Latest news with #AnnaMuzychuk
Times of Oman
2 days ago
- Sport
- Times of Oman
Magnus Carlsen remains the undisputed King; wins record 7th title at Norway Chess
Stavanger: The Round 10 of Norway Chess 2025 delivered a nail-biting conclusion to the electrifying tournament, with high stakes and drama until the final move. Tournament leader and world number one Magnus Carlsen faced a tough challenge with the black pieces against Arjun Erigaisi. A loss would have cost him the tournament title. Despite being under pressure, Carlsen defended resourcefully and managed to turn the tables, as per a press release from Norway Chess. With both players in severe time trouble, Carlsen opted for a threefold repetition in a promising position, securing the draw and clinching overall victory in the tournament, even after losing the following Armageddon game. Fabiano Caruana defeated World Champion Dommaraju Gukesh in a dynamic attacking game. The win propelled Caruana to second place, while Gukesh slipped to third in the final standings. Finally, the game between Hikaru Nakamura and Wei Yi ended in a quiet draw. Wei Yi prevailed in the Armageddon game. Anna Muzychuk won the Norway Chess Women 2025. The final round of the Norway Chess Women's tournament was packed with tension and delivered decisive action right up to the last move. Tournament leader Anna Muzychuk held Vaishali Rameshbabu to a draw in classical play. While Muzychuk lost the Armageddon tiebreak game, the result was sufficient for securing the 2025 title. Humpy Koneru drew her classical game against Ju Wenjun and claimed victory in the Armageddon decider. However, her grip on second place slipped after Lei Tingjie scored a crucial win with the black pieces against Sarasadat Khademalsharieh. Lei's impressive victory propelled her to second place in the final standings, pushing Koneru down to third. Norway Chess is one of the world's premier chess tournaments, bringing together the top male and female players in a distinctive 6-player double round-robin format. The introduction of Norway Chess Women in 2024, with equal prize funds for men and women, underscores the event's commitment to gender equality and innovation in the sport. Norway Chess 2025 took place from May 26 to June 6.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Norway Chess: Anna Muzychuk draws less hype, but earns same prize money as Magnus Carlsen after women's title
NEW DELHI: "In sports, you never know what will happen," GM Anna Muzychuk had said during a chat with last February. Back then, Ukraine's No. 1 was looking ahead to 2025 with cautious optimism. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Five months on, Muzychuk has three back-to-back classical chess titles under her belt: the Nicosia Grand Prix in March, Grosslobming Grand Prix in May, and now the prestigious Norway Chess. Despite her consistent form, the current World No. 6 (based on live ratings) entered the Stavanger event without much fanfare. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. The spotlight was instead on reigning world champion Ju Wenjun, former champion Lei Tingjie, India's Koneru Humpy, and rising stars like Vaishali Rameshbabu and Sara Khadem. On social media and in chess circles, most conversations overlooked Muzychuk's quiet momentum, while global attention was heavily skewed towards big names in the Open section: 's return to classical chess, his on-board rivalry against World Champion D Gukesh, and elite players like Hikaru Nakamura, Arjun Erigaisi, and Fabiano Caruana. Amid this high-profile cast, Muzychuk stayed away from public scrutiny -- until her results did the talking. "Yes, last year, I finished second behind the Women's World Champion… It would be wonderful if I could win it," Ukraine's top-rated Grandmaster had said before the tournament. She did, and she did it effortlessly. The 35-year-old was the only player in the women's field to remain unbeaten in classical games this year. With four classical wins and steady results in the Armageddon rounds, she amassed 16.5 points, enough to edge the rest and secure the title. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Along with the trophy, Muzychuk also received NOK 700,000 (approximately Rs 59 lakh), the same amount awarded to Carlsen for winning the Open section. This edition marked the first time Norway Chess offered equal prize money across both sections, a move hailed as a significant step for women's chess. "For us, as women, we are very excited about it. It's very important and a big step forward," Muzychuk had stated earlier. "As you know, in general, there are more open tournaments, which are mainly for men, and the prize funds in those tournaments are usually higher. So we would love to see more women's events with higher prizes. That would be a great motivation for us and for the next generation, showing them that such tournaments exist and what they can aspire to achieve. " Anna Muzychuk (Norway Chess/Michal Walusza) The Norway Chess format itself is unique. A win in the classical round earns 3 points. A draw leads to an Armageddon tiebreak, where a win grants 1.5 points and a loss, 1 point. ALSO READ: In Armageddon, White gets 10 minutes and must win; Black gets 7 minutes (with a 1-second increment after move 41) and wins the game if it ends in a draw. "Usually, in my case in Armageddon, I just play the game, but I always keep in mind that a draw favours Black. So if I have a choice between simplifying or going for something more complex, I might prefer the simpler option," Muzychuk explained. "If I'm White, I might go for complexity. But if I get a chance to force a draw with a perpetual check, I might take it instead of risking everything." With this title, Muzychuk has reinforced her status as one of the most consistent performers in women's chess today, even if the spotlight hasn't always followed.
Indian Express
06-05-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
Norway Chess: Anna Muzychuk says Stavanger tournament will be ‘strongest women's event'
World No 8 women's chess player Anna Muzychuk believes that the upcoming Norway Chess women's event will be the strongest women's event in the sport. Besides Muzychuk (rated 2526), the Norway Chess women's event this year will see the following players: Ju Wenjun (FIDE rating: 2580), who recently won her fourth women's world championship title; Lei Tingjie (rated 2552), who is the Women's World No 3; Humpy Koneru (rated 2543), who is women's World No.5 and a two-time World Rapid Champion; Vaishali Rameshbabu (rated 2475), a bronze medal winner at the Women's World Blitz Championship and a Olympiad gold winner; and Sara Khadem (rated 2449). Anna, who finished as the runner-up last year in the inaugural edition of Norway Chess Women's tournament, expects a strong and unpredictable competition this year. 'I think it's the strongest women's event if we are looking at the ratings. It will be super tough. Each participant has a real chance to win it. I think it will be exciting, and I am really looking forward to it,' she said. After a remarkable win at the prestigious Nicosia Women's Grand Prix in March, the Ukrainian Grandmaster shifted her focus completely towards the Austria Grand Prix, currently underway. While it would be her final Grand Prix of the ongoing cycle, the 35-year-old would travel a week later for the highly anticipated 2025 edition of Norway Women's Chess to compete against some of the top talents of the sport. 'It's great to have successes, but you always have to go forward and focus on the next tournaments and next goals,' Anna said. Anna explained the challenges that come with a life in chess. 'In chess, we can see young players becoming grandmasters at the age of 12. To achieve that, you have to work a lot,' Anna said. 'Nowadays, you cannot start too late if you want to be a top level player. Every time, you have to think if you are ready to sacrifice your childhood. Whether you want to be a part of fun activities with other children or work on chess and try to achieve more. It depends on the child and also a lot on the parents because they have to be supportive,' she added. Anna has also been quite vocal on equal rights for women over the years and also has been an advocate for growth of female players in chess. With Norway Chess providing equal pay for men and women, Anna feels it will motivate more female players to pick up the sport. 'All the participants are really thankful to the organizers of the Norway Chess for making equal price fund for both men and women. It will give additional motivation to all the girls around the world,' she said.
Time of India
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Equal price fund for both men and women makes Norway Chess special: Anna Muzychuk
Anna Muzychuk is runner-up of the inaugural edition of the Norway Chess Women's tournament Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Anna Muzychuk , runner-up of the inaugural edition of the Norway Chess Women's event, has revealed how the tournament has helped in the growth of female players in chess."All the participants are really thankful to the organizers of Norway Chess for establishing an equal prize fund for both men and women. It will give additional motivation to all the girls around the world," said reigning World Champion Ju Wenjun, Indian legend Koneru Humpy, along with Lei Tingjie, Vaishali R, and Sarasadat Khademalsharieh in the fray, the World No. 1 expects a strong and unpredictable competition this year."I think it's the strongest women's event if we look at the ratings. It will be super tough. Each participant has a real chance to win it. I think it will be exciting, and I am really looking forward to it," she Ukrainian Grandmaster also gave a sneak peek into her career and explained why she and her sister Mariya were hooked on chess from a young age."I was born in 1990 when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union. It became an independent country a year later, but still, all chess traditions were quite developed in our area. We had coaches, tournaments, and chess was quite popular. There were so many players from my generation from where I grew up, and we competed together in various tournaments. Many of us went on to become grandmasters; hence, our generation was really strong," Anna highlighted the challenges that come with a life in Chess. "In Chess, we can see young players becoming grandmasters at the age of 12. To achieve that, you have to work a lot," Anna said."Nowadays, you cannot start too late if you want to be a top-level player. Every time, you have to think if you are ready to sacrifice your childhood, whether you want to be a part of fun activities with other children or work on chess and try to achieve more. It depends on the child and also a lot on the parents because they have to be supportive," she further added.
Hindustan Times
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
‘Norway Chess strongest women's event… Anybody can win': World No. 8 Anna Muzychuk
Anna Muzychuk's dedication towards chess can be testified by a look at her busy calendar. After a remarkable win at the prestigious Nicosia Women's Grand Prix in March, the Ukrainian Grandmaster shifted her focus completely towards the Austria Grand Prix, currently underway. While it would be her final Grand Prix of the ongoing cycle, the 35-year-old would travel a week later for the highly anticipated 2025 edition of Norway Women's Chess to compete against some of the top talents of the sport. Anna Muzychuk "It's great to have successes, but you always have to go forward and focus on the next tournaments and next goals," Anna said. With reigning World Champion Ju Wenjin, Indian legend Koneru Humpy, along with Lei Tingjie, Vaishali R and Sarasadat Khademalsharieh in the fray, Anna, who finished as the runner-up last year in the inaugural edition of Norway Chess Women's tournament, expects a strong and unpredictable competition this year. "I think it's the strongest women's event if we are looking at the ratings. It will be super tough. Each participant has a real chance to win it. I think it will be exciting, and I am really looking forward to it," she further added. Anna's persistence and relentless passion for the sport came from her upbringing. With her sister Mariya also a chess player, and her parents being coaches, she began making her moves on the board at an exceptionally young age while growing up in Western part of Ukraine. With Chess being immensely popular, Anna and her sister, Mariya, who is also a grandmaster now, and is also competing at the Austria Grand Prix, had to spend a lot of hours training to keep up with the competition. "I was born in 1990 when Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union. It became an independent country a year later, but still all chess traditions were quite developed in our area. We had coaches, tournaments and chess was quite popular. There were so many players from our time from where I grew up and we competed together in various tournaments. Many of us went on to become grandmasters, hence our generation was really strong," Anna said. But the pursuit of excellence always comes with sacrifices and hard choices, especially in sports. Anna explains the challenges that come with a life in Chess. "In Chess, we can see young players becoming grandmasters at the age of 12. To achieve that, you have to work a lot," Anna said. "Nowadays, you cannot start too late if you want to be a top level player. Every time, you have to think if you are ready to sacrifice your childhood. Whether you want to be a part of fun activities with other children or work on chess and try to achieve more. It depends on the child and also a lot on the parents because they have to be supportive," she further added. The Ukrainian international has already achieved every milestone in her career, with multiple world titles in Blitz and Rapid Chess tournaments, and the Grandmaster title among them. But she continues to hope to one day complete the set by winning the Women's World title in classical chess, a title she narrowly missed out in 2017. With her focus on her sporting goal, is Anna now able to find a balance between personal and professional life? "It's always difficult. We see that some players manage both parts of life. But even if you are not at the very top, it's still hard. Right now, I am not married and do not have kids. So when I do have them, then I will be able to better tell how I am managing both," she said. In her free time, whatever little she could find, Anna prefers to be with her friends and family, or attend some musical concerts. She also has a keen interest in learning foreign languages, programming, and also recently found a keen interest in hairstyles. "If not for a chess player, maybe I was doing something in the hairstyle industry," she said with a laugh. Anna has also been quite vocal on equal rights for women over the years and also has been an advocate for growth of female players in chess. With Norway Chess providing equal pay for men and women, Anna feels it will motivate more female players to pick up the sport. "All the participants are really thankful to the organizers of the Norway Chess for making equal price fund for both men and women. It will give additional motivation to all the girls around the world," she signed off.
