A tribute to our veterans
Last week FIDE announced the names of twelve chess seniors who will benefit from FIDE’s support to chess veterans. A total of €30,000 will be distributed among them with each receiving €2,500. 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: Sergey Makarychev (Russia) One of the most talented Moscow players of his generation, Sergey Makarychev (born in 1953) quickly rose in the chess ranks and gained the title of International Master in 1974. Two years later he became Grandmaster. Despite considerable success in tournament chess, he gradually gravitated toward coaching and analytical work and excelled in both. He was Anatoly Karpov’s second in the 1985 World Championship and helped Garry Kasparov in the 1993 PCA World Championship match. Under his guidance USSR team won five Olympiads (1982, 1984, 1986, 1988, and 1992). As a playing coach and a member of the CSKA team, Sergey Makarychev won the USSR Chess Championship and two European Club Cups. Photo: ruchess.ru Sergey Makarichev proved himself as a talented analyst who made a significant contribution to the development of the chess opening theory in the 1970-1990s. His pioneering research in the Sicilian Defense and the Russian Defense gained vast popularity among chess players. The interpretation of the Italian Game with white that became fashionable in the 21st century, was developed and successfully applied by Sergey Makarychev back in the early 1970s. Makarychev is a very popular chess journalist. For many years, together with his wife Marina Makarycheva he authored and presented chess programs on the Russian channel NTV Plus Sport. He is the winner of the 2015 FIDE Awards “Best Chess Journalists in the World” as well as the honorary awards “Kaissa”, “Black King” and “Chess Journalist of Russia 2008” in the TV nomination. His name is included in the FIDE Golden Book. Currently, Makarychev analyses games and discusses chess-related topics on his Russian-language Youtube channel Makarychev Chess. Tamaz Giorgadze (Georgia) A many-time champion of Georgia, Tamaz Giorgadze (born in 1947) made case for himself in the team and student events after showing strong results in the USSR Spartakiad (1967) and Student Olympiad (1969). The 1970 and 1980s were the best period in Giorgadze’s chess career. He won the tournaments in Tbilisi (1974, 1977), Decin (1974 and 1975), Zlin (1976), Dortmund (1978), and participated in four USSR Championships. Giorgadze turned in his best performance in Tbilisi (1978), the city he was born, finishing fourth behind Tal, Tseshkovsky, and Polugaevsky, but ahead of Beliavsky, Romanishin, Geller, Kasparov, and many other strong Soviet players. Photo: RIA-Novosti In the late 1980s, Giorgadze joined the team of Anatoly Karpov in his matches with Garry Kasparov. He also productively worked with Nona Gaprindashvili and Maia Chiburdanidze. Giorgadze demonstrated some good results in tournaments (the victories in Pontevedra, Conta-del-So, and Sevilla speak for themselves) but after moving to Spain in the early 1990s he started training the national team he left competitive chess. Despite a long separation from practical chess “Don Tomazio” (as his friends often call him) successfully competed in the European Senior Chess Championship 2017 taking silver. Hanna Erenska-Barlo (Poland) A five-time Polish champion (1971, 1972, 1977, 1979, 1980) and thrice vice-champion Hanna Ereńska-Barlo (nee Ereńska) represented her country in eight Chess Olympiads (1972–1992). A true legend of Polish chess, Hanna won the individual silver medal in the 5th Chess Olympiad in Skopje 1972 (second board, 7½ points of 9 games), and team and individual bronze at the 9th Chess Olympiad in La Valletta 1980 (first board, 9 points of 13 games). Photo: David Llada Ereńska-Barlo was awarded WGM in 1981 and became the first Polish player to earn this title. She won the European Senior Chess Championship in Bad Homburg (2005) and clinched the 17th World Senior Chess Championship in Gmunden (2007). Honorary Member of Polish Chess Federation, a holder of several state awards (including Order of Polonia Restituta and silver and gold Cross of Merit), and a very respected member of Ethics Commission, Hanna Ereńska-Barlo is always present at the notable General Assemblies. Avigdor Bykhovsky (Israel) Avigdor Bykhovsky has successfully combined the careers of a chess coach and a tournament player throughout his life. A graduate from the Higher School of Trainers at the State Central University of Sport Education and Physical Culture (Moscow) he used to work as a trainer in a famous sport-school #9, then in the Soviet Chess Federation and Chess Federations Association. A long list of his students includes GMs Rozentalis, Postny and Nesterov and WGM Prudnikova. GM since 1993, Avigdor won the Soviet Spartak Club Championship 1991, the tournaments in Copengagen (1990), Tel-Aviv (2002), and took bronze in the Israel Open Championship 2011. Back in 1994, he moved to Israel, and currently, he works as a coach in a club for the visually impaired and blind in Haifa. Juzefs Petkevich (Latvia) Juzefs Petkevich, Latvian GM of Polish origin is a very popular figure in Baltic chess. A regular of Latvian championships he tied for first three times in these competitions (1969, 1974, and 1985). Petkevich holds a unique record in Riga championships winning all 13 games in 1967. Juzefs played for team Latvia in three Olympiads (1994, 1996, and 1998). In 2002 Petkevich won the Seniors World Championship and was awarded a GM title. Anatoly Noskov (Kazakhstan) A hydro-biologist by profession and an author of more than 20 research articles, Anatoly Noskov considered chess as a mere hobby for quite a long time. A member of the Kazakhstani junior team he achieved the master norm in 1966 and became the first player holding this title in Almaty. In 1969 he became the head of the Kazakhstani student team and still works in this capacity. This team won numerous competitions and became a breeding ground for the first Kazakhstani GM Yevgeny Vladimirov and several international masters. Photo: https://kazchess.kz/ Anatoly Noskov fostered Murat Zhunusov, a two-time world champion among the visually impaired (1995 and 2000). A popular chess journalist and author of hundreds of
Survey on visual imagery and chess
FIDE firmly supports the research and publication of studies, papers and surveys related to chess. In particular, topics like the benefits of chess in education, its effect in improving cognitive ageing, or any study that uses chess as a touchstone to measure intellectual performance, are considered priorities worth our full support. Last week, we have been contacted by Laura Zimmermann, a psychology student at the University of Bonn. Mrs. Zimmermann is currently doing her bachelor thesis on the subject of aphantasia, the state of reduced or absent visual imagery. In this context, she is researching the influence of visual imagery on planning ability, using the game to measure the correlation between visual imagery and chess performance. You can support this study by answering an online form, which takes approximately 20 minutes to complete. It contains a diagnostic questionnaire on visual imagery, a query on the most important chess parameters (e.g. standard rating, rapid rating, blitz rating) as well as a short IQ test with the possibility to get feedback on your IQ. The data of the survey will be stored securely. No identifying information will be used in any publications. The anonymity of the participants will remain fully protected. You can find the survey here: https://www.soscisurvey.de/chess/
Carlsen – Nepomnichtchi, So – Giri face off in semis
Magnus Carlsen showed a hunger for success today as he made it into the last four of his own tournament while eating a salad. The World Chess Champion weathered a fightback from Armenian opponent Levon Aronian to take the vital second set in their $220,000 Magnus Carlsen Invitational clash. Carlsen brought out his snack in Game 2, but while tucking into a pot of salad, the champion appeared to lose focus. Carlsen and Aronian drew that game which meant the challenger needed to win both the two remaining games to stay in the match. Aronian kicked back hard in the third suggesting Carlsen’s salad didn’t have the desired effect. Carlsen looked lost but Aronian missed a winning move and the draw took the champion through. Carlsen will now face old foe Ian Nepomniachtchi in the semis after Russia’s top player caused a minor shock by demolishing popular US star Hikaru Nakamura 3-1. The tour leader Wesley So, who beat Carlsen in last month’s Opera Euro Rapid, sparkled yet again as he booked his place in the semis. Having won the first set yesterday, the US Champion brushed aside teen prodigy Alireza Firouzja. So’s second-round demolition of the 17-year-old was a classic – one of the best games seen in the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour. So then overpowered Firouzja again in the third to seal his place without losing a game in the tie. Round 2 had been an eventful stage for all the ties. It was the moment Nepomniachtchi signaled he was in full control of his quarter-final with Nakamura. The pair had been level overnight but the Russian won the first game today and crushed his American opponent with a brutal 28-move win in the second. Ian said afterward he will “hopefully sleep a little” before taking on Carlsen in the semi. Round 2 was also the moment Dutch No.1 Anish Giri took the lead in his tie against the Frenchman Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. Anish and Maxime had also been level-pegging overnight but when Giri broke through there was no stopping him. Giri, who is bang in form and must be considered a serious threat, went on to draw the third and win the fourth to go through at a canter. For further information, please contact: Leon Watson, PR for Champions Chess Tourleon@chessable.com+44 7786 078 770