Montenegro, England surged to an astounding victory in the sixth round of the European team championship, following five lacklustre performances in their previous five contests. Their 3.5-0.5 victory over the Netherlands pushed them into a tie for the lead with Germany, whose 2-2 draw with Romania also contributed.
The seventh (of nine) round match between England and Germany on Saturday is now a potential gold medal contest. It commences at 2:15 pm and continues for four to five hours on chess24.com and other prominent chess websites; it is available to view live and for free.
Key Player: Nikita Vitiugov
Former Russian champion and current England No. 1, Nikita Vitiugov, sparked Friday’s triumph with a fine 26-move win on top board. Vitiugov capitalized on Jorden van Foreest’s passive play to execute a fierce king’s side assault in 26 moves, culminating in a queen-rook checkmating attack on the h file. The assault was initiated with a knight sacrifice on f4.
David Howell, on board two, scored in a queen and pawns endgame in a protracted 75 moves by forcing a pawn through to advance to a second queen, capitalising on a late error by Max Warmerdam.
In a 55-move knight and pawn endgame, Luke McShane, playing on board four, won by zugzwang, an uncommon strategy in which the opponent is in motion but can only offer losing responses, through the use of subtle abilities. Benjamin Bok and Michael Adams were tied at move 41 of the third board following level play.
England Women’s Triumph
In round seven, England women achieved their greatest result to date, defeating higher-rated Spain by a score of 2.5–1.5. Harriet Hunt and Katarzyna Toma each secured victories on boards three and four, while Lan Yao managed a draw on board two. Toma achieved an extraordinary triumph by utilizing a checkmating queen and rook offensive to score against an opponent who had previously been among the tournament’s top performers.
The thirteenth-seeded English women have advanced to sixth place and will now face Azerbaijan, the No. 2 finalists, in the seventh round on Saturday.
In the sixth round of competition on Friday, a traditional 19-move miniature was presented. Additionally, in this miniature, Nikolas Theodorou, an opponent from Greece, defeated Teimour Radjabov, a former world title candidate from Azerbaijan, through a series of sacrifices.
Challenges for Magnus Carlsen
In the interim, Magnus Carlsen has continued to struggle against opponents ranked 2500, a streak that began at the most recent Qatar Open. The current world No. 1 has a 5/6 record with a live rating of 2827. However, he skewed that record by winning or drawing from inferior or losing positions in two games.
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The French Open squad is devoid of its captains. Alireza Firouzja and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave are presently participating in the St. Louis Rapid and Blitz in preparation for the November 21st commencement of the elite Sinquefield Cup. In contrast, France is in sole control of the women’s competition at Budva, having won 15 of 24 games and suffered only two losses.
Upcoming London Chess Classic 2023
Chess in Schools and Communities will orchestrate the London Chess Classic 2023, with a total of ten competitors playing from December 1st to the 10th in central London. A specialized website will exclusively broadcast the tournament online, with no public access.
Nikita Vitiugov of England, Amin Tabatabaei of Iran, Michael Adams of England, Andrei Volokitin of Ukraine, Hans Niemann of the United States of America, Mateusz Bartel of Poland, Jules Moussard of France, Luke McShane of England, and Shreyas Royal of England comprise the field.
Undoubtedly, the tournament will generate considerable interest. Notable are the inclusion of the contentious Niemann in the lineup and the chance that four English players, including 14-year-old Royal, have to contend with foremost international athletes.
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