Happy Anniversary, Nana Alexandria!
Times flies, they say – Nana Alexandria celebrates her 70th birthday. Born in Poti, Georgia, she learned chess at the age of four and six years later became the champion of Tbilisi among girls. Her rise to fame was meteoric: by the age of 20, she won three USSR Women’s Championships titles (1966, 1967 and 1969) and established herself as a frontrunner for the women’s champion crown. In 1973-1975 Nana went through all the stages of the World Championship cycle and challenged the reigning champion Nona Gaprindashvili. Despite suffering a painful defeat in the Women’s World Championship match (+3 =1 −8), Alexandria managed to regroup and made all the way up again. In 1981 she became much closer to the coveted title but drew the World Championship match with Maia Chiburdanidze (+4 =8 −4), with the champion retaining her title. As a member of the Soviet Union squad, Alexandria participated in six Chess Olympiads (1969, 1974, 1978, 1980, 1982 and 1986) making significant contributions in the team’s winning gold every time. From 1986 to 2001 Alexandria was the chairperson of the FIDE Women’s Commission. The winner of 20 international tournaments, a talented journalist, one of the most determined advocates of women’s chess and bewitchingly charming person, Nana enjoys a great deal of respect in the chess world. It is no coincidence that Alexandria was appointed deputy arbiter at the Carlsen – Caruana match (2018). On the occasion of her 70th birthday, we congratulate Nana Alexandria and wish her the finest things in professional and personal life.
Grand Swiss: Caruana and Wang Hao take the lead
Round 3 started with five players with a perfect score. By the end of day three – there were two. After only three days of play, the American Fabiano Caruana and the Chinese Wang Hao are the only ones among 154 players who have the maximum score at the Isle of Man Grand Swiss. In a game with a lot of turns, Fabiano Caruana got the better of Alexei Shirov, while Wang Hao defeated Bu Xiangzhi. On board four, the World Champion Magnus Carlsen allowed Rustam Kasimdzhanov to squeeze out of a weaker position, with the game ending in a draw. The top two players are followed by a pack of ten GMs with two and a half points out of three. On the third day of the Isle of Man Grand Swiss, it was Fabiano Caruana’s turn to take the seat at the top board. He was facing Alexei Shirov, the world No 2 from 20 years ago. The opening developed into a very complicated position. The shadow of uncertainty hung over both sides for much of the game. Caruana did manage to block white’s progress on the kingside, forcing Shirov to move his c-pawn forward in an attempt to find another way of breaking Black’s defense. White, however, ended in serious time trouble, with 30 seconds for ten moves to reach the first time control. Fortunately for Shirov, Caruana missed some good options and both players ended in a somewhat even position after 40 moves. Caruana, however, managed to pin his pawn on d3 which helped gradually force the collapse of White’s defense. This win secured Caruana the leading place on the score-board, joined by only one other player.The game between the two Chinese GMs on board two ended with a victory for Wang Hao, who outplayed Bu Xiangzhi after achieving a more comfortable position in the opening. Wang Hao was the first player in the tournament to reach 3/3. The big excitement ahead of round four The most anticipated duel of Round 4 of the Isle of Man Grand Swiss will be that between the American Fabiano Caruana and Chinese Wang Hao, the only two players to have three points after three rounds. The World No 2, however, does not have a great history with the Chinese player: in their eight classical games so far, the score is 6.5:1.5 for Wang Hao! More precisely, five wins, three draws and zero (!) loses for the Chinese. However, in seven of the eight games, Wang Hao had white pieces, and the last game the two played was back in 2013. It is said that every time the history repeats, the price goes up. The stakes for both players are now much higher than when they last met six years ago. Both have a lot to gain, but also a lot to lose, which suggests a tough battle on board one.Another strong performance from Alexey Sarana, as Kasimdzhanov escapes Carlsen’s grip On board three Radoslaw Wojtaszek won a pawn early on in the game against Baskaran Adhiban. Although Wojtaszek did have a slight advantage, the position seemed drawish. After simplifications, the game ended in both players sharing a point. On board four the World Champion Magnus Carlsen took the initiative as White against former FIDE World Champion Rustam Kasimdzhanov. Despite ending in a slightly worse position, Kasimdzhanov managed to shake off Carlsen’s grip before passing the 40-move mark. Although taking control of the game, the World Champion, however, missed a few chances in the middlegame. His disappointment was visible afterwards. In the end, Carlsen was a pawn down but able to easily maintain a draw. For the last decade, Rustam Kasimdzhanov has been a key figure behind the preparation of chess stars such as Anand, Karjakin and Caruana – in particular, their matches for the world title. This fact gives the game between Kasimdzhanov and Carlsen a different context.On board five Alexey Sarana, who in the first two games at the FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss, demonstrated excellent play against the senior and current world champion, had a very tough duel with Chinese GM Yu Yangyi. After securing a 2:1 pawn advantage on the queenside, Yu confidently pushed them forward until creating a loose runner on the a-file. Sarana sacrificed a bishop but in return managed to stop the a-runner and get some compensation with 2:1 pawns on the kingside, with one of them advancing on the f-file. Although Yu Yangyi had an advantage, the Russian carefully moved his pieces to avoid potential traps and the game ended in a draw. So far, the 19-year-old Russian has proven to be a surprise of the tournament. The Russians vs the rest, and Aronian’s first victory Boards six to ten saw Russians playing against the rest of the world: seven Russians, one Armenian, one Greek and one American (Nakamura)! The only decisive matches, however, were those played between the Russians themselves: Grischuk beat Oparin (after a tiring rook and pawn vs rook endgame; one of the last games to finish) and Vitiugov defeated Motylev. On board eight Nakamura drew by repetition on move 21. Rinat Jumabayev achieved a strong position and was playing for a win against Sergey Karjakin. The Russian at one point offered a move repetition which Jumabayev refused and, later on, got into serious time trouble. With only seconds left, the Kazakh player reached move 40 but was by that point completely lost. The Russian is now on 2/3. On board 39 Levon Aronian – who started with two draws – dominated in the Queen’s gambit the young Russian GM Andrey Esipenko. The Russian sacrificed a pawn for the attack Black’s king, but the Armenian (who became GM before Esipenko was born!) defended well, launching the pawns in front of his castled king and grinding white’s attack to a halt. For the greater part of the game, the position was balanced, but after c5 in the 28th move, Black was better. It seems that Aronian is getting into his game and is now – with two points out of three games – showing that he is picking up the pace!Wesley So drew against Volokitin in 27 moves. After three draws in three rounds, So is now
World Youth Championship: India and Russia reign supreme
The World Youth Chess Championship held in the Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel in Mumbai, India is in the books. Youngsters from 66 countries were competing in the Girls U14, Open U14, Girls U16, Open U16, Girls U18, and Open U18 categories. The championship ended on a high note for India. The home team won 7 medals (more than any other country) including one gold in the Open U18 category taken by the 14-year old prodigy Praggnanandhaa. Red-hot from this event the Indian teenager is heading to New Delhi to participate in the U20 Championship that starts on October 14.Russia netted 5 medals, producing 3 champions. It is worth mentioning that Polina Shuvalova successfully defended her title in the Girls Under 18 category and became the two-fold champion. Leya Garifullina scored an equal amount of points with Nazerke Nurgali but won gold thanks to better tie-breaks in the Girls U16 category. Final standings: Open U18: 1. Praggnanandhaa R (IND) – 9 points out of 11 2. Shant Sargsyan (ARM) – 8.5 3. Artur Davtyan (ARM) – 8 Girls U18: 1. Polina Shuvalova (RUS) – 8.5 2. Agrawal Vantika (IND) – 8 3. Alexandra Obolentseva (RUS) – 7.5 Open U16: 1. Rudik Makarian (RUS) – 8.5 2. Stefan Pogosyan (RUS) – 83. Ghosh Aronyak (IND) – 8 Girls U16: 1. Leya Garifullina (RUS) – 8.5 2. Nazerke Nurgali (KAZ) – 8.5 3. Anousha Mahdian (IRI) – 8 Open U14: 1. Aydin Suleymanli (AZE) – 9 2. Srihari L R (IND) – 8 3. Sreeshwan Maralakshikari (IND) – 8 Girls U14: 1. Meruert Kamalidenova (KAZ) – 8.5 2. Deshmukh Divya (IND) – 8 3. Ravi Rakshitta (IND) – 8
5th Global Chess Festival goes big in Budapest
The fifth edition of the Global Chess Festival founded by Judit Polgar to celebrate the diversity of chess kicked off on October 12 in Hungary’s magnificent capital city Budapest. This year the festival is held in a very special venue, the Hungarian National Gallery, located in the castle district of the city. The festival is free of charge for all participants. The organizers aim to bring friends and families together to have a memorable experience while playing, learning, and enjoying the rich cultural atmosphere the event provides. One of the main objectives of the festival is to highlight the diverse nature of chess in four main ways: Chess as a Sport, Chess as a Science, Chess as an Art and Chess as an Educational Tool.Participants will even have the opportunity of playing in a simultaneous exhibition against the Polgar Sisters on the day of the Future Champions of Europe event. For the first time at the Chess Connects conference, lecturers provided insight on how science influences modern chess, including chess as an educational tool in the 21st century and the challenges modern chess presents within the context of sport. Global Chess Festival includes numerous programs (Morgan Stanley Chess Café, Chess Playground, Chess Palace, Promenade, Sweet Art and Craft, Chess Shop, Magical Paintbrush, etc) and several tournaments (Inspiration Cup, Chess Palace Cup, Future Champions of Europe and Chess Challenge). As always, a number of very special guests are in attendance this year, including FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich and former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik. Arkady Dvorkovich delivered a speech in which he shared his impressions of the festival: “What I saw on the floors here, in the Hungarian National Gallery is amazing and very exciting. Different kids of different ages, with different abilities and interests doing all kinds of things together… Here it is a real combination of art, sport, education, and science and that is what makes it a special, huge event.” Official site
World Youth Championship is in the books
Six new World Champions will be crowned today in Mumbai (India) in the World Youth Chess Championship finishing at the Renaissance Convention Centre Hotel . Youngsters from 66 countries are competing in the Girls U14, Open U14, Girls U16, Open U16, Girls U18, and Open U18 categories. Here are the standings after Round 10 & key pairings for the last round that is now underway: Girls U14 1. Bat-Erdene Mungunzul (MGL) – 8 2-4. Eline Roebers (NED), Ekaterina Nasyrova (RUS) & Meruert Kamalidenova (KAZ) – 7½ Mungunzul – Ravi Rakshita (IND, 7) 0-1Kamalidenova – Roebers 1-0Diviya Deshmukh (IND, 7) – Nasyrova 1-0 Meruert Kamalidenova is the new champion Open U14 1. Aydin Suleimanli (AZE) – 82-6. L R Srihari (IND), R Abinandhan (IND), Alex Kobay (USA), Marc Morgunov (AUT), Vo Pham Thien Phuc (VIE) – 7½ Sultan Amanzhol (KAZ, 7) – Aydin Suleimanli 0-1Vo Pham Thien Phuc – L R Srihari ½ – ½Morgunov – Kobay ½ – ½Abinandhan – Sreeshwan Maralakshikaru (IND, 7) 0-1 Aydin Suleimanli (AZE) is the new champion Girls U16 1. Nazerke Nurgali (KAZ) – 8½2. Leya Garifullina (RUS) – 87 players are tied for 3rd with 7 points Govhar Beydullaeva (AZE, 7) – Nurgali 1-0Garifullina – Svitlana Demchenko (CAN, 7) ½ – ½ Leya Garifullina is the new champion (better tiebreaks) Open U16 1. Rudik Makarian (RUS) – 82-4. Ghosh Aronyak (IND), Stefan Pogosyan (RUS), Arash Daghli (IRI) – 7½ Pogosyan – Makarian ½ – ½Daghli – Aronyak ½ – ½ Rudik Makarian is the new champion Girls U18 1. Polina Shuvalova (RUS) – 82. Agrawal Vantika (IND) – 7½3-5. Alexandra Obolentseva (RUS), Zala Urh (SLO), Assel Serikbay (KAZ) – 7 Serikbay – Shuvalova ½ – ½Obolentseva – Vantika ½ – ½Urh – Honorata Kucharska (POL, 6½) ½ – ½ Polina Shuvalova defended her title Open U18 1. R Praggnanandhaa (IND) – 8½ 2. Shant Sargsyan – 83. Aryan Gholami (IRI) – 7½ Praggnanandhaa – Valentin Buckels (GER, 7) ½ – ½Kalyan Arjun (IND, 7) – Sargsyan ½ – ½Artur Davtyan (ARM, 7) – Gholami 1-0 R Praggnanandhaa is the new champion Official site Final report to follow…
Grand Swiss: Only five scored 100 percent
Round two of the Isle of Man Grand Swiss was marked by two events. First, the World Champion, after a difficult struggle, drew on board one against the excellently prepared 19-year-old Russian Alexey Sarana. Secondly, after just two rounds, in the field of 154 top-class chess players, only five have a maximum score of two out of two! The 100% group is led by the world No 2, Fabiano Caruana, who is at the top joined by Baskaran Adhiban of India, Wang Hao and Bu Xiangzhi of China, and Alexei Shirov of Spain. On the top board, the game between Magnus Carlsen and the 19-year-old Russian Alexey Sarana progressed very fast, with most pieces being exchanged within the first 50 minutes of play (by move 26, after a massive exchange). The Russian created a strong position, threatening Carlsen’s king who, in return, had a passing pawn on the queenside. Sarana obtained such an advantage that Carlsen was pushed to play very precisely in order to secure a draw. The dynamic and intriguing pace of the game between Carlsen and outsider Sarana attracted an unusually large number of GM spectators in the hall. After a large exchange of pieces, the Russian continued to press the World Champion towards a very tough endgame. Eventually, Carlsen had to let go of his bishop so he could find a way to a rook and knight vs rook endgame. Usually, it could be said that Magnus Carlsen gave away half a point, but in the case of the game against Sarana (their first-ever duel), it would seem more appropriate to say that the World Champion was fortunate to save half a point. Interestingly, what appeared a very dynamic and spontaneous game, with developments promising excitement, was, actually – all part of Sarana’s deep preparation, which went all the way to move 22!Young Indian prodigy pushes former World Champion challenger towards a fast draw The first game of the day to finish was that between former contender for the title of World Champion, Sergey Karjakin, and the 13-year-old Indian prodigy Raunak Sadhwani. The key moment of the duel was on move 18 when Black managed to build a stable position, creating a blockade in the middle and preventing White from advancing. After an exchange on the a-file, both players were left with a bishop and seven pawns each. Soon afterwards the bishops were exchanged and an even pawn endgame arose. A good start for the Indian prodigy who at the last year’s Isle of Man tournament also played a much-noticed game in which he almost defeated Viswanathan Anand after a spectacular attack.Top players mostly showed confidence in round two, as Vishy Anand bounces back Board two saw a big duel between two American players: Sam Sevian playing Fabiano Caruana. The latter managed to secure a pair of bishops and made a push on the kingside. Throughout the game, Caruana enjoyed the advantage of better time control which he used in the finish to find the precise way to trap the black king. Sevian tried to save the day with a stalemate trick, but Caruana saw straight through that. After five hours and 20 minutes of play, with one step away from promoting a pawn but facing a checkmate, Sam Sevian resigned.One tiny detail might have impacted Sam Sevian though: before the game, he realised he entered the playing room without his ID card and seemed somewhat uncomfortable about that until the arbiters gave him a temporary pass. One of the most serious hopefuls for the last place in the Candidates’, Levon Aronian played as white against Nijat Abasov of Azerbaijan (despite a rating of 2632, is not a member of his country’s Olympic team). While Aronian did secure the advantage, he was struggling to find the right path to break black’s defence. After a draw in round one, Aronian, however, again had to give half a point away. It will be interesting to see how Aronian plays in the coming rounds. This tournament is his last chance to qualify for the Candidates’ so – assuming he is aiming for that – he must come down hard on his upcoming opponents. One of the chess crowd’s favourites, Hikaru Nakamura scored a victory which boosted his chances but, maybe even more importantly, his confidence. Nakamura highlighted that he hasn’t played well recently, so all he wants at this tournament is to get his game going. Round two saw an interesting performance by Alexei Shirov, who with black pieces beat Erwin L’Ami and is in the small group of players with a maximum score after just two rounds. Shirov built a strong position, secured an extra pawn and then delivered a decisive blow with an excellent bishop to a4, attacking a pawn on b3.The defending Isle of Man champion, Radoslaw Wojtaszek scored a point against Aryan Tari of Norway and is now on 1.5 out of two. His wife Alina Kashlinskaya, however, was out of luck for the second game in a row. She faced David Howell of England who – as always, dicing with time trouble – secured an advantage and won. Ruslan Ponomariov, who celebrated his 36th birthday today, drew against Turkish GM, Mustafa Yilmaz. The former World champion is now in the middle of the pack, with one point out of two. After a shocking loss in the opening round, Viswanathan Anand – playing on board 62 (!) – bounced back defeating the Israeli GM Tal Baron.A double upset by two women players A big upset happened on board 74 as Indian GM S.P. Sethuraman (2624) lost to Elina Danielian, who is more than 250 points lower-rated. Playing the French Defence, Danielian sacrificed a pawn in the middlegame to activate her pieces and launch a forceful attack on the white king. As it usually the case in the life of a chess-player, S.P. Sethuraman refused an offer to repeat moves and draw, going for a win but eventually – lost the game. S.P. Sethuraman blundered badly in the 36th move and had to sacrifice his queen to avoid checkmate. Another notable game for the women players on the Isle of Man was that of Antoaneta Stefanova who
Grand Swiss started with an upset
Round one of the FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss opened with a big surprise: Vishy Anand, one of the favorites for the first place at this event, suffered a loss to Evgeniy Najer in only 30 moves. World Champion Magnus Carlsen and No 2 Fabiano Caruana won their games and confirmed their lead starting positions in the tournament, while the fifth-seated Yu Yangyi is now third after securing a victory in the opening round. Altogether, 30 out of 154 players have won their first game at the Grand Swiss. The first day of the Isle of Man tournament was marked by a surprising defeat of India’s Viswanathan Anand in just 30 moves. Following a strong attack in which Russian GM Evgeniy Najer sacrificed a piece, Anand was struggling and eventually conceded defeat. After the game Najer said that he wasn’t fully sure how his move choices would play out, adding that he followed his intuition more. “The first moment I knew I was winning was just after the handshake”, Najer said after the game. There was almost another upset of Round 1, on the first board where the World Champion Magnus Carlsen, who was playing white, struggled against Ukrainian GM Yuriy Kuzubov. Although after the opening Carlsen had a more comfortable position, however, as the game developed it got worse. In a very direct game, Kuzubov managed to advance his pawn all the way to d2 and at one point had strong prospects of winning. The Ukrainian, however, ended in time trouble as he couldn’t find the right approach to breach Carlsen’s blockade. In the end, the World Champion got the better of the Ukrainian and won. [photo: Maria Emelianova] The top 20 boards: 10 decisive games and 10 draws On the second board, World No 2 Fabiano Caruana (who has already qualified for the Candidates’) played China’s Zhang Zhong. Caruana secured an extra pawn early in the opening and went on to win. What is interesting about this game is that until move 16 Caruana had seven of his pawns which did not move from their original position. One of the last games to finish among the elite was that of Sergey Karjakin who tried to edge a victory over Nijat Abasov of Azerbaijan. Abasov, however, managed to withstand the pressure from the Russian and after 90 moves the game ended in a draw. Fifth seated Yu Yangyi, who is now marking a decade since becoming a GM, defeated the Argentinian GM Sandro Mareco, after securing an extra pawn in a rook ending. Current European champion and 10th seated at the Isle of Man, Vladislav Artemiev won against Venezuela’s Eduardo Iturrizaga. Round One saw a slow start for last year’s Isle of Man winner, Radosław Wojtaszek (2748), who – after more than six hours and 79 moves, drew with 120-points lower-rated Axel Bachmann (2629). Also, among the other top dogs, a slower start for Welsey So, Alexander Grischuk, Levon Aronian and Hikaru Nakamura who all drew their games. Overall, on the top 20 boards, ten games ended in a draw, while white was victorious in seven, and black in three games. [photo: David Llada] A day of firsts for Jobava and Howell Interestingly, day one on the Isle of Man was a round of firsts for Baadur Jobava and David Howell (who – when asked to describe himself as a player in one word, said: “trixter”). It was the first time the two played against one another, which is hard to believe given their place in the chess elite! The game between them ended in a victory for the Georgian but had a very unusual start, with Jobava opening with b3, followed by h3 in move four, which was met by Howell’s h6. At one point in the middle-game Howell refused to repeat moves as he had a better position, but almost instantly he blundered which led to Jobava securing two pawns on his Kingside, forcing Howell to throw in the towel on move 54. [photo: David Llada] The highest-rated woman player starts with a draw In one of the last games of Round One, the highest-rated woman player, Harika Dronavali (2495), drew with Hungarian GM Ferenc Berkes, after 95 moves. The World’s Senior champion and Czech chess legend, Vlastimil Jansa, lost to the young Russian GM Alexey Sarana. Somewhat surprisingly, the Under-20 World Champion, Parham Maghsoodloo (2664) drew with German IM, Elisabeth Paehtz (2489) who is rated lower by almost 200 points. Narrowing the gap Overall, Round one of the Isle of Man Grand Swiss has shown that having about 100 rating points or more above your opponent does not guarantee a victory, with many of the top players conceding to a draw with the rating-underdogs. This could be a sign that the quality gap at the top 100+ in the chess world is narrowing and the Isle of Man Grand Swiss thus might be one of the toughest challenges for the world’s chess elite in history. The hero of the day: Evgeniy Najer “When you are playing with such a great GM as Anand, you can’t relax at any moment” Evgeniy Najer’s victory over Vishy Anand in Round One was the most interesting event on the opening day of the Isle of Man Grands Swiss. In an interview for chess.com after the game, Najer said that he realized the game was won “just when he [Anand] shook my hand. Not before”! When asked by FIDE was he expecting Anand to offer his hand at the point when he did, or carry on, Najer had this to say: “Honestly, at the final stage I didn’t see any good moves for Vishy. But, when you are playing with such a great GM as Anand, you can’t relax at any moment”. In his analysis of the game, Najer said that when he entered into the attacking combination which led to his victory, he followed his intuition more instead of having calculated everything clearly. “This was a tiring day for me because it was a very complicated game. When you play such a strong player like Vishy, you have other feelings, especially the feeling of big tension about the game. But after the big tension and the big win, comes
FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss officially opened on the Isle of Man
The quest for the next challenger to take on Carlsen The inaugural FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss was officially opened at the Comis Hotel near the Isle of Man capital, Douglas. Altogether 154 top world chess players, from 42 countries, are taking part in a competition which will decide the final qualifier for the Candidates tournament determining the challenger for the title of the World Champion Delivering the initial speech at the opening ceremony, tournament director Alan Ormsby pointed out that the traditional Isle of Man tournament was ‘a natural fit’ for the Grand Swiss, and that it made sense for it to become part of the official world championship cycle. “Discussions with Emil Sutovsky, FIDE Director General, commenced 10 months ago and it soon became clear that the Isle of Man tournament was a natural fit for the Grand Swiss and that we should make a bid to host the event”, Ormsby said. He also emphasized the importance of a great number of wild-cards given to the organizers, as they helped increase the number of women participants at the event. “It seems amazing to me that in the space of 5 years, our event has gone from a small open Tournament with a budget of £50,000, to the one that is now part of the World Championship Cycle with a budget of well over $1m with a seat into the Candidates”, Ormsby added. He also thanked the Scheinberg family for their continuous support of the event over the years. In his address at the opening ceremony, FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich stated the importance of this tournament for the global chess community and complimented the organizers, who have now partnered with FIDE to make this event a part of the official world championship cycle. “We are taking our risks with this first tournament based on the Swiss System and that will identify the player who will play in the candidates’ tournament. We truly believe that the combination of events played according to different systems provides a framework for identifying those who will challenge the World Champion… It is very unusual that the World Champion and the runner up are participating in the qualifying event, but it makes this event even more interesting”, Dvorkovich said. The FIDE president also emphasized the importance of giving a chance to more women players to play at the event, arguing that this “shows a truly open nature of our approach”. He also thanked the Isle of Man government for their involvement, adding that the whole chess community will be focused on this important event. Dvorkovich: A new approach to organizing chess events FIDE President Dvorkovich, who has just reached his first anniversary as the head of the organization, announced a new approach to organising chess events: “With the help of platforms such as Chess.com and others, we will be able to provide access to more people to chess from all around the world.” Dvorkovich said that “at some point, we will have qualification events based on online systems” and that this event supported by Chess.com is “one of the examples of going in the right direction”. Why more politicians should take up chess Stating that he has been “a personal supporter of the island’s chess tournament for a number of years”, The Isle of Man Chief Minister Howard Quayle MHK said that it has been “a joy to watch the event grow” and reach a stage where it’s rightly to be the strongest tournament of its type ever held. The Chief Minister stressed that the Isle of Man has the oldest continuous parliament in the world, and expressed hope that it will also have stronger chess players: “We may not have the world’s yet greatest chess champions, but who knows, they might climb up the ranks”. During his speech, the minister quoted the English chess player and journalist Bill Hartston who said: ‘Chess doesn’t drive people mad, it keeps mad people sane’. “And that’s why I encourage so many of my political colleagues to take up the game”, Howard Quayle said. He had also invited the players to explore the island, pointing out that the Isle of Man it “the only entire nation in the world to have been awarded the UNESCO biosphere status, not just for our land but also all our territorial waters, acknowledging the unique balance of man and our stunning natural environment”. The players and the games In the next 12 days (from the 10 to 21 October), the Isle of Man will be at the center of attention of the chess world, where over 150 top-rated players will be competing for the last remaining place for the Candidates’ Tournament. With an average player rating of 2637, this is likely to be one of the strongest chess events ever held. Interestingly, both the World Champion Magnus Carlsen, as well as world No 2, Fabiano Caruana (who has already qualified for the Candidates) are competing, but their goal is the 1st prize of $70,000. The event has an impressive overall prize fund of $433,000. Those competing for the place in the Candidates’ are led by Welsey So, Viswanathan Anand, Yu Yangyi and Sergey Karjakin who are at the top of the list of over 150 top world-class GMs. The games will be played every day save the 16th, from 3 PM at the Comis Hotel near the Isle of Man capital, Douglas. The last round will be played on the 21st of October from 11.30. Round 1 Pairings (top boards): 1 Carlsen Magnus 2876 Kuzubov Yuriy 2636 2 Zhang Zhong 2636 Caruana Fabiano 2812 3 So Wesley 2767 Moiseenko Alexander 2635 4 Najer Evgeniy 2635 Anand Viswanathan 2765 5 Yu Yangyi 2763 Mareco Sandro 2634 6 Abasov Nijat 2632 Karjakin
FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss starts on the Isle of Man
From the 10 to 21 October, the Isle of Man will host one of the most important events in the FIDE World Championship cycle – the ‘FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss’. With 160 participants, including the World Champion Magnus Carlsen and many of the top-ranked world players taking part, the Grand Swiss is expected to be one of the strongest Swiss-system tournaments ever played. The 11-round tournament is part of the 2019-2020 FIDE World Championship cycle. The winner will qualify for next year’s eight-player Candidates’ Tournament, which will produce the challenger for the title of World Champion. In addition to qualifying for the Candidates’ Tournament, the winner will also take home $70,000, while the total prize fund is $433,000. The opening ceremony is scheduled for the 9 October at the COMIS Hotel and Golf Resort near the Isle of Man’s capital, Douglas. The event will be opened by FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich and the Chief Minister of the Isle of Man, Howard Quayle MHK. FIDE President, Arkady Dvorkovich: “This is going to be one of the most important and exciting chess events of the year and I’m very much looking forward to the games. Before it became part of the official FIDE chess cycle, the Isle of Man chess tournament had already made a great impact on the chess world and helped to promote the game. It is a pleasure to join efforts with the team who started this tradition, and we are delighted it is being held at such a beautiful place as the Isle of Man.” The tournament director is Alan Ormsby (Isle of Man), the chief arbiter IA Alex Holowczak (England), the Fair Play officer is IA Andrew Howie (Scotland). The FIDE Press Officer for the event is Milan Dinic. The games will be broadcast live on www.Chess.com, with their team of experts providing commentary for the audience. The time control for each game is 100 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 50 minutes for the next 20 moves, and then 15 minutes for the rest of the game, with an increment of 30 seconds per move starting from move one. The games cannot be drawn by agreement before Black’s 30th move. Next to the Grand Swiss, there will also be Major and Minor tournaments, with local and international players of all levels taking part. Official website IOM International Chess Limited:Tournament Director Alan Ormsbymasters@iominternationalchess.com +44 7624 453200 Chess.com:Director of Esports and Events Nick Barton nick@chess.com +1 8326223010 FIDE:Chief Communications Officer David Llada press@fide.com +34 680312625
World Youth Championship underway in Mumbai
Six world crowns are at stake in the World Youth Chess Championship that is in full swing at the Renaissance Mumbai Convention Centre Hotel in Mumbai, India. Youngsters from 66 countries are competing in the Girls U14, Open U14, Girls U16, Open U16, Girls U18, and Open U18 categories. “This is a great honor for India,” Pravin Jain, chairman of the organizing committee, said in presence of other top officials. “We hope to take the love for chess in India to the next level through the WYCC. I am positive that our young boys and girls will take it up in a big way after this,” he added. The defending U18 Open champion Victor Gazik from Slovakia took a slow start and after 7 rounds he is a full point behind the leader, the Iranian Aryan Gholami . Fourteen-year-old prodigy Praggnanandhaa, who opted to play in this category, is sharing the second position with his compatriot Mitrabha Guha. In contrast, the reigning U18 Girls champion Polina Shuvalova from Russia has been doing an excellent job defending her title so far. After seven rounds the Russian is a half-point ahead of her closest competitors Vantika Agrawal and Lara Schulze. Polina finished the 7th round game with her compatriot Anna Afonasieva in a spectacular fashion: 31. Rxg7! Bxg7 32. Qxh7+! Kxh7 33. f6+ Kh6 34. Be3+ Kh5 35. Bf3+ Kh4 36. Bf2+ 1-0 In a closely contested U16 Open category four players tying for the second position are in the chase for the leader Hans Moke Niemann from the USA. In the U14 Open category, a low-rated (1830) home player Abinandhan R is causing a real stir – after 7 rounds the 55-seeded found himself in the top position together with his compatriot Srihari L R and the rating favorite Aydin Suleymanli from Azerbaidjan. With four rounds to go, it is still wide open in all six categories. The champions will be crowned on Saturday, October 12. Official site Standings after 7 rounds: Open U18 1. Aryan Gholami (IRI) – 62. Praggnanandhaa R (IND) – 5½3. Mitrabha Guha (IND) – 5½4. Iniyan P (IND) – 55. Shant Sargsyan (ARM) – 5 Girls U18 1. Polina Shuvalova (RUS) – 62. Vantika Agrawal (IND) – 5½3. Lara Schulze (GER) – 5½4. Assel Serikbay (KAZ) – 55. Alicja Sliwicka (POL) – 5 Open U16 1. Hans Moke Niemann (USA) – 62. Rudik Makarian (RUS) – 5½3. Ghosh Aronyak (IND) – 5½4. Olexiy Bilych (UKR) – 5½5. Miguel Angel Soto – (COL) – 5½ Girls Under 16 1. Nazerke Nurgali (KAZ) – 62. Leya Garifullina (RUS) – 63. Anousha Mahdian (IRI) – 5½4. Alessia-Mihaela Ciolacu (ROU) – 5½5. Mounika Akshaya Bommini (IND) – 5 Open U14 1. Suleymanli Aydin (AZE) – 62. Srihari L R (IND) – 63. Abinandhan R (IND) – 64. Sreeshwan Maralakshikari (IND) – 5½5. Marc Morgunov (AUT) – 5½ Girls U14 1. Ekaterina Nasyrova (RUS) – 62. Eline Roebers (NED) – 63. Rakshitta Ravi (IND) – 64. Astghik Hakobyan (ARM) – 5½5. Divya Deshmukh (IND) – 5½