World Cup quarterfinals: All draws in the first games
First games of the quarterfinals were played in Khanty-Mansiysk on September 23. Xiong – Radjabov was a relatively quiet draw. Minor pieces were exchanged quite early, but Black managed to invade White’s camp with his queen, forcing the opponent to demonstrate certain accuracy. Nevertheless, the position remained objectively even and ended in a draw by repetition on the 30th move. Levon Aronian and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave also produced a solid draw in the Gruenfeld Defense. After massive exchanges early in the opening, a minor pieces ending arose. With an accurate play, Black neutralized all possible threats and then sacrificed a pawn, which led to a drawn ending with opposite-colored bishops. The opponents shook hands on 44th move. Alexander Grischuk and Ding Liren had a theoretical discussion in a sharp line of the Catalan, in which Black sacrifices a pawn for the initiative. At the critical moment of the game, White was ready to sacrifice an exchange, but instead of accepting the offer Black traded a rook for a knight himself. A dynamic maneuvering battle with unbalanced material ensued, resulting in a draw right after the control was passed. Nikita Vitiugov and Yu Yangyi battled in the Najdorf Sicilian with 6.g3. Initially White got a certain edge; however, after the game, the Russian confessed that he was not happy with his actions after the opening. Later in the game, Black sacrificed an exchange, obtaining a powerful bishop pair that secured him sufficient compensation. Nikita decided not to push his luck and the opponents settle it in a peaceful manner on the move 43. The return games with the colors reversed will be played on Tuesday, September 24. The competition is organized by the Government of Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug – Ugra, International Chess Federation (FIDE), Ugra Chess Federation, and Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation. Official website: https://khantymansiysk2019.fide.com/en/ General partner – Gazpromneft-Khantos LCC.Official airline – Utair.Official partners of the competition: OJSC Rostelecom, Ugra Chess Academy, Russian Chess Federation, AB InBev Efes, and PJSC Rosneft.FIDE official partner – JSCo “RZD”.General media partner – News Agency TASS.Media partners – Match TV, World of Chess social network, OTRC “Ugra”, Ugra-news.ru News of Ugra regional newspaper, AIF-Ugra newspaper.
Coming soon: results of the chess clock contract tender
FIDE is pleased to announce that, in compliance with the published Bidding Procedure, it completed the scoring of offers submitted for the chess clock contract tender. The winners have been determined, conditional on the manufacturers’ signing binding contracts with FIDE. FIDE continues to operate on the principles of fairness, openness and transparency. We are committed to using the best practices. A detailed press release will be published once the contracts come into force.
Humpy Koneru wins Women’s Grand Prix Skolkovo
Indian number one female player Humpy Koneru drew the last game with white, against her closest rival Ju Wenjun. This rounded up a dream comeback for Koneru, after a two-year retirement from competitive chess. She scored 8 points out of 11, with six draws and five wins; she was the only undefeated player along with Goryachkina. The Indian Grandmaster won €15,000 and 160 Grand Prix points. The reigning World Champion Ju Wenjun and her Challenger Aleksandra Goryachkina scored 7.5 points each and shared second and third places. Ju reduced her chances to achieve the title in the previews round against Goryachkina when she missed a winning plan in a rook endgame. World Champion Challenger Aleksandra Goryachkina faced Pia Cramling in the last round. The clash of the generations ended in favor of the youngest participant of the Women’s Grand Prix series. Since Ju Wenjun and Goryachkina scored the same points, they will split their price and Grand Prix points, getting each 11.000€ and 120 points. Elizabeth Paehtz managed to improve her tournament score by defeating Alina Kashlinskaya with black. This result allowed the German to tie for fifth place with Valentina Gunina. Antoaneta Stefanova also finished the event on a positive note. The Bulgarian earned her only victory in the event in the encounter with Alexandra Kosteniuk. Final standings: 1. Humpy Koneru (IND) – 8/112. Ju Wenjun (CHN) – 7½/113. Aleksandra Goryachkina (RUS) – 7½/114. Kateryna Lagno (RUS) – 6½/115. Elisabeth Paehtz (GER) – 6/116. Valentina Gunina (RUS) – 6/117. Harika Dronavalli (IND) – 5/118. Alexandra Kosteniuk (RUS) – 4½/119. Alina Kashlinskaya (RUS) – 4½/1110. Antoaneta Stefanova (BGR) – 4/1111. Marie Sebag (FRA) – 4/1112. Pia Cramling (SWE) – 2½/11 Official website: https://wgp2019.fide.com