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 2008 MTel Masters

We're heading for a dramatic final weekend to the MTel Masters in Sofia, Bulgaria, with only a half point separating Vassily Ivanchuk and Veselin Topalov at the top with just two rounds left to play.

It's been a story of two halves to this tournament so far: Ivanchuk starting with a hot streak of five wins before going lukewarm with three draws, and three-time winner Topalov playing catch-up to stay in touch with the leader.

The big showdown between the two in round seven ended in a gritty hard-fought draw, as both tried their best to land a decisive knockout blow on each other - Topalov to fight his way back into contention for a fourth successive title, Ivanchuk to be assured of the title. The result left the door open for local hero Topalov - famed for his steely nerve and ending tournaments strongly - to stage a late rally to put maximum pressure on Ivanchuk, who has a past history of choking at the decisive moment.

ICC Chess.FM will be bringing you all the action when it happens, as it happens in the closing rounds with live commentary from Mig Greengard and GM Nick de Firmian. Special grandmaster guests joining us live on the show from Sofia so far have included Veselin Topalov, Genna Sosonko and Boris Spassky! We'll also have the NIC Trivia Contest (where each day ICC members can win a 12 month subscription to New In Chess magazine), GOTD and Macauley Peterson videos direct from the M-Tel Masters in Sofia, and a new daily picture gallery from John Henderson.

Check out the GOTD calendar and ICC finger notes finger Mtel08 for the full schedule, photos and videos. The official tournament site is http://www.mtelmasters.com.

VII 'New In Chess' Trivia Contest winners

The 'New in Chess' TRIVIA Contest! ICC and New in Chess present The New in Chess Trivia Contest! Tune-in to Mig on ICC Chess.FM for our round-by-round coverage of MTel 2008, and each round you could win a 1-year subscription to the world's best chess magazine. For more information and rules, visit our help page.

WINNERS

 EICC Winner

Macauley wraps up the 2008 European Individual Chess Championship, held in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, April 21 to May 3.

Sergey Tiviakov of The Netherlands was the surprise winner in the Men's Championship after winning his last round game against Emil Sutovsky. Tiviakov avoided the large tiebreak that determined second and third place, and the twenty-two qualifiers to the FIDE World Cup tournament. Sergei Movsesian took the silver after beating Sergey Volkov in the playoffs.

In the Women's Championship, Ukraine's Kateryna Lahno won with 8.5/11, a half point ahead of the field. Viktorija Cmylite beat Anna Ushenina in the playoffs to take the silver.

Men's Games (PGN)
Women's Games (PGN)

Official Site

Regular ICC Events

ICC Newsletter XX-2008 May 16 In this issue: Topalov Topped at MTel?, Are You A Member of the USCF?, Chess.FM videos, and the ICC Store.

All events are free to ICC members unless noted. All times are Eastern Standard Time. Add 5 hours for GMT. Add 6 hours for CET.

Saturday, May 17   00:45   Tournament Sleepless - 3 tourneys - 5 rounds of 3 0     07:00   Tournament Early Morning - 3 1, 7 rounds     08:00   Simul manest 30 30 - 30 boards ch 3     09:30   Webcast India with Arvind Aaron     12:00   Tournament Monthly Standard (15 5, 3 rounds)     13:00   Tournament League Of Losers     13:00   Simul 30 60 ch 3 IM Vojislav Milanovic     16:00   Tournament Bullet (1 0, 10 rounds)     19:00   Tournament Blitz 1200-1800 (2 6, 7 rounds)     19:00   Tournament Blitz Under 1300 (2 6, 5 rounds)     23:00   Tournament Nightly O1500 (5 0, 7 rounds)     23:00   Tournament Nightly U1500 (2 6, 7 rounds)     View this week's entire event list