Grand Slam Chess Final Masters Bilbao September 1st to 13th 2008

The Final Masters has the official recognition of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) and it will be played in a double round league during ten days (plus a two-day break). Playing time will be 90 minutes for the first 40 moves and another 60 minutes to finish the game. The total prize money amounts to €400,000, sum only exceeded by the World Chess Championships: €150,000 for the first classified, €70,000 for the second one, €60,000 for the third one, €50,000 for the fourth one, €40,000 for the fifth one and €30,000 for the sixth one.

 

 

 

The six chief actors

Viswanathan Anand. Born in Madras (now Chennay, India, 1969) He is no doubt one of the greatest geniuses in chess history in the last fifteen centuries. But his easygoing character makes him the complete opposite of Fischer, Kárpov and Kaspárov. World champion and number one at the age of 38, he lives in Collado Mediano (Madrid), the rapid of Madras wants to polish even more his record in Bilbao at a month from the struggle for the crown with Russian Vladímir Krámnik. Part of his preparation will entail fighting for the first prize in the Grand Slam Final Masters in Bilbao: “Playing with the best ones in the world in a tournament like this one is an appropriate way to keep fit”.

  Magnus Carlsen. Tonsberg (Norway, 1990). His second places at the Wijk aan Zee Corus (Holland) 2008 and at the Ciudad de Linares 2008, when he repeated his 2007 achievement have made him deserve a special invitation for the Bilbao Grand Slam Chess Final Masters and show that this 17 year-old Norwegian is already mature for even greater achievements. He is Grandmaster ever since he was 13 years old, the third youngest in history and he is now second in the world’s ranking. Magnus Carlsen recommends parents of child prodigies: “to give them support but without putting pressure on them. My father taught me to play chess when I was five, but I wasn’t interested at the time and he left me alone”.

Vasili Ivanchuk. Berezhany (Ukraine, 1969). His sensational victory in the Sofia’s Mtel Masters 2008 gave him the right to be in the Bilbao Final Masters. But even without this feat, Vasili Ivanchuk deserves a place among the top-class chess players: at almost 40, he is the oldest luminary though he is nevertheless at the peak of his career.  Chess lover to the core, tireless worker of encyclopaedic knowledge he is a genius absent-minded wise man of whom everybody - even his most bitter rivals- speaks very fondly.

Véselin Topálov. Ruse (Bulgaria, 1975). Natural, modest and very friendly; he is a fighter and well disciplined for his everyday training; and tries to keep a good image. That’s Véselin Topálov, the 33 year-old Bulgarian from Salamanca world chess champion in 2005 and currently number six in the chess rankings, with the clear aim to take up again the crown in 2009. His main challenge will be the Candidates Final against American Gata Kamski at the end of November. The winner will dispute the World Championship in 2009. Therefore, he arrives in the Bilbao Grand Slam Final Masters at a great time.

Teimur Radyábov. Baku (Azerbaijan, 1987). Very few child prodigies have impressed so much as Teimur Radyábov. At 12, when he became European Champion U-18, he already showed a strategic depth and good manners not expected from someone of his age. At 14 he became grandmaster. At 15 he defeated Kaspárov with the black pieces in Linares. Today he is 21 and has settled among the elite, though everything shows that he’s still got a long way to go, as he will most probably demonstrate in Bilbao. Now Radyábov is undergoing a self debate about whether he should stick to his aggressive style of the last years or become more conservative and pragmatic.

Levon Aronián. Yereván (Armenia, 1982). He is a great chess luminary: he is only 25 years old but he has already won the World Cup and the Linares and Wijk aan Zee (twice) tournaments. That naturalness, his universal style and belonging to a country where chess is the national passion, as well as a balanced nervous system configure the 25 year-old Armenian Levon Aronián as a very solid value. Prone to high risk in his games, Aronián is esteemed by both organisers and followers and could not miss the Bilbao Final Masters.

  

  Schedule and results

Round 1: Tuesday, 2nd September 2008

Vishy Anand

Vassily Ivanchuk

Teimour Radjabov

Veselin Topalov

Levon Aronian

Magnus Carlsen

Round 2: Wednesday, 3rd September 2008

Vassily Ivanchuk

Magnus Carlsen

Veselin Topalov

Levon Aronian

Vishy Anand

Teimour Radjabov

Round 3: Thursday, 4th September 2008

Teimour Radjabov

Vassily Ivanchuk

Levon Aronian

Vishy Anand

Magnus Carlsen

Veselin Topalov

Round 4: Friday, 5th September 2008

Levon Aronian

Vassily Ivanchuk

Magnus Carlsen

Teimour Radjabov

Veselin Topalov

Vishy Anand

Round 5: Saturday, 6th September 2008

Vassily Ivanchuk

Veselin Topalov

Vishy Anand

Magnus Carlsen

Teimour Radjabov

Levon Aronian

Round 6: Monday, 8th September 2008

Vassily Ivanchuk

Vishy Anand

Veselin Topalov

Teimour Radjabov

Magnus Carlsen

Levon Aronian

Round 7: Tuesday, 9th September 2008

Magnus Carlsen

Vassily Ivanchuk

Levon Aronian

Veselin Topalov

Teimour Radjabov

Vishy Anand

Round 8: Wednesday, 10th September 2008

Vassily Ivanchuk

Teimour Radjabov

Vishy Anand

Levon Aronian

Veselin Topalov

Magnus Carlsen

Round 9: Friday, 12th September 2008

Vassily Ivanchuk

Levon Aronian

Teimour Radjabov

Magnus Carlsen

Vishy Anand

Veselin Topalov

Round 10: Saturday, 13th September 2008

Veselin Topalov

Vassily Ivanchuk

Magnus Carlsen

Vishy Anand

Levon Aronian

Teimour Radjabov