FIDE Candidates 2020
Dear national federations and members of the chess community: FIDE is making every effort to ensure that the second leg of the Candidates 2020 will be held in Autumn 2020. Over the past three months, we have intensified our contacts with chess organizers, especially from countries in the so-called “green zone”. We have tried to identify potential venues where the epidemiological conditions would allow for the event to be resumed under safe conditions. We are going to extend this consultation period for a few more days, until August 21, 12:00 CET. If you are a chess promoter and your country meets these conditions, please don’t hesitate to contact us at your earliest convenience, indicating your relevant experience in organizing top-level events and possible sources of funding. Given the constantly-changing situation, we would like to consider all the potential alternatives before making a decision. Please use our official email office@fide.com for any communications on this matter.
Online Olympiad: Division 2 Round-up
Virtually in every pool of Division 2, two teams advanced Top Division with a couple of rounds to spare, but there was a close fight for the third spot till the last minutes of Round 9. In some cases the scenario was predictable, but in some pools, we saw a lot of dramatic twists and turns. Pool A The final day in Division 2 started as a thriller – every round changed the configuration of the leaderboard and put up a new strong favorite to take the third spot. It is hard to believe given that after six rounds there were only two candidates for third place – Australia and Indonesia. Indeed, no one questioned Bulgaria‘s’ and Germany’s progressing to Top Division, whereas all other teams fell behind on Saturday. Round 7 saw the clash of two main candidates for the third spot. Many thought that Australia would seal the deal – since the team was two points ahead of Indonesia even a draw virtually guaranteed them the third place. However, somewhat unexpectedly Indonesia crushed the opponents 1:5. GM Max Illingworth (Australia) was unlucky but on the women’s board, Indonesia scored well-deserved victories. Indonesia got into the driver’s seat – the team caught up with its rival but had a much weaker opponent in Round 9. However, both squads still had to play Round 8 in which both faced the leaders. We had another sudden twist here – Bulgaria predictably routed Indonesia but Australia was about to beat Germany, but Julia Ryjanova on fourth board let her big advantage slip first and then simply blundered a knight in a roughly equal endgame. Nevertheless, Australia drew the match and edged ahead of Indonesia by one point. Still, it was wide-open, as in the final round Indonesia took on an underdog Bangladesh, whereas Australia squared against picking-up-steam Belarus. Australia did not manage even a draw, although even this result was not enough as Indonesia conceded just a half-point to Bangladesh. As a result, Indonesia won this “steeplechase” for the third place. All these dramatic events overshadowed the match for the first place in Pool A between Bulgaria and Germany. The former scored a confident victory and became the first team in Division 2 to win all the matches (as it turned out later, not only the first but also the only team). Pool B The intrigue in this pool was rather forced than real. After Romania clobbered Israel 5.5:0.5 in Round 7 the top-3 shaped up: Romania, Greece, and Slovakia. However, after Romania benched its key players, the team suffered two defeats at hands of Latvia and Moldova. Besides, Slovakia lost to Israel, the team that definitely underperformed at the Online Olympiad. As a result, Slovakia had to reach at least a draw in the last-round match against Latvia; otherwise, a spot in Top Division could have slipped away. Slovakia had no trouble completing this task though – the team put 4.5:1.5 on the scoreboard, with 62-year old Lumomir Ftacnik scoring another victory. His impressive result 7.5/ 9 coupled with the same score by Zuzana Cibickova (pictured below) on the second women’s board became a cornerstone of Slovakia’s success in this tournament. Photo: https://sport.aktuality.sk/ Pool С This pool was in the focus of most spectators’ and the official livestream commentator’s GM Roeland Pruijssers (working together with charming Anna Muzychuk) attention which was quite understandable – the threat of elimination was hanging over Pruijssers’ compatriots, team Netherlands, led by Anish Giri. Slovenia looked like the most dangerous competitor of Netherlands but on the final day, the team suffered two defeats that dashed its hopes for advancing to the next stage. Nature abhors a vacuum, they say – team Switzerland quickly filled this void. Back on Saturday Switzerland beat Netherlands, in Round 7 prevailed over Slovenia and in Round 8 had excellent winning chances in the match against Italy. At this point, many thought that Italy was going to lose its spot in Top Division. However, the representatives of Apennines miraculously saved a draw in the match. With his flag hanging, Fabian Baenziger (Switzerland) lost grip of the game in a classical drawing ending: Fabian Baenziger – Luca Moroni White should have switched to a frontal attack by 88.Rg1! forcing a draw. Baenziger complicated his task – 88. Kf5 Kh4 89. Rg4+ Kh3, and then сracked under pressure – 90. Re4 (90.Rb4! attacking from the side secured a draw) 90…h5 91. Kg5?? (a decisive mistake 91.Re3+ followed 92.Rb3 was still enough for a draw ) 91…Kg3 92. Re3+ Kf2 93. Re4 Kf3 94. Kf5 Rb5 0-1 Before the final round Netherlands and Italy were one point ahead of Switzerland, but unlike the competitors, taking on underdogs, Dutchmen faced Spain, the strongest team in the pool, which already secured its spot in Top Division. The start of the match was very tough for Netherlands: Alexei Shirov made a quick work of Jorden Van Foreest plus Anne Haast found herself in a hopeless position on the fourth board. At this critical moment luck favored Oranje – Haast wrestled a win although around 30th move could have got checkmated by force, Anish Giri finally proved his strength and scored a good victory over David Anton Guijarro (check it out). As a result, Netherlands won 3.5:2.5, and even Switzerland’s wiping out Estonia did not change anything. Switzerland played an excellent tournament but a missed victory against Italy and a vexing defeat from North Macedonia left the team behind Netherlands and Italy. Pool D Pool D sprang the greatest surрrise in Division 2. Before the final day, it seemed that Turkey, Norway, and Serbia would smoothly advance despite playing with one another. Only Croatia stood a chance to catch up with this trio, but the “Checkered” had to beat Norway at any cost. The Croatians succeeded by sheer luck – in time scramble Simen Agdestein lost an absolutely winning position with several extra pawns, whereas Frode Urkedal resigned in a roughly equal position: Marin Bosiocic – Frode Urkedal Apparently, the Norwegian GM missed that after 40… Ne8 41. Re5 Bc6 he would not lose material. However, it was team Serbia that became the “odd-man-out”. The Serbian players did not manage to pull themselves together in the last-round match against Denmark – the defeat threw them back to the fourth
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FIDE Online Olympiad reaches the Top Division stage ChessMatec: chess in a new way FIDE PDC Forums A tribute to our seniors Old tradition, new young winner Another first-time winner Is chess an Esport? A pictorial tribute to the Chess Olympiads Anniversaries READ NEWSLETTER
FIDE announces cooperation agreement with ChessMatec
The International Chess Federation is pleased to announce a cooperation agreement with ChessMatec, the most advanced all-in-one chess learning platform for children. Thanks to this agreement, FIDE associates will receive a 50% discount on yearly subscriptions to ChessMatec. The ChessMatec program allows kids to learn the basics of chess in an educational and fun game environment, with special emphasis on developing critical and creative thinking skills. It contains 9 courses and more than 2,000 mini-games and puzzles designed by Grandmaster and FIDE Senior Trainer Boris Alterman, and a team of experienced chess teachers and professionals. A multi-platform tool, it can be used on PC, tablets, and smartphones: the user can log in from any device and continue right where he/she left it. An offline mode is also available, so Chessmatec can be used anywhere, even during flights. Children can play a simplified or full chess game against a chess engine adequate to their current level and skills, getting points for correct answers to puzzles, and gaining ranks as they progress in the game. As it is mandatory for any learning platform aimed at children, Chessmatec provides a safe environment: no personal data is collected, it requires no social interaction, and it is free of ads. ChessMatec for Teachers also provides the curriculum, lesson plans, tools, and resources needed to run a successful “chess in school” program. Coaches are given teaching materials aimed at beginner and intermediate students, which include learning tools based on teamwork assignments, developmental puzzles, and video lessons. The animation videos follow a storyline that allows children to learn everything about the game of chess in the most entertaining way. ChessMatec for Teachers offers multi-student support and includes a Classroom Management solution that allows teachers to easily create classrooms, import students, and see helpful metrics. In 2019, it has already been used by more than 1,000 schools in 10 different countries, totaling more than 200,000 users. ChessMatec has been developed by Alterman – Chess in a New way LTD, founded in Israel in 2011 under the management of GM Boris Alterman and his wife Luba Alterman. Luba, a former Ukrainian Women Champion, Graduated from the Ukraine State Academy of Physical Culture, getting a Bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Science and Education. This Endorsement License Agreement between the International Chess Federation and ChessMatec is a strategic partnership that aligns with one of our top priorities: facilitating the introduction of chess at a young age, revitalizing grassroots chess, and providing school teachers with tools that highlight the educational benefits of chess. How to register: Thanks to this agreement, all of you are entitled to a 50% discount on yearly subscriptions to ChessMatec. In order to claim this discount you have to follow these steps: Visit www.chessmatec.com Click on “Buy Now”. You will reach the sign-up section, you will be asked to fill in Email, Password and Password confirmation. You will reach the payment section. The price will go down from $30 to $15. Please fill in the details. Once you have registered your account, you can download the app from the Google Play Store, or the Apple Store, and log in using the account (email and password) you just registered on the website. The purchase is for a whole year without renewal. To renew the purchase next year use the same instructions. More information: www.chessmatec.comoffice@chessmatec.com
A tribute to our seniors
Last week FIDE announced the names of ten chess seniors who will benefit from FIDE’s support to chess veterans. A total of €21.000 will be distributed among them, added to the €35,000 that has already been distributed in April 2020. This second package of financial aid raises the total to a record €56.000. As we did on previous occasions, we would pay tribute to these illustrious veterans with a few words about each one of them, summarizing their careers and achievements: Some players have an opening named after them, but only a few legends had a term coined to describe their personal style. Michael Basman enjoys the status of a chess guru in the English chess scene and has attracted a small band of followers, the “Basmaniacs”. A true iconoclast, Basman is known for his extravagant opening choices, often starting the games with 1.h3 and 2.a3, but also with 1.g4, with White, and 1…g5, with Black. Photo: David Llada Although Basman never attained the Grandmaster title, he did beat many strong players the likes of Jonathan Speelman, who succumbed to the Grob defense (1.e4 g5). But more importantly, with his books and personality, Michael Basman was an inspiration to several generations of British chess players. Grandmaster Raymond Keene once wrote, referring to Basman’s promotion of youth chess, “Michael Basman is in many ways the most important person in British chess.” Petko Petkov is the outstanding chess composer, the grandmaster of the FIDE for chess compositions (1984), and a multiple world champion in chess composing. He made a significant contribution to the development of world chess and chess composition. Petko Petkov has been in first place in the FIDE ALBUM POINTS 1914-2015 rating for more than 25 years, now he has 471.75 points. From 1975 to 2000, Petko Petkov worked as a reporter for the newspaper Naroden Sport, deputy editor-in-chief of the Shakhmatnaya Misal magazine; (1978-1982) and editor-in-chief of the journal “Shakhmatnaya Misal” (1982-1991). One of the best Philippine players in the 80s and 90s and 4-time champion of the country Rico Mascarinas took part in eight Olympiad (mostly on second board). Playing at Olympiad 1982 in Lucerne he bagged the Gold Medal in Board 2 going undefeated in 9 games, winning 6 and drawing 3 for a total of 7.5 points. Photo http://ourdailynewsonline.com/ In 1993-1998 he worked in Bahrain lead the national team to a draw with much more experienced Qatar at the Asian Cities Team Championship in the mid-1990s. After moving to Singapore, Mascarinas has been training and accompanying local talents to World Events like the World Youth, Age group Championships, School Olympiad in Indonesia, and others. A four-time Champion of Russian RSFSR (1972, 1979, 1985, 1986) Lyudmila Saunina had considerable success at international scene winning several prestigious tournaments. At the peak of her career, she was ranked 7th in the women’s rating list (1972). Late in her chess career, Saunina won World Senior Championship twice (2005 and 2006) and World Senior Team Championship as part of the team of Russia (2014, 2015). For more than 30 years Lyudmila has been serving as a trainer in the Youth Sports School and Urals Chess Academy of Yekaterinburg. Among her best students GM Igor Lysyj, Russian Champion 2014, European Blitz Champion 2019, and GM Yulia Turkeeva (Botalova). One of the most gifted players of his generation, Rafael Vaganian became GM at the age of 19 – quite an achievement back in 1971. His outstanding tournament record includes victories at Vrnjaka Banja (1971), Kragujevac (1974), SaoPaulo (1977), Kirovakan (1978), Las Palmas (1979), Manila (1981), Hastings (1982/83), Biel Interzonal (1985), Leningrad (1987), Toronto (1990), Ter Apel (1992), Reggio Emilia (1992/93 and 1994/95). Photo: Mark Livshitz He represented the Soviet Union and then Armenia in various team competitions winning two gold medals with USSR in 1984 and 1986. Vaganian participated in Candidates cycles twice but lost to Sokolov (1986) and Portisch (1988) respectively. Rafael Vaganian is the reigning World Senior Champion in the 65+ category. Anatoly Bykhovsky is an International Master (1982), Honored Trainer of the USSR (1975), Senior Trainer of the USSR and Russian Youth Team (1967-1992), and International Arbiter of “A” category (1993). In 1975 Anatoly Bykhovsky was awarded the title of the Honoured Trainer of the USSR. Photo: https://ugra2018.fide.com/ Bykhovsky was Chairman of the Trainers Counsel of the Russian Chess Federation from 2003 to 2013. During the World and European Chess Championships, he helped many chess players including Garry Kasparov, Vladimir Kramnik, Alexander Beliavsky, Boris Gelfand, Vassily Ivanchuk, and others. His most famous pupil is Alexander Grischuk with whom he worked for 10 years. Anatoly Bykhovsky continues to play in veteran chess tournaments and work as an arbiter at high-level competitions. In 2019 he served an Appeals Committee Member at the King Salman World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships. Victor Kart (pictured below) is a legendary Soviet then Ukrainian and German trainer who fostered several generations of chess players. A long list of his pupils includes such strong GMs as Alexander Beliavsky, Oleg Romanishin, Adrian Mikhalchishin, and Marta Litinskaya. During his prolific career, he consulted Vasyl Ivanchuk and helped Garry Kasparov the World Cadet Championship in Cagnes-sur-Mer (1977). Kart still works at the Maccabi chess club. Photo: chesspro.ru Lidia Semenova was born far away from chess centers but after moving to Kyiv (Ukraine, USSR) she started progressing rapidly and two years later took bronze in the USSR Championship (1971). In 1982 she finished second in Bad Kissingen Intezonal and became a Candidate. After defeating Magraret Mureshan (1983) and Nana Ioseliani (1983) Semenova reached the pinnacle of her career, the Candidates final but lost her bid for the World Championship match to Irina Levitina. Photo: Wikipedia Semenova took part in the Chess Olympiad in Thessaloniki 1984 and after scoring 9.5 out of 10 won three golden medals (team, the individual at the fourth board, and individual rating). In the following years, Semenova took part in many competitions but never repeated her greatest success. In later years Lidia Semenova drifted toward coaching and focused on raising new generations of chess players. A seven-time Polish champion (1971, 1974, 1975, 1981, 1988, 1990, and 1994) Wlodzimierz Schmidt played for his country 14 times at Chess Olympiad between 1962 and 1994. The Polish GM (he was
Margnus Carlsen Tourn Finals: Carlsen refuses to lose
It is the final of the world’s richest, most prestigious online chess tournament played between two of the game’s fiercest rivals – and it really could not be closer. Magnus Carlsen hauled himself back level with fierce rival Hikaru Nakamura today as the $140,000 Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour Final reached fever pitch. After the frustration of going behind yesterday, the World Champion used every ounce of his legendary will to win to record a thumping 2.5-1.5 victory. It leaves the first to four match finely-poised on 2-2 overall as it nears the endgame. Nakamura, the world’s number 1 rated blitz player, tried everything – but his incredible defensive resilience just wasn’t enough. Game 1 saw Carlsen pose immense threats that left Nakamura hanging on move-by-move. But despite time pressure, Nakamura found the only moves that steered him to a safe draw. It was a stunning defensive display by the five-time US champ who showed all his tenacity to pull off a big save. Carlsen admitted afterward that Nakamura “fought extremely well”. But after a breather in game 2 which ended in a draw, Carlsen started knocking on the door. And Game 3 saw Nakamura make a huge mistake that finally let his Norwegian opponent through. Ahead, at last, there would be no stopping Carlsen this time and there was simply no way back for Nakamura in game 4 as it ended in a draw and a match win for Carlsen. Speaking afterward Carlsen said he has struggled in this event, the final tournament in the Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour, but is finally beginning to put some form together. He said: “First of all, I haven’t found any semblance of rhythm whatsoever so in general, I am very unhappy with the way I have played. “Today was a lot better in the sense that he didn’t get any counter-chances, so today was an improvement. But there is still there is a lot to work on.” Yet again viewing figures hit new highs as a peak of nearly 50,000 tuned in across chess24 channels along to watch the drama unfold. Play is due to start again on August 18 at 16:00 CEST. Supporting Kiva Broadcaster chess24 has pledged 50 percent of new Premium memberships bought during its Tour Final to Kiva’s Global COVID-19 Response fund that aims to raise at least $50 million for entrepreneurs and small businesses impacted by COVID‑19. During the event, chess24 and Kiva will highlight stories where chess has changed people’s lives under the official tournament social media hashtag #ImpactChess. Viewers are encouraged to engage with the Tour Final and support small businesses impacted by COVID-19 by signing up for a premium subscription here. More details on the Finals The Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour was devised by Norway’s World Champion and chess24 after traditional over the board chess was halted suddenly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Tour Final kicks off on August 9 and runs until August 20. It is the culmination of four elite-level super-tournaments that began in March as a way of getting chess started again while other sports worldwide were prohibited. The first four stages of the first Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour were: The Magnus Carlsen Invitational The Lindores Abbey Rapid Challenge The Chessable Masters The chess24 Legends of Chess Four players have qualified for the final crescendo of chess after being the best performers during the preceding tour events. The winner of the Tour Final, which has a total prize pot of $300,000, will scoop a top prize of $140,000 and the title of Champion of the Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour. Tournament rules and schedule The Tour Final will be a 12-day event running from August 9 to August 20. Time control is a rapid 15m + 10s from move 1 played in the chess24 Playzone. The semi-finals of the Tour Final tournament will be a best of 5 four-game mini-matches. The final will be a best of 7 mini-matches. As usual, play will start at 16:00 CEST. Highlights English:https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1_QSmtZoiwL24EGuZSEmi1UR5j4hInR0u?usp=sharingNew files at around 23.00 CEST Rough edit highlights:https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/12mwKPkAfzeyfzd1Gay-FU5dJ8uU6OXMY?usp=sharingNew files ready around 02.00 CEST FOR MORE INFORMATION:Leon Watsonleon@chessable.com+447786 078770