WSCC 2021: Harika Dronavalli squeezes into final
Harika Dronavalli (India) became the first finalist of the FIDE Chess.com Women’s Speed Chess Championship after defeating Katerina Lagno (Russia) in a very close nail-biting match 14:13. The opponents were going neck-by-neck after the first 5+1 segment, but in the next 3+1 portion, Harika grabbed the one-point lead, which she extended to three points at the start of the 1+1 section. Katerina did not give up and levelled the score after game 20. The grandmasters exchanged heavy blows on the final stretch, but neither of them could tip the balance into his favour, and it came down to a tiebreaker. The first three games of the tiebreaker were drawn, but Harika prevailed in the final one to clinch her spot in the final. It is worth mentioning that the Indian GM won her second tiebreaker in the event. “It was a very tough match that could have gone either way any moment. I am just happy that it worked out for me today,” said the happy finalist after the match. Harika is taking on the winner of the second all-Chinese semifinal match Hou Yifan vs. Lei Tingjie that will be played on June 2. The FIDE Chess.com 2021 Women’s Speed Chess Championship is an online competition for titled female players. The qualifiers for the event took place from May 28-June 6, while the main event runs from June 10 to July 3. Players are battling for their share of a total prize fund of $66,000. Fans can follow the FIDE Chess.com Women’s Speed Chess Championship by watching the live broadcast with expert commentary on Chess.com/TV and Chess.com’s Twitch channel. They will also be able to enjoy the event through Chess.com’s Events page (https://www.chess.com/events). More info and a full schedule of the FIDE Chess.com Women’s Speed Chess Championship can be found here.
Carlsen, Aronian, Artemiev and Ding through to semis
Two thrilling blitz chess playoffs decided the Goldmoney Asian Rapid semi-final line-up as Magnus Carlsen survived a fierce comeback. The World Champion finally overcame two-time US champ Wesley So after the man dubbed the “Comeback King” launched a nerveless rearguard action to level the match. Carlsen will now face world number 4 Levon Aronian tomorrow after the 38-year-old also faced stiff resistance from Indian teen sensation Arjun Erigaisi. Aronian and Arjun, the youngest and oldest left in the $100,000 event, drew yesterday’s match and then played out four fighting draws today as the youngster pushed for the win. But having used all his experience to keep Arjun at bay, the wily Aronian was too strong in the playoff. Nevertheless, getting this far in a Meltwater Champions Chess Tour event was undoubtedly a big breakthrough on the world stage for the 17-year-old. Asked how hard it was facing Arjun, Aronian said: “Very tough because I didn’t know him well and he turned out to be a very difficult opponent.” Carlsen, meanwhile, appeared to be cruising after winning the first match yesterday and then going ahead again in the first game today. But after a quick “Berlin” draw in the second, So won two in a row to take the match 2.5-1.5 and level the scores overall. It meant tiebreaks. Carlsen dominated the two tiebreaker games as So couldn’t complete the comeback. Russian debutant Vladislav Artemiev had been the first name into the semis with a crushing and quick win over the Netherlands number 1 Anish Giri. The speed specialist was mightily impressive as he followed up yesterday’s three wins with a fourth in a row and then secured two draws to go through. Giri, who revealed this week he has just become a father for the second time, simply didn’t get a look-in against the 23-year-old. Artemiev will face China’s number 1 Ding Liren, who triumphed in a tight match against the dangerous Pole Jan-Krzysztof Duda. Artemiev said: “Of course, it is a very good result for me, and I am happy because Anish is a very good player.” The Goldmoney Asian Rapid is broadcast live on Norwegian TV station TV 2 and streamed with commentary in several languages on chess24’s YouTube and Twitch channels. Play resumes tomorrow at 13:00 CEST. All games will be played on the chess24.com playzone. For further information, please contact: Leon Watson, PR for Play Magnus Groupleon@chessable.com+44 7786 078 770
Abhimanyu Mishra is the youngest Grandmaster in history
Twelve-year-old from Englishtown, New Jersey breaks 19-year-old record with 66 days to spare CROSSVILLE, TN: 12-year-old Grandmaster Abhimanyu (“Abhi”) Mishra from Englishtown, New Jersey is the youngest Grandmaster (GM) in history, breaking the record formerly held by Russian GM Sergey Karjakin. Karjakin set the record in 2002 and went on to unsuccessfully challenge GM Magnus Carlsen in a 2016 World Championship match. At age 12 years, 4 months, and 25 days, Mishra earned his third and final norm (a performance-level measure) on June 30, 2021 at the Vezerkepzo GM Mix tournament in Budapest, Hungary, defeating GM Leon Luke Mendonca to take the final step on his long journey to Grandmaster. (He had already fulfilled the rating requirement, breaking the 2500 Elo mark in June, and FIDE—the World Chess Federation—must still confirm the record.) With Karjakin having earned his title at age 12 years and 7 months, Mishra bettered the previous mark by approximately 66 days. This is not Mishra’s first record shattered. He was the youngest master in U.S. history at nine years and two months, and the youngest International Master ever at 10 years, nine months, and three days, breaking the record previously held by GM Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa by 17 days. The U.S. Chess Federation (U.S. Chess) is the official governing body and nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization for chess players and chess supporters in the United States. Our mission is to empower people, enrich lives, and enhance communities through chess. Our vision is that chess is recognized as an essential tool that is inclusive, benefits education and rehabilitation, and promotes recreation and friendly competition. Text: Daniel Lucas dlucas@uschess.org Photo: Mishra: Photo by Justin N. Lane, jnlane.com/Courtesy of U.S. Chess. Chess Life Cover: Courtesy of U.S. Chess
Issues concerning the Member Chess Federation of Morocco
Since the FIDE Constitutional Commission has taken the decision that FIDE shall appoint a reverse delegate for Morocco, FIDE extends its invitation and expects all interested parties to submit the proposals for a candidate for this position with a justification of their proper competencies by the 6th of July, 2021. This is the full text of the Constitutional Commission’s Decision: “Issues concerning the Member Chess Federation of Morocco – Fédération Royale Marocaine des Échecs Already in September 2019, FIDE was informed that the mandate of the President of the Royal Moroccan Chess Federation, Mr. Mustapha Amazzal, as well as the mandate of the board (“Comité directeur”) of the Royal Moroccan Chess Federation, elected in 2015, expired in March 2019 and no new elections were scheduled in accordance with the statutes of the Royal Moroccan Chess Federation. FIDE received a copy of a communication (original version in Arabic language, with a translated version in English), addressed to Mr. Mustapha Amazzal by the Moroccan Minister of Youth and Sport, dated 2nd of April 2019, where it was underlined that no general assemblies of the Moroccan Chess Federation were held in the sportive seasons 2016/2017 and 2017/2018, that the budget submissions were not approved, that the extraordinary elective assembly, due to be organised on February 2019, failed as well, and that for these reasons “I hereby request from you to correct the conditions of the Royal Moroccan Chess Federation and settle all legal imbalances that affect its management in a delay of three weeks maximum”. In connection with the participation of a representative of the Royal Moroccan Chess Federation both in the Abu Dhabi FIDE Extraordinary General Assembly, in February 2020, and in the 91st FIDE Congress and in the Online General Assembly, in December 2020, no information about a new election was provided to FIDE. Therefore, in September 2020, the Royal Moroccan Chess Federation was notified by FIDE of their obligations to hold regular assemblies and elections, with reference to art. 11 q) of the FIDE Charter. Mr. Mustapha Amazzal answered in October 2020, exposing a situation of internal conflict with some clubs and some persons, especially a contrast with Mr. Zoheir Slami, a member of the board of Royal Moroccan Chess Federation, who submitted complaints to national judicial authorities and to FIDE. With his letter, Mr. Mustapha Amazzal asked the intervention of FIDE, also with Moroccan governmental authorities, to facilitate the organisation of an elective assembly. In November 2020, FIDE Offices referred to the Constitutional Commission the case concerning the Royal Moroccan Chess Federation and the right to vote in the December 2020 General Assembly. The Constitutional Commission examined the case. The parties involved were contacted to mediate a possible solution, that was found among them. Given that new elections of this Federation seemed to be scheduled for the beginning of 2021, there was no opposition about the possibility for Mr. Mustapha Amzal to represent the Royal Federation of Morocco in the 2020 GA, under the condition that this will be the last time a representative of the current board will act as a delegate of the Royal Moroccan Chess Federation. Therefore, the Constitutional Commission confirmed the legitimacy of the participation in the meeting of Mr. Mustapha Amzal as the official representative of the Royal Moroccan Chess Federation. However, in the following months, the Constitutional Commission was informed that an Extraordinary Assembly, due to be held on 14th of March 2021, was annulled, because not authorised by the locals administrative authorities, given that the premises were not respecting administrative legal prescriptions (probably related to Covid pandemic) and that another Extraordinary Assembly, not even an elective one, scheduled on 30th of May 2021, was not held again, this time also as a consequence of some controversies about the right to convene the assembly, the right to vote and the right to participate in the assembly. FIDE also received some letters from Moroccan clubs and organisers, where they expose that because of the crisis in the Royal Moroccan Federation of Chess, their players and arbiters are deprived of the opportunity to improve their ratings and their titles, and that the situation generates great damages for the players. Another letter was sent to FIDE by the AIDEF (Association International Des Échecs Francophones), where the “chaotic” situation of the Moroccan federation was exposed, charging it to the responsibility of Mr. Mustapha Amzal, who would also regularly refuse to homologate tournaments organised by clubs and persons that he considers as his “opposants”, recalling that the same Mr. Mustapha Amzal, in 2007, was sanctioned by the FIDE Ethics Commission, with the exclusion to participate in FIDE events for a period of three years and to organise FIDE events for two years, having authorised a practice of submission to the competent FIDE organs of falsified or fake International Arbiter title norm reports, aiding and abetting this practice. AIDEF also reminded that in 2013 they were obliged to receive directly by FIDE the authorisation to organise a chess event in Morocco, as a consequence of an unmotivated opposition by Mr. Mustapha Amzal. Lastly, AIDEF expressed the intention to organise in Casablanca, Morocco, in December 2021, the 8th edition of the “Rencontres Internationales des Échecs Francophones”, their major annual event, asking FIDE to assure the possibility to organise it in a situation of “serenity”. Then, the Constitutional Commission was charged again to express a decision about this case. The Constitutional Commission considers that there are no doubts that the Royal Moroccan Federation of Chess has violated at least art. 11 c) and art. 11 q) of FIDE Charter, that preview, among the obligations of Member Federations, “to comply with their own statutes, rules and regulations, refraining from taking discriminatory decisions or actions” and “to regularly organise general assemblies and elections, in accordance with their statutes and national legal order”. Consequently, the Royal Moroccan Federation of Chess could be suspended from FIDE membership, following a decision of the Council. However, the suspension would affect even more the interests of Moroccan
FIDE Chessable Academy kicks off on Chessable Classroom
Chessable, the world’s leading chess E-learning platform, in partnership with FIDE, has launched the FIDE Chessable Academy, aiming to support young talents worldwide and encourage them to succeed in chess. The introductory classes were held in English, Russian and Spanish languages and featured FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, FIDE Managing Director Dana Reizniece-Ozola, Chessable CEO David Kramaley and other officials. FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich: “We are very happy with our collaboration with Chessable and the Play Magnus Group and our aim is to deliver the best coaching to the most talented young chess players around the world. Both of us are lucky. On the side of FIDE, together with Chessable, we have a chance to combine the coaches under the umbrella of our Trainers’ Commission with the young chess players who we believe is our future, the next generation to dominate the chess arena for the next decade and even more.” Chessable CEO David Kramaley: “Welcome to Chessable Classroom! We are delighted to have this collaboration with FIDE and have you here. Chessable started six years ago with one mission: to make learning and improving in chess easier, more efficient and more fun, also, and I think we have gone a long way towards achieving these goals. Classroom is one of those end results and is here for you and your training now. Now we have over a hundred people working to build this tool to your benefit, and we have not only developers but also scientists, trainers and thousands of students like you giving us feedback, comments on how to make the platform even better. We are all here to support your journey, but perhaps the most important thing you can remember is that it is you that brings the hard work, who brings the motivation, the energy, the dedication, and most importantly, the love for chess which you all have.” FIDE Managing Director Dana Reizniece-Ozola: “There is a saying in the Russian language: “The clever will not go up the hill, the clever will bypass the mountain”. But I am a chess player myself, and I know that there are no easy ways to win. You need to work very hard. If you are already here, it means that you will have such an opportunity. If you are here, it means that you are possibly the most talented and promising in your country. It is a great honour for you, but also a great responsibility. You’ll have to work the whole summer. But I hope you will enjoy it, because you will have the opportunity to work with the best and most outstanding trainers. They will share their knowledge and experience, which will be very useful to you in the future. I wish you all the best of luck and enjoy your studies. And I’d like to say many thanks from FIDE to Chessable for such a good investment in the future of children and youth. It seems to me that investing in the future is the smartest investment, which you cannot lose. May this investment of yours have good and fruitful dividends.” A three-year junior educational program is implemented by the FIDE Trainers’ Commission (TRG). 243 most talented and promising young players between the ages of 8 to 16, representing 94 national federations, attended the program. Among the FIDE Chessable Academy students are young talents in the top five rankings in their age group and winners at the World Youth and Cadets Championships. TRG Chairman Mikhail Kobalia: “I am very glad that we are launching this project. Thanks to Chessable, great opportunities open up; in my time, we could not even dream of seeing such strong trainers online and learning from them. We want you to learn a lot from different people. It is great that the project will exist on a long-term basis. The program will run for three years; this gives young children fantastic opportunities to work and develop. I’m sure you can use them in the right way”. In 2021, 123 boys and 120 girls will learn and improve their chess working with the strongest trainers. The program will run from June to December and will provide a minimum of two hours online every two weeks. In addition, at least the top 12 participants will be selected to attend one or more training camps by legendary players. During the entire duration of the training programme, a panel expert representing FIDE and Chessable will oversee the participants’ progress, provide assignments, and work together in the evaluation of the young talents. Students will also get access to numerous free chess learning materials from Chessable. You can find out more about the program here: https://trainers.fide.com/category/fide-chessable-academy/ About Chessable Chessable is the world’s leading chess E-learning platform and the largest digital chess library in the world. Chessable’s mission is to make learning chess as fun and efficient as possible. It has published interactive video courses by a wide range of presenters and authors, including many of the world’s top players, such as current World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen. The company was co-founded in 2015 by David Kramaley and International Master John Bartholomew. Chessable’s team consists of expert content creators, scientists, developers and chess grandmasters all working together to create the best chess learning platform in the world.
Asia Chess Academy, ACF and FIDE hold World Refugee Day Tournament
Asia Chess Academy (Jordan) held the World Refugee Day Online Chess Tournament 2021 under the supervision of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), and the Asian Chess Federation (ACF), and in cooperation with UNHCR, UNRWA and JOHUD. For the third year in a row, Asia Chess Academy has continued its training program for refugees. In 2019 the Academy launched the chess for refugees’ program with 20 participants in cooperation with the UNHCR. Then in 2020, in collaboration with UNRWA schools in Amman, it had around 50 trainees who have demonstrated extraordinary dedication and hard work to establish themselves in official tournaments. By maximising the efforts, the program was extended to 200 trainees this year in cooperation with UNHCR, UNRWA & JOHUD. On 20/6/2021, the day which coincides with World Refugee Day (A day that is designated as an international day by the United Nations to honour refugees around the world, and celebrates the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their home country to escape conflict or persecution), Asia Chess Academy organised an inclusive competition open for all the participants of the training program for refugees entitled: World Refugee Day Online Chess Tournament 2021. The tournament brought together 135 players out of 200 registered; the reduced number of participants was caused by many factors, including access to smart devices and/or internet connection. For instance, two or more brothers or sisters of the same family attended the training sessions using the only smartphone they had. Unfortunately, they were forced to abandon their playing chances in the tournament and choose only one person to participate, as each player must play from his own device. In addition, many participants have had almost no live attendance during online training sessions, and their participation in the tournament was hindered because of poor Internet access. Recorded lessons partially helped them acquire the knowledge when they get access to the internet, yet nothing could be done to enable them to participate in the tournament. The organisers faced many difficulties during the preparation and implementation of the training program due to the lack of skills needed to use distance-learning techniques. However, in response to those challenges, the academy team put in considerable effort to provide the required assistance, from creating an email address for people to explaining the intricacies of the Lichess platform. The opening of the tournament was honoured by the presence of the FIDE Managing Director Dana Reizniece-Ozola, and a number of officials from UNHCR, UNRWA, and JOHUD. Asia Chess Academy Director Sami Khader began the ceremony by welcoming all distinguished guests and thanking all trainees for their commitment and hard work during the preceding period. He emphasised that Asia Chess Academy, as a part of the Jordanian society, which hosts more than 3 million refugees forming the second largest percentage of refugees to citizens in the world, believes that all refugees have the right to not only survive but also thrive! He also assured that ACA believes that sport in general and chess can enrich the lives of people forced to flee their homes, as it can boost mental health, help refugees gain confidence, forge new friendships, and feel welcome. In line with the World Refugee Day theme 2021, “Together we heal, learn and shine”, Sami announced that the Academy intends to provide more advanced training courses for those wishing to enhance their competitiveness and performance, including not only the winners of the tournament but all trainees. He expressed profound gratitude to the International Chess Federation (FIDE), the Asian Chess Federation (ACF), UNHCR, UNRWA, and JOHUD, and thanked them all for the cooperation and support they have been providing for the program to succeed. He also expressed his hope of having more participants in the coming courses and fewer refugees worldwide. On behalf of FIDE, the FIDE Managing Director Dana Reizniece-Ozola warmly greeted and welcomed all guests and trainees and addressed a message full of hope and positivity on the occasion of the world refugee day: “We see that with the great help of Asia Chess Academy, we have tried to give the tools in the form of chess to you, so that you would not only have a wonderful way of spending your spare time and competing, but also using chess for your education because I am very much convinced that chess gives very important life skills, such as the understanding between the cause and the consequences, such as building up the self-esteem such as strengthening the team spirit such as strengthening respect not only to your friends, but the opponents and I could name there were positive impacts quite for a while, I am very much convinced that because you are playing chess, you will get the knowledge so in your real life you will be the real master of your life.” “The real chess players never become a piece in somebody else’s hands, so all my best wishes to you,” she added. She commended the Academy on the substantial progress it had made on the program year after year and thanked UNHCR, UNRWA and all who worked on this program, ensuring that FIDE will try to expand it to other countries. Likewise, all the representativeы of UNHCR, UNRWA and JOHUD, expressed their deepest thanks and admiration to Asia Chess Academy for this initiative and its positive impacts on all trainees’ skills. Lastly, some former participants shared their experiences and opinions of the program and expressed their gratitude for such initiatives because of the positive impact and improvement chess had in their lives.
Carlsen takes first blood as Artemiev runs riot
World Champ Magnus Carlsen took first blood against Tour nemesis Wesley So in a vicious first day of the Goldmoney Asian Rapid quarters. The Norwegian came out on top in a thrilling four-game match between the two biggest dogs on the $1.6 million Meltwater Champions Chess Tour. Carlsen now needs just a draw in tomorrow’s second match to go through to the semis of leg seven of the Tour. But having beaten Carlsen twice in finals already this season, two-time US champ So is sure to roar back. Carlsen vs So has been the blue-ribbon match so far in the year-long series of online events, and this one got off to a suitably dramatic start. First, Carlsen made a huge mistake then – inexplicably – the machine-like So blundered too to hand the champ an opening round win. The drama continued in game 2 as Tour leader Carlsen simply imploded to hand the initiative back to the American. Momentum then swung again as a wild game in the third gave Carlsen a 2-1 lead. With So now in a must-win situation, Carlsen shut up shop and steered the fourth to a draw which leaves him 1-0 up in matches overnight. Carlsen said: “It’s huge for me. It’s the first time, except a third-place match, that I’ve managed to win the first match so it’s massive.” Meanwhile, the QF between old-hand Levon Aronian and the event’s 17-year-old surprise package Arjun Erigaisi was exploding. The youngster, the lowest rated player in the tournament, had escaped with a draw in the first game against the unbeaten Aronian, who dominated the prelims. But in game 2, Erigaisi unleashed a vicious attack to inflict Aronian’s first defeat in 16 games and take seemingly control of the tie. It then turned around in game 3, as Aronian, who has been in stunning form in this tournament, used all his creative genius to hit straight back with a win. The match eventually fizzled out to a 2-2 draw after the final game ended peacefully with three-fold repetition. It was, however, a hugely impressive showing by Erigaisi against the world number 5. Erigaisi said afterward: “I’m pretty happy, but I hope to do better tomorrow.” Asked what it’s like playing the teenager, Aronian said: “He’s brave, so it’s good to play somebody who’s not just sitting back and trying to make a draw.” He added: “I’ll try to press in the openings, and see how it goes.” The clash between Vladislav Artemiev and Anish Giri was also on fire as the Russian ran riot to end the first mini-match early. Artemiev, the 2019 European Champion, scored three straight wins to blow Dutch number 1 Giri off the board. Artemiev said after: “I’m not such a bad player in rapid and blitz, so it’s not such a big surprise that I can make a score like this.” The speedster now just needs to draw the second match tomorrow to go through to the semis. Giri, who revealed he had a Covid-19 vaccination yesterday, said: “There’s one side-effect that they haven’t mentioned, that you play horrible chess!” By comparison, the final quarter-final match between China’s Ding Liren and Jan-Krzysztof Duda, was a tight affair. The pair played three draws in a row before Duda appeared to take control of the final game – and the match. But with less than a minute left on his clock, the Pole let the win slip and took a draw by repetition. It leaves the tie level and hanging on a one-day shootout tomorrow. The Goldmoney Asian Rapid is broadcast live on Norwegian TV station TV 2 and streamed with commentary in several languages on chess24’s YouTube and Twitch channels. Highlights will also be available in 60 countries on the Eurosport app. Play resumes tomorrow at 13:00 CEST. All games will be played on the chess24.com playzone. For further information, please contact: Leon Watson, PR for Play Magnus Groupleon@chessable.com+44 7786 078 770
Queens’ Festival goes big
Over 460 female players from 82 countries participated in the individual and team tournaments within the Queens’ festival global chess tournaments run from June 11 to June 27. The ambitious global project aiming at connecting women chess players from around the world of all ages and all rating groups was organized by FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess in cooperation with FIDE Events Commission and with the support of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), as well as Asian Chess Federation, African Chess Confederation, European Chess Union, and Confederation of Chess for Americas. After four continental qualifiers, the strongest players in their rating categories advanced to the Queens’ Online Individual and Team Finals. In the highest-rated category (> 2100), the individual tournament saw the triumph of IM/WGM Martha Fierro from Ecuador with IM/WGM Olga Zimina (Italy) finishing second and WGM Gong Qianyun (Singapore) coming in third. Argentina scored 29.5 points and emerged as the winner of the Team Blitz Tournament. Georgia with 29 points and Indonesia with 28 points finished second and third respectively. The event format allowed winning prizes in different rating categories and gave a chance to all to represent their countries in the finals. In addition, winners got multiple training sessions with leading chess coaches: Arthur Jussupow, Aleksey Dreev, Rustam Kasimdzhanov and Ilaha Kadimova. “One of the important goals of the FIDE WOM Commission is to build a network and a database for women in chess so we can share and spread important information more easily and efficiently. The Queens’ Festival is a clear step forward to achieve this goal. We believe that education can bring lasting results to boost female participation in all aspects of chess life. Therefore we offer our winners multiple training sessions with leading chess trainers. Our commission is also constantly supporting women by arranging numerous educational seminars for them in recent years, free of charge,” said the Chair of FIDE WOM Commission Eva Repkova. Queens’ Festival side events also enjoyed considerable interest. Presentations by speakers of the project were watched by thousands of viewers on the FIDE YouTube Channel. Many important topics were covered, including gender equality, which is of utmost importance to the chess community and society in general. “We are so happy with the outcome of the seminars! Ten speakers, participants from 54 countries, many hours of very interesting discussions. It was an important part of our project,” said the FIDE Vice President Lukasz Turlej. All the seminars as well as broadcasts of individual and team blitz finals can be watched here. The Queens’ Festival was warmly acclaimed by many female chess players who participated in the tournaments or watched the online seminars. “Thank you so much for organizing this event. You have no idea how much this means to me. At my age, most of my female friends already gave up chess, and even I did… (until I got married to a chess player), but God has a way of bringing back the dreams we thought we lost forever.” – wrote Melody Lady G. Takayasu from Japan. The first edition of “The Queens’ Festival” was a success and the organizers hope that the project will grow in the coming years. The International Chess Federation (FIDE) is proud to contribute to this initiative and will continue to do so in the future. Especially as the year 2022 was declared to be “The Year of Woman in Chess” by FIDE.
Levon Aronian wins prelim stage
A nail-biting end to the Goldmoney Asian Rapid’s prelim stage saw old-hand Levon Aronian dominate as an almighty scramble for places unfolded below him. The 38-year-old rolled back the years as he dominated his younger opponents to finish on 10.5/15. It meant Aronian won a prelim stage on the $1.6 million Meltwater Champions Chess Tour for the first time. Below Aronian, however, it was musical chairs in the final moments as the top eight qualifying places were decided. First, 17-year-old Arjun Erigaisi – by far the lowest-rated player in the field – sprung an incredible surprise by making the knockouts for the first time of asking. Erigaisi drew a round 15 match with birthday boy Anish Giri that meant both sailed through. Then, in a blockbuster game with Indian wunderkind Gukesh D, the Pole Jan-Krzysztof Duda put in a late surge to secure his seat with a dramatic win. That result had enormous implications for the leaderboard and meant heartbreak for both Gukesh and 18-year-old Alireza Firouzja, who was looking on. Both crashed out by the narrowest of margins. Gukesh, the youngest in the field, had fought tooth and nail to win a place in the last eight, but it was not to be. Asked how the tournament has gone for him, Erigaisi said: “It has panned out quite well!” Giri, who turned 27, said after: “I managed to qualify and I helped a friend in need, so it’s all good!” While Erigaisi and Giri sneaked in, Aronian posted his best performance in the prelims of a Meltwater Champions Chess Tour event. Playing from Paris, Aronian said afterwards: “I was basically trying to stay safe and take my chances, and it worked. “I feel good and I feel I can even score more. But I was very relaxed.” In another surprise, the Russian Vladislav Artemiev continued his stunning form to finish clear second with 10/15 and set up a quarter-final clash with Giri. China’s Ding Liren also marked his return to form with a place in the quarters and will face Duda. One of the games of the day saw Gukesh pose serious questions for Carlsen in their Round 13 clash. The 15-year-old looked to have a decisive advantage but allowed the champ back into the game. Gukesh, seen as a potential future challenger for Carlsen’s crown, was left fighting to save a draw. He managed it but looked bitterly disappointed and aware he now faced an uphill task to go through. Gukesh did, however, show he belongs at this level. Carlsen, meanwhile, ended the day with a win that took him to fourth – but he was far from happy with his performance and the fact his position sets up a quarter-final against Wesley So. Asked why he seemed unhappy, Carlsen said: “Well, have you seen the pairings?” Carlsen added: “It’s not ideal, but that’s the way it is… In general, I’m extremely unhappy with the way I played today.” The Goldmoney Asian Rapid is broadcast live on Norwegian TV station TV 2 and streamed with commentary in several languages on chess24’s YouTube and Twitch channels. Highlights will also be available in 60 countries on the Eurosport app. Play resumes tomorrow at 13:00 CEST. All games will be played on the chess24.com playzone. For further information, please contact: Leon Watson, PR for Play Magnus Groupleon@chessable.com+44 7786 078 770
Lei Tingjie reaches semifinals
Lei Tingjie (China) became the last semifinalist of the FIDE Chess.com Speed Chess Championship after defeating Antoaneta Stefanova (Bulgaria) 11:9 in a very close and tense match. It was all Stefanova in the 5+1 segment, taking the lead 5-2. Lei Tingjie fought back in the second 3+1 section and narrowed the gap. It all came down to the last 1+1 portion, in which the Chinese GM was a tad quicker and more collected to squeak out the victory in the match. “I think I just got very tired very quickly, so I became a bit slow and I made too many mistakes,” explained Antoaneta, who was up three points after the first blitz portion. “I was quite confident at the beginning but later started to blunder too many things.” “I was quite disappointed after 5+1 and then I just tried to tell myself that 3+1 is the new beginning. I got an advantage in that portion, and then I think I really had an advantage in bullet because I play very fast,” commented the winner. Lei Tingjie will face Hou Yifan in the semifinals that are scheduled for the end of this week. The FIDE Chess.com 2021 Women’s Speed Chess Championship is an online competition for titled female players. The qualifiers for the event took place from May 28-June 6, while the main event runs from June 10 to July 3. Players are battling for their share of a total prize fund of $66,000. Fans can follow the FIDE Chess.com Women’s Speed Chess Championship by watching the live broadcast with expert commentary on Chess.com/TV and Chess.com’s Twitch channel. They will also be able to enjoy the event through Chess.com’s Events page (https://www.chess.com/events). More info and a full schedule of the FIDE Chess.com Women’s Speed Chess Championship can be found here.