IM Eline Roebers of the Netherlands revealed after qualifying for the 2024 Julius Baer Girls’s Velocity Chess Championship that she competed for the entire of the Swiss half in a prepare, utilizing her telephone. She reached residence “simply in time” because the Knockout stage began, and defeated Indian WGM Priyanka Nutakki within the Semifinals and American IM Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova within the finals. Tokhirjonova had defeated Vietnamese IM Le Thao Nguyen Pham within the different Semifinal.
For the primary time within the Play-In qualifiers, 4 gamers tied on the high, on 8/11, all qualifying for the knockout stage.
The ultimate qualifier for the principle occasion, Play-In 4, takes place on Friday, August 16, beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET / 17:00 CEST / 8:30 p.m. IST.
Julius Baer Girls’s Velocity Chess Championship Play-In 3: Knockout
Julius Baer Girls’s Velocity Chess Championship Play-In 3: Swiss
Play-In 3: Swiss
Two children supplied the mandatory thrill within the early rounds, for various causes. The early video games of 14-year-old Indian WFM Shubhi Gupta (one of many 4 shocking semi-finalists of Play-In 1) supplied two dramatic incidents.
After benefitting from her opponent’s miss, Gupta loved even higher fortune within the second spherical.Â
Although they supply pleasure, such dramatic incidents within the remaining seconds, not to mention overstepping the time restrict, present the entertaining however merciless nature of blitz chess. It made commentator IM Jovanka Houska summarize, “The closing seconds—simply feels at instances it’s a random lottery. You win, you lose… luck of the draw”.
The closing seconds—simply feels at instances it’s a random lottery. You win, you lose… luck of the draw.
—Jovanka Houska
However one other teenager performed impressively within the preliminary rounds, proving the speculation that good blitz play is a sign of a participant’s intuitive prowess. We are able to add the caveat that it’s true, supplied one has sufficient time on the clock.
The nine-year-old prodigy WFMÂ Bodhana Sivanandan of England dazzled early by taking part in a formidable endgame within the second spherical.
Within the subsequent spherical, Bodhana did even higher by outplaying Roebers, the last word winner of the occasion.
Commentator GM Daniel Naroditsky was extremely impressed by Bodhana’s play, praising her lavishly: “That is phenomenal play. She is simply 9 years previous. I imply, come on!”
That is phenomenal play! She is simply 9 years previous. I imply, come on!
—Daniel Naroditsky
Other than pleasure and an exhibition of spectacular instinct, it’s at all times gladdening after we get to see aesthetic magnificence on the board.
As is to be anticipated, there have been inevitable heartbreaks. Joint-winner Nutakki benefitted from a grave error by her opponent, WCM Maya Porozhnyak, in a time scramble.
Porozhnyak didn’t proceed taking part in within the match additional.
However in any other case, it was a formidable match efficiency by Nutakki, who needed to beat match chief Roebers with the black items on the highest board within the final spherical.
Tokhirjonova certified for the Knockout by defeating her fellow countrywoman, WGM Tatev Abrahamyan, within the remaining spherical, by a curious oversight from her opponent.Â
Pham has a horny dynamic fashion, which she put to good use by scoring an important win over the formidable Polish IM Aleksandra Maltsevskaya within the penultimate spherical.
Play-In 3: Knockout
Semifinals: Noebers 3.5-1.5 NutakkiÂ
Roebers admitted in the course of the post-tournament interview that she was fairly nervous all through the knockout stage, however it didn’t appear to point out in her video games. Although the match appeared to be evenly poised at 1.5-1.5 after three video games, Roebers carried out the following two video games successfully, giving herself a clean win within the match.
Semifinals: Tokhirjonova 4-2 PhamÂ
The very first sport of the match featured an unbelievable oversight.
Ouch!https://t.co/mVtwLsXdzI#SpeedChess pic.twitter.com/yOQ0hI8SQV
— chess24 (@chess24com) August 15, 2024
Pham by no means actually appeared to recuperate from the oversight, giving Tokhirjonova a convincing victory within the match.
Finals: Roebers 4-1 Tokhirjonova
After exchanging victories within the first two video games, Roebers gained the error-filled third to take the lead within the match. Nevertheless, it was the fourth sport that confirmed her caliber, as she performed admirably dynamic chess to win a clean sport and cement her triumph within the finals.
The Julius Baer Girls’s Velocity Chess Championship is a Chess.com occasion the place a number of the strongest feminine chess gamers on this planet battle for a $75,000 prize fund. The primary occasion sees 16 gamers compete in a single-elimination bracket in matches performed at 5+1, 3+1, and 1+1 time controls. 4 locations go to the winners of 4 Play-ins held on August 12-16 and open to all feminine titled gamers. In every Play-in the highest 4 gamers in a Swiss qualify to compete in a knockout.Â
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