It is now a tradition for grandmasters to spend Christmas away from home, in the Rapid and Blitz Chess World Cups. This year, the venue is a gigantic sports center in Almaty, the former capital of Kazakhstan and the country’s largest city. Magnus Carlsen he leads the rapid game championship after five rounds, out of the planned thirteen. Only two other players keep up with his pace, with four wins and only a few draws. In addition, he has managed to take revenge on the young Uzbek Nodirbek Abdusattarovwho stole the crown from him last year, and keeps his biggest threat away: having to face Hans Niemann. If that happens, the world champion will have to decide if he sits down to play or, as he did in an internet competition, lets himself win as a form of protest, since he is convinced that the American is a cheat.
As many readers will remember, the war between the two has jumped from the boards to the courts, where the latter claims hundreds of millions of dollars for defamation. In any case, Niemann has not started off on the right foot, although he comes from being second in Sitges, with a convincing game. It seems even the negative of Magnus, since he has four draws and only one victory. Worse than his results has been his attitude. In one of his games he signed a draw in just six moves, against the Vietnamese Tuan Le, which he leads by 150 Elo points. A Carlsen-Niemann duel is still possible, but for that the American has to win a few games and climb the ranks. The less likely the Norwegian’s brain will collapse.
The game of the morbid It is more likely to be held in the World Blitz, which is held on the 29th and 30th, since 21 rounds are played there. This means several more ‘lottery tickets’, although in competitions with 180 players there is no certainty that fate will cross the two archenemies of current chess.
In the exclusively sports field, Carlsen leads the open tournament accompanied by the Russian Vladimir Fedoseevwho plays under the FIDE flag, and the Indian Arjun Erigaisi, the only one who has ripped some tables from number one. Of course, Magnus is favourite: he is playing it safe, solving the problems that are posed to him. As if that were not enough, he has unbeatable experience: he has seven gold medals in the history of these World Cups, three in the rapid and four in the lightning. The first are played at 15 minutes per player for the entire game, plus a 10-second increase per play. The fastest ones accelerate the pace to a 3+2, the only modality in which Carlsen is not number one in the world.
Right now, in blitz chess, he is surpassed on the list by French Alireza Firouzja and the americans Hikaru Nakamura y Fabiano Caruana, although the former has not come to play in Kazakhstan. Nakamura, on the other hand, comes from defeating Carlsen in the final of the Speed Chess Championship organized by Chess.com, which combines several types of super speed chess, including games of just one minute, worthy of the gunslingers of the West.
In Almaty there are several players capable of winning the title: Giri, Nepomniachtchi, Dudaany of the young Indians or Chinese… The current champions, in fact, are the 18-year-old Uzbek Nodirbek Abdusattarovwho defends the gold in rapids, and the French Maxime Vachier-Lagravewhich prevailed in the last World Blitz.
Vallejo, with Black, ended up winning this game, two rooks down. His three united and passed pawns worked the miracle
As for the Spanish David Anton he has three points without having played with a grandmaster of his stature yet. Tied with him figure Alvar Alonsowith much tougher rivals. paco vallejoFinally, he has started with many doubts and leads 2.5 after achieving a single victory in a miraculous position, with two towers less against the player from Kosovo Regards, Saraci.
In the rapid chess world championships there are practically no more Ibero-American representatives. The difficulties posed by these dates have been a dissuasive factor and many demand that FIDE announce the venue with more time and that it be played in a country with easier access, although there opinions change by neighborhood.
In the women’s draw, the Russian Valentina Gunina, a board legend, alone leads the ranking after being the only player to win her first four games. In this case, eleven rounds are played, two less than in the open competition.
