Karjakin vs China: 3-0

by Johannes Fischer
7/31/2015 – The knock-out format of the Russia - China match currently underway in Hei Xiazi is a refreshingly new idea. However, maybe some players will have no chance at all to show their skills. In the first three rounds Sergey Karjakin, Russia's board one, eliminated Wei Yi, Ding Liren and Ni Hua. On Saturday Karjakin will play against Yu Yangyi.

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The format of the Russia - China match is unusual for chess matches: Each team has five players and the line-up has to be established before the match. In every round one, and only one, player of each team plays against the corresponding player from the other team. The players on the first board begin the match. The winner of this mini-match then plays against the player of the opposite team who follows next in the line-up.

View from the tournament venue

The line-up of the Chinese team:

1. Wei Yi
2. Ding Liren
3. Ni Hua
4. Yu Yangyi
5. Wang Yue

Indeed - this is the team that won gold at the Chess Olympiad in Tromsö 2014.

And this is the line-up of the Russian team:

1. Sergey Karjakin
2. Evgeny Tomashevsky
3. Alexander Morozevich
4. Ian Nepomniachtchi
5. Dmitry Andreikin

The time-limit is 90-30/30 seconds per move. Only one game is played. Should this game end in a draw, two blitz games with a time-limit of 5+3 will follow. Should there still be no winner, the mini-match will be decided by a final game in sudden death mode.

The match began on 29. July and in the first round Sergey Karjakin drew the regular game against Wei Yi but then went on to win the blitz-match 2-0.

Russian captain Vladimir Potkin opens the match by playing
Wei Yi's first move in his game against Sergey Karjakin.

Games of the first round

 
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MoveNResultEloPlayers
1.e41,174,61854%2421---
1.d4952,91955%2434---
1.Nf3283,84956%2440---
1.c4183,33456%2442---
1.g319,80456%2427---
1.b314,46454%2427---
1.f45,92648%2377---
1.Nc33,85550%2384---
1.b41,77548%2379---
1.a31,23954%2405---
1.e31,07549%2409---
1.d396150%2378---
1.g466946%2361---
1.h446554%2381---
1.c343651%2426---
1.h328456%2419---
1.a411759%2462---
1.f310047%2427---
1.Nh39267%2511---
1.Na34360%2477---
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Nxe4 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5 Be6 9.Nbd2 Be7 10.c3 Nc5 11.Bc2 d4 12.Nb3 d3 13.Bb1 Nxb3 14.axb3 Bf5 15.b4 0-0 16.Re1 Qd7 17.h3 Rfd8 18.Bf4 Qc8 19.Bg3 Qd7 20.Bf4 Qc8 21.Bg3 Qd7 22.Bf4 Qc8 23.Bg3 Qd7 ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Karjakin,S2753Wei,Y2724½–½2015C80CHN-RUS Super Go 20151.1
Wei,Y2724Karjakin,S27530–12015A01CHN-RUS Super Go 20151.2
Karjakin,S2753Wei,Y27241–02015D11CHN-RUS Super Go 20151.3

Round 2

In the second round Karjakin had to play against China's number one, Ding Liren, and again won in blitz. The regular game was drawn and the blitz ended in a 1-1 tie, but then Karjakin won the match because he drew the decisive game in sudden-death format which Ding Liren had to win.

The arbiters: Hou Yifan, Chief Arbiter Zhang Jilin, and Deputy Chief Arbiter Yang Ning

Round two: Ding Liren plays against Sergey Karjakin

Games of the second round

 
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1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Ba6 5.b3 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 Be7 7.Bg2 c6 8.Bc3 d5 9.Ne5 Nfd7 10.Nxd7 Nxd7 11.Nd2 0-0 12.0-0 Rc8 13.Rc1 c5 14.dxc5 dxc4 15.c6 Nb8 16.Bb2 Nxc6 17.Nxc4 Nb4 18.a3 Nd5 19.Ne5 Qd6 20.Qd4 Bf6 21.Bf3 Bb7 22.Rc4 Ba6 23.Rcc1 Bxe5 24.Qxe5 Qxe5 25.Bxe5 f6 26.Bb2 Kf7 27.Rfd1 Rxc1 28.Rxc1 Rc8 29.Rxc8 Bxc8 30.e4 Ne7 31.Bd1 e5 32.Kf1 Be6 33.Ke2 g5 34.Kd3 g4 35.Bc1 Nc8 36.Be3 Ke7 37.a4 Kd7 38.a5 Kc6 39.axb6 axb6 40.Bh6 Kd7 41.Bg7 Ke7 42.Bh6 Kd7 43.Bg7 Ke7 44.Bh6 ½–½
  • Start an analysis engine:
  • Try maximizing the board:
  • Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
  • Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
  • Drag the split bars between window panes.
  • Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Ding,L2749Karjakin,S2753½–½2015E15CHN-RUS Super Go 20152.1
Ding,L2749Karjakin,S27530–12015A33CHN-RUS Super Go 20152.2
Karjakin,S2753Ding,L27490–12015B09CHN-RUS Super Go 20152.3
Ding,L2749Karjakin,S2753½–½2015A29CHN-RUS Super Go 20152.4

Third round

In the third round Karjakin played against Ni Hua, and this time no blitz-match was necessary. Karjakin won the regular game and thus eliminated the third Chinese player in a row. The Chinese team (and the players of the Russian team who would like to join the match and play some serious chess) can only hope that Yu Yangyi or Wang Yue can stop Karjakin's winning streak.

Sergey Karjakin vs. Ni Hua

Ni Hua could not stop Karjakin

Sergey Karjakin on his way to win his third match in a row.

Third round game

 
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MoveNResultEloPlayers
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1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Nc6 7.0-0 Be7 8.Nc3 Bf5 9.Re1 Nxc3 10.bxc3 Bxd3 11.Qxd3 0-0 12.Re2 a6 13.Bf4 Qd7 14.Rae1 Rae8 15.c4 dxc4 16.Qxc4 Bd6 17.Rxe8 Rxe8 18.Rxe8+ Qxe8 19.Bxd6 cxd6 20.d5 Ne7 21.Qc7 Nxd5 22.Qxb7 Nc3 23.Qxa6 Qb8 24.g3 h6 25.a4 Qb1+ 26.Kg2 Qxc2 27.Qc8+ Kh7 28.a5 Qb2 29.Qc6 d5 30.Qb6 Qa2 31.a6 Ne4 32.a7 g5 33.Ne5 Kg7 34.Nd3 d4 35.Qxd4+ Nf6 36.Nc5 1–0
  • Start an analysis engine:
  • Try maximizing the board:
  • Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
  • Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
  • Drag the split bars between window panes.
  • Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
  • Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
  • Create an account to access the games cloud.
WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Karjakin,S2753Ni,H27031–02015C42Match China vs Russia3.1

On Saturday Karjakin will play against Yu Yangyi. Then the match will be interrupted and continued in December in Harbin City.

Schedule:

29. July: 1. Round
30. July: 2. Round
31. July: 3. Round
01. August: 4. Round

The event is played in two parts. The first four rounds are played in Hei Xiazi, after that follow five (or less) additional rounds in December (12. to 17) in Harbin City. The winning team receives 50.000 USD, the losing team receives nothing. Each player of the winning team receives 5.000 USD starting fee, while each player of the losing team receives a starting fee of 3.000 USD.

Organizers of the match are the Chinese Chess Association and People's Government of Fuyuan County. Host of the event is the Culture, Radio, Film, Television, Press and Publication Bureau of Fu Yuan County and the Education and Sports Bureau of Fuyun County.

Photos: Fan Lulu

Website of the Chinese Chess Federation


Johannes Fischer was born in 1963 in Hamburg and studied English and German literature in Frankfurt. He now lives as a writer and translator in Nürnberg. He is a FIDE-Master and regularly writes for KARL, a German chess magazine focusing on the links between culture and chess. On his own blog he regularly publishes notes on "Film, Literature and Chess".

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