FIDE October 2023 rating list published
Since September 2023 was a calm month, both the top 10 open and top 10 women saw no changes, which is a very rare case. Biggest giants in top 10 open and women Velpula Sarayu IND 2444 (+57) Bartel, Mateusz GM POL 2651 (+30) Divya Deshmukh WGM IND 2408 (+23) Arabidze, Meri IM GEO 2456 (+16) Stefanova, Antoaneta GM BUL 2424 (+14) Praggnanandhaa R GM IND 2738 (+11) Tsolakidou, Stavroula IM GRE 2385 (+10) Bacrot, Etienne GM FRA 2669 (+9) Buksa, Nataliya IM UKR 2361 (+9) Van Foreest, Jorden GM NED 2707 (+8) Still untitled, Indian prodigy Velpula Sarayu won this nomination for the second straight month. Following her strong performance in the Malaysian Open 2023 she gained “mere” 57 points in September (comparing her 300+ rating increase a month earlier) and made it to the top 30 with 2444. Photo: Cristian Arcas/ Pontevedra Masters The most important chess events in September in terms of top GMs’ participation were two team competitions: the Spanish Team Championship (Club Division de Honor 2023) and Druzynowe Mistrzostwa Polski – Ekstraliga 2023, which brought together many top players. Subsequently, those who fared well in these events earned some valuable rating points. 18-year-old Praggnanandhaa picked up 11 points in the Spanish Team Championship and climbed to #16 with 2738. The list of overperforming players in this event also includes Meri Arabidze (+16), Antoaneta Stefanova (+14), and Jorden Van Foreest (+8). Photo: Stev Bonhage Mateusz Bartel (+30! pictured above), Divya Deshmukh (+23), Etienne Bacrot (+9), and Nataliya Buksa did an excellent job in the Ekstraliga 2023 and substantially increased their rating. There were some shifts in the rapid open rating list caused by two major rapid events, Tata Steel Chess India Rapid and Levitov Chess Week. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (+16) and Praggnanandhaa R (+11) became the main rating beneficiaries of the former, both moving three positions up. The winner of Tata Steel Chess India Rapid Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (Photo: Vivek Sohani) The winner of the Levitov Chess Week Ian Nepomniachtchi gained 23 points and entered the top 3 Open Rapid, while the third-place finisher Peter Svidler picked up 15 points.
European Chess Club Cup 2023 starts in Durres, Albania
The 38th edition of the European Chess Club Cup and the 27th Women’s European Club Cup kicked off in Durres, Albania. The event boasting a record number of participants – 110 teams from 34 European federations – started with an opening ceremony at Grand Blue Fafa Resport, the playing venue of the tournament. Both competitions are 7-round Swiss tournaments with classical time control. Players, guests, and officials were welcomed by the President of the European Chess Union Zurab Azmaparaishvili, the President of the Albanian Chess Federation and Chief Executive Officer of the European Chess Union Erald Dervishi, Honorary President of the Albanian Chess Federation Eduard Shalsi, and the President of the Albanian National Olympic Committee (KOKSH) Fidel Ylli. Erald Dervishi greeted all the guests and expressed gratitude to ECU for giving the Albanian Chess Federation an opportunity to host this prestigious event. “We will do our best to organize it in the best possible way. I hope all of you will enjoy Albanian hospitality, culture, nature, and cuisine!” Fidel Ylli talked about the importance and prestige for the country to host such a major chess tournament: “This event is very important for us because sport is not just a competition. Sport is economy, sport is image, sport is everything for the country. I want to thank ECU for choosing Albania to host this event!” Zurab Azmaparaishvili expressed his hope that participants of the European Chess Club Cup will enjoy their stay in Albania. “European Club Cup is growing up and reaching the new heights. Now we have 110 clubs playing and we could have even more! Great job was done by the Albanian Chess Federation. Every time I visit Albania, I am discovering country, its culture and nature, but I also see how chess develops. This is the country you want to return to.” After two rounds of play, as many as 18 teams are tied for the top position in the open section. In Round 3 the top-seed Superchess is taking on Vugar Gashimov, while Offerspill Sjakklubb, headed by Magnus Carlsen is facing SK Zmaj. In the women’s event, four teams are sharing first place, but the rating favorite Monte Carlo is not one of them. Lead by the Muzychuk sisters, the squad was held to a draw in Round 2 by the seventh-seed MSK Centar Asseco See. Full results: Open Women Photo: Niki Riga Detailed information can be found on the official website of the event. Photo gallery by Niki Riga can be found on the Facebook page of the event. Live broadcast of games together with live commentaries by WIM Fiona Steil-Antoni and GM David Howell can be followed through the ECU YouTube channel.
Marc’Andria Maurizzi and Candela Francisco, World Junior Champions
The World Junior Championships for players under 20 came to an end this Sunday in Mexico City, with two of the youngest winners in the history of the competition: 16-year-old Marc’Andria Maurizzi, from France, and Candela Francisco of Argentina, who just turned 17 a few weeks ago, clinched the titles in a thrilling finish. Both ended the championship unbeaten, with 8½/11. Their victories are not an absolute record, as Joel Lautier, also from France, won this event at a record 15 years old, while the youngest one to earn the title in the Girls’ category was Alexandra Goryachkina, at 14 years old (and then again, the next year). However, this doesn’t diminish the remarkable achievement of the 2023 winners in the slightest. Maurizzi’s victory could not be confirmed until the last moment, and it was decided thanks to a better tie-break over Arseniy Nesterov, Luka Budisavljevic, and Mamikon Gharibyan, all with 8½/11. This four-way tie in the top place was partly caused by the fact that Marc’Andria slowed the pace towards the end of the event and finished with two draws in the final two rounds. However, the French Grandmaster is an unquestionable winner: undefeated, he became the first sole leader in round 4, and his round 9 victory over Ivan Schitco is a masterpiece that became an instant classic, adding much to his credit. Arseniy Nesterov is also a worthy winner of the silver medal. After a strong start, he suffered a little bump in the road between rounds 4 and 7, when he only scored 1½ in four games, losing pace with the leaders. However, thanks to a strong finish with four consecutive wins, he could claim the place he deserved – with a bit of luck: his rival in the last round, the top seed Hans Niemann, was forced to win to keep some chances of a medal, so rejected a draw by perpetual check and went for an inferior line instead, allowing Nesterov to turn the tables and win the game. The Serbian Grandmaster Luka Budisavljevic completes the podium, in third place. He was remarkably consistent during the whole event, finishing undefeated. In the last round, he had Black against Maurizzi, and he fought almost till the bare Kings in order to get a shot at winning the event. The impression is that his result could have been even better, had he played a bit sharper at critical moments. A bit disappointing was the result of the top seed, Hans Niemman, who could only finish 8th, on 7½/11, with two losses. His overall level of play through the event was not at par with what one would expect from a player of his calibre – but he deserves all the credit for taking part in a competition where he had little to win and lots to lose. While the final result in the open category was very much in consonance with what we saw during the event, the Girls’ category was a completely different story. The last three rounds were quite a thrill, with massive swings in key games that turned the standings upside down. The top seed, Carissa Yip, seemed to have the event under control: her play was not so convincing in a couple of games, particularly in the opening, but thanks to her resourcefulness and class, she managed to score the points anyhow. This changed in Round 9, when she was paired against the tournament’s revelation, 13-year-old Miaoyi Lu (pictured below), who defeated her in great fashion. That, combined with the victory of Beloslava Krasteva, allowed the Bulgarian WGM to take the lead. The next day, Miaoyi was very close to repeating this feat and defeating the tournament leader, as she obtained a crushing position against Krasteva. However, the tenacious Bulgarian managed to pull off one of the biggest swindles of the event, winning the game and heading into the final round one whole point ahead of her rivals. Only a defeat in the last round, where she had the advantage of the White pieces, and a genuinely unlucky combination of results, could prevent Krasteva from becoming World Champion. In fact, the arbiter in charge of the pairings spent some time after round 10 checking if she was mathematically a winner with one round to spare. As it turns out, she wasn’t. The American Continental Champion, Candela Francisco, from Argentina, became the stone in Krasteva’s shoe. “Candelita”, the favourite of the Mexican fans, conceded a draw in round 2, so her tournament was a bit discrete, and her name didn’t make it to the very top places in the leaderboard until as late as round 9. But she won when it matters the most: in the decisive last-round game. The masterful way in which she outplayed Krasteva with the black pieces is worth a world title; first, with the advance h5-h4-h3, and then with a queen sacrifice that gave her attack the definitive impulse. The worst possible combination of results ended up with the Bulgarian getting neither the gold nor the silver, but the bronze medal. The silver went to Carissa Yip, who tied with Candela and Beloslava on 8½/11. For that, she had to win in the last round against Trisha Kanyamarala, which was easier said than done. Carissa had the initiative during most of the game, but only in a laborious rook endgame could she finally overtake her opponent. Not winning the Junior’s title in the last year she was eligible to play is probably a bit of a disappointment for Yip, who is clearly one of the strongest players of her generation. But second place is a decent consolation prize. Final standings: OPEN GIRLS Written by David Llada Photos: David Llada Official website: juniorchesschampionship.fenamacajedrez.com/