The 1st round Hello, dear friends! 2003 year just only has started but the excited events already literally overwhelmed the chess world. One after another passed such grandiose events as the festival in Wijk-aan-Zee, the match Deep Junior - G.Kasparov in New York, super-record "Aeroflot-open" in Moscow and today in the Spanish city Linares starts a match-tournament of the world stars which in view of the forthcoming "unifying" circle of the fight for the champion's throne should be attracted a special attention. Really the content of the participants was impossible to select more intrigue: four main pretenders for the top title - G.Kasparov, V.Kramnik, P.Leko, R.Ponomariov, the deserving of this company but alas deprived of the powers and thus offended on FIDE the World ex-champion V.Anand. And in addition to this 5 favourites their potential successor - 15 y.o. T.Radjabov. On this phone the figure of one more participant - the Spanish GM F.Vallejo looks essentially more modest and probably he is forced to be only as a hospitable master of a noble company. The main event of the 1st day of the tournament is a duel between the irreconcilable rivals V.Kramnik and G.Kasparov . In this game the partners renewed a theoretical discuss in one of the variations of the Accepted Queen's Gambit, which they launched two years ago in Moscow and which didn't bring any advantage to one of the sides. The result of the 3 games was 1.5:1.5. The strategical essence of the chosen opening concludes in an original delimitation of the space - White, using a pawn wedge on the e5 and the freedom of the transfer pieces on the kingside aspires to creat the threats to the rival's King, Black who has an active position of his Knights in the centre puts their hopes on the development of the initiative on the queenside. Such a strategical conflict promise a complicated double edged fight in the forthcoming middlegame. On the other scenario developed the events in the duel between two FIDE champions: ex - V.Anand and the actual one R.Ponomariov . Here the partners outplayed one of the most fashion system in the Ruy Lopez called "The Berliner wall", where the fight usually leads on a simple way - a fast simplification in the centre, an exchange of the Queens and the transfer in a complicated endgame. At that White has seemed many obvious positional pluses (a better pawn structure, the advantage in space, a lot of attempting plans), but the solidity of Black's position gives him a good defensive perspectives. A wide practice shows that Black has more chances on a draw than White on a win. Obviously he has to fight in defense which not everybody taste but if one has not any special prides this is rather rationally. Today Anand who used in the opening rather rare continuation (12.Bg5) managed to obtain a rather perspective play and to put before the partner many problems. His pressure in the centre during the period of many moves looked rather dangerous. But Ponomariov with his inherent composure skillfully parried the threats, gradually reducing the arsenal of the sides. Nevertheless to the 40th move Ponomariov couldn't feel by himself in safety. Excitedly goes on the battle between T.Radjabov and P.Leko . It seems that the young GM don't quail before the luminaries. In a complicated variation of the Queen's gambit he bravely went on a double sharped play where White takes on himself an obligatory to act impetuously on the kingside, giving away to Black the freedom of the maneuvers on the opposite site of the board. On this scheme already developed many games in this opening and Leko has an experience in strategically similar game which he played last year in the Cannes with J.Lautier. So, each of the partners has chosen a play of his taste - a spirited Radjabov aspires to attack. More reserved Leko - to a counterplay. A puzzling fight Radjabov - Leko happened to be a creative "pearl" of the 1st round. The tone has gave the young GM - his break in the centre 26.d5 turned out to be a signal to a "hand to hand" tactical brawl. With a brave pawn sacrifice he opened the centre and activated all his forces. It seemed that after such effective blows as 27.Nxf7 and 28.Nxh6+ the Black's position will fall to pieces but on a surprise Leko managed to make an incredibility - with cool correct replies 27...Rxd3, 28...Kf8 and especially 29...Qd5! he not only refuted the direct threats to his King but passed to an active counterplay. The next stage of the battle remained an refined fencing when the partners excelled in a resourcefulness exchanging with the tactical lunges. When the time trouble has overed and the position on the board essentially simplified turned out to be that in the exciting battle Leko succeed more than his rival. The arose endgame was already obviously to his favour. When the large loses for Radjabov became inevitable he resigned. But the lost of such game make him only a honour! Leko one more time showed a highest mastery. As it could be expected the most long turned out to be the duel Anand-Ponomariov . In accordance with the spirit of the opening and using the advantage in space Anand pressured all the game tempting to break the rival's fortifications on the both flanks been satisfied with very insignificant gains - similarly played in his time R.Fischer. And his persistency has been rewarded at last. When Anand seemed already exhausted all his resources and as a last facilities provided a tactical method 47...е6, Ponomariov instead of a natural pawn capture rashly spared it and permitted a simple blow 48...е7+, and his affairs became vary bad. Using the helplessness of the partner's pieces Anand captured a pawn and kept his main trump - the passing pawn, which gained the 7th rank - this decided the result of the battle. On the 64th move Ponomariov resigned. The central duel of the round Kramnik - Kasparov on the 18th move overed only promising to become an interesting. With a full pieces on the board "threatening" with a Bishop's sacrifice on h6 Kramnik offered a draw which Kasparov has not sufficient reasons to refuse. Altogether the 1st round exceeded all expectations with its fighting. Keep so!