The
FIDE World Chess Cup is being stage from November 26th to December 18th, 2005,
in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. This the 128-player event replaces what was known
as the "FIDE Knockout World Championship" and serves as a qualifier
for the Candidates stage of the world championship. The prize fund is US $1.5
million, with President Ilyumzhinov providing $300,000 for organisational costs.
In the first rapid chess tiebreak game Alexander Grischuk of Moscow pressed hard with the black piece, but Israeli GM Boris Gelfand defended well and held the draw. The second game Grischuk conceded a draw with white in just 13 moves. In their first blitz game he outplayed Gelfand with the white pieces, so the second game had to decide all.
Gelfand,B (2717) - Grischuk,A (2720) [E12]
WCC Khanty Mansyisk RUS (5.6), 11.12.2005
Boris Gelfand is already in big trouble, and after his last move, 45.Nc5-d7, Grischuk puts him out of his misery: 45...Qa4. Oops, White cannot cover both knights, and 46.Nxf6 doesn't work, since the other knight falls with check: 46...Qxd1+ and 47...Kxf6. White played one more move and resigned: 46.Qc8 0-1.
Alexander Grischuk
Boris Gelfand
A group of eight GMs are playing for the places 9-16, and especially for a possible place in the qualifiers for the next world championship cycle. Dutch champion Loek van Wely faced the top Spanish GM Francisco Vallejo Pons. The two drew their first rapid tiebreak game. In the second van Wely got into trouble.
Loek van Wely
Van Wely,L (2648) - Vallejo Pons,F (2674) [D43]
WCC Places 9-16 Khanty Mansyisk RUS (5.4), 11.12.2005
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 e6 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4 dxc4 7.e4 g5 8.Bg3
b5 9.Be2 Bb7 10.0-0 Nbd7 11.Ne5 a6 12.f4 gxf4 13.Bxf4 Rh7
Van Wely goes for a risky piece sacrifice: 14.Nxf7 Rxf7 15.e5 Qb6 16.Bh5 Nxh5 17.Qxh5 Qxd4+ 18.Kh1 Qd3.
So far so good, White is a piece and pawn down but holding on. Now he loses the thread: 19.Bxh6? Nxe5 20.Bxf8 Kxf8 21.Qh8+ Ke7 22.Qh4+ Ke8 23.Rfe1 c5 24.Qg5 Qf5 25.Qg8+ Kd7 26.Rad1+ Nd3 0-1.
Francisco Vallejo Pons
Pictures by Frits Agterdenbos
| Round 5, Tiebreaks – Sunday, December 10, 2005 |
||||
| For places 1-8 | ||||
| 1 | Bareev, Evgeny (RUS) | Ponomariov, Ruslan (UKR) | 0.5-1.5 |
|
| 2 | Rublevsky, Sergei (RUS) | Bacrot, Etienne (FRA) | 0.5-1.5 |
|
| 3 | Aronian, Levon (ARM) | Gurevich, Mikhail (BEL) | 1.5-0.5 |
|
| 4 | Gelfand, Boris (ISR) | ½-½, ½-½, 0-1, 0-1 |
Grischuk, Alexander (RUS) | 2-4 |
| For places 9-16 | ||||
| 5 | Carlsen, Magnus (NOR) | Lautier, Joel (FRA) | 1.5-0.5 |
|
| 6 | Kamsky, Gata (USA) | Sakaev, Konstantin (RUS) | 1.5-0.5 |
|
| 7 | Malakhov, Vladimir (RUS) | Dreev, Alexey (RUS) | 1.5-0.5 |
|
| 8 | Vallejo Pons, Francisco (ESP) | ½-½, ½-½, ½-½,
1-0 |
Van Wely, Loek (NED) | 2.5-1.5 |
| Schedule | |||
| 26 november | Opening Ceremony | 19:00 | |
| 26 november | Players' Meeting | 21:00 | |
| 27 november | Round 1 | Game 1 | 15:00 |
| 28 november | Round 1 | Game 2 | 15:00 |
| 29 november | Tie-breaks | 15:00 | |
| 30 november | Round 2 | Game 1 | 15:00 |
| 1 december | Round 2 | Game 2 | 15:00 |
| 2 december | Tie-breaks | 15:00 | |
| 3 december | Round 3 | Game 1 | 15:00 |
| 4 december | Round 3 | Game 2 | 15:00 |
| 5 december | Tie-breaks | 15:00 | |
| 6 december | Round 4 | Game 1 | 15:00 |
| 7 december | Round 4 | Game 2 | 15:00 |
| 8 december | Tie-breaks | 15:00 | |
| 9 december | Round 5 | Game 1 | 15:00 |
| 10 december | Round 5 | Game 2 | 15:00 |
| 11 december | Tie-breaks | 15:00 | |
| 12 december | Round 6 | Game 1 | 15:00 |
| 13 december | Round 6 | Game 2 | 15:00 |
| 14 december | Tie-breaks | 15:00 | |
| 15 december | Round 7 | Game 1 | 15:00 |
| 16 december | Round 7 | Game 2 | 15:00 |
| 17 december | Tie-breaks | 15:00 | |
| 17 december | Closing Ceremony | 20:00 | |
