San Luis, Round 2

San Luis Round 2 saw all games being drawn. However, do not let the results fool you. They were all very exciting draws (except Kasim-Svideler maybe).

The highlight of the tournament so far is the Topalov-Anand contest. If there recent games were any indication, this promised to be an exciting contest.

Well, the two did not disappoint!

As I mentioned in my previous blog, Topalov does not know the meaning of defensive play. The duo played a sharp variation of the Queen's Indian and the exchange left Topalov with a bishop pair versus a rook and bishop. However, Topalov had a fantastic passer on the C-file. I felt that it was not enough to push for a win. After a 7 hour (97 moves) slug fest the guys decided to call it a draw. I am sure they were exhausted after the game. I was tired from just watching the game! This game was human chess at its best. There were inaccuracies from both the sides as you might expect in a 7 hour long duel. Kudos to Anand for defending tenaciously against the most aggressive player on the circuit. Anand-Topalov share a fantastic rivalry and I am looking forward to future match-ups between the two Chess giants.

Vishy is going to be very happy with the way things have gone for him so far. He has 1.5/2.0 from 2 games played with black. The next time he faces Topa, he is going to have the white pieces.

Thank you guys for some fantastic entertainment. You are both true champions!

Here is a picture from after the draw was agreed upon: