The
FIDE World Chess Cup is being stage from November 26th to December 18th, 2005,
in Khanty-Mansyisk, Russia. This the 128-player event replaces what was known
as the "FIDE Knockout World Championship" and serves as a qualifier
for the Candidates stage of the world championship. The prize fund is US $1.5
million, with President Ilyumzhinov providing $300,000 for organisational costs.
Report by Mig Greengard
Welcome to the sweet sixteen. Arpad Elo had his wicked way with most of the pretenders in the 11 tiebreak matches today in Khanty-Mansyisk, leaving us with 16 contenders. The average rating of the tournament is now a mighty 2679. There is only one player remaining whose rating does not top 2600, Norwegian prodigy Magnus Carlsen. He eliminated Ivan Cheparinov in the first two rapid games. Only three matches required blitz and for the first time none needed sudden death. The higher-rated player won all three.
The
only remaining American, Gata Kamsky, came closest to the brink. He lost
the first rapid game with white against Ilya Smirin but came back to win with
black and then take the blitz. Joel Lautier and Evgeny Najer played only one
decisive game in their six-game match, the final blitz game that was won by
Lautier. Cuba's dream was ended by Evgeny Bareev, who beat Bruzón in
rapids. Van Wely continues to impress, drawing with black and then beating Teimur
Radjabov.
It was a great round for the rodina, or motherland. Six out of seven Russian players came through. Najer was the only one eliminated, which will give him some time to prepare for the Russian championship superfinal, which starts the day after everyone remaining will finish the World Cup. Grischuk, Rublevsky, Bareev, and Malakhov are also playing in that one, so they'll have to hustle back to Moscow.
The fourth round brings us a duel between French #1 Etienne Bacrot and current French champion Joel Lautier, who was the top-rated Frenchman for many years before Bacrot surpassed him on the list. It appears they haven't faced each other since 2003. Bacrot hasn't played in the last two French championships after winning five titles in a row. Lautier took the title in both 2004 and 2005.
Game link below.
| Round 4, Game 1 – Tuesday, December 6, 2005 |
||||
| White | Result | Black | Total |
|
| 1 | Bareev, Evgeny (RUS) | Carlsen, Magnus (NOR) | ||
| 2 | Bacrot, Etienne (FRA) | Lautier, Joel (FRA) | ||
| 3 | Aronian, Levon (ARM) | Vallejo Pons, Francisco (ESP) | ||
| 4 | Grischuk, Alexander (RUS) | Kamsky, Gata (USA) | ||
| 5 | Gelfand, Boris (ISR) | Dreev, Alexey (RUS) | ||
| 6 | Malakhov, Vladimir (RUS) | Gurevich, Mikhail (TUR) | ||
| 7 | Rublevsky, Sergei (RUS) | Sakaev, Konstantin (RUS) | ||
| 8 | Ponomariov, Ruslan (UKR) | Van Wely, Loek (NED) | ||
| Round 3, Tiebreaks – Monday, December 5, 2005 |
||||
| White | Result | Black | Total |
|
| 1 | Cheparinov, Ivan (BUL) | 0-2 |
Carlsen, Magnus (NOR) | 1-3 |
| 2 | Bacrot, Etienne (FRA) | 2-0 |
Sutovsky, Emil (ISR) | 3-1 |
| 3 | Aronian, Levon (ARM) | Areshchenko, Alexander (UKR) | 1.5-0.5 |
|
| 4 | Grischuk, Alexander (RUS) | 1.5-0.5 |
Shulman, Yuri (USA) | 2.5-1.5 |
| 5 | Gelfand, Boris (ISR) | 3-1 |
Pantsulaia, Levan (GEO) | 4-2 |
| 6 | Shirov, Alexei (ESP) | Gurevich, Mikhail (TUR) | 0.5-1.5 |
|
| 7 | Rublevsky, Sergei (RUS) | 1.5-0.5 |
Jobava, Baadur (GEO) | 2.5-1.5 |
| 8 | Radjabov, Teimur (AZE) | 0.5-1.5 |
Van Wely, Loek (NED) | 1.5-2.5 |
| 9 | Ponomariov, Ruslan (UKR) | Xu, Jun (CHN) | 2-0 |
|
| 10 | Tiviakov, Sergei (NED) | Sakaev, Konstantin (RUS) | 0-2 |
|
| 11 | Sokolov, Ivan (NED) | Malakhov, Vladimir (RUS) | 0.5-1.5 |
|
| 12 | Dreev, Alexey (RUS) | 1.5-0.5 |
Harikrishna, Pentala (IND) | 1-1 |
| 13 | Kamsky, Gata (USA) | 2.5-1.5 |
Smirin, Ilia (ISR) | 3.5-1.5 |
| 14 | Vallejo Pons, Francisco (ESP) | 2-0 |
Efimenko, Zahar (UKR) | 3-1 |
| 15 | Lautier, Joel (FRA) | 2.5-1.5 |
Najer, Evgeniy (RUS) | 3.5-2.5 |
| 16 | Bruzon, Lazaro (CUB) | 0.5-1.5 |
Bareev, Evgeny (RUS) | 1.5-2.5 |
| Schedule | |||
| 26 november | Opening Ceremony | 19:00 | |
| 26 november | Players' Meeting | 21:00 | |
| 27 november | Round 1 | Game 1 | 15:00 |
| 28 november | Round 1 | Game 2 | 15:00 |
| 29 november | Tie-breaks | 15:00 | |
| 30 november | Round 2 | Game 1 | 15:00 |
| 1 december | Round 2 | Game 2 | 15:00 |
| 2 december | Tie-breaks | 15:00 | |
| 3 december | Round 3 | Game 1 | 15:00 |
| 4 december | Round 3 | Game 2 | 15:00 |
| 5 december | Tie-breaks | 15:00 | |
| 6 december | Round 4 | Game 1 | 15:00 |
| 7 december | Round 4 | Game 2 | 15:00 |
| 8 december | Tie-breaks | 15:00 | |
| 9 december | Round 5 | Game 1 | 15:00 |
| 10 december | Round 5 | Game 2 | 15:00 |
| 11 december | Tie-breaks | 15:00 | |
| 12 december | Round 6 | Game 1 | 15:00 |
| 13 december | Round 6 | Game 2 | 15:00 |
| 14 december | Tie-breaks | 15:00 | |
| 15 december | Round 7 | Game 1 | 15:00 |
| 16 december | Round 7 | Game 2 | 15:00 |
| 17 december | Tie-breaks | 15:00 | |
| 17 december | Closing Ceremony | 20:00 | |
