Carlsen Takes Early Lead In Biel

Strong ratings favourite Magnus Carlsen lived up to his billing by beating Yannick Pelletier in the opening round of the 2011 Biel Grandmaster Tournament.

Carlsen quickly gained the upper hand with the black pieces, but it took nearly 90 moves to finally subdue the local player.  The other games were drawn, leaving Carlsen as the sole leader after the first round of this double round-robin event.

Smile! Left to right, Caruana, Shirov, Vachier-Lagrave, Morozevich, Pelletier, Carlsen

Games get underway each day at 14:00 local time (12:00 UTC, 08:00 Eastern), except the final round on 29 July which starts three hours earlier.  There are rest days on 21 July and 24 July. Live games can be followed from this link at the official website.

Group photo from the Biel Festival's Facebook Page.