Wesley So wins Skilling Open
“I have to apologize to Magnus for semi-ruining his birthday!” said Wesley So after winning a blitz playoff to clinch 1st place and the $30,000 top prize in the Skilling Open, the first event on the $1.5 million Champions Chess Tour. The World Champion’s 30th birthday seemed to be going perfectly when he won the 1st game of the day with the black pieces, but Wesley hit back in Game 2 and survived a wild 3rd game. Magnus repeated his World Championship match trick of taking a quick draw to reach a playoff, but for once he fell short. Wesley So did what no-one had managed in a final of the Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour and thwarted the World Champion. Not only that, Wesley had done it the hard way, coming from behind against Teimour Radjabov in the semi-final and then beating the 2nd favorite, Hikaru Nakamura, in the semifinals. That means Wesley So now leads the $1.5 million Champions Chess Tour with 46 points (40 for winning the final and 6 for finishing 3rd in the preliminary stage). Magnus gets 30 points (20 for finishing 2nd and 10 for winning the prelims). Here are the full standings: The next event on the tour is the first major, where everything is doubled – the prize fund is a $200,000 prize fund, with up to 100 points available to each player. That starts on December 26th, with So, Carlsen, Nakamura, Nepomniachtchi, Aronian, Radjabov, Vachier-Lagrave, and Giri already qualified for finishing in the Top 8 in the prelims. They’ll be joined by David Anton, who was voted back in, and three more players, to be announced in the coming weeks. Text and photo: chess.24.com
Jukšta and Baginskaitė claim 2020 Lithuanian Championship titles
Karolis Jukšta and Kamilė Baginskaitė became the 2020 Lithuanian Champions. In the open section, 10 players competed for the title in a round-robin tournament. As the tournament fate had it two leaders Karolis Jukšta and Tomas Laurusas having equal amounts of points met in the final round. Jukšta won this crucial encounter and came out on top, whereas his opponent was thrown back to third place. Valery Kazakouski claimed silver despite having a poor start in the tournament. It is worth mentioning that 17-year old Jukšta became the second-youngest winner of the Lithuanian championship. The record still belongs to GM Viktorija Čmilyte-Nielsen, who triumphed in the Lithuanian Chess Championship for the first time in 2000, when she was 16 years, 7 months, and 28 days old. Final standings open: 1. Karolis Jukšta (2389) – 72. Valery Kazakouski (2473) – 63. Thomas Laurus (2506) – 64. Eduardas Rozentalis (2538) – 5.55. Paulius Pultinevičius (2512) – 56. Vidmantas Mališauskas (2410) – 5 In the women’s section, a five-round Swiss tournament brought together 12 female players. Kamilė Baginskaitė, who returned to Lithuania after living in the US, won her second national title won the women’s title after a 28- year break. The Kamilė scored 5 points out of 6, tied for first with the defending champion Marija Šibajeva and seized the title thanks to better tiebreaks. Evelina Ravluševič finished clear third. Final standings women: 1. WGM Kamilė Baginskaitė (2141) – 52. WFM Marija Šibajeva (1910) – 53. Evelina Ravluševič (1581) – 4.54. Rita Bajoraitė (1741) – 3.55. Skaistė Šaumanaitė (2033) – 3.56. Barbora Mačiulaitytė (1696) – 3 Photo: Official website of Lithuanian Chess Federation
Russia 1 pulls ahead in final
UPDATE 01-12-2020 Russia 1 grabbed the lead in the final of the first FIDE Online Chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities. In the first match, the Russian squad beat Poland 1 by a narrow margin of 2½-1½. Poland 1 did a great job on top boards: GM Marcin Tazbir made a quick draw with IM Stanislav Babarykin playing with Black, whereas his namesake and teammate FM Marcin Molenda confidently converted his positional advantage into a full point against Marina Kaydanovich. However, Russia 1 stroke back with its “tail” as Ilya Smirnov and Denis Palin prevailed over FM Lukasz Nowak and WCM Anna Stolarczyk respectively on boards 3 and 4. In the first match for third, Ukraine 3 pulled out a tough victory over Poland 3 (2½-1½) thanks to the wins on boards 2 and 3. GM Ernesto Inarkiev joined the livestream and commented on the most important games of the day. The virtual studio had another interesting guest, FIDE Director General Emil Sutovsky who among other things shared his impression about the FIDE Online Chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities: “This tournament has been a success in terms of involvement and engagement of people. It is the biggest ever event for people with disabilities. I think not only the quantity but also the quality of the games has been quite high. We get positive feedback from all over the place and I am very happy about that.” The return matches on December 2 will decide the fate of the medals. UPDATE 30-11-2020 Poland 1 and Russia 1, numbers 1 and 6 in the team starting-rank list will square off in the final of the FIDE Online Olympiad for People with Disabilities. In the second semifinal match Poland 1, headed by GM Marcin Tazbir repeated their yesterday’s success and dispatched Ukraine 3 again (3½-½) scoring victories on boards 2, 3, and 4. After a draw in the first match, Russia 1 braced up and delivered in the second one convincingly defeating Poland 3 (3-1). Alexey Smirnov and Denis Palin outclassed their opponents Szymon Kasperczyk and Malwina Szewczyk on boards 3 and 4, whereas Stanislav Babarykin skillfully held Pawel Piekielny to a draw. Maciej Szalko reached an overwhelming position against Marina Kaydanovich, but after missing several winning moves had to settle for a half-point. Alongside the main battle for gold between Russia 1 and Poland 1, Ukraine 3 and Poland 3 will play a match for third place. Second semifinal matches: Russia 1 3-1 Poland 3Poland 1 3½-½ Ukraine 3 UPDATE 29-11-2020 On the first day of the semifinals at FIDE Online Olympiad for People with Disabilities Russia 1 tied with Poland 3 (2-2) whereas Poland 1 steamrolled Ukraine 3 (3½-½). Russia 1 came very close to the match victory after taking the lead, but IM Andrei Obodchuk mishandled a drawn endgame and allowed his opponent Pawel Piekielny to score a full point and even the score. IM Igor Yarmonov held GM Marcin Tazbir to a draw but was the only good thing that happened with Ukraine 3 in the first duel with Poland 1. The latter swept through on second, third, and third boards to clinch the match. The second semifinal matches are scheduled for November 30th. First semifinal matches: Russia 1 2-2 Poland 3Poland 1 3½-½ Ukraine 3 UPDATE 27-11-2020 Russia 1, Ukraine 3, Poland 1, and Poland 3 progressed to the semifinals of the FIDE Online Olympiad for People with Disabilities. The final standings and the semifinal pairs have been finalized after the anti-cheating commission report was published. In the final round of the preliminary stage the leader, Russia 1 pummeled Philippines 1 (3-1), Ukraine pulled out a tough victory over Germany (2½-1½), whereas Poland 3 whitewashed Ukraine 1. Five teams scored 10 points each and tied for fourth place with Poland 3 advancing to the next stage thank to better tiebreaks (game-points). In the decisive match of two Polish teams, Poland 1 prevailed over Poland 2 and sealed a spot in the semifinals. Standings after Round 7: 1. Russia 1 – 132. Ukraine 3 – 123. Poland 1 – 114. Poland 3 – 105. Philippines 1 – 106. Poland 2 – 107. Germany – 108. Russia 2 – 109. Croatia – 1010. Israel – 9 In the semifinals, scheduled for November 29, Russia 1 takes on Poland 3, whereas Poland 1 faces off Ukraine 3 UPDATE 26-11-2020 In Round 6 Russia 1 conceded its first point after drawing the match with Poland 2. The opponents exchanged blows on boards 3 and 4 whereas two games on the top boards were drawn. Germany bounced back after yesterday’s defeat and toppled Croatia (3-1). Team Philippines won its second match in a row, this time against a strong and balanced Ukraine 1, while Ukraine 3 prevailed over Ecuador. With just one round to go in the qualifying stage, Russia 1 is still in the lead with 11 points. Poland 2, Germany, Philippines, and Ukraine 3 are hard on the leader’s heels, trailing by just one point. The live stream featured FIDE Vice President Nigel Short, who shared his views on the increased popularity of chess all around the world and gave his insights into some key games of the round. “Although I consider it a disastrous year, many good things have come out of it. There has been this massive explosion of interest in chess with so many people playing online. That has been tremendously good for the game. The trick is, of course, to sustain this.” Standings after Round 6: 1. Russia 1 – 112. Poland 2 – 103. Germany – 104. Philippines 1 – 105. Ukraine 3 – 106. Poland 1 – 97. Russia 2 – 98. India 1 – 99. Israel – 810. Poland 3 – 811. Kyrgyzstan – 812. Hungary – 813. Ukraine 1 – 814. Croatia – 815. India 2 – 7 UPDATE 25-11-2020 In the clash of leaders, Russia 1 defeated Germany and moved to the top of the standings with a perfect score of 10 match-points after 5 rounds. Poland 2 clobbered India 3½-½ and now is just one point behind the leader. Philippines 1 convincingly outplayed higher-rated Poland 1 3-1 and shares the third position with Germany, Israel, Ukraine 1, Ukraine 3, and Croatia. There are two more rounds to go in the Swiss section
Yakini Tchouka is new National Champion of Togo
Yakini Tchouka won the National Chess Championship of Togo scoring 5½ points in six rounds. The new champion completed the event undefeated conceding his opponents just a half-point in the final round. A total of twenty-two players took part in this Swiss event that was held in La Base 57 Hotel in Assahoun (about 60 km from the capital Lome) and ran from the 20th to 22nd of November 2020. The highest-rated participant and four-time national champion of Togo Ephoevi-Ga Adama Mawulikplimi lost a critical game against Yakini Tchouka in Round 5 and failed to defend his title but ended up in a respectable joint second place with 4.5 points. Final standings: 1. Tchouka Yakini (1591) – 5½2. Amewounou Komlan Kouessan (1745) – 4½3. Botsoe Koffi (1642) – 4½4. Ajavon Ayayi Jean Le Clair (1629) – 4½5. Ephoevi-Ga Adama Mawulikplimi (1749) – 4½6. Amega-Dzaka Komi Nukunu (0) – 47. Etey Yaovi Agusto (1241) – 48. Egbe Kossi Thierry (0) – 3½9. Ballebako Kokou Difendramakada Jacques (1284) – 310. Numatsi Yawotsu Dzigba (1588) – 3 Photo: Togo Chess Federation
FIDE Historical Committee meeting
The second meeting of the FIDE Historical Committee will be held today, as a part of the FIDE Congress. The meeting will begin at 15:00 CET, and it will be broadcast via Youtube: https://youtu.be/6kD9Bh9Tcf8 These are some of the topics to be discussed: FIDE titles and awards Queen’s Gambit movie and FIDE FIDE Anthem FIDE Chess Museum project FIDE Golden Book project FIDE Archive project FIDE’s 2024 anniversary in Paris and Budapest project
91st FIDE Online Congress 2020 Timetable
TUESDAY, 1 DECEMBER 11:00-13:00 Chess in Education Commission11:00-13:00 Commission for the Disabled14:00-16:00 Planning and Development Commission14:00-16:00 Qualification Commission16:00-18:00 Constitutional Commission16:00-18:00 Trainers’ Commission WEDNESDAY, 2 DECEMBER 10:00-12:00 Rules Commission12:00-14:00 Events Commission14:00-16:00 Ethics & Disciplinary Commission14:00-16:00 Verification Commission15:00-17:00 Technical Commission15:30-17:30 Global Strategy Commission16:00-18:00 Commission for Women’s Chess16:00-18:00 Medical Commission18:00-20:00 Data Protection Committee THURSDAY, 3 DECEMBER 11:30-13:30 Fair Play Commission15:30-17:30 Social Commission16:00-18:00 Arbiters’ Commission18:00-20:00 SPP Commission FRIDAY, 4 DECEMBER 10:00 – 11:00 Commonwealth Chess Association meeting15:00-19:00 FIDE Council meeting SATURDAY, 5 DECEMBER 11:00- 13:00 South Asian Chess Council (SACC) meeting15:00-17:00 FIDE Zonal Council meeting18:00-20:00 Francophone Chess Association (AIDEF) meeting SUNDAY, 6 DECEMBER 15:00- 20:00 FIDE General Assembly You can find the agenda for the GA at the following link: https://fide.com/news/822 *The times of the meetings are given according to the CET time. * The duration of the meetings is subject to further modification
Mednyi Vsadnik and CFM win Russian Team Championships
Russian Team Championships concluded in Sochi. The event was held from November 18-29, 2020, in the Grand Hotel Zhemchuzhina, Sochi. The open section 9-round tournament was played in a round-robin format, whereas women competed in a 9-round Swiss tournament. In the open section, Mednyi Vsadnik from Saint Petersburg, with Nikita Vitiugov, Maxim Matlakov, and Vladimir Fedoseev in the lineup, secured the title with one round to spare after winning eight matches in a row. In the final round the newly-crowned champions split points with CPRF Moscow (3-3) Chess Federation of Moscow (Evgeniy Najer, Vladimir Malakhov) finished second, Molodezhka from Tyumen region (Daniil Dubov, Alexander Riazantsev) took bronze. Final standings open: 1. Mednyi Vsadnik – 17 match points (35 points) 2. CFM – 14 (35½)3. Molodezhka – 14 (34)4. Ladya – 11 (31½)5. M. Botvinnik school – 10 (30½)6. CPRF – 9 (27½) 7. SShOR – 6 (23½)8. Achimgaz YNAO – 6 (22½)9. Cimmeria – 2 (14½)10. Moscow region – 1 (15½) Chess Federation of Moscow, led by IMs Polina Shuvalova and Ekaterina Kovalevskaya, won the women’s tournament. Ugra (WGMs Natalija Pogonina, Olga Girya) came in a close second, Cimmeria headed by IM Tatiana Vasilevich, claimed bronze. Final standings women: 1. CFM – 16 (25)2. Ugra – 15 (28)3. Cimmeria – 12 (22)4. SShOR-1 – 11 (23½)5. Moscow region – 11 (19)6. Ladya (Tatarstan) – 9 (17)7. Achimgaz YNAO – 8 (17½)8. SShOR-2 – 8 (17½)9. Amazones Yadda – 7 (16)10. Chess Federation of the Nizhny Novgorod region – 7 (14)11. Turbonasos – 7 (12½)12. Belgorod State University – 4 (11½)13. Tolpar – 2 (10½) Photo: Vladimir Barsky
Carlsen and So square off in final
After a week of play, the first event of the Champions Chess Tour, Skilling Open, is down the stretch. Magnus Carlsen will face off with Wesley So in the final that will take place on Sunday and Monday on chess24. In the semifinals, Carlsen and So defeated Ian Nepomniachtchi and Hikaru Nakamura respectively in close duels. After winning the first match, Carlsen fell behind in the second but bounced back immediately and then sealed his spot in the finals by drawing games 3 and 4. So also won his first match over Nakamura and managed to hold his edge on the second day as all four games were drawn. Carlsen about his So: “He’s one of the people that I find most difficult to play against because he rarely makes either tactical or positional mistakes, so he’s just very, very strong and I’ll have to be on top of my game!” Carlsen’s loss to So in the 2019 World Fischer Random Championship final is still fresh in memory, so the upcoming match promises a fierce and exciting battle.
FIDE Online World Cadets & Youth Rapid Championships get underway
At a moment when chess is experiencing a massive surge in popularity, 1,380 young chess players from 114 different countries are taking part in the FIDE Online World Cadets & Youth Rapid Chess Championships. The event, which kicks off today, comprises five different age groups: U10, U12, U14, U16, and U18. The participants will be competing in two sections: girls, and open. The tournament starts with a continental selection stage: Africa: 28-30 Nov America: 2-4 Dec Europe: 7-9 Dec Asia: 11-13 Dec. This structure also helps to accommodate the different time zones of the participants. A participant in the FIDE World Cadets Rapid and Blitz Championship 2019 held in Minsk, Belarus. PHOTO: Niki Riga. The 12 best players from this continental stage will advance to the final, where they will be joined by 4 players directly seeded. The finals will consist of ten knock-out tournaments (one for each age group and section) of 16 players. In his message to the participants, the FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich thanked the support of Gazprom, general partner of the event, as well as the organizers, the Georgian Chess Federation, and the FIDE Vice-President Akaki Iashvili. “We hope this event will bring joy to all the participants”, he concluded, before wishing good health and good luck to all players. The championship will be played under rapid time control: 10+3 in the qualification stage and 15+ 10 in the finals. Official website: www.world2020.ge About Gazprom: Gazprom is a global energy company focused on geological exploration, production, transportation, storage, processing and sales of gas, gas condensate and oil, sales of gas as a vehicle fuel, as well as generation and marketing of heat and electric power. Gazprom is the global leader measured by the amount of reserves and volumes of gas production. Gazprom sells gas to Russian consumers and exports gas to over 30 countries within and beyond the former Soviet Union. Gazprom is the biggest gas supplier to Europe. Gazprom is among the top three oil and gas condensate producers in the Russian Federation, ranking number one in Russia in terms of electricity generation among thermal generation companies and in terms of thermal energy generation. More information: www.gazprom.comContact: pr@gazprom.ru
Anton Korobov wins 2020 Open Ukrainian Championship
GM Anton Korobov became a four-time Ukrainian chess champion after winning the title in the 2020 Open Ukrainian Chess Championship Omelnyk village (Poltava region). The event brought together 15 Grandmasters, 2 Woman Grandmasters, and 12 International Masters. Considered to be one of the main favorites before the start of the event, the #3 in the Ukrainian rating list, Korobov delivered on these expectations and clinched gold after making a short draw in the final round. The champion turned in an excellent performance scoring 7 points out of 9 (no losses) and defeating one of his main competitors Kirill Shevchenko in a critical Round 6 clash. Kirill Shevchenko, Yuriy Kuzubov, Oleg Zubov, Vitaliy Bernadsky, Alexander Kovchan, and Sergei Ovseevych netted 6 points each and tied for second with Shevchenko capturing silver thanks to better Buchholtz. The bronze medal goes to Yuriy Kuzubov. Iulija Osmak produced the best result among women scoring 5 points. Final standings: 1. Anton Korobov (2683) – 72. Kirill Shevchenko (2592) – 63. Yuriy Kuzubov (2641) – 64. Alexander Zubov (2589) – 65. Vitaliy Bernadskiy (2619) – 66. Alexander Kovchan (2568) – 67. Sergei Ovsejevitsch (2587) – 68. Yuri Solodovnichenko (2544) – 5½9. Alexander Zubarev (2422) – 5½10. Peng Li Min (2428) – 5½ Photo: Official website