2003 City of Linares Tournament

WGM Peng (Holland)

I have been asked how come the Corus tournament coverage had a culinary piece and so far Linares did not. The simple answer is that the food and the service in the hotel's restaurant are so good, I rarely try any place else! I don't know about other people, but when I get awesome lamb chops for lunch and a great steak for dinner, two things happen to me: I skip the dessert and stay loyal to the restaurant. I think the daily fresh rolls and the variety of little starters add to the equation. The service is flawless also and even though not all servers speak English (and my Spanish is minimal…) they quickly know what you like and are always glad to accommodate you. Prices for non-guests or those not on the full pension meal plan are quite a value in comparison with say the US. A 3-course meal with a drink and bread would be around 15 Euros, tip included.

Cypriot GM V. Kotronias

The organizers and pressroom journalists mostly eat there as well as the players of the top group. There are some unofficial 'reserved' seats: Kasparov and company always sit on the right side, behind one of the columns, Anand, depending on how large his party is sits on the left, right by the wall. Leko, always with Sofie and dad-in-law sit across from the entrance at the end. Others sit wherever is free, which at times is a task! I have seen Malakhov, arriving for lunch only to reconsider after seeing how packed the place was and do a '180'. I have noticed that Kramnik is frequenting the place less and was told he often eats in his room. As it turns out (and that explains his quick draw with Vallejo from yesterday) he is a bit under the weather and had a little fever going.

Polish GM B. Socko (left)

Linares is pretty small and anyone who seeks variety will have no trouble finding a place to his or her liking. About a mile's walk from hotel Anibal, the tournament venue, there are many restaurants. Two days ago one of them hosted the annual Mayor's reception for the journalists and the feast was incredible. In the closer vicinity of the Anibal, there are 3 Chinese restaurants: one to the left, one to the right and one across the square. I have tried the one to the left and food was ok, I have heard the same about the others (although a friend claimed the service at the one across the square was 'too attentive'!)

For light eaters there are two cafeteria style eateries only a stone throw away from the hotel (sandwiches, toasts etc) and finally there are also two Italian places nearby: One close to the town hall (under 5 minute walk) where the food was delicious if a bit pricey (Good thing I was treated!) and another, right near the 'Chinese on the right' where I have not eaten after I heard my friend had rabbit there. I can eat things that go moo or baa, but no bunnies!

On for some chess:

Kramnik - Anand:

GM Kramnik vs GM Anand

Of all the players with an objective chance to win this event, Vishy is having the toughest schedule. He will be facing Leko and Kasparov soon, and today it was Kramnik. The start was promising: Yes it was 1…e5 but not a Petroff and not a Berlin! It was some sort of d3/Archangel Ruy Lopez. Soon the position seemed like one from the Keres Variation of the Ruy Lopez, where white was down a tempo or so (h3 was the move white could do without, as Anand said afterwards. It was puzzling to see white playing 13.a3 (usually used to bring the B to a2) and then 14.Bc2 that seems inconsistent. After 17…exd4 black has achieved complete equality with hopes for more. (Note that I am not sure where the first new move of the game was because of all the many transpositions to other lines in this vast opening) Perhaps white was wise to sac his h pawn the way he did, leaving a nice optional square for a N on f5 in many future lines. On move 23 white decided to offer a draw, which Vishy declined with 23…Ba8. I asked Vishy after the game if he agreed with the claims that white should have played 24.Nxd4 in place of 24.Bxc6 as a possible improvement, and he said he did not; Black would be slightly better after that also. When black went for the best line of 26…Bxd4 27.Nxd4 Qf6 28.Rad1 some suggested 28…Qg6 as a good line, again Anand said that after 29.f3 white is holding. He said he didn't realize during the game that 29.a4 was so liquidating and upon seeing it realized that a draw is the expected result after all the pawn trades. I think he was quite happy about the confident way he gained the draw today (or rather made Vlady get the draw!)

Leko - Ponomariov:

GM Leko vs GM Ponomariov

Leko must have been somewhat surprised by this main line Taimanov that he faced today. He was consuming much time but stayed with the 'beaten path' of theory. Only on move 20 did he deviate with his 20.Bd4 whereas 20.Bb6 and 20.c3 were the main moves previously. There was an across the board consensus that the position was equal, and after uneventful trades of B and Q the players played a few easy-to-guess moves in the R ending and shook hands. It seems that fatigue is starting to take some toll on the players.

Radjabov - Vallejo Pons: Here at the battle of the youngsters, a dynamic semi Slav was played, where only on move 17 did we see the first original move. 17.Ne4!? was an interesting idea that didn't bring much for white. On move 19…Bd7 was a bit odd but black probably didn't want to trade on b5 and go Qd7 (a trade of Q would be awesome for black) because of Qd3-g3 or Qe2-g4. Now white went 23.Qb3 and again we expected a swing to the Kingside, but maybe 23.Qc6!? deserved attention. Black mixed things just a bit with his Q 'sac' by taking on e5 on move 26. He got a R, a N and a pawn for it. The GM's seemed split about their assessment of the position, some said it is just a draw, some that black must be careful to achieve it, others thought white was much better. 4 full moves after the sac the two decided they also want the rest of the day off and so they did!

The worst round yet entertainment wise! 9 straight draws, come on guys! We want some blood!

GM Radjabov vs GM Vallejo