ChessBase 17 - Mega package - Edition 2024
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A total of 126 participants turned up on November 23 for the World Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, located about 1400 miles (2250 km) east of Moscow. The competition is taking place from November 24 to December 18.
Four matches finished after the today's round. Shirov, Kamsky and Carlsen go to the semifinals. Karjakin and Alekseev will play tiebreak tomorrow.
No. | Name | Nat | Rtng | G1 |
G2 |
R1 | R2 | B1 | B2 | SD | Tot. |
1 | Carlsen, Magnus | NOR | 2714 | 1 |
½ |
1.5 | |||||
Cheparinov, Ivan | BUL | 2670 | 0 |
½ |
0.5 | ||||||
2 | Karjakin, Sergey | UKR | 2694 | ½ |
½ |
1.0 | |||||
Alekseev, Evgeny | RUS | 2716 | ½ |
½ |
1.0 | ||||||
3 | Ponomariov, Ruslan | UKR | 2705 | ½ |
0 |
0.5 | |||||
Kamsky, Gata | USA | 2714 | ½ |
1 |
1.5 | ||||||
4 | Shirov, Alexei | ESP | 2739 | 1 |
1 |
2.0 | |||||
Jakovenko, Dmitry | RUS | 2710 | 0 |
0 |
0.0 |
The start of a fateful game...
Kamsky,G (2714) - Ponomariov,R (2705) [B97]
World Cup Khanty-Mansiysk RUS (5.2), 07.12.2007
After Kamsky's return to active chess his main weakness was a poor opening preparation. Nevertheless the American managed to keep his level around the 2700 mark. It finally seems that Gata started to widen his opening repertoire and today he went for a principled variation in the Open Sicilian, where White sacrifices a pawn. It was Ponomariov who, after some thinking (possibly surprised by Gata's readiness to play sharp and forced variations) declined the offer and chose not the strongest move. In a complicated strategical middlegame Kamsky used all the trumps of his position and outplayed his strong opponent, deservingly winning the game and entering the semifinals.
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Qb6
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It turns out that Black simply cannot hold the position. All white pieces coordinate perfectly. 28...Rxd4. A sad necessity. Other moves lose at once: 28...Re5 29.Ndxc6+ Bxc6 30.Rxc6+-; 28...Ka8 29.Bxa6 bxa6 30.Ndxc6+-. 29.Rxd4 Qa5 30.Rxh4 f5 31.Rxh6 [31.Rxc6 bxc6 32.Qd2 Rxh4 33.Nxc6+ was a quicker win] 31...Bxh6 32.Rb3 Nxb4 33.Rxb4 Bc6 34.g4 fxg4 35.Rxg4 Qe5 36.Rg8+ Kc7 37.Bd3 Be3 38.Qg3 Qc5 39.b4 Qd4 40.Qg7+ Qxg7 41.Rxg7+ Kd8 42.h4 e5 43.h5 e4 44.Be2 Bf4 45.Rg.6 A masterpiece from Kamsky, who cleverly chose the opening variation in order to get the right type of position. 1-0. [Click to replay]
Praying to non-electronic deities is permitted: US GM Gata Kamsky
Dmitry Jakovenko facing the irresistible force of Alexei Shirov
Jakovenko,D (2710) - Shirov,A (2739) [A29]
World Cup Khanty-Mansiysk RUS (5.2), 07.12.2007
Already yesterday it was clear that the victory versus Aronian took Jakovenko too much strength. Today in the second game versus Shirov the Russian performed again well below his usual level. The knock-out system can be very tough... 1.c4
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The battle is lost: Black has two bishops, better pieces and better pawn formation. Besides, the position is too simple to step wrong. 25.Rd1? On top of all Jakovenko blunders. 25...Rxd1+ 26.Qxd1 b5! 27.Rd4 c5 28.Rd5 Rxe4 29.Bxe4 Bxe4 30.Rd8 Qe7 31.Rb8 b4 32.Qe2 Qd6 0-1. [Click to replay]
With 2-0 through to the semifinals: Latvian-Spanish GM Alexei Shirov
Ivan Cheparinov of Bulgaria vs Magnus Carlsen of Norway
Cheparinov,I (2670) - Carlsen,M (2714) [E20]
World Cup Khanty-Mansiysk RUS (5.2), 07.12.2007
The second match game between Carlsen and Cheparinov left a strange feeling. The Bulgarian grandmaster chose a deeply analyzed opening variation, very well known to his opponent – a rather surprising strategy, especially since this variation leads to simple positions with visible drawish tendencies. The game quickly entered a four-rooks endgame with an extra pawn for White, but without real winning chances for Cheparinov. His further efforts were in vain: such endgames can hardly be won, no matter of one's efforts and willingness to win. Thus Carlsen's draw with the black pieces was unexpectedly easy, and he won the match 1.5-0.5.
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nf3 c5 5.g3 cxd4 6.Nxd4 0-0 7.Bg2 d5 8.cxd5 Nxd5 9.Qb3. 9.Bd2 Bxc3 10.bxc3 e5 11.Nb3 Nc6 12.0-0 Nb6 13.Be3 Qc7 14.Qc2 Be6 15.Rfd1 Nc4 16.Bc5 Rfd8 17.Qe4 Rac8 18.f4 f5 19.Qf3 b6 20.Bf2 e4-/+ Onischuk,A (2650)-Carlsen,M (2710)/Biel (blitz) 2007. 9...Qa5 10.Bd2 Nc6 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.0-0 Bxc3 13.bxc3 Ba6 14.Rfd1 Qc5 15.e4 Bc4 16.Qa4. The position is well-known to Carlsen also from the white side: 16.Qc2 Nb6 17.Bf4 e5 18.Be3 Qa3 19.Bh3 Rab8 20.Qc1 Qxc1 21.Rdxc1 Bd3 22.f3 Rb7= Carlsen,M (2698)-Leko,P (2741)/Moscow 2006. 16...Nb6 17.Qb4 Qh5 18.Bf4 c5.
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53.c4 Ra3+ 54.Kd2 Ra4 55.Kd3 Ra3+ 56.Kd2 Ra4 57.c5 Rxe4 58.Kd3 Ra4 59.Rd6 Ke7 60.Ra6 Rd7+ 61.Kc3 Rdd4 62.Kb2 Rab4+ 63.Kc1 a4 64.Rc3 Rbc4 65.Kc2 Re4 66.Ra7+ Ke6 67.c6 Kd6 68.c7 Kd7 69.Rxc4 Rxc4+ 70.Kd3 Rd4+ 71.Ke3 f5 72.Ra6 Kxc7 73.Rf6 Re4+ 74.Kd3 Rd4+ 75.Ke3 Re4+ 76.Kd3 Rd4+ 77.Kc3 f4 78.Rf5 Re4 79.Kd3 Rd4+ 80.Kc3 1/2-1/2. [Click to replay]
Into the semifinals of the World Cup: Magnus Carlsen, Norwegian lad
Knocked out by Carlsen in the quarter-finals: Bulgarian GM Ivan Cheparinov
Sergey Karjakin arrives for his second game against Evgeny Alekseev
Alekseev,Evgeny (2716) - Karjakin,Sergey (2694) [B96]
World Cup Khanty-Mansiysk RUS (5.2), 07.12.2007
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Nbd7 8.Qe2 Qc7 9.0-0-0 b5 10.a3 Bb7 11.g4 Be7 12.Bg2
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27.g5 Be5. Taking the pawn is risky: 27...Rxd1+ 28.Rxd1 Bxg5 (28...Qxg5?? 29.Rd6+ Ka5 30.Qb7 and White will mate) 29.Rd7 with a strong initiative. 28.c3 f6 29.gxf6 gxf6 30.Bb3 Qc6 31.Qxc6+ Kxc6 32.Rxd8 Rxd8 32...Rxd8 33.Bxe6 is completely equal, so the draw was agreed. 1/2-1/2. [Click to replay]
All pictures by Eugeny Atarov for the official World Cup web site
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