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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:

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

Round 1: 27 November 2001, 28 November 2001 (tiebreaks on 28 November 2001)
Round 2: 29 November 2001, 30 November 2001 (tiebreaks on 30 November 2001)
Round 3: 1 December 2001, 2 December 2001 (tiebreaks on 2 December 2001)
Round 4: 3 December 2001, 5 December 2001 (tiebreaks on 5 December 2001)
Round 5: 6 December 2001, 7 December 2001 (tiebreaks on 7 December 2001)
Round 6: 8 December 2001, 10 December 2001, 11 December 2001, 13 December 2001 (tiebreaks on 7 December 2001)
Round 7: 16 January 2002 - 24 January 2002, with a rest day on 20 January 2002 (tiebreaks on 25 January 2002)

Results, rounds 1-4

Section 1

First round			Second round			Third round			Fourth round


1	Viswanathan Anand	2½

128	Olivier Touzane	1½
			1	Viswanathan Anand	1½

			65	Peter Heine Nielsen	½
64	Alexander Goldin	½

65	Peter Heine Nielsen	1½
						1	Viswanathan Anand	2½

						32	Vladislav Tkachiev	1½
32	Vladislav Tkachiev	3

97	Hichem Hamdouchi	1
			32	Vladislav Tkachiev	1½

			96	Nguyen Anh Dung	½
33	Sergei Rublevsky	1

96	Nguyen Anh Dung	3
									1	Viswanathan Anand	1½

									17	Alexey Dreev	½
16	Anatoly Karpov	1

113	Zhang Pengxiang	3
			113	Zhang Pengxiang	0

			49	Evgeny Pigusov	2
49	Evgeny Pigusov	1½

80	Alexander Ivanov	½
						49	Evgeny Pigusov	½

						17	Alexey Dreev	1½
17	Alexey Dreev	1½

112	Khvicha Supatashvili	½
			17	Alexey Dreev	1½

			48	Gilberto Milos	½
48	Gilberto Milos	1½

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	1½

			72	Giovanni Vescovi	½
57	Boris Gulko	½

72	Giovanni Vescovi	1½
						8	Veselin Topalov	1½

						25	Zhong Zhang	½
25	Zhang Zhong	3

104	Yu Shaoteng	1
			25	Zhong Zhang	1½

			40	Alexander Lastin	½
40	Alexander Lastin	1½

89	Ognjen Cvitan	½
									8	Veselin Topalov	3

									9	Alexei Shirov	4
9	Alexei Shirov	2

120	Aimen Rizouk	0
			9	Alexei Shirov	1½

			56	Zoltan Gyimesi	½
56	Zoltan Gyimesi	4

73	Stuart Conquest	3
						9	Alexei Shirov	3½

						41	Alexander Motylev	2½
24	Alexander Grischuk	1½

105	Ehsan Ghaem-Maghami	½
			24	Alexander Grischuk	½

			41	Alexander Motylev	1½
41	Alexander Motylev	1½

88	Liang Chong	½

Section 3

First round			Second round			Third round			Fourth round


4	Vassily Ivanchuk	1½

125	Baatr Shovunov	½
			4	Vassily Ivanchuk	3

			68	Bartłomiej Macieja	1
61	Boris Avrukh	0

68	Bartłomiej Macieja	2
						4	Vassily Ivanchuk	1½

						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	2½

93	Stanislav Savchenko	1½
									4	Vassily Ivanchuk	1½

									20	Ye Jiangchuan	½
13	Loek van Wely	1½

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	1½
20	Ye Jiangchuan	3

109	Alexei Barsov	1
			20	Ye Jiangchuan	2½

			84	Lev Psakhis	1½
45	Viktor Korchnoi	1½

84	Lev Psakhis	2½

Section 4

First round			Second round			Third round			Fourth round


5	Peter Leko	3

124	Watu Kobese	1
			5	Peter Leko	1½

			69	Ashot Anastasian	2½
60	Alexei Fedorov	½

69	Ashot Anastasian	1½
						69	Ashot Anastasian	½

						28	Predrag Nikolić	1½
28	Predrag Nikolić	1½

101	Shukhrat Safin	½
			28	Predrag Nikolić	2½

			37	Rustem Dautov	1½
37	Rustem Dautov	1½

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	1½
						12	Alexander Khalifman	1

						21	Joël Lautier	3
21	Joël Lautier	2

108	Dibyendu Barua	0
			21	Joël Lautier	2½

			44	Sergei Shipov	1½
44	Sergei Shipov	1½

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	1½

			63	Mikhail Kobalia	½
63	Mikhail Kobalia	3

66	Konstantin Aseev	1
						2	Michael Adams	3

						34	Vadim Zvjaginsev	1
31	Xu Jun	1½

98	Suat Atalık	½
			31	Xu Jun	½

			34	Vadim Zvjaginsev	1½
34	Vadim Zvjaginsev	1½

95	Jacek Gdański	½
									2	Michael Adams	2½

									15	Peter Svidler	3½
15	Peter Svidler	1½

114	Alejandro Hoffman	½
			15	Peter Svidler	2½

			79	Sarunas Sulskis	1½
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	1½

			47	Vadim Milov	2½
47	Vadim Milov	3½

82	Alex Yermolinsky	2½

Section 6

First round

Second round

Third round

Fourth round

Boris Gelfand

1½

122

Alexis Cabrera

1½

1½

2½

1½

103

1½

2½

1½

Georgy Timoshenko

Boris Gelfand

3½

Zurab Azmaiparashvili

2½

Rustam Kasimdzhanov

1½

119

Nikolai Vlassov

2½

1½

2½

3½

1½

Zurab Azmaiparashvili

2½

Zurab Azmaiparashvili

1½

106

Saidali Iuldachev

Zurab Azmaiparashvili

2½

Sergei Movsesian

1½

Sergei Movsesian

2½

Vadim Malakhatko

1½

Section 7

First round			Second round			Third round			Fourth round


3	Alexander Morozevich	1½

126	Nugzar Zeliakov	½
			3	Alexander Morozevich	1½

			67	Krishnan Sasikiran	½
62	Vereslav Eingorn	1½

67	Krishnan Sasikiran	2½
						3	Alexander Morozevich	1½

						35	Mikhail Gurevich	½
30	Rafael Vaganian	1½

99	Slim Belkhodja	½
			30	Rafael Vaganian	1½

			35	Mikhail Gurevich	2½
35	Mikhail Gurevich	1½

94	Dorian Rogozenko	½
									3	Alexander Morozevich	1½

									19	Ruslan Ponomariov	2½
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	1½

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	1½

			59	Vladimir Baklan	½
59	Vladimir Baklan	3½

70	Joel Benjamin	2½
						6	Evgeny Bareev	3

						38	Konstantin Sakaev	1
27	Viktor Bologan	½

102	Igor Nataf	1½
			102	Igor Nataf	½

			38	Konstantin Sakaev	1½
38	Konstantin Sakaev	3½

91	Andrei Volokitin	2½
									6	Evgeny Bareev	2

									43	Jaan Ehlvest	0
11	Ilia Smirin	2

118	Amon Simutowe	0
			11	Ilia Smirin	1½

			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	1½
			107	Daniel Campora	½

			43	Jaan Ehlvest	1½
43	Jaan Ehlvest	3½

86	Teimour Radjabov	2½