This week's updates

Yesterday completed Round 3. 16 players advance to Round 4 out of the original 100. A score of 1.5 (one win and one draw) advances to Round 4. If the two players are tied at the end of the two games, then a play-off sequence takes place the third day of the round. (For information on play-off rules, see the official FIDE site.)

American Participants

Nine Americans competed in the event. Eight played in Round 1, of whom three advanced into Round 2, and one had an automatic entry into Round 2. All four Americans were eliminated in the second round.

USCF coverage, including GM Rohde's commentary, will continue throughout the event.

Round 3 Playoff Results

Kasparov once said of Ivanchuk: "Sometimes he plays like an 1800 player--sometimes he plays like Ivanchuk." In this event Ivanchuk is definitely playing like Ivanchuk--he scored the only perfect score of round 3, defeating Shipov in both games to advance to Round 4.

Advancing to Round 4

• Adams, Akopian (P), Dreev, Federov, Gelfand (P), Georgiev, Ivanchuk, Khalifman, Kramnik, Movsesian (P), Nispeanu (P), J. Polgar, Shirov (P), Short, Topalov, Zvjaginsev

Eliminated in Round 3

• Almasi, Asrian, Bareev (P), Beliavsky, Korchnoi, Krasenkow, Lautier (P), Leitao (P), Leko (P), Magem, Milos (P), Psakhis, Rublevsky, Shipov, Svidler, Timman

Kramnik also advanced by defeating Korchnoi once he got his turn with the White pieces--the same pattern he followed in Round 2. Dreev pulled the same plus against Rublevsky, as did J. Polgar against Magem and Michael Adams against Almasi, so Dreev, Adams, and Polgar also advance to Round 4. Khalifman got his 1.5 the hard way, drawing with White and then winning with Black against Asrian. Zvjaginsev won with Black, then drew with White, to advance over Krasenkow. Federov also won with Black in game 1 against Timman, then eliminated the former Dutch champion with a draw in game 2. Topalov took his win with White during Game 1, then drew with Psakhis in game 2 to advance. Georgiev's upset of Svidler in game 1 held with a draw for game 2, so Georgiev, too, advances. Nigel Short followed his 76 move victory with Black in game 1 with a 60 move draw against Beliavsky in game 2, so Short advances.

Not all matches were decided in two games. Milos got his revenge for losing to Shirov in game 1 by winning game 2, so their match is tied 1 - 1 and they went into Sunday's play-offs. On the quieter side, Bareev and Akopian drew both games, as did Leko and Movsesian, so they also went into a play-off on Sunday. Lautier and Gelfand had a long fighting draw in Game 1, and settled for a quieter 18 mover in game 2, also going to play-offs. Leitao and Nisipeanu had a short draw in game 1, a longer one in game 2, also finishing the first two games tied.

At the play-offs, Shirov defeated Milos in two quick G/25 games. Akopian scored 1.5 over Bareev to advance when the latter apparently dropped a piece under pressure. Movesesian also went 1.5, defeating Leko, and Nispeanu went 1.5 against Leitao.

Only one pair went to the second tie break set of G/15 games. Gelfand and Lautier had two dramatic games at the G/25 control, both ending in draws as the defender found resources. In the first of the two G/15 games, Gelfand scored a sharp victory. In the second, must-win situation for Lautier, Gelfand again found the spark and scored a second point to advance.

Viewing the Commentary

At least two games per day are available in auto-play format (one diagram per move) with commentary from GM Rohde in our Games Archives. No Java is required to view these games. See the FIDE Official site for complete results.

Schedule and Player Information

The US Chess Federation is the official sanctioning body for tournament chess in the United States, and for US participation in international chess events. It has over 80,000 members. In addition to rating tournaments, the USCF supports and promotes chess activities in scholastics and correspondence chess. The USCF publishes two national magazines, CHESS LIFE and SCHOOLMATES (for children).