ASTANA — After three days and 12 rounds, featuring the world’s top players at FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Team Championships 2024 in Astana, Al-Ain ACMG UAE claimed victory with 21 match points out of a possible 23, drawing three and winning nine rapid games.
Winners of the FIDE World Rapid Championship, Al-Ain ACMG UAE during the last round. Photo credit: The Astana Times / Nagima Abuova
A Russian chess grandmaster, Daniil Dubov’s redemption in the final round secured Al Ain’s World Rapid Team triumph. Decade China, led by World Champion Ding Liren, took second place, while last year’s winners, WR Chess, secured the bronze. Apart from the crown, Al-Ain ACMG UAE also won the first prize of 100,000 euros.
WR Chess, the defending champions, finished third with 19 match points. Despite having world number one Magnus Carlsen and two-time world champion challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi, consecutive defeats in rounds four and five hindered their progress. They railed to win every subsequent match, except for a draw with Decade China in round eight, but could only reach the top two teams. Chessy and Team MGD1 also secured positions in the top five.
Winners of the FIDE World Rapid Championship, Al-Ain ACMG UAE. Photo credit: worldrapidblitzteams.fide.com
Besides Dubov, the UAE team’s key drivers included Parham Maghsoodloo, scoring 9 out of 12 games, Vladislav Artemiev, scoring 8.5 points out of 12, and Dmitry Andreikin, 9 out of 10 games. The team also featured 18-year-old Volodar Murzin and the female duo Kateryna Lagno, a three-time world Blitz champion and Jiner Zhu, bronze medalist of the 2023 World Cup in Blitz.
“It was a very difficult competition. All the best players in the world gathered here to win. Our team did a fantastic job. We had great motivation and supported each other. We fought for every game. The most challenging round was defeating WR Chess as they were defending their title. I am so proud of my team,” said Maghsoodloo.
“There were several strong teams. We were lucky that we did not lose a single game. Defeating the WR Chess team, featuring Magnus Carlsen and top players, was especially gratifying,” said Dubov.
The amateur players included Ibragim Galymzhanuly, a graduate of the Nazarbayev Intellectual School (NIS) in Atyrau and now a student of Astana IT University, and Wafia Darwish al-Maamari, a female FIDE master from the UAE.
Among local teams, Kazakhstan secured tenth place, followed by Teniz Kazakhstan at 14th, Astana-2 at 19th, GMs Kazakhstan at 20th, and Astana-1 at 22nd.
Top-10 at FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Team Championships 2024 in Astana. Photo credit: worldrapidblitzteams.fide.com
“We played with the Kazakh team Astana-1, and there were difficult matches too. Chess is great in Kazakhstan. Actually, I think I lost one of the first games to someone from the local team,” said Dubov.
Following the Rapid Championship, the event in Astana also features a one-day World Blitz Team Championship, where the same teams will compete. It is the first time FIDE is organizing a World Team Blitz event, with a prize fund of 100,000 euros.
