Dear readers, welcome to my last blog in 2024!

Phew, this was the first full year of "The Kiwi Hobbit's Blog" on Chess.com. I admit that, in January, I was not sure if I would be able to write two posts a month until the end, but I am lucky to have amazing readers who keep me motivated to bring you all some interesting and different content. So, after 23 texts, here we are with the last and most special one (I should stop calling half of them the most special, but it is difficult).

On this remarkable date, I have decided to join you in remembering the best chess moments in 2024. Making this list was harder than I expected because we had a lot of worth mentioning facts to cover... from extraordinary players who achieved great successes, to brilliant games, exciting tournaments, and of course a lot of tension, joy, sadness, along with many other emotions of players and fans.

Anyway, after thinking about it for a while, here are my top 10 events of the year. They are listed from the 10th to the 1st and most amazing one. And at the end, a special New Year's message to everyone. I hope you enjoy it!

PS: This blog is not 100% complete (December 30th) as the World Blitz Championship is still going on and will not be finished until the morning of January 1st (NZ time zone). The results will be updated as soon as they are available.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

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10. The youngest IM in history

9. 131st New Zealand Chess Congress

8. Best game of the year

7. A new member of the 2800 Club

6. Major tournaments

5. World Rapid & Blitz Championship

4. Chess Olympiad

3. Candidates Tournament

2. World Chess Championship

1. Wait! What can be above the #2?

Conclusion

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10. The youngest IM in history

The list starts with Argentine prodigy Faustino Oro, who on 30 June became the youngest International Master (IM) in history at the age of 10 years, 8 months, and 16 days, breaking the old record held by Indian-American Abhimanyu Mishra by approximately 17 days.

This incredible feat was achieved in a tournament organized by the Club de Ajedrez Barcelona, after finishing second with a score of 6.5/9, ahead of a GM and another IM. The event was indeed held with the main aim of helping him get there on time, but that doesn't mean the opponents he faced were easy, or that it wasn't a challenge to cope with the enormous expectations. Today his rating is 2433, the highest in his short and promising career.

By 2023, Faustino had already become the youngest FM ever and is now in a "race" to be the youngest Grandmaster, a record still held by Mishra. The ELO should not be the biggest problem, as he is only 67 points away from the required 2500. However, he also needs to reach 3 GM norms (performance rating over 2600 in international tournaments), and so far, he has none.

Whether he can do so or not is something we will find out next year, but for now, it is enough to celebrate this very impressive moment. Maybe 2024 has marked the beginning of one of the best players of all time. No pressure, Faustino. Relax.

Find out more: Faustino Oro Becomes Youngest Ever International Master At 10

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9. 131st New Zealand Chess Congress

"Vanessa, honestly, who cares about the New Zealand Chess Championship?" Well, maybe most people don't, but you are reading the blog of a Kiwi chess player, and to me, it is very important. So, as this list is mine, I decided to include it here. If you don't like it, cool... your opinion will be registered and ignored. Let me be happy.

All joking aside, the New Zealand Chess Congress, as our national championship is called, is by far the most important and prestigious event held on this remote island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, attracting many of our top players.

The 131st edition was played between the 2nd and 12th of January in the city of Palmerston North. The main tournament had 50 participants, and after nine intense and exciting rounds, FM Nicolas Croad was crowned champion for the third time in his career with a score of 7.5/9. The podium was completed by IM Tom Middelburg in 2nd place and FM Ben Hague in 3rd.

And you know what's even better about this event? That the next edition, starting in 3 days, will be held in Auckland, more precisely at the Waipuna Hotel, which is only a 20-minute walk from my sweet home. I will be there every day to watch, sign autographs, and take selfies with my thousands of fans. Surely all the players and spectators will recognize me as the only blogger who cares about this tournament! (That was ironic, just to be clear).

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8. Best game of the year

Choosing the best game among so many great ones is always a difficult task, but I tried to pick my favorite among the ones I watched. In the end, my choice was the game played on May 16th between Russian Vladimir Fedoseev, who currently plays for Slovenia, and Emirati Saleh Salem in round 3 of the Sharjah Masters tournament.

Although the precision given by Stockfish was not as high as many of the games we saw in 2024, it was a very exciting battle that ended with an amazing combination of a queen and a rook sacrifice by Black. Check out the full game below, analyzed by Brazilian GM Rafael Leitão.

However, although this was perhaps the best in terms of brilliance, there were many others that I would like to mention for being huge in terms of importance and impact on the chess world. Therefore, my honorable mentions, the games that excited me the most while watching, go to:

• Gukesh vs. Firouzja (1-0), Candidates Tournament. Gukesh's best game in the Candidates, which gave him a 0.5-point lead over his rivals.

• Caruana vs. Nepomniachtchi (0.5-0.5), Candidates Tournament. This will be shown in detail later in this blog.

• Ding Liren vs. Gukesh (0-1), World Chess Championship. This will be shown in detail later in this blog.

If you think I made a terrible mistake and should have included another game as the best, let me know in the comments section. Unfortunately, I cannot watch 100% of the chess games in a whole year.

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7. A new member of the 2800 Club

In 7th place on this list is 21-year-old GM Arjun Erigaisi, who on October 25 became the 15th player in history to break the 2800 Elo barrier in standard chess ratings, and only the second Indian player ever to do so after the legendary Viswanathan Anand.

Arjun was the third youngest player to pass the 2800 points mark, behind French GM Alireza Firouzja, who achieved the feat in 2021 at the age of 18, and Magnus Carlsen, who did it in 2009, also at the age of 18. What makes his achievement even more impressive is that he has done it mainly by playing in open tournaments against players who do not necessarily belong to the elite of chess.

"But Vanessa, doesn't playing against weaker opponents actually make his task easier?", you might ask, and well, the surprising answer is "No!", mainly because of two factors. Firstly, the players in the 2500 or 2600 range are still GMs with an excellent understanding of chess, making it difficult for top-level players to defeat them, especially with the black pieces.

And secondly, because the bigger the Elo difference between him and his opponent, the fewer points he earns for a win, and the more he loses for a draw or a loss. That's why many Grandmasters who have reached a high rating, let's say over 2750, prefer to play in closed tournaments only against opponents of a similar level so that they are less vulnerable to dramatic rating changes.

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6. Major tournaments

Ok, this is not exactly a moment, but it is important to use a section to mention the results of some of the most important tournaments (excluding the obvious ones, which will still have their time to shine in this text). As you know if you have read my blog "Major Chess Tournaments And Their Sporting Twins", one of the most prestigious annual events in chess is the Tata Steel Masters, traditionally played in January.

The 2024 edition was won by Wei Yi from China, who defeated Gukesh in the tiebreak finals. A promising young player from India, Leon Luke Mendonça, won the Challengers section to earn a spot in the 2025 Masters event. Other important tournaments were the Sinquefield Cup, won by Alireza Firouzja, the US Championship, dominated by Fabiano Caruana, who secured his third consecutive title, and the Norway Chess, which ended with the victory of home player Magnus Carlsen.

All these competitions and many more counted points for the FIDE Circuit 2024, the winner of which will earn a place in the 2026 Candidates Tournament. At the moment, Fabiano Caruana is in the lead, but Arjun Erigaisi still has a chance.

A few days ago, Magnus also won the Champion Chess Tour Finals, which took place in Oslo. Although not one of the most important events, it is very popular due to its live coverage by Chess.com and its exciting format, which mixes a series of online tournaments, and the finals played on the board.

Updated on December 31st: Fabiano Caruana has won the FIDE Circuit 2024.

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5. World Rapid & Blitz Championship

On December 26, the last important event of the year started. I am talking about the Rapid & Blitz World Championship, which counts with the presence of almost all the elite players, including the 2023 champion Magnus Carlsen and the streaming star Hikaru Nakamura. This tournament is traditionally held at the end of the year, exactly in the week between Christmas and New Year. The 2024 tournament is being held in New York, USA.

Although not as important as the classical World Championship, it is still a very prestigious event that attracts the attention of players, media, and fans. The fact that it is held annually in an open format also makes it interesting and exciting, as every year a new champion is crowned, giving all players the right to dream.

The Rapid Championship ended yesterday with the surprising victory of 18-year-old Russian Volodar Murzin, who scored 10/13 points. A great comeback for his career, after the iconic scene of him crying during the 2019 World Blitz Championship. The women's tournament was won by Indian veteran Koneru Humpy. But the biggest news was of course Magnus Carlsen's withdrawal from the event after the polemic about his jeans being against the dress code.

The Blitz Championship will still be going on when this blog is posted, but as soon as this information is available, I will update the winners and how many times these players have won it before.

• Open – Winner: Magnus Carlsen (8th title) and Ian Nepomniachtchi (1st title)

• Women – Winner: Ju Wenjun (1st title)

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4. Chess Olympiad

In September we had my favorite chess tournament, the FIDE Olympiad! The 45th edition of this prestigious event was held in Budapest, Hungary, with the presence of 197 nations in the open section and 181 in the women's tournament, as well as many of the top players in the world proudly representing their countries.

The Winners? No surprises! India swept the trophies in both categories, probably marking the beginning of a new era and a new chess-dominating nation. With a true "Dream Team" consisting of Dommaraju Gukesh, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Vidit Santosh Gujrathi, and Pentala Harikrishna, they went undefeated with 10 wins and 1 draw.

Their ladies were also incredibly strong with Harika Dronavalli, Rameshbabu Vaishali, Deshmukh Divya, Agrawal Vantika, and Tania Sachdev. In the end, they won 9 matches, drew 1, and lost only 1. Even the legends Viswanathan Anand and Koneru Humpy were not needed to ensure their success.

Below is a summary of the Open and Women's results.

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3. Candidates Tournament

Between April 3rd and April 22nd, we had the strongest tournament of 2024 and one of the most eagerly awaited in the chess scene. I am talking about the Candidates Tournament, a double round-robin event with eight of the best players in the world to decide the next challenger for the World Championship crown. If you want to know my preferences for the winner before it started, you can read them on this blog.

As expected, we had an exciting competition full of twists and turns. With 13 out of 14 rounds played, 17-year-old Gukesh from India was leading with 8.5 points after a dramatic win in Round 13 against Alireza Firouzja, which was his best game in this tournament. Half a point behind were Fabiano Caruana, Hikaru Nakamura, and Ian Nepomniachtchi.

In the last round, Gukesh and Nakamura drew their game, enabling the winner of Caruana vs. Nepomniachtchi to qualify for the tie-break against the Indian prodigy. However, after building up a much better position, the North American was unable to convert and the battle ended in a sad draw, leaving both players frustrated and Gukesh very happy. Check it out, with analysis from Brazilian GM Rafael Leitão:

The women's tournament, held at the same venue and dates, was not as exciting but still with many high-level games. In the end, the champion was Tan Zhongyi from China, who qualified to play her compatriot Ju Wenjun for the world title next year. The exact dates are still to be confirmed.

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2. World Chess Championship

In November, Gukesh then went on to play in the World Chess Championship match, held in Singapore, against the Chinese Ding Liren, who was attempting to defend the title despite not being in his best shape. Although the Indian challenger was younger and less experienced, he was the favorite based on his better recent performances.

However, the match started already with a big upset as Ding won the first game. Gukesh did not let it get him down and won game 3 to level the match. In game 11, another win for the Indian prodigy and everyone was sure that he would take the crown. But the Chinese Dragon came back to win the next game and once again tied the match.

It was not until game 14, the last with classical time control, played on 12 December, that everything was decided. Both players were heading for a theoretically drawn endgame in which Black had an extra pawn but no easy way to break White's defense. What happened next was one of the worst blunders in the history of the World Chess Championship. Watch the full game below, analyzed by (guess who?) Brazilian GM Rafael Leitão.

With this dramatic victory that left him in tears, Gukesh became the youngest-ever World Champion at the age of 18, sending his fans in India and around the world into a frenzy. To celebrate, he promised to go bungee jumping and fulfilled his promise a few days later. Check it out:

I did it! pic.twitter.com/FUBpo5m82N

— Gukesh D (@DGukesh) December 16, 2024

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1. Vanessa's best year on Chess.com

And what can be above the World Championship? Well, as I said at the beginning, this list is mine, so of course the most important chess moment for me is related to my own journey as a blogger on Chess.com. However, I am not talking about one particular fact, but actually about the whole year in which I shared my passion and thoughts with all my dear readers.

On May 17, the hard work and consistency paid off, as I was awarded the Top Blogger badge by the Chess.com staff. And on July 30, another pleasant surprise, as one of my texts was chosen as Blog of the Month. Of course, all this was only possible because of my wonderful audience, who kept me motivated and taught me so much with useful feedback and kind comments.

Besides, 2024 was also the best year for me in terms of chess performance, as I finally reached 2000 ELO in Blitz, with a peak of 2035! It may sound ridiculous to the most experienced players, but it was an achievement I had been chasing for a long time, and finally achieved it on October 28th.

To conclude this list, I would like to show you my best game of 2024, a 15-move miniature played on December 16th. It is true that my opponent helped a bit with some weird moves, but I was proud of my precision and the amazing checkmate combination. Let me know if you could find the final moves.

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Conclusion

If you are still here, thank you for sticking with me on this text and throughout the year! I hope you enjoyed this short recap! Unfortunately, I had to leave out many other interesting moments, as it was impossible to list everything, so please help me in the comments section and add anything else that you think is important and worth mentioning. I would love to see them.

2024 was certainly a great year for all chess lovers, and I am sure that 2025 will be just as good. We will have the Women's World Chess Championship match between Ju Wenjun and Tan Zhongyi, the FIDE World Cup, the FIDE Grand Swiss, and many other prestigious events that will surely bring lots of emotions to us all.

And to conclude this text, I wish you a Happy New Year, full of joy, happiness, love, and peace with your families and friends! Wherever you are, I hope that 2025 will be great for you. May all your dreams come true and stay positive if things sometimes go wrong, because life is a true rollercoaster and the bad times will make the good ones even more special.

Meanwhile, keep studying, playing, and learning on the board. May you find many brilliant moves, amazing combinations, and spectacular victories! But above all, continue to have fun playing chess, because that is what really matters. See you again in 16 days with the first blog of 2025. It will be something special, I promise!