Artemiev wins it all at the Russian Rapid & Blitz Championships

by Klaus Besenthal
10/10/2018 – The Black Sea coastal city of Sochi held the Russian Rapid & Blitz Championships from October 5th to 9th. The Russian players that participated in the Olympiad were not able to attend — except Nepomniachtchi, who arrived in Sochi for the Rapid Team Championship. The star of the events was Vladislav Artemiev, who won both the Rapid and Blitz Championships and led Ladya to first place in the team event. Polina Shuvalova, Alina Bivol and Ugra won the women's tournaments. | Photo: Russian Chess Federation

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Artemiev takes all the marbles

Despite the absence of the five players that took bronze at the Olympiad, the line-up of the Russian Rapid Championship included five players with a 2700+ (rapid) rating: Vladislav Artemiev — the top seed — Sanan Sjugirov, Evgeny Tomashevsky, Pavel Ponkratov and Maksim Chigaev. A total of over a hundred titleholders joined the event. 

No less than seven players finished on 8½/11 points. Artemiev and Tomashevsky were the only ones that managed to reach the end undefeated, while Daniil Dubov, Anton Demchenko and Ivan Bocharov took a more all-or-nothing approach and signed one draw each in the long Swiss tournament. Andrey Esipenko and Dmitry Bocharov completed the leading pack.

Just like in the Olympiad, the tiebreak scores decided the final standings. In fact, Artemiev and Bocharov tied on the first criterion and only the second one gave Vladislav first place (by a mere half point!) Since he arrived as the first seed and finished undefeated, it is only natural that he faced the toughest opposition throughout the eleven rounds. In their direct encounter from round ten, Artemiev and Bocharov signed a 50-move draw, in which none of them really got an edge. 

16-year-old Andrey Esipenko | Photo: Russian Chess Federation

Daniil Dubov (right) finished fifth on tiebreaks; Boris Grachev (middle) finished twentieth | Photo: Russian Chess Federation

All available games - Russian Rapid Championship

 

Final standings (top 20)

Rg. Snr   Name EloI Pkt.  Wtg1   Wtg2   Wtg3   Wtg4   Wtg5 
1 1 GM Artemiev Vladislav 2764 8,5 80,5 75,5 6 0,0 2794
2 12 IM Bocharov Ivan 2668 8,5 80,5 75,0 7 0,0 2777
3 3 GM Tomashevsky Evgeny 2726 8,5 76,0 72,0 6 0,0 2670
4 28 GM Esipenko Andrey 2605 8,5 75,0 70,0 6 0,0 2730
5 6 GM Dubov Daniil 2697 8,5 73,0 72,5 8 0,0 2664
6 23 GM Demchenko Anton 2620 8,5 73,0 68,0 7 0,0 2736
7 34 GM Bocharov Dmitry 2568 8,5 72,0 67,0 8 0,0 2715
8 16 GM Savchenko Boris 2652 8,0 80,0 74,5 7 0,0 2750
9 10 GM Oparin Grigoriy 2671 8,0 77,5 72,5 4 0,0 2743
10 31 GM Moiseenko Vadim 2577 8,0 71,5 67,5 7 0,0 2657
11 39 IM Khanin Semen 2523 8,0 70,5 66,0 6 0,0 2680
12 9 GM Morozevich Alexander 2672 7,5 81,5 77,0 6 0,0 2645
13 2 GM Sjugirov Sanan 2735 7,5 76,0 71,0 6 0,0 2639
14 8 GM Matlakov Maxim 2678 7,5 75,0 70,0 6 0,0 2648
15 26 GM Sarana Alexey 2612 7,5 74,5 70,0 6 0,0 2659
16 19 GM Timofeev Artyom 2636 7,5 72,5 67,0 5 0,0 2540
17 24 GM Kobalia Mikhail 2617 7,5 72,5 66,5 6 0,0 2553
18 33 GM Maletin Pavel 2570 7,5 72,0 67,5 7 0,0 2619
19 41 GM Potapov Pavel 2509 7,5 72,0 67,0 6 0,0 2557
20 13 GM Grachev Boris 2667 7,5 70,5 65,0 6 0,0 2559

Shuvalova edges Dordshieva in the Women's Rapid

The Russian Women's Rapid Championship was bloodier than the main tournament. Both Polina Shuvalova and Dinara Dordzhieva finished on 9/11 and did not sign a single draw. Dordzhieva's five wins in a row in the final hurdle were not enough to deprive Shuvalova from taking first place on tiebreaks. Karina Ambartsumova was clear third as the only player to finish on 8½/11.

Polina Shuvalova was in a fighting mood | Photo: Russian Chess Federation

All available games - Russian Women's Rapid Championship

 

Final standings (top 15)

Rg. Snr   Name EloI Pkt.  Wtg1   Wtg2   Wtg3   Wtg4   Wtg5 
1 7 WIM Shuvalova Polina 2342 9,0 77,5 72,0 9 0,0 2507
2 14 WIM Dordzhieva Dinara 2248 9,0 75,5 70,0 9 0,0 2424
3 8 WGM Ambartsumova Karina 2327 8,5 82,0 75,5 8 0,0 2448
4 5 FM Voit Daria 2355 8,0 78,5 74,0 7 0,0 2387
5 10 IM Guseva Marina 2320 8,0 74,5 69,5 6 0,0 2386
6 9 WGM Bivol Alina 2322 7,5 75,5 70,5 6 0,0 2291
7 18 WIM Drozdova Dina 2206 7,5 74,5 69,5 6 0,0 2317
8 25   Maltsevskaya Aleksandra 2194 7,5 70,0 66,0 6 0,0 2323
9 12 WIM Tomilova Elena 2275 7,5 70,0 65,5 6 0,0 2272
10 28 WFM Bykova Anastasia 2170 7,5 69,0 64,0 6 0,0 2276
11 20 WGM Belenkaya Dina 2204 7,5 68,0 63,0 7 0,0 2230
12 47   Borisova Ekaterina 2040 7,5 67,5 65,0 7 0,0 2117
13 27 WIM Baraeva Irina 2174 7,5 66,5 61,5 7 0,0 2240
14 6 IM Kashlinskaya Alina 2353 7,0 79,0 75,5 7 0,0 2337
15 1 IM Bodnaruk Anastasia 2479 7,0 69,5 65,5 7 0,0 2215

A clearer win for Artemiev in the Blitz

The national blitz tournament took place on Sunday, October 7th. Artemiev's good form continued, as he won his first nine games and only conceded a whole point in round thirteen. At the end of the day, his closing wins over Alexander Morozevich allowed him to finish ahead of Sanan Sjugirov on 16/20 — Sjugirov ended the tournament half a point behind, after losing only once in twenty rounds. Third place went to Daniil Dubov.

We do not see Alexander Morozevich often in official tournaments nowadays | Photo: Russian Chess Federation

All available games - Russian Blitz Championship

 

Final standings (top 20)

Rank Name Points Elo
1  Artemiev, Vladislav 16 2849
2  Sjugirov, Sanan 15½ 2711
3  Dubov, Daniil 15 2706
4  Bocharov, Ivan 15 2667
5  Oparin, Grigoriy 14½ 2550
6  Ponkratov, Pavel 14½ 2647
7  Savchenko, Boris 14½ 2657
8  Alekseenko, Kirill 14 2613
9  Chigaev, Maksim 14 2616
10  Alekseev, Evgeny 14 2629
11  Morozevich, Alexander 14 2677
12  Riazantsev, Alexander 14 2633
13  Esipenko, Andrey 13½ 2634
14  Antipov, Mikhail Al. 13½ 2491
15  Rozum, Ivan 13½ 2595
16  Sarana, Alexey 13½ 2532
17  Paravyan, David 13½ 2634
18  Timofeev, Artyom 13½ 2610
19  Yuffa, Daniil 13½ 2470
20  Gabrielian, Artur 13 2507

Alina Bivol first in the Women's Blitz

A score of 15/20 was enough for Alina Bivol to finish ahead of the field in the Women's Blitz Championship. She did not have a great start but lost her last game in round ten — she went undefeated afterwards. Anastasia Bodnaruk — who was the favourite by rating in the rapid and ended only fifteenth — managed to arrive second, half a point behind. Dinara Dordzhieva closed a great week by finishing sole third place on 14/20.

A week of tension and time scrambles | Photo: Russian Chess Federation 

All available games - Russian Women's Blitz Championship

 

Final standings (top 15)

Rank Name Points Elo
1  Bivol, Alina 15 2217
2  Bodnaruk, Anastasia 14½ 2358
3  Dordzhieva, Dinara 14 2225
4  Charochkina, Daria 13½ 2267
5  Maltsevskaya, Aleksandra 13½ 2269
6  Lysenko, Margarita 13½ 2122
7  Voit, Daria 13 2415
8  Ambartsumova, Karina 13 2319
9  Vasilevich, Tatjana 13 2238
10  Kashlinskaya, Alina 13 2369
11  Solozhenkina, Elizaveta 13 2134
12  Kovanova, Baira 12½ 2205
13  Vasilevich, Irina 12½ 2160
14  Gritsayeva, Oksana 12½ 2083
15  Nechaeva, Marina 12 2292

Ladya and Ugra triumph in the team events

Right after getting a silver medal on the second board for Russia in Batumi, Ian Nepomniachtchi arrived in Sochi to represent Molodezhka at the Russian Rapid Team Championship (according to Google Maps, a six-and-a-half hour drive will get you from one place to the other). Nepo finished on 6½/9 and, just like in the Olympiad, his team got third place.

Unsurprisingly, Artemiev's team Ladya achieved first place. Vladislav closed his great rapid performance in Sochi with another undefeated streak. Gata Kamsky played second board and finished with an undefeated 7½/9 score. Legacy Square Capital, led by Vladimir Malakhov, ended up in second place.

Nepomniachtchi arrived in Sochi right after the Olympiad | Photo: Russian Chess Federation

All available games - Russian Rapid Team Championship

 

In the women's team tournament, Ugra obtained an impressive 17/18 to get clear first place, while Legacy Square Capital finished second. The winning team included Olga Girya and Natalija Pogonina in their line-up, who also arrived from Batumi.

Ugra had Pogonina and Girya on the first boards | Photo: Russian Chess Federation

All available games - Russian Women's Rapid Team Championship

 

Translation from German and additional reporting by Antonio Pereira

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Klaus Besenthal is computer scientist, has followed and still follows the chess scene avidly since 1972 and since then has also regularly played in tournaments.

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