Aleksandra Goryachkina wins in New Delhi on tiebreaks
The top three contenders for first place in the third leg of the Women’s Grand Prix all drew their final round games, finishing on six points. After tiebreaks, Aleksandra Goryachkina was awarded first place, Bibisara Assaubayeva is second and Zhu Jiner third The final, eleventh round of the third leg of the Women’s Grand Prix cycle ended with all three tournament leaders drawing their games and finishing on six points. Aleksandra Goryachkina was awarded first place for having better tiebreaks. As per tournament regulations, all prize money and WGP points were divided equally among the players with an equal final score. This means that Goryahckina, Assaubayeva and Zhu all got 12,333 euros and 133 points each. How the final round unfolded The first one to finish, after around two hours and 45 minutes of play, was China’s Zhu Jiner. Playing as Black against Nino Batsiashvili, the position was even and after forced exchanges of heavy pieces, the two agreed to split a point. With this draw, Zhu reached her third GM norm (having collected the first two in the previous two tournaments of the Women’s Grand Prix – in Astana and Munich). China and the world now have a new Grandmaster – Zhu Jiner. Just a few minutes after Zhu, Aleksandra Goryachkina – the other of the three favourites – drew as White with India’s top player and world number two, Humpy Koneru. In the Queen’s gambit accepted, both sides played precisely. It was a balanced game, ending in an even position. Some 15 minutes later, Bibisara Assaubayeva (one of the three leaders) agreed to split a point with Kateryna Lagno. In the Reverse Benoni, Assaubayeva had slightly more initiative, but it was overall even. With this tournament in New Delhi, Bibisara Assaubayeva also achieved her second Grandmaster norm. After more than five hours of play, Polina Shuvalova beat Harika Dronavalli in the Ruy Lopez, while Vaishali Rameshbabu lost a drawn-rook endgame to Nana Dzagnidze. The final standings of the third leg of the Women’s Grand Prix in New Delhi: Player Place WGP points Prize (€) Goryachkina Aleksandra 1-3 133 12,333 Assaubayeva Bibisara 1-3 133 12,333 Zhu Jiner 1-3 133 12,333 Lagno Kateryna 4-5 85 7,375 Shuvalova Polina 4-5 85 7,375 Koneru Humpy 6 70 5,750 Batsiashvili Nino 7-9 50 4,500 Dronavali Harika 7-9 50 4,500 Dzagnidze Nana 7-9 50 4,500 Vaishali R 10 30 3,500 TOTAL 820 74,500 The overall standings in the Women’s Grand Prix 2022/2023 series With a total of 308 points, China’s Zhu Jiner is currently in the lead in the overall standings of the Women’s Grand Prix. She is followed by Aleksandra Goryachkina, who is on 263 points, while Alexandra Koteniuk (who skipped New Delhi) is in third place on 250, closely followed by Kateryna Lagno, who is on 245 points. Zhu’s lead is, however, only symbolic. New Delhi was her third and final appearance in this edition of the WGP cycle. (In the previous events, she secured a third-place finish in Astana, earning 110 points, and fetched another 65 points in Munich.) She will be overtaken after the next and final leg of the Women’s Grand Prix, where top favourites such as Goryachkina, Kosteniuk and Lagno will take part. Still, New Delhi will be a memorable tournament for Zhu as in this event she has also secured her third Grandmaster norm. With this victory in New Delhi, Aleksandra Goryachkina now has 263 points and is currently in second place in the overall standings. Goryachkina came in second in the first tournament in Astana (where she collected 130 points), and first place in New Delhi got her additional 133 points. As this was her second tournament in this WGP cycle, Goryachkina is due to play in the fourth and final leg, which will take place in Cyprus in May. This makes her a very strong contender for the winner of the 2022/2023 edition of the Women’s Grand Prix. The event in Delhi was also the second tournament in the WGP cycle for Bibisara Assaubayeva. Having collected just 30 points in Astana in the first tournament, second place in New Delhi and 133 points boosted her place in the overall standings, as well as her chances to reach one of the top places in this edition of the WGP. The tournament in New Delhi was the third in a series of four which make up the Women’s Grand Prix (WGP). Altogether 16 players are taking part in the series, with each participating in three of the four tournaments. The two players who score the greatest number of cumulative points in the series shall qualify for the FIDE Women Candidates Tournament 2023-24. The next and final event in the Women’s Grand Prix cycle will be held in Cyprus between the 15th and 28th of May. Round 11 Games Recap Bibisara Assaubayeva – Kateryna Lagno Kateryna Lagno is the more senior player of the two – both in experience and titles won but also in the overall score: the two have played 25 games – and Lagno leads 12:4. Once again, in a game where Bibisara was playing with white pieces, we saw the Reverse Benoni. Both sides fought for control of the dark squares in the centre. On move 11 Lagno deviated from the book theory and introduced a novelty 11…Rb8 and reached equality. However, instead of slow manoeuvring Kateryna came up with an interesting pawn push 17…b5, sacrificing a pawn for control over the d5-square. Bibisara opted for a reserved 18.b3, but chess engines suggest that 18.d5! exd5 19.cxb5 is much more unpleasant for Black. As played, White emerged slightly better thanks to some space advantage, but with just a single weakness in her camp Lagno had no problem holding her ground. Soon the two went for a threefold repetition. With this draw, Bibisara finished the tournament with six points and shared first place. Vaishali Rameshbabu – Nana Dzagnidze Out of the six games the two have played, Nana has won four and Vaishali two. In a rare variation
Inspiring Facts about Scholastic Chess
Schoolchildren playing chess at Glen Waverley Secondary College, Australia Do you know which country has integrated chess into its primary school curriculum with huge success? Or can you guess how many underprivileged children in New York City have been taught chess since 1986? And which famous chess player designed an educational program for China? Read on to discover more! While chess has been popular for centuries, it has become much more than just a game, with its potential applied in various fields. Moreover, chess is a powerful educational tool that can help students develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making skills. Therefore, many countries worldwide have been successfully promoting chess in schools. Photo: Hayk Baghdasaryan | PHOTOLURE One of the best examples is Armenia, which has had a mandatory chess education program for second, third, and fourth graders since 2011. This program has been a huge success, with even world champion Magnus Carlsen stating that Armenia’s experience of teaching chess in schools is a great example for the whole world. During the program’s first years, research was conducted into its effectiveness. The results show that teaching chess promotes the development of creativity, intellect, memory, watchfulness, emotional stability, logical thinking, and willed qualities. In the United States, the “Chess in the Schools” association has been promoting chess education since 1986. The program provides chess instruction to students in New York City public schools, with a focus on underserved communities. The program has been a tremendous success, with over half a million students learning the game and improving their academic and life skills, paving the way for their greatest achievements. Photo: chessintheschools.org/ China is another country that has recognized the benefits of chess education. The Chinese Chess Association has been promoting chess in schools since the 1990s. Moreover, in 2018, the best female chess player in history, Judit Polgar, designed an educational program for China. Her innovative educational chess programs, Chess Palace and Chess Playground, have been introduced into Chinese schools to help the younger generation prepare for the challenges of the future. These are just a few examples of the many countries that have embraced chess in schools as a way to promote education and personal development. The benefits of chess education are clear, and more and more schools around the world are starting to recognize them. If you’re interested in joining the scholastic chess community, we encourage you to participate in the FIDE-ISF World School Teams Online Chess Cup 2023. This tournament is a unique opportunity for students to participate in a global tournament and represent their schools on an international stage. The tournament will be held in Swiss format in two categories: Under-15 and Under-18, giving young players of all skill levels a chance to compete and test their abilities against their peers. The qualification tournaments will take place on April 29th and 30th, and the online finals on May 6th and 7th. To learn more, please visit the official website of the event at https://isf.fide.com/.