The Russian Super Final will take place 8-15 August, 2011 with the participation of Kramnik, Morozevich, Karjakin, Timofeev, Grischuk, Svidler, Nepomniachtchi, and Galkin. It will be a round robin with time control 90 minutes for 40 moves plus 30 minutes to the end of the game, with time increment of 30 seconds per move.
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For the past several years the status of the “strongest”, “most talanted”, “most progressing”, and “best” player in the Russian chess powerhouse has been in dispute. With the current shakeups after the Ngibo WTCC 2011 failure, Russian national team spots are wide open and this championship might point to the current form and readiness of individual players for the upcoming strong test – the European Team Chess Championship this autumn.
All of the current participants have something to prove. The team in Ngibo was without Kramnik, now he is up against the strongest players from there and has to show that his top form from Dortmund is a constant and he still deserves to be at the top board. Karjakin came to Russia with a single idea on his mind – to be the future leader of the team, and the Russian Super Final is the right place to demonstrate his ambition. Grischuk defeated Kramnik and is the best placed individual Russian player in the World Chess Championship 2012 cycle and comes determined to defend his status. Morozevich is back on the scene with good performance in Biel and was the only one to challenge Carlsen’s domination. Timofeev, Nepomniachtchi, Svidler, and Galkin are proven fighter, but they have to make a lot in this event to secure a spot for the ETCC.
First round pairings
Svidler – Kramnik
Karjakin – Morozevich
Grischuk – Nepomniachtchi
Galkin – Timofeev
