SAMARKAND /Uzbekistan/, December 28. /TASS/. Russia’s female chess player Anastasiya Bodnaruk won the 2023 FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championship in Uzbekistan’s second-largest city, Samarkand, in the rapid competition on Thursday.

The Russian player outplayed in the final her opponent from India, Humpy Koneru, on a tie-break. The silver medal went to China’s Lei Tingjie.

"Anastasiya Bodnaruk, Humpy Koneru and Lei Tingjie tied for the top position in the women's event," the official website of the World Chess Federation (FIDE), said. "To determine the champion, Bodnaruk and Koneru, who had superior tiebreaks, played a tiebreaker."

"After losing the first game, Anastasiya won the second one on demand to level the score. The opponents went on to play two blitz games. The first game ended in a draw; in the second one, Bodnaruk scrambled out of a difficult position, then completely turned the tables and snatched the victory and the title," FIDE added.

The 2023 FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championship is hosted by Uzbekistan’s second-largest city, Samarkand, on December 26-30 and offers $1 million in prize money.

Russian sport of chess under sanctions

On February 28, 2022 the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued recommendations to international sports federations to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from taking part in international tournaments because of the special military operation in Ukraine.

Following the IOC’s recommendations in late February last year, the majority of global sports federations decided to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from all international sports tournaments.

On March 16, 2022 the FIDE barred athletes from Russia and Belarus from participating in international tournaments. The organization, however, allowed representatives of these countries to play individually under the flag and logo of FIDE.