InterContinental ChessKid FIDE Challenge announced
FIDE is proud to announce a partnership with ChessKid to launch what we expect to turn into the largest under-12 online event ever. The first Intercontinental ChessKid FIDE Challenge will take place on January 23, and it is open to children from anywhere in the world. To best accommodate as many time zones as possible and give everyone a chance to play, there will be two distinct tournaments, both taking place on the same day. Children can register for either the “Eastern Edition” (beginning at 9 AM UK) or the later “Western Edition” (beginning at 9 AM Pacific U.S.). They are eligible to play in either one or both, whichever is more convenient for them. Each of the two editions will be played in two sections: Ages 9-12 and 8 and Under. The ages are as of January 1, 2021. The time control will be 10+2 (10 minutes starting time plus 2 seconds added per move) and each of the two editions will be 7 rounds. The expected length for each tournament is three hours. The event will take place entirely on the ChessKid live server with fantastic prizes, including group lessons with former world champions Vishy Anand and Alexandra Kosteniuk, and current World Rapid Champion Humpy Koneru. The Intercontinental ChessKid FIDE Challenge will be focused mostly on participation and fun, and as such, the top prizes will be awarded in a unique way to take the pressure off of kids. For every half-point earned, a player receives one “raffle ticket” into a drawing. For every win, a ChessKid receives two “raffle tickets” into the drawing. In addition, any player finishing the tournament receives a bonus raffle ticket. You can find all the details at the ChessKid website: www.chesskid.com
Vahap Sanal wins 2020 Turkish Championship
Vahap Sanal is the 2020 Turkish chess Champion, after dominating the field in a 10-player round-robin tournament that took place from November 13-21. The event was held in Kemer, a seaside resort in the province of Antalya that has hosted multiple international chess events in recent years. Vahal was the defending champion, having won the title already in 2019. The 22-year-old GM from Izmir entered the competition as the rating favorite, and he dominated the field very convincingly, scoring five wins (including a victory over the runner-up) and four draws. IM Melih Yurtseven finished sole second, after a very strong finish, while Cem Kaan Gokerkan got third place. Final standings: 1. GM VAHAP ŞANAL (2557) – 72. IM MELİH YURTSEVEN (2391) – 6½3. IM GOKERKAN CEM KAAN (2461) – 64. GM KIVANÇ HAZNEDAROĞLU (2437) – 5½5. GM BURAK FIRAT (2474) – 4½6. FM EMİRHAN TARLABAŞI (2275) – 47. FM SEVGİ VOLKAN (2359) – 38. IM DENİZ ÖZEN (2412) – 39. IM EKATERINA ATALYK (2450) – 310. FM ATABERK EREN (23212) – ½ Official website: http://tr2020.tsf.org.tr
Day 1: Anish Giri shoots ahead
Anish Giri is a sole leader of the Skilling Open after scoring 4/5 on Day 1, and it could have been more, since he took a draw in a close to winning position against Hikaru Nakamura. Magnus Carlsen feared the worst after blundering his queen against Ian Nepomniachtchi and then letting a win slip against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. The World Chess Champion needn’t have worried, however, as he bounced back to win the next three games. The surprise of the day was bottom seed David Anton, who beat Svidler, Nepomniachtichi and Radjabov to tie with Magnus for 2nd place. After a poor start, Magnus thought it might be a bad day at the office, but he stormed back to beat Teimour Radjabov, David Anton and Alireza Firouzja, saying of the 17-year-old prodigy, “It’s always good to beat him while I still can!” The win against David Anton was also important since the Spanish Champion still tied Magnus for 2nd place after beating Peter Svidler, Ian Nepomniachtchi and Teimour Radjabov. Meanwhile, almost everything went right for Anish Giri, who pointed out afterward he could have scored even more points. He explained that he took the draw against Hikaru Nakamura because he thought he’d squandered almost all his advantage, when in fact he was still doing very well. Text and photo: chess24.com Official site: https://championschesstour.com/
Athletes Commission 2020 Elections Candidatures: Deadline extended to December 03, 2020
Following some requests received by the Secretariat and bearing in mind that it will be the first elections for the newly established FIDE Athletes Commission and that the Covid-19 pandemic is creating additional difficulties in the contacts among athletes and Federations, the deadline for submitting candidatures is extended to 3th of December 2020. Candidatures must be sent by email to office@fide.com filling in the Candidature Nomination Form available on the FIDE website. The list of approved candidates will be published on the FIDE website on the 5th of December 2020. The confirmed elections period stretches from 11th to 18th of December 2020.
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John D. Rockefeller V donates $3 Million to US Chess FIDE Online Olympiad for People with Disabilities kicks off “Algorithms” Announcing the InterContinental ChessKid FIDE Challenge Brief news from National Federations ChessTech Conference 2020 announced Anniversaries READ NEWSLETTER