Online training seminar held by the Chess Federation of Russia
An online training seminar (Webinar) for FIDE Arbiters, International Arbiters, and online tournament organizers was held by the Chess Federation of Russia on June 05, 2020. Titled “Specifics of chess arbiter’s work in online tournaments”, this Webinar in the Russian language became the largest chess training event organized during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Webinar organizers registered 203 participants from nineteen (19) national federations: Russia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Costa Rica, Estonia, France, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Moldova, Mongolia, Serbia, Slovakia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. The event started with personal greetings by FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich. Addressing Webinar attendees, Mr. Dvorkovich expressed confidence that this important event would serve to share the best practices and processes being established in the online chess, and thanked the Chess Federation of Russia for taking this important initiative and bringing together colleagues from different parts of the world. “I think it is a great effort by the organizing team and I hope that even in these difficult times, all arbiters, organizers, and players, everyone who is online now, can enjoy chess and show their best qualities.” Indeed, the unique innovative approach by the Chess Federation of Russia offered the Webinar attendees (including the leading International Arbiters of the partner countries), both an intensive training on the most difficult issues of arbitering in online events and a chance to learn about new theoretical and practical developments in that realm as well as new initiatives and projects by FIDE and its member federations. The webinar Leader IA/IO/FL Alexander Tkachev (Russia), the CFR Technical Director, summarized the valuable lessons that the CFR has learned from switching from over-the-board to online chess on short notice. The lecturer proceeded with a refresher on the Anti-cheating Regulations and discussed in detail how strict adherence to Fair Play Measures becomes a crucial issue for online events. A guest Lecturer IA/IO Vadim Tsypin (Canada) spoke about general requirements for Regulations of online tournaments. He explained how to identify three areas: the one where FIDE General Regulations for Competitions shall continue to apply directly, another one where topical corrections or modifications are needed, and the final one that shall contain completely new elements warranted by online play. Using as an example the Regulations for the First FIDE Online Cup for Players with Disabilities, the lecturer parsed relevant articles, identified which area they belonged to, and encouraged listeners to use this approach when they create Regulations of their events. Another guest Lecturer, IA/IO/FT Olexandr Prohorov (Ukraine) explained what new responsibilities fall upon a chess arbiter in online tournaments and how to be ready for them. He shared his experiences serving in the Sunway Sitges Online Open and the European Online Chess Championships, gave specific examples of contentious issues he had to resolve, and presented screen captures that illustrated both serious and hilarious moments related to player supervision. The Webinar concluded with a special Q&A section. Answering the participants’ inquiries, Mr. Tkachev revealed bold new initiatives by the CFR, in particular, the development of a CFR online chess rating system that would allow earning titles through online play. The international Webinar audience asked a lot of questions regarding FIDE plans in the online competitions and changes in the FIDE calendar for 2020 and 2021. Mr. Tsypin answered those questions in detail and also brought to everyone’s attention a recent resolution by the United Nations General Assembly. World Chess Day, celebrated worldwide on July 20, is now officially recognized by the UN. Next month, the international chess community shall mark this date widely. Through online chat and other comment channels, participants expressed heartfelt thanks to the organizers and lecturers. Most of the feedback asked to meet again and to make such training regular. Information and photos by the Chess Federation of Russia
Checkmate Coronavirus enters its final week
UPDATE 08/06/2020 The Checkmate Coronavirus campaign reached this morning the 500 hours milestone. Over the past three weeks, 1.779 tournaments have been played under this initiative, totaling 377.329 entries and 1.247.516 games of chess. We are very proud, and thankful, for the response of the chess community to this project. Acting together, in a coordinated campaign, allowed us to show the world the real potential of chess. This has not passed unnoticed for the mass media: for instance, the prestigious American business magazine Forbes has published, not one, but two articles devoted to chess during the past few weeks. Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Xinhua News Agency, and El Pais, have also published long reports about chess. Remember that all participants are eligible to win a prize, no matter what their result was. You can check if you are one of the lucky winners at www.checkmatecoronavirus.com. UPDATE 05/06/2020 “Checkmate Coronavirus” hit the one million game mark! The project has been running for more than 430 hours non-stop with almost 1500 tournaments played and 320,000+ entries made. The number of federations that are joining their forces with “Checkmate Coronavirus” keeps growing fast. Currently, 51 National federations, unions, and associations responded keenly to FIDE President’s call for action and supported the initiative. Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa-Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Denmark, Dominicana, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Finland, Greece, Guatemala, India, Japan, Kosovo, Lebanon, Malawi, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nicaragua, North Macedonia, Peru, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Salvador, San Marino, Panama, Paraguay, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Syria, Sudan, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Venezuela, Zambia and two Associations Affiliated to FIDE – the European Chess Union and the Mediterranean Chess Association. We would like to thank all of them for their support, enthusiasm and passion for chess! Meanwhile, the winners of two prize draws are announced. The raffles conducted by Elisabeth Paehtz and Anish Giri were streamed live on May 25 and May 31. Twenty-two participants with ratings from below 1000 to impressive 2660 points are the lucky winners of the main prizes of the #checkmatecoronavirus project! Guest invitations to the 2021 Chess Olympiad and mini-matches with top GM go to Algeria, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bolivia, Brazil, Great Britain, Greece, Kenia, Netherlands, Philippines, Serbia, South Africa, Spain, and Singapore. 12 winners of guest invitations the Moscow Chess Olympiad 2021 are: Khomisani (South Africa) (Chess.com, 05/24) Thijscom (Netherlands) (Lichess, 05/20)FizzyGum (India) (Chess.com, 05/22)ChaosRamda (Canada) (Chess.com, 05/24)Oprofdexadrez (Brazil) (Chess.com, 05/23)YODITA (Bolivia) (FIDE rating: 2116) (Lichess, 05/25)bakhtiinoureddiine (Algeria) (Lichess,05/22)Random69 (country unknown) (Lichess, 05/24)abdullayev_elshad (Azerbaijan) (Lichess, 05/29)HisEloquency (Serbia) (Chess.com, 05/27)2puddings (Great Britain) (Chess.com, 05/25)victorpd16 (Spain) (Chess24, 05/29) 10 mini-matches with TOP GMs go to: Bigyanghimire (Nepal) (Lichess, 05/25)Astrapi (Cyprus) (Lichess, 05/19)Ilhabela-SP (Brazil) (Chess.com, 05/20)DoTheMath (Serbia) (Lichess, 05/22)Simounn (Philippines) (Lichess, 05/25)WhiteBug (Kenia) (Lichess, 05/20)sravanrenjith (Australia/New Zealand) (Chess.com, 05/27) – this player is only 12 y.o. so he or she is the youngest winner of the main prize so far.ramon_palatan (Philippines) (Chess.com, 05/29)vbatman2004 (Greece) (Lichess, 05/19) – this winner has the biggest rating by now, 2660!UncleLeoTheNovice (Singapore) (Lichess, 05/27) Each prize winner is required to claim his/her prize before June 30, 2020, by sending an email to prizes@checkmatecoronavirus.com with the following data: • player’s nickname• player’s real name• player’s email address• player’s home address (only for players who won Checkmate Coronavirus Souvenirs) Winners of the minor prizes are published on checkmatecoronavirus.com. The next prize draw will be held on June 7.
Clutch Chess International Day 1: Carlsen and So take the lead
The second installment of Clutch Chess has expanded internationally, featuring eight of the world’s top players and a prize fund of $265,000. The quarterfinals of Clutch Chess International kicked off with two exciting matchups: World Champion Magnus Carlsen vs the 19-year-old American phenom Jeffery Xiong and the winner of Clutch Chess USA Wesley So vs France’s number one player Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. After four hours of scintillating battles, Magnus Carlsen and Wesley So took the lead in their respective matches. Their competition will resume on Monday, while tonight, World number two Fabiano Caruana will be facing America’s number three Leinier Dominguez, and Armenia’s number one Levon Aronian will be taking on former World Blitz World Champion Alexander Grischuk. Magnus Carlsen vs Jeffery Xiong 4.5 – 3.5 The match started difficult for the young American, who lost his first three games. In the first game, Xiong had the upper hand with an extra piece but blundered it away to a nice tactic using the weakness of the back rank. The second game was more even throughout, but Carlsen yet again demonstrated why he’s the best endgame player in the world, slowly outplaying his opponent. The third game was hailed a masterpiece by commentator Yasser Seirawan, as the World Champion completely demolished his opponent in a one-sided kingside attack. Xiong was able to stop the bleeding in round four even though he was on the ropes once again. The players proceeded to play the final two clutch games, where each win was worth 2 points. Xiong pulled off a big comeback in game five, winning a pawn out of the opening and ultimately converting it into a win in a bishop endgame. The young American also had the upper hand in the final game but his more experienced opponent escaped with a draw, ending the day with a point lead. Carlsen wasn’t satisfied with the level of his play and felt that he was getting tired towards the end while his opponent was playing better with each game. Wesley So vs Maxime Vachier-Lagrave 5.5 – 2.5 The commentators assumed that the match between these two experienced players would be much closer, but Wesley So took a big lead with crucial victories. In the first encounter, after reaching a winning position due to great home preparation, So blundered a simple fork and allowed his resilient opponent to escape. The second game saw another resourceful defense from the Frenchman, who used the well known Vancura defense in the rook and pawn endgame. The following game was a draw by repetition in what seemed like a home preparation by both players, as Vachier-Lagrave ended the game with more time on his clock than what he started with. So was in the driver’s seat throughout the match and was able to deliver in the next two games, scoring back to back wins in rounds four and five, thus scoring three points. The final game required another tough defense from the Frenchman, who escaped again from a much worse position. Even with a three-point advantage, So believes that the match will be resolved in the final two games, where each victory will be worth three points. Text and photo: official site
Anniversary chess match Space – Earth to take place on June 9
On June 9, 2020, a unique match between Space and Earth is scheduled to take place in the main hall of the Moscow Museum of Cosmonautics. The event is co-organized by the Moscow Museum of Cosmonautics, the Roscosmos State Corporation, and the Chess Federation of Russia. The match is timed with the half-century anniversary of the first Space – Earth chess game played on June 9, 1970. The match features cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin, Hero of the Russian Federation, and Ivan Wagner, who will team up and play from the International Space Station. A “representative of the Earth” is Sergey Karjakin – a former World Rapid and Blitz champion and two-time winner of the World Team Championship as a member of the Russian national team. He will be making his moves in the Moscow Museum of Cosmonautics. Live streaming in Russian and English is co-organized by the Chess Federation of Russia, the Roscosmos State Corporation, and the Moscow Museum of Cosmonautics. The broadcast starts at 11:00 CEST. The first-ever Space – Earth chess game between astronauts in orbit and “representatives of the Earth” was played on June 9, 1970. Andrian Nikolayev (Mission Commander) and Vitaly Sevastyanov (Flight Engineer), who were aboard the Soyuz 9 spacecraft, played a consultation game against the earthbound Viktor Gorbatko (also an astronaut) and Nikolai Kamanin (Soviet general, and head of the astronaut training program) whereas pilot-cosmonaut Valery Bykovsky was in charge of the game coverage. The game was played on the crew’s rest day and lasted about 6 hours. Communication was maintained over the radio. The moves transmission coincided with the moments the ship would hover over the USSR territory. A unique chess set, designed by a young engineer Mikhail Klevtsov for zero gravity conditions, was used in that game. Since magnetic pieces are not allowed on zero-gravity environments, because they could end up in unexpected places where they would interfere with the on-board instruments, Klevtsov came up with a simple and original system of notches and grooves. This historical set is currently at the display with the Chess Museum of the Chess Federation of Russia. About the organizers: The Museum of Cosmonautics is one of the largest scientific and technical museums in Russia. The history of the museum starts in 1964 when the Monument to the Conquerors of Space first appeared on the Moscow map. Today, the Museum of Cosmonautics is one of the top three most visited museums in Moscow’s Department of Culture. The modern museum exposition is composed of eight exhibition halls. The museum’s collection includes more than 99,000 items: samples of rocket and aerospace technology, authentic relics, documents, philately, numismatics, decorative and applied works of art, and collections of paintings and graphics. The museum tells the stories of the conquerors of space. Among them: the famous Belka and Strelka, authentic descent vehicles from Soyuz spacecraft, a model of the first artificial satellite “Sputnik,” the original Lunokhod control panel, a full-scale model of the base module of the “Mir” space station, and other space artifacts. Official website of the museum: https://kosmo-museum.ru/ ROSCOSMOS is a State Corporation established in August 2015 to oversee and implement a comprehensive reform of the Russian space industry. State Space Corporation ROSCOSMOS ensures the implementation of the Russian government’s space program and its legal regulation. ROSCOSMOS also places orders for the development, manufacture, and supply of space equipment and space infrastructure objects. The state corporation is also responsible for international space cooperation and tasked with setting the stage for the future use of the results of space activities in Russia’s social and economic development. Official website of SC ROSCOSMOS: https://www.roscosmos.ru Chess Federation of Russia (CFR) (from 1992 till 2019 known as the Russian Chess Federation) is an all-Russian non-governmental body uniting regional chess federations and a member of the International Chess Federation (FIDE). The Federation was founded in 1992 as a successor to the USSR Chess Federation. The CFR charter recognizes the Federation congress as the supreme governing body to be convened at least once every four years. Besides, the collegiate governing body is the Federation’s Supervisory Board, which consists of five vice presidents and 26 representatives of regional federations. Since 2014, the sole executive authority has been vested with President of the Russian Chess Federation (since 2019, the Russian Federation of Chess). Andrey Filatov is the CFR’s current President. The CFR is a direct organizer of many national and international tournaments, including the Russian Championship Higher League, Russian Team Championship, and the international competition Belaya Ladya. The CFR also hosts the Russian Rapid and Blitz Championships, the Russian Cup, the Grand Prix Rapid, and the Children’s Russian Cup. Official website of the Russian Chess Federation: https://ruchess.ru/en/
Gegeen Arvai wins 3rd Mongolian Online Team League
The 3rd Mongolian Online Team League, part of FIDE CheckmateCoronavirus project, brought together 28 teams from across the country. The online competition consisted of 9 tournaments, held on a popular platform lichess.org in three categories and stretched over May 07-28. “Gegeen Arvai” won gold in the most prestigious division A, “SKY_MONGOL” finished first in B, and “Ховд-1” came in first in C. The winner of the major league, “Gegeen Arvai” is a chess club created by GM Gundavaa Bayarsaikhan. It servers as a training ground for many talented Mongolian chess players. For example, FM Tengis Tsog-Ochir (pictured above) is a Mongolian national blitz champion; IM Gan-Erdene Sugar became the second-ever Mongolian player to take part in the FIDE World Cup in 2019; CM Tenuunbold Battulga took bronze at the World Youth Chess Championship. Another team member, WCM Munkhzul Davaakhuu is the World Youth Champion and the winner of numerous youth titles in Asia. Her family follows in the footsteps of Polgar sisters as her elder sibling Khongorzul Davaakhuu is the World School Blitz Champion, while the younger sister Unurzul Davaakhuu is the silver medalist of World Youth and Asian Youth Championships. Final standings: Major league team standings: 1st place – GEGEEN ARVAI1. IM Gan-Erdene Sugar2. FM Tengis Tsog-Ochir3. WCM Munkhzul Davaakhuu4. CM Tenuunbold Battulga (bronze medalist of the World Youth Chess Championship) 2nd place – COLOR MIND 11. NM Galmandakh Badrakh2. NM Amgalanbaatar Ravdanlkhumbuu3. WIM Bayarmaa Bayarjargal4. Danzanjunai Ganbat 3rd place – UVURKHANGAI1. GM Gundavaa Bayarsaikhan2. IM Munkhgal Gombosuren3. Tsogzolmaa Nanjid4. CM Yuruultei Batbaatar 4th place – ALDAR1. GM Bilguun Sumiya2. IM, WGM Munguntuul Batkhuyag3. FM Bulgankhan Ganzorig4. Agibat Batzaya 5th place – ABChess1. IM Batsuren Dambasuren2. FM Chinguun Sumiya3. WFM Anu Bayar4. CM Sodbilegt Naranbold Minor league team standings (Division I): B group 1st place – SKY MONGOL1. FM Munkhbat Chogdov2. FM Khulan Enkhsaikhan3. AGM Otgonbat Ishdagva4. WCM Unurzul Davaakhuu B group 2nd place U13 – Little demons1. CM Ochirbat Lkhagvajamts2. WCM Bayasgalan Khishigbaatar3. Ulziikhishig Khishigbat4. Unubold Nandinzul B group 3rd place – Caissa_mn1. WIM Munkhzul Turmunkh2. Amin-Erdene Burmaa3. Angar Zoljargal4. Ryenchinbayar Burenzevseg Minor league team standings (Division II): C group 1st place – KHOVD-11. Ekhbayar Buyantogtokh2. Baldorj Baatar3. Undarmaa Erdenejargal4. Mungunshagai Baasankhuu C group 2nd place – KHANGARID-31. Ankhbayar Amarjargal2. Khongorzul Bayarsaikhan3. Buyanbadrakh Gantsogt4. Erdenetungalag Delgerdalai C group 3rd place – GEGEE SHATAR1. Boldbaatar Dorjsuren2. Bat-Asral Bayar3. Ali Bauirjan4. Munkhkhishig Gantumur Individual standings: (only A-group counts) 1. GM Bilguun Sumiya /ALDAR team/2. FM Tengis Tsog-Ochir /GEGEEN ARVAI team/3. IM Gan-Erdene Sugar /GEGEEN ARVAI team/ Best female player: WIM Bayarmaa Bayarjargal /COLOR MIND 1 team/ Best U12: Danzanjunai Ganbat /COLOR MIND 1 team/
FIDE announces workshops for arbiters and federations
The International Chess Federation (FIDE) announced two online workshops to be held in mid-June: FIDE and ECU Workshop for arbiters in online chess events The conference will be held in Zoom. To register, simply send an email to chairman.arbiters@fide.com. Prior to the start, the organizer will send a link to join the webinar. Schedule: 10.06.2020 [Wednesday], 18:00 – 20:00 CEST Hosts: IA Laurent Freyd, Chairman of the FIDE Arbiters’ Commission and IA Tomasz Delega, Chairman of the ECU Arbiters’ Council Description: the hosts will share about online events and best practices to help arbiters fulfilling their role in this new context. During the conference, you will find out about: – what’s the role of the arbiter in online tournaments– how to get prepared for different kinds of online tournament formats– how to deal with the challenges that an arbiter may face online– what are the useful processes and tools for arbiters online– how to implement fair play measures and tools FIDE Workshop for federations on arbiters’ title applications The conference will be held in Zoom. To register, simply send an email to secretary.arbiters@fide.com. Prior to the start, the organizer will send a link to join the webinar. Schedule: 18.06.2020 [Thursday], 15:00 – 17:00 CEST Hosts: IA Laurent Freyd, Chairman of the FIDE Arbiters’ Commission, IA Nebojsa Baralic, Secretary of the FIDE Arbiters’ Commission and IA Jirina Prokopova, Member of the FIDE Arbiters’ commission in charge of titles. Description: the hosts will share about best practices in the preparation of arbiters’ title applications, to help federations and arbiters increase their applications approved at first try. During the conference, you will find out: – how to fill in and validate an arbiter’s norm– how to select norms for a valid application– how to check data related to an application
Lindores Abbey: Fast and furious Dubov rules supreme
Russian hot-shot Daniil Dubov is chess24’s 2020 Rapid Challenge champion after winning one of the best online super-tournament finals ever seen today. The 24-year-old former World Champion in rapid Daniil Dubov bested the pre-match favorite Hikaru Nakamura in an intense winner-takes-all battle that finished in an Armageddon tiebreak. Dubov takes home the $45,000 top prize and has booked his place in the $300,000 Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour Grand Final. Nakamura received $27,000 for his effort. It was a phenomenal end to what has been a fascinating tournament as two noted speed chess specialists vied for supremacy. Dubov went into the event having got to the final of the FIDE Steinitz Online Memorial where he was beaten soundly by World Champion Magnus Carlsen. However, in the preliminary stage of the Rapid Challenge Dubov exacted sweet revenge on his friend – despite only just scraping into the last 16. Carlsen, meanwhile, was eventually knocked out by Nakamura. Now in the knockout, Dubov went on to hit top form as he destroyed countryman Sergey Karjakin in the quarters and after that Chinese number 1 Ding Liren in the semis. On the first day of the final against Nakamura, however, Dubov – as in the Steinitz event – appeared outclassed and nervy as he suffered a nightmare start. But on the second the super-sharp young Russian recovered his composure to take the match to a decider. Going into today, Nakamura had looked refreshed and well prepared having revealed he had taken the night off from streaming chess to his army of fans. Nakamura’s preparation showed in game 1, as the American neutralized his opponent and made a draw from the position of strength. However, game 2 sent shockwaves that fired the match into life. Nakamura appeared better out of the opening and Dubov was behind on time in a dangerous position. But then at the key moment in the endgame, Nakamura appeared to lose concentration. A series of small inaccuracies followed and Hikaru lost the thread and then the game. Game 3 was vital. Nakamura could not lose and had to bounce back with the Black pieces. And – showing incredible poise under pressure – he did it. One of the commentators, Peter Svidler said: “This is tremendously impressive from Hikaru considering what happened in game 2. This is an unbelievable level of mental fortitude being displayed.” Game 4 was another draw that took the final – and $45,000 top prize – to an Armageddon play-off and it was Dubov who kept his cool when it mattered. Dubov said “it’s a relief” and described the tournament as a “wonderful journey”. “Throughout the match, I had the feeling that he’s [Nakamura is] absolutely sure he’ll win the Armageddon with Black,” he added. “Today was not our typical match. Normally he plays better and I’m better prepared, but today was the opposite.” It was a fitting end to a phenomenal contest. The event, part of the Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour, has been put on in association with the Lindores Abbey Heritage Society, which maintains the historic site in Scotland. The remaining schedule for the Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour is as follows: June 20 – July 5 | Online Chess Masters | $150,000 July 21 – August 5 | Legends of Chess | $150,000 August 9 – 20 | Grand Final | $300,000 Highlights English FOR MORE INFORMATION:Leon Watsonleon@chessable.com+447786 078770
Lindores Abbey: Dubov sends final to decider
Daniil Dubov halted Hikaru Nakamura‘s title charge today to force a third-day decider in the Lindores Abbey Rapid Challenge final. The Russian, as his rival did yesterday, won the key first game and steadfastly held on to take the day. It squares the best-of-three final 1-1 and means Dubov and Nakamura will play-off tomorrow for the title, $45,000 first prize, and a place in the Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour Grand final. Dubov said afterward: “Yesterday, Hikaru played really fast and for today I decided OK, I will do pretty much the same thing, just play some random, sort of normal moves quickly and it kinda worked out.” After yesterday’s nightmare start, Dubov needed to get back in the Rapid Challenge final fast and he comfortably outplayed Nakamura with the Black pieces. Nakamura, the online chess specialist, did suffer a rare mouse-slip and was visibly annoyed with himself – but he was already in a bad position. Dubov, the former World Champion in rapid chess, held firm in Games 2 and 3, steering both to draws. It left yesterday’s leader Nakamura with a final chance to win in Game 4 and force an Armageddon tiebreak. Dubov seemed in trouble but a nice comeback gave him the draw he needed to win the day 2.5-1.5 and level the final. The event, which runs until tomorrow, is being put on in association with the Lindores Abbey Heritage Society, which maintains the historic site. Coverage begins with commentary in 10 languages at 16.00 CEST. You can watch it live here Highlights English FOR MORE INFORMATION:Leon Watsonleon@chessable.com+447786 078770
Nakamura’s fast start stuns Dubov on the first day of final
A dominant Hikaru Nakamura capitalized on Daniil Dubov‘s nightmare start to storm ahead in the first leg of the $150,000 Rapid Challenge final today. The American, fresh from toppling World Champion Magnus Carlsen in the semi, showed all his cool, calm skills to race into a 2-0 lead almost without breaking a sweat. Dubov, meanwhile, appeared nervy and left himself a mountain to climb. The Russian has been in fantastic form going into the final but, as in the FIDE Online Steinitz Memorial event last month, he has so far struggled in the final. This time, however, Dubov has a chance to get back into it tomorrow. He must win against Nakamura to take the match into a final day or fall at the final hurdle for a second consecutive online super tournament. Game 1 was immediately unpleasant for the 24-year-old Dubov as he appeared to get punished for pushing too hard. Nakamura, world’s top-rated blitz player who boasts an army of fans online, then made Game 2 look easy as he gave Dubov no chances and rolled over him in the endgame. With a 2-0 lead in the bag, obtained in a brutal fashion, Nakamura then tried to shut up shop in the third to grab the half-point needed to secure the mini-match. Meanwhile, Dubov, having shaken himself into action, had other ideas and went up a gear to take the must-win third game in style. Yet Daniil needed to repeat the feat and beat Nakamura with the Black pieces in Game 4 – no easy task. The Russian pushed hard again in the final game to send it to a tiebreak, but Nakamura was super-steady and held to take the day 2.5-1.5. “I made it a little bit more messy than I would have liked but obviously it all worked out.” Nakamura said in a quick interview after the match. He added: “I think the match, like most of the other matches, hinged on the first game.” Tomorrow, Dubov, the former World Champion in this “rapid” format, will be back gunning to turn the match around. The event, which runs until June 3, is being put on in association with the Lindores Abbey Heritage Society, which maintains the historic site. Coverage begins with commentary in 10 languages at 16.00 CEST. You can watch it live here Highlights English FOR MORE INFORMATION:Leon Watsonleon@chessable.com+447786 078770
Alexey Sarana wins European Online Chess Championship
On Sunday, May 31, 2020, GM Alexey Sarana (Russia) won the title in the group for 2300+ players of the first European Online Chess Championship and took home €1,200. The tournament was held in different rating categories ( A 1000-1400, B 1401-1700, C 1701-2000, D 2001-2300, and E 2300+) May 16-31 on Chess.com. The Russian GM won a 16-player playoff to which he qualified from two Grand Prix events (held on May 20 and 30) along with thirteen other participants. At this knockout stage, two invited players – Anish Giri and David Navara – joined the competition. The matches were played in best-out-of-two rapid games format (time control 10+2) with an Armageddon if needed. Photo: John Saunders The eventual champion had a tough test in quarterfinals as he faced Anish Giri. After holing with black, Alexey won with white by breaking through and advancing his pawns on the kingside. It is worth mentioning the success of Armenian chess, as two representatives of this country Sergei Movsesian and Gabriel Sargissian made it to the semifinals. David Navara became the fourth semifinalist after defeating Anton Demchenko. Sarana – Movsesian semifinal was unique as the former advanced to the without winning a single game: the Russian GM drew all the encounters, including the Armageddon. Meanwhile, in the other semifinal, Navara whitewashed Sargissian. Sarana was in full control in the final – after winning the first game in a solid positional style, in the second encounter he impressed his opponent, commentators, and spectators with an unexpected but very sound move with an idea of exploiting the darks squares: Navara – Sarana 20…g5! after this move, Black is simply better 21. fxg6 fxg6 22. Na4 Ba7 23. Ree1 Ne6 24. Bh6 Rxf1+ 25. Rxf1 g5 26. Qa5 g4 27. Nb6 Rg8 28. Qxa7 gxh3 and seven moves later White capitulated 0-1 “I am really happy we had this tournament because for players like me and other 2600 players, there are big tournaments but there is a lot of competition and very low prices. It’s difficult for us to play; it’s hard to get anything,” said the champion in a short online interview. Sarana, Navara, Sargissian, who beat his compatriot Movsesian in the match for third place, all qualified for the European Individual Championship, scheduled for December 8-21, 2020 in Terme Olimia, Slovenia. Nino Batsiashvili (GEO) scored 10 points in two Grand Prix events won the title of European Women Online Chess Champion. The champion received €700 and directly qualified for the European Individual Women’s Championship (October 31-November 12 in Mamaia, Romania). Polina Shuvalova (RUS) and Daria Voit (RUS) tied for the second with the former taking silver thank to better tiebreaks. Final standings: Category A 1000-1400: Mustafa Sezgin (TUR, 1201 rapid rtg) Gulsana Aghayeva (AZE, 1329 rapid rtg) Roman Popov (CZE, 1379 rapid rtg) Category B 1401-1700: Richard Stalmach (CZE, 1667 rapid rtg) Ognjen Domovic (CRO, 1544 rapid rtg) Ahmet Donmez (TUR, 1483 rapid rtg) Category C 1701-2000: Sebastian-Ion Pavel (ROU, 1996 rapid rtg) Elnur Mehtiyev (AZE, 1968 rapid rtg) Artur Davtyan (ARM, 1854 rapid rtg) Category D 2001-2300: Murad Ibrahimli (AZE, 2155 rapid rtg) Abdula Gadimbayli (AZE, 2254 rapid rtg) Artur Davtyan (ARM, 1854 rapid rtg)