Chess News and Other Updates | October 2022

October is my favorite month of the time! It's one of the many afterlife months that encourages you to decompress and rediscover your passion. October has been a significant month for chess suckers and professionals, hosting note- good chess crowns, similar as the Fischer Random World Championship and U.S Chess Championship. Let’s see what’s passing in the chess world in October.

Hikaru Nakamura Won the Fischer Random World Championship [caption id="attachment_11871" align="alignnone" width="1080"]

Image Credit: chess24.com[/caption] Hikaru Nakamura, the five-time U.S Champion, won the Fischer World Championship 2022 on 30th October at Reykjavik, Iceland. The 2-2 tie in the four mini-matches, with Nakamura playing Black and Nepomniachtchi White, shows the competitiveness between these two Grandmasters. And what a game it was! The entire chess world was on its toe, holding its breath and awaiting the winner of this anticipated match. [embed]http://twitter.com/fischer_random/status/1586750824667090945[/embed]   An Armageddon game sealed Nakamura’s faith and made him the new Fischer World Champion. He played White against Ian Nepomniachtchi in the finals.

Did you know that Nakamura won a cash prize of 100,000 USD? Let’s have a look at the other runner-ups:

Caruana and Yu Won the U.S Championship [caption id="attachment_11874" align="aligncenter" width="1080"]

Image Credit: FIDE[/caption] Italy’s youngest Grandmaster, GM Fabiano Caruana, won the title of U.S Champion on 20th October after closing with a draw from GM Levon Aronian in the finals. Being undefeated with a score of 8.5/13, I can confidently say he is among the top American chess players. [embed]http://twitter.com/FIDE_chess/status/1582985232591880192[/embed] Caruana and Aronian are seasoned players and have gained a reputation in chess. It was interesting to see such influential players playing an even more decisive game. [embed]http://twitter.com/FIDE_chess/status/1583204294391537664[/embed] On the other hand, GM Irina Krush and GM Jennifer Yu were the joint winners of the Women’s U.S Championship. Yu came out unscathed during the tie-breaker game on 20th October. She defeated Krush in a rapid and blitz match, winning this title for the second time in a row.

Azerbaijan Rocks the World Junior Chess Championship

  Thanks to IM Abdulla Gadimbayli and WGM Govhar Beydullayeva, Azerbaijan won double gold at the World Junior Chess Championship in Sardinia. The World Junior Chess Championship includes players of age 20 or below. Gadimbayli defeated four players, GM Adam Kozak, IM Nikoloz Kacaharava, and IM Leon Luke Mendonca, on a tie-break. Therefore, this winning branded him as the undefeated champion, scoring 8/11. [embed]http://twitter.com/FIDE_chess/status/1583912524436545538[/embed] Beydullayeva’s win was very dramatic. Someone else's loss turned out to be his profit. [embed]http://twitter.com/FIDE_chess/status/1583904998639140866[/embed] Priyanka Nutakki, an Indian WGM, was expelled from the championship for keeping a pair of earbuds in her jacket pocket. The FIDE reported, “While there is no indication of foul play on her part, earbuds are strictly forbidden at the playing hall.” In the wake of this violation of the fair-play policy, Nutakki’s points were awarded to her opponent. None other than the champion, WGM Govhar Beydullayeva. Even though it was a sad turn of events for Nuttaki, it proved profitable for Beydullayeva.

FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament is an elite match that features the strongest female chess players in the world. In this 2022-23 match in Monaco, 8 women candidates from 4 nations will play against each other in two knock-out pools. Let’s walk through the participants briefly:

Did you know that the total cash prize for winning this tournament is 250,000 Euros? The last one to stand will also be able to compete with the Women’s World Champion, Ju Wenjun, for the title. In the opening match on 25th October, Anna Mazychuk played against Humpy Koneru and Lei Tingjie against Mariya Mazychuk. [embed]http://twitter.com/FIDE_chess/status/1586760049204072448[/embed] GM Anna Mazychuk won her match against GM Humpy Koneru on 30th October and reached the semi-finals when Koneru decided to resign. On the other hand, GM Lei Tingjie started strong with the Petrov Defence and won her ticket to the semi-finals. On 1st November, I expect a fierce face-off between GM Mazychuk and GM Lei Tingjie.

FIDE World Amateur Chess Championship You only need to be an amateur chess enthusiast to participate in this exciting championship. The FIDE World Amateur Championship, which took place in Malta from October 20-30, is divided into three categories:

• U2300

• U2000

• U1700

This list of winners will help you to acquaint yourselves with the up-and-coming chess players:

Men’s World Team Chess Championship to Take place on 20th November Chess teams from 12 top chess-playing countries have been selected to compete in the Men’s World Team Chess Championship on 20th November in Jerusalem. The Israel Chess Federation (ICF) has reported that the teams will be divided into two pools, each equating in strength, competence, and caliber. The International Chess Federation (FIDE) organizing body will sort out the players by their average rating. After competing in the first five rounds, the first four teams from each pool will move to the quarterfinals. The final match is scheduled to take place on 25th November.

The 12 coveted countries to be participating are:

• India

• United States

• China

• Netherlands

• South Africa

• Uzbekistan

• Azerbaijan

• Spain

• France

• Ukraine

• Netherlands

• Poland

Signing Off October has been a whirlwind of winnings and losings. Nevertheless, the EnthuZiastic family congratulates all the winners of the chess championships. They not only persevered under such challenging circumstances but also proved to be torch-bearers for the young chess players aspiring to be Grandmasters in the future. Are you curious to know which team will win the Men’s World Team Chess Championship next month? Stay tuned.