Grand Prix Jerusalem: Pairings announced
The fourth and final leg of FIDE Grand Prix 2019 organized by WorldChess took off in Jerusalem today. The event stretching over twelve days will decide two players qualifying for the Candidates Tournament that is scheduled for the spring of 2020 in Yekaterinburg. First round pairings: Veselin Topalov – Maxime Vachier-LagraveRadoslaw Wojtaszek – Dmitry AndreikinYu Yangyi – Wesley SoYan Nepomniachtchi – Boris GelfandWei Yi – Anish GiriPentala Harikrishna – Sergey KarjakinDavid Navara – Wang HaoShakhriyar Mamedyarov – Dmitry Jakovenko Currently, the list of front-runners for two slots in Yekaterinburg includes four players: Alexander Grischuk, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, and Yan Nepomniachtchi. Alexander is not playing in Jerusalem but with a 7-point margin over Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, he can feel relatively safe. Actually, the one and only scenario in which Grischuk would not qualify for the Candidates Tournament is that Mamedyarov takes down Vachiev-Lagrave in the final after the Frenchman’s winning his three first matches without tiebreaks, whereas the Azerbaijanian scores at least 20 Grand Prix points total (10 in Jerusalem only). All these considerations will make the battles in Jerusalem even more exciting. FIDE Grand Prix standings before the final leg in Jerusalem: (from Wikipedia)
WGP Monaco: Goryachkina and Koneru win and lead
The seventh round of the Women’s Grand Prix in Monaco again produced five decisive results. The finish promises to be enthralling at the local Yacht Club. The participants of the FIDE Grand Prix in Monaco enjoyed a rest day on Monday. After six consecutive rounds, this break proved necessary in order to recharge the batteries for the second half of the event. While some players rested in the first sense of the word, others took the opportunity to visit Monaco’s surroundings or even Nice. To conclude the day, a gala dinner took place at the beautiful Casino de Monte-Carlo, where the Women’s Grand Prix was held back in 2015. At the start of the seventh round, the tension was palpable, as if an irresistible urge to play chess seized the champions. In the encounter between Humpy Koneru and Zhao Xue, the game immediately took an unusual turn, when the Chinese opted for b5 on move 2. The leader of the Grand Prix Series thought for a while and reacted aggressively. This seemed promising, but the Indian did not follow through and soon faced problems. Zhao Xue played well for a big portion of the game but erred when she timidly decided to give back a pawn she had won earlier. Both players exchanged inaccuracies until the Chinese miscalculated and gave up a piece. It was the end of the battle, as Koneru did not look back. Aleksandra Goryachkina and Nana Dzagnidze delivered an equally exciting fight, where each had an advantage on one part of the board. The Russian mounted pressure against the king, whereas her opponent possessed a valuable passed pawn on the queenside. Dzagnidze should have resisted the temptation to push her main trump too early, as it suddenly fell. The rest was a smooth sail for Goryachkina who collected a full point. The third leader before this round, Harika Dronavalli, had the difficult task of defending with the black pieces against Anna Muzychuk. The game ended on a threefold repetition on move 24, but this short battle was tense nevertheless. The three other games were highly entertaining and ended with the victories. The Russian duel between Kateryna Lagno and Alexandra Kosteniuk was rather one-sided, as Black made a mistake after the opening. Lagno confidently overcame her opponent’s resilience and won on move 48. The encounter between Mariya Muzychuk and Elisabeth Paehtz followed a very similar pattern when the German weakened her castle after the opening. Nothing terrible happened immediately, but the damage was done in the long-term. After mutual inaccuracies, White won a pawn and later the game. Valentina Gunina’s suffering continues in Monaco. Her opening play was not convincing, as she allowed Pia Cramling to reach a comfortable position with the black pieces. The rest day definitely proved beneficial to the oldest participant in the event. The Swedish legend displayed the same freshness as in the first rounds and efficiently used her opponent’s inaccuracies to score her second victory in the event. Aleksandra Goryachkina and Humpy Koneru are now jointly in the lead, a half-point ahead of Harika Dronavalli. Round 8 features a highly interesting Indian duel, whereas the Russian co-leader will also face her compatriot, Valentina Gunina. Results of Round 7:Aleksandra Goryachkina (Rus) – Nana Dzagnidze (Geo): 1-0Kateryna Lagno (Rus) – Alexandra Kosteniuk (Rus): 1-0Humpy Koneru (Ind) – Zhao Xue (China): 1-0Anna Muzychuk (Ukr) – Harika Dronavalli (Ind): ½-½Mariya Muzychuk (Ukr) – Elisabeth Paehtz (Ger): 1-0Valentina Gunina (Rus) – Pia Cramling (Swe): 0-1 Standings after round 7:1-2. Aleksandra Goryachkina and Humpy Koneru – 5 points3. Harika Dronavalli – 4½4-6. Anna Muzychuk, Kateryna Lagno, and Pia Cramling – 47-8. Alexandra Kosteniuk and Mariya Muzychuk – 3½9. Nana Dzagnidze – 310. Zhao Xue – 2½11. Elisabeth Paehtz – 212. Valentina Gunina – 1 Round 8, 11 December at 3 pm:Nana Dzagnidze (Geo) – Alexandra Kosteniuk (Rus)Zhao Xue (China) – Kateryna Lagno (Rus)Harika Dronavalli (Ind) – Humpy Koneru (Ind)Elisabeth Paehtz (Ger) – Anna Muzychuk (Ukr)Pia Cramling (Swe) – Mariya Muzychuk (Ukr)Aleksandra Goryachkina (Rus) – 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, both in high resolution (for printing) or low resolution (for internet/social media). Text: Yannick PelletierPictures: Karol Bartnik
Anand’s 50th anniversary: Five chess gems
Vishwanathan Anand is celebrating his 50th anniversary. The entire chess world congratulates the legendary grandmaster but first and foremost his homeland India extols the greatest chess player in the history of the country. At the end of November 2019 our colleagues from ChessBase India handpicked nine positions from Anand’s best games and asked Magnus Carlsen, Anish Giri, Hikaru Nakamura, Vidit Gujrathi and Erwin l’Ami about them. Then they talked with Anand about these very games and recorded a video in which Vishy shared his memories and stories behind each of them. FIDE.com presents five best fragments, five real chess gems by Vishy Anand. Aronian – Anand (Wijk aan Zee, 2013) 16…Nde5!! 17. Bxg4 Bxd4+ 18. Kh1 Nxg4 19. Nxf8 f5 20. Ng6 Qf6 21. h3 Qxg6 22. Qe2 Qh5 23. Qd3 Be3 0-1 “As everyone knows, it became a current version of Rotlevi – Rubinstein. There are other games that I am equally proud of but that is the strong case to say that it was the most beautiful game I have played in my life.” (Vishwanathan Anand) Ivanchuk – Anand (Linares, 1992) 20…Bc4!! 21. b3 Bxf1 22. Rxf1 Rh3! 23. Re2 Kd7 24. g5 Ke6 25. gxf6 Bxf6 26. Bd2 Be7! 27. Be1 f6 28. Bg3 d5 29. exd5+ Kxd5 30. Rf5 Kc6 31. Ref2 Rh6 32. Kb2 Kd7 33. Re2 Bd6 34. Rf3 Rc8 35. Be1 Ke6! 36. Rd3 Rh7 37. Rg3 Bc5 38. Ka2 Rd7 39. Rc3 Rcc7 40. h4 Rd1 41. Bf2 Bd6 42. Rg3 e4 43. Rxe4+ Be5 44. Rxe5+ fxe5 45. Kb2 Rd2 0-1 Anand smoothly executed a very long plan based on a brilliant positional concept. After unforgettable moves 20…Bc4!! and 22…Rh3!! he managed to clear the way for the central paws and triumphally advanced his infantry. Karjakin – Anand (Wijk aan Zee, 2006) 24… Nc7!! 25. Qxc7 Rc8! 26. Qxe7 Nc4! 27. g6 hxg6 28. fxg6 Nxa3+ 29. bxa3 Rxa3 30. gxf7+ Kh7 31. f8=N+ Rxf8 32. Qxf8 Ra1+ 33. Kb2 Ra2+ 34. Kc3 Qa5+ 35. Kd3 Qb5+ 36. Kd4 Ra4+ 37. Kc3 Qc4+ 0-1 Even a relatively powerful computer does not find Anand’s combination immediately. In the actual game, Vishy spotted it straight away but spent some time hesitating, fearing the opponent’s home preparation. Finally, Vishy trusted his intuition and calculations and got to the white king. Anand – Lautier (Biel, 1997) 20. h6!! gxh6 21. Bg6!! Ne7 22. Qxd4 Rxd4 23. Rd3! Rd8 24. Rxd8+ Kxd8 25. Bd3 1-0 Probably the most popular and spectacular combination by Anand, his trademark, that crescendoes in the beautiful line featuring a queen sacrifice 21…Qxd1 22.Rxe6+ Kf8 23.Bxh6+ Kg8 24.Bxf7# Anand – Caruana (Sinquefield Cup, 2017) 26. Qd4!! Qg5 27. Rc5! Rxd4 28. f8=Q+ Kg6 29. Qf7+ 1-0 Sometimes a player sees a brilliant combination in advance (Anand in this case) and hopes that the unsuspecting opponent will go for a particular sequence. Fabiano Caruana was not particularly happy about the arising position but hardly did he know that the game would last only four moves. Anand brilliantly employed the ideas of distraction and pin to dismantle Black’s defense.
King Salman World Rapid & Blitz Championships: Official site is launched
The official site of the King Salman Rapid & Blitz Championship, containing all the necessary information (regulations, schedule, registration and fees, visas, hotel, transfer, etc.) is launched today. Online registration for the King Salman World Rapid & Blitz Championships 2019 is open at https://wrbc2019registration.fide.com/ The King Salman Rapid and Blitz Championships 2019 will be held from December 25 (the day of arrival) to December 31 (the day of departure) 2019 in the VIP zone of the Grand Sports Arena at the Luzhniki Olympic Complex. This is the largest sports and entertainment complex in Russia located in one of the most picturesque areas of Moscow, at a bend in Moskva River, in front of the Sparrow Hills (“Vorobyovy Gory”) and the Neskuchny Garden. Currently, there are more than 250 players registered in the event. The list of participants includes the World Champion Magnus Carlsen (Norway), Levon Aronian (Armenia), Anish Giri (Netherlands), Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (Azerbaijan), Hikaru Nakamura, Leinier Dominguez (both USA), Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (France), Vladislav Artemiev, Dmitry Andreikin (both Russia), Boris Gelfand (Israel), Yu Yangyi, Wang Hao (both China), Jan-Krzysztof Duda (Poland), Alireza Firouzja (Iran), Alexandra Kosteniuk, Kateryna Lagno, Olga Girya, Alina Kashlinskaya (all – Russia), Nana Dzagnidze (Georgia), Humpy Koneru, Harika Dronavalli (both India), Anna and Mariya Muzychuk (Ukraine), Pia Cramling (Sweden), Tan Zhongyi (China), Antoaneta Stefanova (Bulgaria), Sarasadat Khademalsharieh (Iran) and many others. World Rapid & Blitz Championships schedule: December 25 — Opening CeremonyDecember 26-28 — Rapid competitionDecember 29-30 — Blitz competition The total prize fund for the King Salman World Rapid & Blitz Championships amounts to USD 1,000,000.
Confederation Cup for Disabled People kicks off in Ankara
FIDE Confederation Cup for the Disabled People has officially started on December 09 with the opening ceremony in the capital of Turkey. The event organized for the first time this year by FIDE with the support of Russian State Atomic Energy Cooperation (ROSATOM) will continue until December 14. Five teams, each consisting of six players with visual, auditory or physical disabilities from four different continents, namely America, Asia, Africa, and Europe, will compete against each other in a friendly atmosphere. To emphasize the Russian-Turkish friendship one of the teams is called Russia-Turkey and as the name implies comprise three Russian and three Turkish players. The opening ceremony was attended by FIDE Vice Presidents Gulkiz Tulay and Akaki Iashvili, tournament director and FIDE Events Commission Chairman Ozgur Solakoglu and Councilor of FIDE Commission for Disabled Kema Goryaeva. In her opening speech, TCF President and FIDE Vice President Gulkiz Tulay expressed her gratitude to FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich and his team as well as to ROSATOM, not only for the organization of this important event in Ankara but also for the FIDE Mersin Chess Festival which took place on Dec 7 with the participation of the legendary champion Anatoly Karpov who gave a simultaneous exhibition to children and analyzed two games of his. After noting that some of the Turkish appointed arbiters are actually disabled Mrs. Tulay praised the unifying, fraternal nature of this event and wished success to all players. FIDE Vice President Akaki Iashvili also gave a welcoming speech. Mr. Iashvili praised the host TCF for its organizational skills that made it possible to bring together players from 24 different countries in a short notice and emphasized the high level of competition organization in Turkey. The Vice President also noted that chess for players with disabilities is becoming one of the priorities for FIDE and thanked ROSATOM for their very important support which made the event possible. Mr. Iashvili also stressed that FIDE will continue to support TCF as one of its most reliable partners. After the opening ceremony, the first round has started with two matches: Europe vs. Russia-Turkey and Asia vs. Africa while the American team had a day off.
Monaco: Goryachkina and Dronavalli join Koneru in the lead
Five decisive results in the sixth round of the Women’s Grand Prix in Monaco. Significant changes occur in the standings, as three players lead before the free day. The last round before the free day proved extremely lively at the Yacht Club de Monaco. It feels as if all participants decided to throw all their remaining energy into the battle before a well-deserved rest. Humpy Koneru drew her fourth consecutive game on Sunday. She had to defend a slightly inferior position with the black pieces against one of her direct competitor, Alexandra Kosteniuk. The former World Champion reached a good version of the typical isolated pawn structure, where Koneru was deprived of the usual counter-play. Yet, the Indian managed to keep everything under control and hold the draw. This result proved beneficial to two other participants. Aleksandra Goryachkina showed once again what a tough opponent she is. Playing with the black pieces against Pia Cramling, the most experienced player in the event, she once again displayed an excellent technique. The Russian reached a position with a pawn majority on the queenside and skilfully steered to a favorable exchange of the queens. Alexandra methodically increased her advantage and secured a full point. Nothing indicated that a symmetrical position in the encounter between Harika Dronavalli and Mariya Muzychuk would lead to a fascinating game. The Indian found a very active plan in the center and achieved a greater activity for her pieces. She later managed to weaken Muzychuk’s King and launched a winning attack. But there is nothing more complicated in chess than winning a winning position, they say. Dronavalli played inaccurately and let her opponent wriggle out and escape into a drawish rook ending. But then it came Muzychuk’s turn to err – Mariya misplayed the endgame and lost. Thus, both Goryachkina and Dronavalli caught up with Koneru in the lead. Nana Dzagnidze could have joined them in case of a win but it did not pan out. She did get a space advantage from her opening against Kateryna Lagno, but in this version of the King’s Indian Black actually has a sufficient counter-play. After the Russian pushed her a-pawn to destroy White’s pawn structure on the queenside, Dzagnidze panicked and collapsed. The encounter between both out-of-form Elisabeth Paehtz and Valentina Gunina was actually turned a one-sided affair. The German showed very good preparation in the Caro-Kann, sacrificing a pawn for a strong pressure. In a practical game, defending such difficult positions is almost impossible. Gunina failed to find the most resilient moves and suffered one more defeat. In the last game to finish, Anna Muzychuk outplayed Zhao Xue on the black side of the Grunfeld Defense. She found an ingenious way to transpose into a favorable position with rook vs knight and bishop. The finale featured some nice artistic patterns, which Muzychuk skilfully combined to score a full point. All players and officials are invited to a gala dinner at the Monaco Casino on Monday evening. Before that, some will simply relax, others will join an excursion offered by the local organizers, while some others will visit Nice. Finally, the Muzychuk sisters and Elisabeth Paehtz will cross swords on the ice skating ring – the German claims that she will win the race comfortably. Results of Round 6: Nana Dzagnidze (Geo) – Kateryna Lagno (Rus): 0-1 Alexandra Kosteniuk (Rus) – Humpy Koneru (Ind): ½ – ½ Zhao Xue (China) – Anna Muzychuk (Ukr): 0-1 Harika Dronavalli (Ind) – Mariya Muzychuk (Ukr): 1-0 Elisabeth Paehtz (Ger) – Valentina Gunina (Rus): 1-0 Pia Cramling (Swe) – Aleksandra Goryachkina (Rus): 0-1 Standings after Round 6: 1-3. Harika Dronavalli, Aleksandra Goryachkina and Humpy Koneru – 4 points 4-5. Anna Muzychuk and Alexandra Kosteniuk – 3,5 6-8. Kateryna Lagno, Nana Dzagnidze and Pia Cramling – 3 10. Zhao Xue and Mariya Muzychuk – 2,5 11. Elisabeth Paehtz – 2 12. Valentina Gunina – 1 9 December: free day Round 7, 10 December at 3 pm: Aleksandra Goryachkina (Rus) – Nana Dzagnidze (Geo) Kateryna Lagno (Rus) – Alexandra Kosteniuk (Rus) Humpy Koneru (Ind) – Zhao Xue (China) Anna Muzychuk (Ukr) – Harika Dronavalli (Ind) Mariya Muzychuk (Ukr) – Elisabeth Paehtz (Ger) Valentina Gunina (Rus) – Pia Cramling (Swe) Official website with live games and commentary by WGM Keti Tsatsalashvili, GM Josif Dorfman and GM Bartlomiej Heberla: https://wgp2019.fide.com Pictures are available in FIDE Flickr Text: Yannick Pelletier Pictures: Karol Bartnik
Ding Liren is the winner of Grand Chess Tour 2019
A new name was etched on the Grand Chess Tour trophy as Ding Liren was crowned the 2019 champion after defeating Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in the final. The Chinese player earned $150,000 for his efforts, bringing his winnings to a total of almost $300,000 for the entirety of the tour. Vachier-Lagrave consequently finished in second place and collected $100,000. Magnus Carlsen won his match against Levon Aronian, claiming the third qualifying spot to the 2020 tour and $60,000, while Aronian took home the remaining $40,000. The 2020 season will kick off in Bucharest, Romania in May. Ding Liren vs Maxime Vachier-Lagrave The six-point lead going into the day gave Ding Liren a huge advantage, allowing him to clinch the title in the first two games. Vachier-Lagrave must have felt an enormous amount of pressure to score in the rapid games, choosing the risky Benoni with the black pieces in game one. Perhaps the lack of experience of playing those structures was the main culprit, but the Frenchman’s position went down in flames shortly after the opening stage. The eventual champion was under a bit of pressure in the second game with the black pieces but managed to hold without many difficulties. There was some consolation for Vachier-Lagrave, who scored 3.5/4 in the remaining blitz games. The win was a big confidence boost for Ding, who now believes that in his best shape he can compete with anyone. His next big event will be the Candidates Tournament, in Yekaterinburg, Russia, where he is one of the favorites to win and earn the right to challenge Magnus Carlsen’s crown. Vachier-Lagrave conceded graciously, telling Maurice that Ding played “amazing” in the second classical game and “struck when it counted and struck very hard.” Magnus Carlsen vs Levon Aronian Just as Ding, Magnus Carlsen also entered the day with a six-point advantage. He, too, was close to putting away his opponent when the unthinkable happened and he blundered a checkmate in a completely winning position. The World Champion couldn’t help but chuckle at the ludicrousness that had transpired at the board after resigning. The win in the second rapid game practically meant the end of the match, as Aronian would need to win the rest of the blitz games to tie the score while Carlsen only needed a draw. The World Champion achieved the desired result in the first blitz game, thus bringing the match to a conclusion. The final score in the blitz was 2-2. Carlsen has had a phenomenal year, specifically in the Grand Chess Tour, but felt that he was already in poor shape in London and felt that “the right two people played in the final.” Photo: Lennart Ootes (Grand Chess Tour) Official site
Rating Analytics: Seniors case study
Kaspars Migla is the creator and founder of chessratings.top. In his column, he analyzes monthly FIDE standard rating changes, career-high ratings, rating distribution by country, continent, region, and other rating-related statistics. This time he looks at the latest developments in seniors’ rating lists. Extra €30,000 added by FIDE to the prize fund (which totaled to €46,000) helped to organize the biggest World Senior Championship with 366 players from 58 countries competing in four categories. Maybe this financial boost will make this championship stronger because looking from the rating standpoint only women’s events can boast of the TOP players participating in it. Nona Gaprindashvili (Georgia, 2270) who tops the rating list in the W65+ category took the title. Despite winning the competition, the first woman-GM in history of chess lost five rating points. The list of entrants to the W65+ included three more players from the top 10, namely WGM Elena Fatalibekova (Russia, 2158), WIM Natalia Titorenko (Russia, 2113) un WGM Valentina Kozlovskaya (Russia, 2140). Ironically, the champion in the W50+ category WGM Elvira Berend (Luxembourg) also dropped a few rating points. Currently, she holds the fourth position (2348) among the women aged 50 years or older. The top 3 in this age category – Pia Cramling (Sweden, 2461), GM Ketevan Arakhamia-Grant (Scotland, 2376) and GM Zhaoqin Peng (Netherlands, 2358) – opted not to play in the World Senior Championship. On the men’s side, there was only one participant in both categories from the top 10 active players. I am referring to GM Rafael Vaganian (Armenia, 2516) who occupies the 9th position in the M65+ category. The rating favorite lived up to his status and won gold at the recent World Senior Championship. The leader in this age group is Anatoly Karpov (Russia, 2617) who would be very welcome at the World Senior Championship. The 12th World Champion has been playing rarely lately, just in matches in various leagues here and there. The last time Karpov participated in a round-robin or Swiss tournament was ten years ago in Spain. Robert Huebner (Germany, 2576) and Henrique Mecking (BRA, 2553) holding second and third positions in the M65+ rating list also skipped the last World Senior Championship. There are nine players rated 2600+ in the M50+ rating list. Usually, having such a rating one feels comfortable and much-wanted in most of the tournaments. Most likely, that is the reason why high-rated GMs shy away from the World Senior Championship. On the top of the rating, we see infamous Igors Rausis (Czech Republic, 2685), but it is on paper only because he confessed to cheating, was imposed a 6-year ban by FIDE Ethics Commission and retired from chess. The real leader in the age group is none other than Boris Gelfand (ISR, 2684), followed by Julio Granda Zuniga (PER, 2644), Evgeny Bareev (CAN, 2638) and FIDE Vice President Nigel Short (England, 2626). It is no secret that senior age gives many players an opportunity to spend more time on chess. With 34 games in classical chess under his belt, Aleksandar Arandjelovic (SRB, 1933) became the most active player in December. According to chessratings.top, quite a few strong players reached their career high in December 2019: IM Gunay Mammadzada (AZE, 2455), IM Meri Arabidze (GEO, 2435), WGM Ulviyya Fataliyeva (AZE, 2387) and WIM Anna Sargsyan (ARM, 2382) among women and Jan-Krzysztof Duda (POL, 2758), Richard Rapport (HUN, 2758), Hao Wang (CHN, 2756), Alireza Firouzja (IRI, 2723) among men. It is worth noting that the last time Firouzja lost rating points was in July of 2018. Since then he has been steadily improving his rating except for one month. Vadim Shishkin (UKR, 2456) made the biggest rating progress among all grandmasters in December. The Ukrainian picked up 28 points after winning the World Senior Championship in the Open 50+ category. Igor Naumkin (RUS, 2415) has a distinction of playing most games with classical time control. Aged 54, he, nonetheless, did not participate in the World Senior Championship. Looking at the big picture, Mahdi Gholami Orimi (Iran, 2432) became the most active player in December. His busy chess schedule included 4 tournaments and 35 chess games with classical time control. Emanuel Lazic from Bosnia and Herzegovina showed the biggest progress (312 points) among all players, jumping from a 1549 to 1861 mark. Photo: Mark Livshitz Kaspars Migla, chessratings.top Category W65+, active players1. GM Gaprindashvili, Nona (GEO, 2270)2. WGM Veroci, Zsuzsa (HUN, 2246)3. WGM Fatalibekova, Elena (RUS, 2158)4. WGM Kozlovskaya, Valentina (RUS, 2140)5. WGM Saunina, Ludmila (RUS, 2130)6. WIM Titorenko, Natalia (RUS, 2113)7. WIM Sorokina, Tamara (RUS, 2062)8. WFM Malachowski, Margrit (GER, 2061)9. WIM Khurshudova, Lyudmila (RUS, 2046)10. Dwars, Conchita (NED, 2032) Category W50+, active players1. GM Cramling, Pia (SWE, 2461)2. GM Arakhamia-Grant, Ketevan (SCO, 2376)3. GM Peng, Zhaoqin (NED, 2358)4. WGM Berend, Elvira (LUX, 2348)5. FM Schuurman, Petra (NED, 2346)6. IM Schleining, Zoya (GER, 2316)7. IM Sedina, Elena (ITA, 2299)8. WGM Grabuzova, Tatiana (RUS, 2284)9. IM Klinova, Masha (ISR, 2275)10. WGM Ning, Chunhong (CHN, 2270) Category M65+, active players1. GM Karpov, Anatoly (RUS, 2617)2. GM Huebner, Robert (GER, 2576)3. GM Mecking, Henrique (BRA, 2553)4. GM Dorfman, Iossif (FRA, 2540)5. GM Timman, Jan (NED, 2533)6. GM Ribli, Zoltan (HUN, 2529)7. GM Pinter, Jozsef (HUN, 2528)8. GM Beliavsky, Alexander (SLO, 2519)9. GM Vaganian, Rafael A (ARM, 2516)10. GM Andersson, Ulf (SWE, 2516) Category M50+, active players1. GM Gelfand, Boris (ISR, 2684)2. GM Granda Zuniga, Julio (PER, 2644)3. GM Bareev, Evgeny (CAN, 2638)4. GM Short, Nigel (ENG, 2626)5. GM Illescas Cordoba, Miguel (ESP, 2612)6. GM Krasenkow, Michal (POL, 2611)7. GM Khalifman, Alexander (RUS, 2608)8. GM Smirin, Ilia (ISR, 2607)9. GM Dautov, Rustem (GER, 2595)10. GM Sokolov, Ivan (NED, 2595)
GCT London Finals: Ding Liren scores, Carlsen escapes
The 2019 Grand Chess Tour is nearing the end after another action-packed day in London. Levon Aronian was very close to equalizing the score but ultimately was unable to break Magnus Carlsen’s defense. Ding Liren, on the other hand, played a clean game to put away Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. Both Carlsen and Ding will enter the final day with a 6 point lead, putting an enormous amount of pressure on their opponents to score in the rapid to collect as many points as possible. The winner of the tour will be decided tomorrow at the end of two rapid and four blitz games followed by tiebreaks if required. As a special treat, legendary former World Champion Garry Kasparov will be calling into the show to share his thoughts. It’s not a day to miss! Results after the classical games Ding Liren vs Maxime Vachier-Lagrave: 1-0 After failing to deliver the decisive blow yesterday, Ding Liren proceeded more methodically in the final moments today. The commentators thought that Ding didn’t get any advantage out of the opening in the Symmetrical English, but that he simply played better than his opponent thereafter. The critical developments in the game happened on move 33, when the opening of the kingside made the g-file available for Ding, while he still kept control of the queenside and the center. While Vachier-Lagrave’s pieces were overcommitted on the queenside, the Chinese star was able to launch an unstoppable attack on the opposite wing by lifting his rook. The game ended with a beautiful sacrifice by Ding, who admitted to double-checking the line several times in order to avoid yesterday’s fiasco. Tomorrow, one of these two fine players will be crowned the 2019 Grand Chess Tour Champion. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave after Ding Liren’s making 48.Rg7! Levon Aronian vs Magnus Carlsen: ½ – ½ Magnus Carlsen ended the year without a single loss in classical chess after a miraculous save, extending his undefeated streak to 107 games. Trouble began for the World Champion right out of the opening when he felt compelled to sacrifice a pawn in order to muddy the waters. He gave up another pawn a few moves later to open the center and get at his opponent’s king, but could never claim enough compensation for the material deficit. The evaluation of the position was changing throughout the game as Aronian kept allowing his opponent back in the game. The final blunder occurred on move 43, when Aronian miscalculated a tactic, ultimately entering a queen ending which ended with a perpetual on move 82. Carlsen described the game as “objectively awful quality-wise”, but to his credit, he did find amazing resources to survive. Photo: Grand Chess Tour Official site
Goryachkina misses a chance to join the lead in Monaco
Quiet day at the Women’s Grand Prix de Monaco, as four games end in a draw. Five players are on Humpy Koneru’s heels. The fifth round of the Women’s FIDE Grand Prix was launched by Inna Bazhenova who played the first symbolic move at the board of tournament leader Humpy Koneru. The Russian publisher of The Art Newspaper, co-sponsor of the tournament and of the Monte Carlo Chess Club, is passionate about chess. Her two sons Egor and Boris are members of the youth team of the Club and also faced Garry Kasparov in the simultaneous exhibition last weekend. Another young guest attended the start of the round. Twelve-year-old Fiorina Berezovsky represented the Monaco national team at the last two Olympiads and was one of the youngest players to ever win a game at an Olympiad at the age of 9. In 2017, Fiorina held a talk about chess at TEDx Monte Carlo. In short, a brilliant young lady! The games of the Grand Prix were slightly less tense on Saturday than on previous days, but spectators still had their share of excitement. Aleksandra Goryachkina got an edge from the opening against Elisabeth Paehtz and was methodically increasing it throughout the game. The Russian reached a winning rook endgame, yet, finding the right path was far from trivial. The World Championship challenger was on the winning course but failed to avoid the last not that difficult pitfall and had to content herself with a draw. A victory would have allowed Alexandra to catch up with the leader Humpy Koneru, who made a draw with Kateryna Lagno. This game followed a well-known variation of the Grunfeld, where Black gets sufficient compensation for a sacrificed pawn. The Indian showed nothing new and agreed to a repetition early on. Anna Muzychuk had Alexandra Kosteniuk on the ropes when the Russian played inaccurately after the opening. Muzychuk’s decision to sacrifice the exchange proved unwise, as this allowed her opponent to stay in the game. After the exchange of Queens, it became clear that only Kosteniuk could press for a win. White had to play precisely in order to hold the knight vs rook endgame, but Anna made several mistakes and lost. Valentina Gunina started the game with aggressive intentions, as evidenced by her choice of 7.g4. Harika Dronavalli reacted solidly and both players soon simplified on the queenside to reach an equal position. The game seemed to be heading toward a draw but the Russian spurned a move repetition and played for more. Gunina’s decision was hardly justified, inasmuch she has been clearly out of form in this event, and the position did not offer much. She blundered immediately after with 31.Bf7 and lost her rook. A sad and painful outcome for Valentina. The game between Mariya Muzychuk and Zhao Xue was a very complicated battle. The Chinese played in very inspired fashion after the opening and obtained a promising position, where the white king was exposed. Muzychuk cleverly exploited her opponent’s time pressure and went for complications. With more time on the clock, Zhao Xue may have found the few precise moves to clinch the victory, but in the actual game, she failed to do so. In the end, the Ukrainian escaped with a draw. Pia Cramling did not challenge Nana Dzagnidze’s Vienna Variation and chose a risk-free line. White’s extra pawn proved worthless with opposite-colored Bishops on the board, and both opponents agreed to a draw on move 32. More and more players gather behind the sole leader Humpy Koneru. In the 6th round on Sunday, the Indian will have the black pieces against one of her pursuers, Alexandra Kosteniuk. Results of Round 5: Pia Cramling (Swe) – Nana Dzagnidze (Geo): ½ – ½Anna Muzychuk (Ukr) – Alexandra Kosteniuk (Rus): 0-1Mariya Muzychuk (Ukr) – Zhao Xue (China): ½ – ½Valentina Gunina (Rus) – Harika Dronavalli (Ind): 0-1Aleksandra Goryachkina (Rus) – Elisabeth Paehtz (Ger): ½ – ½Humpy Koneru (Ind) – Kateryna Lagno (Rus): ½ – ½ Standings after Round 5: 1. Humpy Koneru – 3½ points2-6. Nana Dzagnidze, Harika Dronavalli, Aleksandra Goryachkina, Alexandra Kosteniuk, and Pia Cramling – 37-9. Zhao Xue, Mariya Muzychuk and Anna Muzychuk – 2½10. Kateryna Lagno – 211-12. Valentina Gunina and Elisabeth Paehtz – 1 Round 6, 8 December at 3 pm: Nana Dzagnidze (Geo) – Kateryna Lagno (Rus)Alexandra Kosteniuk (Rus) – Humpy Koneru (Ind)Zhao Xue (China) – Anna Muzychuk (Ukr)Harika Dronavalli (Ind) – Mariya Muzychuk (Ukr)Elisabeth Paehtz (Ger) – Valentina Gunina (Rus)Pia Cramling (Swe) – Aleksandra Goryachkina (Rus) Official website with live games and commentary by WGM Keti Tsatsalashvili, GM Josif Dorfman and GM Bartlomiej Heberla: https://wgp2019.fide.com Pictures are available on our official Flickr channel. Text: Yannick PelletierPictures: Karol Bartnik