Carlsen plays through pain to launch stunning comeback
Magnus Carlsen fought off severe back pain and his big rival Hikaru Nakamura to set up a winner-takes-all Tour Final match for $140,000 tomorrow. The World Champion grimaced throughout yet still roared back to level the match 3-3 against Nakamura and take the epic best-of-seven final to the seventh day. Carlsen’s injury was sustained just 30 minutes before play when he twinged his back on a beach near where he is staying in Denmark. He had to constantly adjust his seating position as the match got underway but the injury didn’t stop him playing some of his best chess so far against Nakamura. The American had gone into the day’s play 3-2 ahead and on the brink of a famous Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour win but found a wounded Carlsen was a different animal. Asked how he got his injury, Carlsen said: “I was generally feeling great today and then half an hour before the game I was going for a quick swim in the ocean and I started running and something just happened. But there’s a little less pain now than there was before.” On tomorrow’s do-or-die match, Carlsen added: “It’s obviously going to be tough I feel like every day has been so far and I don’t expect anything to be different.” Carlsen has been on the back foot throughout the match and was behind for the third time. He had to win today and took an early lead as he crashed through in game 1. From then on there was no let-up for a hopeful Nakamura. Any thoughts that Carlsen would park the bus in game 2 were quickly dissipated in game 2 as the Norwegian came out swinging. But after appearing in serious trouble as Nakamura fought back, it took an escape described as “Houdini-like” by Grandmaster Yasser Seirawan for the champ maintain his lead with a draw. With his 1.5-0.5 lead intact and the white pieces, Carlsen decided now was the time to shut up shop and steered game 3 to a 17-move draw. It left Nakamura in a must-win situation in game 4 if he wanted to settle the match today. Try and he might, the five-time US champ just couldn’t break down Carlsen and fell apart. Carlsen won to finish off the set 3-1 and draw level in the match 3-3, coming back from behind for the third time. It was the most convincing win so far in this encounter and takes it into a final day of play tomorrow. Play is due to start again at 16:00 CEST. Supporting Kiva Broadcaster chess24 has pledged 50 percent of new Premium memberships bought during its Tour Final to Kiva’s Global COVID-19 Response fund that aims to raise at least $50 million for entrepreneurs and small businesses impacted by COVID‑19. During the event, chess24 and Kiva will highlight stories where chess has changed people’s lives under the official tournament social media hashtag #ImpactChess. Viewers are encouraged to engage with the Tour Final and support small businesses impacted by COVID-19 by signing up for a premium subscription here. More details on the Finals The Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour was devised by Norway’s World Champion and chess24 after traditional over the board chess was halted suddenly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Tour Final kicks off on August 9 and runs until August 20. It is the culmination of four elite-level super-tournaments that began in March as a way of getting chess started again while other sports worldwide were prohibited. The first four stages of the first Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour were: The Magnus Carlsen Invitational The Lindores Abbey Rapid Challenge The Chessable Masters The chess24 Legends of Chess Four players have qualified for the final crescendo of chess after being the best performers during the preceding tour events. The winner of the Tour Final, which has a total prize pot of $300,000, will scoop a top prize of $140,000 and the title of Champion of the Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour. Tournament rules and schedule The Tour Final will be a 12-day event running from August 9 to August 20. Time control is a rapid 15m + 10s from move 1 played in the chess24 Playzone. The semi-finals of the Tour Final tournament will be a best of 5 four-game mini-matches. The final will be a best of 7 mini-matches. As usual, play will start at 16:00 CEST. Highlights English:https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1_QSmtZoiwL24EGuZSEmi1UR5j4hInR0u?usp=sharingNew files at around 23.00 CEST Rough edit highlights:https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/12mwKPkAfzeyfzd1Gay-FU5dJ8uU6OXMY?usp=sharingNew files ready around 02.00 CEST FOR MORE INFORMATION:Leon Watsonleon@chessable.com+447786 078770
Magnus Carlsen Tour Finals: Nakamura stuns Carlsen
Magnus Carlsen faced his kryptonite today as Hikaru Nakamura launched an astonishing comeback win to go just one set away from glory in the Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour. Nakamura and Norway’s World Champion fought tooth and nail in an incredibly tight encounter that was decided in a nail-biting final tiebreak game. The regulation four rapid chess games on day 5 of the final finished all-square as the two rivals matched each other blow-for-blow in a series of draws. But then in a two-game blitz playoff, Carlsen pulled a rabbit out of the hat with his choice of opening and win the first. It looked like curtains for Nakamura because Carlsen simply does not lose in situations like these. But the five-time US champ did what no-one else appears able to do and beat Carlsen when the pressure is really on in a must-win second blitz game. It was an astonishing turnaround that had Nakamura saying afterward it was a “crazy match”. “I was thrilled that I got to the Armageddon because after the first blitz game I assumed it was over,” he said afterward. Before the final, Carlsen had lost just 1 out of his last 23 matches. Now Nakamura has beaten him in 3 out of the last 5. Nakamura has been 1-0 and 2-1 up in sets so far in the match leaving Carlsen to play catch-up and blowing apart any lingering thoughts that the climax of the Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour would be a coronation. After today’s result, the pre-event tour favorite Carlsen needs to win tomorrow or face losing his own signature tournament. The final of the world’s richest, most prestigious online chess tournament, played between two of the game’s fiercest rivals, really could not be more dramatic. For the third day in a row viewing figures hit new highs across chess24 channels along to watch the drama unfold. Play is due to start again today at 16:00 CEST. Supporting Kiva Broadcaster chess24 has pledged 50 percent of new Premium memberships bought during its Tour Final to Kiva’s Global COVID-19 Response fund that aims to raise at least $50 million for entrepreneurs and small businesses impacted by COVID‑19. During the event, chess24 and Kiva will highlight stories where chess has changed people’s lives under the official tournament social media hashtag #ImpactChess. Viewers are encouraged to engage with the Tour Final and support small businesses impacted by COVID-19 by signing up for a premium subscription here. More details on the Finals The Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour was devised by Norway’s World Champion and chess24 after traditional over the board chess was halted suddenly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Tour Final kicks off on August 9 and runs until August 20. It is the culmination of four elite-level super-tournaments that began in March as a way of getting chess started again while other sports worldwide were prohibited. The first four stages of the first Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour were: The Magnus Carlsen Invitational The Lindores Abbey Rapid Challenge The Chessable Masters The chess24 Legends of Chess Four players have qualified for the final crescendo of chess after being the best performers during the preceding tour events. The winner of the Tour Final, which has a total prize pot of $300,000, will scoop a top prize of $140,000 and the title of Champion of the Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour. Tournament rules and schedule The Tour Final will be a 12-day event running from August 9 to August 20. Time control is a rapid 15m + 10s from move 1 played in the chess24 Playzone. The semi-finals of the Tour Final tournament will be a best of 5 four-game mini-matches. The final will be a best of 7 mini-matches. As usual, play will start at 16:00 CEST. Highlights English:https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1_QSmtZoiwL24EGuZSEmi1UR5j4hInR0u?usp=sharingNew files at around 23.00 CEST Rough edit highlights:https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/12mwKPkAfzeyfzd1Gay-FU5dJ8uU6OXMY?usp=sharingNew files ready around 02.00 CEST FOR MORE INFORMATION:Leon Watsonleon@chessable.com+447786 078770
FIDE responds to queries regarding the Chess ID Game Viewer
August 19, 2020 As per Art 5.2 and 9.3 of the Chess ID Game Viewer Call for Offers Procedure, FIDE publishes responses to queries received. Sources of the queries are not mentioned; queries were edited for clarity and identifying details were stripped. Q: Do you need the software itself to be hosted on your own servers, or just to use it as a service? A: FIDE allows applicants to present both SaaS and in-house proposals. FIDE Offer Evaluation Committee
A pictorial tribute to the Chess Olympiads
August 19 is observed as World Photography Day, aiming to inspire photographers across the planet to share photos. Approximately one year ago, FIDE created a photographic archive on Flickr, with the aim to share photos with the media, but also to start preserving important moments from our official competitions. Now, we have incorporated to this archive two albums with all the official photos from Batumi 2018 and Baku 2016, and we will be shortly adding the ones from Tromsø 2014. For the most part, these photos are the work of David Llada, who has been the official photographer in all the Chess Olympiads since Istanbul 2012. But you will also find among them some masterpieces by the super talented Alina L’Ami. It is very fortunate that chess can be played online, and we are very grateful for the warm welcome that the First Online Olympiad has received from the chess community. However, it is difficult to forget that right now many of us should be in Moscow. So we thought that these photos could bring you back some cherished memories. You can check the galleries by doing click on the following thumbnails: