Chess World Cup 2015 enter its two final phases, the semi finals. As known before, Pavel Eljanov eliminated Hikaru Nakamura quite easily. The first game of their match saw a perfect play from Eljanov, slowly outplaying Nakamura with Catalan game. The ending was a misery for Nakamura that even two checkmates was pardoned by Pavel Elojanov before Nakamura duly resigned. The second one saw Nakamura as white tried hard to equal the score, but Eljanov simply in solid hedgehog type of defensive and its ended in draw. The other board saw Anish Giri defeated his "Grand Chess Tour" compatriot, and declared himself the only defender of the highest society for semi final, jokingly.
Then there are hot games on the tie breakers. As expected, Wei Yi vs Peter Svidler was a popcorn-orientated show. Both play chess games that surprisingly entertaining and understood by most amateur. Their three games ended in eye rising draws though. Peter Svidler was the one on upper hand in most games but the advantage simply not enough to created point. Only by the fourth tie break game (5 minutes blitz), Peter able to converted point after the young Chinese boy tired out. The pair was Shakhriyar Mamedyarov vs Karjakin. The host player resigned to give a way for Karjakin after intense games. Two Russian will be in semi finals. Semifinal pairings stats below, after Bahasa Indonesia section.
Empat pecatur akhirnya lolos ke round semi final di Chess World Cup 2015 yang berlangsung di Baku, ibukota negeri Azerbaijan di Asia Tengah. Setelah melalui duel di babak quarter final yang sengit , hasil akhirnya adalah :
Wei Yi vs Peter Svidler 2.5-3.5
Hikaru Nakamura vs Pavel Eljanov 0.5-1.5
Sergey Karjakin vs Shakhriyar Mamedyarov 4.0-2.0
Anish Giri vs Maxime Vachier-Lagrave 1.5-0.5
Unggulan teratas dan pecatur urutan dua dunia, Hikaru Nakamura musti mengakui keunggulan si kuda hitam Pavel "Elojanov" Eljanov dari Ukraina. Di game pertama , Hikaru Nakamura kalah dalam permainan Catalan yang nyaris sempurna dimainkan oleh Pavel Eljanov. Mengetahui Nakamura yang permainannya agresif, Pavel memilih memainkan partai dengan positional. Ini adalah contoh partai di mana putih perlahan-lahan menyusun keunggulan positional dan strategisnya tanpa hitam menyadarinya. Langkah kunci ada di 20.Nxb7, di mana menghasilkan middle game 2 benteng vs kuda-benteng-gajah tapi putih unggul 2 bidak.
Partai Catur Pavel Eljanov vs Hikaru Nakamura 1-0, Baku 2015
Di partai panas lainnya, si kungfu boy Wei Yi bertarung melawan Peter Svidler dari Russia. Dua partai catur klasik berakhir remis dan di ronde tie break baru mulai saling gasak. Peter Svidler sebenarnya lebih menguasai permainan , tapi pertahanan sengit dari Wei Yi membuat dua partai catur cepat berakhir remis. Baru di partai catur kilat 10 menit game 2, Peter Svidler bisa mencuri poin. Ironisnya di partai ini justru Wei Yi yang lebih unggul strategis.
Partai Catur Wei Yi vs Peter Svidler 0-1, Baku 2015
Dua partai lainnya berlangsung "biasa saja", unggulan Anish Giri lebih menguasai medan ketimbang saingannya Maxime Vachier Lagrave. Keduanya baru saling temu di turnamen Sinquefield Cup 2015 bulan lalu. Anish mengalahkan Maxime di partai catur klasik. Sedangkan papan lainnya adalah Shakhriyar Mamedyarov yang kalah melawan pecatur Rusia kelahiran Ukraina, Sergey Karjakin.
Keempat pecatur akan berebut kursi menuju round final. Seperti diketahui, ajang Chess World Cup ini sekaligus kualifikasi untuk maju ke kursi kandidat penantang juara dunia. FIDE menyediakan 2 tiket ,artinya juara 1 dan 2 World Cup akan dikirim ke turnamen kandidat. Menarik diketahui, Hikaru Nakamura sebenarnya sudah punya tiket karena memenangkan turnamen Grand Prix bersama dengan Fabiano Caruana. Jika kemarin Nakamura bisa juara 1 atau 2, justru pecatur Rusia Dmitry Jakovenko yang dihadiahkan tiket ke partai kandidat. Dengan tersingkirnya Nakamura dan Caruana di Piala Dunia, maka kita akan bertemu pecatur baru di partai kandidat. Anish Giri adalah yang paling logic, namun ketiga saingannya semua berpeluang besar untuk menjuarai Piala Dunia ini.
Dengan demikian dua pairing partai semi final adalah :
2015 Chess World Cup Semi Final Pairings , Baku:
16 Russia Peter Svidler vs 4 Netherlands Anish Giri
We forgot that Peter Svidler is also one of ex World Cup champion. His fate is a little bit better compared to other "ex-s", Boris Gelfand, Gata Kamsky, Levon Aronian, Vladimir Kramnik... all say good bye many days ago!
Peter Svidler will meet ex-young star Anish Giri, who is now happily married. They played several times with Peter Svidler indeed having +1 score according to (limited) chessgames.com data. In Anish side, he is the one to "defend the high society of chess", after Hikaru Nakamura fallen in quarter final. He is indeed stronger favorite in this pairing, but everyone want to see repeated World Cup champion also!
Peter Svidler adalah mantan pemenang Piala Dunia catur tahun 2011. Dia berhadapan dengan Anish Giri yang merupakan pecatur Belanda dengan darah Nepal dan Rusia. Keduanya sering bertemu dan Peter Svidler unggul +1. Keduanya musti saling hantam untuk bisa berebut 1 tiket ke turnamen kandidat. Peter Svidler adalah pecatur generasi '90an yang memang sudah malang melintang di percaturan sejak jaman Kasparov dan Karpov masih saling cubit-cubitan. Anish Giri sendiri generasi Magnus Carlsen, tapi sedikit unggul karena dia sudah married .... Anish adalah pecatur top ten yang tersisa di turnamen ini.
Stats :
Svidler vs A Giri
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½-½
|
2010
|
Rising Stars - Experience
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D10 Slav
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A Giri vs Svidler
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½-½
|
2010
|
Rising Stars - Experience
|
A15 English
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Svidler vs A Giri
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½-½
|
2010
|
Bundesliga 2010/11
|
B13 Caro-Kann, Exchange
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Svidler vs A Giri
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½-½
|
2011
|
European Team Champ
|
D37 QGD
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A Giri vs Svidler
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½-½
|
2014
|
Norway Chess
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A35 English, Symmetrical
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A Giri vs Svidler
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0-1
|
2014
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Norway Chess (Blitz)
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A07 King's Indian Attack
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Svidler vs A Giri
|
0-1
|
2015
|
GP Tbilisi
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D38 QGD Ragozin
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Svidler vs A Giri
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1-0
|
2015
|
GP Khanty-Mansiysk
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D38 QGD Ragozin
|
11 Russia Sergey Karjakin vs 26 Ukraine Pavel Eljanov
Karjakin is ex-Ukrainian, so he must known well Pavel Eljanov. Both are meet numerous times. Notably is their duel in World Cup 2013 which Karjakin won. Remember how in Baku 2015 karma works (Kramnik vs Andreikin etc.), the superior force is within Elojanov by now. Speaking of Earthling predictions, this one is the hard one. Pavel Eljanov having superb tournament of his life, starting 6/6 then his record is 8.5/10 in classical games of World Cup, only three draws versus Jakovenko and Nakamura. Both are struggling to enter the most top layer of chess hierarchy by winning this one and show up in the candidate.
Sergey Karjakin adalah pecatur Russia yang sebelumnya lahir dan main di bawah bendera Ukraina. Hal ini menambah drama babak semi final karena Pavel Eljanov adalah pecatur sejati dari Ukraina. Keduanya bertemu lebih dari dua puluhan kali. Salah satu pertemuan mereka adalah di Piada Dunia 2013 lalu di mana Karjakin menggusur Eljanov. Akankah terjadi pembalasan manis dari Eljanov? Melihat performa Eljanov yang sangat kuat di Piala Dunia ini, sempat mencetak score 6-0 sebelumnya, maka tugas Karjakin menjadi sangat berat. Ini adalah kesempatan emas bagi keduanya untuk bisa tembus ke level para dewa di dunia percaturan. Dengan mengalahkan satu sama lain keduanya akan berhak nongol di turnamen kandidat untuk menantang si Thor, Magnus Carlsen.
Stats:
Eljanov vs Karjakin
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½-½
|
2005
|
6th Euro Individual
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D24 QGA
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Eljanov vs Karjakin
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1-0
|
2005
|
6th Euro Individual
|
D11 Slav
|
Eljanov vs Karjakin
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0-1
|
2007
|
Aerosvit
|
D11 Slav
|
Eljanov vs Karjakin
|
1-0
|
2008
|
Tal Memorial (Blitz)
|
E32 Nimzo-Indian, Classical
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Karjakin vs Eljanov
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1-0
|
2008
|
Tal Memorial (Blitz)
|
C67 Ruy Lopez
|
Eljanov vs Karjakin
|
½-½
|
2008
|
Aerosvit
|
D11 Slav
|
Eljanov vs Karjakin
|
½-½
|
2009
|
GP Jermuk
|
E15 Queen's Indian
|
Karjakin vs Eljanov
|
½-½
|
2009
|
4th FIDE Grand Prix
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C92 Ruy Lopez, Closed
|
Eljanov vs Karjakin
|
½-½
|
2010
|
Tal Memorial
|
E06 Catalan, Closed, 5.Nf3
|
Karjakin vs Eljanov
|
½-½
|
2010
|
World Blitz Champ
|
C41 Philidor Defense
|
Karjakin vs Eljanov
|
1-0
|
2010
|
Chess Olympiad
|
B12 Caro-Kann Defense
|
Eljanov vs Karjakin
|
1-0
|
2010
|
World Blitz Champ
|
D11 Slav
|
Eljanov vs Karjakin
|
0-1
|
2010
|
Russian Team Champ
|
E06 Catalan, Closed, 5.Nf3
|
Eljanov vs Karjakin
|
1-0
|
2013
|
Sberbank GM Rapid
|
A07 King's Indian Attack
|
Eljanov vs Karjakin
|
1-0
|
2013
|
World Cup
|
A15 English
|
Karjakin vs Eljanov
|
1-0
|
2013
|
World Cup
|
B12 Caro-Kann Defense
|
Eljanov vs Karjakin
|
½-½
|
2013
|
World Cup
|
A15 English
|
Eljanov vs Karjakin
|
½-½
|
2013
|
World Cup
|
A15 English
|
Eljanov vs Karjakin
|
½-½
|
2013
|
World Cup
|
A15 English
|
Karjakin vs Eljanov
|
½-½
|
2013
|
World Cup
|
B10 Caro-Kann
|
Karjakin vs Eljanov
|
1-0
|
2013
|
World Cup
|
B12 Caro-Kann
|
Karjakin vs Eljanov
|
½-½
|
2013
|
World Cup
|
B10 Caro-Kann
|
Piala Dunia / Chess World Cup 2015 bisa disaksikan di official website, semi final mulai besok minggu tanggal 26 September 2015, sekitar pukul 17;00 WIB. Hari Sabtu istirahat / rest day.
Pairing tree for World Cup 2015 Baku :
click for hi -res