Closing the Candidates – a festive evening in Elista

by ChessBase
6/14/2007 – After the final tiebreak game had ended in the tournament theatre the players and participants moved back into the City Chess Center, where all stayed and where the closing ceremony was to be held. It featured speeches, awards, music and costumes. A special guest was even given an entire house in Elista for his outstanding contribution to chess. Big pictorial report.

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The Finals of the Candidates Matches for the 2007 World Chess Championship Tournament took place in Elista, Russia, from June 6th to June 14, 2007. Eight candidates advanced from the first stage and played six-game matches to fill four places in the 2007 World Championship in Mexico City.

Candidates Matches – Closing Ceremony

Just a few hours after the final tiebreak game between Grischuk and Rublevsky the closing ceremony was held, in the central staging building in City Chess. It started at seven p.m. on a warm and bright Summer evening. Our report is the last before embarking on the return journey to Hamburg, where we will pick up the tale of our adventures in Elista. And return to normal reporting on other events and chess news from around the world.


Participants and guests arriving for the closing ceremony at the City Chess Center


Levon Aronian signs autographs, Alexander Grischuk looks on


Now it's your turn, Alex – the girls think he is the cutest candidate


The successful candidates and their president: Alexander Grischuk, Boris Gelfand, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, Peter Leko and Levon Aronian at the banquet table for the closing ceremony


Boris and Kirsan, the Israeli grandmaster and the Kalmykian President


A smile from Alexander Grischuk is a rare and precious thing during such a tournament


Pretty cool that we won, isn't it? Peter Leko and Levon Aronian


Kalmyk girls in national dress, we are tempted to say. No, these are special thematic costumes we have seen before at spectacular chess events.


Vladimir Potkin, Aronian's second, WIM Arianne Caoili, Lev's girlfriend, and Sofi Leko, Peter's spouse


Levon, like all the other qualified participants, gets a national robe which the president helps him to slip into


And now the traditional formal hat...


... and bingo, you are an honorary citizen of Kalmykia


Peter Leko is the next to get the special treatment


Boris Gelfand looking especially professorial in the Kalmykian dress


Alexander Grischuk, who had managed the qualification just a few hours earlier


A Kalmyk quartet plays classical music (mainly Mozart's Kleine Nachtmusik)


A Kalmyk dancer giving a performance to recorded music


Boris Spassky gets a special award – and not just a certificate or merit...


Yes, a full house, all for himself, in the Chess City


They will be seeing much more of each other in the future, Kirsan and Boris

Photos by Frederic Friedel in Elista

Final standings of the Candidates Finals

 Player
Rating
1
2
3
4
5
6
TB
 Tot. 
 Perf. 
 Levon Aronian
2759
1
½
½
½
½
½
 
3.5
2758
 Alexei Shirov
2699
0
½
½
½
½
½
 
2.5
2700
 
 Peter Leko
2738
1
½
1
½
½
   
3.5
2790
 Evgeny Bareev
2635
0
½
0
½
½
   
1.5
2591
 
 Alexander Grischuk 
2717
1
½
½
0
½
½
2.5
5.5
2680
 Sergei Rublevsky
2680
0
½
½
1
½
½
0.5
3.5
2717
 
 Gata Kamsky 
2705
½
½
0
½
0
   
1.5
2586
 Boris Gelfand
2733
½
½
1
½
1
   
3.5
2852

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