World Cup Finals, Day 2: Ivanchuk strikes
The second day of the Khanty-Mansisyk final matches couldn’t live up to the first. It had great sporting significance, as Ivanchuk took the lead, but neither game will live long in the memory. Ponomariov stumbled into a bad opening line before blundering in a difficult ending. Svidler and Grischuk agreed a draw on move 16.
World Cup Finals, Day 1: Svidler lands the first blow
Any fears of dull chess in the final 4-game matches in Khanty-Mansiysk soon vanished as they got off to an exciting start. Peter Svidler won his fourth classical game in a row with the black pieces to take an early lead against Alexander Grischuk, while Ruslan Ponomariov’s bold opening play nearly backfired against Vassily Ivanchuk.
World Cup Semis, Day 3: Grischuk wins thriller
On a day of high emotion Alexander Grischuk beat Vassily Ivanchuk to qualify both for the World Cup final and the next Candidates Tournament. Grischuk will now play his friend Peter Svidler, while Ivanchuk takes on Ruslan Ponomariov in a repeat of their World Championship match from a decade ago.
GM Levon Aronian answers your questions: Part I
From his answer to the very first question on why people play chess, it was clear that Levon Aronian’s Q&A at Crestbook was going to be an entertaining read: “For pleasure, peace of mind and the moral torture of their neighbour”. Sharp and funny, the Armenian GM lifts the lid on life at the top of the chess pyramid.
Shipov’s live commentary on the Candidates Final, Game 5
Sergey Shipov began today’s commentary by comparing the players to Greco-Roman Wrestlers who couldn’t throw their opponents, and ended comparing them to immortal Highlanders. Yes, the penultimate game was another draw, with Gelfand taking full advantage of Grischuk’s slip in a promising position.
Shipov’s live commentary on the Candidates Final, Game 4
Another day, another draw, but if you look beyond the headlines it was still an intriguing battle. The only problem was most of us don’t understand chess at anywhere near the level required to follow what was happening – which was where GM Sergey Shipov stepped in with a free masterclass.
Shipov’s live commentary on the Candidates Final, Game 3
Here I nearly fell off my chair – that was GM Sergey Shipov’s immediate reaction to Boris Gelfand’s 9…b5!! novelty. Alexander Grischuk recovered from the shock and responded well, but this was no short grandmaster draw. Shipov noted the game will be remembered for many years to come.
Shipov’s live commentary on the Candidates Final, Game 2
The second game of the Candidates Final saw Boris Gelfand and Alexander Grischuk engage in a hair-raising theoretical battle. When the dust cleared Grischuk had a near-winning edge in the endgame, but Gelfand found enough counterplay to hold on. Sergey Shipov explained an enthralling struggle.
Shipov’s live commentary on the Candidates Final, Game 1
The first game of the Candidates Final got off to a promising start, as Alexander Grischuk tried a new approach – playing for a win with the white pieces! Despite taking his time (Shipov wondered if he was trying to save Tal’s hippo, or waiting for his wife to fly in from Georgia) he couldn’t quite break through.
Shipov’s live commentary on the Candidates Final, Game 6
By mishanp on May 25, 2011
After commentating on a perfect 13 draws, it seemed almost a shame for the sequence to come to an end in Grandmaster Sergey Shipov’s final live commentary from Kazan – but the magnificent win by Boris Gelfand was a fitting way to qualify for a World Championship match against Vishy Anand. VIDEO ADDED!
Posted in Live commentary, Russian | Tagged Candidates Matches, Crestbook, Gelfand, Grischuk, Shipov | 4 Responses