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• 02 / 19 / 2009

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All sports have their storybook locations and chess is no exception. The Mecca of the scientific game is the Linares Super Tournament which begins Wednesday in the Cervantes Theater in Linares, Spain.

Many chess legends have passed through the doors of this mythical tournament in its previous 25 editions including Garry Kasparov who has won the tournament in 9 of his 14 appearances and holds the record for most games won (66). Nevertheless, perhaps the most memorable performance was that of Anatoly Karpov in 1994 when he accumulated 11 of a possible 13 units and an ELO performance of 3,000 points.

This year’s contest features eight contenders, headed by current world champion and three-time winner at Linares, Indian Viswanathan Anand (2,791 ELO). Another three-time Linares champ is Ivanchuk (2,779) with 14 appearances and 49 games won at Linares.

Following in this year’s list of favorites is Armenian Levon Aronian (2,750) who won in his 2006 debut at Linares. Other players who have been to Linares before but never won are Norwegian Magnus Carlsen (2,776), Azerbaijani Teimour Radjabov (2,761) and Russian Alexander Grischuk (2,733).

Rounding out the tournament are two newcomers, Chinese Wang Yue (2,739) and Cuban Leinier Domínguez (2,717). Yue’s appearance is the first for his country at Linares, while Cuba was represented once before in 1981 by Guillermito García (who finished last) who went up against Karpov and other legends such as Russian Boris Spassky and Danish Bent Larsen.

Leinier arrives at the tournament with the lowest ELO, but at the same time with no pressure, nothing to lose or prove, and ridding the crest of the wave of a career high.

The tournament features two rounds, the first beginning Wednesday and the second on March 7.

(Juventud Rebelde)