Armenian Championship 2024: Hovhannisyan and Gaboyan clinch titles
GM Robert Hovhannisyan and WIM Susanna Gaboyan are the new champions of Armenia, winning their second and third national titles, respectively. Both winners qualified for the Armenian national team. The 84rd Armenian Championship and the 79th Women’s Armenian Сhampionship were held simultaneously in the Tigran Petrosian Chess House in Yerevan from January 12-20. Both events were 10-player round robins with classical time control. As it often the case in the open event, the race for the championship remained tight until the very last round. Heading into Round 9 Samvel Ter-Sahakyan was narrowly leading with 5.5/8, a half-point ahead of Robert Hovhannisyan and Mamikon Charibyan. However, a costly loss to Tigran Haryutunyan dashed the leader’s hopes for the title, while Hovhannisyan (pictured below) notched up a crucial victory over Artur Davtyan and clinched gold, scoring 6/9 as another contender Charibyan lost to Manuel Petrosyan. Three players tied for second place with 5.5/9 with Manuel Petrosyan and Zaven Andriasian taking silver and bronze, respectively, based on their superior Sonnenborn-Berger. Final standings open: 1 GM Hovhannisyan, Robert 2611 6 2 GM Petrosyan, Manuel 2627 5½ 3 GM Andriasian, Zaven 2581 5½ 4 GM Ter-Sahakyan, Samvel 2649 5½ 5 GM Harutyunyan, Tigran K. 2523 5 6 GM Gharibyan, Mamikon 2504 5 7 IM Davtyan, Artur 2477 4 8 FM Piliposyan, Robert 2367 3 9 FM Chaqryan, Erik 2308 3 10 Tiraturyan, David 2258 2½ In the women’s championship, WIM Susanna Gaboyan (pictured below) dominated the field conceding the opponents just three draws and won the title with an excellent score of 7.5/9. WFM Mariam Avetisyan provided a spirited challenge to the champion but lost the direct encounter, ultimately finishing half a point behind in second place. Milena Gasparyan came third, netting 5.5 points. Final standings women: 1 WIM Gaboyan, Susanna 2179 7½ 2 WFM Avetisyan, Mariam 2043 7 3 Gasparyan, Milena 1802 5½ 4 WFM Khachatryan, Anna 2022 5 5 WFM Grigoryan, Arpine 2025 4½ 6 Stepanyan, Alvard 1514 4 7 Kobak, Polina 2120 4 8 Harutyunyan, Meline 1536 3½ 9 WGM Gevorgyan, Maria 2272 2½ 10 Khachatryan, Mariam 1567 1½ Photos: official website Official website: chessfed.am/en
Tata Steel Masters 2024: Three-way tie on the top
Nodirbek Abdusattorov used his chance to stop and join the leader by defeating Anish Giri in Round 7 of Tata Steel Masters 2024. Closer to the end of the day, Gukesh D prevailed over Max Warmerdam and caught up with Giri and Abdusattorov. This trio is leading the race with 4.5/7. Alireza Firouzja fell to Vidit Gujrathi and now shares fourth place with his opponent and Praggnanandhaa. Nodirbek Abdusattorov – Anish Giri | 1-0, 60 moves Anish Giri obtained a comfortable position on the black side of the Petroff Defence, but with an inaccurate 22…b5?! He allowed his opponent to seize control over the light squares in the center. After trading the queens, Nodirbek converted his endgame advantage in an exemplary fashion. After 34. c4! bxc4 35. bxc5 dxc5 36. Rxd7+ Kxd7 37. Kc3 Kc6 38. Kxc4 Kb6 39. a4 White got an overwhelming position with a remote passer and sealed the deal twenty moves later. Vidit Gujrathi – Alireza Firouzja | 1-0, 42 moves Alireza Firouzja either forgot or mixed up his preparation as he made the decisive mistake in a position tested in 2014-2015. Here Black invariably played 14…d5! with decent compensation for the sacrificed piece. Alireza, however, opted for 14…Qa4+? but after 15.Kd3! White’s king escaped to the center. Firouzja added fuel to the fire by sacrificing an exchange, but it did not help, and Vidit comfortably wrapped it up right after the time control. Wei Yi – Ding Liren | ½-½, 32 moves The game saw a popular line of the Scotch, known for its drawish tendencies. After making just a few original moves in a dead-drawn endgame with opposite-coloured bishops, the opponents shook hands. Alexander Donchenko – Ju Wenjun | ½-½, 30 moves The opponents had a discussion in a well-known line of the QGD Carlsbad. Both played very sensibly, arranging their pieces in the center. On move 23, White carried out the thematic e3-e4, but Black was very well prepared for this push in the center and emerged slightly better. Alexander demonstrated accuracy at this stage of the game as he temporarily sacrificed a pawn to activate his rook. Soon, White restored material balance, and the players signed a peace in an equal and symmetrical position. Gukesh D – Max Warmerdam | 1-0, 66 moves Playing with Black, Max Warmerdam essayed a sharp line of the Tarrasch Defence in which he got sufficient compensation for a pawn. The Dutchman was holding his ground for most of the game but tripped over his feet in an equal rook endgame. After the correct 53…Kf6! covering the g5-square, White can make any progress. However, having about 15 min on his clock, Max played 53…Rg1? and after 54. Kf2 Rb1 55. Kg3 Rb2 56. Rg5 Ra2 57. Rxg4 Gukesh won the g-pawn and converted his advantage on move 66. The young Indian scored his third straight win and joined the leaders. Praggnanandhaa R – Jorden Van Foreest | ½-½, 33 moves The young Indian got an edge playing on the white side of the QGD Carlsbad, but instead of maintaining the tension, he opted for closing the position on the kingside and giving up an important f5-square. Jorden immediately jumped on this opportunity and, by skillfully maneuvering with his knights, equalized completely. At this point, probably feeling that the tide had changed, Pragg offered a draw, which was accepted. Parham Maghsoodloo – Ian Nepomniachtchi | ½-½, 56 moves Once again, Ian Nepomniachtchi played the Petroff Defence against 1.e4 and reached a comfortable position. After a clash in the center the opponents traded the queens and transitioned into a roughly equal endgame. Both played with great accuracy, and a draw came as a logical outcome. Masters pairings Photos: Jurriaan Hoefsmit and Lennart Ootes – Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2024 Official website: tatasteelchess.com
Tata Steel Masters 2024: Firouzja closes the gap
In Round 6 of Tata Steel Masters 2024, Anish Giri missed a chance to win facing Parham Maghsoodloo, and but preserved his leading position. Alireza Firouzja scored an important victory over Wei Yi and moved up to second position, trailing the leader by a half-point. Max Warmerdam defeated Alexander Donchenko and reached the +1 mark. Alireza Firouzja – Wei Yi | 1-0, 42 moves Wei Yi comfortably equalized in the QGA following the game Aronian – Gukesh D (Chennai Masters 2023). However, the Chinese GM let his guard down for a minute, which eventually cost him the game. Instead of 22…Rxd1 23. Rxd1 g5 Black played 22…g5 straight away but after 22. Kxe3 g5 23. Rxd8+ Rxd8 24. Nc5! Bc8? 25. a4 White exerted dangerous pressure on the queenside and eventually won a pawn. Black could have resisted much more resiliently but probably upset by this turn of events Wei went down meekly. Anish Giri – Parham Maghsoodloo | ½-½, 52 moves Parham did a poor job on the black side of the Reti Opening and, by move 17, found himself in a very bad, virtually lost position. Luckily for the Iranian, instead of 20. Qa3 (20. Qa5) Anish simply snatched the e4-pawn, which proved to be a serious inaccuracy. After 20. Qxe4 fxe5 21. fxe5? (21.f5 was much better) Rd5 22. Bd4 Nd7 23. Rf2 Re8 Black regained the e5-pawn and got serious counterplay. Right before the time control, the opponents traded grave mistakes, with White missing a clear, although not-so-easy-to-find, win. Anish could have wrapped it up with 38. Qf6! The point is that 38…Rxg6 fails to 39. Qh8+ Kb7 40. Rf7+ Ka6 (40… Kc6 41. Qc3+ Kd5 42. Qf3+ Kc4 43. Qb3+) 41. Qc8+ Kb5 42. Rf5+ Kxb4 43. a3+. Giri however, played 38. Qxg3 which lead to a draw in a rook endgame after 38… Qxg3+ 39. Kxg3 Rxg6+ 40. Kf4 Rf6+ 41. Ke3 Re6+ 42. Kd4 Rd6+ 43. Ke5 Rd2, and so on. Jorden Van Foreest – Gukesh D | 1-0, 42 moves The Dutch GM sacrificed a pawn in the Scotch Game, for which he got sufficient compensation in a fresh, unbalanced position. With his 20th move, Gukesh committed a serious inaccuracy, but Jorden returned the favor, missing a great opportunity and handing the advantage to his opponent. After the correct 22. Qe3, Black would have had a hard time finding a safe place for his king. The Dutchman, however, overoptimistically played 22. Qf2? and after 22… Nbxd3 23. cxd3 Nxd3 24. Qd4 Rg8 25. Ng3 Nc5 26. e5 Ne6 27. Qb2 Bc6 28. exd6 O-O-O Black launched a vicious attack. The final portion of the game was somewhat hectic with the opponents trading errors, but when the dust settled, Black came off victorious on move 45. Ju Venjun – Vidit Gujrathi | ½-½, 27 moves Playing on the black side of the Nimzo-Indian Vidit went for a position with so-called hanging pawns in the center, which does not offer White much. Most likely, the Women’s World Champion did not feel like fighting today as instead of transferring her queen to the queenside with some interesting options, she forced a draw by repetition on move 27. Ian Nepomniachtchi – Praggnanandhaa R | ½-½, 44 moves The opponents followed the footsteps of Gukesh and Narayanan (Sharja Open 2023) for quite a while, but the young Indian deviated with seemingly dangerous but possible 9…b6. In subsequent complex maneuvering, Black planted his knight to d3 and captured the h6-pawn, but White got more than sufficient compensation in the form of two bishops and unpleasant pressure on the queenside. When it looked like Ian was tipping the balance in his favor, Pragg came up with an excellent positional sacrifice. In the normal course of events, Black is doomed for a tough defence. For this very reason, Pragg uncorked 33…Nxd4! and after 34. exd4 Bxd4 35. Kh1 Qf6 36. Qf3 Qxf3 37. Bxf3 Rc2 38. Kg2 Ra2 Black got sufficient compensation for the knight. Five moves down the road, the opponents split a point in an equal position. Ding Liren – Nodirbek Abdusattorov| ½-½, 30 moves The game saw a popular line of the QGA tested on the highest level. The World Champion introduced a new move 13. Re1, but after massive exchanges in the center, Black managed to trade his c5-pawn for White’s d-passer, which resulted in a draw in a symmetrical endgame. Max Warmerdam – Alexander Donchenko | 1-0, 42 moves Warmerdam introduced a novelty in a popular line of the King’s Indian Petrosian (the first line of Stockfish), ignoring Black’s clamp on the queenside with a5-a4 and emerged clearly better. White eventually besieged and captured Black’s a4 pawn, but Black transferred his knight to d4 and got some counterplay. It was still wide open at that point, but Alexander blundered on move 27, completely ruining his position. Max picked up two pawns, sacrificed an exchange and cruised to victory. Final standings after Round 6: 1 Giri, Anish NED 2749 4½ 2 Firouzja, Alireza FRA 2759 4 3-6 Praggnanandhaa, R IND 2743 3½ 3-6 Abdusattorov, Nodirbek UZB 2727 3½ 3-6 Gukesh, D IND 2725 3½ 3-6 Warmerdam, Max NED 2625 3½ 7-10 Wei, Yi CHN 2740 3 7-10 Ding, Liren CHN 2780 3 7-10 Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi IND 2742 3 7-10 Nepomniachtchi, Ian FID 2769 3 11 Ju, Wenjun CHN 2549 2½ 12 Van Foreest, Jorden NED 2682 2 13-14 Maghsoodloo, Parham IRI 2740 1½ 13-14 Donchenko, Alexander GER 2643 1½ Masters pairings Photos: Jurriaan Hoefsmit and Lennart Ootes – Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2024 Official website: tatasteelchess.com
Updated Tie-break Regulations effective from April 1, 2024 published
We are thrilled to inform you that the revised Tie-Break Regulations have been officially ratified and are now available in the FIDE Handbook’s Section C.07. Tie-Break Regulations (effective from April 1, 2024). We extend our sincere appreciation to Mr Roberto Ricca and the entire SPP Department for their dedicated efforts in enhancing the tie-break rules and their accompanying explanations. In this latest version, no alterations have been made to the tie-break definitions themselves. However, we have taken the opportunity to refine the explanations in cases where it was apparent that some confusion or misinterpretation still existed within the chess community. We are grateful to the community for their invaluable assistance in identifying these areas that needed clarification. For any inquiries or further information, please contact Hendrik du Toit at secretary.tec@fide.com.
Tata Steel Masters 2024: Giri extends his lead
Anish Giri consolidated his lead in Round 5 of the Tata Steel Masters after drawing his game with Praggnanandhaa R as his closest rival, Alireza Firouzja, suffered a defeat at the hands of Ju Wenjun. Gukesh D toppled Ian Nepomiachtchi and joined a group of players trailing the leader by a point. Praggnanandhaa R – Anish Giri | ½-½, 41 moves Playing on the black side of the Queen’s Pawn Opening, Anish Giri used the idea of knight retreat (Nf6-g8-e7) introduced by Praggnanandhaa in his game with Erigaisi back in 2022, but one move later. Being ahead in development, White immediately advanced on the queenside and got an advantage in the form of Black’s weaknesses on this wing. Trying to foil White’s plans, Giri struck in the center, and it eventually worked very well for him as Pragg discarded the most active continuations, traded the rooks and forced a draw by perpetual. Nodirbek Abdusattorov – Wei Yi | ½-½, 63 moves In the Classical Variation of Gruenfeld, Nodirbek essayed 12.Bx7+ line, which was extremely popular in the Karpov – Kasparov title match (Sevilla, 1987). White emerged slightly better and pressured Black throughout the game, eventually winning a pawn in an ending. To his credit, Wei found a couple of excellent defensive manoeuvres, timely advanced his kingside pawns and engineered a counterplay that was sufficient for a draw. Parham Maghsoodloo – Ding Liren | ½-½, 31 moves Ding Liren employed his favourite g7-g5 in the Giocco Piano, castled short, but prematurely pushed his g-pawn further with 13…g5-g4. In this position, Parham stunned the World Champion with 14.Bh4! leaving the knight en prise. Black accepted the challenge and captured the knight, but after 14…gxf4 15. Qxf3 Kg7 16. Nf1, the pin along the h4-d8 diagonal was highly unpleasant for Black. After some thought Ding found the only defense parrying both threats Nf1-e3-d5 and Nf1-g3-h5, namely 16…Rh8! 17. Ne3 Raf8 18. Kh1 h5! After some interesting complications, White restored the material balance and forced a draw by repetition on move 31. Ju Wenjun – Alireza Firouzja | 1-0, 64 moves The Women’s World Champion got some initiative at the queenside as White in the Exchange Variation of French Defense, but Alireza created sufficient counterplay in the center. On move 22, he overambitiously advanced his e-passer, but Ju did not take a chance to get a very promising endgame. Surprisingly, Firouzja erred on the very next move, and the Women’s World Champion did not miss this opportunity. After 23…Qf7 (instead of 23…Bxf3 with a roughly equal position) 24. Ng5! Qg6 25. Qxg6 Bxg6 26. Rxe2 h6 27. Nf3 Be4 28. Ne5 White liquidated into a technically winning endgame. Ju’s conversion was not optimal, while Alireza mounted stubborn resistance and had a chance to save the game or at least make White’s task much more difficult. After precise 52…Kc6, it is not easy for White to make progress. Unluckily for Firouzja, he got tempted by the active 52…Rf3? but it failed to 53. Nxe4 dxe4 54. Kg2 Rxa3 55. Rxe4 Rd3 56. Kf2 c6 57. Kg2 and the rook ending was hopeless for Black due to zugzwang. As soon as White activated both her rook and the king Alireza admitted his defeat. Vidit Gujrathi – Max Warmerdam | ½-½, 34 moves The opponents tested a popular line of Ruy Lopez, following a recent game between Gukesh D and Andrey Esipenko but the Dutchman deviated first with 13…Bg4, preserving his light-squared bishop. This novelty helped Max to maintain balance after a tactical skirmish in the centre, where he demonstrated precise calculation. Black then sacrificed a pawn to liquidate into an opposite-colour bishop ending, in which he safely reached draw on move 34. Gukesh D – Ian Nepomniachtchi | 1-0, 49 moves Ian essayed the Dutch-Peruvian Gambit of QGD, sacrificed a pawn and got sufficient compensation in the form of two bishops and some pressure on the queenside. After complex manoeuvring, Black made a seemingly active move with his dark-squared bishop 34…Bb4? but missed a crushing blow by his opponent. 35. Nxc6! and Black’s position collapsed. After 35. Nxc6 Rcxc6 36. Rxd5 h5 37. Qf4 Rd6 38. Rxd6 Bxd6 39. Rxd6 Rxd6 40. Qxd6 Qe1+ 41. Kh2 Qxf2 42. Nc3 Gukesh emerged with two passers on the queenside. At his point, Ian had a chance to regain one of the pawns and resist tenaciously in a queen ending with 42… Qxe3 (with the idea of 43. Nd5 Qf2 44. Ne7+ Kh7 45. Nxg6 fxg6), but after he turned it away, White quickly converted his advantage. Alexander Donchenko – Jorden Van Foreest | ½-½, 34 moves The game saw a rare line of the English Opening with an early d7-d5 by Black, who achieved a comfortable position. The subsequent play revolved around the White’s e4-e5 advance in the center, which Jorden met with a timely pawn sacrifice, activating his pieces. After Black regained the pawn and traded the queens, the players split a point in an equal endgame. Standings after Round 5: 1 Giri, Anish NED 2749 4 2-5 Praggnanandhaa, R IND 2743 3 2-5 Abdusattorov, Nodirbek UZB 2727 3 2-5 Wei, Yi CHN 2740 3 2-5 Firouzja, Alireza FRA 2759 3 6-10 Gukesh, D IND 2725 2½ 6-10 Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi IND 2742 2½ 6-10 Ding, Liren CHN 2780 2½ 6-10 Warmerdam, Max NED 2625 2½ 6-10 Nepomniachtchi, Ian RUS 2769 2½ 11-12 Ju, Wenjun CHN 2549 2 11-12 Van Foreest, Jorden NED 2682 2 13 Donchenko, Alexander GER 2643 1½ 14 Maghsoodloo, Parham IRI 2740 1 Masters pairings Photos: Jurriaan Hoefsmit – Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2024 Official website: tatasteelchess.com
Queens’ Online Chess Festival returns in March 2024
The Queens’ Online Chess Festival, a series of continental women’s online blitz tournaments, is returning this spring! The fourth edition of the popular event, organised by the FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess, will take place from March 09-30, 2024, on the Tornelo online platform. In 2023, over 800 female players from 124 countries participated in the third edition of the festival. Organisers hope that this time, the number of female players joining the event will exceed one thousand. The festival welcomes all women chess players from around the world of all ages and all rating groups, including unrated chess enthusiasts. Participation is free of charge. The festival is comprised of two competitions: Queens’ Women Open Tournament (open to all female participants with FIDE ID). Continental qualifying events running from Match 09-17 and Semi-Final and Final scheduled on March 24 and 30, respectively; Unrated Princesses’ tournaments (for U16 (born on 1.1.2008 or later) female players with no FIDE rating). The qualification stage is scheduled for March 24, and finals will be held on March 30. The Queens’ Online Chess Festival 2024’s main prizes are worth fighting for. Like in the previous edition, the winners of the World Queens’ Open 2024 and Princess’ Tournament (both U9 and U16 ) will be invited to the 45th World Chess Olympiad 2024 in Budapest, Hungary, this September. Air tickets, full-board accommodation for three days and invitations to the Opening Ceremony of the Chess Olympiad 2024 for the winner and one accompanying person will be covered. Queens’ Women Open Tournament Registration form: forms.gle/Bs9swcu5zkuEY4T87 Registration deadlines: Africa – March 02, 2024 Europe – March 03, 2024 Asia – March 09, 2024 Americas – March 10, 2024 The qualification tournaments and semi-finals will be 9 or 11-round Swiss tournaments with 3+2 time control, depending on the number of participants, while the final will be a round-robin with 5+5 time control (7 rounds). Unrated Princesses’ Tournament Registration form: forms.gle/gqSM1nkUfR6m1LhWA Registration deadline: March 17, 2024 Unrated players U16 (born on 01.01.2008 or later) can play in both the Queens’ Women’s Open tournament and the Unrated Princesses’ tournament. Regulations for the Queens’ Chess Festival (pdf)
20th International Solving Contest (ISC) announced
The 20th International Solving Contest (ISC) will take place on January 21st starting at 11:00 AM CET. This one-day event will feature participants simultaneously solving the same set of chess problems in over 50 locations worldwide. The tournament will be held in three categories: Category I – Main, open to everyone (but dedicated to experienced solvers) Category II – For players with U2000 rating or without a rating (in solving!) Category III – U13 Youth category (born after December 31, 2010) Categories I and II consist of two rounds, while Category III comprises a single round. Each round lasts for two hours. Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, stands out as one of the most prestigious ISC locations, having previously hosted the World Chess Solving Championship in 2022. The lineup there includes top finishers from the 2023 World Chess Solving Championship, including Danila Pavlov, the world’s best solver for three consecutive years. The participation of former solving world champions Kacper Piorun and Piotr Murdzia from Poland will further intensify the competition for the title. Over-the-board (OTB) chess grandmasters are adding to the competitive landscape, with names like Raunak Sadhwani, the ninth-youngest GM in chess history, and Arkady Naiditsch, a former elite chess professional ranked within the top 20 in the FIDE rating list in 2013. The complete starting list is available here. You can see three checkmates in two moves from each category from the previous year’s competition below. Good luck with the challenge! 1. White to play and mate in 2 moves (cat.I) 2. White to play and mate in 2 moves (cat.II) 3. White to play and mate in 2 moves (cat.III) Important links: General information about ISC and rules: wfcc.ch/invitation-20th-isc/ Fujairah location starting list : chess-results.com/tnr863164.aspx?lan=3 Solutions: 1. Pavel Murashev, Moscow championship 2013: 1.Rc4! (2.Re4#) 1…Kd5 2.Rc5#; 1…Nf6/Nf2 2.Nb7# 2. Pavel Murashev, Schweizerische Schachzeitung, 2015: 1.Qc1! (2.Ne3#) 1…Kxd5 2.Nb4#; 1…Bxd5 2.Ne5#; 1…Nxc5+ 2.Rxc5# 3. Poul Hage, Magasinet, 1941: 1.Bh8! – zugzwang Written by: GM Kacper Piorun Photos from the previous ISC competitions: solving in Fujairah (Photo Fujairah CCC) and Bangalore (Photo Shankar Ram) Official website: WFCC – World Federation for Chess Composition
Tata Steel Masters 2024: Anish Giri pulls ahead
Anish Giri notched up a second win in a row in Round 4 of the Tata Steel Masters 204 and leapfrogged Alireza Firouzja, who split a point with Nodirbek Abdusattorov. The Dutchman is going to the rest day as the sole leader of the event. Wei Yi and Praggnanandhaa R also scored victories and moved up in the standings. Alexander Donchenko was very close to his first win but allowed Ian Nepomniachtchi to escape with a draw. Anish Giri – Gukesh D | 1-0, 72 moves Gukesh comfortably equalized on the black side of English Opening but somewhat straightforwardly forced exchanges, apparently underestimating the dangers of the position with opposite-coloured bishops that emerged on the board. Interestingly, the first line of Stockfish is 25…e4!? sacrificing the pawn, followed by Qe5. Gukesh played 25…Qd8 instead, but after 26. h4! h5 27. Rb5 White got a long-lasting pressure that is very hard to withstand in a practical game. The young Indian tried to escape in an endgame, but Anish slowly but surely got to Black’s weak pawns and sealed the deal on move 72. Alireza Firouzja – Nodirbek Abdusattorov | ½-½, 30 moves The opponents tested a topical line of the Open Ruy Lopez in which Alireza lost to Vidit three years ago. Firouzja was first to deviate with 18.cxd4, but Nodirbek demonstrated his opening preparation, reeling off several best moves and reaching equality. Shortly after trading the queens, the players split a point in a balanced endgame. Max Wanderdam – Ju Wenjun | ½-½, 30 moves In a popular line of the Catalan, the players followed the encounter Nepomniachtchi – Firouzja (2022) up to move 19. Max opted for a new move 19.Qa3 but it did not change the evaluation of the position as roughly equal. As soon as the last pair of minor pieces left the board, a draw was agreed on move 31. Wei Yi – Parham Maghsoodloo | 1-0, 69 moves Parham went for complications and sacrificed an exchange for two pawns in the Advanced Caro-Kann, which led to a very interesting unbalanced position. The opponents traded inaccuracies in a complicated struggle, with Wei spurning a draw by repetition closer to the time control. The position remained in balance after trading the queens, but shortly after, Maghsoodloo made a nonchalant move that cost him the game. Black has to deal with e3-e4, driving the bishop away and white rook’s potential penetration to the seventh rank. The only move addressing both issues is 44…f5! with the idea of meeting 45.g5 with 45…Rb7, followed by 46…h6 with sufficient counterplay. Parham, however, played 44…Be4? and after 45.Ra7+ it was all over for Black. Wei transferred his rooks to the seven rank, traded the rooks and advanced his a-pawn, forcing Maghsoodloo’s capitulation. Jorden Van Foreest – Vidit Gujrathi | ½-½, 30 moves The players tested the Rubinstein variation of Four Knights in which Black sacrifices a pawn for initiative. Usually, it is sufficient to maintain equilibrium, and this game was no exception. Vidit regained a pawn, but most of the pieces were exchanged in a process, and the opponents signed a peace in an equal rook endgame. Ding Liren – Praggnanandhaa R | 0-1, 62 moves Things unfolded slowly in the Arkhangelsk Variation of Ruy Lopez, but with his fifteenth move, the World Champion allowed Praggnanandhaa to push in the center with c5-c4 getting some initiative. Several moves down the road, it snowballed into serious pressure on White’s b2-pawn, which eventually fell. Black gradually exchanged most of the pieces liquidating into a knight endgame. Ding had some chances for a draw, but his 43rd move made things much easier for Pragg. White should have played 43.Ke3 (or 43.Ne3) keeping his pawn structure intact, whereas 43.f4? played by Ding was tantamount to chess suicide. Black effortlessly converted his extra pawn twenty moves later. Ian Nepomniachtchi – Alexander Donchenko | ½-½, 56 moves In a topical line of the Sicilian Dragon, Alexander used a pawn sacrifice introduced by Nikita Vitiugov in his game with David Navara at the recent European Team Championship and got sufficient compensation. Ian boldly castled long, which led to a very interesting double-edged but roughly equal position. However, with his 28th move, Ian recklessly snatched the b4-pawn, missing a spectacular but simple blow. 28… Rxc2+! 29. Kxc2 Rc8+ According to chess engines, after 30. Kd3 Qxd5+ 31. Ke3, the position is equal, but this line is very hard to venture upon for a human. Ian played more natural 30.Nc3, but after 30…Qf3! Black was winning despite White’s extra rook. Soon, Alexander restored the material balance, but fatigue took its toll at this point as he gradually let his advantage slip away and forced a draw by perpetual. Standings after Round 4: 1 Giri, Anish NED 2749 3½ 2 Firouzja, Alireza FRA 2759 3 3-6 Praggnanandhaa, R IND 2743 2½ 3-6 Abdusattorov, Nodirbek UZB 2727 2½ 3-6 Wei, Yi CHN 2740 2½ 3-6 Nepomniachtchi, Ian FID 2769 2½ 7-9 Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi IND 2742 2 7-9 Ding, Liren CHN 2780 2 7-9 Warmerdam, Max NED 2625 2 10-11 Gukesh, D IND 2725 1½ 10-11 Van Foreest, Jorden NED 2682 1½ 12-13 Donchenko, Alexander GER 2643 1 12-13 Ju, Wenjun CHN 2549 1 14 Maghsoodloo, Parham IRI 2740 ½ Masters pairings Photos: Jurriaan Hoefsmit and Lennart Ootes – Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2024 Official website: tatasteelchess.com
Tata Steel Masters 2024: Giri joins Firouzja in the lead
It was another feisty round in the Tata Steel Masters 2024 with four victories in seven games, and just like in Round 1, all scored by Black. Anish Giri outplayed Alexander Donchenko and caught up with Alireza Firouzja, who drew his game with Max Warmerdam. Jorden Van Foreest, Nodirbek Abdusattorov and the World Champion Ding Liren scored their first wins in the event. Vidit Gujrathi – Ian Nepomniachtchi | ½-½, 35 moves Ian Nepomniachtchi demonstrated excellent preparation as Black in the Petroff Defence and emerged slightly better out of the opening. Vidit patiently defended an inferior position with the isolated d-pawn and eventually reached a draw in a minor-piece endgame. Max Warmerdam – Alireza Firouzja | ½-½, 30 moves As early as move 11, the players quickly stepped into uncharted territory in the Nimzo-Indian, with White getting an advantage. Max proceeded solidly but somewhat slowly, allowing Alireza to equalize. After some interesting complications in the center most of the pieces were exchanged, but White still had a slight edge. Warmerdam, however, reasoned it was not worth it to continue the fight and a draw was agreed on move 30. Ju Wenjun – Jorden Van Foreest | 0-1, 37 moves The opponents got a fresh position in the Modern Defence very early and waged a battle in a complicated endgame. On move 23, Ju struck in the center, but two moves later sacrificed the “wrong” piece. After 24. Bxb5 cxb5 25. Nxd5 Ra7 26. Ne7+ Rxe7 27. Bxe7 White would have had a rook and two pawns for two minor pieces in a slightly better position. Instead, the Women’s World Champion sacrificed her knight with 24. Nxd5 cxd5 25. Bxb5 axb4 26. axb4 Re6 27. Rxd5 Nf8 28. c4 Rb6 29. Rbd1 Bb7, but it was not nearly as effective as Black seized the initiative. Jorden managed to coordinate his pieces for an attack, but Ju could have put up a very stubborn resistance with 31.Be7, giving up her f4 pawn but getting a good chance for a draw. After she played more natural 31.Bh6, Van Foreest came up with a powerful 31…g5! and eventually got to White’s king. Ju Wenjun resigned on move 37, facing an imminent checkmate. Alexander Donchenko – Anish Giri | 0-1, 41 moves Anish Giri essayed a rare line of the Kings’s Indian Defence and reached an equal but playable position. Up to a certain point, the opponents played sensibly, but on move 28, Alexander moved his knight to a passive position on f1. Anish immediately seized the opportunity and exerted long-lasting pressure on White. With his position gradually getting worse, Donchenko tried to disentangle himself with 36.f4, but it immediately backfired. After 36… cxd4 37. fxe5 Nb4 38. Qb5 Rc8 39. Kg1 f4 40. gxf4 Qxf4 41. Qd7 Rf8 White resigned, unable to parry Black’s threats. Gukesh D – Ding Liren | 0-1, 37 moves The players entered uncharted waters in the Giocco Piano very early, and after Gukesh castled to the opposite wing and struck in the center, he had a chance to grasp the initiative. However, with a couple of sluggish moves, he handed it to the World Champion, who correctly traded his dark-squared bishop for the knight, brought his queen into action and won a pawn. The young Indian could have resisted more stubbornly, but his 24. Re3 became the last straw. After 24… Ng7! 25. Nxg7 Kxg7 26. d5 Rxe3 27. fxe3 Nb4 28. Qxb7 Re8 29. Bf4 Qf5 30. Qb5 Na2+ Ding got a decisive attack, which he saw through to the victory. Parham Maghsoodloo – Nodirbek Abdusattorov| 0-1, 43 moves The game saw a rare line of English Opening, and as soon as move seven, the opponents sidestepped the theory. Both played very creatively in the opening stage and found themselves in a very sharp, double-edged position. On move 15, Nodirbek chose the wrong square for his queen and quickly was on the rocks. Black decided on the last desperate measure and sacrificed a knight with 19…Nxc5. White could have gained a decisive advantage with 19. Qa3 Qc4+ 20. Kb1 a5 21. e4 Qb4 22. Qxb4 axb4 23. e5 Nd5 24. Bxc5 Bxe5 25. Nge4 +- Luckily for Nodirbek and unluckily for Praham, the Iranian chose the wrong way to grab the piece, and the situation turned around completely. After 19. Qc2? Qxa2 20. Bxc5 Rb8 21. b4 Qa3+ 22. Kd2 Nd5 23. Rh3 Abdusattorov delivered a spectacular blow 23…Re3!! Black got a crushing attack, and Maghsoodloo soon admitted his defeat. Praggnanandhaa R – Wei Yi | ½-½, 47 moves In a popular line of the Najdorf Sicilian, Pragg sacrificed a pawn for long-lasting pressure on the light squares and engineered dangerous initiative on the kingside. To Wei’s credit, he found an excellent defensive maneuver Nc6-d8-e6, returned a pawn and reached a draw in an equal endgame. Standings after Round 3: 1-2 Firouzja, Alireza FRA 2759 2½ 1-2 Giri, Anish NED 2749 2½ 3-5 Abdusattorov, Nodirbek UZB 2727 2 3-5 Ding, Liren CHN 2780 2 3-5 Nepomniachtchi, Ian FID 2769 2 6-10 Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi IND 2742 1½ 6-10 Gukesh, D IND 2725 1½ 6-10 Warmerdam, Max NED 2625 1½ 6-10 Praggnanandhaa, R IND 2743 1½ 6-10 Wei, Yi CHN 2740 1½ 11 Van Foreest, Jorden NED 2682 1 12-14 Donchenko, Alexander GER 2643 ½ 12-14 Maghsoodloo, Parham IRI 2740 ½ 12-14 Ju, Wenjun CHN 2549 ½ Masters pairings Photos: Jurriaan Hoefsmit and Lennart Ootes – Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2024 Official website: tatasteelchess.com
FIDE publishes regulations for 2024 Candidates Tournaments
General information about the forthcoming 2024 FIDE Candidates and Women’s Candidates Chess Tournaments in Toronto Toronto is poised to make chess history as it hosts the 2024 FIDE Candidates from April 3-23, where the challenger for the title of world champion will be determined in both the Open and the Women’s categories. It will be a double first for chess: the first time the Candidates are held in North America and the first time that both the Open and the Women’s Candidates tournaments take place together. This event, featuring 16 top-world players (eight in the open and eight in the Women’s category), has a combined prize fund of 750,000 euros, with 500,000 allocated for the Open and 250,000 for the Women’s event. The event continues a long-term collaboration initiated in 2022 under the patronage of the Scheinberg family, demonstrating their commitment to supporting the growth of chess on the global stage. General information: Toronto’s historic Great Hall (located at 1087 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M6J 1H3) will serve as the battleground for the elite players, engaging in a double round-robin tournament spanning 14 rounds. Spectators will be able to witness the intensity of the matches firsthand and experience the thrill of seeing top world players in person. Participants: Open Candidates*: Ian Nepomniachtchi, 2023 Match Runner-up R Praggnanandhaa, 2023 World Cup 2nd Fabiano Caruana, 2023 World Cup 3rd Nijat Abasov, 2023 World Cup 4th Vidit Santosh Gujrathi, 2023 Grand Swiss winner Hikaru Nakamura, 2023 Grand Swiss 2nd Alireza Firouzja, Best by Rating Gukesh D 2023 FIDE Circuit Winner *Magnus Carlsen, who qualified for the Candidates by winning the 2023 World Cup, earlier informed FIDE that he will not be taking part in the event. As per FIDE Candidates qualification paths, Nijat Abasov, who finished 4th in the World Cup, took his place. Women’s Candidates: Lei Tingjie, 2023 Match Runner-up Kateryna Lagno, 2022-23 WGP 1st Aleksandra Goryachkina, 2022-23 WGP 2nd Nurgyul Salimova, 2023 World Cup 2nd Anna Muzychuk, 2023 World Cup 3rd Vaishali Rameshbabu, 2023 Grand Swiss 1st Tan Zhongyi, 2023 Grand Swiss 2nd Humpy Koneru, Best by Rating (World Cup spot replacement) Drawing of Pairings and Colors: The drawing of pairings and colors will be conducted by the Chief Arbiter, in coordination with the FIDE COO, no later than four weeks before the start of the Candidates Tournament. Players from the same federation shall play each other in rounds 1 and 8 (if only two) and in rounds 1, 2, 3 and 8, 9, 10 if there are up to three players from the same federation. Withdrawals after completing 50% or more of games will result in the remaining games being declared as lost by default. For withdrawals before this threshold, all results will be annulled. The dress code is strictly observed for the tournament and all the official events and press-conferences. Men are required to wear a neat shirt and formal suit, while women players should wear a neat shirt/blouse and formal suit (with slacks or skirt) or dress. Any requests to wear national or traditional dress shall be approved by the FIDE Technical Delegate. Open Candidates Tournament Information: Time control: 120 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with a 30-second increment per move starting from move 41. Prizes: 48,000 euros for the winner, 36,000 euros for the second place, and 24,000 euros for the third place. Additionally, players receive 3,500 euros for every half-point scored. Women’s Candidates Tournament Information: Time control: 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with a 30-second increment per move starting from move 1. Prizes: 24,000 euros for the winner, 18,000 euros for the second place, and 12,000 euros for the third place. Additionally, players receive 1,750 euros for every half-point scored. Preparations for the event: Tournament Director, Grandmaster Pavel Tregubov, who is also the Secretary of FIDE’s Global Strategy Commission, said that everything is going to plan so far with the organization of the event. “We are thrilled to host the 2024 FIDE Candidates and Women’s Candidates tournaments in Toronto, uniting the global chess community in a groundbreaking event,” said Tregubov. “The simultaneous staging of these prestigious tournaments is a testament to the international appeal and growth of chess. We are grateful for the ongoing support of the Scheinberg family, whose dedication continues to elevate the sport,” Tregubov added. Useful links: Regulations for the Open Candidates (pdf) Regulations for the Women’s Candidates (pdf)