Sport - Chess   

Anand, Sasikiran in same group

By V.V. Subrahmanyam

HYDERABAD OCT. 9. The second World Cup chess championship got off to a colourful start at the Ramoji Film City this evening.

Dr. C. Rangarajan, Governor of Andhra Pradesh, and N. Chandrababu

Naidu, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, made the first symbolic moves on the chess board to mark the opening of the mega event. The defending champions in both men's and women's sections — Viswanathan Anand and Yuhua Xu — were introduced to the gathering.

Viswanathan Anand and the next best player from India Krishnan Sasikiran are placed in Group C which also features Rustam Kasimdzhanov of Uzbekhstan, rated the second best in Asia, for the second World Cup chess championship commencing on Thursday.

A colourful inauguration function, depicting the rich cultural heritage of Andhra Pradesh, was the evening's major attraction for the players and the select audience.

Earlier, it took almost two hours at the players meeting for the chief arbiter, Casto P. Abundo, to finalise the groupings. Speaking to The Hindu after the draw, Abundo remarked that the committee had ensured that the top four players were placed in four different groups.

"The whole idea is to see that there are not more than two players from the same country in one group," he added.

Another interesting guiding principle for the pairings was that it was also ensured that no two players from the same country would feature in the last rounds. "This is meant to avoid any suspicion," he said.

Meanwhile, the Russian contingent, including fourth-seeded Alexey Dreev, was reported to be stranded in New Delhi after they missed the Moscow flight. They are expected to arrive on Thursday morning ahead of the first round games scheduled to start at 1-30 p.m.

"I don't want to give too much thought about the groupings. I have to start playing tomorrow," was Anand's first reaction to the draw. "It is definitely tough, " he added.

According to the pairings, Anand will take on Asian Continental champion Jun Xu in the first round, while Sasikiran will meet Mohammad Al Modiahki of Qatar.

India's youngest Grandmaster, Pentyala Harikrishna, who feels that he is in a very strong group, will play Ehlvest Jann (Estonia) in the first round. "Of all the players in my group, I have played only against Alexander Beliavsky (Slovenia) twice, drawing one and losing the other.

In the women's category, S. Vijayalaxmi is perhaps in the strongest group which also features defending champion Yuhua Xu, semifinalist in the last World Cup Pia Cramling of Sweden and another Indian Swathi Ghate.

However, World junior champion Koneru Humpy seemed to be in a comparatively easier group with another Indian Bhagyasree Thipsay in it. In the first round, Humpy meets Nana Joseliani.

To her delight, there are no Chinese players, whom she rated as the toughest in this World Cup, in her group in the preliminary rounds and this should be a big relief to her.

The groupings: Men: Group A: Ye Jiangchuan (Chn), Macieja Bartiomiej (Pol), Vladimir Malakhov (Rus), Vescovi Giovanni (Bra), Saidali Iuldachev (Uzb), Vasisly Ivanchuk (Ukr).

Group B: Zurab Azmaiparashvili (Geo), Sergey Rublevsky (Rus), Alex Yermolinsky (US), Watu Kobese (RSA), Alexey Dreev (Rus), Teimour Radjabov (Aze).

Group C: Al Modiahki Mohamad (Qat), Hamdouchi Hichem (Mar), Xu Jun (Chin), Viswanathan Anand (Ind), Rustam Kasimdzhanov (Uzb), Krishnan Sasikiran (Ind).

Group D: Surya Sekhar Ganguly (Ind), Alexander Morozevic (Rus), Jann Ehlvest (Est), P. Harikrishna (Ind), D. Nigel Short (Eng), G. Alexander Beliavsky (Slo).

Women: Group A: Li Ruofan (Chn), Kovalvskaya Ekaterina (Rus), Svetiana Matveeva (Rus), Maia Chiburdanidze (Geo), Dronavalli Harika (Ind), Cmilyte Victorija (Ltu).

Group B: Stefanova Antoanela (Bul), S. Vijayalaxmi (Ind), Swathi Ghate (Ind), Nino Khurtsidze (Geo), Pia Cramling (Swe), Yuhua Xu (China).

Group C: Dianchenk Tatiana Slepovaia Dianchenk (Rus), Koneru Humpy (Ind), Bhagyasree Thipsay (Ind), Irina Krush (US), Nana Ioseliani (Geo), Alexandra Kosteniuk (Rus).

Group D: Pin Wang (Chn), Chen Zhu (Chn), Aarthie Ramaswamy (Ind), Joanna Dworakowska (Pol), S. Meenakshi (Ind), Zhaoquin Peng (Ned).

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