Carlsen and Humpy are World Rapid Champions

by Sagar Shah
12/29/2019 – Magnus Carlsen is now not just the Classical World Champion, but also the Rapid World Champion! He played sublime chess, gaining 14 Elo points, reaching 2900 on the Elo scale to win the title one point ahead of his nearest rivals. Silver medal was won unexpectedly by Alireza Firouzja who scored 4½/5 on the last day. Nakamura settled for the bronze. In the women's section we witnessed a blitz playoff to determine the winner. It was finally Humpy Koneru who won the gold. Silver went to Chinese Lei Tingjie and bronze to Ekaterina Atalik. A detailed report and interviews with the World Champion.

Chess News


Always wanted to play like a World Champion? Search no further! With Magnus Carlsen using the Sveshnikov variation as his weapon of choice in the World Championship match against Fabiano Caruana, this DVD could not be better timed.

No shortage of action

There are days when you are present at the venue as a journalist and you think to yourself, "Please! Let there be no more action than this! How am I going to cover all of this in a single report!" That's the feeling at the end of the World Rapid Championships 2019. But if there were three things that stood out on the final day of the World Rapid Championships 2019, then they would be:

  1. Magnus Carlsen's dominating victory with 11½/15, one point ahead of the entire field
  2. Koneru Humpy's amazing comeback to win the Women's world rapid title
  3. 16-year-old Alireza Firouzja scoring 4½/5 on the final day and winning the silver!

Effortless Magnus

Magnus Carlsen began the third day of the World Rapid 2019 with a score of 8.0/10. He was half a point ahead of Wang Hao, MVL and Duda. In the eleventh round, Carlsen was up against MVL — perhaps one of the most important clashes of the event.

When a top player comes to the board well in advance, doesn't talk with too many people and gets his pieces in order, you know for sure that he wants to fight with all his might! | Photo: Amruta Mokal

MVL played 1.e4 and the open Sicilian against Magnus' Sveshnikov. It always seemed as if White was better, but Carlsen made his moves quickly. He didn't really have a plan, but waited for MVL to do something. When the French GM had to be accurate in the middlegame, he erred and Carlsen equalized without any difficulties. In fact at some point he was also in with a chance to win the game, but finally it all petered out into equality.

 
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1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Nd5 Nxd5 8.exd5 Ne7 9.c4 Ng6 10.Qa4 Bd7 11.Qb4 Qb8 12.h4 h5 13.Bd3 a6 14.Nc3 f5 15.Be3 Be7 16.Na4 Qc7 17.Nb6 Rd8 18.g3 e4 19.Be2 Ne5 20.0-0-0 At this point with the knight perched on b6 and the king still in the centre on e8, it seemed as if White was better. But Magnus continued as if nothing had happened! 0-0 21.Kb1 21.Bxh5 Nd3+ 22.Rxd3 exd3 23.f4 21...Be8 22.Rc1 Bg6 23.Ka1 Kh7 24.Rhd1 White has improved his position to maximum and there seems nothing much for Black to do. In such a scenario Magnus doesn't worry. He just waits for White to do something. Rfe8 25.Na4 Rc8 26.Qb6 Qb8 27.Qb3 Bf6 28.c5 Bf7 29.Nb6 Rcd8 30.Rd2 30.cxd6 Qxd6 30...dxc5 31.Bxc5 Nd7 32.Be3 Nxb6 33.Bxb6 Rd7 The worst is over for Black and he is around even here. 34.Qd1 Qe5 35.Bc4 f4 36.Bd4 Qf5 37.Bxf6 Qxf6 38.gxf4 Qxf4 39.d6 Bg6 40.Be2 Red8 41.Bxh5 Bf5 42.Qe1 Rxd6 43.Rxd6 Rxd6 44.Be2 Qd2 44...Rd2!-+ 45.a3 Qxe1 46.Rxe1 Rd2 47.Ka2 Be6+ 48.Kb1 Bb3 49.Kc1 Rc2+ 50.Kb1 Rc6 51.Bd1 Bxd1 52.Rxd1 Rh6 53.Rd7 b5 54.Kc2 Rxh4 55.Kd2 Rf4 56.Ke2 Kh6 57.Ra7 Rf6 58.Re7 Rc6 ½–½
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Vachier-Lagrave,M2780Carlsen,M2872½–½2019B33World Rapid 201911.1

The swagger of a World Champion! How Magnus Carlsen arrives for the game from the VIP room to the chess board!

In round twelve, Carlsen faced the tough task of playing Levon Aronian with black. Putting his trust in the Tarrasch, Magnus once again essayed the opening. To a person not well versed with the opening, it seemed as if Carlsen had simply blundered a pawn on h5. However, this was really deep understanding of the position. Magnus realized that his central and queenside majority was more potent than Aronian's kingside pawns. 

Carlsen began to dominate in the position and very soon built up a winning advantage. Due to time pressure, things began to go out of hand and Aronian got some counterplay. And then something shocking happened! A queen blunder. 

 
Aronian vs Carlsen
Shocking queen blunder by Aronian

It was hard for Aronian to get to grips with the queen blunder that he had made | Photo: Amruta Mokal

 
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1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 c5 5.cxd5 exd5 6.g3 Nc6 7.Bg2 cxd4 8.Nxd4 Bc5 9.Nxc6 bxc6 10.0-0 0-0 11.Qc2 Bb6 12.Na4 Bd7 13.b3 Re8 14.Bb2 From a position that looks quite normal and you would expect a move like Ne4 like Dubov did against Rodshtein, Carlsen goes for ...h5!? h5!? 15.h4 Ne4 16.e3 Rc8 17.Nxb6 axb6 18.Qd1 Bf5! Somehow this just shows phenomenal understanding. Carlsen realizes that giving up the h5 pawn is fine. He will have excellent play in the centre. 19.Qxh5 Qd7 20.Qd1 c5 21.Re1 Rcd8 22.Rc1 Bh3 23.Qf3 f6 24.Bxh3 Qxh3 25.Rcd1 b5 Although White has an extra pawn, his majority is not so easy to mobilize, but Black is getting a lot of play with his queenside pawns which are already in motion. 26.Qg2 Qe6 27.f3 Nd6 28.g4 d4! 29.Qd2 Qd5 30.exd4 c4 Another pawn sacrifice, this time to get a passed pawn. 30...Rxe1+ 31.Rxe1 cxd4 was also possible. 31.Ba3 Qxf3 32.Qg2 32.Rxe8+ Rxe8 33.Bxd6 Re2-+ 32...Rxe1+ 33.Rxe1 Qc3! 34.Rd1 b4 35.Bb2 Qe3+ 36.Qf2 Qh3 37.Qg2 Qe3+ 38.Qf2 Qe4 38...Qe6 39.Qf3 c3-+ 39.Qg2 c3 40.Bc1 c2 41.Rf1 Qxd4+ 42.Kh2 Qe5+ 42...Qd1-+ 43.Kg1 Qc5+ 44.Kh2 Nf7 45.g5 Qe5+ 46.Kh1 Rd1 47.g6 Nd8 48.Qf3 Rxf1+ 49.Qxf1 Qe4+ 50.Qg2 Qxh4+ 51.Kg1 Qd4+ 52.Kh2 Qd1 Things have moved out of control for Magnus. 53.Qe4 Kf8 53...Qd6+ 54.Kg2 Qc6= 54.Qxb4+ Ke8 55.Qb5+ Ke7 56.Qc5+ 56.Ba3+ Ke6 57.Kg3= 56...Ke6 57.Qc8+ Ke5 58.Bb2+ Ke4 59.Qb7+?? Maybe the biggest blunder of the tournament! Aronian simply hangs his queen. Nxb7 0–1
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Aronian,L2775Carlsen,M28720–12019D33World Rapid 201912.1

The atmosphere in the playing hall, before and after the blunder

The win against Aronian extended Magnus' lead. In the thirteenth round, Carlsen faced Mamedyarov. One of the fiercest attackers of the game, Mamedyarov, somehow is just not able to be himself against Magnus. Even in this encounter Mamedyarov was unrecognizable. He played a solid but passive system. Made some grave positional errors and before you knew it, the game was already over!

 
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1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 d5 4.d4 Nbd7 5.cxd5 exd5 6.Bg5 Be7 7.e3 c6 8.Qc2 0-0 9.Bd3 Re8 10.Bf4 Nf8 11.h3 Bd6 12.Bxd6 Qxd6 13.0-0 Ng6 14.Rab1 Bd7 15.b4 Rac8 16.Rfc1 Qe7 17.b5 cxb5 17...c5!? might have been the better way to play. 18.Bxb5 Bxb5 19.Rxb5 Ne4?! 19...Rc7 followed by Rc8 gives Black a decent position. 20.Qb2 Nd6 21.Nxd5 Rxc1+ 22.Qxc1 Qe6 23.Rc5 Rd8 24.Nc3 White is just a pawn up and went on to win the game. h6 25.Qa3 a6 26.Qa5 Qe8 27.Qb6 Kh7 28.Rd5 Rc8 29.Rxd6 Rxc3 30.Qxb7 Rc1+ 31.Kh2 Rc2 32.Rd7 Kg8 33.Rc7 1–0
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Carlsen,M2872Mamedyarov,S27721–02019D37World Rapid 201913.1

After these two back to back wins Magnus had a lead of 1½ points over the field. He decided to take it easy in the fourteenth round against Dominguez and drew his game. In the final round, Magnus was pitted against Hikaru Nakamura. In case if Hikaru was able to beat Magnus, we would have gone into the playoffs to decide the champion. However, nothing of that sort happened. Nakamura tried a bit in the opening, but once he realized that Magnus was well prepared and his position was solid, he offered a draw, which was gladly accepted. Magnus, thus became the World Rapid Champion 2019. His third World Rapid title.

A draw in the final round meant that Magnus had won the gold and Hikaru Nakamura a bronze | Photo: Amruta Mokal



Interview with Magnus Carlsen after he became the World Rapid Champion 2019

Interview transcript

A group of journalists gathered around Magnus and asked him different questions. All of these are transcribed below.

Magnus Carlsen: For me I took some time to get going and made some draws. Some people were quite far ahead of me but I think today I had a difficult game against Aronian but in general I was in relatively good control and I am very happy with my performance.

What do you have to say about your opponents?

Magnus Carlsen: I would say my opponents are very strong, they are very solid but I think some of them perhaps lacks the cutting edge. I think lot of my opponents were very happy to finish in the top places and have good chances for medals. But I think in such a tournament to win it all you need to have an even more attacking mindset. I think lot of people here performed well but they could have pushed for more.

Who do you think was your toughest opponent?

Magnus Carlsen: It is hard to say. I feel like I have played all the best players [Smiles]. But if I had any bad positions it was probably on the first day against [Rauf] Mamedov, [Hrant] Melkumyan, [Aleksandr] Rakhmanov and also against Wang Hao I had some difficulties. I defended some worse positions for sure but I think I was never lost, and that's a great thing, to have played fifteen rounds without being lost in single one of them is something I take great pride in. 

After winning the title Carlsen was surrounded by fans for an autograph or selfie. Magnus obliged all of them! | Photo: Amruta Mokal

The man of the moment! | Photo: Amruta Mokal

How do you feel now that you have won your third rapid title?

Magnus Carlsen: I feel very good. I am very happy with my performance. I think today I handled it fairly well, although I wasn't very happy to draw against Dominguez because I knew after that the last round would be very difficult, someone just a point could as well catch-up with me. But as it turned out [Hikaru] Nakamura was just happy to secure a medal and I am thankful for that.

How would you celebrate now? Would you play football?

Magnus Carlsen: Maybe I will play football. But most of all, the job is half done for me! I want to win the blitz as well so there's no time to rest on laurels. So if I play football it will only be because I think it is a good way to unwind that way before the blitz.

Carlsen did unwind in the evening playing football! | Photo: Lennart Ootes

He also made new fans with his football tricks! | Photo: Lennart Ootes

A lot of fans! | Photo: Lennart Ootes

What do you think about the organization of the event this year in Russia?

Magnus Carlsen: I think the organization has been superb. I am very very happy and so is my team. To me it feels a bit similar to last year in St. Petersburg. Nice playing hall, lots of people coming to watch. It feels great and I am looking forward to the last two days.

There are a lot of fans here, what do you feel about them?

Magnus Carlsen: I am very happy to see all the fans but I just ask for a little understanding. It has been a tense day for me and if I don't have the time or energy for autographs and such in between games then it is nothing personal. It is just about being as well prepared as possible for a nice game.

What are your future plans?

Magnus Carlsen: The future plan is to play the blitz well. Don't want to look too far ahead, again super-motivated to do well there.

Are you planning any holidays?

Magnus Carlsen: No, I am playing Wijk Aan Zee from the eleventh of January, so holidays will be after that.

Sagar Shah: There were a lot of top players who were making draws quickly just to save energy but you gave in all, in the all the rounds. How did you manage to do it?

Magnus Carlsen: I think even though the days are pretty long but it is still possible to give your all in all the games. But I think it also helps that I am better than the others! [Laughs]. So for me it is easier to play for a win. Perhaps the others risk more if they do so. I think that's the brutal truth. If you are a bit better you can afford to take more risks. Maybe for some of the guys who were taking several short draws that was their optimal strategy but in order to win the event that's probably not the best idea. But in order to just do well that's not a bad but again it is not the way I play and it is partly because I can afford it.

SS: Do you follow a specific routine during the event? You were coming to the board just a few seconds before the game, what were you doing between the rounds?

Magnus Carlsen: I don't like to sit at the board and wait. It is as simple as that. I was just eating, drinking some water, watching some football, and also I was going out for walks. It is a big hall and you need fresh air sometimes.

And what about fantasy football?

Magnus Carlsen: [Laughs] It's been terrible!

You lost the number one spot?

Magnus Carlsen: Yes, it's been terrible. My chess is going great but my fantasy team is not doing well. It's bad but it doesn't matter!

And lastly what did you feel when Aronian blundered his queen?

Magnus Carlsen: Happy! [Smiles] ... But seriously I think I was winning it anyway but it had gotten out of hands. So yes after a tough game there's no better feeling than capturing your opponent's queen for nothing!

The comeback woman of chess

In 2016 Humpy Koneru decided to take a break from chess as she was about to become a mother. For two years she was off the chess board and only made a comeback at the 2018 Batumi Olympiad in Georgia. The start was slow as Humpy didn't perform well in her first few events. The Olympiad was decent but she was knocked out of the Women's World Championship as early as the second round.

But that didn't deter Humpy from her goal! She worked hard and the result is here to be seen. She won the Skolkovo Women's Grand Prix ahead of all the best women players in the world. And now she is the World Women's Rapid Champion 2019! 

Tired, but happy and satisfied. Humpy after winnin the Women's World Championship 2019 | Photo: Amruta Mokal

After twelve rounds it all ended in a three-way tie. Lei Tingjie, who was leading the event, lost her last round to Ekaterina Atalik. This allowed not only Atalik to catch up with Lei, but also Humpy who beat Tan Zhongyi in the final round. Atalik, Humpy and Lei all ended on 9.0/12.

The most important game for Humpy was to win her twelfth and final round against Tan Zhongyi. | Photo: Amruta Mokal

 
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1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.c4 d5 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bf4 0-0 6.e3 Nbd7 7.a3 a6 8.cxd5 Nxd5 9.Nxd5 exd5 10.Rc1 c6 11.Bd3 Re8 12.0-0 White has a small but comfortable edge. Nf8 13.h3 Ne6 14.Be5 g6 At this point Humpy was at loss for a plan. She thought of b4 but did not like it because of a5. Hence, she decided to break in the centre with e4. 15.e4!? dxe4 16.Bxe4 Ng5 17.Nxg5 Bxg5 18.f4 Bh6 18...Bf6 was better as per what Humpy mentioned in the post game interview. 19.Qb3 Be6? 19...Rxe5! 20.fxe5 Qxd4+ 21.Kh1 Be6 22.Qxb7 Rf8 23.Rce1 Bc4 Black will recover her material and the position would be around equal. 20.Qxb7! f6 21.Bxc6? 21.Rxc6! Re7 22.Bxf6!+- 21...fxe5 22.Bxe8 Qxd4+ 23.Kh1 Rxe8 24.Rcd1 Qc5 25.fxe5 a5 25...Qb5 It seems as if this position is fine for Black. 26.b4 axb4 27.axb4 Qc2 28.b5 Bf5 29.Qd5+ Kh8 30.Qf7 Rf8 31.Qe7 31.Rd8!+- 31...Kg8 32.Rd8 Qc4 33.Rfd1 Bc2 34.Re1 Qc3 35.Qe6+ Kh8 36.Qf6+ Kg8 37.Rf1 37.Rc1!+- Qb2 38.Rxf8+ Bxf8 39.Qe6+ Kg7 39...Kh8 40.Rf1+- 40.Qd7+ Kh6 40...Kg8 41.Rf1 41.Qd2++- 37...Bf5 38.Rxf8+ Bxf8 39.b6 Qb3 39...Qd3!∞ 40.e6 Qb4 41.Qf7+ Kh8 42.b7 Bd6 43.e7 1–0
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Koneru,H2574Tan,Z25021–02019D37World Rapid Women 201912.2

This win would not have been sufficient had Ekaterina Atalik not beaten the leader Lei Tingjie. Lei was leading the tournament with 9.0/11 while Atalik was on 8.0/11 in a must-win clash.

Ekaterina Atalik vs Lei Tingjie | Photo: Amruta Mokal

Lei's game against Atalik was similar to a lot of other games that she played at the event. She was losing right out of the opening, and then she fought back. She fought back so well that the position was drawn at a point and would have given her the title. But luck ran out for her and Atalik managed to convert a drawn rook endgame. This game was just about how the tournament went for Lei Tingjie. She had bad positions in so many of her encounters. But she never gave up, fought hard and was rewarded for the same. In the last round, she fell just short.

 
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1.Nf3 d5 2.e3 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.Nc3 c5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.Nxd5 Qxd5 7.b3 Be7 8.Bb2 0-0 9.Bc4 Qh5 9...Qd6 10.0-0 b6?! Too ambitious. 11.Be2! Excellent move preparing Ne5. Bb7 12.Ne5 Qg5 13.Bf3 Bxf3 13...Bd5 14.Bxd5 exd5 15.Qf3± 14.Qxf3 Na6 15.Qb7 Nb4 16.Nf3 Qd5 17.Qxe7 White has won a piece and should have won the game easily, but there are more hurdles on the way! f6 18.Qc7 18.e4! Qc6 18...Qxe4 19.Rfe1+- 19.Nd4!+- 18...e5 19.Nxe5 fxe5 20.Qxe5 White is a couple of pawns up, but with the knight coming to d3, there will still be some technical work to do. Qd7 21.Bc3 Nd3 22.Qg3 b5 23.Rad1 b4 24.Ba1 a5 25.f4 a4 26.f5 a3 27.f6 g6 28.Qh4 Rf7 29.Qc4 Re8 30.Rf3 Qd6 31.Rdf1 Kf8 32.e4 Nb2 33.Bxb2 axb2 34.Rd3 Qc6 34...Qe5∞ 35.Qc2 Qxe4 36.Qxc5+ Kg8 37.Qc4 Qxc4 38.bxc4 Rxf6 39.Rb3 Rc6 40.d3 Re2 41.Rb1 Rd6 42.Kf1 Rc2 43.R1xb2 Rxb2 44.Rxb2 Rxd3 45.Ke2 45.Rxb4 Ra3 46.Rb2 Rc3 White will have to lose one of her pawns here. 45...Ra3 46.Rxb4 Rxa2+ 47.Kf3 Rc2 This position should be theoretically drawn. 48.h4 Kg7 49.g4 Kf6 50.Ke4 Rg2 51.Rb6+ Kg7 52.Kf3 Rc2 53.Rc6 Rh2 54.Kg3 Rc2 55.c5 Rc4 56.g5 Kf7 57.Rc7+ Ke6 58.c6 Kd6 59.Rxh7 Rxc6 60.Rf7 Ke5 61.Rf3 Ra6? 61...Rc1! 62.h5 gxh5 63.Kh4 Rh1+= 62.h5! A great spot by Atalik. gxh5 63.Kh4 Ra1 64.Kxh5 Rh1+ 65.Kg6 The rest is simple. It will lead to a Lucena position. Rg1 66.Kh6 Rh1+ 67.Kg7 Ke6 68.g6 Rg1 69.Kh7 Rh1+ 70.Kg8 Ke7 71.g7 Re1 72.Rf4 Re2 73.Rh4 Rg2 74.Kh7 1–0
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Atalik,E2462Lei,T24831–02019A06World Rapid Women 201912.1

Humpy, Lei Tingjie and Atalik were now tied on 9.0/12. Because Koneru Humpy and Lei Tingjie had the best tiebreak, a playoff was organized between the two. Two games of 3 minutes + 2 seconds increment. If the score ends in a 1-1 tie, the match goes into an Armageddon where White has five minutes and Black has four with draw odds.

Lei Tingjie struck gold in the first game itself as she beat Humpy with the black pieces! | Photo: Amruta Mokal

 
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1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 c5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.e4 Nxc3 7.bxc3 cxd4 8.cxd4 Bb4+ 9.Bd2 Bxd2+ 10.Qxd2 0-0 11.Bc4 Nd7 12.0-0 b6 13.Rad1 Bb7 14.Rfe1 Rc8 15.Bb3 Re8 16.h3 Nf6 17.Qf4 Qc7 18.Ne5 Re7 19.d5?! exd5 20.exd5 Qd6 21.Ng6 Rxe1+ 22.Rxe1 Qxf4 23.Nxf4 Kf8 24.h4 Rd8 25.Re5 Ne8 26.f3 Nd6 27.Kf2 b5 28.Re2 Rc8 29.Rc2 Humpy was just too slow and in this final position where it is still quite unclear, she lost on time. 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Koneru,H2574Lei,T24830–12019D41World Rapid Women TB 20191

Humpy was just too slow. As she mentioned later, it was very difficult for her to adjust from rapid to blitz. It seemed like a tall ask to make a comeback. Not only was Humpy 1-0 down in the match, she also had the black pieces. She took a practical choice of going for the Modern Defense. A slightly dubious opening, but just the perfect one in this situation where all that she needed was a fighting game. Very soon Humpy landed in a completely lost position. But it was no longer just a game of chess. With the amount of things on stake, there was a lot of pressure on Lei Tingjie as well. She missed many simple wins before letting Humpy make a comeback and level the scores.

 
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1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.c4 d6 4.Nc3 Nd7 5.Be3 e5 6.d5 h6 7.f3 Ne7 8.Qd2 f5 9.Bd3 Nf6 10.Nge2 c5 11.dxc6 bxc6 12.Bc2 Be6 13.Rd1 Nc8 14.Bb3 f4 15.Bf2 Qe7 16.Ba4 Bd7 17.Nc1 0-0 18.c5 d5!? 19.exd5 19.Bb3± 19...e4 20.d6 Qe8 21.Qe2 e3 22.Bg1 Bf5 23.Nd3 23.Qc4++- The f4 pawn is falling and next the e3 one as well. 23...g5 24.h4 a5 25.hxg5 hxg5 26.Bb3+ Be6 27.Ba4 Na7 28.Qc2 Rb8 29.Kf1 Qg6 30.Re1 Bf5 Slowly and steadily black is fighting back! 31.Rd1 Nd7 32.Qe2 Bxd3 33.Rxd3 Nxc5 34.Bb3+ Rxb3! 35.axb3 Qxd3 Black wins a piece and also the game! 36.Qxd3 Nxd3 37.Ke2 Nc1+ 38.Kd1 Nxb3 39.Ne4 Rf5 40.g4 Rd5+ 41.Kc2 Nd4+ 42.Kd3 Nxf3+ 43.Ke2 Nd4+ 44.Kd3 Nab5 45.d7 Rxd7 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Lei,T2483Koneru,H25740–12019A42World Rapid Women TB 20192

With the momentum firmly on her side, Humpy was all pumped up for the Armageddon. She lost the toss and Lei decided to take the white pieces and an extra minute. The Armageddon game was a one way traffic as Humpy played solidly and Lei was unable to make any headway. Very soon, the Indian GM built up a winning position and agreed to a draw via threefold repetition.

 
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1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d3 c6 4.Nf3 Be7 5.0-0 d6 6.Re1 0-0 7.Bb3 Bg4 8.c3 Nbd7 9.Nbd2 Nc5 10.Bc2 Nfd7 11.d4 Ne6 12.Nf1 Bxf3 13.gxf3 Bg5 14.Be3 Bf4 15.Ng3 g6 16.d5 cxd5 17.exd5 Ng5 18.Kg2 h5 19.Qd2 h4 20.Bxf4 exf4 21.Ne4 h3+ 22.Kh1 Nxf3 23.Qxf4 Nxe1 24.Rxe1 Re8 25.Rg1 Re5 26.c4 Qe7 27.Rg3 Re8 28.f3 Kg7 29.Rxh3 Rh8 30.Rg3 Rh4 31.Qd2 Nc5 32.Qc3 Nxe4 33.fxe4 Qf6 34.Qe3 b6 35.Rg1 Reh5 36.Rg2 Qf1+ 37.Qg1 Qf3 38.Bd1 Rxh2+ 39.Qxh2 Rxh2+ 40.Kxh2 Qxd1 41.Kg3 Qe1+ 42.Kf3 Qf1+ 43.Rf2 Qd3+ 44.Kf4 f6 45.b3 Qh3 46.Rf3 Qh6+ 47.Kg3 Qg5+ 48.Kh3 Qh5+ 49.Kg3 Qe5+ 50.Kf2 Qxe4 51.Re3 Qf4+ 52.Ke2 Qg4+ 53.Kd3 Qf5+ 54.Kc3 Kf7 55.b4 Qf4 56.Rh3 Qe5+ 57.Kb3 g5 58.Rh7+ Kg6 59.Rxa7 g4 60.Ra8 g3 61.Ka4 Kg7 62.Ra7+ Kg6 63.Ra8 Kg7 64.Ra7+ Kg6 65.Ra8 Kg7 66.Ra7+ Kg6 ½–½
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Lei,T2483Koneru,H2574½–½2019C24World Rapid Women TB 20193

The first thing Humpy did after winning the title was to make a call home to her husband, who had been following all the action! | Photo: Amruta Mokal

Interview with Humpy after her victory

Transcription of the interview with Humpy:

Sagar Shah (SS): Humpy this is the first world title for you, how does it feel? 

Koneru Humpy (KH): Yes, I am really excited with this victory. I didn't expect to win this title at all. Okay when I started in the morning I thought finishing in the top three would be the best result for me. But then I got the opportunity to play the tiebreak because the Chinese lost the final game. It was a dramatic tiebreak I would say because I lost the first game with White without much fight because I couldn't adjust to the new time control right away. After that it was a desperate situation for me, I had to win with Black and I chose the Modern. Of course, it is not a good opening but I have played it many times and I went for it because I just had to gamble.The final game was quite clean. I didn't have any problems in the opening and I was completely winning but since a draw was enough I just repeated the moves.

SS: Today I think one of the most important games for you was against Tan Zhongyi in round twelve, right?

Koneru Humpy: Yeah, that was a very crucial game for me. It was similar to a Queen's Gambit Exchange variation. I had some minor advantage but I managed to find some tricks.

SS: The move e4 in that game was quite surprising yes?

 
Humpy vs Tan Zhongyi

Koneru Humpy: Yes, I couldn't see anything better than e4. b2-b4 was too slow because Black had a5 immediately. So I went with e3-e4 and was looking at ♞g5 ♘xg5 ♝xg5 f4 after which I felt ♝f6 instead of ♝h6 was better. But in the game after ♝h6 things became complex and I had every bit of opportunity to make progress in that position with rook versus two bishops and a pawn in the center. She offered to repeat moves at one point but I just wanted to win and by that time my position was already very safe.

SS: After winning the title you called home. What did your husband had to say?

Koneru Humpy: Yes I wasn't sure if they were following the tiebreaks or not. But it turned out they were following everything and they are of course very happy. It is indeed time for celebration for me and my family since this is my first world title. 

SS: And what about your daughter? Would she be happy?

Koneru Humpy: [Laughs] She is still not big enough to understand these victories and losses but she will be happy to know that I am returning home!

SS: You know Humpy when you were 2600+ everyone expected you to be a World Champion but you didn't manage to win a title back then. Did you find it easier to win it now because there were no expectations?

Koneru Humpy: Well, that's true as you say. But at the same time most people expected me to win in the classical not in rapid or blitz kind of things. So this victory was even a surprise for me. I couldn't believe I won it. My best was a bronze in 2012 World Rapid but later on I was never close to the title. So this is was really an exciting tournament.

SS: Did you prepare specifically for this event?

Koneru Humpy: No, not at all. I just finished the Grand Prix and I hardly had some ten days. I didn't even practice much during that time because at home it is very important for me to spend time with my daughter.

SS: You know Magnus Carlsen said a few minutes ago after winning the Rapid that his job was half done and he wanted to win the blitz as well. Is it same for you? 

Koneru Humpy: [Laughs] I am not thinking about winning anything. I just want to play and enjoy.

SS: And lastly, does this result motivate you? To come back like this is actually a pretty inspiring story.

Koneru Humpy: Yes, this year has been a fantastic journey for me. I won the Grand Prix and was also leading the series and then this title happened. I also gained near about 30 rating points. So overall, it was a great year. Perhaps even my career best year.

SS: You will also want to play for the classical title right?

Koneru Humpy: Well of course, I will keep playing like always. I don't know if I will win it or not but definitely I will give my best.

Humpy's friend Almira Skripchenko comes and gives her a warm hug after she won the title! | Photo: Amruta Mokal

The future World Champion?

If you had to ask me about the find of the tournament, it would definitely be Alireza Firouzja! It would be a bit too much too call him the find, as he has already been "found" and has shown tremendous performances in previous tournaments as well. But at the World Rapid 2019, he just took things to the next level.

Alireza made a powerful start on day one as he raced to 3½/4. One of his victims was the minister of Defence Sergey Karjakin, whom the youngster beat with some powerful endgame play. Day one ended with a loss to top Polish GM Jan Krzysztof Duda and day two was not so great as Alireza could manage just 2½/5.

With 6.0/10 Firouzja entered the final day. This is where he put his foot on the pedal. He first beat Inarkiev, next in line was Le Quang Liem, a draw with Andreikin and he was already closing in on the leaders with 8½/13. But what happened next was just unfathomable! Alireza not just beat Wang Hao in round 14, but also Mamedyarov in the 15th round, taking his tally to 10½/15, and edging out Hikaru Nakamura for the silver medal.

Firouzja performed at an Elo of 2835 and gained 89 Elo points, entering the 2700+ zone. His performance in itself in mind boggling, but the circumstances under which he has achieved it is equally impressive. At the last moment before the start of the event, he decided to not represent Iran and play under the FIDE flag. Although he faced no Israeli opponent, it gave him the mental peace that he would not have to throw away a point if paired against a player from Israel. All of this came at a cost. A lot of mental stress related to what will happen next and how the Iran government will view this. For Iran to lose a gem like Alireza, a future World Champion would be a big loss! For now we can say that he is shaping up into a world class player and it will be exciting to follow him at the blitz tournament as well. 

Alireza with his biggest support: his father Hamidreza | Photo: Amruta Mokal

To beat a player like Mamedyarov in the last round under so much pressure, surely requires nerves of steel | Photo: Amruta Mokal

Alireza is surely a crowd puller! | Photo: Amruta Mokal


Final standings in the open section

Rk. Name Pts.
1 Carlsen Magnus 11,5
2 Firouzja Alireza 10,5
3 Nakamura Hikaru 10,5
4 Artemiev Vladislav 10,5
5 Aronian Levon 10,0
6 Dominguez Perez Leinier 10,0
7 Duda Jan-Krzysztof 10,0
8 Dubov Daniil 10,0
9 Korobov Anton 10,0
10 Anton Guijarro David 10,0
11 Yu Yangyi 10,0
12 Mamedyarov Shakhriyar 9,5
13 Le Quang Liem 9,5
14 Vachier-Lagrave Maxime 9,5
15 Smirin Ilia 9,5
16 Giri Anish 9,5
17 Melkumyan Hrant 9,5
18 Svidler Peter 9,5
19 Ponkratov Pavel 9,5
20 Motylev Alexander 9,5

Final standings in women's section

Rk. Name Pts.
1 Koneru Humpy 9,0
2 Lei Tingjie 9,0
3 Atalik Ekaterina 9,0
4 Girya Olga 8,5
5 Tan Zhongyi 8,5
6 Muzychuk Anna 8,5
7 Muzychuk Mariya 8,5
8 Pogonina Natalija 8,5
9 Bulmaga Irina 8,0
10 Kashlinskaya Alina 8,0
11 Lagno Kateryna 8,0
12 Danielian Elina 8,0
13 Harika Dronavalli 8,0
14 Stefanova Antoaneta 8,0
15 Shuvalova Polina 8,0
16 Kosteniuk Alexandra 8,0
17 Voit Daria 8,0
18 Arabidze Meri 7,5
19 Kovanova Baira 7,5
20 Gunina Valentina 7,5

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The first tournament has now come to an end. We now move to blitz: 21 rounds of them! And it is going to be even more exciting! | Photo: Amruta Mokal

Special thanks to Shahid Ahmed and Satanick Mukhuty for their contribution to this article.

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Sagar is an International Master from India with two GM norms. He loves to cover chess tournaments, as that helps him understand and improve at the game he loves so much. He is the co-founder and CEO of ChessBase India, the biggest chess news portal in the country. His YouTube channel has over a million subscribers, and to date close to a billion views. ChessBase India is the sole distributor of ChessBase products in India and seven adjoining countries, where the software is available at a 60% discount. compared to International prices.

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