Σκακιστικά νέα

From 26 June to 1 July 2017 the 51st Internet based FIDE Arbiters’ Seminar was held, organized by the FIDE Arbiters’ Commission and under the auspices of FIDE.

Russian Higher League, the final qualifying stage for the Russian Superfinal Championship, is taking place from 1-12th July in the Olympic resort Krasnaya Polyana near Sochi.

100 players compete in two sections, men’s and women’s, through 9 rounds of Swiss system. The total prize fund is 75.000 EUR.

The second leg of the Grand Chess Tour, Your Next Move, wrapped up today in Leuven with a complete domination by Magnus Carlsen.

The World Champion earned thirteen tour points (one bonus point for winning clear first) and $37,500 for his efforts. He is now leading the tour with twenty-five points.

The 11th Philadelphia International was held from June 24-29, 2017, at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, 1201 Market St., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

GM Andrey Stukopin from Russia and local IM John Burke shared the first place with 7,0/9 points to earn $2250 each. Burke also earned a GM norm, as well as IM Nicolas Checa (6,5 points).

Today was all about Magnus Carlsen who completely annihilated the field scoring 7.5/9 in blitz play, half a point more than his impressive score in the rapid in Paris.

He is now tied for first place with Wesley So who had a very shaky day. Their last round meeting tomorrow will most likely decide the winner of the event.

Wesley So emerged as the winner of the rapid portion of Your Next Move Grand Chess Tour. He is now headed to the blitz portion with a two point lead over the rest of the field.

In the blitz, each win is worth one point, so his competitors are two wins away from catching him. He finished first under the watchful eyes of Maxime Vachier-Lagrave who was always a striking distance away from and finished in second place.

After day two of the rapid, Wesley So increased his lead by a point. He is being closely chased by Magnus Carlsen and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave who are one move away from catching the leader.

It is interesting to note that all three players recently completed the Paris leg of the Grand Chess Tour so it will be interesting to see if fatigue will play a role in their performance.

A launching promo event for the European Corporate Chess Championship took place in Paris on 28th of June.

The 1st European Corporate Chess Championship 2017 will take place in the Town Hall of Honour of the City of Asnières, Paris, France, 24–25 November 2017.

The President of Russia Vladimir Putin sent a telegram of greetings to the members of the Russian national women’s team and their coaches on winning the World Team Chess Championship.

After the grueling first leg of the Grand Chess Tour in Paris, which concluded just two days ago, Magnus Carlsen, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Wesley So continued on to Leuven, Belgium to play in the second leg of the Grand Chess Tour.

They are joined by Viswanathan Anand, Levon Aronian, Ian Nepomniachtchi who skipped Paris and are just starting the tour.