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Following the conclusion of the Classical World Championship, chess followers are handled with one other two World Championships briefly order. The first of those, the Rapid Chess World Championship, started on Sunday. 

The Blitz Chess World Championship started at this time (Wednesday twenty ninth December, 1400 UTC), which might be seen stay on Lichess.

(title picture: The new World Rapid Chess Champion Nodirbek Abdusattorov vs. Ian Nepominachtchi – FIDE)

Shaking off the rust within the sooner time controls of 15+10 (speedy) and three+2 (blitz), lots of of the world’s finest chess gamers, women and men, convened in Warsaw which agreed to host the match at brief discover. 

Varying from earlier years of the speedy match, gamers had solely 13 rounds in opposition to opponents within the speedy – making these first rounds all of the extra essential to get forward of the pack. 

Day 1

Magnus Carlsen, who simply defended his Classical World Championship title, was clearly eager to additionally defend his Rapid World Championship title, too. On the primary of three days of speedy, he began properly, defeating established threats like Aleksey Dreev, Alexei Shirov, and the younger prodigy Bharathakoti Harsha. 

The Georgian Merab Gagunshvili appeared like he would maintain Carlsen to a draw, with equality for over 100 strikes, and entered right into a theoretically drawn endgame (Carlsen with a rook and bishop, Gagunshvili with a rook). But, this endgame is hard – David Navara not too long ago overcame Viswanathan Anand in the identical endgame – and Carlsen pushed on. After an unlucky blunder, Gagunshvili’s place grew to become hopeless and he resigned shortly after. However, it was Samvel Ter-Sahakyan who was capable of maintain in opposition to Carlsen, making it the one draw of the day for the Norwegian title holder, ending the primary day on 4.5 / 5.

Playing for a house crowd, the Polish no 1 participant, Jan-Krzysztof Duda (certified into the Candidates 2022), overcame threats from the likes of Kirill Alekseenko, Andrei Volokitin, the Uzbek prodigy Jakhongir Vakhidov, and Hovannes Gabuzyan. Duda was solely unable to make progress in opposition to the charismatic Georgian Baadur Jobava, placing each gamers stage with Carlsen on 4.5 / 5.

A big pack of chasers had been simply behind this group, on 4 / 5, together with Ian Nepomniachtchi, Alireza Firouzja, Alexander Grischuk, and Boris Gelfand. Hans Niemann – who has ascended meteorically within the classical lists since over the board play resumed – and the promising Uzbek prodigy, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, had been additionally a part of this peloton behind the leaders.

In the Women’s part, top-seed Kateryna Lagno had a shocking defeat to Evgenija Ovod, with a 300 ranking level distinction between the 2. Meanwhile, second high seed, Aleksandra Goryachkina began off sturdy with two victories earlier than drawing her third and dropping her fourth, to Anastasia Bodnaruk. Meanwhile, skilled Russian champions Valentina Gunina and Alexandra Kosteniuk are each within the lead with an ideal 4 / 4. 

Enjoy a puzzle pack from day 1:

https://lichess.org/examine/MnYd4zRl/GyuBLUZx

Day 2

At the tip of day 2, solely Carlsen was within the sole lead with 7.5 / 9. Facing additional challenges – each new and previous – Carlsen had a troublesome day forward of him. Starting in opposition to Baadur Jobava, Jobava proved that when he’s in type, he’s in type – and precisely why he might be such a menace. Carlsen, regardless of having an excellent place, was unable to land the knockout blow to Jobava, with the day beginning with a draw for each gamers.

Going from the frying pan and into the hearth, Carlsen then was instantly paired in opposition to the ferocious Alireza Firouzja, who not too long ago grew to become the youngest participant in historical past to interrupt the 2800 barrier. Firouzja, with black, tried with the Caro-Kann he’s grow to be so comfy with, however much like how Firouzja struggled in opposition to Caruana with it within the Grand Swiss, Carlsen was capable of maintain the initiative and get the win. Carlsen then confronted longtime adversary, Alexander Grischuk – however regardless of blundering an alternate the veteran Russian instantly blundered again, with the sport ending in an eventful draw. For the final recreation of the day, Carlsen was matched in opposition to native expertise Duda – a little bit of a grudge match, given Duda knocked Carlsen out of the World Cup (albeit within the blitz tiebreaks). In any occasion, Carlsen acquired his revenge in a classic-Carlsen endgame squeeze.

Meanwhile, Nodirbek Abdusattorov misplaced within the first spherical of the day in opposition to Anton Korobov; but got here again in type in his subsequent three video games. Facing Levon Aronian instantly after his loss to Korobov, Abdusattorov had no worry (in any case, why ought to he? He beat Caruana in spherical 3 adopted by attracts in opposition to Nepomniachtchi and Grischuk in rounds 4 and 5) and took the complete level. Facing off in opposition to Radoslaw Wojtaszek after which Boris Gelfand, Abdusattorov took dwelling one other two factors – placing the teen on 7 / 9 on the finish of day two. Only Alexander Grischuk and Ian Nepomniachtchi had been a part of the 7 / 9 group with him.

In the Women’s part, Kosteniuk was first pitted in opposition to Gunina – each on 4 / 4. Gunina, regardless of having a stronger place, made a number of errors with the benefit slipping away, reversing and Kosteniuk finally successful. The recreation felt pivotal for Kosteniuk’s momentum – occurring to win in opposition to Mariya Muzychuk, Nataliya Buksa, together with her momentum solely being slowed with a shocking draw in opposition to Assel Serikbay. Ending the day a full level and a half over everybody else – with 7.5 / 8, it appears doubtless Kosteniuk is the runaway chief of the Women’s occasion. Both Humpy Koneru (the present Women’s Rapid Champion) and top-seed Kateryna Lagno are on 6 / 8. 

Enjoy a puzzle pack from day 2:

https://lichess.org/examine/WIPb72W2/TYZhMr1N

Day 3

An thrilling begin to the day for Nodirbek Abdusattorov going through Magnus Carlsen. Abdusattorov, coming off the earlier excessive of yesterday, seemed to be assured in opposition to Carlsen. Going right into a beneficial endgame, it was Carlsen on the backfoot of an endgame squeeze. Despite being theoretically drawn (and on one transfer even theoretically successful for Carlsen, though the road would fall afoul of the 50 transfer rule), the place was advanced. Abdusattorov noticed his likelihood from a blunder by Carlsen within the endgame and seized it – within the area of two strikes getting a mate in 7 in opposition to the World Champion. Carlsen, seeing the inevitable, resigned. 

Incredible pairings stored coming thick and quick throughout the remainder of the day – Alireza Firouzja in opposition to Hikaru Nakamura, Daniil Dubov and Sergey Karjakin, Fabiano Caruana in opposition to Alexander Grischuk and Ian Nepomniachtchi, Magnus Carlsen in opposition to Levon Aronian, Ian Nepomniachtchi, and Hikaru Nakamura – amongst a number of the highlights. 

(Magnus Carlsen versus Hikaru Nakamura – FIDE)

By the tip of spherical 13, 4 gamers had been all on 9.5 factors. In tiebreak order, these had been: Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Magnus Carlsen, and Fabiano Caruana.

Somewhat surprisingly, and a change from earlier years, there have been no play offs between all gamers on the identical rating. Instead, while the tiebreaks had been thought of to be ok to settle who was third and 4th positioned, the rules didn’t appear to contemplate them ok to settle who was 1st and 2nd positioned. Consequently, Carlsen and Caruana, regardless of disputing, needed to accept third and 4th. Abdusattorov and Nepomniachtchi, in the meantime, had a blitz play-off to settle who was 1st and 2nd within the Rapid World Championship.

In the primary blitz play off recreation, Nepomniachtchi pushed with the white items and was doing very properly however was unable to complete the sport off and it led to a draw. In their second recreation, Abdusattorov secured a greater place with the white items and traded all the way down to a successful rook endgame with an additional pawn. The recreation led to a wild scramble the place neither participant ever had greater than 5 or 10 seconds on their clock. Abdusattorov missed a mate in 2 and Nepomniachtchi briefly reached an excellent place, however these goal evaluations do not imply a lot with each gamers enjoying totally on intuition. In the tip, Abdusattorov received and with 1.5 / 2 within the tiebreak, the 17 yr previous Uzbek prodigy was topped World Rapid Champion, dethroning Magnus Carlsen.

In the Women’s part, Kosteniuk took her foot off the fuel just a little – with much less dominance in opposition to her opponents on the third day than within the earlier two days – however nonetheless comfortably received the Women’s part with a formidable 9 / 11. The promising Kazakh expertise, Bibisara Assaubayeva, got here second with 8.5 / 11, together with attracts in opposition to Kosteniuk and Gunina and a win in opposition to Nana Dzagnidze. Meanwhile, regardless of a rocky day two the place she solely acquired 1.5 / 4, Valentina Gunina got here again sturdy with two wins and two attracts, to take third place forward of Kateryna Lagno on tiebreak with 8 / 11.