Women’s Grand Prix: Skolkovo and Monaco recap
In recent months FIDE has made a remarkable effort to make a new cycle of Women’s World Championship very similar to the open one. Currently, the cornerstone of the 2019-2021 cycle is the Women’s Grand Prix (WGP) series that consists of four round-robin tournaments with all the top players participating. The two winners of the WGP who score the greatest number of cumulative points qualify for the Candidates Tournament, which is scheduled for 2021. The reigning World Champion and the Challenger in the recent World Championship match Aleksandra Goryachkina also participate in the Grand Prix events but they fight only for the titles and prize money (both already qualified). In anticipation of the third leg of WGP, which takes place in Lausanne on 1-14 of March, FIDE.com looks back at two events in Skolkovo (Russia) and Monte Carlo. Skolkovo (Russia) The first leg of WGP that was held in a luxurious playing hall on the outskirts of Moscow, in Skolkovo, turned into an exciting race of three favorites – Humpy Koneru (India) and two participants of the Women’s World Championship match Ju Wenjun (China) and Aleksandra Goryachkina (Russia). The World Champion was leading the field up to 9th round in which she suffered her only defeat at the hand of Kateryna Lagno (Russia). Humpy Koneru (India) who triumphantly returned to chess after 18-month hiatus due to family reasons, jumped on this opportunity and forged ahead. In Round 10 Ju Wenjun had a great chance to catch up with Koneru but failed to convert her huge advantage in a winning endgame against Goryachkina. In the final round, the leaders faced each other. All Humpy needed was a draw and she achieved the desired outcome. Meanwhile, Aleksandra Goryachkina scored an important victory and tied for second place with the Word Champion. Both Goryachkina and the champion did not lose a single game throughout the event. Monte Carlo The participants of the world championship match, which was just about a month away, chose different training schedules. Ju Wenjun opted to skip the leg in Monaco; Goriyachkina, on the contrary, decided to play in this tournament. In addition to Goriyachkina, the list of favorites included the winner of the first leg Humpy Koneru, the debutants of this WGP the Musychuk sisters and in-form Alexandra Kosteniuk who won both European Blitz and Rapid Championships in Monaco right before WGP. Comparing to the event in Skolkovo, the tournament scenario in Monaco was much more unpredictable. For one thing, none of the participants avoided defeat. Goriyachkina had a slow start, scoring just a half-point in two games; at some point many thought that Koneru would claim clear first place again and secure a slot in the Candidates (the Indian missed the previous one, as she was inactive for the biggest part of the year before the event) but in Round 9 Humpy suffered a surprise loss to Elizabeth Paehtz with white pieces. Meanwhile, Goryachkina reeled off 5.5/6 and grabbed the lead. Again, the last round saw the leaders’ clash. Goryachkina was fine with a draw, but it was not meant to be – Humpy prevailed and caught up with the leader. Somewhat unexpectedly they were joined by Alexandra Kosteniuk who won her two final games. Moreover, the former World Champion took the title thanks to better tiebreaks. Humpy Koneru and Aleksandra Goryachkina are comfortably sitting at the top of WGP standings. After another triumph at Cairns Cup in Saint Louis, the Indian GM, who basically punched her ticket for the Candidates, skips the competition in Lausanne. Since Goryachkina already qualified for the Candidates, the second slot most certainly will be hotly contested. Ju Wenjun and Aleksandra Goryachkina will meet over the board in Lausanne for the first time since their very close world championship match. It will be the final leg for Alexandra Kosteniuk – in order to qualify for the Candidates she has to take either first or second place. FIDE.com will be covering the event in Lausanne starting from March 1; there will be Livestream with commentary on FIDE’s YouTube channel as well.
2020 FIDE Extraordinary General Assembly Agenda and Executive Board Agenda
FIDE publishes the Agendas for the 2020 FIDE Extraordinary General Assembly and Executive Board, scheduled to be held in Abu Dhabi, UAE, 28-29 February 2020. We would like to draw your attention to the fact that all FIDE meetings including the EGA will be based on electronic desktop documentation. Kindly make your own arrangements should you prefer having printed documents. The missing annexes will be available for download in due course. 2020 FIDE Extraordinary General Assembly Agenda and Annexes Download AGENDA (pdf) Annex 1.1 Admission of new federations Annex 1.2 Admission of new affiliated members Annex 2.1 Change of FIDE Statutes: new FIDE Charter Annex 3.1 New Financial Regulations 2020 FIDE Executive Board Agenda and Annexes Download AGENDA (pdf) Annex 3.1 Report of the FIDE Treasurer Annex 3.2 FIDE Financial Statements for 2018 Annex 3.3 Verification Commission report Annex 3.5 Budget 2020 Annex 4.1 Report of Continental Association for Europe Annex 4.2 Report of Continental Association for Americas Annex 4.4 Report of Continental Association for Africa Annex 5.2 Arbiters’ Commission report (ARB) Annex 5.3 Chess in Education Commission report (EDU) Annex 5.4 Commission for the Disabled report (DIS) Annex 5.5 Commission for Women’s Chess report (WOM) Annex 5.7 Ethics Commission report (ETH) Annex 5.8 Events Commission report (EVE) Annex 5.8.3 Bids for World Senior Team Championship 50+ and 65+ 2021 (Italy and Russia) Annex 5.8.4 Bids for World Senior Championships 2021 (Malta and Russia) Annex 5.8.5 Bids for World Amateur Championship 2021 (Italy and Malta)Annex 5.8.6 Bid for World Junior and Girls U-20 Championship 2021 (Italy) Annex 5.8.7 Bids for World Youth Championships U-14, U-16, U-18 2021 (Italy and Russia) Annex 5.8.8 Bid for World Cadet Championship U-8, U-10, U-12 2021 (Egypt) Annex 5.8.9 Bids for World Cadet & Youth Rapid and Blitz Championships U-8,10,12 2021 (Croatia and Georgia) Annex 5.9 Fair Play Commission report (FPL) Annex 5.10 Global Strategy Commission report (GSC) Annex 5.11 Medical Commission report (MED) Annex 5.12 Online Commission report (OLC) Annex 5.13 Planning and Development Commission report (PDC) Annex 5.14 Qualification Commission report (QC) Annex 5.15 Rules Commission report (RC) Annex 5.17 Systems of Pairings and Programs report (SPP) Annex 5.18 Technical Commission report (TEC) Annex 5.19 Trainers’ Commission report (TRG) Annex 5.20 Data protection GDPR Annex 8.1 Chess ID Annex 8.3 Fischer Random Chess Annex 8.4 Athletes Commission
Prague International Chess Festival: Vidit works magic with white
On the 11-22 of February, Don Giovanni Hotel in the capital of the Czech Republic is hosting the second edition of the Prague International Chess Festival that includes several tournaments. The inaugural festival was held a year earlier, in the spring of 2019. The organizers (the major one is Nový Bor Chess Club) who had nurtured the idea of such chess forum since 2017 formulated their mission on the official site: “One of the main ideas is to give top Czech players, national team pretenders and aspiring juniors a chance to face the world’s absolute top players on home soil. We also hope our festival and its format will encourage players’ fighting spirit, incite their will to win, strengthen self-confidence and motivate further personal chess growth in a healthy way. The long-term goal of the project is to establish a tradition of organizing a chess festival on par with the world’s finest events, at both tournament strength and organizational levels”. For the second time in a row, the main event called Masters brought together several 2700+ players who don’t get many invitations to elite tournaments. Jan-Krzysztof Duda (Poland), Nikita Vitiugov (Russia) and Alireza Firouzja who substituted Wei Yi (the Chinese GM withdrew from the tournament at the last moment because of coronavirus epidemic) entered the competition as the favorites, but after 5 rounds they are chasing 25-year old Indian Vidit Santosh Gujrathi. The #26 in the rating list has recently become the second player in the Indian chess hierarchy. After this tournament, Vidit might come very close to a long time leader of Indian chess Vishy Anand. Vidit won three games with White routing Sam Shankland (USA) and one of his main competitors Alireza Firouzja. The 16-year old native of Iran rarely suffers a shellacking in the opening, but his encounter with the Indian was an exception. After this defeat Firouzja rolled back to 50% mark. Duda and Vitiugov are still in contention but they are a full point behind the leader. An even bigger sensation is brewing in a lower profile Challengers event. The tournament is featuring Jorden Van Foreest, who made a big splash in Wijk aan Zee last month and coming fresh from his tie for the first in Gibraltar Open Andrey Esipenko, but after 5 rounds the leader is a 47-year old GM from Iceland Hannes Stefansson (2529) with an excellent score 4/5 (no defeats). Esipenko and Mateusz Bartel (Poland) are a half-point behind, whereas Van Foreest drew all his five games. Young talents, including the highest-rated player in the U-10 category Vaclav Finek (Czech Republic, 2220), are fighting in the tournament called Futures. Predictably, the percentage of decisive outcomes in this event has been very high so far. As for the leader, the 11-year old Ediz Gurel from Turkey is ahead of the pack with 4/5. Play will resume on Tuesday with four rounds to go in all the events. FIDE.com will continue to follow the Prague International Chess Festival. Official site: https://praguechessfestival.com/ Photo: Petr Vrabec and Vladimir Jagr
Humpy Koneru wins Cairns Cup 2020
As the dust settled in a momentous final round, Humpy Koneru emerged as this year’s Cairns Cup Champion. She captured clear first with 6/9 points and will take home a sweet $45,000 in prize money. With all of the excitement seen throughout this tournament, it wasn’t a surprise that the final day offered even more drama with multiple storylines. In order to force a playoff, Alexandra Kosteniuk was in a must-win situation against Ju Wenjun. It wasn’t meant to be, however, as the reigning Women’s World Champion defeated Kosteniuk to finish in a clear second place. Meanwhile, Carissa Yip finished with a solid draw against Mariya Muzychuk. This caps off an incredible recovery for Yip who started the tournament with 0/4 but ended with 4/5. Hard-fought battles were seen in a number of other games as a lot of prize money was on the line. Harika Dronavalli – Humpy Koneru: ½ – ½ While this encounter was hugely crucial for the standings, the game itself didn’t offer much bloodshed. A balanced Four Knights Scotch led to an opposite-color bishop endgame and the players agreed to a draw before I could finish my chai latte. In the post-game interview, Humpy Koneru explained her strategy: “I felt like I needed to just draw today to be risk-free.” The quick draw propelled Koneru to 6/9. With Kosteniuk falling to Ju Wenjun, the score was enough for Koneru to be crowned champion. Given her slow start to the event, Koneru explained that she didn’t have the highest expectations: “After my second round loss, I did not expect to make it to the top.” She also admitted to struggling with jet lag for the first half of the tournament. However, this didn’t stop her from playing some of the best chess in the field and rising to the top. Alexandra Kosteniuk – Ju Wenjun: 0 – 1 With Alexandra Kosteniuk fighting for a first-place playoff, and Ju Wenjun fighting for second place, this battle was hotly contested. The opening featured a Berlin Defense which doesn’t have the most exciting reputation. However, a fascinating strategic battle ensued. Perhaps caused by the high stakes and pressure, Kosteniuk lost her thread in the middlegame. Ju emerged in the driver’s seat with a dominating bishop pair. In the endgame, Kosteniuk’s pair of knights were not enough to survive against Ju’s two powerful bishops. With this victory, Ju leapfrogged Alexandra to finish in second place with 5.5/9. She takes home $35,000 which is $10,000 more than what she would have gotten if the game was drawn. Given yesterday’s defeat against Yip, the World Champion was pleased to finish strong. “After yesterday, I didn’t have many expectations. After today’s win, 2nd place is good.” Irina Krush – Nana Dzagnidze: 1 – 0 Having endured several disappointments and missed opportunities in previous games, Irina Krush finally managed to score a victory. Nana Dzagnidze unleashed the dynamic Benoni Defense and was clearly playing for a win with the hopes of earning more prize money. Krush was well aware of her opponent’s situation and played a remarkably clean game. She obtained a pleasant positional edge which quickly transformed into a brutal kingside attack. Her middlegame rook lift was particularly impressive, as she maneuvered one of her major pieces all the way from a1 to h4. In the end, Dzagnidze was defenseless to the American grandmaster’s countless tactical blows. In the post-game interview, Irina did not hold back her joy: “I’m just so happy today!” She went on to reflect on her overall performance: “I never felt like I was having a bad tournament from the point of view of how I was playing.” She also cited time management and calculation as clear areas she needs to work on. As Krush will seek her 8th U.S. Women’s Championship this April, she will have a couple of months to work on her game. Valentina Gunina – Kateryna Lagno: ½ – ½ Although this game was not crucial for the top of the leaderboard, it did feature drama. Valentina Gunina achieved a completely winning position in the endgame, but was unable to convert. After a series of mistakes from Gunina, Kateryna Lagno came back from the dead to save the half-point. This game marks the end to a disappointing event for Gunina who finishes at the bottom of the standings with 2.5/9. As she won the event last year with 7/9, it goes to show how strong this tournament is. One’s overall form during the event is incredibly important and no game or winning position can be taken for granted. Carissa Yip – Mariya Muzychuk: ½ – ½ Carissa Yip capped off an incredible second half to her event with a draw against the Ukranian superstar. The game featured a Classical Variation of the Caro-Kann where Yip was pushing for the advantage. After a few hours into the round, the legendary Garry Kasparov called into the liveshow and provided some insights about this game. He recalled his game against Anand from Linares 2003 as the middlegame structure was incredibly similar. Yip placed her kingside pawns in the same fashion as Kasparov and relished a pleasant space advantage. After a slight inaccuracy from the youngster, Mariya Muzychuk was able to equalize and the players soon agreed to a draw. As Kasparov has worked with Yip in the past as part of the Young Stars program, he voiced his thoughts on the young phenom: “If there’s the real talent it shows, and the last time I saw her at this session a couple of months ago in New York I was truly impressed.” Yip finished in a tie for 7th place and will take home $8,000. With this tournament performance, she is now the youngest player in the world top-50 live rating list for females. With so many exciting games and storylines from this tournament, there will be a lot to reflect on. Many of the lessons for these top-level players can also be applicable for the casual viewers. All of the games and coverage can be reviewed at USChessChamps and stay tuned for many exciting events
Botswana hosts “Beyond Vision” project for visually impaired people
Chess is beneficial for everyone and it has no barriers for anyone to play. International Chess Federation is thankful for all the projects around the world that introduce chess as a tool for better socialization and use the benefits of this game for the good of various groups of people. An inclusive Limitless Minds Chess Academy in Botswana focuses on helping people with disabilities through chess. On 9-15 February, the Academy hosted an American Professional, Louis Holzman, for a project titled “Beyond Vision” that is aimed to help visually impaired people. The Botswana Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted became the partner of this initiative. Among other participants, 50 kids took part in the tournaments, workshops, and other activities of the project. The project not only helps its participants but serves to a wider purpose of promotion of Braille chess for visually challenged. The Academy introduced chess for the visually impaired in Botswana in 2017. The plan is to make “Beyond Vision” a long term project incorporating technology through the use of tablets with software and apps for visually impaired to benefit the participants better. Info and pictures via Keenese Neoyame Katisenge
Cairns Cup 2020: Koneru leads the field
In an electrifying penultimate round, the hunt for first place shifted dramatically. Carissa Yip stole the show as she took down tournament co-leader Wenjun Ju in an absolute masterclass. Meanwhile, Humpy Koneru catapulted herself into clear first as she took down Valentina Gunina in a one-sided demolition. Alexandra Kosteniuk continued her roller-coaster tournament with a victory over Nana Dzagnidze and now stands in clear second place. Going into the final round, four players are still in contention for first place, but Koneru is the player to catch. Wenjun Ju – Carissa Yip: 0 – 1 Chess fans were treated to a show in the first ever clash between the young American talent and the reigning Women’s World Champion. Carissa Yip displayed some of her best chess of the tournament thus far. She outprepared Ju Wenjun from the black side of Morphy Defense in the Ruy Lopez and received a comfortable time advantage. In the middlegame, Yip’s play was nothing short of sensational. After a few inaccuracies from Ju, Yip harmonized her pieces beautifully, and created immense pressure on all areas of the board. In a series of tactical blows that seemed like punches, Ju’s position collapsed. Yasser Seirawan called this victory “an electrifying moment for American chess fans.” This game marks the first time an American female player has defeated Ju in classical chess. To put the icing on the cake for Yip, she has now entered the top 50 female players in the world according to the live rating list with today’s win. Ju now stands in a tie for 3rd place with 4.5/8 and will need a miracle tomorrow to have any chance at tying for first. Humpy Koneru – Valentina Gunina: 1 – 0 14 years ago, Humpy Koneru swiftly defeated Anatoly Karpov by achieving a winning position on move 16 in the Semi-Slav. Today, she achieved the same opening setup against Valentina Gunina and reached the identical winning position! Such an occurrence demonstrates the importance of researching all of your opponent’s games; even the older ones! After the opening, Koneru won without much of a fight. Gunina held off on resigning for many moves, but there was never any doubt about Koneru’s crushing advantage. Tomorrow, Koneru will have the black pieces against her compatriot Harika Dronavalli in a critical final game. A win for Koneru will clinch clear first, while a draw will guarantee at least a tie for first. Mariya Muzychuk – Harika Dronavalli: ½ – ½ In a highly strategic battle emerging from a Sicilian Najdorf, Mariya Muzychuk was pushing for a win most of the game. After an early queen trade in the opening, Harika Dronavalli had to defend a difficult endgame. She was up to the task however, and did not crack under pressure. One of the differences between these elite professionals and lower level players is the ability to avoid blundering in difficult situations. Harika showed her class and defended incredibly well to secure a half-point. With this draw, Muzychuk sits at 4.5/8 points and has very slim chances to tie for first. Kateryna Lagno – Irina Krush: ½ – ½ Irina Krush’s woes continued as she failed to convert an absolutely crushing advantage against Kateryna Lagno. Thanks to a sweet intermezzo, Krush obtained a substantial material advantage in the late middlegame. A few simple consolidating moves would have led to a simple win for the American grandmaster. Instead, Krush went for a forcing variation and ironically overlooked an in-between move herself (46.h4!) which allowed Lagno back in the game. In the end, Krush was up 3 pawns, but it was impossible to break Lagno’s fortress due to the nature of opposite-color bishops. Despite having so many better or winning positions throughout the event, Krush has yet to score a victory. While this performance is certainly disappointing, it points to a highly critical area of improvement. The ability to convert advantages is an essential skill at all levels and can make a huge difference for a tournament result. Nana Dzagnidze – Alexandra Kosteniuk: 0 – 1 After obtaining a better position from the rare 4.Bd2!? Nimzo Indian, Nana Dzagnidze let her advantage slip. Moreover, after a flurry of exchanges, Alexandra Kosteniuk emerged in the driver’s seat in the endgame. After the shift in evaluation, GM Seirawan exclaimed, “every time we think we understand the plot of the tournament, we get a huge change like this.” The Russian grandmaster proceeded to display exceptional endgame technique. She showed why having a passed pawn and an active king can be enough for victory. While she did suffer a couple tough losses earlier in the event, this win puts Kosteniuk in clear second place. When asked about her feelings going into tomorrow’s round, Kosteniuk calmly responded, “I’m happy that I’m doing fine… I cannot complain.” With all the drama that has unfolded so far, chess fans can surely expect an exciting finish in the final round of the Cairns Cup! Text: IM Eric RosenPhoto: Austin Fuller, Crystal Fuller, Lennart Ootes, Spectrum StudiosOfficial site: https://www.uschesschamps.com/2020-cairns-cup/
Cairns Cup 2020: Ju Wenjun and Koneru still at the forefront
A couple of hearts were broken this Valentine’s Day as two marathon endgames ended unexpectedly. Wenjun Ju brilliantly outplayed Nana Dzagnidze but gave away her entire advantage with a single blunder in time pressure. What should have been an easy win for Ju, ended in a draw. Meanwhile, Valentina Gunina overpushed in what should have been a dead drawn endgame against Mariya Muzychuk and lost the only game of the round. After today’s results, Wenjun and Humpy still lead the field with 4.5/7, but three players are close behind with 4/7. Wenjun Ju – Nana Dzagnidze: ½ – ½ In a highly complex opening battle emerging from the Trompowsky Attack, play unfolded incredibly slowly. On move 9, Ju spent nearly 30 minutes before playing a mysterious queen retreat. Nana Dzagnidze could have obtained a very pleasant edge by patiently improving her pieces, but instead decided to respond forcibly and aggressively. This decision was soon to be regretted as the Georgian grandmaster found herself two pawns down without much compensation. To Ju Wenjun’s credit, she found some incredibly strong moves to consolidate her material advantage and obtain excellent winning chances. Most of the resulting endgame appeared to be smooth sailing for Ju, as she created two lethal passed pawns on opposite flanks. Just as commentators were about to dismiss the game as an easy win for the World Women’s Champion, Dzagnidze unleashed the study-like Nf5+! As this move was played, commentator GM Ramirez repeated himself in disbelief: “Where does the king go? Where does the king go, Yasser? Yasser, where does the king go?” In fact, Ju had nowhere to go with her king and had to sacrifice back material. The resulting position was nothing but a draw and a huge disappointment for Ju. Irina Krush – Humpy Koneru: ½ – ½ In this positional clash, Irina Krush achieved a small but nagging advantage on the white side of a Classical Nimzo Indian. As play quickly transitioned into an endgame, Koneru’s position became incredibly passive. “She’s being tied up,” GM Yasser Seirawan explained as Koneru’s predicament was not to be admired. However, the Indian grandmaster displayed great precision and resourcefulness in a technical rook endgame to save the half-point. All it took was one misjudgment from Krush for the advantage to evaporate. With this draw, Humpy Koneru still shares the lead with Ju. Alexandra Kosteniuk – Kateryna Lagno: ½ – ½ In the shortest game of the round, an explosive Symmetrical English Opening quickly simplified into a dynamically balanced position. Towards the end of the game, Alexandra Kosteniuk was up a pawn but had to settle for repetition. With opposite-colored bishops accompanying queen and rook for both players, it was not likely that either side could stir up any winning chances. After this draw, Kosteniuk is still in contention for first place with 4/7. Valentina Gunina – Mariya Muzychuk: 0 – 1 Mariya Muzychuk achieved a dream position on the black side of the Rossolimo Sicilian in what was simply an opening disaster for Valentina Gunina. From early on, it seemed that this battle was going to be a one-sided demolition. However, Gunina managed to survive the storm despite her extreme passivity and glaring weaknesses. She displayed a great fighting spirit while she managed to complicate the position enough for her opponent to eventually stumble. The position soon liquidated into a roughly equal endgame that everyone was expecting to be drawn. Then in a surprise decision, Gunina chose to turn down repetition and push for more. In the post-game interview, Muzychuk explained: “Vanletina doesn’t like draws.” This proved to be costly as both players fell short on time. In the end, Muzychuk’s bishop and two pawns overpowered Gunina’s knight and two pawns. Gunina did manage to avoid a draw, but not in the fashion she desired. With this victory, Muzychuk sits a half-point behind Ju and Dzagnidze with 4/7. Harika Dronavalli – Carissa Yip: 1/2 – 1/2 With very solid play from both players, this game featured practically no mistakes. Carissa Yip equalized quite comfortably with a King’s Indian Defense and showed great class against her experienced opponent. Unlike many of the other games, these players managed their time effectively and neither side experienced time pressure. GM Ramirez dubbed this battle as a “pretty impressive game.” This marks Yip’s first draw of the tournament and she has recovered well from the disappointing start. Tomorrow, Yip will be truly tested as she has the black pieces against the tournament co-leader and reigning World Women’s Champion Ju Wenjun. With two more rounds to go, the fight for first place is up for grabs with so many players still in contention. Tune in tomorrow for what is bound to be an exciting penultimate round! Text: IM Eric RosenPhoto: Austin Fuller, Crystal Fuller, Lennart Ootes, Spectrum StudiosOfficial site: https://www.uschesschamps.com/2020-cairns-cup/
FIDE Candidates Tournament 2020: Full pairings announced
February 14, 2020, Moscow The drawing of lots for the Candidates Tournament was held in the Ministry of Sport of the Russian Federation, with the presence of the newly appointed Minister of Sport, Oleg Matytsin, the FIDE President, Arkady Dvorkovich, and the famed tennis player Anastasia Myskina (winner of Roland Garros 2004). Also present was the legendary chess coach Anatoly Bykhovsky. The participants of the competition received the following numbers: 1. Teimour Radjabov2. Ding Liren3. Anish Giri4. Alexander Grischuk5. Kirill Alekseenko6. Ian Nepomniachtchi7. Wang Hao8. Fabiano Caruana Arkady Dvorkovich: “We’re glad that Russia, the long-time partner of FIDE, is hosting the Candidates event, the key leg of the world championship cycle. There will be players from China, Azerbaijan, Netherlands, USA, and Russia. We welcome all chess lovers to visit Yekaterinburg or to follow this amazing event online”. The FIDE President also expressed gratitude to the general sponsor of the Candidates tournament, the company Sima-Land. Oleg Matytsin: “Before we started this ceremony we discussed with Anastasia Myskina that a lot of great sports are called “chess in motion”: football is “chess in motion”, tennis also, but the great mystery of chess is always there as the game itself and the best chess players are admired all over the world. Russia is known for its chess traditions and we’re happy to host such a great tournament, we can guarantee that the organizational level will be top-notch as always for the events hosted by Russia.” The FIDE Candidates 2020 will take place in Yekaterinburg, Russia from March 15 until April 05. Eight top grandmasters will contest in a double round-robin tournament for the right to challenge the current World Champion Magnus Carlsen (Norway). FIDE Candidates Tournament 2020 pairings: R 01 (March 17, 2020)Radjabov – CaruanaDing Liren – Wang HaoGiri – NepomniachtchiGrischuk – Alekseenko R 02 (March 18, 2020)Caruana – AlekseenkoNepomniachtchi – GrischukWang Hao – GiriRadjabov – Ding Liren R 03 (March 19, 2020)Ding Liren – CaruanaGiri – RadjabovGrischuk – Wang HaoAlekseenko – Nepomniachtchi R 04 (March 21, 2020)Caruana – NepomniachtchiWang Hao – AlekseenkoRadjabov – GrischukDing Liren – Giri R 05 (March 22, 2020)Giri – CaruanaGrischuk – Ding LirenAlekseenko – RadjabovNepomniachtchi – Wang Hao R 06 (March 23, 2020)Grischuk – CaruanaAlekseenko – GiriNepomniachtchi – Ding LirenWang Hao – Radjabov R 07 (March 25, 2020)Caruana – WangHao Radjabov – NepomniachtchiDing Liren – AlekseenkoGiri – Grischuk R 08 (March 26, 2020)Caruana – RadjabovWang Hao – Ding LirenNepomniachtchi – GiriAlekseenko – Grischuk R 09 (March 27, 2020)Alekseenko – CaruanaGrischuk – NepomniachtchiGiri – Wang HaoDing Liren – Radjabov R 10 (March 29, 2020)Caruana – Ding LirenRadjabov – GiriWang Hao – GrischukNepomniachtchi – Alekseenko R 11 (March 30, 2020)Nepomniachtchi – CaruanaAlekseenko – Wang HaoGrischuk – RadjabovGiri – Ding Liren R 12 (March 31, 2020)Caruana – GiriDing Liren – GrischukRadjabov – AlekseenkoWang Hao – Nepomniachtchi R 13 (April 02, 2020)Wang Hao – CaruanaNepomniachtchi – RadjabovAlekseenko – Ding LirenGrischuk – Giri R 14 (April 03, 2020)Caruana – GrischukGiri – AlekseenkoDing Liren – NepomniachtchiRadjabov – Wang Hao *For a double round-robin tournament, it is recommended to reverse the order of the last two rounds of the first cycle (rounds 6 and 7), in order to avoid three consecutive games with the same color. Tournament page Photos: Eteri Kublashvili and Dmitry Zharkov
Cairns Cup 2020: Humpy Koneru catches up with Ju Wenjun
With the players fresh off a rest day, Round 6 produced two thrilling decisive outcomes. Carissa Yip took down defending champion Valentina Gunina in a fiery tactical battle and Humpy Koneru managed to grind down Alexandra Kosteniuk in a long technical endgame. Koneru and Ju now lead the field having 4/6 points with 3 rounds to go. Humpy Koneru – Alexandra Kosteniuk: 1 – 0 Out of the many previous encounters between these two grandmasters, Alexandra Kosteniuk has never won over Humpy Koneru in a classical game. Kosteniuk was unable to reverse this trend today as she was again defeated by the Indian Phenom. After a relatively slow and positional battle, the players reached a symmetrical knight endgame which appeared to be dead drawn. However, Koneru was able to squeeze water from the stone and create “very slight pressure.” This was enough to put Kosteniuk on the defensive and eventually provoke a blunder in time trouble. For lesser experienced players, this game offers a highly valuable lesson: You should never assume a position should be drawn just because it looks dry. Always look for your chances and try to force your opponent to make difficult decisions! With this win, Koneru not only improves her lifetime score against Kosteniuk to 5 wins and 0 losses, but she also leapfrogs Kosteniuk in the standings and is now tied for first place. Wenjun Ju – Harika Dronavalli: ½ – ½ Overall, this game was a solid showing from both players. Ju Wenjun emerged slightly better from the white side of a King’s Indian, but Harika Dronavalli’s play was free of any clear mistakes. Pieces were traded quite rapidly in the middlegame, and Ju was unable to make much of her better piece activity in the endgame. In the post-game interview, the reigning World Women’s Champion explained, “White is slightly better, but it’s not easy to find anything to improve my position.” A draw was a very fair result and Ju remains tied for first and remains the only player in the tournament that has not lost a single game. Kateryna Lagno – Nana Dzagnidze: ½ – ½ Minutes before the round, Kateryna Lagno and Nana Dzagnizde could be seen chuckling across from each other and having a friendly conversation. This cheerful chatter was a fitting precursor to the quick and peaceful game between these two. The encounter featured a positional line of the Paulsen Sicilian in which queens were exchanged on move 10. While Lagno had a small edge, Dzagnidze’s position was quite stable. The position quickly dissolved into an equal endgame in which a draw was agreed. Mariya Muzychuk – Irina Krush: ½ – ½ After receiving a very promising position from the white side of a Hedgehog Sicilian, it looked like Mariya Muzychuk was going to win without a fight. Irina Krush admitted after the game that the tides were not on her side. “I was just handily outplayed in the opening and middlegame…It was hard to avoid some knockout blows.” However, Krush’s ability to keep surviving paid off, as Muzychuk misstepped with 23.Nxa8? It was a dream for Krush to trade her depressing bishop for Muzychuk’s monstrous knight. The position eventually liquidated into an opposite bishop endgame where Krush was down a pawn but built an unbreakable fortress. The commentators dubbed this game a “miracle save” for the American grandmaster. With this draw, Krush cheerfully shared, “I’m happy to keep the one good streak I have going… I have not lost with black.” Carissa Yip – Valentina Gunina 1 – 0 In what was easily the most cunning game of the round, it seemed like every stage of the game unveiled a new plot twist. As early as move one, Valentina Gunina surprised her young opponent with the Alekhine’s Defense. Such an opening is very rarely seen at top-level play and led to immense complications before move 10. As both players drained their time in the early tactical slugfest, it seemed like Gunina emerged with an edge. Carissa Yip found herself down a pawn and trying to find compensation. However, the counterpunching nature of the position fell very well into Yip’s wheelhouse. After a few inaccuracies by Gunina and some tremendously strong moves from Yip, momentum swayed. In a time pressure situation, Yip’s pieces swarmed around Gunina’s exposed king and defense was near-impossible. On move 40, Gunina made the final blunder which allowed Yip to easily capture the full point. Despite the 0/4 start to the tournament, this is now Yip’s second win in a row. “I’m relieved that I’m not playing so bad anymore,” she told GM Ramirez. Don’t forget that round 7 will take place tomorrow at 1 pm CST on Valentine’s Day! Tune into the live show and social media to find out how many Krush and Valentina puns there will be. Text: IM Eric RosenPhoto: Austin Fuller, Crystal Fuller, Lennart Ootes, Spectrum StudiosOfficial site: https://www.uschesschamps.com/2020-cairns-cup/
FIDE Congress Timetable
FIDE Congress Timetable Abu Dhabi, February 27-29, 2020 February 27 09:00-13:00 Verification Commission meeting, Ethics Commission meeting 11:00-13:00 Development Workshop 15:00-19:00 Presidential Board meeting, Development Workshop 16:00-19:00 Constitutional Commission meeting February 28 09:00-13:00 FIDE Extraordinary General Assembly 14:00-15:00 Zonal meetings/Other meetings 15:00-19:00 FIDE Extraordinary General Assembly February 29 09:00-13:00 FIDE Executive Board 11:00-13:00 Other meetings, Development Workshop (if necessary) 15:00-19:00 FIDE Executive Board, Other meetings, Presidential Board meeting (if necessary), Development Workshop (if necessary) EGA – General AssemblyEB – Executive BoardPB – Presidential BoardVER – Verification CommissionETH – Ethics CommissionCON – Constitutional CommissionDEV – Development WorkshopZON – Zonal MeetingsOTH – Other meetings 2020 FIDE Extraordinary General Assembly Agenda and Executive Board Agenda