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15th World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand defeated one of his great rivals GM Veselin Topalov 2.5-1.5 on Friday to reach the Final of the 2024 Leon Masters. He'll face the winner of Saturday's Semifinal between GM Arjun Erigaisi and local hero GM Jaime Santos in Sunday's Final as he aims to make it 10 titles in the Spanish city.

The second Semifinal starts Saturday, June 29, at 10:30 a.m. ET / 16:30 CEST / 8 p.m. IST.

This event is the 37th edition of the Leon Masters, a tournament that has been won by World Champions Garry Kasparov, Vladimir Kramnik, and Magnus Carlsen. The player who has most made Leon his home, however, is Anand, who has played the event 15 times and won on no less than nine occasions.

Leon Masters Winners

54-year-old Anand said it would be "magnificent" to round off his career in Leon with a 10th win, while in the Semifinal he was paired to meet the player he won a World Championship match against in Sofia in 2010, 49-year-old Topalov.

The Bulgarian also has happy memories of Leon, and not just winning the title in 1997. He said after the drawing of lots that he made his debut in elite chess 31 years ago in Leon, when he played in the 1993 tournament and got to face former World Champion Anatoly Karpovin fact, they shared third place on 5.5/9, with GM Leonid Yudasin scoring 7/9.

The other Semifinal is between two young players, 27-year-old local star and defending champion, Santos, and 20-year-old Arjun, who has stormed up to world number-four by playing everywhere, both accepting invitations and playing relatively minor opens.

The format is four rapid games where each player has 20 minutes for all moves, plus a 10-second increment each move. Only if the score is tied 2-2 will a playoff take place with 3+2 blitz games.

The match opened with two wild draws, with Anand later commenting on the live broadcast: "The truth is it was very difficult. I didnt start the match very well, but I survived!"

I didn't start the match very well, but I survived!

Viswanathan Anand

The first clash was a very sharp Vienna Game (1.e4 e5 2.Nc3) where Topalov built up a dominant position where his bishop on c6 completely dominated Anand's rooks on a7 and e7. After 28...Re6? White was winning, but not after the Bulgarian's 29.Bd7?. He was half-expecting his opponent to resign, but it turned out Black was suddenly completely OK!

The second game began with a slow maneuvering Ruy Lopez but suddenly burst into life when Topalov got to sacrifice an exchange. Soon afterward he got a chance to launch a decisive attack on Anand's king but missed one crucial trick.

Topalov quipped that he'd made a mouse-slip when he later blundered a pawn.

Topalov noted, "In sport you have to take your chances," and it was Anand who seized his chance in game three.

An innocuous-looking middlegame position suddenly saw Anand able to launch a kingside attack, and although 37...Nf4+?! isn't one of the computer-approved kills it did ultimately prove enough to give Anand victory.

That's our Game of the Day, which GM Dejan Bojkov analyzes below:

The final game was, therefore, a must-win for Topalov, who played the French Defense, but Anand soon traded into an endgame where only he could be better and went on to make a draw from a position of strength.

Anand-Arjun could be a fascinating clash of the Indian generations in the Final on Sunday, but first Santos will try to stop Arjun in Saturday's Semifinal.

The 2024 Leon Masters is a four-player knockout taking place in Leon, Spain, from June 28-30, featuring GMs Viswanathan Anand, Veselin Topalov, Arjun Erigaisi, and Jaime Santos. Each match consists of four 20+10 rapid games. If the scores are tied, the players compete in 3+2 blitz games.

Previous coverage:

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Leon Masters Day 1: Anand Beats Topalov As He Hunts 10th Title - Chess.com

The 37th edition of the Magistral Ciudad de Len took place on June 28-30 at the Spanish citys Auditorium. A 4-player knockout tournament with a rapid time control was once again the format of the festivals main event.

Three matches took place, one per day, from Friday to Sunday. The semifinals were played on Friday and Saturday, and the two winners faced each other on Sunday. The drawing of lots resulted in Vishy Anand facing Veselin Topalov in the first semifinal and Arjun Erigaisi facing Jaime Santos in the second semifinal.

Master Class Vol. 12: Viswanathan Anand

This DVD allows you to learn from the example of one of the best players in the history of chess and from the explanations of the authors how to successfully organise your games strategically, and how to keep your opponent permanently under pressure.

Each match consisted of four rapid games (20 minutes for the game plus 10-second increments). In case of a draw, two blitz games followed (5 minutes + 3-second increments); if the tie remained, the match winner would be decided in Armageddon (White gets 6 minutes, Black gets 5 minutes and draw odds).

Anand defeated Topalov by a 2-1 score on Friday, while Santos stunned top seed Arjun by the same score in the second semifinal. In the final, Anand got the better of Santos who was the defending champion in an exciting match.

This was Anands tenth title in Len. For many years, the legend from Chennai lived in Collado Mediano, a small city near Madrid, so he speaks Spanish fluently and has often participated in top events organized in Bilbao and Len.

Coincidentally, the 54-year-old obtained the title on his wifes birthday. It is well known that Aruna Anand has played a vital role in her husbands career. As Vishy himself recounted on his X account, it was Aruna who encouraged him to play in Len despite her birthday being on the same date as the final:

It was yet another achievement by the 5-time world champion, who continues to show his strength while semi-retired from official competitions!

Vishy Anand facing Jaime Santos in the final | Photo: Luque

Analysis by Klaus Besenthal

Veselin Topalov | Photo: Luque

Analysis by Klaus Besenthal

The Keymer Variation - 1.Nf3 d5 2.e3

This video course features the ins-and-outs of the possible setups Black can choose. Youll learn the key concepts and strategies needed to add this fantastic opening to your repertoire. An easy-to-learn and yet venomous weapon.

Arjun Erigaisi | Photo: Luque

Master Class Vol.17 - Boris Spassky

In this video course, experts including Dorian Rogozenco, Mihail Marin, Karsten Mller and Oliver Reeh, examine the games of Boris Spassky. Let them show you which openings Spassky chose to play, where his strength in middlegames were and much more.

The rest is here:
Len Masters: Anand beats Topalov and Santos to claim tenth title - Chess News | ChessBase

At 10 years, 8 months and 16 days, Faustino Oro became the youngest-ever International Master in the history of chess. The prodigy from Buenos Aires scored 6/9 points at the Cerrado IM Barcelona to break Abhimanyu Mishras record (10 years, 9 months and 3 days) by less than a month.

Unlike other players who have broken these kinds of records in the past, Oro did not start playing chess at 4 or 5. It was only by chance that he began trying his hand at online chess during the pandemic in 2020. He was 7 years old then and, at 8, he was already the highest-rated under-10 player in the world.

Attack like a Super Grandmaster

In this Fritztrainer: Attack like a Super GM with Gukesh we touch upon all aspects of his play, with special emphasis on how you can become a better attacking player.

Known as the Messi of chess, the Argentine a fan of football club Vlez Srsfield has been breaking record after record since he began his still short chess career:

In Barcelona, Oro had a dream start, as he kicked off the event with three consecutive wins, including a 51-move victory with white over the highest-rated participant (and the only GM in the lineup) Hiplito Asis. Oro also won in round 6, when he beat FM Alex Villa. Draws in all remaining rounds granted him the 6 final score which was needed to grab his final IM norm. The Argentine tied for first place with Colombian IM Cristian Hernndez.

Remarkably, el pibe de oro (golden boy, since oro means gold in Spanish and pibe means boy in Argentine jargon) has a 31-game unbeaten streak in classical chess. The last time he lost a game was in Arpil, when he was defeated by Cuban IM Ernesto Fernndez in round 7 of the Menorca Open.

In the first semester of 2024, Oro has collected 17 wins, 30 draws and 9 losses.

Faustino with his parents, Alejandro and Romina | Photo: Infobae

As reported by Carlos Ilardo for Infobae, living legend Veselin Topalov had this to say about the Argentine prodigy:

I dont have much to contribute about Faustinos record because I haven't really followed his games closely [...] but I can tell you that when I was 10 years old I had a 2100 Elo rating, and he has surpassed 2400. Maybe many people dont understand it, but that progression is really good, and more important than his winning a bullet game against Magnus Carlsen or a blitz game against Nakamura.

The current Argentine chess champion, Fernando Peralta, said:

In my opinion it is the most important achievement of an Argentine chess player in recent decades. I think it can give a lot of impetus to the development of chess in our country. Moreover, it is the undeniable confirmation that he has the potential to enter the world elite. We must congratulate his family for all the decisions they are taking, as well as his coaches for their excellent work.

Rock Solid with the Queen's Indian Defence

In this video course well have a look at the Queens Indian after 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6. Well explore the ins and outs of the possible White setups against this rock-solid opening.

Now living in Spain, where his parents intend to create a better environment for his development, the youngster not only has a training schedule of 12 hours per week, but also plays plenty of online chess, as reported by Infobae.

Read the rest here:
He did it: Faustino Oro becomes youngest IM in history - Chess News | ChessBase

Do you want to know your Knight from your Rook? Your King from your Pawn?

Get to know more about chess and learn the skills behind the brainteaser game at an event at Hammonds Pond Carlisle on Thursday 11 July between 4.30pm and 6pm.

Cumberland Council has installed outdoor chess tables at Hammonds Pondand Bitts Park, Carlisle using government funding.

The four-seater metal tables, which feature a durable and sturdy chess board, are a fantastic addition to the existing green space facilities at both parks.

Cumberland Council, working in partnership with Carlisle Chess Club, Cumbria Chess Association and Chess in Schools and Communities, invite everyone to join them at Hammonds Pond on Thursday 11 July to play a game of outdoor chess and find out more about this timeless and intellectually stimulating game that has captivated players of all ages for centuries.

John Lydon, Cumbria Junior Chess Organiser, will give a short talk and members of Carlisle Chess Club will be on hand to give advice and tips on playing chess.

John Lydon said:

Chess in a very inclusive game where male and female, young and old, disabled and able-bodied people can all play and compete on equal terms. The game has many benefits and teaches important skills such as planning, calculation spatial awareness, logical thinking and concentration amongst others.

Whether you have played chess before or you are a complete beginner we welcome everyone to join us at Hammonds Pond to find out more about this fascinating game.

Chess is enjoyed by all ages and skill levels, with easy to learn rules the game continues to grow in popularity. It is hoped that the outdoor chess tables will create opportunities for people to come together in a joint activity and inspire the next generation of chess players.

Councillor Anne Quilter, Cumberland Councils Executive Member for Vibrant and Healthy Places, said:

I am delighted that we have been able to install outdoor chess tables within both Hammonds Pond and Bitts Park. It further enhances our commitment to the health and wellbeing of our residents.

The tables will provide an excellent opportunity for both the local community and visitors to connect with others who share a passion for the game, reducing social isolation and increasing social inclusion. The outdoor chess tables provide a free, easily accessible activity for all ages whilst also allowing people to connect with nature in our beautiful parks.

Link:
Outdoor chess tables launched in Hammonds Pond - Cumberland Council

Englands best teenage chess player, Shreyas Royal, 15, advanced to the brink of a record-breaking grandmaster title at the weekend when the south Londoner took second prize at the Arona GM open in Tenerife, Spain.

Royal, seeded 24th in a 157-player field, scored 7.5/10 and ended half a point behind the surprise Chinese winner Haowen Yue, 16, with another Chinese player third. The English junior lost in round three, and was behind the leaders on 5/7, but then finished strongly with two wins against GMs, one of them the 2640-rated top seed Alan Pichot.

At 15 years six months, Royal aims to break David Howells 2007 UK record of becoming a GM at 16. For that, he needs a 2500 overall rating, which he achieved at Tenerife, and three 2600 GM performances in single tournaments. He already has two of those, and missed the third at Tenerife by a whisker.

When he was aged nine in 2018, Royal and his family were expected to leave Britain due to the expiry of his fathers work visa, but the then Home Secretary Sajid Javid decided he should stay, calling him one of the most gifted chess players in his generation. Since then, Royal has steadily advanced and is now a candidate for selection for the England team for the 180-nation Olympiad in Budapest in September.

Royal will compete for the British Chess Championship in Hull in July-August, though he may attempt his final norm in an earlier tournament. He is coached by the England over-50 team captain, GM John Emms, and has support from Sir Demis Hassabis of DeepMind, who was himself a chess talent in his youth, as well as from Tata Consultancy Services.

This Saturday, Royal will compete in the ChessKid Youth Championship, a three-minute blitz event for the worlds best under-16s. There his rivals will include GM Abhimanyu Mishra, 15, who at 12 was the youngest ever GM, and the chess Messi, Argentinas Faustino Oro, who has just set a world record as the youngest ever international master at 10 years eight months.

Puzzle 2579

White mates in three moves (by Fritz Giegold, 1959). Just a singleline of play with Blacks replies forced, but youll do well to find it in under a quarter of an hour.

Click here for solution

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Chess: Shreyas Royal, 15, on brink of grandmaster title - Financial Times