GM Sergey Ionov annotates the games of the 12th round: Anand - Radjabov 1-0 Vallejo - Leko 1-0 Ponomariov - Kasparov 1/2 Ponomariov - Kasparov 1/2 Ponomariov before the coming match with Kasparov continues to look for the new ways of struggle for the opening advantage. On the 7th move he has used the rare 7.d5 instead of 7.0-0 d5 8.a3 Cc3 9.bc3, which passes into the usual line of the Nimzo Indian. Kasparov has not taken the pawn d5 - if 7. ...ed5 8.cd5 Nd5 then 9.Bh7 Kh7 10.Qd5 , and White has some chances for attack. The position after 13. ...Qf5 looks completely equal. White cannot use his advantage in space due to the following simplifications. After the Queens trading Kasparov has provided the position of his Knight f5 by movement of the pawn h, the Knight has very good position - defences the pawn d6 and controls the important squares d4 and e3. The other Knight is trying to attack the c4-pawn. But I have such a feeling that position is still equal. And the game came to the logical result - draw. Vallejo - Leko Vallejo is in the fighting mood today. In not very popular variation of English opening, where White lose the right for castling, he used the pawn sacrifice 9.b4, and if Black takes it 9. ...cb4 then 10.Ke2 or 10.Kd5 and unclear position with mutual chances appears. Leko has prefered to sacrifice pawn by himself, playing for a fast development. Very tense situation in this game. White has an extra pawn at the center but the Black pressure on his position is very strong, besides White has not finished the development of his K-side yet. After mutual blows it became clear that advantage at White. The advantage due to bad positon of black King. Vallejo has prefered to trade the Queens - to free his pieces. But an advantage he has kept. While zeitnot Leko miraculously escaped the immediate defeat, but after time control the material losses became inevitable for him and he had to resign. Anand - Radjabov 1-0 Anand has used against Radjabov the variation, which already had brought him the success in the game with Ponomariov in Wijk aan Zee 2003. There Ponomariov had taken the pawn sacrifice 9. ...b4 10. Kcd5 Ke4, but after 11.a3! he had got serious problems and soon after he had lost. Radjabov has refused the sacrifice and responsed by the counter-attack on the K-side. White is keeping some advantage due to controling d5-square. Now he has to try to open the game on the Q-side and to find the use for his dark-squard Bishop. Unexpectedly quickly has finished this game. In worse position, suffering of the defence of weak pawns b5 and d6 (the position of the Knight e7 is not good as well), Black tried to solve the problems by tactical way, but there was the exact refutation and after he lost the piece Radjabov had to resign.