The annual UK Blitz Championships' finals are set to take place in Leamington Spa on Saturday, with a noon start. This event will determine the open and women’s titles through two 16-player all-play-all competitions and 15 rounds of speed chess. The 32 finalists emerged from an initial pool of over 500 participants, who competed in eight regional qualifying competitions across the UK. Among the contenders are four grandmasters: Eldar Gasanov of Ukraine, the 2472-rated defending champion; Danny Gormally, the 2490-rated top seed; veteran Peter Wells; and England’s youngest GM, 15-year-old Shreyas Royal.
Nearly half of the participants in the two tournaments are juniors, reflecting a generation that has been breaking age records. The time limit for each game is three minutes per player, with a two-second increment per move, making each round last about 15 minutes. The women’s championship will feature a crucial match in the first round, which will be broadcast live on lichess.
Bodhana Sivanandan, England’s No 2 female blitz player at just nine years old, is the 2157-rated top seed in Leamington, following her impressive performance at the European Women’s Blitz Championship in Monte Carlo. Her first-round opponent, Elmira Mirzoeva, is a former winner of the Russian Blitz Cup for women and the 2128-rated No 2 seed. Third seed Kamila Hryshchenko, rated 2065 and a former world girls champion, is also a strong contender.
Meanwhile, some of England’s top players are participating in the €100,000 European championship in Petrovac, Montenegro, which concludes next Tuesday. Unlike the high-profile $2.6m Ding Liren v Gukesh Dommaraju world championship series in Singapore, the European event is less prominent but offers a significant opportunity as a qualifier for the 2025 knockout World Cup. The top 20 from the European Championship will qualify for the World Cup, influencing the strategies of almost every grandmaster entrant.
After the sixth round, Serbia’s Aleksandar Indjic led with 5.5/6, followed by nine players with 5/6 or better. Scoring 7.5/11 or higher will likely secure a World Cup place, while those with 7/11 will face speed tie-break mini-matches. England’s only highly seeded player, former Russian Nikita Vitiugov, needs a stronger performance in the second half to secure a World Cup spot. Matthew Wadsworth and Jonah Willow, part of England’s delegation, are focused on achieving their grandmaster titles.
European Championship games are available online, starting at 1.15pm GMT daily. World No 1 Magnus Carlsen is leading the Rapid at the Tata Steel Rapid and Blitz in Kolkata, demonstrating resilience and skill in the early rounds.
Source link: https://www.theguardian.com
