Every weekday Italian Master Riccardo del Dotto publishes a post about what happened in the chess world on that day. Solve the Quiz!

<big>THE SPANISH TAL</big>

<img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/HT_May_08_2024_Bellon.jpg" style="max-width: 100%;height: auto;" /> 
Montilla 1976: Juan Manuel Bellon Lopez - Source: europe-echecs.com

<big>Today is the birthday of Grandmaster Juan Manuel Bellon-Lopez, born in Valencia, Spain, on May 8, 1950. 
A five-time Spanish champion, he represented his country in eleven Olympiads between 1970 and 1992, winning a silver medal in 1978. 
Throughout his career, he defeated Spassky (in a simultaneous exhibition), Tal, Kortschnoi, Timman, Larsen, Gligoric, Hort, Beliavsky, Ribli, R.Byrne, Andersson, and Ljubojevic. 
Bellon Lopez&nbsp;was always distinguished for his brilliant tactical style, to the extent that Tal himself recognized him as his counterpart. Bellon and Italian GM Sergio Mariotti were&nbsp;among the seconds for GM Henrique Mecking in the match against Lev Polugaevsky in 1977. 
Bellon Lopez&nbsp;is married to Swedish GM Pia Cramling and is the father of Anna Cramling-Bellon, a skilled player and famous YouTuber. 
For years, he has coached the Swedish women&#39;s team, a country of which he became a citizen in 2017.</big>

<big>Juan Manuel Bellon Lopez (2385)-Eigil Pedersen (2200), Olimpiads&nbsp;in&nbsp;Skopje 1972 
White to move</big>

<img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/HT_May_08_2024_Board.jpg" style="max-width: 100%;height: auto;" />

<details><summary><big>See the Answer</big></summary>

<big>21.Rxe4! Rxe4 22.Nxh6 gxh6 23.Bxc8 Bxc8 24.Ng5+! hxg5 25.Qxg5 Rde8 26.Qh5+ 1-0</big>
</details>

Happened Today in the Chess World - May 8, 2024

happened-today-in-the-chess-world-may-8-2024

<big>MEISTER MIESES!</big>

<img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/HT_Feb_27_2024_Mieses.png" style="max-width: 100%;height: auto;" /> 
GM Jacques Mieses - Photo: Cleveland Public Collection -&nbsp;Source: tabladeflanes.com

<big>Today, we remember Grandmaster Jacques Miesis, born in&nbsp;Leipzig, Germany, on February 27, 1865. 
A player with notable tactical flair, Mieses&nbsp;earned numerous beauty awards throughout his career, succeeding on several occasions in defeating champions such as&nbsp;Euwe, Chigorin, Gunsberg, Tarrasch, Janowski, Marshall, Schlechter, Bogoljubow, Rubinstein, Pillsbury, Nimzowitsch, Reti, Lilienthal, Spielmann, and&nbsp;Teichmann. 
A great innovator in the field of openings, Mieses gave important contributions to the Vienna Game, the Center Game, the Scotch and the Closed Sicilian. 
Born in Germany, he was forced to become a British citizen because of the racial laws. When, during a tournament in England, he was called &quot;Mister Maisis,&quot; he famously reacted, reiterating clearly, &quot;Nein, Meister Mieses!&quot;.</big>

<big>Richard Teichmann-Jacques Mieses, Vienna 1903 
Black to move and win</big>

<img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/HT_Feb_27_2024_Board.png" style="max-width: 100%;height: auto;" />

<details><summary><big>See the Answer</big></summary>

<big>28...b5! 0-1 After 29.Qxb5 Qe2+ 30.Qxe2 fxe2+, White is lost.</big>
</details>

Happened Today in the Chess World - Feb 27, 2024

happened-today-in-the-chess-world-feb-27-2024

<big>KING ARTUR</big>

<img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/HT_Feb_13_2024_Jussupow.png" style="max-width: 100%;height: auto;" /> 
Soviet Championship, Minsk 1979:&nbsp;Efim Geller-Artur Jussupow&nbsp; 
Photo: chesspro.ru -&nbsp;Source: @dgriffinchess

<big>Today is the birthday of Grandmaster Artur Jussupow, born in Moscow, Russia, on February 13, 1960. 
World Junior Champion in 1977, Jussupow has been several times a candidate for the World Title. He reached the semifinals three times, to be defeated by&nbsp;Andrei Sokolov, Anatoly Karpov, and Jan Timman. Jussupow participated in ten Olympiads, five with the Soviet Union and five with Germany (he&#39;s been National German Champion two times), winning five teams and one individual gold medal. King Artur reached his peak rating in July 1995 with 2680 Elo points and was the third player in the world between January 1986 and July 1987, behind Kasparov and Karpov. 
Mark Dvoretsky&#39;s favorite pupil, Jussupov, wrote numerous books about openings and middlegame with his teacher and then by himself. 
Nowadays Jussupov works as a trainer. 
 
Matthias Wahls (2570)-Artur Jussupow (2655), Germania Bundesliga 1991/92 
Black to move</big>

<img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/HT_Feb_13_2024_Board.png" style="max-width: 100%;height: auto;" />

<details><summary><big>See the Answer</big></summary>

<big>46...Rxh3! 47.Rxg7 Rh2+ 48.Kg1 Rh1+ 49.Kf2 Qc2+ 50.Kg3 Qh2+ 51.Kg4 Qh5+ 52.Kg3 Qh3+ 0-1</big>
</details>

Happened Today in the Chess World - Feb 13, 2024

happened-today-in-the-chess-world-feb-13-2024

Malcolm Pein: London Classic begins

<table width="100%">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td width="70"><img alt="IM Malcolm Pein" height="60" src="//www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/pein-article-1.jpg" style="max-width: 100% !important; height: auto !important;" width="60" /></td>
			<td align="left" style="text-align: left;font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; color: #000000;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_Pein">IM Malcolm Pein</a> 
			December 1, 2023</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

&nbsp;

<big>DOMMARAJU Gukesh and Hans Niemann headline the 2023 London Chess Classic, where play gets under way today. Gukesh, a 17-year-old Indian, knows that a good result in London will give him a chance of pipping Anish Giri on the FIDE Circuit leaderboard and secure qualification for next year&rsquo;s Candidates Tournament. Niemann&rsquo;s play is always scrutinised, and while his rating has settled down around 2700, I sense that the 20-year-old has both the desire and the talent to go much further. 
British number one Nikita Vitiugov will be looking to build on a fine England debut on top board at the European Team Championship. Regular Classic attendees Michael Adams and Luke McShane are also in the line-up, as is 14-year-old Shreyas Royal, who came so close to a grandmaster norm at the FIDE Grand Swiss. The 10 player all-play-all is completed by Mateusz Bartel (POL), Jules Moussard (FRA), Amin Tabatabaei (IRI) and Andrei Volokitin (UKR). 
Niemann has been playing almost non-stop since April and led the Tournament of Peace in Zagreb by two whole points with 5.5/6, a tournament which only finished yesterday. The highlight was this miniature, which should serve as a reminder of the old adage, &lsquo;knights on the rim are dim&rsquo;.</big> 
 
<big>I Cheparinov &ndash; H Niemann</big> 
English Opening 

<div class="responsive" style="overflow-x:auto;">
<iframe width="620" height="500" src="https://webcast.chessclub.com/embed/DT_Dec_01_2023.html" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<big>1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e5 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3 Bb4 5.Nd5!? e4! 6.Nh4 0-0 7.a3 Bc5 8.Bg2 d6 9.0-0 Re8 (9...g5? fails to 10.d4!) 
10.d3 (10.b4!? Bb6 11.e3 Ne5 could be critical) 
10...exd3 11.Qxd3 Ne5 12.Qc2?! (12.Qc3 Bg4 13.b4 Nxd5 14.cxd5 Bb6 was also comfortable&nbsp;for Black in Vachier Lagrave-Robson, St. Louis Rapid 2023) 
12...c6 13.Nc3 (13.Ne3 a5! leaves White struggling to coordinate, so 13.Nb4!? may be best) 
13...Nxc4 14.Na4 Be6 15.Rd1? (15.Nxc5 dxc5 16.b3 Nd6 17.Rd1 and Bb2 gives White a bit of compensation)</big>

<img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/DT_Dec_01_2023_IMG_1.png" style="width: 384px; height: 386px;" />

<big>15...Bxf2+! 16.Kxf2 Ng4+ 17.Ke1?&nbsp;(17.Kg1 Nce3 18.Bxe3 Nxe3 19.Qc3 Nxd1 20.Rxd1 Qe7 favours Black, but had to be tried) 
17...b5 (17...Qf6!? 18.Bf3 g5 was also strong) 
18.Rd4 (18.Nc3? Qb6! would be devastating) 
18...Nce3 19.Bxe3 Nxe3 20.Qc3?! Bd5! (The knight on a4 isn&rsquo;t going anywhere) 
21.Be4!? Bxe4 22.Qxe3 Bd5 23.Qd2 bxa4 24.Rxa4 Re5&nbsp;25.Rd4 One knight on the rim has fallen. </big>

<big>How did Black force the win?</big>

<img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/DT_Dec_01_2023_IMG_2.png" style="width: 387px; height: 386px;" />

<details><summary><big><big>See the Answer</big></big></summary>

 <big>25...g5! 0-1 The second knight falls.</big>
</details>

&nbsp;

&copy;Telegraph Media Group Limited 2023

Chess News: Your Daily Update - London Classic begins

chess-news-your-daily-update-london-classic-begins

Malcolm Pein: England in contention

<table width="100%">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td width="70"><img alt="IM Malcolm Pein" height="60" src="//www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/pein-article-1.jpg" style="max-width: 100% !important; height: auto !important;" width="60" /></td>
			<td align="left" style="text-align: left;font-family: 'Open Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400; color: #000000;"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_Pein">IM Malcolm Pein</a> 
			November 20, 2023</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

&nbsp;

<big>TWO match wins over Turkey and Greece, both by a margin of 2.5-1.5, sent England up the table going into the rest day at the European Team Championships in Budva, Montenegro. 
Luke McShane scored the win over Turkey, and Michael Adams played a lovely endgame, below, to secure victory over Greece in the sixth hour. 
England were equal second on 8/10 and drawn against Netherlands in round six, four rounds remained. 
Germany moved into the sole lead on 9/10 with a 3-1 win over Armenia. 
 
Adams &ndash; Kourkoulos-Arditis</big> 

<div class="responsive" style="overflow-x:auto;">
<iframe width="620" height="500" src="https://webcast.chessclub.com/embed/DT_Nov_20_2023.html" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<big>Position after 56.Nh3-f4+:</big>

<img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/DT_Nov_20_2023_IMG_1.png" style="width: 383px; height: 388px;" />

<big>58&hellip;Kf5? (Black had to stay close to his last pawn with 56...Kh6) 
57.Rf7! (Threatening Nxh5) 
57...Kg5&nbsp;(57...Ke5 58.Kh4! Kxf4 59.Rxf6+ Ke3 60.g3 Ra5 61.f4 Ke4 62.Rg6 followed by Rg5 wins) 
58.Rg7+ Kf5 59.Nh3! (An easy move to miss which threatens Rg5+) 
59...Ke6 60.Kh4 (intending Nf4+ and Rg5 rounding up h5) 
60...Rb4+ 61.Kg5 Rb5+ 62.Kg6 Nd5 63.Kh6 (63.Kxh5 Nf4+ 64.Kh4 should win) 
63...h4 64.Rg6+ Ke7 (The computer finds an astonishing defence for Black 64...Kd7 65.Rg5 Kc6 66.Kh5 Ne3 67.Rxb5 Kxb5 68.Nf4 which is&nbsp;today&rsquo;s puzzle - see board below) 
65.Rg5 Kf6 66.Nf4 (Winning material, now only a little care is required) 
66...Nxf4 67.Rxb5 Nxg2 68.Kh5 h3 69.Kg4 h2 70.Rh5 Ne3+ 71.Kg3 Kg6 72.Rh8 Kg7&nbsp;73.Rh3 Kg6 74.Kxh2 (74.Rxh2 Nf1+) 
74...Kg5 75.Kg3 1&ndash;0 
 
Black to play and draw:</big>

<img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/DT_Nov_20_2023_IMG_2.png" style="width: 384px; height: 385px;" />

<details><summary><big><big>See the Answer</big></big></summary>

<big>68...Nxg2! 69.Nxg2? h3</big>
</details>

<hr />
<big>England&rsquo;s women&rsquo;s team scored a fine 4-0 win over North Macedonia in the fifth round to reach 6/10. France and Azerbaijan shared the lead on 9/10.</big> 
&nbsp;

<big>&nbsp;</big>

<big>&copy;Telegraph Media Group Limited 2023</big>

Chess News: Your Daily Update - England in contention

chess-news-your-daily-update-england-in-contention

The penultimate leg of the GCT takes place in St. Louis from Nov 14-18.

<big>Fabiano Caruana is the winner of the 2023 Rapid and Blitz Tournament in St. Louis!</big>

<big><img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/Rapid_Blitz_St_Louis_2023_Caruana.png" style="max-width: 100%;height: auto" /></big> 
Photo by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/lladaphotography">David Llada - Chess &amp; Photography</a> 
 
<big>The last round, which was a winner-take-all affair, saw Fabiano prevail over French super_GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. 
Heading into the final round, Caruana was ahead of MVL by half a point, and the two, in a thrilling tournament final, faced each other, with Fabiano playing White.&nbsp;MVL played an excellent game and got a&nbsp;winning position in the endgame but blundered all his advantage in a single move, allowing Caruana to save the game and win the event. 
Caruana gained 13 GCT points (and $40,000), extending his leadership. 
Here are the GCT standings before the Sinquefield Cup, which is the last event of the Tour:</big>

<table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="overflow-x:auto;">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<th><big>Player</big></th>
			<th><big>Superbet Chess Classic Romania</big></th>
			<th><big>Poland GCT Rapid &amp; Blitz</big></th>
			<th><big>Croatia GCT Rapid &amp; Blitz</big></th>
			<th><big>Saint Louis Rapid &amp; Blitz</big></th>
			<th><big>Sinquefield Cup</big></th>
			<th><big>Total points</big></th>
			<th><big>Prize money</big></th>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td align="left"><big>Fabiano Caruana (<abbr title="United States">United States</abbr>)</big></td>
			<td><big>13</big></td>
			<td style="background:#eee">&nbsp;</td>
			<td><big>7</big></td>
			<td><big>13</big></td>
			<td>&nbsp;</td>
			<td><big>33</big></td>
			<td><big>$160,000</big></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td align="left"><big>Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (<abbr title="France">France</abbr>)</big></td>
			<td><big>4.5</big></td>
			<td><big>7.5</big></td>
			<td style="background:#eee">&nbsp;</td>
			<td><big>10</big></td>
			<td>&nbsp;</td>
			<td><big>22</big></td>
			<td><big>$72,750</big></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td align="left"><big>Alireza Firouzja (<abbr title="France">France</abbr>)</big></td>
			<td><big>7.8</big></td>
			<td style="background:#eee">&nbsp;</td>
			<td><big>8</big></td>
			<td><big>6</big></td>
			<td>&nbsp;</td>
			<td><big>21.8</big></td>
			<td><big>$82,750</big></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td align="left"><big>Wesley So (<abbr title="United States">United States</abbr>)</big></td>
			<td><big>7.8</big></td>
			<td><big>7.5</big></td>
			<td style="background:#eee">&nbsp;</td>
			<td><big>4.5</big></td>
			<td>&nbsp;</td>
			<td><big>19.8</big></td>
			<td><big>$75,750</big></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td align="left"><big>Ian Nepomniachtchi (<abbr title="FIDE">FIDE</abbr>)</big></td>
			<td><big>2</big></td>
			<td style="background:#eee">&nbsp;</td>
			<td><big>10</big></td>
			<td><big>7.5</big></td>
			<td>&nbsp;</td>
			<td><big>19.5</big></td>
			<td><big>$65,500</big></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td align="left"><big>Jan-Krzysztof Duda (<abbr title="Poland">Poland</abbr>)</big></td>
			<td><big>4.5</big></td>
			<td><big>10</big></td>
			<td><big>3.5</big></td>
			<td style="background:#eee">&nbsp;</td>
			<td>&nbsp;</td>
			<td><big>18</big></td>
			<td><big>$59,250</big></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td align="left"><big>Rich&aacute;rd Rapport (<abbr title="Romania">Romania</abbr>)</big></td>
			<td><big>7.8</big></td>
			<td><big>5</big></td>
			<td><big>5</big></td>
			<td style="background:#eee">&nbsp;</td>
			<td>&nbsp;</td>
			<td><big>17.8</big></td>
			<td><big>$64,750</big></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td align="left"><big>Anish Giri (<abbr title="Netherlands">Netherlands</abbr>)</big></td>
			<td><big>7.8</big></td>
			<td><big>4</big></td>
			<td style="background:#eee">&nbsp;</td>
			<td><big>2</big></td>
			<td>&nbsp;</td>
			<td><big>13.8</big></td>
			<td><big>$60,750</big></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td align="left"><big>Ding Liren (<abbr title="China">China</abbr>)</big></td>
			<td><big>3</big></td>
			<td style="background:#eee">&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="background:#eee">&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="background:#eee">&nbsp;</td>
			<td>&nbsp;</td>
			<td><big>3</big></td>
			<td><big>$16,000</big></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

&nbsp;

<hr />
<big>The Grand Tour Chess 2023 is approaching its conclusion, with two events in St. Louis. 
From November 14-18, the Rapid and Blitz tournament, and the Sinquefield Cup from November 21-30. 
 
The current standings in the GCT are as follows:</big>

<table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="overflow-x:auto;">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<th><big>Player</big></th>
			<th><big>Superbet Chess Classic Romania</big></th>
			<th><big>Poland GCT Rapid &amp; Blitz</big></th>
			<th><big>Croatia GCT Rapid &amp; Blitz</big></th>
			<th><big>Saint Louis Rapid &amp; Blitz</big></th>
			<th><big>Sinquefield Cup</big></th>
			<th><big>Total points</big></th>
			<th><big>Prize money</big></th>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td><big>Fabiano Caruana (United States)</big></td>
			<td style="text-align: center;"><big>13</big></td>
			<td style="background: rgb(213, 213, 213); text-align: center;">&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;"><big>7</big></td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;"><big>20</big></td>
			<td style="text-align: center;"><big>$120,000</big></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td><big>Jan-Krzysztof Duda (Poland)</big></td>
			<td style="text-align: center;"><big>4.5</big></td>
			<td style="text-align: center;"><big>10</big></td>
			<td style="text-align: center;"><big>3.5</big></td>
			<td style="background: rgb(213, 213, 213); text-align: center;">&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;"><big>18</big></td>
			<td style="text-align: center;"><big>$59,250</big></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td><big>Rich&aacute;rd Rapport (Romania)</big></td>
			<td style="text-align: center;"><big>7.75</big></td>
			<td style="text-align: center;"><big>5</big></td>
			<td style="text-align: center;"><big>5</big></td>
			<td style="background: rgb(213, 213, 213); text-align: center;">&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;"><big>17.75</big></td>
			<td style="text-align: center;"><big>$64,750</big></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td><big>Alireza Firouzja (France)</big></td>
			<td style="text-align: center;"><big>7.75</big></td>
			<td style="background: rgb(213, 213, 213); text-align: center;">&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;"><big>8</big></td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;"><big>15.75</big></td>
			<td style="text-align: center;"><big>$67,750</big></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td><big>Wesley So (United States)</big></td>
			<td style="text-align: center;"><big>7.75</big></td>
			<td style="text-align: center;"><big>7.5</big></td>
			<td style="background: rgb(213, 213, 213); text-align: center;">&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;"><big>15.25</big></td>
			<td style="text-align: center;"><big>$65,250</big></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td><big>Ian Nepomniachtchi (FIDE)</big></td>
			<td style="text-align: center;"><big>2</big></td>
			<td style="background: rgb(213, 213, 213); text-align: center;">&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;"><big>10</big></td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;"><big>12</big></td>
			<td style="text-align: center;"><big>$43,000</big></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td><big>Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (France)</big></td>
			<td style="text-align: center;"><big>4.5</big></td>
			<td style="text-align: center;"><big>7.5</big></td>
			<td style="background: rgb(213, 213, 213); text-align: center;">&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;"><big>12</big></td>
			<td style="text-align: center;"><big>$42,250</big></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td><big>Anish Giri (Netherlands)</big></td>
			<td style="text-align: center;"><big>7.75</big></td>
			<td style="text-align: center;"><big>4</big></td>
			<td style="background: rgb(213, 213, 213); text-align: center;">&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;"><big>11.75</big></td>
			<td style="text-align: center;"><big>$52,750</big></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td><big>Ding Liren(China)</big></td>
			<td style="text-align: center;"><big>3</big></td>
			<td style="background: rgb(213, 213, 213); text-align: center;">&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="background: rgb(213, 213, 213); text-align: center;">&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="background: rgb(213, 213, 213); text-align: center;">&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="background: rgb(213, 213, 213); text-align: center;">&nbsp;</td>
			<td style="text-align: center;"><big>3</big></td>
			<td style="text-align: center;"><big>$16,000</big></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

 
<big>The field is studded with big names, and the battle for the Rapid and Blitz will be exciting.</big>

&nbsp;

<img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/RB_Louis_2023_Participants.png" style="max-width: 100%;height: auto" />

<big>Here is the schedule:</big>

<img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/RB_Louis_2023_Schedule.png" style="max-width: 100%;height: auto" />

2023 GCT - Rapid & Blitz in St. Louis

2023-gct-rapid-blitz-in-st-louis

The third edition of the Qatar Masters Open 2023 will begin on Wednesday at the Lusail Sports Arena. Attracting an elite of the most prominent world champions, the event will start on Wednesday and continue until October 20.

<big>The third edition of the Qatar Masters Open 2023 will begin on Wednesday at the Lusail Sports Arena. Attracting an elite of the most prominent world champions, the event will start on Wednesday and continue until October 20. 
Two hundred fifty male and female players from 42 countries, including 62 senior international grandmasters and representatives of 16 Arab countries, are participating in the tournament. India has the most significant number, as 76 male and female players will participate. 
Norwegian Magnus Carlsen, world Numero Uno and a five-time world champion tops the list of participating stars;&nbsp;he will make his third appearance after having previously participated in the 2014 and 2015 editions. 
The remaining participating grandmasters who have arrived are American Hikaru Nakamura, Dutchman Anish Giri, Indian Dommaraju Gukesh, and Kazakh Bibisara Assaubayeva. 
The Qatar Masters Championship is considered one of the world&#39;s strongest open tournaments. Still, it was also classified as the strongest open tournament in the world in the previous editions, 2014 - 2015, due to the participation of a selection of the best international adult players who lead the world ranking list. The tournament has gained a lot of publicity and public attention. 
 
The tournament is a 9-round Swiss system for players with a rating above 2300. 
The total prize fund is for $ 108,250. 
The top prizes are as follows: 
$25,000, $15,000, $10,000, $7,500, $6,000, $5,000, $4000. 
 
Here is the schedule:</big>

<img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/Qatar_Masters_2023_Schedule.png" style="max-width: 100%;height: auto;" />

<big>Here is an excellent video to present the first round by Chessbase India:</big>

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0MhT2yA2ns8?si=QkWP_hzv1mGL0AoO" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe>

<big>First-round pairings:</big>

<img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/Qatar_Masters_2023_Pairings_Rd1.png" style="max-width: 100%;height: auto;" /> 
 
<big>It&#39;s a Swiss System tournament; the big guys will start playing each other after the first rounds. 
 
Round 1</big>

<big>The first round saw some upsets, as may happen in these &quot;risky&quot; Open tournaments for the top players. 
Carlsen, Nakamura, Giri, Erigasi, and Abdusattarov won their games, all against players whose ratings were much lower. 
Gukesh D had to settle for a draw against his fellow countryman IM Mohammad Shaikh, whose rating is more than 300 points lower than his. 
There were other draw games, and GM Salem Saleh - 16&nbsp;seed&nbsp;- lost to IM Krishna. 
 
Results for Round 1:</big>

<big><img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/Qatar_Masters_2023_results_rd1.png" style="max-width: 100%;height: auto;" /></big>

<big>Here are the pairings for Round 2:</big>

<big><img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/Qatar_Masters_2023_Pairings_Rd2.png" style="max-width: 100%;height: auto;" /></big>

<hr />
<big>Round 2</big>

<big>The first and the biggest real upset happened today in round 2.&nbsp; 
Alisher Suleymenov, a 23-year-old Grandmaster from Kazakhstan, defeated Magnus Carlsen.</big>

<img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/Suleymenov.png" style="width: 248px; height: 312px;" /> 
GM Suleymenov - Source: FIDE.com

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<big>Nakamura, Giri, and Erigasi won their games. 
Is Magnus already out of contention? Probably not, considering that now his direct contenders will be paired with stronger players, whereas the Norwegian will most likely get weaker opponents. 
On &quot;X,&quot; there was a bit of polemic when Magnus replied to Hikaru&#39;s recap on YT:</big>

<a href="https://twitter.com/MagnusCarlsen/status/1712559824821715202"><img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/Qatar_2023_Magnus_Tweet_Rd2.png" style="max-width: 100%;height: auto;" /></a>

<big>Probably, there won&#39;t be a new cheating-related scandal, but it&#39;s easy to see that everyone is always very sensitive about this problem!</big>

<big>Pairings for Round 3:</big>

<img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/Qatar_2023_Pairings_Rd3.png" style="max-width: 100%;height: auto;" />

<hr />
<big>Round 3</big>

<big>Magnus is back. The World Number One today won with Indian IM&nbsp;Muthaiah Al. 
Nakamura and Giri drew with lower-rated opponents, whereas Erigasi won his third game in a row. 
GM Sindarov defeated GM Kaidanov and is the only U18 with 3.0/3.</big>

<img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/Qatar_2023_Results_Rd3.png" style="max-width: 100%;height: auto;" />

<big>Standings after Round 3</big>

<img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/Qatar_2023_Standings_Rd3.png" style="max-width: 100%;height: auto;" />

<big>Pairings&nbsp;for Round 4:</big>

<img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/Qatar_2023_Pairings_Rd4.png" style="max-width: 100%;height: auto;" />

<hr />
<big>Round 4</big>

<big>Magnus Carlsen drew GM Panesh, a&nbsp;17-year-old Indian player, and Hikaru Nakamura won vs. Netherlands GM Kevlishili (2521).&nbsp; 
Erigasi and Giri drew. Gukesh D won his game against Turkish GM Yilmazyerli.</big>

<img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/Qatar_2023_Results_Rd4.png" style="max-width: 100%;height: auto;" /> 
 
<big>Standings after four rounds:</big>

<img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/Qatar_2023_Standings_Rd4.png" style="max-width: 100%;height: auto;" />

<big>Magnus is a full point behind the leaders, but there still are five rounds to go, and everything can happen. 
Also, there haven&#39;t been direct encounters between the favorites yet.</big>

<big>Here are the pairings for Round 5:</big>

<img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/Qatar_2023_Pairings_Rd5.png" style="max-width: 100%;height: auto;" />

<big>Magnus is paired with 16-year-old Indian GM&nbsp;Bharath, Subramaniyam H. 
Erigasi, Nakamura, Gukesh, and A.R. Saleh all play stronger&nbsp;opponents.&nbsp; 
This is, in a way, the beauty of a Swiss Open!</big>

&nbsp;

<big>Round 5</big>

<big>Round 5 saw Magnus win his game, Nakamura and Erigasi drew,&nbsp;and Gukesh and Giri&nbsp;- unexpectedly - lost.</big>

<big>Here are the standings after Round 5:</big>

<img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/Qatar_2023_Standings_Rd5.png" style="max-width: 100%;height: auto;" />

<hr />
<big>Round 6</big>

<big>With three rounds to go, Carlsen caught up with Nakamura, half a point behind the leaders Narayanan (IND), Sindarov (UZB), Erigasi (IND), and Yakubboev&nbsp; (UZB). 
Magnus won round 6 against Bharath (IND). 
 
Results Round 6:</big>

<img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/Qatar_2023_Results_Rd6.png" style="max-width: 100%;height: auto;" /> 
 
<big>In Round 7, the four leaders will match against one another. Nakamura has to cross Bishops with Maghsoodloo (2707 Elo).</big>

<img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/Qatar_2023_Pairings_Rd7.png" style="max-width: 100%;height: auto;" /> 
 
<big>Standings after Round 6:</big>

<img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/Qatar_2023_Standings_Rd6.png" style="max-width: 100%;height: auto;" />

<hr />
<big>Round 7</big>

<big>In round 7, GM Karthikeyan Murali did something extraordinary that&nbsp;only one Indian player has managed to do so far. After Vishy Anand, Karthikeyan is the second Indian player to defeat World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen in classical chess. 
Not Magnus&#39;s tournament, apparently. This is the second loss for the Norwegian, who now is stuck at 4.5/7, a full point behind the six leaders, with two rounds to go.</big>

<big>Standings after Round 7</big>

<img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/Qatar_2023_Standings_Rd7.png" style="max-width: 100%;height: auto;" />

<big>Next round, Magnus plays USA Gregory Kaidanov (64 years old!), who&#39;s playing one of his best tournaments ever.</big>

<img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/Qatar_2023_Pairings_Rd8.png" style="max-width: 100%;height: auto;" />

<big>All the six leaders are playing one another again, and it&#39;s normal with the Swiss system. Nakamura and Giri could take advantage of the pairings, as they follow the leaders half a point behind.</big>

Qatar Masters Open 2023

qatar-masters-open-2023

The Junior Championship is an important event, especially since the age of the chess wizards is getting lower and lower these days.

<big>The Junior Championship is an important event, especially since the age of the chess wizards is getting lower and lower these days. 
Players under 20 years of age can participate. 
In the past, the tournament has seen true champions triumph. Super-GMs like Anand, Aronian, Mamedyarov, Vachier-Lagrave, Andreikin, and many others then went on to become part of the elite. 
This year, the Junior Championship was held in Mexico. 
The favorite at the beginning of the tournament was surely GM Hans Niemann. With his monster rating of 2667 and the already important experience that Hans matured by playing in elite events, everyone was expecting the US GM to win.</big>

<big><img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/Niemann_FIDE.png" style="max-width: 100%;height: auto;" /></big> 
GM Hans&nbsp;Niemann (from FIDE.com) 
 
<big>But things don&#39;t always go how we expect them to, right? 
In round 3, Hans faced the 13-year-old IM&nbsp;Andy Woodward, rated 2480.</big>

<img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/Andy_Woodward.png" style="max-width: 100%;height: auto;" /> 
IM Andy Woodward - Photo&nbsp;Juan Cendejas

<big>Here is the game:</big> 

<div class="responsive" style="overflow-x:auto;">
<iframe width="620" height="500" src="https://webcast.chessclub.com/embed/World_Junior_2023_niemann_woodward.html" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>



<big>It must have been tough for Hans to recover from such a loss. But Hans has already shown the world that he&#39;s a tough guy and went on to win the next two games. 
In round six, the US&nbsp;prodigy was held to a draw by GM Jan Subeli. 
Then Hans&#39;s games went a bit up and down, but he managed to reach&nbsp;the last round without any more defeats. 
Before the last round, theoretically, Niemann could still have won the tournament:</big>

<img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/World_Junior_2023_standings_Rd10_1.png" style="max-width: 100%;height: auto;" /> 
 
<big>But in round 11, Hans lost with the Russian GM Nesterov (third-seeded), whereas the 16-year-old French GM Marc&#39;andria Maurizzi drew his last game, securing the title!</big>

<img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/GM_Maurizzi.png" style="max-width: 100%;height: auto;" /> 
GM Marc&#39;andria Maurizzi, 2023 World Junior Champion - from X/Twitter 
 
<big>Unfortunately, there won&#39;t be another chance for Hans, as he&#39;s 20. But we&#39;re sure he will keep getting invitations to elite events to show the chess world his magic! 
Starting October 5, Hans will be playing in the US Championship. See <a href="https://www2.chessclub.com/article/event/us-chess-championships">OUR ARTICLE</a>.</big> 
&nbsp;

FIDE World Junior Championship 2023

fide-world-junior-championship-2023

A Brilliant victory for the Team USA at the FIDE World Team Championship Senior 50+!

<big>U.S.A. Wins FIDE World Senior Team Championships 50+!</big>

<img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/US_Team_Senior_2023.png" style="max-width: 100%;height: auto" /> 
From left to right: Novikov, Ehlvest, Shabalov, Yermolinsky, Kaidanov - Photo:&nbsp;Valeria Kaidanov

<big>With an amazing performance, the U.S. Team won the World Team Championship 50+ in Struga, Macedonia. 
Twenty-two teams signed up for the Team Championship this year. 
Among those are strong squads such as England, Iceland, and Italy.&nbsp; 
 
Here is the complete list and the final standings:</big>

<img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/2023_Team_Senior_final_standings.png" style="max-width: 100%;height: auto" />

<big>Team USA suffered only a defeat against Italy in round seven. 
But the USA defeated Poland 4-0 in the last round, ensuring Gold! 
 
Our GM Alex Yermolinsky, played a weaker opponent, and the finish of the game is amazing.</big>

<div class="responsive" style="overflow-x:auto;">
<iframe width="620" height="500" src="https://webcast.chessclub.com/embed/USA_Senior_2023.html" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<big>Italy had to settle for a draw against the though N. Macedonian Team, which had already held to a draw the USA Team. 
 
Congratulations to the five musketeers!</big>

Team USA!

team-usa

A new rating system and news about the ratings you must know!

First off: in the NEW ICC, all players are equal! 
And no, there&#39;s nobody more equal than others. 
We all, and I mean all, start with a 1500 rating in all rating categories.

Everyone starts at the SAME level, from the super-strong GM to the novice. 
 
You&#39;ll compete in four different categories of rating:

<ul>
	<li>Bullet</li>
	<li>Blitz</li>
	<li>Rapid</li>
	<li>Classical 
	&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

How to determine which category you&#39;re going to play in? 
 
First, we need to understand what &quot;etime&quot; is.

etime is the initial time plus 2/3rd of the increment.

For example, a 2+12 game has an etime of 10 (2 + 2/3 of 12 = 2 + 8), while a 5+3 game has an etime of 7. 
&nbsp;

Now, let&#39;s see how we have defined the rating categories.

<ul>
	<li>Bullet: games with an etime less than 3;</li>

	<li>Blitz: games with an etime greater than or equal to 3 and less than 10;</li>

	<li>Rapid: games with an etime greater than or equal to 10 and less than 60;</li>

	<li>Classical: games with an etime greater than or equal to 60.</li>
</ul>

 
If you join one of the pools, your rating will be updated accordingly. 
<img src="//images.ctfassets.net/tgn1jdb771wg/6RG2szCZ3GvEO1bvJGKdBf/35c48a6463979a7298e35bbb00ee8d5c/ICC_V2_pools.png"/> 
The new ICC is using the Glicko 2 rating system. 
 
The system was developed by Mark Glickman in 1995 as an improvement on the&nbsp;Elo rating system and was initially intended for primary use as a&nbsp;chess rating system. Glickman&#39;s principal contribution to measurement is &quot;rating reliability,&quot; called RD, for&nbsp;rating&nbsp;deviation. In the Glicko 2 system, Glickman introduced a new variable to calculate rating changes after a game: volatility. The RD&nbsp;is what drives the formulae to calculate the rating changes after a game. A new player starts with a high RD (350), which decreases progressively when the player plays more games. But, and here is the main difference with the ELO system, the RD grows again when the player is inactive for a given amount of time. Therefore, we can say that a player has a &quot;provisional&quot; rating when he starts and for a given number of games (20 games, depending on their opponent&#39;s rating status); that means that he&#39;s expected to gain or lose a lot of rating points after a game. But if the player doesn&#39;t play any game for some time, his status changes again from &quot;established&quot; to &quot;provisional.&quot; Glickman founds his reasoning on the reliability of a player&#39;s rating, and that&#39;s the most important improvement over the ELO system. 
If you are interested in the mathematics of the algorithm, <a href="http://www.glicko.net/glicko/glicko.pdf">HERE</a>&nbsp;is a link to a PDF file. 
You can also read the&nbsp;article on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glicko_rating_system">Wikipedia</a>.

1500!

1500

Tata Steel 2024. One of the great chess tournaments of the year!

<big>January means Tata Steel, one of the year&#39;s most important tournaments. 
 
Play starts January 13, at 8 AM EST, 14:00 local (Paris, Amsterdam, Rome, Berlin), 13:00 UTC. 
The rest days are January&nbsp;17, 22 and 25</big> 
<big>The tournament is a round-robin with 14 players (13 rounds). Time&nbsp;control is&nbsp;100 minutes for 40 moves, followed by 50 minutes for 20 moves, then 15 minutes for the rest of the game, with a 30-second increment per move from move one.</big> 
 
<big>The nice (and cold) small town in the north of the country, Wijk aan Zee, hosts the blazoned event at its 86th edition.</big>

<img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/Wijk_aan_Zee_2024.png" style="max-width: 100%;height: auto;" /> 
Wijk aan Zee - Source: wikipedia.org 
 
<big>Anish Giri, the Dutch super grandmaster, will be there to&nbsp;defend his title. 
The line-up is impressive, with a rating average of 2712 (category 19). 
Magnus won&#39;t be in Wijk aan Zee, but there is a lot of interest in the &quot;return&quot; of the reigning World Champion after months of being afar from the chess scene. 
GM Liren Ding is indeed the first seed, and it&#39;ll be great to see him play again. 
Another note of interest is the participation in the Master tournament of the Chinese GM&nbsp;Ju Wenjun, the current World Champion!</big>

<img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/Ju_Wenjun_1.png" style="max-width: 100%;height: auto;" /> 
GM Ju Wenjun, reigning World Champion - Photo:&nbsp;Andreas Kontokanis . Source: Wikipedia.org

<big>Last but not least, US Hans&nbsp;Niemann is the top seed in the Challenger tournament. 
 
In Wijk aan Zee, there will be THREE World Champions playing: Liren Ding, Ju Wenjun, and the French Junior World Champion Marc&rsquo;Andria Maurizzi (in the Challengers event).</big> 
 
<big>Here is the official Tata Steel clip announcing the participants in the Master event:</big> 
 
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ru7rlqIxN_s?si=OAzq9c0KQ49__t3d" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe> 
 
<big>LINE UP - MASTERS</big>

<table border="1" cellpadding="1" cellspacing="1" style="overflow-x:auto;">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td><big>Player</big></td>
			<td><big>Federation</big></td>
			<td><big>Rating</big></td>
			<td>&nbsp;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td><big>Ding Liren</big></td>
			<td><big>China</big></td>
			<td><big>2780</big></td>
			<td><big><img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/Tata24_Ding.png" style="width: 127px; height: 150px;" /></big></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td><big>Ian Nepomniachtchi</big></td>
			<td><big>FIDE</big></td>
			<td><big>2769</big></td>
			<td><big><img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/Tata24_Nepo.png" style="width: 121px; height: 150px;" /></big></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
			<big>Alireza Firouzja</big>
			</td>
			<td><big>France</big></td>
			<td><big>2759</big></td>
			<td><big><img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/Tata24_Firouzja.png" style="width: 122px; height: 150px;" /></big></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
			<big>Anish Giri</big>
			</td>
			<td><big>Nederlands</big></td>
			<td><big>2749</big></td>
			<td><big><img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/Tata24_Giri.png" style="width: 134px; height: 150px;" /></big></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
			<big>Praggnanandhaa R</big>
			</td>
			<td><big>India</big></td>
			<td><big>2743</big></td>
			<td><big><img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/Tata24_Pragga.png" style="width: 123px; height: 150px;" /></big></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
			<big>Santosh Gujrathi Vidit</big>
			</td>
			<td><big>India</big></td>
			<td><big>2742</big></td>
			<td><big><img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/Tata24_Vidit.png" style="width: 127px; height: 150px;" /></big></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
			<big>Parham Maghsoodloo</big>
			</td>
			<td><big>Iran</big></td>
			<td><big>2740</big></td>
			<td><big><img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/Tata24_Maghsoodloo.png" style="width: 144px; height: 150px;" /></big></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
			<big>Wei Yi</big>
			</td>
			<td><big>China</big></td>
			<td><big>2740</big></td>
			<td><big><img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/Tata24_WeiYi.png" style="width: 117px; height: 150px;" /></big></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
			<big>Nodirbek Abdusattorov</big>
			</td>
			<td><big>Uzbekistan</big></td>
			<td><big>2727</big></td>
			<td><big><img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/Tata24_Abdusattorov.png" style="width: 139px; height: 150px;" /></big></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
			<big>Gukesh D</big>
			</td>
			<td><big>India</big></td>
			<td><big>2725</big></td>
			<td><big><img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/Tata24_Gukesh.png" style="width: 118px; height: 150px;" /></big></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
			<big>Jorden Van Foreest</big>
			</td>
			<td><big>Nederlands</big></td>
			<td><big>2682</big></td>
			<td><big><img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/Tata24_VanForeest.png" style="width: 127px; height: 150px;" /></big></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
			<big>Alexander Donchenko</big>
			</td>
			<td><big>Germany</big></td>
			<td><big>2643</big></td>
			<td><big><img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/Tata24_Donchenko.png" style="width: 140px; height: 150px;" /></big></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
			<big>Max Warmerdam</big>
			</td>
			<td><big>Nederlands</big></td>
			<td><big>2625</big></td>
			<td><big><img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/Tata24_Warmerdam.png" style="width: 125px; height: 150px;" /></big></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>
			<big>Ju Wenjun</big>
			</td>
			<td><big>China</big></td>
			<td><big>2549</big></td>
			<td><big><img alt="" src="https://www.chessclub.com/uploads/content/Tata24_JuWenjun.png" style="width: 141px; height: 150px;" /></big></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

News and events