FIDE 100 Torch Relay reaches United Arab Emirates
The celebration of FIDE’s 100-year anniversary continues as the FIDE 100 Torch Relay arrives in the United Arab Emirates. This is the last stop of the torch before it reaches its final destination in the Hungarian capital, Budapest, coinciding with the launch of the 2024 Chess Olympiad scheduled from September 10 to 23. The event was held at Marina Mall in Abu Dhabiunder the patronage of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council and organized by the Abu Dhabi Chess and Mind Games Club. The event was attended by His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, His Excellency Sheikh Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Mualla, Vice President of the International Federation, Hussein Abdullah Al Khouri, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Abu Dhabi Chess and Mind Games Club, Mohammed Al Mudahka, President of the Qatar Chess Federation, Viswanathan Anand, five-time World Champion and Deputy President of the International Chess Federation, alongside officials from the Abu Dhabi Sports Council. His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan received the commemorative gold medal from Arkady Dvorkovich on the occasion of the centenary celebration. He also participated in the launch of the exhibition matches on the sidelines of the ceremony. Mohammed Al Mudhahka and the African and Arab champion, Grandmaster Ahmed Adly, played against 15 players simultaneously. During the ceremony, Arkady Dvorkovich noted that the game of chess is rapidly developing in the UAE, thanks to the support it receives and the increasing interest it holds. He additionally expressed his happiness with the great passion of the participants in the 30th edition of the Abu Dhabi International Chess Festival. Hussein Abdullah Al Khouri stated that the torch relay event in Abu Dhabi, held to mark the centenary of the International Federation, achieved great momentum. The event was attended by His Excellency Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan and senior officials, further solidifying the UAE and the Emirate of Abu Dhabi’s strong position in organizing and hosting international sporting events. The torch relay in Abu Dhabi was in sync with the ongoing 30th Abu Dhabi International Chess Festival. Known as the region’s largest chess festival and one of the world’s best, it welcomed more than 2,200 players from 82 countries this year. Its spotlight tournament is the Master’s tournament, which hosted 217 overall players, 200 of whom are titled. In round 7, the Master’s tournament was inaugurated by FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich and five-time world Champion and FIDE Deputy President Viswanathan Anand.
Kashlinskaya wins the first leg of 2024/2025 Women’s Grand Prix
After 10 days and nine rounds of play, Alina Kashlinskaya – playing for Poland – secured first place with a victory against Ukraine’s Mariya Muzychuk in the final round, finishing with six points. Second place went to Kazakhstan’s Bibisara Assaubayeva, who ended with five points. Three players shared third place, with Greece’s Stavroula Tsolakidou emerging on top due to superior tiebreaks The first in a series of six tournaments in the new edition of the Women’s Grand Prix concluded in Tbilisi with high drama, as the winner was decided in the final game of the tournament. Apart from Assaubayeva, Kashlinskaya was the only other player entering the final round with five points. In the decisive match, Kashlinskaya faced Mariya Muzychuk, who was trailing by half a point. From the onset, it was clear that this would be a tough contest. Playing the Ruy Lopez, both sides were cautious in the early stages, resulting in an even position. Kashlinskaya offered Muzychuk a chance to head for a draw with the Zaitsev variation, but Muzychuk chose to fight on. This decision backfired, and by move 32, Muzychuk was significantly weaker; by move 39, she was completely lost. With this victory, Kashlinskaya also secured the leading position in the WGP series, with 130 points. Assaubayeva is in close second with 105. Kashlinskaya: ‘My 10-month-old helped me win’ “I am so happy to win this tournament. I played a decent game and won,” said Kashlinskaya in an interview immediately after the game. Kashlinskaya mentioned that she typically doesn’t follow other games during the round, even those crucial to her standing. “But somehow, in this game [between the other leader of the round – Bibisara Assaubayeva and Vaishali Rameshbabu], I decided to check it out. I saw that Vaishali was in time trouble and that the position was in Bibisara’s style, so in my head, I understood she would win this game, so I was surprised when it was a draw.” Kashlinskaya was the only player in the tournament accompanied by her child – 10-month-old Anthony, who was often seen with Alina and her mother at the hotel restaurant. When asked whether the presence of her toddler was more of a help or a hindrance to her game, Kashlinskaya quickly responded: “Well, you see the results. He helped a lot.” “I will definitely bring him with me to the next tournament,” she added, noting that her son even has chess pieces hanging from his pram, suggesting that his future may be connected to chess. When asked if she would encourage other chess moms to bring their children to events, Kashlinskaya said: “Of course. Again, my result speaks for itself. And for motherhood, it is important to be with the baby as much as possible.” FIDE has launched the project ChessMom to encourage players with small children to take them to the forthcoming Olympiad in Budapest. Assaubayeva second, Tsolakidou third Bibisara Assaubayeva played as Black against Vaishali Rameshbabu. Given Vaishali’s shaky performance in the event, this match presented a significant opportunity for the Kazakhstani player. Despite quickly equalizing in the Sicilian, Bibisara neither pressed the position nor created any substantial chances, leading to a draw after 22 moves. Assaubayeva explained after the game that her thoughts were still on her round-eight match, where she failed to convert a completely winning position against Tsolakidou. With 5.5 out of nine points, Assaubayeva awaited the outcome of the game between Mariya Muzychuk and Alina Kashlinskaya to determine whether she had secured first place. Vaishali, meanwhile, acknowledged that this was not her best tournament, noting that she needs to improve her time management, among other areas. Stavroula Tsolakidou, playing as White, drew with Alexandra Kosteniuk in the English Opening. Despite having an almost winning position a couple of times, Tsolakidou managed only a draw. Still, with 5.5 points and no defeats in her first appearance at the Women’s Grand Prix, this was a significant success for the Greek player. Kosteniuk finished on four points. In the final round, Nana Dzagnidze played as Black against Sara Khadem. Dzagnidze, one of the tournament favorites, often squandered advantages and lost games where she had the upper hand. Meanwhile, Khadem, having not competed in tournaments for the past six months, struggled with her matchups in Tbilisi. In their Nimzo-Indian game, Dzagnidze gained a winning position early on but let her advantage slip. Fortunately for her, Khadem made a blunder that led directly to a lost rook endgame. Dzagnidze finished in a solid fourth place, with 5/9, which she described as “a fair result,” though she noted, “looking at my games, it could have been seven out of nine.” Khadem ended the tournament in last place with 2.5 points. Anna Muzychuk drew as Black with Lela Javakhishvili. In the Indian Game, neither side created any chances nor offered any significant opportunities, resulting in a calm draw after 40 moves. Javakhishvili finished the tournament with five points, while Lela ended on 3.5 out of nine. FIDE WGP Standigns Here follows a closer look at the games from round nine: Stavroula Tsolakidou – Alexandra Kosteniuk This was a crucial game for Tsolakidou, as she was just half a point behind the two leaders. Stavroula played the English Opening, and the game started well for her – her pieces were more active, and she had the initiative on the board. In the middlegame, Stavroula had a better position but misplayed it. Here White could have obtain a decisive advantage with energetic 23.e5! but opted for a sluggish 23.Qe3. Still, the Greek got two more chances to seal the deal but missed the opportunities. The second miss was particularly bitter. After Kosteniuk’s 41…Qb5?? White could have won with 42.Qxh5 Qxb3 43.Qg4+ Kf8 44.Qc8+ Kg7 45.Qd7+ Kh6. Instead, Stavroula played 42.Qe6??, allowing Black to pick up a pawn and exposing her king to perpetual checks. Vaishali Rameshbabu – Bibisara Assaubayeva Vaishali Rameshbabu faced the top favorite of the round, Bibisara Assaubayeva, who was tied for first place with five