Russia hit the front after two rounds, Armenia held by USA
Mark Crowther - Monday 18th July 2011
Russia scored their second 3-1 win to have the only 100% record at the end of the second round with wins for Nepomniachtchi against Polgar and Grischuk against Almasi in their match against Hungary. Armenia could only draw against the USA after Levon Aronian got a bit too enthusiastic with an unsound attacking idea against Gata Kamsky. Russia scored their second consecutive 3-1 victory in defeating Hungary. Leko held Karjakin on top board and Balogh drew with Vitiugov on bottom board. Zoltan Almasi lost for the second day running with white. Grischuk was at least level shortly out of the opening but there was no need at all for Almasi to commit suicide with 36.Bxb6 dropping the house. Ian Nepomniachtchi and Judit Polgar contested a sharp Sicilian where Polgar allowed the shot 31.Bxa6 wrecking her position. After six months of preparation for just four candidates games Shakhriyar Mamedyarov seems to be enjoying his return to more normal chess with a second win, this time in just 27 moves against Surya Shekhar Ganguly. Fellow Candidate Teimour Radjabov made light work of Pentala Harikrishna whose ill-judged 29th and 30th moves caused his position to be torn apart. Azerbaijan beat India 3-1 after the other two games were drawn. Hosts China scored a fine 2.5-1.5 win against Ukraine in the second round. Alexander Areshchenko blew another very reasonable position out of the opening for his second consecutive loss and a probable long term place on the subs bench in getting himself crushed in 28 moves by Ding Liren on bottom board. The remaining games were drawn with Ivanchuk failing to convert a favourable position against Wang Hao and a similar story for Efimenko against Li Chao. Emil Sutovsky beat Ahmed Adly and Nataby beat Ezat to secure a 3-1 victory for Israel over Egypt in one would imagine one of the more politically sensitive fixtures of the event. At least the match took place unlike the one at the Olympiad 2010 where the Yemen team were pressurised into not playing. Egypt and Israel met for the first time in 27 years at the 2008 Olympiad. Levon Aronian got in a terrible mess against Gata Kamsky playing rather too boldy for the attack with black starting with 24...f5, that didn't mean that the chances he did get weren't at least a little frightening as the board turned into a mess. Kamsky could have held on to the big advantage by tucking his king away on g1 or h1 on move 38, instead he converted to a somewhat favourable ending and it turned out well for him as he had a decisive advantage by second time control. Alexander Onischuk lost his second consecutive game with black when his position disintegrated against Movsesian on the run up to first time control. Shulman vs Akopian and Sargissian against the returning Yasser Seirawan were both drawn. Final score USA - Armenia 2-2.
| 8th World Teams Ningbo CHN Sun 17th Jul 2011 - Wed 27th Jul 2011 Round 2 (of 9) Standings: | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rk | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 |
| 1 | Russia | * | 3 | 3 | 4 | 6.0 | 0 | |||||||
| 2 | Armenia | * | 3½ | 2 | 3 | 5.5 | 0 | |||||||
| 3 | Azerbaijan | * | 2 | 3 | 3 | 5.0 | 0 | |||||||
| 4 | China | 2 | * | 2½ | 3 | 4.5 | 0 | |||||||
| 5 | Ukraine | 1½ | * | 2½ | 2 | 4.0 | 0 | |||||||
| 6 | Israel | ½ | * | 3 | 2 | 3.5 | 0 | |||||||
| 7 | India | 1 | * | 2 | 1 | 3.0 | 1 | |||||||
| 8 | Hungary | 1 | 2 | * | 1 | 3.0 | 1 | |||||||
| 9 | USA | 1 | 2 | * | 1 | 3.0 | 0 | |||||||
| 10 | Egypt | 1½ | 1 | * | 0 | 2.5 | 0 | |||||||
| 8th World Teams Ningbo CHN Sun 17th Jul 2011 - Wed 27th Jul 2011 | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Round 2 on 2011/07/18 at 15:00 | ||||||||||||||
| Bo. | 10 | Russia | Rtg | - | 6 | Hungary | Rtg | 3 : 1 | ||||||
| 1.1 | GM | Karjakin Sergey | 2788 | - | GM | Leko Peter | 2717 | ½ - ½ | ||||||
| 1.2 | GM | Grischuk Alexander | 2746 | - | GM | Almasi Zoltan | 2726 | 1 - 0 | ||||||
| 1.3 | GM | Nepomniachtchi Ian | 2711 | - | GM | Polgar Judit | 2699 | 1 - 0 | ||||||
| 1.4 | GM | Vitiugov Nikita | 2733 | - | GM | Balogh Csaba | 2643 | ½ - ½ | ||||||
| Bo. | 7 | Azerbaijan | Rtg | - | 5 | India | Rtg | 3 : 1 | ||||||
| 2.1 | GM | Radjabov Teimur | 2744 | - | GM | Harikrishna Pentala | 2669 | 1 - 0 | ||||||
| 2.2 | GM | Gashimov Vugar | 2760 | - | GM | Sasikiran Krishnan | 2681 | ½ - ½ | ||||||
| 2.3 | GM | Mamedyarov Shakhriyar | 2765 | - | GM | Ganguly Surya Shekhar | 2627 | 1 - 0 | ||||||
| 2.4 | GM | Guseinov Gadir | 2625 | - | GM | Negi Parimarjan | 2642 | ½ - ½ | ||||||
| Bo. | 8 | Ukraine | Rtg | - | 4 | China | Rtg | 1½:2½ | ||||||
| 3.1 | GM | Ivanchuk Vassily | 2768 | - | GM | Wang Hao | 2718 | ½ - ½ | ||||||
| 3.2 | GM | Eljanov Pavel | 2697 | - | GM | Wang Yue | 2709 | ½ - ½ | ||||||
| 3.3 | GM | Efimenko Zahar | 2706 | - | GM | Li Chao B | 2669 | ½ - ½ | ||||||
| 3.4 | GM | Areshchenko Alexander | 2682 | - | GM | Ding Liren | 2654 | 0 - 1 | ||||||
| Bo. | 9 | Israel | Rtg | - | 3 | Egypt | Rtg | 3 : 1 | ||||||
| 4.1 | GM | Sutovsky Emil | 2700 | - | GM | Adly Ahmed | 2631 | 1 - 0 | ||||||
| 4.2 | GM | Smirin Ilya | 2676 | - | GM | Amin Bassem | 2609 | ½ - ½ | ||||||
| 4.3 | GM | Postny Evgeny | 2618 | - | IM | Shoker Samy | 2475 | ½ - ½ | ||||||
| 4.4 | GM | Nabaty Tamir | 2584 | - | IM | Ezat Mohamed | 2430 | 1 - 0 | ||||||
| Bo. | 1 | USA | Rtg | - | 2 | Armenia | Rtg | 2 : 2 | ||||||
| 5.1 | GM | Kamsky Gata | 2741 | - | GM | Aronian Levon | 2805 | 1 - 0 | ||||||
| 5.2 | GM | Onischuk Alexander | 2675 | - | GM | Movsesian Sergei | 2700 | 0 - 1 | ||||||
| 5.3 | GM | Shulman Yuri | 2617 | - | GM | Akopian Vladimir | 2667 | ½ - ½ | ||||||
| 5.4 | GM | Seirawan Yasser | 2635 | - | GM | Sargissian Gabriel | 2663 | ½ - ½ | ||||||
