Fide launched an investigation into why the health agency that runs the tests for the event had notified the positive test only when play was well under way, two hours beyond their 1pm deadline. The game was awarded to Caruana, who had no symptoms but was required to isolate in his hotel room. The second-round match featuring the world No 2, Fabiano Caruana, against Susanto Megaranto was stopped after 15 moves in a level position when tournament officials got the news that the Indonesian had tested positive for Covid-19.
Aronian tweeted: “Having a high fever and tonsillitis, despite my great desire to play, I have to be rational and put my health, and the health of other players, first.” Levon Aronian, the world No 5 and third seed at Sochi, forfeited his match with Australia’s Bobby Cheng on Friday. Haria went on to score another splendid result on Friday evening when, after losing to France’s No 3, Étienne Bacrot, with White in their Thursday game, he outplayed his 2678-rated opponent with the black pieces and won a fine ending in 44 moves to take their second-round match into speed tie-breaks on Saturday.Įngland’s top grandmasters all turned down the trip to Sochi due to travel problems and Covid fears, preferring to wait for the Fide Grand Swiss scheduled for the Isle of Man in the autumn, and there was disturbing news from the World Cup as the second round got under way. The 206-player World Cup and 103-player Women’s World Cup knockouts are currently underway, and a highlight of the opening round was a fine 2.5-1.5 victory by England’s only representative, 22-year-old UCL history student Ravi Haria, rated 2440, against Russia’s Vadim Zvjagintsev, rated 2608. For that generous act, Fide presented Carlsen with the Fair Play Svetozar Gligoric Trophy at the World Cup in Sochi on Thursday. Magnus Carlsen deliberately gave away his queen and resigned in four moves in the $150,000 online Chessable Masters last year as an act of sportsmanship after China’s world No 3, Ding Liren, suffered an internet disconnection in their previous game. Games begin with randomised piece placements, so that book openings are irrelevant.įor internet chess, the competitive record is three moves quicker than Kasparov. He has committed to appear at St Louis in September, where he will play a Chess960 (also known as FischerRandom) event. It will not be the last of the great man at the chessboard this year. Some believed that the main reason Kasparov played at Zagreb at all was to help publicise his relaunched website,. And then you have to play guys they’re the best guys. Having a speech on cybersecurity or messages reporting dissidents in Iran. “I probably could have done a better job preparing, but the problem is it’s shifting from totally different things. This is easy to see for a top grandmaster. The best that Black can do then is 8.h6 9 Bxf7+ Kd8 10 Ne6+ Bxe6 11 Bxe6 Nbd7 12 Bxd7 Qxd7 13 Qxb7 Qd5 14 Qxd5 when White will soon win the d3 pawn with a winning endgame two pawns up.
Most likely Kasparov had planned 7.d3, giving back his extra pawn but keeping the e file closed, but forgot about 8 Ng5! with disaster at f7 or e6. Resignation might seem premature but 8 exd4 is a catastrophic threat, opening the e1-e8 file for White’s rook against Black’s king and queen. but this early attack can be tricky, for example 5.dxe3? allows 6 Bxf7+! Nf6? Bb4+! forces exchanges. Shak Mamedyarov v Garry Kasparov, Zagreb blitz 2021: 1 d4 d5 2 c4 dxc4 The Queen’s Gambit Accepted is normally a safe line.