Topalov wins Mtel Masters

By Frank “Boy” Pestaño
Chessmoso

The Mtel Masters tournament concluded last Monday in Sofia, Bulgaria with local hero Veselin Topalov winning by a full point ahead of the field. It was the strongest tournament so far this year having an Elo average of 2744.

There was a special rule in this tournament. Drawn games by mutual agreement between players were forbidden and only technical draws may be given by the arbiter.

But the percentage of drawn games was still 60 percent as winning at this level is quite difficult. Repetition of moves was the standard draw offer here.

The conclusion of this unique tournament was dramatic. The situation at the start of the 10th and last round saw Topalov ahead by half a point over Anand but had the black pieces against Kramnik, while Anand had white against Polgar, whom he has a huge plus score in previous games. So, it was expected that Anand might tie for the lead or even win this tournament.

However, neither Anandh or Topalov would play the decisive role – Kramnik lost the match with perhaps his greatest blunder in tournament play, losing a whole piece.

Topalov won four and drew one in his last five games. He tied for first with Kasparov in the last Linares tournament. It is expected that in the next Fide ratings, he will replace Anand as No.1 and Kramnik will go down to no.5 from no. 4 and Polgar will rise to no.6.

WORLD OPEN. More than 2,000 players from all over the world, including quite a number from the Philippines, gathered in Minneapolis this week for the $500,000 Open Chess Tournament – the richest purse with the largest turnout of an open tourney in the world.

The Open section had a $50,000 top prize while the U2450, U2300, U2200, U2000, U1800 and U1600 sections had a top prize of $20,000 each. There were even prizes for U1400, U1200 and even U1000 and unrated categories. Truly a tournament for everybody.

The Open category winner was Zviad Izoria of Georgia with 7.5 pts out of a possible nine. There were 10 players who tied for second with seven points each, with them the comebacking Gata Kamsky of USA and Pentala Harikrishna of India.

Filipinos in this contest were six-pointers Rogelio Antonio and Nelson Mariano, Eduardo Ortiz with 5.5 and Jason Gonzales, Ronald Dableo and Darwin Laylo with five points.

US-based Pinoys who won in the competition were Enrico Sevillano and Anton del Mundo with 6 pts each and Angelo Young 5.5.

CHESS QUOTATIONS. I was cleaning my files yesterday and I came across several sheets of chess quotations that have not yet seen print. These quotes are sayings by famous chess players and have been passed by word of mouth from generation to generation. Rather than let them go to waste, I would like to share a few with you for the wisdom it tells.

“Chess, like love, like music, has the power to make people happy.” – Siegbert Tarrasch; “If cunning alone were needed to excel, women would be the best players.” – Albin; “On the chessboard, lies and hypocrisy do not survive long.” – Lasker; “We don’t really know who invented chess, as soon as we discover the culprits, we’ll let you know” – Bruce Pandolfini; “No grandmaster is normal; they only differ in the extent of their madness,” – Victor Korchnoi; “Chess is a foolish expedient for making idle people believe they are doing something clever when they are only wasting time.” – George Bernard Shaw; “Life is like a game of chess, changing with each move.” – Chinese proverb; “Chess is mental torture.” – Garry Kasparov; “Excellence at chess is one mark of a scheming mind.” – Arthur Conan Doyle; “A man that will take back a move at chess will pick a pocket.” – Richard Fenton; “Chess is a sea in which a gnat may drink and an elephant may bathe.” – Hindu proverb; “Chess is so inspiring that I do not believe a good player is capable of having an evil thought during the game.” – Wilhem Steinitz; “Those who say they understand chess, understand nothing” – Robert Hubner; “Play the opening like a book, the middle game like a magician, and the endgame like a machine.” – Spielmann.

Read these quotations slowly and understand them for the lessons they give.

CEPCA. Fred Sanadalo surprised everybody by winning the May tournament of the Cebu Executives and Professionals Chess Association over a strong field of 26 players Sunday. Second placer was Vic Sepulveda and third placer was Percival Fiel. Fourth and fifth, respectively, were El Labunog and Jason Genobiagon.

Fred is a survivor, a great asset as a member and deserves to win. He will thus join the monthly winners for the grand finals in December.