Russian team chess championship round 10

Ural secured the title with one round to go. Results, standings, games

Round 1 / Round 2 / Round 3 / Round 4 / Round 5 / Round 6 / Round 7 / Round 8 / Round 9

The leading Ural Yekaterinburg decided on a "safe move" in the 10th round of the Russian team championship by quickly signing 3-3 with TPS Saransk. The internet audience was probably left disappointed with this action and it becomes understandable why 2007 ETCC organizers banned prearranging during their competition. Economist 1 had a chance to reach Ural within only one point distance, but they lost 2.5-3.5 to the compact team of Finek Gazprom (Sankt Petersburg) and the two teams are now tied on the 2nd place. This result handed the title to Ural before the last round. Their tomorrow's match with Finek will probably be just another formality.

Some of the Russian commentators raised suspicions if the term "team competition" is suitable for this event. They have compared chess teams with football clubs, like CSKA Moscow, and some of the main objections are the calendar, large number of foreigners and loose spirit. Interpreted, the top Grandmasters gather in Dagomys for only two weeks over the year to play for their "komands" without even getting to see the "home city". Many also switch between the teams every season. All this is compared against football where competition lasts approx nine months per year and all players, even foreigners, are firmly tied to the city and club, many with long-lasting contracts.

GMs Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and Kamil Miton have celebrated birthdays on Saturday. Best wishes from Chessdom team!

Round 10 results:

64 (Moscow) - South Ural (Chelyabinsk) 3-3

GM Boris Gelfand - GM Alexander Riazantsev draw
GM Sergei Rublevsky - GM Viktor Korchnoi draw
GM Ian Nepomniachtchi - GM Igor Kurnosov 0-1
GM Pentala Harikrishna - GM Evgeny Sveshnikov draw
GM Wang Hao - GM Evgeny Romanov 1-0
GM Evgeny Bareev - IM Pavel Ponkratov draw

SHSM (Moscow) - Shatar Buryatia 2-4

GM Alexander Onischuk - GM Vugar Gashimov draw
GM Karen Asrian - GM Bu Xiangzhi 0-1
GM Ivan Popov - GM Anton Shomoev 0-1
GM Sergey Grigoriants - GM Boris Avrukh 0-1
GM Vladimir Potkin - GM Farukh Ammonatov draw
GM Michał Krasenkow - GM Alexander Lastin 1-0

TPS Saransk (Saransk) - Ural (Yekaterinburg) 3-3

GM Vassily Ivanchuk - GM Alexei Shirov draw
GM Konstantin Sakaev - GM Alexander Grischuk draw
GM Andrei Volotkin - GM Vladimir Malakhov draw
GM Emil Sutovsky - GM Vladimir Akopian draw
GM Sergey Volkov - GM Alexei Dreev draw
GM Evgeny Najer - GM Alexander Motylev draw

Finek Gazprom (Sankt Petersburg) - Economist 1 (Saratov) 3.5-2.5

GM Peter Svidler - GM Evgeny Alekseev 0-1
GM Vadim Zvjaginsev - GM Evgeny Tomashevsky draw
GM Sergey Movsesjan - GM Pavel Eljanov draw
GM David Navara - GM Ni Hua 1-0
GM Nikita Vitiugov - GM Michael Roiz 1-0
GM Vassily Yemelin - GM Alexander Moiseenko draw

Spasio-Swiss (Moscow) - Politekhnik (Nizhny Tagil) 3-3

GM Ruslan Ponomariov - GM Zahar Efimenko draw
GM Igor Khenkin - GM Alexander Areshchenko draw
GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov - GM Boris Grachev draw
GM Ernesto Inarkiev - GM Igor Lysyj draw
GM Vladislav Tkachiev - GM Dmitry Bocharov draw
GM Denis Khismatullin - GM Pavel Maletin draw

Economist 2 (Saratov) - Tomsk 400 2-4

GM Dimitry Andreikin - GM Alexander Morozevich draw
GM Alexei Iljushin - GM Sergey Karjakin 0-1
GM Alexei Korneev - GM Dimitry Jakovenko 0-1
GM Sergei Dyachkov - GM Loek Van Wely 0-1
GM Alexander Kovchan - GM Artyom Timofeev 1-0
IM Mikhail Lushenkov - GM Andrei Belozerov draw

Current Standings

Team / Match points / Game points (click here for the team lists)

1. Ural (Yekaterinburg) 16 (36.5)
2-3. Economist 1 (Saratov) 13 (33.5)
2-3. Finek Gazprom (Sankt Petersburg) 13 (32.5)
4-6. TPS Saransk (Saransk) 12 (33.5)
4-6. Spasio-Swiss (Moscow) 12 (32.0)
4-6. Shatar Buryatia 12 (31.5)
7. 64 (Moscow) 11 (30.0)
8-9. SHSM (Moscow) 8 (29.5)
8-9. Tomsk 400 8 (27.0)
10. Politekhnik (Nizhny Tagil) 7 (27.0)
11. South Ural (Chelyabinsk) 5 (25.5)
12. Economist 2 (Saratov) 3 (21.5)