Magnus Carlsen wins the Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2022

Wesley So wins US Championship with Fischeresque 9 out of 11. Wesley So cruised to a 2nd US Championship title after two quick draws on the final day. Ray Robson could have caught him with a win in their penultimate round game, but had no tricks up his sleeve against the Berlin Defence. Wesley then thanked Hikaru Nakamura for “gentlemanship and sportsmanship” in playing out a 5-minute draw that was almost a carbon copy of a game they played two years earlier. Jeffery Xiong was runner-up, just half a point behind, and earned a $25,000 present on the eve of his 20th birthday.

See also:

• Official website
• All the US Chess Championship games with computer analysis
• Irina Krush defies COVID to win 8th US Chess Championship
• US Chess Champs Day 1: Wesley on 100%
• US Chess Champs Day 2: Awonder shocks Nakamura
• US Chess Champs Day 3: Wesley So breaks clear

It’s almost unprecedented that a reigning world champion is participating in a cycle for the next world championship, but this year it will happen. Magnus Carlsen will be playing the FIDE World Cup in September in Tbilisi, Georgia.

It was FIDE itself that broke the news on Monday morning, by publishing the full list of participants of this year’s FIDE World Cup. (See below). As it turns out, the top 15 of the July FIDE rating list is playing—which, in a broad sense, makes it the strongest chess tournament ever held.

“FIDE is delighted to confirm that the top 15 players in the latest rating list are participating in the World Cup and particularly that the world champion, Magnus Carlsen, has agreed to participate,” FIDE Executive Director Nigel Freeman told Chess.com.

Zurab Azmaiparashvili, the Director of the Organising Committee, is equally thrilled: “To be honest I know about it more than ten days, but anyway I’m really surprised positively! I don’t know if it happened for the first time or not that a world champion will play the World Cup, but for us Georgians, it’s great! We will have Magnus here in Tbilisi and our chess lovers will see him live.”

The FIDE World Cup takes place 2-27 September in Tbilisi, Georgia. The total prize fund is $1.6 million (€1.37 million) with a first prize of $120,000 (€103,000).

read more on chess.com

The tie-break of the Women’s World Chess Championship was played in Espinas Palace Hotelon February 22. Only two players Harika Dronavalli and Nana Dzagnidze returned to the venue to determine the last semifinalist in rapid and blitz games.

In the first rapid game Harika Dronavalli sacrificed a pawn but got enough compensation by keeping a pair of bishops and getting some space advantage. Nana Dzagnidze transfered the game into the rook ending, which computer estimates as an equalone. “Most probably Nana could have made a draw but I think it was easier for me to play this ending”, said Harika at the post-game interview.

For the second time during this match Nana was in a must-win situation but this time Harika didn’t give any chance for her opponent. The final position in the seocnd game was winning for Indian player but she prefered to force a draw, which garanteed her a place in the semifinal.

Four players continue competing for the chess crown: Tan Zhongyi (China) faces Harika Dronavalli (India), and Alexandra Kosteniuk (Russia) meets Anna Muzychuk (Ukraine). These matches consist of two games with the following time control: 90 minutes for 40 moves, then 30 minutes for the rest of the game, plus 30 bonus seconds after each move. If the match is tied 1-1, it is continued on the tie-break with quicker time controls.

See also:

• Official website
• All the games with computer analysis on chess24