British Chess Magazine November 2023

Indians Vidit Santosh Gujrathi and Rameshbabu Vaishali claim victories in the Open and the Women’s section. Hikaru Nakamura and Tan Zhongyi won second place and secured to secure spots for the Candidates The Villa Marina in Douglas, Isle of Man, played host to the FIDE Grand Swiss and FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss 2023 from October 23rd to November 6th. Both tournaments served as pivotal qualifiers for the World Championship cycle, granting the top two players in each event spots in the upcoming Candidates Tournaments in 2024. A total of 164 players from across the globe participated in the Swiss System format, with 114 contenders in the Grand Swiss and 50 in the Women’s Grand Swiss. The impressive $600,000 prize fund was divided, offering $460,000 for the Grand Swiss and $140,000…

In the women’s section, Rameshbabu Vaishali’s remarkable performance culminated in an unbeaten 8.5/11, earning her the first-place prize of $25,000 and a spot in the Candidates tournament. The sister of the Indian superstar GM Praggnanandhaa had a great tournament (as did her sibling). This was the first time that a sibling duo had participated in both Open and Women’s Candidates Tournaments! Remaining unbeaten throughout the event, Anna Muzychuk secured second place. With a record of five wins and six draws, she earned a prize of $17,500. Notably, Muzychuk had already solidified her place in the Women’s Candidates by securing a commendable third-place finish in the World Cup. The second Candidates spot was taken by GM Tan Zhongyi. Vaishali's final game, a draw against Batkhuyag Munguntuul, sealed her victory. Munguntuul had…

Chess history was made as eight-year-old Bodhana Sivanandan from England claimed victory, securing a perfect score of 10 out of 10 in the Girls Under 8 category at the World Cadet Championship held in Egypt. Sivanandan’s remarkable win not only marked England’s first triumph in a world youth championship in 25 years but also completed a rare and historic triple crown achievement. In June, she claimed two world championship titles in rapid and blitz in Batumi, Georgia, mirroring her 2022 victories. Her recent win in Egypt makes it a triple crown in the Girls Under 8 category, with an undefeated streak in all 32 games across the three events. The young prodigy’s dominance was evident throughout the tournament, securing the title with a round to spare, boasting a significant two-point…

Kasparov told me many years ago not to play tournaments with amateur conditions, because then you will play amateur chess. Magnus Carlsen The devoted pupil religiously followed his teacher’s wise advice when reaching the summit of the chess world. Elite round-robins were the diet that he relied on, constantly playing the world’s best, without a single break such as a weaker opponent in an open tournament. This advice has been followed by every single prodigy who made it to the top. It’s excellent advice, if only everybody could follow it. A lot has been said about the elite playing each other, guarding their rating and their earnings. There are many reasons for this state of affairs, the main one being that it is in the mutual interest of both the…

In round two of the Qatar Masters Carlsen was blown off the board by Alisher Suleymenov, rated 2512. You can find the game analysed in detail elsewhere in this issue. If the sensation of the result wasn’t enough, Carlsen’s reaction on social media only added fuel to the fire. This is what he tweeted: 1/2 I was completely crushed in my game today. This is not to accuse my opponent of anything, who played an amazing game and deserved to win, but honestly, as soon as I saw my opponent was wearing a watch early in the game, I lost my ability to concentrate. 2/2 I obviously take responsibility for my inability to deal with those thoughts properly, but it’s also incredibly frustrating to see organisers still not taking anti-cheating…

The Guernsey Open attracted three top players, Harry Grieve, Keith Arkell and Danny Gormally, who all finished with 6/7, having drawn their games against each other and won their games against other opponents. The top prizes were 1st £1200, 2nd £600, 3rd £300 and the prizes were shared so each won £700. The prizes were provided by Chessable. GM Keith Arkell has a solid style with strength in endgames and used the Bogo Indian in the following game on his way to joint 1st place. Alexander Hertog – Keith Arkell 47th Guernsey Open 2023 St James GCI (7.3) 1.d4 ♘f6 2.c4 e6 3.♙f3 ♙b4+ 4.♙d2 4...♙xd2+ 4...♕e7 is one of the alternatives here, protecting the bishop on b4; 4...a5 and 4..c5 are also good. 5.♙bxd2 5.♕xd2 d6 6.♙c3 0–0, with…