London Chess Classic final results

Normally you would expect a plus four result in an elite tournament like the London Chess Classic to bring you a first placing. This was what Kramnik had but it was not enough. The Carlsen juggernaut started with 5.5/6 and finished with plus five to take clear first. This is unfortunate for Kramnik because if you have been following his games, he was playing fantastic. He has reached No.2  on the Live Rating overtaking Aronian who was clearly not having his best tournament, losing 12 rating points. Carlsen remains on top as well as beating Garry Kasparov's rating record of 2851.

World Champion Anand finished in the middle with 50%. It looks like the World Champion is in a crisis period with an inability to win games. There is a running joke amongst the chess public that this is because he is "hiding preparations". This is reference to a strategy of days long gone, where players did not want to play their best opening lines, keeping this for more important games (like World Championships). Of course it is a joke because nobody believes this anymore - in this age of chess engines it is likely someone will have found your preparation and use it first in their own games. So the concept of "hiding preparation" is just that - a joke.

The London Chess Classic is using the so called "football" system where a win counts for three points and a draw for one. Carlsen won convincingly in both systems.

The next super tournament will be Tata Steel which beings January 2013 where we can see Carlsen in action again.