Anand and Leko Start Strong in Linares
23.02.2003 Vishy Anand continued where he left off in Wijk aan Zee by beating Ruslan Ponomariov in the first round of the Linares supertournament. Peter Leko kept pace by outplaying youngster Teimour Radjabov in the endgame. Kramnik-Kasparov failed to live up to expectations and fizzled to an 18-move draw. Paco Vallejo had the bye. Report, results, online game replay, and more...

A Black Day in Linares! Radjabov Defeats Kasparov
23.02.2003 Ah, they grow up so fast, so very fast. Teimour Radjabov became the youngest player ever to defeat the world's number one player in tournament play. He beat Kasparov with the black pieces in a wild tactical affair out of the French Defense. Kramnik joined Anand at the top of the standings by adding to Ponomariov's woes. Vallejo entered the action and held Anand to a draw. Full report.

Leko-Kasparov a Battle for the Ages, but a Draw
24.02.2003 The kids took the day off and Kramnik couldn't make progress against Vallejo. It was left to Peter Leko and Garry Kasparov to provide the show, and they did that and more. Leko had a fine position until Kasparov pounced with a rook sacrifice. An incredibly difficult Queen and pawn endgame arose and it seems that Kasparov missed several winning attempts in the seven hour marathon. More..

Kasparov will win Linares!
24.02.2003 A week ago we introduced you to the participants at the Linares supertournament and asked you to predict who would win. We got many hundreds of messages from almost every corner of the world. Most visitors believed that Garry Kasparov would completely dominate the opposition. We have put together extensive excerpts from the letters we received. More...

Drawing Sickness Strikes Linares
25.02.2003 The question of the day among the Playchess.com spectators: "Does Peter Leko get paid by the move?" Poor Peter! Having just escaped his reputation for too many short draws, now he is suffering because of long ones! His game again went the distance and he and Ponomariov were on stage long after Anand-Kramnik and Vallejo-Radjabov were also drawn. More..

Leko Takes the Lead, Kasparov Strikes Back
27.02.2003 Hungary's Peter Leko broke his streak of epic draws with a positional crush of Vallejo. Kasparov got his first win with a kingside attack against Ponomariov, who gave up a pawn to get the queens off the board. The endgame offered no relief and Kasparov quickly pushed his king up the board to collect the full point in person. Radjabov-Anand was a 25-move draw. More..

The Giants Awaken, Kramnik and Anand Take the Lead
01.03.2003 After six rounds the heavyweights have taken their rightful places at the head of the crosstable. Vishy Anand defeated Peter Leko and Vlady Kramnik demolished Radjabov to claim his share of first place. Vallejo-Kasparov was a draw with a few twists. The stage is set for two big clashes tomorrow: Kasparov-Anand and Leko-Kramnik. Come watch live at Playchess.com! More..

Kasparov beats Anand, Kramnik Leads Alone
01.03.2003 After yet another Linares endgame course, Garry Kasparov defeated Viswanathan Anand in round seven. The current verdict? Anand should have drawn the ending. Kramnik is in clear first at +2 after drawing in 25 moves against Leko in, finally, a Sveshnikov Sicilian. Ponomariov got his first win by beating Vallejo in yet another endgame. Kasparov-Kramnik in round eight! More..

Leko Rejoins the Lead with Sweep of Radjabov
02.03.2003 It was a deja vu round in Linares. Leko beat Radjabov again. Kasparov and Kramnik drew again. Anand lost a half-point in an endgame again! Radjabov's lines the French are looking very Maginot so far in Linares and he took another beating today. Vishy was in mop-up mode against Ponomariov when the mop slipped from his hand at the final moment. Full report and analysis here.

The grudge round
02.03.2003 Round eight of the 20th Linares tournament was the start of the second half of this very strong round robin. It was a grudge round with the two ex world champions playing against the reigning world champions who had taken away their titles. Both Garry Kasparov and Vishy Anand were eager to teach Vladimir Kramnik and Ruslan Ponomariov a lesson. More...

Three Draws Before the Final Rest Day
03.03.2003 After eight rounds of brutal brain to brain combat, all three games were drawn for only the second time. None of the draws were of the Grandmaster variety; they were all played out to simplification. With five rounds to play after Tuesday's rest day, Kramnik and Leko remain in the lead at +2 and Anand and Kasparov trail at +1. More...

Peace Now! At Least in Linares
06.03.2003 We're out of draw jokes, but for the second round in a row all games finished without a winner. The organizers were checking their watches. Over so soon?! Leko was in a mess against Kasparov but solved the puzzle to draw. Radjabov abandoned the French and it almost paid off against Ponomariov. Vallejo-Kramnik gets the round's pollo award for lasting just 13 moves. More..

Doesn't Anyone Want to Win Linares?
07.03.2003 With three days to go the standings have remained unchanged for three consecutive rounds. The draw percentage in the tournament has now gone over two-thirds after three more piece treaties were signed today. Kramnik-Anand was the liveliest of the trio. Kramnik and Leko still lead with +2, Kasparov and Anand are right behind at +1. Who has a finishing kick? More..

Anand Moves Back Up, Leko Back Down
08.03.2003 Just two more rounds to play in Linares and there has been another shake-up in the standings. Co-leader Leko lost to local player Vallejo to drop to +1. Anand beat Radjabov to rejoin Kramnik, who is still sitting on +2 like a mountain. Can anyone topple him? Ponomariov-Kasparov was a steady draw. Report, photos, and analysis here.

Hungary Rejoices! Leko Beats Anand to Rejoin Lead
09.03.2003 It's all about the Leko in Linares. The former Schlechter Award winner bounced back from his loss in round 12 to defeat none other than Vishy Anand for the first time ever and moved back into a tie for first with Kramnik. Anand fell to a tie for 3-4 with Kasparov, who was held to a draw by Vallejo. Kramnik-Leko in the final round! More..

Kramnik-Leko, Anand-Kasparov Drawn. Leko Takes Title
09.03.2003 According to the traditional Linares tiebreak system of 'fewest draws,' Peter Leko has won his first title of Linares champion! His game with Kramnik was a solid draw and both players finished with 7/12. Anand and Kasparov drew and finished 3-4 with 6.5/12. Ponomariov won against Vallejo. Report and games here.

Ivanchuk slept here
10.03.2003 No, not in the house on the right – that's where the dogs fall off the cliffs! In her closing report from Linares Nadja Woisin finds proof that her room in the Anibal hotel was previously occupied by Vassily Ivanchuk, describes the unforgettable taste of fresh olives and shows you the banners Spanish mayors are putting up on their town halls. Curious? See it all in this remarkable picture gallery from Linares.

Kasparov's outburst over beauty prize in Linares
11.03.2003 Justice should be blind, but should beauty? At the closing ceremony the prize for the most beautiful game went to Kasparov-Radjabov. The teen's win over the #1 was a landmark moment, but Radjabov had a losing position and it took a "??" move from Kasparov to create the upset. Kasparov erupted at the ceremony and went after the journalists who had voted. Who was wrong? Everybody...

Linares, Linares! – All over again
20.03.2003 Why does Vassily Ivanchuk have trouble praying when he is thinking of God? Was Gata Kamsky's orange juice really poisoned? Was it a coincidence that general Juan Perea's son got married on the day Manolete was killed in the Linares bullring? Nadja Woisin searches for the answers in her review of a remarkable book by Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam.

Linares, Linares... I-van-chuk!
31.03.2003 Instability and weak nerves have been playing tricks on Vassily Ivanchuk ever since his youth. If he were able to control himself, many experts think he would have become world champion. In the Supertorneo he took the first prize here three times. Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam describes this remarkable personality in our illustrated book review.