14th “Preparation of Teachers” course announced
Dear chess friends, Save the dates: February 23-25, 2024, for our 14th edition of the “Preparation of Teachers” course – a golden opportunity to become a certified FIDE School Instructor. Conducted in English, this 3-day online course is designed to boost your teaching skills using chess as an educational tool. Learn innovative methods for the 4C’s (critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity). Bonus: Successful candidates get lifelong access to OPENING MASTER PREMIUM chess databases. Read the detailed course description here. Presented by commission members Anzel Laubscher and Boris Bruhn, this course is perfect for teachers, chess educators, beginner and advanced players with basic chess knowledge, and anyone with experience working with children. To secure your spot, kindly complete and return this registration form. Registration closes on February 19, only 20 spots available! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at edu.courses@fide.com
Budapest gets ready for the 2024 Chess Olympiad
Budapest is set to proudly host the 2024 Chess Olympiad, a monumental event to take place from September 10 to 23. The highly anticipated 45th Chess Olympiad is bringing together acclaimed heavyweights and rising stars, promising a showcase of chess brilliance from top-tier players from all across the globe. The event will be another milestone in Hungary’s rich chess history. With 12 team medals from Chess Olympiads, Hungary is one of the most successful chess nations. Home to many great chess players, from Géza Maróczy to Andor Lilienthal and from Laszlo Szabo to Lajos Portisch, Andras Adorjan, Zoltan Ribli and Peter Leko, including the most recognizable Hungarian chess marvels – the Polgar sisters (Judit, Susan and Sofia) – it is no surprise that chess is at home in Hungary. Photo: Jorge Franganillo The Olympiad will take place at the BOK Sports Hall, one of Hungary’s most modern event centers that hosts over 120 events annually and can accommodate up to 10,000 people. In a historic move toward inclusivity, the 2024 Chess Olympiad will welcome a team of refugees, as officially approved by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). This groundbreaking decision aims to promote diversity and support displaced individuals, reinforcing chess as a tool for positive change. As part of the event’s commitment to gender equality, the organizers and FIDE will seek to increase the participation of women’s teams. The Budapest Chess Olympiad will not only be a battleground for the world’s chess teams but will also feature other events, including cultural programs and events for children. Concurrently, the FIDE Congress will be hosted alongside the Olympiad, accompanied by marking 100 years since the formation of FIDE. “We are proud and happy that Hungary will play host to the 45th Chess Olympiad, given the country’s astonishing chess legacy and place in today’s chess world. It is also nice to see the Chess Olympiad return to Europe. The organizers, in collaboration with FIDE, aspire to make this Olympiad a memorable and inclusive experience for participants and spectators and make them truly feel like they are at home in Hungary,” said FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich. “One of the best things in chess is that it’s international. Just like music, or love. The Olympiad brings us all together and tells us once again that chess is not just black and white. Owing to the sports strategy of our government, Hungary has become a professional host to a series of world events in recent years. It is an honour to have the Chess Olympiad in this line, and we’ll do our best to make it memorable for all our guests.” – added Dr Zoltán Polyánszky, President of the Hungarian Chess Federation. With a huge commitment from the Hungarian Chess Federation and the government, the Chess Olympiad 2024 promises to be a testament to Hungary’s chess legacy, welcoming players from around the globe to engage in the noble game of strategy and intellect. The registration portal will be launched soon and the organizing committee will start pre-registration of teams and Congress delegations. Logins and passwords for the registration portal access will be sent to the official e-mail addresses of national federations. The detailed registration will be available on the same website from March 10, 2024 Regulations of 45th Chess Olympiad (pdf)
Tickets for the 2024 Candidates tournament go on sale
FIDE is delighted to announce the launch of the official website of the FIDE Candidates Tournament and the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament. The event will take place in Toronto from April 03-23, 2024. Candidates.fide.com contains all the relevant information about the upcoming tournaments including the history of the event, player biographies as well as the schedule of the rounds. Once the tournament starts, the website will feature live games and commentary. The FIDE Candidates will be open to the public through a ticketing system. Starting today, tickets can be purchased online via the official website. The ticketing policy includes general admission tickets with access to the playing hall balcony and the fan zone and VIP passes, which also include the VIP room with drinks and snacks, a personalised experience and priority registration for side events. Besides, daily tickets and packages for all rounds of the tournament are available in all categories. For a limited time, chess fans can purchase coveted Candidates tickets at the special Early Bird pricing. This pricing will be in effect until midnight on February 15, Toronto time. Here are the Early Bird prices in Canadian Dollars (CAD): • General Admission, one day: $49 (Saturdays and Sundays $64) • All rounds General Admission package: $549 • VIP, one day: $169 (Saturdays and Sundays $199) • VIP Grand Package: $1999 More info about the FIDE Candidates and a link to the ticketing system at candidates.fide.com
20th International Solving Contest: Sharing the love for chess art
The 20th International Solving Contest 2024 brought together 669 solvers from 46 countries. Although located in more than 40 different cities around the world, participants ranging in age from 5 to 84 competed simultaneously with each other while solving the same problems and endgames. It was the 20th anniversary of the competition established to promote chess art and unite people from faraway countries. Under the supervision of the World Federation for Chess Composition, the ISC couldn’t have happened without without the unwavering dedication of numerous volunteers, from the main organizing team up to all the local controllers across different cities. ISC in Cluj-Napoca, Romania The project based on dedication of many volunteers The ISC project was conceived and created by the late Grandmaster of Chess Composition, Uri Avner (1941-2014). Among all the volunteers who have contributed over the last 20 years, Axel Steinbrink from Germany deserved the most recognition for the ISC’s success. Most often, he served as ISC Central controller, involved in the selection of compositions for participants to solve. He communicated with local controllers before and after the competition, checked the solving sheets, compiled final reports, and handled other essential tasks. One of the most challenging responsibilities is supervising thousands of solving sheets in different languages. When Axel stepped down from these duties last year, a whole new team of volunteers emerged to help the ISC. Arvydas Mockus (pictured below) from Lithuania assumed the most demanding role of ISC Central Controller; Bohumil Moravčik (Slovakia) accepted to be the main selector of compositions, while Luc Palmans and Andy Ooms (Belgium) checked the solving sheets from the 1st and the 2nd Category. As in the previous ten editions, Borislav Gadjanski (Serbia) diligently created and administrated the daily presentation of results on the Mat Plus website. Those are the devotees who deserved the most applause for the ISC 2024. The Solving Contest produced some surprises, the biggest ones sprang by the “old guard”. The 1st category event, designed for the most experienced solvers, ended in victory for former World Champion Andrey Selivanov (56), ahead of the current World Champion Danila Pavlov (22). The 3rd place went to another former World Champion, John Nunn (69), and the 4th went to another senior, Valery Kopyl (67). The 15-year-old prodigy Anna Shukhman proved her dominance among women. ISC 2024 in Le Vesinet, France Category 1 winners Rank Name From Points Time Overall 1 Andrey Selivanov FID 60 237 2 Danila Pavlov FID 56 240 3 John Nunn GBR 55 216 Women 1 Anna Shukhman FID 42 240 2 Irine Kharisma Sukandar INA 17,5 240 3 Daria Dvoeglazova ISR 13 230 Juniors 1 Danila Pavlov FID 56 240 2 Ural Khasanov FID 53 240 3 Kevinas Kuznecovas LTU 51 217 Seniors 1 John Nunn GBR 55 216 2 Valery Kopyl UKR 53 238 3 Roland Baier SUI 50,5 233 Category 2 (solving rating below 2000) saw another kind of surprizing domination, with female solvers taking 3 out of the top 5 places. The winner is Nadezhda Ilchenko, ahead of Dejan Omorjan and Alexandru-Vasile David, followed by two young girls, Anastasiya Chekina and Viktoriya Merkulova. Category 2 winners Rank Name From Points Time Overall 1 Nadezhda Ilchenko FID 57 240 2 Dejan Omorjan SRB 50 240 3 Alexandru-Vasile David ROU 49 207 Women 1 Nadezhda Ilchenko FID 57 240 2 Anastasiya Chekina FID 49 240 3 Viktoriya Merkulova FID 48 237 Juniors 1 Dejan Omorjan SRB 50 240 2 Anastasiya Chekina FID 49 240 3 Viktoriya Merkulova FID 48 237 Seniors 1 Zivan Susulic SRB 237 45 2 Dietmar Jahn GBR 236 39 3 Milan Simic SRB 236 37 The 3rd Category was for juniors born in 2011 and younger. Unlike the first two categories, with 12 problems to solve in 4 hours, youngsters had only 6 problems for 2 hours, and the level of difficulty was adjusted to their age. So, it wasn’t unusual to have 11 participants with a maximum of 30 points, and the shortest time for solving (27 minutes) brought victory to Matvey Dubovkin. Yaroslav Kengurov and Taras Rudenko, who shared the 2nd place, spent just three more minutes than the champion. The best girl was Blanka Eysimont. Category 3 winners Rank Name From Points Time Overall 1 Dubovkin, Matvey FID 30 27 2-3 Kengurov, Yaroslav FID 30 30 2-3 Rudenko, Taras UKR 30 30 Girls 1 Ejsymont, Blanka POL 30 78 2 Vujovic, Vera SRB 30 96 3 Hajizada, Hurrijan AZE 26 120 Fujairah – the new home of chess composition The Solving Contest in Fujairah (UAE), a part of the FIDE 100th anniversary, gathered the strongest ISC field, this time with the six best from the World Chess Solving Championship 2023, including the best female solver, among 114 participants. It was expected, since Fujairah became the new home of chess composition, wholeheartedly supported by H.H. Sheikh Mohamed bin Hamad Al Sharqi. Later this year, when the luxurious new building of the Fujairah Chess & Culture Club is set to open, it will become the residence of the WFCC main office. The solving hall in Fujairah The fruitful cooperation of chess and chess composition in Fujairah began in 2017, when Dr Abdulla Ali Aal Barket, the current WFCC Vice-President, introduced a “biathlon” competition for domestic players, combining solving and blitz tourneys. That was the 1st Fujairah Endurance Championship, and the 5th edition of it had the 20th ISC as the most important part, with a generous prize fund of USD 35,500. In a tough competition for popularity among better-known UAE chess organizers from Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi, Fujairah
FIDE February 2024 rating list: Wei Yi debuts in top 10 Open
Traditionally, January is all about Tata Steel tournaments, and the first month of 2024 was no exception. The recently completed “Wimbledon of Chess” impacted the February 2024 rating list the most. Anish Giri picked 13 rating points and returned to the 4th position for the first time since November 2019. Photo: Lennart Ootes – Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2024 The event winner, Wei Yi, the youngest player ever to reach the 2700 mark at 15, made a breakthrough in January. The 24-year-old Chinese GM earned 15 rating points and is debuting in the top 10 Open. The Women’s World Champion Ju Wenjun scored just 4.5/13 in Tata Steel Masters but this result in such a strong field translated into 10 rating points and the return to the second position in the women’s rating list. Photo: Lennart Ootes – Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2024 Biggest gains in top 100 Open and Women: Gukesh D IND 2743 (+18) Abdusattorov, Nodirbek UZB 2744 (+17) Socko, Monika POL 2427 (+17) Wei, Yi CHN 2755 (+15) Efroimski, Marsel ISR 2449 (+15) Giri, Anish NED 2762 (+13) Amin, Bassem EGY 2671 (+10) Shevchenko, Kirill ROU 2661 (+10) Ju, Wenjun CHN 2559 (+10) Gukesh D became the player to make the greatest progress (in the top 100 Open and Women) thanks to his excellent performance at the Tata Steel Masters. The young Indian edged out Nodirbek Abdusattorov (+17) with whom he tied for first place, and Monika Socko, who earned 17 points in the Rilton Cup and Fraubundesliga. Photo: Jurriaan Hoefsmit – Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2024 Marsel Efroimski collected 15 rating points in the Israel National League and Israel Open Championship, while Kirill Shevchenko (+10) and Bassem Amin (+10) did a great job in the Bundesliga. Tata Steel 2024 brought about many changes in the junior list, as many high-ranked youngsters participated in both Masters and Challengers. Praggnanandhaa, Abdusattorov and Gukesh D top the February 2024 junior list following their strong showing in the Masters, while the winner of the Challengers Leon Luke Mendonca, Marc’Andria Maurizzi and Daniel Dharda, who shared second place in this competition reached their career high. When it comes to absolute numbers of rating gains, junior players are unchallenged. Kudos to Rose Awell (+239), who skyrocketed from 91st to 14th position in the girls’ junior list, Miaoyi Lu (+117), and Iris Mou (+131).
FIDE Qualification Commission – Policy on Ratings and Titles
The FIDE Qualifications Commission (QC) is responsible for managing and maintaining the integrity of the FIDE Ratings System (FRS) and the FIDE Titles System. In doing so, QC is guided by the following principles: – The FIDE Qualification Commission regards FIDE Titles as being earned as a result of competitive play, where all players in an event are playing under the same conditions and are aiming to achieve the best possible tournament outcomes. – Under the management of FIDE, the FIDE Rating System (FRS) processes results from competitive chess events, played according to FIDE rules and tournament regulations, to provide a statistically meaningful measure of a player’s chess ability, as measured against the abilities of their contemporary chess players. – QC does this with the cooperation of players, arbiters, tournament organisers, and Federation Ratings Officers. The expectation is that tournaments submitted for rating to the FRS meet the regulatory and ethical standards expected by FIDE. Organisers are reminded that under regulation B.02.0.4 (FIDE Handbook), FIDE reserves the right not to rate a specific tournament. The organiser of the tournament has the right to appeal to the FC. Such an appeal must be made within seven days of the communication of the decision. FIDE QC has removed Scheveningen and Schiller formats from the FIDE Title Regulations. This decision takes effect on March 1, 2024. The reasoning behind this decision is that not all players play under the same conditions. In these formats, players aiming to achieve title norms have a different motivation and rewards than players who already have titles. QC believes that titles are earned as a consequence of achievements in high-level competitive play, not simply by ‘passing an exam’ against a set of previously titled players. FIDE QC have also investigated a number of tournaments where the motivation was either (a) designed to increase the ratings of a subset of players; (b) generate artificially high starting rating for a player or players; (c) arrange for a player (or players) to achieve a title (by rating), title norms, or other reward, through the manipulation of results. Where these cases have been identified, FIDE QC has decided not to approve such events if detected in advance or remove such events from the FRS if detected later. In the most serious of cases, QC has reported such events to the FIDE Fairplay Commission, FIDE Ethics Commission and FIDE Arbiters Commission. FIDE QC recognises that it is difficult to detect all such cases of ratings manipulation, but with the continued cooperation of arbiters, organisers and federations, we are taking serious steps to reduce the number of cases. Examples of events under investigation (a) A Scheveningen or match event where one team contains older players while the other team consists mainly of young players. The clear intent is to transfer rating points from older players (with a K factor of 20/10) to younger players (with a K factor of 40). In a normal round robin or Swiss, such players would play a mix of opponents and ages. (b) An unrated player (or group of players) playing a Schiller/Scheveningen or RR against highly rated (2000+) opponents. The score of the unrated player(s) is sufficient to give them a very high (2100+) initial rating. The vast majority of players gain their rating through Swiss events or against fields with much lower ratings. (c) A player needing a specific score to achieve a specific outcome does so through a series of “non-competitive” games (e.g. short draws, blunders by higher-rated opponents, stand-alone matches between players with significant rating differences). While it is difficult to identify this behaviour from a single game, such repeated results will draw the attention of FIDE QC.
FIDE wins prestigious Anthem Award for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
The International Chess Federation, FIDE, has been recognized as a distinguished recipient of the Anthem Award, winning Bronze in the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion category for its Chess for Freedom Project. The social initiative has also become an Anthem Community Voice Winner, selected by the online community. The International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences (IADAS) announced the Winners for the 3rd Annual Anthem Awards, which was launched by The Webby Awards in 2021 to recognize social impact work across the globe. This year’s Anthem Winners were selected from a pool of over 2,000 submissions from 44 countries. Now in its third year, the Anthem Awards are the biggest and most comprehensive social impact award in the world. This year’s winners include change-making nonprofits and foundations like the Planned Parenthood, IllumiNative, It Gets Better Project, World Central Kitchen, Decolonizing Wealth Project, and UNICEF; cultural figures including Taylor Swift, The Daily Show, and Amazon Music; industry and brand leaders like PepsiCo, Rare Beauty, Patagonia, Google, and NFL; and groundbreaking news and media organizations including ABC News, CNN, Al Jazeera, and VICE Media. FIDE, the global sporting body of chess recognized by the IOC, has earned the Anthem award for its outstanding Chess For Freedom project, launched in 2021 as a cooperation with the Cook County Sheriff’s Office (Chicago, USA). This initiative focuses on empowering inmates to improve their life chances and skills through learning and playing chess. A recent edition of its flagship event, the Intercontinental Chess Championship for Prisoners, held in October 2023, attracted 116 teams, including 22 female and 17 youth squads, from 50 countries worldwide. Sonja Johnson, President of the Trinidad & Tobago Chess Federation and Dr Mikhail Korenman, Cook County Jail Chess Coach “FIDE is exceptionally honored and pleased to have received this award,” said Arkady Dvorkovich, President of the International Chess Federation. “This recognition signifies the acknowledgement of the dedicated work undertaken by our organization and the entire global chess community. We are committed to introducing more people to the personal and social benefits of chess and showcasing how it can complement our daily lives.” “The Anthem Awards were born out of the desire to amplify and celebrate the voices that are creating sustainable change and to inspire others to take action,” said Patricia McLoughlin, Anthem Awards General Manager. “In a year where so much is at stake, it is incredibly important to recognize impact work and celebrate the progress happening globally. Congratulations to all of this year’s Winners.” “This recognition further fuels FIDE’s dedication to advancing its mission, inspired by the positive impact of chess on individuals and communities globally. Chess is not just a game; it’s a tool of change. Together, we’re rewriting the story of second chances and triumphs behind prison walls,” Dana Reizniece-Ozola, FIDE Deputy Chair of the Management Board, added. About FIDE: The International Chess Federation (FIDE) is the global governing body for chess, recognized by the International Olympic Committee. FIDE is dedicated to organizing chess events and promoting the game worldwide. About the Anthem Awards: Launched in 2021 by The Webby Awards, The Anthem Awards honors the purpose & mission-driven work of people, companies and organizations worldwide. By amplifying the voices that spark global change, we’re defining a new benchmark for impactful work that inspires others to take action in their own communities. The Anthem Awards honors work across seven core causes: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion; Education, Art & Culture; Health; Human & Civil Rights; Humanitarian Action & Services; Responsible Technology; and Sustainability, Environment & Climate. Founded in partnership with the Ad Council, Born This Way Foundation, Feeding America, Glaad, Mozilla, NAACP, NRDC, WWF, and XQ. Official website: anthemawards.com/
Infinite Chess Project launched in Tanzania
The official launch of the chess project for people with autism spectrum disorder organized by the Iyanna Foundation took place on January 24 in Kaloleni Primary School, Arusha, Tanzania. First, an introductory meeting was arranged with the parents/guardians of kids with autism from Kaloleni Primary School who have been selected to participate in the Infinite Chess program. Three Iyanna Foundation chess coaches, three chess tutors and the head teacher of the school were also present. The agenda of the meeting was to raise parents’ awareness of the Infinite Chess program and its impact on children’s mental health and skills needed for adaptation in society. Maria Tamkovich, project coordinator, and Prisca Lema Iyanna, CEO of Iyanna Foundation, introduced the project and shared the experience of other countries that had joined the initiative earlier. The follow-up questions from parents mainly concerned the influence of chess on children with autism spectrum disorder and their daily lives. Project officials explained the benefits of chess, and most parents agreed that it is something that they would love their kids to be a part of. Moreover, some parents expressed a desire to learn chess alongside their children to support them at home. The program is tentatively planned to start this week. The chess classes will be held once a week but with the flexibility of adding one additional day depending on the children’s reception. About Infinite Chess project: Spearheaded by Anastasia Sorokina, Chair of the FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess, a pilot Infinite Chess project was launched in January 2021 in six countries: Spain, Turkey, France, Gibraltar, South Africa and Norway. Currently, it is already running in 12 countries – Albania, Cyprus, France, Gibraltar, Latvia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Morocco, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan, and Turkey – and involves 130 children with ASD. The “Infinite Chess” training program for teaching chess to children with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) is available in several languages — English, French, Spanish, and Russian. Recently, it has been translated into Arabic language and published on the project’s website. To learn more about the initiative, visit its official webpage: infinitechess.fide.com
Wei Yi wins 2024 Tata Steel Masters
Wei Yi emerged as the winner of the Tata Steel Masters 2024 after beating Gukesh D in the tiebreak blitz final. This victory is the most significant achievement in the 24-year-old Chinese GM’s chess career. Round 13 encounters Ding Liren – Ju Wenjun and Nepomniachtchi – van Forrest quickly ended in draws, while the main events unfolded in the games of the leaders. Praggnanandhaa R – Alireza Firouzja | ½-½, 60 moves The opponents followed the game Praggnanandhaa – Duda (Esports Cup, 2022) in the Classical Line of Gruenfeld up to move 16, where Alireza deviated with 16…Be8. White emerged slightly better, and after exchanging most of the pieces, the opponents transitioned into a minor piece endgame in which the young Indian had the remote a-passer. At a certain point, Pragg seemed to make substantial progress, but Alireza was up to the challenge. 47…d4! The only move! With this timely pawn sacrifice, Black penetrated the kingside with his king and reached a draw after 48. Nxd4 Kd5 49. Nb5 Bg6 50. Nc3+ Kd4 51. a4 Bd3 52. a5 f5 53. Na4 Be2 54. Nc5 Kd5 55. Na4 Bf1 56. Nc5 Be2 57. a6 Bxa6 58. Nxa6 Ke4 Anish Giri – Max Warmerdam | 1-0, 41 moves The players castled to the opposite wings in a popular line of the English opening, but White was first to launch an attack. However, Anish did not demonstrate the necessary accuracy, and Max equalized by breaking in the center. Giri ventured upon a piece sacrifice for a couple of pawns, which yielded dividends surprisingly quickly. Here, Black could have held his ground with 21… Qc6 22. Qh7+ Kf7 23. Rh6 Re6 but even 21…Kf8 played by Max was OK. Unfortunately, Black failed his defensive mission with several subpar moves and came under a crushing attack after 22. f5 Qf7 23. Qd6+ Kg8? (23… Qe7 24. Qf4 Be5) 24. f6 Qg6? (24… Bf5 25. fxg7 Qxg7 26. Qd5+ Qf7 27. Rh8+ Kg7) 25. Qf4 Qf5 26. Qg3 Be6 27. fxg7 Bf7 28. Rf4 Qe6 29. Qh2 Kxg7 Here, Anish delivered the final blow 32.Rxf7+! and after Qxf7 31. g6! Qe6 32. Rd7+ Qxd7 Max capitulated. Parham Maghsoodloo – Gukesh D | 0-1, 65 moves Gukesh introduced a new move on the black side of a topical line of the Ragozin and obtained a comfortable position. True to his aggressive style Parham castled long, advanced his kingside pawns but could not resist temptation of a dubious knight sacrifice. After 16.Nxf7?! Gukesh accepted and got the upper hand, but the position remained very tense and complicated. Unsurprisingly, both made errors. White has just played 29.Qf4+. Gukesh had three winning continuations at his disposal, namely Kg7, Qf6 and the strongest 29…Bf5!! The Indian, however, decided to evacuate his king to the queenside and played 29…Ke6? giving his opponent a great chance to equalize with either 30.exd5 followed by 31.b3! or the immediate 30.b3! The idea behind this move is that after 31…cxb3+ 32.Kb2 White’s king is safe while Black is under attack, while 31…Rxb3 is met with 32.Na4! threatening Nc5+. Parham played a natural 31.Rb1 and after 30… Kd7 31. exd5 Bb7 32. Qf7 Rb8 33. d6 Qxd6 34. d5 Ba8 35. Rh8 Bxd5 36. Nxd5 Qxd5 37. Rxf8 Qe5 Black returned a piece but launched a devastating counter-attack. After 39..c3 40. Ke1 Rxb2 41. Rd1+ Ke6 Maghsoodloo threw in the towel. Wei Yi – Vidit Gujrathi | 1-0, 38 moves Wei quickly got a very good attacking position in the Colle System after a serious inaccuracy on move 12 by Vidit. After 12…Be7 13.Rc1 Qd8 White is just slightly better. Vidit opted for 12…Nxe4?, but after 13.Rxe4 Bb7 14. Rc1 Qb8 15. Rh4 White transferred his rook to the kingside, creating dangerous threats. Interestingly, all these moves were played almost a century ago in the game Pzepiorka – Prokes (Budapest, 1929), which White also won. After 15…f5 16.Bc4 Qe8 17.Qb3 Vidit had a last chance to put up some resistance with 17…Bxf3 18.Qxf3 Qg6, but he played 17…Kh8 and after 18.Re1 Be4 19.Bxe6 White got an overwhelming position. The rest was a smooth sail for the Chinese GM who cruised to his third straight victory and tied for first place. Nodirbek Abdusattorov – Alexander Donchenko | 1-0, 66 moves Once again, Alexander played the Najdorf with g6 as Black and managed to equalize. On move 19, instead of castling, Black went for a knight sortie on g4, which White could have punished with 20.e5, but Nodirbek preferred 20.Rd5 Alexander struck with 20…g5 and after 21. Bg3 e6 22. Rxd6 gxf4 23. Rxf4 Be5 Nodirbek was forced to sacrifice an exchange as 23.Bxf4 fails to 23…Nxh2. White got sufficient compensation, but over the next several moves, Black consolidated and emerged better. Doncheko, however, too hastily traded his dark-squared bishop for White’s knight and it was even again. Here, Alexander could have forced a draw with 30… Qa1+ 31. Kh2 Qe5+ 32. Kh1 (32. Bf4 Qc5 33. Qg3 Qc3) 32… Qa1+ but he snatched the c2 pawn with 30…Qxc2, which was more dangerous, although Black still could have maintained the balance with accurate play. Closer to the time control, Alexander weakened his position too much, and Nodirbek forced the transition into a won queen endgame. After 42. Bb4! Qf7 43. Rxg7 Qxg7 44. Bd6 Kc8 45. Bxc7 Qxc7 46. Qxf6 a5 47. Qf8+ Kd7 Abdusattorov converted his decisive advantage on move 66. As a result, Gukesh, Abdusattov, Giri and Wei Yi scored 8.5 and tied for first place. A four-player knockout tiebreak was played with the time control 3 min +2 sec increment to determine the champion. Wei Yi miraculously escaped with a draw in his first game vs Nodirbek Abdusattorov and came from behind in the second one to win the first semifinal. Anish Giri and Gukesh D exchanged blows, both winning with the black pieces. The young Indian came out victorious in the third decisive game (this time with White) and advanced to the final. The first game of the final was a logical draw, while in the second one Wei gradually outplayed Gukesh in a roughly equal position and clinched the title. Final standings Tata Steel Masters 2024 1 Wei Yi 2740 8½ 2 Gukesh 2725 8½ 3 Abdusattorov, Nodirbek 2727 8½ 4
Tata Steel Masters: Five share the lead going into final round
In a thrilling climax to the Tata Steel Masters 2024, five players are going the final round tied for first place. In the penultimate round Vidit Gujrathi toppled leader Nodirbek Abdusattorov, joining him at the top, while Anish Giri, Wei Yi, and Gukesh D caught up with this duo. Praggnanadhaa R and Alireza Firouzja stay in the race, trailing the leaders by a half point. As many as seven players have a shot at the title on Sunday. Vidit Gujrathi – Nodirbek Abdusattorov | 1-0, 77 moves The Indian GM essayed a new plan in a popular Nimzo-Indian line that hardly promises much. Surprisingly, this approach paid off very quickly as Nodirbek went overboard only to end up losing a pawn. On his previous move, the Uzbek GM played 10…Ba6, preventing White’s castling. Here, he should have retreated 11…Bb7 with a normal position. Nodirbek, however, continued down the disastrous path with 11…Bc4, but after 12.b3! Bd3 13.Ne5 Nxe5 14.Qd4! Nxc3 15.Bxc3 Bg6 16.Bxd5 Vidit won a pawn. It took him quite a long time to convert it, but on move 77, he broke Black’s resistance and notched up a full point. Jorden van Foreest – Anish Giri | 0-1, 24 moves Anish comfortably equalized in the Exchange Variation of French despite having the isolated d-pawn. Jorden played somewhat passively, but the position remained balanced up to move 21 when disaster struck. White has to demonstrate accuracy, with 21.Rxe5 is the only move maintaining equality. Jorden, however, stepped into the abyss with 21.Qc3?? and threw in the towel after 21…Rc8! 22. Qd2 a4 23. Rxe4 Nxe4 24. Qa5 Qf6! 0-1 Alexander Donchenko – Parham Maghsoodloo | ½-½, 65 moves Parham obtained a comfortable position on the black side of QGD and, after Alexander made a serious mistake in an equal endgame, emerged much better. With his back against the wall, Donchenko defended resiliently and managed to save a half-point. Ju Venjun – Wei Yi | 0-1, 39 moves Eager for a real battle, Wei tried the Dutch Defense and got a fresh playable position as early as by move 10. After trading the queens, the opponents steered into a complex endgame with an asymmetrical pawn structure, which the Women’s World Champion misplayed on move 22. After 22.Nf2? (22.Bb5 maintained balance) 22…Ba3! 23. Rcb1 Bxb2 24. Rxb2 Nxd4 Black simply won a pawn. Wei converted his small material advantage with great energy and accuracy and scored his second straight victory. Gukesh D – Praggnanandhaa R | ½-½, 41 moves Gukesh introduced a very interesting novelty (13.Ne2) in the Leningrad system of Nimzo-Indian and got a very promising position after transferring four pieces to the kingside. Pragg was holding his ground up to a certain point, but eventually, he broke through on the queenside but missed a nice exchange sacrifice by his opponent. After 32. Rxe5 dxe5 33. Bxe5 f6 34. d6 Bxd6 35. Bxd6 White got to minor pieces for a rook and winning position. Unluckily for Gukesh, he allowed a threefold repetition in mild time trouble and had to settle for a draw. Alireza Firouzja – Ian Nepomniachtchi | 1-0, 37 moves Alireza sacrificed a pawn in a popular line of the Veresov with 3.Bf4 and got sufficient compensation but hardly more. However, instead of natural 18…Nb5, with a roughly equal position, Ian decided to sacrifice an exchange. After 18…Be5 19. f4 Rxc3 20. Qxc3 Nb5 21. Qf3 Bd4 22. Ka2 White emerged better. Still, Black had some compensation for the exchange, but a few moves later, Ian committed one-move-blunder and resigned immediately. After 27…0-0, White has many obstacles to overcome, converting his extra exchange. Ian, however, played 27…Rf8? and capitulated after 28.Qd3 as any move with the bishop fails to 29.Rxe4. Max Warmerdam – Ding Liren | 0-1, 64 moves The opponents quickly traded queens, bishops and a pair of rooks in the Nimzo-Indian and transitioned into a roughly equal endgame in which Black had a slightly better pawn structure. Ding played more purposefully and got the upper hand by advancing his kingside pawns. Later, he traded his h-pawn for the opponent’s f4-pawn and reached a winning position. However, a single inaccuracy by the World Champion in a rook endgame offered Max excellent drawing chances. After 45.a5 a5 Ra4 (45… Rc2+ 46. Kg3 Ra2 47. Rb5) 46. Rb5 Ra2+ 47. Kg3 Ra3 48. Kg2 Black can’t make progress. Max opted for 45.Rb2? and after 45…Rxa4 Black was winning again. Surprisingly, Ding let his guard down and fell into a trap set up by the Dutchman. Black was winning with 52…Re1, but instead, he played 52…Rxh2?? and after 53. Ra5+ Ke6 54. Rxe5+! the rook is taboo because of stalemate. The final act of this drama came on move 62 when Max missed a draw. After the correct 62. Kf2 White could have held his ground. The Dutchman, however, played 62.Rd7+ and had to resign after 62…e5 63. Rg7 Kf4 64. Kf2 g1=Q+ as the pawn endgame is hopeless for White. Masters pairings Photos: Jurriaan Hoefsmit and Lennart Ootes – Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2024 Official website: tatasteelchess.com