Date:19/02/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/02/19/stories/2004021906861900.htm

Sport - Chess

Linares tournament from today

NEW DELHI, FEB. 18. No other major title in the game gives Garry Kasparov more satisfaction than the one up for grabs at the Ciudad de Linares in Spain. In the words of a man, who has won it seven times, the event at Linares is the `Wimbledon of Chess.' Obviously, it is the prestige attached to this title that makes it different from the rest.

After the last year's below-par showing that saw Kasparov finish fourth behind Peter Leko, Vladimir Kramnik and Viswanathan Anand, the World's strongest player is desperate to win back the crown in this Category 20 tournament that commences on Thursday.

Although Anand and the reigning World champion Ruslan Ponomariov are not around in the 21st edition of the tournament, Kasparov (2830) heads the seven-player field that includes Kramnik (2777), Alexie Shirov (2736), Veselin Topalov (2735), Leko (2722), Paco Vallejo (2663) and Teimour Radjabov (2656).

Last year, Kasparov had lost 17 ranking points at Linares. The biggest sensation was Kasparov's loss to the then 15-year-old Teimour Radjabov. In fact, he had won just two matches, one each against Anand and Ponomoriov, and drawn the rest. This time, Kasparov surely has a few scores to settle.

Kramnik, who remained unbeaten last year and matched the winning tally of Leko before settling for the second spot due to lesser number of victories, will be keen to regain the title won in 2000. This was also the year when Kasparov returned a similar score but ended up runner-up.

The presence of Shirov ensures an increase in the number of decisive matches. Known to play aggressively, the former World Championship runner-up can be expected to light up the proceedings.

This double round-robin event has two rest days, February 24 and March 1, before it concludes on March 5.