Baku Open 2024 announced
The Ministry of Youth & Sport of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijan Chess Federation are pleased to announce the Baku Open – 2024 Chess Festival dedicated to the 100th anniversary of FIDE. The festival will be held from June 28 (arrival day) to July 07 (last round and closing ceremony) in Baku Sport Hall. The program of the festival includes competitions in two sections (A and B), 9-round Swiss tournaments with classical time control. Group A is open to players with FIDE Elo above 2100 (Women – above 1800), Group B is open for young players with FIDE Elo and born in 2012 and later. Photo: Baku Sports Hall Facebook The total prize fund of the tournament amounts to USD 50,000, with USD 12,000 reserved for the winner of Section A. The first ten registered players with FIDE Elo above 2650 (as of June 1, 2024) and women with FIDE Elo above 2450 (as of June 1, 2024) will be provided with a full board. Schedule: Date Time Event Group B Group A 29 June 14:30 Opening ceremony 29 June 10:00 15:00 1st round 30 June 10:00 15:00 2nd round 01 July 10:00 15:00 3rd round 02 July 10:00 15:00 4th round 03 July 10:00 15:00 5th round 04 July 10:00 15:00 6th round 05 July 10:00 15:00 7th round 06 July 10:00 15:00 8th round 07 July 10:00 15:00 9th round 07 July 20:00 Closing ceremony Photo: thediaryofanomad.com/ The capital of Azerbaijan has a lot to offer besides chess. The guests of this open-minded and hospitable city are welcome to stroll along the Caspian promenade, visit the Old City and enjoy the unique blend of ancient and new. Regulations for International Chess Festival Baku Open 2024 (PDF) Contacts:Azerbaijan Chess FederationЕ-mail: azerbaijanchess@yahoo.comWebsite: http://asf.org.az
Superbet Poland Rapid & Blitz: Magnus Carlsen captures title
Magnus Carlsen emerged as the winner of the 2024 Superbet Poland Rapid & Blitz. The World #1 became the leader of the Grand Chess Tour 2024 season and took home $40,000 first prize. Day 5 of the competition saw the thrilling finale in the race between tournament leader Wei Yi and World #1 Magnus Carlsen. Going into the final day, Wei was leading the tournament 2.5 points ahead of Magnus. The Chinese GM started well, beating Gukesh D in Round 10 of the blitz. Carlsen kept pace, taking over Kirill Shevchenko with Black in a very complicated game in which the young Romanian player had a dangerous attack. Kirill Shevchenko – Magnus Carlsen White has more than sufficient compensation for the sacrificed bishop. The best way to proceed suggested by the computer was 16. Rd2, gradually building up the pressure along the d-file. Kirill played seemingly logical 16. f4? opening the lines which turned out to be a serious mistake. After precise 16… Rb8! 17. Qh4 Qe3+ 18. Kb1 Qxf4 19. Qh6 Ng4 20. Nf5+ Qxf5 21. Qxf8+ Nxf8 Magnus repelled all the treats and emerged up a piece in an endgame. | 0-1, 23 moves. Wei Yi was completely lost against Keymer in the next round but got a lucky break after the young German blundered a stalemate combination. Vincent Keymer – Wei Yi After 70. Qf8+ Kh7 71. Qf5+ White forces a winning pawn endgame. Vincent, however, played the natural 70. c4?? completely missing 70…Qh2+! The queen is taboo because of the stalemate. Keymer tried 71. Kf1, but Black insisted on sacrificing the queen and after 71…Qg1+ 72. Ke2 Qe1+! a draw was agreed ½: ½. Carlsen, meanwhile, won a nice game against Praggnanandhaa, making good use of his two bishops and narrowing the gap with Wei Yi. In Round 12, the Chinese GM blundered a simple intermezzo against Jan-Krzysztof Duda, which cost him a minor piece and the game. Magnus, on the other hand, continued his winning streak, defeating Nodirbek Abdusattorov and shortening the distance to the leader. It set up a critical leaders’ clash in the next round. Magnus prevailed in a very long battle to catch up with Wei in the standings. Wei Yi bounced back in Round 14, converting his extra exchange against Anish Giri, but it was not enough to pull away as Magnus won his game against Vincent Keymer. Vincent Keymer – Magnus Carlsen Magnus has just played 57…Ke6? (the immediate 57…a2 was much better) offering White an excellent chance to escape for a draw with 58. h4! Vincent missed this opportunity and played 58. Ra6+ instead, but after 58…Kd5 59. Kg2 e6 Carlsen seamlessly converted his extra pawn. | 0-1, 82 moves Wei got lucky in the next round winning the game against Arjun Erigaisi after the Indian went for a tempting but erroneous combination. Arjun Erigaisi – Wei Yi In this position with an extra pawn, White miscalculated and sacrificed his queen with 32. Qxa8+?? However, after the precise 32… Rxa8 33. Rc8+ Rxc8 34. Rxc8+ Kh7 35. Ng5+ Kh6 36. f4 Nh7! 37. d5 Nxg5 38. fxg5+ Kxg5 Black emerged with a queen for a rook, forcing Erigaisi’s capitulation. | 0-1, 44 moves. Trying to keep pace with Wei, Magnus got lucky against Duda as the Polish GM missed a simple drawing continuation. Magnus Carlsen – Jan-Krzysztof Duda After natural 58…Kxh5, capturing White’s last pawn, the position is equal. Jan-Krzysztof opted for 58…Kf5?? but after 59. Rf4+ Ke6 60. Rh4 Rg3 61. Kf4 Rg8 62. Rg4 Rf8+ 63. Ke4 Ra8 64. Rg6+ it was all over for Black. | 1-0, 66 moves In Round 16, Wei Yi drew with Kirill Shevchenko, whereas Magnus pulled through and grabbed the lead for the first time after batting past Gukesh D in a crazy game. Gukesh D – Magnus Carlsen After 16…Bf8? played by Magnus (much better was 16…Nc4), he ran into a fantastic shot spotted by Gukesh 17. Rxg6!! The point is that after 17…fxg6 18. Bxg6+ Ke7 19. f5! White’s attack is way too strong. Carlsen tried 17…Nc4?! and Gukesh could have simply captured on c4 with a superior position. Instead, he went for the tempting 18. Qg2? with the idea of 18…Nxe3 19. Rxe6+. However, Magnus found a brilliant resource 18…Ndxe5!! freeing the d7-square for his king and taking control of the game. After 17. Rg3 Nxd3+ 18. cxd3 Nxe3 19. Rxe3 Qxh4 20. Rf1 Bd6 Magnus gradually converted his extra pawn into a full point. | 0-1, 43 moves In the penultimate round, Wei Yi, who trailed Magnus by a half-point, played a crucial game against Praggnanandhaa. After the Indian blundered a piece, the Chinese GM got a winning position but cracked under pressure and not just let his advantage slip away but lost. Magnus, meanwhile, drew with Giri and consolidated his lead, going into the final round a full point ahead of Wei. Facing Erigaisi in Round 18, the World #1 took a very solid approach and drew in the Four Knights Scotch to capture the title. Wei defeated Abdusattorov and finished a half point behind the winner. Third place goes to Jan-Krzysztof Duda, who had a great second day of blitz, winning three straight games at the end. Check out the Day 5 Recap Video by IM Kostya Kavutskiy Up next is the Superbet Romania Chess Classic, starting June 25. Photos: courtesy of Grand Chess Tour Official website: grandchesstour.org/tours/2024/
Nikita Khoroshev and Aleksandra Samaganova win Kyrgyzstan Championship
The Open and Women’s Kyrgyzstan Championships 2024 organized by the Kyrgyz Chess Union took place from May 1 to May 11 in the conference hall of the Kyrgyz Chess Union’s office. Both tournaments, 12-player round-robins with classical time control, were held under the supervision of International Arbiter Nurdin uulu Sardarbek. IM Nikita Khoroshev, with his exceptional performance, clinched the title in the open event. He scored an impressive 8.5 out of 11, including crucial victories over his main rivals, securing his top spot in the final standings. IM Asylbek Abdyzhapar and FM Eldiiar Orozbaev gave the champion a good run for his money, finishing a half-point behind him and tying for second place. Abdyzhapar claimed the silver due to a better Sonneborn-Berger, while Orozbaev settled for the bronze. Final standings Open 1 IM Khoroshev, Nikita 2352 8½ 2 IM Abdyzhapar, Asylbek 2353 8 3 FM Orozbaev, Eldiar 2379 8 4 IM Markov, Mikhail 2283 7½ 5 FM Zhakshylykov, Erzhan 2242 7 6 IM Tologon Tegin, Semetei 2347 6½ 7 FM Sezdbekov, Ruslan 2283 5 8 FM Maznitsin, Andrei 2164 4½ 9 NM Umarbekov, Aziz 2095 3½ 10 CM Sharshenbekov, Emir 2020 3½ 11 Kurbanbaev, Zalkar 1885 3 12 NM Esenbek Uulu, Ilimbek 2007 1 WFM Alexandra Samaganova (pictured below) dominated the women’s section, scoring 8.5/11 and finishing a full point ahead of WCM Begimay Zhanybekova and Asel Lesbekova. It is her fifth national title. Zhanybekova and Lesbekova tied for second place, netting 7.5/11, with the former taking silver as the winner of their direct encounter. Final standings Women 1 WFM Samaganova, Aleksandra 1915 8½ 2 WCM Zhanybekova, Begimay 1902 7½ 3 WCM Lesbekova, Assel 1880 7½ 4 WCM Sezdbekova, Aizhan 1869 7½ 5 WCM Abaeva, Aiana 1800 6½ 6 WMK Zhunusbekova, Aimonchok 1788 6 7 WFM Sovetbekova, Nurai 1961 5 8 Tursunalieva, Nurelina 1743 4 9 WMK Bekbasarova, Nurnisa 1720 4 10 WNM Omurbekova, Diana 1810 3½ 11 WFM Zairbek Kyzy, Begimai 1916 3½ 12 Sabyrbekova, Aizhan 1622 2½ Photos: Kyrgyz Chess Union
Superbet Poland Rapid & Blitz: Day 4 Recap
Day 4 of the 2024 Superbet Poland Rapid & Blitz saw the first day of blitz action, as the incoming leader Wei Yi continued his dominance in the event, scoring 7.5/9 to extend his lead over Magnus Carlsen and the rest of the field. Wei Yi sits at the top with 20.5 points, which includes five straight wins at the end. Magnus Carlsen had an up-and-down day but managed to finish it in the second position on 18 points, scoring 6/9. The rest of the field is fighting for third place, with Praggnanandhaa and Erigaisi sitting on 14.5 and 14 points, respectively. Wei Yi started the day with a loss but bounced back in Round 11, defeating Vincent Keymer. Wei Yi – Vincent Keymer In this position the Chinese GM found very a strong sequence 17. Bxf6! Qxf6 18. Ng4! and after 18…Qf4 19. Qxe8+ Rxe8 20. Rxe8+ Kh7 21. Nh2 Ne5 22. Ne2 Qf6 23. f4 his two rooks prevailed over Black’s queen | 1-0, 30 moves. Facing Magnus Carlsen in Round 4 of blitz Wei found himself in a precarious situation as the world #1 outplayed him in a sharp endgame with a pawn race. Unluckily for Magnus, playing on the increment he let the victory slip away. Wei Yi – Magnus Carlsen Black has an extra rook but White’s passers are quite dangerous. The best way to stop them was 54…Rh8 (54…Re6 was also very strong) with the idea of 55. c7 f4 56. b5 Re3 57. c8Q Rxc8 58. Rxc8 f3, winning. Instead Magnus played 54…Rb1? but after 55. c7 Rh8 56. b5 Rc8 57. Ka6 Ke5 58. b6 f4 59. b7 Rxc760. Rxc7 Rxb7 61. Rxb7 f3 62. Rxf7 Ke4 the opponents split the point | ½-½, 65 moves. After this lucky escape, Wei strung together five wins, although not without some luck (he lost against Giri but turned the tables and won). Praggnanandhaa tried to stop the leader in Round 11, essaying the double-edged King’s Indian, but Wei was up to the challenge. Wei Yi – Praggnanandhaa R 20. g4! e4 21. Nxe4! White sacrificed a piece but quickly returned material with interest after 21… fxe4 22. Bxe4 Qf7 23. Ng5 Qf8 24. Nxh7 Qg8 25. gxh5 | 1-0, 30 moves Magnus started the day with a victory over Kirill Shevchenko but then suffered two losses in Rounds 2 and 3. The second one, at the hands of Nodirbek Abdusattorov, was particularly disappointing as Magnus simply blundered a deadly pin in an overwhelming position. Carlsen roared back to finish the day with three straight wins. The final one was against Arjun Erigaisi, who made a crucial mistake in a long queen endgame. Arjun Erigaisi – Magnus Carlsen White could have maintained the balance with a precise 88. Qg2! or 88. Qe4+ with the same idea. Instead, Arjun played 88. Qb1+, but after 88…Ka4! White ran out of checks. 89. Qc4 g2 90. Qd7+ Kh6 and Arjun resigned as the only check 91. Qd3+ is met with 91…Qb3. Check out the Day 4 Recap Video by IM Kostya Kavutskiy Day 5 of the Superbet Poland Rapid & Blitz continues Sunday, May 12th, with live commentary from GM Yasser Seirawan, IM Jovanka Houska, and IM Nazi Paikidze starting at 6:00 AM CDT. Photos: courtesy of Grand Chess Tour Official website: grandchesstour.org/tours/2024/
Superbet Poland Rapid & Blitz: Day 3 Recap
Day 3 of Superbet Poland Rapid & Blitz saw the conclusion of the rapid segment. Chinese #2 Wei Yi continued his fantastic run to grab the lead at the tournament’s halfway mark. Wei Yi netted 5/6 (rapid wins count as two points and a draw—one in this format) on the third day and came out on top with 13 points. The world #1 Magnus Carlsen netted 4/6, making two draws and scoring just a single win. He is trailing the leader by one point. Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa kept his third position after drawing all three games on Day 3. Going into the tournament’s next stage, the players will have two days of blitz in a double round-robin format (18 games in total). Round 7 One of the most peaceful rounds in the competition saw four draws and just a single victory, which Wei Yi pulled off against Nodirbek Abdusattorov. The Chinese GM seized the initiative in a rare line of Vienna Hybrid early on and achieved a much better position with his dark-squared bishop dominating the opponent’s knight. Playing in the last seconds on the clock, Wei made a crucial mistake in a winning queen endgame, but Nodirbek immediately returned the favor. Wei Yi – Nodirbek Abdusattorov White just captured Black’s pawn with 49.gxh5? allowing 49…Qd5+ with some drawing chances. Abdusattorov, however, snatched a pawn with 49…Qxb4? but it failed to 50. Qg4+! After forced queen exchange Wei got a winning endgame as his a-pawn contains two black pawns on the queenside. 51…Qxg4 52. hxg4 Kf7 53. g5 1-0 After this victory Wei Yi became the sole leader for the first time. Round 8 Trying to catch up with the leader, Magnus Carlsen took a somewhat risky approach on the black side of the Anglo-Indian against Vincent Keymer and found himself in an inferior position. However, the world #1 gradually righted his ship and took full advantage of the opponent’s blunder in a roughly equal position. Vincent Keymer – Magnus Carlsen White has just played 28. Qa4?? Magnus almost immediately spotted 28…Nf3+! and after 28… Nf3+ 29. Bxf3 Rxe2 30. Bxe2 Qxf2+ 31. Kh1 Qxe2 32. Qa7+ Kh6 33. Qd4 Qf3+ Vincent capitulated. However, Wei Yi chalked up his fifth straight win in the tournament to preserve the one-point margin over Magnus. Gukesh D sacrificed a pawn on the white side of the Sicilian and got sufficient compensation but soon made a committed a serious inaccuracy on move 13. Wei managed to consolidate his position, traded the queens and converted his extra pawn in an endgame. All other games in Round 8 were drawn. Round 9 Wei’s hot run ended in the day’s final round after Praggnanandhaa comfortably drew with him on the black side of the English Opening. Facing Anish Giri with white Magnus did not achieve much in the Giuoco Piano. Moreover, with his 17th move, he got into trouble, missing a nice tactic. Magnus Carlsen – Anish Giri After spending some time Magnus played 17. Be3? but Anish correctly reacted with 17…Nxe4! winning a pawn after 18. Nxe4 Bf5 19. Nfd2 d5! Unfortunately for him, Giri did not demonstrate accuracy at the critical juncture of the game allowing Magnus to liquidate into a drawish endgame and save a point. Check out Day 3 Recap Video by IM Kostya Kavutskiy Day 4 of the Superbet Poland Rapid & Blitz continues Saturday, May 11th, with live commentary from GM Yasser Seirawan, IM Jovanka Houska, and IM Nazi Paikidze starting at 6:00 AM CDT. Photos: courtesy of Grand Chess Tour Official website: grandchesstour.org/tours/2024/
World School Championship: Goodbye, Peru 2024
The World School Chess Championship 2024 in Peru has come to a close, but the memories and lessons learned will continue to inspire young minds. Held in six age groups (U7, U9, U11, U13, U15, and U17) with separate events for open and girls’ categories, the competition in the Constitutional Province of Callao in Lima brought together 1,169 participants from 26 countries. After nine rounds of exciting chess, we know all the champions and top finishers. Local players enjoyed a very successful event, collecting a total of 12 medals. Peruvians led the way with three gold, three silver, and six bronze medals. Mongolia also claimed three gold medals, but with only one silver and one bronze. The USA and Paraguay each boasted two gold medals, while Paraguay, Colombia, and Kazakhstan also had champions. The closing ceremony was attended by Guido Flores Marchan, President of the IPD (Peruvian Sports Institute); Ciro Castillo Rojo, President of the Government of Callao; Ozgur Solakoglu, Inspector of Fide; Jaime Ortega, President of the Peruvian Federation of Chess and Victor Pimentel, Organizer of the Chess World Cup (pictured above, left to right). Champions Podium U07 Open 1. Uchral Bayarsaikhan (Mongolia)2. Mamani Choque Adler Esau (Bolivia)3. Vargas Mojica Axel Fabian (Bolivia) U07 Girls 1. Az-Erdene Nyamdavaa (Mongolia)2. Meegoda M D Vinuthi Siyansa (Sri Lanka)3. Chavez Mendoza Amiled Aleska (Perú) U09 Open 1. Guntaka, Aayansh (USA)2. Manchanda, Advik (USA)3. Nabiyev, Imán (Kazakhstan) U09 Girls 1. Nandinjiguur Chinzorig (Mongolia)2. Comas Bermeo Emilie (Colombia)3. Tunque Mamani Camila Valeria (Perú) U11 Open 1. Vinales Gonzalez Enzo Mathias (Paraguay)2. Humpire Quispe Uriel Gustavo (Perú)3. Gallegos Quispe Daniel Paolo (Perú) U11 Girls 1. Mandujano Alagon Ghaydaa Ceneth (Perú)2. Machacca Mina Adamaris Luciana (Perú)3. Urangoo Myadagbal (Mongolia) U13 Open 1. Yang Maxwell (USA)2. Martinez Flores Matias (Mexico)3. FM Munoz Ramos Christopher (Chile) U13 Girls 1. WCM Altynbek, Aiaru (Kazakhstan)2. Mollo Figueroa, Nicole (Bolivia)3. WCM Buyankhishig, Batpelden (Mongolia) U15 Open 1. FM Caceres Benitez Arturo Eduardo (Paraguay)2. FM Sodbilegt Naranbold (Mongolia)3. Jimenez Espinola Herles Hazael (Perú) U15 Girls 1. Torres Ccahuay Dayana Nievevska (Perú)2. Toala Velez Dayra Jamileth (Ecuador)3. WCM Herrada Blanco Maria Fernanda (Perú) U17 Open 1. FM Campos Gomez Manuel (Colombia)2. Garzon Zapatanga Christopher Leonel (Ecuador)3. Salazar Flores Yerick Alexander (Perú) U17 Girls 1. WIM Bravo Mallco Kate Azumi (Perú)2. WFM Contreras Huaman Fiorella (Perú)3. WFM Jimenez Salas Maria Teresa (Perú) This edition of the World School Championship became possible thanks to the “joyful effort” by IO Víctor Pimentel Mendoza that began in Sicuani in 2013. Referees, delegates, staff, and volunteers, all working under the protection of the flame lit 100 years ago by FIDE and the Peruvian state, successfully held this global chess forum in Peru. Written by Rodolfo Valentino Cabrera Huaman and Patricia Claros Aguilar Photos: Patricia Claros Aguilar
Superbet Poland Rapid & Blitz: Day 2 Recap
Day 2 of the Superbet Poland Rapid & Blitz saw a lot of action with the new leaders taking over. The world #1 Magnus Carlsen and Wei Yi of China had a great second day and share the lead with tree rapid games to go. Magnus scored an impressive 4/6 (two points for a win and one for a draw), while the Chinese GM won all three games. The former leader, Kirill Shevchenko, struggled on the second day, making just one draw in three games. He is tied for third place with Praggnanandhaa. Round 4 Anish Giri misplayed a superior position against Wei Yi, allowing his opponent to exert some pressure on the kingside. Still, the Dutchman was OK, but one erroneous move shutting down his rook cost him the game. Anish Giri – Wei Yi White is fine after 37. g4 fxg4 38. Bxg4. Giri, however, played 37. b4? but after 37… hxg3+ 38. Rxg3 Rg4 39. Qf1 d4 40. Ra7? Bh4 Wei launched a crushing attack and delivered checkmate on move 44. Gikesh D and Jan-Krzysztof Duda defeated Praggnanandhaa R and Arjun Erigaisi, respectively, to earn their first victories in the event. Shevchenko – Carlsen was a solid draw, whereas Vincent Keymer botched an overwhelming position against Nodirbek Abdusattorov and had to split points with his opponent. Round 5 It has been the most exciting round in the event so far, with all five games ending in a victory. Magnus Carlsen outsmarted Nodirbek Abdusattorov in an equal endgame. Magnus Carlsen – Nodirbek Abdusattorov Black could have held his ground with a paradoxical 54..Qe4! trading the queens. Instead, Nodirbek played 54…b5? but after 55. Qf4 Qe6? (55…Qe4 was still better) 56. Qd4+ Kh7 57. Nf4! e2 58. Nxe2 Qxe2 59. Qxd5 Magnus slowly but surely converted his two extra pawns. Gukesh D got the better of Vincent Keymer in a very complicated battle and wrapped it up with a nice tactic. Vincent Keymer – Gukesh D 40…Qxf3! forcing resignation in view of 41. gxf3 Rc2+ 0-1 Wei Yi completely outplayed Jan-Krzysztof Duda in the trendy line of Giuocco Piano and achieved complete domination. Wei Yi – Jan-Krzysztof Duda Despite equal material Black has no reasonable defense against numerous threats. Being short on the clock, Jan-Krzysztof resigned. Praggnanandhaa R defeated Anish Giri in a short, fierce melee, while Erigaisi, facing Shevchenko, won a pawn and converted it into a full point in an exemplary fashion. Round 6 In the game of the round, Carlsen – Gukesh, Magnus made an exchange sacrifice to unleash the potential of his bishops. Gukesh D – Magnus Carlsen 25… Rxe3! After 26. fxe3 Bc5! Gukesh erred with 27. Nf3? handing Carlsen a decisive advantage. 27… Bxe3+ 28. Kf1 Bc6! 29. Qd1 Be4! 30. Qd7. Unfortunately for Magnus, it was his turn to make a mistake. Carlsen could have sealed the deal with 30…Bd3+ with the idea of 31…Qb6! Instead the world #1 opted for 30… Kh7, but after 31. Ke2! Bb6 32. Re1 Qg6 33. Kd1 Qxg2 34. Rxe4 Gukesh got out of danger | ½ – ½, 39 moves Praggnanandhaa R scored a second win in a row, trapping Vincent Keymer’s queen. Praggnanandhaa R – Vincent Keymer Vincent could have put up a stubborn resistance with 54…Qf5 whereas after 54… c6? 55. f5 Qh5 56. Nd6 Rd8 57. g4 Qg5 58. Nde4 Black’s queen perishes 1-0 Meanwhile, Wei Yi notched up his third straight victory, beating Kirill Shevchenko with the black pieces, and caught up with Carlsen. Check out Day 2 Recap Video by IM Kostya Kavutskiy Day 3 of the Superbet Poland Rapid & Blitz continues Thursday, May 10, with live commentary from GM Yasser Seirawan, IM Jovanka Houska, and IM Nazi Paikidze starting at 6:00 AM CDT. Photos: courtesy of Grand Chess Tour Official website: grandchesstour.org/tours/2024/
Sardinia Chess Festival: Great First Edition
Daniel Dardha secures title in the main event, Alexandra Botez shines in Open B The inaugural edition of the Sardinia World Chess Festival, organized by EmmediSport together with Unichess under the technical guidance of GM-IO Roberto Mogranzini, took place on the beautiful island of Sardinia (ITA) in Orosei at the IT Marina beach resort from April 27 to May 4. The Open A tournament, a part of the FIDE Circuit, saw a surprising finish. Four players – Daniel Dardha (BEL), Jorden van Foreest (NED), Kirill Shevchenko (ROU), and Volodar Murzin – scored final-round victories and finished with 7/9. In the end, GM Daniel Dardha of Belgium claimed the title thanks to superior tiebreaks. President Italian Chess Federation Luigi Maggi, GM Daniel Dardha, GM Kirill Shevchenko, Mayor of Orosei Elisa Farris, President Sardinia Chess Federation Danilo Mallò, GM IO Roberto Mogranzini Open A – complete standings A renowned streamer chess player with a massive global following of over 5 million fans, Alexandra Botez dominated the field in Open B with an impressive score of 8.5 out of 9 points, taking clear first place. Open B – complete standings Adding to the international flair, Sun Hanyu of China emerged victorious in the Open C tournament, marking a triumphant debut on the global stage. Open C – complete standings With 296 players representing over 40 nations participating, the Sardinia Chess Festival stands as a testament to its widespread appeal and position as a premier event in the chess calendar. The festival became possible thanks to the support of the Sardegna Scacchi Committee of the Italian Chess Federation led by President Danilo Mallo and the support of the Sardinian Region Tourism Department and the Orosei Municipality. Special thanks go to the event sponsors: It Marina Beach, Geasar Spa, Le Due Torri, Loc Srls, Smeralda Holding, and media partner ChessBaseIndia. #FIDE100 celebration During the event, the FIDE centenary (FIDE100) was celebrated with its motto displayed in the gaming hall. Deputy FIDE chair Dana Reizniece-Ozola visited the event, gave a heartfelt speech, and performed the first ceremonial move. Several events were held to celebrate FIDE’s 100th anniversary, from the black-and-white dinner to the five-a-side football match between tournament participants to the 960 chess evening. Deputy FIDE chair Dana Reizniece-Ozola and GM-IO Roberto Mogranzini Photos: Niklesh Jain / ChessBase India
Superbet Poland Rapid & Blitz: Day 1 Recap
Superbet Poland Rapid & Blitz, sponsored by the Superbet Foundation, kicked off in Warsaw on May 8, with ten players battling for $175,000 in prizes. The event features four full-tour players and six wildcard players including five-time World Champion & World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen (Norway), Jan-Krzysztof Duda (Poland), Wei Yi (China), Arjun Erigaisi (India), Vincent Keymer (Germany) and Kirill Shevchenko (Romania). After the first day of action, we have a surprise leader, the lowest-rated player in the event, Kirill Shevchenko, who won all his three games and took an early lead with a perfect score. Magnus Carlsen and the current world #5 Nodirbek Abdusattorov are tied for second place, each scoring 4/6. The Candidates 2024 winner, Gukesh D, had a bad start, losing two games and making a single draw. Round 1 The event started with exciting action, with Abdusattorov and Shevchenko defeating Giri and Gukesh D, respectively. The games Carlsen – Erigaisi, Keymer – Wei Yi and Praggnanandhaa – Duda were drawn. Nodirbek Abdusattorov sacrificed a piece for two kingside pawns against Anish Giri to launch a crushing attack. The game saw a truly spectacular finish. Nodirbek Abdusattorov – Anish Giri 46. f7!! Rxc2 47. g6!! allowing the opponent to capture the queen with check 47… Rxd2+ 48. Bg2 Rxg2+ 49. Rxg2 and Anish resigned as in view of 49…Bf6 50. g7+ Bxg7 51. Bxg7# 1-0 Gukesh D had a substantial advantage throughout his game with Shevchenko, but with just seconds on his clock he went for an erroneous combination. Gukesh D – Kirill Shevchenko After 34. Qe2! White would have been clearly better. The Challenger opted for the spectacular 34. Qd3?? but it turned to be a mirage as after 34…Rxd3 35. Re8+ Kg7 36. h6+ Nxh6, there is no checkmate. 0-1 Round 2 Shevchenko won his second straight game making good use of Praggnanandhaa’s opening mistake. Kirill Shevchenko – Praggnanandhaa R Black has just played 9… Bg4?? Kirill quickly spotted 10. Nxe5! dxe5 11. Bb4! (not 11. Bxb7?) 11… c5 12. Bxc5 Qc7 13. Bxf8 Kxf8 14. dxe5 Ne8 and emerged with a took and tree pawns for two minor pieces Shevchenko’s conversion was not the best, but eventually, White’s advanced passers decided the game in his favor. Magnus Carlsen scored his first victory in the tournament against Wei Yi. Wei Yi – Magnus Carlsen Black is slighly better but Wei could have put a stubborn resistance with 26. h4 with the idea of 26…g4 27. Nxe5+ fxe5 28. Qxe5. Instead, he played 26. Qa7? and after 26… Ke6! 27. Rxd7 Rxd7 28. Qxa5 g4 29. Ng1 Qf4+ 30. Kh1 Qxf2 31. Qb6 32. Rb1 Qxb6 33. Rxb6 Rd1 Magnus got a won endgame | 0-1, 42 moves Jan-Krzysztof Duda had sufficient compensation for a sacrificed exchange against Vincent Keymer, but one mistake on move 39 cost him the game. The only draw in this round was recorded in the encounter Anish Giri – Arjun Erigaisi Round 3 Shevchenko scored his third consecutive victory after Keymer ignored Black’s threat in a slightly inferior position. Vincent Keymer – Kirill Shevchenko Vincent played 41.Rhc1? allowing 41…f4! Most likely the young German hoped for 42. Rc8 but it failed to 42…Rdd8 43. Rxd8 Bxd8! Shevchenko won a piece for two pawns and slowly but surely converted his extra material. Praggnanandhaa correctly sacrificed an exchange against Abdusattorov and got powerful compensation. Praggnanandhaa R – Nodirbek Abdusattorov 21. Rxf6! gxf6, but instead of 22. Qf5 followed by 23. Ne4, the young Indian played 22. Ne4 immediately, allowing Nodirbek to avoid the worst after 22… Re6 23. Nh4 f5 24. Nxf5 Rd8 25. Re3 Rd4 26. Qe2 Rxe4 Still White had a superior position and eventually won a pawn. Nodirbek had drawing chances in the subsequent queen endgame but cracked on move 67 allowing White’s king to penetrate his camp and capitulated 10 moves later. The games Erigaisi – Wei Yi, Carlsen – Duda and Gukesh – Giri were drawn. Check out Day 1 Recap Video by IM Kostya Kavutskiy Day 2 of the Superbet Poland Rapid & Blitz continues Thursday, May 9, with live commentary from GM Yasser Seirawan, IM Jovanka Houska, and IM Nazi Paikidze starting at 6:00 AM CDT. Photos: courtesy of Grand Chess Tour Official website: grandchesstour.org/tours/2024/
Cape Verdean Women’s Championship: Celia Rodriguez claims third title
III Cape Verdean Women’s Championship took place from May 2-5 at the Grémio Desportivo Amarante hall in S. Vicente. The round robin, with classical time control, stretched over four days and brought together eight players from five islands (Sal, Santiago Sul, Santo Antão, S. Nicolau and S. Vicente). It was a highly competitive tournament with the fate of the championship decided in the very end. As the final round approached, the defending champion and rating favorite Célia Rodriguez (pictured below) was only a half-point ahead of Deise Pereira. Deise, showing her mettle, won her game and put additional pressure on the tournament leader. However, Célia rose to the challenge, defeating Erika Perez with the black pieces and securing her third national title. Deise Pereira, who debuted in an official chess competition, took silver (6/7) and earned the Women’s National Master’s norm. Jacira Almeida netted 4/7, winning bronze. Notably, as many as four participants didn’t have a FIDE rating, with three scoring against players with an international rating. With more games against rated players in the future, they will get a FIDE rating. This is great news, given that the Cape Verdean Federation has only nine female players with FIDE Elo. Final standings: 1 WCM Rodriguez, Celia 1869 6½ 2 Pereira, Deise 6 3 Almeida, Jacira Laura 1606 4 4 Spinola, Divania 1575 3½ 5 Moreno, Akiane 1594 3 6 Oliveira, Mirian Nataly 2 7 Gomes, Samara 2 8 Pérez, Erika 1 Text and photos: Cape Verdean Chess Federation