World Cadet Chess Championship: Bocelli's Surprise Visit Adds Magic as Medal Races Heat Up

by Niklesh Jain - 24/11/2024

It’s not every day that the worlds of music and chess intersect, and to witness a global icon like Andrea Bocelli gracing the World Cadet Chess Championship 2024 was a moment to remember. The legendary Italian tenor, whose music has touched hearts worldwide, made a surprise appearance at the tournament during Round 7. Not only did Bocelli make his presence known, but he also had the honor of playing the opening move in the Under 12 section, adding an unforgettable touch to the event. His arrival was met with admiration, as many people were eager just to have the chance to see him in person. As for the results, the competition remains fierce with only three rounds left to determine the final medalists. In the Under 8 Girls, the battle for the lead continues between Chen Zhihan and Xin Stella. In the Under 8 Open, Linyuan of the USA has taken the lead, while Advik Amit Agrawal from India is making strong strides in the Under 10 Boys. The excitement is palpable as these talented young players inch closer to their dreams. Report & Photo By Niklesh Jain

Andrea Bocelli Graces the World Cadet Chess Championship, Playing the Opening Move

A unique and unforgettable moment unfolded today at the World Cadet Chess Championship 2024 when the world-renowned Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli graced the event with his presence. Leaving his mark in the world of chess, Bocelli made the opening move in the Under 12 section, adding a special touch to the tournament.

His appearance made the championship even more memorable, with many eager to catch a glimpse of the legendary artist.

Secretary General Lukasz Turlej of FIDE presented a FIDE 100 medal to Andrea Bocelli.

In addition to this, with only three rounds remaining, the race for the medals is intensifying as players give their all in the final stretch.In Rounds 7 and 8, several key results have reshaped the medal prospects. Let’s take a brief look at the standings after these two rounds:

Under 8 Girls

The battle for the top spot continues between Chen Zhihan of China and Xin Stella of the USA, both tied at 7 points. However, due to the tiebreak of their direct encounter, Chen currently holds the first position. Apart from these two, six other players are on 6 points and are still very much in the race for medals.

Rank after Round 8

Rk.	SNo		Name	FED	Rtg	Pts.	TB1	TB2	TB3	K	rtg+/-
1	2		CHEN, Zhihan	CHN	1733	7	1	36	39	40	31,2
2	1		XIN, Stella	USA	1739	7	0	38,5	42,5	40	48,8
3	54		KARAMAN, Defne	TUR	0	6	0	39,5	43,5
4	4		BADESCU, Eliza-Ioana	ROU	1697	6	0	37	40	40	21,2
5	9		YU, Allyson	USA	1653	6	0	36	37	40	54,8
6	10		LEVGEEVA, Elzyata Nik	FID	1639	6	0	35	39	40	28,8
7	5	WCM	ZHOU, Abigail	USA	1685	6	0	35	38	40	26
8	8		KINZYABULATOVA, Reana	FID	1661	6	0	34,5	37	40	2,8
9	20		NGUYEN, Vu Bao Chau	VIE	1541	5,5	0	40	45	40	48
10	17		NGUYEN, Sarah	USA	1569	5,5	0	38	39,5	40	50,8

Under 8 Open

Linyuan of the USA has taken a solo lead with 7.5 points. He will face Kazakhstan’s Rizat Ulan, who has 7 points,

in the next round. India’s Sattwik Swain and China’s Ziming Guo, both with 6.5 points, are also in the medal race.

Rank after Round 8

Rk.	SNo	Name	FED	Rtg	Pts.	TB1	TB2	TB3	K	rtg+/-
1	5	LI, Aiden Linyuan	USA	1877	7,5	0	36	39	40	79,6
2	15	ULAN, Rizat	KAZ	1783	7	0	36	39	40	44,4
3	12	SATTWIK, Swain	IND	1787	6,5	0	38,5	42,5	40	76
4	9	PROTOPOPESCU, Luca	FRA	1818	6,5	0	32,5	36,5	40	16,4
5	27	GUO, Ziming	CHN	1701	6,5	0	32	35,5	40	46,4
6	6	BADESCU, Matei-Andrei	ROU	1829	6	0	37	41	40	31,6
7	76	MOROZEVICH, Kirill Aleks	FID	1484	6	0	35,5	39,5	40	160
8	7	MANI, Sarbartho	IND	1824	6	0	35,5	39	40	11,2
9	4	XU, Zhihan (Samuel)	CAN	1881	6	0	35	39	40	-9,2
10	18	ELEMES, Nurmukhamed	KAZ	1735	6	0	34,5	38,5	40	47,2

Under 10 Girls

A dramatic turn of events saw top seed Alanna Berikkyzy of Kazakhstan lose to Ider Tselmuun of Mongolia. As a result, Ider now leads the group with 7 points, while Alanna sits second on 7 points due to the direct encounter tiebreak. Kazakhstan’s Sholpanbek Zhansaya is in third. India’s Pooja Shri, along with six other players on 6 points, remains in the hunt for medals.

Rank after Round 8

Rk.	SNo		Name	FED	Rtg	Pts.	TB1	TB2	TB3	K	rtg+/-
1	4	WCM	TSELMUUN, Ider	MGL	1846	7	0	39,5	44,5	40	46
2	1	WCM	BERIKKYZY, Alanna	KAZ	2043	7	0	39	42	40	9,2
3	25		SHOLPANBEK, Zhansaya	KAZ	1657	7	0	37,5	41,5	40	130,4
4	3	WCM	YANG, Aimee	USA	1864	6	0	39,5	43,5	40	8,8
5	7	WCM	NANDINJIGUUR, Chinzorig	MGL	1807	6	0	39	42,5	40	5,2
6	17		FILIPPOVA, Milana	KAZ	1687	6	0	38,5	41	40	66,8
7	35		NGUYEN DOAN, Bao Anh Angelina	POL	1628	6	0	38	41,5	40	112,4
8	40		POOJA, Shree R	IND	1615	6	0	35,5	38,5	40	99,2
9	14		ANISTOROAEI, Maria	ROU	1715	6	0	35	37	40	40,8
10	45		ZHUMAMBAYEVA, Aliya	KAZ	1607	5,5	0	38,5	41,5	40	60,4

Under 10 Open

India’s Advik Amit Agrawal has made a strong comeback with back-to-back wins, joining Roman Shogdzhiev of FIDE and Llari Marc of France at the top with 7 points. Zhu Linxi and Joshua Xia of the USA, as well as Nguyen Quang Anh of Vietnam, are just behind with 6.5 points.

Rank after Round 8

Rk.	SNo		Name	FED	Rtg	Pts.	TB1	TB2	TB3	K	rtg+/-
1	2	CM	SHOGDZHIEV, Roman	FID	2202	7	0	40,5	44,5	40	40,8
2	18		ADVIK, Amit Agrawal	IND	1982	7	0	39,5	42,5	40	101,6
3	3	CM	LLARI, Marc	FRA	2201	7	0	38,5	42,5	40	17,2
4	12		XIA, Joshua	USA	2052	6,5	0	37	41,5	40	8
5	28		NGUYEN, Quang Anh	VIE	1889	6,5	0	35,5	38	40	97,2
6	8		ZHU, Linxi	USA	2100	6,5	0	35	38,5	40	11,6
7	19		ANAND, Tsogtbileg	MGL	1974	6	0	38	41	40	25,6
8	77		MIRZHANOV, Arlan	KAZ	1721	6	0	36	38	40	135,6
9	62		ANETOV, Amirzhan	KAZ	1767	6	0	35,5	37,5	40	138,8
10	41		MULAY, Vivan Prakash	USA	1823	6	0	35	37	40	105,2

Under 12 Girls

Nika Venskaya of FIDE defeated Zahra Allahverdi of Azerbaijan and now leads with 7 points. Tatyana Nik of FIDE, Xue Tianho of China, and Amanzhol Khanzada of Kazakhstan are all just behind with 6.5 points.

India’s Hanya Shah, tied with four others on 6 points, is still in medal contention if she can score well in the final rounds.

Rank after Round 8

Rk.	SNo		Name	FED	Rtg	Pts.	TB1	TB2	TB3	K	rtg+/-
1	4	WCM	TSELMUUN, Ider	MGL	1846	7	0	39,5	44,5	40	46
2	1	WCM	BERIKKYZY, Alanna	KAZ	2043	7	0	39	42	40	9,2
3	25		SHOLPANBEK, Zhansaya	KAZ	1657	7	0	37,5	41,5	40	130,4
4	3	WCM	YANG, Aimee	USA	1864	6	0	39,5	43,5	40	8,8
5	7	WCM	NANDINJIGUUR, Chinzorig	MGL	1807	6	0	39	42,5	40	5,2
6	17		FILIPPOVA, Milana	KAZ	1687	6	0	38,5	41	40	66,8
7	35		NGUYEN DOAN, Bao Anh Angelina	POL	1628	6	0	38	41,5	40	112,4
8	40		POOJA, Shree R	IND	1615	6	0	35,5	38,5	40	99,2
9	14		ANISTOROAEI, Maria	ROU	1715	6	0	35	37	40	40,8
10	45		ZHUMAMBAYEVA, Aliya	KAZ	1607	5,5	0	38,5	41,5	40	60,4

Under 12 Open

The Under 12 Open section became even more exciting as overnight leader Radzimski Antoni of Poland lost to Mark Smirnov of Kazakhstan. Now, Lacan David of France and Mark are joint leaders with 7 points, with the two facing off in the next round. Radzimski and Liu Patrick of the USA are just behind with 6.5 points.

India’s Aansh Nandan Nerurkar, who has recovered from a rough start, is now on 6 points and can still aim for a medal with strong performances in the remaining rounds.

Rank after Round 8

Rk.	SNo		Name	FED	Rtg	Pts.	TB1	TB2	TB3	K	rtg+/-
1	6	WCM	VENSKAYA, Nika	FID	1871	7	0	33,5	35,5	40	53,2
2	24		MOZOLEVSKAYA, Tatyana Nik	FID	1775	6,5	0	37,5	40	40	94,4
3	21	WCM	AMANZHOL, Khanzada	KAZ	1780	6,5	0	36	40	40	92,4
4	13	WCM	XUE, Tianhao	CHN	1835	6,5	0	34,5	38	40	58,8
5	41		ALLAHVERDI, Zahra	AZE	1718	6	0	36,5	40	40	110,8
6	9	WCM	BUYANKHISHIG, Batpelden	MGL	1867	6	0	35,5	39	40	25,2
7	4	WCM	HANYA, Shah	IND	1888	6	0	31	34	40	5,6
8	18		JORDAN, Christina	SUI	1803	6	0	30,5	33,5	40	36,4
9	53		SIDDHI, Rao	IND	1677	5,5	0	37	41	40	116,8
10	12		TRAN, Le Vy	VIE	1854	5,5	0	36	39,5	40	5,2

With only three rounds to go, the World Cadet Chess Championship is set to provide even more thrilling action. The next few days will be crucial for those still in the hunt for medals, and the atmosphere promises to be electric as we head towards the finish line. Stay tuned for more updates, and don’t miss our upcoming report on the 1st World Cadet Chess Solving Championship, which is also taking place during this unforgettable event.

Special Photo gallery The Arbiter's

Photos:

Round 1 : https://photos.app.goo.gl/vFQzrhFycdCa1v548

Round 2 : https://photos.app.goo.gl/oHwuBgtcG6LeQuxh8

Round 3 : https://photos.app.goo.gl/BPknPvzhMtoHGS9NA

Round 4 : https://photos.app.goo.gl/xX9CPCgBXHMody77A

Round 5 : https://photos.app.goo.gl/KcBZBsKkJxr4BCbo6

Round 6 : https://photos.app.goo.gl/URKzvMRWMwxDsssb8

Round 7 : https://photos.app.goo.gl/xKbXGFxF7r8PDTjH6

Round 8 : https://photos.app.goo.gl/jUGa2TjVLhHYmv47A

Problem Solving all participants : https://photos.app.goo.gl/a5Y3qWw4M3cAeChE7

During Competition : https://photos.app.goo.gl/BuqRazENo2r6kC4U6

Official Website

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