Grischuk Takes Early Bilbao Lead

With only four combatants in the Grand Slam Final in Bilbao, there are just two games per round to entertain us.  Fortunately, all the players have reputations for dynamic play, so we should have enough action to keep us happy.

The Karjakin v Shirov encounter starting promisingly with a Sicilian Dragon, but after mass exchanges of most of the minor pieces, including the dangerous dragon bishop, the players failed to avoid a draw by repetition.

That left Grischuk to see if he could make a dent in the formidable Lev Aronian's armour.  Another sharp opening ensued - the Anti-Meran Gambit - and Aronian enterprisingly sacrificed the exchange.  However, Grischuk managed to find active play for his rooks and despite Aronian's bishop pair and advanced queenside pawn phalanx, he couldn't save the game.

But the major reason for Aronian loss was that I picked him as my tip to win in the comments to my previous news report!

Aronian and Grischuk start their game as the eager crowds look on from outside the soundproofed "Aquarium" (pic from the official site).