SENSATIONAL WESLEY

Chess Piece -- Bobby Ang

The FIDE World Chess Cup is taking place in the oil-boom town of Khanty-Mansiysk, in that general part of Russia we usually refer to as Siberia, from Nov. 20 up to Dec. 15, 2009. It is a seven-round knockout event comprising of 128 players with six rounds of matches comprising two games per round, with the winners progressing to the next round. The final seventh round consists of four games. The time control is 90 minutes for the first 40 moves followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game with an increment of 30 seconds per move from move one. Aside from the huge cash prizes, the winner of the World Chess Cup automatically qualifies for the Candidates’ match-tournament, from which the challenger to the world championship title will come from.

While the knockout format of the World Cup has been endlessly criticized in the chess media, the truth is that only the top-echelon players are complaining -- most of the chess world love the World Cup, as it gives the lesser-known players a chance to make a name for themselves as well as earn some good money.

In the 1999 FIDE World Championship (this became the World Cup later), Alexander Khalifman gave his career a second lease on life by winning all the marbles, and the appearance of new names Vladimir Akopian, Sergei Movsesian, and Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu (who upset two of the top seeds Ivanchuk and Shirov) were the big stories.

Next year was the turn of the unknown Alexander Grischuk to breakthrough into the world consciousness with a fantastic series of games to reach the semifinals.

This year, the sensation of the tournament is a Filipino, 16-year-old Wesley So. So sit tight and let me tell you the story from the very beginning, starting with Wesley’s first round match-up against GM Gadir Gusienov of Azerbaijan, rated 2625, just a tad lower than the Filipino’s 2640.

Gadir is certainly no pushover. He was born in 1986 and became a member of the Azerbaijan national team in 2002, participating in all of his country’s Olympiad or European Championship teams. His blitz rating of 3286 (!) in the Internet Chess Club also makes him among the top blitz practitioners of the world.

Game 1 was a one-sided positional crush by Wesley, who got an opening edge and did not let his opponent off the hook.

So, Wesley (2640) �“ Guseinov, Gadir (2625) [E90]

World Cup Khanty-Mansiysk RUS (1.1), 21.11.2009

1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.c4 Bg7 4.Nc3 0�“0 5.e4 d6 6.h3 c5 7.d5 e6 8.Bd3 exd5 9.exd5 Qe7+ 10.Be3 Bh6 11.0�“0 Bxe3 12.Qe2 Nbd7 13.Rae1 a6 14.Qxe3 Qxe3 15.Rxe3 b5 16.Nd2 [16.cxb5 Nb6! recovers the pawn with easy play] 16...Ne5 17.Be2 Nxc4 18.Bxc4 bxc4 19.Nxc4 Rd8 20.g4 Bb7 21.Rd1 h6 22.f4 (White’s advantage is becoming threatening. After dislodging the f6-knight he can double rooks on the e-file and establish a cramp on Black’s position) 22...Re8 23.Rxe8+ Nxe8 24.Ne4 Rd8 25.Rd3 Kf8 26.a4 Ke7 27.Re3 Kf8 28.Nb6 f5 29.gxf5 gxf5 30.Nc3 Nc7 31.a5 Kf7 32.Kf2 Bc8 33.Nc4 Ne8 34.Re1 Nf6 35.Rb1 Ke7 36.b4 cxb4 37.Rxb4 Bd7 38.Nb6 Rg8 39.Rb1 Kd8? 40.Nc4 Kc7? 41.Rb6 (winning a crucial pawn and the game) 41...h5 42.Rxd6 Ne4+ 43.Nxe4 fxe4 44.Rxa6 Bxh3 45.Ra7+ Kb8 46.Rh7 Rc8 47.Ne5 Rc3 48.a6 e3+ 49.Ke2 Ra3 50.a7+! Ka8 [50...Rxa7 51.Nc6+] 51.Rxh5 1�“0

Guseinov threw caution to the winds in game 2 and managed to cash in when Wesley erred just before reaching the time control at move 40.

Guseinov, Gadir (2625) �“ So, Wesley (2640) [C07]

World Cup Khanty-Mansiysk RUS (1.2), 22.11.2009

1.e4 e6 (A surprise. Till now Wesley had been a strict Sicilian player when facing 1.e4) 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.Ngf3 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Nc6 6.Bb5 Bd7 7.Nxc6 bxc6 8.Bd3 Bd6 9.Qe2 Qc7 10.Nf3 dxe4 11.Qxe4 Nf6 12.Qh4 (I don’t like this line for Black -- his opponent gets freer play at no material investment) 12...h6 13.0�“0 c5 14.Bg5 Nd5 15.Be4 Rb8 16.c4 Nf4 17.Rfd1 Rxb2 18.Kf1 (Threatening Rxd6, which was not playable previously because of the zwischenzug ...Ne2+) 18...Rf8 19.Rxd6 hxg5 20.Rxd7 Qxd7 21.Qxg5 f5 22.Qxf4 fxe4 23.Qxe4 Rf6 24.Re1 (black has already weathered the storm but still needs to be careful as his king is exposed) 24...Qb7 25.Qh7 Qf7 26.Qh8+ Qf8 27.Qh5+ Kd8 28.Qe5 Rb6 29.Rd1+ Kc8 30.Qe4 Kc7 31.Qe3 Rf4 32.Qc3 Kc8 33.Qd3 Qe7 34.h4 Rb7 35.Re1 Rb4 36.Kg1 Qd7 37.Qa3 Kb7 38.Qe3 Qd6 39.Ne5 Qd4 40.Qg3 Qd2?? [The position is not so easy to hold, what with threats of Nd3 and Qxg7+, but probably 40...Kc8! will hold. After 41.Nd3 Rxh4 42.Nxb4 cxb4 White is still better but as they say all rook endings are drawn] 41.Nd3 Rd4 42.Qxg7+ Ka8 43.Qf8+ Kb7 44.Nxc5+ [44.Nxc5+ Kc7 (44...Kc6 45.Qc8+ Kb6 46.Qb7+ Kxc5 47.Qc7#; 44...Kb6 45.Qb8+ Kxc5 46.Qc7#) 45.Nxe6+ Kc6 46.Qc8+ Kb6 47.Qc7+ Ka6 48.Nc5#] 1�“0

As per the rules of the competition, in case the match is tied after two regular games, then four tie-break games will be played, with a time control of 25 minutes for each player with an addition of 10 seconds after each move.

In the first tie-break game Wesley once again essayed the French Defense, but this time quickly took the initiative in a queenless endgame and completely outclassed Guseinov.

Guseinov, Gadir (2625) �“ So, Wesley (2640) [C05]

World Cup Khanty-Mansiysk RUS (1.3), 23.11.2009

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Nf6 4.Bd3 c5 5.dxc5 dxe4 6.Nxe4 Nxe4 7.Bxe4 Qxd1+ 8.Kxd1 Bxc5 9.Ke2 Nd7 10.Nf3 Nf6 11.Bd3 b6 12.Bb5+ Ke7 13.Ne5 Bb7 14.f3 a6 15.Ba4 b5 16.Bb3 Bd6 17.Nd3 Rac8 18.c3 a5 19.a3 Rhd8 20.Be3 Nd5 21.Bd4 g5! 22.Rac1 (Not really a mistake, but a clear sign that he is understimating Black’s kingside pawn demonstration. Maybe best here is 22.h4) 22...h5 23.g3 h4 24.gxh4 gxh4 25.Bf2 Rh8 26.h3 Rh5 27.Bd4? [White has to play 27.Rhg1 ] 27...Rg8 28.Rcg1 Rg3! 29.Bxd5 Bxd5 30.Ne1 Rf5 31.Bf2? (Another mistake, and this one leads to a surprisingly quick decision) 31...Bc4+ 32.Kd2 Rd5+ 33.Kc1 Bf4+ 34.Kc2 Rd2+ 0�“1

The second game was even more one-sided. Wesley met Guseinov’s Pirc with the Austrian Attack and just made it look like a forced win.

So,Wesley (2640) - Guseinov,Gadir (2625) [B06]

World Cup Khanty-Mansiysk RUS (1.4), 23.11.2009

1.d4 g6 2.e4 Bg7 3.Nc3 d6 4.f4 c6 5.Nf3 Nf6 6.Bd3 Bg4 7.e5 Nd5 8.Nxd5 cxd5 9.h3 Bxf3 10.Qxf3 e6 11.c3N Nc6 12.0�“0 0�“0 13.Be3 f6 14.exf6 Qxf6 15.Rae1 (In his book on "The Ultimate Pirc" GM John Nunn ends his analysis at this point and comments that this is the game Mortensen vs Titov from the Debrecen European Championship 1992, and that White has the edge. Wesley So proves the assessment right) 15...Rae8 16.Qg4 a6 17.h4 Ne7 18.h5 Nf5 19.Bd2 gxh5 20.Qxh5 Qh4? (Guseinov wants to get the queens off the board to fend off any kingside attack, but he has assessed the resulting position incorrectly and White’s position becomes easy to play. 20...Qg6 is better) 21.Qxh4 Nxh4 22.g3 Nf5 23.Kg2 (You may find this hard to believe, but white’s position is already close to winning) 23...Re7 24.Rh1 Nh6 25.Rh5 Ree8 26.g4! Kf7 27.Kg3 Ng8 [27...Rh8 28.Reh1 is no good either] 28.Rxh7 Nf6 29.Rhh1 Rh8 30.Rxh8 Rxh8 31.f5 e5 [31...exf5 32.Bxf5 b5 33.Rf1 the f-file becomes the new avenue of operations for white] 32.dxe5 dxe5 33.g5 [33.Rxe5? Nh5+] 33...Nd7 34.f6 Bf8 35.Bf5 Nb6 36.Rxe5 (White can give up the exchange as his two passed pawns supported by the two bishops is much too powerful for Black’s scattered forces) 36...Bd6 37.Bf4 Bxe5 38.Bxe5 Rg8 39.Kf4 Nc4 40.Bd4 Nxb2 41.Bg4 Nc4 42.Bh5+ Ke6 43.f7 Rf8 44.g6 Nd6 45.Bg4+ Ke7 46.Bc5 1�“0

After this second consecutive win Wesley needed only a draw to qualify for the next round. Instead a furious counter-attack decided the match in his favor for a clean 3-0 sweep.

Guseinov, Gadir (2625) �“ So, Wesley (2640) [B47]

World Cup Khanty-Mansiysk RUS (1.5), 23.11.2009

1.e4 c5

Back to the tried and true.

2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.g3 Nf6 7.Bg2 a6 8.0�“0 Be7 9.Be3 0�“0 10.f4 d6 11.Kh1 Bd7 12.Nb3

Guseinov has already adopted this formation against the Sicilian Scheveningen several times, so it is quite possible Wesley has a prepared line.

12...b5 13.a3 b4 14.axb4 Nxb4 15.g4 h6 16.Nd4 Rab8 17.h4

Storm clouds in the kingside. Who would think that it is Black who will get in his attack first?

17...h5! 18.gxh5

Not 18.g5 Ng4.

18...Rfc8 19.Bf3

[19.h6!]

19...e5! 20.fxe5

[20.Nb3 d5!]

20...dxe5 21.Nf5 Bxf5 22.exf5 e4! 23.Bg2 Qg3 24.Bf2 Qe5 25.Bg1 Bd6 26.Rc1 Rc4 27.Qe2 Rbc8 28.Qe3 Nxh5 29.Ne2 Rxc2 30.Rxc2 Rxc2 31.Qg5 Rxe2 32.Qxh5


And now one final blow to force capitulation. 32...Rxg2! [32...Rxg2 33.Kxg2 Qg3+ 34.Kh1 Qh3+ 35.Bh2 Qxh2#] 0�“1

Next we will discuss Wesley’s match with chess legend Vassily Ivanchuk. Beg, borrow or steal, but make sure to get your copy of BusinessWorld on Monday!

Reader comments/suggestions are solicited. Email address is bangcpa@gmail.com

ChessHeroes: November 2009

ChessHeroes: November 2009

WCC : ELITE ROUND

RP’s So makes elite 4th rd of World Chess Cup
11/29/2009 | 01:27 PM
GMA News.TV

KHANTY-Mansiysk, Russia - GM Wesley So of the Philippines added defending champion GM Gata Kamsky of the US to his list of world-class victims, claiming a decisive 1.5-.5 triumph in their third-round showdown in the 2009 World Chess Cup at the Khanty-Mansiysk Center of Arts Saturday night.

In a fitting follow-up to his equally-shocking 1.5-.5 upset win over former world championship finalist GM Vassily Ivanchuk of Russia in the second round, the 16-year-old So avoided unnecessary risk with the white pieces and finished off Kamsky with a draw in 42 moves of the Dutch defense.

Wesley So
The multi-awarded Filipino champion from Bacoor, Cavite, who is expected to breach the super GM ELO 2700 mark at the end of the year, held a slight initiative in a rook and bishop ending when he accepted Kamsky's offer to split the point.

When the game was agreed drawn, So and Kamsky had a rook, bishop and four pawns each.

So, who shocked Kamsky in the opener of their two-game third round showdown Friday, thus earned the right to advance to the 16-player fourth round against the winner of the match between GMs Pavel Eljanov of Ukraine and Vladimir Malakhov of Russia.

The 11th-seeded Eljanov (ELO 2729) and the No. 22 Malakhov (ELO 2706), who drew their first two games, are set to play rapid tiebreak matches Sunday night.

"I'm really happy to have played well against Kamsky. But I really spend a lot of time for preparations against every single opponent. I know that even if they are already super GMs, they can also make mistakes," So told the official website of the World Cup.

"I just hope I can sustain my momentum," added So, who hardly showed any sign of the ill effects of the cool minus-30 weather condition in this scenic Western Siberian town patterned after the world-class Scandinavian resorts.

Kamsky, who lost to GM Anatoly Karpov in the 1997 World Championship, said So clearly deserved the victory.

"It is clear that my opponent (So) was better prepared. I was thinking that I could win against this player with my experience. But sadly, my opponent was not that easy to beat, as I was expecting. He turned out to be a very serious player," said Kamsky, who played the top board for the United States during the World Chess Olympiad in Turin in 2006 and Dresden in 2008.

I'm really happy to have played well against Kamsky. But I really spend a lot of time for preparations against every single opponent. I know that even if they are already super GMs, they can also make mistakes.
–Grandmaster Wesley So
"I was always choosing the wrong openings. Everything was decided in the first game. I played recklessly and got the problematic position. In the second game, I had to solve a difficult problem. But it is almost impossible to beat a good player with black," added the Russian-born Kamsky.

"I played the Dutch defense, sacrificed a pawn and got some chances. But at one point, I went too far and the advantages for my opponent were clear enough and I offered a draw so as not to suffer."

Sharing the limelight with So on the eighth day of competition was former women's world champion Judit Polgar, who shocked top seed GM Boris Gelfand of Israel to level the score in their third-round showdown.

Polgar, one of only three female participants in the 126-player field, capitalized on Gelfand's misplaced pieces on the board and launched a relentless attack against the Russian-born Israeli player to prevail.

Also advancing to the fourth were GM Alexei Shirov of Spain, who crushed GM Evgeny Tomashevsky of Russia, 1.5-.5; GM Ruslan Ponomariv of Ukraine, who subdued GM Alexander Motyloev of Russia, 1.5-.5; GM Nikita Vitiugov of Russia, who eliminated GM Konstantin Sakaev of Russia, 1.5-.5; GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov of Azerbaijan, who nipped GM Wang Hao of China, 1.5-.5; and GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France, who ousted GM Yu Yangyi of China, 1.5-.5.

GMs Sergey Karjakin and Alexander Areschenko, both of Ukraine, recovered from a first-game loss to equalize their match scores against David Navara of the Czech Republic and Dmitry Jakovenko of Russia, respectively. - GMANews.TV

GM PARAGUA para sa PARA Simul

WCC: 3rd ROUND KNOCK OUT

Wesley So scalped his second Super GM and knocked Kamsky out of the tournament

www.ugra-chess.ru

The World Cup 2009 is experiencing an irreplaceable loss – the young Wesley So from the Philippines made a draw in the second game of Round 2 and knocked out the last World Cup winner, Gata Kamsky. “Everything was decided in the first game. At one point I was hoping that I could win against this player with my experience, - said Gata after the match. – But sadly, my opponent was not that easy to beat, as I was expecting.”

It is obvious: a new fantastic “gold nugget” has been found in Khanty Mansiysk now. Most probably in the nearest future, he will aspire for a place among the chess elite. And this is clear: no one from the high-class favourites can defeat him here. “The fact that Wesley So was born and grew up in a non-chess country, the Philippines , speaks about his fantastic talent,” – says the commentator of the Cup GM Sergey Shipov. To make the picture clear, we should also mention that he is practically self-educated and very enthusiastic. He has no coach and no financial support from the Government.

Judit Polgar played an excellent game against the rating favourite of the World Cup, Boris Gelfand. “The chess program was trying to find some defense for black but the solutions it offered, were too hard to realize for a human being,” – says Shipov. “Gelfand made one main mistake: he positioned pieces far from the king. He forgot how dangerous Judit could be in her attacks”. Bravo, Judit! To recover a from a loss in the first game against the tough Israeli player is a big feat.

The Ukrainian/Russian Sergey Karjakin and the Ukrainian Alexander Areschenko also recovered from a first game loss to equalize their match scores against David Navara from the Czech Republic and Dmitry Jakovenko of Russia, respectively.

Alexey Shirov managed to stop the marvelous series of 58 games without a loss, of the Russian Chess Champion Evgeny Tomashevsky. “The analysis of my loss of this game could make it clear: I should not play in the Cup,” – ironically mentioned Evgeny. “It could happen to anyone. It is a pity that my story stopped such ingloriously”.

Another series have been stopped at the Cup – Shakhriyar Mamedyarov made his first draw after five wins. Still it did not affect his qualification to the next Round.

CHESSBASE: Interview with Gata Kamsky

Berik interviews Gata Kamsky in a press conference after the American was knocked out by Wesley So

How come that you became another victim of the new star of the Cup – So?

Everything is clear: my opponent was better prepared and I was always choosing the wrong openings. In the first game I played recklessly and got a problematic position. I thought I could manage to beat this fellow on class. But he turned out to be very serious chess player. In the second game I had to solve a difficult problem: it is almost impossible to beat a good player with black. I played the Dutch Defense, sacrificed a pawn and got some chances. But at one point I went too far and the advantages for my opponent were clear enough. I offered a draw so as not to suffer…

Perhaps you underestimated your opponent?

No, it is not the case. So was playing better and he deserved the victory.

Could it be the case that you did not take the Cup seriously. You have already guaranteed your participation in the Candidates Matches.

This kind of thoughts perhaps did bother me. But it is not the reason of my elimination.

Why then did not you invite a second to help you? As we remember Emil Sutovsky was helping you in the last Cup after being knocked out?

Let's say neither me nor Emil had an opportunity to cooperate here. I just prefer to play without a second lately. There is another reason. A second or a coach should be paid, and a good coach should be paid well. We were working with Emil at the match against Veselin Topalov. The American Chess Federation did not support me in this cooperation. Well, you can develop the idea yourself now…

After your victory at the World Cup 2007 you have had an ascent of your career…

And now I am experiencing a descent… Like Kramnik says, it is high time to draw conclusions. There is only one difference: Kramnik has drawn them, I have not done so yet…

Interview by FIDE, photos by Galina Popova courtesy of FIDE

JC ANDAN

GM PARAGUA PARA SA PARA SIMUL
MERALCO, Pasig City
W: JC ANDAN
B: GM PARAGUA
BOARD 5
[0-1]

SOL CRUZ

PARAGUA PARA SA PARA SIMUL
MERALCO, Pasig City
W: Rolly SOL CRUZ
B: GM Mark PARAGUA



Result: 0-1

GM MARK PARAGUA

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Full name	Mark Callano Paragua
Country	Philippines
Born	March 29, 1984 (1984-03-29) (age 25) Philippines
Title	Grandmaster
FIDE rating	2529 (April 2009)
Peak rating	2618 (January 2006)

Mark Callano Paragua (born March 29, 1984) is a Filipino chess Grandmaster. He was born in the Philippines to Flordeliza Callano and Ricardo Paragua, who is also his coach. The father and son travel around the world to participate in international tournaments.

At the 1998 Disney World Rapid Chess Championship for Kids, held November 15-17 at the EuroDisney theme park in Paris, Paragua and Bu Xiangzhi each finished first with 7 1/2 points in Boys 14 and under section, with Paragua taking the gold medal on tiebreak points.

He was the youngest Filipino master ever, at 9 years of age. He also became the youngest Filipino GM ever at 20 (until GM Wesley So erased it), beating out Eugenio Torre's record by about two years.

He qualified for the 2004 World Championship in Tripoli, Libya. Paragua was eliminated by Super GM Viktor Bologan of Moldova in the first round 1-3. He also qualified for World Cup Chess 2005 (qualifying tournament for world championship). He upset Super GM Sergei Movsesian; formerly of Armenia now playing for Slovakia in the first round before narrowly losing in the tie breaker against an even stronger opponent in Alexey Dreev of Russia in the second round (Paragua drew both his games against Dreev in the regulation)

Paragua become the first super Grandmaster (to reach 2600 mark) in Philippine history after he placed second in the Asian Zonal 3.3 Chess Championships that ended Friday at the Stanford Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Paragua finished the 9-round Swiss system event with 7.0 points after being forced to a draw by Singapore’s GM Wu Shaobin (Elo 2510), who handled the black pieces. The Filipino earned enough Elo points from the tournament to take his 2596 Elo rating to over the 2600 norm for super GMs, according to International Arbiter Gene Poliarco. Although there is some dispute as to the definition of super GM;(for example: Eugenio Torre was considered as among the elite grandmasters back in the early and mid 80s yet his rating never breached the 2600 mark). In January 2006 FIDE listed Paragua with a rating of 2618 enough to get him in the top 100, but his rating has dropped to 2521 since his marriage.

[edit] Notable games

• Mark Paragua vs Levon Aronian, Linares Anibal op 7th 2000, Formation: King's Indian Attack (A07), 1-0
• Mark Paragua vs Jason Goh Koon-Jong, 36th Olympiad 2004, Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen, Classical Variation (B85), 1-0
• Mark Paragua vs Sergei Movsesian, FIDE World Cup 2005, Slav Defense: Chameleon Variation, Advance System (D15), 1-0
• Mark Paragua vs Alexey Dreev, FIDE World Cup 2005, Semi-Slav Defense: Accelerated Meran Variation (D45), 1-0

[edit] References

• FIDE rating card for Mark Paragua
• Mark Paragua player profile at ChessGames.com

WCC R3 G1: So strikes again – beats Kamsky

ChessBase.com

Kamsky,G (2695) - So,W (2640) [C11]
World Cup Khanty-Mansiysk RUS (3.1), 27.11.2009

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Be3 Qb6 8.a3 cxd4 9.Nxd4 Bc5 10.Na4 Qa5+ 11.c3 Bxd4 12.Bxd4 Nxd4 13.Qxd4 b6 14.Be2 Ba6 15.Bd1 Qb5 16.b4 Rc8 17.Nb2 Qc6 18.Rc1 0-0. The predecessor game went 18...f6 19.exf6 Nxf6 20.Bf3 0-0 21.c4 Qd7 22.a4 Bxc4 23.Nxc4 Qxa4 24.0-0 Qxb4 25.Be2 dxc4 26.Bxc4 Kh8 27.Qd3 Qc5+ 28.Kh1 b5 0-1 Gueroff,E-Jackelen,T (2325)/Germany 1988/GER-chT2. We are told that Kamsky offered a draw in this position, but So played on. Good nerves this kid has.

19.a4 Bc4 20.Bg4 Bb3 21.0-0 Bxa4

The first key moment: Kamsky somewhat surprisingly does not take on a4: 22.f5 [22.Nxa4 Qxa4 23.Ra1 and 24.Rxa7 was the obvious alternative]

22...Bb5 23.Rfe1 Rfe8 24.Re3 f6 25.fxe6 Nxe5 26.Bf5 g6 27.Bh3 Qd6 28.Rd1 Rcd8 29.Rd2 Qe7 30.Rf2 Nc6 31.Qd2

31...d4! 32.Re4 dxc3 33.Qxc3 Rf8 34.g4 Rd6 35.Bg2 Ne5 36.g5 Rxe6 37.gxf6 Rfxf6. Now young Wesley is two pawns up and rides in the full point without too much difficulty.

38.Rxf6 Qxf6 39.Re3 Bc6 40.Nd1 Qg5 41.Rg3 Qf4 42.Nf2 Bxg2 43.Kxg2 Nc4 44.Qd3 Ne3+ 45.Kg1 Nf5 46.Qd5 Qc1+ 47.Nd1 Kf7 48.Rc3 Qg5+ 49.Kf2 Qf4+ 50.Kg2 Qg4+ 51.Kf2 Qe2+ 52.Kg1 Qe1+ 53.Kg2 Kg7 0-1.

World Cup R2: Three super-GMs knocked out

ChessBase.com

That would be fourth seed Alexander Morozevich, who lost 0-2 to Czech GM Viktor Laznicka; fifth seed Teimour Radjabov, who went down against Konstantin Sakaev, and Vassily Ivanchuk, who was eliminated by 16-year-old Wesley So. Top seed Boris Gelfand had a narrow scrape against Farrukh Amonatov, and Peter Svidler equalised against Tomi Nyback.

Once again we hand over, for starters, to our eloquent colleagues in the Khanty-Mansiysk press room:

The result of the classical games of the Round two is as follows: there are 16 clear participants for the 1/8 finals of the Cup. Three super grandmasters are out from the further fight. They lost in the first games of the Round two and could not balance in the second day. The Russian Alexander Morozevich lost to Czech Viktor Laznicka 2-0. The Ukrainian Vasily Ivanchuk could not cope with the young Wesley So of the Philippines. Teimur Rajabov lost to the experienced Russian Konstantin Sakaev.

Only the fivefold Russian Champion Peter Svidler managed to balance the situation by beating Tomy Nyback – they will meet in the tiebreaks. The same goes for the last year finalist Alexey Shirov, who could not make it easy, and lost to the Ukrainian Sergey Fedorchuk in the second game. We should also mention the resolute victory in both games of the following pairs: Shakhriyak Mamedyarov over Vadim Milov of ISR, Chinese Wang Yue over the Russian Boris Savchenko, Dmitry Jakovenko over Indian Sandipan Chanda.

On Thursday there will be 16 tiebreaks. So far the participants of the Cup did not express their disapproval of the format. They consider it fairer; sudden death could only theoretically decide the fate of a match.

Wesley So beats Kamsky in World Cup

The Times of India

Philippine's Wesley So continued to hog the limelight in the World Chess Cup after beating defending champion Gata Kamsky of United

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States in the first game of the third round of this knockout event.

Kamsky, who won the previous event, lost with white pieces and his survival in the event now depends on whether he can win with black pieces.

Wesley on the other hand has a big advantage like situation, similar to the second round against big gun Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine when he had won the first game with black and did not find it too hard to draw with white.

Ivanchuk, who is in the world elite for a long time now, announced after the match that he would quit playing the game professionally.

"It was not just a match, it was a crucial match. I am sure that from now on I should forget about any serious aims in chess. I don't need anything from chess anymore. I will start new life with new goals. I will become just a chess fan now," Ivanchuk said.

Surely losing to a 16-year-old for an elite member of top level events is not easy to digest but those who know Kamsky are still banking on the former Russian who has steely nerves in tense situations.

"Today I played very well against Gata Kamsky. I was preparing to the game. I caught him at the opening and he spent a lot of time. I just hope that tomorrow I will be also lucky," said Wesley after his triumph.

Half the games in the last 32 stage ended decisively but the results saw the higher seeds prevailing generally apart from Kamsky and Sergey Karjakin who met his nemesis in David Navara of Czech Republic.

Top seed Boris Gelfand of Israel went one up against world's best rated woman Judit Polgar of Hungary after a tense game wherein the former showed his positional acumen to get the full point.

Russian Nikita Vitiugov, who had a few anxious moments before he could beat India's Abhijeet Gupta in the first round seemed set to move to the fourth round after his black-piece victory against compatriot Konstantin Sakaev.

Former world champion Ruslan Ponomariov of Ukraine made his mark with a victory over Russian Alexander Motylev while another Russian Dmitry Jakovenko scored over Ukraine's Alexander Areshchenko to go one up in his mini-match.

The other winner of the day were twice world junior champ Shakhriyar Mamedyarov of Azerbaijan and reigning world junior champion Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France accounting for the Chinese duo of Wang Hao and Yu Yangyi respectively.