Day two of the World Rapid Team Championship in Kazakhstan concluded with a new leader: Al-Ain from UAE, who now have 14 matchpoints, one more than Decade China in second place. They are followed by day one leaders, Chessy, and the Indian team MGD1, both with 12 matchpoints
The second day featured the toughest matchups as the top-rated teams faced off against each other. Chessy, who finished day one in first place, started with two drawn matches. After a victory over Kazchess in round seven, they suffered a defeat in the final round of the day against Team MGD1.
Two other teams emerged as the day's favorites, trading top positions between rounds: Al-Ain and Decade China.
The UAE team, Al-Ain, began the day impressively by defeating the defending champions WR Chess 4:2, marking WR Chess's second consecutive defeat in the tournament. After a round six draw with Chessy, Al-Ain defeated Royal Chess 4.5:1.5 and edged out Kings of Chess from Krakow 3.5:2.5 in the final match, ending the day as sole leaders with 14 matchpoints.
Decade China drew with Chessy in round five before stunning MGD1 with a 4:2 victory in round six. They continued strongly by crushing Ashdod Chess Club 4.5:1.5 in round seven. However, in the final eighth round of the day, Decade China drew with title defenders WR Chess, causing them to slip from the leading position.
The final round of the day featured the most anticipated game of the entire event: a duel between world number one Magnus Carlsen and defending World Champion Ding Liren. Carlsen, playing with the white pieces, gained an early advantage and, despite resistance from Ding and time pressure, secured a victory. This was the first defeat for Ding in the tournament. While Carlsen's win ensured that WR Chess did not lose the crucial match, the team failed to achieve the breakthrough needed to return to the top, making it increasingly unlikely they will defend their World Championship title.
Standings after Day 2
Complete standings after Day 2
Despite the top world GMs playing in the tournament, one amateur player has drawn a lot of attention: 1400-rated Pang Bo who plays for the Decade China team, has won all eight games in the tournament, having a perfect score so far.
The conclusion of the tournament unfolds on Sunday, with the final four rounds set to determine the ultimate champions.
A closer look at the second day of the 2024 World Rapid Team Championship
Round 5
The sole leaders from day one, Chessy, who clinched first place after a spectacular 5-1 victory in round four against defending champions WR Chess, faced newcomers Decade China. The all-Chinese squad, led by World Champion Ding Liren, finished the first day just a point behind Chessy.
Despite losing a pawn in the opening as Black, Ding Liren managed to hold Richard Rapport to a draw on board one. The day did not start well for Women's World Champion Ju Wenjun, who blundered against Anna Muzychuk and lost, giving Chessy an early lead. Team China bounced back quickly with a victory on the non-professional board. Alexey Sarana beat Xu Xiangyu in time trouble, and Jorden van Foreest drew with Yu Yangyi. However, on board two, Chessy's Haik Martirosyan made a critical blunder in the endgame against Wei Yi, allowing him to promote a pawn and secure a victory. The match ended in a 3:3 draw.
Defending champions WR Chess had a rough start on Day 2. Despite having Magnus Carlsen on their team, WR Chess lost 4:2 to Al-Ain. Carlsen made a strong comeback as White against Daniil Dubov, squeezing out a victory in a complicated endgame. However, Ian Nepomniachtchi lost on board two to Iranian star Parham Maghsoodloo, and WR also suffered losses on the women's board—where Hou Yifan was defeated by Kateryna Lagno—and on the non-professional board. With this victory, Al-Ain tied with Chessy for first place.
The Indian team of MGD1 won their match against Kings of Chess from Krakow 5:1, while Ashdod Chess Club edged out a 3,5:2,5 victory against the notably lower-rated but resilient team of Astana-1, ensuring both MGD1 and Ashdod Chess Club ended the day in shared third place, alongside Decade China.
One surprising result of the round was Uzbek Olympic gold medallist Nodirbek Yakubboev, rated nearly 2600, suffering a defeat to 2125-rated FM Erzhan Zhakshylykov. Despite this, the Uzbek team Royal Chess won their match against Noval Group from Kyrgyzstan, 3.5:2.5.
Round 6
In the next round, it was time for both teams that had previously defeated the defending World Rapid Champions, WR Chess, to face each other and decide who would take the lead halfway through the tournament. The game between Richard Rapport and Daniil Dubov ended quickly, with a draw after just ten moves. Rapport got up to check the other boards before agreeing to split the point with Dubov, who is not having a great tournament. Soon afterwards, Andreikin and Sarana also drew their game. The match ended 3:3, with two more draws and Al-Ain's Parham Maghsoodloo defeating Jorden van Foreest on board two, while Chessy won on board six in a game where both sides traded completely winning positions several times.
Decade China continued strongly, defeating the Indian team of MGD1 4:2. It started with an early gift for the Chinese when Raunak Sadwahani blundered a piece on board three against Wei Yi. Things didn't go MGD1's way on board two either, where Narayanan dropped a dominating advantage against Wei Yi and ended up drawing. To compensate, on board five Xu Xiangyu allowed Pranav to save the game, while Harika Dronavalli held out as Black against Ju Wenjun. Ding split a point as White with India's top-rated player Arjun Erigaisi.
On board six, in a duel between two players who by this point had a score of 100%, Pang Bo emerged victorious against Shah Mihir, securing Decade China a comfortable score in the match, propelling them to a shared first place with Chessy and Al-Ain.
After two consecutive losses, defending champions WR Chess made a strong comeback, defeating Hunnu Air from Mongolia 5:1. Ashdod Chess Club drew with the experienced team of Kazchess. In that match, Peter Svidler of Kazchess managed to convert a tense middlegame position against Pavel Eljanov into a win, thanks to the Ukrainian GM being in time trouble.
Royal Chess from Uzbekistan edged out a victory against the GMHans.com team (3.5:2.5) to join the top five, overtaking MGD1.
Round 7
Now it was Ashdod Chess Club's turn to face the leaders, Decade China. Ding Liren continued his streak of draws, testing Nihal Sarin in the Catalan on board one without much progress for either side. Yu Yangyi also drew with Volokitin. However, the situation crumbled for Ashdod towards the end: Ju Wenjun defeated Bella Khotenashvili, and Pang Bo overcame Isabek Tanikin. Finally, in an even endgame, Eljanov misplayed as White against Wei Yi, allowing Decade China to seal an important and comfortable 4.5:1.5 victory, maintaining their first-place position.
Al-Ain played the feisty team of Royal Chess, who had climbed to the top boards after narrow victories in rounds five and six. While Dubov continued with draws, Maghsoodloo had a slightly better position against Yakubboev but only managed a draw. On board three, Andreikin secured a significantly better position as Black against Vakhidov early on, eventually winning and turning the match in Al-Ain's favor. Al-Ain then won on boards four and six, securing a 4.5:1.5 victory and maintaining their spot among the leaders with 12 points.
The third leader of round seven, Chessy, continued their strong performance by winning their match against Kazchess 4:2. The shock for Kazchess came on board four, where Darmen Sadvakasov (rated 2593) lost in just 14 moves to 2342-rated M Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus. On board one, Kazchess had a big chance when Shakhriyar Mamedyarov launched a strong attack on Richard Rapport, who somehow managed to defend himself and draw. Chessy's Martirosyan defeated Svidler on board two, giving the team an important edge. On board five, Anna Muzychuk of Chessy lost to Bibisara Assaubayeva, but this didn't change the fate of Kazchess, who lost on board six.
Trying to catch up with the leaders, WR Chess defeated the Kazakh team of World Champions Higher School 4:2. With Magnus Carlsen not playing, Ian Nepomniachtchi led the team to victory, but it wasn't without a sour note. Nodirbek Abdusattorov (rated 2732) lost to 2430-rated IM Kirill Shubin after blundering as White in an even endgame. WR's non-professional board, led by team owner Wadim Rosenstein, also suffered a loss.
After losing to Decade China in round six, MGD1 bounced back by defeating Astana-1 with 4:2, joining WR and Kings of Chess from Krakow in the second tier of teams with ten match points, trailing the top three leaders by two match points.
Round 8
In the final round of the day, defending champions WR Chess faced off against the leaders, Decade China. This match was a crucial opportunity for WR Chess to reclaim their position among the leaders. The spotlight of the match was on board one, where the most anticipated game of the event took place: the duel between the top-rated player and former World Champion, Magnus Carlsen, and the current World Champion, Ding Liren.
The match started with a surprising draw by Ian Nepomniachtchi against Wei Yi on board two after just nine moves. This was followed by additional draws on all boards except for boards one and six. On the non-professional board, Wadim Rosenstein was defeated by China's 1400-rated player, Pang Bo, who established a commanding position as White early in the game. Pang Bo has been one of the biggest surprises of the tournament, winning all eight of his games and proving to be a major asset for his team. Conversely, WR owner Wadim Rosenstein suffered his seventh consecutive defeat in the tournament.
Magnus Carlsen ensured that his team did not end up losing the match. In the Morphy Defense, he chose the rarely played 9.Nc3, which did not offer any immediate advantage but caught Ding off guard. As the game progressed, Carlsen gained a significant advantage, winning two pawns. In an endgame where both players had a queen and a bishop with exposed kings, Carlsen had to play precisely despite the clock pressure. He eventually navigated the complexities and secured a win, resulting in a drawn match overall. This was Ding's first defeat in the tournament. Despite this effort, WR Chess's chances of defending their 2023 World Rapid Team crown are dwindling.
Another top matchup of the round was between Chessy and the Indian squad Team MGD1. With three draws and one win each, the match's outcome hinged on the non-professional players' board. MGD1's Shah Mihir managed to convert a better position into a win, swinging the match in favor of his team and knocking the day one leader from the top spot. This match also featured an exciting game on board two, where Martirosyan, playing as Black, had to sacrifice his queen for a knight and a rook after it was trapped in the center. Narayanan, playing White, confidently concluded the game.
After a narrow victory against Kings of Chess from Krakow (3.5:2.5), Al-Ain from UAE emerged as the sole leaders of the tournament with 14 matchpoints. They achieved this despite Daniil Dubov's relatively poor performance on the top board (two losses and six draws).
Day three of the World Rapid Team Championship
The third and final day of the World Rapid Team Championship will take place on Sunday, August 4, from 2:30 PM local time in Astana, Kazakhstan.
More information about the tournament, including regulations, pairings, and the schedule, can be found on the official website of the event. The games and the live commentary will be broadcast on FIDE's YouTube channel, which also features a complete recording of the first and second day of the event.
Photos: Ruslan Mazunin and Maria Emelianova
Website of the event: World Rapid and Blitz Team Championship 2024 (fide.com)
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