2009 FIDE World Cup

2009 FIDE World Cup
Nov 6th, 2009 by Daaim Shabazz 

On November 20th, the 2009 World Cup will begin with the Opening Ceremonies.

A field of 128 players will assemble is Khanty-Mansiysk to vie for a spot in the 2010 World Championship cycle. The top delegation is home favorite Russia with a total of 34 players. The top seed is Boris Gelfand of Israel. He will be joined by other marquee players such as Vulgar Gashimov, Peter Svidler, Alexander Morozevich and several of the top 20 players. One notable absence is Hikaru Nakamura who skipped out of the zonal tournament in the Americas. 

There is the strong possibility of a few upsets in round one by unheralded players… many having just come on the scene. American GMs such as Robert Hess and Ray Robson will test the top level and China’s Hou Yifan compatriot Yu Yangyi may surprise. Philippines’ Wesley So may be looking for a breakthrough here. Women’s Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk will also be in the field. It will prove to be an exciting event!

Main Site: http://ugra-chess.ru/eng/main_e.htm

List of Qualifiers: http://www.fide.com/component/content/article/1-fide-news/4037-list-of-qualifiers-for-world-cup

Round 1 Pairings: http://www.fide.com/component/content/article/1-fide-news/4169-world-chess-cup-2009-pairings-of-round-1