Today's Edition
KUUMAR SHYAM (ABU DHABI)
Belarusian teenager Denis Lazavik clinched the Masters’ crown at the close of the 31st Abu Dhabi International Chess Festival (ADICF), which saw a record participation of over 3,500 players representing 82 nations across several categories, according to the organisers.
At the end of the ninth and final round at St Regis Hotel near Abu Dhabi’s Corniche on Sunday afternoon, five players ended with seven points.
Lazavik had a victory while a draw for Zeng Chongsheng of China meant the latter finished second under the tie-break system. Arkadij Naiditsch (Belarus), Aleksey Grebnev and Maksim Tsaruk (both under FIDE banner) completed the top 5 with seven points each.
“This was my first ‘strong’ tournament, and I managed to win it, so I am very happy, of course,” said Lazavik as he prepared to enter the evening’s prize-giving ceremony.
Lazavik also won the Online category title, one of the other competitions in the Festival, and one in which players like world No.2 Hikaru Nakamura also participated.
“It is a big event for me. I have a lot of experience playing online tournaments, so winning it was a great experience,” said Lazavik, who did not venture out much to explore the city and chose to focus on the event at his tender age of 18.
The tournament has been a launching pad for young players historically and a recent glance at the results are proof. The fortunes of Lazavik’s predecessor in Abu Dhabi last year, Nodirbek Abdusattarov, changed ever since the Uzbek won the title as a 19-year-old in the UAE capital last year.
Abdusattarov used every opportunity to come to Abu Dhabi for practice multiple times a year post COVID-19 when he became the World Rapid Champion in 2021 and, within a year of winning the 30th ADICF, has now waltzed into the top FIDE rankings as world No.7.
Or consider the case of Divya Deshmukh, who played as an International Master in the emirate last year, got her Woman Grand Master title earlier this year but still came out of nowhere to become the women’s World Champion last month. She is currently 15th in the world rankings.
This year there were more instances of promise on display. Like the 11-year Syrian boy Mazen Fandi, whose diminutive frame and a bobbing head just above the crown of the king piece on the 64-square board was symbolic of the leader potential in him. He had a tournament to forget, though, after his silver medal at last year’s Asian Youth Chess Championship.
Another youth to miss out was Mayank Chakraborthy, a 16-year-old Indian boy from the state of Assam. The Grade 11 student went from being the only IM (Elo rating 2,452), with a chance to win the title at the start of the penultimate round, to finishing in 18th position.
Playing with black and a Knight advantage in the endgame against an in-form Indian GM Iniyan Panneerselvam, the teenager blundered not once but twice to go from one winning move to losing the game late on Saturday. He drew the final game with Kazakhstan GM and Abu Dhabi regular Alisher Suleymenov (Elo 2,500).
