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Vidit Beats Nepo; 4 Indians In World Cup Quarterfinals

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Vidit Beats Nepo; 4 Indians In World Cup Quarterfinals

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GM Vidit Gujrathi outplayed number-four seed GM Ian Nepomniachtchi in round-five tiebreaks to achieve the quarterfinals of the 2023 FIDE World Cup, in order that half of the remaining area now hails from the rising chess powerhouse of India.

IM Nurgyul Salimova is the shock semifinalist within the Women’s part after overcoming IM Polina Shuvalova in simply two video games. She’s joined by GMs Anna Muzychuk and Aleksandra Goryachkina, who survived rollercoaster tiebreaks towards GMs Elisabeth Paehtz and Harika Dronavalli respectively. 

Round six—the Open quarterfinals and the Women’s semifinals—begins Tuesday, August 15, at 7 a.m. ET / 13:00 CEST / 4:30 p.m. IST.

How to observe the 2023 FIDE World Cup

Seven of the eight gamers within the quarterfinals of the Open part have been already selected Sunday, giving them a relaxation day to assemble power for the battle forward. Top seed GM Magnus Carlsen was taking a leaf from the guide of his golf-fanatic coach GM Peter Heine Nielsen.

Two gamers, nonetheless, confronted tiebreaks to resolve who would qualify.

In the Women’s occasion, in the meantime, solely GM Tan Zhongyi had booked her spot within the semifinals, with six gamers needing to undergo the ordeal of fast, and probably blitz, tiebreaks.

Vidit 4-2 Nepomniachtchi

Twentieth-seed Vidit got here into this match towards world number-five Nepomniachtchi because the clear underdog, however there was no arguing along with his evaluation of the way it went: “I think I played very good chess and I was never really in trouble in any games, actually.”

Vidit identified that he missed an enormous likelihood within the first classical sport, and the primary two 25-minute tiebreak video games confirmed that the Indian star had come very well-prepared, each chess-wise and mentally.

The first confirmed the stunning depth to which the highest gamers can put together openings. 31.g3! was a transfer that needed to be foreseen when going for this entire extraordinary journey towards Nepomniachtchi’s Petroff Defense.

A rook down, Vidit presents his bishop on d2, although it is true that taking it might be inadvisable, since pushing the pawn to h4 would then be checkmate. The two-time world championship challenger did every part proper as nicely, and although his 31…Bg6 was the pc’s second alternative after 31…h4, it proved ample to commerce down into an equal rook ending that was quickly drawn.

Nepomniachtchi selected a daring T-shirt. Photo: Maria Emelianova/Chess.com.

The second 25-minute sport was a equally heavyweight wrestle, although a much less spectacular one, and it led to a draw on transfer 45 after flawless play by each side.

That meant 10-minute video games would comply with, and Vidit received within the temper with some pre-game meditation.

His routine labored to perfection, as he went on to win a nerve-wracking however sensible sport. The second Vidit turned to afterward was when he appropriately rejected a draw by threefold repetition after recognizing a protection he’d initially missed.

The first two fast video games have been very degree, so I’m very relieved that within the 10-minute part I managed to win this sport with Black, rejecting the draw, as a result of we have been virtually repeating thrice, after which I had like 30 seconds.

 

That conflict is our Game of the Day, which has been analyzed by GM Rafael Leitao.

This is the second Nepomniachtchi resigned.

That left Nepomniachtchi dealing with the robust process of successful with the black items. He selected most violence, taking part in a wild Dutch Defense with an early g5, however Vidit performed a near-perfect sport, combining benefiting from his opponent’s liberties with by no means shedding management.

Here are the ultimate moments.

That end result was extraordinary in plenty of methods. Personally for Vidit it meant that he’d accomplished one thing solely Carlsen had managed—certified for the quarterfinals in each 2021 and 2023. It was additionally astonishing on a global degree, since 4 Indian gamers had reached the quarterfinals of the World Cup, a feat solely managed earlier than by Russia. As if to emphasise the purpose, this was the primary time within the historical past of both the World Cup or related knockout world championships that no Russian participant had made it to this stage within the Open part.

Round 5 Results: Open

Vidit commented on the opposite Indian qualifiers:

It’s completely superb, and likewise one in every of them for certain will go to the semis. We’re doing very nicely, what can I say? I believe all people is displaying very high-level play. Pragg defeated Hikaru, which isn’t simple, Arjun was very medical along with his wins, particularly towards Sindarov. Gukesh received with Black towards Wang Hao, which isn’t simple. All of them are taking part in actually good chess, in order that’s why I believe they’re deserving to be right here.

On paper Vidit now has the best path to the semifinals, since he takes on the 69th-seed, GM Nijat Abasov. Vidit revealed he is aware of his opponent nicely:

Actually he’s a very good pal. Whenever I come to Azerbaijan, we hang around collectively. He has proven me one very good Indian restaurant, which I preserve going to.

It will not be simple, nonetheless, since Abasov has left a path of destruction in his wake as he is taken on higher-rated gamers to achieve this stage.    

Salimova 3-1 Shuvalova

The underdog within the Women’s part is Twenty ninth-seed Salimova, however the 20-year-old Bulgarian believed in her possibilities: “I really prepared very seriously, and this year is going well for me since the beginning of the year, so of course nobody will expect something like this, but for me it wasn’t something impossible, and I’m of course very happy!”

She managed to wrap up victory in simply two tiebreak video games.

The match turned on the primary, the place Shuvalova was on the verge of a win with the black items earlier than a few strikes modified every part.

For the subsequent must-win sport Shuvalova repeated the opening she’d performed within the second classical sport with 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bc4, about which Salimova had a confession to make.

Yesterday I used to be essentially the most mad about this, as a result of in my head, when she performed this opening, I blended it up with another opening, and I performed 3…c6!? after which, after I observed, I used to be shocked. How can I do that within the quarterfinal of the World Cup? But after all I checked instantly.

Salimova is one win away from qualifying for the Candidates. Photo: Maria Emelianova/Chess.com.

Salimova this time went for 3…Nxe4, and although the result of the opening was blended, when Shuvalova tried to assault on the kingside it backfired spectacularly. 

The different two tiebreaks within the Women’s competitors stretched to 6 video games.

Muzychuk 4.5-3.5 Paehtz

Muzychuk and Paehtz confirmed that being good buddies…

…was no impediment to placing up an enormous struggle on the chessboard.

When Paehtz received the primary tiebreak sport with a robust kingside assault with the black items, Muzychuk was apprehensive: “Today I lost the first game with White, and I thought, maybe it’s over for me.”

She needn’t have apprehensive, nonetheless, because it turned out to be a match the place having the white items introduced solely bother. 

Muzychuk comfortably hit again to degree the match, then took the lead by successful with Black, earlier than blundering on the very finish of the subsequent sport simply when she appeared to have survived a robust assault. That was nothing in comparison with the blunder within the subsequent sport, nonetheless, that gave the Ukrainian grandmaster one thing value its weight in gold—a win with the white items.

After taking part in a tremendous sport, Paehtz blundered in a successful place with 24…Qc6??.

25.Qxe4! was successful on the spot, for the reason that queen cannot be captured with out permitting a back-rank checkmate.

Muzychuk had seen the entice a few strikes earlier, and defined she solely thought for 16 seconds to verify she hadn’t neglected one thing. She hadn’t, and there was no manner again for Paehtz.

Muzychuk survived some scares! Photo: Maria Emelianova/Chess.com.

There was nonetheless a final likelihood for Paehtz to hit again, however though she received a very good place out of the opening it quickly circled till it was Muzychuk who made a draw from a place of power and goes ahead to the semi-finals.  

Goryachkina 4.5-3.5 Harika

After the primary tiebreak sport this match regarded near determined, nevertheless it changed into yet one more thriller.

Goryachkina reached the ultimate of the 2021 FIDE Women’s World Cup and was the very best remaining seed within the 2023 occasion after the lack of GM Ju Wenjun. She had additionally completed all her earlier matches in classical chess, in order that the very last thing you wanted to offer her was a headstart. That’s simply what Harika did, nonetheless, since, taking part in with the white items in an equal place, she made the disastrous blunder 55.Bxb3??.

55…Rc3+ merely received the bishop, and after 56.Kf4 Rxb3 57.Rxb3 Bxb3 Harika maybe solely performed on for some time out of inertia.

When requested about now dealing with Tan, who beat her on this 12 months’s Candidates matches, Goryachkina stated she would possibly cease giving interviews in the event that they have been solely to remind her about unhealthy moments in her life! Photo: Maria Emelianova/Chess.com.

Goryachkina now solely needed to make a draw with the white items to win the match, and within the interview afterward she was nonetheless clearly shocked that she hadn’t managed. Harika as a substitute bounced again after her blunder to play an excellent sport.

That was the excessive level for Harika, since after two attracts within the 10-minute video games, a blunder as soon as once more value her dearly within the first five-minute sport.

That left Harika needing to bounce again once more, however this time Goryachkina was capable of shut the place, and although the sport lasted till a draw on transfer 95, the result of the match was by no means unsure. That meant it fell simply wanting being an ideal day for Indian chess.

The Women’s semifinals look as follows.

Round 5 Results: Women

Two issues are noteworthy. One is that three of the gamers, Muzychuk, Goryachkina, and Tan, additionally reached the semifinals in 2021.

The different is that Goryachkina has already certified to play within the 2024 FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament, in order that if she now finishes within the top-three her spot will as a substitute be given to the highest-rated participant on the January 2024 Women’s FIDE score checklist. Currently that will imply a spot for Indian GM Humpy Koneru, since GM Hou Yifan could be ineligible resulting from taking part in too few video games.

These are thrilling occasions for Indian chess, with Gukesh-Carlsen and Erigaisi-Praggnanandhaa on the menu for Tuesday.



 
Round 5 Tiebreak Games: Open & Women

The 2023 FIDE World Cup and Women’s World Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan, are large knockout occasions that may decide six spots within the 2024 FIDE Candidates Tournaments. The motion started July 30 and ends August 24, with a mixed $2.5 million prize fund.

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