Reply #1: News for the week ending February 25

[Jack Rabbit]

Alekseev wins Aeroflot Open



Reigning Russian national champion Evgeny Alekseev won the 6th annual Aeroflot Open Thursday by defeating Armenian grandmaster Gabriel Sargissian in the final round in Moscow.

Alekseev enter the final round tied for first place with two other Russians, Dmitry Jakovenko and Evgeny Tomashevsky, with 6 points each. The Swiss system pairing pitted Tomashevsky and Jakovenko against each other in a game that ended in a darw after only 14 moves. Sargissian started the final round tied for fourth with 5½ points.

Alekseev, playing White against Sargissian, showed little ambition in the opening, playing a neo-classical Italian Game commonly called the Guicco Pianissmo, which is Italian for "very quiet game". It is regarded as a tacit invitation to a quiet draw. However, Sargissian had his own chance of finishing tied for first and played for complications, forcing Alekseev to play more agressively. Alekseev got the upper hand late in the game. Sargissian resigned on his 41st move with a snowballing material deficit.

For winning the Aeroflot, Alekseev is invited to participate in this summer's elite Sparkassen Chess Meeting in Dortmund.


Magnus, Anand lead Morelia-Linares as the scene shifts to Spain



Sixteen-year-old Norwegian grandmaster Magnus Carlsen and veteran Indian grandmaster Vishy Anand are tied for the lead in the Morelia-Linares Super GM Tournament the half-way point with 4½ points each in seven rounds as the players concludes the first leg of the double-round robin event in Morelia, Michoacán (Mexico).

Both players have won 3, lost 1 and drawn 3. Magnus' victories are his first in elite grandmaster competition. He competed in the Tal Memorial Tournament in November and Group A of the Corus Tournament last month, both category 19 events, without winning a game in either.

Anand won the individual game between them.

The oldest player in the tournament, grandmaster Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine, is in third place with four points.

Unofficial Cross Table
Super GM Tournament
Morelia-Linares

------------------------- 1- 2- 3- 4- 5- 6- 7- 8- T- (W)
1 Vishy Anand. . . . . . .-- 1* ½* 0* ½* ½* 1* 1* 4½ (3)
2 Magnus Carlsen . . . . .0* -- 1* ½* ½* 1* ½* 1* 4½ (3)
3 Vassily Ivanchuk . . . .½* 0* -- 1* ½* 1* ½* ½* 4. (3)
4 Levon Aronian. . . . . .1* ½* 0* -- ½* ½* ½* ½* 3½ (1)
5 Peter Svidler. . . . . .½* ½* ½* ½* -- ½* ½* ½* 3½ (0)
6 Veselin Topalov. . . . .½* 0* 0* ½* ½* -- ½* 1* 3. (1)
7 Peter Leko . . . . . . .0* ½* ½* ½* ½* ½* -- ½* 3. (0)
8 Alexander Morozevich . .0* 0* ½* ½* ½* 0* ½* -- 2. (0)

The Jack Rabbit Unofficial Cross Table uses games won as first tie break

The tournament now adjourns and reconvenes Friday in the Andalusian town of Linares, which was the exclusive tournament site until last year,

The official website for the Linares leg of the tournament is Soloajerez.com.