Follow the World Cup in Baku

The 2015 Chess World Cup begins on September 11 in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan and the birthplace of the 13th World Champion Garry Kasparov.  A total of 128 participants have been paired much like college basketball's March Madness, with the top seeds facing the lowest rated in the first round.  Each round consists of two classical games (40/90, G/30, inc/30) followed by a third day of rapid and blitz tiebreaks (if necessary).

At the end of 7 rounds over 26 grueling days, the champion earns $96,000 and, perhaps more significantly, the top two qualify for the 2016 Candidates Tournament to determine the official challenger to Magnus Carlsen, the reigning World Champion.  Can former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik win two World Cups in a row, or will one of the young superstars finish on top?

• Official Website
• Watch Live Games (start at 3:00am Pacific)
  
• World Cup Odds (match by match)

View from hotel in Baku. Credit: Caruana

Top 16 Seeds (with Live ratings)

• #1 Veselin Topalov (BUL) 2813
• #2 Hikaru Nakamura (USA) 2816
• #3 Fabiano Caruana (USA) 2796
• #4 Anish Giri (NED) 2798
• #5 Wesley So (USA) 2760
• #6 Vladimir Kramnik (RUS) 2777
• #7 Alexander Grischuk (RUS) 2774
• #8 Ding Liren (CHN) 2782
• #9 Levon Aronian (ARM) 2784 eliminated in round 2
• #10 Dmitry Jakovenko (RUS) 2748
• #11 Sergey Karjakin (RUS) 2762
• #12 Evgeny Tomashevsky (RUS) 2758
• #13 Boris Gelfand (ISR) 2741 eliminated in round 1
• #14 Pentala Harikrishna (IND) 2737 eliminated in round 2
• #15 Michael Adams (ENG) 2742
• #16 Peter Svidler (RUS) 2727

On one hand, three of the Top 5 seeds represent the USA.  On the other hand, there are six Russians among the Top 16 participants.  N.B.: The seeds reflect the August rating list, not the more current September list.

Nine Americans 

• #2 Hikaru Nakamura 2816 advanced to round 3
• #3 Fabiano Caruana 2796 advanced to round 3
• #5 Wesley So 2760 advanced to round 3
• #41 Ray Robson 2680 eliminated in round 1
• #47 Gata Kamsky 2680 eliminated in round 1
• #54 Alexander Onischuk 2662 eliminated in round 2 by #11 Karjakin (RUS)
• #63 Sam Shankland 2656 eliminated in round 2 by #2 Nakamura (USA)
• #79 Varuzhan Akobian 2635 eliminated in round 1
• #112 Sam Sevian 2556 eliminated in round 1 by #17 Radjabov (AZE)

The format of the World Cup favors many upsets, starting as early as the first round!  Even one miscalculation could mean a premature flight home.  Four years ago, local star Sam Shankland scored the upset of his life by eliminating the Hungarian super-GM Peter Leko!  The following young players are poised to defeat higher seeded opponents in Baku.

Fpawn Upset Watch List

• #22 Yu Yangyi (CHN) 2721 (age 21) advanced to round 3
• #24 Wei Yi (CHN) 2734 (age 16) advanced to round 3
• #45 Vladislav Artemiev (RUS) 2675 (age 17) eliminated in round 2
• #46 Hou Yifan (CHN) 2671 (age 21) eliminated in round 2
• #64 Ivan Bukavshin (RUS) 2657 (age 20) eliminated in round 1
• #78 S.P. Sethuraman (IND) 2640 (age 22) advanced to round 3
• #80 David Anton Guijarro (ESP) 2628 (age 20) eliminated in round 1
• #90 Alexander Ipatov (TUR) 2625 (age 22) eliminated in round 2
• #97 Lu Shanglei (CHN) 2599 (age 20) advanced to round 3

Kayden Troff is the 007

If you are a fan of James Bond or the royal game, this 8-minute video is a must-watch! 

IM Kayden Troff, the World U14 gold medalist who turned 15 three days ago, stars as Britain's top spy in the production by the intrepid youth music group TLC Trio.  The live chess game reenacts Garry Kasparov's Immortal Game, played against Veselin Topalov at the Wijk aan Zee tournament in 1999.  Most of my private students will find this double rook sacrifice familiar.

Rated PG-13 for mild violence and blood.

World Top 20 List

FIDE Rating List May 2013

List includes Grand Prix but not Alekhine Memorial.  

Check out updated Live Ratings.

1. Magnus Carlsen (NOR) 2868 (age 22)
2. Levon Aronian (ARM) 2813 (30)
3. Vladimir Kramnik (RUS) 2811 (37)



Veselin Topalov

4. Veselin Topalov (BUL) 2793 (38)
5. Viswanathan Anand (IND) 2783 (43)
6. Alexander Grischuk (RUS) 2779 (29)
7. Hikaru Nakamura (USA) 2775 (25)
8. Fabiano Caruana (ITA) 2774 (20)
9. Peter Svidler (RUS) 2769 (36)
10. Sergey Karjakin (RUS) 2767 (23)
11. Alexander Morozevich (RUS) 2760 (35)
12. Vassily Ivanchuk (UKR) 2755 (44)
13. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (AZE) 2753 (28)
14. Teimour Radjabov (AZE) 2745 (26)
15. Boris Gelfand (ISR) 2744 (44)
16. Wang Hao (CHN) 2743 (23)
17. Ruslan Ponomariov (UKR) 2742 (29)
18. Gata Kamsky (USA) 2741 (38)
19. Peter Leko (HUN) 2737 (33)
20. Anish Giri (NED) 2734 (18)

---

Cool Statistics and Comparison to May 2012

Anish Giri

Rating of Player 20 = 2734 (+6 in Last Year)
Avg Rating of Top 20 = 2769 (+4.7)
Avg Age of Top 20 = 31 (+0.3)

Youngest in Top 20 = Giri (18), Caruana (20), Carlsen (22)
Oldest in Top 20 = Gelfand (44), Ivanchuk (44), Anand (43)

Countries Most Represented = Russia (5), USA (2), Azerbaijan (2), Ukraine (2)

Biggest Gain in Last Year = Topalov (+41), Giri (+41), Carlsen (+33)
Biggest Loss in Last Year = Radjabov (-39), Karjakin (-12), Aronian (-12)

Vini, Vidi, Vishy!

Congratulations to Anand!

This morning, 40-year old Indian Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand successfully defended his world chess title by defeating challenger Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria. The 12 game title match ended in a narrow 6.5-5.5 score after Anand won today's final game as black. This was the only game that the player of the black pieces won; white had already won four games--two by each participant. This title defense solidified Anand's status as the unified 15th World Champion, following a direct line from Fischer to Karpov to Kasparov to Kramnik and finally to Anand.

The final game seemed typical of the entire match. Playing white, Topalov achieved a pleasant middlegame out of the Queen's Gambit Declined opening. Knowing Anand's reputation in rapid and blitz games, Topalov couldn't afford to play a tiebreaker and had to find a way to win today, even risking defeat. Anand, defending patiently, saw his opportunity on move 30 and struck with a dangerous pawn sacrifice f7-f5! After 33... Rd4 and 34... Qe8, white's monarch was in grave danger, a complete reversal of how this match began in game 1. While Topalov escaped the mating web today, the attack cost him the queen. Game! Set! Match!

Final Standings: Anand 6.5 - Topalov 5.5

1. Topalov 1-0 Anand -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
2. Anand 1-0 Topalov -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
3. Topalov 1/2 Anand -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
4. Anand 1-0 Topalov -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
5. Topalov 1/2 Anand -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
6. Anand 1/2 Topalov -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
7. Anand 1/2 Topalov -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
8. Topalov 1-0 Anand -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
9. Anand 1/2 Topalov -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
10. Topalov 1/2 Anand -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
11. Anand 1/2 Topalov -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
12. Topalov 0-1 Anand -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
    

What is next? According to the World Chess Federation FIDE, eight players will complete a series of knockout matches for the right to challenge Anand in a title match. The players are Topalov, Carlsen, Kramnik, Kamsky, Aronian, Gelfand and two more. These candidates matches are currently penciled in for December 2010 in Azerbaijan, while the next World Championship could be held as soon as the end of 2011. Unfortunately, FIDE has a reputation of not following through on its official commitments, so we will need to wait and see what actually transpires.

I'm a Perfect Square

(Yes, I do love strawberries!)

Thank you to all of my friends and fans who sent birthday wishes yesterday. I really appreciate the many friends that I have, ranging from my youngest elementary age students to chess veterans who began playing during the Fischer boom of the 1960s and early 1970s. Amazingly, I personally know at least six fans of the royal game who also were born on May 6, including two of my private students plus a resident of the East Bay's famed GM House (Jesse Kraai).

There's a lot going on in the world of chess this week. Foremost is the World Championship match between defending champion Viswanathan Anand and challenger Veselin Topalov. The score is tied at 5.0 with two games remaining on Sunday and Tuesday, starting at 5:00am Pacific time. If they are still tied, then rapid and blitz playoffs are scheduled for Thursday. Let's go Vishy!!!

Back in the USA, the Bert Lerner National Elementary Championship began in Atlanta. The crowd of 2000+ participants includes 55 enthusiastic youngsters from Northern California. Many of the elite local players flew east, including: Daniel Liu (K-6), Kesav Viswanadha (K-5), FM Tanuj Vasudeva (K-3), Allan Beilin (K-5), Cameron Wheeler (K-5) and the severely underrated Michael Wang (K-3). A pair of Fremont schools are hunting for big team trophies: 2009 national champ Mission San Jose Elementary and crosstown punching bag Weibel Elementary both have over 15 kids. Click here for updated standings and pairings from Atlanta.

Finally, I hope to play in the Powell G/45 tournament tomorrow at the Mechanics' Institute. I expect to see many of my students. Will preteen terror NM Yian Liou win for the second month in a row? Can any of my lower rated kids scalp an expert or a master? And will I perform well enough to eek my USCF rating back above my lifetime floor of 2200. Wish us all good luck!

Topalov Levels Score in World Championship

This morning, the challenger Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria leveled the score of the World Championship match at 4 games each. He continued a theoretical discussion in the Slav defense, this time obtaining an advantage in an opposite colored bishops endgame. However, the defending champion Viswanathan Anand of India defended resourcefully and would have drawn if he had not blundered with 54... Bc6?? Better was Ba4, allowing the Bishop to defend h7 if needed. Black resigned two moves later because he couldn't stop White's Pawns and active King, e.g. 56... Be8 57. g5 Bc6 58. f4 Be8 59. Bg7 Bc6 60. g6 hxg6 61. Kxg6 Bd7 62. Kf6 Kh7 63. Ke7 Ba4 64. d7 Bxd7 65. Kxd7 Kxg7 66. Kxe6.

Only four games remain in the match! Watch the action LIVE on ICC on Thursday, Friday, Sunday and Tuesday beginning at 5:00 in the morning PDT. Anand plays White on Thursday and Sunday.

Current Standings: Anand 5.5 - Topalov 5.5

1. Topalov 1-0 Anand -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
2. Anand 1-0 Topalov -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
3. Topalov 1/2 Anand -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
4. Anand 1-0 Topalov -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
5. Topalov 1/2 Anand -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
6. Anand 1/2 Topalov -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
7. Anand 1/2 Topalov -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
8. Topalov 1-0 Anand -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
9. Anand 1/2 Topalov -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
10. Topalov 1/2 Anand -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
11. Anand 1/2 Topalov -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
    

If the match somehow ends knotted at 6-6, rapid and blitz tiebreaks will be played on Thursday, May 13. Tiebreak format: Four action games G/25+10 sec/move. If still tied, up to five pairs of blitz games G/5+3 sec/move (as many as 10 games total). If still tied after 12 classical games and 14 rapid/blitz games, they play a single Armageddon game where White has 5 minutes against 4 (no increment) but Black gets draw odds.

World Chess Championship: Anand vs Topalov

(The combatants wait patiently for the start of game 2 on Sunday.)

The most exciting chess event of the year began last weekend in Sofia, Bulgaria. This year's World Championship match pairs two well-known players who both have consistently been ranked in the top 5 for at least a dozen years. And for the first time since 1972, none of the infamous K's was present (Karpov, Kasparov and Kramnik).

In one corner, we have the reigning 15th World Champion from Chennai, India: Viswanathan "Vishy" Anand (photo at left). Currently rated #4 in the world at 2787, he achieved a lifetime peak rating of 2803 two years ago. Most impressively, the 40 year old Anand maintained elite status since the mid 1990s, when he lost to Garry Kasparov in a 1995 title match. He became FIDE Champion in 2000 after winning a Knockout Tournament in Tehran, Iran. Alas, twelve years after first facing Kasparov, Anand finally captured the undisputed unified title by winning the 2007 World Championship Tournament in Mexico City, an eight player double round-robin. He successfully defended the throne in a 2008 title match against Vladimir Kramnik (6.5 to 4.5) in Bonn, Germany.

In the other corner stands the 35 year old challenger from Bulgaria: Veselin Topalov (photo at right). He is currently rated 2805, second in the world behind the teenage phenom Magnus Carlsen. His lifetime peak rating of 2813 has been exceeded only by Kasparov. Topalov joined the world elite in the late 1990s, a status he has held since. He became FIDE World Champion by dominating the 2005 World Championship Tournament in San Luis, Argentina, another eight player double round-robin. As the final component of the reunification of the world chess crown, Topalov earned his seat in today's match by defeating Gata Kamsky in a 2009 challenger's match by a lopsided margin of 4.5-2.5.

Grandmasters Anand and Topalov play 12 games from April 24 through May 11, with a rest day after every two games. The classical time control is 40 moves in 2 hours, then 20 moves in 1 hour, and finally G/15 plus 30 second increment starting after move 60 (maximum length = about 7 hours). Games begin at 5:00 in the morning Pacific time, but can easily last four or more hours. If the match is tied 6-6, the tiebreaks are scheduled for May 13. (Action G/25+10sec, then blitz G/5+3sec and finally a possible Armageddon game.)

Current Standings: Anand 4.0 - Topalov 3.0

1. Topalov 1-0 Anand -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
2. Anand 1-0 Topalov -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
3. Topalov 1/2 Anand -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
4. Anand 1-0 Topalov -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
5. Topalov 1/2 Anand -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
6. Anand 1/2 Topalov -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video
7. Anand 1/2 Topalov -- replay -- Chessbase report -- ICC video

You may follow the games early each morning at the official match website or live on the Internet Chess Club. When you log into ICC, type "/tell webcast listen" (for Dasher or BlitzIn only) to hear Grandmaster commentary or view the results and games in "/finger WorldChamp10". By late afternoon of each day, you may watch the "Game of the Day" video for each round (enter your ICC username and password when prompted).

World Chess Championship Begins

(Kramnik on the left and Anand were all smiles at the walk-through on Sunday, prior to the start of the much anticipated match. They even played a pseudo game: 1.g4 b5 1/2.)

The official World Chess Championship between reigning champion Viswanathan Anand and challenger Vladimir Kramnik began this morning in Bonn, Germany. The first game saw Kramnik essay the solid Exchange Slav as white and, not surprisingly, a draw was agreed in an opposite bishop endgame on move 32. Boring! The Grandmasters will meet another 11 times between now and November 2, with one game daily except for rest days on every third day. Each game begins at 3pm CET = 6am PDT and can take upwards of six hours. In case of a 6:6 tie, the combatants will square off in tiebreaks: first four rapid games of 25+10, then two blitz games of 5+10 and, if necessary as a last resort, an Armageddon game. Unlike previous championships, there are merely 12 games (not 24) and the defending champion does not hold draw odds in case of a 6:6 tie.

Both Anand and Kramnik are well-qualified for this title fight. They have occupied two of the top three spots in the world rankings since the mid 1990s. Anand won the 2007 World Chess Championship held in Mexico City with an undefeated performance in an 8 player double round-robin. Many of the world's top players participated in this amazing tournament, but not Veselin Topalov, Vassily Ivanchuk and the young rising star Magnus Carlsen. Before Mexico City, Kramnik had reigned as the champion for seven years. He defeated the legendary Garry Kasparov in 2000 and then defended his title in matches against Peter Leko (2004) and Topalov (2006). While nobody questions Anand's skill, he lacks the strong credentials of Kramnik in the intense arena of match play. Will this give the challenger an edge?

Here is the tale of the tape, so to speak:

Viswanathan Anand (2783)

• Born December 11, 1969 in India
  
• FIDE World Champion, 2000-2002
• 15th Classical World Champion, 2007-present
• Seconds: Peter Heine Nielsen, Rustam Kasimdzhanov, Radoslaw Wojtaszek
• First major success: won 1987 World Junior and became India's first ever Grandmaster in 1988.
  

Vladimir Kramnik (2772)

• Born June 25, 1975 in Russia
  
• 14th Classical World Champion, 2000-2007
  
• Seconds: Peter Leko, Sergei Rublevsky, Laurent Fressinet
• First major success: +8 =1 -0 at Manila Olympiad in 1992.
  

Classical (51 games): +6 =41 –4 or 26.5-24.5 for Kramnik
Anand is White (21 games): +2 =19 –0 for Anand
Kramnik is White (30 games): +6 =22 –2 for Kramnik

I plan to provide coverage of most of the games in this match on my blog. I will include any exciting stories that I pick up around the internet. Hopefully the chess community can avoid another major scandal like ToiletGate between Kramnik and Topalov in 2006. Please let there be many exciting sacrifices and important opening novelties for all the chess fans around the world to enjoy!

You may follow this match on the internet. Almost every serious chess website seems to have some coverage.

• Check this blog for stories. I will update the side bar with games and score each day. Don't forget to vote on my poll (see side bar) before game 3 begins on Friday!
• Visit the official World Chess Championship website.
• Internet Chess Club has live Grandmaster commentary on ChessFM radio and exciting video reports from the tournament venue.
• Read Chessbase news and The Week In Chess for daily photo reports.
• The USCF homepage started out with an interesting Fan's Guide for this match.
  

Top FIDE Ratings for October

The world chess federation FIDE released its October rating list this morning. Former FIDE World Champion Veselin Topalov (see photo) has taken over the top spot at 2791, just a nose ahead of Alexander Morozevich, Vassily Ivanchuk and Magnus Carlsen. A whopping 32 Grandmasters have achieved "super GM" status with a rating above 2700.

There has been plenty of action over the past three months. Perhaps the biggest surprise is that reigning World Champion Viswanathan Anand sits in 5th place and former champion Vladimir Kramnik occupies the 6th place. Amazingly, Anand had been rated in the top three continuously for the past 11 years! Nonetheless, Anand is just 8 rating points out of first and even Kramnik is merely 19 points away. Look further down the rating list for well established names such as Peter Svidler, Alexei Shirov and Alexander Grischuk, all who barely made the top 20 (including ties).

1. Veselin Topalov, 2791, Bulgaria
   
2. Alexander Morozevich, 2787, Russia
   
3. Vassily Ivanchuk, 2786, Ukraine
   
4. Magnus Carlsen, 2786, Norway
   
5. Viswanathan Anand, 2783, India
   
6. Vladimir Kramnik, 2772, Russia
   
7. Levon Aronian, 2757, Armenia
   
8. Teimour Radjabov, 2751, Azerbaijan
   
9. Peter Leko, 2747, Hungary
   
10. Dmitry Jakovenko, 2737, Russia
    
11. Yue Wang, 2736, China
    
12. Michael Adams, 2734, England
    
13. Sergei Movsesian, 2732, Slovakia
    
14. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, 2731, Azerbaijan
    
15. Sergey Karjakin, 2730, Ukraine
    
16. Gata Kamsky, 2729, USA
    
17. Peter Svidler, 2727, Russia
    
18. Alexei Shirov, 2726, Spain
    
19. Pavel Eljanov, 2720, Ukraine
    
20. Boris Gelfand, 2719, Israel
    
21. Lenier Dominguez, 2719, Cuba
    
22. Ruslan Ponomariov, 2719, Ukraine
    
23. Alexander Grischuk, 2719, Russia

The Chinese assualt on the top of the ratings charts continues this month with three super GMs. Joining #11 Wang Yue are #26 Bu Xiangzhi (2714) and #28 Ni Hua (2710). The next Chinese player is already knocking on the door: 18 year old Wang Hao (2696).

We can contrast that to the United States, which has only one player in the top 20 (Gata Kamsky) and then one more in the top 80! The lone bright spot remains Hikaru Nakamura, whose 2704 rating places him at exactly #30. Can he go higher?