Ural, Tomsk en Linex-Magic leading

After five rounds (and just two more to go!) Ural Sverdlovskaya, Tomsk-400 and Linex Magic are leading the field at the European Club Cup, with nine points. Today Vishy Anand played his first game as a world champion: for OSC Baden-Baden he drew modestly in twenty moves with White against Kazhgaleyev. In the women's section Cercle d'Echecs de Monte-Carlo grabbed clear first today by beating Ladya Kazan while Interplast Tbilisi lost to Southern Ural Cheliabinsk. The organisation is providing excellent coverage including downloadable videos, which you can view here as well, in embedded form.

After four rounds Alkaloid was the sole leader in Kemer with 8 points, but they suffered a heavy loss to Linex-Magic today. With the same numbers, 4?Ǭ?-1?Ǭ?, Ural beat Ashdod, and Tomsk-400 sweeped away Novoborsky 6-0. In the women's ECC, Monte-Carlo gave Koneru a free day but still crushed Ladya Kazan 3?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?.After the video of the opening ceremony the organization (in this case Erman Uskudarli) managed to produce videos of the first three rounds as well. They can still be improved but for a first-timer it's not too bad. And ChessVibes wouldn't be ChessVibes if we didn't present them over here:Round 1

Round 2

Round 3

A selection of games from rounds 1-4:Some photos (thanks to Ozgur Akman): A crowded playing hall Nigel Short Sergei Movesesian Elisabeth P?ɬ§tz Shakhryiar Mamedyarov Peter Svidler (and a little bit of Magnus Carlsen) The world champ! OSC Baden-Baden-Cannes Echecs with Anand drawing his first game after Mexico and on board 2, Svidler doing the same against Robert Fontaine, in Mexico a video journalist for Europe-Echecs. Teimour Radjavoc, Alexei Shirov and in the background Alexander Grischuk and Vladimir Akopian The Utrecht-teamMost important results so far:

Round 2Economist        - Tomsk400        1?Ǭ?-4?Ǭ?
Alekseev         - Jakovenko        ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
Tomashevsky      - Karjakin         ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
Tiviakov         - Kasimdzhanov     ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
Galkin           - Inarkiev         0-1
Roiz             - Bologan          0-1
Kornev           - Smirnov          0-1Bosna Sarajevo   - Reykjavik        4-2
Ivanchuk         - Stefansson       1-0
Z.Almasi         - Nataf            ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
Mo-esian         - Thorhallsson     ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
I.Sokolov        - Kristjansson     0-1
Short            - A.Gunnarsson     1-0
Predojevic       - J.Gunnarsson     1-0Ashdod           - Linex Magic      3-3
Eljanov          - Kamsky           1-0
Smirin           - Adams            0-1
Sutovsky         - Rublevsky        ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
Avrukh           - Sargissian       ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
Moiseenko        - Cheparinov       ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
Kogan            - Perez Candelario ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?Keystone         - Zeljeznicar     4?Ǭ?-1?Ǭ?
Ponomariov       - Nikolic          1-0
Onischuk         - Ruck             ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
Areshchenko      - Drasko           ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
Miroshnichenko   - Vuckovic         ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
Efimenko         - Saric            1-0
Baklan           - Blagojevic       1-0Clichy           - Zagreb          3?Ǭ?-2?Ǭ?
Pelletier        - Sasikiran        ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
Naiditsch        - Jobava           0-1
Fressinet        - Palac            ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
Tregubov         - Zelcic           1-0
David            - Dizdar           ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
Apicella         - Sulava           1-0Round 3OSC Baden-Baden  - Gros Xake        3-3
Svidler          - Van Wely         1-0
Carlsen          - Milov            ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
Bacrot           - Zhang Pengxiang  ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
Nisipeanu        - Istratescu       ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
Harikrishna      - Bauer            ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
Nielsen          - Hamdouchi        0-1Vesnianka        - Ural
                  Sverdlovskaya    1?Ǭ?-4?Ǭ?
Fedorov          - Radjabov         ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
Azarov           - Shirov           0-1
S. Zhigalko      - Grischuk         ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
A. Zhigalko      - Akopian          ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
Lutsko           - Malakhov         0-1
Mochalov         - Dreev            0-1Utrecht          - Tomsk-400       1?Ǭ?-4?Ǭ?
Dambacher        - Karjakin         ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
Ris              - Kasimdzhanov     0-1
Berkvens         - Inarkiev         1-0
J. Willemze      - Tkachiev         0-1
Van Beek         - Bologan          0-1
T. Willemze      - Smirnov          0-1Bank King        - Bosna            3-3
Asrian           - Ivanchuk         ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
Lputian          - Almasi           0-1
Vaganian         - Movsesian        1-0
T. Petrosian     - I. Sokolov       0-1
Minasian         - Short            ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
Anastasian       - Predojevic       1-0Vilnius 
Chess-Bridge     - Keystone         1-5
Kveinys          - Ponomariov       0-1
Zagorskis        - Onischuk         ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
Sarakauskas      - Areshchenko      0-1
V. Novikov       - Miroshnichenko   ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
Lapienis         - Baklan           0-1
Rocius           - Vysochin         0-1Round 4Tomsk-400        - Ural 
                  Sverdlovskaya     3-3
Morozevich       - Radjabov         ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
Jakovenko        - Shirov           ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
Karjakin         - Grischuk         ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
Tkachiev         - Akopian          ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
Bologan          - Malakhov         ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
Smirnov          - Dreev            ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?Keystone         - Alkaloid        2?Ǭ?-3?Ǭ?
Ponomariov       - Mamedyarov       ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
Onischuk         - Georgiev         0-1
Areshchenko      - Volkov           ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
Efimenko         - Kozul            1-0
Baklan           - Nedev            0-1
Vysochin         - Colovic          ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?Bosna Sarajevo   - OSC Baden-Baden  3-3
Ivanchuk         - Svidler          ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
Almasi           - Carlsen          0-1
Movsesian        - Bacrot           1-0
I. Sokolov       - Nisipeanu        0-1
Short            - Harikrishna      1-0
Predojevic       - Nielsen          ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?Linex Magic      - Gros Xake       3?Ǭ?-2?Ǭ?
Kamsky           - Van Wely         ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
Adams            - Milov            ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
Rublevsky        - Zhang Pengxiang  ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
Sargissian       - Istratescu       ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
Cheparinov       - Bauer            ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
Perez Candelario - Hamdouchi        1-0Round 5Alkaloid         - Linex-Magic     1?Ǭ?-4?Ǭ?
Mamedyarov       - Kamsky           1-0
Georgiev         - Adams            0-1
Volkov           - Rublevsky        0-1 
Kozul            - Sargissian       ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
Nedev            - Cheparinov       0-1
Jacimovic        - Perez Candelario 0-1Ural               Ashdod 
Sverdlovskaya    - City Club       4?Ǭ?-1?Ǭ?
Radjabov         - Eljanov          ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
Shirov           - Sutovsky         1-0
Grischuk         - Avrukh           1-0
Akopian          - Moiseenko        ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
Malakhov         - Kogan            ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
Dreev            - Kovalev          1-0Novoborsky       - Tomsk-400        0-6
Haba             - Morozevich       0-1 
Kalod            - Jakovenko        0-1
Simacek          - Karjakin         0-1
Kulhanek         - Kasimdzhanov     0-1
Vokac            - Inarkiev         0-1
Klima            - Tkachiev         0-1OSC Baden-Baden  - Cannes Echecs   4?Ǭ?-1?Ǭ?
Anand            - Kazhgaleyev      ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
Svidler          - Fontaine         ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
Carlsen          - Cornette         ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
Bacrot           - Guidarelli       1-0
Nisipeanu        - Govciyan         1-0
Nielsen          - Delabaca         1-0

Top table results women:

Round 2Monte-Carlo      - T-Com Podgorica  3-1
Koneru           - Zhukova          1-0  
Cramling         - Maric            ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
Zhu Chen         - Ushenina         1-0
Socko            - Benderac         ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ? Round 3AVS                Interplast
Krasnoturinsk    - Tbilisi          1-3
Xu               - Javakhishvili    1-0 
Matveeva         - Arakhamia-Grant  0-1
Muzychuk         - Dzagnidze        0-1
Pogonina         - Lomineishvili    0-1Round 4Monte-Carlo      - Interplast
                   Tbilisi          2-2
Koneru           - Arakhamia-Grant  1-0  
Cramling         - Gvetadze         ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?  
Zhu Chen         - Dzagnidze        0-1 
Socko            - Lomineishvili    ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?Round 5Monte-Carlo      - Ladya Kazan     3?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?
Zu Chen          - Zaiatz           1-0
Cramling         - Gaponenko        1-0
Socko            - Christiakova     1-0
Skripchenko      - Shaidullina      ?Ǭ?-?Ǭ?