FIDE WGP Shymkent: Koneru and Goryachkina сlose in
Another roller coaster of a day took place at the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix as, once again, the majority of games ended decisively, with Humpy Koneru and Aleksandra Goryachkina joining Tan Zhongyi as leaders of the event. Both Koneru and Goryachkina, after slow starts, are now making their presence felt with back-to-back wins, defeating Nurgyul Salimova and Stavroula Tsolakidou, respectively. Munguntuul Batkhuyag outplayed Kateryna Lagno in a surprising upset, while Elisabeth Paehtz and Bibisara Assaubayeva concluded their game with a quiet draw. Tan Zhongyi faced Divya Deshmukh in an intense battle, where Divya missed a crucial moment to take down the tournament leader. The leaderboard has now seen another shift, with new front-runners and promising matchups ahead. Tomorrow’s round will be crucial as Tan Zhongyi takes on Goryachkina, possibly reshuffling the standings once again. Let’s take a look at what happened in today’s games: Aleksandra Goryachkina – Stavroula Tsolakidou 1-0 Goryachkina has demonstrated deep preparation for the tournament, often taking her opponents into less popular sidelines. In today’s game, she played an improved version of a line we recently saw at the FIDE Olympiad in the game Cheparinov – Caruana, and by move 16, Aleksandra had a sizeable advantage. However, a few moves later, she offered a queen trade at the wrong time instead of securing a strong outpost for her knight. But she quickly corrected this error by repositioning the same knight to a3, forcing Black to make a few uncomfortable exchanges. With her back against the wall, Tsolakidou had to parry Goryachkina’s threats instead of creating her own. Eventually, Black crumbled, spending almost 20 minutes on a bad move in what was already a tough position. In the end, the black king found itself in the middle of the board, surrounded by danger, and Goryachkina sealed the game with a nice tactical finish: 44.Bxd5! 1-0 (44…Rxd4 45.cxd4+ followed by 46.Bxc6) Elisabeth Paehtz – Bibisara Assaubayeva ½-½ This quiet game featured a Sicilian Alapin, transitioning into an endgame where Paehtz’s isolated queen’s pawn became a slight liability. However, she held her ground with accurate defense, preventing Assaubayeva from gaining a substantial advantage. Black was only slightly better due to the more active rook, but White remained solid, playing accurately and not allowing her opponent to make inroads. The players eventually repeated moves, and the game concluded in a draw. Humpy Koneru – Nurgyul Salimova 1-0 In the day’s longest game, Koneru and Salimova fought in a battle spanning almost five hours. Relatively early, Humpy gained an advantage, but quickly let it slip, resulting in an imbalanced yet equal position. White had a queen, two rooks, and four pawns, versus Black’s queen, rook, two bishops, and two pawns. Typically, the bishop pair can be extremely dangerous in open positions, but unfortunately, but it was not the case as White had ample piece activity. Even though Salimova really pushed for an attack, it was to no avail, as Whit’s king was always safe and secure. White had two passed pawns that ran down the queenside, which at some point were overpushed, giving Black a chance to get back in the game, but with very little time on the clock, the best continuation (which involved rerouting pieces), was not an easy one to find. Salimova kept trying until the very end, but her attack was never enough, and eventually Humpy prevailed. This is Humpy’s second victory in a row. After drawing a completely winning position vs. Tan Zhongyi in the second round, she came back strong and now has some momentum. Lagno, Kateryna – Munguntuul, Batkhuyag Munguntuul and her Caro-Kann struck once again! White sidestepped theory early on, and neither player demonstrated accuracy in navigating the unchartered waters in the opening. In hopes of preparing some kind of attack on the kingside, Lagno swung her queen over but failed to gain ground, retreating instead, inadvertently giving Munguntuul time to build up an attack of her own. By move 22, Black was already much better, and suddenly Lagno found herself on the receiving end of a kingside attack, with Black’s two rooks and queen looming down on her king. Eventually, Lagno was forced to give up material, but her rook and knight were no match for Munguntuul’s dangerous queen. Kateryna resigned on move 41 as her position collapsed. Divya, Deshmukh – Tan, Zhongyi Tan opted for a less popular variation of the King’s Indian Defense, and by move 12, Divya sacrificed a pawn for piece activity, a move tested in two games in 2016. After a few exchanges, including of the queens, Divya had two powerful bishops which Tan neutralized by first returning the pawn, followed by trading dark-squared bishops. The position became very imbalanced, with White having bad double-isolated pawns on the kingside, and a passed pawn on the queenside, along with two rooks and a bishop, against Black’s secure three kingside pawns, two rooks, and knights. Although the computer evaluated this as marginally better for Black, it was challenging for both sides. On move 34, Tan erred massively weakening her seventh rank, and Divya had her chance to take control by shielding her passed pawn from one of Black’s rooks, essentially locking it out of the defense. Playing quickly under time pressure, she missed this opportunity and blitzed out the incorrect move in seconds. Tan did not give her young opponent any more winning chances, and soon after reaching time control, they agreed on a draw. Moment of the Day Although there were a few decisive outcomes in Round 4, the moment of the day is the position in which the young Divya Deshmukh had the opportunity to take down tournament leader Tan Zhongyi. Divya Deshmukh – Tan Zhongyi In the game, White played 35. Rb5? instead of the much stronger 35.Bb5! blocking the black rook out, preparing the crushing Ra7. If Black tries something like 35…Rf7, then the other rook can join the party on the 7th rank via 36. Rc6. White would still have to be accurate, which might
World Amateur Championship 2024 reaches midpoint
The World Amateur Chess Championship in Rhodes has reached an electrifying midpoint, with players displaying tenacity and skill. The event, held under the auspices of FIDE, has drawn an impressive field of amateur players from around the globe, each vying for a place in chess history on this storied island. In the U2300 and W1700 we have sole leadership by CM A Kumaresh from India, scoring 4.5 out of 5 (2048 rating, 2470 performance rating – No22 of the U2300 starting list) and AIM Anastasiia Osadchuk from Ukraine, netting 5 out of 5 (0 rating, 2180 performance rating – No 16 of the W1700 starting list). In the U 2000 section Ganbat Danzanjunai, Nurasyl Zhumabek & Tsogtsaikhan Saikhanchimeg from Mongolia, CM Pankaj Sharma from India & Daniel Perez Gonzalez from Spain co-lead with 4.5 points out of 5. Victor Gnevyshev and Lkhagvagaram Sumiya jointly lead U 1700 section with the perfect score of 5/5. Detailed results for each category are available at the following links: U2300, U2000, U1700, W1700 Many games have stretched to the final seconds, highlighting the dedication and stamina of the players. With only a few rounds remaining, the pressure is mounting as each move becomes critical in determining who will take home the title in their category. The games are broadcast live on the Lichess platform at these links: U2300, U2000, U1700, W1700 The World Amateur Championship is an official event of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), co-organized by the Rhodes Chess Club “Ippotis,” the South Aegean Region, the Municipality of Rhodes, and the Hellenic Chess Federation (ESO). Our gratitude goes to the South Aegean Region, Governor George Hatzimarkos & Deputy Governor for Sports Akis Delaporta, RODOS PALACE Hotel 5*, Antonis Kampourakis of Xenakis Mobility, Melissokomiki Dodecanese, J@D Rent a Car, At Holidays, the accounting firm “Papadimitriou & Partners,” and Ilektrodome S.A. for their unwavering support. Photos, content, and additional materials from the Championship can be found on the social media pages of the Rhodes Chess Club “Ippotis.” Website: ippotis.comFacebook: facebook.com/rhodeschessevents/Instagram: instagram.com/rhodes_chess_events/YouTube: youtube.com/@rhodes_chess_events Photos: Jim Laga
FIDE Trainer Awards 2024 – Call for nominations
The International Chess Federation (FIDE) and the FIDE Trainers’ Commission (TRG) are pleased to announce the 16th FIDE Trainer Awards 2024. These awards aim to recognize and celebrate the outstanding achievements of the chess training community. Mikhail Botvinnik Award for the best achievement by trainer(s) in open-section competitions Vakhtang Karseladze Award for the best achievement by trainer(s) in women’s and/or girl’s competitions Mark Dvoretsky Award for the best achievement by trainer(s) in junior competitions Trainer Nominations The awards must be granted for achievements in the year 2023. Only licensed trainers are eligible. The following are eligible to make nominations: a) FIDE Council Membersb) Continental & National Chess Federationsc) TRG Commission Membersd) Principals of FIDE Academiese) FIDE Senior Trainersf) Former Winners No nominator can nominate the same individual in more than one category. All nominations must be sent to TRG by November 21, 2024 Nomination Form