Polish grandmaster Monika Socko was the clear winner of the European Women’s Championship which took place at the Don Giovanni Hotel in Prague. Socko scored 8½/11 points to leave a 5-player chasing pack a half point back. Azerbaijani representatives Gunay Mammadzada and Ulviyya Fataliyeva grabbed second and third place, respectively. Nine players gained spots in next year’s Women’s World Cup. | Photos: Official site
Daniel Eduardo Pulvett, born in Venezuela and now representing Spain, finished second at the Valencia International Open last month to grab his third GM norm. With a rating already above 2500, he is set to receive the grandmaster title. Pulvett, aged 31, has a ninety-percent visual impairment. He had grabbed his second GM norm only four months ago, at a closed tournament in Breña Baja, in the Canary Islands. | Photo: David Llada
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Instant grandmaster
As Diana Mihajlova’s thorough profile of Wang Hao (part one is here; part two is here) stated, Hao jumped from untitled to grandmaster “bypassing both the FM and IM titles.” Becoming a grandmaster at age 16 was a high point in Hao’s already impressive junior chess career. For example, at age 14, Hao won team gold and an individual gold as China’s first board in the Under-16 Olympiad.
2019 Grand Swiss
Wang Hao qualified for the 2020 Candidates Tournament by winning the 2019 FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss with 8 out of 11, on tiebreak over 2018 World Championship Challenger Fabiano Caruana and ahead of World Champion Magnus Carlsen, who tied for third place with 7.5.