Dubov's redemption in the final round secured Al-Ain's World Rapid Team victory. Decade China, led by World Champion Ding Liren, took second place, while last year's winners, WR Chess, secured the bronze
After three days and 12 rounds, featuring many of the world's top players, Al-Ain ACMG UAE emerged victorious with 21 matchpoints out of a possible 23, drawing three and winning nine matches.
In the final round, Al-Ain faced a surprisingly tough challenge against the significantly lower-rated Theme International Trading. The result was 2.5:2.5 on boards two to six, leaving Daniil Dubov to win on board one to secure the championship. Despite a poor overall performance in the event, winning just one game out of 11 played, Dubov triumphed when it mattered most, clinching first place for Al-Ain. The key drivers for the UAE team included Parham Maghsoodloo (9 points out of 12 games), Vladislav Artemiev (8.5/12), and Dmitry Andreikin (9/10). Apart from the crown, the team also won the first prize of 100,000 Euros.
Decade China finished second, the only other team to remain unbeaten, with eight victories and four draws, totaling 20 matchpoints, just one behind Al-Ain. Led by World Champion Ding Liren, the team featured top Chinese players, but the standout was their non-professional player, 26-year-old Pang Bo. Officially rated 1400, Pang won all 11 games he played (he did not play in round one). Pang confirmed in an interview for FIDE that he had played chess since childhood but that his tournaments had not been officially recorded.
WR Chess, last year's champions, took third place with 19 matchpoints. Despite having world number one Magnus Carlsen on board one, along with two-time world champion challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi and other top players, luck was not on their side. After suffering two consecutive defeats in rounds four and five, they fought back and won every remaining match, except a draw with Decade China in round eight, but could not catch up with the top two teams.
Chessy finished fourth with 18 matchpoints. Captained by GM Emil Sutovsky and featuring stars like Rapport, Van Foreest, and Vidit, they started strong, knocking WR Chess out of first place in the final round on day one. However, they faltered on the second day with two draws, one win but then lost in round eight. Chessy pressed hard on the final day, but a loss to GMHans.com in round 10 dashed their hopes for first place.
Team MGD1 from India, last year's bronze winners, secured fifth place with 17 matchpoints. Led by India's top-rated player Arjun Erigaisi, they remained close to the top but never truly contended for first place. On the final day, they drew three matches before a victory against the team of FIDE secured their fifth-place finish.
One of the event's biggest surprises was GMHans.com. Led by the charismatic Hans Niemann, the team, assembled at the last minute and composed of friends, performed well and knocked Chessy out of the top position. In the final round, they narrowly lost to WR Chess, finishing ninth.
A closer look at the final day of the 2024 World Rapid Team Championship
Round 9
Last year's bronze medallists, MGD1, finished day two on a high note: they knocked Chessy out of the leadership position and ended the day among the top four, with 12 matchpoints. In round nine, they aimed to dethrone the day two leaders, Al-Ain who were on 14 matchpoints.
The first game to finish was on the non-professional board, where Sahir Mihir miraculously saved a lost position to clinch an important half-point for MGD1. This result proved crucial for the outcome of the match. With two more draws, the match could go either way. Dubov was in trouble with the white pieces against Erigaisi on the top board, but Al-Ain's Parham Maghsoodloo and Dmitry Andreikin were better in their games. Maghsoodloo drew, while Andreikin broke Baskaran to put Al-Ain in the lead. However, Dubov eventually lost to Erigaisi in the endgame, allowing MGD1 to escape defeat.
Luckily for Al-Ain, Decade China drew their match with Kazchess, which meant the UAE team maintained first place after the round. World Champion Ding Liren, playing as White, drew in a sharp 18-move game against Mamedyarov, who sacrificed a bishop for two pawns and the initiative but ended worse. Decade China had a chance to win the match, but Ju Wenjun dropped a better position against Assaubayeva and went on to lose. Pang Bo continued to be the best asset for the Chinese team, securing his eighth consecutive victory on the non-professional board.
Chessy made a strong comeback, defeating the formidable Ashdod team 3:2, while WR Chess had a comfortable 4:2 victory over Kings of Chess from Krakow.
Round 10
The biggest upset of the round saw Chessy suffer a stunning loss to GMHans.com, diminishing their chances of winning the title. Chessy's captain Emil Sutovsky gave Richard Rapport a break, placing Jorden van Foreest on the top board against Hans Niemann. Things started well for Chessy, with Vidit winning against Tabatabaei after the Iranian's seemingly innocent pawn advance on move 11 directly landed him in trouble. Chessy's Erdogmus also secured a victory against Salomova. However, the tables turned dramatically towards the end of the match, as Chessy collapsed on the remaining boards, handing victory to GMHans.com. With this defeat, Chessy moved to fourth place.
Tournament leaders Al-Ain triumphed over Astana-1 with a 5:1 score, solidifying their lead. Daniil Dubov drew again, extending his winless streak to 10 rounds. One of the round's highlights was GM Dmitry Andreikin (2644) of Al-Ain versus IM Meruert Kamalidenova (2316). Kamalidenova, playing Black, surprised Andreikin in a sharp tactical battle. Despite a winning position, Kamalidenova missed a crucial chance, allowing Andreikin to secure the victory.
Decade China also won, defeating the strong Uzbek team Royal Chess with 5:1. Ding Liren broke his chain of draws, scoring a win as Black against Sindarov. This secured them second place in the standings.
WR Chess had a tough struggle against Kazchess. In a tied match, in which Nepomniachtchi was replaced by Duda on board two, Magnus Carlsen secured the win for WR by converting a drawn rook endgame into a victory against Mamedyarov. The final score was 3.5:2.5, propelling WR to third place in the rankings.
Ashdod nearly upset India's MGD1, scoring 2.5 out of 3 on the bottom three boards. Narayanan struck back on board two, and Raunak Sadhwani saved MGD1 from defeat by winning a sharp tactical game, where Black ended with two queens on the board. After round 10 they shared 4-5th place with Chessy.
Round 11
Al-Ain faced the toughest challenge among the leaders, up against the GMHans.com team fresh off a win against Chessy. Al-Ain opted to bench Dubov, reshuffling their lineup. Parham Maghsoodloo took board one, avoiding playing compatriot Tabatabaei, instead battling Hans Niemann.
The first game concluded with Lagno and Salimova drawing. Drama ensued as Maghsoodloo struggled against Niemann, severely low on time. Dmitry Andreikin capitalized on a blunder by Andrew Zhong, while Volodar Murzin, initially in trouble against Brandon Jacobson, managed to salvage a draw. Relief came when Artemiev defeated Tabatabaei, ensuring Al-Ain would at least draw the match. However, GMHans.com struck back on the last board, leaving the match outcome dependent on Maghsoodloo's endgame against Niemann. Despite the time pressure, Maghsoodloo played precisely, ending in a perpetual check. This secured Al-Ain a narrow 3.5:2.5 victory, entering the final round as sole leaders.
WR Chess, starting the round in third place, faced Ashdod. Again, Duda was on board two instead of Nepomniachtchi. Their non-professional board quickly lost, putting pressure on the remaining boards. Fortunately, Duda and Praggnanandhaa won, and Keymer drew against Israeli GM Ilya Smirin. Carlsen's surprise in the opening against Nihal Sarin resulted in only a draw. The final game saw Kosteniuk miss a winning position but still draw against Khotenashvili, sealing a 3.5:2.5 victory for WR Chess.
Decade China had the most favorable pairing, facing the GMs Kazakhstan team with an average rating of 2186, compared to Decade China's 2693. The match ended decisively in favor of the Chinese team with a 5.5:0.5 victory, keeping them in the race for the top spot, just one matchpoint behind Al-Ain.
After a dramatic defeat in round 10, Chessy aimed for a comeback against the resilient Astana-1. Rapport's return to board one saw him secure a victory against Makhnyov, setting the tone for a 4.5:1.5 win for Chessy. MGD1 faced the formidable Royal Chess team, comprising mainly of the Uzbek Olympic gold medalists. The match ended in a draw.
Round 12
In the final round, Al-Ain faced a favorable pairing against the 2267-rated team Theme International Trading. Despite the odds, the match proved tough for the UAE team. Maghsoodloo took an unexpected beating from Rinat Jumabayev, his first loss of the tournament, ruining his excellent run. Lagno was held to a draw on board five. Al-Ain had a lucky escape on the amateur board as Theme International Trading's Zhang repeated moves in a completely winning position. Artemiev drew, and only Andreikin won, leveling the match. It all came down to Dubov, back in action after sitting out round 10, following nine rounds with three losses and no victories. In the final and most crucial game, Dubov redeemed himself and won, securing Al-Ain a narrow 3.5-2.5 victory and the World Rapid Team title.
Decade China finished the tournament on a high note, sweeping Kings of Chess from Krakow.
The most exciting match of the round in terms of team strength was between WR Chess and GMHans.com. Magnus Carlsen was absent from board one, avoiding a match against Hans Niemann. Nepomniachtchi took his place, drawing his game without much drama. However, WR Chess lost again on the non-professional board (Rosenstein's 11th consecutive defeat in 12 rounds), and Praggnanandhaa suffered a surprising loss to Brandon Jacobson. WR Chess bounced back, with Duda and Abdusattorov winning on boards two and three. The outcome hinged on the game between Nurgyul Salimova and Hou Yifan. In a rook and pawn endgame, Hou clinched the victory, securing third place for WR Chess.
Despite their star player Rapport experiencing a surprising loss to the 300-points lower-rated GM Bilguun, Chessy secured a comfortable 4.5-1.5 victory over Hunnu Air from Mongolia, finishing fourth in the tournament.
India's MGD1 team faced a slightly tougher challenge against the FIDE Management Board but emerged victorious with a 4-2 win, securing fifth place.
Next: The First Ever World Blitz Team Championships Set to Start
In addition to the Rapid, the event in Astana also features a one-day World Blitz Team Championship, where the same teams from the Rapid World Teams will be playing. This is the first time FIDE is organizing a World Team Blitz event, and the prize fund is 100,000 Euros.
First, teams will be split into pools, playing a round-robin tournament. After this, the top 16 teams from the pool stage will fight in a knock-out event to determine the winner.
The time control for the World Blitz Teams will be three minutes with a two-second increment per move from move one.
The tournament will start on Monday, August 5, at 11 AM local time in Astana, Kazakhstan. The games with commentary will be broadcast live on FIDE's YouTube Channel.
Photos: Arlan Olzhabay, Ruslan Mazunin and Maria Emelianova
Website of the event: World Rapid and Blitz Team Championship 2024 (fide.com)
Freedom Holding Corp. is a US-based financial services holding company. The Company has retail locations in 20 countries: the United States of America, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Cyprus, Germany, the United Kingdom, Greece, Spain, France, Poland, Austria, Bulgaria, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and the United Arab Emirates.
In Eurasia, the company is developing a digital ecosystem under the Freedom brand. The ecosystem already provides services in the field of investment banking and stock market brokerage, digital banking, online insurance, telecommunications, air and event ticket sales, digital car service, smartphone sales and other areas.
Freedom Holding Corp. shares are traded on the NASDAQ stock exchange. The activities of the company are regulated by the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
Official site: freedomholdingcorp.com
Site of the digital ecosystem: ecosystem.ffin.kz/en
