The Challengers Tournament in the chess Wimbledon Wijk aan Zee went a bit strange for Daniel Dardha. It seemed like he was playing two different tournaments. In the first half of the tournament he drew seven times in a row, before winning five of his last six games. Dardha is satisfied that he managed to finish shared second. “In the beginning I mainly wanted to play solidly, not lose games. Then I won my first match, and my self-confidence got a boost. From then on I played aggressively and wanted to win every game. I consider this tournament among my three best ever.”
It was close to Dardha even winning the Challengers. “After my last match win, I got hope. I’ve been really close. The Indian Mendonca was in bad shape at one point in his last match. But he managed to win in the end. Very sorry.”
World Blitz Chess Champion
Such a stunning performance was actually coming, because Daniel Dardha has been known for many years as the greatest Belgian chess talent ever. Chess is in Dardha’s genes, of Albanian descent: his father Ben, himself a strong chess player, guided the young talent in his childhood.
At just 13 years old, Daniel Dardha stunned the Belgian chess world: the young teenager became Belgian chess champion, leaving three grandmasters (GMs) behind him. He made a name for himself internationally by being crowned world speed chess champion in the minus-14 division.
Dardha quickly racked up the chess titles: International Master at 13, youngest Belgian grandmaster of all time at 15. He is also the undisputed number one in Belgium. The chess diamond is now 18 and belongs to the world sub-top among the juniors. There he is a creditable 12th.
Before the match it was still relaxed between the Indian Divya Deshmukh and the Belgian Daniel Dardha. The match would ultimately end in a draw. — © Jurriaan Hoefsmit
It raises the question of where the chess ceiling lies for Dardha. Especially since our compatriot is nearing the end of high school. Then the crucial question is: does he want to continue his studies or is he fully committed to chess? “I really want to become a professional chess player. But then I have to increase my chess level considerably. Now I cannot make a living from my chess achievements.”
A few years ago, another Belgian chess great, Bart Michiels, was optimistic about the possibilities of Dardha: “With Daniel, it is the first time that a Belgian will ever compete for the world chess title. Belgium has never had such a person.” Michiels kept his distance: “But Daniel is certainly not the only talent on a global scale.”
A sponsor, please
Dardha himself, now on the threshold of adulthood, prefers to keep his feet on the ground. In the coming years he aspires to a place in the select club of super grandmasters, the club with a rating of at least 2700 elo (the elo rating is the general benchmark for measuring the strength of a chess player, ed.). “I’m aiming for a rating of 2700. First I want to get to the top 100 in the world, and then to the 50 best players. With hard work, this can be achieved.”
Until further notice, Dardha NV is a one-man company. But that doesn’t bother Dardha: “I work alone on my chess 90 percent of the time. Every now and then I look at chess positions with a few friends.”
A sponsor to pay for training and coaches would be a welcome help for Dardha. “But chess is not recognized as a sport in Belgium and it is not very popular here. That does not make sponsorship obvious. I have no choice: I have to become so strong as a chess player that sponsors can no longer ignore me.”
Chinees Wei Yi wint Masters na thriller
Chinese Wei Yi (24) has won the Masters group of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament after a tiebreak with four players.
In the final round of the tournament, no fewer than four players finished equal with 8.5 points from thirteen games. A tiebreak with four in rapid chess tempo was therefore supposed to indicate the winner. You can compare such a tiebreak with penalties in football: the luck factor plays a role.
The Dutchman Anish Giri started with a win against the Indian Gukesh, but eventually lost 1-2. Wei Yi won the other semi-final against the Uzbek Nodirbek Abdusattorov. In the final, Wei Yi finally defeated Gukesh after two games with 1.5-0.5.
2023 tournament winner Anish Giri is gradually having to struggle with a tiebreak complex: in 2018 he already lost a tiebreak to the Norwegian Magnus Carlsen and in 2021 he had to acknowledge his superiority in his compatriot Jorden van Foreest.
The big absentee this year was world number 1 Magnus Carlsen. He promised in a video message that he would be back next year “to give you all a good time.” (gdv)