Round 1 matchups:
| Ivanchuk, Vassily | – Bacrot, Etienne | ½-½ | |||
| Karjakin, Sergey | – Eljanov, Pavel | ½-½ | |||
| Akopian, Vladimir | – Kasimdzhanov, Rustam | * | |||
| Alekseev, Evgeny | – Svidler, Peter | * | |||
| Grischuk, Alexander | – Gelfand, Boris | * | |||
| Leko, Peter | – Kamsky, Gata | * | |||
| Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar | – Aronian, Levon | * |
Here is the official website: http://www.nalchik2009.fide.com
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Akopian, Vladimir – Kasimdzhanov, Rustam 1/2
Alekseev, Evgeny – Svidler, Peter 1/2
Grischuk, Alexander – Gelfand, Boris 1-0
Leko, Peter – Kamsky, Gata 1-0
Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar – Aronian, Levon 0-1
Grischuk & Aronian were the 1st Round winners.Rest games ended in draws.Above Anonymous comment was premature & hence erroneous although Leko had decisive middle game advantage.