FIDE World Women’s Team Championship 2023 starts in Bydgoszcz, Poland
The FIDE World Women’s Team Championship kicked off on September 5 with the opening ceremony held in Bydgoszcz, Poland, in a very relaxed and cosy atmosphere. The event was graced with the presence of Grażyna Szabelska, plenipotentiary of the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivode, representing Mateusz Morawiecki, Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland. Also in attendance were Gunnar Bjornsson – FIDE Technical Delegate, Tomasz Delega, Chief Arbiter and former president of the Polish Chess Federation, Anastasia Sorokina, Chairperson of the FIDE Women’s Commission, Hesham Elgendy – President of the Egyptian Chess Federation, Jan Kusina, former president of the Polish Chess Federation, and Maciej Cybulski, Tournament Director. Radosław Jedynak, President of the Polish Chess Federation, made the first speech, in which he welcomed the twelve participant teams and encouraged them not only to give their very best at the chess board but also to find the time to explore the city, its architectural richness and cultural life, and bring back home the best possible memory about their visit to Poland. The next authority to take the floor was Łukasz Turlej, FIDE Secretary General, who highlighted the involvement of the Prime Minister himself in making this event possible and hinted at the possibility of Poland hosting even more top events in the near future. Grażyna Szabelska made the last speech, in which she read the letter addressed by the Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki to the participants and attendants: “Ladies and gentlemen, for the next week, we will have the opportunity to witness exciting battles between twelve outstanding women’s chess teams, all competing for the title of the world’s best team. This is all thanks to the Women’s World Team Chess Championship, which kicks off today and takes place this year on Polish soil, in the welcoming city of Bydgoszcz. I warmly welcome all the teams and extend sincere appreciation to each of the participants in this year’s tournament. Chess is a unique sport often referred to as the “royal game.” It teaches us truly regal attributes – strategic thinking and the ability to foresee. It requires concentration, knowledge, constant improvement, and mastery over weaknesses. Chess is widely regarded as a noble game and synonymous with wisdom. At the same time, chess is a true school of character. It compels us to confront our own weaknesses, establishes the right hierarchy of values, teaches us to exert effort, and strengthens our belief in our abilities. This is perfectly illustrated by the popular maxim among many players: ‘If you want to know a person, their character, strengths, and weaknesses, play chess with them.’ Ladies and gentlemen, the Women’s World Team Chess Championship that is about to begin is a true celebration for chess enthusiasts. On this occasion, I would like to express my gratitude to the organizers of the tournament and to everyone who supported the efforts involved in its preparation. To the athletes taking part in this sporting competition, I wish for it to be conducted in the spirit of fair play and bring much satisfaction from the battles you will engage in over the coming days. I already extend my heartfelt congratulations to the tournament champions and all the teams participating in it. May these prestigious competitions be etched in golden letters in your memory and on the path of your sporting achievements. I warmly greet everyone gathered at the inauguration of the championship.” The drawing of lots for the two pools produced the following pairings for Round 1: Pool A India – FranceKazakhstan – EgyptUkraine – Georgia Pool B Bulgaria – FIDE AmericasUSA – GermanyChina – Poland The technical meeting with the team captains will take place tomorrow, September 6th, at 10:00. The first round of the Pools stage will kick off at 15:00 CEST. Live coverage, as well as full information about the event, can be found on the official website: worldwomenteams.fide.com. Written by David Llada Photos: Michal Walusza About Bydgoszcz Located in northern Poland, less than 200km from the capital, Warsaw, Bydgoszcz sits at the junction of the rivers Vistula and Brda. With 350,000 inhabitants, it is served by its own domestic airport. An architecturally rich city, Bydgoszcz is home to a number of universities, like the Casimir the Great University, the University of Technology and Life Sciences and a conservatory. With a thriving cultural life, it also hosts the Pomeranian Philharmonic concert hall and the Opera Nova opera house. More information: bydgoszcz.pl
Vitaly Sivuk wins 2023 Malaysian Open
Vitaly Sivuk (SWE) emerged as the winner of the 2023 Malaysian Open Championship. As many as four players scored 7/9 and tied for first place, but the reigning champion of Sweden came out on top thanks to superior Buchholz. The 18th edition of the Malaysian Chess Festival, supported by the FIDE Aid Package, took place from August 25 to September 3 in Kuala Lumpur. The festival program included several competitions, including the Malaysian Open Championship, a nine-round Swiss tournament with classical time control that brought together 139 players (nine GMs). The tournament was a very close race that came down to the wire. Heading into the final ninth round, Mitrabha Guha of India was a half-point ahead of Sivuk, while a large group of players trailed the leader by a full point. Unfortunately for Guha, he suffered a painful defeat at the hands of his countryman, Deepan Chakkravarthy, and allowed three players to catch up with him. In the end, just 2.5 Buchholz points separated the champion (Sivuk) from the runner-up (Guha), while Aditya Bagus Arfan (Indonesia) and Deepan Chakkravarthy finished third and fourth respectively. A large group of players netted 6.5/9 and tied for fifth place. Final standings: 1 GM Sivuk, Vitaly SWE 2459 7 2 GM Mitrabha, Guha IND 2505 7 3 FM Arfan, Aditya Bagus INA 2410 7 4 GM Deepan, Chakkravarthy IND 2446 7 5 GM Iniyan, P IND 2502 6½ 6 GM Laylo, Darwin PHI 2426 6½ 7 IM Nitin, S. IND 2386 6½ 8 IM Kushagra, Mohan IND 2397 6½ 9 FM Poh, Yu Tian MAS 2377 6½ 10 GM Nguyen, Van Huy VIE 2363 6½ Complete results Photos: gilachess.org
Georgia and USA, main favourites in Poland
13-year-old Alice Lee will lead the USA team The FIDE World Women’s Team Championship will kick off on September 6th in Bydgoszcz (Poland), with Georgia setting its eyes on increasing even further its impressive track record of victories in women’s competitions. The Georgians, top the starting list well ahead of its main competitors, USA and China, although they will be playing without their leader Nana Dzagnidze, substituted by Meri Arabidze at the last moment. The event also marks the return of China to the international arena after its absence in the last Olympiad, but they do so with a weakened team: the World Champion Ju Wenjun, the runner-up Lei Tingjie, and the Candidate’s finalist Tan Zhongyi will all be missing from the team. The competition will follow a similar format to the previous edition, held in Sitges (Spain) in 2021, with all games played under a Rapid time control of 45 minutes for the whole game, with an increment of 10 seconds per move starting from move 1. The twelve teams of four players (plus two reserves) are divided into two pools of approximate strength according to the team’s average rating. Georgia and India, and USA and China, are the top-seeded teams in pools A and B, respectively. Pool A: Georgia (2391)*India (2320)Ukraine (2306)France (2270)Kazakhstan (2223)Egypt (2035) Pool B: USA (2340)China (2335)Germany (2303)Poland (2310)FIDE Americas (2279)Bulgaria (2228) *Average rating of the team according to the September 1st FIDE Rapid Rating list. The matches are decided by team points, with 2 points for the winning team and 1 each in case of a draw. Four teams will be eliminated at the pool stage, with the best eight teams advancing to a double-round knockout stage. The fact that some of the usual favourites, like China, Ukraine, or the USA, are missing some key players in their levels the field, making the competition more exciting and giving an opportunity to some young up-and-coming talents to be in the spotlight and show what there are capable of. Pool A Georgia will come to Bydgoszcz with their stellar line-up (with the only absence of Meri Arabidze), but nevertheless, they will have to show their A-game to come ahead of India, headed by Harika Dronavalli (pictured below) and Padmini Rout. It is significant that the last board of the Indian team, 17-year-old Divya Deshmukh, has just won the Tata Steel Chess Rapid event despite being by far the lowest-rated player in the field. In fact, she entered the tournament as a last-minute replacement! Photo: David Llada Ukraine will have Anna Ushenina defending the first board while the veteran Natalia Zhukova makes a return to the national team. The two-time European Champion hasn’t been very active in recent times, and his last rapid event was the World Rapid and Blitz 2021 in Poland, but her experience and ambition make her a formidable leader in a team event. France will feature Sophie Millet on the top board. Despite missing its top-rated player, Marie Sebag, the squad is reinforced with the incorporation of Mitra Hejazipour, who just won the French championship in brilliant fashion a few days ago. Kazakhstan would have been a serious contender for victory in this World Women’s Team Championship if they had managed to get their three aces in the team. However, with Abdumalik and Saduakassova not taking part in the event, the young Bibisara Assaubayeva will not only have to score the points but also take over her shoulders the role of team leader, showing the way to her much less-experienced colleagues. Photo: Mark Livshitz Egypt, the strongest African team, will feature Shrook Wafa and Mona Khaled on the top boards. Pool B: One of the sensations of the competition is that the USA team will be led by 13-year-old Alice Lee (pictured below), the youngest American female player to achieve the IM title and the third ever youngest internationally, only behind Judit Polgar and Kateryna Lagno. A three-time World Youth Champion, Lee became this year the second-rated female player in the American continent. Her debut on the first board should compensate for the absence of a household name in US chess, Irina Krush, who has had a packed schedule this summer after playing consecutively in Dubai, Baku, and the recently concluded Tata Steel Chess tournament in India. The second main novelty in the USA team is the debut of 25-year-old Atousa Pourkashiyan, who changed federations only a few months ago. Photo: St Louis Chess Club / Bryan Adams China may be missing its top guns, but such a strong chess country has plenty of worthy replacements, and the team they have put together for this event is still very competitive: with Yang Shen (2369) on the first board, plus Qi Guo (2451), Yiyi Xiao (2240) and Kaiyu Ning (2279), the Chinese are still the third-seeded squad, and will surely be able to put up a fight against anyone. Even without the World Champion, they cannot be ruled out as potential winners. Germany will be headed once again by Elisabeth Paehtz and Dinara Wagner, with Josefine Heinemann and Hanna Marie Klek completing the starting quartet. The home team, Poland, is seventh in the starting list (fourth in their pool). The fans have every reason to be excited, as their team is one of the youngest in the field and strong enough to have serious aspirations. Once again, Poland will be led by the eight-time national Champion Monika Socko (pictured below), the only remaining member of the Polish team that won a Silver medal at the Baku Chess Olympiad in 2016. But let’s look at the age of other team members: Oliwia Kiołbasa (23), Aleksandra Maltsevskaya (21), Michalina Rudzińska (21), and Julia Antolak (23). They make Klaudia Kulon (31) look like a veteran! Photo: Anna Shtourman The team “FIDE Americas” features players from five different countries in the continent (Peru, Cuba, Argentina, Paraguay and Colombia) that otherwise would not have the chance to compete internationally. The three-time American Continental women’s champion (and twice world junior champion)
FIDE September 2023 rating list: Gukesh debuts in top 10, Praggnanandhaa enters top 20
The FIDE World Cup and Women’s World Cup impacted the September rating list the most. Following their solid performance in the World Cup, Fabiano Caruana returned to the second position in the top 100 after almost a two-year break, while Gukesh D gained 7 points and made his first appearance in the top 10 open. Photo: Anna Shtourman Biggest gains in Top 100 Open and Women Velpula Sarayu 2387 (+336) Abasov, Nijat GM 2677 (+31) Beydullayeva, Govhar WGM 2383 (+28) Ambartsumova, Karina IM 2418 (+25) Grigoryan, Karen GM 2643 (+24) Salimova, Nurgyul IM 2424 (+21) Praggnanandhaa R GM 2727 (+20) Keymer, Vincent GM 2717 (+16) Divya Deshmukh WGM 2385 (+13) Rakhmangulova, Anastasiya WIM 2354 (+13) Sarayu Velpula (pictured below) deservedly topped the list after making an extraordinary 335-point rating jump in August. The 17-year-old from India achieved one of the greatest results in modern chess history by picking up 214 points in XI Torneo Internacional Cidade de Pontevedra Masters (the last seed, she also completed her first WIM, WGM, and IM norms) and earning another 122 points in Leca Chess Open. Over the last two months, Sarayu Velpula increased her rating by 542 points and debuted in the top 100 Women. Photo: Cristian Arcas/ Pontevedra Masters Praggnanandhaa R, Vincent Keymer, and Nurgyul Salimova became the primary rating beneficiaries of the FIDE World Cup in Baku. The young Indian and German reached their career high and debuted in the top 20 and top 30 open, respectively. Govhar Beydullayeva and Divya Deshmukh scored a modest amount of points in the FIDE Women’s World Cup but fared well in the Abu Dhabi Masters Chess Tournament to make it into the top 10 of biggest rating gainers in August. Anastasiya Rakhmangulova lost some rating points in the FIDE Women’s World Cup but made up for that with her excellent showing in the Slovak Open 2023. With hundreds of rapid games by leading GMs played, the two main competitions in August, the FIDE World Cup and the FIDE World Rapid Team Championship, brought about significant shifts in rapid rating lists. Photo: Stev Bonhage Praggnanandhaa’s progress in the rapid rating list is no less remarkable than his rise in classical chess. The World Cup finalist earned an impressive 58 points in August and moved 35 positions up. The same applies to the Women’s World Cup runner-up, Nurgyul Salimova, who earned the same 58 points. The list of rapid chess overperformers also includes Mai Narva (+37), Teodora Injac (+32), Baadur Jobava (+24), Gukesh D (+22), Pentala Harikrishna (+16) and Zhu Jiner (+15) to name a few.
WR Chess triumphs as inaugural FIDE World Rapid Team Champions
With just two draws and ten victories in 12 matches, the team WR Chess won the inaugural FIDE World Rapid Team Championship, securing the title with a round to spare. Team Freedom finished second, while the Indian squad of MGD1 was third Altogether, WR Chess secured 22 matchpoints, Freedom finished on 20, and third-placed MGD1 had 18. The champion was decided in round 11 after WR Chess won their match and second-placed Freedom drew, which meant they couldn’t catch up. The first place in the event also comes with a cup, medals and a prize of 100,000 Euros. Second-placed Freedom received 60,000 Euros, while MGD1 won 40,000 Euros. There were three more prizes: Team Armenia received 25,000 Euros after clinching fourth place, while the team of Germany and Friends staged a great surprise, ending in fifth place and winning 12,500 Euros. The energetic team of Columbus Energy Kings Of Chess from Kraków won 12,500 Euros as the best-performing team with a rating below 2400. The special prize for the best game by a youngster was won by eleven-year-old Christian Glöckler from Hesse, one of the great talents of German chess, who is ranked fifth in the world in his age group. The CEO of WR Group, Wadim Rosenstein, presented Glöckler with the “Rainer Niermann Cup” for his victory over South African GM Kenny Solomon. In an event that saw amateurs play side by side with world champions and super strong grandmasters, where even the president of FIDE took part (on the amateur board), the spirit of FIDE’s motto Gens Una Sumus (“We are one family”) shined throughout. The CEO of WR Group (the event sponsor) and player, Wadim Rosenstein, expressed his satisfaction with the positive reception of his idea for an open-world rapid chess championship: “It was marvellous to gather so many chess stars in one place, and I believe everyone not only appreciated it but also truly enjoyed the experience.” When asked about his feelings on winning the inaugural World Championship title, Rosenstein’s response was succinct yet candid: “It was stressful.” Reflecting on the effort he and his team invested in securing first place in this fiercely competitive field, Rosenstein further shared: “We dedicated extensive hours of hard work. I am deeply grateful to [team captain] Jan Gustaffson, whose guidance was instrumental in enhancing my understanding of chess. I personally devoted countless hours to chess preparation. My gratitude extends to the entire team whose collective support brought us to this point. Every moment spent together was enjoyable, and I cherish the incredible time we had as a team.” Final standings: The complete final standings of the World Rapid Team Championship can be found here. How WR Chess won first place WR Chess won in 10 of the 12 matches, defeating all of the top-placed teams except Armenia, who held them to a draw in round 10. This includes convincing victories over runners-up Freedom (5:1, in Round 5) as well as the exceptionally strong teams of Kompetenzakademie Allstars (5.5-0.5, in Round 8) and ASV AlphaEchecs Linz (5-1, in Round 11). The first time Jan Gustafsson’s team had problems was in Round 10 when Vincent Keymer made a last-minute save to avoid losing to team Armenia. Round 11 was crucial – WR Chess defeated ASV AlphaEchecs Linz with 5:1, coming up to 21 matchpoints. Meanwhile, Freedom, the sole team with the potential to challenge the lead, had to settle for a draw in their match against the Chess Pensioners. This outcome assured WR Chess of clinching the championship title regardless of the final round’s outcome – a remarkable feat in the face of a highly competitive field of players. The sweet taste of victory almost turned sour as the team were struggling in the last round against the squad of the Berlin Chess Federation but managed to hold a draw. Wesley So, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, R Praggnanandhaa, Vincent Keymer, Hou Yifan and Alexandra Kosteniuk (ranked in the order of the boards they were playing) are all giants of chess. To see them play together as a team is a thrilling spectacle, captivating for any lover of the black-and-white game. The team started preparing early – meeting in Dubai in June for a training camp and building up the team spirit, getting a feel for one another. With the help of businessman Wadim Rosenstein on the board 6 and steered by the great German GM Jan Gustaffson as team captain, the ten proved to be the Dream Team of chess, almost gliding through the event in the face of serious competition from a host of teams made up of super Grandmasters and strong players on all boards. How rounds 9 to 12 unfolded: With four rounds left to play, the final leg of the inaugural FIDE World Rapid Team Championship saw several twists and turns as the teams were having their final chance to improve their performance. WR Chess – which had won all eight matches in the previous two days – started strongly in Round 9, defeating Chess Pensioners with 3.5-2.5. In that match, WR’s Ian Nepomniachtchi defeated Peter Svidler in an impressive game. The second-placed team, Freedom, defeated Ashdod Elit Chess Club by 4.5-1.5. The round also saw an Indian duel between third-placed Team MGD1 and Six-pack, which ended 5-1. Following Round 9, WR Chess maintained their lead with a three-matchpoint advantage over the second-placed team, Freedom and were five points ahead of third-placed MGD1. Round 10 brought an upset: After a nine-match victory run, WR Chess were finally stopped. The very strong team of Armenia took them by surprise and was on the brink of winning. First, WR Chess Wesley So had a quick draw with Gabriel Sargissian. Then, Alberto Atoyan defeated WR’s Wadim Rosenstein to help Armenia take the lead. Kosteniuk managed to strike back for WR by defeating Elina Danielian, but then Shant Sargsyan held Jan-Krzysztof Duda to a draw with black pieces. Now, Vincent Keymer had to win his game against Samvel Ter-Sahakyan just to save
5th FIDE World Championship for People with Disabilities: Tazbir and Egeman win titles
The 5th FIDE World Championship for People with Disabilities is in the books. GM Marcin Tazbir from Poland became the champion, and second place went to IM Daniel Pulvett from Spain. 20-year-old Pawel Piekielny of Poland sprang a surprise by winning bronze. All three players scored 7/9 games, but Tazbir claimed gold thanks to 1.5/2 points scored in the direct encounters, while Pulvett, who netted 1/2 in those games, took silver. FM Marcin Molenda (Poland), IM Duilio Collutiis (Italy) and FM Nikolay Mukha (Ukraine) finished just a half-point behind the top trio and tied for fourth place. 17-year-old Emilia Egeman from Poland undisputedly won the women’s ranking, scoring 5/9. The second-best woman was WFM Aleksandra Aleksandrova from Izrael (4.5/9). 19-year-old Malwina Szewczyk, also from Poland, earned bronze with 4/9. The women’s champion Emilia Egeman and vice-champion WFM Aleksandra Aleksandrova Organized by the Polish Chess Federation, the championship was financially supported by the Ministry of Sports and Tourism of Poland. The event took place in the Hotel Arche Lublin and brought together 46 players from various parts of the world. The Tournament Director Pawel Zaskalski, the Chief Arbiter IA Sabrina de San Vincente (pictured below), and their teams made enormous efforts to provide excellent conditions to all players during the event. Additionally, a group of volunteers was hired to assist players with different disabilities. The event was wide open until the very end. Everything depended on the top board game between Pawel Piekielny and Daniel Pulvett, who came to the final round as join leaders, a half-point ahead of Marcin Tazbir and Krzysztof Madrawski. The leaders’ clash ended in a draw after a long and mostly equal battle in an endgame. This result allowed Tazbir to catch up with the duo, as he beat Vladimir Kovalenko from Ukraine with the white pieces after reaching a winning position in just 13 moves. Tazbir, Marcin – Kovalenko, Vladimir Black had many problems in the opening, but he could have solved most of them with 13…Bxe4 entering an inferior endgame after 14.dxe4 (14.exf7+?! Kxf7 15.dxe4 Qxd1 16.Rxd1 Nxe4 and Black is only slightly worse) Qxd1 15.Rxd1 Nxe4 16.Nf4! Bd6 17.Nd5 fxe6 18.Nb6 Rd8 19.Re1± The activity of White pieces is visible, but Black keeps the chances for a draw. 13…Nxe4?? played in the game was a serious mistake. 14.exf7 Ke7 15.dxe4 Qxd1 16.Bg5+! Ke6 17.Nf4+ Kf7 18.Raxd1 Bxe4 After the series of exchanges, Black maintained the material equilibrium, but White was totally winning due to an enormous activity of his pieces, attacking the vulnerable Black’s king. 19.Rd7+ Ke8 20.Rd2 h6 21.Re1?! (21.Ne6 was winning immediately, as there is no way to prevent Nc7) hxg5 22.Rxe4+ Kf7 23.Ne6 Kg6? (the line 23…Kg8 24.Nxg5 Rh6 does not look encouraging, but it was Black’s best option.) 24.Rd5 Rh5 25.g4 Rh4 26.Rxg5+ Kh7 27.Kg2 Be7? 28.Rxg7+ 1-0 This game was crucial for the final standings, but certainly, it was not the only one worth seeing. Many interesting and exciting encounters can be found on the official championship webpage, together with full results, photo gallery and other helpful information about the event. Final standings (top 10): 1 GM Tazbir, Marcin POL 2500 7 2 IM Pulvett Marin, Daniel ESP 2496 7 3 Piekielny, Pawel POL 2225 7 4 FM Molenda, Marcin POL 2392 6½ 5 IM Collutiis, Duilio ITA 2338 6½ 6 FM Mukha, Nikolay UKR 2109 6½ 7 Madrawski, Krzysztof POL 2010 6 8 IM Nowak, Lukasz POL 2408 5½ 9 IM Dukaczewski, Piotr POL 2095 5½ 10 Filippskikh, Oleksii UKR 2009 5½ Photos: official website Official website wccpd2023.pl/
FIDE World Senior Championship 2023: Registration deadline extended
The organizing committee of the FIDE World Senior Chess Championship has extended the registration deadline for the event to September 15, 2023. The event will be held in Terrasini, Sicily, from October 24 to November 6, 2023. As a result, certain related deadlines have also been adjusted. The deadline for requesting an invitation letter for visa purposes has been synchronized with the registration deadline and set for September 15, 2023. This adjustment aims to ensure that all the potential participants have ample time to complete all the necessary administrative procedures. Furthermore, the payment deadlines have also been extended to align with the new registration deadline. Participants are kindly requested to complete their payment formalities by September 15, 2023. For further information and registration details, interested participants are encouraged to visit the official website of the FIDE World Senior Chess Championship. Regulations for the FIDE World Senior Championships 2023 (pdf) Official website: worldsenior.fide.com Email: worldsenior@fide.com Photo: Wikipeida, Bjs
French Championship: Yannick Gozzoli and Mitra Hejazipour clinch titles
Yannick Gozzoli and Mitra Hejazipour are the new champions of France. Both won their maiden national titles. The French Championship 2023, a 16-player knockout tournament held in open and women’s sections, took place from August 18-27 in Alpe d’Huez, France. In case of a tie after two classical games, a 2-game Rapid (15+10) was played, followed by a 2-game Blitz (5+3) and an Armageddon (5 vs 4) if needed. On his way to the final, Yannick Gozzoli played two gruelling matches in the Round of 16 and quarterfinals against Anthony Wirig and Joseph Girel prevailing only on a tiebreaker (the last one came down to Armageddon) and then beat Tigran Gharamian in the semis by 1.5-0.5. Romain Edouard’s path to the final was even more challenging. After dethroning the 2022 French Champion Jules Moussard in the Round of 16 (1.5-0.5), he had to win two Armageddons over Sebastien Maze and Maxime Lagarde in the quarterfinals in the semis to reach the final. After a quick draw in the first game of the final, in the second one, Lagarde completely misplayed an even rook ending, and Gozzoli did not miss his chance to win the title. In the hard-fought third-place match, Lagarde only got the best of Gharamian in the Armageddon game to claim bronze. Iran-born Mitra Hejazipour, who acquired French citizenship this year, smoothly advanced to the final, defeating the rating-favorite Pauline Guichard in the semis (2-0). Her opponent, Deimante Daulyte-Cornette, also needed no tiebreakers and cruised to the final. The match for gold was the toughest one for both opponents. After two draws in classical games (in both, White had a decisive advantage at some point), two rapid games were played. The first one was drawn, but in the second one, Hejazipour outplayed her opponent with the black pieces and won the match. In the match for third place, Anastasia Savina defeated Pauline Guichard and took bronze. Photos: Fédération Française des Echecs Flickr
FIDE World Rapid Team Championship: WR Chess continues dominance
In a second day of total domination, WR Chess won all four matches and are the only team with a perfect 100 per cent score With a total of 16 matchpoints, WR Chess maintains a three-matchpoint lead over the second-placed Freedom team. Following closely are three teams tied at 11 matchpoints: MGD1, Ashdod Elit Chess Club, and Six-pack. The current standings suggest that WR Chess, holding a three-matchpoint lead over Freedom and a five-matchpoint lead over the third-placed teams, could potentially secure victory before all rounds are completed. Today’s direct duel between the frontrunners WR Chess and Freedom ended with a crushing 5-1 victory for the squad captained by GM Jan Gustafsson. WR Chess also defeated third-placed Team MGD1 – by 3.5-2.5 in Round 6. Given that Freedom and MGD1 were closest to catching up with WR Chess, the outcome of their direct duels will certainly have an impact on the final standings, even if WR slip on day three. The key performers in the WR Chess team are Ian Nepomniachtchi and Jan-Krzysztof Duda who are on 5.5 out of six games they have played. Additionally, WR Group’s CEO Wadim Rosenstein, who also sponsors the event, contributed significantly to the team’s success, winning five out of eight games as an amateur board. After a crushing loss in round five, team Freedom rebounded, winning the remaining three matches of the day and solidifying their hold on the second place. Daniil Dubov is the top performer in the team, with 5.5 out of eight. Team MGD1 experienced mixed results, finishing the day in shared third place after losing two out of four matches. With other teams closely trailing, MGD1 will need to maintain their momentum to secure a top-three finish. Rounds five to eight: A closer look The frontrunners from day one – WG Chess and Freedom met in round five, at the start of the second day of the championship. In a tense match, the tournament leaders WG Chess dominated the top-rated tournament team captained by Emil Sutovsky. Apart from Anand and Dubov who drew their games, all other Freedom boards lost. This was a significant milestone for WG Chess having scored a confident victory over their main competitor in the event. The Indian team of MGD1 – who started the day in second place – had a narrow victory over ASV AlphaEchecs Linz (3.5-2.5), with Nihal Sarin losing to Alexander Grischuk after ending a piece down. In another slim victory, team Armenia prevailed over Columbus Energy Kings Of Chess from Kraków with 3.5-2.5. While there were no major surprises, among the top players, Fabiano Caruana found himself in serious trouble against Egypt’s Ahmed Adly but managed to win. In Round 6, Team Freedom bounced back, scoring a convincing victory over the team of the Berlin Chess Federation, with 5.5-0.5. In that match, Freedom’s Polina Shuvalova won in great style against the top German women’s player Elisabeth Paehtz, sacrificing the same knight twice. WR Chess continued their winning streak, but this time only with a minimum margin – 3.5-2.5 – beating the very strong majority-Indian squad of Team MGD1, thus eliminating another contender for the top place. The Chess Pensioners suffered a humiliating defeat in the round, losing 5:1 to Kompetenzakademie Allstars. Apart from Dominguez holding compatriot Caruana to a draw, Pensioners’ Peter Svidelr lost to Levon Aronian and Vladimir Kramnik was beaten by Gukesh D. In a huge upset of the round, Egyptian GM Ahmed Adly (rated 2557) lost to more than 200 points lower-rated German FM Bennet Hagner, after misplaying in the middlegame. Following Round 6, the team of Germany and Friends sprung to second place, after winning two rounds – against Ashdod Elit Chess Club (in round five) and the very strong team of Armenia (in round six). In Round 7, Freedom defeated ASV AlphaEchecs Linz while Team MGD1 outplayed the squad of Armenia. Both Freedom and MGD1 had an equal number of points and were sharing second place. WR Chess continued its impressive run, beating Germany and Friends by 4-2, and maintaining their 100% score in match victories. Despite the loss, Germany and Friends were fourth in the rankings. In this round, 2641-rated GM Pavel Eljanov lost to 200 points lower-rated Alexander Krastev. In the final round of the day, WR Chess secured another convincing victory, defeated Kompetenzakademie Allstars (featuring superstars such as Caruana, Aronian and Gukesh) by 5.5:0.5 and finishing the second day in a row winning all of their matches. Freedom was better than Germany and Friends (4.5-1.5), managing to clinch second place and pushing the German team out of the top three. Team MGD1 slipped in the final round of the day against Ashdod Elit Chess Club. With all first five boards drawing their games, the balance shifted on the amateur board where Peter Anand (rated 1901) lost to 1600-player Daniel Blonder. The defeat relegated MGD1 from second to third place. Standings after Day 2 (top 10): Here follows a closer look at some of the games from the first day of the FIDE World Rapid Team Championship: Fabiano Caruana (who is playing for the Kompetenzakademie Allstars team, alongside heavyweights Levon Aronian and Gukesh D), had another tricky start. After yesterday’s surprising draw in the first round with a significantly lower-rated player, today he was on the brink of losing with the white pieces to the well-known Egyptian GM Ahmed Adly. The position is complicated but roughly even. Black’s queen is trapped in the centre and the king still hasn’t been moved to his castle. According to the computer, White has several interesting options maintaining the balance – 20.gxh4, Qe3 and Ne3 – to name a few. Caruana decided to take on e4 and immediately entered an inferior position: 21.Bxe4? Bxe4 22.Nd2 Bc2 23.exd5. The best continuation for Black was to castle long with the idea of meeting 24.dxe7 with cold-blooded 24…Rde8! and Black wins an exchange by Bd3. Now, however, Adly misplayed with 23…e5? letting a substantial part of his advantage slip away. 24.Re3 0-0-0 And now another mistake by Caruana 25.Ne4?
Sethuraman wins Indian Championship
Former Asian Champion Grandmaster S P Sethuraman of Petroleum Sports Promotion Board reclaimed the National Champion title after 8 years at the 60th edition of Indian National Championship. The 11-round Swiss tournament was held in Pune from August 16-26, 2023. The third seed Sethuraman scored an unbeaten 9½/11 to clinch the title while Grandmaster Vishnu Prasanna of Tamil Nadu with 9 points finished as runner up. As many as seven players tied for the third position with 8½ points but better Buchholz helped IM Ghosh Aronyak to take bronze. In the glittering closing ceremony, Shri Naresh Sharma, Treasurer All India Chess Federation along with Shri Suhas Patil, Deputy Director of Sports and Youth Services, Pune-Maharashtra presented the trophies and cash prizes to the winners in presence of Shri Siddharth Mayur, Working President of MCA and Shri Niranjan Godbole, Secretary of MCA. Final standings: 1 GM Sethuraman, S.P. 2591 9½ 2 GM Vishnu, Prasanna. V 2411 9 3 IM Aronyak, Ghosh 2538 8½ 4 GM Vignesh, N R 2501 8½ 5 GM Ghosh, Diptayan 2568 8½ 6 GM Mitrabha, Guha 2505 8½ 7 IM Neelash, Saha 2435 8½ 8 GM Ganguly, Surya Shekhar 2583 8½ 9 GM Gupta, Abhijeet 2625 8½ 10 GM Puranik, Abhimanyu 2611 8 Text and photos: All India Chess Federation