2012 China Vs. Russia Match
A chess match between national teams from China and Russia will take place from 1-9 July 2012 in St.Petersburg, Russia.
Male and female teams of 5 players from both countries will compete in separate Scheveningen format competitions (each team member plays each opposite team member).
Although the event is billed as a 'friendly', the clash between the established chess super-power Russia and the fast improving upstart China is loaded with symbolic significance.
The last match between the countries in 2010 was won by the Chinese team by a score of 128-122.
This time China will field virtually their strongest possible men's team and a high quality women's team (albeit with the notable absence of Hou Yifan). The Russian men are without their current top 5 (Kramnik, Karjakin, Morozevich, Grischuk, Svidler) but still out-rate the Chinese.
The Russian women's team includes world blitz champion Valentina Gunina and Chess.com stalwart Natalia Pogonina.
| Russia Men | China Men |
| Evgeny Tomashevsky (2738) | Wang Hao (2738) |
| Dmitry Jakovenko (2736) | Li Chao B (2703) |
| Ian Nepomniachtchi (2716) | Wang Yue (2690) |
| Nikita Vitiugov (2703) | Ding Liren (2679) |
| Maxim Matlakov (2668) | Yu Yangyi (2626) |
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| Russia Women | China Women |
| Valentina Gunina (2530) | Zhao Xue (2549) |
| Alexandra Kosteniuk (2457) | Ju Wenjun (2529) |
| Natalia Pogonina (2447) | Shen Yang (2419) |
| Olga Girya (2414) | Huang Qian (2417) |
| Baira Kovanova (2391) | Ding Yixin (2353) |
Five rounds of classical chess from 2-6 July make up the classical Scheveningen contest, after which there will be a double-Scheveningen of rapid chess on 7-8 June. The scores from all the events will be combined to find the overall winning team!
Games start at 15:00 local time (11:00 UTC) and the time control is 90 minutеs for thе first 40 movеs, then 30 minutеs to a finish with a 30 second increment from the start for the standard games, with the rapid games played at 15 minutеs plus 10 sесond increment.
No draw offers are allowed before move 40.
The official coverage (in Russian) is here.
