Heritiana Andrianiaina and Faratiana Raharimanana win Madagascar Championship
Heritiana Andrianiaina and Faratiana Raharimanana are the newly crowned 2021 Madagascar National Champions. The 2021 Madagascar National Championship took place at the Live Hotel Andavamambawas at the beginning of November and was a part of the Olympiad selection process. Heritiana Andrianiaina (pictured below) beat a strong 12-player field in the open section to win the 9-round Swiss tournament scoring 6½ points. Tahina Hajanirina Rakotomaharo, the only unbeaten player in the event, also netted 6.5 points but had to settle for silver due to a lower tie-break. Fanomezana Rakotomaharo tied for third place with Mananihaja Charly Rajerison and took bronze as the winner of their direct encounter. Final standings: 1 Andrianiaina, Heritiana 2100 6½ 2 Rakotomaharo, Tahina Hajanirina 1964 6½ 3 Andriamalala, Fanomezana 1861 6 4 Rajerison, Mananihaja Charly 1828 6 5 Rakotoniaina, Antsiva 1958 5½ The ladies section saw the victory of Faratiana Raharimanana, who ended up with a perfect score of 7 points out of 7. Just like the open section women’s event brought together 12 players. Christine Razafindrabiaza finished second with 5½ points. Tiana Johanna Rakotoniaina came in third with 4½ points. Veteran chess players have their separate section in the Madagascar National Championship. Zakariasy Fanomezana (pictured below) emerged as the proud winner of this tournament. Text and photo: Kenya Chess Masala
FIDE World Championship Dubai 2021: 10 facts about opponents
With the FIDE World Championship match between Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi around the corner it is time to know the reigning champion and the challenger a bit better. We present some interesting facts about Magnus and Ian below: Learned to play chess when he was 5 His peak rating is 2882 Holds the record for the longest undefeated streak – 125 games, from 31 July 2018 to 10 October 2020 Rated #1 in the world (classical chess) since July 2011 Has won 12 World Championships (4 classical, 3 rapid and 5 blitz) Reached the top 100 when he was 15 years old Modelled for G-Star Raw alongside Liv Tyler Was a guest star in The Simpsons Dedicated fan of Real Madrid C.F. Was leading Premier League’s official Fantasy Football table Learned to play chess when he was 4.5 His peak rating is 2792 His lifetime record vs. Magnus Carlsen in classical chess is +4 -1 =8 Is a 2-time Russian champion European Individual Champion (2010) Graduated from the Russian State Social University majoring in journalism A proud owner of a cat and a dog Appeared in the Russian TV show “What? Where? When?” Devoted fan of Spartak Moscow Played DotA and Dota 2 at a competitive level Official website of FIDE World Championship Dubai 2021