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Dark Knight / Le Chevalier Noir
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Speaking of creative players Maurizzi, a fine young talent and chess artist, has just given his opponent Ivic the Irish centre (tripled center pawns) In case you dont know that usually means suffering. Afaik the world has enough chess technicians. I appreciate seeing new chess artists like Maurizzi and Yuffa and hope they show us their unique style of chess for a longtime.
Speaking of great skill Daniil Yuffa (also a player in the Challengers) did something amazing a few years back in Spain. He played a blindfold simul at the same time also playing classical piano. Over the board he is also a virtuoso playing at the 2600 level, usually opening with 1.Nf3 and transposing creatively into positions of his liking .
Challengers rd 4 Faustino wins another nice game (against Roebers) He played a fine waiting game as White and when Black pressed and opened the position he tactically exploited weaknesses. At age 12 he already has great skills.
One minor slip (greedy grab of pawn) and Bluebaum has allowed inroads to his kingside. Based on Sindarovs amazing tactical abilities my guess is Bluebaum is about to suffer.
rd 4 Masters Hans Niemann has a large edge in the position in his game against Aravindh, basically an advanced pawn candidate on the queenside with strong piece support. His use of minimal time indicates that this is home prep.
Its a gppd thing they didnt interupt the tournament much. 2025 kilos of coal is an interesting amount. ( roughly two tons) Does the amount signify the year?
The start of Round 1 of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2026 has been delayed due to demonstrations in the vicinity of the playing venue.
In consultation with local authorities, the decision was made to postpone the start of play to ensure the safety of players, visitors and staff.
Further information will be communicated via the website and official social media channels as soon as it becomes available.
No follow-up on the demos on this thread. Weird.
I looked it up and Mint News had the following:
Protest targets Tata Steel sponsorship
Activists from Extinction Rebellion, a global movement focused on climate change and environmental issues, staged the demonstration to protest against Tata Steel's environmental impact. They dumped 2025 kilos of coal, symbolizing the company's coal usage, and used lock-ons while hanging banners with messages like “No Chess on a Dead Planet.”
The group highlighted that 2025 was supposed to mark Tata Steel's climate neutrality milestone, which they claim was not met. They also accused the company of health harms in the local area, including reduced life expectancy in Wijk aan Zee and high pollution levels affecting children.
A statement from Extinction Rebellion emphasized their rejection of fossil fuel sponsorship, calling the tournament a form of "sports-washing." Organizers had urged protesters to avoid disruption, but the action went ahead, leading to the blockade.
Tata Steel is part of the Tata Group (India's largest corporate behemoth) which is like KC Irving in the Canadian Maritimes ... for all of India. A chess tourney, even on this scale, is chicken feed to such an organization.
Bluebaum's win over Keymer puts him in a 4 way tie for first in the Masters with Abdusattarov, Erigaisi, and Niemann, all at 2 out of 3.
I missed that Van Foreest also joins the lead after beating Giri. So actually a five way tie for first. A logjam lead in both sections. But its early times yer in the tournament.
Last edited by Hans Jung; Tuesday, 20th January, 2026, 11:20 AM.
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