World
Blitz Championship
This event is being held on November 16, 17 and 18 in the showroom of the Red
Square mall GUM. Time controls are three minutes for the whole game + two seconds
increment per move.
The event is a 22-player double round-robin, i.e. it has a total of 42 rounds,
which are played on three days. The participants include the players from the
Tal Memorial, plus twelve invitees:
Impressions from day one in Moscow
By Misha Savinov

Exit from "Teatral'naya" Metro station – you want this one
if you go to GUM

Restraunt Godunov Gate

Then you have to go straight into the arch in the wall

Other directions are guarded by mounted policemen

Technicians in surgical white wheel a plasma panel into the hall

You go through the archway, turn right and then left. GUM is the huge building
on your right

Inside, we go to the second floor and wander around until we find the familiar
logo

GMs Bolat Assanov and Anatoly Vaisser meet us at the entrance

FIDE Vice President Geoffrey Borg and GM Vlad Tkachiev in discussion

The chief arbiter and chief organizer welcome the participants and spectators

Drawing of lots: World Champion Vishy Anand picks a box...

... followed by Women's World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk...

... and by last year's World Blitz Champion Leinier Dominguez

Anatoly Karpov and Vladimir Kramnik – aren't we missing another
"K"?

The usual suspects: Ivanchuk, Dominguez, Anand, Kosteniuk, Grischuk, Aronian,
Leko

Judit Polgar with her husband Gustaf

The venue is packed – people love blitz chess

Two of the favorites, with the Kremlin wall behind: Alex Grischuk and Shakh
Mamedyarov

Grischuk in action, Mamedyarov in the background

Ivanchuk vs Carlsen in round one: the young Norwegian won this game

Ready to rumble: Sergey Karjakin, Ukrainian GM now living in Russia

Last year's winner Leinier Dominguez about to lose against Morozevich in
round two

Great interest in the Kramnik vs Carlsen match (Magnus won in 22 moves)

So far so good: Pjotr Svidler started off well with 3-0 in the first three games

Grischuk grinds down Mamedyarov; Karjakin vs Morozevich, Dominguez vs Svidler
in the back

Vladimir goes down against Judit in round four. Shocking!

Anatoly Karpov holds Peter Svidler to a 50-move draw in round five

Vishy Anand quietly taking the lead prior to the first break

His round six opponent Evgeny Bareev scored 2.5/7 before dinner, and 5.5/7
afterwards. Food really helps!

Out-of-form Vugar Gashimov – his blunder rate was unusually high

Dmitry Jakovenko is not a blitz specialist, but likes to play strong opponents
anwyay

A fantastic day for Anatoly Karpov (here playing Grischuk in round seven):
a single
loss in 14 games and third place after the first third of the tournament

Ivanchuk and Gelfand in the ring

Live commentary provided by Alexander Motylev, Mark Gluhovsky...

...and Sergey Rublevsky, whom Kramnik helps to get into the players' area
Night falls inside GUM

At the end of day one Vishy is in the lead, by two full points
Standings after 14 rounds (day one)
No. |
Sd. |
Player |
Nat. |
Rtng. |
Pts |
wins |
SB |
1 |
20 |
Anand, Viswanathan |
IND |
2788 |
12.0 |
10 |
79.00 |
2 |
19 |
Carlsen, Magnus |
NOR |
2801 |
10.0 |
9 |
70.00 |
3 |
17 |
Karpov, Anatoly |
RUS |
2619 |
9.0 |
5 |
56.50 |
4 |
5 |
Kramnik, Vladimir |
RUS |
2772 |
8.5 |
7 |
55.75 |
5 |
12 |
Grischuk, Alexander |
RUS |
2736 |
8.5 |
6 |
52.50 |
6 |
16 |
Karjakin, Sergey |
UKR |
2723 |
8.0 |
6 |
49.75 |
7 |
8 |
Bareev, Evgeny |
RUS |
2634 |
8.0 |
7 |
53.50 |
8 |
11 |
Ponomariov, Ruslan |
UKR |
2739 |
8.0 |
5 |
54.25 |
9 |
4 |
Ivanchuk, Vassily |
UKR |
2739 |
7.5 |
7 |
47.00 |
10 |
10 |
Svidler, Peter |
RUS |
2754 |
7.5 |
6 |
46.00 |
11 |
1 |
Aronian, Levon |
ARM |
2786 |
7.5 |
6 |
40.25 |
12 |
3 |
Leko, Peter |
HUN |
2752 |
7.0 |
4 |
46.75 |
13 |
9 |
Morozevich, Alexander |
RUS |
2750 |
6.5 |
5 |
44.75 |
14 |
6 |
Gashimov, Vugar |
AZE |
2758 |
6.5 |
4 |
45.25 |
15 |
21 |
Polgar, Judit |
HUN |
2680 |
6.0 |
5 |
39.75 |
16 |
18 |
Naiditsch, Arkadij |
GER |
2689 |
6.0 |
5 |
36.75 |
17 |
15 |
Dominguez Perez, Leinier |
CUB |
2719 |
5.5 |
3 |
36.25 |
18 |
2 |
Jakovenko, Dmitry |
RUS |
2736 |
5.0 |
3 |
29.75 |
19 |
14 |
Tkachiev, Vladislav |
FRA |
2642 |
4.5 |
3 |
27.00 |
20 |
22 |
Gelfand, Boris |
ISR |
2758 |
4.5 |
3 |
27.75 |
21 |
13 |
Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar |
AZE |
2719 |
4.0 |
4 |
23.50 |
22 |
7 |
Kosteniuk, Alexandra |
RUS |
2517 |
4.0 |
3 |
30.50 |
Links
The games are being broadcast live on the official web site and on the
chess server Playchess.com.
If you are not a member you can download the free PGN reader ChessBase
Light, which gives you immediate access. You can also use the program
to read, replay and analyse PGN games. New and enhanced: CB Light 2009! |
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