Ian Nepomniachtchi: To start this tournament was big courage and to end it – an act of heroism
The press conference dedicated to the end of the FIDE Candidates Tournament took place in Yekaterinburg, Russia. The press conference was attended by Andrey Simanovsky, founder and owner of Sima-Land, General Partner of the FIDE Candidates Tournament, President of the Sverdlovsk Region Chess Federation; Leonid Rapoport, Minister of Physical Culture and Sports of the Sverdlovsk Region; Dana Reizniece-Ozola, FIDE Managing Director; Albert Stepanyan, Director of the Candidates Tournament, Executive Director of the Sverdlovsk Region Chess Federation; and Ian Nepomniachtchi, Grandmaster, the winner of the Candidates Tournament in Yekaterinburg. Andrey Simanovsky, founder and owner of Sima-Land, General Partner of the FIDE Candidates Tournament, President of the Sverdlovsk Region Chess Federation: I am glad that such a significant chess event took place here in Yekaterinburg, Russia. I think it will give impetus to chess development among children and the younger generation. And, of course, the victory of Ian Nepomniachtchi will be the strong stimulus for the younger generation to go into chess. I would like to thank FIDE and the organizers of the tournament for the success of this event. Leonid Rapoport, Minister of Physical Culture and Sports of the Sverdlovsk Region: I am sure, we have all witnessed a miracle when in the middle of Russia our countryman won the Candidates tournament and now he will be fighting for the crown. We have felt tremendous interest to the tournament from all over the world, as the Ministry of Physical Culture and Sports of Sverdlovsk Region was responding to the questions from every corner of the world. I want to thank the President of the Sverdlovsk Region Chess Federation, who has done everything possible, and even impossible, to make this tournament come true. Dana Reizniece-Ozola, FIDE Managing Director: On the behalf of FIDE I would like to congratulate the organizers, the government of Sverdlovsk region, the Chess Federation of Sverdlovsk region and all the people who have been involved in this tournament with this successful event. They say that the more difficult the victory comes, the sweeter it is. Both Ian and the organizers can be satisfied with that. Those who followed the tournament felt the tension in the air till the very end. The fight was very exciting, tight and dynamic. Together with our chief arbiter, we have calculated that it took in total 75 hours and 40 minutes to play on the chessboard to find out who the candidate will be. But it’s not only the quantity, it’s the quality. We saw that for the first time in the history of the Candidates tournament there was the day, Round 11 when all four games were decisive. So therefore I would like to thank all the players for their great fighting spirit they demonstrated, and also their fair play cause we didn’t have any incidents in the tournament, and that’s great. The tournament was not less challenging for the organizers since it has appeared to be the longest tournament in history – 400 days in total. So I would like to that the organizers and also the sponsors that had allowed this tournament to happen. Albert Stepanyan, Director of the Candidates Tournament, Executive Director of the Sverdlovsk Region Chess Federation: I would like to congratulate everybody, our country, chess fans from every corner of the world on the finish of the Candidates Tournament. It is especially pleasing that it ends with a victory of a Russian player. I would like to thank FIDE for granting us the right to host this tournament. I would also like to thank all the players for finding the opportunity to participate. There were some difficulties, not everything went smoothly. It’s been challenging, especially the first part of the tournament. It was a rough start, and it was the only international event that was running at that time. Still, players have found an opportunity to come to Yekaterinburg in 2020 and now, in 2021, and I am grateful to them for that. Eugene Kaspersky, CEO of Kaspersky, official cybersecurity partner of the FIDE World Chess Championship: In recent days the chess world’s attention has been on one thing only – the tournament and who will win it. Last year’s lockdowns and the resulting increase in the use of digital platforms only helped popularize the game of chess. And I am sure that the return of ‘over the board’ tournaments will further inspire chess players to test their abilities in this unique game that combines elements of art, science and sport. And we, in turn, are ready to deliver the cyber-threat protection for players competing online. Ian Nepomniachtchi, the winner of the Candidates Tournament in Yekaterinburg: I can hardly imagine the scale of organizational activities needed to set up an event like this. I would like to thank the organizers and FIDE. In the current situation to start this tournament was big courage and to end it – an act of heroism. The contribution of everyone involved – from sponsors to volunteers – was very important. Of course, I would also like to thank my team, who deserve this success even more than I do. Their work was left behind the scenes, it’s not the tip of the iceberg, it’s the part that is hidden under the water. I am just moving the pieces. More information and full round-by-round reports are available at the official website: https://en.candidates-2020.com Partners supporting the FIDE Candidates Tournament: Sima-land, as the General Partner Algorand, as the Official Blockchain Partner Kaspersky, as the Official Cybersecurity Partner PhosAgro, General Partner of Chess Federation of Russia Chessable, as Event Partner Pine Creek Golf Resort, as event Partner Mercedes-Benz Russia, the Official Auto Partner
Decisions of 20211st FIDE Online Council Meeting
List of FIDE Council Decisions 2021 1st meeting 19 April 2021 Online OCM-2021/01 To note President’s report. OCM-2021/02 To note Financial report. OCM-2021/03 To entrust President to agree on the potential time and place of 2021 FIDE Congress with the potential organizers. OCM-2021/04 To note the report on the FIDE Handbook update. OCM-2021/05 To authorize President to apply the necessary measures in order to obtain the copies of the statutes from the federations, including restricting FIDE financial support to federations that have not submitted their statutes. OCM-2021/06 To approve proposal regarding the right of the Affiliated Organisations for the FIDE Ratings and Participation in the FIDE Events. Instruct the Qualification Commission and the Event Commission to prepare the necessary technical amendments to the FIDE documents. OCM-2021/07 To approve the request of the Fiji Chess Federation. OCM-2021/08 To approve the proposed Resolution on the Pakistan Chess Federation. OCM-2021/09 To approve conceptually the Regulations for the World Team University Championship subject to changes related to the final decision of the time of the event. To confirm that the final announcement of the dates and venue of the event is subject to prior coordination with the FISU. OCM-2021/010 To approve opening of a bidding procedure for the 2026 Chess Olympiad. OCM-2021/011 To approve the Arbiters’ Commission Regulations and proposals on the Commission membership and objectives, to come into effect from July 1st 2021. OCM-2021/012 To approve the recommendations of the Arbiters’ Commission on Seminars, FA norms and titles. OCM-2021/013 To note the Events Commission’s report. OCM-2021/014 To approve the Events Commission’s proposal to postpone the final decision for 2021 FIDE EVE World Championships till 1st June 2021. OCM-2021/015 To approve the Events Commission’s proposal to postpone FIDE EVE World Championships 2023 bidding procedure, as 2022 events shall be postponed to 2023. OCM-2021/016 To approve the Events Commission’s proposal to move the 2021 World Senior Team Championship to 2022. OCM-2021/017 To approve the bidding procedure for FIDE Events Commission’s (EVE) Online Tournaments and the list of 2021 online tournaments. OCM-2021/018 To approve the proposal of the Georgian Chess Federation to organize the 2021 World Youth Online Cup, Youth Online Grand-Prix series and Youth Superfinal. OCM-2021/019 To approve the recommendations of the Events Commission on titles. OCM-2021/020 To note the Planning and Development Commission’s report. OCM-2021/021 To note the Qualification Commission’s report. OCM-2021/022 To approve the recommendations of the Qualification Commission on titles. OCM-2021/023 To approve the resolution to reinstate the Qualification Commission’s control of the Regulations on Registration & Licensing of Players, including the right to submit to the Council necessary proposals for amendment of the document. OCM-2021/024 To request the Qualification Commission to hold additional discussion in respect of the GM title application of Praveen Balakrishnan (USA) #2064871. OCM-2021/025 To note the Technical Commission’s report. OCM-2021/026 To note the Trainers’ Commission’s report. OCM-2021/027 To approve the changes for the FIDE Regulations for the Titles of Trainers / FIDE Endorsed Academies proposed by the Trainers’ Commission which shall come into effect from July 1st 2021. OCM-2021/028 To approve the recommendations of the Trainers’ Commission on titles and Academies. OCM-2021/029 To note the Athletes’ Commission’s report. OCM-2021/030 To note the Fair Play Commission’s report. OCM-2021/031 To note reports of Continental Associations. OCM-2021/032 To decide on President’s wildcard for Women’s World Cup after consultations with Mr. Ncube. OCM-2021/033 To approve the proposal of the Gligoric Award Committee regarding the prize for 2020. OCM-2021/034 To reconfirm Ms. J. Polgar, Mr. E. Torre and Mr. M. Najdorf as FIDE inductees to the World Chess Hall of Fame for the year 2021. OCM-2021/035 To note the report on Chess ID. OCM-2021/036 To approve proposal to establish FIDE’s subsidiary legal entity in order to promote FIDE’s programmes. To confirm President’s right to choose its legal form and functions after additional discussions with FC members and consultants. OCM-2021/37 To organize the next FIDE Council meeting during the World Cup in Sochi, Russia.
The first Preparation of Teachers course announced
Dear Member Federations, FIDE and its Chess in Education Commission are pleased to announce the first Preparation of Teachers course. The course will be held in the English language online 21-23 May, 15:00-20:00 CET each day. The target audience is teachers who have a good knowledge of chess basics and experience of working with children. It is recommended that you have at least a level of B1 in English. It is a 3-day (15 hours) course with 2-3 breaks each day, that will help develop participants’ knowledge and skills in educational chess, help them find new digital tools and platforms for online learning, and get ideas on the application of important pedagogical approaches to the teaching process of chess basics. The last hour of the course will be devoted to an exam (multiple choice questions) with a pass mark of 65 %. Candidates who achieve the pass mark will qualify for the FIDE title of School Instructor, subject to paying the title fee of €50. Candidates who wish to attend the course must complete and return the following registration form. Registration form: The cut-off date for applications is May 15. However, please note that applicants are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis and the absolute maximum number of places on the course is 30. Those who are ‘late’ will be placed on a waiting list and will thus be at the head of the queue for the following course. Candidates must also pay the €100 course fee by May 17 at the latest. Candidates should note that several pre-course emails will be sent to them, containing links to material that they will be expected to be familiar with. These will generally be sent out starting on May 14, so those who leave the application until the last minute are likely to find themselves at a disadvantage. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at edu.secretary@fide.com. FIDE Official Chess Learning Partner FIDE General Partner
Carlsen powers past Radjabov as semi-final line-up decided
Magnus Carlsen blew away Teimour Radjabov on Wednesday to book his place in the semi-finals of the $100,000 New In Chess Classic. Norway’s World Champion was in scintillating form yet again as he broke through Radjabov’s defenses after being held to a draw yesterday. It was a day of decisive quarterfinal results as Levon Aronian blunted Meltwater Champions Chess Tour leader Wesley So‘s comeback attempt to go through. In the other ties, Hikaru Nakamura and Shakrhiyar Mamedyarov both held onto their overnight leads to make the last four. Carlsen’s breakthrough came in game 2 as he put on a masterclass in strategic play and Radjabov just crumbled. It seemed effortless for the champion, while Radjabov was visibly angry with himself. The Azeri then needed a fightback and it never came as Carlsen kept him at bay and eventually forced a draw. It was over, Carlsen went through. US star So also needed to up his game after losing yesterday’s first set against Aronian, the tournament’s oldest player. After two draws, So found himself needing a win but Aronian turned on the style to cruise through. Newly-resident in the US, Aronian said he was eager to win the event and make it to the Tour finals. “I really want to go to San Francisco, because I watched many movies from there!” he said. Meanwhile, Nakamura triumphed against Vietnam’s former World Blitz Champion Liem Quang Le in a wild first game full of attacking intent, particularly from Liem. American’s speed king knows how to hold onto a lead, however, and then shut up shop to close out the set and the match. Nakamura is playing his best chess yet on the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour and eased into the semis with relative ease. Nakamura said: “Overall I am pretty happy, I think it’s the first time I’ve won a quarterfinal in like four months or something, so it’s been a while.” He added: “It’s going to be very exciting. Shakhriyar is very, very sharp tactically. He was a very deserved winner in his match.” Mamedyarov, a former world number 2, used all his experience to boss the youngest player in the field, the exciting 17-year-old Alireza Firouzja. Mamedyarov looked sharp and was dominant throughout. He won the first game then unleashed all his attacking prowess on the youngster in game 3. It was brutal – but good to watch! Mamedyarov said: “It’s my first time in the semi-finals and, of course, it is a good result.” Tomorrow’s semi-finals will see Mamedyarov face Nakamura and Carlsen take on Aronian. Play begins at 19:00 CEST. For further information, please contact: Leon Watson, PR for Play Magnus Groupleon@chessable.com+44 7786 078 770