Philippines, 12 Jan 2026
  Home >> News

 


BOXERS

CURRENT CHAMPIONS 

FORMER CHAMPIONS   

RATINGS                       

NEWS           

FORUM        

FIGHT GALLERIES        

RING CARD GIRLS        


 
 
News  


BREAKING NEWS: SO DRAWS GAME 2 AGAINST MALAKHOV, TIEBREAK MATCHES WEDNESDAY


PhilBoxing.com


The second game of the fourth round mini-match between GM Wesley So of the Philippines and GM Vladimir Malakhov of Russia ended in a draw after 38 moves. Their first game also ended in a draw after 65 moves.

They will be playing their tie break rapid games on Wednesday and the winner will advance to the 5th round where there will be only eight players left in the running for the 2009 World Chess Cup.

GM Vladimir Malakhov played white in game 2 and opened with 1.Nf3 and GM So curiously transformed it into the Chebanenko variation of the Slav defense which is Malakhov's favorite. The game progressed into a struggle of the open a and b files with So doubling his rooks along the a file on his 15th move. But after subsequent exchanges the position was balanced after 19 moves. With the exchange of Queens on the 22nd move, So held a slight edge according to the analysis on chessdom.com. The fight shifted to the center in a rook + knight + bishop endgame. On the 34th move, So exchanged his knight for Malakhov?s bishop and avoided giving drawing chances to the 29 year old Russian but Malakhov still managed to keep the 16 year old So at bay.

The FIDE World Chess Cup 2009 is taking place in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia from November 20th to December 15th 2009. It is a seven-round knockout event with six rounds of matches comprising two games per round, with the winners progressing to the next round. There are now only 16 players left in the fourth round. The finals or seventh round consists of four games.

As for the players still in the event, the remaining field contains a mix of favorites and surprises, with the top three seeds still in the running. Here are the "sweet sixteen" matchups that are being contested in the fourth round:

* Boris Gelfand (#1 seed) vs. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (#17)
* Alexander Grischuk (#8) vs. Dmitry Jakovenko (#9)
* Viktor Laznicka (#61) vs. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (#13)
* Nikita Vitiugov (#28) vs. Sergey Karjakin (#12)
* Vugar Gashimov (#2 seed ) vs. Fabiano Caruana (#50)
* Ruslan Ponomariov (#7) vs. Etienne Bacrot (#23)
* Peter Svidler (#3) vs. Alexei Shirov (#14)
* Wesley So (#59) vs. Vladimir Malakhov (#22)



Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rene Bonsubre, Jr..


Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:

  • Chess Players Association of Negros Occidental, Incorporated (CPANOI) – 2026 Opening Event
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Mon, 12 Jan 2026
  • STUNNING SMITH DESTROYS MATIAS TO BECOME WORLD CHAMPION
    , Sun, 11 Jan 2026
  • Former WBC champ Bazooka Limón hospitalized in Mexico
    By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Sun, 11 Jan 2026
  • Zuffa Boxing set to unveil its maiden card on January 23 in Las Vegas
    By Gabriel F. Cordero, , Sat, 10 Jan 2026
  • ‘I’ve got an army and army’s move in numbers’ Owen Corrigan returns for Light Heavyweight title Clash March 13 in Perth – Thunderdome 53
    , Sat, 10 Jan 2026
  • Pasalamat Festival Chess Tour 2026 to Push Through
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Sat, 10 Jan 2026
  • MANNY PACQUIAO PROMOTIONS & TURNING STONE RESORT CASINO PRESENT CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28 - VERONA, NY
    , Sat, 10 Jan 2026
  • ELIF TURHAN SIGNS NEW MULTI-FIGHT DEAL WITH MATCHROOM BOXING – FIRST IBF WORLD TITLE DEFENCE DATE SET FOR SATURDAY, JANUARY 31
    , Sat, 10 Jan 2026
  • Driving Philippine Tennis Forward: Jean Henri Lhuillier Champions the 2026 Cebuana Lhuillier Tennis Tour
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Sat, 10 Jan 2026
  • 2026 USA Boxing Elite High Performance Selection Camp Attendees Announced
    , Sat, 10 Jan 2026
  • ‘I’m ready to make some noise’ Billy Quinncroft returns for Cruiserweight title Clash March 13 in Perth – Thunderdome 53
    , Fri, 09 Jan 2026
  • Dableo and Laylo's Team to Compete in Bulacan
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Fri, 09 Jan 2026
  • Sanman Boxing present Yeerken vs. Carcedo WBA Asia South Title Clash in General Santos City on Feb 9
    , Fri, 09 Jan 2026
  • Hardstone adds 2 more title fights on January 26
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Fri, 09 Jan 2026
  • Panamerican Boxing Confederation Partners with Xempower for Digital and AI-Driven Transformation
    , Fri, 09 Jan 2026
  • IGMOB TALENT GROUP Launches www.IGMOBTalent.com to Represent Fighters, Entertainers, and Rising Talent Across Sports & Media
    , Fri, 09 Jan 2026
  • SEAG Davao-based athletes eye International stints
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Fri, 09 Jan 2026
  • Canoy banking on his ring experience against Kuse
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Thu, 08 Jan 2026
  • Undefeated Kansas Middleweight Prospect Marco “El Tiburon” Romero finished 2025 with 7th triumphs, all by knockout, & 11-0 record
    , Thu, 08 Jan 2026
  • Kinetix Sports aims for bigger events in 2026
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Thu, 08 Jan 2026
  • 2026 Santa Maria Town Fiesta Chess Challenge on January 26
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Thu, 08 Jan 2026
  • World Ranked Heavyweight Dainier Pero Headlines on Saturday, January 17th at the 2300 Arena in Philadelphia
    , Wed, 07 Jan 2026
  • Jahyae Brown to Battle Arnold Gonzalez in Exciting Co-Feature on Thursday, January 15th at The War Memorial in Trenton, New Jersey
    , Wed, 07 Jan 2026
  • Hendri Cedeno Seeks Monumental Victory Against Alfredo Santiago for NABO Title January 10 at Barclays Center
    , Tue, 06 Jan 2026
  • Kingsley Ibeh learned from his Loss 5 years ago to Jared Anderson
    , Tue, 06 Jan 2026




  •  



     
    PhilBoxing.com has been created to support every aspiring
    Filipino boxer and the Philippine boxing scene in general.
    Please send comments to feedback@philboxing.com


    PRIVATE POLICY | LEGAL DISCLAIMER
    developed and maintained by dong secuya
    © 2026 philboxing.com.