20th International Solving Contest (ISC) announced
The 20th International Solving Contest (ISC) will take place on January 21st starting at 11:00 AM CET. This one-day event will feature participants simultaneously solving the same set of chess problems in over 50 locations worldwide. The tournament will be held in three categories: Category I – Main, open to everyone (but dedicated to experienced solvers) Category II – For players with U2000 rating or without a rating (in solving!) Category III – U13 Youth category (born after December 31, 2010) Categories I and II consist of two rounds, while Category III comprises a single round. Each round lasts for two hours. Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, stands out as one of the most prestigious ISC locations, having previously hosted the World Chess Solving Championship in 2022. The lineup there includes top finishers from the 2023 World Chess Solving Championship, including Danila Pavlov, the world’s best solver for three consecutive years. The participation of former solving world champions Kacper Piorun and Piotr Murdzia from Poland will further intensify the competition for the title. Over-the-board (OTB) chess grandmasters are adding to the competitive landscape, with names like Raunak Sadhwani, the ninth-youngest GM in chess history, and Arkady Naiditsch, a former elite chess professional ranked within the top 20 in the FIDE rating list in 2013. The complete starting list is available here. You can see three checkmates in two moves from each category from the previous year’s competition below. Good luck with the challenge! 1. White to play and mate in 2 moves (cat.I) 2. White to play and mate in 2 moves (cat.II) 3. White to play and mate in 2 moves (cat.III) Important links: General information about ISC and rules: wfcc.ch/invitation-20th-isc/ Fujairah location starting list : chess-results.com/tnr863164.aspx?lan=3 Solutions: 1. Pavel Murashev, Moscow championship 2013: 1.Rc4! (2.Re4#) 1…Kd5 2.Rc5#; 1…Nf6/Nf2 2.Nb7# 2. Pavel Murashev, Schweizerische Schachzeitung, 2015: 1.Qc1! (2.Ne3#) 1…Kxd5 2.Nb4#; 1…Bxd5 2.Ne5#; 1…Nxc5+ 2.Rxc5# 3. Poul Hage, Magasinet, 1941: 1.Bh8! – zugzwang Written by: GM Kacper Piorun Photos from the previous ISC competitions: solving in Fujairah (Photo Fujairah CCC) and Bangalore (Photo Shankar Ram) Official website: WFCC – World Federation for Chess Composition
Tata Steel Masters 2024: Anish Giri pulls ahead
Anish Giri notched up a second win in a row in Round 4 of the Tata Steel Masters 204 and leapfrogged Alireza Firouzja, who split a point with Nodirbek Abdusattorov. The Dutchman is going to the rest day as the sole leader of the event. Wei Yi and Praggnanandhaa R also scored victories and moved up in the standings. Alexander Donchenko was very close to his first win but allowed Ian Nepomniachtchi to escape with a draw. Anish Giri – Gukesh D | 1-0, 72 moves Gukesh comfortably equalized on the black side of English Opening but somewhat straightforwardly forced exchanges, apparently underestimating the dangers of the position with opposite-coloured bishops that emerged on the board. Interestingly, the first line of Stockfish is 25…e4!? sacrificing the pawn, followed by Qe5. Gukesh played 25…Qd8 instead, but after 26. h4! h5 27. Rb5 White got a long-lasting pressure that is very hard to withstand in a practical game. The young Indian tried to escape in an endgame, but Anish slowly but surely got to Black’s weak pawns and sealed the deal on move 72. Alireza Firouzja – Nodirbek Abdusattorov | ½-½, 30 moves The opponents tested a topical line of the Open Ruy Lopez in which Alireza lost to Vidit three years ago. Firouzja was first to deviate with 18.cxd4, but Nodirbek demonstrated his opening preparation, reeling off several best moves and reaching equality. Shortly after trading the queens, the players split a point in a balanced endgame. Max Wanderdam – Ju Wenjun | ½-½, 30 moves In a popular line of the Catalan, the players followed the encounter Nepomniachtchi – Firouzja (2022) up to move 19. Max opted for a new move 19.Qa3 but it did not change the evaluation of the position as roughly equal. As soon as the last pair of minor pieces left the board, a draw was agreed on move 31. Wei Yi – Parham Maghsoodloo | 1-0, 69 moves Parham went for complications and sacrificed an exchange for two pawns in the Advanced Caro-Kann, which led to a very interesting unbalanced position. The opponents traded inaccuracies in a complicated struggle, with Wei spurning a draw by repetition closer to the time control. The position remained in balance after trading the queens, but shortly after, Maghsoodloo made a nonchalant move that cost him the game. Black has to deal with e3-e4, driving the bishop away and white rook’s potential penetration to the seventh rank. The only move addressing both issues is 44…f5! with the idea of meeting 45.g5 with 45…Rb7, followed by 46…h6 with sufficient counterplay. Parham, however, played 44…Be4? and after 45.Ra7+ it was all over for Black. Wei transferred his rooks to the seven rank, traded the rooks and advanced his a-pawn, forcing Maghsoodloo’s capitulation. Jorden Van Foreest – Vidit Gujrathi | ½-½, 30 moves The players tested the Rubinstein variation of Four Knights in which Black sacrifices a pawn for initiative. Usually, it is sufficient to maintain equilibrium, and this game was no exception. Vidit regained a pawn, but most of the pieces were exchanged in a process, and the opponents signed a peace in an equal rook endgame. Ding Liren – Praggnanandhaa R | 0-1, 62 moves Things unfolded slowly in the Arkhangelsk Variation of Ruy Lopez, but with his fifteenth move, the World Champion allowed Praggnanandhaa to push in the center with c5-c4 getting some initiative. Several moves down the road, it snowballed into serious pressure on White’s b2-pawn, which eventually fell. Black gradually exchanged most of the pieces liquidating into a knight endgame. Ding had some chances for a draw, but his 43rd move made things much easier for Pragg. White should have played 43.Ke3 (or 43.Ne3) keeping his pawn structure intact, whereas 43.f4? played by Ding was tantamount to chess suicide. Black effortlessly converted his extra pawn twenty moves later. Ian Nepomniachtchi – Alexander Donchenko | ½-½, 56 moves In a topical line of the Sicilian Dragon, Alexander used a pawn sacrifice introduced by Nikita Vitiugov in his game with David Navara at the recent European Team Championship and got sufficient compensation. Ian boldly castled long, which led to a very interesting double-edged but roughly equal position. However, with his 28th move, Ian recklessly snatched the b4-pawn, missing a spectacular but simple blow. 28… Rxc2+! 29. Kxc2 Rc8+ According to chess engines, after 30. Kd3 Qxd5+ 31. Ke3, the position is equal, but this line is very hard to venture upon for a human. Ian played more natural 30.Nc3, but after 30…Qf3! Black was winning despite White’s extra rook. Soon, Alexander restored the material balance, but fatigue took its toll at this point as he gradually let his advantage slip away and forced a draw by perpetual. Standings after Round 4: 1 Giri, Anish NED 2749 3½ 2 Firouzja, Alireza FRA 2759 3 3-6 Praggnanandhaa, R IND 2743 2½ 3-6 Abdusattorov, Nodirbek UZB 2727 2½ 3-6 Wei, Yi CHN 2740 2½ 3-6 Nepomniachtchi, Ian FID 2769 2½ 7-9 Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi IND 2742 2 7-9 Ding, Liren CHN 2780 2 7-9 Warmerdam, Max NED 2625 2 10-11 Gukesh, D IND 2725 1½ 10-11 Van Foreest, Jorden NED 2682 1½ 12-13 Donchenko, Alexander GER 2643 1 12-13 Ju, Wenjun CHN 2549 1 14 Maghsoodloo, Parham IRI 2740 ½ Masters pairings Photos: Jurriaan Hoefsmit and Lennart Ootes – Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2024 Official website: tatasteelchess.com
Tata Steel Masters 2024: Giri joins Firouzja in the lead
It was another feisty round in the Tata Steel Masters 2024 with four victories in seven games, and just like in Round 1, all scored by Black. Anish Giri outplayed Alexander Donchenko and caught up with Alireza Firouzja, who drew his game with Max Warmerdam. Jorden Van Foreest, Nodirbek Abdusattorov and the World Champion Ding Liren scored their first wins in the event. Vidit Gujrathi – Ian Nepomniachtchi | ½-½, 35 moves Ian Nepomniachtchi demonstrated excellent preparation as Black in the Petroff Defence and emerged slightly better out of the opening. Vidit patiently defended an inferior position with the isolated d-pawn and eventually reached a draw in a minor-piece endgame. Max Warmerdam – Alireza Firouzja | ½-½, 30 moves As early as move 11, the players quickly stepped into uncharted territory in the Nimzo-Indian, with White getting an advantage. Max proceeded solidly but somewhat slowly, allowing Alireza to equalize. After some interesting complications in the center most of the pieces were exchanged, but White still had a slight edge. Warmerdam, however, reasoned it was not worth it to continue the fight and a draw was agreed on move 30. Ju Wenjun – Jorden Van Foreest | 0-1, 37 moves The opponents got a fresh position in the Modern Defence very early and waged a battle in a complicated endgame. On move 23, Ju struck in the center, but two moves later sacrificed the “wrong” piece. After 24. Bxb5 cxb5 25. Nxd5 Ra7 26. Ne7+ Rxe7 27. Bxe7 White would have had a rook and two pawns for two minor pieces in a slightly better position. Instead, the Women’s World Champion sacrificed her knight with 24. Nxd5 cxd5 25. Bxb5 axb4 26. axb4 Re6 27. Rxd5 Nf8 28. c4 Rb6 29. Rbd1 Bb7, but it was not nearly as effective as Black seized the initiative. Jorden managed to coordinate his pieces for an attack, but Ju could have put up a very stubborn resistance with 31.Be7, giving up her f4 pawn but getting a good chance for a draw. After she played more natural 31.Bh6, Van Foreest came up with a powerful 31…g5! and eventually got to White’s king. Ju Wenjun resigned on move 37, facing an imminent checkmate. Alexander Donchenko – Anish Giri | 0-1, 41 moves Anish Giri essayed a rare line of the Kings’s Indian Defence and reached an equal but playable position. Up to a certain point, the opponents played sensibly, but on move 28, Alexander moved his knight to a passive position on f1. Anish immediately seized the opportunity and exerted long-lasting pressure on White. With his position gradually getting worse, Donchenko tried to disentangle himself with 36.f4, but it immediately backfired. After 36… cxd4 37. fxe5 Nb4 38. Qb5 Rc8 39. Kg1 f4 40. gxf4 Qxf4 41. Qd7 Rf8 White resigned, unable to parry Black’s threats. Gukesh D – Ding Liren | 0-1, 37 moves The players entered uncharted waters in the Giocco Piano very early, and after Gukesh castled to the opposite wing and struck in the center, he had a chance to grasp the initiative. However, with a couple of sluggish moves, he handed it to the World Champion, who correctly traded his dark-squared bishop for the knight, brought his queen into action and won a pawn. The young Indian could have resisted more stubbornly, but his 24. Re3 became the last straw. After 24… Ng7! 25. Nxg7 Kxg7 26. d5 Rxe3 27. fxe3 Nb4 28. Qxb7 Re8 29. Bf4 Qf5 30. Qb5 Na2+ Ding got a decisive attack, which he saw through to the victory. Parham Maghsoodloo – Nodirbek Abdusattorov| 0-1, 43 moves The game saw a rare line of English Opening, and as soon as move seven, the opponents sidestepped the theory. Both played very creatively in the opening stage and found themselves in a very sharp, double-edged position. On move 15, Nodirbek chose the wrong square for his queen and quickly was on the rocks. Black decided on the last desperate measure and sacrificed a knight with 19…Nxc5. White could have gained a decisive advantage with 19. Qa3 Qc4+ 20. Kb1 a5 21. e4 Qb4 22. Qxb4 axb4 23. e5 Nd5 24. Bxc5 Bxe5 25. Nge4 +- Luckily for Nodirbek and unluckily for Praham, the Iranian chose the wrong way to grab the piece, and the situation turned around completely. After 19. Qc2? Qxa2 20. Bxc5 Rb8 21. b4 Qa3+ 22. Kd2 Nd5 23. Rh3 Abdusattorov delivered a spectacular blow 23…Re3!! Black got a crushing attack, and Maghsoodloo soon admitted his defeat. Praggnanandhaa R – Wei Yi | ½-½, 47 moves In a popular line of the Najdorf Sicilian, Pragg sacrificed a pawn for long-lasting pressure on the light squares and engineered dangerous initiative on the kingside. To Wei’s credit, he found an excellent defensive maneuver Nc6-d8-e6, returned a pawn and reached a draw in an equal endgame. Standings after Round 3: 1-2 Firouzja, Alireza FRA 2759 2½ 1-2 Giri, Anish NED 2749 2½ 3-5 Abdusattorov, Nodirbek UZB 2727 2 3-5 Ding, Liren CHN 2780 2 3-5 Nepomniachtchi, Ian FID 2769 2 6-10 Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi IND 2742 1½ 6-10 Gukesh, D IND 2725 1½ 6-10 Warmerdam, Max NED 2625 1½ 6-10 Praggnanandhaa, R IND 2743 1½ 6-10 Wei, Yi CHN 2740 1½ 11 Van Foreest, Jorden NED 2682 1 12-14 Donchenko, Alexander GER 2643 ½ 12-14 Maghsoodloo, Parham IRI 2740 ½ 12-14 Ju, Wenjun CHN 2549 ½ Masters pairings Photos: Jurriaan Hoefsmit and Lennart Ootes – Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2024 Official website: tatasteelchess.com
FIDE publishes regulations for 2024 Candidates Tournaments
General information about the forthcoming 2024 FIDE Candidates and Women’s Candidates Chess Tournaments in Toronto Toronto is poised to make chess history as it hosts the 2024 FIDE Candidates from April 3-23, where the challenger for the title of world champion will be determined in both the Open and the Women’s categories. It will be a double first for chess: the first time the Candidates are held in North America and the first time that both the Open and the Women’s Candidates tournaments take place together. This event, featuring 16 top-world players (eight in the open and eight in the Women’s category), has a combined prize fund of 750,000 euros, with 500,000 allocated for the Open and 250,000 for the Women’s event. The event continues a long-term collaboration initiated in 2022 under the patronage of the Scheinberg family, demonstrating their commitment to supporting the growth of chess on the global stage. General information: Toronto’s historic Great Hall (located at 1087 Queen St W, Toronto, ON M6J 1H3) will serve as the battleground for the elite players, engaging in a double round-robin tournament spanning 14 rounds. Spectators will be able to witness the intensity of the matches firsthand and experience the thrill of seeing top world players in person. Participants: Open Candidates*: Ian Nepomniachtchi, 2023 Match Runner-up R Praggnanandhaa, 2023 World Cup 2nd Fabiano Caruana, 2023 World Cup 3rd Nijat Abasov, 2023 World Cup 4th Vidit Santosh Gujrathi, 2023 Grand Swiss winner Hikaru Nakamura, 2023 Grand Swiss 2nd Alireza Firouzja, Best by Rating Gukesh D 2023 FIDE Circuit Winner *Magnus Carlsen, who qualified for the Candidates by winning the 2023 World Cup, earlier informed FIDE that he will not be taking part in the event. As per FIDE Candidates qualification paths, Nijat Abasov, who finished 4th in the World Cup, took his place. Women’s Candidates: Lei Tingjie, 2023 Match Runner-up Kateryna Lagno, 2022-23 WGP 1st Aleksandra Goryachkina, 2022-23 WGP 2nd Nurgyul Salimova, 2023 World Cup 2nd Anna Muzychuk, 2023 World Cup 3rd Vaishali Rameshbabu, 2023 Grand Swiss 1st Tan Zhongyi, 2023 Grand Swiss 2nd Humpy Koneru, Best by Rating (World Cup spot replacement) Drawing of Pairings and Colors: The drawing of pairings and colors will be conducted by the Chief Arbiter, in coordination with the FIDE COO, no later than four weeks before the start of the Candidates Tournament. Players from the same federation shall play each other in rounds 1 and 8 (if only two) and in rounds 1, 2, 3 and 8, 9, 10 if there are up to three players from the same federation. Withdrawals after completing 50% or more of games will result in the remaining games being declared as lost by default. For withdrawals before this threshold, all results will be annulled. The dress code is strictly observed for the tournament and all the official events and press-conferences. Men are required to wear a neat shirt and formal suit, while women players should wear a neat shirt/blouse and formal suit (with slacks or skirt) or dress. Any requests to wear national or traditional dress shall be approved by the FIDE Technical Delegate. Open Candidates Tournament Information: Time control: 120 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with a 30-second increment per move starting from move 41. Prizes: 48,000 euros for the winner, 36,000 euros for the second place, and 24,000 euros for the third place. Additionally, players receive 3,500 euros for every half-point scored. Women’s Candidates Tournament Information: Time control: 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with a 30-second increment per move starting from move 1. Prizes: 24,000 euros for the winner, 18,000 euros for the second place, and 12,000 euros for the third place. Additionally, players receive 1,750 euros for every half-point scored. Preparations for the event: Tournament Director, Grandmaster Pavel Tregubov, who is also the Secretary of FIDE’s Global Strategy Commission, said that everything is going to plan so far with the organization of the event. “We are thrilled to host the 2024 FIDE Candidates and Women’s Candidates tournaments in Toronto, uniting the global chess community in a groundbreaking event,” said Tregubov. “The simultaneous staging of these prestigious tournaments is a testament to the international appeal and growth of chess. We are grateful for the ongoing support of the Scheinberg family, whose dedication continues to elevate the sport,” Tregubov added. Useful links: Regulations for the Open Candidates (pdf) Regulations for the Women’s Candidates (pdf)
European Women’s Rapid and Blitz 2023: Alexandra Kosteniuk wins double gold
The European Women’s Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship 2023 took place from January 11-15, 2024 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco, bringing together 120 players from 26 European federations. Alexandra Kosteniuk emerged as the winner of both Rapid and Blitz tournaments, taking the historical double gold. The European Women’s Blitz Championship 2023, a 13-round Swiss event, was played on January 12. Heading into the last round of the competition, Alexandra Kosteniuk had a sole lead, being a whole point ahead of her closest rivals. However, after she suffered a loss at the hands of IM Sarasadat Khademalsharieh, three players tied for first place, scoring 10 points each. Alexandra Kosteniuk (SUI) claimed the gold medal thanks to best tiebreaks, winning her fourth European Women’s Blitz Champion title. IM Sarasadat Khademalsharieh (ESP) clinched silver, and GM Bella Khotenashvili (GEO) took bronze. The European Women’s Rapid Chess Championship 2023 took place from January 13-14, with 116 players from 26 European federations participating. Three players headed into the final round jointly leading the field, all on 8/10: GMs Antoaneta Stefanova (BUL), Elisabeth Paehtz (GER) and Alexandra Kosteniuk (SUI). While Antoaneta Stefanova and GM Elisabeth Paehtz drew their last-round game, Alexandra Kosteniuk defeated Anna Ushenina (UKR) and emerged as the sole winner of the European Women’s Rapid Championship 2023. Three players tied for second place, netting 8.5/11 points each, but Antoaneta Stefanova had the best tiebreaks and clinched silver, Elisabeth Paehtz claimed bronze, and Klaudia Kulon (POL) finished fourth and missed the podium. The Closing ceremony of the European Women’s Blitz Chess Championship 2023 took place on Friday, January 12, while the Closing ceremony of the European Women’s Rapid Chess Championship was held on January 14. The ceremonies were attended by ECU President Zurab Azmaiparashvili, the President of the Monaco Chess Federation and ECU Vice President Jean Michel Rapaire, ECU Vice President Gunnar Bjornsson, ECU Chief Executing Officer Erald Dervishi, and other distinguished guests. The final rankings of the championship can be found here. Written by europechess.org Photos: Patricia Claros Aguilar The photo gallery by Patricia Claros Aguilar can be found on the official Facebook page of the event.
Tata Steel Masters 2024: Firouzja grabs the lead
Alireza Firouzja scored his second straight victory and emerged as the sole leader after Round 2 of the Tata Steel Masters 2024 in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands. Gukesh D defeated Wei Yi and joined Anish Giri and Ian Nepomiachtchi, who drew their games. This trio is trailing the leader by a half-point. Max Warmerdam came off victorious in a Dutch derby beating Jorden Van Foreest. Alireza Firouzja – Parham Maghsoodloo | 1-0, 43 moves The game saw a sharp line of the Ruy Lopez Berlin in which White sacrifices two pawns for the initiative. Most likely, Parham either forgot or mixed up his preparation as a novelty he introduced (20…Be6 instead of 20…c6) will hardly find followers. After a precise sequence, 19. Bc4! Bd4+ 20. Kh1 Bf7 21. Qe4 Bc5 22. Ne7+ Kf8 23. Qxh7, Alizera gained a considerable advantage. Black gave up his queen, for which he got almost sufficient material equivalent, but with poorly coordinated pieces and a weak king, his position was defenceless. As soon as White snatched Black’s central pawns and advanced his h-pawn, Parham threw in the towel. Wei Yi – Gukesh D | 0-1, 33 moves The opponents followed a recent game, Praggnanandhaa – Vidit (Tata Steel India 2023), in the Giocco Piano up to a certain point, but Black deviated with 12…Qc8 (instead of 12…Rg8). The players manoeuvred in a position with a little edge for White, but around move 21, things went awry for Wei. Instead of the natural 21.Bd3, the Chinese GM opted for 21.c4?! and after 21…exd4 22. Nd5 Qd8 played 23. Nxd4, which was met with a very strong response 23…Bc5! White ended up in an inferior position with numerous weaknesses and spiralled into self-destruction, sacrificing too much material: 24. Nb3 Ba3 25. Nxc7 Qxc7 26. c5 Bxc1 27. cxd6 Qb6 28. dxe7 Rfc8. After a few moves down the road, it was all over for Wei. Jorden Van Foreest – Max Wanderdam | 0-1, 40 moves The game was decided on move 19, when in a roughly equal position, Jorden played the tempting 19.e5? but missed a very strong response. 19…Qc5! It turns out that 20.exf6 fails to 20…Qf5! Taken aback, Van Foreest did not find the most stubborn 20.Rhe1 and opted for 20.Bxe6, but after 20… fxe5 21. Qxc5 Bxc5 22. Bh6? Bd4! 23. Bb3 Rd6! had to give up an exchange (24. Rxd4 exd4). Wanderdam activated his rooks, centralized the king and forced the opponent’s capitulation right after reaching the time control. Anish Giri – Vidit Gujrathi | ½-½, 35 moves The players tested a trendy line of the Exchange Variation in Slav Defence in which Black leaves his h7-pawn unprotected for a while. On move 17 Anish introduced a new but quite logical move breaking through in the center, but Vidit was just in time to castle and coordinate his pieces, reaching equality. As soon as the opponents exchanged most of the pieces and treaded weak pawns on d4 and e6, they shook hands, splitting a point. Ding Liren – Alexander Donchenko | ½-½, 37 moves After yesterday’s defeat, Alexander boldly essayed the King’s Indian as Black. After Donchenko played the thematic d6-d5, breaking in the center, Ding introduced a new move 14. Qc1, attacking the h6-pawn that allowed Black to solve all the opening problems. At first glance, White still had some edge, but Donchenko accurately traded most of the pieces. A draw was agreed in a dead-equal rook endgame. Nodirbek Abdusattorov – Praggnanandhaa R | ½-½, 47 moves The Indian GM demonstrated excellent preparation in the Catalan and completely equalized by move 15. In the rest of the game, the opponents played with great accuracy, gradually traded most of the pieces and signed a piece in an equal rook endgame. Ian Nepomniachtchi – Ju Wenjun | ½-½, 80 moves In a long theoretical line of the Catalan, the first original move was 19…c5 by Ju, who equalized. Having a minimal edge in an endgame, Ian tried his best to grind his opponent down, but the Women’s World Champion built an impregnable fortress. White even sacrificed a pawn in a rook endgame, but to no avail. A draw was agreed with only two rooks and kings left on the board. Standings after Round 2 1 Firouzja, Alireza FRA 2759 2 2-4 Gukesh, D IND 2725 1½ 2-4 Giri, Anish NED 2749 1½ 2-4 Nepomniachtchi, Ian FIDE 2769 1½ 5-10 Warmerdam, Max NED 2625 1 5-10 Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi IND 2742 1 5-10 Praggnanandhaa, R IND 2743 1 5-10 Abdusattorov, Nodirbek UZB 2727 1 5-10 Wei, Yi CHN 2740 1 5-10 Ding, Liren CHN 2780 1 11-13 Ju, Wenjun CHN 2549 ½ 11-13 Donchenko, Alexander GER 2643 ½ 11-13 Maghsoodloo, Parham IRI 2740 ½ 14 Van Foreest, Jorden NED 2682 0 Masters pairings Photos: Jurriaan Hoefsmit and Lennart Ootes – Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2024 Official website: tatasteelchess.com
Tata Steel Masters 2024: Day 1 Recap
The 86th edition of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament opened with a gong by Alderman Niek Wijmenga of the municipality of Beverwijk. Until Sunday January 28, Wijk aan Zee will once again be the global center of chess. The participants of the year’s first major tournament started right off the gate. The first round of the competition produced four victories, all scored by Black. The winners, Anish Giri, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Alireza Firouzja and Wei Yi, took an early lead in the race. Warmerdam – Nepomniachtchi | 0-1, 29 moves The first game with classical time control between the opponents saw a trendy line of the Queen’s Gambit Accepted, leading to an unbalanced position with opposite-side castling. White unforcedly weakened his kingside with 20. g3? and after the inauspicious Rd4-h4 manoeuvre came under a crushing attack. Ian swiftly wrapped it up and scored a full point. Alexander Donchenko – Wei Yi | 0-1, 36 moves After Black comfortably equalized in the King’s Indian and even emerged slightly better, Alexander ventured upon a tempting exchange sacrifice for which he did not get sufficient compensation. 19. Rxd4? There was no need for such drastic actions. After 19. Qd3 Nxb5 20. axb5 Qxb5 21. Rfe1 Bd4 Black is slightly better but hardly more. Wei Yi timely advanced the kingside pawns, forced the exchange of queens and converted his extra material. Jorden van Foreest – Alireza Firouzja | 0-1, 37 moves Alireza put some pressure on his opponent in an equal endgame that emerged from the French Defence, but up to a certain point, Jorden was holding his ground. Unluckily for the Tata Steel Masters 2021 winner, he made a dreadful mistake on move 36 that cost him the game. 36. Kd3! was the only move saving the game (36…e2 37. Kd2 Bxg2 38. Nd4 Ke8 39. c5 Bd5 40. c6 e1=Q+ 41. Kxe1 Rxa2). 36.Nd4?, played by Van Foreest, failed to 36…Be4! 37.c5 Rd2 0-1 Vidit Gujrathi – Ding Liren Vidit introduced a strong novelty on move 12 in a topical line of the Nimzo-Indian and exerted considerable pressure on Black’s position. Trying to disentangle himself, the World Champion sacrificed a pawn with 20…b5!? White should have maintained the pressure with 21.Rad1, but instead, Vidit accepted the sacrifice with 21. axb5 axb5 22. Nxf6 Nxf6 23.Nxb5 Qb8! which gave Black a sufficient counterplay. Massive exchanges followed, and the opponents split a point in an equal rook endgame. Gukesh D – Nodirbek Abdusattorov | ½-½, 37 moves The opponents demonstrated impressive opening preparation in the Two Knight Defence. White tried to engineer an attack on the kingside by advancing his g-pawn, but Black boldly sacrificed a piece and got adequate compensation. After some exciting complications White emerged with three minor pieces for his queen in a roughly equal position. Both displayed great accuracy in subsequent play, and a draw by perpetual came as a logical outcome. Praggnanandhaa R – Parham Maghsoodloo | ½-½ , 44 moves The young Indian sacrificed two pawns in a sharp line of the Najdorf, but Maghsoodloo was up to the challenge. After trading inaccuracies on moves 22 and 23, the opponents liquidated into an equal endgame in which they shook hands on move 44. Ju Wenjun – Anish Giri | 0-1, 80 moves The Women’s World Champion obtained a serious advantage in the King’s Indian Attack but proceeded a bit slowly. Anish sacrificed an exchange but got sufficient compensation thanks to pawn weaknesses in White’s camp. Somewhat surprisingly, he decided to trade queens but gave his opponent a chance to get the upper hand. However, Ju missed this opportunity and it was equal again. Several moves down the road, she overlooked a bishop manoeuvre and opted to return an exchange, liquidating into a rook ending. Although the endgame was equal, White had to avoid several pitfalls. Unfortunately for Ju, she eventually stumbled. 53. Kf3? This natural move proved to be the decisive mistake, whereas after 53. Kh3! hxg5 54. Rxe5 White could have saved the game. As played, Anish slowly but surely got to f5-pawn and sealed the deal on move 80. Standings after Round 1: 1-4 Wei, Yi CHN 2740 1 1-4 Giri, Anish NED 2749 1 1-4 Nepomniachtchi, Ian FID 2769 1 1-4 Firouzja, Alireza FRA 2759 1 5-10 Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi IND 2742 ½ 5-10 Gukesh, D IND 2725 ½ 5-10 Praggnanandhaa, R IND 2743 ½ 5-10 Maghsoodloo, Parham IRI 2740 ½ 5-10 Abdusattorov, Nodirbek UZB 2727 ½ 5-10 Ding, Liren CHN 2780 ½ 11-14 Van Foreest, Jorden NED 2682 0 11-14 Warmerdam, Max NED 2625 0 11-14 Ju, Wenjun CHN 2549 0 11-14 Donchenko, Alexander GER 2643 0 Photos: Jurriaan Hoefsmit and Lennart Ootes – Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2024 Official website: tatasteelchess.com
Magnus Carlsen withdraws from Candidates 2024, the spot goes to Nijat Abasov
Despite qualifying for the Candidates Tournament 2024 by winning the 2023 FIDE World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan, world #1 Magnus Carlsen officially withdrew from the event. Carlsen had previously stated his disinclination after reaching the semifinals of the World Cup and in some private interviews; however, the formal Letter of Decline was received by FIDE today, January 13, 2024. According to the FIDE Candidates qualification paths, the vacant spot at the FIDE Candidates Tournament 2024 goes to the next highest finisher in the 2023 FIDE World Cup, Nijat Abasov (2641, Azerbaijan), who is fourth in the tournament final standings. The current lineup of the FIDE Candidates Tournament 2024 is the following: – Ian Nepomniachtchi, FIDE, 2023 Match Runner-up – Praggnanandhaa R, India, 2023 World Cup 2nd – Fabiano Caruana, USA, 2023 World Cup 3rd – Nijat Abasov, Azerbaijan, 2023 World Cup 4th – Vidit Santosh Gujrathi, India, 2023 Grand Swiss 1st – Hikaru Nakamura, USA, 2023 Grand Swiss 2nd – Alireza Firouzja, France, Best by Rating – Gukesh D, India, 2023 FIDE Circuit Winner The FIDE Candidates Tournament 2024 will take place in April 2024 in Toronto, Canada. The winner of this 8-player double round-robin (all-play-all twice) will become the Challenger for the chess crown and play in the FIDE World Championship Match against the reigning world champion Ding Liren (China).
European Women’s Rapid & Blitz Championship 2023 starts in Monte-Carlo
The European Women’s Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship 2023 is about to kick off in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. The competition is be held from January 11-15, 2024 (it was moved from December 2023 to January 2024 due to venue commitment). The first event on the schedule is the Blitz Championship, taking place on January 12. The competition is a 13-round Swiss tournament with a time control of 3 min + 2 sec increment. It will be followed by the European Women’s Rapid Chess Championship 2024, an 11-round Swiss tournament with a time control of 15 min+ 10 sec increment, stretching over January 13-14. The total prize fund of the events is 22,500 EUR. Over 120 players from 24 European federations registered for the competitions, including former Women’s World Champions GMs Alexandra Kosteniuk (SUI), Antoaneta Stefanova (BUL), Anna Ushenina (UKR) and legendary Nona Gaprindashvili (GEO). Among the top seeds, we will see many well-known players such as GMs Paehtz Elisabeth (GER), Pia Cramling (SWE), Bella Khotenashvili (GEO), IMs Nurgyul Salimova (BUL), Sarasadat Khademalsharieh (ESP) and many others. A complete starting list of players can be found here. Live broadcast with commentaries by IM Almira Skripchenko and GM Emir Bagheri can be exclusively followed on the ECU YouTube channel. Official Facebook page of the event
13th edition of “Preparation of Teachers” course announced
Calling all chess enthusiasts and educators! Get ready for the 13th edition of the “Preparation of Teachers” course hosted by the FIDE Chess in Education Commission. Mark your calendars for January 19-21, 2024, for an enriching online experience conducted in English. This course is designed to equip you with innovative and creative methods to develop academic skills (the so-called 4C’s) using chess as an educational tool. It’s an intensive 3-day program you should not miss. And here’s the best part: Based on your exam results, you could earn the prestigious FIDE title of School Instructor. As an added benefit, successful candidates will receive lifelong access to the chess databases of OPENING MASTER PREMIUM. Read the detailed course description here. Presenters: commission members Anzel Laubscher and Boris Bruhn Who Should Attend: Teachers, chess educators, beginner and advanced players with basic chess knowledge, and anyone with experience working with children. To secure your spot, kindly complete and return this registration form. Registration is open until January 15. Join the course and learn how to teach chess effectively; only 20 spots are available! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at edu.courses@fide.com