TransWarp Chess

Round 7 Final Round London Chess Classic 2009 Magnus Carlsen wins!

2009-12-15T07:18:00.007-06:00

GM Magnus Carlsen draws with GM Nigel Short and wins the 2009 London Chess Classic!

Round 7 started off early today as a lot of tournaments do, that is have the final round a little earlier so the players can get home without having to stay an extra day or such. However, some of the games are still in the opening phase at this moment and with the Sofia rules, there are no early draws to be had. Fighting chess all the way with only forced drawn situations accepted.

Pairings For Round 7 Tue Dec 15th, 12:00 GMT, 7:00am EST

3 GM Hikaru Nakamura USA  1/2-1/2 2 GM Vladimir Kramnik RUS
6 GM Ni Hua CHN 0-1 8 GM David Howell ENG
5 GM Michael Adams ENG  1-0 7 GM Luke McShane ENG
4 GM Nigel Short ENG  1/2-1/2 1 GM Magnus Carlsen NOR

GM David Howell after drawing with all the other players, finishes with a win over GM Ni Hua putting him on the + side, finishing with 9 points, not too bad considering he was the lowest seed in the tournament. GM Hikaru Nakamura finished up with a draw vs GM Vladimir Kramnik finishing on the - side after his earlier loss vs GM McShane and despite a great game vs GM Magnus Carlsen, which was voted Best Game of Round 4, shared with GM Carlsen. I'm not sure what GM Nakamura's rating will be after this tournament, but it will be close to the 2700 mark after he had worked it up to 2735 unofficially on the Estimated Live Rating Chart of those over 2700 done by Hans Arild Runde http://chess.liverating.org/ . This is all unofficial but a well watched list by the avid chess fan. I often wish I had the widget for the unofficial top 10, but he doesn't have a link for that available, unless I contact him I guess. But I do have a link to his site on the right, it's just down a bit.

Final Standings

1 13.0 GM Magnus Carlsen NOR 2801
2 12.0 GM Vladimir Kramnik RUS 2772
3 9.0 GM David Howell ENG 2597 *
4 9.0 GM Michael Adams ENG 2698
5 7.0 GM Luke McShane ENG 2615
6 6.0 GM Ni Hua CHN 2665 *
7  6.0 GM Hikaru Nakamura USA 2715
8  5.0 GM Nigel Short ENG 2707

* After Tiebreaks, GM David Howell gets 3rd for a win with Black, while GM Ni Hua gets 6th for winning a game, while GM Nakamura had no wins.

Offer Ends 12/31/09

London Chess Festival 2009 Round 6

2009-12-14T11:37:00.003-06:00

Round 6 has started at the London Chess Festival with one game posting a result, GM David Howell held GM Hikaru Nakamura to a draw. With just one round to go, this tournament hasn't been the one that GM Nakamura had hoped for, needing a win in the final round vs GM Vladimir Kramnik to end with a bang.

Round 6 Pairings and Results:

2 GM Vladimir Kramnik RUS 1-0 4 GM Nigel Short ENG
1 GM Magnus Carlsen NOR 1/2-1/2 5 GM Michael Adams ENG
7 GM Luke McShane ENG 0-1 6 GM Ni Hua CHN
8 GM David Howell ENG 1/2-1/2 3 GM Hikaru Nakamura USA

Standings after Round 6

1 12.0 GM Magnus Carlsen NOR 2801
2 11.0 GM Vladimir Kramnik RUS 2772
3 7.0 GM Luke McShane ENG 2615
4-6 6.0 GM Michael Adams ENG 2698
4-6 6.0 GM David Howell ENG 2597
4-6 6.0 GM Ni Hua CHN 2665
7 5.0 GM Hikaru Nakamura USA 2715
8 4.0 GM Nigel Short ENG 2707

World Cup 2009 Tied after 4 Rapid Games, Goes to Blitz! Gelfand Champ!

2009-12-14T09:17:00.009-06:00

GM Ruslan Ponomariov made a great recovery with the black pieces to save his bid to win the 2009 World Cup by beating GM Boris Gelfand, who only needed a draw to take the prize. Now we are headed to Blitz Finals, 2 games, up to 10, if still tied followed by an armageddon game. The tiebreak rules posted earlier here was evidently wrong info provided to chessdom.com as to the finals tiebreak format, instead groups of 2 games (Blitz) up to 10 will be played before an armageddon game or (sudden-death).

Total Match Score, including Classical and Rapid Games at the front:

Pairings for Blitz Games:

Blitz 1: 5-4 Gelfand, Boris (ISR) 1-0 Ponomariov, Ruslan (UKR)
Blitz 2: 5-5 Ponomariov, Ruslan (UKR) 1-0 Gelfand, Boris (ISR)

Blitz 3: 6-5 Gelfand, Boris (ISR) 1-0 Ponomariov, Ruslan (UKR)
Blitz 4: 5-7 Ponomariov, Ruslan (UKR) 0-1 Gelfand, Boris (ISR)

Here is the final blitz game where #1 seed GM Boris Gelfand of Israel won World Cup 2009 after a lot of work, fighting off the strong GM Ruslan Ponomariov, who had won "have to win" games to stay in the hunt.

GM Ruslan Ponomariov vs GM Boris Gelfand (Final Blitz Game)

A Great World Cup 2009, that's for sure!

World Cup 2009 Results after 3 tiebreak games

2009-12-14T08:25:00.004-06:00

After 3 Rapid games, GM Boris Gelfand is leading GM Ruslan Ponomariov 2-1, having won game 2 with the White pieces. GM Ponomariov has to win this final Rapid Game to stay alive, a draw or loss and GM Boris Gelfand is the 2009 World Cup Champion.

Rapid Game Results World Cup 2009

Game 1 0.5-0.5 Ponomariov, Ruslan (UKR) 1/2-1/2 Gelfand, Boris (ISR)
Game 2 1.5-0.5 Gelfand, Boris (ISR) 1-0 Ponomariov, Ruslan (UKR)
Game 3 1.0-2.0 Ponomariov, Ruslan (UKR) 1/2-1/2 Gelfand, Boris (ISR)
Game 4 2.0-2.0 Gelfand, Boris (ISR) 0-1 Ponomariov, Ruslan (UKR)

GM Ponomariov wins with Black in Game 4 Rapid to send Finals to Blitz!

Game 2 (Rapid) GM Boris Gelfand vs GM Ruslan Ponomariov

GM Gelfand vs GM Ponomariov Game 4 Rapid Great game by GM Ponomariov to stay in!

London Chess Classic 2009 Round 5

2009-12-13T10:53:00.003-06:00

Round 5 Pairings Sunday Dec 13, 2009 8:00am EST 14:00 GMT

8 GM David Howell ENG 1/2-1/2 2 GM Vladimir Kramnik RUS
3 GM Hikaru Nakamura USA 0-1 7 GM Luke McShane ENG
6 GM Ni Hua CHN 0-1 1 GM Magnus Carlsen NOR
5 GM Michael Adams ENG 1/2-1/2 4 GM Nigel Short ENG

Standings After Round 5

1   11.0 GM Magnus Carlsen NOR 2801
2   8.0 GM Vladimir Kramnik RUS 2772
3   7.0 GM Luke McShane ENG 2615
4-5   5.0 GM Michael Adams ENG 2698
4-5   5.0 GM David Howell ENG 2597
6-7   4.0 GM Hikaru Nakamura USA 2715
6-7   4.0 GM Nigel Short ENG 2707
8       3.0 GM Ni Hua CHN 2665

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World Cup 2009 Update: Rapid Tiebreak will decide Winner!

2009-12-13T10:28:00.002-06:00

After 4 games of classical chess, GM Boris Gelfand and GM Ruslan Ponomariov will go to Rapid Tiebreaks tomorrow to decide the winner, I missed round 2 and 3 coverage as for the past few days, I've actually slept in late! But as all 4 traditional games were drawn, it seems I would have gotten excited at times only to be brought back to down to Earth as the games ended peacefully.

World Cup 2009 Finals Round 1-4 Classical

Game 1 0.5-0.5 Ponomariov, Ruslan (UKR) 1/2-1/2 Gelfand, Boris (ISR)
Game 2 1.0-1.0 Gelfand, Boris (ISR) 1/2-1/2 Ponomariov, Ruslan (UKR)
Game 3 1.5-1.5 Ponomariov, Ruslan (UKR) 1/2-1/2 Gelfand, Boris (ISR)
Game 4 2.0-2.0 Gelfand, Boris (ISR) 1/2-1/2 Ponomariov, Ruslan (UKR)

Tomorrow, lots will be drawn to determine colors for the 2 Rapid Games that will be played to determine the winner, of course if those are drawn, then 2 blitz games will be played after another drawing of lots for colors. Perchance it is still yet tied, then we get to the Armageddon game, one blitz game where lots are drawn for colors, however whoever has White MUST WIN, as White will have a 1 minute time advantage, Black only needs to hold a draw while giving up 1 minute of his time, this has been a great addition to the Chess Tiebreak system in the viewer's opinion, but I doubt the players enjoy it very much! It sure makes for an exciting game. The two Rapid Games will be played with 25 minutes and a 10 second increment after each move, the Blitz games will be played with 5 minutes per side and again a 10 second increment after each move, I have explained the Armageddon game time system. I DO know I have to try to get up early in the morning tomorrow!

London Chess Classic Round 4 results and Standings

2009-12-12T13:30:00.003-06:00

Here are the results (so far, last game may finish by the time I'm ready to post) of Round 4 of the London Chess Classic 2009 and the standings for the tournament. Remember the tournament uses a scoring system of 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 for a loss. This is to try to get more fighting chess during tournaments rather than early draws, it also uses the Sofia Rules, no early draws, draws accepted by arbiter if shown to be perpetual check (or repetition), a theoretically drawn endgame, or just plain down to King vs King.

Round 4 Results

2 GM Vladimir Kramnik RUS 1/2-1/2 5 GM Michael Adams ENG
4 GM Nigel Short ENG 1/2-1/2 6 GM Ni Hua CHN
1 GM Magnus Carlsen NOR 1/2-1/2 3 GM Hikaru Nakamura USA
7 GM Luke McShane ENG 1/2-1/2 8 GM David Howell ENG

Standings after Round 4

1   8.0   GM Magnus Carlsen NOR 2801
2   7.0   GM Vladimir Kramnik RUS 2772
3-6 4.0 GM Luke McShane ENG 2615
3-6 4.0 GM Hikaru Nakamura USA 2715
3-6 4.0 GM Michael Adams ENG 2698
3-6 4.0 GM David Howell ENG 2597
7-8 3.0 GM Nigel Short ENG 2707
7-8 3.0  GM Ni Hua CHN 2665

Round 5 Pairings Sunday Dec 13, 2009 8:00am EST 14:00 GMT

8 GM David Howell ENG * 2 GM Vladimir Kramnik RUS
3 GM Hikaru Nakamura USA * 7 GM Luke McShane ENG
6 GM Ni Hua CHN * 1 GM Magnus Carlsen NOR
5 GM Michael Adams ENG * 4 GM Nigel Short ENG

Round 6 Pairings Monday Dec 14, 2009 8:00am EST 14:00 GMT

2 GM Vladimir Kramnik RUS * 4 GM Nigel Short ENG
1 GM Magnus Carlsen NOR * 5 GM Michael Adams ENG
7 GM Luke McShane ENG * 6 GM Ni Hua CHN
8 GM David Howell ENG * 3 GM Hikaru Nakamura USA

Round 7 Pairings Tuesday Dec 14, 2009 8:00am EST 14:00 GMT

3 GM Hikaru Nakamura USA * 2 GM Vladimir Kramnik RUS
6 GM Ni Hua CHN * 8 GM David Howell ENG
5 GM Michael Adams ENG * 7 GM Luke McShane ENG
4 GM Nigel Short ENG * 1 GM Magnus Carlsen NOR

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Round 3 pairings and Round 2 results of London Chess Classic 2009

2009-12-10T11:19:00.005-06:00

After 2 rounds at the London Chess Classic 2009, GM Magnus Carlsen 2801 is living up to his rating and has sole lead with 6 points. Remember the different scoring system, 3 pts for a win, 1 pt for a draw and 0 for a loss. GM Kramnik made up for his first round loss by posting a win and is at 3 pts with GM Luke McShane who lost. Here are the current standings. I will post the Magnus Carlsen game as well.

London Chess Classic 2009 Round 2 Results and Standings:
The number in front of the player's names is their seeding for the tournament.

2 GM Kramnik, Vladimir RUS 1-0 6 GM Ni, Hua CHN
5 GM Adams, Michael ENG 1/2-1/2 3 GM Nakamura, Hikaru USA
4 GM Short, Nigel ENG 1/2-1/2 8 GM Howell, David ENG
1 GM Carlsen, Magnus NOR 1-0 7 GM McShane, Luke ENG

Standings after Round 2 with new pt system:

1. 6.0 GM Magnus Carlsen 2801 (NOR)
2-3 3.0 GM Vladimir Kramnik 2772 (RUS)
2-3 3.0 GM Luke McShane 2615 (ENG)
4-6 2.0 GM Hikaru Nakamura 2715 (USA)
4-6 2.0 GM Michael Adams 2698 (ENG)
4-6 2.0 GM David Howell 2597 (ENG)
7-8 1.0 GM Nigel Short 2707 (ENG)
7-8 1.0 GM Ni Hua 2665 (CHN)

Round 3 Results. The Nakamura-Short game was interesting.

7 GM Luke McShane ENG 0-1 2 GM Vladimir Kramnik RUS
8 GM David Howell ENG 1/2-1/2 1 GM Magnus Carlsen NOR
3 GM Hikaru Nakamura USA 1/2-1/2 4 GM Nigel Short ENG
6 GM Ni Hua CHN 1/2-1/2 5 GM Michael Adams ENG

Round 4 Results Dec 12, 2009 (Saturday) 8am EST 1400 GMT

2 GM Vladimir Kramnik RUS 1/2-1/2 5 GM Michael Adams ENG
4 GM Nigel Short ENG 1/2-1/2 6 GM Ni Hua CHN
1 GM Magnus Carlsen NOR 1/2-1/2 3 GM Hikaru Nakamura USA
7 GM Luke McShane ENG 1/2-1/2 8 GM David Howell ENG

GM Magnus Carlsen VS GM Luke McShane Round 2

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World Cup 2009 Game 1 Final ends in a draw.

2009-12-10T08:09:00.003-06:00

Finalists Boris Gelfand of Israel and Ruslan Ponomariov of Russia fought to a draw in game one of the four game Round 7 Final. I will post the rules of the final round at the end of this post. But here's the game to check out, again Commentary graciously provided by Chessdom.com

GM Ruslan Ponomariov Vs GM Boris Gelfand 1/2-1/2

All the previous classic games between these two players ended with a draw. Ponomariov is one of the most successful knockout system players: he won the World Championship in 2001-2002 and played World Cup final against Aronian in 2005. Commentary by GM Valeriy Aveskulov

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Nc6 Petrov's defence. There is no big surprise from Gelfand. But what has Ponomariov prepared for the decisive match? Both played this position many times before.

7.O-O Be7 8.c4 Nb4 9.Be2 O-O 10.Nc3 Bf5 18 games for Gelfand with 10...Bf5. It will be difficult for Ponomariov to surprise his opponent - just once he played this position, in 1998!

11.a3 Nxc3 12.bxc3 Nc6 13.Re1 13.cd Qxd5 14. Bf4 Na5 15. Bxc7 etc, Ponomariov-Sulypa, Donetsk, 1998

13... Re8 14.cxd5 Qxd5 15.Bf4 Rac8 16.h3 h6 17.Qc1 Akopian played this move against Kasimdzhanov (Jermuk, 2009). Queen goes to b2, attacking on b7 and supporting Bb5 in some moments. Also rooks are being connected. 17...Bf6 18. Qb2 Na5 19. Be5 Qd8 20. Rad1 and white is better - this is how a mentioned game was continued. Square d2 could be useful for the knight probably (Nd2, Bf3). c1 square is definitely useful for Queen only.

Gelfand knows about Akopian's move. I think he is recollecting his analysis right now.

17... Bf6 18.Qb2 Na5 Knight is going to c4 and sometime opponents prevent it masterfully. Many variation are hidden during the game... we just see the moves that are being played and sometime we are not able (without a deep analysis) to realize why some was played...

In this case Na5 was necessary cause b7 was hanging...So the players still follow the game Akopian-Kasimdzhanov, Jermuk, 2009.

19.Be5 19...Bxe5 20. Nxe5 c5 is possible...decreasing the pressure

19... Bxe5 20.Nxe5 c5 20...c5 21.Qb5 b6 22.Rad1 Bc2! 23. Rc1 (23.Rd2 is bad because of 23...Rxe5) 23...Be4 and Black is fine.

Black is supposed to be ok. All the pieces are developed. No pawn problems. Lines are being opened up.

Probably 21.Bf3 (pushing black queen away from the center) Qb3 22.Qd2 could give White something.

It is strange that Ponomariov started thinking so early. 19...Be5 and 20...c5 were the main line (not considering Kasimdzhanov's Qd8)

21.Bf3 I don't see a reason to put the queen on d8. So, Qb3 or Qd6 - let's wait and see what Gelfand does think about this. (21.Qb5 b6 22.Rad1 Bc2 23.Rc1 Be4) and Black is fine.

21... Qd6 22.Rad1 (22.Bxb7 Rb8 23.Qa2 Rxb7 24.Nxf7 Rxe1 25.Rxe1) and White is better I guess. But Black can play 23...Be6 and after 24.d5 reply with 24...Bxh3.

22...f6 looks attractive now. To push Ne5 back and to take the control over c4 square. But in the same time this is a weakness for the future, white plays 23.Ng4 (knight goes to e3) and Black has some problems.

22...b6 is an option for sure. A possible line is 22...b6 23.Qa2 Be6 24.d5 Bxh3! 25.Nxf7! Kxf7 26.gxh3 Rxe1 27.Rxe1 Re8 28.Rxe8 Kxe8 and Black is ok. In the final position Q+N is not worse than Q+B (especially with a pawn on d5 that restricts White bishop).

22... b6 It seems that White has a choice between the more aggressive Qa2 and more positional Qb5 increasing the pressure.

23.Qa2 (23.Qb5 Bc2 24.Rd2 Bb3) with a normal position.

23... Be6 Now 24.d5 is the only logical.

24.d5 Probably Ponomariov wants to look for an advantage in the line 24...Bxh3 25.Nxf7 Rxe1 26.Rxe1 Kxf7 27.gxh3 Re8 28.Be4!?

After 24...Bf5 25.Nc6 Nxc6 26.dxc6 this pawn can be dangerous (there is no way to take it off)

I guess, a capturing on h3 is the best move.

There is a good chance to bring the knight to d6 (in the end of variation) and to get a comfortable position. We remember that Bf3 is restricted with its own pawn d5.

24... Bxh3 25.Nxf7 Rxe1+ 26.Rxe1 Kxf7 27.gxh3 Re8 28.Be4 and then Qe2-a6 somewhere. Example 28.Be4 Re5 29.Qe2 (with idea Bg6) Kf8 30.Qa6.

28.Rxe8 Kxe8 29.Qe2+ White has some time while black knight is coming back. He can bring the bishop to e6 at some moment.

29... Kd8 30.Qa6 I guess Black can play...30...Qg6 31.Bg2 Qb1 32.Kh2 Qc1 33.Qa7 Qf4 34.Kg1 Qc1 35.Bf1 (the only way to escape perpetual) Qg5 36.Kh2 Qe5 37.Kh1 Qd5 38.Bg2 Qd1 39.Kh2 Qd6 40.Kg1 Qf6 defending both b6 and g7. White can do nothing to get more pressure.

30... Qg6+ Perpetual is coming.

31.Bg2 Qb1+ 32.Kh2 Qf5 33.Qxa7 Qf4+ 34.Kg1 Qc1+ 35.Kh2 Qf4+ 36.Kg1 Qc1+ 37.Kh2 1/2-1/2

Rules for Round 7 Final in the World Cup 2009 Event.

The time control shall be 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.

If the scores are level after the regular games, after a new drawing of colours, two tie break games shall be played. The games shall be played using the electronic clock starting with 25 minutes on the clock for each player with an addition of 10 seconds after each move. If the scores are level after the games in paragraph 3. 8. 1, then, after a new drawing of colours, 2 five-minute games shall be played with the addition of 10 seconds after each move.

If the score is still level, the players shall play one decisive sudden death game. The player, who wins the drawing of lots, may choose the colour. White shall receive 6 minutes, Black shall receive 5 minutes, without any addition. In case of a draw the player with the black pieces is declared as winner. (Often referred to in chess parlance as an Armageddon game).

Round 2 of London Chess Classic 2009 ongoing at the moment.

2009-12-09T09:59:00.001-06:00

After Round 1 of the London Chess Classic 2009, which has a different scoring system than regular chess tournament, giving 3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw and 0 for a loss, normal is 1 point for a win, a half point, 0.5 or 1/2 as seen in reports, for a draw and 0 pts for a loss. There were two decisive games yesterday in the 8 player double round robin tournament, winning were GM Magnus Carlsen and GM Luke McShane. Draws were achieved by GM's Hikaru Nakamura, Ni Hua, Michael Adams and David Howell. Former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik and Nigel Short both ended up on the losing end.

For those who are not familiar with the tournament, the competitors are:

Standings after Round 1 with new pt system:

1-2 3 pts GM Magnus Carlsen 2801 (NOR)
1-2 3 pts GM Luke McShane 2615 (ENG)

3-6 1 pts GM Hikaru Nakamura 2715 (USA)
3-6 1 pts GM Michael Adams 2698 (ENG)
3-6 1 pts GM Ni Hua 2665 (CHN)
3-6 1 pts GM David Howell 2597 (ENG)

7-8 0 pts GM Vladimir Kramnik 2772 (RUS)
7-8 0 pts GM Nigel Short 2707 (ENG)

Round 1 Results:

1 GM Carlsen, Magnus NOR 1-0 2 GM Kramnik, Vladimir RUS
7 GM McShane, Luke ENG 1-0 4 GM Short, Nigel ENG
8 GM Howell, David ENG 1/2-1/2 5 GM Adams, Michael ENG
3 GM Nakamura, Hikaru USA 1/2-1/2 6 GM Ni, Hua CHN

Round 2 Pairings/Results:

2 GM Kramnik, Vladimir RUS * 6 GM Ni, Hua CHN
5 GM Adams, Michael ENG * 3 GM Nakamura, Hikaru USA
4 GM Short, Nigel ENG * 8 GM Howell, David ENG
1 GM Carlsen, Magnus NOR * 7 GM McShane, Luke ENG

As a disabled person with limited mobility, just glad this site was accepted as a publisher via Google Affiliate Program, I AM compensated if this banner brings sales, there's a new FTC rule effective Dec 1, 2009 re: Compensation for Banner Ads, so not sure what to put as I am not a businessman/lawyer so to speak. :-/

GM Ruslan Ponomariov joins GM Boris Gelfand in World Cup 2009 Finals

2009-12-08T08:30:00.001-06:00

GM Ruslan Ponomariov made short work of GM Vladimir Malakhov, (who has beaten TransWarp in 1 game with Deep Rybka 3.0 and drawn a few times as well, holding her back from the 4000 mark), but the former FIDE World Champion was just a bit too much for him, advancing to the finals to play GM Boris Gelfand, the #1 seed at 2758 in the World Cup 2009 Finals on Thursday.

World Cup 2009 Finals Set!

1. Boris Gelfand 2758 (ISR) vs 7. Ruslan Ponomariov 2739 (UKR)

Meanwhile a tournament in London has started with major players like Carlsen, Nakamura, Kramnik...I will do a post on that when I get back from eye doctor.

*note: There was a short time when there was a World Cup like tournament with 64 players I believe and the winner was FIDE World Champion for that year, GM Ruslan Ponomariov won one of these events and was FIDE World Champion.

World Cup 2009 Gelfand into finals, Ponomariov Joins with 4-2 victory

2009-12-07T09:00:00.007-06:00

After the first 2 games of Round 6, Boris Gelfand showed why he's the top seed by defeating young GM Sergey Karjakin 2-0 while GM Ruslan Ponomariov still holds Ukraine's chance to get to the finals by holding Russian GM Vladimir Malakhov to a couple of draws to go into the Rapid and possibly Blitz tiebreaks.

Already in the Finals:

GM Boris Gelfand 2758 (ISR)

Round 6 Tiebreak Rapid Games: Dec 8, 2009

Game 1 Rapid
1.0-1.0 7. Ruslan Ponomariov 2739 (UKR) 0-1 22. Vladimir Malakhov 2706 (RUS)

Game 2 Rapid
2.0-2.0 22. Vladimir Malakhov 2706 (RUS) 0-1 7. Ruslan Ponomariov 2739 (UKR)

Game 3 Rapid
3.0-2.0 7. Ruslan Ponomariov 2739 (UKR) 1-0 22. Vladimir Malakhov 2706 (RUS)

Game 4 Rapid
2.0-4.0 22. Vladimir Malakhov 2706 (RUS) 0-1 7. Ruslan Ponomariov 2739 (UKR)

And GM Ruslan Ponomariov goes on to face GM Boris Gelfand, the #1 seed in the Chess
World Cup 2009! There will be a rest day tomorrow with hostilities resuming on the 10th!

Rest Day after the tiebreaks on Dec 9, 2009 with Finals to start Dec 10, 2009.

* And on a local note, a nice message from GM Bassem Amin! 37. B-Amin (10:28 05-Dec-09 EST): welcome back my friend ,Icc was boring without you :)
(Thanks GM Amin!) I know I was bored!! Nice to be back, even if it's it's usual quiet self (ICC for TransWarp)

Round 6 Semi-Finals Set! Final Four of World Cup 2009

2009-12-05T08:09:00.001-06:00

Number 2 seed Vugar Gashimov 2758 (AZE) was upset by former FIDE One Year World Champion GM Ruslan Ponomariov of Ukraine, the number 7 seed with a rating of 2739, the ratings were fairly close, so it wasn't a mega-upset like some of the others during the tournament and with one seed at 22. Vladimir Malakhov 2706 (RUS). But the number 1 seed from Israel Boris Gelfand is still hanging in there having defeated #9 Dmitry Jakovenko 2736 (RUS).

Here are the pairings for tomorrow's Round 7, after which the two finalists get a day's rest after this long tournament! Stamina a definate to compete with the likes of these guys.

Round 6 Pairings Game 1

0-1 12. Sergey Karjakin 2723 (UKR) 0-1 1. Boris Gelfand 2758 (ISR) Game 1
2-0 1. Boris Gelfand 2758 (ISR) 1-0 12. Sergey Karjakin 2723 (UKR) Game 2

#1 Seed Boris Gelfand 2758 (ISR) Advances to the finals 2-0

Round 6 Pairings Game 1 & 2
0.5-0.5 7. Ruslan Ponomariov 2739 (UKR) 1/2-1/2 22. Vladimir Malakhov 2706 (RUS)
1.0-1.0 22. Vladimir Malakhov 2706 (RUS) 1/2-1/2 7. Ruslan Ponomariov 2739 (UKR)

After the huge lead of those from Russia, two Ukrainians make it to the semifinals, where it's possible they coud meet, taking on an Israeli and a Russian. Not that countries really make a big deal here in the US, there is Country Pride when it comes to Chess in Europe and Asia and they will rabidly cheer for their countrymen! I think if it was possible, there would be cheering like at football matches right down to the face paint! :-D Nothing wrong with this of course in theory, and I'm sure would make many a chessplayer smile thinking about it, but chess has to maintain it's dignity, right down to a dress code at times! Now if I was a world class Grandmaster, it would be very tough to see me trying to find nice suits in my size...I would make many a tailor happy! :D

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Round 5 Rapid Tiebreak Games Results

2009-12-04T15:04:00.008-06:00

Four players will be battling it out with Rapid Tiebreak games tomorrow to see the final two participants in the World Cup 2009, getting down to the Final Four of World Cup of Chess 2009, joining Ukraine's Sergey Karjakin and Russia's Vladimir Malakhov who are both waiting for their opponents.

Rapid Tiebreak Game 1 of Round 5

1.5-1.5 9. Dmitry Jakovenko 2736 (RUS) ½-½ 1. Boris Gelfand 2756 (ISR)
2.0-1.0 7. Ruslan Ponomariov 2739 (UKR) 1-0 2. Vugar Gashimov 2756 (AZE)

Rapid Tiebreak Game 2 of Round 5

2.5-1.5   1. Boris Gelfand 2756 (ISR) 1-0 9. Dmitry Jakovenko 2736 (RUS)
1.0-3.0 2. Vugar Gashimov 2756 (AZE) 0-1 7. Ruslan Ponomariov 2739 (UKR)

Rapid Tiebreak Game 3 of Round 5

1.5-3.5 9. Dmitry Jakovenko 2736 (RUS) 0-1 1. Boris Gelfand 2756 (ISR)
3.5-1.5 7. Ruslan Ponomariov 2739 (UKR) 1/2-1/2   2. Vugar Gashimov 2756 (AZE)

Those now in Round 6:

1. Boris Gelfand 2756 (ISR)
7. Ruslan Ponomariov 2739
12. Sergey Karjakin 2723 (UKR)
22. Vladimir Malakhov 2706  (RUS)

World Cup 2009 Round 5 Game 2 results, who advances?

2009-12-04T13:56:00.001-06:00

Here are the results of Round 5 game 2 of World Cup 2009 in Khanty Mansiysk, Russia. We have two players advancing on to Round 6 and 4 still trying not to join the 2 who were sent packing.

Round 2 Game 2 World Cup 2009

1.0-1.0 9. Jakovenko, Dmitry (RUS) ½-½ 1. Gelfand, Boris (ISR)
1.0-1.0 2. Gashimov, Vugar (AZE) ½-½ 7. Ponomariov, Ruslan (UKR)
1.5-0.5 22. Malakhov, Vladimir (RUS) 3. ½-½ 3. Svidler, Peter (RUS)
0.5-1.5 13. Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar (AZE) ½-½ 12. Karjakin, Sergey (UKR)

Advancing to Round 6: Seed #, ELO, Country

22. Vladimir Malakhov 2706 (RUS)
12. Sergey Karjakin 2723 (UKR)

Thanks to GM Bassem Amin for welcoming TransWarp back to ICC!

2009-12-04T12:55:00.000-06:00

GM Bassem Amin in a way gave a welcome back to TransWarp by playing a bullet chess marathon this morning! I am truly grateful for GM Amin (ICC handle B-Amin) for playing these games and in the process, put TransWarp at an all-time bullet high at 3458 up from it's prior record of 3452. You can always see TransWarp's current stats at ICC by going to the site Chessclub.com and doing a player search of TransWarp. For now, here's an easy way and it's also in the links section of the blog.. TransWarp. Click on that link and you will see her current stats.

But at any rate, Thank You, GM Bassem Amin for taking the time to play TransWarp, not too many do these days and you have never been scared to give her a go. Thanks Again!

Round 5 Game 2 pairings, Mamedyarov and Svidler on the ropes!

2009-12-03T09:20:00.000-06:00

After today's Game 1 in round 5, GM's Mamedyarov and Svidler find themselves on the ropes for Game 2 tomorrow, I will post the pairings.

0.5-0.5 Jakovenko, Dmitry (RUS) * Gelfand, Boris (ISR)
0.5-0.5 Gashimov, Vugar (AZE) * Ponomariov, Ruslan (UKR)
1-0 Malakhov, Vladimir (RUS) * Svidler, Peter (RUS)
0-1 Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar (AZE) * Karjakin, Sergey (UKR)

You can follow the games live on many sites, including Chessdom.com's new live game transmission and live commentary for free. This site has been very cool in providing pictures and commentary as well as some links to articles on chess just for the mention of their site. I could see getting in trouble by some other major site doing commentary and not caring about the little guy and prohibiting photos or commentary. So a shout out to Chessdom.com!

And in case no one noticed, YES, TransWarp is back online and waiting for it's first game since it's absence, I only paid for six months, I just couldn't lay out $70.00 right now, and whether you hate her or like her, TransWarp has been a fixture on ICC the past few years. I'm thinking of having an unrated weekday...not sure yet. I just think anyone over 3000 ICC elo should risk at least 1 pt. But then, there would probably be rating inflation.

Round 5 Starts at 2009 World Cup-Elite Eight- Game 1 results

2009-12-03T06:01:00.006-06:00

Round 5 started today with Game 1, here are the pairings, and later the results:

0.5-0.5 Gelfand, Boris (ISR) ½-½ Jakovenko, Dmitry (RUS)
0.5-0.5 Ponomariov, Ruslan (UKR) ½-½ Gashimov, Vugar (AZE)
0-1 Svidler, Peter (RUS) 0-1 Malakhov, Vladimir (RUS)
1-0 Karjakin, Sergey (UKR) 1-0 Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar (AZE)

Game 1 has yielded a draw already, GM Jakovenko and GM Gelfand will go into the next round
tied 0.5-0.5 as will Ruslan Ponomariov and Vugar Gashimov, but GM Vladimir Malakhov upset the #3 seed Peter Svidler using the black pieces, as Mamedyarov and Karjakin seem to be in a drawn game..whoops blunder on move 49...Rb2 by GM Mamedyarov...he was holding a draw...but this has been a long tournament and GM Karjakin is younger, stamina is REALLY key in these long tournaments, people think chess is just sitting there, it's not, you need a strong body to go with the strong mind, why GM's usually peak around 25-30, Karjakin is just 19.

GM Svidler vs GM Malakhov

GM Karjakin vs GM Mamedyarov

Commentary Graciously Provided by Chessdom.com!

Welcome to the live coverage of the World Cup 2009 in Khanty Mansiysk on Chessdom.com, thanks to Mobisystems! Join us in the following days for live games commentary together with GM Christian Bauer, NM Pete Karagianis, Jason Juett and many other titled GM special guests.

The game from round 4 between GM Mamedyarov and GM Karjakin will be featured on Chessdom.com. All games of the round can be followed with computer analysis on Chessdom's new live system - Chessbomb.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Good day everyone, welcome to the World Cup live commentary. The game of our choice if a match between Karjakin and Mamedyarov. Both players have been very convincing in the previous four rounds, in particular the Azeri player never had to play the tiebreak games, having won six out of eight games with classical time control.

We have Ruy Lopez on the board, but Mamedyarov also used to defend with the Kan Sicilian.

3... a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Nxe4!? Perhaps a small surprise, as Mamedyarov usually employs Steinitz variation and/or g6 hybrids, but he used the Open Ruy Lopez in his younger days.

6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5 Be6 9.Nbd2 After several "tabya moves", we reach the first crossroad. White has a range of different systems, beginning with the most popular 9. c3, which we remember from the epic matches between Karpov and Korchnoi, then 9. Be3, and finally 9. Qe2 with idea Rd1 and c4.

9... Nc5 GM Ivan Sokolov, one of the world's greatest experts in Open Ruy Lopez, tried 9...Be7 here. But Nc5 is leaving white Knight on d2 for the time of being, and that piece is shutting the dark-squared Bishop on c1. Also, black is keeping the option of exchanging the Bb3.

10.c3 Be7 Grandmasters Yusupov and Marin, also great experts for the Open Spanish, trusted in this logical and developing move.

Earlier, Mamedyarov preferred 10...d4, after which white has a choice - to chase the small advantage with something like 11. Bxe6 Nxe6 12. cxd4 Ncxd4 13. a4 Be7 14. Nxd4 Nxd4 15. Ne4, or try the attack with 11. Ng5 Qxg5 12. Qf3 O-O-O 13. Bxe6+ fxe6 etc.

10...Bg4 is the third solid option.

11.Bc2 White is taking the opportunity to preserve the light-squared Bishop.

11... d4 More common is 11...Bg4, but the game move was also played by the former world champion Vladimir Kramnik in one of his games.

12.Nb3 12. cxd4 Nxd4 13. Nxd4 Qxd4 14. Nf3 Qxd1 15. Rxd1 O-O

12... d3 13.Bb1 Of course, 13. Nxc5 was also tested on numerous occasions, but 13...dxc2 14. Qxd8+ Rxd8 15. Nxe6 fxe6 16. Be3 Rd5 17. Rfc1 Nxe5 18. Nxe5 Rxe5 19. Rxc2 and it looks like black can hold this endgame without much trouble.

13... Nxb3 14.axb3 Bf5 15.b4 Probably a novelty, 15. Be3 was automatic in all previous games, and even Karjakin played it in the game against Yusupov.

15... O-O 16.Re1 Qd5 17.h3 Rfd8 Black should carefully consider all pros and cons when making such move, because after pushing b3-b4 white has Ba2 to press on f7.

18.g4 After 18...Be6, black should count with 19. Re3, but maybe 19...h5, conveniently supported by Be6, would provide sufficient counterplay against the rushed white pawns. 18...Bg6 19. Ba2 allows white to grab a powerful diagonal and perhaps prepare e6 advance.

18... Be6 19.Re3 h5 Mamedyarov goes for the variation where his pieces are more active.

20.Qxd3 20. Rxd3 Qc4, it looks like the Queen is clumsy, but white can't do any harm to that piece. Further, the Queen is pressing g4.

20... Qxd3 21.Bxd3 hxg4 22.hxg4 But now there is no time for 22...Bxg4 as white has the nasty 23. Be4 pin. Then 23...Bd7 24. Rd3 Be8 25. Rxd8 Rxd8 26. Bf4 (a6 hanging) Nb8, with a positional advantage for white.

22... Bd5 Karjakin is still pondering his next move. White has an extra pawn, but the pieces are still poorly coordinated. In addition, white will have to constantly care about e5 and g4-pawns, and in some lines black can push a6-a5 to get rid of his own weakness and open another front.

23.Bc2 It was not easy to suggest the best move for white. 23. Be4 saves the e5-pawn for the time of being, but black has immediate a5 which offers a solid counterplay.

23. Be2 a5! 24. Bxb5 axb4

23... Bxf3 24.Rxf3 Nxe5 25.Rh3 Now not 25...Nxg4? as 26. Bh7+ Kf8 27. Be4 wins the exchange.

25... g6 26.g5 With idea to nail the black pawn on f7, but also Be4 and/or Bf4.

26... Re8 Probably clearing the d8-square for other Rook and preparing Bf8-g7.

27.Bf4 Bf8 28.Re3 28. Be4 deserved attention.

28... Bd6 29.Bb3 29. Be4 Nf3+!? leads into a nice variation, where black seems to be able to survive.

29... Nc4 30. Rxe8+ Rxe8 31. Bxd6 Nxd6 32. Rxa6 gives tremendous counterplay to black.

30.Bxc4 Bxf4 31.Rf3 Bh2+ This fine point serves to drive white King away from f2 and earn a tempo if Re2 is possible sometimes. But 31...bxc4 32. Rxf4 Re5! also looked good, as then the threat is Rxg5 with check.

32.Kxh2 bxc4 33.Rf4 Re5 Black should be fine in this endgame as long as his Rooks are active.

33...Re2 34. Kg3 Rxb2 35. Rxc4 and white is somewhat better.

Re5 is better, because after 34. Rxc4 Rxg5, white should think how to prevent Kg7-Rh8.

34.Rxc4 Rxg5 35.Ra5 Rxa5 36.bxa5 Ra7 37.Kg3 Kf8 38.Kf4 Ke7 39.b4 Kd7 To protect c6 before activating the Rook.

40.Ke5 Rb7 Perhaps with idea Rb5-f5. Black should eliminate the white f-pawn.

41.Rd4+ Testing the black to see where the King goes. Kc6 is better than Ke7.

41... Kc8 42.Kf6 Rb5 43.Rf4 Rd5 Black is waiting for 44. Kxf7 g5

44.Kxf7 g5 45. Rg4 Rf5+ and 45. Rf3 g4

45.Rf6 Rd3 Mamedyarov accepts to trade a-pawn for c3. 45...Kb7 46. Kg6 g4 47. Rf4 and there is no check on f-file nor black can transfer the Rook behind the g-pawn.

46.c4 Obviously, Karjakin was not convinced that 46. Rxa6 Rxc3 with next Rb3 and/or g4-g3 would bring him the full point. He wants to give the b-pawn and push c5-c6 in an attempt to lock the black King.

46... Rd4 47.c5 Rxb4 48.c6 Kd8 49.Rf5 An attempt to attack the black King. 49...g4 50. Rg5 Rf4+ 51. Ke6 Re4+ is forcing white to search for other ways.

50. Rd5+ might be a better way, Kc8 51. Rg5 Kb8 52. Rg8+ Ka7 when the King is sidelined.

49... Rb2? An error, because white suddenly can push f4 thanks to the clumsy position of the black King. Better was 49...g4

50.f4 Rf2 The point is that after 50...gxf4, black's own pawn is distracting the Rook from checking white King, and white wins with 51. Rg5.

51.Rd5+ Kc8 52.Ke7 With two forcing moves, white cleared his pieces from the f-file and is ready to take fxg5 in the next move. Black is hopeless against the g-passer and Mamedyarov resigned. 1-0

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4 to Round 4 Blitz tiebreaks, Gashimov. Malakhov & Ponomariov advance.

2009-12-02T09:29:00.002-06:00

#2 seed Vugar Gashimov beat #50 seed Fabiano Caruana and #22 seed Viktor Malakhov took out #59 seed Wesley So in the Rapid tiebreaks to advance to round 5 and finally, Ruslan Ponomariov won his last rapid game to advance. Now we are in the Blitz Tiebreaks, 2 games each (up to 10) with the last 4 playets vying to get into Round 5

Round 4 Blitz Tiebreak Games:

Game 1
3.5-3.5 Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime (FRA) 1/2-1-2 Gelfand, Boris (ISR)
3-4 Grischuk, Alexander (RUS) 0-1 Jakovenko, Dmitry (RUS)

Game 2
4.5-3.5 Gelfand, Boris (ISR) 1-0 Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime (FRA)
5-3 Jakovenko, Dmitry (RUS) 1-0 Grischuk, Alexander (RUS)
Alexander Grischuk is now in a hole! Need to win to stay alive.

Dmitry Jakovenko advances to round 5
Boris Gelfand advances to round 5

Those Already In Round 5:

2. Vugar Gashimov 2758 (AZE)
3. Peter Svidler 2754 (RUS)
7. Ruslan Ponomariov 2739 (UKR)
12 Sergey Karjakin 2723 (UKR)
13. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov 2719 (AZE)
22. Vladimir Malakhov 2706 (RUS)

GM Gelfand vs GM Vachier-Lagrave

GM Jakovenko vs GM Grischuk

Ever wonder where Azerbaijan is located? Or Khanty Mansiysk? Here's a source I grew up reading!

World Cup late update on Rapid matches and those who advanced.

2009-12-02T08:58:00.002-06:00

I overslept after a busy day, we are now into the 4th rapid game, with one done already, a draw...here are current standings and those who advanced, there are 3 games that are still tied, one going into the blitz round! Now 2 games in the blitz round as Ponomariov advances.

World Cup Round 4 Rapid Game 4 results:

3.0-3.0 17. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave 2718 (FRA) 1/2-1/2 1. Boris Gelfand 2758 (ISR)
3.0-3.0 9. Dmitry Jakovenko 2736 (RUS) 1/2-1/2 8. Alexander Grischuk 2736 (RUS)
3.5-2.5 23. 7. Ruslan Ponomariov 2739 (UKR) 1/2-1/2 23. Etienne Bacrot 2700 (FRA)

Those joining those already in Round 5 today:

2. Vugar Gashimov (AZE) (3.5-1.5 over Fabiano Caruana (ITA) Had a great outing!)
7. Ruslan Ponomariov 2739 (UKR) (3.5-2.5 over Etienne Bacrot (FRA)
22. Vladimir Malakhov (RUS) (4-1 over Wesley So (PHI), who had a great showing as well!)

Already in Round of 8 (Round 5):

3. Peter Svidler 2754 (RUS)
12 Sergey Karjakin 2723 (UKR)
13. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov 2719 (AZE)

Word Cup 2009 Round 4 Tiebreak game 1 pairings and those in Round 5

2009-12-01T13:13:00.001-06:00

Here are the pairings for game 1 of the Rapid Tiebreaks for Round 4 tomorrow. 3 players have already advanced into Round 5, I will post them after the pairings.. I hope I get the colors right for the first game, it looks like on the official page which players are due white. We shall see if I end up editing tomorrow :)

Round 4 Rapid Tiebreak Game 1 of possible 4 games at 25 mins +10 sec. inc. if still tied after these games, then follows a series of Blitz games, a Match of 2 Games at 5 mins +3 sec. inc. (Max. of 10 games) if after 2 games of standard chess, 4 games of rapid chess and 10 games of blitz chess, THEN it comes down to.....
Armageddon! Players draw lots for an important decision, whether to take White with 5 minutes and HAVE to win the game OR take black with 4 minutes on the clock and HOLD A DRAW with the time handicap to win the Armageddon game, there's only 1 game, so far it hasn't come to that in any of the rounds yet.

Round 4 Rapid Game 1

1.0-1.0 17. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave 2718 (FRA) * 1. Boris Gelfand 2758 (ISR)
1.0-1.0 8. Alexander Grischuk 2736 (RUS) * 9. Dmitry Jakovenko 2736 (RUS)
1.0-1.0 2. Vugar Gashimov 2758 (AZE) * 50. Fabiano Caruana 2652 (ITA)
1.0-1.0 23. Etienne Bacrot 2700 (FRA) * 7. Ruslan Ponomariov 2739 (UKR)
1.0-1.0 59. Wesley So 2640 (PHI) * 22. Vladimir Malakhov 2706 (RUS)

Those who have already advanced to round 5:

3. Peter Svidler 2754 (RUS)
12 Sergey Karjakin 2723 (UKR)
13. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov 2719 (AZE)

The lowest seeds still hanging in there are 59. Wesley So, 50. Fabiano Caruana and seeds 1 and 2 are still at risk of getting upset, seed 1 being Boris Gelfand 2758 and 2 Vugar Gashimov 2758 as well, it seems they weren't picked alphabetically but seeds 8 & 9 both rated 2736, Alexander Grischuk and Dmitry Jakovenko are seeded alphabetically. Who knows, FIDE works in mysterious ways ;-)

Word Cup 2009 Round 4 Game 2 pairings

2009-11-30T14:44:00.001-06:00

As I have a doctor's appt tomorrow morning, I will post the pairings with the colors and try to update them before I leave and will finish when I get back. Well, I get back to see all the games are finished and that 3 players have advanced to Round 5! I will post Sergey Karjakin's win over Nikita Vitiugov since it was the only game not drawn. Looks like Caruana and So are going to rely on their rapid chess skills going into the tiebreak rounds.

World Cup Round 4 Game 2 Pairings:

1.0-1.0 1. Boris Gelfand 2758 (ISR) 1/2-1/2 17. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave 2718 (FRA)
1.0-1.0 9. Dmitry Jakovenko 2736 (RUS) 1/2-1/2 8. Alexander Grischuk 2736 (RUS)
1.5-0.5 13. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov 2719 (AZE) 1/2-1/2 61. Viktor Laznicka 2637 (CZE)
0.5-1.5 28. Nikita Vitiugov 2694 (RUS) 0-1 12 Sergey Karjakin 2723 (UKR)
1.0-1.0 50. Fabiano Caruana 2652 (ITA) 1/2-1/2 2. Vugar Gashimov 2758 (AZE)
1.0-1.0 7. Ruslan Ponomariov 2739 (UKR) 1/2-1/2 23. Etienne Bacrot 2700 (FRA)
1.5-0.5 3. Peter Svidler 2754 (RUS) 1/2-1/2 14. Alexei Shirov 2719 (ESP)
1.0-1.0 22. Vladimir Malakhov 2706 (RUS) 1/2-1/2 59. Wesley So 2640 (PHI)

Good to have that done ahead of time, now I just have to update in the morning, (done updating, just bumming that I had to miss some games, the same tomorrow as I have to go get a chest x-ray to make sure I'm not getting a touch of pneumonia like this summer.) Congrats to those who have advanced to Round 5, I'm a bit of a Mamedyarov fan, but to see GM So or GM Caruana take it would be news as well, also GM Sergei Karjakin! Whose game follows:

GM Nikita Vitiugov vs GM Sergey Karjakin

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GM Hikaru Nakamura wins the BNBank Blitz tournament

2009-11-30T14:22:00.001-06:00

Although a tad late, I can't forget to put up GM Nakamura's 3-1 victory over GM Magnus Carlsen in the BNBank Blitz final on GM Carlsen's own turf in Norway. I am a fan of GM Nakamura due to his battles with TransWarp. He was the most courageous player on ICC to play TransWarp, amassing many games before deciding to quit playing computers. He may have since TransWarp's account had to lapse due to finances, But like many others who like watching top level blitz chess, he's simply the best at this time. I am going to try and fit all 4 games from youtube on here along with the moves in text as the video is choppy due to it being from a webcam at the event. Thanks to youtube for allowing embedding of their video. Again,
NOTE: The Video IS Choppy, there are other videos of the games on youtube, but they are by a guy who moves around, it was either or....either have choppy video with a stable board, or a video that is unstable and hard to concentrate on the position...not much of a choice, but hey, thought I would give it go.

Game 1 GM Nakamura vs GM Carlsen

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. g3 Bb4 4. Bg2 O-O 5. e4 Bxc3 6. bxc3 c6 7. Ne2 d5 8.
cxd5 cxd5 9. exd5 Nxd5 10. O-O Nc6 11. Rb1 Nb6 12. d4 Bf5 13. Rb3 Be6 14.
d5 Bxd5 15. Bxd5 Nxd5 16. Ba3 Re8 17. Rxb7 Qc8 18. Rb5 Nb6 19. Rc5 Qe6 20.
Qb3 Rad8 21. Qxe6 Rxe6 22. Bc1 f6 23. Be3 Rd7 24. Rb1 Kf7 25. Rcb5 Nc4 26.
Bc5 Nd8 27. R1b4 Nd2 28. Kg2 Rc6 29. Be3 Nc4 30. Rb8 Ne6 31. Bc1 Rcc7 32.
Ra8 Rd1 33. Ra4 a5 34. Be3 Nxe3+ 35. fxe3 Rd2 36. Kf1 Rb7 37. Ke1 Rbb2 38.
Ra7+ Kg6 39. Nc1 Rxh2 40. Rh4 Rhg2 41. Rh1 Rxg3 42. Rxa5 Rxe3+ 43. Kd1 Rxc3
44. Ra4 Nf4 45. Ra7 Ng2 46. Rg1 Kf5 0-1

Game 2 GM Carlsen vs GM Nakamura

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 O-O 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Qxc3 b6 7. Bg5 Bb7
8. Nf3 d6 9. Nd2 Nbd7 10. f3 h6 11. Bh4 c5 12. e4 Rc8 13. Bd3 Re8 14. O-O
Rc7 15. Rad1 Qc8 16. d5 e5 17. Rfe1 Nh5 18. Nf1 Nf8 19. Ne3 Ng6 20. Bf2 Qd8
21. Bf1 Bc8 22. b4 Bd7 23. bxc5 Rxc5 24. Nf5 Rc7 25. Nxd6 Rf8 26. c5 bxc5
27. Rc1 Nhf4 28. Qa5 c4 29. Rxc4 Qg5 30. Kh1 Rxc4 31. Nxc4 f5 32. exf5 Bxf5
33. d6 Bd3 34. Bg3 Bxf1 35. Rxf1 Ne2 36. Bxe5 Ngf4 37. Bxf4 Qxf4 38. Qd5+
Kh8 39. d7 Qh4 40. Qd6 Rd8 41. Rd1 Nc3 42. Ne5 Kg8 43. Qe6+ Kh7 44. Qg6+
Kg8 45. Qe8+ Kh7 46. Qxd8 Qxd8 47. Nc6 Qb6 48. d8=Q Nxd1 49. Qxb6 axb6 50.
Kg1 Nc3 51. Nd4 Kg6 52. Kf2 Kf6 53. Ke3 Ke5 54. Kd3 Nd5 55. Ne2 Kd6 56. Kd4
Nc7 57. Nc3 Ne6+ 58. Ke4 g6 59. Nb5+ Kc5 60. Ke5 Kxb5 61. Kxe6 Ka4 62. Kf6
Kxa3 63. Kxg6 b5 64. f4 b4 65. f5 b3 66. f6 b2 67. f7 b1=Q+ 68. Kxh6 Qf5
69. Kg7 Qg5+ 70. Kh7 Qf6 71. Kg8 Qg6+ 72. Kf8 Kb4 73. h4 Kc5 74. h5 Qxh5
75. g4 Qxg4 76. Ke7 Qg7 0-1

Game 3 GM Nakamura vs GM Carlsen

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Nf3 c5
8. Rb1 O-O 9. Be2 b6 10. O-O Bb7 11. d5 Bxc3 12. Bc4 Bg7 13. e5 Ba6 14. Qd3
Bxc4 15. Qxc4 Nd7 16. Re1 a6 17. Qh4 e6 18. Bg5 Qc7 19. d6 Qc6 20. Bh6 f6
21. exf6 Rxf6 22. Ng5 Nf8 23. d7 Bxh6 24. Qxh6 Qxd7 25. Ne4 Rf7 26. Rxb6 c4
27. Qe3 Qd3 28. Qc1 Rd8 29. Rxa6 Qd4 30. Rc6 Qa7 31. Qxc4 Rd4 32. Qc2 Ra4
33. Re2 Qd4 34. h3 Qa1+ 35. Kh2 Qe5+ 36. Ng3 Qf4 37. Rc8 Kg7 38. Qc3+ Kh6
39. f3 g5 40. Rxf8 1-0

Game 4 GM Carlsen vs GM Nakamura

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 O-O 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. Qxc3 Ne4 7. Qc2 f5
8. Nh3 b6 9. f3 Nf6 10. e3 Bb7 11. Be2 d6 12. O-O Qe7 13. b4 a5 14. Bb2
Nbd7 15. Nf2 axb4 16. axb4 c5 17. dxc5 dxc5 18. b5 Rfd8 19. Rfd1 Ne8 20.
Rxa8 Rxa8 21. e4 fxe4 22. Nxe4 Ndf6 23. Nf2 Rd8 24. Re1 Qf7 25. Bf1 Nd6 26.
Nd3 Nf5 27. Ne5 Qc7 28. Qe2 Nd4 29. Bxd4 Rxd4 30. Ra1 Rd8 31. Nc6 Bxc6 32.
Qxe6+ Kf8 33. bxc6 Re8 34. Qf5 Qxc6 35. Qf4 Qd7 36. Rb1 Qe6 37. h3 Kg8 38.
Bd3 Rd8 39. Bf5 Qd6 40. Qe3 Re8 41. Qf2 g6 42. Bc2 Nh5 43. Rd1 Qe5 44. Be4
Ng3 45. Bd5+ Kg7 46. Qd2 Ne2+ 47. Kh1 Ng3+ 48. Kg1 Ne2+ 49. Kf1 Qh2 50. Kf2
Qg3+ 51. Kf1 Qh2 52. Be6 Nd4 53. Bd7 Re2 54. Qxe2 Nxe2 55. Kxe2 Qxg2+ 56.
Ke3 Qc2 57. Rd6 Qc3+ 58. Ke4 Qxc4+ 59. Ke5 Qc3+ 60. Kd5 Qxf3+ 0-1

Word Cup 2009 Round 4 Game 1 results

2009-11-30T11:23:00.000-06:00

Here are the results I have for game one of Round 4 of the World Cup in Khanty Mansiysk, Russia, we are down to 16 players in this Match Style Tournament. GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov of Azerbaijan showed that the Czech Viktor Laznicka does have chinks in his armor. Perhaps he is getting tired or just that GM Mamedyarov simply outplayed him. I will post this game at the end of the post. Also winning was GM Peter Svidler over GM Alexei Shirov, the other games were all drawn, the So and Caruana fans will have to wait until tomorrow for possible advancement of the youngsters (at least to me) :)

The losses with the white pieces surely put the pressure on GM Laznicka and GM Shirov as now only a draw is needed by their opponents to win and advance to Round 5, attacking with black can be risky and both players do need to be bold to grind out wins with their chance on the black side of the board. I can't blame the other players for drawing, both young guns So and Caruana did try to win their games, So's game getting down to K+R vs K+R drawn endgame and Caruana's with a perpetual check.

Round 4 Game 1 Results: Today's GAME winners are in bold, they haven't advanced.

17. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave 2718 (FRA) 1/2-1/2 1. Boris Gelfand 2758 (ISR)
8. Alexander Grischuk 2736 (RUS) 1/2-1/2 9. Dmitry Jakovenko 2736 (RUS)
61. Viktor Laznicka 2637 (CZE) 0-1 13. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov 2719 (AZE)
12 Sergey Karjakin 2723 (UKR) 1/2-1/2 28. Nikita Vitiugov 2694 (RUS)
2. Vugar Gashimov 2758 (AZE) 1/2-1/2 50. Fabiano Caruana 2652 (ITA)
23. Etienne Bacrot 2700 (FRA) 1/2-1/2 7. Ruslan Ponomariov 2739 (UKR)
14. Alexei Shirov 2719 (ESP) 0-1 3. Peter Svidler 2754 (RUS)
59. Wesley So 2640 (PHI) 1/2-1/2 22. Vladimir Malakhov 2706 (RUS)

GM Viktor Laznicka vs GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

GM Alexei Shirov vs GM Peter Svidler

A nice forum I found Down Under.

2009-11-30T09:10:00.000-06:00

Before getting to today's results, just wanted to mention a nice little forum for the Aussie's. And other chess fans in general. I just happened upon it because my stat counter said there was a visit from there, or someone exited to there...don't remember now! But it lead me to a nice little spot to keep up on chess and chess players Down Under in Australia. If you are interested, here's a link to the site:

http://chesschat.org/

Take a little time to register, visit and sit a spell as they say here in the midwest and south still in the little towns that are scattered about. Maybe if you are going to Australia to visit or vacation, maybe you will find a chess club in that area of your visit! I will add it to the links section as well.