Topalov emerged as the early leader

Linares: Grandmaster Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria drew first blood, defeating Michael Adams of England in the first round of the 22nd edition of Linares Super Grandmasters tournament here.

Aided by his triumph, Topalov emerged as early leader in this category-20 double round robin tournament being played under classical time control as other two games of the opening round ended in draws.

World?s top-rated player Garri Kasparov of Russia drew with Hungarian Peter Leko without much ado while it was a similar tale in the other contest of the day ? between Uzbek Rustam Kasimdzhanov and local hope Francisco Pons Vallejo. Viswanathan Anand had a bye in the first round.

It was certainly Topalov?s day in the tournament.

Adams had spoiled Topalov?s party in the Corus tournament last year just after the Bulgarian got an excellent start but this time, even as he tried hard for an encore, the Englishman was simply not in his usual self.

The Nimzo Indian defence by Adams led to wild complexities in the middle game as he launched an attack against the king after both players castled on opposite flanks.

Gaining a definite advantage in the middle game, Adams missed out on a promising continuation on the 26th move and subsequently found himself a rook less as Topalov unleashed a series of tactical manoeuvres.

The finale was quite picturesque when Topalov sacrificed his queen to deliver the checkmate.

If anyone expected the Leko-Kasparov match to be a real eye-catcher, they were disappointed. For the duel between them offered little for their fans except anticipation of a keenly contested game fought till the last nail.

However, the hopes were dashed just while they were building up as Kasparov accepted the peace proposal by his younger rival after just 26 moves in an unclear situation.

The two fought in the Sicilian Nazdorf where Kasparov, playing black, neutralised Leko?s initiative in the English attack without any troubles.

Going in to a sharp middle game, Leko sacrificed a pawn on the 16th move to complicate matters but once Kasparov consolidated with fine defensive manoeuvres, the Hungarian was in no mood to risk anything.

Kasimdzhanov and Vallejo played out a side variation in another Nimzo Indian of the day and it was a solid and chanceless encounter for both sides.

Still in the final position, many believed that this one also ended a bit prematurely as many pieces were still on board when the peace treaty was signed.

Meanwhile, Anand geared himself for his first game against Topalov. The Indian, who had a bye in the first round in the seven-players event, will have the advantage of white pieces in his first appearance in Linares in the past two years.

Anand was a winner here in 1998 but since then a third place finish in 1999 has been his best performance in four appearances. Overall this is his 10th outing in Linares.