Düsseldorf hosts the inaugural World Team Rapid Championship
From August 26-28, 2023, Düsseldorf will host a unique competition — the first World Team Rapid Chess Championship, organized by FIDE in partnership with WR Logistics GmbH. The players will meet on August 26th at the Rheinterrasse, located on the banks of the Rhine in the heart of Düsseldorf. Forty-three teams from all over the world will compete for a €250,000 prize fund, and the best team will receive the first prize of €100,000. Each team consists of at least six players. It must include at least one female and one player who has never achieved a FIDE rating of 2000. Match results depend on all players: 2 match points are given for a win, 1 point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss. The team with the most match points will become the champion. The World Rapid Team Chess Championship brings together teams with truly stellar lineups. The championship will feature the world chess elite, including former world champions Viswanathan Anand, Vladimir Kramnik, Hou Yifan, Alexandra Kosteniuk, and Mariya Muzychuk. Contenders for the world chess crown, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Fabiano Caruana, and Boris Gelfand, World Cup winners Levon Aronian, Peter Svidler, and Jan-Krzysztof Duda will participate in the event. Former world champions in rapid chess Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Daniil Dubov, will also come to Düsseldorf. The reigning world blitz champion, Bibisara Assaubayeva, former world blitz champions Kateryna Lagno and Leinier Dominguez, will take part in the championship. And finally, more than 15 winners of the Chess Olympiad registered. In total, about 300 participants are expected to fight for the world rapid team champion title. According to the team average rating, clear favourites are: WR Chess (Ian Nepomniachtchi, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Wesley So, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Vincent Keymer, Praggnanandhaa R , Hou Yifan, Alexandra Kosteniuk, Wadim Rosenstein); Freedom (Richard Rapport, Viswanathan Anand, Daniil Dubov, Evgeniy Najer, Polina Shuvalova, Alexander Shapiro), Kompetenzakademie Allstars (Fabiano Caruana, Levon Aronian,Gukesh D, Keti Tsatsalashvili, Rainer Becker, Manfred Schneider). Former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik will lead the team with the funny name “Chess Pensioners“. Peter Svidler, Leinier Dominguez, Darmen Sadvakasov, Jovanka Houska, Christoph Barati, Dennis Koenig, Miron Ananiev, and Yaroslav Ananiev are the members of one of the strongest squads in the championship. Let’s remember that in team competitions, the average rating is often not as important as team spirit and determination! With this in mind, several lower-rated teams also have a shot for the title. Given the long tournament distance of 12 rounds, all the top teams will definitely play against each other, so we are in for an exciting chess spectacle in Düsseldorf! All info and media accreditation is available on the official website: worldrapidteams2023.fide.com For additional media enquires please contact us at press@fide.com FIDE World Rapid Team Championship PROMO
FIDE World Rapid Team Championship: WR Chess on top after four rounds
WR Chess took the lead in the inaugural FIDE World Rapid Team Championship after winning all of their matches After four rounds of play, the team made up of top-world GMs such as Ian Nepomniachtchi, Wesley So, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, as well as two former Women World Champions, Hou Yifan and Alexandra Kosteniuk, are in the lead having triumphed in all of their matches and have eight matchpoints. Notably, Wadim Rosenstein, the amateur board and CEO of event sponsor WR Group, significantly boosted team WR Chess’s performance by winning three out of four games. In close pursuit are two teams, MGD1 and rating favourites Freedom, each with seven matchpoints after winning three matches and drawing one. The top three are chased by Armenia, ASV AlphaEchecs Linz and Columbus Energy KingsOfChess from Krakówall garnering six points with three victories and one loss. How the first four rounds unfolded Round One saw favourites secure confident wins, including Freedom and ASV Alpha Chess Linz with perfect scores. Notably, several top grandmasters faced unexpectedly strong resistance, resulting in draws against lower-rated opponents. In a dramatic upset, former World Champion Candidate Fabiano Caruana drew against FIDE Master Siem Van Dael, rated more than 500 points below him. But there were other notable surprises in round one: In the match between the exceptionally strong squad of Team MGD1 (which has an average rating of 2453) and the youth team of Deutsche Schachjugend 1, the 2320-eated IM Yevhenii Yelisieiev drew with the Indian super-GM Nihal Sarin who is rated 350 points higher. Team Armenia’s top player and very strong GM Gabriel Sargissian also surprised, drawing a 300-points lower rated MariusFrommof Doppelbauer Kiel. Things started to get tougher in round two. Team Freedom had a tense match against Chessbrah OFM. Despite winning with 4:2, Freedom’s Polina Shuvalova misplayed against Sara Khadem. The WR Chess team won its second match with 4:2 but saw its top board Wesley So losing a game as Black against 236 points lower-rated Chithambaram Vr. Aravindh. In the third round, the margin of victory became even thinner as the top teams started to clash: Freedom scored a narrow victory over team Armenia 3,5:2,5. The Indian squad Team MGD1 defeated the very strong Kompetenzakademie Allstars (who have Caruana and Aronian playing on the top two boards) with 4:2. ASV AlphaEchecs Linz (with Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Alexander Grischuk as the top two boards) suffer a narrow defeat to Columbus Energy Kings Of Chess from Kraków who were led by Baadur Jobava. The outliers were the WR Chess team who had a comfortable 5,5:0,5 win against Ashdod Elit Chess Club (featuring some strong players, including Eljanov, Volokitin and Mariya Muzychuk). Round four saw a first draw on the top boards: Freedom had a difficult battle with the Indian squad of Team MGD1 with the top three boards drawing (Anand – Harikrishna, Dubov – Sarin, Vidit – Erigaisi). Raunak Sadhwani scored a victory as Black against Richard Rapport but the victory on the amateur board saved Freedom from defeat. WR Chess, ASV AlphaEchecs Linz and team Armenia scored comfortable victories. A curiously named team of Chess Pensioners – featuring former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik (on board three!) – and heavyweights Leinier Dominguez Perez (who is definitely not a chess pensioner as he most recently had a deep run in the World Cup in Baku) and Peter Svidler – had an interesting journey in the first day. They started slowly with two draws and then in round three had a convincing 5:1 victory against the team of Ukrainian amateurs, but in round four again drew their match. While Vladimir Kramnik finished the day with 3.5/4, their board one – Leinier Dominguez is only on 50% having lost two games. Joining the buzz of the event, even FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich took part in the games, showing his chess skills. In round four, playing with FIDE’s Management Team on board six, as an amateur player, Dvorkovich won against Iga Jasinska from team Sharks. Despite achieving a better position, Dvorkovich blundered and allowed Black to equalise, but luckily for him, the opponent passed on the opportunity. Round five will start with a direct clash of tournament leaders – WR Chess and Freedom. The complete pairings of round five can be found here. The games continue on Sunday, 27th August from 1.30 PM CET. Here follows a closer look at some of the games from the first day of the FIDE World Rapid Team Championship: The biggest surprise of round one was Fabiano Caruana’s draw with a more than 500 points lower-rated Dutch player Siem Van Dael. Even with the black pieces, the game should have been a walk in the park for the former World Champion Candidate and the recent World Cup bronze medallist. However… In the Sicilian defence Caruana was better throughout and achieved a winning position twice, but both times he misplayed badly and allowed the Dutch player to equalise. Caruana just pushed his pawn to h3 to attack the white king. White had only one good place to put the king – on f2. Instead, he played 33.Kf1 after which Black was completely winning. The most obvious line ended with White having to give up his queen: 33…Rxa6 34.bxa6 Rb1+ 35.Ke2 Qb5+ 36.Kd2 Rb2+ 37.Rc2 Rb3 38.Qxb3 Qxb3 39.f4. Instead of this, Caruana played 33…Rxb5 giving White an important respite in the position. 34.Bxb5 Qxb5 35.Kf2 Caruana again played a weak move – 35…Ra6 Qb3 36.Qxb3? Rxb3 and now the position is even. Luckily for Caruana, in the proceeding moves White misplayed his position and Black was again on the verge of victory. Caruana completely misplayed with 49…Bc7 allowing White to capture the e4 pawn and save his skin. 50.Nxe4 Ra6 51.Rc8 Be5 and now 52.Ng5+ and collecting the h3 pawn as well. If anything, it seemed that White ended with more activity than Black. Caruana pushed on a bit more but in the end, had to settle for a draw. Wesley So (rated 2789) lost in round two to the young Indian GM Chithambaram VR.Aravindh rated 2553. In an
Winners crowned at 21st European Union Youth Chess Championship
The 21st European Union Youth Championship in Kouty nad Desnou (CZE) culminated on Thursday, August 24. The last rounds saw a lot of intense battles as the winners were determined in all eight categories. In the category Boys U8, Atanas Taskov (BUL) took first place with a perfect score of 9/9, Jean Desfosses (FRA) finished second, and Kyriakos Skouroupathis (CYP) claimed bronze. In the category Girls U8, Karina Ser (LTU) emerged as the winner, Agathe Gastaldo (FRA) came second, and Melania-Cristina Grigore (ROU) took third place. Vladimir Sofronie (ROU) clinched the title in the Boys U10, silver goes to Paul David Peglau (GER) and Vojtech Velim (CZE) completed the podium. Aleksandra Pehlivanova (BUL) came out on top in the Girls U10, followed by Aida Paunescu (CYP) and Milda Alejunaite (LTU). Bastien Muller-Moingt (FRA) won gold in the Boys U12 category, Alexandru Ioan Constantinoiu (ROU) finished second, and Filip Ochedzan (POL) came third. Tamae Severina Jakubse (CZE) became the champion among Girls U12, Levanah Alcantara (FRA) took second place, while Charlene Ge (FRA) finished third. Louis Auribault (FRA) is the winner in the Boys U14 category, Daniel Ser (LTU) came second, and Mark Csernyik (HUN) is third. Bianca-Alexandra Ciocirlan (ROU) claimed the title in the category Girls U14, while Olivia Sekova (SVK) and Maria Ioanna Haapsal (EST) took silver and bronze respectively. The top three finishers in each category received a cup and diploma. Every participant of EUYCC got a medal. All eight champions EU are leaving Kouty nad Desnou with a notebook. The next five finishers, following the medalist in each category, also got valuable prizes. Every player got a T-shirt with the logo of EUYCC. The prizes were given by the director of the event Zdenek Fiala, together with the tournament director of ECU, Petr Pisk and the chairman of the Czech Chess Federation, GM Martin Petr. EU Youth Chess Championship 2023, under the patronage of the ECU, was organized by Sachovy klub Svetla nad Sazavou in cooperation with the Czech Chess Federation. Boys and girls played in the same tournaments but were ranked separately. The Championship brought together 100 players from 15 federations. All games were broadcast online. For all participants and accompanying persons, organizers had prepared chess and non-chess leisure time activities (simultaneous games with IM Pisk, blitz tournament, trips). On Tuesday morning, IM Petr Pisk gave a simul to 12 players, who had 30 minutes, and Petr Pisk had 40 minutes on his clocks. The experienced IM won by 8-4, but Hana Bartova (CZE), Kyriakos Skouroupathis (CYP) and Oliver Nieminen (FIN) won their games, while Vojtech Zvolanek and Petr Broz (both CZE) made draws. The organizers would like to thank all players for their performance and fair play, all parents and coaches for cooperation, arbiters for running the tournament and all cooperators for their work. Complete results Photos: official website Official website: chess.cz/mistrovstvi-evropske-unie/
FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Championships 2024 – Call for bids
1.1 The International Chess Federation (FIDE) will hold the World Rapid and Blitz Championships (R&B) and World Women’s Rapid and Blitz Championships (WR&B) in the second half of 2024 (see the Tournaments Regulations for World Rapid and Blitz Championship and World Women’s Rapid and Blitz Championship). 1.2 FIDE is opening a bidding procedure to invite any federation member of FIDE or any organiser approved by the national federation to host the event. The federation’s letter of support may be provided later, when the bid’s evaluation procedure is launched. 1.2 The bid may contain special proposals on financial and commercial conditions. The FIDE Council shall decide whether these conditions are admissible. 1.4 The Bidding Form shall be filled in by an Applicant. A signed copy shall be submitted as e-mail messages to the FIDE Secretariat to office@fide.com from 24 August to 25 September 2023 by 23:59 Lausanne time (FIDE has a right to extend this deadline). All the documents shall be submitted in English. Additional documents may be requested by the FIDE Global Strategy Commission (GSC) for further evaluation. 1.5 Bid Evaluation Report shall be presented by GSC for an approval of FIDE Council. Priority shall be given to an Organiser applying for both events – R&B and WR&B. 1.6 Once the Organiser is granted the right to organise the event, a relevant announcement shall be made on the FIDE website. FIDE Technical Delegate (FIDE TD) may be appointed at the same time to supervise the event on behalf of FIDE in consultation with GSC.
Magnus Carlsen secures first World Cup victory
Former World Champion Magnus Carlsen has accomplished a significant milestone in his illustrious chess career by capturing his inaugural World Cup title, the only tournament that was missing from his immense collection of victories All three top-placed players have qualified for the 2024 Candidates tournament which is due to take place next April in Canada. If Carlsen officially declines to take part – he has hinted in the interviews that he might not be interested in playing in the event – then Nijat Abasov, who finished fourth, will replace him. After a quiet draw in the second game of the finals, Carlsen – who is recovering from food poisoning – defeated the 18-year-old Indian prodigy R Praggnanandhaa in the tiebreaks. It took just two tiebreak games and about one and a half hours. Crucial was the first rapid tiebreaker which Carlsen won with black pieces. The two sides were evenly matched in the Giuoco Piano. Prag organised an attack on the black king but misplayed in the process. Still, the position was even. In an open and sharp endgame, where both sides had to calculate very carefully, Prag landed in time trouble and blundered with move 42.a6. While Carlsen did not respond in the best fashion, Prag continued to err in the next two moves and after his 44th move, White was completely lost. On move 47, Prag resigned. Game two was much quieter with Carlsen (playing as White) forcing exchanges in a better position. A draw was agreed as early as move 22, securing first place for the Norwegian. The World Cup is the only major event that Magnus Carlsen hadn’t won in his career. The closest he came was in 2021 when he finished third. Now, with this feather added to his cap, the world’s highest-rated player proved that he is the ultimate force majeure of chess. The match for third place finished with Fabiano Caruana’s victory. After losing in game one of the regular match, Caruana made a comeback in a complicated and tough game on day two and reached the tiebreaks. Nijat Abasov – the Azeri star who surprised everyone with his exceptional performance in his native Baku – broke in the rapid, losing both tiebreak games. First, Caruana defeated Abasov with the black pieces in the Trompowsky Attack. Gaining the initiative in the early stages of the game, Caruana gradually increased the pressure and by move 22 Black was on the verge of victory. White’s king finally ended up in a mating net where he could only delay the inevitable for a bit, but nothing more. Reinvigorated by two consecutive victories, Caruana pressed on in the second game as well, this time with the added advantage of white pieces. Abasov opted for the Sicilian but Caruana again played sharply and fiercely, creating a better position early on. By move 15, White was winning. A great outcome for Caruana who seemed to be faltering after being knocked out by Praggnanandhaa in the semis and losing the first game to Abasov. All in all, this was a sweet and short day for the initial tournament favourites – Caruana and Carlsen. Text: Milan Dinic Photo: Stev Bonhage About the event The FIDE World Cup 2023 is taking place from 29 July to 25 August 2023 in Baku, Azerbaijan. In the Open tournament, 206 players were eligible to take part and 103 in the Women’s event. There will be eight rounds in the Open and seven in the Women’s tournament. Each round will be played under a knock-out system, consisting of a 2-game match. In the case of a tie, the players will play a rapid and, if necessary, a blitz tiebreak until the winner is determined. The winners of the top three places in both sections will qualify for the 2024 Candidates tournament. In both events, the time control for each game is 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game with an increment of 30 seconds per move starting from move 1. The prize fund for the entire event is 2.5 million US Dollars, with $1,834,000 in the Open and $676,250 in the Women’s tournament. The 2023 FIDE World Cup has the largest prize fund for any chess tournament ever played. More information about the event: worldcup2023.fide.com/ Regulations: Open tournament: handbook.fide.com/files/handbook/WorldCup2023Regulations.pdf Women’s event: handbook.fide.com/files/handbook/WWorldCup2023Regulations.pdf Schedule: worldcup2023.fide.com/schedule
Ju Wenjun crowned with her fourth WC title: “There are many memorable moments, and this is one of them”
The great chess spectacle to determine the Women’s World Chess Champion came to a poignant end in Chongqing with a lively pageant of Chinese culture The closing ceremony of the Women’s World Championship match was held at the grand hall of the Changshou District Office Service Centre – the same venue where just two days earlier, Ju Wenjun defeated challenger Lei Tingjie in the crucial 12th game of the match. The ceremony began with a mesmerizing performance by the Chongqing Opera Troupe, showcasing the exquisite landscapes and kindness of the Changshou District, situated in central China along the historic Yangtze River. Following this, the local sports team demonstrated the art of Kung Fu, hailing from the esteemed Wushu Sports Centre, renowned for its deep-rooted history in traditional Chinese culture. The last theatrical act featured a Tea Ceremony Performance dubbed Happy in Chess. Combining the tea ceremony, calligraphy, dance and chess, the show depicted the richness and splendour of the world’s civilization in different art forms. As the event moved into its official segment, Chief Arbiter Anastasia Sorokina appeared on stage to confirm the results of the match – a 6.5:5.5 victory for Ju Wenjun. Dai Ming, deputy party Secretary of Changshou district and host of the ceremony addressed the crowd first. “Shanghai and Chongqing witnessed the match where the New Queen was determined. We have witnessed not only top-notch chess by players but also the sportsmanship of China! Congratulations to both players who have won the hearts of fans with their dignity”, Dai said, adding that the players helped “build an image of China as a sports country and a healthy country”. Zhu Guoping, director of the National Mind Sports Centre, highlighted the rise of chess’s popularity in China and the prowess of Chinese players on the global stage. Zhu congratulated Ju Wenjun on her exceptional achievement, emphasizing how her victory required not only exceptional chess skills but also a strong character to overcome the challenges. The appearance of FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich on stage marked the beginning of the key moment of the ceremony. Dvorkovich lauded the event in China, saying it “was a huge success” and pointed out that “the young generation in China have great role models, not only the new champion but all the other great women chess players”. Of all the 17 women world champions so far, as many as six come from China, while the country now holds a crown in the absolute section, with Ding Liren winning the world match in April. “Congratulations on harnessing and preserving the tradition of chess! The whole world was following, and you moved chess forward to a new level where the rest will have to follow”, Dvorkovich concluded. After the runner-up, Lei Tingjie came up to the podium, it was time for the Champion to appear. With fanfare and roaring applause in the background, Ju Wenjun stepped onstage. Wearing a bright red dress – in the colour of the Chinese national flag – the four-time Women’s World Championship winner had a crown placed on her head and was awarded a trophy and a golden medal. In a brief humbling speech, Ju thanked “my country, all the officials and organizers, the team and family” for their support. “There are many memorable moments, and this is one of them”, said the World Champion. By winning the World Championship match, Ju has equalled the score set by her compatriot Hou Yifan and is on a path to equalling the record of a 5-time victory set by the legendary Nona Gaprindashvili and Maia Chiburdanidze. Text: Milan Dinic Photos: Stev Bonhage Official website: womenworldchampionship.fide.com/ About the Match The match took place in two Chinese cities, where each of the contestants comes from. The first half of the match was in Shanghai, while the second half took place in Chongqing. The match consisted of 12 games of classical chess. The payers had 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 more minutes for the rest of the game, plus a 30-second increment per move starting on move one. Players cannot offer a draw before they reach the 41st move. In case of a tie, there were the following tiebreaks: Four games with a 25+10 time control. Two games with a 5+3 time control. Two more games with a 5+3 time control. One game with a 3+2 time control, until a winner is determined. The prize fund is €500,000, with €300,000 going to the winner and the remaining €200,000 to the runner-up. If the outcome of the match is decided upon tiebreaks, the winner took €275,000, while the runner-up received €225,000.
FIDE World Junior U20 Championship: Registration deadline extended
FIDE and the Mexican Chess Federation have extended the registration period for the participants of the World Junior U20 Championship. The tournament will take place from September 20 to October 2, 2023 in Mexico City, Mexico. FIDE member Federations should send the information and the corresponding payments for their players before September 8, 2023. The same date, September 8, also applies to Mexican players who are willing to register. The official email: juniorchampionship2023@fide.com Each National Federation can enter one player born on or after January 1, 2003 in each of two categories – Open and Girls, with a maximum of two invited players and send as many additional players as they wish. Official website: juniorchampionship2023.fide.com Regulations and invitation letter (pdf)
5th FIDE World Championship for People with Disabilities crosses midpoint
The participants of the 5th FIDE World Championship for People with Disabilities have passed the halfway mark. In the fifth round, two Polish players faced each other on the first board. FM Marcin Molenda was leading the tournament with a perfect score of 4/4 points, while his opponent, GM Marcin Tazbir, was trailing by a half-point (pictured above). Tazbir emerged victorious in this clash, thus dethroning Molenda from the top position. The battle was intense from the very beginning, but a tactical oversight by Molenda in the middlegame allowed his opponent to quickly secure a winning position. Tazbir, Marcin – Molenda, Marcin The position is roughly equal. White has more space on the board, his pieces are better coordinated, and the c5 pawn is very strong. However, Black possesses a bishop pair, and the correct idea would be activating the light-squared one by 18…Bc6= or 18…b5= (18…b6). Molenda, however, decided to attack the d3-pawn straight away and played 18…Bb5??. Unfortunately for him, it is a huge blunder, as after 19.Nd6!+- Black can’t protect his pieces. The game continued with 19…Nxd3 (19…Bxd3 20.Qxe5+-; 19…Bxd6 20.cxd6 Qxd6 21.Qxe5+-) 20.Nxb5 Nxe1 21.Qxe1 Qd7 22.a4. White has two light pieces for a rook and a pawn, but because of black’s passiveness and weak structure, Marcin had little problem converting the advantage. The rest of the game was a smooth sail for White: 22…Bd8 23.Nc4 Be7 24.Ne5 Qe8 25.c6! bxc6 26.Bxc6 Bb4 27.Bxe8 Bxe1 28.Bxf7+ Rxf7 29.Nxf7 Bxf2 30.Kxf2 Kxf7 31.Kf3 Black resigned. 1-0 After this win Marcin Tazbir is leading the field (4.5/5 points), followed by four players on 4/5: IM Lukasz Nowak (Poland), FM Marcin Molenda (Poland), and IM Daniel Pulvett. Emilia Egeman of Poland (pictured above) tops the women’s standings (3/5 points). In Round 5, The 17-year-old defeated a higher-rated Ukrainian opponent Oleksii Filippskikh with a beautiful tactical strike, shattering the defense around the opponent’s king. FIlippskikh, Oleksii – Egeman, Emilia 26…Rxe4!!-+ 27.Ne6 (27.Bxe4 was objectively the best option for White but after 27…Qh3 White has to give up her queen: 28.Qxd2 Bxd2 29.Bg2 (29.Rb3 Qg4) Qg4 30.Ra4 b5 and Black emerges with an extra piece) Ree2 28.Rf6 Rxg2+ 29.Kf1 Bg7 30.Rfb4?? Qb5+ 0-1 The special guest of the fourth round was FIDE Secretary General Łukasz Turlej. He made the first ceremonial move on the top board. FIDE Secretary General Lukasz Turlej makes the first move on the top board FM Marcin Molenda – IM Lukasz Nowak In the sixth round of the tournament, the sole leader, GM Marcin Tazbir, will take on Nikolay Mukha from Ukraine with Black. On the second board, two International Masters will face each other: Daniel Pulvett from Spain will try to make good use of the white pieces against Lukasz Nowak from Poland. The upcoming rounds will be decisive in determining the champions and the medalists.
Aleksandra Goryachkina: “I try to imitate Alexandra Kosteniuk in knockouts”
FIDE PR Officer Anna Volkova spoke with the 2023 FIDE Women’s World Cup winner soon after her triumph. You can watch the video version of the interview on our YouTube channel in Russian with English subtitles. Photos by Stev Bonhage. – We are joined by Aleksandra Goryachkina, winner of the 2023 FIDE Women’s World Cup. Aleksandra, congratulations on this success. Your career has seen many tournament victories, including national championships and the Candidates Tournament. At the last World Cup, you took second place. How do you feel after this victory? How difficult was it? – Thank you. Knockouts, in general, are never easy. The final was quite challenging. Until then I played smoothly and confidently. Then I became nervous because I hadn’t won the final yet, and this is where the problems started. – You played the first three rounds confidently, without any tie-breaks: winning with White and making draws with Black. Tell us about this stage of the event; how confident did you feel, did you manage to catch the momentum, or were the opponents not so tough? – Since I have a high rating, I played with lower-rated opponents and in the first three rounds, the opposition was not the strongest. I could have scored even more points, but I reached my main goal, and it was enough. – If we talk about some turning points, the tie-break with Harika was quite long, tiring and tense. Was it the most difficult match of the tournament? – The hardest match was probably the final. The match with Harika was also very difficult: she is quite a strong opponent, and she was very motivated. I already have my spot in the candidates; she wanted to get it, too. Perhaps, for her, it would have been better if she was paired with some other opponent. But these things happen. We played two fairly even draws in the classical games; I had almost no chance there. But in the tie-break, I won the first game with Black. I can’t say I deserved it because she dropped a piece in one move. But then I lost the second game unexpectedly with White; it was one-way traffic. She played an excellent game, of course. I decided to stabilise the situation a little bit, and we played two draws again. Then in blitz, I won the first game again with Black, and in the second game with White, I already knew the trick. I pulled myself together and survived. – The final also seemed quite dramatic: not everything was going smoothly for you. Tell us about it. – To be honest, I didn’t arrive at the final in the best condition. I had some health problems, which unsettled me a bit. All the games in the final were topsy-turvy. But I was lucky somehow. I’m glad I managed to achieve a good result. – If we talk about your recent major victories – a win in the Grand Prix series and this tournament, and speaking about the formats of chess tournaments, where do you feel more comfortable, playing Swiss or knockout events? – I didn’t win the whole Grand Prix series, just one stage, and I finished second to Lagno. Which format is better? Whichever you win, I guess. – Who helped you at this tournament? Who supported you? We saw your father, and we saw some fans who came specifically to your games. Can you tell us about your support and its visibility and necessity at this kind of tournament? – The support was purely moral – my dad and the fans. Of course, it was unexpected that they would cheer for me so much. Speaking of coaching, it was a challenge. Nobody helped me, and it is certainly not easy in knockout events. – How do you manage to cope with physical fatigue in general? After all, the tournament lasted for almost a month, and your opponents are the strongest women chess players in the world. – Perhaps, one should try to avoid playing tie-breaks because they take up a lot of energy. If you rest at those moments, you can recover, prepare a bit, sleep, and, in general, it goes easier afterwards. In one of my interviews, I have already mentioned that I try to imitate Alexandra Kosteniuk in knockouts; she won the knockout World Championship and the first World Cup. She won both without tie-breaks if I remember correctly. That’s what you call a top-level! – A final question is about your plans. What tournaments are coming up for you? What goals do you set for yourself? – I think I will play the Grand Swiss and the Rapid & Blitz World Championship at the end of the year. I will try to perform as well as I possibly can. – Thank you very much. Congratulations again. New victories! – Thank you.
FIDE World Cup 2023 winner and third place to be decided in tiebreaks
Carlsen and Praggnanandhaa’s quick draw sets the stage for thrilling tiebreaks, but the Norwegian’s health remains an issue. Caruana stages comeback to reach the tiebreaks for third place Magnus Carlsen made a quick draw with the white pieces today with Praggnanandhaa in their second game of the finals. With both games ending in a draw, the decision of who will be the World Cup winner will be made in the tiebreaks on Thursday The game between Carlsen and Praggnanandhaa lasted just 30 moves and was over in slightly more than an hour. In the Four Knights Game, neither side managed to get even a slight advantage. The game progressed quickly – by move ten both sides exchanged two pairs of minor pieces and the queens. The two then proceeded to exchange the other heavy pieces and finished in an endgame with same-colour bishops and a symmetrical pawn structure. It seems that the Norwegian has still not fully recovered from the food poisoning he experienced a few days back, which has impacted his willingness to play. Everything now depends on the tiebreaks on Thursday. As the tiebreaks approach on Thursday, all eyes are on Carlsen’s potential recovery. The day will begin with a two-game rapid match, a format in which Carlsen, as the reigning World Rapid Champion, is seen as the favourite. However, his ability to regain strength and focus remains uncertain. Meanwhile, Praggnanandhaa, who recently turned 18, has displayed remarkable skills and confidence, unsettling many top-world players despite his young age. In the match for third place, Fabiano Caruana staged a comeback, defeating Nijat Abasov with white pieces in a hard-fought game where the American had initiative throughout but had to fight hard to win. In the Four Knights line of the Sicilian, the two ventured into a sharp line with a lot of tactical obstacles to solve. After Black (Abasov) misplayed on move 11, White’s initiative grew considerably. By move 14, White was already significantly better. Abasov kept on resisting. He gave up a rook for a knight and a pawn. By move 31, the two finally entered an endgame where White had two rooks against a rook and a bishop, with three pawns each on the kingside. White was better but had to prove it by finding a way to victory which Caruana managed to do after nearly four and a half hours of play. With a victory each, Caruana and Abasov need to rest well for tomorrow as everything will be decided in the tiebreaks. The tiebreaks will take place on Thursday, 24th August from 2 PM local time in Baku. Here follows a closer look at today’s games: Magnus Carlsen is not someone who settles for average but it seems that in today’s game, he did not have much will to fight. In the Rubinstein Variation of Four Knights game, Carlsen forced an exchange line which Pragg was happy to follow as Black The queens and two sets of light pieces are off the board. Black castled short and after some more positional manoeuvring, another set of exchanges followed with the two players agreeing on a draw in the following position: Fabiano Caruana and Nijat Abasov played a sharp game in the Sicilian with lots of twists and turns. The main theoretical moves in this postion are 11…g5 and 11…e5. Abasov opted for 11…Qe7? giving Caruana a chance for a push in the center: 12.c4! Qf6 13.c3! Blocking off threats to the queenside. 13…g5? This move only aggravated Black’s problems. After 14.Bd6+ Kg7 15.Qxf6+ Kxf6 16.Nxa8 White emerged an exchange up. In subsequent play the opponent traded some inaccuracies and reached the following position: Black should have played 24…Bf5 here, without deciding on c3. Instead, after 24…dxc3 25.Rd6+ the evaluation bar tilted in White’s favor again. The two finally transitioned to an endgame where Black was a clear exchange down but White’s path to victory wasn’t easy. White is significantly better but since Black’s rook is still on the board, Nijat has more defensive options. After reaching time control, Fabiano sank into deep reflextion and came out with the winning plan. After relocating his king to the kingside he ousted Black’s rook from the fourth and fifth ranks and advanced his pawns. Abasov resisted, but by move 59, Fabiano finally had him where he wanted and Nijat threw in the towel: After imminent g2-g4 Black can’t avoit the exchange of the rooks and White wins easily. 1-0 Text: Milan Dinic Photo: Stev Bonhage and Maria Emelianova (chess.com) About the event The FIDE World Cup 2023 is taking place from 29 July to 25 August 2023 in Baku, Azerbaijan. In the Open tournament, 206 players were eligible to take part and 103 in the Women’s event. There will be eight rounds in the Open and seven in the Women’s tournament. Each round will be played under a knock-out system, consisting of a 2-game match. In the case of a tie, the players will play a rapid and, if necessary, a blitz tiebreak until the winner is determined. The winners of the top three places in both sections will qualify for the 2024 Candidates tournament. In both events, the time control for each game is 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game with an increment of 30 seconds per move starting from move 1. The prize fund for the entire event is 2.5 million US Dollars, with $1,834,000 in the Open and $676,250 in the Women’s tournament. The 2023 FIDE World Cup has the largest prize fund for any chess tournament ever played. More information about the event: worldcup2023.fide.com/ Regulations: Open tournament: handbook.fide.com/files/handbook/WorldCup2023Regulations.pdf Women’s event: handbook.fide.com/files/handbook/WWorldCup2023Regulations.pdf Schedule: worldcup2023.fide.com/schedule