Ivanchuk leads in World Blitz Championship, Grischuk second

World Blitz Championship, Moscow 2007

The final tournament is a double round robin with 20 participants playing each other with white and black pieces (the original number was 18, but the organisers decided to increase this to include the finalists of the 2006 World Blitz Championship in Israel, Alexander Grischuk Peter Svidler). The finals will be held on November 21 and 22, the venue is the GUM department store, Red Square 2.

The department store GUM where the World Blitz Championship is being held

The rate of play is 4 minutes per game for each player, plus 2 seconds per move starting from move one. The prizes are US $25,000 for the winner, $15,000 for the runner up, $10,000 for third place and further prizes ranging from $7,250 for fourth to $2,500 each for 11th-14th places and $1,500 each for 15th-18th places. If there are ties in the final standing order, then all respective prizes, excepting the first one, are equally shared between the players who tied. The players who are the first, second and third in the final standing order will be awarded, respectively, with gold, silver and bronze medals.

First day

The first half of the World Blitz Championship ended in a triumph for Vassily Ivanchuk, who scored 13.5 points out of the 19 games played. Ivanchuk beat amongst others Kamsky, Kramnik, Karpov, Gelfand, Adams, Carlsen, Shirov and Grischuk. In second place we find Alexander Grischuk, who scored wins over Anand, Kasimdzhanov, Kramnik, Gelfand and Carlsen.

Alexander Morozevich vs Alexander Grischuk in round one (Morozevich won)

Vishy Anand vs Alexander Morozevich in round two (Anand won)

Vassily Ivanchuk vs Vladimir Kramnik in round four (Ivanchuk won)

Viswanathan Anand vs Michael Adams in round seven (Anand won)

Standings after after 19 of 38 rounds

Cross table (after 19 rounds)

• Official World Blitz Championship web site
• All games in zipped PGN