Goryachkina goes into the last round one point clear of Koneru
Alexandra Kosteniuk, the only player to score a full point in the 10th round of the Women’s Grand Prix in Monaco, joined Humpy Koneru in the second place. Aleksandra Goryachkina drew and keeps her one-point margin. It is all set at the Yacht Club de Monaco for a thrilling final on Saturday. Humpy Koneru still trails Aleksandra Goryachkina by one point, but tomorrow the Indian will have the white pieces in their showdown. The leader came out unscathed from her two encounters with the Muzychuk sisters. After escaping defeat against Mariya on Thursday, Goryachkina suffered again on Friday but made a draw. Anna Muzychuk got a very attractive position from the opening but did not manage to find the best way in complications. In the end, the Russian simplified into a drawn endgame and earned a half-point. Could Humpy Koneru reduce the gap with the leader from Russia? With the black pieces against Pia Cramling, she tried to unbalance the game early on by giving her opponent space advantage. The Swede, who was the number one woman player in the world some 35 years ago, reacted well to the challenge. She seemed to get control over the situation on the board thanks to a better pawn structure, but Koneru actually achieved sufficient activity to keep the balance. At some point, Cramling hastily exchanged rooks and found herself in real danger. Nevertheless, she held the draw making several precise defensive moves. In her short post-game interview, the Indian indicated that all players were very tired and that her last-round clash with Goryachkina might well be a battle of nerves. In the game between Harika Dronavalli and Alexandra Kosteniuk, the Indian was expected to try her chance to join the lead, or at least to get closer to Goryachkina. She did not play the most aggressive opening, hoping to outplay her opponent at later stages. The fight was balanced until Dronavalli missed Nf6-g4 which gave Kosteniuk a longlasting initiative. The Russian used her chance perfectly, clinched victory in the endgame and jumped to shared second with Koneru. Both Nana Dzagnidze and Zhao Xue had chances to prevail in their encounter. The Georgian was better at first but found herself on the defending side after making a few mistakes. In a titanic fight that lasted 99 moves and five and a half hours, the longest so far in Monaco, the two champions eventually shared the point. It looked as if Valentina Gunina was going to suffer yet another defeat in round 10 but it did not happen. Mariya Muzychuk reached an advantageous position with the black pieces but hesitated for a while and allowed the Russian to get back into the game. Gunina eventually secured her first draw in this event and avoided her seventh consecutive loss. Elisabeth Paehtz mixed up some moves in her opening against Kateryna Lagno but found a way to repeat the position around move 20 to secure a draw. The Peace and Sport Forum 2019 is taking place at the Hotel de Paris during the FIDE Grand Prix. Former World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk has been one the champions for Peace since 2010 and was therefore invited to the evening activities on Thursday. On this occasion, she exchanged a few words with H.S.H. Prince Albert II and contributed to making chess more popular worldwide. The eleventh and final round will begin a bit earlier than usual on Saturday. Joël Bouzou, President of Peace and Sports and adviser of H.S.H. Prince Albert II, will launch the games at 1 pm at the Yacht Club. The closing ceremony will be held at the same place at 8 pm. Results of round 10:Nana Dzagnidze (Geo) – Zhao Xue (China) ½-½Harika Dronavalli (Ind) – Alexandra Kosteniuk (Rus) 0-1Elisabeth Paehtz (Ger) – Kateryna Lagno (Rus): ½-½Pia Cramling (Swe) – Humpy Koneru (Ind) ½-½Aleksandra Goryachkina (Rus) – Anna Muzychuk (Ukr) ½-½Valentina Gunina (Rus) – Mariya Muzychuk (Ukr): ½-½ Standings after round 10:1. Aleksandra Goryachkina – 7 points2-3. Humpy Koneru and Alexandra Kosteniuk – 64-7. Anna Muzychuk, Harika Dronavalli, Kateryna Lagno and Pia Cramling – 5½8. Mariya Muzychuk – 59. Nana Dzagnidze – 4½10-11. Elisabeth Paehtz and Zhao Xue – 412. Valentina Gunina – 1½ 11th and the last round, December 14 at 1 pm:Humpy Koneru (Ind) – Aleksandra Goryachkina (Rus)Mariya Muzychuk (Ukr) – Nana Dzagnidze (Geo)Zhao Xue (China) – Harika Dronavalli (Ind) Alexandra Kosteniuk (Rus) – Elisabeth Paehtz (Ger)Kateryna Lagno (Rus) – Pia Cramling (Swe)Anna Muzychuk (Ukr) – Valentina Gunina (Rus) Official website with live games and commentary by WGM Keti Tsatsalashvili, IM Almira Skripchenko and GM Josif Dorfman: https://wgp2019.fide.com Pictures are available on our official Flickr account. Text: Yannick PelletierPictures: Karol Bartnik
Grand Prix Jerusalem: MVL and Nepomniachtchi still in the hunt
Seven quarter-finalists were determined on tiebreaks today. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Dmitry Andreikin, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Wei Yi, Dmitry Jakovenko, David Navara and Sergey Karjakin advanced to the quarterfinals where they joined Wesley So who had already qualified for the second round one day earlier. The local hero, Boris Gelfand, fell in the play-off against one of the favorites, Ian Nepomniachtchi. After losing a tiebreaker to Dmitry Jakovenko, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov has been knocked out from the competition and lost his chance to fight for the place in the Candidates Tournament 2020. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Ian Nepomniachtchi are still in the hunt. Four matches were decided in two rapid games. Dmitry Andreikin found a nice way to force a draw in the first game against Radoslaw Wojtaszek. After getting a serious advantage in the opening of the second encounter, Andreikin misplayed later on and lost control over the situation. Wojtaszek had good chances to win the battle but made a few mistakes in the time trouble, allowing his opponent to score a victory in the game and the match. Things went smoothly for Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, who convincingly won his rapid match against Veselin Topalov. The French grandmaster managed to get an advantage in Ruy Lopez Berlin after inaccurate 20…g5 and started the day with the victory. The former FIDE World Champion was pressing hard in the second game but Maxime defended well then turned the tables and whitewashed his opponent. Boris Gelfand and Ian Nepomniachtchi had a breath-taking battle full of interesting ideas in the openings, unpredictable twists, and tactical motifs. After losing the first game the Israeli Grandmaster had good chances to level the score but could not find the precise way to finish his attack on the opponent’s king. Nepomniachtchi also won the match 2:0 and continues his quest for the place in the Candidates. Similarly to the previous Grand Prix stages, Anish Giri failed to get through the first round and has to go home after falling to Wei Yi. After the opponents split the point in the first encounter, the second game was in the balance until Anish ventured upon a tempting 30…Nf4. According to Anish, he simply missed 35.Qe8 at the end of the variation and had to resign one move later. He called his participation in the Grand Prix Series this year as his worst performance. Nevertheless, his qualification for the Candidates 2020 by rating can be considered as good compensation for his hardships. Dmitry Jakovenko was the only player, who managed to strike back after losing the first game in the match with Shakhriyar Mamedyarov. In the second game, Shakhriyar played too aggressively, even though he needed just a draw, and allowed his opponent to get a decisive material advantage. In both games with Black, the Azerbaijani grandmaster didn’t get enough compensation and lost the match – 1.5:2.5. David Navara and Wang Hao deserve praise for their fighting spirit, despite drawing the first five games today. The match was decided in the sixth encounter, in which Navara had white pieces and obtained an advantage right after the opening. David was steering his ship with a firm hand and gave his opponent no chance to survive. Pentala Harikrishna and Sergey Karjakin played the longest match of the day. None of the opponents managed to win a game, even though they both had their chances in blitz. Karjakin made a decisive draw with Black in the last Armaggeddon encounter and claimed a victory in the match. The quarterfinal matches will begin on December 14. Round 2 pairings:Vachier-Lagrave – AndreikinSo – NepomniachtchiKarjakin – WeiJakovenko – Navara Official website and LIVE broadcast: https://worldchess.com FIDE Press officer for the event: Anastasiya Karlovich Official Photographer: Niki Riga World Chess contact: media@worldchess.com Photos are available for the press from the following link to Dropbox. Leading partners supporting the FIDE World Chess Grand Prix Series 2019 include: Algorand as the Exclusive Blockchain PartnerPhosAgro as the Official Strategic PartnerKaspersky as the Official Cybersecurity PartnerUsetech as the partner of the Jerusalem Grand PrixPrytek as the Technology Transfer Partner
Goryachkina is a step closer to winning the Monaco Grand Prix
Just three weeks before challenging Ju Wenjunt for the world title, Goryachkina demonstrates that she is in top shape. The Russian increases her lead, as Koneru loses her first game since the Batumi Chess Olympiad. It is all set for a very exciting last round, where Humpy and Aleksandra will finally cross swords. The ninth round of the FIDE Grand Prix in Monaco could possibly be labeled the decisive one. Aleksandra Goryachkina was hanging by a thread but escaped defeat, while Humpy Koneru lost her first game in this event. Elisabeth Paehtz has clearly been out of form in Monaco, having lost four games so far, but in her encounter with Koneru, she raised to the occasion and caused the biggest upset in the tournament so far. The German reached a typical Maroczy structure from her King’s-Indian opening and Koneru did not handle it well. Being under pressure, the Indian lost a pawn without getting enough counter chances. After White’s second pawn fell, Koneru’s position became hopeless and she resigned shortly after. At the same time, Goryachkina chose a solid but passive line of the French Defense in her game with Mariya Muzychuk. Mariya played some unusual moves at first, but her pieces suddenly sprang into action. She managed to put pressure in all areas of the board and Goryachkina clearly seemed uncomfortable. Yet, the Russian would not be the World Championship challenger if she could not handle tough positions. She defended with resilience and wisely gave up a pawn in order to exchange some pieces. It is hard to point out exactly where the advantage slipped through Muzychuk’s fingers. The game simplified into a drawish endgame after the time control, which Goryachkina held confidently. The Russian is now a full point ahead of an Indian, as Harika Dronavalli made a draw against Kateryna Lagno and caught up with her compatriot Koneru. The opening of that game was quite interesting, but as sometimes happens early simplifications resulted in a draw by repetition. Anna Muzychuk obtained a clear advantage in the opening against Pia Cramling, but later missed an important defensive resource by the Swedish champion. The final position was very unclear, as Black had no choice but sacrificing her queen, but the Ukrainian preferred not to take any risk and offered a draw. This is definitely not the tournament for Valentina Gunina, who suffered yet one more defeat, and has only one point out after nine rounds. In her game with Nana Dzagnidze, her opening turned into a disaster as she was already lost after 15 moves without any chance to put up a fight. The Russian, who started the year with a sound victory at the Cairns Cup in Saint Louis, has had some health problems since she arrived in Monaco and that cast a pall over her performance. Alexandra Kosteniuk won a pawn right after the opening against Zhao Xue but the Chinese did not have to worry much because of her overall activity. The game was always in balance and ended in a draw on move 42. Even though Goryachkina is a clear leader now, one point clear of Koneru, it is highly possible that the last-round encounter between the two of them will be decisive to determine the winner of the Monaco Grand Prix. Results of round 9:Valentina Gunina (Rus) – Nana Dzagnidze (Geo): 0-1Alexandra Kosteniuk (Rus) – Zhao Xue (China): ½-½Kateryna Lagno (Rus) – Harika Dronavalli (Ind): ½-½Humpy Koneru (Ind) – Elisabeth Paehtz (Ger): 0-1Anna Muzychuk (Ukr) – Pia Cramling (Swe): ½-½Mariya Muzychuk (Ukr) – Aleksandra Goryachkina (Rus): ½-½ Standings after round 9:1. Aleksandra Goryachkina – 6½ points2-3. Humpy Koneru and Harika Dronavalli – 5½4-7. Anna Muzychuk, Alexandra Kosteniuk, Kateryna Lagno and Pia Cramling – 5 8. Mariya Muzychuk – 4½9. Nana Dzagnidze – 410-11. Elisabeth Paehtz and Zhao Xue – 3½12. Valentina Gunina – 1 Round 10, 13 December at 3 pm:Nana Dzagnidze (Geo) – Zhao Xue (China)Harika Dronavalli (Ind) – Alexandra Kosteniuk (Rus)Elisabeth Paehtz (Ger) – Kateryna Lagno (Rus)Pia Cramling (Swe) – Humpy Koneru (Ind)Aleksandra Goryachkina (Rus) – Anna Muzychuk (Ukr)Valentina Gunina (Rus) – Mariya Muzychuk (Ukr) Official website with live games and commentary by WGM Keti Tsatsalashvili, IM Almira Skripchenko and GM Josif Dorfman: https://wgp2019.fide.com Pictures are available on our official Flickr account. Text: Yannick PelletierPictures: Karol Bartnik
Grand Prix Jerusalem: Wesley So advances to quarterfinals
The fourth leg of the FIDE Grand Prix Series organized by World Chess is ongoing at the Notre Dame Center Jerusalem. Yossi Gilad, Head of Engineering at Algorand, opened the round with the first symbolic move. All the return games of the first round at the Jerusalem Grand Prix were drawn with just one exception – Wesley So beat Yu Yangyi. The American became the first player to advance to the quarterfinals and was very happy to win his first match in the Grand Prix Series 2019 without playing a tiebreak. Yu Yangyi got into an unpleasant situation after sticking his bishop to e4. In order to relieve the pressure, Black temporarily sacrificed a central pawn, but then White’s pair of bishops became a dominant force. According to Yu Yangyi, he made a crucial mistake with 31…Qc4. The point is that the Chinese GM missed 35.e6 when choosing this line. Wesley managed to break through, won the game and secured his place in the second round. Ian Nepomniachtchi was on a verge of losing against Boris Gelfand, but the Israeli player did not find the precise way to convert his advantage in the middle game. Black’s 10…Bd7 was an inaccuracy, taking away an important square for the knight, which eventually retreated to g8. The correct way was 10…a5, as played long ago by the former FIDE World Champion Alexander Khalifman. Being under the time pressure Boris Gelfand missed his last chance to play for a win with 34.c6. Nepomniachtchi was clearly relieved after the game, admitting that he had to defend a really bad position. Wang Hao also was in a very dubious situation against David Navara but got out unscathed. This game went on for more than 80 moves and was the last to end. Wang Hao said afterward that he could not concentrate well and simply blundered a pawn. The Chinese grandmaster was even thinking about resigning in the endgame but after Navara’s king left the safe corner, he got some hopes to save the game. These hopes eventually materialized into a half-point. Dmitry Andreikin and Radek Wojtaszek took quite some time in the opening despite all the moves being well-known theory. Black’s 15…c5 was the key move to equalize but Andreikin believed White could still try to play for a win. A few inaccurate moves by Wojtaszek gave the Russian an advantage that he was unable to convert into a full point. Ironically, the second game of their match ended up with the same drawish endgame – two kings and a pawn. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov also felt fortunate to have avoided elimination. The Sicilian Four Knights, which is the Azeri’s specialty, developed into a normal position until Mamedyarov fell into temptation and snatched the g2-pawn. Dmitry Jakovenko missed a great opportunity to play 23.Rh2! holding onto the h4-pawn, with the idea of Rg1 coming in next. 24…g5 also seemed a bit too much but Dmitry probably was not precise enough and the game ended with repetition. Anish Giri and Wei Yi drew after only 10 moves and delayed their showdown until the tiebreak. Their first game was the longest of the first day though. “My biggest chess hero is Magnus Carlsen and I’m slowly learning his tricks. This time I borrowed his tricks from the world championship match and just decided to go for tie-break” Anish Giri commented after the game. The encounter between Sergey Karjakin and Pentala Harikrishna featured the line of the Italian game, which has been always favored by Sveshnikov and also came into fashion lately. After massive exchanges, the position became roughly equal and the game ended in a draw by repetition. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave did not find a way to crack Veselin Topalov’s Berlin Ruy Lopez. With an exchange sacrifice, Black created some sort of a fortress, which turned out to be unassailable. All that means that there will be a record amount of tiebreaks (7!) on December 13:Topalov vs Vachier-LagraveWojtaszek vs AndreikinNepomniachtchi vs GelfandWei vs GiriHarikrishna vs KarjakinNavara vs WangMamedyarov vs Jakovenko Official website and LIVE broadcast: https://worldchess.com FIDE Press officer for the event: Anastasiya Karlovich Official Photographer: Niki Riga World Chess contact: media@worldchess.com Photos are available for the press from the following link to Dropbox. Leading partners supporting the FIDE World Chess Grand Prix Series 2019 include: Algorand as the Exclusive Blockchain PartnerPhosAgro as the Official Strategic PartnerKaspersky as the Official Cybersecurity PartnerUsetech as the partner of the Jerusalem Grand PrixPrytek as the Technology Transfer Partner
FIDE Grand Prix Jerusalem: All draws on the first day
The fourth leg of the FIDE Grand Prix Series organized by World Chess started in the Notre Dame Center Jerusalem on December, 11. Since all eight games ended in a draw all sixteen players keep chances to advance in the next round. After three major tournaments in Moscow, Riga, and Hamburg earlier this year, the grandmasters arrived in Jerusalem to compete in the final leg of FIDE Grand Prix. This part of the series will draw the line under the season 2019 and designate two participants for the following Candidates Tournament 2020. The prize fund in each leg of the Grand Prix amounts to €130,000, with an additional €280,000 for the top 10 finishers in the overall standings. Thus, the total prize fund of the FIDE Grand Prix amounts to a total of €800,000. The major goal for the 21 participants, however, is to finish in the top two at the end of the Series and earn a spot in the Candidates Tournament. This event will then determine the challenger of Magnus Carlsen in the World Championship match. The official Opening Ceremony was held at the Notre Dame Center Jerusalem. State officials, FIDE representatives, key members of the local community and, of course, and all participants assembled in a hall together with other chess devotees to share the moment of the start. Chief Arbiter Almog Burstein drew lots at the technical meeting. The games Nepomniachtchi – Gelfand and Harikrishna – Karjakin finished after less than one hour of play with Karjakin and Gelfand, who had Black pieces expressing their satisfaction with the outcome. Ian Nepomniachtchi went for a well-known theoretical line in Sicilian Anti-Sveshnikov but according to Gelfand, his opponent misplayed it, so the final position was very dry and none of the sides had real chances to play for a win. “First of all, I’m happy to play in Jerusalem Grand Prix tournament as Grand Prix events are one of my favorite tournaments. I had so many memorable games there. It’s also especially nice to play in Jerusalem in front of the local public” said Boris Gelfand after the game. Pentala Harikrishna opted for a solid Ruy Lopez Berlin against Sergey Karjakin, and after grandmasters traded most of the pieces, the draw was agreed on move 21. Veselin Topalov chose to open with 1.c4 against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave after he had unsuccessfully tried 1.e4 and 1.d4 in their previous mini-matches. “It was a good choice, as at least I managed not to lose the game. It’s a good start, compared to my usual first matches” Veselin noted in the postgame interview. A symmetrical English was played and, in fact, the former FIDE World Champion got an advantage right after the opening. He put a lot of pressure on his opponent today and the French Grandmaster, who came directly from the Grand Chess Tour finals in London, had to defend “a very suspicious position”. However, Veselin missed his opponent’s counterplay with a piece sacrifice, which turned out to be good enough to maintain balance in the game. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov recalled the last stage of Grand Prix in 2017 when he was watching the last game between Jakovenko and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave at home. In case of victory, MVL would have qualified for the Candidates 2018 instead of Shakhriyar. Jakovenko won that game and helped Mamedyarov to advance to the Candidates 2018. Ironically, Shakhriyar was paired against Dmitry Jakovenko in the first match of the fourth leg of Grand Prix and needs to win the match to keep his chances to play in the Candidates 2020 alive. Shakhriyar had quite deep preparation in the opening today and remembered the line in the Nimzo-Indian till the endgame. In the post-game interview, he pointed out that 22.Kf1 was a bad move and he had to play Re1, Nf1-Ne3 instead, keeping good wining chances. Dmitry Jakovenko agreed that his position was quite unpleasant and was happy with the outcome. The Catalan Opening appeared in the game Yu Yangyi vs. Wesley So. The American grandmaster went for a pawn sacrifice and suddenly the position became very complex and tactical. According to Wesley Black had sufficient compensation for equality but he was not sure about pressing for more. Wang Hao misplayed the opening and let his opponent David Navara to obtain an advantage. David had more active pieces and was trying to use the weakness of the b7-pawn but Wang Hao was defending quite well and managed to hold a draw. Anish Giri mixed up the move order in the opening and decided to give up an exchange by analogy with the same idea in a different line. Although Anish thought his position was lost after 20.c3 he nevertheless managed to hold it after a long and resilient defense. As Anish Giri and Wei Yi were the last to finish their encounter, the Dutchman was asked if he thought it would be unfair to lose since all other games were drawn. “That was the only thing that kept me going. I saw that everybody else made a draw. I thought maybe it`s today’s magic so I have to try to use it,” Anish confessed. The participants of the Jerusalem Grand Prix passed on their warm wishes to the former World Champion Viswanathan Anand, who turned 50 on December 11. Official website and LIVE broadcast: https://worldchess.com FIDE Press officer for the event: Anastasiya Karlovich Official Photographer: Niki Riga World Chess contact: media@worldchess.com Photos are available for the press from the following link to Dropbox. Leading partners supporting the FIDE World Chess Grand Prix Series 2019 include: Algorand as the Exclusive Blockchain PartnerPhosAgro as the Official Strategic PartnerKaspersky as the Official Cybersecurity PartnerUsetech as the partner of the Jerusalem Grand PrixPrytek as the Technology Transfer Partner
Goryachkina emerges as the sole leader in Monaco
Two victories by Alexandra Goryachkina and Alexandra Kosteniuk punctuate the eighth round of the Women’s Grand Prix in Monaco. Goryachkina overtakes Koneru in the standings. The eighth round of the FIDE Grand Prix in Monaco began under the cameras of Monaco TV Channel. The event held at the Yacht Club has an important status for the Principality and is duly covered by the local media. As a leading member of the women’s team of Monte-Carlo at the European Cup, Humpy Koneru was kind enough to agree to a short TV interview before the start of the round. The leader of the Grand Prix Series is used to concentrating deeply before her games, and this small interruption luckily did not disturb her. The Indian Koneru – Dronavalli remained very balanced. Humpy played solidly with black and made a draw in 31 moves. This allowed Aleksandra Goryachkina to grab the sole lead, as she earned the whole point against her compatriot Valentina Gunina thanks to a good preparation in the Catalan. Gunina finds herself in a terrible downward spiral in Monaco. This time she overlooked a trap right after the opening and found herself in a difficult position straight away. The World Championship challenger converted the advantage once again demonstrating her impeccable technique. Alexandra Kosteniuk won a very inspiring game against Nana Dzagnidze. She sacrificed a pawn early on with Black with the aim to obtain long-term chances against the enemy King. Being under serious pressure, the Georgian found nothing better than giving back the pawn back in order to exchange queens. However, the endgame was no safe haven for her as the Russian managed to win two pawns and later the game. Pia Cramling and Mariya Muzychuk drew their game after more than five hours. The Ukrainian tried hard to convert her two-pawn advantage in the endgame, but the task was very difficult. The Swedish legend was holding ground with her usual stamina and reached a draw 85 moves. Zhao Xue and Kateryna Lagno played a very balanced game, in which the Chinese exerted a slight pressure throughout. But Lagno defended confidently and the game sealed a draw. Elisabeth Paehtz did not challenge Anna Muzychuk in the Marshall Variation of the Ruy Lopez and quickly repeated moves to split the point. Thanks to her victory, Aleksandra Goryachkina is now leading the field alone. She has made an amazing comeback after her slow start, scoring 5,5 in the last 6 rounds. But her task in the last 3 rounds can be considered complicated, as she will face both Muzychuk sisters in the coming days. Humpy Koneru has a nominally easier home stretch and will also have the white pieces against Goryachkina herself in the last round. In short, the final sprint promises to be very exciting. Results of Round 8:Nana Dzagnidze (Geo) – Alexandra Kosteniuk (Rus): 0-1Zhao Xue (China) – Kateryna Lagno (Rus): ½-½Harika Dronavalli (Ind) – Humpy Koneru (Ind): ½-½Elisabeth Paehtz (Ger) – Anna Muzychuk (Ukr): ½-½Pia Cramling (Swe) – Mariya Muzychuk (Ukr): ½-½Aleksandra Goryachkina (Rus) – Valentina Gunina (Rus): 1-0 Standings after Round 8:1. Aleksandra Goryachkina – 6 points2. Humpy Koneru – 5½3. Harika Dronavalli – 54-7. Anna Muzychuk, Alexandra Kosteniuk, Kateryna Lagno, and Pia Cramling – 4½ 8. Mariya Muzychuk – 49-10. Nana Dzagnidze and Zhao Xue – 3½11. Elisabeth Paehtz – 2½12. Valentina Gunina – 1 Round 9, 12 December at 3 pm:Valentina Gunina (Rus) – Nana Dzagnidze (Geo)Alexandra Kosteniuk (Rus) – Zhao Xue (China)Kateryna Lagno (Rus) – Harika Dronavalli (Ind)Humpy Koneru (Ind) – Elisabeth Paehtz (Ger)Anna Muzychuk (Ukr) – Pia Cramling (Swe)Mariya Muzychuk (Ukr) – Aleksandra Goryachkina (Rus) Official website with live games and commentary by WGM Keti Tsatsalashvili, IM Almira Skripchenko and GM Josif Dorfman: https://wgp2019.fide.com Pictures are available on our official Flickr account. Text: Yannick PelletierPictures: Karol Bartnik
Grand Prix Jerusalem: Pairings announced
The fourth and final leg of FIDE Grand Prix 2019 organized by WorldChess took off in Jerusalem today. The event stretching over twelve days will decide two players qualifying for the Candidates Tournament that is scheduled for the spring of 2020 in Yekaterinburg. First round pairings: Veselin Topalov – Maxime Vachier-LagraveRadoslaw Wojtaszek – Dmitry AndreikinYu Yangyi – Wesley SoYan Nepomniachtchi – Boris GelfandWei Yi – Anish GiriPentala Harikrishna – Sergey KarjakinDavid Navara – Wang HaoShakhriyar Mamedyarov – Dmitry Jakovenko Currently, the list of front-runners for two slots in Yekaterinburg includes four players: Alexander Grischuk, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, and Yan Nepomniachtchi. Alexander is not playing in Jerusalem but with a 7-point margin over Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, he can feel relatively safe. Actually, the one and only scenario in which Grischuk would not qualify for the Candidates Tournament is that Mamedyarov takes down Vachiev-Lagrave in the final after the Frenchman’s winning his three first matches without tiebreaks, whereas the Azerbaijanian scores at least 20 Grand Prix points total (10 in Jerusalem only). All these considerations will make the battles in Jerusalem even more exciting. FIDE Grand Prix standings before the final leg in Jerusalem: (from Wikipedia)
WGP Monaco: Goryachkina and Koneru win and lead
The seventh round of the Women’s Grand Prix in Monaco again produced five decisive results. The finish promises to be enthralling at the local Yacht Club. The participants of the FIDE Grand Prix in Monaco enjoyed a rest day on Monday. After six consecutive rounds, this break proved necessary in order to recharge the batteries for the second half of the event. While some players rested in the first sense of the word, others took the opportunity to visit Monaco’s surroundings or even Nice. To conclude the day, a gala dinner took place at the beautiful Casino de Monte-Carlo, where the Women’s Grand Prix was held back in 2015. At the start of the seventh round, the tension was palpable, as if an irresistible urge to play chess seized the champions. In the encounter between Humpy Koneru and Zhao Xue, the game immediately took an unusual turn, when the Chinese opted for b5 on move 2. The leader of the Grand Prix Series thought for a while and reacted aggressively. This seemed promising, but the Indian did not follow through and soon faced problems. Zhao Xue played well for a big portion of the game but erred when she timidly decided to give back a pawn she had won earlier. Both players exchanged inaccuracies until the Chinese miscalculated and gave up a piece. It was the end of the battle, as Koneru did not look back. Aleksandra Goryachkina and Nana Dzagnidze delivered an equally exciting fight, where each had an advantage on one part of the board. The Russian mounted pressure against the king, whereas her opponent possessed a valuable passed pawn on the queenside. Dzagnidze should have resisted the temptation to push her main trump too early, as it suddenly fell. The rest was a smooth sail for Goryachkina who collected a full point. The third leader before this round, Harika Dronavalli, had the difficult task of defending with the black pieces against Anna Muzychuk. The game ended on a threefold repetition on move 24, but this short battle was tense nevertheless. The three other games were highly entertaining and ended with the victories. The Russian duel between Kateryna Lagno and Alexandra Kosteniuk was rather one-sided, as Black made a mistake after the opening. Lagno confidently overcame her opponent’s resilience and won on move 48. The encounter between Mariya Muzychuk and Elisabeth Paehtz followed a very similar pattern when the German weakened her castle after the opening. Nothing terrible happened immediately, but the damage was done in the long-term. After mutual inaccuracies, White won a pawn and later the game. Valentina Gunina’s suffering continues in Monaco. Her opening play was not convincing, as she allowed Pia Cramling to reach a comfortable position with the black pieces. The rest day definitely proved beneficial to the oldest participant in the event. The Swedish legend displayed the same freshness as in the first rounds and efficiently used her opponent’s inaccuracies to score her second victory in the event. Aleksandra Goryachkina and Humpy Koneru are now jointly in the lead, a half-point ahead of Harika Dronavalli. Round 8 features a highly interesting Indian duel, whereas the Russian co-leader will also face her compatriot, Valentina Gunina. Results of Round 7:Aleksandra Goryachkina (Rus) – Nana Dzagnidze (Geo): 1-0Kateryna Lagno (Rus) – Alexandra Kosteniuk (Rus): 1-0Humpy Koneru (Ind) – Zhao Xue (China): 1-0Anna Muzychuk (Ukr) – Harika Dronavalli (Ind): ½-½Mariya Muzychuk (Ukr) – Elisabeth Paehtz (Ger): 1-0Valentina Gunina (Rus) – Pia Cramling (Swe): 0-1 Standings after round 7:1-2. Aleksandra Goryachkina and Humpy Koneru – 5 points3. Harika Dronavalli – 4½4-6. Anna Muzychuk, Kateryna Lagno, and Pia Cramling – 47-8. Alexandra Kosteniuk and Mariya Muzychuk – 3½9. Nana Dzagnidze – 310. Zhao Xue – 2½11. Elisabeth Paehtz – 212. Valentina Gunina – 1 Round 8, 11 December at 3 pm:Nana Dzagnidze (Geo) – Alexandra Kosteniuk (Rus)Zhao Xue (China) – Kateryna Lagno (Rus)Harika Dronavalli (Ind) – Humpy Koneru (Ind)Elisabeth Paehtz (Ger) – Anna Muzychuk (Ukr)Pia Cramling (Swe) – Mariya Muzychuk (Ukr)Aleksandra Goryachkina (Rus) – Valentina Gunina (Rus) Official website with live games and commentary by WGM Keti Tsatsalashvili, IM Almira Skripchenko, and GM Josif Dorfman: https://wgp2019.fide.com Pictures are available on our official Flickr account, both in high resolution (for printing) or low resolution (for internet/social media). Text: Yannick PelletierPictures: Karol Bartnik
Anand’s 50th anniversary: Five chess gems
Vishwanathan Anand is celebrating his 50th anniversary. The entire chess world congratulates the legendary grandmaster but first and foremost his homeland India extols the greatest chess player in the history of the country. At the end of November 2019 our colleagues from ChessBase India handpicked nine positions from Anand’s best games and asked Magnus Carlsen, Anish Giri, Hikaru Nakamura, Vidit Gujrathi and Erwin l’Ami about them. Then they talked with Anand about these very games and recorded a video in which Vishy shared his memories and stories behind each of them. FIDE.com presents five best fragments, five real chess gems by Vishy Anand. Aronian – Anand (Wijk aan Zee, 2013) 16…Nde5!! 17. Bxg4 Bxd4+ 18. Kh1 Nxg4 19. Nxf8 f5 20. Ng6 Qf6 21. h3 Qxg6 22. Qe2 Qh5 23. Qd3 Be3 0-1 “As everyone knows, it became a current version of Rotlevi – Rubinstein. There are other games that I am equally proud of but that is the strong case to say that it was the most beautiful game I have played in my life.” (Vishwanathan Anand) Ivanchuk – Anand (Linares, 1992) 20…Bc4!! 21. b3 Bxf1 22. Rxf1 Rh3! 23. Re2 Kd7 24. g5 Ke6 25. gxf6 Bxf6 26. Bd2 Be7! 27. Be1 f6 28. Bg3 d5 29. exd5+ Kxd5 30. Rf5 Kc6 31. Ref2 Rh6 32. Kb2 Kd7 33. Re2 Bd6 34. Rf3 Rc8 35. Be1 Ke6! 36. Rd3 Rh7 37. Rg3 Bc5 38. Ka2 Rd7 39. Rc3 Rcc7 40. h4 Rd1 41. Bf2 Bd6 42. Rg3 e4 43. Rxe4+ Be5 44. Rxe5+ fxe5 45. Kb2 Rd2 0-1 Anand smoothly executed a very long plan based on a brilliant positional concept. After unforgettable moves 20…Bc4!! and 22…Rh3!! he managed to clear the way for the central paws and triumphally advanced his infantry. Karjakin – Anand (Wijk aan Zee, 2006) 24… Nc7!! 25. Qxc7 Rc8! 26. Qxe7 Nc4! 27. g6 hxg6 28. fxg6 Nxa3+ 29. bxa3 Rxa3 30. gxf7+ Kh7 31. f8=N+ Rxf8 32. Qxf8 Ra1+ 33. Kb2 Ra2+ 34. Kc3 Qa5+ 35. Kd3 Qb5+ 36. Kd4 Ra4+ 37. Kc3 Qc4+ 0-1 Even a relatively powerful computer does not find Anand’s combination immediately. In the actual game, Vishy spotted it straight away but spent some time hesitating, fearing the opponent’s home preparation. Finally, Vishy trusted his intuition and calculations and got to the white king. Anand – Lautier (Biel, 1997) 20. h6!! gxh6 21. Bg6!! Ne7 22. Qxd4 Rxd4 23. Rd3! Rd8 24. Rxd8+ Kxd8 25. Bd3 1-0 Probably the most popular and spectacular combination by Anand, his trademark, that crescendoes in the beautiful line featuring a queen sacrifice 21…Qxd1 22.Rxe6+ Kf8 23.Bxh6+ Kg8 24.Bxf7# Anand – Caruana (Sinquefield Cup, 2017) 26. Qd4!! Qg5 27. Rc5! Rxd4 28. f8=Q+ Kg6 29. Qf7+ 1-0 Sometimes a player sees a brilliant combination in advance (Anand in this case) and hopes that the unsuspecting opponent will go for a particular sequence. Fabiano Caruana was not particularly happy about the arising position but hardly did he know that the game would last only four moves. Anand brilliantly employed the ideas of distraction and pin to dismantle Black’s defense.
King Salman World Rapid & Blitz Championships: Official site is launched
The official site of the King Salman Rapid & Blitz Championship, containing all the necessary information (regulations, schedule, registration and fees, visas, hotel, transfer, etc.) is launched today. Online registration for the King Salman World Rapid & Blitz Championships 2019 is open at https://wrbc2019registration.fide.com/ The King Salman Rapid and Blitz Championships 2019 will be held from December 25 (the day of arrival) to December 31 (the day of departure) 2019 in the VIP zone of the Grand Sports Arena at the Luzhniki Olympic Complex. This is the largest sports and entertainment complex in Russia located in one of the most picturesque areas of Moscow, at a bend in Moskva River, in front of the Sparrow Hills (“Vorobyovy Gory”) and the Neskuchny Garden. Currently, there are more than 250 players registered in the event. The list of participants includes the World Champion Magnus Carlsen (Norway), Levon Aronian (Armenia), Anish Giri (Netherlands), Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (Azerbaijan), Hikaru Nakamura, Leinier Dominguez (both USA), Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (France), Vladislav Artemiev, Dmitry Andreikin (both Russia), Boris Gelfand (Israel), Yu Yangyi, Wang Hao (both China), Jan-Krzysztof Duda (Poland), Alireza Firouzja (Iran), Alexandra Kosteniuk, Kateryna Lagno, Olga Girya, Alina Kashlinskaya (all – Russia), Nana Dzagnidze (Georgia), Humpy Koneru, Harika Dronavalli (both India), Anna and Mariya Muzychuk (Ukraine), Pia Cramling (Sweden), Tan Zhongyi (China), Antoaneta Stefanova (Bulgaria), Sarasadat Khademalsharieh (Iran) and many others. World Rapid & Blitz Championships schedule: December 25 — Opening CeremonyDecember 26-28 — Rapid competitionDecember 29-30 — Blitz competition The total prize fund for the King Salman World Rapid & Blitz Championships amounts to USD 1,000,000.