Legends of Chess: Magnus chess if not Fantasy king
Magnus Carlsen played Ding Liren four hours earlier than usual to be able to “sweat” the final day of the Fantasy Premier League, and while the football didn’t go so well Magnus racked up a 6th match victory in six with a 2.5:1.5 win over the world no. 3. Ian Nepomniachtchi has won as many matches but fell a point behind as he could only beat Vishy Anand in Armageddon, while Vladimir Kramnik and Peter Svidler also won in sudden death. Anish Giri was the other player to win in four games as he and Peter Leko defied the haters with the day’s lowest number of draws. World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen went into the final day of the English Premier League season, and therefore the Fantasy Premier League season, ranked no. 4 out of more than 7.5 million players of that game. The media interest was high, especially in Norway, which brought with it some obligations. It was agreed a couple of weeks in advance that Magnus would play this round four hours earlier, with Ding Liren happy to agree to the chance to start playing at 6 pm rather than his usual 10 pm. In football, as in chess, Magnus is all about taking calculated risks that maximize the upside for him, and in this case, it wasn’t impossible that he could top the table: “It’s a long shot, but as long as there is a chance that’s cool and I would like to thank Ding for agreeing to play at an earlier time today so that I can sweat the games properly later today”. It did not work in football, but on the chessboard Magnus went from strength to strength. He described the first game of the day against Ding Liren as “uneventful”, with the 31-move draw most remarkable for the fact that the world nos. 1 and 3 managed to create a position never seen before at the top level by move 4. The second game was no offbeat theory, however, with Magnus navigating straight into the shark-infested waters of the Anti-Moscow Gambit where he proved his prowess winning on move 33. Magnus felt the result of the match hinged on Game 3, where he went for some bold defense after getting into a difficult position in the opening. Ding Liren decided to go for a technical position a pawn up, but although Magnus described it as “really, really ugly for Black,” he also felt his drawing chances were good. Ding Liren rushed his winning attempt and a draw was reached in 60 moves. In the final game, Ding had to win on demand with the black pieces, and at the price of a pawn he did manage to marshal his pieces for a kingside assault. It never looked like being enough, however, and Magnus safely defused the situation to claim the full three match points. He’s now won all six matches so far, dropping a match point only to Vasyl Ivanchuk, who took their encounter to Armageddon. Leko – Giri was the only other match that a player won without the need for Armageddon. After exchanging blows in games two and three, Dutch no. 1 scored a crushing win in the final encounter to clinch the match. Grischuk said Leko had suffered, “an old-fashioned opening catastrophe,” where you find yourself totally lost, unlike the more modern “catastrophes” where you just have no advantage or a slightly worse position. Ian Nepomniachtchi also managed to win sixth match in a row, but not without some difficulties. He failed to convert a close to winning position in the first game and also thought he’d missed chances of a masterpiece in the 3rd game. Between those, however, he’d won the second game after a hyper-sharp opening didn’t go Vishy’s way. Needing to win with the black pieces in Game 4, most people had written off Vishy’s chances, but that’s just when he’s at his most dangerous as, for instance, the 2014 Candidates Tournament proved. Ian confessed he got “over-optimistic” when he tempted Vishy to grab material in the opening. Anand didn’t need to be asked twice and went on to convert his advantage brilliantly. That meant a 3rd Armageddon in a row for Vishy, and it proved to be a 3rd Armageddon in which he was just too slow. It may be purely a technological issue – if, for instance, he doesn’t have a good mouse – but Grischuk also saw some historical “revenge” on behalf of all the people Vishy had blitzed in his long career. Gelfand – Kramnik match was a fantastic brawl between two players who first met 27 years ago in Linares 1993. Nowadays it’s 7-year-older Boris who’s working harder on chess, and he managed to catch Kramnik out in the opening in the first game until by the end it was already high time to resign. After a tense second game, it looked as though Gelfand was about to win the match with a game to spare, but Kramnik managed to muddy the waters in a position where he was an exchange down and level the score. In the final rapid game, it was Vladimir who was pushing for a win, but Gelfand held to take the encounter to Armageddon. Vladimir had White and had to win, which he duly did, in a sparkling game in which he quickly saw that he could exchange off all the pieces to force a won pawn ending. Vasyl Ivanchuk had tortured Magnus Carlsen the day before and he showed exactly the same hunger and talent against Peter Svidler. He took the early lead and it looked like Vasyl would storm to an almost unassailable 2:0 lead but by making two mistakes in a row he allowed Peter to completely turn the tables. Vasyl could again have finished off the match in the final rapid game, but instead, after draws in Games 3 and 4, we got yet another Armageddon. What followed was a great battle with mutual mistakes, but starting with Black and a
Base Division: Day 2 Round-up
On July 26 the teams in all three pools of Base Division continued to fight for the spots in Division 4. Although there were no big surprises on Sunday, some results might be crucial in deciding what teams advance to Division 4. Pool A The matches in this pool have followed a predictable script – after the first-round clash of favorites, Myanmar and Brunei, both teams have been dominating all their matches. However, it was not just an easy ride for the two strongest teams in this pool. For example, Myanmar suffered two defeats on junior boards vs. Pakistan, whereas Brunei unexpectedly conceded two points to Laos and Macao. On the other hand, in the most important match for Brunei with team Macau, the former scored a confident victory 4.5:1.5 thanks to total domination on women’s boards. The key match in terms of 3d and 4th positions in tournament leaderboard was played in the fourth round: Oman beat Fiji with a minimal margin and now has a fair chance to qualify for Division 4. The seven-round match Fiji – Pakistan will be of paramount importance for both teams. Most likely Pakistan will be OK with a draw. Two matches in this group were postponed to Monday due to connection issues in Somalia, but they will hardly affect the final standings. Standings After Day 2 (Rounds 1-6): 1. Myanmar – 12 (30.5)2. Brunei – 10 (26.5)3. Oman – 9 (23)4. Fiji – 8 (21,5)+1 extra match5. Pakistan – 7 (20) + 1 extra match6. Guam – 4 (17)7. Laos – 4 (10)8. Macau – 1 (8,5)9. Somalia – 1 (5) + 2 extra matches10. Bhutan – 0 (4) Pool B Will Lebanon, one of the two strongest teams in Base Division, lose a single point? That was probably the most interesting question of the second day in this pool. On the first day, Lebanon players won all their games but on the second day, they conceded to their opponents five half-points (Bahrain scored 1.5 points, Qatar – 1). One way or another, Lebanon remains the only team in Base Division not to lose a single game. It will be interesting to watch this squad in action in a stronger Division 4. Despite losing to the leader Bahrain and Qatar are bound to advance to the next stage. Even unexpected draw with Mali (notable because only four players played in the African team) should not prevent Qatar from qualifying for the Division 4. It was not the best day for Qatar’s leader IM Husein Aziz Nezad. Burundi found itself in a bind – formally speaking, this team from East Africa occupies the third position, but it is playing three difficult matches today with Lebanon, Qatar, and Bahrain. It means that Liberia which won a very important match against Gabon has a good chance to catch up with Burundi. Standings After Day 2 (Rounds 1-6): 1. Lebanon – 12 (33,5)2. Bahrain – 10 (27,5)3. Burundi – 10 (24)4. Qatar – 9 (24,5)5. Liberia – 6 (18,5)6. Gabon -5 (15)7. Mali – 5 (12)8. Gambia – 2 (6,5)9. San Marino – 1 (10,5)10. DR Congo – 0 (2) Pool C Unlike Pools A and B where things shaped up quickly enough, in Pool C we can expect a surprise in any match. After a disastrous first day, team Haiti, the rating-favorite of this group, rolled up the sleeves. Three confident victories over Grenada, Saint Lucia, and Cape Verde catapulted Haiti to third place but since in Round 7 it is facing the leader, team Cyprus, Haiti has not secured its spot in the top-4 yet. Cyprus is in a much more comfortable situation – after the victories over Aruba and Libia the Mediterranean team punched its ticket to the next stage. Team Aruba already can prepare for tough matches in Division 4 as well, as it prevailed in a key encounter vs. Mauritania. With 2:3 on the scoreboard Ahmed Taleb Mohamed was desperately trying to win a drawing ending vs. Octavio Croes, but eventually had to take a draw. Aruba owes its triumph to Thamara Sagastegui playing on the Women U20 board – she won all her six games which is the absolute best result in Base Division. Team Libya complicated its task of advancing to Division 4 after giving up points in two matches with weaker teams including the Round 6 encounter with the Cayman Islands. Now Libya has everything at stake in the decisive match with Mauritania in Round 7. Saint Lucia and Cape Verde are still in the contest. Under certain circumstances, one of these teams also might progress to the next stage. Standings After Day 2 (Rounds 1-6): 1. Cyprus – 12 (30,5)2. Aruba – 9 (21)3. Haiti – 8 (25)4. Libya – 8 (19)5. Mauritania – 6 (24)6. Saint Lucia – 6 (18,5)7. Cape Verde – 5 (18,5)8. Cayman Islands – 3 (10,5)9. Antigua & Barbuda- 3 (10)10. Grenada – 0 (3)
Base Division: Day 1 Round-up
FIDE Online Olympiad started on 25 July at Chess.com with the support of the official partners of the tournament – Gazprom and Yugra government. The organizers managed to overcome all technical difficulties, all matches started at the planned time, and the unique tournament, which brought together 163 national teams, has already gripped the attention of the chess world. Pool A Tournament fortune pitted against each other two main favorites of Pool A – Myanmar and Brunei teams – in the starting round. The match met the expectations of those who had predicted an interesting and exciting battle. The first victory on the 6th board was scored by a representative of Brunei Zahira Zazali Nur. Myanmar quickly bounced back and edged ahead, but Brunei had a great chance to level the score and draw the match. Unfortunately, Fatimah Hj Azahari Siti Nur on board 3 lost her cool in an absolutely winning position and eventually suffered a defeat. The final score is 4:2 in favor of Myanmar. In the next rounds, the teams-favorites conceded only a half-point in four matches. Myanmar is leading the field, Brunei is still in 5th place, but most likely this team will also make it to Division 4. The two other slots will be contested by teams Fiji, Pakistan, and Oman. Fiji confidently won all matches on the first day, but this team has not faced the main competitors yet. Pakistan and Oman met in the third round and this hard-fought, dramatic the match ended in a draw (3-3). Unfortunately, team Guam took a poor start and doesn’t have much of a chance to go further. As for teams Laos, Macau, Somalia and Bhutan, their goal in this tournament is to get a unique experience in such a competition and prepare themselves for future battles. Bhutan takes part in Olympiad for the first time and already scored a win on the 3rd (women’s) board. Standings After R3: 1. Myanmar – 6 (15.5)2. Fiji – 6 (14)3-4. Pakistan & Oman – 5 (12)5. Brunei – 4 (14)6. Laos – 2 (3.5)7. Macau – 1 (5.5)8. Somalia – 1 (5)9. Guam – 0 (4.5)10. Bhutan – 0 (2) Pool B The tournament in this group initially looked the most predictable and indeed the first day brought no surprises. Lebanon lived up to his reputation of clear favorite and showed the best possible result – its players won 18 games and the team confidently moved atop the leaderboard. Bahrain and Qatar will hardly have any problems advancing into Division 4; they had a smooth sail today, winning all their matches as well. It seems like Burundi is the main candidate for the fourth qualifying spot – all its matches followed a similar pattern: the Burundians immediately pulled ahead, either due to opponents’ non-appearance or by winning a couple of games, then the team let the opponents catch up. As a result, one match ended in a draw, whereas in two others the strongest African squad in Base division eventually tipped the scale in its favor (4:2). Team San Marino, a country of 33,000 people, plays at the Online Olympiad without women. Three men start each match being 0-3 down, which gives the team no chance of reaching the next stage. Unfortunately, in Group B several teams were unable to ensure participation of all their players. Hopefully, tomorrow all technical issues will be resolved. Standings After R3: 1. Lebanon – 6 (18)2. Bahrain – 6 (15)3. Qatar – 6 (14.5)4. Burundi – 5 (11)5. Liberia – 2 (7.5)6. Gabon – 2 (4,5)7. Mali – 2 (3)8. San Marino – 1 (6)9. Gambia – 0 (2,5)10. DR Congo – 0 (2) Pool C Unlike Pool B, the outcome in this group initially looked absolutely unpredictable. In Round 1 the rating-favorite Haiti flopped in the match against Aruba. Players on board 1 and 2 did not show up online whereas on the other boards the members of team Haiti played below their capacity. The final score of 1-5 completely changed the balance of power in Pool C. Haiti chess players also lost a point on the first board in the second round due to non-appearance, and eventually lost the match against Libya. Now, despite whitewashing its opponents in the third round, Haiti will have a hard time fighting for one of four top-spots. Only one team can have no worries about its tournament prospects in Pool C – Cyprus will surely play in Division 4. Nevertheless even Cyprus had some problems in the match against Mauritania, won only by a narrow margin. Aruba and Libya share second place but they still have some difficult matches to play. For example, in the next round, Aruba is pitted against the leader, team Cyprus. Three teams are making a debut in Pool C – Grenada already scored its first board win whereas the Cayman Islands and Saint Lucia even managed to beat Grenada and Mauritania respectively. This group is unique in the sense that any team is capable of throwing a curve, so we can expect a close, exciting race until the very last round. Standings After R3: 1. Cyprus – 6 (15.5)2-3. Aruba & Libya – 5 (11.5)4. Cape Verde – 3 (9)5. Antigua & Barbuda – 3 (7)6-7. Mauritania & Haiti – 2 (9.5)8. Saint Lucia – 2 (7.5)9. Cayman Islands – 2 (6)10. Grenada – 0 (3)
Nepomniachtchi catches up with Carlsen
Mercurial genius Vasyl Ivanchuk inflicted Magnus Carlsen’s first wound in the chess24 Legends of Chess event today – but couldn’t stop the reigning World Champion roaring back. Carlsen, in red hot form recently, had gone 15 games unbeaten in the $150,000 online super-tournament before facing the veteran Ivanchuk, one of the most feared and unpredictable players in elite chess. And after Carlsen said Ivanchuk was the player he was looking forward to playing most, the 51-year-old didn’t disappoint. Game 1 of their Round 5 clash saw Ivanchuk, Ukraine’s former world number 2 nicknamed “Chucky”, showcase his brilliance by putting Carlsen under severe pressure. The champion blundered and Ivanchuk went ahead. A draw straight afterward had Carlsen needing a win and the Norwegian, as he so often does manage it. With the score level, the final game ended in another draw to send the match into an Armageddon play-off. Carlsen was not to be denied and took the match but only two out of three tournament points to ruin his perfect record. Elsewhere, Ian Nepomniachtchi drew level with Carlsen at the top of the table as he posted an emphatic 3-point win over fellow Russian Peter Svidler. Nepomniachtchi, another opponent Carlsen has said he finds tough, won the third and fourth games after the match opened with two draws. Anish Giri‘s tournament is picking up as he won a second match in a row, beating Boris Gelfand 2.5-1.5, to move up the leaderboard. Ding Liren, who has endured a tough tournament so far, overcame connection problems to appear in the driving against former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik. But the Chinese number 1 suffered something of a collapse to allow Kramnik to take it to a tiebreak, which Ding then lost. His chances of making the semis, and the Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour’s Grand Final, are now effectively over. Finally, Peter Leko beat Indian hero Vishy Anand in an Armageddon play-off after the two legends finished 2-2 with one win each and two draws. Today was the fourth day of the round-robin battle for four places in the Legends of Chess semi-finals. The event, the fifth leg of the $1 million Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour, runs until August 5 and will carry a $150,000 prize fund. The winner will scoop a top prize of $45,000 and the last of the coveted spots in the tour’s Grand Final in August. Tournament rules and schedule The time control will be a rapid 15m + 10s from move 1 played in the chess24 Playzone. There will be two stages starting with a 10-player round-robin (July 21-29) with each round consisting of 4-game matches and Armageddon tiebreaks if needed. The top four will advance to the knockout semi-finals (July 31-August 2) and two will go through to the final (August 3-5). July 30 is a free day. All sessions will begin at 16:00 CEST. Highlights in English:https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Rmx6IFrFYxYPrNhZVtxZbRWTiMAIICvc?usp=sharingNew files at around 23.00 CEST Rough edit highlights:https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1SItw6DwCyoTsZ0WiVAjw4BkVHEaGQFDI?usp=sharingNew files ready around 02.00 CEST FOR MORE INFORMATION:Leon Watsonleon@chessable.com+447786 078770
Legend of Chess: Carlsen moves atop the standings
World Champion Magnus Carlsen worked his magic to move to the top of the chess24 Legends of Chess leaderboard today as he racked up a stunning 3-0 win over Boris Gelfand. The Norwegian now has a perfect 12/12 points score having won all four of his matches in the $150,000 online super-tournament. Carlsen moved smoothly through the gears against Israel’s number 1 and even found time to pop out to the shops in between games. “I had more than half an hour, after the second game,” he joked in the post-match interview, after revealing he’d been off to buy groceries. In media interviews, Carlsen said: “I am not so concerned about who I will be facing in the final. I will have a good chance to win anyway.” In the other matches, China’s Ding Liren – who had been woefully out-of-form – picked up his first win by ruining Peter Svidler‘s impressive start with a final score of 2.5-1.5. Ian Nepomniachtchi and Vasyl Ivanchuk drew three consecutive games before the Russian triumphed in the last to win the match 2.5-1.5. Carlsen and Nepomniachtchi (who has also won all his matches but dropped one tournament point) are now strong favorites to make it through to the semis. Vladimir Kramnik beat Peter Leko in a similar fashion – a final game win allowed him to take the match 2.5-1.5. Anish Giri overcame the five-time world champ, Vishy Anand, in an Armageddon tiebreak after they drew all four of their regular games. Anand, who has struggled so far, ran out of time. Today was the fourth day of the round-robin battle for four places in the Legends of Chess semi-finals. The event, the fourth leg of the $1 million Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour, runs until August 5 and will carry a $150,000 prize fund. The winner will scoop a top prize of $45,000 and the last of the coveted spots in the tour’s Grand Final in August. Commentary is provided by Jan Gustafsson, Rustam Kasimdzhanov, and Tania Sachdev and special guests – including more legends to be announced later. The event is also be broadcast in 10 languages by chess24.com. Tournament rules and schedule The time control will be a rapid 15m + 10s from move 1 played in the chess24 Playzone. There will be two stages starting with a 10-player round-robin (July 21-29) with each round consisting of 4-game matches and Armageddon tiebreaks if needed. The top four will advance to the knockout semi-finals (July 31-August 2) and two will go through to the final (August 3-5). July 30 is a free day. All sessions will begin at 16:00 CEST. Highlights in English:https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Rmx6IFrFYxYPrNhZVtxZbRWTiMAIICvc?usp=sharingNew files at around 23.00 CEST Rough edit highlights:https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1SItw6DwCyoTsZ0WiVAjw4BkVHEaGQFDI?usp=sharingNew files ready around 02.00 CEST FOR MORE INFORMATION:Leon Watsonleon@chessable.com+447786 078770
FIDE: birthplace and “parents”
Birthplace of FIDE. Photo: Google Maps This article was originally published on the FIDE Newsletter #10 (July 21, 2020). If you want to receive this biweekly publication directly in your inbox, please subscribe here. On July 20, 1924, FIDE was born in Paris. This is hardly news to any chess lover since the echoes of our birthday celebrations still resound on social media. But, where exactly was our Federation born, and who were its parents? FIDE was born at the Town Hall of the IX Arrondissement of Paris (6 Rue Drouot). This building is located a 2-min walk from the Richelieu-Drouot metro station and the Musée Grévin. As you probably know, that summer Paris was hosting the 1924 Summer Olympics, and a group of very determined men who truly loved chess decided to organize an important event alongside the Olympic Games: the first international team chess tournament, which is considered the first “unofficial” Chess Olympiad. This tournament was held at the “Hotel Majestic”, now known as “The Peninsula”. Among these men, there were two key figures. One was the secretary of the French Chess Federation, Pierre Vincent, who is described by “The Swiss Chess Review” as “the devoted and tireless secretary who was the initiator and soul of the tournament”. The other one was the world-champion-to-be, Alexander Alekhine, who back then was living in Paris under the status of “stateless refugee”. Pierre Vincent. Photo: January 1926 issue of L’Echiquier. On 20 July, the last day of the games, 15 delegates from all over the World signed the proclamation act of what was originally known as “Fédération Internationale des Échecs” or “FIE” (shortly after the acronym was changed to “FIDE”). These were the 15 founding signatories: Ignacio de Peñalver y Zamora (1857-1933) of Spain. Florenziano Marusi (1860-1936) of Milan, Italy. Francis Hooper Rawlins (1861-1925) of Bath, England. Steven Francis Smith (1861-1928) of British Columbia, Canada. Anatol A. Tscherpurnoff (1871-1942) of Helsinki, Finland. Marc Nicolet (1876-1942) of Biel, Switzerland. Jakov Ovadija (1878-1941) of Belgrade, Yugoslavia. Pierre Vincent (1878-1956) of France. Alexander Rueb (1882-1959) of The Hague, Holland. Istvan Abonyi (1886-1942) of Budapest, Hungary. Leon Willem Weltjens (1887-1975) of Anvers, Belgium. Ion Gudju (1897- 1988) of Bucharest, Romania. Karel Skalička (1896-1979) of Prague, Czechoslovakia. Izaak Towbin (1899-1941) of Korets, Poland. Roberto Gabriel Grau (1900-1944) of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Attendants to the first FIDE Congress, Paris 1924 Alexander Rueb, President of the Dutch Federation, was appointed as the first FIDE President. By profession, he was a lawyer at the Dutch Supreme Court and diplomat. As a player, he was a mere amateur, and not particularly strong, but he wrote books on endgame studies and he was a passionate collector of chess books (his collection is now in the library of the University of Amsterdam). Dr. Rueb served as president of Fide for 25 years, from 1924 to 1949, and you can find more information about his life in this article. Mikhail Botvinnik and Alexander Rueb
FIDE Online Olympiad Base Division: Preview
FIDE Online Olympiad starts on July 25 with matches in the Base Division, where 30 teams divided into three pools will fight for 12 seats in Division 4 – the next stage of this competition, scheduled for July 29-31. A total of 163 teams registered for the tournament, but the strongest squads will engage in a battle in a few weeks. Usually, at live Olympiads, the teams that can’t boast of the world’s best players in their lineups are not in the spotlight, as the general chess audience focuses on favorites. The unique format of FIDE Online Olympiad gives us a chance to take a closer look at the teams bereft of chess stars but united by a sincere love for the game and a strong desire to develop and make progress. The qualifying format of tournaments in divisions also allows us to make some predictions and try to figure out the teams that will advance to the next stage. Base Division consists of the teams that either have not performed well at the last live Olympiads or did not participate at all (five teams are making a debut at FIDE Online Olympiad: Bhutan, Cayman Islands, Grenada, Laos, and Saint Lucia). Four teams from each Base Division pool will qualify for Division 4. Pool A (Brunei Darussalam, Bhutan, Guam, Laos, Oman, Macau, Somalia, Pakistan, Fiji, Myanmar) Myanmar is a clear favorite in this group – with 3 IM (Wynn Zaw Htun, Nay Oo Kyaw Tun and Myint Han) in its ranks, this team will most likely take first place and a spot in Division 4, in which it is going to be one of the favorites as well. Myanmar chessplayers have been playing online a lot lately and this format suits this rapidly growing chess country very well. Brunei Darussalam also looks like a strong contender for a slot in Division 4 – all the players of this team headed by FM Azahari Aliuddin have FIDE rating. Since the two main favorites of group A will clash in the first round this match promises to be the centerpiece of the starting day. As for the teams taking two other qualification spots, it is a tough call. If we use rating as the main reference, then Fiji, Guam, and Oman are going to contest for third and four places in this pool. On the other hand, it is hard to evaluate the level of players who have not participated in international tournaments and have no FIDE rating. It might be very interesting to follow the Pakistani team – chess has just begun to grow in this country, but who knows, maybe the local federation already managed to find some future champions. Pool B (Mali, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lebanon, Qatar, Burundi, San Marino, Liberia, Gambia, Gabon, Bahrain) There is a clear favorite in this group as well – Lebanon put together a strong, balanced team headed IM Eid Fadi with two WFMs on women’s boards. Two neighboring countries Qatar and Bahrain also have a very good chance to qualify for Division 4. Both teams are staffed with experienced players. With a well-known GM Hicham Hamdouchi as a coach, Qatar is headed by IM Nezd Husein Aziz. Burundi turned in the best performance among all Base Division teams at the last Olympiad in Batumi and will try to prove that it was not a fluke. One of the two European teams in Base Division – San Marino – enlisted just six players and will have to play all matches without substitutions. Pool С (Cyprus, Cayman Islands, Mauritania, Aruba, Libya, Antigua & Barbuda, Haiti, Saint Lucia, Cape Verde, Grenada) In this most unpredictable group three teams – Cayman Islands, Saint Lucia, and Grenada (that registered at the last moment) – make debut in such a high-level competition. Most likely they will have a hard time fighting with, say, Haiti, on equal terms. Indeed, Haiti has no stars in its lineup but all the team members are quite experienced players with FIDE rating. Apart from Haiti, team Cyprus with the head of FIDE Social Commission FM Paris Klerides playing under its banner looks like a strong candidate to progress to Division 4. It will be interesting to watch Cape Verde in action – the highest-rated player in Base Division IM Ortega Amarelle Mariano competes for this island nation but his teammates lack chess experience. The matches in Base Division will be held over July 25-27 with three rounds of speed chess (15+5) played every day. FIDE.com and the official website of the FIDE Online Olympiad will be covering the competition daily. More information on the official website: https://olymp.fide.com
Legends of Chess: Carlsen and Svidler share top spot
Online chess saw a historic moment today as two of the world’s greatest ever players created a game full of finesse that was immediately branded a new “immortal”. India’s veteran former world champ Vishy Anand, 50, and fellow former title-holder Vladimir Kramnik, 45, astonished fans watching the $150,000 chess24 Legends of Chess with arguably the best game ever played in an online super-tournament. Former FIDE World Champion Rustam Kasimdzhanov said the thrilling see-saw encounter was “history in the making” and “a legend in itself” as the action unfolded. On social media, fans tuning into the Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour event, broadcast online in 10 languages, said the epic was “truly the game of the year” and a “masterpiece”. However, the game – the first of today’s Round 3 – ended in heartbreak for the evergreen Anand as he missed his winning chance under time pressure and cracked. After being on the receiving end of Anand’s brilliance, Kramnik’s equally-inspired defensive play held out and he took the point. It didn’t stop fans and commentators alike proclaiming it one of Anand’s greatest games. International Master Tania Sachdev, speaking on chess24’s live show, said: “I don’t think this immoral was ruined by Vlad, I actually think Vlad contributed to making this because it takes two. Vishy showed excellent tactical ideas and big Vlag came up with immense resources.” The first-game loss was devastating for Anand who crumbled in game 2 and then couldn’t stop Kramnik getting the draw he needed to win the match 2.5-0.5. Kramnik said afterward: “It was fun and games in the first game, yeah.” Before he admitted: “I’m sure it was lost at some point.” He added: “I think it was difficult for Vishy to get back to his senses after the first game.” In the other matches, Russia’s number 1 Ian Nepomniachtchi wrapped it up in three games against Anish Giri with a 2.5-0.5 score. Peter Leko, another one of the veterans taking part in the battle of the generations event, put up a strong fight against Magnus Carlsen. But in game 4 the reigning World Champion turned the screw against Leko and broke through to secure the tie 2.5-1.5 and stand equal top of the leaderboard. Carlsen admitted afterward that Leko, who came out of retirement to play in the tournament, had caused him serious problems. “For sure,” Carlsen said. “Especially of course in the third game because I was quite lost so overall winning this in regulation [time] was a big, big ask.” The Norwegian was joined on 9 points by eight-time Russian champion Peter Svidler who continued his excellent form with a 2.5-1.5 win over Boris Gelfand. Meanwhile, at the other end of the table, Ding Liren‘s miserable streak continued as he was beaten 2.5-1.5 by Vasyl Ivanchuk. It was Ding’s third reverse in a row and puts him in serious danger of being knocked out. Today was the third day of the round-robin battle for four places in the Legends of Chess semi-finals. The event, the fourth leg of the $1 million Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour, runs until August 5 and will carry a $150,000 prize fund. The winner will scoop a top prize of $45,000 and the last of the coveted spots in the tour’s Grand Final in August. Tournament rules and schedule The time control will be a rapid 15m + 10s from move 1 played in the chess24 Playzone. There will be two stages starting with a 10-player round-robin (July 21-29) with each round consisting of 4-game matches and Armageddon tiebreaks if needed. The top four will advance to the knockout semi-finals (July 31-August 2) and two will go through to the final (August 3-5). July 30 is a free day. All sessions will begin at 16:00 CEST. Highlights in English:https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Rmx6IFrFYxYPrNhZVtxZbRWTiMAIICvc?usp=sharingNew files at around 23.00 CEST Rough edit highlights:https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1SItw6DwCyoTsZ0WiVAjw4BkVHEaGQFDI?usp=sharingNew files ready around 02.00 CEST FOR MORE INFORMATION:Leon Watsonleon@chessable.com+447786 078770
163 countries take part in the Online Chess Olympiad
The International Chess Federation partners with Gazprom, Ugra, and Chess.com to launch the biggest online chess event of 2020 The International Chess Federation (FIDE), one of the oldest sporting bodies in the world, is about to launch its biggest online event since its foundation. Teams from 163 countries will battle over a virtual chessboard between July 24 and August 30 to win the first-ever Online Chess Olympiad. Each team will consist of six players, in a mixed format with a minimum of three female players and two junior players. The event is FIDE’s response to the postponement of the “traditional” Chess Olympiad, which was planned to take place between Moscow and Khanty-Mansiysk (Russia) in August 2020. Involving more than 3,000 participants, the event was rescheduled to 2021, shortly after the IOC had also announced the postponement of the Tokyo Olympic Games. With the support of Gazprom as General Partner, the government of the Ugra region as Official Partner, and Chess.com as the playing platform, the first FIDE Online Olympiad is the latest example of how chess has adapted to the coronavirus crisis. Despite having to cancel all official events played over the board -including flagship competitions like the Candidates Tournament and the World Championship match-, chess has thrived during the global lockdown. The initial ranking is topped by Russia, followed by China, USA, Armenia, and Ukraine. The Chinese, absolute winners of the 2018 Chess Olympiad both in the Open and Women’s sections, have also won the Online Nations Cup, played last May. Russia (2599) China (2595) USA (2535) Armenia (2453) Ukraine (2441) Azerbaijan (2434) India (2419) Germany (2419) Cuba (2413) Poland (2401)… 163 teams in total. Average rating including reserve players. The time control will be rapid, with 15 minutes + 5 seconds increment per move. The event will consist of two stages: the “Divisions stage”, and the Play-offs stage, from Round of 16 to the final. Since the Online Olympiad is a mixed event, for pairing purposes the ranking was established in accordance with the final standings of the last “Gaprindashvili Cup”, which combines the results in the open and women’s sections at the Batumi Chess Olympiad 2018. More information on the official website:https://olymp.fide.com
Chess Legends: Carlsen, Gelfand and Svidler lead after Round 2
Chess great Vishy Anand went toe-to-toe with World Champion Magnus Carlsen today before finally collapsing in round 2 of the chess24 Legends of Chess online super-tournament. The veteran former world title-holder, playing the man who took the crown off him seven years ago, battled hard but ultimately came up short in today’s marquee tie. Anand and Carlsen famously played World Championship matches in 2013 and 2014 in which the Norwegian came out on top. Carlsen has dominated world chess since. But any thoughts that an in-form Carlsen would brush aside the 50-year-old legend were quickly dispelled as Anand played solidly to hold for three consecutive draws. Carlsen, who is playing from a boat in the Mediterranean Sea, eventually broke through in the final game to pick up the maximum 3 tournament points. The World Champion is looking in ominous form having won both his opening matches in the $1 million Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour event which he entered on the back of winning the Chessable Masters earlier this month. World number 3 Ding Liren‘s woes continued as he looked badly out-of-form against Ian Nepomniachtchi. Ding, who has been dogged by connection problems in previous tournaments, went down 2.5-0.5. He has now lost 2/2 rounds while the Russian Nepomniachtchi has won both his matches. Boris Gelfand, the oldest in the field who downed Ding yesterday, claimed another scalp when he overpowered Vasyl Ivanchuk in the final game to take the match 2.5-1.5. Vladimir Kramnik, the man who dethroned Garry Kasparov to become the 14th World Chess Champion, blew a chance to take his match against Anish Giri to an Armageddon tiebreak. Giri, Netherlands number 1, then secured the draw he needed in their last game to take the match 2.5-1.5. The “Peter derby” match-up between 2004 world title challenger Peter Leko and eight-time Russian champ Peter Svidler also ended in a 2.5-1.5 win for Svidler. The Russian was not particularly happy with the level of play he demonstrated in two starting games but found consolation in two straight wins in games 3 and 4. The event, the fourth leg of the $1 million Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour, runs until August 5 and will carry a $150,000 prize fund. The winner will scoop a top prize of $45,000 and the last of the coveted spots in the tour’s Grand Final in August. Tournament rules and schedule The time control will be a rapid 15m + 10s from move 1 played in the chess24 Playzone. There will be two stages starting with a 10-player round-robin (July 21-29) with each round consisting of 4-game matches and Armageddon tiebreaks if needed. The top four will advance to the knockout semi-finals (July 31-August 2) and two will go through to the final (August 3-5). July 30 is a free day. All sessions will begin at 16:00 CEST. Highlights in English:https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Rmx6IFrFYxYPrNhZVtxZbRWTiMAIICvc?usp=sharingNew files at around 23.00 CEST Rough edit highlights:https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1SItw6DwCyoTsZ0WiVAjw4BkVHEaGQFDI?usp=sharingNew files ready around 02.00 CEST FOR MORE INFORMATION:Leon Watsonleon@chessable.com+447786 078770