ChessBase 17 - Mega package - Edition 2024
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The economic crisis definitely made some impact on chess. The Aeroflot open main event (A1) did not feel much decrease in numbers, and even the 2700-group is represented by two respectable players – Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and Etienne Bacrot. However, the lower events, more heavily oriented to amateurs and experience-seekers, were seriously affected, and the competition for relatively high prizes is rather withered, compared to the previous years.
The Moscow weather prepared an unpleasant surprise to the festival guests – the temperature dramatically fell to below minus 10° Celsius, which is especially noticeable after two months of very mild early-November-looking winter. According to Gismeteo.ru, there is no hope of improvement, so many players are impatiently waiting for the blitz part of the festival, when they can really warm up. Yes, the blitz part. For the first time the main Aeroflot open is followed by the World Blitz Championship Qualifier. This event, apart from the opportunity to qualify for the World Championship, has its own merit in the 40,000 Euro prize money, and each A1 and A2 Aeroflot open player can join the fun absolutely free (while strangers have to pay the entry fee). I love blitz and will surely watch it very closely. Many blitz superstars will be playing, with one sad exception of Alexander Grischuk, who, however, has a perfect excuse, as he is crushing his opponents in Linares.
Grandmaster Igor Kurnosov started winning game after game and became an early leader of the A1 event. After a couple of draws he destroyed Shakhriyar Mamedyarov with black, which resulted in the Azerbaijani player withdrawing from the event! He will, however, play the blitz.
Among the contenders are Evgeny Tomashevsky, Etienne Bacrot, Alexander Moiseenko and some other notable players. Everything is likely to be decided, as usual, in the last round, with the distribution of colors being the key factor.
There are many unexpected results, from van Wely’s disastrous start to the rise of Ray Robson and Tatiana Kosintseva – but please consult your database if you want to see the games, and I will restrict myself to the photographic report. Have fun!
# | Player | Pts | FED | Rtng | Perf. | w-We |
1 | GM Kurnosov, Igor | 5.5 | RUS | 2602 | 2862 | +2.29 |
2 | GM Moiseenko, Alexander | 5.0 | UKR | 2676 | 2765 | +0.83 |
3 | GM Tomashevsky, Evgeny | 5.0 | RUS | 2664 | 2767 | +0.96 |
4 | GM Predojevic, Borki | 5.0 | BIH | 2650 | 2723 | +0.67 |
5 | GM Pashikian, Arman | 5.0 | ARM | 2621 | 2745 | +1.18 |
6 | GM Zhou, Jianchao | 5.0 | CHN | 2612 | 2785 | +1.65 |
7 | GM Zhigalko, Sergei | 5.0 | BLR | 2587 | 2806 | +2.08 |
8 | GM Bacrot, Etienne | 4.5 | FRA | 2722 | 2702 | -0.16 |
9 | GM Sargissian, Gabriel | 4.5 | ARM | 2677 | 2710 | +0.33 |
10 | GM Zvjaginsev, Vadim | 4.5 | RUS | 2636 | 2696 | +0.59 |
11 | GM Riazantsev, Alexander | 4.5 | RUS | 2634 | 2665 | +0.31 |
12 | GM Potkin, Vladimir | 4.5 | RUS | 2613 | 2734 | +1.18 |
13 | GM Ehlvest, Jaan | 4.5 | USA | 2595 | 2686 | +0.91 |
14 | GM Khairullin, Ildar | 4.5 | RUS | 2574 | 2718 | +1.41 |
15 | GM Zhou, Weiqi | 4.5 | CHN | 2542 | 2730 | +1.84 |
16 | IM Kosintseva, Tatiana | 4.5 | RUS | 2497 | 2720 | +2.15 |
17 | GM Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar | 4.0 | AZE | 2724 | 2735 | +0.07 |
18 | GM Amonatov, Farrukh | 4.0 | TJK | 2647 | 2619 | -0.24 |
19 | GM Smirin, Ilia | 4.0 | ISR | 2647 | 2616 | -0.27 |
20 | GM Bareev, Evgeny | 4.0 | RUS | 2645 | 2619 | -0.22 |
21 | GM Aleksandrov, Aleksej | 4.0 | BLR | 2636 | 2624 | -0.10 |
22 | GM Kazhgaleyev, Murtas | 4.0 | KAZ | 2630 | 2638 | +0.10 |
23 | GM Nepomniachtchi, Ian | 4.0 | RUS | 2628 | 2600 | -0.25 |
24 | GM So, Wesley | 4.0 | PHI | 2627 | 2586 | -0.38 |
25 | GM Landa, Konstantin | 4.0 | RUS | 2626 | 2620 | -0.04 |
26 | GM Zhigalko, Andrey | 4.0 | BLR | 2572 | 2710 | +1.34 |
27 | GM Grigoriants, Sergey | 4.0 | RUS | 2565 | 2693 | +1.27 |
28 | GM Safarli, Eltaj | 4.0 | AZE | 2564 | 2684 | +1.19 |
29 | IM Yudin, Sergei | 4.0 | RUS | 2562 | 2674 | +1.09 |
30 | GM Minasian, Artashes | 4.0 | ARM | 2557 | 2684 | +1.24 |
31 | GM Filippov, Anton | 4.0 | UZB | 2556 | 2679 | +1.22 |
32 | GM Dyachkov, Sergej | 4.0 | RUS | 2553 | 2671 | +1.15 |
33 | GM Ajrapetjan, Yuriy | 4.0 | UKR | 2490 | 2641 | +1.47 |
34 | GM Dreev, Alexey | 3.5 | RUS | 2688 | 2564 | -1.18 |
35 | GM Vitiugov, Nikita | 3.5 | RUS | 2687 | 2597 | -0.86 |
36 | GM Grachev, Boris | 3.5 | RUS | 2655 | 2622 | -0.31 |
37 | GM Mamedov, Rauf | 3.5 | AZE | 2638 | 2562 | -0.72 |
38 | GM Li, Chao b | 3.5 | CHN | 2628 | 2556 | -0.70 |
39 | GM Petrosian, Tigran L. | 3.5 | ARM | 2623 | 2545 | -0.74 |
40 | GM Huzman, Alexander | 3.5 | ISR | 2602 | 2546 | -0.52 |
41 | GM Smirnov, Pavel | 3.5 | RUS | 2579 | 2648 | +0.66 |
42 | GM Romanov, Evgeny | 3.5 | RUS | 2576 | 2635 | +0.57 |
43 | GM Andriasian, Zaven | 3.5 | ARM | 2564 | 2652 | +0.83 |
44 | GM Kotsur, Pavel | 3.5 | KAZ | 2563 | 2635 | +0.70 |
45 | GM Sjugirov, Sanan | 3.5 | RUS | 2562 | 2599 | +0.34 |
46 | IM Ponkratov, Pavel | 3.5 | RUS | 2557 | 2628 | +0.68 |
47 | GM Wen, Yang | 3.5 | CHN | 2504 | 2600 | +0.92 |
48 | IM Robson, Ray | 3.5 | USA | 2455 | 2597 | +1.33 |
49 | GM Naiditsch, Arkadij | 3.0 | GER | 2693 | 2564 | -1.25 |
50 | GM Milov, Vadim | 3.0 | SUI | 2669 | 2511 | -1.53 |
51 | GM Onischuk, Alexander | 3.0 | USA | 2659 | 2521 | -1.34 |
52 | GM Rodshtein, Maxim | 3.0 | ISR | 2650 | 2514 | -1.34 |
53 | GM Van Wely, Loek | 3.0 | NED | 2625 | 2409 | -1.75 |
54 | GM Lysyj, Igor | 3.0 | RUS | 2620 | 2550 | -0.70 |
55 | GM Akobian, Varuzhan | 3.0 | USA | 2619 | 2497 | -1.20 |
56 | GM Vaganian, Rafael A | 3.0 | ARM | 2596 | 2518 | -0.77 |
57 | GM Li, Shilong | 3.0 | CHN | 2559 | 2536 | -0.23 |
58 | GM Maslak, Konstantin | 3.0 | RUS | 2541 | 2569 | +0.26 |
59 | GM Melkumyan, Hrant | 3.0 | ARM | 2519 | 2570 | +0.47 |
60 | WGM Shen, Yang | 3.0 | CHN | 2448 | 2533 | +0.77 |
61 | GM Bocharov, Dmitry | 2.5 | RUS | 2647 | 2440 | -1.99 |
62 | GM Volkov, Sergey | 2.5 | RUS | 2627 | 2436 | -1.86 |
63 | GM Ghaem Maghami, Ehsan | 2.5 | IRI | 2604 | 2485 | -1.17 |
64 | GM Bartel, Mateusz | 2.5 | POL | 2594 | 2480 | -1.11 |
65 | GM Maze, Sebastien | 2.5 | FRA | 2578 | 2469 | -1.06 |
66 | IM Chadaev, Nikolai | 2.5 | RUS | 2568 | 2487 | -0.81 |
67 | GM Shomoev, Anton | 2.5 | RUS | 2567 | 2501 | -0.66 |
68 | GM Vazquez Igarza, Renier | 2.5 | ESP | 2558 | 2478 | -0.78 |
69 | GM Dziuba, Marcin | 2.5 | POL | 2556 | 2528 | -0.28 |
70 | IM Ipatov, Alexander | 2.5 | ESP | 2493 | 2464 | -0.31 |
71 | IM Kosintseva, Nadezhda | 2.5 | RUS | 2486 | 2487 | -0.03 |
72 | GM Gajewski, Grzegorz | 2.0 | POL | 2581 | 2294 | -2.13 |
73 | GM Zherebukh, Yaroslav | 2.0 | UKR | 2558 | 2474 | -0.79 |
74 | GM Ragger, Markus | 2.0 | AUT | 2540 | 2431 | -1.03 |
75 | GM Grigoryan, Avetik | 2.0 | ARM | 2506 | 2418 | -0.83 |
76 | IM Salem, A.R. Saleh | 2.0 | UAE | 2473 | 2230 | -1.86 |
77 | GM Chuprov, Dmitry | 1.5 | RUS | 2571 | 2419 | -1.02 |
78 | GM Kotanjian, Tigran | 0.5 | ARM | 2568 | 2240 | -1.53 |
The Aeroflot 2009 playing venue in Moscow
Vladimir Potkin and Konstantin Landa enjoying a conversation with Andrzej
Filipowicz,
one of the best chess arbiters in the world
The improved state of the US Dollar (compared to our Rouble) brought more
Americans
to Moscow than usual – like Varuzhan Akobian, bronze medalist of the Dresden
Olympiad
The leading female player in the US, Irina Krush, also participated
in the Moscow
Open (a couple of weeks before the Aeroflot)
Evgeny Tomashevsky – he has a good chance to join the Russian national
team,
considering the clear need for new blood after two poor Olympiads in a row
Looking strong – Arkadij Naiditsch from Germany
"The Shakh" – Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, before he pulled
out of the event in protest
Wesley So, fresh from winning the Wijk C-Group
The flask of coffee didn't help – Vladimir Potkin drew against Tatiana
Kosintseva in round one
Will they make him lose the locks? This will be one of the last civil tournaments
of
Israeli GM Maxim Rodshtein before he goes to the army
Grimly determined: Gabriel Sargissian, many-time second to Levon Aronian
Vadim Zvjaginsev in a typical pose
Obama fan Alexander Onischuk, who recently won the Moscow
Open
Young and talented Valentina Gunina
The Armenian duo Rafael Vaganian and Artashes Minasian are Aeroflot regulars
Top boards: Pavel Ponrkatov vs Igor Kurnosov, Etienne Bacrot vs Vladimir
Potkin (background)
Where have we seen these two before? Ray
Robson vs. Sanan
Sjugirov
Ray, 15, is the youngest International Master in the USA
GM Ian Nepomniatchschi, 18, one of Russia's great talents
Oh no, another boring Sveshnikov! Pavel Ponkratov achieved a winning position
against Moiseenko and blew it in three terrible blunders.
Mamedyarov vs Grachev was a very sharp encounter, but Shakh outsmarted his
opponent
in wild tactical complications
Nikita Vitiugov, a very creative player one needs to keep an eye on
The fateful game: Igor Kurnosov ponders his 12th move against Shakhriyar
Mamedyarov
Omygod – Mamedyarov thinks about his 13th move
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