Alexandr Fier wins VI Montevideo Open “Marcel Duchamp Cup 2023”
By Julieta Lopez At the beginning of February, the capital of Uruguay hosted the VI Montevideo Open “Copa Marcel Duchamp 2023”. The event with a total prize fund of $6,000, brought together 134 players from 12 countries. The event, organized by the IM-IO Bernardo Roselli Mailhe and IA Sabrina de San Vicente as a Chief Arbiter, who was also in charge of the first 32 electronic boards broadcast, would not have been possible without the great contribution of the Argentines Tomas Darcyl and Ricardo Costianovsky who sponsored it, as well as the support of FIDE through its FIDE Open Aid Project program. Red Room of “Intendencia de Montevideo” The magnificent Red and Gold rooms of the “Intendencia de Montevideo” (Montevideo’s Municipality) saw many great players such as GMs Alexandr Fier and Everaldo Matsuura from Brazil, Neuris Delgado from Paraguay, Carlos Garcia Palermo from Italy, Aleksa Strikovic from Serbia and the local Alejandro Hoffman battle it out. Other prominent chess players such as IM Pablo Ismael Acosta, winner of the tournament’s fourth edition, and WGM Claudia Amura (pictured below), a legendary figure in Argentine chess who returned to the competition on this occasion, added to that list. A total of 33 titled players took part in the event. GM Carlos Garcia Palermo came to the final 9th round as the only leader with 7/8 and faced IM Pablo Acosta (6/8) with the black pieces on the first board. Meanwhile, on board 2, GM Alexandr Fier (pictured below), who trailed the leader by a half-point, took on Aleksa Strikovic. The fate of the title was decided on these two boards. After White triumphed in both encounters, the current Brazilian champion, Alexandr Fier, came out on top and finished the event undefeated on 7.5/9. As many as four players tied for second place on 7/9, with Carlos Garcia Palermo taking second prize thanks to superior Buchholz; Pablo Ismael Acosta came third, followed by two local players, FM Manuel Larrea and IM Claudio Coppola, who managed to win in the last round. There were no major surprises in the Women’s category since the favourites WFM Candela Francisco (pictured below)and WGM Claudia Amura finished first and second, respectively, both with 6/9. Young Uruguayan player Nahiara Fabra and a multiple times Olympic representative from Uruguay, WCM Natalia Silva Rosa, took third and fourth places, both scoring 4.5/9. IM Leon Piasetski from Canada (pictured below) won the Senior Category (+65), netting 6 points. Norbert Krueger of Germany finished second, a half-point behind the winner. A local representative, Jaime Escofet, came in third with 5 points. Alongside the tournament between Monday the 6th and Friday the 10th, several exciting events open for all were held: on Monday the 6th, Master Class with GM Carlos Garcia Palermo; on Tuesday the 7th, a talk on Psychological Training at Chess by FM Psych Mateo Arcos Facio, Wednesday 8th Workshop of Arbiters by IA Sabrina de San Vicente, on Thursday 9th GM Aleksa Strikovic gave a presentation on Chess and Mathematics Problems, and on Friday 10th WGM Claudia Amura and IM Bernardo Roselli taught about women’s chess, youth chess and motivation. All of them were a great success. You can see all the photos of the event here: https://cutt.ly/S3O9VbA All details and games can be found at chess results: http://chess-results.com/tnr710523.aspx?lan=2&art=1&rd=9&flag=30
WR Chess Masters: Fighting Round 1, three joint leaders
The first of nine rounds of the WR Chess Masters started on Thursday, February 16, at 2 p.m. German time and brought three wins and two draws, one of them fought out over seven hours. Ian Nepomniachtchi – Nodirbek Abdusattorov ½-½ The game that started in the most combative way ended first. After 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4, the 18-year-old Uzbek’s double-edged 2…c5 was already a fighting proposition, and 3…b5 even more so. Benko Gambit! This is rarely seen at this level. Fruit of targeted opening preparation, Abdusattorov’s exotic opening choice was not, instead, an intuition. “I hadn’t expected 1.d4,” he explained in the interview after the game. Recently he had looked at the Volga Gambit, “so I played it.” Perhaps he’d been watching the old main variations that Yasser Seirawan and Elisabeth Pähtz were discussing in the live stream: take the gambit pawn with 5.bxa6 or reject the gambit with 5.b6? Meanwhile, if you let your Stockfish calculate 50 or 60 half-moves deep on the fifth white move, you get shown that the machine likes 5.e3 best. And that was what Nepomniachtchi played. Abdusattorov explained that after Nepo’s 9.b3, he was out of the book, a mysterious explanation because, according to the engine’s evaluation he had been almost lost two moves earlier: 8.Nxf6 Bxf6 9. Qd5 followed by Qxc5, and black compensation for the two minus pawns is hardly visible. Nepomniachtchi played 8.Nf3 instead. At first glance, it looked as if the world number two, with two bishops shining magnificently on the black king, was building advantageous prospects despite this missed opportunity. Abdusattorov engaged in loosening his kingside – rightly so, as it turned out. What looked dangerous was not in practice, and on move 15, Nepomniachtchi had to make a fundamental decision: submit to a repetition of the move or play on without a tangible advantage? 15.Qxe7 after which Black forces a draw by Rf7-f8-f7 or 15.Qg3? Confronted with these choices, Ian Nepomniachtchi took almost fifteen minutes to convince himself that he’d rather take the half-point here than tempt fate after 15.Qg3. Levon Aronian – Praggnanandhaa 1:0 Most VIPs who make the ceremonial opening move have to watch afterwards that the player takes it back and starts again. Vadim Rosenstein was spared this fate. The tournament organizer and name giver had agreed on 1.c4 with Levon Aronian. Aronian left the neatly placed pawn in the center of the square without any j’adoubing – expecting a symmetrical English, as he and Praggnanandhaa had on the board before. Instead, a very unorthodox English soon developed. What Aronian called a “cheap trick” after the game represents the reason why he is one of the most exciting chess players, even at an advanced age (by professional chess standards): his creativity. 11.g4!? Who would have come up with that? The idea behind it did not appear on the board. If Black is tempted to play 11…Ne5, 12.g5 Nf3+ 13.Qxf3! follows, and White enjoys splendid compensation for the sacrificed queen. Praggnanandhaa played 11…h6 instead. “Unfortunately, nobody falls for my cheap tricks,” Aronian grinned afterwards. The Indian was on the losing track only five moves later. Where to put the king? In fact, short castling is not recommended in view of the lever g4-g5 and the Bc3 radiating to g7. The problem: long castling is not recommended either because then f7 hangs. The solution to the problem: stay cool. 15…Rc8 or 15…Rd8 is considered playable and roughly equal according to chess engines. Aronian agrees: “Not so bad for Black, no need to worry.” Praggnanandhaa castled long, forfeited the f7 pawn, and quite soon ended up in a desolate and prospectless rook ending that White gradually played out to the full point. Andrey Esipenko – Vincent Keymer 1:0 Already in January at Tata Steel Chess, Vincent Keymer had earned the nickname “Marathon Man”. He was usually the last to sit at the board, often defending a critical endgame. At the opener in Düsseldorf, this scene was repeated. The others had finished, but Keymer was still sitting and defending this endgame: Theoretically, the position is unwinnable for White. But in practice, after six tough hours of chess, things look different. The black task is more than thankless. Yasser Seirawan summed it up in the stream, “Vincent must be suffering.” Naturally, Esipenko kept the thumbscrews on – and was rewarded with the full point after 101 moves. That it could come to this endgame was the result of a lapse by Keymer in the opening. His move 14…Nd5 looks quite natural, but it has a concrete hook, which Andrey Esipenko threw out on move 16: 16.Nec4! This not-so-obvious piece sacrifice almost leads to Black’s lost position. Black has nothing better than to capture the knight. But after that, the g7-pawn will fall on the black side, h7 too, and Black will find neither coordination nor development. Wesley So – Jan-Krzysztof Duda 1:0 Jan-Krzysztof Duda has to reproach himself for falling into a well-known Catalan opening trap. On the other hand, he is in good company. For example, the former world-class player Ljubomir Ljubojevic or the Dutch top grandmaster Loek van Wely have already seen this position from Black’s perspective after 15.Bh6! Black has nothing better than the sad retreat 15…Bf8, after which he remains underdeveloped and with his king in the centre – lost in a higher sense. 15…0-0 would be even worse as 16.Bxg7! wins on the spot. The same applies to 15…Bxf2+ 16.Kg2 0-0 17.Bxg7! +-. To see what Black should have done, we have to rewind two moves: Not the tempting 13…Qb6, but only 13…Qa5! which is not particularly logical at first sight, gives Black good play. The idea is that white ideas with Bh6 0-0 Bxg7 (as in the game) now don’t work well. Black counters with …Bxf2+, then plays …Kxg7, and White has no check on g5 because of the black queen on a5. Anish Giri – Gukesh ½-½ White is playing for two results, Elisabeth Pähtz noted in the live stream. Yasser Seirawan explained it more like
Bela Khotenashvili wins 80th Georgian Women’s Championship
GM Bela Khotenashvili is the new women’s chess champion of Georgia. The native of Telavi turned in a commanding performance in the 80th Georgian Women’s championship and clinched her fourth national title. She previously won this event in 2012, 2017 and 2021. The 80th Georgian Women’s Chess Championship was a 10-player round-robin with classical time control, held in Tbilisi from February 06-15. Bela Khotenashvili (pictured above) scored an impressive 8/9, conceding her opponents just two draws, but still, it was a very close affair as IM Lela Javakhishvili was hard on the leader’s heels most of the way. Coming into the final round a half-point ahead of her main rival, Khotenashvili sealed the deal by defeating Tamari Esadze with the black pieces. Javakhishvili, meanwhile, drew with WFM Anastasia Kirtadze and allowed IM Meri Arabidze, who pulled off four straight victories at the finish, to catch up with her. Still, the silver medal goes to Lela Javakhishvili (pictured below), thanks to superior Sonneborn-Berger. Both the champion and the runner-up completed the event undefeated. Final standings: 1 GM Khotenashvili, Bela 2485 8 2 IM Javakhishvili, Lela 2440 7 3 IM Arabidze, Meri 2427 7 4 GM Batsiashvili, Nino 2493 6½ 5 WFM Tsotsonava, Elene 1955 5 6 Donghvani, Nia 2030 3½ 7 WFM Kirtadze, Anastasia 2002 2½ 8 Esadze, Tamari 1981 2½ 9 Diasamidze, Lulu 1541 1½ 10 Tsetskhladze, Mariam 1747 1½ Photo: Georgian Chess Federation Facebook
Singapore Champioship: Kevin Goh and Gong Qianyun clinch titles
The finals of the 74th Singapore National Chess Championships concluded on 12 February 2023. This tournament, with a total prize fund of S$15,000, spanned over three long weekends, with one round held each day. The National Championships has a rich history dating back to 1949 when it was first won by the founder of the Singapore Chess Federation, Professor Lim Kok Ann. Over time, the Championships have created many legends, most notably Mr Tan Lian Ann, who has won this tournament a record-breaking ten times in his career. This year’s edition was arguably the strongest in history, with GM Tin Jingyao (pictured below) as its top seed. Tin Jingyao, a 5-time national champion, has made waves on the local and international chess circuit of late and was the pre-tournament favourite, but Grandmaster Kevin Goh Wei Ming, the defending champion Andrean Susilodinata and Singapore’s top female player Gong Qianyun were also gunning for the title. Singapore’s first Grandmaster and a 4-time Champion, Wong Meng Kong, also made a surprise return from retirement, making this the first tournament in Singapore history to feature all 3 Singaporean homegrown Grandmasters. The tournament also allowed young players to participate through a series of qualifiers. The youngest candidate to qualify was 7-year-old Ashwath Kaushik (pictured above), well-known on the local scene for giving players older than him a difficult time over the board. Ashwath is more than half the size of his fellow competitors; he brings around a booster cushion to be placed on his seat so that he can see the board and move the chess pieces. This year’s Championships also saw the Women’s Category merging with the Open in a combined event for the first time in 13 years. Woman Grandmaster Gong Qianyun (pictured above), who recently emerged 13th in the World Rapid Chess Championships, quipped, “I like to challenge myself and enjoy playing against male GMs and IMs – for me, it is less stressful compared to playing with ladies.” She also has the following advice for female players playing in a field dominated by men: “Just focus on the game itself – do not get distracted by other things, and you will not be intimidated by your opponents.” At the end of a long and grueling tournament, it was GM Kevin Goh (pictured above) who emerged as the champion, winning his 8th National Championship title. Gong Qianyun also became a 9-time National Woman’s Champion by finishing as the highest finisher among female players. However, she admitted that the path was far from easy. Qianyun said, “It was a difficult tournament competing with many young and promising players, and fortunately for me, I managed to pull through with a narrow margin over my competitors.” “I believe many of these young players will continue to improve, and next year’s tournament will be even stronger.” By winning this title, Qianyun also gains custody of the Chan Lai Fung challenge trophy for one year, named after WIM Chan Lai Fung for her accomplishments in Singapore chess and her generous contribution to Singapore Chess in many ways. Final standings Open: 1st – GM Kevin Goh Wei Ming2nd – IM Enrique Paciencia3rd – GM Tin Jingyao Women: 1st – WGM Gong Qianyun2nd – Saravanan Durga3rd – Lauren Rice You can find complete tournament results here: https://chess-results.com/tnr719719.aspx?lan=1&art=1&rd=9&fed=SGP Text: Kevin Goh CEO, Singapore Chess Federation Photos: Singapore Chess Federation Facebook Page
Moldovan Championship: Lashkin and Mihailova come out on top
FM Jegor Lashkin and WFM Alina Mihailova are the new champions of Moldova. Both won their maiden titles in impressive style dominating the field. Both open and women’s sections of Moldovan championship 10-player round-robins with classical time control took place from February 02-12 in the country’s capital Chisinau. Jegor Lashkin (pictured above) steamrolled the competition in the open tournament conceding his opponents just a half point and finishing two points ahead of the rating favourite GM Vladimir Hamitevici, who claimed silver. IMs Ilia Martinovici and Ruslan Soltanici netted 5.5/9 each and tied for third place, with the former taking bronze thanks to the victory in the direct encounter. Final standings: 1 FM Lashkin, Jegor 2416 8½ 2 GM Hamitevici, Vladimir 2499 6½ 3 IM Martinovici, Ilia 2420 5½ 4 IM Soltanici, Ruslan 2356 5½ 5 GM Sanduleac, Vasile 2403 4 6 FM Ogleznev, Alexandr 2357 4 7 IM Baltag, Iulian 2433 3½ 8 Baranciuc, Alexandr 2163 3½ 9 FM Vavric, Pavel 2336 2½ 10 Eletskikh, Alexandr 2269 1½ Alina Mihailova (pictured below) from Comrat put in an even more dominating performance in the women’s championship, winning all nine games. Victoria Bargan scored a solid 7.5/9 (usually enough for first place in any competition, but not this one) and took silver. Ana Penticenco came in third. Final standings: 1 WFM Mihailova, Alina 1969 9 2 Bargan, Victoria 1784 7½ 3 WFM Petricenco, Ana 1832 6½ 4 Chendighilean, Anna 1462 6 5 Comarnitcaia, Ecaterina 1404 4 6 Dulteva, Anastasia 1485 4 7 Bitca, Emilia 1481 3 8 Laricov, Vlada 1167 2½ 9 Dabija, Paula 1271 2 10 Cazacu, Raluca-Cristiana 1279 0½ Photo: Federația de Șah a Republicii Moldova Facebook page Official website: sahmoldova.md/
Azerbaijan Women’s Championship: Govhar Beydullayeva defends title
WGM Govhar Beydullayeva (pictured above) emerged as the 2023 Azerbaijan Women’s Championship winner, successfully defending her title. The Azerbaijan Women’s Championship took place in Baku from February 03-14, 2023, with 11 participants competing in a round-robin. After a discouraging start – the defending champion fell to WGM Khanim Balajayeva (pictured below) in the first-round encounter – Govhar reeled off five straight wins and joined the leaders. In the end, it all came down to the final round, to which Beydullayeva and Balajayeva headed, sharing the top position. Govhar scored a crucial victory over Turkan Mamedjarova and lifted the trophy as her main competitor managed only a draw against Narmin Abdinova and had to settle for silver. Khanim Balajayeva became the only player to defeat the champion and complete the tournament unbeaten. Despite losing three games, Sabina Ibrahimova netted 6.5/10 and finished third. Final standings: 1 WGM Beydullayeva, Govhar 2387 7½ 2 WGM Balajayeva, Khanim 2379 7 3 WIM Ibrahimova, Sabina 2174 6½ 4 Abdinova, Narmin 1932 6 5 WGM Abdulla, Khayala 2220 5½ 6 IM Mammadova, Gulnar 2376 5½ 7 WFM Allahverdiyeva, Ayan 2060 5 8 WGM Mamedjarova, Turkan 2244 5 9 WFM Hajiyeva, Laman 2135 3½ 10 WGM Mamedjarova, Zeinab 2249 2 11 Nuriyeva, Nurtan 1809 1½ Photo: Ceyhun Zeynalov Official website: asf.org.az/
FIDE joins the Sport Integrity Global Alliance
Last week, at its General Assembly, the Sport Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA) unanimously approved FIDE’s application to become a full member of the organization. SIGA is an independent not-for-profit that was founded with one goal: To ensure the sports industry is governed under the highest integrity standards, free from any form of unethical, illicit, and criminal activity, safeguarding sports values and ensuring its positive impact and benefits to all citizens. “Joining such a prestigious sports organization as a member is an excellent opportunity to improve even further FIDE’s governance. This opportunity is also a challenge: while much progress has been made in recent years, we can make FIDE a more robust organization under SIGA’s guidance and scrutiny, as they have the highest standards in the industry of sports”, said the FIDE President, Arkady Dvorkovich. “We are grateful that our membership has been unanimously approved at their General Assembly, and we will do our utmost to comply with their requirements”, he added. Founded in 2017 by 20 major sports organizations (sports bodies, governments, anti-corruption NGOs, inter-governmental organizations, and commercial partners), today, SIGA is the largest independent and neutral multi-stakeholder coalition in sports governance and integrity. With over 100 members, committed supporters and partners from the world of sport, government, international organizations, business, and civil society, SIGA pursues a critical mission: to advance the adoption, implementation, monitoring and independent assessment of Universal Standards on Sports Integrity in four key areas: Good Governance in Sport; Financial Integrity and Transparency in Sport; Sports Betting Integrity; and Youth Development and Protection. SIGA delivers independent global rating and certification for world Sport to ensure it is governed and operates under the highest integrity standards: The SIGA Universal Standards. Besides that, the establishment of SIGA’s Independent Rating and Verification System (SIRVS), operated by an independent third party, oversees the implementation of key reforms is the game changer that will give those that invest in sport certainty that the sports properties they support in are governed to the highest integrity standards. About SIGA: https://siga-sport.com/faqs/ Membership benefits: https://siga-sport.com/membership-benefits/
Elier Miranda wins 2023 Cuban Championship
GM Elier Miranda is the new champion of Cuba. A total of 12 chess players, representing seven provinces, participated in the National Absolute Championship, which took place at the Sports Museum in the city of Holguin from February 02-12, 2023. The 2022 champion, Yasser Quesada, skipped the 2023 edition. With most of the participants closely rated, one could expect a very competitive 12-player round-robin, and indeed, it was the case. Heading into the final 11th round, Elier Miranda and GM Lelys Stanley Martinez were jointly leading the field with 7/11, a half-point ahead of GMs Carlos Daniel Albornoz and Luis Ernesto Quesada. Elier scored a crucial victory over Havana’s Omar Almeida on the white side of Pirc Defence, while his main competitor managed only a draw against Dylan Berdayes. With these results, Elier Miranda clinched his maiden national title and became the seventh Villa Clara player to win this tournament. Photo: http://ahora.cu/ Elier Miranda (pictured above) joined the legendary Guillermo García (1974 and 1983), Guillermo Estévez (1975), Jesús Nogueiras (1984, 1991 and 2000), Rodney Pérez (1999), Yuniesky Quesada (2008) and Yasser Quesada (2022). Carlos Daniel Albornoz and Luis Ernesto Quesada also notched up victories in the final round and caught up with Lelys Stanley Martinez, but the latter took silver thanks to superior tiebreaks. The runner-up became the only player to beat the champion and complete the event undefeated. Final standings: 1 Miranda Mesa, Elier GM 2486 8 2 Martinez Duany, Lelys Stanley GM 2507 7½ 3 Albornoz Cabrera, Carlos Daniel GM 2576 7½ 4 Quesada Perez, Luis Ernesto GM 2551 7½ 5 Soto Hernandez, Henry IM 2483 6 6 Almeida Quintana, Omar GM 2531 5½ 7 Berdayes Ason, Dylan Isidro IM 2505 5½ 8 Ortiz Suarez, Isan Reynaldo GM 2521 5 9 Fernandez Cardoso, Alexey IM 2438 4 10 Diaz Murgada, Rider IM 2441 4 11 Espinosa Veloz, Ermes GM 2500 3½ 12 Perez Leiva, Jerzy Jesus FM 2393 2 Photo: https://supercubadatabase.simdif.com and http://ahora.cu/
Alexandra Kosteniuk wins Women’s Grand Prix Munich
By IM Michael Rahal (Munich, Germany) Despite losing to Chinese phenomenon Zhu Jiner, former Women’s World Champion and winner of the 2021 World Cup Alexandra Kosteniuk added another tournament victory to her list of achievements by winning the Munich International Tournament this afternoon, the second event of the 2022-2023 FIDE Women’s Grand Prix. In addition to the €15,000 first prize, Kosteniuk will leave Germany with 160 Grand Prix points. However, it hasn’t been a bed of roses. Kosteniuk recognized that she was not very happy with her performance in many of the games, despite having scored very well. Luck has been on her side in several games: for example, she was completely lost yesterday against her immediate pursuer Humpy Koneru. India’s top female had a last chance to catch up with the “Chess Queen” by defeating Tan Zhongyi, but she was unable to overcome her opponent’s solid defensive play. The bronze medal goes to top Georgian Grand Master Nana Dzagnidze, after an excellent performance of three wins and only one defeat. Ullrich Krause, President of the German Chess Federation (pictured above) and Alojzije Jankovic, Vice President of the European Chess Union (pictured below), performed the ceremonial first moves of the final round in the games Kashlinskaya vs Paehtz and Zhu Jiner vs Kosteniuk, respectively. GM Dzagnidze, Nana vs GM Harika, Dronavalli (0.5-0.5) The first game to finish in less than half an hour. Dzagnidze and Harika played a theoretical line of the Semi-Tarrasch Queen’s Gambit and called it a day after a totally unforced threefold move repetition. With this result, both of them finish in the top half of the standings, gaining a few rating points. Additionally, Harika has finished the tournament undefeated, albeit with only one win. GM Muzychuk, Anna vs GM Abdumalik, Zhansaya (0.5-0.5) A few minutes later, a second game ended. Playing with Black, Abdumalik was content to accept a threefold move repetition in a very quiet Four Knights Opening. She finished the tournament with a solid 50% score, quite a good performance after beginning with 0.5/3. After three consecutive defeats, Anna Muzychuk draws the last game for a modest final result of 4/11, losing around 18 rating points. She will return to the board in the third event in Delhi (India) with extra motivation to go for a good result. GM Koneru, Humpy vs GM Tan, Zhongyi (0.5-0.5) In an ultra-solid Neo-Grunfeld Opening, Tan Zhongyi equalized comfortably out of the opening. After breaking up the position with 15…e5, the queens were exchanged and Humpy went into the ending with a passed c-pawn. Things were looking good, but she had used up most of her time. Nonetheless, the engines were suggesting that Black could happily keep the balance with precise play. Humpy was even able to win the exchange, but in the end, accepted her opponent’s draw offer in an equal position. With this result, Tan Zhongyi finishes on 50% with a very small rating loss, while Humpy Koneru scores an undefeated +2600 performance for the silver medal. Additionally, she takes home 130 Grand Prix points in her attempt to qualify for the Women’s Candidates. IM Kashlinskaya, Alina vs GM Paehtz, Elisabeth (0.5-0.5) Paehtz went for the Schlecter system in the Slav defence, one of Gata Kamsky’s pet lines. She equalized comfortably but then went wrong with the thematic break 14…e5? Kashlinskaya could have achieved a clear advantage with 17.axb5 but instead played 17.Bf3 and the position was equal again. After subsequent exchanges, the game petered out into a draw. Elisabeth Paehtz finishes the event with a decent 50% score and a small rating gain, while Alina Kashlinskaya clocks in a slightly disappointing result of 4.5/11 and a small 8-point rating loss. GM Muzychuk, Mariya vs WGM Wagner, Dinara (0.5-0.5) Mariya Muzychuk wanted to finish the tournament with a win after her lackluster performance in the second half. In front of her was an ambitious Dinara Wagner, keen to continue her comeback after yesterday’s win. The game was a very solid line in the Bb5 Moscow variation of the Sicilian defence. For the most part, both players kept manoeuvring, with Black exchanging as many pieces as possible. Approaching time trouble, with less than ten minutes each for the last ten moves, it was anybody’s game. Suddenly Dinara Wagner offered a draw which was accepted by Muzychuk: the situation is approximately equal, although there is still a lot of play in the position. Although finishing last in the event, Dinara Wagner only slightly underperformed with respect to her rating (-5 points), while Mariya Muzychuk will not be completely happy with her performance of 5/11, slightly below expectation. WGM Zhu, Jiner vs GM Kosteniuk, Alexandra (1-0) Although a draw would be enough for Zhu Jiner to make her International Master norm, her win against Kosteniuk today could have created a huge last-round upset. The game began with a complicated Nimzo-Indian variation. The position remained balanced, very strategic, for most of the game until Kosteniuk blundered with 27…Naxc4? Zhu Jiner recaptured with 28.Rxc4! and won two pieces for a rook. From there onwards, it was a matter of technique, and Zhu Jiner took no chances, grinding down her opponent until she forced her to resign on move 64, definitely a fitting moment for a chess game. The closing ceremony and prizegiving took place right after the final round at 7 PM in the Maximillian III room at the Kempinski Hotel. Photos: Mark Livshitz Official website: womengrandprix.fide.com/ Partners:
WGP Munich: Narrow escape for Kosteniuk
By IM Michael Rahal (Munich, Germany) Humpy Koneru, India’s number one female player, missed the opportunity of a lifetime this afternoon in the tenth round of the Munich Women’s Grand Prix. In a must-win situation, Humpy ground down her opponent Alexandra Kosteniuk with the Black pieces in a spectacular performance, only to misplay a queen ending and allow Kosteniuk to escape by the skin of her teeth. A very close call indeed for Kosteniuk, who keeps her one-point lead going into the last round, where she will face Zhu Jiner with Black. Tie-breaks still favour Humpy, so only a draw will secure the tournament victory for Alexandra – any other result will also depend on the result of the game between Humpy and Tan Zhongyi. The ceremonial first move was performed by Lukasz Turlej, FIDE Secretary General and Munich WGP Tournament Supervisor, in the Kosteniuk-Humpy game GM Kosteniuk, Alexandra vs GM Koneru, Humpy (0.5-0.5) Undoubtedly, the game of the day. Trailing Kosteniuk by one point, Humpy decided to play for a long battle, keep some tension in the position and see if an opportunity to win came about. Most probably, Alexandra Kosteniuk would be content with a draw, keeping her one-point margin going into the last round. In an attempt to surprise her opponent and maybe take her out of her preparation, Humpy played the Open Ruy Lopez with 5…Nxe4 but chose the side-line 6…Be7 (instead of the mainline 6…b5). According to my database, Humpy had played 6…b5 at least fifteen times, but 6…Be7 definitely caught Kosteniuk off-guard. For many moves the position remained in balance: bishop pair for Humpy, better pawn structure for Kosteniuk. However, Humpy gradually increased her space advantage on the queenside and soon had Kosteniuk against the ropes. It’s hard to pinpoint a specific mistake – Humpy just outplayed her opponent. But luck was on Kosteniuk’s side this afternoon. Humpy missed a clear chance to win in a tricky queen endgame, and Kosteniuk managed to escape with a draw, keeping the lead going into the final round. “I am feeling very tired but much better than if I’d lost the game” were Kosteniuk’s feelings a few minutes after the game had finished. GM Tan, Zhongyi vs GM Dzagnidze, Nana (0-1) According to my database, Dzagnidze and Tan Zhongyi have faced each other multiple times. In a total of 24 games, the former Chinese Women’s World Champion has won nine games while the Georgian player has won seven times, with a total of eight draws. “We have played many games together; we know each other very well. I didn’t expect her opening today, so I played on the board,” said Nana Dzagnidze in the postgame interview. In this afternoon’s game, Tan Zhongyi started with the English Opening, but soon there was a transposition to the Tarrasch System in the Queen’s Gambit. Coming out of the opening, Tan Zhongyi had a slight advantage, putting pressure on her opponent’s isolated pawn. “Maybe she played too ambitiously, and I found the interesting ideas …Qb8 with the idea …Bc7-b6,” said Dzagnidze in a short post-game interview. But Dzagnidze defended well and took advantage of a small mistake in her opponent’s strategy (19.a4?) to win a pawn and force a superior endgame. With the excellent technique, she took home the full point in a very instructive opposite. “I chose the right plan to get the winning position. If the pawns would have been closer, the bishop ending might be a draw,” were Dzagnidze’s final conclusions. GM Harika, Dronavalli vs GM Muzychuk, Anna (1-0) Thirty-eight games together with twenty-five draws shows that this match-up was going to be equal. The opening was a Symmetrical English, and it quickly became clear that both players were in their preparation until move fifteen. Harika spent thirty minutes on 16.Rc1 and quickly fell into a bad position, losing a pawn. “I forgot my preparation at some point, I knew the variation, but I couldn’t recall it,” said Harika in her postgame interview. With 18…Rxb4, Muzychuk would have enjoyed a small advantage, but instead she blundered 18…e5? and Harika was back into the game, recovering the pawn with superior piece coordination. “After her blunder, I had very easy play. The bishop pair and the misplaced rook on b6 should be winning for me,” Harika explained. GM Paehtz, Elisabeth vs WGM Zhu, Jiner (0.5-0.5) Paehtz decided to mix things up this afternoon, going for the 2.c3 Alapin Variation side-line against the Sicilian. Displaying excellent opening preparation, both players blitzed out their first sixteen moves following an earlier 2021 game between Gaponenko and Berdnyk. In her preparation, Paehtz had obviously gone even further: while Zhu Jiner started to ponder her moves, she continued playing fast. “I prepared it until 20.Nb3, and then according to the super engine, the only move to keep it equal was 20…Rcd8, if I remember correctly. So, after her 20…Rfe8 I was on myself but had a nice position already,” explained Elisabeth Paehtz after the game. Her strategy worked out: under heavy pressure in the centre, Zhu Jiner decided to jettison her e5 pawn and go into an inferior ending. Zhu Jiner displayed excellent defensive technique right until the end. Even so, Paehtz missed a clear chance to win the game with 67.Rc7+! instead of 67.b7. “After four hours, it’s known that the energy level goes down. I did quite a lot of sports before the event, but apparently, it was not enough. I knew I may lose the grip at some point, and unfortunately, it happened…” Paehtz frankly recognized the importance of being on top form during these elite events. GM Abdumalik, Zhansaya vs GM Muzychuk, Mariya (1-0) Zhansaya Abdumalik and Mariya Muzychuk have played against each other many times in the past, with a more or less equal score. Facing the Sicilian for the second day in a row, Abdumalik opted for the Rossolimo Attack, transposing a few moves later to the Marozcy structure. With 13.c5, she sacrificed a pawn to damage her opponent’s pawn