WRB 2023 Day 2: Carlsen, Yu, and Fedoseev lead Open; Bodnaruk shines in Women’s Rapid
The second day of the World Rapid Championships saw intense action, with Carlsen, Yu and Fedoseev emerging as leaders with seven points out of nine in the Open. In the Women’s event, Anastasia Bodnaruk’s stellar performance secured her the sole lead with seven out of eight points. Four rounds were played today in both the Open and the Women’s Rapid. In the Open tournament, Magnus Carlsen maintained his position among the leaders. Despite a strong start with a crucial win against Vidit, the Norwegian had to settle for draws in the remaining three games. He shares the lead with Yu Yangyi and Vladimir Fedoseev, all tallying seven points from nine games. Anastasia Bodnaruk stole the day in the women’s tournament. With a score of 3.5/4 – including victories over the two frontrunners from day one, Zhu Jiner and Salimova – she emerged as the sole leader, with seven points out of eight. Bodnaruk is trailed by two players, India’s Koneru Humpy and China’s Zhai Mo, who are on 6.5/8. The Open The day started well for Carlsen as he scored a critical victory against India’s Vidit Santos Gujrathi. Both sides were evenly matched for the most part, but in a knight endgame, Vidit’s nerves gave way – he blundered one pawn and then another, ending completely lost. After the game, Vidit – visibly shaken – was seen standing over the board for about a minute, wandering aimlessly into the distance. Things didn’t go Carlsen’s way in the remaining three games, where he drew with Erigaisi, Yu and Keymer. While the line played against Yu was sharp, the position was always even. The only real opportunity Carlsen had was in the final game of the day against Germany’s Vincent Keymer. Magnus managed to force an endgame where his white knight was stronger than Keymer’s dark-squared bishop, but – despite being significantly better on time – the Norwegian blundered and allowed Keymer to draw. China’s Yu Yangyi continued steadily – like Carlsen, he also scored 2.5/4, with three draws and one victory (over India’s Bharath). Yu was also lucky today, as he managed to save a lost position to Fedoseev in the ninth (last) round. Vladimir Fedoseev joined the leaders today after having a good run – scoring three consecutive wins (against Narayanan, Gareyev and Erigaisi). In round nine, Fedoseev had a golden opportunity to defeat Yu Yangyi and emerge as the sole leader in the Open. However, he misplayed a winning endgame and allowed the Chinese GM to escape with a draw. With a tight competition brewing, 13 players trail just half a point behind the leading trio in the Open tournament. The list includes very strong players such as Erigaisi, 2018 World Rapid winner Dubov, Vidit, Vachier-Lagrave, Radjabov, and Keymer, as well as Bulgarian Ivan Cheparinov, who continued his good run from day one. Among other heavyweights, Nepomniachtchi, Caruana and Aronian are on six points. Rapport – who had a good start on day one – finished the second day with 2/4 and has 5.5 points altogether. With four more rounds left, the stage is set for an unpredictable and thrilling final day in the Open section. The Women’s Tournament The second day of the Women’s tournament saw leaders changing in the last three rounds. The day started with a direct duel for first place between two frontrunners – Zhu Jiner and Nurgyul Salimova, in which the Chinese emerged victorious. In the following sixth round, China’s Zhai Mo – 29th in the ranking list – stunned her compatriot Zhu Jiner with an impressive victory in the Benko and overtook the lead. It was in this round that the seasoned Indian Koneru Humpy caught up with the top group by defeating Azerbaijan’s Gunay Mammadzada. In round seven, Koneru scored a splendid victory against Zhai Mo, propelling her to joint leadership alongside Zhu Jiner, who triumphed over Estonia’s Narva Mai, and Anastasia Bodnaruk, who also ascended to the top after defeating Nurgyul Salimova. In round eight, Anastasia Bodnaruk was playing with white pieces against Zhu Jiner. In a rare line of the Sicilian, Bodnaruk created a dominating position and won, becoming the sole leader of the tournament. In the same round, Humpy missed a crucial opportunity, letting slip the decisive advantage away against Lei Tingjie. Her victory would have placed her in a tie for first place with Bodnaruk. Instead, she is tied in 2-3rd place with Zhai Mo, with 6.5 points. Winners from day one, Zhu Jiner and Nurgyul Salimova, finished the second day with six points and are in a group of seven players with the same score, which includes Goryachkina, Garifullina, Lei, Lagno and Priyanka. The defending women’s rapid champion, Tan Zhongyi, is on 5.5 and will have to pick up speed if she wants to be in the race for the podium. As we approach the final day of the World Rapid Championships, neither the Open nor the Women’s category has a clear-cut leader. With four rounds left in the Open and three in the Women’s, the outcome remains uncertain, leaving the field wide open for dramatic twists and turns. Written by Milan Dinic Photos: Anastasia Korolkova, Lennart Ootes, Maria Emelianova About the event: The World Rapid and Blitz is one of the most exciting and most watched chess events in the world, attracting the strongest Grandmasters. The prize fund totals one million US dollars, with $700,000 for the Open and $300,000 for the Women’s tournaments. The event is taking place from December 25 to December 30, at the Samarkand Congress Center. OFFICIAL PARTNERS: Freedom Shapagat Corporate Fund Freedom Holding Corp. promotes responsible business and contributes notably to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals by channeling its sponsorship and philanthropic activities through “Freedom Shapagat” Corporate Fund. The Fund advocates for social opportunity, supports research and science, builds the capacity for positive impact, creates educational opportunities, and fosters cultural initiatives and sports.One of the Fund’s significant projects of responsible investment encouraging diversity, stability, and sustainability is
Action-packed start to World Rapid Championships in Samarkand
Intense battles and surprising results on the first day of the World Rapid championships, with 270 players vying for world titles in the Open and the Women’s tournament. The competition kicked off today with the Rapid tournament, showcasing some 270 players divided into the Open and Women’s sections, all battling for the prestigious title of world champion. Held at the grand Samarkand Congress Center, a spacious venue showcasing oriental architecture, the event is broadcast live on FIDE’s YouTube channel as well as all other top chess streaming platforms. Former world Champion Vishy Anand and WGM and chess journalist Anastasiya Karlovich are providing the live commentary. It is the first time Anand is commenting on the WRB. The tournament followed FIDE tradition with ceremonial first moves made on the top boards in both the Open and Women’s sections. Alisher Sadullayev, President of the Uzbekistan Chess Federation, made the inaugural move for the Open, while Arkady Dvorkovich, President of FIDE, initiated the Women’s tournament. The Open The Open Rapid tournament, after its initial five rounds, has seen a captivating start. Notably, five exceptional players top the standings with 4.5 points each. Among them are Arjun Erigaisi, the 2022 champion of India, defending Rapid champion Magnus Carlsen, Yu Yangyi of China, Bulgaria’s Ivan Cheparinov and India’s Vidit Santosh Gujrathi. The defending World Rapid (and Blitz) Champion, Magnus Carlsen, began with a draw against significantly lower-rated Nikita Petrov from Montenegro, but he swiftly gained momentum, clinching victories in subsequent rounds, including a striking win over Parham Maghsoodloo, seizing his knight with a king in the top left corner of the board. Speaking for the Norwegian broadcaster NRK, Carlsen said: “My play is so-so, but my score is just great”. Bulgaria’s Ivan Cheparinov emerges as a surprise contender, as he is not ranked in the top 20. Opening strongly with three wins and a draw, Cheparinov ended the day with an impressive combination to score against Richard Rapport (who had shown remarkable form until that point, starting with three relatively quick victories but finishing the day with 3.5 points). However, not all top players started on a high note. Fabiano Caruana faced a mixed bag, securing his first win in round three, but stumbled in a complicated endgame against Pavel Ponkratov in the final round, finishing the day on three points. He is joined by Anish Giri, who also had a poor start, by losing a winning position against Klementy Sychev, who is 200+ points lower rated in Rapid. The performance in the World Rapid and Blitz has special importance for Giri as this is his last chance to qualify for the 2024 Candidates. One of the most exciting games of the first day was played between Conrad Holt from the US and one of the top seeds, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov of Azerbaijan. Despite getting the upper hand in the middlegame and approaching victory, Mamedyarov (playing as Black) blundered. In a very sharp position with both sides attacking, Black allowed an impressive combination on the board and ended up a piece down. Conrad Holt – Shakhriyar Mamedyarov In this mind-blowing position Shakhriyar could have maintained the balance with 30… Bxd7 31. Nxd7 exd2 32. Nf6+ Qxf6 33. Qxf6 Rxe1+ 34. Rxe1 dxe1=Q+ 35. Bxe1 Bg7 36. Qxc6 Rxb2 =. However he erred with 30…exd2? and after 31. dxe8=Q Qxe8 32. Rxe8 dxc1=Q+ 33. Kf2 Qg1+ 34. Kxg1 Nf3+ 35. Kf2 Nxd4 36. Bxd4 Bg7 37. Re7 Conrad emerged a piece up. 1-0 | 44 moves Vishi Anand called the game a “masterpiece”, adding “it may be a game of the year”. Mamedyarov, at 2.5 points out of five, finds himself in the lower ranks despite being the 12th highest-rated player in the event. With 12 players half a point behind the leaders – including the heavyweights Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Daniil Dubov – there is a lot of space for many surprises and twists, which come suddenly and often in rapid games. The Women’s tournament Bulgaria’s Nurgyul Salimova and Zhu Jiner of China lead the pack with a maximum score of four points. They are closely followed by a group of six unexpected contenders, with India’s Rameshbabu Vaishali as the sole top-20-rated player among them. The first day in the Women’s Rapid saw a slow start from the reigning Rapid Champion, Tan Zhongyi, who scored her first victory only in the final, fourth round of the day, following three draws. The Women’s World Champion in classical chess, Ju Wenjun, as well as her challenger in the Match for the title earlier this year, Lei Tingjie, also underperformed, finishing the day with 2/5 out of 4. Surprisingly, top-rated players and former Women’s World Champions Alexandra Kosteniuk (also the 2021 Women’s World Rapid Champion) and Mariya Muzychuk struggled with a loss at the start, ending with only 1.5 points out of four. The games continue on Wednesday, December 27, from 3 PM local time in Samarkand. The second day of the World Rapid promises a crucial test for contenders, with four rounds in each section. In an event where every move shapes destiny, surprises are likely, and champions rise and fall amidst fierce competition. Written by Milan Dinic Photos: Anastasia Korolkova and Lennart Ootes About the event: The World Rapid and Blitz is one of the most exciting and most watched chess events in the world, attracting the strongest Grandmasters. The prize fund totals one million US dollars, with $700,000 for the Open and $300,000 for the Women’s tournaments. The event is taking place from December 25 to December 30, at the Samarkand Congress Center. For more information regarding the event, including schedules, participant details, and tournament specifics, please visit the official tournament website at https://worldrapidandblitz2023.fide.com/. OFFICIAL PARTNERS: Freedom Shapagat Corporate Fund Freedom Holding Corp. promotes responsible business and contributes notably to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals by channeling its sponsorship and philanthropic activities through “Freedom Shapagat” Corporate Fund. The Fund advocates for social opportunity, supports research and science, builds the capacity for positive impact, creates educational opportunities, and fosters cultural initiatives and sports.One of