Armenia retain the lead after a narrow win over China
Mark Crowther - Thursday 21st July 2011
Armenia edged past the hosts China to retain their lead on 8 points after five rounds (of 9) of the 8th World Teams in Ningbo. Hungary moved strongly into contention with a big win over Israel which took them into 3rd place a point behind the leaders, second placed Azerbaijan lost to Ukraine and the USA recovered well from a heavy loss the day before to thump India 3-1. Russia beat Egypt 3-1 to move into second place a point behind Armenia on 7 points. Rest day Friday. Polgar ground down Postny as Hungary beat Israel 3.5-0.5. Sergei Movsesian held on to draw against Wang Hao. Armenia retained their lead with a 2.5-1.5 win over China. Wang Hao was very solid as white against Levon Aronian, Wang Yue had by far the better of it against Sergei Movsesian until his advantage disappeared on the run up to the first time control and Li Chao against Vladimir Akopian finished in a draw by perpetual check. Yu Yangyi was reduced to miserable passivity in a Rook and Queen ending as Gabriel Sargassian slowly increased his advantage and then broke through for the only decisive result of the match. Alexander Grischuk won for Russia. Russia completed an expected 3-1 victory over Egypt with wins for Grischuk and Nepomnichtchi. Nikita Vitiugov tried everything to exploit an extra pawn in a Queen ending against Mohamed Ezat but had to concede the draw after 158 moves and 6 and a half hours play. Samy Shoker drew with Peter Svidler. The USA bounced back from their drubbing by China in round 4 with a convincing 3-1 win against India in round 5. Kamsky and Shulman drew comfortably enough with black. Alexander Onischuk will be very relieved to score a second win after grinding down Ganguly and Robert Hess had strong pressure but nothing concrete before Parimarjan Negi just blundered his position away in one move. Hungary thumped Isreal 3.5-0.5. Peter Leko beat Michael Roiz when the latter went badly astray starting about move 25. Smirin-Almasi was a draw, Judit Polgar was somehow to generate chances in an ending that should have been a reasonably comfortable draw for Evgeny Postny and it somehow just all went wrong for Tamir Nabaty against Csaba Balogh. Ukraine scored a narrow 2.5-1.5 win against Azerbaijan. Teimour Radjabov got a small something in the opening against Vassily Ivanchuk but they eventually got to a drawn bishops of opposite colour ending, Eljanov-Gashimov draw in an interesting Benoni, Mamedyarov-Efimenko draw Nimzo-Indian, Alexander Moiseenko won a Rook and Pawn ending against Gadir Guseinov to win the match in the final game of the match to finish.
| 8th World Teams Ningbo CHN Sun 17th Jul 2011 - Wed 27th Jul 2011 Round 5 (of 9) Standings: | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rk | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | |
| 1 | Armenia | * | 2 | 2½ | 2 | 3½ | 3½ | 8 | 13.5 | 0 | |||||
| 2 | Russia | 2 | * | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 12.0 | 0 | |||||
| 3 | Hungary | 1 | * | 2½ | 2½ | 3½ | 2 | 7 | 11.5 | 0 | |||||
| 4 | Ukraine | 1½ | * | 1½ | 2½ | 2½ | 2½ | 6 | 10.5 | 0 | |||||
| 5 | China | 1½ | 2½ | * | 2 | 3½ | 1½ | 5 | 11.0 | 1 | |||||
| 6 | Azerbaijan | 3 | 1½ | 1½ | 2 | * | 3 | 5 | 11.0 | 1 | |||||
| 7 | USA | 2 | 1 | ½ | * | 3 | 3½ | 5 | 10.0 | 0 | |||||
| 8 | Israel | ½ | ½ | 2½ | * | 1½ | 3 | 4 | 8.0 | 0 | |||||
| 9 | India | 2 | 1½ | 1 | 1 | 2½ | * | 3 | 8.0 | 0 | |||||
| 10 | Egypt | ½ | 1 | 1½ | ½ | 1 | * | 0 | 4.5 | 0 | |||||
| 8th World Teams Ningbo CHN Sun 17th Jul 2011 - Wed 27th Jul 2011 | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 5 on 2011/07/21 at 15:00 | ||||||||||||||
| Bo. | 3 | Egypt | Rtg | - | 10 | Russia | Rtg | 1 : 3 | ||||||
| 1.1 | GM | Adly Ahmed | 2631 | - | GM | Grischuk Alexander | 2746 | 0 - 1 | ||||||
| 1.2 | GM | Amin Bassem | 2609 | - | GM | Nepomniachtchi Ian | 2711 | 0 - 1 | ||||||
| 1.3 | IM | Shoker Samy | 2475 | - | GM | Svidler Peter | 2739 | ½ - ½ | ||||||
| 1.4 | IM | Ezat Mohamed | 2430 | - | GM | Vitiugov Nikita | 2733 | ½ - ½ | ||||||
| Bo. | 4 | China | Rtg | - | 2 | Armenia | Rtg | 1½:2½ | ||||||
| 2.1 | GM | Wang Hao | 2718 | - | GM | Aronian Levon | 2805 | ½ - ½ | ||||||
| 2.2 | GM | Wang Yue | 2709 | - | GM | Movsesian Sergei | 2700 | ½ - ½ | ||||||
| 2.3 | GM | Li Chao B | 2669 | - | GM | Akopian Vladimir | 2667 | ½ - ½ | ||||||
| 2.4 | GM | Yu Yangyi | 2672 | - | GM | Sargissian Gabriel | 2663 | 0 - 1 | ||||||
| Bo. | 5 | India | Rtg | - | 1 | USA | Rtg | 1 : 3 | ||||||
| 3.1 | GM | Harikrishna Pentala | 2669 | - | GM | Kamsky Gata | 2741 | ½ - ½ | ||||||
| 3.2 | GM | Sasikiran Krishnan | 2681 | - | GM | Onischuk Alexander | 2675 | 0 - 1 | ||||||
| 3.3 | GM | Ganguly Surya Shekhar | 2627 | - | GM | Shulman Yuri | 2617 | ½ - ½ | ||||||
| 3.4 | GM | Negi Parimarjan | 2642 | - | GM | Hess Robert | 2609 | 0 - 1 | ||||||
| Bo. | 6 | Hungary | Rtg | - | 9 | Israel | Rtg | 3½: ½ | ||||||
| 4.1 | GM | Leko Peter | 2717 | - | GM | Roiz Michael | 2669 | 1 - 0 | ||||||
| 4.2 | GM | Almasi Zoltan | 2726 | - | GM | Smirin Ilya | 2676 | ½ - ½ | ||||||
| 4.3 | GM | Polgar Judit | 2699 | - | GM | Postny Evgeny | 2618 | 1 - 0 | ||||||
| 4.4 | GM | Balogh Csaba | 2643 | - | GM | Nabaty Tamir | 2584 | 1 - 0 | ||||||
| Bo. | 7 | Azerbaijan | Rtg | - | 8 | Ukraine | Rtg | 1½:2½ | ||||||
| 5.1 | GM | Radjabov Teimur | 2744 | - | GM | Ivanchuk Vassily | 2768 | ½ - ½ | ||||||
| 5.2 | GM | Gashimov Vugar | 2760 | - | GM | Eljanov Pavel | 2697 | ½ - ½ | ||||||
| 5.3 | GM | Mamedyarov Shakhriyar | 2765 | - | GM | Efimenko Zahar | 2706 | ½ - ½ | ||||||
| 5.4 | GM | Guseinov Gadir | 2625 | - | GM | Moiseenko Alexander | 2715 | 0 - 1 | ||||||
