Latest news with #WorldRapidandBlitz
Spectator
4 days ago
- Sport
- Spectator
World Rapid and Blitz Teams
It was a treat to see so many of the world's top players in London for the World Rapid and Blitz Team Championships last week. Now in its third edition, the event has an unusual format, in which teams of six must include one female player and one rated below 2000 (roughly, a strong club player). That drew a sociable mix of teams, including traditional clubs, both from the UK and abroad, some national teams, and some teams with corporate sponsorship. My team, Malcolm's Mates (Malcolm Pein is the federation's international director), had a considerable overlap with the English national team, with additional strong players from abroad. But we were knocked out of the blitz event by WR Chess, whose team of superstars (including the reigning world blitz champion Ian Nepomniachtchi, as well as Hikaru Nakamura and Alireza Firouzja) went on to win the whole thing. In the final round of the rapid event, we were beaten by the winning team MGD1, named after the Indian chess management firm whose star player is 21-year-old Arjun Erigaisi, currently ranked fourth in the world. Perhaps the most beautiful game of the event was the one below, in which Erigaisi was beaten by Viswanathan Anand. The former world champion, now the deputy president of Fide, remains a formidable player at the age of 55 and represented the team Freedom, who also sponsored Fide's individual World Rapid and Blitz event in New York last year. Anand joked later that the game made him feel like a one-trick pony, referring to the similarity with his celebrated game against Levon Aronian at Wijk aan Zee, 2013, in which his bishops also bore down on the white kingside with decisive effect. Arjun Erigaisi-Viswanathan Anand Fide World Rapid Team, London 2025 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nf3 d5 4 e3 Be7 5 b3 O-O 6 Bd3 c5 7 O-O Nc6 8 Bb2 cxd4 9 exd4 Nb4 10 Be2 b6 11 Nc3 Bb7 12 Rc1 dxc4 13 bxc4 Rc8 14 Ne5 Nd7 15 Nxd7 Qxd7 16 d5 Rfd8 16…exd5 17 a3 Nc6 18 Nxd5 leaves the knight well placed in the centre. 17 a3 Na6 18 Ne4 Energetic play. In case of 18…exd5, Erigaisi might have been tempted by 19 Qd4 Bf8 20 Nf6+ gxf6 21 Rc3, when the threats of Rc3-g3+ and Qd4xf6 pose severe problems. Nc5 19 Qd4 f6 20 Nxc5 Bxc5 21 Qg4 f5 Now 21…exd5 22 Qxd7 Rxd7 23 Bg4 wins rook for bishop. Opening the long diagonal for the Bb2 looks risky, but Anand has lined up a nimble counterattack. 22 dxe6 Qe7 23 Qxf5 Rd2 24 Bd3 g6 25 Qe5 (see diagram) Walking into Anand's trap. It was time to bail out with 25 Qf7+ Qxf7 26 exf7+ Kxf7 27 Bc2 when Black's active pieces provide ample compensation for the pawn, so the game remains balanced. Rxb2!! Forced, as White was threatening mate, but also the start of a dazzling combination. 26 Qxb2 Qg5 27 g3 The f-pawn is pinned by the Bc5, so f2-f3 was impossible, but now the light squares around the king are fatally weakened. Qg4! This wonderful quiet move had to be seen by Anand far in advance. The chief threat is Qg4-f3, while 28 Qe2 is met by Bf3 with Qg4-h3 to follow. 28 Qf6 Rf8 Yet again, the only winning move. 29 e7 Rxf6 30 e8=Q+ Rf8 31 Qe2 Bf3 White resigns
India Today
10-06-2025
- Sport
- India Today
Viswanathan Anand set to make return in World Rapid and Blitz team championship
Five-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand is all set to make a return during the World Rapid and Blitz team chess championship as a part of the Freedom team. The side will be led by FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsly, which only features Anand as the sole Indian in the team. The hot favourites for the tournament will be the WR Chess team, which will be spearheaded by Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia on the top board, as Magnus Carlsen won't take part in the competition. The World No.1 refused to take part in the FIDE event. Arjun Erigaisi will also be on the top board and will be assisted by by P Harikrishna on the second Read: D Gukesh picks his best Norway Chess moment. Carlsen can't stop laughing World junior champion V Pranav is a welcome addition to the side alongside Luke Leon Mendonca, who is the next rising star in Indian chess behind the the quartet of world champion D Gukesh, Arjun, R Praggnanandhaa and Aravindh Chithambaram. The event will also see Nihal Sarin in action, as he will represent the fifth-seed Ashdod elite chess club. Nihal and Anand will play as the top seed on top board like Erigaisi, but the presence of D Gukesh and Carlsen will be missed as they decided to skip the event. The WR Chess team is stacked with the Nepomniachtchi, Firouzja Alireza, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Hikaru Nakamura, Alexandra Kostenuik, and Wesley So on the side. As part of the rules of the competition, every round has to have a female player as well as a player rated less than 2200 on the FIDE rating list that was last published on June 1. advertisementThis has been added to make the dynamics of the tournament more exciting than any other team event. The winner of each competition will get 110000 and 75000 US Dollars, Watch
NDTV
09-06-2025
- Sport
- NDTV
Viswanathan Anand Back In Action At World Rapid And Blitz Team Championship
Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand will be in the mix as part of the Freedom team helmed by none other than FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsly in the World Rapid and Blitz team chess championship that gets underway in London. Anand is the only Indian in the fray in his team. Hot favourite WR Chess team will be spearheaded by Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia on the top board in the absence of world's top player Magnus Carlsen who had refused to participate in FIDE tournament. The likes of Arjun Erigaisi on the top board will be assisted by P Harikrishna on the second board. World junior champion V Pranav is a welcome addition to the team alongside Luke Leon Mendonca who is probably the next big player making a mark in Indian chess after the quartet of world champion D Gukesh, Arjun, R Praggnanandhaa and Aravindh Chithambaram. The event will also see Nihal Sarin in action representing the fifth seed Ashdod elite chess club. Nihal and Anand will play as the top seed on top board like Arjun Erigaise but the event will miss the presence of Carlsen and Gukesh who have both skipped the event. The WR chess team is the favourite for the crown with Nepomniachtchi, Firouzja Alireza, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Hikaru Nakamura, Alexandra Kostenuik, and Wesley So in the side. As a rule, every round has to have a female player as well as a player rated less than 2200 on FIDE rating list that was last published on June 1. The traction caused by these dynamics makes the event more interesting than any other team tournament. There is a decent prize money for the rapid and blitz event as the winner of each competition gets USD 110000 and USD 75000 respectively. The event had gained huge success in the previous edition thanks to participation of especially Carlsen. The prospects of the lone Indian team depends solely on how Arjun performs.
New Indian Express
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
The incredible story of Sara Khadem
STAAVENGER: On the opening day of Norway Chess, all 12 players posed for photos on the staircase just above the playing hall. The expressions of 11 of the 12 players were variations of bored, them just wanting to get on with it. The one exception? Sarasadat Khademalsharieh, an IM. She was smiling throughout the photoshoot, more than happy to oblige the photographers. Ten minutes in her company and it's easy to see why she was the only smiling face at the Opening Ceremony. "(smiles) I'm generally a happy person," she tells a group of Indian journalists. She's one of the very few at the top-end of elite chess who sees the game as a means to an end but not the end in itself. "Inside, I might be upset but I'm generally happy, I feel like my life isn't dependent on these games. If I win this tournament and you tell me my life is going to change, 'no, no, it wont'." That sort of refreshing perspective comes with the territory because Sara -- as she's known in chess circles -- has already been through a lot. First, her passport was confiscated and she wasn't allowed to leave Iran, her country of berth. She subsequently withdrew from the federation. Then came a Covid-induced lockdown. In late 2022, at the World Rapid and Blitz in Kazakhstan, she competed without the hijab, which prompted a furious backlash in her native country with authorities waiting with an arrest warrant. Six months later, Spain granted her citizenship. Since then, she's been in Marbella but during her time in Iran, the one-time child prodigy did consider giving up the game she loves. "A lot of things have happened in life which have made me go slowly or even backwards," the 28-year-old, who has won loads of individual events in age-group events, says. When she first started playing senior chess, it was considered to be a matter of time for her to become a GM. Yet, that dream hasn't materialised. Events like these, though, have kept her motivated.
Indian Express
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
‘Polygraph finished, passed on all fronts': Hans Niemann claims ‘lie-detector' test failed to prove over-the-board cheating
American Grandmaster Hans Niemann claimed on Wednesday that he has undergone a lie detector 'Polygraph' test, as challenged by Russian GM Daniil Dubov and 'passed it on all fronts' as the test failed to prove any over-the-board (OTB) cheating done by him. Announcing on X, he wrote, 'Polygraph finished, passed on all fronts. Have you ever cheated over the board? No Verdict: True. I think it's time for a rematch with Dubov. I'll be in Moscow again in 2 weeks!' Polygraph finished, passed on all fronts. Have you ever cheated over the board? No Verdict: True. I think it's time for a rematch with Dubov. I'll be in Moscow again in 2 weeks! — Hans Niemann (@HansMokeNiemann) May 7, 2025 Niemann also called for a rematch against Dubov and said 'chess always speaks for itself.' In another post, he wrote, 'Mental gymnastics of my detractors: 'You refused the polygraph that proves everything' Then switching to 'polygraphs are pseudoscience this proves nothing'. Some people will always twist everything to fit their perspective. The only constant is that the chess always speaks for itself.' Niemann was supposed to undergo a lie-detecting polygraph test after losing an 18-game blitz match against Dubov. Niemann had challenged Dubov to a showdown in Russia to settle their World Rapid and Blitz dispute, with the condition that the loser had to answer one question with a polygraph test. In March, Niemann faced Dubov and lost the 18-game challenge by a margin of 8.5-9.5, resulting in him facing the polygraph test. This came after Dubov's 'no show' at the World Rapid and Blitz Championship against Niemann, citing that he fell asleep. Following the incident, Niemann extended an open challenge to Dubov. 'Happy to play Dubov in a blitz match under ANY conditions. I will pay for his travel/accommodation and offer a $10,000 reward to a charity of his choice if he wins,' Niemann had posted on X. Dubov accepted the challenge after Niemann's quarterfinal loss to Norway's Magnus Carlsen but with specific conditions. In an Instagram post, Dubov proposed a lie detector test for Niemann. 'I'm ready to play, under the following conditions: You agree to a lie detector test with a trained professional… Test to feature only questions about cheating, with the results to be communicated to the community at large. If the test comes out clean, I will admit my decision was rash and play a 24-game blitz match against you, 8 games a day, $2,000 per point,' Dubov wrote. Later, Magnus Carlsen added fuel to the controversy by suggesting that Dubov's absence may have been deliberate to 'prove a point.' That came amid lingering tensions after Carlsen accused Niemann of cheating in 2022. Although Carlsen later retracted his claims following a $100 million defamation lawsuit from Niemann.
