World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships Berlin 2015

**Wayne Komer** · Thursday, 27th August, 2015, 11:19 PM

Re: World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships Berlin 2015

World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships Berlin 2015

Aug. 27, 2015

From chess.com

http://www.chess.com/news/world-rapi...in-berlin-6277

Last year both events were won by Magnus Carlsen, who thus clinched the world title in all three disciplines of chess. The Norwegian player is planning to defend his rapid and blitz titles in Berlin. Ex-world champion Viswanathan Anand intends to play as well.

Unfortunately the tournament will not see speed chess specialist Hikaru Nakamura. Incidentally, USA's other top grandmasters Fabiano Caruana and Wesley So won't be there either. The reason? All three accepted the invitation of Millionaire Chess (October 8-12, Las Vegas).

The clash is unfortunate, but when it became clear that the World Rapid and Blitz weren't going to be held June 1-10 (the dates that were in the FIDE calendar for many months), a clash with a major event was impossible to avoid.

**Wayne Komer** · 2015-09-30T17:19:31

Re: World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships Berlin 2015

World Rapid and Blitz Berlin 2015

September 30, 2015

The official website:

http://www.berlin2015.fide.com

The Prize Fund for both Championships to be shared by the players totals $400,000. Both Rapid and Blitz Championships will be Swiss pairings tournaments and will be held over three days for Rapid and two days for Blitz.

The Rapid will be 15 rounds, with a single game for each round.

The Blitz will have 21 rounds, with a single game for each round.

Time Control

In the Blitz Championship, each player will have 3 minutes + 2 seconds additional time per move, starting from move 1.

In the Rapid Championship, each player will have 15 minutes + 10 seconds additional time per move, starting from move 1.

Tournament Schedule

October 9, 2015 - Arrival and Opening Ceremony
October 10, 2015 - Rapid Rounds 1-5
October 11, 2015 - Rapid Rounds 6-10
October 12, 2015 - Rapid Rounds 11-15
October 13, 2015 - Blitz Rounds 1-11
October 14, 2015 - Blitz Rounds 12-21 and Closing Ceremony

Entry Fee

The entry fee of $100 US shall be paid to the Organiser. All players must register by not later than 28 August 2015, following which entry fee will be $200 US.

Prize Fund

1. Blitz and Rapid, each $40,000 for first place
2. Blitz and Rapid, each $32,000 for second place
3. Blitz and Rapid, each $26,000 for third place

For the remaining 21 placings:

4. Each $21,000
5. Each $17,000
6. Each $13,000
7th Each $11,000, 8th Each $9,000, 9th Each $7,000, 10th Each $4,000, 11th-16th Each $2,000 and 17th-24th place Each $1,000 US.

Weather

Autumn in Berlin is generally chilly to mild, average temperature in October is +10 °C.

**Wayne Komer** · Wednesday, 7th October, 2015, 12:47 PM

Re: World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships Berlin 2015

World Rapid and Blitz Berlin 2015

Agon has a website which details its expertise in organizing international tournaments and it gives a schedule for the opening.

http://www.agonlimited.com/calendar/

By clicking on Download the Guidelines you get this schedule:

Friday, October 9 - 6 p.m. – Opening Ceremony – Official ceremony, cocktail reception, “Pawn Sacrifice" premier, red carpet event for curated guest list

Key Guests: A. Merkel, cast of Pawn Sacrifice, FIDE President, Magnus Carlsen, Boris Spassky, business elite

Friday, October 9 – 9 p.m. – Gala Dinner – In honor of the World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen (super VIP list, 30 people) at the Soho Private Club, Berlin

Key Guests: FIDE President, Magnus Carlsen, Mayor of Berlin, VVIP guests

Saturday, October 10 – 7 p.m. – Norway Embassy Reception – Ambassador of Norway hosts VIP guests and media to celebrate Magnus Carlsen and chess

Key Guests: Magnus Carlsen, media, business elite, diplomats

_________

It is two days before the opening and a list of the participants has not yet been made public!

I am assuming that the above schedule is firm. With the cast of Pawn Sacrifice, Angela Merkel and Boris Spassky – it almost seems like a wish list promising to be unfulfilled.

The World Champion certainly does move in exalted circles!

**Wayne Komer** · Wednesday, 7th October, 2015, 06:40 PM

Re: World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships Berlin 2015

Press Release

October 7, 2015

Berlin to Host FIDE World Chess Rapid and Blitz Championship

• Highly anticipated tournament gathers 200 top chess players

• Games start on Saturday, October 10, with the Rapid Chess Champion crowned Monday, October 12. The Blitz Chess Champion will be decided Wednesday, October 14

• Gala opening event includes screening of “Pawn Sacrifice,” the new movie starring Tobey Maguire and Liev Schreiber

October, 6 2015 – BERLIN, GERMANY – The World Chess Federation, FIDE (Fédération Internationale des Echecs), and Agon Limited, commercial partner of FIDE, announce that 200 of the world’s best chess players will compete in the upcoming World Chess Rapid and Blitz Championships, starting on October, 10. They include a record 161 grandmasters, making it the highest-ranked FIDE rapid and blitz tournament in history.

“A record number of GMs coming to Berlin this week is yet another milestone in solidifying the strong chess foundation,” commented Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, president of FIDE. “The Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships are an annual event, gathering the world’s best fast-chess players, including reigning and past Rapid and Blitz World Champions. We’re pleased that FIDE and Agon are delivering the highest number of countries’ representatives to an official FIDE event.”

Among the players who will be competing are Magnus Carlsen of Norway, the reigning blitz and rapid champion, as well as former champions Viswanathan Anand (India), Alexander Grischuk (Russia), Vassily Ivanchuk (Ukraine), Leinier Domínguez (Cuba), Levon Aronian (Armenia), Sergey Karjakin (Russia) and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (Azerbaijan). In total, players from 50 countries are competing, breaking the previous record that was set in Dubai in 2014.

“We’ve chosen Berlin as the host city for the Championship, due to its modern vibe and rich history, which is what we believe chess are all about,” said Ilya Merenzon, president of Agon Limited. “Chess has evolved with the time, and now people from all over the world will be able to watch the games, which will be broadcast online at the tournament website. Moreover, chess lovers will be able to stroll around the venue and watch their favorite players battle it out on the chessboard.”

Games start on October 10, and the tournament runs until October 14. The Rapid Chess World Champion will be decided by Monday, October 12, and the Blitz World Champion will be crowned on October 14. The venue of the championships is the magnificent Bolle Meierei, located in the heart of Berlin, close to the beautiful Spree River and Kleiner Tiergaten.

The official press-conference, announcing the start of the tournament, will take place on October 10 at 2.30 pm, and the awards ceremony will take place on October 14 at 6 pm.

There will be a grand gala on October 9, opening the championships, at the prestigious Kino International movie cinema. The gala will include a screening of the latest chess Hollywood blockbuster, “Pawn Sacrifice” starring Tobey Maguire and Liev Schreiber. This movie describes the story of the 1972 World Chess Championship match between Bobby Fischer (Maguire) and Boris Spassky (Schreiber). During the gala, Mr. Spassky, 78, will appear on stage of the cinema hall and greet the audience.

**Wayne Komer** · Thursday, 8th October, 2015, 04:24 PM

Re: World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships Berlin 2015

World Rapid and Blitz

October 8, 2015

The entries list has just been published online:

http://www.berlin2015.fide.com/list-of-players

I give the all the players with a rapid rating of 2700 or more:

Magnus Carlsen Norway 2914
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave France 2854
Alexander Grischuk Russia 2846
Ian Nepomniachtchi Russia 2840
Vassily Ivanchuk Ukraine 2835
Levon Aronian Armenia 2830
Anand Viswanathan India 2816
Teimour Radjabov Azerbaijan 2808
David Navara Czech Republic 2806
Sergey Karjakin Russia 2805
Bohdanovych Stanislav Ukraine 2804
Vladimir Fedoseev Russia 2798
Alexander Morozevich Russia 2790
Vladimir Kramnik Russia 2783
Shakhriyar Mamedyarov Azerbaijan 2780
Rauf Mamedov Azerbaijan 2777
Igor Kovalenko Latvia 2774
Dmitry Andreikin Russia 2773
Ruslan Ponomariov Ukraine 2770
Maxim Matlakov Russia 2752
Boris Gelfand Israel 2751
Peter Svidler Russia 2750
Aleksey Dreev Russia 2749
Leinier Dominguez Cuba 2749
Evgeny Tomashevsky Russia 2748
Vladimir Malakhov Russia 2747
Leko Peter Hungary 2747
Sergey Rublevsky Russia 2746
Radoslaw Wojtaszek Poland 2744
Son Nguyen Ngoc Truong Vietnam 2743
Vladimir Onischuk Ukraine 2743
Ernesto Inarkiev Russia 2742
Harikrishna Pentala India 2740
Nikita Vitiugov Russia 2734
Boris Savchenko Russia 2734
Bacrot Etienne France 2733
Pavel Eljanov Ukraine 2733
Evgeny Alekseev Russia 2729
Georg Meier Germany 2726
Sergei Movsesian Armenia 2724
Fressinet Laurent France 2720
Eduardo Iturrizaga Bonelli Venezuela 2720
Markus Ragger Austria 2711
Aleksandr Moiseenko Ukraine 2710
Gadir Guseinov Azerbaijan 2709
Francisco Vallejo Pons Spain 2708
Aleksandr Rakhmanov Russia 2704
Rustam Kasimdzhanov Uzbekistan 2704
Zoltan Almasi Hungary 2701
Yuriy Kryvoruchko Ukraine 2700
Lazaro Bruzon Batista Cuba 2700
Zaven Andriasian Armenia 2700

Both Svidler and Karjakin are here, as is Pavel Eljanov, Carlsen, Anand, Kramnik and Gelfand. The Americans Nakamura, Caruana and So are playing in the Millionaire.

Three interesting entries are Yasser Seirawan (!) and Thomas Krnan and Eric Hansen of Canada.

I count a total of 192 players. I think there was room for 200.

**Jack Maguire** · Thursday, 8th October, 2015, 04:53 PM

Re: World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships Berlin 2015

With that number of players, it's hard to believe Carlsen could be such an overwhelming 73/50 betting favourite.

https://www.marathonbet.com/en/betting/Chess/

**Wayne Komer** · Saturday, 10th October, 2015, 10:03 AM

Re: World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships Berlin 2015

World Rapid Championship 2015

October 10, 2015

The Rapid has started this morning and is in Round 2 now.

In Round 1, Magnus Carlsen drew with Ghaem Maghami in 80 moves – an amusing final position. Anand won against Lagno, Ivanchuk drew with Antipov, Aronian lost to Huzman, Karjakin beat Borisek, Kramnik drew with Guliyev, Eric Hansen beat Zepeda, MVL beat Jumabayev, Morozevich over Bluebaum, Svidler drew with Shchekachev, and Seirawan beat Thiede among many other results.

Looks like a long day.

I’ve been watching at:

http://livestream.com/ChessCast/events/4388214

**Hugh Brodie** · Saturday, 10th October, 2015, 11:04 AM

Re: World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships Berlin 2015

Eric Hansen (1.5/2) and Thomas Krnan (0/2) are playing in the Rapid.

**Wayne Komer** · Sunday, 11th October, 2015, 12:49 AM

Re: World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships Berlin 2015

World Rapid Berlin 2015

October 10, 2015

Ranking after Day 1

1. Karjakin, Sergey 4.5
2. Vidit Santosh, Guijrathi 4
3. Kasimdzhanov, Rustam 4
4. Kryvoruchko, Yuriy 4
5. Nikolic, Predrag 4
6. Korobov, Anton 4
7. Dubov, Daniil 4
8. Carlsen, Magnus 4
9. Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar 4
10. Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son 4
11. Tomashevsky, Evgeny 4
12. Nepomniachtchi, Ian 4
13. Zhigalko, Sergei 4
14. Leko, Peter 4
15. Wojtaszek, Radoslaw 4
16. Onischuk, Vladimir 4
17. Guseinov, Gadir 4

83. Hansen, Eric 2.5

Would you like to play Magnus Carlsen when he has two queens?

World Rapid 2015
Round 3, Oct. 10, 2015, 15+10
Vallejo Pons, Francisco – Carlsen, Magnus
C95 Ruy Lopez, Closed, Breyer, Borisenko Variation

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O-O 9.h3 Nb8 10.d4 Nbd7 11.c4 c6 12.Nc3 b4 13.Na4 c5 14.d5 Re8 15.a3 a5 16.Bc2 Nf8 17.b3 Ng6 18.Nb2 Bd7 19.Be3 h6 20.Ra2 Nh7 21.Qd2 Ng5 22.Nxg5 Bxg5 23.axb4 Bxe3 24.Qxe3 axb4 25.Rea1 Rxa2 26.Rxa2 Nf4 27.Nd3 Qg5 28.Nxf4 exf4 29.Qd3 Qe5 30.Qd1 Kf8 31.Kf1 Bc8 32.f3 Qg5 33.Qa1 Qg3 34.Bd1 h5 35.Ra7 h4 36.Qa5 Bxh3 37.gxh3 Qxh3+ 38.Ke1 Qg3+ 39.Kd2 h3 40.Qc7 Qg6 41.Bc2 h2 42.e5 Qg2+ 43.Kc1 h1=Q+ 44.Kb2 Qh5 45.Qxd6+ Kg8 46.Qe7 Qxc2+ 47.Kxc2 Rxe7 48.Ra1 0-1

20-year old Indian GM Vidit Gujrathi beat Alexander Grischuk

World Rapid 2015
Round 3, Oct. 10, 2015, 15+10
Grischuk, Alexander – Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi
A45 Queen’s Pawn game

1. d4 Nf6 2. Bf4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Qd2 Bg7 5. O-O-O c6 6. f3 Nbd7 7. Bh6 O-O 8. h4 e5 9. Bxg7 Kxg7 10. h5 exd4 11. Qxd4 c5 12. Qd2 d4 13. Nb1 Qe7 14. hxg6 fxg6 15. Qh6+ Kg8 16. e4 Ne5 17. Na3 Be6 18. Nh3 c4 19. Rxd4 c3 20. Ng5 Bxa2 21. Bb5 Rac8 22. Ba4 Rfd8 23. Rxd8+ Rxd8 24. Nb1 cxb2+ 25. Kxb2 Qb4+ 26. Kxa2 Nc4 0-1

World Rapid 2015
Round 1, Oct. 10, 2015, 15+10
Hansen, Eric – Zepeda, Lorena
B52 Sicilian, Canal-Sokolsky Attack

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Bd7 4.Bxd7+ Qxd7 5.c4 Nc6 6.d4 cxd4 7.Nxd4 Nf6 8.Nc3 g6 9.f3 Bg7 10.Nde2 O-O 11.O-O a6 12.a4 Qc7 13.Kh1 e6 14.Bg5 Nd7 15.Rb1 Nde5 16.b3 h6 17.Bh4 Nb4 18.Qd2 f6 19.f4 Nf7 20.f5 gxf5 21.exf5 e5 22.Ne4 a5 23.Nxf6+ Bxf6 24.Bxf6 Kh7 25.Ng3 Qc6 26.Nh5 d5 27.Be7 Rfe8 28.Nf6+ 1-0

Round 2, Oct. 10, 2015, 15+10
Vallejo Pons, Francisco – Hansen, Eric
C07 French, Tarrasch, Open Variation

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.exd5 Qxd5 5.dxc5 Bxc5 6.Ngf3 Nf6 7.Bc4 Qc6 8.Qe2 O-O 9.Nb3 Bd6 10.Bg5 Nbd7 11.O-O-O h6 12.Nbd4 Qe4 13.Be3 Bf4 14.Bxf4 Qxf4+ 15.Kb1 Nc5 16.g3 Qc7 17.Nb5 Qb8 18.Nd6 a6 19.Qe5 Qc7 20.Nf5 Qxe5 21.Ne7+ Kh7 22.Nxe5 b5 23.Nxc8 Raxc8 24.Be2 Rc7 25.Rd4 Rfc8 26.Rhd1 g6 27.f4 Nd5 28.Bf3 Ne3 29.Re1 Nf5 30.Rd2 h5 31.a3 Kg7 32.Red1 Ne3 33.Re1 Nf5 34.Red1 Ne3 35.Re1 1/2-1/2

Round 3, Oct. 10, 2015, 15+10
Hansen, Eric – Riazantsev, Alexander
B12 Caro-Kann, Advance Variation

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nf3 e6 5.Be2 Ne7 6.O-O Bg6 7.Nbd2 c5 8.dxc5 Nec6 9.Nb3 Nd7 10.Be3 Be7 11.Nfd4 Ncxe5 12.Rc1 O-O 13.c4 dxc4 14.Bxc4 Nxc4 15.Rxc4 Ne5 16.Rc3 Qd5 17.Nb5 Nc4 18.Qxd5 exd5 19.Bd4 Nxb2 20.Re3 Bf6 21.Bxf6 gxf6 22.Nd6 Nc4 23.Re7 b6 24.f4 bxc5 25.Nb7 Rfe8 26.Rxe8+ Rxe8 27.f5 Bh5 28.N7xc5 Re2 29.h3 Ne3 30.Rf2 Re1+ 31.Kh2 Nf1+ 32.Kg1 Ne3+ 33.Kh2 Bd1 34.Nd7 Nf1+ 35.Kg1 Ne3+ 36.Kh2 Nf1+ 37.Kg1 Ng3+ 38.Kh2 Ne4 39.Rb2 Bxb3 40.Rxb3 h5 41.Rd3 h4 42.Rd4 Kg7 43.Nb8 Rc1 44.Na6 Kh6 45.a4 Kg5 46.a5 Ng3 0-1

Round 4, Oct. 10, 2015, 15+10
Andreikin, Dmitry – Hansen, Eric
C01 French, Exchange (3.Nc3)

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.exd5 exd5 5.Bd3 Nc6 6.a3 Bxc3+ 7.bxc3 Nge7 8.Qh5 Be6 9.Nf3 Qd7 10.Ng5 O-O-O 11.Nxe6 fxe6 12.O-O Rdf8 13.a4 Nf5 14.Ba3 Re8 15.Rfe1 g6 16.Qg5 e5 17.dxe5 Nxe5 18.Bf1 a6 19.Qf4 Nf7 20.Bd3 N7d6 21.h4 Rxe1+ 22.Rxe1 Re8 23.Rxe8+ Qxe8 24.h5 Kb8 25.g4 Qe1+ 26.Bf1 Nh4 27.Bxd6 cxd6 28.Qxd6+ Ka7 29.Qc5+ Ka8 30.Qxd5 g5 31.h6 Ka7 32.c4 Qc1 33.Qd3 Ka8 34.c5 Qf4 35.Be2 Qxa4 36.Qd8+ Ka7 37.Qb6+ Kb8 38.c6 Qa1+ 39.Kh2 Qe5+ 40.Kh3 Qc7 41.Qxc7+ Kxc7 42.f4 Ng6 43.fxg5 a5 44.Bd3 Nf8 1-0

Round 5, Oct. 10, 2015, 15+10
Hansen, Eric – Przybyiski, Wojciech
C42 Petrov, Nimzowitsch Attack

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.Nc3 Nxc3 6.dxc3 Be7 7.Be3 Nc6 8.Qd2 Ne5 9.O-O-O O-O 10.Nxe5 dxe5 11.Bd3 Be6 12.Qe2 Qc8 13.Kb1 c6 14.Bc1 Qc7 15.Rhe1 Bf6 16.g4 g6 17.h4 b5 18.h5 Rfe8 19.Be4 Bg7 20.Qf3 Rac8 21.hxg6 fxg6 22.Rh1 Qf7 23.Qxf7+ Bxf7 24.Rd6 c5 25.Bc6 Re6 26.Rxe6 Bxe6 27.Bxb5 Bxg4 28.Bc4+ Kh8 29.Be3 Bf5 30.Bd5 h5 31.c4 Bf6 32.a3 Kg7 33.b4 Be7 34.b5 h4 35.a4 h3 36.a5 Bd8 37.Bd2 Bc7 38.Bc3 g5 39.Kb2 Kf6 40.Ra1 Be6 41.Bh1 Bxc4 42.b6 Rb8 43.Kc1 Bxb6 44.axb6 axb6 45.Ra7 Bf1 46.Kd2 Rd8+ 47.Ke3 Rd1 48.Be4 Bg2 49.Rh7 g4 50.Rh5 Kf7 51.Bf5 Bf3 52.Bxe5 Re1+ 53.Kf4 b5 54.Rh7+ Kg8 55.Bg6 Rxe5 56.Kxe5 c4 57.Kf6 1-0

**Jack Maguire** · Sunday, 11th October, 2015, 08:56 AM

Re: World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships Berlin 2015

Magnus Carlsen got very lucky in R6 when Daniil Dubov failed to find 33. ...Ne5.

http://www.chessbomb.com/arena/2015-...s-Dubov_Daniil

**Wayne Komer** · Sunday, 11th October, 2015, 10:38 PM

Re: World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships Berlin 2015

World Rapid 2015

October 11, 2015

Day 2, Rounds 6-10

Vassily Ivanchuk had a good second day with 4.5 out of 5.

World Rapid 2015, Round 9, Oct. 11, 2015
Wojtaszek, Radoslaw – Ivanchuk, Vassily
E60 King’s Indian

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.g3 c6 5.Bg2 d5 6.Nbd2 a5 7.b3 a4 8.Ba3 O-O 9.O-O Re8 10.e3 axb3 11.axb3 Bf5 12.Qe2 Nbd7 13.cxd5 cxd5 14.h3 e6 15.g4 Be4 16.g5 Bxf3 17.Bxf3 Nh5 18.Bxh5 gxh5 19.f4 Qb6 20.Bb2 Nf8 21.Qxh5 Ng6 22.Qe2 Ne7 23.Qd3 Nf5 24.Rxa8 Rxa8 25.Ra1 Rxa1+ 26.Bxa1 h6 27.gxh6 Bxh6 28.Kf2 Bf8 29.Bb2 Be7 30.Ke2 Qa5 31.Bc3 Qa2 32.Qb1 Qa6+ 33.Qd3 Ng3+ 0-1

World Rapid 2015, Round 10, Oct. 11, 2015
Ivanchuk, Vassily – Kryvoruchko, Yuriy
A28 English, Four Knights, Marini Variation

1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e5 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.a3 d5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.Qc2 Nxc3 7.bxc3 Bd6 8.d4 O-O 9.e3 Re8 10.Bd3 h6 11.O-O b6 12.Bb2 Bb7 13.Rfe1 Qe7 14.Be4 Rab8 15.c4 exd4 16.exd4 Qf8 17.c5 bxc5 18.dxc5 Bxc5 19.Rac1 Be7 20.Qa4 Nd8 21.Ne5 Bc8 22.Bd5 Kh8 23.Bxf7 Bf5 24.Qxe8 Qxe8 25.Bxe8 Rxb2 26.Ng6+ Bxg6 27.Bxg6 1-0

Eric Hansen played uncompromising chess with these results:

MVL-Hansen 1-0
Hansen-Schneider 1-0
Tari-Hansen 0-1
Hansen-Bartel 0-1
Ponomariov-Hansen 1-0

Aryan Tari is the 16-year-old Norwegian prodigy.

World Rapid 2015, Round 6, Oct. 11, 2015
Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime – Hansen, Eric
D78 Neo-Grunfeld

1.Nf3 Nf6 2.g3 g6 3.Bg2 Bg7 4.b3 Ne4 5.d4 d5 6.O-O O-O 7.c4 c6 8.Nbd2 Bf5 9.Bb2 Nxd2 10.Nxd2 Qd7 11.Re1 Rd8 12.e3 Na6 13.a3 Nc5 14.Bc3 Ne4 15.Nxe4 Bxe4 16.f3 Bf5 17.Rc1 Rac8 18.g4 Be6 19.c5 b6 20.b4 bxc5 21.bxc5 Rb8 22.Bf1 f5 23.g5 f4 24.exf4 Bf5 25.Kf2 Qc7 26.Kg3 Rf8 27.Qd2 Rf7 28.Ba5 Qd7 29.Rc3 Rbf8 30.Rb3 Qc8 31.Qb2 Bd7 32.Bd2 Qc7 33.Rb7 Qd8 34.h4 Bc8 35.Rxa7 Bf5 36.a4 h6 37.a5 e5 38.Rxf7 exf4+ 39.Bxf4 Rxf7 40.a6 hxg5 41.hxg5 Bc8 42.Qb8 1-0

World Rapid 2015, Round 8, Oct. 11, 2015
Tari, Aryan – Hansen, Eric
B41 Sicilian, Kan, Maroczy Bind

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.c4 Nf6 6.Nc3 Qc7 7.a3 b6 8.Be3 Bb7 9.f3 d6 10.Be2 Be7 11.Qd2 Nbd7 12.O-O O-O 13.b4 Rac8 14.Rac1 Rfe8 15.Rfd1 Qb8 16.Kh1 Ne5 17.Na4 Nfd7 18.Nb3 Bc6 19.Nb2 Nf6 20.a4 Ba8 21.a5 bxa5 22.Nxa5 d5 23.c5 dxe4 24.f4 Neg4 25.Bxa6 Rcd8 26.Bd4 e3 27.Qe1 Qxf4 28.Qg3 Rxd4 29.Qxf4 Rxf4 30.c6 Nf2+ 31.Kg1 Nxd1 0-1

World Rapid 2015, Round 10, Oct. 11, 2015
Ponomariov, Ruslan – Hansen, Eric
D78 Neo-Grunfeld

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 c6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Bg2 d5 6.Nbd2 O-O 7.O-O Ne4 8.b3 Bf5 9.Bb2 Nxd2 10.Qxd2 Be4 11.Rfd1 Nd7 12.Rac1 Nf6 13.Qb4 Rb8 14.cxd5 Bxd5 15.Qc3 Qb6 16.Bf1 Ne4 17.Qe3 f5 18.Ne1 e5 19.dxe5 Qxe3 20.fxe3 Rfe8 21.Nd3 Bf7 22.Bg2 Ng5 23.Nc5 Be6 24.Nxb7 Rxb7 25.Bxc6 Reb8 26.Bxb7 Rxb7 27.Rd6 Kf7 28.Bd4 Ne4 29.Ra6 g5 30.Rxa7 Rxa7 31.Bxa7 Bxe5 32.Bd4 Bd6 33.a4 Bxb3 34.a5 Bd5 35.a6 Ke6 36.Rc8 Kd7 37.Rh8 Bc7 38.Rxh7+ Kc6 39.a7 1-0

The co-leaders at the end of Round 10 are Magnus Carlsen and Sergei Zhigalko.

Who is Sergei? He is a Belarusian GM (2007) born in 1989 in Minsk, runner-up to MVL in the World Junior of 2009. He was defeated in the 2nd Round of the recent World Cup Baku 2015 by Veselin Topalov.

The story of today according to chess-news.ru:

The fact that Magnus Carlsen is leading the World Rapid Championship is hardly surprising for anyone, but Sergei Zhigalko sharing the lead with him is more of a plot twist. Both have 8 out of 10 before the crucial day.

On the second playing day, Carlsen beat Wojtaszek, Guseinov and Radjabov. His games against Nepomniachtchi and Dubov ended in draws. The Belarusian player's victims have been Gelfand, Bocharov, Nepomniachtchi, while Leko and Kryvoruchko have managed to hold.
The Carlsen - S. Zhigalko encounter will take place in the 11th round which is the starting one tomorrow.

What makes it all the more interesting is that Zhigalko's successful performance coincided with the day when Alexander Lukashenko was reelected as the president of Belarus for already the fifth time.

Sergey Karjakin, who had been in the lead after the first playing day, then slowed down and is now among the group of players with 6.5 points for each. The leaders' nearest rivals are Ivanchuk, Kramnik and Kovalenko.

World Rapid 2015, Round 10, Oct. 11, 2015
Zhigalko, Sergei – Nepomniachtchi, Ian
B53 Sicilian, Chekhover Variation

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4 a6 5.Bc4 Nc6 6.Qd3 e6 7.Nc3 Nf6 8.Bf4 Be7 9.O-O-O Ng4 10.Rhf1 Na5 11.h3 Nf6 12.Bb3 Nxb3+ 13.axb3 e5 14.Bg5 Be6 15.Bxf6 gxf6 16.Nh4 Rg8 17.g4 Qa5 18.Kb1 O-O-O 19.Nd5 Rd7 20.b4 Qd8 21.Nf5 Bxf5 22.gxf5 Kb8 23.Rg1 Rxg1 24.Rxg1 Qf8 25.b5 axb5 26.Qxb5 Rd8 27.Rg3 1-0

Mate in 12 for White after 27…Rc8 28.Rb3

"It could easily win the prize for the worst game I've ever played." Ian Nepomniachtchi on his round 10 loss vs Sergei Zhigalko, World Rapid.

**Wayne Komer** · Monday, 12th October, 2015, 12:00 PM

Re: World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships Berlin 2015

World Rapid 2015

October 12, 2015

Rounds 11-15

It was very pleasant on this sunny Thanksgiving morning to be able to watch Magnus Carlsen and Vassily Ivanchuk playing. Something to give thanks for.

Ivanchuk was in form and had a slight advantage in position and time but something went wrong at the end and Carlsen had queen and pawn, Ivanchuk just a queen and he resigned. I should like to know where he went wrong a few moves before this. The game:

World Rapid 2015
Round 12, Oct. 12, 2015
Carlsen, Magnus – Ivanchuk, Vassily
C42 Petrov, Nimzowitsch Attack

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. Nc3 Nxc3 6. dxc3 Be7 7. Be3 O-O 8. Qd2 Nd7 9. O-O-O c6 10. h4 d5 11. Bd3 Nc5 12. Bxc5 Bxc5 13. Rde1 Qf6 14. Nd4 Bd7 15. Re3 Rae8 16. Rf3 Qe5 17. Bf5 Bxf5 18. Nxf5 Re6 19. h5 Rfe8 20. Rd1 h6 21. a3 Be7 22. Nxe7+ R8xe7 23. g4 b5 24. Re3 Qg5 25. Rxe6 fxe6 26. Qxg5 hxg5 27. Kd2 Rf7 28. Ke3 e5 29. f3 Rf4 30. Rh1 Kh7 31. Re1 a5 32. Rh1 a4 33. Rg1 Kg8 34. Rh1 Rf6 35. b3 Rf4 36. h6 g6 37. h7+ Kh8 38. Rh6 Rf6 39. bxa4 bxa4 40. c4 dxc4 41. Ke4 Rf4+ 42. Kxe5 Rxf3 43. Rxg6 Kxh7 44. Rxc6 Rc3 45. Kd5 Rxa3 46. Rxc4 Ra1 47. Kc5 Kg6 48. Kb4 Kf6 49. Re4 Ra2 50. c3 Rc2 51. Rc4 Ra2 52. Kb5 a3 53. Kb4 Ke5 54. Kb3 Ra1 55. Ra4 Rc1 56. Rxa3 Kf4 57. Ra4+ Kf3 58. Rd4 Ke3 59. Kb4 Rf1 60. Kc5 Rf4 61. Kd5 Kf3 62. Rxf4+ gxf4 63. g5 Ke3 64. g6 f3 65. g7 f2 66. g8=Q f1=Q 67. Qe6+ Kd2 68. c4 Kc3 69. Qe3+ Kb4 70. Qb6+ Kc3 71. Qd4+ Kb3 72. c5 Qf7+ 73. Kc6 Qe6+ 74. Kb7 Qe7+ 75. Kb6 Qe6+ 76. c6 1-0

Jan: Is Vassily resigning prematurely?

My analytical engine: White wins in 25 moves after 76..Kc2

and on the next board, to add to one’s morning pleasure, was Kramnik-Zhigalko. It is one thing to write a potted bio of Zhigalko and quite another to see him playing Kramnik.

World Rapid 2015
Round 12, Oct. 12
Kramnik, Vladimir – Zhigalko, Sergey
D02 Queen’s Bishop Game

1. d4 Nf6 2. Bf4 e6 3. e3 d5 4. Nd2 c5 5. Ngf3 Nc6 6. c3 Bd6 7. Bg3 O-O 8. Bd3 b6 9. e4 Be7 10. e5 Nh5 11. a3 a5 12. Qe2 c4 13. Bc2 b5 14. Ng5 Bxg5 15. Qxh5 g6 16. Qe2 f5 17. exf6 Qxf6 18. h4 Bf4 19. Bxf4 Qxf4 20. g3 Qf6 21. f4 Ra7 22. Nf3 h6 23. Ne5 Nxe5 24. dxe5 Qg7 25. Qg4 Rd8 26. O-O-O b4 27. Qxg6 Qxg6 28. Bxg6 Rg7 29. h5 Bd7 30. f5 Ba4 31. Rdf1 bxa3 32. bxa3 exf5 33. Rxf5 Be8 34. Rf6 Bxg6 35. hxg6 Re8 36. Rd6 Rge7 37. Rxd5 Rxe5 38. Rxe5 Rxe5 39. Rxh6 Re3 40. Kd2 Rd3+ 41. Kc2 Rxg3 42. Rh4 Rg2+ 43. Kc1 Rg1+ 44. Kd2 Ra1 45. Rxc4 Rxa3 46. Kc2 a4 47. Rb4 Ra2+ 48. Kb1 Rg2 49. Rxa4 Rxg6 50. Rf4 Rg2 51. c4 Kg7 52. c5 Rg5 53. Rc4 Kf6 54. Kc2 Ke6 55. c6 Rg8 56. Kc3 Kd6 57. Kb4 Rb8+ 58. Ka5 Kc7 59. Rc2 ½-½

At one point in the round, Jan Gustafsson, who was switching between the Carlsen and Kramnik games, said that they had the same position. I think this is when there were rooks and pawns only. So Kramnik draws and Carlsen wins the same position. This better be checked out before I say any more.

I should mention that in Round 11, Magnus beat Zhigalko

World Rapid 2015
Round 11, Oct. 12, 2015
Zhigalko, Sergey – Carlsen, Magnus
C88 Ruy Lopez, Closed

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. h3 Bb7 9. d3 d6 10. a3 Nb8 11. Nbd2 Nbd7 12. Nf1 Re8 13. Ng3 Bf8 14. Ng5 d5 15. exd5 Nc5 16. c4 Nxb3 17. Qxb3 c6 18. dxc6 Bxc6 19. cxb5 Bd5 20. Qd1 axb5 21. N5e4 h6 22. Qf3 Ra6 23. Bd2 Ba8 24. Bb4 Nd5 25. Bxf8 Rxf8 26. d4 exd4 27. Nf5 Ne7 28. Rad1 Nxf5 29. Qxf5 Re6 30. f3 d3 31. Qxb5 Bxe4 32. Rxe4 Rxe4 33. fxe4 Qd4+ 34. Kh1 Rd8 35. Qb4 Qe3 36. Qa5 Rd4 37. Qd2 Qxe4 38. Re1 Qd5 39. Re3 Kh7 40. b4 Qg5 41. Kg1 Rd6 42. a4 Qxe3+ 43. Qxe3 d2 44. Qe4+ g6 0-1

In Round 13, Ivanchuk meets Kramnik and Carlsen is Black against Leinier Dominguez. Carlsen has a 1.5 lead and so is content to draw with Dominguez.

World Rapid 2015
Round 13, Oct. 12, 2015
Dominguez, Leinier – Carlsen, Magnus
C88 Ruy Lopez, Closed, Anti-Marshall

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 O-O 8. a4 Bb7 9. d3 Re8 10. Nc3 Nd4 11. axb5 Nxb3 12. cxb3 axb5 13. Rxa8 Bxa8 14. Nxb5 d5 15. exd5 Bb4 16. Bd2 Bxd2 17. Qxd2 Bxd5 18. Nxe5 Bxg2 19. Kxg2 Qd5+ 20. Nf3 Qxb5 21. Rxe8+ Nxe8 22. Qe3 h6 23. Qe5 Qd7 24. h3 Nf6 25. Nd4 Kf8 26. Qc5+ Kg8 27. Qe5 Kf8 28. Qc5+ Kg8 ½-½

Supposedly, all prep for Magnus.

Ian Nepomniachtchi has been hovering around the top. He is playing Boris Savchenko, who is Russian grandmaster, 29 years old, who runs his own chess school in Moscow. Boris succumbs to a trick and loses to Ian:

Round 13, Oct. 12, 2015
Nepomniachtchi, Ian – Savchenko, Boris
B27 Sicilian

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 g6 3. c3 Bg7 4. d4 cxd4 5. cxd4 d5 6. e5 Bg4 7. Bb5+ Nc6 8. h3 Bxf3 9. Qxf3 Rc8 10. O-O e6 11. Qa3 Qb6 12. Nc3 Qxd4 13. Be3 Qxe5 14. Bc5 a6 15. Rfe1 Qg5 16. Bxc6+ Rxc6 17. Rad1 Ne7 18. Qb4 a5 19. Qxb7 Rxc5 20. Ne4 Qh4 21. g3 Qxh3 22. Nxc5 Nf5 23. Qd7+ 1-0

Kramnik falters a couple of times against Ivanchuk but in the end it is a draw:

Round 13, Oct. 12, 2015
Ivanchuk, Vassily – Kramnik, Vladimir
D37 QGD

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 d5 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bg5 Nbd7 6. cxd5 Nxd5 7. Bxe7 Qxe7 8. Rc1 Nxc3 9. Rxc3 c6 10. g3 O-O 11. Bg2 e5 12. O-O e4 13. Nd2 f5 14. Qb3+ Kh8 15. Qa3 Qd8 16. Nc4 Nf6 17. Nb6 Rb8 18. Qxa7 Be6 19. e3 g5 20. Rfc1 f4 21. b4 Nd5 22. Nxd5 Bxd5 23. b5 Ra8 24. Qc5 Rxa2 25. bxc6 fxe3 26. fxe3 bxc6 27. R3c2 Ra5 28. Qc3 Qa8 29. Rf1 Rxf1+ 30. Bxf1 Ra3 31. Qe1 Kg7 32. Qb4 Qf8 33. Qxf8+ Kxf8 ½-½

Zhigalko is playing Ernesto Inarkiev. The latter was named after Ernesto Che Guevara, I believe.
Round 13, Oct. 12, 2015
Zhigalko, Sergey – Inarkiev, Ernesto
C58 Two Knights Defence

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 d5 5. exd5 Na5 6. Bb5+ c6 7. dxc6 bxc6 8. Bd3 Nd5 9. Nf3 Bd6 10. O-O Nf4 11. Nc3 Nxd3 12. cxd3 O-O 13. Ne4 c5 14. b3 Nc6 15. Ba3 Nb4 16. Bxb4 cxb4 17. Re1 Bb7 18. Nxd6 Qxd6 19. Nxe5 Rfe8 20. Nc4 Qg6 21. Rxe8+ Rxe8 22. Qf1 h5 23. f3 Kh7 24. a3 Rd8 25. axb4 Rxd3 26. Ne5 Qb6+ 27. Kh1 Rxb3 28. h3 Qxb4 29. Qd1 Kg8 30. d4 f6 31. Nd3 Qb6 32. Nc5 Rb4 33. Qe1 Kh7 34. Qe8 Kh6 35. Qh8+ Kg6 36. Qe8+ Kh6 37. Ne6 Rb1+ 38. Rxb1 Qxb1+ 39. Kh2 Qg6 40. Qh8+ Qh7 41. Qb8 Qf5 42. Qh8+ Qh7 43. Qb8 Qf5 44. Nxg7 Kxg7 45. Qxb7+ Kg6 46. Qb8 a5 47. Qg3+ Qg5 48. Qb8 h4 49. Qb1+ Kh6 50. Qd1 Qd5 51. Kg1 Kg7 52. Qa4 Kf7 53. Kf2 Ke7 54. g3 hxg3+ 55. Kxg3 Qg5+ 56. Kf2 Qd2+ 57. Kf1 Kd6 58. h4 Qc1+ 59. Ke2 Qb2+ 60. Kd3 Qb1+ 61. Ke2 Qb2+ 62. Ke3 Qc1+ 63. Ke4 Qc3 64. h5 Ke7 65. Qb5 Qc2+ 66. Ke3 Qc3+ 67. Qd3 Qe1+ 68. Qe2 Qh4 69. Kd3+ Kd7 70. f4 Qxf4 71. Qe4 Qg5 72. Qb7+ Ke6 73. d5+ Ke5 74. Qc7+ Kxd5 75. Qxa5+ Ke6 76. Qxg5 fxg5 77. Ke4 Kf6 78. Kf3 Kg7 79. Kg3 Kh7 80. Kh3 Kg7 81. Kg3 Kh7 ½-½
________

With two rounds to go these are the standings:

Standing after Round 13

Carlsen 10.5
Nepomniachtchi 9.5
Zhigalko 9
Kramnik 9
Radjabov 9
Ivanchuk 9
Dominguez 9
Onischuk 9
Inarkiev 8.5
Mamedyarov 8.5
Tomashevsky 8.5
Khismatullin 8.5
MVL 8.5
Malakhov 8.5
Razantsev 8.5
Guseinov 8.5
Bocharov 8.5
Fedoseev 8.5
Kovalenko 8.5
Savchenko 8.5

The above list is not official.

**Wayne Komer** · Monday, 12th October, 2015, 03:02 PM

Re: World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships Berlin 2015

World Rapid 2015

October 12, 2015

Rounds 14 and 15

At the top board, there is a quick draw between Carlsen and Kramnik

World Rapid 2015
Round 14, Oct. 12, 2015
Carlsen, Magnus – Kramnik, Vladimir
C67 Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defence, Open Variation

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. Re1 Nd6 6. Nxe5 Be7 7. Bf1 Nf5 8. c3 Nxe5 9. Rxe5 d6 10. Re1 O-O 11. d4 d5 12. Bf4 Bd6 13. Qf3 Nh4 14. Qg3 Nf5 15. Qf3 Nh4 16. Qg3 ½-½

Public sentiment seems to be against such draws. Compare with what happened between Nakamura and McShane in Millionaire Chess.

Comments on chessbomb here:

- These guys deserve to be covered in tar and feathers
- Any penalty for not playing?
- What would you tell these guys if you were the sponsor?
- MC wanted to play it safe and K wanted to play for second place rather than lose.
- Just play the Petrov again
- Yeah, you never see the Petrov anymore.
______

How is Eric Hansen been playing today? These results 11-13:

Rd. 11 Hansen, Eric – Krnan, Tomas 1/2-1/2
Rd. 12 Papin, Vasily – Hansen, Eric 0-1
Rd. 13 Hansen, Eric – Shchekachev, Andrei 1-0

World Rapid
Round 13, Oct. 12, 2015
Hansen, Eric – Shchekachev, Andrei
B42 Sicilian, Kan, Polugaievsky Variation

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 a6 5. Bd3 Bc5 6. Nb3 Be7 7. O-O d6 8. Qg4 g6 9. Qe2 Nd7 10. a4 Ne5 11. Nc3 Bd7 12. a5 Nf6 13. Bh6 Nfg4 14. Bd2 O-O 15. f4 Nxd3 16. cxd3 Nf6 17. Be3 Bc6 18. Nd4 Rc8 19. Kh1 Re8 20. g4 Bf8 21. f5 Bg7 22. fxe6 fxe6 23. Nxc6 Rxc6 24. d4 Qc8 25. h3 Rf8 26. Qg2 Rc4 27. Rf2 Nd7 28. Rd2 Rb4 29. Rad1 Qc7 30. Ra1 b5 31. e5 d5 32. Rc2 Qb7 33. Ne2 Rc4 34. Nf4 Qc6 35. Rf2 Bh6 36. Raf1 Bxf4 37. Bxf4 Kg7 38. Bg5 Rc2 39. Rxc2 Rxf1+ 40. Kh2 1-0

From a better position, Ivanchuk loses on time against Radjabov!

Round 13, Oct. 12, 2015
Ivanchuk, Vassily – Radjabov, Teimour
A33 English, Symmetrical Variation

1. c4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e6 6. a3 Bc5 7. Nb3 Be7 8. e4 O-O 9. Be2 b6 10. Be3 Bb7 11. O-O d6 12. Rc1 Ne5 13. f4 Ned7 14. Bf3 Rb8 15. Nd2 a6 16. Qe2 Qc7 17. g4 Rfc8 18. g5 Ne8 19. h4 Qd8 20. Bg4 Bf8 21. f5 Qe7 22. Rf2 Ne5 23. Rcf1 Nc7 24. Bd4 exf5 25. Rxf5 Ne6 26. Bxe5 dxe5 27. Rxf7 Qc5+ 28. Kg2 Nf4+ 29. R7xf4 exf4 30. Be6+ Kh8 31. Bxc8 Rxc8 32. Rxf4 Bd6 33. Rf7 Qe5 34. Nf1 Bc6 35. Qf3 Re8 36. Ng3 Kg8 37. Nf5 Bf8 38. Ra7 Kh8 39. b4 Rd8 40. Nd5 Bd7 41. Rb7 0-1

To recap the round, Carlsen made a draw against Kramnik, Ivanchuk forgot the clock and lost and Nepomniachtchi drew against Inarkiev. Eric Hansen drew with Nguyen, Ngoc Truong Son So, heading into the final round, the unofficial standing:

Standing at the end of Round 14

Carlsen 11
Radjabov 10
Nepomniachtchi 10
Dominguez 10
Mamedyarov 9.5
Kramnik 9.5
MVL 9.5
Onischuk, Vladimir 9.5
Bocharov 9.5
Inarkiev 9.5
Hansen 7.5

Pairings in Round 15

1. Mamedyarov (9.5) - Carlsen (11)
2. Nepomniachtchi (10) - Dominguez (10)
3. Radjabov (10) – MVL (9.5)
4. Kramnik (9.5) – Bocharov (9.5)
5. Onischuk (9.5) – Inarkiev (9.5)
6. Akopian (8) – Ivanchuk (9)
7. Salem (9) – Karjakin (9)
8. Anand (9) – Kryvoruchko (9)
9. Kovalenko (9) – Riazantsev (9)
10. Wojtaszek (9) – Malakhov (9)
30. Hansen (7.5) – Dreev (7.5)

Alexander Grischuk, having beaten Rauf Mamedov, joins Jan Gustafsson and so we have two of the best commentators in chess. They search the tournament for an exciting game but can’t find one. So, they go back to Mamedyarov-Carlsen, which ends in a draw.

World Rapid 2015
Round 15, Oct. 12, 2015
Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar – Carlsen, Magnus
E52 Nimzo-Indian

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Nf3 b6 5. e3 O-O 6. Bd3 d5 7. cxd5 exd5 8. O-O Ba6 9. Bxa6 Nxa6 10. Qd3 Qc8 11. Bd2 Re8 12. Rac1 Bf8 13. a3 c5 14. dxc5 Nxc5 15. Qb1 Qa6 16. Nd4 Rac8 17. f3 Ne6 18. Nce2 Bc5 19. Qf5 Bxd4 20. Nxd4 Nxd4 21. exd4 Rxc1 22. Rxc1 Qb5 23. Qc2 h6 24. a4 Qa6 25. b3 Nd7 26. Qc6 Nf6 27. Qc2 Qb7 28. Qf5 Qe7 29. h3 Qe2 30. Qc2 Qa6 31. Bf4 Qb7 32. Kh2 Qe7 33. Qf5 Rd8 34. Bc7 Qd7 35. Qxd7 Rxd7 36. Be5 Nh7 37. Rc8+ Nf8 38. Kg3 f6 39. Bb8 Kf7 40. Kf2 Ne6 41. Ke3 Ke7 42. f4 Rb7 43. Rg8 Kf7 44. Rh8 Rd7 45. Rc8 g6 46. g4 Re7 47. Bd6 Re8 48. Rxe8 Kxe8 49. f5 gxf5 50. gxf5 Ng5 51. h4 Ne4 52. Bb8 a6 53. h5 Kf7 54. Bf4 Kg7 55. Kd3 ½-½

Round 15, Oct. 12, 2015
Nepomniachtchi, Yan – Dominguez, Leinier
C45 Scotch Game

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. Nc3 Nf6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O Re8 9. Bg5 h6 10. Bh4 Be7 11. e5 Nd5 12. Bxe7 Qxe7 13. Qd2 Qb4 14. Rae1 Qf4 15. Qd1 Nxc3 16. bxc3 d5 17. exd6 Bg4 18. Rxe8+ Rxe8 19. Re1 Rf8 20. f3 Be6 21. dxc7 Qxc7 22. Qe2 Qb6+ 23. Qe3 Rb8 24. Qxb6 axb6 25. a4 Kf8 26. Rb1 Ke7 27. a5 Kd6 28. Rxb6 Rxb6 29. axb6 Bc8 30. Bc4 f6 31. Kf2 Kc5 32. Be6 Ba6 33. Ke3 Kxb6 34. Kd4 Bf1 35. g3 Bg2 36. Bg4 Bf1 37. Ke4 Bc4 38. Bh5 Be6 39. Be8 c5 40. Ba4 Kc7 41. Bb3 Kd6 42. Bxe6 Kxe6 43. g4 g6 44. h3 f5+ 45. Ke3 Ke5 46. c4 Ke6 47. Kf4 Kf6 48. h4 Ke6 49. Ke3 Ke5 ½-½

The engines say that Yan was comfortably ahead.

Round 15, Oct. 12, 2015
Akopian, Vladimir – Ivanchuk, Vassily
B12 Caro-Kann, Advance Variation

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. Nf3 e6 5. Be2 Ne7 6. O-O c5 7. dxc5 Nec6 8. Be3 Nd7 9. c4 dxc4 10. Bxc4 Bxc5 11. Qe2 Bxe3 12. Qxe3 Qb6 13. Qxb6 axb6 14. Bb5 Ke7 15. Bxc6 bxc6 16. Nbd2 Rhd8 17. Rfe1 c5 18. Nc4 Bd3 19. Rec1 Bxc4 20. Rxc4 b5 21. Rc2 c4 22. a3 Nc5 23. h4 Rd3 24. Re1 Rad8 25. Kh2 R8d5 26. Ree2 h6 27. Nd2 Na4 28. Nf1 Rb3 29. Ne3 Rxe5 30. Rcd2 f6 31. g3 Re4 32. Kg2 f5 33. Kf1 g5 34. hxg5 hxg5 35. Nd1 Rxe2 36. Rxe2 g4 37. Rd2 Kf6 38. Ke2 Ke5 39. Kf1 Rd3 40. Rxd3 cxd3 41. b3 Nc5 42. Nc3 Nxb3 43. Ke1 Na5 44. Nxb5 Nc4 45. a4 Ke4 46. Nc7 e5 47. Ne6 Kf3 48. Kf1 Nd2+ 49. Ke1 Ne4 50. a5 d2+ 51. Kd1 Kxf2 52. Nc7 f4 0-1

- Well done, Chucky
- Despite last game loss and loss against Carlsen, Chucky was great
- If he had won against Radjabov, he would have been #2
- With 11/15, just half a point behind Carlsen but Chucky is Chucky.

Final Standing

1. Carlsen 11.5
2. Nepomniachtchi 10.5
3. Radjabov 10.5
4. Dominguez 10.5
5. Bocharov 10
6. Onischuk, V. 10
7. Kramnik 10
8. Ivanchuk 10
9. Kovalenko 10
10. MVL 10
11. Mamedyarov 10
12. Inarkiev 10
20. Zhigalko 9.5
62. Seirawan 8
67. Hansen 8

At the final ceremony, Magnus Carlsen got the gold medal for first, Yan Nepomniachtchi the silver for second and Radjabov, the bronze for third. Radjabov won on tie-break and didn’t seem to know that, so was absent.

Carlsen said that you shouldn’t be afraid of drawing when you are in a tournament of 15 rounds. Yan said that his loss to Zhigalko could not be worse. You can always have a short collapse, which is fatal to your final chances.

Asked about the possible winner of the Blitz Tournament that starts tomorrow, Yan indicated himself and Carlsen but also spoke of our French friend, Maxime and Ivanchuk as having good chances.

**Wayne Komer** · Tuesday, 13th October, 2015, 09:41 AM

Re: World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships Berlin 2015

World Blitz

October 13, 2015

The World Blitz Championship Day 1, Rounds 1-11 are on. They can be followed at:

http://livestream.com/ChessCast/events/4388214

or

https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-to...hip-2015/3/1/1

So far, Magnus Carlsen, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Vassily Ivanchuk have 3/3 in the first three rounds.

Both Tomas Krnan and Eric Hansen are playing.