On June 19, 1996, GM Bobby Fischer, hoping to reinforce the inventive potential of chess, introduced his invention―a model new model of the sport―Fischer Random. Twenty-six years in a while the fiftieth anniversary of his world championship victory in Reykjavik, the town the place he captured the title, Fischer’s imaginative and prescient is alive and effectively. 

The 2022 Fischer Random World Championship has been loaded with creativity, dynamic play, and spirited competitors. On one aspect of the scoreboard is 18-year-old GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov, who has up to now outplayed a number of the prime gamers on this planet on this imaginative variant, ending in clear first of group A. On the opposite aspect is GM Magnus Carlsen, the classical chess world champion, ending on the prime of group B.

These two unimaginable rivals together with GM Ian Nepomniachtchi and GM Hikaru Nakamura―second place finishers for his or her respective teams―will now meet for the finals knockout, starting on Saturday. 

The knockout stage begins on October 29, beginning at 8 a.m. PT / 17:00 CEST.

Amazingly, the primary Fischer Random beginning place of the day was virtually an identical to the day earlier than:

Today’s Round Five Starting Position

This provides gamers a uncommon alternative to construct on their understanding of the similiaries whereas approaching the slight variations with creativity. 

Here are the foremost options:

• Each aspect has an undefended pawn on the a-file.
• The king and d-rook begin in a queenside castled place. If the d8-rook strikes, the b8 one can jump over the king as queenside castling to interchange it.
• The bishops start close to the middle, that means they intention on the edges.
• The variations from yesterday’s place are the queen is within the nook, able to intention down the longest diagonal, and the g8-knight beginning on its common sq..
• These adjustments deliver the pc analysis to +0.16, barely nearer to equal.

The queens starting on the lengthy diagonal appeared to hurry up the tactical nature of the place in lots of video games. Abdusattorov defeated Nepomniachtchi in simply 31 strikes in a extremely dynamic recreation. 

This victory vs. his closest competitor clinched the highest spot in group A for Abdusattorov―guaranteeing that he advance to the knockout stage―with three video games remaining. 

Tactical play additionally dictated the end to Fedoseev vs. Carlsen. As the world champion pressed a profitable queen and rook ending, Fedoseev discovered a artful trick.

Even extra shockingly, GM Wesley So vs. GM Hjorvar Gretarsson completed with mate on the board.

With Abdusattorov’s personal hand on the white items in the identical place, we see a completely magical utilization of the Fischer Random guidelines to show the sport round.

The spherical six beginning place, the ultimate one for this stage, evoked similiaries to the spherical 4 place with simply the c-rook and f-knight switched:

Today’s Round Six Starting Position

Yesterday’s Round Four Starting Position

This one change makes a giant distinction to the pc analysis, which is +0.05―the closest to equal that we have seen on this part. Here are the opposite main options:

• There aren’t any undefended pawns.
• The king begins in kingside castled place: Will gamers fort kingside to hop the h-rook in the direction of the middle or play h4/h5 to activate it?
• The a-bishop goals down the longest diagonal, beckoning for the b-pawn to maneuver and open the bishop’s gaze in the direction of the enemy king on the opposite aspect of the board.
• The commentators strongly favored 1.b4 or 1.b3 as doable first strikes.

How did these elite gamers selected to open the sport? Take a guess at Carlsen’s transfer one and Nakamura’s reply:

Check out the complete recreation from the wild opening to the unimaginable combating chess within the middlegame and endgame of our Game of the Day, Carlsen vs. Nakamura.

I’m blissful for the possibility to evaluation Fischer Random video games, a variation of chess that I like and want to see grow to be extra well-liked. I’ve already had the possibility to play in two such tournaments and I’ve to say I had plenty of enjoyable in each circumstances. The first was on the conventional Open event in Mainz, Germany, in 2006. The second time was in Reykjavik itself, in 2019, after I was invited to play within the Icelandic Championship and even gained the event. To this present day my associates have hassle understanding after I say I used to be the “Icelandic Champion in Fischer Random”.

This draw tied the match, securing the highest two spots of group B for Carlsen and Nakamura. 

Unlike Carlsen and Nakamura, Nepomniachtchi and Gretarsson most well-liked to steer the sport into common chess territory. 

With this victory, Nepomniachtchi secured second place in group A.

Group Stage Final Standings

The Fischer Random World Championship, delivered to you by the Government of Iceland and the City of Reykjavik, gathers prime gamers worldwide to compete in a collection of classical Fischer Random video games for his or her share of the $400,000 prize fund and the title of FIDE Fischer Random World Champion. Fischer Random (often known as Chess960) is a chess variant the place all customary chess guidelines are the identical, apart from the beginning place of the items, which may be in one among 960 semi-random setups. Heavily endorsed by the eleventh world champion GM Bobby Fischer, the variant sidesteps opening preparation to focus on gamers’ true understanding of chess.

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