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Round 2 (May 18)
Adams-Kasparov draw
Bacrot-Georgiev draw
Topalov-Morozevich draw
Gurevich-Shirov 0-1
Sokolov-Short draw
Bareev-Movsesian draw
*****
Adams vs Kasparov
Adams normally opts for some sort of
Anti-Sicilian when faced with Kasparov’s 1…c5, but in this game he decided
to try his hand at playing one of the main lines. This quickly turned out to be
an unwise decision, as Kasparov emerged with a comfortable edge out of
the opening. Adams made matters worse by blundering a pawn, but Kasparov
returned the "favour" three moves later, when he decided to play for
an attack instead of sticking to sensible, boring chess.
View annotated game: Adams-Kasparov
Topalov vs Morozevich
I was expecting a very tense encounter with
lots of tactics, but this game quickly petered out after a short flurry
of punches leading to massive exchanges.
View annotated game: Topalov-Morozevich
Gurevich vs Shirov
These players have only faced each other half a
dozen times, so Shirov didn’t really know what to expect from the Belgian no.
1. Playing Black against the English Opening, Shirov chose a very solid stance,
inviting Gurevich to "bring it on".
View annotated game: Gurevich-Shirov
Bareev vs Movsesian
After having been ground to pulp by Georgiev the
previous day, Movsesian’s main aim in this game was to get on the score board.
Choosing the Botvinnik Setup (also known as the Wedberg System) against 1.c4,
Movsesian equalised without too much trouble. Bareev tried to get something by
sacrificing a rook for pawn and bishop, but he never got more than solid
compensation.
View annotated game: Bareev-Movsesian
Sokolov vs Short
Not a very exciting game. Short played his
favourite line in the Exchange Variation of the QGD, and Sokolov was unable to
make a dent in it. The Bosnian had now "burned" two whites, and was
scheduled to play black against Morozevich in the next round.
View annotated game: Sokolov-Short
Bacrot vs Georgiev
Bacrot was clearly out for blood in this
game, and the Frenchman provided lots of entertainment for the crowd by
sacrificing pawns on both wings. This kid’s got guts, that’s for sure!
View annotated game: Bacrot-Georgiev
- Einar Gausel
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