9/27/2017 – After four draws in Classical games, we are now down to the tiebreaks. It's going to be two games of 25+10 followed by 10+10 if required, and then 5+3 and finally armaggedon. Games kick off at 13:00 CEST (7:00 AM EST) with live commentary from Tbilisi by GMs Evgeny Miroshnichenko and WGM Keti Tsatsalashvili and live updates by our reporters Sagar Shah and Amruta Mokal.
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Commentary by GM Evgeny Miroshnichenko and WGM Keti Tsatsalashvili
Live updates
Interview with Levon Aronian after he became the World Cup 2017 champion!
Ding Liren was a gracious loser and gave full credit to his opponent's superior play
Start of game one of 25'+10" rapids at the World Cup 2017
Brilliant attack by Levon Aronian to win game one of the 25+10 rapid tiebreak
Light analysis of game one of 25'+10"
[Event "FIDE World Cup 2017"] [Site "Tbilisi"] [Date "2017.09.27"] [Round "7.5"] [White "Aronian, Levon"] [Black "Ding, Liren"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "D43"] [WhiteElo "2802"] [BlackElo "2771"] [Annotator "Sagar Shah"] [PlyCount "59"] [EventDate "2017.??.??"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventCountry "GEO"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] [TimeControl "1500+10"] 1. c4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:01]} 2. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} e6 { [%emt 0:00:02]} 3. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} d5 {[%emt 0:00:01]} 4. d4 {[%emt 0:00: 00]} c6 {[%emt 0:00:01]} 5. Bg5 {[%emt 0:00:02]} h6 {[%emt 0:00:01]} 6. Bxf6 { [%emt 0:00:02]} Qxf6 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 7. Qb3 {[%emt 0:00:02]} Nd7 {[%emt 0:00: 16]} 8. e4 {[%emt 0:00:07]} dxe4 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 9. Nxe4 {[%emt 0:00:02]} Qf4 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 10. Bd3 {[%emt 0:00:06]} e5 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 11. O-O {[%emt 0: 00:04]} Be7 {[%emt 0:00:12] All this is pretty well known and standard. And now Levon unleashed this novelty with Rae1.} 12. Rae1 $5 $146 {[%emt 0:00:04] Levon has this huge bunch of interesting novelties which he is uses one by one at these rapid games.} exd4 {[%emt 0:03:35]} 13. Bb1 $5 {[%emt 0:00:08]} O-O { [%emt 0:00:47]} 14. Ng3 {[%emt 0:00:03]} Bd8 $6 {[%emt 0:05:48] After this Black's position becomes critical mainly because his pieces are undeveloped.} ( 14... Bd6 {This might look like a playable move, but it loses to} 15. Qd3 $1 ( 15. Nf5 Nc5 $19) 15... g6 16. Re6 $3 $16 Nf6 17. Ne2 Bxe6 18. Nxf4 Bxf4 19. Qxd4 $16) (14... Nc5 {might be the best move.} 15. Qa3 Qc7 $13 16. b4 $6 Ne6 $17) 15. Qd3 {[%emt 0:00:36]} g6 {[%emt 0:00:06]} 16. h4 $1 {[%emt 0:00:02]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:04:51]} 17. h5 $1 {[%emt 0:01:11] Levon was playing very fast and had a lot of time on his clock, while his opponent Liren was taking a lot of time for his moves.} g5 {[%emt 0:00:01]} 18. Ne5 $1 {[%emt 0:03:10]} (18. Nxd4 $14) 18... Ba5 {[%emt 0:04:38]} (18... Bc7 19. Ng6 fxg6 20. Qxg6+ Kh8 21. Re7) 19. Ng6 $1 {[%emt 0:01:04]} Qd2 {[%emt 0:00:05] It seems like Black has defended himself, but White keeps the initiative going.} 20. Ne7+ {[%emt 0:06: 03]} Kg7 {[%emt 0:00:25]} (20... Kh8 21. Qf3 $18) 21. Qb3 {[%emt 0:00:58]} (21. Ngf5+ Kh8 (21... Bxf5 22. Nxf5+ Kh8 23. Qb3 Bb6 24. c5 Bxc5 25. Nxh6 $18) 22. Qb3 $16) 21... Qf4 {[%emt 0:00:53]} 22. Rd1 {[%emt 0:01:14]} (22. Nef5+ Kh8 $1 23. Re7 Bd8 $13) (22. Ngf5+ $1 Bxf5 (22... Kh8 23. g3 $1 $18) 23. Nxf5+ Kh8 24. Re7 $18) 22... Bb6 {[%emt 0:01:16]} 23. Ngf5+ {[%emt 0:06:03]} Bxf5 {[%emt 0: 00:02]} 24. Nxf5+ {[%emt 0:00:01]} Kh8 {[%emt 0:00:01]} 25. g3 $1 {[%emt 0:00: 02] A very nice little move, The black queen is out of squares near her king.} (25. Nxh6 $14) 25... Qg4 {[%emt 0:03:31]} (25... Qc7 26. Nxh6 $16) 26. Nxh6 { [%emt 0:00:04] Black's position is already very difficult, but now he blunders. } Qxh5 {[%emt 0:01:22]} (26... Qe6 27. Rde1 $18) 27. Kg2 $1 $18 {[%emt 0:00:17] A powerful move, making way for the rook to come to h1.} d3 {[%emt 0:00:04]} 28. Qc3 $1 {[%emt 0:00:48]} (28. Rh1 Qe2 $1 {was the final trick.} 29. Nf5+ Kg8 {White has no good way to defend f2 and has to make a draw.}) 28... Kg7 { [%emt 0:00:38]} 29. Nf5+ {[%emt 0:00:20]} Kg6 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 30. Rh1 { [%emt 0:00:14] A great attacking game by Levon handing Ding Liren his first defeat of the tournament.} 1-0
[
Start of game two of 25'+10"
Four of the greatest champions of women chess in the press room
Final moments of game two of the rapid that crowned Aronian's campaign!
The hall erupts into applause after Levon Aronian becomes the World Cup Champion!
Levon Aronian's manager Grant Akopian after the victory
[Event "FIDE World Cup 2017"] [Site "Tbilisi"] [Date "2017.09.27"] [Round "7.6"] [White "Ding, Liren"] [Black "Aronian, Levon"] [Result "0-1"] [ECO "D38"] [WhiteElo "2771"] [BlackElo "2802"] [Annotator "Sagar Shah"] [PlyCount "66"] [EventDate "2017.??.??"] [EventType "k.o."] [EventCountry "GEO"] [SourceTitle "playchess.com"] [Source "ChessBase"] [SourceQuality "1"] [TimeControl "1500+10"] {Ding Liren was in a must win situation as he had lost the first game with black against Aronian.} 1. d4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Nf6 {[%emt 0:00:00]} 2. c4 { [%emt 0:00:00]} e6 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 3. Nf3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} d5 {[%emt 0:00:01]} 4. Nc3 {[%emt 0:00:00]} Bb4 {[%emt 0:00:07]} 5. cxd5 {[%emt 0:00:00]} exd5 { [%emt 0:00:02]} 6. Bf4 {[%emt 0:00:00]} c6 {[%emt 0:00:41]} 7. e3 {[%emt 0:00: 07]} Bf5 {[%emt 0:00:10]} 8. Be2 {[%emt 0:00:10]} O-O {[%emt 0:00:15]} 9. O-O { [%emt 0:00:02]} Be7 {[%emt 0:00:03] After this move Ding was out of his preparation as he said after the game.} 10. Nh4 {[%emt 0:00:23]} Bg6 {[%emt 0: 00:03]} 11. Nxg6 {[%emt 0:00:34]} hxg6 {[%emt 0:00:12]} 12. Qb3 {[%emt 0:00:07] } Qb6 {[%emt 0:00:41]} 13. Qc2 {[%emt 0:00:02]} (13. Qxb6 axb6 14. a4 $5 $14) 13... a5 {[%emt 0:00:44]} 14. g4 $5 {[%emt 0:00:45] This move is doubled edged. It gains space and has some aggresive intentions but Black is very solid and can defend without too much trouble.} Nbd7 {[%emt 0:01:28]} 15. g5 {[%emt 0:00: 01]} Ne8 {[%emt 0:01:53]} 16. e4 {[%emt 0:00:02] Something seems to be wrong with White's play . He first pushed the pawn in front of his king and later broke in the centre. That's what a must win game can do to you.} dxe4 {[%emt 0: 03:03]} 17. Nxe4 {[%emt 0:01:22]} (17. d5 $5 Qd8 18. Rad1 $13 Bxg5 19. Bg3 $44) 17... Qd8 {[%emt 0:00:42]} 18. h4 {[%emt 0:01:06]} Nb6 {[%emt 0:00:03]} 19. Be5 {[%emt 0:02:08]} Nd5 {[%emt 0:00:59] Over the last few moves Black has consolidated his position, but White has been able to create imbalance which helps him continue to play ambitiously.} 20. Bg4 {[%emt 0:00:52]} Kh8 $6 { [%emt 0:08:12]} (20... Nef6 $1 21. gxf6 gxf6 22. Bh2 f5 23. Bxf5 gxf5 24. Nc3 $13) (20... Nd6 21. Nc5 $14) 21. Rae1 $1 {[%emt 0:01:29] White is not just better. He has all his pieces well placed and we can hope that he could have taken advantage of it. But it was not to be.} Nef6 $5 {[%emt 0:04:31] This move is a little too late. White has a way to keep his advantage.} (21... f5 22. gxf6 gxf6 23. Ng5 fxe5 24. Ne6 Qd7 25. Qxg6 $18) 22. gxf6 {[%emt 0:03:51]} gxf6 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 23. Bh2 {[%emt 0:00:29]} (23. Bg3 f5 24. Bxf5 gxf5 25. Nc3 $1 $16 (25. Qd1 {Ding wanted to play this during the game. This move is also very strong.})) 23... f5 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 24. Bxf5 {[%emt 0:00:01]} gxf5 { [%emt 0:00:02]} 25. Qd1 {[%emt 0:00:31]} (25. Nc3 Bd6 26. Bxd6 Qxd6 27. Qxf5 $13) 25... Rg8+ {[%emt 0:00:42]} 26. Kh1 {[%emt 0:00:05]} Rg4 $1 {[%emt 0:00: 32] This move was missed by Ding Liren.} 27. Ng3 {[%emt 0:01:29]} Rxh4 { [%emt 0:00:06]} 28. Nxf5 {[%emt 0:00:35]} Rh7 {[%emt 0:01:18]} 29. Nxe7 { [%emt 0:04:24]} Nxe7 {[%emt 0:00:02]} 30. Re5 {[%emt 0:00:01] Ding would like to exchange his rooks via h5, but Levon's next move stops that.} Nf5 $1 { [%emt 0:01:28]} (30... Qd6 $1 $15) 31. Rfe1 {[%emt 0:04:37]} (31. Qg4 Qh4 32. Qxh4 Nxh4 $15) 31... Qh4 {[%emt 0:00:52]} 32. Re8+ {[%emt 0:03:21]} Kg7 $1 { [%emt 0:00:02]} (32... Rxe8 33. Rxe8+ Kg7 34. Qg1+ Kf6 $19 {Also would have won, but what Levon does is much better.}) 33. Rg1+ {[%emt 0:00:02]} Kf6 { [%emt 0:00:01] A historic game. This gave us the new World Cup champion - the first man in the history of the game to have won the World Cup twice.} 0-1
Format of the finals
The finals of the World Cup 2017 has a different format from the other rounds. Instead of the usual two classical games, we will witness four. And in case of a 2-2 tie, the match will go into the tiebreaks on 27th of September. Levon Aronian has the white pieces in game one. The winner takes home USD 120,000 (net 96,000) and the runner-up receives 80,000 (net 64,000).
Make your predictions
A word of caution: Ding Liren after his win against Wesley So told us that he saw the predictions of his semi-final match and was not pleased to see only 25% of people thought he could win! Of course, the Chinese player proved himself by playing some fantastic chess. Noting his form in this tournament and his past record against the Armenian grandmaster, do you still think Aronian is the favourite?
Worldcup12
A look back
When Ding Liren finished his semi-final game and was interviewed by ChessBase, the game between Aronian and MVL was in progress. Ding Liren was asked,"Who is it that you would prefer to play against in the finals?", he replied, "Against Aronian I have a plus score, while against MVL I have done very badly." It was obvious that he preferred to play against Aronian. And this is how well Ding has done against Aronian:
Ding Liren has three wins — all in classical chess, against Aronian's none, and four draws
Levon Aronian won a thriling contest against MVL in the Armageddon and qualified to the finals. Of course, we let Aronian know Ding Liren's thoughts about his final opponent. To which Levon Aronian said, "It's true I have a bad score against Ding Liren, but this is a chance to improve it!"
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