Linares 2010: Preview

Linares 2010 is coming up (actually only a week and a half away). Unfortunately, since it is so close to Corus, none of the participants at Corus will be playing at Linares this year. Apparently they have had some sponsorship problems as well this year, so instead of the tournament being an 8-player double round robin (the only super tournament with 14 or more rounds), it has been downgraded to a 6-player round robin.

Favorite: Levon Aronian. At 2782, he is the highest rated 5th ranked player in history and has been on an upswing lately with having already clinched the Grand Prix top spot with an event to go. Estimate: +3 6.5/10

Also Strong: Veslin Topalov. The top rated seed at 2805, normally he'd be the favorite but with his upcoming match with Anand in less than three months, he will be saving novelties and will probably just be looking to stay sharp and not embarrass himself. Estimate: +1 5.5/10

Alexander Grischuk. Recently won the super-final tournament in Russia and also did well at the World Team Championships, and yet he's actually the 5th seed out of 6. 50% should be considered a victory for him. Estimate: = 5.0/10

Boris Gelfand. Has reached the top 10 again but was disapointing at the world team championships and has already lost 10 rating points this supplement. This tournament is like a fore-runner to the upcoming longer and stronger 2010 Candidates tournament, so it will be interesting to see how he holds up. Estimate: -1 4.5/10

Vugar Gashimov. He's probably the least known of all of the top 10 players (maybe even the top 30) probably because he has not participated in any of the classic super tournaments, although he has done well in the Grand Prix series, which are category XIX tournaments. Scoring 8.0 (tied for the win), 6.5, and 7.5. This will be some valuable experience for him. Estimate: -1 4.5/10

Francisco Vallejo. At 2705, he's quite a bit lower rated than anybody else on the list but he's quite a bit stronger than Smeets and Van Wely, the Dutch players at Corus. A victory for him would be to get not last place, but considering his accomplishments and those of his rivals, it's doubtful that this will happen. Estimate: -2 4.0/10.

How does strength compare to Corus?

Corus Average: 2713 (Category XIX)
Linares Average: 2758 (Category XXI)

However, Top 6 Players at Corus Average: 2767