Topalov and Bu Lead in Nanjing

Local favorite Bu Xiangzhi and Veselin Topalov fought to a 70-move draw in the 7th round of the Pearl Spring Chess Tournament in Nanjing, China. The draw kept both players tied for the lead at 4.5/7, with three rounds to go. The only other player who appears to be within striking distance is Levon Aronian (4/7), who still has a game to play with Bu.

For a while, the latest super-tournament on the block looked like it might be a tame affair; there were only 4 decisive games in the first five rounds of the tournament. Kicking off the second half of the tournament, the players have already matched that number in the last two rounds -- including two wins by Black in round seven (by Aronian and Peter Svidler).

It's hard not to root for Bu down the stretch. A win for him would be a great step forward for chess in China, especially on their own home turf.

Meanwhile, in Elista, the FIDE Grand Prix event is still a tight affair after five rounds. The joint leaders are the Azerbaijani pair of Teimour Radjabov and Vugar Gashimov, both at 3.5/5. However, another eight players are still within one point of the lead, and with more than half the tournament to play, it's still anyone's game.

I'll be posting updates on both tournaments through their conclusions, but I'm curious about what the public thinks: which tournament is more significant? The Elista event, which is part of the (somewhat depreciated) FIDE Grand Prix series? Or the inaugural edition of the Pearl Springs Tournament? Given the uncertainty of what the Grand Prix will ultimately mean, I'd have to go with Nanjing.