On July 16th the closing ceremony of FIDE Grand Prix in Beijing took place in the New Century Grand Hotel. The winners of the tournament were awarded with cups. FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov expressed his gratitude to the organizers and all who made this Grand Prix possible. He also congratulated Shakhriyar Mamedyarov on his victory. “I wish Shakhriyar to continue his winning way and to bring joy to all his fans all around the world.” After short speeches players and guests enjoyed food and wine. Find the photos from the closing ceremony in the photo gallery.

http://beijing2013.fide.com/

Photo Gallery

Standings

Shakhriyar Mamedyarov made a draw against Boris Gelfand in the last round of Grand Prix in Beijing and claim clear first place with 7 points. In the other key game Alexander Grischuk could not break through against Peter Leko and the game also finished peacefully. As a result, Grischuk is placed second half a point behind of the winner. Veselin Topalov and Peter Leko shared the third place with +1.



Standings


Round 11

In the 10th round of Grand Prix in Beijing four games were decisive. The leader of tournament Shakhriyar Mamedyarov was defeated by Alexander Morozevich. His nearest rival Alexander Grischuk also lost against Boris Gelfand, and, as a result, both Mamedyarov and Grischuk keep their first and second places. Alexander Morozevich and Peter Leko share the third place. After yesterday’s drama the luck came back to Anish Giri and he won against Veselin Topalov. Vassily Ivanchuk got promising position against Gata Kamsky but unexpectedly lost. Two Chinese players Wang Hao and Wang Yue drew against Peter Leko and Sergey Karjakin respectively. The last round will start at 1 p.m. local time. The closing ceremony will be at 8 p.m. at the New Century Grand Hotel.

Giri , Anish–Topalov, Veselin 1-0

Veselin Topalov chose to play Caro-Kann against Anish Giri and everything was going normal way until 15th move. After 15.Bf3 Black could have changed the bishops or played 15…Nd4 but Veselin Topalov chose to play 15…Bf5 instead. It was not too late to play back 16…Be4 after 16.g4 but former world champion suddenly left his bishop under the threat. Veselin could not explain what exactly he missed. His original idea was to play 16…Bb4 but White was still better in that line.

Morozevich, Alexander – Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar 1/2-1/2

Shakhriyar Mamedyarov chose to play quite rare move 8…Qd5 in Grunfeld against Alexander Morozevich, who expected only 8…Qb6. The endgame seemed balanced but Black had more passive position. Both players tried to make logical moves and it’s hard to say where things went wrong for Black. White harmonically placed his pieces and after 33.b5 ruined Black’s position. 32….Ne8 was the best attempt to hold the position.

Kamsky, Gata – Ivanchuk, Vassily 1-0

Vasily Ivanchuk obtained better position after 10…c4. According to Gata Kamsky, he simply missed this move and could have played 10.Bd6 Qd6 11.dc Qc5 12. Nc3 with equal position. Later on Ukrainian player missed his advantage and it was time to play for a draw. However, Gata Kamsky managed to get some chances in the endgame and eventually tricked his opponent in the time trouble.

Karjakin, Sergey – Wang, Yue 1/2-1/2

For the second time in the tournament Sergey Karjakin chose to play Petroff Defense and got playable position with many interesting options. The critical moment was on the 26th move. The players agreed It would be better for White to keep the black square bishops and play 26.Bf3 instead of 26.Bg7. There was also an interesting attempt to play 26.h4!?, proposed by Wang Yue. After precise 33…Qc5 Black equalized the position.

Leko, Peter - Wang Hao 1/2-1/2

After yesterday’s derby Wang Hao chose to play solid Slav Defence and Peter Leko went for Exchange variation. White obtained small and stable advantage but could not find the plan to increase the pressure. “I could not find any plan to improve my position. Black cannot be worse if he can afford playing such moves as 27…Rcd8”, explained Peter Leko his decision to go for a draw.

Gelfand, Boris - Grischuk, Alexander 1-0

The King's Indian Defense was played and Alexander Grischuk spent too much time trying to solve the opening problems. Boris Gelfand got very comfortable position and in the time trouble of his opponent won a pawn and found good attacking recourse 43.g4.

Mamedeyarov in sole lead at Grand Prix

Shakhriyar Mamedyarov defeated Anish Giri in ninth round of Grand Prix in Beijing and took the sole lead in the tournament. Boris Gelfand lost few chances to win against Wang Hao and the game finished in draw. Alexander Grischuk drew against Alexander Morozevich and placed half a point behind of Shakhriyar. Veselin Topalov and Peter Leko share the third place with 5 out of 9.

Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar – Giri, Anish 1-0

Anish Giri mixed the moves in the opening and his position became simply lost. “I cannot really explain what happened. I remembered there was Rad8 in this line but now I’m not sure where exactly. I would automatically play 15…Bd5 if I was not so concentrated on my preparation,” said Anish at the press conference. It took him one hour to understand that thing went wrong after 17.Nb4 and Black has hopeless position.

Ivanchuk, Vassily – Leko, Peter 1/2-1/2

Peter Leko was absolutely sure Vassily tried to catch him in the opening but Ukrainian player just didn’t see Leko’s game form Russian Team Championship where Peter Leko has already played 17…Qb7. “I’m not concentrated on chess last months,” explained Vassily his lack of knowledge. The precise move 20…Nc5 was still home preparation of Hungarian player. According to Peter Leko, computer shows 20…Nf6 but it’s not good for Black. After 20…Nc5 Peter Leko didn’t face problems to make a draw.

Kamsky, Gata – Karjakin. Sergey 1/2-1/2

Sergey Karjakin was quite happy with a draw today after he lost three games in a row. Gata Kamsky chose to play Colle System and got playable position after the opening. American player managed to close king’s side first and then safely made short castling. In the position with opposite side castling there was a question if White can break through the blockade of Black or not. According to Kamsky, there were many plans in the position but all of them looked risky.

Wang Hao - Gelfand, Boris 1/2-1/2

The most dramatic game of the round. Wang Hao had comfortable position but missed the track and let Boris Gelfand to get initiative. In one moment Chinese player blundered a piece after Nf5. Boris could have played Nc3 but missed this opportunity. In the queens endgame Black still had good winning chances but White fought till the end. After 7 hours of play Boris Gelfand missed the victory with his last move Qe4. The forced maneuver 83…Qg8-c4-f1 would give him full point.

Grischuk, Alexander - Morozevich, Alexander 1/2-1/2

White obtained the position with stable edge and as Alexander Grischuk pointed out at the press conference he tried to play logically and it was not clear where he missed his adavantage. Alexander Morozevich didn’t really like his position but after 21.e5 Black got contra play. After first time control the position was about equal and the game finished with perpetual after 56 moves.

Two decisive games in round 8. Mamedyarov and Grischuk continue leading.

Mamedyarov and Grischuk are still tied for the first place after eight rounds at Grand Prix in Beijing. The leaders made two draws with Black pieces and keep one point distance from their nearest rivals Peter Leko and Veselin Topalov. Former world champion outplayed Sergey Karjakin, who lost the third game in a row while Peter Leko drew against Gata Kamsky. Boris Gelfand, who was suffering in Grand Prix after his success in Moscow, managed to win today against Vassily Ivanchuk. Alexander Morozevich made a draw against Wang Hao. 13th of July is a free day. The ninth round will start on 14th of July at 3 p.m. local time.

Wang, Yue – Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar 1/2-1/2

Wang Yue was planning to start with 1. c4 but mixed the moves and played 1.Nf3. Shakhriyar tried to avoid the possible preparation and decided to simplify the position with 7…Nc3. Wang Yue was not happy with his play in the opening and didn’t like the moves 9.Qa4 and 10. Be3. According to Mamedyarov, Black solved all his problems and even got slightly better position after 12...e5 and declined to repeat the moves thinking he can play without risk. However, White found some contra play on the queen’s side and could have grabbed a pawn by playing 27. Ba7. Black moved his knight to the center and the game finished with repletion after 33 moves.

Leko, Peter – Kamsky, Gata 1/2-1/2

Gata Kamsky decided to avoid all theoretical lines and just to get playable position. Peter Leko managed to get the position with initiative, prevented Black from playing c5 and had “feeling it could be a miniature”. However, Black played very precisely in the middle game and changed the queens at the right moment. White managed to get an extra pawn but the activity of Black pieces was strong enough to have compensation for extra material.

Giri, Anish – Grischuk, Alexander 1/2-1/2

Alexander Grischuk came to the game with a head full of many variations and lines after long preparation against Anish Giri. Russian player chose a new plan in Scheveningen Sicilian but, despite the fact that this line had never happened in the games of each of the opponents, Anish was familiar with the position and played quite quickly. It was hard to understand what Black should do and in one moment Alexander had 1 hour and 15 minutes than his opponent. After 20.f5 the game became very sharp. Ynder time pressure Alexander Grischuk missed an interesting option 22…Nc5. He played 22…Qe7 instead and the position simplified quite quickly.

Karjakin, Sergey – Topalov, Veselin 0-1

Sergey Karjakin didn’t expect Taimanov Sicilian and Black managed to solve all their problems quite quickly. In the position with opposite-side castling White played slowly and didn’t obtain any attack. Former world champion played very precisely and later on transferred the game into the ending. White had few weaknesses, passive pieces and Veselin managed to convert his advantage.

Morozevich, Alexander – Wang, Hao 1/2-1/2

Alexander Morozevich chose an old line played by Romanishin and managed to get complex position with space advantage and extra pawn on the queen’s side. Wang Hoa managed to trade few pieces and transferred the game into the endgame with queens and rooks. Morozevich created a passed pawn but could not make any progress.

Five victories in the 7th round. Grischuk and Mamedyarov tied for first place

In the seventh round of Grand Prix in Beijing White took full revenge over Black by scoring five points. The playing day started with two quick victories of Wang Hao and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov against Anish Giri and Veselin Topalov respectively. Shakhriyar won the second game in a row and jumped on the first place while his nearest rivals Sergey Karjakin and Alexander Grischuk were still playing their games. After 6 hours of play Sergey Karjakin dramatically lost against Peter Leko while Alexander Grischuk defeated Wang Yue after almost 7 hours. As a result, Mamedyarov and Grischuk share the first place one point ahead of Karjakin, Leko and Ivanchuk. Ukrainian player defeated Alexander Morozevich and has +1 after 7 rounds. The only draw happened in the game Kamsky-Gelfand.

Wang, Hao – Giri, Anish 1-0

Wang Hao decided to sacrifice a piece for two pawns early in the opening. Anish Giri knew it was not dangerous as he remembered White had nothing special after c5 and Qb6. Trying to find the way to free his pieces Dutch player chose 13…d5. Even both players agreed 13…Rg8 was better option it was still possible for Black to exchange queens after 15…Qe6 and play the endgame with equal chances. Anish Giri estimated that endgame as worse but during the press conference the opponents didn’t find any obvious advantage for White. Later on, the only chance to fight for a draw was to exchange the queens by playing 16…Qc6, however, it was psychologically hard to propose queen’s exchange after 15.Qe6 was not played. In the game Wang Hao was increasing his initiative move by move and didn’t let his opponent any chance.

Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar – Topalov, Veselin 1-0

Another quick game of the seventh round. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov didn’t get anything special out of the opening and was not happy with his decision 11. Ng5, as 11. Nd2 seemed more logical. Few pieces were exchanged and Black didn’t have problems to equalize the game. Veselin Topalov played 20…Ne4 which turned out to be not the best option. It was not too late to play 22…g5 but Veselin Toplav seemly missed 24.Qc4. His knight was trapped and had to resign.

Leko, Peter - Karjakin, Sergey 1-0

“When I play against Sergey it’s like I play against myself because he has more or less the same opening repertoire, “pointed out Peter Leko. Hungarian player didn’t want to go for any theoretical battle but just to get playable position. White didn’t get much in the middle game and when the endgame with queens and knights appeared the opponents would probably agree for a draw in any other event where draw offer was possible. Nevertheless, White managed to find an interesting chance and Sergey Karjakin had to find the only move but didn’t feel the danger. After 37.Qd7 the position became lost for Black.

Kamsky, Gata - Gelfand. Boris ½-½

Boris Gelfand was happy with his position after Gata Kamsky chose a dubious plan with 6.b4 and 7.Bb2. However, American player was able to hold the balance and after queens were exchanged the endgame looked also equal. Under the time pressure Boris Gelfand got chances to play for win due to passed a-pawn. Gata Kamsky was defending precisely and made a draw in rook endgame. Both players agreed that the best practical chance for Black was to keep minor pieces by playing 34…Rb1.

Ivanchuk, Vassily - Morozevich, Alexander 1-0

Alexander Morozevich played creatively in the opening and got some activity on the queen’s side. According to Ivanchuk, Black had many tricks but any endgame would be better for White because of destroyed Black’s pawn structure. Russian player didn’t take seriously an interesting option 22….d4 thinking he has better chances after 22…Rd6. “I simply missed 26.Ka2 after 25…Rb6. The game was over after this move”, pointed out Alexander Morozevich.

Grischuk, Alexander - Wang Yue 1-0

Alexander Grischuk sacrificed a pawn on 13th move and had initiative till the end of the game. White managed to convert the game into the ending rook+bishop versus rook+knight with extra pawn. “My opponent was defending perfectly, it was hard to win this game”, said Grischuk at the press conference and showed the position he didn’t know how to win during the game (check the press-conference). After so many hours of defense Chinese player made a mistake and Alexander didn’t miss his chance. 

Karjakin, Mamedyarov and Grischuk tied for the first place

In the sixth round of Grand Prix in Beijing half of the games were decisive. Sergey Karjakin and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov played the longest game of the round which finished in favor of Azeri player. Grischuk, who was place d second after 5th round, made a draw against Veselin Topalov and, as the result, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Alexander Grischuk and Sergey Karjakin lead with 4 out of 6. Morozevich outplayed Gata Kamsky and in Chinese derby Wang Yue defeated Wang Hao. Vassily Ivanchuk was looking for revenge for his lost in the match against Giri in Leon but could not convert his advantage and the game finished in a draw.

Topalov, Veselin - Grischuk, Alexander ½-½

Veselin Topalov refused to play Berlin endgame but preferred the position with slight edge for White. After precise 12…Bg5 Black solved most of the opening problems and proved White has nothing better than extra pawn in the rook endgame which turned to be absolutely drawish.

Karjakin, Sergey - Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar 0-1

In Petroff defense Sergey Karjakin chose doubtful plan with 11.h3, 12. g4 and according to Mamedyarov, Black had good position after 12…h5 due to weaknesses in pawn structure of White. Sergey Karjakin missed an opportunity to make a draw after accurate 25. Qh3! and had to struggle hard in the worse endgame. “4 or 5 times I played badly and my opponent could make a draw”, said Shakhriyar at the press conference. After many hours of defense Russian player made a crucial mistake 87.Kb2 and eventually lost.

Gelfand, Boris - Leko, Peter ½-½

In Queen’s Gambit declined the opponents went for a force line and ended up in the endgame with practical chances for White. Boris Gelfand showed a new plan and Peter Leko had to play very precisely in the position full of different nuances. Hungarian player was not so familiar with the endgame and had to find most of the ideas during the game. Boris Gelfand could have tried to create more problems for his opponent in bishops’ endgame.

Morozevich, Alexander - Kamsky, Gata 1-0

In the position with opposite side castling Gata Kamsky decided to sacrifice a pawn but didn’t get enough compensation. Alexander Morozevich didn’t give any real chance for his opponent to create contra play and the game finished in favor of Morozevich.

Giri, Anish - Ivanchuk, Vassily ½-½

As Anish Giri pointed out at the press conference, he looked at the board after 15 moves and realized he preferred to play this position with Black than White and it seemed not a good sign. Ukrainian player managed to win e-pawn and tried to fight for initiative by pushing f-pawn. Black had a material advantage but it was not easy to convert it into a full point. White managed to win the pawn back and the game finished in a draw.

Wang Yue - Wang Hao 1-0

Wang Yue got slight advantage against his compatriot and was trying to increase his initiative in the middle game. 16…c6 came as a surprise and players ended up in the endgame with chances for White. Wang Yue played very creatively and managed to convert small advantages of his position in a full point. 

In the fifth round of Grand Prix in Beijing there were three decisive games and three draws. Sergey Karjakin drew with Boris Gelfand and remains on his leading position. His nearest rival after fourth round Shakhriyar Mamedyarov was defeated by Alexander Grischuk, who immediately jumped on clear second place. Azeri player shares third place together with Anish Giri, who won against Gata Kamsky, and Veselin Topalov, who made a draw against Wang Hao. Vassily Ivanchuk outplayed Wang Yue and has 50%. Peter Leko drew with Alexander Morozevich.

Kamsky, Gata - Giri, Anish 0-1

Gata Kamsky looked very upset with his play today. He could not explain neither why he “cannot equalize with White” nor why he gave up his pawn on e4. White could not prove he had any compensation and everything worked perfectly for Black. Anish Giri managed to win the second game in Grand Prix and has +1 after five rounds.



Grischuk, Alexander - Shakhriyar, Mamedyarov 1-0

During the press conference Alexander Grischuk pointed out: "It’s hard to play against Shakhriyar because my daughter is in love with him, she says she roots for me but I can see in her eyes it is not true". Russian player chose English opening against his opponent and got slightly better position after inaccurate move Rc8. Both players agreed 16…Bd6 was a better option. After sacrifice on c6 Grischuk got quite good chances for win but “started to play slowly”. Russian player was not sure if he was better before the first time control but kept on maintaining the tension and managed to win after six hours of play.

Leko, Peter - Morozevich, Alexander ½-½

The line in the game had been previously checked in a few rapid games between the same opponents. Peter Leko decided to give it a try in the game with classical control but didn’t get anything special from the opening. The interesting opportunity was to change bishop for knight by playing 18.Bg4 but Peter Leko was not really sure it would be in White’s favor. Both players could not find any chance to play for something more than draw and peace was signed on the 31st move.

Ivanchuk, Vassily - Wang Yue 1-0

Wang Yue decided to fight for initiative and after 18…Qg6 the position became very complex. Ukrainian player chose the most principal line and grabbed the bishop asking his opponent to show if Black had enough recourses for attack. According to Wang Yue, his position was winning somewhere but Ivanchuk’s evaluation was more precise. Black could have played 29…Nf3 with good chances to make a draw as after Rfd8 it was only White who was fighting for win.

Wang Hao - Topalov, Veselin ½-½

In Fianchetto Grunfeld Wang Hao sacrificed a pawn and managed to get quite strong initiative. He missed a very nice blow 21.Bd6 and chose 21.Nd6 instead which was not so strong. Veselin Topalov gave his opponent another chance after 29…Rf8 but Chinese player didn’t use it and later on the game finished in a draw.

Gelfand, Boris - Karjakin, Sergey ½-½

After exiting free day with testing Chinese food and massage (check the press conference) Boris Gelfand and Sergey Karjakin were ready for a long fight. Israeli player had quite pleasant position after the opening and the leader of the tournament had to be very accurate. The idea of Black was to play c5 in a good moment but it never happened during the game. Sergey Karjakin defended very well and Boris Gelfand didn’t find the way to break through the fortress.

Round 4

Mamedyarov, Morozevich and Wang Yue win

The fourth round of Grand Prix in Beijing started with a quick draw between two Russian players Sergey Karjakin and Alexander Grischuk. Sergey Karjakin keeps on leading half a point ahead of his nearest rival Shakhriyar Mamedyarov who outplayed Wang Hao today. Alexander Morozevich and Wang Yue won their first games in the tournament. The games Giri-Leko and Topalov-Ivanchuk were drawn. 8th of July is a free day. The fifth round will start on 9th of July at 3 p.m. local time.

Karjakin, Sergey – Grischuk, Alexander 1/2-1/2

Sergey Karjakin preferred to play quite safe line and everything depended on whether his opponent will remember exact moves. During the press conference Alexander Grischuk recalled his previous games in the same variation against Leko and Kasimdzanov: “It’s a very interesting line, White has a lot of options. I’ve played it three times already and every time White went for drawish continuation with me. When it’s third game in the same line in one year even I can remember the variations. “ AFter 31 moves the game finished in a draw.

Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar – Wang Hao 1-0

Wang Hao tried to surprise Shakhriyar Mamedyarov today and went for quite sharp and principal line. After 12 moves Shakhriyar was out of his analysis and had to find moves at the board. According to Wang Hao, 19.Rc1 was a very strong move and it was clear for him something was missed during his preparation. White managed to get an advantage but had to play very precisely as Black had contra play on the queen’s side. Chinese player came close to make a draw but blundered on 35th move. After accurate 35…Ke6 White had to force a draw.

Morozevich, Alexander – Gelfand, Boris 1-0

Players repeated the same variation from the game Gelfand-Topalov till 10th move but this time Boris Gelfand played it with reversed colors. According to Morozevich, he didn’t expect the variation with 7…Na6 and was not ready to test the main lines after 10. 0-0. White didn’t achieve anything special in the side-line 10. Bg5 and after the opening the position was approximately equal. Boris could have protected against the sacrifice on f7 by playing 20…Rd7 but 20…Nc6 seemed also good enough for him. 21…Rf8 was just a blunder. Black could have taken on f7 and all the fight would be ahead after 22.d7 Rf8 23. Ng5 Kg8.

Wang, Yue - Kamsky, Gata 1-0

Wang Yue gained the first victory in the tournament after seven-hour fight against Gata Kamsky. In the middle game American player decided to sacrifice a pawn but could not prove he had enough contra play. Wang Yue played very creatively and gave an exchange in order to get a very strong passed pawn on e6. Later on, Gata Kamsky gave back an exchange and had to defend worse rook endgame. 47. Rc7 was the original idea of Chinese player but for some reason he played Kh5 and gave his opponent good chances for a draw.

Topalov, Veselin - Ivanchuk, Vassily 1/2-1/2

Vassily Ivanchuk managed to surprise his opponent with his 3rd move 3...Qb6 and Veselin was not happy with the position he got. “ I had to play actively, maybe even make long castling, because after 18 moves I’ve got an unpleasant position.” Nevertheless, Veselin tried to play for initiative and was keeping the balance. Both players missed an interesting option for Black 37…Kg7. After this move it is unclear if White has enough recourses to hold a draw. After 37…h6 Veselin forced a draw with perpetual check.

Round 3

Sergey Karjakin increases lead in Grand Prix in Beijing to one point.

In the third round of the FIDE GP three decisive games were won by Black. After 3 rounds the victories of Black outnumbered White’s success with 6 to 1. Anish Giri won his first game in Grand Prix series after his opponent Boris Gelfand unexpectedly forgot about timing and overstepped the time limit. Vassily Ivanchuk, who had advantage in the most of the game against Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, surprisingly missed tactics and had to resign immediately. Sergey Karjakin defeated his compatriot Alexander Morozevich and keeps on leading in the tournament with 3 out of 3. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Veselin Topalov and Alexander Grischuk are one point behind.

Ivanchuk, Vassily – Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar 0-1

Catalan was played in the game and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov pointed out that after 5.Qa4 he simply forgot all his analysis and ended up in worse position after the opening. “I had to try to play actively at least, otherwise I will just lose the game step by step,” explained his strategy Azeri player. Looking for contra play he decided to sacrifice a pawn, offering to go for the force line which would lead to imbalanced position. Vassily picked up the gauntlet and emerged with three pieces for the queen. It seemed White was not risking to lose but on the 40th move Ukrainian player blundered tactics and lost the rook and the game.

Wang, Hao – Grischuk, Alexander 1/2-1/2

Wang Hao chose to play quite new and rare move 7. f4 in Grunfeld. Alexabder Grischuk showed good preparation and came with a new move 8…a5. It’s not clear what was the moment when things went wrong for White. According to Grischuk, the one who plays the variation with f4 take the risks as the one who chooses to play King’s Gambit and in both cases White should make exact moves not to get in trouble. Russian player converted the game into the endgame with opposite color bishops and rooks with clear edge for Black. Only deep analysis can show whether Black could win or not but at the game Wang Hao managed to change the rooks and made a draw in the endgame with opposite color bishops.

Morozevich, Alexander – Karjakin, Sergey 0-1

Queen’s Indian with 4.g3 was played in the game and according to Karjakin the last time he was checking the line with 10.Bd3 was seven years ago. Surprisingly Sergey didn’t even check the possibility 14…Kge5 as he still trusted his opponent’s preparation. “I had feeling he still knows the position, despite he had started thinking already,” explained Karjakin. Alexander Morozevich was not happy with his play and could not explain why he failed to follow his original plan to play 16. Bh6. After White gave up a pawn on e5 Black got clear advantage. Kariakin didn’t let his opponent any chance to survive.

Kamskiy, Gata – Topalov, Veselin 1/2-1/2

Gata Kamsky didn’t get any advantage in Catalan against Veselin Topalov. The game was balanced untill the moment when former world champion missed a nice blow 32.d6. American plyer won a pawn and got practical chances in the endgame but Topalov was defending precisely and the game eventually finished in a draw.

Leko, Peter – Wang, Yue 1/2-1/2

Peter Leko expected Slav from his opponent but suddenly Wang Yue chose Semi-Tarrash, the same opening as his compatriot Wang Hao had chosen against Ivanchuk in the 1st round. White was slowly increasing his edge and It was not easy to hold the position with Black. Chinese player decided to sacrifice a pawn on b6 and try to defend worse endgame hoping to make a draw. Wang Yue managed to trade few pieces and pawns and after 6 hours of play the game was drawn.

Round 2

Sergey Karjakin sole leader after 2nd round of Grand Prix in Beijing

The first round of the fifth stage of FIDE Grand Prix tournament in Beijing got under way on 4th of July, after FIDE Vice President Mr Chu Bo made the first symbolic move 1.d4 in the game Gelfand-Topalov. Mrs Chen Zelan, Vice President of World Xiangqi Federation, Vice President of Board Games & Cards Administrative Center of General Sport Administration of China “helped” Veselin Topalov by playing 1…Nf6. Topalov, Karjakin and Grischuk, all playing with black, started with victories, while the other three games were drawn. Vasiliy Ivanchuk and Wang Hao were first to finish their game after 3 hours of play. The excitement started before the first time control as in four out five games one or both players were in dangerous time trouble. In mutual time-trouble Gata Kamsky even lost on time against Alexander Grischuk, while Shakhriyar Mamedyarov came close to do the same. 



Giri, Anish - Karjakin, Sergey 0-1

Anish Giri had very good compensation for a sacrificed pawn in Berlin. According to Sergey Karjakin his position after 22…Rg8 was very bad and he got lucky to win the game after his opponent’s mistakes. Anish Giri explained his original plan to push the pawns to g4, f5, c4 but chose unfortunate move order. After 24.f4 he simply blundered 24…Bg4 with idea to come back with the bishop to e6 after possible 25.Bc7. It was White's turn to look for equality but Dutch player failed to change his attitude so rapidly. Anish tried to look for some contra play but Sergey Karjakin accurately traded the pieces and kept two extra pawns.



Ivanchuk, Vassily – Wang, Hao ½-½

The only relatively “peaceful” game which Wang Hao called “quite boring one”. Chinese player chose to play Tarrasch and didn’t have problems to equalize the position as Vasiliy Ivanchuk preffered to play quiet line.



Leko, Peter - Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar ½-½

Peter Leko failed to predict the opening choice of Shakhriyar and decided to play quiet variation with 6.h3. Azeri player showed his will to play for initiative after 17…h4 and, as he pointed out during the press-conference, was ready to sacrifice an exchange after 18.Nh4. Hungarian player preferred not to give attacking chances to his opponent and chose a force line which lead to an endgame with two pieces against rook. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov played very precisely to get the equal chances in the endgame.

The position was still sharp when both players got into the time-trouble but showed impressive calculation skills. Peter and Shakhriyar could not stop thinking about their game from Tashkent GP.
“In the time-trouble I had 15 seconds for 8 moves, which was quite ok compare to our game from Tashkent Grand Prix 2012”, said Peter Leko during the press-conference.
“Before 40th move I started to think about our game from Tashkent and in one moment I saw there were only 2 seconds left on my clock! I was planning to play 40…Rc1 but it was clear that I had no time to make it, so I moved my king which was closer to my clock”, explained Shakhriyar Mamedyarov.

When the smoke cleared the position was equal and few moves later this exciting game finished in a draw.
Game Leko-Mamedjarov from Tashkent GP http://tashkent2012.fide.com/en/main-page/1-news-en/169-round-2-report



Morozevich, Alexander - Wang Yue ½-½

Alexander Morozevich surprised his opponent with Grand Prix variation in Sicilian and the position with opposite-side castling looked very promising for White. Wang Yue managed to exchange few pieces to make his life easier and didn’t face big problems in the endgame with the opposite colored bishops.




Kamsky, Gata - Grischuk, Alexander 0-1

Alexander Grischuk spent a lot of time trying to remember how to play after rare 5.Ba4. Russian player decided to accept a pawn sacrifice, asking his opponent to prove White's compensation. Both players had different evaluation of the position after 32.Bc2. Alexander Grischuk thought he solved his problems and had an advantage while Gata Kamsky was sure he had a very good initiative and his position was not worse. Both players were short on time and started to make mistakes. After 36.hg Black had huge advantage but didn’t play precisely. In the final position, when Gata Kamsky over stepped the time limit, the position was playable.



Gelfand, Boris - Topalov, Veselin 0-1

Boris Gelfand chose to play Russian System against Gruenfeld Defence and the game became very sharp with many tactical opportunities. White managed to get passed pawn on d6 while Black tried to create some contra play on the queen side. According to Boris Gelfand the first inaccurate move was Ba7. He also underestimated the danger of passed pawn of his opponent and after 29…c2 the position became winning for White.

The players and guests were greeted by President of Chinese Chess Assosiation Yang Junan and FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov. Kirsan Ilyumzhinov: “Generous support by the leadership of the Administrative Center of Cards of Board Games, FIDE Vice President Mr. Chu Bo, Chinese Chess Association and its President Mr. Yang Junan has been key in bringing this event to its realization, to which I’m deeply grateful.” Yang Junan: “We think that holding FIDE Grand Prix Series in China is not only about the trust of FIDE to Chinese Chess Association, but also will promote the development of chess in China.” 

After the speeches FIDE Vice President Chu Bo announced the opening of Grand Prix in Beijing. Deputy arbiter Anastasiya Sorokina then proceeded with drawing of lots. She called up the players to come to the table and pick of the Chinese classical figure sculpture with the number inside.



The top seed of the tournament Alexander Grischuk picked number eight and will play against Gata Kamsky tomorrow. Anish Giri chose the number one to play against Sergey Karjakin at the first round. Full pairings are available here http://beijing2013.fide.com/en/component/turnuva/?task=fileview&kid=1 

Also attending the opening ceremony were FIDE CEO Geoffrey Borg, President of the European Chess Union Silvio Danailov, Director of FIDE Office in Moscow Berik Balgabaev, former world women champions Xie Jun, Xu Yuhua, and other distinguished guests. The players list in Beijing is impressive with former World Champion Veselin Topalov trying to repeat his performance in Zug, Switzerland earlier this year and clinching one of the two places for the forthcoming Candidates tournament in 2014.



He will be challenged by several world class players. Boris Gelfand, coming from his recent epic victory in Moscow Tal memorial, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov who has had a very good month of June starting with winning the world Rapid Championship in Khanty Mansiysk. Also not to forget world top ten players such as Sergey Karjakin, Alexander Grischuk as well as former Candidates players Vasily Ivanchuk, Peter Leko.
GM Teimur Radjabov has withdrawn from the Beijing Grand Prix for personal reasons and has been replaced by GM Wang Yue from China. The top Chinese player Wang Hao, who placed fourth in overall Grand Prix at the moment, will also play in Beijing.

There will be a systematic renewal of images, reports, as well press-conferences with the players.

Time control: 120 minutes for the first 40 moves, 60 minutes for the next 20 moves and then each player will be allotted 15 minutes after the second time control and an increment of 30 seconds per move will be allowed from move 61 onwards.

The Grand Prix Series consists of six tournaments to be held over two years (2012-2013). 18 top players participate in 4 of these 6 tournaments. The winner and second placed player overall of the Grand Prix Series will qualify for the Candidates Tournament to be held in March 2014.

Regulations for the 2012 - 2013 FIDE World Chess Grand-Prix Series
http://www.fide.com/FIDE/handbook/FIDE_GP_Regulations_2012_2013.pdf 

Photo Gallery

FIDE and Chinese Chess Association are pleased to announce the fifth stage of the FIDE Grand Prix Series will be held in Beijing (China) between the 3rd and 17th of July 2013. New Century Grand Hotel will host the players and the playing venue will be at the premises of the Chinese Chess Association.

The opening ceremony will take place at the New Century Grand Hotel at 8 p.m. on the 3rd of July. The games start at 3 p.m. local time except the last round. The prize fund to be shared by the players in Beijing is 170,000 EUR, while a further 70,000 EUR is being provided to the accumulated prize fund for the overall Grand Prix series standings.

The players list in Beijing is impressive with former World Champion Veselin Topalov trying to repeat his performance in Zug, Switzerland earlier this year and clinching one of the two places for the forthcoming Candidates tournament in 2014.

He will be challenged by several world class players. Boris Gelfand, coming hot from his recent epic victory in Moscow Tal memorial will be one of the prime challengers as will be Shakhriyar Mamedyarov who has had a very good month of June starting with winning the world Rapid Championship in Khanty Mansiysk. Also not to forget world top ten players such as Sergey Karjakin, Alexander Grischuk as well as former Candidates players Vassily Ivanchuk, Peter Leko.

GM Teimur Radjabov has withdrawn from the Beijing Grand Prix for personal reasons and has been replaced by GM Wang Yue from China. The top Chinese player Wang Hao, who placed fourth in overall Grand Prix at the moment, will also play in Beijing.

There will be a systematic renewal of images, reports and press-conferences with the players on the official page of the tournament beijing2013.fide.com.

Time control: 120 minutes for the first 40 moves, 60 minutes for the next 20 moves and then each player will be allotted 15 minutes after the second time control and an increment of 30 seconds per move will be allowed from move 61 onwards.

The Grand Prix Series consists of six tournaments to be held over two years (2012-2013). 18 top players participate in 4 of these 6 tournaments. The winner and second placed player overall of the Grand Prix Series will qualify for the Candidates Tournament to be held in March 2014.

Players

Schedule