FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Championships 2021: Registration is open
The FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Championship will take place in Warsaw, Poland, from December 25-31 at PGE Narodowy, the most modern and largest of its kind football arena in Poland. Eligible players, accompanying persons, FIDE Principals, arbiters and media are invited to register via the following link: https://worldrapidandblitz.fide.com/registration/. Please select the event from the menu you would like to participate. If you want to participate in both Rapid and Blitz, please tick both events. Tournament schedule: December 25 — Opening CeremonyDecember 26-28 — Rapid competitionsDecember 29-30 — Blitz competitions and Closing Ceremony The registration deadline is 12:00 PM Lausanne time on December 20 2021. Players are expected to read the tournament regulations before starting the registration process. Regulations for FIDE Open Rapid & Blitz World Championship (pdf) Regulations for FIDE Women’s Rapid & Blitz World Championship (pdf) Open tournaments eligibility: – Players rated at least 2550 in any FIDE rating lists (Standard, Rapid or Blitz) from January to December 2021. – The reigning National Champions representing their National Federation regardless of their title or rating. – The Organiser is entitled to invite up to 15 additional players of his/her own choice. Women’s tournaments eligibility: – Players rated at least 2250 in any FIDE rating lists (Standard, Rapid or Blitz) from January to December 2021. – The reigning National Champions representing their National Federation regardless of their title or rating – The Organiser is entitled to invite up to 15 additional players of his/her own choice. The Reigning National Champions should send a proof of their titles via their National Federations to worldrapidandblitz@fide.com in order to be accepted. Official hotel Due to the ongoing pandemic and related safety measures, all the participants are required to stay in the official hotel Marriott Warszawa (al. Jerozolimskie 65/79, Warsaw, Poland). Room rates: The rate for a single accommodation (One person per room): Bed and breakfast – EUR 65 The rate for double accommodation (Two persons per room): Bed and breakfast – EUR 70 Payment Upon completing registration, each player will receive an invoice to be paid by December 22. Registration will be automatically validated upon receiving the payment. Covid 19 safety promotion – PCR testing – Proof of vaccination is not required for players, accompanying persons and officials. – Mandatory PCR testing for all travellers to Poland Passengers travelling to Poland shall have a negative COVID-19 PCR test certificate for a test taken no more than 48 hours prior to arrival. – Mandatory PCR testing for participants upon arrival The Organisers will arrange, free of charge, PCR testing upon arrival to Poland on December 25 for all the participants and officials. – Optional PCR testing before departure For all travellers departing from Poland who need a PCR test, testing may be arranged by the Organisers on December 29. Results shall be provided within 24 hours after receiving a sample. For more information, visit the official website of the event: worldrapidandblitz.fide.com If you have any questions regarding the registration, feel free to contact the Organiser via email: worldrapidandblitz@fide.com
27th Abu Dhabi International Chess Festival brings together 195 players from 49 countries
The 27th edition of the Abu Dhabi International Festival, held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Nahyan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Sports Council, runs from December 12-16 at the Sofitel Abu Dhabi Hotel, UAE. The event organized by the Abu Dhabi Chess and Mind Games Club, under the supervision of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, has a total prize fund of USD 40,000. The official opening of the festival took place today and was attended by Aref Al Awani, the Secretary-General of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, Arkady Dvorkovich, President of the International Chess Federation, Hussein Al Khoury, President of the Abu Dhabi Chess Club, Dr. Abdullah Al-Wahshi, Chairman of the Festival Organizing Committee, and Muhammad Al-Mudhahki, President of the Qatar Chess Federation. FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich opened the event by making the ceremonial move in presense of distinguished guests and players. At the board are the tournament’s rating-favourite, top UAE GM Salem A.R. Saleh and highest-rated African GM Bassem Amin. To prevent the spread of COVID-19, the number of participants was reduced to 195 players from 49 countries, competing in six different tournaments: Masters Rapid and Masters Blitz Tournaments, Open Rapid and Open Blitz Tournaments, Juniors Rapid Tournament and Frontline Heroes Chess Tournament, open for members of military, police and national service health workers in the UAE. The line-up of the festival includes Vladislav Kovalev (FIDE), Parham Maghsoodloo (Iran), A.R. Saleh Salem (UAE), Vladimir Fedoseev (Russia), Bassem Amin (Egypt), Jules Moussard (France), Pavel Eljanov (Ukraine) and many others. After five rounds of Masters Rapid Tournament, Parham Maghsoodloo (Iran) emerged as a leader with 4½ points, followed by Pavel Eljanov (Ukraine), sitting on 4 points. Rinat Jumabayev (Kazakhstan) and Vladimir Fedoseev (Russia) are tied for third place with 3½ points. In Round 6, Eljanov emerged as a new leader after beating Maghsoodloo, whereas Fedoseev defeated Jumabayev. At this point, the Russian GM rose to the fore as he scored two consecutive victories over the Ukrainian and the Iranian to create a full point margin over his rivals before the final round. In Round 9, Fedoseev made a quick draw with Viktor Erdos to secure first place. Bassem Amin pulled off a crucial victory over Rinat Jumabayev to finish second; Viktor Erdos is third, edging out Pavel Eljanov thanks to the higher average rating of the opponents. Final standings Abu Dhabi Masters Rapid: 1 Fedoseev, Vladimir RUS 2692 7 2 Amin, Bassem EGY 2614 6½ 3 Erdos, Viktor HUN 2601 6 4 Eljanov, Pavel UKR 2641 6 5 Fridman, Daniel GER 2542 5½ 6 Mchedlishvili, Mikheil GEO 2589 5½ 7 Maghsoodloo, Parham IRI 2512 5 8 Jumabayev, Rinat KAZ 2562 5 9 Sadhwani, Raunak IND 2454 5 10 Socko, Bartosz POL 2562 5 More information about the event can be found here. The blitz event (a Swiss tournament with 3+2 time control) was played on Wednesday, December 15th and saw Vladimir Fedoseev scoring double in Abu Dhabi. The Russian GM tied for the first with Bartosz Socko, but came out on top as the winner of their direct encounter played in Round 7. Final standings Abu Dhabi Masters Blitz: 1 Fedoseev, Vladimir RUS 2690 6½ 2 Socko, Bartosz POL 2571 6½ 3 Sadhwani, Raunak IND 2562 6 4 Bellahcene, Bilel ALG 2493 6 5 Fridman, Daniel GER 2663 5½ 6 Amin, Bassem EGY 2617 5½ 7 Erdos, Viktor HUN 2599 5½ 8 Salem A.R. Saleh UAE 2642 5 9 Van Wely, Loek NED 2593 5 10 Eljanov, Pavel UKR 2602 5 More information about the event can be found here.
Third Chess in Education Lecturer course to run from December 17-19
The third edition of the Chess in Education Lecturer course will be held on 17-19 December. Those who gain this qualification (CEL) will be those, exclusively, who we appoint to the paid lectureships of the FIDE School Instructor seminars. ‘I have learned a lot’ WGM Eva Repkova, Chairperson of FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess. CEL Lecturers will be experts in educational chess (not necessarily experts in competitive chess). They will be trained by the EDU Commission, after an online capacitating course of 15 hours, with some offline extras. This training has a cost of €75, which covers both access to materials and preparation, and the exam. Those who successfully pass the course will receive the diploma of Certified FIDE Chess in Education Lecturer (CEL). This is valid for three years, and it implies an administrative fee of €50. ‘A nice experience, fantastic course’ FM Vlad Ungureanu, national coordinator of Romania chess in schools program. Applications for the course are open now and will close on 14 December. If you want to apply, please fill in the registration form for “Preparation of Lecturers”, Your CV & Motivation letter should pay special attention to your relevant experience in “educational chess”, rather than “sport chess” (please check this explanatory document if you are unsure about the difference between these two concepts: https://edu.fide.com/educational-chess-vs-sport-chess/ ). ‘This kind, of course, is a very good idea’ FM Leontxo Garcia. The course will be held from December 17-19, in English, online 15:00-20:00 CET (Central European or FIDE time). Applicants must complete the registration form: https://cloud.fide.com/s/Zpd6ynNnLf7Sckp (DOC)https://cloud.fide.com/s/xWDW5E66RpHHTAY (PDF) The course is limited to a maximum of 20 people (first come, first served). The applicants who cannot be given a slot will be placed on the waiting list for the subsequent course.
FIDE World Championship Dubai 2021: Crowned again
On Sunday, December 12, Magnus Carlsen of Norway lifted the trophy for the World Championship aloft for the fifth time in a row. The closing ceremony was broadcast live on a range of media and culminated with the champion, a gold medal around his neck, trophy raised, in a long, breezy shower of gold confetti. It wouldn’t be an event ceremony without a series of dignitary speeches to round off and reflect on the occasion. Master of Ceremonies Maurice Ashley called upon Omar Shehadeh, the Chief International Participants Officer of Expo 2020 Dubai, the host and partner that was ready to help stage the championship in such uncertain, pandemic times. Shehadeh joked that he was disappointed not to be making the first move in game 12 as planned before congratulating both players and hoping that they would take time to sightsee in the host country. He also referenced the immensity of the exciting project, with planning for the match taking place over two long and hectic years. Dedicated sponsor The CEO of PhosAgro, FIDE’s long-term sponsor and partner, was the next speaker. Andrey Guryev had apologized to the champion in the pre-match press conference – for being unable to hide his hopes for a return of the chess crown to Russia. Having sponsored four consecutive title matches, Guryev has seen many Carlsen victories but found some comfort in two challengers he could root for during this time. Renewing his pledge to “continue to develop a new generation of players”, he congratulated ‘Iron Magnus’ on his victory. “For now, the Norwegian king of chess remains unbeatable,” he said. Presidential thanks FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich gave the final speech before the coronation. He also devoted time to thank all those involved in the immense effort required to complete an unusually lengthy and problematic title cycle, as well as the media and commentators gathered in Dubai who helped focus so much attention on the event. The sponsors and players were also honoured, with an emphasis on the valuable experience gained by the challenger, and Carlsen’s consistency, persistence and love for the game singled out. Concluding the preliminary formalities, Dvorkovich called Carlsen ‘a huge ambassador of chess throughout the world’. “Thank you for your contribution and for the entire team that helped achieve that.” Prizes and parting words Challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi was called up to receive the always underappreciated, bittersweet silver medal before the layering of awards on the champion and the climactic explosion of gold. The winner’s speech came after Magnus was draped with the laurel wreath and managed to grip a microphone amidst all the prizes hanging from him. After thanking FIDE and the Expo in Dubai for a ‘very pleasant experience’ before moving on to more personal matters. He thanked his family and team: “Even at a moment when my motivation may have been lacking a little bit for this particular championship, theirs never wavered,” he said. “Usually, at the end of these championships, there are things you are happy with and things you are less happy with, but this time I can say I’m fully satisfied with my performance – and that’s a great feeling!” Trophy details: The FIDE World Championship Cup Dubai 2021, weighing over 5 kilograms, is made of 925 sterling silver with 999 gold plating, dolerite, and obsidian, and is set with 39 pearls and a diamond. The cup was designed by FIDE and created by masters of the CHAMOVSKIKH Jewelry House with the support of the Sverdlovsk Region Chess Federation, represented by its president Andrey Simanovsky, owner of SIMA-LAND. Prize ceremony broadcast: https://youtu.be/EPh2uhPcWoo Match highlights video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCQp-bWwPYM Text: Jonathan Tisdall, Press Officer press@fide.com Photo: Eric Rosen and Niki Riga Official website of FIDE World Championship Dubai 2021
Italian Championship 2021: Basso and Sedina clinch titles
Pier Luigi Basso and Elena Sedina emerged as the winners of the Italian Championship 2021 held in Chianciano Terme (Province of Sienna). The open event, a 12-player round-robin tournament, took place from November 24 to December 11, 2021. Players had 100 minutes for 40 moves, followed by 50 minutes for 20 moves, then 15 minutes to the end of the game, plus a 30-second increment starting from move one. The rating favourites Pier Luigi Basso and Luca Moroni went neck and neck, crushing the competition until Round 8, in which the future champion had a windfall: after achieving a very promising position, his opponent Francesco Sonis touched a wrong piece and resigned immediately as his rook was under attack. This unexpected victory allowed Pier Luigi to create a half-point gap from Luca, which he managed to preserve to the very end to win his maiden national title. Alberto David also delivered a strong performance and suffered no defeats (like the champion) to take bronze. Final standings open: 1 Basso, Pier Luigi 2566 9 2 Moroni, Luca Jr 2580 8½ 3 David, Alberto 2542 7½ 4 Brunello, Sabino 2498 7 5 Lodici, Lorenzo 2529 6½ 6 Sonis, Francesco 2536 6 7 Bellia, Fabrizio 2431 4½ 8 Gilevych, Artem 2402 4½ 9 Genocchio, Daniele 2363 4½ 10 Zimina, Olga 2339 3 11 Barp, Alberto 2408 2½ 12 Formento, Paolo 2401 2½ The women’s championship, an 8-player round-robin, turned into a very close race among Elena Sedina, Sara Gabbani and Giulia Sala coming into the final round jointly leading the field. Sedina pulled off a victory over Elisa Cassi, whereas her competitors suffered defeats at the hands of Marianna Raccanello and Tea Gueci, respectively. Elena Sedina won her second national title in a row with 5/7, whereas Tea Gueci leapfrogged the ex-leaders to snatch silver. Three players tied for third, with Marianna Racanello earning bronze thanks to better tiebreaks. Final standings women: 1 Sedina, Elena 2263 5 2 Gueci, Tea 2242 4½ 3 Raccanello, Marianna 2021 4 4 Gabbani, Sara 1911 4 5 Sala, Giulia 1921 4 6 Maione, Melissa 1881 3 7 Cassi, Elisa 2023 2 8 Bordin, Silvia 1940 1½ The U20 Italian Championship, also an 8-player round-robin held in the same location, ended with a victory of Edoardo Di Benedetto, who scored an equal amount of points with Emmanuele Carlo, but came out on top thanks to better tiebreaks. Christian Palozza finished third. The champion became the only unbeaten player in the tournament. Official website: federscacchi.it/campionati/ Photo: official website
World Rapid & Blitz 2021 to be held in Warsaw, Poland
FIDE is happy to announce that Poland will host the World Rapid and Blitz Championships and Women World Rapid and Blitz Championships 2021 in Warsaw on the originally planned dates (December 25 – December 31, 2021). The relevant guarantees, both financial and visa-related, are provided to FIDE by the Government of the Republic of Poland. All the related information will be published shortly on the official website: worldrapidandblitz.fide.com/ “FIDE is sincerely grateful to Poland, a country with great chess traditions, for proposing to host the Championships despite the short notice. I am sure that it will be a wonderful event,” Arkady Dvorkovich, President of FIDE, said. “The game of chess is an important part of the history of Poland. I am very glad to know that our country will host the best grandmasters for the World Blitz and Rapid Chess Championships,” noted Mateusz Morawiecki, Prime Minister of Poland.
Zdenko Kožul wins Croatian Championship
Zdenko Kožul is a new Croatian champion. The 55-year old native of Bihac won his third national title with a round to spare. Zdenko completed the event unbeaten and scored impressive 8½/11 The Croatian Championship, a 12-player round-robin tournament with classical time control, took place at the Continental Hotel in Rijeka from 30 November to 10 December 2021. The top-seed and three-time Croatian champion Ivan Saric faltered in the starting round but pulled himself together and competed for the title with Kozul almost until the very end, finishing just a half-point behind. IM Leon Livaic scored a solid +3 (7/11), beating the silver winner along the way and suffering no defeats, just like the champion. The 21-year old earned bronze, completed a GM norm, and picked 11 rating points. At the closing ceremony, the trophies were awarded to the winners by the president of the Rijeka Sports Association, Dorotea Pešić Bukovac. Final standings: 1 GM Kožul, Zdenko 2625 8½ 2 GM Šarić, Ivan 2665 8 3 IM Livaić, Leon 2537 7 4 GM Jovanović, Zoran 2523 6 5 GM Martinović, Saša 2542 5½ 6 GM Zelčić, Robert 2540 5 7 IM Dorić, Darko 2475 5 8 GM Ferčec, Nenad 2415 5 9 GM Bosiočić, Marin 2545 4½ 10 IM Srbiš, Jurica 2448 4½ 11 GM Šarić, Ante 2536 4 12 GM Kovačević, Blažimir 2399 3 Official website: phrijeka2021.com/ Photo: official website
Magnus Carlsen wins his fifth consecutive world title match
Fraying nerves The players arrive daily for the world championship at the rear of the South Hall of the Dubai Exhibition Centre in privately driven vehicles. Their trip must be timed to avoid any possible traffic delays and arrive comfortably, rather than overly, in advance of the start of play. Today, for the 11th game of the FIDE World Championship, challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi was the first to turn up, emerging from a black van, earbuds in place, with a few members of his team, including his girlfriend Snezhana Fomicheva, and manager, grandmaster (GM) Sergey Janovsky. The Magnus Carlsen delegation was next, with a customary wait in the car before emerging to march past the various cameras assembled. The champion was accompanied by his customary duo, Danish GM and long-time trainer Peter Heine Nielsen, and ‘hype man’ and podcast partner Magnus Barstad. Feeling at home Carlsen was the first player to very clearly prioritize a sense of calm and harmony for these long, gruelling title matches, making sure his delegation is full of family and friends and scattering analytical assistants remotely around the world’s time zones so that preparation could be done around the clock. Nepomniachtchi hasn’t visibly taken this approach quite so far, but his companions today also hint at the same kind of emphasis, his manager and primary trainer are both figures with a long and trusted history with the challenger. Down the stretch The ceremonial first move was made by Algorand Ambassador Mr Adi Mishra – Algorand being the official blockchain partner of the FIDE World Championship. The challenger reverted to his favourite first move, 1.e4, changing the complexion of the game with his third move, opting for the Italian rather than Spanish. Experts were not thrilled with this deviation since the previous Nepo white game, which started 1.c4, had offered more early tension. On the flip side, the Italian was viewed as a way to keep more long-term play than the Spanish, which featured in the challenger’s first four white games. More bafflement Once again Carlsen methodically neutralized any danger and aggressive potential in the position, and with possibly his last white game evaporating, Nepomniachtchi once again ‘tilted’, choosing a horrific move that destroyed his position and exposed his king to the deadly attack, rather than acquiesces to the logical sterile draw that was looming. The following moves eloquently illustrated what a mental pressure-cooker the world championship is. Despite a huge lead and an overwhelming position, the proximity of his fifth world title affected the champion, and after missing a fairly simple kill, Carlsen allowed his edge to dissipate greatly – though experts still expected him to convert it in the end. The champion played the technical phase at his usual standard, and although his path to a win was narrower, he navigated to it smoothly. After 49 moves, Nepomniachtchi resigned from the game and his challenge to the throne. Post-game reactions Carlsen was relatively subdued after the game, saying it was ‘hard to feel great joy when the situation was so comfortable, to begin with.’ He said that overall he was very happy with himself and proud of his performance in the pivotal marathon sixth game, where he took the lead. Nepomniachtchi’s refrain about the match was that he didn’t feel it had come down much at all to chess and that his task now was to examine how other factors influenced his error-filled collapse in the second half of the match and try to understand and eliminate what happened. Carlsen was asked at the press conference what he thought helped him dominate the match: “In simple positions, I make very few mistakes. A few times, the position was very complicated, we both made mistakes, but he made the last one.” Match summary: Magnus Carlsen, Norway, completes his fifth successful world championship match, winning his Dubai title defence 7½-3½ versus Ian Nepomniachtchi. Looking back, the duel divides neatly into three segments. The first five games, with challenger Nepomniachtchi having the advantage of white in three of them, were all drawn, but were full of fight. An early pattern emerged with Carlsen willing to sacrifice a pawn in the opening of the game to gain active and imbalanced play. The most exciting clash in this segment was game two, where Carlsen appeared to seize an opening advantage of surprise and attack, but Nepomniachtichi’s resourceful defence turned the tables and forced larger material sacrifices. The champion managed to create enough pressure and even regained a slight initiative after some slightly sloppy play from the challenger. The next three games were less eventful, but in the fifth Nepomniachtchi found a way to apply safe yet unpleasant pressure but frittered away his chances with one uncharacteristically hesitant move. Act two One could arguably sum up the entire match by mapping, examining and re-examining the twists and turns of the marathon sixth game. The longest ever played in a title match and about three times longer than an average tussle, both sides did their utmost to keep fanning life into a potentially dull position. The advantage switched hands several times as the game came to its first climax in the race to reach move 40, Carlsen with very little thinking time down the stretch, and with Ian eventually joining him, having only five seconds left as he made his 40th. Despite the efforts and drama, the game seemed headed to another deadlock, but a hasty lapse of concentration landed the challenger under lasting pressure. Although a machine might find the defensive task facing Nepo straightforward, for a human, it was certain hours of torture against a specialist. Past midnight and after nearly eight hours of play, a title match game ended in a decision for the first time since the 2016 bout in New York. Carlsen had broken through, largely on determination and willpower, but also on his unique ability to minimize error and maximize pressure. Act three Game six left its mark on both players for days, but it was a disappointed challenger that
GYMCHESS® Chess based application to keep ageing brain in shape announced
The benefits of chess are delaying brain ageing (and therefore Alzheimer and other types of dementia) is supported by relevant scientific studies and statistics. GYMCHESS has developed a chess-based cognitive training program (ECAM ©) in the form of a mobile application (its potential adaptation as a medical device being also envisioned). The objective of this innovative, effective and ludic methodology is to improve the cognitive system and slow down the effects of brain ageing, serving as a complement to people conscious of their personal well-being and mental health. GYMCHESS is a technological start-up that has been supported by the Basque Government and the Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa, through the Ekintzaile-Txekintek program, for its recent incorporation. ECAM © is a methodology developed in multiple face-to-face workshops with more than 3,500 users over the last ten years with the support of the Junta de Extremadura. GYMCHESS will be presented at Expo Dubai on Sunday, December 12 at 14:00h (Dubai local time) in the Spanish Pavilion, where Carmen Bueno, the Executive Commissioner of the Pavilion, will act as a host for the event. Teresa Riesgo, Secretary General of Innovation at the Ministry of Science and Innovation of the Government of Spain, will speak. Then, Leontxo García, journalist and scientific disseminator, will briefly talk about “Chess and brain ageing”. Juan Antonio Montero, psychologist and a key person responsible for Extremadura being the first world reference in social and therapeutic applications of chess, will explain the ECAM © basics and origins. García and Montero are the co-founders of GYMCHESS together with Asier Rufino, CEO of Tecnalia Ventures, who will be in charge of presenting an investor pitch. Finally, Arantxa Garin, the marketing manager, will present the application itself. The event will be held at the Multipurpose Room of the Spanish Pavilion, and one hour after, at 15:00 (Dubai local time), it will be broadcast in Spanish via Zoom. Presentation schedule (pdf) Contact: press@gymchess.com
Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Cup: Fedoseev and Salem take titles
Vladimir Fedoseev (Russia) and A.R. Saleh Salem (UAE) came as the winners of rapid and blitz tournaments of Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Cup. The event organized by Dubai Chess and Culture Club in Dubai was held in honour of the late Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the former Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance and Industry. The Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Cup took place from 6–9 December 2021 at the Expo 2020 Dubai Exhibition Centre. During the first three days of the Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Cup, players compete in the nine-round Swiss System tournament with 15 minutes for the entire game, plus a 10-second increment starting from move one. On Thursday, December 09, 11 rounds of blitz event (3 min + 2 sec/move) were played. A total of 24 invited grandmasters battled for a $30,000 prize fund at the venue of the world’s most significant events taking place this year: the FIDE World Championship match between Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi and the Expo 2020 in Dubai. After six rounds of play in the rapid event, Hans Moke Niemann (USA) and Vladimir Fedoseev (pictured above) were sharing first place with five points each. The leaders clashed in Round 7: the Russian prevailed over the American in a long, gruelling ending and pulled away. Despite drawing his last two games, Fedoseev comfortably took clear first, a full point ahead of Denis Kadric, Nieman and Rinat Jumabayev, who tied for the second position in the final standings. Final standings rapid: 1 Fedoseev, Vladimir 2692 RUS 7 2 Kadric, Denis 2542 BIH 6 3 Niemann, Hans Moke 2327 USA 6 4 Jumabayev, Rinat 2562 KAZ 6 5 Nihal Sarin 2500 IND 5½ 6 Socko, Bartosz 2562 POL 5½ 7 Maghsoodloo, Parham 2512 IRI 5 8 Santos Ruiz, Miguel 2440 ESP 5 9 Mchedlishvili, Mikheil 2589 GEO 5 10 Sargissian, Gabriel 2693 ARM 5 The blitz event, featuring the same lineup, was a very close race. It all came down to the wire in the final, eleventh round, to which A.R. Saleh Salem (pictured below) and Bassem Amin (EGY) were heading as joint leaders with 7½ points each. Much to the delight of local fans, Salem beat Mikheil Mchedlishvili and came out on top as his main rival managed only a draw in a game with Denis Kadric. Nihal Sarin caught up with Amin and tied for second place after defeating Rinat Jumabayev. Final standings blitz: 1 Salem, A.R. Saleh 2642 UAE 8½ 2 Amin, Bassem 2617 EGY 8 3 Nihal Sarin 2705 IND 8 4 Bellahcene, Bilel 2493 ALG 7 5 Erdos, Viktor 2599 HUN 6½ 6 Fedoseev, Vladimir 2690 RUS 6 7 Kadric, Denis 2469 BIH 6 8 Pichot, Alan 2629 ARG 6 9 Jumabayev, Rinat 2536 KAZ 6 10 Niemann, Hans Moke 2680 USA 6 Photo: Eric Rosen