Dominiguez upsets Radjabov in quarterfinal

Libya :

High-profile Grandmaster Teimour Radjabov of Azerbaijan went down to the ever combative GM Lenier Dominiguez of Cuba in the first game of the quarterfinals in the World Chess championship. In another quarterfinal, top seed Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria scored his eighth victory in nine games, crushing GM Andrei Kharlov of Russia in the first game. On a day that produced high-quality and entertaining chess, all the four games ended decisively. Also gaining lead was Uzbekistan GM Rustam Kasimdzhanov who got the better of Russian Alexander Grishchuk in another major upset and England's Michael Adams who scored over his 1999 semi conqueror Vladimir Akopian. Dominiguez made mincemeat of Radjabov in a fine attacking game from the white side of a Sicilian defense. Playing a not so popular variation in the closed structure, Dominiguez had Radjabov in all sorts of trouble in the middle game after sacrificing a piece for three pawns. Radjabov miscalculated his chances in the endgame and was taken to task by menacing white pawns in the center. After 45 moves Radjabov called it a day when the white pawns threatened to promote themselves as queens. (PTI)