Swedish Championship 2023: Vitalii Sivuk claims title
GM Vitalii Sivuk is the new chess champion of Sweden. The 31-year-old native of Ukraine turned in an excellent performance in the 2023 Swedish Championship and won his maiden title with a round to spare. The Swedish Chess Championship 2023 took place in 2023 in Helsingborg from June30 to July 9 and was played in several different classes – from youngsters tournament to the battle for the Swedish championship gold in the Champion Class, a round-robin with classical time control, featuring local best players. Sivuk took the lead as early as in Round 3 after defeating the defending champion GM Jonny Hector and never looked back. The new champion scored impressive 7/9 and became the only unbeaten player in the event. A three-time national champion GM Tiger Hillarp Persson (pictured above) finished 1.5 points behind Sivuk and earned silver. IM Milton Pantzar and GM Thomas Ernst tied for third place with the former taking bronze thanks to a slightly better tiebreak. Final standings: 1 GM Vitalii Sivuk 2432 7 2 GM Tiger Hillarp 2493 5½ 3 IM Milton Pantzar 2442 5 4 GM Thomas Ernst 2288 5 5 IM Jung Min Seo 2469 4½ 6 FM William Olsson 2383 4½ 7 GM Erik Blomqvist 2500 4 8 GM Jonny Hector 2481 3½ 9 IM Kaan Küçüksarı 2512 3½ 10 IM Linus Johansson 2466 2½ Complete results in all categories Official website: schack.se/tavlingar/schack-sm/sm-i-helsingborg-2023/ Photos: Lars OA Hedlund / Swedish Chess Association
Hou Yifan on chess in China and the match for Women’s World Champion
It’s all about finding the balance between experience and motivation Ahead of the Match in China to determine the 18th Women’s World Champion, I was in Dubai for the inaugural edition of the Global Chess League, and there I caught up with Hou Yifan. A former Women’s World Champion (2010-2017) and still the highest-rated player on the FIDE Women’s rating list (2628), Hou has left a strong mark on chess with her exceptional skill and results. Despite deciding to move to academia, she is still present in the chess world, and her recent resurfacing at the Global Chess League in Dubai was a chance to ask her in person about the match between Ju Wenjun and Lei Tingjie and chess in China. The first thing I asked Hou was to explain how China got into a position to have the crown in both the Women’s and the Open category. “As a Chinese player, I am happy to see how chess develops in our country. That is actually the work of not our generation but all of the Chinese players from before – even back to the 60s and 70s”, she explains, pointing out the strong common spirit which was built among the Chinese players over the years. “We also have traditions to play together – both men and women – and we learn”. The rise and success of Chinese chess in recent years have gone hand in hand with increasing government support for the game. “That helps a lot”, Hou acknowledged, noting that chess plays a greater role in Chinese society now than a few years back. Hou Yifan was five and a half when she got introduced to chess. “It was a coincidence because none of my family members plays chess, nor was it big in my hometown (Xinghua, in the east of China). I just happened to see a chess board somewhere in the street”. Hou had a chess teacher, but at the time – in 1999 – online wasn’t a big thing, and there weren’t many online resources. “I went to a private chess club, and my coach was an amateur chess player. He would take out the books and we would start rehearsing a few opening moves, and then we just start playing. It was a very exciting period for me. Now it’s different and much more modern”. Hou was one of several Chinese chess players to win medals and pave the way for the country to climb to the top of the chess world. Ding Liren’s success in winning the World Championship Match in Astana sparked talk of Chinese dominance in chess. “Even though the titles are both in China, I wouldn’t say China is dominating the chess world. In the open section, Magnus decided not to compete, but personally, I think he is the strongest”, Hou said, adding: “To win a title does not equal dominance”. But the story is different in women’s chess, where nine of the 17 women’s world champions so far have come from China. “We are really one of the best teams, that’s for sure,” Hou said as she explained that there are different factors at play. “Before, we used to have these traditions to train together with men, but it wasn’t that common in recent years. For the moment, the women players get support from the federation and a huge number of people working with them”. “When I was young, a few matches were organised by the federation, helping me a lot. For example, just before I won my world championship title, I had a match with Anatoly Karpov, which was very useful, and I also got some advice from him”, she added. When talk turned to the match in China between Ju Wenjun and Lei Tingjie, Hou was cautious. “It’s hard to say what will happen. Ju is experienced and won the title before, Lei is young, and maybe she is more motivated. It will depend on their prep and how they build their shape up”. I asked Hou if it was easier to defend the crown or to attack the title. “For me, it doesn’t matter. It’s simply focusing on chess games. I was comfortable with both”. According to the currently highest-rated woman player, the key to success is finding the right balance between motivation and skill. “If you lack motivation, you just enjoy yourself, but that has its drawbacks. To have motivation but lack experience – it reminds me of Firouzja in the 2020 Candidates; he didn’t do well, but he tried hard. There should be a balance. The players will find the most suitable path for themselves. It’s not the same for everyone. You should see what makes you feel more ready”, Hou said. Text: Milan Dinic Photo: Anna Shtourman
Magnus Carlsen wins 2023 SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz
World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen capped off an incredible blitz performance to win the 2023 SuperUnited Rapid and Blitz with a score of 26.0/36, taking home a first place prize of $40,000. Finishing in second place was Nepomniachtchi (22.5), with Caruana (21.5) third, Firouzja (21) fourth, and Gukesh (19.5) earning clear fifth. BLITZ | ROUNDS 10-18 Carlsen’s perfect streak from yesterday was snapped in the first round of the day, as he failed to convert a slightly better endgame against Caruana. Magnus then drew with Duda before uncorking four straight wins against Gukesh, Saric, Anand, and Nepomniachtchi to clinch tournament victory. Nepomniachtchi-Carlsen: 16…Bxe5! snagged a big pawn for Carlsen, as 17.Rxe5 Rxe5 18.Qxe5 would lose White’s queen after 18…Bxc2+! | 0-1, 20 moves Carlsen would go on to lose to Firouzja and Rapport before closing things out with a win over Lupulescu, ending his tournament on a high note. Magnus’s final result is just a point short of his own 27.0/36 record score in the 2019 Tata Steel Rapid & Blitz. Fighting for second throughout the day were Nepomniachtchi and Caruana, with Nepo managing to take an early lead and keep his standing until the very end. Firouzja-Nepomniachtchi: After 25…Bc3, Black was soon winning a decisive amount of material. | 0-1, 55 moves While first place was out of reach, Nepomniachtchi managed to maintain second. | Photo courtesy of Grand Chess Tour, Lennart Ootes A solid third place for Caruana, who now has a significant lead in the overall Grand Chess Tour. | Photo courtesy of Grand Chess Tour, Lennart Ootes Scoring the most in today’s round-robin were Firouzja and Gukesh, who each picked up 6.5/9 points for the day. Firouzja in particular caught fire in the second half of the event, as he closed things out with five straight wins over Gukesh, Anand, Carlsen, Lupulescu, and Duda: Carlsen-Firouzja: After 45…d2! both sides would make a new queen, but the pin along the d-file was difficult for White to resolve. | 0-1, 96 moves Firouzja scored 6.5/9 on both days of the blitz, finishing fourth overall. | Photo courtesy of Grand Chess Tour, Lennart Ootes The young wildcard Gukesh took a very respectable fifth place and $15,000 for his effort. With just two events left in the 2023 Grand Chess Tour, the Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz followed by the Sinquefield Cup in November, Caruana currently leads the GCT standings with 20 points. The 2023 Grand Chess Tour continues next with the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz, which will take place November 12-19 in Saint Louis, Missouri. Tune in to live coverage 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.
Norwegian Championship: Simen Agdestein clinches ninth title
Simen Agdestein emerged as the winner of the 2023 Norwegian Championship Championship and took his ninth national title. Aged 56, Simen beat his own record set last year and again became the oldest Norwegian champion of all time. The 2023 Norwegian Championship was held in fifteen categories from June 30 to July 8 in Vallhall Arena, Oslo. The Klasse Elite, a 9-round Swiss tournament brought together the best local players, except Magnus Carlsen, who was fighting in SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Zagreb those days. Unlike the 2022 event, in which Agdestein had breezed past competition and won with a round to spare, the 2023 campaign was not an easy ride for the defending champion. Simen grabbed the lead after Round 4 but suffered a setback in Round 6 at the hands of IM Benjamin Haldorsen, who caught up with him. Undaunted, Agdestein finished strong with two straight victories, scored 6.5/9 and clinched the title. GM Evgeny Romanov, IM Elham Abdrlauf and the rating favourite GM Aryan Tari finished a half-point behind the champion and tied for second place. Silver and bronze went to Romanov and Abdrlauf, respectively, thanks to superior median Buchholz. Final standings: 1 GM Simen Agdestein 2584 6½ 2 GM Evgeny Romanov 2555 6 3 IM Elham Abdrlauf 2522 6 4 GM Aryan Tari 2646 6 5 FM Aksel Bu Kvaløy 2347 5½ 6 IM Kristian Stuvik Holm 2480 5 7 GM Lars Oskar Hauge 2508 5 8 GM Jon Ludvig Hammer 2630 5 9 IM Benjamin Haldorsen 2454 4½ 10 FM Jens E Ingebretsen 2342 4½ Complete results Official website: nm2023.no/ Photos: Helge Brekke