World Cup tiebreaks round 1: more Chinese successes

After Yu Yangyi's surprising success of yesterday, two more famous grandmasters were eliminated by Chinese rising stars in the tiebreaks today. Gabriel Sargissian lost to Li Chao and Emil Sutovsky went down against Zhou Weiqi. Tomorrow is already the second round and we're left with 64 players.

The FIDE World Chess Cup takes place November 20th-December 15th inn Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. It's a seven-round knockout with six rounds of matches comprising two games per round. The final seventh round consists of four games.

Round 1 (November 21-23): 128 players	Round 5 (December 3-5): 8 players
Round 2 (November 24-26): 64 players	Round 6 (December 6-8): 4 players
Round 3 (November 27-29): 32 players	Round 7 (December 10-14): 2 players
Round 4 (November 30-December 2): 16 players

The time control is 90 minutes for the first 40 moves followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game with an addition of 30 seconds per move from move one. Games start at 15:00h local time (11:00 CET).

Round 1.3

For a while it was unclear whether the tiebreaks would consist of two or four rapid games, since the results page was showing only 'R1' and 'R2' after the 'G1' and 'G2', followed by 'B1', 'B2' et cetera. But the regulations stipulate four and in the course of the day it became clear that the players indeed had to play four rapid games.

David Smerdon from Australia again showed good chess against 2700-GM Dominguez from Cuba; only after three more draws Dominguez managed to decide the match. When Smerdon had shown world-class Dragon preparation in his first game with black, the Cuban was more successful in a sideline in game 4.



GMs Navara (Czech Republic) and Laylo (Philippines) also started with two draws, but then the Czech won two games in a row. Bacrot defeated Nijboer in the first two rapid games and then decided matters by drawing a rook ending with a pawn down in the third.



Naiditsch opened the score in his minimatch against Hou Yifan, but the Chinese countered immediately. In the third game it was the German's turn again, the third win for Black, when Hou Yifan blundered an exchange right after the opening. With a draw in the fourth game Naiditsch reached the 2nd round,

After Movsesian yesterday, Sargissian was the second player to be eliminated by one of the many strong young Chinese grandmasters. After both winning two and then drawing two, Li Chao turned out to be the strongest blitz player. It was slightly surprising that Sargissian went for the same Scotch ending (you know, the one Radjabov likes to play with White) with Black in a must-win situation. Sutovsky suffered the same fate against Zhou Weiqi: a draw in the first game was followed by two wins for the Chinese.



Cheparinov went through thanks to just one rapid victory against Kryvoruchko, but his friend and colleague in Topalov's team of seconds, l'Ami, was eliminated by Sasikiran. Tiviakov lost 2.5-1.5 in the rapids against Iturrizaga (check the move 25...Nf3! in their last game) and so all Dutch speaking grandmasters had to say goodbye to the World Cup already after one round.



Shabalov lost the first rapid game against Baklan, "falling for" a standard trick in the Sicilian and resigning on move 12 being two pawns down for nothing. But the Latvian-born American GM came back, allowed the same trick in the next White game because he has thought up an improvement and won eventually in the second blitz game.



Negi lost to Milov and Timofeev sent Leitao home (another match where all wins were scored by the Black player). One rapid victory was enough for Khalifman to defeat Fier and after six draws; Bartel beat Grachev 2-0 in the blitz.



For Gustafsson the adventure is also over after the first round; he blew two promising positions against Inarkiev and then had to win with Black, but the Russian forced a perpetual at some point. Savchenko-Shulman was another match that was decided in the blitz; interestingly, here too Black won all rapid games. But then Savchenko won with White in the first blitz game (which was not preserved correctly, unfortunately) and drew the second. Tkachiev first drew with Black against Le Quang Liem and then beat the Vietnamese GM in two endings.



So was too strong for Guseinov in quickplay; the Philippine rising star won three rapid games in a row. Nyback did the same as Shabalov: losing the first rapid game but eventually winning the match in the blitz. The by far longest match of the first round was Akobian-Tregubov, an absolute thriller. Eventually the American grandmaster won the marathon in the 10th (!) blitz game. Just look at it!

Akobian, Varuzhan USA 1 0 ½ ½ 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 9 Tregubov, Pavel V. RUS 0 1 ½ ½ 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 7

Tiebreak games round 1

Game viewer by ChessTempo

All photos by G.Popova | courtesy of FIDE

Name	NAT	G1	G2	R1	R2	R3	R4	B1	B2	B3	B4	B5	B6	B7	B8	B9	B10	SD	Tot
Round 1 Match 01
Gelfand	ISR	1	½																1.5
Obodchuk	RUS	0	½																0.5
Round 1 Match 02
Sarwat	EGY	0	0																0
Gashimov	AZE	1	1																2
Round 1 Match 03
Svidler	RUS	1	1																2
Hebert	CAN	0	0																0
Round 1 Match 04
Abdel Razik	EGY	0	0																0
Morozevich	RUS	1	1																2
Round 1 Match 05
Radjabov	AZE	1	1																2
Ezat	EGY	0	0																0
Round 1 Match 06
Bezgodov	RUS	0	0																0
Ivanchuk	UKR	1	1																2
Round 1 Match 07
Ponomariov	UKR	½	1																1.5
El Gindy	EGY	½	0																0.5
Round 1 Match 08
Sriram	IND	½	0																0.5
Grischuk	RUS	½	1																1.5
Round 1 Match 09
Jakovenko	RUS	1	½																1.5
Rizouk	ALG	0	½																0.5
Round 1 Match 10
Kabanov	RUS	0	0																0
Wang Yue	CHN	1	1																2
Round 1 Match 11
Eljanov	UKR	1	½																1.5
Al Sayed	QAT	0	½																0.5
Round 1 Match 12
Rodriguez Vila	URU	0	½																0.5
Karjakin	UKR	1	½																1.5
Round 1 Match 13
Mamedyarov	AZE	1	1																2
Kosteniuk	RUS	0	0																0
Round 1 Match 14
Kunte	IND	½	0																0.5
Shirov	ESP	½	1																1.5
Round 1 Match 15
Dominguez	CUB	½	½	½	½	½	1												3.5
Smerdon	AUS	½	½	½	½	½	0												2.5
Round 1 Match 16
Yu Yangyi	CHN	1	½																1.5
Movsesian	SVK	0	½																0.5
Round 1 Match 17
Vachier-Lagrave	FRA	½	1																1.5
Yu Shaoteng	CHN	½	0																0.5
Round 1 Match 18
Pridorozhni	RUS	½	0																0.5
Alekseev	RUS	½	1																1.5
Round 1 Match 19
Tomashevsky	RUS	1	½																1.5
Ivanov	USA	0	½																0.5
Round 1 Match 20
Friedel	USA	0	0																0
Wang Hao	CHN	1	1																2
Round 1 Match 21
Navara	CZE	1	0	½	½	1	1												4
Laylo	PHI	0	1	½	½	0	0												2
Round 1 Match 22
Amin	EGY	0	0																0
Malakhov	RUS	1	1																2
Round 1 Match 23
Bacrot	FRA	½	½	1	1	½													3.5
Nijboer	NED	½	½	0	0	½													1.5
Round 1 Match 24
Morovic	CHI	0	½																0.5
Rublevsky	RUS	1	½																1.5
Round 1 Match 25
Jobava	GEO	1	½																1.5
Robson	USA	0	½																0.5
Round 1 Match 26
Hess	USA	½	0																0.5
Motylev	RUS	½	1																1.5
Round 1 Match 27
Kamsky	USA	1	½																1.5
Antonio	PHI	0	½																0.5
Round 1 Match 28
Gupta	IND	½	0																0.5
Vitiugov	RUS	½	1																1.5
Round 1 Match 29
Bologan	MDA	1	½																1.5
Adly	EGY	0	½																0.5
Round 1 Match 30
Hou Yifan	CHN	½	½	0	1	0	½												2.5
Naiditsch	GER	½	½	1	0	1	½												3.5
Round 1 Match 31
Bu Xiangzhi	CHN	½	0																0.5
Pelletier	SUI	½	1																1.5
Round 1 Match 33
Nisipeanu	ROU	1	½																1.5
Lupulescu	ROU	0	½																0.5
Round 1 Match 34
Li Chao	CHN	½	½	1	0	½	½	1	1										5
Sargissian	ARM	½	½	0	1	½	½	0	0										3
Round 1 Match 35
Onischuk	USA	½	1																1.5
Flores, Diego	ARG	½	0																0.5
Round 1 Match 36
Kryvoruchko	UKR	½	½	½	½	0	½												2.5
Cheparinov	BUL	½	½	½	½	1	½												3.5
Round 1 Match 37
Efimenko	UKR	0	½																0.5
Milos	BRA	1	½																1.5
Round 1 Match 38
Zhou Weiqi	CHN	½	½	½	1	1													3.5
Sutovsky	ISR	½	½	½	0	0													1.5
Round 1 Match 39
Najer	RUS	1	½																1.5
Ghaem Maghami	IRI	0	½																0.5
Round 1 Match 40
Iturrizaga	VEN	½	½	1	0	½	1												3.5
Tiviakov	NED	½	½	0	1	½	0												2.5
Round 1 Match 41
Areshchenko	UKR	1	½																1.5
Corrales Jimenez	CUB	0	½																0.5
Round 1 Match 42
L'Ami	NED	½	½	½	0	0													1.5
Sasikiran	IND	½	½	½	1	1													3.5
Round 1 Match 43
Smirin	ISR	1	½																1.5
Ehlvest	USA	0	½																0.5
Round 1 Match 44
Shabalov	USA	1	0	0	1	½	½	½	1										4.5
Baklan	UKR	0	1	1	0	½	½	½	0										3.5
Round 1 Match 45
Ganguly	IND	1	1																2
Filippov	UZB	0	0																0
Round 1 Match 46
Khalifman	RUS	½	½	½	½	1	½												3.5
Fier	BRA	½	½	½	½	0	½												2.5
Round 1 Match 47
Fressinet	FRA	1	1																2
Sjugirov	RUS	0	0																0
Round 1 Match 48
Petrosian	ARM	½	0																0.5
Meier	GER	½	1																1.5
Round 1 Match 49
Grachev	RUS	½	½	½	½	½	½	0	0										3
Bartel	POL	½	½	½	½	½	½	1	1										5
Round 1 Match 50
Bruzon	CUB	½	0																0.5
Caruana	ITA	½	1																1.5
Round 1 Match 51
Sokolov	NED	0	0																0
Fedorchuk	UKR	1	1																2
Round 1 Match 52
Negi	IND	1	0	½	0	0													1.5
Milov	SUI	0	1	½	1	1													3.5
Round 1 Match 53
Timofeev	RUS	½	½	½	1	0	1												3.5
Leitao	BRA	½	½	½	0	1	0												2.5
Round 1 Match 54
Gustafsson	GER	1	0	0	0	½													1.5
Inarkiev	RUS	0	1	1	1	½													3.5
Round 1 Match 55
Savchenko	RUS	½	½	1	0	1	0	1	½										4.5
Shulman	USA	½	½	0	1	0	1	0	½										3.5
Round 1 Match 56
Sandipan	IND	1	½																1.5
Kobalia	RUS	0	½																0.5
Round 1 Match 57
Tkachiev	FRA	½	½	½	1	1													3.5
Le Quang Liem	VIE	½	½	½	0	0													1.5
Round 1 Match 58
Akobian	USA	1	0	½	½	1	0	0	1	0	1	0	1	0	1	1	1		9
Tregubov	RUS	0	1	½	½	0	1	1	0	1	0	1	0	1	0	0	0		7
Round 1 Match 59
So	PHI	1	0	1	1	1													4
Guseinov	AZE	0	1	0	0	0													1
Round 1 Match 60
Sakaev	RUS	½	1																1.5
Granda Zuniga	PER	½	0																0.5
Round 1 Match 61
Laznicka	CZE	1	½																1.5
Papaioannou	GRE	0	½																0.5
Round 1 Match 62
Nyback	FIN	1	0	0	1	½	½	½	1										4.5
Andreikin	RUS	0	1	1	0	½	½	½	0										3.5
Round 1 Match 63
Mamedov	AZE	½	0																0.5
Zhou Jianchao	CHN	½	1																1.5
Round 1 Match 64
Volkov	RUS	0	½																0.5
Amonatov	TJK	1	½																1.5

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