The world championship in rapid and blitz chess has ended in Samarkand. Magnus Carlsen was the best in both categories. The figure of Jan-Krzysztof Duda was not missed by the foreign media either.
The competition in Uzbekistan lasted from December 26 to 31. On the first day of the competition, Jan-Krzysztof Duda faced Russian Denis Chizmatulin.
According to “El Pais”, the match ended with an unusual incident.
“Polish football player Jan-Krzysztof Duda refused to shake Chismatulin's hand in the match of the first round,” writes the Spanish newspaper.
The Pole's gesture is a protest against the ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine, as well as a problem facing the chess community. Denis Chizmatulin is an avowed supporter of Vladimir Putin and Russian aggression against Ukraine and has not yet been withdrawn from international competition – despite his compatriot Sergey Karakin being disqualified for these reasons.
Duda, on the other hand, is against the war and has been involved in aid since its inception – together with manager Adam Dzvonkovsky and the CRIDO Foundation, he supports Kirill and Tikhon – young, talented Ukrainian chess players.
Duda scored 13.5 points at the 2023 World Championship and took 10th place. He won 10 matches, drew seven and lost four.
KZ, Polsat Sport
