January 2023 Chess Solvers rating list published
The latest Chess Solvers Rating List, issued by the Solving Tournament Manager and released by the World Federation for Chess Composition, set a historical record in this chess format. On January 1st 2023, 20-year-old Danila Pavlov (FIDE) became the youngest ever #1. His compatriot Georgy Evseev occupied the top position for eight previous years and still holds the absolute record as the longest-standing No.1. Danila’s rise to the top was only a natural outcome of his unprecedented series of triumphs. In May 2022, he convincingly won the 15th European Chess Solving Championship (ECSC) in Riga, thus defending his 2019 European title (after the Covid break in 2020-21). This alone was an absolute record for his age. On the way to this victory, Danila won the Open tournament in Riga, a traditional introduction to ECSC. In the 45th World Chess Solving Championship in Fujairah (UAE) last November, Pavlov defended the title of World Champion from Rhodes 2021, again becoming the youngest-ever solver to do it. On top of that, he won the introductory open tourney again and became the overall winner of the World Solving Cup 2021/22, the cycle of 14 yearly solving competitions in different countries. As if that wasn’t enough, Danila capped the year by winning both tourneys in quick solving at the 64th World Congress of Chess Composition in Fujairah (Open Quick Solving and Open Solving Show), matching the 2022 domination of Magnus Carlsen in all different time controls. GM solver Danila Pavlov is not the only junior representing a new wave of youngsters in solving competitions raising after the quarantine break in 2020/21. His compatriot Ural Khasanov, the new World Vice-Champion aged only 16, is bound to mount much higher from his current 9th position in the rating list. Ilija Serafimović from Serbia (pictured above), aged 18, just broke into the top 20. An all-around chess problemist, he is equally good at solving and composing chess problems. Ilija convincingly won all Youth Chess Composing tourneys at the 64th WCCC. Another new name is 14-years old Anirudh Daga from India, a rising star in both solving and composing. The biggest gains in the rating list also belong to young solvers: Kamila Hryshchenko (20) from Great Britain (+163) (pictured below) and Kevinas Kuznecovas (17) from Lithuania (+144). Young Romanian chess players Denisa-Andreea Bucur (+74) and Mihnea Costacchi (+48), as well as Mongolian chess GM Bilguun Sumia (+65), are also on the upswing. Photos: Fujairah Chess & Culture Club Official website: https://www.wfcc.ch/
FIDE January 2023 rating list is out
The last month of 2022 was marked by strong tournaments with fast time control that somewhat overshadowed classical events. Consequently, both Open and Women’s top 10 (standard rating) saw just minimal changes. The only exception is the rise of Tan Zhongyi, who picked 12 rating points after winning Women’s Candidates Pool B in Khiva and repeated her career-high 7th position in the rating list. Still, three players fared well in December, substantially increasing their classical rating. Amin Tabatabaei (+26), Kirill Alekseenko (+18) and Teodora Injac (+17) put up a strong showing in Elllobregat Open and IX Chessable Sunway Sitges Chess Festival and earned some good rating points. Magnus Carlsen ruled supreme in Almaty at the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championship. The World Champion in all three categories took both rapid and blitz titles for the third time in his career. Magnus consolidated his top position in the rapid list (+5 points) and moved up to third place in the blitz list after gaining 22 points in Almaty. Nodirbek Abdusattorov did not manage to defend his rapid title but continues climbing in the respective rating list. First, the talented youngster came out on top in a very strong Gashimov Memorial (+20 points) and then picked 18 points in the World Rapid Championship to cross a 2700 rating mark. Despite winning silver in the World Blitz Championship, Hikaru Nakamura lost 30 rating points and gave up the top spot in the blitz rating to Alireza Firouzja, who did not play in Almaty. The biggest rating beneficiaries in this event alongside Magnus are Richard Rapport (+47), the bronze-winner Haik Martirosyan (+25) and Vladimir Fedoseev (+19). All three considerably improved their positions in the blitz rating list. Fresh from her successful campaign in the Women’s Candidates (where she earned 7 rapid rating points), Tan Zhongyi won the World Women’s Rapid Championship, added another 8 points to her tally and mounted to the fourth position in the women’s rapid rating list. Alexandra Maltsevskaya delivered an uneven performance in this event, but her triumph in the European Women’s Rapid Championship just a few days earlier allowed the Polish youngster to increase her rating by impressive 53 points. Bibisara Assaubayeva not only successfully defended her title of women’s blitz world champion but also earned 36 rating points and broke into the top 10 women’s blitz. Interestingly, as many as five players from the women’s top 10, including the silver-winner Humpy Koneru, lost quite a few rating points in this tournament. Photo: Lennart Ootes