European Workforce Championship Rounds 6-7: Carlsen Survives Thriller

World number-one Magnus Carlsen escaped with simply two minor items in opposition to Danish GM Jonas Bjerre‘s queen to assist struggling Norway to a second win in a row, whereas top-seed Azerbaijan is in freefall, symbolized by GM Teimour Radjabov shedding in 19 strikes.

The leaders with two rounds of the 2023 European Workforce Chess Championship to go are Germany, England, and now Serbia, whereas within the Ladies’s part Bulgaria has overwhelmed and overtaken France and Azerbaijan.  

Spherical eight begins on Sunday, November 19, at 9:15 a.m. ET/15:15 CET/7:45 p.m. IST.

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Open: Keymer Into High 15 As Title Battle Rages

Germany went into spherical six of the European Workforce Championship as the only real chief, and Keymer, who celebrated his Nineteenth birthday by climbing to world number-17, continued that climb by grinding out an 85-move win in opposition to GM Richard Rapport—the primary sport Romania had misplaced in Budva.

The win took Keymer as much as world number-14, nevertheless it might have been a lot shorter, and sweeter, if he’d discovered the beautiful knockout blow 22.Nd4!!. “You see one transfer and also you end the sport instantly!” he mentioned wistfully the subsequent day. 

That wasn’t sufficient for group victory, nevertheless, since GM Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu, who for the earlier 4 European Workforce Championships had led the German group, levelled the rating for Romania by beating GM Dmitrij Kollars. The 47-year-old talked about how new-found sponsorship was set to make Romania a chess powerhouse, although he had some regrets that it had come too late for his profession. His feedback sparked some debate on-line.

I used to be simply reflecting on this level right now. Chess invitationals are very arbitrary and it’s so straightforward to favour one over the opposite and create inequality.

Between gamers rated 2650-2700, I feel this has made a substantial distinction in careers over time as a result of a lot of… https://t.co/flVCs996dq

— Srinath Narayanan (@srinathchess) November 18, 2023

That group draw for Germany allowed England to catch them within the lead with a 3.5-0.5 demolition of the Netherlands. GM Nikita Vitiugov led the way in which with a King’s Indian that went like a dream when he received to interrupt by means of with 19…f4! in opposition to GM Jorden van Foreest.

GMs David Howell and Luke McShane floor out wins to finish the rout. 

That meant Germany and England met in spherical seven, however after they performed out 4 tense attracts, it gave a group an opportunity to catch them. Serbia, whose new recruits GMs Alexandr Predke and Alexey Sarana have each carried out above 2800, seized the chance, with Sarana scoring the one win, over GM Bogdan-Daniel Deac. As soon as once more Sarana is demonstrating that he is one of many world’s greatest gamers exactly when he has the white items.

France, Armenia, and Greece all received in spherical seven to maneuver to inside a single level with two rounds to go.   

Spherical 7 Standings (High 9)

Two groups who must be on that checklist, in accordance with seedings, are Norway and, above all, Azerbaijan.

Carlsen Pulls Off Nice Escape; Radjabov Shocked

Azerbaijan, with Radjabov and GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov on the highest boards, have been the clear favorites to win the 2023 title, however have failed to drag out of the dying spiral that started after they misplaced to Denmark in spherical one. A loss to Croatia adopted, with Radjabov overwhelmed by GM Ivan Saric, however that was nothing in comparison with what adopted in spherical six, when Radjabov discovered himself resigning in opposition to 23-year-old Greek GM Nikolas Theodorou on transfer 19—whereas Theodorou nonetheless had one hour and 28 minutes on his clock.  

That shocker is our first Sport of the Day, with evaluation by GM Rafael Leitao.

As soon as once more that loss was maximally painful for Azerbaijan, for the reason that remaining video games have been drawn. A 3-1 defeat by the hands of Moldova within the subsequent spherical and it is arduous to think about the favorites for such an occasion ever having performed as badly. 

Eighth-seed Norway has additionally underperformed, on paper, however their pre-tournament seeding was very a lot based mostly on having the world number-one on prime board. It is arduous to hold a group, and Carlsen’s 5.5/7 has not been smooth-sailing. 

GM Valentin Dragnev was a transfer or two away from making a sensation, whereas Carlsen’s sport in opposition to 19-year-old Bjerre was a wild experience. At first every part went the previous world champion’s means, with a sacrifice of the change (a rook for a knight on c3), as sturdy because it was pure.

Magnus sacs the change and is taking up! https://t.co/Al4JDg7RYJ #ETCC2023 pic.twitter.com/F5Fy3N0kMF

— chess24.com (@chess24com) November 18, 2023

Carlsen confessed, nevertheless, that he briefly went on to lose the plot: “I simply had one extremely weak part there the place one way or the other I didn’t belief my instincts. I had so many good selections and I used to be simply over-thinking.”

That wobble was mixed with some impressed play by Bjerre, who discovered the sensible 33.Nf5!!.

Vladimir Fedoseev says Magnus not seeing 33.Nf5!! by Bjerre might have been a “big miss”! #ETCC2023 pic.twitter.com/SPMdGhKYcH

— chess24.com (@chess24com) November 18, 2023

The large menace is Qc3+, hitting the rook on b2 and the king on f6, and there aren’t any pleased options for Black. Carlsen confirmed GM Vladimir Fedoseev‘s hunch when he joined GM Alojzije Jankovic on the dwell broadcast: “I assumed a minimum of I can provide the queen, and I must be fantastic, however I’d missed Nf5 fully. Now I’m in all probability… not in all probability, now I feel I’m misplaced!”

Carlsen discovered himself with simply two minor items for a queen, however he felt his opponent made a “conceptual” mistake simply earlier than the time management, and shortly the world number-one had discovered a path to security. That sport is our second Sport of the Day. 

Requested if it had been a troublesome day, Carlsen replied: “No, we’ve received two matches in a row now, in order that’s good. Clearly for me it was not an incredible sport, however a minimum of I saved it and it received us the match, so nonetheless good!” A win for 21-year-old IM Tor Fredrik Kaasen on the underside board gave Norway a 2.5-1.5 win over Denmark and now, for the primary time in 18 classical video games, Carlsen might lastly play an opponent rated 2700 once more. Except both participant is rested, he is set to tackle his world championship second, Dutch GM Jorden van Foreest in spherical eight.

Ladies’s Part: Bulgaria Leapfrogs France And Azerbaijan

The ladies’s competitors had seemed like a two-horse race, till Bulgaria beat each horses, defeating Azerbaijan 2.5-1.5 in spherical six, then France 3-1 in spherical seven. On each events 20-year-old 2023 Ladies’s World Cup runner-up IM Nurgyul Salimova notched up a degree, as a part of a three-game successful streak. 

That left Bulgaria a degree away from France and Azerbaijan, whereas Poland (who beat Germany) and Greece are solely one other level off the tempo. 

Spherical 7 Ladies’s Standings (High 9)

Rk.	Seed	FED	Workforce	Video games	+	=	–	Match Factors	TB1	TB2
1	5		Bulgaria	7	5	2	0	12	141.5	18
2	6		France	7	5	1	1	11	144	19.5
3	2		Azerbaijan	7	5	1	1	11	134	17
4	19		Greece	7	4	2	1	10	111.5	16.5
5	8		Poland	7	5	0	2	10	99.5	15.5
6	3		Germany	7	4	1	2	9	109	16
7	15		Serbia	7	4	1	2	9	106.5	15
8	7		Armenia	7	4	1	2	9	105.5	16.5
9	1		Georgia	7	4	1	2	9	105.5	16

Nineteenth-seed Greece continues to dazzle, with 23-year-old IM Stavroula Tsolakidou main the way in which. 

Tsolakidou in actual fact appears to have met the necessities for a seven-game grandmaster norm—three of these, plus a 2500-rating, are required to achieve the grandmaster title. It is not simply the outcomes, however the video games which have been vastly spectacular, with the win over GM Hoang Thanh Trang an ideal punishment of 1 inaccuracy by her opponent. 

The rostrum is inside touching distance for Greece, however now we have two intense rounds to go in each sections, with no runaway leaders and every part to play for. 

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The 2023 European Workforce Chess Championship is a nine-round group event happening in Budva, Montenegro, throughout November 11-20. All of the European chess federations can subject a group within the Open and Ladies’s sections; matches are performed on 4 boards. The time management is classical, with 90 minutes for 40 strikes, half-hour to the top of the sport, and a 30-second increment from transfer one. 

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