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Super-GM tournament in Nanjing, China
07.12.2008 – Just when you thought we were in for a Christmas break, the next Super tournament in the category of Wijk, Linares and Dortmund starts. It includes Topalov, Ivanchuk, Aronian, Movsesian, Svidler, and Bu Xiangzhi and will be staged in the beautiful Mingfa Pearl Spring Hotel in Nanjing, a subtropical city that used to be the capital of China. The tournament web site has pictures and videos. |
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Nanjing R2: Aronian, Movsesian win
12.12.2008 – Peter Svidler fell into trouble against the Slovakian GM Sergey Movsesian after the time control, and then blundered badly to lose the game with the white pieces. Levon Aronian outplayed the second seed Vassily Ivanchuk to take a full point. And the local hero Bu Xiangzhi as Black in a Slav held the top seed Veselin Topalov to an iron draw. Games, commentary, pictures from Nanjing. |
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Nanjing: Bu draws first blood in Super-GM
12.12.2008 – Aronian-Topalov and Ivanchuk-Svidler were drawn, but the Chinese GM and ex-prodigy Bu Xiangzhi outplayed Sergey Movsesian of Slovakia in an interesting endgame to pick up two pawns and take the full point. Before the games began there was a spectacular opening ceremony, like none that the chess journalist Leontxo Garcia has witnessed in 25 years. Here is his report from Nanjing. |
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Nanjing R3: All three games drawn, Aronian, Bu lead
13.12.2008 – All three games were drawn – more or less uneventfully – in the Pearl Spring Chess Tournament in Nanjing, China. With the dust settled we see Levon Aronian and Bu Xiangzhi in the lead with 2.0/5. Veselin Topalov has drawn all three games and together with Sergei Movsesian, who lost and won one, is in the middle. Ivanchuk and Svidler have 1.0/3 each. Full illustrated report. |
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Nanjing R4: All games drawn, pictures from the opening
14.12.2008 – Once again all games at the Pearl Springs event were drawn. Sergei Movsesian drew by repetition on move 28 against Veselin Topalov; Bu Xiangzhi drew in 30 moves against Vassily Ivanchuk; and Peter Svidler drew in spite of the Worrall Attack against Levon Aronian in 48 moves. But not to worry: we have new pictures from the opening ceremony spectacle to share with you. Don't miss them! |
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The Father of the Euro – and of the Nanjing Tournament
15.12.2008 – Robert Alexander Mundell is an economy professor working and a Nobel Prize winner. In the 1970s he laid the groundwork for the introduction of the Euro, and a few years ago for the staging of an international Super GM chess tournament in Nanjing. On Monday he visited the event he had initiated and spoke with journalists there. We bring you pictures and excerpts from the interviews. |
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Nanjing R5: Topalov beats Svidler, joins leaders
15.12.2008 – The top seed Veselin Topalov beat Peter Svidler in an Exchange Grünfeld after a novelty on move 13. With that the Bulgarian GM joins Levon Aronian and Bu Xiangzhi in the lead at the Pearl Spring Chess Tournament in Nanjing, China. All three have 3.0/5 points. Vassily Ivanchuk vs Sergei Movsesian and Levon Aronian vs Bu Xiangzhi were both drawn. Full illustrated report. |
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Nanjing R6: Topalov beats Aronian, Bu beats Movsesian
17.12.2008 – Veselin Topalov is on the rampage. After drawing the first four games the top seed at the Pearl Spring Tournament has now won two in a row and is in the lead. He is accompanied by the Chinese GM Bu Xiangzhi, who beat Sergei Movsesian for a second time in this tournament. Both GMs are a full point ahead of the rest of the field. We bring you a full illustrated report and interviews. |
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Nanjing R8: Topalov defeats Ivanchuk, leads by a full point
19.12.2008 – Veselin Topalov has done it again: in round eight of the Pearl Spring Tournament the former FIDE world champion chalked up another victory, defeating the second seed Vassily Ivanchuk in convincing style to take sole lead in the table, a full point ahead of his colleagues. Peter Svidler put a damper on the ambitions of Bu Xiangzhi, giving the Chinese GM his first loss in the event. Illustrated report. |
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Nanjing R7: Svidler and Aronian win, Bu-Topalov drawn
19.12.2008 – By far the most attention was given to the game between the leaders of the Pearl Spring Tournament: Bu Xiangzhi vs Topalov ended in a 70-move draw, with the Chinese GM pressing. Meanwhile there was plenty of (black) action in the other two games: Peter Svidler beat Sergei Movsesian, and Levon Aronian beat Vassily Ivanchuk, who had an accident with his chair. Full illustrated report. |
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Nanjing R9: Topalov defeats Svidler, wins Pearl Spring
20.12.2008 – Is he on his way to becoming the greatest player in the history of chess? Veselin Topalov won the penultimate game of the Super-GM in Nanjing, beating Peter Svidler with the black pieces. That puts him a point and a half ahead of the field and clear the winner of the event. Topalov's "live rating" is now 2810, almost 20 points ahead of World Champion Viswanathan Anand. Full illustrated report. |
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Nanjing R10: Topalov wins Pearl Spring with 2890 performance
21.12.2008 – Ivanchuk outplayed the Chinese GM Bu Xiangzhi to take a final point in the Pearl Spring Tournament in Nanjing. Aronian-Svidler was drawn in 45 moves, while the Slav between Topalov and Movsesian lasted 32 moves before peace was agreed. In the final standings Veselin Topalov finished a point and a half ahead of the field – another remarkable performance by the Bulgarian Super-GM. Final report. |
