Magnus Carlsen and Ju Wenjun win Norway Chess 2024
Magnus Carlsen won his sixth Norway Chess title after a year break, while Women’s World Champion Ju Wenjun emerged victorious in the inaugural women’s event. The 12th edition of this prestigious competition took place in Stavanger, Norway, from May 27 to June 7. Both tournaments were 6-player double-round robins with equal prize funds. Each round consisted of a classical game with a win worth 3 points and a loss – 0. In the case of a draw, the players played an Armageddon game, where the winner scored 1½ points, and the loser got just 1 point, with a draw favoring Black. The final round of the Norway Chess and Norway Chess Women tournament began with several scenarios that could play out to determine the winner of both tournaments. It saw several thrilling games played to fight for the first place. Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana drew their classical game, meaning they had to continue to battle it out in an Armageddon game. Carlsen won the Armageddon tiebreak, and with this win, he secured at least a tie for first place in the tournament, having to wait for the result of the game between Hikaru Nakamura and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu. The American GM was in a must-win situation, but the game ended in a draw. The 18-year-old chess prodigy Praggnanandhaa won the tiebreak game, finishing the tournament on a high note. It is noteworthy that Praggnanandhaa defeated both h world number 1 Carlsen and world number 2 Caruana in the tournament. With these results, Magnus Carlsen has clinched his sixth Norway Chess title. This is a huge victory for the home country hero, as he has not played many classical tournaments recently. Norway Chess 2024 final standings: 1 Magnus Carlsen NOR 17½ 2 Hikaru Nakamura USA 14½ 3 Alireza Firouzja FRA 13½ 4 Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu IND 13 5 Fabiano Caruana USA 11½ 6 Ding Liren CHN 7 In one of the critical games in Norway Chess Women, Anna Muzychuk and Humpy Koneru drew their game, which meant that Muzychuk’s chances of winning the tournament disappeared. Meanwhile, the Women’s World Champion, Ju Wenjun, beat Lei Tingjie. With this win, Ju Wenjun made history by becoming the first winner of the inaugural Norway Chess Women tournament. The last game of the tournament was between the young Indian talent Vaishali Rameshbabu and the legendary Pia Cramling. While Vaishali obtained a winning position at some point, it was Cramling pushing for a win in the endgame; however, it eventually ended peacefully. Cramling won the tiebreak game, finishing the tournament on a positive note. Norway Chess Women 2024 final standings: 1 Ju Wenjun CHN 19 2 Anna Muzychuk UKR 16 3 Lei Tingjie CHN 14½ 4 Vaishali Rameshbabu IND 12½ 5 Humpy Koneru IND 10 6 Pia Cramling SWE 8 As the tournaments have come to an end, we congratulate Magnus Carlsen and Ju Wenjun on their well-deserved wins. This year, Norway Chess was bigger than ever, attracting a stellar lineup of competitors and delivering high-stakes excitement from start to finish. The addition of the Norway Chess Women tournament marked a significant milestone, highlighting the event’s growth and commitment to inclusivity in the sport. Text: Norway Chess Photos: Norway Chess / Stev Bonhage Official website: norwaychess.no/en/
World Junior Championship 2024 crosses halfway mark
The FIDE World Junior Chess Championship 2024 in Gujarat, India, passed its midpoint. The organizers have prepared some fascinating entertainment for the participants’ day off, including various excursions, a table tennis tournament, and many other options. This will allow the players to rest and prepare for the second half of the tournament starting on June 9th. Let’s take a look at the standings and results of both Open and Girls sections after six rounds. In the Open event, four players are tied for first place, scoring 5 points each: IM Nogerbek Kazybek (KAZ, pictured below), GM Jose Gabriel Cardoso Cardoso (COL), IM Rudik Makarian (FID), and IM De Silva L M S T (SRI). As many as 13 players, including the second and third seeds Alexey Grebnev (FID) and Pranav Anand (IND), are trailing the leading quartet by just a half-point. This ensures an even more fascinating and entertaining second half of the tournament. Standings after Round 6 Open In the Girls’ section, IM Divya Deshmukh (pictured below) is the sole leader with 5.5 points after six rounds. WIM Mariam Mkrtchyan (ARM), Narmin Abdinova (AZE), and Kseniya Norman (FID) are just a half-point behind. Just like in the open section, the girls’ tournament is keeping us guessing who will emerge as the winner at the end. Standings after Round 6 Girls Some general information about the tournament: There are almost 230 players in this tournament from 44 different federations with 104 different titles. 55% of all participants in this competition are from the host country, India. The live broadcast is available here: Open sectionlive.aicf.in/worldjunior2024/open/index.html Girls sectionlive.aicf.in/worldjunior2024/girls/index.html Photos: Sarangam Production
FIDE Ethics Commission releases first instance decision on Case 11/2023
The FIDE Ethics Commission has announced its first instance decision on Case 11/2023, related to the alleged violation of the FIDE Charter and EDC Code. The Panel of the FIDE Ethics & Disciplinary Commission (EDC Panel) has announced the first instance decision to a complaint from the Ukrainian Chess Federation, Mr. Andrii Baryshpolets and Mr. Peter Heine Nielsen against both the Russian Chess Federation and the FIDE President, Mr. Arkady Dvorkovich. According to the decision, CFR is sanctioned by a temporary exclusion of membership in FIDE for two years from the date of this decision. The exclusion does not affect the rights of players, arbiters, trainers, and clubs belonging to the CFR to participate in chess activities. Arkady Dvorkovich is sanctioned to a reprimand. The first instance decision of the EDC Panel is available HERE, in full. The decision may be appealed to the EDC Appeal Panel by giving written notice of such appeal to the EDC Chairman within 21 days from the date upon which this decision is received. Response from FIDE: FIDE acknowledges the first instance decision of the FIDE Ethics and Disciplinary Commission (EDC) on the issue of charges against the CFR and FIDE President, Mr. Arkady Dvorkovich. We welcome the fact that the Panel found the vast majority of the charges brought against Mr. Dvorkovich to be unfounded. Bearing in mind that, according to the procedure, this decision can be appealed to the Appeals instance of the EDC, FIDE will refrain from commenting on the merits of the case until it is reviewed by the court of appeal.