Topalov of the World
GOTD
Standings
Schedule
JOIN ICC!

Linares: Topalov of the World

A two game winning streak was enough to put Veselin Topalov well on top at Linares - and it also propels the Bulgarian to the top of the live ratings, as he's now set to replace Norwegian teenager, Magnus Carlsen, as the new world No.1 with the publication of the March FIDE rating list.

After beating Russia's Alexander Grischuk in round five, Topalov rode his luck for a second successive win after a dramatic reversal of fortunes by local Spaniard Francisco Vallejo, who somehow managed to contrive to blunder away a whole rook in chronic time trouble.

The brace of wins proved sufficient to move Topalov up the charts to 2814 in the live ratings, as he edges Carlsen off the top spot to second on 2813 - but Topalov missed a golden opportunity to move closer to winning Linares and an even bigger lead at the top of the live ratings, after he failed to find the spectacular knockout punch (34 Rxe4!!) against the world No.5, Levon Aronian, in round seven.

The squandered opportunity against Aronian allowed defending champion Grischuk to stay within striking distance of the tournament leader, as Vugar Gashimov's Modern Benoni was finally made to suffer in sorrow, as can be seen in GM Ronen Har-Zvi's choice for GOTD below.

Play resumes Tuesday (10:00am ET) with the final two rounds of play at Linares. Will Topalov hold off the challenge of Grischuk? Can Topalov continue winning to increase his lead at the top of the world rankings over Carlsen? You can find out by joining us for live coverage here on Chess.FM of the final rounds of Linares, where host Mig Greengard will be joined for the finale by GMs Ben Finegold and Alex Yermolinsky.

Click here to join ICC.

Game of the Day

Rd	Commentator	Game	Watch	Free preview
8	GM Ronen Har-Zvi	GM Alexander Grischuk vs. GM Vugar Gashimov
7	GM Joel Benjamin	GM Levon Aronian vs. GM Francisco Vallejo Pons
6	GM Larry Christiansen	GM Veselin Topalov vs. GM Francisco Vallejo Pons
5	GM John Fedorowicz	GM Francisco Vallejo Pons vs. GM Vugar Gashimov
4	GM Jon Speelman	GM Vugar Gashimov vs. GM Levon Aronian
3	GM Larry Christiansen	GM Boris Gelfand vs. Francisco Vallejo
2	GM Var Akobian	GM Alexander Grischuk vs. GM Boris Gelfand
1	GM Joel Benjamin	GM Boris Gelfand vs. GM Vugar Gashimov

Standings after round 8

N	Name	FED	ELO	1		2		3		4		5		6		PTS	TPR
1	Topalov, Veselin	BUL	2805			1	.	½	½	1	½	½	.	½	1	5½	2889
2	Grischuk, Alexander	RUS	2736	0	.			½	½	½	1	1	½	½	.	4½	2807
3	Aronian, Levon	ARM	2781	½	½	½	½			½	.	½	.	½	½	4	2751
4	Gashimov, Vugar	AZE	2759	0	½	½	0	½	.			½	½	1	.	3½	2718
5	Gelfand, Boris	ISR	2761	½	.	0	½	½	.	½	½			½	½	3½	2705
6	Vallejo Pons, Francisco	ESP	2705	½	0	½	.	½	½	0	.	½	½			3	2686

Linares Schedule

Date	Time	Host	Commentator
23 February	10:00 AM	Mig	Ben Finegold
24 February	10:00 AM	Mig	Alex Yermolinsky

We also have the New In Chess trivia, where each day an ICC member will win a 1-year subscription to New In Chess magazine. There's also Game of the Day trivia sponsored by USCF Sales, where each day an ICC member can win a $50 gift certificate for the USCF Sales store.

And with the Topalov-Anand showdown on the horizon, not to mention being at the start of the Carlsen era, now could be the best time to join ICC as we follow events to the World Championship and beyond! Linares coverage starts Saturday, 13 February at 10:00am ET. Join ICC now to be in time for our Linares coverage by clicking here.