Andre Sousa and Sara Soares win Portuguese championship
Held from September 7 to September 14 in Odivelas, the Portuguese Chess Championship became the first live sports event in the country after the coronavirus outbreak. IM André Sousa clinched his third national title – previously he won the Portuguese championship in 2017 and 2019. In Odivelas he scored 7 out of 9 in the round-robin tournament losing only one game in the starting round – to NM Bruno Martins. This promising junior, who is still under 18, became the discovery of the championship. Martins finished clear second with 6.5 points, picked up 97.6 rating points, and completed the FM title requirements. Despite last round defeat, IM Sérgio Rocha held the third place with a better tiebreak over José Francisco Veiga – both scored 5.5 points. Final standings: 1. Sousa André Miguel Vale Ventura – 7 2. Martins Bruno André Leite – 6.5 3. Rocha Sérgio Manuel Colaço – 5.5 4. Veiga Jose Francisco Reis Pedreiras – 5.5 5. Fernandes António Manuel De Almeida – 5 6. Dias Paulo Jorge Guimarães – 5 7. Fidalgo André Neves – 4 8. Reis Luis Miguel De Sousa Almeida E – 3 9. Diogo Vasco – 2.5 10. Santos Antonio Pereira – 1 14-year-old Sara Soares from Porto surprised the higher-rated field at the 5-round Portuguese Women’s Championship, winning the starting four games and securing her first national title with one round to spare. In the last round, Soares was defeated by Filipa Pipiras who claimed the silver medal, giving herself a perfect present for the 15th birthday that she celebrated on that very day. Defending champion WCM Mariana Silva and Camila Avelino shared for second with 3.5 points but the tiebreak put them in the third and fourth place respectively. Photo: https://fpx.pt/site/
Schachbundesliga kicks off in Karlsruhe
The Schachbundesliga championship tournament will take place in Karlsruhe from 16th to 20th September 2020. This tournament is an additional event and serves to determine the German team champion 2020 after the German Chess League was interrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic and will continue it in spring 2021. OSG Baden-Baden stands out as a clear favorite among eight teams. The participation in this tournament is voluntary following a decision by all 16 Bundesliga clubs. In the end, only eight clubs will play in a round-robin format. In addition to the record holder Baden-Baden, Solingen, Deizisau, Viernheim, and Bremen are likely to have a say in the hunt for the title. FC Bayern München, SF Berlin, and Aachener SV complete the field. As this is an “over-the-board tournament”, it will be interesting to see which players will travel to Karlsruhe. Chess fans are looking look forward to seeing many grandmasters in action, including 15-year-old Vincent Keymer (pictured above). The youngest German grandmaster playing for SF Deizisau made a strong impressed in Biel two months ago and would like to continue his run in Karlsruhe. The matches will be broadcast live on the internet and commentated by renowned grandmasters. Furthermore, several videos of the event will be produced daily and published on the YouTube channel of GRENKE Chess. The championship tournament is a strong signal from the clubs of the Schachbundesliga and the organizer to put on an event representing top chess despite the COVID-19 pandemic. The event will be held in compliance with all the strict requirements of health authorities. Dates: 16 – 20.09.2020 Venue: Garden Hall of the Karlsruhe Exhibition Centre, Festplatz 3, 76137 Karlsruhe Organizer: Schachzentrum Baden-Baden e.V. in cooperation with OSG Baden-Baden 1922 e.V. and the GRENKE Group Time control: 90 min 40 moves, 30 min rest, 30 sec increment from the first move. Live coverage on the official website: https://www.schachbundesliga.de/ Videos on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/grenkechess Schedule Championship Tournament 2020 1st round on 16.09.2020 at 2 pm (CET) OSG Baden-Baden – SF DeizisauFC Bayern München – SC ViernheimSF Berlin – Aachener SVSG Solingen – SV Werder Bremen 2nd round on 17.09.2020 at 10am (CET) SF Deizisau – SV Werder BremenAachener SV – SG SolingenSC Viernheim – SF BerlinOSG Baden-Baden – FC Bayern München 3rd round on 17.09.2020 at 5pm (CET) FC Bayern München – SF DeizisauSF Berlin – OSG Baden-BadenSG Solingen – SC ViernheimSV Werder Bremen – Aachener SV 4th round on 18.09.2020 at 2pm (CET) SF Deizisau – Aachener SVSC Viernheim – SV Werder BremenOSG Baden-Baden – SG SolingenFC Bayern München – SF Berlin 5th round on 19.09.2020 at 10am (CET) SF Berlin – SF DeizisauSG Solingen – FC Bayern MünchenSV Werder Bremen – OSG Baden-BadenAachener SV – SC Viernheim 6th round on 19.09.2020 at 5pm (CET) SF Deizisau – SC ViernheimOSG Baden-Baden – Aachener SVFC Bayern München – SV Werder BremenSF Berlin – SG Solingen 7th round on 20.09.2020 at 11am (CET) SG Solingen – SF DeizisauSV Werder Bremen – SF BerlinAachener SV – FC Bayern MünchenSC Viernheim – OSG Baden-Baden