Czech Women’s Championship: Nataša Richterova clinches title
WIM Nataša Richterova emerged as the Czech Women’s Championship winner, taking her maiden national title and picking up 34 rating points. The Czech Women’s Championship, a 10-player round-robin, took place from May 21–29, 2022, at the OPERA Hotel in Jaroměřice nad Rokytnou. The event was an exciting race among several players taking turns on the top. As the tournament fate would have it, the two leaders, WGM Karolina Pilsova and Nataša Richterova, sitting on 6 points each, clashed in the final ninth round. Nataša came through an inferior position, turned the tables, and scored a much-needed victory, probably the most important in her career, to clinch the title. Karolina had to settle for silver. Olga Sikorova and Anna Lhotska (who lead the field after Round 7) netted 5½ points each and tied for third place. The bronze goes to Olga Sikorova as the winner of their direct encounter. Final standings: 1 WIM Richterová, Nataša 2181 7 2 WGM Pilsová, Karolína 2229 6 3 WGM Sikorová, Olga 2173 5½ 4 Lhotská, Anna 2029 5½ 5 WGM Petrová, Kristýna 2264 5 6 Koubová, Anna Marie 2115 4½ 7 WIM Novosadová, Kristýna 2147 4½ 8 Němcová, Karin 2181 3 9 Zelbová, Lada 1967 3 10 Třasáková, Adéla 1842 1 Official website: chess.cz Photo: official website and Šachový Svaz České Republiky Facebook page
Agrawal and Stefanova qualify for the main event
WGM Vantika Agrawal won the first qualifier of the FIDE Chess.com 2022 Women’s Speed Chess Championship. On her way to the final, she narrowly defeated the winner of the Swiss qualifier IM Gulnar Mammadova in the quarterfinal and then pummeled IM Alina Bivol in the semifinal. In a very close final match, Vantika prevailed over WGM Annamaria Marjanovic after winning a thrilling bullet tiebreaker and qualified for the main event. “I am feeling on top of the world… I am in the middle of my university exams. I thought, should I play or not, it is so hard to qualify. And then I thought, OK, I will play, it is a good practice. It is just an amazing feeling,” said the happy winner in a brief interview after the knockout. Former Women’s World Champion and GM Antoaneta Stefanova punched the second qualifying ticket to the FIDE Chess.com 2022 Women’s Speed Chess Championship main event. In the quarterfinal, she squeaked through the winner of the Swiss tournament IM Karina Ambartsumova, then made short work of Anastasia Avramidu in the semis. Her final match against WIM Mobina Alinasab turned into a neck-to-neck race that came down to the wire. Stefanova pulled off a victory in the decisive 1+1 game and secured her place in the main event. In her short interview after the knockout, Antoaneta talked about numerous hurdles she had to clear on her way to the victory: “Well, it’s a long story. As you can see, I’m in a hotel, and also my internet has been so bad. In the two qualifiers, I lost games from it. I lost two games by forfeit because I disconnected while the pairings were being made. So, by one disconnection, I lost two points immediately. It was crazy! I’m playing the Women’s League as well in Germany, and it has been a very exhausting event.” The WSCC round of 16 begins on Monday, June 13. 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.
Ding Liren wins Chessable Masters
China’s Ding Liren battled mosquitoes, late-night starts and an inspired fightback from boy wonder Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa to break Indian hearts and win the Chessable Masters. The world #2 had to neutralise an incredible performance from 16-year-old Praggnanandhaa who came back hard after falling behind in the final yesterday. The youngster from Chennai had a nation of chess fans behind him as he took the final to overtime, but it wasn’t to be. Ding, who plays in an unfavourable timezone from his home in Wengzhou, China, finally came out on top in the blitz play-off after his opponent blundered. By then, it was nearly 2:30 AM for Pragg in Chennai, and 5 AM for Ding in China. Ding takes home the $25,000 first prize, $6,250 in bonuses and the pride of winning his first Meltwater Champions Chess Tour title, the fourth leg of the 2022 season. Rameshbabu can be content with $15,000, $6,250 in bonuses, a memorable run and finishing above World Champion Magnus Carlsen, who he beat in the Prelim stage. Asked how he felt after the win, Ding said: “Well, exhausted! Today it was very, very hard to play. It was the last day of the tournament, also it’s nearly 5 AM and after each game I had to take a rest, lay down on the bed to recover a bit!” Throughout the match Ding was bothered by mosquitoes and flies which distracted the 29-year-old from play as he tried to swat them. It led to some amusing scenes for viewers, but can’t have helped! Game 1 started with the Semi-Tarrasch Opening. Both players were in well-known territory before Ding found some pressure with a pin on the d-file. The key moment Grandmaster David Howell picked out was Pragg’s move 24… Kh7 to relieve tension in the position before the first encounter ended in a 41-move draw. The second started as a repeat of the first with a Semi-Tarrasch before Ding deviated with 5… cxd4. The game came to life with a queen exchange that set off a quick tactical sequence. With 31. Rxd5, Ding offered up a clever-looking pawn sacrifice to activate his pieces which Pragg accepted. The engine agreed with Pragg but the youngster quickly found trouble getting his pieces coordinated. Ding let his position slip, however, with two trades and let Pragg stayed a pawn up and got his king active. The teenager is something of an endgame master and wasn’t going to let this chance slip. Pragg forced through the win and was back in the match with a chance of forcing a play-off. For the first time, Ding now needed a win. The third game was intense. Praggnanandhaa was on the back foot for most of it but stayed cool and went for a risky exchange sacrifice that bagged him three pieces for his queen. For a brief moment, Pragg had a glimmer of hope. Ding decided to push his passed pawns with 43. b7 but missed 44… Nb4. It didn’t prove enough of an advantage though as the pawns disappeared and a rare imbalance was left on the board with Ding’s king and queen against Pragg’s king, rook, knight and bishop. Neither player could find a win and, after 106 moves, the game was drawn. In the final game of the mini-match, there was no way through again for Ding and it also ended in a draw. Pragg was level in the final and the tie was going to tiebreaks – two blitz games and then an armageddon game if needed. The tension – if it wasn’t high enough already – rose significantly. In the first game, Pragg showed his prowess in the shorter form but was left bitterly disappointed. At a key point, Ding thought he’d found a tactic, but Pragg had seen further and conjured up the stunning 30.Bxe4 to go a pawn up. In the commentary, Grandmaster David Howell said: “I’m almost speechless. I’m running out of superlatives, running out of praise for Pragg because he just so good right now.” It all went to waste though as Pragg, looking certain to take the lead, made the wrong choice and let Ding off the hook. The game was drawn. Ding got out of jail. The second game was frenetic but one blunder from Pragg, the first of the final, ended it. Pragg resigned, and Ding smiled. What a relief for the Chinese star. For further comments contact: Leon Watson leon@championschesstour.com About the Chessable Masters The eight-day Chessable Masters started on May 19 and coverage will focus on the study of chess openings. A prize pot of up to $150,000 is up for grabs and two qualifying spots for the next Tour Major. For the first stage of the event, all 16 players will compete in a round-robin with the top 8 progressing to a knockout. The final will be staged on May 25 and 26. The Chessable Masters is leg 4 of the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour. The overall Tour winner in November will be crowned the world’s best online chess player. Action will be broadcast live with commentary from chess24’s studio in Oslo via chess24.com’s YouTube and Twitch channels, also available at chess24.com/tour. Play begins at 18:00 CEST / 16:00 UTC. About the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour The Champions Chess Tour is the leading online chess Tour worldwide determining the world’s best chess player over a full competitive season of online chess. The 2022 season begins in February 2022 and features monthly tournaments culminating in a Final in November 2022. The best chess players in the world are competing in rapid chess. All games take place online on chess24.com with players competing for a total prize pool of over USD 1.5 million. For more information visit championschesstour.com. About Play Magnus Group Play Magnus Group is a global leader in the chess industry focused on providing premier digital experiences for millions of chess players and students. The company offers e-learning and entertainment services via its market leading brands: chess24, Chessable, iChess, New In Chess, Everyman Chess, Silver Knights, Aimchess,
Casablanca Chess Week kicks off on May 30
Casablanca, a port city and the largest commercial hub in Morocco, will become home to a new chess initiative. The inaugural Casablanca Chess Week will take place from May 30 to June 4, 2022, and will showcase chess through several events. The organizers, Casablanca Events & Animation and the Casablanca Stock Exchange, with the help of sponsors and partners, plan to make the festival an annual event. This initiative aims to promote chess among all Casablanca residents, young and old, from any background or level of play. The wide range of activities will help them to discover and rediscover this game with multiple facets and benefits. The opening day on Monday, May 30, will offer a chance to play online against the top Morrocan GM, Hicham Hamdouchi, and attend the “Chess & Economics” Conference. This chess forum features such well-known chess personalities as famous chess journalist Leontxo Garcia (moderator), FIDE Managing Director Dana Reizniece-Ozola, FIDE Deputy President Bachar Kouatly, and Tarik Senhaji, Chief Executive Officer of the Casablanca Stock Exchange. Tuesday will cover the topic of women in chess with a visit to a non-profit organization for young girls and the “Women in Chess” Conference in the second part of the day. In the following days, the focus will be on chess as an educational and social tool. These days will be filled with masterclasses, workshops, and various playing activities, including an exhibition match between grandmasters Loek Van Wely and Hicham Hamdouchi. You can find the whole schedule of the Casablanca Chess Week on the event’s official website: ccw.ma/programme. All the activities of the festival are free. Twitter Facebook Instagram
Jorge Cori and Mitzy Caballero win Peruvian Championships
After two-years hiatus caused by the pandemic situation, the Peruvian Chess Federation held the 2022 National Chess Championships, an OTB 50-player 9-round Swiss tournament (open section) and a 9-player round-robin (women’s section). The events were held from May 17-22 in Club Tennis Las Terrazas Miraflores, Lima. GM Jorge Cori crushed the competition in the open tournament, conceding his opponents only four draws and took gold with an excellent result of 7/9. His sister, the top rated Peruvian woman, WGM Deysi Cori took part in the open section and scored impressive 6/9 (7th place in the final standings). IM Brian Escalante turned in a good performance and tied with the champion for the top position but lost the direct encounter and had to settle for silver. Escalante completed his first GM norm. GM Cristian Cruz came out third. Final standings Open: 1 GM Cori Jorge 2647 7 2 IM Escalante Brian Sebastian 2482 7 3 GM Cruz Cristhian 2582 6½ 4 GM Vera Siguenas Deivy 2498 6½ 5 Reyes Zavaleta Fabian 1902 6 6 IM Terry, Renato 2504 6 7 WGM Cori T. Deysi 2367 6 8 IM Fernandez Fernando 2435 6 9 Paredes Lagos Anthony 2117 5½ 10 IM Quirhuayo Chumbe German 2296 5½ WIM Mitzy Caballero emerged as the winner in the women’s section, netting 7/9. WFM Paula Paredes finished 1½ points behind the champion and took silver. WIM Ingrid Aliaga claimed bronze. Final standings Women: 1 WIM Caballero Quijano Mitzy 7 2 WFM Paredes Bustamante Paula 5½ 3 WIM Aliaga Fernandez Ingrid 5 4 Bravo Mallco Kate 4½ 5 WFM Garcia Andrada Heidy 4 6 Zarate Oyague Flor 3½ 7 WCM Aguilar Oblitas Yadhira 3 8 WFM Felix Vega Aurora 2 9 Tacas Cardenas Andrea 1½ Complete results of the Absolute National Chess Championship 2022 Complete results of the National Women’s Chess Championship 2022 Official website: ajedrezperu.pe/ Photo: official website
Prisons of Armenia stage qualifiers for Intercontinental Chess Championship
The second Intercontinental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners will be held from 13-14 October 2022, on the International Day of Education in Prison. Free and open to players representing any correctional facility without specification by age and gender of prisoners, the tournament is a part of the Chess for Freedom program and a continuation of the international championship first held in 2019 and the Intercontinental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners 2021. Ten countries have already registered their teams for the competition. They are Armenia, Australia, England, Germany, Italy, Norway, Philippines, Serbia, Turks and Caicos Islands and the USA. In some countries, national chess tournaments for prisoners are held to define the strongest players that will represent their countries on the international level. In the run-up to the Championship, the Penitentiary Service of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia and the Chess Academy of Armenia hosted a series of qualifying events at several of the nation’s prisons to determine the finalists who will form the teams representing Armenia at the online competition. To improve their skills and get ready for the second Intercontinental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners, the national team members will be trained by the Chess Academy of Armenia professionals. During the tournaments run from February till April, a scientific survey initiated by Smbat Lputian, deputy head of the Armenian Chess Federation, and carried out by the Armenian Chess Institute was conducted. Its results are important for the internal management to evaluate the impact of the program on the convicts. According to the research, chess culture is perceived among the convicts not only as a game but also as an opportunity to enter a new social space, a way of re-evaluating self-knowledge and one’s behaviour, acquiring new skills and new relationships, regardless of age, gender, race and nationality. The second edition of the Intercontinental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners is expected to bring together over 200 players from 50+ countries. Each country can have up to three teams for the event: main team team representing a female correctional facility with all four female team players team representing juvenoid correctional facility (under age of 20) Each correctional facility shall submit an application via an online Registration Form The registration deadline is September 21, 2022. There is no entry fee. Tournament regulations (pdf) Official website of the event: chessforfreedom.fide.com
FIDE World Championship Match 2023 Qualification Rules
With the Candidates Tournament, the ultimate qualifier for the World Championship Match, just around the corner, FIDE approved rules of replacements for the FIDE World Championship Match 2023. 1. According to article 4.4.1 of the Regulations for the FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022 the winner shall become the Challenger and play a match versus the current Champion for the World Championship title. 2. If one of the participants of the World Championship Match 2023 refuses to play, he shall be replaced by the player who finished second in the FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022. 3. If the further replacement is required, the player who finished third in the FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022 shall be invited. 4. If any further replacement is required, the player who has the best rating in the FIDE January 2023 Standard rating list shall be invited. This player shall have at least 50 games counted in twelve FRL from February 2022 to January 2023. 40 out of these 50 games shall be played in international tournaments with participation of players from at least 4 different federations in each tournament. In case of equal ratings, the following criteria, in order of priority, shall decide: The number of rated games in the FIDE Standard rating lists from February 2022 to January 2023: the player who has played more games qualifies. Drawing of lots FIDE World Championship Match 2023 Qualification Rules (pdf)
FIDE Chess.com WSCC 2022 gets underway
The FIDE Chess.com Women’s Speed Chess Championship kicked off on May 24. The tournament, organized by the International Chess Federation and Chess.com, consists of two qualifiers running until May 27 and the main event stretching from June 13 to July 21. The event’s prize fund is $70 000, the highest ever for a women’s online competition. $65,000 will be allocated to the main event. The first of the two qualifiers, open to all FIDE titled women players, started on Tuesday, May 24. The events are 14-round 3+1 Swiss tournaments followed by knockout playoffs with the top-8 finishers from the Swiss. Playoff matches will consist of two 5+1 games, four 3+1 games, and eight 1+1 games. The two winners of the qualifiers will join the 14 invited players in the main event. The list of invited players to take part in the Championship includes GM Hou Yifan, IM Bibisara Assaubayeva, GM Humpy Koneru, GM Kateryna Lagno, GM Alexandra Kosteniuk, GM Harika Dronavalli, GM Valentina Gunina, GM Zhongyi Tan, IM Carissa Yip, GM Nana Dzagnidze, IM Elisabeth Paehtz, IM Vaishali R, WGM Deysi Cori and IM Polina Shuvalova. Matches of the main event consist of three segments: 90 minutes of 5+1 games60 minutes of 3+1 games30 minutes of 1+1 games The player to score the most points wins the match. 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.
Batsuren and Enkhtuul win Mongolian Championship
Dambasuren Batsuren and Altan-Ulzii Enkhtuul are the new champions of Mongolia. The Mongolian Championship 2022 in open and women sections took place from May 12-23, 2022, in Chinggis, Khentii. Both tournaments, 12-player round-robins with classical time control, were held simultaneously in the same venue. The second-rated participant, 18-year old Dambasuren Batsuren (pictured below), turned in a commanding performance and claimed his maiden title at the fourth attempt. The champion scored an impressive 8½/11 and became the only unbeaten player in the event. Ganzorig Amartuvshin and Bayarsaikhan Gundavaa finished a full point behind the champion and tied for second place, with the former taking silver thanks to a greater number of victories. Kudos to one of the lowest-rated participants, Ganzorig, who significantly improved his rating picking up 60 points. Final standings open: 1 GM Batsuren, Dambasuren 8½ 2 FM Amartuvshin, Ganzorig 7½ 3 GM Gundavaa, Bayarsaikhan 7½ 4 GM Bilguun, Sumiya 7 5 IM Gan-Erdene, Sugar 6½ 6 IM Agibileg, Uurtsaikh 6 7 GM Batchuluun, Tsegmed 5 8 IM Battulga, Namkhai 4½ 9 FM Enkhnar, Enkhbaatar 4 10 FM Amilal, Munkhdalai 3½ 11 FM Boldoo, Erdenepurev 3 12 GM Munkhgal, Gombosuren 3 Altan-Ulzii Enkhtuul (pictured below) dominated the women’s event, despite losing her second-round game against Turmunkh Munkhzul. After this hiccup, Altan-Ulzii notched up seven straight victories and clinched the title with a round to spare. Bayarjargal Bayarmaa stayed in the race for the most part but lost two games (including one against the champion) and came off second best. Turmunkh Munkhzul inflicted the only defeat on the champion and tied for third with Bat-Erdene Mungunzul but won bronze by dint of a better Sonneborn-Berger. Final standings women: 1 WGM Enkhtuul, Altan-Ulzii 9 2 WIM Bayarmaa, Bayarjargal 8 3 WIM Munkhzul, Turmunkh 7 4 WCM Mungunzul, Bat-Erdene 7 5 WFM Munkhzul, Davaakhuu 6½ 6 CM Nomindalai, Tumurbaatar 6½ 7 IM Munguntuul, Batkhuyag 6 8 WFM Altantuya, Boldbaatar 5½ 9 FM Khulan, Enkhsaikhan 4½ 10 WCM Amin-Erdene, Bayanmunkh 3 11 Tsetsenbileg, Munkhbayar 1½ 12 WFM Anu, Bayar 1½ Photo: Mongolian Chess Federation Facebook page
Jan-Krzysztof Duda wins Superbet Rapid & Blitz
The final day of Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland was filled with a significant amount of excitement in the history of The Grand Chess Tour. Going to the final round of the blitz games, four players had a chance to win or tie for first place for this event. In the end, it was the Polish wildcard GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda who secured the Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland first place prize. Duda’s performance was consistent throughout the event and his result only got better as the event came to a close. He posted 12 points out of the 18 available points and went on to score 5.5/9 on day one and 6.5 (tying for the best score of the day) on the second day, edging both GM Aronian and former World Champion Vishy Anand by half a point, while GM Fabiano Caruana came forth only a point shy of the eventual winner. With this result, Duda should be quite confident as he begins preparation for the upcoming World Championship Candidates tournament, which begins next month. GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda won the first prize of $40,000. The Polish super-GM is now looking ahead at the 2022 Candidates Tournament happening next month in Madrid. Now let us have a look at how things proceeded on the Day 5 by looking at some of the key individual performances and moments from the final day. Jan-Krzysztof Duda GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda started the day off in second place. The Polish hero began his work by beating GM Vishy Anand, the tournament leader, in an uneventful Petroff where the Pole’s tactical alertness earned him a material advantage and a consequent victory. After Anand faltered further down the road, Duda was in the mix of the leaders with Anand and later GM Aronian until the very last round, and despite his lucky last round win against GM Kirill Shevchenko, the Polish #1 was in control most of the time. Keeping his cool and playing good moves throughout the event leave us with a keen interest in his performance at the Candidates where a grueling schedule only favors those who can keep running all the way till the end. ‘That was hard but I did it!’ Poland Rapid and Blitz winner, Jan-Krzysztof Duda | Photo: Grand Chess Tour, Lennart Ootes Levon Aronian GM Aronian was the dominant player in the blitz portion of Poland Rapid and Blitz. The American started the blitz section four points behind the leader in fifth place. His 7 out 9 performance on day one would have simply been the talk of the day if it weren’t for Caruana’s incredible 8 out of 9. However, Aronian showed that he is a blitz powerhouse by posting another magnificent result going 6.5 out of 9 on the last day. He also proved that he meant what he said in his interview before the event that ‘given his success in the Romania Superbet classic, he intends to make the most out of this event. The last two rounds might have been a bit of a heartbreak for Aronian as he spoiled a piece-up position after Korobov blundered a piece out of the opening, and he also failed to convert his advantage on the clock and on the board against Caruana in the last round. Nevertheless, Aronian’s performance is good enough to move him to the first spot of the Grand Chess Tour standing at the end of the second leg. Highly motivated, the current leader of the tour, and is only .4 Elo shy of GM Hikaru Nakamura on the world blitz rating ranking. GM Levon Aronian | Photo: Grand Chess Tour, Lennart Ootes Viswanathan Anand Scoring +1 (9.5/18) is definitely not great for the five-time world champion after the kind of standard he had set in the rapid portion. On the last day of the event, Anand began poorly and opened with two losses, against Duda and Korbov, losing his 1.5 points lead in the process. He did some damage control after a draw and win but he again lost a crucial game to Aronian. With 1.5 out of 5 some could have easily gone ahead and written off the ‘Tiger of Madras’. However, Anand once again showed why he has remained a power to reckon with in the chess world even in his 50’s. The Indian legend went on to score a technical win against Rapport, almost beat Caruana (the game ended in a draw), drew Wesley So with ease from the Black side, and won against one of the members of his World Championship matches’ training member, GM Radek Wojtadszek. The even score wasn’t enough to catch up with Duda but a tie for second wasn’t that bad after quite a long break for the celebrated veteran. It is noteworthy to mention that Anand had already played a world championship against legendary World Champion GM Garry Kasparov, and had won the FIDE world championship before either GMs Kirill Shevchenko or David Gavrilescu were born! How does he do it?! GM Viswanathan Anand | Photo: Grand Chess Tour, Lennart Ootes Being one of the wildcards, similar to GM Duda, Anand took a lofty number of GP points from the rest of the contenders, along with a check of $27,500. Seeing Anand in action, although happening less often these days, is a feast to remember! Fabiano Caruana Finishing 4th is never an achievement for a World Championship contestant but GM Fabiano Caruana has a couple of things to be happy about. For a long time, Caruana has been considered as someone who does not fare equally well in Rapid and Blitz chess compared to his performance in classical tournaments. At least, the American GM proved that such claims are already long forgotten. After winning two matches in tiebreaks during the American cup, he tied for the first with Aronian in the subsequent blitz event and after a great performance in the blitz portion of this event, he is now #3 in the world in blitz rating,