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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:

Prize money

Round Prize Total
Round 1 64 x US $6,000 US $384,000
Round 2 32 x US $10,000 US $320,000
Round 3 16 x US $16,000 US $256,000
Round 4 8 x US $25,000 US $200,000
Round 5 4 x US $35,000 US $140,000
Round 6 2 x US $50,000 US $100,000
Runner-up US $80,000 US $80,000
Winner US $120,000 US $120,000
Total US $1,600,000

Qualifiers

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

Qualification paths

Calendar

Round Regular games Tiebreaks
Round 1 11-12 September 13 September
Round 2 14-15 September 16 September
Round 3 17-18 September 19 September
Round 4 20-21 September 22 September
Quarterfinals 23-24 September 25 September
Semifinals 27-28 September 29 September
Final 1-4 October 5 October

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
65 Sergei Zhigalko ½
65 Sergei Zhigalko 3
64 Ivan Bukavshin 1
1 Veselin Topalov
97 Lu Shanglei
33 Wang Hao
96 Milos Perunovic
33 Wang Hao ½
97 Lu Shanglei
97 Lu Shanglei
32 Alexander Moiseenko
1 Veselin Topalov ½
16 Peter Svidler
17 Teimour Radjabov 3
112 Samuel Sevian 1
17 Teimour Radjabov 3
48 Ilia Smirin 1
81 Romain Edouard ½
48 Ilia Smirin
17 Teimour Radjabov
16 Peter Svidler
49 Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu
80 David Anton Guijarro ½
49 Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu
16 Peter Svidler
113 Emre Can ½
16 Peter Svidler

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
56 Alexander Areshchenko ½
24 Wei Yi
41 Ray Robson ½
88 Yuri Vovk
88 Yuri Vovk
24 Wei Yi
105 Salem Saleh ½
24 Wei Yi
24 Wei Yi
8 Ding Liren
25 David Navara 3
104 Tamir Nabaty 1
25 David Navara ½
89 Gadir Guseinov
89 Gadir Guseinov 3
40 Maxim Matlakov 1
89 Gadir Guseinov ½
8 Ding Liren
57 Ernesto Inarkiev 3
72 Yuniesky Quezada 1
57 Ernesto Inarkiev ½
8 Ding Liren
121 Tomas Krnan ½
8 Ding Liren

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
60 Csaba Balogh
5 Wesley So
37 Le Quang Liem
37 Le Quang Liem
92 Vasif Durarbayli ½
37 Le Quang Liem
28 Nikita Vitiugov
101 Samvel Ter-Sahakyan 1
28 Nikita Vitiugov 3
5 Wesley So ½
21 Maxime Vachier-Lagrave
21 Maxime Vachier-Lagrave
108 Isan Reynaldo Ortiz Suárez ½
21 Maxime Vachier-Lagrave
44 Gabriel Sargissian ½
85 Mateusz Bartel
44 Gabriel Sargissian
21 Maxime Vachier-Lagrave 4
12 Evgeny Tomashevsky 2
53 Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son
76 Robert Kempinski ½
53 Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son
12 Evgeny Tomashevsky
117 Ziaur Rahman 1
12 Evgeny Tomashevsky 3

Section 4

First round Second round Third round Fourth round
                       
13 Boris Gelfand
116 Cristobal Henriquez Villagra
116 Cristobal Henriquez Villagra 0
52 Julio Granda 2
77 Alexandr Fier ½
52 Julio Granda
52 Julio Granda ½
20 Radosław Wojtaszek
45 Vladislav Artemiev
84 Surya Shekhar Ganguly ½
45 Vladislav Artemiev ½
20 Radosław Wojtaszek
109 Lalith Babu ½
20 Radosław Wojtaszek
20 Radosław Wojtaszek 1
4 Anish Giri 3
29 Peter Leko
100 Aleksey Goganov ½
29 Peter Leko
93 Wen Yang ½
93 Wen Yang
36 Igor Kovalenko ½
29 Peter Leko ½
4 Anish Giri
61 Alexander Motylev
68 Boris Grachev
61 Alexander Motylev 1
4 Anish Giri 3
125 Arthur Ssegwanyi ½
4 Anish Giri

Section 5

First round Second round Third round Fourth round
                       
3 Fabiano Caruana 2
126 Amir Zaibi 0
3 Fabiano Caruana
67 Rauf Mamedov ½
67 Rauf Mamedov
62 Evgeniy Najer ½
3 Fabiano Caruana
94 Anton Kovalyov ½
35 Rustam Kasimdzhanov
94 Anton Kovalyov
94 Anton Kovalyov
99 Sandro Mareco ½
99 Sandro Mareco
30 Ni Hua ½
3 Fabiano Caruana ½
19 Shakhriyar Mamedyarov
19 Shakhriyar Mamedyarov
110 Pouya Idani ½
19 Shakhriyar Mamedyarov
46 Hou Yifan
83 Rafael Leitao
46 Hou Yifan
19 Shakhriyar Mamedyarov
78 S. P. Sethuraman ½
51 Sanan Sjugirov 0
78 S. P. Sethuraman 2
78 S. P. Sethuraman
14 Pendyala Harikrishna ½
115 Max Illingworth ½
14 Pendyala Harikrishna

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
54 Alexander Onischuk
11 Sergey Karjakin
22 Yu Yangyi ½
43 Igor Lysyj 4
86 Constantin Lupulescu 2
43 Igor Lysyj
22 Yu Yangyi
107 Viorel Iordachescu 0
22 Yu Yangyi 2
11 Sergey Karjakin
27 Dmitry Andreikin
27 Dmitry Andreikin
102 Zhou Jianchao ½
27 Dmitry Andreikin
38 Anton Korobov ½
91 Dragan Solak ½
38 Anton Korobov
27 Dmitry Andreikin
6 Vladimir Kramnik
59 Lazaro Bruzon 3
70 Santosh Gujrathi Vidit 1
59 Lazaro Bruzon ½
6 Vladimir Kramnik
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
58 Vladimir Fedoseev
71 Baskaran Adhiban
58 Vladimir Fedoseev
7 Alexander Grischuk 0
26 Pavel Eljanov 2
39 Ivan Cheparinov ½
90 Alexander Ipatov
90 Alexander Ipatov 0
26 Pavel Eljanov 2
103 Rinat Jumabayev 0
26 Pavel Eljanov 2
26 Pavel Eljanov
10 Dmitry Jakovenko
23 Vassily Ivanchuk
106 Ahmed Adly ½
23 Vassily Ivanchuk
42 Maxim Rodshtein ½
87 Eduardo Iturrizaga ½
42 Maxim Rodshtein
23 Vassily Ivanchuk ½
10 Dmitry Jakovenko
55 Ivan Šarić 0
74 Bassem Amin 2
74 Bassem Amin
10 Dmitry Jakovenko
119 Ilia Iljiushenok 3
10 Dmitry Jakovenko 5

Section 8

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

Results, rounds 5-7

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