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FIDE World Chess Championship 2002

The FIDE World Chess Championship 2002 was held in Moscow, Russia. The first six rounds were played between 27 November and 14 December 2001, and the final match started on 16 January and ended on 23 January 2002. The Ukrainian Grandmaster Ruslan Ponomariov, aged 18, won the championship and became the youngest FIDE World Champion.

Background

At the time of this championship, the World title was split. The Classical World Champion, Vladimir Kramnik, did not participate, as well as the previous Classical Champion and world's highest-rated player, Garry Kasparov. However, all other strongest players of the world took part, including the top seed and winner of the previous FIDE World Championship Viswanathan Anand.

Playing conditions

The championship was a knockout tournament similar to other FIDE World Chess Championships between 1998 and 2004: the players were paired for short matches, with losers eliminated. The field of 128 participants was reduced to one winner over seven rounds.

Rounds 1-5 consisted of a two game match, followed by tie breaks at faster time controls if required. The time control for regular games was 75 minutes for the first 40 moves and 15 minutes for the rest of the game, with 30 seconds added after each move. Tie breaks consisted of two rapid chess games (20 minutes each + 10 seconds per move); followed by two blitz games if required (5 minutes + 10 seconds per move); followed by a single Armageddon chess game if required (white has 6 minutes and must win, black has 5 minutes and only needs to draw). The semifinals (round 6) were best of four games, and the final was best of eight games, with the same conditions for the tie-breaks.

In addition to previous criticisms of the knockout format (see Controversies), this tournament was criticised by Garry Kasparov for using a faster time control, which Kasparov claimed was lowering the standard of the games.

Participants

All players are Grandmasters unless indicated otherwise.

Qualification

Players qualified for the championship according to the following criteria:

  1. four semi-finalists of the previous championship (Viswanathan Anand, Alexei Shirov, Michael Adams, Alexander Grischuk);
  2. the World Junior Champion 2000 (Lazaro Bruzon);
  3. 20 best rated players (the average of July 2000 and January 2001 rating lists was used);
  4. 90 qualifiers from the continental championships;
  5. eight qualifiers from the Internet championship;
  6. five nominees of the FIDE President.

Schedule

There was one rest day during round 4 and two rest days during round 6. The tie-breaks of rounds 1-5 were played in the evening following the second game. The final took place one month after rounds 1-6.

Results, rounds 1-4

Section 1

First round Second round Third round Fourth round
                       
1 Viswanathan Anand
128 Olivier Touzane
1 Viswanathan Anand
65 Peter Heine Nielsen ½
64 Alexander Goldin ½
65 Peter Heine Nielsen
1 Viswanathan Anand
32 Vladislav Tkachiev
32 Vladislav Tkachiev 3
97 Hichem Hamdouchi 1
32 Vladislav Tkachiev
96 Nguyen Anh Dung ½
33 Sergei Rublevsky 1
96 Nguyen Anh Dung 3
1 Viswanathan Anand
17 Alexey Dreev ½
16 Anatoly Karpov 1
113 Zhang Pengxiang 3
113 Zhang Pengxiang 0
49 Evgeny Pigusov 2
49 Evgeny Pigusov
80 Alexander Ivanov ½
49 Evgeny Pigusov ½
17 Alexey Dreev
17 Alexey Dreev
112 Khvicha Supatashvili ½
17 Alexey Dreev
48 Gilberto Milos ½
48 Gilberto Milos
81 Dao Thien Hai ½

Section 2

First round Second round Third round Fourth round
                       
8 Veselin Topalov 2
121 Facundo Pierrot 0
8 Veselin Topalov
72 Giovanni Vescovi ½
57 Boris Gulko ½
72 Giovanni Vescovi
8 Veselin Topalov
25 Zhong Zhang ½
25 Zhang Zhong 3
104 Yu Shaoteng 1
25 Zhong Zhang
40 Alexander Lastin ½
40 Alexander Lastin
89 Ognjen Cvitan ½
8 Veselin Topalov 3
9 Alexei Shirov 4
9 Alexei Shirov 2
120 Aimen Rizouk 0
9 Alexei Shirov
56 Zoltan Gyimesi ½
56 Zoltan Gyimesi 4
73 Stuart Conquest 3
9 Alexei Shirov
41 Alexander Motylev
24 Alexander Grischuk
105 Ehsan Ghaem-Maghami ½
24 Alexander Grischuk ½
41 Alexander Motylev
41 Alexander Motylev
88 Liang Chong ½

Section 3

First round Second round Third round Fourth round
                       
4 Vassily Ivanchuk
125 Baatr Shovunov ½
4 Vassily Ivanchuk 3
68 Bartłomiej Macieja 1
61 Boris Avrukh 0
68 Bartłomiej Macieja 2
4 Vassily Ivanchuk
29 Emil Sutovsky ½
29 Emil Sutovsky 4
100 Alonso Zapata 3
29 Emil Sutovsky 2
36 Francisco Vallejo Pons 0
36 Francisco Vallejo Pons
93 Stanislav Savchenko
4 Vassily Ivanchuk
20 Ye Jiangchuan ½
13 Loek van Wely
116 Ruben Felgaer ½
13 Loek van Wely 2
52 Smbat Lputian 0
52 Smbat Lputian 2
77 Michał Krasenkow 0
13 Loek van Wely ½
20 Ye Jiangchuan
20 Ye Jiangchuan 3
109 Alexei Barsov 1
20 Ye Jiangchuan
84 Lev Psakhis
45 Viktor Korchnoi
84 Lev Psakhis

Section 4

First round Second round Third round Fourth round
                       
5 Peter Leko 3
124 Watu Kobese 1
5 Peter Leko
69 Ashot Anastasian
60 Alexei Fedorov ½
69 Ashot Anastasian
69 Ashot Anastasian ½
28 Predrag Nikolić
28 Predrag Nikolić
101 Shukhrat Safin ½
28 Predrag Nikolić
37 Rustem Dautov
37 Rustem Dautov
92 Dmitry Gurevich ½
28 Predrag Nikolić 1
21 Joël Lautier 3
12 Alexander Khalifman 3
117 Surya Shekhar Ganguly 1
12 Alexander Khalifman 3
76 Alexander Shabalov 1
53 Gregory Kaidanov ½
76 Alexander Shabalov
12 Alexander Khalifman 1
21 Joël Lautier 3
21 Joël Lautier 2
108 Dibyendu Barua 0
21 Joël Lautier
44 Sergei Shipov
44 Sergei Shipov
85 Alexandre Lesiege ½

Section 5

First round Second round Third round Fourth round
                       
2 Michael Adams 2
127 Gaetan Sarthou 0
2 Michael Adams
63 Mikhail Kobalia ½
63 Mikhail Kobalia 3
66 Konstantin Aseev 1
2 Michael Adams 3
34 Vadim Zvjaginsev 1
31 Xu Jun
98 Suat Atalık ½
31 Xu Jun ½
34 Vadim Zvjaginsev
34 Vadim Zvjaginsev
95 Jacek Gdański ½
2 Michael Adams
15 Peter Svidler
15 Peter Svidler
114 Alejandro Hoffman ½
15 Peter Svidler
79 Sarunas Sulskis
50 Alexander Graf 1
79 Sarunas Sulskis 3
15 Peter Svidler 2
47 Vadim Milov 0
18 Judit Polgár 2
111 Mohamad Al-Modiahki 0
18 Judit Polgár
47 Vadim Milov
47 Vadim Milov
82 Alex Yermolinsky

Section 6

First round Second round Third round Fourth round
                       
7 Boris Gelfand
122 Alexis Cabrera ½
7 Boris Gelfand
71 Leinier Domínguez ½
58 Pavel Kotsur
71 Leinier Domínguez
7 Boris Gelfand 2
39 Aleksander Delchev 0
26 Alexander Beliavsky
103 Pendyala Harikrishna ½
26 Alexander Beliavsky
39 Aleksander Delchev
39 Aleksander Delchev
90 Georgy Timoshenko ½
7 Boris Gelfand
23 Zurab Azmaiparashvili
10 Rustam Kasimdzhanov
119 Nikolai Vlassov ½
10 Rustam Kasimdzhanov
74 Igor Khenkin
55 Karen Asrian
74 Igor Khenkin
10 Rustam Kasimdzhanov
23 Zurab Azmaiparashvili
23 Zurab Azmaiparashvili
106 Saidali Iuldachev ½
23 Zurab Azmaiparashvili
42 Sergei Movsesian
42 Sergei Movsesian
87 Vadim Malakhatko

Section 7

First round Second round Third round Fourth round
                       
3 Alexander Morozevich
126 Nugzar Zeliakov ½
3 Alexander Morozevich
67 Krishnan Sasikiran ½
62 Vereslav Eingorn
67 Krishnan Sasikiran
3 Alexander Morozevich
35 Mikhail Gurevich ½
30 Rafael Vaganian
99 Slim Belkhodja ½
30 Rafael Vaganian
35 Mikhail Gurevich
35 Mikhail Gurevich
94 Dorian Rogozenko ½
3 Alexander Morozevich
19 Ruslan Ponomariov
14 Kiril Georgiev 3
115 Fouad El Taher 1
14 Kiril Georgiev 3
78 Lazaro Bruzon 1
51 Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu 3
78 Lazaro Bruzon 4
14 Kiril Georgiev 0
19 Ruslan Ponomariov 2
19 Ruslan Ponomariov
110 Li Wenliang ½
19 Ruslan Ponomariov 3
46 Sergei Tiviakov 1
46 Sergei Tiviakov 3
83 Larry Christiansen 1

Section 8

First round Second round Third round Fourth round
                       
6 Evgeny Bareev 2
123 Mikhail Gluzman 0
6 Evgeny Bareev
59 Vladimir Baklan ½
59 Vladimir Baklan
70 Joel Benjamin
6 Evgeny Bareev 3
38 Konstantin Sakaev 1
27 Viktor Bologan ½
102 Igor Nataf
102 Igor Nataf ½
38 Konstantin Sakaev
38 Konstantin Sakaev
91 Andrei Volokitin
6 Evgeny Bareev 2
43 Jaan Ehlvest 0
11 Ilia Smirin 2
118 Amon Simutowe 0
11 Ilia Smirin
54 Thomas Luther ½
54 Thomas Luther 3
75 Sergey Volkov 1
11 Ilia Smirin 3
43 Jaan Ehlvest 4
22 Nigel Short ½
107 Daniel Campora
107 Daniel Campora ½
43 Jaan Ehlvest
43 Jaan Ehlvest
86 Teimour Radjabov

Results, rounds 5-7

Quarterfinals Semifinals (best of 4) Final (best of 8)
                 
1 Viswanathan Anand
9 Alexei Shirov ½
1 Viswanathan Anand
4 Vassily Ivanchuk
4 Vassily Ivanchuk
21 Joël Lautier
4 Vassily Ivanchuk
19 Ruslan Ponomariov
15 Peter Svidler
7 Boris Gelfand
15 Peter Svidler
19 Ruslan Ponomariov
19 Ruslan Ponomariov 3
6 Evgeny Bareev 1

Championship final

World Chess Championship Final 2002
Rating 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Points
Ruslan Ponomariov (Ukraine) 2684 1 ½ ½ ½ 1 ½ ½
Vassily Ivanchuk (Ukraine) 2731 0 ½ ½ ½ 0 ½ ½
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