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
World Cup: Quarterfinals are set
The tie-breaks of Round 4 were played in the Ugra Chess Academy on September 22. Two out of five matches were decided in rapid chess. After Alexander Grischuk and Leinier Dominguez drew their first game, the Russian prevailed in the second one with White. Most likely his American vis-à-vis missed something in the complications arising after 24…c5. Grischuk emerged with a piece for two pawns, won the game and advanced to the quarters. Ding Liren defeated Kirill Alekseenko i both rapid games and also progressed to the quarterfinals. His next opponent is none other than Alexander Grischuk. Levon Aronian and Le Quang Liem drew both rapid games. Aronian, the defending champion of the World Cup, was at risk of losing the second game, but luck was on his side. Having caught the tailwind, the Armenian grandmaster was in full command in 10-minute games and advanced to the next round. The Azerbaijani derby Mamedyarov – Radjabov started with two draws in rapid chess, although in the first game Teimour was on the ropes. The first 10-minute game also ended in a draw, however, the streak was broken in the next encounter, won by Teimour Radjabov with Black. “It was probably the most annoying pairing. Whenever you win or lose, it is more or less the same. One of us had to qualify; this time it was me, but it was super-unpleasant pairing. We both had chances to get place for Azerbaijan in the upcoming Candidates if we would have been in the different brackets,” commented the winner on the psychological context of the match with his teammate and friend. Jeffrey Xiong and Jan-Krzysztof Duda did not lose their fighting spirit on the tie-break day and went virtually all the way. The opponents exchanged blows in both rapid games and 10-minute games with all victories coming to a player with the white pieces. The first blitz game ended in a draw, but in the second one Xiong scored the victory and scraped through to the next stage. The first games of the quarterfinals will be played on September 23. Quarterfinals: Grischuk – Ding Liren Xiong – Radjabov Aronian – Vachier-Lagrave Vitiugov – Yu Yangyi 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.
Kazakhstan reigns supreme in Asian Senior Championship
Talal Alzaim (Syria) and Tolegen Nukin (Kazakhstan) triumphed in the 50+ and 65+ categories, respectively, in the Asian Seniors Chess Championship organized by the Kazakhstan Chess Federation. The event was held under the auspices of the Asian Chess Federation from 8th to 18th of September 2019 in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Almaty hosted the Asian senior Championship for the first time: 70 chess players from 16 countries came to the largest Kazakhstan city. Local players took the entire pedestal in the 65+ category and won silver and bronze medals in the 50+ category. Elena Ankudinova from Pavlodar won the gold in the women’s section in the 50+ category for the former world champion among seniors. Nadezhda Iskichekova of Almaty took first place in the 65+ category.In the blitz and rapid championships, Kazakhstan swept a full set of medals. Serikbay Temirbayev took the gold in the category 50+ whereas Tolegen Nukin did the same in the 65+ category. In blitz 50+ and 65+ categories, the best results were shown by Jamshed Isaev from Tajikistan and Sabyr Syzdykov from Kazakhstan respectively. “I would like to note the high level of organization of the championship,” said the Australian participant Peter Frost, “It was one of the best tournaments of all ten Asian championships among seniors in history. We, for our part, will be happy to host Kazakhstan athletes and repay them with the same warm welcome.” Final results: Blitz 50+ Men 1. Jamshed Isaev (TJK) 2. Aziz Umarbekov (KGZ) 3. Serikbay Temirbayev (KAZ) Women 1. Yelena Ankudinova (KAZ) 2. Helen Milligan (NZL) 3. Nurgul Ilanbekova (KAZ) Blitz 65+ Men 1. Sabyr Syzdykov (KAZ) 2. Sergey Sidorov (KAZ) 3. Marat Primbetov (KAZ) Women 1. Iskichekova Nadezhda (KAZ) 2. Zinaida Yagunova (KAZ) 3. Panu Abdikasova (KAZ) Rapid 50+ Men 1. Serikbay Temirbayev (KAZ) 2. Oleg Golovchuk (KAZ) 3. Valeriy Min (KAZ) Women 1. Ankudinova Yelena (KAZ) 2. Milligan Helen (NZL) 3. Ilanbekova Nurgul (KAZ) Rapid 65+ Men 1. Tolegen Nukin (KAZ) 2. Marat Primbetov (KAZ) 3. Hanif Khusainov (KAZ) Women 1. Nadezhda Iskichekova (KAZ) 2. Zinaida Yagunova (KAZ) 3. Panu Abdikasova (KAZ) Standard 50+ Men 1. Talal Alzaim (SYR) 2. Serikbay Temirbayev (KAZ) 3. Almaz Asanov (KAZ) Women 1. Yelena Ankudinova (KAZ) 2. Nurgul Ilanbekova (KAZ) 3. Helen Milligan (NZL) Standard 65+ Men 1. Tolegen Nukin (KAZ) 2. Mikhail Kashkarov (KAZ) 3. Hanif Khusainov (KAZ) Women 1. Nadezhda Iskichekova (KAZ) 2. Panu Abdikasova (KAZ) 3. Zinaida Yagunova (KAZ)
Koneru heads into the final round on top of the leaderboard
Koneru Humpy made a quick draw and guaranteed herself a place in the top three. Ju Wenjun missed a chance to defeat her Challenger Aleksandra Goryachkina in a theoretical endgame. The last round will be decisive, as Koneru and Ju are facing each other. The sole leader of the tournament, Humpy Koneru, and the two times European Women Champion, Kateryna Lagno, made draw just in 23 moves. Lagno used her “main weapon” again: the Petrov’s Defense. Koneru successfully managed to avoid her opponent’s home preparation; she surprised her with a queen’s transfer to the edge of the board, from where it supported her own bishops and guaranteed the draw. The first clash in classical chess between the current World Champion Ju Wenjun and her Challenger Aleksandra Goryachkina ended in a draw. Ju chose 1.c4, the English Opening, and obtained a significant advantage in the middle game. After a powerful tactical blow 22.f4 it became more tangible and Ju went to the endgame with an extra pawn. The Chinese player demonstrated an excellent technique in the rook endgame up to some point; however, she missed her best chance on move 57 in a theoretical position, and let the victory slip. This encounter was just a warm-up for the upcoming Women’s World Chess Championship match, which will be split between Shanghai, China, and Vladivostok, Russia, during January 2020. Alina Kashlinskaya won a nice game against the former World Champion Antoaneta Stefanova. The Russian went for a Queens Gambit Accepted, and then offered her rival a “poisoned pawn” on b7 that the Bulgarian accepted. In return, Alina got important central squares, better development, the white king trapped in the center. Again in this tournament, Stefanova fell into time trouble and failed to find the best defense, resigning on move 31. Valentina Gunina outplayed her opponent Harika Dronavalli in a Classical Queen’s Gambit. Harika’s pawn structure went from “hanging pawns” to an “isolated pawn”, and Gunina played precisely to exploit this weakness. Pia Cramling made yet another blunder in this tournament: on this occasion, she resigned prematurely thinking that she was losing a piece after Alexandra Kosteniuk‘s 34…Qa1 move. At first sight, it seems like the Knight on a6 is trapped; however, Cramling could have defended her piece with the indirect attack 35.b4. The little trick was enough to have kept the balance, according to chess engines. German number one female player Elisabeth Paethz split the point with two time French women Champion Marie Sebag. A very sharp position arose from the modern version (4.Ba4) of the Moscow variation. Sebag started a queenside attack and gained space as well as an advantage. However, Paethz reacted just on time, sacrificing an exchange in order to destroy the black king’s defense, and got away with a perpetual check. The last will be played on September 22, one hour earlier than the usual schedule: at 1 pm local time (GMT +3). Spectators can follow the games with English and Russian commentaries: www.youtube.com/fidechannel Official website: https://wgp2019.fide.com