WWCC Game 9: Ju Wenjun delivers a counterpunch
Ju Wenjun strikes back, wins the 9th game and evens up the score: 4½-4½. In a game with plenty of twists and turns, the World Champion emerged victorious after 62 moves. Oleg Kozhemyako, governor of the Primorye region, made the first symbolic move of Game 9. Under-prepared, lethargic, uninspiring, imprecise, unintuitive are just some of the words, which have been used to describe Ju Wenjun‘s play in the first 8 games of her title defense match. Her Russian opponent appears to be better prepared, seven years younger, hungrier, more motivated, and determined to fulfill every chess player’s ambition—to become a World Champion. Ju is down a point with just four games left. She just suffered a bitter defeat, in which she was wiped off the board in a lopsided fashion. The match is in Russia and the home crowd is buzzing with expectations. What would you do, if you were in Ju’s place? Ju Wenjun showed up wearing a black bomber jacket with “Whatever” embroidered on the back and she played like it. Her second move, 2.b3, startled Aleksandra Goryachkina. For the next 40 moves, Ju just kept bringing it. Was her play perfect? Of course not. Was it sound chess? Not really. Did it work? Yes, it did. For the first time in this match, Goryachkina was on the ropes. The Russian kept going in and out of trouble, with dubious sequences (11..Kxe5 and 12..d4) followed by excellent machine-like moves (20.. Bg1 and 22..Qc8). By move 28 it appeared as if the match was over. Goryachkina was able to refute Ju’s disjointed and very opportunistic play. 28…Qb4 would have likely led to Goryachkina’s becoming the new World Champion. Experts agreed. Fans in Vladivostok and online were beginning to celebrate. It was not to be. In approaching time-trouble, Goryachkina went astray with dubious Qg2?. Three hours of ‘Whatever’ worked. Goryachkina cracked and lost her way. After the time control, Ju finally showed her class and converted a complicated endgame with Karpovian (45. Bf4!) precision. The World Champion showed her mastery and won. Game 10 will be played on Monday, January 20. Official website: https://wwcm2020.fide.com Text: Michael Friedman Photos: Michael Friedman and Eteri Kublashvili Contact: press@fide.com Photos in high resolution are available for the press at our official Flickr account.
Tata Steel Masters 2020: Firouzja strikes again
Alireza Firouzja continues his sensational run in Wijk aan Zee – after his fourth win in 7 rounds, the Iranian prodigy took the sole lead again and got a real chance to win the whole tournament. Alireza will face Carlsen, Caruana, and Anand in three consecutive rounds next week, and he is looking forward to these games as “it is always interesting to play against champions”. In Round 7 Firouzja was facing another up-and-coming star Jeffery Xiong from the USA. Actually, it was a game between the two best U20 players in the world. Alireza dodged early exchanges with the Anti-Berlin line in Ruy Lopez and aggressively fought for the center with 7.c3 and 8.d4. Xiong’s position was very solid, but he didn’t want to defend passively and tried to engineer some active counterplay with 21…c5 and 23…d5. Engines state that 25…g5! would have fully equalized but this move looks extremely risky for the human eye; Xiong’s decision to fix the pawn structure on the king’s side handed Firouzja a sustainable advantage. The 16-year-old was building up pressure extremely well – the only improvement could have probably been 36.Qb2 instead of 36.Rd2. After the game, Alireza had a hard time explaining where his opponent made a crucial mistake. He was right mentioning that 43…Bb1 was a better defensive option, but Xiong’s task was very difficult anyway and he didn’t manage to save the game. Another hero of the tournament is 20-year-old Jorden van Foreest, who couldn’t stop smiling during his interview after a win with Black against Nikita Vitiugov. Interestingly enough, it was the first and the only Black’s victory in seven rounds. It was achieved in a pretty weird way as Vitiugov inexplicably blundered a central pawn on move 10 which is an extremely rare case in classical chess. The Russian GM put up quite a fight after giving such a handicap and was very close to reaching a draw – Van Foreest lost his concentration with 37…fxg4 (37…Be8 was an easy win as Jorden rightfully mentioned after the game). In a unique endgame where two white bishops were battling Black’s bishop and five (!) pawns, Vitiugov hastily took one of them with 44.Bxg4. The correct 44.Bd4! instead could have saved the game that he practically lost on move 10. Van Foreest, who finished in the last place in his debut in 2019, is at 4.5 out of 7 now. Fabiano Caruana is flying the flag of the “old guards” in Wijk aan Zee as he turns 28 this year. Today he managed to outsmart Daniil Dubov in a very complex endgame. The chances were objectively about equal but it was Caruana who was looking for opportunities to play for a win. A key moment came on move 42 when Black should have thwarted White’s plans with 42…Rb7+; 42…Kg7 played by Daniil allowed Caruana to start the knight maneuver Nd3-c1-b3-a5, and suddenly Black found himself in a tight corner. Dubov was trying to escape for 35 moves but to no avail. Almost all of Magnus Carlsen‘s games have been following the same scenario: he finds himself in a worse position after the opening but manages to save draw after draw with an accurate defense. His game with Black against his predecessor on the chess throne Vishy Anand wasn’t an exception. Anand was better throughout the whole game, and at some point, it looked like he could have scored a big win, but Carlsen sneaked out of danger once again. Even in the final position, Anand could have given it the last try with 56.Rb4 but decided against it. Three other games were quite unmemorable draws. Artemiev – So and Kovalev – Yu Yangyi were always about equal. Duda and Giri repeated moves right after the opening in the Marshall Attack. In the Challengers event, Eljanov is still leading the field. Tomorrow two tournament heroes – Van Foreest and Firouzja – are pit against one another. Jorden will have white pieces and enthusiastic support from the local spectators who will come for a special Chess Festival Weekend. Official site: https://www.tatasteelchess.com/Photo: Alina l’Ami Tata Steel Masters 2020 Standings after Round 7:1. Firouzja – 5;2-4. Caruana, Van Foreest, So – 4½;5-10. Dubov, Artemiev, Duda, Anand, Carlsen, Giri – 3½;11. Xiong – 3;12-13. Vitiugov, Yu Yangyi – 2½;14. Kovalev – 1½.
Tata Steel Masters 2020: Dubov and Giri win on a quiet day
A calm and short game between two best chess players in the world set the tone for Round 6 of Tata Steel Masters 2020. As in a few earlier rounds, White won two games, and the other five encounters ended in draws. After six rounds Black hasn’t had a single victory which is pretty unique for a chess tournament in the new era. Carlsen – Caruana game was potentially a jewel of the round, but with the champion being clearly out of form a short draw was definitely one of several possible scenarios. Unfortunately, this was the case today. Caruana chose a very solid line in the Queen’s Gambit Declined and though Carlsen was slightly pressing, Fabiano never felt he was in any real danger. “We made a lot of draws before, this was not the most spectacular,” Caruana admitted. “First five draws were the problem, this one – not so much” was Carlsen’s comment. He expressed hope that his drawing streak won’t be as long as his “no-losing” streak which is still very much alive. Both leaders – Wesley So and Alireza Firouzja – also had a peaceful day. So had White against Jan-Krzystof Duda and put some pressure in the Catalan. It isn’t easy to spot where he made an inaccuracy, but after massive exchanges, the knight endgame was already completely drawn. Firouzja, on the other hand, was in real danger in the game with Yu Yangyi. The Chinese GM chose a positional approach against Najdorf and got almost everything White dreams about in the line mastered by Efim Geller and Anatoly Karpov. Even after queens’ exchange Firouzja’s position still looked dangerous, but somehow move after move White’s advantage started evaporating – the final position was a dead draw with the opposite-colored bishops. Holding such a position is definitely an achievement for the 16-year-old. 23-year-old Daniil Dubov and 21-year-old Vlad Aremiev played numerous games against each other and they’re always fun to follow as both players are usually extremely aggressive especially with White. Today’s round went to the older one. Artemiev played Caro-Cann again but this time he chose a different set-up in the same variation with 6…Be7 (6…Ne7 against Firouzja brought him nothing, but troubles). This time the result of the opening was not that disastrous, but White still obtained a more pleasant position having control over the c-file. Dubov outmaneuvered his opponent and after Artemiev seemingly missed or underestimated 27.g4! his position became hopeless. Known for his tactic tricks Dubov didn’t miss a chance to finish the game with a nice little combo 31.Ra5! though for the player of his caliber it was a cakewalk. After this victory, the World Rapid Champion 2018 is only half a point behind the leaders. Anish Giri came back after yesterday’s disappointing loss at the expense of the tournament’s outsider Vladislav Kovalev. It was Gioco Piano only on paper as Kovalev went for an ambitious and very risky assault on the kingside. 22…f5?! was definitely too much as White didn’t do anything wrong. It looks like Black’s gutsy onslaught was doomed from the very start. Engines insist that 26.Bg1 could have just finished the game, but it’s not the move a human can easily make, though 26.Ra2 was definitely findable. Giri went for a natural 26.Nf5+ and the game went to a slightly better endgame for White. It is important to note, that Kovalev was in time trouble once again and failed to find the best defense. When the opponents reached the time control, it was already all over for Black. Xiong – Vitiugov was a completely different game in the same line – Black defended tenaciously and secured a half-point. Jorden Van Foreest and Vishy Anand who are entertaining the viewers with their games almost every day didn’t disappoint once again. In Four Knights Opening which is rarely played nowadays, Anand went for a gambit line – he sacrificed not one, but two pawns to grab the initiative and forced the white king to stay in the center. Van Foreest decided to give up his material advantage to transpose into a drawn endgame and it’s hard to blame him for that. Meanwhile, in Tata Steel Challengers Pavel Eljanov grabbed the sole lead after 6 rounds with 4.5 points. Tomorrow’s Round 7 will feature Anand – Carlsen game. Caruana – Dubov encounter will be interesting to follow also as both players are chasing the leaders. Tata Steel Masters 2020 Standings after Round 6:1-2. So, Firouzja – 4;3-5. Dubov Caruana, Van Foreest – 3½;6-11. Artemiev, Xiong, Duda, Anand, Carlsen, Giri – 3;12. Vitiugov – 2½;13. Yu Yangyi – 2;14. Kovalev – 1 Official site: https://www.tatasteelchess.com/Photo: Alina l’Ami
WWCC Game 8: Goryachkina scores a crucial victory
Aleksandra Goryachkina wins the 8th game and leads the Women’s World Chess Championship by one point: 4½-3½. The World Champion Ju Wenjun only has four games left to overturn the score and retain her title. Regardless of the outcome, it has become increasingly clear that Alexandra Goryachkina is punching above her rating. In this match, she has demonstrated enviable grit, patience, and perseverance. Will it be enough to become the next World Champion? In today’s Carlsbad variation of Queen’s Gambit, Ju Wenjun (playing Black) opted for an unorthodox 8…Ne4. A quick database search showed that White scored 71% in over 70 games played. It is unclear why Ju went for this line. At the press conference, the World Champion admitted that after 17.dxc5 she felt that the game was getting out of hand and she struggled to come up with an equalizing plan. Goryachkina continued to push, while Black seemed to always go for safer, more passive moves when presented with an option to either play intuitively or defend. A good example of this was 25… Qg7, protecting a dead-weight h-pawn, instead of a much more dynamic and intuitive Nd7 — a reflection of how Ju has played this match. Game after game, around move 30, Ju has a choice between going with her gut and intuition, she seems to be choosing a much safer, less opportunistic option. Presented with a golden opportunity, Goryachkina played extremely accurately. She was not perfect: 32.b5! would have ended the game on the spot, before the time control. Nevertheless, 32.Be4 was good enough and Aleksandra was still winning. Goryachkina felt that after 37.e6 this was a game she was not going to let go. The next game is a test for Goryachkina. For the first time in the match, she is the hunted. Suddenly, this is her World Championship match to lose. In a huge psychological shift, we’ll now see what Goryachkina is truly made of. Will she be nervous? How will today’s result impact her opening preparation? What about Ju? Does she have it in her to play winning chess? A player known for aggressive, tactical brilliance, how will she react to being four games away from losing her title? Game 9 will be played on Sunday, January 19, at 15:30 local time. Ye Jiangchuan, President of the Chinese Chess Association and FIDE Vice-President, together with Efim Zvenyatsky, Art Director of the Gorky Drama Theatre made the first symbolic moves in Game 8. Former World Champion Hou Yifan joined Nigel Short. She will be a co-commentator for the remaining games of the match. Aleksandra always follows the same ritual, setting up the pieces after the game is over – regardless of the result. Official website: https://wwcm2020.fide.com Text: Michael Friedman Photos: Michael Friedman and Eteri Kublashvili Contact: press@fide.com Photos in high resolution are available for the press at our official Flickr account.
Tata Steel Masters 2020: The Return of the King
One of the chess greatest Viswanathan Anand was the hero of Round 5 in Wijk aan Zee as he played an almost perfect game against young American Jeffery Xiong. It is Anand’s first win since he turned 50 a month ago. Round 5 of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament was played at the PSV Stadium in Eindhoven. A PSV player Daniel Schwaab officially opened proceedings with a hit on the gong. It looked like Anand was poised to score right out of the gates. In a classical line of the French Defense Black gave up an opportunity to castle on move 7 and got prepared for a lengthy defense hoping to exploit White’s pawn weaknesses later in the game. Probably Xiong was not fully aware of the subtleties of this adventurous line as he chose a rare move 8…h5 and then made an obvious mistake with 11…cxd4 – after that White had a clear plan of an onslaught on the King’s side while Black was definitely struggling. Anand was attacking energetically and the only time he missed the best continuation came on move 22 when he opted for a bit slow 22.Ne2. It didn’t really change the outcome, but Xiong grabbed an opportunity to activate his pieces at the cost of a pawn. Psychology and experience helped Anand to finish the game – he offered queen exchange, and Xiong declined as he didn’t want to suffer in a worse endgame. But it was a mistake – after 31.c4! Black’s position fell apart and Jeffery was forced into a completely lost rook endgame anyway. Nice win by Anand – he is back to 50% after the drama in Round 2 versus So. Alireza Firouzja returned to the top of the leaderboard after he beat Anish Giri. Giri was doing completely fine in one of the most double-edged lines of the Queen’s Gambit Declined which was first introduced in 2011 in Grischuk – Aronian Candidates match and became popular after that, and until he lost a key tempo with 17…Be5 (the immediate 17…Qe7 that favors Black is strongly recommended by engines). Still, there was no real danger for Giri and the game was heading for a draw but Anish erroneously went for exchanges – first, he traded his bishop for a knight and then erred in the evaluation of a pawn endgame that turned out to be winning for White. A huge disappointment for Anish and Dutch fans. Fabiano Caruana was also close to catching up with the leader Wesley So as he finally found a hole in Jorden Van Foreest’s opening preparation. In a sharp line of the English Opening (David Anton scored a spectacular victory versus Alexander Grischuk in this variation at the Grand Swiss) World #2 sacrificed a piece but got an overwhelming compensation for it. Had Fabiano played a natural 19.h3 move, most likely he would have scored his second victory but after 19.Rc4 van Foreest managed to spark much-needed chemistry between his pieces and timely reminded his opponent that he had an extra piece. In the final position, Van Foreest could have played for a win, but he was happy with a draw after such a bumpy start of the game. The leader Wesley So didn’t have any chance for a win today as his opponent Vlad Kovalev was looking for a calm draw with White after a disastrous start and comfortably attained his goal. Duda – Artemiev game was a completely different affair, a real thriller where both opponents missed their chances at some point. Jan-Krzystof Duda put the board on fire by sacrificing a bishop on move 21. Stockfish doesn’t approve and recommends 24…fxg4 as a refutation of the White’s plan. It’s hard to blame Vladislav Artemiev though who opted for a more human-like 24…Bf6. Duda’s attack continued and after an inaccurate 26…Qd7 he found 27.d5! to consolidate the advantage. Polish #1 missed a chance to win when he exchanged queens as pawn endgame was easy to hold for Artemiev. Nikita Vitiugov is definitely disappointed with his result against Yu Yangyi. He had an excellent opportunity to take revenge for a tragic loss to the same opponent in the World Cup quarterfinals that is definitely still haunting the GM from Saint-Petersburg. In the Catalan, Vitiugov got the type of position to dream about but then went astray. Nikita will probably have hard time explaining why he offered a queen exchange letting his clear advantage go. The World Champion’s Magnus Carlsen troubles continue in his game against his second Daniil Dubov. Dubov helped Carlsen in his preparation for the last World Championship match against Caruana, and it definitely influenced the opening choices of both opponents. Still, Magnus told in the interview that he was happy with the results of the opening, but made a horrible mistake with automatic 17.Nc4 (17.Nf1 was the right path for the knight) and after 17…Qe6 had to switch to fighting for a draw once again. He made a “defensive pawn sacrifice” as he explained in the post-mortem and managed to save a half-point. Carlsen admitted that his “no-losing” streak had an effect on his play in the first rounds, but he was just not getting the positions he wanted after the opening. Tomorrow the tournament is returning back to Wijk aan Zee for an epic game Carlsen – Caruana. Tata Steel Masters 2020 Standings after Round 5: 1-2. So, Firouzja – 3½; 3-5. Artemiev, Caruana, Van Foreest – 3; 6-10. Dubov, Xiong, Duda, Anand, Carlsen – 2½;11-12. Giri, Vitiugov – 2;13. Yu Yangyi – 1½;14. Kovalev – 1.
WWCC Game 7: Tension builds up in Vladivostok
The 7th game of the Women’s World Championship, played in Vladivostok, ends in a draw. Ju Wenjun, with white, put some pressure on Goryachkina, but the challenger defended well and was never in serious trouble. The score is now 3½-3½ with 5 games left. Wang Xue Chun, Deputy General Consul of China in Vladivostok and Zhan Kuznetsov, Minister of Sport of Primorsky region made the first symbolic moves in Game 7. After a near-disaster in Game 6, Ju Wenjun (playing White again) probably needed to have a game in which she would only be playing for two results — a win or a draw, with little chance of losing. With 4.d3 (Anti-Berlin variation of the Ruy Lopez), Ju achieved just that — a very comfortable position with some space advantage and minimum risk. Aleksandra Goryachkina (playing Black) was reduced to sitting back: however, her position had no glaring weaknesses. Therefore, computer evaluations rarely moved past +0.50 for White. Nevertheless, it must have been extremely unpleasant for Goryachkina to be at the board for so long, maneuvering without any real counterplay. The Challenger had to show a lot of character to defend a bland, slightly worse position without giving in. Such positions are often lost when a player on the passive side loses his or her patience. Aleksandra defended extremely accurately, especially after the knights came off the board. Goryachkina probably was relieved after Ju played 37.Nf5. With just four minutes on the clock, Ju was unable to work out all the complications that could have arisen from the more dynamic alternatives such as 37.h4. Despite 4 hours and 40 moves of exerting steady pressure, Ju never appeared to have a clear path to victory. Games 4-7 were going to be a real test for the challenger. Despite having one White and losing Game 4, she emerged from this stretch even, proving her highest chess level and readiness to be on the biggest stage. There are still five games left in the match and it is a bit early to be thinking about a tiebreak. However, given how tight the encounters have been so far, it seems very likely for the match to go the full distance. Official website: https://wwcm2020.fide.com Text: Michael Friedman Photos: Michael Friedman and Eteri Kublashvili Contact: press@fide.com Photos in high resolution are available for the press at our official Flickr account.
Call for Bids: Reopening Bidding procedure for FIDE World Youth Chess Championships 2021
FIDE did not receive any bids till the bidding deadline for FIDE World Youth (U14, U16, U18) Chess Championships 2021 (Africa) and FIDE World Youth U16 Chess Olympiad 2021. Because of that FIDE Events Commission has re-opened the bidding procedure for the FIDE World Youth (U14, U16, U18) Chess Championships 2021 (open for all continents) and FIDE World Youth U16 Chess Olympiad 2021 with the bidding deadline 27th January 2020. · A bid for any FIDE Competitions onwards shall include the name of a FIDE licensed International Organizer. · All bids should be submitted by the due date in a sealed envelope or scanned documents to the FIDE Secretariat postal address: Avenue de Rhodanie 54, 1007 Lausanne, Switzerland, Tel: + (41) 21 6010039, email office@fide.com by 27th January 2020, 16:00 local time. · Each bid should be accompanied with a bid fee. · Bid Fees are not refundable. Bid fees should be paid the latest by 3rd February 2020 to the FIDE bank account (free of charges) or to be enclosed in the bid envelope. · All bidders must fill in the bid form and the new bid form annex. · Prices of hotels, details about the accommodation and tournament hall must be written in the bid. · FIDE EVE will make first bid inspections and send its report together with a bid evaluation form. There will be a second inspection of the awarded organisation two to four months prior to the event. Accommodation and local transfer costs of the inspections must be paid by organizers. · FIDE Officials – Appeals Committee, Chief Arbiter, Deputy Arbiter(s) – will be decided and appointed by FIDE following the proposal of organizers. The bid form and new added annex can be downloaded here. BID FORM BID FORM ANNEX
Women’s World Chess Championship resumes in Vladivostok
The second half of the Women’s World Chess Championship between Ju Wenjun (China) and Aleksandra Goryachkina (Russia) kicked off with an opening ceremony in Vladivostok, Russia. The ceremony began with welcome speeches by the organizers and sponsors and was followed by a concert. “Vladivostok is not only a commercial but also a cultural and sports capital of the region,” said Vera Scherbina, vice-governor of the hosting Primorsky region. “We are happy to host such a large-scale event. There are over 3,000 chess lovers here, and that’s why it’s a very big event for us.” “I thank all the partners and organizers of the Match, in particular, the Chinese Chess Association, all Chinese sponsors, Government of the Primorsky region, Governor Oleg Kozhemyako, Gidrostroy, Gazprom, Chess Federation of Russia, Far Eastern Federal University, all the partners of FIDE and CFR, and sponsors of the participants, including Andrey Simanovskiy and Ju Wenjun‘s supporters,” said FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, welcoming the guests of the ceremony. “The whole world is watching the Match with great interest. I think that this event will help promote chess in this wonderful region. We will do our best to create comfortable conditions for both players. I declare the second part of the Women’s World Championship Match open,” he added. Wang Xiaochun, Deputy General Consul of China in Vladivostok, expressed his gratitude to the organizers and partners. “Such sports events enrich friendly relations between China and Russia”, he said. “Chess is very popular in both countries, the Russian and Chinese take leading positions in the world chess rating lists. This match demonstrates the strength and high level of our players. I wish success to both participants.” FIDE vice-president Nigel Short described the on-going Match as a very exciting chess battle and encouraged the younger fans — who are just starting their journey in the game — to come and experience it in person. “I welcome all chess fans to come to see the match with their own eyes and take part in the side events,” he said. “These impressions will stay with you for the rest of your life.” Alexander Verkhovsky, Chairperson of the Board of directors of Gidrostroy, general sponsor of the Match, sent a message of greetings to the participants and guests: “We are witnessing and partaking in a unique contest. Just like all chess games. In this lies its beauty and power. Chess is above and beyond time, politics, and all pretenses. Chess unites. Chess makes us all one family. Here’s to hoping that this Women’s World Championship Match will be remembered in history as a prime example of great sportsmanship and friendship between two great chess nations”. Gidrostroy is the largest fishery holding company in the Far East and second in Russia in terms of overall production. Its subsidiary businesses include all fishery-related operations such as oceanic and coastal fishing; processing, storage, and sales of fish products; artificial propagation; and construction.” Following the speeches, Vera Scherbina and Wang Xiaochun pushed the buttons of a legendary clock to launch the second part of the Championship. This clock, a historical artifact, had been used during the 1958 World Championship played between Mikhail Botvinnik and Vasily Smyslov in Moscow. Speaking to journalists, both Ju and Goryachkina promised to play their best games and to satisfy all chess fans. “We’ve had very intense games, and, so far, the match is proving to be extremely interesting,” Ju said. “I believe my strength comes from being a more experienced player, while my opponent is younger and is very motivated.” Goryachkina confirmed her strong motivation. “I will give it my all,” she said. “The match is now tied and its an indication that we are evenly matched.” The Match is set to resume with the seventh game on January 16 with Ju Wenjun having the white pieces. The score is even at 3-3. Official website: https://wwcm2020.fide.com Text: Michael Friedman Photos: Eteri Kublashvili Contact: press@fide.com Photos in high resolution are available for the press at our official Flickr account.
Tata Steel Masters 2020: So stops Firouzja
All eyes were on the 16-year-old Alireza Firouzja in the fourth round of Tata Steel Masters 2020. The sole leader after three rounds was playing with Black versus World Fischer Random champion Wesley So – his first game against a Top-10 player in this event. Firouzja went for Queen’s Gambit Accepted once again (he was close to a win in his Round 2 game against Duda), but So’s strategic approach to the game seemed perfect. He opted for a calmer line where White has no direct threats, but Black should be very accurate and patient. Patience is not a typical teenager’s virtue – Firouzja made some dubious decisions trying to solve all his problems too quickly. This game definitely needs a more detailed analysis, but 18…Na7 and especially 30…e4 were not the optimal defensive options. Black lost a central pawn and a bishop endgame was probably already lost but 37…fxg4 and 38…g5 just made things easier for the American GM. So taught the youngster a good lesson and became a new leader. Another winner of Round 4 is Vladislav Artemiev from Russia. His opponent and namesake Kovalev is struggling in Wijk aan Zee constantly finding himself in terrible time trouble. This time Kovalev was hanging in there till move 35. With only a minute on the clock he didn’t venture upon a counterattack with 35…b4!, lost a pawn on d5, but still had chances for a draw. However a horrible blunder by the Belarusian 39…Rd8?? became the last straw. A standard exchange sacrifice finished the game immediately as the black king was left without any guard. Black is still winless in Tata Steel Masters, but today they at least managed to draw all other games. In Dubov – Duda and Yu Yangyi – Anand encounters Black equalized comfortably and the games were over in just two hours. Anish Giri against Nikita Vitiugov and especially Jeffery Xiong versus Fabiano Caruana were pressing with White and probably are not completely satisfied with just half a point result. Magnus Carlsen desperately tried to change the course of a not very successful tournament and played the Two Knights Defense against Jorden Van Foreest. It’s not really a defense, but an attack with Black sacrificing a pawn for an active counterplay. In one of the sidelines that was first introduced by Isidor Gunsberg in his match against Mikhail Chigorin back in 1890 (!) Van Foreest proved once again that he was not afraid to mix it up with the chess tycoons – he gave a pawn back with 16.g4! and forced into a better endgame. If Jorden was bold enough to sacrifice an exchange with 29.dxc4 he would have a chance for a major upset. After 29.Rce1 Magnus was out of the woods and even made an attempt to play for a win, but van Foreest was up to the task. Carlsen is still at 50%, and the 20-year old from Utrecht (actually Van Foreest is an aristocratic Dutch family well-known since XIII century) has 2.5 points after 4 rounds. By making this draw, Magnus Carlsen took his unbeaten streak to 111 games with classical time control. The World Champion broke the record (110 games in a row without a loss) set by Sergei Tiviakov back in 2005. Tomorrow is the rest day. The participants have a chance to recharge batteries before Round 5, which will be played on January 16 in Eindhoven. Official site: https://www.tatasteelchess.com/Photo: Alina l’Ami Tata Steel Masters 2020 Standings after Round 4: 1. So – 3;2-6. Firouzja, Xiong, Artemiev, Caruana, Van Foreest – 2½;7-10. Dubov, Duda, Giri, Carlsen – 2;11-12. Anand, Vitiugov – 1½;13. Yu Yangyi – 1; 14. Kovalev – ½.
Ummer Koya passed away
January 14, 2020 It is with the deepest sadness that we learned about the passing of PT Ummer Koya, who was Vice-President of the International Chess Federation for a whole decade, between 1996 and 2006. Besides his role in our organization, Ummer Koya (Calicut, 1951) was a cornerstone for the development of chess in his country. He was elected General Secretary of the All India Chess Federation in 1989, a post he held until 2005. We are very thankful for his dedication and his contributions to promoting chess from both institutions, and from FIDE we would like to express our sincerest condolences to his relatives, his loved ones, and all the members of the Indian chess community. Photo: https://english.manoramaonline.com/