Fabiano Caruana wins Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz 2023
Fabiano Caruana became the 2023 Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz champion after a dramatic final day of blitz, which came down to a winner-take-all last round game against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. Caruana ended with 21/36 points, Vachier-Lagrave finished second with 20.5, while Ian Nepomniachtchi and Le Quang Liem tied for third place with 20. Earning 13 GCT points for the tournament victory, Caruana is now extremely close to clinching the overall 2023 Grand Chess Tour: BLITZ | ROUNDS 10-18 The Day 4 leader, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, struggled on the final day, losing his first two games to Liem and Nepomniachtchi before stabilizing with a much-needed win over Firouzja: MVL-Firouzja: After 15.g4!, White traps Black’s bishop on the kingside. MVL was brilliant on the first day of blitz, but lost steam during the second. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes Vachier-Lagrave would go on to score five draws and a loss to So, but would still have chances in the very last game against Caruana. Fabi’s road to the top was also rocky, after starting the day with 5.5/7 which included three straight wins over Nepo, Firouzja, and Giri, he flagged in a rook and bishop vs. rook ending against Robson in the penultimate round. Firouzja-Caruana: After 36.Kf1? It looks like the g3-pawn is immune because of Rg2, but Black has Qxg2+! (and Nf4), so Caruana played 36…Qxg3! with a decisive advantage. Caruana-Giri: After 15.cxb5!? was a bold choice, sacrificing the knight on c3 for three passed pawns on the queenside. Heading into the final round, Caruana was ahead of MVL by half a point, and faced him with the White pieces. MVL played excellently in a Semi-Slav to achieve a winning endgame, but blundered his advantage in a single move, allowing Caruana to save the game and clinch the tournament. Caruana-MVL: In this key moment MVL blundered with 57…Re2?, getting his rook trapped and allowing Caruana to save the game with 58.Kd3! Caruana worked hard to overtake the lead, then came incredibly close to losing it at the end. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes Finishing in a tie for third place were Nepomniachtchi and Liem, each with different paths. Nepo was close to the lead for most of the day, but never managed to pull ahead, losing his chances after a penultimate round collapse against Firouzja. Ian was tied for the lead at various moments, but lost important games to Caruana and Firouzja. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes An excellent 6.5/9 for Liem on the final day. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes The Sinquefield Cup, the final leg of the 2023 Grand Chess Tour, begins Tuesday, November 21, with live coverage starting at 1:15 PM CST. Catch all the action live with grandmaster commentators Yasser Seirawan, Peter Svidler, and Jovanka Houska on uschesschamps.com and on the Saint Louis Chess Club’s YouTube and Twitch.tv channels. Written by IM Kostya Kavutskiy Photos: Lennart Ootes Official website: grandchesstour.org/2023-grand-chess-tour/2023-saint-louis-rapid-blitz
Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz 2023: Day 4 Recap
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave took the sole lead after the first day of blitz, thanks to a fantastic 7/9 performance to give him a total score of 17/27. Trailing with 15 points each are Fabiano Caruana and Ian Nepomniachtchi, with nine more games of blitz to be played tomorrow. BLITZ | ROUNDS 1-9 After a solid performance in the rapid MVL started the day with a win over Liem, before losing his first game of the event at the hands of Nepomniachtchi. From there the French No. 2 uncorked three straight wins against Firouzja, Giri, and Robson before scoring wins against So and Sevian to close out the day. MVL-So: After 33.Ne5!! White leaves the queen en prise due to the threat of Nef7#. MVL went on to keep the initiative and convert the game. Sevian-MVL: After 35…Bxh4!, Black won the game due to the threat of g6-g5 mate. An incredible day for MVL, who seized a clear lead in the tournament. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes Finishing in a current tie for second were Fabiano Caruana and Ian Nepomniachtchi, with Caruana losing a key game in Round 14 where he overpressed against Nepo. But he would then bounce back with wins over Firouzja and Giri. In particular the win over Firouzja was exciting–after a successful Nxg5 sacrifice in the Italian, Caruana misplayed things and was in danger of losing, but a last-ditch Hail Mary attempt at Firouzja’s king ended up provoking a key blunder: Caruana-Firouzja: After 25.Rf6! with seconds on his clock, Firouzja wasn’t able to find a suitable defense, and quickly went down after 25…Rh7 26.Rfxg6+ Caruana had an up and down day, with lots of turnarounds. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes Nepomniachtchi’s day was the most volatile of all, as he started off with wins against Robson and MVL before dropping a game to So, followed by winning four straight games against Sevian, Caruana, Liem, and Xiong before finishing the day with losses to Firouzja and Giri. Nepo-Caruana: After 25…Rxf3! Black won a pawn due to the idea of 26.Rxf3 Rxf3 27.Kxf3 Nd4+, but Nepo managed to later turn things around. No draws for Ian, who won most of his games in technical fashion. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes Tomorrow the players will play another nine rounds of blitz, with the colors reversed, to determine the 2023 Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz champion. The 2023 Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz continues tomorrow, November 18th, starting at 1:00 PM CDT. Catch all the action live with grandmaster commentators Yasser Seirawan, Peter Svidler, and Tania Sachdev on uschesschamps.com and on the Saint Louis Chess Club’s YouTube and Twitch.tv channels. Written by IM Kostya Kavutskiy Photos: Lennart Ootes Official website: grandchesstour.org/2023-grand-chess-tour/2023-saint-louis-rapid-blitz
Chess, choices, and change: The Hector Guifarro story
Hector Guifarro had a troubled childhood. At the age of 19, he “made a bad choice” which landed him in prison. Chess was his way out. This is his story. Hector Guifarro (29) was born and raised in Waukegan, Illinois, an industrial suburb of Chicago. A predominantly working-class area with a slightly lower crime rate than other US neighbourhoods. Unfortunately, at an early age, Hector started going down one of life’s darkest alleyways. “I was a troublemaker as a teenager and got kicked out of school. My mum sent me to military school when I turned 18. I then got a job at a bank and competed in amateur boxing. Even though I was starting to do well for myself, I was still involved in the streets and – I ended up in prison”. It wasn’t long before the law caught up with him. The crime was such that it warranted 14 years of prison. Hector took a plea deal, served seven and spent the other seven on parole. It was in prison that he found his path “to becoming a better person”, thanks to chess. “Prison is where I found the game of chess. My chess became my island. It kept me out of trouble. It built my confidence and made me believe in myself”. Hector had never played chess before. He heard about the game, but it “wasn’t on the radar” for him. Until Statesville. Stateville Correctional Center is a maximum-security state prison for men in Crest Hill, near Chicago. Some of the most notorious criminals served their time there, and some ended it there. Stateville is one of three sites in which executions were carried out by electrocution in Illinois. “County jails are different than prisons. When I was in prison, we only got out for an hour a day, and every day, I would play chess for that hour.” A lot of people play chess in prisons, Hector notes. “As I entered Stateville, I remember walking, and I heard inmates yelling out numbers. At first, I didn’t know what they were doing. Later, I found out they were playing chess throughout the whole time, even in their cells”. Some of the inmates who played chess showed it to Hector. “At first, I was having a hard time understanding how the pieces move, but a friend of mine helped me understand. He broke it down to me. And after that, I just kept playing with everybody who wanted to play. Some inmates are very serious and competitive. But for me, it was always a healthy competition”. Discovering chess in prison helped Hector get on track with his life – starting to plan his moves and take responsibility for the mistakes, knowing they were a product of his choice, not somebody else’s. After seven years – on May 29 2020 – Hector left prison. “I’ve been out of trouble ever since. I completed my parole with no incidents with the law. Now, I’m getting ready to graduate from college. Chess helped me think differently and changed my whole thought process. It also helped me deal with losses, which was difficult for me to do before”. One of the first things Hector did after leaving Stateville was to contact FIDE. “When I saw that FIDE was doing something for chess in prisons, it related to me so much. I then sent them an email and told them everything about my life, and they got back to me and got me involved in the project for prisoners”. Hector took part in chess competitions in the US and has been a chess coach for the past three years. “My ELO now is 1330. My main goal is to bring chess to my community and offer it to the youth and give them a platform where they could experience competitive chess”. In January 2021, Hector co-founded the Chess for Fighters Program at the Angels Boxing Academy. “Angel Lopez, who is the founder of Angels Boxing Academy, reached out to me about a chess program. I visited the gym, and I liked what I saw. He and I teamed up and created the Chess for Fighters program. Together, we created something special for our community, and we introduced the game of chess to the youth and also gave the students a platform to experience competitive chess. We are now doing chess tournaments, and all our students are members of the US Chess Federation. Pretty soon, we’re going to be having chess champions coming out of the academy”. Apart from running five chess programs at schools, this summer, Hector has taken up a job as an outreach specialist with the Lake County Peacemakers, working on reducing gun violence in Waukegan and working with at-risk individuals to help them find resources. Many of the kids he deals with never saw a chess piece in their life but have already held a gun. He tries to explain how chess will help them, even if they choose life on the streets. “I try and explain that chess can help them to think about the moves they make in life. If you’re living that lifestyle on the streets, you’ll always have to think about a lot of things that can happen. The point is teaching people that they have choices – like moves in chess. And if I mess up, well, that was my choice. And I apply that to life, and that kept me out of trouble.” Hector Guifarro will soon graduate from applied science at the College of Lake County. He has been accepted to two universities where he applied to do his BA in cyber-security, and he also got a scholarship. When reflecting on how prison and chess changed his life, he sums it up with the following: “In prison, I learned to believe in myself. Chess made me believe, and after that, I thought I could do anything. Coming out of prison, I felt more confident. I had that mindset that I wanted
FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championships 2023: Information for players
Dear players, Please find below important and useful information related to the event. Registration: Registration of the participants of the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championships is done via the registration system: Registration – FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships 2023. Registration deadline is December 01. Broadcast delay: Games of the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championships will be broadcast with delay. 5-minutes delay will be applied for rapid games, 2-minuted delay for blitz. Location: The FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championship will take place in the Silk Road Samarkand (Rowing Canal, Konigil Massif, Samarkand, Uzbekistan). A unique multi-purpose resort includes eight world-class hotels, comfortable public spaces, parks, recreation, and sports areas, concept restaurants, cafes, and bars, as well as an international congress center and cultural sites. This modern project developed by an international team of architects and engineers made it possible to harmonize different thematic areas on the unique site that is second to none in entire Central Asia. The Silk Road Samarkand boasts a convenient location and is easily accessible from the airport, railway station, or any part of the Silk Road Samarkand resort. Sсhedule: Day1 25.12.2023 – SATURDAY Arrival Technical meeting Opening ceremony Day 2 – Rapid 26.12.2023 — SUNDAY 15:00 Open tournament: Rounds 1-5 Women’s tournament: Rounds 1-4 Day 3 – Rapid 27.12.2023 — MONDAY 15:00 Open tournament: Rounds 6-9 Women’s tournament: Rounds 5-8 Day 4 – Rapid 28.12.2023 — TUESDAY 15:00 Open tournament: Rounds 10-13 Women’s tournament: Rounds 9-11 Day 5 – Blitz 29.12.2023 — WEDNESDAY 15:00 Open tournament: Rounds 1-12 Women’s tournament: Rounds 1-9 Day 6 – Blitz 30.12.2023 — THURSDAY 14:00 Open tournament: Rounds 13-21 Women’s tournament: Rounds 10-17 Closing Ceremony Day 7 31.12.2023 – FRIDAY Departure Accommodation: Special rates with full board will be provided by the organizer for staying in the official hotels of the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championships. Participants of the tournament need to book their hotel rooms at the official website of the Silk Road Samarkand Resort (silkroad-samarkand.com) using a promo code that will be sent to them by the organizing committee upon filling the registration form. Official hotels of the event: Silk Road by Minyoun (5 stars) The five-star Silk Road by Minyoun, managed by the Minyoun Hospitality hotel chain is dedicated to the Silk Road history. The facility offers 241 rooms located in a 22-storey building. Photo: silkroad-samarkand.com/ Breakfasts are served in a stylish Gourmet Market. At the YI Palace restaurant, guests can taste the best Chinese specialties in stylish authentic environment. To enjoy panoramic views, make sure to visit the Li Bai bar located on the 20th floor of the hotel. And the Ming Lounge is destined to be a perfect place for meetings and negotiations. silkroad-samarkand.com/hotels/silk-road-by-minyoun/ Lia! by Minyoun Stars of Ulugbek (4 stars) The Lia! hotels focus on a new generation of young and active travelers who prefer dynamism and stylish solutions. These hotels feature affordable prices, friendly environments, and vivid emotions for each guest. Photo: silkroad-samarkand.com/ This four-star hotel managed by the Minyoun Hospitality chain is named after Mirzo Ulugbek, the ruler of Samarkand, who also was a famous astronomer and mathematician. Ulugbek determined the positions of 1,018 fixed stars and calculated the duration of the sidereal year. silkroad-samarkand.com/hotels/lia-by-minyoun-stars-of-ulugbek/ Wellness Park Hotel Bactria (3 stars) The hotel’s interior design is closely connected with the celebration of Nowruz — one of the most important components of the cultural legacy of Uzbekistan. In 2009, this holiday was inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Photo: silkroad-samarkand.com/ The word “Nowruz” has a Persian origin and represents a combination of two words: “now” means “new” and “ruz” means “day”. According to the Old Persian calendar, this is the first day of the year and the beginning of spring. The hotel specializes in the musculoskeletal system, spine and joint disorders. Guests can benefit from the following specialists working at the hotel: neurologist, osteopath, reflexologist, chiropractors, and physiotherapists. Special programs offer spinal disc herniation treatment and prevention by introducing chondroreparants and autogenous plasma. The wellness treatments also include massage, mud therapy, healing shower, infrared sauna, pressure therapy, shockwave therapy, and rooms for group and individual exercise therapy. The offered wellness programs are designed for 3 or more days of stay. silkroad-samarkand.com/hotels/wellness-park-hotel-bactria/ Wellness Park Hotel Turon (3 stars) The hotel’s interior design was inspired by the artworks of Persian miniature painter Kamoliddin Bekhzod, who lived in the 15th century. Same as Alisher Navoiy he is the greatest artist of the Timurid period. The interior design concept combines contemporary style interspersed with miniature techniques, including the artist’s artwork fragments. Photo: silkroad-samarkand.com/ The hotel’s programs focus on the treatment and prevention of bronchopulmonary diseases and post-Covid-19 rehabilitation. Guests can benefit from the following specialists: pulmonologist, neurologist, exercise therapist, pediatrician, allergist, otorhinolaryngologist. Special treatments include salt chamber, hydrocolonotherapy, immune-enhancing therapy, autogenous plasma therapy. Guests may also benefit from aesthetic and cosmetic services, massage, mud therapy, healing shower, infrared sauna, inhalations. The offered wellness programs are designed for 3 or more days of stay. silkroad-samarkand.com/hotels/wellness-park-hotel-turon/ Airport: Samarkand International Airport is located 6 km from the city center. The airport is operated by Uzbekistan Airways. It has domestic as well as international flights. In order to ensure a convenient and timely return of participants upon the end of the tournament, in addition to regular flights, a charter flight from Samarkand to Istanbul will be organized. Departure from Samarkand: 02:00 a.m., December 31. Expected time of arrival to Istanbul Airport (IST): 05:00 a.m., December 31. Visas: Сitizens of the following countries have the right to visit the Republic of Uzbekistan on a visa-free basis: Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Canada, Chili, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Poland, Portugal,
Close race after four rounds at World Youth Championship 2023
Round 4 brought several decisive outcomes at the top boards of the FIDE World Youth Chess Championship 2023. After four rounds of play in the Open U18 section, three players, IM Aldiyar Ansat, (KAZ, 2418), IM Aleksey Grebnev (FIDE, 2500) and FM Aron Pasti (HUN, 2397), share the top position with perfect 4/4 score. The rating favorite of the group, GM Volodar Murzin (FIDE, 2625) is a point behind the leaders after making two draws in a row. In the Girls U18 category, the rating favourite WIM Yelyzaveta Hrebenshcykova (UKR, 2292, pictured above) took her opponent WCM Bat-Erdene Mungunzul (MNG, 2111) into the rook ending where her active king was a decisive factor. Hrebenshcykova is not alone on the top as WGM Rochelle Wu (USA, 2228), WIM Xeniya Balabayeva (KAZ, 2192), and WFM Ayan Allahverdiyeva (AZE, 2152) also won four straight games. The leaders will clash in Round 5. In the Open U16 category, Polish IM Jan Klimkowski (2520, pictured below) and FM from Armenia Robert Piliposyan (2345) are tied for first place after winning four games in a row. In Round 4, Piliposyan defeated the rating favorite IM from Norway Aksel Bu Kvaloy (2457), in impressive style. The leaders battle it out for the sole leader position in Round 5. WCM Leyla Shohradova (1782) from Turkmenistan is on fire with 4/4. She gained almost 100 rating points after four rounds with a 2650 rating performance. In Round 5, Shohradova will face her co-leader, WFM Alexandra Shvedova (FIDE, 2170), on the first board. The Open U14 is the only section where the sole leader emerged. Vietnamese FM Tran Gia Phuc Pham (2386) has shown an amazing chess technique to win all four games with a rating performance of 2882. There will be a Vietnamese derby in Round 5 Pham is facing FM Gia Huy Banh (2397), one of 15 other players in this category on 3.5 points. Round 4 in the Girls U14 section was heartbreaking for Georgian Mariam Tsetskhadze (1911). She could have tied the game with WFM Zarina Nurgaliyeva (KAZ, 2104) if not for a blunder on the move 43. In Round 5, Nurgaliyeva (pictured above) is paired against WIM Iris Mou (USA, 2086), who also netted 4/4. The third participant with a perfect score is Alessia Natol (1756) of Poland, who pulled off a very important victory over a much higher-rated opponent, Iren Lyutsinger (FIDE, 2020). Round 5 starts on November 17 at 3 pm Central European Time. Standings after Round 4 Open U18 Standings after Round 4 Open U16 Standings after Round 4 Open U14 Standings after Round 4 Girls U18 Standings after Round 4 Girls U16 Standings after Round 4 Girls U14 Photos: Przemek Nikiel Official website: worldyouth2023.com/
Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz 2023: Day 3 Recap
Despite a last round loss Grandmaster Ray Robson ended up winning the rapid portion of the 2023 Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz, with a score of 11.0/18 heading into the blitz tomorrow. Tied for second were GMs Fabiano Caruana and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, both on 10.0/18, with several players (Firouzja, Nepomniachtchi, Giri, Liem) trailing closely behind with an even 9.0/18. RAPID | ROUNDS 7-9 The initial round started off quietly, with only Nepomniachtchi scoring victory over So, allowing Robson to keep his one point lead after drawing with Vachier-Lagrave. In Round 8 Robson would then defeat Nepo, as he managed to force the win of a piece before successfully navigating through a series of complications: Robson-Nepomniachtchi: After 37.Rxc8! everything is hanging, but White’s capturing more. The game concluded 37…Nd3+ 38.Kg3 Nxf4 39.Rxe8+ Kh7 40.Qxf4 1-0 Robson lost the final game, but still managed to stay on top. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes The win gave Robson a two-point lead heading into the last round of the rapid, where he ended up losing in a well-played game by So. Once again the final round was the most decisive–in addition to So’s win, Firouzja defeated Giri, Nepo scored against Liem, and Caruana converted a big advantage against Xiong: So-Robson: After 25.d4! White got a strong initiative on the dark-squares. So later converted a rook and bishop vs. rook and knight endgame. Firouzja-Giri: After 33.Nc6!, an elegant move to keep White’s extra material. Caruana-Xiong: After 46.Nf5!, White’s attack on the king was too strong. With all the results in, Robson was left atop of the standings as his closest competitors (MVL, Giri, Liem), all failed to win in the final round. Firouzja (9.0/18) is one of several players still in striking distance for the blitz. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes After a first round loss to Alireza, Caruana has bounced back to end on +1. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes MVL had a very solid rapid event, with eight draws and one win. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Crystal Fuller The field will next play a double round-robin in blitz, with just one point awarded for a win instead of two. The 2023 Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz continues on November 17th, starting at 1:00 PM CDT. Catch all the action live with grandmaster commentators Yasser Seirawan, Peter Svidler, and Tania Sachdev on uschesschamps.com and on the Saint Louis Chess Club’s YouTube and Twitch.tv channels. Written by IM Kostya Kavutskiy Photos: Lennart Ootes Official website: grandchesstour.org/2023-grand-chess-tour/2023-saint-louis-rapid-blitz
ETCC 2023: Germany forges ahead in Open, Azerbaijan and France co-lead women’s event
After five rounds are played at the European Team Chess Championship 2023, Germany emerged as the sole leader of the open section, while France and Azerbaijan are tied for first place in the Women’s Championship. In a clash for the sole lead, Germany convincingly defeated Armenia yesterday by a score of 3-1. GM Vincent Keymer (GER, 2721) couldn’t get a better present for his 19th birthday than a team win and an excellent victory over GM Haik Martirosyan (ARM, 2708). GM Matthias Bluebaum (GER, 2670) brought the second full point to Germany, stunning GM Hrant Melkumyan (ARM, 2650) with a spectacular queen sacrifice, while the games on the second and the fourth boards were drawn. Team Romania defeated Poland to join the race for the top position. GM Richard Rapport (ROU, 2748) came victorious against GM Radoslaw Wojtaszek (POL, 2668), while GM Bogdan-Daniel Deac (ROU, 2700) prevailed over GM Pawel Teclaf (POL, 2571). The games on the other two boards between GMs Kirill Shevchenko (ROU, 2665) and Mateusz Bartel (POL, 2651) and Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu (ROU, 2591) vs GM Szymon Gumularz (POL, 2580) were drawn, to set the final score of 3-1. Lower-rated Moldova surprised Norway by tying the match. GM Magnus Carlsen (NOR, 2829) couldn’t break the resistance of GM Ivan Schitco (MDA, 2503), who played a very solid game. GM Victor Bologan (MDA, 2573) defeated GM Lars Oskar Hauge (NOR, 2498), while IM Tor Fredrik Kaasen (NOR, 2471) beat FM Jegor Lashkin (MDA, 2457). With a draw on the second board between IM Andrei Macovei (MDA, 2446) and GM Aryan Tari (NOR, 2620), the teams equally scored two match points. After five rounds of play, Germany leads the Open tournament with 9 match points. They are closely followed by Serbia, Romania, England, and Netherlands, tied for second place, sitting on 8 match points. Today is the free day, and the event will resume at 15:00 CET. The top-board pairings are: Germany (Rtg average 2676) vs Romania (Rtg average 2676) Norway* (Rtg average 2633) vs Switzerland (Rtg average 2508) Belgium (Rtg average 2422) vs Montenegro* (Rtg average 2536) Netherlands (Rtg average 2632) vs England (Rtg average 2671) Serbia (Rtg average 2628) vs Armenia (Rtg average 2667) France and Azerbaijan in the Women’s section won their matches in Round 5 to maintain the lead in the event. Azerbaijan narrowly defeated Germany, thanks to the victory of IM Gunay Mammadzada (AZE, 2441) against GM Elisabeth Paehtz (GER, 2473). The other three games ended in draws, although WGM Josefine Heinemann (GER, 2318) had a very good chance to score a full point in a position where she signed the scoresheet. WGM Hanna Marie Klek (GER, 2282) missed the opportunity to gain a decisive advantage, and the game eventually transposed into an equal endgame. The team of France crushed Armenia, scoring a landslide 3.5-0.5 victory. WGM Mitra Hejazipour (FRA, 2323) defeated WIM Mariam Mkrtchyan (ARM, 2347), IM Pauline Guichard (FRA, 2347) was victorious against GM Elina Danielian (ARM, 2413), and IM Anastasia Savina (FRA, 2335) bested WIM Susanna Gaboyan (ARM, 2171). IM Lilit Mkrchian (ARM, 2387) was the only one to score a half-point for the Armenian team, drawing her game against IM Deimante Dulyte-Cornette (FRA, 2369). With Round 5 victories, France and Azerbaijan share the first place with 9 match points each. Bulgaria is trailing the leaders by a single point. After today’s free day, Round 6 will bring interesting encounters tomorrow. The top board pairings in the Women’s section are: Bulgaria (Rtg average 2362) vs Azerbaijan (Rtg average 2392) France (Rtg average 2357) vs Georgia (Rtg average 2471) Netherlands (Rtg average 2320) vs Germany (Rtg average 2385) Greece (Rtg average 2239) vs Armenia (Rtg average 2352) Switzerland (Rtg average 2314) vs Poland (Rtg average 2347) Text: europechess.org Photos: Mark Livshitz Useful links: Pairings, results & rankingsOfficial website of the eventPhoto gallery
Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz 2023: Day 2 Recap
The second day of rapid started off slow with ten straight draws, before an explosive final round left GM Ray Robson at the top of the standings after an important win over GM Alireza Firouzja. Heading into the final day of rapid, Robson leads with 8.0/12, while GMs Maxime Vachier Lagrave, Anish Giri, and Le Quang Liem trail closely behind with 7.0/12. RAPID | ROUNDS 4-6 While the results didn’t show it at first, the day had plenty of drama as all five games in rounds four and five were drawn, though with several players missing opportunities: Caruana failed to win with an extra exchange against So, MVL botched a winning knight endgame against Nepomniachtchi, and Giri blundered into a draw in a queen endgame with two extra pawns against Liem. But perhaps the biggest miss came from Firouzja, who sacrificed his queen for two pieces in highly creative fashion against So, only to squander a decisive advantage later on. Firouzja-So: 17.Qxf5!? led to wild complications after 17…gxf5 18.Nh6+, with White getting two pieces and tons of compensation for the queen. A near-brilliancy for Firouzja, who remains in second after the day. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes The final round of the day was by far the most decisive, with Caruana defeating the leader, Liem, after turning around a much worse position as Black. Liem-Caruana: After 37…Nc4! White’s position came under serious pressure, as Liem soon started to go wrong. Caruana has struggled so far but notched a key win over Liem in the sixth round. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes The win by Caruana allowed Robson to overtake the lead with a fantastic victory over Firouzja, as Robson built up an irresistible kingside attack before winning an endgame with a queen vs. three pieces: Robson-Firouzja: After 28.Be6, Black’s king was quickly done for on the g-file. Robson won an excellent attacking game to seize the lead. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes Also winning to tie for second at the end of the day were Giri, who shockingly won on time against Sevian in a drawn rook vs. bishop endgame (with the bishop!), and MVL, who unleashed a classic Sicilian exchange sacrifice before converting a nice endgame against So: So-MVL: 18…Rxc3! gave Black enormous compensation for the exchange after 19.Bxc3 Bg5. An insanely lucky break for Giri, who had his own misfortune the round before. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes The 2023 Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz continues on November 16th, starting at 1:00 PM CDT. Catch all the action live with grandmaster commentators Yasser Seirawan, Peter Svidler, and Tania Sachdev on uschesschamps.com and on the Saint Louis Chess Club’s YouTube and Twitch.tv channels. Written by IM Kostya Kavutskiy Photos: Lennart Ootes and Crystal Fuller Official website: grandchesstour.org/2023-grand-chess-tour/2023-saint-louis-rapid-blitz
WSCC 2023: Hou, Harika, Lagno and Kosteniuk advance to semis
Chess.com’s top event for women, the $70,000 Julius Baer Women’s Speed Chess Championship, is back in November 2023, bringing together eight of the strongest female players on the planet. This year’s Julius Baer Women’s Speed Chess Championship is the fifth edition of the event, which has seen a series of thrilling finals since it first burst onto the scene four years ago. After qualifying from the 14-round Swiss tournament on day one, followed by a top-8 double elimination bracket on the second day, IM Polina Shuvalova and WGM Priyanka Nutakki joined the defending champion Kateryna Lagno, the near-legendary Hou Yifan, Alexandra Kosteniuk, Valentina Gunina, Harika Dronavalli alongside her fellow countrywoman Vaishali Rameshbabu. The main event started on November 13 and saw an eight-player single elimination bracket, with seedings determined by a Chess.com panel. All matches are played over 5+1, 3+1 and 1+1 time controls. In the quarterfinal matches, Hou Yifan convincingly defeated Polina Shuvalova, Harika Dronavalli toppled Valentina Gunina, Kateryna Lagno crashed Priyanka Nutakki and Alexandra “Chess Queen” Kosteniuk prevailed over the Women’s Grand Swiss 2023 winner Rameshbabu Vaishali. Hou Yifan, the favourite in her match with Polina Shuvalova, was actually at a two-point deficit in the 3+1 portion — but went on a seven-game winning streak and finished with a 13.5-7.5 final score. Harika’s match was severely one-sided as she dominated all three segments of her match with Valentina Gunia to comfortably win by the score of 17.5-6.5. Kateryna Lagno moves on to the Julius Baer Women’s Speed Chess Championship 2023 Semifinals after defeating WGM Priyanka Nutakki by a two-digit margin of 17.5-4.5. Priyanka got off to a fantastic start by winning the first two games of the match. Lagno responded with an eight-game winning streak and never let go of her ever-expanding lead. Alexandra “Chess Queen” Kosteniuk, who’s also participating in the European Women’s Team Chess Championship over the board in Montenegro, won all three segments of the match vs. Rameshbabu Vaishali. As the time control got faster, her lead ballooned further. The semifinal matches start on Tuesday, with Kosteniuk facing Hou and Lagno taking on Harika one day later. Text and photos: chess.com Official website: chess.com/events/info/2023-womens-speed-chess-championship
Chess4Peace, a project for women from Ukraine, launched in Poland
Chess4Peace, a special project set up by FIDE and its Commission for Women’s Chess, with the support of the International Olympic Committee and Polish Chess Federation, was launched in Warsaw, Poland, this fall. It is aimed at helping young women from Ukraine, aged 18-23, who have left their home country because of war. The first leg of this unique project, designed to open the door to the world of chess and show new ways for personal growth, job opportunities, and self-discovery, took place from November 9-13 in Warsaw at Chess Corner Club (Sarmacka 6). The chess camp program for young Ukrainian girls included motivational meetings with outstanding chess personalities, master classes, simuls, visits to a stylist, photography classes and many other events. Over four days, young refugee women from Ukraine studied chess with GM Volodymyr Baklan, met with outstanding personalities like GM Natalia Zhukova and Deputy Chair of FIDE Management Board, WGM Dana Reizniece-Ozola, and learned new chess-related professions from project leader WIM Anastasia Sorokina, chess journalist, WGM Anastasiia Karlovich, and FIDE arbiter, WIM Natalija Popova. They also met a stylist, Natalia Ryzhenko and spent an educational chess & art evening with Dmitry Salodky. “Being a member of the chess family, you learn what solidarity is. We feel that we need to use chess as an excellent instrument in our hands to help,” said Deputy Chair of the FIDE Management Board Dana Reizniece-Ozola, whose motivational speech about chess in career inspired many participants. “The main goal of the project is to show the girls that in chess, there are a lot of professions and all borders that you build, you build yourself. Be brave, be smart, be proactive, and you can achieve in your life whatever you want,” added the project leader, Anastasia Sorokina. The first camp was a real success. After the offline leg this November, participants of the Chess4Peace project will continue meeting offline until May 2024. “The project opened the world of chess for me and showed me all the possibilities of being involved in chess without playing professionally. All the organizers and lecturers were inspiring, interesting and full of insights. I’ve never met such people and felt like I found my perfect community. Although it was a chess project, we talked about style, self-presentation, and even made jewellery. We talked and learned and really had a super combination of learning and having fun,” said Anna from Kyiv. “I am grateful for the Chess4Peace project because it motivated me to do something new. We had many interesting lectures and learned that chess could be useful not only as a game. The project gave me a lot of knowledge, new friends, useful contacts and a new understanding of what I can do. Thanks to all organizations for this wonderful experience!” added another participant, Polina. The project serves as a testament to the power of solidarity and the human spirit. It’s a vivid reminder that every move counts, every decision matters, and even during tough times, there’s a community ready to support, uplift, and advocate for a better tomorrow.