Good start Mtel Masters

The organizers of the Mtel Masters in Sofia couldn't have hoped for a better start of their 2008 tournament. Both Topalov and Cheparinov won; against Aronian and Bu respectively. Ivanchuk defeated Radjabov.

Contrary to his usual style, Topalov started very well this time: he beat Aronian in a great game. It started quietly but then it became clear the Bulgarian wasn't satisfied with half a point. He started a massage of White's kingside with his queen and knight, and eventually he could decide the game with the fancy combination 36...Re3!! which forced a liquidation to a winning ending.

Cheparinov's endgame win against Bu was the typical Sicilian knightmare: good White knight against bad bishop e7 with the d6-e5 structure. Radjabov might have underestimated Ivanchuk's profound understanding of the game: at first the Azeri's win of an exchange wasn't really successful and then it really went wrong in a pawn ending.



Pairings round 2:

Bu Xiangzhi - Radjabov Aronian - Cheparinov Topalov - Ivanchuk

Videos by Europe-Echecs:






The venue: the Central Military Club in Sofia, Bulgaria


The drawing of lots


Levon Aronian picks his number


At the press conference


The players play their game in a glass cage. The construction's dimensions are 8 ?ë‚Ķ 8 ?ë‚Ķ 3.5 m. The floor is entirely made of laminated glass, designed as a chessboard and four columns. The cage was designed by Stilstroy Proekt in a team with the designer Altan Ibrahimov, architect Donka Zaneva and the engineer Ivan Nenkov. One of Europe's leading acoustics experts ?¢‚Ǩ‚Äú Elia Spasov. He works with the jazz festival in Montreux and has consulted legendary bands like Metallica and Deep Purple. The isolation of the wall is comparable to that of 7-meter wall.
Aronian-Topalov: the top match already in round 1


Ivan Cheparinov, who found the time to visit a hairdresser between tournaments


Teimour Radjabov, also right from Baku to Sofia


Bu Xiangzhi, China's number one


Vassily Ivanchuk, this time not at the Capablanca Memorial

Links:

• Tournament website
• Games in PGN