WIJK AAN ZEE, JANUARY 22: VISWANATHAN Anand played a short draw with Michael Adams and went into second position after seven rounds in the year’s first Super Grandmasters chess tournament at Wijk Aan Zee, a Dutch seaside resort. The Indian ace now has 4.5 points from seven rounds and shares the second place with young Sergey Karjakin.

Meanwhile Bulgarian Veselin Topalov moved into top slot with a crushing win over Ivan Sokolov that gave him five points and half a point lead over the Indian. Topalov won in 37 moves after an opening that was in the Ruy Lopez Moeller Defence. Karjakin beat S Mamedyarov.

Four games produced results, and three of them were in Ruy Lopez, the only exception being the Anand-Adams game.

Anand, sponsored by NIIT, had a short game with Adams. Anand’s new idea in the Anti Marshall got him nothing tangible. When Adams replied with comfortably and neutralized all possible advantages, he looked fine. He made an offer of a draw after some more moves and that was accepted straightway by Anand. For either to probe and play further for a win was not without risks.

Peter Leko finally broke through with a convincing win over Gata Kamsky, who is having problems adjusting to black pieces. The seventh round game was a Ruy Lopez in which Leko crushed him.

In group B Magnus Carlsen is going great guns and with yet another win against Giovanni Vescovi is at six points from seven games. David Navara is in clear second with five points after a win over India’s Koneru Humpy, who with three points is in tied ninth place with Ivan Cheparinov and Alexander Beliavsky.

Pairings for Round 8: Sokolov v Kamsky; Adams v Leko; Bacrot v Anand; Van Wely v Ivanchuk; Mamedyarov v Aronian; Tiviakov v Karjakin; Topalov v Gelfand

Results of Round 7: Topalov beat Sokolov; Anand drew with Adams; Karjakin beat Mamedyarov; Gelfand drew with Tiviakov; Ivanchuk drew with Bacrot; Leko beat Kamsky; Aronian lost to Van Wely

Standings after Round 7: 1. Topalov 5.0; 2. Anand and Karjakin 4.5; 4. Adams, Gelfand and Ivanchuk 4.0; 7. Van Wely, and Leko 3.5; 9. Tiviakov, Mamedyarov and Aronian 3.0; 12. Sokolov and Bacrot 2.5; 14. Kamsky 2.0.