Daniil Dubov Wins King Salman World Rapid Championship

Ju Wenjun defends her title.

The King Salman World Rapid Championship ended in the Manege on December 28.

The title in the Open Section went to Daniil Dubov (Russia), who collected 11 points in 15 games.

Daniil Dubov: “I cannot say I played very well, but the luck was on my side. The game against Anton Korobov was perhaps critical for my success. I thought it will end in a draw, but he kept pressure until the very end, and then made a blunder. Such a gift can give a real boost to the overall winning chances. All in all, I think this victory is my biggest achievement to date.”

Half a point behind him were Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (Azerbaijan), Hikaru Nakamura (USA), Vladislav Artemiev (Russia), and Magnus Carlsen (Norway). Superior tie-break score gave Mamedyarov the silver, and Nakamura got the bronze.

Ju Wenjun, who had defended her Women's World Champion's title a month ago in Khanty-Mansiysk, managed to defend her champion's title in rapid chess as well. With 10 points in 12 games, the Chinese finished solely on top.

Ju Wenjun said that she played really well on the first two days, which gave her confidence for the remaining rounds. Another important factor in her success: her trainer grandmaster Ni Hua was present in St. Petersburg and helped her a lot. Finally, Ju Wenjun said that she is already a very experienced player, and called rapid a more interesting and even funny form of chess compared to the classical form.

Sarasadat Khademalsharieh (Iran) and Aleksandra Goryachkina (Russia) tied for second place a full point behind the winner. Khademalsharieh's superior tie-break secured her second place, Goryachkina got the bronze.

RCF President, Head Coach of the Russian national chess team Andrey Filatov congratulated Daniil Dubov and Aleksandra Goryachkina on their brilliant performance in St. Petersburg.

Dear Daniil!

I congratulate you on winning the World Rapid Championship! This is an excellent finishing touch to a very eventful chess year and a great New Year gift to our country. You went through the tournament very confidently and fully deserved the victory. I am especially happy that I can also congratulate my old friend Boris Gelfand, as you two often work together and he assisted you in preparation to this championship.

Dear Aleksandra!

I am very happy of your achievement and congratulate you on winning the bronze medal in competition with the world's strongest players! We've been waiting for such success by our youth for a long time, and I am confident that both you and Daniil will conquer many summits in future. I wish luck all Russian athletes in the World Blitz Championship that starts tomorrow.

Best regards,

Andrey Filatov

The King Salman World Blitz Championship starts on December 29 in the Manege.

Official website

Tournament page