The fourth edition of the Prague Chess Festival is in the books. The event, held in several sections and financially supported by FIDE Aid Package, took place from 8–17 June 2022 in the capital of the Czech Republic.

The Prague Chess Festival offered a dramatic spectacle, and the winners were again decided on the last day.

In the Masters, a 10-player round-robin with classical time control, Le Quang Liem and Pentala Harikrishna entered the final round a full point ahead of David Navara, Thai Dai Van Nguyen and Sam Shankland. Ironically, the co-leaders were facing Spanish opponents. Liem managed only a draw facing Vallejo Pons with black, while Harikrishna took full advantage of his white pieces to beat David Anton, clinching the title with a solid score of 6½/9. Liem finished second; Thai Dai Van Nguyen took third place thanks to slightly better Sonneborn-Berger over Shankland and Navara. The top 3 finishers completed the event undefeated.

Final standings Masters:

The Czech players did not fare well in the previous three editions of the Masters. This year, however, the home fans are happy. Not only will the trophy for the winner remain in Prague (Pentala Harikrishna has been living in the capital for a long time), but the two Czech players performed well and shared third place. 

The Challengers Tournament saw predators battle it out for a place among the elite and the prospect of advancing to the Masters. Indeed, only nineteen games out of forty-five ended in a split of points. As the tournament progressed, there was an increasingly clear trio of players – Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Vincent Keymer and Hans Moke Niemann -  who had the biggest chance to win. By the last round, everything was still open.

In the final round, Abdusattorov got into trouble against  Slovakian youngster Jergus Pechac who outplayed him with black pieces. It was clear that the World Rapid Champion would fight for a draw in the game. In the end, Nodirbek held the draw, but it was not enough. Hans Moke Niemann and Vincent Keymer had black pieces in their games, but both won, scored 6½/9 each and proceeded into a tiebreaker.

The German player achieved an overwhelming position in the first game, and just when it looked like Niemann could save himself in the rook ending, he made a crucial mistake, and black-playing Keymer celebrated his first win. Keymer left nothing to chance in the rematch and ended the game with a symbolic checkmate. After winning 2-0, he is happy with the overall victory and, above all, the ticket to next year's Masters.

Final standings Challengers:

A hallmark of the Prague festival is the Futures Tournament. This year, the organizers once again managed to put together a very interesting lineup of young hopefuls from seven countries. This tournament came down to the wire as well. Kamil Warchol, the overall winner, challenged Atilla Kura in the last round and took the overall victory to Poland with a draw. Pawel Sowinski, also from Poland, joined them on the podium. The best Czech player Jiri Bouška finished just below the podium.

Final standings Futures:

Over 300 players took part in the Open tournament with an invitation to the Challengers tournament 2023 at stake. The top seed Alexander Motylev conceded his opponents only two draws and, with a total of eight points, finished a full point ahead of a large group of players tying for the second place.

Final standings Open:

Official website: praguechessfestival.com

Text: Official website

Photo: Petr Vrabec and Vladimir Jagr