Nepomniachtchi, Goryachkina win 2020 Russian Championship
Ian Nepomniachtchi and Aleksandra Goryachkina are 2020 Russian Champions. In the final round of the men’s tournament, one of the leaders Ian Nepomniachtchi made a quick draw with Maxim Chigaev to wait for the result of his main competitor Sergey Karjakin, who faced Daniil Dubov. Ian said he would have been happy with any result but a draw: with fatigue accumulated by the end of the tournament, he had no desire to play a tie-break (in case Karjakin would have drawn his game). Daniil surprised his opponent by going for a very rare gambit line, invented by the famous chess organizer and philanthropist Oleg Skvortsov, who had uncorked this idea in a friendly game with Viswanathan Anand. Back then, the former world champion had scored a spectacular victory, but Dubov was enthusiastic about the new opening concept and asked his coach Alexander Riazantsev to look into it. Sergey Karjakin (pictured below) was not ready for such a development and quickly fell under a dangerous attack. To Sergey’s credit, he made it through the complications, carried out a liberating d7-d5 break, and was close to equalizing. However, he did not want to fight back in an inferior endgame (where, objectively speaking, Black had good chances of making a draw) and opted for a more challenging direction, but missed spectacular tactics and found himself in a hopeless position. As Daniil Dubov won, Ian Nepomniachtchi ended up clear first a half-point ahead of Sergey Karjakin. This is Nepomniachtchi’s second national title after 2010. As fate had it Dubov became a decisive tournament force in the final standings as in Round 9 he beat the future champion, which allowed Karjakin to catch up with Ian. Ian Nepomniachtchi, “It is a challenging competition, in no small part due to the long pause from live chess. In general, I am not concerned about my final standings as there are other priorities, such as not to catch a virus, to get some over-the-board practice, and not to drop the rating. However, my team — coaches Vladimir Potkin and Ildar Khairullin — have done a great job predicting the upcoming openings and winning some games as early as in the opening, including the most crucial matchup with Sergey Karjakin, where we managed to uncork a novelty idea.” Final standings open: 1. Ian Nepomniachtchi – 7½/11 2. Sergey Karjakin – 73. Vladimir Fedoseev – 6½ 4. Daniil Dubov – 6½ 5. Vladislav Artemiev – 66. Maksim Chigaev – 67. Nikita Vitiugov – 5½8. Peter Svidler – 5½9. Andrey Esipenko – 510. Maxim Matlakov – 511. Aleksey Goganov – 3½12. Mikhail Antipov – 2 (withdrew after playing only 6 games) In the women’s section, Aleksandra Goryachkina defeated Tatyana Getman to catch up with the tournament sensation, Polina Shuvalova (the Girls U19 champion started with six straight wins), who drew with Olga Girya. According to the tournament regulations a winner had to be determined in a tiebreaker featuring two games with a time control of 15+10. After both encounters were drawn it came down to Armageddon (with 5 minutes for White against 4 for Black and a draw favoring Black), which Aleksandra Goryachkina won to become the 2020 Russian champion. Alexandra also took the titles in 2015 and 2017. Aleksandra Goryachkina: “I am happy about my tournament performance. Of course, if I had won game two of the tie-break, it would have been much better, but what happened was a nerve-racking victory instead. There is much for me to work on.” Final standings women: 1. Aleksandra Goryachkina – 8/112. Polina Shuvalova – 83. Alexandra Kosteniuk – 6½4. Marina Guseva – 6½5. Alina Kashlinskaya – 6½ 6. Leya Garifullina – 6½7. Alisa Galliamova – 68. Natalija Pogonina – 69. Olga Girya – 410. Valentina Gunina – 3½11. Yulia Grigorieva – 2½12. Tatyana Getman – 2 The tournament is a part of the Chess in Museums program, which has been carried out by the Chess Federation of Russia and the Elena and Gennady Foundation since 2012. The organizers are the Chess Federation of Russia and the Timchenko Foundation. The tournament is supported by the Russian Ministry of Sports. The general sponsor of the Russian national teams is the Federal Grid Company Unified Energy System (FGC UES). The CFR general partner is PhosAgro. Text: ruchess.ru Photo: Eteri Kublashvili and Vladimir Barsky
Decisions of the 4th quarter FIDE Online Council Meeting
December 04, 2020 Q4OC-2020/1. To note the President’s report. Q4OC-2020/2. To note the Treasurer’s report and to recommend to the 2020 Online General Assembly to approve the Treasurer’s report. Q4OC-2020/3. To note the Verification Commission’s report for the year 2019; for future reports, to request VER to separate other recommendations from the matters that are within the Commission’s purview and to put all such recommendations in a separate annex to the report; to recommend to the 2020 Online General Assembly to approve the Verification Commission’s report Q4OC-2020/4. To request the Ethics and Disciplinary Commission to consider and, to the extent necessary, further analyze and investigate the facts presented by Ernst & Young and VER regarding all matters examined in their reports, with the exception of Mr. Makropoulos’ medical expenses; to ask this Commission to investigate any potential misconduct which may be exposed by these reports and to take necessary disciplinary actions if breaches of the Code of Ethics are established, or to make alternative recommendations to the FIDE Council. Q4OC-2020/5. To approve the draft 2021 FIDE budget and to recommend to the 2020 Online General Assembly to approve the 2021 FIDE budget. Q4OC-2020/6. To recommend to the Online General Assembly 2020 to appoint Ernst & Young as FIDE External Auditor for the financial year 2020. Q4OC-2020/7. To approve the draft of new FIDE Financial regulations, including fee reduction for women’s titles and ratings; to recommend to the 2020 Online General Assembly to approve these regulations. Q4OC-2020/8. To recommend to the 2020 Online General Assembly to admit the Isle of Man Chess Association as an Affiliated FIDE Organisation. Q4OC-2020/9. To note the General Assembly Internal Rules including the use of Zoom, electronic roll-call, the electronic voting system for the Online General Assembly 2020; to recommend to the 2020 Online General Assembly to approve these Rules. Q4OC-2020/10. To note the Zonal Council Rules and to recommend to the 2020 Online General Assembly to approve these Rules. Q4OC-2020/11. To recommend to the 2020 Online General Assembly to adopt a motion regarding the Chess Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran proposed by the FIDE President. Q4OC-2020/12. To authorize the FIDE President to finalize contracts for the organization of the World Cups in Russia in 2021 and the Chess Olympiad in Russia in 2022. Q4OC-2020/13. To approve the 2021 Grand Swiss and Women’s Grand Swiss Regulations. Q4OC-2020/14. To approve the Events Commission’s proposal regarding competitions for 2021. Q4OC-2020/15. To recommend to the 2020 Online General Assembly to accept the bid of the Hungarian Chess Federation for the 2024 Chess Olympiad. Q4OC-2020/16. To instruct GSC to draft regulations with a new format of World Teams Championships, based on opinions and comments from the FIDE Council members. Q4OC-2020/17. To recommend to the 2020 Online General Assembly to approve an amendment to the Laws of Chess regarding Online chess. Q4OC-2020/18. To give preliminary approval to the FIDE Online Chess Regulations. Q4OC-2020/19. To support the Fair Play Commission proposals concerning the use of statistical evidence, a standard of proof, and measures against match-fixing; to instruct FPL to prepare a draft of new regulations; to ask the Fair Play Commission and the Ethics and Disciplinary Commission to prepare necessary amendments to the Code of Ethics. Q4OC-2020/20. To examine other proposals from the Fair Play Commission’s report with the National Chess Federations and other relevant Commissions. Q4OC-2020/21. To note the Constitutional Commission’s report and recommendations for the General Assembly. Q4OC-2020/22. To approve arbiter title applications as proposed by ARB in Annex 7.2.3. Q4OC-2020/23. To approve arbiters’ classification upgrades as proposed by ARB in Appendix C to Annex 7.2.1. Q4OC-2020/24. To examine all new proposals by the Arbiters’ Commission with the National Chess Federations and other relevant Commissions. Q4OC-2020/25. To approve over-the-board title applications as proposed by QC in Annex 7.11.2. Q4OC-2020/26. To approve trainers’ title applications as proposed by TRG in Annex 7.16.1. Q4OC-2020/27. To approve new FIDE Chess Academies as proposed by TRG in Annex 7.16.2. Q4OC-2020/28. To approve amendments to sections D04/05, D04/06, and D04/09 of the Regulations for the Specific Competitions as proposed by EVE in Annex 7.7.1. Q4OC-2020/29. To note EDU, WOM, ETH, MED, PDC, QC, SPP, TEC, DPC reports; to examine any new proposals from those reports with the National Chess Federations and relevant Commissions. Q4OC-2020/30. To approve Vice-President Mahir Mammedov’s proposal to consider online chess events when awarding the Gligoric Trophy for the year 2020. Q4OC-2020/31. To refer any other outstanding Agenda items to the email Council voting.
FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss and Women’s Grand Swiss 2021 announced
Lausanne, 15 December 2020 — The International Chess Federation (FIDE) has signed a contract with IOM International Chess Limited to organise and host the FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss and the inaugural FIDE Chess.com Women’s Grand Swiss. Subject to COVID-19 restrictions being lifted in time, the tournaments will be held concurrently in the magnificent Royal Hall of the Villa Marina in Douglas, Isle of Man from 25 October to 8 November 2021. There will be 164 players from approximately 35 countries and a combined prize fund of USD 550,000, made possible by the generosity of the Scheinberg family. The FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss is returning to the island after a successful first edition held in 2019. The 2021 edition will have a field of 114 players, mainly from the world’s top-100, and is expected to be one of the strongest Swiss events ever held in the history of chess. The prize fund will be USD 425,000, including the first prize of USD 70,000. Just as important is the fact that the winner and runner-up will advance to the eight-player Candidates Tournament, the next stage of the World Championship Cycle that will produce a challenger to the World Champion in 2022, a title currently held by Magnus Carlsen of Norway. Five participants will be chosen as “wildcards” allocated by the tournament director, Alan Ormsby, including two places for Isle of Man players and a place for a Chess.com online qualifier. The FIDE Chess.com Women’s Grand Swiss will feature 50 of the strongest female players, with invitations to the world’s top-40, competing for a prize fund of USD 125,000. The winner will progress to the Women’s Candidates Tournament which will produce a challenger to the Women’s World Champion, a title currently held by Ju Wenjun of China. There will be three “wildcards” in the Women’s event, including one place set aside for a Chess.com online qualifier. “We are thrilled to be hosting the FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss for the second time after successfully organising the inaugural event in 2019. Hosting the Women’s version at the same time will make the event even more special, ensuring that we have the diversity that the Isle of Man International has been associated with since our first tournament in 2014” said Alan Ormsby. “We’re also pleased to be helping local guest houses, hotels and restaurants by attracting around 180 players and officials to the island for 14 nights in the off-season.” In recognition of the island’s continued contribution to chess, FIDE recently approved the admission of the Isle of Man Chess Association as an Affiliated Organisation, the highest level of status available to a country or territory that is not recognised by the United Nations. Isle of Man Chess Association is the organisation responsible for promoting the playing of chess on the island and works closely with Isle of Man International Chess. “FIDE’s motto is ‘we are one family’, and like any other family would, we are extremely happy to welcome a new member. The island is home to a tournament, the Chess.com Isle of Man International, that has already earned its place in chess history. Very few events have left such a strong mark after only six editions, but the Isle of Man has done so thanks to a combination of professionalism, determination, and profound respect to chess and chess players. We incorporated this event as a part of the World Championship cycle in 2019, and it was a resounding success. Now, women players will also get the opportunity to play in an event that didn’t exist for them before,” said FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich. “It’s incredible that in such a short amount of time, the FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss has become one of the strongest and most important events in chess,” said Daniel Rensch, chief chess officer of Chess.com. “Not only is the event a critical step in determining the outcome of the World Chess Championship cycle, it also serves as a leading example for how a chess event can function as a beacon for competitive diversity and inclusion. We couldn’t be more proud to be working alongside FIDE and IOM International Chess Limited in making this special event possible for a second time.” Regulations for the FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss Tournament 2021 (pdf) About IOM International Chess Limited:IOM International Chess Limited, led by Tournament Director, Alan Ormsby, is the organiser of the Chess.com Isle of Man International, the world’s strongest open event. All six editions of the tournament (including the 2019 FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss) have been sponsored by the Scheinberg family. About Chess.com:Chess.com is the world’s largest chess site, with a community of more than 47 million members from around the world playing millions of games every day. Launched in 2009, Chess.com is the leader in chess news, lessons, events, and live entertainment. Visit Chess.com to play, learn and connect with chess—the world’s most popular game. About FIDE:The International Chess Federation (FIDE) is the governing body of international chess competition. Founded in 1924, it was one of the first institutions of its kind and it is now one of the largest, with a total of 196 affiliated national chess federations. Contact: IOM International Chess Limited:Tournament Director Alan Ormsbymasters@iominternationalchess.com+44 7624 453200Tournament website: iominternationalchess.com Chess.com:Director of Esports and Events Nick Bartonnick@chess.com FIDE:Chief Marketing and Communications Officer David Lladapress@fide.com+34 623021120
Mikhail Kobalia, new Chairman of the FIDE Trainer’s Commission
The FIDE President has decided to appoint GM Mikhail Kobalia (Russia) as the new Chairman of the FIDE Trainers’ Commission. Born in 1978, Kobalia is a Grandmaster since 1996, and winner of multiple events, like the Russian under 20 Championship (1998), the Chigorin Memorial (1999), Rector’s Cup (Kharkov, 2002), Biel Open (2005), Arctic Cup (2010). As a coach, Kobalia was a member of Garry Kasparov‘s team during 2000-2003. He was also the Trainer of the Russian Women’s Team in 2007-2009, and during this period the team twice finished second in the Team World Championships (Yekaterinburg 2007, Ninbo 2009) and won the European championship (Greece 2007). As of recent, he has been the Chief Junior Trainer for the Russian Chess Federation, as well as the Secretary and Youth Director of the Event’s Commission, where he made an invaluable contribution thanks to his vast experience.
First FIDE Online World Corporate Chess Championship announced
The International Chess Federation is pleased to announce the first FIDE World Corporate Chess Championship, which will take place on February 19-21, 2021. The games will be played online, with Chess.com designated as the hosting platform. Corporations will be represented by a team of four players, meeting the following conditions: – At least one of the team members has to be a female player and at least one of the team members has to be a male player.– Only one player of a professional level (with a FIDE rating of +2500) is allowed per team.– At least three of the players lined-up in every match have to be full-time employees of the company. The event will be played entirely online, but the participants are encouraged to compete from the headquarters of the company they represent, as long as the epidemiological situation in the country allows it. An advantage of having companies playing from their own headquarters (if feasible) is that they can use this event to promote team building, fostering a sense of connectivity between employees and contributing to a positive workplace environment. Besides, participant companies are offered the possibility to brand the playing venue and provide a video feed to be used at the FIDE and Chess.com broadcast, as well as in their own channels. FIDE President’s address: “Dear friends, On behalf of the International Chess Federation, I would like to invite your company to take part in the first official World Corporate Chess Championship, which will be played ONLINE on February 19-21, 2021, and broadcast live on Chess.com. Sports activities promote team building, fostering a sense of connectivity between employees and contributing to a positive workplace environment. In the case of a corporate chess tournament, your employees will also be training useful skills like decision making, creative thinking, and the ability to calculate a few moves ahead. All this in a competitive but fun environment. We believe this is also a chance for the participating companies and their executives to reach new clients and business opportunities through sport and develop contacts with leaders and representatives of national and multinational businesses. Make a smart move, and join us in this celebration of intelligence. Arkady Dvorkovich FIDE President” Exclusive prizes at stake Participants will compete for truly special prizes: the winning company will be declared World Corporate Chess Champion 2021, while the team raising most donations for two social programs run by FIDE (Chess in Education and Support to Chess Veterans) will be invited to send four players to attend the forthcoming World Chess Championship match, to be held in the frame of the Dubai World Expo 2021. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to be a part of one of the most prestigious sporting events in the world, and enjoy the exclusive experience of meeting some of the brightest minds on the planet. Besides, the first 4 teams in the final ranking of the FIDE Online World Corporate Chess Championship will secure four seats each to participate in an online simultaneous chess game against the Challenger for the FIDE World Champion title, together with representatives of the sponsors. Additionally, each of the 4 highest-ranked teams not qualified for the Play-Off Stage of the FIDE Online World Corporate Chess Championship will secure 4 seats each to participate in an online simultaneous chess game against the FIDE Women’s World Champion, together with representatives of the sponsors. Partnership FIDE – Chess.com Thanks to the agreement between FIDE and Chess.com for this event, the FIDE Online World Corporate Chess Championship will be broadcast live across multiple outlets including Chess.com, Twitch, YouTube, Twitter and international streaming platforms in multiple languages including: Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, French, German, Mandarin, Italian, Turkish and Polish. The partnership between FIDE and Chess.com extends above and beyond this event: Chess.com has become the first company to acquire broadcast rights for the 2021 FIDE World Championship Match and will be an official broadcast partner for what is set to be the biggest global chess event of recent decades. The ground-breaking agreement between Chess.com and FIDE will bring the world chess championship to a wider audience than ever before. As the world’s biggest online chess platform, Chess.com has been the leading broadcaster of the board game in recent years, in partnership with streaming platform Twitch. Regulations for the first FIDE World Corporate Chess Championship (pdf)
Buksa clinches Ukrainian Women’s Championship
IM Nataliya Buksa (on the far left) notched up a confident victory in the Ukrainian Women’s Championship (with classical time control). The 9-round Swiss tournament was held from 6-14 of December in Kherson with 20 players participating. Buksa scored 7½ points out of 9, winning seven games, making one draw, and losing just one encounter. After beating Anastasiia Dubovik in the last round encounter Nataliya was out of reach for her closest competitors. WGM Olga Babiy (in the center) who was a half-point behind the leader lost her last game and allowed IM Iulija Osmak (on the far right) to catch up with her, but took silver nonetheless as the winner of their direct encounter. Bronze goes to Iulija Osmak. Final standings: 1. IM Buksa Nataliya (2413) – 7½2. WGM Babiy Olga (2287) – 63. IM Osmak Iulija (2438) – 64. WIM Petrova Irina (2077) – 5½5. Hrebenshchykova Yelyzaveta (2083) – 5½6. WIM Rakhmangulova Anastasiya (2132) – 5½7. WCM Hryzlova Sofiia (2064) – 5½8. FM Berdnyk Mariia (2319) – 4½9. Barchuk Irina (2075) – 4½10. WFM Grineva Marianna (2001) – 4½ Official website: http://ukrchess.org.ua/
Alexandar Indjic and Teodora Injac win Serbian championship
Alexandar Indjic and Teodora Injac are the winners of the 14th Serbian chess championship. Two 10-player round-robins (open and women) were held in hotel “Fontana” in Vrnjačka Banja and stretched over December 07-13. Both became three-time national champions with Teodora taking her third title in a row. Alexandar repeated his success of 2014 and 2018. Playing no-compromise chess throughout the event Indjic made just two draws and despite losing two games finished a half-point ahead of Robert Markus, Alexandar Kovacevic, and Ivan Ivanisevic who tied for second. In the final round, Markus and Kovacevic had a theoretical chance to catch up with the leader but both settled for quick draws with Black. Final standings open: 1. GM Indjic Aleksandar (2604) – 62. GM Markus Robert (2592) – 5½3. GM Kovacevic Aleksandar (2482) – 5½4. GM Ivanisevic Ivan (2608) – 5½5. GM Perunovic Milos (2576) – 4½6. GM Todorovic Goran (2417) – 47. GM Lajthajm Borko (2383) – 48. IM Budisavljevic Luka (2501) – 49. IM Cabarkapa Novak (2463) – 310. GM Damljanovic Branko (2513) – 3 Teodora Injac, the only undefeated participant of the tournament, netted comfortable +4 in the first six rounds and smoothly sailed to the title finishing a full point ahead of Adela Velikic. Jovana Eric earned bronze. Final standings women: 1. WIM Injac Teodora (2290) – 6½2. WIM Velikic Adela (2278) – 5½3. WGM Eric Jovana (2278) – 54. WIM Drljevic Ljilja (2174) – 55. WGM Rapport Jovana (2308) – 4½6. WGM Benderac Ana (2202) – 47. WIM Gajcin Marina (2239) – 48. WGM Chelushkina Irina (2224) – 49. WFM Srdanovic Jovana (2149) – 3½10. WGM Prudnikova Svetlana (2181) – 3 Official website: http://serbiachess.net/ Photo: official website
Nakamura clinches 2020 Speed Chess Championship
On Saturday GM Hikaru Nakamura won the 2020 Speed Chess Championship final presented by OnJuno. The American grandmaster decided matters in the bullet segment as he defeated GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave 18.5-12.5 to win his third Speed Chess title in a row. Early in the competition, Nakamura stated that his half of the bracket was tougher than Carlsen’s. You could say that, after eliminating Carlsen, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave was actually the one having survived the toughest half. The big question was: could he do it again in the final? Up until the third bullet game, the answer was “yes” as the Frenchman with three names was actually leading by a point there. That’s how close things were. However, where Carlsen clearly had an off-day, Nakamura didn’t. The American GM got himself together, rose to the occasion, and won five games in a row there to decide the match in his favor and claim his third title in as many years. “It was a very tense and very difficult final match,” Nakamura said afterward. “I think there were a few critical moments where both Maxime and I had a chance to maybe take a big advantage which could have perhaps been insurmountable. But it remained very close and in the end, I was just able to keep it together and play a couple of good bullet games.” Nakamura pointed out that Vachier-Lagrave was basically an equal opponent until just a few games before the end: “It was very evenly balanced. Maxime played extremely well so a lot of credit to him for playing a fantastic match.” The match started with an atrocious blunder by Vachier-Lagrave that you normally don’t see happening in a five-minute game. Perhaps the fact that he started with two losses against GM Magnus Carlsen in the semifinal before beating him, helped MVL to get over this. After two draws, the Frenchman leveled the score and then took the lead right away with another win. He showed great calculation, as he would do throughout the match. Then it was Nakamura’s turn again. He won games seven, eight, and nine. Maxime then took the last five-minute game which meant that into the first break, Nakamura was leading 5.5-4.5. Nakamura had himself to blame for dropping to plus one instead of making plus three before the break. He was completely winning and then spoiled a drawn rook endgame. In the middle of the three-minute segment, with 8-8 on the scoreboard, Vachier-Lagrave made a rare error in his calculations. Instead of winning prosaically, he went for the brilliancy prize but lost material and the game. The three-minute segment ended in a tie which meant that Nakamura was still leading by a point at the start of the bullet. Even though this is his natural habitat, he lost the first two 1|1 games. The first one, Nakamura afterward admitted was an extraordinarily good game by the Frenchman for this time control. “This first bullet game was insane when he found this 22…Bd6 move,” Nakamura said. “I calculated this whole tactic with this Ne5, Nf5 idea, and then Maxime found 21…Rxc1 and 22…Bd6 which was amazing. It was an incredible find in a bullet game especially.” Hikaru Nakamura – Maxime Vachier-Lagrave 21…Bd6! 23. Ndc6 Bxc6 24. g4 Bb5! 25. Qxb5 Qh6 26. Re1 Ng6 27. Re2 Bxe5 28. Bxe5 Qg5! 0-1 The turning point of the match came after those two bullet wins by the Frenchman. To his credit, Hikaru shook off tough losses, brought complete focus, and scored 8/9 to win the match. “First of all, congrats to Hikaru,” said Vachier-Lagrave. “Of course, there were moments where I put up a great fight, but in the end, I think he deserved to win and played more consistently.” Maxime wasn’t surprised that he took an early lead in the bullet phase: “I am nowhere near Hikaru’s level in 1|0 but in 1|1 I can give it a fight even though at the end I sort of started drifting away.” Nakamura praised his opponent: “First of all, a lot of credit has to go to Maxime, not just in the bullet but throughout the match because he defended extremely well. It felt like he was defending a lot better than traditionally he has in a lot of games.” The 2020 Speed Chess Championship Main Event was a knockout tournament among 16 of the best grandmasters in the world who played for a $100,000 prize fund, double the amount of last year. The tournament ran November 1-December 12, 2020 on Chess.com. Each individual match featured 90 minutes of 5+1 blitz, 60 minutes of 3+1 blitz, and 30 minutes of 1+1 bullet chess. Text: Peter Doggers Photo: chess.com
Vachier-Lagrave stuns Carlsen to advance into final
GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave defied the odds as he defeated GM Magnus Carlsen to reach Saturday’s 2020 Speed Chess Championship final. MVL scored 13-11 and will face GM Hikaru Nakamura in the final. Few had reckoned with the possibility that this year’s Speed Chess Championship would not have another showdown between Carlsen and Nakamura. The two giants met in the final in both events that Carlsen participated, in 2016 and 2017. They also have been the most successful duo in the many online events during this year of the pandemic. However, on Friday, David knocked on the door of Goliath and said: I’m here! And when the Frenchman started with two losses, that turned out to be “just a flesh wound.” Just like last year at the London Chess Classic, Vachier-Lagrave ended up beating Carlsen. How did he do it? Well, apart from Carlsen being in an “awful shape,” as he put it himself, MVL had some sort of a coffeehouse strategy. “I knew I was nowhere a favorite, but my match plan was to play for tricks all along, and it worked,” said Vachier-Lagrave. The modern-day, virtual Café de la Régence saw a record French audience, as MVL pointed out himself when the match was over: “I know there were like 15,000 watching today from France. That was amazing, and I want to thank them.” Meanwhile, the English broadcast was a packed stadium with 28K watching on Twitch and another 20K on Youtube, at some point. As said, the start of the match was absolutely fine for Carlsen and only supported the general thought that he was going to win this match without too much trouble. When the Frenchman was then outplayed in a 6.d3 Ruy Lopez in game two, there were hardly any fans left that dared to put money on him. If only they knew. First, he was helped a bit by his opponent in game three where Carlsen lost on time in a difficult but not clearly lost position. After that, the world champion went against his old adage of not believing in fortresses as he gave up his queen for rook and bishop but couldn’t hold it. After a draw, Vachier-Lagrave won a good game to take the lead: 3.5-2.5. In hindsight, it’s still hard to believe that from that point, Carlsen would never even manage to tie the match. He was better and often winning in three five-minute games but all three ended in draws. Vachier-Lagrave won the five-minute segment with 4.5-3.5. After a draw in the first three-minute game, the players exchanged wins with the white pieces for the next seven games. As a result, Maxime was leading 9-7 before the bullet. As he won two games and drew two at the start of the bullet phase, Vachier-Lagrave was leading 12-8 when the match clock had 14 and a half minutes left. If Carlsen wanted a comeback, he had to start there — and he did. Afterward, Carlsen reflected on the moment when he managed to score 12-9: “I looked at the clock when it was about 10 minutes to go, and I was down three,” said Carlsen. “I figured I should be able to win two games in time to get a decisive game. Obviously, it wasn’t a given that I would win those games … It was exciting at least to get that chance.” The Norwegian star won the next two games as well to make 12-11. There was still one minute and 17 seconds left. He had to win one more game on demand to force a tiebreak. Just in time, the Frenchman got back his mojo. He got an overwhelming position in a Modern Defense, then struggled for a while but was back to a winning position when Carlsen lost on time. This end of the match was a bit anticlimactic but Vachier-Lagrave’s victory was definitely deserved. Carlsen: “From the start, I felt that I was in really, really awful shape today, but then I managed to channel some energy for the first couple of games to win them… and then I lost the third and the fourth. After that, it was clearly going to be an uphill struggle.” The 2020 Speed Chess Championship Main Event is a knockout tournament among 16 of the best grandmasters in the world who will play for a $100,000 prize fund, double the amount of last year. The tournament will run November 1-December 13, 2020 on Chess.com. Each individual match will feature 90 minutes of 5+1 blitz, 60 minutes of 3+1 blitz, and 30 minutes of 1+1 bullet chess. Text: Peter Doggers Photo: chess.com
Athletes Commission 2020 Elections Candidatures – Deadline extended
After gathering feedback from a number of players during the recent FIDE Congress, the panel in charge of the electoral process for the newly established ATHLETES Commission has decided to further extend the deadline for submitting candidatures. It is our aim that this additional extension opens the opportunity for more players to submit their application to be a part of this Commission. By presenting voters with a wider and more representative list of Candidates, we also hope to improve the engagement and participation of the player’s community in the electoral process. The procedure will be as follows: Players who meet the criteria and want to present their candidature are allowed to do so until December 21, 2020. They must fill the Candidature Nomination Form and send it to office@fide.com. The list of approved candidates will be published on the FIDE website and sent to eligible voters by email on December 22, 2020. The voting period starts from the moment the list of approved candidates is published on the FIDE website. Votes should be submitted by email to FIDE Secretariat: office@fide.com. The voting period closes by January 2, 2021, 23:59 CET.