The Hindu : Sport / Chess : Michael Adams consolidates lead

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Sunday, Jul 04, 2004

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Sport - Chess

Michael Adams consolidates lead

TRIPOLI, JULY 3. English Grandmaster Michael Adams consolidated his position against Teimour Radjabov of Azerbaijan with a quick draw in the second game of the World chess championship semifinals here.

In the other semifinal, top seed Grandmaster Veselin Topalov had to settle for his second successive draw against Grandmaster Rustam Kasimdzhanov of Uzbekistan.

After two games, Adams, having won the first game with black, has a 1.5-0.5 lead over Radjabov in the four-game semifinals while Topalov and Kasimdzhanov are locked at 1-all.

The championship is being played on a knockout basis, with four games in the semifinals and six in the final. The stakes in the championship are high, with the winner set to take home $100,000 out of a total prize pool of a little over $1.5 million.

It took just 17 moves for Radjabov to realise that he was not quite up to it as black against Adams. The teenager has been in tremendous form in the faster version of the games here but in classical time control he has left a lot to be desired.

The exchange variation of the Ruy Lopez was the preferred choice by Adams as white and he allowed black an easy equality as the game progressed.

In the other match, Topalov did try for sometime as white but his advantage fizzled out as white in a Sicilian Kann variation. Kasimdzhanov earned the credit for the second day as the Bulgarian, in ominous form here with nine victories and just two draws prior to the semifinal, could do little as white.

The peace treaty was signed after 25 moves giving Kasimdzhanov a sigh of relief. — PTI

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