Latest news with #Chess
Gulf Today
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Gulf Today
Grandmasters Muradli, Grebnev share lead at Dubai Open Chess Tournament
Grandmaster (GM) Mahammad Muradli bolstered his quest to defend his title after picking up his third straight point in as many rounds on Thursday night in the 25th Dubai Open Chess Tournament at the Dubai Chess and Culture Club. Muradli of Azerbaijan is in a two-way with Russia's teenage talent GM Aleksey Grebnev for the lead going into the next round, where both players will face off for the tournament's sole leadership. In it's 25-year history the Dubai Open has seen only two players winning the title twice, and both times in back-to-back fashion - GM Gawain Jones of the UK (2016-17) and GM Aravindh Chithambaram of India (2022-23). It will be an uphill battle for Muradli to become the third player to achieve the feat against a tough GM-laden field, but the Azerbaijani is off to a good start. Muradli defeated Austria's International Master (IM) Dotzer Lukas with the white pieces in a Reti Opening that quickly spiraled into a complex middlegame. Lukas signaled his aggressive intentions early by offering a pawn sacrifice on the third move, which Muradli declined. The Austrian then launched a serious kingside assault, prompting Muradli to secure his king on the queenside, but Lukas was severely running short on time-a factor that played a major role in his eventual loss. Grebnev won over Fide Master (FM) Panesar Vedant in a Larsen Attack opening where the 18-year-old Russian ripped open the Indian's kingside defense with his major pieces. Grebnev said he used an attacking idea successfully employed by Dutch number one Anish Giri in a game last year at the Tata Steel Masters. 'My opponent was not prepared for this line and he made a few mistakes and missed some tactics,' said Grebnev, who is playing in his fourth straight tournament this month - from the Rusian Team Championship in Sochi that started in late April, to the Asian Individual Championship in Al Ain, Sharjah Masters, and now the Dubai Open. 'I'm fine,' he said of his demanding schedule. 'It's my fourth tournament in a row, so I just want to show a good game.' The matches between the four other second-round leaders ended in draws, including top-seed GM Nihal Sarin of India who could only manage half a point against compatriot IM Rohith Krishna. Playing the black pieces, Sarin sacrificed a knight on the 17th move to pry open Krishna's kingside and create a potentially dangerous passed pawn. Krishna defended accurately and the game petered out into a drawn endgame. GM Yair Parkhov of Israel also halved the point with IM Nitish Belurkar of India. The four players dropped half a point behind Muradli and Grebnev with 2.5 points each. In Category B, five players led by Iran's FM Mahdi Nikookar share the lead with three points each. Nikookar, the seventh seed and the highest-rated player among the leaders, defeated India's Shashish Subbiah for his third straight point. Also with three points are Mukund Hemant Agarwal of India, FM Syed Mahfuzur Rahman of Bangladesh, Zhang Zhi of China, and Candidate Master (CM) Alankar Sawai Vandan of India. The tournament offers a prize pool of $52,000 to be handed out to the winners of both categories. Category A, contested by players with a rating over 2300, has a total prize fund of $39,500 with $12,000 going to the champion, while Category B, open to players rated below 2300, offers $12,500 in total prizes and $2,000 awarded to the champion. Special prizes will also be distributed to top performers among rating categories, unrated, youth, women, and UAE players. The tournament follows a 9-round Swiss system with a 90-minute time control plus a 30-second increment per move. Games are played every day from 5pm, except the final round on June 4, which starts at 10am. The awarding ceremony is on June 5. Earlier, Dutch Grandmaster Anish Giri clinched the Masters title after securing 7 points out of 9 rounds at the recently concluded Sharjah Masters Chess Championship, marking the first time a European player has won the championship. Serbian Grandmaster Aleksandar Indjic and top-seeded Uzbek Grandmaster Nodirbek Abdusattorov both scored 6.5 points, with Indjic taking second place and Abdusattorov finishing third on tiebreaks. Winners of the B and C categories were also honored during the ceremony.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Magnus Carlsen sets early pace as stars collide at Norway Chess
Magnus Carlsen arrived in vintage form at the start of the Norway Chess tournament. The encounter began inconclusively with the six stars – in ranking order Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana, Arjun Erigaisi, Gujesh Dommaraju and Wei Yi – all launching a win or two. Gukesh, who celebrated his 19th birthday on Wednesday, won in round three against Nakamura. Carlsen's version of one of Bobby Fischer's favourite openings set the tone last week for another clean sweep of the No 1 of the global elite. Carlsen's comprehensive victory in the Speed Championship, which this year also acted as a qualifier for the Esports World Cup, included mini-match victories over three important rivals. Advertisement His win against France's Maxime Vachier-Lagrave was a rare venture into a classical Sicilian Defence with Bc4, like Fischer used to play in his pomp. The individual twists were 6 h3 and 14 Ba4!, but the offbeat strategy was classic Bobby, with a brutal attack against Black's light squares. White: Carlsen. Black: Vachier-Lagrave. Opening: Sicilian Defence. 1 e4 c5 2 Nf3 d6 3 Nc3 Nf6 4 h3 Nc6 5 d4 cxd4 6 Nxd4 e5 7 Nf3 h6 8 Bc4 Be6 9 Bb3 Be7 10 0-0 0-0 11 Re1 Rc8 12 Nd5 Bxd5 13 exd5 Na5 14 Ba4! Improving on an earlier Carlsen game where 14 c3 was fine for Black. 15 c3 f5 16 Bc2 Qb6 17 Rb1 Rf7 18 a4 Qc7 19 g4! Opening up the king's side 19…fxg4 20 hxg4 Rcf8 21 Qd3! Rxf3 22 Qh7+ Kf7 23 Bg6+ Kh6 24 Bh5! 1-0 After four rounds of the 12 in the double-round Stavanger tournament, Carlsen (Norway) leads with 8pts over Caruana (US) with 7, then Nakamura (US) on 5.5, Erigaisi and Gukesh (India) both on 4.5 and Wei (China) on 4. Norway's special scoring system is three points for a win, one for a draw and zero for a replay loss. Draws are played under Armageddon rules which allow for replayed games. Advertisement After two frustrating days where his skills were tested, Carlsen finally got back on track with his second win of the event, a hard-fought marathon against Erigaisi which was technically easier than it looked. Carlsen's king gradually infiltrated into the central squares to support the Norwegian's passed pawn in a queen and pawn ending. Queen and pawn against queen would probably be the epitome of Carlsen's trademark grinding style. After Friday's rest day, the top pairing for the tournament on Saturday will be Caruana v Carlsen, a 2018 world title rematch and also a meeting of the top two at Stavanger. The England and British Championships, World Rapid and Blitz Team Championships are all coming up in the next few weeks, so it will be an important time for young English talents. The soundest approach is the most stable: to aim for consistent results and high percentages rather than conjuring up dreams of instant glory. A 2300 rating is one of the most reliable landmarks displaying how a player acts under pressure and whether he or she can handle constant competition. 3974 1 Qb3+! and 2 c4! surprisingly traps White's queen.
UPI
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- UPI
Lea Michele, Aaron Tveit to star in 'Chess' revival on Broadway
May 29 (UPI) -- Lea Michele, Aaron Tveit and Nicholas Christopher have signed on to star in the upcoming Chess revival on Broadway this fall. The stage musical features music and lyrics by Benny Andersson, Tim Rice and Björn Ulvaeus, and a new book by Danny Strong. "It's America versus Russia at the World Chess Championship, where the espionage and romance are as complicated and exhilarating as the game itself," a synopsis of the show said. "For the two players and the woman torn between them, everything -- personal, professional, and political -- is at risk... and nobody's rules are the same." The show initially opened in 1988 and played for two months.
News.com.au
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Lea Michele set to return to Broadway
On Wednesday, it was announced that the Glee star is returning to Broadway in a lead role in the new production of Chess. Michele will star alongside Les Misérables actor Aaron Tveit and stage actor and singer Nicholas Christopher. The upcoming revival is set to take place at a Shubert Theater. The exact dates and theatre are yet to be announced. This will be the first Broadway revival of the musical since its opening in 1988, following its West End debut in 1986.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Lea Michele set to return to Broadway
On Wednesday, it was announced that the Glee star is returning to Broadway in a lead role in the new production of Chess. Michele will star alongside Les Misérables actor Aaron Tveit and stage actor and singer Nicholas Christopher. The upcoming revival is set to take place at a Shubert Theater. The exact dates and theatre are yet to be announced. This will be the first Broadway revival of the musical since its opening in 1988, following its West End debut in 1986.
