2022 FWFRCC Follow-ups

After nearly a half-dozen posts on the 2022 FWFRCC ('FIDE World Fischer Random Chess Championship'), I have a number of loose ends to tie up. The coverage of the event has been extraordinary.

Nakamura Streams His FWFRCC Qualifiers

The previous post on this blog was 2022 FWFRCC Qualifiers (October 2022). One of the bullets said, '2022-10-07: Lichess Qualifiers Send Nakamura and Abdusattorov to [WFRC]'. GM Nakamura, a popular Twitch and Youtube streamer, recorded his qualification games. Here is the first clip.

Hikaru on Lichess Fischer Random World Champs Qualifier (1:13:57) • '[Published on] Sep 13, 2022'

The video description informed,

Hikaru plays in a qualifier on Sept 11, 2022 held on Lichess for the Fischer Random World Championship being held in Iceland in October. This is the first qualifier, the top 15 will play on Sept 18th in a knockout format. This is part 1. Hikaru recorded this off stream.

That was the first of three videos on Youtube's GMHikaru channel. All of them received viewer comments numbering around low three figures. Here are the videos:-

• 2022-09-11: Hikaru on Lichess Fischer Random World Champs Qualifier • [As above] 'This is part 1. Hikaru recorded this off stream.'
• 2022-09-11: Can Hikaru Be World 960 Champion? • 'This is the 2nd half of the qualifier played on Sept 11, 2022, on lichess.'
• 2022-09-18: Hikaru Finds Young Talent in 960 Quals • 'Hikaru Beats up 2 youngsters, FM Andy Woodward and GM Awonder Liang and recaps it for us in the 960 World Championship Qualifier played on Lichess on September 18, 2022.'

The eight player group stage of the 2022 FWFRCC was played this past week. Nakamura was one of four players to qualify into the semifinal stage.

Google Accords 'Full Coverage' to the 2022 FWFRCC

In a recent post on my main blog, Chess960 Mania (October 2022), I discussed Google News chess stories for the month of October. For only the third time since I've been following Google News, the tech giant supplemented the 100 chess stories with a special 'Full Coverage' page. This time the coverage was about the 2022 FWFRCC. In that post I promised, 'to cover the FWFRCC final on [my chess960 blog], incorporating Google's 'Full Coverage' into the next post.' So here we are.

The following image was developed for the 'Chess960 Mania' post. The left chart shows news sources that had more than a single story in Google News for October. I discussed these in that original post.

The right chart shows all news sources that had at least one story in the Google 'Full Coverage' section. In other words, 18 stories about 2022 FWFRCC were published by nine different sources (there were also four tweets from Twitter). Five of the stories were from Chess.com. Another five were from sources that accounted for a single story.

Did I say 'nine different sources'? For some reason that isn't immediately clear, ChessBase appears twice in the list. In all fairness I should discuss the five Chess.com stories. The site has been a strong supporter of chess960 since a few years after Chess.com's inception in 2007. It developed software and tools to play chess960 and promoted them through its forums. Two of the four 2022 FWFRCC qualifying events were organized by Chess.com.

For most of that same time ChessBase has been antagonistic to chess960. A few years ago, in Purported Problems with Chess960 (April 2018), I took issue with a long list of chess960 'problems' assembled by ChessBase founder and front man Frederic Friedel. The original ChessBase article is still available on ChessBase.com and undoubtedly still influences people wanting to know more about Fischer's greatest invention.

Here are the four Chessbase stories flagged by Google's 'Full Coverage'. All are from Chessbase.com; the last three are signed by Carlos Alberto Colodro.

• 2022-10-22: Starting Tuesday: World Fischer Random Chess Championship
• 2022-10-26: Fischer Random: The fun begins!
• 2022-10-27: Fischer Random: Abdusattorov reaches semis with two rounds to spare
• 2022-10-28: Fischer Random: Carlsen and Nepo to face off in semis

Has ChessBase changed its colors? Its tune? You be the judge.

More to come...

This past week I managed to watch a few hours of the 2022 FWFRCC group stage. I was amazed by the quality of the games and of the commentary. Unfortunately, I won't be able to write about the winner until the next scheduled post on this blog next month, but I can already say to the organizers and to others involved in producing the event, 'Congratulations on a great show and thanks!'

2022 FWFRCC Qualifiers

The last couple of posts have not respected the natural sequence, so let's try to arrange things in the right order.

• 2022-09-17: 2022 FWFRCC Structure • 'FIDE World Fischer Random Chess Championship'
• [This current 'Qualifiers' post goes here...]
• 2022-10-15: 2022 FWFRCC Finalists • 'Once again, 'I'll save the details for another post.' [...] This current post!

Chess.com Qualifier 1 [chess.com; FRWC = Fischer Random World Championship]:-

• 2022-08-23: Sevian Refuses Last-Round Draw Offer, Wins Fischer Random Swiss • 'GM Sam Sevian won the Qualifier 1 Swiss stage of the 2022 [FRWC] on Monday, refusing a draw in the last round to go for more. GMs Aleksandr Shimanov and Vladimir Fedoseev finished in second and third with seven points each.'
• 2022-08-24: Hansen Dances to 4-0, Fedoseev Fights to Final • 'GMs Eric Hansen and Vladimir Fedoseev advanced to the Qualifier 1 final of the 2022 [FRWC] on Tuesday. '
• 2022-08-25: Fedoseev Triumphs In An 'Absolutely Different World' (shows KO brackets) • 'GM Vladimir Fedoseev defeated GM Eric Hansen in the Qualifier 1 final of the 2022 [FRWC] on Wednesday.'

Chess.com Qualifier 2 [chess.com]:-

• 2022-08-30: IM Pranav Overtakes GMs in Second Fischer Random Swiss • 'IM V Pranav won the Qualifier 2 Swiss stage of the 2022 [FRWC] on Monday, making him the only non-GM to advance to the knockout in either qualifier.' • FR-Qualifier-2 - Live Chess Tournament
• 2022-08-31: Quadruple Queens And Raining Rooks: Bluebaum, Navara Advance To Final • 'GMs Matthias Bluebaum and David Navara advanced to the Qualifier 2 final of the 2022 [FRWC] on Tuesday.'
• 2022-08-31: Opening Understanding vs. Counterstrike Ability: Bluebaum Defeats Navara (shows KO brackets) • 'GM Matthias Bluebaum overcame GM David Navara in the Qualifier 2 final of the 2022 [FRWC] on Wednesday.'

Lichess [lichess.org; WFRC = World Fischer Random Championship]:-

• 2022-09-09: Midway Through The [WFRC] Qualifiers on Lichess • 'With the open and invitational arena stage over, we now move to the first Swiss stages marking the midpoint of the qualifiers on Lichess.'
• 2022-10-07: Lichess Qualifiers Send Nakamura and Abdusattorov to [WFRC] (shows KO brackets without scores) • 'Both Hikaru Nakamura and Nodirbek Abdusattorov were players awarded wildcards from co-organisers; Nakamura’s from the Charlotte Chess Center and North American Corporate Chess League and Abdusattorov’s wildcard was from Offerspill Sjakklubb.'

Here's the same infographic I assembled for the 'Finalists' post. The info above matches the second row below.

2022 FWFRCC Finalists

In last month's post, 2022 FWFRCC Structure (September 2022; 'FIDE World Fischer Random Chess Championship'), after presenting an overiew of the qualifying paths, I wrote,

The two Chess.com qualifiers have already finished. I'll save the details for another post.

Once again, I'm going to kick the can down the road. There is more pressing news to report and I don't have time to cover everything in one post. From Magnus Carlsen to headline FIDE World Fischer Random Chess Championship 2022 (chessdom.com):-

FIDE World Fischer Random Chess Championship over-the-board final will take place in the Berjaya Reykjavik Natura Hotel, Iceland, from 25-30 October 2022.

The following image combines two important pieces of info from that article -- the participants and the schedule.

The participants are already known, which means that all of the qualifiers have taken place. Once again, 'I'll save the details for another post.'