Press release № 3
World Chess Cup, the second day: huge Chinese woes
The second day of the World Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk brought the Chinese chess players sheer disappointments. First of all the Grandmaster Wang Yue with rich experience who is taking the 35th position in the World Rating List did not manage to revenge the young Alexander Fier from Brazil. The Latin-American Grandmaster who was satisfied with the draw playing Black chose unexpected tactics: he preferred huge complications to the defense. Wang Yue sacrificed the quality and con-verted the game into the endgame where he counted on the potential of his bishops and the rash ac-tion of his passing pawn. However, Fier managed to activate his pieces and got a satisfactory coun-terplay.
The fellow-members of the national Chinese team that took the second place in the World Cham-pionship in Ninbo in June are leaving Khanty-Mansiysk with Wang Yue. Li Chao playing Black lost to the Vietnamese Grandmaster Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son and Yu Yangyi playing White lost to Mir-cea-Emilian Parligras from Romania. From that “sliver” team composition Liren Ding is the only one to continue his fight in tie-break – he drew both games against Wesley So from Philippines. Let us remind you that the woes of the Chinese team started from the moment when their leader Wang Hao had to cancel his participation due to the health problems.
The Women’s World Champion Hou Yifan had to demonstrate her insisting resistance to Sergei Movsesian (ARM), but lost the second game as well. Zhou Jianchao lost to the Ukrainian Anton Ko-robov once again. Except Ding Liren there will be only Ni Hua who will continue in tie-breaks since he drew twice against Ildar Khairullin. From this numerous Chinese delegation only Bu Xiangzhi has ensured himself the ticket to the 2nd Round so far – he won the 1st game against Ahmed Adly and the latter missed the 2nd one due to his sickness. As we have already informed, Adly got under medical treatment in the hospital where the doctors removed the renal calculus from his left kidney, thus nothing is threatening his health and in two days he will depart home.
The Hungarian Grandmaster Peter Leko is also leaving Khanty-Maniysk who did not manage to play off playing Black against Samuel Shankland (USA). Striving for complications, Leko had to recklessly play the opening thus over passed all possible risks. Shankland reacted in a logical and strong way and therefore took the advantage and made his opponent offer a draw.
As for other results, it is worth speaking about the victory of the Brazilian IM Diego Rafael Di Be-rardino over Gata Kamsky (USA), the one of the Grandmaster Cori Jorge from Peru over Spanish Francisco Vallejo Pons and French Sebastien Feller over Viorel Iordachescu (MDA). The score in these matches equaled and the opponents will continue fighting in tie-breaks. Alexander Morozevich (RUS) and Stelios Halkias (GRE), Nikita Vitiugov and Alexei Bezgodov, Mikhail Kobalia and Igor Lysyj (all from Russia), Etienne Bacrot (FRA) and Ray Robson (USA) also postponed the matches for the third day to clarify their positions. Totally there will be 17 additional matches on 30 August.
We would like to remind you that tie-breaks are played in two games with the time control of 25 minutes for all moves plus 10 seconds for every move. If they still do not determine the winners, there will be two games with the time control of 10 minutes until the end of the game plus 10 seconds for every move. Then if necessary there will be two blitz games (5 minutes until the end of the game plus 3 seconds for every move). In the outermost case there will be a decisive game “till the result” (i.e. Armageddon): White have 5 minutes and Black – 4 (with additional 3 seconds for every move starting from the move 61 where the draw is equaled to the victory of Black.
Many players note that they are impressed by ultra-modern Ugorian Chess Academy where they have perfect conditions for playing.
All the games of the World Cup are broadcast live and accompanied by Grandmasters commentaries both in Russian and English that you can find on the official site of the tournament http://chess.ugrasport.com
The computer analysis of the strongest worldwide Houdini program is to be found on http://chess.ugrasport.com/houdini.html
Kamsky will win everything.