Live reporting: the last round

Last update: 18.57 CET

Enjoy it while you can, because today is already the last round of the Corus Chess Tournament. (For the Chessvibes-team it will be a new experience as well tomorrow!) Naturally, all attention is focussed on Radjabov-Topalov, the two leaders who accidently face each other in their last game. The follow the tenth match game Kramnik-Topalov, Wch (Elista) 2006, which was won by Kramnik after Topalov blundered on move 24. Apparently the Bulgarian has something in store. If they draw, Aronian can join them winning the tournament, and he's really trying. He sac'ed a pawn and has attacking chances comparable to those in his game against Navara. There's a drama going on in group C where Nepomniachtchi is being smashed by Nadezhda Kosintseva and the young Russian tournament leader has been sitting with his head in his hands for ten minutes now.

Here's some footage of the start of the round:



Update 14.51 CET: Topalov deviated from his earlier game with 19...Nxe5. Actually I was writing "After 20.dxe5 d4, I think Black is planning 21.Be3 dxe3! 22.Rxd8 exf2+ 23.Qxf2 Bxd8 with good compensation." and then I had a short interview with Macauley Peterson and Mig on ICC. When I returned to my laptop, the queen sac was played. :-) However, Radjabov plays it safe with 22.Qxe3 which seems about equal now. While I wrote that Aronian was attacking, suddenly Tiviakov sacrificed a rook just to be the one who's attacking. It was not correct; Rybka comes with 28.Bxh7+ winning, but what Aronian did seems winning for White as well. Van Wely has an excellent position with Black against Kramnik (20...Bxe3+ 21.Kh1 Nf4 is now possible).

Update 15.25 CET: RADJABOV-TOPALOV DRAW. Veselin used his Elista homework to secure shared first at Corus, Teimour simply played a fantastic tournament and Aronian is winning against Tivi to join the guys in the final standings. We just taped a joined press conference by Radjabov and Topalov, both handling the demo board and both answering questions afterwards. Soon online!

Update 16.07 CET: since the last update it went downwards with Van Wely. Kramnik, for a change, sacrificed and got a winning kingside attack. The move e3-e4, blocking the long diagonal and keeping all the threats, was an important one. Ponomariov-Motylev are having a tough ending, with two minor pieces against a rook for White, and an extra pawn for Black, Navara ended a fine tournament with a draw with Black against Anand, Svidler is still unstable this second week and ends with a zero with White against Karjakin and Carlsen-Shirov are still having fun, playing quite an interesting position.

Update 18.57 CET: just a quick note, while the videos are being uploaded: Carlsen was quite disappointed that he didn't win his game against Shirov. Alexei was in a better mood after the game, stating 'we have to learn chess from these fifteen years-old from now on'. "for my generation it's absolutely impossible nowadays to use any kind of experience... Basically it's youngsters who have to teach us chess, not the other way around."

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