Third Aerosvit tournament underway in Foros
As in previous years, the event is taking place amidst scenic surroundings
at the Ukrainian town of Foros, near its more famous neighbour Yalta. The sponsorship
of Ukrainian airline Aerosvit has enabled the organisers to put together a 12-player
field, which boasts an average FIDE rating of 2694, the top seeds being
Svidler, Ivanchuk and Jakovenko. The field also includes Rublevsky and Shirov,
two of the second-round losers in the Elista Candidates matches, plus top young
star Karjakin.
The spectacular Crimean coastline has always been a favourite holiday destination
for Russians and Ukrainians. Here are some visual impressions of the region
(courtesy of the official web site):
A typically beautiful Russian Orthodox church
The hotel venue on the Black Sea coast
Some of the players at the opening ceremony: (seated, r-l) Shirov, van Wely,
Sasikiran and Dominguez in the front row, with Nisipeanu and Rublevsky visible
behind.
FIDE President Kirsan Illyumzhinov was the special guest at the Opening Ceremony.
The tournament got off to a bright start, with just four draws in the first
two rounds. Despite likely fatigue from the recently-concluded Candidates matches,
it was Alexey Shirov who took the early lead, after defeating Rublevsky and
Dominguez in the first two rounds.
Peter Svidler vs Pavel Eljanov in round one
Loek van Vely vs Alexander Onischuk in round two
Note how the players' names are written in Ukrainian script. Although based
on Cyrillic, this has a few differences, such as the use of the Roman letter
i. Other differences in Ukrainian transliteration result in such unfamiliar-sounding
names as Petro Svidler and Olexander Onischuk.
