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Corus Group A (2005) Played in Wijk aan Zee, the Netherlands, 15-30 January 2005. Rest days: 19, 24 and 27 January. The rounds began at 1:30 pm, except the last round which began at 0:30 pm. Time control: 120 minutes for the first 40 moves, then 60 more minutes for the next 20 moves, followed by 30 more minutes to finish the game. Tournament category: XIX (2721). First prize: 10,000 euros. Chief arbiter: Thomas van Beekum. Peter Leko won his first and only Corus title. Age Elo 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 1 Leko 25 2749 * 1 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 1 1 ½ ½ 8½ 2 Anand 35 2786 0 * ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 8 3 Topalov 29 2757 ½ ½ * 0 ½ 0 1 ½ 1 1 ½ 1 ½ ½ 7½ =4 Polgar 28 2728 ½ ½ 1 * ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ 0 1 7 =4 Grischuk 21 2710 ½ ½ ½ ½ * ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ 7 =4 Adams 33 2741 ½ 0 1 ½ ½ * ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 7 =4 Kramnik 29 2754 ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ * ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½ 1 7 =8 Van Wely 34 2679 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ * ½ ½ 0 1 ½ ½ 6½ =8 Ponomariov 21 2700 ½ 0 0 1 0 ½ ½ ½ * ½ ½ ½ 1 1 6½ =8 Bruzon 22 2652 0 0 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ * ½ 1 1 1 6½ 11 Svidler 28 2735 0 ½ ½ 0 1 ½ 0 1 ½ ½ * ½ ½ ½ 6 12 Short 39 2674 0 ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ * 1 1 5½ 13 Morozevich 27 2741 ½ 0 ½ 1 0 0 ½ ½ 0 0 ½ 0 * 1 4½ 14 Sokolov 36 2685 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 0 ½ 0 0 * 3½ Official site: https://web.archive.org/web/2005020... ChessBase: https://en.chessbase.com/post/corus... Chesspics: http://www.chesspics.com/index.php?... TWIC: http://theweekinchess.com/html/twic... FIDE: https://ratings.fide.com/tournament... Ian Rogers in Tidskrift för Schack, 2/2005, pp. 100-119: https://tfsarkiv.schack.se/pdf/2005... Robert Eugene Byrne in New York Times, 13 February 2005: https://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/13/... Wikipedia article: Tata Steel Chess Tournament#2005 Previous: Corus Group A (2004). Next: Corus Group A (2006). See also Corus Group B (2005) and Corus Group C (2005)  page 1 of 4; games 1-25 of 91  Game   Result Moves Year Event/Locale Opening 1. Grischuk vs Anand ½-½ 22 2005 Corus Group A C80 Ruy Lopez, Open 2. Topalov vs Ponomariov 1-0 64 2005 Corus Group A B48 Sicilian, Taimanov Variation 3. Morozevich vs Van Wely ½-½ 50 2005 Corus Group A A34 English, Symmetrical 4. I Sokolov vs Leko ½-½ 51 2005 Corus Group A D47 Queen's Gambit Declined Semi-Slav 5. Polgar vs Svidler 1-0 30 2005 Corus Group A C89 Ruy Lopez, Marshall 6. L Bruzon Batista vs Kramnik ½-½ 26 2005 Corus Group A E14 Queen's Indian 7. Short vs Adams ½-½ 23 2005 Corus Group A C99 Ruy Lopez, Closed, Chigorin, 12...cd 8. Ponomariov vs Polgar 1-0 56 2005 Corus Group A B90 Sicilian, Najdorf 9. Kramnik vs Topalov 0-1 20 2005 Corus Group A B80 Sicilian, Scheveningen 10. Grischuk vs Short ½-½ 34 2005 Corus Group A C91 Ruy Lopez, Closed 11. Van Wely vs L Bruzon Batista ½-½ 32 2005 Corus Group A D63 Queen's Gambit Declined, Orthodox Defense 12. Svidler vs I Sokolov ½-½ 43 2005 Corus Group A C80 Ruy Lopez, Open 13. Adams vs Morozevich 1-0 49 2005 Corus Group A C42 Petrov Defense 14. Anand vs Leko 0-1 57 2005 Corus Group A B33 Sicilian 15. Topalov vs Van Wely ½-½ 19 2005 Corus Group A B30 Sicilian 16. Short vs Anand ½-½ 23 2005 Corus Group A B12 Caro-Kann Defense 17. Leko vs Svidler 1-0 57 2005 Corus Group A B90 Sicilian, Najdorf 18. L Bruzon Batista vs Adams ½-½ 30 2005 Corus Group A C91 Ruy Lopez, Closed 19. Morozevich vs Grischuk 0-1 42 2005 Corus Group A B21 Sicilian, 2.f4 and 2.d4 20. Polgar vs Kramnik ½-½ 59 2005 Corus Group A B33 Sicilian 21. I Sokolov vs Ponomariov 0-1 61 2005 Corus Group A E32 Nimzo-Indian, Classical 22. Ponomariov vs Leko ½-½ 44 2005 Corus Group A A36 English 23. Anand vs Svidler ½-½ 55 2005 Corus Group A C99 Ruy Lopez, Closed, Chigorin, 12...cd 24. Kramnik vs I Sokolov 1-0 36 2005 Corus Group A C96 Ruy Lopez, Closed 25. Adams vs Topalov 1-0 41 2005 Corus Group A B90 Sicilian, Najdorf  page 1 of 4; games 1-25 of 91    REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2)   < Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 252 OF 252 ·  Later Kibitzing> Feb-08-05    lenehc: for me the "best" game is the one where there is a true fight and no visible blunders so : Leko - Svidler impressive performance by Leko from the biginning to the end . It is difficult to see where Svidler made a real bad move and he lost without having a chance "à la Petrossian" Feb-08-05    acirce: <iron maiden> The question was clearly "Which is the best game from the A - section"? People seem to have vastly different definitions of the word 'good'. Not saying it's wrong to equate 'good' with 'memorable', but it becomes confusing, especially since it's only done in a context like 'best game' and very rarely, for example, 'best player'. Feb-08-05    Where is my mind: <fgh> I'll vote Kramnik - Svidler as best game of the tournament. Feb-08-05    fgh: The question was "what is the best game from the A - section", even if the game was one-sided. Not the most memorable, neither "I'am a Kramnik hater Kramnik - Topalov was the best game". Feb-08-05    square dance: <fgh> i read your profile and you seem like a reasonably intelligent individual, so im wondering how you could come to the conclusion that kramnik/topalov was the best game? this was a completely one side affair that was only interesting because the world champion got smashed in 20 moves. topa introduced a novelty and kramnik responded badly and that was that. in the book of the worlds greatests chess games, by nunn, graham, and burgess they make the case that a great game is played well on both sides of the board. i personally happen to agree. Feb-08-05    square dance: <fgh> upon further reading, maybe i misunderstood. if you are not of the opinion that kramnik/topalov was the best game, then disregard my post. but everyone who voted for it should give it a good read. ;-) Feb-08-05    radu stancu: <square dance:> From Jan 30: <fgh: Personally I would vote for Ponomariov vs Kramnik, 2005 and L Bruzon vs Topalov, 2005.> What you understood the second time might be the right thing. :) Feb-08-05    fgh: <SD>: I didn't vote for Kramnik - Topalov, that was just the result of the public vote. Feb-08-05    tpstar: I predict that next time we'll have a prediction contest for the Best Game, then another prediction contest for the Most Memorable Game, then another prediction contest predicting who would predict what ... Feb-09-05    iron maiden: <in the book of the worlds greatests chess games, by nunn, graham, and burgess they make the case that a great game is played well on both sides of the board.> Yet they include in the book Anderssen's Immortal and Evergreen games, which everyone knows to be completely one-sided affairs made famous only because of the material sacrificed, along with Larsen's 17-move fiasco against Spassky in 1970, Bogo's back-rank blunder against Capa, and so forth. As it is there really isn't a game from Corus that jumped out and grabbed me, so I came within a fraction of voting for Kramnik-Topalov myself. Feb-09-05    square dance: well out of 112 games, if you have the 2002 edition, i dont know if you can blame them for putting a few famous games in there. as far as the anderssen games, im not really sure(that is i forget) if the opponent played that badly for that period of time. at least there were brilliant combo's involved, not some home prep novelty. if kramnik hadnt reacted so badly would there even be ANY consideration for best game prize? i mean, basically what people are voting on is actually how bad the game was, not how good it was. that notion just seems to defy logic. if people want to applaud blunders then they should watch you and i play on chess21. ;-) also im sure there was some desire to represent certain players like spassky as a winner instead of fischer's whipping boy. not to mention, the combination against larsen was quite good. and the thing about the kramnik/topalov (non)game is that kramnik lost in the opening. its not as if it was some tense struggle that was only lost by a late miscue, it was a first round knock out. for starters the leko/kramnik game was MUCH better. in this game, like the one against topalov, kramnik is faced with a novelty, but this time he actually finds equality over the board instead of getting wiped out. to me, common sense tells me that that game is almost automatically better. Feb-09-05    iron maiden: <out of 112 games, if you have the 2002 edition> Changing the subject a little, I actually haven't gotten around to updating my copy yet. What recent games ('98 or later) do they include in the newer edition? Feb-09-05    square dance: actually it was reprinted 2004, but the latest game is from 2002. anyway the list of new games... 101. atalik-sax, szeged 1997 102. gelfand-shirov, polanica adroj 1998 103. veingold-fridman, zonal tournament,tallinn 1998 104. nunn-nataf, french team ch. 1998/9 105. kasparov-topalov, wijk aan zee 1999 106. topalov-anand, linares 1999 107. topalov-ivanchuk, linares 1999 108. svidler-adams, neum 2000 109. i. sokolov-dreev, dos hermanas 2001 110. gelfand-kantsler, israel 2001 111. kramnik-anand, dortmund 2001 112. sutovsky-smirin, isreali ch., tel aviv 2002 Feb-09-05    iron maiden: Okay, thanks. Next time I'm at my bookstore I'll try to pick up a copy. Feb-09-05    square dance: i had bought the 1998 edition in 2000, or 2001 before i was even into chess! my original copy was ruined when a friend of mine spilled a glass of water all over my book, without realizing it. so when i saw the updated copy for $12.95 i just had to pick it up. Feb-18-05    Phoenix: <sd> I make a habit of taping my favorite paperback chess books with tape. It helps the book stay together longer and repels water. Some people I know think this is strange, but it works, and gets a nice shine to it :-) Feb-18-05    square dance: <phoenix> actually thats a good idea. when my original copy of "the worlds greatest chess games" was ruined i went online looking for another one, and that is how i began my chess book collection. Feb-19-05    lostemperor: Rectification. On the predictioncontest on final Corusstandings I have overlooked the predictions of <suenteus po 147>. It was written in a text. He has 22 points what is a first place! This is how the points are given to make an easy and clear (overall) standing. Like in cu8sfan prediction game, the top 50% participants will get points starting from 1 point. The difference in points remains the same. Here the prizewinners: 8 points: suenteus po 147, like a GM 6 points: iron maiden, matrix, moonlitknight, shams, 81069 5 points: lostemperor 4 points: acirce, fyrebird, kubis, Paul123, ranchogrande 3 points: boganel, child of my tears, AgentRgent, PinkPanther 2 points: assasinator, DaveMurray, Dionyseus, jafar, JimBean, zorro 1 point: radu stancu, MinorPieceActivity, moroisthebest, phoenix, sandyobrien, theSlid, Vishyfan. Mar-09-05    acirce: Grischuk sums up the tournament "from inside", player by player and with some general comments: http://www.64.ru/2005/eng/2/english... Dec-23-05    iron maiden: New rules for determining this year's public prizes: "This 250 EURO daily prize will be awarded each day for the most elegant or most interesting game in the Grandmaster groups. For the first time the 'winning' game will be decided by the audience via internet. At the end of each round all chess lovers in the entire world can vote on four nominated games. The game that gets most votes will win the daily audience prize." From http://coruschess.com/. Dec-23-05    hitman84: <iron maiden>thats cool atleast now we get to have our say but still is'nt it a bit dubious unless the game is annotated we wont be able to find the best game. Jan-21-06    hidude: And Topolov Wins 2006 Apr-04-13    Xenon Oxide: Back in the days Leko was considered ridiculously strong. We could see here he was very willing to play sharp and had a lot more confidence in his play. How the times have changed... Apr-05-13    positionalgenius: Yes. Not even the same player. After failures at San Luis 2005, Linares 2006 (where he lost the lead in the final round) and Dortmund 2006 (same story, lost the lead in final round to Kramnik), Leko stopped playing with confidence. He's never gotten back to that peak, 2002-2006. Jun-27-14    offramp: <Jan-14-05 ayayay: Anand-Bruzon 1-0 Kramnik-Sokolov 1-0 Morozevich-Van Wely 1/2-1/2 Topalov-Short 1/2-1/2 Leko-Grischuk 1-0 Svidler-Polgar 1/2-1/2 Adams-Ponomariov 1-2/1-2> ...And for whatever reason, ayayay never came back. Jump to page #    (enter # from 1 to 252) search thread:    < Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 252 OF 252 ·  Later Kibitzing> NOTE: Create an account today to post replies and access other powerful features which are available only to registered users. Becoming a member is free, anonymous, and takes less than 1 minute! If you already have a username, then simply login login under your username now to join the discussion. 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