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32 gamers lead the 2023 FIDE Grand Swiss and 15 within the 2023 FIDE Ladies’s Grand Swiss after spherical one.
Within the Open, high seed GM Fabiano Caruana leads the pack after successful a spectacular sport towards GM Ivan Saric. Different notable wins (of many) have been these of GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda, which is the Recreation of the Day, and an assault culminating with a queen sacrifice by GM Arjun Erigaisi.
Within the Ladies’s part, the highest three seeds—GMs Aleksandra Goryachkina, Alexandra Kosteniuk, and Mariya Muzychuk—have been held to attracts. In a successful place, Goryachkina blundered the change and was objectively shedding to twenty sixth seed IM Ann Matnadze however survived.
Spherical two begins on Tuesday, October 26, at 9:30 a.m. ET / 15:30 CEST /19:00 IST.
The Villa Marina, in Douglas, hosts the third version of the FIDE Grand Swiss. Whereas it was residence to 5 sturdy nine-round tournaments within the years 2014-2018, which glided by completely different names and weren’t a part of the world championship cycle, it’s the second time the venue welcomes the premier FIDE occasion—and the primary time for the reason that COVID pandemic started.
In addition to the $600,000 prize fund throughout each sections, the Candidates event spots are absolutely essentially the most coveted reward. The highest two finishers in every part will qualify for the 2024 Candidates Tournaments, which can decide the following FIDE world championship and ladies’s world championship challengers.
The final FIDE Grand Swiss, in 2021, was held in Riga, Latvia, and there have been additionally two Candidates spots accessible then, claimed by GMs Alireza Firouzja and Caruana. This 12 months, Caruana already has his Candidates spot after ending third within the World Cup, however Firouzja nonetheless wants his.
In 2019, in Douglas, GM Wang Hao gained the one spot provided.
One thing to observe for would be the conflict of generations. The query is: will the previous guard grasp one other shot on the world title, or is it time for the youthful era to step up?
A potential third query also needs to be requested: will somebody exterior the world’s elite rise to the event? Simply final week within the Qatar Masters, one other super-strong Swiss event, Nineteenth-seed GM Nodirbek Yakubboev confirmed that the favorites do not all the time prevail.
Open
The event brings in 114 invited gamers to the Open. Like in 2021, two Candidates seats will probably be given to the highest two finishers.
The event is 11 rounds and boasts a discipline with a median ranking of 2636. The time management likens to a marathon: 100 minutes for 40 strikes adopted by 50 minutes for the remainder of the sport, with one other quarter-hour added after transfer 60—plus a 30-second increment beginning on transfer one. The longest sport, GM Pentala Harikrishna vs. GM Cristobal Henriquez Villagra, ended after over seven hours of broadcast time (draw).
Not all the highest gamers are taking part, however most are. Carlsen simply performed within the Qatar Masters, the place he misplaced twice, and he is not on the planet title. GM Ian Nepomniachtchi, already within the Candidates, additionally opted to not play.
Different lacking top-20 gamers embody GM Wesley So and GM Leinier Dominguez, who simply performed within the U.S. Championships, and GM Teimour Radjabov, who completed tied third-fourth within the final Candidates.
World Champion Ding Liren has performed in only one over-the-board event since attaining the world title, the Superbet Chess Basic Romania 2023 in Could. GMs Alexander Grischuk and Daniil Dubov have been unable to amass visas earlier than the event.
Spherical 1: No Simple Pairings
Caruana, the highest seed, ought to have nice recollections from the Isle of Man. In 2016 he tied for first-second with GM Pavel Eljanov with 7.5/9 and a 2908 efficiency. In 2017, he beat GM Vladimir Kramnik in spherical one, misplaced to Carlsen in spherical eight, and went 6.5/9 with a 2831 efficiency. In 2019, he tied in first-second with Wang (who had higher tiebreaks), and in 2021, Caruana completed in second for a ticket to the Candidates.
The American grandmaster, who misplaced his baggage after his Chicago-Madrid flight was delayed 12 hours, nonetheless had an ideal begin to the event. In his sport towards 58th-seed Saric, rated 2647, he responded to the unusual 6.Bd3 with the “Dragondorf” setup.
16…Nf6!? was a crafty successful try and, efficiently, it provoked Saric to sacrifice the change. Regardless of the black king by no means castling—and even shifting as soon as the entire sport—king security by no means grew to become an issue for the three-time U.S. champion.
An attention-grabbing pairing in spherical two will probably be Caruana vs. GM Hans Niemann, because the latter additionally gained his sport.
Boards two via 5—that includes GMs Hikaru Nakamura, Firouzja, Anish Giri, and Gukesh D—all resulted in attracts. In Swiss tournaments, spherical one is often the simplest for high seeds, however this isn’t the case right here. As a testomony to the typical energy on this event, for instance, Firouzja was paired towards former FIDE World Champion GM Ruslan Ponomariov.
Nakamura bumped into hassle early towards German number-four GM Ramus Svane however with resourceful protection saved the half-point. He analyzes the sport within the video under, the place he summarizes his spherical: “Positively not what I hoped for however, contemplating the opening and the way shaky of a sport this was, and the truth that I used to be most likely fully misplaced… I can’t complain.”
Duda was, in the meantime, the primary participant to win a sport. After GM Pouya Idhani‘s 17…g5?, the sport resembled a King’s Indian sort of imbalance, with Black attacking on the kingside and White racing for counterplay on the queenside. Beginning with 18.Nxa5! Duda confirmed that his plan materialized quicker, with cold-blooded accuracy amid darkish storm clouds surrounding his personal king.
This brazen victory, wherein the Polish number-one laughed within the face of hazard, is our Recreation of the Day, annotated under by GM Rafael Leitao.
Different winners, ordered by ranking, have been GMs Richard Rapport, Levon Aronian, Yu Yangyi, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Arjun, and Parham Maghsoodloo.
Arjun, who’s in Douglas for the primary time, performed a pleasant change sacrifice to start a crushing assault. Though GM Frederik Svane (sure, the brother of Rasmus) had methods to defend objectively, the assault was virtually too troublesome to repel. We have been handled to a glowing queen sacrifice: 29.Qxh6!!.
What a bounceback for the 20-year-old Indian prodigy, who was within the operating to win the Qatar Masters till a heartbreaking blunder within the final spherical. He mentioned: “Usually, it is very powerful to recover from such a heartbreaking sport, however not too long ago, I believe mentally I have been getting stronger.”
23-year-old Maghsoodloo has gained 28 ranking factors within the final month and, after successful immediately, is quantity 16 on the planet. This was the ultimate place after 37 strikes:
A picturesque end from Maghsoodloo!#FIDEGrandSwiss pic.twitter.com/tE5HILhyPS
— chess24.com (@chess24com) October 25, 2023
With 57 boards in play, it’s unattainable to overview and even touch upon each sport. However one attention-grabbing pairing on the decrease boards was that between Ukrainian hero and legendary GM Vasyl Ivanchuk and his 14-year-old countryman, 2515-rated IM Ihor Samunenkov. The previous world number-two was held to a draw.
A battle of the ages between two Ukrainian gamers immediately: Vasyl Ivanchuk, born in 1969 and one of many oldest gamers within the discipline, takes on Ihor Samunenkov, one of many youngest individuals, born in 2009. #FIDEGrandSwiss pic.twitter.com/Qjt1IdbNPs
— Worldwide Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) October 25, 2023
Blunders, Upsets, Missed Alternatives
Aronian was the second participant within the event to win, due to the tactic 23…Rxc4! adopted by 24…Rc2!. Fortuitously for the Armenian-American participant, the …Rxc4 transfer was really accessible one transfer earlier; each gamers missed it, and he obtained a second probability (which might have been prevented).
Aronian sees one step additional and is now successful!#FIDEGrandSwiss pic.twitter.com/2Vm1qR2VX4
— chess24.com (@chess24com) October 25, 2023
Wednesday’s most crushing blunder got here from GM Vidit Gujrathi, who was upset by GM Erwin L’Ami—though it is onerous to speak about “underdogs” when writing a couple of 2627-rated grandmaster and established writer. Vidit simply celebrated his twenty ninth birthday the day earlier than.
It was one other horrible case of the infamous transfer 40, when each gamers with little time rushed to achieve an extra 50 minutes on their clocks. Grave errors typically occur on transfer 40 or close to it.
On this case, he missed a clearly successful transfer within the time hassle—and went on to blunder precisely on transfer 40, leaving his opponent 50 minutes to determine the win.
Vidit misses a win within the time hassle a number of strikes in the past, however makes a blunder on transfer 40!
L’Ami now has an extra 50 minutes to seek out the one successful transfer, 41.Nf5+. A tragedy for Vidit, who celebrated his birthday yesterday! #FIDEGrandSwiss pic.twitter.com/AYy1tLZzSv
— chess24.com (@chess24com) October 25, 2023
“I believe I am quantity 70 or 80 on this discipline [he’s 72], which tells you all you want to know… I believe it is for certain the strongest open I’ve ever performed,” mentioned L’Ami after the sport.
English IM Royal Shreyas, rated 2407, outplayed 2650-rated Spanish GM Jaime Santos Latasa in an endgame with knight and rook for either side. Kazakh IM Ramazan Zhalmakhonov (2447) additionally beat Argentinian-born GM Alan Pichot (2650).
Whereas not precisely a grand upset, GM Niclas Huschenbeth beat the higher-rated GM David Navara with a puzzle-like resolution, 61.h5!! within the following place.
The next place is a pleasant calculation train. White has just one transfer that wins!#FIDEGrandSwiss pic.twitter.com/LMuntrXqpf
— chess24.com (@chess24com) October 25, 2023
18-year-old German number-one GM Vincent Keymer apparently missed a win towards 17-year-old Russian GM Volodar Murzin, however commentator Leko later identified that the pc line to victory wasn’t clear or intuitive in any respect. That sport resulted in a draw.
28.Nxf7! was successful for Keymer, however with each gamers low on time, he missed the prospect! https://t.co/aPjw210QAA #FIDEGrandSwiss pic.twitter.com/qn3ogXI9s4
— chess24.com (@chess24com) October 25, 2023
Yakubboev deservedly garnered consideration after successful the Qatar Masters final week however succumbed to his higher-rated opponent, Armenian number-one GM Haik Martirosyan, within the first spherical. Not an upset by any means, however it’s value stating.
Spherical 1 Standings | Prime 20
(Full outcomes right here.)
Ladies’s
That is the second time the ladies’s occasion has been held, the primary one being in 2021. On this part, too, there are two Candidates spots for the taking.
Let’s begin with who’s not enjoying.
World Champion Ju Wenjun might take part however did not. GM Lei Tingjie, her most up-to-date challenger, is already within the Candidates and selected to not play both. IM Sarasadat Khademalsharieh, who this 12 months obtained her Spanish citizenship and is the Spanish number-one, was nonetheless unable to hitch attributable to Visa points.
Hopefully the Grand Swiss would be the final event I miss due to the visa points.
— sara khadem (@saraakhadem) October 25, 2023
One other two gamers lacking from the world top-20 are GMs Zhu Jiner and Zhansaya Abdumalik.
Prime-seed Goryachkina ought to depend her fortunate stars, though the identical will be mentioned for her opponent. After blundering the change in a successful place, the Russian GM salvaged a draw towards IM Ann Matnadze with the bishop towards a rook.
Probably the most stunning and one-sided video games was German number-one GM Elisabeth Paehtz‘ miniature towards up-and-coming American IM Alice Lee, who simply final week completed third in one other 11-round marathon, the U.S. Ladies’s Championship.
Quantity-two and three seeds, respectively GM Alexandra Kosteniuk and Mariya Muzychuk, have been additionally held to attracts. In the meantime, favorites comparable to GM Tan Zhongyi and Anna Muzychuk prevailed of their video games.
Dutch star IM Eline Roebers, rated 2390, took down 2500-rated IM Polina Shuvalova, who not too long ago gained the 2023 I’M Not A GM SCC occasion.
Different upsets embody IM Stavroula Tsolakidou (2385) defeating GM Nino Batsiashvi (2475), WGM Savitha Shri (2375) overcoming IM Marsel Efroimski (2447), and WGM Meruert Kamalidenova successful towards IM Vantika Agrawal.
Commentator IM Tania Sachdev (2389) additionally held GM Harika Dronavalli (2502) to a draw.
Spherical 1 Standings | Prime 20
(Full outcomes right here.)
The 2023 FIDE Grand Swiss (FGS) is without doubt one of the occasions of the FIDE World Championship cycle, with the highest two gamers qualifying for the 2024 Candidates Event. The FGS begins on October 25 at 9:30 a.m. ET/15:30 CEST/19:00 IST and incorporates a $460,000 prize fund.
The 2023 FIDE Ladies’s Grand Swiss (FWGS) options $140,000 prize fund and runs concurrently. The highest two gamers qualify for the 2024 Ladies’s Candidates Event.
Earlier Protection:
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