Ivanchuk saw off the third highest-rated player in a Nimzo-indian defence and remains the only player to have won a game after two days play.
| White | Rating | Country | Result | Black | Country | Rating | No. Moves | Opening |
| Vassily Ivanchuk | 2741 | UKR | 1-0 | Evgeny Alekseev | 2700 | RUS | 53 | Nimzo-indian |
| Lazaro Bruzon Batista | 2668 | CUB | 0.5-0.5 | Ian Nepomniachtchi | 2695 | RUS | 22 | English opening |
| Nigel Short | 2685 | ENG | 0.5-0.5 | Leinier Dominguez Perez | 2713 | CUB | 25 | Reti opening |
Ivanchuk has already won this tournament several times and seems to relish Cuba.
| Position | Name | Country | Official Rating | Highest ever Rating | Virtual Rating before Havana | World ranking | Age | Points after 2 rounds |
| 1st | Vassily Ivanchuk | UKR | 2741 | 2787 | 2726 | 12 | 41 | 2 |
| 2nd-4th | Leinier Dominguez Perez | CUB | 2713 | 2721 | 2713 | 28 | 26 | 1 |
| 2nd-4th | Ian Nepomniachtchi | RUS | 2695 | Actual | 2695 | 42 | 19 | 1 |
| 2nd-4th | Lazaro Bruzon Batista | CUB | 2668 | 2677 | 2668 | 63 | 28 | 1 |
| 5th-6th | Evgeny Alekseev | RUS | 2700 | 2725 | 2711 | 37 | 29 | 0.5 |
| 5th-6th | Nigel Short | ENG | 2685 | 2712 | 2683 | 48 | 45 | 0.5 |
The favourite Vassily Ivanchuk leads by a whole point, with his two victims sharing last place.
More information in Spanish from the
