Chess World Cup 2015

Stamps of Azerbaijan, 2015

The Chess World Cup 2015 was a 128-player single-elimination chess tournament held in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 10 September to 5 October 2015.

Sergey Karjakin won the competition on tie-breaks after a four-game final against Peter Svidler. Both finalists qualified for the 2016 Candidates Tournament.

Format

Matches consisted of two games (except for the final, which consisted of four). Players had 90 minutes for the first 40 moves followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game with an addition of 30 seconds per move from the start of the game. If a match was tied after the regular games, tie breaks were played the next day. The format for the tie breaks was as follows:

• Two rapid games (25 minutes plus 10 seconds increment).
• If the score was tied after two rapid games, two rapid games (10 minutes plus 10 seconds increment).
• If the score was tied after four rapid games, the opponents play two blitz games (five minutes plus three seconds increment).
• If the score was tied after a pair of blitz games, an armageddon game (in which a draw counts as a win for Black) was played. White had 5 minutes and Black had 4 minutes, with an increment of 3 seconds/move starting from move 61.

Prize money

According to the regulations, and contrary to many elite tournaments even including the FIDE Grand Prix, all players had to pay their own expenses for travel.^[2]

Qualifiers

The qualified players^[3] are seeded by their FIDE ratings of August 2015. Eighteen players qualified by rating.^[4] All players are grandmasters unless indicated otherwise.

Qualification paths

Calendar

Results, Rounds 1–4

Section 1

	First round					Second round					Third round					Fourth round
	1	Veselin Topalov	2
	128	Oladapo Adu	0
						1	Veselin Topalov	1½
						65	Sergei Zhigalko	½
	65	Sergei Zhigalko	3
	64	Ivan Bukavshin	1
											1	Veselin Topalov	2½
											97	Lu Shanglei	1½
	33	Wang Hao	2½
	96	Milos Perunovic	1½
						33	Wang Hao	½
						97	Lu Shanglei	1½
	97	Lu Shanglei	2½
	32	Alexander Moiseenko	1½
																1	Veselin Topalov	½
																16	Peter Svidler	1½
	17	Teimour Radjabov	3
	112	Samuel Sevian	1
						17	Teimour Radjabov	3
						48	Ilia Smirin	1
	81	Romain Édouard	½
	48	Ilia Smirin	1½
											17	Teimour Radjabov	1½
											16	Peter Svidler	2½
	49	Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu	1½
	80	David Antón Guijarro	½
						49	Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu	1½
						16	Peter Svidler	2½
	113	Emre Can	½
	16	Peter Svidler	1½

Section 2

	First round					Second round					Third round					Fourth round
	9	Levon Aronian	2
	120	Michael Wiedenkeller	0
						9	Levon Aronian	1
						56	Alexander Areshchenko	3
	73	Denis Khismatullin	½
	56	Alexander Areshchenko	1½
											56	Alexander Areshchenko	½
											24	Wei Yi	1½
	41	Ray Robson	½
	88	Yuri Vovk	1½
						88	Yuri Vovk	3½
						24	Wei Yi	4½
	105	Salem A. R. Saleh	½
	24	Wei Yi	1½
																24	Wei Yi	3½
																8	Ding Liren	2½
	25	David Navara	3
	104	Tamir Nabaty	1
						25	David Navara	½
						89	Gadir Guseinov	1½
	89	Gadir Guseinov	3
	40	Maxim Matlakov	1
											89	Gadir Guseinov	½
											8	Ding Liren	1½
	57	Ernesto Inarkiev	3
	72	Yuniesky Quezada	1
						57	Ernesto Inarkiev	½
						8	Ding Liren	1½
	121	Tomas Krnan	½
	8	Ding Liren	1½

Section 3

	First round					Second round					Third round					Fourth round
	5	Wesley So	2
	124	Parham Maghsoodloo	0
						5	Wesley So	2
						60	Csaba Balogh	0
	69	Eltaj Safarli	2½
	60	Csaba Balogh	3½
											5	Wesley So	2½
											37	Le Quang Liem	1½
	37	Le Quang Liem	1½
	92	Vasif Durarbayli	½
						37	Le Quang Liem	2½
						28	Nikita Vitiugov	1½
	101	Samvel Ter-Sahakyan	1
	28	Nikita Vitiugov	3
																5	Wesley So	½
																21	Maxime Vachier-Lagrave	1½
	21	Maxime Vachier-Lagrave	1½
	108	Isan Reynaldo Ortiz Suárez	½
						21	Maxime Vachier-Lagrave	1½
						44	Gabriel Sargissian	½
	85	Mateusz Bartel	4½
	44	Gabriel Sargissian	4½
											21	Maxime Vachier-Lagrave	4
											12	Evgeny Tomashevsky	2
	53	Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son	1½
	76	Robert Kempinski	½
						53	Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son	2½
						12	Evgeny Tomashevsky	3½
	117	Ziaur Rahman	1
	12	Evgeny Tomashevsky	3

Section 4

First round

Second round

Third round

Fourth round

13

Boris Gelfand

1½

116

Cristóbal Henríquez Villagra

2½

116

Cristóbal Henríquez Villagra

0

52

Julio Granda

2

77

Alexandr Fier

½

52

Julio Granda

1½

52

Julio Granda

½

20

Radosław Wojtaszek

1½

45

Vladislav Artemiev

1½

84

Surya Shekhar Ganguly

½

45

Vladislav Artemiev

½

20

Radosław Wojtaszek

1½

109

Lalith Babu

½

20

Radosław Wojtaszek

1½

20

Radosław Wojtaszek

1

4

Anish Giri

3

29

Peter Leko

1½

100

Aleksey Goganov

½

29

Peter Leko

1½

93

Wen Yang

½

93

Wen Yang

1½

36

Igor Kovalenko

½

29

Peter Leko

½

4

Anish Giri

1½

61

Alexander Motylev

4½

68

Boris Grachev

3½

61

Alexander Motylev

1

4

Anish Giri

3

125

Arthur Ssegwanyi

½

4

Anish Giri

1½

Section 5

First round

Second round

Third round

Fourth round

3

Fabiano Caruana

2

126

Amir Zaibi

0

3

Fabiano Caruana

1½

67

Rauf Mamedov

½

67

Rauf Mamedov

1½

62

Evgeniy Najer

½

3

Fabiano Caruana

1½

94

Anton Kovalyov

½

35

Rustam Kasimdzhanov

3½

94

Anton Kovalyov

4½

94

Anton Kovalyov

1½

99

Sandro Mareco

½

99

Sandro Mareco

1½

30

Ni Hua

½

3

Fabiano Caruana

½

19

Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

1½

19

Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

1½

110

Pouya Idani

½

19

Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

2½

46

Hou Yifan

1½

83

Rafael Leitão

1½

46

Hou Yifan

2½

19

Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

1½

78

S. P. Sethuraman

½

51

Sanan Sjugirov

0

78

S. P. Sethuraman

2

78

S. P. Sethuraman

1½

14

Pendyala Harikrishna

½

115

Max Illingworth

½

14

Pendyala Harikrishna

1½

Section 6

	First round					Second round					Third round					Fourth round
	11	Sergey Karjakin	2
	118	Ernes Espinoza Veloz	0
						11	Sergey Karjakin	4
						54	Alexander Onischuk	2
	75	Andrei Volokitin	1½
	54	Alexander Onischuk	2½
											11	Sergey Karjakin	1½
											22	Yu Yangyi	½
	43	Igor Lysyj	4
	86	Constantin Lupulescu	2
						43	Igor Lysyj	2½
						22	Yu Yangyi	3½
	107	Viorel Iordăchescu	0
	22	Yu Yangyi	2
																11	Sergey Karjakin	2½
																27	Dmitry Andreikin	1½
	27	Dmitry Andreikin	1½
	102	Zhou Jianchao	½
						27	Dmitry Andreikin	1½
						38	Anton Korobov	½
	91	Dragan Solak	½
	38	Anton Korobov	1½
											27	Dmitry Andreikin	2½
											6	Vladimir Kramnik	1½
	59	Lázaro Bruzón	3
	70	Santosh Gujrathi Vidit	1
						59	Lázaro Bruzón	½
						6	Vladimir Kramnik	1½
	123	Deysi Cori	0
	6	Vladimir Kramnik	2

Section 7

	First round					Second round					Third round					Fourth round
	7	Alexander Grischuk	5
	122	Yusup Atabayev	3
						7	Alexander Grischuk	3½
						58	Vladimir Fedoseev	2½
	71	Baskaran Adhiban	1½
	58	Vladimir Fedoseev	2½
											7	Alexander Grischuk	0
											26	Pavel Eljanov	2
	39	Ivan Cheparinov	½
	90	Alexander Ipatov	1½
						90	Alexander Ipatov	0
						26	Pavel Eljanov	2
	103	Rinat Jumabayev	0
	26	Pavel Eljanov	2
																26	Pavel Eljanov	2½
																10	Dmitry Jakovenko	1½
	23	Vassily Ivanchuk	1½
	106	Ahmed Adly	½
						23	Vassily Ivanchuk	1½
						42	Maxim Rodshtein	½
	87	Eduardo Iturrizaga	½
	42	Maxim Rodshtein	1½
											23	Vassily Ivanchuk	½
											10	Dmitry Jakovenko	1½
	55	Ivan Šarić	0
	74	Bassem Amin	2
						74	Bassem Amin	1½
						10	Dmitry Jakovenko	2½
	119	Ilia Iljiushenok	3
	10	Dmitry Jakovenko	5

Section 8

	First round					Second round					Third round					Fourth round
	15	Michael Adams	1½
	114	Mariya Muzychuk	½
						15	Michael Adams	5
						50	Viktor Laznicka	4
	79	Varuzhan Akobian	½
	50	Viktor Laznicka	1½
											15	Michael Adams	5
											18	Leinier Domínguez	3
	47	Gata Kamsky	½
	82	Hrant Melkumyan	1½
						82	Hrant Melkumyan	½
						18	Leinier Domínguez	1½
	111	Federico Pérez Ponsa	1½
	18	Leinier Domínguez	2½
																15	Michael Adams	½
																2	Hikaru Nakamura	1½
	31	Laurent Fressinet	3
	98	Ante Brkic	1
						31	Laurent Fressinet	3½
						34	Ian Nepomniachtchi	4½
	95	Zhao Jun	1
	34	Ian Nepomniachtchi	3
											34	Ian Nepomniachtchi	4
											2	Hikaru Nakamura	5
	63	Sam Shankland	1½
	66	Ivan Popov	½
						63	Sam Shankland	1½
						2	Hikaru Nakamura	2½
	127	Richmond Phiri	0
	2	Hikaru Nakamura	2

Results, rounds 5–7

	Quarterfinals					Semifinals					Final (best of 4)
	16	Peter Svidler	3½
	24	Wei Yi	2½
						16	Peter Svidler	1½
						4	Anish Giri	½
	21	Maxime Vachier-Lagrave	½
	4	Anish Giri	1½
											16	Peter Svidler	4
											11	Sergey Karjakin	6
	19	Shakhriyar Mamedyarov	2
	11	Sergey Karjakin	4
						11	Sergey Karjakin	3½
						26	Pavel Eljanov	2½
	26	Pavel Eljanov	1½
	2	Hikaru Nakamura	½

Final, 1–5 October

Seed	Name	Sep 2015 rating	1	2	3	4	R1	R2	r1	r2	B1	B2	Total
16	Peter Svidler (RUS)	2727	1	1	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	4
11	Sergey Karjakin (RUS)	2762	0	0	1	1	1	0	0	1	1	1	6

References

External links

• Official site
• Videostream