VAR in chess: New technologies will be used to help arbiters at 2023 Western Asia Youth Chess
Thanks to technologies and the idChess platform, for the first time in chess, an assistant system for arbiters has appeared that allows you to track controversial moments in the game and make the right decisions. What is VAR VAR (Video assistant referee) is a set of technological solutions to help referees at sports competitions. In many sports, various technologies are already used to help referees make decisions. For example, there is a line-calling system (Hawk-Eye) in tennis that shows the projection of the ball on the line at controversial moments. A similar system is used in volleyball. In recent years, the VAR system has become widely accepted in football: VAR in football is a video surveillance system from different points of the football pitch. During the match, the video assistant referee team constantly checks for errors related to certain actions. Video assistants pay attention to goals and situations leading to goals, penalties, and situations leading to penalties, mistaken identity, and red cards. The VAR team contacts the referee only in case of clear and obvious errors or serious missed incidents. At the same time, the match referee has the right to watch the video recording of the moment and make a decision. In the English Premier League, the technology appeared in the 2019/2020 season, and the percentage of correct decisions in key game episodes increased to 94%. A year earlier, the figure was 82%; that is, almost every fifth decision of the referee in important moments was wrong. In all sports listed above, the final decision remains with the human referee. In other words, VAR systems provide additional information but do not make decisions for referees. How VAR works in chess based on the idChess technology The use of VAR in chess can be divided into three stages: 1) Controversial moments One of the players called the arbiter to note the violation A controversial situation has arisen; for example, the first payer claims that the second one touched a chess piece but did not move it, and the second player denies it. The arbiter missed the moment and can only be guided by the presumption of innocence. 2) VAR review and recommendations If there is a broadcast using the idChess platform, the arbiter can pause the game broadcast in the mobile application and watch the recording of the game using VAR, which shows the behaviour of the players. 3) Decision making The arbiter watches the game and makes a decision. The VAR technology allows you to increase the number of correct decisions made by chess arbiters and make the decision-making process simpler and more transparent for both arbiters and players.
Triveni Continental Kings win the inaugural Global Chess League
In a heart-pounding climax to the inaugural Global Chess League, the title was decided in a thrilling sudden-death blitz tiebreaktiebreak in which Triveni Continental Kings triumphed over upGrad Mumba Masters. Dubai, July 2, 2023: The inaugural edition of the Global Chess League reached its climax in the grand final, which took place at the Le Meridien Hotel in Dubai. In a never-before-seen nail-biting ending to a chess event, the winner was decided through three stages of tiebreakstiebreaks. After two rounds of rapid ending in a draw, and then another two rounds of blitz in which the opponents split the points again, the champions were decided in a series of sudden-death blitz games where the decisive outcome came in the fourth game. In a spectacular finish, Danish 19-year-old Grandmaster Jonas Bjerre brought victory for Triveni Continental Kings after defeating Uzbek 17-year-old prodigy Javokhir Sindarov in a suspenseful game. Bjerre, who was one of the most inexperienced players in the tournament and lost most of his games, delivered the crucial victory to his team when it mattered. After suffering four losses to Sindarov, in a drawn-even endgame which the Uzbek player decided to force, Bjerre got the upper hand and won. “The last game was incredibly tense. It was really exciting. I’m still shivering”, said Bjerre, whose journey in this tournament can be described as – from zero to hero. “Levon (team captain) told me – just fight; if you win this game, you will win the event”, Bjerre added. With this crucial victory, Bjerre not only clinched the title for his team but also won the $500,000 prize. The overall prize fund for the tournament was a stunning one million. The rapid matches The Champion was decided between the Triveni Continental Kings (led by one of the strongest world GMs, Levon Aronian) and upGrad Mumba Masters (headed by Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, the 2021 World Blitz Champion) in rapid, blitz and sudden-death matches. The finals consisted of two rapid matches and the winners had to take both of them. In case of a draw (each team winning one match), the winner would have been decided in a blitz match. As per regulations, the choice of colours was determined by a coin flip. Luck would have it that Triveni Continental Kings will play as White. In the first match, Triveni Continental Kings emerged victorious after turning around games on two boards, winning by 9:7. The key game of the match was played between Levon Aronian, who defeated Maxime Vacheir-Lagrave in a sharp and complicated battle. In the second match, upGrad staged a confident comeback. Dominating from the outset, they defeated Triveni by a score of 12:3. The tiebreaks With both sides tied, the grand finale was heading for the 2-round blitz tiebreak where players had three minutes each, with a two-second increment per move. In a blitz game, the pressure is on, and even the best can make costly errors in a flash. Still, among the 12 players in the finals, four were former world blitz champions – Mumba’s Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Alexander Grischuk and Triveni’s Levon Aronian and Kateryna Lagno. Triveni Continental Kings played as White in the first blitz round. In a spectacular performance, upGrad Mumba Masters dominated across the boards. With confident victories on boards three, five and six, Mumba Masters got the first blitz round in the bag early on. The other games ended with two draws (MVL and Lagno drew), while Yu Yangyi defeated Alexander Grischuk, helping Triveni avoid being completely crushed. The final result was 14:5 for Mumba. The tables had turned, and it was now on Triveni to equalize. With Mumba playing with white pieces, it wasn’t going to be easy for either side. Tension was huge, not just on the boards – the sister of Mumba’s Vidit Gujrathi was seen in the audience shaking from excitement, while most of the spectators were on the edge of their seats. In a thrilling blitz showdown, Triveni mounted a fierce comeback, seizing the victory from Mumba by 13:7 and turning the tide in their favour. With Mumba and Triveni each claiming a win, the ultimate champion was decided in a heart-pounding sudden-death match. The sudden death match was to be played on one board, not six. The board was selected by the drawing of the lots. As fate would have it, the first board selected was number five: it was a duel between Sara Khadem, who came in as a replacement for Triveni, and India’s Harika Dronavalli. Just before the game started, players of both teams entered the playing arena in a show of camaraderie and anticipation. The game between Khadem and Dronavalli was tough. White got an extra pawn, but it was not enough for a winning advantage. As the game progressed, both sides pushed but objectively, it should have ended in a draw. But Harika was pressing, but Khadem held her ground and forced a draw. The sudden death match continued. In the second drawing of the lots, board five was not included. The draw saw board two selected, where former world blitz Champion Alexander Grischuk went up against one of the world’s strongest players, Yu Yangyi. In a fiercely contested battle, Yu Yangyi managed to create a 2:1 pawn advantage in a gripping endgame. With victory in sight, Yu Yangyi pursued the win, but Grischuk was defying the odds and holding. Amidst the ticking clock and mounting pressure, Yu Yangyi had to settle for a draw just moments away from losing on time. In the next – third(!) – drawing of lots, with numbers five and two removed, board four came up announcing a duel between 3-time world blitz champion Kateryna Lagno and India’s strongest woman player and the first woman to become Grandmaster, Koneru Humpy. In yet another suspenseful game, Koneru Humpy got the upper hand against Lagno and achieved a winning position. In a desperate scramble, Lagno managed somehow to fight back and escape with a draw, to Koneru’s disbelief. Now, the fourth sudden death pair was to be determined,
GCL Day 10: Triveni Continental Kings to face upGrad Mumba Masters in the finals
Dubai, 1st July 2023 – It was yet another day of huge upsets at the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League as all the event favourites lost their final matches. In a shocking outcome, two of the teams which dominated the Global Chess League from the beginning – Ganges Grandmasters and SG Alpine Warriors – were knocked out of the race for the top two places in the finals. Instead, it will be Triveni Continental Kings and upGrad Mumba Masters who will fight out for the coveted crown in the finals of the first edition of Tech Mahindra Global Chess League. Triveni’s journey to the top was the most unlikely. Despite setbacks and a rocky start, they made a triumphant comeback with four consecutive wins. Meanwhile, upGrad Mumba Masters consistently hovered near the top but struggled in the latter part of the event. Nonetheless, they rallied in the final two rounds, eliminating the tournament leaders, Ganges Grandmasters and SG Alpine Warriors. They also had a stroke of luck on their side—had Chingari defeated Balan Alaskan Knights in the last match, they would have been the ones reaching the finals. Nevertheless, fortune favours the bold, and the outcome feels well-deserved. Everything is now set for the finals of the first edition of the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League which takes place on Sunday, July 2nd, at 5:30 PM local time in Dubai. Triveni Continental Kings vs Ganges Grandmasters (11:6) This match was the last chance for Triveni – if they have lost, they would have been out of the tournament. For Ganges, this was their final chance to score points and secure the top place in the round-robin part.While a draw was enough for team Ganges, Triveni had to win and that put them in a psychological mindset to do it. In the Caro-Kann defence, Aronian grabbed initiative and posed serious threats to Anand. Unphased, the former World Champion got his knight and rook to the bottom of the board and found a perpetual check to hold a draw. In the meantime, Sara Khadem scored a huge victory for Triveni as she defeated Bella Khotenashvili in a sharp battle. By this point, Triveni team was dominating on three of the four remaining boards. Wei Yi struck on board three against Leinier Dominguez. Despite being in a weaker position, Kateryna Lagno managed to draw the game with Hou Yifan. Triveni was on the edge of a historic victory. In a complete twist – Yu Yangyi of Triveni lost against Rapport despite dominating the game from the beginning. The result was 8:5 for Triveni – Ganges had to win on the prodigy board to take the win. However, Esipenko was losing to Jonas Bjerre who took the initiative early on and forced a winning rook endgame. Esipenko tried his best and delayed resigning, but he couldn’t escape defeat. The final result was 11:6, for Triveni. A crushing loss for the Ganges and an amazing step up by Triveni. With this victory, they have taken the top of the scoreboard with 18 match points and have become the first team to reach the finals. Triveni, who have been struggling since the outset and had to replace a player, have won four straight matches to reach the top. A spectacular success! “We came back from the dead. We’ve gone so far and we have one more match to go. We were just focused and playing for a win”, said icon player Levon Aronian. The team also praised Sara Khadem who came in as a replacement after Nana Dzagnidze left the tournament for personal reasons. “Sara really changed the atmosphere in the team – she helped team moral and here we are”, said Levon Aronian. Team manager Loek van Wely said that he was proud of his team, “We din’t care much about the results, we feel we had a slight psychological advantage. Most important for us was to get the first win after the round of losses to get a sweet taste of victory once again and get it going from there. We have to wait and see who we play in the finals first, I think we lost twice to upGrad and Alpine looks strong on paper but in the finals its anybody’s game so we will prepare accordingly.” SG Alpine Warriors vs Chingari Gulf Titans (7:8) The Warriors and the Titans were the only remaining teams to play two matches on the final day. SG Alpine Wariors have been in strong contention for first place since the start of the league. Given the open race for the top, the outcome of this match could prove crucial (or fatal) for either teams’ ambitions to reach the finals on Sunday. The Warriors started with white pieces. Both sides played cautiously and steadily – avoiding risk but after about 45 minutes of play, the positions began to unravel. Magnus Carlsen won his game after Jan-KryzstofDuda misplayed approaching the endgame, overlooking a piece. Team Chingari struck back on board two when Shakhriyar Mamedyarov got the upper hand against Gukesh D in the endgame. An unusual game took place between Irina Krush and Titans’ player and former Women’s World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk. While Kosteniuk got some initiative in the opening, she misplayed in the middlegame, allowing white to take over the advantage. In a game which saw a lot of twists and turns, Kosteniuk obtained a significant material advantage, but Krush found a way out with perpetual check to save a draw. With two more games endindg in a draw the result was: 7:6 for the Titans. Everything was hanging on the last game between Wariors’ Elisabeth Paehtz and Titans’ Polina Shuvalova. In the Sicilian, White gained some initiative early on but then overstretched allowing Black to counter. The two transpired into an even rook endgame but Shuvalova made a mistake bringing White to the crisp of victory. However, Paehtz dropped the advantage and it was even again. Paehtz knew her team needed her to win so she was desperately trying to complicate
FIDE June 2023 Rating List: Nakamura is back to #2
The results of the 2023 Norway Chess and Cairns Cup, two very strong round robins, had the most significant impact on the July rating list. Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana put in stellar performances at the eleventh edition of Norway chess and soared up to #2 and #3 on the list. The American GM, who won the event, repeated the career-high second position he once had climbed in October of 2015 (although with a higher rating). Photo: Norway Chess Several female players showcased their brilliance in the Cairns Cup, but only one member of the top 10, Alexandra Kosteniuk, substantially improved her rating (+9). On the other hand, Humpy Koneru dropped 14 rating points and slid down to fifth position on the list. Biggest gains in top 100 Open and Women Zatonskih, Anna IM USA 2364 (+74) Fressinet, Laurent GM FRA 2652 (+20) Vaishali, Rameshbabu IM IND 2431 (+15) Sargsyan, Shant GM ARM 2654 (+14) Injac, Teodora IM SRB 2415 (+14) Sindarov, Javokhir GM UZB 2659 (+13) Ivanchuk, Vasyl GM UKR 2667 (+12) Krush, Irina GM USA 2447 (+11) Divya Deshmukh WGM IND 2400 (+11) Grandelius, Nils GM SWE 2686 (+10) Following her great showing at the 2023 Cairns Cup, Anna Zatonskih (pictured below) deservedly became the player to make the biggest progress last month. The event winner picked up whopping 74 points and triumphantly returned to the top 100 Women. Her compatriot and teammate Irina Krush also did a good job in Saint Lois, finishing fourth and picking 11 rating points. Photo: Crystal Fuller | Saint Louis Chess Club French Team Championship Top 16 usually brings together many high-rated players from all over the world, and the 2023 edition was no exception. Inside the top 100 open, Laurent Fressinet, Vasyl Ivanchuk and Nils Grandelius fared best in this competition earning 20, 12 and 10 points, respectively. The 2023 Dubai Open, the strongest Swiss tournament in June, attracted many GMs, with Javokhir Sindarov (who tied for the first place; pictured below), Shant Sargsyan and Teodora Injac becoming the primary rating beneficiaries inside top 100 Open and Women, while several youngsters – Xue Haowen (+84!), Aravindh Chithambaram (+18), Karthik Venkataraman (+17), Emin Ohanyan (+29), Murali Karthikeyan (+23) and Sina Movahed (+40) – picked up quite a few points. Photo: Dubai Chess & Culture Club Divya Deshmukh delivered a commanding performance at the 2023 Asian Championship and finished clear first which translates into +11 rating points.
The rise of China as a chess power
China’s ascent as a global chess powerhouse has been nothing short of extraordinary. From its humble beginnings, China has now emerged as a dominant force in the chess world. The unfolding of China’s path to chess dominance is something which should be looked at carefully and studied According to the June 2023 FIDE rating list, in the top 20 chess players in the world in the open section, China has two. However, in the women’s section, China has five players (with three of them occupying the top five positions). China currently ranks third in the countries’ average ratings for the top ten players, even though it has notably fewer Grandmasters than India, Ukraine or Germany, all of which are behind China. How did this happen? In a culture where tradition, resourcefulness and taking a long view of life make up essential elements of identity – chess would seem like a natural choice for a national sport. Still, their own board games – Chinese chess and go – are most prominent in China. In fact, not until the start of the second part of the 20th century did chess begin to gain a foot in the country of the Red Dragon. From Xiangqi to FIDE and Dato Chess was initially not well received in China. Because of this, the game was first recognised as a small part of the huge Chinese Xiangqi Association in November 1962. With small chess projects in schools and national tournaments, as well as four friendly matches with the Soviets (who did not send their top players), chess was making small steps. However, the game was pushed to the margins during the Cultural Revolution when it was included in the list of activities considered “decadent”. Still, it survived. Fortune smiled on chess in China in the 1970s – with restrictions easing. A 1974 meeting in Kuala Lumpur, where raising the profile of chess in Asia was discussed, made China the focal point of the push. This effort involved not only providing more outside support for the game but also getting the Chinese authorities on board and getting more state support. By 1975 the Chess Association of China officially joined FIDE, and Chinese players started participating in international events the following year. A crucial role in the development of chess in the Country of the Red Dragon was played by Dato’ Tan Chin Nam, a chess philanthropist from Malaysia, who lit the torch that spread the chess flame across China and set it on a path to become a major world power on the 64-squared checkerboard. From small steps to giant leaps Having won second place in the 1977 Asian Championship, China announced its entrance to the chess world with confidence at the 1978 Chess Olympiad in Buenos Aires – the first chess Olympiad the country took part in. With an average ELO of 2273, the Chinese team first stunned Iceland (which had the later FIDE President Frederic Olafsson on board one) in the first round and also managed to hold to a draw the team of Netherlands, then featuring the now legendary players – Jan Timman, Gena Sosonko and Johannes Donner (who lost to a Chinese player in 20 moves!). Then, gradually, successes came about: second place at the Asian Team Chess Championship in 1979, 1981, first gold in 1983, then again in 1987, 1989, and 1991. From 8th place at the 1984 Olympiad, China progressed to sixth place in 1990. In addition, Chinese players started winning numerous events across Asia and were making their presence felt globally. As chess progressed in China, the state warmed up and provided more support. In the 2010s, China started making podiums in the chess team events – the women’s team won silver medals at the Olympiad in 2010, 2012, and 2014 while the men’s team won gold at the 2014 Olympiad and repeated that success in 2018 and the 2021 Olympiad (the last one being held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic at the time). During all this time, state support for chess was increasing on the national and regional/local levels. Somewhat surprisingly, the Chinese started making giant leaps in women’s chess. In the 1980 Chess Olympiad, when the Chinese women’s team made their first appearance, they captivated the chess world by drawing with Olympic title holders from the USSR and finishing in sixth place ahead of the traditionally strong women’s teams from Yugoslavia and Bulgaria. The ascent of the women’s team in the chess realm continued, culminating in a remarkable tie for 3rd place at the 27th Chess Olympiad held in Dubai, UAE. The Chinese women players officially asserted their chess dominance after the breakup of the USSR in 1991, when Xie Jun (pictured above) won the title she held until 1996, and again between 1999 to 2001. In 2010 another Chinese, Hou Yifan, won the crown, becoming the youngest Women’s World Champion. She defended the title three times (in 2011, 2013, 2016) and even today is ranked as the world’s number one woman player, despite retiring from active chess in 2019. Her crown was taken over by another Chinese – Tan Zhongyi (2017-2018) and another, Ju Wenjun (as of 2018). The parallel between Soviet and Chinese dominance in women’s chess is striking. Both share a foundation built on robust government support and a well-established system where seasoned players mentor emerging talents. The resources and the hope With players in the 2700+ club, featuring world champion Ding Liren, Yu Yangyi, Wang Hao (the winner of the inaugural Grand Swiss in 2019, the world’s strongest classical chess tournament ever) and Wei Yi, and several super strong GMs all in their 20s and 30s, China is a dominant chess power today. The highest point (so far) in this Chinese chess march is the 2023 Ding Liren’s victory in the title match to determine the new World Champion in chess. Currently, China holds both the crowns in open and women’s chess – a unique success only achieved before by the Soviet
Ray Robson wins 2023 Prague Chess Festival Masters
The fifth edition of the Prague Chess Festival is in the books. The event, held in several sections, took place from June 21-30, 2023 in the capital of the Czech Republic. All tournaments this year saw tense, exciting battles until the very end. In the Masters, a round robin with ten top GMs participating, Bogdan-Daniel Deac (Romania) and Ray Robson (USA) tied for first place scoring 5.5/9 each after all final games were drawn. To determine the champion the two played a tiebreaker. The American GM won the first game with Black then drew the second one with White and became the winner of the main event. The bronze went to the last-year champion Pentala Harikrishna. Final standings Masters: 1 GM Robson, Ray ROU 2693 5½ 2 GM Deac, Bogdan-Daniel USA 2689 5½ 3 GM Harikrishna, Pentala IND 2704 5 4 GM Navara, David CZE 2689 4½ 5 GM Shankland, Sam USA 2711 4½ 6 GM Martirosyan, Haik ARM 2685 4½ 7 GM Keymer, Vincent GER 2690 4½ 8 GM Wang, Hao CHN 2722 4 9 GM Gelfand, Boris ISR 2668 3½ 10 GM Nguyen Thai Dai CZE 2653 3½ Tiebreaker in the Masters In the Challengers competition, both main contenders for the title, Mateusz Bartel (Poland) and Alexander Motylev (Romania) scored last-round victories. As a result, the Polish GM retained his half-point lead over his rival, finished clear first and punched his ticket to the 2024 Masters. Motylev is second while as many as three players tied for third position with Paulius Pultinevicius (Lithuania) taking bronze thanks the best score in their direct encounters. Always smiling Mateusz Bartel Final standings Challengers: 1 GM Bartel, Mateusz POL 2609 6½ 2 GM Motylev, Alexander ROU 2597 6 3 GM Pultinevicius, Paulius LTU 2530 5 4 GM Gledura, Benjamin HUN 2645 5 5 IM Vykouk, Jan CZE 2467 5 6 GM L’Ami, Erwin NED 2645 4½ 7 GM Pechac, Jergus SVK 2611 4 8 FM Finek, Vaclav CZE 2409 3½ 9 IM Stalmach, Richard CZE 2436 3 10 GM Akash G IND 2483 2½ Patryk Cieslak (Poland) pulled off a crucial last-round victory win the Futures, while the rating favorite Vojtech Plat tied for first place in the Open and became the champion by dint of better Buchholz. The Futures tournament podium Detailed results of all tournaments can be found here. Masters Robson, Ray 18,80 Deac, Bogdan-Daniel 16,82 Harikrishna, Pentala 13,85 Navara, David 5,44 Shankland Sam 5,44 Martirosyan, Haik 5,44 Keymer, Vincent 5,44 Challengers Bartel Mateusz 7,34 Motylev Alexander 5,87 Pultinevicius Paulius 4,40 Gledura Benjamin 4,40 Vykouk Jan 4,40 Photos: official website Official website: praguechessfestival.com/
GCL Day 9: Triveni Continental Kings join the leaders
Dubai, 30th June 2023 – After a spectacular performance on the ninth day of the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League, team Triveni Continental Kings joined the top two squads on 15 match points. In a day which saw the favourites and tournament leaders suffer stunning defeats, team Triveni – which had a challenging start to the league and had to replace a player mig-tournament managed to rise to the top. The race for the cup of the first Tech Mahindra Global Chess League is now wide open and heading for an exciting end. The famous Indian tennis player Mahesh Bhupathi, a long-time friend of Vishy Anand, visited the event and made a ceremonial first move in the match between SG Alpine Warriors and Triveni Continental Kings. Chingari Gulf Titans vs upGrad Mumba Masters (12:3) The upGrad Mumba Masters were going into the match as slight favourites. The team led by Maxime-Vachier Lagrave was always around the top but slipped in the final days. Chingari Gulf Titans were on the bottom of the board and struggling. Still, they had the advantage of white pieces. The first good sign for Chingari occurred early on as Vidit Gujrathi made a blunder giving an overwhelming advantage to Dubov, who soon converted this into a victory after just 23 moves. Before that game ended, two heavyweights, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and Alexander Grischuk, drew their encounter. By this point, the result was 4:1 for the Titans. More bad news followed for team Mumba as Alexandra Kosteniuk and Polina Shuvalova defeated their opponents, adding another six points to the Titans’ scoreboard. Leading by 10:1, the Tinas had the match in the bag as, even if Mumba had scored victories on the remaining two boards, that would have changed the result. Despite the best efforts by team Mumba, the remaining two games ended in draws. Chingari Gulf Titans have staged a huge upset, wrecking the hopes of upGrad Mumba Masters to reach the finals. SG Alpine Warriors vs Triveni Continental Kings (8:10) It was the second match to end in a huge upset as Triveni Continental Kings – who played with black pieces – defeated one of the top teams in the league, SG Alpine Warriors, knocking them off course to the finals. In their second game of the league, Magnus Carlsen again lost to Levon Aronian! Magnus opened with 1.b3 and gained some initiative but, in a relatively stable position, committed a blunder leading directly into defeat. He laughed it off but was clearly unhappy. Meanwhile, Warriors’ Gukesh D managed to grab the initiative against Yu Yangyi. The Chinese Grandmaster was hardpressed, trying to fend off checkmate. Despite avoiding the direct threats, he found himself in a desperate position and resigned. Triveni Continental Kings quickly hit back with a victory on board three, where Wei Yi outplayed Arjun Erigaisi in a queen and rook endgame. In a duel of youngsters between Praggnanandhaa R and Jonas Bjerre, the talented player from India scraped up a win in what was a completely lost position. After misplaying in the middlegame, Praggnanandhaa put up a stubborn defence, took over advantage in a queen and rook endgame and came out victorious. With seven wins and two draws, Praggnanandhaa is continuing his amazing run in the league. Elisabeth Paehtz and Sara Khadem made a relatively quick draw in 36 moves, as did Irina Krush and Kateryna Lagno. upGrad Mumba Masters vs Ganges Grandmasters (10:4) The upGrad Mumba Masters were looking for a comeback following a crushing defeat earlier in the day. They had to win the match, scoring as many game points as possible, to rejoin the race for the top. The tournament leaders, Ganges Grandmasters, had less pressure on them, especially after their immediate competitors, SG Alpine Warriors, lost in the previous match. Javokhir Sindarov got the Mumba off to a good start, defeating Andrey Esipenko. Despite Sindarov’s allowing his opponent to obtain a superior position, Esipenko miscalculated and underestimated the threats from the two bishops pinning his king and, in the end, overlooked checkmate. Although a pawn up, former world champion Viswanathan Anand knew that the position in his game was drawn, and there was no need to push it against the likes of Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, so the two decided to call it a day. The match saw a huge upset on board four as former Women’s World Champion Hou Yifan went for a combination against Konery Humpy, but it was flawed and cost her a piece. Despite her best efforts to find a way out, and with seconds on her clock, Hou Yifan resigned, handing another three huge points to upGrad Mumba Masters. Vidit Gujrathi and Leinier Dominguez Perez drew after reaching an even rook ending. The game between Harika Dronavalli and Bella Khotenashvili also ended in a draw. Black had more chances, but White found a series of endless checks. Alexander Grischuk was in trouble against Richard Rapport – in a complicated endgame, he was trying to prevent Black from advancing his h-pawn towards promotion. Having played the greater part of the endgame in extreme time trouble, Grichuk deserved full credit for holding on and securing a draw. Team upGrad Mumba Masters won the match by a score of 10:4. An important step forward for them after two defeats. Triveni Continental Kings vs Balan Alaskan Knights (10:9) Buoyed by their success earlier in the day in defeating SG Alpine Warriors, Triveni Continental Kings had a huge opportunity in front of them. A victory over Balan Alaskan Knights meant joining the leaders of the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League. With just three victories and five defeats, Balan Alaskan Knights also needed to win. Triveni Continental Kings started with a lucky break as Sara Khadem defeated Nino Bastiashvili after the latter blundered a piece in an even endgame. Yu Yangyi and Nodirbek Abdusattorov drew their game, where both sides managed to hold an even position throughout. The next game to finish was the encounter between Kateryna Lagno and Tan Zhongyi. In an even position, Lagno chose
GCL Day 8:Ganges Grandmasters reclaim the lead
Dubai, 29th June 2023 – The Triveni Continental Kings pulled off a hard-fought victory by a score of 10-9 against the Chingari Gulf Titans in a tense round eight match of the League, led by a crucial win from substitute player Sara Khadem. Ganges Grandmasters made an important comeback after two losses, defeating Balan Alaskan Knights 8:7 in a close match decided by a game which lasted 114 moves. Chingari Gulf Titans vs Triveni Continental Kings (9:10) Both the Titans and the Kings started round eight at the bottom of the scoreboard, struggling in the League. Both teams had won two matches each, but the Titans had an additional match draw, giving them a total of seven match points, one more than the Kings. The previous match between these two teams ended in a draw. It was one of the last chances for the Kings team to turn their fortune around, and they had to do it with black pieces. After about thirty minutes of play with mostly balanced positions, the tide started to turn. First Titans’ Shakhriyar Mamedyarov defeated Yu Yangyi as Black after the Chinese Grandmaster made an error in the middlegame, entering a completely lost position. Then, Nihal Sarin beat Jonas Buhl Bjerre after White made a mistake in the endgame, increasing the Titans’ advantage to eight points. It seemed like the Kings were once again heading towards a difficult situation. However, fortune smiled upon them as Levon Aronian seized an advantage against Duda and confidently brought his opponent to defeat. After a mistake in the early stages of the middlegame by Kings’ Dubov, Wei Yi got the initiative and eventually ended up with as many as four free pawns on the queenside and won the game. Alexandra Kosteniuk and Kateryna Lagno drew their game, bringing the score to 9:7 in favour of the Chingari Gulf Titans. The fate of the match rested on the game between Sara Khadem and Polina Shuvalova. The Kings needed a win to secure the match, while a draw would be sufficient for the Titans. Luckily for the Kings, Sara Khadem (who came in as a replacement for Nana Dzagnidze, who left the event for personal reasons) scored a confident – and, as it turned out – crucial victory, bringing the result to 10:9 for the Kings. A well-deserved triumph for the Triveni team. “We just told ourselves that we haven’t been playing well. We should win every single match but let’s go match by match”, said team leader Levon Aronian in the post-game interview. Still, a tough path lies ahead for both teams. Balan Alaskan Knights Vs Ganges Grandmasters (7:8) Ganges Grandmasters were dominating the League from the outset but then suffered two consecutive defeats, leaving them on 12 match points and in second place. To improve the score, but also for their psychological stability, Ganges Grandmasters had to make a comeback. The team of Balan Alaskan Knights started the round in the middle of the standings, on six match points. With a two-match winning streak behind them and playing with white pieces, in this match, they had to push themselves further. The first to finish was a game between Teimour Radjabov and Leinier Dominguez, who reached a drawn endgame and decided to call it a day. In a match where both sides held their own for a long time, the positions gradually started to look more favourable for Balan Alaskan Knights, but the team of Ganges Grandmasters were fighting back on all boards. Viswanathan Anand got into a somewhat uncomfortable situation on board one against Ian Nepomniachtchi. The two-time candidate for World Champion managed to create two free pawns on the queenside but then came a pawn exchange where White ended a pawn up. Still, it was even, and in the end, the game ended in a draw. In the duel of prodigies, Andrey Esipenko got the upper hand (a rook for a knight) against RaunakSadhwani. The player from the BAK’s team was holding his ground, but it was becoming increasingly difficult, especially as Esipenko created a passed pawn on the queenside. In time trouble, Sadhawani cracked, and the game went to team Ganges. Hou Yifan and Tan Zhongyi also drew their game. Things in the match were going the way which favoured team Ganges as they were in the lead with 7:3. Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Balan Alaskan Knights played a sharp game with Richard Rapport. He ended with two pawns up, but, somehow, Rapport was resisting. In the end, Abdusattorov managed to make a breakthrough and win, securing three important points for BAK. Now the scoreboard read 7:6, still favouring Ganges Grandmasters. For the second time in the day, the outcome of the match depended on the last game played. BAK’s Nino Batsiashvili took the early initiative against her compatriot from Georgia, Bella Khotenashvili, but dropped her advantage at some point. The opponents reached an even position but kept on playing – Nino had to win for her team to take the match, while a draw was enough for Khotenashvili and Ganges Grandmasters. A series of positional manoeuvres took place on the board as Nino was trying to force a victory. However, despite her best effort, Khotenashvili did not give way and the game was drawn. A narrow but important victory for Ganges Grandmasters, keeping their hopes for the finals alive. Match results – 29 June 2023 Match 21 Triveni Continental Kings 10-9 Chingari Gulf TitansQueen of the match – Sara KhademKing of the match–Levon Aronian Match 22 Balan Alaskan Knights 7-8 Ganges GrandmastersQueen of the match – NinoBatsiashviliKing of the match – NodirbekAbdusattorov Text: Milan Dinic Photos: Global Chess League For more match pictures, please click here For other details, please click here About Tech Mahindra Global Chess League: The Global Chess League is the world’s first and largest official franchise league of its kind, with chess players from all over the world competing in a unique joint team format. It is a joint venture between Tech Mahindra, a part of the Mahindra Group, and FIDE. The league will
GCL Day 7: Carlsen’s spectacular victory over Anand lifts SG Alpine Warriors to the top
Dubai, 28th June 2023 – In a historic endgame, Magnus Carlsen of SG Alpine Warriors defeated Viswanathan Anand and propelled his team to the top of the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League, pushing Ganges Grandmasters to second. Balan Alaskan Knights unsettled one of the top tournament performers upGrad Mumba Masters in the first match of the round. However, all eyes were on the second match between tournament leaders Ganges Grandmasters and SG Alpine Warriors. The team of Ganges Grandmasters took the lead but thanks to the unstoppable Praggnanandhaa R of SG Alpine Warriors’ (who scored 5,5/6), the team managed to strike back in a critical moment. In what turned out to be the endgame for the history books, which saw two queens promoted by White and a knight promoted by Black, Carlsen managed to win and ensured his team reached the top of the scoreboard. Balan Alaskan Knights vs upGrad Mumba Masters (8:5) Knights, who won the first round against the Masters 14:5, started with the advantage of playing with white. The Knights were immediately pressing hard. In the Sicilian, Ian Nepomniachtchi went for the Rossolimo attack against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. Both Indian women GMs, Humpy Koneru and Harika Dronavalli, also came under pressure straight away. The Knights team started the day in fifth position. But in the individual race for the most valuable players, they had two of their own – Tan Zhongyi and Nodirbek Abdusattorov – in good form and in the top six, just behind the Masters’ Harika Dronavalli who was in fourth place. By the time the dust settled after the opening moves, Humpy was in a disadvantageous position against Tan Zhongyi, although the latter had used up more time engineering her attack. On board one, the players settled for a draw, as did Teimour Radjabov and Vidit Gujrathi on the third board. Meanwhile, a patient Humpy made several well-calculated moves to fight back. Her opponent Tan Zhongyi misplayed at a crucial juncture, allowing Humpy to bail out. Dronavalli also held off the initial onslaught from Nino Batsiashvili, and the two agreed on a draw. All hopes rested on board six, where Knights’ prodigy Raunak Sadhwani pressed with white against Javokhir Sindarov from Uzbekistan. The time on the clock was also in the favour of the young 17-year-old from Nagpur. The endgame saw some nervous shaking of feet. Sadhwani finally forced a win, expressing his delight by throwing his hands in the air. In the last game to finish, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, as White, was in a tight tug-of-war with Alexander Grischuk for most of their clash. Abdusattorov then managed to hold the fort, thus paving the way for an important 8-5 win for the Knights. Ganges Grandmasters vs SG Alpine Warriors (8:10) This was the match of the day in the seventh round of the Global Chess League. Not only did we see a high-stakes duel but also, two former world champions, Magnus Carlsen and Viswanathan Anand – both in a class of their own – faced each other for the second time. In their earlier match in the Global Chess League, Ganges Grandmasters came out victorious, 11-6. With the colour of pieces reversed, the Ganges Grandmasters now had the first move initiative. This match was crucial for both teams. While Ganges Grandmasters have dominated this event so far, SG Alpine Warriors are within reach of first place. “For both teams, this match is like a semi-final – whichever team wins they have great chances to reach the final,” a well-informed source from the SG Alpine Warriors said. For a long time in the round, neither side had the upper hand. Ganges’ Richard Rapport was the first to make a breakthrough. In the Italian game, Gukesh D allowed Rapport to seize more space and orchestrate an attack on the black king from which there was no escape. With another game ending in a draw – between Arjun Erigaisi and Leinier Dominguez – the Ganges Grandmasters took the lead. The next game to finish saw Hou Yifan – the top-rate woman player and former Women’s World Champion – defeat the 8-time American Women’s Champion, Irina Krush. In a tense position, Krush made a blunder allowing White to easily checkmate her king. A glimmer of hope for SG Alpine Warriors came from Praggnanandhaa – so far the most successful player in the tournament – who proved his value again, defeating Andrey Esipenko as Black. As Elisabeth Paehtz ended in a drawn position with Bella Khotenashvili, everything depended on the outcome of the game between Carlsen and Anand. An epic game between two former World Champions In their first encounter in round two, Carlsen beat Anand as White. Now, it was Anand’s chance to take the initiative and push. Vishy Anand and Magnus Carlsen played one of the most exciting games ever in chess, ending in an astonishing finale. Following the French defence, a sharp position developed on the board. In positional re-adjusting, both were pushing, creating traps for each other. Carlsen was gradually gaining ground, but up to a certain point, Anand was holding his own. However, after Vishy decided to trade his bishop for a knight, he missed a fine idea of building a fortress at the cost of a pawn and found himself in a lost position. But it wasn’t over and – with seconds on the clock – Carlsen had to calculate a complicated path to victory which saw White’s promoting his pawn to a queen twice! In the end, Anand thought he found a way to a stalemate, but instead of promoting a queen, Carlsen put a knight on the board – an unusual choice by all standards – but just what was needed for victory. The commentators and grandmasters following the game were stunned by what they were witnessing. “This is a game for the history books. The titans of chess fighting it out until the end”, said Grandmaster Peter Svidler. Magnus’ spectacular victory over Anand, securing a victory for SG Alpine Warriors with a score of 10:8. After
Carlsen, Nakamura and Ju Wenjun among the participants of FIDE World Cup
The event has seen its combined prize pool boosted to a whopping USD 2.5 million, the single largest one at any chess event in the world. The knock-out chess extravaganza, held every two years, will celebrate its 10th edition in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 30 July to 24 August 2023. The opening ceremony is scheduled for July 29th and all the first round matches will be played on the 30th. UPDATE World #5 Hikaru Nakamura has confirmed his participation in the FIDE World Cup in Baku. Two other wild cards go to Arjun Erigaisi, the best still non-qualified player among juniors, with a rating of 2702, and in the Women’s World Cup, to Zhu Jiner, the best non-qualified woman by rating – as well as 3rd finisher in the the Women’s Grand Prix standings. 149 of the 206 participants in the World Cup 2023 in Baku, and 72 of the 103 Women’s World Cup participants, have already been confirmed. The field will be completed between June 15-30, at the conclusion of the Zonal tournaments and the period that eligible federations have been given to submit their nominations. The list is headed once again by world number one Magnus Carlsen. Despite being a firm supporter of knock-out tournaments, a victory in the World Cup is one of the few titles still missing from Magnus’ impressive track record, and this is probably a strong incentive for the former World Champion. Photo: Lennart Ootes His best result so far was in Sochi 2021, where he impressed the fans with some spectacular games (like his two victories over Fedoseev), but he was knocked out in the semifinals by Jan-Krzysztof Duda, winner of the event. The second seed will be no other than the runner-up in the two last World Championship matches and twice winner of the Candidates Tournament, Ian Nepomniachtchi. “Nepo” could only reach the fourth round in his last participation, in Khanty-Mansiysk 2019, where he was knocked out by Yu Yangyi, and decided to skip Sochi 2021 in order to focus on his preparation for the match in Dubai. Photo: Lennart Ootes Fabiano Caruana, Anish Giri, Wesley So, and Maxime Vachier Lagrave are next on the list, followed by the two local stars Teimur Radjabov and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov. Radjabov won the World Cup in his last participation, Khanty-Mansiysk 2019. With the extra motivation of playing on home turf, he will surely be a very serious contender for the title. The tenth seed is 17-year-old Gukesh Dommaraju of India, who leads the pack of up-and-coming young prodigies, in which we also find Nodirbek Abdusattorov (18 years old, 14th in the starting list), Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa (17 years old, 25th seed), and Vincent Keymer (18 years old, 26th). The top-seeded in the Women’s World Cup will be Humpy Koneru of India. Despite losing some rating points during the past year, Koneru is still the number two player in the world rankings, only behind the semi-retired Hou Yifan and just one point ahead of the reigning World Champion Ju Wenjun. Photo: Ismael Nieto The participation of Ju Wenjun in the Women’s World Cup will be one of the highlights of the competition. It wasn’t clear if she would accept the challenge, and she is set to defend her title in the weeks before the World Cup, from July 5-25, against her countrywomen Lei Tingjie. It remains to be seen if Ju will arrive in Baku as the reigning World Champion or right after being dethroned, but either way and despite the foreseeable tiredness after the match, she will surely be one of the main contenders for victory. Aleksandra Goryachkina, Kateryna Lagno, and the defending Women’s World Cup Champion, Alexandra Kosteniuk, complete the top-5 seeds for the event. They are followed by Tan Zhongyi, Mariya Muzychuk, Harika Dronavalli, Nana Dzagnidze, and Anna Muzychuk. The highest-rated local player will be 22-year-old Gunay Mammadzada (pictured below). Photo: Mark Livshitz The World Cup is one of FIDE’s flagship competitions, and in recent editions, it has clearly become one of the most followed events in the chess calendar. This reflects FIDE’s efforts to expand the competition, increasing the variety of qualification paths and the number of represented countries (estimated at 50 for the 2023 edition) while drastically decreasing the number of wild cards. With 206 players in the open section, plus 103 in the Women’s competition, this event has seen its combined prize pool boosted to a whopping USD 2.5 million, the single largest one at any chess event in the world. For many players, the World Cup is the first and only opportunity to enter the race for the World Championship crown since the three top finishers in the event will advance to the next stage: the super exclusive Candidates Tournament. This means one more spot than in the previous edition, Sochi 2021, where only the finalists would qualify: in Baku, the winner of the match for 3rd/4th place will also get the coveted invitation for the Candidates, which adds some extra excitement to this already thrilling competition. Lists of players confirmed as of June 26, 2023: FIDE World Cup 2023 FIDE Women’s World Cup 2023 Official website: worldcup2023.fide.com/