Linares Rd2: Topalov And Grischuk Win
Veselin Topalov and Alexander Grischuk (pictured) both won with the white pieces in their second round games at Linares to emerge as the early leaders.
Topalov defeated Gashimov's Slav defence with an impressive display where black's more exposed king proved vulnerable in a major piece ending.
Grischuk also shone brightly with a crushing win against Gelfand. By the end, Gelfand was virtually helpless and the end was mercifully quick.
Aronian held Vallejo to a draw thanks to an ending of opposite coloured-bishops.
The results in round two:
| Grischuk, Alexander | 1-0 | Gelfand, Boris |
| Topalov, Veselin | 1-0 | Gashimov, Vugar |
| Vallejo Pons, Francisco | ½-½ | Aronian, Levon |
The standings after round two:
| Grischuk, Alexander | RUS | 2736 | 1½ |
| Topalov, Veselin | BUL | 2805 | 1½ |
| Aronian, Levon | ARM | 2781 | 1 |
| Vallejo Pons, Francisco | ESP | 2705 | 1 |
| Gashimov, Vugar | AZE | 2759 | ½ |
| Gelfand, Boris | ISR | 2761 | ½ |
www.chess.com/tv will have live coverage of round 3 tomorrow, with GM Friedel and NM Sharma, starting at 8:30 AM Pacific.
