Martinez Wins Titled Tuesday, Next Stop: London
GMs Jose Martinez and Jeffery Xiong were the victors in the August 13 editions of Titled Tuesday, Martinez finally breaking into the TT winners column in 2024 after coming close several times. "Ready for London," an apparent reference to his upcoming rematch with GM Vladimir Kramnik as the latest installment in their ongoing saga, was Martinez's reaction:
Listo para Londres🤜🤛 https://t.co/WibQNdoE7e
— Jose Martínez Alcántara (@GMJoseMartinez) August 13, 2024
For Xiong, meanwhile, it was his second win in five weeks. Both he and Martinez scored 10 points, and they were the only players to finish ahead of GM Magnus Carlsen on the day, as Carlsen finished second in both events. Carlsen also scored 10 points in the early tournament but lost out on first place by tiebreaks, while Xiong won the late tournament by half a point outright.
Early Tournament
With 745 hopefuls entering the field, participation was at its highest point since June 18, and this despite several players, including GMs Hikaru Nakamura and Alireza Firouzja, being otherwise occupied with the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz tournament. In that large group, one player nonetheless retained a perfect performance through eight rounds, but IM Rud Makarian then lost his final three games.
Two other players who had a 7/7 start—yes, that would be Martinez and Carlsen—drew each other in the eighth round. Martinez would make another draw in the ninth round, in the process falling behind Carlsen, who had the honors of ending Makarian's chances at a perfect tournament.
It was then Martinez's turn in the 10th round to beat Makarian, but he made no progress as Carlsen also won his game against GM Aravindh Chithambaram. The 11th and final round was a different story, however, as Carlsen was held to a draw by GM Bogdan-Daniel Deac. Facing GM Javokhir Sindarov, Martinez did not miss his chance to reenter a tie for first.
The tiebreaks worked out in favor of Martinez, but the same could not be said for six of the nine players who tied for third, with only three paying spots for them to claim. Ultimately, IM Kacper Drozdowski, GM Arjun Erigaisi, and Aravindh claimed those spots, while Deac's upset of Carlsen in the final round unfortunately only got him to sixth place.
August 13 Titled Tuesday | Early | Final Standings (Top 20)
| Number | Rk | Fed | Title | Username | Name | Rating | Score | 1st Tiebreak |
| 1 | 12 | GM | @Jospem | Jose Martinez | 3097 | 10 | 77.5 | |
| 2 | 1 | GM | @MagnusCarlsen | Magnus Carlsen | 3314 | 10 | 75.5 | |
| 3 | 33 | IM | @Kacparov | Kacper Drozdowski | 2973 | 9 | 72 | |
| 4 | 7 | GM | @GHANDEEVAM2003 | Arjun Erigaisi | 3082 | 9 | 71 | |
| 5 | 45 | GM | @Vaathi_Coming | Aravindh Chithambaram | 2950 | 9 | 70.5 | |
| 6 | 3 | GM | @BogdanDeac | Bogdan Daniel Deac | 3120 | 9 | 70 | |
| 7 | 9 | GM | @DanielNaroditsky | Daniel Naroditsky | 3062 | 9 | 69.5 | |
| 8 | 72 | GM | @youngKID | Karthikeyan Murali | 2906 | 9 | 69.5 | |
| 9 | 18 | GM | @Anton_Demchenko | Anton Demchenko | 3021 | 9 | 63.5 | |
| 10 | 32 | IM | @mbojan | Bojan Maksimović | 2981 | 9 | 63 | |
| 11 | 79 | GM | @K_A_S_T_O_R | Rodrigo Vasquez | 2876 | 9 | 62.5 | |
| 12 | 11 | IM | @MITerryble | Renato Terry | 3064 | 8.5 | 77.5 | |
| 13 | 4 | GM | @Javokhir_Sindarov05 | Javokhir Sindarov | 3098 | 8.5 | 76.5 | |
| 14 | 27 | GM | @mishanick | Aleksei Sarana | 2990 | 8.5 | 73.5 | |
| 15 | 63 | GM | @Vladimir_Zakhartsov | Vladimir Zakhartsov | 2904 | 8.5 | 73 | |
| 16 | 57 | GM | @baki83 | Etienne Bacrot | 2924 | 8.5 | 72.5 | |
| 17 | 41 | FM | @TrahtarBelarus | Artiom Stribuk | 2921 | 8.5 | 70.5 | |
| 18 | 58 | FM | @Eagle_2019 | Mamedov Edgar | 2903 | 8.5 | 70.5 | |
| 19 | 209 | IM | @tsvet2005 | Andrey Tsvetkov | 2766 | 8.5 | 60 | |
| 20 | 64 | GM | @TigrVShlyape | Gata Kamsky | 2898 | 8.5 | 59.5 | |
| 54 | 282 | IM | @Fh2411 | Le Thao Nguyen Pham | 2631 | 7.5 | 58.5 |
(Full final standings here.)
Martinez won $1,000 for his efforts here (he will be playing for the larger share of 20,000 Euros in London), while Carlsen took home $750, adding another fraction of a fraction of a percent to his lifetime earnings. Drozdowski earned $350, Arjun $200, and Aravindh $100 to round out the top five. IM Le Thao Nguyen Pham won the $100 women's prize with 7.5 points.
Late Tournament
The second tournament saw 532 entrants, and once again, a player started off 8/8. This time, it was the eventual winner, Xiong... and the opponent he beat to obtain that eighth victory was Carlsen. How do you win against Carlsen, the endgame maestro? You don't let him get to an endgame in the first place!
GMs Andrew Hong and Oleksandr Bortnyk finally slowed Xiong down, both making draws in the next two rounds. Carlsen began to catch up, getting the point he had lost to Xiong back with endgame victories over GMs Rodrigo Vasquez and, below, Jan-Krzysztof Duda.
Unfortunately for Carlsen, he had also made a draw in the sixth round, and so he was still half a point behind Xiong. Still, the pressure was back on Xiong to win. Could he do what Carlsen himself did not in the early tournament and win from the lead in the final round to avoid any tiebreaks?
It was on GM Matthias Bluebaum to stop him, but Xiong kept his foot on the gas all game and won without much difficulty.
Meanwhile, Carlsen outplayed Sindarov for second place and another large tie for third on nine points formed behind them. Among those tied players, drawing Xiong instead of losing to him helped both Bortnyk and Hong place in the top five.
August 13 Titled Tuesday | Late | Final Standings (Top 20)
| Number | Rk | Fed | Title | Username | Name | Rating | Score | 1st Tiebreak |
| 1 | 10 | GM | @jefferyx | Jeffery Xiong | 3122 | 10 | 66.5 | |
| 2 | 1 | GM | @MagnusCarlsen | Magnus Carlsen | 3311 | 9.5 | 81.5 | |
| 3 | 19 | GM | @mishanick | Aleksei Sarana | 3014 | 9 | 71 | |
| 4 | 9 | GM | @Oleksandr_Bortnyk | Oleksandr Bortnyk | 3096 | 9 | 70 | |
| 5 | 2 | GM | @SpeedofLight0 | Andrew Hong | 3172 | 9 | 69 | |
| 6 | 14 | GM | @Polish_fighter3000 | Jan-Krzysztof Duda | 3057 | 9 | 67 | |
| 7 | 89 | GM | @theredking89 | Juan Carlos Obregon Rivero | 2795 | 9 | 63 | |
| 8 | 6 | GM | @Javokhir_Sindarov05 | Javokhir Sindarov | 3088 | 8.5 | 77.5 | |
| 9 | 30 | GM | @rasmussvane | Rasmus Svane | 2972 | 8.5 | 72.5 | |
| 10 | 47 | GM | @vladislavkovalev | Vladislav Kovalev | 2935 | 8.5 | 68.5 | |
| 11 | 50 | GM | @Paralinch | Daniil Lintchevski | 2914 | 8.5 | 67.5 | |
| 12 | 33 | FM | @artin10862 | Artin Ashraf | 2934 | 8.5 | 67 | |
| 13 | 40 | GM | @KaydenTroffChess | Kayden Troff | 2908 | 8.5 | 65.5 | |
| 14 | 13 | GM | @DanielNaroditsky | Daniel Naroditsky | 3086 | 8.5 | 65 | |
| 15 | 4 | GM | @Msb2 | Matthias Bluebaum | 3119 | 8 | 74.5 | |
| 16 | 41 | GM | @Beca95 | Aleksandar Indjic | 2917 | 8 | 73 | |
| 17 | 49 | GM | @MikaelyanArman | Arman Mikaelyan | 2889 | 8 | 72 | |
| 18 | 29 | GM | @Zhigalko_Sergei | Sergei Zhigalko | 2954 | 8 | 71 | |
| 19 | 11 | IM | @Rud_Makarian | Rudik Makarian | 3056 | 8 | 69 | |
| 20 | 15 | GM | @jcibarra | José Carlos Ibarra Jerez | 3034 | 8 | 68.5 | |
| 50 | 161 | WGM | @Crazy_girl99 | Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova | 2637 | 7 | 64 |
(Full final standings here.)
Xiong won the $1,000 first place prize, while Carlsen settled for another $750 and the largest sum of the day counting both events ($1,500). GM Alexey Sarana finished third for $350, with Bortnyk taking $200 and Hong $100 behind him. With seven points, WGM Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova won the $100 women's prize.
Titled Cup Standings
As he has increased his participation rates in recent weeks, Carlsen has an ever-growing advantage in second place but not enough to approach Nakamura, who has been playing all year. Martinez also reclaimed fifth place this week.
No updates to the women's standings; with over four months left in the year, they are still looking at a photo finish.
Open
| # | Username | Score | Player |
| 1 | @Hikaru | 198.5 | GM Hikaru Nakamura |
| 2 | @MagnusCarlsen | 189.0 | GM Magnus Carlsen |
| 3 | @Polish_fighter3000 | 185.5 | GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda |
| 4 | @mishanick | 185.0 | GM Alexey Sarana |
| 5 | @Jospem | 183.5 | GM Jose Martinez |
Women
| # | Username | Score | Player |
| 1 | @ChessQueen | 141.0 | GM Alexandra Kosteniuk |
| 2-t | @Goryachkina | 140.5 | GM Aleksandra Goryachkina |
| 2-t | @Flawless_Fighter | 140.5 | IM Polina Shuvalova |
| 4 | @Meri-Arabidze | 137.5 | IM Meri Arabidze |
| 5 | @karinachess1 | 135.5 | IM Karina Ambartsumova |
Other Category Leaders
Juniors: GM Denis Lazavik (182.0 points)
Seniors: GM Gata Kamsky (169.0 points)
Girls: WCM Veronika Shubenkova (115.0 points)
The Titled Cup fantasy game Chess Prophet continues as well. Current standings can be found here. (Login required.)
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).
Nathaniel Green is a staff writer for Chess.com who writes articles, player biographies, Titled Tuesday reports, video scripts, and more. He has been playing chess for about 30 years and resides near Washington, DC, USA.
