Biel/Bienne 2008

41st Biel Chess Festival under way
21.07.2008 – Two rounds have been played in the idyllic Swiss town of Biel (or Bienne), in this category 18 event, with the players Magnus Carlsen, Evgeny Alekseev, Leinier Dominguez, Etienne Bacrot, Alexander Onischuk and Yannick Pelletier competing. After two rounds Carlsen and Alekseev are in the lead, having beaten Pelletier and Bacrot respectively. First report.

Biel R3: Carlsen, Onischuk win, Carlsen leads
22.07.2008 – After three rounds of play the top seed in the Grandmaster Tournament in Biel, 17-year-old Magnus Carlsen, already has two victories under his belt. In an aggressive game against top French GM Etienne Bacrot, after a little hiccup the Norwegian took the point in 31 moves. Alexander Onischuk needed 57 to grind down Yannick Pelletier and join Evgeny Alekseev in second place. Round three report.

Biel R4: Evgeny Alekseev and Leinier Dominguez win
24.07.2008 – Before this round Magnus Carlsen was just two points behind Vishy Anand in the inofficial "live ratings". A win would have put him over the top. But that was not to be: Carlsen drew against Alexander Onischuk with black. Meanwhile Bacrot and Pelletier continued their losing streak, falling to Dominguez and Alekseev respectively. The latter joins Carlsen in the lead. Round four report.

Biel R5: Bacrot beats Pelletier, Carlsen and Aleksev lead
25.07.2008 – It was like in the 19th stage of the Tour de France: nothing changed at in the top part of the table, as the games Carlsen-Dominguez and Alekseev-Onischuk were drawn. But at the bottom end Etienne Bacrot scored his first victory in this tournament, against Swiss GM Yannick Pelletier, who suffered his fourth defeat. Round five halftime report.

Biel R6: Carlsen, Dominguez and Bacrot win
27.07.2008 – All three games reached decisions in round six of the Biel GM tournament. Magnus Carlsen defeated Yannick Pelletier with the black pieces, while co-leader Evgeny Alekseev imploded against Etienne Bacrot. Alexander Onischuk got into trouble against Leinier Dominguez, then turned the game into a theoretical draw, only to lose it when his Cuban opponent played on. Exciting games.

Biel R7: Dominguez, Alekseev, Bacrot win, Dominguez leads
28.07.2008 – We had almost forgotten that it was possible: Magnus Carlsen can lose a game. The Norwegian pressed for a win against Evgeny Alekseev for over 70 moves and then lost a pawn race. Leinier Dominguez defeated the luckless Yannick Pelletier to take over the lead from Carlsen, and Etienne Bacrot continued his comeback with a black win over Alexander Onischuk. Round seven report.

Biel R8: Dominguez wins, Pelletier draws
29.07.2008 – The news is that the Cuban GM Leinier Dominguez defeated Evgeny Alekseev from Russia with the black pieces, taking a full point lead in Biel. Magnus Carlsen made it possible by drawing with black against Etienne Bacrot. The other newsworthy item: Yannick Pelletier managed to chalk up a second draw, against Onischuk, to bring his total to one point. Round eight report.

Biel R10: Alekseev catches Dominguez, wins tiebreak
31.07.2008 – What a turn of events! Russian GM Evgeny Alekseev caught the leader, Cuban GM Leinier Dominguez, who had been coasting to sole victory. Alekseev beat Pelletier, while Dominguez succumbed to revitalised French GM Etienne Bacrot. Magnus Carlsen was unable to overcome Alexander Onischuk's defence. In the tiebreak Alekseev won the second blitz game to take overall victory. Express report.

Biel R9: Alekseev beats Onischuk, Dominguez leads
31.07.2008 – Russian GM Evgeny Alekseev took a full point from Alexander Onischuk, USA, to join Magnus Carlsen in second place. Cuban grandmaster Leinier Dominguez, who in round nine had good chances against top seed Carlsen, is still a full point ahead and assured at least joint first in the tournament. The final round begins an hour earlier to accommodate possible tiebreaks. Round nine report.

Biel 2008: impressions from the final round
04.08.2008 – A few days ago the 41st Biel Chess Festival ended – with a colossal bang. First there were human fireworks, then the celestial variety, with a violent thunderstorm raging over the city. The next morning saw the prize-giving ceremony, then came a mad dash to deliver Magnus Carlsen to the Chess Classic in Mainz. Now that peace has returned to our lives here's a pictorial retrospect of Biel.