13th African Games Individual Rapid: Egypt clinch double gold
Team Egypt continued to dominate the 13th African Games chess competitions, with Bassem Amin and Shahenda Wafa winning rapid open and women’s tournaments, respectively. The open event, a six-round Swiss tournament, saw the rating-favourite GM Bassem Amin and the ninth seed CM Donaldo Paiva of Mozambique get off to a great start, both winning three straight games. The co-leaders clash in Round 4 ended in a draw, but in Round 5, Bassem beat FM Jemusse Zhemba (Zimbabwe) and pulled away, as Donaldo suffered a defeat at the hands of FM Harold Wanyama of Uganda. Going into the final round a half-point ahead of Wanyama and a full point ahead of a group of four people, Amin made a quick draw with Gomolemo Rongwane from Botswana, but it was enough to clinch gold with 5/6. His main rival fell to Donaldo Paiva, who tied for second place with Adlane Arab of Algegia and deservedly took silver thanks to the direct encounter win. Final standings: 1 GM Bassem Amin EGY 2580 5 2 CM Donaldo Paiva MOZ 2162 4½ 3 IM Adlane Arab ALG 2415 4½ 4 FM Gomolemo Rongwane BOT 2085 4 5 FM Harold Wanyama UGA 2117 4 6 IM Fy Antenaina Rakotomaharo MAD 2378 4 7 IM David Silva ANG 2423 4 8 IM Chitumbo Mwali ZAM 2276 3½ 9 FM Jemusse Zhemba ZIM 2140 3 10 FM Bomo Lovet Kigigha NGR 2292 3 Complete final standings The women’s event was a very close affair with a dramatic ending. Going into the final round as the sole leader with 4.5/5, the top seed Shahenda Wafa was a half-point ahead of Lina Nassr of Algeria and needed just a draw. However, the highly motivated Algerian, who was in a must-win situation, gradually outplayed the leader and reached a winning position: Shahenda Wafa – Lina Nassr After natural 67… Ke5 68. Kc6 Ke6 69. b6 Rc1+ 70. Kb7 Kd7 71. Ka7 Rb1 72. b7 Kc7 Lina would have won White’s pawn and the title. However, she hastily played 67… Rc1+?? but after 68. Kd6! Rd1+ 69.Kc4 Ke2 70.b4 Ke3 71. Kc6 Ke5 72. b5 Rc1+ 73. Kd6, etc. Shahenda Wafa (pictured below) reached a draw and clinched gold. Meanwhile, WFM Ednasia Junior of Angola scored a crucial victory over Peace Samson from Nigeria and caught up with Lina Nassr. The silver medal went to the Angolan thanks to a slightly better Buchholz, while the Algerian had to settle for bronze. Final standings: 1 WGM Shahenda Wafa EGY 2006 5 2 WFM Ednasia Junior ANG 1911 4½ 3 WIM Lina Nassr ALG 1933 4½ 4 WFM Sasha Mongeli KEN 1806 4 5 Nadezhda Marochkina SEN 1985 4 6 Peninah Nakabo UGA 1768 3½ 7 Peace Samson NGR 1935 3½ 8 Linda Dalitso Shaba ZIM 1783 3½ 9 WCM Marie Yavo Tchetche CIV 1663 3 10 Aina Mahasambatra Tsinjoviniavo MAD 1558 3 Complete final standings Official website: accra2023.fide.com/ Official sponsor: Riyadh Season Riyadh Season is an official partner of FIDE at the 13th African Games in Accra. Riyadh Season is one of the world’s largest annual winter entertainment festivals located in Saudi Arabia, it welcomes millions of visitors every year who get to experience a variety of exciting surprises, events, and music concerts. Additionally, it hosts international activities and events that draw in world-renowned stars in sports such as boxing, tennis, and football. The festivities capture the essence of Saudi heritage and hospitality and it showcases its present-day vibranism. For more information about Riyadh season, visit: riyadhseason.com
13th African Games: Egypt wins Mixed Team Rapid
The chess programme of the 13th African Games in Accra, Ghana, kicked off with the Mixed Team Rapid Championship, a 6-round Swiss tournament with 15 min + 10 sec time control that attracted teams from 18 countries. Each team consisted of two chess players, featuring one man (first board) and one woman (second board). As many expected, it all came down to the race of the rating favorites, although both top and second seeds, Egypt and Algeria, stumbled at the start: the Pharaohs drew with Uganda in Round 1, while the Algerians fell to South Africa (0.5-1.5) in Round 2. Unfazed, Egypt whitewashed their opponents in Rounds 2-4 and grabbed the lead with 7/8, closely followed by Madagascar, Algeria and Angola, all on 6/8. The match Egypt – Algeria in Round 5 (arguably the most important one for both teams) ended in a draw, but Madagascar and Angola also split points facing each other. Going into the final sixth round as the sole leader, Egypt won both games vs Nigeria and clinched the title with 10/12. Egypt’s (GM Bassem Amin and WGM Shahenda Wafa) gold is well-deserved. The Pharaohs became the only unbeaten team in the competition, with Bassem Amin (pictured below) winning all his six games. Algeria (IM Adlane Arab and WIM Lina Nassr) prevailed over Angola and took silver, netting 9/12. In the match for last place on the podium, Madagascar and South Africa exchanged blows and drew, which favored the eighth seed Malagasies (IM Fy Antenaina Rakotomaharo and Aina Mahasambatra Tsinjoviniavo), who won bronze thanks to a greater number of game points. Final standings: 1 Egypt 10 2 Algeria 9 3 Madagascar 8 4 South Africa 8 5 Angola 7 6 Nigeria 7 7 Botswana 7 8 Zambia 7 9 Ivory Coast 6 10 Mozambique 6 Official website: accra2023.fide.com/ Official sponsor: Riyadh Season Riyadh Season is an official partner of FIDE at the 13th African Games in Accra. Riyadh Season is one of the world’s largest annual winter entertainment festivals located in Saudi Arabia, it welcomes millions of visitors every year who get to experience a variety of exciting surprises, events, and music concerts. Additionally, it hosts international activities and events that draw in world-renowned stars in sports such as boxing, tennis, and football. The festivities capture the essence of Saudi heritage and hospitality and it showcases its present-day vibranism. For more information about Riyadh season, visit: riyadhseason.com
Nodirbek Abdusattorov wins Prague Chess Festival Masters
The Prague International Chess Festival 2024, featuring the Masters, Challengers and Futures tournaments, is in the books. The most prestigious Masters event saw the triumph of Nodirbek Abdusattorov, who came out on top with an excellent score of 6.5/9. The 19-year old Uzbek GM took the lead after Round 5 and never gave it up, despite suffering a defeat in the next round. Nodirbek had his most important test in the penultimate round clash with Parham Maghsoodloo. Abdusattorov passed it with flying colors, prevailing in a tense battle and clinching the title with a round to spare. “I’m very tired, obviously, but at the same time, very happy to win this tournament. It’s a huge achievement for me and my career, the tournament was, in general, one of my best,” Nodirbek expressed his delight right after the final move and also praised his opponent. “He’s a great fighter, always fighting. But while creating chances for himself, he opens some for opponents as well. As many times earlier in our games, some crazy things happen. So I was hoping for that,” smiled the winner of the Masters. Nodirbek gained 15 rating points and reached fourth place in the world live rating, ahead of the reigning world champion Ding Liren. He also moved to the top position in the 2024 FIDE Circuit. GMs Nguyen Thai Dai Van (CZE), Parham Maghsoodloo (IRI) and Praggnanandhaa R (IND) finished on 5/9, with the local player and the Iranian taking second and third places, respectively, based on this trio’s direct encounters. Finas standings Masters Another chess prodigy, Ediz Gurel of Turkey, emerged as the winner of the Challengers, netting 6.5/9. Jaime Santos Latasa from Spain finished a half-point behind, while Erwin L’ami (NED) came third thanks to a superior Sonneborn-Berger over Abhimanyu Mishra (USA). Final standings Challengers The fifth seed Aansh Nandan Nerurkar (IND) dominated the Futures tournament scoring impressive 8/9 and finishing 1.5 points ahead of the runner-up Pawel Brzezina (POL). Final standings Futures Photos: Anezka Kruzikova and Petr Vrabec Official website: praguechessfestival.com/en/2024
Women’s Chess Commission – empowering equality
One of FIDE’s key areas of focus over the past five years has been introducing initiatives to encourage more women to take up chess. New events and more sponsorship for women’s chess have increased, but there is more work to be done. Since taking office in October 2018, the new FIDE executive team has prioritized introducing projects and funding for female players, coaches, and arbiters, while also growing the number of chess events for women and increasing the prize funds and financial support. At the same time, FIDE has sought to facilitate an open discussion and address issues related to gender disparities in the chess arena. At the core of FIDE’s work in this area is the Women’s Chess Commission (WOM), headed by Anastasia Sorokina, who was elected in November 2022. Over the years, the WOM Commission has launched various initiatives and events that have highlighted the position of women’s chess and women in chess. The projects and research conducted by the Commission has not only helped provide a better understanding and improvements for women’s chess but, also, helped vocalize the broader issues of women’s rights and place in society. One of the pivotal areas of work by the WOM focused on providing a better understanding of the challenges around the issue of young female players quitting the sport after reaching a certain age. Highlighting and addressing these and other essential issues for women’s chess helped establish the Commission as an important contributor not only to furthering the position of women in chess, but the position of women in general. “In recent years, I have witnessed a noticeable surge in the interest of women in chess. The mission of the FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess is to make chess beloved and accessible to girls and women globally. The primary objective of the Commission under my stewardship as Chair, is to champion the cause of making chess a universal pursuit for women worldwide,” says Anastasia Sorokina. Dana Reizniece-Ozola, the Deputy Chair of the FIDE Management Board, says the organization will continue to drive initiatives to get more women involved and improve women’s chess. “Our aim is to inspire and support women of all ages and backgrounds, offering them the opportunity to engage in chess, enjoy the game, forge new connections, socialize, and carve professional paths in various spheres,” Reizniece-Ozola said. In a concerted effort to engage, educate, and elevate women in the world of chess, the WOM has undertaken a series of groundbreaking initiatives. These projects, collectively aimed at breaking down barriers and promoting gender equality within the chess community, demonstrate a commitment to inclusivity and empowerment. Here listed are some of the key projects launched by the WOM Commission: Chess4all & All4Chess – encouraging global participation of girls and women in chess, highlighting not just the competitiveness of the game but also its social side and benefits for life and work beyond the chessboard. The project consisted of monthly workshops and activities which featured renowned players and female role models. Chess Seminars for Ladies – a series of seminars providing educational opportunities for women, with the addition of building additional skills through lectures and promoting greater interaction between participants. The Queen’s Gambit Challenge – Riding the wave of chess popularity following the captivating Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit, this course taught chess fundamentals to 500 participants from 15 Caribbean countries. Global Survey and Women in Chess Index – One of the most important data-tracking projects in chess, it is the first-ever longitudinal survey of chess, focusing on the state of women’s chess in countries across the world. The Queens’ Online Chess Festival – An event dedicated to celebrating the International Women’s Day, promoting women’s chess. The third edition of the event will be invited to the 45th World Chess Olympiad in Budapest later this year. Girls Chess Club in Kakuma (Chess for Protection Project) – A groundbreaking initiative in the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya, providing chess lessons to three girls’ boarding schools with 250 attendees. Chess4Peace: Refugee Women’s Training Program – Another project for refugees, focusing on women in early adulthood (18-23 years), and teaching them chess. This is a pilot project in Ukraine and Poland, supported by the International Olympic Committee. Women Safeguarding Policy – Focused on promoting a safe environment in the chess community for women, the program is aimed at providing resources and support for women who have experienced or witnessed sexual harassment. ChessMom pilot project for the 2024 Olympiad – It aims to provide support for professional chess players who are mothers of infants under one year old. Specifically, through this initiative, all expenses related to an accompanying or caregiver person for ten female players traveling with their infants to the 45th Chess Olympiad will be covered. Supporting the creation of female teams in federations without one – Launched in August 2023 by the Commission for Women’s Chess, the initiative aims to help recruit, train and finance women’s chess teams for the countries that did not have them in the previous Olympiad. More broadly, the aim is to take a step further in promoting chess among women and girls. Chess Ladies Art Film Milestone – Conceptualized by the chess artist Juga, this project showcases an all-female chess artistic performance from 160 countries, set to become a chess music video for Juga’s upcoming song “Queen Trap.” This event will take place in an epic setting, a Budapest landmark, during the Olympiad 2024. The production team is honored to be already counting on Judit Polgar, Tania Sachdev, Elisabeth Paehtz, and Alexandra Kosteniuk’s appearance in the music video. These initiatives collectively reflect WOM’s commitment to empowering women across the globe and improving the prospects for women’s chess.
Swiss Wednesday Women’s Series: February recap
The Swiss Queens Wednesday Series, launched in partnership with the International Chess Federation (FIDE), is an initiative aimed at boosting women’s participation in chess. Hosted on the FIDE Online Arena, and open to all women with FIDE or Arena titles, the series celebrates FIDE’s 100th anniversary by emphasizing gender diversity in chess and creating a community where female chess players can connect and grow together both personally and professionally. With tournaments every Wednesday and a weekly prize fund of USD $1000 per tournament, the series has attracted some of the strongest players from around the world (with over 30 countries each week!). Let’s take a look at the first five winners: Week 1: Martha L. Fierro Baquero International Master Martha L. Fierro Baquero from Ecuador made her mark by winning the inaugural edition with an impressive score of 9/11. With the 3+1 blitz time control, by the time players get to the endgame, they very often have seconds left on their clocks. In her game against Teodora Injac, Martha (playing as Black) found a brilliant way to overwhelm the white Bishop. Can you find the continuation? You can view the whole game here. Week 2: Valentina Gunina In the second week, the newly crowned Women’s World Blitz Champion, Grandmaster Valentina Gunina, dominated the field with 9.5/11. As expected from her games, there was a lot of attacking action on the board. Take this one against the young Narva Mai as an example: Black only has one good move here, but in the game, she played 23…Bd7?. How did Valentina continue? The game went on for another 36 moves, with constant pressure from Black. However, White emerged victorious in the end. You can view the full game here. Week 3: IM Anastasia Bodnaruk We witnessed Anastasia emerge as a formidable force when she won the 2023 Women’s World Rapid Championships in a field of Grandmasters. Now once again, Anastasia cemented her place at the top in Women’s Chess by winning the third edition of the Swiss Queens Wednesday. She bounced back from a loss in the first round to end up with 9.5/11 – including a final showdown win against Valentina Gunina in the last round. In what was truly a spectacle of a game, Anastasia dominated her opponent, all while keeping great time management. View the game here. How did White finish off the game? Week 4: Gunay Mammadzada The fourth edition was the strongest yet, with two blitz giants – Valentina Gunina and Alexandra Kosteniuk participating. However, it was IM Gunay Mammadzada who emerged as the final victor with Kosteniuk and Gunina in second and third place, respectively. Mammadzada had a few great results, including a 9th-round win against Gunina, but it is her last game against the Georgian player Meri Arabidze that could be an interesting endgame study. In this position, Gunay played 50…Rd2 and the game ended in a draw. What was a better alternative that Black missed? Gunay could have sealed the deal with 50…Rd1+ 51. Kg2 (51. Kf2 b3 52. Rxd3 b2 53. Rb3 Rh2!) 51…Rc1! 52. Rxd3 Rc3! 53. Rd3 b3 54. Kf2 Rc2 55. Ke3 b2 Week 5: IM Polina Shuvalova The final February edition once again saw an incredibly tough field, and this time, Polina Shuvalova, who had been participating every week so far, took the spotlight as the final winner. In the 10th round, Shuvalova beat former Women’s World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk. In another crazy game, Shuvalova gave up her advantage in time trouble and entered a drawish endgame only to win on time in the end! However, let’s rewind a bit to the point where Polina gained the advantage that she kept for almost the whole game. Black just played 16…Nxc5 (16…fxe5 was much stronger), which allowed Shuvalova to get the upper hand. White to play: After 17.exf6 gxf6 18. Bxc5 Bxc5 19.Rxe6 Polina won a pawn for which Alexandra had no real compensation. Be sure not to miss any of the upcoming Swiss Queen’s Wednesday Action! You can join the next edition on March 13th here
FIDE Resolution on suspending membership of Egyptian Chess Federation
The International Chess Federation publishes a decision following the recent approval of the Resolution on the Egyptian Chess Federation. The FIDE World Cadet Championship took place in Egypt on 14-27 October, 2023. Due to the tragic events of October 7, 2023, a large number of federations and individual players were unable to arrive/refused to participate in the championship due to concerns about their safety (at least 172 persons from 12 different federations). Despite numerous assurances from the Egyptian Chess Federation, the fees made by those federations/players have not been returned to them in due order. Besides, the Egyptian Chess Federation failed to provide the necessary documents and information about non-returned funds and didn’t start paying off the debt. In view of this, the FIDE Council decided to suspend the membership of the Egyptian Chess Federation with immediate effect, revoking the right to organize any FIDE rated tournaments as well as the right to delegate any representatives to FIDE events. Starting from 08.03.2024 all Egyptian players may only play in all FIDE-rated tournaments with FIDE flag only. However, on March 06 2024 FIDE has received a letter of guarantee from the National Olympic Committee of Egypt stating that the debts will be paid off in the nearest future. It has also initiated the procedure of changing the management of the Chess Federation of Egypt. Taking into account the above-mentioned, FIDE took a decision to allow players from Egypt to participate in the African Games, hosted by the Republic of Ghana on March 8-23 2024, under their national flag. FIDE is ready to remove restrictions imposed on players from Egypt to play under their national flag as soon as the fulfillment of commitments starts and hopes it will be done in the nearest future. The full text of the Resolution can be found here.
Call for submissions: FIDE Veterans Support Program 2024
The International Chess Federation is pleased to announce the continuation of its support to chess veterans in 2024. The grants will be awarded to distinguished players, coaches and organizers aged 65+. Anyone over this age who has contributed to the development of chess and who is in an unstable financial situation is eligible to submit an application. As in previous years, we invite federations, clubs, and players themselves to send their applications, including a CV of the nominee, to the FIDE Secretariat: office@fide.com. The deadline for submissions is March 22, 2024.
Getting more women’s teams to the Chess Olympiad
Out of 188 countries and territories that took part in the previous (2022) Chess Olympiad, 30 did not have a team in the women’s section. FIDE has set a goal to increase the number of women’s teams for the upcoming Olympiad scheduled in Hungary this September. That is how the “Empowering Queens of the Chessboard” project was born Launched in August 2023 by the Commission for Women’s Chess, the initiative aims to help recruit, train and finance women’s chess teams for the countries that did not have them in the previous Olympiad. More broadly, the goal is to take a step further in promoting chess among women and girls, which has been one of the key objectives of FIDE in the previous five years. The initiative is spread across three stages. The first, running from August to December 2023, consisted of a thorough analysis of conditions surrounding women’s chess in countries which have never sent female teams to the Olympiad. A survey found that lack of female players, training capacities and financing were the main reasons for these countries not sending women’s teams to the Olympiad. In November 2023, a seminar was organized to seek ways to overcome these challenges, including new strategies for attracting talent and securing funding. One of the key findings was that the motivation to play chess differs between men and women. While male players were more motivated by competitiveness, women tended to emphasize the social aspect. Consequently, in some countries, chess tournaments were followed by social events, providing women with more time to connect and socialize. Examples from countries that are more successful in engaging female players have shown that engaging schools is one of the key factors leading to an increased number of women chess players. The second stage of the project started in January this year. It will run until June, with a focus on building women’s teams in ten microstates/territories: Nauru, Guernsey, Cayman Island, Grenada, Mauritania, Saint Lucia, Liechtenstein, St. Kitts and Nevis, US Virgin Islands, St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Trainers of women’s national teams in those countries were already appointed. On weekends, they are having meetings with their teams to prepare for the Chess Olympiad 2024. Remarkably, 80% of the trainers are females too. The third stage of the project will focus on providing logistical and organizational support to teams and getting them ready for their first-ever Chess Olympiad. “Most of these countries which we have engaged have not only never had a female team at the Olympiad but also never had a female team at all, nor did they have any women in any level of chess – whether it is players, arbiters or organizers. The seminar we had, and the research conducted helped us gain a better understanding of the challenges for women’s chess and which concrete steps to take to increase female participation,” said Tris-Ann Richards, who is the president of the Saint Lucia Chess Federation and one of the instigators of the project. Thus far, five countries have recruited their inaugural Olympic women’s teams and are in the initial phase of their training program. The players from the Caribbean who are part of the draft Olympiad teams also participated in the Queens Gambit Challenge – Caribbean Edition, a comprehensive training program covering the fundamentals of chess, advanced strategies, and mental and psychological training. Each country has a professional coach assigned and will commence a three-month training program starting March 15 this year. The “Empowering Queens of the Chessboard” project is headed by Anastasia Sorokina, Chair of the FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess and Tris-Ann Richards (St. Lucia), Councillor in FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess, along with team members Yilmas Kartal, Paris Klerides, Akua Kosife Esse, Monalisha Khamboo and Herborg Hansen. You can read more about the project here: Empowering queens of the chessboard: National Female Team Development Seminar – FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess.
André Meylan and Marija Zvereva win 2024 Monaco Championship
André Meylan and WIM Marija Zvereva are the champions of Monaco 2024, both winning their maiden titles. The 2024 Monacan championship, a seven-round Swiss tournament with classical time control, brought together a record 28 players (19 men and 9 women), with men and women ranked separately. It all came down to the final seventh round in which the fourth seed, André Meylan (5/6), scored a crucial victory over Patrick Van Hoolandt and clinched the title as his main rival and co-leader, top seed GM Amir Bagheri fell to IM Damir Levacic. As a result, Damir took silver, while Amir had to settle for bronze. Meanwhile, in a clash of the leaders in the women’s section (both sitting on 4/6), Marija Zvereva prevailed over WCM Svetlana Berezovska to win gold with 5/7. WGM Tatiana Dornbusch leapfrogged Berezovska and claimed silver, scoring 4.5/7. Svetlana Berezovska completed the women’s podium. Final standings: 1 Meylan, Andre 2133 6 2 IM Levacic, Damir 2110 5½ 3 GM Bagheri, Amir 2378 5 4 WIM Zvereva, Marija 2045 5 5 GM Efimov, Igor 2329 4½ 6 FM Verdier, Patrice 2028 4½ 7 Ribbegren, Karl Johan 2104 4½ 8 WGM Dornbusch, Tatiana 2218 4½ 9 FM Van Hoolandt, Patrick 2008 4 10 WCM Berezovska, Svetlana 1739 4 Based on the results of the 2023 and 2024 Monacan championships, the following players qualified for the 2024 Olympiad in Budapest: Women section: WGM Tatiana Dornbusch, WIM Marija Zvereva, WCM Fiorina Berezovsky, WCM Svetlana Berezovska, WIM Martine Dubois. Open section: GM Amir Bagheri, André Meylan, GM Igor Efimov, IM Damir Levacic, FM Patrick Van Hoolandt. Photos: Monaco Chess Federation
Romanian Championship 2024: Parligras and Lehaci clinch titles
Only 0.5 Buchholz points separated GMs Mircea-Emilian Parligras and Constantin Lupulescu, who scored 7.5/9 and tied for first place in the open section of the 2024 Romanian Championship. Thanks to a slightly better tiebreaker, Mircea-Emilian won his fourth national title in classical chess. The Romanian Championship 2024 in Open, Women and Amateur sections took place in Complex Steaua de Mare in the coastal town of Eforie Nord from February 24 to March 02. All three competitions were 9-round Swiss events with classical time control. The open event was a close race, with several top-rated participants sharing first place most of the way. Only after Round 7 Mircea-Emilian Parligras emerged as the sole leader and came to the final round a half-point ahead of Constantin Lupulescu. Parligras made a quick draw with Filip Magold and secured the title, although Lupulescu beat Vladislav Nevednichy and caught up with the leader. As many as four players tied for third place, with David Gavrilescu taking bronze by way of a superior Buchholz. Interestingly, the three rating favorites (rated 2500+) occupied the entire podium. Final standings: 1 GM Parligras, Mircea-Emilian 2537 7½ 2 GM Lupulescu, Constantin 2589 7½ 3 GM Gavrilescu, David 2524 6½ 4 FM Magold, Filip 2400 6½ 5 FM Cnejev, Vladimir-Alexandru 2311 6½ 6 IM Ghimpu, Samuel-Timotei 2467 6½ 7 GM Nevednichy, Vladislav 2445 6 8 FM Ilinca, Felix-Antonio 2377 6 9 FM Tudor, Henry Edward 2239 6 10 FM Antal, Hunor-Zoltan 2272 5½ The women’s event saw the triumph of WIM Miruna-Daria Lehaci, who bagged her second straight national title. Miruna-Daria grabbed the lead after defeating one of her main rivals, Alessia-Mihaela Ciolacu, and preserved her top position in the standing to the very end. Although she made three draws at the finish, it was enough to secure the title with 7/9. Alessia-Mihaela Ciolacu, Elena-Luminita Cosma, Mihaela Sandu, and Corina-Isabela Peptan scored 6.5 and finished a half-point behind the champion with Ciolacu and Cosma winning silver and bronze respectively, thanks to superior tiebreaks. Final standings: 1 WIM Lehaci, Miruna-Daria 2227 7 2 WIM Ciolacu, Alessia-Mihaela 2175 6½ 3 WGM Cosma, Elena-Luminita 2238 6½ 4 WGM Sandu, Mihaela 2270 6½ 5 IM Peptan, Corina-Isabela 2314 6½ 6 WFM Obada, Ema 1969 6 7 WCM Trifoi, Mihaela-Ioana 2003 6 8 WCM Stanciu, Andreea-Briana 1960 5½ 9 WCM Batagan, Ilinca-Petra 1859 5½ 10 WCM Schiopu, Oana-Magdalena 1750 5 Photos: Federația Română de Șah Facebook