9 September 2017
World Cup: Round 3 Starts With Shock
Anton Kovalyov leaves Tbilisi, Magnus Carlsen loses.
On September 9, the first games of Round 3 of the FIDE World Cup were played in Tbilisi.The round started with a scandal: Maxim Rodshtein, who had to play with Anton Kovalyov, won by forfeit as his opponent was late for the game for more than 15 minutes. The Canadian chess player had been present at the playing hall before the game, but a few minutes before the start he was approached by the tournament’s Chief Arbiter Tomasz Delega who asked him to change his shorts as this kind of clothing doesn’t comply with the FIDE dress code. The chess player answered that he couldn’t do it as he had no other clothes. Then the Chairman of the Appeals Committee Zurab Azmaiparashvili had another conversation with Kovalyov, after which he went off the playing hall and wouldn’t return to play the game. Several hours later, Kovalyov checked out from the hotel and left the event. He didn’t take his prize money as well.
Bu Xiangzhi sensationally defeated Magnus Carlsen. Wesley So outplayed Francisco Vallejo Pons, while Maxim Matlakov lost to Levon Aronian.
The games Nepomniachtchi - Jobava, Najer - Caruana, Vachier-Lagrave - Lenderman, Nakamura - Fedoseev, Onischuk - Svidler, Artemiev - Dubov, Ivanchuk - Kramnnik, Giri - Sethuraman, Ding Liren - Vidit, Li Chao - Rapport, Grischuk - Navara and Wang Hao - Kuzubov.
On September 10, the return games of Round 3 will be held.
Official website
Photos by Eteri Kublashvili
