FIDE Circuit 2024: Caruana seizes the lead
Fabiano Caruana has taken the lead in the 2024 FIDE Circuit race as it approaches its final stretch. As many anticipated, the American GM emerged victorious in at the Saint Louis Masters (despite losing in the final round). Fabiano earned a so-much-needed 16.39 points to leapfrog Arjun Erigaisi on the leaderboard. The Indian GM pushed hard in the Qatar Masters Open 2024, but his second-place finish was not enough to catch up with the leader. With both having completed seven tournaments counted towards the 2024 FIDE Circuit final standings, Fabiano Caruana hold a six point advantage over his main rival. The final competition of the 2024 FIDE Circuit race, the World Rapid and Blitz Championships, promises an intense battle for the top spot. Erigaisi really needs to improve his score, while Caruana could secure victory by maintaining status quo. The winner of the leaderboard will be crowned on the last day of the year. We maintain a dedicated page on our website for the FIDE Circuit, offering the latest information on eligible tournaments, the current standings, and regulations.Visit: FIDE Circuit 2024.
World Youth Rapid & Blitz Championship 2024 kicks off in Terme Čatež, Slovenia
The prestigious World Youth Rapid & Blitz Championship 2024 organized by the Slovenian Chess Federation, officially began in Terme Čatež, Slovenia. The event brought together 340 young players from 35 countries, competing in U14, U16, and U18 categories across open and girls’ sections. The playing hall, located within the scenic Terme Čatež resort, provides a spacious and comfortable environment for all participants. With all official hotels conveniently situated within walking distance of the venue, players and accompanying persons are enjoying a seamless and convenient tournament experience. Sixty boards are equipped with live DGT technology, broadcasting games on the official championship website. Spectators around the globe can follow the action live, while a video stream from the playing hall enhances the experience. Additionally, the organizers have created a dedicated area for parents and coaches, featuring large screens life footage of the playing hall. This thoughtful arrangement ensures that the tournament experience is engaging for all attendees, not just the players. The event is supported by a skilled team of arbiters, including Chief Arbiter Nenad Dorić from Croatia, and a fair play team ensuring a smooth and transparent competition. Before the first round, a technical meeting was held with representatives of all delegations, where tournament rules and procedures were explained in detail. The opening ceremony featured welcoming speeches by Mirko Bandelj, Vice President of the Slovenian Chess Federation, and Ivan Molan, Mayor of Brežice (pictured above). FIDE Technical Delegate Özgür Solakoğlu officially declared the tournament open. The cultural program included a vibrant performance by a group of majorettes, setting an energetic tone for the championship. As the games unfold over the next days, all eyes will be on these rising stars as they compete for glory in rapid and blitz formats. Stay tuned for daily updates, live game coverage, and highlights from this global chess event. Photos: Luka Rifelj Official webpage: worldyouthrb2024.com/
Gukesh D crowned 18th FIDE World Champion
After almost a month of fierce competition, against an opponent who never gave in, 18-year-old Grandmaster from Chennai Gukesh D. raised the winner’s trophy this evening, in the magnificent ballrooms of the Equarius Hotel Sentosa. It has been an extraordinary journey, one that has kept us all on the edge of our seats with each move, and each brilliant game. It has been a celebration of not just the players and their remarkable achievements, but also of the spirit of chess—its ability to inspire, connect, and transcend boundaries. The awards ceremony took place next to the “fish tank”, the extra sensorial cube in which the 14-game match has been played. Over 1000 authorities, chess fans and media saluted the 18th champion in the line of the greatest players in history. The gala evening and closing ceremony began with a warm welcome to everyone by the two outstanding Masters of Ceremonies, Maurice Ashley and Charlize Van Zyl. Following the rendition of the Singaporean and FIDE anthems, a short video was projected, revisiting the incredible highlights that have made this championship unforgettable. Singapore provided the perfect backdrop for this championship, combining the city’s stunning beauty with the warmth hospitality of its people. Mr. Murali Pillai, Minister of State for the Ministry of Law and the Ministry of Transport took to the stage and thanked FIDE and the local organizers for putting the event together. He also congratulated the two finalists, Ding Liren and Gukesh D. for their sportsmanship, setting such a fine example for chess enthusiasts all over the world. Immediately afterwards, the CEO of the Singapore Chess Federation, Kevin Goh Wei Ming, joined the moderators on stage. Months and months of meticulous planning and hard work resulted in an impeccably organized event. Goh congratulated the players for their remarkable spirit and highlighted that the match had captivated millions of spectators all over the world. The ceremony entered its final stage as Arkady Dvorkovich, President of the International Chess Federation, was invited to take the floor. He delivered heartfelt appreciation for everyone that had participated in the event during the last few weeks. He also highlighted the fighting spirit that the players brought to the table, with good moves but also mistakes. Before prizegiving, Dvorkovich awarded commemorative appreciation plaques to both the minister Murali Pillai and to Professor Hsu Li Yang, the President of the Singapore Chess Federation. Gratitude was extended to those who made this championship possible, including those working inside the cube every day – Chief Arbiter Hamid Bin Abd Majid, Deputy Arbiter Anastasia Sorokina, and Fair Play officer Aleksandar Colovic. A special round of applause was awarded to FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky, who wasn’t able to join us tonight, but whose leadership and passion were pivotal in the championship’s success. Kevin Goh was once again called to the stage and awarded the runner-up medal to the outgoing champion, Ding Liren – a player whose journey to this stage has exemplified his perseverance and mastery. Accompanied at all times by his family and friends, he received the most important recognition: a round of thunderous applause for his effort in the competition. And last but not least, the moment that everyone had been waiting for — the crowning of the 2024 FIDE World Chess Champion. Gukesh D, a player who has dazzled us with brilliance, poise, and creativity across the board. The gold medal was presented by the Singapore Chess Federation President Professor Hsu Li Yang, the iconic World Champion laurel was presented by Minister Mr. Murali Pillai and finally, the champion’s trophy was presented by FIDE President Mr. Arkady Dvorkovich. Before the final photo opportunity shoot, Gukesh gave an emotional 10-minute speech, in which he thanked his family and friends, his team of coaches and his sponsors. He said that the journey had been nothing less than a dream, that there had been a lot of ups and downs, many beautiful moments but also setbacks, but that he wouldn’t change a single thing of his career. Written by IM Michael Rahal (Singapore) Photos: Eng Chin An, Maria Emelianova and Singapore Open Official website: worldchampionship.fide.com/ Full programme of side-events: worldchampionship.fide.com/events About the event World Champion Ding Liren, representing China, and challenger Gukesh D, from India, faced each other in a fourteen-game classical chess match. The player who scores 7.5 points or more wins the match, picking up the better part of the $2.5 million total prize fund. The match was hosted at the luxurious Resorts World Sentosa and broadcasted live with expert commentary on the FIDE YouTube Channel.
FIDE World Championship Game 14: Gukesh D claims title
Tears of joy and heartbreak in Singapore 18-year-old Indian prodigy Gukesh D is the new FIDE World Champion and the 18th in the line of champions, the youngest ever in history. In a dramatic and unexpected turn of events, when it seemed that the final game was heading for a draw and tiebreaks were unavoidable, the champion Ding Liren made a huge mistake on move fifty-five and was forced to resign three moves later. The final result of the match is 7.5-6.5 for Gukesh D. Let’s take a closer look at what happened this afternoon in the fourteenth and final game of the 2024 FIDE World Championship, presented by Google. History doesn’t always repeat itself. Last year’s thrilling 14-game classical World Championship match between Ding Liren and Ian Nepomniachtchi finished in a 7-7 tie and was decided in the rapid tie-break. By winning the fourth rapid game in great style, Ding became the 17th World Champion. The game started at 5 PM sharp, with Maurice Ashley introducing the players to the hundreds of fans in the venue. The ceremonial first move was performed by Professor Hsu Li Yang, a distinguished academic at the National University of Singapore (NUS). Beyond science, Professor Hsu is also passionate about chess. He achieved the title of International Master in 1994, and he currently serves as the President of the Singapore Chess Federation. For the second time in the match, the champion opened the game with 1.Nf3 – the Reti opening. The challenger defended with 1…d5, his main response, which he also employed in games 4 and 12 (via a different move order). Commentator GM David Howell quickly observed: “There are not many forcing lines in this variation, so we shall probably see most of the pieces on the board for most of the game.” For this important game, Ding had prepared a kingside fianchetto, followed by a quick 4.d4 – the Reversed Grunfeld! “Ding is a big expert in the Grunfeld with Black: he is now playing a Reversed Grunfeld – a total mirror image, but with an extra move for White,” explained co-commentator IM Jovanka Houska in the commentary booth. Gukesh’s opening preparation in this match has been top-notch. He blitzed out the relatively new idea 6…Ng-e7, trying to improve on the main line 6…Bc5, which was played a couple of times by his Indian colleague GM Praggnanandhaa. Ding decided to play it safe, trying to secure a small opening advantage without taking significant risks. Even FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich gave his opinion on the position in his interview with Howell and Houska: “Ding’s opening choice was expected, but Gukesh played a variation that nobody expected. Of course, it will all depend on the motivation of the players and if Ding is ready for a big fight today, or he wants to play it safe: in any case, I think that there is a lot of life in this position.” Dvorkovich was also very appreciative towards the hosting country: “Singapore is a beautiful location for anything, but for the World Championship in particular, as it combines all kinds of cultures and chess is exactly about that, bringing the cultures together.” Ding had the chance to play aggressively for a win and wrap up the match. However, the champion opted to secure a small opening advantage if possible, but without incurring in any major risks. As Ding’s rapid and blitz ratings (2776 and 2785) are much higher than Gukesh’s (2654 and 2615), most analysts considered the Chinese GM the favorite in tomorrow’s potential tiebreaks. One of the two key moments of the game occurred just out of the opening. Instead of 14.Qe2, which according to engines might have promised a small but stable advantage, Ding Liren opted for 14.b3, which allowed Gukesh to immediately equalize. From then onwards, the opponents maintained near-perfect accuracy of nearly 100%. They started exchanging some minor pieces and seemed content with the draw. Still, the challenger tried everything to keep the game going and get some winning chances, but it just didn’t seem enough. On move twenty-nine, Ding decided to sacrifice a pawn, to ensure the exchange of queens and rooks. Although White was a pawn down, the game was clearly heading towards a draw. Ding was holding his ground, but just when most of the analysts and journalists in the media center were already preparing their reports with the draw and tie-breaks, disaster struck for the champion. In an effort to force a quick draw, he offered an exchange of rooks on f2 at an inappropriate moment. “I was totally in shock when I realized I made a blunder,” Ding explained in the postgame press conference. Put yourself in Gukesh’s shoes. Can you find the winning plan? After the exchange of rooks followed by 56…Bd5!, the king ending with the extra pawn is winning and Ding had to resign. Gukesh couldn’t believe his eyes when Ding Liren blundered with 55.Rf2: “At the first moment, I didn’t see that I was winning. When I realized that I was winning, it was the best moment of my life.” Ding Liren painfully acknowledged his defeat: “I think I played my best tournament of the year. It could be better, but considering yesterday’s lucky survive, it’s a fair result to lose in the end. I have no regrets.” In the postgame press conference, Gukesh shared his appreciation for his opponent: “We all know who Ding is, he has been one of the best players in the world for several years and to see him struggling, and to see the fight he gave, it shows what a true champion he is and for me, he is the real world champion.” “For the past two years he hasn’t been in the best shape, but he fought like a true champion; he put on a great show and I would like to thank him,” Gukesh added. “Since I was seven, I have been living this moment, already for ten years. Every chess player wants to
FIDE World Championship Game 13: Ding dodges a bullet
With the match tied at six points and a half and only one classical game left, nerves are strained to the limit. At this point, any mistake could be decisive, and both players are displaying remarkable composure under intense pressure. Reigning World champion, GM Ding Liren from China, was on the verge of losing this afternoon. A mix of excellent defensive skills and a fair share of luck allowed him secure a much better outcome than expected. Let’s take a closer look at the game. After greeting both players, FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich performed the ceremonial first move, playing 1.Nf3. Gukesh, however, quickly returned to g1 and opened the game with 1.e4, his choice for games one and five. Ding took a moment to collect his thoughts and responded once again with 1…e6 – the French Defence, an opening that has worked fine for him in the match. Gukesh followed the same line as the first game, the Steinitz variation, but introduced a small modification on move five, playing 5.Nce2 instead of 5.f4, reflecting his team’s had work preparing new ideas. Gukesh sprung a surprise on move seven with 7.a3. Ding spent more than fifteen minutes of his time trying to grasp the subtleties of the position. The move had been tried out before in a few master games, but never at the highest level. “I was surprised. He played a move-order trick, I was confused, and I had to figure it out during the game. By delaying f2-f4 in some lines he will play f4 and in other lines he will play Nf3 and Nf4,” Ding explained in the press conference. “This is Gukesh’s preparation, his match strategy. He’s been picking these off-beat rare lines,” added GM David Howell in the commentary booth. After eight moves, Ding had already used over fifty minutes of his time, while Gukesh spent less than a minute. A few moves later, the engines suggested a solid advantage for Gukesh after 12.Qg4 attacking the g7-pawn, but instead the challenger preferred to complete his development. “I briefly saw that 12.Qg4 was possible, but I didn’t think it was very strong. I thought that what I played was also very good,” he explained later. After both opponents castled, Gukesh suddenly stopped to think. Co-commentator IM Jovanka Houska explained what was going on: “Black holds all the long-term trumps: if Gukesh doesn’t try to pose any problems, Ding is going to be better.” “If somehow we could magically take the queens off the board, Black would undoubtedly have an advantage. Ding has the three-against-two queenside majority and Gukesh has a backward d-pawn: he has to go for the mate,” GM David Howell added. After Gukesh transferred his knight to h5, threatening to swing over his queen to g4 and start an attack, Ding decided it was time to weaken his pawn structure but activate pieces and went for 15…f5. At this point, five-time World Champion and FIDE Vice President GM Vishy Anand proclaimed: “There is about 60% chance that the match will go to the tie-breaks”. The position remained more or less equal for a few more moves, with both players maneuvering to find the best squares for their pieces. With twenty moves to go to the time control, both players were in their last thirty minutes: time trouble was looming. Gukesh kept pressuring on the board and on the clock and from the outside. Visibly nervous, Ding was trying to keep it together. After the game he admitted: “I also missed his excellent moves 19.Qe2 and 22.Bf4. He was able to gradually improve his position.” Suddenly, Gukesh unexpectedly decided to trade off his dark-squared bishop for Ding’s knight, leaving his opponent with a bad bishop on c8 and some other pawn weaknesses. “This is a game of two results now: Ding is holding on, but he doesn’t seem to have any winning chances,” David Howell observed. “He is so nervous visibly; he knows he is walking a tightrope” said Howell. Online, 30,000 chess fans were following the game on FIDE’s YouTube channel, holding their breaths. On X, GM Pavel Eljanov also chimed in. With only six minutes for ten moves in a highly complex position, things looked very grim for Ding. Disaster struck on move thirty – Ding should have swapped his queen for Gukesh’s two rooks, with decent chances to hold the draw, but instead he played 30…Qf7, allowing Gukesh to win. Put yourself in Gukesh’s shoes. Would you play 31.Ne4, angling for the d6 square or would you exchange rooks first? The challenger missed a key defensive idea. “I thought I played quite a good game. When I played 31.Ne4 I missed his defense idea with 31…Rf8 and 32…Rc7. My initial intention was to exchange rooks first and only then Ne4, which should be winning,” he explained after the game. Once both players reached the 40-move time control, there was not much they could do to unbalance the game. Ding took the practical decision to go into a rook ending a pawn down, but considered a technical draw and they signed the peace on move 68. “I am quite tired after this long game. We will decide the strategy for the next game, which will be a golden game,” said Ding in the press conference. “I don’t think you will see a short draw tomorrow” were Ding’s final words before joining his team to prepare what might be his most important game of the year. “It will be an important game, and I will try to do my best. As close as the match gets, it’s more exciting. My approach will be the same: to go with the same energy and just give it my best and see what happens,” Gukesh reflected after the game. After thirteen of the fourteen scheduled classical games, the match is tied at 6.5 – 6.5. The final classical game will take place on Thursday, December 12, at 5 PM local time in Singapore, with Ding Liren playing White.
FIDE World Championships 2025, 2026 and 2027: Call for bids
FIDE Events Commission is pleased to announce “FIDE World Championships call for bids” and invites FIDE member federations to participate. The bidding deadline for submissions is January 15, 2025, 15:00 CET. Please note the significant changes to youth competitions approved by the FIDE Council, effective from 2026: FIDE World School individual event will be replaced by the FIDE World Championships U7-U17 and with updated regulations. The World Cadets Championships U8-U12 cycle is established with the World Cup and the World Championships U8-U12. Both competitions must be held by the same organizer. There are 7 competitions open for bidding: 1. 2025 World Cadet Championships U8-U12 2. 2026 World Cup U8-U12 & 2026 World Chess Championships U8-U12 (new format and Regulations) 3. 2026 World Chess Championships U7-U17 (new format and Regulations) 4. 2026 World Senior Individual Championships 50+ and 65+ 5. 2026 World Cadet & Youth Rapid and Blitz Championships U8-U18 6. 2027 World Cup U8-U12 & 2027 World Chess Championships U8-U12 (new format and Regulations) 7. 2027 World Championships U7-U17 (new format and Regulations) Dear bidders, Detailed information about the new formats, useful links, and the bidding procedure—including the Bid Form, Bid Form Annex, Bid and Deposit Fees, and Regulations—can be found HERE.
FIDE World Championship Game 12: Ding Liren defeats Gukesh D to tie the match
In an unexpected twist, reigning World Champion Ding Liren defeated the challenger Gukesh D. this afternoon in game twelve, echoing twelfth-game comeback win against Ian Nepomniachtchi in the 2023 title match. Even though he was initially taken aback by Gukesh’s opening approach, Ding managed to find his way and create a chess masterpiece, arguably one of the best games of his career. Let’s take a closer look at today’s game. As usual, both players arrived a few minutes before 5pm and Gukesh took a moment to enter “meditation mode” for a couple of minutes, closing his eyes to focus on the game. Meanwhile, Mr. Zhu Jing, Chargé d’affaires ad interim of the Chinese Embassy in Singapore, performed the ceremonial first move. For the second time in the match, Ding opened with 1.c4, the English opening. Gukesh immediately responded 1…e6, aiming for a Queen’s Gambit declined setup. Unexpectedly, the champion thought for three minutes considering his options: maybe he was expecting a repeat of 1…e5, Gukesh’s game eight choice. He decided to go for a Reti setup, with a kingside fianchetto. “With his move order, it seems that Ding has tried to side-step the …Bb4+ line in the Catalan. Maybe that is why Gukesh has played 4…d4 instead of 4…Be7, which would have permitted the traditional Catalan opening move 5.d4,” was GM David Howell’s reasoning in the commentary booth. One of the key games in this variation was played in 2019 between Richard Rapport and Ni Hua in China – both of whom are seconding Ding in the match! In that game, Ni Hua played 7…0-0 instead of Gukesh’s 7…dxe3. Both players developed their pieces logically and the position remained equal going into the middlegame. The champion was manoeuvring around, waiting for the best moment to break in the centre with d3-d4, while the challenger was trying to keep control of the d-file and keep his position together in what basically looked like a waiting strategy. Arriving at the key moment, Gukesh decided to target Ding’s backward d3-pawn with the maneuver 16…Nd7 and 17…Nc5, but the champion anticipated this and struck with 18.d4!, sacrificing material for the initiative if necessary! As he confirmed after the game, Gukesh already sensed that he was in big trouble. Opening the position was out of the question, given the activity of White’s pieces. 18…e4 played by the challenger was the lesser of many evils, but it didn’t matter – Ding was on a roll. He capitalized on his central pawns combined with his pair of bishops, steadily increasing his advantage. The champion could have played the simple 26.Na7, winning the exchange and the game, but instead he went for the powerful 26.d5 with the idea 27.d6! crashing in. However, after the game, Ding acknowledged missing some tactics! After losing two pawns, Gukesh could have resigned, but he kept on in time trouble searching for some sort of defensive resource, that never came. Put yourself in Ding’s shoes. Find the killer tactic that forced Gukesh to resign. 39. Rxg7+! and Gukesh capitulated, facing the inevitable checkmate 1-0 Despite suffering a major blow, Gukesh took it in stride. “Although I didn’t remember all the details, I was aware of the opening position. I thought I was quite comfortable after the opening but later on, I wasn’t sure what to do,” he explained after the game. “In the second half of the match, I had chances in many of the games. Today was obviously a bad game, but I wouldn’t draw too much from it. Bad games happen. But if you look at the second half overall, I think we are both playing better than the first half. 6-6 is overall the fair result, but since I was leading after yesterday, it is a bit disappointing to lose this game,” he added. Gukesh ended the press conference on a positive note: “Obviously it’s not pleasant to lose this game, but at least the score is tied – two more games are remaining, so let’s see,” the challenger concluded before he retired for the night. A visibly happy Ding Liren reflected on his recovery in the postgame press conference: “Yesterday was a difficult game to deal with, but I tried to continue with my normal routine and be refreshed for this important game. Today I had a cup of coffee before the game, which helped me feel much more energetic, and also, I had some snacks to maintain my energy levels for the critical moment. I think I played a very good game and found some good moves.” After twelve of the fourteen scheduled classical games, once again the match is tied 6-6. The players will enjoy their final rest tomorrow and the match will resume on Wednesday, December 11th at 5 PM local time in Singapore, with Gukesh playing White. FACT SHEET, Game 12, FIDE World Championship: White: Ding Liren Black: Gukesh D Result: 1-0 Game length: 39 moves Opening: English Opening Variation: Agincourt Defence Match score: 6-6 Although the FIDE World Championship takes central stage, the local organizers along with FIDE have arranged a wide range of side events for all the fans coming to Sentosa for the match. Today’s highlight was a screening of “The Thinking Game”, a documentary chronicling visionary scientist Demis Hassabis’ relentless pursuit to crack artificial general intelligence, a journey of extraordinary perseverance. Additionally, a Q&A session with five of Singapore’s Grandmasters—Wong Meng Kong, Wu Shaobin, Kevin Goh, Tin Jingyao, and Siddharth Jagadeesh—delighted spectators in the Fan Zone. Written by IM Michael Rahal (Singapore) Photos: Eng Chin An, Maria Emelianova and Singapore Open Official website: worldchampionship.fide.com/ Full programme of side-events: worldchampionship.fide.com/events About the event Current World Champion Ding Liren, representing China, and challenger Gukesh D, from India, face each other in a fourteen-game classical chess match. The player who scores 7.5 points or more will win the match, picking up the better part of the $2.5 million total prize fund. The first of the fourteen scheduled games took place on Monday, November 25 at 5
World Junior U20 Championship 2025: Registration is open
FIDE and the Chess Federation of Montenegro are pleased to invite all FIDE member federations to participate in the World Junior U20 Chess Championship 2025. The event will be held in Petrovac, Montenegro, from February 23 (arrival) to March 8 (departure), 2025. Each national federation may register one player born on or after January 1, 2005, in each of two categories – Open and Girls, with a maximum of two invited players and additional players in any number beyond invited players. Players with personals right, according to FIDE rules, will also be accepted as invited players: Top 3 players of the previous edition of FIDE World Junior Championships 2024. The Continental Junior Champions of the year preceding this edition. If a continent did not organize a Continental Junior Championship, then the Continental Under 18 Champions of the year preceding this edition qualify. The first three players in the starting list of both the Open and Girls tournaments, based on the FIDE rating list at the tournament’s start. World Youth U18 and U16 champions of the preceding year. All registrations must be submitted through the respective national federations:For players who need a visa, the deadline is January 23, 2025.For all other participants, the deadline is February 10, 2025. FIDE World Junior Chess Championships 2025 official website:worldjunior2025.fide.com (coming soon). E-mail: worldjunior@fide.com Invitation letter with comprehensive details (PDF)
Italian Championship: Sonis and Brunello capture titles
Francesco Sonis and Marina Brunello have emerged as the new Italian chess champions. Francesco claimed his maiden title, while Marina secured her third championship victory, adding to her wins in 2008 and 2018. The Italian Championship was held at the State Archives of Turin, a historic site dating back to the 18h century, from November 26 to December 7. The event featured Italy’s 28 best players, competing across three categories: Absolute, Female, and Under 20. The Absolute Championship, a 12-player round-robin, was a fiercely competitive tournament. Heading into the final round, four players—Francesco Sonis, Sabino Brunello, Gabriele Lumachi, and defending champion Luka Moroni—were tied for first place with 6.5/10. In the decisive 11th round, Sonis faced Claudio Paduano, one of the lower-rated participants, and scored a crucial victory to secure the title with 7.5/11. Meanwhile, all other games ended in draws. Three players tied for second place with 7/11, but Sabino Brunello and Gabriele Lumachi claimed silver and bronze, respectively, edging out Luka Moroni on Sonneborn-Berger tiebreaks. Final standings Absolute The Women’s Championship, an 8-player round-robin, turned into a thrilling duel between top seed Marina Brunello and defending champion Olga Zimina. Both players remained unbeaten throughout the tournament, with Marina finishing a half-point ahead, winning the title. Silvia Bordin scored 4.5/7 and secured bronze. She also won U20 Women category. Final standings Women Vittorio Cina triumphed in the U20 category, scoring 5.5/7, and becoming the only undefeated player in the tournament. Neven Hercegovac and Gabriel Urbani took silver and bronze, respectively. Final standings U20 Official website: https://www.ciascacchi2024.it/ Photos: Mattia Dodaro
FIDE World Championship Game 11: Ding collapses under pressure as Gukesh takes the lead
This afternoon in Singapore, the 18-year-old chess prodigy Gukesh D took a huge step toward becoming the youngest classical chess champion in history. After one of the most exciting games of the match, in which both players spent almost an hour on one single move, he defeated the champion Ding Liren, setting the match score at 6-5 with only three games to go. Let’s take a closer look at today’s game. A double ceremonial move inaugurated the eleventh game, made by two chess trailblazers. GM Hou Yifan, 4-time Women’s World Champion, made the ceremonial first move today for Ding Liren. Hou Yifan has achieved many notable accomplishments: At 14 years, 6 months, and 2 days old, she became the youngest female player to ever earn the grandmaster title. At 16, Hou became the youngest ever to win the Women’s World Chess Championship. She is the second highest rated female player of all time, and one of only three women to have been rated among the world’s top 100 players. GM Eugene Torre from the Philippines, made the ceremonial first move for Gukesh D. Torre has been a trailblazer for Asian chess for half a century, achieving a number of continental milestones including first grandmaster, first to defeat a reigning world champion, and first to reach the Candidates stage of the World Championship. A member of the Philippine Olympiad team a record 23 times, Torre won three individual medals on board one. He also won a bronze medal on board three at Baku 2016 at the age of 64. Playing with White, Gukesh went for the reversed Blumenfeld gambit for the first time in his life, sacrificing a pawn for the initiative! “A provocative opening, not necessarily computer approved, but this is a human game,” explained GM David Howell in the commentary booth. The database revealed only one game played by Ding Liren in this opening (an online rapid against Indian GM Adhiban Baskaran). However, interestingly enough another very strong Indian player, GM Arjun Erigaisi, has had a lot of success with this gambit, and it has been rumored that Erigaisi may be one of Gukesh’s “secret” seconds in this match… Ding Liren went into the tank for nearly forty minutes (!) to decide on his opening approach – to accept the pawn gambit with 4…dxe3, or play 4.Nf6 and potentially running into Gukesh’s preparation. “It was a very difficult game for me. Already on move four, I wasn’t sure if I had made the correct choice. I remembered a game I played in a rapid tournament against GM Adhiban, but I couldn’t remember the other moves. I spent 40 minutes calculating some nonsense variations,” a visibly upset Ding explained after the game. “I do wonder if it’s this conscience thing – you take a quick draw with White and in your mind, you feel guilty, you don’t feel good about yourself afterward. Every time I take a quick draw with White, just like Ding did yesterday, I guarantee I will lose the next game with Black. It’s happened many times in my career,” added GM David Howell in the commentary booth. The official novelty of the game was 5…Bg4. By this time, Ding had already used up more than an hour – half of his total thinking time. “These types of positions with …c5 and …d4 can be very tricky, for both sides,” explained four-time Women’s World champion Hou Yifan, who joined the commentary at the end of the opening. “Sometimes the lack of time is a factor, but other times the position is more important. Players need to balance well their time-management. But today, there is already a huge time difference.” On move nine, Gukesh could have played 9.c5 and develop his light-squared bishop actively to c4 or b5. Instead, he preferred to close down the queenside and then spent an hour of his thinking time to calculate all the complications in the line 11.g3 and 12.Bg2, which allowed Ding’s knights to create some threats in the center. Hou Yifan offered a bit more insight on Ding Liren: “I played many games against Ding when we were younger. He is a very creative player and can play all the structures. He doesn’t always play the most logical moves, but he often is more thoughtful.” At this point, Gukesh thought that he had messed up the opening, but he saw come chances to get back into the game in the middlegame: “Full congratulations to my team for their effort in the preparation of this opening, which caught my opponent by surprise. Then I did some stupid things, but I am happy I was able to get it back together,” he shared. Ding was getting into time trouble and Gukesh took advantage by sacrificing the b-pawn and then pressing with all his pieces on the queenside, along the b-file and the h1-a8 long diagonal. Ding was hanging on but everyone in the media center sensed that he might crack at any moment. In the end, time pressure proved decisive. With only seven minutes to go, Ding blundered on move 28, dropping a piece in a one-move combination. Instead of 28…Nb4, returning his extra pawn with decent drawing chances, he played the losing 28…Qc8 and after 29.Qxc6 had to resign. In an attempt to remain positive, Ding Liren recalled that in the previous match he managed to make a come-back: “In the last match I made a comeback on the twelfth game, so I am hoping to play well tomorrow.” After eleven of the fourteen scheduled classical games, Gukesh D. leads 6-5. The twelfth game will take place on Monday, December 9th at 5 PM local time in Singapore, with Ding Liren playing White. FACT SHEET, Game 11, FIDE World Championship: White: Gukesh D.Black: Ding LirenResult: 1-0Game length: 29 movesOpening: Reti OpeningVariation: Reversed Blumenfeld GambitMatch score: 6-5 (for Gukesh D.) Although the FIDE World Championship takes central stage, the local organizers along with FIDE have arranged a wide range of side