Magnus Carlsen and Bibisara Assaubayeva win the World Blitz Chess Championships
Magnus Carlsen clinched his second gold in Almaty after winning both the Rapid and the Blitz. Carlsen won the World Blitz Championship with 16/21. Kazakh player Bibisara Assaubayeva took her second consecutive gold in the Women’s World Blitz with 13/17 The World Blitz Chess Championship ended in Almaty (Kazakhstan) with the victory of Magnus Carlsen in the Open section and Bibisara Assaubayeva in the Women’s. The Open Blitz After a strong performance on the first day of the Blitz, Carlsen (third seed in the Blitz) maintained course, held on to the leading position and brought the tournament to a successful end. On day two Carlsen drew the game with his number one competitor in the Blitz (and leader after day one) – Hikaru Nakamura. It wasn’t a smooth ride for Carlsen, who suffered two defeats in critical moments: to Ian Nepomniachtchi (candidate for World Champion in classical chess) and the young superstar Alexey Sarana. In the final round of the Blitz, Carlsen was up against Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusatorrov (whom he had previously beaten in the Rapid). Carlsen showed steadier nerves in a complicated position and managed to snatch a victory, securing he is alone in the first place. Having previously won the World Rapid chess championship, Carlsen is currently the holder of all three world championship titles – in Classical, Rapid and Blitz. By winning the World Rapid and the World Blitz Magnus Carlsen, who has decided not to defend his crown in classical chess, has secured himself another year as world champion – in rapid and blitz categories. This is the third time that the Norwegian is the holder of all three world chess crowns. “It feels great,” was Carlsen’s first reaction to winning two world championship titles in three days. “This is a really tough event. It started great yesterday but I wasn’t feeling I had a lot of energy… Yesterday I was trying to survive until day two and see if I had some chance… Today I felt a little bit better than yesterday, and I tried to win as many games as I could.” Carlsen also asked which of his world titles is dearest to him. “To some extent, the Blitz title is very important because it’s [won in a tournament with] more rounds… As far as the classical championship [goes] I won it, but it wasn’t dear enough to hold on to.” Carlsen also reflected on his main competitor in the Blitz, GM Hikaru Nakamura, who finished second, pointing out that he was under incredible pressure being the leader after day one. “While he is used to winning tournaments, he’s never won this one… When he started a bit shakey, then I knew I had a chance”. The second and third place went to GM Hikaru Nakamura and the Armenian GN Haik Martirosyan, respectively, who both finished a point behind Carlsen (15/21). The Women’s Blitz With 13 points out of 17 rounds in the Women’s section, Bibisara Assaubayeva of Kazakhstan came out on top. Her success is even more impressive as she managed to defend the world title in Blitz (the previous women player to defend her Blitz crown was Kateryna Lagno in 2018 and 2019). Humpy Koneru of India took second place after scoring 12.5/17, while Polina Shuvalova and this year’s Women’s Rapid winner Tan Zhongyi tied for fourth place after both netting 12 points. Having started day two of the Blitz a full point and a half behind the leaders (6/9), Assaubayeva had a spectacular second day winning seven games and losing just one (to Polina Shuvalova). In the press conference following her victory, Assaubayeva said she felt very emotional having managed to defend her crown (“which is more difficult than to win it”), but also that she achieved this in her home country. “I am very delighted that I won in my home country. I felt I had a lot of responsibility on my shoulders. Unfortunately, I got sick after the first day of the Rapid, so I wanted to show all my strength in the Blitz,” she said. Kazakhstan won two medals in the Women’s tournaments: silver in the Rapid and gold in the Blitz. This is a huge success for this Central Asian country which has recently expanded investment in the game and is hoping to organize additional international chess competitions. The Closing ceremony The Closing ceremony of the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships took part at 8 PM local (Almaty) time in the Baluan Sholak Sports Palace, where the tournaments took place. Players, guests, sponsors and officials joined the 2022 Rapid and Blitz winners in the playing hall, where a big podium was set up. The ceremony started with the intonation of the national anthem of Kazakhstan. Speaking on behalf of FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, FIDE Executive Director Grandmaster Victor Bologan thanked the Chess Federation of Kazakhstan and the local teams for successfully organizing the event, emphasizing a friendly and positive atmosphere which reigned in tournaments. Victor Bologan congratulated the winners and also compared Magnus Carlsen to Lionel Messi. The winners in both Rapid and Blitz walked to the podium to receive prizes delivered by FIDE officials, sponsors and the Akim (mayor) of Almaty. After awarding the medals and trophies and performing national anthems, the 2022 World Rapid and Blitz Championships were declared officially closed. The organization of the event and support The World Rapid and Blitz championships are held by the Kazakhstan Chess Federation together with the International Chess Federation and with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Sports, as well as the Akimat of the city of Almaty. The event is made possible thanks to the agreement with Freedom Finance, which becomes a General Sponsor of the event. Freedom Broker is an investment company and a stockbroker. Provides access to NYSE, NASDAQ, LSE, HKEX and other largest stock exchanges on the planet. Text: Milan Dinic Photo: Lennart Ootes and Anna Shtourman Official website: worldrapidandblitz2022.fide.com/ ORGANIZERS: GENERAL PARTNER: PARTNERS:
World Blitz Championship, Day 1: Nakamura’s moment
Hikaru Nakamura is a point ahead of everyone else after the first day of the blitz in the Open tournament. In the Women’s event, Polina Shuvalova and Valentina Gunina are tied for first place. The World Blitz Chess Championship got underway today in Almaty, Kazakhstan, with the sound of chess clocks ticking quickly throughout the Baluan Sholak Sports Palace. There are 174 players in the Open tournament and 98 in the Women’s section, totalling 272 participants from more than 50 countries. American Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura is alone in first place with 10 points after 12 rounds of the Open competition. With nine rounds completed in the women’s competition, Polina Shuvalova and Valentina Gunina are sharing the lead with 7.5 points. The first round started with a delay after Magnus Carlsen was late due to a traffic jam on the way from his hotel. There was also an issue with some players – including world champion candidate Ian Nepomniachtchi – not following the FIDE dress code. The Open section Out of 21 rounds in the Open tournament, twelve took place on day one. Hikaru Nakamura – who didn’t have a great experience with the Rapid Championship – got off to a fantastic start in the blitz with four victories. He was slowed down by Anish Giri in Round 5, where he conceded half a point but then scored two more victories – against Fabiano Caruana and Yu Yangyi. The game that drew the most interest in the day – even before the first moves had been made – was played between Nakamura (as White) and Magnus Carlsen. Both players were on 6.5/7. In a game which was described as “boring” by Nakamura, the two quickly exchanged pieces on the board and entered a drawn endgame. In a post-game interview, Nakamura said that he felt tired and that he needed a “break”, so he decided not to try and force an even position. This game, however, started a mini-series of three consecutive draws for Nakamura. However, in the final two rounds of the day, the American regained his mojo and scored two important victories ending a full point ahead of anybody else. Nakamura is hoping to win a gold in the Blitz after winning two bronze medals (in 2014 and 2018) and one silver (in 2019). Anish Giri leads the group of five players who are sharing second place, including – Magnus Carlsen, Daniil Dubov, Haik M. Martirosyan and Richard Rapport. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, who is defending the Blitz title, is closer to the middle of the scoreboard, with 6.5 points. After a solid start with 4/5, he suffered a defeat in Round 6 to a 200-point lower-rated Vasif Durarbayli. The Frenchman regained his composure with two victories, but at the end of the day, his concentration fell off a cliff – netting only half a point in four games. The Women’s section The Women’s Blitz has had nine rounds played out of a total of seventeen. Polina Shuvalova and Valentina Gunina, both sitting on 75/12, are tied for the top position. Tan Zhongyi, Aleksandra Goryachkina, and Alexandra Kosteniuk (who has won a silver medal in the 2021 edition of the Blitz and has recently won the European Blitz for women) are immediately behind and trailing by a half-point. Shuvalova got off to a great start stringing together five consecutive wins. Following a draw with Tan Zhongyi in Round 6 and a victory over Nana Dzagnidze in Round Seven, she slipped in the next game against none other than Valentina Gunina. In the day’s last round, however, she bounced back and defeated Harika Dronavali to earn a crucial point. Valentina Gunina, who has the same number of points as Shuvalova but has a slightly weaker TB3, is repeating the great performance from day one of the Rapid when she was also in the lead. In the latter stages of the Rapid, things didn’t go that well for her, though. Blitz, however, is her forte and Gunina is looking for her second Blitz gold a decade after she won her first (in Batumi in 2012; she also has two silvers – from 2016 and 2017). In the final two rounds of the day, she pulled off important victories over main competitors – Tan Zhongyi and Polina Shuvalova. After drawing her last game (with Aleksandra Goryachkina), Gunina said that she felt really tired and that she is hoping to rest before the final day of the Blitz. The second day of the Blitz and the final day of the world chess championships in Almaty will be on Friday, 30th December. The games will start at 2 PM local time with the closing ceremony planned for 8 PM. The organisation of the event and support The World Rapid and Blitz championships are held by the Kazakhstan Chess Federation together with the International Chess Federation and with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Sports, as well as the Akimat of the city of Almaty. The event is made possible thanks to the agreement with Freedom Finance, which becomes a General Sponsor of the event. Freedom Broker is an investment company and a stockbroker. Provides access to NYSE, NASDAQ, LSE, HKEX and other largest stock exchanges on the planet. Text: Milan Dinic Photo: Lennart Ootes and Anna Shtourman Official website: worldrapidandblitz2022.fide.com/ ORGANIZERS: GENERAL PARTNER: PARTNERS:
Magnus Carlsen and Tan Zhongyi are the World Champions in Rapid
The World Rapid Chess Championships concluded with another world title for Carlsen. Tan Zhongyi is first among women after winning a tiebreaker. After three days of play, the World Rapid Chess Championships ended in Almaty. Following 13 rounds in the Open section, Magnus Carlsen came out on top, with 10/13. It is his fourth chess crown in the rapid. He had already triumphed in 2014, 2015 and 2019. Magnus also was second in 2012 (in Astana) and third in 2016 and 2021. In the Women’s tournament, Tan Zhongyi of China won gold after defeating local player Dinara Saduakassova in the tiebreaker. Carlsen’s road to victory The outgoing world champion in classical chess has just clinched another world crown – his fourth title in rapid. The Norwegian was the leader from the very beginning of the tournament and maintained his dominance throughout. Not everything was smooth, however. The third and final day of play started well for Carlsen as he scored against the young German Grandmaster Vincent Keymer. Then misfortune struck. In Round 11, Carlsen stumbled in the game vs Vladimir Artemiev. Playing with black pieces, Magnus committed a fatal blunder in a dead-equal position and ended up in a lost endgame down an exchange. The game was relatively short, and the Norwegian swiftly left the playing hall, clearly angry at himself. In the following 12th round, Carlsen was up against his old nemesis on the chess board – Fabiano Caruana, who had a slower start in the tournament but picked up steam and reached the top boards in the final rounds. Caruana equalised as black, and neither side had enough of an advantage to play for a win, so they decided to split a point. In the final – 13th – game of the Rapid, Carlsen crushed the former World Junior Champion Parham Maghsoodloo. By this point, however, Carlsen’s destiny was not entirely in his hands. The rising chess star from Germany, Vincent Keymer, was playing a tense endgame against the world Blitz Champion Maxime-Vachier Lagrave. Carlsen was following the game closely. Had Keymer won – then he and Magnus would have played a tiebreaker. Both Maxime and Vincent were pushing, trying to pull out a victory, but neither player gave way. To Carlsen’s delight, the game ended in a draw, and he clinched his fourth title as World Champion in rapid chess. “I’ll stop when somebody stops me” In the press conference following his victory in the Rapid, Carlsen was asked “when will he stop winning world titles”. His response? “I’ll stop when somebody stops me”. Commenting on the event, Carlsen noted that this was “a really tough tournament” and that it’s “really hard to win on demand”. “I ran the risk of having zero world championship titles at the end of this tournament, so it was important to me to try and do well here, and it means the world to me right now,” said Carlsen. Carlsen was also asked to comment on his comeback after the loss to Artemiev in Round 11. “It’s hard not to look at the standings and say this could have been a lead instead of a tie in the standings… I managed to pull myself together, thinking that this was a super-freak accident… I felt really calm during the game with Fabi… The problem that I had towards the end was that my strength was running out”, said Carlsen. A great performance by Germany’s Keymer The second place in the World Rapid went to Vincent Keymer. It is the first World Rapid and Blitz the 18-year-old German GM is taking part in, and his result – 9.5/13 – is astonishing given his lack of experience in this type of event. Despite suffering a defeat to Magnus Carlsen at the start of the third day, Keymer went on to win in the next two games (against world champion candidate Ian Nepomniachtchi and Indian player Vidit Santosh Gujrathi) and then fought to the very end against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in a gripping game which ended in a draw. Keymer earlier said that he had been preparing for the rapid and blitz with sparring partners but refused to name them. His performance and maturity – both on and off the board – show that he is already a serious force to be reckoned with. Caruana third, Nodirbek Absudattorov tenth After a sluggish start in the tournament, the former contender for the title of World Champion, Fabiano Caruana, scored four wins in a row to reach the plus-five mark and get a chance to fight for the top. However, the fast tempo set by Magnus Carlsen made it difficult to play catch-up. Following a poor opening against Daniil Dubov in the 11th round, Caruana was – in his own words – lucky that the opponent offered a draw. In the penultimate round, in a direct challenge for first place, Caruana drew with Carlsen. By defeating Vladislav Artemiev in the last round, Caruana secured third place in the Rapid. Nodirbek Abdusattorow, who was defending his 2021 World Rapid Championship title, finished in tenth place on 8.5 points. He was joined by the likes of Ian Nepomniachtchi, Anish Giri, Vidit Santosh Gujrathi, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Alexander Grischuk, as well as Maxime Vachier-Lagrave who all ended with 8.5/13. Hikaru Nakamura battled with draws the whole competition, placing 44th overall! With only two victories and 11 draws, he netted 7.5 points. You can find the full list of final standings on the official website. Women’s Rapid Champion decided by Blitz China’s Tan Zhongyi and Dinara Sadaukassova of Kazakhstan finished in a tie for first place after 11 rounds of play in the Women’s Rapid with 8.5 points each. The winner was decided in a Blitz tie-break in which the first game was drawn, but the second went Tan’s way. This is a huge success for the former women’s World Champion and the first gold for China in the women’s rapid since 2018. Tan has played convincingly thought the tournament, not losing a single game. This is another splendid performance by Tan Zhongyi following her victory in the Pool B group of Women’s
Carlsen and Tan Zhongyi in the lead ahead of final day of World Rapid
Reigning World Champion in classical chess Magnus Carlsen is on track for another crown, as Tan Zhonyi comes on top of a three-way tie for first place in the Women’s Rapid The second day of the World Rapid and Blitz championships saw four rounds played in both the Open and the Women’s section. The Open Rapid Magnus Carlsen is solely in the lead in the World Rapid with 7,5 points out of nine games. Just half a point behind is a trio made up of Vladimir Fedoseev, Nodirbek Abdusattorov and the young German GM Vincent Keymer. Carlsen began day two with a convincing victory over Jorden Van Foreest with white pieces. He was then slowed down by Vladimir Fedoseev and Daniil Dubov, who held him to a draw but broke through again in the ninth round against Giga Quparadze of Georgia. The ‘always motivated’ Norwegian occasionally displayed annoyance at his inability to always find the best lines. But even with this in mind, his confidence and vigour seem unshaken as he edges closer to yet another world title. The 18-year-old German GM Vincent Keymer, who is competing in his first World Rapid Championship, put on a fantastic performance on the second day of the rapid. Keymer scored three victories over formidable opponents, including Fabiano Caruana, Yu Yangyi, and Arjun Erigaisi, before drawing with Fedoseev in the ninth round. On the final day of the World Rapid, Keymer will be up against Magnus Carlsen on board one in Round Ten. The next tier of players, sitting on 6,5 points, includes former world rapid champion Daniil Dubov, reigning Indian champion Arjun Erigaisi, the former contender for the title of world champion in classical chess, Fabiano Caruana, as well as Anish Giri, Vladislav Artemiev and Yu Yangyi. The current challenger for the title of world champion, Ian Nepomniachtchi, is on six points, as is the Polish star Jan-Krzysztof Duda. Things don’t seem to be going that well for the double bronze medallist in rapid, Hikaru Nakamura. He is on 5,5/9 and finding it difficult to end the five-round-long streak of draws. The Women’s Rapid The Women’s section’s second day came to a close with a three-way tie for first place. Former Women’s World Champion Tan Zhongyi came on top with 6,5/8. She is joined by Aleksandra Goryachkina and the young Indian star Shri B Savitha. Tan Zhongyi started day two swinging as she delivered a blow to the leader from the first day of the Women’s Rapid, Valentina Gunina. Following two draws – with Elina Danielian and Bela Khotenashvili – Zhongyi finished the day on a high note with a convincing victory against Alina Bivol, securing first place. In the post-round interview, Tan Zhongyi was more modest about her performance, just saying it is going “pretty well and acceptable for now” but added that “this time it’s my best shot” for the world rapid chess title. Aleksandra Goryachkina secured her place among the leaders with a draw and two wins, including a victory against Elina Danielian, who suffered her first defeat in Almaty. Shri B Savitha (pictured above), a young, talented Indian player, is the day’s biggest surprise. She won all four games, including a victory over former women’s world champion Antoaneta Stefanova. Valentina Gunina, the only leader at the beginning of the day, seemed to have lost her way after suffering setbacks in the opening two matches. Gunina then bounced back later in the day, winning both games to move to 6/8. Alexandra Kosteniuk, the 2021 Women’s Rapid champion, is on 5,5/8 and appears to be having some difficulty catching up to the top players. It was a successful day for the birthday girl Kateryna Lagno who scored 2,5/3 and now has five points. Lagno – who turned 33 – will still need to do more if she wants to claim the second World Rapid gold in her career. The final rounds of the Open and Women’s Rapid Championships take place on Wednesday, starting at 3 PM local time. The organisation of the event and support The World Rapid and Blitz championships are held by the Kazakhstan Chess Federation together with the International Chess Federation and with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Sports, as well as the Akimat of the city of Almaty. The event is made possible thanks to the agreement with Freedom Finance, which becomes a General Sponsor of the event. Freedom Broker is an investment company and a stockbroker. Provides access to NYSE, NASDAQ, LSE, HKEX and other largest stock exchanges on the planet. Text: Milan Dinic Photo: Lennart Ootes and Anna Shtourman Official website: worldrapidandblitz2022.fide.com/ ORGANIZERS: GENERAL PARTNER: PARTNERS:
Ni Hua and Zhu Jiner win 2022 Yinzhou Cup
Ni Hua and Zhu Jiner emerged as the winners of the 2022 Yinzhou Cup China Chess TV Rapid tournament that took place from December 25-26. The fifth edition of this popular event was held in the open and women’s sections online on chess.com. Both tournaments were 4-player double-round robins with rapid time control. The open event saw a fierce fight for the top position with three players – the rating favourite Ding Liren, Li Chao and Ni Hua tying for the first place, scoring 3½/6 each. The first prize of 100,000 Yuan goes to Ni Hua, thanks to better tiebreaks (the direct encounters). The runner-up Ding Liren received 50,000 Yuan for his effort. Ding Liren vs Ni Hua Final standings Open: 1 GM Ni Hua 2667 3½ 2 GM Ding Liren 2811 3½ 3 GM Li Chao 2672 3½ 4 GM Bu Xiangzhi 2698 1½ The women’s competition was not as tense as Zhu Jiner grabbed the lead on the first day and clinched the title after beating Zhai Mo in the final sixth round. The champion netted 4½/6 and landed the 40,000 Yuan first prize. Cuo Qi and the Women’s World Champion Ju Wenjun shared second place on 3/6, with the former taking the second prize of 30,000 by dint of better tiebreaks. Guo Qi vs Zhu Jiner Final standings Women: 1 WGM Zhu Jiner 2486 4½ 2 IM Cuo Qi 2392 3 3 GM Ju Wenjun 2555 3 4 WGM Zhai Mo 2375 1½ The group of arbiters Organized by Ningbo Yinzhou District Culture, Radio, Television, Tourism and Sports Bureau, Ningbo Yinzhou District Sports Federation, Ningbo Yinzhou District Sports Center and Ningbo Game Chess Club, and Ningbo Yinzhou District Chess Association, the competition was sponsored by Chess and Card Sports Administration Center of State General Administration of Sport, China Chess Association and the People’s Government of Ningbo Yinzhou District and supported by Zhejiang Intellectual Sports Administration Center. The tournaments were broadcast live on the whole network via Xinhua News Agency live Cloud, China Leisure Sports TV and other platforms, with GM Wen Yang and national NM Zhou Min working as commentators.
Season’s Greetings from FIDE President
World Rapid & Blitz: Gunina leads among Women as four players share first place in the Open
The first day of the World Rapid chess championship ended with four leaders in the Open section and Valentina Gunina leading alone in the Women’s tournament The World Rapid Chess Championship kicked off in Almaty today at 3 PM local time. As in other significant events, the first moves in Round One were ceremonially made by the FIDE President and dignitaries. Joining FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich among the top boards were Kazakhstan’s Minister of Culture and Sports Dauren Abayev, the Akim (mayor) of Almaty Erbolat Dosaev and Sergey Lukyanov, Chairman of the Management Board of Freedom Finance, General partner of the event. The first day saw five rounds in the open section and four in the women’s tournament. The Open Rapid Reigning World Champion in classical chess, Magnus Carlsen leads the pack of four players who finished the day on top with 4,5 points out of five games. Joining him are Vladimir Fedoseev, Arjun Erigaisi and Jorden Van Foreest. Just half a point behind is a big group of ten players, which includes Anish Giri, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, as well as the two-time winner of the Candidates Ian Nepomniachtchi and the defending World Champion in rapid, Nodirbek Abdusattorov. The most notable clash of the day in the Open section was in Round Four when two world champions: Carlsen (in classical chess) and Abdusattorov (in rapid) faced one another. After playing 1.b3 – in an opening popularised by the legendary Bent Larsen, the game transposed into a hedgehog formation. Carlsen took the initiative early on with the move 14.g4! (the idea introduced by Robert Fischer) forcing Black to gradually retreat until his kingside defence caved in. Asked if this was “sweet revenge” for the upset Abdusattorov staged in the World Rapid in 2021 by beating Carlsen and eventually taking the crown, and, also for managing to hold him to a draw when both were on five points in the World Blitz Championship in Moscow in 2018, the Norwegian coolly replied: “It’s never a revenge, but it was a good win”, with a cheeky smile on his face. The first day of the Rapid in Almaty was summarized succinctly by Carlsen: “I had three games as Black today so, overall, I’m very happy.” Along with Carlsen, Vladimir Fedoseev, Jorden Van Foreest, and Indian champion Arjun Erigaisi are also having a great start to the tournament and are sharing first place with Carlsen. Fedoseev began with three wins, then tied with Nihal Sarin. However, he finished the day strong and won as Black against the native player Arystanbek Urazayev in the fifth round. After each scoring four victories, Van Foreest and Erigaisi dropped half a point in the last round of the day. Van Foreest tied with the Polish superstar Jan-Krzysztof Duda in a game in which the Dutchman was significantly better on time but couldn’t do much on the board. The 19-year-old Erigaisi managed to win a pawn against Carlsen after the opening, but he couldn’t find a hole in the world champion’s defences in the later part of the game. In Round 6 Magnus Carlsen will be playing as White against Van Foreest, while Vladimir Fedoseev will be looking to capitalize on the first-move advantage against Arjun Erigaisi. The Women’s Rapid In the Women’s division, where four rounds were played on day one, three-time Women’s European Champion Valentina Gunina sits alone in first place with a perfect score of 4/4. She established dominance over Nino Batsiashvili in Round Four and swiftly pushed her to resign. The group of six players who are half a point behind Gunina is led by the previous Women’s World Champion Tan Zhongyi, who just won Pool B of the Women’s Candidates. Joining her are Leya Garifullina, Humpy Koneru, Elina Danielian and Gunay Mammadzada. The 2021 Women’s World Rapid champion Alexandra Kosteniuk is in the third tier, in a group of 15 players on three points. A big surprise on the first day of the rapid was 18-year-old WIM Zeinep Sultanbek of Kazakhstan. Rated only 1834, she has performed as 2522 in the first four rounds, beating WGMs Balajayeva, Shuvalova, and Sachdev and losing only to Danielian. Another young Kazakh player to keep an eye on! Despite playing in her native country, the 2021 silver medallist in Rapid, Bibisara Assaubayeva, is having a difficult time, with two draws, one victory and one defeat after the first four rounds. Round Five of the Women’s Rapid will see Valentina Gunina trying to hold on to her leading position in the tournament facing non-other than former Women’s World Champion Tan Zhongyi. The games on the second day of the World Rapid Chess Championships will start at 3 PM local time. The organization of the event and support The World Rapid and Blitz championships are held by the Kazakhstan Chess Federation together with the International Chess Federation and with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Sports, as well as the Akimat of the city of Almaty. The event is made possible thanks to the agreement with Freedom Finance, which becomes a General Sponsor of the event. Freedom Broker is an investment company and a stockbroker. Provides access to NYSE, NASDAQ, LSE, HKEX and other largest stock exchanges on the planet. Text: Milan Dinic Photo: Lennart Ootes and Anna Shtourman Official website: worldrapidandblitz2022.fide.com/ ORGANIZERS: GENERAL PARTNER: PARTNERS:
Carlsen on ambitions in Almaty and the greatest lesson learnt from chess
In the first press conference of the World Rapid and Blitz, World Champion Magnus Carlsen and FIDE president Arkady Dvorkovich answered a broad set of questions from the media The first press conference of the World Rapid and Blitz chess championships was held on 26th December at the Almaty telecentre, the official communications centre of the government of Kazakhstan. The conference was attended by national and international media. Present at the conference were Magnus Carlsen, five-time World Chess Champion, Arkady Dvorkovich, FIDE President, Dauren Abaev, Minister of Culture and Sports of Kazakhstan, Galim Khusainov, President of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation, Darmen Sadvakasov, Vice-President of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation, as well as Sergey Lukyanov, Chairman of the Management Board of Freedom Finance, main sponsor of the event. Almost all of the questions were directed at Magnus Carlsen, five-time World Chess Champion. Carlsen first complimented the organisers on the opening ceremony: “It was a good ceremony with a nice and clear message – welcome to Kazakhstan. Not only me but a lot of people felt welcomed.” Here are the key quotes from Carlsen’s responses. On his ambitions in Almaty Magnus Carlsen was asked whether the fact that this is the last time he is appearing in the World Rapid and Blitz as the world champion in classical chess has any impact on how he approaches this event. “These championships have been very important for me for a decade, and they will continue to be an event to enjoy and covering for. I am always on the hunt for more titles and wins, and that will not change in the future regardless of the classical championship.” On playing Hans Niemann Carlsen was also asked if he would play against Hans Niemann if the two were paired. “I don’t have an answer. I understand it’s a question that people want an answer to, but I hope you can understand I can’t answer it.” On the role of chess in improving mental health Speaking about the recent rise in the popularity of chess, Carlsen noted the impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on forcing people to stay indoors, but he also pointed to the rising awareness of mental health and the role chess can play in improving it: “Across many societies, there’s an emphasis on having not only a healthy body and a healthy mind and chess is quite suitable.” Carlsen was asked if chess players work with mental coaches. “I never felt the need. I feel like I usually understand the reasons for my successes and failures. I haven’t felt the need to speak to professionals. I have people in my life I can talk to about these matters”, said Carlsen. “People who work with me work hard so I can work less and focus more on the games. I think about chess all the time – I visualise the games and think about the ways I can improve. There is not a lot of deliberate practice or something that people perceive as work. I never wanted a classic nine-to-five job, and I don’t think I can ever treat chess as this… I think my way goes to show that there are several ways to obtain a goal.” On the biggest lesson chess taught him The world champion was also asked what the biggest lesson chess is has taught him. “Chess has taught me that spending a lot of time on chess will make you good at it. Everything is not necessarily transferable. The most helpful thing I learnt from chess is to make good decisions on incomplete data in a limited amount of time.” On Kazakh chess players There have been many good Kazakhstani players of the past, Carlsen noted. “One of the early good victories was against Evgeniy Vladimirov, who was a very strong player in the 1980s and 1990s and notable as Kasparov’s coach… Zhansaya Abdumalik is one of the best female players in the world. There are some strong young players. For now, there has been more success for Uzbekistan, your neighbours, but I’m sure that’s motivating for the youngsters here.” On shogi and other board games “I am fascinated by other board games, especially the Japanese game shogi. As for go, I don’t know much about the game. I understand that it’s insanely complex. It’s more of a pure game than chess because the rules are simple and clear, and yet the game itself is so complicated. I’m used to playing chess, so I feel that it is more interesting because the pieces have different qualities. Chess has been around for a long time, and it’s still far from being figured out by us humans. It’s a wonderful game”. How to become world champion? The final question of the press conference was asked by a four-year-old. As usual, kids at that age ask questions which sound so simple but are very difficult. The question: How to become a world champion? Carlsen’s response? “Very easy, you just have to defeat the previous world champion!” Arkady Dvorkovich: A new era for chess Other questions at the press conference were directed at FIDE president Arkady Dvorkovich. Dvorkovich praised Kazakhstan as the hosts and noted that FIDE “are always happy to come back” to this country. “Kazakhstan chess federation is well positioned to host FIDE events. We rely on the continuous support of the government and the Kazakhstan Chess Federation”, said Dvorkovich. Summarising the year behind, Dvorkovich noted that it was “one of the toughest and one of the most successful years for FIDE”. “Interest in chess is growing online and over the board. We contributed to that by doing our best. It was unfortunate that we had to shift the Olympiad, but we were able to do it, and we had a record number of participants in Chennai. We also held more than ten official FIDE championships postponed due to the pandemic. Chess is back on track both online and over the board.” Dvorkovich also announced more projects focused on schools
“Welcome to Kazakhstan”: World Rapid & Blitz Championships officially opened in Almaty
The World Rapid and Blitz Championships were officially opened in Almaty on 25th December. In a 90-minute long ceremony, the hosts put on a spectacle which celebrated chess and promoted the culture and distinctiveness of Kazakhstan. The Baluan Sholak Sports Palace was packed with spectators – teenagers from chess schools, local and government officials, special guests and chess lovers from all over who came to celebrate the opening of the World Rapid and Blitz Championships, which have returned to Kazakhstan after a decade. It seems that the hard work and effort put into planning an opening ceremony for a huge chess event is often underappreciated. Such undertakings involve hundreds of people – from project managers, stage designers, speech writers, coordinators, choreographers, and performers down to technicians, cameramen and volunteers. In Almaty, the Kazakhstan Chess Federation staged a seamless 90-minute ceremony which featured singers, dancers, two choirs and a local pop group. Everything was in light blue and golden yellow – the colours of the national flag of Kazakhstan. It was obvious that the organisers – the Kazakhstan Chess Federation – were keen on promoting their country, with the ceremony featuring two videos celebrating Kazakhstan’s culture, history and society. One video included a scene where the nation’s top chess players speak with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. With the vocal and choreographic composition “Welcome to Kazakhstan” featuring a mixture of words in Kazakh and English, the ceremony was a seamless balance between celebrating the national and the international. Following the performance of the national anthem by the State Choir of Kazakhstan – which included men in suits and ladies in light blue evening gowns – a children’s choir took the stage performing the famous world hit single from 1985, “We are the world”. Everything on stage was about sending the message of peace and love from Kazakhstan. The musical part of the ceremony was followed by three brief speeches. The Minister of Culture and Sports, Dauren Abayev, read out a letter from the Head of State, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev (who was born in Almaty) in which he expressed gratitude to FIDE for awarding Kazakhstan with the World Rapid and Blitz Championships. In his letter, President Tokayev highlighted the recent achievements of Kazakhstan’s chess players and noted: “Their success inspires the younger generation to engage in sports.” “We will continue this investment in chess in cooperation with FIDE”, president Toyakev’s letter read, underscoring that this is an integral part of the country’s “strategic goal of strengthening human potential”. A similar tone was echoed in the message of the Akim (mayor) of Almaty, Erbolat Dosaev, who also highlighted the gratitude of the local authorities for being able to host such a huge global chess event. FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich expressed gratitude to Kazakhstan on behalf of the international chess community: “Thank you for receiving us here this year. One year after your promised – you delivered on your promise. We’re very grateful.” Dvorkovich also thanked Freedom Finance for their huge support for the event. “In the next few days, we will celebrate chess. We all love our game, we all love chess. We’re excited about this event. It’s not just a sport, not just a game. Players from all around the world are participating here, and we’re expecting a great time. The great players will show their best, and the audience will enjoy”, said Dovrkovich. Afterwards, FIDE President was given a chapan (or shapan), a long loose robe which is a traditional dress of Kazakhstan, worn both by men and women. A similar dress was also given to Magnus Carlsen later on. The final part of the ceremony was the drawing of lots. The top-rated players in each category – Kateryna Lagno (Women Blitz), Alexandra Kosteniuk (Women Rapid), Hikaru Nakamura (Open Blitz) and Magnus Carlsen (Open Rapid) – emerged on stage, which was welcomed by massive applause from the audience. In the presence of the Chief Arbiter Amir Erfan Hashemi from Iran and the heads of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation, all four players drew a chess piece from a red basket presented on a platter by a woman wearing a traditional Kazakh dress. The drawing of lots was as follows: Kateryna Lagno (Blitz) – White Alexandra Kosteniuk (Rapid) – Black Hikaru Nakamura (Blitz) – Black Magnus Carlsen (Rapid) – Black The ceremony was concluded with a performance by a local pop group “Alpha”. Round 1 of the World Rapid Chess Championships starts on Monday, 26th December, at 3 PM local time. The organisation of the event and support The World Rapid and Blitz championships are held by the Kazakhstan Chess Federation together with the International Chess Federation and with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Sports, as well as the Akimat of the city of Almaty. The event is made possible thanks to the agreement with Freedom Finance, which becomes a General Sponsor of the event. Freedom Broker is an investment company and a stockbroker. Provides access to NYSE, NASDAQ, LSE, HKEX and other largest stock exchanges on the planet. Text: Milan Dinic Photo: David Llada Official website: worldrapidandblitz2022.fide.com/ ORGANIZERS: GENERAL PARTNER: PARTNERS:
World Rapid and Blitz 2022 winter wonderland: It’s about to get hot in Almaty
The 2022 World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships take place in Almaty (Kazakhstan) between Sunday, the 25th of December and run through until Friday, the 30th of December Traditionally, this time of year, the chess world comes together to loosen up and decide who the best world players are when facing time pressure. After ten years, the event is returning to Kazakhstan, the largest land-locked country in the world (with over 2.7 million kilometres square, it is five times the size of France!) and which – if you didn’t know – is the birthplace of the modern apple (not the company)! Unlike in 2012, this time, the host city will not be the capital Astana, but Almaty. The event will be held at the Baluan Sholak Sports Palace in the city centre. Named after the acclaimed Kazakh composer, singer, poet, dombra player, dzhigit and wrestler Baluan Sholak (1864-1919), the venue seats up to 5,000 people and is home to Almaty’s women’s ice hockey team Aisulu Almaty. The former capital of Kazakhstan, which is also its largest city with nearly two million residents, is situated in the country’s southeast, close to the border with Kyrgistan, and is not the warmest place to spend the winter. It is easy to understand why given that the last week of December is expected to have temperatures between -4 and -11 degrees! However, Almaty is about to be hit by a “heatwave” as the world’s hottest chess players gather at the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships to decide who is the best. The best of the best With the conditions for the event stipulating that players have to be rated at least 2550 in the open section, or 2250 in the women’s, or being reigning national champions in order to be eligible to play in Almaty, it’s no surprise that the list of players is made of the best of the best the chess world has to offer. Photo: David Llada In the Open section, Nodirbek Abdusattorov is defending the crown from the 2021 Rapid and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave will try and hold on to his world title in the Blitz. In the Women’s division, Alexandra Kosteniuk is defending the gold she won in the 2021 Rapid, while Bibisara Assaubayeva is defending her title in the Blitz. With nearly 300 players taking part from over 50 countries, split between the Open and the Women’s tournament, the chess world is ending 2022 on a high note with a huge spectacle. In the Open event, the field is led by the reigning world champion in classical chess, Magnus Carlsen (who also won the rapid and blitz world championships in earlier editions). This is the last time Carlsen is taking part in the World Rapid and Blitz as a world champion in classical chess (as he decided not to defend his crown in 2023). Photo: Sergey Alekseenok He is joined by a score of medal winners and champions, including Nodirbek Abdusattorov (the 2021 winner of the Rapid), Hikaru Nakamura (winner of the silver and bronze medals in the previous world rapid and blitz championships), Jan-Krzysztof Duda (runner-up of the last year’s world blitz), Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (current world blitz champion), Ian Nepomniachtchi (the second-time challenger for the title of world champion in classical chess and winner of medals in previous rapid and blitz world championships), to name a few. The full list of participants can be found here (for the Open Rapid) and here (for the Open Blitz). The women’s event is headlined by the defending world champion in rapid and the runner-up at the 2021 blitz Alexandra Kosteniuk. A former women’s world champion in classical chess, Kosteniuk just won gold in the European rapid and silver in the European blitz, so she will be looking for a double crown! She is followed by Kateryna Lagno (who also has gold medals from the world rapid and blitz events), as well as a plethora of strong world players such as Tan Zhongyi, Aleksandra Goryachkina, Nana Dzagnidze, Antoaneta Stefanova and others. Bibisara Assaubayeva, a Kazakh native, will be the focus of much attention in the women’s competition. She had an outstanding performance in the 2021 edition, taking first place in the blitz and coming second in the rapid. Photo: Anna Shtourman The list of participants in the women’s section can be found here (for the Rapid) and here (for the Blitz). Both the Open and the Women’s will be played under the Swiss system format. Full details of the regulations for the events can be found here for the Open and here for the Women’s competitions. One million dollars in prizes The total prize fund is one million USD dollars, with 700,000 USD going to the open championships and 300,000 USD to the women’s championships. Prizes in USD Open Women Rapid 350,000 150,000 Blitz 350,000 150,000 Tournament schedule December 25 — Opening Ceremony December 26-28 — Rapid competitions December 29-30 — Blitz competitions and Closing Ceremony Additional events During the World Rapid and Blitz Championships there will be several additional chess events for the public held at the Baluan Sholak Sports Palace: Women’s master class about “The role of women in chess”, followed by a simul with woman GM Dana Reizniece-Ozola (10.00-13.00 on 27th December) Open blitz tournament for amateurs (10.00-13.00 on the 28th December) Blitz tournament for children (10.00-13.00 on the 29th December). The organisation of the event and support The World Rapid and Blitz championships are held by the Kazakhstan Chess Federation together with the International Chess Federation and with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Sports, as well as the Akimat of the city of Almaty. The event is made possible thanks to the agreement with Freedom Finance, which becomes a General Sponsor of the event. Freedom Broker is an investment company and a stockbroker. Provides access to NYSE, NASDAQ, LSE, HKEX and other largest stock exchanges on the planet. Text: Milan Dinic Photo: Anna Shtourman, David Llada and Sergey Alekseenok Official website: worldrapidandblitz2022.fide.com/ ORGANIZERS: GENERAL PARTNER: PARTNERS: