Anand meets Topalov in Linares leg first round

Linares, Spain, Mar 2 (UNI) Joint leader Viswanathan Anand takes on Veselin Topalov in the eighth round of the Morelia/Linares chess tournament as action shifts here after the Morelia leg.

Anand, who shared the lead with Magnus Carlsen at 4.5 points after seven rounds, has white pieces against the Bulgarian.

Carlsen, meanwhile, will have black pieces against Alexander Morozevich.

In other matches, Peter Leko will play Vassily Ivanchuk and Aronian face Peter Svidler.

Anand drew with Topalov in the Morelia leg, but the Indian had lost to the Bulgarian in Corus Grandmasters chess earlier this year.

Anand has 20-13 advantage in head-to-head record and 39 matches were drawn.

The eight-player tournament is being played in two legs with the first seven rounds in Morelia, Mexico, and the next seven here.

In the seventh and last round at Morelia, Anand had beaten Peter Leko with black pieces to jump to joint lead.

Standings after Round 7: 1. Anand and Carlsen 4.5; 3. Ivanchuk 4.0; 4. Aronian and Svidler 3.5; 6. Leko and Topalov 3.0; 8. Morozevich 2.0 UNI