December 2012 FIDE Rating List

Italian-American Fabiano Caruana is World #5 and top Junior on the 12/12 Rating List

Today, FIDE released the December 2012 FIDE Rating List.  All players listed are GMs unless otherwise stated.  Players in Bold are American.  Players in Italics are mentioned in another list.

Here are the top 50 players overall and their changes in position from the November 2012 Rating List:


1. Magnus Carlsen 2848 (=)
2. Levon Aronian 2815 (=)
3. Vladimir Kramnik 2795 (=)
4. Teimour Radjabov 2793 (=)
5. Fabiano Caruana 2782 (=)
6-7. Viswanathan Anand, Sergey Karjakin 2775 (=, =)
8. Veselin Topalov 2771 (=)
9. Vassily Ivanchuk 2766 (+2)
10-11. Alexander Grischuk, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov 2764 (-1, =)
12. Gata Kamsky 2762 (=)
13. Hikaru Nakamura 2760 (=)
14. Boris Gelfand 2751 (=)
15. Alexander Morozevich 2748 (=)
16. Peter Svidler 2747 (=)
17. Dmitry Jakovenko 2741 (=)
18-19. Vugar Gashimov, Wang Hao 2737 (+2, =)
20-21. Leinier Dominguez Perez, Radoslaw Wojtaszek 2734 (+3, =)
22-23. Ruslan Ponomariov, Peter Leko 2732 (-4, =)
24. Evgeny Tomashevsky 2725 (=)
25. Dmitry Andreiken 2723 (=)
26. Andrei Volokitin 2722 (=)
27-28. Anish Giri, Alexander Areshchenko 2720 (=, +4)
29. Luke McShane 2713 (=)
30-31. Baadur Jobava, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave 2711 (+5, =)
32-34. Alexander Moiseenko, Michael Adams, David Navara 2710 (+16, =, =)

35-36. Ivan Cheparinov, Vladimir Malakhov 2709 (=, =)

37-38. Arkadij Naiditsch, Alexei Shirov 2708 (=, +20)

39. Ian Nepomniachtchi 2707 (-1)

40-42. Le Quang Liem, Judit Polgar, Alexander Riazantsev 2705 (=, =, =)

43. Vladimir Akopian 2704 (+2)

44. Etienne Bacrot 2703 (+5)

45-46. Ding Liren, Anton Korobov 2702 (+2, =)

47. Laurent Fressinet 2700 (-3)

48. Pentala Harikrishna 2698 (+11)

49-51. Zahar Efimenko, Rustam Kasimdzhanov, Wang Yue (2696) (+3, =, +4)

Top 20 Women:

1. Judit Polgar 2705 (=)

2. Humpy Koneru 2610 (=)

3. Hou Yifan 2606 (=)

4. Anna Muzychuk 2586 (=)

5. Zhao Xue 2565 (=)

6. Nana Dzagnidze 2555 (=)

7. Kateryna Lahno 2553 (=)

8. Nadezhda Kosintseva 2539 (=)

9. Viktorija Cmilyte 2524 (=)

10. Marie Sebag 2521 (=)

11. IM Valentina Gunina 2517 (=)

12. Pia Cramling 2516 (=)

13. Tatiana Kosintseva 2515 (=)

14. Harika Dronavalli 2512 (=)

15. IM Bela Khotenashvili 2504 (=)

16-18. WGM Wenjun Ju, Alexandra Kosteniuk, WGM Ruan Lufei 2501 (=, = ,=)

19-20. Antoaneta Stefanova, Zhu Chen 2491 (=, =)

Top 20 Juniors (under 21):

1. Fabiano Caruana 2782  (=)

2. Anish Giri 2720 (=)

3. Ding Liren 2702 (=)

4. Wesley So 2682 (+1)

5. Yu Yangyi 2681 (-1)

6. Sanan Sjugirov 2643 (+4)

7. Parimarjan Negi 2641 (-1)

8. Illya Nyzhnyk 2637 (+1)

9. Aleksandr Shimanov 2630 (+7)

10. Dariucz Swiercz 2627 (+3)

11. Eltaj Safarli 2626 (-3)

12. Yaroslav Zherebukh 2623 (-5)

13. Richard Rapport 2621 (-2)

14. Ray Robson 2615 (-2)

15-16. Anton Kovalyov, Hou Yifan 2606 (+2, -1)

17. Daniil Dubov 2600 (-2)

18-19. Alexander Ipatov, Vasif Durarbayli 2587 (=, =)

20. Nils Grandelius (=)

WPT Montreal Report

WPT Montreal Champion Jonathan Roy with his $755,601 Canadian Dollars

Jonathan Roy of Quebec, Canada won the $3k WPT Montreal (November 23-27), winning $755,601 CAD, a seat into the 2013 $25k WPT World Championship (Bellagio, May 2013), and a WPT Championship Belt.  Roy entered the final table 3rd in chips with 62.3 BBs. He defeated Pascal Lefrancois, a fellow Quebec native heads-up for the title.  On the last hand, Lefrancois was all-in pre-flop for his BB with 83o and was eliminated by Roy's KJo on a KJ4Q9 board.

Prior to this win, Roy only had $142,461 in career Live Tournament Earnings.  On the other hand, Lefrancois had $1,351,772 in Live Tournament Earnings prior to this second place finish.

The 6-handed final table included Poker Pro Gavin Smith, who finished in 4th place.  Here is the complete final table standings:

1. Jonathan Roy ($755,601 + $25k entry)
2. Pascal Lefrancois ($473,572)
3. Jeff Gross ($319,238)
4. Gavin Smith ($212,937)
5. Sylvain Siebert ($147,184)
6. Peter Kaemmerlen ($113,792)

117 out of a total field of 1,173 players cashed for a minimum cash of $5,451 CAD for 100-117th.  There was a total prizepool of $3,387,930 for this $3k CAD event.

The next WPT Event has already begun in Mazagan, Morocco (€3500 buy-in with re-entries) November 27 - December 1), with notable names such as Guillaume Darcourt (Day 1A Chip Leader), Steve O'Dwyer, Daniel Cates, David Benyamine (eliminated Day 1A), Gaelle Baumann (10th in 2012 WSOP Main Event) and Kara Scott (eliminated Day 1B).  There is a total prizepool of $577,387 from 146 entries.

2 More Rounds in the Books in GP, WWCC

In Round 6, Morozevich defeated Dominguez to grab the lead once again in Tashkent

Round 6 of the FIDE Grand Prix in Tashkent, UZB and Round 2 of the Final Match of the Women's World Chess Championship in Khanty-Mansiysk, RUS.  See previous reports on each of these tournaments on this blog.  Watch live games from either tournament (Tashkent Grand Prix 2012, top entry and World Women Chess Championships 2012, 7th entry from the top) online here.

In Round 5 in Tashkent, there were 3 decisive results out of 6:
Gelfand (2751) - Kamsky (2762) 0-1
Mamedyarov (2764) - Caruana (2786) 1/2
Ponomariov (2741) - Morozevich (2748) 1-0
Dominguez (2726) - Svidler (2747) 1/2
Karjakin (2775) - Leko (2732) 1/2
Wang Hao (2737) - Kasimdzhanov (2696) 0-1

In Round 6, Morozevich won the only decisive game of the round and is again in clear first place
Kamsky - Kasimdzhanov 1/2
Leko - Wang Hao 1/2
Svidler - Karjakin 1/2
Morozevich - Dominguez 1-0
Caruana - Ponomariov 1/2
Gelfand - Mamedyarov 1/2

Standings after Round 6 of 11:
1. Morozevich 4.0/6 (+2)
2-5. Mamedyarov, Kasimdzhanov, Karjakin, Caruana 3.5/6 (+1)
6-9. Ponomariov, Svidler, Leko, Wang Hao 3.0/6 (=)
10-12. Gelfand, Dominguez, Kamsky 2.0/6 (-2)

Performance Ratings:
1. Morozevich 2875
2. Caruana 2810
3. Kasimdzhanov 2809
4. Mamedyarov 2801
5. Karjakin 2791
6. Svidler 2757
7. Leko 2749
8. Ponomariov 2741
9. Wang Hao 2738
10. Gelfand 2637
11. Dominguez 2619
12. Kamsky 2629

FIDE Live Ratings of these 12 players after 6 rounds in Tashkent:
Caruana: 2784.1 (#5)
Karjakin: 2776.5 (#6)
Mamedyarov: 2767.4 (#9)
Morozevich: 2758.5 (#13)
Kamsky: 2750.9 (#14)
Svidler: 2747.8 (#15)
Gelfand: 2741.5 (#16)
Wang Hao: 2737 (#18)
Leko: 2733.4 (#21)
Ponomariov: 2732 (#22)
Dominguez: 2724.7 (#25)
Kasimdzhanov: 2706 (#39)

Round 7 Pairings:
Mamedyarov - Kamsky
Ponomariov - Gelfand
Dominguez - Caruana
Karjakin - Morozevich
Wang Hao - Svidler
Kasimdzhanov - Leko

In the Women's World Championship, the final match is between Bulgarian GM Antoaneta Stefanova (2491) and Ukrainian IM Anna Ushenina (2452).  This match will be a four-game final which will decide a new Women's World Champion.  This champion will retain the title until former champion GM Hou Yifan challenges either Stefanova or Ushenina in a 10-game match in late 2013, where the winner of that match will become the 2013-4 Women's World Champion.

In the first game, Ushenina had white and drew in a 36-move Bogo-Indian.

In the second game, Stefanova had white and the game was drawn in a 17-move Semi-slav 4...Bb4.

WPT Montreal Day 3 Results

Pascal Lefrancois enters the final table 4th in chips and is guaranteed  $113,155

The 2012 $3,300 WPT Montreal Main Event had 1,173 entries, which is a record for a Canadian poker tournament with a buy-in of $1k or more.  This resulted in a prize pool of $3,387,930 (12.5% rake).  117 places are paid (10%), with $779,710 (23%) going to 1st place.

After Day 1a, 141 of 478 players advanced, with Patrick Lelievre leading with T326,100 chips.  Other notable stacks were Marc-Andre Ladouceur (2012 WSOP Main Event 13th place ($465,159) 4th in chips and Antonio Esfandiari in 10th.  Notable bustouts included Jonathan Duhamel, Tom Marchese, Phil Laak and Daniel Negreanu.

After Day 1b, 221 of 695 players advanced, with Kalpesh Raichura leading with T314,200 chips.  Other notable stacks were Amanda Musumeci 10th in chips and Andy Frankenberger in 12th.  Notable bustouts included Brian Rast, Daniel Negreanu (re-entry), Faraz Jaka and Jonathan Duhamel (re-entry).

After Day 2, only 45 of 362 players advanced, and the bubble burst, with Jeff Gross leading with T2,422,000 chips.  Other notable stacks were Mike McDonald in 2nd and Gavin Smith in 9th.  Notable bustouts included Marc-Andre Ladouceur ($10,840), Tom Marchese, David Williams, Tony Dunst, Andy Frankenberger, Antonio Esfandiari, John Racener, Isabelle Mercier, Joseph Cheong and Peter Jetten.

After Day 3, only 6 of 45 players advanced, including Day 3 Chip Leader Jeff Gross, second in chips.  The chip average is slightly above 5.8 million (~49 BBs).  Notable bustouts included Dan Smith, Mike McDonald and Jason Koon.  Chip Leader is Sylvain Siebert.  The most notable names are Pascal Lefrancois, 4th in chips with roughly 50 BBs and Gavin Smith, the short stack with roughly 13 BBs.

6 players enter the final table tomorrow at at 4:00pm EST, with the following payouts:
1st = $779,710
2nd = $470,920
3rd = $317,450
4th = $211,745
5th = $146,360
6th = $113,155

FIDE GP Tashkent Round 4 Report

Morozevich drew Round 4, but leads Tashkent 2012 with a 2959 performance

After 4 rounds of the FIDE Grand Prix in Tashkent, Alexander Morozevich (2748) leads with 3.0/4 and a 2959 performance rating.

Round 2 Results:
Kamsky - Karjakin 1/2
Wang Hao - Dominguez 1/2
Kasimdzhanov - Ponomariov 1/2
Leko - Mamedyarov 1/2
Svidler - Gelfand 1/2
Morozevich - Caruana 1-0

Round 3 Results:
Caruana - Kamsky 1-0
Gelfand - Morozevich 1/2
Mamedyarov - Svidler 1-0
Ponomariov - Leko 1/2
Dominguez - Kasimdzhanov 1/2
Karjakin - Wang Hao 1/2

Round 4 Results:
Kamsky - Wang Hao 0-1
Kasimdzhanov - Karjakin 1/2
Leko - Dominguez 1/2
Svidler - Ponomariov 1-0
Morozevich - Mamedyarov 1/2
Caruana - Gelfand 1-0

Standings after Round 4:
1. Morozevich: 3.0/4
2-5. Mamedyarov, Karjakin, Wang Hao, Caruana: 2.5/4
6-8. Kasimdzhanov, Svidler, Leko: 2.0/4
9-11. Gelfand, Ponomariov, Dominguez: 1.5/4
12. Kamsky: 0.5/4

Performance Ratings:
1. Morozevich: 2959
2. Caruana: 2847
3. Wang Hao: 2846
4. Mamedyarov: 2826
5. Karjakin: 2825
6. Svidler: 2761
7. Kasimdzhanov: 2752
8. Leko: 2746
9. Gelfand: 2666
10. Dominguez: 2648
11. Ponomariov: 2641
12. Kamsky: 2440

Live FIDE Ratings / Changes from Tashkent 2012 Tournament only:
Caruana: +3.2 to 2785 to World #5 (=)
Karjakin: +2.5 to 2777.5 to World #6 (+1)
Mamedyarov: +3.3 to 2767.3 to World #9 (+1)
Morozevich: +10.9 to 2758.9 to World #13 (+2)
Svidler: +0.7 to 2747.7 to World #14 (+2)
Kamsky: -15.0 to 2747 to World #15 (-3)
Gelfand: -4.9 to 2746.1 to World #16 (-2)
Wang Hao: +5.7 to 2742.7 to World #17 (+2)
Leko: +0.7 to 2732.7 to World #21 (+1)
Dominguez: -4.4 to 2729.1 to World #22 (+1)
Ponomariov: -5.7 to 2726.3 to World #24 (-6)
Kasimdzhanov: +3.0 to 2699 to World #51 (=)

Today, Monday, is a Rest Day.  Tomorrow is Round 5.

Tomorrow's Round 5 Pairings:
Gelfand - Kamsky
Mamedyarov - Caruana
Ponomariov - Morozevich
Dominguez - Svidler
Karjakin - Leko
Wang Hao - Kasimdzhanov

A reminder that these players are playing for about $220,000 US in prize money and for Grand Prix Points for the Grand Prix cycle, a major part of the 2014 World Championship Cycle.

This Week in Birthdays: Carlsen, Reshevsky, Harman

Samuel Reshevsky, here giving a Simul at age 8, would have turned 101 tomorrow

This week's chess and poker birthdays.  Happy Birthday to all!

November 25 - December 1

Sunday, November 25:

• none

Monday, November 26:

• Baadur Jobava (Age 29, Georgian GM, 2710)
• Ivan Cheparinov (Age 26, Bulgarian GM, 2710)
• Samuel Reshevsky (Deceased, US GM, 8-time US Champion)

Tuesday, November 27:

• Vladimir Malakhov (Age 32, Russian GM, 2709)
• Freddy "Fast Freddy" Deeb (Age 57, Lebanese-American Poker Pro, 2 WSOP Bracelets)

Wednesday, November 28:

• Evgeny Alekseev (Age 27, Russian GM, 2691)
• Kiril Georgiev (Age 47, Bulgarian GM, 2660)

Thursday, November 29:

• Lev Psakhis (Age 54, Israeli GM, 2524)
• Don Cheadle (Age 48, Amateur Poker Player, Defeated Phil Ivey, David Pham and J.P Kelly in NBC National Heads-Up Poker Championship)
• Jennifer Harman (Age 48, US Poker Pro, 2 WSOP Bracelets, Recognized as one of the best female poker players in the world)

Friday, November 30:

• Magnus Carlsen (Age 22, Norweigian GM, World #1, 2848)

Saturday, December 1:

• Fred "Sarge" Ferris (Deceased, US Poker Pro, 1 WSOP Bracelet, 1989 Poker Hall of Fame Inductee) 

5 Most Successful WSOP Circuit Players

Here are some stats I compiled on the top 5 on the All-Time Money List for the WSOP Circuit.

Peter Feldman, #1 on the WSOPC All-Time Money List

1. Peter "Nordberg" Feldman

• $830,027 in WSOPC Earnings
• 2006 $10k WSOPC New Orleans Champion ($532,950) (def. Gavin Smith)
• 2 WSOPC Titles

2. Nghi "Henry" Van Tran

• $780,615 in WSOPC Earnings
• 2005 $9500 WSOPC Atlantic City Champion ($780,615) (def. Erick Lindgren)
• 1 WSOPC Title

3. Daniel "Kid Poker" Negreanu

• $755,525 in WSOPC Earnings
• 2006 $10k WSOPC Robinsville Champion ($755,525) (def. Bryant King)
• 1 WSOPC Title

4. John Spadavecchia

• $713,505 in WSOPC Earnings
• 2006 $10k Caesers Las Vegas Champion ($648,320) (def. Sean McCabe)
• 1 WSOPC Title

5. Chris "Jesus" Ferguson

• $703,923 in WSOPC Earnings
• 2005 $10k Harrah's Las Vegas Champion ($362,088) (def. Chad Layne)
• 2 WSOPC Titles

FIDE Grand Prix 2: Tashkent, UZB: Intro & Round 1 Report

The 12 Participants of Tashkent 2012, the second leg of the current FIDE Grand Prix cycle

The second leg of the 2012-3 FIDE Grand Prix (GP) is taking place in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.  In total, there are 6 stages in the Grand Prix.  At the end, in addition to prizes for each tournament, the players who have accumulated the most overall Grand Prix Points will win part of a €420,000 (~$540,000 USD) prize fund, including €100,000 euros (~$130,000 USD) for 1st place in addition to the top two qualifying for the 2014 World Championship cycle.

The first leg, held in London from September 20 - October 3 ended in a 3-way tie for first between GMs Topalov, Gelfand and Mamedyarov, each with performance ratings over 2830.  The FIDE Grand Prix Series is extremely strong, with an overall average rating of 2746 (the lowest rated player is GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov (2696) is coincidentally the only player below 2700 and the 2004-5 FIDE World Champion.  The average rating in London was over 2734 (category XX), and the average rating in Tashkent is over 2743 (category XX).

Tashkent 2012 is being organized by FIDE, Agon, Uzbekistan Chess Federation and the Forum of Culture and Arts of Uzbekistan Foundation.  Each of the 12 players are guaranteed €7,000 (~$9,000 USD) and 10 GP Points, with 1st Place winning €25,000 (~$32,000 USD) and 170 GP Points.  The total prize fund for the Tashkent leg is €170,000 (~$220,000 USD). Tiebreaks will only be used for trophies (all prize money and GP Points are shared equally between tied players).

The other four legs are: Lisbon (April 17 - May 1, 2013), Madrid (May 22 - June 4, 2013), Berlin (July 3 - 17, 2013) and Paris (September 18 - October 2, 2013).  Lisbon, Madrid and Paris are each category XXI tournaments (a tournament with an average FIDE rating over 2750).

Each of the 18 players who are participating will play exactly 4 of the 6 tournaments, each of which is a 12-player, 11 round, single round-robin tournament.  The overall winner and runner-up of the GP qualify for the 2014 Candidates Tournament, which is a major part of the 2014 World Championship cycle.  The winner is determined by each players' top 3 results (out of 4) according to GP Points.

Here is a list of the 18 players who are playing in the 2012-3 FIDE Grand Prix cycle:

NAME	FED	Q	8/12	London	Tashkent	Lisbon	Madrid	Berlin	Paris	GPP
Radjabov	AZE	R	2788			YES	YES	YES	YES	0
Karjakin	RUS	R	2785		YES	YES		YES	YES	0
Nakamura	USA	R	2778	YES		YES	YES		YES	15
Caruana	ITA	PN	2773		YES	YES	YES		YES	0
Morozevich	RUS	AN	2770		YES	YES	YES	YES		0
Ivanchuk	UKR	WC	2769	YES			YES	YES	YES	55
Grischuk	RUS	WC	2763	YES			YES	YES	YES	90
Topalov	BUL	R	2752	YES		YES	YES	YES		140
Svidler	RUS	WC	2749	YES*	YES		YES		YES	0*
Wang Hao	CHN	AN	2726	YES	YES	YES			YES	70
Gelfand	ISR	M	2738	YES	YES			YES	YES	140
Gashimov	AZE	R	2737		YES	YES	YES	YES		0
Leko	HUN	AN	2737	YES	YES	YES		YES		80
Ponomariov	UKR	WC	2734		YES	YES	YES		YES	0
Mamedyarov	RUS	R	2729	YES	YES	YES		YES		140
Dominguez	CUB	AN	2725	YES	YES		YES		YES	35
Giri	NED	AN	2711	YES		YES		YES	YES	15
Kasimdzhanov	UZB	AN	2684	YES	YES		YES	YES		35

*Svidler had to drop out of the London tournament for familyreasons.  He was replaced by Michael Adams (2710), who is not part of the GP series.

Q = Qualification Method: R = Rating List (7/11-1/12 Average) (excluding World #1 Magnus Carlsen (2848), #2and defending 2008-10 FIDE Grand Prix Champion Levon Aronian (2815) and #3 and ex-World Champion Vladimir Kramnik (2795), all of whom declined to playin the GP); PN = FIDEPresident’s Nominee; AN = AGON’s Nominee; WC = Qualified from 2011 WorldCup; M = 2012 World Championship Match(excluding World Champion Viswanathan Anand (2775), who declinedto play).

8/12 = August 2012 FIDE Rating, which is used as theofficial rating for all 2012-3 GP Purposes.

GPP = Current GP Points (after only 1 event,London).  Players with 0 points did notparticipate in London (each player only plays in 4 events).

Tashkent Participants (November 21 - December 5, 2012): Caruana, Karjakin, Mamedyarov, Kamsky, Gelfand, Morozevich, Svidler, Ponomariov, Wang Hao, Leko, Dominguez, Kasimdzhanov

World #15 Morozevich defeated World #12 Kamsky in 36 moves in an English (A34)

Round 1 Results (11/22, 14:00 Local Time):

Morozevich - Kamsky 1-0

Caruana - Svidler 1/2

Gelfand - Leko 1/2

Mamedyarov - Kasimdzhanov 1/2

Ponomariov - Wang Hao 1/2

Dominguez - Karjakin 0-1

World #7 Karjakin defeated World #23 Dominguez with Black in 40 moves in a C95 Ruy Lopez Breyer 

Standings after Round 1 of 11:

1-2: Morozevich, Karjakin - 1.0/1

3-10: Caruana, Svidler, Gelfand, Leko, Mamedyarov, Kasimdzhanov, Ponomariov, Wang Hao - 0.5/1

11-12: Kamsky, Dominguez - 0.0/1

Live Rating Changes after Round 1 (November 2012 FIDE Ratings):

Morozevich (2748): +5.2 to 2753.2, passes Gelfand on the live ratings) (+1, #14 on the Live Ratings)

Karjakin (2775): +4.3 to 2779.3, passes Anand) (+1, #6)

Caruana (2781.8): -0.5 to 2781.3 (=, #5)

Svidler (2747): +0.5 to 2747.5 (=, #16)

Gelfand (2751): -0.3 to 2750.7, passed by Gelfand) (-1, #15)

Leko (2732): +0.3 to 2732.3, passes Ponomariov (+1, #21)

Mamedyarov (2764): -0.9 to 2763.1, passed by Ivanchuk (-1, #11)

Kasimdzhanov (2696): +0.9 to 2696.9 (=, #51)

Ponomariov (2732): -0.1 to 2731.9 (=, #22)

Wang Hao (2737): +0.1 to 2737.1, (=, #18)

Kamsky (2762): -5.2 to 2756.8, passed by Nakamura (-1, #13)

Dominguez (2733.5): -4.3 to 2729.2 (=, #23)

Round 2 Pairings (11/23, 14:00 Local Time):

Kamsky - Karjakin

Wang Hao - Dominguez

Kasimdzhanov - Ponomariov

Leko - Mamedyarov

Svidler - Gelfand

Morozevich - Caruana