Free day of WCCC 2022 filled with chess activities
The free day of the FIDE World Cadet Chess Championships 2022 was packed with chess, with three interesting events on the menue: a solving competition, the 2022 Nesis Cup, and a friendly match between a ChessKid team and another comprised of kids from the Adjarian Chess Federation and Ukraine. 218 children from 39 federations took part in the solving competition, held in three age categories (under 8, 10 & 12). Each participant had 90 minutes to solve 8 positions (3 two-movers, 3 three-movers and 2 endgame studies). Each composition was rated on a five-point scale. The “Nesis Cup 2022”, a 9-round blitz tournament, was held for heads of delegations and accredited coaches. 59 players from 26 federations, including 11 GMs and 13 IMs, participated. Three players tied for the top position and in accordance with tiebreak variables GM Mikhail Kobalia took first place, GM Vladislav Kovalev came second and GM Davit Maghalashvili – third. Final stadings: https://chess-results.com/tnr677664.aspx?lan=1&art=1&rd=9&flag=30 A “ChessKid” team and a team comprised of kids from the Adjarian Chess Federation and Ukraine played two friendly games on a big chessboard. Team “Chesskid” prevailed but there were no losers in this competition. All participants were given presents after the match. WCCC Director Akaki Iashvili awarded the Ukrainian kids with iPads. This friendly event was the culmination of the free day. From the seventh round, the players will continue fighting for the prizes and glory in the main tournaments.
Magnus Carlsen wins Julius Baer Generation Cup
Magnus Carlsen became the Julius Baer Generation Cup champion after crushing the “Indian Iceman” Arjun Erigaisi in the final final. Norway’s world number 1 needed just two games to take the seventh leg of the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour, ending Erigaisi’s challenge 2-0. It is Carlsen’s fourth tournament win of the Tour season and extends his advantage at the top of the overall leaderboard. For 19-year-old Erigaisi, he can take huge credit for a stunning run to the final. International Master Jovanka Houska said: “Magnus in killer mode. He’s just relentless. He really is not stopping here. If we had any doubt Magnus would slip up, he has come in here today in absolute fighting mode. He is the beast.” Carlsen eve allowed himself a smile afterwards. “I’m very happy,” he said. “I played very much throughout this match ‘anti-young player chess’, in the sense I tried to play older, less theoretical lines that have some serious strategic complexity and it worked out very well. Going into the last match today, Carlsen already had one hand on the trophy having ended beaten Erigaisi, one of India’s brightest talents, 2.5-0.5 yesterday. Erigaisi, who has been so impressive throughout the event, simply folded again as Carlsen didn’t give him a chance. There are two more tournament left in the 2022 Meltwater Tour, one Regular in October and one Major in November, to decide the winner. Carlsen and Erigaisi are already qualified for the eight-player Major in San Francisco. For further comments contact: Leon Watson leon@championschesstour.com
FIDE WGP Astana: Kateryna Lagno joins the lead
Three players tied for first in the Astana Women’s Grand Prix with four rounds to go. Grand Prix events are long and tiring. Eleven games plus travel essentially means two full weeks abroad, in addition to time allocated for training purposes. The free day at the halfway point of the event is very much appreciated by the players – and officials/volunteers – to recharge their batteries for the last rounds. Most of the players hang around the official hotel, relaxing, maybe watching a movie, or using the gym. Nonetheless, the tournament organizers happily provided a bus and a guide for a wonderful three-hour trip to visit the city’s highlights. Getting to know the city where you are playing is a must for most of us, and Astana doesn’t let you down. Back to today’s seventh round, the Minister of Culture and Sports of Kazakhstan, Dauren Abayev, made the ceremonial first move today in the games Abdumalik vs Kosteniuk and Assaubayeva vs Shuvalova. Zhu, Jiner — Vaishali, Rameshbabu (0.5-0.5) To date, Zhu Jiner and Vaishali had only faced each other once, in the Hou Yifan rapid play challenge in 2021, in which the Chinese wonder girl emerged victorious. In today’s game, Vaishali mixed it up and went for the Sveshnikov variation, diverting from the Accelerated Dragon she used successfully in the first round against Lagno. It quickly became clear that both players had prepared very well: they blitzed out their first twenty moves, following several games played by the mighty Ivanchuk, and eventually went for a forced mass piece simplification. An uneventful draw was agreed on move 31 in a completely equal rook ending. Vaishali spent less than 25 minutes for the full game: impressive opening preparation with Black. With this result, she remains on 50% in the middle of the standings while Zhu Jiner maintains her spot at the top. Abdumalik, Zhansaya — Kosteniuk, Alexandra (0-1) Dominating her opponent by 3-1 in classical games and also many rapid and blitz games, Alexandra Kosteniuk has always been a tough rival for Kazakhstan’s number one female player. In addition, Kosteniuk has been crushing with the Black pieces here in Astana, although her performances with White have been much less impressive. In the second game to finish, Abdumalik surprised her opponent with the rare 5.Re1 side-line in the Italian opening. I noticed in the playing hall that Kosteniuk took a moment before responding 5…Ng4 but then blitzed out her next moves: a piece sacrifice was in the making. Zhansaya was playing very fast: it was clear that she was in home preparation, but the position seemed quite dangerous for White. She won a pawn but had to weaken her kingside to hold it. In the commentary booth, GM Ilya Smirin believed that she had a very dangerous position. After 16…g6! White’s position was crumbling, and after 17.Qe1 Abdumalik was lost, although the alternatives were not much better. With the piece sacrifice 17…Nxg4, Kosteniuk opened the way for the rest of her pieces, and the game was essentially over. “In modern chess, to win with Black is quite an achievement,” Kosteniuk stated in her post-game interview. Tan, Zhongyi — Kashlinskaya, Alina (1-0) Today’s game was an important one for Poland’s number one female player. A win with Black against out-of-form Tan Zhongyi would catapult her to the head of the table. Kashlinskaya took advantage of the free day to refresh her knowledge of the Semi-Tarrasch variation of the Queen’s Gambit, which, according to my database, she had only played once against Goryachkina in 2013. Her opening decision definitely came as a surprise for Tan Zhongyi. Faced with a choice of variations, she opted for the solid 5.e3 and 6.a3 line and the game transposed into a variation of the Queen’s Gambit Accepted, which also isn’t a regular line in Alina’s repertoire. Black did get the bishop pair but fell behind in development. However, Tan Zhongyi couldn’t capitalize on her initiative, and, with a symmetrical pawn structure, the position fizzled out into an equal endgame. Just when the draw seemed to be the most logical result, Kashlinskaya misplayed her chances, and suddenly, her king was in danger: pawn sacrifices were needed to avoid a direct disaster, and Tan Zhongyi didn’t let her second chance go away. The Chinese GM shared her thoughts about the game in a short interview. Wagner, Dinara — Lagno, Kateryna (0-1) For the third time in the event, Dinara Wagner chose the Catalan Opening for today’s important game against Lagno. Well-prepared, Kateryna went for a new and very aggressive stonewall setup with Black, launching her kingside pawns against White’s castled king: Lagno was going all-out for the win from the get-go. 15…h4! might have been an improvement, but Black’s slow play on the queenside allowed Wagner to break open with 19.f3! and get back into the game. Once again, very low on time – Wagner’s plague in the tournament – she sacrificed a pawn for the attack, but her own king was also very weak. “My king was unsafe. If I missed one check, it could not be good. So, I tried to focus until the very end,” explained Lagno in her post-game interview. At some point, Wagner’s plan backfired, and Lagno was in the driving seat, bringing back the full point. With this important win with Black, Kateryna Lagno ties for first with Goryachkina and Zhu Jiner, with four rounds to go. Paehtz, Elisabeth — Goryachkina, Aleksandra (0.5-0.5) This match-up is a classic. They have been facing each other for the past ten years with a more or less equal record. But while Goryachkina is leading the tournament, Paehtz is in need of points: she is currently on -2. Things started off well for the top German female player: in an Exchange Slav, she developed a strong initiative on the kingside and Goryachkina was on the defence. But Aleksandra pulled herself together and gradually improved her position, to a point where she was even much better:
Fifth Chess in Education Lecturer course announced
The International Chess Federation, together with its Chess in Education Commission (EDU) and “Chess” Scientific Research Institute (CSRI), is pleased to announce the 5th Chess in Education Lecturer course. The course will be held 28-30 October, in English, online 15:00-20:00 CET. The objectives of the course: To develop and enhance the skills of effective teaching of chess basics To enhance the ability of using active and interactive teaching methods To improve positive professional communication skills The target audience of the course is professionals with experience in chess and education. Duration and content: 3 days – 15 hours (including breaks) + Project. Day 1 Introduction (100 minutes); Fear – both teachers’ fear and your fear of exam! Teaching the chessboard. (130 minutes) Project assignment (10 minutes) Day 2 Interdisciplinary chess & educational chess (10 minutes) Chessmen: values, moves and set-up (115 minutes) Check. Mate. Stalemate. (115 minutes) Day 3 Presentation of assignments (The projects are not presented. Participants need to send them by email). Problem-solving skills. Teaching playing skills (120 minutes) Effective teaching skills and Course summary (75 minutes) Exam (45 minutes) The cost of training is €75, which covers both access to materials and preparation, and the exam. Those who successfully pass the course will receive the title of Lead School Instructor (LSI). This is valid for three years, and it implies an administrative fee of €50. Those who gain this qualification (LSI) will be those, exclusively, who we appoint to the paid lectureships of the FIDE School Instructor seminars. FIDE Chess in Education Titles are awarded for life and can only be suspended or revoked by a decision of the FIDE Ethics & Disciplinary Commission or FIDE Council, while an EDU Licence is a certification by FIDE and EDU of current proficiency to teach at the indicated level of the awarded FIDE EDU title. Chess in Education Titles when awarded include a three (3) year licence. Renewal of the licence requires the completion of a renewal course. During the final six months of the validity of the licence, a title-holder may renew the licence for a further three year period to run from the end date of the current licence by following the normal procedure and paying the appropriate fees (currently €50). Here is the course description in more detail:https://cloud.fide.com/s/kY9Fs5pQ5D9gDS7 Applications for the course are open till October 26. If you want to apply, please fill in the registration form for “Preparation of Lecturers” and send it to edu.chairman@fide.com & copy to edu.senioradviser@fide.com. Your CV & Motivation letter should pay special attention to your relevant experience in “educational chess”, rather than “sport chess”. Please check this explanatory document if you are unsure about the difference between these two concepts: https://edu.fide.com/educational-chess-vs-sport-chess The course is limited to a maximum of 20 people (first come, first served). Applicants who cannot be given an assured place will be placed on the waiting list for the subsequent course.
FIDE WGP Astana: Kashlinskaya and Lagno close the gap
All the participants will enjoy tomorrow’s free day to visit Astana. The sixth round of the Astana Women’s Grand Prix proved to be one of the most exciting, with four decisive outcomes and two hard-fought draws. Tomorrow will be a well-deserved rest day, and play will resume on Sunday. After this afternoon’s results, Aleksandra Goryachkina and Zhu Jiner still lead the event with 4.5/6.0, but both Kateryna Lagno and Alina Kashlinskaya have closed the gap and are just behind on 4/6. Lagno, Kateryna – Tan Zhongyi (1-0) Excluding blitz and rapid games, Kateryna Lagno has had a slightly better head-to-head record 4.5-3.5 over Tan Zhongyi in classical games. However, in their last encounter, Tan Zhongyi eliminated Lagno from the 2021 Sochi World Cup in the fifth round, a mighty blow for the two times European champion. Eager to increase the score between them and maybe even get some payback for the Sochi elimination, Lagno went for the hyper-aggressive 8.g4 variation in the Sicilian Najdorf, which GM Esipenko recently used to defeat World Champion Magnus Carlsen. Lagno might have mixed up her move order in the opening (11.g5 preventing 11…Bh4+ is the computer’s suggestion) but in any case, reached a very nice middlegame position, with a rook on the seventh rank and, more importantly, Black’s queen in great danger of being trapped. Nevertheless, at the same time, Kateryna was very low on time – only 10 minutes left for the last 12 moves. Tan Zhongi tried her best, but she could not find a solution. In the end, she had to give up a piece in order to avoid losing her queen and finally threw in the towel on the move 39. With this win, Lagno advances to +2 and greatly positions herself for the event’s second half. She joined us at the press center to give us her thoughts on the game. Kosteniuk, Alexandra – Zhu Jiner (0.5-0.5) Previously, Kosteniuk and Zhu Jiner had only played one classical game in the 2021 Grand Swiss. In that encounter, Alexandra opened with 1.d4 and scored a nice victory in the Nimzo-Indian Defence. Today, in an attempt to defeat and catch up with one of the co-leaders, Kosteniuk decided upon 1.e4. Zhu Jiner repeated her favourite Najdorf Sicilian, and a typical positional middlegame position emerged: the battle revolved around the all-important d5 square. The position remained more or less balanced, and after mass exchanges, both players tried to squeeze a marginal edge from a bishop plus three pawns ending. After 48 moves, a draw was agreed. Goryachkina, Aleksandra – Wagner, Dinara (0.5-0.5) Although Aleksandra Goryachkina and Dinara Wagner had already faced each other more than ten times in blitz and rapid games, they hadn’t played each other with classical time control. Playing with White, it was clear before the game that Goryachkina was going to try to make the best of this opportunity, going into the rest day leading the event. Wagner went for the Nimzo-Indian defence but chose to play the side-line 7…h6, instead of the more popular 7…c5 and especially 7…dxc4. Both players came very well-prepared for this game: Wagner mentioned in previous interviews that she needed to speed up her opening play to avoid time trouble later on. After twenty moves, it already became clear that Wagner had equalised. It even seemed that she might have the upper hand in the position. However, with spot-on defence, Goryachkina forced a well-known theoretical drawn rook endgame, which finished in the Philidor theoretical drawn position. “My sister and her boyfriend will join me tomorrow. They have come to support me,” said Dinara in her post-game interview. Shuvalova, Polina – Abdumalik, Zhansaya (0-1) In this first classical chess encounter between these two players (previously only three rapid and blitz games), Shuvalova opened with 1.e4 and chose the Rossolimo variation against Abdumalik’s Sicilian defence. By advancing her centre pawns, Shuvalova obtained a lot of space for her pieces but perilously opened up the long h1-a8 diagonal for Black’s light-squared bishop. On move 20, Abdumalik sacrificed a pawn for the initiative. It seemed that Shuvalova had everything under control but at the crucial moment miscalculated 26.Ng5? h5! and suddenly, she was two pieces down for a rook and still facing unsurmountable problems. Abdumalik stepped up the pace, and soon her opponent was in huge trouble, facing two Black bishops, spearheading Zhansaya’s pressure. Things were going great up and until fateful move 41: instead of 41…Nxc3, 41…Bb5! was the way to go. After that Shuvalova’s drawing chances increased but it was still an uphill battle for her: the two bishops are a powerful force on the open board. Abdumalik brought home the game on move 56, scoring her first win in the tournament. She shared her thoughts on the game in a short post-game interview. Vaishali, Rameshbabu – Paehtz, Elisabeth (1-0) Although Elisabeth Paehtz has been around for many years, I wasn’t able to find any previous encounters against her opponent today, Vaishali – not even in official blitz or rapid events. With both players standing on -1 (2/5), a win today would be a crucial step to recover 50% going into the rest day. In a Sicilian Four Knights variation, Vaishali went for one of the most complicated lines, demonstrating once again excellent opening preparation. But Paehtz was ready for the complications. She blitzed out her first twenty moves and then sprang upon her opponent a novelty 20…Qc7, in an attempt to improve Caruana’s play in his 2021 game against Najer. After the exchange of the queens, White seemed to be slightly better in the endgame but once again under time pressure: less than 10 minutes for the last 15 moves to the time control. Once they passed the time control, Vaishali converted a slightly better – albeit very tricky – rook ending into a full point. The happy winner gave her insights into the game in a short interview. Kashlinskaya, Alina – Assaubayeva, Bibisara (1-0) There is no doubt here that Alina Kashlinskaya has been playing the longest games
Astana WGP: Goryachkina and Zhu Jiner extend their lead
“At some point, you really start to appreciate the journey more than the result.” – Alexandra Kostenuk The FIDE Women’s Grand Prix began in 2009-2011 as a series of six chess tournaments exclusively for women, forming part of the qualification cycle for the 2011 Women’s World Chess Championship. Subsequent Women’s Grand Prix series were held in 2011-2012 and 2013-2014. Chinese star GM Hou Yifan, currently number one on the FIDE Women’s rating list, emerged as the overall winner of all three of these Grand Prix: an outstanding performance. By withdrawing after the first tournament, Hou Yifan paved the way for her compatriot GM Ju Wenjun to win the 2015-2016 Grand Prix, overtaking Humpy Koneru in the final event. The fifth edition of the Women’s Grand Prix, consisting of four events during 2019-2021, was dominated by GM Aleksandra Goryachkina, who will definitely be looking to repeat her success this year. After the first five rounds, Goryachkina leads the event with one full point over the rest of the field. However, she is not alone. Zhu Jiner, a mostly unknown Chinese youth, is also performing wonderfully, tied for first with 4/5. Paehtz, Elisabeth – Kosteniuk, Alexandra (0-1) Elisabeth and Alexandra have a huge playing history together and, from what I gather at the start of the rounds, seem to be on very good terms. In my database, I have computed no less than seventy games (under different time controls): the first of them in the 1994 European Under 10 Girls Championship. Quite unbelievable! If we consider their results in classical chess, Kosteniuk has won most of their recent encounters, totalling 11.5-8.5 but, notwithstanding, definitely a tough match-up. For today’s game, Paehtz chose a rare side-line ( 8.Bd2) in the Closed d3 Ruy Lopez Opening, trying to surprise her opponent, but Kosteniuk came very well-prepared and equalised effortlessly. The game remained more or less balanced for the first thirty moves. Just when the game seemed to be heading towards a draw, although Kosteniuk did have a small edge, fate struck for Germany’s number one women player: she blundered a back-rank mate and had to resign. Although in the middle of a roller-coaster event, Alexandra was kind enough to drop in to the press centre and share her thoughts with FIDE Press Officer IM Michael Rahal. You can watch the interview here. Assaubayeva, Bibisara – Lagno, Kateryna (0.5-0.5) Lagno and Assaubayeva have battled it out in many blitz and rapid games over the past few years but had only faced each other in classical chess in the 2021 FIDE World Cup, where Lagno eliminated her opponent by 2.5-1.5. Kazakh number two women player opted for 1.d4 this afternoon and Lagno chose the Tarrasch variation in the Queen’s Gambit declined. As she mentioned later on, she thought that her opponent didn’t really know what to do. After twenty moves the position was about equal: a typical middlegame with an isolated d-pawn for Black but with opposite-coloured bishops to go with the heavy pieces. As Lagno recalled in the post-game interview, she clearly had in mind one of the famous Karpov-Kasparov games, in which the pawn structure and piece distribution was analogous – Karpov won that game with White. Zhu, Jiner – Abdumalik, Zhansaya (1-0) Zhu Jiner and Zhansaya Abdumalik have never faced each other in classical chess; in fact, they had only played two rapid games before. For today’s encounter, Abdumalik chose the popular Sicilian Sveshnikov, a double-edged weapon, in search of sharp play with the black pieces. Zhu Jiner played cautiously, following Caruana’s 7.Nd5 main line, used in the World Championship match against Carlsen. Abdumalik launched an attack with her pawns on the kingside, while Zhu Jiner corresponded on the queenside. It’s always hard to speculate where a certain player might have made a fatal mistake, but in her post-game interview Zhu Jiner mentions 27…Bg3+? – instead 27…Bxe1 is much better – as the moment where Abdumalik loses track, reaching a lost position. With this victory, Zhu Jiner leads the event with 4/5 tied with Goryachkina. Wagner, Dinara – Vaishali, Rameshbabu (0.5-0.5) Based on the Mega Chess Database, Wagner and Vaishali have only faced each other on one occasion before, namely in the 2016 World Under20 Girls Championship. On that occasion Vaishali emerged victorious. Of course, that was many years ago and it has rained a lot since then. Wagner is definitely on a roll in the last couple of games and today it didn’t seem that she was thinking of slowing down. Playing with Black, Vaishali made some inaccuracies in the Catalan Opening and soon found herself a pawn down with meagre compensation. Both 20.Nxf7 and 20.0-0 were probably better options for Wagner, whose advantage slowly dwindled to a point where the computer was already indicating equality: White did have an extra pawn, but a weak king and too many weaknesses. A draw was soon agreed. Tan, Zhongyi – Goryachkina, Aleksandra (0-1) The Chinese player has traditionally been a tough opponent for Goryachkina: 3-2 for Tan Zhongyi in classical games. However, Goryachkina did defeat her in the 2019 Women’s Candidates Tournament, which allowed her to fight for the 2020 World Championship against her compatriot, GM Ju Wenjun. In this afternoon’s game, Goryachkina repeated the same Slav variation that brought her success in the third round against Kashlinskaya. Tan Zhongyi might have missed a chance to press with 24.Rad1 instead of 24.b6 but all in all the game was equal for the most part. Just when the game seemed to be heading for a draw, Tan Zhongyi miscalculated a pawn breakthrough in the ending and was suddenly worse, close to losing. Goryachkina’s killer instinct did the rest, and she finishes the day tied for first place in the lead with Zhu Jiner. Here you can watch an interview with Aleksandra Goryachkina (in Russian with English subs) Kashlinskaya, Alina – Shuvalova, Polina (1-0) In past encounters, and obviously excluding blitz and rapid games, Shuvalova had edged out Kashkinkaya in classical chess by a very narrow 3.5-2.5 margin, although funnily
World Cadets Championships are halfway through
FIDE World Cadets Chess Championships (Open and Girls under 8, 10, 12) are halfway through in Batumi, Georgia. Six out of 11 rounds have been played, and 750+ participants, coaches, and parents are enjoying a free day. Roman Shogdzhiev is the sole leader in the Open U8 with 6 points out of 6. His rating is 1715, which is his peak so far, and he already gains 34.8 points in this tournament and shows a 2127 rating performance. A few months ago, Aaron Reeve Mendes from Canada became the FIDE World School Chess Champion in Panama. Now he’s the rating-favourite of the Open U10 and is leading on par with Gorkem Unsal from Turkey (#24 in the starting list). Both managed to win five games and draw one; a big group of participants is trailing them by half a point. The sole leader in the Open U12 section, Dinh Nho Kiet (pictured above), with maximum points so far, seems very well prepared, even though he hasn’t played a single rated game for a year before April 2022. After that, he increased his rating in almost all tournaments. Compatriots, but representatives of different federations, India and England, Charvi A and Sivanandan Bodhana drew between each other and continue leading in Girls U8. Girls U10 also has two leaders, Nika Venskaya and Evangelia Siskou. Nika Venskaya (pictured above) is progressing very rapidly. She participated in two open tournaments in August and gained 186.4 rating points! So, we can’t say that her leading in this tournament is unexpected. Second leader Evangelia Siskou, despite her young age, participated in the national team championship and famous traditional Kavala open this summer. It was probably part of the preparation to fight for the medals! Girls U12 is the only age category where three players are leading. Indian Shubhi Gupta, Elnaz Kaliakhmet from Kazakhstan, and a representative of the host country, Georgian Mgeladze Kesaria. They haven’t played against each other yet; right after free day, there will be the first battle among the leaders. Shubhi’s father Pradeep Gupta told us a little about his daughter and her chess path: “Shubhi started to play chess as a hobby at home and joined the chess club at Indirapuram Public School when she was in the first grade. In her first inter-school competition, she secured third place. With time, chess became her passion, and she started participating in state and national championships. In 2021, during the pandemic, she participated in the world and Asian level online championships and clinched silver in the Asian and Western Asian School Championships. This year, she bagged gold in U12 and bronze in U16 National Chess Championships. She also participated in OTB Western Asian Youth Chess Championship in June 2022 in the Maldives and secured three silver medals.” “This is her first time participating in OTB World Cadet Chess Championship, and we are enjoying the event and Batumi,” continues Pradeep. “She liked the sea view from her room and the view of the valley on the other side.” Shubhi is trained by her coach Prasanjit Dutta and spends almost 5-6 hours daily on chess. She has the dream of becoming a Grandmaster in the next two years and following her passion for playing chess professionally. And here is the portrait of the co-leader in Girls U8, Charvi A. She became interested in chess when she was around five years old. First, she played with her daycare friends and later started training with IM Shivananda BS. FIDE World Cadet Championships is her first major tournament over the board. Last year she participated in World and Asian Online Championships. Currently, she is training with WGM Aartie Ramaswamy and IM Shivananda and practices chess every day for 5 hours! Despite being so young, Charvi A has already won many titles, even in the elder age categories. Her best results: National Champion among girls U8 anU10 in 2022; 4th place in the Indian School Championship in the open section; Gold medalist of the Indian School Championship U7 in 2021; Individual silver and team gold medalist of Asian School Championship in 2021; Individual silver and team gold medalist of western Asian Championship U8 in 2021; Winner of Karnataka state open rapid tournament U15 in 2022. Her parents told us that her ambition is to become the World Champion, and she is enjoying her stay here in Batumi since it is her first tournament outside India. Reporting by Sofio Gvetadze Photos by Sopio Nikoladze Official website of the tournament: https://wccc2022.fide.com/
FIDE WGP Astana: Up-and-coming Zhu Jiner joins the lead
“I thought it would be fine if someone played the Grand Prix Attack here at the Grand Prix, but, unfortunately, I didn’t prepare it” – Dinara Wagner The fourth round of the Astana Grand Prix was no less exciting than any of the previous rounds, even though only two games had a decisive result. After a third of the tournament has been played, pre-event favourite Aleksandra Goryachkina shares the lead with up-and-coming talent Zhu Jiner: both of them are still undefeated. The level of concentration of the twelve players is amazing: every time I pop into the playing area to check on the games, I hardly ever see any of them on their feet looking at the other games. It’s fully understandable how tired they feel at the end of these strenuous playing sessions, and the fact that each day they come to play with added energy is to be commended. Vaishali, Rameshbabu – Tan, Zhongyi (0.5-0.5) The young Indian prodigy, replacing GM Humpy Koneru here in Astana, repeated the Italian Opening, which she played against Kashlinskaya in round two. She brought to the table a rather new idea (a3-b4-Bb2), expanding her queenside and achieving quite a serious space advantage. However, the position was so closed that both players manoeuvred for most of the game, while Vaishali was gradually getting very low on time. With less than 5 minutes for the last ten moves – Tan Zhongyi had more than an hour on her clock – she offered a draw which was rapidly accepted. She kindly accepted our invitation to discuss the game in a short interview. Goryachkina, Aleksandra – Assaubayeva, Bibisara (0.5-0.5) The tournament leader opened the game with 1.e4, and Assaubayeva repeated her favourite Sicilian Najdorf. The former Grand Prix winner had worked on the positional 7.Nf3 variation of the English Attack and blitzed out her first seventeen moves: impressive preparation! It seemed that Assaubayeva wasn’t totally sure how to counteract her opponent’s plan and soon fell into a slightly passive position, with pawn weaknesses on a5 and especially d6. Nonetheless, the second-rated Kazakh female player defended tenaciously and even found a nice tactical trick to hold the balance. A draw was agreed, just after the 30th move had been reached. Visibly happy, Bibisara took us through the game in a short interview. Abdumalik, Zhansaya – Paehtz, Elisabeth (0.5-0.5) It was a very equal game. After an opening move transposition, both players headed down to one of the more fashionable lines of the Sveshnikov variation in the Sicilian. With precise defensive play, Paehtz neutralized White’s positional ideas and after 20…b4 equalised comfortably. Paehtz went through a tough moment when Abdumalik opted to exchange queens: the ending was slightly better for White, but with precise play, a draw was agreed. The top German female player for the last twenty years visited the press centre and recorded a short interview. “At some point, I lost control over the position. I was very happy when she decided to exchange queens as I didn’t think I had enough weaknesses to lose the game,” Elisabeth explained to press officer IM Michael Rahal. Don’t miss the interview, especially if you a German-speaking fan of Elisabeth Paehtz! Shuvalova, Polina – Zhu, Jiner (0-1) In the clash between two of the youngest players in the tournament – born in 2001 and 2002, respectively – the game opened with the Ruy Lopez, and for many moves, followed an old 1995 encounter between GM’s Matthias Wahls and Michael Adams. The evaluation remained balanced for some time: Shuvalova’s kingside pawn structure was slightly damaged but, in return, she had a superior pawn centre. A manoeuvring phase began, with each player hoping to find the best squares for their major pieces. It seemed that the Chinese star was getting the upper hand, installing a strong rook on d3 but, low on time, she offered an untimely exchange of queens. In a very tricky double-rook ending, Shuvalova missed an opportunity to win (36.f6! was her best try) and then blundered an unbelievable stalemate opportunity towards the end of the game. With this result, Zhu Jiner leads the tournament, tied with Aleksandra Goryachkina. Although she is still learning English, she always welcomes the opportunity to practice the language in the post-game interviews. Kosteniuk, Alexandra – Wagner, Dinara (0-1) The Gran Prix Attack against the Sicilian is a very dangerous weapon in the hands of a skilled attacker. Kosteniuk opted for this line today, and after 8.f5! was already scanning Black’s weak f7 square. Wagner was clearly out of preparation: she took thirty minutes to calculate the consequences of 8…Ng8-e7 and the other eighth-move alternatives. “I thought it would be fine if someone played the Grand Prix Attack here at the Grand Prix, but, unfortunately, I didn’t prepare it,” she regretted after the game. To avoid a direct catastrophe, Wagner was forced to give up her dark-squared bishop: Kosteniuk gradually honed in on the weakened king, sensing the kill. But as all chess players know, it’s never easy. 20.Ne6! looked very strong (instead of Bd6) and further on 26.Rc1 with equality was definitely better than 20.Re6. Wagner snatched a pawn, turned the tables and with good endgame technique, scored a huge victory. Dinara reflected upon her performance in a short interview. Lagno, Kateryna — Kashlinskaya, Alina (0.5-0.5) The Exchange Variation in the French Defence has always been considered a drawish line. However, Lagno’s 5.c4 idea definitely spiced up the game: with two White’s in a row, and full confidence after yesterday’s victory, the former two-time European Champion was playing for a win. Although essentially dealing with a side-line, both players demonstrated fine preparation, blitzing out their first ten moves, reaching a more or less balanced middlegame. Just when things seemed to be heading to a draw, Kashlinskaya lashed out with a badly-timed 27…a5, a seemingly aggressive pawn breakthrough. Lagno captured the pawn and after the exchange of rooks, went into a very favourable, probably won queen endgame. However, Kateryna did not manage to find the most precise moves in time trouble and her advantage faded away
Portuguese Championship: André Sousa and Mariana Silva clinch titles
IM André Sousa and WCM Mariana Silva emerged as the winners of the 2022 Portuguese Championship, held at the Municipal Stadium of Leiria. André Sousa (pictured below) claimed his fourth consecutive national title (and the fifth in six years), but it was not a smooth sail for him as the runner-up, young international master José Francisco Veiga stayed in the race until the very end. At the start of the ninth and final round of a 10-player round-robin, Sousa was on 5.5 points and a half point ahead of José Veiga. Both played black, with José Guilherme Santos and Pedro Rego, respectively. Sousa missed a chance to win twice and had to work hard to secure a draw, but luckily for him, Veiga and Rego also split a point. Pedro Rego scored 4.5 points and tied for third place with António Fernandes, but took the last place on the podium thanks to better with a better Sonneborn-Berger. This champion title capped a successful September for André Sousa, in which he achieved the first grandmaster norm at the Maia Chess Open, and won the Portugal Open/Cidade de Lisboa. Final standings: 1st André Sousa – 6 points 2nd José Francisco Veiga– 5.5 3rd Pedro Rego – 4.5 4th António Fernandes – 4.5 5th Paulo Dias – 4 6th José Guilherme Santos – 4 7th Bruno Martins – 3.5 8th Sérgio Rocha – 3 9th André Fidalgo – 1. The National Women’s Championship, a 5-round Swiss tournament, was an even closer affair. At the start of the fifth and final round, it was open as five players had a fair shot for the title. Sara Soares and Raquel Dique shared the lead, with 3 points, with Mariana Silva, Sara Monteiro, and Victoria Cymbron trailing by a half-point. Mariana Silva scored a very important victory over Sara Soares, while Raquel Duque fell to Camila Avelino. Meanwhile, Sara Monteiro and Victoria Cymbron also won over Maria Beatriz Areal and Maria Elisa Oliveira, respectively and caught up with Silva. As a result, three players scored 3.5 points and tied for first place, but the Buchholz tiebreaker favoured Mariana Silva (pictured above), who claimed the title, second in her career. Final standings: 1st Mariana Silva – 3.5 points 2nd Sara Monteiro – 3.5 3rd Victoria Cymbron – 3.5 4th Sara Soares – 3 5th Camila Avelino – 3 6th Rachel Duque – 3 7th Maria Beatriz Areal – 1.5 8th Maria Elisa Oliveira – 0 Photo: Official website Official website: fpx.pt
Lviv and Berlin to play charity match
On Friday, September 23, the Ukrainian city of Lviv and the German capital Berlin will play a charity match. The one-day competition will bring together some of the most famous personalities of German and Ukrainian chess without them meeting directly, as it will be held in a hybrid format. Grandmaster Niclas Huschenbeth will lead the Berlin team, while Volodymyr Vetoshko will be his counterpart on the Ukrainian side. Ukrainian-born Angelika Valkova will host the match and stream it live on her Twitch channel, supported by German IM Georgios Souleidis aka “The Big Greek”. The start time is 16:45 Berlin time. The lineups: Berlin Niclas Huschenbeth (GM, 2572) Steve Berger (IM, 2451) Alexander Lagunow (IM, 2360) Clemens Rietze (FM, 2360) Lviv Volodymyr Vetoshko (GM, 2450) Oleg Romanishin (GM, 2414) Mikhail Kazakov (GM, 2400) Margeir Petursson (GM, 2447) This match is dedicated to supporting UNICEF’s “Help for Children from Ukraine” fundraising campaign. “We have chosen this organization because its work is very close to our hearts. Both we and UNICEF are happy about your support because really every contribution helps!” write the organizers on the landing page of the match, www.hybrid-chess.de. The link to the donations page:https://www.betterplace.org/de/fundraising-events/42762-chess-for-ukraine-wir-spielen-du-spendest