It'll be an all-Ukraine show

ARVIND AARON

UKRAINE will have its first world chess champion. After being in the shadow of Russia, this nation which won the World Team chess championship in October, will be in the limelight as Vassily Ivanchuk and Ruslan Ponomariov battle it out for the world title over an eight-game match in Moscow from January 16 to 26.

The FIDE World chess championship, with a 128-player draw to spot the finalists, was held from November 25 to December 14 at the State Kremlin Palace in Moscow. The sensation of the $3 million knock-out championship was the emergence of 18-year-old Ponomariov as one of the finalists. He will be the youngest ever to play for the world title. Defending champion Viswanathan Anand started as the top seed but lost a shocking semi-final match to Ivanchuk by 1.5-2.5 to bow out of the title race.

Anand's tenure as world champion is over and lasted 354 days. He has to wait for the next world chess championship, to be held in 2003-2004 in London, to try and regain his title. The new champion will hold the title for two years.

Ivanchuk, 32, showed vastly improved nerves and an appetite for knock-out competitions as he qualified to play for the world chess title for the first time in his career. He remained solid and took less risk than ever. He is in the world top 10 for almost a decade, at best occupying the third place in the world. His 20 games at Moscow included eight victories, one defeat to Macieja of Poland and 11 draws as he qualified for the final, defeating Anand. The quarter-final match against Lautier was a closely-fought encounter as it went into the second tie-break.

Ponomariov, 18, played enterprisingly and maturely to upstage many fancied names such as third seed Alexander Morozevich, sixth seed Evgeny Bareev, 14th seed Kiril Georgiev and 15th seed Peter Svidler for a place in the final. To go past four higher-rated players is no mean task and this teenager, who swims to keep himself fit, is on a bigger mission. He was once the youngest Grandmaster at 14 years and 17 days. Ponomariov, too, made his mark in 20 games as he won 10, lost one to Morozevich and drew nine games.

The all-Ukrainian final is between players of different generations. In the toss for colour, Ivanchuk drew black for the opening game starting on January 16, 2002. It is a best of eight games and experience will favour Ivanchuk while Ponomariov is certainly the more energetic of the two. They have met only once, on September 5, 2000 at Shenyang, China in the FIDE World Cup, which Ivanchuk won. The winner of the final will get half a million dollars and the loser, a quarter million dollars.

Fourth seed Ivanchuk's path to the final was carved out after he eliminated Baatr Shovunov 1.5-0.5, Bartlomiej Macieja 1-1, 2-0, Emil Sutovsky 1.5-0.5, Ye Jiangchuan 1.5-0.5, Joel Lautier 1-1, 1-1, 1.5-0.5 and Viswanathan Anand 2.5-1.5.

Ponomariov started as the 19th seed. On course to the final he beat Li Wen Kiang 1.5-0.5, Sergey Tiviakov 1-1, 2-0, Kiril Georgiev 2-0, Alexander Morozevich 1-1, 1.5-0.5, Evgeny Bareev 1-1, 2-0 and Peter Svidler 2.5-1.5.

FIDE's knock-out competition had ensured that there were no superstars in this system. The four editions saw four different champions and this is good for FIDE. But in the chess public's opinion, the value of Kramnik's Braingames title is certain to have gained a lot after Anand's elimination in the semi-finals. Anand's success in these competitions had provided a good image for the knock-out competition but this year's result should invite a debate. If it had been any other system, Ponomariov would not have come through. Ivanchuk also had not qualified from the Biel inter-zonals in 1993 under the old system. If Ponomariov wins the title ahead of the three-time Linares champion, he will become the youngest player to become the world champion beating Garry Kasparov's record set in 1985, by three years.

The event was held at the State Kremlin Palace. The venue was a secure landmark but several compromises had to be made which were evident on free days. Russia's chess might was present and champions such as Vassily Smyslov, Boris Spassky and former finalist David Bronstein showed up for the games. To watch the games Spassky came from France where he is residing these days.

The two losing semi-finalists were given $150,000 each after deductions by FIDE. Anand blamed himself for the defeat while Svidler called it 'unfortunate'. But the player from St. Petersburg put an end to his bad run against Michael Adams. All the four semi-finalists were presented with identical trophies.

Anand, as white, started with a loss against little-known Internet qualifier, IM Olivier Touzane of France, and ended with a loss, also as white, in classical chess to Ivanchuk. Losing a game is rare for Anand and that too with the white pieces is something new.

Anand's performance in Moscow was slightly inconsistent compared to his enviable knock-out record at Groningen in 1997 and in New Delhi in 2000. In 1999, he signed up to play Kasparov around the same time when FIDE had its championship at Las Vegas and Anand had to miss the event.

In rounds two, four and five Anand got his great winning act done all over in style, packing Heine Peter Nielsen (Denmark), Alexey Dreev (Russia) and Alexei Shirov (Spain). Just when things seemed to fall in place came the Ivanchuk pairing for the semi-finals. In the third round, Anand had to use his rapid skills to eliminate Vladislav Tkachiev. It is a well-known fact that Ivanchuk is a tough nut to crack and it would be a difficult task to prepare against him. Anand's strategy was to allow the Lvov-player to self-destroy himself like he did in previous world championships. This was something which Ivanchuk did not do. He waited for his chance to come and took it despite playing with the black pieces in game four of the semi-finals. With all the first three classical games being drawn, Anand was eliminated 1.5-2.5. Anand did not play the open lines against the Sicilian defence of Ivanchuk and his openings did not give him any advantage despite playing with the white pieces.

Anand's best game was the victory against old rival Alexei Dreev. He was consistent till he went into the semi-finals. He was in a mood for the tie-breaks but played too long without a draw offer and paid for it by losing to Ivanchuk. Ivanchuk who lost a match to Anand eight years ago finally managed to derail the speedy Indian.

Ponomariov was involved in a few good games. The win against Svidler in the semi-finals was well played and had an element of risk in it. He won with the black pieces. His best game was the victory with the black pieces over Kiril Georgiev of Bulgaria and the victory, as white, over Morozevich. Once he was off the starting block, he kept rolling wins after wins to become a tough opponent.

Peter Svidler had a tournament to remember. He 'finally' managed to get past Adams, a stumbling block he could never overcome in all previous knock-out competitions. In the next round he eliminated Gelfand but missed a queen against rook win in tie-break and the latter claimed a valuable half point on move 50. "The kid is playing very well," Svidler told The Sportstar, about Ponomariov, after the semi-finals.

Many players such as former world champion Alexander Khalifman, Vladislav Tkachiev, Alexey Dreev and others, took quick draws in classical chess and left the result to be decided in the rapid playoff. They first started by offering a draw with white. They let go their strike with the white pieces and played two draws and went into the tie-break. If they met an opponent such as Anand they tried to draw their game with the black pieces and worked hard at the board for it.

Favourites made their exits at various stages. Former world champion Anatoly Karpov's comeback trail at age 50 was cut short by Chinese International Master Zhang Pengxiang. The veteran was beaten 2-0 in the tie-break after their two classical games were drawn. Peter Leko lost in round two to Ashot Anastasian of Armenia. Alexander Khalifman went out in round three losing to Joel Lautier. Michael Adams and Alexander Morozevich bowed out in round four and their conquerors were Svidler and Ponomariov respectively. In round five it was Boris Gelfand and Evgeny Bareev who went out losing to Svidler and Ponomariov. Players who had a long day at the tie-breaks were at risk of losing the next round and the results confirmed this fact. Perhaps a free day separating the rounds could have helped the top players to regain lost energy and start afresh in the subsequent rounds.

The Indian challenge, besides Anand, folded up early after Krishnan Sasikiran was beaten by Morozevich with the white pieces. Sasikiran only managed a draw with the white pieces and bowed 0.5-1.5 in round two. In the opening round he had beaten higher-rated Vereslav Eingorn of Ukraine in the tie-break. Morozevich opined that Sasikiran played 'passively'. To add to the trouble, Sasikiran found vegetarian food hard to get and fell ill in the chilly Moscow weather which was -4C at best and -20C at worst during the day.

The next best showing was from debutant Surya Sekhar Ganguly who lost in round one on tie-break to former world champion Alexander Khalifman. After playing two theoretical draws out of the opening, Ganguly was beaten by Khalifman's strength in rapid chess. Other teenaged debutant Pendyala Harikrishna gave a draw with white easily and was beaten by Beliavsky's experience in the black game. "I made many silly mistakes," Harikrishna said after losing the game 0.5-1.5. The first Indian to bow out was Dibyendu Barua who was overpowered 2-0 by Joel Lautier of France.

For the first time in chess history players had to undergo anti-doping tests and a sample was made in round two and all quarter-final players were taken for tests. "I have undergone these tests before but not for a chess competition," said Anand. The FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov wants chess to be included in the Olympics and the doping tests are one of the prime factors. The other aspects will be 'unity' and to distinguish professionals from amateurs.

The shortened time controls which were accepted in Teheran 2000 by the FIDE Presidential board were implemented with a change by adding the two session timings at 90 minutes for the total control moves in first and second control. So, only a few games last the length beyond four hours and the mistakes were less because of the time being added after each move.

The organisation was good according to most of the players who played in all four knock-out competitions which FIDE has arranged since Groningen in 1997. But the facilities for the press, trainers of players and guests including spectators were pathetic. They were expected to walk down six flights of stairs to use the toilet and climb back. Before each of the three free days the pressroom was closed five minutes after the previous round and they start by disconnecting power, telephone and the internet facility. "These things were done due to the special nature of the venue which is security cautious, something over which we have no control," said Alexander Roshal, the Press Officer.

The results that came from the playing table were wrongly posted and could not be trusted. This led to those basing their stories on the official championship website to banner wrong headlines several times. The results of players such as Anand and Adams, the top two seeds, were also not sparred. Wrong postings came from the playing table where the arbiters had a big role to play. The results were picked up by the internet broadcast directly from the manner in which the arbiters placed the white and black kings after the game was over. Thus, if the arbiters made a mistake, it led to a wrong result and journalists, who wrote without the knowledge of that idea, were left to judge by themselves. It is time FIDE took care of these minute details which have a huge bearing on the public in countries which publish chess reports in newspapers.

The results:

Pre-quarterfinals: Viswanathan Anand (Ind) beat Alexey Dreev (Rus) 1.5-0.5; Michael Adams (Eng) lost to Peter Svidler (Rus) 1-1, 1-1, 0.5-1.5; Alexei Shirov (ESP) beat Veselin Topalov (Bul) 1-1, 1-1, 1-1, 1-0; Vassily Ivanchuk (Ukr) beat Ye Jiangchuan (Chn) 1.5-0.5; Alexander Morozevich (Rus) lost to Ruslan Ponomariov (Ukr) 1-1, 0.5-1.5; Joel Lautier (Fra) beat Predrag Nikolic (Bih) 1-1, 2-0; Boris Gelfand (Isr) beat Zurab Azmaiparashvili (Geo) 1-1, 1-1, 1.5-0.5; Evgeny Bareev (Rus) beat Jaan Ehlvest (Est) 1.5-0.5.

Quarter-finals: Viswanathan Anand (Ind) beat Alexei Shirov (ESP) 1.5-0.5; Vassily Ivanchuk (Ukr) beat Joel Lautier (Fra) 1-1, 1-1, 1.5-0.5; Ruslan Ponomariov (Ukr) beat Evgeny Bareev (Rus) 1-1, 2-0; Peter Svidler (Rus) beat Boris Gelfand (Isr) 1-1, 1-1, 1.5-0.5.

Semi-finals: Viswanathan Anand (Ind) lost to Vassily Ivanchuk (Ukr) 1.5-2.5; Ruslan Ponomariov (Ukr) beat Peter Svidler (Rus) 2.5-1.5.

Indian results: Round one: Viswanathan Anand beat Olivier Touzane (Fra) 1-1, 1.5-0.5; Joel Lautier (Fra) beat Dibyendu Barua 2-0; Alexander Khalifman (Rus) beat Surya Sekhar Ganguly 1-1, 2-0; Alexander Beliavsky (Slv) beat Pendyala Harikrishna 1.5-0.5; Vereslav Eingorn (Ukr) lost to Krishnan Sasikiran 1-1, 0.5-1.5.

Round two: Viswanathan Anand beat P. H. Nielsen (Den) 1.5-0.5; Alexander Morozevich (Rus) beat Krishnan Sasikiran 1.5-0.5.

Round three: Viswanathan Anand beat Vladislav Tkachiev 1-1, 1.5-0.5.

The decisive game which knocked Anand out of the championship: GM V. Anand-GM V. Ivanchuk, semi-finals, game four, Closed Sicilian, B30: 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 e5 4.Bc4 d6 5.d3 Be7 6.Nd2 Nf6 7.Nf1 Nd7 8.Nd5 Nb6 9.Nxb6 axb6 10.c3 0-0 11.Ne3 Bg5 12.0-0 Kh8 13.Bd2 Bxe3 14.fxe3 Qe7 15.Bd5 Be6 16.Qb3 Na5 17.Qc2 Qc7 18.h3 h6 19.c4 Nc6 20.Qd1 Bxd5 21.exd5 Ne7 22.a4 f5 23.Bc3 Rf7 24.Qb3 Ng6 25.Rf2 Raf8 26.Raf1 f4 27.Bd2 f3 28.Rxf3 Rxf3 29.gxf3 Qc8 30.Kh2 Rf5 31.f4 Rh5 32.f5 Rxf5 33.Qd1 Qf8 34.Rxf5 Qxf5 35.Qe2 e4 36.Qg4 Qxg4 37.hxg4 Ne5 38.Kg3 exd3 39.b3 g6 40.e4 h5 41.gxh5 gxh5 42.Kf2 h4 0-1.

GM P. Svidler-GM R. Ponomariov, semi-finals, third game, Petroff's defence, C43: 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.d4 Nxe4 4.Bd3 d5 5.Nxe5 Nd7 6.Nxd7 Bxd7 7.0-0 Bd6 8.c4 c6 9.cxd5 cxd5 10.Nc3 Nxc3 11.bxc3 0-0 12.Qh5 f5 13.Re1 Qc7 14.Bd2 Rae8 15.Bc2 g6 16.Qf3 Re4 17.g3 Bb5 18.Bf4 Bxf4 19.gxf4 Qd6 20.Bxe4 fxe4 21.Qg3 Rxf4 22.Rab1 Bd7 23.f3 b6 24.Re3 Qf6 25.Rf1 Bg4 26.Qxg4 Rxg4+ 27.fxg4 Qg5 28.Rg3 b5 29.Rf2 Kg7 30.Kg2 a5 31.Rb2 b4 32.cxb4 axb4 33.h3 Qc1 34.Rgb3 Kh6 35.Rxb4 Qd1 36.Kf2 Kg5 37.Re2 Kf4 38.Rb3 Qxd4+ 39.Kg2 Qc4 40.Rf2+ Kg5 41.Rf7 d4 42.h4+ Kxh4 43.Rxh7+ Kxg4 44.Rg3+ Kf5 0-1.