The Candidates Tournament is taking place in Kazan, Russia, from May 29 to June 19, 2019. Eight strongest female grandmasters are playing in the competition with a prize fund of 200,000 Euros, the largest in history for a tournament of this kind. The participants are Mariya Muzychuk(Ukraine, 2563), Kateryna Lagno(Russia, 2554), Alexandra Kosteniuk(Russia, 2546), Anna Muzychuk (Ukraine, 2539), Aleksandra Goryachkina(Russia, 2522), Tan Zhongyi(China, 2513), Nana…
2019 Ontario Open Final Results & Prize List
The 6-round 2019 Ontario Open was successfully completed last weekend in Oakville. It was a close battle in all sections and particularly in the Championship section where there was a 3-way tie for first place with two GMs and an FM. You can see all the final results and standings in all sections here. A…
Carlsen Slips But Still Ahead In Cote d’Ivoire Rapid & Blitz
Magnus Carlsen is still first in the Côte d’Ivoire Rapid & Blitz after one day of blitz. However, not everything went according to the script for the world champion, who had a tough day at the Pullman hotel in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, but managed to be on top of things nonetheless. The threat to Carlsen’s domain in the…
Carlsen wins against Aronian and consolidates his lead at Grenke Chess Classic
Magnus Carlsen kept his full-point lead at the Grenke Chess Classic with a win vs Levon Aronian on Saturday. The only player trailing him by a point is Fabiano Caruana, who defeated Arkadij Naiditsch. Viswanathan Anand suffered his second loss in a row, vs Georg Meier. A day after being completely exhausted, and expressing his win against Meier as “an absolute mess,” an energetic Carlsen scored…
Karjakin Beats Anand, Catches Carlsen At Gashimov Memorial
Sergey Karjakin joined Magnus Carlsen in first place at the Gashimov Memorial in Shamkir, Azerbaijan. The Russian grandmaster used deep preparation and great endgame technique to beat Viswanathan Anand. During the round, Sergey Karjakin‘s wife Galiya and his oldest son Alexei had arrived in Shamkir and so it was in the press room where the family first saw each other again. When…
8-Year-Old Homeless Refugee Crowned Chess Champion In New York
An 8-year-old Nigerian refugee was just crowned a chess champion in New York’s statewide competition. Tanitoluwa Adewumi, who lives in a Manhattan homeless shelter with his family, won the kindergarten through third grade category in New York’s chess championship last weekend with an undefeated performance, according to New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof. As the…
World Team Chess Championship Is Underway
The World Team Chess Championship is underway in Kazakhstan. After round 4, Russia is on top of both the Women’s and Men’s sections. Ten top teams from around the world are competing for the team championship in both sections. Read more…
No chess at the Olympics anytime soon
The organizers of the Olympic Games periodically consider proposals for new sports to be included. FIDE has applied again for chess to be on the list but once more the sport did not make the cut. Perhaps there will be another try for LA 2028… When planning the Olympic Games, the organizers make suggestions for…
GM Valentina Gunina Wins Inaugural Cairns Cup
In the all-decisive and all-Russian clash, Valentina Gunina held Alexandra Kosteniuk to a draw and won the $40,000 first prize of the inaugural Cairns Cup in St. Louis. Irina Krush came third thanks to beating Harika Dronavalli. “I’m so happy but I didn’t realize it yet, so I need time!” said Gunina after her last game. She seemed to be suppressing a smile when…
14th World Champion Kramnik Retires From Classical Chess
Last week, Vladimir Kramnik announced his retirement from classical chess. A few days after finishing in a tie for last place at 2019 Tata Steel Chess Tournament in Wijk aan Zee. “I already decided to finish my professional chess career a couple of months ago and now, after having played my last tournament, I would like…