Master Class for participants of the FIDE Confederation Cup
A master class by FIDE Executive Director GM Victor Bologan came as a nice bonus for 31 players from 24 countries who traveled to Ankara, Turkey to participate in the first edition of the FIDE Confederation Cup for the Disabled. GM Bologan gave a lecture covering many aspects of top-level chess such as tactical weaknesses, critical moments, strategy, training and much more. The master class was wrapped up with a Q & A session – the participants had an opportunity to ask GM Bologan various questions. Here are a few of the most interesting ones: Q: “Why is it important for you to support players with disabilities in this event?” GM Victor Bologan: “I believe we have to share the knowledge. This is very important and it’s my first point. Second, I have a personal motivation for this. My elder daughter has very serious cerebral palsy; she cannot move, she cannot talk, she cannot do many things. We take her places we go and she is really a part of society. The same thing with chess, it can be a tool to be part of the world of chess, competition, travel, seeing other people, discussing. Through chess, we don’t see limits, this is why I think it’s good to share the knowledge. In addition, I do not see a difference. When I was growing up in Moldova, I used to see chess players with disabilities and one player even managed to get a Ph.D., he’s a very good chess coach now. Also, we discussed in the DIS Commission, that we see the inclusion of players with disabilities not only as players but as arbiters, trainers, etc.” Another player asked GM Bologan for advice on how to teach his daughter, who has the same disability, to deal with losses in her own games. Q: “I have two daughters, and my second daughter, who is 7 years old, has the same disability as me. She is interested in chess because it is the only sport that we can practice. However, she has problems handling defeat. How can I advise her on how to deal with defeat in chess — she only wants to win.” GM Bologan’s: “This is not related to a disability, this applies to all of us, no one likes to lose, not even the big boys. Take my advice about self-confidence — you should not be afraid of losing. Every decision you make is something you get for yourself, you mature, you grow, and you get stronger. If you connect it with the analysis of every mistake, it is a way to improve. Then, psychologically, she will put it together. But it is important that she senses this improvement and doesn’t repeat her mistakes. Once she sees this works, then she will make the adjustment. If you simply tell her to be confident, don’t lose a game, this doesn’t work. On the other hand, if you say, look you made this mistake, try to avoid it by doing this or that. If she does this — that will be her victory. This is the way we progress. Then, victories will come by themselves because you grow and it is natural — you turn the defeat into a win.” Following the conclusion of the Master Class, the audience took a group photo and used this opportunity for selfies and individual photos with GM Bologan. The players were very happy to participate in the master class and, if they were not already, quickly became big fans of GM Bologan, expressing their appreciation at the conclusion of the class with a round of enthusiastic applause. Text: Dora L Martinez Photos: Dora L Martinez
GP Jerusalem: Vachier-Lagrave and Nepomniachtchi to clash in semifinals
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Ian Nepomniachtchi defeated Dmitry Andreikin and Wesley So respectively and both advanced to the semifinals of the FIDE Grand Prix organized by World Chess. Sergey Karjakin was knocked out by Wei Yi in an eventful four-game match that could have gone either way. The moment of truth has come: Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Ian Nepomniachtchi will finally cross swords in the decisive clash for a spot in the Candidates tournament. If Maxime Vachier-Lagrave wins this match he will immediately qualify for the Candidates. For the Russian, things are a bit more difficult: to get his ticket to Ekaterinburg 2020 he has to not only eliminate Maxime but also win the event. Israeli grandmaster Alik Gershon, who is also famous for setting the Guinness World Record for simultaneous games after playing 523 opponents, made a first symbolic move in the game Wei Yi – Karjakin. It turned out to be the longest match of the second round playoffs. After losing the first rapid game Sergey Karjakin took revenge and leveled the score in the second encounter. The Russian grandmaster had a pleasant advantage in the third game but missed a few opportunities in the middlegame and then misplayed the endgame, allowing his opponent to take the lead in the match. Sergey, who is known for his ability to fight back in any situation, tried to stage one more comeback, but Wei Yi didn’t give him a second chance. Dmitry Andreikin found an interesting idea to avoid the classical Naidorf in the first rapid game against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and confused his opponent. The French grandmaster didn’t react optimally and after f4-f5 found himself in a difficult position. According to Maxime, he still managed to create a mess on the board then turned the table and even won the game. Dmitry had to win the second encounter to level the score and was able to get a complicated position with black pieces. Since the match situation required to take extra risks, the Russian grandmaster sacrificed some material to stir up action, but Maxime found the most precise moves and transposed into the winning ending. The Frenchman preferred not to take any chances and offered a draw to seal his 1.5:0,5 victory. Ian Nepomniachtchi was taken by surprise in the opening of the first game and could not recall his preparation clearly. According to Ian, he got into the position where black had positional disadvantages but his defense was still hard to break. Wesley So did not find a way to do it and the game was drawn. In the second encounter, the American fell into his opponent’s preparation. “Once in a blue moon, I managed to get something out of the opening! Actually, this idea of 21…Bf3 22.Rf3 Re5 is a trap. I was lucky to remember all moves until it was better for white but it would not be me if I didn’t make some mistakes later in the game”, commented Nepomniachtchi. After 37…Rd4 38.Re8 the players entered the rook ending which clearly favored White. Wesley questioned his decision to go for this rook ending and assumed that he would probably have had better chances to defend the ending with queens on the board. The first games of the semifinals will be played tomorrow, December 17, at 3 pm local time: Ian Nepomniachtchi – Maxime Vachier-Lagrave Wei Yi – David Navara Official website and LIVE broadcast: https://worldchess.com Text: Anastasiya Karlovich Photos: Niki Riga World Chess contact: media@worldchess.com Photos are available for the press from the following link to Dropbox. Leading partners supporting the FIDE World Chess Grand Prix Series 2019 include: Algorand as the Exclusive Blockchain PartnerPhosAgro as the Official Strategic PartnerKaspersky as the Official Cybersecurity PartnerUsetech as the partner of the Jerusalem Grand PrixPrytek as the Technology Transfer Partner
Team Europe wins FIDE Confederation Cup for Players with Disabilities
The FIDE Confederation Cup for Players with Disabilities in Ankara is in the books. Team Europe won all four matches and deservedly took the title. Although the top two places were determined before the fourth and final round the race for the third place behind Europe and Asia was on. Two contenders, Russia-Turkey and Americas, were facing each other with the winner of the match taking third place. This hard-fought battle full of exciting twists ended in a tie 3-3. This meant Team Americas secured third place with 4 points, one point behind Team Asia that played the tournament without a rest day only to finish one day earlier than others did. In the other match of the day the champion, Team Europe, beat Africa 3.5:2.5 to finish the tournament with a perfect score. African players put up a good fight again and came close to getting their first point but it was not meant to be in the end. Final standings: 1. EUROPE – 8 (15½)2. ASIA – 5 (12)3. AMERICAS – 4 (11½)4. RUSSIA-TURKEY – 3 (12)5. AFRICA – 0 (9) This wasn’t the only chess-related activity of the day, however. FIDE Executive Director and famous grandmaster Victor Bologan found time to give a masterclass to players in which he explained some principles in chess to an enthusiastic audience. It is extremely important to combine chess events with instructional seminars or lessons and FIDE Confederation Cup for Players with Disabilities proved to be a good example. Also the Events Commission (EVE) and Commission for the Disabled (DIS) meetings were held in course of the event. After five days of chess, it was time to award prizes. The closing ceremony was attended by all players and officials such as Ayse Kardas Ergezen (Deputy Minister of Family, Labor and Social Security of Turkish Republic), Akaki Iashvili, Gulkiz Tulay (FIDE Vice Presidents; the latter is also President of TCF), Victor Bologan (FIDE Executive Director), Ozgur Solakoglu (Chairman of FIDE Events Commission and the tournament director), GM Thomas Luther (Chairman of FIDE DIS Commission), Kema Goryaeva (Councillor of FIDE DIS Commission and Event Manager), Dora Martinez (Councillor of FIDE DIS Commission) and Turgay Seçkin Serpil (FIDE DIS Commission Member), Assoc. Prof. Veli Ozan Cakir (Deputy Director General of Sports) as well as Mr. Yaroslav Mozdakov (ROSATOM’s Head of International Communications) representing the financial partner of the event. In her opening speech, TCF President and FIDE Vice President Mrs. Gulkiz Tulay mentioned that it was a great joy seeing the happiness of players with disabilities coming from all over the world to play chess in Ankara and thanked FIDE and ROSATOM who made it happen. Deputy Minister of Family, Labor and Social Security and TCF Vice President Ayse Kardas Ergezen expressed the support by her ministry for events improving the conditions of people with disabilities and her wish to see more of such events hosted by Turkey in future. FIDE Vice President Akaki Iashvili welcomed everyone in the name of FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich and thanked all who made this fantastic event possible and emphasized that chess for players with disabilities was one of FIDE’s priorities. Mr. Iashvili also expressed his gratitude to ROSATOM for their support and said that the cooperation between ROSATOM and FIDE will be a long-lasting one. Head of International Communications of ROSATOM Mr. Mozdakov reiterated that ROSATOM’s support of mind sports competitions worldwide will continue in the future. Finally, it was time to award prizes! The teams taking the first three places, Europe, Asia, and Americas, received their cups and medals. There were also separate prizes in three categories for the hearing impaired, visually impaired and physically disabled participants with the top three players in each category receiving medals. Griffin McConnell from the USA earned a special award as the youngest and most successful player in the competition. The players have also received special gifts in bags from ROSATOM and participation certificates. Much more important than the prizes and titles were invaluable experience and friendship built among the participants of the FIDE Confederation Cup. The next event for people with disabilities, World Chess Paralympics in 2020 in Khanty-Mansiysk will be even bigger. Hope to see you all there!
Grand Prix Jerusalem: Navara secures his place in semis
David Navara became the first semifinalist of the Jerusalem Grand Prix, after defeating Dmitry Jakovenko with white pieces in the second classical game. His next opponent will be the winner of the match Karjakin – Wei Yi. The Head of the Administration of the Ministry of Sports of Israel, Mr. Ofer Bustan, was the special guest today at the Jerusalem Grand Prix, organized by World Chess. Mr. Bustan made the first symbolic move in the game Navara – Jakovenko, which produced the only victory today. David Navara got an advantage right out of the opening and slowly but surely was increasing the pressure on his opponent’s position. A well-played game by the Czech grandmaster, where the final result was never in doubt. Wesley So chose to play the classical Ruy Lopez, which is the main opening weapon of the Grand Chess Tour champion Ding Liren. “I decided why not to copy him while he also defended very comfortably against Maxime in London”, said Wesley So with a smile. Wesley was still on his home preparation when Ian Nepomniachtchi offered a draw. Both players believed the final position was close to equality. “This line is all about 16…Qc8 move, if black knows it, he is equalizing. It’s difficult to play on this position, it simplifies very quickly,” added the Russian grandmaster. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave pointed out that the line that occurred in his game today was usually played between Russian and French grandmasters. He was obviously referring to the encounter Kasparov – Lautier from Tilburg 1997, which followed the same path until the 20th move. With 20.Rc7, Joel Lautier blundered a pawn but Garry Kasparov missed his chance and accepted a draw without thinking much. Dmitry Andreikin chose a better continuation 20.Kf1, but it didn’t affect the final result as a peace treaty was signed a few moves later. Wei Yi and Karjakin played a very complicated tactical game rife with sacrifices. For those who were wondering how far the preparation of Karjakin went today, the Russian Grandmaster gave a surprising answer: “I had some notes after 9.Ne5 but didn’t remember them well. I just played some natural moves. Later on, he played 12.Ng4 and I answered with 12…Nd7 which looked interesting as I want to continue with h5 or f5. I saw this line after 13.Nh6 but I stopped calculation after 18…Nf3 and 19…Rg8, thinking I’m just crashing my opponent. I was shocked when I realized he has 20.Ng4 with an idea Bc3! Fortunately, I found 20…Be5.” Wei Yi could have posed more problems for his opponent in the endgame which emerged after massive exchanges. According to Wei Yi, he could have had more chances if he kept his h-pawn by playing 28. Kg2. After 28.Kf1 Sergey Karjakin found a precise way to keep the game in balance. Three matches will continue on tiebreaks on December 16: Vachier-Lagrave vs AndreikinSo vs NepomniachtchiKarjakin vs Wei Yi Official website and LIVE broadcast: https://worldchess.com Text: Anastasiya Karlovich Photos: Niki Riga World Chess contact: media@worldchess.com Photos are available for the press from the following link to Dropbox. Leading partners supporting the FIDE World Chess Grand Prix Series 2019 include: Algorand as the Exclusive Blockchain PartnerPhosAgro as the Official Strategic PartnerKaspersky as the Official Cybersecurity PartnerUsetech as the partner of the Jerusalem Grand PrixPrytek as the Technology Transfer Partner
King Salman Rapid and Blitz Championships: Accommodation and dress code
The respective section is open in the registration system. The Accommodation section is open in the Registration system of the King Salman World Rapid and Blitz Championships 2019 https://wrbc2019registration.fide.com. The players may choose the hotel, make the reservation and acquaint themselves with the instruction. The official hotel of the King Salman World Rapid and Blitz Championships 2019 is Radisson Collection Hotel Moscow 5*. Address: 2/1 bld.1 Kutuzovsky Avenue, Dorogomilovo district (around 7 km driving distance to the venue). Free accommodation with full board in a standard room from December 25 to December 31 is offered by the Organiser to the invited players. According to the Regulations, the invited players are the players rated at least 2750 in the open section and 2500 in the women’s section in any of the FIDE rating lists (Standard, Rapid or Blitz) from January to December 2019 as well as gold, silver, and bronze medallists of the WRBC-2018. For all other players, the Organizing Committee offers the following accommodation options: the official hotel Radisson Collection Hotel Moscow 5* and recommended hotels with special prices (special prices are available for participants via links in the registration system; price includes breakfast in Recommended hotels). Recommended hotels: 1. Korston Club Hotel Moscow 4*. Address: 15 Kosygina street, Gagarinsky district (2 km walking distance, around 8 km driving distance to the venue). 1 metro stop to Sportivnaya Metro Station (the nearest metro station to the Venue – around 1 km). 2. Radisson Slavyanskaya Hotel & Business Center 4*. Address: 2 Square of Europe, Dorogomilovo district. (around 6 km driving distance to the venue). Kiyevskaya Metro Station is about 0.2 km. The metro route from Kievskaya to Sportivnaya includes one change on the ring line and 3 stops altogether and takes about 12 minutes. It is also possible to use the 132 bus. 3. Crowne Plaza Moscow World Trade Centre 5*. Address: 12 Krasnopresnenskaya embankment, Presnensky district (around 8 km to the venue). Vystavochnaya Metro Station is about 1 km. Moscow central circle station “Business center” is located 1 km away. There are only two stops to the station MCC “Luzhniki”. Transfer: A transfer airport-hotel-airport will be provided only to invited players in accordance with their travel requests. A free shuttle service Hotel-Venue-Hotel will be organized only from the official hotel (departure is approximately one hour before the start of the games). Additional information: Should you make your own accommodation arrangements, please skip the Accommodation request option in the Registration System. The accommodation request and request for lunch and dinner option at the official hotel deadline is on 22nd of December, 2019. Accommodation request can be submitted only after accreditation confirmation for invited players and their accompanying persons. Accreditation is confirmed after receipt of the e-mail from Registration and Accreditation Manager. By submitting your accommodation request, you are applying for a certain hotel, type of room and period of staying with the agreed price lists. In case of any questions regarding the accommodation, please contact the accommodation support team of the Organizing Committee: pugachev@ruchess.ru Artem Pugachev. During the King Salman World Rapid and Blitz Championships the following dress code that will apply: Men: Shoes: Oxfords, loafers, leather shoes or boots, classic suit shoes; Pants: Solid darks: black, navy, grey, beige, brown, in any case unicolourous; Shirt: Long-sleeved shirts in light shades (white, light blue, beige, brown, etc.), as well as blue and black. No bright colours, in any case unicolourous. Jacket: solid darks: black, navy, grey, beige, brown. No bright colours, in any case unicolourous. With or without a tie. The jacket or cardigan with buttons is mandatory. Women: classic shoes, formal trouser or skirt, suit or dress, preferably unicolour, but not mandatory. No players wearing t-shirts, jeans, shorts, sneakers, baseball caps or inappropriate dress are allowed in the playing area. Any requests to wear national or traditional dress must be approved by GSC. Registration https://wrbc2019registration.fide.com Official website https://wrbc2019.com
Alexandra Kosteniuk wins the Monaco Women’s Grand Prix
The final day of the Women’s FIDE Grand Prix could not be more thrilling. Humpy Koneru beats the leader Aleksandra Goryachkina in the top game of the round and allows Alexandra Kosteniuk to clinch the title thanks to better tiebreaks, as the former World Champion defeats Elisabeth Paehtz. The Women’s FIDE Grand Prix at the Yacht Club de Monaco witnessed a scenario worthy of the most exciting Hitchcock movies. Aleksandra Goryachkina went into the last round with a full-point advantage over Humpy Koneru and Alexandra Kosteniuk. However, the Indian had her fate in her hands, as she played against the leader with the white pieces. Koneru uncorked a fine opening idea against the Semi-Slav opening, which took Goryachkina by surprise. The Russian did not react precisely by sacrificing a pawn, as her only prospect was a difficult defense with opposite-colored bishops. The presence of heavy pieces made her task too arduous, and Koneru won a neat technical game. As a matter of fact, the Indian would have earned the trophy if Kosteniuk had not won her encounter with Elisabeth Paehtz. But the former World Champion produced a fine performance and won convincingly. Koneru and Goryachkina had been taking turns leading the event, but the trophy eventually went to Kosteniuk thanks to the better tiebreak – direct encounter, followed by the number of wins. The Russian had an incredibly successful fortnight in Monaco, as FIDE Vice-President Lukasz Turlej pointed out in his speech at the closing ceremony: “Alexandra Kosteniuk took it all! She brings home from Monaco the title of the Women’s Grand Prix, as well as both titles of European Rapid and Blitz Champion”. In a final interview, the Monaco winner said: “After my ups and downs in the first half of the tournament, I have never expected to even be able to fight for the first place. Only before the last round did I realize that I still had a small chance”. Kosteniuk takes home the trophy, but the Grand Prix points and prize money are shared among the three players. Thus, Humpy Koneru remains in the lead of the Grand Prix race, ahead of Aleksandra Goryachkina. Kateryna Lagno finished fourth in Monaco thanks to her last-round victory over Pia Cramling, whereas Anna Muzychuk took the fifth place after a draw against the tail-ender Valentina Gunina. The next stage of the Women’s FIDE Grand Prix will take place in Lausanne between March 1st and 14th 2020. Results of Round 11:Humpy Koneru (Ind) – Aleksandra Goryachkina (Rus): 1-0Alexandra Kosteniuk (Rus) – Elisabeth Paehtz (Ger): 1-0Mariya Muzychuk (Ukr) – Nana Dzagnidze (Geo): ½-½Zhao Xue (China) – Harika Dronavalli (Ind): 1-0Kateryna Lagno (Rus) – Pia Cramling (Swe): 1-0Anna Muzychuk (Ukr) – Valentina Gunina (Rus): ½-½ Final standings:1-3. Alexandra Kosteniuk (Rus), Humpy Koneru (Ind) et Aleksandra Goryachkina (Rus) – 7 points4. Kateryna Lagno (Rus) – 6½5. Anna Muzychuk (Ukr) – 66-8. Harika Dronavalli (Ind), Pia Cramling (Swe) et Mariya Muzychuk (Ukr) – 5½9-10. Zhao Xue (China) et Nana Dzagnidze (Geo) – 511. Elisabeth Paehtz (Ger) – 412. Valentina Gunina (Rus) – 2 Official website: https://wgp2019.fide.comPictures are available at FIDE’s official Flickr account. Text: Yannick PelletierPictures: Karol Bartnik
Grand Prix Jerusalem: Four quick draws
It was one of the shortest rounds at the FIDE Grand Prix in Jerusalem, organized by World Chess. Very much in the spirit of Shabbat in this holy city, all the second-round games were over within 90 minutes after the start. Tomorrow, on December 15, the grandmasters will face each other again with colors reversed. Sergey Karjakin went for a quick draw that he gave to two reasons for this decision: he was tired after the longest tie-break match, and also felt uncomfortable to play the opening without any preparation after rare move 6…g5 by Wei Yi. “My opponent was very well prepared for a side line which is not very popular and I realized it only over the board. It was tested by Anish Giri a few times before and since Wei Yi just played the match with him, he knew this variation and obviously looked though it” explained Sergei in the post-game interview. An interesting theoretical discussion in Gruenfeld Defence took place in the game Wesley So vs Ian Nepomniachtchi. Ian has played all correct moves of his home preparation to equalize the position but according to him, he had to make some decisions over the board as he was not sure if he remembered the line correctly. Wesley So preparation was interrupted as his computer went dead on the previous day and the internet was slow. Recalling their previous match against Ian in Fisher Random, he noted it would not be a problem to prepare without a computer in Norway, while here it was a different story. David Navara chose a line in the Italian Game, where black spends an extra tempo for playing a6-a5. Dmitry Jakovenko didn’t manage to get any advantage out of the opening, traded a few pieces and the draw was agreed on move 18. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave had some hopes of getting a slight advantage in the Exchange French thanks to his pair of bishops versus bishop and knight, but Dmitry Andreikin ruined them with 18… Ne4. Maxim was about to play 19.Rad1 when he noticed 19…Rf2! with unnecessary complications for white. After a precise 19.Be4 and subsequent exchanges the opponents shook hands. Round 2, game 2 pairings: Andreikin – Vachier-Lagrave Nepomniachtchi – So Wei – Karjakin Navara – Jakovenko Official website and LIVE broadcast: https://worldchess.com Text: Anastasiya Karlovich Photos: Niki Riga World Chess contact: media@worldchess.com Photos are available for the press from the following link to Dropbox. Leading partners supporting the FIDE World Chess Grand Prix Series 2019 include: Algorand as the Exclusive Blockchain PartnerPhosAgro as the Official Strategic PartnerKaspersky as the Official Cybersecurity PartnerUsetech as the partner of the Jerusalem Grand PrixPrytek as the Technology Transfer Partner
UN adopts July 20 as World Chess Day
World Chess Day, celebrated worldwide, is now recognized as well by the United Nations. The General Assembly unanimously adopted the relevant resolution on December 12. The resolution was tabled by Armenia and co-sponsored by 52 other countries. It confirms 20 July as World Chess Day, marking the date in 1924 when the International Chess Federation was established in Paris. The idea to celebrate this day as the international chess day was proposed by UNESCO, and it has been marked as such since 1966, after it was established by FIDE. The day is already celebrated by many of regular chess players around the world. According to the polls, “a surprisingly stable 70% of the adult population has played chess at some point during their lives”. This number holds at approximately the same level in countries as diverse as the US, UK, Germany, Russia, and India. When introducing the draft of the resolution, Armenia’s delegate Mher Margaryan observed that the game can transcend national boundaries and break down racial, political and social barriers. Armenia, he added, embraced chess as an academic subject in schools and currently has one of the highest numbers of chess grandmasters per capita in the world. “One of the most important and enduring lessons that chess can offer is teaching respect,” he said. One of the oldest and most popular mental games in history, chess is an established part of modern‑day culture. The resolution draft reflects on the transformative power of chess in helping transcend national boundaries and break down racial, political and social barriers. The text also recognizes the important opportunities offered by chess in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including in strengthening education and health, promoting empowerment of women and girls, fostering solidarity, cooperation and peace. Oficial United Nations meeting report Photos: “Armenia Mission to UN” Twitter, @ArmeniaUN
Goryachkina goes into the last round one point clear of Koneru
Alexandra Kosteniuk, the only player to score a full point in the 10th round of the Women’s Grand Prix in Monaco, joined Humpy Koneru in the second place. Aleksandra Goryachkina drew and keeps her one-point margin. It is all set at the Yacht Club de Monaco for a thrilling final on Saturday. Humpy Koneru still trails Aleksandra Goryachkina by one point, but tomorrow the Indian will have the white pieces in their showdown. The leader came out unscathed from her two encounters with the Muzychuk sisters. After escaping defeat against Mariya on Thursday, Goryachkina suffered again on Friday but made a draw. Anna Muzychuk got a very attractive position from the opening but did not manage to find the best way in complications. In the end, the Russian simplified into a drawn endgame and earned a half-point. Could Humpy Koneru reduce the gap with the leader from Russia? With the black pieces against Pia Cramling, she tried to unbalance the game early on by giving her opponent space advantage. The Swede, who was the number one woman player in the world some 35 years ago, reacted well to the challenge. She seemed to get control over the situation on the board thanks to a better pawn structure, but Koneru actually achieved sufficient activity to keep the balance. At some point, Cramling hastily exchanged rooks and found herself in real danger. Nevertheless, she held the draw making several precise defensive moves. In her short post-game interview, the Indian indicated that all players were very tired and that her last-round clash with Goryachkina might well be a battle of nerves. In the game between Harika Dronavalli and Alexandra Kosteniuk, the Indian was expected to try her chance to join the lead, or at least to get closer to Goryachkina. She did not play the most aggressive opening, hoping to outplay her opponent at later stages. The fight was balanced until Dronavalli missed Nf6-g4 which gave Kosteniuk a longlasting initiative. The Russian used her chance perfectly, clinched victory in the endgame and jumped to shared second with Koneru. Both Nana Dzagnidze and Zhao Xue had chances to prevail in their encounter. The Georgian was better at first but found herself on the defending side after making a few mistakes. In a titanic fight that lasted 99 moves and five and a half hours, the longest so far in Monaco, the two champions eventually shared the point. It looked as if Valentina Gunina was going to suffer yet another defeat in round 10 but it did not happen. Mariya Muzychuk reached an advantageous position with the black pieces but hesitated for a while and allowed the Russian to get back into the game. Gunina eventually secured her first draw in this event and avoided her seventh consecutive loss. Elisabeth Paehtz mixed up some moves in her opening against Kateryna Lagno but found a way to repeat the position around move 20 to secure a draw. The Peace and Sport Forum 2019 is taking place at the Hotel de Paris during the FIDE Grand Prix. Former World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk has been one the champions for Peace since 2010 and was therefore invited to the evening activities on Thursday. On this occasion, she exchanged a few words with H.S.H. Prince Albert II and contributed to making chess more popular worldwide. The eleventh and final round will begin a bit earlier than usual on Saturday. Joël Bouzou, President of Peace and Sports and adviser of H.S.H. Prince Albert II, will launch the games at 1 pm at the Yacht Club. The closing ceremony will be held at the same place at 8 pm. Results of round 10:Nana Dzagnidze (Geo) – Zhao Xue (China) ½-½Harika Dronavalli (Ind) – Alexandra Kosteniuk (Rus) 0-1Elisabeth Paehtz (Ger) – Kateryna Lagno (Rus): ½-½Pia Cramling (Swe) – Humpy Koneru (Ind) ½-½Aleksandra Goryachkina (Rus) – Anna Muzychuk (Ukr) ½-½Valentina Gunina (Rus) – Mariya Muzychuk (Ukr): ½-½ Standings after round 10:1. Aleksandra Goryachkina – 7 points2-3. Humpy Koneru and Alexandra Kosteniuk – 64-7. Anna Muzychuk, Harika Dronavalli, Kateryna Lagno and Pia Cramling – 5½8. Mariya Muzychuk – 59. Nana Dzagnidze – 4½10-11. Elisabeth Paehtz and Zhao Xue – 412. Valentina Gunina – 1½ 11th and the last round, December 14 at 1 pm:Humpy Koneru (Ind) – Aleksandra Goryachkina (Rus)Mariya Muzychuk (Ukr) – Nana Dzagnidze (Geo)Zhao Xue (China) – Harika Dronavalli (Ind) Alexandra Kosteniuk (Rus) – Elisabeth Paehtz (Ger)Kateryna Lagno (Rus) – Pia Cramling (Swe)Anna Muzychuk (Ukr) – Valentina Gunina (Rus) Official website with live games and commentary by WGM Keti Tsatsalashvili, IM Almira Skripchenko and GM Josif Dorfman: https://wgp2019.fide.com Pictures are available on our official Flickr account. Text: Yannick PelletierPictures: Karol Bartnik
Grand Prix Jerusalem: MVL and Nepomniachtchi still in the hunt
Seven quarter-finalists were determined on tiebreaks today. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Dmitry Andreikin, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Wei Yi, Dmitry Jakovenko, David Navara and Sergey Karjakin advanced to the quarterfinals where they joined Wesley So who had already qualified for the second round one day earlier. The local hero, Boris Gelfand, fell in the play-off against one of the favorites, Ian Nepomniachtchi. After losing a tiebreaker to Dmitry Jakovenko, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov has been knocked out from the competition and lost his chance to fight for the place in the Candidates Tournament 2020. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Ian Nepomniachtchi are still in the hunt. Four matches were decided in two rapid games. Dmitry Andreikin found a nice way to force a draw in the first game against Radoslaw Wojtaszek. After getting a serious advantage in the opening of the second encounter, Andreikin misplayed later on and lost control over the situation. Wojtaszek had good chances to win the battle but made a few mistakes in the time trouble, allowing his opponent to score a victory in the game and the match. Things went smoothly for Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, who convincingly won his rapid match against Veselin Topalov. The French grandmaster managed to get an advantage in Ruy Lopez Berlin after inaccurate 20…g5 and started the day with the victory. The former FIDE World Champion was pressing hard in the second game but Maxime defended well then turned the tables and whitewashed his opponent. Boris Gelfand and Ian Nepomniachtchi had a breath-taking battle full of interesting ideas in the openings, unpredictable twists, and tactical motifs. After losing the first game the Israeli Grandmaster had good chances to level the score but could not find the precise way to finish his attack on the opponent’s king. Nepomniachtchi also won the match 2:0 and continues his quest for the place in the Candidates. Similarly to the previous Grand Prix stages, Anish Giri failed to get through the first round and has to go home after falling to Wei Yi. After the opponents split the point in the first encounter, the second game was in the balance until Anish ventured upon a tempting 30…Nf4. According to Anish, he simply missed 35.Qe8 at the end of the variation and had to resign one move later. He called his participation in the Grand Prix Series this year as his worst performance. Nevertheless, his qualification for the Candidates 2020 by rating can be considered as good compensation for his hardships. Dmitry Jakovenko was the only player, who managed to strike back after losing the first game in the match with Shakhriyar Mamedyarov. In the second game, Shakhriyar played too aggressively, even though he needed just a draw, and allowed his opponent to get a decisive material advantage. In both games with Black, the Azerbaijani grandmaster didn’t get enough compensation and lost the match – 1.5:2.5. David Navara and Wang Hao deserve praise for their fighting spirit, despite drawing the first five games today. The match was decided in the sixth encounter, in which Navara had white pieces and obtained an advantage right after the opening. David was steering his ship with a firm hand and gave his opponent no chance to survive. Pentala Harikrishna and Sergey Karjakin played the longest match of the day. None of the opponents managed to win a game, even though they both had their chances in blitz. Karjakin made a decisive draw with Black in the last Armaggeddon encounter and claimed a victory in the match. The quarterfinal matches will begin on December 14. Round 2 pairings:Vachier-Lagrave – AndreikinSo – NepomniachtchiKarjakin – WeiJakovenko – Navara Official website and LIVE broadcast: https://worldchess.com FIDE Press officer for the event: Anastasiya Karlovich Official Photographer: Niki Riga World Chess contact: media@worldchess.com Photos are available for the press from the following link to Dropbox. Leading partners supporting the FIDE World Chess Grand Prix Series 2019 include: Algorand as the Exclusive Blockchain PartnerPhosAgro as the Official Strategic PartnerKaspersky as the Official Cybersecurity PartnerUsetech as the partner of the Jerusalem Grand PrixPrytek as the Technology Transfer Partner