31 July 2023

First Games of Round 1 Played at FIDE World Cup in Baku

Russian players scored 5 points out of 6.

Sunday, July 30, finished first games of Round 1 of the World Cup in the city of Baku. The top players (Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Alexander Grischuk, Ju Wenjun, Aleksandra Goryachkina, Humpy Koneru, Kateryna Lagno, Alexandra Kosteniuk and others) are to join the competition from Round 2. Meanwhile, 76 participants and twice as many, 152, have so far toed the starting line in the Women's and Open Sections, respectively. The symbolic first moves came from Minister of Youth and Sports of Azerbaijan Farid Gayibov and FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich. It took yet another minute and a half to turn off the loud music coming from somewhere in the lobby, and then the round began!

The capital city of Azerbaijan is hosting such a prestigious competition as the World Cup for the second time already. Back in 2015, the venue was famous Flame Towers, one of modern Baku's symbols. This time the tournaments' venue is the new Marriott Boulevard Hotel – the very name itself hinting about its location at such a remarkable place as Baku's Embankment, or Primorsky Boulevard. However, the hotel is located some distance away from the historical center in the so-called White City, where large-scale construction is now underway. The population of trees is not as many as in the centre, but the hotel itself has become a green oasis; the sea and the beautiful endless embankment stretching miles ahead are a stone's throw away.

The playing hall is spacious, bright, and well-ventilated. Even now, with none of the players out yet, there is plenty of room for everyone and plenty of room to spare. There is a special area in the lobby providing live broadcasts of all the games; local chess fans, however, have yet to find their way to the Marriott. Grandmaster Irine Harisma Sukandar and journalist Sagar Shah comment on the games in English on the FIDE YouTube channel.

Among the Russian chess players to join the competition from round one are David Paravyan, Mikhail Antipov, Arseniy Nesterov, Leya Garifullina, Olga Badelka, and Alina Bivol (all of them are playing under the FIDE flag).

Zhang Jilin – Bivol

White's opening left her with a bad bishop versus the active knight, which aims at the blockading c4-square. Nevertheless, her position is not as bad as that – Black would have had a hard time to prove her edge following 18. Ba3 Nc4 19. Be7. However, there followed the underwhelming 18. a4? Rxe1+ 19. Qxe1 Nb3!

Bereft of the b1-square, the rook needs to abandon the first rank with 20. Ra3 Qb1, upon which White turns out to drop a piece for no compensation whatsoever.

21. axb5 a5!

There is no need to hurry with the bishop grabbing as the premature 21...Qxc1?! 22. Qxc1 Nxc1 23. bxa6 affords White some decent compensation.

22. Kf1

22. Bd2 Nxd2 is of no help.

22... Nxc1 23. c4 Qb2 24. Re3 a4 White resigns. This game was the first to finish in both sections.

Olga Badelka's Colombian opponent with a rich name, Varela La Madrid Tilsia Carolina, was lost not exactly in broad daylight, but in a kind of "triangle" that arose with the start of exchanges.

Varela La Madrid – Badelka

This is yet another case of a successful opening for Black: she has a pair of bishops, while the d4-pawn is a potential liability. The active play 17. Nc5 is crushed by 17…Rxe2! 18. Rxe2 Bxf3 19. gxf3 Nxd4. Nevertheless, White could have consolidated with 17. Rc3 with much struggle to follow. Instead, White decided to bring yet another knight into the defense with 17. Nbd2, believing the d4-pawn to be immune. However, this is not the case.

17...Nxd4! 18.Nxd4 Qxd4! (Of course, 18…Bxe2? fails to 19.Nxe2) 19.Bxg4 Rxe1+ 20. Qxe1 Qxg4 – and it did not take Black long to convert her extra pawn.

Leya Garifullina outclassed her opponent. David Paravyan and Arseniy Nesterov drew their games. Mikhail Antipov won a bright game full of events (in his signature style!).