Serbian Championship: Velimir Ivić and Irina Chelushkina clinch titles
The 16th Serbian Championship, played in the open and women’s sections, ended on Tuesday, December 14, in Baja Bašta. Both competitions were 10-player round-robin tournaments with classical time control. In the open competition, the reigning champion GM Velimir Ivić scored an impressive 7.5/9 and defended his title. This success came primarily thanks to the eighth-round victory over the top-rated participant and his main competitor GM Aleksandar Indjić, who finished a half-point behind and took silver. GM Aleksandar Kovačević made a great effort at the finish winning three straight games (including two with the black pieces) earned bronze. Finals standings: 1 GM Ivic, Velimir 2572 7½ 2 GM Indjic, Aleksandar 2636 7 3 GM Kovacevic, Aleksandar 2480 6 4 GM Ivanisevic, Ivan 2535 5½ 5 GM Perunovic, Milos 2541 5½ 6 GM Bogosavljevic, Boban 2518 4½ 7 IM Radovanovic, Nikola 2414 3 8 IM Perunovic, Miodrag 2417 2½ 9 FM Martic, Ivan 2270 2 10 IM Djordjevic, Vuk 2394 1½ Despite losing her first-round game in the women’s championship, WGM Irina Chelushkina scored 7 points in the next eight rounds and finished clear first. Interestingly, it is Irina’s fifth country in which she won a national championship. In her long and brilliant chess career, she was the champion of the USSR, Ukraine, Yugoslavia, Serbia and Montenegro and now Serbia. WIM Marina Gajčin lost the direct encounter to the champion but delivered an overall excellent performance and took silver with 6.5 points. WGM Marija Manakova and the last-year champion WGM Jovana Erić tied for third place on 5 points, with the former claiming bronze thanks to a better Sonneborn-Berger. Final standings: 1 WGM Chelushkina, Irina 2189 7 2 WIM Gajcin, Marina 2188 6½ 3 WGM Manakova, Maria 2201 5 4 WGM Eric, Jovana 2236 5 5 WFM Vujcic, Milena 2048 4½ 6 WIM Drljevic, Ljilja 2175 4½ 7 WIM Srdanovic, Jovana 2190 4 8 WFM Bojicic, Andjela 2112 4 9 Grozdanovic, Anastasia 2009 3½ 10 WCM Dimitrijevic, Andjela 2021 1 Dejan Timotijević presented the cups to the winners on behalf of the municipality of Bajina Bašta and the Sports Association of the municipality of Bajina Bašta. IA Rade Goljović and the deputy head judge, IA Lena Miadinović officiated the championship; IA Saša Jevtić was the tournament director. Photo: Chess Federation of Serbia Official website: serbiachess.org/
World Rapid & Blitz Championships 2022 Press Conference: All set in Almaty
The FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Championship is due to start on December 25th in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Eleven days before the opening ceremony, a press conference has been held in the host city. Speakers at the press conference were FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich (via video link), Vice Minister of Culture and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan Serik Zharasbayev, Vice President of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation (KCF) Darmen Sadvakasov, KCF Executive Director Gulmira Dauletova and Yerden Khairullin, head of the Almaty Sports Department. Arkady Dvorkovich, who joined the press conference via Zoom, thanked the city authorities and FIDE’s partners from Kazakhstan for holding the tournament: “We are glad that the competition has not disappeared from the calendar this year, and that almost 300 people, the world’s leading grandmasters – both men and women – have already registered to participate in the Championships.” The icing on the cake Dvorkovich described the event as the “icing on the cake in the 2022 FIDE calendar” adding that 95% of the world’s top chess players will take part in the tournament, including world champion Magnus Carlsen and almost all the players from the world’s Top 10. This applies to both men and women. “We are looking forward to the event and we hope that everyone will follow the Championships on TV, over the Internet and, of course, in the hospitable city of Almaty,” Dvorkovich said. The President of FIDE also shared his views on the chess scene in Kazakhstan. “We believe that Kazakhstan is becoming one of the world’s leading chess centres. Success in women’s chess is higher than in men’s… We consider it important that a large number of Kazakhstan players will be able to take part in the championship as representatives of the host country. And, once again, I want to thank our partners. I am glad that organizations in Kazakhstan are striving to support chess,” Dvorkovich concluded. A historic event for Kazakhstan Serik Zharasbayev, Vice Minister of Culture and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan, emphasised the importance of the highest-level competition for the country and invited chess fans to follow the tournament and support the players. “This is a huge event. For the first time in the history of independent Kazakhstan, the World Rapid and Blitz Championship is taking place here. The national women’s and men’s teams will take part in the World Championship and try their luck. I invite everyone to support our players,” said Zharasbayev. Kazakhstan’s chess boom Gulmira Dauletova, Executive Director of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation, noted that the host country of the World Rapid and Blitz Championship can nominate 15 men and 10 women as participants. She highlighted that the country’s national women’s team currently shows better results than the men’s. Right now, Zhansaya Abdumalik, Bibisara Assaubayeva and Dinara Saduakasova are preparing with their coaches. In addition, there are talented young players under 14 years of age in our team, for example, world champion Meruert Kamalidenova, Amina Kairbekova, Assel Serikbay and Nazerke Nurgali, said Dauletova. Vice President of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation, Darmen Sadvakasov stated that in the last 12 years a chess boom has continued in Kazakhstan. “There are many good results in women’s chess and the youth category. The work is going on. Our main task now is to hold the World Rapid & Blitz Championship in Almaty. We are very grateful to FIDE and Arkady Dvorkovich personally for giving us the right to hold this prestigious tournament.” Thousands of girls and boys across the country will closely follow the competition, Sadvakasov said. “Some will come to see all the world’s chess stars in person. When I was a boy, it was an impossible dream for me to personally see the world’s leading chess players, and maybe even get an autograph. For our younger generation, these conditions are created, and we believe that the championship will be a great impetus for the further development of chess in our country,” added the Vice President of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation. Almaty ready for the big event Yerden Khairullin, head of the Almaty Sports Department, said the city is ready for the competition. “In the city of Almaty, we are ready to host such a large-scale event. If there are 300 players from 70 countries, we will accept them all. The infrastructure is 100 percent ready,” assured Mr Khairullin. The press conference was held on December 14 at the Central Communications Service under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. About the event: The World Championship is 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. Over 300 elite chess players from 50 countries are expected to attend the event. The FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Championships will take place in Almaty, Kazakhstan, from December 25-31 at the Baluan Sholak Sports Palace. Tournament schedule: December 25 — Opening CeremonyDecember 26-28 — Rapid competitionsDecember 29-30 — Blitz competitions and Closing Ceremony 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. More information about the championships, including schedule and tickets, can be found on the official website of the event: https://worldrapidandblitz2022.fide.com/ About the FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Championship The World Rapid & Blitz Chess Championships and the Women’s World Rapid & Blitz Chess Championships have been held annually since 2012. In rapid chess, each player begins the game with 15 minutes, and 10 seconds are added to his/her clock after each move. In blitz chess, each player begins the game with 3 minutes, and 2 seconds are added to his/her clock after each move. The reigning world champions of the event are: Rapid: Open – Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzbekistan)Women – Alexandra Kosteniuk (FIDE) Blitz: Open – Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (France)Women – Bibisara Assaubayeva (Kazakhstan) Official website: worldrapidandblitz2022.fide.com/
Hungarian Championship: Péter Prohászka and Zsuzsanna Terbe win titles
GM Péter Prohászka and WFM Zsuzsanna Terbe are the new Hungarian chess champions. Péter became the national champion for the first time, while Zsuzsanna successfully defended the title she had won back in 2021. The 66th women’s and 71st open chess championships took place in Budapest from December 05-13. Both events were 10-player round-robin tournaments with classical time control. A win was worth 3 points, while a draw – just 1 point. Péter Prohászka started slowly with two draws (including one in the game vs Adam Kozak, in which he was completely lost at some point) but then scored two victories in a row and grabbed the lead. Sergey Grigoriants, who made his debut in the Hungarian championship, caught up with the leader after Round 8, and it all came down to the final 9th round. Sergey made a quick draw with Adam Kozak, while Peter rose to the occasion and beat Bence Korpa to clinch his maiden national title. Grigoriants finished second, Adam Kozak took bronze. Final standings: 1 Prohaszka Peter 2563 17 2 Grigoriants Sergey 2553 15 3 Kozak Adam 2549 13 4 Berkes Ferenc 2645 11 5 Nagy Gabor 2488 11 6 Horvath Csaba 2501 10 7 Korpa Bence 2516 9 8 Fodor Tamas Jr. 2506 9 9 Papp Gabor 2557 8 10 Horvath Adam 2485 5 The women’s event was quite a different scenario as the defending champion Zsuzsanna Terbe began with four draws but then reeled off four straight victories and clinched her second national title with a round to spare. The highest-rated player in the event Julianna Terbe finished two points behind the champion and took silver. Bolgarka Erdos had an abysmal start suffering two straight defeats but finished strong, beating the champion in the final round to tie for third place with Kata Karacsonyi and Hanna Krisztina Ivan-Gal. The bronze medal goes to Erdos, thanks to a greater number of victories. Final standings: 1 WFM Terbe Zsuzsanna 2151 16 2 WIM Terbe Julianna 2283 14 3 WFM Erdos Boglarka 2157 13 4 WFM Karacsonyi Kata 2161 13 5 WFM Ivan-Gal Hanna Krisztina 2161 13 6 WFM Demeter Dorina 2174 12 7 WIM Mihok-Juhasz Barbara 2224 9 8 WIM Havanecz Bianka 2202 9 9 WFM Szente-Varga Fruzsina 2071 8 10 WIM Dudas Eszter 2112 8 Photo: sakkblog.reblog.hu/ Official website: chess.hu/
Gorshtein and Shvayger win 2022 Israeli Championship
IM Ido Gorshtein and IM Yuliya Shvayger emerged as the winners of the 2022 Israeli Chess Championship. Held by the Israel Chess Association in collaboration with the Lottery and the Municipality of Arad, the 2022 Israeli Championship (open and women sections) took place in Arad from December 2-13. Arad (not to confuse with the Romanian city Arad) is located on the border of the Negev and the Judean Deserts, 25 kilometers west of the Dead Sea and 45 kilometers (28 miles) east of the city of Beer Sheba. Both events were Swiss tournaments with classical time control. 32 players, including 7 GMs, 9 IMs and 11 FMs competed in a 9 Swiss rounds open category, which saw an impressive success of the “young guns”. Ido Gorshtein took a blistering start in the open event, winning four straight games, including an important victory over the defending champion GM Tamir Nabaty in Round 2. After making draws in Rounds 5 and 6 with his main rivals FM Ori Kochavi and GM Avital Boruchovsky he pulled off another two wins and came to the final round a full point ahead of his closest competitor. The last game vs GM Victor Mikhalevsky was not a walk in the park for the future champion, but eventually, Gorshtein (pictured below) made a hard-fought draw and clinched his maiden national title with an excellent result of 7.5/9. Boruchovsky also split a point with Or Bronstein and allowed Ori Kochavi, who defeated Semen Dvoirys to catch up and tie for second place. The silver medal goes to Kochavi, thanks to better tiebreaks. All three medal-winners completed the event undefeated. Final standings: 1 IM Gorshtein, Ido 2469 7½ 2 FM Kochavi, Ori 2334 6½ 3 GM Boruchovsky, Avital 2547 6½ 4 IM Sokolovsky, Yahli 2415 6 5 IM Bronstein, Or 2442 5½ 6 GM Kobo, Ori 2553 5½ 7 GM Mikhalevski, Victor 2521 5½ 8 GM Zanan, Evgeny 2485 5½ 9 IM Gorodetzky, David 2495 5½ 10 FM Levin, Guy 2382 5 The women’s championship turned into an exciting race of two top-rated Israeli female players, the defending champion IM Yuliya Shvayger (pictured below) and IM Marsel Efroimski, dominating the field. It all came to an abrupt end in the penultimate round when Marsel, trailing Yulia by a half-point, suffered an unexpected defeat at the hands of lower-rated Julia Kluchik. Heading into the final a full point ahead of her main rival, Shvayger made a quick draw and secured the title with an impressive score of 7.5/9. Efroimski finished a half-point behind and took silver. WFM Ronit Levitan netted 6.5/9 and earned bronze. Final standings: 1 IM Shvayger, Yuliya 2350 7½ 2 IM Efroimski, Marsel 2470 7 3 WFM Levitan, Ronit 1973 6½ 4 Kluchik, Julia 1887 5 5 Tashkinova, Sofiia 1919 4 6 Ovechkin, Lilia 1680 4 7 WFM Reprun, Nadejda 1979 3½ 8 Kochavi, Dana 2011 3 9 Orian, Noga 1949 3 10 Brusilovski, Lena 1800 1½ Photo: Dr. ML-Photo (Mark Livshitz) Official webpage: chess.org.il/
Kazakhstan Championship 2022: Zhalmakhanov and Kamalidenova win titles
IM Ramazan Zhalmakhanov and WIM Meruert Kamalidenova are the new champions of Kazakhstan. The Kazakhstan Chess Championship took place from December 2-11 in Semey, with the open and women’s events (round-robin tournaments with classical time control) running simultaneously. The 9th-rated Ramazan Zhalmakhanov (pictured below) caused a minor sensation in the open championship scoring 9/13 and finishing a full point ahead of Kazybek Nogerbek and Denis Makhnev, who tied for second place. The 20-year-old from Almaty took a practical approach drawing the games with his main competitors and notching up several victories against the participants from the bottom of the standings, which worked perfectly for him. The silver medal goes to Kazybek Nogerbek, thanks to better Sonneborn-Berger; Denis Makhnev took the bronze. The champion and the runner-up became the only unbeaten players in the competition. Final standings: 1 IM Zhalmakhanov, Ramazan 2401 9 2 IM Nogerbek, Kazybek 2468 8 3 GM Makhnev, Denis 2481 8 4 GM Kazhgaleyev, Murtas 2507 7½ 5 IM Agmanov, Zhandos 2442 7½ 6 Utegaliyev, Azamat 2445 7 7 IM Urazayev, Arystanbek 2465 7 8 IM Aitbayev, Aslan 2421 7 9 GM Kostenko, Petr 2374 5½ 10 IM Suleymenov, Alisher 2476 5½ 11 IM Kazakov, Konstantin 2385 5½ 12 IM Ansat, Aldiyar 2291 5 13 FM Abdilkhair, Abilmansur 2278 4½ 14 FM Sapenov, Daniyal 2323 4 The fate of the title in the women’s championship was decided in the final eleventh round. Sitting on 8/10, the rating favourite and the leader Meruert Kamalidenova (pictured below) did not play (due to the odd number of participants) and had to wait for the outcome of the game between her main rival Alua Nurmanova vs Elnaz Kaliakhment. Photo: Niki Riga Trailing Kamalidenova by a full point, Nurmanova needed a victory to catch up with the leader she beat in the direct encounter. Playing with the white pieces, Alua came very close and had a study-like win at some point but missed her chance and had to settle for a draw to finish a half-point behind the champion (7½/10). Xeniya Balabayeva and Amina Kairbekova scored 6½/10 each and tied for third place, with the former taking bronze by dint of slightly better Sonneborn-Berger. Final standings: 1 WIM Kamalidenova, Meruert 2377 8 2 WIM Nurmanova, Alua 2191 7½ 3 WIM Balabayeva, Xeniya 2183 6½ 4 WIM Kairbekova, Amina 2209 6½ 5 WIM Serikbay, Assel 2230 6 6 WIM Nurgali, Nazerke 2168 5½ 7 WIM Sultanbek, Zeinep 1891 5 8 WFM Nurgaliyeva, Zarina 2013 3½ 9 WFM Kaliakhmet, Elnaz 1786 2½ 10 Kaldarova, Ayaulym 1832 2 11 Popandopulo, Kristina 1846 2 Photo: Kazakhstan Chess Federation Facebook page Official website: kazchess.kz/
Greek Championship: Georgios Mitsis and Marina Makropoulou come out on top
Georgios Mitsis and WGM Marina Makropoulou are the 2022 Greek Chess Champions. The championships (round-robin tournaments with classical time control) took place in the headquarters of the Greek Chess Federation in Athens from December 3 to 11. The 4th ranked Georgios Mitsis, rated 2365, clinched his first national title with a round to spare, scoring 7 out 9, 1½ points ahead of FM Nikolaos Koutlas and GM Spyridon Skembris.The 20-year-old got off to a flying start winning the first three games, including against #2 IM Konstantinos Moutousis and #3 GM Spyridon Skembris. Georgios scored five wins and made four draws, had a performance of 2552 and gained 42.4 rating points. FM Nikolaos Koutlas won the silver medal thanks to his greater number of victories (four), while GM Spyridon Skembris (three victories) took the bronze. Final standings: 1 Mitsis, Georgios (2365) 7 2 FM Koutlas, Nikolaos (2267) 5½ 3 GM Skembris, Spyridon (2381) 5½ 4 IM Alexakis, Dimitris (2486) 5 5 FM Trimitzios, Petros (2358) 5 6 FM Markidis, Konstantinos (2290) 4½ 7 FM Alexiadis, Hristos (2342) 4½ 8 IM Moutousis, Konstantinos (2392) 3½ 9 Naoum, Spyridon (2352) 3 10 Marinakis, Hristos (2118) 1½ A first-round win turned out to be a crucial one for WGM Marina Makropoulou. She beat Antonia Christodoulaki, who, however, managed to bounce back and catch up with Marina in the final round. Marina scored 7/10 and claimed the title thanks to the first tiebreak, their direct encounter. The rating favourite, aged 62, clinched her ninth national title in Greece (tenth in total; she also won the 1984 Romanian Women’s Championship) and broke two records: the number of women’s champions titles and the oldest woman to win the national championship in Greece. Antonia Christodoulaki, who also scored 7/10 points, had to settle for the silver medal, and Magdalini Mihailidou, who netted 6/10 and took the bronze. Final standings: 1 WGM Makropoulou, Marina (2130) 7 2 Christodoulaki, Antonia (2063) 7 3 Mihailidou, Magdalini (1815) 6 4 WFM Makka, Evanthia (2008) 5½ 5 WIM Makka, Ioulia (1952) 5½ 6 Androni, Konstantina (1964) 5 7 Gkoutzouki, Aikaterini Argyro (1618) 5 8 Drakaki, Anna-Maria (1956) 5 9 Deli, Eleanna Ratzvika (1718) 3½ 10 Amiridou, Dimitra (1871) 3 11 Kiousi, Panagiota (1818) 2½ Photo: Ioannis Makropoulos
Fernando Peralta wins 2022 Argentine Championship
Fernando Peralta is a new Argentine chess champion. A native of Lomas de Zamora clinched his third national title following his success in 2006 and 2018. The 97th Argentine Championship took place from December 1-10 in San Carlos de Bariloche, Rio Negro. The event brought together the twelve best Argentine players, competing in a round-robin format. The tournament was a very close race among the top-rated participants that came down to the wire. Suffice it to say that three players – Fernando Peralta, Leandro Krysa and Sandro Mareco – shared first place coming into the final eleventh round on 7/10 with Pablo Acosta and top-rated Alan Pichot (pictured below) trailing them by a half-point. Mareco and Krysa playing each other drew their last game and opened the door for Peralta, facing Acosta with the white pieces. Fernando seized the opportunity and wrestled the title after scoring a crucial final-round victory. Meanwhile, Pichot beat Acosta and caught up with Mareco and Krysa but took silver thanks to a greater number of victories. For the same reason, Leonardo Krysa (pictured below) edged out Sandro Mareco and claimed the third place on the podium. Final standings: 1 GM Peralta, Fernando 2587 8 2 GM Pichot, Alan 2637 7½ 3 GM Krysa, Leandro 2524 7½ 4 GM Mareco, Sandro 2619 7½ 5 IM Acosta, Pablo Ismael 2463 6½ 6 FM Fiorito, Joaquin 2328 5½ 7 GM Perez Ponsa, Federico 2538 5½ 8 GM Flores, Diego 2541 5½ 9 GM Valerga, Diego 2438 4 10 IM Paveto, Kevin 2440 3½ 11 GM Sorin, Ariel 2363 3 12 FM Gaitan, Juan Manuel 2358 2 Official website: federacionargentinadeajedrez.org/ Photo: Benjamin Mela
Women’s Candidates: Tan Zhongyi honored in Khiva
The closing ceremony of the 2022 FIDE Women’s Candidates Pool B, took place this afternoon in the magnificent ballroom of the Farovon Hotel, the venue of the event. Representing China, GM Tan Zhongyi received the winner’s trophy and a diploma from FIDE President, Arkady Dvorkovich, who was joined on the stage by the President of the Uzbekistan Chess Federation, Alisher Sadullaev. Runner-up GM Aleksandra Goryachkina, who participated under the FIDE flag, didn’t attend the ceremony. The ceremony began at 3 pm with a short recap video of the event, followed by the official speeches of the authorities. Sadullaev thanked FIDE for supporting the idea of organizing the Women’s Candidates in Khiva and for their help and cooperation. He also hoped that many more top events could be held in Uzbekistan. Dvorkovich began his speech with words of gratitude to all the local organizers and everyone who made the event possible, including the arbiters, the fair-play team, the media team, and the hotel staff. He also thanked all the local Uzbek people who always warmly welcome their guests with all their hearts. He mentioned that it was his request to hold the event in Uzbekistan, that he was really happy it turned out so well, and that the best players in the world had a chance to play here. He was also very pleased to see so many other players present in the 1st International Al-Beruniy Chess Open tournament, especially all the kids. Finally, Chief Arbiter Husan Turdialiev thanked the players for their great fighting chess and a good attitude, before inviting Tan Zhongyi onto the stage. Arkady Dvorkovich gave her the winner’s trophy and all the guests stood up for China’s official anthem. The authorities exchanged gifts and pleasantries. Amongst other presents, Dvorkovich was given a set of traditional Uzbek robes and a hat, while Sadullaev was treated to a special chess book, which Dvorkovich used to learn how to play. Dvorkovich also received a chess set from the Mayor of Khiva, Timur Davletov. The ceremony concluded with traditional music and dance, in addition to a tasty meal for everyone. OFFICIAL WEBSITE: womenscandidates.fide.com/ There is also a Flickr official page from where you can download the photos in high resolution. Text: IM Michael Rahal Photo: Timur Sattarov
Women’s Candidates: Tan Zhongyi defeats Goryachkina and will now face Lei Tingjie
In an amazing turn of events, when everything seemed to be pointing towards a tiebreak, former Women’s World Chess Champion GM Tan Zhongyi, from China, defeated GM Aleksandra Goryachkina, playing under the FIDE flag, in the fourth and final game of the 2022 Women’s Candidates Pool B. Tan Zhongyi will face Pool A winner, GM Lei Tingjie, also playing for China, in the first quarter of 2023. The winner will play the current women’s World Champion, GM Ju Wenjun, from China, for the title. The fourth game began at 3 pm sharp, in the Farovon Hotel venue. The ceremonial first move was performed by Mr. Akram Ikramov, General Director of the Hotel, who correctly guessed Tan Zhongyi’s first move 1.d4. Tan Zhongyi has been dominant in the opening stage, mixing up her openings intelligently to keep her opponent off-balance – Goryachkina has hardly had the chance to pose any serious problems. This afternoon, she decided to repeat the Semi-Slav defense, which was also seen in the second game of the match. However, instead of repeating the Exchange variation, with which she didn’t achieve much in that game, this time Tan Zhongyi understandably went for 6.e3. Slightly surprised, Goryachkina paused for a few moments considering her options, and finally decided to move her queen to a5: the Cambridge Springs variation. GM Arturs Neiksans, one of the official commentators of the event, was slightly taken aback by this choice, mentioning “I am not sure of the current reputation of this line”. Nevertheless, judging by the speed with which Tan Zhongyi whipped out her moves, she was clearly still in preparation. I did notice that Goryachkina had already played the Cambridge Springs against top Indian GM Nihan Sarin, back in 2020, along with other games against GM’s Cramling and Timofeev. I am also sure that her opponent’s team had also noticed this. The key moment of the game occurred on move eighteen, just out of the opening. Goryachkina blundered with the seemingly natural 18…Rac8? allowing the very strong and unexpected pawn thrust 18.c5! It took Goryachkina more than twenty minutes to recover from the shock. It’s not at all easy to find a way to parry the threat Nc4, hitting the queen and the bishop on a3. Tan Zhongyi took only four minutes to calculate the lines, which makes me think that she had already considered this idea in her home preparation. In an attempt to come out alive from the complications, Goryachkina sacrificed a piece for two pawns. She would have had some chances to survive had she found 32…Qe6! instead of 32…gxh4 played in the game. After that, it was plain sailing for Tan Zhongyi, who secured the win on move forty. In her post-game interview, Tan Zhongyi was very happy. FIDE Women’s Cadidates format and prizes Under the new knock-out format, players in each of the two brackets or “pools” will play a four-game match (plus tie-breaks, if needed) in order to advance to the next stage, with the final match being played over the distance of six games. The prize fund for this pool is €70,000, while another €110,000 will be at stake in the Women’s Candidates Final, raising the total to a record-breaking amount of €250,000. Khiva Established around 1500 years ago and currently housing a population of more than 90,000 people, Khiva is the former capital of Khwarezmia, and one of the three Uzbekistan historical cities on the Silk Road. The inner town, Itchan Kala, is encircled by brick walls, whose foundations are believed to have been laid in the 10th century. Mosques, madrassahs, and minarets are the present-day must-see highlights of the city. OFFICIAL WEBSITE: womenscandidates.fide.com/ There is also a Flickr official page from where you can download the photos in high resolution. Text: IM Michael Rahal Photo: Timur Sattarov
Croatian Championship: Ivan Šarić clinches his fourth title
Ivan Šarić emerged as the winner of the 2022 Croatian Chess Championship and took his fourth national title. He previously won this event in 2009, 2013 and 2018. The 2022 Croatian Chess Championship, a round-robin with classical time control, took place from 29 November to 9 December 2022 at Pax hotel in Split, the second-largest city in the country. A native of Split, Šarić stumbled in the first round falling to the defending champion Zdenko Kozul but did not flinch and turned in an excellent performance to finish on 7½/11, a full point ahead of his main competitors. Ante Brkić, Marin Bosiočić and Zoran Jovanović tied for second place scoring 6½/11, with the first two winning silver and bronze, respectively, thanks to better tiebreaks. Brkić and Jovanović became the only unbeaten players in the event. Final standings: 1 GM Šarić, Ivan 2674 7½ 2 GM Brkić, Ante 2610 6½ 3 GM Bosiočić, Marin 2536 6½ 4 GM Jovanović, Zoran 2513 6½ 5 GM Martinović, Saša 2557 6 6 GM Stević, Hrvoje 2543 6 7 GM Šarić, Ante 2504 6 8 GM Kožul, Zdenko 2539 5½ 9 GM Kurajica, Bojan 2487 4½ 10 GM Zelčić, Robert 2496 4½ 11 IM Dorić, Darko 2446 4 12 IM Bukal, Vladimir Jr. 2411 2½ Photo: Official website Official website: hrvatski-sahovski-savez.hr/