FIDE World Cup News

FIDE World Cup 2023 Official Website

https://worldcup2023.fide.com/

Link to Tu-san’s Round 1 → Link

 

8/13 FIDE World Cup Round 4

 

8/9 

After the last day of the tournament, the fourth round began, and the most shocking event of the tournament occurred: Carlsen, the former world champion and the highest rated player in the world, suffered a black star!

Carlsen, the former World Champion and the highest rated player in the world, lost the game after a solid board and an even endgame, but a bad move on move 36 cost him a pawn and he lost the game.

On the other hand, other SGMs such as Nakamura and Caruana ended Day 1 with a draw.

All eyes were on Carlsen’s result the next day! 

8/10 

Carlsen, the most watched player on the second day of the fourth round, successfully won. Following yesterday’s surprising black star, he made a mistake on this day, but recovered and won with the outstanding endgame technique that is synonymous with his game.

As for the Americans, Nakamura played to a draw again yesterday, but Caruana was the first to advance to the last 16, while surprisingly Sohn was the only American to make it to the last 16.

So was surprisingly eliminated from the tournament. 

With the tournament reaching its climax, we will keep an eye on Tie-break the next day!

 

8/9 FIDE World Cup Round 2

8/5

The World Cup has finally entered its third round.

Although many players are getting better, the high level of competition makes for a tough tournament with several matches ending in draws.

The highlight of the day was the unexpected loss of Dubov, one of the SGM players, in the white number. Also, Carlsen’s game featured a very interesting endgame. He was able to manipulate his pieces at will and eventually turn them into a winning pawn ending. Such an ability is impressive! The next day’s game will also be interesting to watch!

 

8/6

Has the pressure of being in Baku had a significant impact on the players’ play? The day’s results resulted in the elimination of MVL and Dubov players.

On the other hand, Carlsen, who played a great endgame in the first round, was the first to decide to play in the fourth round. Similarly, Nakamura won comfortably in the white number.

The following day, the Tie-break will be held on the 7th. At this stage, anything can happen!

 

8/7

The day saw many upsets. 

Giri fought hard for 5 hours, but unfortunately he had to disappear from this tournament due to a fatal mistake in the second round of the 5-minute + 3-second quick-fire. Similarly, Radjabov, who won the tournament in 2019, is from the host country of this year’s tournament and carries high expectations. He too was eliminated after playing the wrong move in the rook and queen endgame.

There is also a big turnout in the Women Section.

Kosteniuk, the 2021 winner, made headlines when she was eliminated with a tie-break.

Finally, the top 16 are all here. We will keep an eye on them!

 

8/6 Photo report received from Tu-san Part.2

We are sending you the second set of photos sent to us by Tu-san.

A view of the trophy room.

There is a space where you can enjoy the game and watch the game streaming right next to the trophies displayed.

 

A beautiful and shining trophy.

Here is the trophy handed to the champion of the Open.

The trophy, in the shape of a king, does not have a cross at the top, perhaps because Azerbaijan is an Islamic country.

 

The Queen’s crown is an exotic design.

Together with GM Nakamura Hikaru, whom we have introduced in the past as a top player with ties to Japan.

 

One with Indian legend GM Anand, who did the opening ceremony Drawing of Color.

Tu-san’s happy face like a little boy is impressive!

 

8/5 FIDE World Cup Round 2

 

8/2

World Cup Round 2 has started. GM Paravyan, who has knocked out Tu-san, and star players Carlsen, Giri, Hikaru, and many others are top of the attention.

GM Paravyan played the Gruenfeld Defence as black, and secured a draw.

As for the SGMs, Carlsen steadily grab a won, while many others have lost points in upsets.

 

 8/3 

The 2nd game of the Round 2 was held. GM Paravyan had an edge in the middlegame, but settled to a draw. Would he be able to advance to Round 3 in the tie-breaks?

Let’s look into the battles of the SGMs rocking up this tournament!

 

Carlsen and Caruana has advanced with a pair of masterpieces, while Shankland’s elimination has shocked the whole fanbase. Many titans like Giri, Hikaru and MVL were held to a draw, showing how tough it is to advance in this tournament.

Can’t wait for the tie-breaks tomorrow! 

 

8/4 

Tie-breaks with the ticket to Round 3 at stakes was held today.

Sadly, GM Paravyan lost, and was eliminated from the World Cup. 

Giri, MVL, and Hikaru, all of whom we have introduced before, has secured their spots in the next round.

The tie-breaks had a board where both players played hard-fought battles, displaying the high level of competition in this round.

Keep up with the latest news of this tournament, getting tougher and tougher!

 

8/3 FIDE World Cup Round 1

 

7/30 Game 1

On the next day of the Opening Ceremony, the games have begun.

Our Tu-san have brought to us a very exciting game to start off the tournament. His preparation lines, deeply analyzed for this tournament, has lead to an edge both in the position and the clock. The opposing player, GM Paravyan, has managed to collect his GM skills to escape from the position with little time left, and the position ended in a draw. The development of the game was a promising one, giving us hope for and even more exciting Game 2.

 

7/31 Game 2

With the first round finishing in a hard-fought draw, the winner of Game 2 will be headed to the next round. Tu-san will play the black pieces in the crucial Game 2.

With all eyes of Japanese chess fanbase on the game, both players proceed to play in the Sicilian Kan Variation with highly complicated positions. After getting through a rather problematic opening for black, Tu-san managed to turn the tides with a bold e4 pawn push. In the middlegame, Tu-san kept pushing against the opponent, who was held passive to the fierce attacks. But finally in the endgame, in the final seconds of the time trouble confronting both players, one move turned out to be fatal.

 

8/1

The top players are finally arriving at the World Cup, with Carlsen, Nepo, Hikaru, and others are starting their competition in 8/2. Carlsen will be the focus of the tournament, as he is aiming to claim the title for the first time in his career.

The top players are seeded to play against the winners of Round 1. Carlsen will be playing against GM Pantsulaia, Levan (Georgia), Nepo against GM Asadli, Vugar (Azerbaijan), Hikaru against GM Karthik Venkataraman (India). GM Paravyan, who fought against Tu-san, will be playing against GM Bluebaum, Matthias (Germany).

The tournament has just started. Make sure to keep your eyes on the tournament through the broadcasting websites!大会はまだまだ始まったばかりです。試合の様子は配信サイトで見ることができるので、ぜひ追いかけて下さい！

 

8/1 Photo Report from Tu-san

 

Tu-san has sent us photos of his journey from Tokyo to Baku, and the scenes from the opening ceremony.

7/27 Departure

A help-desk in the airport of Baku

Arrived at the hotel in 3 a.m.

Participation Prize kit given out to the participants

Visiting the Marriott hotel, venue of the tournament

In the game days, there is a shuttle bus connecting the hotel and the venue

 

Baku’s iconic “Flame Towers”

 

7/29 Opening Ceremony

 

With Vietnamese star GM Le Quang Liem

 

Drawing of Color was done by the Indian legend GM Anand

 

A technical meeting was done in a different venue following the opening ceremony

The flags of all countries participating

 

Tu-san conveyed us the excitement preceding the rounds
With the weight of being the first ever Japanese, he fought with his very best against a strong player.

 

7/30　Introducing Players from All Over The World! Part 2

 

There are many top players participating in the World Cup. This time, we are going to pick up 3 players to introduce to you.

 

①GM Carlsen Magnus

A 32 years old player from Norway, he is the highest rated player in the world with the rating of 2835. There are no other player that currently holds the rating over the mark of 2800, thus leading the world by a wide margin. He has kept his rating over the benchmark for 10 years!

Winning the World Chess Championship for 5 times and the World Rapid Championship for 4 times as well as virtually every tournament in the world, he has built a dynasty in this era. Being a reigning World Champion, he has decided not to defend his throne, gathering attention from all over the world.

Being able to play all openings, from orthodox ones to dubious ones, as well as his iconic mastery of the endgame, his strength can be seen in all parts of the game. Though being a renowned master, he has been spotted playing chess in parks against other superstars like GM Giri Anish and GM Polgar Judit.

The World Cup is one of the few tournaments that he has never won in, with his highest finishes being 3rd place (twice in 2007 and 2021)（2021年、2007年）Is  he able to claim the much-awaited title in this World Cup?

 

②GM Nepomniachtchi Ian

He is a player from Russia, and has the rating of 2779 (World No.5). Being the same age as Carlsen, the two prodigies have been competing from all the way back to their youth years. After winning the Russian Championship, the country with the highest level of professional chess competition, he has lead the world as a top player.

In his recent years, he has done the feat of winning two consecutive Candidates tournaments and fought for the World Championship title in 2021 and 2023. Though he fell short of getting his fingers on the title, he has already secured his spot in the next Candidates.

He actually has never won the World Cup. Would he be able to show off his skills in this tournamenrt?

 

③GM Ivanchuk Vasyl

Ivanchuk will be participating in the World Cup!

He is a player from Ukraine, and has the rating of 2667 (World No.73). He is a former world No.2 in ratings. Born in 1969, he has established his place as a legend, becoming a Rapid World Champion and participating in the Candidates. His highest result in the World Cup came in 2011, when he became 3rd place.

He is respected as a very talented player, and the former World Champion Garry Kasparov evaluating him as a World Champion Caliber player.

He has gathered fans with his spectacular style of play, with his notable games full of queen sacrifices and creative combinations.

His participation was though as unlikely, but he has managed to get to Baku to participate in the tournament. All eyes on his performance!

 

7/25　Broadcasting and Commentary of the World Cup

 

【When with the games start?】

The games are scheduled to start on 8pm in Japan Standard Time (3pm in Baku).

To check the whole outline of the event, including the opening ceremony, please click the link below.
worldcup2023.fide.com/schedule

 

【How can we see the games?】

In Chess.com, there are real-time game broadcasting. If the circumstances are the same from the last tournament, all games from the 1st round are supposed to be broadcasted, including Tu-san’s game. It is possible for the audience to move the pieces on their screen and analyze the game.

 

FIDE World Cup Open 2023 – All Information – Chess.com

【Commentary in English】

In YouTube Channels such as Chess.com and Chess24, there will be commentating in English. Not only will the games in the 1st round be covered, but images of the conference room will also be shown. The commentary will surely be comprehensive, so make sure to check them.

Popular commentators of these channels, such as GM Svidler Peter (The champion of the 2011 World Cup) and GM Howell David W L, will participate as a player in the tournament. How can they entertain their fans on the chess board?

 

【Commentary in Japanese】

There will be Broadcasting and Commentary on Tu-san’s games in the Japan Chess Federation official YouTube channel!

In contrary to the broadcasts mentions above, the commentary will be in Japanese, and will focus on Tu-san’s games. Let’s gather in the live broadcast to support Tu-san!

Special commentators will bring you the analyses of the game. The descriptions will be posted in this page and Twitter afterwards.

 

7/22　Winners of past tournaments and past participants from Japan

 

【Winners of last tournament】

There has been no consecutive championships of the World Cup since the tournament became the current system. Can Duda (Poland, Ranking No. 20), the winner of the previous World Cup, claim a back-to-back title?

Carlsen (Norway, Ranking No. 1), on the other hand, has never won the World Cup in his unprecedentedly successful career. He has been knocked out of the tournament in the semifinals in the last World Cup. Can he add to his other achievements the World Cup title?

 

【The World Championship and the World Cup】

Ding Liren (China) has been crowned as the new world champion recently, but the race for the spot of the next challenger has already started.

The berth for the world champion challenger would be given to the winner of the winner  of a round-robin tournament called the “Candidates”. Only 8 best-of-the-best players can even participate in the Candidates. Of the 8 spots on the Candidates tournament held next year, 3 would be handed to the top 3 finishers of this World Cup. The participation of the World Cup is a track headed to the heights of the world champion.

 

【Past participants from Japan】

The last time a player from Japan got on the path to the Candidates was in 1995, when Mr. Nishimura Hiroyuki participated in the Zonal Tournament. Tu-san’s challenge is a feat that has never been done in some 28 years!

 

7/19　Introducing participants from all over the world!

 

【Which country has the most participants?】

13 players from Azerbaijan, the host country, have qualified for the tournament, which is the most. Azerbaijan is a world power in chess, home of players such as Radjabov (Ranked No. 12, winner of the 2019 World Cup) and Mamedyarov (Ranked No. 14).

following Azerbaijan will be United States, Russia, and India, with more than 10 players each.

 

【Top players and Japan】

There are players who have participated tournaments and ceremonies in Japan. How about watching plays from Superstars in addition to Tu-san’s games?

 

①GM Giri Anish (Netherlands)

Having grown up in Hokkaido, GM Anish Giri is the 7th highest rated player in the world. In this year’s Tata Steel Chess Tournament, he beat players like Carlsen (then World Champion) and Ding (World Champion now) to claim the title.

*Tata Steel Chess Tournament
Held every January, a traditional tournament that calls the new year of chess. Players compete in a round robin for about 2 weeks to decide the tournament. Being a giant competition, the leagues are split up into different sections (The title goes to the winner of Masters, the highest section.

 

Recently, he held an online simultaneous match against the top players of Japan (IM Kojima Shinya, FM Aoshima Mirai, CM Tran Thanh Tu), which you can see from the link below.

＜Archive配信アーカイブ＞

・Match　https://www.youtube.com/live/xclBVJL4Ros?feature=share

・Commentary from GM Giri　https://youtu.be/PtlcviZI-_M

 

②GM Nakamura Hikaru (United States)

Born in Hirakata, Osaka, GM Nakamura Hikaru moved to United States, where he would become a top player. He has participated in a Japanese tournament around 15 years ago (Winner of the Japan League). According to his SNS, he has visited Japan several times since then.

He has now raised his ranking to World No. , matching his personal high. He also entertains the chess community with his master blitz skills and commentary full of emotion on his chess YouTube channel, which uses the Kanji “Hikaru” (Light) in the logo.

 

③GM Vachier-Lagrave Maxime (France)

Widely known by the nickname “MVL”, GM Vachier-Lagrave Maxime is the current World No.12. He has won the bronze medal in World Cup 2013 and 2019.

In his visit to Japan in 2012, a ceremonial simultaneous match was held in Tokyo Skytree, against FM Habu Yoshiharu and Moriuchi Toshiyuki, two Japanese chess players who are also renowned Shogi masters. On top of that, he is also a Shogi player, playing against FM Habu in both Chess and Shogi in a ceremonial match held in Kobe. (MVL won the Chess game, while Habu won the Shogi game.)

 

7/16　The first round opponent of Tu-san will be GM Paravyan David!

【Who is GM Paravyan David?】

From Russia, He is a GM aged 25, and the current FIDE rating is 2612 (Ranked 163rd). In terms of rating, he is more than 200 points higher. He has earned the GM title in his teens, and had his name on the top 10 of the Junior world ranking.

*GM
One of the titles that FIDE awards players based upon their rating, and is short for Grandmaster

It is the most prominent title of all, excluding the world champion.

 

【Notable Achievements】

He has earned international focus in the 2020 Gibraltar International Chess Festival. The tournament having more than 250 participants, 7 SGM amongst them, he fought through the super high-level contest to claim the championship.

In addition, he has participated in the last World Cup (2021). Though he was knocked out in the 3rd round, he brought the former world No. 2 to the brink of elimination. After the tournament, his rating surged to world No. 78, marking the highest spot then in his career.

 

*The coverage in the tournament

David Paravyan wins Gibraltar Masters (fide.com)

 

**SGM

Players with rating over 2700 is unofficially called Super-Grandmaster, or SGM in short.

 

It will certainly become a tough match, but it is sure to be an exciting one.

Make sure to check the progress of the game and the tournament!

 

7/13　Representative of Japan, Tran Thanh Tu, and his his chess career

 

 

【Youth Career】

He as won numerous tournaments in his youth career in Vietnam, his home country, winning four consecutive Vietnam Youth Championships. In addition to his accomplishment in Vietnam, he has won various international tournaments, such as the Southeast Asia Youth Championship and the Asia Collegiate Championship.

 

【Career in Japan】

On top of his three Japan Chess Championship titles, he has claimed back-to-back Japan Rapid Championship titles just last month, showing his abilities to keep the quality of performance high in all time controls.

He as contributed to the Japan team in last year’s Olympiad, and proved that he has the skills to meet international standards against GMs.

 

The World Cup is one of the most intense tournaments in the world. Let’s keep our fingers crossed and our eyes on Tu-san’s performance!

 

【Main Achievements】

〔Youth〕

・Southeast Asia Youth Championship: 9 championships in Standard, Rapid and Blitz in total (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010)

・Asia Collegiate Championship: U15 Winner (2005)　and others

〔Open〕

・Japan Chess Championship: 3 championships (2016, 2018, 2020)

・Online Chess Olympiad: represented Japan 2x (2020, 2021)

・Asian Online Nations Cup: represented Japan (2020)

・Chess Olympiad: represented Japan (2022)　and others

 

Keep up with the latest news!

For Information about the World Cup and Tu-San, please click the link)

FIDE World Cup 2023 Official PV