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TOURNAMENT STANDINGS
World Blitz Championship Tournament
Leinier Dominguez Perez11.5/15(+8 -0 =7)[games]
Vasyl Ivanchuk11/15(+9 -2 =4)[games]
Peter Svidler10/15(+7 -2 =6)[games]
Alexander Grischuk10/15(+8 -3 =4)[games]
Shakhriyar Mamedyarov9.5/15(+9 -5 =1)[games]
Teimour Radjabov9.5/15(+7 -3 =5)[games]
Murtas Kazhgaleyev8/15(+6 -5 =4)[games]
Alexander Morozevich7.5/15(+6 -6 =3)[games]
Gata Kamsky7/15(+5 -6 =4)[games]
Boris Gelfand7/15(+5 -6 =4)[games]
Vladislav Tkachiev6.5/15(+3 -5 =7)[games]
Sergei Rublevsky6.5/15(+3 -5 =7)[games]
Rafael Vaganian5.5/15(+4 -8 =3)[games]
Bassem Amin4.5/15(+4 -10 =1)[games]
Krishnan Sasikiran3.5/15(+2 -10 =3)[games]
Judit Polgar2.5/15(+1 -11 =3)[games]
*

Chessgames.com Chess Event Description
World Blitz Championship (2008)

The 2008 World Blitz Championship was a 16-player round robin held in the Alatau Sanatorium of Almaty (Alma-Ata), Kazakhstan, 8 November. Participants: the first five players in the standings of the 2006 and 2007 World Blitz Championships, the champion of the 2006 Asian Games (Kazhgaleyev), one nominee of the organizer (Vaganian), and four Continental 2008 blitz champions, or their replacements. Time control: 5 minutes, with no increment. Prize fund: about $297,000, with about $68,000 to the winner. Organizer: Kazakhstan Chess Federation, under the aegis of FIDE. Chief arbiter: Andrzej Filipowicz. Appeals committee: Bolat Karishaluly Asanov, Boris Spassky and Viktor Korchnoi. The format and the electronic boards produced many incomplete game scores.

Leinier Dominguez Perez won with 11.5/15, ahead of Ivanchuk (2nd) and Svidler (3rd on tiebreak).

                1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
 1 Dominguez    * ½ ½ 1 1 ½ 1 1 ½ 1 1 ½ ½ 1 ½ 1  11½
 2 Ivanchuk     ½ * ½ 1 0 1 1 ½ 0 1 1 ½ 1 1 1 1  11
 3 Svidler      ½ ½ * ½ 0 ½ 1 ½ 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 ½  10
 4 Grischuk     0 0 ½ * 1 1 ½ 1 1 1 ½ ½ 1 0 1 1  10
 5 Mamedyarov   0 1 1 0 * ½ 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 1   9½
 6 Radjabov     ½ 0 ½ 0 ½ * ½ 1 1 ½ 1 1 0 1 1 1   9½
 7 Kazhgaleyev  0 0 0 ½ 0 ½ * 1 1 0 ½ 1 1 1 ½ 1   8
 8 Morozevich   0 ½ ½ 0 1 0 0 * 0 1 0 ½ 1 1 1 1   7½
 9 Kamsky       ½ 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 * ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 1 1   7
10 Gelfand      0 0 0 0 0 ½ 1 0 ½ * ½ ½ 1 1 1 1   7
11 Tkachiev     0 0 1 ½ 0 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ * ½ ½ 0 1 ½   6½
12 Rublevsky    ½ ½ 0 ½ 0 0 0 ½ 1 ½ ½ * 0 ½ 1 1   6½
13 Vaganian     ½ 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 ½ 0 ½ 1 * 1 1 0   5½
14 Amin         0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 ½ 0 * 0 1   4½
15 Sasikiran    ½ 0 0 0 1 0 ½ 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 * ½   3½
16 Polgar       0 0 ½ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ½ 0 1 0 ½ *   2½
Regulations: https://fide.com/images/stories/NEW...
Chess.com: https://www.chess.com/news/view/dom...
ChessBase 1: https://en.chessbase.com/post/domin...
ChessBase 2: https://en.chessbase.com/post/world...
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2On...
TWIC: https://theweekinchess.com/html/twi...
Wikipedia article: World Blitz Chess Championship

Previous: World Blitz Championship (2007). Next: World Blitz Championship (2009)

 page 2 of 5; games 26-50 of 120  PGN Download
Game  ResultMoves YearEvent/LocaleOpening
26. Svidler vs Kamsky  1-0372008World Blitz ChampionshipC78 Ruy Lopez
27. Mamedyarov vs Vaganian 1-0142008World Blitz ChampionshipD31 Queen's Gambit Declined
28. B Amin vs Tkachiev 1-0472008World Blitz ChampionshipC86 Ruy Lopez, Worrall Attack
29. J Polgar vs Morozevich 0-1422008World Blitz ChampionshipC70 Ruy Lopez
30. Ivanchuk vs Radjabov 1-0102008World Blitz ChampionshipB30 Sicilian
31. Dominguez Perez vs Rublevsky ½-½552008World Blitz ChampionshipB41 Sicilian, Kan
32. Radjabov vs Dominguez Perez ½-½92008World Blitz ChampionshipD00 Queen's Pawn Game
33. Morozevich vs Ivanchuk  ½-½332008World Blitz ChampionshipC45 Scotch Game
34. Tkachiev vs J Polgar  ½-½382008World Blitz ChampionshipB22 Sicilian, Alapin
35. Rublevsky vs Mamedyarov  0-1472008World Blitz ChampionshipB08 Pirc, Classical
36. Gelfand vs Svidler  0-1522008World Blitz ChampionshipA29 English, Four Knights, Kingside Fianchetto
37. Kamsky vs B Amin  0-1222008World Blitz ChampionshipA48 King's Indian
38. Grischuk vs Sasikiran 1-0152008World Blitz ChampionshipD15 Queen's Gambit Declined Slav
39. Vaganian vs Kazhgaleyev  0-1202008World Blitz ChampionshipA05 Reti Opening
40. Sasikiran vs Vaganian  0-1342008World Blitz ChampionshipA90 Dutch
41. Svidler vs Grischuk  ½-½412008World Blitz ChampionshipC07 French, Tarrasch
42. B Amin vs Gelfand  0-1402008World Blitz ChampionshipA07 King's Indian Attack
43. J Polgar vs Kamsky  0-1382008World Blitz ChampionshipB42 Sicilian, Kan
44. Ivanchuk vs Tkachiev  1-0282008World Blitz ChampionshipC78 Ruy Lopez
45. Dominguez Perez vs Morozevich 1-0322008World Blitz ChampionshipC70 Ruy Lopez
46. Mamedyarov vs Kazhgaleyev 1-042008World Blitz ChampionshipD80 Grunfeld
47. Rublevsky vs Radjabov 0-1162008World Blitz ChampionshipB07 Pirc
48. Morozevich vs Rublevsky  ½-½502008World Blitz ChampionshipA00 Uncommon Opening
49. Tkachiev vs Dominguez Perez 0-1482008World Blitz ChampionshipB22 Sicilian, Alapin
50. Kamsky vs Ivanchuk 1-0122008World Blitz ChampionshipC65 Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defense
 page 2 of 5; games 26-50 of 120  PGN Download
  REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2)  

Kibitzer's Corner
< Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 2 OF 2 ·  Later Kibitzing>
Nov-08-08  VinnyRoo2002: <kingg> Do you have any idea how much those boards which automatically record the moves cost? They would extremely beneficial for a tournament like this.
Nov-08-08  yoozum: <Ivanchuk's consistency in blitz is quite impressive, especially at his age.>

Agreed, it seems like he's always very near the top. I was betting my chess bucks on Ivanchuk, and though I'm upset that he didn't finish first, no one could have expected this outcome with Dominguez winning.

Nov-08-08  Billy Vaughan: <It's not as if Ivanchuk has been lazy either, he has already played more than 200 games this year, most of them with classical time controls.>

What's fascinating is he isn't really far from having played and average of 1 game a day against top-flight competition. Which is just unreal.

Nov-08-08  KingG: <alexmagnus> <How long will you consider 39 an old age???> I'm talking about blitz, not classical chess. I think it's generally accepted that the faster time controls tend to favour younger players.

<VinnyRoo2002> I'm pretty sure they are using the boards you are talking about, but they don't seem to be doing a very good job recording the moves.

Nov-08-08
Premium Chessgames Member		  alexmagnus: <Nov-23-07 KamikazeAttack: The sad thing is I have no doubt that many SGMs would be laffing in private when Chucky made number #2 on the ratings list? U think they really see him as second strongest? :)>

Aha?

<Jul-25-08: Whitehat1963: Nothing against him, but that Dominguez-Perez is rated above 2700 says a great deal about rating inflation since say 1965.>

Now he justified his rating. As all players above 2700. What the great number of 2700+ says is - the competition is very close on top. Even some number 21 in the world can win a world championship, be it in blitz. ;)

Nov-08-08  KingG: <Now he justified his rating.> How is a classical rating justified by a blitz tournament?
Nov-09-08  Billy Vaughan: Well they're both chess.
Nov-09-08  notyetagm: <percyblakeney: <Ivanchuk's consistency in blitz is quite impressive, especially at his age>

Very, he finished +7 -0 =1 in his last eight and as in the Tal Memorial blitz he ended up with a performance well over 2850.>

Wow, the Chuckster went 7.5/8(!) to finish the tournament, almost winning it.

Nov-09-08  shintaro go: Ivanchuk is a chess machine. Never gets tired, never takes a break. The guy loves chess!
Nov-09-08  notyetagm: <shintaro go: Ivanchuk is a chess machine. Never gets tired, never takes a break. The guy loves chess!>

Yes, he could not comprehend Kasparov's retirement from chess in 2005. No more competitive chess? Huh? An inconceivable thought to Ivanchuk.

Nov-09-08
Premium Chessgames Member		  alexmagnus: Let's see if Ivanchuk plays in the next 40 years like Korchnoi did it :). Who knows, maybe just as Korchnoi, he becomes a WC challenger at 50 ;)
Nov-09-08  shintaro go: <alexmagnus>I wouldn't put it past Ivanchuk. At his current form, he still finishes consistently in the top of tournaments and he has shown over the year that he can hang with <and occasionally whip> Carlsen, so any future WC title shots wouldn't be improbable for Ivanchuk.
Nov-10-08  ahmadov: Domingues did not lose one single game in such a difficult tournament! That is very impressive...
Nov-10-08  dumbgai: Unfortunately, Ivanchuk has had a tendency to underperform when it mattered the most (i.e. world championship events).
Nov-10-08  mikejaqua: Does anyone have any idea what went so horribly wrong for Judit? Looks like she had a Shirov-level meltdown.
Nov-10-08  amadeus: If I am not mistaken, Judit has only two wins (classical chess) in 2008...

As for Ivanchuk, well, he won last year. No trouble, there is always 2009. And I think the title is more important to Dominguez than it would be to him. Congrats, Leinier.

Nov-10-08  notyetagm: <mikejaqua: Does anyone have any idea what went so horribly wrong for Judit? Looks like she had a Shirov-level meltdown.>

Raising two kids probably takes precedence to chess now for Judit. And at this level, it shows.

Nov-10-08  Heidi44: I like Poochie!
Nov-10-08  Billy Vaughan: <Unfortunately, Ivanchuk has had a tendency to underperform when it mattered the most (i.e. world championship events).>

Well, he was 0.5 away from winning this event. I wouldn't call that "underperforming" even for Kasparov.

Nov-11-08  Eyal: <KingG: <VinnyRoo2002> I'm pretty sure they are using the boards you are talking about, but they don't seem to be doing a very good job recording the moves.>

Indeed:

<The players were playing too fast and not always placing the pieces accurately in the centre of a square. The technicians complained: why cant they move the pieces properly? How many times have we told them, but they won't listen...> (http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail...)

Nov-11-08  gazzawhite: <Eyal> Funny stuff.

Alternately, could they have a video camera next to the board torecord the game visually? I guess a problem would be that they would have to have a decent quality (framemate, etc.) which would be expensive, especially if you had one per board. Also, it wouldn't be live, as it would take time to watch the video to check the game score.

Nov-13-08  turbo231: does anyone know the time limits for this blitz?
Nov-13-08  amadeus: 5 minutes without increments.
Dec-23-08  positionalgenius: strong tounament but several major players wer missing. Tal blitz 2006 was the strongest ive seen.
Dec-23-08  positionalgenius: kamsky and morozevich vastly underperformed.
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