Chess World Cup 2017 Final Tie Breaks - Tblisi

After the four classical games of the 2017 world cup final ended in draws, the match moved into tie breaks. This brought additional pressure on Aronian. The Chinese player is higher rated in blitz, they are about equal in 10 minute rapid, while Aronian is slightly stronger at the 25 minute time control. So for Aronian it was a case of the sooner he wrapped up the match, the better his chances would be.

In the end Aronian won both 25 minute games to become the first player in history to twice win the 128 player knock out world cup.

My final comment on the 2017 world cup relates to the prize fund allocation by FIDE: The prize money in each round of the world cup has been well documented. What is less well documented is how much of the prize money the players will actually receive. Sure, every country in the world has a tax policy on the amount of tax that is deducted from the winnings of all foreign professional sports people. That is a given, across all professional sports events across the planet.

There is, however, one factor about chess that makes it completely different from every other professional sport in the way that professionals get paid. That is the FIDE “levy” or “administration fee”.  I have yet to find any other professional sport where the international federation charges a 20% levy that is to be deducted from the prize cheque of every prize winner at every major international chess event. This holds true, even for the events that are organized by FIDE and where FIDE puts up and pays the prize money.

So, in the case of Aronian’s 120.000 euro first prize from FIDE, 24.000 euros was deducted by FIDE. So, in effect Aronian will receive 96.000 euros less whatever tax Georgia will levy on 120.000 euros.

This has become especially critical for those players eliminated from the first round of the tournament. Their budget for the tournament was built around the guaranteed 6.000 euros of prize money for those eliminated in round 1. However, FIDE took a 1.200 euro levy from each of those players and after the tax on 6.000 euros has been paid the foreign players will likely be left with less than 4.000. That would need to cover flights, visas, hotel, taxis and meals for the player, their assistant, and any other support staff.

My conclusion here is that there is something out of alignment when close to 64 of the chess professionals who competed in the FIDE World Cup 2017 will be hard pressed to cover their out of pocket expenses to be able to compete in an event that has put FIDE in the media spotlight for many diverse reasons. While at the same time FIDE as the organizer will bank more than double the first place prize cheque in levy deductions from all the players in the tournament.

Aronian,Levon (2802) - Ding,Liren (2771)

FIDE World Cup 2017 Tbilisi (7.5), 27.09.2017

1.c4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.Nc3 d5 4.d4 c6 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bxf6 Qxf6 7.Qb3 Nd7 8.e4 dxe4 9.Nxe4 Qf4 10.Bd3 e5 D43: Semi-Slav: 5 Bg5 h6 

11.0–0 [11.dxe5 Nxe5 12.Nxe5 Qxe5 13.0–0 Be7 14.Rfe1 0–0 15.Ng3 Qc7 16.Bf5 Bf6 17.Rad1 Bxf5 18.Nxf5 0–1 (47) Belov,V (2614)-Anand,V (2803) Berlin 2015] 

11...Be7 12.Rae1 Ng3 is the strong threat. 

12...exd4! The position is equal. 

13.Bb1 0–0 14.Ng3

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14...Bd8N [14...Nc5 15.Qa3 Qc7 16.Nxd4 Rd8 17.Ndf5 Bxf5 18.Nxf5 1/2–1/2 (29) Ivanisevic,I (2588)-Schenk,A (2495) Gonfreville 2006] 

15.Qd3 g6! 16.h4 Nf6 17.h5 White has compensation. 

17...g5 18.Ne5ƒ White is more active. 

18...Ba5 [18...Kh8²] 

19.Ng6 Qd2 aiming for ...Qxd3. 

20.Ne7+! Kg7 Hoping for ...Qxd3. 

21.Qb3 Qf4 [21...d3±] 

22.Rd1? [22.Ngf5+!+- Kh8 23.Rd1] 

22...Bb6 [22...c5²] 

23.Ngf5+ Bxf5 24.Nxf5+ Kh8

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25.g3! Qg4 26.Nxh6 Qxh5? 

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[26...Qe6 27.Rfe1 Ne4] 
27.Kg2!+- White is clearly winning. 
27...d3 [¹27...Qxh6 28.Rh1 Qxh1+ 29.Rxh1+ Kg7] 
28.Qc3 Kg7 29.Nf5+ Kg6 30.Rh1 Precision: White = 70%, Black = 28%. 1–0

Ding,Liren (2771) - Aronian,Levon (2802)

FIDE World Cup 2017 Tbilisi (7.6), 27.09.2017

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.cxd5 exd5 6.Bf4 D38: Queen's Gambit Declined: Ragozin Defence (4 Nf3 Bb4) [6.Bg5 0–0 7.e3 Bf5 8.Qb3 Bxc3+ 9.Qxc3 h6 10.Bxf6 Qxf6 11.Bd3 c6 12.Bxf5 Qxf5 13.Qb3 Qc8 14.0–0 Nd7 15.Rfe1 1/2–1/2 (60) Nakamura,H (2785)-Aronian,L (2793) Stavanger 2017] 

6...c6 7.e3 Bf5 8.Be2 White has an edge. 

8...0–0 9.0–0

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9...Be7N [9...Bd6 10.Bxd6 Qxd6 11.Nh4 Be6 12.Nf3 Bf5 13.Nh4 Be6 14.Nf3 Bf5 15.Nh4 1/2–1/2 (15) Erdos,V (2585)-Parligras,M (2599) Novi Sad 2016] 

10.Nh4 Bg6 11.Nxg6 hxg6 12.Qb3 Qb6 13.Qc2 a5 14.g4 Nbd7 15.g5 Ne8 16.e4 dxe4 17.Nxe4 Qd8 18.h4 Nb6 19.Be5 Nd5 20.Bg4 Kh8 [20...Nd6=] 

21.Rae1± Nef6 [¹21...Bb4] 

22.gxf6 gxf6

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23.Bh2 [23.Qd2± White threatens Qh6+ and mate. 23...Kh7 24.Bg3] 

23...f5² 24.Bxf5 gxf5 25.Qd1 Rg8+ [25...fxe4 26.Qh5+ Kg7 27.Kh1+-] 

26.Kh1 [26.Ng3= Rg4 27.Kh1 Rxh4 28.Nxf5] 

26...Rg4µ 27.Ng3 Rxh4

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...Bd6 is the strong threat. 
28.Nxf5 Rh7 Strongly threatening ...Bd6. 
29.Nxe7 

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Threatens to win with Qf3. 
29...Nxe7 [Black should play 29...Qd6!µ 30.f4 (30.Re5? Qh6–+) 30...Nxe7] 
30.Re5³ 

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30...Nf5!‚ ( -> ...Qh4). White needs to defend precisely. 
31.Rfe1? [Avoid the trap 31.Rxf5? Qh4–+; 31.Qg4³ Qh4 32.Qxh4 Nxh4 33.Re3] 
31...Qh4–+ Black is clearly winning. 
32.Re8+ Kg7 33.Rg1+ Kf6 Precision: White = 40%, Black = 64%. 0-1