Hard-fought title wins at World Senior Championship 2023
The 31st Edition of the World Senior Chess Championship ended on Sunday, 5th November after exciting eleven rounds of play. WGM Calzetta Ruiz Monica (Spain; pictured below) clinched the title Women 50+ section after making a short eight-move draw in her last-round game against WIM Burchardt Brigitte (Germany) and scoring 8½ points total. WGM Galina Strutinskaia (FIDE; pictured below) also drew in the final round with WGM Tatiana Bogumil (FIDE) and netted 8 points to finish second and secure gold in the Women 65+ section. The Women 50+ and 65+ categories were merged into a single 11-round Swiss tournament as proposed by the organizing committee. Prizes were awarded separately to the best players in both sections according to the final standings. Final standings Women’s Section: 1 WGM Calzetta Ruiz, Monica ESP 2239 8½ 2 WGM Strutinskaia, Galina FID 2114 8 3 IM Klinova, Masha ISR 2249 7 4 WGM Makropoulou, Marina GRE 2081 7 5 WIM Tereladze, Sopio GEO 2215 7 6 WIM Krasenkowa, Elena POL 2089 7 7 WFM Folkova, Martina CZE 2022 6½ 8 WIM Burchardt, Brigitte GER 2124 6½ 9 WGM Bogumil, Tatiana FID 2080 6½ 10 WIM Lauterbach, Ingrid ENG 2026 6½ The Open 65+ competition was a very close race, with John Nunn (England) and Daniel Campora (Argentina) leading most of the tournament. In the decisive final round, Nunn pulled off a crucial victory against Martins Wagner Madeira, while Campora, who was a half point ahead, fell to Lubomir Ftacnik. As a result, Nunn and Ftacnik tied for the first place, with the former claiming gold thanks to a slightly better Buchholz. As many as five players tied for third place, but tiebreaks favoured Nikolay Legky, who took bronze. Final standings Open 65+ Section: 1 GM Nunn, John ENG 2560 8½ 2 GM Ftacnik, Lubomir SVK 2451 8½ 3 GM Legky, Nikolay FRA 2348 8 4 GM Knaak, Rainer GER 2451 8 5 GM Campora, Daniel ARG 2343 8 6 GM Vaganian, Rafael ARM 2493 8 7 IM Reprintsev, Alexander UKR 2227 8 8 FM Madeira Wagner, Martins BRA 2012 7½ 9 IM Renman, Nils-Gustaf SWE 2324 7½ 10 IM Rooze, Jan BEL 2245 7½ In the Open 50+ category, GM Adams Michael (England) emerged victorious in a tough contest with GMs Suat Atalik (Serbia), Ivan Morovic Fernandez (Chile) and Maxim Novik (Lithuania). Coming into the final round a half point behind the leader Atalik, Adams beat Martin Mrva (Slovakia) with the black pieces. Meanwhile, Suat made a quick draw with Michele Godena (Italy) on the white side of the QGD and shared first place with Adams but had to settle for silver due to slightly inferior tiebreaks. There was a tie for third place as well, but the bronze goes to Maxim Novik, again by dint of a better Buchholz over Michele Godena. Final standings Open 50+ Section: 1 GM Adams, Michael ENG 2670 8½ 2 GM Atalik, Suat SRB 2427 8½ 3 GM Novik, Maxim LTU 2375 8 4 GM Godena, Michele ITA 2441 8 5 GM Morovic Fernandez, Ivan CHI 2488 7½ 6 GM Stefansson, Hannes ISL 2529 7½ 7 GM Dlugy, Maxim USA 2520 7½ 8 IM Cummings, David CAN 2325 7½ 9 FM Nikolaidis, Konstantinos GRE 2096 7½ 10 GM Holzke, Frank GER 2473 7½ Complete results and final standings Photos: Patricia Claros Aguilar. Official website: worldseniorchess2023.com
Deputy Chair of FIDE Management Board visits India
Following the invitation from the All India Chess Federation (AICF), Dana Reizniece-Ozola, FIDE Deputy Chair of the Management Board, had a tour around India to promote women in chess and educational chess. Within a week, Reizniece-Ozola and AICF officials visited New Delhi, Agra, Udaipur, Bengaluru, and Faridabar, covering different states of India. Motivational presentations, simultaneous games exhibitions, press conferences and official meetings were held everywhere. These trips share common goals: doubling the number of kids going in for chess in education and increasing the representation of women in chess. These tasks have always been a priority for FIDE. During her visit to Udaipur-Lakecity, Dana Reizniece-Ozola participated in an event organized at St. Anthony School and hosted by Chess In Lakecity’s Secretary, Vikas Sahu, where she interacted with young chess enthusiasts. Impressed by the growing enthusiasm for chess among children and youth, Dana Reizniece-Ozola expressed her optimism for the future of chess in Udaipur. Chess In Lakecity has organized over 50 national and international tournaments and raised 200+ rated players there. Dr. Vipnesh Bharadwaj, the Interim Secretary of the All India Chess Federation, highlighted the increasing role of youth and children in chess in India, which has led India to gain recognition in global chess competitions. This is a significant achievement for the country, and it is inspiring young children to take up chess and follow their dreams. In Bengaluru, Karnataka, the Deputy Chair of the FIDE Management Board visited a rural Hallegere School, where chess was introduced with the help of Bengaluru Urban District Chess Association, Karnataka State Chess Association and the guidance of All India Chess Federation. The school is financially supported by Revathi Kamath, who emphasizes that the best asset one can give to children is education. On 18-26 January 2024, Bengaluru Urban District Chess Association will host the first International Grandmasters’ Tournament with more than 2500 people from 20+ countries expected. Led by Sowmya M Upadhyaya, the Association is a power force behind chess in Bangalore. Seven energetic, humble women do it all – open chess in schools, organize tournaments, support social initiatives, etc. During the visit of Dana Reizniece-Ozola, the Bengaluru Urban District Chess Association organized a Discussion Panel with other sports celebrities, “Women in Sports: Pioneers and Trailblazers”. She also visited Bengaluru Central Prison in Karnataka. Following the 3rd Intercontinental Chess Championship for Prisoners, simultaneous games exhibition, an official meeting with prison authorities and discussions on developing a chess program within prison walls were held. In Bhubaneswar, the Deputy Chair of FIDE Management Board visited the Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences and Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology. The institutes have 65,000 students, among them – 40,000 girls from underprivileged families, who have been provided free education, accommodation and food by the founder of the institution H.E. Achyuta Samanta, Member of Parliament of Kandhamal. Dana Reizniece-Ozola was honoured to address the students and was deeply impressed by their warm joy and sparkling energy. “When you come from a privileged place where education comes as a granted right, it is difficult to fully understand that in the modern world, access to education is still limited to so many. Poverty and illiteracy limit choices and deem lives to failure. God bless people like H.E. Achyuta Samanta, who provide opportunities to thousands and thousands of young girls. I am also happy that chess has become part of their education while this is another way to spot the talent and give them skills that would allow them to better navigate through complex positions of their lives,” she said. After this, Dana Reizniece-Ozola, along with Chairman FIDE Advisory Board Bharat Singh Chauhan, had a fruitful interaction with the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Odisha, Shri Naveen Patnaik, to discuss chess development programs in the state. The Chief Minister announced the plans to establish 100 chess centres and a chess academy and to equip 16,000 classes for teaching chess to pupils. In return, Reizniece-Ozola ensured that FIDE would help Odisha authorities with training chess teachers. In Faridabad, the FIDE Deputy Chair of Management Board visited the opening of the AFCA Open Rapid Chess Tournament with 650 participants. All Faridabad Chess Association, led by its President Neetu Agarwal and General Secretary Alka Chhikara, organize such events on a regular basis. Last year, All India Chess Federation Dr. Sanjay Kapoor and Bharat Singh Chauhan impressed the world with the great organization of the 44th FIDE Chess Olympiad. During the meeting of Dana Reizniece-Ozola with H.E. Anurag Singh Thakur, Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports of India, this achievement was acknowledged, setting new ambitions for Indian chess. In 2024, India will host the inauguration of Chess Torch Relay in honour of the FIDE 100 Years Anniversary. The torch will travel around all continents from New Delhi to Budapest, Hungary, where the 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad will take place.
Intense Round 4 at 2023 World Amateur Championship
Round 4 of the World Amateur Chess Championship in Oman commenced with the first ceremonial move made by FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich. He expressed his positive impressions of visiting the World Amateur Championship 2023 and remarked that the venue provided excellent conditions for chess players, with spacious and comfortable facilities. FIDE President also highlighted the remarkable number of participants, emphasizing the high level of competition. Arkady Dvorkovich commended the organizers for their dedicated efforts and praised the decision to host the championship in Oman, foreseeing it as a positive step to encourage more participation and expressing his excitement for future developments in the country and the region. Round 4 saw the sole leader emerge in one of the categories. Abilmansur Abdilkhair of Kazakhstan (pictured above) won a tough game against the Maldivian player Muhammed Shuaau and came out on top with a perfect score in the Open U-2300 category. Four players are trailing the leader by a half-point, sharing second place. In the Open U-2000 category, the player Sebastian Emil (FIDE) defeated Esa Ahlqvist (Finland), but his main competitors, Dashtogtokh Amarsaikhan (Mongolia) and Sri Lankan Desandhi Dhihansa Gamage, also won their games. This trio is tied for first position on 4/4. There is a six-way tie for first place in the Open U-1700 category after Round 4. Batnyam Munkhbat (Mongolia), Batra Deepak (India; pictured above), Hamed Imani Lasaki (Sweden), Alexander Martynov (FIDE), Ganbat Danzanjunai (Mongolia) and Alzaabi Humaidan Mohamed (UAE) won all four games and will clash in Round 5. Mongolian female players Sodgerelt Naranbold (pictured below) and Anujin Bat-Amgalan share the lead in the Women U 1700 category with a perfect score, followed closely by Ali Abeer (UAE). The leaders will square off in Round 5. Text: WACC 2023 media team Photos: Entisar Nasser Al-omiiri, Hamed Al-Mabsali, Abduallah Al-Rashdi, Salma Hamood, Salem Al-Salhi Official website: worldamateur2023.fide.com/ Results and standings: worldamateur2023.fide.com/result/ Live games: Open U-2300chess24.com/en/watch/live-tournaments/fide-world-amateur-championship-2023-u2300#live Open U-2000: chess24.com/en/watch/live-tournaments/fide-world-amateur-championship-2023-u2000#live Open U-1700: chess24.com/en/watch/live-tournaments/fide-world-amateur-championship-2023-u1700#live Women U-1700 https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tournaments/fide-world-amateur-championship-2023-w1700#live Live broadcast (English/Arabic): youtube.com/@Omanchesscommitteeoman About 2023 World Amateur Chess Championship FIDE World Amateur Chess Championship 2023 is organized by the Omani Chess Committee together with the International Chess Federation, with the financial support of Gold sponsors: Syool, Apollo Hospitals, Oman LNG. Bank Muscat, Otaxi, Oronamin C Drink as well as Diamond sponsors: Asyad, OMIFCO, and Oman Airport.
Robert Huebner turns 75
Photo above: Lennart Ootes Robert Huebner, a legendary German grandmaster, turned 75 today. Arguably the most mysterious of the top players, he has almost always been in the shadows. Meanwhile, he is a great chess player and a remarkable person. Few people remember nowadays that Huebner has qualified for the Candidates many times, from the second-place tie in Palma de Mallorca in 1970 (the young Robert, not even a GM yet, put in an excellent performance and punched his ticket to the Candidates with a round to spare, finishing behind the older Robert), to Manila 1990, where he very confidently qualified competing with a mighty new wave of chess talents. Huebner and Korchnoi in Hoogovens 1984 Photo: Fotocollectie Anefo Moreover, at his peak in 1981, Huebner was very close to reaching the title match with Karpov. He made it to the Candidates Final and grabbed the lead in a duel with Korchnoi. With 3.5-2.5 on the scoreboard, the German grandmaster had an advantage in the seventh game ending, but Korchnoi put up a stubborn resistance. On a wild goose chase, Huebner made a terrible blunder and lost. After this setback, he lost the next encounter and, having adjourned the ninth and tenth games in unpleasant positions, resigned the match. It was not the first time in his chess career. Back in 1971, after his first defeat, he forfeited the Candidates quarterfinal match against Petrosian. Throughout his entire career, Robert has been haunted by this lack of self-confidence, which strikingly contrasted with his powerful play. Huebner and Petrosian in Wijk-aan-Zee 1971 Photo: Fotocollectie Anefo In 1983, he lost a Candidates quarterfinal to Smyslov, this time on roulette (tiebreak games were played with classical time control back then, and there were no rapid and blitz games, let alone Armageddon). The match ended in a draw. The tiebreak games did not tip the balance either. It was all decided on roulette in a local casino where Huebner didn’t show up. Smyslov picked red. The ball landed on zero first. The croupier spun the wheel again, and Huebner got eliminated from the Candidates. In all fairness, the German had no real chance against Karpov and Kasparov, but he was on par with other elite players at that time. Robert nearly reached the very top being a semi-professional, as he never stopped his academic research. A graduate papyrologist and polyglot, he speaks a dozen languages, including ancient and extinct. Analyzing with Vlastimil Hort Photo: lasker-gesellschaft.de/ When it comes to annotating games, no one has ever done it as thoroughly and deeply as Huebner. He turns the analysis into scientific research, sometimes several dozen pages long. An amazing person. I had a chance to talk with Robert a little and even played one game with him, which ended in a draw. Honestly, I immediately felt his extraordinary and unique personality. It’s been a long time since we have seen Herr Robert at chess tournaments. But I’m sure he doesn’t waste any time working on something very interesting. Happy birthday, Maestro! Emil Sutovsky, FIDE CEO
Indian Triumph – Vidit and Vaishali win FIDE Grand Swiss
The leaders faced players who had fewer points; therefore, the pursuers had every reason to push for a win to overtake those ahead of them. These considerations manifested themselves in the opening choices on almost all boards. It is worth noting that among the trio of leaders, Andrey Esipenko had the best tie-break, followed by Hikaru Nakamura and Vidit Santosh Gujrathi. On board one, Arjun Erigaisi played 1.e4 against Hikaru Nakamura, and instead of his usual Berlin, Nakamura essayed the Kalashnikov variation in the Sicilian Defence, one of the sharpest choices in his repertoire. He varied slightly compared to his usual choice in the Kalashnikov, though. In this standard position, Nakamura had played 8…Rb8 on more than one occasion. In today’s game, he went for 8…Nf6, which is a transposition to the Sveshnikov variation where Black hasn’t played the move …b5, but rather …Be6. This is not considered optimal for Black, but it served the purpose of surprising Erigaisi, who started spending a lot of time. Nakamura’s surprise achieved its purpose, and White didn’t manage to pose serious problems. Black obtained a very comfortable middlegame with the initiative and had a half-hour advantage on the clock. In this position, Black played 17…Qe7, but placing the queen on h6 would have been more incisive, putting pressure both on the knight on e3 and, indirectly, the pawn on c2. The pawn on d6 is taboo as Rxd6 allows …Bxe3 and White loses a piece or is mated after fxe3 Qxe3. Nakamura’s choice allowed White to consolidate, but Hikaru still kept a little bit of something after he exchanged the knight on e3 and forced White to double the pawns. White shouldn’t have problems holding this position in spite of the ugly pawns on the e-file, as they restrict the mobility of Black’s knight. The queens were soon exchanged, and when Black played 33…Rb8 with the idea of …b6 to eliminate the pawns on the queenside, draw was agreed five moves later. On board two, there was an intense internal struggle visible on Vidit Santosh Gujrathi’s face as he pondered his choice on move seven. Alexandr Predke chose the solid Queen’s Gambit Declined and in the usual tabiya arising from this opening, Vidit spent 10 minutes deciding whether to go for a safety-first approach by transposing to an endgame with 7.dxc5 or to choose something else that would keep the queens on the board. After ten excruciating minutes, Vidit chose the former option. This didn’t necessarily mean that he was ready to draw, but this choice did set the calmer course of the game he wanted to play. On the other hand, playing an endgame against a ferocious attacker like Predke was perhaps not a bad idea. It turned out to be very important later on. The QGA endgame is a calm affair, so both sides comfortably finished development. Perhaps unable to control his impulses and true to his active style, Predke advanced on the kingside with 15…g5. White replied with 16.Nfd4 Nxd4 17.Bb4 (a zwischenschach to worsen the position of Black’s king) Ke8 18.Nxd4, but the position remained balanced after 18…g4. In the ensuing play, Black was a bit imprecise and allowed White to gain some momentum thanks to the maneuver Nb3-c5. Black should have eliminated the knight, and while White’s bishop pair would certainly have given him a good reason to play for a long time, but Predke would have kept decent drawing chances. Predke, again, chose the way of complications with 20…Bc6. Objectively, this move gives White an advantage, but the narrow path leading to it is incredibly well hidden. After the critical 21.Nxa6! Bf3 22.Rxd8 Kxd8 White has to find the stunning 23.h4!! (an idea that Vidit actually saw during the game!) The idea of the move is to chase away the rook from the fifth rank so the white knight can escape via c5, or in case of 23…Bxe2 24.hxg5 Nd5 24.Bc5 Bxa6 25.Bxb6 Nxb6 26.Kh2! White has better chances in the endgame as Black’s kingside is weak. Incredibly complicated and deep stuff! After 21.Nxa6 Predke didn’t go for these lines and played 21…Nd7, trying to trap the knight on a6. In the ensuing complications, White managed to keep his extra pawn and reach a technical endgame with excellent winning chances. Black cannot regain the pawn by taking on a2 because it fails to Bb5, winning the d7-knight. Vidit made most of the winning chances and in fact converted in an incredibly smooth fashion! This win brought Vidit the victory in the FIDE Grand Swiss and a spot in the Candidates tournament! It was an incredibly impressive performance by the player who lost in the first round and didn’t really believe in a comeback, but he fought every single day and was awarded for his fighting spirit. On board three, Anish Giri was very motivated to win against the leader Andrey Esipenko, as that would have given him extra FIDE Circuit points, his possible path to Toronto. However, Esipenko demonstrated excellent opening preparation to neutralise Giri’s 1.d4. Esipenko chose the Queen’s Gambit Declined, and Giri went for the Exchange variation. Then, on move eight, Esipenko played a move that on first sight, appeared like a blunder. Black’s last move was 8…c5 and after 9.dxc5 Bxc5 10.Nxd5 Nxd5 11.Rxc5 White won a pawn. Esipenko’s preparation went much deeper, and he blitzed it out until move 15. Black is a pawn down, but he has a development advantage, and in cases where players go for such lines, it means that they had analysed them to exhaustion, i.e., to a draw. However, something odd happened in this position. Giri played 16.f3, and in despite being one of the top engine’s choices, this move sent Esipenko thinking. Upon 18-minute reflection, he played 16…h5, a possible move, one of the several moves that the engines like. Then after 17.Rxb7 Esipenko spent further 34 (!) minutes and opted for a sub-optimal 17…Rd4?! instead of the correct 17…Rac8! with the threat of 18…Nd5, which offers great compensation. Giri responded with 18.Be2, and it turned out that Black didn’t have enough for the two pawns. A very strange case of suddenly forgetting one’s preparation and immediately ending up