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Carlsen and Nakamura win the Champions Showdown David Antón and Sabrina Vega win Spanish Championship Brief news from National Federations Top of her class Glory to the Queen More chess coming to your screen Anniversaries READ NEWSLETTER
Top of her class
Handenur Şahin is a well-known personality in Turkish chess circles. She is one of the best female players in the country, as well as one of the best women in the world among players with disabilities. She was born with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a kind of muscular disease that severely affects mobility from an early age. As a consequence, she started using a wheelchair when she was just four years old. Despite the extra difficulties derived from her physical disability, Handenur’s achievements are not limited to the chessboard. Recently, news broke on social media that Handenur had graduated with a first degree in the Political Science Department, and a second degree in the Faculty of Economic and Administrative Sciences, from Galatasaray University. This is one of the most reputable colleges in Turkey, but it is only natural that Handenur ended up there: she had previously graduated with a first-place from primary school, and then again she was the first on her promotion at high school. “I have a competitive side that comes from chess, actually”, explains Handenur, who is vivacious and outspoken. She was taught to play when she was 10, following a suggestion from one of her school teachers, and she started taking part in school competitions barely two weeks later. She is convinced that chess played a fundamental role in her development. “I think I was more vulnerable before I started playing chess. But then I took up chess and the game made me stronger. Soon I learned to not give up after defeats, and this is one of the defining characteristics of my personality. Chess also teaches me to be more patient while studying anything.” If these qualities are very important for any person, in the case of somebody with a physical disability, they become crucial: “Yes, due to my disability, this feature of being more determined about my goals becomes so important for me. Most things are more difficult to achieve for me and it is so important to know not to give up when you encounter any obstacle which comes from physical problems, or from other people’s prejudices.” Handenur grew to become one of the top female players in her country, reaching third place in the Turkish Women’s Championship in 2018. That year, she won the “Sportswoman of The Year” award by Spor&Spor Magazine. She had previously won several medals in youth categories: gold in U-18, and bronze in U-16 and U-15. She was also the winner of the FIDE Confederation Cup for Disabled People in 2019, and this year she came out second in the online version of this competition, only surpassed by Natasha Morales Santos, from Puerto Rico. “My parents are the heroes of my story” From an early age, Handenur had to spend a lot of time doing physiotherapy, and of course, she was forced to spend more time at home than the average kid. “My mom taught me how to spend my time efficiently”, she recalls, as one of the keys to her success. “My parents are always so selfless! They are the heroes of my story”. They didn’t spoil her just because she was more vulnerable, and they made her realize she would need to work harder and more efficiently than other kids. “They taught me to be more resilient, and with time I also learned to do anything on my own, without asking for help from them. They were very supportive, but they treated me like every other child and taught me to become an individual like everyone else, regardless of my disability. When asked what piece of advice she would give to the parents of a kid with a physical disability, she doesn’t hesitate before giving an answer that applies to any parents: “I recommend families to teach their children to become as self-confident and independent as possible”. About being different “I always knew I was different. Maybe because the symptoms of my illness are with me since my early childhood, I accepted them easier and learned to live with them”, she explains. “These differences became more evident when I started primary school, but I knew this was like any other physical difference, such as the color of your eyes or hair. Everyone is different”. “With time, I realized how I could convert my disadvantages into advantages. I had more time to study, so I decided to make use of this time more efficiently. This is actually one of the reasons why my family encouraged me to play chess in the first place”. As a user of a wheelchair, Handenur highlights the importance of making buildings and cities more accessible and friendly to people with disabilities. However, the physical barriers are not the ones that annoy her the most. When asked what could others do to make things a bit easier for a person with a disability, she answers immediately: “I would ask them to get rid of their prejudices. I think it is the most important thing they can do for us because the most challenging obstacle we encounter is the prejudices of other people” Dreams and goals “I like spending time with my friends. When I’m alone, I prefer to read something about political science and international relations, but also about history. In so doing, I improve myself, but that’s what really gives me joy: learning different things”. Handenur cites Kasparov’s My Great Predecessors as her favorite chess book, and The Kite Runner, by Afghan-American author Khaled Hosseini, as her favorite fiction book. She is also a fan of the Harry Potter series, and she loves Sci-Fi. “The Hunger Games and The Pianist” are two of my favorite movies. Last year, Handenur worked as an intern for the Sabancı Foundation, a Turkish philanthropic organization. Established in 1974, the foundation gives money for a variety of causes, awarding scholarships to college students and funding projects led by women, young people, and people with disabilities. “In the future, I would like to work for humanitarian affairs, if
Carlsen and Nakamura tie for first in Champions Showdown
The big rivalry of the summer between World Champion Magnus Carlsen and U.S. Champion Hikaru Nakamura was reignited in the final day of Champions Showdown: Chess9LX. The duo famously played a marathon match in the Magnus Carlsen Invitational in August, which came down to the wire and was decided in an Armageddon game in favor of the World Champion. This time, there was no tiebreaker and the two giants were declared co-champions of the 2020 edition of Chess9LX, collecting $31,250 each for their efforts. World Number Two Fabiano Caruana and former World Rapid Champion Levon Aronian finished half a point behind the winners, tying for third place and collecting $17,500 each. The next big event, the Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz, will kick off on Tuesday at 1 PM Central and can be viewed on Saint Louis Chess Club’s Youtube and Twitch channels. The field will include top American Grandmasters Hikaru Nakamura, Wesley So, Leinier Dominguez, and Jeffery Xiong, as well as Grandmasters Magnus Carlsen, Levon Aronian, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Alexander Grischuk, Pentala Harikrishna and Alireza Firouzja. Round 7 Levon Aronian entered the day as the sole leader of the tournament. His tough battle against Garry Kasparov resulted in a draw, which allowed him to stay on top of the leaderboard but left room for his rivals to join him. In a tense battle between Magnus Carlsen and Peter Svidler, an unfortunate mouse slip on move 31 was the culprit that cost the 8-time Russian Champion the game. While the alternatives did not look too appealing either, the mouse slip ended the game immediately, allowing Carlsen to join Aronian on top. The two Americans Hikaru Nakamura and Wesley So decided to take their chances against the rest of the field and drew their game quickly, thus remaining a striking distance behind the leaders. Fabiano Caruana showed dominance in his game against the young Alireza Firouzja who kept struggling in the event, while Maxime Vachier-Lagrave continued his recovery from a disastrous start with a win over a former leader of the tournament Leinier Dominguez. Round 8 While Vachier-Lagrave’s third win in a row did not improve his position in the standings by much, it did, however, spoil Aronian’s tournament. In a lopsided game, the Frenchman’s piece activity was too much for his opponent. Aronian fell back in the standings to third place and was joined by Wesley So who drew his game against Kasparov. Aronian’s loss allowed both Carlsen and Nakamura to leapfrog him. Commentator Yasser Seirwan was not a fan of Carlsen’s position, but the World Champion managed to masterfully hold a draw against Dominguez nonetheless. Nakamura managed to turn the tables around after Firouzja declined to capture a pawn, instead opting for an attack. This decision backfired, as it allowed Nakamura to regroup his pieces and strike back after his young opponent went astray with his queen. The game between Svidler and Caruana was a quiet draw, which knocked the former U.S. Champion out of contention for first place. Round 9 It all came down to the final round, with Carlsen and Nakamura half a point ahead of So and Aronian, leaving room for a possibility of a 3-way tie. Even with the commentary on mute, fans could understand the tumultuous nature of his game against Peter Svidler based on Nakamura’s reactions alone. The U.S. Champion plainly expresses his emotions during his games, in this case ranging from disbelief on move 2, as he thought he was winning, to complete disgust after he blundered. The struggling Svidler returned the favor, allowing Nakamura to escape unscathed with a draw. Carlsen held the fate of the tournament in his hands and was close to clinching the title as he was pressing against Aronian. A split-second oversight let the position and the win slip away, as the game liquidated into a drawn endgame. While clearly disappointed with his result, Carlsen was relieved to find out that Nakamura had drawn his game. “I feel like I played a decent positional game up to a certain point, right towards the end which was an unfortunate oversight. I am very impressed by how Hikaru came back today, he keeps finding ways to beat his opponents in unique ways,” said Magnus Carlsen. “I am optimistic about my play in the upcoming Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz which begins next week.” “I felt that I kept it together and ultimately was able to draw and tie for first with Magnus,” Nakamura remarked in the post-tournament interview. “The two of us have played against each other regularly over the past few months in these major tournaments online which I believe speaks to the consistency of our chess play.” Firouzja played the spoiler of the round by defeating the Chess960 World Champion Wesley So. The teenager jokingly remarked that he had realized that winning any game today would not help his standings in the tournament by much, but would spoil any of his opponent’s chances greatly. Even though he struggled in this tournament, Firouzja was still grateful for the opportunity to face the best of the chess world in a new format. Caruana’s win against Dominguez earned him a tie for third place. Caruana, who will play in November when the Candidates Tournament resumes, revealed that he is currently in Germany and won’t be participating in the upcoming Rapid and Blitz tournament. He will compete in the Norway Chess tournament in-person and over the board this October. It felt only appropriate that Garry Kasparov’s marathon 123 move game was the finale of the tournament. The chess legend scored 3.5 points and finished in 8th place. “The Champions Showdown: Chess 9LX is always such a treat for chess fans watching from around the globe,” said Tony Rich, Executive Director of the Saint Louis Chess Club. “Historically this event has been played as a series of exhibition matches, so this year’s tournament format added an extra level of excitement for viewers. To have legendary World Champion Garry Kasparov return to the board this year certainly made for an unforgettable three days.”