Round Eight At Nanjing

There were no decisive games in round eight at Nanjing, but to misquote George Orwell, some draws are more 'equal' than others.

Bacrot and Gashimov drew in just 14 moves despite the anti-draw rules in force at the tournament.  So far there has been lots of great fighting chess in Nanjing, but that shouldn't stop fans voicing their natural disapproval at such a non-game when it occurs.

On the other hand, the clash between Anand and Topalov was a worthy and genuine contest featuring an exchange sacrifice from Topalov.  Anand emerged from the complications with extra material but Topa forced a draw by repetition to save his skin.

Wang Yue and Carlsen probed and prodded for a while, but in the end a draw was the fair result.  So, in the broken English of the official website, "Nanjing chess tournament blows another mild wind The ranking stays the same".

With just two rounds left Carlsen still leads by a clear point from Bacrot and Anand, with local favourite Wang Yue bringing up the rear.

In the penultimate round Topalov will have white against Carlsen, and if the Kid can survive with at least a draw then the tournament is likely to be his. Bacrot plays Wang Yue, and Gashimov faces Anand.