Abdusattorov and Ning Kaiyu win Asian Juniors and Girls Online Chess Championship
FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich congratulated the winners of the Asian Juniors and Girls Online Chess Championships organized by the Asian Chess Federation and Chess.com. FIDE President joined the closing ceremony in the Zoom room together with Asian Chess Federation Secretary General Hisham Al Taher and FIDE Arbiters Commission Chairman Laurent Freyd as Chief Arbiter Abulrahim Mahdi announced top-three winners in the juniors and girls divisions. Photo: Lennart Ootes The nine-round Swiss tournament brought together over 200 participants from 43 countries. GMs Shamsiddin Vokhidov (UZB) and Parham Maghsoodloo (IRI) rated 2500+ were considered to be the main favorites in the junior section but it was another rising young star from Uzbekistan Nodirbek Abdusattorov, who came to the top with an excellent result 7.5 out of 9. On his way to the title, the champion won six games and made just three draws. In the girls division WIMs Ning Kaiyu (CHN) and Munkhzul Turmunkh scored 7 out 9 and tied for the first place with the former taking the title thanks to better tiebreaks. It is worth mentioning that the champion was ranked just seventh (1884) in the starting list. Photo: Niki Riga In the course of the closing ceremony, the winners expressed their thanks to the organizers for a successful tournament. The tournament Director Mehrdad Pahlevanzadeh made pairings by Swiss Manager program and uploaded the results to Chess.com. Assisting the tournament were Deputy Chief Arbiters Haroon or Rashid of Bangladesh and K.K.Chan of Hong Kong together with Pairings Assistants IA Patrick Lee and FA Felix Poloyapoy of the Philippines. GM Dimitri Komarov of Ukraine and Jaime Kenmure of Australia provided live commentary on Twitch. Asian Chess Federation gratefully acknowledges Nick Barton and Simon McNamara of Chess.com for their support. Final standings: Juniors Player Country Rating Points 1 Abdusattorov Nodirbek (ChessWarrior7197) UZB 2469 7.5 2 Tahbaz Arash (Arash_Tahbaz) IRI 2302 6.5 3 Vokhidov Shamsiddin (Vokhidov11) UZB 2538 6.0 4 Batsuren Dambasuren (baag) MGL 2118 6.0 5 Peng Xiongjian (NewCosmos) CHN 2364 6.0 6 Tabatabaei M.Amin (amintabatabaeai) IRI 2381 6.0 7 Maghsoodloo Parham (parhamov) IRI 2532 5.0 8 Zhalmakhanov Ramazan (Zhalmakhanov_Ramazan) KAZ 2475 5.0 9 Mitrabha Guha (mitrabhaa) IND 2122 5.0 10 Liu Yan (temporarywork) CHN 2427 5.0 Girls Player Country Rating Points 1 Ning Kaiyu (Qnmeng) CHN 1884 7.0 2 Munkhzul Turmunkh (munkhzul_turmunkh) MGL 2044 7.0 3 Arpita Mukherjee (chessdreamer2001) IND 1837 6.5 4 Pandey Srishti (Srisshhhtea) IND 1962 5.5 5 Bai Xue (chess_littlebear) CHN 1825 5.5 6 Aakanksha Hagawane (aakankshachess) IND 1870 5.5 7 Abrorova Sabrina (Sabrinachess2006) TJK 1302 5.5 8 Alinasab Mobina (Ama18) IRI 2143 5.0 9 Altantuya Boldbaatar (altantuya_tuya) MGL 1735 5.0 10 Singgih Diajeng Theresa (Chezzgirl04) INA 1823 5.0
Day 2: Caruana and Aronian pull ahead
Day two of Clutch Chess International featured two exciting matchups: Fabiano Caruana vs Leinier Dominguez and Levon Aronian vs Alexander Grischuk. The all American pairing was a rematch from their last encounter in the previous Clutch Chess USA, which Caruana won in a dominant fashion. He finished the first half of the match with a three-point lead. Aronian and Grischuk are two of the most entertaining, creative, and well-liked personalities in the chess world and their match today did not lack any flavor. The tumultuous game-six fight ended in the favor of the Armenian grandmaster but could have easily gone in the other direction. Caruana and Aronian picked up an extra $2,000 each for their clutch game victories. These two matches will resume on Tuesday, as today the two semifinalists of the Magnus Carlsen vs Jeffery Xiong and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave vs Wesley So will be determined. Fabiano Caruana vs Leinier Dominguez 5.5 – 2.5 After their last encounter in the first edition of Clutch Chess, Dominguez finally got his chance for vengeance. He started off with a crushing win in the Caro Kann where Caruana was on the defense from the opening. The world number two had winning chances in the second game but blundered his extra piece to a simple pin. Game three is when things went downhill for Dominguez. In an equal endgame, he blundered with a pawn capture, allowing his opponent to trade down to a winning king and pawn endgame. The commentators felt that the result was a shift in the momentum as the former World Blitz Champion never seemed to recover from the mistake. He was outplayed in game four, thus entering the two clutch games with a one-point deficit. Caruana’s Caro Kann held up much better as not only did he successfully survive the opening but managed to build an attack on the light squares against the enemy king. Dominguez stopped the bleeding with a draw in the final game but ended the day three points behind his opponent. Caruana was confident throughout the match even though the first two games were a struggle; he felt as though his opponent did not overcome the psychological pressure after losing the crucial third game. Levon Aronian vs Alexander Grischuk 5 – 3 The match between Grischuk and Aronian produced some highly instructive endgames and attacking motifs. In the first game, Aronian pressed too hard for a win with the white pieces, ultimately giving up too many pawns for the exchange. The second game could have resulted in a disaster for the Armenian player as he found himself under attack but survived by the skin of his teeth by finding the only defensive method after his opponent’s error. Aronian’s decision to sacrifice an exchange to weaken his opponent’s king and create some practical chances paid off and allowed him to tie the match. The score remained even in the next two games as both players missed winning chances with the white pieces. The final game was a complete rollercoaster ride with the evaluation changing from winning for Aronian to complete draw in the time scramble. While both players made a series of mistakes, but Grischuk was the last to err, which cost him the game and put him two points behind his opponent. Aronian felt that the level of the play was below their abilities but was nonetheless happy to end the night on a high note. In his postgame interview, Aronian pointed out that it was nearly 3 in the morning for him and 2 in the morning for his opponent. Text: WGM Tatev Abrahamyan You can watch the action LIVE at USChessChamps.com (official website) Press Contact: Rebecca Buffington rbuffington@saintlouischessclub.org
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Checkmate Coronavirus enters its final week Input request on the Arbiters’ Manual FIDE Trainer and Arbiter’s seminars Chess is back in orbit! National Championships Records Anniversaries READ NEWSLETTER
FIDE Trainer Seminar for Russian speakers
26-28 июня 2020 Международная Шахматная Федерация проводит онлайн-семинар для тренеров ФИДЕ, организованный Тренерской Комиссией ФИДЕ 1. Программа и расписание семинара День и время Тема Лектор Пятница 26 июня 10:00-12:00 1. Анализ собственных партий/Анализ партий учеников Артур Юсупов 2.Современные методы подготовки к партиям. Поиск новых идей в дебюте. 14:00-16:00 Александр Мотылев 18:00-20:00 3. Как учить шахматной тактике. Александр Мотылев Суббота 27 июня 10:00-12:00 4. Изучение шахматной классики Артур Юсупов 14:00-16:00 5.Совершенствование техники расчета вариантов Александр Мотылев 18:00-20:00 6. Изучение дебютных систем на примере староиндийской защиты. Помощь тренера в построении дебютного репертуара. Виктор Бологан Воскресенье 28 июня 10:00-12:00 7. Изучение эндшпиля. Почему важно изучать эндшпиль. Артур Юсупов 14:00-16:00 8.Техника реализации преимущества. Александр Мотылев 19:00-20:00 Письменный экзамен Эл. почта 2. Регистрация и информация: 2.1 Организатор и контакты: Dina Belenkaya dina.belenk@gmail.comSami Khader samiaakhader@yahoo.comcc: Secretary, FIDE Trainer’s Commission (TRG) trainers@fide.com 2.2 Место и время проведения семинара: Zoom (зум). +3 G.M.T. (Московское время) 2.3 Взнос за участие в семинаре: 200 евро с экзаменом на получение тренерского звания 150 евро без экзамена https://trg.fide.com/trg-billing-collection-procedures/ 2.4 Лекторы: FST & GM Артур Юсупов FST & GM Виктор БологанFST & GM Александр Мотылев 2.5 Язык семинара: Русский 2.6 Регламент семинара: https://handbook.fide.com/chapter/B07 https://trg.fide.com/trg-online-seminars/
Online training seminar held by the Chess Federation of Russia
An online training seminar (Webinar) for FIDE Arbiters, International Arbiters, and online tournament organizers was held by the Chess Federation of Russia on June 05, 2020. Titled “Specifics of chess arbiter’s work in online tournaments”, this Webinar in the Russian language became the largest chess training event organized during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Webinar organizers registered 203 participants from nineteen (19) national federations: Russia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Costa Rica, Estonia, France, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Moldova, Mongolia, Serbia, Slovakia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. The event started with personal greetings by FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich. Addressing Webinar attendees, Mr. Dvorkovich expressed confidence that this important event would serve to share the best practices and processes being established in the online chess, and thanked the Chess Federation of Russia for taking this important initiative and bringing together colleagues from different parts of the world. “I think it is a great effort by the organizing team and I hope that even in these difficult times, all arbiters, organizers, and players, everyone who is online now, can enjoy chess and show their best qualities.” Indeed, the unique innovative approach by the Chess Federation of Russia offered the Webinar attendees (including the leading International Arbiters of the partner countries), both an intensive training on the most difficult issues of arbitering in online events and a chance to learn about new theoretical and practical developments in that realm as well as new initiatives and projects by FIDE and its member federations. The webinar Leader IA/IO/FL Alexander Tkachev (Russia), the CFR Technical Director, summarized the valuable lessons that the CFR has learned from switching from over-the-board to online chess on short notice. The lecturer proceeded with a refresher on the Anti-cheating Regulations and discussed in detail how strict adherence to Fair Play Measures becomes a crucial issue for online events. A guest Lecturer IA/IO Vadim Tsypin (Canada) spoke about general requirements for Regulations of online tournaments. He explained how to identify three areas: the one where FIDE General Regulations for Competitions shall continue to apply directly, another one where topical corrections or modifications are needed, and the final one that shall contain completely new elements warranted by online play. Using as an example the Regulations for the First FIDE Online Cup for Players with Disabilities, the lecturer parsed relevant articles, identified which area they belonged to, and encouraged listeners to use this approach when they create Regulations of their events. Another guest Lecturer, IA/IO/FT Olexandr Prohorov (Ukraine) explained what new responsibilities fall upon a chess arbiter in online tournaments and how to be ready for them. He shared his experiences serving in the Sunway Sitges Online Open and the European Online Chess Championships, gave specific examples of contentious issues he had to resolve, and presented screen captures that illustrated both serious and hilarious moments related to player supervision. The Webinar concluded with a special Q&A section. Answering the participants’ inquiries, Mr. Tkachev revealed bold new initiatives by the CFR, in particular, the development of a CFR online chess rating system that would allow earning titles through online play. The international Webinar audience asked a lot of questions regarding FIDE plans in the online competitions and changes in the FIDE calendar for 2020 and 2021. Mr. Tsypin answered those questions in detail and also brought to everyone’s attention a recent resolution by the United Nations General Assembly. World Chess Day, celebrated worldwide on July 20, is now officially recognized by the UN. Next month, the international chess community shall mark this date widely. Through online chat and other comment channels, participants expressed heartfelt thanks to the organizers and lecturers. Most of the feedback asked to meet again and to make such training regular. Information and photos by the Chess Federation of Russia
Checkmate Coronavirus enters its final week
UPDATE 08/06/2020 The Checkmate Coronavirus campaign reached this morning the 500 hours milestone. Over the past three weeks, 1.779 tournaments have been played under this initiative, totaling 377.329 entries and 1.247.516 games of chess. We are very proud, and thankful, for the response of the chess community to this project. Acting together, in a coordinated campaign, allowed us to show the world the real potential of chess. This has not passed unnoticed for the mass media: for instance, the prestigious American business magazine Forbes has published, not one, but two articles devoted to chess during the past few weeks. Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Xinhua News Agency, and El Pais, have also published long reports about chess. Remember that all participants are eligible to win a prize, no matter what their result was. You can check if you are one of the lucky winners at www.checkmatecoronavirus.com. UPDATE 05/06/2020 “Checkmate Coronavirus” hit the one million game mark! The project has been running for more than 430 hours non-stop with almost 1500 tournaments played and 320,000+ entries made. The number of federations that are joining their forces with “Checkmate Coronavirus” keeps growing fast. Currently, 51 National federations, unions, and associations responded keenly to FIDE President’s call for action and supported the initiative. Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa-Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Denmark, Dominicana, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, France, Finland, Greece, Guatemala, India, Japan, Kosovo, Lebanon, Malawi, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nicaragua, North Macedonia, Peru, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Salvador, San Marino, Panama, Paraguay, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Syria, Sudan, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, Venezuela, Zambia and two Associations Affiliated to FIDE – the European Chess Union and the Mediterranean Chess Association. We would like to thank all of them for their support, enthusiasm and passion for chess! Meanwhile, the winners of two prize draws are announced. The raffles conducted by Elisabeth Paehtz and Anish Giri were streamed live on May 25 and May 31. Twenty-two participants with ratings from below 1000 to impressive 2660 points are the lucky winners of the main prizes of the #checkmatecoronavirus project! Guest invitations to the 2021 Chess Olympiad and mini-matches with top GM go to Algeria, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bolivia, Brazil, Great Britain, Greece, Kenia, Netherlands, Philippines, Serbia, South Africa, Spain, and Singapore. 12 winners of guest invitations the Moscow Chess Olympiad 2021 are: Khomisani (South Africa) (Chess.com, 05/24) Thijscom (Netherlands) (Lichess, 05/20)FizzyGum (India) (Chess.com, 05/22)ChaosRamda (Canada) (Chess.com, 05/24)Oprofdexadrez (Brazil) (Chess.com, 05/23)YODITA (Bolivia) (FIDE rating: 2116) (Lichess, 05/25)bakhtiinoureddiine (Algeria) (Lichess,05/22)Random69 (country unknown) (Lichess, 05/24)abdullayev_elshad (Azerbaijan) (Lichess, 05/29)HisEloquency (Serbia) (Chess.com, 05/27)2puddings (Great Britain) (Chess.com, 05/25)victorpd16 (Spain) (Chess24, 05/29) 10 mini-matches with TOP GMs go to: Bigyanghimire (Nepal) (Lichess, 05/25)Astrapi (Cyprus) (Lichess, 05/19)Ilhabela-SP (Brazil) (Chess.com, 05/20)DoTheMath (Serbia) (Lichess, 05/22)Simounn (Philippines) (Lichess, 05/25)WhiteBug (Kenia) (Lichess, 05/20)sravanrenjith (Australia/New Zealand) (Chess.com, 05/27) – this player is only 12 y.o. so he or she is the youngest winner of the main prize so far.ramon_palatan (Philippines) (Chess.com, 05/29)vbatman2004 (Greece) (Lichess, 05/19) – this winner has the biggest rating by now, 2660!UncleLeoTheNovice (Singapore) (Lichess, 05/27) Each prize winner is required to claim his/her prize before June 30, 2020, by sending an email to prizes@checkmatecoronavirus.com with the following data: • player’s nickname• player’s real name• player’s email address• player’s home address (only for players who won Checkmate Coronavirus Souvenirs) Winners of the minor prizes are published on checkmatecoronavirus.com. The next prize draw will be held on June 7.