ChessAgainstCovid Singapore charity raises over 30,000 SGD for families in need
The social aspect has always been one of the strong sides of chess and it is especially noticeable during the challenging times of the coronavirus pandemic. Chess community does not want to stay aside and idle. Many players and clubs around the world do their best to change the situation for the better by holding online tournaments, offering free workshops and lessons, and starting charity initiatives. Kevin Goh is a GM from Singapore who humbly calls himself an “amateur chess player”. He’s the man behind the #ChessAgainstCovid charity – an initiative that raises money to help families badly affected by the coronavirus pandemic. It started with a target of 10,000 SGD and quickly turned to a more ambitious aim of collecting 100,000 SGD (about 70,000 USD). “The drive has raised over 31,000 in just a week since it began on April 11,” writes the “The Straits Times”, the biggest newspaper in the country, one of the mainstream media that featured #ChessAgainstCovid initiative. The movement raises money through a series of online events such as simultaneous exhibitions, team competitions, and “banter blitz” style matches. GM Andrey Kvon who has worked in Singapore for many years, South East Asian Games gold medalist WGM Gong Qianyun, the current national champion IM Tin Jingyao came forward to help the families in need. Many of Singapore’s best young players and volunteers have also contributed their time in many ways to drive this initiative forward. The first week of the campaign was concluded with an online simultaneous exhibition by a Uzbekistani GM Andrey Kvon held on April 19. He took on 16 youngsters, most of them placing within the top 10 in their age groups and even three national champions. The grandmaster fought well, eventually winning 13 games and losing just three: to Ethan Sim, Elliott Wong, and the 2019 National U-15 champion Goh Sean Christian who was the strongest player of the simul. You can check the games and results here. Two more simuls take place on the weekend of 25-26 April as Singapore IMs Hsu Li Yang and Ravindran Shanmugam join the movement. The participation in the simuls is free, but everyone can consider a donation to the charity. Besides, the series of “Young Masters” simuls with young Singaporean titled players taking on juniors has already seen five editions in just two weeks. Under the umbrella of the charity, an international friendly match between 20 of the best young players from Singapore and Kazakhstan will be held on the Lichess website on May 3. Kazakhstani superstar GM Rinat Jumabayev and GM Kevin Goh will be providing live commentary on Twitch. The International Chess Federation welcomes such noble initiatives contributing to a great cause and wishes all the best to all players and organizers.
FIDE Chess.com Online Nations Cup Rosters: Team China
The Chinese team, winner of a historic double gold in the last Chess Olympiad, will be the top-seed at the FIDE Chess.com Online Nations Cup, which will take place May 5-10. Captain: Ye Jiangchuan The second Chinese grandmaster Ye Jiangchuan became the first representative of his country to surpass the 2600 rating mark. His record includes participation in numerous Olympiads and Asian Team Championships two FIDE World Cups and the World Championship (2001). In 2000 Ye Jiangchuan became the chief coach of both national teams – the position he has held ever since. Ding Liren (Std. 2791 Rpd. 2836) The highest-rated Chinese player in history Ding Liren reached the final of the FIDE World Cup twice but lost on both occasions. Currently ranked 3d in the world, he took part in two Candidates Tournaments. In his stellar year 2019, Ding Liren won Sinquefield Cup after beating the World Champion in a tiebreaker and the Grand Chess Tour final. Wang Hao (Std. 2763 Rpd. 2750) In early 2010s Wang Hao overcame the 2750 rating mark, scoring victories against all elite players, including two last World Champions Vishy Anand and Magnus Carlsen. His chess career got a second wind in 2019 – after winning a very prestigious Grand Swiss tournament the Chinese GM qualified for the Candidates Tournament 2020. Wei Yi (Std. 2732 Rpd. 2752) The fifth-youngest GM in the history of chess, Wei Yi became the youngest player ever to reach a 2700 rating mark. Considered by many to be one of the most talented players of his generation, the Chinese GM is currently ranked 20th in the world. His chess resume includes the victory in the 8th Danzhou Super-GM tournament (2017) and the final of the FIDE Grand Prix Jerusalem (2019). Hou Yifan (Std. 2658 Rpd. 2621) The youngest female player ever to achieve the grandmaster title Hou Yifan is the four-time World Champion. After winning the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship to study at Oxford University she put her career on hold. A temporary return of the #1 of the women’s rating strengthened team China before the event. Yu Yangyi (Std. 2709 Rpd. 2738) One of the youngest GMs ever, Yu Yangyi was a member of the gold medal-winning Chinese team at the Chess Olympiad (2014) and the World Team Chess Championship (2015). The winner of the first Qatar Open he had a very good run in the FIDE World Cup 2019 in which he reached semifinals. The Chinese GM is currently ranked 33d in the world. Ju Wenjun (Std. 2560 Rpd. 2610) The reigning Women World Chess Champion, Ju Wenjun is one of few women to cross a 2600 rating barrier. A member of the gold-winning Chinese team at two Olympiads (2016 and 2018) she has successfully defended her World Champion title twice (2018 and 2020).