With four wins and one loss, the Bulgarian participation in the World Championship in Accelerated Chess and Blitz in Samarkand, Uzbekistan began.
Nurgyul Salimova started with success in the first round of the rapid tournament, defeating the representative of the hosts Hulkar Tohiryonova with the white pieces. Former world champion Antoaneta Stefanova prevailed with the black pieces over Iroda Khamrakulova (Uzbekistan).
Gergana Pejcheva scored a prestigious victory over former world champion Aleksandra Kosteniuk, with Pejcheva again showing character similar to the European Team in Budva, Montenegro, to win a game that lasted 113 moves. Our youngest participant, Nadia Toncheva, lost to Ayan Alahverdieva (Azerbaijan), and in the men's category, Ivan Cheparinov managed to beat the Taiwanese Raymond Song. Beloslava Krasteva is our sixth representative in Samarkand, but she will only participate in the blitz.
The women's program includes 4 rounds each today and tomorrow and three on December 28. A total of 13 rounds of accelerated chess will be played in the Open section. The women's blitz tournament is 17 rounds and will be held on December 29 and 30. In the men's Open section, 21 blitz rounds will be played.
A total of 120 female chess players and 205 male chess players are on the starting list for the first round. Among them is former World Classic Control Champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway, who is the current Blitz and Rapid World Champion. He is the rating favorite among men. In the women's blitz tournament, Lei Tingjie is in first position by ELO at the start. With the highest women's rapid rating is the reigning classical control world champion Zhu Wenjun. /BGNES
