The World Cup continued its grueling schedule — there isn't a single rest day until the semifinals — with 32 matches, and 64 players involved.
There won't be many players who actually
formed a strategy for the full four weeks. Part of a world cup comes
down to taking some rest whenever it's possible. That must have been the reason some of the players played very short draws in the first game of the second round.
- Sergei Zhigalko played the Alapin and offered a draw after just 11 moves against Veselin Topalov. The top seed accepted.
- On move 12 in an English game (the Flohr-Mikenas system) Ilia Smirin offered a draw; Teimour Radjabov accepted.
- Anish Giri offered a draw on move 17 against Alexander Motylev in a Caro-Kann Advance. Motylev accepted.
- Hikaru Nakamura offered a draw on move 18 against his compatriot Sam Shankland in what started as a Chebanenko Slav. Shankland accepted.
- Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu played the Petroff against Peter Svidler, who got nothing and offered a draw on move 18. Naturally it was accepted.
- Wen Yang versus Peter Leko was an Open Catalan. The Chinese player offered a draw on move 20; Leko accepted.
- Vitiugov didn't get much against Le Quang Liem in a 5.Bf4 Queen's Gambit Declined. A draw was agreed on move 22.
- In his pet line 6.h3 against Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son's King's Indian, Evgeny Tomashevsky offered a draw on move 23. It was accepted.
5.Bf4 Queen's Gambit Declined
I just play it on ARENA
