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Nanjing: Carlsen wins with the Scotch
28.09.2009 – Garry Kasparov will be proud. His chess charge, Magnus Carlsen, won his first-round game against Peter Leko at the Pearl Spring Chess Tournament with a convincing Scotch Opening – Kasparov's favourite during his active career. The other two games, Topalov-Jakovenko and Wang Yue-Radjabov were fighting draws. A big pictorial report follows, here for now are the games and analysis. |
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Nanjing: Carlsen strikes again, defeats Topalov
29.09.2009 – The training sessions with Garry Kasparov seem to be working out. In round two Magnus Carlsen scored a second, very convincing victory – over top seed Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria. Peter Leko drew Teimour Radjabov in 32, Dmitry Jakovenko drew Wang Yue in 35 moves. Magnus leads by a full point. We bring you an updated report with pictures and commentary. |
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Nanjing: Opening ceremony, Women's Grand Prix
29.09.2009 – The Second Nanjing Pearl Spring Chess Tournament started off with a traditionally colourful pageant, with Chinese mimes, dancers, singers and acrobats – a visual feast. On Monday, in addition to the Men's Tournament the Nanjing Fide Women Grand Prix got under way, a category eight tournament with an Elo average of 2447. Here's a giant pictorial report with analysis of all games. |
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Nanjing: Dzagnidze leads FIDE Women Grand Prix
30.09.2009 – Third round and things are heating up. Whilst in the men's tournament Magnus Carlsen narrowly failed to win, in the FIDE Women's Grand Prix GM Nana Dzagnidze was the sole player to remain on 100% with 3/3. She is followed by former Women's World Champion GM Xu Yuhua and the untitled Ju Wenjun, both from China. Report with gorgeous pictures and annotated games. |
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Nanjing: Wang Yue stops Carlsen rampage
30.09.2009 – For a long time in round three it looked like Magnus Carlsen was going to pick up his third victory. The Norwegian had an extra pawn and great attacking opportunities. But he had used too much time and on his last move before the time control spoilt it to a draw. Peter Leko struggled with black against Veselin Topalov, but held; while Radjabov-Jakovenko was a less exciting draw. Illustrated report. |
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Henrik Carlsen on the Nanjing Tournament
30.09.2009 – It took them 22 hours to get there – door to door. But after a quick acclimatizing the two, father and son, have settled down in the splendid hotel and are thinking chess, table tennis and Chinese food. Magnus won his first two games in the Pearl Spring Tournament, with his father Henrik watches, as usual, anxiously from the sidelines. Here's a first installment of his Nanjing blog. |
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Nanjing: Dzagnidze leads FIDE Women Grand Prix
30.09.2009 – The gloves came off in the second round of the women's event that is taking place parallel to the Pearl Spring tournament. After three wins in the first round we saw four decisive games in the second. Even the draws went the full length and all possibilities were exhausted before they were accepted by the Chief Arbiter Ignatius Leong. Report by FM Geoffrey Borg. |
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Nanjing: Carlsen strikes again, third win in four games
01.10.2009 – The rampage continues: in round four of Pearl Spring 18-year-old Norwegian GM Magnus Carlsen showed grit and determination to win his third game, against Russian GM Dmitry Jakovenko, with the black pieces. Magnus now has a performance of over 3100. Radjabov had Topalov on the ropes, but could not score a first victory. Wang Yue-Leko was a draw in 29 moves. Illustrated report. |
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FIDE Grand Prix: Dzagnidze leads with 4.0/4 and 3191 performance
02.10.2009 – Magnus Carlsen is not the only stratospheric player in Nanjing. In the Women's Grand Prix GM Nana Dzagnidze of Georgia, rated 2535, is blazing a trail through her opponents. With four wins in her first four games she has displayed a 3191 performance. Former Women's World Champion GM Xu Yuhua remains half a point behind. Big report with portrait pictures and annotated games. |
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Nanjing: Carlsen wins again, leads with 4.5/5 points
03.10.2009 – Words fail us: Magnus Carlsen has won again, beating Teimour Radjabov in a ferocious 25-move slugout. At halftime at the Pearl Spring tournament the Norwegian leads by two full points and displays an Elo performance of 3143. The other games were drawn. We have an interesting historical assessment of Carlsen's performance by chess statistician Jeff Sonas in our illustrated report. |
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Nanjing: Carlsen draws, Topalov beats Jakovenko
04.10.2009 – Dmitry Jakovenko had the world's rating leader Veselin Topalov struggling in a very dangerous position. But then the Russian GM started to lose the thread, and on move 25 blundered badly and actually lost the game in just four more moves. Peter Leko pressured Magnus Carlsen's Gruenfeld, but the Norwegian sacrificed an exchange and held the game. Round six report. |
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FIDE Grand Prix: Dzagnidze stopped by Marie Sebag
04.10.2009 – French GM Marie Sebag stopped the winning streak of GM Nana Dzagnidze with a fine black win. As expected, in the last round before a free day the players came out fighting, and again there were four wins and two draws. This brings the total results so far to 19 wins out of 30 games and 11 draws, a 63% wins ratio which is extraordinary.
Big report with pictures and annotated games. |
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Nanjing: All games drawn, Carlsen leads by two points
05.10.2009 – The most anticipated game of the day was Veselin Topalov vs Magnus Carlsen. The ensuing Sveshnikov saw a well-prepared Carlsen hold the world's number one ranked player to a relatively effortless draw in just over an hour. Wang Yue-Jakovenko was an interesting Gruenfeld that was drawn in 42 moves. Radjabov-Leko was a less interesting 34-move draw. Illustrated report. |
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FIDE Grand Prix: Dzagnidze restarts with win over Xu Yuhua
05.10.2009 – She won the first four games, then lost game five. After a splendid rest day, consisting of a visit to the visited the Sun Yat-Sen Mausoleum, the Presidential Palace and a ride along the river canals of Nanjing, GM Nana Dzagnidze took up her winning ways with a victory over former Women's World Champion Xu Yuhua. She leads by a full point, ahead of Marie Sebag. Pictorial report with commentary. |
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Nanjing: Carlsen, Topalov, Jakovenko win
06.10.2009 – Both had dodgy positions out of the opening, both showed great fighting spirit and worked their way back into the game, ultimately to take the full point. Veselin Topalov beat Peter Leko with the black pieces, and Magnus Carlsen won his fifth game in this event, against Wang Yue. Jakovenko beat Radjabov in 72 moves. Round eight report with commentary by IM Oliver Reeh. |
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FIDE Grand Prix: Shen Yang beats Dzagnidze, Marie Sebag catches up
06.10.2009 – GM Nana Dzagnidze was dragged back down to earth, by local player WGM Shen Yang, who beat her with the black pieces. That brought the Georgian's performance down to 2576. Meanwhile French GM Marie Sebag beat Betul Yildiz, also with the black pieces, to catch Dzagnidze at the top of the table. Two Chinese GMs follow half a point behind. Big illustrated report and commentary. |
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FIDE Grand Prix: Chicken pox strikes, Dzagnidze and Xu lead
08.10.2009 – At two in the morning she summoned the hotel doctor, who diagnosed chicken pox. Chief Arbiter Ignatius Leong decided that WGM Batkhuyag Mungutuul of Mongolia could continue playing, in an isolated room, with a face mask and sergical gloves. In the meantime Marie Sebag lost to Baira Kovanova and handed the lead over back to Nana Dzagnidze and Xu Yuhua. Pictorial report. |
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FIDE Grand Prix: Marie Sebag in the lead
08.10.2009 – After the comet-like start of Georgian GM Nana Dzagnidze a new star has risen in the Nanjing Women's Grand Prix. With a win over former Women's World Champion Zhu Chen it is now French GM Marie Sebag who is in the sole lead. She is followed by Dzagnidze and Chinese GM Xu Yuhua. Pictorial report with commentary by FM Geoffrey Borg. |
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FIDE Women Grand Prix: Xu Yuhua leads
09.10.2009 – The penultimate round of this Women's event was the most important. Two of the ladies in the leading group, Xu Yuhua and Zhao Xue, were able to take full points against players in the middle of the table, while Georgian GM Nana Dzagnidze drew her "remote game" against chicken-pox stricken Batkhuyag Mungutuul. Xu is in the lead by half a point. Pictorial report with commentary. |
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Nanjing: Carlsen wins Pearl Spring with one round to go
09.10.2009 – Magnus Carlsen drew the black side of a Grünfeld against Teimour Radjabov in the penultimate round to secure sole victory in this Super-GM event. Carlsen has 7.0/9 (= +5), two more than his nearest rival, and his performance so far is 2981. The other two games were also drawn, with all three showing good fighting spirit. Full illustrated report. |
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Nanjing: Carlsen wins Pearl Spring with 3002 performance
10.10.2009 – In the final round, while we all were still asleep here in Europe, Magnus Carlsen scored a parting victory over Russian GM Dmitry Jakovenko. The other two games were drawn, which left the young Norwegian an unprecedented two and a half points ahead of the field. In the next rating list Carlsen will join the elite group (of just four players) who have crossed 2800. Full illustrated report. |
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FIDE Women Grand Prix: Xu Yuhua wins
11.10.2009 – In 2006 she won the Women's World Championship in Ekaterinburg, three months pregnant at the time. Now GM Xu Yuhua has won the FIDE Women Grand Prix in Nanjing, with 8.0/11 points and a 2619 performance. The final round leading to this victory was especially dramatic in a tournament that produced a sensationally low 33.3% draw average. Big final pictorial report. |
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Facts and figures: Magnus Carlsen's performance in Nanjing
12.10.2009 – With his 8.0/10 score at the recent Pearl Spring tournament 18-year-old Magnus Carlsen will certainly go into the record books. But how does his result fit among the all-time great performances? Using a new formula that takes the length of a tournament or match into consideration, chess statistician Jeff Sonas evaluates Magnus' Nanjing performance and puts it into historical perspective. |
