2022 Candidates, Round 8: Nakamura stages a major upset, Rapport bounces back
Ian Nepomniachtchi is the sole leader as Fabiano Caruana suffers a defeat at the hands of Hikaru Nakamura, while Richard Rapport bounces back with a victory The major news in round eight is Hikaru Nakamura’s confident victory against Fabiano Caruana, seriously shattering his compatriot’s chances of winning the event. Following the Open Variation of the Ruy Lopez in which Black trades a knight and a bishop for a rook and a pawn (a line that was heavily tested back in the 1940s), a sharp position developed where black pieces had space, but White had the counter-initiative. Both sides seemed well prepared as they were blitzing the opening moves, but Caruana gradually fell into time trouble. First, he advanced the ‘wrong’ central pawn and then allowed White to activate his passive bishop, which immediately gave Nakamura the advantage. Despite ending in a hopeless situation, Caruana refused to surrender, putting his compatriot to serious challenges towards winning a won position. In the end, after over six hours of play (out of which he was winning in the last three), Nakamura succeeded. A major upset in the tournament as with this defeat Caruana – who until this round was breathing down Nepomniachtchi’s neck – has now fallen a full point behind the leader. Nakamura, on the other hand, is now on 4.5 points and has joined the race for the top. The round eight defeat puts immense pressure on Caruana as in his next game, he will be up against Ian Nepomniachtchi as White. If he wants to win the tournament, it seems that it is a must for Caruana to win the next round game against the leader Nepomniachtchi. Richard Rapport – who suffered a tragic defeat in the previous round – stood out in round eight not just with his salmon-pink jacket, but also with the result. He made an important comeback as he defeated Jan-Krzysztof Duda with white pieces. In a theoretical debate in the Four Knights game, where White played a rare 5.g3, Duda exposed himself on the kingside and didn’t defend well against White’s advances. Rapport immediately jumped at the opportunity to force his initiative, creating serious threats to the black king. Duda didn’t have the energy to go through the suffering and resigned on the move 29. With this win, Rapport became only the fourth(!) player in this tournament to have a victory on his scoresheet (next to Nepomniachtchi, Caruana and Nakamura) and with 4/8 still has chances for a place in the top ranks. Duda, however, is in serious trouble – his second defeat (the first one was in round six to Nepomniachtchi) sent him to the bottom of the table. Let us hope that he will regain his strength and continue to play as he did in the first part of the event. Tournament leader Ian Nepomniachtchi had a quiet day on the board as he quickly drew as White against Ding Liren. As in the game against Rapport, Nepomniachtchi opted for a forced line leading to a draw. In the Four Knights Game, there were quick exchanges of heavy pieces early on as the two proceeded to an endgame with opposite-coloured bishops. Following threefold repetition, a draw was called after Black’s 37th move. The game did not last even an hour. Going for a quick draw was a practical decision by Nepomniachtchi. Before this round, he was half a point ahead of Caruana, who is his most serious contender for the top spot and whom he will be playing against in round nine as Black. Following Caruana’s defeat in today’s round, Nepomniachtchi enters day nine of the Candidates in an even better position than he had hoped for. After eight rounds of play, World No. 2 Ding Liren is still without a victory, but with 3.5 points, he has now stepped closer to the middle of the board which represents progress following his poor start. Alireza Firouzja is still not able to get a break in this tournament. Today he drew as White against Teimour Radjabov following more than six hours of play. It was a positional battle in the Italian Game where Firouzja played the first fiddle while Radjabov was effectively thwarting White’s attempts. The game was full of finesses and manoeuvres but with no fire on the board. It seems that Firouzja’s flame is slowly dying out in this tournament, while Radjabov only lights his to get a draw. Here follows a closer look at the games from round eight of the Candidates. Richard Rapport vs Jan-Krzysztof Duda: A salmon-pink comeback Richard Rapport made a comeback as he defeated the young Polish start in a convincing fashion. Speaking of fashion, Rapport showed up for the game wearing a salmon-pink jacked, which made him stand out from the black and blue the other players were wearing. Rapport and Duda had a positional struggle in a rare line of the Four Knights Game. The first piece was exchanged after an hour and a half of play. Following the exchanges of a knight and a bishop each, Black managed to gain more initiative – pushing on the queenside but holding White’s advance on the kingside, including the rook on a7, which was defending the black king’s fortress all the way from the queenside. After 19…Qxg5 20.Qxg5 Nxg5 Black is fine, to say the least, but Duda opted for an ambitious but riskier 19…Nxg5. Two moves down the road, after Black took the bishop on h3, it seems that Duda missed a zwischenzug from White, 22.Rg1, threatening mate on g7. His reaction to this was not precise. The best options for Duda to reply were 22…g6 or 22…Qf6. However, after some consideration, Duda played 22…Ng5 – protecting the g7 spot, defending the h3 bishop and forcing white to take on g5, thus closing the file for the white queen and rook attacking the black king. After 23.hxg5 Bc8 Rapport played a slightly imprecise move 24.Rg2, to which, however, Duda quickly returned the favour with 24…Rae7, immediately giving a considerable advantage
2022 Candidates, Round 7: Nepomniachtchi and Caruana in a league of their own
As the tournament reached its halfway point, Ian Nepomniachtchi and Fabiano Caruana are again(!) the only two players to score victories, significantly distancing themselves from the rest of the field With half of the tournament in Madrid played, Ian Nepomniachtchi is alone in the lead with 5.5/7. The former challenger for the world chess crown is on the path of repeating his 2020/21 victory in the Candidates, where he secured a leadership position early on and kept it until the end of the tournament. Right behind him, by half a step, is another former winner of the Candidates and challenger, Fabiano Caruana, who has five points. The two have now distinguished themselves from the rest of the field. Behind them, on fifty percent, is Hikaru Nakamura. The lower part of the board is made up of three players on three points: Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Ding Liren and Richard Rapport. At the bottom of the table are the oldest and the youngest players in this year’s Candidates: Teimour Radjabov and Alireza Firouzja, who both have 2.5 points. The halfway point of the 2022 Candidates saw Ian Nepomniachtchi score a confident victory against Richard Rapport. In the Petrov, Rapport walked directly into Nepomniachtchi’s preparation – a forced, sharp line leading to a quick draw. It seemed that Rapport had no choice but to accept a quick draw following a repetition of moves, but – to the surprise of many – he decided to play on, despite the odds stacked against him. What occurred was a battle where Rapport had two rooks for a queen, but his king was exposed. In a sharp and wild position, White wasn’t without chances, but, despite Rapport’s heroic efforts, Nepomniachtchi made sure nothing came of them. Despite the loss, Rapport deserves praise. Many chess pundits who were following the game said that Rapport’s decision to decline an early draw and enter a weaker and riskier position instead was unnecessary and that he should have accepted reality. That may be objectively true, however, it is exactly those who refuse to accept (a dim) reality that stands a chance to make a difference and sometimes manage to do it. Rapport has shown that he is here to fight whatever the odds and throw a good show for the audience, the people who love chess. From a wider perspective, chess was granted another interesting story to tell, which goes beyond the standard reciting of lines and is much more about psychology, courage and character. A rare exception to dull and quick theoretical draws, which – however realistic – make the game less attractive for everyone. The second victor of the day was Fabiano Caruana, who defeated Teimour Radjabov. The game got off to a better start for Radjabov, who seemed to have surprised Caruana with a rarer variation of the Sicilian, playing 2…a6 and then following the line with e5 and d5. Caruana seemed somewhat uncomfortable as Radjabov was blitzing his moves. However, when the dust settled, it turned out that Caruana was a pawn up with more initiative. He calmly proceeded to grind Black’s position, entering a sharp but winning rook endgame. Radjabov – an expert in finding a way to a draw – was trying every trick on the board. Both sides promoted queens in the endgame, but it was of no help for Black. Once the second pair of queens was exchanged, it finally became apparent to Radjabov that Caruana would be quicker in promoting his third queen. After nearly seven hours of play, Radjabov accepted defeat. The other two games in the seventh round were calmer. Jan-Krzysztof Duda and Hikaru Nakamura split a point in the Nimzo-Indian. Despite having somewhat more initiative, the game was mostly balanced throughout. All White’s attempts to get things going were skillfully thwarted by Black. Next to Nepomniachtchi and Caruana – Nakamura is the only other player in the Candidates who has so far had a victory. However, since his comeback in round two following a loss on day one, the world’s top chess streamer is struggling to make a break past fifty percent. It remains to be seen which way he will go in the second part of the tournament. As for Duda – he has been very constant in his level of play in the first seven rounds. If he keeps it up, results will surely follow. Both Ding Liren and Alireza Firouzja were players for whom many had great expectations before the start of the tournament. But so far, both have seriously struggled and, at the bottom of the board, are desperate for a breakthrough. However, neither managed to make to step forward today. In the English opening, Firouzja achieved a dynamic position, favouring his style of play. Ding, leading white pieces, played very solidly – both creating chances and countering Firouzja’s attempts to break free. Like in the previous games, the Frenchman spent much more time thinking, trying to find the magic spark to let his creativity run free, but without success. With 2.5/7, Firouzja is at the bottom of the table where he is now joined by Teimour Radjabov, whom he will be facing in the eighth round, while Ding Liren has three points. Here follows a closer look at the games from round seven of the Candidates. Richard Rapport vs Ian Nepomniachtchi: The victor and the hero It is said that fortune favours the brave, but in today’s game between Rapport and Nepomniachtchi, that wasn’t the case. In their previous encounters, they drew eight times with one victory for Rapport. Following six hard-fought draws, this could have been a game where Rapport could have thrown the Candidates tournament wide open. As in his Round 5 game Nepomniachtchi responded with a Petrov. An extremely sharp but forced line was played where Rapport walked straight into Nepomniachtchi’s preparation. White ended a rook up on the move 14, but Black had serious mating threats. After 14…Bh3 15.gxh3 Qg6+ 16.Kh1 Qe4+ 17. Kg1 Qg6+ 18.Kh1 Qe4+ Rapport spent a lot of time thinking – to
Bardiya Daneshvar wins Iranian Championship
IM Bardiya Daneshvar is a new Iranian champion. The 16-year-old youngster from Teheran, who has rapidly progressed in the FIDE rating list this year, emerged as the winner of the 55th Iranian Championship and took his maiden national title. The 14-player round-robin with classical time control took place in Sari, the capital of Mazandaran province in northern Iran, from June 15-24. The event, which did not attract top Iranian GMs, turned into a close race between Bardiya Daneshvar and the rating-favourite IM Seyed Khalil Mousavi, who was coming into the final round a half-point ahead of his main rival. However, Bardiya pulled off a crucial victory over Arash Dahli and caught up with Seyed Khalil (pictured below), who made a quick draw with White against Ali Rastbod. Both scored an impressive 9½/13 and tied for the first place, but the title went to Daneshvar by dint of better Sonnerborn-Berger (second tiebreak variable). The 13-time national champion Ehsan Ghaem Maghami took the last place on the podium after edging out Ali Rastbod again, thanks to better tiebreaks. Final standings: 1 IM Daneshvar Bardiya 2477 9½ 2 IM Mousavi Seyed Khalil 2533 9½ 3 GM Ghaem Maghami Ehsan 2519 8½ 4 FM Rastbod Ali 2337 8½ 5 GM Mosadeghpour Masoud 2469 8 6 FM Daghli Arash 2432 7½ 7 GM Darini Pouria 2436 6½ 8 IM Tahbaz Arash 2436 6 9 Omidi Arya 2315 5½ 10 FM Poormosavi Seyed Kian 2427 5 11 Ashraf Artin 2260 5 12 FM Atakhan Abtin 2385 4½ 13 Khamisi S Jafar 2151 4 14 Naderi Abdollah 2120 3 Photos: Sharif Nataj and Mazandaran Chess Association Telegram channel
FIDE World Senior Team Championship 2022 crosses midpoint
The FIDE World Senior Team Championship in Acqui Terme, Italy, crossed the halfway mark. The event brought together 43 teams from 24 federations competing in the 50+ and 65+ categories (9-round Swiss tournaments). It has been a very close race in the 50+ section so far, as, after five rounds, two rating-favourites of the tournament, England 1 and USA, are tied for the top position winning four matches each and drawing their direct encounter in Round 4 ( Michael Adams beat Gregory Kaidanov but Igor Novikov bested Mark Hebden). Italy (pictured below) and Iceland also scored four team victories each but lost to the leaders (the USA and England respectively), trailing them only by one point. As England and the USA seem unstoppable now, most likely, the winner in this category will be decided by the game points. England, headed by Michael Adams and Nigel Short, is slightly ahead by two points, but closing this gap doesn’t look like an impossible task for team USA. Top-10 after Round 5 1 England 1 9 15½ 2 USA 9 13½ 3 Italia 1 8 15½ 4 Iceland 8 13½ 5 Georgia Winery Khareba 7 13½ 6 Hungary 6 12½ 7 Canada 6 12½ 8 Still active NL 6 12 9 Germany 1 6 10½ 10 Sweden 5 10½ England is also leading the field in the 65+ tournament, scoring 9/10. Germany lost to the leader in Round 4 but won four other matches and is sitting in second place. Hungary, Israel 2 and France are one point behind, sharing the third position. Somewhat surprisingly, the rating favourite, Israel 1 is only seventh, already losing two matches. With four rounds to go, it is still wide open, although England also has a fair shot for gold in the 65+ category. Top-10 after Round 5 1 England 1 9 14 2 Germany 1 8 12 3 Hungary 7 12½ 4 Israel 2 7 12 5 France 7 11 6 Switzerland 6 13 7 Israel 1 6 12½ 8 Germany 2 6 11 9 Steiermark 6 10½ 10 SC Kreuzberg 6 10½ Photo: Federazione Scacchistica Italiana Facebook page
FIDE Madrid Candidates Chess Conference set for July 2
We are happy to announce the FIDE Madrid Candidates Chess Conference that will take place on July 2. The event will consist of two parts: ChessKid.com educational seminars in the morning and the Conference on social chess initiatives in FIDE member countries in the afternoon. ChessKid Education Seminar July 2, 10:00 – 12:00 CEST Venue: on-site in Palacio de Santoña, the venue of the FIDE Candidates Tournament Language: Spanish only Schedule 10:00 – 11:00 CEST !El ajedrez enseña a pensar! Leontxo GARCÍA – Spanish lecturer, presenter, commentator and journalist 11:00 – 12:00 CEST 7 tips para padres de jóvenes ajedrecistas Maria RODRIGO – WFM and a sports psychologist FIDE Conference on the Social Chess Initiatives in FIDE Member Countries July 2, 14:00 – 17:00 CEST Venue: hybrid event (partly online, partly on-site) Language: English We will exchange experiences and showcase how national chess federations and chess enthusiasts worldwide help people, build community and make changes for the better with the help of chess. Representatives from all continents will participate. One of the program’s highlights is the round table for one of FIDE’s most important social projects, the INFINITE Chess, which aims to enhance knowledge and awareness about chess for children with ASD. “It’s heartwarming that FIDE carries out different social projects and supports numerous social initiatives worldwide. Since early 2022, FIDE has implemented INFINITE Chess (chess for children with autism spectrum disorder) in 6 countries: Spain, France, Turkey, Norway, Gibraltar, and South Africa. In 2022-2023, we plan further expansion to European and Asian countries and continuous research work. I am so proud of this project and its perspectives and appreciate the efforts and support of the chess community. I look forward to discussing the results and outlook and building new plans for the project’s realisation,” told FIDE Vice President and INFINITE Chess leader Anastasia Sorokina. Schedule 14:00 – 16:00 CEST FIDE Conference of the Social Chess Initiatives in FIDE member countries Introduction Dana REIZNIECE-OZOLA – FIDE Managing Director Anastasia SOROKINA – FIDE Vice-President, leader of the FIDE INFINITE Chess Project Chess for Society Geir NESHEIM (Norway) – Chairperson of the FIDE Social Commission The global strategy of the FFE on health, social and disability Franck DROIN (France) – President of the Health Social Disability Commission of the FFE Local Social Chess Initiatives in South Africa Erick TAKAWIRA (South Africa) – Director of the KZN Chess Academy Performing Social Responsibility through Chess Sonja JOHNSON (Trinidad & Tobago) – Chairperson of the FIDE Planning and Development Commission, President of the Trinidad & Tobago Chess Association, Executive Board Member Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee Interaction of the National Chess Federation with the National Olympic Committee: the experience of Albania Majlinda PILINCI (Albania) – Secretary-General of the Albania Chess Federation, member of the FIDE PDC Commission Corporate social responsibility and its practical application Irina SEMJONOVA (Latvia) – Project manager of international projects and social initiatives Chess for Girls in refugee camps Anastasia KARLOVICH (Greece) – WGM, photographer, commentator and journalist Corporate social responsibility in chess: the Indian Oil corporation experience Abhijit KUNTE (India) – 4th Grandmaster of India, Coordinator of the Chess Social Projects in the Indian Oil Corporation Chess, a public-private partnership to improve educational outcomes and opportunities in underserved communities in Guanacaste, Costa Rica Alexandra WELDON (Costa Rica) – Head of Philanthropy, MOHARI group Elsa Bonilla Conejo (Costa Rica) – Director, Asociación Creciendo Juntos The difference chess makes in refugee camps Alvaro van den BRULE (Spain) – President of Ajedrez sin Fronteras/Chess Without Borders María Jesús VEGA (Spain) – Spokesperson Responsible for Communications UNHCR Spain Project of chess teaching for blind and visually impaired Dominic CROSS (Portugal) – President of the Portuguese Chess Federation Teaching chess to kids with autism: what is autism, trauma, sensory needs Evguenia CHAROMOVA (New Zealand) – Bachelor of Science, postgraduate diploma in environmental management, Masters in speech therapy, Former New Zealand women’s chess champion, Speech-Language Therapist 16:00 – 17:00 CEST INFINITE Chess Project round table Dr Jose Francisco SUAREZ ROA (Spain) Kanthi Devi SARJOO (South Africa) Sharon WHATLEY (Gibraltar) Melodi DINCEL (Turkey) Handenur ŞAHIN (Turkey) Ala MISHCHANKA (Canada) Tamara KORENMAN (USA) Moshe Slav (Israel)
2022 Candidates, Round 6: Another great day for Nepomniachtchi and Caruana
In a repeat of day one of the Candidates, Ian Nepomniachtchi and Fabiano Caruana are the only two players to score a victory, separating themselves from the rest After six rounds of play, Ian Nepomniachtchi (who leads in the tournament with 4.5 points) and Fabiano Caruana (who is just half a point behind) have distinguished themselves as early contenders for the next challenger for the title of world champion. They are followed by Hikaru Nakamura and Richard Rapport, who have three points. After his defeat in today’s round, Jan-Krzysztof Duda has joined Teimour Radjabov and Ding Liren on 2.5, while Alireza Firouzja is alone at the bottom, on two points. The last round before the rest day in the 2022 Candidates saw two draws and two victories. It was a repeat of day one when Nepomniachtchi and Caruana were the only players to win their games. The spectators were presented with a treat from the Palacio de Santona in Madrid, as neither of today’s games was easy or quick. Tournament leader Ian Nepomniachtchi got a convincing victory against Jan-Krzysztof Duda. The 24-year-old from Poland drew all his games until this round but probably deserved more as he had shown greater talent than some of his opponents so far. However, in the game against Nepomniachtchi, he was on the back foot from the beginning. In the Reti opening, White developed quickly and launched a pawn advance on the black king’s fortress, forcing Duda to give up a bishop for three pawns and a weaker position, which was followed by an execution of a sharp and devastating attack. Despite the defeat, Duda has shown great vigour and resilience in the tournament, and it would be a shame if he didn’t keep it up. In the other decisive game of the round, Fabiano Caruana scored comfortably as Black against Alireza Firouzja. Following a relatively stable position in the Catalan opening, Firouzja sacrificed an exchange hoping to regain it immediately but missed a strong in-between move by Caruana, and his ‘temporary’ sacrifice turned into a permanent one. From that move onwards, Fabiano played in an exemplary fashion. With every move in which Firouzja was trying to get a chance to light a spark, Caruana responded by pouring cold water on him, to the point where the Frenchman realised his flame was finally out and that he had to resign. Caruana and Firouzja are now in two different worlds: the American is at the top of the scoreboard, half a point behind the leader, while the Frenchman is at rock bottom, on two points, alone in – many would argue – a demise of his own making. Caruana’s approach seems to revolve around the principle: keep calm and carry on. While a big challenge lies ahead for Firouzja: if he can pick himself up and dust himself off, he will show that his star is destined to ascend. Teimour Radjabov missed a great chance today to score his first victory. The opponents were on par in wild Sicilian complications and ended up in a roughly equal position where Radjabov had sufficient compensation for two pawns. Rapport apparently underestimated the potential danger and greedily went for a pawn but ended up in a lost position where White’s active rooks and a bishop dominated the board. However, facing time trouble, Radjabov let his advantage slip and immediately entered a drawn endgame. It’s a big miss for Radjabov, who wasted his best opportunity in the tournament so far. He is yet to claim his first victory in a classical game since 2019! Rapport – on the other hand – had another lucky escape in the Candidates (the first one was in the third round, against Ding). While Radjabov is aware that chances like the one he had don’t present themselves often, Rapport surely knows that luck runs out at some point for everyone, and nobody knows when. Betting on / hoping for it isn’t the best option for the next rounds. In his second game in a row with black pieces, Ding Liren drew with Hikaru Nakamura. In the Italian game, both demonstrated his excellent home preparation. After breaking through in the centre, Black got some chances, but those were not enough to unsettle Nakamura. When it seemed that Ding was getting the upper hand, Nakamura went for Black’s king and forced a draw by perpetual. Nakamura is still in a good position to make a breakthrough at the top, but Ding is still lingering near the bottom of the scoresheet and is yet to secure his first victory. The six rounds of the Candidates played so far saw six decisive games and 18 draws. Of those six victories, Nepomniachtchi owns three and Caruana two, while the remaining one goes to Nakamura. By right and by might, the two are now seen as the most likely candidates for the first place. But with eight more games ahead, a lot can change. Friday is the second rest day for the players, after which there will be another sequence of three rounds which might prove decisive for the tournament. Here follows a closer look at the games from Round 6 of the Candidates. Teimour Radjabov vs Richard Rapport: A wasted opportunity Rapport played the same opening he used the day before against Caruana – the Taimanov variation of the Sicilian. Similar to Caruana, Radjabov opted for a double-edged line. In today’s game, the two opponents went down an unusual and sharp path beaten by Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Ian Nepomniachtchi back in 2021. Both sides immediately went for an attack instead of gradually building their position, and both kings didn’t castle and moved after check. On the move 16, Radjabov introduced a novelty with 16.Bg6+, which did not change the evaluation of the position as slightly better for White. Six moves down the road, the opponents traded queens, but the situation on the board remained very sharp. Rapport grabbed the b2-pawn and pounced on White’s king with all his pieces except for the
President of Kazakhstan holds a meeting with the women’s national team
President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev held a meeting with members of the women’s national team and the representatives of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation. Women’s World Blitz Champion Bibisara Assaubayeva, GM Zhansaya Abdumalik, WGMs Dinara Saduakasova and Guliskhan Nakhbayeva, WIM Meruert Kamalidenova, as well as President of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation Galim Khusainov and Vice President of the Federation Darmen Sadvakasov, were invited to Akorda to meet with the Head of the State. Welcoming the chess players, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted that he had a special attitude to chess. He expressed hope that the women’s national team would successfully perform at the upcoming 44th Chess Olympiad in India. The President also wished success to Bibisara Assaubayeva, who successfully graduated from school and congratulated Guliskhan Nakhbayeva on her birthday. During the meeting, which turned into a warm conversation and frank exchange of views, the leaders of the national team Bibisara Assaubayeva, Dinara Saduakasova, Zhansaya Abdumalik, as well as the leadership of the chess federation, voiced their position on various aspects. They also formulated several proposals concerning the development of chess sport in the country, including the provision of systematic support from the state, the creation of necessary infrastructure and the popularization of chess. The President supported the proposals to include chess as an optional subject in the school curriculum and construct a boarding school in Almaty with an in-depth study of chess and IT technologies designed for 1,500 students. In addition, the Head of State focused on the importance of supporting chess as a sport by entrepreneurs. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stressed that he would keep a close eye on chess development and support for the game in the country and wished the young athletes new victories on the world stage.
2022 Candidates, Round 5: Great expectations and a lucky escape
All four games ended in a draw, with the tournament leader Ian Nepomniachtchi making a lucky escape in his encounter with Hikaru Nakamura Ian Nepomniachtchi is still in the lead, with 3.5/5, while Fabiano Caruana trails him by half a point. The middle group is made of Hikaru Nakamura, Richard Rapport and Jan-Krzysztof Duda, who are on 2.5/5. Ding Liren, Teimour Radjabov and Alireza Firouzja are all on two points. The first move of the round was made by Manuel Alvarez Escudero, a 100-year-old chess player from Madrid and one of the oldest chess players alive. Just a few months ago, he played (and won) for his team in a Madrid regional league. Today he made the ceremonial move in the game Firouzja vs Duda. Firouzja, for whom he played 1.e4, is 81 years his junior. There were no easy draws in the fifth round of the 2022 Candidates as all players held their own and clinched half a point from their opponent. This was a day of great expectations, psychological battles and lucky escapes. The luckiest man of the day is Ian Nepomniachtchi. The tournament leader was playing as Black against Hikaru Nakamura. In the Petrov, blitzing most of his opening moves, Nepomniachtchi made a couple of mistakes and ended in a weaker position, where White was chasing his queen around the board while at the same time developing and organising an attack. However, Nakamura failed to find the decisive continuation, let his advantage slip away and eventually decided to accept a repetition of moves. A lucky save by Nepomniachtchi. Richard Rapport must be very satisfied after drawing as Black against one of the tournament favourites and the former contender for the title of World Champion, Fabiano Caruana. In the Taimanov variation of the Sicilian, despite White playing a relatively rare move early on, Caruana didn’t manage to get much. In fact – even though he is usually the player who confidently blitzes his openings, this time, it was Caruana who spent a lot of time on the opening. A sharp position emerged on the board with both sides pushing on opposite flanks. However, both probably thought that in this early stage of the tournament, where they are both standing well, showing their appetite for risk is not yet needed. Both players opted for a forced line, leading to a draw. The longest and possibly the most promising game of the day in terms of bringing a decisive outcome was the duel between the two players who have been on the bottom since round one. Teimour Radjabov was leading white pieces against World No. 2 Ding Liren. Both have been struggling in the tournament with three draws, and a defeat, and both were looking for their first break. It seemed that Ding was finally about to get rid of the shadow hanging over him since the last Candidates as he got into a better position against Radjabov in the Catalan. According to the computer analysis, his chances seemed promising. However, following Radjabov’s risky play right before the time control, Ding dropped the advantage with a control 40th move. After moving to a drawn rook endgame, the two quickly agreed to split a point. Alireza Firouzja is another player who had very high hopes for today’s game. Playing as White against an opponent, he leads four to zero; he was hoping to bounce back after a loss in round four to Ian Nepomniachtchi. However, the highly anticipated duel between the two youngest players of the Candidates, Alireza Firouzja (19) and Jan-Krzysztof Duda (24), ended with a disappointment for White. Duda opted for a line in the Petrov Defence where Black is slightly worse but solid. More importantly, the position that developed was such that Firouzja could not let his creativity loose. Despite White’s attempts to push forward and try and create some activity, Duda didn’t allow it. In addition, Firouzja’s ambitions to find a breakthrough cost him a lot of time, and he was in danger of ending in zeitnot. Following an exchange of several pieces, the two ended in a dead-even queen endgame. A draw was agreed upon after threefold repetition. Here follows a closer look at the games from round five of the Candidates. Fabiano Caruana vs Richard Rapport: Disappointment and resilience Fabiano Caruana was a slight favourite in this game. He leads Rapport three to one in victories, has more experience in the Candidates and at the highest level overall, and was leading the white pieces. In the Taimanov variation of the Sicilian, Caruana opted for a rare line with 6.g4, but that didn’t surprise Rapport. He responded quickly with the move 6…Nge7. Unusually for Caruana, in this game, he spent much more time on the opening than he normally does, which suggests that his opponent managed to unsettle him with the choice of moves. Instead of castling and securing their kings – as the basic chess rules say – the two launched their pawn advances: Caruana on the kingside, Rapport on the queenside. After White’s move 16.Qd4, Rapport had chances to exert more pressure on White by taking on c3, moving his king to safety and then pushing in the centre, although this continuation looks double-edged. Instead, he opted to put his queen on a5 and allowed White to take on g7 starting a sequence of moves that led to a forced draw. After making a series of ‘only moves’, the two ended up in a position where Black organised a perpetual attack on the White’s queen, so they split a point. It is a good result for Rapport, who showed remarkable resilience and managed as Black to hold one of the tournament favourites to a draw. While Caruana might be less happy with the outcome, both players are performing well and building a solid foundation for the rest of the tournament. Teimour Radjabov vs Ding Liren: Lost hopes Radjabov and Ding were at the bottom of the table from round one, with each on minus one. If either managed to score
2022 Candidates, Round 4: Nepomniachtchi alone in the lead
After four rounds of play, Ian Nepomniachtchi is alone in the lead in the Candidates, having defeated Alireza Firouzja, while the remaining games ended in a draw With three out of four, Ian Nepomniachtchi is half a point ahead of Fabiano Caruana, who has 2.5 points. Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Richard Rapport and Hikaru Nakamura are all on fifty percent. Following his first defeat in the tournament, Alireza Firouzja is at the bottom of the board, in the company of Ding Liren and Teimour Radjabov, with all three players on 1.5 points. Ian Nepomniachtchi made another big jump in the Candidates, having defeated the 19-year-old Frenchman Alireza Firouzja in a sharp and gripping game. This duel was the tale of the two kings in which only one would survive. In the Najdorf variation of the Sicilian, Firouzja – playing as Black – opted for a sharp double-edged line. Alireza blitzed all his moves in the opening, but once he went out of his preparation, Firouzja was struggling with finding the right plan. The complicated position on the board – where opposite castled kings had their defence lines severely probed – required meticulous calculation. Here Firouzja fell short of the task: his sacrifice of material with the hope of a vicious attack on the white king came to nothing, while Nepomniachtchni defended well, launching a devastating attack and then serving a tactical blow to his opponent, forcing him to surrender facing imminent checkmate. With two victories in the first four rounds and having demonstrated a confident and high level of play in all of the games, Nepomniachtchi is gradually angling himself for the repeat of the 2020/21 Candidates, when he took first place. As for Firouzja – he had a tough pairing in the first four rounds, having to lead black pieces in three of the four games, but in each of them, he played ambitiously and creatively, and both are essential for success, whenever it may come. World No. 2 Ding Liren’s hopes of making his first breakthrough in the tournament didn’t come to fruition. Despite achieving a slightly better position in the opening as White against Fabiano Caruana in the Ragozin and winning a pawn, he did not manage to convert. Ding created a free runner on the a-file, but Caruana was there in time to stop it. He then exchanged his queenside pawns to gain an extra pawn on the kingside but ended up in a drawish rook endgame. Still, Ding kept on pushing, but Caruana’s confidence in holding the draw never faltered. Caruana is half a point behind the leader Nepomniachtchi and ahead of everyone else. Ding is still at the bottom – hoping for a well-deserved break. The game between Richard Rapport and Hikaru Nakamura was well played by both opponents but ended in a draw. In the Berlin defence, the two quickly liquidated into an even endgame with knights and rooks. Both were familiar with the pawn structure and the nature of the position that emerged. Still – as it seems to be the tradition of today’s top-level chess players – they persisted in playing a trialling endgame before finally calling it a draw once just the two kings and knights were left on the board. Both players are on a solid fifty percent. In another Berlin defence, Jan-Krzysztof Duda drew with Teimour Radjabov. A slightly more complicated position developed following the opening than in the Rapport-Nakamura game. White had slightly more initiative but was possibly a bit too slow in building it up. Once the queens and the heavy pieces were exchanged, the two moved to an even rook endgame which ended in a draw after 41 moves. Duda is on fifty percent with four draws, and Radjabov is half a point behind, having suffered a loss in the second round. While the question for Duda is whether he will manage to keep the high level of play he has shown so far, the challenge for Radjabov is to demonstrate if he can do more than just defend and find a way to a draw. Here follows a closer look at the games from round four of the Candidates. Richard Rapport vs Hikaru Nakamura: Tense and long Among all the candidates, Rapport and Nakamura are the two who are more renowned for their creativity than detailed opening preparation. Both have qualified for the Candidates via the same event: the Grand Prix, where Nakamura was first, and Rapport came in second. This order is also confirmed with their head-to-head score: three victories, two draws and zero defeats, Nakamura – at least statistically – was the favourite. The clash of the two creative players did not produce much novelty or innovation on the board. In a well-known line of the Berlin, Nakamura was pushing his kingside pawns – h6-g5-f6 (introducing a novelty on the move nine along the way) – in a similar fashion as he did against Caruana, but there was one difference: he didn’t castle kingside, which in the above-mentioned game opened the path to his demise. In this position, the opponents quickly traded several minor pieces, which put both players on track for an endgame with a knight and a rook each, where White was minimally better, but it was even overall. It was time for Rapport and Nakamura to show that their creativity can flourish when calculating long and tedious endgame lines, but it was virtually impossible in an equal position. However, the opponents still tried. Nakamura advanced his pawns on the kingside, but Rapport wasn’t waiting: he sent his knight to the queenside hunting for Black’s pawns. White emerged a pawn up, but Nakamura’s king, knight and rook were more active, and soon Black restored material equality. The opponents ended up in a dead-even position, eliminated all the pawns and called it a day after 44 moves. A strong and stable performance by both players who now have two points out of four games. Ian Nepomniachtchi vs Alireza Firouzja: A tale of two kings This game brought
Intercontinental ChessKid Candidates kicks off on June 21
Starting on June 21, eight young chess players from around the world will be facing off in the first-ever Intercontinental ChessKid Candidates tournament. The Intercontinental ChessKid Candidates tournament will feature eight ChessKid candidates who made it to this final stage after competing in a series of online qualifiers and semifinals, with over 200 players aged under 12 from 52 countries participating. ChessKid covers the accommodation of each of the eight qualifiers, as well as their trainers, along with attending the Candidates tournament. All the participants will be playing in the same room and using the same boards and pieces as the adult grandmasters taking part in the FIDE Candidates 2022! Here are the players that are competing in the event: Sebastian Suarez, Colombia/USA (1454) Artyom Bogdanov, Kazakhstan (1513) Alex Villa Tornero, Spain (1872) Jaime Rey Martínez, Spain (1929) Miguel Herraiz Ciudad, Spain (1446) Levi Kalani Alexander Fogo Esquivel, Mexico (1532) Jesus Daniel Diaz Guerrero, Mexico (1556) Cristopher Bozhkov Stoyanov, Spain (1287) The players will be competing in a round-robin tournament that takes place from June 21 to June 23, with a closing ceremony on June 24. The time control is 25 minutes plus a 5-second increment. The full schedule:You can catch all the action here and both English and Spanish commentary at twitch.tv/chesskid.