Poland wins IX IBCA World Team Chess Championship
IX IBCA World Team Chess Championship for the Blind and Visually Impaired took place in Ohrid, North Macedonia, from June 27 – July 08, 2022. The event was organized by the National Sports Federation of the Blind of North Macedonia in cooperation with the Chess Federation of North Macedonia. Every team featured four players and up to two reserves. Players used specialized Braille chess boards, talking clocks, and voice recording equipment. The competition followed the “trademark” IBCA format that combines round robin and double knockout, similar to some high-level football tournaments. Sixteen strongest teams, according to the results of the 2021 IBCA Olympiad, were seeded into two groups of eight teams each, where they played a seven-round RR. In the Yellow Group (Y), the top-3 finishers were Poland (13 match points), Ukraine (12 MP), and Hungary (11 MP). The Red Group (R) was won by Serbia (10 match points, 20 game points), followed by Spain (10 MP, 16 GP), and India (8 MP). On the rest day before the playoffs the organizers kindly arranged a free boat excursion on Lake Ohrid, a unique aquatic ecosystem of worldwide importance that was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, which culminated in a visit to the Monastery of Saint Naum, an Eastern Orthodox holy site established in 905 AD. In the evening, players and officials got together to celebrate the life of Dr Ludwig Beutelhoff, the longest-serving past IBCA president (2005-2017), who passed away at the age of 74. The IBCA 2nd Vice-President, Ms Diana Tsypina (CAN), read a tribute on behalf of the IBCA that commemorated Dr Beutelhoff and outlined his numerous achievements in philosophy, governance, Braille chess, and the Deutscher Schachbund. Then, other IBCA Board members, coaches, and players shared personal stories live or via pre-recorded video messages and reflected on how the deceased acted as a patient mentor and a role model and touched their lives profoundly. Dr Beutelhoff’s widow, Christine, was the guest of honour at this commemorative ceremony. In the top-four semifinal bracket, Poland (Y1) prevailed over Spain (R2) 2.5-1.5, while Serbia (R1) defeated Ukraine (Y2) 3.5-0.5. The decisive matches were: For the bronze medal: Ukraine (SF2-L) – Spain (SF1-L) For the championship title: Serbia (SF2-W) – Poland (SF1-W) Both hard-fought matches ended in a 2-2 draw, so the winners were decided on the tiebreaks. Final standings: Champion – Team Poland (GM Marcin Tazbir, IM Jacek Stachanczyk, IM Piotr Dukaczewski. Ryszard Suder, Michal Wolanski, Andrzej Migala; captain Marcin Tazbir) Silver medal – Team Serbia (FM Pavle Dimic, CM Damjan Jandric, Stefan Janjic, Mile Bjelanovic, FM Sretko Avram; captain Nikola Ivanovic) Bronze medal – Team Ukraine (Vladyslav Kolpakov, Igor Shepelev, WIM Lubov Zsiltzova-Lisenko, Ivan Yatsishin; captain Oleksandr Frantsuzov) Individual board prizes were won by players from seven countries, with gold medals awarded to: First board GM Marcin Tazbir (POL) 2nd board Soundarya Kuman Pradhan (IND) 3rd board Stefan Janjic (SRB) 4th board Ivan Yatsishin (UKR) Reserve board Michal Wolanski (POL) The closing ceremony on July 07 became a huge celebration for Braille players and their supporters. Non-seeing players, their accompanying persons, captains, coaches, officials, and spectators gathered in the sumptuous Biljana Hall at the Metropol Luxury Resort Ohrid, which was exclusively adorned with national-motif posters, and the flags of all sixteeb participating nations. A real constellation of dignitaries attended, including authorized representatives from the Agency for Youth and Sports of the Republic of North Macedonia and from the Ohrid municipality; Dr Charudatta Jadhav (IND), the IBCA President; Ms Diana Tsypina (CAN), the IBCA 2nd Vice-President; Mr Sasha Bogdanovikj, President, the Chess Federation of North Macedonia; Mr Blagoj Mishevski, President, National Sports Federation of the Blind of North Macedonia; Mr Zarko Selkovski, President, Braille Chess Association of North Macedonia. In his opening speech, Mr Sasha Bogdanovikj, President of the Chess Federation of North Macedonia, stressed that the IX IBCA World Team Championship for the Blind and Visually Impaired was the first world-level event for the non-seeing players organized in North Macedonia. The strategic thinking of Macedonian national and regional authorities, the excellent collaboration between the IBCA, the National Sports Federation of the Blind of North Macedonia, the Chess Federation of North Macedonia, the organizers, and local authorities made it possible for close to one hundred participants from about twenty countries to meet in person and enjoy chess. An extended address by the IBCA President Dr Charudatta Jadhav, summarized new accomplishments of the Braille chess community. He noted that the IX IBCA World Team Championship for the Blind and Visually Impaired was a complete success and a remarkable achievement for players, officials, and the organizers, made possible by the hospitality and friendliness of North Macedonia and its people. Fair play and good sportsmanship were demonstrated by everyone. Dr Jadhav thanked the Chief Arbiter and both Deputy Chief Arbiters for their excellent work. They always acted in the best interests of the competition and ensured the best conditions for the blind and visually impaired players. The CA and the DCAs also generously used their considerable skills in Braille chess to train local arbiters in the intricacies of these specialized type of competitions, thus ensuring cohesiveness and excellent functioning of the arbiter team for this event. The IBCA President told the audience that on July 03, the IBCA Board held a hybrid in-person/teleconference meeting from Ohrid and adopted several important documents that would strengthen the IBCA governance and allow the organization to advance in accordance with its strategic development plan for 2021-25. The IBCA and its national members – the organizations, specifically established for the promotion of Braille chess for the blind and visually impaired – work in harmony with respective countries’ governments, NGOs, national Paralympic Committees, the International Blind Sports Federation, FIDE, and other international associations as partners respecting each other’s core areas of expertise and advancing the goals set in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, and similar documents. Mr Blagoj Mishevski, President National Sports Federation of the Blind of North Macedonia, reflected on the importance of government and societal support for players with disabilities and described how advanced North Macedonia has become
Koneru narrowly beats Dzagnidze to advance into the quarters
GM Humpy Koneru edged out GM Nana Dzagnidze in their round of 16 match of the FIDE Chess.com 2022 Women’s Speed Chess Championship. Their duel was a very close affair that came down to the wire in the end. Suffice it to say that the score was level with five minutes to go. The first 5+1 segment was drawn 4-4; Dzagnidze took the second 3+1 one by a narrow margin, but Koneru stormed back convincingly winning the final 1+1 portion by a score of 6.5-2.5 and pulled off the victory in the match. “It was a neck-to-neck match. Most of the time, Nana was up one point… But when the 3|1 segment started, I was down by three points, so the comeback was very important and crucial for me. Everything worked out in the bullet games,” said the winner in a short interview with GM Irina Krush and WIM Anna-Maja Kazarian after the match. The next round of 16 match, GM Harika Dronavalli vs WGM Deysi Cori, begins on Thursday, July 7, at 6:30 a.m. Pacific / 15:30 Central European. To follow the FIDE Chess.com Women’s Speed Chess Championship, watch a live broadcast of the event with expert commentary on Chess.com/TV and Chess.com Twitch Channel. More info and a full schedule of the FIDE Chess.com Women’s Speed Chess Championship can be found here.
2022 FIDE Candidates Tournament came to a close in Madrid
Chess legends, players and Spanish dignitaries got together at the Four Seasons Hotel in Madrid to celebrate the end of the most important chess tournament of the year. During the past two weeks, eight players played 56 games altogether to determine who would be the challenger for the title of world champion in chess. The winner of the Candidates, Ian Nepomniachtchi, was greeted with a big round of applause as he got up to receive his prize. After FIDE President Dvorkovich placed a laurel wreath on Nepomniachtchi’s shoulders and gave him the trophy, Ian held it up high with a big smile on his face. As if Nepomniachtchi finally felt he could breathe out and fully embrace his great success. “A few days ago, I could not imagine there would be such an opportunity [to receive the trophy and give a speech], and, of course, I didn’t prepare anything,” said Nepomniachtchi. However, he added: ‘My previous memory of Madrid was getting stuck on New Year’s Eve for a day [at the airport], and I didn’t like it. Now, however, I found out that this is a beautiful city. I was really amused how chess is being celebrated here… and people being so emotional about chess which you normally don’t see very often’. In his speech, Nepomniachtchi thanked the former world champion Viswanathan Anand “for being an example” and helping him recover following his loss in the Dubai match for the world title Magnus Carlsen. After thanking his team and everyone who supported him, Nepomniachtchi ended with a message: ‘I really hope that the end of this year will be better than its beginning’. FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich thanked the players and the organisers for a ‘fantastic event’. ‘From round one to the last round, it was a very big fight. I saw how much the players love chess, and this is what we all share – love for chess, playing chess and watching chess. I hope we will continue doing this for years’, Dvorkovich said. FIDE president also thanked the Spanish and international media for the wide coverage chess has received over the last two weeks. Among the special guests of the evening were former world champion Vishy Anand and the strongest woman player ever, Judit Polgar. Speaking on behalf of the regional government, Alberto Tomé thanked FIDE for choosing Madrid for the Candidates and pledged further support for future events. The sentiment was echoed by the president of the Spanish chess federation Javier Ochoa de Echagüen. “We thank FIDE for having trust in us, and we hope to collaborate in future tournaments. We’d like to see you again soon,” Ochoa de Echagüen said. Tournament Director and FIDE Managing Director, Dana Reizniece-Ozola gave paid tribute to her entire team organising the event. “Tonight we will celebrate, expressing our appreciation for the winners of the tournament. This is also a celebration of the great team who has been doing their utmost to make this a success. For the eight Candidates this has been an event saturated with emotions. For us this was a blitz game and a hand and brains game. Thank you to all the technical team who helped make this event happen.” The ceremony was followed by a gala dinner and a flamenco performance. The closing press conference Earlier in the day there was a press conference involving FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, and the top finishers of the event – Ian Nepomniachtchi, Ding Liren, and Teimour Radjabov. The press event was held at the Palacio de Santona, where the tournament took place. FIDE President announced the start of the process of organising the match for the title of world champion and the beginning of the next world championship cycle. The players answered questions about their play, the tournament, the impact of Covid, how engines have affected their play, and more. Video of the closing press conference is available on our YouTube. Text: Milan Dinic Photos: FIDE / Stev Bonhage and Maria Emelianova / Chess.com 2022 Candidates Tournament Partners:
On the way to Chennai for the Arbiters’ Team
July 3, 2022, became a historic day for the FIDE Arbiters’ Commission. The vision of the Commission has become a reality: the FIDE ARB is seeking opportunities to leverage the quality of Arbiters and support their growth worldwide, using FIDE Events as a development tool for a better player experience. With this in mind, a special preparation programme was set up for the Arbiters’ Team of the 44th Chess Olympiad in Chennai. The first session took place on July 3, bringing together almost 200 arbiters from nearly 100 federations. The team was welcomed by the Chief Arbiter and Chairman of the ARB, Laurent Freyd, before the ARB Councilor in charge of World Events Preparation, Omar Salama, introduced the team structure, arbiters’ roles and teamwork expected at the 44th Chess Olympiad. There was a good interaction during the session, and each of the 12 sectors will now form teams to prepare for the year’s main event together. A second online session is planned for July 17, before a final preparation day on July 28, at the Olympiad venue, to practice in real conditions.
Ian Nepomniachtchi wins the Candidates without a single loss
With a draw in the final game, Nepomniachtchi finished the tournament on 9.5/14. In a dramatic duel which lasted five hours, Ding Liren defeated Hikaru Nakamura to clinch second place The final, 14th round of the 2022 Candidates didn’t promise much initially. All four games were calm, the positions even, and it seemed as if we were heading for a day of draws. Instead, there was just one draw. In terms of results, today’s round did not matter for Ian Nepomniachtchi, who secured victory in the event following a draw in round 13. However, this game was psychologically important for him: Nepomniachtchi didn’t want a repeat of the previous Candidates, which he also won with a round to spare but then lost the final game, which gave a bitter aftertaste to his great success. Playing the Petrov, Nepomniachtchi was under psychological pressure from Jan-Krzysztof Duda, who seemed much more relaxed and comfortable in his bearing compared to how he had played in the rest of the tournament. All the time, the game was even. Duda was looking for chances, but Nepomniachtchi always responded adequately and confidently, bringing the game to a draw without much drama. Finishing the Candidates in the first place and without a single defeat is a strong statement for anyone vying for the title of world champion. A great achievement by Ian Nepomniachtchi. The 24-year-old Jan-Krzysztof Duda finished the tournament on 5.5/14, in shared seventh-eighth place. In his first appearance in the Candidates, Duda showed a strong fighting spirit and ability to put the more experienced players in an uncomfortable position. However, he probably needs to work more on his confidence and willpower. In a direct duel for second place, Ding Liren defeated Hikaru Nakamura, who was leading him by half a point. Ding needed to win if he wanted to come in second, while Nakamura only needed a draw. The two played the Semi-Tarrasch, which transposed into Queen’s Gambit Accepted. For the most part, the game was even. Black successfully stopped any advances from White, exchanging pieces and simplifying the position along the way. However, in the advanced stage of the middlegame, Nakamura made a blunder with 35…Bd8 allowing White to keep his rook to the seventh rank. From that moment on, it was all Ding. He played very tenaciously, not allowing Nakamura any chance of escaping. The American played till the very end, hoping for a miracle. But it never came. A great stroke of luck for Ding, who – having an abysmal start to the tournament – made an amazing comeback in the second half and, with this victory in the final round, clinched second place, with 8/14. The second place could be relevant if world champion Magnus Carlsen decides not to defend his title. In that case, he will be replaced by the player who finished second in the FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022. Nakamura finished in shared third-fourth place on 7.5/14. After today’s loss to Teimour Radjabov with white pieces, Hungarian Richard Rapport finishes the event in last place, on 5.5 points. In an even position in the Anti-Berlin, Rapport was overoptimistic when sacrificing a piece for an attack on the black king but ended up with nothing. Radjabov cold-bloodedly repelled the attack and scored a confident victory. Rapport had ups and downs in this event, and his place on the scoreboard is not a reflection of the play and strength he showed in the event. On the other hand, Radjabov – who spent the first part of the tournament in the lower ranks, finished with 7.5 points and in a great shared third to fourth place with Nakamura. Despite being written off by many, Radjabov proved to be a dangerous opponent and an amazing defender. One of the favourites to win the event, Fabiano Caruana, finished the tournament with a defeat. In a game which lasted for well over six hours, he lost as White against Alireza Firouzja. In the Berlin line of the Ruy Lopez, the position was mostly even until Caruana miscalculated in organising an attack on the black king and allowed Firouzja to take the initiative. Despite standing significantly better, Firouzja didn’t play very precisely, allowing Caruana chances to make a comeback. In the end, Caruana managed to narrow Black’s advantage and get into a position which was uncomfortable but where he could hold. Ultimately, on the move 60, just upon reaching time control, Caruana made a huge blunder in the endgame, and this time he wasn’t given another chance. Completely lost, he was forced to resign. A sad ending for Caruana, who had an excellent first part of the tournament, just a step behind Nepomniachtchi. However, he broke in the second part and didn’t recover until the end. With 6.5/14, Caruana finished the event in fifth place, well below his play and strength. The victory against Caruana was a silver lining for Firouzja, but overall – he had a poor tournament, playing tactlessly. After holding out in the early games, he crashed after the defeat from Ian Nepomniachtchi in round four and never really came back. One thing Firouzja needs and he cannot get with any preparation is maturity. How he approaches the experience from these Candidates and how he works on his character will be key to him showing his best in future events. The Frenchman finished the tournament in sixth place, with six points. Here follows a closer look at the games from the final, 14th round of the Candidates. Richard Rapport vs Teimour Radjabov: Worlds apart In the anti-Berlin, Rapport managed to gain the initiative following the opening taking full advantage of Radjabov’s imprecise play at this stage. Rapport prepared for attacking the kingside but here he overextended with 19.g5. Instead, Nh4, followed by Nf5 gradually increasing pressure on Black, was better. Luckily for Rapport, Radjabov took on g5 with the f-pawn instead of the h-pawn, immediately giving White the advantage. Instead of proceeding with 20.h4 opening lines on the kingside, Rapport went for a knight sacrifice – 20.Nxg5,
Checkmate Coronavirus: Road to Chennai
In 2020 chess was affected by the pandemic like any other sport, with tournaments postponed or cancelled and clubs temporarily closed. Yet the nature of chess helped players, fans, and enthusiasts of the game to stay active and involved during this crisis, whereas online chess got an unprecedented boost. In May 2020, FIDE launched a massive online project, Checkmate Coronavirus, a marathon of 720 non-stop hours and 2,762 tournaments played by 120,000 unique participants from at least 140 countries. The aftermath of the project is no less exciting than the chess battles in its tournaments. Winners of the event received mini-matches and master classes with top GMs, 800 souvenir prizes with FIDE Checkmate Coronavirus memorabilia. The main prize winners were invited to the Chess Olympiad 2022. 6-nights trip to Chennai with paid air tickets, full board and a chance to meet the greatest chess players of our times were awarded to the chess amateurs representing Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Greece, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, Myanmar, Pakistan, Serbia, South Africa, Spain, Sudan, Sweden and Thailand. Very soon, they will go to Chennai to enjoy the mecca of Indian chess, and to attend the FIDE flagship event with 187 open and 162 women teams participating. We have received many stories from the main prize winners, some of them are heart-warming. 44-year-old Nicolas Noel is from France but lives in Thailand. He started playing chess for fun in the 2000s in France with friends, never in a club, and played his first classical FIDE-rated tournament in Bangkok in 2012. During the pandemic, he played online a lot on many platforms. He played in hundreds of Checkmate Coronavirus tournaments! Still, he was very surprised to realize he had won a trip to the Chess Olympiad. “I checked your Facebook page and could not believe my eyes. I nearly dropped my coffee mug!” he says. “I mainly want to enjoy the Chess Olympiad and play as many side events as possible. If there’s some free time between chess games, I will be glad to enjoy a walk in the city. I’m a very basic tourist and like to enjoy cities by myself. Not much a big fan of touristic attractions.” Elshad Abdullayev is 30; he lives in Baku, Azerbaijan. He started to learn chess when he was ten years old. Now he is a chess coach and an International Arbiter. Elshad has profiles on Chess.com, Lichess, Chess24. He played around 15 tournaments and got two tickets without even knowing about it. He never could imagine that he could win the first prize. “I saw publication on FB profile of Emil Sutovsky, he said, that we have winners from Algeria, Azerbaijan and….. and I got curious. Who was the winner from Azerbaijan? I found the Checkmate Coronavirus page and saw my name there. First I didn’t believe that it could be me! I am very happy. And I am already waiting for this Olympiad!” Alan Borda is 35 and from the city of El Alto, Bolivia. Alan has played chess since he was 14 and participated in several international tournaments representing Bolivia. In 2010 Alan took part with the Bolivian team in the World Chess Olympiad in Khanty-Mansysk, Russia. “I usually played online every once in a while, but since I saw the news of the FIDE Checkmate Coronavirus program, I played a lot more”, – he says. Alan was watching the broadcast of the draw in the living room of his house. “I was absent for a moment, and when I returned to the room, they were just saying my nick YODITA, and I was very happy because I thought I had won the mini-match with a top GM, but a few minutes later, I went to the FIDE Checkmate Coronavirus Facebook page and there I could see that I had won the invitation to the Chess Olympiad. I couldn’t believe it! An amazing feeling of happiness! I celebrated by raising my hands in victory.” Víctor Pérez Díez is 28, he lives in Madrid, Spain. His father taught him how to play chess when he was 6, but he started with chess classes and playing tournaments when he was 11.” I usually play online chess. During this lockdown, I’ve been alone and with few things to do, so I have been playing online chess more often. I think I have played more than 100 tournaments during this lockdown. Checkmate Coronavirus has been great news for me,” – says Victor, – “I was watching the draw with Anish Giri on Youtube, and he took my number. I couldn’t believe it. I started to jump and shout, I sent a capture with my name and the prize to my family and my friends. It was an amazing moment. I still can’t believe it. After almost three months alone, it was something wonderful for me. It was a great surprise and a lot of joy”. Victor has never been to a top chess tournament. “I want to see how an elite tournament works, and to meet some of these players, who are my idols, would be incredible,” he adds. Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu, will be the host city for the 44th Chess Olympiad, which will take place from July 28 to August 10. Situated in the Bay of Bengal in eastern India, this city of 7 million inhabitants is home to the legendary World Champion Viswanathan Anand, the first-ever Grandmaster from India.
Ian Nepomniachtchi becomes challenger for the title of World Champion
Grandmaster Ian Nepomniachtchi clinched victory at the Candidates Tournament by securing first place with a round to spare Following a draw in round 13 game against Hungarian Grandmaster Richard Rapport, Nepomniachtchi is on 9/13, a point and a half ahead of the rest of the field. This is his second consecutive victory in the eight-player Candidates. In the post-game interview, when asked how he is feeling now, Nepomniachtchi responded: ‘The traditional answer is – I don’t know… In this tournament, I was trying more to play chess than playing for a win. That is important… Another important factor is that I never had a six-hour game here. I was lucky enough not to play for too long’, said Nepomniachtchi. The 31-year-old Russian has taken an early lead in the tournament and is the only player not to lose a single game. American Hikaru Nakamura is currently in clear second place with 7.5 points, having won today against Polish GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda. In the final – 14th round – he will be up against China’s Ding Liren, who is on seven points, in a direct duel for second place. The race for second place has become ever more important since five-times world champion Magnus Carlsen has made several suggestions he might not be willing to defend his title. If Carlsen decides not to play in the match which is due to take place next year, he will be replaced by the runner-up in the Candidates. Summary of the games of Round 13 Ian Nepomniachtchi was White against Richard Rapport, who opted for a sharp line in the Richter-Rauzer variation of the Sicilian. However, Nepomniachtchi was looking to calm the game, and he forced exchanges, making things simpler on the board. Rapport, at one point, started advancing his king towards the middle, but he steered clear of dangerous exhibitions such as those in round seven against Nepo, when he refused a draw offer and ended up losing. In an even position, a draw was agreed on move 34 following threefold repetition. It is all Nepomniachtchi needed to claim first place, with one more round to go. In light of the debate about whether the reigning world champion Magnus Carlsen will defend his title or not, an even more significant question mark grows on who the winner of the Candidates will be facing. When asked who he wants to play in the world championship match, Nepomniachtchi said: ‘Literally, I don’t care. But, of course, it would be quite challenging to play Magnus again.’ Ian Nepomniachtchi has been the leader from the very start of the tournament and is the only player in the field not to suffer a defeat in 13 rounds played. He will be hoping to maintain this in the final game, in round 14, and avoid the repeat of 2020/21 Candidates in Yekaterinburg, where he also won with a round to spare but then lost the last game. While the main story of the day is Nepomniachtchi confirming his victory in the Candidates, the most gripping question is – who will be second? This question has dominated the latter part of the event ever since the prospects of Nepomniachchi’s victory became almost certain. The main candidates are Hikaru Nakamura and Ding Liren who entered today’s round with 6.5 points. The most exciting game of the day was between Hikaru Nakamura and Jan-Krzysztof Duda. The young player from Poland opted for a Najdorf Sicilian – entering a sharp line where both sides needed to calculate a lot. In a game full of ups and downs for both sides, Nakamura seemed to have overstretched himself, sacrificing a pawn and giving Black several good chances in the early middlegame. However, as in the previous games, Duda failed the strength and energy to convert the advantage untimely pushed in the centre and gradually gave back the initiative to White. In a tactical position, Nakamura managed to outplay his opponent in the second part of the game, and after Black’s serious mistake on move 37, he ended up completely winning. With 7.5/13, Nakamura is alone in second place. Ding was black against Alireza Firouzja, who opted for a calmer line – with the Four Knight’s Scotch. For the first ten moves, the two followed the same line as in the round eight game between Nepomniachtci and Ding, which ended in a draw. It seemed that the two were heading for a speedy draw following quick play and exchanges. However, in the endgame, Ding decided to give up a pawn on the h-file and spice up the position. Firouzja countered Black’s advances well and then found a bishop sacrifice which activated his rook, enabling it to give perpetual checks. Ding was willing to take a risk today and was pushing, but it didn’t go, and he didn’t overforce it. With 7/13, Ding stands a solid chance to take second place. As for Firouzja, anything but a defeat is good news at this stage. In the last round, Hikaru Nakamura will be facing Ding Lireng in a direct duel for second place. In today’s game, Fabiano Caruana was playing with black pieces against the uneasy Teimour Radjabov. In the Catalan, Caruana surprised his opponent in the opening, choosing a rarer line and sacrificing a pawn. Black did get some initiative, but Radjabov quickly simplified and transitioned to an even endgame where the two quickly agreed on a draw. Both Caruana and Radjabov are on 6.5/13 and don’t have chances for second place. Here follows a closer look at the games from round thirteen of the Candidates. Ian Nepomniachtchi vs Richard Rapport: Confidence and calm Rapport opted for a sharp line, refusing to play for a draw and hand Nepomniachtchi the victory. The opponents played a long theoretical line of Richter-Rauzer attack in the Sicilian that has been tested in many games before. White is pressuring Black down the d- and e-file, while, in response, black’s bishop on b4 is tying the white queen and preventing White from playing
44th Chess Olympiad: Participating teams announced
FIDE is excited to announce the participating teams of the 44th Chess Olympiad. 187 teams in the Open section and 162 in the Women’s will gather in Chennai, India, from July 28 to August 10 for the biggest chess competition of the year. The Chess Olympiad is growing with every edition, and the 44th in Chennai is going to be the largest. Open Section # Team Av. Rt. Captain 1 USA 2771 Donaldson, John 2 Azerbaijan 2705 Abasov, Nijat 3 India 2696 Narayanan, Srinath 4 Norway 2692 Haarr, Jon Kristian 5 Spain 2687 Magem Badals, Jordi 6 Poland 2683 Socko, Bartosz 7 Netherlands 2672 Smeets, Jan 8 Ukraine 2666 Sulypa, Oleksandr 9 Germany 2664 Gustafsson, Jan 10 England 2662 Pein, Malcolm 11 India 2 2649 Ramesh, R B 12 Armenia 2642 Pashikian, Arman 13 Iran 2636 Pourramezanali, Amirreza 14 Uzbekistan 2625 Sokolov, Ivan 15 France 2621 Maze, Sebastien 16 Hungary 2621 Acs, Peter 17 Czech Republic 2612 Simacek, Pavel 18 Croatia 2611 Kozul, Zdenko 19 Romania 2605 Miron, Lucian-Costin 20 Turkey 2602 Kanmazalp, Ogulcan 21 Greece 2602 Nikolaidis, Ioannis 22 Israel 2598 Glaz, Ilana David 23 Serbia 2595 Perunovic, Miodrag 24 Georgia 2580 Sturua, Zurab 25 Italy 2574 Van Wely, Loek 26 Denmark 2566 Hansen, Sune Berg 27 Brazil 2563 Priyadharshan, Kannappan 28 Australia 2559 Rodgers, Jack 29 Argentina 2558 Hungaski, Robert 30 Bulgaria 2557 31 Sweden 2556 Ahlander, Bjorn 32 Cuba 2552 Oscar Perez Garcia, Rodney 33 Austria 2546 Predojevic, Borki 34 Slovakia 2543 Movsesian, Sergei 35 Lithuania 2540 Vaznonis, Donatas 36 Switzerland 2534 Hindermann, Felix 37 Peru 2533 Gutierrez, Renzo 38 Egypt 2530 Mohamed, Farag Amrou 39 Kazakhstan 2526 Ibrayev, Nurlan 40 Montenegro 2521 Kosic, Dragan 41 Slovenia 2510 Sebenik, Matej 42 Chile 2510 Garcia Cardenas, Pablo 43 Iceland 2509 Petursson, Margeir 44 Canada 2496 Plotkin, Victor 45 Mongolia 2478 Gan-Od, Sereenen 46 Indonesia 2472 Majella, Rudijanto 47 Turkmenistan 2469 Kakabayev, Mergen 48 Paraguay 2467 Riquelme, Andres 49 Moldova 2462 50 Uruguay 2460 Rivera, Daniel 51 Belgium 2460 Hovhannisyan, Mher 52 Colombia 2456 Mosquera, Miguel 53 Philippines 2452 Torre, Eugenio 54 Portugal 2440 Galvao, Henrique 55 Albania 2434 Muco, Fatos 56 Finland 2433 Keinanen, Toivo 57 Singapore 2427 Kvon, Andrey 58 Estonia 2414 Kaido, Kulaots 59 Andorra 2398 Martinez Balastegui, Marti 60 Ireland 2396 Jackson, Carl 61 Faroe Islands 2394 Gaard, Ingolf 62 North Macedonia 2389 Nedev, Trajko 63 Mexico 2389 Della Morte, Pablo 64 Latvia 2382 Ungurs, Edgars 65 Bangladesh 2380 Mallick, Masudur Rahman 66 Ecuador 2370 Noboa, Silva Kevin 67 Kosovo 2343 Fejzullahu, Afrim 68 Scotland 2342 Minnican, Alan 69 South Africa 2342 Grover, Sahaj 70 Kyrgyzstan 2337 Imanaliev, Talaibek 71 Bolivia 2324 Munoz Contreras, Nelson 72 Venezuela 2317 Palacios, Lanza Antonio 73 Zambia 2314 Banda, Aaron 74 Malaysia 2304 Subramaniam, Sumant 75 Dominican Republic 2286 Mazara Ruiz, Adan Manuel 76 Costa Rica 2280 Fernandez Sanchez, Mario Andres 77 Tunisia 2270 Bouaziz, Mehdi 78 Nigeria 2263 Akhiwu, Eugene Ehidiamhen 79 Luxembuorg 2263 David, Alberto 80 Japan 2258 Stojanovic, Mihajlo 81 Yemen 2257 Abdulla, Ba Mallm 82 Guatemala 2249 Leyva, Hector 83 Panama 2246 Collantes, Juan Ramon 84 Iraq 2244 Al-Sahlanee, Hayder A. Jaafar 85 New Zealand 2242 Bojkov, Dejan 86 Tajikistan 2242 Hisoriev, Shorahmat 87 South Korea 2228 Song, Jinwoo 88 El Salvador 2222 Castillo, Nelson 89 Monaco 2216 Loseva, Yulia 90 Uganda 2216 Teeba, Jorden 91 Trinidad & Tobago 2213 Hunte, Keelan 92 Angola 2209 Domingos, Catarino 93 Zimbabwe 2208 Moyo, Lloyd 94 Lebanon 2198 Khodashenas, Mersad 95 Wales 2192 Hunt, Adam C 96 Syria 2191 Hamad, Alsaed 97 Algeria 2189 Badreddine Khelfallah, Omar 98 Jordan 2180 Kruppa, Yuri 99 Thailand 2176 Pitirotjirathon, Jirapak 100 Sudan 2161 Delchev, Aleksander 101 Cyprus 2148 Antoniou, Stathis 102 Nicaragua 2147 Rocha, Maximiliano 103 United Arab Emirates 2146 Erdogdu, Mert 104 Madagascar 2143 Ramalanjaona, Andrianantenaina 105 Pakistan 2114 Amer, Karim 106 Nepal 2110 Bogati, Dhan Bahadur 107 Jamaica 2107 Pitterson, Jomo 108 South Sudan 2101 Henry, John 109 Ethiopia 2091 Birhanu, Tegegn Mehadem 110 Puerto Rico 2089 Cuenca Jimenez, Jose Fernando 111 Sri Lanka 2086 Barsov, Alexei 112 Botswana 2069 Thompson, Modisane 113 Honduras 2049 Colindres, Javier Medina 114 Netherlands Antilles 2046 Curiel, David 115 Malta 2040 Novak, Atilla Robert 116 Malawi 2028 Sharra, Leonard 117 Haiti 2026 Luxama, Jacques Muller 118 Suriname 2019 Kaslan, Marlon 119 Qatar 2010 Kuzmin, Alexey 120 Namibia 2009 Mishra, Neeraj-Kumar 121 Libya 2008 Abokrais, Kaled 122 Cape Verde 2004 Carapinha, Francisco Manuel 123 Barbados 1998 Gurevich, Mikhail 124 Myanmar 1995 Maung, Maung Kyaw Zaw Hein 125 Liechtenstein 1982 Frick, Renato 126 Mali 1977 Doumbia, Amadou 127 Jersey 1968 Mooney, Graham 128 Mauritania 1961 Mohamed Salem, Yahi 129 Bahrain 1957 Abdulgaffar, Jamal 130 Afghanistan 1949 Farazi, Khaibar 131 Saudi Arabia 1935 Haddouche, Mohamed 132 Chinese Taipei 1932 Tsai, Yao-Hung 133 Somalia 1931 Mohamoud Farah, Mustafa 134 Kenya 1928 Magana, Ben 135 Ghana 1918 Ribli, Zoltan 136 Cote d’Ivoire 1917 Mosso, Guy Serge 137 Liberia 1905 Tamba, William Saa 138 Sao Tome and Principe 1897 Sharma, Hemant 139 Hong Kong 1895 Lam, Chi Wang Raymond 140 Palestine 1893 Sader, Naji 141 Guam 1888 Tirador, Elias 142 Mozambique 1887 Alice, Mateus Felizardo Viageiro 143 Kuwait 1865 Abdel Razik, Khaled 144 Mauritius 1865 Bhowany, Koomaren 145 Oman 1865 146 Aruba 1863 Bueno Perez, Lazaro Antonio 147 Saint Lucia 1862 Comas, Martin 148 Togo 1859 Numatsi, Yawotsu Dzigba 149 Senegal 1838 Izeta Txabarri, Felix 150 Gambia 1836 Kenmure, Jamie 151 Guyana 1826 Mars, Davion 152 Maldives 1807 Li, Jackson 153 San Marino 1797 Caruso, Augusto 154 Bermuda 1796 Dimitrijevic, Aleksandra 155 Palau 1779 Cabunagan, Tito 156 Bahamas 1777 Gonzalez, Renier 157 Tanzania 1763 Mussa, Mangula 158 Nauru 1762 Depaune, Inza 159 Rwanda 1736 Nkuyubwatsi, Eddy Christian 160 Cameroon 1707 Fouda Tocko, Paul Aristide 161 Timor-Leste 1704 dos Reis, Tito 162 Lesotho 1692 Mphetole, Mona 163 Sierra Leone 1670 Lwebuga, Ronald 164 Brunei Darussalam 1657 Hj, Sulaiman Amir Fakhry 165 Eswatini 1657 Siame, William 166 Papua New Guinea 1641 McCoy, Tom 167 Gabon 1608 Bongo, Akanga Ndjila Barthelemy 168 Guernsey 1602 Akshat, Khamparia 169 Fiji 1591 Arvind,
FIDE July 1 Rating list is out
There were no significant changes in the Top 10 of the July rating list as the Candidates Tournament is still underway in Madrid. Alexandra Kosteniuk gained 11 points in French Team Championship 2022 and re-entered the Women’s top 10, while Anish Giri and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave swapped places in the Open list. We have three new players in the Top-100 Open. Shant Sargsyan (pictured below) made his debut on the list following his good performance in the 13th Annual K. Asrian Memorial, while Nils Grandelius and Etienne Bacrot returned into the top-100 open (the latter after a 10-month break). Biggest gains (top 100 Open and Women) Eswaran, Ashritha FM 2394 (+86) Fataliyeva, Ulviyya WGM 2372 (+31) Abdusattorov, Nodirbek GM 2688 (+27) Navrotescu, Andreea WIM 2373 (+23) Harikrishna, Pentala GM 2720 (+19) Savina, Anastasia IM 2377 (+19) Shirov, Alexei GM 2704 (+18) Korobov, Anton GM 2692 (+17) Padmini, Rout IM 2374 (+17) Martirosyan, Haik GM 2672 (+16) Zawadzka, Jolanta WGM 2416 (+16) Melia, Salome IM 2384 (+16) Barcot, Etienne GM 2656 (+15) Tabatabaei, M. Amin GM 2664 (+14) Efroimski, Marsel IM 2456 (+14) Photo: Lennart Ootes | Saint Louis Chess Club Young FM Ashritha Eswaran (pictured above) is the clear winner in this nomination. The 22-year-old strung together three impressive results in PNWCC vs Bulgaria Memorial Day 2022 Match, 2022 National Open in Las Vegas and PNWCC June FIDE Hybrid Match – PNWCC vs Bulgaria and netted 86 rating points. Thanks to these achievements, she not simply made her way into the Top 100 Women but soared up to 56th position in this list. Nodirbek Abdusattorov (pictured below) had the biggest rating gain (+27) in the top 100 open after sharing first place in the 5th Sharjah Masters (+19 rating points) and then picking up another 8 points in Prague International Chess Festival – Challengers. The talented youngster from Uzbekistan broke into top-50 Open for the first time in his career. Photo: Petr Vrabec Ulviyya Fataliyeva, Jolanta Zawadzka and Marsel Efroimski did an excellent job in strong open tournaments – Teplice Open, 5th Sharjah Masters and Norway Chess Open – and increased their rating by 31, 16 and 14 points, respectively. The Masters event in Prague saw the triumph of Pentala Harikrishna, who delivered an impressive performance in a very strong field and earned 19 points. Photo: Anezka Kruzikova Alexei Shirov crossed a 2700 mark again following his convincing match-victory over Jorden Van Foreest, which translates into 16 rating points. French Team 2022 – Top 16 and Top 12 Women, as the name suggests, brought together many good players, and those who make a strong showing in this event got substantial rating gains: Anton Korobov (+19), Etienne Barcot (+15), Andreea Navrotescu (+23) and Anastasia Savina (+19). Amin Tabatabaei continues his ascendance in the rankings – the Iranian emerged as the winner of the Stepan Avagyan Memorial 2022 and earned 14 rating points.
Nepomniachtchi half a step away from winning the Candidates
Ian Nepomniachtchi keeps control of the tournament following a draw with Hikaru Nakamura as Ding Liren’s three-game winning streak is brought to an end With 8.5/12, tournament leader Ian Nepomniachtchi is just half a point away from winning his second Candidates in a row. He is due to play Rapport and Duda in the last two rounds (he beat both of them in the first part of the tournament). Nepo just needs one draw from those two games to secure total victory. Today’s game between Hikaru Nakamura and Ian Nepomniachtchi was very short. After just eight minutes of play, following a forced drawing line in the Berlin, they agreed to split a point. The way this draw was achieved will be criticized by many. In the post-game interview, Nakamura said that he didn’t think ‘the risk-reward was there’ and that, had he lost, ‘there’s no shot at second place’ (which has become ever more important in this tournament in light of the prospects of Magnus Carlsen deciding not to defend his title, as this could lead to the top two players from the Candidates playing the match for the world title). Teimour Radjabov stunned Ding Liren with a crushing victory as Black in 26 moves. After three consecutive victories (not seen in the Candidates since 2013), Ding Liren was unrecognizable in today’s game. He played well below his 2800 level and was completely shattered by the motivated Teimour Radjabov. Already after 21 moves, with a lot of help from Ding, Black had an overwhelming position. With this defeat, Ding Liren’s miraculous recovery from the bottom of the table in the first part of the tournament to the top has now hit a dead end. He is tied in second place with Hikaru Nakamura, and the two will be playing in the final round. Jan-Krzysztof Duda missed several opportunities to win with white pieces against Alireza Firouzja today. In a sharp line of the Semi-Slav, Firouzja again – like in some previous games – started outplaying himself by weakening his castle and launching his pawns on a goose chase on the move 22. Duda responded with an energetic f-pawn push and grabbed the initiative. However, as in some other previous games in his case, he just couldn’t find the right moves in several critical moments and dropped the advantage. Firouzja was again offering winning chances to White and he took them, but when the moment of execution came Duda was not up to the task. In the end, Black forced a line leading directly to a draw. Firouzja was lucky, while Duda missed a great opportunity. The Candidates are a long and demanding event and the signs of tiredness were shown by both players today. Duda is on five points, sharing 6-7th place with Rapport, while Firouzja is at the bottom with 4.5 points. The last game to finish was between Richard Rapport and Fabiano Caruana. In the anti-Berlin, the opponents found their way into a fresh position as early as on the move ten. The game was mostly played on the kingside, where Rapport advanced his pawns. The Hungarian GM got some initiative, but the American neutralized it with several precise moves and equalized it completely. After exchanges of heavy pieces, the opponents transitioned into a rook endgame where Black had an extra pawn on the h-file, but Rapport’s active rook saved him from trouble and helped him hold Caruana to a draw. Unlike in the previous games where in even positions, he pushed for a long time, Caruana was in no mood to force today’s game, and the two agreed to split a point. With plus three, Caruana is on a mere 50 percent, in the middle of the table (joined by Radjabov), while Rapport is further below with 5/12. Here follows a closer look at the games from round twelve of the Candidates. Richard Rapport vs Fabiano Caruana: Loss of appetite After suffering three defeats in the last four rounds, which completely wrecked his tournament ambitions, it was interesting to see how Fabiano Caruana comes back in a game against a very tricky opponent. Rapport was in his salmon-pink jacket which he wore in round eight when he scored a great victory against Duda. As in previous rounds, he delayed making his first move. Psyching himself up for the match, gathering his final thoughts or just trying to play a psychological game against his opponents? Only Rapport knows. In the anti-Berlin, both sides played very solidly and came out of the opening with sound positions. The two went off the beaten track on the move ten, after Fabiano introduced a novelty, parting with his light-squared bishop followed by castling long. Rapport also built his fortress on the queenside and proceeded to pressure Black on the right flank with 21.f4 White went on the initiative here, pressuring Black’s weak f6 and g6 pawns. Black responded by pushing his f6 pawn forward, seeking to ease the pressure. The position is roughly even, but White had a clear attacking plan. Caruana made an inaccurate move with 26…Qe7, which gave Rapport a slight edge. However, feeling danger, Caruana was finding the right moves he needed to hold his kingside line of defence. After 30.Qe4 Qd6, the two sides traded several pieces, which directly led to an even endgame. It looks like Rapport relaxed on his guard at some point and allowed Black to get his rook and queen down to White’s second rank. Rapport had to exchange the queens and give up his h-pawn, but he had enough compensation in his position. White had an active rook situated on the sixth rank, preventing the black king from joining his h-runner and attacking the opponent’s pawns when needed. This time Caruana had no desire to grind it and soon opted for a draw. Following several hard and long games where he pressed in even positions and pushed even harder in the ones he lost, Caruana’s appetite for long gruelling games seems to have evaporated. Ding Liren vs Teimour