Day 7 of the 2023 IBSA World Games with Blind Football, Chess and Goalball competing, but it was on the Bournbrook Pitch of the University of Birmingham (UoB), the headquarters of Blind Football, that it was full of decisions.

Early in the morning of this Sunday, Japan and Argentina manage to secure their places in the final of the Women’s Blind Football World Championship, to decide which will be the first women’s national team to conquer the first world title in the history of the sport. Easier job for the South American Bat Girls that defeated Sweden (3-0). Japan, on the other hand, only defeated India in the penalty shots (1-0), after the null in regular time.

On Saturday, the 7th and 5th places were already determined by the matches between Morocco vs Austria (7th and 8th) and England vs Germany (5th and 6th). Both ended null, and the penalty shots smiled on Morocco and Germany.

Check out the results of the day and the schedule for tomorrow (CEST, UK time -1), the last day of competition for women’s blind football, which will give the first champion of the 2023 IBSA World Games:

Sunday, August 20th
Japan vs India: 0-0 (1-0p)
Argentina vs Sweden: 3-0

Monday, August 21st
5.30pm – India vs Sweden (bronze)
8.00pm – Japan vs Argentina (FINAL)

In the Men’s Blind Football World Championship, the two matches left from group D closed the stage group of the competition. Iran defeated Morocco (1-0) and in the South American clash, Brazil tied Mexico (0-0), but didn’t make any changes in the final standings.

Check out the final standings of the stage group to understand what comes next for each of the 16 national teams participating, now in the knockout phase:

Monday, August 21st
1.30pm – Turkiye vs England
3.30pm – Mali vs Mexico

CHESS

Regarding the chess tournament, the 20 players from seven countries had their first round of seven, confirming the favouritism status of the best ranked players at the Great Hall of UoB. Starting with the best, the Hungarian Fide Master, Zlato Zambo (2294 Rtg), defeated the Czech Tatana Polnarova (1650 Rtg). The second-best-ranked Bulgarian International Master, Rasim Nizam (2179 Rtg) defeated the Colombian Leidy Contreras Sandoval (1400 Rtg), and the third-best-ranked Romanian Fide Master, Dacian Pribeanu (2101 Rtg) defeated the Colombian Lyda Sepulveda (1370 Rtg). There was only one tie registered, between the 21-year-old Raykhona Sharofova, from Ubzekstan, and the Czech Josef Polnar.

The best ranking position in the world belongs to the Norwegian Grand Master Magnus Carlssen, a five-time World Chess Champion, current four-time World Rapid Chess Champion, and current six-time World Blitz Chess Champion. His peak rating of 2882 is the highest in history. He also holds the record for the longest unbeaten streak at the elite level of classical chess. He is 32 years old.

Check the results of the day and the matches for this Monday, the second round of the tournament:

Sunday, August 20th
Zlato Zambo (2294) vs Tatana Polnarova (1650): 1-0
Rasim Nizam (2179) vs Leidy Contreras Sandoval (1400): 1-0
Dacian Pribeanu (2101) vs Lyda Sepulveda (1370): 1-0
Ilinka Dilkova (1326) vs Habibulla Aghalarov (1923): 0-1
Ionel Morariu (1908) vs Ilkhom Gulamov (0): 1-0
Rovshan Igidaliyev (0) vs Fredy Jaime (1834): 0-1
Jaider Castillo Peres (1829) vs Sabokhat Ikromalieva (0): 1-0
Axadxon Kimsanboev (1622) vs Mihai Bursuc (1822): 1-0
Hanna Vilics (1797) vs Edvard Sadarov (0): 1-0
Raykhona Sharofova (0) vs Josef Polnar (1750): ½ – ½
Monday, August 21st
Ionel Morariu (1908) vs Zlato Zambo (2294)
Rasim Nizam (2179) vs Jaider Castillo Peres (1829)
Fredy Jaime (1834) vs Dacian Pribeanu (2101)
Habibulla Aghalarov (1923) vs Hanna Vilics (1797)
Josef Polnar (1750) vs Axadxon Kimsanboev (1622)
Mihai Bursuc (1822) vs Raykhona Sharofova (0)
Tatana Polnarova (1650) vs Ilkhom Gulamov (0)
Sabokhat Ikromalieva (0) vs Leidy Contreras Sandoval (1400)
Lyda Sepulveda (1370) vs Rovshan Igidaliyev (0)
Edvard Sadarov (0) vs Ilinka Dilkova (1326)

#Accessibility – Ilinka Dilkova, the best ranked woman of the tournament, is thinking on her next move against the Azeri Habibulla Aghalarov with her chess set in front of her.

GOALBALL

Men’s and Women’s Goalball competitions, like Chess, also started this Sunday. Two groups for each gender, make their way to the finals, dreaming of a slot in Paris 2024. Check out the results of the day and the matches for this Monday (CEST, UK time -1):

Sunday, August 20th
Men
USA vs Greece: 5-8
Egypt vs Lithuania: 3-8
Turkiye vs Argentina: 10-4
Germany vs South Korea: 3-8
Iran vs Ukraine: 3-10
Japan vs Finland: 10-5
Great Britain vs Egypt: 7-5 
Australia vs Greece: 2-5
Women
Israel vs Japan: 2-3
Germany vs USA: 0-10
China vs Greece: 8-1
Brazil vs Ukraine: 9-0
Australia vs Great Britain: 1-5
Canada vs Finland: 7-1
Monday, August 21st
Men
10.30am – Germany vs Finland (Hall 1)
10.30am – Turkiye vs Australia (Hall 2)
1.00pm – South Korea vs Lithuania (H1)
1.00pm – Argentina vs USA (H2)
3.30pm – Japan vs Egypt (H1)
3.30pm – Iran vs Greece (H2)
6.00pm – Germany vs Great Britain (H1)
6.00pm – Turkiye vs Ukraine (H2)
Women
11.45am – Israel vs Great Britain (H1)
2.15pm – Ukraine vs USA (H1)
2.15pm – China vs Australia (H2)
4.45pm – Canada vs Germany (H1)
4.45pm – Greece vs Japan (H2)
7.15pm – Brazil vs Finland (H1)

#Accessibility – Player number 3 of the women’s Goalball Ukraine team throws the ball with the 2023 IBSA World Games logo in the centre of the field of play in the match against Brazil.

Photos credit:
Chess – IBSA
Blind Football and Goalball: Richard Hall/IBSA