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The sponsor of the World Rapid Team Championship, Wadim Rosenstein, put together a strong squad, captained by Jan Gustafsson and with Wesley So on the top board. Rosenstein himself, playing on the amateur board, has so far scored 5 out of 8 points. WR Chess has a perfect 16/16 score and has a 3-point lead over second-placed Freedom.
While So and Rosenstein could have done better on their respective boards, there are four players in the team that have more than made up for any shortcoming in the roster — i.e. Praggnanandhaa, Hou Yifan, Ian Nepomniachtchi and Jan-Krzysztof Duda.
Master advanced Tactics and Calculations like a super Grandmaster
The Indian chess grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi with an ELO of over 2700 (June 2023) is one of the best 20 players in the world. For the first time, the sympathetic top player presents himself in a video course. Let a world-class player show you tactical moti
Who are the best players of the #FIDErapidteams so far? They all come from the leading team, WR Chess!
— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) August 27, 2023
Praggnanandhaa - 4 out of 4, rating performance 3334
Hou Yifan - 4/4, 3102
Ian Nepomniachtchi - 5,5/6, 2976
Jan-Krzysztof Duda - 5,5/6, 2970
Photos by Niki Riga pic.twitter.com/RghqiLZ7PF
Importantly, the leading team got to beat its two strongest contenders in rounds 5 and 6. First, they got the better of top seeds Freedom by a whopping 5-1 score, with wins for Duda, Pragg, Hou and Rosenstein. Immediately afterwards, they beat the all-Indian MGD1 squad. Losses by So and Rosenstein were compensated by the full points scored by Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Duda and Pragg for a final 3½-2½ score.
Freedom, led by Vishy Anand (5/7 so far in Düsseldorf), bounced back in style from the painful defeat in round 5 by winning its three remaining matches of the day. MGD1, on the other hand, beat Armenia in round 7 and lost to Ashdod Elit Chess Club in the final round of the day.
With four rounds to go, Freedom stands 3 match points behind WR Chess, while MGD1 is one of three teams sharing third place with 11/16 points — the Indian team is tied with Ashdod Elit Chess Club (Pavel Eljanov, Andrei Volokitin, Mariya Muzychuk) and Six-pack (Aravindh Chithambaram, Mohammad Nubairshah Shaikh, Priyanka Nutakki).
The 5-team group standing just behind on 10/16 match points includes the over-performing Chess Pensioners (28th seeds according to rating averages). The top scorers in the Pensioners’ squad are Vladimir Kramnik (6/8, 48 y.o.), Peter Svidler (5½/8, 47 y.o.) and Darmen Sadvakasov (5½/8, 44 y.o.).
The Ruy Lopez Breyer Variation
Pavel Eljanov explains in depth what Gyula Breyer already saw in 1911 and what became an opening choice of the likes of Kasparov, Kramnik, Anand or Carlsen. The Breyer Variation, which is characterised by the knight retreat to b8.
Pavel Eljanov plays on the top board for Ashdod Elit Chess Club | Photo: Niki Riga
Commentator extraordinaire Jovanka Houska is representing the Chess Pensioners | Photo: Niki Riga
The ever-photogenic Alexander Grischuk has so far scored 6/8 for the ASV AlphaEchecs Linz | Photo: Niki Riga
Players of all ages in Düsseldorf | Photo: Niki Riga
by Klaus Besenthal
Navigating the Ruy Lopez Vol.1-3
The Ruy Lopez is one of the oldest openings which continues to enjoy high popularity from club level to the absolute world top. In this video series, American super GM Fabiano Caruana, talking to IM Oliver Reeh, presents a complete repertoire for White.
Fabiano Caruana (Kompetenzakademie Allstars) beat Ahmed Adly (Africa) in the fifth round | Photo: Niki Riga
Alexandra Kosteniuk | Photo: Niki Riga
Attack like a Super Grandmaster
In this Fritztrainer: “Attack like a Super GM†with Gukesh we touch upon all aspects of his play, with special emphasis on how you can become a better attacking player.
Vishy Anand | Photo: Niki Riga
| Rk. | Team | Games | + | = | - | TB1 | TB2 |
| 1 | WR Chess | 8 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 338 |
| 2 | Freedom | 8 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 245,5 |
| 3 | Team MGD1 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 276 |
| 4 | Ashdod Elit Chess Club | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 197 |
| 5 | Six-pack | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 11 | 191 |
| 6 | ASV AlphaEchecs Linz | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 279 |
| 7 | Germany and Friends | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 238 |
| 8 | Armenia | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 235 |
| 9 | Kompetenzakademie Allstars | 8 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 225 |
| 10 | Chess Pensioners | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 10 | 204 |
| 11 | Berlin Chess Federation | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 188,5 |
| 12 | Rishon LeZion Chess Club | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 9 | 177 |
| 13 | Düsseldorfer Schachklub 1914/25 e.V. | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 171,5 |
| 14 | Team Chessemy.com | 8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 132,5 |
| 15 | Columbus Energy KingsOfChess Kraków | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 211 |
