Veselin Topalov
Bulgarian Veselin Topalove emerged victorious at the 1st Grand Slam Masters Final played in Bilbao from september 2 to 13, 2008, revolutionizing the way elite chess was viewed.
It was the first time that sucha a strong tournament (category 22) was played in a city like Bilbao, in a sound-proof glass booth built especially for that purpose. Additionally, the so-called “Bilbao rules” were put into effect, consisting of scoring victories with 3 points, a draw with 1 and losses with 0, increasing the players’ competitiveness.
The cohort of players came together in Bilbao and included Veselin Topalov, Magnus Carlsen, Levon Aronian, Vasili Ivanchuk, Teimur Radyabov y Viswanathan Anand.
Final Leaderboard
| Players | Wins | Draws | Losses | POINTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Véselin Topálov | 4 | 5 | 1 | 17 |
| Magnus Carlsen | 3 | 4 | 3 | 13 |
| Levon Aronián | 3 | 4 | 3 | 13 |
| Vasili Ivanchuk | 2 | 6 | 2 | 12 |
| Teimur Radyábov | 1 | 7 | 2 | 10 |
| Viswanathan Anand | 0 | 8 | 2 | 8 |
