Top grandmasters continue to be left out of contention at the FIDE World Cup in Baku. In the open, Alexander Grischuk and David Anton were knocked out by Bardiya Daneshvar and Abdulla Gadimbayli in Friday’s tiebreaks. Among the women, Mary Ann Gomes defeated Kateryna Lagno, while Klaudia Kulon got the better of Nana Dzagnidze. | Photo: FIDE / Stev Bonhage
The tenth edition of the much-anticipated FIDE World Cup kicked off on Sunday in Baku. The 50 top seeds in the open and the 25 top seeds in the women’s section received byes and will join the fray on Wednesday. The remaining 234 contenders (156 in the open and 78 in the women’s) played their first classical encounters, though. There was no lack of surprises on the first day of action, with 14-year-old Ediz Gurel from Turkey (the youngest participant in the open) stunning Velimir Ivic in brilliant style. | Photo: chess.com / Maria Emelianova
Packed to the brim with players, guests, officials and staff, the Baku Convention Centre hosted the festivities, including speeches, music, dance, as the 2023 edition of the FIDE World Cup was inaugurated in the capital of Azerbaijan. In the open section, Ivan Cheparinov, the top player starting in round 1, as well as Magnus Carlsen, the top player overall and joining in round 2, will start with white in the first game. | Photo: Stev Bonhage / FIDE
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Almost immediately after playing a gruelling three-week match, world champion Ding Liren and Ian Nepomniachtchi will play a 9-round single round-robin in Bucharest, the Superbet Chess Classic. The first event of this year’s Grand Chess Tour, it will also see Richard Rapport, Ding’s second in Astana, among the participants. A star-studded field includes the likes of Alireza Firouzja, Fabiano Caruana and defending champion Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. | Photo: FIDE / Stev Bonhage