Elista R2: Grischuk beats Leko, Radjabov beats Bacrot

by ChessBase
12/16/2008 – With a rook for bishop and pawn the Azeri GM Teimour Radjabov, playing black, ground down his opponent, the French GM Etienne Bacrot in 73 moves. Alexander Grischuk took a full point in a Queen's Indian against the second seed Peter Leko. We bring you results and games, and an interview with Geoffrey Borg, CEO of Global Chess, on the future of the Grand Prix tournaments.

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FIDE Grand Prix in Elista 2008

The Third FIDE Grand Prix tournament is taking place in Elista from December 13 to 29, 2008. Despite the recent withdrawals (Carlsen, Adams) and the absence of players like Anand, Kramnik and Topalov the tournament is very strong, with a category of 19. The venue, originally Doha, is now "City Chess" in Elista, Kalmykia. There are 14 players from nine different countries:

Sd Name Surname Nation Rating
 1

 Teimour

 Radjabov

AZE

2751

 2

 Peter

 Leko

HUN

2747

 3

 Dmitry

 Jakovenko

RUS

2737

 4

 Yue

 Wang

CHN

2736

 5

 Shakhriyar

 Mamedyarov

AZE

2731

 6

 Pavel

 Eljanov

UKR

2720

 7

 Alexander

 Grischuk

RUS

2719

 8

 Evgeny

 Alekseev

RUS

2715

 9

 Etienne

 Bacrot

FRA

2705

10

 Vugar

 Gashimov

AZE

2703

11

 Ivan

 Cheparinov

BUL

2696

12 

 Vladimir

 Akopian

ARM

2679

13 

 Rustam

 Kasimzhanov

UZB

2672

14

 Ernesto

 Inarkiev

RUS

2669

Results

Round 2: Monday, December 15, 2008

Rustam Kasimzhanov
½-½
Pavel Eljanov
Evgeny Alexeev
½-½
Vugar Gashimov
Wang Yue
½-½
Ernesto Inarkiev
Vladimir Akopian
½-½
Dmitry Jakovenko
Alexander Grischuk
1-0
Peter Leko
Ivan Cheparinov
½-½
Shakh. Mamedyarov
Etienne Bacrot
0-1
Teimour Radjabov

Standings


Interview with the CEO of Global Chess Geoffrey Borg

Monday, 15th December 2008

Global Chess CEO Geoffrey Borg in his interview talks about the FIDE Grand Prix Series and the company’s further chess promotion plans

Mr. Borg, when did your company begin to collaborate with the International Chess Federation?

- We have been working together with FIDE for two years already and in my opinion we’ve achieved a lot. We’ve done a great deal of work with FIDE and concluded a commercial agreement. The legal agreement between FIDE and Global Chess was confirmed in November 2007. The first part was implemented in June this year. We did the marketing part, administer the FIDE website, created the new design which simplifies the communication with national federations and chess-players. Global Chess participates in all FIDE projects, and helps organize various contests – club tournaments, club championships, woman championships, blitz tournaments.

So, your company cares for the interests of not only the chess elite, as one may consider on the ground of FIDE Grand Prix series organization?

Yes, we do understand that chess can arouse interest in potential sponsors only in the event that a special platform attractive for most of the players is created. I had meetings with the representatives of national chess federations and elaborated a deeper understanding of our strategic targets. We exert every possible effort to promote chess in the regions. I did a study of a number of suggestions concerning chess promotion at schools and via TV. This is one of the priority aims in the matter of chess development.

What is the total prize fund of the Grand Prix series tournaments? Who secures the funds?

The prize fund of each Grand Prix tournament is 212,000 Euro – every tournament has a 162 thousand Euro prize money (every player is rewarded). Besides tournament prizes, a large sum is allocated at the end of the event and awarded to the top ten players. The Grand Prix winner will get the prize of 75 thousand Euros. Basically the funds are provided by the host venue.


During the Grand Prix last May in Baku Geoffrey Borg chats with Peter Svidler.
Oxana Kosteniuk, the sister of women's world champion Alexandra, looks on.

Will there be a new Grand Prix 2010-2011 cycle organized?

We are currently carrying out negotiations on the following Grand Prix series: Russian, Azerbaijan, China, Oman, UAE and other cities who wish to host the tournaments. The negotiations are under way in different phases: some of the potential organizers signed preliminary agreements with us, some of them show slight signs of interests. We will collaborate only with those who will be able to secure financial guarantees for tournaments organization.

Why did you choose Elista as the host of the current tournament?

The capital of Kalmykia has got a vast experience in hosting world-scale contests. Local organizers, first and foremost Vice PM of the Republic and Vice-President of the Russian Chess Federation Valery Bovaev, insistently laboured for the right to host one of the Grand Prix tournaments. When choosing Elista as the host we’ve considered a whole array of factors, the celebration of the 400 years of the voluntary entry of the Kalmyks into the Russian state among them. As you know the Elista tournament was to be held next year in August on the eve of the anniversary. However due to the cancellation of Doha, the capital of Qatar, to host the third Grand Prix tournament, the Elista tournament was brought forward to this period. Nonetheless this tournament is dedicated to the 400th anniversary, as FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov declared.

Mr. Borg, as far as I know, you were the FIDE Vice President. Why did you quit?

At that time I became the CEO of Global Chess, and it will not be correct to work for two companies.

We have no doubt that you are a good chess player. Have you got a title?

I am a FIDE Master. I was playing in the international zonal tournaments, chess club championships and also at the Chess Olympiads.

Geoffrey D Borg is a Fide Master who was quite active a number of years ago, winning a silver medal on Board 1 in the Thessaloniki Olympiad in 1984. He still enjoys playing on the Internet, but in the past years has been more active in chess organisation and politics. In 2005 Geoffrey was the Campaign Director for the Dutch-Turkish bid for the FIDE Presidency, which challenged the incumbent President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov. After the latter had won the election Borg became one of FIDE's Vice Presidents. Today he is the commercial director of Global Chess.


FIDE Grand Prix Elista 2008 – Schedule and results

Round 1: Sunday December 14, 2008

Etienne Bacrot
½-½
Rustam Kasimzhanov
Teimour Radjabov
½-½
Ivan Cheparinov
Shakh. Mamedyarov
½-½
Alexander Grischuk
Peter Leko
½-½
Vladimir Akopian
Dmitry Jakovenko
1-0
Wang Yue
Ernesto Inarkiev
½-½
Evgeny Alexeev
Vugar Gashimov
1-0
Pavel Eljanov

Round 2: Monday, December 15, 2008

Rustam Kasimzhanov
½-½
Pavel Eljanov
Evgeny Alexeev
½-½
Vugar Gashimov
Wang Yue
½-½
Ernesto Inarkiev
Vladimir Akopian
½-½
Dmitry Jakovenko
Alexander Grischuk
1-0
Peter Leko
Ivan Cheparinov
½-½
Shakh. Mamedyarov
Etienne Bacrot
0-1
Teimour Radjabov

Round 3: Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Teimour Radjabov
-
Rustam Kasimzhanov
Shakh. Mamedyarov
-
Etienne Bacrot
Peter Leko
-
Ivan Cheparinov
Dmitry Jakovenko
-
Alexander Grischuk
Ernesto Inarkiev
-
Vladimir Akopian
Vugar Gashimov
-
Wang Yue
Pavel Eljanov
-
Evgeny Alexeev
GamesReport

Round 4: Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Rustam Kasimzhanov
-
Evgeny Alexeev
Wang Yue
-
Pavel Eljanov
Vladimir Akopian
-
Vugar Gashimov
Alexander Grischuk
-
Ernesto Inarkiev
Ivan Cheparinov
-
Dmitry Jakovenko
Etienne Bacrot
-
Peter Leko
Teimour Radjabov
-
Shakh. Mamedyarov
GamesReport

Round 5: Thursday, December 18, 2008

Shakh. Mamedyarov
-
Rustam Kasimzhanov
Peter Leko
-
Teimour Radjabov
Dmitry Jakovenko
-
Etienne Bacrot
Ernesto Inarkiev
-
Ivan Cheparinov
Vugar Gashimov
-
Alexander Grischuk
Pavel Eljanov
-
Vladimir Akopian
Evgeny Alexeev
-
Wang Yue
GamesReport

Round 6: Saturday, December 20, 2008

Rustam Kasimzhanov
-
Wang Yue
Vladimir Akopian
-
Evgeny Alexeev
Alexander Grischuk
-
Pavel Eljanov
Ivan Cheparinov
-
Vugar Gashimov
Etienne Bacrot
-
Ernesto Inarkiev
Teimour Radjabov
-
Dmitry Jakovenko
Shakh. Mamedyarov
-
Peter Leko
GamesReport

Round 7: Sunday, December 21, 2008

Peter Leko
-
Rustam Kasimzhanov
Dmitry Jakovenko
-
Shakh. Mamedyarov
Ernesto Inarkiev
-
Teimour Radjabov
Vugar Gashimov
-
Etienne Bacrot
Pavel Eljanov
-
Ivan Cheparinov
Evgeny Alexeev
-
Alexander Grischuk
Wang Yue
-
Vladimir Akopian
GamesReport

Round 8: Monday, December 22, 2008

Rustam Kasimzhanov
-
Vladimir Akopian
Alexander Grischuk
-
Wang Yue
Ivan Cheparinov
-
Evgeny Alexeev
Etienne Bacrot
-
Pavel Eljanov
Teimour Radjabov
-
Vugar Gashimov
Shakh. Mamedyarov
-
Ernesto Inarkiev
Peter Leko
-
Dmitry Jakovenko
GamesReport

Round 9: Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Dmitry Jakovenko
-
Rustam Kasimzhanov
Ernesto Inarkiev
-
Peter Leko
Vugar Gashimov
-
Shakh. Mamedyarov
Pavel Eljanov
-
Teimour Radjabov
Evgeny Alexeev
-
Etienne Bacrot
Wang Yue
-
Ivan Cheparinov
Vladimir Akopian
-
Alexander Grischuk
GamesReport

Round 10: Thursday, December 25, 2008

Rustam Kasimzhanov
-
Alexander Grischuk
Ivan Cheparinov
-
Vladimir Akopian
Etienne Bacrot
-
Wang Yue
Teimour Radjabov
-
Evgeny Alexeev
Shakh. Mamedyarov
-
Pavel Eljanov
Peter Leko
-
Vugar Gashimov
Dmitry Jakovenko
-
Ernesto Inarkiev
GamesReport

Round 11: Friday, December 26, 2008

Ernesto Inarkiev
-
Rustam Kasimzhanov
Vugar Gashimov
-
Dmitry Jakovenko
Pavel Eljanov
-
Peter Leko
Evgeny Alexeev
-
Shakh. Mamedyarov
Wang Yue
-
Teimour Radjabov
Vladimir Akopian
-
Etienne Bacrot
Alexander Grischuk
-
Ivan Cheparinov
GamesReport

Round 12: Saturday, December 27, 2008

Rustam Kasimzhanov
-
Ivan Cheparinov
Etienne Bacrot
-
Alexander Grischuk
Teimour Radjabov
-
Vladimir Akopian
Shakh. Mamedyarov
-
Wang Yue
Peter Leko
-
Evgeny Alexeev
Dmitry Jakovenko
-
Pavel Eljanov
Ernesto Inarkiev
-
Vugar Gashimov
GamesReport

Round 13: Sunday, December 28, 2008

Vugar Gashimov
-
Rustam Kasimzhanov
Pavel Eljanov
-
Ernesto Inarkiev
Evgeny Alexeev
-
Dmitry Jakovenko
Wang Yue
-
Peter Leko
Vladimir Akopian
-
Shakh. Mamedyarov
Alexander Grischuk
-
Teimour Radjabov
Ivan Cheparinov
-
Etienne Bacrot
GamesReport
Monday, December 29, 2008
Departure

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