FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss and Women’s Grand Swiss 2021 announced
Lausanne, 15 December 2020 — The International Chess Federation (FIDE) has signed a contract with IOM International Chess Limited to organise and host the FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss and the inaugural FIDE Chess.com Women’s Grand Swiss. Subject to COVID-19 restrictions being lifted in time, the tournaments will be held concurrently in the magnificent Royal Hall of the Villa Marina in Douglas, Isle of Man from 25 October to 8 November 2021. There will be 164 players from approximately 35 countries and a combined prize fund of USD 550,000, made possible by the generosity of the Scheinberg family. The FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss is returning to the island after a successful first edition held in 2019. The 2021 edition will have a field of 114 players, mainly from the world’s top-100, and is expected to be one of the strongest Swiss events ever held in the history of chess. The prize fund will be USD 425,000, including the first prize of USD 70,000. Just as important is the fact that the winner and runner-up will advance to the eight-player Candidates Tournament, the next stage of the World Championship Cycle that will produce a challenger to the World Champion in 2022, a title currently held by Magnus Carlsen of Norway. Five participants will be chosen as “wildcards” allocated by the tournament director, Alan Ormsby, including two places for Isle of Man players and a place for a Chess.com online qualifier. The FIDE Chess.com Women’s Grand Swiss will feature 50 of the strongest female players, with invitations to the world’s top-40, competing for a prize fund of USD 125,000. The winner will progress to the Women’s Candidates Tournament which will produce a challenger to the Women’s World Champion, a title currently held by Ju Wenjun of China. There will be three “wildcards” in the Women’s event, including one place set aside for a Chess.com online qualifier. “We are thrilled to be hosting the FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss for the second time after successfully organising the inaugural event in 2019. Hosting the Women’s version at the same time will make the event even more special, ensuring that we have the diversity that the Isle of Man International has been associated with since our first tournament in 2014” said Alan Ormsby. “We’re also pleased to be helping local guest houses, hotels and restaurants by attracting around 180 players and officials to the island for 14 nights in the off-season.” In recognition of the island’s continued contribution to chess, FIDE recently approved the admission of the Isle of Man Chess Association as an Affiliated Organisation, the highest level of status available to a country or territory that is not recognised by the United Nations. Isle of Man Chess Association is the organisation responsible for promoting the playing of chess on the island and works closely with Isle of Man International Chess. “FIDE’s motto is ‘we are one family’, and like any other family would, we are extremely happy to welcome a new member. The island is home to a tournament, the Chess.com Isle of Man International, that has already earned its place in chess history. Very few events have left such a strong mark after only six editions, but the Isle of Man has done so thanks to a combination of professionalism, determination, and profound respect to chess and chess players. We incorporated this event as a part of the World Championship cycle in 2019, and it was a resounding success. Now, women players will also get the opportunity to play in an event that didn’t exist for them before,” said FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich. “It’s incredible that in such a short amount of time, the FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss has become one of the strongest and most important events in chess,” said Daniel Rensch, chief chess officer of Chess.com. “Not only is the event a critical step in determining the outcome of the World Chess Championship cycle, it also serves as a leading example for how a chess event can function as a beacon for competitive diversity and inclusion. We couldn’t be more proud to be working alongside FIDE and IOM International Chess Limited in making this special event possible for a second time.” Regulations for the FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss Tournament 2021 (pdf) About IOM International Chess Limited:IOM International Chess Limited, led by Tournament Director, Alan Ormsby, is the organiser of the Chess.com Isle of Man International, the world’s strongest open event. All six editions of the tournament (including the 2019 FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss) have been sponsored by the Scheinberg family. About Chess.com:Chess.com is the world’s largest chess site, with a community of more than 47 million members from around the world playing millions of games every day. Launched in 2009, Chess.com is the leader in chess news, lessons, events, and live entertainment. Visit Chess.com to play, learn and connect with chess—the world’s most popular game. About FIDE:The International Chess Federation (FIDE) is the governing body of international chess competition. Founded in 1924, it was one of the first institutions of its kind and it is now one of the largest, with a total of 196 affiliated national chess federations. Contact: IOM International Chess Limited:Tournament Director Alan Ormsbymasters@iominternationalchess.com+44 7624 453200Tournament website: iominternationalchess.com Chess.com:Director of Esports and Events Nick Bartonnick@chess.com FIDE:Chief Marketing and Communications Officer David Lladapress@fide.com+34 623021120
Mikhail Kobalia, new Chairman of the FIDE Trainer’s Commission
The FIDE President has decided to appoint GM Mikhail Kobalia (Russia) as the new Chairman of the FIDE Trainers’ Commission. Born in 1978, Kobalia is a Grandmaster since 1996, and winner of multiple events, like the Russian under 20 Championship (1998), the Chigorin Memorial (1999), Rector’s Cup (Kharkov, 2002), Biel Open (2005), Arctic Cup (2010). As a coach, Kobalia was a member of Garry Kasparov‘s team during 2000-2003. He was also the Trainer of the Russian Women’s Team in 2007-2009, and during this period the team twice finished second in the Team World Championships (Yekaterinburg 2007, Ninbo 2009) and won the European championship (Greece 2007). As of recent, he has been the Chief Junior Trainer for the Russian Chess Federation, as well as the Secretary and Youth Director of the Event’s Commission, where he made an invaluable contribution thanks to his vast experience.
First FIDE Online World Corporate Chess Championship announced
The International Chess Federation is pleased to announce the first FIDE World Corporate Chess Championship, which will take place on February 19-21, 2021. The games will be played online, with Chess.com designated as the hosting platform. Corporations will be represented by a team of four players, meeting the following conditions: – At least one of the team members has to be a female player and at least one of the team members has to be a male player.– Only one player of a professional level (with a FIDE rating of +2500) is allowed per team.– At least three of the players lined-up in every match have to be full-time employees of the company. The event will be played entirely online, but the participants are encouraged to compete from the headquarters of the company they represent, as long as the epidemiological situation in the country allows it. An advantage of having companies playing from their own headquarters (if feasible) is that they can use this event to promote team building, fostering a sense of connectivity between employees and contributing to a positive workplace environment. Besides, participant companies are offered the possibility to brand the playing venue and provide a video feed to be used at the FIDE and Chess.com broadcast, as well as in their own channels. FIDE President’s address: “Dear friends, On behalf of the International Chess Federation, I would like to invite your company to take part in the first official World Corporate Chess Championship, which will be played ONLINE on February 19-21, 2021, and broadcast live on Chess.com. Sports activities promote team building, fostering a sense of connectivity between employees and contributing to a positive workplace environment. In the case of a corporate chess tournament, your employees will also be training useful skills like decision making, creative thinking, and the ability to calculate a few moves ahead. All this in a competitive but fun environment. We believe this is also a chance for the participating companies and their executives to reach new clients and business opportunities through sport and develop contacts with leaders and representatives of national and multinational businesses. Make a smart move, and join us in this celebration of intelligence. Arkady Dvorkovich FIDE President” Exclusive prizes at stake Participants will compete for truly special prizes: the winning company will be declared World Corporate Chess Champion 2021, while the team raising most donations for two social programs run by FIDE (Chess in Education and Support to Chess Veterans) will be invited to send four players to attend the forthcoming World Chess Championship match, to be held in the frame of the Dubai World Expo 2021. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to be a part of one of the most prestigious sporting events in the world, and enjoy the exclusive experience of meeting some of the brightest minds on the planet. Besides, the first 4 teams in the final ranking of the FIDE Online World Corporate Chess Championship will secure four seats each to participate in an online simultaneous chess game against the Challenger for the FIDE World Champion title, together with representatives of the sponsors. Additionally, each of the 4 highest-ranked teams not qualified for the Play-Off Stage of the FIDE Online World Corporate Chess Championship will secure 4 seats each to participate in an online simultaneous chess game against the FIDE Women’s World Champion, together with representatives of the sponsors. Partnership FIDE – Chess.com Thanks to the agreement between FIDE and Chess.com for this event, the FIDE Online World Corporate Chess Championship will be broadcast live across multiple outlets including Chess.com, Twitch, YouTube, Twitter and international streaming platforms in multiple languages including: Spanish, Russian, Portuguese, French, German, Mandarin, Italian, Turkish and Polish. The partnership between FIDE and Chess.com extends above and beyond this event: Chess.com has become the first company to acquire broadcast rights for the 2021 FIDE World Championship Match and will be an official broadcast partner for what is set to be the biggest global chess event of recent decades. The ground-breaking agreement between Chess.com and FIDE will bring the world chess championship to a wider audience than ever before. As the world’s biggest online chess platform, Chess.com has been the leading broadcaster of the board game in recent years, in partnership with streaming platform Twitch. Regulations for the first FIDE World Corporate Chess Championship (pdf)