Chess - The Scotsman 11/12/12

HISTORY is in the making for world No.1 Magnus Carlsen, 22, who has become the highest rated player of all time by surpassing Garry Kasparov’s record 2851 rating.
By The Newsroom
Published 11th Dec 2012, 00:00 BST

Carlsen has scored five wins and two draws from his seven games in the elite year-ending London Classic, raising his unofficial live rating to 2862. Even if he loses 
to world champion Viswanathan Anand in the final round, he will remain above 2851.

Carlsen, who first became world No 1 at 19, has now also broken Kasparov’s unofficial all-time live rating record of 2856. The young Norwegian superstar of the game is truly in a league of his own by being over 50 rating points above his closest rival, former world champion (and Kasparov’s nemesis) Vladimir Kramnik, who is now in second place after leapfrogging long-time No 2 Levon Aronian of Armenia.

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Although Carlsen has broken the rating record (that becomes official with the publication of the January 2013 FIDE rating list) with his phenomenal performance at the London Classic, he’s still not assured of first place. Should he lose in the final round to Anand, and Kramnik wins, then the latter would still take first place.

Standings: 1. M Carlsen, 17/21; 2. V Kramnik, 15/21; 3. M Adams, 12/21; 4. H Nakamura, 10/21; 5. V Anand, 8/21; 6. L Aronian, 7/21; 7-8. L McShane and J Polgar, 5/21; 9. G Jones, 3/24.

V Anand - M Adams

4th London Chess Classic, (6)

English Opening

1 c4 e5 2 Nc3 Nf6 3 Nf3 Nc6 4 g3 g6 5 d4 exd4 6 Nxd4 Bg7 7 Bg2 0–0 8 0–0 Re8 9 Nc2 d6 10 Bd2 a6 11 Rc1 Ne5 12 b3 c6 13 Be3 Nfg4 14 Bd4 c5 15 Bxe5 Bxe5 16 Nd5 Rb8 17 h3 Nf6 18 Nce3 Nxd5 19 Nxd5 Qa5 20 Rc2 Bf5 21 Qd2 Qd8 22 Rcc1 b5 23 cxb5 axb5 24 Rfd1 h5 25 h4 Bg4 26 Ne3 Bd7 27 Bf3 Bd4 28 Nd5 b4 29 Rc4 Be5 30 Kg2 Ra8 31 Ne3 Ra7 32 Rcc1 Qe7 33 Nc4 Be6 34 Rc2 Bf5 35 e4 Be6 36 Nxe5 dxe5 37 Qe3 Ra5 38 Be2 Rd8 39 Rxd8+ Qxd8 40 Rxc5 Rxa2 41 Bc4 Qd1! 42 Qh6 Bh3+ 0–1