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World Cup tiebreaks round 1: more Chinese successes

PeterDoggers
| 0 | Chess Event Coverage
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 playersRound 5 (December 3-5): 8 players
Round 2 (November 24-26): 64 playersRound 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.

Smerdon proved a tough opponent for Dominguez



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.

Bacrot in round 2, Nijboer out



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.

Emil Sutovsky is also out



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.

Sergei Tiviakov was eliminated by Eduardo Iturrizaga from Venezuela



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.

Alex Shabalov (USA), another qualifier for round 2.



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.

The match Fier-Khalifman



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.

Vladislav Tkachiev knocks out Vietnamese grandmaster Le Quang Liem



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


Cheparinov and L'Ami before the start of the tiebreak...



...Cheparinov having reason to smile afterwards as well...



...but L'Ami went down against Sasikiran



All photos by G.Popova | courtesy of FIDE



FIDE World Cup - Tiebreak results round 1











































































































































NameNATG1G2R1R2R3R4B1B2B3B4B5B6B7B8B9B10SDTot
Round 1 Match 01
GelfandISR 1 ½ 1.5
ObodchukRUS0½ 0.5
Round 1 Match 02
SarwatEGY 0 0 0
GashimovAZE11 2
Round 1 Match 03
SvidlerRUS 1 1 2
HebertCAN00 0
Round 1 Match 04
Abdel RazikEGY 0 0 0
MorozevichRUS11 2
Round 1 Match 05
RadjabovAZE 1 1 2
EzatEGY00 0
Round 1 Match 06
BezgodovRUS 0 0 0
IvanchukUKR11 2
Round 1 Match 07
PonomariovUKR ½ 1 1.5
El GindyEGY½0 0.5
Round 1 Match 08
SriramIND ½ 0 0.5
GrischukRUS½1 1.5
Round 1 Match 09
JakovenkoRUS 1 ½ 1.5
RizoukALG0½ 0.5
Round 1 Match 10
KabanovRUS 0 0 0
Wang YueCHN11 2
Round 1 Match 11
EljanovUKR 1 ½ 1.5
Al SayedQAT0½ 0.5
Round 1 Match 12
Rodriguez VilaURU 0 ½ 0.5
KarjakinUKR1½ 1.5
Round 1 Match 13
MamedyarovAZE 1 1 2
KosteniukRUS00 0
Round 1 Match 14
KunteIND ½ 0 0.5
ShirovESP½1 1.5
Round 1 Match 15
DominguezCUB ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 3.5
SmerdonAUS½½½½½0 2.5
Round 1 Match 16
Yu YangyiCHN 1 ½ 1.5
MovsesianSVK0½ 0.5
Round 1 Match 17
Vachier-LagraveFRA ½ 1 1.5
Yu ShaotengCHN½0 0.5
Round 1 Match 18
PridorozhniRUS ½ 0 0.5
AlekseevRUS½1 1.5
Round 1 Match 19
TomashevskyRUS 1 ½ 1.5
IvanovUSA0½ 0.5
Round 1 Match 20
FriedelUSA 0 0 0
Wang HaoCHN11 2
Round 1 Match 21
NavaraCZE 1 0 ½ ½ 1 1 4
LayloPHI01½½00 2
Round 1 Match 22
AminEGY 0 0 0
MalakhovRUS11 2
Round 1 Match 23
BacrotFRA ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 3.5
NijboerNED½½00½ 1.5
Round 1 Match 24
MorovicCHI 0 ½ 0.5
RublevskyRUS1½ 1.5
Round 1 Match 25
JobavaGEO 1 ½ 1.5
RobsonUSA0½ 0.5
Round 1 Match 26
HessUSA ½ 0 0.5
MotylevRUS½1 1.5
Round 1 Match 27
KamskyUSA 1 ½ 1.5
AntonioPHI0½ 0.5
Round 1 Match 28
GuptaIND ½ 0 0.5
VitiugovRUS½1 1.5
Round 1 Match 29
BologanMDA 1 ½ 1.5
AdlyEGY0½ 0.5
Round 1 Match 30
Hou YifanCHN ½ ½ 0 1 0 ½ 2.5
NaiditschGER½½101½ 3.5
Round 1 Match 31
Bu XiangzhiCHN ½ 0 0.5
PelletierSUI½1 1.5
Round 1 Match 33
NisipeanuROU 1 ½ 1.5
LupulescuROU0½ 0.5
Round 1 Match 34
Li ChaoCHN ½ ½ 1 0 ½ ½ 1 1 5
SargissianARM½½01½½00 3
Round 1 Match 35
OnischukUSA ½ 1 1.5
Flores, DiegoARG½0 0.5
Round 1 Match 36
KryvoruchkoUKR ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ 2.5
CheparinovBUL½½½½1½ 3.5
Round 1 Match 37
EfimenkoUKR 0 ½ 0.5
MilosBRA1½ 1.5
Round 1 Match 38
Zhou WeiqiCHN ½ ½ ½ 1 1 3.5
SutovskyISR½½½00 1.5
Round 1 Match 39
NajerRUS 1 ½ 1.5
Ghaem MaghamiIRI0½ 0.5
Round 1 Match 40
IturrizagaVEN ½ ½ 1 0 ½ 1 3.5
TiviakovNED½½01½0 2.5
Round 1 Match 41
AreshchenkoUKR 1 ½ 1.5
Corrales JimenezCUB0½ 0.5
Round 1 Match 42
L'AmiNED ½ ½ ½ 0 0 1.5
SasikiranIND½½½11 3.5
Round 1 Match 43
SmirinISR 1 ½ 1.5
EhlvestUSA0½ 0.5
Round 1 Match 44
ShabalovUSA 1 0 0 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 4.5
BaklanUKR0110½½½0 3.5
Round 1 Match 45
GangulyIND 1 1 2
FilippovUZB00 0
Round 1 Match 46
KhalifmanRUS ½ ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ 3.5
FierBRA½½½½0½ 2.5
Round 1 Match 47
FressinetFRA 1 1 2
SjugirovRUS00 0
Round 1 Match 48
PetrosianARM ½ 0 0.5
MeierGER½1 1.5
Round 1 Match 49
GrachevRUS ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ ½ 0 0 3
BartelPOL½½½½½½11 5
Round 1 Match 50
BruzonCUB ½ 0 0.5
CaruanaITA½1 1.5
Round 1 Match 51
SokolovNED 0 0 0
FedorchukUKR11 2
Round 1 Match 52
NegiIND 1 0 ½ 0 0 1.5
MilovSUI01½11 3.5
Round 1 Match 53
TimofeevRUS ½ ½ ½ 1 0 1 3.5
LeitaoBRA½½½010 2.5
Round 1 Match 54
GustafssonGER 1 0 0 0 ½ 1.5
InarkievRUS0111½ 3.5
Round 1 Match 55
SavchenkoRUS ½ ½ 1 0 1 0 1 ½ 4.5
ShulmanUSA½½01010½ 3.5
Round 1 Match 56
SandipanIND 1 ½ 1.5
KobaliaRUS0½ 0.5
Round 1 Match 57
TkachievFRA ½ ½ ½ 1 1 3.5
Le Quang LiemVIE½½½00 1.5
Round 1 Match 58
AkobianUSA 1 0 ½ ½ 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 119
TregubovRUS01½½011010101000 7
Round 1 Match 59
SoPHI 1 0 1 1 1 4
GuseinovAZE01000 1
Round 1 Match 60
SakaevRUS ½ 1 1.5
Granda ZunigaPER½0 0.5
Round 1 Match 61
LaznickaCZE 1 ½ 1.5
PapaioannouGRE0½ 0.5
Round 1 Match 62
NybackFIN 1 0 0 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 4.5
AndreikinRUS0110½½½0 3.5
Round 1 Match 63
MamedovAZE ½ 0 0.5
Zhou JianchaoCHN½1 1.5
Round 1 Match 64
VolkovRUS 0 ½ 0.5
AmonatovTJK1½ 1.5


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PeterDoggers
Peter Doggers

Peter Doggers joined a chess club a month before turning 15 and still plays for it. He used to be an active tournament player and holds two IM norms.

Peter has a Master of Arts degree in Dutch Language & Literature. He briefly worked at New in Chess, then as a Dutch teacher and then in a project for improving safety and security in Amsterdam schools.

Between 2007 and 2013 Peter was running ChessVibes, a major source for chess news and videos acquired by Chess.com in October 2013.

As our Director News & Events, Peter writes many of our news reports. In the summer of 2022, The Guardian’s Leonard Barden described him as “widely regarded as the world’s best chess journalist.”

In October, Peter's first book The Chess Revolution will be published!


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