Kasparov on course for Linares crown

A dull draw by former World champion Vishwanathan Anand, a brilliant victory by top seed Garry Kasparov of Russia and a shocking defeat for Spaniard Alexei Shirov marked the 13th and penultimate round in the Linares Super Grandmasters' chess Tournament on Sunday.

Kasparov (7 points) regained the sole lead after a thorough drubbing of World champion Ruslan Ponomariov and is now a clear point ahead of the young Ukrainian.

Anand, GM Michael Adams of England and GM Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine are locked in a tie for the third position with 5.5 points each.

The outcome of the tournament is almost decided, as, in the last round, Kasparov plays Shirov, against who he has an enviable record in head to head encounters.

Anand's draw against Adams left a feeling of deja vu amongst the followers of the game. It was a near replica of an earlier game in the tournament, played between Kasparov and Adams, where Kasparov had come out trumps following a tactical oversight by the Englishman.

The players followed the same game until the 26th move, when Adams deviated and produced a safer option than in his game against Kasparov. Many were shocked to see Anand repeating the same game.

Anand, who had probably worked up an idea in the later stages of the game, was in for a surprise and could not work out anything that would have yielded an advantage. On the 27th move the draw was agreed to.

Kasparov proved that he is still the best. Taking on Ponomariov with white pieces, it was a matter of honour for the highest rated player in the world as his opponent was leading the tournament jointly with him.

The opening was a French Rubenstein and Kasparov obtained a vice-like grip on the position right from the word go and sacrificed a pawn on the 10th move to ensure a bloody battle. Ponomariov accepted the sacrifice and was saddled with underdeveloped pieces on both flanks while Kasparov's force made merry with a lasting attack against the king.

Three minor pieces got exchanged by the 16th move, but Kasparov was undeterred and continued his demolition job with excellent deployment of his pieces.

Trying for counter play, Ponomariov's defensive resources did not materialize when Kasparov won back the pawn on the 30th move and still continued his menacing attack. Time pressure crept in and there was just a semblance of complacency that was witnessed on Kasparov's part. However, for good measure, he finished the game in style with a tactical stroke on the 38th move.

GM Francisco Pons Vallejo of Spain struck at last and defeated his compatriot Shirov from the white side of an irregular Sicilian defence game. Shirov got a comfortable position after the opening and was even seen pressing for an advantage in the later stages of the middlegame when suddenly, he took the bait and found himself in an inferior queen and knights endgame. Vallejo cashed in on a blunder soon after and penetrated the opposition camp to force resignation in 54 moves.