WWC Match 2023: Ju gives Lei a break in a difficult position, ending in a draw
The third game of the Women’s World Championship match ended in a draw as defending champion Ju Wenjun allowed Lei Tingjie to escape from a highly uncomfortable position in the middlegame. The score is now 1.5:1.5 After two draws and a day of rest, Ju Wenjun and Lei Tingjie resumed the battle. In the first two games, it was Lei who took the initiative. Now, the tables have turned. Lei Tingjie was White and again she opened with 1.e4 and, like in game one (rather than her usual 1.d4). Women’s World Champion Ju Wenjun played the Berlin line in the Ruy Lopez – a popular variation among top world players. In contrast to the first game, Lei opted to respond with 1.d3, leading to the anti-Berlin. As early as move six, Ju Wenjun found herself sinking into deep thought, which lasted for 20 minutes. Whether this was a deliberate psychological tactic by Ju or simply a thorough check of her preparation, Lei was not unsettled by this and carried on. However, after some imprecision by Lei, she lost a pawn and found herself in a difficult position. Ju got the upper hand and pressed on. Still, in a critical moment of the game, Ju opted to play 19…a5?! Wasting a precious tempo and letting White escape from a highly unpleasant position. Black still had chances to press on but, nearing severe time trouble, Ju opted to simplify which allowed White to regain a pawn and enter an equal endgame. Despite being in a drawn position, Ju Wenjun pushed her opponent but Lei held on. The game ended on move 49, following a threefold repetition. In the post-game interview, Ju acknowledged that she had a good position but that it wasn’t that easy. “Black had some chances but it was very complicated.” Here follows a closer look at game three of the match: As per tradition in top events, the first move was made by an honorary guest – Deputy Director of the Shanghai Administration of Sports Zhao Guangsheng. In her second game with the white pieces, Lei again opened with 1.e4. By playing 3…Nf6 Ju Wenjun suggested continuing theoretical discussion in the Berlin, but Lei responded with 4.d3 – the anti-Berlin, protecting the e4-pawn instead of castling short, as she did in game one. Despite spending considerable time in the opening, the opponents followed the game of their counterparts (Yu Yangyi – Wang Hao, 2017) up to move ten, where Ju deviated with 10…Bb6. Lei here played 12.Bf4?! unpinning the knight on f6. A much better option was 12.Bh4. After 12…Re8, the e4-pawn was hanging, and White had to find a way to protect it. The opponents reached the first critical moment of the game. Lei made a wrong choice – 13.Qc2? 13…Nxe4! It seems Lei missed this. After 14.Nxe4 Bf5 15.Rfe1 d5 16.Ne5 Bxe4 (16…dxe4 was slightly better) Black regained a piece and emerged with an extra pawn. As Ju was thinking, Lei got off the board. It was the first time in the match either of the players had left the board during the game. Maybe she was doing some soul-searching after compromising her position. Lei thought a lot about the next several moves, and her time advantage over Ju had evaporated. However, even deep thoughts did not save her from making a serious inaccuracy when she was close to equalizing. After 19.Kh1?! Ju had two promising choices – 19…h5 or 19.Rxe5! Instead, the defending Women’s World Champion opted for 19…a5?! to prevent White’s b2-b4 push and prepare c6-c5. Still, a surprising choice, allowing White necessary respite. 20.f3 Bf5 21.a4 The dangers for White are still there, but taking with a rook on e5 is no longer an option for Black. Ju had an edge, but the worst for White was now behind. Both sides were gradually approaching time trouble. By move 23, Ju had 13 minutes on the clock, and Lei had 18 minutes. Black should have held the tension and built up the pressure with 23…Qd8 or 23…h4. Instead, Ju decided to simplify, allowing White to escape a challenging position. 23…c5 24.dxc5 Qxe5 26.cxb6 cxb6 27.Bxb6 Re2 The game is heading for a draw. White got the pawn back; the queens and a pair of bishops are off the board. Soon another pair of rooks was exchanged, and, despite both players continuing, it was a dead draw. The opponents shook hands and split a point on move 49. Despite the draw, the game marks an important turnaround for Ju, who was on the defensive in the first two games and now took over the initiative. Game four of the match will be played on Sunday, 9th July, at 3 PM Local Time in Shanghai (GMT +8). Text: Milan Dinic Photos: David Llada and Stev Bonhage Official website: womenworldchampionship.fide.com/ About the Match The match will take place in two Chinese cities, where each of the contestants comes from. The first half of the match will be in Shanghai, while the second half takes place in Chongqing. The match will consist of 12 games of classical chess. The payers will have 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 more minutes for the rest of the game, plus a 30-second increment per move starting on move one. Players cannot offer a draw before they reach the 41st move. In case of a tie, there will be the following tiebreaks: Four games with a 25+10 time control. Two games with a 5+3 time control. Two more games with a 5+3 time control. One game with a 3+2 time control, until a winner is determined. The prize fund is €500,000, with €300,000 going to the winner and the remaining €200,000 to the runner-up. If the outcome of the match is decided upon tiebreaks, the winner will take €275,000, while the runner-up will receive €225,000.
FIDE Circuit at midway point
FIDE Circuit is the new path to qualify for the FIDE Candidates Tournament, introduced this year. One player achieving the highest results during 2023 in eligible tournaments will get a ticket to Toronto. Each contender must play in at least five eligible tournaments, and only five of the top results are counted towards the Circuit standings. The system elevates the status of eligible tournaments and raises the stakes for participants. Will we see some players shuffle their calendars towards the end of the year to maximise their chances for the coveted Candidates’ spot? Remains to be seen, while at the moment, we have reached the point when we can sum up the first half year of FIDE Circuit. Before we delve into statistics, it is worth noting that each FIDE Circuit tournament has to meet the standards set out in the regulations. While there is no limitation to the maximum of participants, the eight highest-rated players of the event must have an average standard rating of 2550 or more (and there can’t be less than eight players in the tournament). In rapid and blitz, the threshold rises to 2700. Players shall represent at least three federations, except for national championships, and not more than 50% of the top 20 players shall come from one federation. There are also requirements to have an International Arbiter overseeing the tournament and other standards to prevent abuse of the rules and ensure that only professional and strong events get on the list. With the technicalities behind us, let’s look at the first six months of FIDE Circuit. It started with very strong tournaments such as Rilton Cup and Wijk aan Zee (both Masters and Challengers) added to the list in January, and it grew to 44 tournaments awarding FIDE Circuit at the beginning of July. Twenty-eight are held in Europe, eight in the Americas and eight in Asia. More than 300 players scored Circuit points. So far, the top events on the list were Norway Chess and Norway Chess Blitz, with a 2771 average rating, closely followed by Tata Steels Masters (2770) and Romania Grand Chess Tour (2768). The Circuit points awarded to the winners vary based on the events’ strength, so these tournaments heavily influenced the leaderboard. The first event was the Rilton Cup, held at the turn of the year. Its winner, Indian grandmaster Pranesh M (pictured above) got 6.76 points. He hasn’t added any point to his tally since but will go down in history as the first-ever leader of the FIDE Circuit. The Wijk aan Zee triumphant Anish Giri earned 27 points and became the leader at the end of January. He could extend his lead in WR Chess Masters next month but finished shared 5th, which brought him mere 2.03 Circuit points. Instead, the top spot was taken by Wesley So. His tally of 30.8 points was the sum of two solid results in Tata Steel and WR Chess. Photo: tatasteelchess.com, Jurriaan Hoefsmit In April, after securing his second victory at the Menorca Open, Gukesh D took the lead by a tiny margin (mere 0.10 points) ahead of Wesley So. Later the same month, he was overcome by Levon Aronian, who finished second in Satty Zhuldyz blitz in Astana. However, Gukesh D was back at the top of the FIDE Circuit leaderboard in May after two strong performances in Sweden and UAE, followed by third place in Norway Chess in June to solidify his position. The 17-year-old prodigy keeps the lead, closely followed by Wesley So, Anish Giri, and Fabiano Caruana. His path illustrates that steadily high but not necessarily top results are better than alternating between great and mediocre performances. Here are his current top five tournaments: WR Chess Masters – 2nd place, 19.26 Circuit PointsMenorca Open – 1st place, 11.64TePe Sigeman & Co Chess Tournament 2023 – 2nd to 4th place, 12.226th Sharjah Masters – 3rd place, 13.13Norway Chess – 3rd place, 19.03 Photo: TePe Sigeman & Co tournament | David Llada With many important tournaments to come – Grand Chess Tour, Biel, FIDE World Cup, FIDE Grand Swiss, World Rapid and Blitz Championships – the FIDE Circuit race is still wide open. Moreover, the final standings can depend on lower-rated events in case of a tight race. We have a page on our website dedicated to FIDE Circuit that we keep up to date. You can find the list of eligible tournaments, the leaderboard, and regulations. Check it out: FIDE Circuit 2023.
Queens’ Festival: Malak Ismayil and Chadha Meddeb win continental qualifiers
The Queens’ Festival 2023 kicked off with Online Blitz Qualification tournaments for Europe and Africa. The European event attracted 108 players from 33 countries. The title of the Queens’ Festival Continental European queen went to WFM Malak Ismayil from Azerbaijan, who managed to score 10½ points in 11 rounds. Her compatriot WFM Laman Hajiyeva finished second with 8½ points, and Arya Aydogan from Turkey with 8 points. According to the tournament regulations, all three players will receive two training sessions with Women Grandmasters. The complete list of 25 qualifiers to advance into the semifinals of the Queens’ Festival from the European continent: 1 WFM Ismayil Malak AZE 10½ 2 WFM Hajiyeva Laman AZE 8½ 3 Aydogan Arya TUR 8 4 WFM Head Louise ENG 8 5 WGM Sikorova Olga CZE 7½ 6 Hryshchenko Kamila ENG 7½ 7 Omeri Eklea ALB 7½ 8 WGM Richtrova Eliska CZE 7½ 9 WCM Pert Nina ENG 7 10 Piddubna Bozhena UKR 7 11 WFM Stangl Anita Dr. GER 7 12 WFM Stefanidi Maria-Anna GRE 7 13 Ghitza Elena MLT 7 14 Nevska Gerda GCI 7 15 WIM Koskoska Gabriela MKD 7 16 WIM Kanyamarala Trisha IRL 6½ 17 Valcu Lavinia SWE 6½ 18 Valkova Angelika UKR 6½ 19 Subramanian Anusha ENG 6½ 20 Muratet Carmona Julia AND 6½ 21 Nadanyan Kiti ARM 6 22 Huseynli Ayan AZE 6 23 Swati Singha ENG 6 24 Bhaumik Mehr FIN 6 25 Batagan Ilinca-Petra ROU 6 One hundred twenty-eight players from 22 African countries competed in another Online Blitz Qualification tournament. WIM Chadha Meddeb from Tunisia scored 9/11, tied for first place with WIM Lina Nassr of Algeria and became the Queens’ Festival Continental Queen thanks to better tiebreaks. WIM Anika Du Plessis from South Africa was third with 8 points. The top 25 players of the event who advanced to the semifinals are: 1 WIM Meddeb Chadha TUN 9 2 WIM Nassr Lina ALG 9 3 WIM Du Plessis Anika RSA 8 4 Oke Abiodun NGR 8 5 WFM Marape Naledi BOT 7½ 6 Laamim Roaa MAR 7 7 WCM Selkirk Rebecca RSA 7 8 WIM Caxita Esperanca ANG 7 9 Ruth Otisitswe BOT 7 10 Ndunakazi Nobuhle RSA 7 11 WFM Pires Luzia ANG 6½ 12 Khoa Lutopu NAM 6½ 13 Kayyar Sana UGA 6½ 14 WCM Allam Yara EGY 6 15 Marochkina Nadezhda SEN 6 16 WFM Francis Thapelo BOT 6 17 WCM Sharell Arona Moshoboro BOT 6 18 Mugide Safinah UGA 6 19 Adzinova Salima MAR 6 20 Paulo Jemima ANG 6 21 WFM Junior Ednasia ANG 6 22 Concillia Ndegwa Awuor KEN 5½ 23 Michael Bridget NGR 5½ 24 Milly Takali UGA 5 25 Andhin Chethanah MRI 5 This weekend two more qualifying tournaments for players from the Americas and Asia will be played. The 25 players from each continent will advance to the semifinals scheduled for July 15th. The top eight finishers of the semifinals will compete in a round-robin tournament to determine the overall winner on July 16th. About Queens’ Festival The Queens’ Online Chess Festival, a series of continental women’s online blitz tournaments, has been held annually since 2021. The project organized by the FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess is a unique all-inclusive event aiming at developing a strong global women’s community in chess and enhancing female participation in all aspects of chess life. This year, the festival offers a chance to participate in two competitions: ·Queens’ Women Open Tournament. Open to all female participants with FIDE ID; ·Unrated Princesses’ tournaments. For U16 (born on 1.1.2007 or later), female players with no FIDE rating. The winners of the Queens’ Women Open Tournament and the Princess’ Tournament will be invited to the 45th World Chess Olympiad 2024 in Budapest, Hungary. The ticket, full-board 3-day accommodation and invitations to the Opening Ceremony of the Chess Olympiad 2024 for the winner and one accompanying person will be covered. The official Award ceremony for the Queens’ Festival 2023 will also take place during the 45th Chess Olympiad.
GCT SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz Croatia: Day 3 Recap
Fabiano Caruana and Ian Nepomniachtchi remained as co-leaders after the final day of rapid in the 2023 SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz, each with 12.0/18 points. The previous leader, Anand stumbled today and is two points behind, while World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen bounced back into form to take the clear third position going into two full days of blitz next. RAPID | ROUNDS 7-9 The day started off with Nepomniachtchi continuing his perfect streak from yesterday, picking up his fourth straight victory with an impressive win over Saric: 15…d5! was a powerful break by Ian based on the line 16.exd5 Nxd5 17.Rxd5 Bxd5 18.Qxd5 Qa3+ 19.Kb1 Rd6!-+ | 0-1, 35 moves Nepo continued his excellent form from yesterday. | Photo courtesy of Grand Chess Tour, Lennart Ootes Caruana kept pace, managing to turn the tables in a very difficult position against Gukesh: 30…Nxd3!? was a strong sacrifice by Gukesh, winning multple pawns for the piece. But Caruana managed to survive and eventually overtook the advantage. | 1-0, 59 moves This would set up a big showdown in Nepomniachtchi-Caruana, where Nepo was close to winning his fifth game in row but failed to capitalize on a huge advantage. The game was drawn, with both players again drawing in the next round to stay tied for the lead. Caruana got a bit lucky in the first game, then escaped against Nepo as well. | Photo courtesy of Grand Chess Tour, Lennart Ootes After a difficult day yesterday Carlsen fully turned things around today, with a draw against Rapport and wins over Duda and Lupulescu. In particular his win over Duda contained a phenomenal shot: The stunning 20.Bg5!! by Magnus was perhaps the move of the tournament, winning the exchange after Rc8+ next. With eighteen games of blitz left Carlsen is very much in the hunt. | Photo courtesy of Grand Chess Tour, Lennart Ootes Losing some steam was Anand, who managed draws with Duda and Nepomniachtchi but would lose to Gukesh to only score 2.0/6 for the day: 40.Ng6! was the final move, leading to a mating attack after 40…Bxg6 41.hxg6++- This was Gukesh’s first ever win over the legendary Anand. | Photo courtesy of Grand Chess Tour, Lennart Ootes With two days of blitz now coming up, Nepomniachtchi and Caruana remain at the top with 12.0/18, while Carlsen sits in clear third with 11.0/18. Also not far are Anand and Gukesh, who are just two points behind with 10.0/18. The 2023 SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz continues Saturday, July 8, with tournament action live starting at 8:05 AM CT with Grandmaster commentators Yasser Seirawan, Evgenij Miroshnichenko, Cristian Chirila and International Master Nazi Paikidze on grandchesstour.org and on the Saint Louis Chess Club’s YouTube and Twitch.tv channels. Text: IM Kostya Kavutskiy Further Information: Web: GrandChessTour.org | Twitter: @GrandChessTourInstagram: @GrandChessTour | Facebook: @GrandChessTour Venue: The Westin Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia July 5 – 9, 2023 Press Contact:press@grandchesstour.org Livestream:GrandChessTour.org Photos:Courtesy of Grand Chess Tour and Spectrum StudiosCredits available on Flickr.