Ian Nepomniachtchi: To start this tournament was big courage and to end it – an act of heroism
The press conference dedicated to the end of the FIDE Candidates Tournament took place in Yekaterinburg, Russia. The press conference was attended by Andrey Simanovsky, founder and owner of Sima-Land, General Partner of the FIDE Candidates Tournament, President of the Sverdlovsk Region Chess Federation; Leonid Rapoport, Minister of Physical Culture and Sports of the Sverdlovsk Region; Dana Reizniece-Ozola, FIDE Managing Director; Albert Stepanyan, Director of the Candidates Tournament, Executive Director of the Sverdlovsk Region Chess Federation; and Ian Nepomniachtchi, Grandmaster, the winner of the Candidates Tournament in Yekaterinburg. Andrey Simanovsky, founder and owner of Sima-Land, General Partner of the FIDE Candidates Tournament, President of the Sverdlovsk Region Chess Federation: I am glad that such a significant chess event took place here in Yekaterinburg, Russia. I think it will give impetus to chess development among children and the younger generation. And, of course, the victory of Ian Nepomniachtchi will be the strong stimulus for the younger generation to go into chess. I would like to thank FIDE and the organizers of the tournament for the success of this event. Leonid Rapoport, Minister of Physical Culture and Sports of the Sverdlovsk Region: I am sure, we have all witnessed a miracle when in the middle of Russia our countryman won the Candidates tournament and now he will be fighting for the crown. We have felt tremendous interest to the tournament from all over the world, as the Ministry of Physical Culture and Sports of Sverdlovsk Region was responding to the questions from every corner of the world. I want to thank the President of the Sverdlovsk Region Chess Federation, who has done everything possible, and even impossible, to make this tournament come true. Dana Reizniece-Ozola, FIDE Managing Director: On the behalf of FIDE I would like to congratulate the organizers, the government of Sverdlovsk region, the Chess Federation of Sverdlovsk region and all the people who have been involved in this tournament with this successful event. They say that the more difficult the victory comes, the sweeter it is. Both Ian and the organizers can be satisfied with that. Those who followed the tournament felt the tension in the air till the very end. The fight was very exciting, tight and dynamic. Together with our chief arbiter, we have calculated that it took in total 75 hours and 40 minutes to play on the chessboard to find out who the candidate will be. But it’s not only the quantity, it’s the quality. We saw that for the first time in the history of the Candidates tournament there was the day, Round 11 when all four games were decisive. So therefore I would like to thank all the players for their great fighting spirit they demonstrated, and also their fair play cause we didn’t have any incidents in the tournament, and that’s great. The tournament was not less challenging for the organizers since it has appeared to be the longest tournament in history – 400 days in total. So I would like to that the organizers and also the sponsors that had allowed this tournament to happen. Albert Stepanyan, Director of the Candidates Tournament, Executive Director of the Sverdlovsk Region Chess Federation: I would like to congratulate everybody, our country, chess fans from every corner of the world on the finish of the Candidates Tournament. It is especially pleasing that it ends with a victory of a Russian player. I would like to thank FIDE for granting us the right to host this tournament. I would also like to thank all the players for finding the opportunity to participate. There were some difficulties, not everything went smoothly. It’s been challenging, especially the first part of the tournament. It was a rough start, and it was the only international event that was running at that time. Still, players have found an opportunity to come to Yekaterinburg in 2020 and now, in 2021, and I am grateful to them for that. Eugene Kaspersky, CEO of Kaspersky, official cybersecurity partner of the FIDE World Chess Championship: In recent days the chess world’s attention has been on one thing only – the tournament and who will win it. Last year’s lockdowns and the resulting increase in the use of digital platforms only helped popularize the game of chess. And I am sure that the return of ‘over the board’ tournaments will further inspire chess players to test their abilities in this unique game that combines elements of art, science and sport. And we, in turn, are ready to deliver the cyber-threat protection for players competing online. Ian Nepomniachtchi, the winner of the Candidates Tournament in Yekaterinburg: I can hardly imagine the scale of organizational activities needed to set up an event like this. I would like to thank the organizers and FIDE. In the current situation to start this tournament was big courage and to end it – an act of heroism. The contribution of everyone involved – from sponsors to volunteers – was very important. Of course, I would also like to thank my team, who deserve this success even more than I do. Their work was left behind the scenes, it’s not the tip of the iceberg, it’s the part that is hidden under the water. I am just moving the pieces. More information and full round-by-round reports are available at the official website: https://en.candidates-2020.com Partners supporting the FIDE Candidates Tournament: Sima-land, as the General Partner Algorand, as the Official Blockchain Partner Kaspersky, as the Official Cybersecurity Partner PhosAgro, General Partner of Chess Federation of Russia Chessable, as Event Partner Pine Creek Golf Resort, as event Partner Mercedes-Benz Russia, the Official Auto Partner
2021 1st FIDE Online Council Meeting: List of Decisions
List of FIDE Council Decisions 2021 1st meeting 19 April 2021 Online OCM-2021/01 To note President’s report. OCM-2021/02 To note Financial report. OCM-2021/03 To entrust President to agree on the potential time and place of 2021 FIDE Congress with the potential organizers. OCM-2021/04 To note the report on the FIDE Handbook update. OCM-2021/05 To authorize President to apply the necessary measures in order to obtain the copies of the statutes from the federations, including restricting FIDE financial support to federations that have not submitted their statutes. OCM-2021/06 To approve proposal regarding the right of the Affiliated Organisations for the FIDE Ratings and Participation in the FIDE Events. Instruct the Qualification Commission and the Event Commission to prepare the necessary technical amendments to the FIDE documents. OCM-2021/07 To approve the request of the Fiji Chess Federation. OCM-2021/08 To approve the proposed Resolution on the Pakistan Chess Federation. OCM-2021/09 To approve conceptually the Regulations for the World Team University Championship subject to changes related to the final decision of the time of the event. To confirm that the final announcement of the dates and venue of the event is subject to prior coordination with the FISU. OCM-2021/010 To approve opening of a bidding procedure for the 2026 Chess Olympiad. OCM-2021/011 To approve the Arbiters’ Commission Regulations and proposals on the Commission membership and objectives, to come into effect from July 1st 2021. OCM-2021/012 To approve the recommendations of the Arbiters’ Commission on Seminars, FA norms and titles. OCM-2021/013 To note the Events Commission’s report. OCM-2021/014 To approve the Events Commission’s proposal to postpone the final decision for 2021 FIDE EVE World Championships till 1st June 2021. OCM-2021/015 To approve the Events Commission’s proposal to postpone FIDE EVE World Championships 2023 bidding procedure, as 2022 events shall be postponed to 2023. OCM-2021/016 To approve the Events Commission’s proposal to move the 2021 World Senior Team Championship to 2022. OCM-2021/017 To approve the bidding procedure for FIDE Events Commission’s (EVE) Online Tournaments and the list of 2021 online tournaments. OCM-2021/018 To approve the proposal of the Georgian Chess Federation to organize the 2021 World Youth Online Cup, Youth Online Grand-Prix series and Youth Superfinal. OCM-2021/019 To approve the recommendations of the Events Commission on titles. OCM-2021/020 To note the Planning and Development Commission’s report. OCM-2021/021 To note the Qualification Commission’s report. OCM-2021/022 To approve the recommendations of the Qualification Commission on titles. OCM-2021/023 To approve the resolution to reinstate the Qualification Commission’s control of the Regulations on Registration & Licensing of Players, including the right to submit to the Council necessary proposals for amendment of the document. OCM-2021/024 To request the Qualification Commission to hold additional discussion in respect of the GM title application of Praveen Balakrishnan (USA) #2064871. OCM-2021/025 To note the Technical Commission’s report. OCM-2021/026 To note the Trainers’ Commission’s report. OCM-2021/027 To approve the changes for the FIDE Regulations for the Titles of Trainers / FIDE Endorsed Academies proposed by the Trainers’ Commission which shall come into effect from July 1st 2021. OCM-2021/028 To approve the recommendations of the Trainers’ Commission on titles and Academies. OCM-2021/029 To note the Athletes’ Commission’s report. OCM-2021/030 To note the Fair Play Commission’s report. OCM-2021/031 To note reports of Continental Associations. OCM-2021/032 To decide on President’s wildcard for Women’s World Cup after consultations with Mr. Ncube. OCM-2021/033 To approve the proposal of the Gligoric Award Committee regarding the prize for 2020. OCM-2021/034 To reconfirm Ms. J. Polgar, Mr. E. Torre and Mr. M. Najdorf as FIDE inductees to the World Chess Hall of Fame for the year 2021. OCM-2021/035 To note the report on Chess ID. OCM-2021/036 To approve proposal to establish FIDE’s subsidiary legal entity in order to promote FIDE’s programmes. To confirm President’s right to choose its legal form and functions after additional discussions with FC members and consultants. OCM-2021/37 To organize the next FIDE Council meeting during the World Cup in Sochi, Russia.
The first Preparation of Teachers course announced
Dear Member Federations, FIDE and its Chess in Education Commission are pleased to announce the first Preparation of Teachers course. The course will be held in the English language online 21-23 May, 15:00-20:00 CET each day. The target audience is teachers who have a good knowledge of chess basics and experience of working with children. It is recommended that you have at least a level of B1 in English. It is a 3-day (15 hours) course with 2-3 breaks each day, that will help develop participants’ knowledge and skills in educational chess, help them find new digital tools and platforms for online learning, and get ideas on the application of important pedagogical approaches to the teaching process of chess basics. The last hour of the course will be devoted to an exam (multiple choice questions) with a pass mark of 65 %. Candidates who achieve the pass mark will qualify for the FIDE title of School Instructor, subject to paying the title fee of €50. Candidates who wish to attend the course must complete and return the following registration form. Registration form: The cut-off date for applications is May 15. However, please note that applicants are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis and the absolute maximum number of places on the course is 30. Those who are ‘late’ will be placed on a waiting list and will thus be at the head of the queue for the following course. Candidates must also pay the €100 course fee by May 17 at the latest. Candidates should note that several pre-course emails will be sent to them, containing links to material that they will be expected to be familiar with. These will generally be sent out starting on May 14, so those who leave the application until the last minute are likely to find themselves at a disadvantage. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at edu.secretary@fide.com. FIDE Official Chess Learning Partner FIDE General Partner
Carlsen powers past Radjabov as semi-final line-up decided
Magnus Carlsen blew away Teimour Radjabov on Wednesday to book his place in the semi-finals of the $100,000 New In Chess Classic. Norway’s World Champion was in scintillating form yet again as he broke through Radjabov’s defenses after being held to a draw yesterday. It was a day of decisive quarterfinal results as Levon Aronian blunted Meltwater Champions Chess Tour leader Wesley So‘s comeback attempt to go through. In the other ties, Hikaru Nakamura and Shakrhiyar Mamedyarov both held onto their overnight leads to make the last four. Carlsen’s breakthrough came in game 2 as he put on a masterclass in strategic play and Radjabov just crumbled. It seemed effortless for the champion, while Radjabov was visibly angry with himself. The Azeri then needed a fightback and it never came as Carlsen kept him at bay and eventually forced a draw. It was over, Carlsen went through. US star So also needed to up his game after losing yesterday’s first set against Aronian, the tournament’s oldest player. After two draws, So found himself needing a win but Aronian turned on the style to cruise through. Newly-resident in the US, Aronian said he was eager to win the event and make it to the Tour finals. “I really want to go to San Francisco, because I watched many movies from there!” he said. Meanwhile, Nakamura triumphed against Vietnam’s former World Blitz Champion Liem Quang Le in a wild first game full of attacking intent, particularly from Liem. American’s speed king knows how to hold onto a lead, however, and then shut up shop to close out the set and the match. Nakamura is playing his best chess yet on the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour and eased into the semis with relative ease. Nakamura said: “Overall I am pretty happy, I think it’s the first time I’ve won a quarterfinal in like four months or something, so it’s been a while.” He added: “It’s going to be very exciting. Shakhriyar is very, very sharp tactically. He was a very deserved winner in his match.” Mamedyarov, a former world number 2, used all his experience to boss the youngest player in the field, the exciting 17-year-old Alireza Firouzja. Mamedyarov looked sharp and was dominant throughout. He won the first game then unleashed all his attacking prowess on the youngster in game 3. It was brutal – but good to watch! Mamedyarov said: “It’s my first time in the semi-finals and, of course, it is a good result.” Tomorrow’s semi-finals will see Mamedyarov face Nakamura and Carlsen take on Aronian. Play begins at 19:00 CEST. For further information, please contact: Leon Watson, PR for Play Magnus Groupleon@chessable.com+44 7786 078 770
‘Lucky’ Levon takes quarter-final lead against Tour leader
Levon Aronian said he “got lucky” on Tuesday as he took down Tour leader Wesley So in the first set of the New In Chess Classic quarter-finals. The 38-year-old goes into the second day 1-0 up after a thrilling see-saw match against the in-form American. So got off to the worst possible start with a mouse-slip that lost him the game 1. Aronian turned up the heat to triumph in the second and leave So on the ropes. Anything less than a win in game 3 would end it for So. But he delivered. In a chaotic encounter, the Fischer Random World Champion managed to come back from the brink with a win. But it was a short-lived stay of execution as Aronian immediately hit back again to win the fourth and take the set 3-1. Aronian said after he “got lucky”. Carlsen-Radjabov, meanwhile, was a much more cagey affair that started with a draw and continued in that vein. The Azeri did have a chance in game 2 when he built up a dominating position against the World Champ. But Carlsen used all his famed defensive skills to somehow save the draw. The set ended 2-2 and Carlsen-Radjabov head into tomorrow’s set all-square. Carlsen said afterwards: “I will try my best to win tomorrow but he [Radjabov] is very, very solid and hard to beat.” The champ noted that it was the first time in a Meltwater Champions Chess Tour event that he has played four draws in a day. US speed demon Hikaru Nakamura ground down Vietmanese star Liem Quang Le in game 1 to start with a win. After that, the American shut out his opponent with three draws to win the set 2.5-1.5. And in the last quarter, Azeri number 1 Shakhriyar Mamedyarov overpowered the youngster Alireza Firouzja in game 1 and closed out the set win with three draws. Mamedyarov, Nakamura and Aronian take 1-0 leads into the second day of the quarter-finals tomorrow. Carlsen and Radjabov are on a knife-edge. Play resumes at 19:00 with commentary live on chess24.com. For further information, please contact: Leon Watson, PR for Play Magnus Groupleon@chessable.com+44 7786 078 770
FIDE Candidates Tournament ends in Yekaterinburg, Russia
The longest-ever chess tournament in history came to an end in Yekaterinburg on Tuesday, 27th April 2021, exactly 400 days after it kicked off. The Candidates Tournament began in March 2020, but was halted after the 7th round for more than a year due to the coronavirus pandemic. The winner of the event, Ian Nepomniachtchi, suffered a defeat in the last round. With the first place in the tournament already secured, he probably lacked the motivation required to overcome the difficulties he encountered in the game. Having the black pieces against Ding Liren, Nepomniachtchi mixed up his opening preparation, found himself in a difficult position, and resigned on move 35. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave defeated Wang Hao and won the silver medal in the tournament. The Chinese Grandmaster, who lost three last games in the Candidates, announced his retirement from professional competitive chess at the final interview. Anish Giri finished in third place, after losing to Kirill Alekseenko, in what is his second defeat in a row. The Dutch Grandmaster overestimated his chances, sacrificed a pawn without getting clear compensation, and eventually lost. Alexander Grischuk and Fabiano Caruana were the ones to make the last moves in this historical and unusual event. Their game was the last one to finish, as Grischuk had to defend a bad position stubbornly to save a draw. The participants receive a prize depending on their final place in the standings, but they also got a bonus for each point scored, so every half a point counts! Ding Liren – Ian Nepomniachtchi (1-0) Ian Nepomniachtchi, who won the FIDE Candidates tournament one round to spare, had some difficulties finding the right mindset before his last game in the tournament. “Yesterday I was very motivated, but today when I woke up I felt like my motivation significantly went down. I wasn’t very happy that I had yet one more game to play”, admitted Ian at the post-game press conference. The grandmasters tested the anti-Grünfeld variation with 3.f3, which has become popular lately. Nepomniachtchi chose a very sharp line, which leads to a complex position where Black allows White to create a strong centre, while trying to use his advantage in development. In such positions, the cost of each move increases significantly, and Ian thought he was playing according to his home preparation until a certain point. Ding Liren, who won two games in a row in 12 and 13 rounds, went for the most principled line against Ian. White sacrificed an exchange and a pawn but the black Knight was stuck and could not find its way out. On move 18, Nepomniachtchi made the mistake of allowing the queen exchange – an endgame with a huge advantage for Ding Liren emerged as a result. Black lost two pawns and resigned on the 35th move. “Such a blot at the end,” summed up the winner of the Candidates Tournament in Yekaterinburg. Ding Liren, who won the last three games, lamented with a smile: “What a pity that the tournament is over!” The Chinese star didn’t want to rate Nepomniachtchi’s chances in the match against Carlsen: “Ian has a different style than Magnus, so it will depend on if he can get the positions he likes and Magnus doesn’t.” Maxime Vachier-Lagrave – Wang Hao (1-0) The grandmasters had a theoretical discussion in the famous Berlin endgame, a common story at every high-level tournament. Both opponents had carefully studied at home the position which arose after White’s 19th move but, interestingly, they came to different conclusions. Wang Hao believed that the position was equal, but Maxim managed to find a way to cause some problems for White. Wang Hao, who had already lost three games in the second part of the Candidates, also defended poorly in the last round. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave was increasing his advantage move by move and, on 29, the Chinese Grandmaster overlooked a simple tactical blow and immediately resigned. In an interview after the last round of the FIDE Candidates, Wang Hao announced his retirement from professional competitive chess. Anish Giri – Kirill Alekseenko (0-1) Anish Giri failed to evaluate the symmetrical position which emerged from the calm variation of the Catalan opening correctly, and Black seized the initiative. In time trouble, Anish acted too recklessly, weakened his king and, as a result of a miscalculation, found himself down a pawn, and without much compensation for it. White still had a chance to save the game, but Anish did not defend precisely, and Black scored a victory on move 56. Fabiano Caruana – Alexander Grischuk (½-½) In the Sicilian Defense, Grischuk repeated the same line which gave Giri a victory against Fabiano in this tournament. The American Grandmaster was the first to deviate to a sideline, using a very rare move 6.Qd3. Black quickly solved his opening problems and tried to seize the initiative, while destroying White’s pawn structure on the queenside. Nevertheless, active pieces and pressure along the open files ensured enough counterplay for Caruana to maintain balance. Grischuk made a few inaccuracies in the middle game and found himself in a difficult situation. However, Caruana did not exploit all his chances, and with a stubborn defence, Black saved half a point. The draw was agreed on move 65, after more than six hours of play. The final press conference with the winner of the tournament, FIDE officials, and organizers will take place at 2 PM local time. The closing ceremony will take place at 3 pm at the playing venue, and it will be broadcast live on the official website. Final standings: 1 Ian Nepomniachtchi (2774) 8½ 2 Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (2767) 8 3 Anish Giri (2763) 7½ 4 Fabiano Caruana (2842) 7½ 5 Ding Liren (2805) 7 6 Alexander Grischuk (2777) 7 7 Kirill Alekseenko (2698) 5½ 8 Hao Wang (2762) 5 Media accreditation for the FIDE Candidates Tournament in Yekaterinburg is carried out on the official website of the tournament: https://candidates-2020.com/accreditation and tel. +7 962 385-05-61. Contact: press@fide.com Official site: https://candidates-2020.com/ Photo: Lennart Ootes Partners supporting the FIDE Candidates Tournament: Sima-land, as the General Partner Algorand, as the Official Blockchain Partner Kaspersky, as
Magnus Carlsen rides into knockout stage
World Champ extends unbeaten streak to 15 games It comes as “Nepo” wins the right to challenge title Controversy over short “Grandmaster draws” KO stage starts at 19:00 CEST today Magnus Carlsen secured top seed status in the New In Chess Classic knockout stage on the day he found out who will challenge his world title. The World Champion showed he means business in the $100,000 event with a cool and calm display that stretched his unbeaten run to 15 games. It came immediately after the Russian rival Ian Nepomniachtchi secured his right to take on Carlsen in November’s World Chess Championship match. Nepomniachtchi beat a field of eight, including several Meltwater Champions Chess Tour regulars, to triumph in the FIDE Candidates tournament. Back in the New In Chess Classic, Carlsen started the day by wheeling into the Meltwater offices in Oslo on a push-bike. He arrived just a minute before the start of play but then he sat down and reeled off two wins and three draws to finish on 10.5/15. It was easily enough for safe passage into the knockout stage starting tomorrow. Carlsen remarked after: “I’m starting to perfect the art of getting the first seed without too much hassle.” Also safely into the quarter-finals are two big threats in the American pair Hikaru Nakamura and Wesley So plus fan favourite Levon Aronian. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov also sailed in the quarters. He is a super-strong player but has yet to make an impact on the Tour so far having competed in just one event. Teimour Radjabov, the Airthings Masters champion, was the last to qualify. He avoided crashing out with a final round draw against Vidit Gujrathi. Alireza Firouzja, the 17-year-old tipped as a future world champion, scored 8.5/15 to go through as did Vietnam’s former World Blitz Champ Liem Quang Le. Both will be names to look out for in the quarters. The other super-talented teenager in the field, India’s Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, battled hard but could not make it through. Pragg had Carlsen sweating in Round 12 but couldn’t force the win. The result all but ended his chance of progressing but it was still an impressive debut for the youngster who qualified from the Julius Baer Challengers Chess Tour. Norway’s number 2 and 3 Aryan Tari and Johan-Sebastian Christiansen both crashed out. The day was dogged by a series of quick games when players both combined to steer the game towards a draw by repetition and take a half-point each. The safety-first practice to conserve energy in a long tournament is controversial but not against the rules. Commentating on the action for chess24.com, Grandmaster David Howell said: “This is disappointing! It’s really testing our patience now. It is slightly disrespectful to our viewers.” But if some of the games were too short, England’s Gawain Jones and Leinier Dominguez of the US played out the longest game yet on the tour. The pair slugged it out for 80 minutes in Round 12 and ended with a draw. Neither made the cut. With the field down to eight, the quarter-finals start tomorrow at 19:00 CEST and are broadcast live on chess.com. For further information, please contact: Leon Watson, PR for Play Magnus Group leon@chessable.com+44 7786 078 770
Nepomniachtchi wins Candidates Tournament with a round to spare
Ian Nepomniachtchi sealed his victory in the Candidates tournament by securing a draw with the white pieces against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. The Russian Grandmaster wins the event with a round to spare and will challenge the Norwegian Magnus Carlsen at the end of the year in Dubai, with a prize fund of two million euros at stake. This draw left the Frenchman definitely out of the race, but the decisive result came just a few minutes later when Anish Giri resigned in his game with Alexander Grischuk. Despite showing some of the best chess in his career during this second half of the Candidates Tournament, Anish did not have his best day today. Grischuk scored a victory that helped his countryman Nepomniachtchi to achieve his goal. Nepomniachtchi, who won the 2002 World Championship in the under-10 age group ahead of Magnus Carlsen, will have a chance now, two decades later, to take the crown from the hands of the Norwegian. “It’s a huge milestone in my career and perhaps in my life. I am extremely tired. It was one year of thinking about this tournament, one year of preparation. I am extremely happy to qualify for the match and I am extremely thankful to all and everyone who supported me, especially to my team,” said Ian Nepomniachtchi. Fabiano Caruana defeated Wang Hao, who mishandled a symmetrical and roughly equal position. Ding Liren took full advantage of Kirill Alekseenko’s mistake in a much better position and scored a victory. Ian Nepomniachtchi – Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (½ : ½) Ian Nepomniachtchi changed his opening choice once again and started the game with 1.Nf3. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave responded with a rare variation of the English Opening, in which Black fianchettoes both bishops, but at the same time relinquished control over the center. Ian Nepomniachtchi pointed out that, as someone who plays the Gruenfeld Defence himself, he knows very well that 1.Nf3 is an annoying option for the black player. “One of the variations that I prepared at home was played today.” Ian improved White’s play in comparison with the recent online game Grischuk – Dubov and obtained a very promising position. White exchanged Black’s potentially dangerous bishop on g7, while the other bishop remained locked on b7. With no Black’s counterplay in sight, Ian began slowly preparing a pawn-breakthrough on the queenside. “I was playing today with a fighting mindset, I tried in every possible way to complicate the position, to be tricky. But of course, winning on-demand with Black is not an easy task and it can very easily backfire”, said Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. Maxim went for a pawn sacrifice and managed to complicate matters. But at the moment when Black had some chance to seize the initiative, the French grandmaster unexpectedly decided to exchange all the major pieces. Nepomniachtchi could have played for a win without any risk, although objectively the position was closer to a draw. However, at that very moment, it became obvious that Ian’s closest pursuer Anish Giri has a hopeless position against Alexander Grischuk. Nepomniachtchi took a practical decision and offered a draw that secured his first place in the tournament. Alexander Grischuk – Anish Giri (1:0) The Dutch grandmaster, playing with black did not burn bridges in the opening and opted for a Queen’s Indian Defence. After the exchange of both pairs of bishops, a calm position arose on the board with a small but stable edge for White. Alexander Grischuk pointed out that he was terrorizing his opponent with a draw, considering that if Anish decides to take a risk he might end up in an inferior position. He added that he analyzed this variation together with Vishy Anand. According to Anish, he lost his sense of reality at some point and taking no heed of White’s threats. In particular, he underestimated the move 25.Qe2, after which it turned out that Black’s counterplay with f7-f5 was not the best idea. Out of despair, Giri still went for this continuation, but Grischuk mercilessly dashed all Anish’s hopes. After the queen exchange, the Dutchman defended in an ending two pawns down for a while, but had to resign on move 51. “It was a very poor game. I think it was the combination of a mindset that does not suit the position and a heavy lack of understanding. I made a lot of terrible mistakes.” “Ian put me under a lot of pressure,” said Anish Giri at the press conference. Wang Hao – Fabiano Caruana (0:1) In the Alapin system of the Sicilian Defence, a position with a symmetrical pawn structure emerged on the board, with isolated central d-pawns blocking each other. White had a minimal advantage since his opponent had to defend the d5-pawn, but it was the only weakness in Caruana’s position. Around move 23-24, Wang Hao silently offered a draw by repetition, but Caruana decided to continue the fight and started advancing his pawns on both wings. Vladimir Kramnik, who was commenting on the game, criticized this decision, feeling that only Black could have problems here. However, it worked very well for Caruana, as the Chinese grandmaster cracked under pressure and allowed his opponent to activate his pieces. Wang Hao lost a pawn soon and threw in the towel on the 42nd move. Kirill Alekseenko (Russia) – Ding Liren (China) (0:1) Kirill Alekseenko chose a solid system with d2-d3 in the Two Knights Defence again just like in his game with Wang Hao. Ding Liren responded with a very ambitious plan. First, he pushed d6-d5, and then sacrificed the central pawn but got some pressure in the center and on the kingside. White outplayed his opponent in a complicated maneuvering battle and got a seizable advantage. Trying to complicate the position, the Chinese grandmaster started a very risky operation. He sacrificed his bishop, tying up the opponent’s pieces and threatening checkmate on the back rank. Alekseenko failed to find a beautiful sequence, which would help him to fend off all the threats and achieve a decisive advantage (47.Bb2 followed by 48.Nf3) and simply overlooked the opponent’s threat. The Chinese grandmaster restored the material balance,
Magnus Carlsen storms into lead
Carlsen extends unbeaten streak to 10 Nakamura moves ominously up the leaderboard Top 8 tomorrow progress, bottom 8 go out Magnus Carlsen cranked up the gears to move smoothly into the lead in the New In Chess Classic on Sunday. The World Champion said felt “comfortable” as he stretched his unbeaten run in the $100,000 online event to 10 games. Breathing down Carlsen’s neck are long-time rival Hikaru Nakamura, who is also 10 unbeaten, and Iranian wunderkind Alireza Firouzja. Nakamura showed he is back in form and nearly broke through against Carlsen in the final round of the day. Firouzja, meanwhile, got himself into the mix by closing the day with two wins. Carlsen eventually finished on 7/10 – half a point ahead of Nakamura and Firouzja. Along the way, the champion scored three draws and beat fellow Norwegian Aryan Tari and Gawain Jones, England’s first representative on the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour. Carlsen’s win over Jones had the unintended consequence of humiliation for English Grandmaster David Howell who, as a result of losing a bet, was forced to commentate on the next round wearing a Teletubbies outfit. Carlsen is now nearly home and dry for the knockout stage which starts on Tuesday and said his best is yet to come. After Round 9, Carlsen said: “In general the score is good. I feel like if I had played at the very top of my game, maybe could’ve won a couple more, but I think am in the lead so I am obviously am happy about how it’s going.” During rounds 6 to 10, Carlsen overtook Azerbaijan’s Airthings Masters champion Teimour Radjabov who appeared to play safely after a good first day. Radjabov recorded four draws and a single loss to teen star Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa to end up still in touch a point behind Carlsen. Having impressed yesterday with 3/5, Pragg had a tougher time on Day 2. The youngster lost his first two before saving an unlikely Round 8 draw against fellow countryman Vidit Gujrathi. That sparked him into life and Pragg then took down Radjabov before suffering a heartbreaking loss to Tari. Norway’s 2017 World Junior Champ claimed three victims on Day 2 and goes into tomorrow with a fighting chance of making it to the knockouts. However, yesterday’s whipping boy Johan-Sebastian Christiansen is already out but he rallied today. The 21-year-old picked up three much-needed draws – including a solid outing against Carlsen. Christiansen had shown his spirit beforehand by saying he was going for his fellow Norwegian’s neck. With the first 10 rounds of the three-day prelim stage completed, play will resume today at 19:00 CEST. The field will be halved with eight going out and eight going forward to the knockout stage. For further information, please contact: Leon Watson, PR for Play Magnus Group leon@chessable.com+44 7786 078 770
Statement on the Fair Play decisions at the FIDE World University Championship
FIDE acknowledges that the decision of the Fair Play Panel of the FIDE World University Online Championship was made with due care and in accordance with the tournament regulations, and deems no further action to be necessary. FIDE will not ask the Ethics and Disciplinary Commission to consider the extension of the recent sanctions imposed during the World University Online Championship. Further disqualification from other online tournaments or over the board chess events would require a higher level of proof. While we recognize that the decision of the Fair Play Panel of the FIDE World University Online Championship was made with due care and in accordance with the tournament regulations, our goal is not only to keep the fair play principle strong in the game itself but also to treat the players fairly. We will continue to be strict on suspected cheating cases, while retaining an honourable attitude towards chess players, not unnecessarily stigmatizing them. Online tournaments have provided chess with a flexible and accommodative way to continue our active chess life even during the strongest restrictions. However, online chess has also notably increased the risk of a potential breach of fair play. Therefore, we as FIDE will be putting our maximum effort into improving our regulations, setting clear control procedures and continuously strengthening the practices and proficiency of Fair play panels of the tournaments. Keeping the fair play principle strong is crucial for the reputation of chess, showing respect for players, organizers and the chess audience.