Magnus Carlsen Wins London Classic 2010
Magnus Carlsen ensured victory in the 2010 London Chess Masters by defeating the demoralised Nigel Short with breathtaking ease in the final round.
Short never managed to get any active play and Carlsen was accurate and merciless to take the full point, and a cool €50,000 for first place.
A happy Magnus Carlsen in the commentary room after his game
Carlsen's co-leaders before the final round were Anand and McShane. Anand got precisely nowhere against Kramnik's Berlin Wall and the players headed for a draw as soon as possible.
McShane was determined not to rest on his laurels, and chose the Dragon against Howell in an attempt to win with the black pieces. In the event, it was Howell who had the better chances to emerge victorious, but he failed to find the knockout blow in time trouble and the game ended all-square.
The last game to finish saw Nakamura trying to beat Adams by sheer force of will, but the Englishman was unbowed and the draw arrived when only their majesties remained on the battlefield.
Garry Kasparov paid a visit today (with tournament director Malcolm Pein)
The tournament results also mean that Magnus Carlsen should regain his official #1 status in the January 2011 FIDE rating list, just ahead of Vishy Anand.
The final standings:
| Name | Nat | Elo | Pts | Black Gms | Black Wins | Wins | |
| 1 | Carlsen, Magnus | NOR | 2802 | 13 | 4 | 1 | 4 |
| 2 | McShane, Luke | ENG | 2645 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 2 | Anand, Viswanathan | IND | 2804 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 4 | Nakamura, Hikaru | USA | 2741 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| 5 | Kramnik, Vladimir | RUS | 2791 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| 6 | Adams, Michael | ENG | 2723 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| 7 | Howell, David | ENG | 2611 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | Short, Nigel | ENG | 2680 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
McShane and Anand tied for second since they had exactly the same tie-break scores. Nakamura finished fourth ahead of Kramnik because he won their individual game.
Congratulations to the players and the organisers in London for putting on a great show for chess fans around the world!
Photos courtesy of Ray Morris-Hill. Many thanks!
