World Mind Games in Beijing: what a lineup!

by ChessBase
7/20/2014 – The fourth SportAccord Mind Games will be held in Beijing, China, between the 9th and 18th of December 2014. The event consisted of five disciplines: chess, bridge, draughts (checkers), go, and xiangqi. This year the chess field is sterling: Carlsen, Aronian, Caruana, Nakamura, Anand, Grischuk, Kramnik, and Polgar, Hou Yifan, Muzychuk, Humpy, Lagno – at least according to FIDE.

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The World Mind Games are an international multi-sport event featuring mind sports. Five sports are included on the program: bridge, chess, draughts, go, and xiangqi. The Games were initiated by SportAccord, the umbrella organisation for international sports federations and organisers of sports events, in order to bring these sports closer to a worldwide public. The event is staged annually. So far three editions have been held in December in Beijing, China.

Beijing will also host the next edition, which will take place between December 9th and 18th 2014. The total prize fund is US$ 87,000 for men and $58,000 for women. The lineup is super-impressive. Note that there can be no more than two players from each country, with exceptions made only for World Champions 2013 and 2014 for Blitz and Rapid. The following lists have been announced by FIDE – each player decides based on their personal schedules whether they wish to participate or not (both men and women). Sixteen players will be selected on the basis of their standings.

Men's section

Name Fed Ti.
B-day
Classic
Blitz
Rapid
Carlsen, Magnus NOR GM
1990
2877
2948
2855
Nakamura, Hikaru USA GM
1987
2787
2906
2800
Aronian, Levon ARM GM
1982
2805
2850
2813
Anand, Viswanathan IND GM
1969
2785
2811
2809
Grischuk, Alexander RUS GM
1983
2795
2778
2828
Nepomniachtchi, Ian RUS GM
1990
2730
2880
2771
Caruana, Fabiano ITA GM
1992
2789
2696
2858
Karjakin, Sergey RUS GM
1990
2786
2732
2806
Kramnik, Vladimir RUS GM
1975
2777
2757
2773
Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar AZE GM
1985
2743
2824
2739
Svidler, Peter RUS GM
1976
2751
2756
2793
Le, Quang Liem VIE GM
1991
2710
2828
2740
Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime FRA GM
1990
2766
2777
2728
Ivanchuk, Vassily UKR GM
1969
2735
2720
2811
Morozevich, Alexander RUS GM
1977
2731
2750
2773
Dominguez Perez, Leinier CUB GM
1983
2760
2728
2763
Adams, Michael ENG GM
1971
2743
2715
2764
Ponomariov, Ruslan UKR GM
1983
2723
2758
2738
Radjabov, Teimour AZE GM
1987
2724
2715
2776
Andreikin, Dmitry RUS GM
1990
2722
2716
2773
Gelfand, Boris ISR GM
1968
2753
2719
2725
Leko, Peter HUN GM
1979
2737
2682
2773
Bacrot, Etienne FRA GM
1983
2720
2739
2731
Topalov, Veselin BUL GM
1975
2772
2641
2772
Giri, Anish NED GM
1994
2750
2757
2674
Tomashevsky, Evgeny RUS GM
1987
2701
2725
2752
Wang, Yue CHN GM
1987
2715
2682
2765
Wojtaszek, Radoslaw POL GM
1987
2733
2743
2684
Harikrishna, P. IND GM
1986
2726
2728
2701
Kamsky, Gata USA GM
1974
2717
2704
2729
Vitiugov, Nikita RUS GM
1987
2742
2705
2696
Wang, Hao CHN GM
1989
2730
2694
2719

Women's section

Name Fed
Title
B-day
Classic
Blitz
Rapid
Polgar, Judit HUN
GM
1976
2676
2736
2646
Hou, Yifan CHN
GM
1994
2629
2662
2600
Muzychuk, Anna UKR
GM
1990
2561
2665
2546
Koneru, Humpy IND
GM
1987
2613
2521
2611
Dzagnidze, Nana GEO
GM
1987
2541
2591
2547
Lagno, Kateryna UKR
GM
1989
2540
2540
2599
Kosteniuk, Alexandra RUS
GM
1984
2533
2548
2577
Stefanova, Antoaneta BUL
GM
1979
2488
2569
2578
Gunina, Valentina RUS
GM
1989
2501
2577
2552
Zhao, Xue CHN
GM
1985
2542
2576
2485
Ju, Wenjun CHN
WGM
1991
2538
2469
2555
Kosintseva, Tatiana RUS
GM
1986
2476
2578
2505
Kosintseva, Nadezhda RUS
GM
1985
2513
2519
2516
Ruan, Lufei CHN
WGM
1987
2503
2503
2503
Harika, Dronavalli IND
GM
1991
2513
2531
2421
Sebag, Marie FRA
GM
1986
2480
2504
2479
Paehtz, Elisabeth GER
IM
1985
2456
2522
2485
Ushenina, Anna UKR
GM
1985
2488
2467
2489
Cmilyte, Viktorija LTU
GM
1983
2525
2439
2462
Tan, Zhongyi CHN
WGM
1991
2466
2525
2423
Muzychuk, Mariya UKR
IM
1992
2521
2439
2445
Huang, Qian CHN
WGM
1986
2477
2472
2439
Khotenashvili, Bela GEO
GM
1988
2518
2447
2418
Zatonskih, Anna USA
IM
1978
2466
2442
2472
Cramling, Pia SWE
GM
1963
2491
2433
2443
Danielian, Elina ARM
GM
1978
2458
2429
2473
Pogonina, Natalija RUS
WGM
1985
2508
2427
2404
Zhu, Chen QAT
GM
1976
2461
2411
2464
Socko, Monika POL
GM
1978
2462
2415
2455
Hoang, Thanh Trang HUN
GM
1980
2490
2414
2421
Krush, Irina USA
GM
1983
2484
2397
2443
Moser, Eva AUT
IM
1982
2456
2422
2439

The events

  • Rapid Events
  • 16 male players – 16 female players (separate event for male/female)
  • two days with seven rounds Swiss events;
  • time control 20 mins each side plus 10 secs increment
  • Blitz Events
  • 16 male players – 16 female players (separate event for male/female)
  • Three days with double round robin events (10 games per day);
  • time control 3 mins each side plus 2 secs increment
  • Basque Events
  • 16 male players – 16 female players (separate event for male/female)
  • two days with five rounds Swiss events;
  • each player plays two games simultaneously per round with white and black pieces
  • time control 20 mins each side plus 10 secs increment per game

The Basque System is a unique style of chess in which the players face each other twice simultaneously, once with black and once with white. Here's a ChessBase report on the 2013 Basque Rapid.

Schedule

9th December 2014 Arrival of players and officials
11th December 2014 Rapid event (rounds 1-4)
12th December 2014 Rapid event (rounds 5-7)
13th December 2014 Blitz event (rounds 1-10)
14th December 2014 Blitz event (rounds 11-20)
15th December 2014 Blitz event (rounds 21-30)
16th December 2014 Basque event (rounds 1-3 Women), (rounds 1-3 Men)
17th December 2014 Basque event (rounds 4-5 Women), (rounds 4-5 Men)
18th December 2014 Departure

Prizes

The following are the prizes for each event (rapid, blitz and Basque):

Place
Men   
Place
Women
1
$18,000
1
$10,000
2
$15,000
2
$9,000
3
$12,000
3
$8,000
4
$9,000   
4
$7,000
5
$7,000
5
$6,000
6
$6,000
6
$5,000
7
$5,000
7
$4,000
8
$4,000
8
$3,000
9
$3,000
9
$2,000
10
$2,000   
10
$1,000
11-16
$1,000
11-16
$500
Total
$87,000
Total
$58,000

Tie break will be used only for final medal positions, while money prizes will be split equally. Air fares will be organised by Beijing Sports Administration and accommodation will also be covered on a full board basis by the organisers. All queries should be addressed to geoffrey.borg@fide.com.

Players are invited to send in their contract, along with a copy of a passport with validity for more than six months, by email to office@fide.com by not later than Friday 1st August 2014 for this year’s fourth edition of the Sport Accord World Mind Games. The selection is based on the average of the player’s three ratings for classical, blitz and rapid. Reserves are also requested to send in a signed contract by the above date. You should also download the Competitor's Commitment.

Source: FIDE

Video report of the 2013 event

Many more videos are available on this Youtube page.

ChessBase reports on previous Sportaccord events

  • 12/13/2012 – SportAccord Mind Games with all-star field to play rapid, blindfold and blitz
    SportAccord Mind Games will be held in Beijing, China between the 12th of December and 20th December 2012. The World Mind Games consists of 5 disciplines: chess, bridge, draughts (checkers), go, and xiangqi (Chinese chess). This year brings an all-star field of men and women to play rapid, blindfold and blitz. It all started with a breathtaking opening ceremony.

  • 12/21/2011 – SportAccord World Mind Games – Hou Yifan wins gold twice
    The SportAccord World Mind Games ended in a great success for all the games and participants, drawing top players in all disciplines. After the Rapid competition in chess, there were blitz competitions, won by Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Hou Yifan respectively, followed by blindfold competitions in which Zoltan Almasi snatched the gold, while Yifan took her second. Pictures and videos.

  • 12/17/2012 – Fressinet wins Men's Rapid at SportAccord World Mind Games
    This event in Beijing, which features bridge, chess, draughts, Go and Xiangqi, there are three chess competitions, rapid, blitz and blindfold, in separate sections for men and women. In the category 20 men's section French Champion Laurent Fressinet won ahead of Hikaru Nakamura. Find out who was victorious in the other sections and watch the excellent video reports from Beijing.

  • 12/20/2012 – Aronian and Hou Yifan win blindfold in Beijing
    The third tournament at the SportAccord World Mind Games in China was blindfold chess, where the players see only an empty board on the computer screen and have to type in their moves. Not easy and fraught with danger for players unused to it. Top seed Levon Aronian and second seed Hou Yifan won the men's and women's section. Big illustrated report.

  • 12/12/2013 – World Mind Games begin today
    The World Mind Games begins today in Beijing, China. Some of the best players of the world have been invited to play in an unique event that challenges them not only in rapid chess, but also in blitz and the new "Basque" system in which players play two rapid players against their opponent simultaneously: one with black and one with white! Opening Ceremony and preview of the event...

  • 12/12/2013 – Mind Games Day 1: Leko, Gunina lead
    Leko leads the Men's section with an impressive 3.5/4 after he patiently ground down Karjakin in what should have been a drawn endgame. He is pursued by Karjakin and Wang Hao who have 3.0/4. In the Women's section Gunina has a spectacular 4.0/4 with dubious wins over Stefanova, Ju Wenjun, Paehtz and a gift from Kosteniuk. She plays Yifan tomorrow. Day one impressions and analysis.

  • 12/13/2013 – Mind Games Day 2: Wang Yue, Gunina gold
    A devastating loss in the last round cost Peter Leko the gold medal. He was leading by a full point but because of the tiebreak system (direct encounter) Wang Yue could overtake him with a victory against him, and that is precisely what happened. Gunina played solid, good chess and ended with a full point advantage in the end over Hou Yifan, who came in second. Rapid results, blitz tomorrow.

  • 12/14/2013 – Mind Games Day 3: Gunina, Aronian lead blitz
    Day one of the brutal blitz tournament has started. The event has a total of 30 rounds and today the first set of ten was played. In the Men's section Armenian Levon Aronian has destroyed the competition and emerged the strong leader with 8.5/10. In the Women's Gunina started with two losses, rebounded with an amazing eight wins and leads over Muzychuk and Yifan. Day 3 impressions.

  • 12/15/2013 – Mind Games Day 4: Yifan big winner
    In the Men's section a very close situation has occurred. Mamedyarov's excellent day two catapulted him to first place with 14.0/20, but there are many players in hot pursuit. Le Quang Liem is only half a point behind, Aronian one point, Karjakin and Vachier a point and a half. In the Women's a fantastic 9.5/10 score for Yifan in day two puts her ahead with a two point lead. Pictorial report.

  • 12/17/2013 – Mind Games Day 6: Basque System starts
    This unique style of chess has begun in China! The players face each other twice simultaneously, once with black and once with white. In the men's Karjakin has again taken an early lead with a devastating 5.0/6. In the women's it is the Chinese that are dominating as they hold the top three spots at the moment, with Hou Yifan and Ju Wenjun at the very top. Analysis of the basque!

  • 12/17/2013 – Mind Games Day 5: Yifan, Karjakin gold
    In two close blitz tournaments the final results came to the very last round. In the men's section Aronian and Karjakin tied at the top, but the Russian edged his opponent out on tiebreaks as he had bested the Armenian in the individual encounter. In the Women's section Gunina could have won if she defeated Hou Yifan in the last round, but she blundered and lost. Analysis of a blitz game.


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