World Chess Championship 2007

The 2005 World Cup, held in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, was the qualification for the Candidates tournament. It was a knock-out tournament of mini-matches, in the style of the FIDE World Chess Championships 1998-2004. However, once 16 players were left, they were no longer immediately eliminated, but played further mini-matches to establish places 1 through 16.

The top finishers were:[4][5]

The top 10 qualified for the Candidates Tournament. Since Bacrot was already qualified on rating, 11th placed Malakhov also qualified.

One place in the Candidates Tournament was reserved for 2004 FIDE World Champion Kasimdzhanov, who had also finished 6th in the 2005 championship tournament. Five places were then awarded to the five highest rated players (average of July 2004 and January 2005 ratings): Leko, Adams, Polgar, Shirov and Bacrot. The remaining ten places went to the highest finishers at the 2005 World Cup who had not otherwise qualified (see above).

The Candidates tournament, held in Elista, Kalmykia, Russia, from 26 May to 14 June 2007, was originally to consist of a two-round knockout with one player qualifying from each quarter of the draw. In September 2006, FIDE proposed that these players play a 16 player, single round-robin tournament instead.[6] However this decision was reversed, and the tournament consisted of two rounds of matches as originally planned.[7]

World Cup winner Aronian was top seed, with the remaining players seeded in rating order according to the January 2006 ratings list. In the second round, the 1v16 winner played the 8v9 winner, 2v15 winner versus 7v10 winner, and so on.

Matches were best of six games, at normal time controls (40/120, then 20/60, then 15 minutes + 30 seconds per move). Where matches were tied after six games, tie breaks were played on the seventh day:

1. Best of four rapid games were played. Rapid time control was 25 minutes for the game, plus 10 seconds per move.
2. Where the score was still tied, best of two blitz games were played. Blitz time control was 5 minutes for the game, plus 10 seconds per move.
3. If the score was still tied, the players would have drawn lots for a single sudden death game where White had six minutes but needed to win, Black had five minutes but only needed to draw. This final stage of tie break, called an Armageddon chess game, was never required.

Seed	Name	Rating	1	2	3	4	5	6	TB	Total
1	Levon Aronian (ARM)	2759	1	½	0	1	0	½	4	7
16	Magnus Carlsen (NOR)	2693	0	½	1	0	1	½	2	5
Seed	Name	Rating	1	2	3	4	5	6	TB	Total
8	Alexei Shirov (ESP)	2699	½	½	½	0	½	1	2½	5½
9	Michael Adams (ENG)	2734	½	½	½	1	½	0	½	3½
Seed	Name	Rating	1	2	3	4	5	6	TB	Total
2	Peter Leko (HUN)	2738	½	1	1	1	–	–	–	3½
15	Mikhail Gurevich (TUR)	2639	½	0	0	0	–	–	–	½
Seed	Name	Rating	1	2	3	4	5	6	TB	Total
7	Judit Polgár (HUN)	2727	½	0	½	0	1	½	–	2½
10	Evgeny Bareev (RUS)	2643	½	1	½	1	0	½	–	3½
Seed	Name	Rating	1	2	3	4	5	6	TB	Total
3	Ruslan Ponomariov (UKR)	2717	½	½	0	½	½	½	–	2½
14	Sergei Rublevsky (RUS)	2680	½	½	1	½	½	½	–	3½
Seed	Name	Rating	1	2	3	4	5	6	TB	Total
6	Alexander Grischuk (RUS)	2717	1	½	½	1	½	–	–	3½
11	Vladimir Malakhov (RUS)	2679	0	½	½	0	½	–	–	1½
Seed	Name	Rating	1	2	3	4	5	6	TB	Total
4	Boris Gelfand (ISR)	2733	½	½	½	½	½	½	2½	5½
13	Rustam Kasimdzhanov (UZB)	2677	½	½	½	½	½	½	½	3½
Seed	Name	Rating	1	2	3	4	5	6	TB	Total
5	Étienne Bacrot (FRA)	2709	½	0	0	0	–	–	–	½
12	Gata Kamsky (USA)	2705	½	1	1	1	–	–	–	3½

Seed	Name	Rating	1	2	3	4	5	6	TB	Total
1	Levon Aronian (ARM)	2759	1	½	½	½	½	½	–	3½
8	Alexei Shirov (ESP)	2699	0	½	½	½	½	½	–	2½
Seed	Name	Rating	1	2	3	4	5	6	TB	Total
2	Peter Leko (HUN)	2738	1	½	1	½	½	–	–	3½
10	Evgeny Bareev (RUS)	2643	0	½	0	½	½	–	–	1½
Seed	Name	Rating	1	2	3	4	5	6	TB	Total
4	Boris Gelfand (ISR)	2733	½	½	1	½	1	–	–	3½
12	Gata Kamsky (USA)	2705	½	½	0	½	0	–	–	1½
Seed	Name	Rating	1	2	3	4	5	6	TB	Total
6	Alexander Grischuk (RUS)	2717	1	½	½	0	½	½	2½	5½
14	Sergei Rublevsky (RUS)	2680	0	½	½	1	½	½	½	3½

The four second round winners qualified for the championship tournament.

The tournament was a double round robin, with the first round on 13 September 2007 and the final round on 29 September 2007. Rest days were on the 17th, 22nd and 26th, that is after rounds 4, 8 and 11. Games each day began at 2 pm local time, which is 19:00 UTC. The time control was 40/2h, 20/1h, 15m+30sec/all meaning that each player had 2 hours per game, plus an extra hour added after the 40th move, 15 extra minutes added after the 60th move, and from there on 30 extra seconds added for each move (Fischer delay).[8] The pairings were made on Wednesday, 12 September 2007.[9]

Numbers in parentheses indicate players' scores prior to the round.

Rank	Player	Rating	ANA		KRA		GEL		LEK		SVI		MOR		ARO		GRI		Points	H2H	Wins	NS
1	Viswanathan Anand (IND)	2792			½	½	½	½	½	½	1	½	1	½	½	1	1	½	9
2	Vladimir Kramnik (RUS)	2769	½	½			½	½	1	½	½	½	1	0	1	½	½	½	8	1	3	54.50
3	Boris Gelfand (ISR)	2733	½	½	½	½			½	½	½	½	1	½	1	1	½	0	8	1	3	54.25
4	Peter Leko (HUN)	2751	½	½	½	0	½	½			½	½	1	½	½	0	1	½	7
5	Peter Svidler (RUS)	2735	½	0	½	½	½	½	½	½			½	0	½	½	1	½	6½
6	Alexander Morozevich (RUS)	2758	½	0	1	0	½	0	½	0	1	½			½	½	1	0	6	1	3
7	Levon Aronian (ARM)	2750	0	½	½	0	0	0	1	½	½	½	½	½			1	½	6	1	2
8	Alexander Grischuk (RUS)	2726	½	0	½	½	1	½	½	0	½	0	1	0	½	0			5½

Key: H2H = head-to-head, points against tied player; NS = Neustadtl score

For players who finished level on points, the following tie-breakers were applied (in order of precedence): results of games between tied players, total number of wins, Neustadtl score.[8]

For each player, the difference between wins and losses after each round is shown. The players with the highest difference for each round are marked with green background.

Final place	Player \ Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14
1	Viswanathan Anand (IND)	=0	+1	+1	+1	+2	+2	+3	+3	+3	+3	+4	+4	+4	+4
2	Vladimir Kramnik (RUS)	=0	+1	+1	+1	+1	+1	+1	+1	=0	=0	=0	+1	+1	+2
3	Boris Gelfand (ISR)	=0	=0	=0	=0	+1	+2	+2	+2	+1	+1	+1	+2	+2	+2
4	Peter Leko (HUN)	=0	=0	=0	−1	−1	−1	−1	=0	=0	=0	=0	−1	=0	=0
5	Peter Svidler (RUS)	=0	=0	−1	−1	−2	−2	−2	−2	−2	−2	−2	−2	−2	−1
6	Alexander Morozevich (RUS)	=0	−1	=0	=0	−1	−2	−2	−2	−1	−1	−2	−1	−2	−2
7	Levon Aronian (ARM)	=0	−1	−1	=0	−1	−1	−1	−1	−1	=0	=0	−1	−1	−2
8	Alexander Grischuk (RUS)	=0	=0	=0	=0	+1	+1	=0	−1	=0	−1	−1	−2	−2	−3