Chess World Cup 2015

The Chess World Cup 2015 was a 128-player single-elimination chess tournament held in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 10 September to 5 October 2015.

Sergey Karjakin won the competition on tie-breaks after a four-game final against Peter Svidler. Both finalists qualified for the 2016 Candidates Tournament.

The winner of the Chess World Cup 2013, Vladimir Kramnik, was defeated by Dmitry Andreikin in the third round.

Format
Matches consisted of two games (except for the final, which consisted of four). Players had 90 minutes for the first 40 moves followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game with an addition of 30 seconds per move from the start of the game. If a match was tied after the regular games, tie breaks were played the next day. The format for the tie breaks was as follows:
 * Two rapid games (25 minutes plus 10 seconds increment).
 * If the score was tied after two rapid games, two rapid games (10 minutes plus 10 seconds increment).
 * If the score was tied after four rapid games, the opponents play two blitz games (five minutes plus three seconds increment).
 * If the score was tied after a pair of blitz games, an armageddon game (in which a draw counts as a win for Black) was played. White had 5 minutes and Black had 4 minutes, with an increment of 3 seconds/move starting from move 61.

Prize money
According to the regulations, and contrary to many elite tournaments even including the FIDE Grand Prix, all players had to pay their own expenses for travel.

Participants
The qualified players are seeded by their FIDE ratings of August 2015. Eighteen players qualified by rating. All players are grandmasters unless indicated otherwise.


 * 1) 🇧🇬 Veselin Topalov (BUL), 2816 (R)
 * 2) 🇺🇸 Hikaru Nakamura (USA), 2814 (R)
 * 3) 🇺🇸 Fabiano Caruana (USA), 2808 (R)
 * 4) Anish Giri, 2793 (R)
 * 5) 🇺🇸 Wesley So (USA), 2779 (R)
 * 6) 🇷🇺 Vladimir Kramnik (RUS), 2777 (WC)
 * 7) 🇷🇺 Alexander Grischuk (RUS), 2771 (R)
 * 8) 🇨🇳 Ding Liren (CHN), 2770 (R)
 * 9) 🇦🇲 Levon Aronian (ARM), 2765 (R)
 * 10) 🇷🇺 Dmitry Jakovenko (RUS), 2759 (E14)
 * 11) 🇷🇺 Sergey Karjakin (RUS), 2753 (R)
 * 12) 🇷🇺 Evgeny Tomashevsky (RUS), 2747 (WC)
 * 13) 🇮🇱 Boris Gelfand (ISR), 2741 (R)
 * 14) 🇮🇳 Pentala Harikrishna (IND), 2740 (R)
 * 15) 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Michael Adams (ENG), 2740 (R)
 * 16) 🇷🇺 Peter Svidler (RUS), 2739 (R)
 * 17) 🇦🇿 Teimour Radjabov (AZE), 2738 (ON)
 * 18) 🇨🇺 Leinier Domínguez (CUB), 2736 (R)
 * 19) 🇦🇿 Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (AZE), 2735 (R)
 * 20) 🇵🇱 Radosław Wojtaszek (POL), 2733 (E14)
 * 21) 🇫🇷 Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (FRA), 2731 (WC)
 * 22) 🇨🇳 Yu Yangyi (CHN), 2726 (J13)
 * 23) 🇺🇦 Vassily Ivanchuk (UKR), 2726 (R)
 * 24) 🇨🇳 Wei Yi (CHN), 2725 (Z3.5)
 * 25) 🇨🇿 David Navara (CZE), 2724 (E14)
 * 26) 🇺🇦 Pavel Eljanov (UKR), 2723 (E14)
 * 27) 🇷🇺 Dmitry Andreikin (RUS), 2720 (WC)
 * 28) 🇷🇺 Nikita Vitiugov (RUS), 2719 (R)
 * 29) 🇭🇺 Peter Leko (HUN), 2714 (R)
 * 30) 🇨🇳 Ni Hua (CHN), 2713 (AS14)
 * 31) 🇫🇷 Laurent Fressinet (FRA), 2710 (E14)
 * 32) 🇺🇦 Alexander Moiseenko (UKR), 2710 (E15)
 * 33) 🇨🇳 Wang Hao (CHN), 2705 (R)
 * 34) 🇷🇺 Ian Nepomniachtchi (RUS), 2705 (E15)
 * 35) 🇺🇿 Rustam Kasimdzhanov (UZB), 2704 (AS14)
 * 36) Igor Kovalenko, 2702 (PN)
 * 37) Lê Quang Liêm, 2699 (Z3.3)
 * 38) 🇺🇦 Anton Korobov (UKR), 2699 (E15)
 * 39) 🇧🇬 Ivan Cheparinov (BUL), 2690 (E14)
 * 40) 🇷🇺 Maxim Matlakov (RUS), 2689 (E15)
 * 41) 🇺🇸 Ray Robson (USA), 2680 (Z2.1)
 * 42) 🇮🇱 Maxim Rodshtein (ISR), 2678 (E15)
 * 43) 🇷🇺 Igor Lysyj (RUS), 2673 (E14)
 * 44) 🇦🇲 Gabriel Sargissian (ARM), 2673 (E14)
 * 45) 🇷🇺 Vladislav Artemiev (RUS), 2671 (E14)
 * 46) 🇨🇳 Hou Yifan (CHN), 2671 (PN)
 * 47) 🇺🇸 Gata Kamsky (USA), 2670 (Z2.1)
 * 48) 🇮🇱 Ilya Smirin (ISR), 2669 (E14)
 * 49) 🇩🇪 Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu (GER), 2667 (E15)
 * 50) 🇨🇿 Viktor Láznička (CZE), 2665 (E15)
 * 51) 🇷🇺 Sanan Sjugirov (RUS), 2664 (E15)
 * 52) 🇵🇪 Julio Granda (PER), 2663 (AM14)
 * 53) Nguyễn Ngọc Trường Sơn, 2662 (Z3.3)
 * 54) 🇺🇸 Alexander Onischuk (USA), 2662 (Z2.1)
 * 55) Ivan Šarić, 2661 (E14)
 * 56) 🇺🇦 Alexander Areshchenko (UKR), 2661 (E14)
 * 57) 🇷🇺 Ernesto Inarkiev (RUS), 2660 (PN)
 * 58) 🇷🇺 Vladimir Fedoseev (RUS), 2659 (E14)
 * 59) 🇨🇺 Lázaro Bruzón (CUB), 2659 (Z2.3)
 * 60) 🇭🇺 Csaba Balogh (HUN), 2659 (E14)
 * 61) 🇷🇺 Alexander Motylev (RUS), 2658 (E14)
 * 62) 🇷🇺 Evgeniy Najer (RUS), 2658 (E15)
 * 63) 🇺🇸 Sam Shankland (USA), 2655 (AM14)
 * 64) 🇷🇺 Ivan Bukavshin (RUS), 2655 (E15)
 * 65) 🇧🇾 Sergei Zhigalko (BLR), 2654 (E14)
 * 66) 🇷🇺 Ivan Popov (RUS), 2653 (E15)
 * 67) 🇦🇿 Rauf Mamedov (AZE), 2651 (ON)
 * 68) 🇷🇺 Boris Grachev (RUS), 2649 (E15)
 * 69) 🇦🇿 Eltaj Safarli (AZE), 2644 (ON)
 * 70) 🇮🇳 Vidit Santosh Gujrathi (IND), 2644 (AS15)
 * 71) 🇮🇳 Baskaran Adhiban (IND), 2643 (AS14)
 * 72) 🇨🇺 Yuniesky Quezada (CUB), 2643 (AM15)
 * 73) 🇷🇺 Denis Khismatullin (RUS), 2642 (E15)
 * 74) 🇪🇬 Bassem Amin (EGY), 2640 (AF)
 * 75) 🇺🇦 Andrei Volokitin (UKR), 2639 (E15)
 * 76) 🇵🇱 Robert Kempiński (POL), 2637 (E15)
 * 77) 🇧🇷 Alexandr Fier (BRA), 2636 (Z2.4)
 * 78) 🇮🇳 S. P. Sethuraman (IND), 2635 (Z3.7)
 * 79) 🇺🇸 Varuzhan Akobian (USA), 2635 (Z2.1)
 * 80) 🇪🇸 David Antón Guijarro (ESP), 2635 (E14)
 * 81) 🇫🇷 Romain Édouard (FRA), 2634 (ACP)
 * 82) 🇦🇲 Hrant Melkumyan (ARM), 2633 (E14)
 * 83) 🇧🇷 Rafael Leitão (BRA), 2632 (AM14)
 * 84) 🇮🇳 Surya Shekhar Ganguly (IND), 2631 (AS15)
 * 85) 🇵🇱 Mateusz Bartel (POL), 2631 (E15)
 * 86) 🇷🇴 Constantin Lupulescu (ROU), 2626 (E14)
 * 87) 🇻🇪 Eduardo Iturrizaga (VEN), 2625 (AM15)
 * 88) 🇺🇦 Yuri Vovk (UKR), 2624 (E15)
 * 89) 🇦🇿 Gadir Guseinov (AZE), 2624 (PN)
 * 90) 🇹🇷 Alexander Ipatov (TUR), 2622 (E15)
 * 91) 🇹🇷 Dragan Šolak (TUR), 2622 (E14)
 * 92) 🇦🇿 Vasif Durarbayli (AZE), 2621 (ON)
 * 93) 🇨🇳 Wen Yang (CHN), 2618 (AS14)
 * 94) 🇨🇦 Anton Kovalyov (CAN), 2616 (AM15)
 * 95) 🇨🇳 Zhao Jun (CHN), 2616 (Z3.5)
 * 96) 🇷🇸 Miloš Perunović (SRB), 2614 (E14)
 * 97) 🇨🇳 Lu Shanglei (CHN), 2607 (J14)
 * 98) Ante Brkić, 2607 (E15)
 * 99) 🇦🇷 Sandro Mareco (ARG), 2605 (Z2.5)
 * 100) 🇷🇺 Aleksey Goganov (RUS), 2603 (E15)
 * 101) 🇦🇲 Samvel Ter-Sahakyan (ARM), 2601 (E14)
 * 102) 🇨🇳 Zhou Jianchao (CHN), 2600 (AS15)
 * 103) 🇰🇿 Rinat Jumabayev (KAZ), 2600 (Z3.4)
 * 104) 🇮🇱 Tamir Nabaty (ISR), 2595 (E15)
 * 105) Salem A. R. Saleh, 2595 (AS14)
 * 106) 🇪🇬 Ahmed Adly (EGY), 2591 (AF)
 * 107) 🇲🇩 Viorel Iordăchescu (MDA), 2589 (E14)
 * 108) 🇨🇺 Isan Reynaldo Ortiz Suárez (CUB), 2577 (AM14)
 * 109) 🇮🇳 M. R. Lalith Babu (IND), 2570 (AS15)
 * 110) Pouya Idani, 2568 (Z3.1)
 * 111) 🇦🇷 Federico Perez Ponsa (ARG), 2563 (AM15)
 * 112) 🇺🇸 Samuel Sevian (USA), 2553 (Z2.1)
 * 113) 🇹🇷 Emre Can (TUR), 2547 (E15)
 * 114) 🇺🇦 Mariya Muzychuk (UKR), 2528 (WWC)
 * 115) 🇦🇺 Max Illingworth, IM (AUS), 2514 (Z3.6)
 * 116) Cristobal Henriquez Villagra, IM, 2511 (Z2.5)
 * 117) Ziaur Rahman, 2509 (Z3.2)
 * 118) 🇨🇺 Ermes Espinoza Veloz, FM (CUB), 2495 (Z2.3)
 * 119) 🇷🇺 Ilia Iljiushenok, IM (RUS), 2491 (E15)
 * 120) 🇱🇺 Michael Wiedenkeller, IM (LUX), 2453 (PN)
 * 121) 🇨🇦 Tomas Krnan, IM (CAN), 2436 (Z2.2)
 * 122) 🇹🇲 Yusup Atabayev, IM (TKM), 2428 (Z3.4)
 * 123) 🇵🇪 Deysi Cori, WGM (PER), 2421 (Z2.4)
 * 124) Parham Maghsoodloo, untitled, 2416 (AS15)
 * 125) 🇺🇬 Arthur Ssegwanyi, IM (UGA), 2357 (Z4.2)
 * 126) 🇹🇳 Amir Zaibi, FM (TUN), 2330 (Z4.1)
 * 127) Richmond Phiri, IM, 2291 (Z4.3)
 * 128) Oladapo Adu, IM, 2241 (Z4.4)

Qualification paths

 * WC: Semi-finalists of the Chess World Cup 2013 (4)
 * WWC: Women's World Champion 2015 (1)
 * J13 and J14: World Junior Champions 2013 and 2014 (2)
 * R: Rating (average of all published ratings from February 2014 to January 2015 is used) (19)
 * E14 and E15: European Individual Championships 2014 (23) and 2015 (23)
 * AM14 and AM15: American Continental Championships 2014 (4) and 2015 (4)
 * AS14 and AS15: Asian Chess Championships 2014 (5) and 2015 (5)


 * AF: African Chess Championship 2015 (2)
 * Z2.1 (5), Z2.2 (1), Z2.3 (2), Z2.4 (2), Z2.5 (2), Z3.1 (1), Z3.2 (1), Z3.3 (2), Z3.4 (2), Z3.5 (2), Z3.6 (1), Z3.7 (1), Z4.1 (1), Z4.2 (1), Z4.3 (1), Z4.4 (1): Zonal tournaments
 * ACP: highest-placed participant of the ACP Tour who has not qualified with the previous criteria (1)
 * PN: FIDE President nominee (5)
 * ON: Organizer nominee (4)