Sara Khadem debuts on the wrong foot as a Spaniard

Sara Khadem, a chess player of Iranian origin who has just obtained Spanish nationality, has experienced a fleeting passage through the World Cup, which has been held in Baku since the end of July. The female grandmaster, who fled her country when she learned she would be arrested after refusing to wear the veil in an international competition, has the excuse that she hasn't been too focused on the boards in recent months..

The world number 15, former world champion under 12 and under 16, was one of the seeds in the women's draw of the competition, so she went directly to the second round. She was also a clear favorite against the Indonesian chess player Medina Aulia, her first opponent, who is behind by 133 Elo points, a significant difference.

The World Cup has a knockout format, like tennis tournaments. In the early rounds, the paired players play two games, one with white and one with black.. If they finish tied, the ranking is decided in quick games.

In her first game, Aulia played with great quality and took advantage of the inaccuracies of the Spanish player. On his Twitter account, Khadem wrote, still optimistic: “The first round did not go well. I'll try to fight tomorrow.”

Indeed, this Thursday she appeared ready to fight and come back, despite the fact that she had the black pieces. Contrary to his defeat the day before, Khadem agreed to enter the Spanish opening, although he chose an unusual variation, to try to 'get his less experienced rival out of the book'..

Aulia played very well again, however. She made calm plays and was not nervous under pressure from Khadem, who had an increasingly difficult position.. The female grandmaster at least managed not to be defeated again, but the tables did not help her to qualify.

Paco Vallejo, only classified

In general, the day was not good for the Spanish-speaking chess players. Among the four Spaniards who contest the tournament in the senior draw, only Paco Vallejo has already qualified for the third round. The Menorcan had miraculously saved himself the day before, after overcoming a position that seemed irrecoverable. Its king was a kind of Houdini who escaped from a real hunt for the pieces of the Serbian Velimir Ivic.

In his second game, Vallejo played much better, always calm and without rushing, knowing that a draw was enough for him and he was never satisfied with it.. Their only mistake was perhaps coming to a finish with mutual time trouble, a situation where mistakes are more conducive.. Despite everything, the Spaniard maintained his advantage and ended up also winning in the second game.

Another joy, for a temporary moment, came from the hand of Eduardo Iturrizaga, who already in the first round had to overcome an initial defeat. Against the Ukrainian Anton Korobov, a high-level player, he also started losing, but managed to balance the duel in a brilliant game. Quick tiebreak games await you, which will not be easy.

Jaime Santos and David Antón have also been forced to decide their pass in speed chess, after signing two tables each. The first comes from overcoming the first round with ease, against a much inferior opponent, but now his enemy is the Uruguayan George Meier, a tough grandmaster. Antón has not been able to overcome the local player Abdulla Gadimbayli for the moment.

There is still almost a month of competition left and there have not been too many surprises, with Magnus Carlsen looking for his first World Cup, the only major trophy missing from his showcases. Their most dangerous rivals seem to be the Indian chess players, with several stars not yet turning 20, led by 17-year-old Gukesh D, already among the top ten in the world..

This Thursday it has also been known that the chess player Alan Pichot, 24 years old and until now Argentine, has changed flag, like Sara Khadem, and goes on to defend the interests of the Spanish team. The man from Buenos Aires has been residing in our country for months.