2023 FIDE World Cup: Players lists and pairings announced
FIDE World Cup, held every two years, will celebrate its 10th edition in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 30 July to 24 August 2023. With 206 players in the open section, plus 103 in the Women’s competition, this event has seen its combined prize pool boosted to a whopping USD 2.5 million, the single largest one at any chess event in the world. For many players, the World Cup is the first and only opportunity to enter the race for the World Championship crown since the three top finishers in the event will advance to the next stage: the super exclusive Candidates Tournament. This means one more spot than in the previous edition, Sochi 2021, where only the finalists would qualify: in Baku, the winner of the match for 3rd/4th place will also get the coveted invitation for the Candidates, which adds some extra excitement to this already thrilling competition. The rating favourites of the open event are the #1 in FIDE July 2023 rating list Magnus Carlsen (Norway, 2835), Hikaru Nakamura (USA, 2787; received a wild card), Fabiano Caruana (USA, 2782), Ian Nepomniachtchi (FIDE, 2779), Anish Giri (Netherlands, 2775), Wesley So (USA, 2769), Teimour Radjabov (Azerbaijan, 2747), Gukesh D (India, 2744), Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (Azerbaijan, 2742), Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (France, 2739) alongside many other well-known chess players from all over the world. The FIDE Women’s World Cup will feature the reigning champion Ju Wenjun (China, 2564), the 2020 Challenger Aleksandra Goryachkina (FIDE, 2557), Humpy Koneru (India, 2553), Kateryna Lagno (FIDE, 2552), Alexandra Kosteniuk (Switzerland, 2523), Tan Zhongyi (China, 2523), Nana Dzagnidze (Georgia, 2511), the Ukrainians Mariya and Anna Muzychuk (2511 and 2504, respectively), and many other chess stars. Most top players in both competitions have a bye in the first round, but we still have some exciting matchups. Looking further into the draw, we can spot some interesting potential clashes. In the open event, Magnus Carlsen has a relatively easy draw up to the Round of 32 in which he most likely (provided he beats his compatriot in Aryan Tari in the Round of 64) will face either Amin Tabatabaei or Vincent Keymer. Moving down, we see a couple of possible high-profile battles, Abdusattorov – Korobov and Ivanchuk – Wei Yi and two duels of youngsters Sarin – Deac and Shevchenko – Sarana, as early as in Round 3. The second-seeded Hikaru Nakamura can meet Carlsen only in the final, but most likely, he will have his first serious test in Round 3, taking on up-and-coming Nodirbek Yakubboev. In the women’s event, there are several potential exciting confrontations in Round 3: Assaubayeva – Paehtz, the Ukrainian derby Anna Muzychuk – Anna Ushenina, Krush – Shuvalova, Zhao Xue – Batsiashvili (although the former will have to see off very talented Carissa Yip first). Since two top seeds, Ju Wenjun and Aleksandra Goryachkina, have easy early rounds, it is interesting to see whether they will make it all the way to the final to set a repeat of their 2020 title match. The World Cup is one of FIDE’s flagship competitions, and in recent editions, it has clearly become one of the most followed events in the chess calendar. It reflects FIDE’s efforts to expand the competition, increasing the variety of qualification paths and the number of represented countries. List of players for the Open Section (highlighted the 50 players BYE in Round 1) Pairings for Open Section Round 1 List of players for the Women Section (highlighed the 25 players BYE in Round 1) Pairings for Women Section Round 1 Official website: worldcup2023.fide.com/
FIDE distributes €25,000 among chess veterans
After carefully considering the numerous applications received, the special panel appointed by the FIDE Council decided that these will be the ten chess players, coaches, and promoters to benefit from the second instalment of FIDE’s support to chess veterans in 2023: Nikola Padevsky (BUL)Goran Cabrilo (SRB)Yuri Meshkov (RUS)Vassilis Aristotelous (CYP)Mario Galeano (PAR)Jens Kristiansen (DEN)Živko Janevski (MKD)Ulrich Jahr (POL)Lubov Zsiltsova-Lisenko (UKR)Dang Tat Thang (VIE) A total of €25,000 will be distributed among them, each receiving €2,500. As we did on previous occasions, we would pay tribute to these illustrious veterans with a few words about each one of them, summarizing their careers and achievements. Nikola Padevsky (BUL) Photo: Anefo – Dutch National Archives Born in 1933 in Bulgaria’s second-largest city Plovdiv, Nikola Padevsky quickly came to the forefront of national chess. He became the Bulgarian National Champion in 1954 and repeated this success in 1955, 1962 and 1964. In 1957, Nikola became IM and was awarded the GM title seven years later. Padevsky took part in World Student Team Championship six times (from 1954 through 1959). Nikola’s performance in his last championship (Hungary, 1959) was remarkable as playing first board, he helped Bulgaria to pull ahead of team USSR and win gold. A real fixture in the national team, he represented Bulgaria in eleven Chess Olympiads (every Olympiad from 1956 to 1978 except for 1976), playing first board in 1956, 1962 and 1964. His solid tournament record includes the victory in the inaugural Rubinstein Memorial (Polanica Zdrój) in 1963 and shared first place in Varna (1960), Varna (1975), Athens (Acropolis International, 1983) and Kragujevac (1984). From 1981-1989 Nikola Padevsky served as the coach of the Bulgarian national team. Nikola Padevsky is one of the oldest living grandmasters. Goran Cabrilo (SRB) Photo: alo.rs/ Born in 1958 in Yugoslavia, Goran Cabrilo made seven appearances in the national championship. Although Goran never won a medal, he finished fifth in 1989 and 1990. Goran Čabrilo delivered a good performance in the Zonal Tournament (Nea Makri, 1989) and qualified for the Interzonal Tournament (Manila 1990) where he shared 40-47th place. Goran served as the coach of the Serbian national team at the Chess Olympiad in Elista (1998). He also worked with both junior national teams in 2000. Over his long career as a player, he took part in numerous tournaments sharing first place in Trnava (1981), Subotica (1992), Vršac (2006) and Belgrad (2008). Goran Cabrilo still participates in chess competitions, but due to health problems, only those not far from his home. Yuri Meshkov (RUS) Photo: papinchess Born in Smolensk in 1950, IM Yuri Meshkov became visually impaired at seven and was introduced to chess five years later. Inspired by Mikhail Botvinnik’s three-volume book (a gift from his father) and the positional style of the fifth World Champion, Yuri progressed rapidly and soon became a CM. His real breakthrough came in 1980 when Meshkov qualified for the final stage of the RSFSR Championship and was awarded the master title. Graduated from the Smolensk Pedagogical Institute, Yuri Meshkov, for many years worked as a chess coach and instructor. Over his long career, he helped GMs Nikolai Chadayev, Vadim Malakhatko, Alexander Kovchan, David Navara, IM Alexei Potapov, FIDE masters Artyom Benza and Ekaterina Prudnikova. In 1991, together with Vladimir Krayushkin, he organized a chess school under the guidance of grandmasters Alexander Belyavsky and Adrian Mikhalchishin. After the collapse of the Union, the school existed under the patronage of Anatoly Karpov. Most of the training sessions took place in his home Smolensk region. Since 2007, Yuri Meshkov has been participating in chess competitions among the visually impaired. In 2010 and 2013, he became the IBCA World Champion. He is the winner of the IBCA World Chess Olympiad (2008, 2012), the World Team Championship among chess players with disabilities (2013, 2015, 2017, 2018), European vice-champion, five-time champion of Russia in individual competitions or as a member of the national team among visually impaired chess players (2008, 2009, 2010, 2013, 2015). From 2010-2018 Yuri participated in five Chess Olympiads playing for a team of visually impaired players. A talented organizer, Yuri Meshkov held multiple competitions in his home Smolensk region. Vassilis Aristotelous (CYP) Photo: Vassilis Aristotelous’ Facebook Born in 1956, FIDE Instructor, FIDE Arbiter, and AIM Vassilis Aristotelous enormously contributed to chess in his home Cyprus. The 2008 national champion, he represented Cyprus at six Chess Olympiads and multiple international competitions. For many years Vassilis made bulletins for the Cyprus Chess Championship, providing coverage for each round, including all the games of each round, photos, and updates. Throughout his career, Vassilis Aristotelous has been giving chess lectures and simultaneous exhibitions at schools, popularizing chess and attracting new talents. A gifted author Vassilis has been writing articles for one of the leading Cyprus newspapers and penned four chess books. Over the years, he also served as a Public Relations Officer on the Cyprus Chess Federation’s managing board. Mario Galeano (PAR) Photo: Mario Galeano’s Facebook Born in 1947 in Colonia General Aquino, Paraguay, Mario Galeano Vergara became an iconic figure in his home country. Mario made a name for himself as an efficient organizer of numerous chess competitions across Paraguay, including Copa Pte. de la República (1983, 1985, 1986), Memorial Don Julio Domínguez (1988), Memorial Arturo Barchini (1988), Panam. Juvenil con la FEPARAJ (1988, 1990) Memorial Dr. Raúl Sosa Ugarte (1992), Coop. San Cristobal (2002), ITT Copa Gobernación del Amambay (2006), Memorial Ronald Cantero (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010), Copa Roggio (2009), Copa ITAIPU (2011) and many others. Jens Kristiansen (DEN) Born in 1952 in Copenhagen, Jens Kristiansen won his first Danish championship in 1979 and became IM in the same year. A three-time national champion, he represented Denmark at Chess Olympiads four times between 1978 and 1990. He also delivered the best result playing second board in the 1983 European Team Championship. Jens can be called a late bloomer as he earned the title of GM aged 60 after winning the 2012 World Senior Championship. A year later, he shared first place with
FIDE Women’s World Championship Match 2023 commences in Shanghai
The match for the title of the 18th Women’s World Champion was officially opened in Shanghai. The drawing of lots determined that the challenger Lei Tingjie will start with the white pieces The 2023 FIDE Women’s World Championship Match kicked off today in Shanghai, where the first part of the match to determine the 18th women’s world champion will take place. In a refined ceremony in the grand ballroom of the Intercontinental Hotel, the two players – defending world champion Ju Wenjun and challenger Lei Tingjie – got up on stage with FIDE officials to choose the colours they will start the match with. The ceremony had two stages: first, there was a drawing of lots to determine who would have the first choice in the drawing of colours. Secondly, there was the actual process of determining the colours. The first to choose in the first draw was the current Women’s World Champion Ju Wenjun who picked up a box containing a black knight. This meant that Lei Tingjie would be the first to choose the pieces. In the second phase, Lei chose first, and she picked a box with the white queen, which signified that she would begin the match with the white pieces. The opening ceremony was preceded by a press conference, where the hosts and players expressed their views and expectations about the match. Tian Hongwei, General Secretary of the Chinese Chess Association, welcomed the chess world to China. Stressing the importance of the competition, Tian noted the contribution her country made to women’s chess. “This is the fourth time that two Chinese players compete for the Women’s World Chess title after 2000, 2010 and 2018. This is enough to prove that the level of Chinese women’s chess is at the top of the world, which is also the inevitable result of the popularization and development of Chinese chess,” Tian said. Dana Reizniece-Ozola, Deputy Chair of the FIDE Management Board and serving as the supervisor of the appeals committee for the match, expressed gratitude to the hosts for organizing the championship. Reizniece-Ozola noted the significance of the event as FIDE prepares to celebrate its 100th anniversary: “It’s a special moment for FIDE as next year we will be celebrating our 100th anniversary. The winner of this match will be the champion in a year where we mark our first centenary”. The FIDE official also praised Chinese achievements in women’s chess, noting that out of 17 women’s world chess champions so far, six come from China. She highlighted the systematic support provided by the Chinese government for chess – including the use of the game in education – and praised China’s recent victories in the chess world, including Ding Liren’s triumph in the world championship match earlier in the year. Then it was time for the players to speak. The challenger, Lei Tingjie, has proved to be one of the best players in the world. She qualified from the Grand Swiss Tournament held in 2019 and went on to win the Women’s Candidates. As for Ju Wenjun, she is a role model not only for young girls and women but also for male chess players. She is among the six women in history who excelled the ELO of 2600 and has already defended her title twice. The defending World Champion Ju Wenjun expressed her enthusiasm for the match, anticipating an exciting three weeks of competition: “It will be exciting and a lot of fighting spirit for the next three weeks. I feel I will do my best, also because of my love for chess. I will do everything to fight and win every game”. For Ju, this is her third championship match. When asked if this dual is any different from the previous ones, she said: “Every match is very important and tells its own story. I will consider this as a new match and will do my best… I will do everything to fight and win every game”. Lei Tingjie seemed relaxed ahead of the match, despite being one of the youngest challengers ever (at the age of 26): “I want to win, but I am here to improve myself. I will try my best to play good chess. I am the challenger so I don’t feel any pressure at all”. “I have a good team, and things are going well. My mood is good, I am happy to be here and ready to fight,” Lei added. The two players who are at the top of the Chinese and world chess know each other well for years. “I learnt a lot about chess from Ju. She is one of the top players in the world, and I have been following her games closely”, Lei said. “First time I met Lei, she was a kid. She is an excellent chess player, especially taking into account her young age”, the defending champion Ju Wenjun noted. For the next three weeks, the Chinese cities of Shanghai and Chongqing will play host to the Women’s World Championship match. As both of the contenders come from China, it was decided that their native cities host the event: the first part of the match will take place in Shanghai, the home city of defending champion Ju Wenjun while the second part will take place in Chongqing, where the challenger Lei Tingjie is from. Officials from both cities were present at the event and stressed their support in promoting the match. Shanghai plans to hold a series of events to promote chess, including grandmasters going out and playing chess with the public. Shanghai’s official Shan Xiali pointed out the rich history of chess in the city, also known as the “Paris of the East”: “The relationship between Shanghai and chess has a long history. Shanghai is an early city in China to promote chess. The city also has a good chess mass base and cultural atmosphere, and many excellent chess players are from Shanghai”. As the women’s world chess caravan will move to the central Chinese city of
The 2023 FIDE World Cup wild cards revealed
FIDE has approved the final list of Wild Cards for the 2023 World Cup. In both the Open and the Women’s tournament, the final list features a mix of seasoned players and promising young talents Apart from Hikaru Nakamura (No. 2 on the July 2023 Rating list, who recently scored a brilliant victory in Stavanger) and Arjun Erigaisi (No. 2 on the world junior list, the winner of the 2023 Sharjah Masters held in May), two more distinguished chess names received the Wild Card for the 2023 World Cup – Vasyl Ivanchuk and Peter Svidler. Renowned for their remarkable achievements, both players have left an indelible mark on the game as their results include playing the World Championship final and winning the World Cup and World Rapid Championship. Considered to be exceptionally strong world Grandmasters, both have had great results recently: Peter Svidler won the TePe Sigeman tournament in Malmo (Sweden) in May 2023, while Vasyl Ivanchuk picked up 17 rating points in June and tied for first place at the just concluded GM tournament in Bydgoszcz (Poland). In the Women’s World Cup, three Wild cards were given to the top three non-qualified players – Zhu Jiner (2498), Polina Shuvalova (2496) and Sarasadat Khademalsharieh (2488). Many in the chess world will be focused on Sarasadat who had not played classical chess for almost a year save a small tournament in May 2023. The final Wild Card was granted to the very talented 17-year-old Eline Roebers, who increased her rating by 62 points in the past three months and crossed a 2400 ELO mark (2419). The event in Baku will be her first test at such a high level. With the Wild Cards announced and the full list of participants now known, the stage is set for a battle where the world’s finest chess players will gather in Baku (Azerbaijan) to decide the winner of the World Cup. List of players for the Open Section (highlighted the 50 players BYE in Round 1) Pairings for Open Section Round 1 List of players for the Women Section (highlighed the 25 players BYE in Round 1) Pairings for Women Section Round 1 Official website: worldcup2023.fide.com/