Lindores Abbey: Nakamura eases into semifinals
Speed chess expert Hikaru Nakamura bulldozed his way into the semi-finals today to open up the chance of a mouth-watering clash with Magnus Carlsen. The American, the world’s top blitz player, made short work of Levon Aronian as he crushed the Armenian 3-1 in their Lindores Abbey Rapid Challenge mini-match and 2-0 overall. Nakamura, already ahead in the tie after winning on Saturday, raced into the lead with a first game win in today’s second best-of-three rubber. “Absolutely monstrous play by Hikaru!” said IM Tania Sachdev in the commentary box. Two draws followed before the American overpowered a desperate Aronian in the fourth to take the mini-match and go through. Nakamura may now face Carlsen – if the World Champion can get past Wesley So. On potentially meeting Carlsen in the semis, he said: “I’m very lucky. I get three days off, so I have time to prepare!” The other quarter-final being played out was a much trickier affair. China’s Yu Yangyi, who went into today with the advantage, quickly fell behind against countryman Ding Liren. Two draws followed before a vital game 4 which Ding steered towards a safe draw. With a 2.5-1.5 win the match is leveled and now goes to a decider on Wednesday. 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 New files at around 23.00 CEST. FOR MORE INFORMATION:Leon Watsonleon@chessable.com+447786 078770
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Checkmate Coronavirus: week one Carlsen and Lagno take titles in Steinitz Memorial FIDE held the first Online Cup for People with Disabilities First online meeting of the FIDE Council Continents go online “We are all children of Informant” Anniversaries READ NEWSLETTER
FIDE QC on duration of leagues and national team championships
On 15th March, the FIDE Qualification Commission provided some guidance for events regarding the ongoing Coronavirus situation: https://fide.com/news/443 Earlier in May, we received a request from leagues in continental Europe about waiving rule 1.14 of the title regulations: 1.14 Leagues and national team championships may last longer than 90 days, but not more than one year. In the current circumstances, QC is happy to waive 1.14 of the title regulations for leagues that started before the lockdown in their countries. Federations that wish to do this for their League should write to QC to make this request before they resume their season so that QC can compile a list of these leagues to aid with checking any title norms that may be achieved in these events. Doing this is not an obligation that the league will resume, and if the Federation decides to abandon their league season anyway at some point in the future, then they will still be free to do so. National Federations should note that this exemption applies to any ongoing season only, and not any future season that has not yet started or been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. For the avoidance of doubt, please be assured that Nick Faulks (Chairman) and I both recused ourselves from voting for this rule to be waived, due to conflicts of interest. Voting on this proposal was restricted to the five other QC Councillors. Alex HolowczakQC Secretary
Checkmate Coronavirus: week one
The Checkmate Coronavirus initiative is in full swing, as it enters its second week of activity. We are very grateful for the warm welcome that the chess community has given to this project, with special mention all those to have contributed to its success. First and foremost our partners at Chess.com, Lichess.org, Chess24, FIDE Online Arena, and Playchess. Secondly, to the many National federations that have already organized events within the Checkmate Coronavirus project: so far, the list includes the European Chess Union, Colombia, Denmark, Ethiopia, Finland, Greece, Japan, Mongolia, Qatar, Romania, Syria, Uruguay, and Venezuela, but the number keeps growing by the day. We are also very grateful to the many private organizers who have tried to contribute. And last but not least, to the dedicated team who has been running this project, headed by Ilya Gorodetsky. One week and 170 hours into the project, a total of 520 chess online tournaments have been organized as a part of this initiative, with an average of 261 participants each. This amounts to an approximate total of half a million chess games played, and 74 tournaments per day. These numbers are already slightly above our initial expectations, so we hope to reach new heights as we are reaching cruise speed. If you want to be a part of this celebration of chess, you can still do it. On our website, you can find instructions on how to join the initiative. There is also a FAQ section at the dedicated website for Checkmate Coronavirus, with some additional information. And if you simply want to be a participant in one of the events, please check out our complete schedule of events. As the FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich explained in his letter addressed to all of you, this project wants “to promote the ideals of unity and solidarity which must be manifested in such times”, apart from providing “a creative outlet to those who have to spend many hours at home” under the global lockdown. We believe that both goals are being fulfilled, and we are very proud of how we, the whole chess community, have stood together in these trying times.
Lindores Abbey QFs: Carlsen and Dubov hit the ground running
World Champion Magnus Carlsen stood up for US star Wesley So today after his opponent was accused of “unsporting” behavior. So sparked shock as he tamely conceded a draw that consigned him to defeat against the World Champion in their first Lindores Abbey Rapid Challenge quarter-final mini-match. The former US champion accepted a three-fold repetition when he could have fought on in the third game of the rubber. It left him sunk on 2.5-0-5. In the commentary box, IM Lawrence Trent said So had been “unsporting” before clarifying his position. “It was just not Wesley’s day,” said Trent. “I want to make something clear, I am a big Wesley fan. I’ve known Wesley for a very long time and I think he’s a great chess player and great ambassador, but what I think he did today is not in the spirit of the competition, to be brutally honest.” Carlsen replied: “I would say, let the man redeem himself in the next few days!” Photo: Lennart Ootes Carlsen had calmly won the first two games of the day but So, who has been extremely solid in the tournament so far, was not out of it. The champion said afterward: “I’m not going to sit and dwell too much on that, but it was obviously a pleasant surprise for me.” So will now have to come back and win mini-matches on both Tuesday and Wednesday to go through. It will be a tough ask. In the other quarterfinal, an all-Russian clash, Daniil Dubov went 2-0 up against Carlsen’s former World Champion title challenger Sergey Karjakin. Photo: John Saunders Dubov played some strategically perfect chess and never gave his fellow countryman any respite. It left Karjakin needing a miracle, and it did not come as Dubov impressively ended the mini-match in the third with another win the “Minister of Defence” spurned a three-fold repetition. 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 New files at around 23.00 CEST. FOR MORE INFORMATION:Leon Watsonleon@chessable.com+447786 078770
Tatjana Lematschko passes away
It is with great sadness we learned about WGM Tatjana Lematschko’s passing away in Zurich on May 17. Lematschko was born in Moscow in 1948 and seriously got into chess during her studies at the Central Institute of Physical Culture. Her first major success came in 1970 when she qualified for the final of the Soviet Championship. At the same time, she met her future husband who was a Bulgarian. In 1972, Lematschko became the first-ever Soviet women player to emigrate from the USSR as she moved to Bulgaria with her spouse. There she became a national champion and played for this country’s team at 4 Olympiads (1974, 1978, 1980, 1982). In 1983, Lematschko moved to Switzerland which she represented 10 times (Olympiads 1984—1998, 2004, 2008). The winner of many international tournaments and one of the strongest players of the 70s, Lematschko entered the race for the world championship title in 1975. Tatjana took part in the Interzonal tournaments in Rosendal (1976), Alicante (1979) where she shared for first with Akhmilovskaya and Bad Kissingen (1982). Lematschko took part in the quarters of the candidates’ matches three times: in 1977 she lost to Akhmilovskaya, in 1980 to Litinskaya and in 1983 was defeated by Alexandria. Our deepest condolences to her family and friends.
Lindores Abbey quarterfinals: Nakamura stuns Aronian
Hikaru Nakamura pulled off a stunning comeback to edge ahead of Levon Aronian in their Lindores Abbey Rapid Challenge quarter-final today. The US star won a vital last mini-match game on-demand to level the score and send it into an Armageddon play-off. At the start of the match, Aronian appeared to be back to his brilliant best as he swept into a 2-1 lead. But after hitting back in game 4 Nakamura, seized the momentum and stormed to victory in the decider. Nakamura said: “I don’t know if I deserved to win this match, but I found a way to take it to Armageddon and then found the cards were on the table.” Nakamura is now 1-0 up in the match and if he wins the second mini-match of the tie on Monday he will go through. The first rubber in the other quarter-final was a cagey affair that ended with a shock loss for China’s number 1 Ding Liren. Ding and his fellow countryman Yu Yangyi played out four straight draws as the mini-match swiftly ended 2-2. In the Armageddon tiebreak, however, Ding was fully in control with black by move 22 but he imploded under pressure and lost on time. Ding, who has been in excellent form over the last few weeks, now must win in the next match or Yu will go through. If Ding and Aronian manage to draw level in the quarter-finals on Monday then a decider mini-match will be played on Wednesday. Tomorrow will see World Champion Magnus Carlsen up against former US champion Wesley So and an all-Russian clash between Sergey Karjakin and Daniil Dubov. Knockout schedule: May 23: Quarterfinals, Pairs 1-2, Match 1May 24: Quarterfinals, Pairs 3-4, Match 1May 25: Quarterfinals, Pairs 1-2, Match 2May 26: Quarterfinals, Pairs 3-4, Match 2May 27: Quarterfinals, All pairs, Match 3 (if required)May 28: Semi-finals, Match 1May 29: Semi-finals, Match 2May 30: Semi-finals, Match 3 (if required)May 31: REST DAYJune 1: Final, Match 1June 2: Final, Match 2June 3: Final, Match 3 (if required) The event, which runs until June 3, is being put on in association with the Lindores Abbey Heritage Society, which maintains the historic site. Tomorrow is a rest day but coverage begins again with commentary in 10 languages at 16.00 CEST. You can watch it live here Highlights English New files at around 23.00 CEST. FOR MORE INFORMATION:Leon Watsonleon@chessable.com+447786 078770
Marcin Tazbir wins FIDE Online Cup for People with Disabilities
The first FIDE Online Cup for People with Disabilities is in the books. Held on May 21 on a popular chess platform playchess.com, this invitational five-round Swiss tournament brought together 38 participants representing 28 national federations playing not only for the title and glory but also for a €2,200 prize fund. In addition, three players (K. Shashikant, V. Panush, A. Bandawere) were randomly selected to take part in a prize drawing under the Checkmate Coronavirus project launched by FIDE earlier this week. During a brief opening ceremony the participants were greeted by FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich: “On behalf of FIDE, I would like to welcome all the player of the first FIDE Online Cup for People with Disabilities… I think it is a great effort by the organizing team and I hope that even in these difficult times, all the players, everyone who is online now can enjoy chess, show the best qualities and prepare for FIDE Olympiad, which will also have a competition for people with disabilities. Good luck everyone, stay safe and enjoy chess.” Before the start of the event, two highest-rated players Marcin Tazbir (Poland) and Sander Severino (Philippines) were considered to be the main favorites. Eventually, they finished with 4.5 points each with the Polish player taking the title thanks to better tiebreaks, but their way to the very top was not a smooth sail, to say the least. The champion had to work hard in the first two rounds as he found himself in tough positions in both encounters but managed to turn tables around and score two points. The second part of the event was much easier for him – after beating Mihail-Dacian Pribeanu in a solid positional style, he made a quick draw in the final game with Sander Severino. Photo: Rafał Siwik The silver-winner played his most important game in the fourth round with Yuri Meshkov (Russia) who was also on a perfect 3 out of 3 score. Sander Severino prevailed in this tensely contested battle and after drawing his last-round game tied for first place. To Meshkov’s credit, after a painful defeat, he bounced back in the last round and took bronze thanks to superior tiebreaks. “It was fascinating as I played in such an event over the internet for the first time. It was quite nice. I think all the participants were quite happy. The only thing that I could recommend is to invite more players. Maybe the number of rounds should be bigger as five rounds are not enough. I believe that through chess people are suffering much less at this tough corona-virus times,” the champion said in an interview right after the event. WIM Natasha Morales Santos from Puerto Rico showed the best result among women. She scored 3 out of 5 like Handenur Sahin and Annegret Mucha but had a better tiebreak. Final standings: 1 Marcin Tazbir 2535 POL 4,5 2 Sander Severino 2373 PHI 4,5 3 Yuri Meshkov 2258 RUS 4,0 4 Denis Palin 2091 RUS 4,0 5 Gabor Acs 2047 HUN 4,0 6 Mihail-Dacian Pribeanu 2169 ROU 3,5 7 Dmitrij Scerbin 2238 RUS 3,0 8 Vit Valenta 1994 CZE 3,0 9 Andrei Gurbanov 2284 ISR 3,0 10 Ilia Lipilin 1983 RUS 3,0
World Youth Chess Championships 2020 postponed
In response to the Romanian Chess Federation’s request to postpone the 2020 World Youth Chess Championships, the FIDE Management Board convened at 12:00 UTC on Friday, May 22, 2020, took its decision: “WHEREAS the FIDE Management Board received and duly examined a request from the World Youth Chess Championship 2020 organizers; and WHEREAS there still exists a large degree of uncertainty in the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic; NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: 1. To postpone the World Youth Chess Championship 2020 scheduled for September 2020 to a later date. 2. To determine the new dates of the World Youth Chess Championship 2020 in coordination with the organizers, taking into account the epidemiological situation. 3. To announce the new dates no later than four (4) months before the start of the event.“ Full document (pdf)
Lindores Abbey: Carlsen survives tense dogfight
Magnus Carlsen survived an almighty scare to scrape into the knockout stage of the Lindores Abbey Rapid Challenge today. The World Champion was in serious danger of being dumped out of stage two of his $1 million signature tour early. Going into the last match of the day, Carlsen had scored just 50 percent in the tournament and was lying in seventh out of 12 with eight to advance. But in a must-not-lose game against 16-year-old hotshot Alireza Firouzja, the Norwegian gritted his teeth and got through. Afterward, Carlsen expressed total disgust at the way he played up until that point, but “I pulled through so I shouldn’t complain.” The tournament leaders, meanwhile, are Hikaru Nakamura on 7.5 and Sergey Karjakin on 7 who have both looked comfortable so far and without Carlsen’s dramas. Ding Liren and Wesley So also cruised into the next stage with So having drawn eight of his 11 games. Yu Yangyi also makes it through alongside the young Russian Daniil Dubov and Levon Aronian. The day started with a cagey opening round which saw five draws out of six. The only decisive game was a much-needed win for Ding over the Pole Jan-Krzysztof Duda. But the second round exploded as Carlsen lost spectacularly to the young Russian Daniil Dubov. Against Carlsen, the young Russian is fearless and has become something of a bogey player for the World Champion in recent weeks. He beat Carlsen in the FIDE Steinitz Online Memorial and he beat him again today in round 10 when an under-pressure Carlsen inexplicably blundered a knight. It led to gasps of amazement in the commentary box. “I’ve not seen him play like this in a very long time,” said IM Lawrence Trent. At that point, Carlsen was placed alongside Dubov and Levon Aronian, with Firouzja and Grischuk breathing down their necks. Duda and Wei Yi were already out of it having both had a tough tournament. Then in the final round, Dubov and Aronian faced each other and drew, securing their places. That left Alexander Grischuk out, despite his win against Wei. All eyes were on the Firouzja-Carlsen match which became a simple winner takes all game. Carlsen was visibly relieved when he finally broke through, but the tricky Firouzja had pushed him to the brink in an exciting game. The event, which runs until June 3, is being put on in association with the Lindores Abbey Heritage Society, which maintains the historic site. Tomorrow is a rest day but on May 23 coverage begins again with commentary in 10 languages at 16.00 CEST. Standings after Day 3: You can watch it live here Highlights English New files at around 23.00 CEST. FOR MORE INFORMATION:Leon Watsonleon@chessable.com+447786 078770