WR Chess triumphs as inaugural FIDE World Rapid Team Champions
With just two draws and ten victories in 12 matches, the team WR Chess won the inaugural FIDE World Rapid Team Championship, securing the title with a round to spare. Team Freedom finished second, while the Indian squad of MGD1 was third Altogether, WR Chess secured 22 matchpoints, Freedom finished on 20, and third-placed MGD1 had 18. The champion was decided in round 11 after WR Chess won their match and second-placed Freedom drew, which meant they couldn’t catch up. The first place in the event also comes with a cup, medals and a prize of 100,000 Euros. Second-placed Freedom received 60,000 Euros, while MGD1 won 40,000 Euros. There were three more prizes: Team Armenia received 25,000 Euros after clinching fourth place, while the team of Germany and Friends staged a great surprise, ending in fifth place and winning 12,500 Euros. The energetic team of Columbus Energy Kings Of Chess from Kraków won 12,500 Euros as the best-performing team with a rating below 2400. The special prize for the best game by a youngster was won by eleven-year-old Christian Glöckler from Hesse, one of the great talents of German chess, who is ranked fifth in the world in his age group. The CEO of WR Group, Wadim Rosenstein, presented Glöckler with the “Rainer Niermann Cup” for his victory over South African GM Kenny Solomon. In an event that saw amateurs play side by side with world champions and super strong grandmasters, where even the president of FIDE took part (on the amateur board), the spirit of FIDE’s motto Gens Una Sumus (“We are one family”) shined throughout. The CEO of WR Group (the event sponsor) and player, Wadim Rosenstein, expressed his satisfaction with the positive reception of his idea for an open-world rapid chess championship: “It was marvellous to gather so many chess stars in one place, and I believe everyone not only appreciated it but also truly enjoyed the experience.” When asked about his feelings on winning the inaugural World Championship title, Rosenstein’s response was succinct yet candid: “It was stressful.” Reflecting on the effort he and his team invested in securing first place in this fiercely competitive field, Rosenstein further shared: “We dedicated extensive hours of hard work. I am deeply grateful to [team captain] Jan Gustaffson, whose guidance was instrumental in enhancing my understanding of chess. I personally devoted countless hours to chess preparation. My gratitude extends to the entire team whose collective support brought us to this point. Every moment spent together was enjoyable, and I cherish the incredible time we had as a team.” Final standings: The complete final standings of the World Rapid Team Championship can be found here. How WR Chess won first place WR Chess won in 10 of the 12 matches, defeating all of the top-placed teams except Armenia, who held them to a draw in round 10. This includes convincing victories over runners-up Freedom (5:1, in Round 5) as well as the exceptionally strong teams of Kompetenzakademie Allstars (5.5-0.5, in Round 8) and ASV AlphaEchecs Linz (5-1, in Round 11). The first time Jan Gustafsson’s team had problems was in Round 10 when Vincent Keymer made a last-minute save to avoid losing to team Armenia. Round 11 was crucial – WR Chess defeated ASV AlphaEchecs Linz with 5:1, coming up to 21 matchpoints. Meanwhile, Freedom, the sole team with the potential to challenge the lead, had to settle for a draw in their match against the Chess Pensioners. This outcome assured WR Chess of clinching the championship title regardless of the final round’s outcome – a remarkable feat in the face of a highly competitive field of players. The sweet taste of victory almost turned sour as the team were struggling in the last round against the squad of the Berlin Chess Federation but managed to hold a draw. Wesley So, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, R Praggnanandhaa, Vincent Keymer, Hou Yifan and Alexandra Kosteniuk (ranked in the order of the boards they were playing) are all giants of chess. To see them play together as a team is a thrilling spectacle, captivating for any lover of the black-and-white game. The team started preparing early – meeting in Dubai in June for a training camp and building up the team spirit, getting a feel for one another. With the help of businessman Wadim Rosenstein on the board 6 and steered by the great German GM Jan Gustaffson as team captain, the ten proved to be the Dream Team of chess, almost gliding through the event in the face of serious competition from a host of teams made up of super Grandmasters and strong players on all boards. How rounds 9 to 12 unfolded: With four rounds left to play, the final leg of the inaugural FIDE World Rapid Team Championship saw several twists and turns as the teams were having their final chance to improve their performance. WR Chess – which had won all eight matches in the previous two days – started strongly in Round 9, defeating Chess Pensioners with 3.5-2.5. In that match, WR’s Ian Nepomniachtchi defeated Peter Svidler in an impressive game. The second-placed team, Freedom, defeated Ashdod Elit Chess Club by 4.5-1.5. The round also saw an Indian duel between third-placed Team MGD1 and Six-pack, which ended 5-1. Following Round 9, WR Chess maintained their lead with a three-matchpoint advantage over the second-placed team, Freedom and were five points ahead of third-placed MGD1. Round 10 brought an upset: After a nine-match victory run, WR Chess were finally stopped. The very strong team of Armenia took them by surprise and was on the brink of winning. First, WR Chess Wesley So had a quick draw with Gabriel Sargissian. Then, Alberto Atoyan defeated WR’s Wadim Rosenstein to help Armenia take the lead. Kosteniuk managed to strike back for WR by defeating Elina Danielian, but then Shant Sargsyan held Jan-Krzysztof Duda to a draw with black pieces. Now, Vincent Keymer had to win his game against Samvel Ter-Sahakyan just to save