U.S. Championships begin at Saint Louis Chess Club
The 2023 U.S. Championship and U.S. Women’s Championship kicked off on Thursday, October 5, at the Saint Louis Chess Club. The 11-round Round Robins offer a combined prize fund of over $400,000 and feature 24 of the country’s top players. To celebrate the accomplishments of the 2023 U.S. Chess Hall of Fame inductees at the 2023 US Hall of Fame a special Induction Ceremony was held at Saint Louis City SC, CITYPARK, Ultra Club together with opening ceremony for the 2023 U.S. Chess and U.S. Women’s Chess Championship. The ceremony honored former U.S. Women Chess Champion and a pioneer of women’s chess development in the country Lisa Lane (who was unfortunate not to be able to attend), one of the greatest problem composers in chess history William Shinkman, and the 2008 U.S. Champion GM Yury Shulman for their many contributions to chess. In his acceptance speech Yury Shulman recalled some wonderful moments from his long chess career | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes The U.S. Championship features ten players rated 2700 or higher, as well as the U.S. Junior champion GM Abhimanyu Mishra and the U.S. Open champion GM Andrew Tang. The U.S. Women’s Championship brought together five former champions: GM Irina Krush, IMs Anna Zatonskih, Carissa Yip, and Nazi Paikidze, and FM Jennifer Yu. Joining them are a number of familiar competitors — including FM Alice Lee and WGM Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova — and newcomers WGM Atousa Pourkashiyan and FM Ruiyang Yan. GM Sam Sevian and IM Nazi Paikidze were the sole winners on the first day of the 2023 U.S. Chess Championships, picking up the early lead as several players missed decisive opportunities in their games. 2023 U.S. Championship The tournament started off with all four top seeds facing off against each other, as Aronian was paired White against Caruana, and So against Dominguez. Both games were drawn without much drama, as was the game Xiong-Mishra. Missing an early chance was the 2018 U.S. Champion GM Sam Shankland, who didn’t notice that his opponent, GM Andrew Tang blundered with his move-order in the London System: Tang – Shankland: 5…Qxb2! would have been a real cold shower, as 6.Nb5 Ne4! wins a second pawn for Black. An early miss for Shankland, who jested that both players should be “kicked out of the tournament.” | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes After missing this chance Shankland managed to gain an extra pawn in a rook endgame, but Tang defended precisely to hold the draw. Meanwhile the game Niemann-Swiercz saw both players overlook opportunities, first Niemann who decided against a promising rook sacrifice, then Swiercz who could have reached a winning endgame with an extra exchange. Niemann – Swiercz: with less than a minute on his clock, Niemann couldn’t convince himself to play 32.Nxg5!, with a potent attack after 32…hxg5 33.Rf1 (heading to f5). A near-brilliancy for GM Hans Niemann | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes The only winner in the event was Sevian, who was in deep trouble against Robson out of the opening, as Robson had caught Sevian’s king in the center of the board. But a misstep allowed Sevian to untangle his position, and eventually overtake the initiative, scoring a decisive point. Robson – Sevian: 42…Kg8! was a cold-blooded shot, preparing Rf8 and intending Qg5+ in case of Rxe7. Although he was in real danger, the recent Chess9LX champion completely turned things around. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes 2023 U.S. Women’s Championship A critical match-up to kick off the tournament took place between top seed and eight-time champion GM Irina Krush against 2021 winner IM Carissa Yip. Although Krush achieved a completely winning position against Yip’s King’s Indian, she failed to capitalize and was even losing at one point, with the game eventually drawn. Krush-Yip: 31.Ng4! would have made life very difficult for Black. GM Irina Krush had a golden opportunity today, but let a key rival off the hook. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes The games Yu – Abrahamyan, Zatonskih – Pourkashiyan, Yan – Cervantes, and Lee – Tokhirjonova were also drawn, with reigning champion WGM Jennifer Yu spoiling a large advantage in a middlegame with opposite colored bishops. Tokhirjonova also had Lee on the ropes, who eventually escaped in a drawn endgame. The 2022 champion also built up a nice position, but couldn’t convert against Abrahamyan. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Crystal Fuller The lone winner was two-time champion IM Nazi Paikidze, who found an incredible resource in order to convert a position with a full extra queen against FM Ashritha Eswaran: Paikidze – Eswaran: 41.Kh4!! was the only winning move, with idea 41…Qe2 42.Qxg7+!! Kxg7 43.Bc3+ and mate next move. The two-time champ (Paikidze) started off with a strong bid for her third national title. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes The 2023 U.S. Chess Championships continue on October 6th, starting at 1:20 PM CDT. Catch all the action live with grandmaster commentators Yasser Seirawan, Cristian Chirila, and Katerina Nemcova on uschesschamps.com and on the Saint Louis Chess Club’s YouTube and Twitch.tv channels. Written by uschess.org and IM Kostya Kavutskiy
Teams from 50 countries to participate in 3rd Intercontinental Championship for Prisoners
Over 100 teams from 50 countries will take part in the 3rd Intercontinental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners, a three-day event that starts on October 11 The championship is a part of the Chess for Freedom Program, launched two years ago to promote chess as a tool for education and social inclusion in prisons worldwide. The record number of participating teams and countries is a result of the continuous work by FIDE, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, national chess federations, prison authorities and volunteers involved in promoting chess in prisons. The Chess for Freedom Program has become an impetus for countries across the world to start including chess in educational programs and organize competitions within correctional facilities. In some of them, national qualifiers are being held to determine the strongest male, female and youth teams that will be competing in the forthcoming intercontinental event. A chess wave from Mexico to Malawi The First National Online Chess Championship for prisoners recently took place in Mexico. Altogether, 142 prisoners from 15 teams competed in the event, organized by the National Chess Federation of Mexico in coordination with the Decentralized Administrative Body for Prevention and Social Readaptation. The top two teams in the Open section from the Federal Centers for Social Readaptation (CEFERESO) of Veracruz and Sonora, as well as the women’s team from CEFERESO No. 16 of Morelos, will represent Mexico in the upcoming Intercontinental Online Championship. Portugal is another recent example, where the qualifying event was organized by the Lisbon Prison Establishment in partnership with the Portuguese Chess Federation and Nova Chess at the University of Nova Lisbon. The event was attended by the Minister of Justice Catarina Sarmento e Castro. Smaller countries are also joining the project. Jersey, whose overall population is just over 100,000, will debut in the Intercontinental Championship. “Our prison is divided into four wings, and three of them have taken interest in playing chess occasionally. For a small prison with approximately 150 prisoners, this is not bad, as the uptake for many other courses reflects small numbers. Playing chess in the wings has become more serious as the international competition neared. We are now at the stage of the final internal competitions to decide the best four prisoners to represent us. One of the prisoners who competed last year was crucial in organizing a team on his wing. The previous positive experience he shared with the rest of the team has been invaluable in persuading many to join. It has lifted up the spirits and revealed their competitive sides,”- says Sanja Koppen, Head of Education at the States of Jersey Prison Service. In Malawi, the lineup of the Maula Prison team is already formed, and the players are having their last preparations before the event. They are trained by Susan Namangale, founder of Dadaz Chess Academy and the Global Head of The Gift of Chess. Launched a year ago, the Chess in Prison Program at Maula Prison is very popular among prisoners. “We are ready for the tournament and feel very motivated. We have good players and trained hard for the intercontinental tournament. Chess teaches us to think about our next move, not only on the board but in life as well,” says Steve Maruwo, a prisoner at Malawi’s Malua Prison and a participant of the upcoming intercontinental tournament. The 3rd Intercontinental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners will be broadcast on the FIDE Youtube channel with live commentary by WGM Almira Skripchenko, IM Michael Rahal, and WGM Keti Tsatsalashvili. They will be joined by special guests – FIDE officials, government officers, members of the penitentiary administration and policymakers, who will share the best practices of introducing chess to inmates, as well as former convicts who will be talking about their own experiences and the positive impact of the game on prisoners. Tournament regulations More info about the program can be found here: chessforfreedom.fide.com
World Chess Championship for the Blind starts on October 08 in Rhodes
The 2023 IBCA World Individual Chess Championship for the Blind and Visually Impaired will take place on the Island of Rhodes, Greece, from October 08-18. The event, organized by the International Braille Chess Association (IBCA), the Hellenic Sports Federation for Persons with Disabilities and the Chess Club “Ippotis”, will bring together 80 players from 31 countries. The competition is held as part of the World Chess Festival in Rhodes. The tournament will be held under the official IBCA and FIDE rules as a nine-round, Swiss system event, with one round played daily. Blind people use braille boards for playing chess. Such chess board has special modifications that help visually impaired players. All the black squares are elevated a few millimetres to be easily identified by touch, and each of the squares has a hole in the center in which pieces are sturdily fixed with the help of nails in their bases. The rating favourite of the tournament is GM Marсin Tazbir (2494, Poland), the winner of the FIDE World Championship for People with Disabilities 2023. “When people play with me, they don’t think about my disability, they may not notice it. But sometimes, playing with people with disabilities can be hard for healthy people due to the psychological fact that you are playing against a handicapped person. Even though you still want to win, sometimes you feel a little bit guilty for yourself that you are playing such a game. The tournaments where people with disabilities can meet together and compete are something special. For all of us, it is a great opportunity to overcome our limits.” Tazbir says. The tournament will take place in the Rodos Palace Hotel on the northern seaside of the island. Event Schedule 08/10 – Arrivals09/10 – Technical Meeting, Opening Ceremony, Round 110/10 – Round 211/10 – Round 312/10 – Round 413/10 – Free day13/10 – Round 514/10 – Round 615/10 – IBCA Congress, Round 716/10 – Round 817/10 – Round 9, Closing Ceremony18/10 – Departures IBCA is the supreme body responsible for chess for the blind and visually impaired. The IBCA is part of the International Blind Sports Federation and an Affiliated Member of FIDE. Founded in 1958, the IBCA regularly holds world championships for blind and visually impaired people. Starting list of players Regulations for the 2023 IBCA World Individual Chess Championship Photos: Mark Livshitz
Five years since the election of Arkady Dvorkovich as the President of FIDE
The past five years at FIDE have been marked by a significant shift in the way the organization is managed and how chess is promoted worldwide On October 3 2018 in Batumi, Georgia, at the 89th FIDE Congress, Arkady Dvorkovich was first elected as the President of the International Chess Federation. He won his second mandate in August 2022 at the Congress held in Chennai, India. Dvorkovich succeeded Kirsan Ilyumzhinov (who ran FIDE from 1995) as the head of the world’s governing chess body. In his final pitch to the delegates in Batumi five years ago, Dvorkovich spoke about restoring dignity and responsibility within FIDE. He promised accountability and cutting bureaucracy, reducing fees from national federations as well as boosting their capacity to develop chess. Since taking over FIDE, Dvorkovich has put together an international team from across the globe and set out to deliver on his ambitions to reform chess on a global scale. The achievements of the past five years can be encapsulated in key areas: Modernization and Transparency: Over the past five years one of the primary goals has been to modernize FIDE’s management structure and instill transparency. Reforms have been made to improve FIDE’s governance, including changes in the electoral process, the establishment of new committees to oversee various aspects of FIDE’s operations and independent auditing of the Organization’s finances. Emphasis was put on building a diverse team and upskilling their expertise, to better streamline the planning, organization and execution of major events and activities, ultimately boosting FIDE’s credibility and accountability. A Fivefold Budget Increase: FIDE’s budget has been increased fivefold, all the while reducing fees for national federations and players. A strategic outreach to partners and sponsors worldwide yielded seven-figure sums from broadcasting rights sales. As a result of these connected activities, FIDE’s financial position is more stable than ever before. Photo: Stev Bonhage Enhancing the FIDE World Chess Championships: Since 2018 FIDE has successfully secured sponsors and organized high-profile events. Prize funds for both the World Championship match and the Women’s World Championship match surged, doubling and increasing by 150%, respectively. Increased prize funds, better playing conditions and higher media visibility of top chess events have been one of FIDE’s priorities. Chess Promotion: With an international team, and thanks to more investment in chess, the International Chess Federation has worked diligently to promote chess worldwide. FIDE has launched and spearheaded initiatives to popularize the game, particularly in schools and among young people. Recognizing chess’s educational and social benefits, FIDE has actively participated in chess-in-education programs. Financial support was provided for developing federations, catering to their practical needs, from seminars to travel subsidies and chess equipment. Photo: Anna Shtourman Promoting Gender Equality: FIDE has introduced initiatives to encourage more female participation. This includes supporting female players, coaches, and arbiters, increasing the number of chess events for women and increasing the prize funds. FIDE has aimed to foster an open debate and address issues related to gender disparities. Focus on Inclusivity: FIDE has been providing more support for specific groups within the chess community. Special funds and awards for the elderly, programs like Chess for Children with ASD, increased funding for projects aiding people with disabilities, and initiatives like Chess for Freedom (aimed at people in prison) and Chess for Protection (aimed at refugees and the displaced) have demonstrated FIDE’s commitment to inclusivity and empowerment. Photo: Stev Bonhage Digital Transformation: Acknowledging the importance of technology, FIDE has been keen on cooperating with digital platforms. During the COVID-19 pandemic, FIDE joined the chess world in adapting to the new circumstances and organized events online, including two Online Chess Olympiads. FIDE is also working hard on connecting chess to the esports world, looking for new platforms for chess promotion. The development of online chess platforms, streaming of chess events, and engaging with chess enthusiasts through social media and other digital channels have become one of the priorities for any FIDE event. Hosting Major Chess Events Globally: Over the past five years FIDE has successfully organized major international chess events, such as the Chess Olympiad 2022 in Chennai, Grand Prix tournaments, world championship cycle competitions, and junior events. With a global outlook, FIDE aims to host more chess events in different regions, furthering global chess participation and diversity. Photo: Lennart Ootes New International Events: Innovative events such as the Grand Swiss, the World Rapid Team Championship, and global tournaments targeting corporations and businesses have significantly elevated the profile of the game, garnered considerable attention and heightened the visibility of chess, attracting more investment. Arkady Dvorkovich: “We made FIDE better, but the best is yet to come” Reflecting on the five years since taking office, Arkady Dvorkovich made the following remarks: “The past five years have been a challenging period, not just for chess but for the world as a whole. However, we have transformed FIDE into a chess powerhouse, a beacon for the game’s development and promotion worldwide. “With a fresh perspective centered on modernization, transparency, and global chess promotion, we have succeeded in making FIDE better, and the best is yet to come. We remain committed to promoting gender equality, addressing all disparities within the chess community, and leveraging new technologies to grow the game and attract more players.”
FIDE October 2023 rating list published
Since September 2023 was a calm month, both the top 10 open and top 10 women saw no changes, which is a very rare case. Biggest giants in top 10 open and women Velpula Sarayu IND 2444 (+57) Bartel, Mateusz GM POL 2651 (+30) Divya Deshmukh WGM IND 2408 (+23) Arabidze, Meri IM GEO 2456 (+16) Stefanova, Antoaneta GM BUL 2424 (+14) Praggnanandhaa R GM IND 2738 (+11) Tsolakidou, Stavroula IM GRE 2385 (+10) Bacrot, Etienne GM FRA 2669 (+9) Buksa, Nataliya IM UKR 2361 (+9) Van Foreest, Jorden GM NED 2707 (+8) Still untitled, Indian prodigy Velpula Sarayu won this nomination for the second straight month. Following her strong performance in the Malaysian Open 2023 she gained “mere” 57 points in September (comparing her 300+ rating increase a month earlier) and made it to the top 30 with 2444. Photo: Cristian Arcas/ Pontevedra Masters The most important chess events in September in terms of top GMs’ participation were two team competitions: the Spanish Team Championship (Club Division de Honor 2023) and Druzynowe Mistrzostwa Polski – Ekstraliga 2023, which brought together many top players. Subsequently, those who fared well in these events earned some valuable rating points. 18-year-old Praggnanandhaa picked up 11 points in the Spanish Team Championship and climbed to #16 with 2738. The list of overperforming players in this event also includes Meri Arabidze (+16), Antoaneta Stefanova (+14), and Jorden Van Foreest (+8). Photo: Stev Bonhage Mateusz Bartel (+30! pictured above), Divya Deshmukh (+23), Etienne Bacrot (+9), and Nataliya Buksa did an excellent job in the Ekstraliga 2023 and substantially increased their rating. There were some shifts in the rapid open rating list caused by two major rapid events, Tata Steel Chess India Rapid and Levitov Chess Week. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (+16) and Praggnanandhaa R (+11) became the main rating beneficiaries of the former, both moving three positions up. The winner of Tata Steel Chess India Rapid Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (Photo: Vivek Sohani) The winner of the Levitov Chess Week Ian Nepomniachtchi gained 23 points and entered the top 3 Open Rapid, while the third-place finisher Peter Svidler picked up 15 points.
European Chess Club Cup 2023 starts in Durres, Albania
The 38th edition of the European Chess Club Cup and the 27th Women’s European Club Cup kicked off in Durres, Albania. The event boasting a record number of participants – 110 teams from 34 European federations – started with an opening ceremony at Grand Blue Fafa Resport, the playing venue of the tournament. Both competitions are 7-round Swiss tournaments with classical time control. Players, guests, and officials were welcomed by the President of the European Chess Union Zurab Azmaparaishvili, the President of the Albanian Chess Federation and Chief Executive Officer of the European Chess Union Erald Dervishi, Honorary President of the Albanian Chess Federation Eduard Shalsi, and the President of the Albanian National Olympic Committee (KOKSH) Fidel Ylli. Erald Dervishi greeted all the guests and expressed gratitude to ECU for giving the Albanian Chess Federation an opportunity to host this prestigious event. “We will do our best to organize it in the best possible way. I hope all of you will enjoy Albanian hospitality, culture, nature, and cuisine!” Fidel Ylli talked about the importance and prestige for the country to host such a major chess tournament: “This event is very important for us because sport is not just a competition. Sport is economy, sport is image, sport is everything for the country. I want to thank ECU for choosing Albania to host this event!” Zurab Azmaparaishvili expressed his hope that participants of the European Chess Club Cup will enjoy their stay in Albania. “European Club Cup is growing up and reaching the new heights. Now we have 110 clubs playing and we could have even more! Great job was done by the Albanian Chess Federation. Every time I visit Albania, I am discovering country, its culture and nature, but I also see how chess develops. This is the country you want to return to.” After two rounds of play, as many as 18 teams are tied for the top position in the open section. In Round 3 the top-seed Superchess is taking on Vugar Gashimov, while Offerspill Sjakklubb, headed by Magnus Carlsen is facing SK Zmaj. In the women’s event, four teams are sharing first place, but the rating favorite Monte Carlo is not one of them. Lead by the Muzychuk sisters, the squad was held to a draw in Round 2 by the seventh-seed MSK Centar Asseco See. Full results: Open Women Photo: Niki Riga Detailed information can be found on the official website of the event. Photo gallery by Niki Riga can be found on the Facebook page of the event. Live broadcast of games together with live commentaries by WIM Fiona Steil-Antoni and GM David Howell can be followed through the ECU YouTube channel.
Marc’Andria Maurizzi and Candela Francisco, World Junior Champions
The World Junior Championships for players under 20 came to an end this Sunday in Mexico City, with two of the youngest winners in the history of the competition: 16-year-old Marc’Andria Maurizzi, from France, and Candela Francisco of Argentina, who just turned 17 a few weeks ago, clinched the titles in a thrilling finish. Both ended the championship unbeaten, with 8½/11. Their victories are not an absolute record, as Joel Lautier, also from France, won this event at a record 15 years old, while the youngest one to earn the title in the Girls’ category was Alexandra Goryachkina, at 14 years old (and then again, the next year). However, this doesn’t diminish the remarkable achievement of the 2023 winners in the slightest. Maurizzi’s victory could not be confirmed until the last moment, and it was decided thanks to a better tie-break over Arseniy Nesterov, Luka Budisavljevic, and Mamikon Gharibyan, all with 8½/11. This four-way tie in the top place was partly caused by the fact that Marc’Andria slowed the pace towards the end of the event and finished with two draws in the final two rounds. However, the French Grandmaster is an unquestionable winner: undefeated, he became the first sole leader in round 4, and his round 9 victory over Ivan Schitco is a masterpiece that became an instant classic, adding much to his credit. Arseniy Nesterov is also a worthy winner of the silver medal. After a strong start, he suffered a little bump in the road between rounds 4 and 7, when he only scored 1½ in four games, losing pace with the leaders. However, thanks to a strong finish with four consecutive wins, he could claim the place he deserved – with a bit of luck: his rival in the last round, the top seed Hans Niemann, was forced to win to keep some chances of a medal, so rejected a draw by perpetual check and went for an inferior line instead, allowing Nesterov to turn the tables and win the game. The Serbian Grandmaster Luka Budisavljevic completes the podium, in third place. He was remarkably consistent during the whole event, finishing undefeated. In the last round, he had Black against Maurizzi, and he fought almost till the bare Kings in order to get a shot at winning the event. The impression is that his result could have been even better, had he played a bit sharper at critical moments. A bit disappointing was the result of the top seed, Hans Niemman, who could only finish 8th, on 7½/11, with two losses. His overall level of play through the event was not at par with what one would expect from a player of his calibre – but he deserves all the credit for taking part in a competition where he had little to win and lots to lose. While the final result in the open category was very much in consonance with what we saw during the event, the Girls’ category was a completely different story. The last three rounds were quite a thrill, with massive swings in key games that turned the standings upside down. The top seed, Carissa Yip, seemed to have the event under control: her play was not so convincing in a couple of games, particularly in the opening, but thanks to her resourcefulness and class, she managed to score the points anyhow. This changed in Round 9, when she was paired against the tournament’s revelation, 13-year-old Miaoyi Lu (pictured below), who defeated her in great fashion. That, combined with the victory of Beloslava Krasteva, allowed the Bulgarian WGM to take the lead. The next day, Miaoyi was very close to repeating this feat and defeating the tournament leader, as she obtained a crushing position against Krasteva. However, the tenacious Bulgarian managed to pull off one of the biggest swindles of the event, winning the game and heading into the final round one whole point ahead of her rivals. Only a defeat in the last round, where she had the advantage of the White pieces, and a genuinely unlucky combination of results, could prevent Krasteva from becoming World Champion. In fact, the arbiter in charge of the pairings spent some time after round 10 checking if she was mathematically a winner with one round to spare. As it turns out, she wasn’t. The American Continental Champion, Candela Francisco, from Argentina, became the stone in Krasteva’s shoe. “Candelita”, the favourite of the Mexican fans, conceded a draw in round 2, so her tournament was a bit discrete, and her name didn’t make it to the very top places in the leaderboard until as late as round 9. But she won when it matters the most: in the decisive last-round game. The masterful way in which she outplayed Krasteva with the black pieces is worth a world title; first, with the advance h5-h4-h3, and then with a queen sacrifice that gave her attack the definitive impulse. The worst possible combination of results ended up with the Bulgarian getting neither the gold nor the silver, but the bronze medal. The silver went to Carissa Yip, who tied with Candela and Beloslava on 8½/11. For that, she had to win in the last round against Trisha Kanyamarala, which was easier said than done. Carissa had the initiative during most of the game, but only in a laborious rook endgame could she finally overtake her opponent. Not winning the Junior’s title in the last year she was eligible to play is probably a bit of a disappointment for Yip, who is clearly one of the strongest players of her generation. But second place is a decent consolation prize. Final standings: OPEN GIRLS Written by David Llada Photos: David Llada Official website: juniorchesschampionship.fenamacajedrez.com/
World Junior Championship: No changes at the top after drawish Round 8
It was all draws in the top nine boards in the 8th round of the FIDE World Junior Championship (open), except for Niemann’s victory over IM Konstantin Peyrer. On the black side of a King’s Indian, Hans didn’t really get anything out of the opening, but a poor move by his opponent, 30.e3, allowed him to penetrate his rival’s camp. Peyrer survived the attack but lost three pawns and resigned 13 moves later. On the top board, the game between Santiago Avila and Marc’Andria Maurizzi was a Scotch where, surprisingly, we had an entirely new position after just eight moves. However, the heavy pieces were exchanged early into the game, and the ensuing endgame with opposite-colour bishops was a dead draw. A very similar script followed the game between Gharibyan and Dudin, which ended in a threefold repetition after 31 moves, the same as Schitko-Budisavljevic, in just 28 moves. The fight between Subelj and Makarian was much longer: after White won a pawn on move 34, Subelj kept striving to convert his advantage for thirty more moves, but to no avail. With all the pawns on the same flank, his 3 vs 2 majority was simply not enough to win, but the game continued to bare kings. Avila, Maurizzi and Dudin keep leading with 6½/8, and the Hungarian IM has almost secured his GM norm, as he will only need a draw in the remaining rounds. Elham Amar of Norway and Diago Saul Flores of Peru also have good chances of leaving Mexico with a GM norm under the belt. The 8th round at the Girls’ competition was much more enjoyable. To begin with, Carissa Yip came out of the opening in a disastrous position after she went for the wrong f-pawn advance: 15.f5 instead of 15.f7+ in a very sharp line. By move 20, she was an exchange down, and the engines indicated a +2.1 advantage for Black. However, both kings were very exposed, and Carissa made the most of her chances to create counterplay. Her resilience was rewarded with a very valuable half a point, allowing her to continue leading, half a point ahead of a disappointed Beloslava Krasteva and Roxangel Obregon. Roxangel moved up to second place after a fine victory over Trisha Kanyamarala of India. The Cuban WIM played the English Attack in the Scheveningen in an exemplary way. The current American continent champion among women, 16-year-old Candela Francisco, also moved up in the standings after beating Ingrid Skaslien of Norway. Candela is one of the four players in the field still undefeated, together with Yip, Krasteva, and Obregon. Yip’s rival for the 9th round will be the young Chinese Miaoyi Lu, one of the revelations of the event, who beat Sarah Djidjeli with apparent ease. Gleb Dudin – Santiago Avila, Marc’AndriaMaurizzi – Ivan Schitco, and Hans Niemann – Mamikon Gharibyan are the main pairings for the 9th round in the open category. In girls, apart from Carissa Yip – Miaoyi Lu, the most exciting clashes will be Beloslava Krasteva – Roxangel Obregon and Candela Francisco – Mariam Mkrtchyan. Standings after Round 8: OPEN GIRLS Written by David Llada Photos: David Llada Official website: juniorchesschampionship.fenamacajedrez.com/
The Isle of Man’s Grand Chess Spectacle
Chess makes a welcome return to the Villa Marina in Douglas, Isle of Man Preview: 2023 FIDE Grand Swiss & Women’s Grand Swiss The Isle of Man plays host once more to the chess world’s crème de la crème, as the 3rd FIDE Grand Swiss and 2nd FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss tournaments are set to launch on 25 October The return of these prestigious world championship qualifying competitions to the Isle of Man marks a momentous occasion. Over the course of 12 days, from 25 October to 5 November, the island in the Irish Sea will emerge as the epicentre of the chess world, hosting an elite assembly of top-tier players fighting for the prizes, prestige and a spot in the 2024 Candidates. Having debuted on the island in 2019, the tournaments are back in the familiar and distinguished setting of the Villa Marina, located along the island’s picturesque seafront in the capital city of Douglas. This venue hosted five editions of the Chess.com Isle of Man Masters tournaments between 2014 and 2018, as well as the 2005 British Chess Championship. Both open and women’s tournaments consist of eleven rounds, with one rest day after the first six rounds (on Tuesday, 31 October) and the final round 11 being played on Sunday 5 November, followed on the same day by the closing ceremony. Once again, the event enjoys the generous patronage of the Scheinberg family, with a prize fund to the tune of US$600,000, part of a seven-figure sponsorship package. The first three prizes in the open tournament are $80,000, $60,000 and $40,000 and, in the women’s tournament, $25,000, $17,500 and $15,000, respectively, with further prizes for those finishing below the top three places. Alan Ormsby (Isle of Man) is the tournament director, IA Alex Holowczak (England) is the chief arbiter of the Grand Swiss and IA Ana Srebrnič (Slovenia) will serve as the chief arbiter of the Women’s Grand Swiss. The biggest prize The primary function of both tournaments is as world championship qualifiers, with the two highest-placed players from each going forward to the two 2024 FIDE World Candidates’ tournaments. As in previous editions this is made a little complicated by the inclusion in the field of players who are already qualified for next year’s eight-player Candidates’ event who still wish to take part in the Grand Swiss. The Isle of Man line-up features a handful of players who have already qualified for the Candidates via the recent FIDE World Cup competitions: Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa (India), Fabiano Caruana (USA) who were the runner-up and third-place finisher, respectively, in the month-long Baku knock-out competition. If they were to figure in the top two places in the Grand Swiss, the next player down from them on the final score table would qualify for the Candidates. Similarly, in the women’s competition, there are three players competing in the Isle of Man who have already qualified for the 2024 FIDE Women’s Candidates’ tournament, namely Aleksandra Goryachkina (competing under the FIDE flag), Nurgyul Salimova (Bulgaria) and Anna Muzychuk (Ukraine), so the same scenario applies if they also finish in the top two in the Women’s Grand Swiss. A tournament for the world’s best Only the world’s best can take part in the Grand Swiss, having had to compete within a rigorous set of requirements. This is all to ensure that the great majority of the competitors have a realistic chance of going further in the world championship cycle, plus a handful of continental and local nominees. The Grand Swiss features 21 players rated 2700+ and a further 73 rated 2600+. That leaves a further 15 to complete the field, of whom two are rated below 2400, being representatives of the host country. Very few Swiss tournaments in chess history have approached this level of strength in depth, with notable exceptions being the two previous Grand Swiss competitions, plus the 2017 Chess.com Isle of Man Masters won by Magnus Carlsen. 2023 FIDE Grand Swiss: The top ten contenders The two highest-rated contenders are both Americans: Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura. There is a sense that neither is under pressure to succeed, for different reasons. Caruana is already through to the Candidates, so he will be in the Isle of Man for the money and the prestige. Having narrowly failed to become world champion in 2018 – he became the only losing finalist in world championship history not to lose a classical game to the eventual winner – he went through a relatively fallow period of recovery but now seems to be flexing his muscles once again. Good results in the Superbet Bucharest Classic in May and the FIDE World Cup in August bode well for the renewal of his assault on the world championship. A victory in the Grand Swiss – which would be a second straight success in the Isle of Man, where he finished 1st= in 2019 – would be another morale booster going into next year’s Candidates showdown. Hikaru Nakamura (left) meeting Fabiano Caruana in the last round of the 2019 Grand Swiss. They are the top seeds in the 2023 event (photo Maria Emelianova/chess.com) Hikaru Nakamura’s reason for being relatively relaxed about his performance in the Grand Swiss is different. Two or three years ago his burgeoning career as a chess streamer seemed to indicate a dwindling interest in over the board play, or at least classical chess, but a strong showing in the 2022 FIDE Grand Prix saw him regain his status in the longer form of the game. His victory in Norway Chess 2023, ahead of both Carlsen and Caruana, took him to second place in the FIDE ratings for the first time since 2015. Nakamura’s experience and success in strong Swiss events – he has four Gibraltar Masters titles under his belt, including three consecutive wins from 2015 to 2017 – make him a strong contender in the 2023 Grand Swiss. Alireza Firouzja, now of France and rated third in the tournament line-up, will be playing in the Isle of Man for the first time. At the time of the 2019 Grand Swiss, he was a star on the horizon. During that
World Junior Championship: Leaders prevail in Round 7
Round 7 at the FIDE World Junior Championship in Mexico has been the most intense and exciting so far. In the open section, the day started with no less than six players tied in the first place, a number that was reduced to just three co-leaders after four out of the five top boards reached a decisive result: Maurizzi, Dudin and Avila are in command with 6/7. It appears that fatigue is taking its toll on the players after the first week of competition, as critical tactical miscalculations decided some of the key games. In the game between Maurizzi and Anand Pranav (pictured below), the French GM outplayed his opponent by tactical means in a rare line of the Giuoco Piano, winning a pawn and then advancing with his majority on the Queenside. It was a fine game by Maurizzi, who so far is looking like a very solid candidate to win the event. On board two, Gleb Dudin and Ruben Koellner went for a sideline of the King’s Indian Attack, where Koellner strangely lost a central pawn right in the opening. That was too much of a gift at this level, and Dudin gave him no chance at all. The game between Dushyant Sharma (white) and Santiago Avila (pictured at the top) was also decided by a blunder early into the game, as Sharma missed a tactical trick, 17.Nxe4. The young Colombian, a favourite player among local fans, demonstrated great tactical prowess. Of the three players currently leading, he is the one with a better provisional tie-break. Being on top form, he has a very good chance to win the title: in Round 8, he will have White against Marc Andria Maurizzi in a crucial game. The top seed Hans Niemman had to settle for a draw, with Black, against the World Champion U18 2022, the Canadian Shawn Rodrigue-Lemieux. In the Short variation of the Advance Caro-Kann, Shawn played dynamically and obtained a dangerous initiative, although he was a pawn dawn. Niemman defended correctly and made use of his material advantage to equalize, and he even had some chances towards the end of the game. In the Girls’ section, Carissa Yip won again, this time with White against Sofiia Hryzlova of Switzerland. The young American prodigy seems to be in a class of her own: the way she traded a small strategic advantage for a dangerous attack at the cost of a pawn is highly instructive. After seven rounds, it is not clear who will be able to challenge Carissa’s dominance. The next one to try her luck against the leader will be Beloslava Krasteva of Bulgaria (pictured above), who defeated Mariam Mkrtchyan and moves to second place on 6/7. In her Round 7 game, Krasteva demonstrated excellent opening preparation and came up with a very interesting move in the Nimzo-Indian, 10.Qd3, which has only been played once before. Her neat victory resembles a classical game in which White straightforwardly follows a simple and logical plan. The main pairings for the 8th round are in the open section are Santiago Avila – Marc Andria Maurizzi, and Mamikon Gharibyan – Gleb Dudin. In the Girls competition, Carissa Yip will take on Beloslava Krasteva, while Roxangel Obregon will face Trisha Kanyamarala. Standings after Round 7: OPEN GIRLS Written by David Llada Photos: David Llada Official website: juniorchesschampionship.fenamacajedrez.com/