World Champion Rustam Kasimdzhanov of Uzbekistan put up a splendid show to beat Alexei Shirov of Spain 3-1 in the first semifinal of the 18th Magistral Ciudad de Leon chess tournament in Spain.

After drawing the inconsequential fourth game with the defending champion Shirov, Kasimdzhanov sealed his berth in the finals in which he will meet the winner of the match between Viswanathan Anand [Images] and wonder-kid Magnus Carlsen of Norway.

It turned out to be a dramatic first day of three-day rapid event as local hope and favourite Shirov simply could not get himself going against Kasimdzhanov.

The Latvian-born Spaniard, who authored the famous 'Fire on board', was a pale shadow of himself right from the word go as he lost the first and the third game with white pieces and drew the remaining two to bow out of the event.

Kasimdzhanov's big claim to fame is the FIDE World championship title that he won last year at Tripoli in Libya. There too the Uzbek was at his best in tackling the shorter time control games and now again he proved that his success did not come by chance. The time control here is for the fittest, 20 moves for the entire game with a ten seconds increment after every move is made.

The dye was cast when Shirov could not match the attacking skills of Kasimdzhanov in the first game. Starting off with the Sicilian Nazdorf as black, Kasimdzhanov rolled his queenside pawns in the English attack and won Shirov's queen for little compensation.

Result first semifinal: Rustam Kasimdzhanov (Uzbekistan) beat Alexei Shirov (Spain) 3-1;

The moves: Game 1: Shirov v/s Kasimdzhanov
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e6 7. f3 b5 8. g4 h6 9. Qd2 b4 10. Nce2 e5 11. Nb3 Nc6 12. O-O-O a5 13. Kb1 a4 14. Nbc1 Be6 15. Ng3 Qa5 16. h4 d5 17. g5 hxg5 18. Bxg5 Nd4 19. f4 b3 20. cxb3 Bb4 21. fxe5 Bxd2 22. Bxd2 Qc7 23. Bc3 Qxe5 24. Rg1 axb3 25. Bb5+ Kf8 26. Bxd4 bxa2+ 27. Ka1 Qb8 28. Bc6 Ra6 29. exd5 Bg4 30. Rde1 Rxh4 31. Ne4 Nxe4 32. Rxe4 g5 33. Bc5+ Kg7 34. Rexg4 Rxg4 35. Rxg4 f6 36. Bd4 Kg6 37. Rg1 Qf4 38. Bc3 Qf2 39. Be8+ Kg7 40. Rxg5+ Kf8 41. Bb5 Qc2 white resigned

Game 2: Kasimdzhanov v/s Shirov
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Nc6 7. O-O Be7 8. c4 Nb4 9. Be2 O-O 10. Nc3 Be6 11. Ne5 f6 12. Nf3 Kh8 13. a3 Nxc3 14. bxc3 Nc6 15. Nd2 dxc4 16. Nxc4 Qd7 17. Bf4 Rad8 18. Re1 Bg8 19. h3 Bd6 20. Nxd6 cxd6 21. c4 Rfe8 22. Qd2 b6 23. Bf1 Na5 24. Qb4 Rc8 25. d5 Nb7 26. a4 Rxe1 27. Rxe1 Rc5 28. Be2 Ra5 29. Bg4 Qd8 30. Re3 Bf7 31. Qe1 Kg8 32. Re7 Nc5 33. Bf5 Kf8 34. Re2 Rxa4 35. Qc3 Qc7 36. Bh6 Qd8 37. Bf4 Qc7 38. Bh6 Qd8 draw agreed.

Game 3: Shirov v/s Kasimdzhanov
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e6 7. f3 b5 8. g4 h6 9. a3 Bb7 10. Qd2 Nbd7 11. O-O-O d5 12. exd5 Nxd5 13. Nxd5 Bxd5 14. Rg1 Qc7 15. f4 Bd6 16. Nf5 Bf8 17. Qd4 O-O-O 18. Nxg7 Bf3 19. Rd3 e5 20. fxe5 Bxg7 21. Rc3 Bc6 22. Rxc6 Qxc6 23. Bg2 Qc7 24. Qe4 Nb6 25. e6 Nd5 26. Rd1 Bxb2+ 27. Kxb2 Qc3+ 28. Ka2 Qxe3 29. Rxd5 Qxe4 30. Rc5+ Kb8 31. Bxe4 fxe6 32. Rc6 Ka7 33. Rc7+ Kb6 34. Rc6+ Ka5 35. Bg6 Rd4 36. h3 Rhd8 37. Kb2 R8d6 38. Rc8 Rf4 39. Rc3 e5 40. Bf5 e4 41. Re3 Rd4 42. Kc3 Rc4+ 43. Kb2 Rf3 white resigned

Game 4: Kasimdzhanov v/s Shirov
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4. O-O Bg7 5. Re1 e5 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. a3 Bg4 8. d3 Nf6 9. h3 Bxf3 10. Qxf3 Nd7 11. Nd2 a5 12. Nc4 O-O 13. a4 b5 14. Ne3 Nb6 15. b3 Qd4 16. Bd2 c4 17. bxc4 bxc4 18. Ng4 cxd3 19. Be3 Qd8 20. cxd3 Nd7 21. Nh6+ Bxh6 22. Bxh6 Re8 23. Rec1 c5 24. Rab1 Rb8 25. Bd2 Qc7 26. Bc3 Qc6 27. Qd1 Rxb1 28. Rxb1 c4 29. dxc4 Nb6 30. Bxe5 Rxe5 31. Qd8+ Re8 32. Qxb6 Qxa4 33. Qb5 Qxb5 34. cxb5 Rxe4 35. b6 Re8 36. Ra1 Rb8 draw agreed.

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