FIDE June 2023 Rating List: Nakamura is back to #2
The results of the 2023 Norway Chess and Cairns Cup, two very strong round robins, had the most significant impact on the July rating list. Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana put in stellar performances at the eleventh edition of Norway chess and soared up to #2 and #3 on the list. The American GM, who won the event, repeated the career-high second position he once had climbed in October of 2015 (although with a higher rating). Photo: Norway Chess Several female players showcased their brilliance in the Cairns Cup, but only one member of the top 10, Alexandra Kosteniuk, substantially improved her rating (+9). On the other hand, Humpy Koneru dropped 14 rating points and slid down to fifth position on the list. Biggest gains in top 100 Open and Women Zatonskih, Anna IM USA 2364 (+74) Fressinet, Laurent GM FRA 2652 (+20) Vaishali, Rameshbabu IM IND 2431 (+15) Sargsyan, Shant GM ARM 2654 (+14) Injac, Teodora IM SRB 2415 (+14) Sindarov, Javokhir GM UZB 2659 (+13) Ivanchuk, Vasyl GM UKR 2667 (+12) Krush, Irina GM USA 2447 (+11) Divya Deshmukh WGM IND 2400 (+11) Grandelius, Nils GM SWE 2686 (+10) Following her great showing at the 2023 Cairns Cup, Anna Zatonskih (pictured below) deservedly became the player to make the biggest progress last month. The event winner picked up whopping 74 points and triumphantly returned to the top 100 Women. Her compatriot and teammate Irina Krush also did a good job in Saint Lois, finishing fourth and picking 11 rating points. Photo: Crystal Fuller | Saint Louis Chess Club French Team Championship Top 16 usually brings together many high-rated players from all over the world, and the 2023 edition was no exception. Inside the top 100 open, Laurent Fressinet, Vasyl Ivanchuk and Nils Grandelius fared best in this competition earning 20, 12 and 10 points, respectively. The 2023 Dubai Open, the strongest Swiss tournament in June, attracted many GMs, with Javokhir Sindarov (who tied for the first place; pictured below), Shant Sargsyan and Teodora Injac becoming the primary rating beneficiaries inside top 100 Open and Women, while several youngsters – Xue Haowen (+84!), Aravindh Chithambaram (+18), Karthik Venkataraman (+17), Emin Ohanyan (+29), Murali Karthikeyan (+23) and Sina Movahed (+40) – picked up quite a few points. Photo: Dubai Chess & Culture Club Divya Deshmukh delivered a commanding performance at the 2023 Asian Championship and finished clear first which translates into +11 rating points.
The rise of China as a chess power
China’s ascent as a global chess powerhouse has been nothing short of extraordinary. From its humble beginnings, China has now emerged as a dominant force in the chess world. The unfolding of China’s path to chess dominance is something which should be looked at carefully and studied According to the June 2023 FIDE rating list, in the top 20 chess players in the world in the open section, China has two. However, in the women’s section, China has five players (with three of them occupying the top five positions). China currently ranks third in the countries’ average ratings for the top ten players, even though it has notably fewer Grandmasters than India, Ukraine or Germany, all of which are behind China. How did this happen? In a culture where tradition, resourcefulness and taking a long view of life make up essential elements of identity – chess would seem like a natural choice for a national sport. Still, their own board games – Chinese chess and go – are most prominent in China. In fact, not until the start of the second part of the 20th century did chess begin to gain a foot in the country of the Red Dragon. From Xiangqi to FIDE and Dato Chess was initially not well received in China. Because of this, the game was first recognised as a small part of the huge Chinese Xiangqi Association in November 1962. With small chess projects in schools and national tournaments, as well as four friendly matches with the Soviets (who did not send their top players), chess was making small steps. However, the game was pushed to the margins during the Cultural Revolution when it was included in the list of activities considered “decadent”. Still, it survived. Fortune smiled on chess in China in the 1970s – with restrictions easing. A 1974 meeting in Kuala Lumpur, where raising the profile of chess in Asia was discussed, made China the focal point of the push. This effort involved not only providing more outside support for the game but also getting the Chinese authorities on board and getting more state support. By 1975 the Chess Association of China officially joined FIDE, and Chinese players started participating in international events the following year. A crucial role in the development of chess in the Country of the Red Dragon was played by Dato’ Tan Chin Nam, a chess philanthropist from Malaysia, who lit the torch that spread the chess flame across China and set it on a path to become a major world power on the 64-squared checkerboard. From small steps to giant leaps Having won second place in the 1977 Asian Championship, China announced its entrance to the chess world with confidence at the 1978 Chess Olympiad in Buenos Aires – the first chess Olympiad the country took part in. With an average ELO of 2273, the Chinese team first stunned Iceland (which had the later FIDE President Frederic Olafsson on board one) in the first round and also managed to hold to a draw the team of Netherlands, then featuring the now legendary players – Jan Timman, Gena Sosonko and Johannes Donner (who lost to a Chinese player in 20 moves!). Then, gradually, successes came about: second place at the Asian Team Chess Championship in 1979, 1981, first gold in 1983, then again in 1987, 1989, and 1991. From 8th place at the 1984 Olympiad, China progressed to sixth place in 1990. In addition, Chinese players started winning numerous events across Asia and were making their presence felt globally. As chess progressed in China, the state warmed up and provided more support. In the 2010s, China started making podiums in the chess team events – the women’s team won silver medals at the Olympiad in 2010, 2012, and 2014 while the men’s team won gold at the 2014 Olympiad and repeated that success in 2018 and the 2021 Olympiad (the last one being held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic at the time). During all this time, state support for chess was increasing on the national and regional/local levels. Somewhat surprisingly, the Chinese started making giant leaps in women’s chess. In the 1980 Chess Olympiad, when the Chinese women’s team made their first appearance, they captivated the chess world by drawing with Olympic title holders from the USSR and finishing in sixth place ahead of the traditionally strong women’s teams from Yugoslavia and Bulgaria. The ascent of the women’s team in the chess realm continued, culminating in a remarkable tie for 3rd place at the 27th Chess Olympiad held in Dubai, UAE. The Chinese women players officially asserted their chess dominance after the breakup of the USSR in 1991, when Xie Jun (pictured above) won the title she held until 1996, and again between 1999 to 2001. In 2010 another Chinese, Hou Yifan, won the crown, becoming the youngest Women’s World Champion. She defended the title three times (in 2011, 2013, 2016) and even today is ranked as the world’s number one woman player, despite retiring from active chess in 2019. Her crown was taken over by another Chinese – Tan Zhongyi (2017-2018) and another, Ju Wenjun (as of 2018). The parallel between Soviet and Chinese dominance in women’s chess is striking. Both share a foundation built on robust government support and a well-established system where seasoned players mentor emerging talents. The resources and the hope With players in the 2700+ club, featuring world champion Ding Liren, Yu Yangyi, Wang Hao (the winner of the inaugural Grand Swiss in 2019, the world’s strongest classical chess tournament ever) and Wei Yi, and several super strong GMs all in their 20s and 30s, China is a dominant chess power today. The highest point (so far) in this Chinese chess march is the 2023 Ding Liren’s victory in the title match to determine the new World Champion in chess. Currently, China holds both the crowns in open and women’s chess – a unique success only achieved before by the Soviet
Ray Robson wins 2023 Prague Chess Festival Masters
The fifth edition of the Prague Chess Festival is in the books. The event, held in several sections, took place from June 21-30, 2023 in the capital of the Czech Republic. All tournaments this year saw tense, exciting battles until the very end. In the Masters, a round robin with ten top GMs participating, Bogdan-Daniel Deac (Romania) and Ray Robson (USA) tied for first place scoring 5.5/9 each after all final games were drawn. To determine the champion the two played a tiebreaker. The American GM won the first game with Black then drew the second one with White and became the winner of the main event. The bronze went to the last-year champion Pentala Harikrishna. Final standings Masters: 1 GM Robson, Ray ROU 2693 5½ 2 GM Deac, Bogdan-Daniel USA 2689 5½ 3 GM Harikrishna, Pentala IND 2704 5 4 GM Navara, David CZE 2689 4½ 5 GM Shankland, Sam USA 2711 4½ 6 GM Martirosyan, Haik ARM 2685 4½ 7 GM Keymer, Vincent GER 2690 4½ 8 GM Wang, Hao CHN 2722 4 9 GM Gelfand, Boris ISR 2668 3½ 10 GM Nguyen Thai Dai CZE 2653 3½ Tiebreaker in the Masters In the Challengers competition, both main contenders for the title, Mateusz Bartel (Poland) and Alexander Motylev (Romania) scored last-round victories. As a result, the Polish GM retained his half-point lead over his rival, finished clear first and punched his ticket to the 2024 Masters. Motylev is second while as many as three players tied for third position with Paulius Pultinevicius (Lithuania) taking bronze thanks the best score in their direct encounters. Always smiling Mateusz Bartel Final standings Challengers: 1 GM Bartel, Mateusz POL 2609 6½ 2 GM Motylev, Alexander ROU 2597 6 3 GM Pultinevicius, Paulius LTU 2530 5 4 GM Gledura, Benjamin HUN 2645 5 5 IM Vykouk, Jan CZE 2467 5 6 GM L’Ami, Erwin NED 2645 4½ 7 GM Pechac, Jergus SVK 2611 4 8 FM Finek, Vaclav CZE 2409 3½ 9 IM Stalmach, Richard CZE 2436 3 10 GM Akash G IND 2483 2½ Patryk Cieslak (Poland) pulled off a crucial last-round victory win the Futures, while the rating favorite Vojtech Plat tied for first place in the Open and became the champion by dint of better Buchholz. The Futures tournament podium Detailed results of all tournaments can be found here. Masters Robson, Ray 18,80 Deac, Bogdan-Daniel 16,82 Harikrishna, Pentala 13,85 Navara, David 5,44 Shankland Sam 5,44 Martirosyan, Haik 5,44 Keymer, Vincent 5,44 Challengers Bartel Mateusz 7,34 Motylev Alexander 5,87 Pultinevicius Paulius 4,40 Gledura Benjamin 4,40 Vykouk Jan 4,40 Photos: official website Official website: praguechessfestival.com/