(lively music) - Welcome to another edition of Today In Chess.

I'm your host, Sharon Carpenter.

Over the past month, the 2024 Cairns Cup featured 10 of the world's best female chess players, including US Stars GM Irina Krush, IM Alice Lee, and IM Anna Zatonskih.

The tournament offered exhilarating gameplay, and even welcomed Women's World Chess Champion and Grandmaster, Nona Gaprindashvili, as an honored guest.

Also, last month, the 2024 Superbet Romania Chess Classic provided an exciting 10 days of play.

The tournament featured an impressive lineup of players including American participants, Wesley So, and last year's GCT Champion, Fabiano Caruana.

(dramatic music) - [Narrator] The 2024 Cairns Cup was exciting from beginning to end.

Hosted in the chess capital of America, St. Louis, Missouri, 10 of the world's top female chess players competed for a $200,000 prize fund.

This year, the field featured three of America's top players, including returning champion, Anna Zatonskih, eight-time US Women's Champion, Irina Krush, and young phenom, 14-year-old Alice Lee.

The field also included three former women's world champions, Alexandra Kosteniuk, Mariya Muzychuk, and newly-named World Championship challenger, Tan Zhongyi.

Round one proved to be the start of a decisive event as the former world champions tallied wins to start the event.

Round two saw wins from Harika Dronavalli and Nana Dzagnidze, leaving a four-way tie at the top of the standings.

Alexandra Kosteniuk was the only player to pull out a win in round three where she bounced back from round two loss and joined the tie for first.

The celebration didn't last long for Kosteniuk as the young American, Alice Lee, handed the former world champion her second loss of the event in round four.

Alice Lee continued to surprise players and fans alike with a miraculous last second draw in a lost position in round five against Nana Dzagnidze.

Going into round six, Tan Zhongyi was holding onto a half point lead, having not lost a single game coming out of the rest day.

Alexandra Kosteniuk, who, after two losses in the first six rounds, looked to be stuck in the middle of the standings for the duration of the event.

But Kosteniuk would come up with two wins in a row to climb up to sole second place, just a half point behind tournament leader, Tan Zhongyi, with just two rounds to play.

Round eight would end up being critical in how the tournament finished.

After starting off in a losing position against Harika Dronavalli, Tan pulled up a draw in the end, and with a Kosteniuk loss against Anna Muzychuk, Tan held her fate in her own hands with a four-point lead going into the final day, A quick round nine draw was all Tan needed and she easily claimed the 2024 Cairns Cup title.

The real battle was for second place, which looked destined to be a five-way tie, but Anna Muzychuk pulled off her second straight win and walked away with sole second place.

The Cairns Cup is a tournament that always delivers decisive results, and this year was no different, quickly becoming a tournament no one wants to miss.

(dramatic music) - [Narrator] Elite Grand Masters put on a show at the SuperBet Chess Classic Romania in Bucharest.

Players were ecstatic to be back in the capital city, and excited to tackle the first classical event of the 2024 Grand Chess Tour.

Reigning GCT Champ and 2023 Superbet Chess Classic winner, Fabiano Caruana looked to repeat last year's result, taking an early lead.

Despite exciting games every round, perfect preparation and utter determination led to an abundance of fighting draws, leaving the standings deadlocked.

With a pack of hopefuls in hot pursuit, Caruana controlled his own destiny.

With a win clinching the event, a draw forcing a playoff, and a loss leading to potential disaster.

An unfortunate misstep created the opportunity for his rivals to pull out the clutch results needed to force a dramatic four-way playoff.

However, it was a mere formality.

As Fabiano Caruana decimated his opponents sweeping the field to become back-to-back champion.

As the dust settles following an incredible event in Bucharest, we can only hope future GCT events contain as many exciting moments and brilliant chess as the 2024 Superbet Chess Classic Romania.

With the goal of encouraging local corporations to indulge in some friendly competition, The Saint Louis Chess Club created the Corporate Chess League.

The league acts as a networking opportunity for businesses, and provides a nurturing environment for both new and experienced chess players.

(lively music) - The Corporate Chess League was an idea that I had thinking about corporate softball leagues, and you might have companies that do these company softball leagues, and I thought to myself, why not chess?

It is more than just chess.

At the Corporate Chess League gatherings, we really try and focus on the networking, the belonging, the building of community first and foremost where anybody at any level of chess can come and still be able to enjoy a time of cross-industry idea sharing, can enjoy sharing a refreshment or some food with someone that they may not have come across before even in their own company that now they're coming together over this common communal idea of the game of chess.

And I think that having the corporate side first and the chess side being second has actually added to everybody feeling comfortable and welcome to come to play, to enjoy their time, also to compete, absolutely.

Playing over the board with someone when you're looking them face to face across from you can be intimidating, it can also be a lot of fun.

The biggest thing that we wanted to do was to create a place to have a curated community of people who wanted to network, have some cross-industry idea sharing, and it really became something where there was no more nervousness, people were able just to have fun, interact, and get to know one another.

Our hope was the networking and the corporate side of Corporate Chess League is first, and the chess is kind of secondary.

We certainly have a lot of fun, we want to compete, people wanna win, but my hope was to have a community of people that could come together, share ideas, network, and really be able to build something that was a lot of fun.

But yes, the chess really keeps people coming back as well.

The types of players that we have that come to the Corporate Chess League span the entire gamut of being in the mail room to the C-suite and everywhere in between.

It's really interesting to see the thread that chess can connect different people that have all kinds of different roles but may have a similar type of strategic thinking, and it brings that out of some of these individuals.

Maybe someone that didn't have any idea that this person might kind of have an affinity toward problem solving and strategic thought and long-term planning that now they're connecting within their own companies as well as seeing that happen across different companies.

So the whole gamut, the whole spectrum.

The Corporate Chess League is a way for companies to come together and network, compete, and have a lot of fun over the chessboard.

- [Presenter] Zoey Tang's infectious smile lights up a room, but don't let her pleasant demeanor disarm you, she's got the heart of a competitor.

This 16-year-old FIDE Master started playing chess in her home state of Oregon, where she's the reigning back-to-back state champion and the first female title holder in Oregon's history.

Zoey's also competed in elite national events, taking seventh place in her first US Junior Girls Championship, improving to fourth place in her second year, and in the 2024 American Cup where she defeated four-time US Women's Champ, Anna Zatonskih.

Zoey's drive and valuable experience against some of the nation's top talent guarantees she'll have a chance to be at the forefront of women's chess in America for the foreseeable future.

- Just as you would announce a field goal in football or a pick and roll in basketball, chess utilizes its own terminology.

Understanding the proper use of this vocabulary can quickly advance any practicing chess player's game.

Grandmaster Yasser Seirawan takes us through the language of chess.

(lively music) - Chess players have their own vocabulary, and you'll hear chess commentators using terms time and time again.

So I'm gonna give you a short insight into the proper use of some of our terms, like for example, en passant.

En passant is French, it means, in passing.

Here you see the white pawn on the fifth rank, and this is very important, on the fifth rank, and these two black pawns, this pawn on E7 and C7 are immediately adjacent to the pawn on D5.

Imagine, if you will, the pawn on E7 was to advance to the E5 square.

In passing, notice that the pawn moved to a square that it could be captured, white can play the move D5 takes E6 en passant, in passing.

The same thing is true for this pawn on C7.

Imagine the pawn went to C5.

Black might be surprised that the move D5 captures C6 is allowed.

Visually, imagine black had played C6 or E6 on the first move.

Capturing would've been normal.

En passant is one of those tricky pawn moves that you really have to become familiar with.

Practice it yourself to make sure that you understand completely what is the rule of en passant.

The most common tactic in chess is a pin.

You've got to learn when to pin your opponent's pieces.

In this position, white plays the move bishop on F1 to B five, pinning the knight to the king.

That's an absolute pin, the knight cannot move.

After the move queen to D7, the knight is now in a relative pin, the knight can move but at the cost of the queen.

The rook attacks the knight for the second time, rook to C1, and in case the knight were to move, then Bishop takes D7, wins the queen for the bishop.

Learn to pin your opponent's pieces and good things will happen.

Every sport has its own vocabulary, and I hope these tips will help you improve your game.

(lively music) - [Presenter] Forest Park located in the center of St. Louis, Missouri, shows a glimpse into the city's rich past and heritage.

Established in 1876, Forest Park was shaped for the community, where in the heart of this cultural landmark, there is a unique location to Play Chess.

Tucked away behind the largest outdoor ice skating rink in the Midwest, Steinbergs, and Jefferson Lake, is the Chess Pocket Park (upbeat music) The spot includes four concrete chess tables, benches, and free-to-play plastic pieces donated by the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis.

After hosting historically essential events including the Olympic Games and the World's Fair, the park still houses several of the original buildings such as the World's Fair Pavilion on Government Hill and the St. Louis Art Museum.

The 1904 World's Fair was an international exposition that showcased technological innovations, cultural diversity, and the third occurrence of the modern Olympics.

This monumental event which spread across 1,200 acres welcomed over 19 million visitors from around the world, making it one of the most substantial international gatherings of its time.

The event also served as the setting for the seventh annual Chess Congress in the city, which offered world-renowned players the chance to compete in front of a live audience for a $500 prize.

Today the Chess Pocket Park of Forest Park upholds an environment that represents years of history and chess significance.

within the natural culture and scenery of St. Louis.

(gentle music) - One of the most compelling aspects of chess is that it allows for an individual to constantly improve their gameplay.

The development of a player's patience, strategy, and critical thinking skills comes with practice and experience.

In each of our episodes, we offer lessons from the experts to assist you on your chest journey.

(lively music) - Hi, in this lesson I'm gonna teach you how to checkmate with the bishop and knight.

This is a little bit more difficult and advanced endgame, but I will explain you very clearly and I hope you'll be able to do it after that.

So in this position here, the king is very close to the light square here and you're not gonna be able to checkmate because you have a dark square bishop.

The only way you can checkmate here is you need to drive this king to the H8 or the A1 square, and I will show you the method how you're gonna be able to do that.

This is already the final stage, and I'm gonna show you the process here.

First, you gotta make a waiting move here with the bishop, so you play the move bishop D4.

Now, king doesn't have any squares now except the C8 square, so he has to go to C8.

And now we need to control the B8 square so the king doesn't go back to the A8 square, so we start out with the move bishop A7.

Now the king has to go to D8.

And this idea that we're doing it's called a W maneuver because your knight is gonna move like this, knight D5, knight D7, knight D5, knight D7.

If you think about it, it looks like a big W here.

So in this position, when the king goes on D8, you have to play the move knight D5.

And there are two things black can do in this position.

He can try to play the move king C8 or he can try to attempt to escape with the move king E8.

I will show you the king E8 idea because this is more difficult to checkmate.

Then you follow with the move king D6.

Now king goes to F7.

Now he's trying to escape on G6, and it's very important you control the square with the move knight E7.

Now the G6 square is under control and he will play the move king F6.

And for a moment it seems like he's about to escape here, but now comes in a very powerful move, bishop E3, and taking control of the G5 square.

So the king has an escape from this corner here so it goes back to F7.

And now we play the move bishop G5, controlling F6 square.

Now he goes king E8 back, and now we go king E6.

king D8, now he wants to escape on C7, but we play the move bishop F4, controlling that square.

King goes back to E8.

And now bishop C7, again we control the D8 square now he has to go away.

So we are making really good progress at the moment.

And now King F8 comes in, knight F5, continuing with the W idea.

King goes to E8, knight G7, check.

Only square is to go to F6 because D8 square is under control and D7 king is covering as well.

So king F8, king F6, king G8, king G6.

Now king goes to F8 now trying to escape on E7, and we prevent that by playing the move bishop D6, check.

King goes to G8, and now we play the move knight to F5.

King goes to H8, and now don't play the move knight to H6 because if you do that, it's gonna be a stalemate, king has no square to go to.

So you need to make a waiting move, bishop B7 first.

King goes to G8, knight to H6, check.

King H8.

Now we play the move bishop F6 and it's a checkmate.

And it wasn't very easy but with this method, W Maneuver, you'll be able to do this checkmate.

- [Presenter] 31-year-old Ding Liren is the current FIDE World Champion of Chess.

He could also be described as the disappearing man.

The way Ding got to the top spot in the world is as improbable as it is a miracle.

Ding was always a Chinese phenom, and proved it by winning the Chinese National Championship at age 16 with a nearly perfect score.

Early proof of Ding Liren's ability came at two of the world's most prestigious tournaments, finishing third at the 2012 World Junior Championships, and then at the highly rated 2015 Tata Steel event in India, where he placed second to then World Champion, Magnus Carlsen.

American chess fans saw the talent of Ding up close at the 2019 Sinquefield Cup where he was undefeated, forced a playoff with Magnus, and won both blitz games to claim the trophy.

Ding has had fate on his side.

The 2020 Candidates, the tournament that determines the right to play the World Champion, was interrupted by COVID.

The first half was played before it was postponed, and Ding was a lowly seventh place.

When play resumed nearly two years later, he would defeat top-rated players, Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana, and come in second only to Russia's Ian Nepomniachtchi, Nepo, who would win the event.

Then lightning struck.

In 2023, Magnus Carlsen was reigning World Champion, but having defeated Nepo in the previous World Championship, instead of facing Nepo again, Magnus retired.

Now what?

The now what was a decision to pit first and second place from the candidates Nepo and Ding in a face-off for the ultimate crown.

They went the distance in classical games, but Ding would take over in the tie break.

Ding Liren was World Champion.

Then World Champion Ding disappeared from the public, from chess, and rumors about an illness or emotional breakdown ran rampant.

Many months after becoming World Champion, Ding has only now started playing competitive chess again.

This year's Candidates has been decided, and India's superstar, Gukesh Dommaraju, has won the right to play the World Champion.

But what of ding Liren's absence?

What are the chances he might not play in the World Championship again?

Could lightning strike again and number one in two from the Candidates Tournament will play for World Champion?

Waiting in the wings is American Hikaru Nakamura, who finished number 2.

2025 could be another historic year in the world of chess, and one big question, what is the future of this once Grand Chinese Champion Ding Liren?

- The first woman to ever achieve the title of Grandmaster, Nona Gaprindashvili, has established one of the most influential careers in the game of chess.

In recognition of her impressive history, this year St. Louis proudly welcomed Nona as an honored guest during the 2024 Cairns Cup.

(gentle music) - [Presenter] Arguably one of the best women chess players in history, Nona Gaprindashvili was the first woman ever to achieve the title of chess Grandmaster.

The Georgian Soviet chess enthusiast was born in 1941, and began playing chess at age five.

By 1961 at the age of 20, Nona had won the Women's Candidate Tournament, a major chess tournament that decides the next challenger for the World Championship.

Nona became nothing less than dominant in the game of chess.

In fact, five times in two decades, she became the Women's World Cup Champion, first receiving the title after playing against Elizaveta Bykova, a Soviet Grandmaster and two-time world chess champion, for the Women's World Cup Championship title, and winning.

During the Lone Pine International Tournament in 1977, normally an all men's tournament, Nona Gaprindashvili defeated four Grandmasters and finished in first place.

This impressive feat earned her one of her most monumental accomplishments when in 1978 she famously became the first woman to earn the title of Grandmaster by FIDE.

From 1963 to 1992, Gaprindashvili was an active member of both the Soviet Women's Chess Olympiad team and the Georgian Women's Chess Olympiad team, earning various victories throughout her Olympiad career.

More recently, Nona won the 2009 World Senior Women's Chess Championship, establishing one of the most influential legacies in the history of chess.

Nona's overall impact on the game is inspirational.

In 2013, she was recognized for her performance and was inducted into the World Chess Hall of Fame alongside Elizaveta Bykova, her previous challenger.

In 2015, Nona received the Order of Excellence from Georgia's president, Giorgi Margvelashvili, for her outstanding contributions to her home country and nation.

Throughout her inspiring career, Nona Gaprindashvili displayed unmatched skill and sportsmanship, motivating generations of chess enthusiasts worldwide.

Often regarded as one of the best female chess players in the game's history, her influence extends far beyond the chess board, breaking gender barriers and paving the way for future female players to excel in the game.

This year, the chess capital of America, St. Louis, Missouri, proudly welcomes Nona Gaprindashvili as an honored guest during the 2024 edition of the Cairns Cup, where 10 of the world's best modern female chess players will compete for a $200,000 prize fund.

(gentle music) Few players have made a more indelible impression on American chess than Larry Christiansen.

The towering chess legend famous for his attacking style quickly rose to prominence, skipping the rank of International Master altogether to become a Grandmaster at the age of 21.

Christensen has won at nearly every level of US chess becoming a national high school champ, a three-time national youth champion, culminating in becoming a three-time US chess champion.

His career accomplishments were recognized in 2008 when he was inducted in the US Chess Hall of Fame.

Despite a Hall of Fame career, Larry still plays, competing in the US Senior Championships, earning second place in 2021 and 22.

There's no doubt Larry's attacking style and natural talent have left their mark on American chess.

- As the game of chess continues to leave its mark on players around the world, we are so proud to be part of its legacy.

We hope you've enjoyed this episode as much as we've enjoyed bringing it to you.

Thanks for watching, and we look forward to seeing you next time on Today In Chess.

- [Presenter] This has been a presentation of the Saint Louis Chess Club.

Any reproduction or distribution of this content without the express written consent of the Saint Louis Chess Club is prohibited.