GM Hikaru Nakamura attained a commanding lead after scoring 10/12 on the first day of the 2022 FIDE World Blitz Chess Championship on Thursday. He defeated eight grandmasters en path to his imperious score, conceding solely 4 attracts in the direction of GMs Magnus Carlsen, Anish Giri, Daniil Dubov, and Jan-Krzysztof Duda.
IM Polina Shuvalova and GM Valentina Gunina accomplished the first day on prime of the women’s blitz championship with scores of seven.5/9. The women’s event was a barely further tumultuous affair than the open with a lot of the prime seeds dropping video video games inside the early rounds which opened up the sector considerably.
The World Blitz Chess Championship will come to its conclusion on Friday, December 30, starting at 12 a.m. PT / 9:00 CET.
Fewer than 24 hours after the crowning of a model new quick chess world champion, 175 open players descended upon the Baluan Sholak Palace of Custom and Sport in Almaty, Kazakhstan to contest for the coveted title of world blitz chess champion and a share of the $350,00 prize fund.
⚡ BLITZ TIME ⚡
Ft. reigning champion @Vachier_Lagrave, former winners Grischuk and @MagnusCarlsen, and world blitz #2 and #3 @GMHikaru and @FabianoCaruana! 🔥
🟣 https://t.co/kL75QeFnmc
🔴 https://t.co/IH0UNYS3RF
Tune in as they battle for the quickest world title in chess! pic.twitter.com/AoMPb1OEFv
— Chess.com (@chesscom) December 29, 2022
Headlined by the defending champion GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, the 24-round event will see lots of the world’s prime players vie for the title. Just a few of the players who will most likely pose an issue are heavy rating favorites Nakamura and Carlsen, along with totally different 2700+ players along with GMS Yu Yangyi, Vladislav Artemiev, Dubov, and Giri.
Solely Carlsen has managed to defend the world blitz title, which he did on two occasions in 2018 and 2019. Image: Maria Emelianova/Chess.com.
After a dramatic finish to the FIDE World Quick Championship in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, lopsided round-one matchups appeared unlikely to provide comparable stress. In a shock twist, this might not have been farther from the truth. The knowledge of the spherical was undoubtedly Carlsen arriving late to the board and participating in his whole sport in the direction of GM Vladislav Kovalev with 30 seconds on his clock. 59 strikes later the world champion secured a win and it was later revealed that he was “caught in guests” after going snowboarding earlier inside the day.
He had been snowboarding inside the morning, obtained caught in guests because of an accident. #RapidBlitz https://t.co/Q41o6LQfx0
— Tarjei J. Svensen (@TarjeiJS) December 29, 2022
The snowboarding that Tarjei Svensen was alluding to most likely occurred near the Shymbulak ski resort, which the world number-one had visited with the reigning blitz champion Vachier-Lagrave days earlier.
World Champion @MagnusCarlsen and World Blitz Champion @Vachier_Lagrave visited instantly the Shymbulak ski resort, one among many most vital sights of city of Almaty. #RapidBlitz pic.twitter.com/Qauz0Wylot
— Worldwide Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) December 25, 2022
Furthermore only a few attracts, the very best 10 seeds survived the first two rounds comparatively unscathed. Nonetheless, points began to get trickier as a result of the third unfolded. One in every of many occasion favorites GM Ian Nepomniachtchi was spectacularly upset by GM Aleksandr Shimanov, who beat up his compatriot with the bishop pair.
Yu, who’s among the many most fixed performers in elite blitz tournaments, found an incisive combination to quell Serbian GM Velimir Ivic’s good start. The Chinese language language GM accomplished the all-encompassing barrage with a queen sacrifice, culminating in a back-rank checkmate.
Heading into the fourth spherical solely 12 players remained on a great score and the whittling down continued with an astounding six decisive outcomes on the very best boards. Nakamura scored a key win in the direction of darkish horse GM Nihal Sarin whereas GM Denis Lazavik overcame a 249 rating deficit to knock over GM Shakriyar Mamedyarov. This meant the opening between him and the next lowest-rated participant on his score, Duda, was merely shy of 300 components!
Lazavik was amongst elite agency after 4 rounds. Image: Chess-Outcomes.com.
Crunch time arrived in spherical 5 as the very best 10 seeds caved in and had been compelled to play in the direction of each other. The important matchups of Duda-Carlsen and Giri-Nakamura every equipped vital intrigue and had been arguably highly effective matchups for the two higher-rated players.
The Polish well-known individual Duda has confirmed to be a thorn in Carlsen’s facet to this point, nevertheless on Thursday the world champion was simply too good, even utilizing the Trendy Safety to get the job executed. The board-two sport was quickly drawn whereas Lazavik’s good run lastly acquired right here to the tip by the arms of Yu.
The Trendy Safety was the poison of choice for Carlsen in the direction of Duda. Image: Maria Emelianova/Chess.com.
Boards one and two featured near-identical incidences in spherical seven after every Giri and Yu misplaced on time in the direction of the occasion’s prime seeds. Feeling the heat and trying to avoid a compelled checkmate in 10 in the direction of Nakamura, Yui’s clock drained in a helpless place nevertheless Giri, who was so much worse, was ready to foreshadow the best way by which the game was heading and dropped his shoulders as a result of the flag fell.
♚ @MagnusCarlsen wins as soon as extra with Anish Giri figuring out of time!
He leads the occasion alongside @GMHikaru on 6.5/7! 👀 pic.twitter.com/YSQXb4c2tq
— Chess.com (@chesscom) December 29, 2022
To be a fly on the wall after the Giri-Carlsen sport! Image: Maria Emelianova/Chess.com.
All eyes zoned in on the showdown between prime seeds Nakamura and Carlsen in spherical eight as the two dueled to resolve if one would flip into the one chief. The intentions of the players grew to develop into clear after a drawish mannequin of the Queen’s Gambit Declined: Semi Tarrasch arose and on the twenty first switch the players shook palms with out theatrics. As a consequence of attracts on lower boards, their joint lead on 7/8 was maintained.
Spherical 9 was a relatively quiet spherical with attracts on the very best 4 boards, nevertheless this was merely the calm sooner than the storm heading into the ultimate three rounds of the day. Mamedyarov carried out fantastically in the direction of Carlsen with the black objects and managed to win a pawn on switch 28.
Charged with adrenaline, the players began blitzing out strikes as a result of the world champion tried to defend a troublesome place. The Azerbaijani GM, who found himself on the verge of victory, blundered a perpetual study, which Carlsen pounced upon when the possibility arose.
Three attracts in a row for each of the leaders meant that by the day’s penultimate spherical, two chasers, Dubov and GM Haik Martirosyan, had caught them.
With players tiring as a result of the day wore on the draw cost crept up, and for the fourth sport straight, Carlsen drew his sport, this time in the direction of Dubov. Nakamura’s Indian Recreation: Black Knight’s Tango was further of a waltz in spherical 11 as he defeated Martirosyan and took a half-point lead over his nearest chasers.
That lead may very well be extended to a full degree when the well-known content material materials creator blew GM Vladimir Fedoseev off the board inside the final spherical of the day. Analyzed underneath by GM Rafael Leitao, our Recreation of the Day sums up the uncompromising style that Nakamura dropped on the desk on Thursday as a option to take the lead.
Although Nakamura didn’t make his mark inside the quick championship, it need to be well-known that the Fischer Random world champion has nonetheless not misplaced a sport in Kazakhstan over the previous week inside the quick or blitz tournaments. With 12 rounds left to play, he has quickly flip into the favorite to seize his first world blitz title.
2022 World Blitz Chess Championship | Standings After Spherical 12 (Prime 20)
#
Fed
Title
Title
Rating
Components
1
GM
Hikaru Nakamura
2909
10
2
GM
Anish Giri
2792
9
3
GM
Magnus Carlsen
2830
9
4
GM
Daniil Dubov
2792
9
5
GM
Haik Martirosyan
2745
9
6
GM
Richard Rapport
2654
9
7
GM
Vladimir Fedoseev
2733
8.5
8
GM
Vladislav Artemiev
2803
8.5
9
GM
Raunak Sadhwani
2657
8.5
10
GM
Aleksandr Shimanov
2605
8.5
11
GM
Maxim Matlakov
2674
8.5
12
GM
Jules Moussard
2606
8.5
13
GM
ian Nepomniachtchi
2782
8.5
14
GM
Denis Lazavik
2484
8
15
GM
Jan-Krzysztof Duda
2773
8
16
GM
Shakhriyar Mamedyarov
2733
8
17
GM
Vincent Keymer
2600
8
18
IM
Mukhiddin Madaminov
2333
8
19
GM
Nihal Sarin
2702
8
20
GM
Dmitry Andreikin
2735
8
(Full standings proper right here.)
All World Blitz Chess Championship Video video games
This yr’s girls’s occasion choices fairly a couple of earlier world blitz champions along with defending champion IM Bibisara Assaubayeva along with GMs Kateryna Lagno, Gunina, and Nana Dzagnidze.
Assaubayeva exceeded all expectations when she obtained the 2021 championship. Image: Maria Emelianova/Chess.com.
Very just like the open half, the women’s half started with a splash of drama, with the very best seed Lagno immediately falling to WGM Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova with the white objects. The fourth and fifth seeds GM Humpy Koneru and Alexandra Kosteniuk had been moreover casualties inside the first spherical, each dropping to play over 200 rating components lower than them.
The first spherical was a bloodbath for the very best 10 seeds. Image: Chess-Outcomes.com.
Upsets had been so prevalent inside the early rounds that by the purpose spherical three was full, not a single one among many prime 5 seeds was left standing on 3/3, courtesy of a GM Elina Danielian victory over GM Aleksandra Goryachkina on board one. Whereas Goryachkina found herself 11 strikes from delivering checkmate after a worthwhile Kings Indian Assault, the shocking 47.Bd2?? totally threw the lead away and opened the floodgates for the aggressive Armenian.
In spherical 5, 21-year-old Shuvalova emerged as a result of the chief after defeating Danielian and wins over Dzagnidze and GM Harika Dronavalli cemented her spot as one among many occasion frontrunners. Solely a loss by the arms of Gunina stunted Shuvalova’s run which observed her finish the day with a 2613 effectivity rating.
Gunina’s run was most likely rather more spectacular as not a single sport was misplaced en path to her 7.5/9 score. Gunina will face her biggest downside however when she takes on Kosteniuk in spherical 10,
Kosteniuk could have her chance to usurp the leaders in spherical 10. Image: Maria Emelianova/Chess.com.
The defending champion Assaubayeva’s bid for title retention took successful inside the final spherical of the day when she misplaced to recently minted GM Elisabeth Paehtz. The loss leaves her 1.5 components shy of the lead and in need of an unbeaten run when play resumes on Friday.
2022 Ladies’s World Blitz Chess Championship | Standings After Spherical 9 (Prime 20)
#
Fed
Title
Title
Rating
Components
1
IM
Polina Shuvalova
2361
7.5
2
GM
Valentina Gunina
2368
7.5
3
GM
Tan Zhongyi
2510
7
4
GM
Aleksandra Goryachkina
2484
7
5
GM
Alexandra Kosteniuk
2469
7
6
GM
Dronavalli Harika
2407
6.5
7
GM
Nana Dzagnidze
2416
6.5
8
GM
Elisabeth Paehtz
2396
6.5
9
GM
Elina Danielian
2331
6
10
IM
Tania Sachdev
2309
6
11
IM
Lela Javakhishvili
2364
6
12
IM
Bibisara Assaubayeva
2404
6
13
GM
Kateryna Lagno
2522
6
14
IM
Ulviyya Fataliyeva
2322
6
15
IM
Gunay Mammadzada
2383
6
16
WGM
Teodora Injac
2316
6
17
IM
Sarasadat Khademalsharieh
2431
6
18
IM
Inna Gaponenko
2291
6
19
IM
Rout Padmini
2298
6
20
WIM
Nazerke Nurgali
2067
5.5
(Full standings proper right here.)
All Ladies’s World Blitz Chess Championship Video video games
The 2022 FIDE World Blitz Championship is an elite over-the-board event that features probably the greatest velocity chess players on this planet. Masters and nationwide champions from throughout the globe accumulate to compete in a Swiss occasion for his or her share of the $350,000 prize fund.
Classical world champion Carlsen, adopted by velocity chess legends Nakamura, Duda, and Vachier-Lagrave head the sector and can most likely be challenged by fairly a couple of totally different 2700+ players.
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