The 2007 World Chess Championships

By Frank “Boy” Pestaño
Chessmoso

THE candidates matches for the 2007 World Championship are currently on-going at the chess city of Elista, Kalmykia Russia. Only four will proceed to Mexico City in September this year to join Vladimir Kramnik, Vishy Anand, Peter Svidler and Alexander Morozevich in vying for the World Championship.

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The 16 players, based on the results of the World Cup, are 1.) Levon Aronian 2759 (Armenia), 2.) Peter Leko 2749 (Hungary), 3.) Ruslan Ponomariov 2717 (Ukraine), 4.) Boris Gelfand 2733 (Israel), 5.) Etienne Bacrot 2709 (France), 6.) Alexander Grischuk 2717 (Russia), 7.) Judith Polgar 2727 (Hungary), 8.) Alexei Shirov 2699 (Spain), 9.) Michael Adams 2734 (England), 10.) Evgeny Bareev 2743 (Russia), 11.) Vladimir Malakhov 2679 (Russia), 12.) Gata Kamsky 2705 (USA), 13.) Rustam Kasimjanov 2677 (Uzbekistan), 14.) Sergei Rublevsky 2680 (Russia), 15.) Mikhail Gurevich 2635 (Turkmenistan), 16.) Magnus Carlsen 2676 (Norway).

The winner of 1 vs. 16 (Aronian-Carlsen) faces the winner of 8 vs. 9 (Adams-Shirov). Winner of 2 vs. 15 (Leko-Gurevich) meets winner of 7 vs. 10 (Polgar-Bareev). Winner of 3 vs. 14 (Ponomariov-Rublevsky) plays the winner of 6 vs. 11 (Grischuk-Malakhov). Winner of 4 vs. 13 (Gelfand-Kasimjanov) plays the winner of 5 vs. 12 (Bacrot-Kamsky).

After three rounds of six , Carlsen-Aronian is tied at 1.5-1.5; Leko has a big lead over Gurevich, 2.5-0.5; Rublevsky is surprising former Fide champion Ponomariov, 2.0-1.0; Gelfand and Kasimjanov are tied at 1.5-1.5; Kamsky is showing the way over Bacrot, 2.5-0.5; Grischuk is winning over Malakhov, 2.0-1.0; Judit is bowled over by Bareev, 2.0-1.0; and Adams and Shirov are tied 1.5-1.5.

It’s nice to know that IM Enrico “Econg” Sevillano is still active in the US circuit as he tied for 17th place in the Frank K Berry US Championship 2007 in Stillwater, Oklahoma last May 15-23.

For those who do not know him, he is a Cebuano and the son of my friend Luis Sevillano and at one time had a great potential to be a world class player .His contemporaries are the No.1 player in the world today, Anand, and Vassily Ivanchuk.

WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP. It seems that China is now the undisputed world power in women’s chess as it had a clear advantage over a select field of nine other countries—Russia, Ukraine, Armenia, Georgia, Poland, Vietnam ,Germany, Czech Republic and a surprise, Botswana. Here are the standings after six rounds:

1.) China 11 2.) Russia 9 3.) to 4.) Georgia, Ukraine 5.)Vietnam 7 6.) to 7.) Germany, Poland 8.) Armenia 4 9.) Czech Rep 3. 10.) Botswana 0.

Two points are given for a win, one for draw and zero for a loss. The games are played over four boards. An aberration was a 4-0 whitewash by China over Russia which is just simply amazing .

The limelight, however, belongs to the girls from Africa who are having the most fun despite a big fat egg.

WALTER. The 42nd Capablanca memorial which just concluded last May 29 in Havana, Cuba was won by Ivanchuk by an astounding two points over Dominguez and Gashimov. This is like winning a basketball game by 50 points. There were 87 players in this tournament.

Final standings after nine rounds: 1.) Vassily Ivanchuk (Ukraine, 2729) 7.5 2.) Lenier Dominguez Perez (Cuba) 2678 5.5 3.) Vugar Gashimov (Azerbaijan) 2644 5.5 4.) Yuniesky Quezada Perez (Cuba) 2541 4.5 5.) Kamil Miton (Poland) 2653 4.5 6.) Walter Arencibia Rodriguez (Cuba) 2555 4.5.

I am featuring this tournament not only because of its long history but also because Arencibia was our visitor back in the 90s and I have good memories of him when we were together with Art Ynclino and Alex Tolentino CEPCA NEWS. Tournament director Mandy Baria has informed us that the Kiddies and Juniors monthly tournament for June will be on June 3 at Stella Maris starting at 1 p.m.