The first half of the FIDE World Cup in Khanty Mansyisk, Siberia, saw a moderate number of upsets. Ivan Cheparinov, one of the trainers of world champion Veselin Topalov, defeated top-ranked Vassily Ivanchuk, but then fell under the guillotine against 15-year-old Magnus Carlsen.
The most heated match of the third round saw top Dutch player Loek van Wely square off against Azeri star Teimour Radjabov. In the first game, van Wely had White.
1.d2-d4 Ng8-f6 2.c2-c4 g7-g6 3.Nb1-c3 Bf8-g7 4.e2-e4 d7-d6 5.Ng1-f3 O-O 6.Bf1-e2 e7-e5 7.O-O Nb8-c6 The flexible 7. ... Nb8-a6 has been gaining in popularity.
8.d4-d5 Nc6-e7 9.b2-b4 This is now the most popular move in the main line of the King's Indian Defence. Previously, 9.Nf3-e1 was favoured. Among the alternatives are 9.Nf3-d2 and 9.Bc1-g5.
9. ... Nf6-h5 10.Rf1-e1 f7-f5 11.Nf3-g5 Nh5-f6 12.f2-f3 Kg8-h8 The waiting move has been successful recently. After 12. ... Nf6-h5 13.c4-c5 Nh5-f4 14.Be2-c4, Black has found Kg8-h8 necessary anyway, when 15.g2-g3 embarrasses the f4-Knight.
13.Ng5-e6 A typical idea, but new in this position. White had tried 13.Bc1-e3 or 13.c4-c5.
13. ... Bc8xe6 14.d5xe6 f5xe4 Another reasonable plan is 14. ... c7-c6, intending Nf6-e8, then to go after the e6-pawn with Ne8-c7 or Qd8-c8. Instead, Black seeks activity and ignores the e6-pawn.
15.f3xe4 Ne7-c6 16.Nc3-d5 Nf6xe4 17.Be2-f3 Ne4-f6 18.b4-b5 Nf6xd5 The variations can be sharp and long, for example: 18. ... e5-e4 19.b5xc6 Nf6xd5 20.c4xd5 Bg7xa1 21.Re1xe4 Qd8-b8 22.e6-e7 Rf8-e8 23.Qd1-b3 b7xc6 24.Re4-b4 Qb8-c8 25.Bf3-g4 and wins.
19.b5xc6 Nd5-b6 A better try is 19. ... Nd5-c3 20.c6xb7 Ra8-b8 21.Qd1-c2 e5-e4, with even chances.
20.c6xb7 Ra8-b8 Diagram: 21.c4-c5 e5-e4 Since Black never does pocket the Rook at a1, it might be just as well to omit this move, though White does seem to retain an advantage in either case.
22.Re1xe4 d6xc5 23.Qd1xd8 Rf8xd8 24.Bc1-g5 Rd8-e8 25.Ra1-d1 Bg7-d4+ This allows a pretty resolution of the complications, but Black is also in trouble after 25. ... Rb8xb7 26.Rd1-d8, or 25. ... h7-h6 26.Bg5-e3.
26.Re4xd4 c5xd4 27.e6-e7 h7-h6 28.Bg5-f6+ Kh8-g8 29.Rd1xd4 Kg8-f7 30.Rd4-d8! Now if 30. ... Kf7xf6, 31.Rd8xe8 Rb8xe8 32.Bf3-c6! wins.
30. ... Nb6-d7 31.Bf6-h4 g6-g5 32.Rd8xd7 Kf7-e6 33.Bf3-g4+ Ke6-f6 34.Bh4-e1 Rb8xb7 35.Be1-c3+ Kf6-g6 36.Bg4-f3 Rb7-b1+ 37.Kg1-f2 Rb1-c1 38.Rd7xc7 Kg6-f5 39.Bf3-h5 Rc1-c2+ 40.Kf2-f3 Black resigned.
In the second game, Radjabov won, forcing a rapid chess playoff, which was won by van Wely.
After the elimination of Canadian champion Pascal Charbonneau in the first round, the only Canadian involved in the competition is Guelph, Ont., organizer Hal Bond, who serves as a referee.
* The World Correspondence Chess Federation (ICCF) is happy with its webserver, which it sees as a complete replacement for email chess, which not that long ago supplanted postcards. Until the end of this month, ICCF is offering anybody in the world, at no charge, an unrated two-game match. Just go to http://www.iccf-webchess.com click on New Events, choose friendly, 2-game matches and submit your name, country and email, and you will have two games, starting Jan. 1. The time limit is 40 days for each 10 moves.
* Little is free in this world anymore, as Mikhail Gurevich discovered. On Nov. 1, FIDE recognized his change of chess allegiance from Belgium to Turkey. He played under the Turkish flag until partway through the third round, when a FIDE official insisted that to represent his new country, he would have to wait a further nine months and pay $5,000 to the World Chess Federation. His flag was switched back to Belgium, but he still advanced to the next round, defeating Alexei Shirov.