WGP Nicosia: Lagno and Tan Zhongyi maintain the lead going into the 4th round
Appearances can be deceiving. Although the final score of the day featured only one decisive outcome – Shuvalova defeated Mammadzada in the longest game of the afternoon – the other five games were intensively fought. Even the first draw of the afternoon had some interesting nuances. After three of the eleven scheduled rounds, Kateryna Lagno and Tan Zhongyi maintain the lead with 2.5/3 while no less than three players –Goryachkina, Harika and Shuvalova – are breathing down their necks. The event was honoured by the surprise visit by Ms. Elżbieta Witek, Marshal of the Sejm of the Republic of Poland. Witek is Poland’s number two authority. Escorted by three or four security guards and administrative personnel, she performed the ceremonial move in the game between Kiolbasa and Khotenashvili. “It’s a special opportunity to be able to, symbolically, take part in the competition of the top chess players in the world, and specially to be able to play the first move for Oliwia Kiolbasa, one of Poland’s most talented female player’s” Witek said appreciatively. “Chess teaches us so many skills which both young players and outstanding women grandmasters can use to build relationships based on common respect, choosing the proper strategies and responsibilities for taking decisions. Such a prestigious sport as chess fits ideally into the development strategy of Cyprus and in the construction of further cooperation as we discussed here intensively during the past days”. Witek added: “I am very glad that in a couple of months, we shall host the top chess female players in the city of Bydgoszcz, Poland,” in reference to the World Team Championship. GM Dzagnidze, Nana vs GM Dronavalli, Harika vs (0.5-0.5) The first game of the afternoon to finish ended in a peaceful draw. In a reversed Colle-Zukertort Attack, which by the speed of their moves, both players knew perfectly, Dronavalli played a well-known piece sacrifice that, once accepted, inevitably leads to a forced perpetual draw. Funnily enough, the same draw pattern had been played in 2016 between two other very strong women masters, S.Foisor and N.Paikidze. GM Lagno, Kateryna vs GM Tan, Zhongyi (0.5-0.5) Soon after, another important game ended peacefully. Leading the field on +2, the winner of this match-up could easily forward her claim to be the overall winner of the event, even though it’s still early days. Many Chinese players excel in the Petroff defence (also called the Russian Game) and Tan Zhongyi is no exception. She knows the lines by heart and is capable of playing them at high speed. In a well-known theoretical variation, Lagno repeated a relatively new move – 15.Bf4 instead of 15.Qc2 – but the symmetrical nature of the position was just too hard of a nut to crack. Although Kateryna obtained an outpost for her rook on e5, the position was totally balanced and a draw was agreed on move thirty-five. WGM Wagner, Dinara vs IM Assaubayeva, Bibisara (0.5-0.5) For this important game, Assaubayeva once again opted for her beloved King’s Indian defence, in which she is an expert and has scored many excellent victories. Wagner likes to mix it up with White, and today she went for the Gligoric variation with Be2 and Be3, delaying kingside castling. I did notice a 2015 game played by her husband GM Denis Wagner in the same line: maybe they have been cooking up some interesting ideas in this variation! A typical KID middlegame was reached: White counted on an excellent knight on the e4 square and superior pawn structure, in exchange for many weaknesses on the dark squares. In her postgame interview, Assaubayeva recognized that she was slightly worse, but there were some options for counterplay. After some inaccuracies, Wagner forced the exchange of queen’s and the game petered out into a draw. IM Kiolbasa, Oliwia vs GM Khotenashvili, Bella (0.5-0.5) After two losses, Kiolbasa enjoyed the white pieces today. Opening with 1.e4, she went for a side-line in the Open variation of the Ruy Lopez – 6.Re1 instead of the more popular 6.d4. However, Khotenashvili came very well-prepared. She blitzed out all of her opening moves, including the engine novelty 12…Ng5, exchanging off some minor pieces to try and force equality. Kiolbasa still kept an edge going into the middlegame – a safer king in an opposite-coloured bishop, but it was hard to prove an advantage. In her postgame interview, Oliwia mentioned that maybe she was suffering a certain lack of experience and also that she overestimated her chances in today’s game. GM Kosteniuk, Alexandra vs GM Goryachkina, Aleksandra vs (0.5-0.5) Goryachkina introduced a very interesting novelty on move seven in a topical Italian game with 7….a5. Although it’s the first engine move, to date 7…0-0 and especially 7…Ne7 were the main lines. Nonetheless, it didn’t change the nature of the position very much. As far as I can tell, the key moment of the game revolved around the exchanges initiated on move fifteen, which left Kosteniuk with weak doubled pawns on the e-file and, more importantly, a fabulous outpost on e5 for one of Goryachkina’s knights. In exchange, Kosteniuk did have some pressure on the kingside – the f-file for her rooks and the f5 square for her knight. However, Goryachkina gradually pushed back Kosteniuk’s pieces and started to advance her own pawns on the queenside. Things were not looking good for White. After the 40th move time control, it became clear that only Black could win – finding the correct plan was the challenge. Kosteniuk has always been known for her fighting spirit and resilience in difficult positions and, once again, she defended tenaciously, forcing her opponent to surrender her queen for two rooks. A draw was soon agreed in a balanced position. IM Shuvalova, Polina vs IM Mammadzada, Gunay (1-0) Although Mammadzada has occasionally played the Sicilian Kan, she generally goes for the Najdorf variation. Today she revisited the Kan and ended up out of the opening in a slightly passive Marozcy position. It’s hard to pinpoint an exact mistake – probably 21…Be5, permitting some
FIDE World Amateur Championships 2023 announced
FIDE and the Oman Chess Committee invite all FIDE Member Federations and eligible players with FIDE rating under 2300 to participate in the FIDE World Amateur Chess Championships (Open and Women sections). The Championships will take place in Muscat, Oman, from November 01-11, 2023. The Championships are open for players registered by their national federation. FIDE member federations have the right to send as many players as they wish. There will be separate championships in the rating categories Under 2300, Under 2000 and Under 1700. There shall be separate Women’s Championship(s) if there are at least ten players from at least two continents in each category. Championships will be 9-round Swiss tournaments with the control of 90 minutes for the whole game + 30-second increment for every move played, starting from the first move. All players, accompanying persons and delegation members have to register before the deadline of September 1, 2023. Regulations for FIDE World Amateur Chess Championships 2023 (pdf) FIDE World Amateur Chess Championships 2023 official website will be launched soon:https://worldamateur2023.fide.com E-mail: worldamateur2023@fide.com
FIDE WGP Nicosia: Lagno and Tan Zhongyi lead with 2/2
Another intense fighting round in Nicosia in the fourth leg of the Cyprus Women’s Grand Prix. A testament to this fact is that only one of the games – the draw between Harika and Wagner – finished before the 40th move time control: of the other five, four ended in a decisive result. After the first two rounds, two players lead the field on 100%: Kateryna Lagno and Tan Zhongyi. Both of them have displayed excellent form up to now, and their victories have been clear and undisputed. The second round also highlighted a certain level of recovery by Alexandra Goryachkina and Polina Shuvalova, while Oliwia Kiolbasa and Bibisara Assaubayeva will have to wait for the third round for their chance to score. As five-times World Champion and current FIDE Deputy President Vishy Anand put it: “A thrilling day, so many interesting games. I hope that this tournament will live up to the new expectations because people probably expect this every day now, but certainly, the players showed exceptional fighting spirit”. In his interview, Anand also gave his take on many issues, including the number of countries he has visited in his lifetime. Evgeniy Tyapkin, Executive Director at Freedom Finance Europe and member of the Board of Directors made the ceremonial first move today for Bibisara Assaubayeva. IM Assaubayeva, Bibisara vs IM Shuvalova, Polina (0-1) In her preparation for this game, Shuvalova came up with a new idea in the Exchange Variation of the Queen’s Gambit: 7…Bg4 hitting the queen and allowing White to grab a pawn with Qb3xb7. Assaubayeva thought for nearly ten minutes but preferred to finish her development instead of swimming into deep waters. Around move twenty, the position became quite messy. Shuvalova advanced her kingside pawns, grabbing space and attacking possibilities, but at the same time potentially weakening her own king. A risky proposal, but as they say, “no pain, no gain”. As she mentioned in her postgame interview: “I think that the tide turned in my favour when Assaubayeva played 32.d5, and I got the nice square for my bishop on e5”. Complications ensued, but Shuvalova prevailed, notching up her first win in the event. IM Mammadzada, Gunay vs GM Lagno, Kateryna (0-1) With both players on 100% after the first round, it was going to be interesting to see how Mammadzada would approach Lagno’s solid 1…e5 repertoire. In a standard Ruy Lopez, Lagno went for the Berlin defence. Mammadzada chose the solid 5.Re1 line, instead of the famous Berlin ending, aiming for a symmetrical structure with a slight edge. The position remained fundamentally balanced going into the middlegame, although it was clear that Lagno had absolutely no problems at all. The key moment was move twenty-two. Slightly under pressure, Mammadzada advanced 22.f4 to protect her e5-pawn and was hit by a bolt out of the blue – the fabulous 22…g5! Instead, 22.Re1 should have kept the balance. The ending was clearly better, and Lagno demonstrated excellent technique. In her postgame interview, Lagno talked about the difficulties in winning a bishop ending with just an extra pawn. GM Tan, Zhongyi vs IM Kiolbasa, Oliwia (1-0) In an attempt to surprise her opponent, Kiolbasa prepared a relatively modern line in the Queen’s Gambit Semi-Tarrasch defence, which has been basically analysed at the top-level to a draw. After a few minutes of thought, and taking into account that her opponent hadn’t played this before, Tan Zhongyi opted for a side-line (6.Nxd4 instead of the main line 6.Qxd4), a slightly worse line according to the engine but fully playable. Clearly taken aback, Kiolbasa went into the tank for more than twenty minutes. A game was on! Although the position was only slightly better for Tan Zhongyi, it seemed that Kiolbasa was not entirely familiar with the nuances and around move eighteen, she was already down to her last twenty minutes, while Tan Zhongyi enjoyed more than an hour on the clock. Black’s position gradually deteriorated up to the point of losing a pawn, and Tan Zhongyi’s excellent endgame technique did the rest. GM Khotenashvili, Bella vs GM Kosteniuk, Alexandra (0.5-0.5) In a theoretical line of the Catalan Opening, both players blitzed out their first nine moves following several top GM games. It’s hard to know what happened exactly, but Kosteniuk deviated from known theory with 10…Nfd7 (instead of 10…Qc7), dropping a pawn a few moves later. In any case, she did have some dynamic compensation and, of course, her well-known fighting spirit, which has allowed her time and time again to come back from worse positions. Alexandra managed to recover the pawn, arriving at a slightly worse queen plus rook endgame. Khotenashvili probably missed some chances to increase a clear advantage to a decisive one, but Kosteniuk tenaciously kept the game going until the extra pawn was clearly not enough to win and a draw was agreed. GM Goryachkina, Aleksandra vs GM Dzagnidze, Nana (1-0) In a queenless Catalan middlegame, Dzagnidze blundered with 16…Bb5 (the unlikely 16…Nc3 was the way to go for equality), and Goryachkina immediately found the strong sequence 17.Bxd5! followed by 18.Ne3, forcing an endgame in which her two minor pieces proved too strong for Dzagnidze’s rook plus advanced passed pawn. The way Goryachkina converted her material advantage in this game is unique. Her knowledge of the subject is unparalleled and should be added to any textbook on this type of ending. GM Dronavalli, Harika vs WGM Wagner, Dinara (0.5-0.5) It was the first game to end this afternoon. Dronavalli achieved a very small edge with White in a Reversed Grunfeld but nothing really tangible. Her bishop pair was outweighed by her opponent’s excellent development and central knight. After mass exchanges, a draw was agreed just after move thirty. Standings after Round 2 Text: IM Michael Rahal (Nicosia, Cyprus) Photo: Mark Livshitz About Freedom Finance Europe Freedom Finance Europe, a subsidiary of Freedom Holding Corp., is a leading European stockbroker. The company’s Freedom24 web and mobile app investment platform provides traders with direct access to 15 global stock exchanges, including NYSE, Nasdaq,
Fabiano Caruana wins 2023 Superbet Chess Classic
After drawing his last game Fabiano Caruana won the 2023 Superbet Chess Classic with a score of 5.5/9, taking home a 1st place prize of $100,000. The current No. 2 American led for most of the event and secured the title after his nearest rivals all drew their final-round games, leaving him half a point ahead of the field. Tied for second place were Alireza Firouzja, Wesley So, Anish Giri, and Richard Rapport, all with 5.0/9. FIROUZJA VACHIER-LAGRAVE – | ½-½ 32 moves Looking to play aggressively in today’stoday’s round, Firouzja was met with the solid Queen’sQueen’s Gambit Accepted from Vachier-Lagrave. He went for a line where White goes into the endgame and can play for two results but wasn’twasn’t able to create any chances against MVL’sMVL’s precise defence, which led to piece simplifications and an eventual draw. After finishing with +1, Firouzja called his tournament “a good start for the year.” | Photo courtesy of Grand Chess Tour, Lennart Ootes RAPPORT – CARUANA | ½-½, 30 moves In a repeat of a highly theoretical line in the English that was seen in the recent World Championship, Caruana was put under some pressure out of the opening. The tournament leader spent a lot of time in the middlegame trying to figure out the position, with his pieces arranged awkwardly on the queenside but eventually found a strong way to create counterplay. After the complications cleared, Rapport reached an endgame with two extra pawns, but Caruana’s rook was simply too active for White to make anything out of his material advantage, resulting in a draw. Caruana’s 18…f6! created just enough play for Black, looking to open up the e- and f- files. Rapport tried an ambitious line but was met with stiff resistance. | Photo courtesy of Grand Chess Tour, Bryan Adams SO – DUDA | ½-½, 44 moves What started out as a 5.Nc3 Petroff led to an early endgame as So tried to build up some pressure against Duda’s position. However, despite doubling the rooks on the e-file, So couldn’t make much progress, as Duda calmly exchanged pieces and eventually forced a drawn rook and bishop against rook and knight ending. After starting the event with a big win over Firouzja, So closed things out with eight straight draws. | Photo courtesy of Grand Chess Tour, Bryan Adams DEAC – DING | 0-1, 48 moves A sharp line in the Queen’s Indian saw Deac sacrifice a pawn for long-term compensation and pressure. His position was fine, but a mistake allowed Ding to neutralize White’sWhite’s pressure and emerge with a healthy extra pawn. From there, the task for Ding was technical, as he slowly improved his position before eventually taking over and breaking through on the kingside to win. After 36…Rh2! Black’sBlack’s pieces were simply crashing through. Despite a disappointing performance, Ding won his first game as World Champion today. | Photo courtesy of Grand Chess Tour, Lennart Ootes GIRI – NEPOMNIACHTCHI | ½-½, 68 moves The final game of the event had important consequences, as a win by Giri would allow him to reach Caruana and force a playoff. After being surprised by the Sveshnikov Sicilian, Giri opted for a rare variation (10.Nab1), where White aims for a small positional edge. He was a bit better in the middlegame, but patient defence from Nepomniachtchi allowed him to equalize and even start pressing for the win. At one point in the queen and knight endgame, Giri blundered, but Nepo missed his chance to win and instead, the game was eventually drawn. Here 48…Qg3+ 49.Kh1 Qf4! would have been winning for Black, with a decisive threat of Ng3+ It was a forgetful event for the World Championship challenger as well. | Photo courtesy of Grand Chess Tour, Lennart Ootes The 2023 Grand Chess Tour heads to Poland next for the Superbet Rapid and Blitz starting Sunday, May 21, with tournament action live starting at 7:20 AM CT with Grandmaster commentators Yasser Seirawan, Var Akobian, Cristian Chirila and International Master Nazi Paikidze on grandchesstour.org and on the Saint Louis Chess Club’s YouTube and Twitch.tv channels. Text: IM Kostya Kavutskiy Photos: Courtesy of Grand Chess Tour and Spectrum Studios; Credits available on Flickr. Further Information:Web: GrandChessTour.org | Twitter: @GrandChessTourInstagram: @GrandChessTour | Facebook: @GrandChessTour#GrandChessTour#SuperbetChessClassic Venue: Grand Hotel Bucharest, Bucharest, RomaniaMay 6 – May 15, 2023 Press Contact:press@grandchesstour.org Livestream:GrandChessTour.org
Poland to host FIDE World Women’s Team Championship
The city of Bydgoszcz, in Poland, will host the 9th edition of the FIDE World Women’s Team Championship 2023, to be held from September 5-12. The competition will follow a similar format to the previous edition, held in Sitges (Spain) in 2021. Twelve teams of four players each (plus one reserve) will be divided into two pools of approximate strength, according to the average rating of the team. 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. In the pool stage, board points will be used as a tie-break, while in the knock out the eventual ties will be decided through blitz matches (see the regulations for more details). The time control is 45 minutes for the whole game with an increment of 10 seconds per move starting from move 1. “I am proud to say that Poland has established itself as one of the main host countries for all kinds of top-level sporting events, particularly since the highly successful UEFA Euro 2012. This of course includes chess, a sport that has always been extremely popular in the country, and even more so in recent years. The European Blitz and Rapid Chess Championships in 2021 and 2022 held in Katowice, and the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championships held in Warsaw at the end of 2021 -under very challenging circumstances- are a testimony of how valued chess is in the country”, said FIDE’s Secretary General, Lukasz Turlej, who originates from Katowice. “These previous experiences show that Poland is nowadays one of the most suitable places to host a high-level chess competition, both in terms of organizational standards and fan engagement”. Radoslaw Jedynak, Grandmaster and President of the Polish Chess Federation, added: “Hosting a Women World Team Championship, especially in connection with the silver medal achieved by Poland during Olympiad in Baku 2016 and the rise of many young female talents in our country, holds immense importance. Witnessing top-level athletes competing on the international stage in their own country can ignite a passion for the sport among the youth. The event showcases the pinnacle of skill, determination, and sportsmanship, motivating aspiring players to set ambitious goals and work hard to achieve them”. 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, University of Technology and Life Sciences and a conservatory, as well as the Medical College of Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń. With a thriving cultural life, it also hosts the Pomeranian Philharmonic concert hall and the Opera Nova opera house. More information about Bydgoszcz: www.bydgoszcz.pl Tournament regulations: https://handbook.fide.com
Asian Championships 2023: Registration is open
The winners of the Championships qualify for the FIDE World Cup 2023 in Baku The Asian Continental Chess Championships (the Open Championship and the Women’s Championship) will be held from June 3-12, 2023 in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The prize fund for the event is $100,000. Even most importantly, the four top finishers in the Open Championship and the top two in the Women’s Championship will qualify for the tournament that chess players of all countries dream of competing in, the FIDE World Cup. One of the most prestigious chess competitions will take place in Baku (Azerbaijan) from July 29 to August 26, 2023. Registration for the Continental Championship is open until May 25. In order to register please fill out the entry form. Who can take part in the Asian Continental Championships? The Open Championship and the Women’s Championship are open to one official player from all federations-members of the Asian Chess Federation. Additional players are allowed if they have a rating of 2300 or higher for the Open Championship and 2000 or higher for the Women’s Championship, based on the FIDE Rating List as of May 1, 2023. Exceptions to the minimum rating level may be made by the Continental President at the request of the national federations. Meals and accommodation for official participants are paid for by the organizers, meals and accommodation for additional players are covered for by the participants or their sponsors. Chess players from 20 countries, including Kazakhstan, China, India, Iran, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates and Singapore, have confirmed their participation in the event.Among them are winners of national and international tournaments, world chess stars and famous grandmasters such as Sethuraman Panayappan and Vijay Pranav from India, Rustam Kasimdzhanov and Shamsiddin Vokhidov from Uzbekistan, Xu Jun from China, Murtas Kazhgaleyev from Kazakhstan and many others. The list of WGM participating includes Pallathur Venkatachalam Nandhidhaa (India), Batkhuyag Munguntuul (Mongolia), Irine Kharisma Sukandar (Indonesia) and others. Tournament rules: The competitions, 9-round Swiss tournaments will be held in accordance with the International Chess Federation’s (FIDE) Rules. Attending the opening and closing ceremonies is mandatory. According to the Regulations, the Blitz Chess Championship will take place on June 3, with the opening ceremony of the Asian Continental Championships scheduled for June 4. The final ninth round, the award ceremony and the closing ceremony will take place on June 11. Organized by: the Asian Chess Federation, the Kazakhstan Chess Federation with the support of the Almaty Akimat Dates: June 3–12, 2023 Venue: the Baluan Sholak Sports Palace, Abai Ave. 44, corner of Baitursynov St., the city of Almaty, the Republic of Kazakhstan Event Regulations:https://doc.fide.com/docs/CALENDAR/2023/ASIAN_CONTINENTAL_2023_REGULATIONS.pdf Entry Form:https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdSYtNCMLZyxPgLWRjF5D9r57y1Gj0FuTUinARGR2be-rvhjA/viewform Official e-mail: play@kazchess.kz
FIDE WGP Nicosia: Six dominant performances in Cyprus
The first round of the fourth leg of the 2022-2023 Women’s Grand Prix kicked off this afternoon in the Hilton Hotel in Nicosia, Cyprus. After the introductions and reminders, Chief Arbiter Ivan Syrovy initiated the clocks punctually at three o’clock, and the twelve players sat down to battle it out. Vishy Anand, FIDE Deputy President and former five-times World Champion, and Timur Turlov, CEO of Freedom Holding Corp., made the ceremonial first moves for Harika Dronavalli and Bibisara Assaubayeva, respectively. Notwithstanding the fact that women’s events are traditionally extremely hard-fought, the regulations of the tournament expressly forbid draw agreements before Black’s 30th has been played on the board, with the exception of move repetition or stalemate. In addition, the 90-minute for 40 moves plus 30 extra minutes time control offers players the opportunity to create fantastic games: six decisive results in the six games is indeed a very rare occurrence. GM Dronavalli, Harika vs IM Assaubayeva, Bibisara (1-0) Playing with the white pieces, Harika opened with 1.c4, against which Assaubayeva opted for 1…g6. After a few moves, the popular King’s Indian Defence was reached. Instead of going for one of the main lines, Harika decided to mix things up by playing an offbeat non-theoretical side-line, which included an early exchange of queens. It seemed that she was trying to avoid as much theory as possible. The first key decision came on move fifteen. Harika surrendered her strong kingside bishop by means of 15.Bxc6 in an attempt to weaken her opponent’s pawn structure and unbalance the position. “I just played some offbeat line to try and play a position. At some point, she just started to play really bad,” Harika explained in her post-game interview. In a strange decision by Assaubayeva, she returned the favour by surrendering her own bishop a few moves later (17…Bxc3) although the position remained balanced for many moves. However, as the endgame approached, one could see that Harika was enjoying her space advantage, superior pawn structure and better minor pieces. In a textbook example of how to gradually improve her position, Harika ground out the win in an exemplary fashion. WGM Wagner, Dinara vs GM Goryachkina, Aleksandra (1-0) One of the main surprises of the afternoon was witnessing New Delhi winner Goryachkina lose her first-round game to Wagner. Traditionally, one of Wagner’s main problems in previous legs of the Grand Prix was her time management. At least in today’s game, she seems to have left that problem behind. In a topical line of the Catalan Opening, both players demonstrated their deep knowledge of the variation, blitzing out their first sixteen moves. Goryachkina subsequently thought for nearly fifteen minutes before hitting her opponent with the novelty 16…b5, deviating from a recent game between top Indian youngsters Pranav and Praneeth, in which 16…h5 was the move. However, possibly slightly unfamiliar with the resulting middlegame position, Goryachkina blundered with 22…Bf8 – instead, 22…Bxh3 would have led to an equal position. With a timely exchange on f6, Wagner weakened her opponent’s pawn structure and pressed to the end in an opposite-coloured bishop ending with queen’s, in which she was always better. GM Dzagnidze, Nana vs GM Khotenashvili, Bella (1-0) The rules of the event oblige players of the same federation to face each other in the first round. Although being Olympic team colleagues and friends, Dzagnidze and Khotenashvili battled it out on the board today in the all-Georgian encounter. “Generally, I really don’t like to play against my teammates; it is not comfortable for me to play against Georgian girls. And I think for them, it’s not easy as well,” said Dzagnidze in her post-game interview. Playing Black, Khotenashvili went for the King’s Indian defence and definitely caught her opponent off-balance with her chosen line, obtaining the initiative very quickly. However, Dzagnidze kept her cool and reacted well: in the middlegame, each player had a dangerous passed pawn and two strong bishops. In a highly complex position, Dzagnidze missed a great chance to go for a win with 20.Nc6! instead of 20.Nc4 but was able to recover her options a few moves later. By means of a sequence of strong attacking moves, she coordinated her forces very well, winning first the d3 pawn and then by means of the pin on the c-file, she forced the victory. GM Kosteniuk, Alexandra vs GM Tan, Zhongyi (0-1) Representing Switzerland for the first time in an official classical tournament – she did play a few Bundesliga team games previously – Kosteniuk opened as usual with 1.e4, and Tan Zhongyi opted for the Berlin defence in the Ruy Lopez. In exchange for a strong centre, Kosteniuk gave up control of her f4 square, in addition to a weakened castled king, but according to the computer the position remained balanced. Around move forty, it seemed that the game might end in a draw by move repetition, but the Chinese representative decided to force the issue with 43…h5. The decision ultimately worked out well; under pressure, Kosteniuk blundered with 47.Qe7, which looks good on the surface, but allowed her opponent to coordinate her queen and bishop into a deadly attack. IM Kiolbasa, Oliwia vs IM Mammadzada, Gunay (0-1) Mammadzada had already made her debut in the Women’s Grand Prix in 2021, where she could only play the fourth and last event, in Gibraltar, as a reserve player, but ended on a high note, finishing in third place. For Kiolbasa, it was her first participation, replacing her Olympic national teammate Alina Kashlinskaya. It’s always hard to know what happened in the opening preparation, but something clearly went wrong for Kiolbasa today. In a complex Sicilian Najdorf, she went for the 6.h3 variation, but somewhere in the later part of the opening, she went wrong, dropping her e-pawn along the way. The move 15.Kf1 was definitely a step in the wrong direction, but maybe the damage had already been done. Her acute time trouble didn’t make things easier: on move twenty, she was already down to under two minutes. Mammadzada kept things simple, exchanging
FIDE WGP: Five-time World Champion Vishy Anand welcomes players to Cyprus
The opening ceremony of the fourth and final Cyprus leg of the 2022-2023 Women’s Grand Prix was held this evening at the Hilton Hotel, located in the capital Nicosia. The twelve players in the event, authorities, arbiters and officials, enjoyed a one-hour series of traditional dances and musical performances, national anthems, speeches and videos, culminating in a family group photo. Representing FIDE, President Arkady Dvorkovich, welcomed the players to Nicosia and congratulated them on their participation in the Women’s Grand Prix. At the press conference held minutes before, he stated: “This event is really important for us, and we are very thankful for the continuous support of our sponsor Freedom Holding. This type of tournaments helps our efforts to close the gap between men and women in the last few years, in which we have already had some tangible results, but there is still a long road to go”. The President of the Cyprus Chess Federation, Criton Tornaritis, took the floor, announcing many new events for next year in Cyprus, for the more than 2000 members, a number which has been increasing as of late. The General Partner of the event, Freedom Finance Europe, was represented by Freedom Corp CEO Timur Turlov. In his welcoming speech, Turlov was grateful for the opportunity to enjoy so many great players in Cyprus, and he thanked the Cyprus government for their trust and support. “A new chapter in the sports history of Cyprus has been written, which will inspire the new generation of players,” were his final words. Five-time World Champion and legend of the game Vishy Anand also took part in the ceremony. After confirming with amazement that it was his first time in Cyprus, Anand told an anecdote about his own participation in the qualifying stages of the Candidates Tournament. Just before the National Cypriot Dance Company performed one of the country’s traditional dances, the Minister of Justice declared the tournament open, reminding all present that her department also deals with issues of gender equality. The first round is scheduled for Tuesday, May 16th, at 3 pm. As per the rules, players representing the same federation must face each other at the start of the event. ROUND 1 PAIRINGS Text: IM Michael Rahal (Nicosia, Cyprus) Photos: Mark Livshitz About Freedom Finance Europe Freedom Finance Europe, a subsidiary of Freedom Holding Corp., is a leading European stockbroker. The company’s Freedom24 web and mobile app investment platform provides traders with direct access to 15 global stock exchanges, including NYSE, Nasdaq, LSE, Euronext and others. Freedom Finance Europe is licensed by Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) with the right to cater clients from EU and EEA countries. The company is rated “B/B” by S&P Global Ratings. Headquartered in Limassol, the company has tied agents and representative offices in Berlin, Madrid, Paris, Milan, Vienna, Warsaw, and Athens. More information: https://www.freedom24.com/
FIDE World Junior U20 Championship: Registration is open
FIDE and the Mexican Chess Federation, in collaboration with National Sports Commission, Mexican Olympic Committee and Culture Ministry, invite all FIDE Member Federations and eligible players to participate in the FIDE World Junior Chess Championships Under 20 in Mexico City, Mexico The dates of the tournament are from September 20 to October 2, 2023. Photo: Ari Helminen Each National Federation can register 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. Players who have personal right, according to FIDE rules, will also be accepted as invited players: Top 3 players of the previous edition of FIDE World Junior Championships. The Continental Junior Champions of the year preceding this edition. If a continent did not hold a continental Junior Championship, then the Continental Under 18 Champions of the year preceding this edition. The first three players in the starting list of both the Open and Girls tournaments, using the current rating list as a reference. World Youth U18 and U16 champions of the year preceding this edition. The deadline of the registration is July 20, 2023. FIDE World Junior Chess Championships 2023 official website will launched on May 16: https://juniorchampionship2023.fide.com Regulations and invitation letter (pdf) E-mail: juniorchampionship2023@fide.com
Global Chess League inks distribution pact with Protocol Sports Marketing
Global Chess League (GCL), a joint venture between Tech Mahindra and FIDE, and key partner Viswanathan Anand (a five-time world chess champion), proudly announces a worldwide distribution deal with Protocol Sports Marketing as the exclusive media rights distributor for GCL. This strategic alliance with Protocol will bring world-class media rights expertise to the innovative new chess league. With over 600,000,000 adult chess players around the world, GCL aims to modernize chess into a thrilling live sports experience with an innovative production plan leveraging next-generation technologies and league format, which will see six joint male-female teams competing in a double round-robin tournament to advance as one of the top two teams to the Global Chess League Finals. Protocol Sports Marketing’s extensive network and proven track record in successfully promoting and distributing media rights for both established and emerging sports properties will bolster GCL’s efforts to revolutionize the chess landscape. The inaugural edition of the Global Chess League is set to take place in Dubai, kicking off on June 21, 2023, and running through July 2. The event will feature ten matches for each franchise team, franchises will be led by legendary icons of the sport, while featuring young and exciting fast-rising stars. A final showdown between the top two teams will crown the first-ever Global Chess League Champions. Chess enthusiasts and sports fans worldwide can anticipate a captivating new team format and production inspired by the biggest sports leagues in the world. With Protocol’s support, the Global Chess League can expect enhanced visibility, broader audience reach, and accelerated growth as it seeks to capture the attention of fans worldwide and establish a strong global broadcast footprint. The distribution deal will ensure that GCL’s live broadcast catalogue is licensed and broadcast by major sports broadcasters and platforms worldwide, further amplifying the league’s impact on the world of chess. Jagdish Mitra, Chairperson of the Global Chess League Board, commented, “We are committed to making GCL accessible to sports fans worldwide, and our partnership with Protocol Sports Marketing is a crucial step in establishing a robust broadcast footprint. With their expertise and vast network, which includes collaboration with prestigious sports rights holders such as Matchroom, Beach Soccer Worldwide, Triton Poker, Golden Boy Promotions, Top Rank, and more, we are confident that GCL will reach new heights, captivating audiences and revolutionizing the way people experience chess.” The FIDE President, Arkady Dvorkovich, expressed his enthusiasm for the collaboration: “We are thrilled to work with Protocol Sports Marketing, a company with a stellar reputation for promoting unique sports properties. Together with Tech Mahindra’s technological prowess and Viswanathan Anand’s invaluable partnership, we are confident that this alliance will elevate the profile of chess and captivate fans with an exciting new format.” Lowell Conn, President of Protocol Sports Marketing, added, “The Global Chess League is a visionary project, and we are honoured to play a role in its international distribution. We look forward to working closely with Tech Mahindra, FIDE, Viswanathan Anand, and GCL to contribute to the growth and popularization of this innovative league.” ABOUT PROTOCOL SPORTS MARKETING LTD. Protocol Sports Marketing Ltd. (www.protocolsports.com) is the global rights distributor, sponsorship agency and sports marketing agent that specializes in developing new and meaningful opportunities for rights holders and sports federations who sanction and/or produce live sports events and sports-related content. The company avoids the big box bubble approach to distribution, preferring instead to provide broadcasters, streaming platforms and rights holders with a personalized approach that prioritizes organic and sustainable exponential growth. For more information, please contact Rebecca Amorim at ramorim@protocolsports.com or +1-416-449-9400 ext. 247.