Ruslan Ponomariov and Peter Svidler won their matches of the quarterfinals in the classical games and got the full deserved rest day to get prepared to play against each other.

Another pair of the semifinalists will be defined at the tie breaks. Soon we will know the names of four lucky payers who will stay in Khanty-Mansiysk till the triumphal end.

Maria Fominykh

The liveliest place of every big tournament is a press centre. Here you can know the latest news, to listen to the press conferences or just have a cup of tea. Alexander Khalifman went out of the small folding screen where we have a small buffet.

During several days the Ex World Chess Champion will comment the games for the Russian speaking chess society together with Sergey Shipov.

The official commentators for the English speaking audience — Grandmaster Anna Sharevich and Konstantin Landa.

The Ugra chess players left the tournament race but the local chess lovers still come to the tournament venue to watch the games. I wonder whether they grieve for the Russians or just for the beautiful chess.

All participants have to just play. Teimour Radjabov should win back.

«The father was beating his son not for playing but for winning back», — says the popular wisdom, but it does not concern the knock out I am afraid. The truth is that Teimour’s father Boris Shenin looked very happy when White got the pressing initiative in the game Radjabov — Ivanchuk.

Vassily Ivanchuk got under attack and could not survive. Now the Ukrainian will have to play the tie breaks.

Judit Polgar was preparing a lot to this game. It seems that she put a big stake on it. In the middle game she sacrificed a pawn for an initiative and got enough compensation and was completely satisfied with her position. But Peter was playing accurately and after the two Rooks exchange he got his game. Objectively the position was rather equal. At one point Polgar could repeat the moves and put aside the continuation of their battle with Peter till the tie breaks. But she made a decision to play further and somewhere went too far.

After the move 36.Bd5 Judit offered a draw. Peter had 3 minutes, but he was remained very thoughtful. Having estimated the position to his advantage, Svidler moved forward the passed «е» pawn. The march forward was successful and the position of Black became completely winning.

The press officer of the World Cup Nikita Kim was eager to know all the details of this battle.

Peter was telling about the flow of the match with pleasure, easily switching to English thus leaving Bambusha «sans-travail». As for Judit she was sitting there silent and thoughtful.

Gradually the brilliant Judit (as we call her in the press-center) recovered and started smiling. Answering the question how does she feel leaving Khanty-Mansiysk, Polgar said: «My loss today has only one positive moment — I am going home to see my husband and my kids whom I badly miss!».

Polgar reached the quarterfinals of the Men’s World Chess Cup — it is an achievement for women’s chess.

Zoltan Almasi was supporting Polgar as he would support his sister. From now on there will be one second less in the playing hall.

Alexander Grischuk was on the edge of the defeat in the second game.

David Navara received a slight pressure in the opening, then beautifully developed the game and achieved the winning position. He had to make some precise moves and the Czech player could have been in semifinals. The computer was melting impressed by the position of White, but it is not aware of the time-trouble and nervous tension in the decisive game. Navara did not manage to keep the iron self-control, hasted and missed the win.

The match between Gashimov and Ponomariov did not promise such a dramatic outcome.

Vugar decided to attack the Berlin Wall, but Ruslan’s walls turned out to be very unapproachable. At one moment Gashimov offered a draw, but Ponomariov refused considering that he was not risking to lose.

Gradually Black converted their advantageous position into a winning one. Ponomariov was reaching the victory by passing a long and twisty way, but to the move 103 he finally achieved his goal.

Vugar is leaving the World Cup and Ruslan is qualified to semifinals.

«Tomorrow I will make sure to sleep myself out, then I will have breakfast and, maybe, go to sauna», — the happy winner of the match shared his plans with us.