Women’s Grand Prix Nur-Sultan 2022: Pairings announced
Рhoto: astanatimes.com The full pairings for every round of the upcoming Women’s Grand Prix Nur-Sultan 2022 has been announced. The first leg of Women’s Grand Prix 2022-23 will take place in the capital of Kazakhstan from September 17-30, 2022. Twelve players will compete in a round-robin tournament. IM Vaishali R will replace GM Humpy Koneru in the first leg of WGP 2022-2023. Koneru withdrew from the event for medical reasons. In accordance with art. 5. 7. 3. of the WGP Regulations (If any replacement is needed for a nominated player due to a withdrawal, the Organiser who nominated this player shall nominate another one upon consultation with FIDE President.) All Indian CF nominated IM Vaishali R as replacement for the first GP tournament in Nur-Sultan. Vaishali R Photo: Steve Bonhage According to art. 5. 10. 3. of the WGP Regulations (In case of any replacement player as a result of the provisions of Article 5.7 being applied, the pairings shall remain the same except that the replacement player shall take the place of the withdrawn player) the pairings shall remain as they are except that IM Vaishali R takes place of GM Koneru. The participants received the following starting numbers: 1. Aleksandra Goryachkina (FIDE), 2. Kateryna Lagno (FIDE), 3. Alina Kashlinskaya (Poland), 4. Bibisara Assaubayeva (Kazakhstan), 5. Tan Zhongyi (China), 6. Dinara Wagner (Germany), 7. Elisabeth Paehtz (Germany), 8. Zhu Jiner (China), 9. Zhansaya Abdumalik (Kazakhstan), 10. Alexandra Kosteniuk (FIDE), 11. Vaishali R (India; replaced Humpy Koneru), 12. Polina Shuvalova (FIDE). Full pairings: Round 1 on 2022/09/18 at 15:00 Goryachkina Aleksandra 2579 (FID) – Shuvalova Polina 2510 (FID)Lagno Kateryna 2547 (FID) – Vaishali R 2449 (IND)Kashlinskaya Alina 2491 (POL) – Kosteniuk Alexandra 2521 (FID)Assaubayeva Bibisara 2443 (KAZ) – Abdumalik Zhansaya 2503 (KAZ)Tan Zhongyi 2525 (CHN) – Zhu Jiner 2464 (CHN)Wagner Dinara 2358 (GER) – Paehtz Elisabeth 2477 (GER) Round 2 on 2022/09/19 at 15:00 Shuvalova Polina 2510 (FID) – Paehtz Elisabeth 2477 (GER)Zhu Jiner 2464 (CHN) – Wagner Dinara 2358 (GER)Abdumalik Zhansaya 2503 (KAZ) – Tan Zhongyi 2525 (CHN)Kosteniuk Alexandra 2521 (FID) – Assaubayeva Bibisara 2443 (KAZ)Vaishali R 2449 (IND) – Kashlinskaya Alina 2491 (POL)Goryachkina Aleksandra 2579 (FID) – Lagno Kateryna 2547 (FID) Round 3 on 2022/09/20 at 15:00 Lagno Kateryna 2547 (FID) – Shuvalova Polina 2510 (FID)Kashlinskaya Alina 249 (POL) – Goryachkina Aleksandra 2579 (FID)Assaubayeva Bibisara 2443 (KAZ) – Vaishali R 2449 (IND)Tan Zhongyi 2525 (CHN) – Kosteniuk Alexandra 2521 (FID)Wagner Dinara 2358 (GER) – Abdumalik Zhansaya 2503 (KAZ)Paehtz Elisabeth 2477 (GER) – Zhu Jiner 2464 (CHN) Round 4 on 2022/09/21 at 15:00 Shuvalova Polina 2510 (FID) – Zhu Jiner 2464 (CHN)Abdumalik Zhansaya 2503 (KAZ) – Paehtz Elisabeth 2477(GER)Kosteniuk Alexandra 2521 (FID) – Wagner Dinara – 2358 (GER)Vaishali R 2449 (IND) – Tan Zhongyi 2525 (CHN)Goryachkina Aleksandra 2579 (FID) – Assaubayeva Bibisara 2443 (KAZ)Lagno Kateryna 2547 (FID) – Kashlinskaya Alina 2491(POL) Round 5 on 2022/09/22 at 15:00 Kashlinskaya Alina 2491(POL) – Shuvalova Polina 2510 (FID)Assaubayeva Bibisara 2443 (KAZ) – Lagno Kateryna 2547 (FID)Tan Zhongyi 2525 (CHN) – Goryachkina Aleksandra 2579 (FID)Wagner Dinara 2358 (GER) – Vaishali R 2449 (IND)Paehtz Elisabeth 2477 (GER) – Kosteniuk Alexandra 2521 (FID)Zhu Jiner 2464 (CHN) – Abdumalik Zhansaya 2503 (KAZ) Round 6 on 2022/09/23 at 15:00 Shuvalova Polina 2510 (FID) – Abdumalik Zhansaya 2503 (KAZ)Kosteniuk Alexandra 2521(FID) – Zhu Jiner 2464 (CHN)Vaishali R 2449 (IND) – Paehtz Elisabeth 2477 (GER)Goryachkina Aleksandra 2579 (FID) – Wagner Dinara 2358 (GER)Lagno Kateryna 2547 (FID) – Tan Zhongyi 2525 (CHN)Kashlinskaya Alina 2491 (POL) – Assaubayeva Bibisara 2443 (KAZ) Round 7 on 2022/09/25 at 15:00 Assaubayeva Bibisara 2443 (KAZ) – Shuvalova Polina 2510 (FID)Tan Zhongyi 2525 (CHN) – Kashlinskaya Alina 2491 (POL)Wagner Dinara 2358 (GER) – Lagno Kateryna 2547 (FID)Paehtz Elisabeth 2477 (GER) – Goryachkina Aleksandra 257 (FID)Zhu Jiner 2464 (CHN) – Vaishali R 2449 (IND)Abdumalik Zhansaya 2503 (KAZ) – Kosteniuk Alexandra 2521 (FID) Round 8 on 2022/09/26 at 15:00 Shuvalova Polina 2510 (FID) – Kosteniuk Alexandra 2521 (FID)Vaishali R 2449 (IND) – Abdumalik Zhansaya 2503 (KAZ)Goryachkina Aleksandra 2579 (FID) – Zhu Jiner 2464 (CHN)Lagno Kateryna 2547 (FID) – Paehtz Elisabeth 2477 (GER)Kashlinskaya Alina 2491 (POL) – Wagner Dinara 2358 (GER)Assaubayeva Bibisara 2443 (KAZ) – Tan Zhongyi 2525 (CHN) Round 9 on 2022/09/27 at 15:00 Tan Zhongyi 2525 (CHN) – Shuvalova Polina 2510 (FID)Wagner Dinara 2358 (GER) – Assaubayeva Bibisara 2443 (KAZ)Paehtz Elisabeth 2477 (GER – Kashlinskaya Alina 2491 (POL)Zhu Jiner 2464 (CHN) – Lagno Kateryna 2547 (FID)Abdumalik Zhansaya 2503 (KAZ) – Goryachkina Aleksandra 2579 (FID)Kosteniuk Alexandra 2521 (FID) – Vaishali R 2449 (IND) Round 10 on 2022/09/28 at 15:00 Shuvalova Polina 2510 (FID) – Vaishali R 2449 (IND)Goryachkina Aleksandra 2579 (FID) – Kosteniuk Alexandra 2521 (FID)Lagno Kateryna 2547 (FID) – Abdumalik Zhansaya 2503 (KAZ)Kashlinskaya Alina 2491 (POL) – Zhu Jiner 2464 (CHN)Assaubayeva Bibisara 2443 (KAZ) – Paehtz Elisabeth 2477 (GER)Tan Zhongyi 2525 (CHN) – Wagner Dinara 235 (GER) Round 11 on 2022/09/29 at 13:00 Wagner Dinara 2358 (GER) – Shuvalova Polina 2510 (FID)Paehtz Elisabeth 2477 (GER) – Tan Zhongyi 2525 (CHN)Zhu Jiner 2464 (CHN) – Assaubayeva Bibisara 2443 (KAZ)Abdumalik Zhansaya 2503 (KAZ) – Kashlinskaya Alina 2491 (POL)Kosteniuk Alexandra 2521 (FID) – Lagno Kateryna 2547 (FID)Vaishali R 2449 (IND) – Goryachkina Aleksandra 2579 (FID)
Winners crowned at Independence Cup 2022
The 31st edition of the Independence Cup, a traditional chess forum, took place from 26-28 August 2022 in the capital of Ukraine, Kyiv and brought together 176 players from 4 countries (Ukraine, Czech Republic, Belgium, Germany, including 12 GMs, 12 IMs, 5 FMs, 2 WFM and 2 NM. The program of the festival, organized by BF “Ridna Obolon”, Kyiv Chess Federation, Lviv Chess Federation, included two 9-round Swiss tournaments with blitz (3+2) and rapid time (15+10) control. GM Vadim Malakhatko, a well-known organizer of the most prestigious chess events in Ukraine in recent years, served as the tournament director. Both tournaments were very close affairs that came down to the wire. To the delight of local fans, IM Valeriy Grinev from Kyiv, Ukraine, emerged as the winner in both events. The blitz tournament ended with a 5-way tie for first place, with Grinev coming out on top thanks to a slightly better Buchholz. This scenario repeated itself in the rapid tournament with one slight difference. As many as seven players scored 7/9 each and shared the first place, and again Buchholz favoured Grinev. Check out full results on the Сhess Results page: Blitz – https://cutt.ly/2XNF6SX Rapid – https://cutt.ly/AX6h52D Check out all the games: Blitz Chess.comhttps://www.chess.com/events/2022-memorial-sergiy-shystariov-blitzChessBasehttps://live.chessbase.com/watch/Cup-Independence-Blitz-2022/ Rapid Chess.comchess.com/uk/events/2022-memorial-sergiy-shystariov-rapid/games ChessBaselive.chessbase.com/en/Watch?id=Cup-Independence-Rapid-2022 Lichess.orglichess.org/broadcast/independence-cup-2022–3th-sergiy-shystari ov-memorial-rapid/round-9/e8yrUOTh Watch the closing ceremony on YouTube: https://cutt.ly/ZX6j7WX Text and photos: IA IO Olexandr Prohorov, Ukraine
#46
Monika Socko, European Women’s Champion FIDE Congress 2022 Yuri Averbakh & Isaac Boleslavsky Book Awards 2022 Chessable Research Awards open for applications READ NEWSLETTER
Chessable seeks applicants for Chessable Research Awards
Chessable, a leading platform in chess improvement and part of the Play Magnus Group, is seeking undergraduate and graduate students to apply for the Chessable Research Awards. The Chessable Research Awards are an initiative to develop our understanding of how chess can benefit our lives, how we can improve our knowledge of the game, and how we can understand other phenomena, both within and outside of the chess world. University students from all fields of study, such as cognitive psychology, education, literature, history, computer science, etc., are invited to apply. Examples of relevant topics include, but are not limited to, how playing chess impacts society or personal development, methods for improving the memorization of chess theory, the gender gap in chess participation, using ideas from chess to solve real-world problems, etc. Chessable’s Chief Science Officer Dr. Alexey Root, says: “With the Chessable Research Awards, Chessable hopes to encourage existing chess researchers and to help launch new chess research projects worldwide.” Winning students and their faculty research sponsors will receive monetary awards and publicity in Chessable blog posts and newsletters. Three cycles of awards per year are planned. Applications for this first cycle are due Saturday, October 1, 2022, for research to be conducted during the spring semester of 2023. To successfully apply, each student must have a faculty research sponsor who fills out a separate application. For more information about the Chessable Research Awards and the link to apply, visit: chessable.com/blog/chessable-research-awards/ Applicant questions and media requests for interview/comment should go to Chessable’s Chief Science Officer or to the Science Project Manager at the addresses below: Dr. Alexey Root, Chief Science Officer: alexey.root@chessable.com Karel van Delft, Science Project Manager: karel@chessable.com For more information about the Chessable science team and its initiatives, visit chessable.com/science/
Three youngsters cross 2700 mark in September rating list
The ups and downs in the standard list are tightly connected to the 44th FIDE Chess Olympiad results, where the elite often faced players outside of the top 100. Magnus Carlsen lost 3 points despite his excellent 7.5/9 result in Chennai. However, the most significant drops in the top 10 belong to Fabiano Caruana (-18) and Levon Aronian (-16). The loss to Greek GM Nikolas Theodorou alone cost Aronian 7.6 points. The main news on the women’s list is the return of Humpy Koneru, who played her first tournament since February 2020. Despite losing 12 rating points in Chennai, she reappeared in the third position, pushing the rest of the top 10 down, except for Mariya Muzychuk, who kept her #7 spot. Photo: Lennart Ootes Biggest gains in Top 100 Open and Women Savitha Shri B WIM IND 2435 (+61) Erigaisi Arjun GM IND 2725 (+36) Abdusattorov, Nodirbek GM UZB 2713 (+36) Vega Gutierrez, Sabrina IM ESP 2395 (+29) Sukandar, Irine Kharisma IM INA 2401 (+28) Gukesh D GM IND 2726 (+27) Kiolbasa, Oliwia WIM POL 2410 (+27) Nihal Sarin GM IND 2677 (+26) Vantika Agrawal WGM IND 2396 (+25) Keymer, Vincent GM GER 2693 (+21) Savitha Shri B (pictured below) is a clear winner in this category following her excellent performance in the Czech Open 2022, where she picked up 61 points. Although this result pales compared to her +96 points earned by Savitha in the previous month, it is still very impressive. Photo: Savitha Shri’s Instagram The biggest news outside of the top 10 is the meteoric rise of three outstandingly talented teenagers – Arjun Erigaisi (pictured below), Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Gukesh D – who crossed a 2700 mark and broke into the top 30 Open. All three performed exceptionally well in Chennai but did not stop there. Abdusattorov and Gukesh D netted some extra points in the Turkish Chess League, while Erigaisi came out on top in very strong Abu Dhabi Masters, where he earned 22 points. Photo: Lennart Ootes Adding to this equation Nihal Sarin and the winner of German Masters Vincent Keymer, who are rapidly approaching the 2700 mark, we can expect a new sweeping wave of youngsters on the very elite level in the nearest future. Speaking of the top performers at the 44th Chess Olympiad, we should also give full credit to female players: Oliwia Kiolbasa (pictured below), Sabrina Vega Gutierrez, and Vantika Agrawal did an excellent job in Chennai, singnificantly increased their rating and deservedly made it to the list of winners in this category. Photo: Lennart Ootes The rapid part of the 2022 GCT Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz finished just in time to bring exciting changes in the rapid ratings of the elite. Hikaru Nakamura lost 48 rapid points and dropped from #1 to #4 in the world’s rankings, letting Magnus Carlsen reclaim the top spot. Ian Nepomniachtchi and Fabiano Caruana dropped as many as -16 and -19 rating points, respectively but remained in the top 10. The tournament winner, Firouzja, picked up 48 rapid points, climbing to #15. For the official effects of the blitz, we’ll have to wait for the following rating list as the tournament ended too late to be included in this one.
European Women’s Championship 2022: Monika Socko clinches title
GM Monika Socko (Poland) emerged as the winner of the European Women’s Championship 2022. It is probably the most significant achievement in the professional career of 8-time Polish Women’s Champion. The European Women’s Championship, an 11-round Swiss tournament with classical time control, took place from August 20-31, 2022, in Prague, Czech Republic. The event, with a prize pool of €60,000 (€10,000 reserved for the champion), brought together 123 players from 28 countries. Monika Socko grabbed the sole lead in Round 5 and never looked back. Coming into the final round on 8/10, a half-point ahead of Gunay Mammadzada (Azerbaijan), Aleksandra Maltsevskaya (Poland) and Lilit Mkrtchain (Armenia), Monika took a practical decision. Socko made a quick draw with Mkrtchain to secure the title as she had better tiebreaks over her main competitors. Mammadzada and Maltsevskaya played a topsy-turvy game which eventually ended in a draw. As a result, Gunay took silver, but Alexandra and Lilit missed the podium as Ulviyya Fataliyeva (Azerbaijan) scored a crucial last-round victory over her compatriot Gulnar Mammadova and claimed bronze by dint of better Buchholz. Final standings: 1 GM Socko, Monika POL 2423 8½ 2 IM Mammadzada, Gunay AZE 2466 8 3 WGM Fataliyeva, Ulviyya AZE 2413 8 4 IM Mkrtchian, Lilit ARM 2362 8 5 IM Maltsevskaya, Aleksandra POL 2360 8 6 IM Bulmaga, Irina ROU 2403 8 7 GM Ushenina, Anna UKR 2423 7½ 8 IM Sargsyan, Anna ARM 2378 7½ 9 IM Brunello, Marina ITA 2341 7½ 10 IM Salimova, Nurgyul BUL 2404 7½ The 2022 European Individual Women Chess Championship served as a qualification event for the FIDE Women’s World Cup 2023. According to the FIDE regulations and the ECU Board decision, 9 best players qualified for FIDE Women’s World Cup 2023. Photo: Official website Official website: ewcc2022.net/
Asian Chess Federation and VADR Media create Checkmate Live
United Arab Emirates – (August 31, 2022) – Asian Chess Federation and Australasian-based VADR Media are pleased to announce that they have entered into an exclusive long-term partnership with the creation of Checkmate Live. The strategic partnership sees Checkmate live becoming the Asian Chess Federations’ official online tournament platform, data and broadcast partner. Asian Chess Federation General Secretary Hisham Al Taher (left) and John McRae, Founder and Managing Director of VADR Media The Asian Chess Federation (ACF) is the international governing body of chess across the Asian Continent, uniting 52 national member federations across Asia, the Middle East and Oceania. Its headquarters are in Al-Ain, the United Arab Emirates, and its President is His Highness Sheikh Sultan Bin Khalifa Al Nahyan. VADR is an executive production firm established in 2008 that produces and promotes new media, sports and entertainment. They ventured into e-sports in 2015 when they launched Let’s Play Live and subsequently grew it into Australia and New Zealand’s largest independent e-sports provider. Asian Chess Federation General Secretary Hisham Al Taher (center) signing the contract with John McRae (right), Founder and Managing Director of VADR Media, witnessed by David Jenns, Principal of White Wolf Strategies. Checkmate live is a new web3 initiative by the VADR team focused on producing and broadcasting OTB and online tournaments for a new generation of players. At its heart is a skills-based platform that provides the opportunity to compete and also win cash prizes, credits, and in-game assets in an XR-led, e-sports international chess series. His Highness Sheikh Sultan Bin Khalifa Bin Shakboot Al Nahayan, President Asian Chess Federation (ACF), commented: “Technology has played an important part in the journey and development of sports over the years, often overlooking chess. In recent years, the onset of online gaming and internet improvements has enabled greater access globally. The lack of effective integrity measures for online chess has also been a concern for the community hindering greater involvement. The partnership with Checkmate will allow the Asian Chess Federation to deliver competitive online tournaments and increase opportunities for our players. A key determining factor in the decision to partner with Checkmate was their commitment to improving the integrity of online chess and their ability to successfully create a solution that satisfies ACF’s vision for the future. Once launched, ACF will be able to host official online events that are inclusive and equitable and will provide even greater access for our members.” “We are delighted to have partnered Checkmate with the Asian Chess Federation and are extremely grateful for the support of His Highness Sheikh Sultan Bin Khalifa Bin Shakboot Al Nahayan. It was fortuitous that both His Highness and ACF Secretary General Hisham Al Taher also share our passion for chess and esports. We all jointly recognize the ability for competitive online chess to connect mates (friends), generations and nations”, said VADR Founder and Managing Director John McRae. It is estimated up to 700 million people play the 1500-year-old skill-based game. COVID-19 had a marked impact on its increasing popularity along with the release of Netflix hit mini-series ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ in 2020. This growth has seen a significant increase in chess being streamed online by influencers, major esports teams signing professional players and record online viewership numbers. A key focus for the Checkmate team since they started their planning was to improve the integrity of online chess games. “We identified the problem of online cheating and its impact on fair play early on and believe we have resolved this issue, although we are realistic that it will be an ongoing battle as players continue to try and game the system. We have achieved this through a mix of proprietary AI exclusive to Checkmate and existing technology, partnerships and the development of a strong integrity programme. As part of its roadmap, Checkmate will be releasing a third-party module for associations, federations and tournament organizers who wish to benefit from these efforts”, said McRae. Checkmate’s take on chess, the world’s oldest game, will launch in Q1 2023 on Web and Mobile. Media Contacts: Asian Chess Federation Hisham Al Taher Secretary-General Asian Chess Federation asianchessfederation@yahoo.com Checkmate John McRae Managing Director VADR Media john@vadr.media +61421001766
Alireza Firouzja wins 2022 Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz
The fifth day of Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz was smooth sailing for Alireza Firouzja, who made it to the top of the standings and won the 2022 St Louis Grand Chess Tour with four rounds to spare. Alireza scored amazing 8/9 points today and will collect $40,000 for his efforts. Firouzja’s rivals for first place, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Hikaru Nakamura, could not chase an unstoppable leader for too long today. After a couple of rounds, it was clear they could fight for second place only. Hikaru Nakamura was able to keep pace and finished the tournament in second place with one round to go, while MVL tied for third place with Fabiano Caruana, who fought hard today as well. There will be only two rest days for the players, and then the Sinquefield Cup Round 1 will begin on Friday, September 2, at 1:00pm. Things will heat up even more as the World Champion Magnus Carlsen joins the field. After 9 rapid games and 18 blitz games over the course of 5 days, Alireza Firouzja lost only one rapid game on the second day vs Levon Aronian and won 15 games. Such an achievement is incredibly impressive on its own, given the strength of the field. During the interview after the end of the tournament, It turned out that a long time ago, Alireza made a promise to himself to win his first tournament when he finally comes to St Louis. Alireza Firouzja: I could reveal a secret now, it was my promise for a long time if I come to St Louis, I will win my first tournament. Cristian Chirila: whom did you make that promise? Alireza: to myself. | Photo: GCT/Lennart Ootes ”The chess club in St Louis is really remarkable. I’m really in love with the club and really happy to be here”, said the winner. Alireza not only won the tournament but also crossed 2900 border in the blitz rating list. The winner was still a bit sad, as his accomplishment was not good enough to jump over Hikaru Nakamura in the world blitz rankings. Hikaru won both blitz games vs Fabiano | Photo: GCT/Lennart Ootes Hikaru started day 5 with a victory against Fabiano Caruana but suddenly lost two games in a row vs Alireza Firouzja and Levon Aronian. It seemed like the American grandmaster was losing his track, but he managed to stabilize his play after winning in the next round vs Sam Shankland. He scored an impressive 5.5/6 and finished the tournament in the sole second place, being the last after the first three days of rapid. Hikaru Nakamura in the studio | Photo: GCT/Lennart Ootes “I’m very happy with the way I played after those two unfortunate loses today, just won a couple of games at the end, so second place is pretty good,” said Hikaru. He was happy to show he still could play chess, as lots of people were saying after the rapid it was time for him to come back and retire. The good news for Hikaru’s fans – he will be back in Saint Louis for the Champions Showdown this September. Fabiano Caruana managed to catch MVL and tied for third place | Photo: Crystal Fuller The two players who tied for third place, MVL and Fabiano Caruana, had different journeys these days. Maxime was chasing the winner from day one and tied for first place a few times, while Fabiano Caruana was struggling to get to the top and stayed at a distance from the leaders for most of the tournament. The American redeemed himself in the second half, finishing with a score of 3.5/4, including a crucial win over Shakhriyar Mamedyarov in the last round. “I feel embarrassed with what happened in the end because I should have lost the last game,” said Fabiano, adding that he feels that his result was better than his play. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave | Photo: GCT/Lennart Ootes MVL slowed down in the blitz portion of Saint Louis GCT and finished day five with the same result as on the previous day – 4/9. Three draws in the last rounds with Aronian, Firuozja and Shankland helped Fabiano Caruana to catch the Frenchman in third place. The fight for the top places in the overall Grand Chess Tour standings continues. With the Sinquefield Cup starting on Friday, there are still several players who are in contention for the title of 2022 Grand Chess Tour Champion. Text: WGM Anastasiya Karlovich Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz Sponsors Further Information:Web: GrandChessTour.org | Twitter: @GrandChessTourInstagram: @GrandChessTour | Facebook: @GrandChessTour Venue: Saint Louis Chess Club August 25 – 30, 2022 Press Contact:press@grandchesstour.org Livestream:GrandChessTour.org Photos:Courtesy of Grand Chess Tour and Spectrum StudiosCredits available on Flickr.
FIDE to compensate for airfare losses at Rapid & Blitz 2021
Dear players, As you know, due to force majeure (the introduction of additional measures by the government of Kazakhstan in connection with the outbreak of the omicron virus), the Rapid and Blitz World Championships planned for Kazakhstan in December 2021 were cancelled and moved to a different location. Some players were unable to change or get a reimbursement for the flights they had already booked. Although legally, FIDE is not liable for this cancellation, we have done our best to find additional resources to cover those expenses and compensate players for their loss. We are happy to announce now that FIDE will cover these expenses for all players who: 1) were included in the official list of participants, regardless of whether they had previously informed FIDE about their financial loss. 2) were not included in the official list of participants, as long as they had reported their intention to participate and the losses in which they had incurred. We request all players in this situation to confirm the total amount of the loss by filling out the online form: worldrapidandblitz.fide.com/reimbursement In cases where the player has received a partial refund, we will probably get back to you requesting additional information. Reimbursements will be made within 10 days once all the relevant information has been collected by FIDE. The deadline to request reimbursement is September 30, 2022.
2022 Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz – Day 4 Recap
After 9 rounds of blitz, the tournament has the sole leader again – Alireza Firouzja! Coming into the day, both Frenchmen Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Alireza Firouzja were tied for the lead with 13 points each, but by the end of the day, Vachier-Lagrave slowed down and let his countryman pass him. Before the second day of blitz, Alireza keeps a comfortable three points distance from MVL. Another storyline was the surge of Hikaru Nakamura, who climbed up the standings from finishing in last place after the rapid portion to being third after an impressive 7.5/9 performance. Tomorrow promises to be an exciting day as both MVL and Hikaru Nakamura may try to overtake Firouzja on the final day of the 2022 Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz. The sole leader of the tournament Alireza Firouzja; photo: GCT/Lennart Ootes Alireza started the day with a victory against Ian Nepomniachtchi and made four consecutive draws after that. It’s hard to say if a topsy-turvy game vs Fabiano was a turning point today or something else, but after that game, Alireza scored 4 points, finishing the day with a 7/9 performance. “In blitz, you should really have the Day, so I was lucky I was in a good mood today and showed a good performance,” said Alireza during his interview in our studio. Hikaru Nakamura is known for his blitz expertise and didn’t disappoint his numerous fans today. Hikaru Nakamura wears his lucky pineapple shirt | Photo: GCT/Lennart Ootes He came fully equipped, wearing his famous pineapple shirt, even though, according to Hikaru, it didn’t play a huge role in his success today. Hikaru started the day with two victories against Fabiano Caruana and Levon Aronian, which definitely boosted his self-confidence after yesterday’s collapse. Things went Hikaru’s way for most of the games except his encounters vs Leinier Dominguez and Ian Nepomniachtchi, which were up and down. “It could not really have gone worse than it was in the rapid portion, so I just tried to play good chess,” commented Hikaru on his performance. He is currently three and a half points behind Firouzja and half a point behind MVL but can move up in the standings if he can keep the momentum going tomorrow. MVL lost in the 8th round to Alireza Firouzja | Photo: GCT/Lennart Ootes The current blitz world champion Maxime Vachier-Lagrave had an unpleasant start, losing the first game of day four to Shakhriyar Mamedyarov. Later on, MVL defeated Leinier Dominguez and Levon Aroinian, but lost key matches against the leader Firouzja and “awakened” Nakamura. Despite an unimpressive 4/9 in blitz, MVL is in second place and will keep fighting tomorrow. Ian Nepomniachtchi showing winning moves in his game vs Nakamura to Levon Aronian and MVL | Photo: GCT/Lennart Ootes Ian Nepomniachtchi scored 5/9 and kept his 4th place in the tournament. He lost his first and last games vs Firouzja and Aronian and won the encounters against Mamedyarov, Xiong and Dominguez. Nepo certainly missed good chances in the games vs Shankland and Nakamura and could grab more points today. Jeffery Xiong at the Saint Louis Chess Club between the games | Photo: GCT/Lennart Ootes Jeffery Xiong scored an impressive 5/9 and tied for fourth place with Ian Nepomniachtchi. He was fighting in all his games, won four of them, lost three and made two draws. His fastest victory was against Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, who blundered a piece right in the opening and could resign after ten moves. The Azeri Grandmaster started the day with two victories, but in the game vs Ian Nepomniachtchi made 2 (!) illegal moves. Both players could not stop laughing during the game, but it took Shakhriyar a long time to recover after this loss. He started to play below his usual exemplary blitz form and scored only two points in the six remaining games. Players could not stop laughing after Shakh’s illegal move | Photo: GCT/Lennart Ootes Levon Aronian started the day with 1.5 points out of 4, but he made up some ground with a strong showing, scoring 4/5 later on. Fabiano Caruana finished the day with a solid plus-one. Follow all the action on the final day of blitz live with our commentators GMs Peter Svidler, Yasser Seirawan and Christian Chirila at grandchesstour.org/live. Text: WGM Anastasiya Karlovich Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz Sponsors Further Information:Web: GrandChessTour.org | Twitter: @GrandChessTourInstagram: @GrandChessTour | Facebook: @GrandChessTour Venue: Saint Louis Chess Club August 25 – 30, 2022 Press Contact:press@grandchesstour.org Livestream:GrandChessTour.org Photos:Courtesy of Grand Chess Tour and Spectrum StudiosCredits available on Flickr.