Aronian still edges Carlsen

Levon Aronian won his rapid game against Viswanathan Anand, while Magnus Carlsen was victorious over Veselin Topalov. Vassily Ivanchuk continues to move up the field and is now equal third.

A curious series of results. Six draws in the Blindfold, and six White wins in the Rapidplay!

Round 8: Blindfold

Alexander Grischuk Russia 2747 ½-½ Hikaru Nakamura USA 2774
Viswanathan Anand India 2817 ½-½ Levon Aronian Armenia 2808
Boris Gelfand Israel 2733 ½-½ Vassily Ivanchuk Ukraine 2779
Vladimir Kramnik Russia 2785 ½-½ Vugar Gashimov Azerbaijan 2746
Sergey Karjakin Russia 2776 ½-½ Anish Giri Netherlands 2690
Veselin Topalov Bulgaria 2775 ½-½ Magnus Carlsen Norway 2815

Levon Aronian and Magnus Carlsen both won and, as their closest rivals (Anand and Grischuk) both lost, these two are now well ahead.

Round 8: Rapidplay

Hikaru Nakamura USA 2774 1-0 Alexander Grischuk Russia 2747
Levon Aronian Armenia 2808 1-0 Viswanathan Anand India 2817
Vassily Ivanchuk Ukraine 2779 1-0 Boris Gelfand Israel 2733
Vugar Gashimov Azerbaijan 2746 1-0 Vladimir Kramnik Russia 2785
Anish Giri Netherlands 2690 1-0 Sergey Karjakin Russia 2776
Magnus Carlsen Norway 2815 1-0 Veselin Topalov Bulgaria 2775

Vassily Ivanchuk has now won several matches in a row and is now equal third with Viswanathan Anand.

The table with the totals after eight rounds is as follows:

Seed Name (World Rank) Country Rating Age Blindfold Rapidplay Total Points
3 Levon Aronian (3) Armenia 2808 28 6 11½
2 Magnus Carlsen (2) Norway 2815 20 11
1 Viswanathan Anand (1) India 2817 41 4
5 Vassily Ivanchuk (5) Ukraine 2779 41 5
9 Alexander Grischuk (10) Russia 2747 27 8
10 Vugar Gashimov (11) Russia 2747 24 4 4 8
7 Veselin Topalov (7) Bulgaria 2775 36 4
8 Hikaru Nakamura (8) USA 2774 23 4
6 Sergey Karjakin (6) Russia 2776 21 4 3 7
11 Boris Gelfand (16) Israel 2733 42 4 3 7
12 Anish Giri (43) Netherlands 2690 16 3 3 6
4 Vladimir Kramnik (4) Russia 2785 35 3

World No.4 Vladimir Kramnik is now in last place!

The previous rounds:

Round 1: Blindfold

Hikaru Nakamura USA 2774 ½-½ Magnus Carlsen Norway 2815
Levon Aronian Armenia 2808 1-0 Anish Giri Netherlands 2690
Vassily Ivanchuk Ukraine 2779 0-1 Vugar Gashimov Azerbaijan 2746
Sergey Karjakin Russia 2776 0-1 Boris Gelfand Israel 2733
Alexander Grischuk Russia 2747 1-0 Vladimir Kramnik Russia 2785
Viswanathan Anand India 2817 1-0 Veselin Topalov Bulgaria 2775

Round 1: Rapidplay

Magnus Carlsen Norway 2815 1-0 Hikaru Nakamura USA 2774
Anish Giri Netherlands 2690 0-1 Levon Aronian Armenia 2808
Vugar Gashimov Azerbaijan 2746 1-0 Vassily Ivanchuk Ukraine 2779
Boris Gelfand Israel 2733 1-0 Sergey Karjakin Russia 2776
Vladimir Kramnik Russia 2785 0-1 Alexander Grischuk Russia 2747
Veselin Topalov Bulgaria 2775 ½-½ Viswanathan Anand India 2817

Round 2: Blindfold

Veselin Topalov Bulgaria 2775 ½-½ Sergey Karjakin Russia 2776
Vladimir Kramnik Russia 2785 ½-½ Viswanathan Anand India 2817
Boris Gelfand Israel 2733 0-1 Alexander Grischuk Russia 2747
Magnus Carlsen Norway 2815 1-0 Vugar Gashimov Azerbaijan 2746
Anish Giri Netherlands 2690 ½-½ Vassily Ivanchuk Ukraine 2779
Hikaru Nakamura USA 2774 0-1 Levon Aronian Armenia 2808

Round 2: Rapidplay

Sergey Karjakin Russia 2776 ½-½ Veselin Topalov Bulgaria 2775
Viswanathan Anand India 2817 ½-½ Vladimir Kramnik Russia 2785
Alexander Grischuk Russia 2747 ½-½ Boris Gelfand Israel 2733
Vugar Gashimov Azerbaijan 2746 0-1 Magnus Carlsen Norway 2815
Vassily Ivanchuk Ukraine 2779 ½-½ Anish Giri Netherlands 2690
Levon Aronian Armenia 2808 ½-½ Hikaru Nakamura USA 2774

Round 3: Blindfold

Levon Aronian Armenia 2808 ½-½ Magnus Carlsen Norway 2815
Vassily Ivanchuk Ukraine 2779 0-1 Hikaru Nakamura USA 2774
Vugar Gashimov Azerbaijan 2746 1-0 Anish Giri Netherlands 2690
Alexander Grischuk Russia 2747 ½-½ Sergey Karjakin Russia 2776
Viswanathan Anand India 2817 ½-½ Boris Gelfand Israel 2733
Vladimir Kramnik Russia 2785 1-0 Veselin Topalov Bulgaria 2775

Round 3: Rapidplay

Magnus Carlsen Norway 2815 ½-½ Levon Aronian Armenia 2808
Hikaru Nakamura USA 2774 ½-½ Vassily Ivanchuk Ukraine 2779
Anish Giri Netherlands 2690 ½-½ Vugar Gashimov Azerbaijan 2746
Sergey Karjakin Russia 2776 1-0 Alexander Grischuk Russia 2747
Boris Gelfand Israel 2733 0-1 Viswanathan Anand India 2817
Veselin Topalov Bulgaria 2775 1-0 Vladimir Kramnik Russia 2785

Round 4: Blindfold

Sergey Karjakin Russia 2776 1-0 Vladimir Kramnik Russia 2785
Boris Gelfand Israel 2733 ½-½ Veselin Topalov Bulgaria 2775
Alexander Grischuk Russia 2747 ½-½ Viswanathan Anand India 2817
Magnus Carlsen Norway 2815 ½-½ Anish Giri Netherlands 2690
Hikaru Nakamura USA 2774 ½-½ Vugar Gashimov Azerbaijan 2746
Levon Aronian Armenia 2808 ½-½ Vassily Ivanchuk Ukraine 2779

Round 4: Rapidplay

Vladimir Kramnik Russia 2785 ½-½ Sergey Karjakin Russia 2776
Veselin Topalov Bulgaria 2775 1-0 Boris Gelfand Israel 2733
Viswanathan Anand India 2817 1-0 Alexander Grischuk Russia 2747
Anish Giri Netherlands 2690 0-1 Magnus Carlsen Norway 2815
Vugar Gashimov Azerbaijan 2746 0-1 Hikaru Nakamura USA 2774
Vassily Ivanchuk Ukraine 2779 0-1 Levon Aronian Armenia 2808

Round 5: Blindfold

Vassily Ivanchuk Ukraine 2779 1-0 Magnus Carlsen Norway 2815
Vugar Gashimov Azerbaijan 2746 0-1 Levon Aronian Armenia 2808
Anish Giri Netherlands 2690 1-0 Hikaru Nakamura USA 2774
Viswanathan Anand India 2817 ½-½ Sergey Karjakin Russia 2776
Veselin Topalov Bulgaria 2775 1-0 Alexander Grischuk Russia 2747
Vladimir Kramnik Russia 2785 0-1 Boris Gelfand Israel 2733

Round 5: Rapidplay

Magnus Carlsen Norway 2815 0-1 Vassily Ivanchuk Ukraine 2779
Levon Aronian Armenia 2808 1-0 Vugar Gashimov Azerbaijan 2746
Hikaru Nakamura USA 2774 ½-½ Anish Giri Netherlands 2690
Sergey Karjakin Russia 2776 ½-½ Viswanathan Anand India 2817
Alexander Grischuk Russia 2747 1-0 Veselin Topalov Bulgaria 2775
Boris Gelfand Israel 2733 0-1 Vladimir Kramnik Russia 2785

Round 6: Blindfold

Boris Gelfand Israel 2733 ½-½ Hikaru Nakamura USA 2774
Alexander Grischuk Russia 2747 ½-½ Levon Aronian Armenia 2808
Viswanathan Anand India 2817 ½-½ Vassily Ivanchuk Ukraine 2779
Veselin Topalov Bulgaria 2775 ½-½ Vugar Gashimov Azerbaijan 2746
Vladimir Kramnik Russia 2785 ½-½ Anish Giri Netherlands 2690
Sergey Karjakin Russia 2776 ½-½ Magnus Carlsen Norway 2815

Round 6: Rapidplay

Hikaru Nakamura USA 2774 0-1 Boris Gelfand Israel 2733
Levon Aronian Armenia 2808 0-1 Alexander Grischuk Russia 2747
Vassily Ivanchuk Ukraine 2779 1-0 Viswanathan Anand India 2817
Vugar Gashimov Azerbaijan 2746 1-0 Veselin Topalov Bulgaria 2775
Anish Giri Netherlands 2690 - Vladimir Kramnik Russia 2785
Magnus Carlsen Norway 2815 1-0 Sergey Karjakin Russia 2776

Round 7: Blindfold

Anish Giri Netherlands 2690 0-1 Veselin Topalov Bulgaria 2775
Magnus Carlsen Norway 2815 1-0 Vladimir Kramnik Russia 2785
Vugar Gashimov Azerbaijan 2746 ½-½ Sergey Karjakin Russia 2776
Levon Aronian Armenia 2808 1-0 Boris Gelfand Israel 2733
Vassily Ivanchuk Ukraine 2779 ½-½ Alexander Grischuk Russia 2747
Hikaru Nakamura USA 2774 ½-½ Viswanathan Anand India 2817

Round 7: Rapidplay

Veselin Topalov Bulgaria 2775 ½-½ Anish Giri Netherlands 2690
Vladimir Kramnik Russia 2785 0-1 Magnus Carlsen Norway 2815
Sergey Karjakin Russia 2776 ½-½ Vugar Gashimov Azerbaijan 2746
Boris Gelfand Israel 2733 ½-½ Levon Aronian Armenia 2808
Alexander Grischuk Russia 2747 0-1 Vassily Ivanchuk Ukraine 2779
Viswanathan Anand India 2817 ½-½ Hikaru Nakamura USA 2774

The total prize fund is 227,000 € which explains the presence of so many elite players.

The time control varies slightly between the blindfold and rapidplay:

25 minutes by game in both cases, with an increment of 20 seconds by move at blindfold and just 10 seconds at rapidplay.

There are four sessions of three games during the day. The first game starts at 2.30pm (local time) and the final one towards 8pm.

The final rest day will be on the 21st of March.

The event takes place at the Hotel Monte-Carlo "Bay Hotel & Resort" in Monaco, from the 11th to the 25th of March 2011. The Max Euwe association and the philantrophist Joop van Oosterom have organized the event since 1992, and named it after his daughter Melody Amber.

For more information go to:Official site


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