Pairings for Candidates Tournament Published

by Alejandro Ramirez
2/12/2014 – This event will determine the challenger to World Champion Magnus Carlsen. FIDE has determined the pairings by random draw in its office in Athens, and the stage is now set for the players to prepare their tournament strategies. The order of the opponents can influence on how they play depending on style, color and tournament position. The fight begins in one month.

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It is exactly one month before the event that will determine the challenger to World Champion Magnus Carlsen, and it will be held in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. FIDE has determined the pairings by random draw in its office in Athens, and the stage is now set for the players to prepare their tournament strategies. The event is a double round robin so none of the participants will receive the advantage of having an extra white, but the order of the opponents can influence on how they play depending on style, color and tournament position.

Important to note is that there is a special clause in the tournament, which made the pairings not completely random, but technically more fair:

3.1 Tournament Format & System
The 8 players shall play a double round robin tournament (14 rounds). The players who are from the same federation will play each other in rounds 1 and 8 (if only two) and if up to four players are from the same federation in rounds 1, 2, 3 and 8, 9, 10.

Some additional important rules:

3.5 Time control.
The time control for each game shall be: 120 minutes for the first 40 moves, 60 minutes for the next 20 moves and then 15 minutes for the rest of the game plus an additional 30 seconds per move starting from move 61.

3.7 Tiebreaks
If the top two or more players score the same points, the tie will be decided by the following criteria, in order of priority:
a) The results of the games between the players involved in the tie. If they are still tied:
b) The total number of wins in the tournament of every player involved in the tie. If they are still tied:
c) Sonneborn-Berger System.

Let's not forget that tiebreaks are of vital importance and they played a huge role in last year's final game as Kramnik was inching in on Carlsen but had the worse tiebreak.

There are further rules in case the tournament is still tied after that, but it is highly unlikely that such a thing would happen.

3.8 Prizes for the Candidates Tournament
The total minimum prize fund of the Candidates Tournament amounts to 420,000 euros. The amount is net and cleared of any local taxes. All prize money will be divided equally where players have the same score in the tournament (after 14 rounds). The money prizes and stipends to be paid to the Principals of the WCC Candidates Tournament are as follows:

1st place 95,000 Euros   Chairman of Appeals Committee  7,000 Euros
2nd place 88,000 Euros   Two members of Appeals Committee 10,000 Euros
3rd place 75,000 Euros   Chief Arbiter  6,000 Euros
4th place 55,000 Euros   Deputy Chief Arbiter  4,500 Euros
5th place 40,000 Euros   Arbiter  3,000 Euros
6th place 28,000 Euros   Press Officer  3,500 Euros
7th place 22,000 Euros   FIDE Medical Commission  2,000 Euros
8th place 17,000 Euros      

3.9 Playing Conditions
Only the players, principals and steward(-ess)s shall be allowed in the actual playing area except with the permission of the Chief Arbiter. A player may communicate with an arbiter or a steward. During the playing session the following additional regulations shall be in force:

  1. The players are not permitted to bring into the playing area telephone, technical and other equipment extraneous to play, which may in any way disturb or upset the opponent. The Chief Arbiter shall decide what constitutes extraneous equipment liable to offend the opponent.
  2. The players cannot draw a game by agreement before Black’s 30th move. A claim for a draw before Black’s 30th move is permitted only through the Chief Arbiter (or his Deputy) in the cases of perpetual check or threefold repetition.
  3. During the playing session, a player may leave the playing area only with the permission of the Chief Arbiter and only if he is accompanied by one of the arbiters.

Pairings

Round 1 - March 13, 2014

Name FED
Res.
Name FED
Andreikin Dmitry RUS
-
Kramnik Vladimir RUS
Karjakin Sergey RUS
-
Svidler Peter RUS
Mamedyarov, S AZE
-
Topalov Veselin BUL
Anand Vishy IND
-
Aronian Levon ARM

Round 2 - March 14, 2014

Name FED
Res.
Name FED
Kramnik Vladimir RUS
-
Karjakin Sergey RUS
Svidler Peter RUS
-
Andreikin Dmitry RUS
Topalov Veselin BUL
-
Anand Vishy IND
Aronian Levon ARM
-
Mamedyarov, S AZE

Round 3 - March 15, 2014

Name FED
Res.
Name FED
Andreikin Dmitry RUS
-
Karjakin Sergey RUS
Svidler Peter RUS
-
Kramnik Vladimir RUS
Topalov Veselin BUL
-
Aronian Levon ARM
Mamedyarov, S AZE
-
Anand Vishy IND

Round 4 - March 17, 2014

Name FED
Res.
Name FED
Mamedyarov, S AZE
-
Andreikin Dmitry RUS
Karjakin Sergey RUS
-
Topalov Veselin BUL
Aronian Levon ARM
-
Svidler Peter RUS
Anand Vishy IND
-
Kramnik Vladimir RUS

Round 5 - March 18, 2014

Name FED
Res.
Name FED
Andreikin Dmitry RUS
-
Anand Vishy IND
Karjakin Sergey RUS
-
Mamedyarov, S AZE
Svidler Peter RUS
-
Topalov Veselin BUL
Kramnik Vladimir RUS
-
Aronian Levon ARM

Round 6 - March 19, 2014

Name FED
Res.
Name FED
Aronian Levon ARM
-
Andreikin Dmitry RUS
Anand Vishy IND
-
Karjakin Sergey RUS
Mamedyarov, S AZE
-
Svidler Peter RUS
Topalov Veselin BUL
-
Kramnik Vladimir RUS

Round 7 - March 21, 2014

Name FED
Res.
Name FED
Karjakin Sergey RUS
-
Aronian Levon ARM
Svidler Peter RUS
-
Anand Vishy IND
Kramnik Vladimir RUS
-
Mamedyarov, S AZE
Andreikin Dmitry RUS
-
Topalov Veselin BUL

Round 8 - March 22, 2014

Name FED
Res.
Name FED
Kramnik Vladimir RUS
-
Andreikin Dmitry RUS
Svidler Peter RUS
-
Karjakin Sergey RUS
Topalov Veselin BUL
-
Mamedyarov, S AZE
Aronian Levon ARM
-
Anand Vishy IND

Round 9 - March 23, 2014

Name FED
Res.
Name FED
Karjakin Sergey RUS
-
Kramnik Vladimir RUS
Andreikin Dmitry RUS
-
Svidler Peter RUS
Anand Vishy IND
-
Topalov Veselin BUL
Mamedyarov, S AZE
-
Aronian Levon ARM

Round 10 - March 25, 2014

Name FED
Res.
Name FED
Karjakin Sergey RUS
-
Andreikin Dmitry RUS
Kramnik Vladimir RUS
-
Svidler Peter RUS
Aronian Levon ARM
-
Topalov Veselin BUL
Anand Vishy IND
-
Mamedyarov, S AZE

Round 11 - March 26, 2014

Name FED
Res.
Name FED
Andreikin Dmitry RUS
-
Mamedyarov, S AZE
Topalov Veselin BUL
-
Karjakin Sergey RUS
Svidler Peter RUS
-
Aronian Levon ARM
Kramnik Vladimir RUS
-
Anand Vishy IND

Round 12 - March 27, 2014

Name FED
Res.
Name FED
Anand Vishy IND
-
Andreikin Dmitry RUS
Mamedyarov, S AZE
-
Karjakin Sergey RUS
Topalov Veselin BUL
-
Svidler Peter RUS
Aronian Levon ARM
-
Kramnik Vladimir RUS

Round 13 - March 29, 2014

Name FED
Res.
Name FED
Andreikin Dmitry RUS
-
Aronian Levon ARM
Karjakin Sergey RUS
-
Anand Vishy IND
Svidler Peter RUS
-
Mamedyarov, S AZE
Kramnik Vladimir RUS
-
Topalov Veselin BUL

Round 14 - March 30, 2014

Name FED
Res.
Name FED
Aronian Levon ARM
-
Karjakin Sergey RUS
Anand Vishy IND
-
Svidler Peter RUS
Mamedyarov, S AZE
-
Kramnik Vladimir RUS
Topalov Veselin BUL
-
Andreikin Dmitry RUS

Grandmaster Alejandro Ramirez has been playing tournament chess since 1998. His accomplishments include qualifying for the 2004 and 2013 World Cups as well as playing for Costa Rica in the 2002, 2004 and 2008 Olympiads. He currently has a rating of 2583 and is author of a number of popular and critically acclaimed ChessBase-DVDs.

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