2009 FIDE World Cup

On November 20th, the 2009 World Cup will begin with the Opening Ceremonies. A field of 128 players will assemble is Khanty-Mansiysk to vie for a spot in the 2010 World Championship cycle. The top delegation is home favorite Russia with a total of 34 players. The top seed is Boris Gelfand of Israel. He will be joined by other marquee players such as Vugar Gashimov, Peter Svidler, Alexander Morozevich and several of the top 20 players. One notable absence is Hikaru Nakamura who skipped out of the zonal tournament in the Americas.

There is the strong possibility of a few upsets in round one by unheralded players… many having just come on the scene. American GMs such as Robert Hess and Ray Robson will test the top level and China’s Hou Yifan compatriot Yu Yangyi may surprise. Philippines’ Wesley So may be looking for a breakthrough here. Women’s Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk will also be in the field. It will prove to be an exciting event!

Coverage at The Chess Drum

Round 1 (November 21-23): 128 players
Round 2 (November 24-26): 64 players
Round 3 (November 27-29): 32 players
Round 4 (November 30-December 2): 16 players
Round 5 (December 3-5): 8 players
Round 6 (December 6-8): 4 players
Round 7 (December 10-14): 2 players

Main Site: https://ugra-chess.ru/eng/main_e.htm

List of Qualifiers: https://www.fide.com/component/content/article/1-fide-news/4037-list-of-qualifiers-for-world-cup

Round 1 Pairings: https://www.fide.com/component/content/article/1-fide-news/4169-world-chess-cup-2009-pairings-of-round-1

4 Comments

  1. Africans have been paired against strong opposition! Whatever the case, I believe that there will be some upsets this time. Somebody definitely has to qualify to the second round!
    My advice to them is not to play the name but the game…No fear! That’s what my fellow chessmate, Stanley Chumfwa, would say.
    I wish them all the best.

    ANYONE WITH A SUPER ABILITY FOR PREDICTIONS? I RECALL ALMOST ACCURATE PREDICTIONS FOR AFRICAN INDIVIDUAL BY SOME FELLAS. WHERE ARE THE CHESS ANALYSTS? WHAT DO YOU SAY ABOUT THE FIRST ROUND?

  2. People like Morozevich, Karjakin and Sargissian should be on the alert in round 1. They face Abdel Razik (Egypt), Rodriguez (Uruguay) and Li Chao (China). Robert Hess of the (USA) and Ray Robson (USA) could produce first-round shockers too. More on that later.

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