World Blitz Championship – pictorial impressions from Moscow

by ChessBase
11/17/2009 – The Tal Memorial and the World Blitz are tremendously exciting events, followed with great enthusiasm by fans all over the world. But both have been characterised by an unusual dearth of pictures on our news pages. Put it down to the flu. But with our photographers recovered we can return to normal reporting and present you with a big photo report by Misha Savinov.

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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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