With Svidler already through to the Finals, only the Eljanov-Karjakin match-up remained to be decided in the tie-breaks. However, this lone match provided a whole lot of excitement for the viewers with Karjakin making the cut to the finals.
The ’25+10′ rapids took off with Eljanov scoring a resounding victory in the first game. But Karjakin bounced back fantastically by scoring a nice technical win in the second encounter. Quite amazingly, it was Eljanov’s first loss in the tournament up to that point.
The match, then, entered the ’10+10′ rapid round. In the first game, Karjakin scored a crucial victory after Eljanov got over-ambitious on the King-side. With Eljanov requiring a forced win in the second game, the Ukrainian GM opted for an interesting approach against Karjakin’s Queen’s pawn opening. In fact, the approach worked out very well for Eljanov as he was seen dominating for the major part of the game. But Eljanov was unable to convert his large advantage and the game ended in a draw. Thus, Karjakin secured a place in the World Cup Final while also qualifying for the Candidates Tournament 2016.
With Svidler and Karjakin set to lock horns in the Final, it must be noted that an all-Russian World Cup Final will be witnessed for the 3rd consecutive time in as many editions.