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3/25/2020 Ian Nepomniachtchi went into the second rest day of the Candidates Tournament leading by a full point. The tournament has been suspended. The only other player with a plus score was Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. In round seven the two played each other, and Vachier-Lagrave, who had the white pieces, outplayed the Russian and caught up with him in the standings table, a full point ahead of the field. The remaining three games ended drawn. | Live games and commentary from 11:00 UTC (12:00 CET / 7:00 EDT). | Photo: Lennart Ootes / FIDE

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The eight-player Candidates tournament is one of the most prestigious global chess events, held every two years. The event will determine who will challenge the defender Magnus Carlsen for the title of the World Chess Champion. This years event has a prize fund of 500,000 Euros, which is the highest ever in the history of the Candidates tournaments.

Previous reports: Round 1| Round 2| Round 3| Round 4| Round 5|Round 6|Round 7

Players receive100 minutes for 40 moves, then 50 minutes for the next 20 moves, then 15 minutes for the restof the game, plus a 30-second bonus per move starting from move 1. No draw offers are allowed prior to move 40.

Commentary byEvgenij Miroshnichenko and Daniil Dubov

As available.

The key encounter of round seven was the one that finished decisively, as Maxime Vachier-Lagrave caught up with Ian Nepomniachtchi in the standings by beating him with the white pieces in their direct face-off. 'Nepo' employed the Winawer Variation of the French Defence for a second time in Yekaterinburg and was duly outplayed after incorrectly deciding to close the structure on the queenside.

Nepomniachtchi's defeat reminds us of his backset at the Croatian leg of the Grand Chess Tour last year, when he started with three straight wins and went on to give up the lead by losing in rounds six and seven. Nevertheless, it must be noted that the Russian currently has a better tiebreak score than 'MVL', as he has one more win so far. Vachier-Lagrave is, in fact, undefeated at the moment the only other player not to have lost at all is Alexander Grischuk, who drew all seven of his games.

The remaining games of the round finished drawn. Fabiano Caruana could not get much against Wang Hao's Petroff Defence, Alexander Grischuk found a couple of critical moves to neutralize Anish Giri's new idea in the opening, and Ding Liren was disappointed with his play after needing to defend an inferior position with White against Kirill Alekseenko.

Press release

The opening ceremony took place at the Ekaterinburg Expo congress center and was hosted by the renowned Russian film actress Alena Babenko and sports commentator Viktor Gusev. Speakers at the Opening Ceremony were Evgeny Kuyvashev (Governor of the Sverdlovsk Oblast (Region)), FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, former World Champion Anatoly Karpov, the President of the Sverdlovsk Chess Federation AndreySimanovsky as well as the Regional Corporate Sales Head at Kaspersky Marina Usova.

Evgeny Kuyvashev, the Governor of the Sverdlovsk Oblast (Region) said that it is the first time this region is hosting a FIDE Candidates tournament and added: Our region considers itself one of the leaders of the home [Russian] chess movement and the center for the development of the chess thought. Today some 20,000 people professionally play chess in the Sverdlovsk Region, including 2.500 children and teenagers. We are proud of our chess masters and our young chess talents.

Arkady Dvorkovich| Photo: Lennart Ootes / FIDE

Congratulating the players and chess fans across the world on the start of the FIDE Candidates Tournament in Yekaterinburg, FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich pointed to this event being the most important stage in the qualifying cycle for the World Chess Championship, as it will determine the opponent of the current world champion Magnus Carlsen. In the coming weeks, we will witness epic battles between eight world's leading chess players. They went through the toughest selection process in the previous few months to compete for the right to challenge for the world chess crown in Yekaterinburg.

FIDE president also reflected on the fact that the Tournament is held in the environment of an alarming situation with the spread of COVID-19. I would like to note that in terms of medical safety measures, the Tournament organizing Committee fully follows the recommendations of the World Health Organization, the IOC and Rospotrebnadzor and fulfils all the prescribed requirements. We also ask for maximum support from the chess community, the media, and all of you.

Once again, I would like to welcome the participants of the FIDE Candidates Tournament and wish them memorable combinations and spectacular victories. And let the Tournament bring only joy and new positive emotions to all the fans, Dvorkovich concluded.

The mayor of Yekaterinburg, Alexander Vysokinsky highlighted the importance of this event for the local community, adding we will try to do everything in our power so that this event is held according to highest standards, so everyone could enjoy!

Press conference| Photo: Lennart Ootes/ FIDE

One of the speakers at the ceremony was Grandmaster Anatoly Karpov, the 12th World Champion in chess, who himself comes from the Ural region. Karpov emphasized the uniqueness of the tournament for the region and spoke about efforts made to develop chess education, including at the Ural Federal University.

Anatoly Karpov (middle) | Photo: Lennart Ootes/ FIDE

The President of the Sverdlovsk Chess Federation Andrey Simanovsky, as well as the Regional Corporate Sales Head at Kaspersky Marina Usova joined the speakers in wishing the players good luck in the tournament.

The medal awaits| Photo: Lennart Ootes/ FIDE

The official part of the Opening ceremony was followed by a concert by the famous Russian violinist and conductor, Yuri Bashmet and his Moscow Soloists Chamber Orchestra. The concert featured other renowned Russian classical music artists such as Bolshoi Theatre soloist Alina Yarovaya and opera singer Vassily Gerello. The musical event also included a performance of the top stars of the Bolshoi Theatre.

Colourful performances courtesy the Bolshoi Theatre | Photo: Lennart Ootes/ FIDE

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The Candidates: Postponed after Round 7 - Chessbase News

"I don't think Montreal is lacking in political clout in Quebec," stated Qubec solidaire co-spokesman Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois. "If the price to pay for a Quebec democracy that better represents the regions and better reflects the votes of Quebecers is that Montreal loses three ridings, it is a price we at QS are ready to pay."Dave Sidaway / Montreal Gazette file photo

The beauty of chess is that it is a game of drawn out strategy whereby you virtually set traps for your opponent, calculated to remove their obstacles of resistance until a checkmate is inevitable.

Politics is arguably a chess game; thats the beastly part.

And arguably (theres a lot of arguably going on here) the proverbial bastion that is the West Island of Montreal (WIM) is a pawn in the provincial game between Quebec nationalists and in-ground federalists.

I have to hand it to the eternal nationalist movement, which has been with us since the Battle of the Plains of Abraham. Their strategy of nailing independence (ie. victory) has been remarkably progressive. Like a chess game, they first tried a quick thrust a clear referendum question. That having failed, they tried a quick cloaked version. (We will share the Canadian passport and dollar.) The fast tracks having failed, they settled down to a slow burn with lots of cloaking devices. Their checkmate scenario is best described by the London School of Economics former premier Jacques Pariseaus winning conditions. The idea is if you cant trick your opponent with some textbook moves, you take the long road and disable their board pieces little by little. The opponent loses by attrition.

After an outright separatist party (Parti Qubcois) waxed ineffectiveness over the recent years, we now have a nationalist-lite option (Coalition Avenir Qubec) which presents itself under a more inclusive marquee (ie. We will not hold another referendum, without saying, until we have winning conditions.)

But the chess game goes on, played out by more experienced bushwhackers.

Exhibit A: Garnish English schools (like pawns) one by one, having previously changed the rules of the game with Bill 101. That undemocratic bill still lingers under the cloak of French language protection despite the former concern having been proven to be solid in terms of Quebec society. But the separatists are playing for a win not a draw. I say cloak because Bill 101s contemporary purpose is to create winning conditions. (Theres that chess game again.)

Three more English schools recently closed in the east end due to (101-fabricated) low attendance of historic Anglos (as opposed to other Canadians.) Wow.

Exhibit B: The bling-restricting Bill 21. (You fill in the blanks.) Hardly a champion of Canadas cultural melting pot (versus a record-skipping one-trick tribal pony.)

And yet the chess match, like an exhausting game of Risk (the global version of territory procurement) moves too slowly for the eager vanguard of nation-wanters, so being an inventive baker its got something fresh cooking in the oven:

Exhibit C: Bill 39, the CAQ governments proposed reforms to the electoral system that the non-narcoleptic chess opposition say would reduce the island of Montreals loges in the National Assembly by three. Doesnt seem that much to complain about, huh? But remember, we are now in the long haul, pawns projected to be garnished even further until the moat is dry and the drawbridge down around Fortress WIM. Doesnt matter if the doomed seats are not in the West Island. Its the number of pieces left on the board. Montreals say in the strictest definition of provincial Quebec would be further eroded less irritants to the wanters strategic end game. And like the present use of Bill 101 and 21 cloaked. A loss to Montreal will be counterbalanced with a rural gain no matter their spare population and whether they know where Montreal the provinces economic engine is on the map.

Without being a Quebec political guru how do I know this proposal is bad?

Because Qubec solidaire co-spokesman Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois likes it:

If the price to pay for a Quebec democracy . . . (I dont know how he doesnt get struck by lightning when he says that.) . . . that better represents the regions and better reflects the votes of Quebecers is that Montreal loses three ridings, it is a price we at QS are ready to pay. (As Ace Ventura, pet detective says, Reeeeeeeeealy!

Also the Liberal critic for democratic reforms doesnt like it. (Hmmm. Can it be bad for the pawns?)

I could dredge up more examples, but why bother? The writing is on the wall. The chess game is on and we should upend the board. How about a Montreal independent from Quebec?

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Schukov: The chess game continues and the West Island is a pawn - Montreal Gazette

All countries employ spies. They need it to gain intel on their enemy states, and also to make sure their friends are not going to change sides or cook up something against them while they are not looking. Hollywood has created some of its own iconic spy figures, but what the audience is really interested in are the real stories. With so many things going on in the world, we dont know about most of the missions that secret services pull off.

The governments or the agencies or the spy themselves, sometimes, release these stories for public knowledge years later. This is why, whenever an espionage drama is released, we wonder about its reality. The same question goes for Netflixs Cold War drama, The Coldest Game. To find out how close it comes to real life, read on.

Set in 1962, the film follows the story of a mathematician who is brought to Poland to play for America against a Soviet chess champion. Despite his personal struggles, Joshua Mansky succeeds in winning the first round. However, with the next round, he discovers that there is a lot more at stake and he might have to do much more than just win a game.

No, The Coldest Game is not based on a true story. The film does take into account the political upheaval of the time but puts a fictional spin to it. The chess match, the Cuban crisis, President Kennedy and Secretary Chruszczow were real. The Palace of Culture and Science is still towering over the centre of Warsaw. We hope that the fusion of fact and fiction, the emotions and the intrigue between the two chess masters, as well as secret service agents of two empires, will give the viewers an unforgettable experience, director ukasz Komicki said.

While the director has confirmed that the movie is not based on real events, there are things that remind one of certain events that were marked down in history books. The chess match in the film takes place in 1962, but the one from real life that people remember is the one that took place in 1972 between challenger Bobby Fischer of the United States and defending champion Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union. Taking place in Iceland, the World Chess Championship was called the Match of the Century.

For a long time, the title had been held by a line of Soviet players, but Fischer changed that. His win of the World title was considered a crushing moment in the midst of the Cold War by the former champion, Garry Kasparov. By that time, the situation between American and Soviet Union had started to settle down. The worst part of the Cold War was over, but still, the match held great importance for both countries and was considered a matter of pride.

The political significance of it brought the pressure on both the players, the kind of which we find Mansky and Gavrylov subjected to. If Komicki didnt exactly base the story on this event, he surely must have used it as a reference to set the ground for the characters.

Another thing that you might have found unreal is the use of a hypnotist by the Soviets to distract Mansky. It does seem a rather ridiculous thing, but the strategy is not an alien move for chess players. For example, the match between Anatoliy Karpov and Viktor Korchnoi in 1978 became infamous for that. During the match, Korchnoi complained that a man in the audience was trying to distract him. He described him as a peculiar person. It was later revealed that the man was a military psychologist and a part of Karpovs team.

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Is The Coldest Game Based on a True Story? Did the Chess Match Happen in Real Life? - The Cinemaholic

KOLKATA: India's tryst with major global chess event proved to be short-lived as the Grand Chess Tour (GCT) has decided to skip Kolkata as a venue for one of its legs this season.

The city had the honour of becoming the first in Asia to host a segment of the GCT rapid and blitz meet at Bhasha Bhawan of the iconic National Library last November. It was the biggest chess event to visit the Indian shores and saw eight of the top 15 Grandmasters participating.

Near packed house on all the five playing days left the organisers extremely happy and they expressed desire to make Kolkata a permanent stop for the Tour.

However, much to the dismay of chess lovers of India, the GCT calendar this year does not feature Kolkata.

The sixth edition of the GCT will see a truncated edition with five legs instead of eight that were played last year.

While the number of full tour participants was 12 in the last edition, it has come down to 10 this time. Not only will there be no Indian cities as venue, none of the country's players have found place on the roster. Last time, India No. 1 Viswanathan Anand was one of the prominent faces in the GCT. Apart from him, India's Pentala Harikrishna and Vidit Gujrathi were given wildcards for the Kolkata leg.

While the fifth edition of the GCT featured three classical and five rapid and blitz meets, this edition will see two classical and three rapid and blitz events.

"The main reason for curtailing the number of tour events this year was scheduling," GCT technical director Graham Jurgensen told TOI.

"The Chess Olympiad takes place for most of August while the World Championship event takes place for almost the entire month of November," he stated. "The combination and importance of these two events coupled with the impact on the St Louis events made it difficult for us to schedule additional GCT events in the last three months of the year," he explained.

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Kolkata out of GCT calendar this year - Times of India

A collection of neatly arranged trophies occupy a wooden shelf at K Priyankas home. I have more than 200. My father bought that shelf in 2008 after the prizes started to come in, says the 18-year-old chess player.

Priyanka recently bagged the Woman International Master (WIM) title at the IIFL Wealth Mumbai International Chess Tournament, becoming the first person from the city to win it. She played against Mithil Ajgaonkar from Maharashtra in the competition. He is a higher rated player than I am and it was a tough match. He played well, but I did better, smiles Priyanka who started playing chess as an eight year old after watching her father and grandfather playing. I would observe the game for hours. My dad taught me the rules and soon I was contesting in competitions. The first was a local championship and I came fourth. In the next six months, Priyanka was competing in State tournaments and, in 2011, represented the country at the World Chess Championship in Brazil. I was too young to understand its significance. But now, as I think back, I understand how big an opportunity it was, she says.

It was not always easy. In 2012, her father passed away in an accident and that caused a gap in her playing. But, after a point, she missed the game and started to participate in championships again. Those were dark times. It took me two years before I could bring myself to play chess again. I lost in most competitions and did not know how to handle failures. I was under a lot of pressure. It took me a while to realise that doing my best was all that mattered. This helped me get back on track, she recalls.

Priyanka won the first norm out of the three to win the Woman International Master title in 2016 at the World Junior Chess Championship held at Bhubaneswar. The second was in 2018 at the Goa Grandmaster Chess tournament. It took me three years to win the final norm. I missed it many times by minute point differences, she says.

Being a Woman International Master gives her many privileges. She does not have to pay participation fee and also gets free accommodation at many championships, something that is of great help as she is yet to find a sponsor.

Favourite players

Priyanka works hard to stay in form. I do not have a fixed schedule, but I usually practise for at least eight hours every day. I analyse games of other players and see how they plot their moves. She trains under grandmaster Vishnu Prasanna from Chennai. We do online sessions where he clears my doubts, she says.

Balancing studies and chess is hard, admits Priyanka. I am in class XII at Chinmaya Vidyalaya and it is an important year of my life. I have missed most of my classes and now I only have a month to catch up on my portions before the board exam. I plan to concentrate on my studies for the time being. I will be back in championships from April, she says. Priyanka dreams of winning the coveted Grandmaster title. Another dream is to be a civil servant. I know it is tough but it is also possible, she smiles.

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Advantage Priyanka; K Priyanka on becoming a Woman International Master - The Hindu