The European Qualifier to the World Cup was played as a hybrid tournament last week, with participants playing from approved venues monitored by foreign arbiters. A total of 36 players obtained spots in the World Cup, scheduled to take place from July 10 to August 6 in Sochi. Highlights from the massive event include a 14-year-old girl knocking out an experienced grandmaster, and a young Slovak player offering a draw after Boris Gelfand hung his queen due to a mouse slip. | Pictured: GM Jergus Pechac
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Pashikian in sole second place
The Armenian Championships, open and women’s, are taking place on February 16-28 at the Tigran Petrosian Chess House in Yerevan, Armenia’s capital. The open section is a 12-player single round robin while the women’s tournament is a 10-player single round robin. Games are played with a time control of 90 minutes for 40 moves plus 30 minutes until the end of the game and 30-second increments from move 1. The winners of the tournaments get a spot in the national teams.
The Ruy Lopez is one of the oldest openings which continues to enjoy high popularity from club level to the absolute world top. In this video series, American super GM Fabiano Caruana, talking to IM Oliver Reeh, presents a complete repertoire for White.