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/
The match for Women’s World Champion title: Celebration of China and Chess
The forthcoming match for the title of the Women’s World Chess Champion will be a unique event in chess history. China, known for its supremacy in women’s chess, finds itself in a very rare position of holding both the absolute and women’s chess crowns simultaneously. From the 3rd to the 24th July, China will host the match for the title of Women’s World Champion. In a year which saw the country of the Red Dragon clinch the ultimate world chess crown as Ding Liren defeated Ian Nepomniachtchi in Astana, the forthcoming women’s duel in China adds to the anticipation of a great battle as the eyes of the entire chess world will be on the country. It will be the first major chess event played in China since its player took the ultimate world title. The highly anticipated match between the current World Champion, Ju Wenjun, and the Challenger, Lei Tingjie, is scheduled to take place in the cities of Shanghai and Chongqing. These cities hold significance as they are the birthplaces of the respective participants. Ju Wenjun will have the advantage of home turf first, as her native Shanghai will host the first part of the match. Still, it should be noted that playing in front of your home audience is not always an upside and can sometimes be a psychological hurdle. The reigning World Champion and the Challenger Ju Wenjun, the defending Champion, has a lot of experience in major events. With two World Championship matches under her belt and overall seven attempts at the World Championships, her nerves are trained to withstand formidable pressure. It is worth reminding the readers that the previous match ended in a razor-thin victory for Ju. In 2020, playing against Aleksandra Goryachkina, the classical part of the match ended in a tie, 6-6, where the Russian player levelled the score in the last game! Ju Wenjun’s ability to regain her composure and hold steady after a heavy blow in the critical game of the match was manifested in the rapid tiebreak, where she won with 2.5-1.5. The Challenger, Lei Tingjie, had an impressive run to reach the match. Starting with a triumph at the 2021 Grand Swiss, she qualified for the world title tournament cycle. In the process, she scored victories in the Candidates matches over Mariya Muzychuk, Anna Muzychuk, and Tan Zhongyi, confidently securing the Challenger title. While it is expected for the world champion and challenger to ‘disappear’ from public light in the runup to the match, Ju Wenjun took part in the highly competitive Sharjah Open at the end of May. In a very strong competition – with top male grandmasters playing – Ju turned in a very solid performance defeating GMs Karthikeyan and Vidit in the first two rounds and finishing with 4.5/9. The Women’s World Champion’s performance rating stood at an impressive 2680, indicating her strong form. In contrast, Lei Tingjie has not competed since her convincing victory over compatriot Tan Zhongyi in the Candidates final, which concluded in early April. Lei won the match with a round to spare. Her absence from the spotlight after the Candidates suggests Lei is focused on preparation and staging uncomfortable surprises for her opponent. The head-to-head record also suggests a tough challenge for both sides. Since 2011, when their first game was recorded, the two have played 15 times – eight in classical time control, three rapid games, one blitz, as well as three online/exhibition events. The overall score is 10:5 for Ju, but she scored the majority of the victories when Lei was just coming up through the ranks. A more recent look at the results shows that Ju Wenjun has a slight edge at best. What to expect in China? A riveting showdown awaits us this July, brimming with anticipation and excitement. As the defending champion and more experienced player, Ju Wenjun has some advantage, albeit a slight one. But Lei Tingjie, who has been displaying an extraordinary level of play as of late, may prove to deliver in that final mile where Goryachkina failed in 2020 and clinch the title. A clash of this magnitude is bound to captivate chess enthusiasts around the world. Following up on Ding Liren’s victory in the World title match in Astana, the women’s duel in July will be an opportunity for China to showcase its chess tradition and glory to the world, reaffirming its claim to be the new home of chess and returning the game home, closer to its eastern roots. Key facts about the match The match will take place in two Chinese cities, where each of the contestants comes from. The first half of the match will be held in Shanghai, while the second half takes place in Chongqing. The match will consist of 12 games of classical chess. The players will have 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 more minutes for the rest of the game, plus a 30-second increment per move starting on move one. Players cannot offer a draw before they reach the 41st move. In case of a tie, there will be the following tiebreaks: Four games with a 25+10 time control.Two games with a 5+3 time control.Two more games with a 5+3 time control.One game with a 3+2 time control until a winner is determined. The event prize fund is €500,000, with €300,000 going to the winner and the remaining €200,000 to the runner-up. If the outcome of the match is decided upon tiebreaks, the winner will take €275,000, while the runner-up will receive €225,000.
Girls Club “Chess for protection” keeps growing
The Girls Club “Chess for protection” was launched by FIDE and UNHCR as part of the Chess for Refugees programme in the Northwestern region of Kenia. Its goal is to help refugees learn the game of chess, acquire new important life skills, socialize, and release stress through it. Spearheaded by Anastasia Sorokina, Chair of the FIDE WOM Commisssion, the project was launched in August 2021. First classes were held in Angelina Jolie Primary School in Kakuma with an attendance of 40 students. In 2023 it runs in three girls’ boarding schools in the region – Angelina Jolie Primary School, Morneau Shepell Secondary School and Bhar-El-Naam Primary School – with 250 refugee schoolgirls attending chess classes twice a week. The program’s second edition is running from March 2023 till the end of July. Female students attend online lessons by WGM Anastasiya Karlovich (UKR) and IM Salome Melia (GEO). They also study and play chess with a local tutor. Modern technologies are used to make lessons entertaining – girls are playing chess against their co-students and tutors, solving puzzles, playing against robots, watching short videos from “Chesskid”, and even doing simple workouts. During the lessons, the social benefits of chess are also discussed. Teachers tell girls inspirational stories and interesting facts about chess. The lessons are based on a Curriculum written by Anastasiya Karlovich, Shohreh Bayat and Martina Skogvall to teach chess in refugee camps. During the months of chess lessons, refugee girls learn the basic rules of chess and continue to practice after the end of the online course. More than that, refugee camp students participate in various competitions, including the schools’ chess tournament in Kakuma, Kenya. Athieng Chol, who attended chess classes during the first year of the project, won the tournament with a perfect score of 5 points in 5 rounds. Ajaa Nyasisi, Nyandeng Deng, Akit Garang and Nyibol Jok finished in the top 10 among 40 participants. In July 2023, the Girls Club students will also participate in the upcoming Queens’ Online Chess Festival, a series of continental women’s online blitz tournaments organized by the FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess. Registration for the event is still running here:wom.fide.com/queens-chess-festival-returns-in-july/
GCL Day 6: Chingari Gulf Titans & upGrad Mumba Masters score crucial victories
Dubai, 27th June 2023 – The Tech Mahindra Global Chess League delivered another round of gripping clashes as the Chingari Gulf Titans triumphed over the event leaders, Ganges Grandmasters, by a score of 9:7. In another intense battle, the upGrad Mumba Masters emerged victorious against the Triveni Continental Kings, securing the win on the final two boards. Despite the defeat, Ganges Grandmasters continue to lead in the Global Chess League, while upGrad Mumba Masters moved one place up and are now third. Chingari Gulf Titans vs Ganges Grandmasters (9:7) The Chingari Gulf Titans clashed with the Ganges Grandmasters in their second encounter of the Global Chess League round-robin. In the previous match, the Ganges Grandmasters had played as white and emerged victorious after winning the coin toss. This time, it was their turn to play with the black pieces. The Ganges Grandmasters entered the match as the slight favourites – they confidently won the first duel with the Titans with 10:4 and have also dominated the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League. In contrast, the Titans were struggling and were under pressure to raise through the standings from the bottom of the scoreboard. Being in the position of pressing hard in chess means avoiding calm or drawish lines. It’s never easy to be in that position but at the highest level of chess, this can be extremely dangerous when facing the very best grandmasters in the world. Still, the Titans had to try. As both sides pushed hard, complicated positions transpired on each board. The first break for the Titans came on board five: Polina Shuvalova grabbed the initiative facing Bella Khotenashvilli. In a complicated position, Khotenashvilli made an error in time trouble eventually, lost on time. Soon afterwards two top world heavyweights Richard Rapport and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov drew their game. In a chaotic battle between Daniil Dubov and Leinier Dominguez, where the evaluation changed severa time, Dubov emerged victorious after time trouble, securing four critical points for the Titans. Nihal Sarin drew with Andrey Esipenko despite having the upper hand for the greater part of the game. Vishy Anand of Ganges Grandmasters gave his team a respite when he beat icon player and board one Jan-Kryzsztof Duda, but that wasn’t enough for a victory. Despite her efforts, former World Champion Hou Yifan of Ganges Grandmasters could not wear down the resistance of Alexandra Kosteniuk and the game ended in a draw. With 9:7, the Titans scored a crucial victory which liftted them from the bottom of the scoreboard. Despite the loss, the Ganges Grandmasters retained their lead in the Global Chess League. upGrad Mumba Masters vs Triveni Continental Kings (10:4) In their previous encounter with the Kings, the upGrad Mumba Masters emerged victorious playing with the black pieces, but this time, they played as White. Despite starting the Global Chess League with a win, Mumba Masters have had a challenging journey so far – currently standing on 50%, with two victories, two losses, and one draw. On the other hand, the Triveni Continental Kings have had a bumping road in the Global Chess League. Composed of exceptional players and guided by the well-known GM Loek van Wely, the team has experienced setbacks. Prior to this match, it was revealed that Nana Dzagnidze had withdrawn from the tournament due to personal reasons and would not be returning for the rest of the inaugural edition of the Global Chess League. Stepping in to fill her shoes is another formidable player, Sara Khadem – one of the world’s top female players. Both sides were evenly matched for the greatest time in the match. The only one to gain some initiative from the outset was upGrad Mumba Masters’ Harika Dronavalli who was slightly better in her game with Sara Khadem. As the players were nearing time trouble, things on the boards began to change quickly. Mumba’s Javokhir Sindarov went for a pawn advance on the kingside which proved to be ill-prepared. His opponent – another prodigy – Jonas Buhl Bjerre leapt at the opportunity and soon got into a very strong position. With mutual time trouble looming, both players started to err, exchanging inaccuracies and keeping the game open until the end. By the time Koneru Humpy agreed on a draw with Kateryna Lagno, her compatriot and Mumba teammate Harika Dronavalli was completely winning against Khadem. In the meantime, team Mumba got another strong pin – as Alexander Grischuk was winning against Triveni’s Yu Yangyi. However, it wasn’t a walk in the park: Triveni’s Yu Yangyi is a great defender and as he was better on time, he soon managed to unsettle Grischuk as the famed Russian player threw away his advantage. As tension mounted across the boards, team leaders and icon players Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Levon Aronian decided to settle for a draw. Shortly after, Vidit Gurjathi and Wei Yi also agreed to a draw, bringing a sense of calm to the match. Grischuk lost momentum and had to accept a draw against Grandmaster Yu. The fate of the match hinged on the final two boards: Harika Dronavalli defeated Sara Khadem. In an unfortunate turn for the Kings, Jonas Bjerre misplayed his position, allowing Sindarov to seize the advantage and secure a win. Continuing their unlucky streak, the Kings suffered another loss as the upGrad Mumba Masters emerged triumphant with a final score of 10:4. Match results – 27 June 2023 Match 17 Chingari Gulf Titans 9-7 Ganges GrandmastersQueen of the match–PolinaShuvalovaKing of the match–DaniilDubov Match 18 upGrad Mumba Masters 10-4 Triveni Continental KingsQueen of the match – HarikaDronavalliKing of the match – JavokhirSindarov 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 feature male and female chess champions
Alexey Sarana is the Winner of the Inaugural Olympic Esports Series Chess Event
For the first time in what we hope to become the tradition, FIDE and Chess.com brought chess to the Olympic Esports Series (OES). This global virtual and simulated sports competition created by the International Olympic Committee culminated in spectacular Finals in Singapore on June 23-24. 42,000 players from 219 countries participated in qualifying events, but only eight players went through it all to find themselves in beautiful Singapore for the Olympic Esports Series Finals: GM Samvel Ter-Sahakyan, GM Oleksandr Bortnyk, GM Alexey Sarana, GM Bassem Amin, GM Maksim Chigaev, GM Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son, GM Aleksandr Rakhmanov, GM Goh Wei Ming Kevin, GM Tin Jingyao (Singapore wildcard), IM Irene Kharisma Sukandar (female wildcard). The fight in the Pool Stage on Day 1 of the Finals was fierce. Maksim Chigaev and Alexey Sarana won their Pools, and Ngoc Truong Son Nguyen and Aleksandr Rakhmanov emerged as runners-up to enter a knockout stage. In the semis, the future winner Alexey Sarana defeated Ngoc Truong Son Nguyen. He started with two wins in the first two games and needed just a draw in the remaining two. Ngoc Truong Son Nguyen bounced back in the third, keeping the intrigue alive. The fourth game was wild. Ngoc Truong Son Nguyen playing with the white pieces had a winning position but let the chance slip as Black found a perpetual check and a much needed draw that let Sarana advance to the final. In the final, Alexey Sarana showed excellent chess against the eventual silver trophy winner Maksim Chigaev, winning all three games to confidently claim the overall victory. Ngoc Truong Son Nguyen prevailed over Aleksandr Rakhmanov in the match for the third place and brought home a bronze trophy. You can replay the games on Chess.com. Congratulations to the winners and huge thanks to the International Olympic Committee for such an amazing event! ©2023 International Olympic Committee/IOC – All rights reserved. The “Olympic Esports Series” is a property of the IOC and may not be copied, republished, stored in a retrieval system or otherwise reproduced or transmitted, in whole or in part, in any form or by any means whatsoever, without the prior written consent of the IOC. Unauthorized copying, adaptation, rental, lending, distribution, extraction, re-sale, arcade use, charging for use, broadcast, public performance and internet, cable or any telecommunications transmission, access or use of this product or any trademark or copyright work that forms part of this product are prohibited.