World Cup R5.2: Radjabov equalises, Polgar and Gashimov eliminated

The tournament is taking place in the Ugorian Chess Academy in the very heart of Khanty-Mansiysk, which has hosted three previous World Cups: 2005, 2007, and 2009. The 128 participants hail from 46 different countries, and are playing for a total prize fund of US $1.6 million. In addition the first three finisher get tickets to the Candidates tournament in the next World Championship cycle.

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Round five game two

After losing his first game to Vassily Ivanchuk, Taimour Radjabov (picture above) made a fairly quick comeback, winning the second game in about three hours. Ivanchuk has a reputation of an incredibly knowledgeable player, so Radjabov wisely decided to avoid theoretical discussions, and selected a modest setup, aiming for a lengthy maneuvering battle. However, already on the tenth move White exploded the position, sacrificing a piece for two pawns. It is hard to say if the sacrifice was objectively correct, but it worked excellently in the game.

Such a turn of events was a very unpleasant surprise for Ivanchuk (above). The Ukrainian started to make mistakes. First he made a wrong bishop trade, giving up the dark squares, and then made a poor choice on the 16th move, selecting the worst recapture on c6. Soon Radjabov obtained material advantage and successfully converted it. The players will continue fighting on tie-breaks.

Peter Svidler was first to advance to the semi finals, defeating Judit Polgar with the black pieces. In a Scheveningen Sicilian Black quickly won a pawn, but White's compensation was sufficient, as she had a strong bishop and good piece arrangement. According to Svidler, a draw would have been the logical conclusion to this game. However, Polgar overestimated her chances and was caught into one of the traps that had been set by her tricky opponent. Black's passed pawn gained a lot of strength and decided the outcome of the battle.

David Navara of the Czech Republic was also very close to his goal. He obtained a small advantage after the opening, increased the pressure and eventually won a pawn. However, he made a single careless move, and Alexander Grischuk (Russia), known for his amazing defensive skills, found a saving resource. Instead of losing two pawns, equalized the material balance. The game ended in a draw.

Former world champion Ukrainian GM Ruslan Ponomariov (above) played the Berlin Variation of the Ruy Lopez against his opponent, Vugar Gashimov (Azerbaijan). It was a typical game for the Berlin: White maintained pressure, Black patiently defended and traded pieces. Vugar Gashimov probably made a mistake by trading his second knight for a bishop, after which Black seized the initiative. The game was very nervous, both players made mistakes, but Gashimov made the last one and eventually succumbed. Ruslan Ponomariov advanced to the semi-finals, where he meets Peter Svidler.

Azeri GM Vugar Gashimov (left) was knocked out by Ruslan Ponomariov

Results of round five

• Source: official results page

Remaining schedule of the World Chess Cup 2011

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