Bilbao Chess Masters Final: Carlsen Wins on Tiebreak; Vallejo Announces Retirement

Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012

Hi everyone,

World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen has taken the Bilbao Chess Masters Final trophy by beating Fabiano Caruana in two straight games of the tiebreak. This is the second time Carlsen has won the tournament. He was the defending champion.

Meanwhile, Spanish GM Francisco Valleko has announced his
retirement “indefinitely”, claiming fatigue and disappointed by his
performance in the tournament.

Final standings:
• Magnus Carlsen: 17 points (champion)
• Fabiano Caruana: 17 points.
• Levon Aronian: 11 points.
• Sergei Karjakin: 10 points
• Viswanathan Anand: 9 points.
• Francisco Vallejo: 6 points.

The final round saw three draws: Vallejo and Caruana, Aronian and Carlsen and Anand-Karjakin. 

Either of Carlsen or Caruana would have won the title without the tiebreak if any one of them had won the Round 10 match! But, that was not to be. Like last year, the tournament went into the tiebreak. Though, last there had been four players vying for the tiebreak win.

Before leaving chess, Vallejo, from Mallorca will fullfil the professional liabilities to which he has already committed. “In order

to play chess you must have hope, and I have lost it.” he said. “I have been 20 years out of my hometown, since I was 10, and it is time to go back and rest. I don´t want to say that I will not play more, because other champions have retired
and then they have come back some years after with excellent results. However, I need a break from chess and to start over some other vital projects. After that, we will see.” 

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Grand Slam Chess Masters Begins in Sao Paulo with Top Chess Stars

Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012

Hi everyone,

 

The Grand Slam Chess Masters begins in Sao Paolo today with the first round. The opening ceremony took place in Parque Ibirapuera, Sao Paulo, Brazil on Sunday. There are six players: World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand, the number one in the world rankings Magnus Carlsen, the Olympic champion Levon Aronian, the World Rapid Champion Sergey Karjakin, and the US-born Italian prodigy Fabiano Caruana, and the top player of Spain Paco Vallejo.

The chief arbiter IM and IA Herman Claudius van Riemsdijk, Brazilian Champion in 1970, 1973, and 1988, and Pan American Champion in 1977, conducted the draw of colours at the opening ceremony. 

Round 1 pairings

Anand – Vallejo
Aronian – Karjakin
Caruana – Carlsen

Sofia rules are in effect, and scoring system is the Bilbao score (3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss).

Highest city authorities were present at the opening ceremony, including the mayor of the city of Sao Paulo Gilberto Kassab. The Municipal Secretary of Education Regina Celia, stressed the importance of teaching chess in public schools and the program that now reaches 53,000 students. Mayor Kassab stressed the importance of holding the Final Masters for the second consecutive year, and expressed the desire this tradition to continue. Keep track of the live games at the official website. All players participated in a simul the day before the opening ceremony. The Grand Slam finalist were met like stars by the multitude of fans. 

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com

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www.chessqueen.com
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Grand Slam Chess Masters Confirmed in Bilbao, Sao Paulo this September

Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012

Hi everyone,

The City Halls of Bilbao and Sao Paulo have officially announced the agreement between the two cities for the fifth edition of the Grand Slam Chess Masters. The agreement was finalised on Monday during the visit to Bilbao by the Deputy Secretary for External Relations of the Prefecture (City Hall) of Sao Paulo, Guilherme Mattar. 

The tournament, in which six of the world’s top chess players will participate, will be played in a double round-robin league. The Brazilian megalopolis will host the first round from September 24 to 29 and the second and deciding round will take place at its fixed venue, Bilbao, from October 8 to 13. The players' names would be announced at the official presentation ceremony which will be held in Sao Paulo. (In photo: Managing Director of the Bilbao City Hall Andoni Aldekoa and the Deputy Secretary for External Relations of the Prefecture (City Hall) of Sao Paulo, Guilherme Mattar).

The last edition of the Grand Slam Masters Final, the first time it was shared by Sao Paulo and Bilbao (the championship’s fixed venue), was held from September 25 to October 1 in Brazil and October 5 to 11 in the Biscayan capital. Norwegian Magnus Carlsen, number 1 in the world chess ranking, was the winner.

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal blog at
www.chessqueen.com