
First Win Of The Year For Two More Titled Tuesday Stars
GM Matthias Bluebaum won the early Titled Tuesday on February 18 with a near-perfect score (the second straight week someone scored 10.5 points) and took the lead in the Titled Tuesday Grand Prix standings. GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda then took the late event with 10 points, while GM Javokhir Sindarov finished in the top five in both tournaments.
Congratulations to Matthias Bluebaum on winning the early #TitledTuesday with the near-perfect 10.5/11! pic.twitter.com/oH3FJu5v7C
— chess24 (@chess24com) February 18, 2025
For the fourth straight week, both winners had their first victory of the year in this tournament. In 14 Titled Tuesdays so far in 2025, there have been 13 winners, with only GM Hikaru Nakamura repeating.
Early Tournament
In the two previous weeks, the Weissenhaus Freestyle Grand Slam was some notable players' priority, and this week it was the Chessable Masters. Still, with 859 entrants, the Titled Tuesday participation numbers remain well ahead of last year.
Bluebaum outlasted everyone, buoyed by an 8/8 start that he reached needing just 21 moves to win his eighth game with Black against GM Vahap Sanal. One seemingly harmless mistake by Sanal, 17.h3, was all it took for Bluebaum to strike.
A draw in the ensuing round against GM Salem Saleh ended Bluebaum's hopes to score 11/11, but he still held the outright tournament lead, which he held through the final two rounds as well.
Nonetheless, Bluebaum needed to keep winning since he had GM Andy Woodward chasing him. Woodward lost back in the second round, but it was his only setback of the tournament as he ripped off nine straight wins afterward. Entering the final round, Bluebaum was on 9.5 points and Woodward on nine.
The drama wasn't as high as it could have been, with the two not facing each other and Bluebaum's game ending first as he locked up the tournament. Against GM Aram Hakobyan, who was also on nine points and thus could still have won the tournament, Bluebaum found a correct exchange sacrifice on move 24. He soon gave Hakobyan one chance to get back into the game... but not two.
Woodward's game against GM Oleksandr Bortnyk ended soon after. Trying to double his rooks on move 21, Bortnyk missed a tactical flaw that Woodward did not miss, and never got back into the game.
Ultimately, it was a rare Titled Tuesday where all three podium spots were decided without a tiebreak. GM Daniel Naroditsky was the only player on 9.5 points, finishing third after a very impressive final-round victory over GM Dmitrij Kollars.
When it came to the final two cash positions, then tiebreaks were necessary, with GM Denis Lazavik and Sindarov taking them. WGM Mobina Alinasab scored eight points to win the women's prize.
February 18 Titled Tuesday | Early | Final Standings (Top 20)
Rank | Seed | Fed | Title | Username | Name | Rating | Score | Tiebreak |
1 | 12 | GM | @Msb2 | Matthias Bluebaum | 3132 | 10.5 | 67 | |
2 | 17 | GM | @Philippians46 | Andy Woodward | 3096 | 10 | 68 | |
3 | 13 | GM | @DanielNaroditsky | Daniel Naroditsky | 3103 | 9.5 | 72.5 | |
4 | 1 | GM | @DenLaz | Denis Lazavik | 3197 | 9 | 74 | |
5 | 8 | GM | @Javokhir_Sindarov05 | Javokhir Sindarov | 3129 | 9 | 73 | |
6 | 11 | GM | @Salem-AR | Salem AR Saleh | 3100 | 9 | 70.5 | |
7 | 10 | GM | @LiemLe | Liem Le | 3117 | 9 | 70 | |
8 | 7 | GM | @BogdanDeac | Bogdan Daniel Deac | 3119 | 9 | 69.5 | |
9 | 23 | GM | @wonderfultime | Tuan Minh Le | 3053 | 9 | 67.5 | |
10 | 26 | GM | @Anton_Demchenko | Anton Demchenko | 3029 | 9 | 65.5 | |
11 | 35 | GM | @shimastream | Aleksandr Shimanov | 3027 | 9 | 64.5 | |
12 | 18 | GM | @Njal28 | Aram Hakobyan | 3081 | 9 | 63 | |
13 | 52 | IM | @AlmasRakhmatullaev | Almas Rakhmatullaev | 2969 | 8.5 | 73.5 | |
14 | 27 | GM | @ChristopherYoo | Christopher Woojin Yoo | 3044 | 8.5 | 73.5 | |
15 | 9 | GM | @Oleksandr_Bortnyk | Oleksandr Bortnyk | 3119 | 8.5 | 72 | |
16 | 16 | IM | @Rud_Makarian | Rudik Makarian | 3079 | 8.5 | 71.5 | |
17 | 86 | GM | @AlexeiShirov | Alexei Shirov | 2900 | 8.5 | 71 | |
18 | 19 | GM | @GM_dmitrij | Dmitrij Kollars | 3067 | 8.5 | 70.5 | |
19 | 6 | GM | @dropstoneDP | David Paravyan | 3128 | 8.5 | 70.5 | |
20 | 21 | GM | @Indianlad | S.L. Narayanan | 3052 | 8.5 | 67.5 | |
47 | 289 | WGM | @ama18 | Mobina Alinasab | 2692 | 8 | 55.5 |
Prizes: Bluebaum $1,000, Woodward $750, Naroditsky $350, Lazavik $200, Sindarov $100, Alinasab $100.
Late Tournament
There were 574 late tournament hopefuls, and Duda—who is always good to be seen playing chess—was the only one to go undefeated. He made two draws, with GM Etienne Bacrot and Sindarov, and was otherwise flawless. However, those draws had him in a tie for just fifth place through seven rounds. Sindarov and GM Hans Niemann were among those ahead of him, and it was Sindarov in round eight who ended Niemann's 7/7 start. It was a tough game, with both players nearly exhausting their clocks. Niemann would be the one to flag after just 33 moves but he was also lost on the board.
Sindarov was unable to take full advantage of his newfound lead, dropping his next game against Bortnyk. Ultimately, it would be Duda and Bortnyk playing for the tournament in the final round. The only two players on 9/10, a draw would secure a tie for first, while a win for either would take the tourney outright.
The resulting game was a slugfest worthy of the stakes in the middlegame, but it seemed to peter out into a draw. The game didn't end, though, and after 20 more moves, it was Bortnyk who was ultimately lulled into a mistake. It seemed he might play to the bitter end, but Bortnyk finally flagged before he could make the 100th move.
In the end, a draw would have kept them both in the top two, as the players on 8.5 points prior to the round all made draws. Instead, Duda had a full-point win over an eight-way tie for second place. With Sindarov taking second, the rest of the top five shook out with GM Christopher Yoo in third, GM Liem Le in fourth, and Bortnyk in fifth. IM Anna M. Sargsyan took home the women's prize.
February 18 Titled Tuesday | Late | Final Standings (Top 20)
Rank | Seed | Fed | Title | Username | Name | Rating | Score | Tiebreak |
1 | 5 | GM | @Polish_fighter3000 | Jan-Krzysztof Duda | 3161 | 10 | 78 | |
2 | 7 | GM | @Javokhir_Sindarov05 | Javokhir Sindarov | 3149 | 9 | 80.5 | |
3 | 14 | GM | @ChristopherYoo | Christopher Woojin Yoo | 3061 | 9 | 77 | |
4 | 10 | GM | @LiemLe | Liem Le | 3132 | 9 | 74.5 | |
5 | 9 | GM | @Oleksandr_Bortnyk | Oleksandr Bortnyk | 3136 | 9 | 73 | |
6 | 19 | IM | @DonkyDonkyDonkey | Eray Kilic | 3033 | 9 | 71.5 | |
7 | 59 | GM | @HVillagra | Cristobal Henriquez | 2954 | 9 | 69 | |
8 | 13 | GM | @Sargsyan_Shant | Shant Sargsyan | 3051 | 9 | 62.5 | |
9 | 92 | FM | @only_strong_moves | Maksym Dubnevych | 2817 | 9 | 57.5 | |
10 | 1 | GM | @HansOnTwitch | Hans Niemann | 3179 | 8.5 | 75.5 | |
11 | 46 | GM | @baki83 | Etienne Bacrot | 2957 | 8.5 | 74 | |
12 | 8 | GM | @BogdanDeac | Bogdan Daniel Deac | 3120 | 8.5 | 74 | |
13 | 33 | IM | @Kacparov | Kacper Drozdowski | 2970 | 8.5 | 66.5 | |
14 | 43 | GM | @1stSecond | Nikita Meshkovs | 2947 | 8.5 | 62.5 | |
15 | 24 | GM | @sergiochess83 | Sergey Grigoriants | 2976 | 8.5 | 55 | |
16 | 31 | GM | @Zhigalko_Sergei | Sergei Zhigalko | 2952 | 8.5 | 52 | |
17 | 42 | GM | @SPEEDSKATER | Nicolas Checa | 2961 | 8 | 73.5 | |
18 | 6 | GM | @Msb2 | Matthias Bluebaum | 3114 | 8 | 73 | |
19 | 39 | GM | @Som2310 | Jacek Tomczak | 2952 | 8 | 71 | |
20 | 53 | IM | @Arystanner | Arystanbek Urazayev | 2928 | 8 | 70.5 | |
81 | 209 | IM | @annasargsyan_m | Anna M. Sargsyan | 2598 | 6.5 | 68.5 |
Prizes: Duda $1,000, Sindarov $750 (total for the day: $850), Yoo $350, Le $200, Bortnyk $100, Sargsyan $100.
Grand Prix Standings
Bortnyk joined the top eight, replacing GM Niko Theodoru. The other seven players remain unchanged, although, as mentioned at the top, Bluebaum took the lead. It's Nakamura who lost that spot after sitting out this week.
Rk | Username | Score | Title | Name |
1 | @Msb2 | 89.5 | GM | Matthias Bluebaum |
2 | @Jospem | 89.0 | GM | Jose Martinez |
3 | @Hikaru | 89.0 | GM | Hikaru Nakamura |
4 | @HansOnTwitch | 87.0 | GM | Grigoriy Oparin |
5 | @BogdanDeac | 86.5 | GM | Hans Niemann |
6 | @OparinGrigoriy | 85.5 | GM | Bogdan-Daniel Deac |
7 | @Oleksandr_Bortnyk | 84.5 | GM | Oleksandr Bortnyk |
8 | @tptagain | 84.5 | GM | David Anton |
IM Karina Ambartsumova continues to lead in the women's standings as IM Le Thao Nguyen Pham joins the top eight.
Rk | Username | Score | Title | Name |
1 | @karinachess1 | 69.5 | IM | Karina Ambartsumova |
2 | @anasta10 | 64.5 | FM | Anastasia Avramidou |
3 | @Flawless_Fighter | 64.0 | IM | Polina Shuvalova |
4 | @Sanyura | 63.0 | WGM | Aleksandra Maltsevskaya |
5 | @rollercoaster29 | 60.0 | WFM | Kalyani Sirin |
6 | @Meri-Arabidze | 55.5 | IM | Meri Arabidze |
7 | @teresin05 | 54.0 | WIM | Maria Teresa Jimenez Salas |
8 | @Fh2411 | 50.0 | IM | Le Thao Nguyen Pham |
Seniors (born 1975 or earlier), juniors (born 2009 or later), and girls (born 2005 or later) do not have SCC places on the line, but there will be cash prizes in each of these categories. The current leaders are the same as last week:
Seniors: GM Alex Rustemov (@alexrustemov), 76.5 points
Youth: IM Ilan Schnaider (@IlanSchnaider), 71.0 points
Girls: WFM Kalyani Sirin (@rollercoaster29), 60.0 points
Titled Tuesday is Chess.com's weekly tournament for titled players, with two tournaments held each Tuesday. The first tournament begins at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time/17:00 Central European/20:30 Indian Standard Time, and the second at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time/23:00 Central European/2:30 Indian Standard Time (next day).
The next Titled Tuesday to hit 1,000 participants will award prizes to the top 30 players.
📢 BIG NEWS 📢
— Chess.com (@chesscom) January 20, 2025
Titled Tuesday registrations have been going WAY up lately, with a record 905 last week!
To celebrate, the first Titled Tuesday of 2025 with over 1,000 players will have a DOUBLED prize pool! Let the games begin 🙌 pic.twitter.com/yx9QBFaJWA