7-0 Winning Streak and Armageddon: Iturrizaga and Niemann Win
GMs Eduardo Iturrizaga and Hans Niemann were the winners of the eleventh and twelfth Play-ins of the Chess.com Global Championship. GMs Kirill Alekseenko and Martyn Kravtsiv each won second place respectively, joining the winners in advancing to the knockout phase.
The next rounds of the Play-in Phase continue on Monday, August 1, starting at 5 a.m. PT/14:00 CEST and 10 a.m. PT/19:00 CEST. For titled players who would like to join in and play against legendary GMs such as Vladimir Kramnik and Viswanathan Anand, be sure to get verified so you can play in the next event.
You can watch the live broadcast of the Chess.com Global Championship Play-ins on Chess.com/TV. You can also enjoy the show on our Twitch channel and catch all our live broadcasts on YouTube.com/ChesscomLive. The games can also be followed from our Events Page.
Live broadcast of Friday's tournament, hosted by GM Daniel Naroditsky, IMs Lawrence Trent, and David Pruess.
Play-in 11
Iturrizaga won clear first with an undefeated eight points, starting with a 7-0 winning streak. He capped off the streak with a critical win over GM Le Liem by fighting it out for 70+ moves in the ending.
Alekseenko finished 2nd, and FM Marco Riehle leapfrogged a host of GMs to finish third with a victory in the final round. Their first playoff game looked to be finishing an equally-played draw when Riehle went for the win but overpressed, leaving his pieces on awkward squares and allowing Alekseenko to trap his knight.
In the second game, Alekseenko had a comfortable edge for much of the game, but in the time scramble in a drawish queen ending, Riehle created attacking chances with dynamic play and eventually checkmated.
This meant an Armageddon playoff where Alekseenko chose to take five minutes vs. ten to play black with draw odds. Riehle pressed every last drop of chances he could in the position, but ultimately the two ended up in a dead-drawn king and pawn ending.
By advancing, Iturrizaga and Alekseenko earn the chance at a minimum of $5,000 in the knockout phase along with their respective Play-In prizes of $850 and $600. Riehle earns $400 for third place.
Play-in #11 Swiss | Final Standings (Top 10)
| Number | Rk | Fed | Title | Username | Name | Rating | Score | SB |
| 1 | 17 | GM | iturrizaga | Eduardo Iturrizaga | 2623 | 8 | 35.25 | |
| 2 | 10 | GM | BilodeauA | Kirill Alekseenko | 2580 | 7.5 | 36 | |
| 3 | 21 | FM | MarcoRiehle | Marco Riehle | 2532 | 7.5 | 34.75 | |
| 4 | 8 | GM | vladislavkovalev | Vladislav Kovalev | 2611 | 7 | 38.5 | |
| 5 | 24 | GM | XDPS | Pablo Salinas Herrera | 2505 | 7 | 37.5 | |
| 6 | 23 | GM | mitrabhaa | Mitrabha Guha | 2519 | 7 | 35 | |
| 7 | 18 | GM | promen1999 | Benjamin Gledura | 2521 | 7 | 34 | |
| 8 | 33 | GM | Aygehovit1992 | Nikita Matinian | 2431 | 7 | 31.5 | |
| 9 | 48 | GM | Anton_Demchenko | Anton Demchenko | 2544 | 7 | 29.5 | |
| 10 | 27 | GM | Antipov_Mikhail_Al | Mikhail Antipov | 2518 | 6.5 | 27 |
*Note a playoff occurs between second and third place for qualification into the Knockout Phase.
(full final standings here.)
Play-in 12
Niemann finished in clear first, scoring eight points and going undefeated. He defeated GM Vladislav Kovalev in round seven by gaining a potent rook on the seventh rank and hunting down his opponent's pawns to reach a winning ending.
GM Guha Mitrabha and Kravtsiv finished second and third, tying with 7.5 points. Kravtsiv won the first playoff game by activating his pieces to focus on Guha's open kingside.
Kravtsiv also won the second game, winning material through tactical play and then chasing his opponent's queen into a corner to prevent any counterplay.
In the post-match interview, Kravtsiv shared about his quest to qualifying and how many Play-Ins it's taken: "Maybe 10, I started to play two weeks ago, maybe six or eight... It is quite hard [to qualify]."
By advancing, Niemann and Kravtsiv earn the chance at a minimum of $5,000 in the knockout phase along with their respective Play-In prizes of $850 and $600. Mitrabha earns $400 for third place.
Play-in #12 Swiss | Final Standings (Top 10)
| Number | Rk | Fed | Title | Username | Name | Rating | Score | SB |
| 1 | 4 | GM | HansOnTwitch | Hans Niemann | 2643 | 8 | 41 | |
| 2 | 16 | GM | mitrabhaa | Mitrabha Guha | 2538 | 7.5 | 36.75 | |
| 3 | 11 | GM | Cayse | Martyn Kravtsiv | 2571 | 7.5 | 34.5 | |
| 4 | 25 | IM | MITerryble | Renato Terry | 2502 | 7.5 | 32 | |
| 5 | 19 | GM | Antipov_Mikhail_Al | Mikhail Antipov | 2528 | 7 | 37.5 | |
| 6 | 10 | GM | Fandorine | Maksim Chigaev | 2582 | 7 | 34.75 | |
| 7 | 13 | GM | spicycaterpillar | Ray Robson | 2549 | 7 | 33.5 | |
| 8 | 5 | GM | BillieKimbah | Maxim Matlakov | 2609 | 7 | 30.5 | |
| 9 | 7 | GM | vladislavkovalev | Vladislav Kovalev | 2605 | 6.5 | 32.25 | |
| 10 | 12 | GM | platy3 | Alan Pichot | 2550 | 6.5 | 31 |
*Note a playoff occurs between second and third place for qualification into the Knockout Phase.
(full final standings here.)
The Chess.com Global Championship is a worldwide prize event open to all Chess.com verified players. The event has a $1,000,000 prize fund and brings together players from all around the world with chess legends like GMs Alexei Shirov, Vasyl Ivanchuk, Hou Yifan, and many more. The Play-in phase consists of 16 Swiss tournaments which will award the top-two players from each event with a share of the $60,000 prize fund and a spot in the CGC Knockouts.
Previous reports:
- Fist Pumps and Second Chances: Fedoseev and Bok Win
- Paravyan, Theodorou Win Chess.com Global Play-Ins
- Hakobyan, Muradli Win Chess.com Global Play-Ins
- Vasquez and Lazavik Top Chess.com Global Play-Ins
- Vidit and Sarana Win Inaugural Chess.com Global Play-Ins
- Chess.com Global Championship 2022: All The Information
- How To Play In The Chess.com Global Championship
- Chess.com Global Championship Results
Vanessa West is a National Master, a chess teacher, and a writer for Chess.com. In 2017, they won the Chess Journalist of the Year award.
You can follow them on X: Vanessa__West
