Introducing Candidates: Kirill Alekseenko
(Photo: Lennart Ootes) Kirill Alekseenko (Russia)Born: June 22, 1997Rating: 2704This will be his first Candidates Tournament Kirill Alekseenko was born in Vyborg (the Leningrad region, about 140 km from St. Petersburg). When he was four years old, his grandfather initiated him into chess. A little bit later Vyborg’s strongest player, Sergey Baliakin, took the talented boy under his wing and helped him to make his first steps in chess competitions. In 2006, Kirill moved to St. Petersburg, where he joined a local chess club that bore the name of the legendary Mikhail Chigorin. First, he was trained by Vladimir Shushpanov, then by Honored Coach of Russia Andrey Lukin. In his junior years, Kirill won numerous prizes and titles in Russian, European and World Championships (he became the World Champion U-14). In 2012, Alekseenko earned all three qualifying norms of International Grandmaster but reached the required 2500 rating only a couple of years later. In 2015-2017 Kirill became the winner of the Chigorin Memorial 3 times in a row. One year later in 2018, he took the first prize in the Russian Cup Final. As a member of Medny Vsadnik’s team, Alekseenko has won the Russian Team championship several times. Kirill is studying international management at St.Petersburg State Polytechnic University. The grandmaster is passionate about sports (football and volleyball); he is taking foreign languages and plays guitar. Alekseenko’s real breakthrough came in 2019 – his rating crossed the 2700 mark thanks to an excellent performance at the FIDE World Cup and to a third-place finish in the 2019 Grand Swiss, the strongest ever Swiss tournament. The latter result made him a possible participant of the Candidates Tournament. Upon completion of all the qualifying competitions, the President of the Chess Federation of Russia (the country-host of the Candidates Tournament) Andrey Filatov announced that Kirill Alekseenko has been granted a wild card. Kirill is entering the event in a “dark horse” status which he is comfortable with. As Alekseenko pointed out in one of his recent interviews, he feels no extra pressure as nobody expects him to win the whole thing. It does not mean that Kirill has no ambition – he is working hard with his team, which he prefers not to disclose before the tournament. When it comes to his style Alekseenko (by his own words) tries to play profound chess and seeks to create some tension in any position. Сhoosing between simplifications and complications he almost without exception prefers the latter. Jakovenko – Alekseenko (72nd ch-RUS 2019)36… Nf2+ 37. Kg1 g5!! 38. Qa2 (38. a7 Ne4+ 39. Kh1 Ng3+ 40. hxg3 Rh6+) 38…Ng4+ 39. Kh1 Qf4 0-1
Cairns Cup 2020: Four at the top after Round 2
Today’s round was filled with excitement as chess fans got to witness heartbreaking blunders, jaw-dropping tactics, intense time pressure situations, and one marathon endgame. It seemed like the games produced continual drama as there were multiple unexpected turnarounds. After the dust settled, Muzychuk, Kosteniuk, and Lagno emerged as the second round victors. There is now a large tie atop the leaderboard with four players sitting with 1.5/2. Mariya Muzychuk – Humpy Koneru: 1 – 0 Mariya Muzychuk came out of the gates swinging. After achieving a dynamic position against the Petroff Defense (which isn’t easy to do these days), she executed a highly creative rook lift. Her exotic Rb1-Rb4-Rf4 maneuver allowed for tremendous attacking chances on the kingside. After a single misstep (18… Qe7?) from Humpy Koneru, the Ukranian grandmaster launched an overwhelming attack. Muzychuk proceeded to lift a second rook and pummeled black’s fragile kingside to take home the full point. Muzychuk leapfrogs Koneru in the standings and now sits at 1.5/2 with this victory. Harika Dronavalli – Nana Dzagnidze: ½ – ½ After a series of early trades in the Catalan Opening, the players reached an endgame by move 15. In Harika’s post-game interview, she explained that her opening preparation was a success. “I definitely thought I had better chances and a very pleasant endgame.” Despite having a worse pawn structure, Harika’s rooks were much more active. The Indian GM pointed out that Kf2 would have offered her better practical chances rather than immediately grabbing Dzagnidze’s a-pawn. Sometimes it is better to be patient than greedy! After the precise 20…g5!, Dzagnidze was able to equalize quite easily and the game ended in an early draw. Ju Wenjun – Irina Krush ½ – ½ This marathon game kept the production team working overtime! The position became incredibly complex in the middlegame, and both players burned a lot of time to navigate through the chaos. The complicated tension in the position caused Ju Wenjun to blunder and allowed Irina Krush to respond with 19…Bc6! The resulting position would have led to a clear material edge and very good chances for the American to take down the reigning women’s world champion. However, Krush missed the golden opportunity, and the position liquidated into a drawish endgame. In the end, it was Ju pushing for a win with a knight versus bishop. However, there were not enough pawns on the board to create realistic winning chances. The near 5-hour battle ended in a draw and both players move to 1 out of 2 in the standings. Valentina Gunina – Alexandra Kosteniuk 0 – 1 In what was the most topsy-turvy game of the round, Valentina Gunina achieved a near-winning position after just 12 moves. After some mystifying queen moves by Kosteniuk, Gunina built up an impressive display of piece activity. The commentators raved about Gunina’s spectacular Bb6!! and it seemed like black was going down without a fight. However, Alexandra Kosteniuk fought valiantly and forced her Russian counterpart to make some difficult decisions. With the positional blunder 21.Nxg6? Gunina lost all her advantage. GM Ramirez voiced his criticism: “I cannot begin to understand how you give up the knight that defends your weakest square on the board for the absolutely trashiest bishop I’ve ever seen.” Kosteniuk then managed to completely reverse the momentum of the game. In the end, the combination of Kosteniuk’s rook, knight, and bishop was too powerful for Gunina’s lone queen. With this result, the defending Cairns Cup Champion has yet to score any point and Kosteniuk is tied for first with 1.5/2. Carissa Yip – Kateryna Lagno: 0 – 1 After yesterday’s loss, Carissa Yip opted for a quiet variation of the Scotch game. This surprise opening choice appeared to be inspired by Xiong’s quick victory over Sethuraman from the 2019 Winter Classic. After Kateryna Lagno’s novelty 12…Qd7, Yip spent over 40 minutes on her reply. Lagno’s experience and positional understanding proved to be valuable as she proceeded to outplay the youngster from a roughly equal position. Yip didn’t sense danger soon enough and was forced into an incredibly passive position. Lagno cruised to victory after pouncing on Carissa’s final mistake 27.Bxa5? Even though queen’s were off the board, Lagno’s kingside attack was simply overwhelming. This victory catapulted Lagno to a tie for first with 1.5/2. Text: IM Eric RosenPhoto: Austin Fuller, Crystal Fuller, Lennart Ootes, Spectrum StudiosOfficial site: https://www.uschesschamps.com/2020-cairns-cup/overview
Cairns Cup 2020: Koneru and Dzagnidze start with victories
(Photo: Official site) The first round of the super-tournament produced two decisive outcomes with Humpy Koneru and Nana Dzagnidze scoring victories over Carissa Yip and Valentina Gunina respectively. The top-seed World Champion Ju Wenjun who had black pieces in her first-round game was tested by Mariya Musychuk in the Petroff Defense. White had a slight edge in the middlegame but it did not grow into anything substantial. After Ju gradually traded pieces and reached an equal endgame the opponents shook hands on the move 40. The game between Humpy Koneru and Carissa Yip saw a rare line of King’s Indian Defense. Slightly confused by her young opponent’s opening choice, the Indian GM spent a lot of time on the first moves but Black was comfortably holding her own. It all changed when instead of the quite natural 19…Bf6, the youngster opted for the erroneous 19…f6?. Humpy reacted with an excellent positional pawn sacrifice 20. Ne6! to take control over the light squares. Although Carrissa had some drawing chances in an ensuing endgame, Humpy once again demonstrated her excellent technique and scored a full point. Harika Dronavalli and Kateryna Lagno played the most erratic and topsy-turvy game of the round with the evaluation changing several times. Eventually, Kateryna ended up in a better endgame but being under tremendous time pressure preferred not to take chances. The draw was sealed on 37th move just three moves before reaching the first time control. (Photo: Official site) Nana Dzagnidze completely outplayed the winner of the inaugural Cairns Cup Valentina Gunina in the Trompowsky and by the move 20 obtained an overwhelming position. It looked like the rest would be smooth sailing for the Georgian, but the Russian, known for her ability to stir things up in desperate situations did it once again and was very close to saving a half-point. After natural 31… Qh3+ 32. Kh1 and then not so obvious 32… Kf6! or Kf8! (with the idea of hiding the king on g7 and then bringing the rook to h8) White has to deliver perpetual check – for example, 33. cxb4 Rc2 34. Ra1 Rxf2 35. Qc6+ Kg7 36. Qc3+ Kg6 37. Qd3+ Kg7 38. Qc3+, etc. Valentina missed this golden chance by playing 31…Qe6? and a few moves down the road it was all over for Black. Alexandra Kosteniuk tried the Alapin variation against Irina Krush’s Sicilian but did not achieve much. After some exchanges, Black even emerged slightly better with some pressure on the opponent’s isolated pawn, but White’s position was too solid to break through. The longest game of the round ended in a draw. Official site: https://www.uschesschamps.com/2020-cairns-cup/overview
Cairns Cup brings best female players together
Photo: https://dailyjournalonline.com/ The second edition of the Cairns Cup, a round-robin tournament for elite female chess players will take place in Saint Louis Chess Club on February 6-17. The event boasts of a $180,000 prize fund and promises to be the strongest women’s tournament ever held on American soil. The top three finishers will receive $45,000, $35,000, and $25,000 respectively. Photo: David Llada Comparing to the first edition, which turned into a race between Valentina Gunina and Alexandra Kosteniuk, the organizers managed to enlist a stellar lineup. This time the list of participants includes six players from the women’s top-10: the reigning World Champion Ju Wenjun (China), Humpy Koneru (India), Katerina Lagno (Russia), Mariya Musychuk (Ukraine), Harika Dronavalli (India) and Nana Dzagnidze (Georgia). They will be joined by Alexandra Kosteniuk (Russia, #11 in women’s rating list), the winner of the inaugural Cairns Cup Valentina Gunina (Russia) and two local players Irina Krush and Carissa Yip. The World Champion Ju Wenjun and the leader of FIDE Women’s Grand Prix Humpy Koneru are considered the main favorites, but given an extremely strong lineup, they will have to work hard to live up to their advance billing. Schedule: February 6 – private opening ceremony (at 6 PM local time)February 7 – Round 1February 8 – Round 2February 9 – Round 3February 10 – Round 4February 11 – Round 5February 12 – Rest day/Community dayFebruary 13 – Round 6February 14 – Round 7February 15 – Round 8February 16 – Round 9February 17 – Playoff/Private closing ceremony All the rounds including playoff start at 1 PM local time Official site: https://www.uschesschamps.com/2020-cairns-cup/overview
February rating list: Fabiano Caruana is making up ground
FIDE February 1 rating listAll Top-100 listsAll rating lists – download January 2020 was the month of the Women World Chess Championship, Tata Steel in Wijk aan Zee and Gibraltar Chess Festival. Although the event in British Overseas Territory was concluded on January 30, it will have an impact on many players’ ratings only in the March list. Top 10 Open 1. Magnus Carlsen – 2862 (-10) 2. Fabiano Caruana – 2842 (+20) 3. Ding Liren – 2805 (0)4. Alexander Grischuk – 2777 (0)5. Ian Nepomniachtchi – 2774 (0)6. Levon Aronian – 2773 (0)7. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov – 2770 (0)8. Wesley So – 2770 (+5)9. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave – 2770 (0)10. Teimour Radjabov – 2765 (0) Only three members of the top-10 played games with classical control in January and all three did it in Wijk aan Zee. Despite taking second place in Tata Steel Masters 2020 with a decent +3 score Magnus Carlsen lost 10 points but is still comfortably reigning on the top. Wesley So did not shine in Wijk aan Zee, but his +2 result, translated into 5 rating points, allowed him to move up to 7th position in the top 10. On the other hand, Fabiano Caruana’s performance in Tata Steel Masters 2020 is nothing short of extraordinary. Arguably, Fabiano played the best tournament in his entire career, coming in first 2 points ahead of Carlsen and picking 20 rating points along the way. Caruana reached 2842 mark which is the second-best rating ever (he had 2844 in October 2014) and got closer to Carlsen who dropped 10 points. It is still quite a distance between them but not a huge gap anymore. Biggest gains 1. Jorden Van Foreest – 2667 (+23)2. Fabiano Caruana – 2842 (+20)3. Daniil Dubov – 2699 (+16)4. Maxime Lagarde – 2659 (+8)5. Ferenc Berkes – 2655 (+6) Jorden Van Foreest and Daniil Dubov were not among the contenders for the first place in Tata Steel Masters but the talented youngsters proved that they belong there. Both finished on the plus side (+1) and substantially improved their rating. Now Daniil is only one point away from returning into a 2700 club. Meanwhile, Maxime Lagarde netted 8 rating points playing in PRO League Group Stage. Welcome to top 100 Open We have only four newcomers in February, namely Jorden Van Foreest, Karen H. Grigoryan, Matthias Bluebaum and Tamir Nabaty. The Dutchmen’s debut in the top 100 Open is particularly noteworthy as he made a huge leap from 120th to 69th position thanks to 23 rating points gained in Wijk aan Zee. Somewhat surprisingly, a very exciting World Women Chess Championship match with 6 decisive outcomes brought minimal changes into the rating list. The Challenger Aleksandra Goryachkina picked just one point, while Ju Wenjun who successfully defended her World Champion title on tiebreak lost one. The real changes in women’s rating are coming next month when the Gibraltar Masters results are calculated. The event attracted many strong women players competing for a very solid first prize of £20,000. In addition, a star-studded 10-player round-robin with a total prize fund of $180,000 will take place in the Saint Louis Chess Club February 6-17. The event features, just to name a few, the reigning World Champion Ju Wenjun, Humpy Koneru, Mariya Muzychuk, Kateryna Lagno, and Harika Dronavalli. Photos: Alina l’Ami
FIDE Candidates 2020
The FIDE Candidates 2020 will take place in Yekaterinburg, Russia from March 15 until April 5. Eight top grandmasters will contest in a double round-robin tournament for the right to challenge the current World Champion Magnus Carlsen (Norway). Participants: Fabiano Caruana (USA, 2842) – qualified as the Challenger of the World Championship match 2018 Ding Liren (CHN, 2805) – qualified as the finalist of the FIDE World Cup 2019 Wang Hao (CHN, 2758) – qualified as the winner of the FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament 2019 Alexander Grischuk (RUS, 2777) – qualified as the winner of the FIDE Grand Prix 2019 Ian Nepomniachtchi (RUS, 2774) – qualified as one of two top finishers in the FIDE Grand Prix 2019 Anish Giri (NED, 2763) – qualified by rating as the player with the highest average rating for 12 rating periods from February 2019 to January 2020 Kirill Alekseenko (RUS, 2704) – was given a wild card by the organizers Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (FRA, 2767) – replaced Teimour Radjabov as the highest-rated reserve player Schedule: Day 1 – ArrivalsDay 2 – Opening Ceremony & Technical MeetingDay 3 – Round 1Day 4 – Round 2Day 5 – Round 3Day 6 – Free dayDay 7 – Round 4Day 8 – Round 5Day 9 – Round 6Day 10 – Free dayDay 11 – Round 7Day 12 – Round 8Day 13 – Round 9Day 14 – Free dayDay 15 – Round 10Day 16 – Round 11Day 17 – Round 12Day 18 – Free dayDay 19 – Round 13Day 20 – Round 14Day 21 – Tie-breaks & Closing CeremonyDay 22 – Departures Full pairings: R 01 (March 17, 2020)Radjabov – CaruanaDing Liren – Wang HaoGiri – NepomniachtchiGrischuk – Alekseenko R 02 (March 18, 2020)Caruana – AlekseenkoNepomniachtchi – GrischukWang Hao – GiriRadjabov – Ding Liren R 03 (March 19, 2020)Ding Liren – CaruanaGiri – RadjabovGrischuk – Wang HaoAlekseenko – Nepomniachtchi R 04 (March 21, 2020)Caruana – NepomniachtchiWang Hao – AlekseenkoRadjabov – GrischukDing Liren – Giri R 05 (March 22, 2020)Giri – CaruanaGrischuk – Ding LirenAlekseenko – RadjabovNepomniachtchi – Wang Hao R 06 (March 23, 2020)Grischuk – CaruanaAlekseenko – GiriNepomniachtchi – Ding LirenWang Hao – Radjabov R 07 (March 25, 2020)Caruana – WangHao Radjabov – NepomniachtchiDing Liren – AlekseenkoGiri – Grischuk R 08 (March 26, 2020)Caruana – RadjabovWang Hao – Ding LirenNepomniachtchi – GiriAlekseenko – Grischuk R 09 (March 27, 2020)Alekseenko – CaruanaGrischuk – NepomniachtchiGiri – Wang HaoDing Liren – Radjabov R 10 (March 29, 2020)Caruana – Ding LirenRadjabov – GiriWang Hao – GrischukNepomniachtchi – Alekseenko R 11 (March 30, 2020)Nepomniachtchi – CaruanaAlekseenko – Wang HaoGrischuk – RadjabovGiri – Ding Liren R 12 (March 31, 2020)Caruana – GiriDing Liren – GrischukRadjabov – AlekseenkoWang Hao – Nepomniachtchi R 13 (April 02, 2020)Wang Hao – CaruanaNepomniachtchi – RadjabovAlekseenko – Ding LirenGrischuk – Giri R 14 (April 03, 2020)Caruana – GrischukGiri – AlekseenkoDing Liren – NepomniachtchiRadjabov – Wang Hao Players from the same federation play each other in earlier rounds: Ding Liren and Wang Hao will play each other in rounds 1 and 8; Alexander Grischuk, Ian Nepomniachtchi and Kirill Alekseeko – in rounds 1, 2, 3 and 8, 9, 10. Regulations for the FIDE Candidates Tournament 2020 in PDF format
Chess Clock Contract Bidding Procedure finalized
The bidding procedure has been submitted in order to prevent the monopolization of certain areas and industries in a market economy, to encourage innovation, and to develop competition. The right for certain models of chess clocks to be designated as a “Chess Clock Recommended by FIDE for National Federations” has been granted to: – DGT 2010 model and DGT 3000 model (both manufactured by Digital Game Technology); – Chess Evolution Classic model (manufactured by Chess Evolution Kft.); – Leap KK 9908 model (manufactured by Shenzhen Huibo Industrial and Trading Co., Ltd). The right for certain models of chess clocks to be designated as an “Official FIDE Chess Clock” has been granted to DGT 2010 model and DGT 3000 model (both manufactured by Digital Game Technology); A right for certain models of chess clocks to be designated as a “FIDE Championship Clock” hasn’t been granted to any of the bidders. FIDE intends to consult with manufacturers to investigate the compatibility of chess clocks with electronic boards.
David Paravyan wins Gibraltar Masters 2020
One of the best open competitions in the world, the Gibraltar International Chess Festival took place in the Caleta Hotel January 22-30. The festival included several tournaments in three sections: Masters, Challengers and Amateurs. More than 500 players from all around the world participated in the event this year. The centerpiece of the festival, the Masters tournament, brought together 250 players including 7 top GMs rated 2700+. The event in Gibraltar is known for a very high level of competition and close fight to the very end and this year was no exception – the winner was determined in a rapid playoff. The twelfth World Champion Anatoly Karpov was an honorary guest of the Gibraltar International Chess Festival. The legendary player gave a simul to local fans and later reflected on his career in an extensive interview taken by Tania Sachdev. FIDE President Arkady Dvokovich visited the event for the first time in his life to watch the games, take part in the closing ceremony and socialize with organizers and participants in an informal setting. “I really love chess. Without this love, I would never go for the elections and this position. I like spending time with chess players and chess family – organizers, arbiters,” he told in an interview in which he shared his views on the future of the game. The Masters event, a 10-round Swiss tournament, saw the rise of young and very young players with four of them finishing in the top 10. Before the last round, five players were tied for the first position with 7 points each, followed by a huge group of participants on 6.5. In Round 10, none of the leaders managed to win, whereas three of their pursuers, namely Maxime Vashie-Lagrave, Daniil Yuffa, and David Navara scored very important victories over Parham Maghsoodloo, Andiban B. and Denis Kadric respectively. As it is often the case in Gibraltar, the Masters tournament ended in a seven-way tie on 7.5 and the top four with the highest performance rating went into a rapid playoff for the title and the first prize (£30,000). In the semifinals, Andrey Esipenko from Russia faced his compatriot David Paravyan whereas Daniil Yuffa took on the Grand Swiss’ triumphant Wang Hao. The Chinese GM dispatched his Russian opponent in rapid games 2-0 but Esipenko and Paravyan went all the way to the Armageddon-blitz in which David prevailed with White and advanced into the final. In the first game of the final, Wang Hao got a certain edge in Ruy Lopez with white pieces but at the key point, he apparently underestimated Paravyan’s counterplay on the queenside. The Chinese GM sacrificed a knight to complicate matters but his Russian vis-à-vis cold-bloodedly fended off all the threats and converted his extra material in the ensuing endgame. In the second encounter, David found himself in an inferior position with White but managed to hold it with resourceful defense and became the winner of the 2020 Gibraltar Masters. Tan Zhongyi from China turned in a very strong performance (2600) and deservedly took the women’s top prize (£20,000) scoring 7 points in 10 games. Official site: https://www.gibchess.com/Photo: John Saunders and Niki Riga Final standings: 1. David Paravyan (RUS) – 7½ 2. Wang Hao (CHN) – 7½3. Andrey Esipenko (RUS) – 7½4. Daniil Yuffa (RUS) – 7½5. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (FRA) – 7½6. David Navara (CZE) – 7½7. Mustafa Yilmaz (TUR) – 7½8. Parham Maghsoodloo (IRI) – 79. Jan Werle (NED) – 710. Veselin Topalov (BUL) – 7
Women’s Grand Prix Lausanne: Pairings announced
Photo: https://www.lausanne-tourisme.ch/en/ The full pairings for every round of the upcoming Women’s Grand Prix Lausanne has been announced. The third leg of Women’s Grand Prix will take place in the capital city of the canton of Vaud, Switzerland, March 1-14, 2020. Twelve players will compete in a round-robin tournament., The drawing and round by round pairings have been made by FIDE’s Chief Operating Officer, Willy Iclicki and Ms. Sava Stoisavljevic, Assistant to the FIDE COO in FIDE office in Lausanne. The participants received the following starting numbers: 1. Aleksandra Goryachkina (Russia), 2. Alexandra Kosteniuk (Russia), 3. Zhansaya Abdumalik (KAZ) (replaced Zhao Xue), 4. Antoaneta Stefanova (Bulgaria), 5. Harika Dronavalli (India), 6. Anna Muzychuk (Ukraine), 7. Mariya Muzychuk (Ukraine), 8. Pia Cramling (Sweden), 9. Marie Sebag (France), 10. Ju Wenjun(China), 11. Nana Dzagnidze (Georgia), 12. Alina Kashlinskaya (Russia). FULL PAIRINGS: Round 1 Aleksandra Goryachkina (RUS) – Alina Kashlinskaya (RUS)Alexandra Kosteniuk (RUS) – Nana Dzagnidze (GEO)Zhansaya Abdumalik (KAZ) – Ju Wenjun (CHN)Antoaneta Stefanova(BLG) – Marie Sebag (FRA)Harika Dronavalli (IND) – Pia Cramling (SWE)Anna Muzychuk (UKR) – Mariya Muzychuk (UKR) Round 2 Alina Kashlinskaya (RUS) – Mariya Muzychuk (UKR)Pia Cramling (SWE) – Anna Muzychuk (UKR)Marie Sebag (FRA) – Harika Dronavalli (IND)Ju Wenjun (CHN) – Antoaneta Stefanova(BLG)Nana Dzagnidze (GEO) – Zhansaya Abdumalik (KAZ)Aleksandra Goryachkina (RUS) – Alexandra Kosteniuk (RUS) Round 3 Alexandra Kosteniuk (RUS) – Alina Kashlinskaya (RUS)Zhansaya Abdumalik (KAZ) – Aleksandra Goryachkina (RUS)Antoaneta Stefanova(BLG) – Nana Dzagnidze (GEO)Harika Dronavalli (IND) – Ju Wenjun (CHN)Anna Muzychuk (UKR) – Marie Sebag (FRA)Mariya Muzychuk (UKR) – Pia Cramling (SWE) Round 4 Alina Kashlinskaya (RUS) – Pia Cramling (SWE)Marie Sebag (FRA) – Mariya Muzychuk (UKR)Ju Wenjun (CHN) – Anna Muzychuk (UKR)Nana Dzagnidze (GEO) – Harika Dronavalli (IND)Aleksandra Goryachkina (RUS) – Antoaneta Stefanova(BLG)Alexandra Kosteniuk (RUS) – Zhansaya Abdumalik (KAZ) Round 5 Zhansaya Abdumalik (KAZ) – Alina Kashlinskaya (RUS)Antoaneta Stefanova(BLG) – Alexandra Kosteniuk (RUS)Harika Dronavalli (IND) – Aleksandra Goryachkina (RUS)Anna Muzychuk (UKR) – Nana Dzagnidze (GEO)Mariya Muzychuk (UKR) – Ju Wenjun (CHN)Pia Cramling (SWE) – Marie Sebag (FRA) Round 6 Alina Kashlinskaya (RUS) – Marie Sebag (FRA)Ju Wenjun (CHN) – Pia Cramling (SWE)Nana Dzagnidze (GEO) – Mariya Muzychuk (UKR)Aleksandra Goryachkina (RUS) – Anna Muzychuk (UKR)Alexandra Kosteniuk (RUS) – Harika Dronavalli (IND)Zhansaya Abdumalik (KAZ) – Antoaneta Stefanova(BLG) Round 7 Antoaneta Stefanova(BLG) – Alina Kashlinskaya (RUS)Harika Dronavalli (IND) – Zhansaya Abdumalik (KAZ)Anna Muzychuk (UKR) – Alexandra Kosteniuk (RUS)Mariya Muzychuk (UKR) – Aleksandra Goryachkina (RUS)Pia Cramling (SWE) – Nana Dzagnidze (GEO)Marie Sebag (FRA) – Ju Wenjun (CHN) Round 8 Alina Kashlinskaya (RUS) – Ju Wenjun (CHN)Nana Dzagnidze (GEO) – Marie Sebag (FRA)Aleksandra Goryachkina (RUS) – Pia Cramling (SWE)Alexandra Kosteniuk (RUS) – Mariya Muzychuk (UKR)Zhansaya Abdumalik (KAZ) – Anna Muzychuk (UKR)Antoaneta Stefanova(BLG) – Harika Dronavalli (IND) Round 9 Harika Dronavalli (IND) – Alina Kashlinskaya (RUS)Anna Muzychuk (UKR) – Antoaneta Stefanova(BLG)Mariya Muzychuk (UKR) – Zhansaya Abdumalik (KAZ)Pia Cramling (SWE) – Alexandra Kosteniuk (RUS)Marie Sebag (FRA) – Aleksandra Goryachkina (RUS)Ju Wenjun (CHN) – Nana Dzagnidze (GEO) Round 10 Alina Kashlinskaya (RUS) – Nana Dzagnidze (GEO)Aleksandra Goryachkina (RUS) – Ju Wenjun (CHN)Alexandra Kosteniuk (RUS) – Marie Sebag (FRA)Zhansaya Abdumalik (KAZ) – Pia Cramling (SWE)Antoaneta Stefanova(BLG) – Mariya Muzychuk (UKR)Harika Dronavalli (IND) – Anna Muzychuk (UKR) Round 11 Anna Muzychuk (UKR) – Alina Kashlinskaya (RUS)Mariya Muzychuk (UKR) – Harika Dronavalli (IND)Pia Cramling (SWE) – Antoaneta Stefanova(BLG)Marie Sebag (FRA) – Zhansaya Abdumalik (KAZ)Ju Wenjun (CHN) – Alexandra Kosteniuk (RUS)Nana Dzagnidze (GEO) – Aleksandra Goryachkina (RUS) Sixteen (16) players compete in four WGP tournaments. Each of the sixteen players participates in three out of four WGP tournaments. In each WGP event, every player scores WGP points according to her position in the final standings; the winner of WGP Series is a player who scores the greatest number of cumulative points earned in all three WGP tournaments she participated. Two players who score the most number of cumulative points in WGP Series qualify to the FIDE Women Candidates Tournament to be held in the first half of 2021. The current Women’s Grand Prix leader Humpy Konery opted to skip the third leg, but all her closest pursuers Aleksandra Goryachkina, Kateryna Lagno, and Alexandra Kosteniuk will come to Lausanne. The reigning World Champion Ju Wenjun, who participated in just one leg will do her best to close the gap. Overall standings after two legs in Skolkovo and Monte Carlo: 1. Humpy Koneru (293 points; 2 events)2. Aleksandra Goryachkina (253 points; 2 events)3. Kateryna Lagno (180 points; 2 events)4. Alexandra Kosteniuk (178 points; 2 events) 5-6. Ju Wenjun (120 points; 1 event)5-6. Harika Dronavalli (120 points; 2 events)7. Elisabeth Paehtz (95 points; 2 events)8. Valentina Gunina (85 points; 2 events)9. Anna Muzychuk (80 points; 1 event)10. Pia Cramling (70 points; 2 events)11. Mariya Muzychuk (60 points; 1 event)12. Alina Kashlinskaya (45 points; 1 event)13-14. Nana Dzagnidze (35 points; 1 event)13-14. Zhao Xue (35 points; 1 event)15-16. Antoaneta Stefanova (25 points; 1 event)15-16. Marie Sebag (25 points; 1 event) GP Lausanne Chief Arbiter’s Information (pdf) CHIEF ARBITER: IA Sava Stoisavljevic (SRB)DEPUTY CHIEF ARBITER: IA Olivier Jeitz (LUX):TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR: Maxim Korshunov (RUS)TOURNAMENT VENUE: The tournament venue is the Mövenpick Hotel, Avenue de Rhodanie 4, 1007 Lausanne.FORMAT & SYSTEM: The 12 players play a round-robin tournament (11 rounds). If a player withdraws after completing 50% or more of the games, the rest of her games are lost by default. In case a player completes less than 50%, all her results are annulled.No postponement of any game is allowed. TIME CONTROL: The time control for each game is 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game with an increment of 30 seconds per move starting from move 1.The games are played using the electronic clocks and boards approved by FIDE. DEFAULT TIME: Default time is 15 minutes after the start of each round. In case a player arrives at the chessboard with a delay of more than 15 minutes, the player loses the game. LIVE TRANSMISSION: All games in both sections are transmitted live on the Internet. DRAW BY MUTUAL AGREEMENT : The players cannot draw a game by agreement before black’s 30th move. A claim for a draw before black’s 30th move is permitted only through the Chief Arbiter (or his Deputy) in case of threefold repetition. TIE-BREAKS: If the top two (2) or
Resolution on the rating of Mr. Kobylianskyi and Mr. Shkuro
January 30th, 2020 RESOLUTION WHEREAS There are suspicion and concerns regarding the achievements of Mr. Ihor Kobylianskyi (FIDE ID 14106329) and Mr. Iuri Shkuro (FIDE ID 14108836) at recent rapid and blitz chess tournaments and the said suspicion and concerns have been reported to the FIDE Presidential Board. AND WHEREAS pursuant to Art. 0.5 of the FIDE Rating Regulations / FIDE Rapid and Blitz Rating Regulations «FIDE reserves the right not to rate a specific tournament». AND WHEREAS in discharge of its obligations under the relevant laws the FIDE Presidential Board wishes to protect the integrity of the sport of Chess, FIDE’s rating lists and the reputations of the players, The FIDE Presidential Board HEREBY RESOLVES as follows: 1. To authorize FIDE Legal Advisor Mr. Aleksandr Martynov and Qualification Commission (QC) Secretary Alex Holowczak to investigate the achievements of Mr. Ihor Kobylianskyi (FIDE ID 14106329) at rapid and blitz chess tournaments organized after May 2018 and Mr. Iuri Shkuro (FIDE ID 14108836) at blitz chess tournaments organized after November 2014 in order to confirm or disprove compliance by the players FIDE’s laws or regulations, FIDE’s general principles, including fair play and sportsmanship; 2. To request the said FIDE Legal Advisor to provide his recommendations on application of Art. 0.5 of the FIDE Rating Regulations / FIDE Rapid and Blitz Rating Regulations to the tournaments referred to in the FIDE laws or regulations mentioned in paragraph 1 of this resolution; 3. To suspend the rapid and blitz ratings of the above-mentioned players until the end of the said investigation; 4. To require the Ukranian Chess Federation (UCF) to seek advance written permission from the FIDE QC Chairman for the rating of any rapid or blitz tournament in which the said Mr. Kobylianskyi or Mr. Shkuro is due to play; 5. To bestow the right upon the FIDE QC Chairman to withdraw from rating the games of the said Mr. Kobylianskyi or Mr. Shkuro from a rating file if thought appropriate, whether or not previous permission had been sought by UCF; and 6. To support the FIDE QC in its continuing effort to improve the FIDE Rating Regulations and FIDE Rapid and Blitz Rating Regulations to protect, and promote the integrity of the rating process and lists and prevent accusations from interested parties of poor sportsmanship and questionable ethical practices when tournaments are registered or submitted for rating by any individual or federation.