GM Vidit Gujrathi shot into the only real lead of the FIDE Grand Swiss 2023 in spherical seven with 5.5 factors, whereas three gamers are tied with that very same rating within the Girls’s.

After shedding with a blunder in spherical one, Vidit has now gained 5 of his subsequent six video games. Within the Girls’s, IM Vaishali Rameshbabu and GM Antoaneta Stefanova caught up with GM Anna Muzychuk, who made a draw with GM Aleksandra Goryachkina on board one.

Spherical eight begins on Thursday, November 2, at 10:30 a.m. ET / 15:30 CET / 8 p.m. IST.  

As an anticipated storm reached Douglas, the tempest prolonged to the chessboards as nicely. Exterior the enjoying corridor, gamers can count on wet climate for the remainder of the event, which ends on Sunday.

With simply 4 extra rounds to go, speculations about who will end in first and second take a extra concrete form. After profitable Tuesday’s Halloween Thriller Banter Blitz, GM Daniil Dubov mentioned he would “go together with Hikaru.”

Dubov’s #FIDEGrandSwiss prediction: “If I needed to decide one particular person to qualify [for the Candidates], which suggests prime 2, I feel I might go together with Hikaru, who principally has this excellent skill to not lose his thoughts!” pic.twitter.com/MgNcruVrcL

— chess24.com (@chess24com) October 31, 2023

Open: Vidit Takes Lead, 11 Gamers Are Shut Behind

Loads of fights led to equal scores, however one participant rose above the remainder in spherical seven, Vidit. A whopping 11 gamers are half a degree behind. 

Fifth Victory For Vidit After Loss In Spherical 1

“There may be an specific practice within the Isle of Man and his title is Vidit Santosh Gujrathi!” mentioned Neiksans shortly after the Indian grandmaster scored one more victory. After shedding in spherical one, he has now gained 5 (!) out of his subsequent six video games. In opposition to a mean opposition of 2645 ranking, that is merely unreal.

There may be an specific practice within the Isle of Man and his title is Vidit Santosh Gujrathi!

—Arturs Neiksans

GM Javokhir Sindarov performed the Recreation of the Day within the earlier spherical, beating GM Sam Sevian in simply 23 strikes with the black items. Mockingly, he misplaced the Recreation of the Day on this spherical, with White.

The “Quiet” Italian Recreation shortly grew to become sharp, and within the middlegame Vidit grabbed a dangling a-pawn at the price of probably sidelining his knight, implying: “Present me the compensation.” Within the interview, he mentioned: “I feel the engine was displaying some methods to defend, however virtually, in the course of the recreation, I believed I used to be a lot, a lot better.”

After profitable materials, Vidit mentioned the endgame “took longer than it ought to have,” however he acquired the job performed. That is unquestionably our Recreation of the Day, which GM Dejan Bojkov annotates beneath.

It’s also possible to take heed to Vidit’s evaluation within the video beneath, the place he additionally analyzes GM Arjun Erigaisi‘s recreation stay!

High Boards Draw, However Sharp Video games All-Round

Though the video games had been removed from peaceable on the highest two boards, they didn’t produce a decisive end result. GM Radoslaw Wojtaszek vs. GM Fabiano Caruana led to a draw by settlement, although the commentators fearful for Caruana simply earlier than he supplied the draw. 

In the meantime, GM Hikaru Nakamura reached an endgame with an additional pawn in opposition to GM Alexandr Predke however objectively couldn’t make progress. 

Nakamura’s opening system with 8.Bc4 was like a Sozin Sicilian besides with the transfer a3 included (and …a6 was by no means performed). Though the commentators identified this setup was a favourite of GM Bobby Fischer, Nakamura mentioned in his recap that he was impressed by a “smashing victory” by GM Magnus Carlsen over GM Vincent Keymer on the latest European Membership Cup.

In that recreation, Carlsen performed a4 as an alternative of a3, however the Bc4 transfer remained the identical. This recreation had a humorous ending, by the best way, as Predke supplied his rook 5 instances earlier than it was lastly captured, with stalemate.

You’ll be able to take heed to Nakamura’s evaluation beneath:

Boards 6 Via 10 All Finish In White Wins

Gamers who entered the spherical a half-point behind the leaders had been clearly in a violent temper as almost each single recreation ended decisively. GM Alireza Firouzja vs. Alexey Sarana was the one draw, which ended with naked kings, whereas GM Etienne Bacrot, Vincent Keymer, Bogdan-Daniel Deac, Yuriy Kuzubov, and Vladimir Fedoseev all gained their video games with White.

Keymer’s victory in opposition to GM Anton Korobov was a ravishing lesson in learn how to rework an awesome area benefit right into a profitable assault.

Keymer mentioned after: “I do not really feel like I used to be in any large hazard within the recreation. That was a great feeling, however in fact, it is not sufficient to not lose video games. To get to the highest, you could win fairly a couple of ones!”

We’ll have an thrilling matchup of Vidit vs. Nakamura on board one tomorrow, with Caruana-Bacrot on board two and Esipenko-Keymer on board three. Amongst gamers with 4.5/7, two promising matchups are Sevian-Firouzja and the all-American matchup GM Levon Aronian vs. GM Hans Niemann, understanding that the previous misplaced their final encounter.

Spherical 7 Standings | High 20 

(Full outcomes right here.)

Girls’s: Vaishali And Stefanova Win With Black To Catch Chief 

Wednesday was a pleasant day for the black items on the highest boards. Whereas White needed to bail out for a draw on board one, Black gained on each boards two and three to hitch a three-way tie for the lead.

Goryachkina-Anna Muzychuk: White Commits “Positional Crime” In Opening However Survives

The primary board was an absolute shock as early as transfer seven, the place White appeared to misplay the opening. 

The highest seed is healthier recognized to play 1.d4, however she got here to this recreation with a shock assault, 1.e4. The commentators speculated that her transfer 7.h3?!, nevertheless, showcased her inexperience with this opening, as she gave her bishop pair for nothing in return—”a positional crime,” in response to Leko.

Leko later added: “This opening shocked me utterly. It looks as if the black participant is a really critical, very robust grandmaster and White is somebody who’s a newcomer to those constructions.”

It looks as if the black participant is a really critical, very robust grandmaster and White is somebody who’s a newcomer to those constructions.

—Peter Leko

The opening part instantly dropped at thoughts GM Vladimir Kramnik‘s sensible recreation within the 2018 Candidates in opposition to GM Levon Aronian who, additionally making an attempt out 1.e4 as a brand new opening, bumped into hassle after enjoying an faulty h3 transfer in a Ruy Lopez. 

Though Goryachkina misplaced any hopes of enjoying for a bonus, she was in a position to “chop wooden” (commerce items) and draw the sport. Then again, the following two boards had been removed from peaceable.

Vaishali Nears Grandmaster Title, Stefanova Knocks Down Former World Champion 

Having already accomplished her third grandmaster norm within the Qatar Masters, Vaishali is simply 11 ranking factors away from reaching 2500 and the grandmaster title. The dream situation for her, in fact, can be to finish this and to additionally earn a seat to the 2024 Candidates.

There have been two last crucial moments. After nursing a strong benefit and nearing the conversion stage, Vaishali blundered the tactic 31.Nxf6! and let her opponent again into the sport. 5 strikes later, although, she “re-won” because of the singsong motif: “Pin and win.”

On board three, Stefanova provocatively moved the identical piece twice within the opening, prompting GM Mariya Muzychuk to sacrifice a pawn for exercise. “Through the recreation, I did not have the sensation that really White has full compensation,” Stefanova mentioned, and Black saved the additional pawn, constructed a powerful middle, and gained extra materials when White sacrificed extra out of desperation. 

You’ll be able to take heed to her analyze the sport beneath:

After seven decisive outcomes on the highest 10 boards, the three leaders are chased by IM Sophie Milliet and Goryachkina, who’re half a degree behind.

Anna Muzychuk is the primary participant to carry onto the lead for greater than at some point. She’s going to face Stefanova on Thursday, whereas board two will characteristic Vaishali-Milliet and board three GM Tan Zhongyi vs. Goryachkina.

Spherical 7 Standings | High 20 

Rk.	SNo	FED	Title	Title	Rtg	Pts.	TB1
1	12		IM	Vaishali, Rameshbabu	2448	5.5	2475
2	5		GM	Muzychuk, Anna	2510	5.5	2468
3	21		GM	Stefanova, Antoaneta	2424	5.5	2426
4	30		IM	Milliet, Sophie	2391	5	2469
5	1		GM	Goryachkina, Aleksandra	2558	5	2420
6	34		IM	Tsolakidou, Stavroula	2385	4.5	2481
7	10		IM	Assaubayeva, Bibisara	2469	4.5	2464
8	39		IM	Cori T., Deysi	2367	4.5	2464
9	25		IM	Garifullina, Leya	2402	4.5	2463
10	40		IM	Munguntuul, Batkhuyag	2366	4.5	2444
11	4		GM	Tan, Zhongyi	2517	4.5	2434
12	22		IM	Bulmaga, Irina	2423	4.5	2427
13	6		IM	Shuvalova, Polina	2506	4.5	2387
14	19		GM	Ushenina, Anna	2434	4.5	2385
15	29		IM	Fataliyeva, Ulviyya	2393	4	2463
16	27		IM	Narva, Mai	2399	4	2452
17	3		GM	Muzychuk, Mariya	2519	4	2414
18	13		IM	Efroimski, Marsel	2447	4	2397
19	14		GM	Cramling, Pia	2446	4	2391
20	17		IM	Javakhishvili, Lela	2437	4	2371

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The 2023 FIDE Grand Swiss (FGS) is without doubt one of the occasions of the FIDE World Championship cycle with the highest two gamers qualifying for the 2024 Candidates Match. The FGS began on October 25 at 9:30 a.m. ET/15:30 CEST/19:00 IST and contains a $460,000 prize fund.

The 2023 FIDE Girls’s Grand Swiss (FWGS) contains a $140,000 prize fund and runs concurrently. The highest two gamers qualify for the 2024 Girls’s Candidates Match.

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