Kramnik Wins Bilbao 2010

Vladimir Kramnik comfortably achieved a draw with the black pieces in the final round against Shirov which was enough to finish as the sole winner of the Bilbao Final Masters 2010.

Only Anand could catch Kramnik, but he needed to beat Carlsen to force a tie-break playoff with the Russian.

Despite having white, Anand's opening was not a success and it was Carlsen who had the best chances in the middle-game as the world champion was forced onto the backfoot.

The pendulum swung once again to give Anand the upper hand in the endgame, but it was not enough to win and a draw by repetition concluded an exciting tournament.

So Vladimir Kramnik took first place in Bilbao, which judging by the Elo ratings of the participants was the strongest tournament in chess history.

Magnus Carlsen was below par in Bilbao, but the quality of the opposition could not have been tougher.  On the live rating list, Anand has achieved his aim of reclaiming the #1 spot to go with his world title.

Congratulations to all the players on the fighting chess displayed throughout the event!

The final standings: