Mediaboss Marketing

GM Fabiano Caruana won the 2024 SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia with five rounds to spare. Scoring a total of 27 points across the five days, he matched GM Magnus Carlsen's record from 2019 of most points earned in a Grand Chess Tour rapid and blitz event.

GMs Wesley So, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, and Alireza Firouzja fought fiercely for the second spot in the remaining rounds but ended up scoring 23 points each for a large tie.

The GCT will conclude back home in St. Louis with the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz on August 10-17 and the Sinquefield Cup on August 17-31.

SuperUnited Croatia Rapid & Blitz Final Standings

To say Caruana was a "clear favorite," going into the final day 4.5 points ahead of the field, is an understatement. At the award ceremony, he said: "The last day was mostly about chasing Magnus' record, which I almost managed, but I realized at some point it's just so difficult. I mean, to collect points when everyone wants to beat you is really tough."

The day started with a comical moment as GM Anish Giri arrived late, just after the ceremonial first moves had been made. He came right in time to look like he was the last guest, on his own board against GM Vidit Gujrathi:

That game, between friends, ended almost instantly in a draw, by the way. But let's jump into the rest of the action.

The tournament continued to play out like a dream for the tournament leader. He clinched it by winning his first three games and drawing the fourth. While he played out the rest of the rounds, he'd already won the $40,000 prize and 13 GCT points.

GM Ian Nepomniachtchi (who celebrated his 34th birthday) suffered his fourth loss in a row (carried over from the previous day) in Sunday's first round, against Caruana. In the opening, Nepomniachtchi sacrificed his knight on g5 with the classic "fishing pole trap" theme, but when he blitzed out 22.e6??, Caruana realized this time the knight really was hanging.

Once again with the black pieces (as he had started the tournament with White twice), Caruana won a full piece in the middlegame again, this time against GM Gukesh Dommaraju by Putting Pressure on the Pinned Piece (PP on the PP).

Caruana was in trouble against Vidit, who achieved a winning position with the two knights against two bishops. But when the Indian GM struggled to find the right way to push the passed pawn, the position swung around and Caruana won the endgame with a great bishop and active king:

With a draw in Sunday's fourth round against Saric, Caruana officially won the tournament. As often happens, after he'd already clinched the title, he lost three games in the second half of the dayand scoring just a half-point more would have broken Carlsen's record.

Still, his final victory against GM Levon Aronian allowed him to match the record with 27 points. It was a crushing win in the Benoni Defense, which Caruana converted with great speed and accuracy. GM Rafael Leitao goes over the full game below.

In a sense, the fight for second place was the greatest intrigue on the final day, as a handful of players were in the running to earn the $30,000 prize. By the time Caruana won the tournament, Firouzja and Vachier-Lagrave were on 19 points and So was on 18.5, and these three were the main contenders for the rest of the tournament.

Vachier-Lagrave's victory against Aronian in Sunday's fifth game was a close contender for Game of the Day. GM Garry Kasparov called the French number-two a "fish in water" when allowed to attack, and the black king was "easy prey for the white pieces" after 19.Rxe6!!, a move that the former world champion spotted instantly himself.

Firouzja was the first player to defeat Caruana, in the fifth round, but he needed a bit of luck in the final round to win on demand against GM Ivan Saric. The Croatian GM overlooked a basic tactic when he played14.e5?. Can you follow in Firouzja's footsteps from Black's side?

Meanwhile, in the sixth round So played the swindle of the day against Vidit, winning a position that most people would consider to be somewhere between "dead lost" and "resignable" for Black.

Nepomniachtchi and Aronian funnily both played a Sicilian Wing Gambit in the same round (respectively, against Saric and against Giri), but their scores from the previous days left them too far behind. Nepomniachtchi also had the last laugh in his saga with So from the previous day:

Gukesh, Giri, Vidit, and Saric rounded out the field at the bottom. It was a painful showing for the Indian challenger in the 2024 FIDE World Championship, but it's not nearly the end of the world. The match, four months away, will be played with a classical time control and not rapid and blitz (excluding tiebreaks).

Caruana leads the Grand Chess Tour ahead of the two final events.

Grand Chess Tour Founder Kasparov joined the broadcast to share his thoughts on several topics.

About Caruana's incredible achievement, he said: "He was definitely the dominant force in Bucharest and, also, to the surprise of many... now his dominance is absolute." About Firouzja, he saw great potential but, "his big weakness is complicated endgames... it remains one of his Achilles heels."

Kasparov admitted that rapid and blitz may become relevant in the upcoming world championship if it reaches tiebreaks, but that it's first and foremost a classical event. At the same time, he made a statement that received more backlash than agreement in the comments on X:

He also revealed that in 2025 the GCT Finals will feature the top four players, with the details of format and qualification still being worked out. This year, the GCT will conclude in St. Louis next month.

How to review?

The 2024 SuperUnited Croatia Rapid & Blitz is the third event of the 2024 Grand Chess Tour and ran July 10-14 in the Westin Hotel in Zagreb, Croatia. The 10 players first competed in a single rapid round-robin with a time control of 25 minutes plus a 10-second increment per move that was followed by a blitz double round-robin with a 5+2 time control.

Previous coverage:

Read the original post:
Caruana Wins With 5 Rounds To Spare, Matches Carlsen's Record Of 27 Points - Chess.com

The FIDE World Senior Team Chess Championships concluded on July 11 in Krakow, Poland with the U.S. finishing at the top of the 50+ section and England claiming the 65+ tournament. In total, 65 teams and 307 players, including 32 grandmasters, participated.

Teams consisted of four players, and Women's teams competed together with the Open tournaments. Each event was a nine-round Swiss, with 90 minutes for 40 moves, with 30 minutes to the end of the game, plus a 30-second increment per move.

The U.S. team consisted of GMs Jaan Ehlvest, Alexander Shabalov, Melikset Khachiyan, Igor Novikov, and Alex Yermolinsky. The same players, with the exception of Khachiyan replacing GM Gregory Kaidanov, were repeat winners from last year's tournament in North Macedonia.

Top 10 Teams | 50+ Seniors

The U.S. suffered its only loss against Iceland but ultimately won every other round. They took the sole lead after round seven and held onto it.

Round eight was their most dominant, with a 4-0 clean sweep against Israel. On the top board, Ehlvest demolished GM Michael Oratovsky's Sicilian Defense in 20 moves with a pretty finish:

There were six Women's teams, and Estonia outpaced the U.S. team by a half-point. The players were WIM Monika Tsiganova, WFM Regina Narva, WGM Tatyana Fomina, and Kersti Korge. Board-one Tsiganova scored a respectable 6/9, being the underdog in every individual matchup; with a rating of 1999, she had a performance of 2347 and gained 78 rating points.

Her biggest upset was in the last round against FM Karsten Schuster. She unleashed a great attack against the Caro-Kann in that game:

England won gold in the 65+ section, led by GMs John Nunn, Anthony Kosten, Jonathan Mestel, IM Paul Littlewood, and FM Terry Chapman.

Top 10 Teams | 65+ Seniors

(See full standings here.)

It was more than a team victory for England, as legendary GMs Michael Adams and Nunnwho are the reigning individual senior world champions for 50+ and 65+ won individual gold in their respective categories.

England went undefeated, scoring seven victories and two draws. With the exception of round six, when France momentarily took the sole lead, England was always at least tied for first.

Nunn put up a 15-move miniature in the final round against Finland's IM Timothy Binham, with an elegant "sacrifice" on the final move.

Speaking of miniatures, Adams' 19-move win against GM Johan Hjartarson should be mentioned, although it was in the +50 groupanother fine showing for England.

Latvia won Women's gold out of three competing teams (Poland and the U.S.), with +2 -3 =4. The players were WGM Tamara Vilerte, Astra Goldmane, WFM Liga Ungure, WFM Ingrida Priedite, and Vija Rozlapa.

The World Senior Chess Championships, for individuals, will take place in November in Porto Santo, Portugal. And even more presently, the U.S. Senior Championship begins in St. Louis next week, on July 16 through 26.

How to review?

The 2024 FIDE World Senior Team Chess Championships took place in Krakow, Poland on July 2-11. There were 50+ and 65+ categories, with Women's teams competing together with the Open teams. Each event was a nine-round Swiss, with teams of four players. The time control is 90 minutes for 40 moves, with 30 minutes to the end of the game, plus a 30-second increment per move.

Read the original post:
U.S. Wins World Senior Team Championship 50+, England Takes Gold In 65+ - Chess.com

Some tests are just harder and more nerve-inducing than others. After IM Levy Rozman in January, then GM Magnus Carlsenand GM David Howell in April, this month, it was time to submit GM Hikaru Nakamura to the polygraph. And as if he didn't get enough of it with Levy, IM Danny Rensch became the first person to come back for more "Lie Detector Chess."

The results were just as chaotic as before, with no subject too delicate to discuss: career regrets, cheating in chess, drinking before tournament games... whether you'd ever attributed your flatulence to someone else. Before it all, Hikaru would declare, "For me it's very hard to actually lie, so I'm going to try but probably fail miserably." The statement passed the polygraph, but would Hikaru be better at fooling the contraption than he gave himself credit for?

For me it's very hard to actually lie, so I'm going to try but probably fail miserably.

- Hikaru Nakamura

Examiner Orjan Hesjedal, who also monitored the machine with Carlsen and Howell, suspected Hikaru of manipulating his breathing to trick the test. Sure enough, after he was finally unhooked from the "medieval device," as Danny called it, Hikaru admitted he'd gotten away with a few things. But it took a lot of efforthe allowed Danny to get a draw in the ongoing chess game.

As for Danny's turn hooked up to all the wires and whatnot, well, we got some "TMI" related to undergarments, in addition to more serious insights into his thoughts about the popularization of chess, cheating in Titled Tuesday, whether there is an intimidation factor between himself, Hikaru, and Magnus; and more.

To find out exactly what Hikaru and Danny think about these things, or about Levy's chances at becoming a grandmaster, or the likeability of the world's top 10 chess playerswell, maybe not exactly what they thinkyou'll just have to watch. Don't worry, no one will be wiring you up to measure your vitals.

And we're still looking to make more "Lie Detector Chess" videos. Who else would you like to see? Be honest!

More:
Hikaru Nakamura and Danny Rensch Face the Polygraph - Chess.com

Sigrun en (1963-2024), a chemical engineer and the mother of 16th World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen, passed away in Oslo on Tuesday at the age of just 61. She died peacefully with her family around her after suffering a long illness.

Sigrun was the mother of the former world chess champion and three daughters, Ingrid, Ellen, and Signe, and the wife of Henrik. Ellen shared the news of her mothers death in a Facebook post that linked to a memorial page: My dear, good mother and the childrens grandmother passed away far too soon. The loss is great.

On the page Henrik writes: Farewell my dear irreplaceable Sigrun. Thank you for everything for more than 41 years.

The sad news explains Carlsens withdrawal from the Grand Chess Tour event in Croatia.

Sigrun was a rock of support for Carlsen during his chess career, with the family taking a European trip together to enable a young Magnus to pursue his chess dreams.

Although it was later Henrik who would usually travel with their son, Sigrun would occasionally travel to events, often with the whole family.

The funeral will take place on July 17, with the family suggesting donations to the Norwegian Cancer Society as an alternative to flowers.

We extend our condolences to all Sigruns family and friends. May she rest in peace.

Go here to see the original:
Sigrun en, Mother Of Magnus Carlsen, Passes Away At 61 - Chess.com

US Chess 2023-2024 Womens Programming Grant Cycle Highlights

With the generous support of the Saint Louis Chess Club, the US Chess Womens Programming Grant directly supports the growth and retention of women and girls in chess. Grant awardees can engage women and girls in chess in the manner that best reflects the strengths of their organizations.

The 2024-2025 Womens Grant Cycle will be announced very soon. We encourage chess programs engaging women and girls to apply and expand the impact of this amazing initiative! In the meantime, congratulations to this years awardees and here are highlights of how they utilized their grant.

Berkeley Chess School

The Berkeley Chess School used their US Chess Womens Grant to host the very first US Chess Senior Womens Chess Championship. The event featured12 of the top U.S. senior women players who made the trip to Berkeley, California, where their games were live streamed and had commentators describing the action. Congratulations to WGM Angelina Belakovskaia who won the championship in a nail-biting finish! The success of this event led to the United States sending the very FIRST womens team to the 2024 World Senior Womens Team Chess Championship in Lubin, Poland. Congratulations to Berkeley Chess School for a successful event.

Chess in the Schools (New York)

Chess in the Schools (CIS) organized two girls-only tournaments in 2023-2024, including the 2024 All-Girls NYC Chess Championship which took place at P.S. 11M, a public school in Manhattans Chelsea neighborhood.405 students participated. The second event was The Bronx All-Girls Chess Challenge. The tournament took place in P.S. 123X with 101 females participating.

CIS also used their grant to run an afterschool chess program from September 2023 through June 2024, with 24 total sessions. Weekly, young female players were offered two hours of personalized coaching. Congratulations to Chess in the Schools for a successful year of chess programming.

Hampton Roads Chess Association (Virginia Beach, VA)

The Hampton Roads Chess Association used their grant to host a series of engaging chess events, including a weekly girls chess club, a womens beginner chess class, a Winter Chess Club Social at their local library, a chess movie night, a chess championship, mom-only tournament, and much more. The number of girls in their program rose from 100 to 150 members and their chess tournament attracted over 220 scholastic players. Congratulations to Hampton Roads Chess Association for a successful year of chess programming.

Indermaur Chess Foundation (Raleigh, NC)

The Indermaur Chess Foundation hosted a Chess Moms tournament. Participants were prepared for the event with chess lessons from two titled women players. The tournament included mothers and grandmothers, many of which played their very first chess tournament. In the very next room, their children were playing a tournament of their own (but they couldnt resist stealing a peak now and then at their moms and grandmothers games!). Many of the adult participants stated that they are looking forward to playing in another tournamentclearly, the chess bug has taken hold with them. Congratulations to the Indermaur Chess Foundation for a successful and inspirational event.

Royal Oak Initiative (Columbus, OH)

The Royal Oak Initiative (ROI) utilized their grant to serve primarily Black and Latina middle-school-aged children from the Columbus City Preparatory Schools for Girls. Their curriculum, led by women coaches of color, joined chess skill acquisition with culturally competent and social emotional learning informed practices.

The program ran from October 17, 2023, through May 14, 2024, totaling 22 sessions engaging 135 students of whom 53 were first-time chess learners. Using chess as the medium, ROI enforced the importance of positive self-talk and mindfulness. On National Chess Day in October, ROI hosted five chess-related events at various venues around the city. These events included:

ROI also hosted a Girls vs Boys Chess tournament which featured two single-sex middle schools from Columbus and a Kinetic Mindfulness Training program which sought to dispel the myth that young people are either nerds or jocks. It also provided middle and high school participants with mindfulness training to support their growth in intentionality in decision making on and off the board. Congratulations to The Royal Oak Initiative for a successful year of creative and engaging chess programming.

Read the original here:
2023-2024 US Chess Women and Girls Programming Grant Highlights! - uschess.org