CHESS
Alexey Shirov of Spain is the surprising leader in the “super tournament” in Linares, Spain. Shirov has a “+2” score of 5 1/2-3 1/2, with three games to play. Next at 5-4 is Viswanathan Anand of India, but Russian stars Vladimir Kramnik and world champion Garry Kasparov also stand at “+1” with 4 1/2-3 1/2 and four games remaining.
Vassily Ivanchuk (Ukraine) moved from last place to respectability at 4-5 by winning two games in a row. Peter Svidler (Russia) has 3 1/2-5 1/2, and Veselin Topalov (Bulgaria) has 3-5 with an extra game to go.
Shirov has won four games, Anand and Ivanchuk have won twice, and the others have one win apiece. Kasparov defeated Anand convincingly in the third round, but has drawn the rest of his games.
Before the tournament, Kramnik said that he, Anand and Kasparov were clearly the three strongest players in the world. Kasparov proposed a match between Anand and Kramnik, with the winner earning the right to challenge Kasparov in a world championship match. Will Shirov disrupt these plans?
LOCAL NEWS
In last Sunday’s chess column, I did not correctly identify Martin Leung, who scored a perfect 5-0 in the junior varsity section of the Southern California State Junior High Championship. I apologize for the error.
The Pacific Coast Open, the first Continental Chess Assn. tournament held in Ventura, attracted 150 players last weekend. The Open section ended in a three-way tie at 4-1 among GM Dmitry Gurevich, IM Michael Brooks and IM Rashid Ziatdinov. Gurevich drew games against both of his co-winners. Clear fourth at 3 1/2-1 1/2 was IM Osman Palos.
Craig Heirigs, state amateur champion Arthur Macaspac and John R. Williams tied for first in the Under-2200 section. Other sections were won by Alfredo Insigne and Andreas Nussbacher, each 4-1 in Under-2000; Fred Brock, 4 1/2- 1/2 in Under-1800; Sergio Marcelo and Severine Wamala, 4 1/2- 1/2 in Under-1600; Michael Barney, 4 1/2- 1/2 in Under-1400; Hovnan Arabyan, 5-0 in Under-1200; and Elias Burstein and Walter Burstein, best unrateds at 3-2.
The 1998 State High School Championship takes place next weekend at Monroe High School in Granada Hills. The Open section, which features six rounds of 90-minute games, will be held March 14 and 15. The Under-1400 and Under-1000 sections will be one-day events, on March 14 only. Entrants will play five rounds of 30-minute games. For more details, call Randy Hough at (626) 282-7412 or Steve Hughes at (818) 717-0648.