FIDE World Cup R1.1: Chilean Brilliance

The 2021 FIDE World Cup began on Monday in Krasnaya Polyana, Sochi (Russia) with 156 players in the open section and 78 players in the women's section. The 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 travels, almost all of the players made it to Sochi in time. However, the players from Brazil could not board their original Qatar Airways flight as the airline did not accept the letter from the organizers. Two days later, they did manage to make the trip.

Two top grandmasters who just finished playing in the Croatia Rapid & Blitz, GMs Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and Alexander Grischuk, missed their flight but are among the players who only need to show up on Thursday for the second round.

Mamedyarov: "The most expensive beer in the history of mankind. Missed the flight with Sasha."

In Sochi, the players need to follow a health protocol that includes completing a negative PCR test no later than 72 hours before arrival in Russia, maintaining physical distancing, and wearing a recommended face covering. Handshakes before a game have been replaced by simple facial greetings.

During the games, wearing face masks or other protection is not mandatory, although some players are still choosing to keep them on. We saw this, for instance, in the game 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 is taking 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. Every round consists of two classical games followed by, if necessary, a rapid and blitz tiebreak on the third day. This means that on Wednesday, 78 players will go home and the other 78 players will be joined by 50 seeded players. Beginning with the second round, we're playing a traditional World Cup with 128 players.

In the women's tournament, everything is half the size: 78 players play in the first round. Then for round two, the 39 winners will be joined by 25 seeded players for a total of 64. As a result, the Women's World Cup finishes three days earlier.

The first round saw a few big upsets, such as IM Guillermo Vazquez (2527) beating GM Nikita Meshkovs (2568), and GM Iniyan P. (2506) beating GM Sebastian Bogner (2581). The biggest one was IM Ravi Haria (2440) beating GM Vadim Zvjaginsev (2608) as the 22-year-old English IM nicely outplayed his experienced opponent in a French endgame:

In the women's section, WIM Tilsia Carolina Varela La Madrid (2072) surprisingly beat IM Pauline Guichard (2413), and WIM Turmunkh Munkhzul (2278) beat IM Marina Brunello (2379). The biggest upset of the day was WIM Ayah Moaataz (2015) of Egypt beating former women's world champion GM Anna Ushenina (2429) of Ukraine, who blundered into a mating net:

We counted nine players who couldn't make it to Sochi, leading to 2-0 walkovers in the following matches (incidentally, with the top two Romanian players involved):

• GM Viktor Mikhalevsky (Israel) vs. IM Zaw Htun Wynn (Myanmar)
• GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzbekistan) vs. IM Mohamad Ervan (Indonesia)
• GM Viktor Erdos (Hungary) vs. IM Saparmyrat Atabayev (Turkmenistan)
• GM Constantin Lupulescu (Romania) vs. FM Allen Chi Zhou Fan (New Zealand)
• GM Elshan Moradiabadi (USA) vs. GM Helgi Dam Ziska (Faroe Islands)
• GM Bogdan-Daniel Deac (Romania) vs. GM Amir Zaibi (Tunesia)
• 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 results and the pairings tree here on the official website.

It's high time to look at that wonderful game played by Salinas vs. Andersen, which had some similarities with the famous game won by a 13-year-old GM Bobby Fischer vs. GM Donald Byrne at the Rosenwald Memorial in 1956.

The FIDE World Cup continues until August 8, 2021, in Sochi, Russia. Starting from round two (Thursday), the top 50 seeded players (open section), including GM Magnus Carlsen, and the top 25 (women's section) join the field.

Full world championship fever in Russia already @lachesisq pic.twitter.com/6M9WUiY61L

— Magnus Carlsen (@MagnusCarlsen) July 12, 2021

Magnus Carlsen has just landed in Sochi to take part in the FIDE World Cup. His first game is on Thursday. #FIDEWorldCup pic.twitter.com/eBqywxaTO1

— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) July 12, 2021

Also for photographers, it must be a huge relief to be able to take photos of players at the board again. Here's a selection of portraits from our "house photographer" and streamer WFM Maria Emelianova: