Montreal Summer Chess Classic 2019

The Montreal Summer Chess Classic 2019 is a  tournament taking place from 31 July to 4 August in Montreal, Québec, Canada.
Rate of play: 10 player Round Robin
Time control: 90 min for the game, then 30-sec increment starting from move one.

Official site

Schedule in UTC:
Round 1    Jul 31, 2019    17:00 
Round 2    Aug 1, 2019    14:00 
Round 3    Aug 1, 2019    19:30 
Round 4    Aug 2, 2019    14:00 
Round 5    Aug 2, 2019    19:30 
Round 6    Aug 3, 2019    14:00 
Round 7    Aug 3, 2019    19:30 
Round 8    Aug 4, 2019    14:00 
Round 9    Aug 4, 2019    19:30

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Eurasia Open 2019

The Eurasia Open is held between 31 July till 9 August 2019 in Yekaterinburg, Russia.
Rate of play: 9 rounds Swiss syastem
Time control: 90 min and 30-sec increment from move 1.

Official site
 
Schedule in UTC
Round 1 Jul 31, 2019  10:00
Round 2 Aug 1, 2019  10:30
Round 3 Aug 2, 2019  10:30
Round 4 Aug 3, 2019  10:30
Round 5 Aug 4, 2019  10:30
Round 6 Aug 5, 2019  10:30
Round 7 Aug 6, 2019  10:30
Round 8 Aug 7, 2019  10:30
Round 9 Aug 8, 2019 08:00

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2019 GCT Paris Rapid & Blitz – Recap Day 3

The players were understandably tired on the 3rd day of rapid chess, and we saw more shorter draws and inexplicable blunders than we are accustomed to. MVL held the lead going into day 3, and made keeping his lead look very easy.  He drew a couple games rather quickly, and beat his closest pursuer, Duda, in crushing fashion with the black pieces.  Grischuk agreed to a very short draw against Giri, but he won his other two games to jump into 2nd place by the end of the day.  Anand had a poor day with one loss and two draws, but he still tied for 3rd with Nepo, who won two of his three games.  Let’s see how the final day of the rapid unfolded.   Read more > Standings after Day 3 Round 7 Naka out prepared MVL on the black side of a Berlin, and the players agreed to a quick draw when an opposite bishop endgame was reached. Dubov couldn’t break through against Duda’s stonewall, and offered a draw in a position with few prospects for either side. Fabi avoided a repetition against Giri in suspicious fashion, but nothing really came of it, and the American succumbed to a repetition a few moves later.  Anand was playing an excellent game against Shakh, who took extreme risks in the opening that seemed to have backfired.  The position remained incredibly complex, however, and Vishy blundered a piece when both players were low of time.  Grischuk outplayed Nepo in the middlegame, and won a pawn for his troubles.  He converted in straightforward fashion once a rook endgame was reached.   Grischuk played a fine game in round 7 to make his move on the leaders Round 8 Grischuk decided to take a game off against Giri, and allowed a repetition in a known position.  Anand pressed Dubov hard all game, and got to a promising bishop ending. Vishy missed a couple chances, but overall the young Russian defended quite well, and he eventually forced a draw. Fabi played a Benoni against Shakh, and got everything he could have dreamed of from the opening, with his queenside pawns storming up the board. He secured a pawn on b2, and won the game in short order.  MVL all but sealed his victory in the rapid portion with a crushing victory as Black against Duda in a Sicilian. The young Polish player made a couple inaccuracies that were ruthlessly punished.  Nepo got into a pawn up double bishop ending against Naka, but it looked like winning it would be extremely difficult. Eventually he outmaneuvered the American player, however, and forced resignation by securing a clear path for his h pawn to queen.   Nepo had to use every trick in his arsenal to grind out a bishop endgame against Naka Round 9 Giri-Nakamura was drawn quickly after they reached a drawish position out of the opening.  MVL clearly wanted to sew up the rapid portion of the tournament, and played very safely against Anand, agreeing to a draw in an Open Ruy endgame. Dubov picked up his first win of the event, beating an out of sorts Mamedyarov in smooth fashion. Duda’s day three woes continued as Black against Nepo. He found himself down a pawn in an opposite bishop and knight endgame, and while it looked as if he should hold a draw with best play, it was never an easy task. He lost another pawn when his clock got extremely low, and Ian took home the point without further difficulties. Grischuk played an excellent attacking game to defeat Caruana in the final game of the day. As is often the case he was behind on the clock, but he conducted the attack beautifully in a game he later called one of the best he’s ever played.   MVL will go into the blitz with a one point lead over Grischuk Tomorrow is a rest day, but day one of the blitz starts on Wednesday, July 31st at 3pm Paris time (8am central). Tune into the live show with GM Peter Svidler, WGM Jenn Shahade, GM Alejandro Ramirez, and GM Maurice Ashley. Watch all the action live on GrandChessTour.org

Further Information: Web: GrandChessTour.org | Twitter: @GrandChessTour #GrandChessTour Copyright © 2019 Grand Chess Tour. All rights reserved.

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Belt and Road 2019

The 2019 Belt and Road China Hunan International Chess Open is held in Changsha, China between July 29th and August 6th. Top seeds are Wei Yi and the former women's world champion Tan Zhongyi
Rate of play: 9-round Swiss tournament
Time control: 90 min for the entire game, then 30-sec increment starting from move 1.

Official site

Schedule in UTC:

Round 1    Jul 29, 2019    06:00 
Round 2    Jul 30, 2019    06:00 
Round 3    Jul 31, 2019    06:00 
Round 4    Aug 1, 2019    06:00 
Round 5    Aug 2, 2019    06:00 
Round 6    Aug 3, 2019    06:00 
Round 7    Aug 4, 2019    06:00 
Round 8    Aug 5, 2019    06:00 
Round 9    Aug 6, 2019    01:00

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2019 GCT Paris Rapid & Blitz – Recap Day 2

Day two had plenty of exciting games and a slight shifting in the standings.  Maxime Vachier-Lagrave had a spectacular day, with two wins and a draw, which enabled him to catapult to clear first place. Vishy Anand kept his position near the top by drawing his games today, while Duda moved to tied 2nd by beating Mamedyarov in round 5. Alex Grischuk also had a good day by going +1, while Fabi had a rough one, plunging to 50% after losing twice. Let’s take a look at each round in more detail.   Read more > Standings after Day 2 Round 4 Vishy stole Grischuk's e5 pawn in the opening, and looked to be on his way towards securing the tournament lead. Despite his usual lack of time, however, Grischuk managed to muddy the waters and he accurately calculated to a draw in a king and pawn endgame. Shakh got a dominating position out of the opening against Nepo, and used it to cruise to his first victory of the tournament. Hikaru got a very nice advantage against Duda, but the resourceful Polish player kept the position complex. Naka was eventually forced to give a perpetual when he couldn’t find a favorable way to trade queens. Dubov sacrificed a pawn in the opening against Fabi, then gave away half of his army in order to force a perpetual. Anish blitzed out a bunch of prep on the white side of a Najdorf against MVL, and got an exchange up endgame that looked good for him. Despite that, MVL had two knights that were difficult to control, and eventually they converged on White’s king in a whirlwind that forced immediate resignation.   MVL had every reason to be happy about his performance on Day 2 Round 5 MVL sacrificed a pawn for an endgame initiative against Fabi. Caruana sacrificed an exchange, but in the end it wasn’t enough, and eventually the Frenchman ground out a key victory. Dubov blundered a piece against Grischuk in a roughly balanced position, and Black eventually completed the tricky technical task and snuffed out White’s tricks. Vishy and Hikaru simplified the game early and agreed to a quick draw. Duda took advantage of an oversight by Shakh Mamedyarov, then trapped the Azeri’s knight in an endgame to coerce resignation. Anish got a comfortable position on the Black side of a Najdorf, and Nepo decided to initiate a flurry of exchanges to force a draw.   Grischuk used his victory over Dubov put himself on a plus score Round 6 Grischuk aggressively launched his h pawn against MVL’s Grunfeld, but the position dried out soon after. The players agreed to a draw when a balanced bishop endgame was reached. Fabi won a pawn out of the opening against Ian, but Black managed to create confusion using his queen. Eventually Caruana blundered in a complex ending, and Nepo was able to take the full point. Duda was under pressure against Vishy, both from the position and the clock. He managed to simplify to an endgame, however, and the players forced three-fold repetition. Shakh got a huge advantage against Giri, and while Anish fought back later, his lack of time eventually did him in. Dubov parted with an exchange and his kingside against Naka, and while the position looked tricky to win for a while, Hikaru made it look all too easy. He ended the game with a nice mate.   Hikaru has had a rough event by his standards, but he moved up to 50% with a round 6 win Watch all the action live on GrandChessTour.org

Further Information: Web: GrandChessTour.org | Twitter: @GrandChessTour #GrandChessTour Copyright © 2019 Grand Chess Tour. All rights reserved.

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2019 GCT Paris Rapid & Blitz – Recap Day 1

This year’s Paris Rapid and Blitz started off with a bang.  All the players were clearly in fighting moods, and the first two rounds had four decisive games each.  Fabiano Caruana, Vishy Anand, and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave started out strong with two wins in the first two rounds.  Fabi and Vishy drew their round three game, and they currently share first place as MVL lost round three to Ian Nepomniachtchi.  MVL is still tied for third with Wildcard Jan-Krzysztof Duda, who had a strong first day with two fine wins over Giri and Grischuk.  Let’s take a look at the first day as it unfolded. Read more > Standings after Day 1 Round 1 Caruana got a comfortable position out of the opening as Black against his compatriot Hikaru Nakamura. Hikaru lashed out on the kingside, but it backfired when his own king became weak, and Fabi won by using a powerful e4 bishop to dominate the entire board. MVL got out prepared by Dubov, but outplayed the Russian in a rook and bishop ending, and eventually pulled off a nice win with the black pieces. Vishy got the better of Nepo in a 6. G3 Najdorf, and used a powerful c-pawn to win material, converting his advantage in convincing fashion. Giri played aggressively as Black against Duda in a Giuoco Piano, and he got a very promising position as a result. The Polish player turned things around in the time scramble, however, and won in an exchange-up endgame. Grischuk got an opening advantage against Mamedyarov, but was unable to make anything of it, and the players agreed to the only draw of an overall bloody round.   Fabiano Caruana had every reason to be happy about his first day Round 2 Duda played the Petroff against Fabi, a risky decision which proved to be a mistake, as the American displayed strong preparation to get a superior position on the board and on the clock. While Caruana missed a couple tactical shots that might have secured victory a bit faster, he never let up the pressure, and eventually converted by sacrificing a piece for a slew of pawns. MVL had a poor bishop against Mamedyarov, but once it was unleashed and he took an e4 pawn, White’s position pretty much fell apart.  Vishy appeared to be under mild pressure against Giri, but turned the tables by winning a pawn and eventually converted into a rook endgame. Speaking of rook endgames, Grischuk transformed positional pressure into a pawn up rook endgame against Nakamura, and won in instructive fashion. Dubov had a slightly weak king in an opposite bishop position against Nepo, but it proved to be nothing serious and they drew when Black gave a perpetual.  MVL started with nice wins in his first two games, but he stumbled in round 3 Round 3 MVL looked strong in his first two games, but he got a dubious opening position against Nepo and lost without being able to put up much resistance once his central structure fell apart. Caruana had some nice pressure as Black against Vishy, but the former World Champion defended well and forced Fabi to give a perpetual. Naka got very little against Skakh and it looked like the game was headed towards a draw, but the Azeri mixed up the game by sacrificing a piece. This backfired on him after Hikaru ran his king to safety, however, and the American was able to wrap up his first win. Dubov had some chances against Giri, but couldn’t make much of it and gave a perpetual after giving up a pawn. Duda and Grischuk played a wild game, where the Polish player showed off some fine opening preparation. Jan-Krzysztof missed a couple of chances to finish Grischuk off more quickly, but eventually the pressure on the board and clock forced the Russian to succumb.   Vishy made the most of his chances on day one, and is currently in the lead with Fabiano Watch all the action live on GrandChessTour.org

Further Information: Web: GrandChessTour.org | Twitter: @GrandChessTour #GrandChessTour Copyright © 2019 Grand Chess Tour. All rights reserved.

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8th Arber Open 2019

The 8th edition of Arber Open 2019 is held between 27th July to 4th August 2019 in the Sporthalle VS Bodenmais, Germany.
Rate of play: 9-round Swiss
Time control: 90 min for 40 moves, then 30 min till end of the game, + 30-sec increment from move one.

Official site

Schedule in UTC:

Round 1    Jul 27, 2019    11:30 
Round 2    Jul 28, 2019    07:30 
Round 3    Jul 29, 2019    07:30 
Round 4    Jul 30, 2019    07:30
Round 5    Jul 31, 2019    07:30 
Round 6    Aug 1, 2019    07:30
Round 7    Aug 2, 2019    07:30
Round 8    Aug 3, 2019    07:30 
Round 9    Aug 4, 2019    07:30

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37th Andorra Open 2019

The 37th edition of the tournament Andorra Open 2019 - l'obert internacional d'Andorra is held between 27th July and 4th August 2019 with a prize fund of 10 000 EURO.
Rate of play: 9-round Swiss tournament
Time control: 90 mins for 40 moves, then 30 min till end of the game, with a 30-second increment from move 1.

Official site

Schedule in UTC:

Round 1    Jul 27, 2019    14:00 
Round 2    Jul 28, 2019    14:00 
Round 3    Jul 29, 2019    13:30 
Round 4    Jul 30, 2019    13:30 
Round 5    Jul 31, 2019    13:30 
Round 6    Aug 1, 2019    13:30 
Round 7    Aug 2, 2019    13:30 
Round 8    Aug 3, 2019    13:30 
Round 9    Aug 4, 2019    07:30

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106th British Chess Championships

The 106th edition of the British Chess Championship is held  between July 27th and August 4th 2019 in England. British Chess Championships Major Open and  the British Chess Championships 2019 are broadcasted on ChessBomb.com Strong players like GM Mickey Adams, GM Stephen Gordon, GM David Howell, GM Nick Pert etc. take part in the British Chess Championships

Time control: 90 min for 40 moves then 30 min till the end of the game, with a 30-second increment from move 1.

Official site

Schedule in UTC:

Round 1    Jul 27, 2019    13:30 
Round 2    Jul 28, 2019    13:30 
Round 3    Jul 29, 2019    13:30 
Round 4    Jul 30, 2019    13:30 
Round 5    Jul 31, 2019    13:30 
Round 6    Aug 1, 2019    13:30 
Round 7    Aug 2, 2019    13:30 
Round 8    Aug 3, 2019    13:30 
Round 9    Aug 4, 2019    09:00   

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Riga Grand Prix 2019

The second tournament of the Fide Grand Prix 2019 is taking place in Latvia from 12th to 24th of July. Its a 16 players knockout in 2 games.
The 2019 FIDE Grand Prix series consists of four knockout tournaments, each with 16 players who play two classical games per round and, if needed, a tiebreak on the third day. Ian Nepomniachtchi won the first Grand Prix tournament in Moscow. The remaining two are Hamburg, Germany (November 4–18) and Tel Aviv, Israel (December 10–24).
Each of the four tournaments has a prize fund of 130,000 euros ($145,510).
Time control: 90 minutes/40 moves + 30 min to the end of the game, with a 30-second increment from move 1.
In case of a tie two games 25+10 rapid then two 10+10 followed by two 5+3 and an Armageddon if needed.

Official site
The official broadcast is available on worldchess.com.

Schedule in UTC:
Round 1 / Game 1    Jul 12, 2019    12:00 
Round 1 / Game 2    Jul 13, 2019    12:00
Jul 14, 2019 Tiebreaks starting at 12:00
Round 1/4 final / Game 1    Jul 15, 2019    12:00 
Round 1/4 final / Game 2    Jul 16, 2019    12:00 
Jul 17, 2019 Tiebreaks starting at 12:00
Round 1/2 final / Game 1    Jul 18, 2019    12:00
Round 1/2 final / Game 2    Jul 19, 2019    12:00
Jul 20, 2019 Tiebreaks starting at 12:00
Jul 21 - Rest day
Round Final / Game 1    Jul 22, 2019    12:00
Round Final / Game 2    Jul 23, 2019    12:00 
Jul 24, 2019 Tiebreaks starting at 12:00

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Read the reports on Chess.com
Peter Doggers -Mamedyarov Wins Riga FIDE Grand Prix In Armageddon
NM Sam Copeland Vachier-Lagrave Wins In 19 Moves In Riga Grand Prix
Peter Doggers - Riga Grand Prix: Round 1 Goes To Armageddon
IM Rakesh - Riga Grand Prix: Vachier-Lagrave Only Winner Round 2, Day 1
Peter Doggers - Vachier-Lagrave Qualifies for Riga Grand Prix Semifinals In 12 Moves 
IM Rakesh -  Riga Grand Prix Round 2 Tiebreaks: Grischuk, Mamedyarov, So Reach Semis
IM Rakesh - Riga Grand Prix: Mamedyarov Lone Winner on Day 1 Semifinals 
IM Rakesh - Riga Grand Prix: Mamedyarov, Vachier-Lagrave To Play In Final 
Peter Doggers - Mamedyarov Leads MVL In Riga Grand Prix Final 
Peter Doggers - MVL Levels Score In Riga Grand Prix Final; Tiebreaks Next