Mind Games Day 4: Yifan big winner

by Alejandro Ramirez
12/15/2013 – In the Men's section a very close situation has occurred. Mamedyarov's excellent day two catapulted him to first place with 14.0/20, but there are many players in hot pursuit. Le Quang Liem is only half a point behind, Aronian one point, Karjakin and Vachier a point and a half. In the Women's a fantastic 9.5/10 score for Yifan in day two puts her ahead with a two point lead. Pictorial report.

ChessBase 17 - Mega package - Edition 2024 ChessBase 17 - Mega package - Edition 2024

It is the program of choice for anyone who loves the game and wants to know more about it. Start your personal success story with ChessBase and enjoy the game even more.

More...

SportAccord Mind Games will be held in Beijing, China between the 12th of December and 20th December 2012. The World Mind Games was held for the first time in 2008 and consisted of 5 disciplines: chess, bridge, draughts (checkers), go, and xiangqi (Chinese chess). SportAccord, the organizer of the Mind Games, is the umbrella organization for both Olympic and non-Olympic sports as well as for major organizers of conferences and sporting events.

Children's Simultaneous

The grandmasters giving the live commentary in Beijing are Peter Heine Nielsen from Denmark and Bartolomiej Herbela from Poland. They also gave a simultaneous exhibition to some of the local players. Here are some impressions:

The enthusiastic crowd that participated in the activities

Being a tall nordic man doesn't help when the tables are rather short

GM Herbela demonstrating how to handle the opening

Rarely do you see someone be so happy when their last piece is being taken in a simul!

And a closing interview to the real winners of the exhibition: the players!

Photos of the simultaneous by SportAccord Official Vianney Thibaut

Day 4: Blitz - Men

Aronian is wondering where his leader position went...

Karjakin is always dangerous in blitz and he is in striking distance of the leaders

The two chinese players, Wang Yue (pictured) and Wang Hao had a terrible day two, scoring only 5.5/20 with their combined scores

The silver medallist of the rapid has not found his way around the blitz yet

Radjabov's results are good enough to put him in the middle of the board

After this draw Mamedyarov went on a killing spree while Nepomniachtchi didn't win a single game

Grischuk's power pawns on a6 and b7 were no match for Wang Yue's extra... rook and queen...

Aronian, the leader after the first day, started with three draws and two losses in the first five games of the day which pushed him away from the leader position. Meanwhile Mamedyarov started the day rather slowly. He scored 50% in the first four games, but then he followed up with four consecutive victories. and that was enough to put him in the number one spot after day two.

The Blitz World Champion Le Quang Liem also scored 7.5/10 in day two but Mamedyarov had scored half point more in the previous set of games and is currently ahead by that margin. Aronian is currently in third with 13.0/20 but the tournament is still wide open as Karjakin and Vachier-Lagraeve are only 1.5 points behind the leader at 12.5/20 each. The tournament is certainly very close! Even players with 10 points have realistic chances of going for a medal if they have a good third day.

Rank Name Rtg FED 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Pts
1 Mamedyarov Shakhriyar 2721 AZE * * 0 1 0 1 0 ½​ 1 ½​ ½​ 0 1 ½​ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 14.0
2 Le Quang Liem 2841 VIE 1 * * 0 0 1 1 0 0 ½​ 1 1 1 1 1 ½​ ½​ 1 1 1 ½​ ½​ 13.5
3 Aronian Levon 2817 ARM 0 1 * * 0 ½​ 0 ½​ 1 1 0 1 ½​ 1 ½​ 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 13.0
4 Karjakin Sergey 2837 RUS 1 0 1 1 * * 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 ½​ 1 1 ½​ 0 ½​ 1 ½​ ½​ 12.5
5 Vachier-Lagrave Maxime 2825 FRA 1 0 0 ½​ 0 * * 0 1 1 ½​ 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 ½​ 1 ½​ ½​ 12.5
6 Nepomniachtchi Ian 2830 RUS ½​ 1 1 0 0 1 * * 0 0 0 1 ½​ ½​ 1 ½​ 1 0 ½​ 1 1 1 11.5
7 Grischuk Alexander 2798 RUS 0 1 ½​ 1 0 0 0 1 * * ½​ 1 0 0 0 ½​ 1 1 0 1 1 ½​ 10.0
8 Radjabov Teimour 2755 AZE ½​ ½​ ½​ 0 0 1 ½​ 1 1 ½​ 0 * * 1 0 ½​ ½​ ½​ 1 0 0 1 10.0
9 Ivanchuk Vassily 2750 UKR 1 0 0 0 1 1 ½​ 0 0 ½​ 1 0 * * ½​ 0 ½​ 0 1 1 1 1 10.0
10 Kamsky Gata 2671 USA ½​ 0 0 0 0 0 ½​ 1 1 ½​ * * 1 ½​ 1 0 1 0 1 1 ½​ 0 9.5
11 Giri Anish 2747 NED 0 0 0 ½​ 0 0 0 ½​ 1 ½​ ½​ 1 0 ½​ * * 0 ½​ ½​ ½​ 1 1 8.0
12 Dominguez Perez Leinier 2769 CUB 0 0 ½​ ½​ 0 ½​ 0 0 1 0 0 ½​ ½​ 0 1 1 * * ½​ 1 ½​ 0 7.5
13 Wang Yue 2723 CHN 0 0 0 ½​ 0 1 ½​ 0 ½​ 1 ½​ 0 1 0 0 ½​ ½​ * * ½​ ½​ ½​ 7.5
14 Ponomariov Ruslan 2774 UKR 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 ½​ 0 ½​ * * ½​ 1 1 1 7.5
15 Leko Peter 2722 HUN 0 ½​ 0 1 ½​ ½​ 0 0 0 1 0 0 ½​ 0 ½​ ½​ ½​ 0 * * ½​ 1 7.0
16 Wang Hao 2698 CHN 0 ½​ 0 0 ½​ ½​ ½​ 0 ½​ 0 0 ½​ 1 0 1 ½​ 0 0 ½​ 0 * * 6.0

Note: Blitz ratings used

Men Blitz games 11-20

Day 4: Blitz - Women

Muzychuk is in third but is three points away from Hou Yifan. She will need an extraordinary day three to take the gold medal from the Chinese.

Marie Sebag is by far and away France's strongest woman, but she will have to do better in day three to opt for a medal position, which is still realistic

Koneru had a dismal day two with only 2.5/10

Yifan was the big winner of today. Here she is calmly pressing her clock with five seconds left. The time control is g/3 + 2" so she will get two seconds every time she moves.

Paehtz struggled somewhat on the second day of the blitz

Hou Yifan simply destroyed the field today. An unbelievable 9.5/10, only drawing Ju Wenjun, puts her a full two points ahead of Gunina who is now second. Ushenina also had a great second day with 7.5/10 but since she had only scored 50% in the first set of 10 this means she is still in fourth.

Rank Name Rtg FED 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Pts
1 Hou Yifan 2559 CHN * * 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 ½​ 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 ½​ 1 1 1 1 16.0
2 Gunina Valentina 2527 RUS 0 * * 0 0 1 1 0 ½​ 1 1 1 ½​ 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 14.0
3 Muzychuk Anna 2639 SLO 1 1 1 * * 0 1 0 1 1 1 ½​ ½​ 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 13.0
4 Ushenina Anna 2489 UKR 0 0 0 1 * * ½​ 0 1 1 ½​ ½​ ½​ ½​ 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 12.5
5 Dzagnidze Nana 2579 GEO 0 0 1 0 ½​ * * 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 ½​ 0 1 1 1 0 11.0
6 Sebag Marie 2501 FRA 1 0 ½​ 1 0 1 0 0 * * ½​ 1 ½​ 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 10.5
7 Zhao Xue 2471 CHN ½​ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ½​ * * ½​ 1 1 ½​ 1 1 1 1 1 ½​ 1 10.5
8 Lagno Kateryna 2532 UKR 0 0 ½​ ½​ 0 1 0 ½​ * * 1 ½​ 0 ½​ 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 ½​ 10.0
9 Kosteniuk Alexandra 2612 RUS 0 0 ½​ ½​ ½​ 1 ½​ 0 0 0 * * 1 1 ½​ 0 0 1 1 1 ½​ ½​ 9.5
10 Stefanova Antoaneta 2508 BUL 0 0 0 1 ½​ 0 1 ½​ ½​ 1 0 * * 0 1 1 0 ½​ 1 0 1 ½​ 9.5
11 Koneru Humpy 2558 IND 1 0 0 0 ½​ 1 0 1 0 0 ½​ 0 0 1 * * 1 ½​ 0 0 ½​ 1 8.0
12 Paehtz Elisabeth 2574 GER 0 0 0 0 1 0 ½​ 0 0 0 ½​ 1 0 0 0 * * ½​ 1 1 1 1 7.5
13 Ju Wenjun 2454 CHN ½​ 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 ½​ ½​ ½​ * * 0 1 0 ½​ 7.5
14 Kosintseva Tatiana 2480 RUS 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 * * 1 0 0 7.0
15 Cmilyte Viktorija 2532 LTU 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 ½​ 0 ½​ 1 ½​ 0 0 0 1 * * ½​ 7.0
16 Cramling Pia 2430 SWE 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 ½​ ½​ 0 ½​ 0 0 0 1 ½​ 1 ½​ * * 6.5

Note: Blitz ratings used

Women Blitz games 11-20

Photos by Gu Xiaobing, taken from the official FIDE website

Schedule

Thursday, December 12th 14:00-19:00    Rapid Event: 1-4 rounds (men), 1-4 rounds (women)
Friday, December 13th 14:00-19:00    Rapid Event: 5-7 rounds (men), 5-7 rounds (women)
Saturday, December 14th 14:00-19:00    Blitz Event: 1-10 rounds (men), 1-10 rounds (women)
Sunday, December 15th 14:00-19:00    Blitz Event: 11-20 rounds (men), 11-20 rounds (women)
Monday, December 16th 14:00-19:00    Blitz Event: 21-30 rounds (men), 21-30 rounds (women)
Tuesday, December 17th 14:00-19:00    Basque System: 1-3 rounds (men), 1-3 rounds (women)
Wednesday, December 18th 11:00-16:00    Basque System: 4-5 rounds (men), 4-5 rounds (women) &
Closing Ceremony

Links

The games will be broadcast live on the official web site and on the chess server Playchess.com. If you are not a member you can download a free Playchess client there and get immediate access. You can also use ChessBase 12 or any of our Fritz compatible chess programs.


Grandmaster Alejandro Ramirez has been playing tournament chess since 1998. His accomplishments include qualifying for the 2004 and 2013 World Cups as well as playing for Costa Rica in the 2002, 2004 and 2008 Olympiads. He currently has a rating of 2583 and is author of a number of popular and critically acclaimed ChessBase-DVDs.

Discuss

Rules for reader comments

 
 

Not registered yet? Register