44th Chess Olympiad: Participating teams announced
FIDE is excited to announce the participating teams of the 44th Chess Olympiad. 187 teams in the Open section and 162 in the Women’s will gather in Chennai, India, from July 28 to August 10 for the biggest chess competition of the year. The Chess Olympiad is growing with every edition, and the 44th in Chennai is going to be the largest. Open Section # Team Av. Rt. Captain 1 USA 2771 Donaldson, John 2 Azerbaijan 2705 Abasov, Nijat 3 India 2696 Narayanan, Srinath 4 Norway 2692 Haarr, Jon Kristian 5 Spain 2687 Magem Badals, Jordi 6 Poland 2683 Socko, Bartosz 7 Netherlands 2672 Smeets, Jan 8 Ukraine 2666 Sulypa, Oleksandr 9 Germany 2664 Gustafsson, Jan 10 England 2662 Pein, Malcolm 11 India 2 2649 Ramesh, R B 12 Armenia 2642 Pashikian, Arman 13 Iran 2636 Pourramezanali, Amirreza 14 Uzbekistan 2625 Sokolov, Ivan 15 France 2621 Maze, Sebastien 16 Hungary 2621 Acs, Peter 17 Czech Republic 2612 Simacek, Pavel 18 Croatia 2611 Kozul, Zdenko 19 Romania 2605 Miron, Lucian-Costin 20 Turkey 2602 Kanmazalp, Ogulcan 21 Greece 2602 Nikolaidis, Ioannis 22 Israel 2598 Glaz, Ilana David 23 Serbia 2595 Perunovic, Miodrag 24 Georgia 2580 Sturua, Zurab 25 Italy 2574 Van Wely, Loek 26 Denmark 2566 Hansen, Sune Berg 27 Brazil 2563 Priyadharshan, Kannappan 28 Australia 2559 Rodgers, Jack 29 Argentina 2558 Hungaski, Robert 30 Bulgaria 2557 31 Sweden 2556 Ahlander, Bjorn 32 Cuba 2552 Oscar Perez Garcia, Rodney 33 Austria 2546 Predojevic, Borki 34 Slovakia 2543 Movsesian, Sergei 35 Lithuania 2540 Vaznonis, Donatas 36 Switzerland 2534 Hindermann, Felix 37 Peru 2533 Gutierrez, Renzo 38 Egypt 2530 Mohamed, Farag Amrou 39 Kazakhstan 2526 Ibrayev, Nurlan 40 Montenegro 2521 Kosic, Dragan 41 Slovenia 2510 Sebenik, Matej 42 Chile 2510 Garcia Cardenas, Pablo 43 Iceland 2509 Petursson, Margeir 44 Canada 2496 Plotkin, Victor 45 Mongolia 2478 Gan-Od, Sereenen 46 Indonesia 2472 Majella, Rudijanto 47 Turkmenistan 2469 Kakabayev, Mergen 48 Paraguay 2467 Riquelme, Andres 49 Moldova 2462 50 Uruguay 2460 Rivera, Daniel 51 Belgium 2460 Hovhannisyan, Mher 52 Colombia 2456 Mosquera, Miguel 53 Philippines 2452 Torre, Eugenio 54 Portugal 2440 Galvao, Henrique 55 Albania 2434 Muco, Fatos 56 Finland 2433 Keinanen, Toivo 57 Singapore 2427 Kvon, Andrey 58 Estonia 2414 Kaido, Kulaots 59 Andorra 2398 Martinez Balastegui, Marti 60 Ireland 2396 Jackson, Carl 61 Faroe Islands 2394 Gaard, Ingolf 62 North Macedonia 2389 Nedev, Trajko 63 Mexico 2389 Della Morte, Pablo 64 Latvia 2382 Ungurs, Edgars 65 Bangladesh 2380 Mallick, Masudur Rahman 66 Ecuador 2370 Noboa, Silva Kevin 67 Kosovo 2343 Fejzullahu, Afrim 68 Scotland 2342 Minnican, Alan 69 South Africa 2342 Grover, Sahaj 70 Kyrgyzstan 2337 Imanaliev, Talaibek 71 Bolivia 2324 Munoz Contreras, Nelson 72 Venezuela 2317 Palacios, Lanza Antonio 73 Zambia 2314 Banda, Aaron 74 Malaysia 2304 Subramaniam, Sumant 75 Dominican Republic 2286 Mazara Ruiz, Adan Manuel 76 Costa Rica 2280 Fernandez Sanchez, Mario Andres 77 Tunisia 2270 Bouaziz, Mehdi 78 Nigeria 2263 Akhiwu, Eugene Ehidiamhen 79 Luxembuorg 2263 David, Alberto 80 Japan 2258 Stojanovic, Mihajlo 81 Yemen 2257 Abdulla, Ba Mallm 82 Guatemala 2249 Leyva, Hector 83 Panama 2246 Collantes, Juan Ramon 84 Iraq 2244 Al-Sahlanee, Hayder A. Jaafar 85 New Zealand 2242 Bojkov, Dejan 86 Tajikistan 2242 Hisoriev, Shorahmat 87 South Korea 2228 Song, Jinwoo 88 El Salvador 2222 Castillo, Nelson 89 Monaco 2216 Loseva, Yulia 90 Uganda 2216 Teeba, Jorden 91 Trinidad & Tobago 2213 Hunte, Keelan 92 Angola 2209 Domingos, Catarino 93 Zimbabwe 2208 Moyo, Lloyd 94 Lebanon 2198 Khodashenas, Mersad 95 Wales 2192 Hunt, Adam C 96 Syria 2191 Hamad, Alsaed 97 Algeria 2189 Badreddine Khelfallah, Omar 98 Jordan 2180 Kruppa, Yuri 99 Thailand 2176 Pitirotjirathon, Jirapak 100 Sudan 2161 Delchev, Aleksander 101 Cyprus 2148 Antoniou, Stathis 102 Nicaragua 2147 Rocha, Maximiliano 103 United Arab Emirates 2146 Erdogdu, Mert 104 Madagascar 2143 Ramalanjaona, Andrianantenaina 105 Pakistan 2114 Amer, Karim 106 Nepal 2110 Bogati, Dhan Bahadur 107 Jamaica 2107 Pitterson, Jomo 108 South Sudan 2101 Henry, John 109 Ethiopia 2091 Birhanu, Tegegn Mehadem 110 Puerto Rico 2089 Cuenca Jimenez, Jose Fernando 111 Sri Lanka 2086 Barsov, Alexei 112 Botswana 2069 Thompson, Modisane 113 Honduras 2049 Colindres, Javier Medina 114 Netherlands Antilles 2046 Curiel, David 115 Malta 2040 Novak, Atilla Robert 116 Malawi 2028 Sharra, Leonard 117 Haiti 2026 Luxama, Jacques Muller 118 Suriname 2019 Kaslan, Marlon 119 Qatar 2010 Kuzmin, Alexey 120 Namibia 2009 Mishra, Neeraj-Kumar 121 Libya 2008 Abokrais, Kaled 122 Cape Verde 2004 Carapinha, Francisco Manuel 123 Barbados 1998 Gurevich, Mikhail 124 Myanmar 1995 Maung, Maung Kyaw Zaw Hein 125 Liechtenstein 1982 Frick, Renato 126 Mali 1977 Doumbia, Amadou 127 Jersey 1968 Mooney, Graham 128 Mauritania 1961 Mohamed Salem, Yahi 129 Bahrain 1957 Abdulgaffar, Jamal 130 Afghanistan 1949 Farazi, Khaibar 131 Saudi Arabia 1935 Haddouche, Mohamed 132 Chinese Taipei 1932 Tsai, Yao-Hung 133 Somalia 1931 Mohamoud Farah, Mustafa 134 Kenya 1928 Magana, Ben 135 Ghana 1918 Ribli, Zoltan 136 Cote d’Ivoire 1917 Mosso, Guy Serge 137 Liberia 1905 Tamba, William Saa 138 Sao Tome and Principe 1897 Sharma, Hemant 139 Hong Kong 1895 Lam, Chi Wang Raymond 140 Palestine 1893 Sader, Naji 141 Guam 1888 Tirador, Elias 142 Mozambique 1887 Alice, Mateus Felizardo Viageiro 143 Kuwait 1865 Abdel Razik, Khaled 144 Mauritius 1865 Bhowany, Koomaren 145 Oman 1865 146 Aruba 1863 Bueno Perez, Lazaro Antonio 147 Saint Lucia 1862 Comas, Martin 148 Togo 1859 Numatsi, Yawotsu Dzigba 149 Senegal 1838 Izeta Txabarri, Felix 150 Gambia 1836 Kenmure, Jamie 151 Guyana 1826 Mars, Davion 152 Maldives 1807 Li, Jackson 153 San Marino 1797 Caruso, Augusto 154 Bermuda 1796 Dimitrijevic, Aleksandra 155 Palau 1779 Cabunagan, Tito 156 Bahamas 1777 Gonzalez, Renier 157 Tanzania 1763 Mussa, Mangula 158 Nauru 1762 Depaune, Inza 159 Rwanda 1736 Nkuyubwatsi, Eddy Christian 160 Cameroon 1707 Fouda Tocko, Paul Aristide 161 Timor-Leste 1704 dos Reis, Tito 162 Lesotho 1692 Mphetole, Mona 163 Sierra Leone 1670 Lwebuga, Ronald 164 Brunei Darussalam 1657 Hj, Sulaiman Amir Fakhry 165 Eswatini 1657 Siame, William 166 Papua New Guinea 1641 McCoy, Tom 167 Gabon 1608 Bongo, Akanga Ndjila Barthelemy 168 Guernsey 1602 Akshat, Khamparia 169 Fiji 1591 Arvind,
FIDE July 1 Rating list is out
There were no significant changes in the Top 10 of the July rating list as the Candidates Tournament is still underway in Madrid. Alexandra Kosteniuk gained 11 points in French Team Championship 2022 and re-entered the Women’s top 10, while Anish Giri and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave swapped places in the Open list. We have three new players in the Top-100 Open. Shant Sargsyan (pictured below) made his debut on the list following his good performance in the 13th Annual K. Asrian Memorial, while Nils Grandelius and Etienne Bacrot returned into the top-100 open (the latter after a 10-month break). Biggest gains (top 100 Open and Women) Eswaran, Ashritha FM 2394 (+86) Fataliyeva, Ulviyya WGM 2372 (+31) Abdusattorov, Nodirbek GM 2688 (+27) Navrotescu, Andreea WIM 2373 (+23) Harikrishna, Pentala GM 2720 (+19) Savina, Anastasia IM 2377 (+19) Shirov, Alexei GM 2704 (+18) Korobov, Anton GM 2692 (+17) Padmini, Rout IM 2374 (+17) Martirosyan, Haik GM 2672 (+16) Zawadzka, Jolanta WGM 2416 (+16) Melia, Salome IM 2384 (+16) Barcot, Etienne GM 2656 (+15) Tabatabaei, M. Amin GM 2664 (+14) Efroimski, Marsel IM 2456 (+14) Photo: Lennart Ootes | Saint Louis Chess Club Young FM Ashritha Eswaran (pictured above) is the clear winner in this nomination. The 22-year-old strung together three impressive results in PNWCC vs Bulgaria Memorial Day 2022 Match, 2022 National Open in Las Vegas and PNWCC June FIDE Hybrid Match – PNWCC vs Bulgaria and netted 86 rating points. Thanks to these achievements, she not simply made her way into the Top 100 Women but soared up to 56th position in this list. Nodirbek Abdusattorov (pictured below) had the biggest rating gain (+27) in the top 100 open after sharing first place in the 5th Sharjah Masters (+19 rating points) and then picking up another 8 points in Prague International Chess Festival – Challengers. The talented youngster from Uzbekistan broke into top-50 Open for the first time in his career. Photo: Petr Vrabec Ulviyya Fataliyeva, Jolanta Zawadzka and Marsel Efroimski did an excellent job in strong open tournaments – Teplice Open, 5th Sharjah Masters and Norway Chess Open – and increased their rating by 31, 16 and 14 points, respectively. The Masters event in Prague saw the triumph of Pentala Harikrishna, who delivered an impressive performance in a very strong field and earned 19 points. Photo: Anezka Kruzikova Alexei Shirov crossed a 2700 mark again following his convincing match-victory over Jorden Van Foreest, which translates into 16 rating points. French Team 2022 – Top 16 and Top 12 Women, as the name suggests, brought together many good players, and those who make a strong showing in this event got substantial rating gains: Anton Korobov (+19), Etienne Barcot (+15), Andreea Navrotescu (+23) and Anastasia Savina (+19). Amin Tabatabaei continues his ascendance in the rankings – the Iranian emerged as the winner of the Stepan Avagyan Memorial 2022 and earned 14 rating points.
Nepomniachtchi half a step away from winning the Candidates
Ian Nepomniachtchi keeps control of the tournament following a draw with Hikaru Nakamura as Ding Liren’s three-game winning streak is brought to an end With 8.5/12, tournament leader Ian Nepomniachtchi is just half a point away from winning his second Candidates in a row. He is due to play Rapport and Duda in the last two rounds (he beat both of them in the first part of the tournament). Nepo just needs one draw from those two games to secure total victory. Today’s game between Hikaru Nakamura and Ian Nepomniachtchi was very short. After just eight minutes of play, following a forced drawing line in the Berlin, they agreed to split a point. The way this draw was achieved will be criticized by many. In the post-game interview, Nakamura said that he didn’t think ‘the risk-reward was there’ and that, had he lost, ‘there’s no shot at second place’ (which has become ever more important in this tournament in light of the prospects of Magnus Carlsen deciding not to defend his title, as this could lead to the top two players from the Candidates playing the match for the world title). Teimour Radjabov stunned Ding Liren with a crushing victory as Black in 26 moves. After three consecutive victories (not seen in the Candidates since 2013), Ding Liren was unrecognizable in today’s game. He played well below his 2800 level and was completely shattered by the motivated Teimour Radjabov. Already after 21 moves, with a lot of help from Ding, Black had an overwhelming position. With this defeat, Ding Liren’s miraculous recovery from the bottom of the table in the first part of the tournament to the top has now hit a dead end. He is tied in second place with Hikaru Nakamura, and the two will be playing in the final round. Jan-Krzysztof Duda missed several opportunities to win with white pieces against Alireza Firouzja today. In a sharp line of the Semi-Slav, Firouzja again – like in some previous games – started outplaying himself by weakening his castle and launching his pawns on a goose chase on the move 22. Duda responded with an energetic f-pawn push and grabbed the initiative. However, as in some other previous games in his case, he just couldn’t find the right moves in several critical moments and dropped the advantage. Firouzja was again offering winning chances to White and he took them, but when the moment of execution came Duda was not up to the task. In the end, Black forced a line leading directly to a draw. Firouzja was lucky, while Duda missed a great opportunity. The Candidates are a long and demanding event and the signs of tiredness were shown by both players today. Duda is on five points, sharing 6-7th place with Rapport, while Firouzja is at the bottom with 4.5 points. The last game to finish was between Richard Rapport and Fabiano Caruana. In the anti-Berlin, the opponents found their way into a fresh position as early as on the move ten. The game was mostly played on the kingside, where Rapport advanced his pawns. The Hungarian GM got some initiative, but the American neutralized it with several precise moves and equalized it completely. After exchanges of heavy pieces, the opponents transitioned into a rook endgame where Black had an extra pawn on the h-file, but Rapport’s active rook saved him from trouble and helped him hold Caruana to a draw. Unlike in the previous games where in even positions, he pushed for a long time, Caruana was in no mood to force today’s game, and the two agreed to split a point. With plus three, Caruana is on a mere 50 percent, in the middle of the table (joined by Radjabov), while Rapport is further below with 5/12. Here follows a closer look at the games from round twelve of the Candidates. Richard Rapport vs Fabiano Caruana: Loss of appetite After suffering three defeats in the last four rounds, which completely wrecked his tournament ambitions, it was interesting to see how Fabiano Caruana comes back in a game against a very tricky opponent. Rapport was in his salmon-pink jacket which he wore in round eight when he scored a great victory against Duda. As in previous rounds, he delayed making his first move. Psyching himself up for the match, gathering his final thoughts or just trying to play a psychological game against his opponents? Only Rapport knows. In the anti-Berlin, both sides played very solidly and came out of the opening with sound positions. The two went off the beaten track on the move ten, after Fabiano introduced a novelty, parting with his light-squared bishop followed by castling long. Rapport also built his fortress on the queenside and proceeded to pressure Black on the right flank with 21.f4 White went on the initiative here, pressuring Black’s weak f6 and g6 pawns. Black responded by pushing his f6 pawn forward, seeking to ease the pressure. The position is roughly even, but White had a clear attacking plan. Caruana made an inaccurate move with 26…Qe7, which gave Rapport a slight edge. However, feeling danger, Caruana was finding the right moves he needed to hold his kingside line of defence. After 30.Qe4 Qd6, the two sides traded several pieces, which directly led to an even endgame. It looks like Rapport relaxed on his guard at some point and allowed Black to get his rook and queen down to White’s second rank. Rapport had to exchange the queens and give up his h-pawn, but he had enough compensation in his position. White had an active rook situated on the sixth rank, preventing the black king from joining his h-runner and attacking the opponent’s pawns when needed. This time Caruana had no desire to grind it and soon opted for a draw. Following several hard and long games where he pressed in even positions and pushed even harder in the ones he lost, Caruana’s appetite for long gruelling games seems to have evaporated. Ding Liren vs Teimour
FIDE Athletes Commission elections to be held in Chennai
In May 2020, FIDE constituted the Athletes Commission, with a total of 15 members: 10 elected and 5 appointed by the FIDE Commission. During the first term, the elected positions were directly assigned to the 9 candidates who put themselves forward, with the remaining spots being appointed by the FIDE Council. During this period, Dinara Saduakassova (Kazakhstan), Ju Wenjun (China), and Ahmed Adly (Egypt), were the first athletes to Chair this Commission for a period of half a year each, in a six-month rotation. As it was stipulated back then, elections will be held during the Chess Olympiad in Chennai, this time for a full term of 4 years. The elections will be held under the following rules: TEMPORARY RULES FOR 2022 ELECTIONS 1. The 2022 Athletes Commission elections will be held from 9 am CEST July 29th, 2022, to 9 am CET August 3rd, 2022. The results should be announced no later than August 5th, 2022 (23:59 CET) 2. The Candidature Nomination Form must be completed, signed by the candidate and received by the FIDE Secretariat by July 20th, 2022 (23:59 CEST). The Candidature Nomination Form must be sent by e-mail to office@fide.com. 3. Every candidate for election to the Athletes’ Commission must satisfy all of the following requirements: a) be at least 18 years old; b) Candidates must have competed in at least one of the last three FIDE World Championship Cycles, open or Women’s (namely: World Cup, Grand Prix Series, Candidates Tournament, Grand Swiss), or have qualified for the next FIDE World Championship Cycles, open or Women’s (namely: World Cup, Grand Prix Series, Candidates Tournament, Grand Swiss); c) be able to speak and understand English reasonably well; d) not to be under a FIDE EDC disqualification. For the avoidance of doubt, endorsement by a Member Federation is not required. 4. The final list of the eligible candidates will be published at the fide.com not later than July 24th, 2022 (23:59 CEST) 5. A player is eligible to vote if: – he or she is a holder of GM/WGM title; – he or she competed in at least one of the last three FIDE World Championship Cycles, open or Women’s (namely: World Cup, Grand Prix Series, Candidates Tournament, Grand Swiss), or has qualified for the next FIDE World Championship Cycles, open or Women’s (namely: World Cup, Grand Prix Series, Candidates Tournament, Grand Swiss) – he or she is the official player of the team taking part in the 44th Chess Olympiad in India, Chennai (further – Olympiad). 6. Voting shall be conducted in a hybrid format (for voters eligible according to step 3 of the art. 5 “Electoral Procedure”: – A voter may receive the ballot in the Olympiad during the period mentioned in art. 1 and vote in person. In such case, the ballot should be signed by the voter. – By e-mail in all other cases. Votes shall be sent to the e-mail of the electoral commission (to be announced later). E-mails shall be deemed as valid if previously used by voters for signing contracts and accepted by FIDE. E-mails not used before shall be deemed valid if confirmation from a national federation of a voter or of an official from such a federation is provided. FIDE reserves the right to request additional confirmation for any e-mails (regardless of whether they had been recognized previously) whenever they find it necessary. From this link, you can download the Candidature Nomination Form.
Nepomniachtchi on the verge of winning the Candidates as Ding breaks to second place
In a rollercoaster game, Ding Liren beat Fabiano Caruana after six and a half hours of play and is now alone in second place with 6.5/11. Leader Ian Nepomniachtchi beat Alireza Firouzja with black pieces and with 8/11 is 1.5 points ahead of the field It was a day of twists and turns in the Candidates. The results of this round may prove to be key for the remaining part of the tournament. The biggest fight of the day and possibly the biggest upset of the tournament was the duel between Fabiano Caruana and Ding Liren. After six and half hours of play, where both sides gained and dropped advantages, it was Ding whose nerves were steadier and who defeated Caruana in a stunning game. In a popular line of Anti-Marshall in the Ruy Lopez, which has been extensively tested lately (including the World Championship match) Caruana introduced a novelty on the move 15, aiming for the f5-square with the knights. An unusual position transpired where White put his knight in the centre of the black king’s fortress, on g7! Black started his counterplay on the queenside and the centre, forcing Caruana to evacuate his knight. Following exchanges, a roughly equal position emerged on the board in which Ding overestimated his chances and then miscalculated with 30…exf4 followed by 31…g5 and 32…Qe5. Caruana immediately jumped on f5 with his knight, and it turned out that Black had to sound the retreat and switch to defence. Ding was defending very well, hanging by a thread in some lines. Then Caruana made a few imprecise moves allowing Ding to equalise, but the position was still very sharp. As the game was nearing its seventh hour, Caruana, still looking for a win, went too far. With one inaccurate move, he ran into a pin and had to give up his e7-passer and maintain defence in an inferior but still holdable position. After 63 moves, Caruana was on 15 minutes while Ding had over thirty. In a very tense exchange, Caruana finally cracked on the move 72. He allowed Black to get his rook on the second rank and knit a mating net around his king, handing Ding Liren a victory on a silver platter. Caruana’s shock and disbelief at what he had done were obvious. After resigning, he immediately rushed out of the playing hall. A remarkable game and a shocking result. Caruana, who was all this time a step behind Nepomniachtchi, has lost three of the last four games in the Candidates. With 5.5/11 he is now on fifty percent(!) and in fourth place. On the other hand, Ding Liren’s comeback is spectacular: from the bottom board in the first part of the event, written off by almost everyone, he came back guns blazing. Ding made a record: he won three games in a row (two of them with black pieces!) – which was last achieved in the Candidates in 2013. With 6.5 points, he is now alone in second place. Tournament leader Ian Nepomniachtchi scored an important and comfortable victory with black pieces against Alireza Firouzja, the youngest participant of the Candidates and the player whom many have thought would show wonders in this tournament. As in all other games in this event, Nepomniachtchi was extremely solid and played very precisely. However, in this game, as in some others in Madrid – it was Firouzja who defeated himself: he prematurely started with an advance of his pawns on the kingside, launching an attack which not only brought him nothing but also quickly backfired. Firouzja deserves credit that he played ambitiously – as he did in every other game so far. But ambition not rooted in a fair dose of reality is destined to fail at this level of play. On plus five and with three more rounds to go, Nepomniachchi is almost impossible to catch. Hikaru Nakamura and Richard Rapport ended up drawing their game in the Sveshnikov Variation of the Sicilian. In a complex and sharp position, the two sides were pushing and looking for chances, but they were evenly matched. The game eventually transpired into a knight and bishop endgame where White had an extra pawn, but all pieces were on the kingside, and it was an easy draw for Black. Nakamura decided to test Rapport’s endgame knowledge, so the play dragged on for quite some time, but Black comfortably held White to a draw. Nakamura has six points and still has theoretical chances to reach the top, while Rapport is on 4.5. Teimour Radjabov and Jan-Krzysztof Duda played a very steady, calm game in the English double fianchetto. There wasn’t any excitement or suspension on board as both opted for a safe route. After massive exchanges, the two moved to an even rook endgame and called it a day. It was the first game to finish. Radjabov is on five points while Duda is on 4.5. Neither have reasonable chances for any of the top places, and it seems there isn’t much to motivate them further. Here follows a closer look at the games from round eleven of the Candidates. Hikaru Nakamura vs Richard Rapport: Sharp but even Hikaru Nakamura was seen as the favourite. Rapport lost three out of the last four games as his adventurous play didn’t seem to bear much fruit. The opponents played the main line of Sveshnikov in the Sicilian and followed a beaten path up to move 17. In this position, Nakamura opted for 17.Nxe7 with the idea of taking control over the light squares in the center after 17…Qxe7 18.Nf5. However, Rapport sensibly sacrificed his d6-pawn – 18…Qd8! and after 19.Qxe7 g6 got a sufficient counterplay on the queenside. With 26…Bxb3 Black recovered a pawn he gave up earlier. The position was even. Following exchanges of light-squared bishops, the two proceeded to a rook and knight vs rook and bishop endgame. After trading the rooks, White even managed to win a pawn, but the ending did not promise much. Nakamura decided to test Rapport, but the Hungarian had no problem holding
FIDE World Senior Team Championship 2022: England wins golden double
Team England wins a golden double at the FIDE World Senior Team Championship, taking titles in both the 50+ and 65+ categories. The event brought together 43 teams from 24 federations, competing in 9-round Swiss tournaments and took place in Acqui Terme, Italy, from June 20-29. 50+ section After five rounds, two rating-favourites of the tournament, England 1 and USA, were tied for the top position winning four matches each and drawing their direct encounter in Round 4. Italy and Iceland were close behind, scoring four team victories each but losing to the leaders (the USA and England, respectively). England 1, headed by Michael Adams and Nigel Short, won all four matches in the second half of the event and deservedly clinched the title. To illustrate England’s dominance, it suffices to say that Adams, Short, Hebden and Arkell each won the gold medal for the best performance on individual boards. The USA stayed in the race for gold for the most part (the team had to close a 2-point gap of game points), but it all came to an end in Round 8 after a draw with Hungary. Still, the USA comfortably secured silver. Team Italy 1 lost to England 1 in Round 6 but then scored three straight victories and came out third. Finals standings 50+ 1 England 1 17 27½ 2 USA 16 24½ 3 Italy 1 14 25 4 Iceland 12 21½ 5 Hungary 11 22 6 England 2 11 20 7 Canada 10 19½ 8 Still active NL 10 19 9 Scotland 10 18 10 Georgia Winery Khareba 9 21 65+ section England 1, lead by John Nunn, eased through the field in the 65+ tournament and clinched the title with a round to spare. Its main rival team Germany could not keep pace with the leader and finished second. After a poor start, the rating favourite, Israel 1, bounced back and wrested bronze from Germany 2 and France after beating the champions in the final round. Final standings 65+ 1 England 1 15 24 2 Germany 1 13 20½ 3 Israel 1 12 22½ 4 Germany 2 12 21½ 5 France 12 20½ 6 Hungary 11 20½ 7 Skakklubben af 2012 10 21½ 8 SC Kreuzberg 10 18½ 9 SG Riehen 10 18 10 Israel 2 9 20 Photo: Federazione Scacchistica Italiana Facebook page, Keith Arkell facebook page and englishchess.org.uk/
2022 Candidates, Round 10: A major setback for Caruana, Nepomniachtchi pulls away
Fabiano Caruana suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Jan-Krzysztof Duda, who scored his first victory. With another draw, Ian Nepomniachtchi edges closer to winning the Candidates Round 10 brought a major upset as Fabiano Caruana played poorly and was defeated by the young chess star from Poland. Caruana is still in second place but is now joined by Hikaru Nakamura and Ding Liren, who both won their games. All three have 5.5 points. Tournament leader Ian Nepomniachtchi has edged further ahead. After a comfortable draw with Teimour Radjabov, he is now on 7/10. With four more games to play and a point and a half ahead of Caruana, Nakamura and Ding, Nepomniachtchi seems almost unstoppable. In a very solid game in the Catalan, Ian Nepomniachtchi secured an edge against Teimour Radjabov, putting pressure on an isolated c4 pawn, potentially leading to a b-file runner for White. Nepomniachtchi opted to simplify things and brought the game to a draw. At no point was he in any serious trouble. Nepomniachtchi continues to play confidently – he is the only player in the Candidates without a loss and he is playing very solidly, edging closer to taking this event for a consecutive second time. Hikaru Nakamura scored an important victory as White against Alireza Firouzja. In the Najdorf line of the Sicilian Firouzja, playing with black pieces introduced a dubious novelty: he captured on f6 with his g-pawn, leading to a weaker pawn structure and, ultimately, to his demise. The young French superstar, who finally won his first game in the previous round, completely broke in the duel with Nakamura. After choosing a path which got him into an inferior position, he then opted to open the centre weakening the light d5 square, which Nakamura used to take over control and then organize an attack on the black king to which Firouzja had no defence. Just as it seemed that after the last round’s victory over Rapport, Firouzja’s creativity was finally ascending, he came down crashing. After the game, Nakamura said that he thinks Firouzja was under a lot of pressure and that it was a mistake for him to lose his momentum and stop playing for nine months in preparation for the Candidates. Nakamura, on the other hand, achieved a crucial victory as he is now in shared second place with Caruana and with Ding Liren. The biggest surprise of the day is Fabiano Caruana’s loss to Jan-Krzysztof Duda. His ambitions to stay in the race for the first place and catch up with Nepomniachtchi if he stumbles have now suffered a crushing blow. Playing as White, Duda opted for the Italian Game – an opening Caruana is considered to be a leading expert in. From early on, Caruana was playing aggressively. He obviously thought that his best chances are against Duda, who entered round ten as the only player without a victory in the tournament so far. Caruana was overly optimistic: he overstretched himself on the kingside, organizing an attack on the white king, but – on the contrary – ended up creating more weaknesses in his own camp. As it turned out, not only was Duda’s king secure, but White ended up opening the g-file, and he was the one attacking the (black) king. Caruana was in a significantly worse position and desperately in time trouble, but this is where Duda stepped in. He couldn’t find the right path to victory and allowed Caruana breathing space. Still, Black’s position was so dire that even Duda’s unprecise play did not help him to get away. In the end, Caruana had to come to terms with the inevitable and admit defeat. A shocking loss by Caruana (which now throws his ambitions completely off balance) and an important victory for Duda, who needed his confidence lifted, having suffered three defeats in the previous four rounds. Richard Rapport finally lost steam as he suffered a second loss in a row. In the Ruy Lopez a very sharp position developed on the board. Ding managed to get out of the opening as slightly better but his uncastled king was a potential weakness. Rapport gave up a pawn on the queenside in an attempt to open the position and get to Black’s king. True to his aggressive style, Rapport did not hesitate to sacrifice a knight to complicate matters even more, but he was first to buckle under pressure. The opponents ended up in an endgame substantially better for Black despite being down an exchange. Ding demonstrated good technique and scored a full point. Rapport is down, while Ding – after a slow start, has now stepped further up, sharing second place. Here follows a closer look at the games from round ten of the Candidates. Richard Rapport vs Ding Liren: Fire vs fire It was a sharp game where two players did not shy from trying their luck. In the Ruy Lopez with 4.d3, Rapport avoided the main lines, and by move 12, the opponents stepped into uncharted territory. Ding aggressively advanced his pawns on the kingside, but his king remained in the centre which suggested a very sharp play. Rapport pushed on the queenside with 16.b4 and 17.Bb3, centralized his light-squared bishop and then offered a very interesting pawn sacrifice to engineer some activity on the kingside. Ding grabbed the pawn – 21…Rxc3 and proceeded to consolidate his position. Still with his king in the centre, Black could not feel safe. White opened the f-file maintaining pressure but without real threats in sight. 28…Qd6 29.Qf1 was played and here Ding made an inaccuracy – 29…Bd4, and after 30.Bf7+! it was even. In the subsequent complications, Rapport added some fuel to the fire on the board, with an impressive knight sacrifice. Rapport bravely played 33.Nc4!? Although computers recommend 33.Ba2 and 33.Bf7, Rapport deserves full credit for his panache. The position was very sharp and Rapport went for the black king. However, he was the first to buckle under pressure. Rapport played a natural but wrong move 42.Rc3 (much better was 42.Be7 with a roughly equal position),
FIDE adopts a new system for Women’s Candidates 2022-23
The FIDE Council has approved a new set of regulations for the Women’s Candidates Tournament, adopting a knock-out system with 8 players to be played between 2022 and 2023. The first two stages of this knock-out will be played as 4-game matches (plus a possible tie-break), with the final being played over the distance of 6 games. The total prize fund will stand at a record 250,000€. The field includes GM Aleksandra Goryachkina, the runner-up at the FIDE World Championship Match 2020. GMs Humpy Koneru and Kateryna Lagno as the best players in the overall standings of the FIDE Grand Prix Series 2019-20. Three players qualified for the FIDE World Cup 2021: GM Alexandra Kosteniuk, GM Tan Zhongyi, and GM Anna Muzychuk. GM Lei Tingjie gets the seventh spot as the winner of the FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss Tournament 2021. GM Mariya Muzychuk got the 8th and final slot as the highest-rated player in the FIDE January 2022 rating list. The first stage of the event, consisting of Quarter Finals and Semi-Finals, will be held in October-November and will last for two weeks. Players were divided into pools based on the rating principle and matched accordingly: Pool A Koneru – A.MuzychukLei Tingjie – M. Muzychuk Pool B Goryachkina – KosteniukLagno – Tan Zhonqyi The exact locations and dates for the respective pool will be announced by FIDE in July 2022. The second stage will take place in Q1′ 2023. It shall consist of a 6-game match between the two finalists of the pools. The winner of the final match becomes the Challenger to the Women’s World Champion Ju Wenjun. The Women’s World Championship Match is scheduled for summer 2023. Several cities have already expressed a firm interest in hosting the Women’s Candidates. FIDE thanks all the organizers and federations willing to support women’s chess – and will confirm the venue for October pools in a short while. Parties interested to host the Final Match of the Women’s Candidates are welcome to address gsc@fide.com and office@fide.com. The complete regulations for the event can be found in the FIDE Handbook.
IX IBCA World Team Championship kicks off in Ohrid, North Macedonia
The IX IBCA World Team Chess Championship for the Blind and Visually Impaired takes place in Ohrid, North Macedonia, from June 27 to July 08, 2022. The competition follows the “trademark” IBCA format that combines round robin and double knockout, similar to some high-level football tournaments. According to the results of the 2021 IBCA Olympiad, the sixteen strongest teams are seeded into two groups of eight teams each to play seven-round round-robins. Then, the semifinal and final brackets are built based on these group standings. (The complete Regulations can be found on the FIDE Calendar page). Players use specialized Braille chess boards, talking clocks, and voice recording equipment. The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically affected many areas of life, including chess. Tournaments were cancelled or postponed; other ones were held in the online format. It is great to return to joyful face-to-face meetings after the pandemic. The IX IBCA World Team Chess Championship for the Blind and Visually Impaired is organized by the National Sports Federation of the Blind of North Macedonia in cooperation with the Chess Federation of the North Macedonia, Chief Organizer Gjorgji Minovski (MKD). Its venue, the Metropol Luxury Resort Ohrid, is a familiar and pleasant location for many players from Europe and all over the world who attended prestigious ECU and FIDE events there in the past. This championship is a joint effort of IBCA, local organizers, Macedonian regional and municipal authorities that made sure players can meet in person while ensuring all the extra accessibility measures. President of the Republic of North Macedonia, Mr Stevo Pendarovski sent his warm greetings to the participants. The opening ceremony on June 28 featured Mr Naum Jamandiev, Mayor of the Ohrid municipality; Dr Charudatta Jadhav (IND), the IBCA President; Ms Diana Tsypina (CAN), the IBCA 2nd Vice-President; Mr. Blagoj Mishevski, President, National Sports Federation of the Blind of North Macedonia; Mr Zarko Selkovski, President, Braille Chess Association of North Macedonia; Mr Agim Shemshiu, Vice-President, Chess Federation of North Macedonia; Mr Zoran Stojcevski, member of the Board, Chess Federation of North Macedonia. The ceremony started with an emotional live rendition of the national anthem by prominent local singers. Then, Mayor Naum Jamandiev welcomed the participants to the Ohrid municipality and reminded them that Ohrid has a unique distinction of being one of only 28 locations in the world that are classified by UNESCO simultaneously as a Cultural World Heritage Site and the Natural World Heritage Site. He emphasized excellent collaboration between the IBCA, the organizers and local authorities, making it possible for over one hundred participants to meet in Ohrid in person and enjoy chess. Before declaring the Championship open, the IBCA President, Dr Charudatta Jadhav, touched on the important themes of cohesiveness and solidarity of the global Braille community. He asked for a minute of silence in memory of Dr Ludwig Beutelhoff, the longest-serving past IBCA President (2005-2017), who passed away at the age of 74. As philosopher and promoter of Braille chess, publisher of Marburger Schachzeitung, and disability officer of the Deutscher Schachbund, Dr Beutelhoff enjoyed universal respect and admiration both the Braille fraternity and among the global chess community. His spirit and his ideas continue to inspire the next generations of Braille players. President Jadhav warmly welcomed players from war-torn Ukraine who faced numerous obstacles to their participation but overcame them all with the help of the worldwide Braille chess family that organized a successful fundraising effort and ensured players’ safe passage. National Braille associations of Sweden, Germany, Canada, North Macedonia, France, Italy, as well as the IBCA itself, generously contributed enough money to enable the participation of Team Ukraine in the Championship in Ohrid and Ukraine’s best female Braille player, Liubov Zsiltzova-Lisenko in the upcoming IBCA World Women’s Championship in France. It is a great example of solidarity that transcends borders! The IBCA President’s speech was frequently interrupted by applause from the audience. Mr Blagoj Mishevski, President, National Sports Federation of the Blind of North Macedonia, and Mr Zarko Selkovski, President, Braille Chess Association of North Macedonia, stressed the efforts that the government and local authorities in North Macedonia take to ensure integration and full participation of disabled people into broader society, and remarked on Braille chess as an excellent way to reach these goals. Chief Arbiter Vadim Tsypin (CAN) guided the dignitaries to make the first symbolic moves in matches for each of the two groups, Romania – France and India – North Macedonia. The participants of the Championship are competing for the titles, medals and board prizes. There is a rest day between the end of group stage play and the semifinals when the organizers kindly offer a free excursion to some of the world’s oldest monasteries. Information and photos provided by the IBCA and the National Sports Federation of the Blind of North Macedonia About IBCA The International Braille Chess Association (IBCA) is the supreme body responsible for chess for the blind and visually impaired. The IBCA is part of the International Blind Sports Federation and an Affiliated Member of FIDE. Founded in 1958, the IBCA has grown to more than sixty countries on four continents. Its major competitions include the Blind Chess Olympiad and the Blind World Chess Championships.
WSCC 2022: Valentina Gunina cruises into quarterfinals
GM Valentina Gunina crushed IM Elisabeth Paehtz in their Round of 16 match of the FIDE Chess.com 2022 Women’s Speed Chess Championship. Playing from Madrid, Gunina dominated all three segments of the duel and basically sealed the deal by the end of the 3+1 portion, stretching her lead to 15 points. The final score tells it all. Elizabeth had some chances here and there, but Valentina’s victory was never in doubt as he demonstrated her best qualities and excellent opening preparation. “I am so happy. It was my day and not the day for Lizzy,” Gunina said humbly in a short interview after the match. The next round of 16 match, GM Nana Dzagnidze vs. GM Humpy Koneru, begins on Wednesday, July 6, at 5 a.m. Pacific / 14:00 Central European. To follow the FIDE Chess.com Women’s Speed Chess Championship, watch a live broadcast of the event with expert commentary on Chess.com/TV and Chess.com Twitch Channel. More info and a full schedule of the FIDE Chess.com Women’s Speed Chess Championship can be found here.