"VAN" (Sports Desk - 26.10.2023) :: The difference between the FIDE Grand Swiss and any other Swiss tournament is that nobody gets a weak opponent in round one.
Usually, at open Swiss events, the favourites can expect weaker opponents in the first few rounds before facing each other. However, at the Isle of Man, challenging games started immediately.
Therefore, it's not surprising that there were some draws and wins by the underdogs. Still, these are not surprises, as everybody can beat everybody in this tournament.
Among the main favourites, Fabiano Caruana, Richard Rapport, Levon Aronian and Jan-Krzysztof Duda won their games, while Hikaru Nakamura barely avoided defeat against Rasmus Svane.
The winner of the last FIDE Grand Swiss, held in Riga in 2021, Alireza Firouzja was on the defensive against former FIDE World Champion Ruslan Ponomariov but managed to save the game by a precisely calculated combination.
Two players fighting for a qualification in the Candidates via the FIDE Circuit, Gukesh D and Anish Giri, holding second and fourth positions in the race, respectively, drew their games.
A notable duel in the first round was between Vasyl Ivanchuk and Ihor Samunenkov. Both from Ukraine, they are separated by 40 (!) years: Ivanchuk was born in 1969 and Samunenkov in 2009. Ivanchuk posed all the questions in their game, trying to squeeze something out from a position where his opponent had an isolated pawn on d5. The 14-year old defended with admirable tenacity and managed to draw in spite of the veteran’s pressing for more than 60 moves.
In the women's competition, top seed Aleksandra Goryachkina played a roller-coaster game against Anna Matnadze. She blundered an exchange in a won position and was on the verge of defeat, but eventually, the game ended in a draw.
Among the main favourites, Tan Zhongyi and Anna Muzychuk won their games, while Aleksandra Kosteniuk and Mariya Muzychuk managed only draws. A rising star Eline Roebers somewhat surprisingly beat Polina Shuvalova with the black pieces, but you should never underestimate young talents.
Elisabeth Paehtz played a spectacular miniature against young prodigy Alice Lee by executing a crushing attack. A tough start for the 14-year old prodigy from the USA and a promising start for one of the tournament favourites.
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