Olympiad ABC: Argentina, Belarus and Colombia on a roll
Friday, September 3rd, 2021 – Rounds four through six of the Division 2 Online Olympiad were disputed today. We are currently halfway through the event, and emotions are running high. Practically all of the pools in this Division are very closely fought and many of them will be decided tomorrow in last-round match-ups. The first three teams qualify directly to the Top Division, where they will join the twenty-five best teams of the world, seeded directly into Stage Four of the tournament. Division 2 – Pool A Clearly, this group will not be decided until tomorrow, after the final three rounds have been played. Although after today’s games Indonesia (11/12) is still in the lead, only one match point separates them from the second-placed Philippines (10/12). Although they dropped a point against Bangladesh (3-3), Indonesia defeated the Philippines in round five by a clear 4.5-1.5 and, barring something very unfortunate happening tomorrow, should qualify for the Top Division. The top scorer in this group is Indonesia’s board three, IM Sukandar Irine Kharisma, with 5.5/6. In the following diagram, Sukandar’s advanced passed pawn on c2 should be the decisive factor. However, her precise play was admirable. Her first move was 32…Bh5! to exchange the knight on f3. After 33.Kf1 Bxf3 34.gxf3 Be5! the other bishop occupies the square controlled by the exchanged knight. Now 35.Kg2 Ra1! 36.Kf1 Bc3 forced resignation. White has been left with no space at all. The oldest player record was broken today: 77-year-old WIM Rani Hamid, playing for Bangladesh, debuted today in round four against Chelsie Monica Ignesias Sihite from Team Indonesia. Hamid has won three British Women’s Championships and twenty (!) Bangladeshi Women’s Championships. Right behind, in third place, Olympiad partners Shenzhen China (9/12) had a great day, overtaking Australia (8/12), who have dropped to fourth place. As mentioned yesterday, today’s pairings were very favourable for them, and they won all three matches handily, including a 6-0 against Ireland. With only one point separating these four teams, tomorrow’s Philippines-Shenzhen and Australia –Shenzhen match-ups will decide which teams qualify along with Indonesia. Two Shenzhen China players are also on 5.5/6: GM Zeng Chongsheng and WFM Li Xinyu. Curiously, Shenzhen China and Chinese Tapei are the only two teams of the pool using their six main players (no reserves). Division 2 – Pool B As predicted, Italy made a comeback this afternoon and scored 5/6, completing a three-way tie for first place with Latvia and Uzbekistan, all on 9/12. Latvia has 2.5 extra board points, which for the moment gives them the lead on tiebreak. However, Moldova (8/12) and Estonia (7/12) are both in striking distance and tomorrow’s last three rounds feature several direct encounters between these five teams. With six match points still to be played for, anything can happen. Surprise contender Uzbekistan – their 1735 is the lowest medium rating of the ten – has slightly better pairings (they face two of the teams at the bottom of the table). In any case, the last round match between Latvia and Italy will most likely decide two of the qualifying spots, and maybe even the winner of the group. The next diagram comes from the Round 6 match between Uzbekistan and Latvia. White played 33.Re6! sacrificing a rook for the attack. After 33…fxe6 34.Rxe6 Black should have played 34…Ra5 35.Rxd6 Rxd6 36.Ng3 and White is better, but instead opted for 34…Kg7? and White found the killer move 35.Ng3! heading for h5 with an unstoppable attack. WGM Laura Rogule is performing unbelievably on board three for Latvia, and with 6/6 is the top scorer in the pool. Division 2 – Pool C Two teams are way ahead of the rest in this group: Belarus (12/12) and Israel (11/12). Belarus crushed through all three of their opponent’s today with a 4.5 minimum score. Israel basically did the same but dropped an unfortunate 3-3 tie against 4th placed Sri Lanka – a match in which they were more than 300 rating points favourites on every board. The leaders will face each other tomorrow in the last round to decide the winner, but it seems highly unlikely that either of the two will miss the qualification. The third spot should be for Sweden (7/12) or Sri Lanka (6/12), although both Portugal and Albania (both on 5/12) still have an outside chance to qualify. One of the anecdotes of the day, reported by principal arbiter Alex Holowczak, occurred precisely in the match between Sweden and Scotland. Sweden’s GM Ferdinand Hellers was playing Scotland’s GM Jacob Aagaard. Unfortunately, Ferdinand had connection challenges and had lost almost half his time. Therefore, Jacob sportingly offered a draw, which was accepted. Something that would probably never happen in an OTB Chess Olympiad! Montenegro and Scotland, who were sharing 4th place after the first three rounds, both lost their three matches today and are now out of the running: they have dropped down to 7th-9th place in the standings. The top scorer for Belarus is WFM Yana Ilyuchyk, who has won all of her games on board four (5/5). Also doing very well on board two for Sweden is GM Pia Cramling (5/6). Finally, Israel’s first two boards GM’s Tamir Nabaty and Ilia Smirin are both on 4/4 with solid performances. Division 2 – Pool D Argentina is on a roll! They lead the group with a perfect 100% score (12/12) after defeating South Africa and Uruguay, as well as their neighbours Brasil by a clear 5-1 in the fifth round. Due to that defeat and a 3-3 tie against Mexico, Brasil (9/12) has dropped to third place in the group and has been overtaken by Slovenia (9/12), who crushed their opposition today. However, Venezuela (8/12) is just behind these three teams and still has to face Argentina tomorrow. Also, Slovenia will play against Argentina in the first of tomorrow’s three rounds. In fact, Brasil has the most favourable pairings: their last three opponents are Uruguay (8th), South Africa (9th) and Morocco (10th). With 6/6, Argentinean WFM Candela Be Francisco Guecamburu is the top scorer of her team and the group. WIM Urh Zala from Slovenia is also performing above expectation with 5.5/6 on board five. Division 2 – Pool E Colombia (12/12) pulled away from the pack today after winning their three
Iniyan clinches Noisiel International Open 2021
GM Panneerselvam Iniyan of India emerged as the winner of the Noisiel International Open (France). The 18-year old rating favourite clinched the title in quite a convincing manner scoring 8/9. GM Yuri Solodovnichenko of Ukraine finished just a half-point behind the winner. The local favourites Yannick Kambrath and Joseph Girel tied for third, with the former taking the last place on the podium thanks to better tiebreaks. Alicia Randrianarimanana of France netted 5 points and became the best woman the in Open A. The 9-round Swiss tournaments (A, B and C) took place at Noisiel in the eastern suburb of Paris and attracted 174 players from 13 counties. The prizes were awarded in the presence of Mathieu Viskovic, Mayor of Noisiel. Final standings Open A: 1 INIYAN P 8 2 SOLODOVNICHENKO, Yuri 7½ 3 KAMBRATH, Yannick 6½ 4 GIREL, Joseph 6½ 5 DEGARDIN, Sylvain 6 6 ALBARIC, Etienne 6 7 MULLER, Anthony 6 8 DEFROMONT, Benjamin 6 9 BUJISHO, Benjamin 5½ 10 PUCHER, Sebastien 5½ The Noisiel Open is becoming one of the most important open tournaments in France. The event received a financial backup from FIDE to the extent of about 15% of the total budget. It is important to note that organizers have reduced the entry fee for certain categories such as women, juniors and veterans above 50 years as per the recommendations of FIDE. Some additional prizes for the women and veterans category were established. Traditionally, the Seine et Marne Department and the President of Noisiel Chess Club Mr Oupindrin, who has organized all the six opens, were sponsors of the event. A blitz tournament organized during the event attracted 64 players, including 6 GMs. The winner of the open Iniyan tied for first but achieved a double thanks to superior tiebreaks over Yuri Solodovnichenko and Namig Guliyev. The dates of the 7th Noisiel open will be announced before October 21, 2021. The upcoming open promises to be the strongest event ever held in Noisiel.
Carlsen-Aronian on a knife-edge as Firouzja launches comeback
World Champion Magnus Carlsen and Levon Aronian held back the smiles today as day one of their Aimchess US Rapid semis ended on a knife-edge. Nothing could separate the two Meltwater Champions Chess Tour big beasts as they played out four consecutive draws. It leaves their match locked 2-2 going into the day two decider tomorrow. Aronian came closest to making the breakthrough – but Carlsen is known for his second-day prowess in Tour matches and will roar back. FTX Crypto Cup winner Aronian, who played in his favourite Lionel Messi shirt, said afterwards: “It was a tight match, I think I had chances in the second game, but after that, it was pretty solid.” Carlsen admitted he was under pressure in the second game but joked, “it was probably the least dramatic we’ve had, ever, in this tournament”. It was a different story in the other semi. Russian sensation Vladislav Artemiev was left kicking himself after he blew a comfortable lead against 18-year-old Alireza Firouzja. Artemiev broke through to win the opener and then skillfully frustrated Firouzja in the second and third games to leave the youngster in a must-win situation going into the final fourth. Then in a strong position, Artemiev fell for a trick and out of nowhere Firouzja was back in the game. It ended with a win for Firouzja and the match locked 2-2. It was a huge comeback. Artemiev was a late entry into the Tour but has an impressive record already, having made it to the semi-finals of all three events he has participated. Todays’s semi-final matches start at 17:00 CEST. All games will be played in the chess24.com playzone. Coverage with full commentary is available on www.championschesstour.com or www.chess24.com. For further information, please contact: Leon Watson, PR for Play Magnus Groupleon@chessable.com+44 7786 078 770
FIDE Online Olympiad: Division 2 starts strong
Thursday, September 2nd, 2021 – Division Two of the FIDE Online Olympiad began today. Fifteen qualified countries from last weekend’s Division Three were joined by the thirty-five D2 seeds, setting up five groups – pools – with ten teams each. Most of the participating countries at this stage have world-class grandmasters leading their teams: Maxim Rodshtein (2684), Markus Ragger (2680), Tamir Nabaty (2658) and Ilia Smirin (2611) are the top-board +2600 players. The first three teams of each group – fifteen in total – will advance to the Top Division next week and play for the Olympic title. Division 2 – Pool A Most of the countries seeded into Pool A are from Asia: basically the Eastern time zone, with Ireland in the mix. This group seems to be fairly equal, at least between the five or six main favourites. Nearly all of them have one or two grandmasters leading the way and some of the teams are entirely filled up with titled players. It’s still very early to get a clear idea of which teams will advance to the Top Division, but Indonesia and Philippines have started very strong, with three wins each, while Bangladesh and Australia are just behind with two wins and one defeat (Bangladesh lost 4-2 to Australia and Australia 4-2 to Philippines). While Indonesia has only fielded their six main players – with excellent results – other teams have been mixing it up a little bit more: for example, Australia has used eleven of their twelve players in the first three rounds! Finally, the Shenzhen China team (Olympiad partners) is tremendously strong but somewhat underperformed in the first three rounds. However, despite losing an important match against Indonesia by 3.5-2.5, the team remains one of the main contenders for the three qualifying spots. Division 2 – Pool B A rather strong pool, with many European teams. Latvia, headed by GM Nikita Meshkovs, have won their first three matches (against Estonia, Iraq and Switzerland) and are leading the pool undefeated with 6/6. Division 3 qualifier Malaysia are also on a roll: two wins and a draw (against Austria) leaves them in undisputed second position with 5/6. There is a tie between three strong teams in third place, all of which have won two games and lost one: Italy, Estonia, and Uzbekistan. On paper, the best squad, captained by GM Loek van Wely, is Italy, with a medium rating of 2343. However, they have used eleven of their twelve players on Day 1 (only board one GM Luca Moroni has played all three games). Austria (with GM Markus Ragger on board one) and Moldova (headed by GM Victor Bologan and GM Viorel Iordachescu) have underperformed, but anything can happen with six rounds left. The following diagram is from the game between board one in Moldova vs Italy. White has just played 41.Rf7 and it’s Black to play. Moroni captured the pawn with 41…Rxd4, a big mistake, as after 42.e7! Kg8 43.Raf6! Black loses to 44.Rf8 and had to resign. Instead of the text move, 41…Kg8! would have kept the game going. Division 2 – Pool C Another tough group with many strong European countries. However, after the first three rounds, the leader with 6/6 is Israel, an excellent team with four seasoned GM’s and several other titled players: definitely one of the strongest teams of the division. For the moment, they have fielded all of their twelve players. Also on 6/6 is Belarus, headed by GM’s Kirill Stupak and Alexei Fedorov. Three wins by 4.5-1.5 against Sweden, Norway and Sri Lanka have placed them in an excellent position to take one of the three qualifying spots. Two teams share third place in the standings: Montenegro and Scotland. They have both won two matches and lost one (against Israel and Zimbabwe, respectively). Both Sweden and Norway have played below their expectations for now, and with only two points are in a dangerous situation. However, there are still six rounds to go, and both of them are capable of climbing their way back into the lead. Division 2 – Pool D Group D brings together mostly South American and African teams, rated 2000 at least and some of them much higher. Two of the favourites, Argentina and Brazil, have already taken the lead after the first three rounds with 6/6. With four OTB Olympic players plus strong titled female contenders, the powerful Argentinean squad started off by taking down Mexico in a very close match by 3.5-2.5 and then followed it up by convincingly defeating Algeria and Morocco. Meanwhile, Brazil, headed by GM’s Alexandr Fier and Felipe El Debs, beat Angola, Slovenia and Venezuela. These two teams share third and fourth place with 4/6, with two wins and one defeat. The following diagram is from the Algeria-Venezuela match. White has just played 24.Qc4 and was in for a surpise. Black took advantage of the pin on the h1-a8 diagonal and played 24…Nxe3+! 25.fxe3 Rxd2+! followed by 26…Qxf3, winning a piece and the game. Third-division top qualifiers Uruguay haven’t yet found their form in this stage of the event but with six rounds still to go – and direct matches with the other contenders – it’s very early to turn down their chance to qualify. Mexico is in the exact same situation. Division 2 – Pool E The last group to finish – South and Central American countries – might easily be the most evenly matched at the top. Three teams lead the pack with 6/6: Colombia, Cuba and Ecuador, in that order after tie-breaking with board points. However, Chile is just behind on 5/6, having only conceded a draw against Jamaica. On paper, it would be a big surprise if Colombia (with GM David Arenas and Andres Gallego) and Cuba (GM Carlos Albornoz and Yasser Quesada are their top boards) miss qualification for the top division, but the third spot is wide open. Chile, Paraguay Bolivia and Costa Rica could quickly close the gap and overtake Ecuador on Day 2 if they are fortunate on the board. In fact, Colombia-Ecuador and Paraguay-Bolivia are fourth-round match-ups that shouldn’t be missed by South American fans tomorrow! Pairings of the rounds, live games, PGN files and other useful information
The winners of the Online Cadets & Youth World Cup announced
August was a hot time for young chess players from all over the world as the Online Cadets and Youth Rapid World Cup 2021 was underway on the Tornelo platform for most of the month. The qualification stage run from 1-20 August and brought together more than 1600 participants from 100 national federations, making it one of the biggest online events of the year. The top finishers in each of 10 age categories (Open under 10, 12, 14, 16, and 18 years old; Girls under 10, 12, 14, 16, 18) and seeded players secured their places in the finals from 26-31 August. Unfortunately, we must admit that not everyone kept their points to the end of the tournament – the Fair Play panel never stopped keeping an attentive eye. The finals were held in a knockout format with a time control of 15 minutes plus 10 seconds increment and broadcast live with the commentary by GM Farrukh Amonatov. You can find the archive of all streams in the dedicated playlist. Sixteen players starting in each category eventually narrowed down to two in the final who determined the overall winner. In addition to well-deserved bragging rights, the top 3 winners in each section qualified for the 2021 FIDE Online Rapid Super Final to be held in December. Five players placed 4-8, and one highest-rated player among 9th-16th secured their participation in the 2021 FIDE Online Rapid Grand Prix Series that will allow them to have another shot on reaching the Super Final – the ultimate stage of this year’s Cadets & Youth World Championship cycle. Russia claimed the most medals – six in total, but only one of the highest order as FM Savva Vetokhin snatched gold from Mrinmoy Rajkhowa (India) in Armageddon. Players from the USA and India collected four medals for each country, with the USA taking two golds. The rating-favourite of Girls U12 WCM Alice Lee won the event after beating second-seeded Anna Shukhman in Armageddon. In Open U16, IM Cristopher Yoo gained the upper hand in a principled encounter with Russian IM Volodar Murzin leaving behind higher-rated Indians Gukesh D and Pranav V. The single gold for India came in a prestigious Open U18 category after IM Harshavardhan G B defeated FM Nikolaos Spyropoulos in the second game of their final. On the diagram is one of the crucial moments of Spyropoulos – Harshavardhan. Commentator GM Farrukh Amonatov criticized White’s decision not to take on e4 and choose 20.Bb2 instead. 20…Bxh3! 21. Ne5 Bf5 was played, Black winning a pawn. White certainly had enough compensation in space and activity, and he managed to develop a dangerous initiative, leading to the following position. However, White slowed down here, capturing on b5, after which Black’s queen and rook got loose on the queenside, and the game was soon over. Instead, White could have broken Black’s resistance by exchanging the last guardian with 28. Ng4. In the absence of a firm favourite IM Bibisara Assaubayeva (Kazakhstan), the second seed Azerbaijani WIM Govhar Beydullayeva dominated the Girls U18 section. Vietnamese players triumphed in the Girls U16 category with WCM Nguyen Hong Nhung defeating her compatriot WFM Vu Bui Thi Thanh Van 2-0 in the match for gold. Turkey’s system of involving schoolkids in chess proved efficient once again, with their players taking gold in Open U14 – FM Ediz Gurel – and Open U10 category. The latter was no surprise as CM Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus, at his tender age, is already famous as the highest-rated 10-year-old in the world. Can you find how Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus played here with White in the final against Vaz Ethan? 22. Rxf6! – nice and efficient. Kudos to Gunawardhana Devindya Oshini from Sri Lanka winning Girls U10 category and WFM Zsoka Gaal, bringing Hungary gold in Girls U14. Our congratulations to the front runners! The event was supported by SOCAR, the State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic. You can find the results, regulations, and other information on the official website: https://youth-worldcup.fide.com/
Firouzja holds off So’s fierce fightback to storm into semis
Alireza Firouzja pulled off a potentially career-defining win today as he bundled world number 6 Wesley So out of the Aimchess US Rapid. The teen hotshot showed nerves of steel as he clinched the win in a tense blitz tiebreaker after So had launched a fierce comeback to get back into the match. It was a day of high drama in the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour event as So won an improbable two must-win games in a row to take it to the tiebreaker. But Firouzja held on to set up a mouth-watering semi with Russia’s Vladislav Artemiev tomorrow. World Champion Magnus Carlsen, meanwhile, takes on Levon Aronian. Firouzja said the tiebreaker was “crazy” as So roared back at him before the youngster finally prevailed. Magnus Carlsen, the overall Tour leader, was in ominous form yet again as he crushed Poland’s World Cup winner Jan-Krzysztof Duda. The champ did have a bizarre moment of madness in the opening game as he offered up a pawn for free. But in true Carlsen-style the Norwegian recovered strongly from the blunder and broke through to turn it into a win. Carlsen went on to take the match 2.5-0.5, putting Duda to bed with a clinical win in the third match. Duda, it seemed, never had a chance. Carlsen said: “I had a fairly decent day today. In general, I have been outplaying him. Generally, my level of play has been very decent.” Looking towards his next match, the champ said Levon Aronian has improved his rapid play markedly over the course of the Tour and has become “formidable”. And so Aronian showed. His win over dangerous Azerbaijan’s number #1 Shakrhiyar Mamedyarov was just as commanding as Carlsen’s. After a 3-1 win yesterday, Aronian polished off Mamedyarov in three games with a much smoother 2-1 victory. The Armenian FTX Crypto Cup winner said it was an “emotional battle”, and he needed a rest before taking on Carlsen. The closest match in the quarters was the encounter between Vladislav Artemiev and the Cuban-American Leinier Dominguez. After a 2-2 draw yesterday, Artemiev finally broke through in Game 3 and then turned around an epic final game in which pushed hard. Dominguez, who was the big surprise from the prelims, was out. The result also had broader implications as it meant Artemiev leapfrogs the Frenchman Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in the overall standings and has booked himself a place in the $300,000 end-of-season Tour Final. Tomorrow’s semi-final matches start at 17:00 CEST. All games will be played in the chess24.com playzone. Coverage with full commentary is available on www.championschesstour.com or www.chess24.com. For further information, please contact: Leon Watson, PR for Play Magnus Groupleon@chessable.com+44 7786 078 770
Kosteniuk and Danielian rocket up in September rating list
August 2021 was the month of four main events in the chess calendar: the 2021 FIDE World Cup, Sinquefield Cup, the 2021 Women’s FIDE World Cup and the Women’s European Championship. Consequently, those who did well in those competitions became the primary beneficiaries in the September rating lists. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave dropped two rating points in the FIDE World Cup but more than compensated for it by winning the Sinquefield Cup. The Frenchman earned 14 rating points in Saint Louis and triumphantly returned into the top-10, kicking out Shakhriyar Mamedyarov. The latter lost 20 points in the FIDE World Cup and the Sinquefield Cup. Photo: Anastasiia Korolkova The Women’s FIDE World Cup champion, Alexandra Kosteniuk, gained 41 points, climbed from 18th to 8th place in the women’s rankings, and reappeared in the top-10 for the first time since August 2019. Tan Zhongyi also did a great job in Sochi, where she reached the semifinals and picked up 14 rating points moving up one step in the Women’s Top-10. Photo: Anastasiia Korolkova Biggest gains: 1 Danielian, Elina GM ARM 2450 (+43) 2 Kosteniuk, Alexandra GM RUS 2526 (+41) 3 Injac, Teodora WGM SRB 2405 (+35) 4 Garifullina, Leya WGM RUS 2409 (+24) 5 Vaishali R WGM IND 2414 (+21) 6 Duda, Jan-Krzysztof GM POL 2756 (+18) 7 Nomin-Erdene, Davaademberel IM MGL 2398 (+16) 8 Sargsyan, Shant GM ARM 2642 (+16) 9 Tan, Zhongyi GM CHN 2525 (+14) 10 Abdusattorov, Nodirbek GM UZB 2648 (14) 11 Kamsky, Gata GM USA 2662 (+13) 12 Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime GM FRA 2763 (+12) Elina Danielian is the winner in this category, thanks to her brilliant performance at the Women’s European Championship. The Armenian GM not only took the title but also netted swooping 43 rating points. Teodora Injac and Leya Garifullina put up a strong showing in the two main women’s competitions in August and notched up 35 and 24 points, respectively. Photo: https://ecuwomen2021.ro/ Right outside the Top-10 Open, Jan-Krzysztof Duda picked up 18 points and ascended three positions to 15th after his impressive victory at the FIDE World Cup. Photo: David Llada Nodirbek Abusattorov and Shant Sargsian moved up one position each in the Top-10 Junior list. They earned 14 and 16 points, respectively, after producing good results at FIDE World Cup and Agzamov Memorial in Tashkent (won by the Armenian GM), and now are close on the heels of Nihal Sarin, who still occupies third place. Meanwhile, Gata Kamsky came out on top in the Biel Chess Festival 2021, which translates into 13 rating points and 23 positions up in the Top-100 Open. Top lists, calculations, ratings, statistics and more: ratings.fide.com
Firouzja puts So to the sword as Carlsen downs Duda
Rising star Alireza Firouzja showed why he’s seen almost universally as the next big thing in chess today with a ruthless display against Wesley So. The Iran-born 18-year-old was at his fearsome best in the Aimchess US Rapid as he thrashed US Champ Wesley 2.5-0.5 in the first match of the quarters. Wesley has won two titles on this year’s Meltwater Champions Tour and is a hot tip to win the series overall. But the American had no answer to Firouzja’s dominant play as the youngster won the first two games and then finished him off with a draw. Firouzja’s play belied his young age and he played with confidence and maturity, calmly guiding the match to its conclusion with a game to spare. “I think now I am getting in better shape,” he said afterwards, comparing his performance to previous Tour outings. As always, Wesley was gracious in defeat and heaped praise on his opponent – but did say it was a “bad day” for him. Wesley, who hinted that his hectic schedule had taken a toll on his play, will undoubtedly come back tomorrow for the second QF match with renewed vigour. Meanwhile, World Champion and Tour leader Magnus Carlsen also hammered Jan-Krzysztof Duda, who knocked him out of the recent World Cup before winning it. Carlsen looked bang in form as he battered Duda 2.5-0.5. The Pole now has a mountain to climb to make it into the semis. Asked whether he had exacted revenge on Duda for the loss, Carlsen said: “No, I don’t get revenge by beating people once.” He added: “I will need to show up tomorrow with the same kind of energy that I did today.” In the other quarters, the in-form Vladislav Artemiev, who dominated the prelim stage, found his charge for the title halted by the Cuban-American Leinier Dominguez. Artemiev and Dominguez’s tight match ended 2-2 leaving the pair heading for a shootout tomorrow. Artemiev maintained his unbeaten run, which extends to 19 games – but it took a last-gasp save to keep it. Levon Aronian, playing his last tournament in Armenia, beat the Azeri Shakhriyar Mamedyarov 3-1 in a spectacular match that saw four decisive games. Tomorrow the four quarter-final matches will reach their climax with play starting at 17:00 CEST. All games will be played in the chess24.com playzone. Coverage with full commentary is available on www.championschesstour.com or www.chess24.com. For further information, please contact: Leon Watson, PR for Play Magnus Groupleon@chessable.com+44 7786 078 770
Jacques Rogge (1942-2021)
FÉDÉRATION INTERNATIONALE DES ÉCHECS Recognized by the International Olympic Committee (1999) 54 Avenue de Rhodanie, 1007 Lausanne, Switzerland (+41) 216010039 office@fide.com http://www.fide.com Moscow, 31 August 2021 N 01_137_2021 On behalf of the International Chess Federation, I would like to express my sincere condolences on the passing of the eighth President of the International Olympic Committee, Jacques Rogge. Mr Rogge devoted himself to the promotion of the Olympic Movement for twelve years, a term that spanned three Summer Olympics and three Winter Games from 2001-2013. During this period, he demonstrated his admirable character by bringing stability and progress to the world of sports during very challenging times. A former athlete, Jacques had competed at three Olympics for Belgium as a sailor in 1968, 1972 and 1976. He loved sport and he loved to be among them athletes, who he considered his peers. An accomplished President, Mr Rogge was particularly passionate about raising interest in sport among younger generations. He decisively contributed to establishing the Youth Olympic Games, for which we all are forever indebted. Sincerely, Arkady DvorkovichFIDE President
Frantic end to Aimchess prelim stage sees Giri crash out
Vladislav Artemiev put in a tour de force performance to streak ahead of the pack as eight were eliminated from the Aimchess US Rapid. The 23-year-old Russian, who led overnight, kept up the pace in the prelim stage to book a place in the quarter-finals with ease. He ended unbeaten on 10.5/15 – a half-point ahead of World Champion Magnus Carlsen – and advances with a real chance of making the final. Behind him, both Carlsen and FTX Crypto Cup winner Levon Aronian also qualified smoothly with the teen hotshot also putting in a stellar show to finish on 9.5/15. Further back on the leaderboard, however, there was a frantic scramble for places as the field was cut in half. Wesley So, the only player to have made the cut in every Meltwater Champions Chess Tour event so far and winner of two titles, found himself in trouble early on before launching a recovery. By Round 12, with three rounds to go, Alireza Firouzja and Shakrhiyar Mamedyarov of Azerbaijan also both looked safe having built on yesterday’s scores. It left four of the big guns neck-and-neck and battling for just three qualifying spots with several permutations possible. Poland’s World Cup winner Jan-Krzysztof Duda was the first to pull himself clear leaving Leinier Dominguez Perez, Anish Giri and France’s #1 Maxime Vachier-Lagrave chasing the last place. In a nervy final round, it was Dominguez Perez who squeezed into the quarters as Giri couldn’t break down Firouzja and crashed out. Duda had earlier been involved in a technical drama in his Round 12 match against the “ChessBrah” streamer Eric Hansen which could have made his path to the quarters much easier. Hansen suffered a disconnection in a dead-drawn position and was on the brink of being handed a default loss. With Duda battling for a QF place, a win by disconnection would surely have proved crucial to sending him through in the final shakedown. But Duda showed true sportsmanship by offering a draw through the arbiters, which Hansen accepted. In the next game, the Pole was rewarded with a buccaneering win over Jorden Van Foreest which set him on the road to qualifying. The other streamer in the field was America’s Daniel Naroditsky. Despite being ranked far below the top players in the event, Naroditsky had been in the running overnight for an improbable KO place. But the underdog’s challenge petered out as he let a winning position slip to a draw against Hansen and was then comprehensively outplayed by Vachier-Lagrave. Naroditsky impressed far beyond his world #156 ranking – but, while he justified his inclusion, making the knockout stage was a step too far. Artemiev now takes on Dominguez Perez while Carlsen, in the other half of the draw, faces Duda. Today’s four quarter-final matches start at 17:00 CEST and will be played in the chess24.com playzone. Coverage with full commentary is available on www.championschesstour.com or www.chess24.com. For further information, please contact: Leon Watson, PR for Play Magnus Groupleon@chessable.com+44 7786 078 770