European Women’s Rapid & Blitz Championships 2024 begin in Monte Carlo
The European Women’s Rapid & Blitz Chess Championships 2024 have commenced in Monte Carlo, Monaco. The European Women’s Blitz Chess Championship 2024 is the first event on the schedule, taking place on January 10. The 13-round Swiss tournament, with a time control of 3 minutes plus a 2-second increment, features a prize fund of €15,200 and has attracted 134 players from 28 European federations. Defending champion GM Alexandra Kosteniuk (SUI, 2430) leads the field in the blitz event. Other top seeds include GM Antoaneta Stefanova (BUL, 2392), IM Ann Matnadze Bujiashvili (ESP, 2379), IM Meri Arabidze (GEO, 2378), IM Dinara Wagner (GER, 2368), IM Sarasadat Khademalsharieh (ESP, 2356), and GM Elisabeth Paehtz (GER, 2355). The European Women’s Rapid Chess Championship 2024, an 11-round Swiss tournament with a time control of 15 minutes plus a 10-second increment, is scheduled for January 11-12 at the same venue. The event, offering a prize fund of €31,300, has drawn 148 participants. GM Alexandra Kosteniuk (SUI, 2491) also defends her title in the rapid event and headlines the starting list. Among the top-seeded contenders are GM Elisabeth Paehtz (GER, 2407), IM Stavroula Tsolakidou (GRE, 2393), GM Antoaneta Stefanova (BUL, 2385), GM Bella Khotenashvili (GEO, 2361), IM Ekaterina Atalik (TUR, 2355), and GM Pia Cramling (SWE, 2354). Live video broadcast of the event is available on the ECU YouTube channel with the commentaries by GM Alojzije Jankovic, GM Amir Bagheri and IM Almira Skripchenko.
Iniyan wins 15th Chennai Open
The 15th Chennai Open International Grandmasters Chess Tournament for the Sakthi Group Dr. N. Mahalingam Trophy was held in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, from January 2 to January 9, 2025. A total of 176 players, including 16 Grandmasters (GMs) and 21 International Masters (IMs) from 21 countries, participated in the 10-round Swiss tournament. Third seed GM Iniyan P triumphed with an impressive score of 8.5/10, scoring seven wins and three draws. In the final round, he secured a decisive victory over GM Deepan, who had been co-leading the event until that point, clinching the championship title. GM Venkatesh also won his final-round game to finish second, while top seed IM Aronyak Ghosh claimed third place. Final standings: 1 GM Iniyan, Pa 2508 8½ 2 GM Venkatesh, M.R. 2362 8 3 IM Aronyak, Ghosh 2544 7½ 4 GM Deepan, Chakkravarthy J. 2413 7½ 5 IM Sammed Jaykumar, Shete 2379 7½ 6 IM Kaustuv, Kundu 2409 7½ 7 GM Siddharth, Jagadeesh 2515 7 8 IM Vaz, Ethan 2412 7 9 GM Das, Sayantan 2434 7 10 FM Mohamed, Anees M 2334 7 Complete final standings Photos: IA R Anantharam