Russia scoops in European Senior Team Chess Championship
European Senior Team Chess Championship 2019 held in Mali Losinj, Croatia is in the books. The event was played in two age categories: 65+ (for players born in 1954 or earlier) and 50+ (for players born in 1969 or earlier). Almost thirty teams coming from 15 European federations registered for the Championship (16 teams in 50+ section and 13 teams in 65+ section). The participating teams played 9 rounds (Swiss system), with time control 90 min for 40 moves + 30 min for the rest of the game + 30 sec increment for every move played starting from the first move. The total prize fund of the event amounts to 7,000 EUR. Russia celebrated a double success, winning gold in both 50+ and 65+ categories. The Croatia 1 team was a worthy competitor in the 50+ category, scoring the equal amount of points with the winner, but had to settle for silver due to inferior tie-breaks. Evgeny Sveshnikov (RUS) and Yuri Yakovich (RUS) showed the best performance in the 65+ and 50+ categories respectively. Final standings Category 50+: 1. Russia – 172. Croatia 1 – 173. European Chess Academy Maribor (SLO) – 134. Czech Republic – 125. Croatia 2 – 96. England 1 – 97. Austria – 98. Steiermark (AUT) – 99. Spain – 710. Ireland – 511. Germany-Women – 512. Agder (NOR) – 313. England 2 – 2 Category 65+: 1. Russia – 182. Sweden 1 – 143. Germany – 144. Finland 1 – 135. Switzerland – 116. England – 107. Rochade Bielefeld Revival (GER) – 108. Roskilde-Skive (DEN) – 99. Belgium – 810. Austria – 811. Sweden 2 – 812. SK2012 (DEN) – 713. Sweden 3 – 714. Ireland – 415. CC Mursko Sredisce (CRO) – 216. Northern Moves (FIN) – 1 Official website of the event: http://european2019chess-losinj.com/
World Cup semifinals starts with draws
The FIDE World Cup Semifinals began in Khanty-Mansiysk on September 26. Ding Liren and Yu Yangyi played the English Opening. After the game, the rating favorite confessed that he had mixed up something in the opening and ended up in an inferior position. However, noticeably tired after a dramatic tie-break yesterday, Yu Yangyi did not manage to pose serious problems for his friend and compatriot. The game was drawn by a threefold repetition on the 27th move. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Teimour Radjabov had an opening discussion in the Rossolimo Sicilian. The Frenchman had White and improved his play compared to a recent game against Magnus Carlsen. However, after the queens were exchanged, Black reached a safe and comfortable position. Moreover, with the rooks leaving the board White needed to demonstrate some accuracy to preserve the balance. Black, for his part, decided not to squeeze water from a stone, and a draw was agreed on the 31st move. “Generally I think it was never too bad for me. Certainly, at some point, I felt that I might get into an unpleasant endgame. I had two bishops, but their positioning was very awkward. Once I got my bishop to b5, I was happy about my position. Maybe it is easier to play as Black, but probably it is just equal. I think it is a normal outcome.” commented Teimour Radjabov in the post-game interview. The return games with the colors reversed will be played on September 27. Photo Video The competition is organized by the Government of Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug – Ugra, International Chess Federation (FIDE), Ugra Chess Federation, and Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation. Official website: https://khantymansiysk2019.fide.com/en/ General partner – Gazpromneft-Khantos LCC.Official airline – Utair.Official partners of the competition: OJSC Rostelecom, Ugra Chess Academy, Russian Chess Federation, AB InBev Efes, and PJSC Rosneft.FIDE official partner – JSCo “RZD”.General media partner – News Agency TASS.Media partners – Match TV, World of Chess social network, OTRC “Ugra”, Ugra-news.ru News of Ugra regional newspaper, AIF-Ugra newspaper.
World Cup: Vachier-Lagrave and Yu Yangyi reach semifinals
Two tie-breaks of the FIDE World Cup Quarterfinals were played in the Ugra Chess Academy on September 25. Levon Aronian and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave drew their first rapid game and then played a highly dramatic second encounter. Aronian, having Black, sacrificed an exchange and created a very dangerous attack on the enemy king. White’s days seemed numbered but a couple of inaccurate moves by the Armenian let the Frenchman consolidate his position. Levon’s misfortunes did not end here: on the move 38, he committed a fatal blunder that gave White a winning advantage. After the queens left the board, the remaining white rook proved superior to the black knight, and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave advanced to the World Cup Semifinals. “I missed a couple of his ideas, and my position got from slightly better to slightly worse and then to extremely worse after an exchange sacrifice. I found some way to prevent the boat from sinking immediately, and he just blundered Rf3, after which tables are completely turned,” commented the winner after the game. “In the World Cup, you cannot avoid the scary moments, so I hope this is a good sign. But of course, my match, starting tomorrow, will be a very difficult one,” added Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. Yu Yangyi and Nikita Vitiugov started their tiebreak with two draws in rapid games. The Chinese grandmaster prevailed in the first 10-minute game, squeezing a win in a rook ending with an extra pawn but not without some help from his opponent: on the 59th move, Nikita faltered, leaving his pawn unprotected. To Vitiugov’s credit, he staged a comeback in the second encounter after a lengthy and tense fight. As both blitz games ended in a draw, for the second time at this World Cup an Armageddon game decided the match outcome. Yu Yangyi got White and by the move 17th, his position was in shambles. However, after several substandard moves by Vitiugov, the Chinese GM grabbed the initiative and won the ultimate game, thus becoming the last semifinalist of the World Cup. The semifinals begin on Thursday, September 26. Semifinals: Ding Liren – Yu Yangyi Vachier-Lagrave – Radjabov Photo Video The competition is organized by the Government of Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug – Ugra, International Chess Federation (FIDE), Ugra Chess Federation, and Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation. Official website: https://khantymansiysk2019.fide.com/en/ General partner – Gazpromneft-Khantos LCC.Official airline – Utair.Official partners of the competition: OJSC Rostelecom, Ugra Chess Academy, Russian Chess Federation, AB InBev Efes, and PJSC Rosneft.FIDE official partner – JSCo “RZD”.General media partner – News Agency TASS.Media partners – Match TV, World of Chess social network, OTRC “Ugra”, Ugra-news.ru News of Ugra regional newspaper, AIF-Ugra newspaper.
Titles approved by Q3 2019 Presidential Board
FIDE publishes the list of titles approved by the Q3 2019 Presidential Board. Grandmaster GM 13405764 Asadli, Vugar AZE GM 3509265 Garcia Pantoja, Roberto CUB GM 5038448 Girish, A. Koushik IND GM 32096585 Henderson de La Fuente, Lance ESP GM 751499 Kantor, Gergely HUN GM 12404675 Nguyen, Anh Khoi VIE GM 46618546 Prithu Gupta IND GM 12809390 Pultinevicius, Paulius LTU GM 4403940 Rios, Cristhian Camilo COL GM 3407128 Salinas Herrera, Pablo CHI GM 4108566 Tsydypov, Zhamsaran RUS International Master IM 2204169 Aguera Naredo, Javier ESP IM 13509926 Badelka, Olga BLR IM 46634827 Bharath Subramaniyam H IND IM 822590 Brunello, Marina ITA IM 2269902 Chueca Forcen, Alberto ESP IM 240990 Dardha, Daniel BEL IM 3508498 Diaz Hernandez, Heriberto CUB IM 1036564 Dijkhuis, Tycho NED IM 7102135 Ervan, Mohamad INA IM 14165414 Galperin, Platon UKR IM 32084030 Garcia Martin, Marta ESP IM 1137840 Goluch, Piotr POL IM 13410229 Ibrahimli, Murad AZE IM 13611860 Kacharava, Nikolozi GEO IM 509825 Keinanen, Toivo FIN IM 25073060 Koustav Chatterjee IND IM 5019516 Kulkarni Bhakti IND IM 13202340 Lee, Jun Hyeok KOR IM 3506177 Leon Valdes, Jony Wilson CUB IM 8609357 Li, Yankai CHN IM 22235620 Lopez Mulet, Inigo ESP IM 15900045 Lopez, Jasel ARU IM 2208954 Martin Duque, Jesus ESP IM 36083534 Maurizzi, Marc Andria FRA IM 5027420 Mehar, Chinna Reddy C.H. IND IM 5057000 Mitrabha, Guha IND IM 44155573 Murzin, Volodar RUS IM 2230380 Pallardo Lozoya, Jose Vicente ESP IM 34109134 Plokhotniuk, Vladimir RUS IM 2915138 Salimova, Nurgyul BUL IM 5097010 Sankalp Gupta IND IM 24120030 Sanzhaev, Darsen RUS IM 14121565 Shankovskyi, Andrii UKR IM 2051192 Song, Edward USA IM 3203824 Song, Raymond TPE IM 46664521 Sreeshwan Maralakshikari IND IM 656666 Stephan, Victor FRA IM 2299100 Tejedor Fuente, Enrique ESP IM 1019260 Van der Lende, Ilias NED IM 4192770 Vastrukhin, Oleg RUS IM 24101923 Zakaryan, David RUS Woman Grandmaster WGM 13708694 Assaubayeva, Bibisara KAZ WGM 13300270 Gevorgyan, Maria ARM WGM 8605912 Li, Xueyi CHN WGM 5055903 Srija, Seshadri IND WGM 4162340 Tomilova, Elena RUS WGM 2090732 Yip, Carissa USA Woman International Master WIM 2813742 Lahav, Michal ISR WIM 8614750 Ning, Kaiyu CHN WIM 3520420 Obregon Garcia, Roxangel CUB WIM 22238255 Perera Borrego, Mariela ESP WIM 13308130 Sargsyan, Anna M. ARM International Arbiter IA 7603720 Al Hamoud, Malek FIN IA 6333028 Alev, Engin Deniz TUR IA 9311769 Alnuaimi, Ahmed M. UAE IA 928178 Andrejic, Vladica SRB IA 14003996 Annayev, Vladimir TKM IA 5095980 Arvind Mhamal IND IA 13702394 Aubakirov, Azamat KAZ IA 4133285 Bryzgalin, Kirill RUS IA 2252350 Corbi Marti, Joaquin ESP IA 5086264 Deshmukh, Preeti IND IA 12201324 Eltahir, Amar SUD IA 20656041 Fancelli, Luc FRA IA 2221845 Garcia Domingo, Jose Antonio ESP IA 2283948 Gonzalez Lopez, Julian ESP IA 731587 Gyomber, Tamas HUN IA 9201106 Hatoum, Ammar LBN IA 13703110 Issabayev, Dias KAZ IA 2163942 Jerdy, Rafael Rafic Roncoli BRA IA 12556858 Kamaei, Navid IRI IA 13611585 Kikvidze, Inga GEO IA 4205022 Komninos, Nikolaos GRE IA 4291891 Kontogiannis, Christos GRE IA 11602074 Kurpnieks, Vairis LAT IA 2806827 Lavi, Idan ISR IA 24128422 Leolko, Valeria RUS IA 8611637 Lin, Zhuhuan CHN IA 12501964 Manouchehri, Shahram IRI IA 13700391 Min, Valeriy KAZ IA 12200298 Musa, Omer SUD IA 25062883 Patel Kavita IND IA 25014110 S Chougule, Bharat IND IA 13702319 Shakenov, Yerzhan KAZ IA 25710478 Sohani Vivek Suhas IND IA 11501685 Tlaib, Hani PLE IA 2631717 Tsypina, Diana CAN IA 4123077 Udalkin, Ruslan A. RUS FIDE Arbiter FA 25729829 Aravind D M IND FA 5712050 Ariff, Syawal Aqmar Shahrir MAS FA 6203191 Atikankhotchasee, Manunthon THA FA 2122294 Avgoustopoulos, Christian BRA FA 4808177 Azad Sabir Hussein IRQ FA 208060 Barreau, Renaud BEL FA 42501229 Bayat, Leila IRI FA 2125420 Campos, Westerley Batista BRA FA 3205550 Davis, Tony J AUS FA 12306240 Dhungel, Uttam NEP FA 3004830 Figueroa, Alfonso URU FA 16230299 Gabriel, Peter GER FA 25095730 Gobi Krishnaan S IND FA 6502849 Gomez Huertas, Stanley CRC FA 2253917 Gonzalez Terol, Enrique ESP FA 12520152 Jafari, Raheleh IRI FA 11508930 Jaradat, Mahmoud PLE FA 10814442 Joy Wangari Kamau KEN FA 22535594 Kamarehee, Elnaz IRI FA 13700146 Karayev, Assylkhan KAZ FA 25019473 Karnik, Bhavesh IND FA 11500166 Khaled Ezzedein PLE FA 12303119 Khamboo, Yaishash Yashir NEP FA 6204260 Khampliew, Phuttarak THA FA 13603213 Kikvidze, Khatia GEO FA 366870 Krejnicky, Jiri CZE FA 6204635 Kusarankul, Wasinee THA FA 24160938 Labyshkin, Aleksey RUS FA 5017432 Lama, Surbir NEP FA 506834 Lauronen, Jouko FIN FA 2212676 Llaneza Vega, Patricia ESP FA 11002026 Mawire, Admire ZIM FA 12589721 Mousavi, Seyede Ensieh IRI FA 5031885 Nandhini, Saripalli IND FA 10808973 Ngima, Cheryl KEN FA 22567267 Nikookar, Mohammad IRI FA 5781418 Pereira, Justin MAS FA 6209009 Phanudom, Khosak THA FA 13100068 Rakotomaharo, Yves Andre MAD FA 25990446 Rane Sachin Mohan IND FA 4429427 Ribero, Guillermo Fernando COL FA 12999199 Schell, Andreas GER FA 12317993 Shrestha, Shiva Sundar NEP FA 25136402 Sibin K Raghavan IND FA 5900670 Skettos, Nicolas CYP FA 1193279 Skiba, Krzysztof POL FA 45050090 Sudeep S IND FA 25036130 Sunitha Jain IND FA 24149446 Tachalov, Vyacheslav RUS FA 45081751 Thakurdesai Chinmay IND FA 2141221 Tonini, Lindomar BRA FA 46693378 Vishal Kumar Minz IND FA 2032953 Wiewel, Jeff USA FA 1027085 Witkamp, Jarno NED FA 1181319 Wolska, Marta POL FA 7002874 Yamada, Akihiro JPN FA 45067899 Yash Tulapurkar IND FA 8612145 Zhao, Haiqi CHN International Organizer IO 3406512 Adasme Fredes, Mauricio CHI IO 5505615 Aloui, Issam TUN IO 4105451 Beshukov, Sergei RUS IO 13504703 Borsuk, Yury BLR IO 4206932 Klokas, Konstantinos GRE IO 6328288 Ozgur, Hakan TUR Conditional on Rating IM 13403052 Fataliyeva, Ulviyya AZE Conditional on Info IA 11500263 Ihsan, Jawad PLE IA 12201200 Maher Musa SUD FA 19600194 Elmahjoub Cheikh Sidya MTN FA 6202101
India Dominates Western Asia Youth Championships
India dominated the Western Asia Youth Chess Championships 2019 held from 4th to 11th of September 2019 at the Tivoli Grand Resort Hotel in New Delhi. This monumental chess forum was organized by the Delhi Chess Association on behalf of the All India Chess Federation and the Asian Chess Federation. A total of 408 players from ten Western Asian countries (FIDE Zones 3.1, 3.2, 3.4 and 3.7 federations) namely India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and the UAE, participated in 16 different age categories in Standard, Rapid and Blitz formats. Mr. Berik Balgabaev, Advisor to the FIDE President inaugurated the championship in the presence of Mr. Bharat Singh Chauhan (Deputy President Asian Chess Federation), Mr. Husan Turdialiev (President Asian Zone 3.4), Mr. Khurshed Vatanov (FIDE Delegate of Tajikistan Federation), Mr. Naresh Sharma, (Joint Secretary of All India Chess Federation), Mr. R Hanumantha (Secretary of United Karnataka Chess Association), and Mr. AK Verma (Secretary of Delhi Chess Association). During the ceremony, Mr. Balgabaev conveyed the good wishes message from FIDE President Mr. Arkady Dvorkovich to all the participants and officials. On an opening day, 7-round Rapid events were held, and as expected the host India dominated the medal tally by winning 43 medals, including 15 gold. Uzbekistan secured Gold in Under-18 Open category; Tajikistan and Bangladesh gained one silver each, while Kazakhstan and Sri Lanka had to settle for bronze medals. In the 9 round Swiss System with standard time control, India once again proved their mettle by winning 41 medals out of 48 including 14 gold and 14 silver. Uzbekistan secured one gold and two bronze medals while Kazakhstan captured just one but gold. Tajikistan and Sri Lanka made their presence in the medal tally with single silver each and Kyrgyzstan with a bronze. On the final day afternoon, Blitz championships were held and India again pushed hard by winning 41 Medals with 15 Gold. Uzbekistan won one gold, one silver and bronze medals while Kazakhstan and Sri Lanka earned one silver each and Iran got a single bronze. In the final standings India emerged as the overall winner with 125 medals, including 44 gold, Uzbekistan secured a runner up trophy with 8 medals, and Kazakhstan finished third with 3 medals. During a closing ceremony, Mr. Bharat Singh Chauhan (President Asian Chess Federation) Mr. Husan Turdialiev (President Asian Zone 3.4), Mr. Dharam Bahadur Lama (Secretary Nepal Chess Association) Mr. Khurshed Vatanov (FIDE Delegate Tajikistan Federation), Mr. R Hanumantha (Secretary United Karnataka Chess Association) and Mr. AK Verma (Secretary Delhi Chess Association) presented the prizes and medals to the winners. FULL LIST OF MEDAL WINNERS: STANDARD: (U20 Open)1. Abdimalik Abdisalimov (UZB) – 7.52. Rajdeep Sarkar (IND) – 7.53. Leon Luke Mendonca(IND) – 6.5 (U20 Girls)1. Chitlange Sakshi (IND) – 72. Vantika Agrawal (IND) – 6.53. Bakhora Abdusattorova (UZB) – 6.5 (U18 Open)1. Paul Srijit (IND) – 72. Thilakarathne G M H (SRI) – 63. Mukhammadali Abdurakhmonov (UZB) – 6 (U18 Girls)1. Mrudul Dehankar (IND) – 82. Priyanka K (IND) – 7.53. Pandey Srishti (IND) – 6 (U16 Open)1. Abilmansur Abdilkhair (KAZ) – 6.52. Mohamed Anees M (IND) – 63. Ajay Karthikeyan (IND) – 6 (U16 Girls)1. Greeshma Anand Dhumal (IND) – 72. Salonika Saina (IND) – 6.53. Chinnam Vyshnavi (IND) – 6.5 (U14 Open)1. Jain Kashish Manoj (IND) – 72. Karthik Sai Ch (IND) – 73. Bhavesh Mahajan (IND) – 6.5 (U14 Girls)1. Bhagyashree Patil (IND) – 82. Sabrina Abrorova (TJK) – 73. Velpula Sarayu (IND) – 6.5 (U12 Open)1. Chilukuri Sai Varshith (IND) – 6.52. Sahib Singh (IND) – 63. Bagwe Gaurang (IND) – 5.5 (U12 Girls)1. Tejaswini G (IND) – 6.52. Sai Mahati A (IND) – 6.53. Kheerthi Ganta (IND) – 6.5 (U10 Open)1. Mayank Chakraborty (IND) – 7.52. Daakshin Arun (IND) – 73. Aakash G (IND) – 6.5 (U10 Girls)1. Palak Mohapatra (IND) – 5.52. Pournami S (IND) – 53. Sachi Jain (IND) – 5 (U8 Open)1. Vivaan Vijay Saraogi (IND) – 82. Rosh Jain (IND) – 83. Nimay Agrawal (IND) – 6.5 (U8 Girls)1. Aggarwal Tashna (IND) – 72. Sequeira Jennica (IND) – 6.53. Kolagatla Alana Meenakshi (IND) – 6 (U6 Open)1. Madhvendra Pratap Sharma (IND) – 72. Nijesh R (IND) – 6.53. Joshi Aditya Shripad (IND) – 6.5 (U6 Girls)1. Diya Digamber Sawal (IND) – 82. Aadya Ranganath (IND) – 7.53. Aliia Sharabidinova (KGZ) – 6 RAPID: (U20 Open)1. Sankalp Gupta (IND) – 62. Rahul Srivatshav P (IND) – 5.53. Anuj Shrivatri (IND) – 5.5 (U20 Girls)1. Aakanksha Hagawane (IND) – 72. Bakshi Rutuja (IND) – 53. Savitha Shri B (IND) – 5 (U18 Open)1. Mukhammadali Abdurakhmonov (UZB) – 5.52. Srijit Paul (IND) – 53. Arjun Gupta (IND) – 5 (U18 Girls)1. Priyanka K (IND) – 6.52. Jyothsna L (IND) – 5.53. Pandey Srishti (IND) – 5 (U16 Open)1. Jayachandra Srinivas Vellanki (IND) – 5.52. Mohamed Anees M (IND) – 5.53. Abdilkhair Abilmansur (KAZ) – 5 (U16 Girls)1. Bristy Mukherjee (IND) – 62. Chinnam Vyshnavi (IND) – 5.53. Dahampriya H K T Dewnethmie (SRI) – 5 (U14 Open)1. Abinandhan R (IND) – 62. Aditya Varun Gampa (IND) – 53. Nikhil Magizhnan (IND) – 5 (U14 Girls)1. Shivika Rohilla (IND) – 62. Sabrina Abrorova (TJK) – 5.53. Velpula Sarayu (IND) – 5.5 (U12 Open)1. Bagwe Gaurang (IND) – 6.52. Sahib Singh (IND) – 5.53. Shaik Sumer Arsh (IND) – 5 (U12 Girls)1. Tejaswini G (IND) – 62. Ratnapriya K (IND) – 5.53. Cera Dagaria (IND) – 5.5 (U10 Open)1. Daaevik Wadhawan (IND) – 62. Wanjari Krupal (IND) – 5.53. Daakshin Arun (IND) – 5 (U10 Girls)1. Sachi Jain (IND) – 6.52. Panchal Hiya (IND) – 6.53. Kukreja Suguna (IND) – 5 (U8 Open)1. Vaz Ethan (IND) – 6.52. Rosh Jain (IND) – 63. Aaryaveer Agarwal (IND) – 5 (U8 Girls)1. Kolagatla Alana Meenakshi (IND) – 6.52. Warsia Khusbu (BAN) – 63. Aggarwal Tashna (IND) – 5 (U6 Open)1. Nijesh R (IND) – 5.52. Havish Kovidh Tadavarthy (IND) – 5.53. Joshi Aditya Shripad (IND) – 5.5 (U6 Girls)1. Diya Digamber Sawal (IND) – 72.
World Cup: Ding Liren and Teimour Radjabov through to the semifinals
The return games of the FIDE World Cup Quarterfinals were played in the Ugra Chess Academy on September 24. Ding Liren and Alexander Grischuk opted for a complex maneuvering game in the English Opening. It seemed Black successfully solved his opening problems, but in the middlegame, the Russian accepted the exchange of the rooks, which proved wrong. White bishops and a queen developed dangerous activity, and Black started experiencing difficulties protecting his weaknesses on opposite wings, aggravated by time trouble. Eventually white won a pawn, and Black resigned on the 42nd move in a hopeless position. Ding Liren became the first participant to advance to the World Cup semifinals. Teimour Radjabov and Jeffrey Xiong played a mind-blowing game. White surprised his opponent in the Gruenfeld Defense and got an advantage with prospects of a crushing kingside attack. However, later in the game, Radjabov missed a strong reply from his opponent, and soon the entire board was on fire. In a complicated tactical battle spiced up by mutual time pressure, Xiong made the last mistake, and the white queen finished the black king off. Teimour Radjabov progressed to the World Cup Semifinals as well. Two other semifinalists will be determined on the tiebreaks. The game between Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Levon Aronian took less than an hour. The players discussed a popular line of the Giuoco Piano in the Italian with a pawn sacrifice on d3 and demonstrated deep opening knowledge. The opponents proceeded in a quiet manner and shook hands on the 31st move. Yu Yangyi and Nikita Vitiugov also made a draw. In the Nimzo-Indian Defense the Russian, who was playing Black, sacrificed a pawn and obtained certain compensation, keeping the white king in the center. After the Chinese GM traded the queens at the cost of his extra pawn a peaceful outcome became imminent. Tie-break pairings for Wednesday, September 25: Aronian – Vachier-Lagrave Yu Yangyi – Vitiugov Photo Video The competition is organized by the Government of Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug – Ugra, International Chess Federation (FIDE), Ugra Chess Federation, and Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation. Official website: https://khantymansiysk2019.fide.com/en/ General partner – Gazpromneft-Khantos LCC.Official airline – Utair.Official partners of the competition: OJSC Rostelecom, Ugra Chess Academy, Russian Chess Federation, AB InBev Efes and PJSC Rosneft.FIDE official partner – JSCo “RZD”.General media partner – News Agency TASS.Media partners – Match TV, World of Chess social network, OTRC “Ugra”, Ugra-news.ru News of Ugra regional newspaper, AIF-Ugra newspaper.
Nana Dzagnidze wins Nino Khurtsidze Memorial
The chess world remembers the great Georgian chess player, Nino Khurtsidze, who untimely passed away last year. Ten chess players from Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Ukraine arrived to Kutaisi to honor the memory of IM Nino Khurtsidze and participate in a rapid chess tournament bearing her name. One of the most talented players of her generation, Nino Khurtsidze succumbed in 2018 to a terminal illness at the age of 42. Born in 1975 in Georgia, Nino learned to play chess at a very early age and became the Winner of the World Youth Chess Championship in 1991 (Girls Under 16). She repeated her success in 1993 and 1995 (Girls Under 20). Throughout her career, Khurtsidze had many accomplishments in various tournaments, including national Georgian events. As a member of the national team, she participated in five Chess Olympiads.The round-robin tournament was held in the picturesque town, Vani, not far away from Kutaisi. Although the event was played in a friendly and relaxed atmosphere, the participants fought really hard. Nino Batsiashvili pulled away from the start and entered the final round as the sole leader, a point ahead of her main competitor Nana Dzagnidze. It was an exciting end of the tournament as Nino and Nano faced each other in the last round. Batsiashvili, playing with White, got the upper hand in the opening, but after missing several strong continuations, she ventured upon an incorrect piece sacrifice, which was refuted by Dzagnidze in a clinical fashion. As a result, Nana Dzagnidze won the game, catching up with the former leader, and becoming the winner of the tournament thanks to a better tiebreak. Final standings: 1. Nana Dzagnidze – 6½2. Nino Batsiashvili – 6½3. Meri Arabidze – 5 4. Lela Javakhishvili – 55. Bela Khotenashvili – 4½6. Salome Melia – 47. Natalia Zhukova – 48. Ketino Kachiani-Gersinska – 3½9. Maia Lomineishvili – 3½10. Zeinab Mamedjarova – 2½
World Cup quarterfinals: All draws in the first games
First games of the quarterfinals were played in Khanty-Mansiysk on September 23. Xiong – Radjabov was a relatively quiet draw. Minor pieces were exchanged quite early, but Black managed to invade White’s camp with his queen, forcing the opponent to demonstrate certain accuracy. Nevertheless, the position remained objectively even and ended in a draw by repetition on the 30th move. Levon Aronian and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave also produced a solid draw in the Gruenfeld Defense. After massive exchanges early in the opening, a minor pieces ending arose. With an accurate play, Black neutralized all possible threats and then sacrificed a pawn, which led to a drawn ending with opposite-colored bishops. The opponents shook hands on 44th move. Alexander Grischuk and Ding Liren had a theoretical discussion in a sharp line of the Catalan, in which Black sacrifices a pawn for the initiative. At the critical moment of the game, White was ready to sacrifice an exchange, but instead of accepting the offer Black traded a rook for a knight himself. A dynamic maneuvering battle with unbalanced material ensued, resulting in a draw right after the control was passed. Nikita Vitiugov and Yu Yangyi battled in the Najdorf Sicilian with 6.g3. Initially White got a certain edge; however, after the game, the Russian confessed that he was not happy with his actions after the opening. Later in the game, Black sacrificed an exchange, obtaining a powerful bishop pair that secured him sufficient compensation. Nikita decided not to push his luck and the opponents settle it in a peaceful manner on the move 43. The return games with the colors reversed will be played on Tuesday, September 24. The competition is organized by the Government of Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug – Ugra, International Chess Federation (FIDE), Ugra Chess Federation, and Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation. Official website: https://khantymansiysk2019.fide.com/en/ General partner – Gazpromneft-Khantos LCC.Official airline – Utair.Official partners of the competition: OJSC Rostelecom, Ugra Chess Academy, Russian Chess Federation, AB InBev Efes, and PJSC Rosneft.FIDE official partner – JSCo “RZD”.General media partner – News Agency TASS.Media partners – Match TV, World of Chess social network, OTRC “Ugra”, Ugra-news.ru News of Ugra regional newspaper, AIF-Ugra newspaper.
Coming soon: results of the chess clock contract tender
FIDE is pleased to announce that, in compliance with the published Bidding Procedure, it completed the scoring of offers submitted for the chess clock contract tender. The winners have been determined, conditional on the manufacturers’ signing binding contracts with FIDE. FIDE continues to operate on the principles of fairness, openness and transparency. We are committed to using the best practices. A detailed press release will be published once the contracts come into force.
Humpy Koneru wins Women’s Grand Prix Skolkovo
Indian number one female player Humpy Koneru drew the last game with white, against her closest rival Ju Wenjun. This rounded up a dream comeback for Koneru, after a two-year retirement from competitive chess. She scored 8 points out of 11, with six draws and five wins; she was the only undefeated player along with Goryachkina. The Indian Grandmaster won €15,000 and 160 Grand Prix points. The reigning World Champion Ju Wenjun and her Challenger Aleksandra Goryachkina scored 7.5 points each and shared second and third places. Ju reduced her chances to achieve the title in the previews round against Goryachkina when she missed a winning plan in a rook endgame. World Champion Challenger Aleksandra Goryachkina faced Pia Cramling in the last round. The clash of the generations ended in favor of the youngest participant of the Women’s Grand Prix series. Since Ju Wenjun and Goryachkina scored the same points, they will split their price and Grand Prix points, getting each 11.000€ and 120 points. Elizabeth Paehtz managed to improve her tournament score by defeating Alina Kashlinskaya with black. This result allowed the German to tie for fifth place with Valentina Gunina. Antoaneta Stefanova also finished the event on a positive note. The Bulgarian earned her only victory in the event in the encounter with Alexandra Kosteniuk. Final standings: 1. Humpy Koneru (IND) – 8/112. Ju Wenjun (CHN) – 7½/113. Aleksandra Goryachkina (RUS) – 7½/114. Kateryna Lagno (RUS) – 6½/115. Elisabeth Paehtz (GER) – 6/116. Valentina Gunina (RUS) – 6/117. Harika Dronavalli (IND) – 5/118. Alexandra Kosteniuk (RUS) – 4½/119. Alina Kashlinskaya (RUS) – 4½/1110. Antoaneta Stefanova (BGR) – 4/1111. Marie Sebag (FRA) – 4/1112. Pia Cramling (SWE) – 2½/11 Official website: https://wgp2019.fide.com