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:

Two rapid games (25 minutes plus 10 seconds increment).
If the score was tied after two rapid games, two rapid games (10 minutes plus 10 seconds increment).
If the score was tied after four rapid games, the opponents play two blitz games (five minutes plus three seconds increment).
If the score was tied after a pair of blitz games, an armageddon game (in which a draw counts as a win for Black) was played. White had 5 minutes and Black had 4 minutes, with an increment of 3 seconds/move starting from move 61.

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	1½

			65	Sergei Zhigalko	½
65	Sergei Zhigalko	3

64	Ivan Bukavshin	1
						1	Veselin Topalov	2½

						97	Lu Shanglei	1½
33	Wang Hao	2½

96	Milos Perunovic	1½
			33	Wang Hao	½

			97	Lu Shanglei	1½
97	Lu Shanglei	2½

32	Alexander Moiseenko	1½
									1	Veselin Topalov	½

									16	Peter Svidler	1½
17	Teimour Radjabov	3

112	Samuel Sevian	1
			17	Teimour Radjabov	3

			48	Ilia Smirin	1
81	Romain Edouard	½

48	Ilia Smirin	1½
						17	Teimour Radjabov	1½

						16	Peter Svidler	2½
49	Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu	1½

80	David Anton Guijarro	½
			49	Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu	1½

			16	Peter Svidler	2½
113	Emre Can	½

16	Peter Svidler	1½

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	1½
						56	Alexander Areshchenko	½

						24	Wei Yi	1½
41	Ray Robson	½

88	Yuri Vovk	1½
			88	Yuri Vovk	3½

			24	Wei Yi	4½
105	Salem Saleh	½

24	Wei Yi	1½
									24	Wei Yi	3½

									8	Ding Liren	2½
25	David Navara	3

104	Tamir Nabaty	1
			25	David Navara	½

			89	Gadir Guseinov	1½
89	Gadir Guseinov	3

40	Maxim Matlakov	1
						89	Gadir Guseinov	½

						8	Ding Liren	1½
57	Ernesto Inarkiev	3

72	Yuniesky Quezada	1
			57	Ernesto Inarkiev	½

			8	Ding Liren	1½
121	Tomas Krnan	½

8	Ding Liren	1½

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	2½

60	Csaba Balogh	3½
						5	Wesley So	2½

						37	Le Quang Liem	1½
37	Le Quang Liem	1½

92	Vasif Durarbayli	½
			37	Le Quang Liem	2½

			28	Nikita Vitiugov	1½
101	Samvel Ter-Sahakyan	1

28	Nikita Vitiugov	3
									5	Wesley So	½

									21	Maxime Vachier-Lagrave	1½
21	Maxime Vachier-Lagrave	1½

108	Isan Reynaldo Ortiz Suárez	½
			21	Maxime Vachier-Lagrave	1½

			44	Gabriel Sargissian	½
85	Mateusz Bartel	4½

44	Gabriel Sargissian	4½
						21	Maxime Vachier-Lagrave	4

						12	Evgeny Tomashevsky	2
53	Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son	1½

76	Robert Kempinski	½
			53	Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son	2½

			12	Evgeny Tomashevsky	3½
117	Ziaur Rahman	1

12	Evgeny Tomashevsky	3

Section 4

First round

Second round

Third round

Fourth round

Boris Gelfand

1½

116

Cristobal Henriquez Villagra

2½

116

Cristobal Henriquez Villagra

1½

1½

1½

Surya Shekhar Ganguly

Vladislav Artemiev

Radosław Wojtaszek

1½

109

Lalith Babu

1½

1½

100

1½

1½

1½

4½

3½

125

Arthur Ssegwanyi

Anish Giri

1½

Section 5

First round

Second round

Third round

Fourth round

Fabiano Caruana

126

Amir Zaibi

1½

1½

1½

3½

4½

1½

1½

Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

1½

Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

1½

110

Pouya Idani

Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

2½

Hou Yifan

1½

Rafael Leitao

1½

Hou Yifan

2½

Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

1½

1½

115

1½

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	1½

54	Alexander Onischuk	2½
						11	Sergey Karjakin	1½

						22	Yu Yangyi	½
43	Igor Lysyj	4

86	Constantin Lupulescu	2
			43	Igor Lysyj	2½

			22	Yu Yangyi	3½
107	Viorel Iordachescu	0

22	Yu Yangyi	2
									11	Sergey Karjakin	2½

									27	Dmitry Andreikin	1½
27	Dmitry Andreikin	1½

102	Zhou Jianchao	½
			27	Dmitry Andreikin	1½

			38	Anton Korobov	½
91	Dragan Solak	½

38	Anton Korobov	1½
						27	Dmitry Andreikin	2½

						6	Vladimir Kramnik	1½
59	Lazaro Bruzon	3

70	Santosh Gujrathi Vidit	1
			59	Lazaro Bruzon	½

			6	Vladimir Kramnik	1½
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	3½

			58	Vladimir Fedoseev	2½
71	Baskaran Adhiban	1½

58	Vladimir Fedoseev	2½
						7	Alexander Grischuk	0

						26	Pavel Eljanov	2
39	Ivan Cheparinov	½

90	Alexander Ipatov	1½
			90	Alexander Ipatov	0

			26	Pavel Eljanov	2
103	Rinat Jumabayev	0

26	Pavel Eljanov	2
									26	Pavel Eljanov	2½

									10	Dmitry Jakovenko	1½
23	Vassily Ivanchuk	1½

106	Ahmed Adly	½
			23	Vassily Ivanchuk	1½

			42	Maxim Rodshtein	½
87	Eduardo Iturrizaga	½

42	Maxim Rodshtein	1½
						23	Vassily Ivanchuk	½

						10	Dmitry Jakovenko	1½
55	Ivan Šarić	0

74	Bassem Amin	2
			74	Bassem Amin	1½

			10	Dmitry Jakovenko	2½
119	Ilia Iljiushenok	3

10	Dmitry Jakovenko	5

Section 8

First round			Second round			Third round			Fourth round


15	Michael Adams	1½

114	Mariya Muzychuk	½
			15	Michael Adams	5

			50	Viktor Laznicka	4
79	Varuzhan Akobian	½

50	Viktor Laznicka	1½
						15	Michael Adams	5

						18	Leinier Domínguez	3
47	Gata Kamsky	½

82	Hrant Melkumyan	1½
			82	Hrant Melkumyan	½

			18	Leinier Domínguez	1½
111	Federico Perez Ponsa	1½

18	Leinier Domínguez	2½
									15	Michael Adams	½

									2	Hikaru Nakamura	1½
31	Laurent Fressinet	3

98	Ante Brkic	1
			31	Laurent Fressinet	3½

			34	Ian Nepomniachtchi	4½
95	Zhao Jun	1

34	Ian Nepomniachtchi	3
						34	Ian Nepomniachtchi	4

						2	Hikaru Nakamura	5
63	Sam Shankland	1½

66	Ivan Popov	½
			63	Sam Shankland	1½

			2	Hikaru Nakamura	2½
127	Richmond Phiri	0

2	Hikaru Nakamura	2

Results, rounds 5-7

Quarterfinals			Semifinals			Final (best of 4)


16	Peter Svidler	3½

24	Wei Yi	2½
			16	Peter Svidler	1½

			4	Anish Giri	½
21	Maxime Vachier-Lagrave	½

4	Anish Giri	1½
						16	Peter Svidler	4

						11	Sergey Karjakin	6
19	Shakhriyar Mamedyarov	2

11	Sergey Karjakin	4
			11	Sergey Karjakin	3½

			26	Pavel Eljanov	2½
26	Pavel Eljanov	1½

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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