Weekend Edition 24-25 March
UPDATE: Kasparov wins first World Rapid final
Cannes, France - Garry Kasparov continued his campaign to keep his number one status, even if he doesn't have a world title to his name. He won Sunday's final 1½-½ over Evgeny Bareev, and got a bit more 'compensation' for Bareev's efforts as Vladimir Kramnik's second in last year's BGN title match.
Standings and round summaries can be found here.
*****
UPDATE: Topalov rejoins champs
Monte Carlo, Monaco - Veselin Topalov reemerged at the top of this blindfold and rapid chess extravaganza, with a sweep of ex-world champion Anatoly Karpov, a trick the pair of world champions could not match.
They did manage a steady win apiece though, which was enough to prevent Topalov from sprinting into clear first. Kramnik, Anand and Topalov lead with 11/16, two points ahead of Leko who is alone in fourth place.
Today's results:
Round 8, March 25
Rapid
Shirov-Gelfand ½-½
Van Wely-Anand ½-½
Kramnik-Ivanchuk 1-0
Almasi-Leko 1-0
Topalov-Karpov 1-0
Piket-Ljubojevic 1-0 |
Blindfold
Gelfand-Shirov 0-1
Anand-Van Wely 1-0
Ivanchuk-Kramnik ½-½
Leko-Almasi 1-0
Karpov-Topalov 0-1
Ljubojevic-Piket ½-½ |
We will be covering the event daily here, with full tables and commentary, including annotated highlights by GM Einar Gausel.
*****
Kasparov and Bareev meet in World Rapid final
Cannes, France - Ex-world champion Garry Kasparov meets Vladimir Kramnik's second Evgeny Bareev in the final of FIDE's first World Cup of Rapid Chess on Sunday. Kasparov has already made some gleeful remarks about indirect revenge after beating Kramnik seconds Bareev and Lautier in the prelims, so this final should have a reasonably high temperature. (Kramnik dethroned Kasparov in their BGN title match in London last year.)
Standings and round summaries can be found here.
In the accompanying event, Russian WGM Alexandra Kosteniuk has recovered from a shock 0-2 start to now lead over French youngster, WIM Marie Sebag, by 3½-2½.
*****
Champions lead
Monte Carlo, Monaco - A plague of draws has descended on the Melody Amber rapid and blindfold, and as the pace slows to a crawl, the steady performances of world champions Vishwanthan Anand and Vladimir Kramnik have given them the overall lead.
Anand leads the rapid event while Kramnik and Topalov lead the blindfold. Topalov's very slightly inferior rapid performance is keeping him half a point behind the leaders who both have 9½/14.
The most lopsided player in the event is Boris Gelfand who has a fine 4½/7 in the rapid, good for shared second place in that discipline, but only 6 points overall.
We will be covering the event daily here, with full tables and commentary, including annotated highlights by GM Einar Gausel.
*****
Polish favorite emerges
Warsaw, Poland - Top seed Michal Krasenkow's shift of gears has put him in charge of the ongoing Polish championships with a score of 5½/7 and sole possession of the lead. In round 7 Krasenkow sank GM Bart Macieja, who made a name for himself for his impressive run in the FIDE KO world championship, where Krasenkow was among his famous victims ...
Early frontrunner Robert Kempinski's unbroken string of draws after a 3/3 start is only good for shared second as the find of the event, IM Lukasz Cyborowski, has joined him on +3 with a sixth round win over Gajewski. Only one player, IM Pawel Blehm, has 4½.
*****
Aleksandrov shines
Bad Wörishofen, Germany - Belorussian GM Aleksei Aleksandrov scored a resounding victory in the traditional Bad Wörishofen Open by defeating GM Igor Glek in the final round to post an unmatchable score of 8/9.
Second place was a surprising success for relatively inexperienced IM Amon Simutowe of Zambia who was the only player who managed 7½ points. He ended the event with wins over Georgian GM Kekelidze and the other discovery of the event, untitled German Jan Sprenger.
*****
News from 23 March
World Rapids down to Quarterfinals
Cannes, France - After the eight-man preliminaries of FIDE's World Cup in Rapid Chess were complete, the results in Group A were: 1 Kasparov 5½/7, 2-3 Bareev, Grischuk 4, 4-6 Svidler, Lautier and J. Polgar 3½, 7 Gulko 3, 8 Bauer 1.
This meant that the fourth and final spot in the quarterfinals would be determined by blitz play-off, and this ended in a convincing victory for speed queen Judit:
| Group A play-off |
Heat 1
Svidler - Polgar ½-½
Lautier - Svidler 0-1
Polgar - Lautier 1-0
|
Heat 2
Polgar - Svidler 1-0
Svidler - Lautier 0-1
Lautier - Polgar 0-1 |
Group B was a bit smoother, with favorite Adams coming out on top with an impressive Mikhail Gurevich with 5/7. The final two spots went to Frenchmen Bacrot and Tkachiev on 4½. Eliminated: Highly rated Kasimdzhanov 4, 6-7 Hamdouchi, Morozevich (!) 2, 8 Ye 1.
Today the field will be culled again.
Pairings:
Tkachiev - Kasparov
Bacrot - Bareev
Grischuk - Gurevich
Polgar - Adams
Standings and round summaries can be found here.
The Girl's challenge match saw French teenage WIM Marie Sebag take a surprising 2-0 lead over Russian prodigy, 17-year-old WGM Alexandra Kosteniuk.
*****
Topalov and Champions lead
Monte Carlo, Monaco - Bulgarian Veselin Topalov is enjoying a long-awaited return to form, and continues to set the pace at the traditional Melody Amber rapid and blindfold event. He now has the constant company of world champions Vladimir Kramnik and Vishwanathan Anand, so a tense race seems guaranteed.
Anand leads the rapid event with 4/5 while Topalov is in front of the blindfold competition with the same score. Kramnik shows his solid versatility with a fine score of 3½/5 in each discipline and all have 7/10.
Today's pairings:
Round 6, March 23
Rapid
Topalov-Gelfand
Piket-Anand
Shirov-Ivanchuk
Van Wely-Leko
Kramnik-Karpov
Almasi-Ljubojevic
|
Blindfold
Gelfand-Topalov
Anand-Piket
Ivanchuk-Shirov
Leko-Van Wely
Karpov-Kramnik
Ljubojevic-Almasi |
We will be covering the event daily here, with full tables and commentary.
*****
Kempinsky leads peaceful Polish
Warsaw, Poland - A spate of draws allowed the top standings to remain unchanged in this year's powerful edition of the Polish Championship. None of the top leader boards saw a decisive result, so Kempinski's start of 3/3 is still good enough for a half point lead over his nearest pursuers.
Kempinski now has 4/5, with favorite Michal Krasenkow and tournament shocker Lukasz Cyborowski half a point behind.
*****
Aleksandrov breaks free
Bad Wörishofen, Germany - GM Aleksei Aleksandrov broke away from his rivals with a win over GM Viktor Kupreichik, one of the few decisive results on the top boards at this traditional European open tournament. This leaves Aleksandrov with an unmatched total of 7/8.
The amazing performance of untitled Jan Sprenger continued with a draw as black against the Uzbek grandmaster formerly known as Nenashev (now Alexander Graf of Germany). This leaves Sprenger on 6½ and Nenashev/Graf on 6.
Joining Sprenger in a tie for second were GM Ivan Farago and IMs Amon Simutowe and Fabian Döttling. The final round is played today.
*****
News from 22 March
Half ready to go
Cannes, France - Today the two eight-player preliminary groups will be whittled down to the eight that will go forward to determine four semifinalists. This is fast, but then, this is rapid chess.
The favorites started the event well, with Kasparov taking a clear lead (3½/4) in Group A after day one. Bareev recovered impressively from a loss to Kasparov and shared second place with Judit Polgar, already a point behind the ex-champ however.
Mikhail Gurevich was the surprise leader (3/4) of Group B after day one, with speed specialist Adams, Uzbek talent Kasimdzhanov and French youngster Bacrot half a point behind. It is slightly surprising that the swift Tkachiev has fallen off the pace, and even more so that Morozevich seems to be struggling, with only 50%.
Standings and round summaries can be found here.
*****
Melody Amber Action
Monte Carlo, Monaco - Today's pairings do not involve any direct clashes between the early pace-setters so it will be a race day, with the favorites under pressure to maximize their performances.
Round 5, March 22
Rapid
Karpov-Ljubojevic
Kramnik-Almasi
Anand-Ivanchuk
Piket-Shirov
Leko-Gelfand
Van Wely-Topalov |
Blindfold
Ljubojevic-Karpov
Almasi-Kramnik
Ivanchuk-Anand
Shirov-Piket
Gelfand-Leko
Topalov-Van Wely |
We will be covering the event daily here, with full tables and commentary.
*****
Kempinsky still leads Polish Championship
Warsaw, Poland - GM Robert Kempinski played a long game but could not maintain his perfect record and now leads the field in this strong national championship with 'only' 3½/4.
Super-GM Michal Krasenkow took advantage of the occasion to sneak a bit closer, winning to improve his record to 3/4. Krasenkow had a shaky start, escaping certain death in round one, and now seems to be warming up.
IM Lukasz Cyborowski is the only other player with 3 points, though he slightly slackened his own torrid pace by drawing with IM Mateusz Bartel - a definite comedown after 2½/3 against 3 GMs, including Krasenkow.
*****
Trio top traditional Open
Bad Wörishofen, Germany - The Belorussian duo of GM Alexei Aleksandrov and GM Viktor Kupreichik have the company of untitled overachiever Jan Sprenger of Germany, all with 6/7 in this strong open event. Sprenger beat tough GM Igor Glek in round 6, then drew with Aleksandrov in round 7.
Kupreichik was the only one of 13 people on 5/6 who managed to win, downing former candidates finalist Andrei Sokolov.
*****
News from 21 March
A Cup Divided
Cannes, France - While the sad decision to arrange this event in conflict with the traditional Melody Amber tournament of rapid and blindfold chess does no one any favors, it is a testimony to the amount of talent in the game that both tournaments remain attractive.
It would obviously have been nice to have the FIDE world champion Vishwanathan Anand (India) and BGN champion Vladimir Kramnik (Russia) here as well as pretender Alexei Shirov (Spain) at the very least, but Kasparov, Judit Polgar and Morozevich are fine 'compensation', not to mention the number one rated rapid player in the world, Michael Adams.
The qualifying groups will send four players each to a second all-play-all, and from here four will emerge to contest a semifinal and final. The time control is 50 moves in 25 minutes, followed by 10 seconds per move.
Kasparov has already been quoted as saying he has been placed in the strongest of the two groups ...
Standings and round summaries can be found here.
| GROUP
A |
| Garry Kasparov |
2849 |
Russia |
| Evgeny Bareev |
2704 |
Russia |
| Peter Svidler |
2696 |
Russia |
| Alexander Grischuk |
2676 |
Russia |
| Judit Polgar |
2675 |
Hungary |
| Joël Lautier |
2653 |
France |
| Boris Gulko |
2642 |
USA |
| Christian Bauer |
2618 |
France |
| GROUP
B |
| Michael Adams |
2745 |
England |
| Alexander Morozevich |
2742 |
Russia |
| Mikhail Gurevich |
2693 |
Belgium |
| Rustam Kasimdzhanov |
2692 |
Uzbekistan |
| Jiangchuan Ye |
2672 |
China |
| Vladislav Tkachiev |
2671 |
France |
| Etienne Bacrot |
2618 |
France |
| Hicham Hamdouchi |
2541 |
Morocco |
*****
Powerful Polish Championship
Warsaw, Poland - With rapid events absolutely dominating the headlines (also below) it is reassuring to see that there are still some places that are playing tournament chess as we know it. In the Polish capital GM Robert Kempinski continues to impress, notching up his third win in a row. His perfect tally in the category 11 (av rating 2507) event is most nearly matched by surprising IM Lukasw Cyborowski (2½/3), who is seeded 11th in the 14-man field.
Cyborowski's performance actually outstrips Kempinski's perfection in many respects - the IM has faced only grandmasters and his only half point was dropped to the favorite, super-GM Michal Krasenkow. Kempinski has only met one of his GM colleagues so far, Robert Kucynski, who was his third victim.
GMs Krasenkow, Tomasz Markowski and Jacek Gdanski follow the leaders, with 2/3.
P. Jaracz (2477) - L. Cyborowski (2437)
Polish Ch., Warsaw (1)
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.0-0 Nd4 6.Nxd4 Bxd4 7.c3 Bb6 8.Bg5 This pin is often premature in old-fashioned double e-pawn openings, and this game shows why it can be risky. 8...h6 9.Bh4 c6 10.Ba4 d6 11.Nd2 g5 12.Bg3 Bg4 13.Qe1 h5 14.h3 h4 15.Bh2 Be6 16.d4 g4 17.hxg4 Nxg4 18.d5 Bd7 19.dxc6 bxc6 20.Qe2 Nxh2 We can see that 8.Bg5 was not the start of a glorious career for the bishop. 21.Kxh2 Qg5 22.Nc4 Ke7! The safest way to connect rooks. 23.Qd3 Rh6 24.Bd1 Rg8 25.Bf3 h3 [25...Qg3+! was another cute way to get a winning advantage.] 26.g3 Bxf2! 27.g4 [see DIAGRAM] 27...Bxg4! 28.Rxf2 Bxf3 29.Qxf3 Qg2+! 0-1 After 30.Rxg2 hxg2+ 31.Kg1 Rh1+ 32.Kf2 Rxa1 white must surrender his queen.
*****
FIDE announces Trophy Cup
Moscow, Russia - The International Chess Federation (FIDE) continues to demonstrate its growing plans to popularize and commercialize chess. Now FIDE Commerce International has announced a new annual event, the FIDE.com Trophy Cup.
The inaugural edition will be held 26-27 March and billed as RUSSIA vs. the UK. Former FIDE KO champion Alexander Khalifman (RUS) faces former breakaway title challenger Nigel Short (ENG), who has returned to the FIDE fold after his flirtation with Kasparovian events. The match will be staged in the center of Moscow and has a prize fund of US$ 15,000.
According to a FIDE press release, a TV production company will be present during the event to produce a promotional video. "This will form the basis of the new format of presenting chess events on television and will be used to 'showcase' chess as a sport to potential commercial partners."
While FIDE and its power brokers continue to create controversy with their novel and unilateral decisions, they are also busy doing what they say they will, trying to attract money and attention to the game.
*****
Melody Amber Action
Monte Carlo, Monaco - The next round's pairings do not involve any direct clashes between the early pace-setters so it will be a race day, with the favorites under pressure to maximize their performances.
Round 5, March 22
Rapid
Karpov-Ljubojevic
Kramnik-Almasi
Anand-Ivanchuk
Piket-Shirov
Leko-Gelfand
Van Wely-Topalov |
Blindfold
Ljubojevic-Karpov
Almasi-Kramnik
Ivanchuk-Anand
Shirov-Piket
Gelfand-Leko
Topalov-Van Wely |
We will be covering the event daily here, with full tables and commentary.
*****
News from 20 March
Kramnik to face computer in BGN match?
Several independent sources have informed the MSO Mind Sports Zine that the London-based Brain Games Network will organize a challenge match pitting their world champion Vladimir Kramnik against a computer program. The event will reportedly be held in Bahrain in October.
If these tips turn out to be correct, the news will probably not be welcome for chess king-without-a-throne Garry Kasparov, who has been pressing Kramnik to do 'the right thing' and offer him a rematch.
Combining this with FIDE (International Chess Federation) champion Vishwanathan Anand's recent statement that he would not play for any crown unless the contest was approved by the international body, it seems unlikely that there will be any reunification in the near future, and commercial projects will come first.
*****
Melody Amber Action
Monte Carlo, Monaco - The MSO Mind Sports Zine steps up its coverage of this entertaining rapid and blindfold event with annotated games from GM Einar Gausel, who has returned from his pillaging tour in Cappelle la Grande and other exploits.
Todays pairings:
Round 4, March 20
Rapid
Almasi-Van Wely ½-½
Ljubojevic-Leko ½-½
Topalov-Piket 0-1
Gelfand-Anand ½-½
Shirov-Kramnik 0-1
Ivanchuk-Karpov ½-½ |
Blindfold
Van Wely-Almasi ½-½
Leko-Ljubojevic 1-0
Piket-Topalov ½-½
Anand-Gelfand 1-0
Kramnik-Shirov 1-0
Karpov-Ivanchuk ½-½
|
We will be covering the event daily here, with full tables and commentary.
*****
Powerful Polish Championship
Warsaw, Poland - The 58th Polish championships are underway, and the event must be one of the strongest ever, with a top field attracted.
Take a look: Michal Krasenkow (Elo 2658), Tomasz Markowski (2595), Bartlomiej Macieja (2583) (rising star of FIDE KO fame), Bartosz Socko (2557), Robert Kempinski (2554), Jacek Gdanski (2548), Pawel Blehm (2512), Robert Kuczynski (2504), Miroslaw Grabarczyk (2495), Pawel Jaracz (2477), Lukasz Cyborowski (2437), Klaudiusz Urban (2434), Mateusz Bartel (2392) and Grzegorz Gajewski (2352) are playing.
After two rounds only Kempinski has a perfect score. The above link is to the results tables in the Polish part of the website - so far coverage in English has been intermittent and that part of the site is much harder to access so far.
*****
Five lead in Bad Wörishofen
Draws dominated the top boards of the traditional open tournament in Bad Wörishofen, ending the few remaining perfect scores and producing only one additional leader. The quartet on 4/4 all drew (GMs Martinovic, Filippov, Aleksandrov and Graf - the GM formerly known as Nenashev), allowing sixth seed Glek to pull level on 4½/5.
*****
Merkur Graz win Austrian league
The powerful Merkur Graz team, led by super-GM Alexander Beliavsky, defended their championship in the Austrian Staatsliga comfortably, despite two of their mercenaries (GMs Alexander Chernin and Evgeny Agrest) playing for the league of Sweden at the same time!
Graz finished the season with 43 points, outdistancing runners-up Hohenems 38½ and bronze medallists Gamlitz/Leutschach on 37½. Information about the Austrian league can be found on its very flashy website which features live coverage during the season.
*****
News from 19 March
† Gerardo Barbero 1961-2001
Budapest, Hungary - Argentine GM Pablo Zarnicki had the painful duty of writing a memorial column to colleague Gerardo Barbero, who died at his home in Hungary recently after illness. He was only 39.
Barbero, one of Argentina's major talents and national champion in 1984, moved to Hungary about ten years ago and had reportedly become friendly with the exiled Bobby Fischer. Barbero was a cheerful and enthusiastic man, and will be sorely missed.
*****
Tkachiev holding Adams
Cannes, France - Speed specialist Vlad Tkachiev held Michael Adams - FIDE's top-rated rapid player (that includes Kasparov) - 1½-1½ after the first day of their six-game exhibition match. The second half of the rapid challenge finished today, with Tkachiev playing white twice. The deadlock could not be broken, and after three draws honors were shared at 3-3.
No result yet in on the girl's match between WGM Alexandra Kosteniuk and WIM Marie Sebag, which is also FIDE's fashion showcase for their new designer uniforms. For more on this, read last's week's news summary.
*****
Rockaden win Swedish league
League leaders SK Rockaden defeated closest rivals Sollentuna SK 5-3 in the 11th and final round to win the Swedish league. While conditions have not yet reached German Bundesliga proportions, the team championship definitely shows signs of mercenary impact.
For example, Rockaden are led by Estonian GM Jaan Ehlvest, while Sollentuna had Alexander Chernin on third board. Jan Timman and Ivan Sokolov play for Limhamns SK and Predrag Nikolic tops Kirsebergs SK, and most teams have imported a GM or two from Nordic neighbors.
*****
Topalov leads Amber
Monte Carlo, Monaco - Maybe it is all the post-Linares criticism, maybe fast and blind suits him - whatever the reason, Hungarian handshake specialist Peter Leko silenced critics for a weekend at least with a torrid start, blanking Ivanchuk and beating Karpov. Bulgarian ace Veselin Topalov posted the same score after beating Shirov and shutting out Almasi.
World Champions Kramnik and Anand could not match this pace, and Anand could only trade wins with former great Ljubomir Ljubojevic, who is proving to be not only in classic form, but deadly without sight of the board.
Today's action pitted the leaders against a world champion apiece - Leko met FIDE champion Anand while Topalov clashed with Kasparov-killer and BGN titlist Kramnik. Topalov continues to do the business, and Ljubojevic is perfect in the blindfold.
We will be covering the event daily here.
Here are the latest results from the famed Melody Amber novelty event in Monte Carlo. Each match is a pair of games, first rapid (R), then blindfold (B) with colors reversed. Winners are crowned in each discipline as well as for the overall best score.
|
Melody Amber Rapid
& Blindfold,
Monte
Carlo - March 2001
|
| |
R |
B |
R |
B |
R |
B |
R |
B |
R |
B |
R |
B |
R |
B |
R |
B |
R |
B |
R |
B |
R |
B |
R |
B |
Total |
| Kramnik |
K |
K |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
½ |
0 |
|
|
|
|
½ |
1 |
1 |
½ |
|
|
|
|
3½ |
| Anand |
|
|
A |
A |
|
|
1 |
½ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
½ |
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
0 |
4 |
| Shirov |
|
|
|
|
S |
S |
|
|
|
|
0 |
½ |
|
|
|
|
1 |
1 |
|
|
1 |
0 |
|
|
3½ |
| Leko |
|
|
0 |
½ |
|
|
L |
L |
1 |
1 |
|
|
|
|
1 |
½ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
4 |
| Ivanchuk |
|
|
|
|
|
|
0 |
0 |
I |
I |
|
|
½ |
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
½ |
0 |
2 |
| Topalov |
½ |
1 |
|
|
1 |
½ |
|
|
|
|
T |
T |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
1 |
|
|
5 |
| Gelfand |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
½ |
0 |
|
|
G |
G |
½ |
½ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
0 |
2½ |
| Karpov |
|
|
½ |
0 |
|
|
0 |
½ |
|
|
|
|
½ |
½ |
K |
K |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2 |
| Van Wely |
½ |
0 |
|
|
0 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
W |
W |
½ |
½ |
|
|
|
|
1½ |
| Piket |
0 |
½ |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
½ |
½ |
P |
P |
0 |
1 |
|
|
2½ |
| Almasi |
|
|
|
|
0 |
1 |
|
|
|
|
0 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1 |
0 |
A |
A |
|
|
2 |
| Ljubojevic |
0 |
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
½ |
1 |
|
|
0 |
1 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
L |
L |
3½ |
Rapid standings:
Blindfold standings:
*****
Andersson wins Pinamar International
Buenos Aires, Argentina - Although the final round is in progress at the time of writing, it is already clear that Swedish super-GM Ulf Andersson is the sole winner of the Pinamar International. His closest rival, Argentine GM Alejandro Hoffman, drew quickly in the last round with veteran GM Oscar Panno.
This result guaranteed Hoffman of at least clear second, and Panno of at worst shared third. Andersson battled on, perhaps tempted by the chance to notch up a fifth consecutive win, but eventually drew his game against Pablo Ricardi by repetition of moves in a tense position.
The final games ended Panno's way, and left him alone in third place.
Round 11 results:
Ricardi - Andersson ½-½
Panno - Hoffman ½-½
Roselli - Garcia Palermo 1-0
Van Riemsdijk - Hobaica 1-0
Szmetan - Larsen ½-½
Giardelli - Rodi 0-1
Final standings: 1 Andersson, 8/11, 2 Hoffman 7½, 3 Panno 7, 4-5 Ricardi, Larsen 6½, 6 Garcia Palermo 6, 7-8 Szmetan, Roselli 5½, 9 Giardelli 4½ 10 Van Riemsdijk 4, 11 Rodi 3, 12 Hobaica 2.
*****
China win Summit match
Seattle, USA - The USA made an aggressive bid to erase their two-point deficit on the final day of play, but fell short of success, thanks to the Chinese juniors finally showing their dominance. Near the end of the first session the match was tied 3-3 with China having a winning ending on the second youth board.
All hope for the host team was not lost however, as they had winning chances in the other three games. A gross blunder by women's world champion Xie Jun helped renew American chances. However Zhang Zhong's neutralization of Joel Benjamin clinched the match for the visitors.
Final score: USA 19 - China 21
Round 4 details: (Player in bold had white)
| USA-China Summit Match, Seattle |
| Bd |
 USA |
 China |
| 1 |
Boris Gulko |
½-½ |
Yin Hao |
| 2 |
Yasser Seirawan |
½-½ |
Xu Jun |
| 3 |
Gregory Kaidanov |
½-½ |
Peng Xiaomin |
| 4 |
Joel Benjamin |
½-½ |
Zhang Zhong |
| 5 |
Alexander Ivanov |
1-0 |
Xie Jun |
| 6 |
Larry Christiansen |
1-0 |
Zhu Chen |
| W1 |
Irina Krush |
½-½ |
Wang Lei |
| W2 |
Camila Baginskaite |
½-½ |
Qin Kanying |
| J1 |
Vinay Bhat |
0-1 |
Bu Xiangzhi |
| J2 |
Hikaru Nakamura |
0-1 |
Ni Hua |
| Rd 4 |
USA |
5-5 |
China |
|
|
