London: Carlsen Wins Again

Magnus Carlsen took full advantage of his favourable draw in the London Chess Classic to take his second win with the white pieces to hold the sole lead.

In an entertaining game, Carlsen overcame Luke McShane, but not without a terrific fight.  Vladimir Kramnik also won, bouncing back immediately from his first round loss to win against Ni Hua in round two.

After missing a possible win in the first round, Nakamura did well to hang on for a draw in the second against Mickey Adams.  Nigel Short also got on the scoresheet with a mercifully brief 44-move draw against David Howell after his marathon loss yesterday.

The tournament has provided plenty of entertainment so far, and is helped by the application of the anti-draw "Sofia" rules, and the unusual 3-points for a win, 1 for a draw, scoring system.