Tomsk leads in the Russian Team Championships

The Russian Team Championships are taking place in the Dagomys, Sochi, from May 1st to 12th, 2007. The men are playing in two league sections, with six players per team. The champion will be decided in a match between the winners of each section. The rate of play is 100 minutes / 40 moves, 50 min/20 moves and 10 min for the rest of the game, with an increment of 30 seconds per move.

Round four report

The team from Tomsk-400 are firmly in the lead and keep winning. They have a sterling lineup: Morozevich, Jakovenko, Karjakin, Kasimdzhanov, Inarkiev, Tkachiev, Bologan (as reserve player!) and Smirnov, with an average Elo of 2692. The only stronger team is Ural Ekaterinburg, which is there with Radjabov, Grischuk, Shirov, Akopian, Malakhov, Zvjaginsev, Motylev and Sakaev, averaging an incredible 2701 rating points. Ural is in second place.

In round four Tomsk crushed Nizhnij Tagil 5:1, with all six games being decided (Sergey Karjakin scored the only loss). Ural scored a narrow victory over TPS Saransk, which has Ivanchuk on board one. All games were drawn, except for Grischuk beating Volokitin. Here are all the results from round four:

• Politekhnik – Tomsk-400 1-5
• TPS – Ural 2½–3½
• Elara – Junost Moskvy 3-3
• Ladja – Ekonomist 2½–3½
• Shatar – South Ural 4½–1½

Standings in the Premier League after four rounds (match + board points given):

• All available games in zipped PGN

You will find all results and standings in the English section of the official web site. A full colour-coded list of all teams is giving at the bottom of this report.

Picture Gallery by Galina Tiviakova

In his first picture report our roving reporter GM Sergey Tiviakov, who is also playing for the catchingly-named team Economist-SGSEU-1 Saratov, concentrated on the women's section of the tournament. Today his mother, Galina Tiviakova, commandeered the camera and we got a more gender-balanced selection.

The mighty Dagomys River that flows majestically through town of Dagomys

A popular recreational facitily in the "Dagomys Hotel & Tourist complex"

The playing hall with the match Shatar Buryatia vs Economist-SGSEU-1 under way

During the game Sergey Tiviakov (right) vs Artyom Timofeev in round four: ½-½

Ural Ekaterinburg with Radjabov, Grischuk, Akopian and Malakhov (left) facing TPS Saransk with Volokitin and Najer (right)

You know what a knight on e5 means for you?! Kiril Georgiev and Pentala Harikrishna analyse.

One of the top seeds: Israeli GM Boris Gelfand, Elo 2733

Alexander Morozevich (with a great chess legend in the background left)

Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov, playing (here with Karen Asrian and Smbat Lputian) on board one for the team Southern Ural Chelyabinsk

Another great legend: Viktor Lvovich Korchnoi, 76, playing on board five in Karpov's team

GM Vladimir Potkin prepares to play, IM Elisabeth Pähtz takes photos

ABC Krasnoturyinsk, with Antoaneta Stefanova and Svetlana Matveeva, with Natalia Pogonina watching

WGM Tatiana Grabuzova playing for Petrodom Saint-Petersburg

Yulija Ivanova and Irina Manakova, playing for Politechnik Nizhniy Tagil

Like my belly button? Anna is the most widely photographed female chess player in the world

In the following we have put together a list of all participating teams. Top players are colour coded, with red for GMs rated over 2700, blue of those over 2600 (for the women: over 2500 and 2400). Note that the average Elo ratings are for the six top players in each men's team, and four top players in the women's. Go through this list, you will find some remarkable players.

Premier League Team composition

First League Team composition

Russian Women’s Chess League 2007

Links

• Official web site (Russian), with results in English
• Online live coverage (also on Playchess)
• Previous report on Sochi 2007