Dmitry Andreikin beat Peter Svidler. Photo © | http://www.chessworldcup2013.com/

The FIDE World Cup in Tromso will have a new winner as defending champion Peter Svidler was eliminated by Russian Champion Dmitry Andreikin in the quarter-finals. Andreikin was never in serious trouble in either rapid game winning the first Trompowsky as white and drawing the second from a position of strength. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave drew the first game as black against Fabiano Caruana and then beat him in a Dutch Defence in game two.

Andreikin won a big rapid tie-break to win become Russian Champion and so had some pedegree. Here he dominated Peter Svidler. In game one he got a small initiative from the opening but this eventually looked very small. Svidler then played the rather bold 20...f5 and then with 22...Nb4 grabbed a pawn (perhaps 23...Rxc1 24.Rxc1 Nxa2 was the better way to do this). Andreikin used the time to break through in the centre, Svidler's king came under strong attack and at this time control at least miserable to defend. 29...Nd5 was a terrible mistake but I'm not sure Svidler would have held with the better Qc7 or Nc6 either. In the second game Andreikin gave Svidler another crack at his Caro-Kann with 1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 which had left Svidler so disappointed with his play the day before. 7...Bxf3 was Andreikin's deviation from that game but white was a bit better until 18.Nf3 and by 20.h3 Andreikin started to build an advantage which he then used to give perpetual check.

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave had to defend a slightly inferior position against Fabiano Caruana in game one of their match for 55 moves. In game two Caruana played the Dutch and Vachier-Lagrave kept the advantage for quite some time before finding the decisive breakthrough 40.e4. 48.Ne5 was decisive although 48...fxe5 was the only try left. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave then made sure of his win. After the game Vachier-Lagrave said the second game might not have ended so well.

World Chess Championship qualification will be on the semi-finalist's minds. Kramnik is already qualified by rating but if he reaches the final it will mean Sergey Karjakin gets his rating place. Peter Svidler will also probably hope for this as reports of Khanty-Mansiysk bidding for the event keep his chances of a wild-card alive.

In Monday's Semi-Final game one Andreikin with have white Tomashevsky (both from Saratov) and Vachier-Lagrave white against Kramnik.