Aronian Confirms Grand Slam Victory
Both games were drawn in the sixth and final round in the Grand Slam Final in Bilbao, confirming Lev Aronian as the tournament winner.
After losing in the first round, Aronian then won four games in a row to put himself in an unassailable position. He gets a cheque for 35,000 euros for his excellent result, finishing on a score of 13/18 using the unusual 3-1-0 scoring system.
Under the standard scoring system, Grischuk and Karjakin would have tied for second on 3/6, but since Grischuk scored two wins compared to Karjakin's one, he finishes a point ahead in the final standings.
| Levon Aronian | 13 |
| Alexander Grischuk | 8 |
| Sergey Karjakin | 7 |
| Alexei Shirov | 3 |
Despite ending in draws, the final round games were not without interest, with the Sofia rules helping to keep the players 'honest'. Shirov pushed hard against Grischuk in a Sicilian Najdorf, but missed some winning chances to allow the Russian a draw. A disappointing end to a disappointing tournament for Shirov, but his 20,000 euros for last place might help cushion the blow just slightly.
