Longshots advance at Chess World Championship as eight players survive

Each knocked out one of the top 12 seeds, although each winner had been ranked out of the top 25 players.

Top-seeded Vladimir Kramnik of Russia, fifth-seed Michael Adams of England and 16th-ranked Judit Polgar of Hungary also are among eight players advancing to Thursday's fifth round.

This elimination tournament, which started with 100 players, is being sponsored by the international chess federation, FIDE. The prize fund is $3 million. Wednesday's losers received more than $43,000, while winners are guaranteed double that amount.

Alexei Shirov of Spain, the No. 2 seed, and 31st-ranked Vladimir Akopian of Armenia had secured their places in the final eight Tuesday.

Wednesday's tie-breaker matches featured sets of two-game matches with games lasting up to about one hour instead of the usual seven hours.

Nisipeanu of Romania pulled off the biggest shocker when he eliminated sixth-seed Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine. The Romanian, ranked 46th, will be the lowest seed in the quarterfinals.

After a draw in the first game, Ivanchuk inexplicably blundered away a piece in the second and was forced to resign.

Movsesian, a 20-year-old Czech, drew both games of his first set against third-seed Aexei Fedorov of Russia. In the first game of the second set Movesesian crashed through to win with the black pieces and gain the lead. He was able to hold a draw in the second game to move on.

Grandmaster Yasser Seirawan praised the play of 36th-ranked Khalifman, of Russia, for "a very convincing display" in a defeat of 12th-seed Boris Gelfand of Israel in their first game Wednesday. Khalifman withstood Gelfand's pressure to force a match clinching draw in the next game.

Polgar, a 23-year-old, played her best chess of the tournament, defeating Russia's Vadim Zvjaginsev in both games.

The Hungarian player has been considered the strongest woman player in the world for many years, although her sister, Zsuzsa, is the current women's champion.

Kramnik took advantage of some horrific misplays to sweep both his games from Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria, the ninth seed.

In the first contest the Bulgarian star fought back from a bad position to even the game. Kramnik kept pressing, however, and Topolov committed a grave error and lost.

Topolov was winning in the second game, but he committed another gross blunder and went from a win to a loss in one move.

Adams had draws in the first two games against Alexsey Dreev of Russia. The Englishman then won both games, the first in a long 88-move endgame, in the second tie-break set to advance.

The play of the first game of the Round four tie-breaker between Kramnik, playing white, and Topalov:

1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 dxc4 4. e3 Nf6 5. Bxc4 c5 6. O-O Nc6 7. Qe2 a6 8. a3 cxd4 9. Rd1 b5 10. Ba2 d3 11. Rxd3 Qc7 12. e4 Ng4 13. h3 Nge5 14. Nxe5 Qxe5 15. Be3 Bb7 16. Nc3 Bc5 17. Rad1 O-O 18. f4 Bxe3+ 19. Qxe3 Qb8 20. Rd7 Bc8 21. R7d6 Ne7 22. Kh1 Qc7 23. Qg3 Kh8 24. h4 Ng8 25. Bb1 Bb7 26. Rd7 Qc6 27. e5 Qc8 28. f5 exf5 29. Bxf5 Qb8 30. Be4 Bxe4 31. Nxe4 Qe8 32. R1d6 Ne7 33. Nf6 Nf5 34. Qf4 gxf6 35. Qxf5 Qxe5 36. Qxf6+ Qxf6 37. Rxf6 Kg7 38. Rf5 h6 39. Kh2 Rad8 40. Rfxf7+ Rxf7 41. Rxd8 Re7 42. Rd6 Re3 43. Rxa6 Rb3 44. Rb6 Rxb2 45. a4 b4 46. Kg3 b3 47. Kf4 Ra2 48. Kf5 Rxa4 49. Rb7+ Kg8 50. g4 Ra6 51. Rxb3 Kg7 52. Rb7+ Kg8 53. Re7 Ra5+ 54. Re5 Ra4 55. Re4 Ra7 56. Kf6 Rg7 57. Re8+ Kh7 58. Re7 Rxe7 59. Kxe7 Kg7 60. h5 1-0

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