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In Rounds 7 and 8 of Linares tournament Armenian GM Levon Aronian again ended in draw with Valejo and Topalov respectively. The latter has taken the sole lead with 5,5 points. In Round 8 Grischuk won against Gashimov and ranks second with 4,5 points. Levon Aronian comes third with 4 points. Gashimov and Gelfand have scored 3,5, Valejo -3.

In Round 9, due tomorrow, Aronian will play with Gelfand, with the other pairings being Grischuk-Topalov, Gashimov-Valejo.
Herewith represented are Round 7 and 8 games:

Round 7

Vugar Gashimov – Veselin Topalov 0,5:0,5

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Bc5 5. Nxe5 Nxe4 6. Qe2 Nxe5 7. Qxe4 Qe7 8. d4 Nc6 9. Qg4 h5 10. Qg3 Bxd4 11. Nc3 O-O 12. Nd5 Qe4 13. Qg5 Qe5 14. c3 Bb6 15. a4 Re8 16. Qxe5 Rxe5 17. Nxb6 cxb6 18. Bf4 Re4 19. Bd6 a6 20. Bd3 Re6 21. Rfe1 g6 22. Rxe6 dxe6 23. Bc7 e5 24. Bxb6 Be6 25. h4 Rc8 26. a5 Ne7 27. Rd1 f5 28. Re1 Nc6 29. f3 Kf7 30. Kf2 Nb8 31. g3 Nd7 32. Ba7 Bb3 33. Re2 Bc4 34. Ke3 Ke6 35. Re1 Bb3 36. Kd2 Nc5 37. Bb6 Rc6 38. Re3 Nd7 39. Ba7 Rd6 40. Kc1 Rd5 41. c4 Rxa5 42. Bxf5+ gxf5 1/2:1/2.

Boris Gelfand – Alexander Grischuk 0,5:0,5

1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 Nd4 5. Bg2 Nxf3+ 6. Bxf3 Bb4 7. O-O O-O 8. Bg2 Re8 9. d3 h6 10. Bd2 c6 11. Rc1 Bc5 12. a3 a6 13. Na4 Ba7 14. c5 d5 15. cxd6 Qxd6 16. Bb4 Qc7 17. Bc5 Bxc5 18. Nxc5 Be6 19. b4 Rad8 20. Qc2 Bd5 21. a4 Bxg2 22. Kxg2 Rd4 23. Qb3 b6 24. e3 Rd6 25. Ne4 Nxe4 26. dxe4 Qe7 27. Qc4 b5 28. Qc5 bxa4 29. Ra1 Rf6 30. Rxa4 Qxc5 31. bxc5 Rb8 32. Rxa6 Rb5 33. f4 Rxc5 34. Rd1 exf4 35. exf4 Rc2+ 36. Kh3 Re6 37. Rd8+ Kh7 38. e5 Re7 39. Rc8 h5 40. Kh4 Rxh2+ 41. Kg5 f6+ 42. exf6 Rf7 43. Raa8 gxf6+ 44. Kf5 Kh6 45. Rh8+ Rh7 46. Rhf8 Rd7 47. Rh8+ Rh7 48. Kxf6 Rd2 49. Rad8 Rxd8 50. Rxd8 Rg7 51. Rh8+ Rh7 52. Re8 Rg7 53. f5 c5 54. Rh8+ Rh7 55. Rg8 Ra7 56. Rh8+ Rh7 57. Rc8 Rg7 58. Ke6 Rxg3 59. f6 Re3+ 60. Kf7 h4 1/2:1/2.

Levon Aronian - Valejo 0,5:0,5

1. Nf3 d5 2. d4 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. e3 Bf5 5. Nc3 e6 6. Nh4 Bg4 7. Qb3 Qc7 8. Bd2 Bh5 9. Rc1 dxc4 10. Bxc4 Be7 11. h3 Qb6 12. g3 Nbd7 13. O-O Nd5 14. Ng2 Bg6 15. f3 O-O 16. Ne2 a5 17. a3 Qa7 18. Nef4 Nxf4 19. Nxf4 e5 20. Nxg6 hxg6 21. dxe5 Nxe5 22. Be2 Rad8 23. Qc3 Rd5 24. f4 Rfd8 25. fxe5 Rxd2 26. Rce1 b5 27. Rf2 Bc5 28. Bf1 b4 29. Rxd2 bxc3 30. Rxd8+ Kh7 31. bxc3 Qe7 32. Rd3 Qxe5 33. Kg2 Bxa3 34. e4 Bd6 35. Rf3 Qc5 36. e5 Bxe5 37. Re4 f5 38. Rc4 Qb6 39. g4 f4 40. h4 Qb2+ 41. Kh3 Bb8 42. h5 gxh5 43. Bd3+ Kg8 44. gxh5 Qc1 45. Be4 c5 46. Kg2 Qd2+ 47. Rf2 Qd7 48. Bf3 Qf5 1/2:1/2.

Round 8

Veselin Topalov – Levon Aronian 0,5:0,5

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 d5 4. d4 e6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bxf6 Qxf6 7. e3 Nd7 8. Bd3 dxc4 9. Bxc4 g6 10. O-O Bg7 11. e4 e5 12. d5 Nb6 13. Bb3 O-O 14. Rc1 Rd8 15. h3 Bd7 16. Qe2 Be8 17. Rfd1 Bf8 18. dxc6 Bxc6 19. Nd5 Bxd5 20. exd5 Bd6 21. Nd2 Qe7 22. Ne4 Kg7 23. Re1 Re8 24. h4 Rad8 25. h5 f5 26. Nxd6 Rxd6
27. Rc5 e4 28. hxg6 f4 29. Qd2 Qe5 30. Rc7+ Rd7 31. Rxd7+ Nxd7 32. Ba4 Rd8 33. Qa5 Nb6 34. Bb3 e3 35. fxe3 fxe3 36. Qb4 Rd6 37. Re2 Rxg6 38. Qc3 Qxc3 39. bxc3 Rg5 40. Rxe3 Nxd5 41. Bxd5 Rxd5 42. Re7+ Kf6 43. Rxb7 Ra5 44. Rb2 Ke5 45. Kf2 1/2:1/2.

Alexander Grischuk – Vugar Gashimov 1:0

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 c5 4. d5 d6 5. Nc3 exd5 6. cxd5 g6 7. g3 Bg7 8. Bg2 O-O 9. O-O Re8 10. Bf4 Na6 11. Re1 Bg4 12. Qb3 Nh5 13. Bg5 Qd7 14. Nd2 h6 15. Be3 Bf5 16. Nc4 Nb4 17. Rac1 Rab8 18. a4 b6 19. Nb5 Bf8 20. Bd2 a6 21. Nbxd6 b5 22. Nxe8 bxc4 23. Qxc4 Rxe8 24. Bxb4 cxb4 25. e4 Bg4 26. e5
Qf5 27. e6 fxe6 28. dxe6 Be7 29. f3 Bh3 30. g4 Qg5 31. Bxh3 Nf4 32. Bf1 Rf8 33. Qc7 h5 34. Qe5 Qh4 35. Re4 Nh3+ 36. Bxh3 Qxh3 37. Qg3 hxg4 38. Qxh3 gxh3 39. Kf2 Rd8 40. Ke2 1:0.

Valejo – Boris Gelfand 0,5:0,5

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Nc6 7. O-O Be7 8. Nbd2 Nxd2 9. Bxd2 Bg4 10. c3 O-O 11. Re1 Bd6 12. h3 Bh5 13. g3 h6 14. Bf5 Qf6 15. Bg4 Bxg4 16. hxg4 Rae8 17. Kg2 Rxe1 18. Qxe1 Qg6 19. g5 hxg5 20. Nxg5 Nd8 21. Qb1 Qxb1 22. Rxb1 Ne6 23. Nxe6 fxe6 24. Re1 Kf7 25. Rh1 c5
26. dxc5 Bxc5 27. Bf4 Be7 28. Be5 Rc8 29. Rh7 Bf6 30. Bxf6 Kxf6 31. Rh4 b5 32. Rf4+ Ke7 33. Rg4 Kf6 34. Rf4+ Ke7 35. Rg4 1/2:1/2.