Chess and Female Empowerment conference concluded in London
London Chess Conference 2019, focusing on the ground-breaking theme “Chess and Female Empowerment” took place on November 30 and December 1, 2019, in the Irish Cultural Centre, Hammersmith. For the last four years the event has been supported by the European Chess Union, and this year additionally through the FIDE Development Fund. The conference opened with the welcome speech by Mr. Malcolm Pein who has been supporting the event from the very first year as a part of the London Chess Classic. After the welcome speech, Chairman of ECU Education Commission Mr. Jesper Hall presented the agenda of the conference and the work in progress by the ECU EDU commission. The conference examined the involvement of women and girls in chess and provided insights into how to improve gender balance. Primary and secondary school teachers had a chance to learn how to make chess a more engaging activity through its social and collaborative modes. With many workshops, presentations, debates, round tables and demonstrations in the program, the Conference provided ideas and initiatives for those striving to improve the engagement of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The conference was also dedicated to the recent study developed by ECU EDU Commission and Survey on Women’s Chess in Europe. Analyzing the results of the Survey, Ms. Alice O’Gorman, a member of the ECU Women’s Commission presented the current state of women’s chess throughout European countries and Chess Federations. A study conducted through the US Chess Federation provided qualitative insights into chess and gender issues, while an analysis of online play in the Netherlands revealed details of how boys and girls compare. The US Chess Federation has shared a short video by Jenny Schweitzer, a New York-based director. In this inspiring film, young female chess players explain the emotional and intellectual impact of chess on their lives and the challenges they have faced in the game. After receiving an award in Monaco at the Golden Pawn Ceremony legendary Judit Polgar flew to London to share her valuable experiences on women’s chess during the 7th London Chess Conference. Among more than 40 speakers from around 30 countries of the Conference were also the Chairman of the FIDE Chess in Education Commission Mr. Smbat Lputian and the Secretary Mr. Kevin O’Connell who actively participated in the sessions and debates. Text: Dr. Uvencio Blanco HernándezPhoto: John Saunders
GCT London Finals: Vachier-Lagrave miraculously escapes
The players returned to the board after spending their day off at the Pro Biz Cup raising money for the UK charity Chess in Schools and Communities. After the opening phase, the commentators expected to see two victories. While Carlsen was able to put away his opponent, Vachier-Lagrave escaped by the skin of his teeth thanks to his resilient and resourceful defense. Aronian will have the white pieces tomorrow to try to overcome the 6 point deficit. The games will resume tomorrow 2 hours earlier, at 2 PM GMT/8 AM CST. Results after first classical games Maxime Vachier-Lagrave vs Ding Liren: ½ – ½ Vachier-Lagrave miraculously weathered the storm in what looked like a completely lost position. Ding repeated the same line against the Ruy Lopez that he had played against Carlsen in 2017. The Frenchman misplayed the middlegame and found himself in an unpleasant position, with a bad knight against a superior bishop in a queen endgame. Vachier-Lagrave decided to give up a pawn in order to trade the minor pieces, but inadvertently entered a lost endgame where his opponent’s passed c-pawn was unstoppable. Ding’s king ran across the board in order to hide from his opponent’s checks and to support his passed pawn. The situation looked hopeless for the Frenchman, but at the critical moment on move 66, the Chinese star made the grave error of allowing his opponent to promote to a queen as well, thinking that he had a forced win. The unusual endgame with four queens on the board went on for 32 moves until Ding had to accept that the victory had slipped out of his hands, eventually settling for a perpetual. Vachier-Lagrave was very critical of his performace, calling it unworthy of a final match. Ding was disappointed but found some solace in his high-quality middlegame play. Magnus Carlsen vs Levon Aronian: 1-0 Carlsen returned to the board eager to recover from his loss against Vachier-Lagrave. The main culprit of Aronian’s downfall was his poor time management throughout the game. The World Champion maintained a small edge after getting the bishop pair but Aronian was in the game. The position blew up on move 32 when the Armenian sacrificed a pawn in order to activate his pieces. Unfortunately, he was already low on time and missed a key resource to fully equalize. After a few more inaccuracies by both sides, the players ended up in an opposite-colored bishop endgame where Aronian was down a pawn and already relying heavily on increment, making it practically impossible to hold. He conceded defeat after it became clear that another one of his pawns would inevitably fall. Photo: Grand Chess Tour Official site
Humpy Koneru earns a draw and keeps the lead
Another exciting day at the Yacht Club with four decisive results. The veteran Pia Cramling, the oldest participant in the event and a member of the Cercle d’Echecs de Montecarlo since 2007, climbs to the second position. The Grand Prix had the honor to welcome the Honorary Consul General of Russia in Monaco, Mrs. Ekaterina Semenikhin, to launch the fourth round. The diplomat played a symbolic first move in the encounter between former World Champions Alexandra Kosteniuk and Mariya Muzychuk. In an interview given afterward, Mrs. Semenikhin revealed that she had played a part in the organization since she had suggested holding the event at the Yacht Club de Monaco. “As one of the most beautiful buildings in Monaco, symbolizing the modern style and modern life, this is a perfect place for the Grand Prix”, she added. For the record, the game between Alexandra Kosteniuk and Mariya Muzychuk finished rather early with a draw by repetition. The only other encounter where the point was split witnessed a tense battle. Nana Dzagnidze tried hard to beat Humpy Koneru with the white pieces, as this would enable her to overtake her opponent, who has been leading the tournament since day one. The Georgian got a definite edge from the opening and pushed until the very end. It did not work out as Koneru’s defensive skills and resilience proved sufficient. In the remaining four games one part came out victorious and surprisingly only once it was White. Valentina Gunina misplayed her Bogo-Indian opening and soon ended up in a critical position against Zhao Xue. The Chinese produced a good game and did not let this chance slip away. Aleksandra Goryachkina fully recovered from her loss in round two and scored her second consecutive win against Harika Dronavalli. This game seemed to be heading toward a quiet draw, but the World Championship challenger found a way to obtain an edge in the endgame. The Indian did not defend too well, which allowed Goryachkina to display an excellent technique and score a full point. Pia Cramling is having a great event so far. The Swedish legend, the lowest-rated participant in Monaco, is giving a hard time to her younger competitors. After three initial draws, where she actually missed some chances, Pia overcame the resistance of Elisabeth Paehtz. The German is visibly out of shape, as she inexplicably forgot to exchange queens with 27.Qc8. Cramling managed to put pressure on her opponent after that and won a pawn. The fight ended abruptly with a terrible blunder by Paehtz, although most likely she would have lost anyway. Kateryna Lagno and Anna Muzychuk played the longest game of the day. Black refrained from castling, which possibly provoked her opponent into an attacking attempt with 14.Ng5. But eventually, this knight ended up being cut off from its own camp. In order to avoid losing this piece, Lagno had to take some drastic measures, which gave Black wonderful play. The Ukrainian won a pawn and converted it convincingly. Humpy Koneru keeps the lead with three points but is now trailed by four players. Results of Round 4:Nana Dzagnidze (Geo) – Humpy Koneru (Ind): ½ – ½Alexandra Kosteniuk (Rus) – Anna Muzychuk (Ukr): ½ – ½Kateryna Lagno (Rus) – Mariya Muzychuk (Ukr): 0-1Zhao Xue (China) – Valentina Gunina (Rus): 1-0Harika Dronavalli (Ind) – Aleksandra Goryachkina (Rus): 0-1Elisabeth Paehtz (Ger) – Pia Cramling (Swe): 0-1 Standings after Round 4:1. Humpy Koneru – 32-5. Nana Dzagnidze, Aleksandra Goryachkina, Anna Muzychuk and Pia Cramling – 2½6-9. Harika Dronavalli, Zhao Xue, Mariya Muzychuk and Alexandra Kosteniuk – 210. Kateryna Lagno – 1½11. Valentina Gunina – 112. Elisabeth Paehtz – ½ Round 5, 7 December at 3 pm:Pia Cramling (Swe) – Nana Dzagnidze (Geo)Anna Muzychuk (Ukr) – Alexandra Kosteniuk (Rus)Mariya Muzychuk (Ukr) – Zhao Xue (China)Valentina Gunina (Rus) – Harika Dronavalli (Ind)Aleksandra Goryachkina (Rus) – Elisabeth Paehtz (Ger)Humpy Koneru (Ind) – Kateryna Lagno (Rus) Official website with live games and commentary by WGM Keti Tsatsalashvili, GM Josif Dorfman and GM Bartlomiej Heberla: https://wgp2019.fide.comPictures are available in this Dropbox folder. Text: Yannick PelletierPictures: Karol Bartnik