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The
FIDE World Chess Cup is being stage from November 26th to December 18th, 2005,
in Khanty-Mansiysk, 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.
Ponomariov-Grischuk, a Sicilian Najdorf, ended as a 17-move draw. Aronian-Bacrot, a D15 Slav, saw White winning a distant past pawn and trying to make something of it with opposite colored bishops on the board. On move 50 the game score suddenly says "1-0", indicating either that Bacrot overstepped the time or that he acknowledged a convoluted win, one we have failed to pick up in the admittedly short time we spent looking at the position.
Levon Aronian, the "senior" in the leading group
Aronian,L (2724) - Bacrot,E (2725) [D15]
WCC Khanty Mansyisk RUS (6.2), 13.12.2005
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 a6 5.a4 e6 6.g3 dxc4 7.Bg2 c5 8.dxc5
Qxd1+ 9.Nxd1 Nc6 10.Be3 Nd5 11.0-0 Nxe3 12.Nxe3 Bxc5 13.Nxc4 Ke7 14.Rac1 Bd7
15.Nfe5 Nxe5 16.Nxe5 Bd6 17.Nxd7 Kxd7 18.Bxb7 Ra7 19.Bc6+ Ke7 20.b3 Rb8 21.Rb1
f5 22.e3 Rc7 23.Bf3 Rc3 24.Be2 Rcxb3 25.Rxb3 Rxb3 26.Bxa6 Ra3 27.Bb5 Be5 28.Kg2
Ra1 29.Rxa1 Bxa1 30.a5 Be5 31.a6 Bb8 32.h4 Ba7 33.Kf3 Kf6 34.g4 h6 35.h5 g5
36.hxg6 Kxg6 37.gxf5+ exf5 38.Bf1 Kg5 39.Kg3 Kf6 40.Bg2 Bb6 41.Kh4 Kg6 42.Bc6
Bd8+ 43.Kg3 Bb6 44.e4 Kf6 45.f4 fxe4 46.Bxe4 Ke6 47.Kg4 Kf6 48.Bg2 Ba7 49.Bh3
Bc5 50.f5 Ba7
1-0.
Whatever the reason, this puts 23-year-old Levon Aronian, grandmaster from Armenia, in the finals. His opponent will be determined in the tiebreaks tomorrow between Ponomariov and Grischuk.
Missed the final: Etienne Bacrot [Photos Frits Agterdenbos]
In the group for places 5-8 Bareev-Rublevsky was a 19-move draw, while Mikhail Guruvich had no chance against Boris Gelfand in this second must-win game, which he resigned after 64 moves. It is interesting to compare the average age between these two groups:
| Group 1 | ages |
Group 2 | ages |
| Grischuk | 22 |
Rublevsky | 31 |
| Ponomariov | 22 |
Bareev | 39 |
| Bacrot | 22 |
Gurevich | 46 |
| Aronian | 23 |
Gelfand | 37 |
Average |
22.25 |
Average |
38.25 |
Carlsen-Malakhov was another Slav (how many were played today?) and it saw the young Norwegian pressing for 57 moves in a closed position. But the game ended in a draw and the tiebreaks will decide in this 9-15 group tomorrow. The same applies to Vallejo-Kamsky, a Slav, which ended in a draw after 21 moves.
Van Wely-Lautier was a Queen's Indian and a 17-move draw. Konstantin Sakaev needed to win against Dreev, and fought hard in a QGD. In the end, after 46 moves, he was already worse and had to accept the draw.
| Round 6, Game two – Tuesday, December 13, 2005 |
||||
| For places 1-4 | ||||
| 1 | Grischuk, Alexander (RUS) |
½-½, ½-½ |
Ponomariov, Ruslan (UKR) | 1-1 |
| 2 | Bacrot, Etienne (FRA) | ½-½, 0-1 |
Aronian, Levon (ARM) | 0.5-1.5 |
| For places 5-8 | ||||
| 3 | Rublevsky, Sergei (RUS) | ½-½, ½-½ |
Bareev, Evgeny (RUS) | 1-1 |
| 4 | Gurevich, Mikhail (BEL) | 0-1, 0-1 |
Gelfand, Boris (ISR) | 0-2 |
| For places 9-12 | ||||
| 5 | Malakhov, Vladimir (RUS) | ½-½, ½-½ |
Carlsen, Magnus (NOR) | 1-1 |
| 6 | Kamsky, Gata (USA) | ½-½, ½-½ |
Vallejo Pons, Francisco (ESP) | 1-1 |
| For places 13-16 | ||||
| 7 | Lautier, Joel (FRA) | ½-½, ½-½ |
Van Wely, Loek (NED) | 1-1 |
| 8 | Dreev, Alexey (RUS) | 1-0, ½-½ |
Sakaev, Konstantin (RUS) | 1.5-0.5 |
The centre of the city Khanty-Mansiysk
War monument in the Park at the centre of the city
Ice sculptures in the park
Ice sculputres in the park
More of them...
Light decorations in the city
| 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 | |
