May rating list: five young players debut in Top-100 Open
The top ten places in the May rating list were mainly affected by the Berlin FIDE Grand Prix and the American Cup, while the European Championship and several Swiss tournaments across the globe caused some shifts in the lower echelons of the top-100. Fabiano Caruana gained 5 rating points, climbing to the fourth position; Shakhriyar Mamedyarov ascended to #7, while Wesley So, Levon Aronian and Anish Giri dropped 12, 20 and 12 points, respectively. Ding Liren played no less than 28 games in three events in China from March 26 to April 25, earned 7 rating points and regained second place in the world rankings. It means that the top Chinese player has an excellent chance to participate in the FIDE Candidates Tournament that will take place this summer in Madrid. Photo: Lennart Ootes Biggest gains in top-100 (open and women) Bluebaum, Matthias GER 2663 (+26) Gukesh D IND 2659 (+22) Ma, Qun CHN 2666 (+21) Moussard, Jule FRA 2651 (+21) Niemann, Hans USA 2656 (+19) Martirosyan, Haik ARM 2652 (+19) Tabatabaei, Amin IRA 2650 (+18) Bulmaga, Irina ROU 2397 (+18) Alinasab, Mobina IRI 2373 (+18) Santos Latasa, Jaime ESP 2672 (+16) Salimova, Nurgyul BUL 2418 (+15) Sargissian, Gabriel ARM 2694 (+13) Keymer, Vincent GER 2667 (+13) Roebers, Eline NED 2369 (+13) Milliet, Sophie FRA 2410 (+12) Matthias Bluebaum (pictured below) is the clear winner in this category. The newly-minted European Champion picked up a whopping 26 rating points and triumphally returned into the top-100 Open. Gabriel Sargissian and Vincent Keymer also did a great job at the European Championship, earning 13 points each. Photo: ŠZS/Luka Rifelj Gikesh D keeps climbing on the rating ladder – the young Indian gained another 22 rating points in two Swiss tournaments in Spain (48 Torneo Internacional de Ajedrez de La Roda 2022 and Menorca Open) and broke into the top-100 Open for the first time in his career. The same applies to Hans Moke Niemann (USA), Alan Pichot (Argentina), Jules Moussard (France) and Amin Tabatabaei (Iran), who are making their debut in the elite top-100 Open club. The young American dropped some rating in the Reykjavik Open but more than compensated for this loss by winning LV Torneo Internacional Capablanca in Memoriam – Grupo Elite – 2022 and grabbing 23 points. Irina Bulmaga steamrolled her opponents in the women’s section, scoring 8/9 and earning 18 rating points. Hans Moke Niemann / Photo: Anna Shtourman The Frenchman turned in a decent performance in the European Championship (+7 points) first and then came as the winner of VI Open Internacional de Ajedrez Semana Santa, which translates into another 14 points. The Iranian made some splash at the final leg of the FIDE Grand Prix in Berlin, advancing into the playoff stage and picking up 18 rating points. The Argentinean crushed the competition at the Torre Blanca Anniversario and increased his rating by 11 points. Following his good showings at the European Championship and two open tournaments in Spain Haik Martirosyan (pictured below) returned into the top-100 open after a nearly one-year absence. Photo: Anastasiia Korolkova The second qualifying tournament for the Chinese national team saw the triumph of Ma Qun, who tied for the top position with the rating-favourite Ding Liren and claimed the first place thanks to better tiebreaks. Last but not least, this result means +21 rating points. The young Iranian Mobina Alinasab continues her hot run that had started in March (+28 points). In the following month, she did very well in the Open Chess Menorca and picked up another 18 rating points.
The Gift of Chess goes global
In March 2019, Tanitoluwa Adewumi, a Nigerian refugee who was living in a homeless shelter at the time, won the New York State Chess Championship, just a little over a year after learning the game. His success caught the attention of a New York Times columnist, and shortly after, Tani’s story went viral, touching the hearts of millions around the world. Thanks to an overwhelming outpouring of support, Tani’s family was able to move out of the shelter and into a home. Chess coach Russell Makofsky, the founder of Impact Coaching Network, was one of the many people who got inspired by the story of Tanitoluwa Adewumi. Tani’s enormous talent and potential became apparent to everyone thanks to chess, and the game proved itself of great value as an ultimate equalizer, a shared universal language that can help expand opportunities for all. When the pandemic hit New York in 2020, Makofsky decided to use chess for community building, giving everyone an opportunity to learn chess and benefit from the many life skills the game cultivates. Partnering with ChessKid, Impact Coaching Network provided a free account and virtual training lessons to every student at PS 42, composed mostly of working-class immigrant families in Chinatown. Chess helped keep them engaged while they were confined to their apartments. “Within a few months, the school led the entire network in puzzles, lessons, and videos completed on the platform”, wrote Chess.com. Given the enthusiasm demonstrated by their students, the principal at the school asked Coach Russ about the possibility of giving every kid their own physical chess set. Makofsky managed to procure the sets from a friend, and he was left thinking: “Why not escalate this?” In early 2021, The Gift of Chess was born, with the goal of distributing 10,000 chess sets to public students across New York City. With children confined to their apartments and spending most of their time on screens, the organization hoped to rekindle their love for chess and allow families and friends to connect over a physical chessboard. Over the next few months, the organization raised money from members of the local chess community to support the purchase of the sets. In June, the 10,000 sets arrived in New York, and members of The Gift of Chess team visited schools around Manhattan and Brooklyn to distribute them. Russell Makofsky and Ryan Rodrigues, in their truck loaded with chess sets The initial board of the Gift of Chess included founders Russell Makofsky, Tyrone Davis III and Ian West, but has now been expanded to include Rochelle Ballantyne, Michael Shuman, Ryan Rodrigues, and Tunde Onakoya of “Chess in Slums” in Nigeria. After being represented by global law firm Sidley Austin, they are now a US registered 501(c)(3) charitable organization, which means that all donations are tax-deductible. You can contribute through their GoFundMe page. Their goal is to distribute 1,000,000 chess sets by 2030. This past March, the Gift of Chess launched its first global initiative when Gift of Chess board member and president of the MIT Chess Club, Tyrone Davis III, travelled to Lagos with 500 chess sets in tow to distribute in partnership with Tunde and Chess in Slums. “A bridge had been built between the slums of Lagos and a chess community in New York who deeply cared about spreading the game they loved and the fate of children halfway around the world”, says Russ Makofsky. “Tunde and Tyrone squeezed the ten boxes of boards and pieces into Tunde’s truck and set off to distribute them”. The next day, the two men visited Makoko, the world’s largest floating slum, where Chess in Slums had already established a strong presence. Tyrone brought 100 sets to three different schools there, where he had the opportunity to introduce some of the students to chess and play together and share tactics with others who were already familiar with the game. Tyrone Davis III, on his way to Nigeria The cost of chess sets in Nigeria averages 7000 Nigeria naira or almost $17 per set – out of reach for many in a country where over 80 million people live on less than a dollar a day. Galvanized by the demand for chess sets across the country and able to procure the sets at a much lower price point, The Gift of Chess has committed to sending an additional 5,000 sets to Nigeria this summer. Over the coming months, in addition to expanding its youth education and global outreach efforts, The Gift of Chess plans to officially launch its prison outreach and elderly outreach initiatives. The organization hopes chess will offer prisoners a positive way to spend their free time, the chance to improve their decision-making skills, and ultimately aid in rehabilitating and reintegrating back into society. For the elderly, the Gift of Chess believes the game can combat social isolation and loneliness and mitigate the effects of cognitive decline and dementia. The Gift of Chess has also recently launched a free chess training application available on both iOS and Android to connect its global community. More info: https://thegiftofchess.org Contact: info@thegiftofchess.org Donations: https://www.gofundme.com
Mwale and Priyasha win Malawian Championship
Left to right: Susan Namangale (CHESSAM President), Priyasha Shriyan, Dr. Sunduzwayo Madise (Malawi National Sports Council Board Chairman), FM Joseph Mwale and Tapiwa Banda The Malawi National Chess Championship, organized by CHESSAM, took place from April 14-18, 2022, at Grand Palace Hotel in Mzuzu (Malawi’s Northern Region). The championship started with regional qualifiers back in November 2021, with three regions selecting the top 16 players (eight in the open category and eight in the women category). Grand Palace Hotel, Mzuzu, Malawi. Photo: Francisco Mwangupili A total of 39 players (including presidential nominees) participated in the final stage of the championship (26 players in the open category and 13 players in the women category). Both events were 9-round Swiss tournaments. In the open category, FM Joseph Mwale, Malawi’s highest-rated player (2151) was coming into the final round as the clear leader with 6.5 points, needing only a draw to claim the title and trophy. He did draw his last-round against CM Joseph Nyambalo and clinched the first position with 7 points. Stanford Chiwambo CM Joseph Nyambalo finished just a half-point behind tied for the second place. The silver went to Stanford as the winner of their direct encounter. In the women’s category, 16-year old Shriyan Priyasha dominated the competition, scoring 8/9. Her only hiccup occurred in Round 5 when Shriyan lost to ninth-rated Tapiwa Banda. Still, a strong finish helped her to secure the title with a round to spare. The runner-up Tapiwa Banda, the only player to defeat the champion, netted 6/9 points, enough to claim silver. Three players shared third place scoring 5.5 points each, with bronze going to Tupokiwe Msukwa, who beat her opponents in the direct encounters. The Malawi Championship was also a qualification tournament for the national teams to represent the country at the 44th Chess Olympiad this summer. The top-5 finishers in both sections made the cut. Malawi’s national teams Final standings Open 1 Mwale, Joseph 2151 7 2 Chiwambo, Stanford 1875 6½ 3 Nyambalo, Josephy 2037 6½ 4 Matola, Ernest 1947 6 5 Chimthere, Alfred 2048 6 6 Mphungu, Gerald 2084 6 7 Mwale, George 2049 5½ 8 Mkamanga, Rumbani 1754 5½ 9 Mwangupili, Franscisco 1874 5 10 Nthala, Bright 1721 5 Final standings Women 1 Priyasha, Shriyan 1583 8 2 Banda, Tapiwa 1114 6 3 Msukwa, Tupokiwe 1371 5½ 4 Jambo, Linda 1450 5½ 5 Kapalamula, Martha 1155 5½ 6 MpinganjIra, Ellen 1360 4½ 7 Namangale, Susan 1301 4½ 8 Msiska, Royce 1271 4½ 9 Tadeyo, Charity 1096 4 10 Khanyera, Madalitso 0 3½
American Cup: Caruana and Krush clinch titles
GM Fabiano Caruana claimed clear 1st place in the inaugural 2022 American Cup, after defeating GM Levon Aronian in today’s decisive classical game. In the Women’s Field, GM Irina Krush completed her campaign for the title as well, securing the victory after drawing the second game in her match against FM Alice Lee. Open Field – Final Standings Women’s Field – Final Standings CHAMPIONSHIP MATCHES CARUANA – ARONIAN 1-0 A quiet line of the English Opening saw the players reach a dynamically balanced middlegame, with the pair of bishops for Caruana in exchange for a more harmonious position for Aronian. But a practical mistake by Levon to trade queens left him in a surprisingly awkward endgame to defend. Aronian then attempted to fix his problems with a pawn sacrifice in order to build a blockade, but he simply wasn’t in time as Caruana’s king, rook and bishop had plenty of room to infiltrate. With an extra pawn and the more active pieces, Caruana showed flawless technique to win the game and the match without needing a playoff. After 34.Bd4, White’s extra pawn, better king, and stronger minor piece secured a decisive advantage. | 1-0, 53 moves The final handshake. | Photo Courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes LEE – KRUSH ½-½ Utilizing a solid variation of the Slav Defense, Krush gave up a tempo in the opening in order to saddle Lee with an isolated queen pawn. Needing a win to force a playoff, the up-and-coming prodigy tried various piece maneuvers but just couldn’t make headway against Krush’s defenses. As more pieces came off the board the position became more and more drawish, until eventually the players found themselves in a dead drawn king and pawn endgame. A stellar event for GM Irina Krush, who won every match without going to a playoff. | Photo Courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes The 2022 American Cup concludes with a star-studded blitz event Friday, April 29 starting at 12:50 PM CT. Catch all the action live with grandmaster commentators Yasser Seirawan, Cristian Chirila, and Alejandro Ramirez on uschesschamps.com and on the Saint Louis Chess Club’s YouTube and Twitch.tv channels. Watch all the action LIVE at USChessChamps.com Text: IM Kostya Kavutskiy Photo credit: Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes Dates & Location:April 20 – 29, 2022, Saint Louis Chess Club Web: uschesschamps.com | Twitter: @STLChessClub Instagram: @STLChessClub | Facebook: @STLChessClub YouTube: @STLChessClub | Twitch.tv: @STLChessClub Photo Credits:Photos and appropriate credits available on Flickr Press Contact:Rebecca Buffington rbuffington@saintlouischessclub.org Saint Louis Chess Club | Building Champions 4657 Maryland Avenue, Saint Louis, MO 63108 | (314) 361.CHESS (2437)
Duda comes from behind to win Oslo Esports Cup
Polish star Jan-Krzysztof Duda pulled off a stunning late charge to clinch the $210,000 Oslo Esports Cup, the first Major of the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour season. The 24-year-old took full advantage as both World Champion Magnus Carlsen and India’s boy wonder Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa – the two hot favourites – crashed dramatically at the final hurdle. On a day of high-pressure chess, Duda stayed calm as everyone around him panicked. Round 7 started with four players in with a chance, but out of them only Duda managed to win a match in regulation time. He takes home $35,000 – $2,500 per point scored – and the Oslo Esports Cup NFT trophy. Duda also has the honour of ending Carlsen’s run of Tour victories. Carlsen and Praggnanandhaa both lost in just three games as they came up against opponents in inspired form. That left Vietnam’s speed specialist Liem Quang Le with a last chance to take the title in a high-stakes final game that decided everything. Liem, who beat Duda earlier in the tournament, needed to win his match against Jorden van Foreest within the regulation 4 games to take the title. Tiebreaks weren’t enough. But Webster University’s chess coach could only manage a draw as van Foreest held firm to hand Duda the title. It was a blockbuster end to an event of the highest-quality. Duda said: “It’s very nice to win the tournament, actually, I didn’t believe I had a real chance before today, before now. I’m just happy to play good chess here, most of the time. It’s quite surprising to me to win this event, and I find it quite lucky because of today’s results. I’m just very happy and pleased with my play.” Liem was left fighting for second-place in a tiebreak worth $2,500. The managed it in style breaking through in the second blitz game with the brilliant 24.fxe6 offering a queen sacrifice. Liem secured his second runners-up spot of the Tour so far. Before that, Pragg and Carlsen falling out of the running had been a huge double shock. The two front-runners throughout the 7-day event were expected to decide the event between them. When Carlsen stumbled as he entered the arena for game 1, Grandmaster David Howell said it was a bad sign for superstitious chess players. And so it proved. Pragg, who led the field until Round 5, collapsed first losing his first two games to Dutch star Anish Giri. The youngster kept his hopes alive by hanging on for a draw in Game 3, but it was over when he lost the final game. Carlsen, meanwhile, came up against an opponent in inspired form and playing exceptional chess. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov is one of the world’s most dangerous players and unstoppable when in the mood. This was one of those days. Carlsen found himself in massive trouble in game 2 after giving up a pawn in the endgame with 36.a5 as he pushed for the win. It was a risk that left Mamedyarov with doubled passed pawns on the a-file and the computer said the Azerbaijani was winning. With Carlsen’s knight tied down and Mamedyarov’s piece now dominating the board, the champ was in a hopeless position and crashed to a rare endgame defeat. It was a huge result for the tournament standings and Carlsen now needed a comeback. At this point, with 2 games played and 2 to go, Duda suddenly emerged in pole position to win. In Carlsen’s crucial third game, the champion found himself desperately trying to get up off the floor. Yet another big mistake with 41…d5 left his c-pawn hanging and his bishop boxed in. Mamedyarov capitalised and it was game, set and match. Carlsen resigned and offered a handshake. The Tour leader, stuck on 12 points, had almost-certainly failed to win a third event in a row. “It’s not nearly good enough,” he said. “I have no energy in my body whatsoever.” Over to Duda and Liem. A win for either of them could clinch it. At that moment Liem was locked in a chaotic third game with van Foreest that could have gone either way. Liem eventually escaped with a draw, but he was playing with fire. While this was happening, Duda was 2-0 up against the lowest-rated player in the event, world number 237 Eric Hansen, and just needed just a draw to secure the match. As the tension rose, the Pole had to tread carefully in the endgame. He wobbled – a lot – but Hansen couldn’t convert what looked like an advantage and Duda saved the draw to take the match 2.5-0.5. It meant Liem, at that point level 1.5-1.5 with van Foreest, with one final game where everything would be decided. Win, and Liem was champion. Any other result, and Duda would take the title. Duda, watching from the sidelines, said he would sit back and “enjoy the show”. Liem pushed hard early on creating a chaotic position but van Foreest gradually took control before it ended in a draw. Not enough for Liem, but Duda was in dreamland. For further comments contact: Leon Watson leon@championschesstour.com 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 www.chess24.com with players competing for a total prize pool of over USD 1.5 million. For more information visit www.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, the Play Magnus App Suite, and the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour. The
FIDE Candidates Tournament: Drawings of lots and pairings
The drawing of lots for the FIDE Candidates Tournament was carried out today during the FIDE Council in Abu Dhabi, in a ceremony organized by the Chief Arbiter for the event, Anastasia Sorokina. The seven players who have already qualified for the Candidates have signed the contracts and are getting ready for the tournament. The eight’s place is still subject to the final decisions regarding Sergey Karjakin’s appeal to the Ethics and Disciplinary Commission. FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich drew the lots for Ian Nepomniachtchi, who will play under the FIDE flag. FIDE Deputy president Bachar Kouatly drew the lots for Alireza Firouzja, Michael Khodarkovsky for Fabiano Caruana (a number was automatically assigned to Hikaru Nakamura), Mahir Mammedov for Teimour Radjabov, Zhu Chen for Richard Rapport, and Łukasz Turlej for Jan–Krzysztof Duda. Photo by Ezz These are the starting numbers: 1 GM Duda, Jan–Krzysztof2 GM Ding Liren3 GM Caruana, Fabiano4 GM Radjabov, Teimour5 GM Firouzja, Alireza6 GM Nakamura, Hikaru7 GM Nepomniachtchi, Ian8 GM Rapport, Richard Format & System: The 8 players play a double round robin tournament (14 rounds). The winner qualifies for the 2023 FIDE World Championship Match. Round–by–round pairings: Round 1, June 17 Duda – RapportDing Liren – NepomniachtchiCaruana – NakamuraRadjabov – Firouzja Round 2, June 18 Rapport – FirouzjaNakamura – RadjabovNepomniachtchi – CaruanaDuda – Ding Liren Round 3, June 19 Ding Liren – RapportCaruana – DudaRadjabov – NepomniachtchiFirouzja – Nakamura Round 4, June 21 Rapport – NakamuraNepomniachtchi – FirouzjaDuda – RadjabovDing Liren – Caruana Round 5, June 22 Caruana – RapportRadjabov – Ding LirenFirouzja – DudaNakamura – Nepomniachtchi Round 6, June 23 Radjabov – RapportFirouzja – CaruanaNakamura – Ding LirenNepomniachtchi – Duda Round 7, June 25 Rapport – NepomniachtchiDuda – NakamuraDing Liren – FirouzjaCaruana – Radjabov Round 8, June 26 Rapport – DudaNepomniachtchi – Ding LirenNakamura – CaruanaFirouzja – Radjabov Round 9, June 27 Firouzja – RapportRadjabov – NakamuraCaruana – NepomniachtchiDing Liren – Duda Round 10, June 29 Rapport, Richard – Ding LirenDuda – CaruanaNepomniachtchi – RadjabovNakamura – Firouzja Round 11, June 30 Nakamura – RapportFirouzja – NepomniachtchiRadjabov – DudaCaruana – Ding Liren Round 12, July 1 Rapport – CaruanaDing Liren – RadjabovDuda – FirouzjaNepomniachtchi – Nakamura Round 13, July 3 Nepomniachtchi – RapportNakamura – DudaFirouzja – Ding LirenRadjabov – Caruana Round 14, July 4 Rapport – RadjabovCaruana – FirouzjaDing Liren – NakamuraDuda – Nepomniachtchi
Grand Chess Tour becomes part of the World Championship Cycle
The FIDE Council has approved a cooperation agreement with the Grand Chess Tour. By virtue of this agreement, the two top finishers of the 2023 and 2025 Series will qualify for the Candidates 2024 and 2026 respectively. More details on the agreement and the format will follow in due time.
American Cup: Day 8 Recap
The finals of the American Cup kicked off on April 27 with the first of two classical games in the matches between Aronian – Caruana and Krush – Lee. In the Open, Aronian managed to build up a winning endgame advantage but faltered at the last moment, allowing Caruana to escape with a draw. Meanwhile in the Women’s Field, Krush displayed her strategic skill once again, outplaying Lee in the early opening and middlegame to take a 1-0 lead in the match. CHAMPIONS BRACKET ARONIAN – CARUANA | ½-½ A quiet Italian Game quickly turned incredibly sharp as Caruana opted to sacrifice a pawn in exchange for long-term pressure against White’s kingside. After a complex struggle Aronian managed to trade the queens off and go into an endgame, where he then sacrificed an exchange in order to win a second pawn. Although the position was tenable for Black, Caruana soon erred and found himself in a dire straits. But a last ditch effort by Fabiano to create counterplay worked, as in time trouble Aronian missed his chance to achieve a winning ending and instead had to settle for a draw by repetition. After Caruana’s 45…Bh4, White’s only win was 46.Ne2 Kxd8 47.Rd3+! followed by 48.Rd4. Instead Aronian played 46.N8e6, but 46…Rg1+ 47.Ke2 Re1+ 48.Kd3 g6! saved the game for Black. | ½-½, 52 moves Aronian will have to defeat Caruana in two consecutive matches to earn the title. | Photo Courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Bryan Adams KRUSH – LEE | 1-0 In a repeat of the first game of their previous classical match, Krush achieved a serious positional advantage right from the opening, this time a Reverse Benoni where Black lost several tempi compared to the usual line. From there it was smooth sailing for Krush, who gradually improved her position until Black’s structure could no longer hold, and Lee’s kingside simply collapsed. After 26.Qb6, White’s pieces were simply dominant across the whole board. | 1-0, 39 moves Today’s win put Krush another step closer towards the $25,000 1st place prize. | Photo Courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes Day 9 of the 2022 American Cup will take place Thursday, April 28 starting at 12:50 PM CT. Catch all the action live with grandmaster commentators Yasser Seirawan, Cristian Chirila, and Alejandro Ramirez on uschesschamps.com and on the Saint Louis Chess Club’s YouTube and Twitch.tv channels. Watch all the action LIVE at USChessChamps.com Text: IM Kostya Kavutskiy Photo credit: Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes and Bryan Adams Dates & Location:April 20 – 29, 2022, Saint Louis Chess Club Web: uschesschamps.com | Twitter: @STLChessClub Instagram: @STLChessClub | Facebook: @STLChessClub YouTube: @STLChessClub | Twitch.tv: @STLChessClub Photo Credits:Photos and appropriate credits available on Flickr Press Contact:Rebecca Buffington rbuffington@saintlouischessclub.org Saint Louis Chess Club | Building Champions 4657 Maryland Avenue, Saint Louis, MO 63108 | (314) 361.CHESS (2437)
Carlsen and Praggnanandhaa set up final day shootout
Magnus Carlsen and Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa will duke it out for the Oslo Esports Cup title tomorrow after India’s boy wonder finally cracked under pressure. Three points ahead going into the penultimate round of the $210,000 event, 16-year-old Pragg suffered a painful quickfire reverse against Poland’s World Cup winner Jan-Krzysztof Duda. It handed world No.1 Carlsen a golden opportunity to go level on points with the youngster and overtake him on the leaderboard due to their head-to-head score. Carlsen, as always, grabbed the opportunity with both hands by thrashing the lowest-ranked player in the field, Canadian streamer Eric Hansen. The Norwegian is now hot favourite to win the first Major of the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour season. Duda also isn’t out of it, as he sits just one point behind on the leaderboard. However, the Pole needs a 3-point win against Hansen and defeats for both Carlsen and Pragg. Carlsen, meanwhile, faces the dangerous Shakhriyar Mamedyarov in Round 7 while Pragg is up against Anish Giri. Carlsen had the good fortune to face Hansen today – an opponent who felt seriously low on form and confidence. The 29-year-old Hansen blundered badly in the first game and was punished and then escaped with a draw in the second. Before the third game, Hansen said: “There’s something very off with my head right now. I’m missing so much, and in this game I was very lucky to come off with a draw.” But it didn’t get better for Hansen as Carlsen reeled off a fine game to retake the lead overall going into the final round. For Pragg, it was nowhere near as comfortable a day as he’d hoped. Game 1 started unconventionally as Duda played an English Opening with 6.e3 and then the ultra-rare 9.b3. Duda was allowed to advance a pawn on the f-file to the seventh rank and the result was inevitable. Pragg resigned on move 65. In the second game, the 16-year-old from Chennai overstretched with 24.c6 and from there Duda was ruthless. Pragg shook his head as he resigned in an impossible position on move 37. It left the youngster with an uphill struggle needing to win both remaining games on demand just to take it to tiebreaks. It wasn’t to be as the third game ended in a draw after the queens came off. The match ended 2.5-0.5 in Duda’s favour. Asked if he can win the tournament tomorrow, Pragg said: “I just want to play better chess tomorrow and then we’ll see.” So far, both matches had finished in three games and the third was no different as Liem Quang Le thrashed Play Magnus Group’s new ambassador, Dutch No.1 Anish Giri 2.5-0.5. The last match to finish was Mamedyarov vs Jorden van Foreest which went to a fourth game in which the Azeri needed to win to take it to tiebreaks. The game looked to be headed for a safe draw for van Foreest but the Dutchman let it slip and Mamedyarov went on to win. Tiebreaks beckoned. Van Foreest was clearly annoyed with himself and said afterwards: “To lose this game was pretty ridiculous.” The first blitz game followed the same pattern as the last rapid game as van Foreest was left furious with himself for letting the win go again with one hasty decision, this time in the endgame. The momentum appeared to be with Mamedyarov and in the second blitz game van Foreest fell apart. It ended in heartbreak for the 22-year-old as Mamedyarov took the match. The final round of the Oslo Esports Cup starts at 18:00 CEST on Thursday. Full coverage with commentary from the Oslo arena is available on chess24’s Twitch and YouTube channels. For further comments contact: Leon Watson leon@championschesstour.com 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 www.chess24.com with players competing for a total prize pool of over USD 1.5 million. For more information visit www.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, the Play Magnus App Suite, and the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour. The Group’s mission is to grow chess to make the world a smarter place by encouraging more people to play, watch, study, and earn a living from chess. Play Magnus Group is listed on Euronext Growth Oslo under the ticker PMG. www.pmg.me
American Cup: Day 7 Recap
After defeating GM Leinier Dominguez in a dramatic playoff, GM Levon Aronian qualified for the finals of the 2022 American Cup, where he will face GM Fabiano Caruana for the 1st place prize of $50,000. In the women’s field, FM Alice Lee earned herself a rematch in the $25,000 final against GM Irina Krush, after winning an incredibly close match against WGM Tatev Abrahamyan that went all the way to Armageddon. The time control for the event is 90 minutes plus 30 seconds increment for all games in the Champions Bracket, with a rapid time control of 25+10 for the Elimination Bracket and a 10+5 time control for all playoff matches. Open Field – Championship Match Women’s Field – Championship Match ELIMINATION BRACKET ARONIAN – DOMINGUEZ In a repeat of their Champions Bracket match, once again Dominguez played the Petroff and achieved a completely winning position as Black. Only this time instead of giving mate, he had a technically winning queen endgame, with two extra pawns. But Aronian managed to stay in the game, creating counterplay with his queen and a passed c-pawn. Trying to get out of the checks, Dominguez stepped on the wrong square with his king, and Aronian managed to swindle a draw. After 73.c6!, which saved the game for White. | ½-½, 83 moves The second game saw Aronian secure a small edge and start to press as Black, but Dominguez defended well and held the draw, leading to a playoff. In the first game of the playoff Aronian had Black again, and this time opted for a very risky setup against the Italian Game. Dominguez responded well but used up a lot of time to achieve a good setup. As the game sharpened up Dominguez lost control over the position, and a fantastic combination by Aronian decided the game. 32…Nc3!! won the game for Black, as after 33.Rxc3 Qxe4! the queen was untouchable due to back-rank mate. | 0-1 37 moves The final game was perhaps the wildest of the match. Just needing a draw to qualify, Aronian opted for the c3-Sicilian and quickly achieved a winning position. But a surprising blunder let Dominguez completely back into the game, with a queen and knight against Aronian’s two rooks and a bishop. Although it was a tricky situation for White, Aronian managed to sacrifice one of his rooks for Black’s knight and construct a fortress with his remaining rook and bishop, holding the draw and winning the match. The key first game of Aronian vs. Dominguez, saved by Levon. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes LEE – ABRAHAMYAN The Women’s Elimination Final saw a hotly contested match where White won every single game leading up to the Armageddon. First it was Lee who won a back-and-forth game by infiltrating with her queen and rook, then Abrahamyan struck back with the same combo in the next game, squeezing water from a stone in a symmetrical position. In the playoff, Abrahamyan received White in the first game and landed a powerful knight sacrifice that obliterated Lee’s kingside. 36.Nxh6+! left White with a crushing kingside attack. | 1-0, 48 moves This put Lee in a must-win situation for the next game, and she got her chance early on, as she spotted a nice zwischenzug tactic to win material and achieve a strategically won position. Abrahamyan tried to salvage things, but Lee’s technique was too good as she converted her advantage. 12.Nxf5! won a clean pawn for White, due to the threat of Nxe7+ | 1-0, 35 moves In the Armageddon match, Abrahamyan won the coin-toss and chose the White pieces. This decision paid off as she had a chance to win a full piece out of the opening, but missed it in favor of just completing her development. This allowed Lee to get back in the game and fend off White’s initiative. Abrahamyan soon lost the thread and blundered an exchange, after which her position was simply dead lost. Lee grabbed the chance and even went on to win as Abrahamyan exhausted all of her resources. Abrahamyan vs. Lee in Armageddon | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes The finals of the 2022 American Cup will begin Wednesday, April 27 starting at 12:50 PM CT. Catch all the action live with grandmaster commentators Yasser Seirawan, Cristian Chirila, and Alejandro Ramirez on uschesschamps.com and on the Saint Louis Chess Club’s YouTube and Twitch.tv channels. Watch all the action LIVE at USChessChamps.com Text: IM Kostya Kavutskiy Photo credit: Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes Dates & Location:April 20 – 29, 2022, Saint Louis Chess Club Web: uschesschamps.com | Twitter: @STLChessClub Instagram: @STLChessClub | Facebook: @STLChessClub YouTube: @STLChessClub | Twitch.tv: @STLChessClub Photo Credits:Photos and appropriate credits available on Flickr Press Contact:Rebecca Buffington rbuffington@saintlouischessclub.org Saint Louis Chess Club | Building Champions 4657 Maryland Avenue, Saint Louis, MO 63108 | (314) 361.CHESS (2437)