Return Games of Round 4 of FIDE World Cup Played in Khanty-Mansiysk
Nikita Vitiugov qualified for quarterfinals.
The return games of the Fourth Round of the FIDE World Cup were played on September 21. Only three players advanced to the next stage directly, and we saw two comebacks.
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave had Black against Peter Svidler, made a draw and became the first player to reach the Quarterfinals of the World Cup, winning the match 1.5 to 0.5.
So-Vitiugov had a similar plot. The American, playing White, was unable to create serious problems for his opponent. The game ended in a draw, and the grandmaster from St. Petersburg advances to the next stage.
Yu Yangyi won as White against Ian Nepomniachtchi and also advanced to the Quarterfinals. In the Gruenfeld Defense, the Chinese player sacrificed two pawns and got a certain compensation. After trading the queens Black made a serious mistake that cost him dearly. Despite defending tenaciously, Nepomniachtchi was unable to save the day and resigned on the 43rd move.
Jeffrey Xiong managed to come back against Jan-Krzysztof Duda after a painful loss in the first game. The American surprised the opponent with a rare Bishop's Opening, got an opening advantage, and the rest of the game was basically one-sided. After the queens were exchanged, Xiong got a material advantage and converted it easily. This match will be decided on tie-break.
Leinier Dominguez won against Alexander Grischuk. These players will also continue tomorrow on tie-break. The game was double-edged, and at some point the Russian had an advantage. However, his spent to much time thinking and under the heavy time pressure did not find the most accurate moves. After a fatal mistake on the 28th move, Black ended up in a very difficult position, which he was unable to hold.
The games Radjabov-Mamedyarov, Aronian-Le Quang Liem, and Alekseenko-Ding Liren ended peacefully.
Results:
Alekseenko-Ding Liren 1/2 (1-1)
Xiong-Duda 1-0 (1-1)
Svidler-Vachier-Lagrave 1/2 (0.5-1.5)
So-Vitiugov 1/2 (0.5-1.5)
Yu Yangyi-Nepomniachtchi 1-0 (1.5-0.5)
Aronian-Le Quang Liem 1/2 (1-1)
Radjabov-Mamedyarov 1/2 (1-1)
Dominguez-Grischuk 1-0 (1-1)
Five matches will be decided on tie-break on September 22:
Aronian-Le Quang Liem, Radjabov-Mamedyarov, Dominguez-Grischuk, Ding Liren-Alekseenko, and Xiong-Duda.
