The 2021 FIDE World Cup kicked off Monday in Krasnaya Polyana, Sochi (Russia) with 156 players in the open section and 78 players in the women’s section. Chilean grandmaster Pablo Salinas Herrera played the Game of the Day (and possibly the year!).
The FIDE World Cup marks the return of over-the-board chess on a global scale after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of many sporting events. Even with problematic travel, almost all players were in Sochi on time. However, the players from Brazil were unable to board their original Qatar Airways flight because the airline did not accept the letter from the organizers. Two days later they still managed to make the trip.
Two top grandmasters who have just finished playing in the Croatia Rapid & Blitz, GMs Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and Alexander Grischuk missed their flight, but are among the players who will not show up for the second round until Thursday.
Mamedyarov: “The most expensive beer in the history of mankind. Missed the flight with Sasha.”
In Sochi, players must follow a health protocol, which includes completing a negative PCR test no later than 72 hours before arriving in Russia, maintaining physical distance and wearing a recommended face covering. Handshakes before a match have been replaced by simple face greetings.
Wearing face masks or other protection is not mandatory during matches, although some players still choose to keep them on. We saw this, for example, in the match between GM Abhimanyu Mishra, the youngest grandmaster in the world, and Georgia’s number one GM Baadur Jobava. Jobava won by the way, but he had to work hard for his point:
The youngest grandmaster in the world Mishra Abhimanyu @ChessMishra takes on Baadur Jobava. #FIDEWorldCup pic.twitter.com/KxZGBNqKgg
— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) July 12, 2021
The main World Cup started on Monday with 156 players. Each round consists of two classic matches followed by a quick and quick tiebreak on the third day if necessary. This means that on Wednesday 78 players will go home and the other 78 players will be joined by 50 seeded players. From the second round we play a traditional World Cup with 128 players.
In the women’s tournament, everything is half the size: 78 players play in the first round. For the second round, the 39 winners will be joined by 25 seeded players, for a total of 64. As a result, the Women’s World Cup ends three days earlier.
The first round saw some major setbacks such as IM Guillermo Vazquez (2527) beating GM Nikita Meshkovs (2568) and GM Iniyan P. (2506) beating GM Sebastian Bogner (2581). The biggest was IM Ravi Haria (2440) who defeated GM Vadim Zvjaginsev (2608) when the 22-year-old English IM nicely outplayed his veteran opponent in a French endgame:
In the women’s category, WIM Tilsia Carolina Varela La Madrid (2072) surprisingly defeated IM Pauline Guichard (2413), and WIM Turmunkh Munkhzul (2278) defeated IM Marina Brunello (2379). The biggest shock of the day was WIM Ayah Moaataz (2015) of Egypt beating former World Champion GM Anna Ushenina (2429) of Ukraine, who blundered into a safety net:
We counted nine players who couldn’t reach Sochi, leading to 2-0 walkovers in the following matches (including the top two Romanian players, by the way):
- GM Viktor Mikhalevsky (Israel) vs. IM Zaw Htun Wynn (Myanmar)
- GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzbekistan) vs. IM Mohamad Ervan (Indonesia)
- VfL Bochum vs. 1. FC Union Berlin IM Saparmyrat Atabayev (Turkmenistan)
- GM Constantin Lupulescu (Romania) vs. FM Allen Chi Zhou Fan (New Zealand)
- GM Elshan Moradiabadi (US) vs. GM Helgi Dam Ziska (Faroe Islands)
- GM Bogdan-Daniel Deac (Romania) vs. GM Amir Zaibi (Tunisia)
- GM Ivan Ivanisevic vs. Andres Rodriguez Vila (Uruguay)
- IM Bhakti Kulkarni (India) vs. WGM Anastasya Paramzina (Russia)
- IM Olga Badelka (Belarus) vs. WFM Jemal Ovezdurdiyeva (Turkmenistan).
You can easily find all the results and the link tree here on the official website.
It’s high time to watch that wonderful match played by Salinas vs. Andersen, who bore some similarities to the famous match won by a 13-year-old GM Bobby Fischer vs. GM Donald Byrne at the Rosenwald Memorial in 1956.
The FIDE World Cup lasts until August 8, 2021 in Sochi, Russia. Beginning round two (Thurs), the top 50 seeded players (open section), including GM Magnus Carlsen, and the top 25 (women’s section) will take to the field.
Full World Cup fever already in Russia @lachesisq pic.twitter.com/6M9WUiY61L
-Magnus Carlsen (@MagnusCarlsen) July 12, 2021
Magnus Carlsen has just landed in Sochi to participate in the FIDE World Cup. His first game is Thursday. #FIDEWorldCup pic.twitter.com/eBqywxaTO1
— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) July 12, 2021
It must also be a huge relief for photographers to be able to take pictures of players at the board again. Here is a selection of portraits from our “house photographer” and streamer WFM Maria Emelianova:
