Ding Liren Falls to Xiao Tong in Blitz at Chinese Rapid

The fifth Chinese Rapid Championship, played in Shaoxing from 2 to 6 November, lost two of its biggest names in the quarterfinals. Former world champion Ding Liren went out to Xiao Tong in a blitz tiebreak, and Wang Hao lost to Xu Xiangyu. Three of the four rating favourites failed to reach the last four.

How the event works

Twenty-four players compete in a knockout. Eight seeds received byes into the round of 16, while the other 16 played a preliminary round for the remaining eight places.

Each match is four rapid games at 15 minutes plus 10 seconds per move. A tie goes to two blitz games at 3+2. If it is still level, an Armageddon decides it: White gets 5 minutes, Black gets 4 and draw odds.

A calm round of 16

On Tuesday all eight rating favourites advanced. Five matches ended after three games. Wang Hao beat Dong Hongfu 3-0, while Ding and Yu Yangyi both won 2½-½.

Fourth seed Bu Xiangzhi needed four games to beat the untitled Huang Renjie 3-1. The tightest match paired Xiao Tong (2476) and Zeng Chongsheng (2475). It went to blitz, and Xiao won 3½-2½.

Ding’s exit

That long match was Xiao’s previous day’s work, which makes his quarterfinal against Ding more notable. All four rapid games with Ding were drawn, and so was the first blitz game.

In the second blitz game Ding got a clear advantage with Black and did not convert it. Both players were short of time. The former world champion eventually let Xiao turn the game around and win, and Xiao took the match.

Wang Hao and Bu out too

Wang Hao lost 2½-1½ to Xu Xiangyu (2594). Both men made major blunders in games one and three, so each won once. Xu took the match with a convincing White win in game two, then held the draw he needed in game four.

Lu Shanglei (2586) beat Bu Xiangzhi (2593) by the same 2½-1½ score. The gap between them was minimal, so this was hardly a shock on paper. It still meant the top four seeds by rating were reduced to one.

Yu survives

Defending champion Yu Yangyi was the lone favourite to get through. He beat Bai Jinshi 2½-1½, scoring a convincing win with White in game one and drawing the other three.

Game four was his hardest: a complicated position of queen and bishop against rook, bishop and knight. He held the draw he needed.

Semifinals

Yu Yangyi plays Xu Xiangyu, and Xiao Tong meets Lu Shanglei. Yu is the highest-rated player left.

Xiao has had to survive blitz tiebreaks in consecutive rounds, so the semifinals will show whether that wear shows or whether his momentum carries on. Yu’s route to the title already looks like the easiest to read on paper, though the quarterfinals showed how little that guarantees.