FIDE Grand Prix Hamburg semifinals: Peaceful outcomes in the first games
Today, FIDE published the dates for the next Candidates Tournament. It will take place from March 15 till April 5, 2020, in Yekaterinburg (Russia). Two spots are reserved for the top finishers of the FIDE Grand Prix, and only a few grandmasters remain who can qualify via this tournament series. Two of the aspirants are facing off in the semi-final of the third leg in Hamburg. So far, Alexander Grischuk has collected 14 points, but Hamburg is the last stop on his Grand Prix journey. His opponent, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave has 13 points under his belt but he will have an additional opportunity to earn more points in December during the fourth leg of FIDE Grand Prix in Jerusalem. Considering these circumstances, the Russian player is under more pressure to win their encounter. In the first game, Grischuk chose the Modern Arkhangelsk Defense with Black, which is considered to be a highly theoretical line of the Ruy Lopez. The last time he played this line was in 2007. After some thought, Vachier-Lagrave reacted with a sideline to avoid a theoretical battle. Alexander had no problems equalizing and around move 20 the pawn structure was nearly symmetrical with equal material. After the exchange of two minor pieces, there was little play left in the position and the players agreed to a draw after 27 moves. The game between Jan-Krzysztof Duda and Daniil Dubov started as an English Opening but soon transposed into a line of the Tarrasch Defense which Dubov has played several times this year against high-rated opponents. Duda did not show up empty-handed and introduced a new idea by developing the bishop on g5 on move eleven. The 23-year-old Russian seemed to be surprised. Dubov had some reservations about a key tactical sequence and spent over half an hour in thought. However, Duda avoided the sharpest variations and steered the game towards a double rook and opposite-colored bishops endgame. The position became completely equal and the players agreed to a draw after nearly two hours of play. Semi-final, game 1 results: Maxime Vachier-Lagrave – Alexander Grischuk 1/2-1/2Jan-Krzysztof Duda – Daniil Dubov 1/2-1/2 Official website and LIVE broadcast: https://worldchess.com FIDE Press officer for the event: Georgios Souleidis Official Photographer: Valeria Gordienko World Chess contact: media@worldchess.com Photos are available for the press via the following link to Dropbox. Leading partners supporting the FIDE World Chess Grand Prix Series 2019 include: Algorand as the Exclusive Blockchain PartnerPhosAgro as the Official Strategic PartnerKaspersky as the Official Cybersecurity PartnerPella Sietas Shipyard as Official PartnerPrytek as the Technology Transfer Partner
Carlsen, Caruana and young guns in Tata Steel 2020
The World Champion Magnus Carlsen will once again participate in the Tata Steel Chess Tournament in January. This event is one of his favorite tournaments: it will be Magnus’ 16th visit to Wijk aan Zee and the Norwegian GM will do his best to win his eighth title there. The list of participants includes three other players of the world’s top ten: Fabiano Caruana (2), Anish Giri (5) and Ian Nepomniachtchi (6). Former tournament winners Viswanathan Anand (5 times) and Wesley So also return to Wijk aan Zee. The 82nd edition of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament will take place in Wijk aan Zee January 10 – 26, 2020. The fifth found of the event will be played in the Philips Stadium in Eindhoven on Thursday, January 16. All rounds are open to the public and free of charge. Theo Henrar, chairman of Tata Steel Nederland: “One of this year’s themes will be the linking pin character of chess. In cooperation with the municipality of Eindhoven, PSV, Brainport and local chess clubs we will organize tournaments and seminars. In doing so, we will link professional sports, talent development and physical and mental fitness. For children, we will organize a special Chess Festival weekend and a big tournament in Eindhoven.” Tournament director Jeroen van den Berg: “The 82nd edition of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament has a very special mix of participants. With six grandmasters making their debut, the Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2020 will be a clash between the establishment and talented young players. Jorden van Foreest, Vladislav Artemiev, Jeffery Xiong, Alireza Firouzja and Jan-Krzysztof Duda are all 21 years old or younger. The Tata Steel Masters group has an average rating of 2743. I only see the world’s absolute top players facing off in many tournaments, but I personally prefer a more mixed playing field. That is reflected in the 2020 field of participants. It will be very interesting to see how young talented players perform against the world’s best players. That is what makes the 82nd edition of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament already very fascinating long before the first moves are made.” Tata Steel Masters 2020 lineup: Magnus Carlsen (2870)Fabiano Caruana (2822)Anish Giri (2776)Ian Nepomniachtchi (2773)Wesley So (2760) Viswanathan Anand (2757)Yu Yangyi (2753)Jan-Krzysztof Duda (2748)Vladislav Artemiev (2731)Alireza Firouzja (2720) Jeffery Xiong (2712) Daniil Dubov (2676) Vladislav Kovalev (2674)Jorden van Foreest (2632) The lineup of the Tata Steel Challengers will be announced on November 25. Photo: Tata Steel Chess Official site