Fernando Peralta wins 2022 Argentine Championship
Fernando Peralta is a new Argentine chess champion. A native of Lomas de Zamora clinched his third national title following his success in 2006 and 2018. The 97th Argentine Championship took place from December 1-10 in San Carlos de Bariloche, Rio Negro. The event brought together the twelve best Argentine players, competing in a round-robin format. The tournament was a very close race among the top-rated participants that came down to the wire. Suffice it to say that three players – Fernando Peralta, Leandro Krysa and Sandro Mareco – shared first place coming into the final eleventh round on 7/10 with Pablo Acosta and top-rated Alan Pichot (pictured below) trailing them by a half-point. Mareco and Krysa playing each other drew their last game and opened the door for Peralta, facing Acosta with the white pieces. Fernando seized the opportunity and wrestled the title after scoring a crucial final-round victory. Meanwhile, Pichot beat Acosta and caught up with Mareco and Krysa but took silver thanks to a greater number of victories. For the same reason, Leonardo Krysa (pictured below) edged out Sandro Mareco and claimed the third place on the podium. Final standings: 1 GM Peralta, Fernando 2587 8 2 GM Pichot, Alan 2637 7½ 3 GM Krysa, Leandro 2524 7½ 4 GM Mareco, Sandro 2619 7½ 5 IM Acosta, Pablo Ismael 2463 6½ 6 FM Fiorito, Joaquin 2328 5½ 7 GM Perez Ponsa, Federico 2538 5½ 8 GM Flores, Diego 2541 5½ 9 GM Valerga, Diego 2438 4 10 IM Paveto, Kevin 2440 3½ 11 GM Sorin, Ariel 2363 3 12 FM Gaitan, Juan Manuel 2358 2 Official website: federacionargentinadeajedrez.org/ Photo: Benjamin Mela
Women’s Candidates: Tan Zhongyi honored in Khiva
The closing ceremony of the 2022 FIDE Women’s Candidates Pool B, took place this afternoon in the magnificent ballroom of the Farovon Hotel, the venue of the event. Representing China, GM Tan Zhongyi received the winner’s trophy and a diploma from FIDE President, Arkady Dvorkovich, who was joined on the stage by the President of the Uzbekistan Chess Federation, Alisher Sadullaev. Runner-up GM Aleksandra Goryachkina, who participated under the FIDE flag, didn’t attend the ceremony. The ceremony began at 3 pm with a short recap video of the event, followed by the official speeches of the authorities. Sadullaev thanked FIDE for supporting the idea of organizing the Women’s Candidates in Khiva and for their help and cooperation. He also hoped that many more top events could be held in Uzbekistan. Dvorkovich began his speech with words of gratitude to all the local organizers and everyone who made the event possible, including the arbiters, the fair-play team, the media team, and the hotel staff. He also thanked all the local Uzbek people who always warmly welcome their guests with all their hearts. He mentioned that it was his request to hold the event in Uzbekistan, that he was really happy it turned out so well, and that the best players in the world had a chance to play here. He was also very pleased to see so many other players present in the 1st International Al-Beruniy Chess Open tournament, especially all the kids. Finally, Chief Arbiter Husan Turdialiev thanked the players for their great fighting chess and a good attitude, before inviting Tan Zhongyi onto the stage. Arkady Dvorkovich gave her the winner’s trophy and all the guests stood up for China’s official anthem. The authorities exchanged gifts and pleasantries. Amongst other presents, Dvorkovich was given a set of traditional Uzbek robes and a hat, while Sadullaev was treated to a special chess book, which Dvorkovich used to learn how to play. Dvorkovich also received a chess set from the Mayor of Khiva, Timur Davletov. The ceremony concluded with traditional music and dance, in addition to a tasty meal for everyone. OFFICIAL WEBSITE: womenscandidates.fide.com/ There is also a Flickr official page from where you can download the photos in high resolution. Text: IM Michael Rahal Photo: Timur Sattarov