FIDE World FR Championship: Veterans show muscle; teenager shows fire
The first day of play saw two rounds of two-game mini-matches in each group and the contours of the competition beginning to emerge. The big questions were who would adapt best to the challenges of the Fischer Random variant and if there would be any unexpectedly good form from the newcomers to the event. It is too early for answers, but there were some clear signs. The experienced Fischer Random players looked to have an edge; the youngest player in the event appeared determined to add to his trophy cabinet; and the classical world champion seemed to suddenly lose focus. Setting the stage The unveiling of the first start position raised some eyebrows. This is done, piece by piece, via a graphics sequence created by Norwegian national TV broadcaster NRK, and when the first three pieces landed on their usual squares, things were definitely not looking random. Finally, half of the eight pieces did appear on new spots, and the players rushed off to use the brief 15-minute interval to puzzle over their initial strategies. The event was officially opened with a fine 50th-anniversary echo when Gudmundur G. Thorarinsson, President of the Icelandic Chess Federation during the immortal Fischer-Spassky match here in 1972, made the first move in the game Hjorvar Steinn Gretarsson-Wesley So. Action! Starting position for Round 1 Expert online commentator Peter Leko was surprised by how quickly several of the Grandmasters chose to play from the start since the most confusing phase of Fischer Random is the uncharted opening. When two of the games erupted in very serious early violence, Leko predicted that more caution would probably be in order in future rounds. Early impact In Group B, Classical World Champion Magnus Carlsen showed both his strength and his Fischer Random experience by investing most of his thinking time early and smashing through quickly to take the lead against an impulsive Vladimir Fedoseev. In Group A, it was teenage prodigy and reigning World Rapid Chess Champion Nodirbek Abdusattorov who showed his class early, dismantling two-time classical title challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi with a whirlwind sacrificial attack. Enthralling brawls The other games from the first session were extremely long, nervy and hard fought. Local hero Gretarsson gave the Icelandic crowd something to cheer about when he held defending Fischer Random (FR) World Champion Wesley So to a draw – after 100 moves – while FR veteran Hikaru Nakamura managed to overcome Matthias Blübaum in an incredibly complex game that had both players surviving on a few seconds per move, and afterwards had them both completely baffled about what they had just been through. Changing sides The reverse pairings for these matches had opposite scenarios, with So and Nakamura quickly clinching mini-match victory, So with a swift mating attack and Nakamura with a solid draw. The initial mismatches turned into the long battles of the round, with Carlsen finding himself in surprising difficulties after blundering material against Fedoseev. Still, Magnus produced a fortress that was enough to hang on for a draw and clinch the match result. Meanwhile, young Abdusattorov took care to keep the always dangerous Nepomniachtchi at arm’s length before grinding out a second win over his experienced opponent. Round 1: Group A Gretarsson – So 0.5-0.5 So – Gretarsson 1-0 Match scoring: So – Gretarsson 2-0 Abdusattorov – Nepomniachtchi 1-0 Nepomniachtchi – Abdusattorov 0-1 Match scoring: Abdusattorov – Nepomniachtchi 2-0 Group B Carlsen – Fedoseev 1-0 Fedoseev – Carlsen 0.5-0.5 Match scoring: Carlsen – Fedoseev 2-0 Blübaum – Nakamura 0-1 Nakamura – Blübaum 0.5-0.5 Match scoring: Nakamura – Blübaum 2-0 Round two – giants clash Starting position for Round 2 The second session was opened by another president – this time not a chess dignitary but Gudni Th. Jóhannesson, the actual President of Iceland. He made the first move in Nakamura – Carlsen. Nakamura seemed to be amused by something the President said afterwards, while Carlsen focused on what would be his own, spectacular first move. The combination of Fischer and chess seems to ignite something here in Iceland. The event is also being broadcast on national TV here, and there was a long queue to get a seat in either the commentary in the venue auditorium, or a ringside seat in the playing area. The Group A pairing of So-Abdusattorov became the main attraction after the latter’s destruction of Nepomniachtchi, while the classic collision between Carlsen and Nakamura at the top of Group B was foreseen as the heavyweight contest there. These games lived up to expectations: So and Abdusatorrov was a marathon, with the players slugging it out for dozens of moves with only a handful of seconds left throughout. So gradually saw a large advantage evaporate, and his young opponent was visibly pleased when the point was finally split. Nakamura and Carlsen was a sophisticated affair between two experienced ‘randomers’, with clever ideas being skillfully neutralized, and this game was drawn too. In the remaining encounters, the newcomers had to endure some rough treatment at the hands of their more practiced opponents, with Nepomniachtchi punishing Gretarsson, and Fedoseev making the most of his combination of strong pressure on the board and Blübaum’s self-inflicted time trouble. Return matches Once again, the top match-ups developed slowly. While these came to a boil, Nepomniachtchi continued to make up for his earlier upset by roughing up Gretarsson again, blasting his way through to another mating attack. Blübaum put Fedoseev through the wringer, but the game gradually drifted towards equality and a mini-match victory for the latter. Wesley So had commented much earlier in the day that his young opponent appeared to be on fire, and Abdusattorov showed more of the skills that have made him a World Rapid Chess Champion. First, he forced the reigning Fischer Random champion on the defensive and then smoothly converted his advantage with a fine blend of tactics and technique. In Group B, Carlsen appeared to be gaining the upper hand against Nakamura, but some very tricky play by the American left
FIDE World Teams squads announced for Jerusalem 2022
The 12 teams for the FIDE World Team Championship in Jerusalem (November 19-26) have been confirmed. In the line-ups of the participating teams we find stars like Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Anish Giri, Teymur Radjabov, and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, along with up-and-coming prodigies like Javokhir Sindarov and Nihal Sarin, and illustrious veterans like Vasyl Ivanchuk and Alexei Shirov.This is the complete entry list: FIDE DELEGATES Alex Holowczak Chief Arbiter Emil Sutovsky Chief of Appeal Committee Zurab Azmaiparashvili A member of Appeal Committee Boris Postovsky A member of Appeal Committee Alon Shoulmann Deputy Chief Arbiter Alexey Root Press Officer Gopakumar Sudhakaran Anti-cheating Committee Rep. Garcia Leontxo A Spanish press reporter Viswanathan Anand Commentator Almira Skripchenko Commentator ISRAEL Ilana David Captain Maxim Rodshtein player Tamir Nabaty player Avital Boruchovsky player Ilia Smirin player Evgeny Postny player Ori Kobo player POLAND Michal Bartel Captain Radoslaw Wojtaszek player Mateusz Bartel player Kacper Piorun player Bartosz Socko player Szymon Gumularz player Igor Janik player UKRAINE Yurii Gnyp Chief of delegation Oleksander Sulypa Captain Igor Kovalenko player Vasyl Ivanchuk player Andriy Volokytin player Kirill Shevchenko player Vitali Bernadskyi player Mykhaylo Oleksyenko player CHINA Wen Yang Captain & player Xu Xiangyu player Bai Jinshi player Lu Shanglei player Li Di player NETHERLAND Jan Smeets Captain & player Anish Giri player Jorden Van Foreest player Lucas Van Foreest player Max Warmerdam player Robby Kevlishvili player FRANCE Jean-baptiste Mullon Captain & Chief of delegation Maxime Vachier-lagrave player Jules Moussard player Laurent Fressinet player Maxime Lagarde player Tigran Gharamian player INDIA Suri Vaibhab Captain Gujarathi Vidit Santosh player Sunilduth Lyna Narayanan player Sarin Nihal player Krishnan Sasikiran player Sethuraman Panayappan Sethuraman player Gupta Abhijit player SOUTH AFRICA Hendrink Petrus Du Toit Captain & Chief of delegation Kenneth Terence Solomon player Daniel John Cawdery player Daniel Barrish player Banele Fortune Mhango player UZBEKISTAN Husan Turdialiev Chief of delegation Ivan Sokolov Captain Nodirbek Yakubboev player Javokhir Sindarov player Jakhongir Vakhidov player Shamsiddin Vokhidov player Abdimalik Abdisalimov player Ortik Nigmatov player USA John Donaldson Captain Hans Niemann player Lazaro Bruzon player Alexander Onischuk player Varuzhan Akobian player Yuniesky Quesada Perez player SPAIN Javier Ochoa de Echagüen Chief of delegation David Martinez Captain Jaime Santos player David Anton player Alexei Shirov player Daniil Yuffa player Miguel Santos player AZERBAIJAN Nijat Abasov Captain Shakhriyar Mamedyarov player Teimour Radjabov player Rauf Mamedov player Aydin Suleymanli player Gadir Guseinov player Vugar Asadli player Under the exciting new format devised for this competition, the participant countries will now be split into two pools of similar strength, taking as a reference the rapid rating list for November 1st. The four best teams from each pool will advance to the knock-out stage, where they will play Quarter-finals, Semi-Finals, and Final, with each duel consisting of two matches between the teams. The time control will be 45 minutes for the whole game with an increment of 10 seconds per move starting from move 1. The event, organized by FIDE and the Israel Chess Federation with the support of the Israel Ministry of Sport and Culture, will be held at the Mount Scopus Hall in the Dan Hotel in Jerusalem. Former World Champion Viswanathan Anand and the seven-time French Women’s Chess Champion Almira Skripchenko will be the commentators. The Chief Arbiter for the event will be Alex Holowczak (ENG), with Alon Shulman (ISR) as his Deputy, and M S Gopakumar (IND) as Fair Play officer. You can read the complete regulations in the FIDE Handbook. Official website: worldteams.fide.com