Mediaboss Marketing

GM Alexander Grischuk, two weeks removed from the best second-place finish in Titled Tuesday history (or most painful, depending how you look at it), won the early edition of the tournament on May 28. That was followed by a win for GM Minh Le in the late tournament. Grischuk scored 9.5 points and won on tiebreaks ahead of GMs Vasif Durarbayli and Jan-Krzysztof Duda, while Le won outright with 10 points after receiving some help from his top-seeded final-round opponent.

Norway Chess was also ongoing during the early tournament, resulting in slightly lower turnout than past weeks, but there were still a robust 671 participants.

While Grischuk finished undefeated, he made three draws in rounds five through nine, after which he was in an 11-way tie for second place behind three leaders. One of those leaders, GM Sam Sevian, was Grischuk's opponent in the 10th round. Just 29 moves later, Grischuk had turned his half-point deficit into a share of first.

But Grischuk was hardly the only person to join the lead, and with one round to go, seven players were tied on 8.5 points. Three of them won their games: Grischuk, Durarbayli, and Duda. Durarbayli somehow turned a listless-looking endgame into a win against GM Denis Lazavik, who had led the tournament outright through eight rounds but now ended up outside the top five.

May 28 Titled Tuesday | Early | Final Standings (Top 20)

(Full final standings here.)

Grischuk claimed $1,000 for the victory while Durarbayli earned $750 and Duda $350. IM Renato Terry finished fourth for $200 while Sevian earned $100, and GM Bella Khotenashvili $100 as the top-scoring woman.

The late field saw 509 players join, including GMHikaru Nakamura following the completion of action in Norway. When Nakamura beat Le in a rook ending in round seven and stayed perfect, it seemed he would coast to another Titled Tuesday victory.

From that point on, however, Nakamura made three draws in the last four rounds while Le never lost again, despite facing only top-15 finishers in those games.

And neither of them led the field after nine rounds. Instead, Sevian did, but that did not last the encounter with Le in round 10.

Now Le and Nakamura were again tied atop the standings, but they could not play each other again. Le ended up with GM Nihal Sarin as his opponent while Nakamura took on IM Rudik Makarian. Despite the nearly 100-point rating difference between them, Makarian held the draw, while Nihal tried trading queens in the endgame and instead fell into a mate-in-one.

And with that, Le won the tournament, and Nihal's blunder was integral, too. With a draw, Nakamura's tiebreaks would have won out, as they did over Sevian, who recovered from the round 10 setback to join Nakamura on 9.5 points.

May 28 Titled Tuesday | Late | Final Standings (Top 20)

(Full final standings here.)

Le won $1,000 for his efforts, while Nakamura took home $750 and Sevian $350. GMs Daniel Naroditsky and Oleksandr Bortnyk rounded out the top five, winning $200 and $100, respectively. IM Karina Ambartsumova was the $100 women's prize winner.

With their performances, Le joined a tie for fifth place in the Titled Cup, while Ambartsumova is tied for third in the women's standings, as Nakamura and GM Alexandra Kosteniuk still lead. Lazavik continues to lead the juniors, GM Gata Kamsky the seniors, and WCM Veronika Shubenkova the girls.

Juniors: GM Denis Lazavik (174.5 points)

Seniors: GM Gata Kamsky (164.5 points)

Girls: WCM Veronika Shubenkova (108.5 points)

The Titled Cup fantasy game Chess Prophet continues as well. Current standings can be found here. (Login required.)

Titled Tuesday is Chess.com's weekly tournament for titled players, with two tournaments held each Tuesday. The first tournament begins at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time/17:00 Central European/20:30 Indian Standard Time, and the second at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time/23:00 Central European/2:30 Indian Standard Time (next day).

Read the rest here:
Titled Tuesday - May 28, 2024 - Chess.com

A South Coast Chess Tournament to end the school year was held at the Coquille High School Library this weekend. The Coquille Chess tournaments are not just for Coquille as it has become more diverse with players coming from Sutherlin and Myrtle Creek as well as Coos Bay, North Bend, Myrtle Point and Port Orford. Several adults continue to challenge the scholastic players.

Jeremiah Thompson struggling to figure out his next move.

Winners of the May tournament were:

Advanced: First place-Misha von Dassow (Coos Bay), second place-Randy Smolensky (Myrtle Creek), third place-Jordan Florez (Coquille).

Intermediate: First place tied between Matthew Bottoroff (Myrtle Point) and Jaxon Williams (Myrtle Creek), third place-Skyler White-Ross (Port Orford).

Novice: First place-Ruckus Hughes (North Bend), second place-Malichai Florez (Coquille), third place-Bradly Oneslager (Myrtle Creek).

Summer chess tournaments are planned to be played in the parks of Bandon and Coquille with badminton, squirt guns and other outdoor fun can be played between rounds.

Bradley Oneslager and Caine Florez in an intense battle with onlookers quietly watching.

If you would like to join competitive chess (any age, any skill level) or get free group summer lessons to begin in July, contact drnancykeller@yahoo.com.

Read more from the original source:
Coquille High School hosted South Coast Chess Tournament - Coos Bay World

12-year-old GM-elect Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus has established himself as one of the world's greatest prodigies, breaking GM Judit Polgar's 35-year-old record as the highest-rated player before the age of 13. One of his many grandmaster coaches shares fascinating insights into their work together.

The Sharjah Masters ended on Wednesday and saw a four-way tie for first with GM Bardiya Daneshvar edging out GMs Volodar Murzin, Sam Shankland, and Shamsiddin Vokhidov on tiebreaks. Our main report covers that, but there were plenty of other noteworthy achievements.

In the spotlight once again is Erdogmus from Bursa, a city in northwest Turkey. The 12-year-old fulfilled the requirements for the grandmaster title at the GRENKE Chess Open one month ago, as the fourth youngest ever, so that in Sharjah he could play without the pressure of achieving a norm.

The prodigy finished on 4.5 points, scoring two wins and five draws, including one shared point against 2701-rated GM Vladimir Fedoseev. His rating performance of 2645 was enough for another GM norm, but one he no longer needed.

Erdogmus' Results In Sharjah

While the youngster scored one of the best results of his career, he tells Chess.com, through his father, that he is not satisfied. "If someone had told me before the tournament that I would score 4.5 points, I wouldn't have been very happy."

If someone had told me before the tournament that I would score 4.5 points, I wouldn't have been very happy.

Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus

He says his favorite game was his round-seven victory against GM Aditya Mittal: "I had good opening preparation and then launched a strong attack against the king, which ended positively."

With a rating gain of 11 points, plus five added from the Menorca Open, Erdogmus' expected June rating is 2569. When FIDE publishes the ratings for June by the end of the month, the 12-year-old will set a historic record, surpassing Polgar'slegendary 2555 rating from January 1989, more than 35 years ago.

The Turkish Chess Federation sent its congratulations.

Erdogmus tells Chess.com: "I didn't make a special effort to break Polgar's record. Since my progress has been consistently upward, I managed to surpass the record. Of course, as a Turk, this made me very happy. I dedicate this record to my country."

I didn't make a special effort to break Polgar's record. Since my progress has been consistently upward, I managed to surpass the record.

Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus

While that record has now been broken, it's worth noting that Polgar's 2555 rating was achieved when she was six months younger than Erdogmus. Also astonishing is that she was ranked 56th in the world at the time, an unprecedented feat in chess history. By comparison, the Turkish youngster is not yet among the world's top 300 players.

Erdogmus has received coaching from some of Turkey's top players over the years, in addition to super-GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, who has worked with him for about half a year.

"I am very pleased to work with Yagiz. I see him as a player who can reach 2800 and become a future World Champion," Mamedyarov told Chess.com, while crediting GM Mert Erdogdu and his sponsor Evren Ucok for their support.

Another key helper is GM Evgeny Romanov, who agreed to share some fascinating insights about his work with Chess.com.

"He is the most talented player I've ever seen, and I'm happy that he is going to use my basics in the game of chess," the 35-year-old said.

He is the most talented player I've ever seen, and I'm happy that he is going to use my basics in the game of chess.

Evgeny Romanov on Erdogmus

The former World Youth Champion from Russia, who now represents Norway, is a FIDE Senior Trainer (FST). He has coached several top players who eventually became strong grandmasters in Norway, Germany, and Turkey. Among them are 2017 World Junior Champion GM Aryan Tari, GM Rasmus Svane, his brother GM Frederik Svane and GM Matthias Bluebaum.

Romanov says he started giving online classes to Erdogmus in 2022, but eventually visited his home in Bursa. Only 10 at the time, and not speaking English, the kid needed a translator during the first coaching sessions, which the grandmaster remembers as a remarkable and amusing experience.

"My first impression was, 'How is that possible?' He is making strategic and dynamic mistakes, his endgame technique was very bad, this 10-year-old guy. At the same time, he always manages to keep tension and energy in the game. He is making several mistakes in a row, but it's not so easy to beat him."

"He makes one mistake, two mistakes, and three mistakes. And he is trying to prove to me that these are the right moves. So he is trying to guard his position and his moves. He also asks the engine for help, and I tell him, 'Come on, Yagiz, we are not in kindergarten anymore.'"

Erdogmus responded to the experienced grandmaster in Turkish: "Let's show this grandmaster how kindergarten is playing."

Let's show this grandmaster how kindergarten is playing.

10-year-old Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus to Evgeny Romanov

Romanov, who has a peak classical rating of 2662, says the 10-year-old gave him a lesson in blitz that he will never forget. He was "schooled" and lost 6-2.

"Despite getting winning positions in every game, I basically had no chance. My impression of his chess was that he has an out-of-this-world gift, with his overview of the board and his speed of thinking."

Erdogmus has since shown incredible blitz skills on Chess.com, boasting a peak blitz rating of 3104 as legendisback1.

"Tactics-wise he sees much more than me, with an amazing speed. He simply sees all the possible tactics. I was extremely surprised. He is extremely young, but I have never seen such a talent before."

Romanov accompanied the youngster to tournaments and prepared him for his games, which appears to have paid off. Erdogmus skyrocketed after the pandemic in 2021 from 1955 to 2456 a little over a year later in 2022. By the end of 2023, he was approaching 2500.

A memorable moment was when Erdogmus, still not 12, beat 2685-rated GM Alexandr Predke.

Their work ended before Erdogmus started scoring grandmaster norms, but Romanov said it was clear to him that it was just a matter of time until the title would be achieved. He emphasized the youngster's ability to recover from a poor start, as shown in Sharjah.

Now, Erdogmus is the world's top-rated player under 14 years of age, ahead of one-year-older FM Ivan Zemlyanskii, who fulfilled the requirements for the GM title with a 2770 performance in Sharjah.

Top Rated Players Under 14 Years Old (May 2024)

Romanov says he doesn't expect it to take much time until Erdogmus breaks 2700: "I hope he will manage to keep the strength. I am pretty sure that he is already able to beat everyone in the world in classical chess, not only online, where he has demonstrated his skills. He has many, many qualities, so we will see."

Erdogmus already has his sights on his next tournament. The Dubai Open starts on May 25th.

Continue reading here:
12-Year-Old Erdogmus Breaks Polgar's 35-Year-Old Rating Record - Chess.com

Out of the six classical games played so far at the Norway Chess tournaments both the open and the womens only one has finished decisively, and the player who won this one game was Indian rising star R Vaishali. The 22-year-old stunned Humpy Koneru in the second round to become the sole leader in the womens event. Vaishali prevailed with the white pieces in a double-edged encounter which saw Humpy failing to make the most of her advantage in the early middlegame.

Standing at a 1-point distance from the leader are Ju Wenjun and Lei Tingjie, who won Armageddon tiebreakers in rounds 1 and 2 after drawing their classical encounters. The two Chinese stars, who are also the highest-rated players in the field, collected wins with white over Anna Muzychuk and Pia Cramling, respectively, in Tuesdays round.

Ju found a nice tactical shot to convert her clear advantage against Muzychuk in the rapid tiebreaker.

The prosaic 32.Rxd6 is winning for White, grabbing a crucial pawn and increasing an already major positional advantage. However, much stronger is 32.Bxh6, as played in the game after 32...Qxf6, White counts with 33.Bg5+, a killer discovered check.

Understanding Middlegame Strategies Vol.1 - 9

In this Video-Course we deal with different dynamic decisions involving pawns. The aim of this Course is to arm club/tournament players with fresh ideas which they can use in their own practice.

There followed 33...Kg7 34.Bxf6+ Rxf6 35.Bxc6 bxc6, and the white queen is clearly stronger than Blacks rook and bishop. The world champion went on to convert her advantage into a 48-move victory.

Ju Wenjun and Anna Muzychuk | Photo: Stev Bonhage

Analysis by Andr Schulz

Improve your Tactics

The aim of this course is to help you understand how to make tactical opportunities arise as well as to sharpen your tactical vision - these selected lectures will help to foster your overall tactical understanding.

R Vaishali won the all-Indian confrontation against Humpy Koneru | Photo: Stev Bonhage

View post:
Norway Chess Women: Vaishali stuns Humpy, grabs the lead - Chess News | ChessBase

Devansh Vellanki has collected numerous awards for chess.

Harini Chadalavada and her husband, Arum Vellanki, noticed that their young son Devansh could keep himself occupied for hours playing with Legos and puzzles sitting and focusing intently on what he was doing.

The Hopkinton residents decided to teach him about chess and how the pieces move.

That was two years ago, when Devansh was about 5.

As soon as he started, he took to it right away, Chadalavada said. Even at two months short of 5, he had the emotional maturity, she said.

Now, the first grader at eBridge Montessori School in Westborough has made a name for himself in the world of chess.

At the 2024 U.S. Chess Federation National Elementary Championship in April, the 7-year-old emerged as the national champion in the K-1 category, sharing the title with two others. There were 147 competitors in all.

His mother felt extremely happy about the results, noting that Devansh was very passionate about working toward achieving his goals, and this title was a great accomplishment. To earn it, he achieved an undefeated score of 6.5/7.

The four-day tournament in Columbus, Ohio, was comprised of seven rounds with approximately 1,600 players from 43 states participating.

Chadalavada explained that parents and spectators are not allowed into the room when play is underway, although she admits they can peek from a distance now and then to see how things are going.

A month prior, Devansh tied for first place at the 16th annual open tournament at Foxwoods Resort in Ledyard, Connecticut. This event featured competitors from various countries and ran for three days. Devansh remained undefeated in the under-1,400 rating category with four wins and three draws. He won a cash prize of $1,266.

What is different about an open tournament is that the first grader can be competing against adults in addition to young people.

Chadalavada noted that her son played against people in their 30s to 50s and had to have stamina to complete the rounds, which run up to three hours. No talking is allowed during play.

Devansh said he enjoys playing against adults and kids of all ages. His focus is on the game, however, and not getting excited or nervous at tournaments.

Technically, I dont feel anything, he said. I only think and feel about the game.

Devansh likes to play soccer and said he previously used to swim and play tennis.

His favorite subject at school is science, and he practices chess almost every day.

His younger brother, Vedansh, who is 3, already is learning about chess thanks to the champion.

I do teach him, Devansh noted. As for what he likes best about chess, he said its the game and trying to pick which pieces to move.

Prior to the big events, Devansh participates in other club tournaments for his age group as well as K-12.

Chadalavada explained that these tournaments are held in places like Westborough, Burlington, New York, New Hampshire and Rhode Island, so travel is involved. On weekends, it can be a 12-hour day.

Hoping to slow down his schedule a bit, Chadalavada said she felt confident her son would do well in the major events.

Its a national competition and I expected he would do his best, she said. I knew he would be there [at the top] someday.

Read this article:
Hopkinton first grader wins national chess title - Hopkinton Independent