Anna Ushenina wins first leg of WSCC Grand Prix
Anna Ushenina, the classical World Champion in 2012, defeated Valentina Gunina in the final, leaving the score 7-4 in her favor. The Ukrainian outplayed her rival and was a deserved winner: a better opening preparation gave her the upper hand in most of the games, and she was also more accurate. Taking an early lead in the match was also an important factor that conditioned the rest of the final. Valentina was in general faster, as it is characteristic of her. But speed alone was not enough to prevail in this match and, in fact, none of the games was decided by the clock. Only in the last of the 3+1 games, when the Russian seemed to be gaining momentum, the comeback looked possible, but in a dramatic turn of events, a mouse slip when she was delivering checkmate in one move made her blunder her queen instead. After this blow, the remaining games became almost irrelevant. “It’s a really interesting tournament and a very hard one because everyone is very strong. I enjoyed being part of it,” said Anna Ushenina in a post-match interview. Leaderboard after the first of the four Grand Prix tournaments: GM Anna Ushenina UKR 12 GP points GM Valentina Gunina RUS 8 GP points GM Alexandra Kosteniuk RUS 6 GP points WIM Vaishali Rameshbabu IND 5 GP points GM Katerina Lagno RUS 2 GP points GM Ju Wenjun CHN 2 GP points WIM Munkhzul Turmunkh MGL 2 GP points WGM Le Thao Nguyen Pham VIE 2 GP points The games of the Grand Prix events are played on the Chess.com Live Server, at www.chess.com/live. All matches are broadcast live with chess-master commentary on www.Chess.com/TV. “Need for speed” In this thrilling and innovative event, the players face each other under three different time controls. First, they play under “rapid” format, where each player has 5 minutes to think, plus one second being added to her clock after each move. Then, the match continues under “blitz” format, with the time going down to 3 minutes per player, plus one second added per move. Finally, the match concludes with the “bullet” games, the fastest of all time controls, and very popular in online games: the players have only 1 minute each, plus 1 second added per move. The adrenaline rush as the players have less and less time to think their moves as they get closer to the final and decisive games or their matches, and they are forced to make decisions by pure reflex, often making more than one more per second. About the FIDE Chess.com Women’s Speed Chess Championship The Grand Prix will consist of four legs, with a total of 21 participants: the 12 players who qualified through the Swiss and Playoffs, plus 9 players nominated by FIDE and Chess.com. Each of the 21 players participates in three out of four Grand Prix legs. Each Grand Prix leg is 16-players playoff, and will last five days (including one rest day after the semi-finals). The dates are June 24-28, July1-4, July 7-11, and July 14-18. All matches in each Grand Prix leg are divided into three segments: 30-minute segment of matches with time control 5 minutes + 1 second per move30-minute segment of matches with time control 3 minutes + 1 second per move10-minute segment of matches with time control 1 minute + 1 second per move In each Grand Prix leg, every player scores GP cumulative points according to her position in the final standings (for details, please check full tournament regulations on the FIDE website). The two players who score the most number of GP cumulative points in all three Grand Prix legs qualify for WSCC Super Final. Each one of the Grand Prix legs has a total prize fund of 10,300 USD, with 3,000 going to the winner. WSCC Super Final The two best players of Grand Prix will play the Women’s Speed Chess Championship Super Final match on the International Chess Day, July 20th, at 7 AM PDT. The match will be divided into three segments: 90-minute segment of matches with time control 5 minutes + 1 second per move.60-minute segment of matches with time control 3 minutes + 1 second per move.30-minute segment of matches with time control 1 minute + 1 second per move. Games that start but “run over” the overall countdown clock count towards the final score. The player who accumulates the most cumulative points wins the match. The final has a prize fund of 10.000 USD, with 6,500 going to the winner, and 3,500 to the runner up. These amounts are free of taxes. Photo: David Llada
Chessable Masters: Giri makes it to semis as Nakamura hangs on
Anish Giri gave himself a big birthday present by ensuring a semi-final spot in the $150,000 Chessable Masters. The Dutch star rolled over three-time World Blitz Champion Alexander Grischuk with two wins to take today’s second set 3-1 and the tie 2-0. Giri, who turned 26, then hit back at World Champion Magnus Carlsen who has been goading him on Twitter, by declaring: “The karma is real!” It came after Giri scored a casual bullet chess win over Carlsen while the Norwegian was streaming last night. Asked what he got for his birthday, Giri added: “I’ve got so many gifts, my wife is like a gift pro – she’s like a professional.” Meanwhile, Hikaru Nakamura overcame a stunning mistake against Ding Liren to take their match to a deciding set tomorrow. The popular American streamer, who boasts 435,000 followers on Twitch, had looked in complete control with the score at 2-1. But on the verge of completing his comeback after losing Friday’s encounter, Nakamura collapsed in the final game of the set. It allowed Ding, China’s top player, a chance to level the score and take it to a two-game blitz tiebreak which also finished level. Nakamura, the noted speed chess specialist, finally won the rubber in an Armageddon tiebreak after beating his opponent with white pieces. With the match now squared, the pair will play a deciding set tomorrow. The eventual winner will face a marquee match against Carlsen, world number 1, in the last four. About the tournament The Chessable Masters, broadcast live on chess24, is the next stage of the Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour which carries a total prize pot of $1 million, a record for the online game. The event, which runs until July 5, is being put on in association with Chessable and the tour’s Education Partner, leading Swiss private banking group, Julius Baer. The final winner will take home top prize of $45,000 and a ticket to the $300,000 tour Grand Final. Coverage begins with commentary in 10 languages at 16.00 CEST. You can watch it live here: https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tournaments/chessable-masters-2020-group-a#live Highlights English:https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1dpG2c-dmqs58tSDSZvxzGNqzgquJyO0g?usp=sharing FOR MORE INFORMATION:Leon Watsonleon@chessable.com+447786 078770
Sander Severino wins first IPCA Online Championship
The first world online championship of IPCA (the International physically disabled chess association affiliated to FIDE) was held on June 16-17 in collaboration with the Israeli Chess Federation. The Swiss tournament was open to players with at least 50 percent disability and attracted 124 participants from 25 countries. The rapid chess (nine-round tournament took place on a popular chess platform of lichess.org. The chief organizer and director Lior Aizenberg was assisted by the deputy director of the ICF Assi Philosoph, International arbiters Olexaner Prohorov (Ukraine) and Yuriy Borsuk (Belarus). 34-year old FM Sander Severino from Philippine scored 8.5 out of 9 (2602 performance!) and emerged as the winner of the tournament, 1.5 ahead of the runner-up. IM Andrei Gurbanov (Israel), IM Andrei Obodchuk, and FM Ilia Liplin (both Russia) tied for second place with 7 points each. Lukasz Nowak (Poland), Jasper Rom (Philippines), IM Igor Yarmonov (Ukraine), Henry Lopez ( Philippines), IM Dmitry Scerbin (Russia), Alexandra Alexandrova (Israel), Bakytzhan Maikenov (Kazakhstan) shared 5th – 11th place with 6.5 points each. Alexandrova, who finished in the respectable tenth place, was awarded as the best woman player. Young Israeli grandmasters Nitzan Steinberg and Ori Kobo and IM Omer Reshef provided English commentary throughout the entire event via Twitch on the ICF official website. The closing ceremony, conducted in Zoom, saw ICF chairman Dr. Zvika Barkai greeting all the participants and the winners in particular. Special thanks go to the IPCA president Svetlana Gerasimova and its honorary president Zbigniew Philimon for their contribution to the event’s success. The IPCA annual World Championship was initially scheduled to be held at the end of June in the Israeli coastal city of Ashdod, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it had been postponed and hopefully will take place in October at the same venue. At the same time, it is planned to carry on this new online initiative in the coming years regardless of the epidemiological situation as it provides excellent opportunities to physically limited players in terms of logistics and finance.
Chess after COVID-19 online discussion to be held on June 29
FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich and the 14th World Champion Vladimir Kramnik will take part in an online discussion Chess after COVID-19, organized by Roscongress Foundation and FIDE. The event starts on June 29 at 11:00 Moscow time (8:00 GMT). “We will talk about the last tendencies in chess, FIDE’s initiatives aimed at promoting and developing online-chess and explosive growth of interest to our game during the pandemic. We are also going to discuss a possible resumption of live tournaments, the prospects of chess inclusion in the school curriculum, the legacy of the biggest chess events, and other relevant topics. As long-term partners with Roscongress Foundation, we have been holding chess receptions and other sports projects at the largest economic forums and continue our cooperation in the virtual environment.” Arkady Dvorkovich said. The discussion, powered by Telesport Media television studio, also features the executive director of Chess Federation of Russia Mark Glukhovsky, the rector of Russian State Social University Natalia Pochinok, State Duma Deputy Alikhan Kharsiev, the sports minister of Primorsky Kray Jan Kuznetsov and the director for development and strategic partnership of “Odnoklassniki” social media and social networking service Alexander Volodin. Vice Prime Minister of Udmurtia Mikhail Khomich will serve as a moderator. You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRP17U1TAXQ Roscongress Cup chess tournaments featuring Russian political and business elite have become a trademark of St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, and Russian Investment Forum in Sochi. During the pandemic, these events migrated into the online format.
Carlsen, Nepomniachtchi storm into semis of Chessable Masters
Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi breezed into the last four of the $150,000 Chessable Masters with dominating displays today. Carlsen, the reigning World Champion, needed just three games to dispatch his 2018 title challenger Fabiano Caruana and reach the semis. The Norwegian won the second and third games after a first game draw to take the set 2.5-0.5 and the match 2-0 without needing a third day. Carlsen said: “I’ve got to say it was a pretty good, clean day.” In the all-Russian match, Nepomniachtchi also faced little resistance as he blew apart Vladislav Artemiev in similar fashion 2.5-0-5. Tomorrow Hikaru Nakamura and Ding Liren resume their battle with the winner of the tie set to face Carlsen. The winner of the Alexander Grischuk – Anish Giri tie will go up against Nepomniachtchi. If either of the best-of-three matches is tied after tomorrow’s second set, it will go to a decider on Monday. About the tournament The Chessable Masters, broadcast live on chess24, is the next stage of the Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour which carries a total prize pot of $1 million, a record for the online game. The event, which runs until July 5, is being put on in association with Chessable and the tour’s Education Partner, leading Swiss private banking group, Julius Baer. The final winner will take home top prize of $45,000 and a ticket to the $300,000 tour Grand Final. Coverage begins with commentary in 10 languages at 16.00 CEST. You can watch it live here: https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tournaments/chessable-masters-2020-group-a#live Highlights English:https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1dpG2c-dmqs58tSDSZvxzGNqzgquJyO0g?usp=sharing FOR MORE INFORMATION:Leon Watsonleon@chessable.com+447786 078770