Winners crowned at World Senior Championship 2022
The 30th edition of the FIDE World Senior Chess Championship in Assisi (Italy) ended on Saturday, November 26, after a hard fight until the last minute. The first player to become Senior World Chess Champion 2022 was legendary Nona Gaprindashvili (GEO). After nearly one hour of play with IM Jean-Luc Roos (FRA), the opponents agreed on a draw. With this result, Nona scored 7 points and got the best tiebreaks among all female players in the Open 65+ section to claim gold. It is Nona’s eighth Senior World Championship title, an extraordinary achievement by the “Grand Dame of Chess”. WGM Galina Strutinskaia (FID) finished on 7 points as well (winning her last game) and took silver. The bronze medal goes to WFM Larisa Khropova (FID). GM John Nunn (ENG) emerged as the winner and Senior World Chess Champion in section Open 65+. Coming into the final round, a half point behind Jens Kristiansen (DEN), he notched up a crucial victory over IM Valentin Bogdanov (UKR) and finished on 9 points. Meanwhile, his main rival and leader, Kristiansen, suffered a defeat at the hands of GM Jose Luis Fernandez Garcia (ESP). As a result, they tied for second place GM Nikolay Legky (FRA) and IM Nils-Gustaf Renman (SWE), all on 8½ points. In accordance with Buchholz (second tiebreaker), Fernandez Garcia won silver, and Legky took bronze. Final standings 65+: 1 GM Nunn, John ENG 2580 9 2 GM Fernandez Garcia, Jose ESP 2358 8½ 3 GM Legky, Nikolay FRA 2350 8½ 4 GM Kristiansen, Jens DEN 2353 8½ 5 IM Renman, Nils-Gustaf SWE 2320 8½ 6 IM Hebert, Jean CAN 2333 8 7 GM Knaak, Rainer GER 2457 8 8 GM Jansa, Vlastimil CZE 2390 8 9 IM Pomes, Marcet Joan ESP 2197 8 10 IM Maryasin, Boris ISR 2258 7½ It all came down to the wire in the Open 50+ as well. In the final eleventh round, GM Maxim Novik (LTU) won against one of two leaders GM Fernandez Ivan Morovic (CHI), whereas GM Zurab Sturua (GEO) made a quick draw with GM Vladislav Nevednichy (ROU). Both Sturua and Novik finished on 8½ 11 and tied for the first place without playing each other. The Buchholz favoured the Georgian player who claimed his second title after the triumph in Katerini, Greece, back in 2014. Novik came second, and Morovic finished third (8 points). Although Elvira Berend (LUX) was the first to finish her final-round game, she had to sweat it to the very end. Eventually, her quick draw was enough to become the Women’s World Champion in the section Open 50+. It was nearly like a Hitchcock trailer: WGM Elvira Berend (LUX) and WIM Sopio Tereladze (GEO) both finished on 7½ points, with a paper-thin Buchholz advantage for Berend. IM Angela Borsuk (ISR) came third. Final standings 50+: 1 GM Sturua, Zurab GEO 2522 8½ 2 GM Novik, Maxim LTU 2412 8½ 3 GM Morovic Fernandez, Ivan CHI 2480 8 4 GM Nevednichy, Vladislav ROU 2499 8 5 GM Bischoff, Klaus GER 2479 8 6 IM Bellia, Fabrizio ITA 2398 8 7 GM Pavlovic, Milos SRB 2447 7½ 8 GM Holzke, Frank GER 2476 7½ 9 GM Antonio, Rogelio PHI 2397 7½ 10 IM Vinter-Schou, Uffe DEN 2375 7½ Official Website: scaccomattissimo.com/assisi-2022-en/ Complete results and final stadings: chess-results.com/tnr691291.aspx?lan=1&art=0&flag=30
China is World Team Champion 2022
Uzbekistan second, Spain third, India fourth The FIDE World Team Championship 2022 featured a faster time control than in previous editions of this tournament. GM Ivan Sokolov, the Captain of the Uzbekistan team, said, “this increment of 10 seconds per move probably favours a bit younger players.” Sokolov noted that the two teams which played for gold, China and Uzbekistan, had young players on their rosters. The four grandmasters who played the final two matches for China were Lu Shanglei, age 27, Xu Xiangyu, age 23, Bai Jinshi, age 23, and Li Di, age 23. Their opponents from Uzbekistan were, in round 1, GM Nodirbek Yakubboev, age 20, GM Javokhir Sindarov, age 16 (the youngest player in this championship), GM Shamsiddin Vokhidov, age 20, and GM Jakhongir Vakhidov, age 27. In round 2, IM Ortik Nigmatov, age 22, took over the fourth board, Vakhidov moved up to the third board, and Vokhidov, who lost in round 1, sat out round 2. Dignitaries and Commentary Arkady Dvorkovich, FIDE President, rang the gong to start the first round, while former Israel Chess Federation President Israel Gelfer, who is also a former FIDE Vice President, kicked off the second round. GM Alik Gershon and IM Almira Skripchenko were in the commentary booth during round 1. Gershon, of Israel, is known for playing 523 simultaneous games in 2010, to break what was then the world record. A seven-time French Women’s Chess Champion, Skripchenko, commentated every round in Jerusalem. Grandmaster and former World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand served as a commentator daily. The only exception was round 1 on Friday, when he participated in a FIDE Council meeting. Anand was back for round 2 to share commentating duties with Skripchenko again. Ms Feruza Makhmudova, Ambassador of Uzbekistan to Israel (pictured below), visited the FIDE World Team Championship 2022 on its final day. Speaking about Uzbekistan’s second-place finish in this tournament, Makhmudova said, “This tournament was a new step in the development of the chess culture in our country. Chess gives Uzbekistan a way to present its strength. I am very excited that our team is a young team, as more than 60% of our population is under the age of 30. These team members are chess ambassadors, and they are doing their jobs excellently. They are connecting Uzbekistan to other countries.” Final: Round 1 China defeated Uzbekistan in their round 1 match 2.5-1.5. The games on boards 1, 2 and four were drawn, but on board 3, Bai Jinshi got the better of Shamsiddin Vokhidov, who missed some important tactics in the following critical position: Bai Jinshi – Shamsiddin Vokhidov Black had sufficient compensation for an exchange but one careless move 33…Rb8 cost him dearly. After 34.f4! Qxf4 35.Qa7! Qe5 36. Rxf6 Kxf6 37.Rf1+ Kg5 (more stubborn was 37…Kg7 38.Qxf7 Kh8) 38.Rxf7 Rh8 39.Qe7+ Kh6 40.Qh4+ Qh5 41.Qf6 Rg8 42.Bf3 Shamsuddin threw in the towel. 1-0 Small Final: Round 1 India and Spain tied their round 1 match 2-2. The teams traded blows on boards 2 and 4, where Nihal Sarin (India) and Ruiz Miguel Santos (Spain) beat David Anton Guijarro and Krishnan Sasikiran and split points on boards 1 and 3. Final: Round 2 Uzbek players started strong in a must-win situation and had a chance to send the final match into a tiebreaker at some point. Indeed, Nordirbek Yakubboev put tremendous pressure on Lu Shanglei on the first board while the positions on three other boards seemed balanced. It did not pan out for Uzbekistan this time, though. Yakubboev snatched a “poisoned” pawn in an overwhelming position and let his opponent off the hook, while Ortik Nigmatov misplayed a drawish rook endgame and lost to Li Di. Two other games were drawn, and China scored another 2.5-1.5 victory to clinch the title. In a short interview after his game, Li Di thanked the Chinese Chess Association for sending the team to Jerusalem and said he would remember this experience for his whole life. Small Final: Round 2 India and Spain tied their round 2 match by drawing all four games and putting another 2-2 on the scoreboard. The first game to finish was played on board 3 where S. L. Narayanan, as Black, drew with Daniil Yuffa, who stepped in for Alexei Shirov. Narayanan said he expected to play Shirov again, so he replied on his own knowledge of chess rather than player-specific preparation against Yuffa. Three other games were also uneventful draws. Tiebreak Spain won the tiebreak against India 3-1 and took bronze (their first medal ever in team competition), with Jaime Santos Latasa and David Anton Guijarro winning on boards 1 and 2. Knockout stage: Individual Board Awards Players assigned to the same board number (including boards 5 and 6) compete for individual gold, silver, and bronze board awards. A player needed to play at least five games to be eligible for a board award. Board 1 1. Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime (2782, FRA) 2. Lu, Shanglei (2752, CHN) 3. Mamedyarov, Shakhiryar (2749, AZE) Board 2 1. Sindarov, Javokhir (2764, UZB) 2. Nabaty, Tamir (2764, ISR) 3. Shevchenko, Kirill (2763, UKR) Board 3 1. Fressinet, Laurent (2742, FRA) 2. Guseinov, Gadir (2737, AZE) 3. Narayanan, S.L. (2716, IND) Board 4 1. Bai, Jinshi (2739, CHN) 2. Vakhidov, Jakhongir (2705, UZB) 3. Gumularz, Szymon (2538, POL) Board 5 (first reserve) 1. Li, Di (2661, CHN) 2. Santos Ruiz, Miguel (2581, ESP) 3. Kevlishvili, Robby (2511, NED) Text: WIM Alexey Root, FIDE Press Officer, Jerusalem Photos: Dr. Mark Livshitz and Maria Emelianova Official website: worldteams.fide.com
FIDE President visits the Middle East
This week, the President of the International Chess Federation, Arkady Dvorkovich, held several high-level meetings in the Middle East before joining the rest of the team in Jerusalem for the Q4 FIDE Council Meeting. The first stop was Bahrain, on November 22, where Dvorkovich met with the Vice-President of the Bahrain Olympic Committee, his Highness Shaikh Isa Bin Ali bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, the Secretary-General Mr Faris Al Kooheji, and the Board Member Dr Shaikha Hessa bint Khalid Al Khalifa. Two of the main topics of the discussion were possibly holding some top FIDE events in Bahrein, as well as the inclusion of chess into the regional games. The third edition of the Gulf Games was held this year in Kuwait, and the next one, in 2026, will see the participation of 10 countries from the region. The Bahrain Chess Federation is a member of the National Olympic Committee, as well as a member of FIDE since 1982, and the island currently has 570 rated players. The last top-level chess event held in Bahrain was the exhibition match between Vladimir Kramnik and Deep Fritz in 2002. The FIDE president also met with His Highness Aymen Al Moayed, Minister of Youth and Sports, and since this week, Supreme Council for Youth & Sports Secretary General. The Minister demonstrated a great interest in creating a technification centre or academy in Bahrain offering high-level training to young talents from the region. The next stop was Beirut, where the Deputy Chair of the Management Board, Dana Reizniece-Ozola, and the Chairman of the Trainers Commission, Sami Khader, joined the FIDE President. The host was the President of the Lebanon Federation, Khaled Badieh, who prepared a packed agenda of visits and high-level meetings. With Minister of Youth and Sports, George Kallas November 23 started with a meeting with George Kallas, Minister of Youth and Sports for Lebanon (pictured above, left), followed by a meeting with the Vice President of the Olympic Committee, Mr Jack Tamer, and its Secretary General, Mr Hassan Rostom. After a break, the round of meetings continued in the afternoon, where the FIDE delegation had the chance to meet with the Minister of Culture, Mr Muhammad Wissam Adnan Murtada, the Minister of Education, Abbas Halabi, and the Secretary General of the Council of Ministers, Mr Mahmoud Makiya. Most of these top-level meetings follow a similar script: the possibility of hosting a FIDE event is usually accompanied by a proposal to create a plan to train and develop local talents, so the best players in the country can make the most of the opportunity. This way, the host can ensure that the investment in the event has a long-lasting effect. Then, the authorities receive a comprehensive explanation of why chess is such a formidable tool for education, and they are presented with some examples of social projects developed by FIDE. In the case of Lebanon, the chess in prisons project, and the possibility of including chess in cultural sites and as a part of cultural festivals, were two of the ideas that resounded the most among our hosts. With the Lebanese Minister of Education, Mr Abbas Halabi “I am very satisfied with the visit of THE FIDE President”, said the President of the Lebanon Chess Federation, Khaled Badieh. “It is of great help since it opens doors to the government and provides guidance. The Federation will do its best to follow up on the initiatives discussed and deliver”, he added. FIDE had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Lebanese Ministry of Education back in 2010, but the results were quite modest. While chess has a strong presence at universities, where it is very well considered, chess in school activities are scattered and lack coordination and support. “There is a vibrant chess life in Lebanon, but scattered. I would be happy if our meetings with government officials and representatives of the chess community could help to enhance their cooperation for the benefit of professional chess players, but most importantly, to engage even more kids in schools and chess clubs”, said Arkady Dvorkovich. Lebanon currently has 1800 registered players, 290 of which are FIDE-rated. “Before the arrival of the President, I had the chance to visit visiting schools and chess clubs. What pleased me the most was seeing many young players and girls among the members”, says Dana Reizniece-Ozola. “Many of these clubs are self-organised, quite a few were created during the pandemic, and they act like the local community clubs: people gather there to play chess but also to socialise, connect, and spend some quality time together”, she added. With Lebanon Olympic Committee One last meeting before leaving Beirut was held between Dvorkovich and Dr Nabil Badr. A prominent business figure in Lebanon, Mr Badr is also a member of the Parliament, and he has been President of the Lebanese and Mediterranean chess federations. Arkady Dvorkovich and Dr. Nabil Badr, former President of the Lebanese Chess Federation
World Team Championship 2022: China and Uzbekistan face off in the final
India and Spain are to play for bronze Except for Grandmaster Hans Niemann, who remains abroad for other tournament opportunities, the USA players and the USA team captain returned to their homes for Thanksgiving, a traditional holiday in the USA. On the fourth Thursday of November, celebrants sing the folk song Simple Gifts and the hymn We Gather Together. After a tense semifinal Round 1, which saw two tied matches, in Round 2, Thanksgiving lyrics resonated with the teams-winners China and Uzbekistan. After round 1, chess fan Nechama Joanes, whose first name means “a consolation” in Hebrew, felt sorry for players who drew. She said, “A draw means two people don’t win”, so they are not satisfied. Nechama learned the rules of chess when she was seven, and she is now 11 years old. Her favourite part of the tournament was watching everyone think very hard and stay focused. Semifinals Round 1 Dr Zvika Barkai, Chairman of the Israel Chess Federation, rang the gong to start the first round of the semifinals. India and Uzbekistan tied their round 1 match 2-2. On the first board, Vidit Santosh Gujrathi drew with Nordirbek Yakubboev, although at some point, his position looked very dangerous. On the second board, Nihal Sarin and Javokhir Sindharov quickly traded the majority of pieces and split a point in an equal rook endgame. On third board S. L. Narayanan gradually outplayed Shamsiddin Vokhidov with the black pieces to give his team the lead. Luckily for Uzbekistan, on board four, Jakhongir Vakhidov‘s pawn avalanche swept away S.P Sethuraman‘s defences. China and Spain also tied their match 2-2. After the games on boards 1 and 3 were drawn, David Anton Guijarro, playing on the second board with Black, instructively outmanoeuvred Xu Xiangyu and put his team in front. Xu Xiangyu – David Anton Guijarro White is in zugzwang. Indeed, virtually any move leads to material losses. Xu Xiangyu tried 33.e5, but after 33…dxe5 34.fxe5 Rc5! Black won a pawn and smoothly converted it. | 0-1, 48 moves In a short interview, Anton Guijarro (pictured below) said that this game might be his favourite win in the tournament. However, China levelled the score after Di Li beat Miguel Santos Ruiz on board 4. Round 2 To start round 2 of the semifinals, Jonathan Tal, age 14, a member of the Tel Aviv Chess Club, rang the gong. Uzbekistan defeated India 2.5-1.5. On the first board, Nordirbek Yakubboev prevailed over Vidit Santosh Gujrathi with the black pieces in a very complicated battle. Javokhir Sindharov skillfully pressured Nihal Sarin’s pawn weaknesses and then broke through on the kingside. Javokhir Sindharov – Nihal Sarin 52.Qxd3! forced an immediate resignation as 52… Qxd3 is met with 53. Rf7+ Nxf7 54. Rxf7+ Rg7 55. Rxg7+ Kh8 56. Rd7+ 1-0 India retaliated on board 3, where S. L. Narayanan won as White against Shamsiddin Vokhidov, but it was not enough to save the match as the game between Jakhongir Vakhidov and Krishnan Sasikiran ended in a draw. Meanwhile, China defeated Spain 3-1. On the second board, Xu Xiangyu drew as Black against Spain’s David Anton Guijarro. Daniil Yuffa took over Miguel Santos Ruiz on the fourth board and drew his game as White against Di Li. The decisive outcomes were posted on boards 1 and 3. Lu Shanglei, as White, impeccably converted his extra pawn into a full point against Jaime Santos Latasa, while Bai Jinshi cold-bloodily extinguished Alexei Shirov’s initiative and scored the second victory for his team. The hymn We Gather Together was written after Spain lost in the Battle of Turnhout and suffered almost 50% casualties. That battle was in 1597 against the Dutch and English. This time, Spain’s opponent was China, and the casualties were just as bad. Out of the eight games played today (4 in round 1 and 4 in round 2), Spain got 3 out of 8 points or 37.5%. Winning the fight The hymn We Gather Together includes the lyric, “So from the beginning the fight we were winning.” That lyric applies to China in this tournament. China has been unstoppable since the FIDE World Team Championship 2022 began on November 19. The team dominated Pool A with 4 match wins and one tied match. Yesterday, China eliminated Poland with one winning match and one tied match. In the two-round semifinals, China tied Spain in round 1, then won 3-1 to advance to the finals. The folk song Simple Gifts includes the lyric, “‘Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be.” Yesterday, the Uzbek first board Nordirbek Yakubboev said that his team intended to win gold in Jerusalem, just as it did in Chennai at the 2022 Olympiad. Is the gold medal podium meant for Uzbeks, or do the Chinese belong there? Tomorrow’s final will determine this championship’s gold medal winner and second-place finisher. Also tomorrow a “small final” to determine the third place and fourth place finishers, to be contested between Spain and India. Each match will consist of two games, to be played an hour earlier than on previous days. On Friday, November 25, round 1 will be at 2 p.m. local time and round 2 at 5 p.m. If a tiebreak is needed, that will be played at 7:30 p.m. Text: WIM Alexey Root, FIDE Press Officer, Jerusalem Photos: Dr. Mark Livshitz and Maria Emelianova Official website: worldteams.fide.com
Italian Championship: Luca Moroni and Olga Zimina win titles
Luca Moroni and Olga Zimina emerged as the winners of the Italian Championship 2022, both claiming their second national titles. The Italian Championship, 12-player and 8-player round robins (open and women, respectively), took place in Cagliari (Sardegna) from November 12-23, 2022. The rating favourite in the open section Luca Moroni grabbed the lead after Round 4 and never looked back. The native of Desio scored an impressive 8½ /11 and claimed the title with a round to spare. The champion became the only unbeaten player in the tournament. Danyyil Dvirnyy and Sabino Brunello finished 1½ points behind the champion and tied for second place. Sonneborn-Berger favoured Danyyil, who took silver. The bronze medal goes to Sabino Brunello. Final standings: 1 GM Moroni, Luca 2559 8½ 2 GM Dvirnyy, Danyyil 2514 7 3 GM Brunello, Sabino 2518 7 4 GM Basso, Pier Luigi 2503 6½ 5 GM David, Alberto 2517 6 6 IM Barp, Alberto 2412 6 7 GM Sonis, Francesco 2547 6 8 GM Godena, Michele 2463 5½ 9 GM Lodici, Lorenzo 2536 4 10 FM Carnicelli, Valerio 2325 4 11 IM Di Benedetto, Edoardo 2378 3 12 FM Lettieri, Giuseppe 2427 2½ The women’s event saw the dominance of Olga Zimina, who won six straight games and removed all the questions about the champion after Round 6. Despite losing to Zimina, Marina Brunello netted 5½ points and finished second. Melissa Maione took bronze. Final standings: 1 IM Zimina, Olga 2283 6½ 2 IM Brunello, Marina 2337 5½ 3 Maione, Melissa 1928 4 4 Cassi, Elisa 1995 3½ 5 IM Sedina, Elena 2197 2½ 6 WFM Raccanello, Marianna 2062 2 7 Gabbani, Sara 1844 2 8 Martinelli, Valeria 2008 2 The U20 Italian Championship held alongside the open and women’s sections ended in victory for Gabriele Lumachi. Ieysaa Bin-Suhayl is second, Joshuaede Cappelletto came third. Photo: official website Official website: federscacchi.com/
World Team Championship 2022: China, India, Spain, and Uzbekistan advance
Azerbaijan, France, Poland, and Ukraine are eliminated When chess players, officials, and fans arrived at the Western Wall Plaza on Wednesday morning, they saw over one hundred Ethiopian Jews celebrating Sigd. Tour guide Shuki Cohen told the chess group, “The Ethiopian Jews are here in big numbers today, as Sigd is a once-a-year holiday.” After their tour of the Old City, which also included the Tower of David and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the USA team players and captain speculated about where the next championship might be held. Perhaps the championship’s next location will be discussed by the FIDE Council, which will be meeting on November 25 here in Jerusalem. Dozens of fans attend each round of the FIDE World Team Championship 2022. One is Fernando Maar from Toronto, Canada. From inside the playing hall, Maar watches the players’ faces and their moves on the display screens. Another fan is Mark Flaum from Ashdod, Israel. Flaum prefers the commentary room to the playing hall. Flaum said, “I don’t even need the commentary, just sitting five meters from the legend Vishy Anand is fantastic. However, I also like Almira and Vishy’s commentary because they don’t use computers. It’s human thinking.” Menachem Wertheim, tour guide, visited the tournament because his friend Moshe Slav, a former Chairman of the Israel Chess Federation, invited him. Wertheim was honoured to see Anand again because he played against Anand in a 2017 simul in Jerusalem. At the start of the quarterfinals, three of the world’s top 25 rapid-rated players were competing: France’s Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (2775) is ranked seventh in the world. Azerbaijan’s Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (2747) is ranked 12th, and his teammate Teimour Radjabov (2718) is ranked 25th. By the end of the quarterfinals, the teams of these three top players had been eliminated. Quarterfinals Round 1 Leontxo Garcia, a journalist for El Pais since 1985, rang the gong to start the first round of the quarterfinals. In yesterday’s match against the United States of America, India won 3-1 by winning two games as Black and drawing two games as White. In the first round of the quarterfinals, India repeated that winning formula beating France by a score of 3-1. First board Vidit Santosh Gujrathi as Black defeated Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in a topical line of the English opening. Third board S. L. Narayanan prevailed over against Laurence Fressinet after the Frenchman mishandled a slightly better endgame. Boards 2 and 4, where India had White, were draws. The last game to finish was board 4, where France’s Tigran Gharamian held a draw with one knight against Krishnan Sasikiran’s g- and h-pawns. Uzbekistan wrestled down Ukraine by a score of 3-1. Javokhir Sindarov got the best of Kirill Shevchenko in a sharp Sicilian battle with White and Jakhongir Vakhidov scored an excellent strategic victory over Igor Kovalenko. Spain and Azerbaijan tied their match 2-2, with every game drawn. China won over Poland 2.5-1.5 thanks to the victories of Lu Shanglei over Radoslaw Wojtaszek on the first board and Bai Jinshi over Mateusz Bartel (in both games, the Chinese players had White). Poland struck back on board 4, where Szymon Gumularz defeated Di Li but it was not enough to save the match. Round 2 Before round 2 of the quarterfinals, Elisha Sagi, the under-10 champion for all of Israel, rang the gong. After losing 1-3 the first round the French players were faced a daunting task but “les bleus” did the almost-impossible. In an exact reversal of round 1, France defeated India 3-1 by winning two games as Black with Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Laurent Fressinet taking revenge on their opponents. Spain defeated Azerbaijan 2.5-1.5. After the squads exchanged blows on boards 3 and 4, all eyes were on the game David Anton Guijarro against Teimour Radjabov, in which the Spaniard eventually pulled out a victory in a long endgame. Since Spain tied round 1, winning the round 2 match means that Spain advances to the semifinals. The Chinese players drew all four games against their Polish opponents. By tying round 2 after winning round 1, China progressed into the semifinals. Uzbekistan won 2.5 to 1.5 against Ukraine, advancing to semifinals since it also won the previous round. In an interview, the Uzbek first board Nordirbek Yakubboev says that his team intends to win gold in Jerusalem, just as it did in Chennai at the 2022 Olympiad. Tiebreak France and India played a blitz tiebreak, with a time control of 3 minutes with a two-second increment. India won the tiebreak 2.5 to 1.5. This Year in Jerusalem On the tour, Shuki Cohen said that Jews say, “Next year in Jerusalem.” The Chinese, Indian, Spanish, Uzbek players in the World Team Championship 2022 each hope that this year in Jerusalem will be when their team wins. Text: WIM Alexey Root, FIDE Press Officer, Jerusalem Photos: Dr. Mark Livshitz and Maria Emelianova Official website: worldteams.fide.com/
World Team Championship 2022: Four Teams Depart the Gathering
The Netherlands, Israel, South Africa, and the USA are eliminated On Tuesday morning, the Knesset (Israel’s parliament) hosted FIDE Deputy President and former World Chess Champion Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand and FIDE CEO Grandmaster Emil Sutovsky. The grandmasters played blindfolded, defeating three opponents each. Their opponents were Ze’ev Elkin, Minister of Jerusalem Affairs and Minister of Housing and Construction, Aviad Friedman, Director General of the Ministry of Construction and Housing, Raz Frohlich, General Manager, Ministry of Sports and Culture, Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage Ministry Director-General Netanel Izak, Yoav Kisch, Knesset member, and Eli Nacht, founder of Israel Empowerment Lobby. Besides being the name of Israel’s parliament, the word Knesset translates to “gathering.” At the start of the FIDE World Team Championship 2022, 12 teams from Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe gathered in Jerusalem. After each game, the opponents did a postmortem. Sometimes, the analysis took almost as long as the rapid game itself. Today, Tuesday, November 22, the fifth and final round of the pool stage took place. From Pool A, South Africa and the Netherlands exited the tournament. From Pool B, Israel and the United States of America were eliminated. Round 5, Pool A Before round 5, Husan Turdialiev, Chief of the Delegation of the Uzbekistan team, presented two gifts to Dr Zvika Barkai, Chairman of the Israel Chess Federation. One gift was a gold medal, as Uzbekistan won gold medals at the open section of the 2022 Olympiad. The other gift was a decorative plate. After presenting the gifts, Turdialiev struck the gong to start Round 5. France tied its match with China. Prior to this round, China had won every other match it played in Pool A. Both France and China progressed to the quarterfinals. As many expected, Spain defeated South Africa 4-0, and Spain advanced to the quarterfinals. The Captain of the South Africa team, Hendrik Petrus Du Toit, said that coming to Jerusalem was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for his players. To get this level of competition, Du Toit said, South African players must travel 9,000 miles. The Netherlands desperately needed to beat Ukraine to have a chance to make it to the quarterfinals, but it was not meant to be. The match ended 2-2, and the Netherlands was eliminated, whereas Ukraine tied for second place with France and Spain and progressed into the next stage. According to Grandmaster Max Warmerdam, Grandmaster Anish Giri would have come to Jerusalem if the Netherlands team had made it out of Pool A. Warmerdam said that the Netherlands team plans to tour Jerusalem before leaving for home. Round 5, Pool B In a very important match for the host team, Azerbaijan defeated Israel by a score of 2.5-1.5. Azerbaijan continues to the quarterfinals, and Israel got edged out of the tournament by Poland. Both teams scored equal match points and game points, but Poland, which drew its last match with Uzbekistan, had a better second tiebreaker (Sonneborn-Berger). Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan tied for first place in Group B and comfortably advanced. Meanwhile, India crushed the USA 3-1 after winning two games on boards 1 and 3 with black pieces. As a result, India progressed to the quarterfinals and the USA was eliminated. Final standings: Pool A Team MP GP 1 China 9 15 2 France 6 11½ 3 Spain 6 11½ 4 Ukraine 6 11 5 Netherlands 3 9½ 6 South Africa 0 1½ Pool B Team MP GP 1 Uzbekistan 7 12 2 Azerbaijan 7 11½ 3 India 6 10 4 Poland 4 9½ 5 Israel 4 9½ 6 United States 2 7½ Gens una sumus In the dining hall on Tuesday evening, players sat with their teammates, heads of delegations, and captains. They also talked with players from other countries. Several players moved their chairs closer together, creating, within their improvised table clusters, gatherings of many nations. Players from the eliminated teams and those remaining in Jerusalem exchanged cell phone numbers. Opponents over the board, friends over dinner – the FIDE motto Gens una sumus in action. Text: WIM Alexey Root, FIDE Press Officer, Jerusalem Photos: Dr. Mark Livshitz Official website: worldteams.fide.com/
World Team Championship 2022: Sunny days for China and Uzbekistan
Pool A: China dominates; Pool B, Uzbekistan narrowly leads Thus far, the chess teams competing in Jerusalem have enjoyed gorgeous weather. Each day has been sunny and warm, with highs approaching the mid-20s Celsius. But changes are coming for the weather and for the teams. Rain will arrive on Thursday, matching the mood of the four teams that will be eliminated by then. Twelve teams began the competition, divided into two pools of approximately equal strength based on the average rapid ratings of the four highest-rated players in each squad. Pool A had teams ranked 1, 4, 5, 8, 9, and 12. Pool B had teams ranked 2, 3, 6, 7, 10, and 11. On November 21, Rounds 3 and 4 of the pool stage were played. At the conclusion of Round 5 tomorrow afternoon, the top four teams from each pool will advance. After losing four matches, South Africa was eliminated from Pool A. In Pool B, the competition is much closer, with all the teams (including the USA sitting in the last place) having a chance to make it to the next stage. Round 3, Pool A France, the top-rated team in Pool A with a 2688 average, tied its match with Spain (2589). The last game to finish in that match was a 124-move win by Spain’s GM David Anton Guijarro against GM Jules Moussard of France. The Spaniard converted an extra exchange in a protracted endgame and chalked up a very important point to level the score. China (2557) somewhat surprisingly crushed Ukraine (2637) 3-1, with draws on boards 1 and 2 and victories on boards 3 and 4. The Netherlands is still missing its top-rated player, Anish Giri, which means the other players moved up a board. The Netherlands alternate, Grandmaster Robby Kevlishvili, has been covering the fourth board. Kevlishvili attends Saint Louis University, where he plays third board for their national champion college team. Kevlishvili says the weather in St. Louis was cold and that he is enjoying the warm weather in Israel. The Netherlands (2638) won 4-0 against South Africa (2261). Round 3, Pool B Playing on its home turf, team Israel (2589) drew with team Poland (2556). The teams traded blows on boards 1 and 2 while the encounters on boards 3 and 4 were drawn. India (2611) defeated Azerbaijan (2662), the highest-rated team in Pool B, by a score of 2.5-1.5. Vidit Gujrathi scored an unexpected victory on the top board after his opponent, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, blundered a knight in a very promising position. All the other games in this match were drawn. The top board for the United States of America, Grandmaster Hans Niemann, swam laps in the indoor hotel pool for five minutes, from 2:15 to 2:20 p.m. Despite the nice weather today, the Dan Jerusalem Hotel’s outdoor pool is closed. After swimming, Niemann donning a dark suit drew as Black against Grandmaster Nordirbek Yakubboev of Uzbekistan. Niemann’s teammates on boards 3 and 4 also drew, but Lazaro Bruzon fell to the youngest player in the tournament Javokhir Sindarov (born December 8, 2005). As a result, Uzbekistan (2524) beat the United States of America (2643) by a score of 2.5-1.5. Round 4, Pool A Ringing the gong to start round 4 were three children, Teddy, Nesli, and Britt, from the Beer Sheva Chess Club. Spain (2589) tied with Ukraine (2637), 2-2, while China (2557) steamrolled the Netherlands (2638) 3.5-0.5. The South African team (2262) went down against the ratings-favourite France (2688). China, France, and Ukraine are through to the quarterfinals. The last spot in the quarters will go to either Spain or the Netherlands, with the former favoured to get that spot as they face South Africa. Round 4, Pool B In a big win for the host country, Israel (2589) defeated the United States of America (2643) thanks to the victory by the two-time national champion Tamir Nabaty over Alexander Onischuk. Uzbekistan (2524) trounced India (2611), winning 3.5-0.5, while Azerbaijan (2662) and Poland (2556) split points, 2-2. Only Uzbekistan punched its ticket to the quarterfinals from Pool B, with other teams having chances to qualify for the next stage. Much depends on tomorrow’s results in Pool B. Standings after Round 4 In each match, the winning team gets two points. A tied match gives one point to each team. Losing a match gains no match points. If two teams finish round 5 with equal amounts of match points, the first tiebreaker will be the game points scored. With this in mind, winning a match by 3-1 or 4-0 is better than winning it by 2.5-1.5. The game points are in parentheses after the match score. Therefore, China 8 (13) means that China scored 8 match points, following the formula given in the previous paragraph, and 13 game points. Pool A China – 8 (13) France – 5 (9.5) Ukraine – 5 (9) Spain – 4 (7.5) Netherlands – 2 (7.5) South Africa – 0 (1.5) Pool B Uzbekistan – 6 (10) Azerbaijan – 5 (9) Israel – 4 (8) India 4 – (7) Poland – 3 (7.5) United States of America 2 (6.5) The fifth and final round of the pool stage begins at 3:00 p.m. local time on Tuesday, November 22. For more information, please visit FIDE World Team Championship 2022 official website. Text: WIM Alexey Root, FIDE Press Officer, Jerusalem Photos: Dr Mark Livshitz Official website: worldteams.fide.com
World Senior Championship 2022: It’s halftime!
While the FIFA World Cup kicked off in Qatar, it is halftime at the 30th FIDE World Senior Chess Championship in Assisi, Italy. After six rounds of play, Monday, November 21, is the rest day, so most players spend it visiting beautiful places in the region (Perugia, Gubbio or Siena). In the meantime, let’s take a quick look at the standings of WSCC 2022: After Round 6 (out of 11 rounds), there are two leaders in the Open 50+ section: GMs Darcy Lima (pictured below, right) from Brazil and GM Frank Holke (pictured below, left) of Germany scored 5.5 points each and will lock horns in Round 7. Two GMs are just a half-point behind. Milos Pavlos (SRB) and GM Fernandez Ivan Morovic (CHI) will face off in the next round, trying to catch up with the leader(s). As many as thirteen players, including the top-rated participant GM Zurab Sturua (GEO), are sitting on 4.5/6 but still have a shot for the title. The best female players in this section are GM Ketevan Arakhamia-Grant (SCO) (pictured below) with 4.5 points, followed by WGM Elvira Berend (LUX), WGM Monica Calzetta Ruiz (ESP) and WIM Sophia Tereladze (GEO) with 4 points. In the Open 65+ section, the main favourite of the tournament, GM John Nunn (ENG), is the sole leader. After a quick draw with black against the 2018′ World Senior Chess Champion GM Vlastimil Jansa (CZE), Nunn is the only player to score 5.5 points, and for sure he is determined to stay in this position until the end of the tournament. After their game, Nunn (pictured below) and Jansa went to the fair-play-check, and it was quite interesting to hear them discuss some lines they had in mind about their games at Chess Olympiad in Luzern in 1982 (40 years ago!). A group of seven players is trailing Nunn by just a half-point: GM Vlastimil Jansa (CZE), IM Nathan Birnboim (ISR), GM Garcia Jose Luis Fernandez (ESP), IM Jean Hebert (CAN), IM Boris Maryasin (ISR), FM Jaroslav Mojzis (CZE) and GM Jens Kristiansen (DEN). In the ranking for the best female players, GM Nona Gaprindashvili (GEO) is leading with 4.5 points, followed by WGM Galina Stutinskaia (FID) with 4 points and WFM Larisa Khropova (FID) with 3.5 points. Side events: Two FIDE-rated blitz tournaments were played over the last few days. The first competition saw IM Laszlo Krizsany (HUN) coming out on top, ahead of IM Fred Berend (LUX) and GM Keith Arkell (ENG). GM Keith Arkell (ENG) won the second blitz tournament finishing ahead of IM Alon Mindlin (ISR) and IM Fred Berend (LUX). Some statistics and interesting facts: There are 51 nations from all 6 continents The percentage of female players is 8.5% 24% of the players come from the hosting federation (Italy), 10% from Germany, 4.7% from Israel and 4.6% from England. The most experienced player was born in 1930 and comes from Portugal: Mr Julio Santos The youngest players were born in 1972 (8 players in total); one of them is also from Portugal The average age in section Open 65+ is 71 years The average age in section Open 50+ is 58 years The complete results can be found here. Official Website: scaccomattissimo.com/assisi-2022-en/ Text: Gerhard Bertagnolli
World Team Championship 2022: Day 1 recap
Pool A: the favorites challenged; Pool B: smooth sailing for the top-rated teams The Israel Chess Federation, in close collaboration with FIDE, has raised the level of chess excitement in Jerusalem. An opening ceremony on Sunday, starring internationally renowned mentalist Lior Suchard, set the stage for tension-filled rounds 1 and 2. After each amazing act by Suchard, several in the audience wondered aloud, “How did he do that?” Suchard replied, “I could tell you, but then I would have to kill you.” Likewise, in Sunday’s games, mind-bending manoeuvres led to soul-crushing defeats in time scrambles. Out of 12 matches played, 10 ended decisively. Clearly, teams were out to kill. In Pool A, some rating favourites stumbled. In Pool B, the top-rated teams generally prevailed. Venue The Dan Hotel Jerusalem and the organizing team have provided ideal playing and auxiliary spaces. The playing hall is spacious and well-lit, with clear signage. Spectators instantly know which teams are playing. The team rosters are posted next to each match, so spectators can see who is playing on each of the four boards. Imagining the room as a chessboard, the players occupy files b-g while ropes cordon off the a- and h-files, where dozens of spectators switch their gazes between the seated players and large display screens showing games in real-time. Players can access a special area with beverages, fruits, and sweets and use “players only” restrooms. Commentating from a nearby room filled with chess fans are former World Champion GM Viswanathan Anand and IM Almira Skripchenko. The technical crew has its own room near another room set aside for members of the press. Procedures Anti-cheating precautions are strict. No cell phones or bags are allowed in the playing hall. Everyone – participants, spectators, officials, etc. – is scanned before being allowed to enter the playing hall. The pool stage is played with rapid time control (45 min + 10-second increment). On Wednesday, the top four teams from Pool A and the top four teams from Pool B advance, facing off in quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals from Wednesday through Friday. While the matches also are played with the same time control, the tiebreak games will be in blitz 3+2 format. Many dignitaries took part in the opening ceremony, and three of them also performed roles in the playing hall. In round 1, Ze’ev Elkin, Minister of Jerusalem Affairs and Minister of Housing, made the first ceremonial move for Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, who had White. President of the European Chess Union, GM Zurab Azmaiparashvili made the first move for Black, Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Yakubboev. Right before Round 2, Moshe Slav, FIDE Delegate from Israel, rang the gong signalling the start of the battles. Round 1, Pool A 1 Netherlands Spain 1½ : 2½ 2 France Ukraine 1½ : 2½ 3 South Africa China ½ : 3½ The average rating of each participating team comes from its four highest-rated players by rapid rating. The Netherlands has a rating of 2638, including GM Anish Giri’s rapid rating of 2721 in that average. However, the Netherlands played without their leader in Rounds 1 and 2, as Anish is still on his way from the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour Finals in San Francisco. Despite having a lower average rating of 2589 Spain beat the Netherlands by a score of 2.5-1.5. While the other three boards were draws, GM David Anton Guijarro (pictured below) delivered a win on board two to clinch the match for Spain. Another upset was Ukraine’s (2637) defeating France, the top-rated team in Pool A (2688 rating average). The last game to finish in that match was an encounter on the first board in which Vasyl Ivanchuk (Ukraine) drew against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (France). Ukraine tipped the balance in their favour thanks to the victories by Kirill Shevchenko and Igor Kovalenko over Jules Moussard and Tigran Gharamian respectively. As expected, China (2557) dispatched much lower-rated South Africa (2261). With two upsets in Pool A in round 1, the commentators thought that the only safe prediction was that South Africa would exit the competition at the end of the round-robin stage. Round 1, Pool B 1 India Israel 2 : 2 2 Poland United States 1½ : 2½ 3 Azerbaijan Uzbekistan 2½ : 1½ Making the host federation proud, Israel (2589) drew on all four boards to tie with India (2611). The United States of America (2643) defeated Poland (2556), with draws on the top three boards and GM Varuzhan Akobian‘s winning his game over Szymon Gumularz and the match for the United States. Azerbaijan (2662), the highest-rated team in Pool B, prevailed over Uzbekistan (2524), the lowest-rated team in Pool B, 2.5-1.5. At the end of Round 1, the commentators were unwilling to make predictions about which Pool B teams would survive the round-robin stage. Round 2, Pool A 1 Spain China 1 : 3 2 Ukraine South Africa 3½ : ½ 3 Netherlands France 1½ : 2½ China (2557) beat a slightly higher-rated Spanish team (2589) after scoring victories on boards one and four. Grandmaster Kenneth Solomon drew on the first board, but his South African team (2262) could not do much against Ukraine (2637). The ratings-favourite France (2688) downed the Netherlands (2638) by 2.5-1.5. After two rounds, there have been three upsets in six matches in Pool A. Every match in Pool A ended in a victory. Standings after Round 2: 1. China – 4 (6½); 2. Ukraine – 4 (6); 3. France – 2 (4); 4. Spain – 2 (3½); 5. Netherlands – 0 (3); 6. South Africa – 0 (1). Round 2, Pool B 1 Israel Uzbekistan 1½ : 2½ 2 United States Azerbaijan 1 : 3 3 India Poland 2 : 2 Uzbekistan (2524) upset Israel (2589) 2.5-1.5, and Azerbaijan (2662) convincingly won against the USA (2643). India (2611) drew with Poland (2556) after the teams exchanged blows on boards 3 and 4. Discounting the two tied matches (one in round 1 and one in round 2), there were four decisive outcomes on Sunday in Pool B. Standings after Round 2: