42. Qb5 Rb8 43. Qc6 Bf8 44. Rc2 Rdc8 {The
world champion led by one point.} 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "3"]
[Date "1981.??.??"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Bellon Lopez, Juan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B42"]
[WhiteElo "2690"]
[BlackElo "2415"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "117"]
[EventDate "1981.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Bd3 Nf6 6. O-O d6 7. c4 Be7 8. Nc3
O-O 9. Qe2 Re8 10. Rd1 Qc7 11. Be3 b6 12. Rac1 Bb7 13. f4 Bf8 14. Kh1 Nbd7 15.
b4 Rac8 16. Nb3 Qb8 17. Bd2 g6 18. Rf1 Qa8 19. a3 Bg7 20. a4 d5 $1 {Black
liberates his position elegantly.} 21. cxd5 Nxe4 $1 22. Bxe4 exd5 23. Nxd5 Bxd5
24. Bxd5 Qxd5 25. Rxc8 Rxc8 26. Rf3 b5 27. axb5 axb5 28. h3 Bf8 29. Rd3 Qc4 30.
Na5 Re8 $1 31. Nxc4 Rxe2 32. Rxd7 bxc4 33. b5 Re6 34. Bc3 Rb6 35. Rd5 Rd6 36.
Rd4 Rxd4 37. Bxd4 Bd6 38. g3 Kf8 39. Kg2 Ke7 40. Kf3 Ke6 41. Be3 Kd5 42. Ke2
Bc5 43. b6 Bd6 44. Kd2 Bb4+ 45. Kc2 Kc6 {Black has a plus. Accurate steps by
the white king are needed.} 46. Kb2 $1 f5 ({The pointe is} 46... Ba5 47. Ka3 $1
) 47. Bf2 h5 48. h4 Kb7 49. Ka2 $1 Ba5 50. Ka3 $1 Bc3 51. Ka4 Bd2 52. Ka3 Ba5
53. Ka4 Bd2 54. Ka3 Kc6 55. Ka4 Bc3 56. b7 Kxb7 57. Kb5 Bd2 58. Kxc4 Kc6 59.
Kd3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "3"]
[Date "1981.??.??"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Ljubojevic, Ljubomir"]
[Black "Christiansen, Larry"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2605"]
[BlackElo "2515"]
[PlyCount "33"]
[EventDate "1981.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nc4 Nxe4 5. Qe2 Qe7 6. d3 Nf6 7. Bg5 Qxe2+ 8.
Bxe2 Be7 9. Nc3 Nc6 10. O-O-O Be6 11. f4 h6 12. Bh4 O-O-O 13. Ne3 Nd4 14. Rde1
Nxe2+ 15. Rxe2 Rde8 16. Rhe1 Bd8 17. Bxf6 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "3"]
[Date "1981.??.??"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Christiansen, Larry"]
[Black "Larsen, Bent"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E11"]
[WhiteElo "2515"]
[BlackElo "2610"]
[PlyCount "119"]
[EventDate "1981.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Bb4+ 4. Bd2 a5 5. g3 O-O 6. Bg2 Be7 7. O-O d5 8. Qc2
c6 9. Bg5 Nbd7 10. cxd5 exd5 11. Nc3 Re8 12. a3 h6 13. Bxf6 Nxf6 14. Ne5 Bd6
15. f4 Be6 16. Kh1 Qc8 17. f5 Bd7 18. Nxd7 Qxd7 19. e4 dxe4 20. Nxe4 Nd5 21.
Rae1 Bf8 22. Qb3 Qc7 23. Nc5 Bxc5 24. dxc5 Nf6 25. Qc3 Rxe1 26. Rxe1 Rd8 27. b4
axb4 28. axb4 Qd7 29. Qc2 Qd4 30. b5 Ng4 31. h3 Ne5 32. bxc6 bxc6 33. f6 gxf6
34. Qf5 Kg7 35. Rf1 Ng6 36. Bxc6 Ne7 37. Qf3 Nxc6 38. Qxc6 Rd5 39. Qe8 Rxc5 40.
Qe2 h5 41. h4 Rc3 42. Kh2 Qc5 43. Rd1 Qe5 44. Qf2 Rc4 45. Kg2 Re4 46. Rd2 f5
47. Qf3 Kg6 48. Rf2 Re3 49. Qf4 Qe4+ 50. Kh2 f6 51. Qb8 Qd5 52. Rg2 Re4 53. Qc8
Kf7 54. Qh8 Kg6 55. Qc8 Re7 56. Rf2 Ra7 57. Qe8+ Kg7 58. Qxh5 Ra1 59. Qf3 Qe4
60. Qxe4 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "3"]
[Date "1981.??.??"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Spassky, Boris"]
[Black "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2635"]
[BlackElo "2690"]
[PlyCount "64"]
[EventDate "1981.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Qe2 Qe7 6. d3 Nf6 7. Bg5 Qxe2+ 8.
Bxe2 Be7 9. Nc3 c6 10. b4 Nbd7 11. O-O Nf8 12. b5 Ne6 13. bxc6 bxc6 14. Bh4 h6
15. Rab1 g5 16. Bg3 Nh5 17. Rfe1 O-O 18. Nd2 Nxg3 19. hxg3 d5 20. Bg4 Bd6 21.
Na4 Nd4 22. Bxc8 Rfxc8 23. c3 Ne6 24. Rb7 g4 25. Kf1 Kf8 26. d4 Rc7 27. Reb1
Rac8 28. Rxc7 Rxc7 29. Rb8+ Kg7 30. Nb3 h5 31. Nac5 Bxc5 32. dxc5 Ng5 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "3"]
[Date "1981.??.??"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Christiansen, Larry"]
[Black "Garcia Gonzales, Guillermo"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E14"]
[WhiteElo "2515"]
[BlackElo "2520"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "107"]
[EventDate "1981.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 b6 4. e3 Bb7 5. Bd3 Bb4+ 6. Nbd2 O-O 7. O-O d5 8. a3
Be7 9. b3 Nbd7 10. Bb2 c5 11. Qe2 Ne4 12. cxd5 exd5 {So far, they have
followed the quiet game Malich-Ivkov, Halle 1963.} 13. Rfd1 Bf6 $5 14. Ne5 Bxe5
15. dxe5 Qe7 16. Bxe4 dxe4 17. Nc4 Ba6 18. Rd5 Rfd8 19. Rad1 Nf8 $1 20. Rd6
Rxd6 21. exd6 $5 Qe6 22. Qh5 $6 {White wants to bring new life to the game.}
Bxc4 23. bxc4 f6 ({The adventurous} 23... Qxc4 $1 24. Bxg7 $1 Kxg7 25. d7 Nxd7
26. Rxd7 Qe6 {leads to a difficult position.}) 24. Rd5 Rd8 25. Qd1 Rd7 26. a4
a5 $6 27. h3 Ng6 28. Bc3 Nf8 29. Qb1 $5 Rxd6 30. Rxd6 Qxd6 31. Qxe4 Qd1+ 32.
Kh2 Qd6+ ({Not} 32... Qxa4 $2 33. Qd5+ Kh8 34. Qf7 {(Kharitonov).}) 33. f4 Kf7
34. Be1 Qe6 35. Qd3 {Karpov would have exchanged the queens and get fine
chances. Christiansen plays tactically.} Qd7 36. Qc2 Ke7 37. Bg3 Kf7 38. e4 Qd4
39. e5 fxe5 40. fxe5 Kg8 $5 41. Qb3 h5 $1 42. e6 $1 {The bishop needs more
territory.} (42. Qxb6 h4 43. Bxh4 $1 Qxh4 44. Qxc5 Qf4+ {favours Black.}) 42...
Nxe6 $2 {Black plays the obvious move.} ({Right is} 42... h4 $1 43. e7 $1 hxg3+
44. Qxg3 Kf7 45. exf8=Q+ Kxf8 {and White cannot win the queen ending.}) 43.
Qxb6 Qxc4 44. Qxa5 h4 $6 ({The last chance gives} 44... Qe4 $1 {but} 45. Qb5 $1
Kh7 $1 46. a5 h4 47. Bd6 Nf4 48. Qf1 $1 Nd3 49. Qf3 {wins for White.}) 45. Qa8+
$1 Kh7 46. Be5 Qe2 47. Qd5 Nd4 48. Bxd4 cxd4 49. Qxd4 Qe1 50. Qf4 Kg6 51. Qc7
$1 Qb4 52. a5 Qa3 53. Qb6+ Kh7 54. a6 $1 ({The pointe is} 54. a6 Qg3+ 55. Kh1
$1 Qe1+ 56. Qg1 Qa5 57. a7) 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "3"]
[Date "1981.??.??"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Kavalek, Lubomir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D59"]
[WhiteElo "2690"]
[BlackElo "2550"]
[PlyCount "37"]
[EventDate "1981.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e3 O-O 6. Nf3 h6 7. Bh4 b6 8. cxd5
Nxd5 9. Bxe7 Qxe7 10. Nxd5 exd5 11. Rc1 Be6 12. Be2 c5 13. Qa4 Rc8 14. Qa3 a5
15. O-O Qa7 16. b3 Nd7 17. Bb5 Rc7 18. Rfd1 Rac8 19. h3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "3"]
[Date "1981.??.??"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Bellon Lopez, Juan"]
[Black "Christiansen, Larry"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B06"]
[WhiteElo "2415"]
[BlackElo "2515"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "98"]
[EventDate "1981.??.??"]

1. e4 d6 2. d4 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 Nc6 5. Ne2 e5 6. dxe5 dxe5 7. Qxd8+ Nxd8 8.
b3 Ne7 9. Na3 Bd7 10. Bb2 Ne6 11. Nc4 Nc6 12. O-O-O O-O-O 13. Kb1 Rhe8 14. Nc1
f6 15. h4 h5 16. Nd3 b6 17. Ne3 Ncd4 18. f4 Bb5 19. c4 Bc6 20. Nd5 Bb7 21. Rhf1
c6 22. Ne3 Bh6 23. Bh3 Kb8 24. Rf2 Nc7 25. Bg2 Bc8 26. Nb4 Bb7 27. Nbc2 Nxc2
28. Kxc2 Ne6 29. Rxd8+ Rxd8 30. Nf1 Nd4+ 31. Bxd4 exd4 32. Kd3 c5 33. Nd2 Re8
34. b4 cxb4 35. Nb3 Bf8 36. e5 $2 {White takes a needless risk by giving a
pawn.} ({Correct is} 36. f5 $1 gxf5 37. Rxf5 Bd6 38. Rxh5 Bxg3 39. Nxd4) 36...
Bxg2 37. Rxg2 fxe5 38. Re2 Bd6 39. Nxd4 Kb7 40. fxe5 $2 ({The last chance
brings} 40. Nf3 Rd8 41. Ke4 exf4 42. gxf4 Be7 43. f5) 40... Rxe5 41. Rf2 Re7
42. Ne2 Bc5 43. Rf3 a5 44. Nf4 Rf7 45. Ke4 Bd6 46. Rd3 (46. Nxg6 Rxf3 47. Kxf3
a4 $1 {and Black wins easily (Kharitonov).}) 46... Bxf4 47. gxf4 Re7+ 48. Kf3
Kc6 49. Rd5 Re1 {Christiansen ended with the same number of points as Karpov,
but Tolya has a higher Sonneborn-Berger score.} 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "3"]
[Date "1981.??.??"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Gligoric, Svetozar"]
[Black "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E12"]
[WhiteElo "2530"]
[BlackElo "2690"]
[PlyCount "44"]
[EventDate "1981.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. a3 Bb7 5. Nc3 d5 6. Bg5 Be7 7. e3 Nbd7 8. Rc1
O-O 9. cxd5 exd5 10. Be2 c5 11. O-O Rc8 12. Qb3 c4 13. Qc2 a6 14. Qf5 b5 15.
Rfd1 Nb6 16. Nd2 Ne4 17. Ndxe4 dxe4 18. Bf4 g6 19. Qh3 Nd5 20. Bh6 Nxc3 21.
Rxc3 Re8 22. f4 exf3 {Karpov could freewheel in the last three games, because
he would win Linares anyway.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "4"]
[Date "1983.??.??"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Andersson, Ulf"]
[Black "Seirawan, Yasser"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A37"]
[WhiteElo "2635"]
[BlackElo "2600"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "1983.??.??"]

1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 Nc6 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. Nc3 e5 6. O-O d6 7. a3 Nge7 8. Rb1
a5 9. d3 O-O 10. Bg5 f6 11. Be3 Be6 12. Ne1 Qd7 13. Nc2 a4 14. b3 axb3 15. Rxb3
Rfb8 16. Qb1 Ra6 17. Rb6 Qc7 18. Rb2 b6 19. Bd2 Qd8 20. a4 f5 21. Ne3 Nb4 $5
22. Rxb4 $5 {White makes a valiant sacrifice.} cxb4 23. Qxb4 {Andersson exerts
pressure on weak pawns.} Qd7 24. Rb1 Rd8 25. Qb3 Kh8 $6 26. Nc2 h6 27. Nb4 Ra5
28. h4 f4 29. Kh2 Kh7 $6 {Seirawan loses a second tempo.} 30. Nbd5 Nxd5 31.
cxd5 Bf5 32. Qxb6 Rc5 $6 (32... Rda8 {is more useful.}) 33. a5 Rdc8 34. Rb3
fxg3+ 35. fxg3 e4 $2 ({Black should play} 35... Ra8 {and suffer.}) 36. Nxe4 Rc2
37. Qe3 Qa4 $2 ({Correct is} 37... Ra2) 38. Rb7 $1 R8c7 39. Rxc7 Rxc7 40. Nxd6
Rc2 41. Nxf5 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "4"]
[Date "1983.??.??"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Sax, Gyula"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B81"]
[WhiteElo "2710"]
[BlackElo "2560"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "1983.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. g4 $5 h6 7. Rg1 Be7 8.
Be3 Nc6 9. Qe2 Bd7 $5 10. h4 Nxd4 11. Bxd4 e5 12. Be3 Bc6 13. Qd3 Qa5 14. O-O-O
Nxe4 $1 {The counteraction starts in time.} 15. Nxe4 d5 16. Qb3 $1 dxe4 17. Bc4
Rf8 $1 18. Rd5 $5 ({An advantage brings} 18. g5 $1 hxg5 19. hxg5 Qa4 ({Karpov's
} 19... g6 $2 {is answered by} 20. Rh1 $1) 20. g6 $1 fxg6 21. Qc3) 18... Bxd5
19. Bxd5 Rd8 20. Bc4 Bb4 $1 21. c3 b5 22. Be2 Bd6 23. Qd5 Ke7 $2 ({The
splendid fight is continued in} 23... a6 $1 24. Qc6+ Ke7 25. Rd1 Rd7 26. Kb1
Rb8) 24. Bc5 Bxc5 25. Qxe5+ Kd7 26. Qxc5 Qc7 27. Qf5+ Ke7 28. Qxe4+ Kd7 29.
Qf5+ Ke7 30. Re1 Rd6 $6 ({The last chance gives} 30... Rh8 $1 31. Bxb5+ Kf8)
31. Bc4+ Kd8 32. Bxb5 a6 33. Ba4 g6 34. Qf3 Kc8 35. Re7 $3 {Karpov decides the
game with a sensational move.} Rd1+ ({The wonderful pointe is} 35... Qxe7 36.
Qa8+ Kc7 37. Qa7+ Kd8 38. Qb8#) 36. Kxd1 Qxe7 37. Qa8+ Kc7 38. Qa7+ Kd6 39.
Qb6+ (39. Qb6+ Ke5 40. Qd4+ Ke6 41. Bb3#) 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "4"]
[Date "1983.??.??"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Timman, Jan"]
[Black "Spassky, Boris"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C73"]
[WhiteElo "2605"]
[BlackElo "2605"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "58"]
[EventDate "1983.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 d6 5. Bxc6+ bxc6 6. d4 exd4 7. Qxd4 c5 8.
Qd3 g6 $5 9. Nc3 Bg7 10. Bf4 Ne7 11. O-O-O O-O 12. Qd2 $6 (12. e5 $1 Bf5 13.
Qe3 {keeps a plus.}) 12... Re8 13. Bh6 Bh8 $1 14. h4 Rb8 15. a3 $6 ({Better is
} 15. h5 c6 $1 {(Nunn)} 16. Bf4 Qb6 17. b3 Qa5 18. Na4 Qxa4 19. bxa4 Bb2+ $11)
15... Be6 16. Ng5 Qc8 17. Nxe6 Qxe6 18. Kb1 $2 ({Correct is} 18. h5 $1 Qa2 $5
19. Nxa2 Bxb2+ 20. Kb1 Bc3+ 21. Kc1 Bb2+ {and perpetual check.}) 18... Rb7 19.
Ka1 Reb8 20. Rb1 Nc6 21. f4 Bd4 22. Qd3 ({It is too late for} 22. h5 {due to}
Na5 $1 23. f5 Qe5 24. hxg6 Rxb2 $1 25. gxh7+ Kh8 26. Bf4 Qg7 27. Bh6 Qg3 $1 28.
Rxb2 Bxc3) 22... a5 23. Qh3 f5 24. Rhe1 Nb4 $1 {Spassky starts a mating attack.
} 25. axb4 axb4 26. Na4 Ra7 27. Qb3 c4 28. Qa2 Rba8 29. exf5 Rxa4 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "4"]
[Date "1983.??.??"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Larsen, Bent"]
[Black "Spassky, Boris"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E91"]
[WhiteElo "2555"]
[BlackElo "2605"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "116"]
[EventDate "1983.??.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. d4 O-O 6. Be2 Bg4 7. Be3 Nc6 8. d5
Bxf3 9. Bxf3 Ne5 10. Be2 c6 11. O-O Qc7 12. Rc1 Rfe8 13. h3 Ned7 14. Re1 e6 15.
Bf1 exd5 16. exd5 Ne4 $6 {Black makes an opportunistic exchange.} 17. Nxe4 Rxe4
18. Bb6 $6 ({A slight material advantage is gained by} 18. dxc6 $1 bxc6 19. Bb6
axb6 $1 20. Rxe4 Bxb2 21. Rc2) 18... Rxe1 19. Bxc7 Rxd1 20. Rxd1 cxd5 21. Rxd5
Bxb2 22. Rb5 Bd4 23. Rxb7 $2 ({Correct is} 23. Bxd6) 23... Nc5 24. Rb1 Ne4 $1
25. g4 Bxf2+ 26. Kg2 Bc5 27. Ba5 Re8 28. Re1 Re5 29. Bd3 Ng5 30. Bc3 Bd4 31.
Bd2 Ne6 32. Kf3 Kf8 33. h4 Ke7 34. g5 f6 35. gxf6+ Kxf6 36. Be4 Nc5 37. Bc2 Ne6
38. Rd1 Rc5 39. Bd3 Be5 40. Rb1 Rc7 41. Ba5 $6 Rc6 42. a3 $6 {White allows the
decisive sacrifice of the exchange.} Ra6 43. Bb4 Ra4 44. Ke3 a5 45. Bc2 axb4
46. Bxa4 bxa3 47. Bb3 Kf5 48. Rf1+ Kg4 49. Kd3 h5 50. Kc2 Nd4+ 51. Kc3 Kxh4 52.
Bd1 Nf3+ 53. Kd3 a2 54. Bxf3 a1=Q 55. Rxa1 Bxa1 56. Ke2 g5 57. Kf1 g4 58. Bd5
Kg3 {Spassky made good use of the errors by the opponent.} 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "4"]
[Date "1983.??.??"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Spassky, Boris"]
[Black "Seirawan, Yasser"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E13"]
[WhiteElo "2605"]
[BlackElo "2600"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "105"]
[EventDate "1983.??.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. d4 b6 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Bg5 Bb7 6. e3 h6 7. Bh4 Bxc3+ 8.
bxc3 d6 9. Bd3 Nbd7 10. O-O Qe7 11. Nd2 g5 12. Bg3 O-O-O $5 ({Known is} 12...
h5 13. h3 {(Spassky-Lisitsyn, Leningrad 1956).}) 13. c5 $1 {Boris gives a pawn
before he moves his queen.} dxc5 14. Qa4 Kb8 15. Rab1 Nd5 ({Black has no time
for} 15... h5 $6 {due to} 16. Ba6 $1 h4 17. Nc4 $1 hxg3 18. Bxb7 gxh2+ 19. Kh1
cxd4 20. cxd4 {(after Timman).}) 16. Rb3 f5 17. Ba6 $1 {The pawn sacrifice
made this move possible.} cxd4 18. exd4 $2 ({Wiser is} 18. cxd4 f4 19. Nc4 Ba8
20. Na5 $1) 18... f4 {The crucial position has arisen.} 19. Nc4 $6 ({Spassky
preferred} 19. Rfb1 $1 {after the game. Black wins by} fxg3 20. hxg3 Bxa6 21.
Qxa6 c6 $1 22. Nc4 (22. Ra3 N7f6 23. c4 Qb7 $1 24. cxd5 Qxa6 25. Rxa6 Rxd5)
22... Rc8 23. Na5 Rc7 24. c4 Ka8 $1 25. cxd5 Rb8 26. Qe2 cxd5 {The piece is
returned in both variations.}) 19... Ba8 20. Bb5 c6 {Capture of the bishop is
okay.} 21. Bxc6 Bxc6 22. Qxc6 Rc8 23. Na5 Rxc6 ({Better is} 23... Rc7 $1 24. c4
Rhc8 {(Timman).}) 24. Nxc6+ Kc7 25. Nxe7 Nxe7 26. c4 Nc6 27. Bxf4+ gxf4 28. Rd1
Rf8 29. Rh3 Rf6 30. Rh5 e5 31. dxe5 Ndxe5 32. Rd5 Re6 33. h4 f3 34. gxf3 Nxf3+
35. Kg2 Nfe5 $2 ({Seirawan has seen} 35... Ncd4 $1 36. Kg3 {He misses} Ng1 $1
37. Rhe5 Nge2+ 38. Kh3 Nf4+) 36. c5 b5 $2 {He blunders again.} ({The exchange} 
36... bxc5 37. Rxc5 {draws.}) 37. Rd6 Rxd6 38. cxd6+ Kxd6 39. Rxh6+ Kd5 40. h5
a5 41. Rf6 Nd8 42. h6 Nef7 43. h7 a4 44. Kg3 Nh8 45. Rb6 Kc4 46. a3 Ndf7 47.
Kf4 Kc5 48. Rb8 Kd6 49. Rxb5 Ke6 50. Ra5 Ng6+ 51. Ke3 Kf6 52. Rxa4 Kg7 53. Ra7
1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "4"]
[Date "1983.??.??"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Larsen, Bent"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B19"]
[WhiteElo "2710"]
[BlackElo "2555"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "1983.??.??"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. h4 h6 7. Nf3 Nd7 8. h5
Bh7 9. Bd3 Bxd3 10. Qxd3 e6 11. Bf4 Ngf6 12. O-O-O Be7 13. Kb1 a5 14. Ne4 Nxe4
15. Qxe4 a4 16. Ne5 a3 17. b3 Nxe5 18. dxe5 Qa5 19. Bd2 Qc7 20. f4 O-O 21. f5
exf5 22. Qxf5 Qc8 23. Qxc8 Rfxc8 24. c4 b5 25. Kc2 Kf8 26. Rhf1 Ke8 27. Rf4 Ra7
28. Be1 Rb7 29. Rg4 Bf8 30. Rgd4 b4 31. Bh4 Be7 32. c5 Bxh4 33. Rxh4 Rb5 34.
Rc4 Rc7 35. Rdd4 Re7 36. Re4 Kd7 37. Kd3 Ke6 38. Red4 Kxe5 39. Re4+ Kf6 40.
Rf4+ Kg5 41. Rg4+ Kxh5 42. Rxg7 Rbb7 $4 ({Correct is} 42... Re6 43. Rc1 Rg6)
43. Rc1 $1 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "4"]
[Date "1983.??.??"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Andersson, Ulf"]
[Black "Larsen, Bent"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B38"]
[WhiteElo "2635"]
[BlackElo "2555"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "1983.??.??"]

1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 g6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Bg7 5. e4 Nc6 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Nc3 O-O 8.
Be2 d6 9. O-O a5 $6 10. f3 Nd7 11. Ndb5 Nc5 12. Qd2 a4 13. Rfd1 Qa5 14. Rac1
Be6 15. Nd5 Qxd2 16. Rxd2 Bxd5 $2 ({Right is} 16... Ra5 17. Rcd1 h6) 17. cxd5
Nb4 {Andersson has a nice combination.} 18. Rxc5 $1 dxc5 19. Bxc5 Nxa2 20. Bxe7
Rfc8 21. f4 $2 ({Correct is} 21. d6 $1 Bh6 22. Rd1 Bf8 23. Bf6 Bg7 24. Bxg7
Kxg7 25. d7 Rd8 26. Bc4 Nb4 27. Nd6 $1 Rxd7 28. Ne8+ Rxe8 29. Rxd7 $18) 21...
Bf8 22. d6 Nb4 $2 ({The knight moves along the proper road in} 22... Nc1 $1 23.
Bd1 Nb3 24. Rd5 Rc4 $1 25. Bh4 Nc5 $1 26. d7 Ne6 $1 27. d8=Q Nxd8 28. Bxd8 Rxe4
) 23. Bh4 Rc1+ 24. Kf2 Nc6 25. Nc7 a3 26. bxa3 Rxa3 27. e5 h6 28. Bf6 Bg7 29.
Be7 Bf8 30. Nd5 Ra8 31. h4 Rc5 32. Nf6+ Kg7 33. Bxf8+ Rxf8 34. Nd7 {Spassky
won the tournament before Karpov and Andersson.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "5"]
[Date "1985.??.??"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Christiansen, Larry"]
[Black "Huebner, Robert"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E12"]
[WhiteElo "2560"]
[BlackElo "2605"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "97"]
[EventDate "1985.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. a3 Bb7 5. Nc3 d5 6. cxd5 exd5 7. Qa4+ c6 8. g3
Nbd7 9. Bg2 Bd6 10. Nh4 O-O 11. Nf5 Bc7 12. O-O Re8 13. Bg5 Nf8 14. Rad1 h6 15.
Bc1 Ng6 16. Rfe1 Bc8 17. Qc2 Be6 18. Ne3 Qd7 19. b4 b5 20. a4 a6 21. Bd2 Bb6
22. Qd3 Ne7 23. a5 Ba7 24. Na2 $6 {Christiansen plays a passive game.} Nf5 25.
Nxf5 Bxf5 26. Qc3 Ne4 27. Qb2 Nd6 28. Nc1 Re7 29. Nb3 Rae8 30. Bf3 Be4 31. Qc3
Nc4 32. Bc1 $2 ({Correct is} 32. Bf4) 32... Bxf3 33. Qxf3 Qd6 34. Bd2 $5 (34.
Nc5 Bxc5 35. dxc5 Qg6 36. Bf4 Qc2 {is awful.}) 34... Nxd2 35. Rxd2 Qxb4 36. Rc1
Re6 37. Qd3 Qe7 38. Rdc2 Qd7 39. e3 Rf6 40. Qd1 Qf5 41. Qf1 Ree6 42. Nd2 h5 43.
Qg2 g5 44. h3 g4 45. h4 Qd3 46. Kh1 $2 Bxd4 $1 {Hübner strikes.} 47. exd4 Re2
48. Rxc6 Rfxf2 49. R6c3 {Christiansen was allowed to participate for the third
time, but he had lost his special 'Linares touch'.} 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "5"]
[Date "1985.??.??"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Ljubojevic, Ljubomir"]
[Black "Portisch, Lajos"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B44"]
[WhiteElo "2595"]
[BlackElo "2635"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "106"]
[EventDate "1985.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nb5 d6 6. c4 Nf6 7. N1c3 a6 8. Na3
Be7 9. Be2 O-O 10. O-O b6 11. Be3 Ne5 12. f3 Bb7 13. Qb3 Ned7 14. Rfd1 Qc7 15.
Rac1 Rac8 16. Bf1 Rfe8 17. Kh1 Bf8 18. Bg1 g6 19. Ne2 Qb8 20. Nc2 Qa8 21. Nc3
Rb8 22. a3 Nc5 23. Qa2 Rbc8 24. b4 Ncd7 25. Qb3 Qb8 26. Na4 Bc6 $6 27. b5 $1
axb5 28. cxb5 Ba8 29. Nb4 Nc5 30. Nxc5 bxc5 31. Na6 Qb6 32. a4 d5 33. exd5 exd5
34. a5 Qxa5 35. Nxc5 Rb8 $2 {The players are approaching the time control.} ({
Correct is} 35... Nh5) 36. Bd4 $1 Rec8 37. Qb2 Ne8 38. Nd7 Rxc1 39. Rxc1 Ba3
40. Qa1 Qd8 41. Nxb8 Bxc1 {The time control has passed, but ...} 42. Qxc1 $4 (
42. Qxa8 Bf4 43. Ba7 {wins a piece.}) 42... Qxb8 43. Qe3 Ng7 44. b6 Nf5 45. Qe5
Qxe5 46. Bxe5 Bb7 47. Kg1 Kf8 48. g4 Ne3 49. Bd3 Nc4 50. Bd4 Ke7 51. Kf2 Kd6
52. Kg3 Ne5 53. Bb5 Nc6 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "5"]
[Date "1985.??.??"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Huebner, Robert"]
[Black "Vaganian, Rafael"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A29"]
[WhiteElo "2605"]
[BlackElo "2640"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "120"]
[EventDate "1985.??.??"]

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2 Nb6 7. O-O Be7 8.
a3 O-O 9. b4 Be6 10. Rb1 a6 11. d3 Qc8 12. Bb2 Rd8 13. Qc1 Bh3 14. Ne4 Bxg2 15.
Kxg2 Qe6 16. Ba1 Nd7 17. Qc2 h6 18. Rfc1 g5 19. h3 f5 20. Ned2 g4 21. hxg4 fxg4
22. Nh2 Bg5 23. Rh1 Nf6 24. Qc4 Kf7 25. Qxe6+ Kxe6 {Black's optional edge has
been neutralised.} 26. Nb3 b6 27. Nf1 a5 $5 28. b5 Nd4 $2 {Hereafter, Black
gets many weaknesses.} ({Kovacevic regards} 28... a4 $1 29. bxc6 axb3 30. Rxb3
Rd6 31. Rc3 $6 Nd5 32. Rc4 Rxa3 33. Nh2 h5 34. Re4 {as winning for White, but}
Rxa1 $1 35. Rxa1 Nc3 36. Rc4 Nxe2 {favours White.}) 29. Bxd4 exd4 30. a4 Rd7
31. f4 $1 gxf3+ 32. exf3 Rg8 33. Kf2 h5 34. f4 Bh6 35. Rc1 Bf8 36. Nfd2 Bb4 37.
Rc6+ Kf7 38. Nc4 Re8 39. Kf3 Bd6 40. Nxd4 Bxf4 41. gxf4 Rxd4 42. Ne5+ Ke7 43.
Rxc7+ Ke6 44. Rg1 Ng4 45. Nxg4 hxg4+ 46. Rxg4 Red8 47. Rg6+ Kf5 48. Rg5+ Kf6
49. Rc6+ Kf7 50. Rxb6 Rxa4 51. Rb7+ Kf6 52. Kg4 Ra1 53. Rb6+ Kf7 54. Rc5 a4 55.
Rc7+ Kg8 56. Rg6+ Kh8 57. Rh6+ Kg8 58. b6 a3 59. b7 Rg1+ 60. Kf5 Rd5+ 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "5"]
[Date "1985.??.??"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Polugaevsky, Lev"]
[Black "Ljubojevic, Ljubomir"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E21"]
[WhiteElo "2625"]
[BlackElo "2595"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[EventDate "1985.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Qb3 a5 6. g3 Nc6 7. Bg2 a4 8. Qc2
Ba6 9. a3 Bxc3+ 10. Qxc3 Na5 $5 11. Ne5 $6 ({Better is} 11. Nd2 $1) 11... d5
12. cxd5 Nxd5 13. Qc2 Nb3 14. Qc6+ $6 (14. Rb1 {accepts a small disadvantage.})
14... Kf8 15. Bg5 Qe8 16. Nd7+ Kg8 17. e4 $2 ({Relatively better is} 17. Rd1
Na5 $1 18. Qxa4 Bc4 {(Simic).}) 17... Nxd4 $5 {Ljubo does not choose the
prosaic finale.} ({Why not} 17... Nxa1 18. exd5 exd5+ 19. Kd2 Qe2+ 20. Kc1 Bb7
$1 21. Qc3 {(Simic)? And now} Qxf2 22. Bh3 Qxd4 $1) 18. Qxa4 c5 19. exd5 Bb5
20. Qd1 Qxd7 21. Be3 Be2 22. dxe6 Qxe6 23. Qxe2 Nxe2 24. Bxa8 Qc4 25. Rd1 Nd4
26. Bxd4 cxd4 27. Be4 g6 28. Bd3 Qa2 29. Rb1 Qb3 30. Kd2 Kg7 31. Rhc1 Re8 32.
Rc7 Re6 33. Rd7 Qa4 34. Rd5 Rf6 35. f4 Re6 36. Rc1 Re3 37. Rc4 $2 Rxd3+ $1 38.
Kxd3 Qd1+ 39. Ke4 f5+ 40. Ke5 Qe2+ 41. Kxd4 Qe4+ 42. Kc3 Qxd5 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "5"]
[Date "1985.??.??"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Ljubojevic, Ljubomir"]
[Black "Korchnoi, Viktor"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C18"]
[WhiteElo "2595"]
[BlackElo "2630"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "1985.??.??"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. Qg4 O-O 8. Nf3
Nbc6 9. Bd3 f5 10. exf6 Rxf6 11. Bg5 Rf7 12. Qh5 g6 13. Qh4 c4 14. Be2 Qa5 15.
Bd2 Nf5 16. Qg5 Bd7 17. g4 $6 ({Right is} 17. O-O {(Kostro-Golz, Budapest 1960)
.}) 17... Nd6 18. h4 $6 Ne4 $1 19. Qe3 Raf8 $2 (19... e5 20. h5 exd4 21. Nxd4 {
(Ernst-Hansen, Ostersund 1992)} g5 $1 {gains a big advantage (Timman).}) 20. h5
$1 gxh5 21. Rxh5 Rg7 22. Ng5 $1 Be8 23. Nxe6 Bxh5 24. Nxg7 Bg6 25. Nf5 Qc7 {
The queen returns for defensive purposes.} 26. O-O-O $1 {Ljubojevic provokes
brilliantly.} Qa5 27. Kb2 Rf6 $6 {Korchnoi wants to move his rook to b6.} ({
Better is} 27... Qb5+ 28. Ka2 Qa4 29. Rc1 Bxf5 30. gxf5 Kh8) 28. Bf3 $1 Ne5 $2
({Black should try} 28... Bxf5 29. gxf5 Ne7 30. Rg1+ Kf8) 29. Bxe4 $1 dxe4 ({
The pointe is} 29... Rb6+ 30. Ka2 Qb5 31. Bxd5+ Kf8 32. Qh6+ Ke8 33. Bc6+ $1
Rxc6 34. Qe3 {(Kovacevic).}) 30. dxe5 (30. Ne7+ $1 {wins more quickly.}) 30...
Rb6+ 31. Ka2 Qb5 32. Qxb6 $1 axb6 ({Or} 32... Qxb6 33. Be3 $1) 33. Bf4 Qa4 34.
Rd8+ Kf7 35. Nd4 e3 36. e6+ Kf6 37. fxe3 Bxc2 38. Rf8+ Ke7 39. Rf7+ Kd8 40. Bd6
Bb1+ 41. Kb2 $1 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "5"]
[Date "1985.??.??"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Miles, Anthony"]
[Black "Huebner, Robert"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A29"]
[WhiteElo "2570"]
[BlackElo "2605"]
[PlyCount "31"]
[EventDate "1985.??.??"]

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2 Nb6 7. O-O Be7 8.
a3 O-O 9. b4 Be6 10. d3 Nd4 11. Rb1 f6 12. Nd2 Nd5 13. Bb2 c6 14. Nxd5 Bxd5 15.
Bh3 Be6 16. Bxe6+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "5"]
[Date "1985.??.??"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Huebner, Robert"]
[Black "Portisch, Lajos"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B80"]
[WhiteElo "2605"]
[BlackElo "2635"]
[PlyCount "62"]
[EventDate "1985.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 a6 6. g3 Qc7 7. Bg2 Nf6 8. O-O
d6 9. Re1 Bd7 10. a4 Be7 11. Nb3 O-O 12. f4 Na5 13. Nxa5 Qxa5 14. g4 h6 15. Be3
Bc6 16. h3 Rfe8 17. Qd2 Qc7 18. a5 Nd7 19. Na4 Rad8 20. Nb6 Nf6 21. Qc3 d5 22.
e5 Ne4 23. Bxe4 dxe4 24. Rad1 Rxd1 25. Rxd1 Rd8 26. Rxd8+ Qxd8 27. Qd4 Qxd4 28.
Bxd4 Bb4 29. Nc4 Bd5 30. c3 Bxc3 31. Bxc3 Bxc4 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "5"]
[Date "1985.??.??"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Spassky, Boris"]
[Black "Ljubojevic, Ljubomir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C49"]
[WhiteElo "2580"]
[BlackElo "2595"]
[PlyCount "41"]
[EventDate "1985.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. Bb5 Bb4 5. O-O O-O 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. Nxe5 Re8
8. Nd3 Bxc3 9. dxc3 Nxe4 10. Qf3 Qf6 11. Qxf6 Nxf6 12. Bf4 Bf5 13. Rfe1 Rxe1+
14. Rxe1 Re8 15. Kf1 Rxe1+ 16. Kxe1 Ne8 17. Kd2 Kf8 18. c4 Ke7 19. f3 h5 20. a4
f6 21. a5 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "5"]
[Date "1985.??.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Ljubojevic, Ljubomir"]
[Black "Christiansen, Larry"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2595"]
[BlackElo "2560"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[EventDate "1985.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Nc6 7. O-O Be7 8. c4
Nb4 9. Be2 Be6 10. Nc3 O-O 11. Be3 Bf6 12. Rc1 c5 13. a3 cxd4 $6 ({Right is} 
13... Nxc3 14. bxc3 Nc6) 14. Nxd4 Bxd4 15. Bxd4 Nxc3 16. Rxc3 $1 Nc6 17. cxd5
Nxd4 18. dxe6 $5 fxe6 $6 ({Lobron prefers} 18... Nxe6 $6 {but White controls
more territory in that case.}) 19. Bd3 Rf7 20. Qd2 Qf6 21. Rfc1 Raf8 22. f3 g5
$2 {A silly move.} 23. Qe3 b6 24. b4 h5 25. Rc4 e5 $2 {Black advances his
pawns unwisely.} ({Correct is} 25... Rd8 26. Rc8 Rxc8 27. Rxc8+ Kg7 {and White
has no immediate decision.}) 26. Rc7 $1 b5 27. Rxf7 Rxf7 28. Rc5 Rd7 29. Rxe5
Nxf3+ 30. gxf3 Rxd3 31. Rxg5+ Kf7 32. Qxa7+ Ke6 33. Qb6+ Rd6 34. Qxb5 Rd1+ 35.
Kf2 Qd4+ 36. Kg3 Qg1+ 37. Kh3 $1 {gives a tactical justification.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "5"]
[Date "1985.??.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Rivas Pastor, Manuel"]
[Black "Huebner, Robert"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E12"]
[WhiteElo "2480"]
[BlackElo "2605"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[EventDate "1985.??.??"]

1. d4 e6 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nf3 b6 4. Bf4 Bb7 5. e3 Be7 6. h3 c5 7. Nc3 cxd4 8. exd4
O-O 9. Bd3 d5 10. O-O dxc4 11. Bxc4 Nc6 12. Rc1 Rc8 13. Bd3 Nd5 14. Bg3 g6 15.
Re1 Na5 16. Qe2 Nxc3 17. bxc3 Bf6 18. Nd2 Bg7 19. Nf1 Qg5 20. Ne3 h5 21. Ba6
Qe7 22. Bxb7 Qxb7 23. Bh4 Qe4 24. Bg5 Nc4 25. f3 Qc6 26. g4 $6 Nxe3 27. Qxe3 $6
(27. Bxe3 {keeps the control over a2 and d4.}) 27... Qd5 {Black threatens 28...
Rxc3!} 28. Kg2 hxg4 29. hxg4 Rc6 $6 {Pawn a2 can be captured.} 30. Bh6 Rfc8 31.
Bxg7 Kxg7 32. Rh1 $1 Qxa2+ 33. Kg3 Qd5 34. Qh6+ Kf6 35. Rh5 {White attacks on
the kingside.} Qd6+ 36. Re5 $2 (36. Kg2 Ke7 37. Qg5+ Kd7 38. Rh7 Qe7 39. Qf4
Rf8 40. c4 {continues the counter-play.}) 36... Ke7 37. g5 Rxc3 38. Ra1 Qxd4
39. Qg7 Rxf3+ $1 40. Kxf3 Rc3+ 41. Ke2 Rc2+ 42. Kf3 Rf2+ {Ljubojevic and
Hübner had scored 4/5.} 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "5"]
[Date "1985.??.??"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Huebner, Robert"]
[Black "Polugaevsky, Lev"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E11"]
[WhiteElo "2605"]
[BlackElo "2625"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[EventDate "1985.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 Bb4+ 4. Bd2 Be7 5. Bg2 d5 6. Nf3 O-O 7. O-O c6 8. Qc2
b6 9. Ne5 Bb7 10. Bc3 Na6 11. cxd5 Nxd5 12. Rd1 Qc7 13. e4 Nxc3 14. Nxc3 Rad8
15. Nc4 $6 {White plays too passively in the middle game.} ({Useful is} 15. f4
$1) 15... b5 $1 16. Ne3 Qb6 17. Ne2 c5 18. d5 Nb4 19. Qd2 c4 20. b3 $1 exd5 21.
exd5 cxb3 22. axb3 a5 {Black boldly advances on the queenside.} 23. Nf4 Rfe8
24. Nf5 Bf8 $6 ({Better is} 24... Bf6) 25. Re1 $2 {White has to exchange heavy
pieces, but he makes a wrong choice.} ({The black queen supports the queenside.
Therefore, Polugaevsky prefers} 25. Qd4) 25... Rxe1+ 26. Rxe1 Qf6 27. Ne3 a4 $1
28. bxa4 bxa4 29. Nc4 Ba6 30. Bf1 Bxc4 $1 31. Bxc4 a3 32. Rb1 Qd6 33. Qd4 a2 $1
34. Ra1 ({Or} 34. Rc1 Ra8 35. Qd1 Be7) 34... Nc2 35. Qb2 Nxa1 36. Qxa1 Qa3 37.
Qd1 {Polugaevsky played a fine game. Hübner lost the lead to Ljubojevic.} 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "5"]
[Date "1985.??.??"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Miles, Anthony"]
[Black "Ljubojevic, Ljubomir"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A25"]
[WhiteElo "2570"]
[BlackElo "2595"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "116"]
[EventDate "1985.??.??"]

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. e3 Nf6 4. Qc2 g6 5. a3 Bg7 6. b4 O-O 7. Bb2 Re8 8. b5
Na5 9. Nf3 c6 10. Be2 d5 11. cxd5 cxd5 12. d4 e4 13. Ne5 Nd7 $1 14. Nxd7 Qxd7
15. Qa4 b6 16. Na2 $6 ({Wiser is} 16. Rc1 Qe6 17. Qd1) 16... Bb7 17. Bc3 $6 Nc4
$1 {Ljubo makes a clever positional sacrifice.} 18. Qb3 ({The pointe is} 18.
Bxc4 dxc4 19. Qxc4 Bd5 20. Qb4 Bf8) 18... a6 19. bxa6 Bxa6 20. Bb4 Na5 21. Bxa5
Bxe2 22. Kxe2 bxa5 23. Rhb1 Reb8 $5 ({The prosaic} 23... Qd6 $1 24. Nc3 Qxh2
25. Qxd5 Qxg2 {is fine too.}) 24. Qxb8+ Rxb8 25. Rxb8+ Bf8 26. Rc1 Kg7 27. Rb3
a4 28. Rbc3 Qb5+ 29. Ke1 Qb2 30. Nb4 (30. R1c2 Qb1+ 31. Kd2 Qf1 {moves the
attack to the kingside (Ljubojevic).}) 30... Bxb4 31. axb4 a3 32. R3c2 Qxb4+
33. Kf1 Qb3 34. Rc7 a2 35. Ra7 Qb2 36. Re1 g5 37. g3 Qb1 38. Ra8 Kg6 39. h3 f5
40. Ra6+ Kh5 41. Ra8 h6 42. Ra7 f4 43. exf4 gxf4 44. gxf4 Kh4 45. Ra3 h5 46. f5
Kg5 47. Ra5 Qd3+ 48. Re2 Qd1+ 49. Re1 Qb1 50. Ra8 Kxf5 51. Rf8+ Kg5 52. Ra8 Kh4
53. Ra3 Qb2 54. Ra8 Kxh3 55. Kg1 Qb1 56. Ra3+ Kg4 57. Rf1 h4 58. Ra8 h3 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "5"]
[Date "1985.??.??"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Ljubojevic, Ljubomir"]
[Black "Rivas Pastor, Manuel"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C03"]
[WhiteElo "2595"]
[BlackElo "2480"]
[PlyCount "117"]
[EventDate "1985.??.??"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Be7 4. c3 dxe4 5. Nxe4 Bd7 6. Qg4 g6 7. Qg3 Bc6 8. Bd3
Nd7 9. Nf3 Ngf6 10. Nxf6+ Bxf6 11. Bf4 Bxf3 12. Bxc7 Bh4 13. Bxd8 Bxg3 14. gxf3
Bxh2 15. Bg5 Bd6 16. O-O-O Be7 17. Bh6 Bf6 18. f4 O-O-O 19. Rh3 Rhe8 20. Bb5
Be7 21. Re1 a6 22. Ba4 b5 23. Bb3 Nf6 24. Kd2 Nd5 25. Kd3 Rd7 26. f5 gxf5 27.
Bxd5 Rxd5 28. Bg7 Rd7 29. Rxh7 Bd8 30. Be5 Rg8 31. Reh1 Kb7 32. Rg7 Rxg7 33.
Bxg7 f6 34. Bf8 Bb6 35. Rh6 Rf7 36. Bd6 Kc6 37. Bg3 Bd8 38. b3 Rd7 39. Bh4 e5
40. Ke3 exd4+ 41. cxd4 Kd5 42. Rh8 Ke6 43. Kd3 Kf7 44. f3 Kg7 45. Re8 Kf7 46.
Re2 Bb6 47. Bf2 Re7 48. Rb2 Ba5 49. Bg3 Bc7 50. Bf2 Ba5 51. Rb1 Rc7 52. b4 Bb6
53. Rh1 Rd7 54. Rh8 Bd8 55. a3 Ke6 56. Be3 Rd5 57. Kc3 Rd7 58. Kd3 Rd5 59. Rh1
1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "5"]
[Date "1985.??.??"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Timman, Jan"]
[Black "Huebner, Robert"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C16"]
[WhiteElo "2650"]
[BlackElo "2605"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "60"]
[EventDate "1985.??.??"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 Ne7 5. Bd2 b6 6. Qg4 O-O 7. Nf3 Ba6 8. Bxa6
Nxa6 9. Rd1 $5 Bxc3 10. bxc3 $5 Qd7 11. h4 Qa4 12. Rc1 $5 ({The crucial
variation is} 12. h5 Qxc2 13. h6 g6 {(Hübner) and now} 14. O-O $1 {gives White
the initiative for a pawn.}) 12... Nf5 13. h5 Nc5 $1 14. Nh4 Ne4 $1 15. Nxf5
exf5 16. Qxf5 Qc6 17. h6 g6 18. Qf4 f6 19. f3 Nxc3 20. Qe3 Nb5 (20... Nxa2 $6
21. Ra1 Qxc2 22. Qa3 {leads to great complications (Hübner).}) 21. O-O Qc4 22.
c3 Rae8 23. f4 f5 24. Qf3 c6 25. Ra1 Qa4 26. a3 Nc7 27. Rfb1 Ne6 28. Qd3 Rd8
29. Rb4 Qa5 30. Be3 Rf7 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "5"]
[Date "1985.??.??"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Huebner, Robert"]
[Black "Korchnoi, Viktor"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B57"]
[WhiteElo "2605"]
[BlackElo "2630"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[EventDate "1985.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bc4 Qb6 7. Nb3 e6 8.
Be3 Qc7 9. Bd3 Bd7 10. f4 Rd8 $5 11. Qf3 a6 12. O-O-O $5 Nb4 13. g4 Nxd3+ 14.
Rxd3 Bc6 15. Bd4 $1 Rc8 $5 16. Bxf6 gxf6 17. f5 Be7 18. fxe6 fxe6 19. Nd4 Bd7
20. Kb1 Qa5 21. Nce2 h5 $5 ({Best is} 21... Qe5 22. Nf4 Kd8) 22. gxh5 Qxh5 23.
Qg2 Kf7 24. Ng3 Qg4 25. a3 Rh3 $6 ({More useful is} 25... Rc5 $1) 26. Rf1 {
Black still has a proper defence, despite doubtful moves.} Bc6 $2 ({Korchnoi
has noticed} 26... Rch8 $2 27. e5 $1 dxe5 28. Nf3 Ke8 29. Nxe5 $1 fxe5 30. Qxb7
Qa4 31. Rfd1 $1 Bc6 32. Qb8+ $18) ({but he misses} 26... Rhh8 $1 27. e5 $1 dxe5
28. Qxb7 exd4 29. Qxd7 Rhd8 $1) 27. Rf4 $1 Qxf4 28. Qxh3 Qe5 29. Nf3 (29. Ngf5
$1 exf5 30. Qh5+ Kf8 31. Rh3 Qxd4 32. Qh8+ Kf7 33. Rh7+ Ke6 34. Qxc8+ Ke5 35.
Qxf5#) 29... Qa5 30. Qh7+ Ke8 31. Nh5 Ba4 32. Rd2 Qb5 33. Nd4 Qg5 34. Rd1 e5
35. Ng7+ Kd7 36. Qh3+ Kc7 37. Nge6+ 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "5"]
[Date "1985.??.??"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Timman, Jan"]
[Black "Ljubojevic, Ljubomir"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B97"]
[WhiteElo "2650"]
[BlackElo "2595"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "43"]
[EventDate "1985.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Qb6 8. Qd2
Qxb2 9. Rb1 Qa3 10. Be2 Be7 11. O-O Nbd7 12. e5 dxe5 13. fxe5 Nxe5 14. Bxf6
Bxf6 15. Rxf6 gxf6 16. Ne4 Nd7 $2 ({Theory is} 16... Qe7 {(Tal-Ftacnik, Sochi
1982).}) 17. Rb3 Qxa2 (17... Qe7 {is refuted by} 18. Nc6 $1 bxc6 19. Nd6+ Kd8 (
19... Kf8 20. Qh6+) 20. Qa5+) 18. Nd6+ Kf8 19. Qc3 Kg7 20. N4f5+ $1 exf5 21.
Nxf5+ Kg6 22. Qh3 {Hübner joined the lead with Ljubojevic, before Korchnoi.}
1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "5"]
[Date "1985.??.??"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Ljubojevic, Ljubomir"]
[Black "Huebner, Robert"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B97"]
[WhiteElo "2595"]
[BlackElo "2605"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "55"]
[EventDate "1985.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Qb6 8. Nb3
Nbd7 9. Be2 Be7 10. Qd2 h6 11. Bxf6 Nxf6 12. O-O-O Qc7 13. Bf3 Bd7 14. Kb1
O-O-O 15. Rhe1 Kb8 16. Re3 Be8 17. Rd3 Rc8 18. g3 g5 19. a3 Nd7 20. Rd4 Nc5 21.
Qe2 Bc6 22. Rb4 gxf4 23. gxf4 Nxb3 24. Rxb3 Qa5 25. Rd4 Rc7 26. Qg2 Rhc8 27.
Rc4 Bf8 28. Qe2 {White could not make progress in the top encounter.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "5"]
[Date "1985.??.??"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Huebner, Robert"]
[Black "Spassky, Boris"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C45"]
[WhiteElo "2605"]
[BlackElo "2580"]
[PlyCount "31"]
[EventDate "1985.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Nb3 Bb4+ 6. c3 Be7 7. f4 d6 8.
Bd3 Bh4+ 9. g3 Bf6 10. Be3 h5 11. h3 g5 12. Qd2 gxf4 13. gxf4 Nge7 14. Na3 Bh4+
15. Bf2 Ng6 16. Kd1 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "5"]
[Date "1985.??.??"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Ljubojevic, Ljubomir"]
[Black "Adorjan, Andras"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B81"]
[WhiteElo "2595"]
[BlackElo "2565"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "96"]
[EventDate "1985.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. g4 h6 7. h4 Nc6 8. Rg1
h5 9. gxh5 Rxh5 10. Bg5 Rh8 11. Be2 Be7 $5 ({Better is} 11... Qb6 12. Nb3 a6 {
(Hellers-Sax, New York 1987).}) 12. Qd2 Nxd4 13. Qxd4 Qb6 14. Bb5+ Kf8 $5 ({An
alternative gives} 14... Bd7 15. Bxd7+ Kxd7 16. Qd2 {(Adorjan), and now} Kc7 $1
17. O-O-O Rag8) 15. Qxb6 axb6 16. O-O-O e5 17. f3 Be6 18. b3 Nh5 19. Kb2 Nf4
20. Na4 $5 Ra5 $1 21. c4 Ne2 $5 22. Bxe7+ Kxe7 23. Rxg7 Rxh4 24. Rg8 Nd4 25.
Rd2 Rxb5 $2 {Adorjan panics due to the restraint.} ({Right is} 25... Rf4 $1)
26. cxb5 Nxf3 27. Rf2 Ne1 28. Re2 Nd3+ 29. Kc2 $2 (29. Ka3 $1 f5 30. Rg7+ Kf6
31. Rxb7 {wins eventually (Adorjan).}) 29... Nf4 30. Rd2 f5 31. Rb8 fxe4 32.
Rxb7+ Kf6 33. Rxd6 e3 34. Rbxb6 Rh2+ 35. Kc3 Kf5 ({Or} 35... Rxa2 36. Rd1 $1 e2
37. Rh1 Nd5+ 38. Kd3 Nxb6 39. Nxb6 Rb2 40. Na4 $1) 36. Rd1 Nd5+ 37. Rxd5 Bxd5
38. Nc5 $2 ({Correct is} 38. Rb8 $1 Rxa2 39. Nc5 e2 40. Rf8+ Kg4 41. Nd3) 38...
Rxa2 $2 ({Black misses the win} 38... Be4 $1 39. Nxe4 Kxe4 40. Rg6 Rh1 41. Rg2
Kf3) 39. Ra6 Rd2 40. Ra1 Bf3 41. b6 Rd5 42. b4 e2 43. b7 Rd1 44. Rxd1 exd1=Q
45. b8=Q Qc1+ 46. Kb3 Bd1+ 47. Ka2 Qc2+ 48. Ka3 Qc3+ {Ljubojevic tried to
defend the tailender unsuccessfully. Ljubo could have lost in time trouble.}
1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "5"]
[Date "1985.??.??"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Adorjan, Andras"]
[Black "Huebner, Robert"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A29"]
[WhiteElo "2565"]
[BlackElo "2605"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "78"]
[EventDate "1985.??.??"]

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2 Nb6 7. O-O Be7 8.
a3 O-O 9. b4 Be6 10. Rb1 f6 11. Ne4 {The tailender chooses a provocative
variation.} Ba2 12. Rb2 Bd5 13. Nc5 Nc4 14. Rb1 b6 15. Na4 $5 (15. Nb3 {stems
from Gulko-Karpeshov, Volgodonsk 1983.}) 15... Nd4 16. Nc3 Bxf3 17. exf3 c6 $6
({Black could have taken the initiative by} 17... a5 18. f4 c6) 18. d3 Nd6 19.
f4 exf4 $6 20. Bxf4 Rc8 21. Re1 Nf7 $6 {Hübner retreats. This leads to
positional difficulties.} 22. Ne2 Nxe2+ 23. Qxe2 Bd6 24. Be3 c5 25. Be4 g6 26.
Qa2 Kg7 27. bxc5 Bxc5 28. d4 Be7 29. Bd5 Rc3 $2 ({Weak squares are protected by
} 29... Qd6 $1 30. a4 Rcd8) 30. Bxf7 Rxf7 31. Bh6+ $1 Kg8 {Square e6 has no
protection.} 32. Rbc1 $2 ({Later Adorjan analyses the win} 32. Qe6 $1 Qc8 (
32... Bf8 33. Rbc1 $1 Qxd4 34. Rcd1 $1 Rd3 35. Rxd3 Qxd3 36. Qc8 $1) 33. d5 $1
Bxa3 34. Qe8+ Bf8 35. d6 Rc2 36. Re2 $1) 32... Rxc1 33. Rxc1 Qd7 $1 {Black is
okay.} 34. d5 Qh3 35. Bf4 Bc5 36. Re1 {Adorjan offered a draw some time after
he had made this move. It disturbed Hübner and he involved the arbiter.} Kg7
37. a4 g5 38. Be3 Re7 39. Qd2 Bxe3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "5"]
[Date "1985.??.??"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Vaganian, Rafael"]
[Black "Ljubojevic, Ljubomir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A11"]
[WhiteElo "2640"]
[BlackElo "2595"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "44"]
[EventDate "1985.??.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 c6 4. c4 g6 5. b3 Bg7 6. Bb2 Qb6 7. Qc1 O-O 8. O-O
Bg4 9. e3 Nbd7 10. Ne5 Nxe5 11. Bxe5 Be2 12. Re1 Bd3 13. cxd5 cxd5 14. Qb2 Rfc8
15. Nc3 e6 16. Rac1 Ne8 17. Bxg7 Nxg7 18. h4 Qd6 19. Na4 Nf5 20. Rxc8+ Rxc8 21.
Rc1 Rc6 22. Rxc6 Qxc6 {Ljubojevic won the tournament due to a better
Sonneborn-Berger score.  Eslon wrote the bulletin. He castigated short draws.
His idea of value for money appealed to Rentero.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "6"]
[Date "1988.??.??"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Timman, Jan"]
[Black "Georgiev, Kiril"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E41"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "76"]
[EventDate "1988.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 c5 5. Bd3 Nc6 6. Nge2 cxd4 7. exd4 d5 8.
cxd5 Qxd5 $5 9. O-O Qd8 $5 10. Bc2 Be7 11. a3 a6 $5 12. Qd3 b5 {Black's
postponement of castling is not bad.} 13. Rd1 Bb7 14. Qg3 $5 Bd6 $1 15. Qh3 $1
(15. Qxg7 $2 {Timman avoids} Rg8 16. Qh6 Nb4 $1 17. axb4 Rxg2+ 18. Kf1 Rxf2+ $1
19. Ke1 Rxh2) 15... Ne7 16. Bg5 Qd7 $2 (16... Ned5 $1 17. Nxd5 Bxd5 {bypasses
the following weakening.}) 17. Bxf6 gxf6 18. Be4 f5 19. Bxb7 Qxb7 20. d5 $1
O-O-O $6 {E6 becomes the target of attack.} 21. dxe6 fxe6 22. Nd4 $1 Qd7 $1 23.
Rac1 Kb8 24. Qe3 $5 {The weakling has to fall.} Rhg8 {Because the natural move
is refuted by} (24... e5 $3 25. Ne6 $1 Qxe6 26. Qb6+ Ka8 27. Qxa6+ Kb8 28. Qb6+
Ka8 29. Nxb5 Rd7 30. Rxd6) 25. Nxe6 Qb7 26. g3 Rd7 27. Rc2 f4 28. Qe4 Nc8 29.
Nxf4 Rf7 30. Qxb7+ Kxb7 31. Nfd5 h5 32. Ne4 Be5 33. f4 Bb8 34. Ndf6 Rh8 35.
Rd7+ Rxd7 36. Nxd7 Nd6 37. Ndc5+ Kb6 38. Nxd6 Bxd6 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "6"]
[Date "1988.??.??"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Timman, Jan"]
[Black "Portisch, Lajos"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E19"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "53"]
[EventDate "1988.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Bb7 5. Bg2 Be7 6. O-O O-O 7. Nc3 Ne4 8. Qc2
Nxc3 9. Qxc3 c5 10. Rd1 d6 11. b3 Bf6 12. Bb2 Nd7 13. Qc2 Qc7 14. Rac1 cxd4 15.
Nxd4 Bxg2 16. Kxg2 a6 17. Qe4 Rac8 18. Rc2 Rfe8 19. Rcd2 Nc5 20. Qf3 Bg5 21.
Rc2 Be7 22. Kg1 Bf8 23. Ba3 Red8 24. Rcc1 Nd7 25. Qe3 Qb7 26. Qf3 Qc7 27. Qe3 {
This game remained uninspired due to the future candidates' quarter final
between the players.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "6"]
[Date "1988.??.??"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Nunn, John"]
[Black "Timman, Jan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C11"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "108"]
[EventDate "1988.??.??"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Be3 cxd4 8. Nxd4
Bc5 9. Qd2 O-O 10. O-O-O a6 11. Kb1 Bxd4 $5 12. Bxd4 b5 13. Qe3 $6 (13. Bf2 {
was played in Chandler - Psakhis, Hastings 1987.}) (13. h4 $1 {Theory will
become}) 13... b4 $1 14. Na4 $6 Nxd4 15. Qxd4 $6 Qa5 $1 16. b3 Bb7 17. Bd3 $6 (
17. c3 {The last potential counteraction brings} bxc3 18. Qxc3 Qxc3 19. Nxc3 f6
) 17... Bc6 18. Nb2 Qc5 19. Qxc5 Nxc5 20. Rd2 a5 21. Rc1 a4 22. g3 Rfb8 23. Nd1
h6 24. Nf2 Ra5 25. Bf1 Rba8 26. Be2 Be8 27. h4 f6 28. h5 fxe5 29. fxe5 axb3 30.
cxb3 Nxb3 $1 31. axb3 Ra1+ 32. Kc2 Rc8+ 33. Bc4 Rxc1+ 34. Kxc1 dxc4 35. g4
cxb3+ 36. Kb2 Bc6 $6 (36... Rc4 $1 {Better is} 37. Kxb3 Rf4) 37. Kxb3 Rb8 38.
Rd4 Bd5+ 39. Kb2 b3 40. Nd3 $6 {The puzzle king misses his last chance before
the time control.} (40. Nd1 $1 {Timman prefers} Rf8 41. Ne3 Rf2+ 42. Kb1 $6 {
His rooks risky,} (42. Kc3 $1 {but gives fine drawing chances})) 40... Rc8 41.
Nf4 Rc2+ 42. Kb1 Rc4 43. Rxc4 Bxc4 44. Kb2 Kf7 45. Kc3 Ke7 46. Nh3 Kd7 47. g5
hxg5 48. Nxg5 Kc6 49. Ne4 Kd5 50. Nf6+ $5 gxf6 51. exf6 b2 $1 (51... Kd6 $4 {
Jan avoids} 52. h6 b2 53. f7 $1 Ke7 54. h7 {drawn.}) 52. Kxb2 Kd6 53. Kc3 Ba2
54. Kc2 e5 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "6"]
[Date "1988.??.??"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Timman, Jan"]
[Black "Illescas Cordoba, Miguel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B48"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "63"]
[EventDate "1988.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be3 a6 7. Bd3 Nf6 8.
O-O Ne5 9. h3 Bc5 10. Qe2 d6 11. f4 Ng6 12. Nb3 Bxe3+ 13. Qxe3 b5 14. a3 O-O
15. Rad1 Bb7 16. Rf2 Rad8 17. Rfd2 e5 18. f5 Nf4 19. Bf1 d5 $1 20. Qc5 $1 Qb8
$1 21. exd5 Rd6 $2 {Illescas makes the decisive mistake.} (21... Rc8 $1 {Right
is} 22. Qe3 Rxc3 $1 23. Qxc3 Ne4 24. Qf3 Nxd2 25. Rxd2 Rc8 26. f6 $1 {(Timman)}
Rd8 $1 27. Qg4 g6 28. Nc5 Bxd5 29. Qg5 Qd6 30. b4 h6 $1) 22. Na5 Rc8 23. Nc6
Qc7 24. Bxb5 $1 axb5 25. Nxb5 Ne4 26. Qe3 Nxd2 27. Nxc7 Nc4 28. Ne7+ Kf8 29.
Nxc8 Nxe3 30. Nxd6 Nxd1 31. Nxb7 Nxb2 32. d6 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "6"]
[Date "1988.??.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Nikolic, Predrag"]
[Black "Timman, Jan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E12"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "78"]
[EventDate "1988.??.??"]

1. d4 e6 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nf3 b6 4. a3 Ba6 5. Qc2 Bb7 6. Nc3 c5 7. e4 cxd4 8. Nxd4
Bc5 9. Nf3 Nc6 (9... Ng4 $1 {Even better is} 10. Nd1 Qf6) 10. Bd3 $6 (10. Bf4 {
Jan played versus Polugaevsky in Reykjavik 1987.}) 10... Ng4 11. O-O Qb8 12.
Ne2 O-O 13. h3 Nge5 14. Nxe5 Nxe5 15. Bf4 Qc7 16. Qd2 Qd6 17. Bxe5 Qxe5 18. b4
Be7 19. f4 Qc7 20. Nd4 a6 21. Rac1 a5 $5 22. e5 $1 axb4 23. axb4 g6 24. Be2 Be4
25. Bf3 Bxf3 26. Rxf3 Ra4 27. Nb5 $6 (27. Rb3 $1 {Timman prefers}) 27... Qc6
28. Rb3 $6 (28. Nd6 {A slight disadvantage results from} Bxd6 29. exd6 {
(Timman).}) 28... Bxb4 $1 {Black plays a 'très petite combinaison'.} 29. Qe2 (
29. Rxb4 {Nikolic has missed} Qc5+) 29... Rfa8 30. Kh2 Ra2 31. Rc2 Rxc2 32.
Qxc2 Bc5 33. Rb1 Ra5 34. Qe2 Ra4 35. Kh1 Bf8 36. Rc1 Rb4 37. Nd4 Qc5 38. Qd3 b5
39. Nb3 Qf2 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "6"]
[Date "1988.??.??"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Timman, Jan"]
[Black "Beliavsky, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C69"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "87"]
[EventDate "1988.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. O-O f6 6. d4 Bg4 7. c3 Qd7 8. h3
Bxf3 9. Qxf3 $1 exd4 10. cxd4 Qxd4 $5 11. Rd1 Qc4 12. Bf4 Bd6 $1 {Beliavsky
survives the storm.} 13. Bxd6 cxd6 14. Rxd6 Nh6 $1 15. Na3 Qb4 16. Rad1 O-O 17.
R1d2 Nf7 18. R6d4 Qc5 19. Nc4 Rad8 20. Qd1 Rxd4 21. Rxd4 Qe7 $6 {Black allows
a bind.} (21... b6 {Better is}) 22. Na5 $1 Rd8 23. b4 Kf8 24. a3 Ke8 25. Rxd8+
Nxd8 26. Qd4 Qd7 27. Qe3 Nf7 28. f4 h6 29. Nb3 Qd1+ $6 (29... b6 {is
preferable again.}) 30. Kh2 Nd6 $2 (30... Qd7 {The retreat (Timman)} 31. Nc5
Qe7 {is necessary.}) 31. Na5 Qc2 32. e5 Nf5 33. Qf3 fxe5 34. fxe5 Nd4 35. Qg4
Qf2 36. Nxb7 Kf7 37. Nd6+ Kg8 38. Ne8 Nf5 39. Nf6+ Kh8 40. Ne4 Qf1 41. Qf3 Qxf3
42. gxf3 Nd4 43. Kg3 Nc2 44. Nd6 {Timman had defeated a main competitor.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "6"]
[Date "1988.??.??"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Chiburdanidze, Maia"]
[Black "Timman, Jan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E06"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "64"]
[EventDate "1988.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 Be7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. O-O c6 7. Qc2 b6 8. Nbd2
Bb7 9. e4 Na6 10. exd5 $2 (10. e5 {Theory is} Nd7 11. a3) 10... cxd5 11. b3 Rc8
12. Bb2 Nb4 13. Qc3 dxc4 14. bxc4 Nc6 15. Nb3 Ne4 16. Qd3 Nd6 17. a3 Ba6 18.
Rfc1 Bf6 19. Nfd2 Rc7 20. Ne4 Nxe4 21. Qxe4 Ne7 22. Bf1 Bb7 23. Qf4 Nf5 24. Rd1
Bg5 25. Qe5 Bf6 26. Qf4 Ba6 27. d5 $2 (27. Nd2 {avoids an immediate disaster.})
27... Bxb2 28. dxe6 Qe7 29. Ra2 Nxg3 30. hxg3 fxe6 31. Qe4 Bb7 32. Qe3 Rf3 {
Poor Maia cried in her bed that night. She had made 1/2 out of 7. Jan was
cheerful, since he had scored 7 1/2 points.} 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "6"]
[Date "1988.??.??"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Timman, Jan"]
[Black "Jussupow, Artur"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D55"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "55"]
[EventDate "1988.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Bxf6 7. e3 O-O 8. Rc1
c6 9. Bd3 Nd7 10. O-O dxc4 11. Bxc4 e5 12. h3 exd4 13. exd4 Nb6 14. Bb3 Bf5 15.
Re1 a5 16. a3 Re8 17. Rxe8+ Qxe8 18. Qd2 Qd7 19. Re1 Re8 20. Rxe8+ Qxe8 21. Qf4
Be6 22. Bxe6 Qxe6 23. Qc7 Nc4 24. Qb8+ Kh7 25. Qxb7 Bxd4 26. Nxd4 Qe1+ 27. Kh2
Nd2 28. Qxf7 {Black delivers perpetual check.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "6"]
[Date "1988.??.??"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Chandler, Murray"]
[Black "Timman, Jan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C18"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "1988.??.??"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. Qg4 Qc7 8.
Qxg7 Rg8 9. Qxh7 cxd4 10. Ne2 Nbc6 11. f4 dxc3 12. Qd3 Bd7 13. Nxc3 a6 14. Ne2
$1 Rc8 $2 {Timman plays a risky variation and is not familiar with the theory.}
(14... Nf5 {Right is (Spassky-Nogueiras, Reggio Emilia 1986).}) 15. Rb1 Nf5 16.
h3 Nce7 17. g4 Nh4 18. Nd4 Nc6 19. Nxc6 Qxc6 20. Rh2 Rh8 21. Kd1 Qc7 22. Qb3
Qc5 23. Qb6 Qxb6 24. Rxb6 Bc6 25. Rf2 d4 26. Bb2 Bd5 27. Bxd4 Nf3 28. c4 Be4
29. Rd6 Ng1 30. Kd2 Kf8 31. Ke3 Bc6 32. f5 exf5 33. Rxf5 Rh7 34. e6 Re8 35. Kf2
Nxh3+ 36. Bxh3 Rxh3 37. exf7 Rh2+ 38. Kg3 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "6"]
[Date "1988.??.??"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Timman, Jan"]
[Black "Hjartarson, Johann"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D55"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "1988.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Bxf6 7. e3 O-O 8. Rc1
c6 9. Bd3 Nd7 10. O-O dxc4 11. Bxc4 e5 12. h3 exd4 13. exd4 Nb6 14. Bb3 Bf5 15.
Re1 a5 16. Ne5 Bxe5 17. Rxe5 Bg6 18. a3 Qd6 19. Qg4 Nd7 20. Re3 Kh8 21. Qe2 Nf6
22. Rd1 Rfe8 23. Re5 b5 24. Qe3 b4 25. axb4 Qxb4 26. Ba4 Rxe5 27. dxe5 Nd5 28.
Qd4 Qxb2 29. Nxd5 Qxd4 30. Rxd4 cxd5 31. Rxd5 Bf5 32. Rc5 g5 33. Kh2 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "6"]
[Date "1988.??.??"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Ljubojevic, Ljubo"]
[Black "Timman, Jan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C42"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "70"]
[EventDate "1988.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Bd6 7. O-O O-O 8. c4
c6 9. Qc2 Na6 10. a3 Bg4 {Timman has chosen a solid opening. Ljubo tries to
win but errs.} 11. Bxe4 $2 (11. c5 {Correct is} Bc7 12. Ne5 Bxe5 13. dxe5 Nexc5
14. Bxh7+ {(Timman-Salov, Saint John 1988).}) 11... dxe4 12. Ng5 $2 (12. Qxe4 {
Timman recommends} Bxf3 13. Qxf3 Qh4 14. h3 Qxd4) 12... Bf5 13. Nc3 Re8 14. Re1
Bc7 $1 15. Qb3 Qxd4 16. Be3 Nc5 $1 17. Qb4 Qd6 18. Qxc5 Qxh2+ 19. Kf1 Bg4 20.
Nh3 Re5 {Black wins.} (20... Bf3 $1 {Even better is} 21. gxf3 exf3 22. Red1 Bf4
23. Ke1 Rxe3+ $1) 21. Nd5 Bxh3 22. gxh3 Bb6 23. Nxb6 Rxc5 24. Nxa8 Qxh3+ 25.
Ke2 Rxc4 26. Rad1 Rc2+ 27. Rd2 Qf3+ 28. Kf1 Rxd2 29. Bxd2 Qd3+ 30. Re2 h5 31.
Bc3 h4 32. Ke1 h3 33. Be5 f6 34. Bg3 Qf3 35. Kd2 Qg2 {Timman had won the
tournament, one-and-a-half points before Beliavsky.} 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "7"]
[Date "1989.??.??"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Short, Nigel"]
[Black "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C90"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "87"]
[EventDate "1989.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3
Bg4 9. d3 {Short plays quiet variation with a wild twist.} O-O 10. Nbd2 Na5 11.
Bc2 c5 12. Nf1 Ne8 $5 13. Ne3 Bh5 14. g4 $5 Bg6 15. d4 exd4 16. cxd4 h5 $6 ({
Better is} 16... Nc6 17. d5 Ne5 {(Short).}) 17. dxc5 dxc5 $2 (17... hxg4 $1 18.
cxd6 Bxd6 19. Nxg4 Qc7 {and Black has positional compensation for the pawn.})
18. Ne5 Qxd1 19. Rxd1 hxg4 20. Bd2 Nb7 21. Nxg6 $1 fxg6 {The triple pawn is a
rarity for Karpov.} 22. e5 Kh7 23. Nd5 Bd8 24. Nf4 Rf5 25. Bxf5 gxf5 26. Be3
Bc7 27. Rd5 Na5 28. Bxc5 Nc4 29. Nd3 Nd2 30. Kg2 Ne4 31. Rc1 Bd8 32. Be3 Nc7
33. Rd7 Ne6 34. Nf4 Nf8 35. Rb7 Bg5 36. Rcc7 Bxf4 37. Rxg7+ Kh8 38. Bxf4 Ne6
39. Rh7+ Kg8 40. Bh6 f4 41. Rhe7 f3+ 42. Kf1 N4c5 43. Rb6 Rd8 44. Rd6 {Karpov
had a poor start.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "7"]
[Date "1989.??.??"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Timman, Jan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B08"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "86"]
[EventDate "1989.??.??"]

{A cord separates audience and players. Ivanchuk nearly fall over it.} 1. e4 d6
2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Be2 O-O 6. O-O Bg4 7. h3 Bxf3 8. Bxf3 Nc6 9.
Ne2 e5 10. c3 Nd7 11. b3 Nb6 $5 {This new move loses time.} ({I like} 11... Qh4
{as preparation of ..f5 or ..Bh6.}) 12. d5 $1 Ne7 13. c4 f5 14. Nc3 Nd7 15. Rb1
a5 16. a3 Nf6 17. b4 axb4 18. axb4 fxe4 19. Nxe4 Nxe4 20. Bxe4 Nf5 21. g3 Qf6
22. Qd3 Nd4 $6 {The knight will have to return.} ({More active is} 22... Ra2)
23. Kg2 Ra4 24. h4 Kh8 25. Rb2 Nf5 26. Bg5 Qf7 27. Rh1 h6 $2 {Black should
exchange.} ({Right is} 27... Bf6 $1 28. Bxf5 e4 29. Bxf6+ Qxf6 30. Qb3 gxf5 31.
Qxa4 Qxb2) 28. h5 $1 gxh5 29. Qd1 $1 Ra3 30. Qxh5 Kg8 31. Qxf7+ Rxf7 32. Bd2
Rf6 33. Rbb1 $1 (33. Bxf5 Rxf5 34. Bxh6 Bxh6 35. Rxh6 {wins a pawn but gives
drawing chances.}) 33... Ra2 34. Rhd1 Nd4 35. Ra1 Rxa1 36. Rxa1 Nb3 37. Ra8+
Rf8 38. Rxf8+ Bxf8 ({Timman prefers} 38... Kxf8 39. Be3 Nd4 {However} 40. b5 $1
{advances the winning manoeuvre Kh3-g4-h5.}) 39. Be3 Nd4 40. b5 Nb3 41. Kh3 Nc5
42. Bf5 Na4 43. Kg4 Nb2 (43... Nb2 44. Kh5 $1 Nxc4 45. Bxh6 Bxh6 46. Kxh6 {and
the g-pawn becomes unstoppable.}) 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "7"]
[Date "1989.??.??"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Gulko, Boris"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A33"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "48"]
[EventDate "1989.??.??"]

1. c4 c5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 e6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nc6 6. g3 Qb6 7. Nb3 Ne5 8. e4
Bb4 9. Qe2 d6 10. f4 Nc6 11. Bg2 $6 e5 $1 12. Bd2 O-O 13. f5 Bd7 14. Qd3 Nd4
15. Rd1 Bc6 16. Rf1 $2 ({Correct is} 16. Nxd4 exd4 17. Nd5) 16... Nxb3 17. axb3
Nd7 $2 (17... Bxc3 $1 18. Bxc3 Qxb3 {wins a pawn.}) 18. Qc2 f6 19. Ke2 Nc5 20.
Be3 Bxc3 21. Bxc5 dxc5 22. bxc3 a5 23. Ra1 Rfd8 24. Ke3 Rd6 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "7"]
[Date "1989.??.??"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Beliavsky, Alexander"]
[Black "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E55"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "1989.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 c5 6. Nf3 d5 7. O-O dxc4 8. Bxc4
Nbd7 9. Qe2 b6 10. a3 cxd4 11. axb4 dxc3 12. bxc3 Qc7 13. Bb2 Bb7 14. Ba6 Bxa6
15. Rxa6 Rfc8 16. Rd1 h6 17. h3 Qb7 18. b5 Nc5 19. Raa1 a6 20. c4 axb5 21. Bxf6
gxf6 22. Rxa8 Qxa8 23. cxb5 Ne4 24. Qb2 Rc5 25. Nd4 Qd5 26. Rc1 Kg7 27. Rxc5
bxc5 $2 (27... Qxc5 $1 {avoids the following problems.}) 28. Ne2 Qd1+ 29. Kh2
Nd6 30. Ng3 h5 31. f3 $1 Qd5 32. h4 c4 33. b6 Kg6 34. Qb4 f5 35. b7 $2 {
Beliavsky miscalculates in time trouble.} Nxb7 36. Qe7 $2 Qd8 $1 {Black finds
an elegant win.} 37. Qxb7 Qxh4+ 38. Kg1 Qxg3 39. Qb4 Qc7 40. Qf8 c3 41. f4 Kf6
0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "7"]
[Date "1989.??.??"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Short, Nigel"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C61"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "88"]
[EventDate "1989.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nd4 4. Nxd4 exd4 5. Bc4 Nf6 6. Qe2 Bc5 7. e5 $6 ({
An appropriate ambition shows} 7. d3 {(Semeniuk-Malaniuk, Sverdlovsk 1987).})
7... O-O $1 8. O-O d5 $1 9. exf6 dxc4 10. Qh5 $2 {Short continues the flight
forwards.} ({Better is} 10. Qxc4 {(Dubinin-Klaman, Leningrad 1947)}) ({or} 10.
fxg7 Re8 11. Qxc4 {(Zagrebelny-Malaniuk, Taskkent 1987).}) 10... b6 $1 11. fxg7
Re8 12. d3 cxd3 13. cxd3 Ba6 $1 14. Qf3 Qe7 15. Bf4 Qe2 16. Nd2 Qxf3 17. Nxf3
Bxd3 18. Rfe1 Be2 19. Bxc7 d3 20. a3 a5 21. Bf4 Re4 22. Bd2 Rae8 23. Bc3 a4 24.
Ng5 Rc4 25. Rad1 Rc8 26. Ra1 Rd8 27. Nf3 Rxc3 $5 28. bxc3 d2 29. Rxe2 d1=Q+ 30.
Rxd1 Rxd1+ 31. Ne1 Rc1 32. Re4 f5 33. Re8+ Kxg7 34. Kf1 Rxc3 35. Ke2 Rxa3 36.
Nd3 Ra2+ 37. Kf3 Ra3 38. Rd8 Rc3 39. Kf4 a3 40. Rd7+ Kf8 41. Ne5 a2 42. Kxf5
a1=Q 43. Rd8+ Kg7 44. Rd7+ Kg8 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "7"]
[Date "1989.??.??"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Gulko, Boris"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C64"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "47"]
[EventDate "1989.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 Bb6 $6 ({Usual is} 5... exd4 6.
e5 Ne4 {(Wülfling-Lange, Düsseldorf 1864).}) 6. dxe5 Nxe4 7. Qe2 d5 8. exd6 O-O
9. dxc7 Bxc7 10. O-O Re8 11. Be3 Bg4 12. Nbd2 Nxd2 13. Qxd2 Qf6 14. Be2 Rad8
15. Qc2 Rd5 16. Qa4 Qg6 17. Ne5 $3 Rdxe5 18. Qxg4 Qc2 19. Bf3 Bb6 20. Bxb6 axb6
21. Qc4 Qxb2 22. Rab1 Qc2 23. Rxb6 Na5 24. Qb4 $6 (24. Qb4 Qd3 $1 {(threatens
25...Qxf1+)} 25. Qb1 Qxc3 {forces a draw.}) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "7"]
[Date "1989.??.??"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Jussupow, Artur"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A88"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "1989.??.??"]

1. c4 f5 2. d4 Nf6 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. Nc3 d6 6. Nf3 O-O 7. O-O c6 8. b3 Qc7
9. Ba3 a5 10. Rc1 Na6 11. Qd2 Bd7 12. Rfe1 Nb4 13. Bb2 $1 e5 14. a3 Na6 $2 ({
Right is} 14... exd4 15. Qxd4 Na6) 15. dxe5 dxe5 16. Nb5 $1 {White takes the
hostile position by force.} cxb5 17. cxb5 Nc5 18. Bxe5 Qb6 19. Bxf6 Bxf6 20.
Qd5+ Ne6 21. Qxd7 Rad8 22. Rc6 $1 {The combination continues with another
pseudo sacrifice.} Rxd7 ({Or} 22... bxc6 23. Qxe6+ {(Karpov).}) 23. Rxb6 Nc5
24. b4 axb4 25. axb4 Ne4 26. e3 Kf7 27. h4 Rb8 28. Rc1 Ke7 29. Nd4 Kf7 30. Bxe4
fxe4 31. Ne6 Bd8 32. Ng5+ Bxg5 33. hxg5 Re8 34. Rc4 Kg7 35. Kg2 Rf7 36. Rd6 h6
37. gxh6+ Kxh6 38. b6 Re5 39. Rc7 Rf8 40. Rxb7 Ref5 41. Rd2 Rb5 42. Rd4 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "7"]
[Date "1989.??.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Beliavsky, Alexander"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C64"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "50"]
[EventDate "1989.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d4 Bb6 $6 {Ivanchuk played the
Cordel Variation with White in the previous round.} 6. Nxe5 $5 Nxe5 7. dxe5
Nxe4 8. Qg4 Bxf2+ 9. Ke2 $5 Qh4 10. Qxg7 Rf8 11. Nd2 Bc5 $6 (11... Nxd2 12.
Bxd2 Bc5 {will be played by Short and Gulko in the next round.}) 12. Nf3 Qf2+
$6 ({Black diverts from the more solid} 12... Qh5 {(Gilezetdinov-Tolush, corr.
1970).}) 13. Kd1 Be7 $1 14. Re1 Qb6 15. Rxe4 Qxb5 16. c4 Qc6 17. Qxh7 d5 {A
critical position has been reached.} 18. exd6 $6 (18. Rd4 $1 dxc4 19. Bh6 {
gains a mighty advantage.}) 18... Qxd6+ 19. Rd4 Qb6 20. Qe4 Rg8 21. Be3 $4 ({
Correct is} 21. Qh7 $1 {(Timman)} Qg6 ({not} 21... Rxg2 $4 22. Qh8+ Bf8 23.
Rd8+ $1)) 21... Qxb2 22. Rb1 Qxg2 23. Rb5 ({Black also wins by} 23. Rxb7 $1
Qf1+ 24. Kc2 Rg2+ 25. Bd2 Bxb7 26. Qxb7 Rd8) 23... Bg4 24. Rf5 Qf1+ 25. Kc2
Qe2+ ({No escape brings} 25... Qe2+ 26. Rd2 Bxf5 $1 27. Qxf5 Qxe3 28. Ne5 Rg7)
0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "7"]
[Date "1989.??.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Sokolov, Andrei"]
[Black "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C92"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "1989.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3
O-O 9. h3 Bb7 10. d4 Re8 11. Ng5 Rf8 12. Nf3 Re8 13. Nbd2 Bf8 14. a4 Qd7 15.
axb5 axb5 16. Rxa8 Bxa8 17. d5 Ne7 18. Nf1 h6 19. N3h2 c5 20. dxc6 Nxc6 21. Ng4
Nxg4 22. hxg4 b4 23. g5 hxg5 24. Bxg5 Na5 25. Ba4 Bc6 26. Bxc6 Nxc6 27. Ne3
bxc3 28. bxc3 Be7 29. Bxe7 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "7"]
[Date "1989.??.??"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Jussupow, Artur"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C80"]
[PlyCount "63"]
[EventDate "1989.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5
Be6 9. Nbd2 Nc5 10. c3 d4 11. Bxe6 Nxe6 12. cxd4 Ncxd4 13. a4 Be7 14. Nxd4 Nxd4
15. Ne4 O-O 16. axb5 Nxb5 17. Be3 Qc8 18. Qc2 Qe6 19. f4 f6 20. exf6 Bxf6 21.
f5 Qe5 22. Bc5 Nd6 23. Nxf6+ Rxf6 24. Rae1 Qd5 25. Rd1 Qc6 26. Qb3+ Kh8 27. Qd5
Qxd5 28. Rxd5 Re8 29. g4 h6 30. h3 Kh7 31. Bd4 Rf7 32. Rf3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "7"]
[Date "1989.??.??"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Ljubojevic, Ljubomir"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D36"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "89"]
[EventDate "1989.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5 c6 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Bd3 Be7 8.
Qc2 O-O 9. Nf3 Re8 10. O-O Nf8 11. Rab1 Ne4 12. Bxe7 Qxe7 13. b4 a6 14. a4 Bf5
15. Ne5 $5 Rad8 (15... f6 $1 16. Nf3 Nxc3 17. Qxc3 Bxd3 18. Qxd3 {draws 
(Rendboe-Bank Friis, Bellinge 1991).}) 16. Rfc1 Ng6 17. Bxe4 Bxe4 18. Nxe4 {
Drawing is still easy for Black.} dxe4 $2 ({The weakness on e4 is avoided by} 
18... Nxe5 $1 {(Karpov).}) 19. Nxg6 hxg6 20. b5 $1 {The minority attack will
cause a second weakness.} cxb5 21. axb5 Rd6 22. bxa6 bxa6 23. Qa4 Qd7 $6 (23...
Qe6 {hinders the restriction.}) 24. Qxd7 Rxd7 25. Rc5 $1 Ra7 26. Ra5 Kf8 27.
Rb6 Rea8 28. h4 $1 Ke7 29. Kh2 Kd7 30. Kg3 Kc7 31. Rb2 Rb7 32. Rc5+ Kb8 33. Ra2
Re7 34. Kf4 Kb7 35. Rb2+ Ka7 36. Rc6 $1 Rh8 37. Ra2 $1 a5 ({The pointe is} 
37... Rxh4+ 38. Kg3 Rh5 39. Rcxa6+ Kb8 40. Ra8+ Kc7 41. R2a7+ Kd6 42. Rd8+ Ke6
43. Ra6+ Kf5 44. Rd5+ Re5 45. Rxe5#) 38. Rxa5+ Kb7 39. Rca6 Rxh4+ 40. Kg3 Rh5
41. Ra7+ Kc6 42. R5a6+ Kb5 43. Rxe7 Rg5+ 44. Kh2 Kxa6 45. Rxf7 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "7"]
[Date "1989.??.??"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Hjartarson, Johann"]
[Black "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C93"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "74"]
[EventDate "1989.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3
O-O 9. h3 Bb7 10. d4 Re8 11. Nbd2 Bf8 12. a3 h6 13. Bc2 Nb8 14. b4 Nbd7 15. Bb2
g6 16. Rb1 c6 $5 17. Nb3 Rc8 18. dxe5 dxe5 19. c4 c5 $1 20. Nxc5 $5 Nxc5 21.
Qxd8 Rexd8 22. bxc5 Rxc5 23. Bxe5 Nd7 $1 24. Bd4 $6 ({Karpov prefers} 24. Rbd1
$1) 24... Rxc4 25. Bb3 Rc7 26. Nh4 $2 {The left flank should get attention.} (
26. a4 $1 b4 27. Rbd1 Nc5 28. Bxc5 Rxd1 29. Rxd1 Bxc5 30. Ne5 {defends
actively on the queenside and in the centre.}) 26... Nc5 $1 27. Be5 ({Or} 27.
Bxc5 Bxc5 28. Nxg6 Rd2) 27... Rcc8 28. Bf6 Rd3 29. Bc2 Rd2 30. Rb2 Nd7 31. Bb1
Rd6 32. e5 Rb6 33. a4 Nxf6 34. exf6 b4 35. Ba2 Rxf6 36. Rd1 Rc3 37. Nf3 Bc6 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "7"]
[Date "1989.??.??"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Sokolov, Andrei"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B85"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "112"]
[EventDate "1989.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be2 a6 7. O-O Nf6 8.
Be3 Be7 9. f4 d6 10. Kh1 O-O 11. Qe1 Nxd4 12. Bxd4 b5 13. e5 dxe5 14. Bxe5 Qb6
15. Qg3 Bb7 16. f5 exf5 17. Rxf5 g6 18. Raf1 Ne4 19. Nxe4 Bxe4 20. R5f2 Qe6 21.
b3 $6 Bxc2 22. Bf3 Rac8 23. Bb7 Rc5 24. Bd4 Bd6 25. Qe3 Qxe3 26. Bxe3 Rc7 27.
Bxa6 Bd3 28. Rd1 Re8 29. Bh6 Rce7 {Bishop a6 meets difficulties. White needs a
counterattack.} 30. Bd2 $2 ({Right is} 30. g3 $1 Be4+ $1 31. Kg1 Bc5 32. Bxb5
Bf3 $1 33. Rdf1 Be2 34. Bxe8 Bxf1 35. Kxf1 Bxf2 36. Bb5 Be3 37. Bxe3 Rxe3 38.
Bc4 {and White seems to survive.}) 30... Ra7 31. Bc3 Rxa6 32. Rxd3 b4 33. Bd2
Rxa2 34. Rf1 Re2 35. Rd1 Be7 36. g4 h6 37. Bf4 Bf6 38. R3d2 Raxd2 39. Rxd2 Re4
40. Bxh6 Rxg4 41. Be3 Re4 42. Rd3 Bc3 43. Kg2 Re8 44. Kf3 Ra8 45. h3 f6 46. Bc5
Ra5 47. Bd6 Ra2 48. Ke4 Rb2 49. Kd5 Rxb3 50. Bxb4 Rxb4 51. Rxc3 Kg7 52. Rc7+
Kh6 53. Ke6 Rb6+ 54. Kd5 Rb3 55. h4 Re3 56. Rc8 f5 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "7"]
[Date "1989.??.??"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Ljubojevic, Ljubomir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D94"]
[PlyCount "37"]
[EventDate "1989.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 g6 5. Nf3 Bg7 6. Bd3 O-O 7. O-O Nbd7 8. cxd5
Nxd5 9. Nxd5 cxd5 10. Qb3 Nb8 11. Ne5 Bxe5 12. dxe5 Nc6 13. f4 Qb6 14. Qxb6
axb6 15. Bd2 Bf5 16. Bb5 Rfd8 17. Rfc1 Rac8 18. Kf1 g5 19. g3 {Ivanchuk had
scored 5 1/2 and Karpov 5 points out of seven games.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "7"]
[Date "1989.??.??"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Hjartarson, Johann"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A29"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "96"]
[EventDate "1989.??.??"]

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. g3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Bg2 Nb6 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. a3 Be7 8.
O-O O-O 9. b4 Re8 10. d3 a5 $5 11. b5 Nd4 12. Nd2 $5 ({An alternative brings} 
12. Nxe5 $5 Bf6 13. f4 Bxe5 14. fxe5 Rxe5 {(Seckar-Stajcic, Topolciansky 1994)}
15. Rb1) 12... a4 $5 13. Bb2 Bf8 14. e3 Ne6 15. Qc2 Nc5 $1 16. d4 exd4 17. exd4
Qxd4 $6 {Ivanchuk sacrifices the exchange.} 18. Nd5 Qd3 $1 19. Qxd3 Nxd3 20.
Nxc7 Nxb2 {White has to prepare a capture.} 21. Nxe8 $2 ({Better is} 21. Rfb1
$1 N2c4 22. Nxc4 Nxc4 {and now the desired} 23. Nxe8 {can be played.} Nxa3 24.
Nc7 Ra5 25. Rc1) 21... Bf5 $1 22. Nc7 Rd8 $3 23. Ne4 $2 ({Right is} 23. Nf3 Rd7
24. Rfc1) 23... Rc8 $1 24. Rfc1 N2c4 25. Rxc4 Nxc4 26. Nd5 Nxa3 $1 27. b6 Rc4
28. Ne3 Rxe4 29. Nxf5 Rb4 30. Bxb7 Nc4 31. Ne3 Nxe3 32. fxe3 Rxb6 33. Bd5 Ra6
34. Kg2 a3 35. e4 Bd6 36. Rc1 g6 37. Rc2 Kg7 38. Rf2 Ra7 39. Rc2 Be5 40. Rf2
Rc7 41. Rf3 Ra7 42. Rf2 f6 43. Rc2 h5 44. Kf3 Bb2 45. Ba2 Rd7 46. Ke2 Kh6 47.
Rc8 Rd4 48. Rc4 g5 (48... g5 49. Rxd4 Bxd4 50. h3 g4 $1 {and Black will
utilise the winning advantage.}) 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "7"]
[Date "1989.??.??"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Portisch, Lajos"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D31"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "113"]
[EventDate "1989.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bf4 c6 6. e3 Bf5 7. g4 Bg6 8. h4
h5 9. g5 Bd6 10. Nge2 Na6 $5 11. Bxd6 Qxd6 12. Nf4 Nc7 13. Be2 Qb4 $5 14. Qd2
Ne7 15. Bf3 Ne6 16. Nce2 Nxf4 17. Nxf4 Qxd2+ 18. Kxd2 Be4 19. Bxe4 dxe4 20.
Rac1 O-O-O 21. Rc5 Nd5 22. Nxd5 Rxd5 23. Rhc1 Rhd8 24. b4 Kc7 $2 (24... Rxc5
25. bxc5 (25. Rxc5 Rd5) 25... Rd5 $1 {(Karpov).}) 25. Ke2 $1 a6 26. f3 exf3+
27. Kxf3 R5d6 28. Rf5 R8d7 29. Rcc5 Re7 30. Rce5 Kd8 31. a4 g6 32. Rxe7 Kxe7
33. Re5+ Kf8 34. Ke4 f6 35. gxf6 Rxf6 {Black manages to exchange.} 36. b5 $1
axb5 37. axb5 Kf7 38. Rc5 Ke7 39. Rg5 Kf7 40. Rg2 $5 Rf5 $1 ({Not} 40... cxb5
$2 41. Rb2) 41. bxc6 bxc6 42. Rc2 Rf6 43. Ra2 Ke7 44. Ra7+ Kd6 45. Rg7 Ke6 46.
Kd3 $5 {Portisch must start a counteraction.} Kd6 $2 ({Right is} 46... c5 $1
47. Ke4 $1 (47. dxc5 Kd5 48. Rc7 Rf3 $1) 47... cxd4 48. exd4 Kd6 49. d5 Kc5 50.
Rc7+ Kd6 51. Rc6+ Ke7 52. Rxf6 Kxf6 53. Kd4 Kf7 $1 54. Ke5 Ke7 55. d6+ Kd7 56.
Kd5 g5 $1 57. hxg5 h4 58. g6 h3 59. g7 h2 60. g8=Q h1=Q+ {Black is saved by a
check.}) 47. e4 Rf4 48. e5+ Ke6 49. Rxg6+ Kd7 50. Kc4 $1 Rf1 51. Rh6 Rc1+ 52.
Kd3 c5 53. d5 c4+ 54. Kd2 Rh1 55. Rh7+ Ke8 56. Rxh5 Rh3 57. Kc2 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "7"]
[Date "1989.??.??"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C92"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "58"]
[EventDate "1989.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3
O-O 9. h3 Bb7 10. d4 Re8 11. Nbd2 Bf8 12. a4 h6 13. Bc2 exd4 14. cxd4 Nb4 15.
Bb1 bxa4 16. Rxa4 a5 17. Ra3 Ra6 18. Nh2 g6 19. f4 d5 $5 {Karpov wants to
fight.} 20. e5 Ne4 21. Ng4 $5 c5 22. Nxe4 dxe4 23. dxc5 Bxc5+ 24. Be3 Bf8 25.
Nf6+ $5 {His opponent desires to draw.} Rxf6 26. Qxd8 Rxd8 27. exf6 Nd3 28. Rd1
Bxa3 29. bxa3 Bd5 {Ivanchuk kept the lead.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "7"]
[Date "1989.??.??"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Timman, Jan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D27"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "86"]
[EventDate "1989.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Bd3 dxc4 6. Bxc4 c5 7. O-O a6 8. a4
Nc6 9. Qe2 Qc7 10. Nc3 Bd6 11. Rd1 O-O 12. h3 b6 13. d5 Ne5 $5 {Timman brings
a novelty.} 14. Nxe5 Bxe5 15. dxe6 Bxe6 16. Bxe6 fxe6 17. Qc4 $5 {Karpov 'asks
for trouble', because he needs a win.} Qc6 18. Bd2 Nd5 19. Be1 Rfd8 20. Rab1
Bxc3 21. Bxc3 b5 22. Qh4 Rd7 23. Be5 Rf8 24. Rbc1 c4 25. Qg3 Nf6 26. axb5 axb5
27. f3 Rd5 {White seems to have an advantage.} 28. Bc3 ({Timman recommends} 28.
Rxd5 Qxd5 29. Ra1 {but} Nh5 $1 30. Qg5 h6 $1 31. Qxh5 Rf5 32. Qe8+ Rf8 33. Qh5
{leads to a perpetual.}) 28... Qc5 29. Bd4 Qd6 30. Qxd6 Rxd6 31. Bxf6 Rxd1+ 32.
Rxd1 gxf6 33. Rd6 Ra8 34. Rb6 Ra1+ 35. Kh2 Rb1 36. Rxb5 c3 37. Rc5 cxb2 38. Rb5
Kf7 39. Rb7+ Kg6 40. e4 f5 41. exf5+ Kxf5 42. Kg3 Ke5 43. Rb4 Kd5 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "7"]
[Date "1989.??.??"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Portisch, Lajos"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D46"]
[PlyCount "30"]
[EventDate "1989.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c6 4. e3 Nf6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Be2 O-O 8. O-O
dxc4 9. Bxc4 b5 10. Be2 Bb7 11. Bd2 a6 12. Ne4 Nxe4 13. Qxe4 Rb8 14. Qh4 Qxh4
15. Nxh4 c5 {Ivanchuk has won the tournament, half-a-point before Karpov.}
1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "8"]
[Date "1990.??.??"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E99"]
[WhiteElo "2615"]
[BlackElo "2800"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "89"]
[EventDate "1990.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be2 O-O 6. Nf3 e5 7. O-O Nc6 8. d5
Ne7 9. Ne1 Nd7 10. Nd3 f5 11. Bd2 Nf6 12. f3 Kh8 13. Rc1 c5 14. g4 $5 a6 15.
Nf2 h6 $6 {A new move is played at last. White gets a target.} ({Known is} 
15... Bd7 {(Ftacnik-Ost Hansen, Esbjerg 1982).}) 16. h4 fxg4 17. fxg4 Neg8 18.
Kg2 Nh7 19. Rh1 Bf6 20. g5 $5 hxg5 21. h5 $1 Qe8 $1 {The critical position has
arisen.} 22. b4 $6 ({White gains a plus by} 22. Qa4 $1 b5 $5 (22... Bd7 $2 23.
hxg6 Nh6 24. Rxh6 Bxa4 25. Bg4 $1) 23. cxb5 Bd7 {(Gelfand)} 24. Qb3 axb5 25.
Bxb5) 22... cxb4 23. Na4 Bd8 24. Bxb4 Bd7 25. hxg6 Qxg6 26. c5 g4 $1 27. c6 $1
g3 $1 28. Nd3 bxc6 29. dxc6 Rc8 {The game is about equal.} 30. Bf3 $5 Rxf3 $1
31. Qxf3 Bg4 32. Qxg3 Qxe4+ 33. Kg1 Ngf6 34. Bxd6 $1 {Gelfand finds an elegant
solution for the new problems.} Qd4+ 35. Nf2 Qxd6 36. Nxg4 Qd4+ 37. Nf2 Qxa4
38. Qxe5 Rc7 39. Rh2 Rg7+ 40. Rg2 Bc7 41. Qf5 Qxa2 42. Qc8+ Qg8 43. Qxg8+ Kxg8
44. Rxg7+ Kxg7 45. Nd3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "8"]
[Date "1990.??.??"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Short, Nigel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A26"]
[WhiteElo "2800"]
[BlackElo "2635"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "95"]
[EventDate "1990.??.??"]

1. c4 Nc6 2. Nc3 e5 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. d3 d6 6. e4 Be6 7. Nge2 Qd7 8. Nd5
Nce7 9. d4 c6 10. Ne3 Bh3 11. O-O Bxg2 12. Kxg2 exd4 13. Nxd4 h5 $5 ({Gary
diverts from} 13... Nf6 {(Timman-Bednarski, Dieren 1970).}) 14. a4 Nh6 15. Ra3
O-O-O 16. a5 h4 17. a6 b6 18. Nf3 hxg3 19. fxg3 f6 20. c5 $5 ({Preparation by} 
20. b4 {is plausible.}) 20... dxc5 $1 21. Qb3 Kb8 $5 (21... Ng4 $6 22. Nxg4
Qxg4 23. Qf7 Rh7 {(Kasparov)} 24. Bh6 $1 (24. Qxe7 $2 Qh3+ 25. Kg1 Bh8 $1)
24... Rxh6 25. Qxg7 Qh3+ 26. Kf2 $1 (26. Kg1 $2 Rd2 $1) 26... Re8 {leads to a
white plus.}) 22. Rd1 Qc8 23. Nc4 Rxd1 24. Qxd1 Nf7 25. Rd3 g5 26. Qb3 $5 Qe6 (
{An active defence brings} 26... b5 $1 27. Nd6 Qh3+ 28. Kg1 Ne5 29. Rd2 c4) 27.
Be3 Nc8 28. Nxb6 $1 Qxb3 29. Nd7+ Kc7 30. Rxb3 Kxd7 31. Rb7+ Ke6 32. Bxc5 Bf8
33. Nd4+ Ke5 34. Nxc6+ Kxe4 35. Bxa7 Nfd6 36. Rc7 Nxa7 37. Rxa7 Nc4 38. Ra8 Bg7
39. Ra7 Ne3+ 40. Kg1 Rg8 $4 ({Right is} 40... Kd5 41. Ne7+ Ke4 $1 42. Ng6 $2 ({
correct is} 42. Nc6) 42... Rc8 $1) 41. Re7+ $4 Kd3 $4 42. a7 $1 Rc8 43. Kf2
Nd1+ 44. Kf3 g4+ 45. Kxg4 f5+ 46. Kf3 Bxb2 47. Rd7+ Kc2 48. Rd8 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "8"]
[Date "1990.??.??"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Portisch, Lajos"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E97"]
[WhiteElo "2605"]
[BlackElo "2800"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "54"]
[EventDate "1990.??.??"]

1. Nf3 g6 2. e4 Bg7 3. d4 d6 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. O-O Nc6 8. Be3
Ng4 9. Bg5 f6 10. Bc1 f5 11. Bg5 Bf6 12. Bxf6 Nxf6 13. dxe5 dxe5 14. Qxd8 Rxd8
15. Nd5 Nxe4 16. Nxc7 Rb8 17. Rfd1 Bd7 18. Bd3 $6 Rbc8 19. Nd5 Nc5 20. Bf1 Be6
21. b4 $6 Bxd5 22. cxd5 Nxb4 23. Nxe5 Ne4 24. Bc4 Nc3 25. Rd2 $2 {White misses
an escape.} ({Correct is} 25. d6+ $1 Rxc4 26. Nxc4 Nxd1 27. Rxd1 Nxa2 28. Na5
b6 29. Nc6 Rd7 30. Nb8 $11) 25... Nbxd5 26. g3 Kg7 27. Kg2 $4 Ne3+ 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "8"]
[Date "1990.??.??"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Spassky, Boris"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E35"]
[WhiteElo "2800"]
[BlackElo "2560"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "1990.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 d5 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bg5 h6 7. Bh4 c5 8.
dxc5 Nc6 9. e3 g5 10. Bg3 Ne4 11. Nf3 Qf6 $2 (11... Qa5 {is okay 
(Rohacek-Opocensky, Trencianske Teplice 1941).}) 12. Bb5 $1 {Kasparov brings a
novelty. White gains a big advantage.} Nxc3 13. Bxc6+ bxc6 14. a3 $1 g4 $2 15.
Be5 Ne4+ 16. axb4 Qf5 17. Bxh8 gxf3 18. Rg1 Qg4 19. Qd1 Ng5 20. Qd4 Ne4 21.
Qe5+ Be6 22. Qf4 Qg6 23. Qxf3 f6 24. Qf4 Kf7 25. f3 Ng5 26. Kd2 Qf5 27. h4 Qxf4
28. exf4 Nh7 29. g4 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "8"]
[Date "1990.??.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Jussupow, Artur"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E69"]
[WhiteElo "2615"]
[BlackElo "2800"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "126"]
[EventDate "1990.??.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 O-O 5. d4 d6 6. O-O Nbd7 7. Nc3 e5 8. h3
c6 9. e4 Qb6 10. c5 dxc5 11. dxe5 Ne8 12. Na4 Qa6 13. Bf4 $6 ({More active is} 
13. Bg5 $1 b5 14. Nc3 Nc7 15. Be7 Re8 16. Bd6 Qb6 {(Fulgenzi-Servat, Neuquen
1986).}) 13... Nc7 14. Qc2 Ne6 15. Rfd1 Re8 16. Rd6 $5 Qa5 17. Rad1 $5 Nb6 18.
Nxb6 axb6 19. a3 Qa4 20. Qe2 b5 21. Qe3 $2 (21. Bc1 {makes a useful defensive
move.}) 21... b4 22. axb4 Qxb4 23. R6d2 Ra2 24. Rb1 c4 25. Rc2 b5 26. Bh6 Qc5
27. Qc1 $2 ({Exchanges by} 27. Qxc5 Nxc5 28. Bxg7 Kxg7 29. Nd4 {are wiser 
(Jussupow).}) 27... Nd4 28. Bxg7 Kxg7 29. Nxd4 Qxd4 30. b3 Rxc2 31. Qxc2 c3 32.
Rd1 Qc5 33. b4 $1 Qxb4 34. Rd3 c5 35. Rxc3 c4 36. f4 Qc5+ 37. Kh2 Qd4 38. Rf3
b4 $3 {Kasparov finds a brilliant win.} ({Normal people strive for} 38... Rd8
$1 39. Qb1 Qd1 40. Qxb5 $2 Rd2 41. Qxc4 Qxf3) 39. Qa4 c3 $1 40. Rxc3 $1 ({Gary
analyses} 40. Qxe8 Qd7 $1 41. Qxd7 Bxd7 42. Rd3 Be6 {and White cannot stop the
passed pawns.}) 40... Bd7 41. Rc4 $1 Bxa4 $5 42. Rxd4 Rb8 43. Bf1 ({Or} 43. Rd2
b3 44. Rb2 Rc8) 43... Bc2 44. Bc4 b3 45. Bxb3 Rxb3 46. g4 Re3 47. f5 gxf5 48.
exf5 Rxe5 49. Rd2 Ba4 50. Kg3 Re3+ 51. Kh4 Bb5 52. Rd5 Bd3 $1 ({Jussupow hoped
for} 52... Bf1 $2 53. f6+ $1) 53. Rc5 h6 54. Rc3 Rf3 55. Rb3 Be2 56. Rb2 Bf1
57. Rh2 Kf6 58. Rh1 Ke5 59. Rh2 f6 60. Rh1 Ke4 61. Rh2 Kf4 62. Rh1 Bg2 63. Rh2
Rg3 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "8"]
[Date "1990.??.??"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Ljubojevic, Ljubomir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E20"]
[WhiteElo "2800"]
[BlackElo "2625"]
[PlyCount "54"]
[EventDate "1990.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. f3 d5 5. a3 Be7 6. e4 dxc4 7. Bxc4 c5 8. dxc5
Qxd1+ 9. Kxd1 Bxc5 10. Nb5 Bb6 11. e5 Nd5 12. Nd6+ Ke7 13. f4 Nc6 14. Nf3 Ne3+
15. Bxe3 Bxe3 16. g3 Rd8 17. b4 f6 18. Ke2 Bd4 19. b5 fxe5 20. Nxc8+ Raxc8 21.
bxc6 Bxa1 22. Rxa1 exf4 23. Rb1 Rxc6 24. Rxb7+ Kf6 25. Rb4 fxg3 26. hxg3 h5 27.
Ke3 e5 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "8"]
[Date "1990.??.??"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B97"]
[WhiteElo "2665"]
[BlackElo "2800"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "86"]
[EventDate "1990.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 Qb6 8. Qd2
Qxb2 9. Rb1 Qa3 10. f5 Nc6 11. fxe6 fxe6 12. Nxc6 bxc6 13. Be2 Be7 14. O-O O-O
15. Rb3 Qc5+ 16. Be3 Qe5 17. Bf4 Qc5+ 18. Kh1 Ng4 19. h3 e5 20. Na4 Qa7 21.
Bc4+ Kh8 22. hxg4 exf4 23. Nb6 d5 $1 {Kasparov springs a novelty.} 24. exd5
cxd5 25. Bxd5 Rb8 26. Nxc8 Rbxc8 27. Rh3 Qb6 28. Re1 Bg5 29. Re6 Qd8 30. c4 Rb8
31. Qd3 Bh4 32. Be4 Qg5 33. Bxh7 Rfd8 34. Qc2 f3 $1 {Both parties have played
well during the last ten moves.} 35. Rxf3 $2 ({Correct is} 35. Bf5 $1 Rb2 $1
36. Qxb2 Rd1+ 37. Kh2 Qf4+ 38. g3 Rd2+ 39. Kh1 Rd1+ {and perpetual check.})
35... Rd2 36. Qe4 Rd1+ 37. Kh2 Re1 38. Qf5 Rxe6 39. Qxe6 Kxh7 40. Qe4+ g6 41.
Rh3 Kg7 42. Qd4+ Kg8 43. Qe4 Qf6 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "8"]
[Date "1990.??.??"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Gulko, Boris"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E88"]
[WhiteElo "2610"]
[BlackElo "2800"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "107"]
[EventDate "1990.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 O-O 6. Be3 c6 7. Bd3 e5 8. d5 b5
9. cxb5 cxd5 10. exd5 e4 11. Nxe4 Nxd5 12. Bg5 Qb6 $6 ({Theory is} 12... Qa5+ {
(Timman-Kasparov, Reykjavik 1988).}) 13. Qd2 Nd7 14. Bc4 N5f6 15. Nxf6+ Bxf6
16. Bxf6 Nxf6 17. Ne2 Re8 18. O-O-O d5 19. Bd3 a6 20. bxa6 d4 $2 (20... Bxa6
21. Bxa6 Qxa6 22. Nc3 Rec8 23. Kb1 Rc4 {keeps the attack going.}) 21. Kb1 Re3
22. Bc4 Bxa6 23. Bxa6 Rxa6 24. Nxd4 Re8 25. Ne2 Rb8 26. Nc3 Qb4 27. Rhe1 Rd6
28. Qc2 Rdb6 29. Re2 Qf4 30. h3 Rc6 31. Qd2 Qf5+ 32. Ka1 Rb7 33. Qh6 Rc8 34.
Red2 Qa5 35. Qe3 Kg7 36. g4 Re8 37. Qd4 Rd7 38. Qf2 Rc7 39. Rd3 Ra8 40. Qd2 h6
41. Rd6 Rc4 42. Rd4 Rac8 43. Kb1 Qe5 44. f4 Qe6 45. Qe2 Rxd4 46. Rxd4 Qb6 47.
Qd2 Qa6 48. Qd3 Qc6 49. a3 Qg2 50. Rd6 Rb8 51. Qe2 Qh1+ 52. Ka2 Re8 53. Qd3 Re1
54. Qd4 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "8"]
[Date "1990.??.??"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Salov, Valery"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E20"]
[WhiteElo "2800"]
[BlackElo "2645"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "112"]
[EventDate "1990.??.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. d4 c5 5. g3 cxd4 6. Nxd4 O-O 7. Bg2 d5 8.
cxd5 Nxd5 9. Bd2 Nxc3 10. bxc3 Be7 11. Rb1 Nd7 $1 {A new positional idea.} 12.
O-O Nb6 13. Bf4 Nd5 14. Qb3 Nxf4 15. gxf4 Qc7 16. e3 a6 17. Rfd1 Ra7 18. c4 Bc5
19. Nf3 a5 20. Ng5 h6 21. Ne4 a4 22. Qb5 Ra5 23. Qb2 b6 24. Qe5 Qxe5 $6 ({
Better is} 24... Qe7 $1 25. Nxc5 Rxc5 26. Qd6 Qxd6 27. Rxd6 Ba6 $1) 25. fxe5
Ba6 26. Bf1 Bb7 27. Nxc5 Rxc5 28. f4 $1 Ba6 29. Rd4 Rfc8 30. Rb4 a3 31. Ra4 Ra5
32. Rb4 Rac5 {The moves 31 and 32 are missing in the Informator.} 33. Be2 g5
34. Kf2 Kg7 35. Ke1 R8c6 {White has the preferable endgame.} 36. Rd6 $6 ({An
effort to win starts with} 36. Kd2 $1 {(Kasparov).}) 36... Rc7 37. Rd4 gxf4 38.
exf4 f6 39. exf6+ Kxf6 40. Kd2 R7c6 41. Re4 Kf5 42. Ke3 Kf6 43. h3 e5 44. Bf3
Rd6 45. h4 Bc8 46. fxe5+ Rxe5 47. Rxe5 Kxe5 48. Rb5+ Kf6 49. Bd5 Bd7 50. Rb3 b5
51. Rxa3 Be6 52. Rd3 Bxd5 53. cxd5 Ke5 54. h5 Rxd5 55. Rxd5+ Kxd5 56. Kf4 Kc4
1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "8"]
[Date "1990.??.??"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Beliavsky, Alexander"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E84"]
[WhiteElo "2640"]
[BlackElo "2800"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "1990.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 O-O 6. Be3 Nc6 7. Qd2 a6 8. Nge2
Rb8 9. Nc1 e5 10. Nb3 exd4 11. Nxd4 Ne5 12. Rd1 c6 13. Be2 b5 14. cxb5 axb5 15.
b4 c5 $6 {Kasparov brings a risky novelty in a wild opening.} 16. Nc2 cxb4 17.
Nxb4 Be6 18. O-O $1 (18. f4 $2 Nc4 19. Bxc4 Bxc4 20. Nc6 Qe8 21. Nxb8 b4 $1 {
leads to an attack for Black (Kasparov).}) 18... Qa5 19. Qxd6 Nc4 20. Bxc4 bxc4
21. Nc6 Qxc3 22. Bd4 Nxe4 $1 23. Bxc3 Nxd6 24. Bxg7 Kxg7 25. Nxb8 Nf5 $1 {
Beliavsky has to find the appropriate consolidation of his material advantage.}
26. Nd7 $6 ({Black gets less compensation for the exchange in} 26. Rb1 $1 c3
27. Nc6 Rc8 (27... Bxa2 $2 28. Rbc1 Ne3 29. Rfe1 Nd5 30. Ne7 $1) 28. Nb4 Nd4
29. Kf2 $1) 26... Rc8 27. Nb6 Rc6 28. Rb1 c3 29. Rb4 Bxa2 30. Rc1 h5 31. Kf2 c2
32. Ke2 Be6 33. Kd2 Rd6+ 34. Kxc2 Ne3+ 35. Kb2 Nxg2 36. Nc4 Rd3 37. Ne5 Re3 38.
Re4 Kf6 39. Rxe3 Nxe3 40. Nd3 Bd5 41. Ne1 {The material plus does not suffice
for a white win.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "8"]
[Date "1990.??.??"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Illescas Cordoba, Miguel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D34"]
[WhiteElo "2800"]
[BlackElo "2530"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "121"]
[EventDate "1990.??.??"]

{Kasparov and Gelfand started in the last round with a score of 7 points.} 1.
d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 c5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. g3 Nf6 6. Bg2 Be7 7. O-O O-O 8. Nc3
Nc6 9. Bg5 cxd4 10. Nxd4 h6 11. Be3 Re8 12. Qb3 Na5 13. Qc2 Bg4 14. Nf5 Bb4 15.
Bd4 Bxc3 16. Bxc3 Rxe2 17. Qd1 d4 18. Nxd4 Rxf2 19. Qa4 Rxg2+ 20. Kxg2 Qd5+ 21.
Kg1 Nc4 22. Qb5 a6 23. Qxd5 Nxd5 {So far the players have followed
Ogaard-Rantanen, Oslo 1986.} 24. Rfe1 h5 25. Ne2 Nxc3 26. bxc3 Ne5 27. Nd4 f6
28. a4 Rc8 29. Ra3 Rc7 30. Rb3 Kf7 31. Reb1 Bc8 32. Kf1 Nc4 33. Ke2 Na5 34. Ra3
Nc4 35. Rab3 Na5 36. Ra3 Nc4 37. Ra2 Kg6 38. Kd3 Ne5+ 39. Kd2 Nc4+ 40. Kc2 Bh3
{Gelfand has drawn before the first time control. Hereafter, Kasparov plays
for the victory in the tournament.} 41. Kb3 Bd7 42. Rc1 Be8 43. Ne6 Rc6 44.
Nf4+ $2 Kg5 $2 ({White pieces are displaced by} 44... Kh6 $1 45. Re2 Ne5 {
Kasparov and Illescas evaluate this position as won for Black, but} 46. Ra1 $1
{seems to hold:} g5 (46... Bf7+ 47. Kb2 g5 48. Ng2 $1 Nd3+ 49. Kc2 Bg6 50. Kb3
Rb6+ 51. Kc4 $1 {and Black cannot deliver mate}) 47. Nd5 $1 Bf7 48. Rd1 Rb6+ $1
49. Kc2 Bg6+ 50. Kd2 Rd6 51. c4 $1 Nxc4+ 52. Kc3 {White has liberated his
position. Material equality has arisen.}) 45. Re2 Ne5 46. Re4 Bf7+ 47. Kc2 b5
48. Rd4 Bc4 49. axb5 axb5 50. Ra1 Rc7 51. h4+ $1 Kf5 $4 {Suddenly Illescas
blunders terribly.} ({Right is} 51... Kh6 {(Illescas)} 52. Ra8 g6 53. Rd6 Kg7)
52. Nxh5 Kg6 53. Nf4+ Kf7 54. h5 Rb7 55. Ra8 g5 56. Nd5 Nf3 57. Rd1 Rd7 58. Ne3
Re7 59. Nxc4 bxc4 60. Rd6 Kg7 61. h6+ {Kasparov had won the tournament
half-a-point before Gelfand.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "9"]
[Date "1991.??.??"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B51"]
[WhiteElo "2695"]
[BlackElo "2800"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "1991.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Nd7 4. d4 Ngf6 5. O-O cxd4 6. Qxd4 a6 7. Bxd7+ Bxd7
8. Bg5 h6 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. c4 {The centre is restricted by a new move.} e6 11.
Nc3 Rc8 12. Kh1 h5 $5 ({Black can play} 12... Be7 {at once.}) 13. a4 h4 14. h3
Be7 15. b4 a5 16. b5 Qc7 ({Ivanchuk prefers} 16... Rc5 $5) 17. Nd2 Qc5 18. Qd3
Rg8 19. Rae1 {Kasparov has achieved a dynamic equality.} Qg5 $6 {He ruins his
position fast. The queen starts on a fruitless mission.} ({Anand suggests} 
19... b6 $1) 20. Rg1 Qf4 $6 21. Ref1 b6 22. Ne2 Qh6 23. c5 $5 (23. f4 {
proceeds the attack in a natural way.}) 23... Rxc5 $2 {Hereafter the black
defence collapses.} ({Correct is} 23... dxc5 $1 24. Nc4 Rb8 25. f4 Bc8 26. f5
Kf8 {White has a blockade for a pawn.}) 24. Nc4 Kf8 25. Nxb6 Be8 26. f4 f5 27.
exf5 Rxf5 28. Rc1 Kg7 29. g4 $1 Rc5 30. Rxc5 dxc5 31. Nc8 Bf8 32. Qd8 Qg6 33.
f5 $1 Qh6 34. g5 $1 {Capture of the bishop gives way to a counteraction.} Qh5
35. Rg4 $1 exf5 36. Nf4 Qh8 37. Qf6+ Kh7 38. Rxh4+ {The tournament had started
with a sensation.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "9"]
[Date "1991.??.??"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D45"]
[WhiteElo "2800"]
[BlackElo "2700"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "1991.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 a6 6. b3 Bb4 7. Bd2 Nbd7 8. Bd3
O-O 9. O-O Bd6 10. e4 $5 dxc4 11. bxc4 e5 12. c5 $1 {The queenside is
restrained by a novelty.} Bc7 13. Na4 $5 ({Less enterprising is} 13. Be3 Ng4)
13... exd4 14. h3 Re8 15. Re1 h6 ({White gains a plus in} 15... Ne5 $5 16. Nxe5
Bxe5 17. f4 $1 {(Kasparov).}) 16. Rb1 Nh7 17. Bc4 Qf6 18. Rb3 $1 Nhf8 $5 {A
long knight manoeuvre leads to control over square f4.} 19. Bc1 Ng6 20. Nxd4
Nde5 21. Bf1 Rd8 22. Bb2 {White wants to play g3 and f4.} Nh4 $2 ({The
tactical escape} 22... Ba5 $1 23. Ree3 Be6 $1 24. Rxb7 Bc8 25. Rbb3 Be6 26. Rb7
{leads to a repetition of positions.}) 23. Ree3 Qg5 24. g3 Nhg6 25. Qc2 $1 h5
26. Bg2 h4 27. f4 $1 Nxf4 28. gxf4 Qxf4 29. Nb6 Ng4 (29... Bxb6 30. Rxb6 {
brings no relief.}) 30. hxg4 Bxg4 31. Nxa8 Qh2+ 32. Kf1 Bg3 33. Rxg3 hxg3 34.
Qd3 Bh3 35. Qxg3 Qh1+ 36. Kf2 Bxg2 37. Qxg2 Qh4+ 38. Ke2 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "9"]
[Date "1991.??.??"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Speelman, Jonathan"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E92"]
[WhiteElo "2610"]
[BlackElo "2695"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[EventDate "1991.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. d5 Na6 8. Nd2
Ne8 9. a3 c5 10. h4 f5 11. h5 f4 $6 {He makes a positional mistake but
survives.} 12. hxg6 hxg6 13. Bg4 $1 Nf6 14. Bxc8 Qxc8 15. Nf3 Nc7 16. Bd2 Kf7
17. b4 b6 18. bxc5 bxc5 19. Qa4 Qe8 20. Qa5 Qd7 21. Ke2 Rfb8 22. Rhb1 Nce8 23.
Ng5+ Kg8 24. Ne6 Bf8 25. Kd3 Be7 26. Qa4 Qxa4 27. Nxa4 Bd8 28. Nxd8 Rxd8 29.
Rb7 Rd7 30. Rab1 Rad8 31. Ba5 Rxb7 32. Rxb7 Rd7 33. Rxd7 Nxd7 34. Nc3 a6 35.
Bd8 Kf7 36. f3 Nef6 37. Ne2 {Top two: Ivanchuk 1 1/2, Kasparov 1.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "9"]
[Date "1991.??.??"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Salov, Valery"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B88"]
[WhiteElo "2695"]
[BlackElo "2645"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "87"]
[EventDate "1991.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Bc4 e6 7. Bb3 a6 8. O-O
Qc7 9. Kh1 Be7 10. f4 O-O 11. f5 Nxd4 12. Qxd4 b5 13. a4 $5 b4 $1 14. Qxb4 d5
15. Qd4 Bc5 $1 (15... dxe4 16. Nxe4 {somewhat favours White (Ivanchuk).}) 16.
Qd3 dxe4 17. Nxe4 Nxe4 18. Qxe4 exf5 $1 {Salov solves his problems in a grand
manner.} 19. Qf3 $1 ({Avoids} 19. Qxa8 $6 Bb7 20. Qxf8+ Kxf8 21. Rxf5 f6 {
(Ivanchuk).}) 19... Bb7 20. Bd5 Bxd5 21. Qxd5 Bd6 22. Qxf5 Bxh2 23. Ra3 g6 24.
Qf2 Be5 25. Rf3 Rad8 26. Be3 Rd7 27. b3 f6 28. Qe2 Kg7 $6 {Blunders are made
under time pressure.} 29. Qxa6 Qxc2 30. Bf4 Bxf4 31. Rxf4 Qc3 32. Qc4 Qe5 33.
Re4 Qg5 34. b4 Rff7 35. b5 Rd2 36. Rg4 Qh5+ $2 37. Rh4 Qg5 38. Rxh7+ Kxh7 39.
Qxf7+ Kh6 40. Qf8+ Kh7 41. Qe7+ Kh6 42. Qf8+ Kh7 43. Qe7+ Kh6 44. Qf8+ $2 {
Black claims a draw, because 44...Kh7 gives a threefold repetition of
positions.} ({Ivanchuk has missed the win} 44. Qe4 $1 Qh5+ 45. Kg1 Qc5+ 46. Kh2
Qh5+ 47. Kg3 Qg5+ 48. Kh3 Qh5+ 49. Qh4 Qxh4+ 50. Kxh4 Rd4+ 51. Kg3 Rxa4 52. Rb1
$1) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "9"]
[Date "1991.??.??"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Timman, Jan"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D03"]
[WhiteElo "2630"]
[BlackElo "2800"]
[PlyCount "58"]
[EventDate "1991.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. Bg5 Bg7 4. Nbd2 d5 5. e3 c5 6. c3 Nbd7 7. Qb3 O-O 8. Be2
b6 9. O-O Bb7 10. a4 a6 11. Rfd1 Qb8 12. Bf4 Qa7 13. Ne5 e6 14. Qa3 Rac8 15. b4
Nxe5 16. Bxe5 c4 17. Re1 Bc6 18. Bf3 Qb7 19. Qb2 b5 20. axb5 axb5 21. Bxf6 Bxf6
22. e4 Ra8 23. e5 Bg5 24. g3 Rxa1 25. Rxa1 f5 26. Be2 Ra8 27. f4 Be7 28. Nf3
Rxa1+ 29. Qxa1 Qa8 {Top two: Ivanchuk 2, Kasparov 1 1/2.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "9"]
[Date "1991.??.??"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Gurevich, Mikhail"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E21"]
[WhiteElo "2650"]
[BlackElo "2800"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[EventDate "1991.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 b6 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Qb3 c5 6. a3 Bxc3+ 7. Qxc3 O-O 8. g3
$6 {This novelty leads to poor play.} cxd4 $1 9. Qxd4 Nc6 10. Qh4 Bb7 11. Bg2
$6 (11. Bg5 $1 h6 12. Bxf6 Qxf6 13. Qxf6 gxf6 14. Rg1 $1 {keeps the equality.})
11... Rc8 12. Bd2 Na5 $1 13. Bxa5 bxa5 14. b4 $6 ({Ok is} 14. O-O Qb6 15. b4 {
(Pelletier-Gelfand, Credit Suisse 1997).}) 14... Qc7 15. c5 $6 d6 16. Rc1 axb4
17. axb4 dxc5 18. Rxc5 Qb6 19. Rxc8 Rxc8 20. O-O Ba6 {Kasparov wins a pawn.}
21. Ne5 Bxe2 22. Re1 Bb5 23. Qf4 h6 24. h4 Be8 25. g4 Rd8 26. g5 Rd4 27. Qf3
hxg5 28. hxg5 Nd5 29. Rc1 Qb8 30. Qg3 Nf4 31. Qe3 Qd8 32. Nf3 Rxb4 33. Bf1 Nd5
34. Qxa7 Rg4+ 35. Kh1 Nf4 36. Qb7 Kh7 37. Qe4+ f5 38. gxf6+ Bg6 39. Qb7 Qxf6
40. Re1 Nd5 41. Bg2 Nf4 42. Bf1 Nd3 $1 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "9"]
[Date "1991.??.??"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Kamsky, Gata"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C89"]
[WhiteElo "2640"]
[BlackElo "2695"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "106"]
[EventDate "1991.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. c3
d5 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Nxe5 Nxe5 11. Rxe5 c6 12. d4 Bd6 13. Re2 Bg4 14. f3 Bh5 $1
15. Bxd5 cxd5 16. Nd2 {Ivanchuk improves on Kosten-Hebden, Gausdal 1987.} f5 $1
17. Qb3 ({'Theory' will become} 17. Nf1) 17... Bf7 18. Nf1 f4 19. Bd2 Qd7 20.
Rae1 a5 21. a3 a4 22. Qd1 Bg6 23. Bc1 Rf7 24. h3 Bf5 25. Nh2 h5 26. Rf2 Raf8
27. Nf1 Rf6 28. Nh2 Kh8 29. b3 $2 {White makes a strategic error.} Rc8 30. Bb2
Kh7 31. Nf1 Rff8 32. Rfe2 Rc7 33. Nh2 Rfc8 34. Nf1 b4 $3 {A sacrifice
increases the restraint.} 35. axb4 $6 (35. cxb4 Bc2 36. Qd2 axb3 37. Rc1 {
offers more resistance (Ehlvest).}) 35... a3 $1 36. Bxa3 ({Or} 36. Ba1 Rxc3 37.
Bxc3 Rxc3) 36... Rxc3 37. Kh2 Ra8 38. Bb2 Rd3 39. Qc1 Rc8 40. Rc2 Rxc2 41. Qxc2
Bg6 (41... Rxf3 $1 42. Qd1 Rf2 $1 43. Qxh5+ Kg8 {wins faster (Ivanchuk).}) 42.
Qf2 Bxb4 43. Re5 Rd1 44. Qe2 Rb1 45. Rg5 Qc6 46. Re5 Qc2 47. Rxh5+ Kg8 48. Qe6+
Bf7 49. Rh8+ Kxh8 50. Qxf7 Qc6 51. Bc3 Bxc3 52. Qf8+ Kh7 53. Qf5+ Qg6 {Top two:
Ivanchuk 3, Kasparov 2 1/2.} 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "9"]
[Date "1991.??.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E54"]
[WhiteElo "2695"]
[BlackElo "2725"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "70"]
[EventDate "1991.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 d5 6. Nf3 c5 7. O-O cxd4 8. exd4
dxc4 9. Bxc4 b6 10. Bg5 Bb7 11. Rc1 Nc6 12. a3 Be7 13. Qd3 Nd5 14. Bxd5 exd5
15. Bxe7 Nxe7 16. Rfe1 Rc8 17. h4 h6 18. h5 Rc7 19. Nb5 Rxc1 20. Rxc1 Ba6 21.
a4 Bxb5 22. Qxb5 Nf5 23. g3 Ne7 24. Ne5 Qd6 25. Qa6 Nf5 26. Qd3 Ne7 27. Qf3 a5
28. Kg2 f6 29. Nd3 Rc8 30. Re1 Rc4 31. Nf4 $5 Rxd4 32. Ng6 Nxg6 33. hxg6 Kf8 $5
34. Qf5 Rc4 {Both players have a few seconds.} 35. g4 $5 ({Best is} 35. Re6 $1
Qd8 36. Re5 $1 Qc8 37. Qxc8+ Rxc8 38. Rxd5 {drawn.}) 35... Qf4 $4 {Karpov
oversteps the time limit in a lost position.} ({Correct is} 35... Qc6 $1 36.
Re6 Qc8 37. Qxd5 Rxg4+ 38. Kh2 $1 Rxg6 39. f4 $1 Qc2+ 40. Kh3 Qc8 41. Kh2 {and
White escapes.}) (35... Qf4 $4 36. Qxd5 $1 Qxg4+ 37. Kf1 Qh3+ 38. Ke2 Qg4+ 39.
Kd3 $18) 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "9"]
[Date "1991.??.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Speelman, Jonathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A35"]
[WhiteElo "2800"]
[BlackElo "2610"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "100"]
[EventDate "1991.??.??"]

1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nd4 $5 4. Ng1 $5 e6 (4... Nc6 $5 {repeats the moves!
}) 5. e3 Nf5 $5 6. Nf3 Nf6 7. d4 cxd4 8. exd4 Bb4 9. Bd3 O-O 10. O-O b6 $5 11.
Ne2 Bb7 12. d5 Ne7 $2 ({Sufficient counteraction gives} 12... b5 $1 13. a3 Bd6)
13. Bg5 Ng6 14. a3 Bd6 15. Nc3 Re8 16. Re1 a6 17. Ne4 $1 Be7 $6 (17... Bf8 {
saves a tempo.}) 18. d6 Bf8 19. h4 h6 20. h5 $1 hxg5 21. hxg6 fxg6 22. Ne5 $1 {
Black has been outclassed with subtle positional play.} Rc8 23. b4 a5 24. Rc1
axb4 25. axb4 g4 26. c5 bxc5 27. bxc5 Nxe4 28. Bxe4 Bxe4 29. Rxe4 Qg5 30. Rcc4
g3 31. fxg3 Red8 32. g4 ({Very solid is} 32. Qe1 $1) 32... Ra8 33. Qc1 Qxc1+
34. Rxc1 g5 35. Rb4 Rdc8 36. Rbc4 Ra7 $2 37. Rf1 $2 Ra5 38. Rfc1 Rd8 39. Re4 $2
Ra2 $2 {Many inaccuracies are made.} ({Better is} 39... Rc8 40. Nd3 g6) 40. Re3
Rd2 41. Rf1 g6 42. Nxg6 Kg7 43. Nxf8 $2 ({The attack can be continued with} 43.
Ne5 $1 Kg8 44. Rc1) 43... Rxf8 44. Rxf8 Kxf8 45. Re5 Kf7 46. Rxg5 Rc2 47. Rh5
Kf6 48. Rh7 Rxc5 49. Rxd7 Rg5 50. Rd8 Ke5 {Top two: Ivanchuk 4, Kasparov 3.}
1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "9"]
[Date "1991.??.??"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Beliavsky, Alexander"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D91"]
[WhiteElo "2640"]
[BlackElo "2695"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "49"]
[EventDate "1991.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Bg5 Ne4 6. Bh4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 dxc4 8.
Qa4+ Qd7 9. Qxc4 b6 10. e3 Ba6 11. Qb3 Bxf1 12. Kxf1 Nc6 13. Ke2 Na5 14. Qb4 e6
15. Ne5 Qd6 16. Bg3 O-O $1 {Black gives a pawn for the completion of his
development.} ({White is better in} 16... Qd5 $6 17. c4 $1 Qxg2 18. Qa4+ c6 19.
Rhg1 Qh3 20. Nxc6 O-O 21. Nxa5 bxa5 22. Rac1) 17. Nxg6 Qxb4 18. cxb4 hxg6 19.
bxa5 c5 20. Be5 cxd4 21. Bxd4 Bxd4 22. exd4 Rfd8 23. Ke3 Rd5 24. axb6 axb6 25.
Rhb1 {White cannot win the double rook endgame.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "9"]
[Date "1991.??.??"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Salov, Valery"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E68"]
[WhiteElo "2645"]
[BlackElo "2800"]
[PlyCount "62"]
[EventDate "1991.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. g3 O-O 5. Bg2 d6 6. O-O Nbd7 7. Qc2 e5 8. Rd1
Qe7 9. Nc3 c6 10. e4 exd4 11. Nxd4 Re8 12. b3 Nc5 13. f3 Nfd7 14. Rb1 Ne5 15.
Nce2 a5 16. a3 h5 17. h4 Bd7 18. Be3 a4 19. b4 Ne6 20. c5 d5 21. exd5 cxd5 22.
Bf2 Nc4 23. Qc3 Rac8 24. Rbc1 b6 25. cxb6 Nxb6 26. Qd3 Nc4 27. Re1 Qd6 28. f4
Nb2 29. Qd2 Nc4 30. Qd3 Nb2 31. Qd2 Nc4 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "9"]
[Date "1991.??.??"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Ehlvest, Jaan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B07"]
[WhiteElo "2695"]
[BlackElo "2650"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "1991.??.??"]

1. e4 d6 2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. g3 Bg7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. Nge2 e5 7. h3 c6 8. a4 Na6
9. Be3 exd4 10. Bxd4 Qe7 11. O-O Rd8 12. Re1 b6 13. g4 Bb7 14. f4 Nb4 15. Bf2
Ne8 16. Qd2 Nc7 17. Bd4 d5 18. exd5 Ncxd5 19. Nxd5 Nxd5 20. Bxg7 Kxg7 21. Qd4+
Kg8 22. Nc3 Qb4 23. Qxb4 Nxb4 24. Be4 a5 25. Rad1 Ba6 26. Kf2 Bc4 27. Rxd8+
Rxd8 28. Rd1 Rxd1 29. Nxd1 Kf8 30. Ne3 Be6 31. Ke1 Ke7 32. Kd2 Kd6 33. c3 Nd5
34. Nxd5 cxd5 35. Bd3 Bc8 36. Bb5 f6 37. Ke3 Kc5 38. Kd3 Be6 39. Ke3 Bc8 40.
Kd3 Be6 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "9"]
[Date "1991.??.??"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Kamsky, Gata"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A50"]
[WhiteElo "2800"]
[BlackElo "2640"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "1991.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 g6 $2 {Gata longs for a spanking by his father.} 4.
e4 d5 5. e5 Ne4 6. Bd3 Nxc3 7. bxc3 Bg7 8. Ne2 O-O 9. cxd5 cxd5 10. h4 Be6 11.
h5 Qc8 12. Bd2 Bf5 13. Qb1 Nc6 $2 {The bishops have to be exchanged first.} 14.
Bxf5 Qxf5 15. Qxf5 gxf5 16. h6 Bxe5 {Withdrawal of the bishop leads to a life
imprisonment.} 17. dxe5 Nxe5 18. Nd4 e6 19. Ke2 Nc4 20. Rae1 Kh8 21. Bg5 f6 22.
Nxe6 fxg5 23. Nxf8 Rxf8 24. Kd3 Nd6 25. f3 Kg8 26. Re7 Rf7 27. Rhe1 Kf8 28.
R7e6 Rd7 29. Rf6+ {Kamsky played a poor tournament. When he tried to claim his
score sheets, he lost that battle too.  Top: Ivanchuk 5, Kasparov 4 1/2.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "9"]
[Date "1991.??.??"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B87"]
[WhiteElo "2635"]
[BlackElo "2695"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[EventDate "1991.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bc4 e6 7. O-O Be7 8. Bb3
O-O 9. f4 b5 10. f5 $2 b4 11. Na4 e5 12. Ne2 Bb7 13. Ng3 Nbd7 14. Qe1 ({The
theory is} 14. Qf3 Bc6 15. Be3 {(Janosevic-Polugaevsky, Skopje 1971).}) 14...
a5 15. c4 Qc7 16. Qe2 Rfc8 17. Bg5 Nc5 18. Rac1 h6 $1 ({A capture on e4 by} 
18... Nfxe4 19. Nxe4 Bxe4 20. Bxe7 Bd3 21. Qe3 $1 {is premature (Ivanchuk).})
19. Be3 Ncd7 20. Bf2 Ra6 21. Rc2 Qb8 22. Re1 Qa8 $1 {Black aims his pieces on
the critical point e4.} 23. Qd3 $2 ({Correct is} 23. Rd2 $1 Nc5 24. Bc2 $1)
23... Ng4 24. Nf1 ({Or} 24. Qf3 Nxf2 25. Rxf2 Bh4) 24... Ndf6 25. Nd2 ({Avoids
} 25. Bh4 $2 Bxe4 $1 26. Rxe4 Nxe4 27. Bxe7 Qa7+ {(Ivanchuk).}) 25... Nxf2 $1
26. Kxf2 Bc6 27. Rcc1 ({Not} 27. Kg1 Qa7+) 27... Qa7+ 28. Ke2 Rd8 29. Bd1 $2 (
29. Rcd1 Ng4 30. Qg3 {prolongs the game.}) 29... d5 $1 30. cxd5 Nxd5 $1 31.
exd5 Rxd5 32. Qb3 Bg5 33. Rc2 Bxd2 (33... Bxd2 34. Rxd2 Bb5+) 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "9"]
[Date "1991.??.??"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D45"]
[WhiteElo "2725"]
[BlackElo "2800"]
[PlyCount "64"]
[EventDate "1991.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Be2 O-O 8. O-O
e5 9. cxd5 cxd5 10. dxe5 Nxe5 11. Rd1 Nxf3+ 12. Bxf3 Qc7 13. h3 Bh2+ 14. Kh1
Be5 15. Bd2 Be6 16. Qd3 Qd7 17. Be1 Rfd8 18. Kg1 Rac8 19. Rac1 d4 20. exd4 Bxd4
21. Qe2 h6 22. b3 a6 23. Rc2 b5 24. Rcd2 Qa7 25. Ne4 Nxe4 26. Qxe4 Bb6 27.
Rxd8+ Rxd8 28. Rxd8+ Bxd8 29. Bc3 Qc5 30. Qe5 Qxe5 31. Bxe5 a5 32. Be4 f6 {
Ivanchuk 6 and Kasparov 5.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "9"]
[Date "1991.??.??"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Ljubojevic, Ljubomir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B32"]
[WhiteElo "2695"]
[BlackElo "2590"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "69"]
[EventDate "1991.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Qc7 5. Be2 e6 6. c4 Nxd4 7. Qxd4 Ne7 8.
Be3 Nc6 9. Qd2 Bb4 10. Nc3 Qe5 11. O-O O-O 12. Rac1 b6 13. Rfd1 Bc5 14. Bxc5
bxc5 15. Qd6 f6 16. f4 Qxd6 17. Rxd6 {White has an optical advantage.} Kf7 18.
Rd2 Ke7 19. Bd1 g5 20. f5 d6 21. Ba4 Ne5 22. b3 a6 23. Rcd1 Rd8 24. Rf1 Bb7 25.
Rfd1 Rab8 26. Rf1 h5 27. h3 h4 28. Re2 Rg8 29. Nd1 $2 ({Correct is} 29. fxe6
Kxe6) 29... g4 $1 30. Nf2 exf5 ({Even better is} 30... Nf3+ $1 31. Kh1 Nd4) 31.
exf5 gxh3 32. Nxh3 Rg4 33. Kh2 Rbg8 34. Nf4 Kf7 35. Rd2 {Ljubojevic takes a
draw in a won position.} (35. Rd2 Rg3 $1 36. Rxd6 $5 Bxg2) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "9"]
[Date "1991.??.??"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Beliavsky, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A19"]
[WhiteElo "2800"]
[BlackElo "2640"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "1991.??.??"]

1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. e4 c5 4. e5 Ng8 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. d4 cxd4 7. Nxd4 Nxe5 8.
Ndb5 a6 9. Nd6+ Bxd6 10. Qxd6 f6 11. Be3 Ne7 12. Bb6 Nf5 13. Qc5 $1 d6 14. Qa5
Qd7 $5 ({Beliavsky diverts from} 14... Qe7 {(Kasparov-Sokolov, Belfort 1988).})
15. f4 $1 Nc6 16. Qa3 {White has restriction for a pawn.} e5 $2 ({Theory will
become} 16... Nce7 $1 17. O-O-O Qc6) 17. Bd3 O-O 18. O-O exf4 $6 (18... Qf7 $5
19. fxe5 fxe5 20. Nd5 Qh5 {offers more resistance.}) 19. Rxf4 Nfe7 20. Rd1 Ng6
21. Rff1 Nge5 22. Be4 Qf7 23. b3 Be6 24. Qxd6 Kh8 25. Qc7 $1 Qxc7 26. Bxc7 Rf7
27. Bb6 Re8 28. h3 $1 Rd7 29. Nd5 Rc8 30. g4 Ng6 31. Kh2 Nce5 32. a4 $1 Rd6 33.
a5 Nd7 $2 34. Nc7 $1 {Beliavsky lost the lead. Hereafter, he was beaten by
Salov and Karpov.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "9"]
[Date "1991.??.??"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Ehlvest, Jaan"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B41"]
[WhiteElo "2650"]
[BlackElo "2800"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "1991.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. c4 Nf6 6. Nc3 Qc7 7. Bd3 Be7 $6 ({
The usual} 7... Nc6 {is stronger.}) 8. f4 d6 9. Qe2 $6 (9. O-O O-O 10. Be3 {
gains a plus (Kasparov).}) 9... Nc6 10. Nf3 Nd7 11. a3 $2 {Ehlvest plays
timidly.} Bf6 12. Be3 $6 ({Better is} 12. Bd2 Nd4 13. Nxd4 Bxd4 14. Rc1 {
(Kasparov).}) 12... Bxc3+ $1 13. bxc3 e5 14. f5 Ncb8 $3 {Kasparov plays for a
win.} ({He avoids} 14... Nc5 15. Bxc5 dxc5 {and equality.}) 15. O-O Nc5 16. Bc2
Nbd7 17. Rfd1 Nf6 18. Nd2 Bd7 19. Bg5 Bc6 20. Qf3 O-O-O 21. Re1 h6 22. Bh4 Rdg8
$1 23. Kh1 Nfd7 24. Nf1 $6 (24. Rab1 g5 25. Bf2 {offers more resistance.})
24... g5 25. Bf2 h5 26. Qd1 h4 27. Qb1 Nf6 28. Bxc5 dxc5 29. Ne3 Qa5 $1 30. Qb2
h3 31. g3 Nxe4 32. Bxe4 Bxe4+ 33. Kg1 Rd8 34. Ng4 Bxf5 35. Nxe5 Qc7 36. Qf2 Be6
37. Rab1 Rd6 38. Rb2 Rhd8 39. Rbe2 f6 40. Ng6 Bxc4 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "9"]
[Date "1991.??.??"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Yusupov, Artur"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E14"]
[WhiteElo "2605"]
[BlackElo "2695"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "125"]
[EventDate "1991.??.??"]

1. d4 e6 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nf3 b6 4. e3 Bb7 5. Bd3 Bb4+ 6. Nbd2 O-O 7. O-O d5 8. a3
Be7 9. b4 Nbd7 10. Bb2 c6 11. Bc3 c5 12. bxc5 bxc5 13. Rb1 Rb8 14. Qc2 h6 15.
cxd5 Nxd5 16. Ba1 N5b6 17. Bh7+ Kh8 18. Be4 cxd4 19. Bxd4 Bf6 20. Rfc1 Rc8 21.
Qb3 Rxc1+ 22. Rxc1 Qa8 23. Bxb7 Qxb7 24. Bxf6 Nxf6 25. Ne5 Kg8 26. h3 Rc8 27.
Rxc8+ Qxc8 28. Ndc4 Nfd7 29. g3 Qc7 30. Nxd7 Qxc4 31. Qxc4 Nxc4 32. a4 Nb2 33.
a5 $6 {The initiative goes to Black.} ({Better is} 33. Nc5 Kf8 34. e4) 33...
Nc4 34. a6 f5 35. Kf1 Kf7 36. Ke2 Ke7 37. Nc5 Kd6 38. Nb7+ Kd5 39. f3 e5 40. g4
g6 41. Nd8 Nd6 42. gxf5 gxf5 43. h4 Kc5 44. e4 fxe4 45. fxe4 Kb6 46. Kd3 $1 Kb5
$3 {Ivanchuk starts a zugzwangduel.} 47. h5 $1 {Yusupov defends well.} Kb6 48.
Ne6 Kxa6 49. Nc5+ Kb5 50. Nd7 Nf7 51. Kc3 Kc6 52. Nf6 Kc5 53. Nd7+ Kb5 54. Nf6
a6 55. Nd7 Kc6 56. Nf6 Kc5 57. Nd7+ Kb5 58. Nf6 Ng5 59. Ng4 $1 Nxe4+ 60. Kc2
Ng3 61. Nxh6 e4 62. Nf7 Nxh5 63. Nd6+ {Ivanchuk and Kasparov 7.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "9"]
[Date "1991.??.??"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Gurevich, Mikhail"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E87"]
[WhiteElo "2695"]
[BlackElo "2650"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "121"]
[EventDate "1991.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 O-O 6. Be3 e5 7. d5 Nh5 8. Qd2 f5
9. O-O-O f4 $6 10. Bf2 Bf6 11. Qe1 Be7 $6 12. g4 Ng7 13. h4 Nd7 14. Nge2 h6 15.
Kb1 c5 16. a3 $6 ({Known is} 16. g5 h5 17. Nc1 {(Gufeld-Liberzon, Tbilisi 1966)
.}) ({A novelty will become} 16. dxc6 bxc6 17. c5 $1 {(Ward-Kohtz, Hamburg
1995).}) 16... a6 17. Nc1 Ne8 $6 18. Bd3 b5 $5 {Black could have prepared the
counteraction.} 19. cxb5 Nc7 20. h5 g5 21. Qf1 axb5 22. Nxb5 Nxb5 23. Bxb5 Qb6
24. Be1 Ba6 $2 {He should avoid exchanges.} 25. Bxa6 Rxa6 26. Rd3 Qa7 27. Rb3
Rb6 $6 28. Rh2 Rfb8 29. Rxb6 Rxb6 30. Qd3 Bd8 31. Ka2 Rb8 32. Nb3 Kf8 33. Rc2
Ke7 34. Bd2 Bc7 35. Bc1 Ba5 36. Bd2 Bd8 37. Qc4 Rb7 38. Bc3 Nb6 39. Qe2 Na4 40.
Be1 Qb8 41. Qc4 Nb6 42. Qa6 Nd7 43. Nd2 Ra7 44. Qe2 Ba5 45. Nc4 Bxe1 46. Qxe1
Qb5 47. Qc3 Qa6 48. Qb3 Rb7 49. Qd3 Qa4 50. Rc3 Rb4 51. Kb1 Rb7 52. Qc2 Qa6 53.
Rb3 Ra7 54. Qd3 Kd8 55. Nd2 Qxd3+ $6 56. Rxd3 Nb6 57. Ka2 Ra4 58. b3 Ra6 59.
Rc3 Kd7 (59... Ra7 $1 60. Nc4 Nc8 {prolongs the game.}) 60. Nc4 Nc8 {An
astounding winning move follows.} 61. b4 $3 (61. b4 cxb4 62. Rb3 $1 bxa3 63.
Rb7+ Kd8 64. Rh7 {leads to a succesful invasion (Ivanchuk).}) 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "9"]
[Date "1991.??.??"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C43"]
[WhiteElo "2800"]
[BlackElo "2635"]
[PlyCount "54"]
[EventDate "1991.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. d4 Nxe4 4. Bd3 d5 5. Nxe5 Bd6 6. O-O O-O 7. c4 Bxe5 8.
dxe5 Nc6 9. cxd5 Qxd5 10. Qc2 Nb4 11. Bxe4 Nxc2 12. Bxd5 Bf5 13. g4 Bxg4 14.
Be4 Nxa1 15. Bf4 f5 16. Bd5+ Kh8 17. Rc1 c6 18. Bg2 Rfd8 19. Nd2 Rxd2 20. Bxd2
Rd8 21. Bc3 Rd1+ 22. Rxd1 Bxd1 23. f4 Nc2 24. Kf2 Kg8 25. a4 a5 26. Bxa5 Nd4
27. Bf1 Bb3 {Ivanchuk 8, Kasparov 7 1/2.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "9"]
[Date "1991.??.??"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D77"]
[WhiteElo "2695"]
[BlackElo "2700"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "35"]
[EventDate "1991.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. g3 O-O 5. Bg2 d5 6. O-O dxc4 7. Na3 c3 8. bxc3
c5 9. e3 Nc6 10. Qe2 Qa5 11. Bb2 Nd5 12. Rac1 b6 13. Nd2 e6 $2 {Gelfand
repeats the blunder in Holzl-Mikhalchishin, Budapest 1990.} ({Correct is} 13...
Rd8) 14. Nb3 $1 {Ivanchuk plays a crushing move.} Qa6 15. c4 Ndb4 16. Nb5 Qa4
$2 ({Or} 16... Qxa2 17. Rc3 Qa6 18. Nc7 {(Anand).}) 17. Nc3 Qa6 18. a3 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "9"]
[Date "1991.??.??"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Ljubojevic, Ljubomir"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B23"]
[WhiteElo "2590"]
[BlackElo "2800"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "86"]
[EventDate "1991.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 d6 3. f4 Nc6 4. Nf3 g6 5. Bb5 Bd7 6. O-O Bg7 7. d3 a6 8. Bxc6
Bxc6 9. Qe1 Qd7 10. a4 b6 11. b3 Nf6 12. h3 $6 Nh5 13. Bd2 f5 $5 14. exf5 gxf5
15. Qh4 Nf6 16. Rae1 O-O-O 17. a5 b5 18. b4 cxb4 19. Na2 Nd5 20. Nxb4 Bf6 21.
Qf2 Nxb4 22. Bxb4 Rhg8 $1 23. Re2 Rg6 24. Qe1 $2 ({Better is} 24. Qe3) 24...
Rdg8 25. Kh2 e5 $1 26. fxe5 Bxe5+ 27. Kh1 Qb7 $2 ({Kasparov misses the win} 
27... Qg7 28. Qf2 Rxg2 $1 29. Qxg2 Qf7) 28. d4 $1 Rxg2 $4 {Kasparov looks
shocked after he has carried out this move.} (28... Bg3 {keeps a plus.}) 29.
Rxg2 Rxg2 ({Kasparov had noticed} 29... Bxf3 30. Rxf3 Qxf3 31. Qc3+ $1 Qxc3 32.
Rxg8+ {too late.}) 30. Kxg2 Qg7+ 31. Kh1 Bf4 32. Qe6+ Bd7 33. Qd5 Qg3 34. Qa8+
$2 {Ljubojevic endures time trouble.} ({He misses} 34. Re1 $1 Qxh3+ 35. Kg1
Qg3+ 36. Kf1 Qh3+ 37. Ke2 {and the king escapes from the checks.}) 34... Kc7
35. Re1 $6 (35. Qa7+ Kc8 $1 36. Qxa6+ Kb8 $1 37. Rf2 $1 Qxf2 38. Bxd6+ {
attacks.}) 35... Qxh3+ 36. Kg1 Qg3+ 37. Kf1 Qh3+ 38. Ke2 $5 Bc6 39. Qa7+ Kc8
40. Rf1 $4 ({Correct is} 40. Nd2 Qg4+ 41. Kd3 Qg3+ 42. Ke2 $11 {(Kasparov).})
40... Qg2+ 41. Ke1 Bg3+ 42. Kd1 Qxf1+ 43. Ne1 Bxe1 {Ivanchuk 9, Kasparov 8 1/2.
} 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "9"]
[Date "1991.??.??"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Yusupov, Artur"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A21"]
[WhiteElo "2800"]
[BlackElo "2605"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "1991.??.??"]

1. c4 f5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Nc3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. d3 d6 6. e3 O-O 7. Nge2 e5 8. O-O
Nbd7 9. Rb1 Kh8 $6 {Black loses a tempo.} ({Better is} 9... c6) 10. b4 a6 11.
Bb2 Nh5 12. f4 Ndf6 13. Qd2 c6 14. a4 Qe7 15. b5 axb5 16. axb5 Bd7 17. h3 Rfe8
18. Ra1 h6 19. e4 Rxa1 20. Rxa1 Qd8 21. exf5 Bxf5 22. Kh2 ({Yusupov had planned
} 22. g4 Bxg4 $1 23. hxg4 Nxg4) 22... exf4 23. Nxf4 Nxf4 24. Qxf4 Nh5 25. Qd2
Kh7 $2 (25... Qc7 $1 {faces the difficulties.}) 26. Ne4 $2 {Kasparov misses
the victory.} ({The fine} 26. bxc6 $1 Nxg3 $1 {(Yusupov)} 27. Ne4 $1 Nxe4 28.
dxe4 Bxe4 29. Bxg7 Kxg7 30. Ra7 $1 Bxg2 31. Rxb7+ Re7 32. Kxg2 {wins.}) 26...
d5 $1 27. Bxg7 Kxg7 28. Qb2+ Kg8 29. cxd5 $2 ({Correct is} 29. bxc6 $1 dxe4 30.
cxb7 Qc7 31. Ra8 Rb8 {Black has a difficult position (Yusupov).}) 29... cxd5
30. Nc3 Qc7 $1 31. Bxd5+ Kh7 32. Rg1 Re3 33. Ne4 Bxe4 $2 (33... Rxd3 $1 34. Qg2
Qe5 35. Bxb7 Re3 {gains material.}) 34. Bxe4 Nxg3 35. Bxg6+ $1 {Kasparov has a
great escape.} Kxg6 36. Qf2 Rxd3 37. Rxg3+ Rxg3 38. Qxg3+ Qxg3+ 39. Kxg3 Kg5
40. b6 {Both players missed opportunities in a hard game.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "9"]
[Date "1991.??.??"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Timman, Jan"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C89"]
[WhiteElo "2630"]
[BlackElo "2695"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "48"]
[EventDate "1991.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. c3
d5 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Nxe5 Nxe5 11. Rxe5 c6 12. d4 Bd6 13. Re1 Qh4 14. g3 Qh3 15.
Re4 g5 16. Qf3 Bf5 17. Bxd5 cxd5 18. Re3 Be4 19. Rxe4 dxe4 20. Qf6 Qg4 {A
novelty is played.} 21. Nd2 $5 Rae8 22. Nf1 ({Timman avoids the adventures of} 
22. Qxd6 e3 23. fxe3 Rxe3 {(Anand).}) 22... Be7 23. Qxa6 f5 24. Qxb5 f4 {
Ivanchuk had won Linares 1991!} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "10"]
[Date "1992.??.??"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Timman, Jan"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E87"]
[WhiteElo "2620"]
[BlackElo "2780"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "50"]
[EventDate "1992.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 O-O 6. Be3 e5 7. d5 Nh5 8. Qd2 f5
9. O-O-O Nd7 10. Bd3 Nc5 11. Bc2 a6 12. Nge2 b5 13. b4 Nd7 14. cxb5 axb5 15.
Nxb5 $5 {This move looks risky.} ({More solid is} 15. Kb2 {(A. Petrosian, Riga
1973).}) 15... Rxa2 16. Nec3 Ra8 17. Kb2 Ndf6 18. Na7 fxe4 19. Nc6 Qd7 20. g4
$5 {Timman wants to apply restraint on the flanks.} Nf4 21. g5 N6xd5 $1 (21...
N6h5 22. fxe4 {lets White control the centre and queenside (Timman).}) 22. Nxd5
Nd3+ $1 {White has to defend carefully, but he loses track in the complex
calculations.} 23. Bxd3 $2 (23. Kb1 $1 Rxf3 $1 24. Rhf1 Rxf1 25. Rxf1 {keeps
the game going (Kasparov and Timman).}) 23... exd3 24. Nce7+ $6 Kh8 25. Nxc8 $6
e4+ $1 {The world champion had defeated the first candidate.} ({The opening of
the position shows its fatal effect in} 25... e4+ 26. Nf6 ({and} 26. Nc3 Qa4)
26... Rxf6) 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "10"]
[Date "1992.??.??"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B17"]
[WhiteElo "2780"]
[BlackElo "2725"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "1992.??.??"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Ng5 Ngf6 6. Bc4 e6 7. Qe2 Nb6 8.
Bb3 h6 9. N5f3 c5 10. Bf4 Bd6 $5 11. Bg3 Qe7 $5 (11... Bxg3 12. hxg3 {raises
the passivity (Matanovic-Panov, Skopje 1970).}) 12. dxc5 Bxc5 13. Ne5 $1 Bd7
14. Ngf3 Nh5 $5 15. O-O-O Nxg3 16. hxg3 O-O-O 17. Rh5 $1 Be8 18. Rxd8+ Kxd8 ({
Not} 18... Qxd8 $4 19. Nxf7 $1) 19. Qd2+ Bd6 $1 (19... Kc8 $2 20. Nd3 $1 Bd6
21. Qc3+ Kb8 22. Qxg7 {and White has won a pawn.}) 20. Nd3 Qc7 21. g4 Kc8 $1
22. g5 $1 Bf8 23. Rh4 Kb8 $1 24. a4 Be7 25. a5 Nd5 26. Kb1 Bd8 $2 (26... Qc6 $1
27. Rc4 Qa6 {defends in a lovely manner.}) 27. a6 Qa5 28. Qe2 $1 {Kasparov
keeps on charging.} Nb6 $6 (28... Nc7 $1 29. axb7 Be7 {brings the last chance.}
) 29. axb7 Bxg5 30. Nxg5 Qxg5 31. Rh5 Qf6 ({Or} 31... Qxg2 32. Nc5 $1 {
(Kasparov).}) 32. Ra5 Bc6 33. Nc5 Bxb7 34. Nxb7 Kxb7 35. Qa6+ Kc6 36. Ba4+ Kd6
37. Qd3+ Nd5 38. Qg3+ Qe5 39. Qa3+ Kc7 40. Qc5+ Kd8 41. Rxa7 {Another
candidate had lost.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "10"]
[Date "1992.??.??"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Timman, Jan"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D85"]
[WhiteElo "2620"]
[BlackElo "2720"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "1992.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Be3 c5 8.
Qd2 Qa5 9. Nf3 Bg4 10. Rb1 a6 11. Rb3 $6 b5 12. d5 Nd7 13. c4 b4 14. Qc2 Qc7 $6
15. Nd2 Nb6 16. f4 a5 17. Bd3 a4 18. Rb1 g5 $1 19. f5 Be5 20. h3 Bg3+ 21. Kf1
Bh5 22. e5 Qxe5 23. Ne4 Qxf5+ $5 24. Kg1 $6 ({Timman misses} 24. Bf2 Bxf2 25.
Nd6+ $1 exd6 26. Bxf5 {(Ivanchuk and Levin).}) 24... Qe5 25. Bxc5 b3 26. axb3
Nd7 27. Ba3 axb3 28. Rxb3 Qa1+ 29. Qb1 Rxa3 30. Rxa3 Qxa3 31. Nxg3 Bg6 32. Qb7
O-O 33. Qxd7 Qxd3 34. Kh2 h5 35. Re1 h4 36. Nf1 Qxc4 37. Qxe7 Qf4+ 38. Kg1 Rb8
39. d6 Qd4+ 40. Kh2 Qf4+ 41. Kg1 (41. Kh1 $1 Qb4 42. Nh2 Rb7 43. Qd8+ Kg7 44.
Rf1 {gives a new opportunity.}) 41... Qd4+ 42. Kh2 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "10"]
[Date "1992.??.??"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Black "Timman, Jan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D48"]
[WhiteElo "2665"]
[BlackElo "2620"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "91"]
[EventDate "1992.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3
Bb7 9. O-O a6 10. e4 c5 11. d5 c4 12. Bc2 Qc7 13. Qe2 Bd6 14. Bg5 O-O-O 15.
Rfd1 h6 16. Bxf6 gxf6 17. b3 $2 Bb4 $1 18. dxe6 fxe6 19. Nb1 Ne5 20. Nbd2 c3
21. Nf1 Bc5 22. Nxe5 fxe5 23. Rxd8+ Rxd8 24. Kh1 Qb6 25. f3 Qa5 26. a4 Bb6 27.
Rd1 Rxd1 28. Qxd1 Qb4 $2 {Black misses the opportunity to apply a tight
beleaguerment.} (28... b4 $1 29. Ng3 Qc5 30. Ne2 Qe3 31. Nc1 a5 $1 32. Nd3 Bd4
33. Nc1 Ba6 {leads to slow suffocation.}) 29. axb5 axb5 30. Ng3 Be3 31. Ne2 Qc5
32. Nc1 Bxc1 33. Qxc1 Kc7 34. Qxh6 Qf2 35. Qc1 b4 36. Bd3 Kb6 37. Qg1 Qd4 38.
h4 Ba6 39. Bc2 Kb7 40. h5 Qd8 41. Qf2 Bd3 42. Qc5 Qh4+ 43. Kg1 Qe1+ 44. Kh2
Qh4+ 45. Kg1 Qe1+ 46. Kh2 {Timman had missed chances in three games.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "10"]
[Date "1992.??.??"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E97"]
[WhiteElo "2720"]
[BlackElo "2780"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "1992.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. O-O Nc6 8. d5
Ne7 9. Nd2 a5 10. a3 Nd7 11. Rb1 f5 12. b4 Kh8 13. f3 Ng8 14. Qc2 Ngf6 15. Bd3
f4 16. Nb5 b6 17. c5 dxc5 18. bxa5 Rxa5 19. Nc4 Ra8 20. a4 Ne8 21. a5 Ba6 22.
Bd2 Bxb5 23. Rxb5 Nd6 24. Rb2 Qe7 25. Nxd6 Qxd6 26. Bb5 bxa5 27. Bc6 Rab8 28.
Ra2 Rf7 29. Rxa5 Bf8 30. Bc1 g5 31. Bb2 Qf6 32. Bxd7 Rxd7 33. Rfa1 Bd6 34. Ba3
g4 35. Bxc5 Rg8 36. Ra8 Rdg7 37. Kh1 Qg6 38. Bxd6 cxd6 39. Rc8 gxf3 40. Rxg8+
Rxg8 41. gxf3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "10"]
[Date "1992.??.??"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C18"]
[WhiteElo "2780"]
[BlackElo "2670"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "1992.??.??"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. h4 Nbc6 8. h5
Qa5 9. Bd2 cxd4 10. cxd4 Qa4 11. Nf3 $5 {Kasparov brings a novelty.} ({The
quiet} 11. c3 Qxd1+ 12. Kxd1 {gives a plus (Stelting-Brunner, Germany 1987).})
11... Nxd4 12. Bd3 Nec6 13. Kf1 $5 Nxf3 14. Qxf3 b6 $2 (14... Qd4 $1 15. Re1
Nxe5 16. Qg3 Nxd3 17. cxd3 {will draw in Fedorowicz-Filatov, Las Vegas 1995.})
15. h6 Ba6 $1 16. hxg7 Rg8 17. Bxa6 Qxa6+ 18. Kg1 Rxg7 19. Qf6 Rg8 20. Rxh7 Qb7
21. Bg5 Nd4 $5 (21... Qe7 22. Qf4 Qf8 $5 23. Rd1 Rh8 {is refuted by} 24. Rxd5
$3 exd5 25. Qf6 $1) 22. c4 $1 Ne2+ 23. Kh2 Nc3 $1 24. Rh8 Rxh8+ 25. Qxh8+ Kd7
26. Qh7 Rf8 $1 27. Bh6 Re8 28. Qxf7+ Re7 29. Qg6 Qb8 $1 30. cxd5 Nxd5 31. Rd1
$2 {Gary misses the win.} ({Right is} 31. f4 $1 Qh8 32. Kg3 $1 Rh7 {(Kasparov),
and now} 33. Rh1 $1 {leads to a victorious restriction of the kingside.}) 31...
Qxe5+ 32. f4 Qh8 33. f5 Qe5+ 34. Kh1 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "10"]
[Date "1992.??.??"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Timman, Jan"]
[Black "Bareev, Evgeny"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C11"]
[WhiteElo "2620"]
[BlackElo "2635"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "1992.??.??"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Be3 a6 8. Qd2 b5
9. Ne2 $5 Bb7 10. g3 Rc8 11. Bh3 g6 12. O-O cxd4 13. Nexd4 Nc5 14. Qe2 Nxd4 15.
Nxd4 h5 16. a3 Ne4 17. Rf3 Bc5 18. Raf1 Bb6 19. c3 Rc4 20. f5 $6 {The fight
begins.} gxf5 21. Bxf5 exf5 22. Rxf5 Bc8 $1 {Black counters immediately.} 23.
Rxf7 Bg4 24. Qd3 Rc7 25. R7f4 Rg8 26. Kh1 Qa8 $2 27. e6 $2 ({White misses the
chance} 27. Nxb5 $1 axb5 28. Bxb6) 27... Re7 28. a4 bxa4 29. Qc2 Bxe6 30. Qxa4+
Bd7 31. Qd1 Bg4 32. Qa4+ Bd7 33. Qd1 Kd8 $1 34. Qxh5 Kc7 35. Rf7 Bxd4 $2 ({The
material plus is kept by} 35... Rxf7 36. Rxf7 Bxd4 37. Bf4+ Kc6 38. cxd4 Qe8)
36. Bf4+ $1 Kb6 $4 {Bareev makes a second blunder in time trouble. He leaves a
rook unprotected!} ({The witty} 36... Kd8 37. Rxe7 Kxe7 38. cxd4 Qe8 39. Qh4+
Ke6 40. Qh3+ Ke7 {ends with a perpetual.}) 37. Rxe7 Nf6 38. Qh4 Rh8 39. Bc7+
Kxc7 40. Qxd4 {Bareev oversteps the time limit in a lost position.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "10"]
[Date "1992.??.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Beliavsky, Alexander"]
[Black "Timman, Jan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E97"]
[WhiteElo "2620"]
[BlackElo "2620"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "93"]
[EventDate "1992.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. O-O Nc6 8. d5
Ne7 9. Nd2 c5 10. Rb1 Ne8 11. b4 b6 12. a4 f5 13. a5 Nf6 14. axb6 axb6 15. f3
Bh6 16. Nb3 Bxc1 17. Nxc1 Bd7 18. Nd3 Ra3 19. Qc1 Qa8 20. bxc5 bxc5 21. Ra1 Ra5
$6 ({Right is} 21... Rxa1 22. Qxa1 Rb8) 22. Qb2 Qa7 23. Rxa5 Qxa5 24. Ra1 Qc7
25. Ra6 Nc8 $6 ({White should play} 25... fxe4 26. fxe4 {and now} Nc8) 26. Nf2
$1 Qd8 27. Qd2 Nh5 28. exf5 gxf5 29. g3 Be8 $6 ({More natural is} 29... Nf6 {
(Dautov).}) 30. Ra8 Bg6 31. Nb5 Qf6 32. Qa5 Qe7 33. Qc7 Qxc7 34. Nxc7 Ng7 35.
Nb5 Re8 36. Nd1 h5 37. Kf2 f4 38. Ndc3 fxg3+ 39. hxg3 Rf8 40. Ke1 Bf5 41. Ne4 {
White beleaguers the weakness d6.} Bxe4 $6 ({A firm stand is given by} 41...
Ne8 $1 {but} 42. g4 $1 hxg4 43. fxg4 Bd7 44. g5 $1 Bf5 45. Rb8 Kg7 46. Bh5 Bxe4
47. Rxc8 Bg6 48. Bxg6 Kxg6 49. Nxd6 {wins gracefully.}) 42. fxe4 Re8 43. Ra6
Rd8 44. Bf1 Rf8 45. Bh3 Ne7 46. Nxd6 Rf3 47. Ra8+ 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "10"]
[Date "1992.??.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E92"]
[WhiteElo "2665"]
[BlackElo "2780"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "120"]
[EventDate "1992.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be2 O-O 6. Nf3 e5 7. Be3 c6 8. Qd2
exd4 9. Nxd4 Re8 10. f3 d5 11. exd5 cxd5 12. O-O Nc6 13. c5 Rxe3 $5 {Kasparov
has played this sacrifice of the exchange before.} 14. Qxe3 Qf8 15. Ncb5 ({
Gary met} 15. Nxc6 bxc6 {in a previous encounter (Karpov-Kasparov, New York
1990).}) 15... Qxc5 16. Rac1 Qb6 17. Qf2 Bd7 18. Rfd1 Re8 19. Bf1 Bh6 20. Rc3
Nb4 21. Nc2 $2 {Gelfand blunders. White will lose a pawn, and Black keeps a
positional advantage.} Qxf2+ 22. Kxf2 Nxc2 23. Rxc2 Be3+ 24. Ke1 Bf4+ 25. Kf2
Be3+ 26. Ke1 Bg1+ 27. Kd2 Bxh2 28. Re1 Rd8 29. Kd1 Bf4 30. Nd4 a6 31. Bd3 h5
32. Rc3 h4 33. Bc2 Bg3 34. Re2 Kg7 35. Rb3 Rb8 36. Rd2 b5 37. Ra3 Rb6 38. b4
Bd6 39. Rb3 Nh5 40. Ne2 Be6 41. a3 g5 42. Nd4 Kf6 43. Nxe6 fxe6 44. Bd3 Nf4 45.
Rc3 d4 46. Rc8 Nd5 47. Ke2 Bf4 48. Rdc2 Ne3 49. Kf2 Bg3+ 50. Kg1 Nxc2 51. Rxc2
g4 52. fxg4 Kg5 53. Kf1 e5 54. Ke2 Kxg4 55. Rc8 Rf6 56. Be4 Rf2+ 57. Kd3 Bf4
58. Rg8+ Kh5 59. Bd5 Bg5 60. Ke4 Rxg2 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "10"]
[Date "1992.??.??"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Speelman, Jonathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B17"]
[WhiteElo "2780"]
[BlackElo "2630"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "120"]
[EventDate "1992.??.??"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Bc4 Ngf6 6. Ng5 e6 7. Qe2 Nb6 8.
Bb3 a5 9. c3 a4 10. Bc2 a3 11. b3 Nbd5 12. Bd2 Bd6 13. N1f3 Nf4 14. Qf1 h6 15.
Ne4 Nxe4 16. Bxe4 O-O 17. g3 Nd5 18. Qe2 c5 19. dxc5 Bxc5 20. Ne5 Qc7 21. O-O
Be3 $5 {Speelman has odd ideas.} 22. fxe3 $1 Qxe5 23. Qd3 Ra6 24. c4 Nf6 25.
Bg2 Rd6 26. Qc3 Qg5 27. Qa5 e5 28. Bb4 Ra6 29. Qb5 Bd7 $6 30. Qxb7 Qxe3+ 31.
Kh1 Ra7 32. Bd2 Qd4 33. Bc3 Qc5 34. Qb4 $6 Qc7 35. c5 $2 Bc6 $2 {Black misses
a great chance.} (35... Rb8 $1 {(Speelman)} 36. Qh4 Qxc5 {grabs a pawn.}) 36.
Qb6 Bxg2+ 37. Kxg2 Nd5 38. Qxc7 Rxc7 39. Bxe5 Rxc5 40. Bd6 Rc2+ 41. Rf2 Rfc8
42. Bxa3 Ne3+ 43. Kg1 Ra8 44. Bb2 Rxf2 45. Kxf2 Nc2 46. Rc1 Nb4 47. Rb1 Rxa2
48. Ke3 f6 49. Kd4 Nc2+ 50. Kc3 Na3 $1 51. Bxa3 Rxa3 52. Kb2 Ra7 53. b4 Kf7 54.
b5 Ke6 55. Kb3 Kd7 56. h4 h5 57. Rc1 Rc7 58. Rd1+ Kc8 59. Rd5 Re7 60. Kc4 Re3
1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "10"]
[Date "1992.??.??"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Timman, Jan"]
[Black "Jussupow, Artur"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A12"]
[WhiteElo "2620"]
[BlackElo "2655"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "1992.??.??"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. g3 c6 3. Bg2 Bg4 4. b3 Nd7 5. Bb2 Ngf6 6. d3 e6 7. O-O Bd6 8. c4
O-O 9. Na3 Re8 10. Nc2 a5 11. Rc1 Bh5 12. Re1 Qb6 13. Rb1 Qa7 14. a3 Rad8 15.
Qd2 e5 16. Nh4 Bc5 17. e3 dxc4 18. bxc4 Bf8 19. d4 Nc5 20. f3 exd4 21. exd4 Nb3
22. Qf4 b5 23. Bf1 Rxe1 24. Rxe1 Bd6 25. Qe3 a4 $2 {Black gives a pawn.} (25...
bxc4 26. Bxc4 a4 {is okay (Timman).}) 26. cxb5 cxb5 27. Bxb5 Qb8 $2 ({Better is
} 27... Rb8 28. Bd3 Qd7) 28. Bxa4 Na5 ({Yussupow has miscalculated} 28... Bxg3
29. hxg3 Qxg3+ 30. Ng2 $1) 29. Bc1 Nc4 30. Qe2 Rc8 31. Bg5 Nd5 32. Bd7 $1 Rc7
33. Bf5 Bf8 34. Qe4 Nc3 35. Qd3 g6 36. g4 gxf5 37. gxh5 Nd5 38. Qxf5 Nd6 39.
Qxd5 Rxc2 40. Bf4 h6 41. Nf5 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "10"]
[Date "1992.??.??"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Bareev, Evgeny"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E73"]
[WhiteElo "2635"]
[BlackElo "2780"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "95"]
[EventDate "1992.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be2 O-O 6. Bg5 Na6 7. h4 h6 8. Be3 e5
9. d5 Nc5 10. Qc2 c6 11. h5 g5 12. f3 a5 13. g4 Bd7 14. Nh3 a4 15. Qd2 cxd5 16.
cxd5 Qa5 17. Nb1 Nfxe4 $6 {Kasparov brings life to a dull game.} 18. fxe4 Nxe4
19. Qxa5 Rxa5 20. Nc3 $1 Ng3 21. Rg1 Nxe2 22. Kxe2 e4 23. Rac1 $1 f5 24. gxf5 {
The crucial position has arisen.} Rxf5 $6 ({Bareev analyses the critical line} 
24... Be8 $1 25. Nxg5 $1 hxg5 26. Rxg5 Kh8 {Right is} 27. Rcg1 $1 ({he
continues with} 27. Nxe4 $2 Bxb2) {The pointes are} 27... Bh6 ({and} 27... Bf6
28. Rg6 Bxg6 29. fxg6) 28. Bd4+ Kh7 29. Rg6 $1 Bxg6 30. hxg6+) 25. Nf2 Be8 26.
Rh1 Bb5+ 27. Nxb5 Rxb5 28. Rc8+ Kh7 29. Rd1 $2 ({Later Bareev finds the win} 
29. Rb1 $1 Rfxd5 30. Rc7) 29... Rxb2+ 30. Rd2 a3 $1 31. Rc7 Rxd5 32. Nxe4 Kg8
33. Rcc2 b5 34. Rxd5 Rxc2+ 35. Rd2 Rb2 36. Kd3 d5 37. Nc5 Rb4 38. Ne6 Rh4 39.
Nxg7 Kxg7 40. Bd4+ Kg8 41. Be5 Kf7 42. Re2 Rxh5 43. Kd4 Ke6 44. Bb8+ Kf5 45.
Re3 Rh1 46. Rf3+ Kg4 47. Rg3+ Kf5 48. Rf3+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "10"]
[Date "1992.??.??"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Ljubojevic, Ljubomir"]
[Black "Timman, Jan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E86"]
[WhiteElo "2610"]
[BlackElo "2620"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "120"]
[EventDate "1992.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 O-O 6. Be3 e5 7. Nge2 c6 8. Qd2
Nbd7 9. O-O-O a6 10. dxe5 $5 Nxe5 $1 11. Ng3 Be6 $1 12. Qxd6 Qxd6 13. Rxd6 Bxc4
14. Bf4 Ne8 15. Rd2 Bb5 (15... Be6 {was played in Balashov-Geller, Moscow 1969.
}) 16. Nxb5 axb5 17. b3 $6 Nc7 18. Be2 $2 ({The equality is kept by} 18. Be3 $1
f5 19. exf5 Nd5 $1 20. Bd4 gxf5) 18... f5 $1 {The strategic decision has
occurred. Black attacks on all fronts.} 19. Be3 ({The pointe is} 19. exf5 Nd5
$1 {(Timman).}) 19... f4 20. Bb6 Ne6 21. Nf1 c5 $1 22. Bxb5 Nd4 23. Rxd4 cxd4
24. Kb1 Rf6 25. Bc7 ({Or} 25. Bxd4 Rd6 {(Timman).}) 25... Re6 26. Nd2 Rc8 27.
Rc1 Bf8 28. Kb2 Bb4 29. Nb1 Bd6 30. Ba5 Rxc1 31. Kxc1 g5 32. h3 h5 33. Kd1 g4
34. hxg4 hxg4 35. fxg4 Nxg4 36. Nd2 Rg6 37. Ke2 Ne3 38. Kd3 Rxg2 39. Kxd4 b6
40. Bc3 Nd1 41. Bd3 Bc5+ 42. Kc4 Be3 43. Nf3 Rxa2 44. e5 Kf7 45. Ng5+ Kg7 46.
Bb1 Rg2 47. Nf3 b5+ 48. Kb4 Bc5+ 49. Kxc5 Nxc3 50. Bf5 Rg3 51. Nh4 f3 52. Bd3
Rh3 53. Nf5+ Kf8 54. Kd4 f2 55. Bf1 Rh1 56. Ng3 Rg1 57. Kxc3 Rxg3+ 58. Kb4 Ke7
59. Bxb5 Ke6 60. Ka4 Kxe5 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "10"]
[Date "1992.??.??"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Short, Nigel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C45"]
[WhiteElo "2780"]
[BlackElo "2685"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "95"]
[EventDate "1992.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Be3 Qf6 6. c3 Nge7 7. Bc4 O-O 8.
O-O Bb6 9. Nc2 d6 10. Bxb6 axb6 11. f4 g5 $5 {Short makes a shocking move.} 12.
f5 $5 (12. Nba3 $1 Be6 13. Bxe6 Qxe6 14. Nb5 $1 {gains a plus.}) 12... Ne5 13.
Be2 Bd7 14. c4 g4 $6 (14... Ba4 $1 15. b3 Bc6 16. Qd4 {is preferred during the
postmortem.}) 15. Nc3 h5 16. Qd2 Kh8 17. Qf4 Bc6 18. Ne3 Nd7 $2 ({Right is} 
18... Rfe8 {(Kasparov).}) 19. Bxg4 $5 {The fun begins for White.} hxg4 20. Nxg4
Qh4 ({Or} 20... Qd4+ 21. Kh1 $1 {(Kasparov).}) 21. Rf3 Ng6 22. Qe3 Qxg4 23.
Qh6+ Kg8 24. Rh3 Qxh3 25. gxh3 Nge5 26. f6 Nxf6 27. Qxf6 Rae8 28. Kh1 Ng6 29.
h4 Re6 30. Qg5 Rfe8 31. h5 Re5 32. Qh6 Rxe4 33. Nxe4 Rxe4 34. Kg1 Ne5 35. Qg5+
Kh7 36. Qf5+ Kh6 37. Rf1 Re2 38. Qf6+ Kh7 39. Qg5 Be4 40. h6 Bg6 41. h4 Re4 42.
h5 Rg4+ 43. Qxg4 Nxg4 44. hxg6+ fxg6 45. Rf7+ Kxh6 46. Rxc7 Ne5 47. Rxb7 Nxc4
48. b3 {A third candidate has been defeated.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "10"]
[Date "1992.??.??"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Timman, Jan"]
[Black "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B12"]
[WhiteElo "2620"]
[BlackElo "2725"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "109"]
[EventDate "1992.??.??"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. h4 h5 5. c4 e6 6. Nc3 Nd7 7. Bg5 f6 8. exf6 gxf6
9. Be3 dxc4 10. Bxc4 Nb6 11. Be2 Bg6 12. Nh3 Bd6 13. Nf4 Bxf4 14. Bxf4 Ne7 15.
Qd2 Nbd5 16. Rd1 Nf5 17. Bd3 Kf7 18. Ne2 Qe7 19. a3 Rad8 20. Bg3 Qf8 21. O-O
Nfe7 22. Bc4 Bf5 23. Rfe1 Qh6 24. Qa5 a6 25. Nc3 Qh7 26. Rd2 Rhg8 27. Kh2 Rd7
28. Na4 Qh6 29. Rdd1 Rgd8 30. Bb3 Bg4 31. f3 Bf5 32. Re2 Rg8 33. Qe1 b6 34. Nc3
Nf4 35. Bxf4 Qxf4+ 36. g3 Qd6 37. Ne4 Qc7 38. Bc4 a5 39. Rc1 $2 Rxd4 $1 {Thank
you!} 40. Nxf6 $4 {Timman sacrifices in time trouble.} Kxf6 $4 ({Karpov misses
the win} 40... Rxh4+ $1 41. Kg2 Bh3+ {(Timman).}) 41. Rxe6+ $1 Bxe6 42. Qxe6+
Kg7 43. Qf7+ Kh6 44. Qf6+ Ng6 45. Qxd4 Re8 46. Bd3 Re6 47. Be4 c5 48. Qd2+ Kg7
49. Rd1 Qe5 50. Kh3 a4 51. Qd8 Ne7 52. Rd2 Rf6 53. Qe8 Rf8 54. Qxa4 Nf5 55. f4
{Kasparov had achieved 6/9. Beliavsky trailed by half-a-point and Timman by
one point.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "10"]
[Date "1992.??.??"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Timman, Jan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B04"]
[WhiteElo "2670"]
[BlackElo "2620"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "1992.??.??"]

1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. Nf3 g6 5. Bc4 Nb6 6. Bb3 Bg7 7. exd6 cxd6 8.
O-O O-O 9. Re1 Nc6 10. h3 Bf5 $5 11. Nc3 Rc8 12. Bg5 h6 13. Be3 d5 14. Ne2 Na5
$5 15. c3 Nbc4 16. Bc1 Qb6 $6 {Black plays too ambitiously.} 17. Nf4 Be4 $2 {
Pawn d5 is given the wrong protection.} ({Anand advices} 17... Qd6 $1 18. Nh4
Bd7 $6 ({even better is the tactical} 18... Be4 $1 19. f3 Nxb2 $1 20. Bxb2 Qxf4
21. fxe4 Qxh4 22. exd5 Nc4)) 18. Nd2 $1 Nxb3 19. Nxc4 Qa6 $1 20. Qxb3 dxc4 21.
Qd1 Bc6 22. Rxe7 Rfe8 23. Rxe8+ Rxe8 24. Be3 Qb5 $6 25. d5 $1 Bd7 ({The pointe
is} 25... Rd8 26. Bd4 $1 Bxd4 27. Qxd4 Qxb2 28. Re1 {(Anand).}) 26. Qd2 Bf8 27.
Bd4 Bf5 28. g4 Be4 29. Re1 $1 Qa4 30. b3 $1 cxb3 31. axb3 Qb5 32. Qe3 Bd6 33.
Nh5 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "10"]
[Date "1992.??.??"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Beliavsky, Alexander"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D87"]
[WhiteElo "2620"]
[BlackElo "2780"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "1992.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bc4 c5 8.
Ne2 Nc6 9. Be3 O-O 10. O-O Bg4 11. f3 Na5 12. Bxf7+ Rxf7 13. fxg4 Rxf1+ 14.
Kxf1 Qd6 15. e5 Qd5 16. g5 Qe4 17. Bf2 Rf8 18. Ng1 Nc4 19. Nf3 Ne3+ 20. Bxe3
Qxe3 21. Qb3+ Kh8 22. Re1 Qxg5 23. Qxb7 Qd2 24. dxc5 Qxc3 25. Qd5 Bh6 26. c6
Bf4 27. Re4 Qc1+ 28. Re1 Qc3 29. Re4 {Kasparov played carefully against his
main rival. The unfortunate Beliavsky lost his last four games.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "10"]
[Date "1992.??.??"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Illescas Cordoba, Miguel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B45"]
[WhiteElo "2780"]
[BlackElo "2555"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "63"]
[EventDate "1992.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Nf6 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. e5 Nd5 8.
Ne4 Qc7 9. f4 Qb6 10. c4 Ne3 11. Qd3 Nf5 12. g4 Nd4 13. Bg2 h5 {The players
have reached the doubtful position from Jukic-Worsfold, Aarhus 1990. Kasparov
plays a novelty.} 14. g5 $1 Bb7 $6 (14... Nf5 {hinders white's development.})
15. Be3 $5 (15. Bd2 {is fine too.}) 15... Nc2+ $1 16. Kf2 Nxe3 17. Qxe3 Qxb2+
$6 ({Anand and Kasparov prefer} 17... c5 {but} 18. Rab1 $1 Rd8 19. g6 {is
great for White.}) 18. Kg3 Ba6 19. Rab1 h4+ 20. Kh3 Qc2 ({Not} 20... Qxa2 $2
21. Ra1 Qxc4 22. Bf1 {(Anand).}) 21. Rhc1 Qa4 22. Qc3 Ba3 23. Rc2 Be7 24. Rb3
O-O 25. Nf6+ $5 (25. Nd6 {is fine too (Kasparov).}) 25... gxf6 26. gxf6 Bc5 27.
Be4 Rfb8 28. Kxh4 {Square g3 is cleared of a mine.} Kf8 29. Rg2 Qxc4 {The
black king is lonely.} 30. Qxc4 (30. Qg3 Ke8 31. Qg8+ Bf8 32. Qxf8+ Kxf8 33.
Rbg3 {will also mate.}) 30... Bxc4 31. Bh7 Bf2+ ({Or} 31... Ke8 32. Rg8+ Bf8
33. Rxf8+ $1 Kxf8 34. Rg3 {and mate (Kasparov).}) 32. Kh5 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "10"]
[Date "1992.??.??"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Timman, Jan"]
[Black "Speelman, Jonathan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D35"]
[WhiteElo "2620"]
[BlackElo "2630"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "181"]
[EventDate "1992.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bf4 c6 7. Qc2 Be7 8.
h3 O-O 9. e3 Ne4 $5 10. Bd3 $1 ({Timman avoids} 10. Nxe4 dxe4 11. Qxe4 Bb4+ 12.
Nd2 Bxd2+ 13. Kxd2 Nf6) 10... f5 11. O-O Bf6 12. b4 a6 13. Na4 Re8 14. Rab1 Nf8
15. Rfc1 g5 16. Bh2 Ng6 17. Nc5 h5 18. Nd2 g4 19. Nf1 Bh4 20. hxg4 hxg4 21.
Nxe4 fxe4 22. Be2 Rf8 23. Ng3 Bd7 24. a4 Qg5 25. b5 axb5 26. axb5 Rxf2 $1 {
Speelman wishes to force a draw.} 27. Kxf2 Rf8+ 28. Ke1 Qxe3 29. Rb3 Qf2+ 30.
Kd1 Qxd4+ 31. Qd2 Qxd2+ 32. Kxd2 Bg5+ 33. Kd1 Bxc1 34. bxc6 Bxc6 $2 ({But} 
34... bxc6 35. Kxc1 Rf2 {even gains an advantage.}) 35. Kxc1 Rf2 36. Bf1 Nf4
37. Bg1 Ra2 38. Kb1 Ra8 39. Nf5 Rf8 40. Nh6+ Kg7 41. Bc5 $1 Rd8 42. Nxg4 d4 43.
Bb6 Rd7 44. g3 Ne6 45. Kc1 d3 46. Be3 Nd4 $1 47. Rb2 Nf5 48. Bf4 Rd5 49. Kd2
Ra5 50. Ne3 Nd4 51. Bg2 Kf6 52. Nc4 Rc5 53. Nd6 Nb3+ 54. Ke3 $2 ({Correct is} 
54. Rxb3) 54... Rc2 $2 (54... d2 $1 55. Ke2 e3 56. Bxe3 Bxg2 57. Rxb3 d1=Q+ 58.
Kxd1 Rd5+ {draws.}) 55. Nxe4+ $2 (55. Rxb3 {is better again (Timman).}) 55...
Bxe4 56. Kxe4 Nc5+ 57. Kd5 Rxb2 58. Be5+ Kg5 59. Bxb2 Kg4 60. Bf1 b6 $2 ({
Speelman misses the escape} 60... Kf3 $1 61. Bc3 Ne4 {under time pressure 
(Timman).}) 61. Be5 Kf3 62. Bf4 d2 63. Bxd2 Ne4 64. Bh6 Nxg3 65. Bd3 b5 66.
Bxb5 Nf5 67. Bf8 Ne3+ 68. Kd4 Ng2 {Kling and Horwitz regarded this position as
drawn in 1851. Chess program Belle proved the win for the attacker in 1983.}
69. Kd3 Nf4+ 70. Kd2 Ng2 71. Bc6+ Kf2 72. Bd6 Nh4 73. Bc5+ Kg3 74. Bb6 Ng2 75.
Bd5 Nh4 76. Ke2 $1 Kf4 77. Bb3 Nf5 78. Bc7+ Kg5 79. Be5 $1 {The knight should
not jump to g7.} Kg4 80. Bc2 Ng3+ 81. Kf2 Nf5 82. Bd1+ Kg5 83. Kf3 Nh4+ 84. Ke4
Nf5 85. Ba4 Ne7 86. Bd6 Ng8 87. Bf4+ Kg6 88. Ke5 Nf6 89. Bb5 Kf7 90. Bc4+ Kg6
91. Ke6 {Speelman has had enough. White wins the knight in fourteen moves
according to the modern theory. Therefore, he does not overstep the
fifty-moves-rule.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "10"]
[Date "1992.??.??"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Jussupow, Artur"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E68"]
[WhiteElo "2655"]
[BlackElo "2780"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "118"]
[EventDate "1992.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. c4 Bg7 4. g3 O-O 5. Bg2 d6 6. O-O Nbd7 7. Nc3 e5 8. e4
c6 9. Be3 Ng4 10. Bg5 Qb6 11. h3 exd4 12. Na4 Qa6 13. hxg4 b5 14. Be7 ({The
tactical} 14. Nxd4 bxa4 15. Nxc6 $1 Qxc6 16. e5 Qxc4 17. Bxa8 Nxe5 {stems from
Botvinnik-Smyslov, Moscow 1954.}) 14... Re8 15. Bxd6 bxa4 16. e5 c5 $1 ({Gary
diverts from} 16... Qxc4 {(Jancovec-Jansa, Havirov 1970).}) 17. b4 $6 ({Better
is} 17. Nxd4 $1 Bb7 18. Bxb7 Qxb7 {(Kasparov)} 19. Qf3 $1 $11) 17... cxb4 18.
Qxd4 Bb7 19. Rae1 $6 {White moves the wrong rook.} Rac8 20. c5 Qb5 21. Qf4 Bxf3
22. Bxf3 Nxc5 23. Be2 Qb6 24. Rc1 Ne6 25. Qxb4 Nd4 26. Bc4 Bxe5 27. Qxb6 axb6
28. Bxe5 Nf3+ 29. Kg2 Nxe5 30. Bb5 Rxc1 31. Rxc1 Rd8 32. Bxa4 $2 {Jussupow
misses the forced draw.} (32. g5 $1 Rd2 33. Re1 Nd3 34. Bxd3 Rxd3 35. Re4 b5
36. Re5 Ra3 37. Rxb5 Rxa2 38. Rb7 {White draws despite the loss of a pawn.})
32... Rd2 33. g5 Rxa2 34. Rc8+ Kg7 35. Bb3 Rb2 36. Rc3 b5 37. Re3 Ng4 38. Rf3
f5 39. gxf6+ Nxf6 40. Rd3 $2 (40. Be6 {gives the last chance.}) 40... Ne4 41.
Rd7+ Kh6 42. Bg8 Rxf2+ 43. Kg1 Rb2 44. Rxh7+ Kg5 45. Rb7 Kg4 46. Kf1 g5 47. Bh7
Nc3 48. Rc7 b4 49. Rc5 Rd2 50. Ke1 Re2+ 51. Kf1 Rd2 52. Ke1 Rd5 53. Rxd5 Nxd5
54. Kd2 Kxg3 55. Be4 Nb6 56. Kd3 g4 57. Bc6 Kf2 58. Kc2 Nc4 59. Bd7 g3 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "10"]
[Date "1992.??.??"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Short, Nigel"]
[Black "Timman, Jan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C48"]
[WhiteElo "2685"]
[BlackElo "2620"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "56"]
[EventDate "1992.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Nd4 5. Ba4 Bc5 6. Nxe5 O-O 7. Nd3 Bb6 8.
e5 Ne8 9. Nd5 d6 10. Ne3 Qg5 11. f4 Qg6 12. O-O f6 13. exd6 Nxd6 14. Nf2 N4f5
15. Nd5 Kh8 16. Nxb6 axb6 17. c3 $2 ({Correct is} 17. Bb3 $1) 17... Rxa4 $1 18.
Qxa4 Nh4 19. g3 Nf3+ 20. Kg2 Nh4+ 21. Kg1 Nf3+ 22. Kg2 Be6 $1 23. Nh1 $5 ({The
main point is} 23. Kxf3 $4 Bd5+ 24. Ke2 Re8+ 25. Kd1 Bf3#) 23... Bd5 24. Rxf3
Nf5 25. Nf2 Nh4+ 26. Kf1 Nxf3 27. d3 Nxh2+ 28. Ke2 Bc6 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "10"]
[Date "1992.??.??"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Salov, Valery"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B33"]
[WhiteElo "2780"]
[BlackElo "2655"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "122"]
[EventDate "1992.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8.
Na3 b5 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. Nd5 f5 11. Bd3 Be6 12. Qh5 Rg8 13. g3 Rc8 14. c3 Rg6
15. Nc2 Rh6 (15... fxe4 {Black diverts from} 16. Bxe4 {(Klovans-Yurtaev,
Leningrad 1989).}) 16. Qe2 Bxd5 17. exd5 Ne7 18. f3 Bg7 19. Ne3 f4 20. gxf4 Ng6
21. O-O-O Nxf4 22. Qc2 Qb6 23. Nf5 Rg6 24. Be4 b4 25. c4 Kf8 26. Rd2 Rc5 27.
Ng3 Qc7 28. Kb1 $5 Bh6 $2 {Great fun could have started.} (28... Rxc4 29. Rc1
Rxc2 30. Rdxc2 {(Kasparov)} Qa5 31. Bxg6 Nxd5 32. Rc8+ Ke7 33. Be4 Kd7 34. Bf5+
{leads to a perpetual.}) 29. Qb3 Rg7 30. Nf5 Rg6 31. Qxb4 Rxc4 32. Qxc4 Qxc4
33. Rc2 Qxc2+ 34. Kxc2 Rf6 35. Ne3 Ne2 36. Ng4 Nd4+ 37. Kd3 Rf4 38. Nxh6 Kg7
39. Nxf7 $5 Rxf7 40. Rf1 Rb7 41. b3 a5 42. f4 Rb4 43. fxe5 dxe5 44. Rc1 Nb5 45.
Rc6 Kf7 46. Ke3 Ke7 47. Bxh7 $2 ({Better is} 47. Bd3 $1 Nd6 48. Rc7+ Kd8 49.
Rxh7) 47... Rh4 48. Bd3 Nd6 49. Rc7+ Kd8 50. Rh7 Rd4 51. h4 Rg4 $1 52. h5 Rg3+
53. Kd2 Rg2+ 54. Ke1 e4 55. Be2 Nf5 56. Rf7 Nd4 57. Bf1 Rh2 58. Rf4 Nc2+ 59.
Kd1 Ne3+ 60. Ke1 Nc2+ 61. Kd1 Ne3+ {Salov escaped in the endgame.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "10"]
[Date "1992.??.??"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Timman, Jan"]
[Black "Illescas Cordoba, Miguel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A30"]
[WhiteElo "2620"]
[BlackElo "2555"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "89"]
[EventDate "1992.??.??"]

1. Nf3 c5 2. b3 Nc6 3. Bb2 Nf6 4. c4 e6 5. e3 Be7 6. g3 d5 7. Bg2 dxc4 8. bxc4
Qd3 9. Na3 O-O 10. Qb3 Nb4 11. Ne5 Qxb3 12. axb3 Nd7 $5 {Black sacrifices a
pawn for counteraction.} 13. Nxd7 Bxd7 14. Bxb7 Rab8 $6 (14... Nd3+ 15. Ke2
Rab8 16. Kxd3 Rxb7 17. Kc2 Bc6 {keeps the counter-play.}) 15. Be4 $1 f5 16. Bb1
a6 17. Bc3 Bc6 18. O-O Rfd8 19. Nc2 Ra8 20. Bxb4 cxb4 21. Nd4 Bf6 $2 ({Correct
is} 21... Bd7) 22. Nxc6 Bxa1 23. Nxd8 Rxd8 24. Bxf5 $1 exf5 25. Rxa1 Rxd2 26.
Ra4 $1 g5 27. Rxb4 f4 28. exf4 gxf4 29. Kg2 Rd3 30. gxf4 Kf7 31. Rb6 a5 32. f3
Rc3 33. Kg3 a4 34. bxa4 Rxc4 35. a5 Ra4 36. a6 Ra1 37. Kg4 Ra2 38. h4 Ra5 39.
f5 Ra1 40. h5 Ra2 41. Kg5 Rg2+ 42. Kf4 Ra2 43. Ke5 Ra5+ 44. Kd6 Rxf5 45. Kc7 {
Timman trailed Kasparov by one point in the penultimate round. A miracle could
happen in the last round.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "10"]
[Date "1992.??.??"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Ljubojevic, Ljubomir"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A10"]
[WhiteElo "2610"]
[BlackElo "2780"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "92"]
[EventDate "1992.??.??"]

1. c4 g6 2. Nc3 Bg7 3. g3 e5 4. Bg2 d6 5. d3 f5 6. e4 Nf6 7. Nge2 O-O 8. h3 c6
9. Be3 Be6 10. Qd2 $2 ({The equality is kept by} 10. Qb3 Qc7 11. exf5 gxf5 12.
O-O-O) 10... fxe4 $1 11. Nxe4 Nxe4 12. Bxe4 d5 $1 13. cxd5 cxd5 14. Bg2 Nc6 15.
O-O Qd7 16. Kh2 d4 17. Bg5 Bd5 $1 18. Be4 Rf7 19. Kg2 Qe6 20. Bxd5 Qxd5+ 21. f3
a5 22. h4 a4 23. Ng1 a3 24. Rfb1 Bf8 25. bxa3 Rxa3 26. Rb2 b5 27. Rab1 b4 28.
Rc2 Rc3 29. Rbb2 Na5 30. Qd1 Nb7 31. Bd2 $2 {White makes the decisive mistake.}
({Right is} 31. Qe2 $1 Nc5 {and now} 32. Bd2 $1 Nxd3 33. Bxc3 bxc3 34. Qxd3
cxb2 35. Rxb2 Ra7) 31... Rxd3 32. Qe2 Rdxf3 $1 33. Nxf3 d3 34. Qe3 dxc2 35.
Rxc2 Nc5 36. Bxb4 Nd3 37. Bd2 Bc5 38. Rxc5 ({The pointe is} 38. Qe2 e4) 38...
Nxc5 39. Bc3 Nd3 40. a4 Rc7 41. Bd2 Nb2 42. Bc3 Nc4 43. Qe2 Rf7 44. a5 e4 45.
Ne1 e3+ 46. Kg1 Nd2 {Kasparov won the tournament two points before the rest.}
0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "10"]
[Date "1992.??.??"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Salov, Valery"]
[Black "Timman, Jan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E15"]
[WhiteElo "2655"]
[BlackElo "2620"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "165"]
[EventDate "1992.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. b3 Bb7 6. Bg2 Bb4+ 7. Bd2 a5 8. O-O
O-O 9. Qc2 Be4 10. Qb2 h6 11. Bf4 Be7 12. Nc3 Bb7 13. d5 Na6 14. Rad1 Nc5 15.
Nd4 Nh5 16. Be3 Qc8 17. Qc2 c6 18. d6 Bd8 19. Nf3 Na6 20. Ne5 c5 21. Bxb7 Qxb7
22. Qe4 Qxe4 23. Nxe4 f5 24. Nd2 Ra7 25. a4 Bf6 26. Ndf3 Nb4 27. Bc1 g5 28. Bb2
Bg7 29. Ne1 Nf6 30. f3 Rd8 31. Rd2 Ne8 32. N1d3 Nc6 33. Nxc6 dxc6 34. Bxg7 Kxg7
35. Ne5 Rxd6 36. Rxd6 Nxd6 37. Rd1 Nf7 38. Nxc6 Rc7 39. Nd8 Nxd8 40. Rxd8 Rc6
41. Kf2 Kf6 42. Ke3 h5 43. h4 gxh4 44. gxh4 e5 45. Rh8 Kg6 46. Rg8+ Kf6 47. Rg5
Rc8 48. Rxh5 Kg6 49. Rg5+ Kf6 50. f4 Re8 51. fxe5+ Rxe5+ 52. Kf3 Re8 53. Rg2
Rh8 54. Rh2 Rh5 55. Kf4 Ke6 56. Rh1 Kf6 57. Rh3 Ke6 58. Rh2 Kf6 59. Rh1 Ke6 60.
Rh3 Kf6 61. e3 Ke6 62. Rh2 Kf6 63. Rh1 Ke6 64. Rh2 Kf6 65. Rh3 Ke6 66. e4 fxe4
67. Kxe4 Kf6 68. Kf4 Kg6 69. Kg4 Re5 70. Rg3 Kf6 71. Rd3 Re4+ 72. Kh5 Re6 73.
Rf3+ Kg7 74. Kg5 Re5+ 75. Kf4 Re8 76. Rd3 Re6 77. Kf5 Rf6+ 78. Ke5 Rh6 79. Rd6
Rh5+ 80. Ke6 Rxh4 81. Kd7 Rh3 82. Rxb6 Kf7 83. Rb5 {Timman had lost a poor
game. Ivanchuk shared the second place at the end.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "11"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Salov, Valery"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E18"]
[WhiteElo "2725"]
[BlackElo "2660"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]

{We follow the games of Karpov and Kasparov.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4.
g3 Bb7 5. Bg2 Be7 6. Nc3 Ne4 7. Bd2 Bf6 8. O-O O-O 9. Rc1 c5 10. d5 exd5 11.
cxd5 Nxd2 12. Nxd2 d6 13. Nde4 Be7 14. f4 Nd7 15. g4 a6 16. a4 Re8 $2 (16... b5
$1 17. axb5 axb5 18. Nxb5 Qb6 19. Nbc3 Ba6 {starts timely counter-play 
(Kiss-Zagrebelny, Gyula 1991).}) 17. g5 Bf8 18. Kh1 $1 b5 $5 19. axb5 axb5 20.
Nxb5 Qb6 21. Nbc3 Qb4 22. Qd3 Nb6 23. Qg3 $1 Kh8 ({The pointe is} 23... Nxd5
24. Nxd5 Bxd5 25. Nf6+ gxf6 26. gxf6+ Kh8 27. Bxd5 {(Karpov).}) 24. Rcd1 Nc4 $6
({Better is} 24... Bc8 25. f5 Re5 {(Karpov), and now} 26. Nf2 $1 c4 27. e4) 25.
b3 $1 Nb6 26. g6 $1 fxg6 27. f5 gxf5 28. Rxf5 Nd7 29. Rdf1 Ne5 30. R5f4 Qb6 31.
Ng5 Ng6 ({Karpov analyses} 31... Be7 32. Nf7+ Nxf7 33. Rxf7 Bf8 34. Be4 Kg8 35.
Bxh7+ $1 Kxh7 36. Rg1) 32. Nf7+ Kg8 33. Qxg6 $1 ({The pointe of the wonderful
queen sacrifice is} 33. Qxg6 hxg6 34. Rh4 {and mate.}) 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "11"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Ljubojevic, Ljubomir"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E97"]
[WhiteElo "2605"]
[BlackElo "2805"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "58"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be2 O-O 6. Nf3 e5 7. O-O Nc6 8. d5
Ne7 9. Nd2 a5 10. Rb1 Nd7 11. a3 f5 12. b4 Kh8 13. f3 f4 14. Nb3 axb4 15. axb4
g5 16. Bd2 $6 ({Theory is} 16. c5 $1 {(Dokhoian-Loginov, Pavlodar 1987).})
16... Ng6 17. Ra1 Rxa1 18. Qxa1 Nf6 19. Qa7 g4 $1 20. fxg4 Nxg4 21. h3 (21.
Bxg4 $2 Bxg4 22. Qxb7 Nh4 $1 {wins for Black (Kasparov). I continue with} 23.
Be1 Nxg2 24. Kxg2 f3+ 25. Kg1 Qg5 26. Qa7 Bh3+ 27. Bg3 Bxf1 28. Kxf1 f2 $1 29.
Bxf2 Bh6 $1 30. Nd1 Qg4 31. Ke1 Qxe4+) 21... Nh6 22. Be1 Rg8 23. Nd2 Bf6 24.
Kh1 $2 {The king goes in the wrong direction.} ({Kasparov gives} 24. Nf3 $1 Bh4
25. Bf2 Nf7 26. Ra1 {and the king escapes.}) 24... Bh4 25. Nf3 Bxe1 26. Nxe1
Nh4 {Black has a clear target.} 27. Rf2 ({All forces concentrate on the
kingside in} 27. Nd1 $1 Rg3 $1 28. Nf2 Qg8 29. Rg1 Re3 30. Qa2 Qg3 31. Ned3
Bxh3 $1 32. gxh3 Qxh3+ 33. Nxh3 Rxh3#) 27... Qg5 28. Nf3 Nxf3 29. Bxf3 Bxh3 $1
({See} 29... Bxh3 30. Qxb7 Bxg2+ 31. Rxg2 Qh4+ 32. Kg1 Qe1+ 33. Kh2 Rxg2+ $1 {
(Knaak).}) 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "11"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B85"]
[WhiteElo "2710"]
[BlackElo "2805"]
[PlyCount "52"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. f4 a6 7. Be2 Be7 8. O-O
Qc7 9. Kh1 O-O 10. a4 Nc6 11. Be3 Re8 12. Bf3 Rb8 13. Qd2 Bd7 14. Nb3 b6 15.
Qf2 Nb4 16. Nd4 e5 17. Nf5 Bxf5 18. exf5 e4 19. Nxe4 Qxc2 20. Rfc1 Qxf2 21.
Nxf2 d5 22. Bd2 a5 23. g3 Bc5 24. Bxb4 Bxb4 25. Kg2 h5 26. Rc2 b5 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "11"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Timman, Jan"]
[Black "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A17"]
[WhiteElo "2635"]
[BlackElo "2725"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "70"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. g3 b6 5. Bg2 Bb7 6. O-O O-O 7. Qc2 Re8 8. Rd1
d6 9. d4 Bxc3 $6 ({Better is} 9... c5) 10. Qxc3 Nbd7 11. b3 a6 $6 {Weak moves
give an advantage to White.} 12. Bb2 b5 13. Rac1 Nb6 14. Ba3 Be4 15. Bf1 bxc4
16. bxc4 Bc6 17. Qa5 Bxf3 18. exf3 d5 19. cxd5 Nfxd5 20. f4 $1 Qd7 21. Rd2 Nf6
22. Bg2 Nbd5 23. Rb2 $1 {An attack on the queenside has developed.} h5 24. Bf3
Rec8 25. Rb7 Qd8 26. Kg2 h4 27. Qa4 $6 (27. Rc6 $1 {increases the pressure.})
27... a5 28. Rc5 Nd7 29. Rc2 N7b6 30. Qb5 Qf6 31. Qd3 Rd8 32. Qe4 Nd7 $2 ({
Right is} 32... Rdb8 33. Rxb8+ Rxb8) 33. f5 $1 {Black has missed a tactical
point.} hxg3 34. hxg3 Nf8 35. Rc6 Nb4 {Karpov lost on time.   Actually, this
round was the first for the K's. They started poorly due to flu.} ({White
could have won by} 35... Nb4 36. Rcxc7 Rxd4 37. Qe2) 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "11"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Beliavsky, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E15"]
[WhiteElo "2725"]
[BlackElo "2610"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. b3 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Be7 7. Bg2 c6 8. Bc3
d5 9. Ne5 Nfd7 10. Nxd7 Nxd7 11. Nd2 O-O 12. O-O Rc8 13. e4 c5 14. exd5 exd5
15. dxc5 dxc4 16. c6 cxb3 17. Re1 Bb5 18. axb3 Bxc6 19. Bxc6 Rxc6 20. Rxa7 Bf6
21. Nc4 $1 Nc5 $6 ({Better is} 21... Bxc3 22. Rxd7 Qf6 23. Re4 $1 Re6 24. Rf4 {
(Chernin-Veingold, Sevilla 1993)} Qg5 $1) 22. Qxd8 Rxd8 {The exchanges have
led to a poor ending for Black.} 23. Bxf6 Rxf6 $2 ({Black has to accept the
weakening} 23... gxf6 {(Karpov). Play might continue with} 24. Ree7 Nxb3 25.
Ne3 Rf8 {(Dautov).}) 24. b4 $1 Ne6 ({Or} 24... Nb3 25. Rd7 $1) 25. Nxb6 Ng5 26.
Rd7 $1 Nf3+ 27. Kf1 Rb8 28. Red1 Kf8 29. Nd5 Re6 30. Nc7 Rh6 31. h4 g5 $6 32.
hxg5 Nxg5 33. R1d5 $1 Ne4 34. Rd8+ Rxd8 35. Rxd8+ Kg7 ({Or} 35... Ke7 36. Re8+
Kd7 37. Rxe4 Kxc7 38. Rf4 {(Karpov).}) 36. Ne8+ Kg6 37. Kg2 f6 38. Rd7 Rh5 39.
Rg7+ Kh6 40. Re7 f5 (40... Re5 41. Nxf6 $1) 41. Re6+ Kg5 ({Karpov will play} 
41... Kg5 42. f4+ Kg4 43. Rxe4 fxe4 44. Nf6+) 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "11"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Jussupow, Artur"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D35"]
[WhiteElo "2805"]
[BlackElo "2645"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "236"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bf4 Nf6 6. e3 Bf5 7. Nge2 O-O 8.
Ng3 Be6 9. Bd3 c5 10. dxc5 Bxc5 11. O-O Nc6 12. Rc1 Bd6 13. Nh5 Be7 $2 (13...
Bxf4 $1 14. Nxf4 d4 15. Nxe6 fxe6 16. exd4 Qxd4 {liberates black's position.})
14. Nb5 Nxh5 15. Qxh5 g6 16. Qf3 Rc8 17. Rfd1 Qd7 18. h3 Rfd8 19. Qg3 Nb4 20.
Nc3 Nxd3 21. Rxd3 Bf5 22. Rd2 Qe6 23. Rcd1 h5 $6 24. h4 ({More direct is} 24.
Rxd5 $2) 24... Rc5 25. f3 Qc6 26. e4 Rxc3 $1 {Black lifts the pressure by
sacrificing the exchange.} 27. bxc3 Qb6+ 28. Kh2 dxe4 29. Rxd8+ Bxd8 30. Be3 $2
(30. Rd5 $1 {(threatens Rxf5)} Kh7 31. fxe4 {wins a pawn, because} Bxe4 $2 32.
Rd7 $1 Qf6 33. Bg5 {fails.}) 30... Qa5 31. Qb8 Qc7+ 32. Qxc7 Bxc7+ 33. Kg1 exf3
34. gxf3 {White has a material plus, but the endgame is hard to win.} b6 35.
Kf2 Kf8 36. Rd4 Ke7 37. Bf4 Bxf4 38. Rxf4 Kd6 39. Ke3 Kc5 40. Rd4 Be6 41. a3 a5
42. Ke4 b5 43. Ke5 a4 $6 {Square b4 is made available for the rook. Black
should have delayed this weakening move.} 44. f4 Kc6 45. Kf6 Kc5 46. Rb4 Bc4 $1
(46... Kc6 $2 47. f5 $1 Bxf5 48. c4 {would open the fortress (Kasparov).}) 47.
Ke7 Be6 48. Re4 Kd5 49. Rd4+ Kc6 50. Kd8 Bf5 51. Ke8 Be6 52. Kf8 Kc5 53. Kg7
Kc6 54. Kg8 Kc5 55. Kf8 Kc6 56. Kg7 Kc5 57. Kh8 Kc6 58. Kh7 Kc5 59. Kh6 Bf5 60.
Kg5 Be6 {White has made aimless moves until the adjournment. Now, Gary gets
time to analyse the adjourned position.} 61. Kf6 Kc6 62. f5 $1 Bxf5 63. Kxf7
Kc5 64. Kf6 Bc2 65. Ke7 Bf5 66. Kd8 Kc6 67. Rf4 Kd6 68. Rb4 Kc5 ({Not} 68...
Kc6 $2 69. c4 $1) 69. Kc7 Bd3 70. Rd4 Be2 71. Kb7 Bf1 72. Ka7 Be2 73. Re4 Bd3
74. Rb4 Bc4 75. Ka6 Kd5 76. Ka5 Ke5 $1 77. Rb1 g5 $2 ({The manouevre} 77... Kf4
$1 78. Rg1 Bd3 79. Kb4 Kf3 80. c4 Bxc4 81. Rxg6 {(Kasparov)} Be2 82. Rg5 Kf2 {
seems to draw.}) 78. hxg5 Kf5 79. Rg1 Kg6 80. Kb4 h4 81. Kc5 h3 82. Kd4 $1 Be6
83. Ke5 Bd7 84. Kf4 $1 Bc6 85. Kg3 Kxg5 86. Rd1 $1 h2 $1 87. Kxh2 Kf4 88. c4 $1
({White makes no progress in} 88. Kg1 $2 Ke3 89. Kf1 Be4 90. Rd8 Bd3+ 91. Ke1
Bc4 {(Kasparov).}) 88... bxc4 89. Rd4+ Ke5 90. Rxc4 {The pawns were placed on
a2 and a3 in the similar ending Timman - Velimirovic, Rio de Janeiro 1979.} Kd5
91. Rb4 Kc5 92. Kg3 Bb5 93. Kf4 Kb6 94. Ke3 Ka5 95. Kd4 Be2 96. Rb1 Bh5 97. Re1
Bf7 98. Kc5 Bb3 99. Re8 Ka6 100. Kc6 Ka7 101. Kb5 Kb7 102. Re7+ $4 {The black
king should remain imprisoned.} ({Correct is} 102. Rd8 $1 Kc7 103. Rd3 Kc8 $1 (
103... Kb7 104. Rc3 $1 Bd1 105. Ka5 Bb3 106. Rc1 Ka7 107. Rc7+ Kb8 108. Kb6 Ba2
109. Rh7 Kc8 110. Rh4 Bb3 111. Rd4 {(Kasparov)}) 104. Rd6 Kc7 105. Rd4 $1 Kb7
106. Rd7+ Kc8 107. Kc6 Bc2 108. Rd4 Bg6 109. Kd6 Be8 110. Rb4) 102... Kc8 103.
Kc6 Kd8 {The game is drawn, according to Chéron.} 104. Rd7+ Ke8 $1 105. Kc7 Bc2
106. Rd2 Bb3 107. Re2+ Kf7 108. Kd6 Bc4 109. Re7+ Kf8 110. Re4 Bb3 111. Kd7 Kf7
112. Rf4+ Kg6 113. Kd6 Kg5 114. Ke5 Kg6 115. Rf3 Kg7 116. Rf6 Bc4 117. Kf5 Bb3
118. Kg5 Bc2 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "11"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C10"]
[WhiteElo "2710"]
[BlackElo "2725"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bd7 5. Nf3 Bc6 6. Neg5 Bd6 7. Bd3 h6 8.
Ne4 Bxe4 9. Bxe4 c6 10. Qe2 Nf6 11. Bd3 Nbd7 12. Bd2 Qc7 13. O-O O-O 14. c4
Rfe8 15. c5 Bf4 16. Bxf4 Qxf4 17. Rfe1 Rad8 18. Rac1 Nd5 19. g3 Qc7 20. a3 b6
21. Bc4 N5f6 22. Ba2 Rb8 23. cxb6 Qxb6 24. Rc2 a5 25. Rec1 Rb7 26. Bc4 Nd5 27.
Qe1 Rd8 28. Nd2 N5f6 29. Bf1 Ra7 30. Nc4 Qc7 31. Bg2 Nb8 32. Qe5 Nd5 33. Qxc7
Nxc7 34. Ne5 Nb5 35. Nxc6 Nxc6 36. Rxc6 Rxd4 37. h4 g6 38. Rb6 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "11"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E86"]
[WhiteElo "2685"]
[BlackElo "2805"]
[PlyCount "37"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 O-O 6. Be3 e5 7. Nge2 c6 8. Qd2
Nbd7 9. O-O-O a6 10. Kb1 b5 11. Nc1 exd4 12. Bxd4 b4 13. Na4 c5 14. Bxf6 Bxf6
15. Qxd6 Be7 16. Qg3 Bh4 17. Qh3 Be7 18. Qg3 Bh4 19. Qh3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "11"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E17"]
[WhiteElo "2725"]
[BlackElo "2710"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Bb7 5. Bg2 Be7 6. Nc3 O-O 7. d5 Bb4 8. Bd2
Bxc3 9. Bxc3 exd5 10. Nh4 Ne4 11. cxd5 Nxc3 12. bxc3 d6 13. O-O Nd7 14. e4 Nc5
15. Qd4 Ba6 16. Rfe1 Qd7 17. f4 f6 18. Nf3 Rae8 19. e5 dxe5 20. fxe5 fxe5 21.
Nxe5 Qd6 22. Re3 Bb5 23. Rae1 Nd7 24. Nc6 Rxe3 25. Rxe3 Nf6 26. g4 Bxc6 27.
dxc6 Qxd4 28. cxd4 Re8 29. Ra3 Nxg4 30. Rxa7 Re1+ 31. Bf1 Rc1 32. Rxc7 Kf8 33.
Rc8+ Ke7 34. c7 Kd6 35. Rh8 Kxc7 36. Rxh7 Kd6 37. Rxg7 Nxh2 38. Kxh2 Rxf1 39.
Kg2 Ra1 40. Kf3 Rxa2 41. Ke4 Re2+ 42. Kd3 Re8 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "11"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Bareev, Evgeny"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C24"]
[WhiteElo "2805"]
[BlackElo "2670"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. d3 c6 4. Nf3 d5 5. Bb3 a5 $5 6. Nc3 Bb4 7. a3 Bxc3+ 8.
bxc3 Nbd7 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. O-O $1 O-O ({Kasparov dislikes} 10... Nxc3 $6 11.
Qd2) 11. Re1 Re8 12. c4 $1 Ne7 $5 13. Ng5 h6 14. Ne4 a4 15. Ba2 c5 16. Nd6 Rf8
17. c3 Ng6 18. Bb1 Nf6 19. Nxc8 Qxc8 20. Qf3 Re8 21. Bc2 ({White loses a piece
by} 21. Bxh6 $2 Nh4 22. Qg3 Nf5 {(Korchnoi).}) 21... Nh4 22. Qg3 g5 23. d4 Nf5
24. Qh3 e4 25. f3 exf3 $6 ({Better is} 25... cxd4 26. cxd4 $1 Ra6 27. Bb2 Qxc4
28. Rac1 Qd5) 26. Rxe8+ Qxe8 27. Bxg5 $1 ({The champ notices} 27. Qxf5 Qe1#)
27... hxg5 28. Qxf5 Qe3+ 29. Kh1 fxg2+ 30. Kxg2 Qe2+ (30... Ra6 $1 {protects
Nf6 (Korchnoi).}) 31. Kg1 Ng4 $4 {Bareev makes an incredible blunder.} ({
Kasparov analyses} 31... Qg4+ 32. Qxg4 Nxg4 33. Re1 {Then} Kf8 {gives chances
of survival in the endgame.}) 32. Qh7+ Kf8 33. Rf1 f6 34. Bg6 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "11"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D43"]
[WhiteElo "2725"]
[BlackElo "2690"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "89"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. Qa4+ c6 6. Qxc4 b5 7. Qd3 Bb7 8. e4
b4 9. Na4 Nbd7 10. Bg5 Qa5 11. b3 c5 12. Bxf6 gxf6 13. Be2 $5 (13. d5 O-O-O {
was played in A. Petrosian - Horvath, Siofok 1990.}) 13... O-O-O $6 {The king
will be vulnerable on the queenside.} ({My preference goes to} 13... cxd4 14.
Qxd4 Rd8 15. Rd1 h5) 14. O-O Kb8 15. d5 $1 Nb6 16. Nxb6 Qxb6 17. Rad1 Bh6 18.
Qc4 Rd6 $6 ({More active is} 18... Rhg8 19. Rfe1 Bf4) 19. dxe6 Rxe6 20. Rd5 $1
{White delivers an astonishing positional sacrifice in the centre.} Rhe8 $5 (
20... Bxd5 21. exd5 Re7 22. Rd1 {and Karpov favours White.}) 21. Bd3 Rd8 22.
Rd1 Red6 23. Be2 Bxd5 24. exd5 Qb7 25. Qh4 Bf8 $6 ({More dynamic is} 25... Bg5
26. Qg3 {(Karpov)} Qe7 $1 27. Bc4 Qe4) 26. Bc4 Rxd5 $2 {This counteraction
starts premature.} ({Right is} 26... h6 $1 27. Qe4 {and White threatens Nh4-f5
(Karpov)} f5 $1 28. Qxf5 Bg7 29. Nd2 $6 {and now} Rxd5 $1 30. Bxd5 Qxd5 31.
Qxd5 Rxd5 32. Kf1 Rd6 $1 {Black has a plus.}) 27. Bxd5 Rxd5 28. Re1 Rd8 29.
Qxf6 Qc7 30. g3 Bd6 31. Ng5 Rd7 32. Re8+ Kb7 33. Ne4 $5 Qc6 34. Qf5 Be7 35. Kg2
Rc7 36. Rh8 Qg6 37. Qd5+ Qc6 38. Qxc6+ Kxc6 39. Rxh7 Kd5 40. Nd2 Bf6 41. Nc4
Kd4 42. Rh6 Rc6 43. g4 Re6 44. h4 Kd5 45. g5 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "11"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Salov, Valery"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B22"]
[WhiteElo "2660"]
[BlackElo "2805"]
[PlyCount "94"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. c3 e6 3. d4 d5 4. exd5 exd5 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. Be2 Bd6 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8.
O-O Nge7 9. Nbd2 O-O 10. Nb3 Bb6 11. Bg5 h6 12. Bxe7 Qxe7 13. Re1 Be6 14. a4 a5
15. Qd3 Rad8 16. Qb5 Qc7 17. Nbd4 Bg4 18. Bf1 g6 19. g3 h5 20. Qd3 Rfe8 21. Bg2
Kg7 22. Kf1 Qd6 23. Qb5 Nxd4 24. Nxd4 Rxe1+ 25. Rxe1 h4 26. Qd3 Qf6 27. Kg1 h3
28. Bf1 Rc8 29. Qd2 Bd7 30. Nb5 Rd8 31. Nd4 Rc8 32. Nb5 Rh8 33. Re2 Bg4 34. Re1
Bd7 35. Re2 d4 36. Nxd4 Bxa4 37. Re4 Bd7 38. Qe3 Bc6 39. Rf4 Bxd4 40. Qxd4 Qxd4
41. Rxd4 Re8 42. f4 a4 43. Rd2 Re1 44. Kf2 Rc1 45. Bxh3 a3 46. bxa3 Rxc3 47.
Bg2 Rxa3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "11"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Timman, Jan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E32"]
[WhiteElo "2805"]
[BlackElo "2635"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "105"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 O-O 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Qxc3 b6 7. Bg5 Bb7 8.
f3 d5 9. e3 Nbd7 10. cxd5 exd5 11. Bd3 Re8 12. Ne2 h6 13. Bh4 c5 14. O-O Rc8
15. Qd2 Qe7 16. Bf2 Bc6 $6 ({Preferable is} 16... Nb8 $1 17. Nc3 Nc6) 17. Nc3
Nf8 18. Rfe1 Ne6 19. Bh4 Ng5 20. Bf5 Bd7 21. Bc2 Bc6 22. Rad1 Qe6 23. Qf2 Rcd8
$2 {The rook moves to the wrong square.} 24. h3 $1 {Kasparov threatens to win
a pawn by 25.Bxg5 hxg5 26.Qg3.} Ngh7 25. dxc5 bxc5 26. e4 $1 dxe4 (26... d4 27.
e5 $1 {shows why the rook is on a faulty square.}) 27. Rxd8 Rxd8 28. Qxc5 Ng5
29. Bxg5 hxg5 30. Qxg5 Qc4 31. fxe4 Qd4+ 32. Qe3 Qxe3+ 33. Rxe3 Rd2 34. Re2
Rxe2 35. Nxe2 Nxe4 36. Bxe4 Bxe4 37. Kf2 Kf8 38. g3 Ke7 39. Ke3 Bc6 40. h4 Bd7
41. Kf4 Kd6 42. g4 f6 43. h5 Ke7 44. Nd4 Kf7 45. b4 Ba4 46. Nf5 g6 47. Nd6+ Kg7
48. Nc8 a6 49. Nd6 Bd1 50. Ne8+ Kf7 51. Nxf6 $1 {Kasparov finds an elegant
decision in a won position.} Kxf6 52. g5+ Kf7 53. h6 {The black king is bound
to the kingside. White moves his king to the other flank, exchanges two pawns
for bishop plus pawn and will win the remaining pawn ending.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "11"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E12"]
[WhiteElo "2670"]
[BlackElo "2725"]
[PlyCount "53"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. a3 Ba6 5. Qb3 d5 6. cxd5 Qxd5 7. Qc2 c5 8. Nc3
Qd7 9. dxc5 Bxc5 10. g3 Bb7 11. Bg2 Nc6 12. O-O Nd4 13. Nxd4 Bxg2 14. Kxg2 Bxd4
15. Rd1 Qc6+ 16. f3 Be5 17. Bg5 O-O 18. Rac1 Rad8 19. Rxd8 Rxd8 20. Ne4 Qxc2
21. Rxc2 Nd5 22. Nf2 f6 23. Bd2 Rd7 24. Rc8+ Kf7 25. Nd3 Bd6 26. Kf2 Ne7 27.
Rc2 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "11"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Beliavsky, Alexander"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E86"]
[WhiteElo "2610"]
[BlackElo "2805"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "43"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 O-O 6. Be3 e5 7. Nge2 c6 8. Qd2
Nbd7 9. O-O-O a6 10. Bh6 Bxh6 11. Qxh6 b5 12. h4 Qa5 13. h5 b4 14. Nb1 Qxa2 15.
Ng3 Nb6 16. c5 Nc4 17. Rd2 Na5 ({Black avoids the error} 17... Nxd2 $2 {in
Beliavsky - Timman, Linares 1991.}) 18. cxd6 $1 ({Kasparov hoped for} 18. Bd3
$2 Nb3+ 19. Kc2 Nxd4+) 18... Nb3+ 19. Kc2 Na1+ 20. Kc1 Nb3+ 21. Kc2 Na1+ 22.
Kc1 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "11"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Kamsky, Gata"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E89"]
[WhiteElo "2725"]
[BlackElo "2655"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "153"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 O-O 6. Be3 e5 7. Nge2 c6 8. Qd2
Nbd7 9. d5 cxd5 10. cxd5 a6 11. g4 b5 12. Ng3 Nc5 $6 13. b4 Na4 14. Nxa4 bxa4
15. b5 ({An attack on the kingside by} 15. h4 $1 Bd7 16. h5 {(Kristinsson-Lee,
Lugano 1968) is dangerous.}) 15... Bxg4 $6 {Black should exchange pawns.} 16.
fxg4 Nxg4 17. Bg5 $6 ({White attacks on the queenside by} 17. b6 $1 f5 18. exf5
gxf5 {(Karpov)} 19. Bg1 $1) 17... f6 18. h3 fxg5 19. hxg4 Rf3 20. Ne2 axb5 {
Black has counter-play.} 21. Bg2 Rf8 22. Nc1 $2 (22. Rc1 $1 {develops a rook
and controls c8.}) 22... Qc8 23. Rb1 Qxg4 24. Rh3 Rac8 25. Qe2 $1 ({Avoids} 25.
Rxb5 $2 Rxc1+ $1 26. Qxc1 Qxg2 {(Hansen).}) 25... Qd7 26. Rg3 g4 27. Qxg4 Qa7
28. Ne2 Qf2+ 29. Kd1 Bh6 30. Rf3 ({Not} 30. Rxb5 $4 Qf1+ $1 31. Bxf1 Rxf1#)
30... Rxf3 31. Qxc8+ Rf8 32. Qh3 Kg7 33. Rxb5 Rf7 34. Rb8 Bg5 35. a3 Rc7 36.
Rb1 h5 37. Qf3 Rf7 38. Qh3 Bh4 39. Kd2 Rc7 40. Qf3 Qc5 41. Qd3 Bg5+ 42. Ke1 Rf7
43. Kd1 Qf2 44. Qh3 h4 45. Rb8 Rc7 46. Rc8 $2 Rf7 $2 (46... Rb7 $1 {wins 
(Karpov).}) 47. Rc6 $2 Rb7 $1 48. Qf3 Qxf3 $2 {Kamsky misses the win.} (48...
Rb1+ 49. Kc2 Rf1 $3 {(Karpov)} 50. Rc7+ $1 (50. Qg4 Qe3 $1 51. Bxf1 Qb3#) 50...
Kh6 51. Rc3 $1 Rc1+ 52. Kb2 Qb6+ 53. Rb3 Qc7 $1 {Black wins.}) 49. Bxf3 h3 50.
Kc2 h2 51. Ng3 Rf7 52. Rc3 Bh4 53. Nh1 Be1 54. Rd3 Rc7+ 55. Kb2 Rb7+ 56. Kc2
Rc7+ 57. Kb2 Rc4 58. Bg2 Ba5 $2 {Hereafter, Black loses pawn h2.} ({He keeps
the endgame going with} 58... Kf6) 59. Nf2 $1 Bb6 60. Ng4 Bg1 61. Rh3 Rc8 62.
Nxh2 Bxh2 63. Rxh2 Rf8 64. Bh3 $1 {Karpov chooses an elegant solution.} Rb8+
65. Kc3 $1 Rb3+ 66. Kc4 Rxa3 67. Kb5 Re3 68. Kc6 Rxe4 69. Ra2 Re3 70. Bg2 a3
71. Kxd6 Kf6 72. Rf2+ Kg5 73. Ke6 Rb3 74. d6 Rb2 75. Rxb2 axb2 76. Be4 Kf4 77.
Kd5 {Kasparov and Karpov led with 5 1/2 / 8.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "11"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D18"]
[WhiteElo "2805"]
[BlackElo "2710"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "129"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. e3 e6 7. Bxc4 Bb4 8. O-O
Nbd7 9. Nh4 Bg6 10. h3 O-O 11. Nxg6 hxg6 12. Qc2 Rc8 13. Rd1 Qb6 $6 ({Theory is
} 13... Qe7 {(Portisch-Georgiev, Reggio Emilia 1989).}) 14. e4 c5 15. d5 Ne5
16. Be2 exd5 17. Nxd5 Nxd5 18. Rxd5 Nc6 19. Bc4 Nd4 (19... Ba5 $1 {vacates
square b4 for the knight.}) 20. Qd3 Rcd8 21. Be3 Rxd5 22. Bxd5 Rd8 23. Qc4 {
White has achieved a better position.} Rd7 24. Rc1 Qf6 25. Rd1 Ne6 26. Qb3 a5
27. Rd3 Nf4 $2 {Anand misses a combination.} (27... Re7 {defends well.}) 28. e5
$1 Qf5 ({Kasparov has noticed} 28... Qxe5 29. Bxf7+ $1 Rxf7 30. Rd8+) 29. Bxf4
Qxf4 30. e6 $1 Rd8 31. e7 Re8 32. Rf3 Qc1+ 33. Kh2 Rxe7 34. Bxf7+ Kh7 35. Bxg6+
$1 Kh6 ({The pointe is} 35... Kxg6 36. Qd3+ Kh6 37. Qd6+) 36. Qd5 Qg5 37. Bf5
g6 38. h4 Qf6 39. Bd3 Qe5+ 40. Qxe5 Rxe5 41. Rf6 c4 42. Bxc4 Be7 43. Rb6 Bc5
44. Rf6 Re4 45. Bd3 Rg4 46. Kh3 Be7 47. Re6 Rxh4+ 48. Kg3 Rd4 49. Rxg6+ Kh5 50.
Bf5 Bd6+ 51. Kf3 Bc5 52. g4+ Kh4 53. Rh6+ Kg5 54. Rg6+ Kh4 55. Be4 Rd6 56. Rg7
Rf6+ 57. Bf5 Rb6 58. Rh7+ Kg5 59. Rh5+ Kf6 60. Bd3 Bd4 61. g5+ Kg7 62. Rh7+ Kf8
63. Bc4 Rxb2 64. Rf7+ Ke8 65. g6 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "11"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Ljubojevic, Ljubomir"]
[Black "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A28"]
[WhiteElo "2605"]
[BlackElo "2725"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. e3 Bb4 5. Qc2 O-O 6. Nd5 Re8 7. Bd3 g6 8.
Nxf6+ Qxf6 9. a3 Bf8 10. Be4 d6 11. b3 $6 Nd8 $1 12. Bb2 Qe7 $1 13. Rc1 c6 14.
Qb1 Bg7 15. O-O Bd7 16. b4 f5 17. Bc2 Nf7 18. Ne1 c5 $5 19. Bc3 b6 20. Qb2 Ng5
21. f3 $6 Bc6 22. Bb3 Ne6 23. Nc2 Qh4 24. Ne1 Re7 25. Qc2 Rf8 26. Qd3 Rd8 27.
Qc2 Bf6 28. Rd1 Nd4 $3 {The defence line is opened.} 29. exd4 exd4 30. Rf2 ({
The point is} 30. Bb2 Re2 31. Nd3 Rde8 {and White has no proper defence
against 32...Rxg2+! (Karpov).}) 30... dxc3 31. dxc3 Bg5 32. g3 Qh5 33. f4 Rde8
34. Ng2 Re2 $2 ({Black wins by} 34... Bh6 $1 35. Rxd6 Bxg2 36. Kxg2 Bxf4 $1)
35. Rd2 $2 ({Right is} 35. Rxe2 Rxe2 36. Rd2) 35... Re1+ 36. Rf1 ({Or} 36. Nxe1
Rxe1+ 37. Rf1 Qf3 $1 38. Rxe1 Qh1+ 39. Kf2 Qg2+ 40. Ke3 Qf3#) 36... Rxf1+ 37.
Kxf1 Qxh2 38. Rd5 Bxd5 39. cxd5 Qxg3 40. fxg5 Qf3+ {The K's shared the lead.}
0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "11"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E86"]
[WhiteElo "2725"]
[BlackElo "2805"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "54"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 O-O 6. Be3 e5 7. Nge2 c6 8. Qd2
Nbd7 9. Rd1 $5 a6 10. dxe5 $6 ({Preferable is} 10. d5 $1 c5 11. g4 {
(Letelier-Dworzynski, Moscow 1956).}) 10... Nxe5 $1 11. b3 b5 $1 12. cxb5 axb5
13. Qxd6 {White accepts the positional sacrifice.} Nfd7 $1 14. f4 $2 {Karpov
has overlooked an extraordinary move.} ({Better is} 14. a4 $1 bxa4 15. Nxa4
Rxa4 $1 16. bxa4 Nc4 17. Qd3 Nb2 18. Qc2 Nxd1 19. Qxd1 Qa5+ 20. Kf2 Ne5 {
(Kasparov) with mutual chances.}) 14... b4 $3 {The crucial position has been
analysed thoroughly.} 15. Nb1 $6 (15. Na4 $2 Rxa4 $1 16. bxa4 Nc4 17. Qd3 Nb2)
(15. Qxb4 $2 c5 $1 16. Bxc5 Nxc5 $1 17. Rxd8 Ned3+) ({Best is} 15. fxe5 $5 bxc3
16. Nxc3 Bxe5 17. Qxc6 $1 Bxc3+ 18. Qxc3 Qh4+ 19. Kd2 $1 Nf6 20. Kc1 {Kasparov
finds the position unclear, but} Be6 $1 21. Kb2 Nxe4 22. Qe5 Rfe8 {wins. The
queen will be chased from the long diagonal and an attack on the white king
decides.}) 15... Ng4 16. Bd4 Bxd4 17. Qxd4 ({Or} 17. Nxd4 Rxa2 18. Rd2 Ra1)
17... Rxa2 18. h3 c5 19. Qg1 Ngf6 20. e5 Ne4 21. h4 c4 22. Nc1 {Karpov plays
like Steinitz.} c3 $5 {Kasparov wants to humiliate his foe.} (22... Rb2 $1 23.
Qd4 c3 $1 {wins faster.}) 23. Nxa2 c2 24. Qd4 $5 ({Or} 24. Rc1 $1 Nxe5 $1 25.
Rxc2 Bg4 26. Nd2 Nd3+ 27. Bxd3 Qxd3 28. Nxe4 Qxe4+ 29. Kd2 Qxf4+ {(Kasparov).})
24... cxd1=Q+ {Kasparov leaves a pawn on d1. Karpov calls it a knight and
plays 25.Qxe4. The arbiter corrects the situation.} 25. Kxd1 Ndc5 26. Qxd8
Rxd8+ 27. Kc2 Nf2 ({Kasparov gives} 27... Nf2 28. Rg1 Bf5+ 29. Kb2 Nd1+ 30. Ka1
Nxb3#) 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "11"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Jussupow, Artur"]
[Black "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E29"]
[WhiteElo "2645"]
[BlackElo "2725"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 c5 5. Bd3 Nc6 6. a3 Bxc3+ 7. bxc3 O-O 8.
Ne2 b6 9. e4 Ne8 10. O-O Ba6 11. f4 f5 12. Ng3 g6 13. Be3 cxd4 14. cxd4 d5 15.
cxd5 Bxd3 16. Qxd3 fxe4 17. Qxe4 Qxd5 18. Qxd5 exd5 19. Rac1 Rc8 20. f5 Nd6 21.
fxg6 hxg6 22. Rxf8+ Kxf8 {The endgame is still equal.} 23. h4 $2 ({Black has
the initiative, but} 23. Ne2 Nc4 24. Rc3 {protects everything.}) 23... Nc4 24.
Bg5 $6 Nxd4 25. h5 $6 gxh5 26. Rf1+ Ke8 27. Nxh5 Nxa3 28. Ng7+ Kd7 29. Rf7+ Kc6
30. Rxa7 Nac2 31. Bf6 b5 32. g4 b4 33. Ra2 b3 34. Rb2 Kc5 35. Nf5 Rg8 36. Nxd4
Rxg4+ 37. Kf2 Nxd4 38. Bxd4+ Kxd4 39. Rxb3 Re4 40. Ra3 Re8 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "11"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B87"]
[WhiteElo "2805"]
[BlackElo "2690"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "49"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bc4 e6 7. Bb3 b5 8. O-O
Be7 9. Qf3 Qc7 10. Qg3 O-O 11. Bh6 Ne8 12. Rad1 Bd7 13. Nf3 $1 {Kasparov plays
a novelty.} b4 $5 {Gelfand gives a hazardous answer.} 14. Ne2 a5 15. Nf4 Kh8
16. Bg5 Nf6 17. Qh4 Bb5 $4 ({Theory will become} 17... Nc6 18. Nh5 Ng8 {
(Rudak-Simantsev, Alushta 2002).}) 18. Nd4 $1 Be8 ({The pointe is} 18... Bxf1
19. Ndxe6 $1 fxe6 20. Bxe6 $1 g6 21. Nxg6+ Kg7 22. Qh6#) 19. Ndxe6 $1 {The
combination continues.} fxe6 20. Nxe6 Qa7 21. e5 dxe5 22. Nxf8 Bxf8 23. Bxf6
gxf6 24. Rd8 Nd7 ({Or} 24... Qe7 25. Qg4 Bg6 26. Qc4 Qg7 27. Qc8 $1) 25. Qg4
1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "11"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B13"]
[WhiteElo "2725"]
[BlackElo "2685"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "198"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]

1. c4 c6 2. e4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Nf3 Bg4 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8.
Qb3 Bxf3 9. gxf3 e6 10. Qxb7 Nxd4 11. Bb5+ Nxb5 12. Qc6+ Ke7 13. Qxb5 Qd7 14.
Nxd5+ Qxd5 15. Bg5+ f6 16. Qxd5 exd5 17. Be3 Ke6 18. O-O-O Bb4 19. Rd3 Rhd8 20.
a3 Rac8+ 21. Kb1 Bc5 22. Re1 Kd6 23. Rg1 g6 24. Rgd1 Ke6 25. Re1 Bxe3 26.
Rdxe3+ Kf5 27. Re7 Kf4 28. R1e3 a5 29. h3 h5 30. R7e6 Kg5 31. Ra6 d4 32. f4+
Kf5 33. Rxa5+ Kxf4 34. Rd3 Ke4 35. Rd2 g5 36. Ra6 f5 37. Re6+ Kf3 38. Re5 Kf4
39. Re6 h4 40. Rd3 g4 41. Rh6 Kg5 42. Rh7 Rc6 43. a4 Rd5 44. a5 Rcd6 45. Ra7
gxh3 46. Rg7+ Kf4 47. Rh7 Ke4 48. Rxh3 Rxa5 49. Kc2 Rb5 50. Re7+ Kf4 51. Rxh4+
Kf3 52. Rh3+ Kxf2 53. Rd3 Rc6+ 54. Kb1 Rb4 55. b3 f4 56. Re4 Rf6 57. Kb2 f3 58.
Ka3 Rbb6 59. Rdxd4 Rg6 60. Rd2+ Kg3 61. Re3 Rbe6 62. Rc3 Ra6+ 63. Kb2 Rg4 64.
Rd8 Rf6 65. Rd2 Rgf4 66. Ka3 Kg4 67. Rf2 Ra6+ 68. Kb2 Rh6 69. Ka3 Rh1 70. Rd3
Kg3 71. Rc2 Rhh4 72. Re3 Rh2 73. Rc8 Kg2 74. Rg8+ Kf1 75. b4 f2 76. Rb3 Rhh4
77. Rgg3 Rd4 78. Ka4 Rhe4 79. Ka5 Rd2 80. Rh3 Ke2 81. Rh2 Ra2+ 82. Kb6 Re6+ 83.
Kc5 Rc2+ 84. Kb5 Rh6 85. Rg2 Rf6 86. Rh2 Rh6 87. Rg2 Kf1 88. Rg5 Rf6 89. Rc5
Rd2 90. Rc6 Rf4 91. Rc1+ Kg2 92. Rbb1 Rf8 93. Ka5 Ra2+ 94. Kb6 Rf6+ 95. Kc5
Rf5+ 96. Kb6 Re2 97. b5 Re6+ 98. Ka5 Rfe5 99. Ka4 Re4+ {Karpov came close to
losing.} ({Kramnik cannot win at the end, due to} 99... Re1 100. Rxe1 Rxe1 101.
Rb2 Kf3 102. Rxf2+ Kxf2 103. Kb4 $1 Ke3 104. Kc5 $1) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "11"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E69"]
[WhiteElo "2670"]
[BlackElo "2805"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "93"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 O-O 5. Nc3 d6 6. Nf3 Nbd7 7. O-O e5 8. h3
c6 9. e4 Qb6 10. c5 dxc5 11. dxe5 Ne8 12. e6 fxe6 13. Ng5 Ne5 14. f4 Nf7 $5 {
Kasparov diverts from theory and chooses a solid move.} 15. Nxf7 Bd4+ $1 16.
Kh2 Rxf7 17. e5 Nc7 18. Ne4 Nd5 19. a4 $5 a5 20. Ra3 Qc7 21. Nd6 Rf8 22. h4 $5
b6 23. h5 Qg7 24. hxg6 hxg6 25. Be4 Ba6 26. Re1 Ne7 27. Kg2 Rad8 28. Rb3 $5
Bxe5 $5 {Black has been moving his pieces to good squares. Now, the
counteraction starts.} 29. fxe5 Qxe5 30. Qg4 Rxd6 31. Bf4 $6 ({Preferable is} 
31. Bh6 $1 Qd4 32. Bxf8 Qd2+ 33. Kh3 Kxf8) 31... Rxf4 $1 32. gxf4 Rd2+ 33. Kg3
Qf6 $6 {Kasparov lets his advantage slip away.} (33... Qd4 $1 34. Qxe6+ Kf8 35.
Rbe3 Bc8 $1 36. Qe5 Qxe5 37. fxe5 Rxb2 {leads to a better endgame (Shirov).})
34. Rxb6 Bd3 $6 ({Right is} 34... Rxb2 35. Rxb2 Qc3+) 35. Rb8+ Kf7 36. Qh3 Bxe4
37. Qh7+ Qg7 38. Qxg7+ Kxg7 39. Rxe4 Nf5+ 40. Kf3 Kf6 41. Rc4 Rd5 42. Rf8+ Ke7
43. Ra8 Nd6 44. Rc3 c4 45. Ra6 Rc5 46. b3 (46. Re3 $1 Nf7 47. Ke2 {keeps a
plus.}) 46... Kf6 47. bxc4 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "11"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Bareev, Evgeny"]
[Black "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E32"]
[WhiteElo "2670"]
[BlackElo "2725"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "86"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 O-O 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Qxc3 b6 7. Nf3 Bb7 8.
e3 d6 9. b3 Nbd7 10. Bb2 Ne4 11. Qc2 f5 12. Bd3 Ndf6 13. O-O Qe7 14. Nd2 Nxd2
15. Qxd2 Ne4 $6 16. Qe2 c5 17. f3 $1 Nf6 18. b4 Rac8 19. Rab1 Rc7 20. Rfd1 Nh5
$6 21. dxc5 bxc5 22. bxc5 Rxc5 $6 23. Bd4 Rcc8 ({Black prefers to lose a pawn
above} 23... Ra5 24. Qd2 $1 {(Bareev).}) 24. Bxa7 Nf6 25. Bb6 Ba6 26. Ba5 Rc6
27. Bb4 Rfc8 28. h3 Qa7 29. Kh1 h6 30. Qe1 d5 31. cxd5 Nxd5 32. Bxa6 Rxa6 33.
e4 Ne3 34. Rdc1 Nc2 35. Qd2 Rac6 36. exf5 exf5 37. Qd5+ $6 Qf7 $1 38. Rd1 $6 (
38. Qxf7+ Kxf7 39. Rd1 {keeps a plus.}) 38... Qxd5 39. Rxd5 Ne3 40. Rd4 Rc1+
41. Rxc1 Rxc1+ 42. Kh2 Rc2 43. Kg3 g5 $1 ({Black's counter-play is effective in
} 43... g5 44. f4 Nf1+ 45. Kf3 Nh2+ {(Bareev).}) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "11"]
[Date "1993.??.??"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Kamsky, Gata"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B80"]
[WhiteElo "2805"]
[BlackElo "2655"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "69"]
[EventDate "1993.??.??"]

{Rentero offered $1500 for Gary's head.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4
Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Be3 a6 7. f3 Nbd7 8. g4 $5 h6 9. Rg1 {The assault is
supported by a new move.} Qb6 $5 10. a3 $1 Ne5 11. Bf2 $1 Qc7 ({Not} 11... Qxb2
$4 12. Na4) 12. f4 $5 Nc4 $6 (12... Ng6 $5 {keeps the queen's knight as a
defender (Kasparov).}) 13. Bxc4 Qxc4 14. Qf3 e5 $6 (14... b6 15. e5 Nd5 {
defends properly.}) 15. Nf5 Bxf5 16. gxf5 d5 $6 (16... Rc8 {shows appropriate
modesty.}) 17. fxe5 Nxe4 18. Rg4 $1 {Kasparov has fun in the following attack.}
h5 19. Rh4 Bc5 20. O-O-O Bxf2 21. Nxe4 dxe4 22. Qxf2 Rc8 23. Kb1 Rd8 24. Rxd8+
Kxd8 25. Rh3 Qd5 26. Rc3 Kd7 27. Qb6 Rd8 28. Rc5 Qd1+ 29. Ka2 Ke8 30. Qxb7 Qg4
31. e6 $1 fxe6 32. Re5 $1 Qg5 33. h4 $1 Qxh4 34. Rxe6+ Kf8 35. f6 $1 {Kasparov
won the tournament 1 1/2 points before Karpov and Shirov.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "12"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Bareev, Evgeny"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A58"]
[WhiteElo "2685"]
[BlackElo "2805"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "62"]
[EventDate "1994.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5 4. cxb5 a6 5. bxa6 g6 6. Nf3 Bxa6 7. Nc3 d6 8. Nd2
Bg7 9. e4 Bxf1 10. Nxf1 Qa5 11. Bd2 O-O 12. Ne3 Nbd7 13. O-O Qa6 14. Qc2 Ne5 $5
{Black presses on the queenside for the sacrificed pawn.} 15. b3 Nfd7 $5 16. f4
$5 Nd3 17. a3 {A knight becomes imprisoned.} Bd4 $1 18. Kh1 Rfc8 19. Rab1 ({A
plus is kept by} 19. Rf3 $1 Bxe3 20. Bxe3 c4 21. Ne2 Nb4 $1 22. Qc3 cxb3 23.
Qxb4 Qxe2 24. Qxb3) 19... c4 $1 20. b4 ({Kasparov's pointe is} 20. Nxc4 Nf2+
21. Rxf2 Bxf2) 20... Nf6 21. Ned1 Rcb8 22. Ne3 Rc8 23. b5 $2 (23. Rf3 $1 Bxc3
24. Bxc3 Nxe4 25. Bd4 Qb5 26. Nxc4 Rxc4 27. Qxd3 Qxd5 {leads to equality.})
23... Qb6 24. Nxc4 Nf2+ 25. Rxf2 Rxc4 26. Rf3 Rxa3 27. Qb2 $1 Nxe4 $1 28. Qxa3
Nxd2 29. Qa2 Be3 $1 {The complications are immense.} 30. Rc1 $2 ({Better is} 
30. Nd1 $1 {(Kasparov), but} Qa7 $1 31. Qxa7 Bxa7 32. Ra1 Nxf3 33. Rxa7 Nd4 34.
Rxe7 Nxb5 {brings a big positional advantage.}) 30... Qd4 31. b6 ({Or} 31. Rxe3
Qxe3 32. b6 Ne4) 31... Rxc3 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "12"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Beliavsky, Alexander"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B33"]
[WhiteElo "2650"]
[BlackElo "2715"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "112"]
[EventDate "1994.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bf4 e5 8.
Bg5 a6 9. Na3 b5 10. Nd5 Be7 11. Bxf6 Bxf6 12. c3 Bb7 13. Bd3 $5 Nb8 $5 14. Nc2
Nd7 15. a4 bxa4 16. Rxa4 Bg5 $5 17. O-O O-O 18. Ra2 a5 19. Bc4 Nb6 20. Nxb6
Qxb6 21. Qd3 Rac8 22. Rd1 Rfd8 23. b3 g6 $6 24. Rda1 Rc5 25. Ne3 $6 Bxe3 26.
Qxe3 Bxe4 $3 27. Bxf7+ $1 {Beliavsky has a fine answer to an excellent move.} (
27. Qxe4 $6 d5 28. Bxd5 Rcxd5 29. Qc2 e4 $1 {(Shirov).}) 27... Kxf7 28. Qxe4
Qxb3 29. Qh4 Rh8 30. Qh3 Rd5 31. Qf3+ Kg7 32. Ra3 Qb5 33. Rxa5 $5 {White
chooses a drastic solution.} Qxa5 34. Rxa5 Rxa5 35. Qb7+ Kf6 36. h4 Rc5 37. Qd7
Rd5 38. g4 h6 $1 39. c4 $6 (39. Kg2 $1 Rd2 $1 40. g5+ $1 hxg5 41. hxg5+ Kxg5
42. Qe7+ Kh6 ({not} 42... Kh5 $4 43. Qf6 $1) 43. Qh4+ {draws more easily.})
39... Rd4 40. Kg2 Rf8 41. f3 Rf7 42. g5+ $1 hxg5 43. hxg5+ Kg7 44. Qh3 Rd2+ 45.
Kg1 Rf5 46. Qh6+ Kf7 47. Qh7+ Kf8 48. Qxg6 Rxf3 49. Qh6+ Ke7 50. g6 $1 Rg3+ 51.
Kf1 Rd1+ 52. Kf2 Rdg1 53. Qg7+ Kd8 54. Qf8+ Kc7 55. Qe7+ Kc6 56. Qe8+ Kc7
1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "12"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Lautier, Joel"]
[Black "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A29"]
[WhiteElo "2625"]
[BlackElo "2740"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "98"]
[EventDate "1994.??.??"]

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 Bb4 5. Nd5 Bc5 6. Bg2 d6 7. O-O O-O 8. e3
Bg4 9. h3 Bh5 10. d3 a5 11. a3 Ba7 12. Nc3 Re8 13. Qc2 Nd7 14. Rb1 Ne7 15. b4
axb4 16. axb4 c6 17. Qb3 Bg6 18. Rd1 h6 19. Nh4 Bh7 20. Ne4 Bb8 21. Ba3 Nf8 22.
b5 Ne6 23. Ra1 Qd7 24. Nc3 Bc7 25. d4 exd4 26. exd4 Ng5 27. Kh2 Ba5 28. Bb2
Bxc3 $5 29. Bxc3 Be4 $1 30. f3 Bh7 31. Rxa8 Rxa8 32. Re1 d5 33. bxc6 bxc6 34.
Bb4 dxc4 35. Qxc4 ({Avoids} 35. Rxe7 $4 cxb3 36. Rxd7 b2) 35... Nd5 36. f4 Ne6
37. Bd2 Re8 38. Nf3 f6 $1 39. Rc1 Be4 $6 40. Qxc6 $2 {Lautier plays an obvious
move under time pressure.} ({He gains an advantage by} 40. Ne5 $1 fxe5 41. Bxe4
{(Karpov).}) 40... Qxc6 41. Rxc6 Ndxf4 $1 42. Rd6 Nxg2 43. Kxg2 Nc7 44. Kf2 Ra8
$1 45. Be3 Nb5 46. Rb6 Nc3 47. Rb3 $2 ({White fights for survival in} 47. Nd2
Bd5 48. Bf4 Ra2 {(Karpov).}) 47... Nd1+ 48. Ke2 Bd5 49. Rd3 Bc4 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "12"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Bareev, Evgeny"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C08"]
[WhiteElo "2740"]
[BlackElo "2685"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "71"]
[EventDate "1994.??.??"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 c5 4. exd5 exd5 5. Ngf3 Nf6 6. Bb5+ Bd7 7. Bxd7+ Nbxd7
8. O-O Be7 9. dxc5 Nxc5 10. Nd4 Qd7 11. N2f3 O-O 12. Bf4 Rfe8 13. Re1 Bf8 14.
Ne5 Qa4 15. c3 Qa6 16. Qe2 Qxe2 17. Rxe2 Bd6 18. Nd7 Bxf4 19. Rxe8+ Rxe8 20.
Nxc5 Bc7 21. Nd3 Bb6 22. Nb3 Kf8 23. Rd1 a5 24. Kf1 Rc8 25. Nd2 a4 26. a3 g5
27. Nf3 g4 28. Nh4 d4 29. cxd4 Bxd4 30. Nf5 Bb6 31. Nb4 Ne4 32. f3 gxf3 33.
gxf3 Nc5 34. h4 Rd8 35. Rd5 Ba7 $4 36. Rxd8# 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "12"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Illescas Cordoba, Miguel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D34"]
[WhiteElo "2805"]
[BlackElo "2590"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "1994.??.??"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 c5 3. g3 e6 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. Bg2 d5 6. cxd5 exd5 7. d4 Be7 8. O-O
O-O 9. Bg5 cxd4 10. Nxd4 h6 11. Be3 Re8 12. Rc1 Bf8 13. Nxc6 bxc6 14. Na4 Bd7
15. Bc5 Bxc5 16. Nxc5 Bg4 17. Re1 Qa5 18. h3 Bf5 19. Qd4 $1 ({Kasparov
improves on the quiet continuation} 19. Qa4 Qd2 20. Qf4 Qxf4 21. gxf4 {in
Kramnik - Illescas Cordoba, Pamplona 1992.}) 19... Rab8 ({The first pointe is} 
19... Qxa2 $2 20. Ra1 Qc4 21. Qxc4 dxc4 22. Bxc6) 20. a3 Qb5 21. b3 Ne4 $6 ({
The second point is} 21... Rxe2 $2 22. Rxe2 Qxe2 23. Qf4) ({Kasparov prefers} 
21... a5 $5) 22. b4 $1 a5 $5 {If Black exchanges the knights, the opponent
keeps the blockade.} 23. Nxe4 Bxe4 24. Rc5 Qb6 25. bxa5 Qb2 $5 ({An
alternative brings} 25... Qa6) 26. Qxb2 Rxb2 27. Rxc6 Ra2 28. Rec1 Rxa3 $4 {
Black should exchange pieces.} ({Great resistance is offered by} 28... Bxg2 $1
29. Rc8 $1 {(Kasparov), and now} Kf8 $1 30. Kxg2 Rxa3 31. Rxe8+ Kxe8 32. Rc5 d4
) 29. Rc8 Rxc8 30. Rxc8+ Kh7 31. f3 $1 {White circumvents the exchange of
bishops.} Bf5 32. Rc5 Be6 33. Kf2 g5 34. f4 gxf4 35. gxf4 d4 36. Be4+ Kg7 37.
f5 Ba2 38. Bd3 Kf6 39. a6 Ke7 40. Rc6 f6 41. Rc7+ Kd6 42. Rh7 Ra4 43. Rxh6 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "12"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Lautier, Joel"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D31"]
[WhiteElo "2715"]
[BlackElo "2625"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "122"]
[EventDate "1994.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. a3 Bxc3+ 5. bxc3 c5 6. e3 Ne7 7. Bd3 Qc7 $6 8.
cxd5 exd5 9. Ne2 Bf5 10. Bxf5 Nxf5 11. O-O O-O 12. Nf4 Ne7 13. c4 $6 dxc4 14.
d5 Ng6 15. Nh5 $5 Qe5 $1 {Black has the initiative.} 16. Rb1 Rd8 17. Qg4 $1 (
17. Rxb7 Qxd5 18. Qxd5 Rxd5 {favours Black (Lautier).}) 17... Nd7 $1 ({White
recovers in} 17... Qxd5 18. Bb2 $1) 18. e4 b6 19. Bb2 c3 20. Ba1 c4 21. Qf3 f6
22. Bxc3 Qe7 23. Qg4 $1 Nde5 $1 24. Qg3 Nd3 25. f4 Kh8 26. Kh1 Rd7 27. e5 $5 ({
A surprising defence brings} 27. f5 $5 Nge5 28. Bb4 Qf7 29. Nf4) 27... fxe5 28.
fxe5 Rxd5 29. e6 Rxh5 30. Qf3 Re8 31. Qxh5 Qxe6 32. Qf3 Kg8 33. Qb7 Qe7 34. Qc6
Nge5 35. Qe4 h6 36. a4 Qc5 37. Qf5 a6 {Both sides seem to have the initiative
now.} 38. h3 $6 ({Best is} 38. Rbe1 $1 Re7 $1 (38... Nxe1 $2 39. Rxe1) (38...
Qd6 $2 39. Qf7+ $1 Nxf7 40. Rxe8+ Qf8 41. Rxf8+ Kxf8 42. Rb1) (38... b5 $2 39.
axb5 axb5 40. Bxe5 Rxe5 41. Rxe5 Qxe5 42. Qxe5 Nxe5 43. Rf5) 39. Qf8+ Kh7 40.
Qf5+ {drawn.}) 38... Qc6 39. Bd4 b5 40. axb5 axb5 41. Ra1 Qd5 42. Bxe5 Rxe5 43.
Qc8+ Kh7 44. Rf8 $6 ({Adraw is forced by} 44. Ra8 $1 Rg5 $1 45. Qh8+ Kg6 46.
Qe8+ Kh7) 44... Nc5 45. Rh8+ Kg6 46. Rd8 Qe6 47. Qb8 Qf6 48. Rf8 Qe7 49. Rf3
Kh7 50. Kh2 $2 (50. Qxb5 Nb3 51. Rxb3 $1 Rxb5 52. Rxb5 c3 53. Rbb1 c2 54. Rf1 {
leads to a postional draw.}) 50... Nd7 51. Qb7 Nf6 52. Qxe7 Rxe7 53. Rf5 $6 ({
The last chance gives} 53. Rb1 $1 Re5 54. g4) 53... b4 54. Rf4 Ne4 $1 55. Ra4
g5 $1 {Black has changed an equal into a winning position.} 56. Rf8 $6 ({More
resistance is offered by} 56. Rxe4 Rxe4 57. Rxb4 {(Lautier)} Kg6 $1 58. Rb6+
Kf5 $1 59. Rxh6 Re6 60. Rh8 Rc6 {The rook supports the passed pawn.} 61. Rf8+
$1 Ke4 62. Re8+ Kd3 63. Rd8+ Ke3 $1 64. Re8+ Kd2 65. Rd8+ Kc1 {Black gives a
second pawn and wins in} 66. Rg8 c3 67. Rxg5 c2 68. Rf5 Kd2 69. Rf1 c1=Q 70.
Rxc1 Rxc1) 56... Rb7 57. Rc8 Nd2 58. Raa8 b3 59. Rh8+ Kg6 60. Ra6+ Kf5 61. Re8
h5 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "12"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Bareev, Evgeny"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D47"]
[WhiteElo "2685"]
[BlackElo "2705"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "1994.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3
Bb7 9. e4 b4 10. Na4 c5 11. e5 Nd5 12. dxc5 Nxc5 13. Nxc5 Bxc5 14. O-O h6 15.
Nd2 O-O 16. Ne4 Bd4 17. Nd6 Bxe5 $5 ({Known is} 17... Bc6 18. Bh7+ Kxh7 19.
Qxd4 f6 {(Tukmakov-Dreev, Odessa 1989).}) 18. Nxb7 Qb6 19. Qh5 Bf4 $2 {Shirov
blunders.} ({Correct is} 19... Bd4 20. Bxh6 $6 gxh6 21. Qxh6 f5 $1) 20. Nc5 $1
Qxc5 21. Bxf4 Qd4 22. Bd6 $1 Qxd3 ({The pointe is} 22... Rfd8 23. Rad1) 23.
Bxf8 Rxf8 24. Qe5 Rc8 25. Rfc1 Rd8 26. h3 Kh7 27. Re1 Qc4 28. Rac1 Qxa2 29. Ra1
Qb3 30. Rxa7 Kg8 31. Qd4 Re8 32. Re2 Rc8 33. Rxe6 Nc3 34. Rae7 Qxb2 35. Re8+
Rxe8 36. Rxe8+ Kh7 37. Qd3+ g6 38. Qc4 Qb1+ 39. Kh2 Qf5 40. Qd4 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "12"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Illescas Cordoba, Miguel"]
[Black "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A17"]
[WhiteElo "2590"]
[BlackElo "2740"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "126"]
[EventDate "1994.??.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 b6 3. g3 Bb7 4. Bg2 e6 5. Nc3 Bb4 6. O-O O-O 7. Qc2 Re8 8. d4
Bxc3 9. Qxc3 d6 10. b3 Nbd7 11. Bb2 Be4 12. Rac1 Rc8 13. Rfd1 c6 14. Qb4 Qc7
15. Qd2 Qb7 16. Qf4 d5 17. Bf1 b5 18. cxb5 cxb5 19. Ne1 Qa6 20. a3 h6 21. Rxc8
Rxc8 22. Rc1 Nb8 23. e3 Rxc1 24. Bxc1 Qb6 25. Bd2 Nbd7 26. Bb4 $2 (26. g4 $1 {
creates an escape for the queen.}) 26... a5 27. Be7 e5 $1 {Karpov utilises an
error again.} 28. Qh4 (28. dxe5 g5 $1 {wins a queen.}) 28... exd4 29. Qf4 dxe3
30. Qxe3 d4 31. Qf4 Qc6 32. Bxf6 Nxf6 33. Qb8+ Kh7 34. Qxb5 Qc1 35. Nd3 Qd1 $2
({Correct is} 35... Qxa3) 36. Nc5 $1 Bg6 37. Kg2 $2 (37. b4 $1 Ne4 {(Karpov)}
38. Qe2 $1 Qxe2 39. Bxe2 {saves the game.}) 37... Ne4 38. Be2 Qe1 39. Nxe4
Bxe4+ 40. f3 (40. Bf3 $2 d3 $1) 40... Bg6 41. h4 h5 42. f4 Be4+ 43. Bf3 g6 44.
Bxe4 Qxe4+ 45. Kf2 Qe3+ 46. Kg2 d3 47. Qc4 Qe2+ 48. Kg1 Qd1+ 49. Kf2 Qd2+ 50.
Kf1 Qd1+ 51. Kf2 Qe2+ 52. Kg1 Kg8 53. Qc8+ Kg7 54. Qc3+ Kf8 55. Qc5+ Ke8 56.
Qc6+ Ke7 57. Qc5+ Ke6 58. Qf2 Qd1+ 59. Kg2 Qxb3 60. Qe1+ Kd7 61. Qxa5 Qc2+ 62.
Kh3 d2 63. Qd5+ Kc8 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "12"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E76"]
[WhiteElo "2640"]
[BlackElo "2805"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "87"]
[EventDate "1994.??.??"]

1. c4 g6 2. e4 Bg7 3. d4 d6 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. f4 O-O 6. Nf3 c5 7. dxc5 Qa5 8. Bd3
Qxc5 9. Qe2 Bg4 10. Be3 Qa5 11. O-O Nc6 12. Rac1 Nd7 13. Qf2 Bxf3 14. gxf3 Nc5
15. Bb1 Na4 16. Nxa4 Qxa4 17. b3 Qa3 18. c5 dxc5 19. Bxc5 Qxc5 $1 20. Rxc5 Bd4
21. Rd1 ({A plus is gained by} 21. Qxd4 $1 Nxd4 22. Rc7) 21... Bxf2+ 22. Kxf2
Rfd8 23. Rcd5 e6 24. Rxd8+ Rxd8 25. Rxd8+ Nxd8 26. Ke3 Kf8 27. f5 e5 28. f4 f6
29. fxe5 fxe5 30. fxg6 hxg6 31. h4 Kg7 $5 32. Kd3 $5 {Both players have made
an inciting move. Kasparov bails out.} Kf6 ({Black can try to win with} 32...
Kh6 $1 33. Kc4 Kh5 34. Kd5 Nc6 35. b4 a6 {(Makarichev), but} 36. a4 $1 Kxh4 37.
b5 axb5 38. axb5 Nd4 39. Bd3 Nf3 40. Be2 Nd4 {results in a repetition of
positions.}) 33. Kc4 Ke6 34. Kc5 b6+ 35. Kb5 Kd6 36. b4 Kc7 37. a4 Ne6 38. Ba2
Nd4+ 39. Ka6 Kb8 40. Bf7 Nf3 41. Bxg6 Nxh4 42. Bf7 Nf3 43. a5 bxa5 44. bxa5 {
Karpov leads by three victorues, Kasparov has 2 1/2 points and Shirov only
scored a draw.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "12"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A33"]
[WhiteElo "2740"]
[BlackElo "2640"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "1994.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. Nf3 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e6 5. g3 Nc6 6. Bg2 Bc5 7. Nb3 Be7 8.
Nc3 O-O 9. O-O d6 10. Bf4 Nh5 11. e3 $5 Nxf4 12. exf4 Bd7 13. Qd2 Qb8 $5 14.
Rfe1 g6 $6 15. h4 a6 16. h5 b5 $6 {Black allows attacks on the wings.} 17. hxg6
hxg6 18. Nc5 $1 dxc5 $2 ({Correct is} 18... Be8 19. Nxe6 $1 fxe6 20. Rxe6 {
(Karpov)} Ra7 $1) 19. Qxd7 Rc8 {Karpov finds a repeated rook sacrifice.} 20.
Rxe6 $3 ({Less convincing is} 20. Bxc6 Ra7 $1) 20... Ra7 ({White wins faster in
} 20... fxe6 21. Bxc6 Ra7 22. Qxe6+ Kg7 23. Nd5) 21. Rxg6+ $1 fxg6 ({Avoids} 
21... Kf8 22. Qh3 fxg6 23. Qh8+ Kf7 24. Bd5#) ({and} 21... Kh7 22. Qh3+ Kxg6
23. Be4+) 22. Qe6+ Kg7 23. Bxc6 Rd8 24. cxb5 Bf6 25. Ne4 Bd4 ({Or} 25... Bxb2
26. Rb1 Bd4 27. b6 $1) 26. bxa6 Qb6 27. Rd1 Qxa6 28. Rxd4 Rxd4 29. Qf6+ Kg8 30.
Qxg6+ Kf8 31. Qe8+ Kg7 32. Qe5+ Kg8 33. Nf6+ Kf7 34. Be8+ Kf8 35. Qxc5+ Qd6 ({
The pointe is} 35... Rd6 36. Ne4) 36. Qxa7 Qxf6 37. Bh5 Rd2 38. b3 Rb2 39. Kg2
1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "12"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D44"]
[WhiteElo "2805"]
[BlackElo "2710"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "1994.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 e6 5. Bg5 dxc4 6. e4 b5 7. e5 h6 8. Bh4 g5
9. Nxg5 hxg5 10. Bxg5 Nbd7 11. exf6 Bb7 12. g3 c5 13. d5 Nxf6 14. Bg2 Bh6 $5
15. Bxf6 $5 {A novelty gets a daring answer.} Qxf6 16. O-O O-O-O 17. Nxb5 exd5
$2 ({Correct is} 17... a6 $1 18. Nc3 {and now} exd5 {(Kasparov).}) 18. Nxa7+
Kb8 19. Nb5 Bg7 20. a4 Qh6 21. h4 Bf6 ({The promising defence} 21... Bxb2 22.
Rb1 c3 23. Qc2 Qf6 24. Rxb2 $1 cxb2 25. Qxc5 {leads to a sad result.}) 22. Qe1
Bxh4 23. Qa5 ({An alternative win brings} 23. Qe5+ Ka8 24. gxh4 $1 Qxh4 25. Qc7
Rdg8 26. Qa5+ Kb8 27. Qa7+ Kc8 28. Qxc5+ Kb8 29. Qa7+ Kc8 30. Nd6+ $1 Kd7 31.
Qxb7+) 23... Be7 24. Qc7+ Ka8 25. Qa5+ Kb8 26. Qc7+ Ka8 27. Rfe1 Bd6 $1 28. Qb6
Bb8 29. a5 Rd7 30. Re8 $3 {The ruffle rook cannot be touched.} Qh2+ ({Not} 
30... Rxe8 31. Qxh6) 31. Kf1 Qxg2+ ({Another point is} 31... Rxe8 32. a6) 32.
Kxg2 d4+ 33. Qxb7+ $1 ({Avoids} 33. Kf1 Rxe8) 33... Rxb7 34. Rxh8 Rxb5 35. a6
Ka7 36. Rf8 Rxb2 37. Rxf7+ Ka8 38. a7 c3 39. Rf8 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "12"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Illescas Cordoba, Miguel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B33"]
[WhiteElo "2705"]
[BlackElo "2590"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "1994.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 5. Nb5 d6 6. N1c3 a6 7. Na3 b5 8. Nd5
Nf6 9. Bg5 Be7 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. c3 O-O 12. Nc2 Rb8 13. a3 a5 14. h4 g6 15. g3
Bg7 16. h5 Ne7 ({Less advisable is} 16... Qg5 $6 {(Borm-King, Amsterdam 1982).}
) 17. hxg6 hxg6 18. Nce3 Nxd5 19. Nxd5 Be6 20. Bh3 Bxd5 $2 ({Correct is} 20...
Qd7 21. Bxe6 fxe6 22. Ne3 Qf7 {(Shirov).}) 21. Qxd5 Qc7 22. O-O Rfd8 23. Rfd1
Bh6 24. Bf1 Qb7 $6 25. Qxb7 Rxb7 26. Rd5 b4 27. cxb4 axb4 28. a4 Kf8 29. a5 Bg5
30. a6 Rb6 $6 31. Rb5 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "12"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E15"]
[WhiteElo "2710"]
[BlackElo "2740"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "60"]
[EventDate "1994.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. Nbd2 Bb7 6. Bg2 c5 7. e4 cxd4 8. O-O
d6 9. Nxd4 Qd7 10. Re1 Be7 11. Nb1 Nc6 12. Nc3 Nxd4 13. Qxd4 O-O 14. b3 Rfd8
15. Bb2 Rab8 16. h3 Ba8 17. g4 h6 18. a4 a6 19. Ba3 Qc8 20. Bb2 Qc5 21. Qd2 Nd7
22. Red1 Ne5 23. Ne2 Bg5 24. Qc3 Bf6 25. Ba3 Qc7 26. Qd2 Ng6 27. Rac1 Be7 28.
Qe3 $2 Bg5 {Karpov applies a nasty pin.} 29. f4 Nxf4 $1 30. Nxf4 e5 {Ivanchuk
will lose a pawn and thus stops fighting.} 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "12"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Polgar, Judit"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B84"]
[WhiteElo "2630"]
[BlackElo "2805"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "92"]
[EventDate "1994.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. f4 e6 7. Be2 Be7 8. O-O
Qc7 9. Qe1 Nbd7 10. a4 b6 11. Bf3 Bb7 12. Kh1 Rd8 13. Be3 O-O 14. Qg3 Nc5 15.
f5 $1 ({The alternative} 15. e5 dxe5 16. fxe5 Nfe4 {leads to exchanges.}) 15...
e5 16. Bh6 Ne8 17. Nb3 Nd7 $1 18. Rad1 Kh8 19. Be3 Nef6 20. Qf2 Rfe8 21. Rfe1
Bf8 22. Bg5 h6 23. Bh4 Rc8 24. Qf1 Be7 25. Nd2 Qc5 $1 ({Avoids} 25... Nxe4 $6
26. Rxe4) 26. Nb3 Qb4 27. Be2 $2 {A bliunder costs a pawn.} Bxe4 $1 28. Nxe4
Nxe4 29. Bxe7 Rxe7 30. Bf3 Nef6 ({Better is} 30... Ndf6 $1) 31. Qxa6 Ree8 32.
Qe2 Kg8 33. Bb7 Rc4 34. Qd2 Qxa4 35. Qxd6 $6 Rxc2 36. Nd2 {A time trouble
incident happens. Kasparov moves a knight to c5. Did he lose contact with the
piece? Thereafter it moves to f8.} Nf8 $6 ({Best is} 36... Rxb2) ({What if} 
36... Nc5 {had been played? Then} 37. Bc6 Qh4 $1 38. Bxe8 Ng4 $1 39. h3 Nf2+
40. Kg1 Nxh3+ $1 41. gxh3 Qg3+ {draws (Timman).}) 37. Ne4 N8d7 38. Nxf6+ Nxf6
39. Qxb6 Ng4 40. Rf1 $2 e4 $2 (40... Nf2+ 41. Rxf2 Rxf2 {wins at once 
(Kasparov).}) 41. Bd5 ({Or} 41. Rd4 Rf2 $1 42. Rc1 Qc2 $1 43. Qc6 $1 Qxb2 $1
44. Qxe8+ Kh7 $19) 41... e3 $1 42. Bb3 Qe4 43. Bxc2 Qxc2 44. Rd8 Rxd8 45. Qxd8+
Kh7 46. Qe7 Qc4 {The young and small Judit bitterly complained about the grave
event. It has remained a topic for debate.} (46... Qc4 47. Ra1 (47. Kg1 e2 48.
Re1 Qd4+ {and smothered mate}) 47... Qf4 $1) 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "12"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B15"]
[WhiteElo "2640"]
[BlackElo "2705"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "68"]
[EventDate "1994.??.??"]

1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 c6 4. Nf3 d5 5. h3 Nh6 6. Bf4 f6 7. Be2 $5 Nf7 8. Bh2
O-O 9. O-O b6 $5 10. Re1 Bb7 11. Bf1 Nd7 12. a4 $1 a6 13. a5 b5 14. exd5 cxd5
15. Re6 $5 {White blockades in a strange way. The players have made remarkable
moves without committing errors.} Rc8 $6 ({More effective is} 15... Re8 16. Qe1
Nf8 17. Re2 e6) 16. Nxb5 $6 {A piece is given for two pawns.} (16. Qe2 Re8 17.
Re1 {takes less risk.}) 16... axb5 17. Bxb5 f5 18. Qe2 Nf6 19. a6 (19. Rb6 $1
Ba8 20. c3 {is excellent.}) 19... Ba8 20. Rxe7 $5 Rxc2 $1 21. Qxc2 Qxe7 22. Qa4
Qe6 23. b4 $2 ({Both players have chances in} 23. a7 $1 g5 $1 {(Shirov)} 24.
Qa6 $1 Qe7 25. Bb8 Nd7 $1 26. Bc6 Nxb8 27. axb8=Q Rxb8 28. Bxa8 g4 $1) 23...
Ne4 24. Bf1 g5 25. b5 g4 26. Ne1 Qb6 27. Nc2 Rc8 28. Bf4 Bh6 29. Bxh6 Qxh6 30.
hxg4 Qd2 31. f3 Qf2+ 32. Kh2 Nfg5 33. Ne1 Qh4+ 34. Kg1 Nh3+ (34... Nh3+ 35.
gxh3 Qf2+ 36. Kh1 Ng3#) 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "12"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D35"]
[WhiteElo "2685"]
[BlackElo "2800"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "97"]
[EventDate "1994.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bf4 Nf6 6. e3 Bf5 7. Nge2 O-O 8.
Ng3 Be6 9. Bd3 c5 10. dxc5 Bxc5 11. O-O Nc6 12. Rc1 Bd6 13. Nge2 $5 (13. Nh5 {
was played in Kasparov-Yusupov, Linares 1993.}) 13... Rc8 $6 ({Better is} 13...
Bxf4 14. Nxf4 d4 15. Nxe6 fxe6 16. exd4 Nxd4 {(Gelfand).}) 14. Bb1 Bxf4 15.
Nxf4 Bg4 16. f3 Be6 17. Qd2 Qe7 18. Nb5 a6 19. Nd4 Ne5 20. b3 Bd7 21. g4 $1 Ng6
22. Ng2 $1 Ne8 $6 {The protection of pawn d5 should continue.} 23. Rxc8 Bxc8
24. Rc1 Nd6 $2 ({Right is} 24... Bd7) 25. Bxg6 $1 hxg6 26. Nf4 Re8 $5 {Black
does not defend d5, because he will lose the pawn anyway.} 27. Nxd5 Qg5 28. Nf4
Qe5 29. Ng2 g5 $5 30. Qb4 Nb5 31. Nxb5 axb5 32. Qd4 Qe7 33. Qc5 Qf6 34. Qxb5
Rd8 35. Qe2 Be6 36. Qf2 Rd3 37. h4 gxh4 38. Nxh4 g5 39. Ng2 Qe5 40. Qc2 $4 ({
Later Gelfand finds} 40. e4 $1 Qd6 41. Re1 Rd2 42. Re2 Rd1+ 43. Ne1 {and he
will win eventually.}) 40... Qd6 $1 41. Ne1 Rxe3 42. Qf2 Qe5 43. Ng2 Re2 44.
Re1 Rxf2 45. Rxe5 Rxf3 46. Ne3 Bd7 47. Rxg5+ Kf8 48. Nf5 Bxf5 49. gxf5 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "12"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Polgar, Judit"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B22"]
[WhiteElo "2740"]
[BlackElo "2630"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "1994.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. c3 $5 e6 3. d4 d5 4. exd5 exd5 $6 {Judit has been lured into a
passive variation.} ({Better is} 4... Qxd5) 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. Bb5 c4 $5 7. Ne5 Qb6
8. Bxc6+ bxc6 9. O-O Bd6 10. b3 cxb3 11. axb3 Ne7 12. Ba3 $1 Bxe5 $2 {
Hereafter, restraint paralyses Black.} ({She has to accept the drawbacks of} 
12... Bxa3 13. Rxa3 O-O 14. Re1) 13. dxe5 Be6 $5 ({The desirable} 13... c5 {
fails due to} 14. b4 $1 c4 15. b5 Qxb5 16. Bxe7 Kxe7 17. Qd4) 14. Qd4 $1 Nf5 $1
({Avoids} 14... Qxb3 $2 15. Bxe7 Kxe7 16. Qc5+ Kd7 17. Qd6+) 15. Qc5 h5 16. Nd2
f6 17. exf6 gxf6 18. Bb4 Kf7 19. Ra4 Qxc5 20. Bxc5 a6 21. f3 h4 22. Rfa1 Bc8
23. Kf2 Rb8 24. b4 Re8 25. Nb3 Bb7 26. Na5 Ba8 27. R4a2 Re6 28. Ba7 Rb5 $6 ({
Slightly better is} 28... Rbe8 29. Nb3 Re5 $1 30. Bd4 $1) 29. Nb3 Bb7 30. g4
hxg3+ 31. hxg3 Re8 32. g4 Nd6 33. Nd4 $1 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "12"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C48"]
[WhiteElo "2705"]
[BlackElo "2710"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "121"]
[EventDate "1994.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Nd4 5. Ba4 Nxf3+ 6. Qxf3 Bb4 7. Ne2 O-O
8. c3 Ba5 9. h3 d5 10. d3 Bd7 11. Bc2 dxe4 12. dxe4 Ne8 13. g4 $5 Qf6 $6 14.
Qxf6 Nxf6 15. Bg5 $1 Be6 16. Bxf6 gxf6 17. Ng3 Rfd8 $2 (17... c5 18. Nh5 Bd8 {
protects the threatened pawn.}) 18. Nh5 $1 Rd6 19. Nxf6+ Kh8 20. f4 Rad8 21.
Rh2 c5 $6 22. f5 $2 ({Material will be won after} 22. fxe5 Rb6 {(Shirov)} 23.
Rd2 Rxd2 24. Kxd2 Rxb2 25. Nd5 c4 26. a4 $1) 22... Bxf5 23. exf5 Rxf6 24. Rd1
Rxd1+ 25. Kxd1 Rd6+ 26. Rd2 Bc7 $2 ({Right is} 26... Rxd2+ 27. Kxd2 Kg7 $1) 27.
Rxd6 Bxd6 28. Ke2 $2 (28. Be4 $1 {(Shirov)} b6 29. g5 h6 30. h4 $1 {utilises
the unfavourable position of the black king.}) 28... Be7 $5 ({Less risk takes} 
28... Kg7 29. Kd3 Kf6 30. Ke4 h6) 29. Kd3 Bg5 30. Kc4 Bc1 31. b3 Bd2 32. Kxc5
Bxc3 33. Be4 $5 (33. f6 $1 {(Shirov) can be answered by} h5 $1 34. g5 Kg8 35.
Kd6 Kf8) 33... Kg7 $1 34. Bxb7 Kf6 35. Bd5 {Black has sacrificed a pawn for a
counteraction. He should use the momentum.} h6 $2 ({Black escapes by} 35... h5
36. Kc4 {(Shirov)} Bd2 37. Kd3 Bf4) 36. b4 Ke7 37. b5 f6 38. Kc6 Ba5 39. Be4
Ke8 40. Kd6 Kf7 41. h4 Be1 42. h5 Bb4+ 43. Kd7 Ba3 44. Bd5+ Kf8 45. Ke6 Kg7 46.
Be4 Bf8 47. a4 Bb4 48. Kd7 Kf8 49. Kc6 Ke7 50. Kb7 Bc5 51. a5 Kd6 52. b6 axb6
53. a6 b5 54. a7 Bxa7 55. Kxa7 Kc5 56. Ka6 b4 57. Ka5 Kd4 58. Kxb4 Kxe4 59. g5
hxg5 60. h6 Kxf5 61. h7 {Standings after six rounds: Karpov 6, Kasparov 5 and
Shirov 3 1/2.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "12"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B17"]
[WhiteElo "2800"]
[BlackElo "2740"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "1994.??.??"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Bc4 Ngf6 6. Ng5 e6 7. Qe2 Nb6 8.
Bb3 h6 9. N5f3 a5 10. c3 c5 $5 11. a3 $5 Qc7 12. Ne5 $6 {White allows a
weakening.} cxd4 13. cxd4 a4 ({Karpov does not like} 13... Bxa3 $5 14. Bxh6 $1
Bxb2 15. Qxb2 Rxh6) 14. Bc2 Bd7 15. Nxd7 Nbxd7 16. Qd1 Bd6 17. Ne2 $5 Nd5 18.
Bd2 b5 19. Nc3 Nxc3 20. Bxc3 Nf6 21. Qd3 Nd5 $1 22. Bd2 (22. Qxb5+ $2 Ke7 $1
23. Qd3 Rhc8 {gives way to an attack.}) 22... Ke7 23. Rc1 Qc4 24. Ke2 $6 Rhb8
$6 ({Karpov regards} 24... Nf4+ 25. Bxf4 Bxf4 26. Qxc4 bxc4 27. Rb1 Rhd8 28.
Rhd1 Bg5 29. g3 f5 30. f4 Bf6 31. Ke3 Ra5 32. Rd2 Rb8 {as won for White, but}
33. Rc1 $1 Rxb2 34. Bd1 Rxd2 35. Kxd2 Bxd4 36. Rxc4 {leads to an escape.}) 25.
g3 $1 Qxd3+ 26. Bxd3 b4 27. Ra1 $5 bxa3 28. bxa3 Rb3 29. Bc2 Rxa3 30. Rxa3 Bxa3
31. Ra1 Bb2 32. Rxa4 Rxa4 33. Bxa4 Bxd4 34. f4 Kd6 35. Kf3 f5 36. h4 Bb2 37. g4
fxg4+ 38. Kxg4 Nf6+ 39. Kf3 Nd5 40. Bc2 Bf6 41. h5 {Karpov lost his score of
100%.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "12"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Polgar, Judit"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B06"]
[WhiteElo "2630"]
[BlackElo "2705"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "96"]
[EventDate "1994.??.??"]

1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 c6 4. Nf3 d6 5. Bg5 $5 Qb6 $5 6. Rb1 Bg4 7. Be3 Bxf3
8. gxf3 Qc7 9. h4 $5 e6 10. h5 d5 11. Qd2 Nd7 12. b4 Ngf6 13. h6 $1 Bf8 14. Bf4
Qd8 ({Even better is} 14... e5 $1 {(Shirov).}) 15. Bd3 Be7 16. Ne2 O-O 17. c3
b5 18. Kf1 a5 19. a3 Nb6 20. Re1 Ne8 $1 21. Be5 $6 ({More solid is} 21. Kg2 Nd6
22. Ra1) 21... Nd6 22. Bg7 Ndc4 23. Qc1 Re8 24. e5 axb4 25. axb4 Ra2 26. Qf4
Rd2 27. Bb1 Na4 28. Kg2 Nab2 29. Qg4 $1 Na3 30. Nf4 Nxb1 31. Rxb1 Nd3 32. Nxd3
Rxd3 33. Ra1 $2 {Judit has a hallucination.} (33. Rhc1 f5 $1 34. exf6 Bxf6 35.
Bxf6 Qxf6 36. Ra1 Rf8 37. f4 {is okay.}) 33... Rxc3 34. Ra7 Rc4 $1 35. Rha1
Rxb4 36. Qf4 c5 37. Rxe7 Qxe7 38. Bf6 Qc7 39. Ra6 Rxd4 40. Qg5 Ra4 41. Rd6 Raa8
42. Rc6 $5 Qa7 $1 43. Bd8 ({The desirable} 43. Ra6 {is refuted by} Qxa6 $1 44.
Be7 f5 $1 45. Qf6 Rxe7 46. Qxe7 Qa7 $1) 43... f6 44. Bxf6 c4 45. Qg4 Qf7 46.
Qd4 Rec8 47. Qb6 Rxc6 48. Qxc6 Rb8 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "12"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Black "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E54"]
[WhiteElo "2685"]
[BlackElo "2740"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "104"]
[EventDate "1994.??.??"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nf3 Bb4 7. Bd3 dxc4 8.
Bxc4 O-O 9. O-O b6 10. Bg5 Bb7 11. Re1 Bxc3 12. bxc3 Nbd7 13. Bd3 Qc7 14. Rc1
Qd6 $5 15. Bh4 Rfc8 16. Bg3 Qa3 17. c4 $5 (17. Qb3 {gains a plus (Dautov).})
17... Nf8 ({Karpov avoids the chancy} 17... Qxa2 $6 18. Ra1 Qb2 19. Bd6 Bxf3
20. gxf3 Kh8 21. Bf1 $1) 18. Ne5 $1 Ng6 19. Re3 Qf8 20. f4 Qd8 21. Bb1 Ne7 22.
Bh4 Ng6 23. Bg5 b5 $2 24. Bxg6 hxg6 25. Rh3 $2 (25. Rb1 $1 {wins a pawn.})
25... Rc7 26. d5 exd5 27. c5 $1 ({Not} 27. cxb5 $2 Rxc1 28. Qxc1 Qb6+) 27...
Bc8 28. Rb3 Qe8 29. Qd4 Bf5 30. Re3 Qf8 31. Bxf6 gxf6 32. Nf3 Be4 33. Nd2 f5
34. Rec3 a5 35. c6 Qb4 36. Nb3 Qd6 37. Qf2 $2 ({The wonderful} 37. Rh3 $1 f6
38. Qf2 Rxc6 39. Rxc6 Qxc6 40. Qh4 Qb6+ 41. Kh1 {(Karpov)} Qa7 $1 42. Qh8+ Kf7
43. Qh7+ $1 Kf8 $1 {draws.}) 37... b4 38. Rc5 a4 39. Nd4 Bd3 40. Qd2 Bc4 41.
Qxb4 Qxf4 42. Qc3 Re8 43. Rd1 Re3 44. Qc1 Qe4 45. Qa1 Rc8 46. Ra5 Ra3 47. Qb1
Qe3+ 48. Kh1 Rxa2 49. Nf3 Bb3 50. Qc1 f4 51. Re1 Rc2 52. Qa1 Qb6 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "12"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B51"]
[WhiteElo "2705"]
[BlackElo "2805"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "58"]
[EventDate "1994.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bb5+ Nd7 4. O-O Ngf6 5. Re1 a6 6. Bf1 b6 7. d4 cxd4 8.
Nxd4 Bb7 9. f3 e6 10. a4 Be7 11. a5 b5 12. c4 bxc4 13. Bxc4 O-O $5 {Kasparov
allows a spectacular combination.} 14. Nc3 (14. Bxe6 $1 fxe6 15. Nxe6 Qc8 16.
Nxf8 Bxf8 17. Nc3 {gains a slight advantage.}) 14... Ne5 15. Bf1 Qc7 16. Be3 d5
17. exd5 Nxd5 18. Nxd5 Bxd5 19. Nf5 $1 {Shirov needs sharp action in order to
survive.} Bb4 20. Bb6 Qb8 21. Qd4 $5 Bxe1 22. Rxe1 exf5 23. Qxd5 Re8 24. Rc1
Re6 25. b4 h5 ({White has a sufficient defence in} 25... Rd6 $1 26. Qb3 (26.
Qxe5 $2 Rxb6 $1) 26... Rxb6 27. axb6 Qxb6+ 28. Kh1 Rb8 29. Qd5 $1 {(Shirov).})
26. Bc7 Qa7+ 27. Bb6 Qb8 28. Bc7 Qa7+ 29. Bb6 Qb8 {Shirirov did not score his
usual defeat against Kasparov.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "12"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D47"]
[WhiteElo "2740"]
[BlackElo "2705"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "134"]
[EventDate "1994.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3
Bb7 9. a3 b4 10. Ne4 a5 11. Nxf6+ Nxf6 12. e4 Be7 13. Qe2 c5 $5 14. Bb5+ Kf8
15. dxc5 Bxc5 16. Bd3 h6 $6 17. O-O g5 $6 18. Be3 Bxe3 19. Qxe3 Kg7 20. Ne5 Nd7
21. Nc4 Qe7 22. Qd4+ $6 e5 23. Qd6 Qxd6 24. Nxd6 Nc5 25. Bc4 Rhd8 26. Nf5+ Kg6
27. f3 Na4 28. Rf2 Nb6 29. Bb5 Bc8 30. axb4 axb4 31. Rxa8 Nxa8 32. Ne7+ Kg7 33.
Nd5 Be6 34. Nxb4 Rb8 35. Bc6 Rxb4 36. Bxa8 Ra4 37. Bb7 Ra1+ 38. Rf1 Ra4 39. Rf2
Ra1+ 40. Rf1 Ra4 41. Bc6 Rb4 42. Rf2 Rc4 43. Bd5 Bxd5 44. exd5 Rd4 45. b3 Rd1+
46. Rf1 Rxd5 47. b4 Kf6 48. Rb1 Ke6 49. b5 Kd7 50. b6 Kc8 51. b7+ Kb8 {Black
draws in a remarkable way!} 52. Rb6 Rd4 53. Kf2 h5 54. Ke3 g4 55. Rf6 Rd7 56.
Rf5 Rxb7 57. Rxh5 Rb3+ 58. Kf2 gxf3 59. gxf3 f6 60. h4 Kc7 61. Rh6 Rb6 62. h5
Kd7 63. Rg6 Ke6 64. h6 Rb7 65. Kg3 Rb1 66. Kh2 Rb7 67. Kh3 Rb1 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "12"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Kamsky, Gata"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B17"]
[WhiteElo "2805"]
[BlackElo "2695"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "1994.??.??"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Ng5 Ngf6 6. Bd3 e6 7. N1f3 Bd6 8.
Qe2 h6 9. Ne4 Nxe4 10. Qxe4 Qc7 11. Qg4 g5 $5 12. Qh3 $1 Rg8 $1 13. Nd2 $1 ({
Not} 13. Qxh6 $2 Bf8 14. Qh7 Nf6 15. Qh3 g4 16. Qh4 gxf3 17. Qxf6 fxg2 18. Rg1
Qxh2 {(Kasparov).}) 13... Bf8 $5 ({An alternative brings} 13... c5 $1 14. Qxh6
cxd4 15. Ne4 Qa5+) 14. Ne4 Bg7 15. O-O $1 {White sacrifices for the attack.}
Bxd4 16. Be3 $1 Be5 (16... Bxb2 $5 17. Rad1 {seems like pushing your Luck 
(Anand).}) 17. Rad1 Nf6 $2 ({Correct is} 17... b6 $1 18. Bc4 Rg6 $1) 18. Nxf6+
Bxf6 19. Bh7 {White invades the hostile position.} Rh8 $6 (19... Rf8 $1 {saves
a tempo.}) 20. Qxh6 Be7 {Black loses in all variations.} ({See} 20... g4 21.
Qxf6 Rxh7 22. h4 $1) ({Gary's} 20... Qe7 21. Bc5 $1 Rxh7 22. Rd8+ $3 Qxd8 23.
Qf8+ Kd7 24. Rd1+ Kc7 25. Rxd8 Bxd8 26. Qd6#) ({and} 20... Be5 21. Bxg5 Bxh2+
22. Kh1 $1 Be5 23. Rd8+) 21. Qg7 Rf8 22. Rd3 Bd7 23. Bxg5 Bxg5 24. Qxg5 Qd8 25.
Qe5 Qe7 26. Qc7 Bc8 27. Qa5 b6 28. Qe5 Ba6 29. Be4 Rc8 30. c4 $1 Rg8 ({The
pointe is} 30... Bxc4 31. Bxc6+ Rxc6 32. Qb8+) 31. b3 Bb7 32. Rfd1 Ba8 33. c5
$1 bxc5 34. Rd6 c4 35. bxc4 c5 36. Bxa8 Rxa8 37. Qxc5 Rb8 38. g3 Qb7 39. Qd4
Kf8 40. Qf6 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "12"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D15"]
[WhiteElo "2685"]
[BlackElo "2705"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "113"]
[EventDate "1994.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 a6 5. c5 Nbd7 6. h3 g6 7. Bf4 Bg7 8. e3 O-O
9. Be2 Ne8 10. O-O Nc7 11. b4 Re8 12. Qd2 e5 13. Nxe5 Nxe5 14. dxe5 Bxe5 15.
Bxe5 Rxe5 16. e4 a5 17. a3 axb4 18. axb4 Rxa1 19. Rxa1 Qf6 20. exd5 $6 ({
Better is} 20. Rd1 $1 {(Shirov-Bologan, Bundesliga 1993).}) 20... Rxd5 21. Qc1
Rd4 22. b5 Kg7 23. bxc6 bxc6 24. Qe3 Ne6 25. Ra8 Bd7 26. Bg4 Nxc5 27. Bxd7 Nxd7
28. Qe8 Rd3 29. Ne4 Rd1+ 30. Kh2 Qe5+ 31. Qxe5+ Nxe5 32. f4 Nd3 33. Ra7 Nxf4
34. Ng5 Rd5 35. Rxf7+ Kg8 36. Rxf4 Rxg5 37. Rf6 c5 38. Rc6 $1 Kf7 39. Rc7+ Ke6
40. Rxh7 c4 41. Rc7 Kd5 42. h4 Re5 43. Kg3 Kd4 44. Rd7+ Ke3 45. Rc7 Re4 46. Rc6
Kd3 47. Kf3 Rd4 48. Rxg6 c3 49. Ra6 c2 50. Ra1 Kc3 51. Rc1 Kd2 52. Rxc2+ Kxc2
53. g4 Kd3 54. h5 Re4 55. g5 Rh4 56. g6 Rxh5 57. Kf4 {White draws with his
last pawn.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "12"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Kamsky, Gata"]
[Black "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2695"]
[BlackElo "2740"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "133"]
[EventDate "1994.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Be7 7. O-O Nc6 8.
Re1 Bg4 9. c4 Nf6 10. cxd5 Bxf3 11. Qxf3 Qxd5 12. Qxd5 Nxd5 13. Be4 O-O-O 14.
Nc3 Bb4 15. Bd2 Nf6 16. Bxc6 bxc6 17. Be3 Nd5 18. Rac1 Nxe3 19. fxe3 c5 20. Rf1
f6 21. Rf5 Rhe8 22. dxc5 $2 (22. a3 Bxc3 23. bxc3 Rxe3 24. Rxc5 {keeps the
positional advantage.}) 22... Rxe3 23. Na4 c6 24. Kf1 Rd4 25. b3 Kd7 26. Nb2
Ke6 27. Rf2 Rd5 28. g3 Rxc5 29. Nc4 Re4 30. a3 Ba5 31. Rfc2 Bc7 32. b4 Rf5+ 33.
Kg2 h5 $2 ({Correct is} 33... Kd7) 34. Nb2 Kf7 35. Rd2 Bb6 36. Nc4 Bc7 37. Rd7+
Re7 38. Rxc7 Rxc7 39. Nd6+ Ke6 40. Nxf5 Kxf5 41. Rc5+ Ke6 42. Rxh5 g5 43. h4 c5
44. bxc5 Rxc5 45. hxg5 Ra5 46. Rh6 Rxg5 47. Rh4 Ra5 48. Re4+ Kf5 49. Re3 Kg5
50. Rc3 Ra4 51. Kf3 $6 f5 52. Rd3 Rc4 53. Re3 a5 54. Re5 a4 55. Re8 $5 Rc3+ 56.
Kg2 Rxa3 57. Ra8 Ra1 58. Ra6 f4 59. gxf4+ Kxf4 60. Rf6+ Ke4 61. Rg6 Ke3 62. Rg4
a3 63. Rg3+ Ke4 64. Rb3 Ra2+ 65. Kg3 Kd4 66. Rf3 Ra1 67. Kg2 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "12"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E93"]
[WhiteElo "2710"]
[BlackElo "2805"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "1994.??.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. d4 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. d5 Nbd7 8. Bg5
h6 9. Bh4 g5 10. Bg3 Nh5 11. h4 g4 12. Nh2 Nxg3 13. fxg3 h5 14. O-O f5 $5 15.
exf5 Nc5 16. b4 $5 {Vladimir seeks the confrontation.} e4 $5 17. Rc1 Nd3 $5 {
Gary gives a proper answer.} 18. Bxd3 exd3 19. f6 $1 ({Avoids} 19. Qxd3 $6 Qf6
$1) 19... Rxf6 20. Qxd3 Qf8 21. Nb5 $5 ({Less ambition shows} 21. Ne4) 21...
Bf5 22. Rxf5 $1 Rxf5 23. Nxc7 Rc8 24. Ne6 Qf6 25. Nf1 ({White wins pawns in} 
25. Rf1 Rf8 $3 26. Nxf8 Qd4+ 27. Qxd4 Bxd4+ 28. Kh1 Rxf1+ 29. Nxf1 Kxf8 {but
his king becomes caged (Kramnik).}) 25... Re5 26. Rd1 $5 Qf5 27. Qxf5 Rxf5 28.
c5 Bf8 ({Not} 28... dxc5 $6 29. d6 $1) 29. Ne3 Rf6 30. Nc4 $5 dxc5 31. b5 $1
Bh6 $2 ({He forces a draw by} 31... Re8 32. Re1 Rf5 33. Rd1 Rf6 $1 {(Kramnik).}
) 32. Re1 $1 Re8 33. Re5 Re7 34. Rxh5 Ref7 35. Kh2 $1 ({Black survives in} 35.
Ne5 c4 $1 36. Nxf7 Kxf7 37. Kh2 c3 38. Nd4 Be3 $1 39. Nc2 Bb6) 35... Bc1 $1 36.
Re5 (36. Nxc5 Rf1 $1 37. Ne4 Rd1 38. Nc3 Rd3 $1 39. Ne5 Rxc3 40. Nxf7 Kxf7 {
results in a defendable position for Black.}) 36... Rf1 37. Re4 Rd1 38. Rxg4+ {
Both sides play for mate!} Kh7 $4 {Kasparov blunders in time trouble.} ({
Various annotators find} 38... Kh8 39. Ne5 (39. Re4 Rxd5) 39... Rff1 40. Ng6+
Kh7 41. Ngf8+ Kh8 $1) 39. Ne5 Re7 (39... Rff1 40. Rg7+ {(the blunder allowed
this move)} Kh6 41. Ng4+ Kh5 42. Nf6+ $1 Rxf6 43. g4+ Kh6 44. g5+ Kh5 45. gxf6)
40. Nf8+ {White delivers mate in three.  Standings after ten rounds: Karpov 8
1/2, Kasparov 7 and Shirov 6. Gary loses the race for the first place and
Alexei catches up.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "12"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D48"]
[WhiteElo "2740"]
[BlackElo "2710"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "1994.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3
a6 9. e4 c5 10. d5 c4 11. dxe6 fxe6 12. Bc2 Bb7 13. O-O Qc7 14. Ng5 Nc5 15. e5
Qxe5 16. Re1 Qd6 17. Qxd6 Bxd6 18. Be3 $5 {Karpov diverts from the routine
exchange on e6.} O-O ({Black equalises easier by} 18... Nd3 $1 19. Bxd3 cxd3
20. Rad1 O-O 21. Rxd3 Bd5 22. Nxe6 Bxh2+ 23. Kxh2 Bxe6 {(Kramnik-Kuczynski,
Bundesliga 1994).}) 19. Rad1 Be7 20. Bxc5 Bxc5 21. Nxe6 Rfc8 22. h3 $1 Bf8 23.
g4 h6 24. f4 Bf3 25. Rd2 Bc6 26. g5 hxg5 27. fxg5 Nd7 28. Nxf8 $1 Nxf8 29. Rd6
{Karpov has changed the kind of restriction.} b4 30. Ne4 {White pressures on
the kingside.} Be8 $6 ({Karpov prefers} 30... Bd7 31. h4 Rc6) ({Even better
seems to be} 30... Bb5 $1 31. h4 Re8 {The pointe is} 32. h5 Ne6 $1 33. Nf6+
gxf6 34. Rexe6 Rxe6 35. Rxe6 fxg5) 31. Ng3 Rd8 32. Nf5 Rxd6 33. Nxd6 Bg6 $2 (
33... Bd7 $1 34. h4 Be6 35. Re4 b3 {offers active resistance.}) 34. Bxg6 Nxg6
35. Nxc4 Rd8 36. Re4 b3 $5 37. axb3 Rd3 38. Kg2 $1 Rxb3 39. h4 Nf8 $5 40. Re8
$1 {The flag falls.} ({Kramnik worries about} 40. Re8 Kf7 41. Nd6+ Kg8 {A
beleaguerment is started by} 42. g6 Rxb2+ 43. Kf3) 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "12"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B85"]
[WhiteElo "2805"]
[BlackElo "2715"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "69"]
[EventDate "1994.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 d6 3. Nge2 Nc6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nf6 6. Bc4 Qb6 7. Nb3 e6 8.
Bf4 Ne5 9. Be2 Be7 10. Be3 Qc7 11. f4 Nc6 $5 12. Bf3 a6 13. O-O O-O 14. a4 b6
15. g4 $1 Rb8 ({More useful is} 15... Bb7 $1) 16. g5 Nd7 17. Bg2 Re8 18. Rf3
Nc5 $2 {Anand loses the game due to an unfit standerd move.} (18... Bb7 $1 19.
Rh3 Nf8 $1 {defends appropriately.}) 19. Rh3 g6 20. Qg4 Nb4 $2 ({Kasparov
suggests the desperate} 20... h5 $1) 21. Qh4 h5 22. Bf3 $1 Bf8 23. Bxh5 gxh5 ({
White wins in} 23... Bg7 $5 24. Bd4 $1 e5 25. f5 $3 exd4 26. Bxg6 fxg6 27. Qh7+
Kf8 28. Rf1 $3 gxf5 29. exf5 Re1 $5 30. Rxe1 dxc3 31. Rhe3 {(Kasparov).}) 24.
Qxh5 Bg7 25. Bd4 e5 26. f5 $1 {Matter is immaterial in the attack.} Nxe4 $6 ({
Right is} 26... Kf8 27. Qh7 Nd7 28. Be3 f6 29. g6 Qc4 30. Nd5 $1 Nxd5 31. Bh6
Ke7 $1 32. Bxg7 Bb7 {The counter-play is hard to judge. Chess is too difficult
for Man.}) 27. Qh7+ Kf8 28. Nxe4 Bxf5 29. Qxf5 exd4 30. Nf6 Qxc2 31. Nxd4 Qxb2
32. Rd1 Re5 33. Nd7+ Ke7 34. Nxe5 Bxe5 35. Qe4 $1 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "12"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Kamsky, Gata"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B54"]
[WhiteElo "2705"]
[BlackElo "2695"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "107"]
[EventDate "1994.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Be3 b5 7. a4 b4 8. Na2
Nf6 9. Nxb4 Bb7 10. Bd3 d5 11. c3 Nxe4 12. Bxe4 dxe4 13. Qh5 Qc8 14. O-O Be7
15. Bg5 Bxg5 16. Qxg5 O-O 17. Rad1 Nd7 18. a5 h6 19. Qg3 Nf6 20. Nbc2 Rb8 21.
Rc1 Bd5 22. b4 Bc4 23. Rfd1 Nd5 24. Ne3 Nxe3 25. fxe3 Rd8 26. Qe5 Qb7 27. Nc2
Bd3 28. Nd4 Rd5 29. Qg3 Rc8 30. Nb3 Rc6 31. Nc5 Rcxc5 32. bxc5 Rxc5 33. c4 Rg5
34. Qe1 Qc7 35. c5 Rxc5 36. Rxc5 Qxc5 37. Rc1 Qg5 38. h4 Qe5 39. Qc3 Qg3 40.
Qe1 Qg4 41. Rc5 Kh7 42. Kh2 g5 43. hxg5 hxg5 44. Rc8 Kg6 45. Rh8 f6 46. Qc1 Qe2
47. Qc7 Kf5 48. Qh7+ Ke5 49. Qa7 Kf5 50. Rh6 {This position requires accurate
calculation.} Qf2 $4 ({Annotators find by means of Fritz} 50... Kg4 $1 51. Qb6
Qf2 52. Qxe6+ f5 53. Qd6 Qxe3 54. Rh3 Qf4+ 55. Rg3+ Kh5 56. Qe7 g4 {drawn.})
51. Kh3 g4+ 52. Kh2 $1 g3+ 53. Kh3 Qe2 54. Qg7 {The super trio won three games.
} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "12"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B17"]
[WhiteElo "2715"]
[BlackElo "2740"]
[PlyCount "52"]
[EventDate "1994.??.??"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Bc4 Ngf6 6. Ng5 e6 7. Qe2 Nb6 8.
Bb3 h6 9. N5f3 a5 10. a4 c5 11. Bf4 Bd6 12. Bg3 O-O 13. Ne5 Qe7 14. Ngf3 Nbd5
15. O-O Nh5 16. Rfe1 Qc7 17. Rad1 Nxg3 18. hxg3 Nf6 19. Nc4 Be7 20. Qe5 Qc6 21.
Na3 Bd6 22. Qe2 cxd4 23. Nxd4 Qc5 24. Nc4 Bb8 25. Ne5 Ra6 26. Qb5 Qc7 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "12"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Beliavsky, Alexander"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E66"]
[WhiteElo "2650"]
[BlackElo "2805"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "1994.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. g3 c5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O d6 7. Nc3 Nc6 8. d5
Na5 9. Nd2 e5 10. b3 Bd7 11. Bb2 Ng4 12. h3 Nh6 13. e3 f5 14. f4 a6 15. Qc2 b5
16. Nd1 Rb8 17. Bc3 Re8 18. Rb1 Nf7 19. Nf2 exf4 20. exf4 Re3 21. Bxg7 Kxg7 22.
Rfe1 Rxe1+ 23. Rxe1 Qf6 24. cxb5 axb5 25. b4 cxb4 26. Qc7 Qd8 27. Qxd8 Rxd8 28.
Nd3 Rc8 29. Nxb4 Kf6 30. Kf2 Nd8 31. Bf1 Ndb7 32. Re3 h6 33. Re1 g5 34. Re3 Rc7
35. Re1 Rc8 36. Re3 Rc7 37. h4 g4 38. Re1 Rc3 39. Re3 Rc1 40. Re1 Rc3 41. Re3
1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "12"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D11"]
[WhiteElo "2710"]
[BlackElo "2705"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "86"]
[EventDate "1994.??.??"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Bf5 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 c6 5. Qb3 Qb6 6. c5 Qc7 7. Bf4 Qc8 8. e3
Nf6 9. Qa4 $5 Nbd7 10. b4 a6 11. h3 Be7 12. Qb3 O-O 13. Be2 Be4 $5 {Black
starts with the preparations of ..e5.} 14. O-O Bxf3 15. Bxf3 Bd8 16. a4 Bc7 17.
Bg5 h6 18. Bxf6 Nxf6 19. b5 e5 $6 (19... Ba5 $1 {avoids the detention of
bishop and rook.}) 20. b6 Bb8 21. a5 exd4 $6 22. exd4 Bf4 23. Qc2 Qd7 24. g3
Qxh3 25. Bg2 Qh5 26. gxf4 Ng4 27. Rfd1 Rae8 28. Rd3 Qh2+ 29. Kf1 f5 30. Qd2 Rf6
31. f3 Re4 $3 {A super 'Schwindel' begins.} 32. Nxd5 $5 {Kramnik chooses the
elegant win.} cxd5 33. c6 Rxf4 $1 34. cxb7 Re4 $1 35. Rc1 Kh7 36. b8=Q $5 Qxb8
37. fxg4 Qh2 38. Rf3 Rxg4 39. b7 $4 ({Correct is} 39. Rf2 $1 Rfg6 40. Bxd5 {
(Shirov) and White wins.}) 39... Rfg6 40. Rc2 $4 (40. b8=Q $1 Qxb8 41. Rf2 f4 {
and White only has a plus (Shirov).}) 40... Rxg2 $1 41. Qxg2 Rxg2 42. Rxg2 Qh1+
43. Kf2 Qb1 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "12"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Beliavsky, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2740"]
[BlackElo "2650"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "39"]
[EventDate "1994.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 e6 4. g3 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. a4
Bd7 9. Qxc4 Bc6 10. Bg5 Bd5 11. Qd3 c5 12. Nc3 cxd4 $5 13. Nxd5 Qxd5 $2 ({
Correct is} 13... Nxd5 14. Bxe7 Qxe7 15. Nxd4 {(Hübner-Karpov, Tilburg 1979).})
14. h4 $1 {Karpov had prepared this novelty for a match against Korchnoi
twenty years ago.} Nbd7 ({He had found in 1974} 14... Nc6 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. Ng5
$1) 15. Nxd4 Qd6 16. Rfd1 $1 Nc5 17. Qc4 Rfd8 18. b4 $1 {The queenside attack
becomes devastating.} Nxa4 $2 ({A final chance gives} 18... Nce4 $1 19. Bxf6
Nxf6 20. Bxb7 Rab8 {(Karpov), but White keeps the extra pawn in} 21. Nc2 $1
Qxd1+ 22. Rxd1 Rxd1+ 23. Kh2) 19. Qb3 Qb6 20. e3 {Karpov scored a tournament
rating of 2985!} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "12"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Lautier, Joel"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C54"]
[WhiteElo "2805"]
[BlackElo "2625"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "58"]
[EventDate "1994.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. Bb3 h6 7. h3 a6 8. Nbd2
Be6 9. Bc2 $6 Ba7 $6 {They start passively.} 10. Qe2 Qe7 11. b4 d5 12. a4 b5
13. O-O O-O 14. axb5 axb5 15. d4 $6 ({Better is} 15. Ba3 d4 16. c4) 15... exd4
16. e5 dxc3 17. exf6 Qxf6 18. Nb3 Nxb4 19. Bb1 d4 $6 ({The complications of} 
19... Bxh3 $1 20. gxh3 c2 21. Bxc2 Nxc2 22. Qxc2 Qxf3 {favour Black.}) 20. Rxa7
$6 ({A promising defence gives} 20. Ba3 $1 d3 21. Bxd3 Nxd3 22. Bxf8 Nf4 23.
Qxb5 Nxh3+ 24. Kh1 Nxf2+ {(Lautier)} 25. Kg1 $1 Bh3) 20... c2 $5 21. Rxa8
cxb1=Q 22. Rxf8+ Kxf8 {The crucial position.} 23. Qxb5 $2 ({Great resistance
is offered by} 23. Bg5 $3 Qfg6 $1 24. Qxb5 {(Lautier). Black gains a plus with}
Kg8 $1) 23... Qxb3 24. Qb8+ Ke7 25. Qxc7+ Ke8 26. Bd2 Qd8 27. Qe5 Kf8 28. Nxd4
Nd3 29. Qe3 Qc4 {Kasparov lost his second game in the tournament.} 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "12"]
[Date "1994.??.??"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D43"]
[WhiteElo "2705"]
[BlackElo "2715"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "1994.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. Qb3 dxc4 8.
Qxc4 Nd7 9. g3 Qe7 10. Bg2 Qb4 11. Nd2 $2 Qxb2 $1 12. Rb1 Qa3 13. O-O Nb6 14.
Qd3 Be7 15. Nc4 Qa6 $6 16. Ne5 $6 ({Interesting is} 16. Nd6+ $1 Bxd6 17. Qxa6
bxa6 18. Rxb6 $1 axb6 19. Bxc6+ Ke7 20. Bxa8 {(Anand).}) 16... Qxd3 17. Nxd3
O-O 18. a4 Rd8 19. a5 $6 Nc4 20. a6 b6 21. Bxc6 Rb8 22. Ne5 Bxa6 23. Nb5 Nxe5
24. dxe5 Rd2 $1 25. Nxa7 Bc5 $2 ({Correct is} 25... Bxe2 26. Rfc1 Ba3) 26. Rfc1
$1 Rbd8 27. e3 g5 28. Nb5 Bxb5 29. Bxb5 R2d5 30. Bc6 Rxe5 31. Rd1 Rc8 32. Bf3
Kg7 33. Rd7 Rf5 34. Be4 {Final result: Karpov 11, Kasparov and Shirov 8 1/2.}
1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "13"]
[Date "1995.??.??"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Lautier, Joel"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A27"]
[WhiteElo "2655"]
[BlackElo "2700"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "76"]
[EventDate "1995.??.??"]

{The tournament became a race between Ivanchuk and Karpov. Their twelve wins
and two selected draws have been analysed.  Jan van Reek.} 1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6
3. Nf3 Bb4 4. g3 Bxc3 5. bxc3 d6 6. d4 $1 e4 7. Nd2 f5 8. Bg2 Nf6 9. f3 O-O 10.
O-O exf3 $5 11. Nxf3 h6 $6 {Black wastes time.} 12. Qd3 Rb8 13. d5 $6 {White
loses control over the centre.} Ne7 14. Be3 b6 15. Bd4 Ng6 16. Nd2 Ng4 17. Bh3
$6 (17. Rae1 Bd7 18. e4 {fights back.}) 17... Qg5 18. Bxg4 Qxg4 19. Rf2 Bd7 20.
Raf1 Rbe8 21. e3 h5 22. Qe2 Qxe2 23. Rxe2 f4 $1 {Black worsens the hostile
pawn structure.} 24. Rff2 fxg3 25. hxg3 c5 26. dxc6 Bxc6 27. Rxf8+ Nxf8 28. Rh2
g6 29. g4 $6 hxg4 30. Kf2 Re7 31. Rh8+ Kf7 32. Kg3 Bd7 33. Rh1 Ke8 34. Rf1 Rh7
35. Ne4 Rh3+ 36. Kg2 $2 (36. Kf2 {prolongs the game.}) 36... Bc6 $1 37. Rf4 g5
38. Rxg4 Rh4 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "13"]
[Date "1995.??.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Short, Nigel"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D27"]
[WhiteElo "2780"]
[BlackElo "2655"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "103"]
[EventDate "1995.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 a6 4. e3 Nf6 5. Bxc4 e6 6. O-O c5 7. Bd3 cxd4 8.
exd4 Be7 9. Nc3 b5 10. a4 b4 11. Ne4 Bb7 12. Qe2 O-O 13. Rd1 $5 Nbd7 14. Ned2
a5 15. Bb5 Nb6 16. Nb3 Bd5 17. Nc5 Nbd7 18. Be3 Ra7 $2 ({The equality is kept
by} 18... Nxc5 19. dxc5 Qc7 {(Karpov).}) 19. Ne5 Nb8 $6 (19... Nb6 {is
preferable (Karpov).}) 20. Bf4 Ne8 21. Rd3 Bg5 22. Bxg5 Qxg5 23. Rg3 Qe7 24.
Qh5 f5 25. Rh3 Nf6 26. Qh4 g6 27. Re3 Rd8 28. f3 Rc7 29. Rae1 Nh5 30. Qxe7 Rxe7
31. Kf2 Ng7 32. g4 Rc7 33. Rc1 g5 34. Ree1 h5 35. h3 fxg4 36. fxg4 Rf8+ 37. Ke3
Rf4 38. Rf1 Rxf1 39. Rxf1 Nc6 40. Bxc6 Bxc6 41. Rf6 hxg4 42. hxg4 Bd5 43. Rg6
Rc8 44. Rxg5 Rf8 45. Ncd3 Kh7 46. Nf4 Bb3 47. Nd7 Rf7 48. Nc5 Bd1 49. Ne4 Rf8
50. Nf2 Bxa4 51. Rxa5 Bc6 52. Ra7 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "13"]
[Date "1995.??.??"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E92"]
[WhiteElo "2700"]
[BlackElo "2630"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "1995.??.??"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 g6 3. e4 d6 4. d4 Bg7 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. Be3 h6 8. O-O
Ng4 9. Bc1 Na6 10. Rb1 f5 11. dxe5 Nxe5 12. Nxe5 dxe5 13. b4 c6 14. b5 cxb5 15.
Nxb5 Be6 16. Ba3 Qxd1 17. Rfxd1 Rfd8 $1 18. Rxd8+ Rxd8 19. Nxa7 Bf8 20. Bxf8
Kxf8 21. exf5 gxf5 22. Rb2 Nc5 23. f3 Na4 24. Rc2 f4 25. Kf1 Bf5 26. Rc1 Rd2
27. c5 e4 28. c6 bxc6 29. Nxc6 exf3 30. Bxf3 Rxa2 31. Nd4 Bd7 32. Bc6 Nb6 33.
Bxd7 Nxd7 34. Ne6+ Kf7 35. Nxf4 Ne5 36. h3 Ra4 37. Nd5 Ke6 38. Rd1 Ra3 39. Kf2
{White's extra pawn has little importance.} Nd3+ $3 40. Rxd3 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "13"]
[Date "1995.??.??"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Sokolov, Ivan"]
[Black "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A46"]
[WhiteElo "2645"]
[BlackElo "2780"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "90"]
[EventDate "1995.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. Bg5 h6 4. Bh4 c5 5. e3 cxd4 6. exd4 Be7 7. Bd3 O-O 8. c3
b6 9. Qe2 Bb7 10. Nbd2 Nc6 11. Bxf6 $5 Bxf6 12. O-O-O $5 {Short shows ambition.
} g6 13. h4 Bg7 14. Kb1 Ne7 $1 15. Ne4 $6 ({Preferable is} 15. Ba6) 15... Nd5
16. Qd2 $2 (16. Nd6 $1 Bc6 17. Ne5 Qc7 18. Nb5 Bxb5 19. Bxb5 {exchanges the
bold bishop.}) 16... d6 17. Bc2 $6 Rc8 18. Rde1 Re8 19. Rh3 b5 20. h5 f5 $1 21.
hxg6 $5 ({Karpov analyses} 21. Rg3 $6 fxe4 22. Rxg6 exf3 23. Qxh6 Qe7 $1 ({his
} 23... Rc7 $2 24. gxf3 {gives chances to White}) 24. gxf3 Kf8 $1 25. Qh7 Nf6 {
wins for Black.}) 21... fxe4 22. Bxe4 Qf6 23. Nh2 b4 24. Ng4 Qg5 25. Qxg5 hxg5
26. Nh6+ $1 Bxh6 27. Rxh6 Bc6 28. Rh7 ({Or} 28. Reh1 $2 Nxc3+ $1 29. bxc3 Bxe4+
) 28... a5 29. c4 Nf4 $1 {Black has achieved a won position.} 30. Bxc6 Rxc6 31.
b3 d5 32. cxd5 Nxd5 33. Reh1 Rec8 34. g4 R8c7 35. Rh8+ Kg7 36. R1h7+ Kf6 $1 ({
Not} 36... Kxg6 $2 37. Rh6+ Kf7 38. R6h7+ {and perpetual check (Stohl).}) 37.
Rh1 Nf4 38. Rf8+ Kxg6 39. Rg8+ Kf6 40. Rf8+ Kg7 41. Rfh8 Ng6 42. Ra8 Rf7 43.
Rxa5 Rf4 44. Rd1 Kf6 45. Rb5 Ne7 $1 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "13"]
[Date "1995.??.??"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Beliavsky, Alexander"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A81"]
[WhiteElo "2650"]
[BlackElo "2700"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "1995.??.??"]

1. d4 f5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 g6 4. Nc3 d5 5. Bg5 c6 6. f3 $5 Qb6 7. e4 $5 (7. Na4
{drew in Hanks-Ozols, Melbourne 1982.}) 7... fxe4 ({The greedy} 7... Qxb2 $6 8.
Nge2 {would be dangerous for Black (Cvetkovic).}) 8. fxe4 dxe4 9. Nge2 $1 {
White has to complete his development before he can regain the centre pawn.}
Bf5 10. h3 Nbd7 11. Qd2 $5 O-O-O 12. O-O-O Ne5 13. Na4 Qa6 14. Nec3 $1 Nf7 15.
Nc5 $1 Qb6 16. Kb1 {The king moves from the diagonal c1-h6.} Nxg5 17. Qxg5 h5
18. Bxe4 Nxe4 19. N3xe4 Bh6 $1 {Black sacrifices a pawn.} 20. Qxe7 Qc7 21.
Qxc7+ Kxc7 22. Nc3 Be3 23. Rde1 $2 (23. Ne2 Rhe8 24. Na4 {reorganises.}) 23...
Rde8 $1 24. Nb3 Bf2 $1 25. Rxe8 Rxe8 26. g4 hxg4 27. hxg4 Bxg4 {Black did not
want to gain a centre but a kingside pawn.} 28. Rh7+ Kd6 29. a4 Re7 30. Rh2 Be3
31. a5 Bf5 32. Ne2 Kd5 $1 33. Nc3+ Kc4 34. Re2 Bg5 35. Rg2 Bf4 36. Ka2 g5 37.
Rf2 b6 38. Ka3 {White overstepped the time limit.} 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "13"]
[Date "1995.??.??"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Khalifman, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E60"]
[WhiteElo "2780"]
[BlackElo "2635"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "1995.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. g3 c5 5. Bg2 Qa5+ 6. Nc3 Ne4 7. Bd2 Nxd2 8.
Qxd2 O-O 9. e3 d6 10. O-O Nc6 11. h3 cxd4 $5 12. Nxd4 Bd7 13. Rfd1 Nxd4 $5 14.
exd4 Bc6 15. Nd5 Qd8 $1 16. Rac1 Rc8 17. h4 Qd7 18. b3 Rfd8 19. a4 Bxd5 (19...
e6 $1 20. Ne3 Bxg2 21. Kxg2 d5 {solves all problems.}) 20. Bxd5 b6 21. a5 e6
22. Bf3 b5 23. d5 $1 bxc4 24. dxe6 Qxe6 $6 ({Better is} 24... fxe6 25. Rxc4 (
25. bxc4 $6 Rc5) 25... d5 $1) 25. bxc4 Qf5 $1 ({Not} 25... Rxc4 26. Bd5 $1) 26.
Kg2 Bf6 27. a6 h5 28. Re1 Rc5 29. Bd5 Rb8 30. Rc2 Kg7 31. Be4 Qd7 32. Bb7 Qc7
33. Qd3 Rd8 34. Bd5 $5 Qa5 $5 35. Rb1 $5 Qxa6 $5 36. Rb7 Rf8 37. Re2 {Both
players have chosen sharp moves.} Ra5 $2 ({Best is} 37... Qa5 $1 38. Re6 $1 Rc7
39. Rxf6 $1 Kxf6 40. Qd4+ Ke7 {Karpov regards this position as equal, but} 41.
Rb1 $1 Rc5 42. Qg7 Qd8 43. Re1+ Kd7 44. Be6+ $1 Kc6 45. Bxf7 Re5 46. Bd5+ Kc5
47. Rxe5 dxe5 48. Qxa7+ Kb4 49. Qb7+ Kc3 50. Qa6 Qe7 51. f3 {keeps the attack
going.}) 38. Re3 $1 Ra1 39. Rf3 Re1 40. Rxf6 $1 Kxf6 41. Qf3+ (41. Qf3+ Kg7 42.
Rxf7+ Rxf7 43. Qxf7+ Kh6 44. Qf8+ Kh7 45. Qg8+ Kh6 46. Qh8#) 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "13"]
[Date "1995.??.??"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Ljubojevic, Ljubomir"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A27"]
[WhiteElo "2700"]
[BlackElo "2580"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "71"]
[EventDate "1995.??.??"]

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Nf3 f5 4. d4 e4 5. Ng5 Nf6 6. Nh3 Bb4 7. e3 Ne7 $5 8.
Bd2 Bxc3 9. Bxc3 d5 10. Nf4 c6 11. b3 Ng6 12. Be2 Nxf4 13. exf4 e3 $5 14. f3 $1
Nh5 15. Qd3 Qh4+ $6 {Ljubojevic starts great complications in a risky line.} ({
Better is} 15... O-O 16. g3 Re8) 16. g3 Nxg3 17. Qxe3+ Ne4+ 18. Kf1 Qh3+ 19.
Kg1 g5 $1 {Ljubojevic shows a magnificent idea.} 20. fxg5 $1 (20. Bf1 $5 gxf4
21. Bxh3 fxe3 22. fxe4 dxe4 {leads to great complications.}) 20... Rg8 21. Bf1
Qh4 22. Be1 {Ivanchuk wants a solid plus.} Qxg5+ 23. Qxg5 Nxg5 24. Kf2 f4 $6
25. h4 Ne6 26. Bc3 Kf7 $6 {Black has moved from a poor to a lost position by
small inaccuracies.} ({Better is} 26... Bd7) 27. Bd3 Rg7 28. Rae1 Bd7 29. Re5
Rag8 ({No use has} 29... dxc4 {due to} 30. d5 cxd3 31. dxe6+ Bxe6 32. Rxe6 $1)
30. Rh2 Rg3 $6 31. cxd5 cxd5 32. Bxh7 Rxf3+ 33. Kxf3 Rg3+ 34. Kf2 Rxc3 35. Rg2
Nxd4 36. Rxd5 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "13"]
[Date "1995.??.??"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Lautier, Joel"]
[Black "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E32"]
[WhiteElo "2655"]
[BlackElo "2780"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "1995.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 O-O 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Qxc3 b6 7. Bg5 Bb7 8.
e3 d6 9. f3 Nbd7 10. Bd3 c5 11. Ne2 Rc8 12. Qb3 h6 13. Bh4 cxd4 14. exd4 d5 15.
c5 $2 {White will get little joy from his novelty.} Ba8 16. Ba6 Rc7 17. Bg3
bxc5 $1 {Black brings a fine positional sacrifice.} 18. Bxc7 Qxc7 19. Qc3 {
White protects his weaknesses.} e5 $1 {Karpov opens the centre for his troops.}
20. Bd3 $2 (20. dxc5 $1 d4 21. Qd2 Nxc5 {(Karpov)} 22. Bc4 $1 Nd5 23. Bxd5 Bxd5
24. Nc1 {offers more resistance.}) 20... exd4 21. Nxd4 Re8+ $1 {Black gains a
big positional advantage.} 22. Kf1 Qb6 23. Nf5 d4 24. Qd2 Ne5 25. Re1 Re6 26.
Bb1 Bb7 27. Kf2 d3 28. Rhf1 c4+ 29. Kg3 Nh5+ 30. Kh3 Ng6 $1 31. g3 Bc8 32. Re4
Qc5 33. g4 {Karpov makes a lot of fun at the end of the game.} Ngf4+ $1 34.
Rxf4 Re2 35. Qc1 Nxf4+ 36. Qxf4 Bxf5 37. gxf5 Rxb2 38. Re1 Qf2 39. Qg3 Qxg3+
40. hxg3 Rxb1 $1 {The passed pawn will queen.  Ivanchuk and Karpov have both
won four games and drew the rest.} 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "13"]
[Date "1995.??.??"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A81"]
[WhiteElo "2780"]
[BlackElo "2700"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "102"]
[EventDate "1995.??.??"]

1. d4 f5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 d6 4. Nc3 d5 $5 5. Bg5 e6 6. e3 c5 7. Nf3 Be7 8. Ne2
Qa5+ 9. c3 Nc6 10. Nf4 O-O 11. O-O Rd8 12. Nd3 c4 13. Nde5 h6 14. Bxf6 Bxf6 15.
Re1 Rb8 16. h3 Qc7 17. Nxc6 bxc6 $1 {Black has equalised the game.} 18. b3 cxb3
19. axb3 c5 20. Re2 $1 {The battle switches to the queenside.} Qb6 21. Ra3 Rd7
22. dxc5 Qxc5 23. b4 Qe7 24. Nd4 $1 Rc7 25. Rea2 Rbb7 26. Qd3 Bd7 27. Ra5 Kh8
28. R2a3 Be8 29. Bf1 Rb6 30. Qd2 h5 31. Qa2 h4 $5 32. Rxa7 hxg3 33. Rxc7 $2 ({
White should win a pawn by} 33. fxg3 Be5 34. Kg2) 33... gxf2+ $1 34. Kg2 $5
Qxc7 35. Ra8 Bd8 $1 36. Qa7 Qd6 37. Nxe6 $2 {This pawn win leads to trouble.}
Qxe6 38. Rxd8 Qe4+ 39. Kh2 ({The desired} 39. Kxf2 $4 {fails due to} Qh4+ {So
White has misplaced his rook.}) 39... Qe5+ 40. Kg2 Qe4+ 41. Kh2 Qe5+ 42. Kg2
Rg6+ $1 43. Kxf2 f4 $2 {Ivanchuk misses the win.} ({He overlooks} 43... Qg3+ $1
44. Ke2 Re6 45. Kd2 Qf2+ 46. Be2 Kh7 $1 {(Ftacnik).}) 44. Rxe8+ $1 Qxe8 45.
exf4 Qd8 46. Bd3 Qh4+ 47. Ke2 Re6+ 48. Kd1 Qe1+ 49. Kc2 Re2+ $1 50. Bxe2 Qxe2+
51. Kb3 Qd1+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "13"]
[Date "1995.??.??"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D42"]
[WhiteElo "2630"]
[BlackElo "2780"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "108"]
[EventDate "1995.??.??"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. c4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nf3 Be7 7. cxd5 Nxd5 8.
Bd3 Nc6 9. O-O O-O 10. Re1 Bf6 11. Be4 Nce7 12. Qd3 h6 13. Ne5 Nxc3 14. Qxc3
Nf5 15. Be3 a5 $5 16. Rac1 a4 17. Red1 Nxe3 18. Qxe3 Qb6 19. Ng4 Bg5 20. f4 Be7
21. Bb1 Bd7 22. Qg3 f5 $2 {Karpov makes a grave error.} ({Correct is} 22...
Rfc8 $1 23. Nxh6+ Kf8 24. Rxc8+ Rxc8 25. Ng4 Qxb2 {(Karpov).}) 23. Nxh6+ Kh7
24. Ng4 Rfd8 25. Ne5 Be8 26. Qe3 Bf6 27. g4 $5 g6 28. gxf5 $6 ({Very strong is
} 28. Rc2 $1 Rac8 29. Rcd2) 28... exf5 29. Qc3 Rac8 30. Qh3+ Kg7 31. Rxc8 Rxc8
32. Qg2 Rd8 33. Qf2 Be7 34. h4 $6 Qf6 35. Rc1 Qxh4 36. Rc7 Kf8 37. Qe3 $2 ({
The simple} 37. Rxb7 {is okay.}) 37... Bd6 38. Rxb7 Bxe5 39. Qxe5 Qg3+ 40. Kf1
Qf3+ 41. Ke1 Qxb7 42. Qf6+ Bf7 43. Qxd8+ Kg7 44. d5 Qb4+ 45. Kd1 Qd4+ 46. Kc2
Qe4+ 47. Kc3 $5 Qxb1 48. d6 Qe1+ 49. Kd4 Qb4+ 50. Ke3 Qe4+ 51. Kd2 Qxf4+ 52.
Kc2 Qe4+ 53. Kd2 Qd4+ 54. Kc1 f4 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "13"]
[Date "1995.??.??"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Dreev, Alexey"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E21"]
[WhiteElo "2650"]
[BlackElo "2700"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "78"]
[EventDate "1995.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. Nc3 Bb4 5. Qb3 c5 6. Bf4 O-O 7. e3 d5 8. Rd1
Nbd7 $5 {Ivanchuk brings a novelty.} 9. cxd5 $2 Nxd5 10. Bg5 Qc7 11. Bc4 cxd4
12. Bxd5 Bxc3+ $1 13. bxc3 exd5 14. cxd4 Ba6 $1 {The answer to the new move
has been refuted.} 15. Nd2 (15. Qxd5 Qc3+ 16. Rd2 Rac8 {(Dautov)} 17. Qxd7 Qb4
$1) 15... Rfe8 16. Qa3 ({Or} 16. Qxd5 h6 17. Be7 Rac8) 16... Qb7 17. f3 Rac8
18. Qb3 Bc4 19. Qa3 $6 ({More resistance is offered by} 19. Nxc4 dxc4 20. Qc3
b5 21. O-O b4 {(Dautov).}) 19... Bb5 20. Rb1 Qa6 21. Qxa6 Bxa6 22. Kf2 Rc2 23.
Rhd1 h6 24. Bf4 Rec8 25. a3 R8c3 26. Bd6 Rd3 27. Bb4 Bb5 28. a4 Bxa4 29. Ra1
Bb5 30. Ra3 Rxa3 31. Bxa3 Ba4 32. Bc1 b5 33. e4 b4 34. Re1 b3 35. Ke3 b2 36.
Bxb2 Rxb2 37. exd5 Nb6 38. d6 f5 39. Nb1 Nd5+ 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "13"]
[Date "1995.??.??"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Tiviakov, Sergei"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E59"]
[WhiteElo "2700"]
[BlackElo "2625"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "71"]
[EventDate "1995.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 d5 6. Nf3 c5 7. O-O Nc6 8. a3
Bxc3 9. bxc3 dxc4 10. Bxc4 Qc7 11. Bb5 b6 12. Re1 Bb7 13. e4 Ne7 14. Bd3 Nd7 $5
15. g3 Rfd8 $2 ({Better is} 15... e5) 16. Bf4 Qc6 17. a4 Nf8 18. h4 Qe8 19. a5
$1 cxd4 20. cxd4 bxa5 21. Qb3 Bc6 22. Rxa5 f5 $5 {Black wants to reduce his
opponent's positional advantage.} 23. Ng5 $1 fxe4 24. Bxe4 Nd5 $6 {Tiviakov
allows a 'petite combinaison'.} (24... Qd7 {is preferable.}) 25. Nxe6 $1 Qxe6
26. Bxh7+ Kxh7 27. Rxe6 Nxe6 28. Qc2+ $1 Kh8 29. Qxc6 Nexf4 30. gxf4 Rac8 31.
Qg6 Nxf4 32. Qg4 Rc1+ 33. Kh2 Rxd4 34. Rxa7 Ne6 35. Qxe6 Rxh4+ 36. Kg3 {
Ivanchuk took the lead of half-a-point on Karpov just before the last round
had to begin.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "13"]
[Date "1995.??.??"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Akopian, Vladimir"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E60"]
[WhiteElo "2655"]
[BlackElo "2700"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "126"]
[EventDate "1995.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. c4 Bg7 4. g3 c5 5. Bg2 Qa5+ 6. Qd2 Qxd2+ $5 {Akopian
shows little ambition.} 7. Nbxd2 cxd4 8. Nxd4 Nc6 9. Nb5 O-O 10. O-O $6 (10. c5
$1 {opens square c4 for the queen's knight.}) 10... d6 $1 11. Rb1 Bf5 $1 12. e4
Bg4 13. Nc3 Nd7 14. h3 Bxc3 $5 {Although Ivanchuk will only need a draw for
the first place evantually, he brings a positional pawn sacrifice.} 15. bxc3
Be6 16. Rxb7 Rab8 17. Rb3 $5 Nde5 18. f4 Nxc4 19. Rxb8 Rxb8 20. Nb3 N4a5 21.
Nxa5 Nxa5 22. Be3 a6 {Black has the better pawn structure.} 23. e5 $6 (23. Rf2
Rb1+ 24. Kh2 Ra1 {(Dautov)} 25. Bb6 $1 Nc4 26. Bd8 Kf8 27. f5 Bd7 28. f6 {
gives sufficient counteraction.}) 23... dxe5 24. fxe5 Nc4 $5 25. Bg5 Kf8 26.
Re1 h5 $6 ({The obvious choice is} 26... Rb2) 27. Bf1 a5 28. a4 $2 {White
gives up the control over b3.} Rb3 29. Re4 $5 Rxc3 30. Bh6+ Ke8 31. Bxc4 Bxc4
32. Bd2 Rxg3+ 33. Kf2 Rd3 34. Bxa5 Bd5 35. Re3 Rd4 36. Ra3 Kd7 37. Bb6 Rf4+ 38.
Kg1 Ke6 39. a5 Rb4 40. Bd8 Rb8 41. Bb6 Rc8 42. Bd4 Rc4 43. Ba1 g5 44. a6 g4 45.
hxg4 hxg4 46. Bb2 Kf5 47. a7 Ba8 48. Rc3 Ra4 49. Ra3 Rb4 50. Bc3 Re4 51. Ra1 g3
52. Rf1+ Ke6 53. Ra1 Re3 54. Bd4 Rd3 55. Bc5 Rd5 $1 56. Bb4 f5 57. exf6 Rh5 58.
Re1+ Kf7 59. Kf1 Bf3 60. Rxe7+ Kxf6 61. Ke1 Rh1+ 62. Kd2 g2 63. Re3 Bb7 {
Ivanchuk had won the tournament with 10 points (seven wins and six draws).} 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "13"]
[Date "1995.??.??"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Illescas Cordoba, Miguel"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D48"]
[WhiteElo "2780"]
[BlackElo "2595"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "122"]
[EventDate "1995.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 d5 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3
Bb7 9. O-O a6 10. e4 c5 11. d5 c4 12. Bc2 Qc7 13. Qe2 Bd6 14. Bg5 O-O-O 15.
Rad1 $5 h6 16. Bxf6 gxf6 {Karpov has selected a sharp opening because he wants
to win.} 17. a4 $2 ({Preferable is the noncommital} 17. Kh1 {(Ftacnik).}) 17...
b4 $1 18. Rd4 Bc5 19. dxe6 fxe6 20. Rxc4 Nb6 21. Rxc5 Qxc5 22. Na2 Kb8 23. Bb3
e5 $2 ({The solid} 23... a5 $1 24. Rc1 Qd6 {gains a big advantage.}) 24. Rc1
Qa5 25. Qe1 Rc8 26. Ra1 Rhd8 27. Nxb4 Ka8 28. Be6 Rc7 29. b3 Rd6 30. Bf5 Nc8
31. Nd5 Qxe1+ 32. Rxe1 Bxd5 33. exd5 Ne7 34. Bd3 Nxd5 35. Nh4 Ne7 36. Bc4 a5
37. g3 Ka7 38. Re3 Kb6 39. Kg2 Kc5 40. Nf3 Nc6 41. Ne1 Rd1 42. Kh3 Nd4 43. Nd3+
Kd6 $6 (43... Kb6 $1 44. f4 Nf5 $1 {keeps the attack going.}) 44. f4 $1 exf4
45. Nxf4 Re7 $2 {Illescas misses the last winning chance.} ({Black threatens
the hostile king by} 45... Rc5 46. Re8 Rd2 {He overcomes in} 47. Rd8+ Ke7 48.
Rd5 Rxd5 49. Nxd5+ Ke6 50. Ne3+ Ke5 51. Ng4+ Kf5 $1 52. Nxh6+ Kg6 $1) 46. Rxe7
Kxe7 47. Nd5+ Kd6 48. Nxf6 Kc5 49. Kg4 Kb4 50. Nd5+ Ka3 51. Nc3 Rh1 (51... Rc1
$1 52. Nb5+ Nxb5 53. Bxb5 $1) 52. Nb5+ $1 Nxb5 53. axb5 Rxh2 54. b6 Rd2 55. b7
Rd8 56. Kh5 Kb4 57. Be6 Rb8 58. Bd5 Kc5 59. Bg2 Kb4 60. Bd5 Kc5 61. Bg2 Kb4 {
Karpov became second, one point behind the winner.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "14"]
[Date "1997.??.??"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B85"]
[WhiteElo "2765"]
[BlackElo "2795"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "1997.??.??"]

{We follow the race between Kasparov and Kramnik. Jan van Reek.} 1. e4 c5 2.
Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 e6 7. O-O Be7 8. a4 Nc6 9. Be3
O-O 10. f4 Qc7 11. Kh1 Re8 12. Bf3 Rb8 13. Qd2 Na5 14. Qf2 Nc4 15. Bc1 e5 16.
Nde2 exf4 17. Nxf4 Be6 18. b3 Ne5 19. Bb2 Rbc8 20. Rac1 Qc5 21. Qg3 g6 22. Nce2
Nxf3 23. gxf3 b5 24. axb5 axb5 25. Bd4 Qc6 26. Qg2 b4 27. Ng3 Qb5 28. Nxe6 fxe6
29. f4 e5 30. Bb2 Rc5 31. f5 $6 g5 $1 32. Rce1 $2 ({Right is} 32. h4 $1 g4 33.
Nh5 $1 Kh8 34. Nxf6 Bxf6 35. Rfd1 {(Kasparov).}) 32... Qc6 33. Re2 Kf7 34. Bc1
Rg8 35. Be3 Rc3 36. Bd2 Rxc2 37. Bxb4 Rxe2 38. Qxe2 h5 $1 39. Nxh5 $2 {
Suddenly Anand collapses.} ({A last stand is given by} 39. Re1 $1 g4 $1 40. Bd2
$1 ({Gary gives} 40. Qc4+ $2) 40... h4 41. Nf1 d5 42. exd5 Qxd5+ 43. Kg1) 39...
Nxe4 $1 40. Qf3 g4 41. Qg2 Rh8 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "14"]
[Date "1997.??.??"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D15"]
[WhiteElo "2740"]
[BlackElo "2700"]
[PlyCount "29"]
[EventDate "1997.??.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 d5 4. d4 a6 5. a4 e6 6. g3 dxc4 7. Bg2 c5 8. O-O
cxd4 9. Nxd4 Nbd7 10. Nc2 Qc7 11. Qd4 Bc5 12. Qh4 Be7 13. Na3 Ne5 14. Bf4 h6
15. Bxe5 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "14"]
[Date "1997.??.??"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Dreev, Alexey"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E81"]
[WhiteElo "2650"]
[BlackElo "2795"]
[PlyCount "97"]
[EventDate "1997.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 O-O 6. Bg5 a6 7. Qd2 Nbd7 8. d5
Ne5 9. Rd1 c6 10. dxc6 bxc6 11. b3 Qa5 12. Na4 Qc7 13. Ne2 Nh5 14. Nec3 f5 15.
exf5 gxf5 16. f4 Ng4 17. Be2 h6 18. Bh4 d5 19. Bxg4 fxg4 20. O-O d4 21. Ne2 c5
22. Nb2 a5 23. Rde1 Bf5 24. Nd3 a4 25. Ne5 axb3 26. axb3 Bf6 27. Bxf6 exf6 28.
Nd3 Ra3 29. Nec1 Ng7 30. Re2 h5 31. Rfe1 Rf7 32. Qb2 Qa7 33. Nf2 h4 34. Ne4 Ra6
35. Nd3 Bxe4 36. Rxe4 Ra2 37. Qb1 h3 38. gxh3 gxh3 39. Nf2 Qa5 40. Qd3 Ra1 41.
Kf1 f5 42. Rxa1 Qxa1+ 43. Re1 Qa8 44. Qxh3 Ra7 45. Qg2 Qxg2+ 46. Kxg2 Ra3 47.
Re5 Rxb3 48. Rxc5 Rc3 49. Rd5 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "14"]
[Date "1997.??.??"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Piket, Jeroen"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D43"]
[WhiteElo "2640"]
[BlackElo "2740"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "100"]
[EventDate "1997.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. e3 Nd7 8. Bd3
dxc4 9. Bxc4 g6 10. O-O Bg7 11. e4 e5 12. d5 Nb6 13. Nd2 O-O 14. a4 Rd8 15. a5
Nxc4 16. Nxc4 Qg5 17. Qb3 Bh3 18. Ne3 Rab8 19. Rac1 Bf8 20. Kh1 Bd7 21. Ne2
cxd5 22. Nxd5 Be6 23. Rc7 Rdc8 24. Rxc8 Rxc8 25. Nec3 Rc7 26. h3 Kg7 27. Qb5
Rd7 28. a6 bxa6 29. Qxa6 Bc5 30. Qc6 Bd4 31. Nb5 Qd8 32. Nxd4 Bxd5 33. Qc5 Qb6
34. Qxb6 axb6 35. Nf3 Bxe4 36. Nxe5 Rd5 37. Nc4 b5 38. Nb6 $4 {Piket blunders
in time trouble.} ({Correct is} 38. f3 bxc4 39. fxe4 Re5 40. Rf3 Rxe4 41. b3 {
drawn.}) 38... Rd2 39. b4 Bd3 (39... Bb7 $1 {is even better (Kramnik).}) 40.
Re1 Rxf2 41. Re3 Bb1 42. Nc8 Rb2 43. Nd6 Rxb4 44. Re7 Ba2 45. Rb7 Rb1+ 46. Kh2
b4 47. Ne8+ Kf8 48. Nf6 h5 49. g4 h4 50. Kg2 Be6 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "14"]
[Date "1997.??.??"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B92"]
[WhiteElo "2795"]
[BlackElo "2700"]
[PlyCount "93"]
[EventDate "1997.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 e5 7. Nb3 Be7 8. O-O
O-O 9. Kh1 b6 10. Bg5 Bb7 11. Bxf6 Bxf6 12. Bc4 Nc6 13. Bd5 Rc8 14. Nd2 b5 15.
a3 Qc7 16. Nf3 Rfd8 17. Qd2 b4 18. axb4 Nxb4 19. Bb3 Bc6 20. Rfd1 a5 21. Ne1
Ra8 22. Nd3 Qb6 23. f3 h6 24. Nxb4 axb4 25. Nd5 Bxd5 26. Qxd5 Ra7 27. Rxa7 Qxa7
28. Qc4 Rb8 29. g3 Kh7 30. Kg2 Qe3 31. Rxd6 Rc8 32. Qf1 Rd8 33. Rxd8 Bxd8 34.
Bxf7 Qd2+ 35. Qf2 Qxf2+ 36. Kxf2 Bb6+ 37. Ke2 Bd4 38. c3 bxc3 39. b3 g5 40. Kd3
Kg7 41. Be8 Kf6 42. b4 Bg1 43. h4 gxh4 44. gxh4 Bf2 45. h5 Ke7 46. Ba4 Bg3 47.
Kxc3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "14"]
[Date "1997.??.??"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Nikolic, Predrag"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A17"]
[WhiteElo "2740"]
[BlackElo "2655"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "1997.??.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 O-O 5. a3 Bxc3 6. Qxc3 b6 7. b4 a5 8. Bb2
axb4 9. axb4 Rxa1+ 10. Bxa1 c5 11. e3 Qe7 12. b5 Bb7 13. Be2 d6 14. O-O Nbd7
15. Bb2 Ra8 16. d3 Qf8 17. Nd2 Ra2 18. f4 Qa8 19. g4 Qa5 20. Qxa5 Rxa5 21. Ra1
Rxa1+ 22. Bxa1 h6 23. h4 Ne8 24. Kf2 Kf8 25. g5 hxg5 26. hxg5 f6 27. Bh5 d5 28.
cxd5 exd5 29. Nf3 Nd6 30. Nh4 Ke7 31. Bg4 Nf8 32. Nf5+ Nxf5 33. Bxf5 Ne6 34.
gxf6+ gxf6 35. d4 c4 36. Bxe6 Kxe6 37. Bc3 Bc8 38. Bb4 Bd7 39. Ke2 Bxb5 40. Kd2
Be8 41. Bc3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "14"]
[Date "1997.??.??"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Piket, Jeroen"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E99"]
[WhiteElo "2640"]
[BlackElo "2795"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "102"]
[EventDate "1997.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. O-O Nc6 8. d5
Ne7 9. Ne1 Nd7 10. Be3 f5 11. f3 f4 12. Bf2 g5 13. Rc1 Ng6 14. c5 Nxc5 15. b4
Na6 16. Nd3 $5 {Piket brings a novelty.} h5 17. Nb5 Bd7 18. a4 Bh6 19. Rc3 $1
b6 $5 ({An improvement will become} 19... Rf7 $1 {(Korchnoi-Cvitan, Pula 1997).
}) 20. Be1 Rf7 21. Nf2 {He combines defence and attack.} Nh4 (21... Nxb4 $6 22.
Nxc7 {helps White.}) 22. Nxd6 $1 cxd6 23. Bxa6 {White has regained the pawn
with a positional advantage.} Qe8 24. Qe2 g4 $1 25. fxg4 {A critical position
has arisen.} Rg7 $2 ({Better is} 25... f3 $1 26. gxf3 Qe7) ({Gary suggests} 
25... Nxg2 $5 26. Kxg2 hxg4 27. Qc2 (27. Kh1 $2 f3 $1) 27... Rh7 {Now White
should not play} 28. Nh1 ({but} 28. Rg1 $1)) 26. h3 Qg6 27. Bb5 $1 Bxb5 28.
axb5 Rf8 29. Nd1 hxg4 $5 {Black starts a desperate action.} 30. Bxh4 f3 31. Qc2
gxh3 32. g3 $2 ({Piket misses the winning move} 32. Rcxf3) 32... Rf4 $1 33. Ne3
Rxe4 34. Nf5 $6 {Piket errs again under time pressure.} ({Right is} 34. Rxf3
Bxe3+ 35. Kh2) 34... Qxf5 35. Rcxf3 Qg4 36. Kh1 $6 ({More resistance is
offered by} 36. Rf8+ $1 Kh7 37. Re1 Qxh4 38. Kh1 Qxg3 39. Qxe4+ {(Piket)} Rg6
$1 40. Rf7+ Kg8 41. Rf2) 36... Rf4 $1 37. R3f2 Rxf2 38. Rxf2 e4 39. Rf6 e3 $1
40. Re6 Qf3+ $2 {Kasparov misses the win with his last move before the time
control.} ({Right is} 40... Rc7 $3 41. Rg6+ Bg7 $1 42. Rxg4 Rxc2 43. Bf6 {
(Piket)} Kf7 $1 44. Bxg7 e2) 41. Kg1 Rf7 42. Qg6+ Bg7 43. Re8+ Rf8 44. Rxf8+
Kxf8 (44... Qxf8 45. Qe6+ Qf7 46. Qxe3 Qxd5 47. Qe2 $1 {also draws (Piket).})
45. Be7+ $1 Kg8 46. Qe6+ Qf7 47. Qc8+ Bf8 48. Qg4+ Bg7 49. Qc8+ Kh7 50. Qxh3+
Bh6 51. Bg5 $1 Qf2+ {A great fight has ended.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "14"]
[Date "1997.??.??"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E07"]
[WhiteElo "2725"]
[BlackElo "2740"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[EventDate "1997.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. g3 Nbd7 6. Bg2 dxc4 7. a4 Be7 8. O-O
O-O 9. e4 e5 10. dxe5 Ng4 11. Bf4 Qa5 12. e6 fxe6 13. Qe2 $6 ({Better is} 13.
e5 {(Wirthensohn-Schlosser, Graz 1993).}) 13... Nge5 14. Nd4 Nd3 $1 {A novelty
secures the slight advantage.} 15. Nxe6 Rf6 16. Bc7 Qb4 17. Nd4 Bc5 $1 (17...
Qxb2 18. Qxb2 Nxb2 19. e5 {gives counter-play to White.}) 18. Nc2 $5 {White
tries to catch a queen.} Qxb2 19. Nd1 Qb3 20. Nde3 N7e5 21. h3 Be6 22. Kh2 Rh6
$5 23. Rab1 $5 ({Variations are} 23. f4 $5 Ng4+ $1 24. Nxg4 Bxg4 25. Qxg4 Qxc2
26. h4 Rf8 {(Kramnik)}) ({and} 23. Rfb1 Qc3 $1 24. Nd1 $1 Bxh3 $1 25. Bxh3 Qxc2
$1 26. Qxc2 Nf3+ 27. Kh1 Rxh3+ 28. Kg2 Nfe1+) 23... Bg4 $1 {Kramnik has played
a brilliant move.} 24. Nxg4 ({Or} 24. f3 Nxf3+ $1 25. Bxf3 Bxh3 $1) 24... Nxg4+
25. Qxg4 Qxc2 26. Qg5 Nxf2 27. Rxf2 Qxf2 28. Rf1 Qd4 29. Be5 Qd7 30. Qc1 Qe6
31. Bxg7 Kxg7 32. Qg5+ Rg6 33. Qxc5 Qd6 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "14"]
[Date "1997.??.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Nikolic, Predrag"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C45"]
[WhiteElo "2795"]
[BlackElo "2655"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "53"]
[EventDate "1997.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. e5 Qe7 7. Qe2 Nd5 8.
c4 Ba6 9. b3 g5 10. g3 Bg7 11. Bb2 O-O $5 12. Nd2 $5 {Gary has found a new
move.} f6 $5 13. Qh5 $5 Nb4 14. h4 $1 g4 $1 (14... Nc2+ $6 15. Kd1 Nxa1 16.
hxg5 {leads to trouble for Black.}) (14... Qe8 $5 {accepts a slight
disadvantage (Kasparov).}) 15. Kd1 $1 {White plays another surprising move.} c5
16. a3 Nc6 $2 (16... Bb7 $1 17. axb4 Bxh1 18. Bd3 h6 {leads to equality 
(Kasparov).}) 17. Bd3 f5 18. Bxf5 Bxe5 19. Re1 d6 20. Be4 $1 Bb7 21. Qxg4+ Qg7
22. Bd5+ Kh8 23. Bxe5 dxe5 24. Qxg7+ Kxg7 25. Ne4 $1 Rad8 26. Nxc5 Bc8 27. Ra2
1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "14"]
[Date "1997.??.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Adams, Michael"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E91"]
[WhiteElo "2740"]
[BlackElo "2665"]
[PlyCount "42"]
[EventDate "1997.??.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 d6 3. d4 g6 4. Nc3 Bg7 5. e4 Bg4 6. Be2 O-O 7. Be3 Nfd7 8. Ng1
Bxe2 9. Ngxe2 c5 10. O-O a6 11. b3 cxd4 12. Bxd4 Nf6 13. Nd5 Nxe4 14. Bxg7 Kxg7
15. Qd4+ Nf6 16. Nxf6 exf6 17. Rad1 Re8 18. Nf4 Nc6 19. Qd2 Qd7 20. Qxd6 Qxd6
21. Rxd6 Rad8 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "14"]
[Date "1997.??.??"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B65"]
[WhiteElo "2740"]
[BlackElo "2740"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[EventDate "1997.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 Be7 8.
O-O-O Nxd4 9. Qxd4 O-O 10. f4 Qa5 11. Bb5 Rd8 12. e5 dxe5 13. Qxe5 h6 14. Bh4
Ng4 15. Qh5 Nf6 16. Qe5 Ng4 17. Rxd8+ Qxd8 18. Bxe7 Qxe7 19. Qe2 ({Ivanchuk
diverts from} 19. Qd4 {(Kamsky-Kramnik, Groningen 1993).}) 19... Nf6 20. Rd1 a6
21. Bd3 b5 22. g4 Bb7 23. g5 hxg5 24. fxg5 Nd7 25. Qh5 Nf8 26. h4 Qb4 $5 {
Black starts a counteraction.} 27. Rf1 g6 28. Qh6 Qg4 29. Be2 Qh3 30. h5 $1 Bg2
$1 31. Rd1 {Kramnik has achieved a sharp struggle.} Qf5 $2 ({Right is} 31...
Qe3+ 32. Kb1 b4 33. hxg6 Nxg6 34. Bd3 bxc3 35. Bxg6 fxg6 36. Qxg6+ {drawn 
(Psakhis).}) 32. Rd3 $4 ({White gains an advantage by} 32. hxg6 $1 Qf4+ 33. Kb1
fxg6 34. Bd3) 32... b4 33. Nd1 Be4 34. Rd2 Qf4 $1 35. hxg6 Nxg6 36. Qh3 Qxg5
37. Qe3 Qxe3 38. Nxe3 a5 39. Rd4 f5 40. Ng4 Nf4 41. Bc4 Kg7 42. Nf2 Kf6 (42...
Kf6 43. Nxe4+ Ke5 $1 44. c3 fxe4 45. Kd1 Rh8 {and Black wins (Kramnik).}) 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "14"]
[Date "1997.??.??"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D35"]
[WhiteElo "2725"]
[BlackElo "2795"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "78"]
[EventDate "1997.??.??"]

1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Be7 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bf4 Nf6 6. e3 Bf5 7. Qb3 Nc6 $1 8.
g4 $6 (8. Qxb7 {follows the theory.}) 8... Nxg4 9. Nxd5 $6 ({Better is} 9. Qxd5
{(Kasparov).}) 9... O-O 10. Bg2 Bh4 11. Bg3 Be6 12. Kf1 a5 13. Nh3 a4 14. Qc4
Na5 15. Qc5 b6 16. Bxh4 bxc5 17. Bxd8 Raxd8 18. Ne7+ Kh8 19. d5 Bd7 20. Rc1 c4
21. Ng5 h6 22. Nf3 Rb8 23. h3 Nf6 24. Nd4 Rxb2 25. Bf3 Rxa2 26. Kg2 Re8 27.
Nec6 Bxc6 28. Nxc6 Nxc6 29. dxc6 Rxe3 30. Rxc4 Rb3 31. Rd4 Rbb2 32. Rf1 Rd2 33.
Rb4 Kh7 34. Rb7 Ne8 35. Kg3 g6 36. Re1 Nd6 37. Rxc7 Kg7 38. Rd7 Nf5+ 39. Kf4
Rxf2 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "14"]
[Date "1997.??.??"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Adams, Michael"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B04"]
[WhiteElo "2795"]
[BlackElo "2665"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "1997.??.??"]

1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. Nf3 dxe5 5. Nxe5 g6 $6 6. Bc4 c6 7. O-O Bg7 8.
Re1 O-O 9. Bb3 Nd7 10. Nf3 N7f6 11. c4 $1 Nc7 12. h3 $5 {White has gained a
positional advantage. Anand has failed in the opening.} c5 13. Nc3 cxd4 14.
Nxd4 Ne6 15. Be3 Nxd4 16. Qxd4 $1 Be6 {The exchange of queens would have a bad
effect.} 17. Qh4 Qa5 18. c5 $1 Bxb3 19. axb3 Qc7 20. b4 a6 $2 ({Better is} 
20... Rfe8 21. b5 {(Kasparov)} Qc8 $1 {but White's majority on the queenside
remains dangerous.}) 21. Bf4 $1 Qc6 22. Rxe7 Nd5 23. Nxd5 Qxd5 24. Qg4 Rae8 25.
Qd7 Qxd7 26. Rxd7 Bxb2 27. Rad1 Re4 28. Bd6 Rc8 29. Rxb7 Bc3 30. Rb1 Rc4 $5 31.
Rc1 $1 Rxb4 32. c6 Rd4 33. c7 ({The pointe is} 33. c7 Rxd6 34. Rb8) 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "14"]
[Date "1997.??.??"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Polgar, Judit"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E97"]
[WhiteElo "2740"]
[BlackElo "2645"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "1997.??.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. d4 d6 5. e4 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. O-O Nc6 8. d5
Ne7 9. b4 Nh5 10. Re1 f5 11. Ng5 Nf6 12. Bf3 c6 13. Be3 $1 {Kramnik plays a
fine improvement.} cxd5 14. cxd5 h6 15. Ne6 Bxe6 16. dxe6 fxe4 17. Nxe4 Nxe4
18. Bxe4 d5 19. Bc2 (19. Bc5 $5 dxe4 20. Qxd8 Rfxd8 21. Bxe7 {also favours
White (Kramnik).}) 19... e4 $6 {Black makes a wrong strategic decision.} ({
Appropriate is} 19... b6 {(Kramnik). The next year he will encounter} 20. Qg4
Rf6 {(Kramnik-Shirov, Linares 1998).}) 20. Rc1 d4 $2 (20... b6 {is alright 
(Kramnik).}) 21. Bd2 e3 22. fxe3 d3 {Polgár carries out an impressive action
in the centre.} 23. Bb3 Qd6 24. Qg4 Be5 25. Rf1 $1 {White gives priority to
the attack.} Bxh2+ 26. Kh1 Qg3 {Judit has overreached herself.} 27. Qd4 $1 Qe5
28. Rf7 $1 Rxf7 29. exf7+ Kh7 30. Qxe5 $1 Bxe5 31. Rc5 Bd6 32. Rc4 Nc6 33. b5
Ne5 34. Rd4 Bf8 35. Re4 Bg7 36. Bb4 d2 37. Rxe5 Rd8 38. Re8 {Kramnik and
Kasparov had scored four wins and three draws!} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "14"]
[Date "1997.??.??"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E81"]
[WhiteElo "2740"]
[BlackElo "2795"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "71"]
[EventDate "1997.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 O-O 6. Bg5 a6 7. Qd2 c5 8. d5 b5
$6 9. cxb5 Nbd7 10. a4 Qa5 11. Nge2 Nb6 12. Nc1 axb5 13. Bxb5 Ba6 14. N1a2 Bxb5
15. axb5 Nh5 $6 {White keeps a plus, despite this novelty.} 16. Rb1 $1 Bd4 17.
Bh6 Rfe8 (17... f5 $6 18. Bxf8 Rxf8 19. b4 $1 {(Ivanchuk) does not convince
for Black.}) 18. b3 e6 19. dxe6 Rxe6 $2 ({Right is} 19... fxe6 $1 20. Be3 e5
21. O-O d5 $5 {(Ivanchuk).}) 20. Be3 Bxe3 21. Qxe3 d5 22. b4 $1 ({White avoids
} 22. Qxc5 $2 Nf4 $1) 22... Qa3 $6 23. bxc5 $1 Nc4 24. Qd4 Nf4 25. O-O $1 Qxa2
26. Rf2 $1 Qa3 27. Nxd5 Qd3 28. Qxd3 Nxd3 29. Rc2 Na3 30. Ra2 Nxc5 31. Rba1 f5
32. Nc7 Re5 33. Nxa8 Nxb5 34. exf5 gxf5 35. Nb6 Nc3 36. Rc2 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "14"]
[Date "1997.??.??"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B66"]
[WhiteElo "2690"]
[BlackElo "2740"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "1997.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 a6 8.
O-O-O h6 9. Be3 Be7 10. f4 Nxd4 11. Bxd4 b5 12. Kb1 Bb7 13. Bd3 O-O 14. e5 dxe5
15. fxe5 Nd7 16. Ne4 Bxe4 17. Bxe4 Rb8 $5 {The intention of the new move is to
prepare an attack. Shirov thinks for an hour and goes for the exchange.} 18.
Ba7 $1 Nxe5 19. Qc3 Bd6 20. Qd4 $1 {Pieces are activated before the exchange
is taken.} Bc7 21. Qc5 Qc8 22. Rhe1 Nc4 23. Bxb8 Qxb8 24. g3 ({No advantage
brings} 24. Bd3 Rc8 25. Bxc4 Ba5 26. Qh5 Bxe1 27. Bxe6 fxe6 28. Rxe1 Qd6 $1 {
(Shirov).}) 24... Be5 25. c3 Rc8 26. Qe7 {White has made several desired moves,
but Black still has an escape.} b4 $1 27. Qxb4 Qc7 $1 28. Qb7 Na3+ $1 29. Kc1 (
29. Ka1 Nc2+ 30. Kb1 Na3+ {delivers perpetual check.}) 29... Bf4+ $1 30. gxf4
Qxf4+ 31. Rd2 Rd8 32. Red1 Rxd2 33. Rxd2 (33. Rxd2 Qf1+ 34. Rd1 Qf4+ {and
Black gives another perpetual.  Kramnik took the lead on Kasparov.}) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "14"]
[Date "1997.??.??"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Polgar, Judit"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B49"]
[WhiteElo "2795"]
[BlackElo "2645"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "1997.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be2 a6 7. O-O Nf6 8.
Be3 Bb4 9. Na4 Bd6 10. g3 Be7 11. c4 d6 $5 ({Known is} 11... Nxe4 {
(Gallagher-Barlov, Lenk 1989).}) 12. f3 ({The alternative is} 12. Nxc6 bxc6 {
(Teran Alvarez - Korneev, Dos Hermanas 2003).}) 12... Bd7 13. Rc1 O-O $6 ({
More active is} 13... Qa5 $1) 14. Nxc6 Bxc6 15. Nb6 Rad8 16. b4 Qb8 17. b5 Be8
18. a4 Nd7 19. Nxd7 Rxd7 $5 20. Qb3 Qc7 21. Rfd1 Rd8 22. Bd4 Ra8 23. Qc3 axb5
$6 ({Some counter-play gives} 23... e5 24. Be3 {(Kasparov)} f5 $1) 24. cxb5 $1
Qxc3 25. Rxc3 Rxa4 $2 ({Right is} 25... Bd8 $1) 26. Rc7 $1 Bg5 27. Bf2 $1 ({Not
} 27. Rxb7 $2 Rxd4 28. Rxd4 Be3+) 27... b6 28. Rb7 Ra2 29. Bf1 Rb2 30. f4 Bf6
31. Rxb6 Bc3 32. Rb7 g5 33. f5 Bb4 34. f6 h5 35. Rc1 Kh7 36. Rb8 d5 37. exd5
Bd6 38. Rd8 Be5 39. Rcc8 Bxb5 40. Bxb5 Rxd8 41. Bd3+ 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "14"]
[Date "1997.??.??"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Dreev, Alexey"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D46"]
[WhiteElo "2740"]
[BlackElo "2650"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "131"]
[EventDate "1997.??.??"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O
Qe7 9. c5 Bc7 10. e4 dxe4 11. Nxe4 Nd5 $6 ({Preferable is} 11... h6 {
(Dautov-Shirov, Bundesliga 1996).}) 12. Bd2 Rd8 13. Rae1 f6 14. Nd6 $1 Nf8 15.
Nxc8 Raxc8 16. Re4 Qf7 17. Rfe1 Re8 18. b4 {White can change his strategy to
an attack on the queenside, because Black has a passive game.} a6 19. a4 Ra8
20. g3 Qd7 21. Bc4 Reb8 22. Rb1 Rd8 23. Ree1 Ng6 24. Bd3 Nf8 25. Bf1 Ng6 26. b5
axb5 27. axb5 Ra3 28. Rb3 Rda8 29. Bc1 Ra1 30. Bb2 Rxe1 31. Nxe1 e5 $5 32. Nf3
exd4 33. Nxd4 Be5 34. Qf5 Qxf5 35. Nxf5 Nge7 36. Nxe7+ Nxe7 37. Bc4+ Kf8 $2 {
Dreev blunders under time pressure.} (37... Nd5 $1 38. Bxe5 fxe5 39. Rd3 Rd8 {
(Kramnik)} 40. Re3 $1 Re8 41. Ra3 Kf8 42. Ra7 Rb8 {and White exerts pressure.})
38. Bxe5 fxe5 39. Rf3+ $1 Ke8 40. Bf7+ Kf8 41. Ba2+ Ke8 42. Bf7+ Kf8 43. Be6+
Ke8 44. Rf7 $1 cxb5 45. Rxg7 h6 46. Rh7 Ra1+ 47. Kg2 Kf8 48. Rf7+ Ke8 49. Rh7
Kf8 50. Rf7+ Ke8 51. Rf6 Ra6 52. Rxh6 Ng8 53. Rg6 Ke7 54. Rxg8 Kxe6 55. Rb8 Ra7
56. Rd8 Ra6 57. Rb8 Ra7 58. h4 b4 59. Rd8 $1 Ra6 60. h5 Rc6 61. h6 Rc7 62. Rd6+
Kf5 63. Rb6 Kg5 64. Kf3 $1 b3 65. Ke4 Re7 66. Kd5 {The arrival by the white
king in the centre decides the game.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "14"]
[Date "1997.??.??"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D39"]
[WhiteElo "2740"]
[BlackElo "2765"]
[PlyCount "27"]
[EventDate "1997.??.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. d4 dxc4 5. e4 Bb4 6. Bg5 c5 7. Bxc4 cxd4 8.
Nxd4 Bd7 9. O-O Nc6 10. Rc1 O-O 11. Nb3 Ne5 12. Be2 Bc6 13. f3 Qb8 14. a3
1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "14"]
[Date "1997.??.??"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2690"]
[BlackElo "2795"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "76"]
[EventDate "1997.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 Ng4 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4
g5 9. Bg3 Bg7 10. Be2 h5 11. Bxg4 Bxg4 12. f3 Bd7 13. O-O Nc6 14. Bf2 e6 $5 15.
Nce2 $6 ({Better is} 15. Nxc6 Bxc6 16. Bd4 Be5 {(Short-Topalov, Novgorod 1997).
}) 15... Ne5 16. b3 g4 17. f4 h4 $1 18. Be3 ({Or} 18. fxe5 dxe5 19. Be3 exd4
20. Nxd4) 18... h3 19. g3 Nc6 20. Qd3 O-O 21. Rad1 f5 22. c4 Qa5 23. Nc3 ({
Kasparov prefers the prudent} 23. Qd2 $1) 23... Rae8 24. Rfe1 $2 ({Right is} 
24. Nde2 Rf7 {(Kasparov)} 25. exf5 $1 exf5 26. Bf2) 24... e5 $1 25. Nxc6 Bxc6
26. b4 $5 Qa3 $5 27. b5 exf4 28. Bxf4 axb5 29. cxb5 {The win is still hard to
achieve.} Qc5+ $2 ({The advantage is kept by} 29... Qxc3 $1 30. bxc6 bxc6 31.
Qxc3 Bxc3 32. Re3 Ba5 $1) 30. Be3 $2 ({New chances result from} 30. Re3 $1 Bxe4
31. Bxd6 $1 Bxd3 32. Bxc5 Rxe3 33. Bxe3 Bc4 34. Bd4 {(Kasparov).}) 30... Qxc3
31. bxc6 Qxc6 32. Qxd6 Qxe4 33. Qd5+ Qxd5 34. Rxd5 Bc3 35. Re2 Re4 36. Kf2 Rfe8
37. Rd3 Bf6 38. Red2 Rxe3 $1 {The leaders had scored 7 1/2 points.} ({Black
wins by} 38... Rxe3 39. Rxe3 Rxe3 40. Kxe3 Bg5+ 41. Ke2 Bxd2 42. Kxd2 f4 $1)
0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "14"]
[Date "1997.??.??"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E59"]
[WhiteElo "2795"]
[BlackElo "2740"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "113"]
[EventDate "1997.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 c5 6. Nf3 d5 7. O-O Nc6 8. a3
Bxc3 9. bxc3 dxc4 10. Bxc4 Qc7 11. Ba2 b6 $6 ({The main line is} 11... e5) 12.
Re1 e5 13. e4 Bg4 $5 14. dxc5 bxc5 {The two bishops give a plus.} 15. h3 Rad8
16. Qe2 Bxf3 17. Qxf3 Rd6 18. Bg5 $1 h6 19. Bh4 Rfd8 20. Rab1 Ne7 $1 21. Bc4
Nc8 22. Bg3 Nb6 23. Bb5 Re6 24. a4 c4 $1 25. Qe2 Rd3 26. a5 {Both players try
to apply the solid positional play that they have learned in the Botvinnik
school.} Nc8 $5 ({The counter} 26... Qc5 $1 27. axb6 $5 Rxb6 28. Bxc4 Rxg3 29.
Rxb6 axb6 30. Qd2 b5 31. Qd8+ Kh7 32. Qa5 Kg6 $1 {draws.}) 27. Rb4 Rxc3 28.
Rxc4 Rxc4 ({Not} 28... Qxa5 $2 29. Qd2 $1) 29. Qxc4 Qb8 $2 ({Correct is} 29...
Qxa5 30. Qxc8+ Kh7 31. Rb1 Rb6 32. Qf5+ Kg8 33. Rc1 Qxb5 34. Rc8+ Ne8 35. Qxe5
Qxe5 36. Bxe5 Re6 {(Kasparov).}) 30. Qc5 Nd6 31. Bd3 Nd7 32. Qa3 Nf8 33. Rb1
Qc7 34. Rc1 Qd8 35. a6 Ng6 36. Qc5 Re7 37. f3 Ne8 38. Bf1 Rc7 39. Qe3 Rd7 40.
Kh2 Re7 $6 (40... Nd6 $1 {offers more resistance.}) 41. Rc6 Kh7 42. Qc1 Nc7 43.
Qc3 Qd7 44. Rc5 Qd6 45. Bf2 Ne6 46. Rd5 Qb8 47. Rb5 Qd6 48. Rb7 $1 Nd4 49. Qb4
Qf6 50. Qc5 Nc6 51. Be3 Re6 52. Bc4 Re7 53. Bd5 Nd4 54. Rxa7 Rxa7 55. Qxa7 Ne7
56. Bc4 h5 57. Qc5 {Kasparov had won the tournament, one point before Kramnik.}
1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "15"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D02"]
[WhiteElo "2790"]
[BlackElo "2740"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "116"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]

1. Nf3 Nc6 2. d4 d5 3. Bf4 Bg4 4. e3 e6 5. c4 Bb4+ 6. Nc3 Nf6 7. Rc1 O-O 8. h3
Bxf3 9. Qxf3 Qe7 $6 10. Bg5 Bxc3+ 11. Rxc3 Qb4 $1 12. Bxf6 Qxb2 13. Rb3 $1 Qc1+
14. Qd1 Qxd1+ 15. Kxd1 dxc4 16. Rxb7 gxf6 {White has rerached a fine endgame.}
17. Kd2 $6 ({A great advantage keeps} 17. Bxc4 $1 Rab8 18. Rxb8 Rxb8 19. Kc2)
17... Rab8 $1 18. Rxc7 Na5 19. Kc2 Rb4 20. Rxa7 Ra4 21. Rxa5 $1 Rxa5 22. Bxc4
h5 23. h4 Rc8 24. Kd3 Rxc4 $1 25. Kxc4 Rxa2 {Black will outlive the rook
ending.} 26. Rf1 f5 27. d5 Kf8 28. dxe6 fxe6 29. Kd4 Ke7 30. Ke5 Ra4 31. f3
Ra5+ $1 32. Kf4 Ra2 33. Rb1 Kf6 $1 34. Kg3 Re2 $1 {Pressure on the weaknesses
draws.} 35. Rb3 e5 36. Rb6+ Kg7 37. Rb3 Kf6 38. Ra3 Kg6 39. Kh3 Kf6 40. g4
hxg4+ 41. fxg4 fxg4+ 42. Kxg4 Kg6 43. h5+ Kh6 44. Ra6+ Kh7 45. Ra3 Kh6 46. Kf5
e4 47. Kxe4 Kxh5 48. Kf5 Rf2+ 49. Ke6 Re2 $1 50. Kf5 Rf2+ 51. Ke5 Kg6 52. e4
Rb2 53. Ra7 Rb5+ 54. Ke6 Rb6+ 55. Ke7 Rb5 56. Ra6+ Kg5 57. Re6 Kf4 58. Kf6 Rh5
1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "15"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B12"]
[WhiteElo "2710"]
[BlackElo "2770"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "110"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nf3 e6 5. Be2 c5 6. Be3 cxd4 7. Nxd4 Ne7 8. c4
Nbc6 9. Nc3 Nxd4 10. Bxd4 dxc4 11. Bxc4 Nc6 12. Bb5 Be7 13. O-O O-O 14. Bxc6
bxc6 15. Ne2 c5 16. Bc3 Qb6 17. Ng3 Bg6 18. Qg4 Rad8 19. h4 h6 20. h5 Bh7 21.
f4 $6 c4+ 22. Kh2 Bb4 23. f5 exf5 24. Nxf5 Bxf5 25. Rxf5 Bxc3 26. bxc3 Qe6 27.
Raf1 Rfe8 28. R1f4 Rd5 29. Re4 Re7 30. Qf4 Rc7 31. Rxc4 $2 ({Correct is} 31.
Qf2 Rd3 32. Rf3 {(Anand).}) 31... Qxf5 32. Qxf5 Rxc4 {Black will win the weak
pawns.} 33. Qb1 Rd8 34. Qb7 Rxc3 35. Qxa7 Rcc8 36. a4 Ra8 37. Qc7 Rdc8 38. Qb7
Re8 39. Qc6 Rac8 40. Qd7 Rcd8 41. Qc7 ({Little difference makes} 41. Qb5 Re6
42. a5 Ra8 {and 43...Rea6.}) 41... Rd5 42. a5 Rdxe5 43. a6 R5e7 44. Qc6 Rf8 $1
45. Kh3 Ra7 46. g4 Rfa8 47. Kh4 Rxa6 48. Qb7 Ra5 49. Qc6 Rf8 50. Qb6 Rg5 51.
Qb3 Kh8 52. Qb4 Re8 53. Qa4 Rd8 54. Qe4 f5 55. gxf5 Rf8 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "15"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Svidler, Peter"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B85"]
[WhiteElo "2690"]
[BlackElo "2825"]
[PlyCount "103"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 e6 7. O-O Be7 8. a4
Nc6 9. Be3 O-O 10. f4 Qc7 11. Kh1 Re8 12. Bf3 Rb8 13. g4 Nd7 14. Bg2 b6 15. g5
Bb7 16. Qg4 Bf8 17. f5 exf5 18. Qxf5 Nde5 19. Nd5 Qd8 20. Nb3 Ne7 21. Qf4 Rc8
22. Nd4 Nxd5 23. exd5 Qd7 24. b3 g6 25. c4 Re7 26. Bg1 Rce8 27. Rae1 Bg7 28.
Qg3 Qc7 29. Rd1 Nd7 30. Rde1 Nc5 31. Nc6 Rxe1 32. Rxe1 Rxe1 33. Qxe1 Nxb3 34.
Qe8+ Bf8 35. Bh3 Na5 36. Qd8 Qxd8 37. Nxd8 Ba8 38. Bf1 Nb7 39. Nxb7 Bxb7 40.
Bxb6 h6 41. h4 hxg5 42. hxg5 Be7 43. Bc7 Kf8 44. Kh2 Ke8 45. Bh3 Bxg5 46. Bxd6
Be7 47. Be5 Bc5 48. Bf6 a5 49. Kg3 Ba6 50. Bf1 Bc8 51. Bd3 Kd7 52. Kf4 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "15"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Svidler, Peter"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B06"]
[WhiteElo "2770"]
[BlackElo "2690"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]

1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 d6 4. Be3 a6 5. Nf3 b5 6. Bd3 Nd7 7. e5 Bb7 (7... e6
{originates from Fishbein - Hansen, Kerteminde 1991.}) 8. e6 fxe6 9. Ng5 Nf8
10. O-O Nf6 11. Re1 Qd7 12. Bd2 $5 h6 $5 13. Nf3 Rb8 14. a4 b4 15. Ne4 Nxe4 16.
Bxe4 Bxe4 17. Rxe4 Qc6 18. Re3 Qc4 19. c3 $1 b3 20. Re1 $1 {White will attack
pawn b3 eventually.} g5 21. Be3 $1 Qd5 22. Qd3 a5 23. Ra3 Kf7 24. Nd2 Ng6 25.
Qe2 Nh4 26. f3 Ng6 27. c4 Qf5 28. Ne4 $1 {White threatens 29.g4.} Kg8 29. Qd1
Rb4 $2 ({Equality keeps} 29... g4 $1 {(Svidler).}) 30. Rxb3 Rxc4 31. Rb5 Qf7
32. Rxa5 Kh7 33. Rb5 d5 $2 ({Better is} 33... Ra8 34. b3 Rc6) 34. Nc5 $1 Qf5
35. b3 Rc3 36. Qd2 Rc2 37. g4 $1 Nh4 38. gxf5 Nxf3+ 39. Kh1 Nxd2 40. Re2 Nc4
41. Rxc2 Nxe3 42. Re2 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "15"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C54"]
[WhiteElo "2740"]
[BlackElo "2710"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "60"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. c3 Nf6 5. d3 d6 6. Qe2 Bb6 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4
Qe7 9. Nbd2 g5 10. Bg3 Bg4 11. Nf1 Nh5 12. Bb5 Nf4 13. Bxf4 gxf4 14. N1d2 Rg8
15. g3 fxg3 16. fxg3 O-O-O 17. a4 Nb8 18. a5 Bc5 19. Bc4 a6 20. h3 Be6 21. g4
Nd7 22. Bxa6 $5 bxa6 23. d4 Nb8 24. dxc5 dxc5 25. O-O-O Qe8 26. Nxe5 Qa4 27.
Rhf1 Rge8 $1 28. c4 $5 (28. Nxf7 Qa1+ 29. Kc2 Qa4+ {leads to perpetual check 
(Svidler).}) 28... Rd4 {Ivanchuk collapses completely.} 29. Kb1 $2 ({Better is
} 29. Qf3 Nd7 30. Nxd7 Bxd7 31. Qc3) 29... Red8 30. Rf3 $4 ({Shirov prefers} 
30. b3 Qb4 31. Kc2 Qxa5) 30... Rxe4 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "15"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D58"]
[WhiteElo "2740"]
[BlackElo "2790"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "96"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 O-O 7. e3 b6 8. Be2
Bb7 9. Bxf6 Bxf6 10. cxd5 exd5 11. b4 c6 12. O-O a5 13. b5 c5 14. Re1 $5 Re8
15. Rc1 Nd7 16. g3 Nf8 17. Na4 c4 $1 {The closed position favours Black. He
has gained territory.} 18. Bf1 Qd6 19. Bg2 Rad8 20. h4 Ne6 21. Nc3 g6 22. Nd2 {
White threatens 23.Nxc4!} Ba8 23. h5 g5 24. Nf1 Be7 25. g4 $2 {The kingside is
weakened.} Qd7 26. Ng3 Ng7 27. a4 Bb4 28. Bh3 Bb7 29. Qc2 Bd6 $1 30. Nf5 Nxf5
31. gxf5 {White has won the battle for f5 at the cost of weaknesses.} Bb4 32.
Kg2 Qd6 33. f3 Re7 34. Re2 Rde8 35. Rce1 Qf6 36. Bg4 Bd6 37. Qd1 Bb4 38. Qc2
Rd8 39. Rd1 Bc8 40. e4 $2 (40. Na2 Rde8 41. Kf2 Qd6 42. Rh1 {brings passivity 
(Kramnik).}) 40... Bxc3 41. e5 ({Black wins the struggle in} 41. Qxc3 dxe4 42.
Rxe4 Rxe4 43. fxe4 Bb7 44. Qe3 Qe7 45. Re1 Re8 46. Bf3 g4 $1 47. Bxg4 Qxe4+ 48.
Qxe4 Rxe4 49. Rxe4 Bxe4+) 41... Rxe5 $1 {Kramnik strikes with an enormous
strength.} 42. dxe5 Bxe5 {The connected pawns in the central area decide the
game.} 43. Rde1 Bc7 44. Re8+ Kg7 45. Rxd8 Bxd8 46. Rd1 Bb7 47. f4 $5 d4+ 48.
Bf3 d3 $1 (48... d3 49. Qxc4 Qb2+ 50. Kg3 Bxf3 51. Kxf3 Qe2+ {(Kramnik).}) 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "15"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B17"]
[WhiteElo "2825"]
[BlackElo "2770"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "69"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Ng5 Ngf6 6. Bd3 e6 7. N1f3 Bd6 8.
Qe2 h6 9. Ne4 Nxe4 10. Qxe4 Qc7 11. Qg4 Rg8 $5 {Anand brings a novelty.} 12.
Nd2 (12. Bxh6 Nf6 13. Qg5 Bf8 $1 14. Qf4 Bd6 15. Qg5 Bf8 {draws.}) 12... Nf6
13. Qf3 e5 14. dxe5 Bxe5 15. Nc4 Be6 16. Bd2 $5 {Kasparov wants to win.} O-O-O
({Equality keeps the courageous} 16... Bxc4 17. Bxc4 Bxb2 18. Qe3+ {(Kasparov)}
Qe5) 17. O-O-O Nd7 18. Rhe1 Rge8 19. Kb1 g5 $6 20. h4 $1 Bf4 $6 21. Bxf4 gxf4
22. Bf5 $1 {Black's kingside has been ruined.} Nf8 23. Qh5 $1 Kb8 24. Bxe6 Nxe6
25. a4 $5 {Kasparov will not capture an extra pawn three times.} Qe7 26. Qe5+
Qc7 27. Qh5 Qe7 28. b3 Qf6 29. Ne5 Re7 30. Ng4 Rxd1+ 31. Rxd1 Qg7 32. f3 $5 Re8
33. Qf5 $5 Ka8 $6 ({Strong resistance offers} 33... Kc8 $1 34. Nf6 Re7 35. Qe5
Rc7 $1) 34. h5 Rf8 $2 35. Rd7 ({The battle on the right side is won by} 35. Rd7
Qg5 36. Qxg5 hxg5 37. h6) 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "15"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B42"]
[WhiteElo "2710"]
[BlackElo "2740"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Bd3 Qb6 6. Nb3 Qc7 7. Qe2 Nf6 8.
Nc3 d6 9. f4 Be7 10. e5 dxe5 11. fxe5 Nfd7 12. Bf4 Nc6 13. O-O Ndxe5 14. Rae1
Qb6+ 15. Kh1 Nxd3 16. Qxd3 O-O 17. Qg3 $1 Kh8 $2 18. Bc7 Qa7 19. Na4 f6 20. Bb6
Qb8 21. Bc7 Qa7 22. Nb6 e5 23. Nxa8 Qxa8 24. Rd1 Re8 25. Bd6 Bd8 26. Nc5 $6 b6
27. Ne4 $6 Nd4 28. Bxe5 $5 Nf5 $1 ({Not} 28... Rxe5 $4 29. Qxe5 fxe5 30. Rf8#)
29. Qg4 $1 {White starts another attack.} Ne3 $6 ({Shirov advices} 29... fxe5
30. Rxf5 Be7 31. Qf3 Bxf5 32. Qxf5) 30. Qh5 $1 {He has set the board on fire.}
Rg8 $2 ({The drastic finish} 30... Rf8 $2 31. Qf7 $3 Rg8 32. Rxd8 $1 Rxd8 33.
Bxf6 {brings Tal-Smyslov, Bled 1959 into memory.}) ({Correct is} 30... Qc6 $1
31. Rd6 (31. Rxd8 $2 Rxd8 32. Nxf6 $2 Qxg2#) 31... Bg4 $1 32. Rxc6 Bxh5 33. Re1
{(Shirov). The last chance gives} Nxg2 $1 34. Kxg2 fxe5) 31. Qf3 Nxd1 32. Nd6
$1 {White threatens mate in one.} Qa7 33. Nxc8 Qd7 34. Nd6 (34. Nd6 Nxb2 35.
Qc6 $1 {ends nicely.}) 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "15"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Svidler, Peter"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B85"]
[WhiteElo "2690"]
[BlackElo "2740"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "97"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 e6 7. O-O Be7 8. a4
O-O 9. f4 Qc7 10. Kh1 Rd8 11. Bf3 Nc6 12. Be3 Ne5 13. Be2 b6 14. Qe1 Nc4 15.
Bc1 Bb7 16. b3 Na5 17. Bf3 Nd7 18. Bb2 Bf6 19. Rd1 Rac8 20. f5 Bxd4 21. Rxd4
Nc6 22. Rd2 Nce5 23. fxe6 fxe6 24. Be2 Nc5 25. Qg3 Rf8 26. Rfd1 Rcd8 27. Qe3
Bc6 28. Ba3 a5 29. h3 h6 30. Rd4 Rf6 31. Bb2 Nb7 32. R4d2 Rff8 33. Kg1 Nc5 34.
Rd4 Kh7 35. Bh5 Rd7 36. Nb5 Bxb5 37. axb5 Qd8 38. Qg3 Qe7 39. Kh2 Kg8 40. Bc1
Qf6 41. Be3 Kh8 42. R1d2 Kh7 43. Bd1 Qe7 44. Bh5 Qf6 45. Bd1 Qe7 46. c3 Rf6 47.
b4 {Svidler has set a trap.} Nb7 $4 ({Right is} 47... axb4 48. cxb4 Rg6 $1 49.
Qf4 Nb3 $1 50. Bxb3 Ng4+ $1 51. hxg4 Qh4+ 52. Kg1 Qe1+ {with perpetual check.})
48. Qxe5 $1 dxe5 49. Rxd7 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "15"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D79"]
[WhiteElo "2740"]
[BlackElo "2825"]
[PlyCount "99"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. g3 c6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. Nf3 d5 6. cxd5 cxd5 7. O-O O-O 8. Nc3
Ne4 9. Nd2 f5 10. Ndxe4 dxe4 11. Qb3+ Kh8 12. Rd1 Nc6 13. Be3 Bd7 14. Rac1 Rc8
15. Qa3 Qa5 16. Qxa5 Nxa5 17. b3 Nc6 18. f3 exf3 19. exf3 f4 20. Bf2 e5 21. Ne2
Nxd4 22. Nxd4 exd4 23. Rxc8 Rxc8 24. Bxd4 Bxd4+ 25. Rxd4 Rc1+ 26. Kf2 Rc2+ 27.
Ke1 Bc6 28. Rd2 Rxd2 29. Kxd2 g5 30. gxf4 gxf4 31. Kc3 Kg7 32. Kd4 Kf6 33. b4
b6 34. a3 Bb7 35. Bh1 Ba8 36. Bg2 Bc6 37. Bh1 Ke6 38. Bg2 Kd6 39. Bh1 a5 40.
bxa5 bxa5 41. Bg2 a4 42. Bh1 Ba8 43. Bg2 Bb7 44. Bh1 Ke6 45. Bg2 Kf6 46. Bh1
Kg5 47. Ke5 h5 48. Bg2 h4 49. h3 Ba6 50. Ke4 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "15"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E97"]
[WhiteElo "2790"]
[BlackElo "2710"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "92"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. d4 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. O-O Nc6 8. d5
Ne7 9. b4 Nh5 10. Re1 f5 11. Ng5 Nf6 12. Bf3 c6 13. Be3 cxd5 14. cxd5 h6 15.
Ne6 Bxe6 16. dxe6 fxe4 17. Nxe4 Nxe4 18. Bxe4 d5 19. Bc2 b6 20. Qg4 Rf6 21. Bb3
Qd6 22. Rad1 Rd8 23. b5 Qxe6 24. Qxe6+ (24. Qa4 {was played in Gligoric-Nataf,
Cannes 1998.}) 24... Rxe6 25. Bc1 Kf7 26. Ba3 e4 27. g3 Rd7 28. Bxe7 Kxe7 29.
Rxd5 Rxd5 30. Bxd5 Bc3 31. Re2 Re5 32. Bxe4 g5 33. a4 Kd6 $6 ({Kramnik prefers
} 33... Kf6 $5) 34. Kg2 Kc5 35. f4 gxf4 36. gxf4 Re6 37. Kf3 Rd6 38. Kg4 ({Or} 
38. Bf5 $1 Rd1 $1 39. Kg4 Rg1+ 40. Kh5 Rf1 41. Re4 Bd2 {(Kramnik).}) 38... Rd2
$1 39. Rg2 Kd4 40. Bc6 Rxg2+ 41. Bxg2 Bd2 42. Bf3 Bc1 43. Bd1 Bd2 44. Bc2 Bc1
45. f5 Ke5 46. Kh5 Kf6 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "15"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Svidler, Peter"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D85"]
[WhiteElo "2740"]
[BlackElo "2690"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bb5+ c6 8.
Ba4 O-O 9. Ne2 c5 10. O-O Nc6 11. Be3 Na5 12. Rb1 Nc4 13. Bg5 h6 14. Bh4 b6 $2
{A positional blunder.} 15. Bc6 $1 Rb8 16. Bd5 $1 Ba6 17. Qd3 b5 18. a4 cxd4
19. Nxd4 Bxd4 {Black has to make awful concessions.} 20. cxd4 Nd6 21. Rfc1 Rb6
$6 ({Svidler prefers} 21... Bb7 $1 22. Bxb7 Rxb7 23. axb5 Qd7) 22. a5 Rb8 23.
Rc6 Bb7 24. e5 $1 Nf5 (24... Bxc6 $4 25. Qxg6+ Kh8 26. Qxh6+ Kg8 27. Rb3 {
(Ftacnik).}) 25. Rxg6+ Kh8 26. Bxf7 $1 Rxf7 {The assault has switched to the
kingside.} 27. e6 $2 ({White misses the win} 27. Bf6+ $1 exf6 28. Qxf5 Qd5 (
28... Qf8 {(Svidler)} 29. e6 $1 Rc7 30. h3) 29. Rxh6+ Kg8 30. Qg4+ Rg7 31. Rg6
Qf7 32. Rxg7+ Qxg7 33. Qxg7+ Kxg7 34. Rxb5 a6 35. Rb6) 27... Rf8 28. Bg3 Kh7
29. Rg4 Rc8 $2 {Black fails tactically.} ({A great fight proceeds in} 29... h5
$1 30. Rxb5 $1 Qc8 $1 31. Rc5 {(Svidler)} hxg4 $1 32. Bxb8 Qxe6 33. Bxa7) 30.
Be5 $1 {White threatens 31.Rg7+.} Rc5 $1 31. Rg7+ Kh8 32. dxc5 Nxg7 (32... Qxd3
$2 33. Rg3+) 33. Qg6 Rf6 $1 34. Bxf6 exf6 35. Qxh6+ Kg8 36. Re1 $2 ({Correct is
} 36. Qg6) 36... Nxe6 $1 37. h4 Ng7 38. Qf4 Qd5 39. Qg3 $2 ({He still wins in} 
39. Qg4 $1 Qxc5 40. Qg6 Bc6 41. Qxf6 Qd5 42. Qg6) 39... Kf7 $1 40. Qc7+ Kg6 41.
Qg3+ Kf7 42. Qc7+ {Both players fought impressively.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "15"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B53"]
[WhiteElo "2770"]
[BlackElo "2740"]
[PlyCount "49"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nf6 4. dxc5 Nxe4 5. cxd6 Nc6 6. Nbd2 Nxd6 7. Nc4 e5 8.
c3 f6 9. Qb3 Qc7 10. Be3 Bd7 11. Be2 Nf5 12. O-O Be6 13. Qa4 Rb8 14. Qb5 Bd7
15. Qd5 b5 16. Ncd2 Nce7 17. Qd3 Bc6 18. c4 bxc4 19. Qxc4 Nxe3 20. fxe3 Qb6 21.
Kh1 Rc8 22. e4 Bd7 23. Qd3 Ng6 24. g3 Bc5 25. Rfd1 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "15"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B91"]
[WhiteElo "2825"]
[BlackElo "2740"]
[PlyCount "43"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. g3 e5 7. Nde2 Nbd7 8. a4
b6 9. Bg2 Bb7 10. h3 Be7 11. g4 Nc5 12. Ng3 g6 13. Bh6 Ne6 14. Qd2 Rc8 15.
O-O-O Rc4 16. Kb1 Qc7 17. Rhe1 Rd4 18. Qc1 Rb4 19. Bd2 Rd4 20. Bh6 Rb4 21. Bd2
Rd4 22. Bh6 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "15"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Svidler, Peter"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B33"]
[WhiteElo "2690"]
[BlackElo "2790"]
[PlyCount "60"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8.
Na3 b5 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. Nd5 f5 11. c3 Bg7 12. exf5 Bxf5 13. Nc2 O-O 14. Nce3
Be6 15. Bd3 f5 16. O-O Ra7 17. Qh5 Raf7 18. g4 e4 19. Bc2 fxg4 20. Bxe4 Be5 21.
Qh6 Kh8 22. Kh1 Bxd5 23. Nxd5 Ne7 24. Qh4 Nxd5 25. Qxd8 Rxd8 26. Bxd5 Rf5 27.
Rad1 Rdf8 28. Kg2 Rh5 29. Rh1 Rf6 30. Rd3 Rhf5 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "15"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D85"]
[WhiteElo "2790"]
[BlackElo "2825"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "51"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]

1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. d4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 g6 7. e4 Bg7 8.
Rb1 O-O 9. Be2 cxd4 10. cxd4 Qa5+ 11. Bd2 Qxa2 12. O-O Bg4 13. Bg5 h6 14. Be3
Nc6 15. d5 Ne5 16. Rxb7 e6 17. Re1 Bxf3 18. gxf3 Rfd8 19. d6 Qa5 20. Rf1 Bf8 $1
{Kasparov improves the theory.} 21. d7 Qa2 $1 22. Re1 Qa5 $1 23. Rf1 Qa2 24.
Bb5 a6 25. Bd4 ({Khalifman will play} 25. Ba4 $1 Nxf3+ 26. Kg2 Nh4+ 27. Kh3 {
against Lékó in Linares 2000.}) 25... Bg7 26. Bxe5 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "15"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Svidler, Peter"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2710"]
[BlackElo "2690"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "55"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. Qd2
Nbd7 9. f3 h5 10. O-O-O Rc8 11. Kb1 Be7 12. Nd5 Bxd5 $5 13. exd5 Nb6 $1 14.
Bxb6 Qxb6 15. g3 O-O 16. Bh3 Ra8 $1 17. Rhe1 a5 18. a4 Qc7 $2 ({Shirov advices
} 18... Qb4 19. Qxb4 axb4 20. f4 e4 21. Bf5 Rxa4 22. Bxe4) 19. Bf1 $1 Rfc8 20.
Bb5 Bf8 21. f4 $1 {Black suffers from restraint. White takes advantage on the
kingside.} exf4 ({Little better is} 21... e4 22. Re2 Qb6 23. Qd4 Qxd4 24. Rxd4)
22. gxf4 Qb6 23. Re2 Ne8 $5 24. f5 Nc7 $5 {The counteraction comes too late.}
25. f6 $1 {The attack ends wonderfully.} g6 ({Or} 25... Nxb5 $1 26. fxg7 $1
Bxg7 27. Rg2 Rc4 $1 28. axb5 Rg4 29. Rxg4 hxg4 30. Qg5 Qxb5 31. Qxg4 Qe8 32.
Nd4 Qe5 33. c3 $18 {and White wins (Ftacnik).}) 26. Bd7 Rd8 27. Be6 $1 Re8 ({
Shirov's point is} 27... fxe6 28. Qg5 Kf7 29. Rg2 Ke8 30. dxe6 Nxe6 31. Qxg6+
Kd7 32. Qf7+) 28. Qg5 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "15"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B17"]
[WhiteElo "2740"]
[BlackElo "2770"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Ng5 e6 6. Bd3 Ngf6 7. N1f3 Bd6 8.
Qe2 h6 9. Ne4 Nxe4 10. Qxe4 Qc7 11. Qg4 Kf8 12. O-O c5 13. Re1 b6 14. c3 Bb7
15. h4 Re8 16. h5 Bd5 17. Bd2 Rd8 18. Re2 Kg8 19. Qh3 Qc6 20. Re3 Bxf3 21. Rxf3
Nf6 22. Qh4 Be7 23. Rh3 cxd4 24. cxd4 Qd6 25. Be3 Kf8 26. Rc1 Qb4 27. b3 Nd5
28. Qe4 Bf6 29. Bc4 Qd6 30. Bxd5 Qxd5 31. Qxd5 Rxd5 32. Rc7 a5 33. a4 Kg8 34.
Rb7 Kh7 35. Rxf7 Rb8 36. Ra7 b5 37. Bf4 Rf8 38. Be5 Bxe5 39. dxe5 bxa4 40. bxa4
Rxe5 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "15"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B33"]
[WhiteElo "2770"]
[BlackElo "2790"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "56"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8.
Na3 b5 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. Nd5 f5 11. c3 Bg7 12. exf5 Bxf5 13. Nc2 O-O 14. Nce3
Be6 15. Bd3 f5 16. O-O e4 ({Kramnik played} 16... Ra7 {against Shirov in round
five.}) 17. Nf4 Bf7 18. Bc2 Be5 19. Nfd5 Qg5 20. f4 exf3 21. Qxf3 Bh5 22. Qf2 (
{White misses the opportunity} 22. Qh3 $1 f4 23. Nc7 $1 {(Kramnik).}) 22... f4
23. h4 Qd8 24. Nf5 Bg6 25. Nd4 Nxd4 26. cxd4 Bxc2 27. dxe5 dxe5 28. Qc5 Rf7
1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "15"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2740"]
[BlackElo "2740"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "104"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. f3
Be7 9. Qd2 Nbd7 10. g4 h6 11. O-O-O b5 12. Kb1 Nb6 13. Na5 Qc7 14. Bxb6 Qxb6
15. Nd5 Bxd5 16. exd5 Rc8 17. b4 O-O 18. h4 Rc7 19. Bh3 Nh7 20. Bg2 Rfc8 21.
Nc6 Nf6 22. f4 $6 Nxg4 23. Bh3 h5 24. Rhg1 f5 25. fxe5 dxe5 26. Rgf1 Rf8 27.
Nxe7+ Rxe7 28. d6 Ref7 29. Bxg4 hxg4 30. Qd5 f4 31. Qxe5 g3 32. Qd5 Qb7 33.
Qxb7 $2 Rxb7 34. d7 Rxd7 $1 {White is castigated in the rook ending.} 35. Rxd7
f3 36. Rdd1 f2 37. Rg1 fxg1=Q 38. Rxg1 Rf3 39. Kc1 Kh7 40. Kd1 Kh6 41. Ke2 Rc3
42. Kd2 Ra3 43. c3 g2 44. Ke2 Rxa2+ 45. Kf3 Kh5 46. Kg3 Rc2 47. Ra1 Rxc3+ 48.
Kxg2 Rc4 49. Rxa6 Rxh4 50. Ra7 g6 51. Rh7+ Kg5 52. Rxh4 Kxh4 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "15"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C78"]
[WhiteElo "2825"]
[BlackElo "2710"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "43"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 7. a4 Bb7 8. Nc3
O-O 9. d3 Na5 10. axb5 Nxb3 11. cxb3 axb5 12. Rxa8 Bxa8 13. Nxe5 d5 14. Bg5 Be7
15. Nxb5 dxe4 16. dxe4 Bxe4 17. Nc3 Bb7 18. Re1 h6 19. Bf4 Bb4 20. Ng4 Nxg4 21.
Qxg4 Re8 22. Rxe8+ {The 'Spaniard' Shirov led after the first cycle. Svidler
showed fine fighting spirit. Ivanchuk began poorly.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "15"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C78"]
[WhiteElo "2770"]
[BlackElo "2710"]
[PlyCount "88"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 7. a4 Bb7 8. d3
O-O 9. Nc3 Na5 10. axb5 Nxb3 11. cxb3 axb5 12. Rxa8 Bxa8 13. Nxe5 d5 14. Bg5
Be7 15. Nxb5 dxe4 16. dxe4 Bxe4 17. Re1 Qxd1 18. Rxd1 Rb8 19. Nc3 Bc2 20. Rc1
Bxb3 21. Nc6 Re8 22. Nb5 Bc5 23. Bxf6 gxf6 24. Ncd4 Ba4 25. Kf1 Re5 26. Rc4
Bxb5 27. Nxb5 Bxf2 28. Nxc7 Bb6 29. b4 Rf5+ 30. Ke1 Bf2+ 31. Ke2 Bg1 32. h3
Rf2+ 33. Kd3 Rxg2 34. Rg4+ Rxg4 35. hxg4 Kg7 36. Nd5 Kh6 37. Nxf6 Kg5 38. Nxh7+
Kxg4 39. Nf6+ Kf5 40. Ne4 Kg4 41. Nd6 f5 42. Nxf5 Kxf5 43. b5 Ke5 44. b6 Bxb6
1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "15"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B57"]
[WhiteElo "2740"]
[BlackElo "2790"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "148"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Bc4 Qb6 7. Ndb5 a6 8.
Be3 Qd8 9. Nd4 Ng4 10. Nxc6 bxc6 11. Qf3 Ne5 12. Qe2 e6 13. O-O-O Be7 14. Bd4
Qc7 15. Bxe5 dxe5 16. Na4 O-O 17. Rd3 Qa5 18. b3 Rb8 19. Qd2 Qxd2+ 20. Kxd2 g6
21. Rd1 Kg7 22. Ke2 a5 23. Rc3 Bb4 24. Rcd3 Be7 25. g3 h5 26. h4 f5 $2 (26...
f6 {keeps the position closed.}) 27. Rc3 Bb4 28. Re3 Kf6 29. f4 exf4 30. e5+ $1
Kf7 31. gxf4 Be7 32. Red3 $1 {The rooks utilise the open file.} Bxh4 33. Nc5 ({
Later Ivanchuk finds the win} 33. Rd6 $1 Re8 34. Rxc6) 33... Be7 34. Rd6 $1
Bxd6 35. exd6 Rd8 36. d7 Ke7 ({The pointe is} 36... Bb7 37. Rd6 h4 38. Rxe6)
37. dxc8=N+ Rbxc8 38. Rxd8 Rxd8 39. Nxe6 Rh8 40. Ng5 h4 41. Nh3 Kf6 42. Kf2 $6
(42. a4 {prevents counter-play.}) 42... Rd8 43. Bd3 a4 $1 44. Ng5 a3 $1 45. Nf3
c5 $1 46. Ng5 Rd4 47. Kf3 Rd7 48. Ke3 Rd8 $1 49. Nf3 Re8+ 50. Kf2 Rd8 51. Nxh4
c4 $3 {kramnik's defence is based on the vulnerability of a2.} 52. bxc4 Rb8 53.
c5 Rb2 54. c6 Ke7 55. Nxg6+ Kd6 56. Ne5 Rxa2 57. Nc4+ Kc7 $5 58. Kg3 ({Avoids
the trap} 58. Bxf5 $4 Rxc2+ $1) 58... Ra1 59. Nxa3 Rxa3 60. Kh4 Kxc6 61. Kg5
Ra5 62. Bxf5 Kd6 63. Kg4 Ke7 64. Bd3 Rc5 65. Kf3 Kd6 66. Ke4 Rh5 67. c4 Rh4 68.
Kf5 Kc5 69. Ke5 Rh3 70. Ke4 Rh4 71. Be2 Rh2 72. Kf3 Kd4 73. Bf1 Rh1 74. Kf2 Rh8
1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "15"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Svidler, Peter"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C93"]
[WhiteElo "2825"]
[BlackElo "2690"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "128"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. h3
Bb7 9. d3 d6 10. c3 Re8 11. Nbd2 h6 12. Nf1 Bf8 13. Ng3 Nb8 14. Nh4 d5 15. exd5
Bxd5 16. Nhf5 Nbd7 17. Bxd5 Nxd5 18. Qg4 Kh8 19. Qf3 N5f6 20. Ne4 Kh7 21. h4
Nxe4 22. dxe4 Qf6 23. g4 g6 24. g5 Qe6 25. Nxh6 Bxh6 26. gxh6 Nf6 27. Bg5 Ng4
28. Rad1 f6 29. Bc1 Nxh6 30. Bxh6 Kxh6 31. Rd3 Rad8 32. Red1 Rxd3 33. Rxd3 Rg8
34. b3 f5 35. Qg2 fxe4 36. Qxe4 Rf8 37. Rg3 Rf4 38. Qe3 Kh7 39. Rg5 $6 ({
Correct is} 39. Qc5) 39... Qd5 $1 40. Rxe5 ({Avoids} 40. Qxe5 $2 Rg4+ $1) 40...
Rg4+ 41. Kf1 Qd1+ 42. Qe1 Qd3+ 43. Qe2 Qb1+ 44. Qe1 Qd3+ 45. Qe2 Qh3+ 46. Ke1
Qxc3+ 47. Kf1 Qh3+ 48. Ke1 Rg1+ 49. Kd2 Qd7+ 50. Kc2 Qc6+ 51. Kd3 Qd6+ 52. Kc2
Qc6+ 53. Kd3 Qd6+ 54. Kc2 Ra1 55. Re7+ Kg8 56. Qe6+ Qxe6 57. Rxe6 Rxa2+ 58. Kc3
$1 {The king plays a main role on the queenside.} Kg7 59. Kb4 Kh6 60. f4 Kh5
61. Re5+ Kxh4 62. Rg5 Rf2 63. Rxg6 Rxf4+ 64. Ka5 {Although Black has two extra
pawns, White draws easily.} Rf3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "15"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D85"]
[WhiteElo "2790"]
[BlackElo "2740"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "107"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. d4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 g6 7. e4 Bg7 8.
Rb1 O-O 9. Be2 cxd4 10. cxd4 Qa5+ 11. Bd2 Qxa2 12. O-O Bg4 13. Be3 Nc6 14. d5
Bxf3 15. Bxf3 Ne5 16. Be2 Nc4 17. Bg5 Nd6 18. Bxe7 $1 Nxe4 19. Bf3 $1 Nd2 20.
Qe2 Rfe8 $2 ({Better is} 20... Nxf3+ 21. Qxf3 Rfb8 22. d6 b6 {(Ftaknik).}) 21.
d6 {This pawn has huge srtrength.} Nxf3+ 22. Qxf3 Bf8 23. Rxb7 a5 $1 24. h4 a4
25. Rd1 Qe6 26. Bg5 h6 $1 27. d7 hxg5 28. dxe8=Q Rxe8 29. hxg5 a3 30. g3 $1 {
White develops his king.} a2 31. Kg2 Rd8 32. Re1 $5 Qc4 33. Ra7 Rd3 $1 34. Qa8
Rd2 35. Qf3 Rd3 36. Qa8 Rd2 {The victory loooms.} 37. Ra4 $2 ({White wins by} 
37. Re4 $1 {(Kramnik)} Qc5 38. Rf4) 37... Qc5 38. Rf1 Qc2 39. Ra7 Qb3 40. Qf3 (
{Kramnik suggests} 40. Rc7 $1 {but} Qd3 $1 41. Rc8 Qxf1+ 42. Kxf1 Rd1+ 43. Kg2
a1=Q 44. Rxf8+ Kg7 45. Rg8+ Kh7 46. Qxa1 Rxa1 {draws.}) 40... Qxf3+ 41. Kxf3
Bc5 42. Ra8+ Kg7 43. Ra1 Rxf2+ 44. Kg4 Rd2 45. Ra4 Bb6 46. R1xa2 Rd5 47. Kh4
Bd8 48. Rg4 Rd1 49. Rh2 Kg8 50. Re4 Rd5 51. Re8+ Kg7 52. Rb2 Bxg5+ 53. Kg4 Rd4+
54. Kf3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "15"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B17"]
[WhiteElo "2710"]
[BlackElo "2740"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "94"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Ng5 Ndf6 6. Bc4 e6 7. Qe2 Bd6 8.
Bd2 Qc7 9. O-O-O b6 10. N1f3 h6 11. Nh3 $5 Ne7 12. Ne5 c5 $1 (12... O-O $6 13.
f4 {asks for trouble.}) 13. Bb5+ Kf8 $1 14. Nc4 $5 cxd4 15. Nxd6 Qxd6 16. Bf4
$1 Qd5 $1 17. Be5 ({A plus gains} 17. Rxd4 $1 Qxd4 18. Rd1 Qxd1+ 19. Qxd1)
17... Nf5 (17... Qxg2 18. Nf4 Qe4 19. Qxe4 Nxe4 20. Rxd4 Bb7 21. Rhd1 {leads
to a dynamic equality.}) 18. c4 $5 Qc5 $5 19. Qf3 Qxe5 $5 20. Qxa8 Qc7 21. Qc6
$5 Qb8 $5 22. Qf3 Bb7 {Black grabs the initiative.} 23. Qa3+ $5 (23. Bc6 {
takes less risk.}) 23... Kg8 24. f3 g5 $1 25. Ba4 $2 (25. Nf2 $1 {activates
the knight.}) 25... e5 26. Rhe1 Kg7 27. Bc2 Nh4 28. Rd2 Rc8 29. Kb1 ({Or} 29.
Qb4 Bxf3 $1 {(Ftacnik).}) 29... Rxc4 30. Ng1 Rc5 31. g3 Ra5 32. Qd3 Ng6 33. Bb3
Qd6 34. Rc2 e4 $1 {A steamroller starts.} 35. Qc4 ({The pointe is} 35. fxe4 $2
Ne5) 35... Ne5 36. Qc7 Qb4 37. Rd1 Bd5 $1 38. Bxd5 Rxd5 39. fxe4 Nxe4 40. a3
Qb5 41. Ka2 d3 42. Rcc1 d2 43. Rc2 Nd3 44. Rcxd2 Rc5 45. Qd8 Qc4+ 46. b3 Nc3+
47. Ka1 Ra5 $1 {Ivanchuk scored his first victory in the tournament.} 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "15"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Svidler, Peter"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B65"]
[WhiteElo "2690"]
[BlackElo "2770"]
[PlyCount "88"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 Be7 8.
O-O-O O-O 9. f4 Nxd4 10. Qxd4 Qa5 11. Bc4 Bd7 12. e5 dxe5 13. fxe5 Bc6 14. Bd2
Nd7 15. Nd5 Qd8 16. Nxe7+ Qxe7 17. Rhe1 Rfd8 18. Qg4 Nf8 19. Bd3 Rxd3 20. cxd3
Qd7 21. Bb4 Ng6 22. Bd6 f5 23. Qg5 Bd5 24. b3 Qc6+ 25. Kb2 Qb6 26. g3 Qd4+ 27.
Kb1 Rc8 28. Qe3 Qxe3 29. Rxe3 f4 30. gxf4 Nxf4 31. Rf1 Ng6 32. Rc1 Rxc1+ 33.
Kxc1 Nh4 34. Re2 g5 35. Kd2 Kg7 36. Rf2 Nf5 37. Bc7 Kg6 38. Bd8 h6 39. Ke1 Kh5
40. Kf1 Kg4 41. Kg1 Kh3 42. b4 g4 43. a4 h5 44. Rf4 a6 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "15"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2770"]
[BlackElo "2825"]
[PlyCount "47"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 Ng4 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4
g5 9. Bg3 Bg7 10. Qd2 Nc6 11. Nb3 Nge5 12. f3 b5 13. Bf2 Rb8 14. Nd4 Bd7 15.
Be2 Nc4 16. Bxc4 bxc4 17. Rb1 Rg8 18. Nxc6 Bxc6 19. h3 h5 20. Bd4 Bxd4 21. Qxd4
Qb6 22. Qxb6 Rxb6 23. b4 cxb3 24. axb3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "15"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Svidler, Peter"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D85"]
[WhiteElo "2740"]
[BlackElo "2690"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "115"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Nf3 c5 8.
Rb1 O-O 9. Be2 cxd4 10. cxd4 Qa5+ 11. Bd2 Qxa2 12. O-O b6 13. Qc1 Bb7 14. Bc4
Qa4 15. Bb5 Qa2 16. Bc4 Qa4 17. Bb5 Qa2 18. Re1 Rc8 19. Qd1 e6 20. h4 $5 h5 $5
21. Qe2 Nc6 22. Bc4 Qa4 $6 ({Ivanchuk prefers} 22... Qa3 $5) 23. Ra1 Qc2 24.
Bd3 Qb2 25. Ra4 $1 ({Not} 25. Reb1 $2 Nxd4 $1) 25... b5 $1 ({A tempo loses} 
25... Qb3 26. Rea1 b5 $1) 26. Bxb5 Rd8 ({No good is} 26... Nxd4 $2 27. Nxd4
Bxd4 28. Rb4 Qxd2 29. Qxd2 Bc3 30. Qd7 $1 Bxb4 31. Rb1 {(Ftacnik).}) 27. Bg5 $1
Qxe2 28. Bxe2 {White has the better endgame.} Rd7 29. Rb1 Nd8 30. Bd3 f5 $6 31.
d5 $1 fxe4 32. Bxe4 Bxd5 33. Bxg6 Rb7 34. Rxb7 Nxb7 35. Be3 $1 ({Counter-play
is allowed by} 35. Bxh5 Nc5 36. Ra5 Nb7 37. Ra3 a5) 35... a5 36. Bxh5 Bc6 37.
Rg4 Bxf3 $5 38. Rxg7+ $1 Kxg7 39. Bxf3 {Svidler is short on time.} Rb8 $2 ({
Correct is} 39... a4 $1 40. Bxb7 Ra5 $1 41. Bd4+ Kf7 42. Kh2 a3 43. Kh3 a2 44.
g4 a1=Q 45. Bxa1 Rxa1 46. Kg3 {Black will hold the position. He might give his
rook for the f- and g-pawn.}) 40. Bf4 Rd8 41. Bxb7 a4 42. Be5+ Kg8 43. h5 Rd1+
44. Kh2 Re1 45. f4 Rxe5 $1 46. fxe5 a3 47. Bc8 Kf7 48. h6 a2 49. Bxe6+ $1 Kxe6
50. h7 a1=Q 51. h8=Q Kd5 52. Qg8+ Ke4 53. Qg6+ Kd5 54. Qf7+ Ke4 55. Qg6+ Kd5
56. Qf7+ Ke4 57. e6 Qh8+ 58. Kg3 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "15"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D85"]
[WhiteElo "2740"]
[BlackElo "2710"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "106"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bb5+ c6 8.
Ba4 O-O 9. Ne2 Nd7 10. O-O e5 11. f3 Qe7 12. Be3 Rd8 13. Qc2 Nb6 14. Bb3 Be6
15. Rad1 Nc4 $1 16. Bc1 b5 $1 17. f4 $1 {The battle begins.} exd4 18. Nxd4 Bg4
19. Rde1 Qc5 20. Kh1 a5 $1 (20... Bxd4 21. cxd4 Qxd4 22. f5 {hands over the
initiative to White (Ftacnik).}) 21. h3 Bd7 22. a4 bxa4 23. Ba2 $1 Be8 24. e5
Nb6 25. f5 Nd5 26. Bd2 $2 ({Shirov advices} 26. Rf3 $1) 26... Nb4 $1 27. Qxa4 (
{The pointe is} 27. cxb4 $2 Qxc2 28. Nxc2 Rxd2) 27... Nxa2 28. Qxa2 Bxe5 29.
fxg6 hxg6 30. Bg5 Rd5 31. Re3 Qd6 32. Qe2 Bd7 33. c4 $2 ({An excellent
counteraction brings} 33. Nf3 Bg3 34. c4 Rf5 35. Rd1 Qc7 36. Qb2) 33... Bxd4
34. cxd5 Bxe3 35. Qxe3 Re8 $1 36. Qc3 Qxd5 37. Bh6 Re5 38. Rf3 Qc5 39. Qa1 Bf5
40. Re3 f6 41. Rxe5 Qxe5 42. Qa2+ Qd5 $1 43. Qxd5+ ({Stubborn resistance is
given by} 43. Qa3 c5 44. Qxa5 Bxh3 45. Qd2 Qc6 46. Kg1 {(Shirov)} Bd7) 43...
cxd5 44. Bd2 a4 45. Bc3 Kf7 46. h4 Ke6 47. Kg1 Bh3 $3 {A famous move is made.
Black gives a bishop for a tempo.} ({After} 47... Be4 $2 48. Kf2 Kf5 49. g3 {
the bishop obstructs square e4 (Shirov).}) 48. gxh3 ({Or} 48. Kf2 Kf5 49. Kf3
Bxg2+ $1) 48... Kf5 49. Kf2 Ke4 50. Bxf6 d4 51. Be7 Kd3 $1 52. Bc5 Kc4 53. Be7
Kb3 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "15"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C92"]
[WhiteElo "2825"]
[BlackElo "2740"]
[PlyCount "108"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3
O-O 9. h3 Bb7 10. d4 Re8 11. Nbd2 Bf8 12. d5 Nb8 13. Nf1 Nbd7 14. N3h2 Nc5 15.
Bc2 c6 16. b4 Ncd7 17. dxc6 Bxc6 18. Ng4 Nxg4 19. hxg4 Nb6 20. Ne3 d5 21. exd5
Nxd5 22. Nxd5 Qxd5 23. Qxd5 Bxd5 24. Bb3 Be6 25. Bxe6 Rxe6 26. a4 bxa4 27. Rxa4
Rc8 28. Bd2 Rd6 29. Ra2 f6 30. Re4 g6 31. c4 f5 32. gxf5 gxf5 33. Rxe5 Rxc4 34.
Rxf5 Bh6 35. Bxh6 Rxh6 36. Rc5 Rxb4 37. Rc8+ Kg7 38. Rc7+ Kg8 39. g3 Rbb6 40.
Ra7 Rhg6 41. Kg2 Rbf6 42. Ra3 Kh8 43. f3 Kg8 44. Kf2 Rb6 45. f4 h5 46. Kf3 Rbc6
47. Rd7 Rg7 48. Rxg7+ Kxg7 49. Kg2 Kh6 50. Kh3 Rg6 51. Ra5 Kg7 52. Rc5 Kh6 53.
Rc8 Kh7 54. Ra8 Kg7 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "15"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C67"]
[WhiteElo "2710"]
[BlackElo "2790"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Be7 6. dxe5 O-O 7. Re1 d5 8.
exd6 Bxd6 9. Nbd2 Bf5 $5 ({The theoretical} 9... Nxd2 $1 10. Bxd2 Qf6 {draws.})
10. Nc4 $1 Bb4 (10... Bc5 11. Be3 Qf6 {is slightly better (Wedberg).}) 11. c3
Qxd1 12. Rxd1 Bc5 13. Be3 Ne7 14. Re1 Bxe3 $6 ({Equality gains} 14... Nd5 $1
15. Bxc5 Nxc5 16. Ne3 Be6 $1) 15. Nxe3 Nd6 16. Nxf5 Nexf5 17. Ba4 $1 {White
has the strong bishop.} g6 18. Re2 b5 19. Bc2 Rfe8 20. Rae1 Rxe2 21. Rxe2 {
Appropriate prophylaxis is needed.} a5 $2 ({A subtle defence gives} 21... Ng7
22. Re7 Rc8 23. Bb3 Kf8) 22. Re5 b4 23. Rc5 bxc3 24. Rxc3 Nb5 $6 {Kramnik
decides for activity.} ({The passive} 24... Ra7 25. b3 Nb5 26. Rc5 Nfd4 27.
Nxd4 Nxd4 28. Be4 Ne6 {creates a wall.}) 25. Rc4 Rd8 26. Kf1 Ne7 27. a4 Nd6 28.
Rxc7 Nd5 29. Rc5 Nb4 30. Bb3 Nd3 31. Rxa5 Nxb2 32. Rd5 $1 {Nb2 is imprisoned.}
Rb8 33. Nd2 Rb6 34. Ke2 Ra6 35. Rd4 Nb7 36. Ne4 Rb6 37. Bd5 Kg7 38. Kd2 Nd6 39.
Nc3 Nf5 40. Rf4 Kf6 41. a5 (41. a5 Ra6 42. Rb4 {conquers the knight (Shirov).})
1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "15"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Svidler, Peter"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C67"]
[WhiteElo "2690"]
[BlackElo "2740"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "133"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5
8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Nc3 Ke8 10. Rd1 Ne7 11. Nd4 Ng6 12. f4 Bc5 13. Ne4 Bxd4+ 14.
Rxd4 b6 15. Be3 h5 16. Re1 Be6 17. Ng5 Bf5 18. Rc4 Ne7 19. Rd1 a5 20. Bf2 c5
21. Rc3 Ng6 22. Re1 Rg8 23. a3 a4 24. e6 f6 25. Ne4 h4 26. Rc4 Ke7 $4 ({
Correct is} 26... Ra5) 27. Nxc5 bxc5 28. Rxc5 Nxf4 29. Rxf5 Nxe6 30. Bxh4 Rgb8
31. Rc5 Kd6 32. Rc3 Rxb2 33. Bg3+ Kd7 34. Rd1+ Ke8 35. Rc6 Kf7 36. Rd7+ Ke8 37.
Rd1 Kf7 38. Re1 Re8 39. Re4 Ra2 40. Rxa4 Rd8 41. Re4 Rd1+ 42. Kf2 Nd4 43. Rxc7+
Kg6 44. Rg4+ Kf5 45. Rc5+ Ke6 46. Re4+ Kf7 47. Rc7+ Kg6 48. Rg4+ Kf5 49. Rc5+
Ke6 50. Rxg7 Nxc2 51. Rc6+ Kf5 52. Rc5+ Ke6 53. Kf3 Nd4+ 54. Kg4 Rxa3 55. Rc8
Ra4 56. Re8+ Kd5 57. Rd7+ Kc4 58. Bf2 Kc3 59. Bxd4+ Rdxd4+ 60. Rxd4 Kxd4 61.
Kf5 Ra2 62. g4 Rf2+ 63. Kg6 Rf4 64. Kh5 f5 65. g5 Re4 66. Rf8 Ke5 67. Kg6 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "15"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B63"]
[WhiteElo "2740"]
[BlackElo "2770"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "54"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bg5 e6 7. Qd2 Be7 8.
O-O-O O-O 9. f3 Nxd4 10. Qxd4 a6 11. h4 b5 12. Kb1 Qc7 13. h5 h6 14. Bh4 $6 (
14. Bxf6 gxf6 15. Qd2 {will be played in Socko-Kacheishvili, Leon 2001.}) 14...
Bb7 15. Ne2 Rac8 16. Qd2 (16. Qc3 $1 Qb6 17. Qd2 {is slightly better.}) 16...
Rfd8 17. Re1 ({Anand suggests the drastic} 17. Nd4 $1 d5 18. e5 $1 Qxe5 19. g4)
17... e5 $1 18. Bxf6 $6 ({More resistance offers} 18. Ng3 $1 d5 19. Bd3 {
(Anand).}) 18... Bxf6 19. Nc3 Bg5 20. Qd1 $6 ({The last stand brings} 20. Qd3
$5 d5 $1 21. Nxd5 Bxd5 22. exd5 Rxd5 $1 23. Qb3 Rd2 24. Bd3 Rxg2 {(Anand).})
20... Qa5 21. Nd5 $6 Bxd5 22. exd5 Rxc2 $1 {Black decides the game with a
great combination.} 23. Kxc2 Qxa2 24. f4 (24. Kd3 $2 Qc4#) 24... Rc8+ 25. Kd2
Bxf4+ 26. Ke2 Qxb2+ 27. Kf3 Rc1 {Anand nears the leader Shirov by half-a-point.
} 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "15"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Svidler, Peter"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E05"]
[WhiteElo "2790"]
[BlackElo "2690"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. d4 Be7 5. Bg2 O-O 6. O-O dxc4 7. Qc2 a6 8. Qxc4
b5 9. Qc2 Bb7 10. Bf4 Nd5 11. Nc3 Nxf4 12. gxf4 Nd7 13. Rfd1 Bxf3 $2 14. Bxf3
Rb8 15. e3 ({Smyslov won with} 15. Ne4 {against Barczay in Kapfenberg 1970.})
15... Nf6 ({The liberating move} 15... c5 $2 {faild due to} 16. dxc5 Bxc5 17.
Bc6 {(Ribli).}) 16. Rac1 Qd6 $6 (16... Bd6 {is wiser.}) 17. Ne2 Rfc8 18. e4 $5
Qd7 19. d5 $1 {Kramnik plays his favourite centre breakthrough.} exd5 20. e5
Ne8 21. Rxd5 Qh3 22. Bg2 Qh4 {White controls and occupies the centre. Black
has been outsmarted completely.} ({The passive} 22... Qh5 23. Rd7 Bf8 24. Ng3
Qg4 25. Qf5 $1 Qxf5 26. Nxf5 g6 27. Ne3 f5 28. Bc6 {leads to a plain win for
White.}) ({A horror shows} 22... Qg4 23. h3 Qg6 24. Qxg6 hxg6 25. Rd7 Kf8 26.
Rc6) 23. Nd4 $1 Qxf4 24. Nc6 Bh4 25. Rcd1 $1 {This move is even stronger than
the win of an exchange.} Rb6 26. R5d4 Rxc6 ({White attacks the king in} 26...
Qh6 27. Qf5 Ra8 28. Rf4 {(Ftacnik).}) 27. Bxc6 Qxe5 28. Bd7 Rd8 ({Or} 28...
Qg5+ 29. Rg4) 29. Rxh4 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "15"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D85"]
[WhiteElo "2740"]
[BlackElo "2825"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "38"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bb5+ c6 8.
Ba4 O-O 9. Ne2 c5 10. O-O Nc6 11. Be3 Na5 12. dxc5 Nc4 13. Qxd8 Rxd8 14. Bg5
Bd7 15. Bb3 Na5 16. Bxe7 Re8 17. Bd6 Rxe4 18. Nd4 Nxb3 19. axb3 Bxd4 {Kasparov
got a fine of 500,000 Pt for the short draw.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "15"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2770"]
[BlackElo "2740"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "155"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 Ng4 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4
g5 9. Bg3 Bg7 10. Bc4 Nc6 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. h4 Qb6 13. Bb3 Bd7 14. hxg5 O-O-O
$5 15. Qd2 {Topalov has chosen an aggressive opening.} ({Anand finds} 15. gxh6
Bxh6 {too risky.}) 15... hxg5 16. Rxh8 Rxh8 17. O-O-O Ne5 18. f3 Qa5 19. Kb1
Bf6 20. Qe3 Kb7 21. Bf2 Rb8 $2 22. g3 Kc8 23. Qe2 $1 {White threatens Rd4-a4.}
Ng6 $2 ({Far stronger than the retreat is} 23... g4 $1 24. f4 Nf3) 24. Be1 Qb6
25. Na4 Qb5 $6 {Black loses a tempo.} 26. c4 $1 Qb7 27. Ba5 $6 ({White misses} 
27. c5 $1 {(Anand)} Qb5 28. Qxb5 axb5 29. Nb6+ Kc7 30. Ba5 $18) 27... c5 28.
Nb6+ Qxb6 $1 {Black has to stop the attack.} 29. Bxb6 Rxb6 30. Rd2 Be5 31. Qh2
Kc7 32. Rf2 Rb8 33. f4 $6 Rh8 ({Anand prefers} 33... gxf4 $5 34. gxf4 Bd4) 34.
fxe5 $1 Rxh2 35. exd6+ Kxd6 36. Rxh2 {White has a material advantage in the
endgame.} Bc6 37. Bc2 Ne5 38. b3 Nf3 39. Rh7 f6 40. Kc1 a5 41. Kd1 Ke6 42. Bd3
Kd6 43. Ke2 Ne5 44. Kd2 Bb7 45. Kc3 Nc6 46. Rh8 Kc7 47. Bf1 Ne5 48. Bg2 Bc6 49.
a3 Bb7 50. Rh7 Kd7 51. b4 axb4+ 52. axb4 cxb4+ 53. Kxb4 Ba6 54. Bh3+ $1 g4 55.
Bf1 Bb7 56. Bg2 Ba6 57. Rh5 $1 Ke6 ({The pointes are} 57... Nxc4 $2 58. Bf1) ({
and} 57... Bxc4 $2 58. Rxe5) 58. Kc3 Kd6 59. Bf1 Bb7 60. Bd3 Bc6 61. Rh7 Bd7
62. Be2 Be6 63. Bf1 Bf7 64. Bd3 Be6 65. Rh8 Nc6 66. Bc2 {White has great
difficulty to make headway with the passed pawn.} Kc5 $2 ({Correct is} 66...
Ne5 $1 67. Rd8+ Kc7 68. Re8 Kd6 69. Bb3 Bd7 70. Ra8 Bc6 71. Ra6 Kc5 {White has
been unable to carry out the desired stride.}) 67. Bb3 Bf7 68. Ba4 $1 Ne5 69.
Rc8+ Kb6 70. c5+ {The essential advance has been made.} Kb7 71. Rh8 Bg6 72. Kd4
Bf7 73. Rh7 Kc7 74. Bb5 Nf3+ 75. Ke3 Ne5 76. Rh8 Bg6 77. Ra8 Kb7 78. Ra6 {
Anand scored an important victory.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "15"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E32"]
[WhiteElo "2825"]
[BlackElo "2790"]
[PlyCount "103"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 O-O 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Qxc3 b6 7. Nf3 Bb7 8.
Bg5 d6 9. Nd2 Nbd7 10. f3 h6 11. Bh4 Rc8 12. e4 c5 13. Bd3 d5 14. exd5 exd5 15.
O-O cxd4 16. Qxd4 Nc5 17. Bxf6 Qxf6 18. Qxf6 gxf6 19. Bf5 Rcd8 20. Rfe1 Ba6 21.
Rac1 dxc4 22. Nxc4 Nb3 23. Rc3 Nd4 24. Bh3 Rfe8 25. Kf2 Rxe1 26. Kxe1 Re8+ 27.
Kd2 Ne2 28. Re3 Rd8+ 29. Kxe2 Bxc4+ 30. Ke1 Kf8 31. Bf5 Re8 32. Rxe8+ Kxe8 33.
Kd2 Ke7 34. Ke3 Bd5 35. Kd4 Kd6 36. Be4 Be6 37. Bd3 Bc8 38. Bc4 Ke7 39. Ke4
Bb7+ 40. Bd5 Bc8 41. Kd4 Bd7 42. Kc4 Be8 43. b4 Bd7 44. f4 f5 45. Bf3 Kd6 46.
Bh5 f6 47. Bd1 Bc6 48. g3 Bd7 49. Bc2 Ke6 50. a4 Kd6 51. a5 Ke6 52. Kd4 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "15"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Svidler, Peter"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C78"]
[WhiteElo "2690"]
[BlackElo "2710"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 7. a4 Rb8 8. c3
d6 9. d4 Bb6 10. Na3 Bg4 11. axb5 axb5 12. Nxb5 O-O 13. Re1 Bxf3 14. gxf3 Nh5
15. Kh1 $1 ({Svidler plays a more aggressive move than} 15. Be3 {
(Ivanchuk-Shirov, Belgrade 1997).}) 15... Qf6 16. Rg1 $1 Nf4 17. Be3 Ne6 18.
Bxe6 fxe6 19. Rg3 Kh8 20. Qd3 exd4 21. cxd4 e5 22. d5 $1 {White gains a small
advantage.} ({Incorrect is} 22. Rc1 $2 Nxd4 23. Bxd4 exd4 24. Nxc7 $4 Rbc8 {
(Svidler).}) 22... Ne7 23. Bxb6 Rxb6 24. Nxc7 Rxb2 25. Ne6 Rg8 26. Kg1 $5 Ng6
27. Qa3 Rb6 ({The counter} 27... Rc2 $2 28. Qxd6 Nf4 29. Qd7 Ne2+ 30. Kg2 Nxg3
31. hxg3 Rc3 $1 {is refuted by} 32. f4 $1 exf4 33. Nxf4 Rxg3+ $5 {(Svidler)}
34. Kxg3 g5 (34... Qxa1 35. Ng6+ hxg6 36. Qh3#) 35. Qxh7+ $1 Kxh7 36. Rh1+ Kg7
37. Nh5+) 28. Kh1 $5 Nf4 $2 (28... Rgb8 $1 29. Rag1 Qe7 {defends properly.})
29. Nxg7 $1 {White grabs a pawn.} Ne2 (29... Rxg7 $4 30. Qa8+) 30. Nf5 $1 {The
restriction by the knight on its advanced post decides the game.} Rgb8 31. Qd3
Rb2 32. Rf1 $1 Ra8 ({Or} 32... Nxg3+ 33. hxg3 R2b3 34. Qd1 $1 Rc3 35. Kg2 $1 {
(Svidler).}) 33. Qc4 Nxg3+ 34. hxg3 $1 Qd8 35. Qc1 Rb3 36. Kg2 $1 Qf8 37. Qc7 {
Shirov trails Anand by half-a-point.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "15"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "14"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E32"]
[WhiteElo "2790"]
[BlackElo "2770"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 O-O 5. a3 Bxc3 6. Qxc3 b6 7. d4 Bb7 8.
Bg5 d6 9. Nd2 Nbd7 10. f3 d5 {Anand needs a draw. A new move leads to solid
counter-play in the centre.} 11. e3 c5 12. dxc5 bxc5 13. Bd3 Qb6 14. O-O h6 15.
Bh4 a5 16. Bf2 a4 17. Rfe1 Rfe8 18. Rab1 Ba6 19. Qc2 Ne5 20. Bf1 Qc6 21. Bg3
Ned7 22. Bf2 Ne5 23. h3 Nfd7 24. f4 Nxc4 25. Nxc4 Bxc4 26. Bxc4 dxc4 27. Qxc4
Rab8 28. Re2 Rb3 29. Rd1 Nb6 30. Qc1 e5 31. e4 exf4 32. Qxf4 Nc4 33. e5 Qe6 34.
Bxc5 {Anand has won the tournament.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "15"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "14"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B81"]
[WhiteElo "2710"]
[BlackElo "2825"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "34"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e6 7. g4 h6 8. f4 e5
9. Nf5 {Shirov wants to defeat the world champion. Therefore, he plays a sharp
opening.} h5 $5 {Black gets fine counter-play by an interesting novelty.} (9...
Nc6 {is known from Shirov-Kamsky, Monaco 1996 and Anand-Kasparov, Dos Hermanas
1996.}) 10. gxh5 $5 {Shirov selects the way to a short draw.} exf4 11. Bxf4
Nxh5 12. Nxd6+ Bxd6 13. Bxd6 ({Avoids} 13. Qxd6 $4 Qh4+ 14. Bg3 Nxg3 {
(Kasparov).}) 13... Qh4+ 14. Kd2 Qg5+ 15. Ke1 ({One does not play} 15. Kd3 $2
Rh6 $1 {against a world champion.}) 15... Qh4+ 16. Kd2 Qg5+ 17. Ke1 Qh4+ {A
draw by perpetual check.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "15"]
[Date "1998.??.??"]
[Round "14"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B84"]
[WhiteElo "2740"]
[BlackElo "2740"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "1998.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e6 7. Be2 Qc7 8. a4
b6 9. f4 Bb7 10. Bf3 Nbd7 11. Qe2 e5 12. Nf5 g6 13. fxe5 Nxe5 14. Bg5 Qd8 15.
Ne3 Bg7 16. O-O h6 17. Bh4 O-O 18. Ncd5 g5 19. Nxf6+ Qxf6 20. Bg4 Qd8 21. Bg3
Nxg4 22. Qxg4 Qe7 23. Nf5 Qxe4 24. Qxe4 Bxe4 25. Nxg7 Kxg7 26. Bxd6 Rfe8 27. c3
f5 28. a5 Re6 29. Bc7 b5 30. Rad1 Kg6 31. Rd6 Rxd6 32. Bxd6 h5 33. Rd1 Rd8 34.
Rd4 h4 35. Kf2 h3 36. g4 f4 37. Be7 Rxd4 38. cxd4 Bd5 39. b4 Bb3 40. Ke2 Be6
41. Kf3 Bd5+ {Anand and Ivanchuk scored well in the second cycle.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "16"]
[Date "1999.??.??"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Svidler, Peter"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C90"]
[WhiteElo "2810"]
[BlackElo "2710"]
[PlyCount "62"]
[EventDate "1999.??.??"]

{Kasparov's games have been analysed for this tournament.  Jan van Reek.} 1. e4
e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. d3 d6 9.
c3 Na5 10. Bc2 c5 11. Nbd2 Nc6 12. Nf1 Re8 13. h3 h6 14. d4 cxd4 15. cxd4 exd4
16. Nxd4 Nxd4 17. Qxd4 Bb7 18. Ng3 d5 19. e5 Ne4 20. Nxe4 dxe4 21. Be3 Qxd4 22.
Bxd4 Bb4 23. Red1 Bd5 24. a3 Ba5 25. Bc5 Bb7 26. Bd6 Bb6 27. Bb3 Rac8 28. a4 g5
29. axb5 axb5 30. Bb4 Rcd8 31. Bc3 e3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "16"]
[Date "1999.??.??"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2710"]
[BlackElo "2810"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "62"]
[EventDate "1999.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 Ng4 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4
g5 9. Bg3 Bg7 10. Qd2 Nc6 11. Nb3 Nge5 12. f3 b5 13. Bf2 Rb8 14. Nd4 b4 15. Nd1
$5 Nxd4 16. Bxd4 d5 $1 {Black opens the position favourably.} 17. exd5 $6 ({
Better is} 17. Bxe5 Bxe5 {(Kasparov)} 18. Qxd5 Qc7 19. Qc4 $1) 17... Qxd5 18.
c3 O-O 19. Be2 Rd8 20. Qe3 Bb7 21. Nf2 bxc3 22. Bxc3 Qe6 23. Kf1 $5 Bd5 24. b3
$2 (24. h4 $1 Nc4 25. Qxe6 Bxe6 {undertakes the proper action (Kasparov).})
24... Rbc8 25. Rd1 Rxc3 $1 {Black exerts great pressure. An exquisite
sacrifice brings the decision.} 26. Qxc3 Ng4 27. Qa5 Ne3+ 28. Kg1 Rc8 $6 ({The
game can be concluded by} 28... Nxd1 $1 29. Qxd8+ Kh7 30. Kf1 $1 Nxf2 31. Kxf2
Bd4+ 32. Ke1 Bb6 $1 33. Qb8 Qf6 {(Kasparov).}) 29. Qxa6 $6 ({Or} 29. Rb1 Bd4
30. Qd2 Qb6 {(Ftacnik).}) 29... Nxd1 30. Qxe6 Bxe6 31. Bxd1 Rc1 {Ivanchuk
resigned because his opponent will harvest the pawns on the queenside and keep
a big positional advantage.} 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "16"]
[Date "1999.??.??"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D20"]
[WhiteElo "2810"]
[BlackElo "2780"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "1999.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e4 e5 4. Nf3 exd4 5. Bxc4 Nc6 6. O-O Be6 7. Bb5 Bc5 8.
Nbd2 Qd6 $5 9. e5 Qd5 10. Ng5 $1 O-O-O 11. Bc4 Qd7 12. Nxe6 fxe6 13. b4 $1 {
White opens the way for an attack.} Nxb4 14. Qb3 Nd5 15. Ne4 Bb6 16. a4 $1 a5
17. Nd6+ $1 Kb8 {Black postpones the capture of the knight.} 18. Bxd5 exd5 19.
Bd2 cxd6 20. Qxb6 dxe5 21. f4 $1 {Gary frees another route.} Nf6 $2 ({
Countering by} 21... e4 $2 22. f5 e3 23. Be1 {also fails.}) ({The right move
makes} 21... Ne7 $1 {Black wants to exchange in} 22. fxe5 Rhf8 23. Rfc1 Rc8 24.
e6 Qd8) 22. fxe5 Ne4 23. Bxa5 d3 {Gary has to find a difficult win.} 24. e6 $2
({He misses} 24. Qb4 $1 Rde8 25. Bb6 d2 26. a5 $1 Qe7 27. Qb3 Qxe5 28. a6 {
(Kasparov).}) 24... Qd6 25. Qxd6+ Rxd6 26. e7 Rf6 27. Rxf6 Nxf6 28. Rd1 Re8 29.
Bb4 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "16"]
[Date "1999.??.??"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E34"]
[WhiteElo "2810"]
[BlackElo "2750"]
[PlyCount "40"]
[EventDate "1999.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 d5 5. cxd5 Qxd5 6. Nf3 Qf5 7. Qxf5 exf5 8.
a3 Be7 9. Bg5 Be6 10. e3 c6 11. Bd3 Nbd7 12. O-O h6 13. Bh4 a5 14. Rac1 O-O 15.
Ne2 g5 16. Bg3 Ne4 17. Nc3 Nxc3 18. Rxc3 Nf6 19. Rcc1 Rfd8 20. Rfd1 Rac8
1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "16"]
[Date "1999.??.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Adams, Michael"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B26"]
[WhiteElo "2715"]
[BlackElo "2810"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "118"]
[EventDate "1999.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 d6 3. g3 Nc6 4. Bg2 g6 5. d3 Bg7 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Nge2 O-O 8. h3
e5 9. O-O b5 $5 {Kasparov brings life to the game.} 10. Nxb5 $5 Rb8 11. a4 a6
12. Na3 Rxb2 13. Nc4 Rb8 14. f4 exf4 15. Nxf4 Na5 16. Nd2 Bd7 17. Ra2 Bc6 18.
Nf3 Ba8 19. c4 $6 Nd7 20. Raf2 Nb3 21. h4 Nd4 $6 22. Bh3 $6 (22. Nxd4 cxd4 23.
Bd2 {gains a plus.}) 22... Nxf3+ 23. Qxf3 Ne5 24. Qd1 Qe7 25. h5 Rb4 26. h6 Bh8
27. Ne6 $1 Rfb8 28. Ng5 Rb2 $1 29. Bf4 $2 {Adams misses a beautiful finale.} ({
A perpetual check results from} 29. Rxf7 $1 Nxf7 30. Be6 Bf6 31. Qg4 $1 Rb1 32.
Nxf7 Rxf1+ 33. Kxf1 Re8 34. Ng5+ Kh8 35. Nf7+ {(Adams).}) 29... Bf6 30. Nf3 Bc6
31. Nxe5 Bxe5 32. Qf3 f5 $6 (32... Rxf2 33. Rxf2 Bxa4 {grabs a pawn.}) 33. Bxe5
Qxe5 34. g4 Rxf2 35. Rxf2 Rb1+ 36. Bf1 ({Michael avoids the devious trick} 36.
Kg2 $2 Rb3 $1 37. gxf5 Rxd3 $3) 36... Rb2 $1 37. Rxb2 Qxb2 38. gxf5 Qd4+ 39.
Kh1 Bxa4 40. fxg6 hxg6 41. e5 $5 {White evades a slow death.} Qxe5 42. Qb7 Be8
43. Bg2 Qh5+ $6 ({Better is} 43... a5) 44. Kg1 Qxh6 45. Qe7 $6 ({The last
chance gives} 45. Qxa6 {(Adams).}) 45... Qc1+ 46. Bf1 Bf7 47. Qxd6 Qe3+ 48. Kh1
a5 49. Qd8+ Be8 50. Bg2 ({Or} 50. Qxa5 Bc6+ 51. Kh2 Qf2+ 52. Kh3 Bd7#) 50...
Qe1+ 51. Kh2 Qe5+ 52. Kh3 Kg7 53. Bd5 a4 54. Qb6 Bd7+ 55. Kg2 Qe2+ 56. Kg1 a3
57. Qxc5 Qe1+ 58. Kg2 a2 59. Qd4+ Kh7 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "16"]
[Date "1999.??.??"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Leko, Peter"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B45"]
[WhiteElo "2810"]
[BlackElo "2690"]
[PlyCount "95"]
[EventDate "1999.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nf6 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. e5 Nd5 8.
Ne4 Bb7 9. Be2 c5 10. O-O Qc7 11. Nd6+ Bxd6 12. exd6 Qc6 13. f3 c4 14. Qd4 O-O
15. Bxc4 Qxd6 16. Bb3 Qb6 17. Rd1 Rfc8 18. Qxb6 Nxb6 19. a4 d5 20. a5 Nc4 21.
a6 Bc6 22. Bxc4 dxc4 23. Be3 Bd5 24. Ra5 Rc6 25. Rda1 f6 26. h4 Kf7 27. Rb5 Rc7
28. Kf2 Rd8 29. Raa5 Ke7 30. Kg3 h5 31. b4 cxb3 32. cxb3 Rg8 33. Rc5 Rd7 34. b4
g5 35. Rc2 g4 36. Kf2 g3+ 37. Ke1 e5 38. Rd2 Rgd8 39. Rc5 Ke6 40. b5 Rb8 41.
Rd3 Rbd8 42. Rd2 Rb8 43. Rd3 Rbd8 44. b6 axb6 45. Rb5 Bc4 46. Rxb6+ Kf5 47.
Rxd7 Rxd7 48. a7 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "16"]
[Date "1999.??.??"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B80"]
[WhiteElo "2700"]
[BlackElo "2810"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "122"]
[EventDate "1999.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. f3 e6 7. Be3 b5 8. g4 h6
9. Qd2 Nbd7 10. O-O-O Bb7 11. h4 b4 12. Na4 Qa5 13. b3 Nc5 14. a3 Nxa4 15. axb4
Qc7 16. bxa4 d5 17. e5 Nd7 18. f4 Nb6 $1 {Both parties have studied this
novelty.} 19. a5 Nc4 20. Qc3 Qe7 $1 {This move startles Topalov.} 21. Bxc4 dxc4
22. Bd2 $6 ({A fine alternative brings} 22. Rhf1 $1 Qxb4 23. Qxb4 Bxb4 24. f5
$1) 22... Bxh1 23. Rxh1 Qb7 24. Rd1 Be7 25. Qf3 $1 O-O-O 26. Qc6+ $1 Qxc6 27.
Nxc6 Rd7 28. Nxe7+ Rxe7 29. Re1 {White wants to build a fortress.} h5 $2 {
Black helps.} ({Right is} 29... Kb7 $1) 30. g5 Kb7 31. Be3 Rd7 $1 {White
wanted to play 32.c3 and 33.Bd4.} 32. Bc5 Kc6 33. Bd6 f6 34. gxf6 $5 ({The
complications of} 34. g6 $5 Rh6 35. Rg1 Kd5 36. Kb2 $1 {(Kasparov)} f5 37. Kc3
Rb7 38. Rg2 $1 {are unclear.}) 34... gxf6 35. Rg1 f5 36. Kd2 Kd5 37. Ke3 Rhh7
38. Bf8 Rhf7 39. Bh6 Rh7 40. Rg6 $2 ({A return by} 40. Bf8 $1 {offers good
chances.}) 40... Rb7 $1 41. Bf8 Rhf7 42. Bd6 Rg7 43. Rg5 Rbf7 $1 44. c3 {White
experiences zugzwang.} Kc6 45. Kf3 Kb5 $1 46. Bc5 ({The pointe is} 46. Rxh5 Rh7
$1) 46... Ka4 47. Bd4 Rd7 $1 48. Ke3 ({The new point is} 48. Rxh5 Rxd4 $1 49.
cxd4 c3 50. Rh8 Rc7 $1 {(Hecht).}) 48... Kb3 49. Ke2 Rxg5 $1 50. fxg5 Rxd4 $1 {
This sacrifice needed a long preparation.} 51. cxd4 c3 52. g6 c2 53. g7 c1=Q
54. g8=Q Qc4+ 55. Ke3 Kc3 $1 {A combined attack starts behind the lines.} 56.
Qd8 Qd3+ 57. Kf4 Qd2+ 58. Kf3 Qd1+ 59. Ke3 $6 ({The game is prolonged by} 59.
Kf2 f4 $1 60. Qc8+ Kd2 61. Qxa6 Qe1+ 62. Kg2 Qg3+ 63. Kh1 f3 64. Qf1 Qxh4+ 65.
Kg1 Qg3+ 66. Kh1 Qe1 $1 67. Kg1 h4 68. a6 f2+ 69. Kg2 h3+ {(Kasparov).}) 59...
Qg1+ 60. Ke2 Qg2+ 61. Ke3 f4+ $1 {Kasparov led at the end of the first cycle,
one point before Anand and Kramnik.} ({Mate brings} 61... f4+ 62. Kxf4 Kd3 63.
Qg5 Qf2#) 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "16"]
[Date "1999.??.??"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Svidler, Peter"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B53"]
[WhiteElo "2710"]
[BlackElo "2810"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[EventDate "1999.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Qxd4 Nc6 5. Bb5 Bd7 6. Bxc6 Bxc6 7. Nc3 Nf6 8.
Bg5 e6 9. O-O-O Be7 10. Rhe1 O-O 11. Kb1 h6 12. Bh4 Re8 ({Theory is} 12... Qa5)
13. Bg3 d5 $1 {Black plans a positional pawn sacrifice.} 14. e5 Ne4 15. Nxe4
dxe4 16. Qxd8 Rexd8 17. Nd4 Be8 $5 (17... Bd5 18. Nb5 {leads to equality.}) 18.
c3 Rac8 19. Kc2 b5 $1 20. Rxe4 b4 21. Re3 a5 22. Ne2 $2 {White should choose
active play.} (22. Red3 $1 Kh7 $1 {(Kasparov)} 23. f4 $1 {gains a plus.}) 22...
Bc6 23. f3 Rxd1 24. Kxd1 Bc5 25. Rd3 Bb5 26. Rd2 Be3 27. Rd6 bxc3 28. Nxc3 Bf1
29. Bh4 $2 ({Better is} 29. h4 $1 Kf8 {(Ftacnik)} 30. Be1 $1 Bxg2 31. Ke2 Bf4
32. Ra6) 29... g5 30. Be1 Bxg2 31. Ke2 Bf4 32. Bg3 Bc1 33. Na4 h5 $1 34. Rd1 h4
35. Be1 Bf4 36. Bc3 Kg7 37. Nb6 Rh8 38. Kf2 h3 39. Bd2 Bxh2 40. Nd7 Kg6 41. Be3
g4 42. fxg4 Bc6 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "16"]
[Date "1999.??.??"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D26"]
[WhiteElo "2810"]
[BlackElo "2710"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "71"]
[EventDate "1999.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 e6 4. e3 c5 5. Bxc4 a6 6. O-O Nf6 7. Bb3 Nc6 8. Nc3
cxd4 9. exd4 Be7 10. Re1 O-O 11. a3 Na5 12. Bc2 b5 13. d5 $1 Nc4 $6 ({Theory
will become} 13... Re8 {(Kramnik-Anand, Dos Hermanas 1999).}) 14. Qd3 Re8 15.
a4 exd5 16. axb5 a5 17. b3 Nd6 18. Nd4 Bb7 19. f3 Rc8 20. Na4 Bf8 21. Bg5 g6
22. Qd2 Rxe1+ 23. Rxe1 Nde8 $5 24. Re2 $1 (24. Rxe8 Qxe8 25. Bxf6 Bb4 26. Qc1 (
26. Qf2 $2 Be1 27. Qf1 Qe3+ 28. Kh1 Bh4 $3 29. Bxh4 Qxd4 30. Bf2 Qd2 31. Nc5 d4
32. Be1 Qxc2 33. Nxb7 d3) 26... Ba3 27. Qd2 {draws.}) 24... Bb4 25. Qe3 Rc7 26.
Bd3 Re7 27. Qc1 Rxe2 28. Bxe2 Qe7 $6 29. Qe3 Qxe3+ $2 30. Bxe3 Nd7 31. Nc6 Bxc6
32. bxc6 Nb8 33. Bb6 Bd6 34. Nc3 Bc7 35. Bf2 $2 (35. Bc5 $1 d4 36. Nd5 $18 {
(Kasparov).}) 35... d4 36. Nd5 {Ivanchuk resigned although he got new chances.}
({Kasparov analysed} 36. Nd5 Nxc6 37. Bb5 Nb4 38. Nxb4 Nd6 39. Bd3 axb4 40.
Bxd4 {and White has an advantage.}) 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "16"]
[Date "1999.??.??"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B80"]
[WhiteElo "2780"]
[BlackElo "2810"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "100"]
[EventDate "1999.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. f3 e6 7. Be3 b5 8. g4 h6
9. Qd2 Nbd7 10. O-O-O Bb7 11. h4 b4 12. Nb1 d5 13. Bh3 g5 14. hxg5 hxg5 15.
exd5 Nxd5 16. Bxg5 Qb6 $5 (16... Qa5 {drew in the third round (Leko-Topalov).})
17. Bg2 Rxh1 18. Bxh1 Rc8 19. Re1 Qa5 $1 20. f4 Qxa2 21. f5 Nc5 $5 22. fxe6 Bg7
$1 23. exf7+ Kxf7 24. Bxd5+ $2 {Anand chooses the artistic solution.} (24. Qf2+
$1 Kg8 25. Qf5 $1 Bxd4 26. Qg6+ Bg7 27. Re8+ Rxe8 28. Qxe8+ Kh7 29. Qh5+ {ends
with perpetual check.}) 24... Qxd5 25. Re7+ Kg8 26. Rxg7+ $1 Kxg7 27. Nc3 $3
bxc3 28. Nf5+ Kf7 29. Qxd5+ Bxd5 30. Nd6+ Kg6 31. Nxc8 Kxg5 32. Nb6 Be6 33.
bxc3 Kxg4 34. Kb2 Kf4 35. Ka3 a5 36. Na4 Ne4 $2 ({Correct is} 36... Nd7 $1 37.
Nb2 Nb6 38. c4 Bxc4 39. Nxc4 Nxc4+ 40. Kb3 Ne5 $1 41. Ka4 Nc6 {(Kasparov).})
37. Nb2 Nxc3 38. Nd3+ Ke3 39. Nc5 Bf5 40. Kb2 $1 Nd5 41. Nb7 a4 42. c4 $1 Nb6
43. Nd6 Bd3 44. c5 Nd5 45. Ka3 Bc2 46. Nb5 $1 Ne7 $1 47. Na7 $2 ({Right is} 47.
Nc3 $1 Kd4 48. Nxa4) 47... Kd4 48. c6 Nd5 49. Nb5+ Kc5 50. c7 Bf5 $1 ({Anand
resigned due to} 50... Bf5 51. Kxa4 Nb6+ 52. Ka5 Nc4+ $1 53. Ka6 (53. Ka4 Bc2#)
53... Bc8+ 54. Ka7 Kxb5 55. Kb8 Nd6) 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "16"]
[Date "1999.??.??"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D88"]
[WhiteElo "2750"]
[BlackElo "2810"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "70"]
[EventDate "1999.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bc4 c5 8.
Ne2 Nc6 9. Be3 O-O 10. O-O Bg4 11. f3 Na5 12. Bxf7+ Rxf7 13. fxg4 Rxf1+ 14.
Kxf1 cxd4 15. cxd4 e5 16. d5 Nc4 17. Qd3 Nxe3+ 18. Qxe3 Qh4 19. h3 Bh6 20. Qd3
Rf8+ 21. Kg1 Qf2+ 22. Kh1 Qe3 23. Qc4 b5 24. Qxb5 Rf2 25. Qe8+ Bf8 $1 {
Kasparov improves the theory.} 26. Qe6+ ({Or} 26. d6 $5 Qxe2 27. d7 Qxe4 28.
Rg1 Rf3 $1 29. gxf3 Qxf3+ 30. Rg2 Qf1+ 31. Kh2 Qf4+ $11) 26... Kh8 27. d6 Qxe2
(27... Qxe4 {draws more easily.}) 28. Qxe5+ Bg7 $1 29. Qe8+ Rf8 30. d7 Qd3 31.
e5 h6 $1 32. e6 Kh7 33. Rg1 Rf3 $1 34. Qb8 Rxh3+ 35. gxh3 Qe4+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "16"]
[Date "1999.??.??"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Adams, Michael"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C88"]
[WhiteElo "2810"]
[BlackElo "2715"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "129"]
[EventDate "1999.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. h3
Bb7 9. d3 d6 10. a3 Na5 11. Ba2 c5 12. Nc3 Nc6 13. Bg5 Qd7 14. Nh2 Ne8 15. Bd2
Nc7 16. Nf1 Kh8 17. Ng3 Nd4 18. Nce2 Nde6 19. b4 $6 (19. Nc3 {prevents the
next move.}) 19... d5 $1 20. bxc5 Bxc5 21. Bb4 Rfe8 22. Bxc5 Nxc5 23. Nc3 Rad8
24. Qh5 f6 25. d4 $4 {White is going to lose a pawn.} exd4 26. Nxd5 Re5 $1 27.
Qh4 Nxd5 28. exd5 Bxd5 29. Rxe5 fxe5 30. Bxd5 Qxd5 31. Re1 Ne6 32. Nf5 Nf4 33.
Qg5 Rd7 34. Nh4 h6 $2 ({Black wins by} 34... d3 $1 35. Rxe5 $2 d2 36. Rxd5 Rxd5
) 35. Qg4 g5 36. Nf3 e4 37. Rxe4 Qxe4 38. Qxd7 d3 39. cxd3 Qxd3 40. Qc8+ Kg7
41. Qb7+ Kg8 42. Qxa6 Ne2+ 43. Kh2 Qe4 $1 44. Qf6 $6 (44. Qc8+ $1 Kg7 45. Qc5
$1 {avoids the exchange of queens.}) 44... Qf4+ $1 45. Qxf4 gxf4 $1 46. g4
fxg3+ 47. fxg3 Nc3 48. Nd4 h5 $1 49. h4 $1 Kf7 50. Kh3 Kf6 51. g4 hxg4+ 52.
Kxg4 Kg6 53. h5+ Kh7 54. Kh4 {Kasparov came back from a lost position and has
gained a big advantage.} Kg8 $2 {Adams misses the escape.} ({Correct is} 54...
Kh6 $1 55. Nf5+ Kh7 56. Nd6 Kh6 57. Kg4 {Adams regards this position as won
for White., but} Nd5 $1 58. Nxb5 Ne3+ $3 59. Kf4 Nc4 60. a4 Kxh5 61. Ke4 Kg6 $1
62. Kd4 Na5 63. Kc5 Kf5 $1 64. Kd5 Nb3 $1 65. Nd4+ Nxd4 66. Kxd4 Ke6 {draws.})
55. h6 Kh7 56. Kh5 Ne4 57. Nxb5 Nf6+ 58. Kg5 Ne4+ 59. Kf5 Nc5 60. Ke5 Kxh6 61.
Kd4 Na6 (61... Na4 $1 62. Nc3 Nb2 63. Nd1 $1 Nxd1 64. a4 Nb2 65. a5 {and White
wins theoretically.}) 62. Kd5 Kg6 63. Nd4 Kf6 64. Kd6 Kf7 65. Ne6 ({Elementary
is} 65. Ne6 Nb8 66. Nc5 Ke8 67. Kc7) 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "16"]
[Date "1999.??.??"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Leko, Peter"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2690"]
[BlackElo "2810"]
[PlyCount "56"]
[EventDate "1999.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. f3
Nbd7 9. g4 b5 10. g5 b4 11. Nd5 Nxd5 12. exd5 Bf5 13. Bd3 Bxd3 14. Qxd3 Be7 15.
Rg1 O-O 16. O-O-O a5 17. Nd2 f5 18. gxf6 Nxf6 19. Kb1 Nh5 20. Rg4 Qd7 21. Rc4
Qf5 22. Qxf5 Rxf5 23. Rc7 Bf8 24. Rb7 Nf6 25. Rb5 Ne8 26. Rb7 Nf6 27. Rb5 Ne8
28. Rb7 Nf6 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "16"]
[Date "1999.??.??"]
[Round "14"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E68"]
[WhiteElo "2810"]
[BlackElo "2700"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "136"]
[EventDate "1999.??.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 O-O 5. O-O d6 6. Nc3 e5 7. d4 Nbd7 8. h3
exd4 9. Nxd4 Re8 10. e4 a6 11. Re1 Rb8 12. a4 c6 13. Nc2 $6 {White plays tame.}
({Known is} 13. a5 {(Seres-Vajda, Hungary 1999).}) 13... Ne5 14. Ne3 Be6 15. b3
Nfd7 16. Bd2 Nc5 17. Rf1 Ned3 18. Rb1 a5 19. f4 f5 20. exf5 gxf5 21. Kh2 Bd7
22. Nc2 Ne6 $6 {Black knights retreat voluntarily and the initiative changes
hands.} 23. Na2 Ndc5 24. Bc3 Bxc3 25. Nxc3 Qf6 26. Qd2 Ra8 27. Rfe1 Nc7 28.
Rxe8+ Rxe8 29. b4 axb4 30. Nxb4 Rd8 31. Nc2 Be6 32. Ne3 Bf7 33. g4 Bg6 34. g5
Qg7 35. Ne2 N7e6 36. a5 Qc7 37. Rd1 Ra8 38. Ng3 $5 (38. Qxd6 Qxd6 39. Rxd6 Rxa5
{simplifies.}) 38... Qxa5 39. Qf2 $6 Ng7 $6 ({The counterattack} 39... Qc3 $1
40. Rxd6 Nd3 41. Qf3 Ndxf4 {favours Black.}) 40. Rxd6 Re8 41. h4 Re6 $6 ({
Correct is} 41... Qa3 $1 {(Kasparov).}) 42. Rd1 Qc7 43. Nexf5 Nxf5 44. Qxc5 b6
45. Qf2 Nxh4 46. Bh3 Rd6 47. Rxd6 Qxd6 48. Bg4 Bd3 49. f5 h6 $1 {A critical
position has arisen.} 50. g6 $6 ({Kasparov regards} 50. Qa2 $1 hxg5 $1 51. c5+
Qd5 52. Qxd5+ cxd5 53. cxb6 Ba6 54. Kh3 {as victorious.} {Right is} Kg7 $1 ({
His} 54... Kf7 $2 {leads to a white win.}) 55. Be2 Bb7 56. Kg4 Kh6 $1 {(the
point)} 57. Bf3 Nxf3 58. Kxf3 d4+ $1 59. Ke2 Ba6+ {drawn.}) 50... h5 $1 51. c5
bxc5 52. Qa2+ c4 $1 53. Qa8+ Qf8 54. Qa7 Nxg6 $5 55. fxg6 Bxg6 56. Be6+ Bf7 57.
Bf5 Qd6 58. Kh3 Bg6 59. Qa8+ Kg7 60. Qb7+ Kg8 61. Qc8+ Kg7 62. Qb7+ Kg8 63.
Qa8+ Kg7 64. Qa5 Qf4 65. Qa7+ Kh6 66. Qc5 Bxf5+ 67. Nxf5+ Kg6 68. Nh4+ Kf7 {
Kasparov had won the tournament, 2 1/2 points before Kramnik and Anand. That
night he was pale and exhausted during the closing ceremony.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "17"]
[Date "2000.??.??"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2850"]
[BlackElo "2750"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "103"]
[EventDate "2000.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Bd6 7. O-O O-O 8. c4
c6 9. cxd5 cxd5 10. Nc3 Nxc3 11. bxc3 Bg4 12. Rb1 Nd7 13. h3 Bh5 14. Rb5 Nb6
15. c4 Bxf3 16. Qxf3 dxc4 17. Bc2 Qd7 18. a4 g6 19. Bd2 c3 20. Bxc3 Rac8 21.
Be4 Rc4 22. Rbb1 {A new move is played at last.} Rxa4 23. Bxb7 Ra3 24. Rfc1 Qc7
25. Ra1 Rb8 26. Be4 Rb3 27. Bd2 Bh2+ 28. Kh1 Rxf3 29. Rxc7 Rxf2 30. Kxh2 Rxd2
31. Raxa7 Nc8 $4 {Shirov blunders terribly.} ({Right is} 31... Rxd4 32. Rxf7
Rxe4 33. Rg7+ {and perpetual check.}) 32. Rab7 $1 Rxb7 33. Rxc8+ Kg7 34. Bxb7
Rxd4 35. g4 h5 36. g5 h4 37. Rc7 Rf4 38. Bc8 Rf2+ 39. Kg1 Rf4 40. Kg2 Kf8 41.
Bg4 Kg7 42. Rc5 Kf8 43. Bf3 Kg7 44. Kf2 Ra4 45. Ke3 Ra3+ 46. Kf4 Ra4+ 47. Ke5
Ra3 48. Bd5 Re3+ 49. Kf4 Rd3 50. Bc4 Rd7 51. Rc6 Re7 52. Rf6 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "17"]
[Date "2000.??.??"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Khalifman, Alexander"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E59"]
[WhiteElo "2655"]
[BlackElo "2755"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "70"]
[EventDate "2000.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 c5 6. Nf3 d5 7. O-O Nc6 8. a3
Bxc3 9. bxc3 Qc7 10. Bb2 dxc4 11. Bxc4 e5 12. Be2 Rd8 13. Qc2 Bg4 14. dxe5 Nxe5
15. c4 Nxf3+ 16. gxf3 Bh3 17. Rfd1 Qc6 {Exchanges followed in Borisenko -
Averbakh, Moscow 1950.} 18. Qc3 Ne8 19. Kh1 Be6 ({Known is} 19... f6 20. e4 Be6
) 20. Rg1 $6 {Khalifman's attack on the kingside will have little success.} f6
21. Rg3 Rd7 22. Rag1 Rad8 23. Bc1 Bf5 24. e4 Bg6 25. h4 $5 Nc7 $5 {Kramnik has
placed his pieces on the right squares. Now he plans a counterattack on the
kingside.} 26. Bf1 $2 ({The battle is continued by} 26. Bh6 $1 Ne6 $1 (26...
gxh6 27. h5) 27. h5 $1 Bxh5 28. Qxf6 $1 Bg6 29. Rxg6 $1 hxg6 30. Rxg6 {
(Kramnik).}) 26... Ne6 27. Rh3 $2 ({The bishops are used for defensive
purposes in} 27. Bh3 Kh8 28. Be3) 27... Bh5 $1 28. Rhg3 ({Kramnik prefers} 28.
Qxf6 {but} Rf7 29. Qe5 Bxf3+ 30. Bg2 Bxg2+ 31. Rxg2 Rd4 {is terrible for White.
}) 28... Kh8 29. Qe3 Nd4 30. Bg2 Re8 31. Rh3 Qa4 32. Bf1 Qd1 33. Bg2 Qc2 34. f4
Ne2 35. Rf1 Rd1 {White loses his bishop on c1.} 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "17"]
[Date "2000.??.??"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Lékó, Péter"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B17"]
[WhiteElo "2725"]
[BlackElo "2765"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "2000.??.??"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Ng5 Ngf6 6. Bd3 e6 7. N1f3 Bd6 8.
Qe2 h6 9. Ne4 Nxe4 10. Qxe4 Qc7 11. Qg4 Kf8 12. O-O c5 13. c3 b6 14. Qh4 Bb7
15. Be4 Bxe4 16. Qxe4 Ke7 17. dxc5 bxc5 18. Re1 Nf6 19. Qe2 Rhd8 {This obvious
move is new.} 20. h3 Kf8 21. Nd2 Bh2+ 22. Kh1 Bf4 $1 23. Nc4 Bxc1 24. Raxc1 Rd5
25. Ne3 Rd7 26. Rcd1 Rad8 27. Rxd7 Rxd7 28. Kg1 Nd5 29. Nc4 Nb6 30. Ne5 Rd6 31.
Qe4 Kg8 32. g3 c4 $1 33. Qf4 Rd5 34. Re4 $6 ({If White plays} 34. Qe4 {the
game remains uneventful.}) 34... Rb5 $6 ({Problems start with} 34... f6 $1 35.
Ng6 (35. Nxc4 $2 Qxf4 36. Rxf4 e5 37. Rh4 g5 38. Re4 f5) 35... Qxf4 36. Nxf4
Rd1+ 37. Kg2 e5) 35. Nxc4 Qxf4 36. Rxf4 Nxc4 37. Rxc4 Rxb2 38. Ra4 Rc2 39. Rxa7
1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "17"]
[Date "2000.??.??"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Khalifman, Alexander"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D97"]
[WhiteElo "2655"]
[BlackElo "2850"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "2000.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Qb3 dxc4 6. Qxc4 O-O 7. e4 Na6 8.
Be2 c5 9. d5 e6 10. O-O exd5 11. exd5 Bf5 12. Be3 Qb6 13. b3 Rfe8 14. Rad1 Rad8
15. h3 {Khalifman quietly answers to the new move by Kasparov.} Qa5 16. Rfe1
Nd7 17. Na4 Nb4 $1 18. Bg5 Nc2 $1 19. Bxd8 Qxd8 {Black has sacrificed the
exchange.} 20. Rf1 $2 ({Correct is the prosaic} 20. Nxc5 $1 Nxe1 21. Rxe1 Nb6
22. Qb5 Re7 $1 {Black wins pawn d5 and gains a plus (Kasparov).}) 20... Nd4 $2
({A strong attack starts} 20... Na3 $1 21. Qc1 Rxe2 22. Qxa3 Be4 $1 {e.g.} 23.
Nxc5 Bxf3 24. gxf3 Ne5 $1 {(Kasparov).} 25. Qb4 Qg5+ 26. Kh1 Qh5 27. Qf4 Qxh3+
28. Qh2 Qxf3+ 29. Qg2 Qf5 30. d6 Nf3 $1 {and Black wins.}) 21. Nxd4 Bxd4 22.
Rxd4 $1 ({Kasparov analyses} 22. b4 $5 Re4 23. Qc2 Re3 $5 24. Qd2 Rxh3 $1 25.
gxh3 Qh4 26. Nxc5 Qg3+ 27. Kh1 Qxh3+ {and perpetual check.}) 22... cxd4 23. Bg4
$1 Bxg4 24. hxg4 Re4 25. f3 Ne5 26. Qb4 $1 Nd3 27. Qc4 Ne5 28. Qb4 Nd3 29. Qc4
1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "17"]
[Date "2000.??.??"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D18"]
[WhiteElo "2755"]
[BlackElo "2765"]
[PlyCount "39"]
[EventDate "2000.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. e3 e6 7. Bxc4 Bb4 8. O-O
O-O 9. Nh4 Nbd7 10. Nxf5 exf5 11. Qc2 Nb6 12. Bb3 Qd7 13. a5 Nbd5 14. f3 Rfe8
15. Nxd5 Nxd5 16. e4 Nf6 17. Qc4 Bf8 18. exf5 Rad8 19. Kh1 Re7 20. Qc2 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "17"]
[Date "2000.??.??"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Lékó, Péter"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2750"]
[BlackElo "2725"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "142"]
[EventDate "2000.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Bd6 7. O-O O-O 8. c4
c6 9. Qc2 Na6 10. a3 Bg4 11. Ne5 Bxe5 12. dxe5 Nac5 13. f3 Nxd3 14. Qxd3 Nc5
15. Qd4 Nb3 16. Qxg4 Nxa1 17. Bh6 g6 18. Nc3 $5 {Shirov makes a pleasing
sacrifice.} (18. Bxf8 Qa5 {is usual.}) 18... Qb6+ 19. Rf2 Rfe8 20. Qf4 f5 $6 ({
Shirov prefers the solid} 20... Qc7) 21. cxd5 Nb3 22. e6 $1 cxd5 23. Nxd5 Qxe6
24. Nc7 Qc6 25. Nxe8 ({Not} 25. Nxa8 $4 Re1+ 26. Rf1 Qc5+) 25... Rxe8 26. g4 $1
Qc5 27. Kg2 $6 (27. Qa4 $1 Re1+ 28. Kg2 Qd5 29. Qxa7 {wins a pawn (Shirov).})
27... Nd4 28. b4 Qe5 $1 29. Rd2 Qxf4 30. Bxf4 Ne6 31. Be3 a6 32. gxf5 Ng7 33.
Bc5 Nxf5 34. a4 Ne3+ 35. Kf2 Nc4 36. Rd7 Ne5 $1 {A pawn sacrifice leads to a
drawn rook ending.} 37. Rxb7 Nd3+ 38. Kg3 Nxc5 39. bxc5 Rc8 40. Rb6 Rxc5 41.
Rxa6 Kg7 $2 ({Correct is} 41... Rg5+ 42. Kh3 Rh5+ 43. Kg3 Rg5+ 44. Kf4 Rh5) 42.
Ra7+ Kh6 {Black has allowed an awful restriction.} 43. Rb7 $2 ({The subtle} 43.
h4 $1 Rc1 44. a5 Rg1+ 45. Kh2 $1 Ra1 46. a6 {might win, due to the poor
position of the black king.}) 43... Rg5+ 44. Kh3 Rh5+ 45. Kg2 Rh4 46. a5 Ra4
47. Rb5 g5 48. Rb6+ Kh5 49. a6 g4 $5 50. f4 $1 Ra2+ ({Not} 50... Rxf4 $2 51.
Rb5+ Kh4 52. Ra5 {(Shirov).}) 51. Kg1 g3 52. h3 ({Or} 52. hxg3 Kg4) 52... Rc2
53. Rb7 Ra2 54. Rg7 Rxa6 55. Kg2 h6 56. Kxg3 Ra3+ 57. Kg2 Ra2+ ({Faster draws} 
57... Rxh3 $1 58. Kxh3 {stalemate.}) 58. Kf3 Kh4 59. f5 Kxh3 60. f6 Ra1 61. Kf4
Rf1+ 62. Ke5 h5 63. Rg5 h4 64. Rf5 Re1+ ({The last trap} 64... Rxf5+ $2 65.
Kxf5 Kg2 66. f7 h3 67. f8=Q h2 68. Kg4 $1 {is avoided (Blatny).}) 65. Kf4 Rf1+
66. Kg5 Rg1+ 67. Kh6 Rg8 68. Rg5 Rf8 69. Kg7 Ra8 70. f7 Kh2 71. Kf6 Rf8 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "17"]
[Date "2000.??.??"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2765"]
[BlackElo "2750"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "2000.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Bd6 7. O-O O-O 8. c4
c6 9. cxd5 cxd5 10. Nc3 Nxc3 11. bxc3 Bg4 12. Rb1 Nd7 13. h3 Bh5 14. Rb5 Nb6
15. c4 Bxf3 16. Qxf3 dxc4 17. Bc2 Qd7 18. a4 g6 19. Be3 ({Gary played} 19. Bd2
{in round one.}) 19... Rac8 20. Rfb1 c3 21. a5 Nc4 22. Rxb7 Qe6 23. Ra1 ({A
draw will result from} 23. Bb3 Qf5 24. Qxf5 gxf5 {(Grischuk-Shirov, New Delhi
2000).}) 23... Bb8 $2 ({Correct is} 23... Nxe3 24. fxe3 Rc7) 24. Bb3 $1 Qd6 25.
g3 Nxe3 26. Bxf7+ Kh8 27. Qxe3 Qf6 28. Be6 Rce8 29. d5 Be5 $1 {Anand is going
to make three blunders.} 30. Ra2 $2 ({He misses the win} 30. Ra4 $1 c2 31. Rc4
Bd4 32. Qf4 Qxf4 33. gxf4) 30... Bd4 31. Qe1 $2 ({Equality keeps} 31. Qd3 $1
Bxf2+ 32. Kg2 Bd4 33. Rc2) 31... Qf3 $1 32. Kh2 Qxd5 33. Bxd5 Rxe1 34. Kg2 $2 (
34. f4 Rfe8 35. Bf3 {creates a defence line.}) 34... Bxf2 $1 35. Rf7 ({The
pointe is} 35. Rxf2 Rxf2+ 36. Kxf2 c2) 35... Rxf7 36. Bxf7 Bc5 37. Bb3 Kg7 38.
Rc2 Bd4 39. a6 Kf6 40. Ra2 Ke5 41. h4 Ke4 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "17"]
[Date "2000.??.??"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2850"]
[BlackElo "2755"]
[PlyCount "42"]
[EventDate "2000.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Nc6 7. O-O Be7 8. c4
Nb4 9. Be2 O-O 10. Nc3 b6 11. a3 Nxc3 12. bxc3 Nc6 13. cxd5 Qxd5 14. Re1 Bb7
15. Bd3 Rae8 16. Qc2 h6 17. Bh7+ Kh8 18. Be4 Qd8 19. Bb2 Bf6 20. c4 Na5 21.
Bxb7 Nxb7 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "17"]
[Date "2000.??.??"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Lékó, Péter"]
[Black "Khalifman, Alexander"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C17"]
[WhiteElo "2725"]
[BlackElo "2655"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "74"]
[EventDate "2000.??.??"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Ba5 6. Qg4 Ne7 7. dxc5 Bxc3+ 8.
bxc3 Ng6 9. Bd3 Nd7 10. Nf3 Qc7 11. O-O Ndxe5 12. Nxe5 Qxe5 13. Bb5+ Bd7 14.
Bxd7+ Kxd7 15. Qa4+ $1 {Lékó has prepared a novelty.} Ke7 16. Qb4 Rab8 17. f4
Qe4 $6 ({The cold-blooded} 17... Qc7 $1 18. f5 exf5 19. Rxf5 Rhd8 20. Qg4 f6 {
is even better.}) 18. f5 Qxb4 19. axb4 exf5 20. Rxf5 Ke6 21. Rf2 a6 22. Bf4
Nxf4 23. Rxf4 f5 24. Rd4 Rbd8 25. Re1+ Kf6 26. Red1 Rhe8 $1 27. c4 Re2 28. Rxd5
Rde8 $1 29. R1d2 Rxd2 30. Rxd2 Re1+ $1 31. Kf2 Re4 32. Rd7 Rxc4 33. Rxb7 a5 34.
bxa5 Rxc5 35. a6 Rxc2+ 36. Kf3 Rc3+ 37. Ke2 Rc2+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "17"]
[Date "2000.??.??"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B92"]
[WhiteElo "2765"]
[BlackElo "2850"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "64"]
[EventDate "2000.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 e5 7. Nb3 Be7 8. O-O
Be6 9. f4 Qc7 10. Nd5 Bxd5 11. exd5 Nbd7 12. c4 O-O 13. Kh1 Rfe8 14. Be3 exf4
15. Bxf4 Bf8 16. Rc1 Qb6 17. Rc2 g6 18. Bf3 Rac8 19. Nc1 Ne5 20. b3 h5 21. h3
$6 (21. Re2 Nfd7 22. Nd3 Bg7 23. Nxe5 Nxe5 24. Qe1 {keeps a plus.}) 21... Bg7
22. Ne2 Nxf3 23. gxf3 $2 Qc5 24. Rc1 b5 25. Qd2 bxc4 26. bxc4 h4 27. Bg5 Nh5
28. Bxh4 Rb8 29. Ng1 $2 {Again Anand blunders.} ({Correct is} 29. Rc2) 29...
Rb2 30. Rc2 Qxc4 31. Rxc4 Rxd2 32. f4 Rxd5 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "17"]
[Date "2000.??.??"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Lékó, Péter"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B33"]
[WhiteElo "2725"]
[BlackElo "2755"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "2000.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8.
Na3 b5 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. Nd5 Bg7 11. g3 f5 12. exf5 Bxf5 13. Bg2 Be6 14. c3 O-O
15. O-O Rb8 16. Nc2 a5 17. Qe2 Ne7 18. Rad1 f5 19. Nce3 Kh8 20. a3 Qd7 21. Nxe7
Qxe7 22. Nd5 Qf7 23. Rd2 e4 24. Rfd1 Be5 25. f4 exf3 26. Qxf3 Bxd5 27. Rxd5 Qg7
28. Rf1 f4 29. g4 Rg8 30. h3 h5 31. Qe4 Qf6 32. Bf3 Rg7 33. Rf2 Qh4 34. Rdd2
Rbg8 35. Rh2 Re7 36. Rde2 b4 37. axb4 axb4 38. Rhg2 bxc3 39. bxc3 Ra7 40. Ra2
Rag7 41. gxh5 Rxg2+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "17"]
[Date "2000.??.??"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Khalifman, Alexander"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C02"]
[WhiteElo "2750"]
[BlackElo "2655"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "40"]
[EventDate "2000.??.??"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. c3 Qb6 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. a3 Nh6 7. b4 cxd4 8. cxd4
Nf5 9. Bb2 Be7 10. Bd3 a5 11. Bxf5 exf5 12. Nc3 Be6 13. b5 a4 14. bxc6 {A
novelty sets the board on fire.} Qxb2 15. O-O $6 ({After} 15. Nxa4 Rxa4 16.
cxb7 Qc3+ 17. Nd2 $1 O-O 18. Rb1 Bb4 $1 19. Rxb4 Rxb4 20. axb4 Qxd4 {White has
a positional edge.}) 15... bxc6 $6 {The flame dies quickly.} ({Black gains
matter in} 15... Qxc3 $1 16. cxb7 Rb8 17. Qxa4+ Bd7 18. Qa7 Qc7 19. e6 $1 {
(Psakhis), and now} Bb5 $1 20. Rfb1 Rxb7 21. Qa8+ Bd8 22. exf7+ Kxf7 23. a4 Bc6
24. Ne5+ Qxe5 25. Rxb7+ Bxb7 26. Qxb7+ Qc7 27. Qxd5+ Kg6) 16. Nxa4 Qb5 17. Nc3
Qc4 18. Ne2 O-O 19. Rc1 Qa6 20. Rc3 Rfc8 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "17"]
[Date "2000.??.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Lékó, Péter"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D97"]
[WhiteElo "2850"]
[BlackElo "2725"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "76"]
[EventDate "2000.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. c4 Bg7 4. Nc3 d5 5. Qb3 dxc4 6. Qxc4 O-O 7. e4 a6 8. Be2
b5 9. Qb3 c5 10. dxc5 Bb7 11. O-O Nxe4 12. Nxe4 Bxe4 13. Bg5 Nc6 14. Qe3 Qd5
15. Rad1 Qe6 {A new move leads to exchamges.} 16. Bh6 Bf5 $5 17. Bxg7 Qxe3 18.
fxe3 Kxg7 19. a3 ({Black defends well in} 19. Nd4 Be4 20. Rf4 Nxd4 21. exd4 Bd5
{(Lékó).}) 19... Rfd8 20. b4 Bc2 21. Rxd8 Rxd8 22. Rc1 Be4 ({Lékó avoids} 22...
Bd3 $2 23. Nd4 Rxd4 $2 24. exd4 Bxe2 25. d5 Nd4 26. c6 Bg4 27. Re1 $1 Ne2+ 28.
Rxe2 Bxe2 29. h3 $1 $18) 23. Kf2 Kf6 24. g4 h6 25. h4 Ke6 26. Rd1 Bxf3 $1 27.
Rxd8 Bxe2 28. Rc8 Kd7 29. Rxc6 Kxc6 30. Kxe2 f6 31. Kd3 e6 32. Kd4 g5 $1 33. h5
Kd7 34. e4 Kc6 35. e5 $1 f5 36. gxf5 exf5 37. e6 {High accuracy is needed.} f4
$1 (37... g4 $4 38. Ke5 g3 39. e7 Kd7 40. Kf6 g2 41. c6+ $18) 38. Ke4 (38. Ke5
$4 f3 39. e7 Kd7 40. Kf6 f2 41. c6+ Ke8 42. c7 f1=Q+ $19) 38... Kc7 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "17"]
[Date "2000.??.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Khalifman, Alexander"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D18"]
[WhiteElo "2655"]
[BlackElo "2765"]
[PlyCount "43"]
[EventDate "2000.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. e3 e6 7. Bxc4 Bb4 8. O-O
Nbd7 9. Qe2 Bg4 10. Rd1 Qa5 11. e4 Nb6 12. Bb3 Bxc3 13. bxc3 Qxc3 14. Rb1 O-O
15. h3 Bxf3 16. Qxf3 Qxf3 17. gxf3 Nbd7 18. Ba3 Rfc8 19. Bc4 Nb6 20. Bb3 Nbd7
21. Bc4 Nb6 22. Bb3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "17"]
[Date "2000.??.??"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D17"]
[WhiteElo "2755"]
[BlackElo "2750"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "95"]
[EventDate "2000.??.??"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 c6 3. c4 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. Ne5 e6 7. f3 Bb4 8. e4
Bxe4 9. fxe4 Nxe4 10. Bd2 Qxd4 11. Nxe4 Qxe4+ 12. Qe2 Bxd2+ 13. Kxd2 Qd5+ 14.
Kc2 Na6 15. Nxc4 b5 16. axb5 Nb4+ 17. Kc3 cxb5 18. Rd1 Qc5 19. Qe5 Nd5+ 20.
Rxd5 {So far, they follow an analysis by Korchnoi.} b4+ $1 ({Viktor continued
with} 20... Qxd5 21. Nd6+ Kf8 22. Qxd5 exd5 23. Bxb5) 21. Kb3 Qxd5 22. Be2 $1 (
22. Qxg7 Qd1+ 23. Ka2 O-O-O $1 {looks dangerous for White.}) 22... O-O 23. Qxd5
exd5 24. Na5 Rfe8 25. Bf3 Rac8 $5 ({A fine alternative is} 25... Re3+ 26. Ka4
Rd3) 26. Rd1 {Hübner likes Black and Kramnik prefers White in this position.}
Re3+ 27. Ka4 $1 b3 $1 {Shirov chooses the active move.} 28. Rxd5 g6 29. Rd7 Rc2
30. Ka3 Kg7 $5 ({He does not select} 30... a6) 31. Rxa7 h5 32. h3 h4 33. Rb7
Rc5 34. Kb4 Rf5 35. Rc7 $1 g5 36. Nxb3 Rf4+ $2 {Suddenly Shirov stops the
counter-attack.} ({The crucial line is} 36... Rexf3 $1 37. gxf3 Rxf3 38. Rc3 {
(the pointe of move 35)} Rf2 39. Ka3 f5 40. Nd4 g4 41. b4 g3 $1 42. Rc1 g2 43.
Rg1 {(Kramnik)} f4 $1 ({Vladimir continues with} 43... Kf6 $2) 44. b5 (44. Nf5+
Kf6 45. Nxh4 f3 46. b5 Ra2+ $1 47. Kxa2 f2) 44... f3 45. b6 Rf1 46. Nxf3 Rxf3+
47. Kb4 Rf2 48. Kc3 Rf3+ 49. Kd4 Rf4+ 50. Kc5 (50. Ke5 Rb4) 50... Rf5+ 51. Kc6
Rf6+ 52. Kb5 Rf2 $1 53. b7 Kf6 $1 {and Black makes a narrow escape.}) 37. Rc4
Rxc4+ 38. Kxc4 f5 39. Nd4 Kf6 40. b4 Re1 (40... Ke5 41. Nc2 {dominates the
rook.}) 41. b5 Ke5 42. Nc6+ Kd6 43. b6 Rc1+ 44. Kb5 g4 45. b7 Rb1+ 46. Nb4 Kc7
47. hxg4 fxg4 48. Be4 {Blunders supported and plagued Anand in the first cycle.
} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "17"]
[Date "2000.??.??"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Lékó, Péter"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D85"]
[WhiteElo "2765"]
[BlackElo "2725"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "63"]
[EventDate "2000.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. c4 Bg7 4. Nc3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 c5 8.
Rb1 O-O 9. Be2 cxd4 10. cxd4 Qa5+ 11. Bd2 Qxa2 12. O-O Nd7 13. Re1 Nb6 14. Ra1
({Known is} 14. h3 Bd7 15. Ra1 {from Chernin-Lékó, Budapest 1997.}) 14... Qb2
15. h3 f5 $5 16. Rb1 ({Lékó prefers} 16. Bd3 $1) 16... Qa2 {Black has played ..
f5 instead of ..Bd7, compared to the mentioned game.} 17. Qc1 $5 {White
threatens 18.Rxb6 and Bc4+.} Kh8 18. Ra1 Qg8 $1 {The quen finds a safe haven.}
19. Ba5 $5 {Great complications start.} fxe4 $1 20. Bxb6 exf3 21. Bxf3 Bxh3 $1
22. Rxa7 ({Avoids} 22. gxh3 $2 Rxf3) 22... Bxg2 $1 23. Kxg2 $1 ({Evades} 23.
Bxg2 $2 Rxa7 24. Bxa7 Qa2 $1 25. Bb6 Qxf2+ {(Lékó).}) 23... Qb3 24. Qd1 Qxb6
25. Rxb7 Qf6 26. Rexe7 Ra1 $1 27. Rxg7 $1 {White forces a draw.} ({Not} 27. Qe2
$2 {due to} Qh4) 27... Rxd1 28. Rxh7+ Kg8 29. Bd5+ Rf7 30. Rbxf7 Qg5+ 31. Kh3
Qxd5 ({Or} 31... Rd3+ 32. f3 Qxd5 33. Rhg7+) 32. Rhg7+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "17"]
[Date "2000.??.??"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Khalifman, Alexander"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D58"]
[WhiteElo "2755"]
[BlackElo "2655"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "97"]
[EventDate "2000.??.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. d4 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 O-O 7. e3 b6 8. Be2
Bb7 9. Bxf6 Bxf6 10. cxd5 exd5 11. O-O c5 12. dxc5 Bxc3 13. bxc3 bxc5 14. Rb1
Qc7 15. Ne5 Nd7 $5 16. Nxd7 Qxd7 17. Qb3 Bc6 18. Qa3 Qe7 19. Bf3 $1 {The
target becomes pawn d5.} Rfd8 20. Rfd1 Rac8 21. h3 Kf8 22. Rd2 d4 $1 {Black
gets rid of his weakness.} 23. Bxc6 Rxc6 24. cxd4 cxd4 25. Qxe7+ Kxe7 26. Rb7+
Kf8 27. exd4 Rc4 28. Re2 ({After} 28. d5 Rc5 29. d6 Rc6 30. d7 a6 $1 {and ..
Ke7 the d-pawn will fall eventually (Donev).}) 28... Rcxd4 29. Rxa7 Rd1+ 30.
Kh2 R1d2 31. Rxd2 Rxd2 32. Kg3 g5 33. Kf3 Kg7 34. Ke3 Rb2 35. g4 Kg6 36. Ra6+
f6 37. f4 gxf4+ 38. Kxf4 h5 39. a3 hxg4 40. hxg4 Rf2+ 41. Ke3 Ra2 42. Ra5 Ra1
43. a4 Re1+ 44. Kf3 Rf1+ 45. Kg3 Rg1+ 46. Kh3 Rh1+ 47. Kg2 Ra1 48. Kf2 Ra3 49.
Kg2 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "17"]
[Date "2000.??.??"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2750"]
[BlackElo "2850"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "72"]
[EventDate "2000.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 Ng4 7. Bc1 Nf6 8. f3
Qb6 9. Nb3 e6 10. Qe2 Nc6 11. Be3 Qc7 12. O-O-O b5 13. g4 Ne5 $6 14. g5 Nfd7
15. f4 Nc4 16. Bd4 Ndb6 {Kasparov has lost time by a provocative move.} 17. h4
$6 ({The momentum keeps} 17. f5 $1 Ne5 18. Qf2) 17... Bb7 18. h5 e5 19. Nd5
Bxd5 20. exd5 Be7 21. Bxb6 Qxb6 22. Rh3 O-O 23. Qe4 Qf2 24. Rf3 Qh4 25. Bd3 g6
26. Rg1 exf4 27. hxg6 hxg6 28. Bxc4 bxc4 29. Qxc4 Bxg5 30. Nd4 Rae8 31. Qf1 Re3
32. Rh1 Qg4 33. Rg1 Qh4 34. Rh1 Qg4 35. Rg1 Qh5 36. Rh1 Qg4 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "17"]
[Date "2000.??.??"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2765"]
[BlackElo "2755"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "49"]
[EventDate "2000.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Nc6 7. O-O Be7 8. c4
Nb4 9. cxd5 Nxd3 10. Qxd3 Qxd5 11. Re1 Bf5 12. Ne5 g6 13. f3 $1 Nf6 14. Qe3
O-O-O $1 15. Nc3 Qxd4 16. Qxd4 ({No advantage brings} 16. Nxf7 Bc5 17. Qxd4
Bxd4+ 18. Be3 Bxe3+ 19. Rxe3 Rhe8) 16... Rxd4 17. Be3 Rb4 18. b3 Be6 $5 {
Kramnik finds a drastic solution to his positional problem.} ({The variation} 
18... Re8 19. Nxf7 Be6 20. Ng5 Bf5 21. Bf2 a5 {does not liberate the rook.})
19. Bf2 $1 Bd6 20. Nd3 Rd8 21. Nxb4 Bxb4 22. Rec1 Bxc3 23. Rxc3 Nd5 24. Rd3 b6
25. Rad1 {White cannot take the centre.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "17"]
[Date "2000.??.??"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Khalifman, Alexander"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C17"]
[WhiteElo "2850"]
[BlackElo "2655"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "110"]
[EventDate "2000.??.??"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Ba5 6. Bd2 Nc6 7. Qg4 $5 {Kasparov
brings a novelty in the style of Alekhine.} Kf8 8. dxc5 $1 Nxe5 9. Qg3 Ng6 10.
O-O-O ({Later} 10. Bd3 $1 {will be played.}) 10... Nf6 11. f3 Bd7 12. Nge2 Bc7
13. Qf2 b6 $1 14. Be3 Ne7 $6 ({More appropriate is} 14... Kg8 15. g4 bxc5 16.
Bxc5 Bb6) 15. g4 bxc5 16. Bxc5 Bb6 17. h4 Bxc5 18. Qxc5 Qb6 19. Qxb6 axb6 {
White has the better endgame.} 20. Bh3 Ne8 21. f4 h5 {Black builds a fortress.}
22. g5 g6 23. Nd4 Kg7 24. Nf3 Nc7 25. Ne5 Rhd8 26. Ne2 $1 Nc6 27. Nd4 Nxd4 28.
Rxd4 Be8 {A double blockade in the centre causes black passivity.} 29. Rhd1
Rdc8 30. Bf1 Kf8 31. Rb4 b5 32. Rbd4 Na6 33. Bd3 Nc5 34. Kd2 Nb7 $1 35. Ra1 Ra7
36. Re1 Nd6 37. c3 Nc4+ 38. Kc1 Na5 39. Bc2 Nc6 40. Nxc6 Bxc6 41. Kd2 Bd7 42.
Rb4 Rca8 43. Bd3 Ra5 44. Re3 Bc6 45. Rd4 Bd7 46. Rb4 Bc6 47. Bc2 Bd7 48. Bb3
Bc6 49. Rd4 R5a7 50. Bc2 Bd7 51. Bd1 Bc6 52. Bf3 Ra4 53. Bd1 R4a7 54. Bb3 Ra5
55. Re5 Rd8 {White makes no progress.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "17"]
[Date "2000.??.??"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Lékó, Péter"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A25"]
[WhiteElo "2725"]
[BlackElo "2750"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "112"]
[EventDate "2000.??.??"]

1. c4 e5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 Nc6 4. Nc3 g6 5. e3 Bg7 6. Nge2 h5 7. h3 d6 8. d4 Bd7
9. d5 Na5 $5 10. Qd3 O-O 11. e4 ({The trick} 11. b4 $2 e4 {is well-known.})
11... c5 12. dxc6 Nxc6 13. Bg5 $1 ({Little wins} 13. Qxd6 Nd4 14. Nxd4 exd4 15.
Nd5 (15. Qxd4 $2 Nxe4 $1) 15... Re8 16. Nxf6+ Bxf6 {(Ftacnik).}) 13... Be6 14.
Nd5 Qa5+ 15. Bd2 Qa6 16. Nxf6+ ({Lékó lets the opportunity} 16. Nc7 $1 Qxc4 17.
Qxc4 Bxc4 18. Nxa8 Rxa8 19. b3 {slip away.}) 16... Bxf6 17. b3 h4 18. O-O ({
Avoids} 18. Qxd6 $2 Rad8 $1 19. Qc5 Be7 20. Qb5 Qxb5 21. cxb5 Nb4 $1) 18...
hxg3 19. fxg3 Bg7 20. g4 $5 Rab8 21. a4 Na5 22. Rf2 Qb6 23. Rb1 a6 24. Ng3 f6
$5 25. Bf3 Nc6 26. Kg2 Qd4 27. Qf1 b5 28. cxb5 axb5 29. axb5 Nb4 30. Bxb4 Qxb4
31. h4 Qxb5 {White's advantage has vanished.} 32. Qh1 Bh6 33. h5 $1 Qe8 34. b4
Be3 35. Rc2 g5 $2 {Shirov blunders in time trouble.} ({Correct is} 35... Rb7)
36. Qd1 Qa4 37. Be2 Bd4 38. Bc4 $1 Bxc4 39. Rxc4 Qxd1 40. Rxd1 Ra8 41. Nf5 $5
Ra2+ 42. Kh1 $1 Re2 {A critical position has arrived.} 43. Rdc1 $2 ({White
wins by} 43. Nxd6 $1 Rd8 44. Rdc1 {(Lékó). The pointe is} Rxd6 45. Rc8+ Kf7 46.
R1c7+ Ke6 47. Re8#) 43... Rxe4 44. Rc8 Rxc8 45. Rxc8+ Kh7 46. Rc7+ Kh8 47. Rc8+
Kh7 48. Rc7+ Kh8 49. Nxd6 ({Lékó has prepared} 49. Ne7 {but} Re1+ (49... Rxg4
$2 50. Ng6+ Kg8 51. h6 Rh4+ 52. Nxh4 gxh4 53. b5) 50. Kg2 Re2+ 51. Kf1 Rh2 {
draws.}) 49... Rf4 $3 {Shirov organizes a perpetual check mechanism.} 50. Rd7
Bb6 51. Nc8 Be3 $1 52. Ne7 Rf1+ 53. Kg2 Rf2+ 54. Kg3 e4 55. Ng6+ Kg8 56. h6
Rf3+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "17"]
[Date "2000.??.??"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Khalifman, Alexander"]
[Black "Lékó, Péter"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D85"]
[WhiteElo "2655"]
[BlackElo "2725"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "93"]
[EventDate "2000.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. c4 Bg7 4. Nc3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. e4 Nxc3 7. bxc3 c5 8.
Rb1 O-O 9. Be2 cxd4 10. cxd4 Qa5+ 11. Bd2 Qxa2 12. O-O Bg4 13. Bg5 h6 14. Be3
Nc6 15. d5 Ne5 16. Rxb7 e6 17. d6 Rfd8 18. Re1 Bxf3 19. gxf3 Qa5 20. Rf1 Bf8
21. d7 Qa2 22. Bb5 a6 23. Ba4 Nxf3+ 24. Kg2 Ne5 $5 ({Lékó diverts from} 24...
Nh4+ 25. Kh3 $1 Qc4 26. f3 {in Haba-Skyte, Capelle la Grande 2000.}) 25. Bb6 {
The position looks horrble for Black.} Qc4 ({Khalifman prefers} 25... Bg7 26.
Bxd8 Rxd8 27. Rc7 Bf6 28. Rc8 Ng4 $2 {but} 29. Bb3 $1 {ends the game.}) 26. Qd4
$1 {Khalifman's opening preparation has outwitted an expert.} Qxd4 ({Khalifman
analyses} 26... Qe2 27. Qxe5 Qg4+ 28. Qg3 Qxe4+ 29. Qf3 Qxa4 30. Rc1 $18) 27.
Bxd4 Nd3 28. Bc6 Nc5 29. Rc7 $1 Bd6 30. Bxc5 $1 Bxc7 31. Bxa8 Rxa8 32. Be7 $1 {
The point of white's combination. Black will lose matter.} Rd8 33. Rd1 f5 34.
Bxd8 Bxd8 35. exf5 gxf5 36. Rd6 Kf7 37. Rxa6 Ke7 38. Kg3 Bc7+ 39. Kh4 Kxd7 40.
Ra7 $1 Kc6 41. Rxc7+ Kxc7 42. Kh5 e5 43. Kxh6 Kd6 44. Kg5 Ke6 45. h4 f4 46. h5
f3 47. Kg4 {Lékó had defeated Khalifman with 4 1/2 - 1 1/2 in January 2000.
Alexander got a sportive revenge.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "17"]
[Date "2000.??.??"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A30"]
[WhiteElo "2755"]
[BlackElo "2850"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "2000.??.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. g3 d5 4. d4 $5 {Kramnik moves to little known
territories immediately.} dxc4 5. Qa4+ Bd7 6. Qxc4 Bc6 $5 7. dxc5 Bd5 $5 8.
Qa4+ Bc6 9. Qc4 Bd5 10. Qc2 e6 11. Bg2 Be4 12. Qc4 Bd5 13. Qh4 {Kramnik wants
to win!} Bxc5 14. Nc3 Bc6 15. O-O Be7 $6 (15... Nbd7 {develops naturally.}) 16.
Rd1 Qa5 17. Bd2 Nbd7 18. g4 $5 {An attack is staged.} h6 19. Qg3 Qa6 20. h4 Qc4
21. Bf4 Qb4 $6 ({Kramnik mentions} 21... g5 22. hxg5 hxg5 23. Be5) 22. a3 $1
Qxb2 23. Nd4 g5 $1 ({Avoids} 23... Bxg2 24. Rdb1 $1) 24. Nxc6 $1 (24. Rdb1 gxf4
25. Qh3 Bxg2 26. Kxg2 Qd2 27. Rd1 Qb2 {(Ftacnik)} 28. Rdb1 {draws.}) 24... gxf4
25. Qd3 bxc6 $1 ({Kasparov forbears the loss} 25... Nc5 $2 26. Qd4 Nb3 27. Qe5
Nxa1 28. Nxe7 Kxe7 29. Nd5+) 26. Bxc6 $1 O-O $1 27. Bxa8 Ne5 $5 28. Qd4 Rxa8
29. Qxe5 Rc8 30. Rac1 Nd5 $1 {The sacrifice of a knight forces a perpetual
check.} 31. Nxd5 Qxe5 32. Nxe7+ Kg7 (32... Kh7 33. Nxc8 Qxe2 {also draws.}) 33.
Rxc8 Qxe2 34. Rg8+ Kf6 35. Rd7 Qe1+ 36. Kg2 Qe4+ 37. Kh2 Qc2 $1 38. Kg2 ({Or} 
38. g5+ hxg5 39. hxg5+ Ke5 $11) 38... Qe4+ 39. Kh2 Qc2 40. g5+ hxg5 41. Rxg5
Qxf2+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "17"]
[Date "2000.??.??"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2750"]
[BlackElo "2765"]
[PlyCount "45"]
[EventDate "2000.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Nc6 7. O-O Be7 8. c4
Nb4 9. Be2 O-O 10. Nc3 b6 11. Ne5 Bb7 12. a3 Nxc3 13. bxc3 Nc6 14. Bf3 Na5 15.
c5 c6 16. Re1 Bf6 17. Ng4 Bc8 18. cxb6 axb6 19. a4 Nc4 20. Nxf6+ Qxf6 21. Ba3
Nxa3 22. Rxa3 Be6 23. Qb3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "17"]
[Date "2000.??.??"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Khalifman, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C17"]
[WhiteElo "2765"]
[BlackElo "2655"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "2000.??.??"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Ba5 6. b4 cxd4 7. Qg4 Ne7 8. bxa5
dxc3 9. Qxg7 Rg8 10. Qxh7 Nbc6 11. f4 Qxa5 12. Nf3 Bd7 13. Rb1 O-O-O 14. Qd3
Nf5 15. Rg1 d4 16. g4 $1 Nfe7 17. Rg3 Be8 18. h4 Nf5 19. Rg1 Ne3 $5 {White
threatens to advance the h-pawn. Therefore, Black has to start a counteraction.
} 20. Bxe3 dxe3 21. Qxe3 Ne7 $1 (21... Qxa3 22. Rb3 Qa1+ 23. Kf2 {(Psakhis)
leads to positional horror for Black.}) 22. Bc4 $1 Bc6 $2 {Khalifman gives up
another pawn.} ({The c-file is defended by} 22... Kb8 23. Rb3 Rc8 {(Ftacnik).})
23. Rb3 Kb8 24. Qxc3 Qc7 25. Be2 Nd5 26. Qc4 Qa5+ 27. Kf2 Ba4 28. Rb2 Rc8 29.
Qd4 Rc3 $5 (29... Rxc2 30. Rxc2 Bxc2 31. h5 {and White wins on the kingside 
(Psakhis).}) 30. Bd3 Rgc8 31. Rc1 Rd8 32. Rcb1 Bc6 33. Rb3 Rxb3 34. Rxb3 Nf6 $1
35. Qb4 Nxg4+ ({In the variation} 35... Qd5 36. Be2 $1 Nxg4+ 37. Ke1 Rh8 38.
Nd4 $1 {White takes over the attack.}) 36. Kg3 Qd5 $1 37. Bh7 $1 Qd1 38. Kxg4
Rd2 39. Kg5 Bxf3 40. Bd3 Rg2+ 41. Kf6 a6 42. Rb1 (42. Rb1 Qd2 43. Qxd2 Rxd2 44.
Kxf7 {White's king shows its strength.}) 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "17"]
[Date "2000.??.??"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Lékó, Péter"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2725"]
[BlackElo "2850"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "74"]
[EventDate "2000.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 Ng4 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4
g5 9. Bg3 Bg7 10. h3 Ne5 11. f3 Nbc6 12. Bf2 Be6 13. Qd2 Qa5 14. Nb3 Bxb3 15.
cxb3 Nb4 16. a3 Ng6 17. Rd1 Nc6 18. Nd5 Qxd2+ 19. Rxd2 O-O 20. b4 b5 $2 {Even
Kasparov can make a blunder.} 21. Nc7 Rab8 22. Nxa6 Rb7 23. Rd5 $2 {Lékó
misses a unique chance.} ({An advantage gains} 23. Kd1 $1 Rc8 (23... Ra8 $5 24.
Bxb5 $1 Rxb5 25. Nc7 Rab8 26. Nxb5 Rxb5 27. Kc2 {(Lékó)}) 24. Rc2 Nge5 25. Kd2)
23... Na7 $1 24. Bxa7 Rxa7 25. Bxb5 Bxb2 26. O-O Bxa3 27. Rb1 Rc8 28. Bf1 Bc1
29. Rb3 Bf4 30. Rd1 e6 31. b5 Rb7 32. Nb4 h5 33. Kf2 h4 34. Ra3 Rc5 35. Be2 Ne5
36. Rb1 Kg7 37. Rab3 Bg3+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "17"]
[Date "2000.??.??"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B33"]
[WhiteElo "2750"]
[BlackElo "2755"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "2000.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8.
Na3 b5 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. Nd5 Bg7 11. Bd3 Ne7 12. Nxe7 Qxe7 13. O-O O-O 14. c4 f5
15. Qf3 Re8 16. Rfe1 b4 $1 17. Nc2 f4 $1 18. Be2 ({Great complications are
started by} 18. Nxb4 Rb8 19. Nc6 Qg5 20. Nxb8 Bg4 21. Qxg4 Qxg4 22. Nxa6 {
(Kramnik).}) 18... Rb8 19. b3 Kh8 20. Qh5 d5 $3 {The sixth rank is cleared for
the queen's rook.} 21. cxd5 Rb6 22. Rad1 a5 23. d6 $1 {Shirov decides to
return the extra pawn immediately.} Rxd6 24. Rxd6 Qxd6 25. Rd1 ({He does not
like the dangers of} 25. Qxf7 Rf8 {either and prefers the endgame.}) 25... Qg6
26. Qxg6 hxg6 27. Bc4 Be6 28. Bxe6 Rxe6 29. Rd5 Rc6 30. Ne1 Rc1 31. Kf1 f5 32.
f3 Bf6 $1 33. Kf2 ({White avoids the simple trick} 33. Rxa5 $4 Bh4) 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "17"]
[Date "2000.??.??"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2850"]
[BlackElo "2765"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "59"]
[EventDate "2000.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Nc6 7. O-O Be7 8. c4
Nb4 9. Be2 O-O 10. Nc3 b6 11. a3 Nxc3 12. bxc3 Nc6 13. cxd5 Qxd5 14. Re1 Bb7
15. Bd3 Rae8 16. c4 Qd8 17. d5 Nb8 18. Qc2 ({Kasparov played} 18. Ne5 {in a
rapid game.}) 18... g6 $1 19. Ne5 ({The point is} 19. Bh6 Bf6 $1) 19... Bf6 20.
Bb2 Nd7 21. f4 Bg7 22. Qf2 Nc5 23. Bc2 Qd6 24. Re3 f6 25. Ng4 Rxe3 26. Qxe3 Bc8
27. f5 $5 Bxf5 28. Bxf5 gxf5 29. Nf2 Ne4 30. Nxe4 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "17"]
[Date "2000.??.??"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Khalifman, Alexander"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D19"]
[WhiteElo "2655"]
[BlackElo "2750"]
[PlyCount "33"]
[EventDate "2000.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. e3 e6 7. Bxc4 Bb4 8. O-O
Nbd7 9. Qe2 O-O 10. e4 Bg6 11. Bd3 h6 12. Bf4 Re8 13. h3 a6 14. e5 Nd5 15. Nxd5
Bxd3 16. Qxd3 cxd5 17. Rfc1 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "17"]
[Date "2000.??.??"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Lékó, Péter"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A43"]
[WhiteElo "2755"]
[BlackElo "2725"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "51"]
[EventDate "2000.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 c5 3. d5 g6 4. Nc3 Bg7 5. e4 d6 6. Bb5+ Bd7 7. a4 O-O 8. O-O
Bxb5 $5 9. axb5 Nbd7 10. Qe2 Ne8 11. Bf4 Nc7 {Black has a crammed position.}
12. Rfd1 a6 13. bxa6 Nxa6 14. e5 $1 {White gets the initiative.} dxe5 15. Nxe5
Nxe5 16. Bxe5 Bxe5 17. Qxe5 Qd6 $1 18. Qg5 Nc7 19. Ne4 Rxa1 20. Rxa1 f6 21.
Nxd6 fxg5 22. Nxb7 Rb8 23. Na5 Rxb2 24. c4 Rc2 25. h3 Ne8 26. Nc6 {Little
happened during the second cycle. Anand improved after a poor start in the
first cycle. Lékó suffered his only defeat. Kramnik and Kasparov tied for the
first place.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "18"]
[Date "2001.02.23"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Leko, Peter"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B97"]
[WhiteElo "2745"]
[BlackElo "2849"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "109"]
[EventDate "2001.??.23"]

{The games from the winner Kasparov have been selected from this tournament. 
Jan van Reek} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7.
f4 Qb6 8. Nb3 Be7 9. Qf3 Nbd7 10. O-O-O Qc7 11. Bd3 b5 12. a3 Rb8 13. Rhe1 b4
14. axb4 Rxb4 15. Kb1 Bb7 16. Qh3 Nc5 17. Nxc5 $5 dxc5 $6 {Kasparov seeks
complications.} 18. e5 Nd5 19. Nxd5 Bxd5 20. c3 Rb3 $5 21. Bc2 Qb7 $2 ({Better
is} 21... Rb8 22. Ba4+ Kf8 23. c4 $1 Qb6 $1 24. Qc3 Bc6 $1 25. Bxe7+ Kxe7 26.
Rd6 Rhc8 $1) 22. Bxb3 Qxb3 {Black has taken a great risk.} 23. Rxd5 $2 ({White
keeps the exchange by} 23. Bxe7 Qa2+ (23... Be4+ 24. Rd3 $1 Bg6 25. Kc1 $1) 24.
Kc1 Qa1+ 25. Kc2 Qa4+ {(Lékó).} 26. Kd3 Kxe7 27. Qh4+ Kd7 28. Ke2 $1) 23...
Qxd5 24. Bxe7 Kxe7 25. Qh4+ Kd7 26. Qg4 Kc6 $1 27. Qe2 Rd8 $1 28. Qxa6+ Kc7 29.
Qa7+ Kc6 30. Qa6+ Kc7 31. Qa5+ Kb7 32. Qb5+ Kc7 33. Qa5+ Kb7 34. Qb5+ Kc7 35.
Qe2 h5 36. g3 g6 37. c4 Qd2 38. Qe3 Rd4 39. Qxd2 Rxd2 40. Re3 Rxh2 41. Rf3 Kc6
42. Ka2 Rh3 43. Rb3 h4 44. gxh4 Rxh4 45. Rf3 Rh5 46. Rg3 Rh2 47. Rf3 Rc2 48.
Kb3 Rc1 49. Rf2 Kb6 50. Rf3 Ka5 51. Rf2 Re1 52. Ka3 Ra1+ 53. Kb3 Rc1 54. Rf3
Kb6 55. Rf2 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "18"]
[Date "2001.02.24"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Polgar, Judit"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2849"]
[BlackElo "2676"]
[PlyCount "54"]
[EventDate "2001.??.23"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 Ng4 7. Bg5 h6 8. Bh4
g5 9. Bg3 Bg7 10. h3 Ne5 11. f3 Nbc6 12. Bf2 Be6 13. Qd2 Nxd4 14. Bxd4 Qa5 15.
a3 Rg8 16. h4 Rc8 17. hxg5 hxg5 18. O-O-O Nc4 19. Bxc4 Bxd4 20. Qxd4 Rxc4 21.
Qa7 Qc7 22. Kb1 Rc5 23. Nd5 Bxd5 24. exd5 Kf8 25. Rd2 Kg7 26. b4 b5 27. Qxa6
Rc3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "18"]
[Date "2001.02.25"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B84"]
[WhiteElo "2718"]
[BlackElo "2849"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "95"]
[EventDate "2001.??.23"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 e6 7. f4 Be7 8. Be3
O-O 9. g4 d5 10. e5 Ne4 11. Nxe4 dxe4 12. g5 Qb6 {Usually the queen goes to c7.
} 13. Nf5 Qa5+ 14. Bd2 Qc5 15. Nxe7+ Qxe7 16. c3 (16. c4 $1 b5 $1 17. cxb5 axb5
18. Be3 {shows more ambition.} (18. Bxb5 $2 e3 $1)) 16... b5 17. Be3 Rd8 18.
Qc2 Bb7 19. Kf2 Nd7 20. b4 Nf8 21. h4 Qc7 22. h5 Nd7 23. h6 g6 24. a4 Nb6 25.
axb5 axb5 26. Kg3 Nc4 27. Rxa8 Rxa8 28. Bxc4 $5 (28. Bd4 {does not lose a pawn.
}) 28... Qxc4 29. Rd1 Bd5 30. Rd4 Qf1 31. Qd1 Ra1 32. Qxf1 Rxf1 33. Kg4 Rf3 34.
Bg1 Rxc3 35. Rd2 Kf8 36. Bc5+ Ke8 37. Re2 Rc1 38. Kg3 Kd7 39. Kf2 Kc6 40. Be3
Rb1 41. Bc5 Rc1 42. Bd6 Rh1 43. Re3 Rh2+ 44. Kg3 Rc2 45. Bf8 Ra2 46. Bc5 Ra1
47. Kf2 Rc1 48. Bd6 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "18"]
[Date "2001.02.27"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2663"]
[BlackElo "2849"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "74"]
[EventDate "2001.??.23"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. f3 Qb6 7. Nb3 e6 8. Qe2
Qc7 9. g4 $5 b5 10. Be3 b4 $5 {They intend to fight. Kasparov has played a
novelty.} 11. Na4 Nbd7 12. Qc4 {Grischuk wants to keep a plus.} ({The other
choice is} 12. Qf2) 12... Qxc4 13. Bxc4 d5 $1 14. exd5 Ne5 $1 15. Be2 Nxd5 {
Black has equalised by active play.} 16. Bd4 Bd6 17. Bc5 Be7 18. a3 a5 19. Bd4
f6 20. Nac5 O-O 21. O-O bxa3 22. Rxa3 Nf4 23. Bb5 Rb8 24. Bxe5 Nh3+ $1 {
Kasparov starts new complications.} 25. Kg2 Rxb5 26. Bg3 Ng5 {Knight c5 has
been pinned, and pawn f3 can be pinned. White needs action.} 27. Bf2 $2 ({
Right is} 27. c4 $1 Rxc5 28. Nxc5 Bxc5 29. Rxa5 {(Kasparov).}) 27... Bb7 28.
Bg1 Rc8 29. h4 Bxf3+ 30. Rxf3 Nxf3 31. Kxf3 Bxc5 32. Nxc5 Rbxc5 33. Bxc5 Rxc5 {
Black has a won rook ending.} 34. c3 h5 $1 35. gxh5 Rxh5 36. b4 axb4 37. cxb4
Rxh4 ({The tactical point is} 37... Rxh4 38. Rb3 $4 Rh3+) 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "18"]
[Date "2001.02.28"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B12"]
[WhiteElo "2849"]
[BlackElo "2679"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "2001.??.23"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nc3 e6 5. g4 Bg6 6. Nge2 Ne7 7. Nf4 c5 8. dxc5
Nd7 9. h4 Nxe5 10. Bg2 h5 11. Qe2 N7c6 12. Nxg6 Nxg6 13. Bg5 $1 {Kasparov
springs a novelty against his old rival.} Be7 $2 14. gxh5 Nf8 $2 {Karpov makes
the desastrous choice of passivity.} ({Correct is} 14... Nxh4 $1 15. Bxh4 Bxh4
16. Bxd5 $1 {(Kasparov)} Be7 $1) 15. Nb5 $1 Nd7 $5 ({Not} 15... Qa5+ 16. Bd2
Qd8 17. Bf4 $1) 16. h6 $1 Nxc5 ({Or} 16... Kf8 17. hxg7+ Kxg7 18. Bd2) 17. Bf4
$5 (17. hxg7 Rg8 18. Bf4 {is great too.}) 17... Kf8 18. hxg7+ Kxg7 19. O-O-O
Kf8 20. Kb1 a6 $6 ({An immediate loss is forestalled by} 20... Qa5 {(Kasparov)}
21. h5 Rc8) 21. Nc7 $1 Rc8 {Karpov lacks a tempo.} 22. Bxd5 exd5 23. Rxd5 Qxc7
(23... Nd7 24. Rh5 $1 Rxh5 25. Qxh5 Bf6 26. Bd6+ Ne7 27. Nd5 {(Kasparov) also
ends with a catastrophe.}) 24. Bxc7 Rxc7 25. Rf5 $5 Rd7 26. c3 f6 27. Rg1 Nd8
28. Qg4 Ke8 29. Rh5 Rf8 30. Rxc5 $1 Bxc5 31. Qh5+ {At the end of the first
cycle Kasparov led with 2 1/2 out of 5. Judit Polgár had 3 points.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "18"]
[Date "2001.03.01"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Leko, Peter"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C88"]
[WhiteElo "2849"]
[BlackElo "2745"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "71"]
[EventDate "2001.??.23"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. a4
Bb7 9. d3 d6 10. Nbd2 Na5 11. Ba2 c5 12. Nf1 Re8 13. Ne3 h6 14. Bd2 c4 $5 {
Black seeks counteraction.} 15. Bc3 Qb6 $5 16. Nd2 Nc6 $6 ({Better is} 16...
Rec8 $1 {(Kasparov). Then the king's rook supports the defence.}) 17. Nd5 Nxd5
18. exd5 Na5 19. Bxa5 Qxa5 20. dxc4 {Lékó has defensive problems.} Qxa4 ({
Analysts prefer} 20... b4) 21. c5 $1 Qb4 $2 ({The pointe of the pawn sacrifice
is} 21... dxc5 $2 22. d6 Bxd6 23. Bxf7+) ({A proper stand is offered by} 21...
Qh4 22. c6 Bc8) 22. Ne4 $1 Qxb2 23. cxd6 Bf8 24. c3 $1 f5 25. d7 Red8 26. d6+
Kh8 27. Nc5 Bc6 28. Nd3 $1 Qxc3 29. Nxe5 Be4 30. Nf7+ Kh7 31. Ng5+ Kh8 32. Nxe4
fxe4 33. Qd5 Kh7 34. Qg8+ Kg6 35. Bf7+ Kf6 36. Bd5 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "18"]
[Date "2001.03.03"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Polgar, Judit"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B80"]
[WhiteElo "2676"]
[BlackElo "2849"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "69"]
[EventDate "2001.??.23"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e6 7. f3 b5 8. Qd2
Nbd7 9. O-O-O Bb7 10. g4 Nb6 11. Qf2 Nfd7 12. Bd3 Rc8 13. Nce2 Be7 14. h4 O-O
15. Kb1 Na4 16. g5 Ndc5 17. Ng3 $5 ({Known is} 17. Qg3 {(Grischuk-Georgiev,
Mulhouse 2001).}) 17... Qc7 18. Nb3 $5 (18. h5 $6 {allows} Nxb2 $1 19. Kxb2
Na4+ 20. Kc1 d5 $1 {(Kasparov) and Black attacks.}) 18... d5 $1 19. e5 $5 Qxe5
20. Bd4 Qc7 21. f4 Ne4 $5 22. Bxe4 dxe4 23. Rhe1 Bd6 24. Nh5 e5 25. c3 $2 {
White allows a decisive charge.} f6 $1 26. gxf6 exd4 27. Nxd4 g6 $2 {Kasparov
lets the win slip away.} (27... Ba3 $3 {crushes the defence:} 28. Rg1 (28. Ne6
Qf7 29. Nxf8 Bxb2 $1) 28... g6 29. f5 Bxb2 30. fxg6 Nxc3+ $1 31. Kxb2 Nxd1+ 32.
Rxd1 hxg6 {and Black wins (Ftacnik).}) 28. f5 $1 gxh5 29. Ne6 Nxc3+ 30. bxc3
Qxc3 31. Rxd6 Qb4+ {Black has to deliver perpetual check.} 32. Ka1 Qc3+ 33. Kb1
Qb4+ 34. Ka1 Qc3+ 35. Kb1 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "18"]
[Date "2001.03.04"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C80"]
[WhiteElo "2849"]
[BlackElo "2718"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "2001.??.23"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5
Be6 9. Nbd2 Nc5 10. c3 d4 11. Ng5 Qxg5 12. Qf3 O-O-O 13. Bxe6+ fxe6 14. Qxc6
Qxe5 15. b4 Qd5 16. Qxd5 exd5 17. bxc5 dxc3 18. Nb3 d4 19. Ba3 g6 20. Bb4 Bg7
21. a4 Kd7 22. axb5 axb5 23. Rfd1 Ke6 24. Rac1 Rhe8 $2 ({Known is} 24... Rd5 $5
{(Van den Doel-Timmermans, Deizisau 1999).}) 25. Kf1 Kf5 26. c6 $1 {Pawn c7
cannot support his comrades on the queenside anymore.} g5 27. Ba5 $5 Rd6 28.
Bb4 Rdd8 {A repetition of moves has occurred.} 29. Rd3 $1 g4 30. Bc5 Ke4 31.
Rcd1 $1 {Pawn d4 is dead meat.} h5 ({The tactical justification gives} 31... c2
32. R1d2 Bh6 33. f3+ $1 {(Dokhoian).}) 32. Nxd4 b4 33. Re3+ Kd5 34. Bxb4 Kc4
35. Bxc3 Rxe3 36. fxe3 Rf8+ 37. Ke2 Kxc3 38. Ne6 {Shirov played a doubtful
variation. Again Kasparov pulverized his aspiration.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "18"]
[Date "2001.03.05"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Karpov, Anatoly"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D77"]
[WhiteElo "2679"]
[BlackElo "2849"]
[PlyCount "71"]
[EventDate "2001.??.23"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 d5 5. c4 dxc4 6. Na3 c3 7. bxc3 O-O 8. O-O
c5 9. e3 Nc6 10. Qe2 Bf5 11. Rd1 Qb6 12. Bb2 Rfd8 13. Nc4 Qa6 14. a4 Na5 15.
Bf1 Ne4 16. Nfd2 Nxd2 17. Nxa5 Qxa5 18. Rxd2 cxd4 19. cxd4 Rac8 20. h3 Be4 21.
Bg2 Bxg2 22. Kxg2 e5 23. Kg1 h5 24. h4 b6 25. Rdd1 exd4 26. Bxd4 Bxd4 27. exd4
Qd5 28. Qa6 Rc7 29. Rac1 Qxd4 30. Rxd4 Rxc1+ 31. Kg2 Rxd4 32. Qxa7 Rcc4 33.
Qxb6 Rxa4 34. Qb8+ Kh7 35. Qc7 Kg8 36. Qb8+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "18"]
[Date "2001.03.06"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B45"]
[WhiteElo "2849"]
[BlackElo "2663"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "89"]
[EventDate "2001.??.23"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. e5 Nd5 8.
Ne4 Bb7 9. Be2 c5 10. O-O Qc7 11. Nd6+ Bxd6 12. exd6 Qc6 13. f3 c4 14. Qd4 O-O
15. Bxc4 Rfc8 $6 (15... Qxd6 {drew in Kasparov-Lékó, Linares 1999.}) 16. Bxd5
$1 Qxd5 ({No good is} 16... Qxd6 {due to} 17. Bh6 $1 gxh6 18. Qg4+ Kf8 19. Bxb7
Qb6+ 20. Rf2 Qxb7 21. c3 {(Kasparov).}) 17. Qxd5 Bxd5 18. Rf2 {White has an
extra pawn.} Rc6 19. Bf4 Rac8 20. Rc1 Ra6 ({Kasparov prefers} 20... f6 $1 21.
b3 Rc3 $1) 21. a3 f6 22. Be3 $1 Ra4 23. Ra1 $1 e5 24. b3 Ra6 25. c4 {The pawn
advance has made progress.} Be6 26. Rd2 Rb8 $1 27. Rd3 {Both parties are
troubled by weaknesses.} Rb7 $2 ({Black can force a draw by} 27... Bf5 $1 28.
Rc3 Rxd6 $1 29. Bxa7 Rb7 30. Bc5 Rd3 31. Rxd3 Bxd3 32. Bb4 Bc2 {(Kasparov).})
28. g4 h5 29. h3 hxg4 30. hxg4 f5 $2 ({The last chance gives} 30... Rc6 $1 31.
a4 Bf7) 31. Bc5 $1 Rc6 32. b4 $1 fxg4 33. fxg4 Rc8 34. Re1 Bxc4 35. Rc3 Bb5 36.
Rxe5 Rf8 37. Bxa7 Bc6 38. Be3 Rbb8 39. Bg5 Rb5 40. Rcc5 Rb6 41. b5 Bf3 42. Be7
Ra8 43. Rg5 Rxa3 44. Bf6 Kf7 45. Bb2 {Kasparov had won with 7 1/2 out of 10.
The other players shared the second place, three points behind the winner.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "19"]
[Date "2002.02.23"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C18"]
[WhiteElo "2727"]
[BlackElo "2717"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "89"]
[EventDate "2002.??.??"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. Qg4 O-O 8. Bd3
f5 9. exf6 Rxf6 10. Bg5 Rf7 11. Qh5 g6 12. Qd1 Nbc6 13. Nf3 Qf8 14. O-O c4 15.
Be2 h6 16. Bc1 Bd7 17. Ne1 $5 {A new idea is the preparation of f4.} g5 18. g3
Nf5 ({A fine alternative brings} 18... e5 $1 19. dxe5 Nxe5 20. f4 gxf4 21. Bxf4
Bh3 22. Ng2 N5g6 {(Psakhis).}) 19. Ng2 Qg7 20. f4 Nd6 21. Qe1 b5 22. fxg5 Rxf1+
23. Bxf1 hxg5 24. Ne3 Rf8 25. Bg2 a5 26. Bd2 Qg6 27. Ng4 Rf5 28. Qe3 Kg7 29.
Rb1 Kh7 30. a4 bxa4 31. Bc1 Rf7 32. Ba3 Qxc2 $2 {Ivanchuk becomes greedy.} ({
Ponomariov prefers} 32... Nf5) 33. Rc1 Qf5 34. Bh3 Ne4 35. Ne5 $1 Qf2+ 36. Qxf2
Rxf2 ({No rescue gives} 36... Nxf2 37. Nxf7 Nxh3+ 38. Kg2 g4 39. Rb1 $1 {
Psakhis).}) 37. Nxd7 Ra2 38. Bc5 Nd2 39. Bg2 a3 40. Nf8+ Kh6 ({Ponamariov
suggests} 40... Kh8 $5 {Psakhis answers} 41. Nxe6 Nb3 42. Rf1 Rxg2+ 43. Kxg2 a2
44. Nc7 a1=Q 45. Rxa1 Nxa1 46. Nxd5) 41. Re1 e5 42. dxe5 g4 43. e6 Nf3+ 44.
Bxf3 gxf3 45. Kf1 {The highlight of the first round was the win of Ponomariov.
He had just defeated Ivanchuk in the final of the FIDE world championship.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "19"]
[Date "2002.02.23"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B49"]
[WhiteElo "2715"]
[BlackElo "2757"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "104"]
[EventDate "2002.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be2 a6 7. O-O Nf6 8.
Be3 Bb4 9. Na4 Be7 10. Nxc6 bxc6 11. Nb6 Rb8 12. Nxc8 Qxc8 13. Bd4 O-O 14. Qd3
Qc7 15. b3 a5 16. Rad1 d5 17. exd5 Nxd5 18. Bf3 Rfd8 19. c4 Nf6 20. Qc3 Bd6 21.
g3 c5 $6 ({The obvious choice would be} 21... e5 22. Be3 e4) 22. Bxf6 gxf6 23.
Qxf6 Be7 24. Qh6 Qe5 25. Rde1 Qf6 26. Qh5 Bf8 27. Re4 Rd4 28. Rxd4 Qxd4 29. Re1
Qf6 30. Re4 Bg7 31. Rf4 Qe7 32. Rh4 h6 33. Rg4 f5 34. Rg6 Kh7 35. g4 Rf8 36.
gxf5 Rxf5 37. Be4 Rxh5 38. Rxe6+ Kh8 39. Rxe7 Re5 40. Rxe5 Bxe5 41. Kg2 Kg7 42.
Bb1 Kf6 43. h4 Bf4 44. Kf3 Ke5 45. Kg4 Bc1 46. f3 Bd2 47. Kh5 Kf6 48. Bc2 Bc1
49. Be4 Bd2 50. Bd5 Bc1 51. a4 Be3 52. Bg8 Bd2 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "19"]
[Date "2002.02.23"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A28"]
[WhiteElo "2629"]
[BlackElo "2838"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "98"]
[EventDate "2002.??.??"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. e4 Bb4 5. d3 d6 6. h3 O-O 7. Be2 Ne7 8. O-O
c6 9. a3 Bxc3 10. bxc3 Ng6 11. Re1 Re8 12. Bf1 Bd7 13. Qb3 Qc8 14. Rb1 b6 15.
Kh2 h6 16. g3 Qc7 17. Bg2 Be6 18. Nd2 Rad8 19. a4 d5 20. a5 dxc4 21. axb6 axb6
22. dxc4 Nd7 23. Bf1 Ne7 24. Qc2 Nc8 25. Nb3 c5 26. Be3 Nd6 27. Nd2 Ra8 28. Ra1
f6 29. Ra2 Rxa2 30. Qxa2 Nb8 31. f4 Nc6 32. f5 Bf7 33. g4 Na5 34. h4 Kf8 35. g5
hxg5 36. hxg5 Ke7 37. Kg1 Rh8 38. Bf2 Rh5 39. Nf3 ({Better is} 39. g6 $1) 39...
Qc6 40. Qc2 $4 {Vallejo blunders, Gary too.} Bxc4 $4 (40... Nxf5 $1 {wins a
pawn.}) 41. Bg2 Nf7 42. Qd1 Bb3 43. Nxe5 Bxd1 44. Nxc6+ Nxc6 45. Rxd1 Nxg5 46.
Rb1 Nh3+ 47. Bxh3 Rxh3 48. Rxb6 Kd6 49. Kg2 Rxc3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "19"]
[Date "2002.02.24"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Adams, Michael"]
[Black "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C92"]
[WhiteElo "2742"]
[BlackElo "2727"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "151"]
[EventDate "2002.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3
O-O 9. h3 Re8 10. d4 Bb7 11. Nbd2 Bf8 12. d5 Nb8 13. Nf1 Nbd7 14. N3h2 Nc5 15.
Bc2 c6 16. b4 Ncd7 17. dxc6 Bxc6 18. Bg5 h6 19. Bxf6 $5 Nxf6 20. Ng4 Nxg4 21.
Qxg4 d5 22. exd5 Qxd5 23. Bb3 Qd8 24. Qh5 {White threatens to start an attack
on the kingside. Black decides to sacrifice a pawn for exchanges.} Ra7 $2 ({
Correct is} 24... Qc7 $1 25. Ne3 Rad8 26. Ng4 Bd5 27. Re3 {(Wedberg)} Re6 $1
28. Nxe5 Bxb3 29. axb3 Rde8 30. Ng4 Rxe3 31. Nxe3 Qxc3 32. Rxa6 Qxb4) 25. Rxe5
Rxe5 26. Qxe5 Qg5 27. Qxg5 hxg5 28. Ne3 g6 29. Rd1 Rc7 30. Kf1 Kg7 31. Ke2 Be7
32. Bd5 Bd7 33. Rd3 Bf6 34. c4 bxc4 35. Bxc4 Bc8 36. a3 Bb2 37. Kd2 f5 38. Kc2
Bxa3 39. Rxa3 f4 40. Kb3 fxe3 41. fxe3 Re7 42. Ka4 Re5 43. Rd3 Bf5 44. Rd2 Rxe3
45. Bxa6 Be4 46. Rf2 Kh6 47. Bf1 g4 48. hxg4 Re1 49. Be2 Ra1+ 50. Kb3 Rb1+ 51.
Kc3 Rc1+ 52. Kd4 Bb7 53. Bf3 Ba6 54. Rb2 Bb5 55. Be2 Bc6 56. Bf3 Bb5 57. Be2
Bc6 58. Ba6 Rg1 59. b5 Bxg2 60. b6 Kg5 61. Bc8 Kf4 62. Kc5 Be4 63. Rb4 Ke5 64.
b7 Rc1+ 65. Kb5 Bxb7 66. Bxb7 Kf6 67. Rc4 Rb1+ 68. Kc6 Kg5 69. Bc8 Rd1 70. Bd7
Kh4 71. Kc7 Rd2 72. Kd8 Re2 73. Rc6 g5 74. Bf5 Re3 75. Re6 Rg3 76. Rh6# 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "19"]
[Date "2002.02.24"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C67"]
[WhiteElo "2757"]
[BlackElo "2629"]
[PlyCount "58"]
[EventDate "2002.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5
8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Nc3 Ne7 10. Re1 h6 11. h3 Ng6 12. Bd2 Bd7 13. Ne4 Kc8 14. Ng3
c5 15. Nh5 b5 16. Nh2 Kb7 17. f4 Nh4 18. Re2 Bc6 19. c3 g6 20. Nf6 Be7 21. Be1
Nf5 22. Ne4 Ng7 23. Ng4 Rad8 24. Ngf2 h5 25. Bd2 h4 26. Be3 Ne6 27. Nf6 a5 28.
N2e4 b4 29. Ng5 Rd3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "19"]
[Date "2002.02.24"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D11"]
[WhiteElo "2717"]
[BlackElo "2715"]
[PlyCount "25"]
[EventDate "2002.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Qc2 g6 5. cxd5 cxd5 6. Nc3 Bg7 7. Bf4 Nc6 8. e3
O-O 9. Be2 Ne4 10. O-O Bf5 11. Nh4 Nxc3 12. Qxc3 Be4 13. Nf3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "19"]
[Date "2002.02.25"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B49"]
[WhiteElo "2838"]
[BlackElo "2757"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "2002.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nc6 5. Nc3 Qc7 6. Be2 a6 7. O-O Nf6 8.
Be3 Bb4 9. Na4 Be7 10. Nxc6 bxc6 11. Nb6 Rb8 12. Nxc8 Qxc8 13. Bd4 O-O 14. e5 (
{Shirov played} 14. Qd3 {in round 1.}) 14... Nd5 15. c4 Nf4 16. Bf3 Qc7 17. Re1
Ng6 18. c5 f6 19. exf6 Bxf6 20. Be4 Nf4 21. Bxf6 Rxf6 22. Qc2 h6 23. Rad1 Nd5
$1 24. g3 a5 $1 25. a3 Rff8 26. Re2 Qd8 27. Rd4 $1 Rb7 28. Bh7+ Kh8 29. Bd3 Qf6
30. Ra4 Ra8 31. Qd2 Qd8 32. Bb1 Rb5 33. Rh4 Qe7 (33... Qf8 $1 {protects the
weakness h6.}) 34. Rxh6+ $1 Kg8 (34... gxh6 $2 35. Qxh6+ Kg8 36. Re5 {has to
be avoided.}) 35. Rh4 Rab8 36. Bh7+ $2 ({Kasparov prefers} 36. Qc2 Nf6 37. Rc4
Rxb2 38. Qxb2 Rxb2 39. Rxb2) 36... Kf7 37. Qd3 Qg5 38. Qd4 Rxb2 39. Bg6+ Kg8
40. Bh7+ Kf7 41. Bg6+ Kg8 42. Bh7+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "19"]
[Date "2002.02.25"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Adams, Michael"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C88"]
[WhiteElo "2715"]
[BlackElo "2742"]
[PlyCount "50"]
[EventDate "2002.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. a4
Bb7 9. d3 Re8 10. Nc3 b4 11. Nd5 Na5 12. Nxe7+ Qxe7 13. Ba2 d5 14. Bg5 dxe4 15.
dxe4 Rad8 16. Qe2 h6 17. Bxf6 Qxf6 18. Rad1 Qe7 19. h3 g6 20. Qe3 Kg7 21. Bd5
Bxd5 22. exd5 Nc4 23. Qb3 Na5 24. Qe3 Nc4 25. Qb3 Na5 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "19"]
[Date "2002.02.25"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C26"]
[WhiteElo "2629"]
[BlackElo "2717"]
[PlyCount "60"]
[EventDate "2002.??.??"]

1. e4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 Bc5 5. Bg2 d6 6. d3 a6 7. h3 O-O 8. O-O b5
9. a3 Rb8 10. Kh1 a5 11. Bg5 h6 12. Bh4 Be6 13. Nd5 Bxd5 14. exd5 Nd4 15. Nxd4
exd4 16. g4 Re8 17. Re1 Rxe1+ 18. Qxe1 b4 19. axb4 Bxb4 20. Qc1 Rb5 21. c3 Bc5
22. c4 Rb3 23. Rxa5 g5 24. Bg3 Qb8 25. Bf1 Rxb2 26. Ra8 Qxa8 27. Qxb2 Nd7 28.
Bg2 Qa3 29. Qe2 Qc1+ 30. Kh2 Ne5 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "19"]
[Date "2002.02.26"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Adams, Michael"]
[Black "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C67"]
[WhiteElo "2742"]
[BlackElo "2629"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "47"]
[EventDate "2002.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5
8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Nc3 Ne7 10. b3 Bg4 $5 11. Ng5 Ke8 12. Bb2 Nd5 13. h3 Bf5 14.
g4 $1 Bd7 $1 15. Ne2 h5 $6 (15... h6 {is the natural move.}) 16. c4 Nb4 17.
Rad1 hxg4 18. Nxf7 Kxf7 19. Rxd7+ Ke6 20. Rxc7 Nd3 21. Bd4 Rxh3 22. Be3 g5 23.
Rxb7 Nxe5 24. Kg2 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "19"]
[Date "2002.02.26"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A04"]
[WhiteElo "2717"]
[BlackElo "2838"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "2002.??.??"]

1. Nf3 c5 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. O-O Nc6 5. c3 d5 6. d4 cxd4 7. cxd4 e6 8. Nc3
Nge7 9. b3 O-O 10. Qd2 b6 11. Ba3 Ba6 12. Rac1 Qd7 13. Rfd1 Rfd8 14. g4 Rac8
15. h3 h6 16. e3 Kh7 17. Rc2 Ng8 18. Rdc1 Qe8 19. Ne1 Nf6 20. f4 Kg8 21. Nd3
Bxd3 22. Qxd3 Bf8 23. Bxf8 Qxf8 24. Qd2 Nb4 25. Rb2 Kg7 26. a3 Nc6 27. b4 Ne7
28. Rbc2 Ne8 29. Bf1 Nd6 30. Ba6 Rc6 31. Qd3 h5 32. Qe2 Qh8 33. Kg2 Qh7 34. g5
1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "19"]
[Date "2002.02.26"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B30"]
[WhiteElo "2727"]
[BlackElo "2715"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "54"]
[EventDate "2002.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 e5 4. Bc4 d6 5. d3 Be7 6. Nd2 Bg5 7. h4 Bxd2+ 8.
Bxd2 Nf6 9. Bg5 Be6 $5 10. Nd5 Bxd5 11. Bxd5 h6 12. Bxf6 Qxf6 13. Qd2 Ne7 14.
Bc4 O-O 15. Kf1 Rad8 16. Re1 d5 17. exd5 Nxd5 18. Qe2 Rfe8 19. Qe4 Nb6 $1 20.
Bb3 Rd4 21. Qxb7 c4 $1 22. dxc4 ({After} 22. Bxc4 Nxc4 23. dxc4 {Black has the
pleasant choice between} {the quiet} Rxc4 ({and the aggressive} 23... Rd2))
22... e4 $1 23. Kg1 Rd7 24. Qa6 {Shirov crowns an active game with a pretty
combination.} e3 25. fxe3 Rxe3 26. Rxe3 Rd1+ 27. Kh2 Qxh4+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "19"]
[Date "2002.02.28"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B33"]
[WhiteElo "2757"]
[BlackElo "2717"]
[PlyCount "98"]
[EventDate "2002.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8.
Na3 b5 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. Nd5 f5 11. c3 Bg7 12. Bd3 Be6 13. Qh5 O-O 14. exf5 Bxd5
15. f6 h6 16. fxg7 Kxg7 17. Nc2 Be6 18. Ne3 d5 19. h4 Qf6 20. Bf5 Bxf5 21.
Nxf5+ Kh7 22. Rd1 Rad8 23. Rh3 Qg6 24. Qxg6+ fxg6 25. Ne3 d4 26. Nc2 Rf4 27.
Rd2 h5 28. b3 Rd5 29. Kd1 Kg7 30. Ke1 a5 31. Kd1 Kf6 32. Ke1 Rc5 33. cxd4 exd4
34. Kd1 Rd5 35. Ne1 Ne5 36. Ke2 Re4+ 37. Kd1 Rf4 38. Ke2 Re4+ 39. Kd1 a4 40.
Nd3 axb3 41. axb3 Nxd3 42. Rdxd3 Ke5 43. Rdg3 Rg4 44. Kd2 Rc5 45. f3 Rxg3 46.
Rxg3 Kf6 47. Kd3 Rc3+ 48. Kxd4 Rxb3 49. Rg5 Rb4+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "19"]
[Date "2002.02.28"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Adams, Michael"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2838"]
[BlackElo "2742"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "93"]
[EventDate "2002.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Nc6 7. O-O Be7 8. c4
Nb4 9. Be2 O-O 10. a3 Nc6 11. cxd5 Qxd5 12. Nc3 Nxc3 13. bxc3 Bf5 14. Re1 Rfe8
15. Bf4 Rac8 16. c4 Qe4 17. Be3 Bf6 18. Ra2 b6 19. h3 Na5 20. g4 $1 {Kasparov
brings life to a dull game.} Bg6 21. g5 Be7 22. Ne5 Bd6 23. Nxg6 hxg6 24. c5 $1
Bf8 25. Bg4 Rcd8 26. Rae2 Qd5 27. Bf4 Rxe2 28. Qxe2 c6 $6 ({Kasparov expected
a draw by} 28... Qc6 29. Bf3 Qd7) 29. Bc7 $1 Ra8 ({Black might survive in} 
29... Qxd4 $1 30. Bxd8 Qxd8 31. cxb6 axb6) 30. Qe5 $6 (30. Qa6 $1 Qc4 31. Qxc4
Nxc4 32. d5 {gives a strong attack (Kasparov).}) 30... Qxe5 31. Rxe5 Nc4 32. d5
$1 {An incredible move stes the board on fire.} Nxe5 $2 ({Equality keeps} 32...
cxd5 33. c6 Na5 $1 34. Rxd5 (34. Bd7 Nxc6 $1) 34... Nxc6 35. Bd7 Na5) 33. Bxe5
cxd5 ({More resistance offers} 33... Re8 $1 34. Bf4 f5 35. gxf6 gxf6 36. dxc6
f5 37. Bf3 g5 38. Bxg5 Bxc5 39. Bf4 Kf8 40. c7 Ke7 41. Bb7 Kd7 42. a4 {
(Kasparov).}) 34. c6 f5 35. gxf6 gxf6 36. Be6+ Kg7 37. Bg3 Bxa3 ({A pawn saves
} 37... d4 $1 38. c7 Bxa3 39. c8=Q Rxc8 40. Bxc8 {(Dokholan).}) 38. Bxd5 Rc8
39. c7 Bc5 40. Bb7 Rxc7 41. Bxc7 a5 42. Bc6 g5 43. Kf1 Kg6 44. f3 Kh5 45. Be8+
Kh6 46. Ke2 f5 47. Bd8 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "19"]
[Date "2002.02.28"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Black "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A29"]
[WhiteElo "2629"]
[BlackElo "2727"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "130"]
[EventDate "2002.??.??"]

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2 Nb6 7. O-O Be7 8.
a3 O-O 9. b4 Be6 10. Rb1 f6 11. d3 Nd4 12. Nd2 c6 13. e3 Nb5 14. Nxb5 cxb5 15.
Nb3 Na4 16. Bb2 Bd5 ({A diversion of} 16... Qd7 {(Kharlov - Brenninkmeijer,
Leeuwarden 1995).}) 17. e4 Bf7 18. d4 Rc8 19. d5 Qd7 20. Qe2 Bd8 21. Ba1 Bb6
22. Rbc1 a6 23. h4 Rxc1 24. Rxc1 Rc8 25. Rc2 Rc7 26. Bf3 Qc8 27. Rxc7 Qxc7 28.
Qd3 Qc4 29. Be2 Bg6 30. Qxc4 bxc4 31. Bxc4 Bxe4 32. Nd2 Bf5 33. d6+ Kf8 34. Bd5
Bc8 35. d7 Bxd7 36. Bxb7 Bb5 37. Be4 h6 38. Bc2 Ke7 39. Kg2 Bd4 40. Nb3 Bxa1
41. Nxa1 Kd6 42. Bb3 Nc3 43. Nc2 Bc6+ 44. Kf1 Bd5 45. Bxd5 Kxd5 46. Ne3+ Ke4
47. h5 f5 48. Nc4 f4 49. Nd6+ Kf3 50. gxf4 exf4 51. Nf5 Nb5 52. a4 Nc3 53. Nxg7
Nxa4 54. Nf5 Kg4 55. Nxh6+ Kxh5 56. Nf5 Nc3 57. Nd4 Kg4 58. Kg2 Nd5 59. f3+ Kg5
60. Nc6 Kf6 61. Kh3 Kf5 62. Kh4 Ne3 63. Nb8 Nc2 64. Nxa6 Nd4 65. Kh3 Nxf3
1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "19"]
[Date "2002.03.01"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Adams, Michael"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C10"]
[WhiteElo "2742"]
[BlackElo "2757"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "87"]
[EventDate "2002.??.??"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Nf3 Ngf6 6. Nxf6+ Nxf6 7. c3 c5 8.
Be3 Qc7 9. Ne5 a6 10. Qa4+ Nd7 11. O-O-O cxd4 12. Nxd7 Qxd7 13. Qc2 Bc5 14.
Bxd4 Bxd4 15. Rxd4 Qc7 16. Bd3 Bd7 17. g3 h6 18. Rd1 O-O-O 19. Rc4 Bc6 20. Be4
$1 Rxd1+ 21. Qxd1 Rd8 22. Qf3 Rd6 23. h4 $1 Kb8 24. Bxc6 Rxc6 25. Rxc6 bxc6 {
White has reached a better queen ending with small means.} 26. h5 Kb7 27. Kc2
f5 $2 {Steinitz would not like this move.} ({Better is} 27... Qe7 28. b4 e5)
28. Qd3 Qf7 29. Qe2 f4 30. g4 g6 31. Qe5 $1 {Black's pawn structure looks
awful.} g5 $2 {Pawn h6 is lost.} ({Correct is} 31... gxh5 32. gxh5 Qh7+ 33. Kc1
Qf7 {(Adams).}) 32. Qh8 $1 e5 33. Qxh6 e4 $6 (33... Qe7 34. Qg6 Qc5 {gives the
last chance (Finkel).}) 34. Qg6 $1 (34. Qxg5 $2 {allows the counteraction} e3
$1 35. fxe3 f3 {(Adams).}) 34... Qc4 35. Qg7+ Kc8 36. Qh8+ Kb7 37. Qg7+ Kc8 38.
Qf8+ Kc7 39. Qe7+ Kc8 40. Qe8+ Kc7 41. Qe7+ Kc8 42. h6 c5 43. Qe8+ $1 {The
queen protects square b5.} Kc7 44. h7 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "19"]
[Date "2002.03.01"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B80"]
[WhiteElo "2727"]
[BlackElo "2838"]
[PlyCount "88"]
[EventDate "2002.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. f3 e6 7. Be3 Nc6 8. Qd2
Be7 9. g4 O-O 10. O-O-O Nxd4 11. Bxd4 b5 12. a3 Nd7 13. h4 Rb8 14. f4 Bb7 15.
g5 Nc5 16. Bg2 a5 17. Bxc5 dxc5 18. Qxd8 Rfxd8 19. Nxb5 Bxe4 20. Bxe4 Rxb5 21.
Rxd8+ Bxd8 22. f5 exf5 23. Bxf5 g6 24. Re1 Kg7 25. Bd3 Rb7 26. Re5 Be7 27. c3
h6 28. Kc2 hxg5 29. hxg5 Kf8 30. Rd5 Rb8 31. Rd7 Bxg5 32. Bc4 Be7 33. Ra7 g5
34. Rxa5 g4 35. Bd5 f5 36. Be6 g3 37. Bd5 Rd8 38. Bf3 Kf7 39. b4 Rh8 40. Kb3
Rh2 41. Bd5+ Kf6 42. Ra8 Rd2 43. Bf3 Kf7 44. bxc5 Bxc5 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "19"]
[Date "2002.03.01"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C67"]
[WhiteElo "2715"]
[BlackElo "2629"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[EventDate "2002.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5
8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Nc3 Ne7 10. h3 Ng6 11. Bg5+ Ke8 12. Rad1 Be7 $5 13. Bxe7 Kxe7
14. Nd4 $5 {Shirov keeps the battle going.} Nf4 ({Risk takes} 14... Nxe5 $6 15.
Rfe1 Kf6 16. b3 $1 {(Wedberg).}) 15. Ne4 Rd8 16. Rfe1 Rd5 17. c4 $5 Rd8 $6 ({
A surprising defence brings} 17... Rxe5 $5 18. Nf3 Ra5 $1 19. b4 Ra3 20. Nd4
Kf8 21. Ng5 h6 22. Nb5 $1 Rd3 23. Nxc7 Rxd1 24. Rxd1 Rb8 25. Ne4 Bf5 $11) 18.
Kh2 a5 19. g4 $1 a4 20. Kg3 Ne6 21. Nf5+ Kf8 22. f4 {White has gained much
territory.} b6 23. Rxd8+ Nxd8 24. Ne3 Ne6 25. f5 Nd4 26. Kf4 $6 (26. Ng5 $1 h6
27. Nf3 Nxf3 28. Kxf3 Bb7 29. Rd1 {keeps an edge.}) 26... Bb7 27. c5 a3 $1 28.
b3 Ba6 $1 29. cxb6 cxb6 30. Nd6 Rd8 31. Ndc4 Bxc4 32. Nxc4 b5 33. Nd6 f6 $1
1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "19"]
[Date "2002.03.02"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B32"]
[WhiteElo "2757"]
[BlackElo "2727"]
[PlyCount "39"]
[EventDate "2002.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 5. Nb5 d6 6. c4 Be7 7. Be2 a6 8. N5c3
Bg5 9. Nd2 Nf6 10. O-O O-O 11. b3 Nd4 12. Nf3 Bxc1 13. Rxc1 Nxf3+ 14. Bxf3 Be6
15. Qd2 Qc7 16. Rfd1 Rfd8 17. h3 h6 18. Qe2 Rac8 19. Bg4 Qa5 20. Nd5 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "19"]
[Date "2002.03.02"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Adams, Michael"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C88"]
[WhiteElo "2717"]
[BlackElo "2742"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "99"]
[EventDate "2002.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. a4
Bb7 9. d3 Re8 10. Na3 Bxa3 11. bxa3 $5 d5 $1 12. exd5 Nxd5 13. Bb2 Nf4 $1 14.
Bc1 $6 ({Ivanchuk prefers} 14. Qd2 Qf6 15. Qe3 Qf5) 14... Nxg2 $5 15. Ng5 $1
Nxe1 16. Qh5 $1 Qd7 $6 (16... h6 $1 17. Nxf7 Qf6 18. Ng5+ Kh8 19. Nf7+ {brings
perpetual check.}) 17. Bxf7+ Kf8 18. Be3 $3 {Adams seemed to win easily, but
Ivanchuk has sacrificed a rook for a dashing combination.} Nd4 19. Rxe1 Nf3+ $1
20. Kf1 $1 ({Avoids} 20. Nxf3 $2 Qxf7) 20... Nxg5 21. Bc5+ $1 Re7 22. Rxe5 Nxf7
23. Rxe7 Qxe7 24. Bxe7+ Kxe7 25. Qc5+ Kd7 26. Qd4+ Ke7 27. Qxg7 bxa4 $2 (27...
Bd5 $1 28. Qxh7 Rh8 29. Qf5 c6 {creates a fortress.}) 28. Qc3 Kd7 29. Qd4+ Nd6
30. Qxa4+ Ke6 31. Qg4+ Nf5 32. Qc4+ Bd5 33. Qxc7 h5 34. c4 Bh1 35. f4 Rf8 36.
Qb6+ Kf7 37. Qa7+ Ne7 38. Qxa6 Rb8 39. d4 Rb1+ 40. Ke2 Rb2+ 41. Kd3 Rb3+ 42.
Kd2 Rh3 43. d5 Rxh2+ 44. Kd3 Nxd5 45. cxd5 Bxd5 46. f5 Ra2 47. Qa7+ Kf6 48.
Qd4+ Kg5 49. Qxd5 Rxa3+ 50. Ke4 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "19"]
[Date "2002.03.02"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B31"]
[WhiteElo "2838"]
[BlackElo "2715"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "51"]
[EventDate "2002.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4. O-O Bg7 5. c3 Nf6 6. Re1 O-O 7. d4 cxd4 8.
cxd4 d5 9. e5 Ne4 10. Nc3 Bf5 11. Nh4 Be6 12. Bxc6 bxc6 13. Na4 g5 14. Nf3 f6
15. Be3 g4 16. Nd2 fxe5 17. Nxe4 dxe4 18. Nc5 Bf5 19. dxe5 Qxd1 20. Raxd1 Bxe5
21. Nd7 Bxd7 22. Rxd7 Bxb2 23. Rxe7 Rfe8 24. Rc7 Rec8 25. Re7 Re8 26. Rc7 {
Many draws have been scored halfway. Only Adams really fought.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "19"]
[Date "2002.03.03"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B32"]
[WhiteElo "2757"]
[BlackElo "2715"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "2002.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 5. Nb5 d6 6. N1c3 a6 7. Na3 b5 8. Nd5
Nf6 9. c4 b4 $6 10. Nxf6+ Qxf6 11. Nc2 Qg6 12. Qd5 $1 {A novelty leads to
pressure.} Bb7 13. Nxb4 Rc8 $1 ({Anand dislikes the passive} 13... Nd8 14. Qd1
Qxe4+ 15. Be3) 14. Be3 Be7 15. h4 O-O 16. h5 Qg4 17. f3 Qg3+ 18. Kd1 $1 ({
Avoids} 18. Bf2 Nxb4 $1) 18... Bg5 {White has an extra pawn. Black has
tactical chances.} 19. Nxc6 ({An interesting alternative gives} 19. Rh3 Qxh3
20. gxh3 Bxe3 21. Qd3 {(Anand).}) 19... Bxe3 $2 ({Anand rejects} 19... Bxc6 20.
Qd2 Bxe3 21. Qxe3 {But the active} f5 $1 22. Rh3 Qf4 23. Qxf4 exf4 24. exf5
Rxf5 25. Kd2 Bd7 {leads to counter-play for Black.}) 20. Ne7+ Kh8 21. Qd3 Bg5
22. Nxc8 Rxc8 23. h6 $5 gxh6 24. Kc2 d5 25. exd5 Bxd5 26. Qxd5 Rd8 27. Qc5 Rd2+
28. Kb3 Kg7 29. a3 e4 30. Rh3 Qf4 31. fxe4 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "19"]
[Date "2002.03.03"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D23"]
[WhiteElo "2717"]
[BlackElo "2727"]
[PlyCount "39"]
[EventDate "2002.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. c4 dxc4 4. Qa4+ Nc6 5. Nc3 Nd5 6. Qxc4 Nb6 7. Qb3 e5 8.
dxe5 Be6 9. Qc2 Nd4 10. Qd3 Bc5 11. e3 Nxf3+ 12. gxf3 Qxd3 13. Bxd3 O-O-O 14.
Be2 Bb4 15. Bd2 Na4 16. a3 Bxc3 17. Bxc3 Nxc3 18. bxc3 Rd5 19. f4 Rc5 20. Rc1
1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "19"]
[Date "2002.03.03"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B41"]
[WhiteElo "2838"]
[BlackElo "2629"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "99"]
[EventDate "2002.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. c4 Nf6 6. Nc3 Qc7 7. a3 b6 8. Be3
Bb7 9. f3 Nc6 10. Be2 Rb8 $6 11. b4 $1 {White expands on both flanks.} Be7 12.
O-O O-O 13. Rc1 Ne5 $2 ({A square for the queen opens} 13... Rbc8 $1) 14. f4 $1
Ng6 ({The pointe is} 14... Nxc4 $2 15. Bxc4 Qxc4 16. Nb1 Qa2 17. Rf2) 15. Bd3
$1 Ba8 16. Qe2 Kh8 $1 {Retreats are needed.} 17. e5 Ng8 $1 18. Qh5 a5 $6 19.
Ndb5 $6 (19. Rb1 {continues the restriction of the queenside.}) 19... Qc6 20.
Rc2 axb4 21. axb4 Bxb4 22. Ne4 f5 23. Ng5 Nh6 24. Kh1 Bc5 25. Bc1 Qc8 26. h3
Kg8 27. Kh2 Ne7 28. Nd6 Bxd6 29. exd6 Nc6 $2 ({The knight assists in rthe
defence of the kingside by} 29... Ng6) 30. Bb2 Nb4 31. Rd2 b5 $1 ({Black
avoids the combination} 31... Nxd3 $2 32. Rxd3 Qxc4 33. Nxh7 Qxd3 34. Qg6 {
(Ribli).}) 32. Rc1 Qe8 $1 ({Averts} 32... Nxd3 $2 33. Rxd3 bxc4 34. Bxg7 $1
Kxg7 35. Rg3 {(Ribli).}) 33. Qe2 Nxd3 34. Rxd3 {White pieces are moving
forwards to the kingside.} Nf7 ({If Black exchanges by} 34... bxc4 35. Rg3 $1
Rb3 36. Rcc3 Qg6 37. Rxb3 cxb3 38. Nxe6 $1 Ng4+ 39. hxg4 Qxe6 40. Qxe6+ dxe6
41. gxf5 {White wins the endgame.}) 35. Rg3 Nxg5 36. Rxg5 Rf7 37. Qe5 Qf8 38.
cxb5 h6 39. Rg3 Kh7 40. Bd4 Bd5 41. b6 Rf6 42. Rcc3 Rf7 43. Rc7 Be4 44. Rb3 Bd5
45. Rb5 Bb7 46. Ra5 Qd8 47. Ra7 Be4 $6 ({Or} 47... Bd5 48. Qe2 Qh4 49. g3 Qd8
50. Qb5) 48. Qxe6 $1 Qh4 49. Qxf7 Qxf4+ 50. Kg1 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "19"]
[Date "2002.03.04"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Black "Adams, Michael"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C89"]
[WhiteElo "2727"]
[BlackElo "2742"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "89"]
[EventDate "2002.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. c3
d5 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Nxe5 Nxe5 11. Rxe5 c6 12. d4 Bd6 13. Re1 Qh4 14. g3 Qh3 15.
Re4 g5 $1 16. Qe2 Nf6 $5 17. Nd2 $1 Bf5 18. f3 c5 $1 {A new move leads to
restriction.} 19. Qf2 c4 20. Bc2 h6 21. b3 cxb3 22. axb3 Rfc8 23. Bb2 Bb4 $2 {
Capture on e4 leads to a broad pawn centre.} ({The defence is reorganised by} 
23... Bg6 $1 24. c4 Qd7 25. Rc1 {Now} bxc4 26. bxc4 Nxe4 27. fxe4 Bb4 {accepts
the challenge.}) 24. Re5 $1 Bxc2 25. cxb4 Bg6 26. Rc5 Re8 (26... Rd8 27. d5 $1)
27. Nf1 Rad8 28. d5 Nd7 29. Ne3 $1 h5 (29... Nxc5 30. bxc5 Kf8 31. Rxa6 {is
horrible (Ftacnik).}) 30. f4 h4 31. f5 hxg3 32. hxg3 Bh5 33. d6 Re4 34. Rac1
Nxc5 35. bxc5 Kh7 36. Bf6 Rg8 37. d7 Rh4 38. Qg2 Bf3 39. Qxh3 Rxh3 40. Kf2 g4
41. Nf1 Rh5 42. d8=Q Rxd8 43. Bxd8 Rxf5 44. Ne3 Rh5 45. Bh4 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "19"]
[Date "2002.03.04"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C88"]
[WhiteElo "2715"]
[BlackElo "2717"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "71"]
[EventDate "2002.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. a4
Bb7 9. d3 Re8 10. Nbd2 Bf8 11. c3 Na5 12. Ba2 c5 13. d4 d6 14. b4 $6 (14. d5 {
avoids problems.}) 14... exd4 $1 15. bxa5 $6 (15. cxd4 cxb4 {gives Black a
plus.}) 15... dxc3 16. Nf1 Nxe4 17. axb5 axb5 18. a6 Bc6 19. Rxe4 $5 (19. Bd5
Qc8 20. Qd3 {is not in the style of Shirov.}) 19... Bxe4 20. Bxf7+ $1 Kxf7 21.
Ng5+ Kg8 22. Nxe4 Qc8 $1 {The black pawns look overwhelming.} 23. Nxc3 $2 ({
Better is} 23. Qd5+ Qe6 24. Nxc3 Qxd5 25. Nxd5 Ra7 {(Shirov)} 26. Be3 Rea8 27.
Ra5 Rxa6 28. Rxb5) 23... Rxa6 24. Rb1 b4 25. Nd5 Ra7 26. Rb3 Ra1 27. h3 Re5 28.
Nf4 Qe8 29. Rf3 c4 30. Kh2 b3 31. Qd2 d5 32. Ne3 Bd6 33. g3 Qc6 34. Ng4 d4 $4 {
He blunders in time trouble.} ({Right is} 34... Rf5 35. Bb2 Ra7 {Black
protects g7 and has a big edge.}) 35. Qxd4 Re4 $4 36. Qxa1 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "19"]
[Date "2002.03.04"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A29"]
[WhiteElo "2629"]
[BlackElo "2757"]
[PlyCount "42"]
[EventDate "2002.??.??"]

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 Bb4 5. Nd5 Bc5 6. Bg2 d6 7. O-O O-O 8. e3
a6 9. b3 Ba7 10. Nxf6+ Qxf6 11. Bb2 Bg4 12. h3 Bh5 13. d3 Qe7 14. Qd2 f5 15.
Rae1 Rae8 16. Bc3 Kh8 17. Nh4 Qg5 18. Kh2 f4 19. exf4 exf4 20. Rxe8 Bxe8 21.
Nf3 fxg3+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "19"]
[Date "2002.03.06"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Adams, Michael"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B30"]
[WhiteElo "2742"]
[BlackElo "2715"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "2002.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 e6 4. O-O Nge7 5. c3 a6 6. Ba4 b5 7. Bc2 Bb7 8. Qe2
Ng6 9. d4 cxd4 10. cxd4 Nh4 11. Nbd2 Rc8 12. Bb1 Bd6 13. a4 bxa4 14. Rxa4 Nxf3+
15. Nxf3 Nb4 16. Bd2 a5 17. Rd1 O-O 18. Bc3 Qb6 19. Ra1 Bf4 $2 ({Better is} 
19... Bc7 {(Adams)}) ({or} 19... f5 20. e5 Be7) 20. Ne5 Qc7 21. Qg4 Bxe5 $6 ({
More resistance offers} 21... Bh6) 22. dxe5 Bc6 23. h4 Kh8 24. Ra3 $1 {
Attackers move to the kingside.} Rg8 25. h5 h6 26. Qf4 $1 Rcf8 27. Bd4 Bb5 28.
Rc3 Nc6 29. Bc5 Be2 $6 30. Rd2 Bxh5 31. Rh3 ({Adams analyses} 31. Rh3 Bg6 32.
Rxh6+ $1 gxh6 33. Qxh6+ Bh7 34. Qf6+ Rg7 35. Bxf8) 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "19"]
[Date "2002.03.06"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2757"]
[BlackElo "2838"]
[PlyCount "78"]
[EventDate "2002.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. f3
Nbd7 9. g4 b5 10. g5 b4 11. Ne2 Nh5 12. Qd2 a5 13. Ng3 Nxg3 14. hxg3 a4 15. Nc1
Qa5 16. Nd3 d5 17. exd5 Qxd5 18. Bg2 Qb5 19. Bh3 Bxh3 20. Rxh3 Be7 21. Rh4 f5
22. O-O-O b3 23. a3 Rc8 24. c3 Nf8 25. Rh2 Ng6 26. Nb4 Rd8 27. Nd5 Kf7 28. Qd3
Qxd3 29. Rxd3 f4 30. gxf4 exf4 31. Nxf4 Nxf4 32. Rxd8 Rxd8 33. Bxf4 Rd3 34. Rh3
Kg6 35. Bd2 Bd8 36. Rg3 Be7 37. Rh3 Bd8 38. Rg3 Kf5 39. Kd1 Bc7 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "19"]
[Date "2002.03.06"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B42"]
[WhiteElo "2717"]
[BlackElo "2629"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "45"]
[EventDate "2002.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Bd3 Nf6 6. O-O d6 7. c4 Be7 8. Nc3
O-O 9. f4 Re8 10. Kh1 Nbd7 11. Qe2 {A poor novelty.} g6 $6 12. Bd2 Bf8 13. Rad1
Nh5 14. Nf3 $1 ({Less effect has} 14. f5 $6 exf5 15. Nxf5 Ne5 16. Bc2 $6 Bxf5
17. exf5 Qh4 {(Ftacnik).}) 14... b6 15. e5 Bb7 16. Ng5 Ng7 ({Vallejo fears} 
16... Qc7 17. Nxh7 $1) 17. Be4 $1 Qc7 18. Qf3 Bxe4 19. Ncxe4 h6 20. exd6 Qd8 ({
Black is crushed in} 20... Qxc4 $2 21. b3 Qc8 22. Rc1 Qd8 23. Rc7 Nh5 24. g4 $1
Bxd6 25. Nxf7 $1) 21. Qh3 $1 hxg5 22. fxg5 e5 $2 {Black collapses. The
position seems to be lost anyway.} ({The last chance gives} 22... Rc8 23. b3
Rc5 24. Nxc5 bxc5 {but} 25. g4 $1 Qa8+ 26. Kg1 Bxd6 27. Bc3 Qb8 28. Qh6 e5 29.
Rd3 {wins for White.}) 23. Qxd7 $1 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "19"]
[Date "2002.03.07"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B41"]
[WhiteElo "2838"]
[BlackElo "2717"]
[PlyCount "58"]
[EventDate "2002.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. c4 Nf6 6. Nc3 Qc7 7. a3 Be7 8. Be3
O-O 9. Rc1 Nc6 10. Be2 Nxd4 11. Qxd4 d6 12. O-O Rb8 13. Qb6 Qxb6 14. Bxb6 Bd7
15. Rfd1 Rfc8 16. b4 Be8 17. Ba7 Ra8 18. Be3 Nd7 19. Na4 Rc6 20. f3 Kf8 21. Kf2
h6 22. g3 Rc7 23. Bf4 Rc6 24. Be3 Rc7 25. Bf4 Rc6 26. h4 Ra7 27. Nc3 Ra8 28.
Na4 Ra7 29. Nc3 Ra8 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "19"]
[Date "2002.03.07"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D20"]
[WhiteElo "2715"]
[BlackElo "2727"]
[PlyCount "95"]
[EventDate "2002.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e4 Nf6 4. e5 Nd5 5. Bxc4 Nb6 6. Bd3 Nc6 7. Be3 Nb4 8.
Be4 f5 9. exf6 exf6 10. Nc3 f5 11. Bb1 N4d5 12. Nf3 Bd6 13. Bg5 Be7 (13... Qd7
{was playerd in Timman-Salov, Sanghi Nagar 1994.}) 14. Bd2 O-O 15. O-O Nxc3 16.
bxc3 Be6 17. Re1 Bd5 18. Bd3 Nc4 19. Bxc4 $1 {White has to take action against
the blockade.} Bxc4 20. Ne5 Bf7 $6 21. Nxf7 Rxf7 22. Qb3 {Now he has the
initiative.} c5 23. d5 b5 24. Re6 Qd7 25. Rae1 c4 26. Qd1 Rd8 27. Qe2 Qxd5 28.
Rxe7 Rxe7 29. Qxe7 Qxd2 30. Qe6+ Kf8 31. Qxf5+ Kg8 32. Qe6+ Kf8 33. Qe7+ Kg8
34. Qe6+ Kf8 35. h4 Qd7 36. Qa6 Qd2 37. Qe6 Qd7 38. Qe5 Re8 39. Qc5+ Kg8 40.
Rxe8+ Qxe8 41. Qd5+ Kh8 42. Kf1 h6 43. f3 a5 44. Kf2 Qg6 45. Qa8+ Kh7 46. Qxa5
Qc2+ 47. Kg3 Qg6+ 48. Kf2 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "19"]
[Date "2002.03.07"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Black "Adams, Michael"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A30"]
[WhiteElo "2629"]
[BlackElo "2742"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "2002.??.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c5 4. g3 b6 5. Bg2 Bb7 6. O-O Be7 7. Re1 Ne4 8. Nxe4
Bxe4 9. d3 Bb7 10. e4 O-O 11. d4 cxd4 12. Nxd4 d6 13. b3 a6 14. Be3 Nd7 15. f4
Re8 16. Bf2 Qc7 17. Rc1 Bf6 18. Qd2 Rad8 19. g4 $5 {The attack starts at last.}
Nc5 20. b4 g6 $1 21. Nc2 ({Avoids} 21. bxc5 $2 dxc5) 21... Nd7 22. g5 Bg7 23.
Ne3 h5 $2 ({The centre is attacked by} 23... f5 24. exf5 gxf5 {(Stohl).}) 24.
gxh6 Bxh6 25. Ng4 Bf8 $5 26. Bh4 Rc8 27. Bg5 a5 28. a3 axb4 29. axb4 Ba6 $6 ({
More resistance offers} 29... f5 30. Nf2 Kf7) 30. f5 $1 Bxc4 31. f6 $1 {Black
is helpless against a raid through the h-file.} Ne5 32. Nh6+ Bxh6 (32... Kh7
33. Qf4 {leads to trouble.}) 33. Bxh6 b5 $1 34. Bg7 Qb6+ 35. Kh1 Ng4 36. h3 $2
(36. Rc2 $1 Bb3 37. Rb2 Bc2 38. h3 Qf2 39. Re2 {stops the counter.}) 36... Qf2
37. Qg5 Be2 38. hxg4 ({Black properly defends in} 38. Rxe2 Rxc1+ 39. Qxc1 Qxe2
40. hxg4 Qxg4 41. Qh6 Qh5+ {(Stohl).}) 38... Bf3 39. Bxf3 Qxf3+ 40. Kh2 Qf2+
41. Kh1 Qf3+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "19"]
[Date "2002.03.08"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Adams, Michael"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B80"]
[WhiteElo "2742"]
[BlackElo "2838"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "2002.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e6 7. Qf3 Nbd7 8.
Be2 h5 9. Bg5 Qa5 10. Bd2 Qb6 11. Nb3 Qc7 12. a4 b6 13. Bg5 Bb7 14. Rd1 Be7 15.
Qe3 Nc5 16. Nd2 Rd8 17. O-O Ng4 18. Bxg4 hxg4 19. Bxe7 d5 $1 20. Qg3 Qxg3 21.
fxg3 Kxe7 22. exd5 exd5 $6 ({A counteraction begins} 22... Bxd5 $1 23. b4 Nb7
24. Nxd5+ Rxd5 25. Nc4 Rdh5 26. Nxb6 Nd6 {(Adams).}) 23. Rde1+ Kf8 24. b4 Ne4
25. Ncxe4 dxe4 26. Nc4 $1 Rh5 27. Nxb6 Rd6 28. Nc4 Rd4 29. Ne3 $6 (29. Na5 $1 {
keeps a plus.}) 29... Rxb4 30. Rd1 Re5 31. Rd7 Re7 32. Rd8+ Re8 33. Rd7 Re7 34.
Rd8+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "19"]
[Date "2002.03.08"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E06"]
[WhiteElo "2717"]
[BlackElo "2757"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "45"]
[EventDate "2002.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 e6 3. g3 Nf6 4. Bg2 Be7 5. c4 O-O 6. Qc2 c5 7. dxc5 Qa5+ 8. Nc3
dxc4 9. O-O Nc6 10. Bg5 Qxc5 11. Bxf6 Bxf6 12. Ne4 Qe7 13. Rfd1 b5 14. a4 Ba6
$1 15. Nxf6+ Qxf6 16. Rd6 Rac8 17. Nd2 Nd4 18. Qd1 Rcd8 $1 19. Ne4 Qe5 {A
tactical phase ends the game.} 20. f4 ({Little advantage gains} 20. Rxa6 Nb3
21. Qe1 Nxa1 22. Qxa1 b4 {(Ribli).}) 20... Qxd6 $1 21. Nxd6 Rxd6 22. e3 Nf5 23.
Qe1 {Black has sufficient compensation for the queen.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "19"]
[Date "2002.03.08"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Black "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B43"]
[WhiteElo "2727"]
[BlackElo "2629"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "2002.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Nc3 b5 6. Bd3 Bb7 7. O-O Nc6 8.
Nxc6 Bxc6 9. Qe2 Ne7 10. Bd2 $1 ({White revises} 10. f4 b4 11. Nd1 {
(Tolmai-Smirin, Komotini 1992).}) 10... Ng6 11. a4 b4 {The pointe of the
novelty follows.} 12. Nd5 $1 a5 13. c3 b3 $5 14. g3 Bd6 15. Ne3 O-O 16. Nc4 Bc5
17. Be3 Qe7 $6 ({Slightly better is} 17... Bxe3 18. Nxe3 Qc7) 18. Nd2 Ne5 $2 {
There is no need to sacrifice a pawn.} 19. Bxc5 Qxc5 20. Nxb3 Qd6 21. Bb5 f5
22. f4 Ng4 23. e5 Qd5 24. Bxc6 dxc6 25. Nd4 c5 26. Nb5 Rad8 27. h3 Nh6 28. Rfd1
Qb3 29. Rd6 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "19"]
[Date "2002.03.09"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Adams, Michael"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2757"]
[BlackElo "2742"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "53"]
[EventDate "2002.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Nc6 7. O-O Be7 8. c4
Nb4 9. Be2 O-O 10. Nc3 Bf5 11. a3 Nxc3 12. bxc3 Nc6 13. cxd5 Qxd5 14. Re1 Rfe8
15. Bf4 Rac8 16. c4 Qe4 17. Be3 Bf6 18. Ra2 b6 19. h3 Na5 20. g4 Bg6 21. g5 Be7
22. Ne5 Bd6 23. Nxg6 hxg6 24. c5 Bf8 25. Bg4 Rcd8 26. Rae2 Qc6 $1 ({Black
improves on} 26... Qd5 {in Kasparov - Adams (round 5).}) 27. cxb6 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "19"]
[Date "2002.03.09"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C10"]
[WhiteElo "2838"]
[BlackElo "2727"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "2002.??.??"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nd7 5. Nf3 Ngf6 6. Nxf6+ Nxf6 7. c3 c5 8.
Ne5 $1 {Kasparov has to win this game. He brings a sublime novelty.} Nd7 $2 ({
Kasparov recommends} 8... a6) 9. Bb5 $1 Bd6 10. Qg4 $1 Kf8 $1 ({Avoids} 10...
O-O $2 11. Bxd7 Bxd7 12. Bh6) 11. O-O $6 ({White can attack without a pawn
sacrifice in} 11. Qh5 $1 Nxe5 12. dxe5 Be7 13. O-O) 11... Nxe5 12. dxe5 Bxe5
13. Bg5 Bf6 14. Rad1 Qc7 15. Qh4 $5 ({The king hides behind a fortress in} 15.
Bxf6 gxf6 16. h4 Ke7) 15... Bxg5 16. Qxg5 f6 17. Qh5 g6 18. Qh6+ Kf7 (18... Qg7
$2 19. Rd8+ Kf7 20. Be8+ $18) 19. Rd3 $6 (19. f4 {exerts more pressure.}) 19...
a6 20. Rh3 Qe7 (20... axb5 $4 21. Qxh7+) 21. Bd3 f5 22. g4 $5 (22. Qxh7+ {
followed by exchanges leads to a draw.}) 22... Qf6 23. Rd1 b5 24. Be2 e5 25.
Rhd3 Ra7 $2 ({Right is} 25... fxg4 26. Rd6 Qf4 27. Rxg6 Qxh6 28. Rxh6 {
(Dokhoian).}) 26. Rd6 Qg7 27. Qe3 Rc7 28. a4 $1 e4 ({Insufficient is} 28... c4
29. Qb6) 29. axb5 axb5 30. Bxb5 Qe5 31. Qg5 Qe7 32. Qh6 Be6 ({Or} 32... c4 33.
Rxg6 hxg6 34. Qxh8 fxg4 35. Be8+ $1) 33. Qf4 Bc8 34. Qh6 Be6 35. gxf5 gxf5 36.
Be2 $1 Qf6 37. Bh5+ Ke7 38. Rxe6+ $1 {Kasparov takes the lead in Linares.} ({
The point is} 38. Rxe6+ Kxe6 (38... Qxe6 39. Qg7+) 39. Rd6+) 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "19"]
[Date "2002.03.09"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B50"]
[WhiteElo "2629"]
[BlackElo "2715"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "107"]
[EventDate "2002.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 e6 5. Bb3 Be7 6. O-O O-O 7. c3 Nc6 8. Re1
b5 9. Nbd2 d5 10. e5 Nd7 11. d4 Ba6 12. Nf1 b4 13. Ba4 $5 Rc8 14. Bxc6 Rxc6 15.
cxb4 Bxf1 16. Rxf1 cxb4 17. Be3 Qa5 18. g3 $6 Rfc8 19. Ne1 Qb5 20. h4 a5 21. b3
a4 (21... f6 $1 {gains an advantage.}) 22. Nd3 Rc3 23. Nf4 Nf8 24. Qg4 Qd7 25.
h5 axb3 26. axb3 Rxb3 27. h6 g6 28. Nh3 Rbc3 29. Bg5 b3 30. Rfb1 Rb8 31. Kg2
Rc7 32. Rb2 Bxg5 33. Qxg5 Qe7 34. Qe3 Qb4 35. Qf4 Qe7 $2 ({Black should defend
by} 35... Nd7 $5 36. Ng5 Qf8) 36. Qf3 Rcb7 37. Rab1 Nd7 38. Rxb3 Rxb3 39. Rxb3
Qf8 40. Rxb8 Nxb8 41. Ng5 {White puts pressure on the pawns f7 and h7.} Nd7 42.
Qf4 Qe7 43. Qc1 Qd8 44. Nf3 Kf8 45. Ng5 Kg8 46. Nf3 Kf8 47. Kg1 {Black will be
suffocated.} Qb8 $6 ({Right is} 47... Kg8 48. Qc6 Nf8 {but} 49. Kg2 $1 {brings
a semi-zugzwang.}) 48. Qa3+ Ke8 ({Or} 48... Kg8 49. Qe7) 49. Ng5 Nf8 50. Qa4+
Ke7 51. Kg2 Qb7 52. Qa3+ Ke8 53. Qf3 Qe7 54. Qf6 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "19"]
[Date "2002.03.10"]
[Round "14"]
[White "Adams, Michael"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B42"]
[WhiteElo "2742"]
[BlackElo "2717"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "91"]
[EventDate "2002.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Bd3 Nf6 6. O-O d6 7. c4 b6 8. Nc3
Bb7 9. f4 Be7 10. f5 Nc6 11. Be3 Nxd4 12. Bxd4 O-O {White controls a larger
domain.} 13. fxe6 fxe6 14. Qe2 Kh8 15. Rad1 Nd7 16. Rxf8+ Qxf8 17. Na4 Bf6 $1 {
Black defends actively.} 18. Bxf6 ({Avoids} 18. Bxb6 $4 Nxb6 19. Nxb6 Bd4+ {
(Ribli).}) 18... Qxf6 19. Qe3 Rd8 20. b4 a5 21. Nxb6 axb4 $6 ({Equality keeps} 
21... Ne5 $1 22. Rf1 Qh6 23. Qxh6 gxh6 24. Bc2 axb4) 22. Rf1 Qh6 $5 23. Qxh6
gxh6 24. Nxd7 Rxd7 25. Rb1 Ba6 26. Rxb4 d5 $1 27. Ra4 Bxc4 28. Bxc4 dxc4 29.
Rxc4 Rd1+ 30. Kf2 Rd2+ 31. Kg3 Rxa2 32. Rc6 Ra3+ 33. Kh4 Ra2 34. Kh3 Ra3+ 35.
g3 Ra2 36. Rxe6 h5 37. Re7 Re2 38. e5 h6 39. Re8+ ({The drawn rook ending can
be lost by} 39. Kh4 $4 Rxh2#) 39... Kg7 40. Re7+ Kg6 41. e6 Kf6 42. Re8 Kg6 43.
e7 Kg7 44. g4 hxg4+ 45. Kxg4 Kf7 46. Rh8 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "19"]
[Date "2002.03.10"]
[Round "14"]
[White "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C89"]
[WhiteElo "2727"]
[BlackElo "2757"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "55"]
[EventDate "2002.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. c3
d5 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. Nxe5 Nxe5 11. Rxe5 c6 12. d4 Bd6 13. Re1 Qh4 14. g3 Qh3 15.
Re4 g5 16. Qe2 f5 $1 ({Adams played} 16... Nf6 {in round 9.}) 17. Bxd5+ $1 (17.
Re6 $2 Bxe6 18. Qxe6+ Kh8 19. Qxd6 Rae8 20. Bd2 f4 $1 21. Bxd5 cxd5 22. f3 g4
$1 {(Smirin-Grischuk, Panormo 2001).}) 17... cxd5 18. Re6 f4 19. Rxd6 Bg4 20.
Qf1 Qxf1+ 21. Kxf1 Rae8 22. Bd2 Bh3+ 23. Kg1 fxg3 24. hxg3 Re2 {Anand will
have investigated the crucial position before the game.} 25. Be3 ({Not} 25. f4
$2 Rfe8 $1 26. Rh6 g4 $19) (25. Rh6 Rexf2 $1 26. Na3 Rg2+ 27. Kh1 Rxd2 28. Rxh3
Rff2 29. Rb1 Kg7 30. g4 Kg6 {White does not proceed (Ponomariov).}) 25... Rxe3
26. fxe3 Rf1+ 27. Kh2 g4 28. Rxd5 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "19"]
[Date "2002.03.10"]
[Round "14"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B33"]
[WhiteElo "2715"]
[BlackElo "2838"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "56"]
[EventDate "2002.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8.
Na3 b5 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. Nd5 f5 11. Bxb5 axb5 12. Nxb5 Ra4 13. b4 Qh4 14. O-O
Rg8 15. f4 {Shirov plays a new move.} (15. c3 f4 16. Qxa4 Rxg2+ 17. Kxg2 Qg4+ {
ends with perpetual check (Luther-McShane, Lippstadt 2000).}) 15... Kd8 $1 16.
c3 Ra6 17. a4 $2 ({Better is} 17. exf5 Bb7 $1 {(Kasparov)} 18. Nbc7 Ne7 $1 19.
Rf2) 17... fxe4 18. f5 $6 Bb7 19. Ra2 e3 $1 {Black chooses the most elegant
win. He opens the diagonal a8-h1.} 20. Nxe3 Qe4 21. Re1 Nxb4 $1 {The decisive
blow.} 22. cxb4 Bh6 $1 {White collapses.} 23. Kh1 Bxe3 24. Qe2 Rc6 25. a5 Qxb4
26. Nxd6 Rxd6 27. Qxe3 Qd4 28. Qc1 Qd5 {Kasparov ended the cycle superbly.
Shirov and Vallejo Pons lost too many games.} 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "20"]
[Date "2003.02.22"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C67"]
[WhiteElo "2753"]
[BlackElo "2734"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "127"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5
8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Nc3 Be7 $5 10. Rd1+ Ke8 11. Bg5 Bxg5 12. Nxg5 Ke7 13. Rd3 h6
14. Nf3 ({Anand diverts from} 14. Nge4 {Grischuk-Ponomariov, Wijk aan Zee 2003)
.}) 14... g6 15. Rad1 Ng7 $5 {Such passive moves are passable in the Berlin
Defence.} 16. h3 Be6 17. Nd4 Rad8 18. f4 Bc4 19. R3d2 c5 20. Nf3 $5 (20. Ndb5
Rxd2 21. Rxd2 Bxb5 22. Nxb5 Ne6 23. g3 {keeps a plus.}) 20... Nh5 21. b3 Rxd2
22. Rxd2 Be6 23. Ne2 c4 $5 24. Kf2 cxb3 25. cxb3 c5 $6 {Square d6 becomes a
weakness.} ({Better is the immediate} 25... Ng7 26. g4 h5) 26. g4 Ng7 27. Nc3
h5 28. Kg3 hxg4 29. hxg4 Rd8 $6 30. Rxd8 Kxd8 31. Ng5 Ke7 32. Nge4 b6 33. Kh4
Bd7 34. Nd5+ Kf8 35. Nd6 Ne8 36. Nc4 b5 $5 37. Nce3 Ng7 38. Kg5 Bc6 $2 ({Right
is} 38... Be6 $1 39. Nc7 c4 40. bxc4 Bxc4 41. a4 Ne6+ 42. Nxe6+ Bxe6 43. axb5
Bd7 44. Nc4 Bxb5 45. Nd6 Be8) 39. Nc7 a5 40. f5 gxf5 41. gxf5 Bd7 42. Na6 c4
43. Nc5 Bc8 44. bxc4 bxc4 45. Ne4 Bd7 46. Nc5 Bc8 47. e6 $1 {Anand finds a
breakthrough.} c3 ({He has prepared} 47... fxe6 48. f6 Ne8 49. Nxc4) 48. e7+
Ke8 49. f6 Ne6+ 50. Nxe6 Bxe6 51. Kf4 Kd7 52. Ke5 Bg4 53. Kd4 Bd1 54. Kxc3 Ba4
55. Kd4 Ke6 56. Nd5 Kf5 57. Kc5 Ke5 58. a3 Ke6 59. Nc7+ Kxf6 60. e8=Q Bxe8 61.
Nxe8+ Ke6 62. Kb5 Ke5 63. Kxa5 f5 64. Ng7 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "20"]
[Date "2003.02.22"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D27"]
[WhiteElo "2807"]
[BlackElo "2847"]
[PlyCount "35"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 e6 4. e3 a6 5. Bxc4 c5 6. O-O Nf6 7. Bd3 Nbd7 8. Re1
b6 9. e4 cxd4 10. e5 Nd5 11. Nxd4 Nc5 12. Bf1 Bb7 13. Nd2 Be7 14. Qg4 O-O 15.
N2f3 Kh8 16. Ng5 h6 17. Ngf3 a5 18. Qh5 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "20"]
[Date "2003.02.22"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Radjabov, Teimour"]
[Black "Leko, Peter"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E12"]
[WhiteElo "2624"]
[BlackElo "2736"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "92"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. Nc3 Bb7 5. a3 d5 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Qc2 Nxc3 8.
bxc3 Be7 9. e4 O-O 10. Bd3 c5 11. O-O Qc8 12. Qa2 Rd8 13. Rd1 Ba6 14. Bxa6 Nxa6
15. Qe2 Qb7 16. h4 $5 {Radjabov wants to attack the king.} ({Known is} 16. Bf4)
16... Nc7 17. h5 h6 18. Ne5 Ne8 19. Bb2 Nf6 20. Re1 b5 21. Rad1 cxd4 22. cxd4
b4 $1 23. a4 ({Avoids} 23. axb4 $4 Bxb4 24. Rf1 Nxe4) 23... Rac8 24. Rd3 Rc7 ({
The prophylactic} 24... Bd6 $1 {leads to the protection of f7.}) 25. d5 $1 exd5
26. exd5 Rxd5 $6 27. Nxf7 $1 Rxd3 $2 ({The courageous} 27... Kxf7 $1 28. Qe6+
Kf8 29. Bxf6 Rxd3 30. Bxg7+ Kxg7 31. Qg6+ Kf8 32. Qxh6+ Ke8 33. Qg6+ Kd8 34.
Qg8+ Kd7 35. Qe6+ {ends with a repetition of moves (Lékó).}) 28. Nxh6+ $1 Kf8 (
{Or} 28... gxh6 29. Qxd3 Kf8 30. Qg6 Qc6 31. Qxh6+) 29. Qxd3 $2 {Radjabov
plays the obvious move.} ({He should continue the fireworks with} 29. Bxf6 $1
gxh6 30. Qe5 $3 Rd5 (30... Ke8 31. Bh4 $1) 31. Qf4 $1 Ke8 32. Qxh6 {(Lékó).})
29... Qd5 30. Qg3 $6 {A plus is kept by the immediate exchange of queens.} Bd6
$1 31. Qh3 Qxh5 32. Qxh5 Nxh5 33. Nf5 Bf4 34. Re4 Bd2 35. Nd4 Kf7 36. Re2 Bc1
37. Nb5 $2 ({Correct is} 37. g3 $1) 37... Nf4 $1 38. Re4 Rc2 39. Nd6+ $6 Kg6
40. Bxc1 Rxc1+ 41. Kh2 Nd5 42. Nb5 b3 43. Re6+ Kh7 44. Re2 Rc2 45. Re1 b2 46.
Rb1 a6 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "20"]
[Date "2003.02.23"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Radjabov, Teimour"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C11"]
[WhiteElo "2847"]
[BlackElo "2624"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "78"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Be3 a6 8. Qd2 b5
9. a3 Qb6 10. Ne2 c4 11. g4 h5 12. gxh5 Rxh5 13. Ng3 Rh8 14. f5 $5 exf5 15.
Nxf5 Nf6 16. Ng3 Ng4 17. Bf4 Be6 18. c3 Be7 19. Ng5 O-O-O 20. Nxe6 fxe6 21. Be2
Ngxe5 $5 {The boy shows no respect.} 22. Qe3 $5 ({Preferable is} 22. Bxe5 Nxe5
23. dxe5 Bc5 $1 24. Bg4 $1 {(Kasparov).}) 22... Nd7 23. Qxe6 Bh4 24. Qg4 $2 ({
Radjabov analyses} 24. Qxd5 Nde5 (24... Rde8 $2 25. O-O-O Bxg3 26. hxg3 Rxh1
27. Rxh1 Rxe2 28. Rh8+) 25. Qe6+ Nd7 {and White has won a pawn.}) 24... g5 $1
25. Bd2 ({The pointe is} 25. Bxg5 Rdg8) 25... Rde8 26. O-O-O Na5 27. Rdf1 $2 {
White makes another tactical blunder.} ({Correct is} 27. Kb1 $1) 27... Nb3+ 28.
Kd1 Bxg3 {Kasparov has no defence against ..Qg6. He should have resigned.} 29.
Rf7 Rd8 30. Bxg5 Qg6 31. Qf5 Qxf5 32. Rxf5 Rdf8 33. Rxf8+ Nxf8 34. Bf3 Bh4 35.
Be3 Nd7 36. Bxd5 Re8 37. Bh6 Ndc5 38. Bf7 Re7 39. Bh5 Nd3 {Radjabov got the
beauty prize. Kasparov misbehaved when he learned about it.} 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "20"]
[Date "2003.02.23"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B31"]
[WhiteElo "2734"]
[BlackElo "2807"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. h3 Bg7 6. d3 Nf6 7. Nc3 Nd7 8.
Be3 e5 9. Qd2 h6 10. O-O Qe7 11. a3 Nf8 12. b4 Ne6 13. Na4 b6 $1 14. Nh2 $6 ({
My preference goes to} 14. bxc5 b5 15. Nc3 f5 16. exf5 gxf5 17. Qe1) 14... f5
15. f3 $2 ({Better is} 15. exf5 gxf5 16. Qe2) 15... f4 16. Bf2 h5 $1 17. bxc5
b5 18. Nb2 g5 $1 19. d4 $2 {White's problems are unexpectedly high.} (19. a4 g4
$1 20. fxg4 hxg4 21. Nxg4 Ng5 $1 22. Nh2 (22. axb5 $2 Bxg4 23. hxg4 Qe6) 22...
Nxh3+ $1 23. gxh3 Bxh3 24. Kh1 Bxf1 25. Rxf1 Qe6 {and Black attacks.}) 19...
exd4 20. Nd3 Nxc5 21. Nxc5 Qxc5 22. Rfd1 Be6 23. Qb4 Qb6 ({Vladimir has doubts
about} 23... Qxb4 24. axb4 d3 25. cxd3 Bxa1 26. Rxa1 {but} Rd8 $1 27. d4 Rh7 {
wins.}) 24. a4 c5 25. Qxb5+ Qxb5 26. axb5 Kf7 27. Ra5 Rhb8 28. Nf1 Be5 29. Rda1
d3 $1 30. Rxa7+ Kf6 $1 {Black conquers with grace.} 31. Rxa8 Rxa8 32. Rxa8 dxc2
33. Rf8+ Kg6 34. Re8 Kf7 35. Rf8+ Kg6 36. Re8 Bc4 37. Rxe5 c1=Q 38. Rxc5 Qxf1+
39. Kh2 Qxf2 40. Rxc4 g4 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "20"]
[Date "2003.02.23"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E15"]
[WhiteElo "2629"]
[BlackElo "2753"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "59"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 b6 3. d4 e6 4. g3 Ba6 5. Qb3 Nc6 6. Nbd2 d5 7. Bg2 Bb7 8. O-O
Bd6 9. cxd5 exd5 10. Nb1 $1 O-O 11. Nc3 Na5 $1 12. Qc2 h6 13. Bf4 Bxf4 14. gxf4
c5 15. Rad1 Qe7 16. Ne5 Rfd8 17. e3 Nc6 18. Qf5 Nb4 19. Kh1 Rd6 20. a3 Na6 $6
21. Nb5 Re6 22. Rg1 Nc7 23. Nxc7 Qxc7 24. Bf3 cxd4 25. Rxd4 Rae8 26. Qh3 Kh8
27. Rdd1 Qe7 28. Rg3 Rxe5 $5 29. fxe5 Qxe5 30. b4 {Vallejo offered a draw in a
better position.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "20"]
[Date "2003.02.24"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D43"]
[WhiteElo "2807"]
[BlackElo "2629"]
[PlyCount "60"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. g3 Nd7 8. Bg2
dxc4 9. O-O Be7 10. e3 O-O 11. Qe2 e5 12. Qxc4 Nb6 13. Qb3 Be6 14. dxe5 Qxf3
15. Bxf3 Bxb3 16. axb3 Nd7 17. Be2 Nxe5 18. Rfd1 Rfd8 19. Rxd8+ Bxd8 20. Rd1
Bb6 21. Na4 Rd8 22. Nxb6 Rxd1+ 23. Bxd1 axb6 24. Kf1 Kf8 25. Ke2 Ke7 26. f4 Nd7
27. e4 f6 28. b4 b5 29. Kd3 Nb8 30. Bg4 Kd6 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "20"]
[Date "2003.02.24"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Leko, Peter"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B80"]
[WhiteElo "2736"]
[BlackElo "2847"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "173"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. f3 e6 7. Be3 Nc6 8. Qd2
Be7 9. O-O-O O-O 10. g4 Nxd4 11. Bxd4 b5 12. g5 Nd7 13. h4 Qc7 14. Kb1 b4 15.
Na4 Bb7 16. b3 Bc6 17. Nb2 a5 18. h5 Ne5 19. Be2 a4 20. Nc4 Bb5 21. Nb6 Rab8
22. h6 Bxe2 23. Qxe2 g6 24. f4 Nc6 25. Nxa4 Nxd4 26. Rxd4 e5 27. Rc4 Qa5 28. f5
Bxg5 29. Rc6 Rfd8 $6 30. Qg4 Be7 31. Rd1 Qa7 32. c3 Bf8 33. fxg6 hxg6 34. h7+
Kh8 35. cxb4 Rxb4 36. Qf3 Rdb8 {A sharp opening has led to a tactical fight.
White has no win.} 37. Nc3 $1 ({The witty} 37. Rcxd6 $5 Qxa4 38. Qxf7 Rxb3+ 39.
Ka1 Rb1+ $1 40. Rxb1 Rxb1+ 41. Kxb1 Qb4+ 42. Kc2 Qc5+ {ends with perpetual
check.}) 37... Qb7 38. Rcxd6 $2 (38. Nd5 $1 Qxc6 39. Nxb4 Qb7 40. Nd5 {keeps
the advantage.}) 38... Rxb3+ $1 39. Ka1 Rxc3 40. Qf6+ Kxh7 41. Rb6 $1 Qc7 ({Not
} 41... Qxb6 $4 42. Rh1+ Bh6 43. Qxf7+ Kh8 44. Rxh6#) 42. Rh1+ Bh6 43. Rxb8
Rc1+ 44. Rxc1 Qxc1+ 45. Rb1 Qc3+ 46. Rb2 Qe1+ 47. Rb1 Qc3+ 48. Rb2 Kg8 $1 49.
a4 Bc1 50. Qb6 Kg7 51. Ka2 Bxb2 52. Qxb2 Qc4+ 53. Ka3 Qxe4 {Black has won a
pawn.} 54. a5 g5 55. Qd2 Qf4 56. Qd8 $1 {The level of Kasparov's play and his
notes after computer analysis differ strongly.} Qc1+ $2 ({Right is} 56... g4 $1
57. a6 g3 58. a7 Qf3+ $1 59. Kb4 g2 60. Qg5+ Kh7) 57. Kb4 Qb2+ 58. Kc5 Qc3+ 59.
Kb5 Qb3+ 60. Kc5 Qc3+ 61. Kb5 Qb3+ 62. Kc5 Qe3+ 63. Kb4 Qe4+ 64. Kc5 Qc2+ 65.
Kb5 Qe2+ 66. Kb6 Qe3+ 67. Kc6 g4 68. a6 g3 69. a7 $1 g2 70. a8=Q Qe4+ 71. Qd5
$2 ({Lékó misses the escape} 71. Kc7 Qxa8 72. Qg5+ $1) 71... Qc2+ $6 ({Better
is} 71... Qxd5+ $1 72. Kxd5 g1=Q 73. Kxe5 Qg5+) 72. Kd6 Qg6+ 73. Kc7 g1=Q 74.
Qxe5+ Qf6 $2 (74... f6 $1 75. Qe7+ Kh6 76. Qaf8+ Kg5 {still wins.}) 75. Qh8+
Kxh8 76. Qxf6+ Qg7 77. Qh4+ Kg8 78. Kd6 Qg6+ 79. Ke5 Kg7 80. Qe7 Qg3+ 81. Kf5
Qg6+ 82. Ke5 Qh6 83. Kf5 Qg6+ 84. Ke5 Kh7 85. Qh4+ Kg8 86. Qd8+ Kg7 87. Qe7 {
The computer plays this queen ending far stronger than mankind.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "20"]
[Date "2003.02.24"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Radjabov, Teimour"]
[Black "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D37"]
[WhiteElo "2624"]
[BlackElo "2734"]
[PlyCount "21"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Qc2 c5 6. cxd5 cxd4 7. Nxd4 O-O 8.
Bg5 Nxd5 9. Bxe7 Nxe7 10. Rd1 Qb6 11. Qb3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "20"]
[Date "2003.02.25"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B30"]
[WhiteElo "2753"]
[BlackElo "2807"]
[PlyCount "32"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Qc7 5. O-O Nd4 6. Re1 a6 7. e5 Nxb5 8.
exf6 Nxc3 9. fxg7 Bxg7 10. dxc3 d6 11. Ng5 Bf5 12. a4 Qc6 13. Qe2 Bf6 14. Ne4
Bxe4 15. Qxe4 Qxe4 16. Rxe4 d5 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "20"]
[Date "2003.02.25"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Black "Leko, Peter"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B31"]
[WhiteElo "2734"]
[BlackElo "2736"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "220"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. h3 Bg7 6. d3 Nf6 7. Nc3 O-O 8.
Be3 b6 9. Qd2 e5 10. Bh6 Qd6 11. g4 Be6 12. Qe3 a5 13. Ne2 a4 14. a3 b5 15. Ng3
Ne8 16. O-O f6 17. Nd2 Rd8 18. Bxg7 Nxg7 19. f4 $6 {The following exchanges
lead to a poor endgame.} exf4 20. Qxf4 Qxf4 21. Rxf4 c4 22. Rf3 Bc8 23. Ndf1 $2
(23. Raf1 {attacks a weakness.}) 23... Ne6 24. Ne2 cxd3 25. Rxd3 Rxd3 26. cxd3
Rd8 27. Rc1 c5 28. Rc3 Ba6 29. Kf2 Rd6 30. b4 axb3 31. Rxb3 b4 32. axb4 Bxd3
33. bxc5 Nxc5 34. Rb8+ Kg7 35. Nfg3 Nxe4+ 36. Nxe4 Bxe4 37. Re8 Bd5 38. Re7+
Bf7 39. Ra7 Kf8 40. Ra8+ Be8 41. Ke3 Re6+ 42. Kf2 Re4 43. Nc3 Re5 44. Rd8 Kg7
45. Nd5 Bf7 46. Ne3 h5 47. Rd7 Kf8 48. Rc7 h4 49. Rc8+ Kg7 50. Rc7 Ra5 51. Kf3
Ra2 52. Ng2 Ra3+ 53. Ne3 Kf8 54. Rc8+ Ke7 55. Rc7+ Ke8 56. Kf2 Be6 57. Rc2 Ke7
58. Re2 Kf7 59. Rd2 Ra4 60. Kf3 Bc8 61. Rb2 Ra7 62. Kf2 Bb7 63. Ng2 g5 64. Ne1
Be4 65. Re2 Bd5 66. Re3 Ra4 67. Kg1 Be4 68. Nf3 Ra1+ 69. Kf2 Ra2+ 70. Kf1 Bd5
71. Kg1 Ra4 72. Ne1 Be6 73. Nf3 Ke7 ({Lékó should have tried the sacrifice} 
73... Bxg4 74. hxg4 Rxg4+) 74. Rd3 Bc4 75. Re3+ Be6 76. Rd3 Bc4 77. Re3+ Kd6
78. Nd4 Ra1+ 79. Kf2 Ra2+ 80. Kg1 Kc5 81. Nf5 Ra6 82. Kf2 Be6 83. Ng7 Bd5 84.
Nf5 Kc4 85. Re2 Be6 86. Ng7 Bd7 87. Rd2 Bb5 88. Nf5 Kc5 89. Ne3 Bc6 90. Rc2+
Kd4 91. Nf5+ Ke5 92. Rc5+ Ke4 93. Rc4+ Kd5 94. Rc3 Ra2+ 95. Kg1 Bb5 96. Re3 Rd2
97. Ne7+ Kd4 98. Nf5+ Kd5 99. Ne7+ Kc5 100. Nf5 Bd3 101. Ng7 Rd1+ 102. Kf2 Kd4
103. Ne6+ Kc4 104. Ng7 Rd2+ 105. Kg1 Kd4 106. Re1 Be4 107. Nh5 f5 108. Ng7 fxg4
109. Ne6+ Kd5 110. Nxg5 Bf5 {The extra pawn did not suffice for a win.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "20"]
[Date "2003.02.25"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Black "Radjabov, Teimour"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C12"]
[WhiteElo "2629"]
[BlackElo "2624"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "96"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Bb4 5. e5 h6 6. Bc1 Ne4 7. Qg4 g6 8. Nge2
c5 9. a3 Bxc3+ 10. bxc3 cxd4 11. cxd4 Qc7 12. f3 Nc3 13. Bd2 Na4 14. Nf4 a6 15.
c4 dxc4 16. Bxc4 Nc6 17. Rc1 Qe7 18. O-O Nb6 19. Nd3 Qxa3 $2 20. Ra1 Qe7 21.
Bb3 Qd8 22. Be3 Nd5 23. Bf2 h5 24. Qe4 Nc3 25. Qe1 Nxd4 26. Bd1 Ndb5 27. Nc5
O-O 28. Ba4 Nxa4 29. Rxa4 f5 30. Qc1 Kh7 31. Rc4 Qe8 32. Qg5 b6 33. Na4 Bb7 34.
Be3 Qf7 35. Nxb6 Rad8 36. Rfc1 Qg7 37. h3 $2 ({White misses the win} 37. Bc5 $1
Rfe8 38. Bd6 $1 {(Finkel)} Kh8 39. Rc7 $1 Nxc7 40. Rxc7 Rxd6 $1 41. exd6 Qd4+
42. Kf1 Qd1+ 43. Kf2 Qd4+ 44. Ke2 $1 Qb2+ 45. Qd2) 37... Rd3 38. Bc5 Rf7 39.
Bf2 Qxe5 40. Re1 Qg7 41. Rxe6 Nd4 42. Re1 f4 43. Bxd4 Rxd4 44. Kh1 Rd6 45. Na4
Rd5 46. Qh4 Qf8 47. Qf2 Qd6 48. Nc5 Rdf5 {Both players are happy with a draw.}
1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "20"]
[Date "2003.02.27"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E18"]
[WhiteElo "2847"]
[BlackElo "2734"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "86"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. d4 e6 3. g3 b6 4. Bg2 Bb7 5. c4 Be7 6. Nc3 Ne4 7. Bd2 Bf6 8. O-O
O-O 9. Rc1 d5 10. cxd5 exd5 11. Bf4 Nxc3 12. bxc3 Na6 13. e4 $1 dxe4 14. Nd2 g5
$2 {The 'world champion' has made an awful move.} 15. Be3 ({A fine alternative
gives} 15. Nxe4 Bxe4 16. Bxe4 gxf4 17. Qh5 Re8 18. Qxh7+ Kf8 19. Bb7 $1 {
(Kasparov).}) 15... Re8 16. f4 exf3 17. Bxf3 Bd5 18. Bxd5 Qxd5 19. Rxf6 Rxe3
20. Qg4 Re6 21. Rf5 Qc6 22. Qxg5+ Rg6 23. Qh5 Rf8 24. Nf3 f6 25. Nh4 Rg7 26.
Qh6 Nb8 27. Rh5 f5 28. Qf4 Qe4 29. Rf1 Qxf4 30. Rxf4 Rg4 31. Rfxf5 Nd7 32.
Rxf8+ Nxf8 33. Kf2 Nd7 34. Nf5 Kh8 35. Kf3 Rg8 36. Rh6 Rf8 37. g4 Nf6 38. c4
Kg8 39. Kf4 Rf7 40. g5 Ne8 41. Ke5 Rd7 42. Ke6 Rf7 43. Rf6 $1 Nxf6 ({Kasparov
has calculated} 43... Nxf6 44. gxf6 Rf8 (44... Kf8 45. Nh6) 45. f7+ $1 Rxf7 46.
Nh6+) 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "20"]
[Date "2003.02.27"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Leko, Peter"]
[Black "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B48"]
[WhiteElo "2736"]
[BlackElo "2629"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Qc7 5. Nc3 e6 6. Be3 a6 7. Qd2 Nf6 8.
O-O-O Bb4 9. f3 Ne5 10. Nb3 b5 11. Bd4 Be7 12. Qg5 Ng6 13. Qg3 Bd6 14. Qf2 Rb8
15. Kb1 O-O 16. Bc5 Bxc5 17. Qxc5 Qxc5 18. Nxc5 Rb6 19. a4 Rc6 $2 ({Right is} 
19... d6 20. Nb3 bxa4 21. Nxa4 Rb4 22. Rd4 Rxd4 23. Nxd4 {(Lékó)} Bb7 $1) 20.
Nd3 bxa4 21. Nxa4 d5 22. exd5 Nxd5 23. Ndc5 Ne5 24. Rd4 Nd7 25. Nxd7 Bxd7 26.
Bc4 Nf6 27. Re1 Rfc8 28. Bd3 Kf8 29. Re5 R8c7 30. Ra5 Bc8 31. b4 Nd5 32. Kb2 g6
33. Kb3 Ne3 34. Nc5 Ra7 $6 {Black misses his last fighting chance.} (34... Nxg2
$5 35. Bxa6 Bxa6 36. Rxa6 Rxa6 37. Nxa6 Ra7 38. Nc5 Ne1) 35. g3 Ke7 36. f4 f6
37. Be4 Rb6 38. c4 e5 39. fxe5 fxe5 40. Rd3 Nf5 41. Na4 Re6 42. b5 Nd4+ 43. Kc3
1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "20"]
[Date "2003.02.27"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Radjabov, Teimour"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E12"]
[WhiteElo "2624"]
[BlackElo "2753"]
[PlyCount "49"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. Nc3 Bb7 5. a3 d5 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Qc2 Nxc3 8.
bxc3 Be7 9. e4 O-O 10. Bd3 c5 11. O-O Qc8 12. Qe2 Ba6 13. Rd1 Bxd3 14. Rxd3 Nd7
15. e5 Qc6 16. Bg5 Rfe8 17. Bxe7 Rxe7 18. Ng5 cxd4 19. cxd4 f6 20. exf6 Nxf6
21. Re1 h6 22. Nf3 Rc8 23. Ne5 Qc2 24. Qf3 Nd5 25. Qg3 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "20"]
[Date "2003.02.28"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Leko, Peter"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B30"]
[WhiteElo "2753"]
[BlackElo "2736"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "143"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Qc7 5. O-O Nd4 6. Nxd4 cxd4 7. Nd5 Nxd5
8. exd5 Qc5 9. c4 $5 dxc3 $6 10. Qb3 a6 11. Be2 c2 12. d4 Qd6 13. Bf3 g6 14.
Bd2 Qf6 15. d6 $5 Qxd6 16. Rfe1 a5 17. Qxc2 Bg7 18. Bxa5 $1 O-O $6 19. Bc3 Re8
20. Qb3 Qc7 21. a4 d6 22. a5 Rb8 23. Rec1 Bf5 24. Bd2 Qd7 25. Be3 e5 26. dxe5
dxe5 27. Bd5 Be6 28. Bxe6 Qxe6 29. Qxe6 Rxe6 30. b4 e4 31. Ra2 Be5 32. g3 Kf8
33. Rc4 f5 34. Rd2 Ke8 35. Rd5 Rd8 36. Rb5 Rd7 37. Rcc5 Bf6 38. Rc8+ Kf7 39.
Kg2 Re8 40. Rc4 Be5 41. h4 Bf6 42. Rbc5 Bd8 $6 43. Rc8 Re5 {Catching play has
led to a better endgame for White. He opens the defence line by force.} 44.
Rxd8 $1 Rxd8 45. Rc7+ Ke6 46. Rxb7 Red5 $2 ({Better is} 46... Rd1 $1 47. a6 Ra1
{(Anand), but} 48. Rb6+ $1 Kd5 49. Rb5+ Ke6 50. Rxe5+ Kxe5 51. b5 Kd6 52. Ba7
$1 {brings fine winning chances.}) 47. Rxh7 Rb5 48. Bc5 Rd2 49. Kf1 Ra2 50. Rc7
$6 f4 51. Re7+ Kf6 52. Rxe4 fxg3 53. fxg3 g5 54. h5 Kf5 55. Re2 Ra3 56. Kg2 Kg4
57. h6 Rxg3+ 58. Kf2 Rh3 59. Re6 Rb7 60. Ke2 $6 Kf5 61. a6 Rh2+ 62. Ke3 Rd7 63.
Rd6 Rxd6 64. Bxd6 Rxh6 65. a7 Rh3+ 66. Kd4 Ra3 67. Bc5 g4 ({The last chance
does not suffice in} 67... Ke6 $1 68. Bb6 $1 Ra6 69. Kc5 Kd7 70. Kb5 Ra2 71.
Ba5 {(Anand).}) 68. Kd5 g3 69. Kc6 g2 70. Kb7 Ke6 71. Bg1 Kd5 72. b5 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "20"]
[Date "2003.02.28"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Radjabov, Teimour"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C11"]
[WhiteElo "2807"]
[BlackElo "2624"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "71"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Be3 cxd4 8. Nxd4
Bc5 9. Qd2 O-O 10. O-O-O a6 11. Qf2 Nxd4 12. Bxd4 Qc7 13. Bd3 b5 $6 ({Theory is
} 13... Bxd4 14. Qxd4 Qc5) 14. Qh4 h6 15. Ne2 f6 $6 16. Qg4 Bxd4 $1 17. Nxd4 $1
(17. Qxe6+ Kh8 18. Nxd4 Nxe5 19. Qxd5 Nxd3+ 20. Rxd3 Qxf4+ {leads to equality.}
) 17... Nc5 18. Qg6 Nxd3+ 19. Rxd3 Qc4 $2 ({Correct is} 19... Qf7) 20. Rhd1 $1
{The knight gets overprotection.} Ra7 21. Kb1 {The counterattack fails.} Qc7 ({
Insufficient is} 21... b4 22. f5 $1 {(Kramnik)} Rc7 23. R3d2 $1 fxe5 24. Nxe6)
22. f5 $1 Qb6 23. Rh3 $1 fxe5 24. Rxh6 Rf6 ({The pointe is} 24... exd4 25. Qh7+
Kf7 26. f6 Ke8 27. fxg7) 25. Qe8+ Rf8 26. Rh8+ Kxh8 27. Qxf8+ Kh7 28. Nf3 Qc7
29. fxe6 e4 30. Ng5+ Kh6 31. h4 Kh5 32. Qf5 g6 33. g4+ Kxh4 34. Rh1+ Kg3 35.
Rg1+ Kh4 36. Qf6 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "20"]
[Date "2003.02.28"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D17"]
[WhiteElo "2629"]
[BlackElo "2847"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. Ne5 Nbd7 7. Nxc4 Nb6 8.
Ne5 a5 9. f3 Nfd7 10. e4 Nxe5 11. dxe5 Qxd1+ 12. Kxd1 Be6 13. Kc2 f6 14. Rb1
fxe5 15. b4 Nc4 16. Bxc4 Bxc4 17. bxa5 O-O-O 18. Rd1 Rxd1 19. Nxd1 e6 20. Ne3
Ba6 21. Ng4 Bd6 22. Bb2 Rd8 23. Rd1 h5 24. Nxe5 Bxe5 25. Bxe5 Rxd1 26. Kxd1 g6
27. Kd2 Bf1 28. g4 Bg2 29. Ke3 c5 30. Bd6 c4 31. Bb4 Kd7 32. gxh5 gxh5 33. f4
Ke8 34. Kd4 Kf7 35. Ke5 Bf3 36. h4 Bd1 37. Kd6 Bxa4 38. Kc7 Bc2 39. Kxb7 Bxe4+
40. Kb6 Kg6 41. Kc5 Kf5 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "20"]
[Date "2003.03.01"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B19"]
[WhiteElo "2847"]
[BlackElo "2753"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "123"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. h4 h6 7. Nf3 Nd7 8. h5
Bh7 9. Bd3 Bxd3 10. Qxd3 Ngf6 11. Bf4 e6 12. O-O-O Be7 13. Kb1 O-O 14. Ne4 Nxe4
15. Qxe4 Nf6 16. Qe2 Qd5 17. Ne5 Qe4 18. Qxe4 Nxe4 19. Rhe1 Nf6 20. g4 Rfd8 21.
Be3 Bd6 22. f3 Rac8 23. c4 a5 $2 {The a-pawn becomes a weakness.} ({Better is} 
23... b5 $1 24. g5 $1 hxg5 25. Bxg5 Bxe5 26. Rxe5 bxc4 27. Rg1 Kh7 28. h6 Rd5
29. hxg7 Nh5 $1 30. Rh1 Kxg7 31. Rxh5 Rxe5 32. Bh6+ Kg6 33. Rxe5 Kxh6 34. Ra5
Rd8) 24. a4 $1 Nd7 25. Bd2 Bc7 26. Bc3 Nxe5 27. dxe5 c5 28. Kc2 Rxd1 29. Kxd1
Rd8+ 30. Ke2 Rd7 31. f4 Bd8 32. f5 Bg5 $1 33. f6 $1 b6 34. Ra1 Rd8 $1 {Black
has to play accurately.} ({The plausible} 34... gxf6 35. exf6 Kf8 36. Rd1 Ke8
37. Rxd7 Kxd7 38. Kd3 Kd6 39. Ke4 {leads to a lost bishop ending for Black.})
35. Ra3 $1 ({The exchanges} 35. Rd1 Rxd1 36. Kxd1 g6 37. hxg6 fxg6 38. Bd2 Bxd2
39. Kxd2 Kf7 {create a fortress.}) 35... gxf6 $1 36. Rb3 $1 ({Avoids the trick
} 36. exf6 $2 e5 $1 37. Rb3 Rd6 $1) 36... Bf4 37. Rxb6 Bxe5 38. Bxe5 fxe5 39.
Rb5 Rd4 40. Rxc5 Rxg4 41. b3 $1 Rg3 42. Rxe5 Rxb3 43. Rxa5 f5 44. Ra8+ Kg7 45.
c5 Rc3 46. Rc8 Ra3 47. c6 Rxa4 48. Re8 Rc4 49. Rxe6 f4 50. Rg6+ Kh7 51. Kd3 Rc5
52. Kd4 Rc1 53. Ke4 Rc4+ 54. Kd5 Rc3 55. Kd4 Rc1 56. Ke4 Rc4+ 57. Kf3 Kh8 $4 {
Anand makes a horrible blunder.} ({Correct is} 57... Rc5 $1 58. Kxf4 Rxh5) 58.
Rxh6+ Kg7 59. Rd6 Kh7 60. Kg4 Kg7 61. Rd7+ Kf6 62. c7 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "20"]
[Date "2003.03.01"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Leko, Peter"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B33"]
[WhiteElo "2736"]
[BlackElo "2807"]
[PlyCount "50"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8.
Na3 b5 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. Nd5 f5 11. Bd3 Be6 12. O-O Bxd5 13. exd5 Ne7 14. c4 e4
15. Be2 Bg7 16. Qd2 b4 17. Qxb4 Rb8 18. Qa4+ Kf8 19. Rab1 Bxb2 20. Nc2 Ng6 21.
Nb4 Qf6 22. Nc6 Re8 23. f4 Bd4+ 24. Kh1 Kg7 25. Bh5 Bc5 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "20"]
[Date "2003.03.01"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Black "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D45"]
[WhiteElo "2734"]
[BlackElo "2629"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "135"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. g4 $5 Bb4 $5 8.
Bd2 Qe7 9. Bd3 e5 $6 10. cxd5 $1 {Ponomariov improves the theory.} Bxc3 11.
Bxc3 e4 12. dxc6 exd3 13. cxd7+ Qxd7 14. Qb3 $5 Qxg4 15. Qd1 Ne4 $6 {Black
will lose a pawn.} ({Analysts mention} 15... O-O 16. Rg1 Qe4 17. d5 Ne8 18. Nd4
) 16. Ne5 Qxd1+ 17. Rxd1 f6 18. Nxd3 Bg4 19. Rc1 Bf3 20. Rg1 Kf7 21. Nc5 Nd6
22. Nb3 Ne4 23. Nd2 Nxd2 24. Kxd2 g5 25. Kd3 Rhe8 26. Bb4 Rac8 27. Rxc8 Be4+
28. Ke2 Rxc8 29. Bc3 Bd5 30. f3 $6 (30. a3 $1 {keeps the extra pawn.}) 30...
Bxa2 31. e4 a5 $5 32. Ra1 Bc4+ 33. Ke3 b6 34. d5 Bb3 35. h4 h6 36. Rh1 Kg6 37.
f4 $1 gxf4+ $2 {Black will lose because he opens the position.} ({Correct is} 
37... g4 $1 38. Bd4 f5 $1 39. d6 Rc6 40. d7 Rd6 41. h5+ Kf7 42. exf5 Ba4 43.
Bxb6 Bxd7 44. Bxa5 Bxf5 {Black has given a pawn for a defendable position.})
38. Kxf4 a4 39. Rh3 Bc2 40. Rh2 Bb1 41. Rh1 Bc2 42. Rc1 Bb3 43. Ke3 $1 f5 44.
Rg1+ Kh5 45. d6 fxe4 46. Bf6 Be6 47. Kxe4 Rc2 48. Bd4 b5 49. Rg7 Kxh4 50. d7
Bxd7 51. Rxd7 Rc4 52. Kd3 h5 53. Rd5 Rb4 54. Bf6+ Kg4 55. Rg5+ Kf3 56. Rxh5
Rb3+ 57. Kc2 Ke4 58. Bc3 Ke3 59. Rh4 Kf3 60. Rb4 Rxb4 61. Bxb4 Ke4 62. Kc3 Kd5
63. Bf8 Kc6 64. Kb4 Kb6 65. Be7 Kc6 66. Bc5 a3 67. b3 Kd5 68. Bf8 {Ponomariov
scored his first victory.   Four top players take the highest places after the
first cycle.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "20"]
[Date "2003.03.02"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C88"]
[WhiteElo "2847"]
[BlackElo "2807"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. h3
Bb7 9. d3 d6 10. a3 Nb8 11. Nbd2 Nbd7 12. Nf1 Re8 13. Ba2 c6 14. Ng3 Bf8 15.
Nf5 d5 16. d4 c5 17. dxc5 Nxc5 18. exd5 e4 19. N3d4 Bxd5 20. Bxd5 Qxd5 21. Bg5
Nfd7 22. Qg4 Ne5 23. Qg3 Ne6 24. Rad1 Nxg5 25. Qxg5 Qb7 26. Ng3 Nc4 27. Ndf5
Re6 28. b3 Nxa3 29. Rxe4 Rxe4 30. Nxe4 Qxe4 31. Nh6+ Kh8 32. Nxf7+ Kg8 33. Nh6+
Kh8 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "20"]
[Date "2003.03.02"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Leko, Peter"]
[Black "Radjabov, Teimour"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C12"]
[WhiteElo "2736"]
[BlackElo "2624"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "63"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Bb4 5. e5 h6 6. Bd2 Bxc3 7. bxc3 Ne4 8. Qg4
g6 9. Bd3 Nxd2 10. Kxd2 c5 11. h4 Bd7 12. h5 g5 13. f4 Nc6 14. fxg5 Qa5 15.
dxc5 d4 16. Nf3 O-O-O 17. Rab1 ({Known is} 17. Ke2 {(Olivier-Goldgewicht,
Cannes 1995).}) 17... dxc3+ 18. Ke2 Rhg8 ({Preferable is} 18... hxg5 $1) 19.
Qe4 Qc7 20. g4 Ne7 21. Bb5 hxg5 22. Rb3 Nd5 23. Rhb1 {White dominates the
position.} Bc6 $2 ({Ok is} 23... f5 $1 24. exf6 Nxf6 25. Bxd7+ Rxd7 26. Qe5
Nxg4 $1 27. Qxe6 Qg3 $3 28. Qxg8+ Rd8 29. Qe6+ Rd7 $11 {(Lékó).}) 24. Bxc6 Qxc6
25. Nd4 $1 Qa6+ 26. Ke1 Rd7 27. c6 $1 Rc7 28. Rxb7 Rxb7 29. Rxb7 Nb6 30. Qh7
Rf8 31. Qg7 Qa3 32. Qxf8+ $1 ({Lékó has calculated the elegant} 32. Qxf8+ Qxf8
33. Nb5 $1 Qc5 34. Nd6+ Kd8 35. c7+ Qxc7 36. Rxc7 Kxc7 37. h6) 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "20"]
[Date "2003.03.02"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B30"]
[WhiteElo "2734"]
[BlackElo "2753"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "88"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 e6 4. Bxc6 bxc6 5. d3 Ne7 6. Qe2 Qc7 7. Ng5 h6 8.
Nh3 g6 9. f4 Bg7 10. c4 e5 11. Nc3 d5 12. O-O O-O 13. g4 exf4 14. Bxf4 Qd7 15.
exd5 cxd5 16. Rae1 Nc6 17. Nxd5 Nd4 18. Qg2 Qxg4 19. Ne7+ Kh7 20. Nxc8 Qxg2+
21. Kxg2 Raxc8 22. Bd2 g5 23. Re7 Kg6 24. Rxa7 Ne6 25. b4 Rfd8 26. b5 Rxd3 27.
Bc1 Rcd8 28. Raxf7 Rc3 29. Re7 Rd6 30. Nf2 Bf6 31. Re8 Rc2 32. Kh1 Rxc4 33. Re1
Nc7 34. Rg8+ Kh7 35. Rb8 Re6 36. Rf1 Nd5 37. Rc8 $2 {White loses time.} Bd4 $1
38. Ng4 h5 $1 39. Rd8 Nf4 40. Bxf4 gxf4 41. Nf2 Rc3 42. Rf8 Rc2 43. Rxf4 Ree2
44. b6 Bxf2 $2 (44... Rxa2 45. b7 Rab2 {gives winning chances (Anand).})
1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "20"]
[Date "2003.03.03"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C67"]
[WhiteElo "2753"]
[BlackElo "2629"]
[PlyCount "55"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5
8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Nc3 Ne7 10. h3 Ng6 11. Bg5+ Ke8 12. Rad1 Bd7 13. Rd2 Be6 14.
Rfd1 Be7 15. Ne4 Bd5 16. Re1 Bxg5 17. Nexg5 h6 18. Ne4 Rd8 19. b3 a5 20. Rd4
Ke7 21. c4 Bxe4 22. Rdxe4 c5 23. e6 f5 24. R4e3 Rhf8 25. a4 Rf6 26. Ne5 Nxe5
27. Rxe5 b6 28. f4 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "20"]
[Date "2003.03.03"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C96"]
[WhiteElo "2807"]
[BlackElo "2734"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3
O-O 9. h3 Na5 10. Bc2 c5 11. d4 Nd7 12. Kh1 Bb7 13. d5 f5 14. exf5 Nc4 15. Nbd2
Nxd2 16. Qxd2 Nf6 17. Ng5 Bxd5 18. f4 Qc7 19. Ne6 Bxe6 20. fxe6 Nh5 21. Qd5
Rad8 22. f5 Ng3+ 23. Kh2 Nxf5 24. Rf1 Nh4 25. Bg5 Ng6 26. h4 Nf4 27. Bxf4 exf4
28. g3 f3 29. Rxf3 Rxf3 30. Qxf3 Rf8 31. Qd3 g6 32. Rf1 Qc8 33. Rxf8+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "20"]
[Date "2003.03.03"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Radjabov, Teimour"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D28"]
[WhiteElo "2624"]
[BlackElo "2847"]
[PlyCount "78"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Bxc4 c5 6. Qe2 a6 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8.
O-O Nc6 9. e4 b5 10. Bb3 Nd4 11. Nxd4 Qxd4 12. Be3 Qe5 13. Bxc5 Qxc5 14. Nc3
Bb7 15. Rac1 Rc8 16. Qd2 Qb4 17. Rfd1 O-O 18. f3 Rc7 19. Ne2 Qxd2 20. Rxd2
Rxc1+ 21. Nxc1 Rc8 22. Rc2 Nd7 23. Nd3 Kf8 24. Kf2 Ke7 25. Rxc8 Bxc8 26. e5 f6
27. exf6+ gxf6 28. f4 a5 29. Ke3 h6 30. a3 Kd6 31. g4 e5 32. h4 exf4+ 33. Kxf4
Nc5 34. Bc2 Nxd3+ 35. Bxd3 b4 36. axb4 axb4 37. Bf5 Bb7 38. Bc2 Bc8 39. Bf5 Bb7
1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "20"]
[Date "2003.03.05"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Leko, Peter"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B30"]
[WhiteElo "2847"]
[BlackElo "2736"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bb5 Qc7 5. O-O Nd4 6. Re1 a6 7. Bc4 d6 8. Nd5
Nxd5 9. exd5 g6 10. Nxd4 cxd4 11. d3 h6 12. b4 Bg7 13. Qe2 Bf6 14. Qf3 Kf8 15.
Bb2 Qb6 16. a3 h5 17. h3 h4 18. Qf4 Bf5 19. Rab1 Rh5 20. a4 Be5 21. Qf3 Rc8 22.
a5 Qd8 23. Re2 Rc7 24. Rbe1 Qc8 25. Rxe5 $5 {Kasparov worries about a
potential siege.} ({He does not like} 25. Bb3 f6) 25... dxe5 26. Rxe5 Rxc4 27.
dxc4 Qxc4 28. Re2 Bxc2 29. d6 exd6 30. Rd2 d3 $6 (30... Qb3 $1 31. Qxb3 Bxb3
32. Rxd4 Ke7 {keeps a plus.}) 31. Qxb7 Rf5 32. Qd7 f6 33. Qxd6+ Kf7 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "20"]
[Date "2003.03.05"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Black "Radjabov, Teimour"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B30"]
[WhiteElo "2734"]
[BlackElo "2624"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 e5 4. Bc4 Be7 5. d3 d6 6. O-O Nf6 7. Ng5 O-O 8. f4
Bg4 9. Qe1 exf4 10. Bxf4 Nd4 11. Qd2 Qd7 12. h3 Bh5 13. g4 Bg6 14. Nd5 b5 15.
Bb3 Bd8 16. Rae1 Nxb3 17. axb3 Nxd5 18. exd5 Bf6 19. Nf3 Rfe8 20. Qh2 Bxb2 21.
Bxd6 a5 22. Be5 Bxe5 23. Rxe5 Rxe5 24. Qxe5 Re8 25. Qc3 Qd6 26. Kf2 b4 27. Re1
f6 28. Rxe8+ Bxe8 29. Qc4 Bf7 30. d4 Bxd5 31. dxc5 Qd7 32. Qf4 Bxf3 33. Qxf3
Qd2+ 34. Qe2 Qf4+ 35. Kg2 Kf7 36. c6 Qd4 37. c7 Qd5+ 38. Qf3 Qc5 39. Qb7 Qxc2+
40. Kf3 Qc3+ 41. Ke2 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "20"]
[Date "2003.03.05"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A25"]
[WhiteElo "2629"]
[BlackElo "2807"]
[PlyCount "25"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. e3 Nc6 4. a3 g6 5. d4 exd4 6. exd4 Bg7 7. Nf3 d5 8. Bg5
h6 9. Qe2+ Kf8 10. Be3 Kg8 11. cxd5 Nxd5 12. Nxd5 Qxd5 13. Qb5 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "20"]
[Date "2003.03.06"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C88"]
[WhiteElo "2807"]
[BlackElo "2753"]
[PlyCount "64"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O b5 6. Bb3 Bb7 7. d3 Be7 8. Re1
O-O 9. Nbd2 Re8 10. c3 Bf8 11. Nf1 h6 12. Ng3 d6 13. a3 Na5 14. Bc2 c5 15. b4
Nc6 16. d4 cxd4 17. cxd4 exd4 18. Bb2 Rc8 19. Bb3 g6 20. h4 Bg7 21. h5 Nxh5 22.
Nxh5 gxh5 23. Bd5 Ba8 24. Bxc6 Rxc6 25. Bxd4 Rc4 26. Qd3 Bxd4 27. Nxd4 Qf6 28.
Rad1 h4 29. a4 Rxb4 30. axb5 axb5 31. Qd2 Ra4 32. Nxb5 Raxe4 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "20"]
[Date "2003.03.06"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Leko, Peter"]
[Black "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B47"]
[WhiteElo "2736"]
[BlackElo "2734"]
[PlyCount "61"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e6 5. Nc3 a6 6. g3 Qc7 7. Bg2 d6 8. O-O
Bd7 9. a4 Nf6 10. Nxc6 Bxc6 11. a5 Be7 12. Be3 O-O 13. Re1 Nd7 14. Na4 Rae8 15.
Nb6 f5 16. Nxd7 Qxd7 17. Qd3 fxe4 18. Bxe4 Bxe4 19. Qxe4 Rf5 20. Bd4 Bd8 21. b4
d5 22. Qe2 Bf6 23. Rad1 Qc6 24. c3 Bxd4 25. cxd4 Qc3 26. Qd2 Rf3 27. Qxc3 Rxc3
28. Rc1 Rb3 29. Rb1 Rxb1 30. Rxb1 Rc8 31. b5 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "20"]
[Date "2003.03.06"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Radjabov, Teimour"]
[Black "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D47"]
[WhiteElo "2624"]
[BlackElo "2629"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "64"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3
Bb7 9. e4 b4 10. Na4 c5 11. e5 Nd5 12. Nxc5 Nxc5 13. dxc5 Bxc5 14. O-O h6 15.
Nd2 Qc7 16. Re1 Rd8 17. Ne4 Be7 18. Qa4+ Bc6 19. Bb5 Bd7 20. Bd2 O-O 21. Bxd7
Rxd7 22. Rac1 Qb7 23. Qb3 Rc8 24. h3 Rxc1 25. Bxc1 Qc7 26. Bd2 Qxe5 $5 {
Vallejo is tired of manoeuvring.} ({Possible is} 26... Qb6 {but Black wants to
play something special.}) 27. Nc5 Qxe1+ 28. Bxe1 Bxc5 29. Bd2 Rc7 30. Kf1 Be7
31. Ke2 Bf6 32. f4 a5 {White cannot take the bastion.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "20"]
[Date "2003.03.07"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Radjabov, Teimour"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B32"]
[WhiteElo "2753"]
[BlackElo "2624"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "66"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e5 5. Nb5 d6 6. N1c3 a6 7. Na3 Nf6 8.
Nc4 b5 9. Ne3 Be7 10. g3 h5 11. Bg2 h4 12. O-O Nd4 13. Ncd5 Nxd5 14. Nxd5 Be6
15. Ne3 hxg3 16. hxg3 Qd7 17. c3 Nc6 18. Re1 Rb8 19. a4 g6 20. axb5 axb5 21.
Nd5 Bd8 22. Be3 Kf8 23. b4 Kg7 24. Qd2 Bxd5 $6 25. Qxd5 Ne7 26. Qd2 Bb6 27.
Red1 Rhc8 $6 28. Bh6+ $1 Kh7 29. Bg5 Ng8 30. Kh2 Rc4 31. Bf1 Rxe4 $2 {Radjabov
blunders.} (31... Rc7 $1 32. Be2 f6 33. Be3 Bxe3 34. Qxe3 Ne7 {repairs a lot
of damage.}) 32. f3 Nf6 33. Bxf6 Re3 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "20"]
[Date "2003.03.07"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E50"]
[WhiteElo "2734"]
[BlackElo "2847"]
[PlyCount "67"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 c5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. d5 Ne7 8. e4 d6
9. Bd2 exd5 10. exd5 Bf5 11. Qc2 Qd7 12. O-O Bxd3 13. Qxd3 Qf5 14. Qxf5 Nxf5
15. Rfe1 Rfe8 16. Rac1 h5 17. Kf1 a6 18. h3 b5 19. b3 Kf8 20. Ng5 h4 21. Re2
Rab8 22. Rce1 Rxe2 23. Kxe2 Nd7 24. f4 g6 25. Kd3 Ba5 26. Nge4 bxc4+ 27. bxc4
Bd8 28. Rb1 Rxb1 29. Nxb1 Nf6 30. Nbc3 Ke8 31. Be1 Nh5 32. Ne2 Kd7 33. Bc3 Be7
34. Kd2 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "20"]
[Date "2003.03.07"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Black "Leko, Peter"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A34"]
[WhiteElo "2629"]
[BlackElo "2736"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]

1. Nf3 c5 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nb4 6. Bc4 Nd3+ 7. Ke2 Nf4+ 8.
Kf1 Ne6 9. b4 g6 10. bxc5 Bg7 11. Bxe6 Bxe6 12. d4 Nc6 13. Be3 Bc4+ 14. Kg1 Qa5
{This position is known from Kasparov - Shirov, 1986.} 15. Rc1 O-O-O 16. Nb1 $3
{Vallejo Pons has prepared a new idea.} Qa6 ({The pointe is} 16... Qxa2 17.
Nbd2 {and White has returned the pawn for a charge.}) 17. d5 f5 $1 18. Rxc4 $6
({Better is} 18. Nbd2 Be2 19. Qb3 Na5 20. Qb4 {(Vallejo Pons).}) 18... Qxc4 19.
Nbd2 Qxa2 20. dxc6 bxc6 21. g3 Rd3 $2 ({Best is} 21... Bc3 22. Qf1 $1 Bxd2 23.
Nxd2 Rxd2 24. Bxd2 Qxd2 25. Qa6+ Kb8 26. Kg2 Qd7 $1) 22. Kg2 fxe4 $6 ({More
resistance is offered by} 22... Rhd8 23. Qb1 Qxb1 24. Rxb1 Rc3) 23. Ng5 Rf8 24.
Ngxe4 Be5 25. Re1 h5 26. h4 Rfd8 27. Qb1 $1 Qxb1 28. Rxb1 Bc7 29. Nc4 R8d5 30.
Ra1 Kb7 31. Ra4 Rd7 32. Ng5 R3d5 33. Ne6 Rf5 34. Nd4 Rf6 35. Rb4+ Ka6 36. Rb1
Rd5 37. Nc2 Rd7 38. Nb4+ Kb5 39. Nd2 Ka4 40. Ne4 Re6 41. Nc3+ Ka5 42. Nc2 Ka6
43. Nd4 {The Spanish hero scored his traditional win in Linares.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "20"]
[Date "2003.03.08"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B12"]
[WhiteElo "2847"]
[BlackElo "2629"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nd2 h6 5. Nb3 e6 6. Nf3 Nd7 7. Be2 Ne7 8. O-O
Bh7 9. c3 Rc8 10. Bd2 Ng6 11. Be3 Be7 12. Ne1 c5 13. f4 O-O 14. Nf3 c4 15. Nc1
b5 16. Qd2 a5 17. Bd1 f5 18. Ne2 b4 19. h3 Rb8 20. g4 bxc3 21. Nxc3 Nh4 22. Rf2
Kh8 23. Ba4 Nb6 24. Bc2 Na8 25. Rb1 Nc7 26. Nxh4 Bxh4 27. Rg2 Be7 28. Qd1 Bb4
29. Ne2 a4 30. gxf5 exf5 31. Bxa4 Ne6 32. Bc2 Qh4 33. Kh2 g5 34. Qf1 g4 35. Rg1
Rg8 36. Bf2 Qh5 37. Ng3 Qf7 38. Ne2 Qh5 39. Ng3 Qf7 40. Ne2 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "20"]
[Date "2003.03.08"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Leko, Peter"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2736"]
[BlackElo "2753"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "130"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Nc6 7. O-O Be7 8. c4
Nb4 9. Be2 O-O 10. Nc3 Bf5 11. a3 Nxc3 12. bxc3 Nc6 13. Re1 Re8 14. cxd5 Qxd5
15. Bf4 Rac8 16. Bd3 $1 Qd7 17. Rb1 Bxd3 $6 ({More prudent is} 17... b6) 18.
Qxd3 b6 19. d5 Bf6 20. c4 h6 21. h3 Re7 22. Rbd1 Rd8 23. Rxe7 Nxe7 24. Ne5 Bxe5
25. Bxe5 Re8 26. Bg3 Nf5 $5 {Black has chosen a risky move.} 27. Bxc7 Qxc7 28.
Qxf5 Qxc4 29. d6 Rd8 $1 30. d7 Qc6 31. g3 a6 32. h4 b5 33. Rd5 $5 ({No
progress is made by} 33. Qe5 Kf8 $1) 33... a5 34. Rxb5 g6 35. Qd5 Qxd7 36. Qxd7
Rxd7 37. Rxa5 Kg7 $2 {Anand makes elementary mistakes in a drawn rook ending.}
({The right move} 37... h5 {is best known from the rook ending of four versus
three pawns on a flank.}) 38. a4 Rd1+ 39. Kg2 Ra1 $6 ({He can still play} 39...
h5) 40. g4 $1 Kf6 41. Kg3 Rc1 42. Rb5 g5 $2 ({Better is} 42... Rc4 $1 43. a5
Ra4) 43. Rf5+ $1 Kg6 44. h5+ Kg7 {The white rook is strong and pawn h6 a
weakness. Black has a narrow escape despite the problems.} 45. a5 Ra1 $2 ({
Correct is} 45... Rc4 $1 46. Kf3 $1 (46. f3 Rc2 $1) 46... Ra4 47. Ke3 $1 Rxg4
48. Kd3 Kf8 {(Lékó)} 49. Kc3 $1 Ke7 $1 50. Kb3 Rg1 51. Kb4 Rb1+ 52. Kc5 Ke6 $1)
46. Kg2 $3 Re1 ({Or} 46... Ra4 47. f3 Ra2+ 48. Kf1 $1) 47. f3 Re6 48. Kf2 Kf8
49. Rb5 Kg7 50. Rf5 Kf8 51. Rc5 Kg7 52. Rb5 Kf8 53. Rb6 Re5 54. a6 Kg7 55. a7
Ra5 56. Rb7 Ra3 57. Ke2 Kf6 58. Kd2 Ke6 59. Kc2 f6 60. Kb2 Ra4 61. Kb3 Ra1 62.
Kb4 Kd6 63. Rh7 Ke5 64. Kb5 Ra2 ({The pointe is} 64... Kf4 65. Rf7 $1 Kxf3 66.
Rxf6+ Kxg4 67. Ra6) 65. Kb6 Kd5 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "20"]
[Date "2003.03.08"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Radjabov, Teimour"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E12"]
[WhiteElo "2624"]
[BlackElo "2807"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "96"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. Nc3 Bb7 5. a3 d5 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Qc2 Nxc3 8.
bxc3 c5 9. e4 Nd7 10. Bf4 Be7 11. d5 $5 exd5 12. exd5 O-O 13. Rd1 g5 14. Be3 g4
15. Ng1 f5 16. h3 Bg5 17. hxg4 Bxe3 18. fxe3 Qg5 19. Bd3 Rae8 20. Ne2 Qxe3 21.
c4 $5 {Both players want to fight.} (21. Bxf5 Qg3+ 22. Kd2 Qe3+ {draws.}) 21...
Qg3+ 22. Kd2 Qxg4 23. Rh3 Qg5+ 24. Kc3 Re3 25. Rxe3 Qxe3 26. Qd2 Qxd2+ 27. Kxd2
Bc8 28. Nf4 Ne5 29. Re1 Re8 30. Kc3 Bd7 31. Bc2 Kg7 32. Nh5+ Kg6 33. Ng3 Kg5
34. Rf1 Rf8 35. Ne4+ Kg6 36. a4 $2 ({The retreat} 36. Ng3 {is better.}) 36...
Nf7 37. Nd2 Re8 38. Nf3 Nd6 39. Bd3 Kf6 40. Ra1 $6 Re3 41. Kd2 Re7 $2 {Kramnik
misses his best chance for an overall victory in the tournament.} (41... f4 $1
42. a5 Bf5 43. Bf1 Ne4+ {adds a positional advantage to the material plus.})
42. a5 Rg7 43. axb6 Rxg2+ 44. Ke3 axb6 45. Rb1 h5 $6 46. Rxb6 Ke7 47. Ra6 f4+
48. Kxf4 Rg4+ 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "20"]
[Date "2003.03.09"]
[Round "14"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B72"]
[WhiteElo "2753"]
[BlackElo "2847"]
[PlyCount "64"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 g6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Bg7 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Bc4 O-O 8.
Bb3 d6 9. h3 Na5 10. O-O b6 11. Re1 Bb7 12. Bg5 Nxb3 13. axb3 h6 14. Bh4 Qd7
15. Qd2 Nh5 16. f3 e5 17. Nde2 f5 18. Red1 fxe4 19. fxe4 g5 20. Bf2 g4 21. h4
Nf4 22. Qxd6 Qf7 23. Nxf4 exf4 24. Qd7 Qxd7 25. Rxd7 Rf7 26. Rd6 Kh7 27. Rad1
Re8 28. Rd7 Ree7 29. Rxe7 Rxe7 30. Bd4 Rd7 31. Nd5 Bxd5 32. Bxg7 Bc6 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "20"]
[Date "2003.03.09"]
[Round "14"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Leko, Peter"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B30"]
[WhiteElo "2807"]
[BlackElo "2736"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "69"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 e5 4. Bc4 d6 5. d3 Be7 6. O-O Nf6 7. Ng5 O-O 8. f4
exf4 9. Bxf4 h6 10. Nf3 Be6 11. Nd5 Bxd5 12. exd5 $5 ({Usual is} 12. Bxd5 Nxd5
13. exd5 Ne5) 12... Na5 13. Nh4 Nxc4 14. dxc4 {Kramnik has to win this game.
He has reached a sharp position.} Nxd5 $5 (14... g5 $2 15. Nf5 gxf4 16. Rxf4 {
will lose for Black.}) (14... Qd7 {was played in Kovalev-Sveshnikov, Rowy 1999.
}) 15. Qxd5 Bxh4 16. Rad1 b6 17. Bxd6 Be7 18. Be5 Bg5 19. Bd6 Be7 20. Bf4 Bf6
21. c3 Qxd5 $1 {The following endgame can be well defended by Black.} 22. cxd5
Rad8 23. Bxh6 Bxc3 24. bxc3 gxh6 25. Rfe1 Rd7 26. c4 a6 $1 27. a4 b5 $1 28.
axb5 axb5 29. cxb5 Rb8 30. d6 Rxb5 31. Re7 Rbb7 32. Rxd7 Rxd7 33. Kf2 Kg7 34.
Kf3 Kf6 35. Rd5 {Lékó has won the tournament due to a higher number of wins.}
1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "20"]
[Date "2003.03.09"]
[Round "14"]
[White "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Black "Ponomariov, Ruslan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E18"]
[WhiteElo "2629"]
[BlackElo "2734"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "106"]
[EventDate "2003.??.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. d4 e6 3. c4 b6 4. g3 Bb7 5. Bg2 Be7 6. O-O O-O 7. Nc3 Ne4 8. Bd2
Bf6 9. Qc2 Nxd2 10. Qxd2 d6 11. Rfd1 Nd7 12. b4 $5 g6 13. a4 a5 14. b5 Bg7 15.
Rac1 Qe7 16. Qg5 Nf6 17. Ne1 Bxg2 18. Nxg2 Rac8 19. Ne4 Rfd8 20. Ne3 h6 21.
Nxf6+ Qxf6 22. Qxf6 Bxf6 23. c5 dxc5 24. dxc5 Bg5 25. c6 Kf8 26. Rd7 $6 (26. f4
$1 {keeps a plus.}) 26... Bxe3 27. fxe3 Rxd7 28. cxd7 Rd8 29. Rxc7 Ke7 30. Rb7
Rxd7 31. Rxb6 Rd1+ 32. Kf2 Ra1 {White meets unexpected problems.} 33. Rb7+ $6 (
33. e4 $1 Rxa4 34. e5 {is ok (Ponomariov).}) 33... Kd6 $1 34. Rb6+ $1 {Capture
on f7 is risky.} Kd5 35. e4+ $2 ({Correct is} 35. Rb7 $1 Rxa4 {(Ponomariov)}
36. b6 $1 Kc5 37. Rxf7 Rb4 38. b7 Kd6 39. Ke1) 35... Kxe4 36. Ra6 Rxa4 37. b6
e5 38. b7 Rb4 39. Ra7 h5 40. h3 f6 41. Rxa5 Rxb7 42. Ra4+ Kf5 43. e4+ $2 ({The
last chance gives} 43. g4+ $1 hxg4 44. hxg4+ Kg5 45. e3 {(Ftacnik).}) 43... Kg5
44. Ra6 Rf7 45. Kf3 h4 46. Rb6 Rh7 47. Re6 hxg3 48. Kxg3 Rh4 49. Rxf6 Rxh3+ 50.
Kxh3 Kxf6 51. Kg4 Kf7 52. Kh4 Kg8 53. Kg4 Kh7 {Ponomariov and Lékó had a
positive score in the second cycle. Kramnik and Kasparov only drew.} (53... Kh7
{Ponomariov has calculated} 54. Kg5 Kg7 55. Kh4 Kh6 56. Kg4 g5 57. Kf5 Kh5 58.
Kxe5 g4 59. Kf4 Kh4 60. e5 g3 61. e6 g2 62. e7 g1=Q 63. e8=Q Qf1+) 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "21"]
[Date "2004.02.19"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Radjabov, Teimour"]
[Black "Leko, Peter"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D00"]
[WhiteElo "2656"]
[BlackElo "2722"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "90"]
[EventDate "2004.??.19"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Bg5 d5 3. e3 g6 4. Bxf6 exf6 5. c4 dxc4 6. Bxc4 Bd6 7. Nc3 O-O 8.
h4 h5 9. Qc2 Kg7 10. Nge2 Nd7 11. O-O-O Nb6 12. Bb3 Qe7 {The unconventional
opening has resulted in pleasant play for Black.} 13. Qe4 Re8 14. Qxe7 Bxe7 15.
Nf4 a5 16. a3 Bd6 17. Nd3 a4 18. Ba2 Ra5 $1 19. e4 Rd8 $1 20. Rhe1 $6 Be7 21.
Nf4 f5 {Optimistic play by Radjabov has led to a poor position.} 22. e5 $2 ({
Correct is} 22. exf5 $1 Bxh4 23. fxg6 Bg5 $1 24. g3 fxg6 {(Lékó).}) 22... Bxh4
23. g3 Bg5 24. d5 c6 $1 25. dxc6 Rxd1+ 26. Kxd1 bxc6 27. e6 Bxf4 28. e7 Bd7 29.
e8=Q Bxe8 30. Rxe8 Bd6 31. Ne2 Rb5 32. Kc2 f4 33. gxf4 Rf5 34. Re4 h4 35. Ng1
Rxf4 36. Rxf4 Bxf4 37. b3 f5 38. bxa4 Nxa4 39. Nh3 Bd6 40. f4 Nb6 41. Kb2 Kh6
42. Bf7 Nd5 43. Be8 Nxf4 44. Nxf4 Bxf4 45. Bxc6 g5 {All games in the next four
rounds were drawn.} 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "21"]
[Date "2004.02.25"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Black "Radjabov, Teimour"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E97"]
[WhiteElo "2736"]
[BlackElo "2656"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "131"]
[EventDate "2004.??.19"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Be2 O-O 6. Nf3 e5 7. O-O Nc6 8. d5
Ne7 9. b4 Nh5 10. Re1 f5 11. Ng5 Nf6 12. Bf3 c6 13. Bb2 h6 14. Ne6 Bxe6 15.
dxe6 fxe4 16. Nxe4 Nxe4 17. Rxe4 d5 18. cxd5 cxd5 19. Rxe5 Bxe5 20. Bxe5 Qb6
21. Bb2 $1 ({Theory is} 21. Qd2) 21... Kh7 22. Qe2 d4 23. h4 Rf6 24. Re1 Qxb4
25. a3 $1 Qd6 26. h5 $1 Raf8 $6 ({Better is} 26... Rd8 $1 27. Qe4 b6 28. hxg6+
Kg8 29. Bc1 Kg7 30. Bb2 {drawn.}) 27. Qe4 Nc6 28. hxg6+ Kg7 29. Bc1 Qe7 30.
Bxh6+ $1 Kxh6 31. Qh4+ Kxg6 32. Bxc6 bxc6 33. Re5 $1 {If the queen's rook had
gone to d8 on move 26, it could have been placed on d5.} Qxe6 $2 ({Right is} 
33... Rxe6 $1 34. Qh5+ Kf6 35. Rf5+ Kg7 36. Rg5+ Qxg5 37. Qxg5+ Rg6 38. Qe5+
Kg8 39. Qxd4 Rf7 40. g3 Rfg7 $1 {(Shirov).}) 34. Rxe6 Rxe6 35. Qg4+ $1 Kf7 36.
Qxd4 a6 37. g4 Rg8 38. f3 Rf6 39. Kf2 Re8 40. Qc4+ Kg7 41. Qxa6 Ref8 42. Qd3 c5
43. a4 Ra8 44. Qc3 Kg6 45. Qxc5 Rfa6 46. Kg3 Rxa4 47. Qd6+ Kf7 48. g5 R8a6 49.
Qd7+ Kg6 50. f4 Ra1 51. Qd3+ Kg7 52. Qd4+ Kg8 53. Kg4 R1a2 54. Qd8+ Kg7 55.
Qc7+ Kg8 56. f5 Ra7 57. Qd8+ Kg7 58. f6+ Kh7 59. Qd3+ Kh8 60. Kf5 Ra8 61. Qh3+
Kg8 62. Kg6 R2a7 63. Qe6+ Kf8 64. Qd6+ Kg8 65. Qd5+ Kh8 66. Qh1+ 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "21"]
[Date "2004.02.26"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D45"]
[WhiteElo "2831"]
[BlackElo "2663"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[EventDate "2004.??.19"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 b6 7. Bd3 Bb7 8. O-O
Be7 9. b3 Rc8 10. Bb2 Qc7 11. Rad1 h6 12. e4 $1 {Kasparov gains a plus by a
new move.} dxe4 13. Nxe4 O-O 14. c5 $5 Nxe4 15. Bxe4 a5 ({Better is} 15... Ba6
$1 16. Rfe1 Nf6 {and the strong White bishop will be exchanged (Kasparov).})
16. Rfe1 Rfd8 17. Bh7+ Kh8 18. Bd3 Kg8 19. Bh7+ Kh8 20. Bd3 Kg8 21. Ba3 {White
plays for a win naturally.} Qb8 22. Qc1 bxc5 23. Bb1 Qa7 $2 ({Right is} 23...
Nf6 $1 24. Qc2 Rd5 $1) 24. Qc2 Nf6 25. Ne5 $1 Rd5 $5 ({Kasparov gives} 25...
Kf8 26. Nxf7 $1 Kxf7 27. Qg6+ Kf8 28. Bf5 $1 exf5 29. Rxe7 $1) 26. Ng4 $1 Rf5
27. Nxf6+ gxf6 28. h4 $5 Kh8 29. Qe2 Ba6 30. Qe3 Rh5 31. Bxc5 Bxc5 32. dxc5
Qxc5 33. Qf3 Kg7 34. Qg4+ Kh8 35. Rd7 Rg8 36. Qf3 Re5 37. Qxf6+ 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "21"]
[Date "2004.02.26"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2777"]
[BlackElo "2735"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[EventDate "2004.??.19"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. f3
Nbd7 9. Qd2 b5 10. O-O-O h5 11. Nd5 Bxd5 12. exd5 g6 13. Kb1 Nb6 $2 ({Correct
is} 13... Bg7 {(Kramnik).}) 14. Qc3 $1 Be7 ({The pointe is} 14... Rc8 15. Bxb6
$1) 15. Qc6+ Nbd7 16. Bb6 $3 {Vladimir wins by force.} Qxb6 ({Or} 16... Qc8 17.
Bc7 Ra7 18. Bxd6 $1 {(Kramnik).}) 17. Qxa8+ Nb8 18. Na5 Nfd7 19. Nc6 Bg5 20.
Qa7 Nxc6 21. Qxb6 Nxb6 22. dxc6 Ke7 23. Rd3 Rc8 24. Ra3 Na4 25. c4 $1 Rxc6 26.
Be2 ({Not} 26. cxb5 Rc1#) 26... Rb6 27. cxb5 axb5 28. Bxb5 $1 Rxb5 29. Rxa4 f5
30. Rd1 Be3 31. a3 d5 32. b4 d4 33. Ra5 Rxa5 34. bxa5 Kd6 35. Kc2 e4 36. fxe4
fxe4 37. Re1 $1 ({Kramnik has calculated} 37. Re1 Kc6 38. Rxe3 $1 dxe3 39. Kd1)
1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "21"]
[Date "2004.02.26"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Leko, Peter"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2722"]
[BlackElo "2736"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "107"]
[EventDate "2004.??.19"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Bd6 7. O-O O-O 8. c4
c6 9. Qc2 Na6 10. a3 Bg4 11. Ne5 Bh5 12. cxd5 cxd5 13. Nc3 Bxe5 $1 {A novelty
slightly improves the theory.} 14. dxe5 Nac5 15. Nxe4 Nxd3 $1 16. Qxd3 Bg6 17.
Qb3 Bxe4 18. Qxb7 $5 Qh4 $1 19. Qb3 d4 20. Qg3 $1 {Lékó has to simplify
immediately.} Qxg3 21. hxg3 Rfc8 22. f3 Bg6 23. Rf2 h5 24. Bf4 d3 25. Bd2 $1
Rc2 26. Bc3 Kf8 27. Rd2 Rc8 28. Rad1 Ke7 29. Kf2 Rc4 30. Ke3 {The game has
remained lively despite the bishops of opposite colours.} Bf5 $2 ({Right is} 
30... Ke6 $1 31. Rxd3 (31. Rh1 Kd5) 31... Bxd3 32. Kxd3 R4xc3+ 33. bxc3 Rxg2 {
(Lékó).}) 31. Rh1 $1 g6 32. Rh4 $1 Rxh4 33. gxh4 a6 {Now Black cannot stop the
white king from entering through a flank.} 34. Kd4 Kd7 35. Kc5 Kc7 36. a4 Rc1
37. g4 hxg4 38. fxg4 Bxg4 39. Rxd3 Rh1 40. Ba5+ $1 Kb7 41. Rb3+ Kc8 42. Rb4 $1
Rxh4 43. Rd4 g5 44. Be1 Rh1 45. Rxg4 Rxe1 46. Rxg5 Kd7 47. Rf5 Ke7 ({Or} 47...
Ke6 48. Rf6+ Kxe5 49. Rxa6 {(Lékó).}) 48. b4 Ra1 49. a5 Rc1+ 50. Kb6 Rc4 51. b5
axb5 52. a6 Ke6 53. Rf6+ Kxe5 54. Rxf7 (54. Rxf7 Ra4 55. Kxb5 {leads to a
theoretical win of rook and pawn versus rook.  All games were decided in this
round! Lékó led at the end of the first cycle with a score of plus two.}) 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "21"]
[Date "2004.02.29"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C97"]
[WhiteElo "2735"]
[BlackElo "2736"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "89"]
[EventDate "2004.??.19"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3
O-O 9. h3 Na5 10. Bc2 c5 11. d4 Qc7 12. d5 Nc4 13. b3 Nb6 14. a4 Bd7 15. a5 Nc8
16. c4 $5 g6 $6 ({More useful is} 16... Rb8 $1) 17. Nc3 Nh5 18. Ne2 Re8 19. Ra2
Bf8 20. g4 Ng7 $6 (20... Nf6 $1 21. Bg5 Bg7 {moves the pieces to better
squares.}) 21. Ng3 f6 22. Nh2 $1 {White prepares an advance of pawns.} Re7 23.
h4 Rf7 24. f4 exf4 25. Bxf4 Qd8 26. Rf1 Qe7 27. h5 Ne8 28. Bd3 $1 Bg7 29. Kg2
Qf8 30. Qc1 bxc4 31. bxc4 Rb8 32. Raf2 $1 Rb3 33. Rf3 Ne7 34. Bd2 Bc8 35. Qc2
$1 Rb8 36. Kh1 gxh5 $6 37. Nxh5 Ng6 $1 38. e5 $3 {White instead of Black
occupies the critical square.} dxe5 ({The point is} 38... Nxe5 39. Bxh7+) 39.
Bxg6 hxg6 40. Qxg6 e4 41. Rh3 Rfb7 42. Nf4 Rb1 43. Qh7+ Kf7 44. Qh5+ Kg8 45.
Ng6 {Shirov was crushed quietly.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "21"]
[Date "2004.03.02"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Leko, Peter"]
[Black "Kramnik, Vladimir"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B33"]
[WhiteElo "2722"]
[BlackElo "2777"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "72"]
[EventDate "2004.??.19"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8.
Na3 b5 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. Nd5 f5 11. Bd3 Be6 12. O-O Bxd5 13. exd5 Ne7 14. Qh5 e4
15. Be2 Bg7 16. c3 Rc8 $5 {Kramnik starts a new rook manoeuvre in a
fashionable variation.} 17. Nc2 Rc5 18. Ne3 $1 f4 19. Nf5 {Elegant knight
jumps result in a plus.} O-O 20. a4 $1 Nxf5 21. Qxf5 Qe7 22. axb5 axb5 23. Qxf4
Rxd5 24. Rfd1 Re5 $5 25. Qe3 (25. Ra6 $1 {attacks on the queenside, while the
queen stays a defender.}) 25... f5 26. Qb6 f4 27. Qxd6 Qg5 28. f3 e3 29. Ra7
Kh8 $1 30. Qd7 (30. Rd7 Rg8 31. Bd3 Rge8 $11 {(Kramnik).}) 30... Rg8 31. Qh3 $2
({Correct is} 31. Kh1 $1 {(Kramnik).}) 31... Qg6 $1 32. Rad7 $6 ({Better is} 
32. Kf1 $1 Rh5 33. Rd6 Rxh3 34. Rxg6 Rxh2 35. Kg1 hxg6 36. Kxh2 Rd8 37. Bxb5
Rd2 38. b3 Bxc3 {(Kramnik), but it is doubtful whether White survives.}) 32...
Rh5 33. R7d6 Bf6 34. Rxf6 Qc2 $3 {Kramnik has found a wonderful resolution.}
35. Qxh5 Qxe2 36. g4 Qf2+ {Vladimir had won the decisive game of the
tournament.} 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "21"]
[Date "2004.03.03"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Black "Radjabov, Teimour"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B33"]
[WhiteElo "2663"]
[BlackElo "2656"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "124"]
[EventDate "2004.??.19"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8.
Na3 b5 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. Nd5 Bg7 11. Bd3 Ne7 12. Nxe7 Qxe7 13. O-O f5 14. c4 O-O
15. Qf3 d5 $5 16. cxd5 fxe4 17. Bxe4 Rb8 18. Rfd1 Qd7 $5 19. d6 $1 Rb6 20. Qd3
Rd8 21. Rac1 Bf8 22. Qg3+ Bg7 23. Qd3 Bf8 24. Qg3+ $6 (24. Rc7 $1 Qxc7 25.
Bxh7+ Kg7 26. dxc7 Rxd3 27. Bxd3 Rc6 28. Nc2 Rxc7 29. Ne3 {keeps an advantage 
(Rogozenko).}) 24... Bg7 25. Qh4 Rxd6 26. Bxh7+ Kf8 27. Qb4 Bb7 28. Nc2 Qe7 $1
29. Rxd6 Rxd6 30. Qg4 Rh6 31. Bf5 Rh4 32. Qd1 Bh6 $1 33. Ne3 Bxe3 34. fxe3 Bxg2
$1 35. Rc8+ Kg7 36. Qe1 Qg5 37. Qg3 Kf6 38. Qxg5+ Kxg5 39. Bd3 Bd5 40. Rg8+ Kf6
41. a3 Rh3 42. Rg3 Rh8 43. e4 Be6 44. Kg2 Rd8 45. Rf3+ Ke7 46. b4 $2 {White
commits a tactical oversight.} f5 $1 47. Rh3 f4 $1 48. Rh7+ Bf7 49. Be2 Rd2 50.
Kf1 Kf6 51. h4 Bg6 $1 52. Ra7 Bxe4 {Black has conquered the centre.} 53. Bg4 ({
The point is} 53. Rxa6+ Kf5 54. Bxb5 f3 $1) 53... f3 54. Rxa6+ Kg7 55. Ra7+ Kf8
56. Rd7 Bd3+ 57. Ke1 f2+ 58. Kxd2 f1=Q 59. Rd8+ Ke7 60. Rd7+ Ke8 61. Rxd3 Qf4+
62. Re3 Qd4+ $1 ({Black wins the bishop without losing a pawn by} 62... Qd4+
63. Rd3 Qxg4) 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "21"]
[Date "2004.03.04"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Radjabov, Teimour"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D80"]
[WhiteElo "2656"]
[BlackElo "2736"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "155"]
[EventDate "2004.??.19"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bg5 Ne4 5. Bh4 c5 6. cxd5 Nxc3 7. bxc3 Qxd5 8.
e3 Nc6 9. Qf3 Qxf3 10. Nxf3 Bg7 11. Rb1 O-O 12. Bd3 $5 e5 $5 13. dxc5 $5 h6 14.
Nd2 g5 15. Bg3 Rd8 16. Ke2 Bf8 17. Nb3 Be6 18. Rhd1 f6 ({Preferable is} 18...
f5 $1 19. f3 Kf7) 19. f3 Rd7 20. e4 Kf7 21. Bf2 Rc8 22. Bb5 Rdc7 $6 (22... Rxd1
23. Rxd1 Be7 {and White has little advantage (Shirov).}) 23. Rd2 Kg6 24. Kd1
Nb8 $6 25. Na5 $1 g4 $6 26. c4 $6 (26. Bc4 $1 Bxc4 27. Nxc4 Bxc5 28. Bxc5 Rxc5
29. Nd6 R8c7 {(Radjabov)} 30. fxg4 {grabs a pawn.}) 26... h5 27. Ba4 Bxc5 $2 {
Black misses an excellent chance.} ({He has a fine defence by} 27... Na6 $1 28.
Rxb7 Bxc5 29. Rxc7 Rxc7 30. Bxc5 Nxc5 {(Radjabov).}) 28. Bxc5 Rxc5 29. Nxb7
Rxc4 30. Nd6 Rxa4 31. Nxc8 {White has won the exchange.} Nc6 32. Rc1 Nd4 33.
Ne7+ Kg5 34. Nc6 gxf3 35. Nxd4 exd4 36. gxf3 Bxa2 37. Ke2 Bc4+ 38. Kf2 Kf4 39.
Rxd4 Ra2+ 40. Ke1 Bb5 41. e5+ $1 Kxe5 ({The pointe is} 41... Ke3 42. exf6 $1
Kxd4 43. f7 Re2+ 44. Kd1) 42. Rd2 Rxd2 43. Kxd2 Kf4 44. Rc3 a5 45. Ke1 a4 46.
Kf2 Bd7 47. Rc4+ Kg5 48. Rd4 Be8 49. Rd5+ f5 50. Kg3 h4+ 51. Kf2 Bf7 52. Ra5
Bb3 53. Ke3 Bc2 54. h3 Bb3 55. f4+ Kf6 56. Kd4 Bc2 57. Ra6+ Kg7 58. Ke5 Kf7 59.
Ra7+ Kg6 60. Ke6 Bb3+ 61. Ke7 Kg7 62. Ra5 Bc2 63. Rc5 Be4 64. Rc1 Bd5 65. Rg1+
Kh6 66. Kf6 a3 67. Rg6+ Kh7 68. Rg7+ Kh6 69. Ra7 a2 70. Kxf5 Bc4 71. Kf6 Bb3
72. f5 Bc4 73. Ra4 Kh7 74. Kg5 Kg7 75. Ra7+ Bf7 76. f6+ Kg8 77. Kxh4 Be6 78.
Kg3 {Radjabov had compensated the two losses in the first cycle by two wins. 
Kramnik won the tournament, half-a-point before Kasparov and Lékó.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "22"]
[Date "2005.02.23"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Adams, Michael"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E37"]
[WhiteElo "2757"]
[BlackElo "2741"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2005.??.??"]

{Seven super grandmasters played double rounds in Linares from 23 ii - 10 iii
2005. It became the 22nd event.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 d5 5. a3
Bxc3+ 6. Qxc3 Ne4 7. Qc2 e5 8. e3 exd4 9. cxd5 Qxd5 10. Nf3 Nd6 11. Nxd4 Bd7
12. f3 Nc6 13. Nxc6 Bxc6 14. a4 $5 Qh5 $1 15. Be2 $6 (15. Bd3 Qh4+ 16. Qf2 Qb4+
17. Qd2 Qh4+ {leads to a perpetual (Adams).}) 15... Qh4+ 16. g3 Qh3 17. Kf2
O-O-O 18. Ra3 Rhe8 19. Bf1 $6 Qe6 20. Be2 g5 $1 {White has lost time. So Black
attacks.} 21. Rf1 g4 $1 22. fxg4 Qh6 $6 (22... Qd5 $1 {and Black rules the
board.}) 23. Kg1 Qh3 24. Bd3 Ne4 $5 25. Rf4 Nxg3 $5 26. Rc3 $1 {The crucial
position has been reached.} ({Not} 26. hxg3 $2 Rxd3 $1 27. Rxd3 Qh1+) 26... Re6
$4 ({Adams analyses} 26... Rxd3 $1 27. Rxd3 Rg8 $1 28. e4 $1 Bxe4 29. Rxg3
Qxg3+ 30. hxg3 Bxc2 {drawn.}) 27. e4 $1 Nh5 ({The point is} 27... Rxe4 28. Bf1
$1 {and Rxg3.}) 28. Bc4 $1 Qh4 29. Bxe6+ fxe6 30. gxh5 Qxh5 31. Rd3 Rg8+ 32.
Rg3 Rd8 33. Be3 e5 34. Rf1 h6 35. b4 a6 36. b5 axb5 37. axb5 Bxb5 38. Rg7 c6
39. Qa2 Ba6 40. Qe6+ Kb8 41. Qd6+ 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "22"]
[Date "2005.02.24"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B80"]
[WhiteElo "2786"]
[BlackElo "2757"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "117"]
[EventDate "2005.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e6 7. f3 b5 8. g4 h6
9. Qd2 b4 10. Na4 Nbd7 11. O-O-O Ne5 12. b3 d5 13. Bf4 Bd6 14. Bxe5 Bxe5 15.
Nc6 Qc7 16. Nxe5 Qxe5 17. Qxb4 dxe4 18. Nb6 Rb8 19. Kb1 Qc7 20. Qa4+ Kf8 21.
Nxc8 Rxc8 22. Qc4 Qxc4 23. Bxc4 a5 24. Ba6 Rb8 25. fxe4 h5 $6 ({Better is} 
25... Nxe4 26. Rd4 Nc5) 26. gxh5 Nxe4 27. Rd4 Nf6 28. Be2 Nxh5 29. Rh4 g6 30.
Rg1 Ke7 31. Ra4 Ra8 32. Bf3 Ra7 33. Rg5 $1 f5 $5 34. Rxg6 Kf7 35. Rg2 Nf6 36.
Re2 Rh3 37. Bh1 $6 (37. Rf4 $1 Rd7 38. Kb2 {plays for a win.}) 37... Ng4 38.
Kb2 Kf6 39. Bg2 Rxh2 40. Bf3 Rxe2 41. Bxe2 Ne3 $1 42. c4 e5 43. c5 e4 44. b4
Rc7 45. bxa5 Rxc5 $2 {Topalov opens the road for the passed a-pawn.} ({Correct
is} 45... Ra7 46. a6 {(Anand)} Ke5 47. Ra5 Nd5 {and the passed pawns are
halted.}) 46. a6 $1 Nd5 47. a7 Nc7 48. a8=Q Nxa8 49. Rxa8 f4 50. Rf8+ Ke5 51.
Bg4 f3 52. Rf5+ Kd4 53. Rxc5 Kxc5 54. Kc3 Kb5 55. Kd2 f2 56. Be2+ Kb4 57. Kc2
Ka3 58. Kb1 e3 59. Ka1 {Topalov started with fighting games: a win and a loss
in two rounds. Rentero loved it.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "22"]
[Date "2005.02.25"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D21"]
[WhiteElo "2686"]
[BlackElo "2804"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "58"]
[EventDate "2005.??.??"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 e6 3. c4 dxc4 4. e4 b5 5. a4 c6 6. axb5 cxb5 7. b3 Bb7 8. bxc4
Bxe4 9. cxb5 Nf6 10. Be2 Be7 11. O-O O-O 12. Nc3 Bb7 13. Bf4 $5 Bb4 14. Na4
Nbd7 15. Qb3 Nd5 16. Bg5 Be7 17. Bd2 a6 18. b6 $5 Bc6 (18... N5xb6 19. Ba5 Bd5
20. Qe3 {brings little advantage (Huzman).}) 19. Ne5 $5 Nxe5 20. dxe5 Nxb6 $1
21. Nxb6 Qxd2 22. Nxa8 Qxe2 23. Nc7 Qxe5 24. Qg3 Qf5 25. Rxa6 $5 Be4 26. Ra7
Bc5 27. Ra5 $4 (27. Ra4 $1 {(Kasparov) keeps the equality.}) 27... Bxf2+ $1 28.
Qxf2 Qxa5 29. Nxe6 $1 Bxg2 $1 ({Notice} 29... Bxg2 30. Nxf8 Bxf1 31. Nxh7 Bd3
$1) 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "22"]
[Date "2005.02.26"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Leko, Peter"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B33"]
[WhiteElo "2757"]
[BlackElo "2749"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "113"]
[EventDate "2005.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8.
Na3 b5 9. Nd5 Be7 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. c3 O-O 12. Nc2 Bg5 13. a4 bxa4 14. Rxa4 a5
15. Bc4 Rb8 16. b3 Kh8 17. Nce3 g6 18. h4 Bxh4 19. g3 Bg5 20. f4 $5 exf4 21.
gxf4 Bh4+ 22. Kd2 $5 Ne7 23. Kc1 Nxd5 24. Nxd5 Be6 25. Qd4+ Kg8 26. Ra2 $6 (26.
Kb2 {completes the development.}) 26... Bxd5 27. Qxd5 Qf6 28. Qd2 Bg3 29. Rf1
h5 $2 (29... d5 $1 30. exd5 (30. Bxd5 g5 $1) 30... Rfe8 {keeps the initiative 
(Rogozenko).}) 30. Rxa5 Ra8 31. e5 $1 Qf5 $1 32. Rxa8 Rxa8 33. Kb2 h4 34. Qxd6
Re8 35. Bb5 Rf8 36. Bd3 $1 Qe6 37. Qd4 Qe7 38. Bc4 Kh7 39. b4 h3 $6 ({
Preferable is} 39... Rd8) 40. Qd3 Qh4 41. f5 $1 Bf4 42. e6 $1 fxe6 43. Qd7+ Kh6
{Topalov has reached a completely won position.} 44. fxe6 $6 (44. fxg6 $1 Kxg6
45. Bd3+ Kf6 46. Qd6 {ends the game.}) 44... Bc1+ $5 {Lékó causes confusion.}
45. Rxc1 $2 ({Right is} 45. Kxc1 $1 Qxc4 46. Rxf8 Qxc3+ 47. Kd1 h2 48. Qd2+ $1
{(Topalov).}) 45... Qxc4 46. e7 Ra8 $1 47. Qxh3+ ({Topalov notices} 47. Ra1 $4
{timely} Qe2+) 47... Kg7 48. e8=N+ $1 Kg8 $1 (48... Rxe8 $6 49. Qd7+ Kf8 50.
Rd1 {favours White.}) 49. Nf6+ Kf7 50. Qd7+ Kxf6 51. Qd4+ Qxd4 52. cxd4 g5 53.
Rc6+ Kf5 54. b5 g4 55. Kb3 g3 56. Rc1 Ke4 57. Rg1 {Topalov played another
fighting game.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "22"]
[Date "2005.02.27"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Adams, Michael"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E37"]
[WhiteElo "2804"]
[BlackElo "2741"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "107"]
[EventDate "2005.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 d5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Qxc3 Ne4 7. Qc2 e5 8.
cxd5 Qxd5 9. f3 Nd6 10. dxe5 Qxe5 11. e4 Nc6 12. Ne2 $5 Be6 13. Bf4 Qa5+ 14.
Nc3 $5 O-O-O 15. O-O-O f5 $2 (15... g5 $1 16. Bxd6 Rxd6 17. Rxd6 cxd6 {
minimizes the disadvantage.}) 16. Bxd6 $1 Rxd6 17. Rxd6 cxd6 18. Bb5 Nd4 19.
Qd3 Nxb5 20. Nxb5 $1 fxe4 21. Qxd6 $6 ({White wins a pawn anyway, but} 21.
Nxd6+ $1 Kb8 22. fxe4 {is preferable.}) 21... Qxb5 22. Qxe6+ Kb8 23. Qxe4 Re8
24. Qf4+ Ka8 25. Kb1 g5 26. Qf7 h6 27. h4 a6 28. hxg5 hxg5 29. Qf6 Qd3+ 30. Ka1
Qd2 31. Qf7 Re5 $1 32. Qc7 Re8 33. Qf7 Re5 34. Qf6 Re8 35. g4 $1 Ka7 36. Qf5
Ka8 $6 (36... Qd4 $1 37. Rc1 (37. Qxg5 Re3 $1) 37... Re5 {offers more
resistance.}) 37. Kb1 Rd8 38. Rc1 Rd5 39. Qe4 Ka7 40. Rc3 Qd1+ 41. Ka2 Qd2 42.
Rc2 Qd3 43. Re2 Rd4 44. Qe3 a5 45. Re1 Ka6 46. Qxg5 Qxf3 47. Qg6+ Ka7 $2 (47...
b6 $1 48. Qg8 $1 Qd5+ 49. Qxd5 Rxd5 50. Rg1 Rg5 51. b4 $1 axb4 52. axb4 Kb5 53.
Kb3 Kc6 {prolongs the fight (Kasparov).}) 48. Re5 $1 Ra4 $1 49. Qh5 b6 50. Qe8
Rc4 51. g5 Rc7 52. Qe6 a4 53. Re4 Qd1 54. Rb4 $1 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "22"]
[Date "2005.02.28"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2757"]
[BlackElo "2686"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "63"]
[EventDate "2005.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nb3 Be7 8. f3
Be6 9. Qd2 O-O 10. O-O-O Nbd7 11. g4 b5 12. g5 b4 13. Ne2 Ne8 14. f4 a5 15. f5
a4 16. fxe6 axb3 17. exf7+ $5 {Topalov plays a novelty.} Rxf7 18. Kb1 bxc2+ 19.
Kxc2 Nb6 20. Nc1 d5 21. exd5 Nd6 22. Kb1 Rf3 $2 {Vallejo Pons plays too
optimistic.} (22... Nbc4 $1 {The last cry has become} 23. Bxc4 Nxc4 24. Qe2
Nxe3 25. g6 $1 {(Czarnota - Bobras, Poznan 2005).}) 23. h4 $5 Na4 24. Qe2 Rg3
$5 25. Bf2 Rc3 $5 26. Qxe5 Nxb2 27. Bd4 $1 {Topalov continues his attack.} Bf8
28. Kxb2 Rf3 29. Bd3 Kh8 30. Qe2 Rf4 31. Qh5 Nf5 32. g6 $1 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "22"]
[Date "2005.03.02"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "C88"]
[WhiteElo "2804"]
[BlackElo "2757"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "42"]
[EventDate "2005.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. h3
Bb7 9. d3 d6 10. a3 Na5 11. Ba2 c5 12. Nbd2 Nc6 13. Nf1 Bc8 14. c3 Be6 15. Bxe6
fxe6 16. Ng3 Nd7 17. Be3 d5 18. exd5 exd5 19. a4 Rb8 20. axb5 axb5 21. b3 Ra8 {
All games were drawn in this round.   Kasparov led before Topalov and Anand at
the end of the first cycle.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "22"]
[Date "2005.03.03"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Black "Kasimdzhanov, Rustam"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D53"]
[WhiteElo "2686"]
[BlackElo "2678"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "119"]
[EventDate "2005.??.??"]

1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 e6 3. c4 Nf6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Bxf6 7. Qc2 O-O 8.
O-O-O c5 $6 9. dxc5 d4 10. Nxd4 Bxd4 11. Qe4 $1 {A fine novelty is played.} ({
Known is} 11. e3) 11... Nc6 12. e3 f5 13. Qf3 Qg5 14. h4 $1 Bxe3+ 15. Qxe3
Qxe3+ 16. fxe3 {White has won a pawn.} Ne5 17. Be2 Bd7 18. Rd6 Kf7 19. Bf3 Rac8
20. Rhd1 Rc7 21. b4 Ke7 22. Nb5 Bxb5 23. cxb5 b6 $2 {Hereafter, White wins
elegantly.} ({Superior is} 23... f4 $1 24. R1d4 $1 b6 $1 25. c6 fxe3 {(Vallejo
Pons).}) 24. c6 g5 25. R6d4 Kf6 26. a4 Ng6 27. hxg5+ hxg5 28. Rd7 Rfc8 29. R1d6
g4 30. Bd1 Nf8 31. Rxc7 Rxc7 32. Bb3 Ke7 33. Rd1 Nh7 34. Rh1 Nf6 35. Rh6 Rc8
36. Kc2 Kf7 37. Bc4 Rd8 38. Rh1 Ke7 39. a5 Rb8 40. Kb3 Rd8 41. axb6 axb6 42.
Ra1 Ne4 43. Ra7+ Kf6 44. Rd7 Rh8 45. Bd3 Nf2 46. Bc2 g3 47. Rb7 Ng4 48. Rxb6
Rc8 49. Ra6 Nxe3 50. b6 Nxc2 51. b7 Rxc6 52. b5 Rc5 53. Rb6 Nd4+ 54. Kb4 Rxb5+
55. Rxb5 Nc6+ 56. Kc3 f4 57. Rc5 f3 58. Rxc6 fxg2 59. b8=Q g1=Q 60. Qf4+ 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "22"]
[Date "2005.03.04"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Kasimdzhanov, Rustam"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D48"]
[WhiteElo "2678"]
[BlackElo "2804"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "72"]
[EventDate "2005.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3
Bb7 9. O-O a6 10. e4 c5 11. d5 Qc7 12. dxe6 fxe6 13. Bc2 c4 14. Nd4 Nc5 15. Be3
e5 16. Nf3 Be7 17. Ng5 O-O $1 {This novelty was advised to Kasparov and
Dokhoian by JUNIOR. Shedder 9 shows the same move to me.} 18. Bxc5 Bxc5 19. Ne6
Qb6 20. Nxf8 Rxf8 {Black has sufficient compensation for the exchange.} 21. Nd5
$2 {White blunders a pawn.} ({Right is} 21. Qe2 Qe6 {(Kasparov).}) 21... Bxd5
22. exd5 Bxf2+ $1 23. Kh1 ({Not} 23. Rxf2 Ng4 $1 24. Qxg4 Qxf2+ 25. Kh1 Qf1+
26. Rxf1 Rxf1#) 23... e4 $5 24. Qe2 $6 ({Better is} 24. d6 $1 e3 25. Bf5 $1 g6
26. Bh3 Kg7 27. d7 Nh5 {(Kasparov)} 28. Bg4 Nf4 29. b3 $5 c3 30. b4 $5 {White
has desperate counter-play.}) 24... e3 25. Rfd1 Qd6 $1 26. a4 g6 $1 27. axb5
axb5 28. g3 ({White cannot stop the attack, because} 28. b3 $5 Nh5 $1 {brings
no relief.}) 28... Nh5 $1 29. Qg4 Bxg3 $1 30. hxg3 Nxg3+ 31. Kg2 Rf2+ 32. Kh3
Nf5 $1 33. Rh1 h5 34. Qxg6+ Qxg6 35. Rhg1 Qxg1 36. Rxg1+ Kf7 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "22"]
[Date "2005.03.05"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Black "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D12"]
[WhiteElo "2804"]
[BlackElo "2686"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "107"]
[EventDate "2005.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nh4 Bg6 7. Nxg6 hxg6 8. Bd2
Nbd7 9. Rc1 a6 10. Bd3 dxc4 11. Bxc4 b5 $6 {This advance will help White.} 12.
Be2 c5 13. Bf3 Rb8 14. Ne2 Bd6 15. g3 O-O 16. O-O e5 17. dxc5 Nxc5 18. Bb4 Qb6
$6 ({Better is} 18... Nd3 $1 19. Qxd3 Bxb4 20. Qb3 Qe7 {(Kasparov).}) 19. Nc3
$1 Nb7 $1 20. Bxd6 Nxd6 21. Nd5 Nxd5 22. Bxd5 Rbc8 23. Qg4 Nf5 24. Qe4 Qf6 25.
Rfd1 Nd6 $6 (25... Rfd8 $1 26. Rxc8 Rxc8 27. b4 Nd6 {defends more accurately.})
26. Qb4 Rfd8 27. a4 $1 bxa4 28. Qxa4 Rxc1 29. Rxc1 Nb5 30. Rd1 Nc7 $6 ({More
useful is} 30... Rd7 31. Bc4 Rb7) 31. Bc4 $1 Rd6 32. Rxd6 Qxd6 33. Qb3 Ne6 34.
h4 $1 e4 $6 ({The passive} 34... a5 $1 35. Qb5 Qc7 36. Bxe6 fxe6 {creates a
last stand.}) 35. Bd5 g5 36. h5 $1 g4 37. Bxe4 Ng5 38. Qd5 Nxe4 39. Qxe4 Qd1+
40. Kg2 Kf8 41. Qa8+ Ke7 42. Qb7+ Ke8 43. Qxa6 Qd5+ 44. Kg1 Qxh5 45. Qc6+ Kd8
46. e4 Ke7 47. Qc7+ Ke6 48. Qc8+ Ke7 49. Qb7+ Ke8 50. b4 Qg5 51. Qc6+ Ke7 52.
b5 Qd2 53. Qc5+ Qd6 54. Qg5+ 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "22"]
[Date "2005.03.06"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Kasimdzhanov, Rustam"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B50"]
[WhiteElo "2678"]
[BlackElo "2786"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "76"]
[EventDate "2005.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. c3 Nf6 4. Be2 Bg4 5. d3 e6 6. Nbd2 Nc6 7. Nf1 d5 8. exd5
Nxd5 $1 9. Qa4 Bh5 10. Ng3 Nb6 $5 11. Qd1 Bg6 12. O-O Be7 13. a4 $5 O-O 14. a5
Nd5 15. Qa4 Qc7 16. d4 $6 (16. Bd2 $1 Rfd8 17. Rfe1 {continues the development
of pieces.}) 16... cxd4 17. Nxd4 Nxd4 18. Qxd4 f5 $5 19. Qa4 Rad8 20. Rd1 $2 ({
Correct is} 20. Re1 $1 e5 21. Bc4 {(Anand).}) 20... f4 $1 21. Ne4 Qe5 22. Bf3
b5 $1 23. Qc2 (23. axb6 $2 Nxb6 {shows the pointe.}) 23... Nf6 24. Nxf6+ Qxf6
25. Qb3 Rxd1+ 26. Qxd1 Rd8 27. Qe2 Bd3 28. Qe1 e5 $1 {White can do very little.
His queenside is underdeveloped.} 29. Be2 Bxe2 30. Qxe2 e4 31. g3 $1 e3 $1 32.
fxe3 f3 $1 33. Qxb5 $6 ({More resistance is offered by} 33. Qc2 $1 Qe6 34. b4
$1 {(controls c5), but} Qc4 {(threatens .. f2+)} 35. Kf2 Qg4 {continues the
restraint and endangers the white king.}) 33... f2+ 34. Kg2 Rf8 35. Qd5+ Kh8
36. Kf1 Qh6 37. Bd2 Qh3+ 38. Qg2 Qf5 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "22"]
[Date "2005.03.08"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Adams, Michael"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B84"]
[WhiteElo "2741"]
[BlackElo "2804"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "52"]
[EventDate "2005.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e6 7. Be2 Qc7 8. Qd2
b5 9. a3 Bb7 10. f3 Nc6 11. O-O-O $5 ({More prudent is} 11. O-O $1) 11... b4 $1
12. axb4 Nxb4 13. g4 Be7 14. g5 Nd7 15. h4 Nc5 16. Kb1 Rb8 17. h5 O-O $5 18. g6
Bf6 $1 19. Rdg1 $2 (19. gxh7+ $1 Kxh7 20. Bg5 Be5 $1 21. Bf4 {steers towards a
repetition of moves.}) 19... Ba8 $1 20. Bg5 Be5 21. gxh7+ $6 ({Better is} 21.
Bf4 $5 {(Kasparov), but} Qb6 $1 {leads to a black assault.}) 21... Kxh7 $1 22.
Nb3 (22. Be3 Qb6 23. Qc1 Rfc8 {and the attack will decide the game.}) 22...
Nxc2 $1 23. Nxc5 Na3+ 24. Ka2 Qxc5 25. Na4 Nc2 $1 {Kasparov ends the game
beautifully.} 26. Kb1 ({Or} 26. Nxc5 Rxb2#) 26... Qa3 $1 ({The pointe is} 26...
Qa3 27. Qxc2 Rfc8 $1 28. Qxc8 Rxb2+) 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "22"]
[Date "2005.03.08"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Kasimdzhanov, Rustam"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D37"]
[WhiteElo "2757"]
[BlackElo "2678"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "63"]
[EventDate "2005.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bf4 O-O 6. e3 c5 7. dxc5 Bxc5 8. a3
Nc6 9. Qc2 Qa5 10. Nd2 Bb4 11. cxd5 exd5 12. Bd3 d4 13. O-O Bxc3 14. Nc4 Qh5
15. bxc3 Nd5 16. Bg3 dxe3 17. Rae1 Be6 18. fxe3 Nde7 19. Nd6 b6 20. Rb1 f6 $1 {
Though Black improves the theory, White keeps a plus.} 21. Rb5 Ne5 22. Rf4 N7g6
23. Rd4 $1 {Black's queen endures a great danger.} Bd7 $2 ({Better is} 23...
Rad8 $1 24. Be2 $1 Qh6 25. Bf4 Nxf4 26. exf4 Nc6 {(Dautov)} 27. Nf5 $1 Bxf5 28.
Rxd8 $1 Nxd8 29. Qxf5 g6 {and White has a positional advantage.}) 24. Rbd5 Be6
25. Be2 $1 Qh6 26. Bf4 $1 Nxf4 27. exf4 g6 ({The point is} 27... Bxd5 28. Nf5)
28. Qe4 $1 Bxd5 29. Qxd5+ Kh8 30. Re4 Nd7 31. Nf7+ Rxf7 32. Qxf7 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "22"]
[Date "2005.03.09"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D53"]
[WhiteElo "2686"]
[BlackElo "2757"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "76"]
[EventDate "2005.??.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. d4 Be7 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Bxf6 7. Qc2 dxc4 8.
e3 c5 9. dxc5 Qa5 10. Bxc4 Qxc5 11. Ne4 Qa5+ 12. Ke2 Be7 13. Qc3 Qxc3 14. Nxc3
a6 15. Rhd1 Nd7 16. Ne4 b5 17. Bb3 Bb7 18. Nd6+ Bxd6 19. Rxd6 Ke7 20. Rad1 Rhd8
21. R6d4 Rac8 22. Ne1 a5 23. f3 Rc7 24. e4 Rdc8 25. a3 g5 26. Ke3 Ne5 27. R4d2
Ba6 28. Rd6 Ra7 29. R6d2 $2 {Vallejo Pons applies his passive defence too long.
} ({Correct is} 29. f4 $1 Ng4+ 30. Kf3 Nxh2+ 31. Kg3 Nf1+ 32. Kf2 Nh2 33. Kg3 {
and a perpetual.}) 29... b4 $1 30. axb4 Rb8 $1 {The attack on the queenside
decides.} 31. Ra1 Rxb4 32. Ra3 a4 33. Ba2 Bc4 34. Bb1 Bf1 35. Ba2 Rab7 36. Nc2
$6 Rxb2 37. Rxa4 Rc7 $1 38. Kf2 Bb5 {Black wins a piece and the game.  
Topalov had neared Kasparov by one point at the end of the penultimate round.}
0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "22"]
[Date "2005.03.10"]
[Round "14"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Kasparov, Gary"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B30"]
[WhiteElo "2757"]
[BlackElo "2804"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "59"]
[EventDate "2005.??.??"]

{Kasparov will win the tournament, even if he loses this game, because he
scored more wins with Black.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 e5 4. Bc4 d6 5. d3 Be7
6. O-O Nf6 7. Nh4 $5 Nd4 8. g3 Bg4 9. f3 Be6 10. Bg5 Ng8 $5 11. Bxe7 Nxe7 12.
f4 exf4 13. Bxe6 fxe6 14. Rxf4 Kd7 $5 15. Nf3 Rf8 16. Rxf8 Qxf8 17. Nxd4 cxd4
18. Ne2 Qf6 19. c3 Rf8 20. Nxd4 Nc6 21. Qf1 Qxf1+ $2 {Kasparov exchanges
towards a difficult pawn ending.} ({Right is} 21... Qd8 $1) 22. Rxf1 Rxf1+ 23.
Kxf1 Nxd4 24. cxd4 d5 $2 {Black loses an important tempo.} 25. Kf2 Ke7 26. Kf3
Kf6 27. h4 $2 ({Correct is} 27. Kg4 $1 h6 28. Kh5 {and wins.}) 27... g6 $2 ({
Right is} 27... h6 $1 28. Kg4 g6 $1 29. Kf4 g5+ 30. Kg4 Kg6 {drawn (Krnic).})
28. b4 b5 29. Kf4 h6 30. Kg4 $1 {The zugzwang is fatal for Black.   Kasparov
and Topalov had scored 8/12. Gary won the tournament, because he achieved more
black wins. Anand followed at the third place. One game per round plus an
extra game have been analysed.   Kasparov gave a press conference at the end
of the event. He announced his retirement from competitive chess. Linares was
conquered by him ten times. His world championship in different organisations
lasted from 1985 until 2000.} ({See} 30. Kg4 Kf7 31. h5 $1 g5 32. exd5 exd5 33.
Kf5) 1-0

[Event "Morelia/Linares"]
[Site "23"]
[Date "2006.02.18"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "Radjabov, Teimour"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E93"]
[WhiteElo "2752"]
[BlackElo "2700"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "157"]
[EventDate "2006.??.??"]

{Three important changes had occurred since the previous time: Kasparov did
not partake anymore, the number of players had increased from seven to eight
and the first cycle was played in the Mexican city Morelia from 18 until 26 ii
2006. Playing hall was the Palacio de Clavijero. Main battlers were Lékó,
Topalov and Aronian.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2
e5 7. Be3 Ng4 8. Bg5 f6 9. Bh4 g5 10. Bg3 Nh6 11. d5 Nd7 12. Nd2 f5 13. exf5
Nf6 14. Nde4 Nxe4 15. Nxe4 Bxf5 16. Bd3 g4 17. O-O Qe8 $5 18. c5 Qg6 19. Re1
Nf7 20. Bh4 $5 Rae8 21. Rc1 dxc5 22. Rxc5 Nd6 23. Qa4 $1 Bxe4 24. Bxe4 Qh6 $6 {
Black should exchange on e4.} 25. Bg3 Qd2 26. Rcc1 $6 {Hereafter, the fight
for the initiative is resumed.} (26. Rd1 $1 {continues the attack.}) 26... Re7
27. h4 $5 Qxb2 28. Qd1 Qxa2 29. h5 Nxe4 30. Rxe4 Qa6 31. Qb3 $5 Kh8 32. Rce1
Qb6 33. Rb4 Qc5 34. Rxb7 Ref7 35. Rb5 Qd6 36. Qc4 Rf5 37. Qxg4 Qh6 38. Rb8 Rxf2
39. Rxf8+ Rxf8 40. Rxe5 $1 {White has restored the material balance. Now Black
has to defend weaknesses.} Qd6 $2 (40... Qf6 $1 {prevents the next move.}) 41.
Rf5 $1 Qe7 42. Rxf8+ Bxf8 43. Bf2 h6 44. Qd4+ $1 (44. Bxa7 $6 {allows the
counteraction} Qe1+) 44... Kg8 45. Qc4 $1 Qf7 46. Bxa7 Bg7 47. Be3 Kh8 48. Bd4
$1 Bxd4+ 49. Qxd4+ Kh7 50. Qe5 $1 Qg7 51. Qf5+ Kh8 52. Kh2 Qe7 53. Kh3 Qd6 54.
Qf7 Qe5 55. g3 $2 Qe4 $2 ({Black misses the chance} 55... c6 $1 56. Qg6 ({Not} 
56. dxc6 $2 Qxg3+) 56... cxd5 57. Qxh6+ Kg8 {and the d-pawn is strong.}) 56.
Qf1 Kh7 57. Qd1 Qe5 58. Qf3 Kg7 59. Qg4+ Kh8 60. Qg6 Qxd5 61. Qxh6+ Kg8 62.
Qg6+ Kh8 63. Qf6+ Kh7 64. Kh4 Qe4+ 65. g4 Qe1+ 66. Kg5 Qd2+ 67. Qf4 Qd8+ 68.
Kf5 Qf8+ 69. Ke4 Qb4+ 70. Kf3 Qc3+ 71. Qe3 Qf6+ 72. Kg3 Qd6+ 73. Kh4 c5 74. g5
Qh2+ 75. Kg4 Qg2+ 76. Kf5 Qd5+ 77. Kf6 Qd6+ 78. Qe6 Qd4+ 79. Ke7 1-0

[Event "Morelia/Linares"]
[Site "23"]
[Date "2006.02.18"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Svidler, Peter"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C67"]
[WhiteElo "2765"]
[BlackElo "2801"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "133"]
[EventDate "2006.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5
8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. Nc3 Ne7 10. h3 Ng6 11. Bg5+ Ke8 12. Rad1 Bd7 13. Nd4 h6 14.
Be3 h5 $5 ({More prudent is} 14... Bb4 {(Shirov - Almasi, Monaco 2002).}) 15.
f4 h4 16. f5 $5 {Svidler storms his opponent.} Nxe5 17. f6 Rh5 18. Ne4 g6 19.
Bf4 c5 20. Nf3 Nxf3+ 21. Rxf3 {Topalov has to defend a difficult position.} Be6
22. Rfd3 c4 23. R3d2 c6 24. Ng5 Bc5+ 25. Kh2 Bd5 26. Re2+ Kf8 $6 (26... Kd7 $1
27. Nxf7 Rf8 28. Ne5+ Kc8 29. Ng4 Rf5 {equalises (Svidler).}) 27. Rde1 b5 28.
c3 a5 29. a3 Rc8 30. g4 hxg3+ 31. Kxg3 Be6 32. h4 Kg8 33. Re5 Bf8 34. Nxe6 fxe6
35. Rd1 $1 Rh7 $2 ({Better is} 35... Kf7 36. Bg5 $1 Rc7 $1) 36. Rxe6 $2 (36.
Rg5 $1 Rh6 37. Rd7 {wins for White.}) 36... Rb7 37. Re4 Kf7 38. Bg5 Re8 39.
Rxe8 Kxe8 40. Kg4 Rh7 $2 ({Black misses the draw by} 40... Kf7 41. Rd8 b4 42.
axb4 axb4 43. Rd4 bxc3 44. bxc3 Rb5 45. Rxc4 Rc5 {(Svidler).}) 41. Re1+ Kd7 42.
a4 $1 bxa4 43. Re5 c5 44. Bf4 Rh8 45. Bg3 Bh6 46. Re7+ Kc6 47. Bf4 Bxf4 48.
Kxf4 Rh5 $1 49. Re5 $3 Rxh4+ 50. Kg5 $1 Rh5+ 51. Kxg6 Rxe5 52. f7 {The Kling
and Horwitz manouevre of rook and king begins.} Re6+ 53. Kg5 Re5+ 54. Kg4 Re4+
55. Kg3 Re3+ 56. Kf2 $1 {White forces the queening.} a3 $1 57. f8=Q axb2 58.
Qc8+ Kb5 $1 59. Qb7+ Ka4 60. Kxe3 ({Not} 60. Qxb2 $4 Rf3+ $1) 60... Ka3 61. Qb5
a4 62. Qxc5+ Kb3 63. Qb4+ Kc2 64. Qxa4+ Kxc3 65. Qa5+ Kc2 66. Qf5+ Kc1 67. Qf1+
{Svidler played a fine endgame.} 1-0

[Event "Morelia/Linares"]
[Site "23"]
[Date "2006.02.18"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Black "Leko, Peter"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E32"]
[WhiteElo "2650"]
[BlackElo "2740"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "2006.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 O-O 5. e4 d5 6. e5 Ne4 7. a3 Bxc3+ 8. bxc3
c5 9. Bd3 Qa5 10. Ne2 cxd4 11. cxd5 exd5 12. f3 Nxc3 13. Nxd4 Ne4+ 14. Ke2 f5
$1 15. Be3 $5 {Vallejo plays a new move in a spectacular opening.} ({The greedy
} 15. fxe4 fxe4 16. Bb5 {is punished by} Bg4+ 17. Ke3 Qb6) ({Best is} 15. e6 $1
{(Lékó).}) 15... Nc6 $1 16. Nxc6 bxc6 17. Rhc1 (17. Qxc6 Rb8 18. Rhc1 f4 $1 19.
Bxf4 Rb2+ 20. Kf1 Bd7 $1 {favours Black.}) 17... Rb8 $1 {The crucial position
has been reached.} 18. Kd1 $2 ({Right is} 18. Kf1 $1 f4 $1 19. Bxe4 fxe3 20.
Bxh7+ Kh8 21. Bd3 {(Lékó).}) 18... Rd8 19. Bd4 Be6 20. Rab1 ({Not} 20. Qxc6 $4
Qd2#) 20... Rxb1 21. Rxb1 c5 $1 22. Rb5 ({Or} 22. fxe4 dxe4 23. Qxc5 Qa4+)
22... Qxa3 23. Bb2 Qa2 24. Be2 Bd7 25. fxe4 Bxb5 26. Bxb5 Rb8 27. Bc6 Qxb2 28.
Bxd5+ Kh8 29. Qxb2 Rxb2 30. exf5 Rb4 31. Kc2 Rd4 $2 ({Later Lékó finds} 31...
Rf4 $1 32. g4 Rd4) 32. Bf7 Re4 33. e6 h5 $1 34. Bxh5 ({Probably} 34. Kd3 $1 Re5
35. Kc4 a6 $1 36. h4 $1 {draws (Lékó).}) 34... Kg8 35. g4 Kf8 36. g5 Ke7 37. h3
a5 38. Bg4 a4 39. f6+ gxf6 40. g6 Kf8 0-1

[Event "Morelia/Linares"]
[Site "23"]
[Date "2006.02.19"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A30"]
[WhiteElo "2729"]
[BlackElo "2752"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "89"]
[EventDate "2006.??.??"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 b6 3. g3 Bb7 4. Bg2 c5 5. O-O g6 6. Nc3 Bg7 7. d4 cxd4 8. Qxd4
d6 9. Be3 Nbd7 10. Rac1 Rc8 11. b3 a6 12. Rfd1 O-O 13. Qd2 Ne4 $5 14. Nxe4 Bxe4
15. Ne1 Nf6 16. Bh3 $1 Rb8 17. Nd3 Ba8 18. f3 $1 {White extends his control
over the centre.} e6 19. Bf2 Re8 $2 (19... Bb7 {makes a useful move.}) 20. Nb4
$1 a5 21. Na6 $1 {White could have further advanced in the centre but
preferred a strong combination.} Rc8 ({The tactical pointe is} 21... Rb7 22. c5
$1 Ra7 23. Qd3 {(Ivanchuk)} bxc5 24. Nxc5) 22. Qxd6 Qxd6 23. Rxd6 Nd5 24. Rd1
Nc3 25. R1d2 b5 26. Rd7 Be5 27. cxb5 Nxb5 28. Bf1 Bc6 29. R7d3 Na3 30. f4 Bf6
31. Nc5 Be7 32. Rd1 Nb5 33. Na4 Be4 34. Rd7 Bb4 35. Bg2 Bxg2 36. Kxg2 Rc2 37.
Rb7 Na3 38. Rdd7 Rf8 39. Kf3 Nb1 40. Be3 Rxa2 41. Bc5 Nd2+ 42. Kg2 Bxc5 43.
Nxc5 e5 $2 (43... Nb1 {prolongs the resistance.}) 44. Ne6 $1 exf4 ({Or} 44...
Re8 45. Re7 $1) 45. Rxf7 $1 1-0

[Event "Morelia/Linares"]
[Site "23"]
[Date "2006.02.19"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Leko, Peter"]
[Black "Radjabov, Teimour"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B33"]
[WhiteElo "2740"]
[BlackElo "2700"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "89"]
[EventDate "2006.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8.
Na3 b5 9. Nd5 Be7 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. c3 O-O 12. Nc2 Bg5 13. a4 bxa4 14. Rxa4 a5
15. Bc4 Rb8 16. b3 Kh8 17. Nce3 Be6 18. h4 Bf4 $6 ({Better is} 18... Bxe3 19.
Nxe3 {(Barrientos - Fluvia Poyatos, Badalona 2005).}) 19. Nf5 $1 g6 20. Nfe3
Kg7 21. g3 Bh6 22. Ng4 f5 23. Nxh6 Kxh6 24. h5 g5 {The black king has an odd
position.} 25. exf5 Bxf5 26. Ne3 Bc8 $5 27. Ra2 Ne7 $1 28. O-O Rf6 29. Qe2 {
The black position has many holes.} Qb6 $6 ({The active} 29... d5 $5 30. Nxd5
Nxd5 31. Rd1 Nxc3 $1 32. Rxd8 Nxe2+ 33. Bxe2 Rc6 {fights for survival.}) 30.
Rfa1 Qc6 31. Rxa5 Bb7 32. Bd5 Nxd5 33. Rxd5 $1 Qxc3 34. Ng4+ Kg7 35. Ra7 Re6
36. Qc4 $1 Qe1+ $6 {Exchange leads to a poor ending.} 37. Kg2 $1 Re7 38. Rxb7
$1 Rexb7 39. Rxd6 {The white attack has become unstoppable.} Rf8 40. h6+ Kh8
41. Qd5 Rbb8 42. Qd3 Qb4 43. Rd7 e4 44. Qd5 Rb5 45. Nf6 {Lékó and Svidler
started with two wins.} 1-0

[Event "Morelia/Linares"]
[Site "23"]
[Date "2006.02.22"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Leko, Peter"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C88"]
[WhiteElo "2740"]
[BlackElo "2729"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "77"]
[EventDate "2006.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. a4
Bb7 9. d3 d6 10. Nbd2 Na5 11. Ba2 c5 12. Nf1 Bc8 13. c3 $5 Bd7 14. Ne3 Qc7 15.
axb5 axb5 16. b4 {White has set a trap.} Nb7 (16... cxb4 $2 17. cxb4 Nc6 {is
punished by the sacrifices} 18. Bxf7+ $1 Kxf7 19. Qb3+ Kg6 20. Nh4+ Kh5 21.
Qd1+ $1 Kxh4 22. Nf5+ Bxf5 {(Lékó)} 23. exf5 Nd4 24. Re4+ $1 Nxe4 25. g3+ {and
mate in three.}) 17. Bd2 Nd8 18. Bb3 Rxa1 19. Qxa1 Re8 20. bxc5 Qxc5 21. Qa2 h6
$1 22. h3 Ne6 23. Nd5 Nxd5 24. Bxd5 Qc8 25. d4 Bf6 26. Qb3 Bc6 $2 ({Solidity
brings} 26... Qa6 {(Léló).}) 27. Qb4 $1 exd4 28. cxd4 Bxd5 29. exd5 Ng5 $2 (
29... Nf8 $1 30. Rxe8 Qxe8 31. Qxd6 Be7 32. Qc6 Qb8 {offers more resistance.})
30. Rxe8+ Qxe8 31. Bxg5 hxg5 32. Qxd6 Qe2 33. Qc5 Qc4 34. Qxc4 bxc4 35. Kf1 $1
Kf8 36. d6 Ke8 37. Ne5 {Pawn d6 survives.} Bxe5 38. dxe5 Kd7 39. g3 $1 {Lékó
and Svidler led by a score of 31/2/4. Hundreds of chess fans followed the
games eagerly.} 1-0

[Event "Morelia/Linares"]
[Site "23"]
[Date "2006.02.23"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "Svidler, Peter"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D80"]
[WhiteElo "2752"]
[BlackElo "2765"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "2006.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bg5 Ne4 5. Bh4 c5 6. cxd5 Nxc3 7. bxc3 Qxd5 8.
e3 cxd4 9. Qxd4 Qxd4 10. cxd4 e6 11. Rb1 Be7 12. Bxe7 Kxe7 13. Bd3 Nc6 14. Nf3
b6 15. Ke2 Bb7 16. Rhc1 Rhc8 17. g4 h6 18. h4 Na5 19. g5 hxg5 20. hxg5 Rxc1 21.
Rxc1 Rc8 22. Rxc8 Bxc8 {Black has exchanged a lot.} 23. Ne5 Bb7 24. a3 Nc6 25.
Ng4 Nb8 26. Kd2 Bc6 27. Kc3 Nd7 {The black position looks invulnerable.} 28. f4
a5 29. e4 b5 30. Bc2 f5 $6 {Black should defend passively.} 31. exf5 $1 exf5 $2
(31... gxf5 $1 32. Ne5 Be4 $1 {(Krasenkow)} 33. Nxd7 Kxd7 {draws, because the
breach} 34. Bxe4 $2 fxe4 35. f5 {fails due to} Ke7 $1 36. g6 Kf6 37. fxe6 Kxg6
38. d5 Kf6 39. Kd4 b4 40. axb4 a4 $1) 32. Ne5 Nxe5 33. dxe5 b4+ $5 34. axb4
axb4+ 35. Kxb4 Bd7 36. Bb3 Bc6 37. Kc5 {The black fortress is not impregnable.}
Be8 $2 ({Krasenkow gives the win} 37... Bf3 38. Bg8 Be2 (38... Kf8 39. Bd5) 39.
e6 Bf3 40. Bf7 Be4 41. Bxg6 Kxe6 42. Bh5 Bg2 43. Be2 Kf7 44. Kd4 Kg6 45. Bd3
Bf3 (45... Bc6 46. Ke5 Bd7 47. Bc2 Bc8 48. Ba4 {and White wins}) 46. Ke5 Bg4
47. Bc2 Bh3 48. Ba4 Bg4 49. Bd7 $1 {(zugzwang)} Bh3 50. Be8+ Kg7 51. Bh5 $1)
38. e6 $1 {Black loses immediately due to zugzwang.   The leader Svidler was
going to lose two games in a row.} 1-0

[Event "Morelia/Linares"]
[Site "23"]
[Date "2006.02.23"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D15"]
[WhiteElo "2729"]
[BlackElo "2801"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "2006.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 a6 5. cxd5 cxd5 6. Qb3 Nc6 7. Bg5 e6 8. e3
h6 9. Bxf6 Qxf6 10. Bd3 Bd6 11. O-O O-O 12. Rac1 b5 13. Bb1 Bd7 14. Qc2 g6 15.
Qd2 Rac8 16. Rfd1 Rc7 17. Qe1 b4 18. Ne2 a5 19. Qd2 Rfc8 20. Ne1 a4 21. Nd3 Na5
22. Rxc7 Rxc7 23. Rc1 Nc4 24. Qe1 Qd8 25. g3 Bb5 26. h4 g5 27. hxg5 hxg5 28.
Kg2 $2 (28. Nc5 $1 {lifts the pressure.}) 28... Qc8 29. Ng1 f6 30. Qd1 Be8 31.
Nf3 Bh5 32. Rc2 Bg6 33. Re2 g4 34. Nh4 Be4+ 35. Kh2 f5 {Topalov seems to
charge everywhere.} 36. Ne1 $2 ({The calm} 36. Qxa4 $1 Rh7 37. Kg1 {defends
properly.}) 36... Nxe3 37. Rxe3 Rc1 38. Qd2 Rxb1 39. Rxe4 dxe4 40. Qg5+ Kf7 0-1

[Event "Morelia/Linares"]
[Site "23"]
[Date "2006.02.25"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D43"]
[WhiteElo "2801"]
[BlackElo "2650"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "112"]
[EventDate "2006.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 dxc4 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5
9. Be2 Bb7 10. O-O Nbd7 11. Ne5 h5 12. Nxd7 Qxd7 13. Be5 Rh6 14. f3 $5 ({
Radjabov played} 14. f4 {against Vallejo in the previous round.}) 14... Qe7 ({
An alternative gives} 14... c5 15. a4 a6) 15. a4 a6 16. Qc2 Rd8 17. Rad1 Nd7
18. Bc7 Rc8 19. Bg3 e5 20. d5 $5 b4 21. dxc6 Rhxc6 22. Nd5 Qe6 23. Qd2 $6 {The
queen should stay on c2.} h4 24. Bf2 c3 25. bxc3 bxc3 {Still the c-pawn can be
stopped.} 26. Qxg5 $2 ({White has to retreat by} 26. Qc2) 26... c2 27. Rc1 h3
28. g3 Qh6 29. Qf5 (29. Qxh6 Bxh6 30. Be3 Bf8 {has the same effect.}) 29... Qd2
30. Rfe1 Ba3 $1 {White loses material.} 31. f4 Bxc1 32. Bh5 Rg6 33. Bxg6 Bxd5
34. exd5 Qxe1+ 35. Bxe1 Be3+ 36. Kf1 c1=Q 37. Qxf7+ Kd8 38. Ke2 Bb6 39. Bd2
Qc4+ 40. Kf3 e4+ 41. Kg4 Kc7 42. a5 Bd4 43. Bf5 Rg8+ 44. Kh4 Rh8+ 45. Kg5 Qb5
46. Be6 e3 47. Be1 e2 48. g4 Rf8 49. Qh7 Be3 50. Kh4 Bxf4 51. g5 Qa4 52. Kh5
Bxh2 53. Bxh3 Be5 54. Qd3 Rh8+ 55. Kg6 Nf8+ 56. Kf7 Kd8 $1 {Topalov had lost
again.} 0-1

[Event "Morelia/Linares"]
[Site "23"]
[Date "2006.02.26"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Bacrot, Etienne"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E20"]
[WhiteElo "2717"]
[BlackElo "2752"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "110"]
[EventDate "2006.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Nf3 c5 5. g3 Ne4 6. Qd3 Qa5 7. Qxe4 Bxc3+ 8.
Bd2 Bxd2+ 9. Nxd2 Nc6 10. dxc5 b6 11. Bg2 Bb7 12. Qf4 bxc5 13. Qd6 Qb6 14. Ne4
Nd4 $5 {Aronian sacrifices material.} 15. Qxb6 axb6 16. Nd6+ Ke7 17. Bxb7 Nc2+
18. Kd2 Nxa1 19. Nxf7 $1 Rxa2 $1 20. Nxh8 Rxb2+ 21. Kd3 Rb3+ 22. Ke4 Nc2 {The
white knight is trapped on h8.} 23. e3 b5 24. Kf4 bxc4 $6 (24... Rb4 $1 25. Be4
Rxc4 26. Kf3 g6 {keeps the white knight imprisoned.}) 25. Be4 Nb4 26. Bxh7 Nd3+
27. Kg5 Nxf2 28. Rf1 Rb2 29. h4 d5 {An avalanche of black pawns starts.} 30.
Ra1 Kd7 $5 31. Nf7 c3 32. Kg6 Ng4 33. Rg1 {The battle has reached a highlight.}
Re2 $2 ({Right is} 33... Nxe3 $1 34. Kxg7 Rf2 $1 35. Ra1 Rg2 $1 36. h5 Rxg3+
37. Bg6 d4 38. h6 Nf5+ 39. Kf6 Nxh6 40. Nxh6 d3 41. Nf7 Rxg6+ $1 42. Kxg6 d2 {
drawn.}) 34. Kxg7 Rxe3 35. h5 d4 36. h6 c4 37. Bc2 $2 (37. Rd1 $1 d3 38. Bxd3
cxd3 39. h7 c2 40. Ra1 $1 {brings a decisive attack.}) 37... Nxh6 $1 38. Nxh6
d3 39. Ba4+ Kd6 40. g4 Kc5 41. g5 Kb4 42. Ng4 $1 Re4 43. Nf6 $2 (43. g6 $1 Kxa4
44. Kf7 d2 45. g7 d1=Q 46. g8=Q $1 Qxg1 47. Qa8+ Kb3 48. Qb7+ Ka3 49. Qa8+ Kb2
50. Qb7+ Kc1 51. Qxe4 c2 52. Ne3 $1 {and the knight can save the day because
it stayed on g4 (Gavrikov).}) 43... Re5 44. Bd1 d2 45. g6 Re1 46. Kf7 Rxg1 47.
g7 Ka3 48. Bg4 Rxg4 49. Nxg4 d1=Q 50. g8=Q Qd7+ 51. Kf6 Qd4+ 52. Kxe6 c2 53.
Qa8+ Kb2 54. Qb8+ Kc1 55. Qg8 Kd1 {The first cycle had ended in Morelia. Lékó
led by 5/7 before Aronian 41/2 and Svidler 4. Topalov had only scored 21/2
points. The players flew from Mexico to Spain.} 0-1

[Event "Morelia/Linares"]
[Site "23"]
[Date "2006.03.04"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Bacrot, Etienne"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D11"]
[WhiteElo "2717"]
[BlackElo "2801"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "76"]
[EventDate "2006.??.??"]

{Cycle two was played in Linares from 3 until 11 iii. Topalov retorted.} 1. d4
d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 a6 5. Bd3 Bg4 6. Nbd2 e6 7. O-O Nbd7 8. b3 c5 9.
cxd5 Nxd5 10. Bb2 Be7 11. Qb1 cxd4 12. Bxd4 Bf6 13. Rc1 Bh5 14. Rc4 Qe7 15. h3
Rd8 16. Be4 Bxd4 17. Nxd4 N7f6 18. Bxd5 Nxd5 19. Qb2 $6 {Hereafter, White
slowly loses the control over terrain.} ({More active is} 19. Qe4 $1) 19... O-O
20. Rac1 Bg6 21. N4f3 f6 22. g3 e5 23. a3 Qe6 24. e4 Ne7 25. Rc7 Rd7 26. h4
Rfd8 27. b4 h6 28. Rxd7 Rxd7 29. b5 axb5 30. Qxb5 Nc6 31. Kg2 Kh7 32. Qc4 $2 {
White should play a neutral move.} Qxc4 33. Rxc4 Rd3 34. a4 Ra3 {Black
threatens .. Bf7.} 35. Nb1 Ra2 36. Nc3 Rc2 {The threat has become .. Nxe4.} 37.
Rc5 Nb4 38. Ne1 Rc1 {White cannot prevent .. Na2.} 0-1

[Event "Morelia/Linares"]
[Site "23"]
[Date "2006.03.05"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E20"]
[WhiteElo "2801"]
[BlackElo "2752"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "151"]
[EventDate "2006.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Nf3 c5 5. g3 cxd4 6. Nxd4 O-O 7. Bg2 d5 8.
cxd5 Nxd5 9. Qb3 Qb6 10. Bxd5 exd5 11. Be3 Bh3 12. Rc1 Nc6 $5 13. Nxc6 Qxc6 14.
f3 Qc4 15. Kf2 Be6 16. Qxc4 dxc4 17. Rhd1 Bxc3 18. bxc3 b6 19. Rd4 Rfd8 20. g4
Rd5 21. g5 Rad8 22. h4 Kf8 23. Rb1 Ke7 24. Rb2 R8d6 25. Rxd5 Rxd5 26. Bd4 f6
27. e4 Ra5 28. f4 Bd7 29. Ke3 Rb5 {The game can end in a draw quickly, but
Toppy keeps on trucking, because he has a positional edge.} 30. Rg2 Kf7 31. h5
$1 fxg5 32. fxg5 g6 33. Rf2+ Ke8 34. hxg6 hxg6 35. Bf6 Rb1 36. Kd4 Rd1+ 37.
Kxc4 Be6+ 38. Kb5 Ra1 39. Rh2 $1 (39. Ka6 Rxa2+ 40. Rxa2 Bxa2 41. Kxa7 b5 {
draws.}) 39... Rxa2 40. Rh7 $1 Bd7+ 41. Kc4 Rd2 $5 (41... Be6+ $1 42. Kd3 Kf8
43. Re7 Bg4 44. Rg7 Bh5 {draws (Gavrikov).}) 42. Bd4 Be6+ 43. Kb5 Bd7+ 44. Ka6
{Black has a hidden escape.} Bc6 $2 ({Right is} 44... b5 $1 45. Kxa7 b4 $1 46.
Rh8+ Kf7 47. Rd8 Ke7 $1 48. Bf6+ Kd6 49. cxb4 Kc7 50. Rxd7+ Rxd7 {drawn.}) 45.
Kxa7 Bxe4 46. Kxb6 {White has won a pawn.} Rb2+ 47. Kc5 Rb7 48. Rh4 Rc7+ 49.
Kb4 Rb7+ 50. Kc4 Bf5 51. Kc5 Rc7+ $6 (51... Kd7 $1 {offers more resistance.})
52. Kd6 Rd7+ 53. Kc6 Re7 54. Bf6 Re4 55. Rh8+ Kf7 56. Rh7+ Kg8 57. Rg7+ Kf8 58.
Kb5 Re8 59. c4 Rb8+ 60. Ka5 Ra8+ 61. Kb4 Rb8+ 62. Kc3 Rc8 63. Ra7 Be6 64. Be7+
Kg8 65. c5 Bd5 66. Kd4 Bg2 67. Ke5 Ra8 68. Rc7 Ra1 69. Kf6 Be4 70. Rc8+ Kh7 71.
Rd8 Ra6+ 72. Kf7 Bf5 73. Rd4 Be6+ 74. Kf8 Ra8+ 75. Bd8 Bg4 76. c6 {Toppy
caught up, but Lékó led one point on Topalov, Aronian, and Radjabov.} 1-0

[Event "Morelia/Linares"]
[Site "23"]
[Date "2006.03.07"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D31"]
[WhiteElo "2752"]
[BlackElo "2650"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "71"]
[EventDate "2006.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c6 4. e4 dxe4 5. Nxe4 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Qxd4 7. Bxb4 Qxe4+
8. Be2 Na6 9. Bd6 e5 10. Nf3 Bg4 11. O-O O-O-O 12. Bd3 Qf4 13. Bxe5 Qxe5 14.
Nxe5 Bxd1 15. Bf5+ Kc7 16. Nxf7 Bh5 $6 ({Theory is} 16... Nh6 $1 17. Nxh6 Bh5
18. Bg4 Bxg4 19. Nxg4 Rd2 {(Bacrot - Tregubov, Corsica 2005).}) 17. Nxd8 $1
Kxd8 18. g4 Nh6 $1 19. Rad1+ Kc7 20. Rd7+ Kb6 21. Rxg7 Nxf5 22. gxf5 Rf8 $5 (
22... Be2 23. Rc1 Rf8 {is okay.}) 23. Re1 Nc5 $2 {Black will lose a minor
piece.} ({Right is} 23... Rxf5 $1 24. Ree7 Bg6 25. Rxb7+ Kc5 26. Rxa7 Nb4 {
(Dautov).}) 24. b4 $1 Nd3 25. Ree7 Nxb4 26. Rxb7+ Kc5 27. Rg5 $1 Bf3 28. f6+ $1
Kxc4 29. Rf5 Bd5 30. Rf4+ Kc3 31. Rbxb4 Bxa2 32. Ra4 Bf7 33. Rxa7 c5 34. f3 c4
35. Kf2 Kb3 36. Rb7+ 1-0

[Event "Morelia/Linares"]
[Site "23"]
[Date "2006.03.10"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Leko, Peter"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E32"]
[WhiteElo "2801"]
[BlackElo "2740"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "141"]
[EventDate "2006.??.??"]

{Topalov wants to defeat the leader in the penultimate round. He has prepared
a quiet opening.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 O-O 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Qxc3
b6 7. Bg5 Bb7 8. Nf3 d6 9. Nd2 Nbd7 10. f3 d5 11. cxd5 exd5 12. e3 Re8 13. Be2
$5 Rc8 14. O-O Qe7 15. Bb5 c6 16. Ba4 h6 17. Bxf6 Nxf6 18. Rfe1 b5 $6 {Black
creates an own weakness.} 19. Bc2 c5 20. Bf5 Rc7 21. dxc5 Rxc5 22. Qd4 a6 23.
a4 bxa4 24. Rxa4 Rc6 25. b4 Qe5 26. Qxe5 Rxe5 27. Bd3 Rb6 28. Kf2 Bc8 29. Rb1
Bf5 30. Bxf5 Rxf5 31. Ra5 g6 32. Ke2 h5 $5 (32... Rh5 $1 33. h3 Kg7 {hampers
the white advance on the kingside.}) 33. g3 Kg7 34. h3 Nd7 35. g4 hxg4 36. hxg4
Re5 37. Kf2 Rc6 38. Rb3 Rb6 39. f4 Ree6 40. g5 Red6 41. e4 $1 Rb5 ({Not} 41...
dxe4 $2 42. Nc4) 42. Rxb5 axb5 43. Rd3 Nb6 44. Nb1 $1 Rc6 $1 45. exd5 Rc4 46.
Kf3 Rxb4 {Black has kept the material balance.} 47. Nd2 f6 48. Ne4 $1 {White
wants to advance the d-pawn.} fxg5 49. Nxg5 Kf6 50. Kg4 Nc4 51. Ne4+ ({He
avoids} 51. d6 $4 Ne5+) 51... Ke7 52. d6+ Kd8 {The d-pawn has advanced
dangerously.} 53. Kg5 Nb2 54. Re3 {Lékó has to make one good move.} Rd4 $2 ({
Right is} 54... Kd7 $1 55. Kxg6 Nc4 56. Rd3 Nxd6 $1 57. Rxd6+ Ke7 {(Topalov).})
55. Nf6 $1 Rxd6 56. Re8+ Kc7 57. Re2 $1 {Black loses material.} Rd1 58. Rxb2
Rg1+ 59. Kh6 Kc6 60. Ne4 Kd5 61. Rb4 Kc6 62. Rd4 Rg4 63. Nf2 Kc5 64. Rd1 Rg2
65. Nd3+ Kc4 66. Ne5+ Kc3 67. Rc1+ Kb2 68. Rc6 Kb3 69. Rxg6 Rf2 70. Rg3+ Kc2
71. Nd3 {The leaders have become the quartet Aronian, Lékó, Radjabov and
Topalov.} 1-0

[Event "Morelia/Linares"]
[Site "23"]
[Date "2006.03.11"]
[Round "14"]
[White "Leko, Peter"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C88"]
[WhiteElo "2740"]
[BlackElo "2752"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "2006.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. a4
b4 9. d3 d6 10. a5 Be6 11. Nbd2 Qc8 12. Nc4 Rb8 13. Bg5 Kh8 $1 {Aronian
springs a fine novelty.} 14. h3 Ng8 $1 15. c3 bxc3 16. bxc3 f5 17. Ba4 $6 ({
Better is} 17. exf5 Rxf5 18. Be3 {(Knaak).}) 17... fxe4 $1 18. Bxc6 ({The
pointe is} 18. dxe4 Bxc4 19. Bxc6 Rxf3 $1) 18... exf3 19. Bxe7 Nxe7 20. Bxf3
Ng6 21. Bg4 $6 (21. Ne3 Nf4 22. d4 Bb3 23. Bg4 $1 {offers a proper resistance.}
) 21... Nf4 $1 {Black has gained a positional edge.} 22. Ra2 $2 ({Correct is} 
22. Ne3) 22... Qb7 $1 23. Bf3 Qb3 $1 {Everything goes wonderful for Aronian.
He wins a pawn, while the games Bacrot - Radjabov and Vallejo Pons - Topalov
end in a draw about this time.} 24. Rc2 Nxd3 $1 25. Qxd3 Qxc4 26. Qxc4 Bxc4 27.
Bc6 Rb3 28. g3 g5 29. Re3 Ra3 30. Be4 Rxa5 31. g4 Bd5 32. f3 Bxe4 33. fxe4 Ra1+
34. Kg2 Rff1 35. Ree2 Rg1+ 36. Kh2 Rh1+ 37. Kg3 Rag1+ 38. Rg2 Re1 39. Rgf2 Re3+
40. Kg2 Rexh3 {Aronian had won the tournament (81/2/14) before Topalov,
Radjabov (8) and Lékó (71/2). Lékó lost the last two games.   The 23-years-old
Aronian has been very successful lately.} 0-1

[Event "Morelia/Linares"]
[Site "24"]
[Date "2007.02.17"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Morozevich, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E66"]
[WhiteElo "2690"]
[BlackElo "2741"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "135"]
[EventDate "2007.??.??"]

{The first cycle was played in the Mexican city Morelia from 17 until 25 ii
2007. Playing hall was Theatro Ocampo. 16-years-old Magnus Carlsen had a great
start.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. g3 Bg7 4. Bg2 O-O 5. Nc3 d6 6. Nf3 c5 7. O-O Nc6
8. d5 Na5 9. Nd2 e5 10. b3 Ng4 11. h3 Nh6 12. Nde4 $1 {Carlsen takes the
initiative in the centre.} f6 13. Nxd6 $5 Qxd6 14. Ne4 Qd8 15. Nxc5 {White has
enough payoff for the piece.} f5 $5 {Morozovich returns the piece.} (15... Qc7
$1 {(Carlsen)} 16. Ba3 Rd8 {plays for a win.}) 16. d6 e4 17. d7 Nf7 18. Rb1 Qe7
19. dxc8=Q Raxc8 20. Na4 Rfd8 21. Qe1 Nc6 22. Nc3 Nd4 23. Bb2 b5 $1 24. Nd5 Qd6
25. Bxd4 Bxd4 26. Rd1 Be5 27. Qa5 bxc4 28. Ne3 Qc7 29. Qxc7 Bxc7 30. Nxc4 Ne5
31. Rxd8+ Rxd8 32. Rc1 Nxc4 33. Rxc4 {White has an extra pawn in the endgame.}
Rd1+ 34. Bf1 Bd6 35. e3 a5 36. Kg2 Kf7 37. Rc2 Ke7 38. Be2 Rd5 39. Bc4 Rd1 40.
g4 f4 $2 41. exf4 Bxf4 42. Re2 Rd4 43. Bd3 $1 Kf6 44. Bxe4 Rd2 45. Rxd2 Bxd2 {
Two extra pawns might not be enough in an ending with bishops of opposite
colour.} 46. Kg3 Be1 47. Kf3 Bb4 48. h4 h6 49. Ke2 Bd6 $6 ({Carlsen prefers} 
49... g5 $1 50. h5 Ke5) 50. Kd3 Bc5 51. f4 h5 52. g5+ Kg7 53. Kc4 Bd6 54. Kb5
Bxf4 ({Right is} 54... Bb4 $1 {(Carlsen) and White cannot create a winning
position.}) 55. Kxa5 Bg3 56. Kb5 $1 Bxh4 57. a4 Bxg5 58. a5 Kf6 59. a6 Be3 60.
Kc6 g5 61. b4 Ke5 62. b5 Kxe4 63. b6 g4 64. a7 g3 65. a8=Q Kf3 66. b7 Bf4 67.
Qf8 Ke4 68. Qe8+ 1-0

[Event "Morelia/Linares"]
[Site "24"]
[Date "2007.02.18"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2750"]
[BlackElo "2783"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2007.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nf3 Be7 8. Bc4
O-O 9. O-O Be6 10. Bxe6 $5 fxe6 11. Na4 $5 Ng4 $1 {Black gives a fine answer
to the novelty.} 12. Qd3 Nxe3 13. Qxe3 b5 14. Nb6 Ra7 15. Nd5 $1 Rb7 16. Qd2
Nc6 ({My preference has} 16... Nd7 $1 17. Rad1 Bh4 $1 18. Nxh4 Qxh4 19. f4 Rf7)
17. Rad1 Rd7 18. Qc3 Nb8 $1 19. Nxe7+ Qxe7 20. Rd3 h6 $2 {Hereafter, the
development by the black knight will be prevented.} ({Better is} 20... Rc7 21.
Qd2 Nc6 $1 {(Ivanchuk).}) 21. Rfd1 $1 Rfd8 22. h4 Kh7 23. R1d2 Qf8 24. Qb3 Qe8
25. a4 $1 Qg6 $5 {Topalov sacrifices a pawn for the freedom of his knight, but
he will be lost anyway.} ({If Black exchanges pawns by} 25... bxa4 26. Qxa4 {
, his queenside will be raided.}) 26. axb5 axb5 27. Re3 Na6 28. Qxb5 Nc5 29.
Qc4 Ra7 30. Re1 Qe8 31. b4 Na4 32. Qb3 Nb6 33. Red1 Rad7 34. Qd3 Rc8 35. c3 Ra7
36. Qe3 Ra6 37. Qe2 Nc4 38. Ra2 Rac6 39. Ra7 R6c7 40. Rda1 Qf7 $2 41. Qxc4 $1 {
A comparable idea occurs in a study by Bernhard Horwitz 1884.} (41. Qxc4 Rxa7
42. Rxa7 Rxc4 43. Rxf7 {loses a knight.}) 1-0

[Event "Morelia/Linares"]
[Site "24"]
[Date "2007.02.21"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Morozevich, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C95"]
[WhiteElo "2779"]
[BlackElo "2741"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "117"]
[EventDate "2007.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3
O-O 9. h3 Nb8 10. d4 Nbd7 11. Nbd2 Bb7 12. Bc2 Re8 13. Nf1 Bf8 14. Ng3 c6 15.
Nf5 Qc7 $5 ({Known is} 15... g6 $2 16. Nh6+ Bxh6 17. Bxh6 {(Burstein-Thomson,
Moscow 1956).}) 16. dxe5 dxe5 17. Nh2 c5 18. Qf3 c4 $1 19. Bg5 Re6 20. Rad1 Nc5
21. Bxf6 $5 (21. Nh6+ Kh8 22. N2g4 Nxg4 {(Anand)} 23. Nxg4 {brings little
advantage.}) 21... Rxf6 22. Ng4 Re6 23. Nge3 Qa5 24. a3 g6 25. Nd5 $5 Rd8 $1 (
25... gxf5 $2 26. exf5 Rh6 27. Qg3+ Kh8 28. Qxe5+ f6 29. Nxf6 Bg7 30. Qxc5 Rxf6
31. Re7 {wins for White.}) 26. Qg3 Rd7 27. Nfe3 Qd8 28. Qf3 $2 ({Anand prefers
} 28. f3) 28... Bg7 29. a4 Red6 30. axb5 axb5 31. g4 Qh4 32. Ra1 Ne6 33. Qg3
Qxg3+ 34. fxg3 Nc5 $6 (34... f6 $1 {strengthens the centre.}) 35. h4 h6 36. Ra5
$1 Bc6 37. Nb4 {Black has difficulties on the queenside.} Bxe4 $2 (37... Bf8 $1
{(Anand)} 38. Nxc6 Rxc6 39. Rxb5 Rd2 $1 {gives a pawn for a counter.}) 38. Bxe4
Nxe4 39. Rxb5 Nd2 (39... Nxg3 $2 40. Kg2 Ne4 41. Nxc4 {costs material (Anand).}
) 40. Kg2 e4 41. Re2 Bf8 42. Ned5 {The central black pawns will fall.} e3 43.
Nxe3 Re6 44. Nbd5 Nb3 45. Nf4 Rc6 46. Nxc4 Rxc4 47. Rxb3 Kg7 48. Rb5 Bc5 49. g5
hxg5 50. hxg5 Be7 51. Kf3 Bd8 52. Re4 Rc6 53. Kg4 Rd2 54. Rd5 Rxd5 55. Nxd5 Re6
56. Rxe6 fxe6 57. Nf4 Kf7 58. Nd3 Bc7 59. Kf3 1-0

[Event "Morelia/Linares"]
[Site "24"]
[Date "2007.02.21"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A46"]
[WhiteElo "2750"]
[BlackElo "2690"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "120"]
[EventDate "2007.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Bg2 b5 5. Nbd2 Bb7 6. Nb3 $5 a5 7. Bd2 Nc6 8.
Nc1 Bd6 9. Nd3 O-O 10. O-O Ne4 11. Be3 b4 12. Re1 {Ivanchuk has positioned his
pieces in a strange way.} Ba6 13. Nfe5 Ne7 14. f3 Nf5 15. Bf4 Nf6 16. c3 Ne7
17. Qd2 bxc3 18. bxc3 Rc8 $6 {Carlsen makes passive moves. White gets the
opportunity to take the initiative.} 19. Bg5 Bxd3 20. Nxd3 Nd7 21. e4 $1 c5 22.
exd5 exd5 23. Bh3 cxd4 24. cxd4 h6 25. Bf4 Bxf4 26. Nxf4 Rc4 27. Bf1 Rc8 28.
Bh3 Rc4 29. Bf1 Rc8 30. Rab1 Nf6 31. Rb5 Nc6 32. Rc5 $6 Qb6 $1 33. Rec1 g5 34.
Ne2 Ne5 35. Qc3 Nc4 36. Kh1 Nd7 37. Rxc8 Rxc8 {Black has equalised.} 38. Qd3
Nf6 39. Nc3 Qb2 40. Rc2 Qa1 41. Qd1 Qxd1 42. Nxd1 Re8 43. Kg2 Ne3+ 44. Nxe3
Rxe3 45. Kf2 Ra3 46. Bb5 h5 47. Ke2 Kg7 48. Rb2 h4 49. Kf2 $2 (49. gxh4 gxh4
50. Bd3 $1 {draws.}) 49... hxg3+ 50. hxg3 g4 $1 51. Be2 gxf3 52. Bxf3 a4 $1 53.
Rb5 $2 (53. g4 $1 Kh6 54. Re2 Kg6 55. Kg3 Rd3 56. Re5 Rxd4 57. g5 Nd7 58. Rxd5
Rxd5 59. Bxd5 Nb6 60. Bxf7+ $1 {defends well.}) 53... Rxa2+ 54. Ke3 a3 55. Ra5
Ra1 56. Kd2 a2 57. Kc2 Rf1 $1 58. Bd1 Ne4 59. g4 Nf2 60. Rxa2 Rxd1 {Carlsen
showed fine positional play in the endgame.} 0-1

[Event "Morelia/Linares"]
[Site "24"]
[Date "2007.02.22"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D23"]
[WhiteElo "2744"]
[BlackElo "2779"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "95"]
[EventDate "2007.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Qc2 dxc4 5. Qxc4 Bf5 6. g3 Nbd7 7. Nc3 e6 8.
Bg2 Be7 9. O-O O-O 10. Re1 Ne4 11. Qb3 Qb6 12. Nh4 Bxh4 13. gxh4 Nef6 14. e4
Bg6 15. Qxb6 axb6 16. Bf4 Rfe8 17. Rad1 b5 $5 (17... e5 18. dxe5 Nxe5 {was
played in Georgiev - Smeets, Wijk aan Zee 2007.}) 18. Bd6 $1 e5 19. d5 Nh5 20.
Bf1 f6 21. b3 Nf4 22. a4 bxa4 23. bxa4 Bf7 24. Rb1 Ra7 25. Red1 Rc8 26. Ne2 $1
Nxe2+ ({The pointe is} 26... Bh5 $2 27. Nxf4 Bxd1 28. Rxd1 exf4 29. Bh3 b6 30.
Be6+ Kh8 31. dxc6 Rxc6 32. Bb8 $1 Rxe6 33. Bxa7 {(Aronian).}) 27. Bxe2 cxd5 28.
exd5 Nf8 29. Bb5 Raa8 30. Be7 Ng6 31. d6 Nxe7 32. Bd7 $1 ({White avoids} 32.
dxe7 Be8) 32... Nc6 $2 ({No good is} 32... Rcb8 33. dxe7 Be8 34. Be6+ Bf7 35.
Rxb7 $1 {(Marin)}) (32... Ng6 $1 33. Bxc8 Rxc8 34. Rxb7 {(Aronian)} Be6 {might
survive.}) 33. Rxb7 $1 Nd4 34. Bxc8 Rxc8 35. Rdb1 $1 Rf8 $1 36. Rb8 Be8 37. a5
Nf3+ 38. Kf1 $1 (38. Kg2 $2 Bc6 $1 {draws (Aronian).}) 38... Nd2+ 39. Ke1 Nxb1
40. a6 Bc6 41. a7 $1 Kf7 42. d7 Ke7 43. Rxf8 Kxd7 44. a8=Q Bxa8 45. Rxa8 h5 46.
Ra7+ Ke6 47. Rxg7 Kf5 48. Rg3 $1 {49. Rb3 will win the knight.} 1-0

[Event "Morelia/Linares"]
[Site "24"]
[Date "2007.02.25"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Leko, Peter"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E04"]
[WhiteElo "2749"]
[BlackElo "2779"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "2007.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. Bg2 a6 6. O-O Nc6 7. e3 Bd7 8. Nc3
b5 9. Ne5 Nxe5 10. dxe5 Nd5 11. Nxd5 exd5 12. Qxd5 Rb8 $5 ({Theory is} 12... c6
{White has a superior position anyway.}) 13. a4 Bb4 14. Rd1 Qe7 15. Bd2 Bc5 16.
axb5 axb5 17. Ba5 c6 18. Qd2 Rc8 19. Rac1 h5 $5 {Black has castling problems.}
({Notice} 19... Be6 $2 20. Bxc6+ $1 Rxc6 21. Qd8+ {(Marin).}) 20. b4 Ba7 21.
Ra1 Rh6 22. Qc3 Bf5 $6 (22... Bg4 $1 23. Rd6 Kf8 $1 24. Rxh6 gxh6 {minimizes
the white advantage.}) 23. e6 Rxe6 24. Qxg7 Bg4 25. Rd2 $6 ({Right is} 25.
Bxc6+ $1 Rexc6 26. Bd8 $1 Qf8 27. Qe5+ Be6 28. Qxb5 $1 Bb8 {(Aagaard)} 29. Bf6
{and White wins.}) 25... Bb8 26. h3 $2 (26. Qg8+ $1 Qf8 27. Qg5 Qe7 28. Qxe7+
Kxe7 29. f3 $1 {(Aagaard) keeps an edge.}) 26... Be5 27. Qg8+ Qf8 28. Qxf8+
Kxf8 29. Rc1 Bf5 {Anand will counter on the queenside.} 30. e4 Bh7 31. Bb6 Bf6
32. h4 Bxe4 ({Even better is} 32... Be7 $1 33. Bh3 Bxb4) 33. Bh3 Bd5 34. Bxe6
fxe6 35. Bc5+ Be7 36. Bxe7+ Kxe7 37. Rb2 ({Or} 37. Ra2 c5 $1 38. Ra5 Rb8 39.
Ra6 Kd7 $1) 37... Kd6 38. Kf1 c5 39. Ke2 cxb4 40. Rxb4 Kc5 41. Rcb1 Bc6 ({
White cannot stop the passed pawns, e.g.} 41... Bc6 42. Kd2 Rd8+ 43. Kc1 Rd4
44. R4b2 c3 45. Re2 b4 $1 46. Rxe6 Be4) 0-1

[Event "Morelia/Linares"]
[Site "24"]
[Date "2007.02.25"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Morozevich, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C11"]
[WhiteElo "2783"]
[BlackElo "2741"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "95"]
[EventDate "2007.??.??"]

{It is remarkable to play such a novelty at the highest level.} 1. e4 e6 2. d4
d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Be3 a6 8. Ne2 Qb6 9. Qc1 g5 10.
c3 cxd4 11. cxd4 Bb4+ 12. Kf2 f6 13. g3 {Topalov keeps his phalanx intact.} Rf8
14. Kg2 g4 15. Nh4 Rg8 $6 {Black loses time.} 16. h3 h5 17. hxg4 hxg4 18. Nc3
fxe5 19. fxe5 Ncxe5 $2 {Morozovich loses his patience.} ({Preferable is} 19...
Be7 20. Bd3 Nf8 21. Qd2 Bd7 22. Raf1 O-O-O 23. Nf5 $1 Ng6 $1) 20. dxe5 d4 21.
Na4 Qa5 22. Qc4 Nxe5 23. Qxd4 {Black only has a pawn for his piece.} Nf3 $5 24.
Nxf3 $1 gxf3+ 25. Kf2 Qxa4 26. Bd3 $6 (26. Bd2 $1 {triumphs at once.}) 26...
Qd7 $1 27. Qe4 $2 ({Topalov misses} 27. Rh8 $1 Qxd4 28. Rxg8+ Kf7 29. Bxd4 Kxg8
30. Rh1 {(Chepariov).}) 27... Bd6 $6 28. Rag1 $6 Qg7 29. Rh6 $5 Qxb2+ 30. Kxf3
Rf8+ 31. Bf4 Qe5 $6 32. Qg6+ $6 Kd8 33. Kg2 Qb2+ 34. Kh1 Bxf4 35. gxf4 Bd7 36.
Be4 Kc7 $4 ({Right is} 36... Qd4 $1) 37. Rb1 $1 Qf2 38. Rxb7+ $6 (38. Qg7 $1
Rab8 39. Rh7 {wins quickly.}) 38... Kc8 39. Rb1 $2 (39. Bg2 $1 {still prevails.
}) 39... Ra7 $1 40. f5 Rc7 $2 (40... Qf4 41. Re1 Rc7 {draws (Marin).}) 41. fxe6
Be8 42. Qg5 Qd4 43. Bg2 Rf4 44. e7 Rc5 45. Qg3 Rc3 46. Qe1 Re3 47. Qa5 Bb5 48.
Rc1+ {Topalov won after many blunders.   The first cycle had ended. Anand and
Carlsen led by 41/2/7, before Ivanchuk (4),  Aronian and Svidler (31/2),
Topalov and Lékó (3), Morozovich (2).} 1-0

[Event "Morelia/Linares"]
[Site "24"]
[Date "2007.03.04"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C96"]
[WhiteElo "2779"]
[BlackElo "2690"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "2007.??.??"]

{The second cycle was played in Linares from 2 until 10 March 2007. The
leaders drew in round eight and nine. Then, they met for the decisive battle.} 
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3
O-O 9. h3 Na5 10. Bc2 c5 11. d4 Nd7 12. d5 Nb6 13. Nbd2 g6 14. b4 $1 cxb4 15.
cxb4 Nac4 16. Nxc4 Nxc4 17. Bb3 $1 {White has an edge.} (17. Bh6 Re8 18. Bb3 {
happened in Lékó - Mamedyarov, Moscow 2006.}) 17... Nb6 $5 18. Be3 $1 Bd7 19.
Rc1 Rc8 20. Rxc8 Bxc8 21. Qc2 Bd7 22. Rc1 Na8 {Carlsen has chosen for a
passive response.} 23. Qd2 Qb8 24. Bg5 $1 Bxg5 ({Not} 24... f6 $4 25. Nxe5 $1)
25. Nxg5 Rc8 26. Rf1 $1 h6 $2 ({Black should play} 26... Qa7 $1 {The point is}
27. Ne6 $5 Nb6 $1 28. Qh6 $4 fxe6 29. dxe6 Bc6 30. e7+ Nc4) 27. Ne6 $3 {Anand
continues the attack brilliantly.} Kh7 $1 ({Insufficient is} 27... fxe6 28.
dxe6 Be8 29. Qxh6 Nb6 30. e7+ Nc4 31. Qf8+ Kh7 32. f4 Qa8 33. Rf3 Qxe4 34. f5
$1 gxf5 35. Rg3 $1 {(Anand).}) 28. f4 Qa7+ 29. Kh2 Be8 30. f5 gxf5 31. exf5 f6
({No good is} 31... fxe6 32. dxe6 Qd4 33. Qxd4 exd4 34. f6 {(after Anand).})
32. Re1 $1 {The rook might go to h4.} Nc7 ({Or} 32... Nb6 33. Re4 $1 Nc4 34.
Nf8+ $1 Kg7 35. Rg4+ {(Anand).}) 33. Rc1 $1 Bd7 34. Rc3 e4 35. Rg3 Nxe6 36.
dxe6 Be8 37. e7 $1 Bh5 38. Qxd6 {Anand has gained a lead of one point by a
tremendous game.} 1-0

[Event "Morelia/Linares"]
[Site "24"]
[Date "2007.03.07"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Morozevich, Alexander"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C45"]
[WhiteElo "2750"]
[BlackElo "2741"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "78"]
[EventDate "2007.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Nb3 Bb6 6. Nc3 Nf6 7. Bg5 h6 8.
Bh4 d6 9. Qe2 O-O $5 10. O-O-O Re8 11. f3 Be6 12. Kb1 a5 $5 13. Bf2 $5 a4 $1
14. Nc5 $1 {Ivanchuk plays a witty move.} a3 $5 15. Nxe6 Rxe6 16. Bxb6 cxb6 17.
Qd2 $5 (17. b3 {would create the weakness b2.}) 17... axb2 18. Bc4 Re5 $1 19.
Bb3 ({Not} 19. Qxd6 $2 Qxd6 20. Rxd6 Rc5) 19... Rc5 20. Na4 Rca5 21. Nc3 $6 {
Capture of pawn b2 gains a plus.} Ne8 22. Nd5 Ne5 23. Qd4 Nd7 24. Rd2 Nc5 25.
Rhd1 $2 ({Right is} 25. Qxb2 {(Ivanchuk and Kuzmin).}) 25... Nxb3 26. axb3 Nc7
27. Nxc7 Qxc7 28. Qxb2 {White has captured this pawn too late.} b5 $1 29. Rxd6
b4 $1 {Black threatens .. Qc3.} 30. Rd7 $5 (30. g3 $2 Kh7 $1 31. R1d3 Ra3 {
introduces a fatal tripling on the a-file (Ivanchuk and Kuzmin).}) 30... Qxh2
31. Rxb7 $6 (31. R7d2 $1 {prolongs the game.}) 31... Qxg2 32. Rxb4 Qxf3 33.
Rbd4 Kh7 $1 {Black has prepared the advance of the h- pawn.} 34. b4 Ra4 35. e5
Qe2 36. R4d3 h5 37. b5 $6 Ra1+ $1 38. Qxa1 Rxa1+ 39. Kxa1 Qxe5+ 0-1

[Event "Morelia/Linares"]
[Site "24"]
[Date "2007.03.07"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Leko, Peter"]
[Black "Svidler, Peter"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2749"]
[BlackElo "2728"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "74"]
[EventDate "2007.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nb3 Be7 8. f3
Be6 9. Qd2 O-O 10. O-O-O a5 11. Qe1 Qc8 {Svidler plays aggressively after
eleven solid draws.} 12. a3 $5 ({Lékó avoids the usual} 12. a4) 12... a4 13.
Nd2 Nbd7 14. Kb1 Rd8 15. Bb5 d5 $1 16. exd5 Nxd5 17. Nxd5 Bxd5 18. Qe2 Qc7 19.
Ne4 Be6 20. Nc3 Nb6 21. Rxd8+ Rxd8 22. Nxa4 $6 (22. Rd1 Rxd1+ 23. Nxd1 {draws.}
) 22... Nc4 $1 23. Bxc4 Bxc4 24. Qf2 Qc6 25. Nb6 $6 (25. Nc3 $1 {brings the
knight in a useful defensive position (Svidler).}) 25... Be6 26. Qe2 f5 $1 {
Black has the initiative.} 27. Re1 Bf6 28. g3 h6 29. Bf2 e4 $1 30. fxe4 fxe4
31. a4 $2 {Lékó fails to defend accurately.} ({Correct is} 31. c4 $1 Bd4 32.
Nd5 {(Ftacnik)} Bxd5 33. cxd5 Rxd5 34. Be3) 31... Qd6 32. c4 $2 ({Better is} 
32. c3 {but} Qd3+ $1 33. Qxd3 exd3 34. Be3 $1 Bg5 $1 35. Bxg5 hxg5 36. Rd1 Bb3
$1 37. Rd2 $2 Re8 {will mate the white king (Svidler).}) 32... Qb4 $1 33. Nd5
Bxd5 34. cxd5 Rxd5 35. Qc2 Rd2 36. Qc8+ Kf7 37. Qc7+ Kg6 0-1

[Event "Morelia/Linares"]
[Site "24"]
[Date "2007.03.10"]
[Round "14"]
[White "Leko, Peter"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E15"]
[WhiteElo "2749"]
[BlackElo "2690"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "105"]
[EventDate "2007.??.??"]

{Carlsen trails on Anand by half-a-point at the beginning of the last round.} 
1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 b6 4. g3 Bb4+ 5. Bd2 Bxd2+ 6. Qxd2 Ba6 7. b3 O-O 8.
Nc3 d5 9. cxd5 exd5 10. Bg2 Re8 11. Ne5 c5 12. O-O Bb7 13. Rfd1 Na6 14. Qf4 Nc7
$5 ({Better is} 14... Qc7 {(Tukmakov - Van der Wiel, Rotterdam 1988).}) 15. Ng4
$1 Nxg4 16. Qxg4 Qf6 17. e3 Rad8 $2 (17... Rac8 $1 {(develops the last piece
and protects Nc7)} 18. Rac1 cxd4 $1 19. Qxd4 Qxd4 20. Rxd4 Nb5 $1 21. Rd3 Nxc3
22. Rdxc3 Rxc3 23. Rxc3 d4 $1 24. Rc7 Bxg2 25. Kxg2 dxe3 26. fxe3 Kf8 $1 {
draws.}) 18. Rac1 Qe7 19. dxc5 bxc5 20. Qa4 Rd7 $6 ({Preferable is} 20... a6
21. Qa5 Bc6) 21. Ne4 $3 {Carlsen has to lose a centre pawn.} d4 $1 ({Lékó gives
} 21... Ne6 22. Nxc5 $1) 22. exd4 Bxe4 23. Bxe4 Ne6 $1 24. d5 $1 Nd4 $1 25. Re1
Qd8 26. Kf1 Rde7 27. Bd3 Qc8 28. g4 $3 Rxe1+ 29. Rxe1 Rf8 30. h3 Qd8 31. Be4
Qb6 32. Bg2 g6 33. Kg1 Kg7 34. Qd7 Rd8 35. Qe7 a5 36. Kh1 Nb5 37. Re6 Nd6 38.
Qf6+ Kg8 39. Re7 a4 $6 40. bxa4 $6 (40. Rxf7 $1 {wins immediately.}) 40... c4
41. Kh2 Qb8 42. f4 Qc8 43. Re3 Re8 44. Rxe8+ Nxe8 45. Qc6 Qxc6 46. dxc6 Kf8 47.
Kg3 Ke7 48. Kf2 Kd6 49. Ke3 Kc5 50. g5 Nc7 51. a3 Ne6 52. Be4 c3 53. f5 {
Carlsen had not won the event.} 1-0

[Event "Morelia/Linares"]
[Site "24"]
[Date "2007.03.10"]
[Round "14"]
[White "Svidler, Peter"]
[Black "Morozevich, Alexander"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C11"]
[WhiteElo "2728"]
[BlackElo "2741"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "56"]
[EventDate "2007.??.??"]

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e5 Nfd7 5. f4 c5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Be3 a6 8. Qd2 b5
9. a3 Bb7 10. dxc5 Bxc5 11. Bxc5 Nxc5 12. Bd3 b4 $5 (12... Qb6 {stems from
Marra - Cubas, Sao Paulo 2005.}) 13. Ne2 $6 ({Slightly better is} 13. Nd1 Qb6
14. Qe3) 13... Qb6 14. Qe3 d4 $5 15. Nfxd4 Nxd4 16. Qxd4 bxa3 17. Rxa3 Rd8 18.
Qe3 Qxb2 19. Qxc5 $4 {White sacrifices an exchange, but Black continues the
attack.} Qb1+ 20. Kd2 Qxh1 21. Nc3 Qxh2 22. Ra4 Qxg2+ 23. Kc1 Rc8 24. Qb4 Qg1+
25. Nd1 Bf3 26. Rxa6 Qc5 27. Qa4+ Kf8 28. Ra5 Qg1 {Morozevich made a great
comeback in the second cycle.   Anand won the tournament and was the number
one of the world. Carlsen competed at the top for the first time. He shared
the second place with Morozevich.} 0-1

[Event "Morelia/Linares"]
[Site "25"]
[Date "2008.02.16"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Leko, Peter"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C88"]
[WhiteElo "2751"]
[BlackElo "2753"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "2008.??.??"]

{The first cycle was played in the Mexican city Morelia from 16 until 24 ii
2008. It is doubtful if the first cycle will occur in the same place next year.
} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8.
d4 Nxd4 9. Bxf7+ {Ivanchuk chooses a wild variation.} Rxf7 10. Nxe5 Rf8 11.
Qxd4 c5 12. Qd1 Qc7 13. Ng4 Nxg4 14. Qxg4 d5 15. Qh5 dxe4 16. Qd5+ (16. Nc3 {
was played in Smejkal - Zaitsev, Polanica Zdroj 1970.}) 16... Kh8 17. Qxa8 Bb7
18. Qa7 $5 ({Known is} 18. Qxf8+ Bxf8 19. Nd2) 18... Ra8 19. Bf4 Qc6 20. Qxa8+
Bxa8 {The game is about equal.} 21. Be3 Qf6 22. c3 Bd6 23. Nd2 Qe5 $6 (23...
Bc6 $1 {prevents a2-a4 (Rogozenko).}) 24. g3 h6 25. a4 $1 {White starts an
attack.} Bc6 26. axb5 axb5 27. Nb3 Bf8 28. Red1 Bd5 29. h4 $5 Kg8 30. Nc1 g5 $6
31. hxg5 hxg5 32. Ra5 Qc7 33. Ra6 Qf7 34. Rb6 Be7 (34... b4 35. cxb4 cxb4 36.
Rb5 Be6 37. Rxg5+ {also costs a pawn.}) 35. Rxb5 Be6 36. Rb8+ Kg7 37. Rb7 Kh6
38. Re1 $2 ({Correct is} 38. Ne2) 38... Qf6 $2 {A disaster follows.} (38... Bh3
$1 39. f4 Qh5 40. Re2 Qf3 41. Kh2 Bf1 42. Rf2 Qxe3 43. fxg5+ Bxg5 44. Rxf1 c4 {
leads to equality.}) 39. Rb6 $1 Qf5 40. Nb3 $1 Kh5 41. Nd2 Bd7 42. Ra1 Bd8 $2
43. Rb8 $1 1-0

[Event "Morelia/Linares"]
[Site "25"]
[Date "2008.02.17"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D43"]
[WhiteElo "2733"]
[BlackElo "2799"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "118"]
[EventDate "2008.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 dxc4 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5
9. Ne5 h5 10. f3 h4 11. Bf2 Bb7 12. Be2 $5 Nbd7 13. Nxd7 Nxd7 14. O-O e5 $1 {
Anand counters in the centre timely.} 15. a4 a6 16. d5 Rh6 $1 17. dxc6 Bxc6 18.
axb5 $6 axb5 19. Rxa8 Qxa8 {The black queenside has been strengthened.} 20. Qc1
Rg6 21. Rd1 Bc5 22. Bxc5 Nxc5 23. Qe3 Nb3 $5 24. Qb6 $6 (24. f4 $1 gxf4 25. Qh3
Qa7+ 26. Kh1 {counters on the kingside (Anand).}) 24... Nd4 $1 25. Rxd4 $1 exd4
26. Nxb5 Bxb5 27. Qxb5+ Qc6 28. Qe5+ Re6 29. Qxd4 Qb6 30. Qxb6 Rxb6 31. Bxc4
Rxb2 {Black has a material advantage in the endgame.} 32. g3 f6 33. Be6 Ke7 34.
Bg4 Re2 $1 {Anand prevents the immediate f4.} 35. gxh4 gxh4 36. h3 Kd6 37. Kf1
Rb2 38. f4 Kc5 39. e5 Rb4 40. exf6 Rxf4+ 41. Ke2 Kd4 42. Bf3 Rxf6 {Black has
to capture on h3 under favourable conditions.} 43. Bb7 Rb6 44. Bc8 Ke4 45. Bg4
Rb2+ 46. Ke1 Ke3 47. Kf1 Kf4 48. Ke1 Kg3 49. Kf1 Rf2+ 50. Ke1 (50. Kg1 Rf7 $1 {
leads to zugzwang (Anand).}) 50... Rf4 51. Bc8 Rf8 52. Bg4 Kg2 53. Ke2 Re8+ 54.
Kd3 Kf2 55. Bf5 Re3+ 56. Kd4 Kf3 57. Bg4+ Kf4 58. Kd5 Re5+ 59. Kd4 Rg5 {Anand
had scored an important victory.} ({Notice} 59... Rg5 60. Bc8 Rg8 61. Be6 Rg6
62. Bc8 Rd6+ 63. Kc5 Rd1 $1 64. Bg4 Rg1 65. Be6 Kg3 66. Kd4 Rh1 $1 67. Bc8 Rxh3
) 0-1

[Event "Morelia/Linares"]
[Site "25"]
[Date "2008.02.19"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C88"]
[WhiteElo "2751"]
[BlackElo "2739"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "120"]
[EventDate "2008.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. d4
Nxd4 9. Nxd4 exd4 10. e5 Ne8 11. Qxd4 Bb7 12. c4 bxc4 13. Qxc4 d5 14. exd6 Nxd6
15. Qg4 Nb5 16. Nc3 Nxc3 17. bxc3 Bd6 18. Bf4 Qf6 19. Bxd6 cxd6 20. Rad1 Rad8
21. Qb4 $1 {White gains an edge.} ({Ivanchuk improves on} 21. Re3 {(Carlsen -
Leko, Dortmund 2007).}) 21... Ba8 22. Re3 g6 23. Qb6 Qg5 24. Rg3 Qb5 25. Rxd6
Rxd6 26. Qxd6 a5 27. Qf4 Bd5 28. Rg5 f5 $2 ({Right is} 28... Qe8 $1) 29. Qe5 $1
Rd8 30. h4 $2 (30. Qxf5 $1 Bxb3 31. Qxb5 Rd1+ 32. Qf1 {wins quickly.}) 30... a4
31. Bc2 Qb8 $2 32. Qxf5 $1 Bxa2 33. Bxa4 Bf7 34. h5 Qb6 35. hxg6 hxg6 36. Qf4
Rc8 37. Rg3 $2 Rc4 $1 38. Qh6 $2 (38. Qe5 $1 Rxa4 39. Rh3 Ra1+ $1 40. Kh2 Kf8
41. Rh8+ Bg8 42. Rxg8+ Kxg8 43. Qe8+ {leads to perpetual check.}) 38... Rxa4
39. Rh3 Ra1+ 40. Kh2 Qd6+ 41. f4 Qf6 42. Qh7+ Kf8 43. Qh6+ Ke7 44. Re3+ Kd7 45.
Kg3 Ra4 46. Rd3+ Kc6 47. Rd4 Ra3 48. Rd3 Bd5 {Black has started an attack.} 49.
Qh3 Qf5 50. Qxf5 gxf5 {The ending is simple.} 51. Kh3 Ra1 52. Rd2 Rh1+ 53. Kg3
Rh6 54. Re2 Re6 55. Rd2 Rg6+ 56. Kh3 Kc5 57. Re2 Kc4 58. Rd2 Be4 59. g4 Kxc3
60. gxf5 Bxf5+ {Aronian made less blunders.} 0-1

[Event "Morelia/Linares"]
[Site "25"]
[Date "2008.02.20"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Leko, Peter"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2753"]
[BlackElo "2799"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "90"]
[EventDate "2008.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e5 7. Nb3 Be6 8. Qd2
Nbd7 9. f3 b5 10. O-O-O Be7 11. Nd5 Bxd5 12. exd5 Nb6 13. Bxb6 Qxb6 14. Na5 Rc8
15. Nc6 Nxd5 16. Nxe7 Nxe7 17. Qxd6 Qxd6 18. Rxd6 Nc6 19. c3 Ke7 20. Rd1 $5 (
20. Rd2 Rhd8 21. Rxd8 Rxd8 22. Be2 {drew in Mecking - Evans, San Antonio 1972.}
) 20... f5 21. Bd3 g6 22. Rhe1 Rhd8 23. Bf1 Rxd1+ 24. Rxd1 Na5 25. a4 Nc4 $2 ({
Correct is} 25... Nb3+ 26. Kc2 bxa4 27. Bxa6 Rd8 {(Anand).}) 26. axb5 axb5 27.
Rd5 Kf6 28. Rxb5 Ne3 29. Rb6+ $1 Kg5 30. Ba6 $1 Rd8 31. b4 Kf4 $6 (31... Nxg2
$1 32. c4 Rd3 33. c5 Rxf3 34. Rd6 $1 {favours White (Anand).}) 32. Rc6 Nxg2 33.
b5 Ra8 $1 34. Bb7 $2 {Leko misses the win.} (34. Rc8 $1 Rxc8 35. Bxc8 Ne1 36.
b6 Nd3+ 37. Kd2 Nc5 38. b7 Na6 39. c4 $1 {wins for White (Anand).}) 34... Rb8
35. Rc7 $2 {Hereafter, White even loses.} (35. Ba6 $1 e4 $1 36. fxe4 fxe4 37.
b6 e3 38. Bf1 Kf3 {tries to survive.}) 35... Ne1 $1 36. Rxh7 Nxf3 37. c4 e4 38.
Kc2 e3 39. Kd3 g5 $1 {Suddenly Black wins.} 40. Ke2 Nd4+ 41. Ke1 Rd8 42. Re7
Nc2+ 43. Kf1 Rd1+ 44. Ke2 Rd2+ 45. Kf1 Nd4 {Anand won a sharp ending. He took
the sole lead.} 0-1

[Event "Morelia/Linares"]
[Site "25"]
[Date "2008.02.20"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B04"]
[WhiteElo "2780"]
[BlackElo "2733"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "87"]
[EventDate "2008.??.??"]

1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. Nf3 dxe5 5. Nxe5 c6 {Carlsen has played this
opening before.} 6. Bd3 Nd7 7. Nxd7 Bxd7 8. O-O g6 9. Nd2 Bg7 10. Nf3 O-O 11.
Re1 $5 Bg4 12. c3 c5 $1 13. Be4 $5 cxd4 14. cxd4 e6 {The knight blockades.} 15.
Qb3 $2 ({Preferable is} 15. h3 Bxf3 16. Bxf3 {(Rogozenko).}) 15... Bxf3 $1 {
Black collects a pawn.} 16. Bxf3 Bxd4 17. Bxd5 Qxd5 18. Qxd5 exd5 19. Rd1 Bg7
20. Kf1 (20. Rxd5 Rad8 21. Rxd8 Rxd8 22. Be3 Bxb2 23. Rb1 b6 {also costs a
pawn.}) 20... Rfd8 21. Bg5 Rd7 22. Rd2 h6 23. Be3 d4 $1 24. Rd3 $5 Rc8 25. Bd2
Rc2 26. Rb1 Re7 27. a4 f5 28. b3 Rec7 29. Be1 Kf7 30. Rd2 Rc1 31. Rxc1 Rxc1 32.
Ke2 Rb1 $1 33. Rd3 Ke6 34. h4 Kd5 35. Bd2 Ke4 36. Rg3 f4 $1 37. Rd3 ({Notice} 
37. Rxg6 d3#) 37... Be5 38. f3+ Kd5 39. Be1 Bd6 40. Bd2 g5 41. hxg5 hxg5 42.
Be1 g4 43. fxg4 Ke4 44. g5 {Carlsen won with the Alekhine.} ({The pointe is} 
44. g5 Rxe1+ $1) 0-1

[Event "Morelia/Linares"]
[Site "25"]
[Date "2008.02.23"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Leko, Peter"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B80"]
[WhiteElo "2753"]
[BlackElo "2780"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "76"]
[EventDate "2008.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e6 7. f3 b5 8. Qd2
b4 9. Na4 Nbd7 10. c4 bxc3 11. Nxc3 Bb7 12. Be2 Be7 13. O-O O-O 14. Rac1 Qb8
15. Rfd1 $5 ({Known is} 15. b4) 15... Rd8 $1 {He prepares the counter in the
centre.} 16. Kh1 d5 17. exd5 Nxd5 18. Nxd5 Bxd5 19. Bc4 Nf6 20. Qe2 Qb7 21. b3
h6 22. Bf2 Rd7 23. Rc2 Bxc4 24. Rxc4 Rad8 25. Rf1 Rd6 26. Qc2 Bf8 {The long
manoeuvres have achieved little.} 27. Nc6 Re8 $5 (27... R8d7 $1 {is slightly
better.}) 28. b4 e5 29. Na5 Qb5 30. Bc5 Rd5 31. Bxf8 Rxf8 32. Re1 Rfd8 33. Nb3
$6 (33. Nc6 $1 Rd2 34. Qc1 Rd1 35. Rxd1 Rxd1+ 36. Qxd1 Qxc4 37. Nxe5 Qxa2 {
draws.}) 33... Rd1 34. Qxd1 $2 {Leko panics.} (34. Rxd1 Rxd1+ 35. Qxd1 Qxc4 36.
Qc1 Qxb4 37. Qc8+ {still draws.}) 34... Rxd1 35. Rc8+ Kh7 36. Rxd1 e4 37. fxe4
$2 {Peter succumbs under time pressure.} Ng4 $1 38. Rc5 Qb8 $1 {Anand led by a
score of plus two before Topalov and Shirov (plus one) at the end of the first
cycle.} 0-1

[Event "Morelia/Linares"]
[Site "25"]
[Date "2008.02.28"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B33"]
[WhiteElo "2799"]
[BlackElo "2755"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "113"]
[EventDate "2008.??.??"]

{The second cycle happened in Linares from 28 ii until 7 iii. Playing hall was
the Teatro Cervantes.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6.
Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5 9. Nd5 Be7 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. c3 Bg5 12. Nc2 O-O 13.
a4 bxa4 14. Rxa4 a5 15. Bc4 Rb8 16. b3 Kh8 17. Nce3 g6 18. Qe2 $5 f5 19. h4 $1
Bxe3 (19... Bxh4 20. exf5 Bxf5 21. Nxf5 Rxf5 22. g3 Bg5 23. Bd3 Rxb3 24. Bxf5 {
favours White (Anand).}) 20. Qxe3 fxe4 $6 (20... f4 $1 {keeps the centre
closed.}) 21. h5 $1 g5 22. Qxe4 {White blockades the centre.} Bb7 23. Qe3 e4 $6
({Wiser is} 23... Ne7 24. Nxe7 Qxe7 25. Rxa5 d5 $1) 24. O-O $1 Ne5 25. Rfa1 Qe8
26. Rxa5 Qxh5 27. Qxe4 Rbe8 28. Be2 Qh4 $5 29. Qxh4 gxh4 30. Ne3 h3 $1 31. gxh3
Nf3+ 32. Bxf3 Rxf3 33. Rh5 Rg8+ 34. Kf1 Rgf8 35. Nd1 Rd3 36. Rh4 $1 Bf3 37. Rd4
{White protects everything.} Rxd4 38. cxd4 Rf4 $2 (38... Rb8 $1 39. Ne3 Rxb3 {
gives drawing chances (Anand).}) 39. Ne3 Rxd4 40. Ra4 Rd3 41. Rf4 Bh5 42. b4 d5
43. Kg2 Bg6 44. Nf5 Kg8 (44... Bxf5 45. Rxf5 Rb3 46. Rf4 Kg7 47. h4 {wins
eventually (Anand).}) 45. Ne7+ Kg7 46. Nxg6 Kxg6 47. Rf3 Rd1 48. Rb3 d4 49. Kf3
d3 50. Ke3 Rh1 51. b5 Rxh3+ 52. f3 Rh1 53. b6 Re1+ 54. Kxd3 Re8 55. b7 Rb8 56.
Ke4 h5 57. Kf4 {Anand had defeated an important competitor and drew the rest
of the games.} 1-0

[Event "Morelia/Linares"]
[Site "25"]
[Date "2008.02.29"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C78"]
[WhiteElo "2733"]
[BlackElo "2755"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "159"]
[EventDate "2008.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 7. a4 Rb8 8. c3
d6 9. d4 Bb6 10. Na3 O-O 11. axb5 axb5 12. Nxb5 Bg4 13. Bc2 Bxf3 14. gxf3 Nh5
15. f4 Nxf4 16. Bxf4 exf4 17. Qg4 Qf6 {White has a pleasant position.} 18. Ra6
$5 (18. b4 {happened in Leko - Shirov, Moscow 2007.}) 18... Ne7 $5 (18... g6 $1
{makes a useful move (Carlsen).}) 19. Na3 $1 c6 $6 (19... Ra8 $1 20. Rxa8 Rxa8
21. Nc4 Ng6 {leads to a passive game for Black (commentators).}) 20. Nc4 $1 Bc7
21. Ra7 Rbc8 22. e5 $1 dxe5 23. dxe5 Qh6 24. Rd1 Nd5 25. Be4 Rfd8 $2 ({Correct
is} 25... Ra8 $1 26. Rxa8 Rxa8 {and} 27. Bxd5 $6 cxd5 28. Rxd5 $2 Qc6 {costs a
piece (Carlsen).}) 26. Rd3 $1 g6 27. Bxd5 $6 (27. Ra6 $1 {completes the
restriction (Carlsen).}) 27... cxd5 28. Rxd5 Rxd5 29. Qxc8+ Kg7 30. Qg4 $2 (30.
Rxc7 $1 Qg5+ $1 31. Kf1 Rd1+ 32. Ke2 Qg1 33. Rxf7+ $1 Kxf7 34. Nd6+ Kg7 35.
Qd7+ Kh6 36. Nf7+ Kg7 37. Qxd1 f3+ 38. Kd2 Qxf2+ 39. Kc1 Kxf7 40. Qd7+ Kg8 41.
e6 {wins for White (Carlsen).}) 30... Bxe5 31. h4 $1 Bb8 32. Rb7 Rd8 33. Kg2
Kg8 34. Qg5 Qf8 35. Qf6 Re8 36. b4 Re6 37. Qd4 Qc8 $2 {Shirov misses a hidden
draw.} (37... Bc7 $3 38. Rxc7 $4 Qa8+ 39. Kh2 Re1 {turns the tables (Carlsen).}
) 38. Rd7 Qc6+ 39. Qd5 Qxd5+ 40. Rxd5 Rc6 41. Nd2 f3+ $1 42. Nxf3 Kg7 43. Rd8
Bc7 44. Rd7 Rxc3 45. Ng5 Kg8 46. Ne4 Rc4 47. Nf6+ Kf8 48. Nxh7+ Ke8 49. Nf6+
Kf8 50. Nd5 Be5 51. b5 Rxh4 52. b6 Rd4 53. Kf3 Kg7 54. Ke3 Ra4 55. b7 Ra3+ 56.
Ke4 Bh2 57. Nc7 Rb3 58. Ne6+ Kf6 59. Nd8 g5 60. Rxf7+ Kg6 61. Rd7 g4 62. Ne6 g3
63. fxg3 Bxg3 64. Kd5 Rb1 65. Kc6 Rc1+ 66. Nc5 Bb8 67. Rd5 Ba7 68. Kd7 Bb8 69.
Ne6 Kf6 70. Rc5 Rb1 71. Nd8 Bh2 72. Rc6+ Ke5 73. Rc1 Rb3 74. Rc2 Bf4 75. Kc6
Kf5 76. Rc5+ Kf6 77. Kd7 Rb1 78. Kc8 Bh2 79. Rc6+ Ke5 $4 {Shirov blunders
terribly.} (79... Kf5 $1 80. Ne6 Rg1 $1 81. Rc2 Bd6 82. Nc7 Rg8+ {has been
regarded as drawn by the commentators, but} 83. Kd7 $1 Rb8 84. Rb2 Bf4 85. Rb5+
Kg6 86. Ne8 $1 Bh2 87. Rb6+ Kg5 88. Nd6 Kf6 89. Rb1 Be5 90. Rd1 Rh8 91. Kc6 {
will win for White eventually.}) 80. b8=Q+ {Carlsen neared Anand til
half-a-point.} 1-0

[Event "Morelia/Linares"]
[Site "25"]
[Date "2008.03.03"]
[Round "11"]
[White "Leko, Peter"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B33"]
[WhiteElo "2753"]
[BlackElo "2733"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "123"]
[EventDate "2008.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8.
Na3 b5 9. Nd5 Be7 10. Bxf6 Bxf6 11. c3 Bg5 12. Nc2 Ne7 13. h4 Bh6 14. a4 bxa4
15. Ncb4 O-O 16. Qxa4 Nxd5 17. Nxd5 a5 18. Bb5 Be6 19. Bc6 Rb8 20. b4 Bxd5 21.
Bxd5 axb4 22. cxb4 Qb6 23. Rb1 $5 (23. O-O Qxb4 24. Qxb4 Rxb4 {drew in
Dominguez - Jakovenko, Foros 2007.}) 23... Kh8 24. O-O f5 25. Qa5 fxe4 26. Qxb6
Rxb6 27. Rb3 $3 {Leko starts a winning attempt.} (27. Rfe1 e3 28. fxe3 Rfb8 {
draws (Leko).}) 27... Rc8 28. Ra1 g6 $1 29. Ra8 Rxa8 30. Bxa8 Bf8 $5 31. b5 Be7
32. g3 Bd8 33. Bxe4 d5 $2 (33... Rb8 $1 34. Kg2 Bb6 {switches the blockader
without a pawn sacrifice.}) 34. Bxd5 Rd6 35. Bc6 Bb6 36. Rb2 Rd3 37. Kg2 Kg7
38. Be4 Ra3 39. g4 Bd4 40. Rc2 $5 (40. Rb1 Bb6 41. f3 Ra2+ 42. Kh3 {keeps the
f-pawn but White becomes less active.}) 40... Rb3 41. Rc7+ Kh8 42. Rc8+ Kg7 43.
Rc7+ Kh8 44. Rb7 $1 Rb2 45. h5 $1 Rxf2+ 46. Kg3 Rf4 $1 47. h6 {The last try to
win.} Rf8 48. Rc7 Bf2+ 49. Kg2 Be3 50. g5 $5 Rb8 $1 51. Rc3 Bd4 52. Rc6 Kg8 $2
{Carlsen succumbs at last.} (52... Be3 $1 53. Kf3 Bxg5 54. b6 $5 Bd8 {draws.})
53. Bd5+ Kf8 54. Bc4 $1 {White has a decisive attack.} Ke7 $5 55. Rc7+ Kd6 56.
Rxh7 e4 57. Rg7 $1 Kc5 58. Rc7+ Kd6 59. Rc6+ Ke5 60. Rxg6 Kf5 61. Rd6 $1 Be3
62. h7 {It became impossible for Carlsen to win the tournament.} 1-0

[Event "Morelia/Linares"]
[Site "25"]
[Date "2008.03.06"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Radjabov, Teimour"]
[Black "Shirov, Alexei"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B92"]
[WhiteElo "2735"]
[BlackElo "2755"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "2008.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 e5 7. Nb3 Be7 8. Bg5
Be6 9. Bxf6 Bxf6 10. Qd3 Nc6 11. O-O-O Nd4 12. Nxd4 exd4 13. Nd5 Bxd5 14. exd5
O-O 15. Qf3 Re8 16. Bd3 Re5 17. Kb1 Qa5 18. g4 Qxd5 19. Qxd5 Rxd5 20. f4 Bh4 $4
({Correct is} 20... g5 {(Kualots - Areshchenko, Kappelle 2004).}) ({Also known
is} 20... g6 $4 21. b4 $1) 21. b4 $1 {A black rook is imprisoned.} Rc8 22. a4
Rc3 23. Kb2 ({Even better is} 23. Rc1 $1 f5 24. gxf5 g6 25. Rhg1 $1 Kf7 26.
fxg6+ hxg6 27. Rg4 {(Ljubojevic and Radjabov).}) 23... f5 24. gxf5 Rxd3 25.
cxd3 Rxf5 26. Rc1 Rxf4 27. Rhf1 Rxf1 28. Rxf1 Bd8 29. a5 $1 {Shirov lost four
games during the second cycle.   The tournament was won by Anand 81/2/14,
before Carlsen (8), Topalov and Aronian (71/2), Radjabov (7), Ivanchuk (61/2),
Leko and Shirov (51/2).} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "26"]
[Date "2009.02.19"]
[Round "1"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Radjabov, Teimour"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B33"]
[WhiteElo "2791"]
[BlackElo "2761"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "121"]
[EventDate "2009.??.??"]

{The 26th installment was completely played in Linares from 19 ii until 7 iii
2009. So the players did not go to Morelia in Mexico. The usual two cycles
were carried out by eight grandmasters.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4
Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Bg5 a6 8. Na3 b5 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. Nd5 Bg7 11. Bd3
Ne7 12. Nxe7 Qxe7 13. O-O O-O 14. c4 f5 15. Qf3 d5 16. cxd5 fxe4 17. Bxe4 Rb8
18. Rfd1 f5 19. d6 Qf6 20. Bc6 Be6 21. Bd5 Rbd8 22. Qb3 Bf7 23. Nc2 Rxd6 24.
Bxf7+ Rxf7 25. Rxd6 Qxd6 26. Ne3 f4 27. Rd1 Qg6 28. Nd5 Bf8 $5 {Finally, a new
move is made.} ({Known is} 28... Kh8 {(Bobras - Yakovich, Port Erin 2006).})
29. f3 Kh8 $5 (29... Bc5+ 30. Kf1 Kg7 {gives an excellent alternative.}) 30.
Nc3 Rg7 $5 31. Rd2 Bc5+ 32. Kf1 Bd4 33. Ne4 Rc7 34. Rc2 $1 {White has a
superior pawn structure.} Rc6 35. Qd3 (35. g4 fxg3 36. hxg3 Rxc2 37. Qxc2 Qe6
38. Ng5 Qc4+ 39. Qxc4 bxc4 {about equalises (Anand).}) 35... Kg7 36. b3 h6 $2 (
36... Qh6 $1 {(threatens pawn h2)} 37. h3 Qg6 {draws (Anand).}) 37. g4 $1 fxg3
38. hxg3 Qe6 39. Kg2 Qc8 40. Rxc6 Qxc6 41. Qd2 Qe6 $2 ({Better is} 41... Kf7 $1
42. g4 Kg6 $1 {The black king has moved in a triangle. White suffers from
zugzwang.} 43. Qd3 Kf7 44. Ng3 Qc1 $1 {and the game will be hard to win for
White.}) 42. g4 $1 Qc6 43. Ng3 $1 {White starts an attack of queen and knight
on the kingside.} Kh7 ({The pointe is} 43... Qc3 44. Nf5+ $1 Kf7 45. Qxh6 Qc2+
46. Kh3 $1 {and White wins.}) 44. Nf5 Bb6 45. Qd3 Kh8 46. Qe2 $1 Bc7 47. Qd2
Kh7 48. Ne7 Qc5 ({Or} 48... Qd6 49. Qc2+ Kh8 50. Nf5 Qb6 51. Qe4 $1 {
(Rogozenco).}) 49. Qd3+ Kh8 50. Qd7 $1 e4 51. Qe8+ Kg7 52. Nf5+ Kf6 53. Qxe4
Bb6 54. Kh3 $1 h5 55. g5+ $1 Kxg5 56. Ne7 Kf6 57. Nd5+ Kg7 58. Qe5+ Kh6 59.
Qf6+ Kh7 60. Qf7+ Kh6 61. Ne7 {World champion Anand played a great game.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "26"]
[Date "2009.02.20"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D46"]
[WhiteElo "2791"]
[BlackElo "2750"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "106"]
[EventDate "2009.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3
Bd6 9. O-O O-O 10. Qc2 Bb7 11. a3 a6 12. Ng5 $5 Bxh2+ 13. Kxh2 Ng4+ 14. Kg1
Qxg5 15. f3 Ngf6 16. e4 {White has given a pawn for an advance in the centre.}
Qh4 17. Be3 e5 18. Ne2 Nh5 (18... Rad8 $5 {was played in the Aeroflot Open on
the next day.}) 19. Qd2 h6 20. Rfd1 Rae8 $6 {Aronian should have played the
other rook.} 21. Bc2 Re6 22. Bf2 Qe7 23. g4 $1 {Anand smells blood.} Rg6 24.
Kf1 Nhf6 25. Ng3 Nxg4 $1 {Otherwise Black will suffocate.} 26. fxg4 Qh4 27. Nf5
Qxg4 $5 ({Aronian did not like} 27... Qh3+ $6 28. Ke1 Rxg4 29. Qe3 {and White
consolidates.}) 28. Qc3 $1 (28. Ne7+ $6 Kh7 29. Nxg6 fxg6 {leads to a black
counteraction.}) 28... Re8 29. Qg3 Qh5 30. Qh4 Qf3 31. Rd3 Qg2+ 32. Ke2 {White
threatens 33.Rg3.} exd4 33. Rg3 $4 {The tables turn.} (33. Rxd4 $1 Rg4 34. Ne3
Rxh4 35. Nxg2 Rh2 36. Rxd7 Bc8 37. Rc7 Rxg2 38. Rg1 Rxg1 39. Bxg1 {brings a
white advantage (Illescas Cordoba).}) 33... Rxg3 34. Qxg3 $5 Rxe4+ 35. Kd2 Rg4
$1 {Anand has missed this move.} (35... Qxg3 36. Bxg3 Re6 {would be okay for
White.}) 36. Qxg2 Rxg2 37. Ke2 c5 38. Rg1 Ne5 39. Rxg2 Bxg2 40. Kd2 h5 41. b4
$6 Nc4+ 42. Kc1 Nxa3 43. Bd1 cxb4 44. Bxh5 g6 45. Ne7+ Kf8 46. Nxg6+ fxg6 47.
Bxg6 Ke7 48. Bxd4 Kd6 49. Bd3 Nc4 50. Bg7 a5 51. Be2 Be4 52. Bf6 a4 53. Bg7 Kd5
{Anand did not score plus two but went to even. It spoiled his tournament.} 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "26"]
[Date "2009.02.20"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Black "Wang Yue"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D17"]
[WhiteElo "2733"]
[BlackElo "2739"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "113"]
[EventDate "2009.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. Ne5 Nbd7 7. Nxc4 Nb6 8.
Ne5 a5 9. e3 g6 10. Bd3 Be6 11. O-O $5 {Grischuk plays an obvious novelty.} (
11. Be2 {occurred in the previous game Grischuk - Wang Yue (Elista 2008).})
11... Bg7 12. f4 $1 Nfd7 13. Nf3 c5 $1 {Black has to counter in the centre,
before White attacks on the kingside.} 14. Ng5 $1 {Grischuk gives a pawn for
the initiative.} cxd4 15. Nxe6 fxe6 16. Ne4 O-O $6 ({More active is} 16... Nd5
$1 17. Ng5 Qb6 $1) 17. Qg4 $1 Rf5 18. Qh3 $1 Nc5 19. Nxc5 Rxc5 20. Qxe6+ Kh8
21. e4 Rac8 22. e5 R8c6 23. Qf7 Nd5 24. Bd2 Qf8 $5 {Wang escapes from the
attack by exchange.} 25. Qxf8+ Bxf8 26. Rac1 e6 27. Kf2 b6 28. Kf3 Kg7 29. g3
Rxc1 30. Rxc1 Rxc1 31. Bxc1 {White has advantages in the ending: the two
bishop and the vulnerabilty of d4.} Kf7 32. Bc4 Ne3 $1 33. b3 Bc5 34. Ke2 h5
35. Bb2 g5 $1 {Black delivers a semi-sacrifice.} 36. fxg5 Ng4 37. Bd3 ({
Grischuk's} 37. h4 Nxe5 38. Ba6 {does not convince.}) 37... Nxe5 $2 ({Better is
} 37... Nxh2 $1 38. Bc1 Ng4 39. Bf4 Ne3 {and Black has a fortress.}) 38. Be4
Ng4 39. h3 Ne3 40. Bc1 e5 $2 (40... Nd5 $1 {avoids an exchange that looks more
favourable.} 41. Bxd5 exd5 42. Kd3 Ke6 43. Bf4 Kf5 44. h4 Ke6 {This ending
looks very promising for White, but I could not find a win.}) 41. Bxe3 $1 dxe3
{Grischuk will win, despite the bishops of a different colour.} 42. h4 Kg7 43.
Kf3 Kf7 44. Bd3 Bd4 45. Be2 Kg7 46. Ke4 Kg6 47. Bd1 Bc3 48. Kxe3 Kf5 49. Bxh5
Be1 50. Kf3 e4+ 51. Kg2 Bc3 52. Be2 Be1 53. Kh3 Bf2 54. Bb5 Be1 55. Bd7+ Ke5
56. Kg4 e3 57. Bb5 {Grischuk was very lonely in Linares. He only had a
relation to his mini-bar.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "26"]
[Date "2009.02.22"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Black "Wang Yue"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D15"]
[WhiteElo "2791"]
[BlackElo "2739"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "65"]
[EventDate "2009.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 a6 5. a4 e6 6. g3 dxc4 7. Bg2 c5 8. dxc5
Qxd1+ 9. Nxd1 Bxc5 10. Ne5 Nd5 11. Ne3 Nxe3 12. Bxe3 Bxe3 13. fxe3 c3 $5 14. b4
$1 {Anand keeps the game going.} Nd7 15. Nd3 Rb8 $6 ({Better is} 15... Nf6 $1
16. Rc1 Ng4 17. Rxc3 $5 Nxe3 18. Bf3 Nd5 19. Bxd5 exd5 {and the game will be
about equal (Rogozenco).}) 16. O-O b5 17. axb5 Rxb5 $1 18. Rfc1 Ne5 $2 ({
Correct is} 18... O-O 19. Ra5 Rb8 20. Rxc3 Nf6) 19. Nxe5 Rxe5 20. Rxc3 $6 (20.
b5 $1 Rxb5 $1 21. Bc6+ Ke7 22. Bxb5 axb5 23. Rxc3 {wins material.}) 20... O-O
21. Bc6 Rd8 22. e4 Kf8 23. Kf2 Ke7 $2 ({Better is} 23... h6) 24. b5 $1 axb5 25.
Ra7+ {Anand wins a decisive tempo.} Kf6 (25... Kf8 26. Rc7 $1 {White threatens
Rd3!} Kg8 27. Ra3 b4 28. Ra8 {gains a piece.}) 26. Rf3+ Kg6 27. Rfxf7 Rg8 28.
Rfc7 Rh5 29. h4 Kf6 30. Ra8 Rc5 31. Rcxc8 Rxc8 32. Rxc8 b4 33. Bd7 ({The
pointe is} 33. Bd7 Rxc8 34. Bxc8 b3 35. Ba6 b2 36. Bd3 {and White wins.}) 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "26"]
[Date "2009.02.22"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Radjabov, Teimour"]
[Black "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E17"]
[WhiteElo "2761"]
[BlackElo "2733"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2009.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 b6 4. g3 Bb7 5. Bg2 Be7 6. d5 exd5 7. Nh4 c6 $5 8.
cxd5 Nxd5 9. Nf5 O-O 10. e4 Nc7 11. Bf4 (11. O-O {leads to the known position.}
) 11... d5 $1 12. Qg4 Ne6 13. Nc3 Kh8 $6 ({More useful is} 13... Bf6 $1) 14.
Be5 $6 {White should have regained the sacrificed pawn.} Bf6 15. Bxf6 Qxf6 16.
O-O-O $6 Nd7 $6 (16... g6 $1 17. Nd6 d4 $1 {gains a plus (A.Sayapin).}) 17. f4
Ndc5 18. e5 $2 {He misses the last chance to recapture the pawn.} Qg6 19. Qh3
$6 (19. Qxg6 hxg6 20. Nd6 Ba6 {brings a plus for Black (Krasenkow).}) 19... f6
20. Nh4 Qh6 21. Nf3 Qxh3 22. Bxh3 Nc7 23. b4 $6 ({Preferable is} 23. Rhe1 $1
fxe5 24. Nxe5 Rae8 25. b4 N5e6 26. Kb1) 23... N5a6 24. b5 cxb5 25. Rhe1 b4 26.
Ne2 Bc8 27. Bg2 Bf5 28. Nfd4 fxe5 29. fxe5 Be4 30. Bxe4 dxe4 31. Nf4 Nc5 32. h4
Rae8 33. e6 a5 34. Kb1 N7xe6 35. Ndxe6 Nxe6 36. Nd5 Nc5 37. Nxb6 h6 38. Nc4 Rf2
39. Rd5 Na4 40. Rxa5 Nc3+ 41. Ka1 {Grischuk took the lead by his second win.}
0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "26"]
[Date "2009.02.25"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Anand, Viswanathan"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D45"]
[WhiteElo "2776"]
[BlackElo "2791"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "153"]
[EventDate "2009.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. g4 Nxg4 8. Rg1
Qf6 9. Rxg4 Qxf3 10. Rxg7 Nf6 11. h3 Qf5 $6 {The black pawn structure will be
ruined. Anand will encounter a hard defence in the endgame.} ({Preferable is} 
11... h6 12. Bd2 e5 {(Aronian - Morozevich, Linares 2007).}) 12. Qxf5 exf5 13.
cxd5 cxd5 14. Nb5 Bb4+ 15. Bd2 Bxd2+ 16. Kxd2 Ke7 17. Bd3 Be6 18. Nc7 $5 Rag8
19. Nxe6 Kxe6 20. Rxg8 Nxg8 $6 (20... Rxg8 21. Rc1 Rg2 22. Ke2 Rh2 {brings
play for both sides (Carlsen).}) 21. Ke2 Ne7 22. Kf3 $1 {He keeps the rook in
reserve for an attack on the g-file.} Rc8 23. a4 Rc7 24. a5 h6 25. h4 Kf6 26.
h5 $1 {Carlsen advances everywhere, because he wants to restrict Anand.} Nc8
27. Kf4 Nd6 28. Rg1 Rc8 29. f3 Ke6 $2 {Anand plays this move too soon.} (29...
a6 $1 {leads to zugzwang for White.} 30. Bb1 Ke6 31. Rg7 $6 Rc1 $1 32. Bd3 Rh1
{brings a plus for Black.}) 30. Rg7 $1 Rh8 31. Bc2 Rc8 32. Bb3 Rh8 33. Rg1 Rc8
34. Rg7 Rh8 35. Rg2 $1 Rc8 36. Rg1 $1 {Black is in zugzwang.} Ne8 $1 {Anand
sets a trap.} 37. e4 $1 {White starts a dangerous attack in the centre.} ({Not
} 37. Rg8 $4 Nf6 38. Rxc8 Nxh5#) 37... fxe4 38. fxe4 Nf6 39. e5 $1 Ne4 $1 ({
The pointe is} 39... Nxh5+ $2 40. Ke3 $1 {and Rh1 will force the win.}) 40. Ke3
b6 $5 41. axb6 axb6 42. Kd3 Nf2+ 43. Ke2 Ne4 44. Ke3 f6 $5 45. Rg6 Rc1 46. Rxh6
$6 (46. exf6 $1 Re1+ 47. Kd3 Nxf6 48. Bxd5+ $1 {would have given better
winning chances (A.Ganiev).}) 46... Rh1 47. Bc2 Rh3+ $2 (47... Re1+ $1 48. Kd3
Rh1 {defends well (S.Zagrebelny).}) 48. Kf4 $1 Rh4+ 49. Kf3 $1 Nd2+ 50. Ke2 $2
(50. Kg3 $1 Rxd4 51. Rxf6+ Kxe5 52. Rf5+ Ke6 53. h6 {wins for White (Carlsen).}
) 50... Rh2+ 51. Kd1 Nc4 52. Rxf6+ Ke7 53. Bg6 Rd2+ 54. Kc1 Rxd4 55. b3 $1 Nxe5
56. Rxb6 Rh4 $1 57. Bf5 $1 Nf3 $2 ({Right is} 57... Rh1+ 58. Kc2 (58. Kd2 Nc4+
$3 59. bxc4 Rxh5 $11 {(S.Zagrebelny)}) 58... Nf3) 58. h6 $1 Nd4 59. h7 $1 Nxf5
60. Rb8 $1 Nd4 61. Kb2 $1 Kd6 62. h8=Q Rxh8 63. Rxh8 {Carlsen has won an
exchange.} Kc5 64. Rh5 Nc6 65. Rh4 Nb4 66. Ka3 d4 $1 67. Rh5+ Nd5 68. Kb2 Kc6
69. Ka3 Kc5 70. Rh4 Nb4 71. Rh8 Nc6 $6 (71... Nc2+ {prolongs the game.}) 72.
Rh5+ Kd6 73. b4 $1 d3 $5 74. Rh3 Ne5 75. Kb3 d2 76. Kc2 Nc6 77. Rh4 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "26"]
[Date "2009.02.25"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D43"]
[WhiteElo "2733"]
[BlackElo "2750"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "117"]
[EventDate "2009.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 dxc4 7. e4 g5 8. Bg3 b5
9. Ne5 h5 10. h4 g4 11. Be2 Bb7 12. O-O Nbd7 13. Qc2 Nxe5 14. Bxe5 Bg7 15. b3
O-O $5 ({Theory is} 15... cxb3 16. axb3 O-O) 16. bxc4 Nh7 $1 {Aronian regains
the extra pawn.} 17. Bxg7 Kxg7 18. Rad1 Qxh4 19. cxb5 cxb5 20. Nxb5 Rac8 21.
Qd3 Rfd8 $5 (21... g3 $1 22. Qxg3+ Qxg3 23. fxg3 Bxe4 {draws (Krasenkow).}) 22.
d5 exd5 23. Qd4+ Kg8 24. Qxa7 Qe7 25. e5 Qxe5 $2 ({Better is} 25... Ra8 26. Qe3
Rxa2) 26. Qxb7 Rb8 ({Not} 26... Qxe2 27. Nd6 $1) 27. Qc7 Qxe2 28. Nd4 $1 Qc4
29. Qe5 Re8 30. Qxh5 Rb6 31. Nf5 Rbe6 32. Ne3 Qxa2 33. Nxg4 Qe2 $1 34. Qh4 ({
He avoids the trap} 34. Rxd5 $4 Qxf1+ $1 35. Kxf1 Re1#) 34... Qc4 $5 35. f4 $1
Rg6 36. Rf3 Qc5+ $5 37. Kh1 Qe7 38. Qh3 Qd6 $2 {Aronian commits the fatal
blunder.} ({Right is} 38... Nf6 39. Re3 $1 Qf8 $1 40. Nxf6+ Rxf6 41. Rg3+ Rg6
42. Rxd5 Qb4 $1 {and Black has positional compensation for the pawn.}) 39. f5
$1 Rg5 40. Nh6+ Kf8 41. Nxf7 $1 {An elegant decision.} Qf6 ({The pointe is} 
41... Kxf7 42. Qxh7+ Kf8 43. f6 Qe5 44. Rh3 {(Krasenkow).}) 42. Nxg5 Nxg5 43.
Qh4 Re7 44. Rh3 $1 Qxf5 45. Qh8+ Kf7 46. Rh5 Re8 47. Qh6 Rg8 48. Qd6 Rg6 49.
Qxd5+ Qxd5 50. Rxd5 Ne4 51. Rhf5+ Kg7 52. Rd7+ Kh6 53. Rf4 Ng3+ 54. Kh2 Nh5 55.
Ra4 Nf6 56. Rdd4 Rg5 57. Rf4 Rg6 58. Rf3 Nh7 59. Rh3+ {Grischuk had scored
plus three.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "26"]
[Date "2009.02.26"]
[Round "7"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "E92"]
[WhiteElo "2750"]
[BlackElo "2779"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "87"]
[EventDate "2009.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. Nf3 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. Be3 c6 8. d5 Ng4
9. Bg5 f6 10. Bh4 c5 11. O-O h5 12. Ne1 Nh6 13. f3 Nf7 $5 14. Rb1 Bh6 {Black
has no hurry with the development of the queenside.} 15. Bf2 Na6 16. a3 b6 17.
b4 f5 $5 18. exf5 gxf5 19. f4 $5 {The next exchange helps Black.} Bxf4 20. Bxh5
Bd7 21. Rb3 Qg5 $5 22. b5 $6 {Hereafter, the queenside remains closed.} (22.
Nd3 $1 Be3 23. Bxe3 Qxe3+ 24. Nf2 {favours White (Ivanchuk).}) 22... Nc7 23.
Bxf7+ $5 Rxf7 24. Ne2 Rg7 25. Nxf4 Qxf4 $1 26. Bxc5 Qh6 $1 {Ivanchuk has given
a pawn for the initiative.} 27. Be3 f4 28. Bc1 Bg4 29. Qd2 Rf8 30. Nd3 Ne8 31.
Nxf4 $2 {White panics.} ({Better is} 31. Bb2 Rf5 32. Nxf4 $1 Rgf7 33. h3 Rxf4
$5 34. Rxf4 Rxf4 35. Bc1 Qh4 36. hxg4 Rxg4 {and White almost equalises 
(Ivanchuk).}) 31... Rxf4 32. Rxf4 Qxf4 33. Qxf4 exf4 34. Bxf4 Rf7 $1 35. g3 Re7
$1 {The black counterattack refutes the sacrifice.} 36. h3 $5 Bxh3 37. Kf2 Nf6
38. g4 Bxg4 39. Re3 Ne4+ 40. Ke1 Kf7 41. a4 Nc5 42. Kd2 Rxe3 43. Kxe3 Ke7 44.
Kd4 {Grischuk led by 5/7 at the end of the first cycle. Carlsen and Ivanchuk
followed at one point.} 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "26"]
[Date "2009.02.28"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D45"]
[WhiteElo "2776"]
[BlackElo "2750"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "186"]
[EventDate "2009.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. g4 h6 8. Bd2
dxc4 9. Bxc4 b5 10. Be2 Bb7 11. e4 Be7 12. g5 hxg5 13. Nxg5 b4 14. Na4 c5 15.
Nxc5 Nxc5 16. dxc5 Rc8 17. Qa4+ $6 (17. Bxb4 Nd7 18. Bb5 O-O 19. Bxd7 Qxd7 20.
h4 f6 21. Nf3 Qb5 22. Bc3 Rxc5 {drew in a computer assisted game (2007).})
17... Bc6 18. Bb5 Bxb5 19. Qxb5+ Qd7 20. Qxd7+ Nxd7 21. Ke2 Rh4 22. Rac1 Rxc5
23. Rxc5 Bxc5 {Black has an edge in the endgame.} 24. f4 e5 $1 25. h3 exf4 26.
Nf3 Rh6 27. Bxf4 Re6 28. Nd2 Bd4 29. Rb1 Ra6 30. a3 $5 bxa3 31. bxa3 Rxa3 {
Aronian has won a pawn.} 32. Nc4 $1 {White counters.} Ra2+ 33. Kd3 Bf2 34. Bd6
Nb6 35. Bb4 Nxc4 36. Kxc4 Bb6 37. Kd5 Rg2 38. Rb3 Rg5+ 39. e5 Bc7 $5 40. Bd6
Bxd6 41. Kxd6 Rg6+ 42. Kd5 {The rook ending offers little winning chances for
Black.} Rb6 43. Rc3 Kd7 44. Rf3 Ke7 45. Rc3 Rb7 46. Rc6 g6 47. Ra6 Kf8 $1 48.
Ke4 Kg7 49. Kf4 Re7 50. Ra5 Kh6 51. Kg4 a6 $5 52. Rxa6 $6 {A waiting move
would draw easily.} Rxe5 53. Rb6 Re3 54. Ra6 f5+ 55. Kh4 Re4+ 56. Kg3 Kg5 57.
Ra3 Re2 58. Kf3 Rh2 59. Kg3 Rb2 60. Ra8 $5 Rb3+ 61. Kg2 Kf4 62. Ra4+ Ke3 63. h4
$1 Rb6 ({The pointe is} 63... f4 64. Ra6 $1) 64. Kg3 Rd6 65. Rf4 Rd1 66. Rf3+
Ke4 67. Rf4+ Ke5 68. Ra4 f4+ $1 69. Kg2 Rd2+ 70. Kf3 Rd3+ 71. Kg2 Rg3+ 72. Kh2
$1 {The h-pawn needs a distant protection.} Kf5 73. Ra6 Re3 74. Ra5+ Re5 75.
Ra2 $1 Kg4 $1 76. Rg2+ $1 Kh5 77. Kh3 Ra5 78. Rg1 Ra3+ 79. Kh2 Ra6 80. Kh3 Ra5
81. Rg2 Rc5 82. Rg1 f3 $5 83. Kg3 $5 Rf5 84. Rf1 $2 {Carlsen makes a fatal
mistake.} ({Right is} 84. Kf2 $1 Rf6 85. Rh1 Kg4 {(Krasenkow)} 86. h5 $5 gxh5 {
drawn.}) 84... f2 $1 85. Kh3 Rf3+ 86. Kg2 Kg4 87. h5 $5 Rg3+ $1 88. Kh2 ({Or} 
88. Kxf2 Rf3+ 89. Kg2 Rxf1 90. Kxf1 Kxh5) 88... Kf3 $1 89. Ra1 Rg2+ $1 90. Kh1
Rg5 91. Ra3+ Kf4 92. Ra4+ Kg3 93. Ra3+ Kh4 $1 {Carlsen and Aronian fought in
several long and decided games.} (93... Kh4 94. Ra1 Rg1+ 95. Rxg1 fxg1=Q+ 96.
Kxg1 Kxh5 {is shown by the databases.}) 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "26"]
[Date "2009.03.01"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Dominguez Perez, Leinier"]
[Black "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B78"]
[WhiteElo "2717"]
[BlackElo "2776"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "108"]
[EventDate "2009.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 Nc6 8. Qd2
O-O 9. Bc4 Bd7 10. O-O-O Rb8 11. Bb3 Na5 12. Bh6 Bxh6 13. Qxh6 b5 14. g4 Nxb3+
15. Nxb3 b4 16. Nd5 Nxd5 17. exd5 Rb6 18. Rhe1 $6 {The rook is needed on the
h-file.} ({Known is} 18. h4 {(Maslak - Porat, Pardubice 2008).}) 18... e5 19.
dxe6 fxe6 20. Re3 (20. Qd2 {returns the queen from offside.}) 20... Rf7 21. Nd2
$5 d5 22. Nb3 Qc7 23. Kb1 Rb8 24. Rde1 $5 Rc8 $1 25. R1e2 Qb6 26. h4 d4 27. Re5
d3 $1 28. cxd3 Rxf3 29. d4 $2 ({The retreat} 29. Qd2 {is met by} Qg1+ 30. Re1
Qxg4 31. h5 $1 {and White has counter-play (Dominguez).}) 29... Bb5 $1 30. R2e3
({Or} 30. Re1 Rxb3 $1 31. axb3 Bd3+ 32. Ka2 Qa6+ {and mate (Rogozenco).}) 30...
Bd3+ 31. Ka1 Qxd4 $5 32. Rxe6 ({Not} 32. Nxd4 $2 Rc1#) 32... Rf1+ 33. Re1 Qxg4
34. Rxf1 Qxe6 35. Nc5 Qe2 36. Rc1 Bf5 37. Qf4 a5 38. h5 Qe7 $6 {Both players
miss the best move under time pressure.} (38... Rd8 $1 39. hxg6 hxg6 {wins for
Black.}) 39. Qc4+ $6 (39. hxg6 $1 hxg6 $1 40. Qc4+ Qf7 $1 41. Qd4 Qd7 $1 42.
Qc4+ Be6 $1 43. Qc2 Qf7 {brings a difficult win for Black.}) 39... Be6 40. Qc2
({The pointe is} 40. Qd4 Qg5 $1) 40... Qg5 $1 41. hxg6 hxg6 42. a3 bxa3 43. Qc3
axb2+ 44. Kxb2 Qd5 45. Rc2 a4 46. Ka1 a3 47. Qe3 Bf7 48. Qc3 g5 49. Qe3 Re8 50.
Qc3 Re2 51. Nb3 Rxc2 52. Qxc2 Qe5+ 53. Kb1 Kg7 54. Qd2 Bxb3 {Carlsen defended
and counterattacked well.} 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "26"]
[Date "2009.03.02"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Wang Yue"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D15"]
[WhiteElo "2776"]
[BlackElo "2739"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "128"]
[EventDate "2009.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 a6 5. Nf3 b5 6. b3 Bg4 7. Bd2 Nbd7 8. h3
Bxf3 9. Qxf3 b4 10. Na4 e5 11. Rc1 $5 (11. cxd5 cxd5 12. dxe5 Nxe5 {was played
in Lugovoi - Volkov, Moscow 1999.}) 11... Bd6 12. cxd5 cxd5 13. dxe5 Nxe5 14.
Qd1 O-O $1 {Wang has gained an edge.} 15. Be2 a5 $5 16. Rc2 Qe7 17. Bc1 Rad8
18. Bb2 Ng6 19. O-O Ne4 20. Bd4 Nh4 $1 {Black takes the initiative.} 21. Bd3
Nf5 22. Bb6 Rb8 23. Bxe4 $5 {White eliminates an attacker.} (23. Bxa5 Qe5 24.
f4 Qe7 25. Qc1 Qa7 26. Bxe4 dxe4 27. Bc7 $1 Qxe3+ 28. Qxe3 Nxe3 29. Bxd6 Nxc2
30. Bxf8 Kxf8 {brings many exchanges.}) 23... Qxe4 24. Rd2 Rxb6 $1 {An
important defender of the white position disappears.} 25. Nxb6 Qe5 $5 (25...
Nxe3 26. fxe3 Qxe3+ 27. Rdf2 {gives no winning chances (Giri).}) 26. Re1 $2 ({
Correct is} 26. g3 $1 Nxg3 $1 27. Re1 $1 Ne4 28. f4) 26... Qh2+ 27. Kf1 Qh1+
28. Ke2 Qxg2 29. Rxd5 Ng3+ 30. Kd3 Bc7 $1 31. fxg3 Bxb6 32. Kc4 $1 Rb8 $1 {The
white king is caught.} 33. Kb5 $6 (33. e4 Qxg3 34. Qd2 {offers more resistance.
}) 33... Bd4+ $2 ({Giri analyses} 33... Bd8+ $1 34. Ka6 Bc7 $1 35. Qd4 Qxh3 36.
g4 Qh6+ {and White will be mated or lose material.}) 34. Kc4 Bf6 35. Qd3 Qxg3
36. Rd1 Qc7+ 37. Rc5 Qb7 38. Qd6 $2 {Magnus has little time for contemplation
and misses the escape.} (38. Qd7 $1 Qe4+ 39. Rd4 Qc2+ 40. Kd5 Qg2+ 41. e4 Qg5+
42. Kc4 Qc1+ 43. Kd5 Qg5+ {leads to perpetual check.}) 38... Qe4+ $1 39. Rd4
Qc2+ 40. Kd5 Qg2+ 41. e4 Rd8 42. Qxd8+ Bxd8 43. Rc8 g6 44. Rxd8+ Kg7 45. Rd3
Qc2 46. Kd4 a4 47. bxa4 Qxa2 48. Kc5 b3 49. Rb8 b2 50. Rdb3 Qxa4 51. Rxb2 Qxe4
52. R8b3 Kh6 53. Rc3 f5 54. Rbb3 Qe5+ 55. Kc4 Kh5 56. Kd3 Kh4 57. Kd2 f4 58.
Rf3 g5 59. Rfd3 Qc5 60. Rbc3 Qf2+ 61. Kd1 Qf1+ 62. Kd2 Qg2+ 63. Kd1 Qe4 64. Kd2
h5 {Wang defeated Carlsen in Wijk aan Zee and Linares 209.} 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "26"]
[Date "2009.03.05"]
[Round "12"]
[White "Carlsen, Magnus"]
[Black "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B85"]
[WhiteElo "2776"]
[BlackElo "2733"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "73"]
[EventDate "2009.??.??"]

{Grischuk led one-and-a-half points on Carlsen, when the round began.} 1. e4 c5
2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be2 e6 7. O-O Be7 8. a4 Nc6 9.
Be3 O-O 10. f4 Qc7 11. Kh1 Re8 12. Bf3 Bf8 13. Qd2 Rb8 14. Qf2 e5 15. fxe5 $5 (
{Known is} 15. Nde2) 15... dxe5 16. Nb3 Nb4 17. Ba7 Ra8 18. Bb6 Qe7 19. Rad1
Be6 $6 ({Better is} 19... Bg4 $1) 20. Nd5 $1 Bxd5 21. exd5 e4 22. d6 {White
has created a dangerous, passed pawn.} Qe6 $6 23. Nc5 $1 Qf5 24. Be2 Qxf2 25.
Rxf2 Nbd5 26. a5 $6 ({The elegant} 26. Rxf6 $1 Nxf6 27. a5 $1 {grabs an
advantage (Carlsen).}) 26... Nxb6 27. axb6 Rab8 $2 {Grischuk is going to lose
the endgame.} (27... Rec8 $1 28. b4 $1 Rc6 29. Nxb7 Rxb6 30. d7 Rxb7 31. d8=Q
Rxd8 32. Rxd8 Rxb4 {might bring survival (Giri).}) 28. Rxf6 $1 gxf6 29. Nd7 $1
{White has opened the road for his passed pawn.} f5 30. c4 $1 a5 31. c5 Bg7 32.
Nxb8 Rxb8 33. Ba6 $3 {Carlsen ends the game brilliantly.} Bf6 34. Bxb7 $1 Rxb7
35. c6 Rxb6 36. Rc1 $1 Bxb2 37. d7 $1 {Grischuk led half-a-point on Carlsen,
Aronian and Ivanchuk with two rounds to go. So the tension was back at the top.
} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "26"]
[Date "2009.03.06"]
[Round "13"]
[White "Ivanchuk, Vassily"]
[Black "Aronian, Levon"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D45"]
[WhiteElo "2779"]
[BlackElo "2750"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "69"]
[EventDate "2009.??.??"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. b3 O-O 8. Be2
b6 9. O-O Bb7 10. Bb2 Rc8 11. Rac1 c5 12. dxc5 $5 bxc5 13. Rfd1 Qe7 14. g3 $5
Rfd8 15. cxd5 exd5 16. Nh4 $5 Bb8 17. Bf1 Ne5 $6 ({Black could play} 17... g6
$1 18. Bg2 Qe6) 18. Bh3 $1 Rc7 19. Bg2 d4 $2 {The tournament has lasted long.}
(19... Rcc8 $1 {keeps Black in the game (Giri).}) 20. Nf5 $1 Qe8 21. exd4 cxd4
22. Nxd4 $1 {White has won a pawn.} Bxg2 23. Kxg2 g6 24. Ne4 $1 Qe7 25. Nxf6+ (
{Even better is} 25. Nf5 $1 gxf5 26. Nxf6+ Qxf6 27. Bxe5 Rxc2 28. Bxf6 Rxd1 29.
Rxc2 {and White wins bishop c8 (NIC).}) 25... Qxf6 26. Qe2 Rxc1 27. Rxc1 Qd6
28. Qe4 (28. f4 $1 Qd5+ 29. Kg1 Nd7 30. Nc6 $1 {finishes the struggle.}) 28...
Qb4 29. Rc2 f5 30. Qe2 Qb7+ 31. Nc6 $1 Re8 $2 (31... Nxc6 32. Qe6+ Kf8 33. Rxc6
Qf7 {prolongs the game.}) 32. Kg1 Nf3+ 33. Qxf3 Re1+ 34. Kg2 Qb5 35. Rc4 {
Carlsen missed the win against Radjabov and Grischuk could not defeat Anand.
So Grischuk and Ivanchuk were leading by half-a-point on Carlsen.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "26"]
[Date "2009.03.07"]
[Round "14"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E92"]
[WhiteElo "2750"]
[BlackElo "2733"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "82"]
[EventDate "2009.??.??"]

1. c4 g6 2. Nf3 Bg7 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 O-O 5. e4 d6 6. Be2 e5 7. Be3 Ng4 8. Bg5
f6 9. Bc1 exd4 10. Nxd4 f5 11. h3 Nh6 12. exf5 Nxf5 13. Nxf5 Bxf5 14. Be3 Nc6
15. Qd2 a5 16. O-O Kh8 17. Rad1 Qf6 18. Nd5 Qf7 19. b3 $5 ({Damljanovic has
played} 19. Bh6 {in this position.}) 19... b6 20. a3 Rae8 21. Rfe1 Re6 22. Bf1
Rfe8 23. b4 axb4 24. axb4 h5 $5 25. b5 $1 Na5 26. Bd4 Kh7 27. Rxe6 Bxe6 28.
Bxg7 Qxg7 29. Re1 Qf7 30. Re4 $5 {White tries a trick.} Bxd5 31. Rf4 $5 Qg8 32.
cxd5 Nb3 $1 33. Qc3 Nc5 34. Qf3 Kg7 35. g4 Re5 36. Bc4 Qe8 37. Bd3 hxg4 38.
hxg4 Qe7 39. Kg2 Nd7 40. Bc2 Nf6 41. Rd4 Rg5 {All games were drawn in the last
round.   The final standings became: Grischuk 8/14 (winner on tie-break; he
had won more games), Ivanchuk 8, Carlsen 71/2, Anand 7, Radjabov, Wang and
Aronian 61/2, Dominguez 6. Linares 2009 had a prize fund of 314,000 Euros but
no appearance fees. Grischuk and Ivanchuk each won 87,500 and Carlsen got 50,
000.} 1/2-1/2

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "27"]
[Date "2010.02.14"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Black "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E55"]
[WhiteElo "2736"]
[BlackElo "2761"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "69"]
[EventDate "2010.??.??"]

{Six grandmasters played two cycles in Linares from 13 until 24 ii 2010. The
nine decided games have been selected.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O
5. Bd3 d5 6. Nf3 c5 7. O-O dxc4 8. Bxc4 Nbd7 9. Qe2 a6 10. a4 cxd4 11. exd4 Nb6
12. Bd3 Nbd5 13. Nxd5 Nxd5 $5 (13... exd5 {drew in Ivanchuk - Speelman,
Reykjavik 1991.}) 14. Qe4 g6 15. Bh6 Re8 16. Ne5 Bd7 17. Qf3 Qe7 {Gelfand
defends quietly.} 18. Be4 Bc6 19. Bxd5 Bxd5 20. Qf4 f5 21. h4 $5 Rac8 22. Rac1
Bd6 23. Rfe1 Qf6 $5 24. Rc3 Rxc3 25. bxc3 Rc8 26. Qg3 Be4 $6 {The defence
crumbles.} ({Preferable is} 26... Bxe5 $5 27. Rxe5 Qe7 {(Ftacnik).}) 27. h5 $1
Bxe5 28. dxe5 Qf7 29. Re3 Kh8 $2 {The king becomes more vulnerable.} ({Better
is} 29... Rc7 $1 30. hxg6 hxg6 31. Qg5 Rd7) 30. Qh4 $1 gxh5 $5 31. Rg3 Bd5 32.
a5 $1 {Grischuk triumphs on all fronts.} f4 33. Rg7 Qf5 34. Qe7 Qe4 35. Qf6 {
The resistance has been crushed.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "27"]
[Date "2010.02.14"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Gashimov, Vugar"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D11"]
[WhiteElo "2805"]
[BlackElo "2759"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "95"]
[EventDate "2010.??.??"]

{Topalov played a relaxed tournament as prepation for his match against Anand.
} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. e3 a6 5. Qc2 g6 6. Bd3 Bg7 7. O-O O-O 8. Nbd2
Nbd7 9. cxd5 cxd5 10. b3 Nb8 $5 {Gashimov springs a fine novelty.} 11. Ba3 Nc6
12. Rac1 Be6 13. Qb2 Re8 14. h3 Rc8 15. Rc2 Bf5 $5 16. Bxf5 gxf5 17. Ne1 $5 Ne4
18. Nd3 e5 19. Nxe4 dxe4 20. Nxe5 Nxe5 21. dxe5 Rxc2 $5 22. Qxc2 Qa5 $5 23. Bd6
Bxe5 24. b4 $5 Qd8 25. Bxe5 Rxe5 26. Rc1 Rd5 27. a4 b5 $5 28. axb5 Rxb5 29. Qa4
Qd6 30. Qa1 $1 {Suddenly Topalov threatens mate.} Qe5 $6 ({Preferable is} 30...
Qe6 $1 31. Qc3 Rd5 32. Qc8+ Qxc8 33. Rxc8+ Kg7) 31. Qxa6 $1 {White gains a
superior position.} Rxb4 32. Qh6 Rb8 33. g3 Qe6 34. Qf4 Rc8 35. Rd1 Rc6 $5 36.
Rd8+ Kg7 37. Kg2 h6 $2 (37... Rb6 $1 {prevents the next move.}) 38. Qb8 $1 Qf6
39. Rd5 $6 (39. Rh8 $1 Kg6 40. h4 $1 Rb6 41. Qg8+ {ends the game.}) 39... Re6
40. h4 h5 $2 (40... f4 $5 41. Qxf4 Qxf4 42. gxf4 {offers strong resistance in
a rook ending (Ftacnik).}) 41. Rd8 $1 Kh7 42. Rg8 $1 f4 43. gxf4 Qxh4 44. Rh8+
Kg6 45. Qg8+ Kf6 46. Qd8+ Re7 47. Rh6+ Kf5 ({Or} 47... Kg7 48. Qh8#) 48. Qd5+ {
White wins quickly.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "27"]
[Date "2010.02.18"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2805"]
[BlackElo "2736"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "137"]
[EventDate "2010.??.??"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 Ng4 7. Bc1 Nf6 8. h3
Nc6 9. g4 Qb6 10. Nde2 $5 ({Theory is} 10. Nb3) 10... e6 11. Bg2 Be7 12. b3 h6
13. Qd2 g5 $5 14. Ba3 Ne5 15. O-O-O Qxf2 $5 {Grischuk takes all risks.} 16.
Bxd6 Bxd6 $1 17. Qxd6 Nfd7 18. Nd4 $1 Qf6 ({The pointe is} 18... Qxg2 $2 19.
Nxe6 $1) 19. Qa3 $5 Qe7 20. Qb2 O-O 21. Nf5 $2 {Topalov attacks wildly.} exf5
22. Nd5 Qc5 23. exf5 a5 $1 {The queen's rook will develop through a6.} 24. h4
gxh4 25. Rxh4 Ra6 $1 26. Kb1 $5 Qf2 27. Ne7+ $5 Kg7 $2 (27... Kh7 $1 28. Rdh1
Qxg2 29. Qc1 Nxg4 30. Ng6 fxg6 31. Rxg4 Qxh1 32. Qxh1 Rxf5 33. Re4 Ne5 {leads
to a great black advantage (Ftacnik).}) 28. Rh2 f6 $2 {Time troubles start.}
29. g5 $2 fxg5 30. Nxc8 Raf6 $1 31. Ne7 R8f7 $6 32. Nd5 Nf3 $6 33. Bxf3 Qxh2
34. Nxf6 Nxf6 35. a4 Qf4 36. Bd5 Rd7 37. Re1 Qxf5 38. Bc4 $6 Qf2 $6 39. Qe5 Qd4
40. Qf5 Qg4 41. Qxa5 {White has the initiative.} Rd1+ 42. Rxd1 Qxd1+ 43. Kb2
Qd6 44. Qa7 $1 Qe5+ 45. Ka2 Qe4 46. Bd3 Qc6 47. a5 Nd5 $5 48. Qd4+ $1 Nf6 49.
Qe5 Kf8 50. c4 g4 51. Bf5 Kf7 52. Qb8 Ne8 $2 {Grischuk succumbs.} ({Correct is
} 52... h5 $1 53. Bc8 Qc5 54. Qxb7+ Kg6 55. a6 Qa5+ 56. Kb1 Qe1+ {and drawn by
perpetual check.}) 53. Qf4 Qc5 $6 {Grischuk misses the last chance.} (53... Nf6
$1 54. Qxh6 Qd6 55. Bxg4 Qe5 56. Bd1 Qxa5+ {fights back.}) 54. Bxg4+ Nf6 55.
Qf5 Qd4 56. Bf3 Qf2+ 57. Ka3 Kg7 58. Ka4 $1 b6 59. axb6 Qxb6 60. c5 Qa7+ 61.
Kb5 Qb8+ 62. Kc4 Qg8+ 63. Kc3 Qe8 64. b4 Qe1+ 65. Kc4 Qf1+ 66. Kb3 Qb5 67. Bd1
Qc6 68. Bc2 Kf7 69. Bd3 {Topalov scored plus two in the first cycle.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "27"]
[Date "2010.02.18"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Black "Gashimov, Vugar"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A61"]
[WhiteElo "2705"]
[BlackElo "2759"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "70"]
[EventDate "2010.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 c5 4. d5 d6 5. Nc3 exd5 6. cxd5 g6 7. Bf4 a6 8. a4
Bg7 9. h3 O-O 10. e3 Ne8 11. Be2 Nd7 12. O-O Qe7 13. Qb3 $5 ({Usual  is} 13.
Qc2) 13... Rb8 14. Nd2 f5 15. Nc4 $1 g5 $5 16. Bh2 f4 17. exf4 gxf4 ({The
alternative brings} 17... b5 $5 {(Informant)} 18. axb5 axb5 19. Na5 Bxc3 20.
bxc3 Qxe2 21. Rfe1 $5 c4 $5) 18. Rfe1 Ne5 19. Ne4 $6 (19. a5 $1 {continues the
restraint of the queenside.}) 19... b5 $1 {Black liberates himself.} 20. axb5
Rxb5 21. Qd1 Rb4 22. Rc1 Nxc4 23. Rxc4 Bxb2 $1 24. Rxb4 cxb4 25. Qc2 Bg7 26.
Qxc8 $6 ({More solid is} 26. Bd3) 26... Qxe4 27. Qe6+ $2 (27. Qxa6 b3 28. Qd3
Qxd3 29. Bxd3 {offers a strong resistance.}) 27... Qxe6 28. dxe6 Bc3 29. Rd1 a5
$1 30. Bb5 Nc7 31. Bd7 (31. e7 $5 Nxb5 $1 32. exf8=Q+ Kxf8 {wins for Black.})
31... Rf6 32. Rxd6 b3 $1 33. Rb6 b2 34. g4 Bb4 $1 35. Rb8+ Rf8 {Vallejo Pons
made grave errors during the second part of the game.} 0-1

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "27"]
[Date "2010.02.19"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Vallejo Pons, Francisco"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A29"]
[WhiteElo "2805"]
[BlackElo "2705"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "80"]
[EventDate "2010.??.??"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2 Nb6 7. a3 g5 8. d3
g4 9. Nd2 h5 10. b4 h4 11. Bb2 Rh6 12. Nb3 $6 Nd4 13. Nc5 c6 14. e3 Ne6 15. O-O
$6 hxg3 16. fxg3 Nxc5 17. bxc5 Bxc5 {Black has won a pawn.} 18. Qe2 Be7 19.
Rad1 f5 20. Qf2 Be6 21. e4 Rh5 22. Ne2 Qc7 23. exf5 Rxf5 24. Qe3 Na4 25. Qh6 $6
Kd7 $1 26. Rxf5 Nxb2 $1 27. Rdf1 Bxf5 28. Rxf5 Nxd3 29. h4 Qd6 30. Qg7 Qxa3 31.
Kh2 a5 $6 32. Rf7 a4 $6 33. h5 $6 Ne1 $6 34. Qxg4+ Kc7 35. Qe6 Re8 36. Qxe5+
Kb6 37. Rf5 Qb4 38. Qe3+ Bc5 $4 (38... Kc7 39. Qe5+ Kb6 {leads to perpetual
check.}) 39. Qxe8 Nxg2 40. Kxg2 a3 {Vallejo had spoiled another game.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "27"]
[Date "2010.02.21"]
[Round "8"]
[White "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Black "Gashimov, Vugar"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A62"]
[WhiteElo "2736"]
[BlackElo "2759"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "79"]
[EventDate "2010.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 c5 4. d5 d6 5. Nc3 exd5 6. cxd5 g6 7. g3 Bg7 8. Bg2
O-O 9. O-O Re8 10. Bf4 Na6 11. Re1 Bg4 12. Qb3 Nh5 $5 {The knight chases Bf4.}
13. Bg5 Qd7 14. Nd2 h6 15. Be3 Bf5 $6 {Black loses time.} ({Better is} 15...
Nc7 $1 16. a4 b6 17. Nc4 Rad8 {(Marin).}) 16. Nc4 $1 Nb4 17. Rac1 Rab8 18. a4
b6 $6 (18... Bf8 19. f3 Bh3 {restores the equality.}) 19. Nb5 Bf8 $2 (19... Be4
$1 20. Bxe4 Rxe4 21. Nbxd6 Re7 22. Rcd1 Qh3 {gains counter-play for a pawn.})
20. Bd2 $1 a6 21. Nbxd6 $1 b5 $5 ({The pointe is} 21... Bxd6 22. e4 $1 Bxe4 23.
Rxe4 Rxe4 24. Bxe4) 22. Nxe8 bxc4 23. Qxc4 Rxe8 24. Bxb4 cxb4 25. e4 Bg4 26. e5
Qf5 27. e6 $1 fxe6 28. dxe6 Be7 29. f3 Bh3 30. g4 Qg5 31. Bxh3 Nf4 32. Bf1 Rf8
33. Qc7 h5 34. Qe5 Qh4 35. Re4 Nh3+ 36. Bxh3 Qxh3 37. Qg3 hxg4 38. Qxh3 gxh3
39. Kf2 Rd8 40. Ke2 {Grischuk achieved a positive score.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "27"]
[Date "2010.02.23"]
[Round "9"]
[White "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Black "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "E15"]
[WhiteElo "2736"]
[BlackElo "2805"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "111"]
[EventDate "2010.??.??"]

{Grischuk trailed by one point, when the round began.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3.
Nf3 b6 4. g3 Ba6 5. b3 Bb4+ 6. Bd2 Be7 7. Nc3 O-O 8. Rc1 Ba3 9. Rc2 Nc6 10. Bg5
h6 11. Bxf6 Qxf6 12. Bg2 d5 13. O-O $5 dxc4 14. bxc4 Rad8 ({Not} 14... Bxc4 $2
15. Ne4 Qf5 16. Rxc4 Qxe4 17. Nd2 {(Ftacnik).}) 15. Rd2 Bb4 16. Qb3 Bxc3 $5 17.
Qxc3 Na5 18. c5 $1 {White restricts the queenside.} Nc4 19. Rc2 bxc5 20. Qb3 $1
{Topalov starts to think.} cxd4 $2 (20... Nd6 $1 21. Qa3 Bb7 22. Rxc5 {
(Grischuk)} a6 $1 23. Ne5 Nb5 {almost equalises.}) 21. Rxc4 Rb8 22. Qc2 Bxc4
23. Qxc4 {White has a material edge.} e5 24. Qxc7 Rfe8 $5 25. Qxa7 Rb2 26. Re1
g6 27. a4 Rd8 $6 28. Qa5 e4 29. Nd2 e3 30. fxe3 d3 $6 31. Ne4 Qe7 32. exd3 Rxd3
33. Qa8+ Kg7 34. Qc6 $6 f5 $1 {A counteraction begins.} 35. Nf2 Rdd2 $6 (35...
Rxe3 $1 36. Rf1 $1 Ree2 37. Bd5 Rbd2 38. Bc4 Re1 {fights back (Grischuk).}) 36.
Qc3+ Kh7 37. Rf1 Rbc2 $1 38. Qb3 Rb2 39. Qc3 Rbc2 40. Qb3 Rb2 41. Qc4 $1 h5 (
41... Qxe3 42. Qf7+ Kh8 43. Qf8+ Kh7 44. Bd5 $1 Rxd5 45. Qf7+ Kh8 46. Qxd5 {
wins for White.}) 42. Qf4 Re2 43. Bf3 Rec2 44. Nd3 Ra2 45. Nb4 $1 Rxa4 46. Nxc2
Rxf4 47. gxf4 Kh6 48. Rb1 Qe6 49. Re1 Qa2 50. Nd4 h4 51. Be2 g5 52. fxg5+ Kxg5
53. Rf1 Kg6 54. Rxf5 Qb1+ 55. Rf1 Qe4 56. Kf2 {Grischuk shared the lead with
Topalov at the end of the penultimate round.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "27"]
[Date "2010.02.24"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Aronian, Levon"]
[Black "Gashimov, Vugar"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A61"]
[WhiteElo "2781"]
[BlackElo "2759"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "115"]
[EventDate "2010.??.??"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 c5 4. d5 d6 5. Nc3 exd5 6. cxd5 g6 7. Bf4 a6 8. a4
Bg7 9. h3 O-O 10. e3 Ne8 11. Be2 Nd7 12. O-O Qe7 13. Re1 h6 $5 14. a5 Nc7 15.
Rc1 f5 16. Qb3 g5 17. Bg3 Rb8 18. Na4 b5 $1 19. axb6 Na8 20. Ra1 Naxb6 {Black
has almost equalised.} 21. Nc3 Na8 $1 22. Qc2 Nc7 23. Bc4 Rb4 24. b3 Nf6 $2 25.
Ra5 $2 ({White misses} 25. Ne5 $1 Rxc4 $5 26. Nxc4 {(Marin).}) 25... Nd7 26.
Na4 Kh8 27. Nb2 Rb6 28. Rd1 Nb5 29. Bd3 Nc3 30. Rd2 Ne4 31. Bxe4 fxe4 32. Ne1
Bxb2 $5 33. Qxb2+ Kg8 $6 ({Preferable is} 33... Nf6) 34. Nc2 $1 {Aronian takes
the initiative.} Nf6 35. Na3 Ne8 36. Nc4 $1 Rb5 37. Ra4 h5 38. Na5 h4 39. Bh2
Bf5 40. Nc6 Qb7 41. b4 $1 Bd7 $6 (41... cxb4 $1 42. Rxb4 Rxb4 43. Qxb4 Qxb4 44.
Nxb4 Rf7 $1 45. Nc6 (45. Nxa6 $4 Rb7 46. Rd1 Rb6 47. Ra1 Bc8) 45... Rb7 46. Rd1
{leads to equality.}) 42. Qc2 Bf5 43. bxc5 Rxc5 44. Qd1 Rb5 45. Ra1 Bc8 46. Rc1
Bf5 47. Nd8 $5 Qe7 48. Ne6 $1 Bxe6 49. dxe6 Qxe6 50. Bxd6 Nxd6 $2 (50... Rff5
$1 51. Ba3 Rfd5 {keeps the defence closed.}) 51. Rxd6 Qf5 52. Qh5 $1 Rb7 53.
Rg6+ Rg7 54. Rh6 $1 Rh7 55. Rxh7 Qxh7 56. Qxg5+ Qg7 57. Qxh4 Qg6 58. Rc5 {
Aronian ended the event with a positive score.} 1-0

[Event "Linares"]
[Site "27"]
[Date "2010.02.24"]
[Round "10"]
[White "Topalov, Veselin"]
[Black "Gelfand, Boris"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C42"]
[WhiteElo "2805"]
[BlackElo "2761"]
[Annotator "JvR"]
[PlyCount "123"]
[EventDate "2010.??.??"]

{Topalov wants to win the game.} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5.
Nc3 Nxc3 6. dxc3 Be7 7. Be3 O-O 8. Qd2 Nd7 9. O-O-O Re8 10. h4 c6 11. h5 h6 $5
12. Kb1 Nf6 13. Bd3 Bf8 14. Rdg1 Ng4 $5 15. Bf4 Qf6 16. Nh2 Nxh2 $2 ({
Preferable is} 16... Ne5 17. g4 Nxd3 18. cxd3 Qe7 {(Kritz).}) 17. Rxh2 Bf5 18.
Bxf5 Qxf5 19. g4 Qe4 20. g5 $1 {White attacks.} hxg5 21. Bxg5 Qe2 $6 {Black is
going to lose an exchange.} (21... Kh7 $1 22. h6 $5 g6 {defends courageously.})
22. Qxe2 Rxe2 23. Be3 $1 Rxe3 24. fxe3 Re8 25. Rh3 Re6 26. c4 $6 ({Even better
is} 26. h6 $1 g6 27. h7+) 26... Be7 27. Rf3 $6 Re5 28. Rgf1 $6 Rxh5 29. Rxf7
Re5 30. R7f3 Bf6 31. c3 $6 Re4 32. Rxf6 $2 {This sacrifice leads to a drawn
rook ending.} gxf6 33. Rxf6 Rxe3 34. Rxd6 Kf7 $1 35. Kc2 {Exchange of the
rooks draws.} Re2+ 36. Kb3 Ke7 37. Rd4 c5 38. Rd3 b6 39. Ka3 Rc2 40. Rd5 a5 41.
Rd3 Rh2 42. b3 Rc2 43. Ka4 $5 {The last chance.} Rxa2+ 44. Kb5 Rb2 45. Kxb6 a4
$1 46. Kxc5 Rxb3 $5 47. Kc6 a3 48. c5 Ke8 $6 {The king goes into the wrong
direction.} ({Better is} 48... a2 49. Rd7+ Ke6 $1 50. Ra7 Rb2 $1) 49. Rh3 a2 $2
(49... Ke7 $1 50. Rh8 Rxc3 51. Ra8 Ke6 {still draws (Smeets).}) 50. Rh8+ Ke7
51. Ra8 Rb2 52. Kc7 $1 Rc2 53. c6 Rb2 54. c4 Rc2 55. Ra6 Rb2 56. c5 Ke6 57. Ra5
Rc2 58. Kb7 Rb2+ 59. Kc8 Ke7 60. c7 Ke8 61. Rxa2 $1 Rxa2 62. Kb7 {Topalov had
triumphed in the event.   The final standings became: Topalov 61/2/10,
Grischuk 6, Aronian 51/2, Vallejo Pons, Gelfand and Gashimov 4.} 1-0

