The first stage in the new World Chess Championship cycle - the FIDE World Chess Sharjah Grand Prix - finished on February 27 at the beautiful Sharjah Cultural and Chess Club, established in 2013. At the closing ceremony, FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov thanked everyone who was involved in the organisation of the tournament. All participants of the tournament were awarded with presents produced by the organisers. At the ceremony also present was Al Sheikh Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Mualla, Chairman of Sharjah Cultural & Chess Club.

The ninth and final round of the FIDE World Chess Sharjah Grand Prix was played today at the Sharjah Cultural and Chess Club.

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Alexander Grischuk played a relatively short draw, and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov used the opportunity to defeat Hou Yifan and join them on the shared first place.

The final ranking was decided by the first tie-break criteria - mutual result. Grischuk scored best due to yesterday's win against Mamedyarov and is awarded the winner's trophy. Vachier-Lagrave is second and Mamedyarov is third.

The Azeri Grandmaster employed the sharp 4.f3 variation against the Nimzo-Indian. Black made several inaccuracies, as 13...Bxc3 and 15...e4, after which white launched a crushing attack by 17.Bb1. Hou Yifan tried to refute the threats, but there were too many and white claimed a win on 32nd move.

Ding Liren and Levon Aronian were involved in a typical Catalan Opening, where white claimed only a minimal advantage. But at some point, Aronian became careless and "just started playing some random moves". White used this time to increase the pressure and put the bishop's pair to work. The final mistake was 37...Bxd6, after which the Chinese player created the mating net.

Pavel Eljanov and Salem Saleh have agreed that the principled 17...d5 break in the center might have been the cause of all black's trouble later. It was proposed to continue 17...bxa4 18.Rxa4 Qb6 as an improved line.

Eljanov temporarily sacrificed an exchange and assumed a strong initiative. Black could not steer clear of the storm and in the course of massive exchange white won a pawn. The Ukrainian Grandmaster proceeded to convert the advantage.



Alexander Grischuk


Round 9 results:
GM Vachier-Lagrave Maxime 2796 - GM Grischuk Alexander 2742 ½ - ½
GM Nakamura Hikaru 2785 - GM Adams Michael 2751 ½ - ½
GM Jakovenko Dmitry 2709 - GM Nepomniachtchi Ian 2749 ½ - ½
GM Mamedyarov Shakhriyar 2766 - GM Hou Yifan 2651 1 - 0
GM Ding Liren 2760 - GM Aronian Levon 2785 1 - 0
GM Rapport Richard 2692 - GM Li Chao B 2720 ½ - ½
GM Vallejo Pons Francisco 2709 - GM Tomashevsky Evgeny 2711 ½ - ½
GM Eljanov Pavel 2759 - GM Salem A.R. Saleh 2656 1 - 0
GM Riazantsev Alexander 2671 - GM Hammer Jon Ludvig 2628 ½ - ½

Final standings:
1 GM Grischuk Alexander RUS 2742 - 5.5
2 GM Vachier-Lagrave Maxime FRA 2796 - 5.5
3 GM Mamedyarov Shakhriyar AZE 2766 - 5.5
4 GM Ding Liren CHN 2760 - 5
5 GM Adams Michael ENG 2751 - 5
6 GM Jakovenko Dmitry RUS 2709 - 5
7 GM Nakamura Hikaru USA 2785 - 5
8 GM Nepomniachtchi Ian RUS 2749 - 5
9 GM Rapport Richard HUN 2692 - 4.5
10 GM Eljanov Pavel UKR 2759 - 4.5
11 GM Li Chao B CHN 2720 - 4.5
12 GM Vallejo Pons Francisco ESP 2709 - 4.5
13 GM Aronian Levon ARM 2785 - 4
14 GM Hou Yifan CHN 2651 - 4
15 GM Salem A.R. Saleh UAE 2656 - 3.5
16 GM Hammer Jon Ludvig NOR 2628 - 3.5
17 GM Tomashevsky Evgeny RUS 2711 - 3.5
18 GM Riazantsev Alexander RUS 2671 - 3


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Round 8

Alexander Grischuk joined Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in the lead after scoring a victory against Shakhriyar Mamedyarov. Black mixed the lines in the opening and run into early trouble. But soon white returned the favour and wasted a couple of tempi. Black succeeded in trading the queens and his position became easier to play.

On move 28 black discarded the good move Rd8 "because it was probably leading to a draw", and he wanted to complicate the matters. Another omission, 30...Kf7 instead 30...a5, and black was again facing serious problems. From that point on Grischuk played very well and proceeded to reach the winning rook ending.

The game between Jon Ludvig Hammer and Pavel Eljanov was a quiet Queen's Indian setup until white decided that he wanted to plant the knight on b5 and started the plan with 20.a4.

Black immediately pounced on the opportunity to transfer his own knight to dominant square c5. Another mistake by white, 24.g4, and black was able to open up the second front over the h-file. According to the players, the rest of the game was a matter of technique for the Ukrainian Grandmaster.

Round 8 results:
GM Nepomniachtchi Ian 2749 - GM Vachier-Lagrave Maxime 2796 ½ - ½
GM Grischuk Alexander 2742 - GM Mamedyarov Shakhriyar 2766 1 - 0
GM Jakovenko Dmitry 2709 - GM Adams Michael 2751 ½ - ½
GM Aronian Levon 2785 - GM Nakamura Hikaru 2785 ½ - ½
GM Li Chao B 2720 - GM Ding Liren 2760 ½ - ½
GM Hou Yifan 2651 - GM Rapport Richard 2692 ½ - ½
GM Salem A.R. Saleh 2656 - GM Vallejo Pons Francisco 2709 ½ - ½
GM Hammer Jon Ludvig 2628 - GM Eljanov Pavel 2759 0 - 1
GM Riazantsev Alexander 2671 - GM Tomashevsky Evgeny 2711 ½ - ½

Round 8 standings:
1 GM Vachier-Lagrave Maxime FRA 2796 - 5
2 GM Grischuk Alexander RUS 2742 - 5
3 GM Mamedyarov Shakhriyar AZE 2766 - 4.5
4 GM Adams Michael ENG 2751 - 4.5
5 GM Jakovenko Dmitry RUS 2709 - 4.5
6 GM Nakamura Hikaru USA 2785 - 4.5
7 GM Nepomniachtchi Ian RUS 2749 - 4.5
8 GM Rapport Richard HUN 2692 - 4
9 GM Li Chao B CHN 2720 - 4
10 GM Ding Liren CHN 2760 - 4
11 GM Aronian Levon ARM 2785 - 4
12 GM Hou Yifan CHN 2651 - 4
13 GM Vallejo Pons Francisco ESP 2709 - 4
14 GM Eljanov Pavel UKR 2759 - 3.5
15 GM Salem A.R. Saleh UAE 2656 - 3.5
16 GM Hammer Jon Ludvig NOR 2628 - 3
17 GM Tomashevsky Evgeny RUS 2711 - 3
18 GM Riazantsev Alexander RUS 2671 - 2.5

Round 9 pairings:
GM Vachier-Lagrave Maxime 2796 - GM Grischuk Alexander 2742
GM Nakamura Hikaru 2785 - GM Adams Michael 2751
GM Jakovenko Dmitry 2709 - GM Nepomniachtchi Ian 2749
GM Mamedyarov Shakhriyar 2766 - GM Hou Yifan 2651
GM Ding Liren 2760 - GM Aronian Levon 2785
GM Rapport Richard 2692 - GM Li Chao B 2720
GM Vallejo Pons Francisco 2709 - GM Tomashevsky Evgeny 2711
GM Eljanov Pavel 2759 - GM Salem A.R. Saleh 2656
GM Riazantsev Alexander 2671 - GM Hammer Jon Ludvig 2628

The round was innaugurated by Mr Homaid Al Abaar, Head of the Sharjah Department of Planning and Land, who made the honorary first move 1.c4 for Ian Nepomniachtchi.

Round 7

With another batch of bloodless draws on the top boards, the attention turned to the efforts of lower rated players.

The local star Salem Saleh delighted the numerous fans at the club by winning his first game in the tournament. Alexander Riazantsev defended with the Caro-Kann and white employed a new move at the very early stage 8.Na3.

A typical position arose where white launched an attack on the kingside, winning an exchange in the process, but black was defending well. However, black run into terrible time trouble and erred with 24...f5, after which the game did not last long. This was Riazantsev's third loss in a row.

Li Chao managed another comeback after the loss with black pieces. At first, Pavel Eljanov achieved a very good version of the "isolani" position, but then the hasty 16...Qf4-g4 got him into trouble.

White pieces dominated the board and black could not find the counterplay. Li Chao slowly increased the advantage and netted a full point shortly after the time control.





Round 7 results:
GM Vachier-Lagrave Maxime 2796 - GM Jakovenko Dmitry 2709 ½ - ½
GM Mamedyarov Shakhriyar 2766 - GM Nepomniachtchi Ian 2749 ½ - ½
GM Grischuk Alexander 2742 - GM Adams Michael 2751 ½ - ½
GM Ding Liren 2760 - GM Nakamura Hikaru 2785 ½ - ½
GM Rapport Richard 2692 - GM Aronian Levon 2785 ½ - ½
GM Vallejo Pons Francisco 2709 - GM Hou Yifan 2651 ½ - ½
GM Li Chao B 2720 - GM Eljanov Pavel 2759 1 - 0
GM Tomashevsky Evgeny 2711 - GM Hammer Jon Ludvig 2628 ½ - ½
GM Salem A.R. Saleh 2656 - GM Riazantsev Alexander 2671 1 - 0

Round 7 standings:
1 GM Vachier-Lagrave Maxime FRA 2796 - 4.5
2 GM Mamedyarov Shakhriyar AZE 2766 - 4.5
3 GM Adams Michael ENG 2751 - 4
4 GM Jakovenko Dmitry RUS 2709 - 4
5 GM Grischuk Alexander RUS 2742 - 4
6 GM Nakamura Hikaru USA 2785 - 4
7 GM Nepomniachtchi Ian RUS 2749 - 4
8 GM Rapport Richard HUN 2692 - 3.5
9 GM Li Chao B CHN 2720 - 3.5
10 GM Ding Liren CHN 2760 - 3.5
11 GM Vallejo Pons Francisco ESP 2709 - 3.5
12 GM Aronian Levon ARM 2785 - 3.5
13 GM Hou Yifan CHN 2651 - 3.5
14 GM Salem A.R. Saleh UAE 2656 - 3
15 GM Hammer Jon Ludvig NOR 2628 - 3
16 GM Tomashevsky Evgeny RUS 2711 - 2.5
17 GM Eljanov Pavel UKR 2759 - 2.5
18 GM Riazantsev Alexander RUS 2671 - 2

Round 8 pairings:
GM Nepomniachtchi Ian 2749 - GM Vachier-Lagrave Maxime 2796
GM Grischuk Alexander 2742 - GM Mamedyarov Shakhriyar 2766
GM Jakovenko Dmitry 2709 - GM Adams Michael 2751
GM Aronian Levon 2785 - GM Nakamura Hikaru 2785
GM Li Chao B 2720 - GM Ding Liren 2760
GM Hou Yifan 2651 - GM Rapport Richard 2692
GM Salem A.R. Saleh 2656 - GM Vallejo Pons Francisco 2709
GM Hammer Jon Ludvig 2628 - GM Eljanov Pavel 2759
GM Riazantsev Alexander 2671 - GM Tomashevsky Evgeny 2711

Round 6

The tournament co-leaders Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave maintained the position on the top by making relatively quick draws against Dmitry Jakovenko and Michael Adams, respectively.

Li Chao repeated the Petroff defence for the third time in this tournament, but it proved to be too risky as Ian Nepomniachtchi arrived well prepared and used a fine tactical blow to launch a devastating attack.

With undeveloped queenside pieces black stood no chance in repelling the assault, and Nepomniachtchi claimed his first victory in Sharjah.

Alexander Riazantsev suffered his second loss in a row, but this time in the longest game of the day. Richard Rapport assumed the advantage in the middlegame and proceeded to reach a winning rook ending. Black put up a strong resistance and Rapport had to play with surgical precision in order to bring the victory home.





Round 6 results:
GM Adams Michael 2751 - GM Vachier-Lagrave Maxime 2796 ½ - ½
GM Jakovenko Dmitry 2709 - GM Mamedyarov Shakhriyar 2766 ½ - ½
GM Nakamura Hikaru 2785 - GM Grischuk Alexander 2742 ½ - ½
GM Aronian Levon 2785 - GM Vallejo Pons Francisco 2709 ½ - ½
GM Hou Yifan 2651 - GM Ding Liren 2760 ½ - ½
GM Nepomniachtchi Ian 2749 - GM Li Chao B 2720 1 - 0
GM Rapport Richard 2692 - GM Riazantsev Alexander 2671 1 - 0
GM Eljanov Pavel 2759 - GM Tomashevsky Evgeny 2711 ½ - ½
GM Hammer Jon Ludvig 2628 - GM Salem A.R. Saleh 2656 ½ - ½

Round 6 standings:
1 GM Vachier-Lagrave Maxime FRA 2796 - 4
2 GM Mamedyarov Shakhriyar AZE 2766 - 4
3 GM Adams Michael ENG 2751 - 3.5
4 GM Jakovenko Dmitry RUS 2709 - 3.5
5 GM Grischuk Alexander RUS 2742 - 3.5
6 GM Nakamura Hikaru USA 2785 - 3.5
7 GM Nepomniachtchi Ian RUS 2749 - 3.5
8 GM Rapport Richard HUN 2692 - 3
9 GM Ding Liren CHN 2760 - 3
10 GM Vallejo Pons Francisco ESP 2709 - 3
11 GM Aronian Levon ARM 2785 - 3
12 GM Hou Yifan CHN 2651 - 3
13 GM Li Chao B CHN 2720 - 2.5
14 GM Hammer Jon Ludvig NOR 2628 - 2.5
15 GM Eljanov Pavel UKR 2759 - 2.5
16 GM Tomashevsky Evgeny RUS 2711 - 2
17 GM Riazantsev Alexander RUS 2671 - 2
18 GM Salem A.R. Saleh UAE 2656 - 2

Round 7 pairings:
GM Vachier-Lagrave Maxime 2796 - GM Jakovenko Dmitry 2709
GM Mamedyarov Shakhriyar 2766 - GM Nepomniachtchi Ian 2749
GM Grischuk Alexander 2742 - GM Adams Michael 2751
GM Ding Liren 2760 - GM Nakamura Hikaru 2785
GM Rapport Richard 2692 - GM Aronian Levon 2785
GM Vallejo Pons Francisco 2709 - GM Hou Yifan 2651
GM Li Chao B 2720 - GM Eljanov Pavel 2759
GM Tomashevsky Evgeny 2711 - GM Hammer Jon Ludvig 2628
GM Salem A.R. Saleh 2656 - GM Riazantsev Alexander 2671





On the rest day some of the players took excursions to Sharjah museums, the old city, the waterfront and the Dubai Mall. Others preferred basketball and football on the sport facilities of nearby University.

Round 5

The tournament co-leaders Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave maintained the position on the top by making relatively quick draws against Hikaru Nakamura and Levon Aronian, respectively.

The standings got a bit more crowded on the shared third place, where Nakamura is joined by Michael Adams, Dmitry Jakovenko and Alexander Grischuk, all of whom were victorious today.

Jakovenko scored a quick and easy victory after his compatriot Alexander Riazantsev blundered horribly on move 19.

Adams applied his trademark squeeze to slowly outplay Jon Ludvig Hammer. Black was simply unable to defend all the weak pawns.

Grischuk found a way to achieve slight opening advantage against the fashionable line of the Ragozin Queen's Gambit. Pavel Eljanov rushed into the ending by trading the queens, but it appears that this only helped white. Grischuk patiently pressed the opponent until he finally reached a winning rook ending.





Round 5 results:
GM Mamedyarov Shakhriyar 2766 - GM Nakamura Hikaru 2785 ½ - ½
GM Vachier-Lagrave Maxime 2796 - GM Aronian Levon 2785 ½ - ½
GM Ding Liren 2760 - GM Nepomniachtchi Ian 2749 ½ - ½
GM Grischuk Alexander 2742 - GM Eljanov Pavel 2759 1 - 0
GM Adams Michael 2751 - GM Hammer Jon Ludvig 2628 1 - 0
GM Vallejo Pons Francisco 2709 - GM Li Chao B 2720 ½ - ½
GM Riazantsev Alexander 2671 - GM Jakovenko Dmitry 2709 0 - 1
GM Salem A.R. Saleh 2656 - GM Hou Yifan 2651 ½ - ½
GM Tomashevsky Evgeny 2711 - GM Rapport Richard 2692 ½ - ½

Round 6 pairings:
GM Adams Michael 2751 - GM Vachier-Lagrave Maxime 2796
GM Jakovenko Dmitry 2709 - GM Mamedyarov Shakhriyar 2766
GM Nakamura Hikaru 2785 - GM Grischuk Alexander 2742
GM Aronian Levon 2785 - GM Vallejo Pons Francisco 2709
GM Hou Yifan 2651 - GM Ding Liren 2760
GM Nepomniachtchi Ian 2749 - GM Li Chao B 2720
GM Rapport Richard 2692 - GM Riazantsev Alexander 2671
GM Eljanov Pavel 2759 - GM Tomashevsky Evgeny 2711
GM Hammer Jon Ludvig 2628 - GM Salem A.R. Saleh 2656

Round 4

Shakhriyar Mamedyarov of Azerbaijan overcame Michael Adams of England in Round 4 of the Sharjah Grand Prix to pull into a tie for first with Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France.

Hikaru Nakamura of the United States sits alone in third, a half point behind the leaders.

The Sharjah Grand Prix in the United Arab Emirates is the first in a series of four tournaments that will determine two qualifiers for next year’s Candidates tournament to select a challenger for the World Championship. In addition to Sharjah, the tournaments will be held in Moscow, Geneva and Palma de Mallorca, Spain.

The prize fund for each Grand Prix is 130,000 euros, with 20,000 for first place. The series is being organized by Agon, the company that holds the commercials rights to the World Championship cycle, under the auspices of the World Chess Federation, also known as FIDE, which is the game’s governing body.

Mamedyarov was tied for second with Adams and Nakamura after Round 3. In Round 4, Mamedyarov had White and managed to take control of the center. Rather than resort to passive defense and be slowly strangled, Adams tried a risky strategy of sacrificing a piece to destroy White’s center. It almost worked, indeed it would have if Adams had taken advantage of a couple of imprecise moves by Mamedyarov. But Mamedyarov managed to consolidate his position and eventually put his extra piece to good use, ensnaring Adams’ king in a powerful attack.

There was one other decisive game on the day: A victory by Li Chao b of China over Evgeny Tomashevsky of Russia. Li, who had White, took advantage of some strange maneuvers by Tomashevesky to build up an impressive center combined with annoying pressure along the a2-g8 diagonal. At the critical moment he broke through the center and won material. He also established a powerful passed d-pawn. Tomashevsky’s position finally collapsed and, facing more material losses, he resigned.








In Round 5 on Wednesday, Mamedyarov and Nakamura will square off, while Vachier-Lagrave, who drew with Nakamura on Tuesday, will take on Levon Aronian of Armenia.

Mr Bharat Singh, Deputy President of the Asian Chess Federation, made the honorary first move.

Round 3

The top two finishers in the four-tournament series, which will also include competitions in Moscow, Geneva and Palma de Mallorca, Spain, will qualify for the Candidates tournament next year to select a challenger for the World Championship. There are 24 players in the competitions, with each playing three of the four tournaments.

With a new exciting format each GP stage is a 9-round Swiss competition with 18 participants. However, as several players noted in the interviews, there are no easy pairings in the first couple of rounds, and everyone gets a world-class opposition right from the start.

The only win in the third round was achieved by Hikaru Nakamura who defeated Richard Rapport in an exciting game full of beautiful tactical motifs.

The American Grandmaster participated in the previous Candidates Tournament in Moscow. Rapport, true to his reputation, has not made any draws so far.

The tournament leader Maxime Vachier-Lagrave was held to a draw by Shakhriyar Mamedyarov. Passing through the doors of the press center, Mamedyarov immediately asked where he had missed the victorious continuation. Vachier-Lagrave admitted that he had been lucky to escape with a draw.

Round 3 results:
GM Vachier-Lagrave Maxime 2796 - GM Mamedyarov Shakhriyar 2766 ½ - ½
GM Adams Michael 2751 - GM Eljanov Pavel 2759 ½ - ½
GM Grischuk Alexander 2742 - GM Aronian Levon 2785 ½ - ½
GM Nakamura Hikaru 2785 - GM Rapport Richard 2692 1 - 0
GM Ding Liren 2760 - GM Hammer Jon Ludvig 2628 ½ - ½
GM Vallejo Pons Francisco 2709 - GM Nepomniachtchi Ian 2749 ½ - ½
GM Hou Yifan 2651 - GM Jakovenko Dmitry 2709 ½ - ½
GM Riazantsev Alexander 2671 - GM Li Chao B 2720 ½ - ½
GM Tomashevsky Evgeny 2711 - GM Salem A.R. Saleh 2656 ½ - ½

Vachier-Lagrave is leading with 2,5 points, followed by Mamedyarov, Nakamura and Adams on 2 points each.

Round 4 pairings:
GM Nakamura Hikaru 2785 - GM Vachier-Lagrave Maxime 2796
GM Mamedyarov Shakhriyar 2766 - GM Adams Michael 2751
GM Aronian Levon 2785 - GM Riazantsev Alexander 2671
GM Jakovenko Dmitry 2709 - GM Ding Liren 2760
GM Eljanov Pavel 2759 - GM Hou Yifan 2651
GM Nepomniachtchi Ian 2749 - GM Grischuk Alexander 2742
GM Hammer Jon Ludvig 2628 - GM Vallejo Pons Francisco 2709
GM Li Chao B 2720 - GM Tomashevsky Evgeny 2711
GM Rapport Richard 2692 - GM Salem A.R. Saleh 2656





Each Grand Prix has a prize fund of 130,000 euros, with 20,000 euros for first place. The series is being organized by Agon, the company that holds the commercial rights to the World Championship, under the auspices of the World Chess Federation.

The primary sponsors for the Grand Prix are Kaspersky Lab, a global cybersecurity firm; EG Capital Advisors, an institutional money manager with $3 billion under management; S.T. Dupont, a French luxury goods manufacturer; and Isklar, a Norwegian mineral water company.

Round 2

Just like yesterday, three games ended in decisive results. Top seed Maxime Vachier-Lagrave from France scored another victory to single out on the top of the standings. He outplayed Richard Rapport in a wild affair.

Evgeny Tomashevsky was spending too much time while playing black pieces against Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and this was brutally punished. In an equal position black made several inacurracies and his position quickly deteriorated. White won shortly before the time control.

Ding Liren recovered after the setback in the initial round by defeating local star Salem Saleh with black pieces. White had a solid position but a blunder on move 22 cost him the exchange and soon the game.





Round 2 results:
GM Rapport Richard 2692 - GM Vachier-Lagrave Maxime 2796 0 - 1
GM Aronian Levon 2785 - GM Adams Michael 2751 ½ - ½
GM Hammer Jon Ludvig 2628 - GM Nakamura Hikaru 2785 ½ - ½
GM Mamedyarov Shakhriyar 2766 - GM Tomashevsky Evgeny 2711 1 - 0
GM Eljanov Pavel 2759 - GM Vallejo Pons Francisco 2709 ½ - ½
GM Nepomniachtchi Ian 2749 - GM Riazantsev Alexander 2671 ½ - ½
GM Jakovenko Dmitry 2709 - GM Grischuk Alexander 2742 ½ - ½
GM Li Chao B 2720 - GM Hou Yifan 2651 ½ - ½
GM Salem A.R. Saleh 2656 - GM Ding Liren 2760 0 - 1

Round 3 pairings:
GM Vachier-Lagrave Maxime 2796 - GM Mamedyarov Shakhriyar 2766
GM Adams Michael 2751 - GM Eljanov Pavel 2759
GM Grischuk Alexander 2742 - GM Aronian Levon 2785
GM Nakamura Hikaru 2785 - GM Rapport Richard 2692
GM Ding Liren 2760 - GM Hammer Jon Ludvig 2628
GM Vallejo Pons Francisco 2709 - GM Nepomniachtchi Ian 2749
GM Hou Yifan 2651 - GM Jakovenko Dmitry 2709
GM Riazantsev Alexander 2671 - GM Li Chao B 2720
GM Tomashevsky Evgeny 2711 - GM Salem A.R. Saleh 2656

Round 1

The first round of the FIDE World Chess Sharjah Grand Prix was played on 18th February at the Sharjah Cultural and Chess Club.

On the first day three of the nine games ended decisively. Perhaps the least surprising was the victory of Michael Adams of England over Salem Saleh, a representative of the host country. Saleh, the first player from his country to play in the World Championship cycle, is also the third-lowest ranked player among the 24 in the Grand Prix, while Adams, No. 16 in the world, is one of the most experienced. Adams, who had White, gained only a small advantage out of the opening, but then he patiently outmaneuvered Saleh until Saleh began to make some errors. Eventually, the cumulative effect was too much and Saleh lost his queen for a rook and bishop. After that, it was just a matter of time before Adams converted his advantage into a full point.

Ding Liren, China’s top player, who is ranked No. 12, lost to Richard Rapport of Hungary, No. 50, after he blundered in an equal position on move 34, dropping a couple of pawns.

The third victory was scored by Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France, No. 5, over Li Chao b of China, No. 30. Vachier-Lagrave, who had White, outmaneuvered Li in an endgame in which Vachier-Lagrave’s bishop pair, and the awkward position of Li’s king, proved to be the crucial difference.

Round 1 results:
GM Vachier-Lagrave Maxime 2796 - GM Li Chao B 2720 1 - 0
GM Tomashevsky Evgeny 2711 - GM Aronian Levon 2785 ½ - ½
GM Nakamura Hikaru 2785 - GM Jakovenko Dmitry 2709 ½ - ½
GM Vallejo Pons Francisco 2709 - GM Mamedyarov Shakhriyar 2766 ½ - ½
GM Ding Liren 2760 - GM Rapport Richard 2692 0 - 1
GM Riazantsev Alexander 2671 - GM Eljanov Pavel 2759 ½ - ½
GM Adams Michael 2751 - GM Salem A.R. Saleh 2656 1 - 0
GM Hou Yifan 2651 - GM Nepomniachtchi Ian 2749 ½ - ½
GM Grischuk Alexander 2742 - GM Hammer Jon Ludvig 2628 ½ - ½

Round 2 pairings:
GM Rapport Richard 2692 - GM Vachier-Lagrave Maxime 2796
GM Aronian Levon 2785 - GM Adams Michael 2751
GM Hammer Jon Ludvig 2628 - GM Nakamura Hikaru 2785
GM Mamedyarov Shakhriyar 2766 - GM Tomashevsky Evgeny 2711
GM Eljanov Pavel 2759 - GM Vallejo Pons Francisco 2709
GM Nepomniachtchi Ian 2749 - GM Riazantsev Alexander 2671
GM Jakovenko Dmitry 2709 - GM Grischuk Alexander 2742
GM Li Chao B 2720 - GM Hou Yifan 2651
GM Salem A.R. Saleh 2656 - GM Ding Liren 2760

Opening ceremony

The first stage in the new World Chess Championship cycle - the FIDE World Chess Sharjah Grand Prix - was opened tonight at the beautiful Sharjah Cultural and Chess Club, established in 2013.

The opening ceremony was attended by Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, head of the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Social Development, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, FIDE President, Al Sheikh Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Mualla, Sharjah Cultural & Chess Club Chairman, Ilya Merenzon, CEO of World Chess, representatives of the sponsors, Sharjah Chess Club VIP guests, Sharjah Chess Club members and the large number of media.

After the cultural programme, the 18 participants of the first Grand Prix tournament climbed to the stage for the drawing of lots. Top seed Maxime Vachier-Lagrave picked the white piece.

Thus the round 1 pairings are as follows:

GM Vachier-Lagrave Maxime 2796 - GM Li Chao B 2720
GM Tomashevsky Evgeny 2711 - GM Aronian Levon 2785
GM Nakamura Hikaru 2785 - GM Jakovenko Dmitry 2709
GM Vallejo Pons Francisco 2709 - GM Mamedyarov Shakhriyar 2766
GM Ding Liren 2760 - GM Rapport Richard 2692
GM Riazantsev Alexander 2671 - GM Eljanov Pavel 2759
GM Adams Michael 2751 - GM Salem A.R. Saleh 2656
GM Hou Yifan 2651 - GM Nepomniachtchi Ian 2749
GM Grischuk Alexander 2742 - GM Hammer Jon Ludvig 2628

The games will start daily from 15:00 local time. The rest day is on 23rd February. Live broadcast is available on the official website.