FIDE Chess.com Women’s Speed Chess Championship announced
The International Chess Federation and Chess.com announce the FIDE Chess.com Women’s Speed Chess Championship, an online competition to be held between May 28th and July 3rd. The first edition of the FIDE Chess.com Women’s Speed Chess Championship was held in summer 2020, right in the midst of COVID-19 pandemic. With participants like Hou Yifan, Ju Wenjun, Anna Ushenina, Valentina Gunina, Alexandra Kosteniuk, Kateryna Lagno and others the event was a big success both among audience and participants. The event will consist of two stages: the qualifiers for the event will happen from May 28 till June 6, while the main event runs from June 10 till July 3 with the semifinals on July 01 and 02, and the finals on July 03. The first stage will comprise a total of eight Swiss tournaments open to any titled women player (WCM/WFM/WIM/WGM/CM/FM/IM/GM). Organizers expect to have participants from around 100 countries. One player from each playoff qualifier will move on to the main event. The main event of the FIDE Chess.com Women’s Speed Chess Championship will consist of a 16-player bracket, one match per day. Eight players will be invited directly to the knockout bracket, while a qualification system will determine the eight remaining spots. In the 16-player brackets players will face each other under three different time controls – rapid, blitz and bullet. The closer they will be getting to the end of their matches, the less time they will have to make decisions – the more thrilling the games will become. The FIDE Chess.com Women’s Speed Chess Championship features one of the biggest prize pools in the history of online women’s chess tournaments. $58,000 will be allocated to the main event with $20,000 going to the winner and $12,000 to the runner-up. The total prize fund of the event is $66,000. All the games from the FIDE Chess.com Women’s Speed Chess Championship will be broadcast live with multilingual expert commentary on Chess.com/TV and Chess.com’s Twitch channel. Fans will also be able to enjoy the event through Chess.com’s Events page. All the information about the Championship can be found here: https://www.chess.com/article/view/2021-womens-speed-chess-championship-all-the-information
Chicago hosts 2021 North American Youth Championship
With the relaxing restrictions and Chicago’s goal of reopening by July 4, the organizers of the 2021 North American Youth Chess Championship (NAYCC) are excited to announce they are moving forward with a tournament in Chicago from August 16 – 21, 2021. The tournament will take place at the Hilton Chicago, a centrally located luxury hotel in downtown Chicago that overlooks Lake Michigan, Grant Park, and the Museum Campus. The Renaissance Knights Chess Foundation, the International Chess School, the United States Chess Federation, the Confederation of Chess for America, and the International Chess Federation (FIDE), are pleased to invite players under 18 years old (as of Jan 1, 2021) from the USA, Mexico, Canada, and the Bahamas to the 17th Annual North American Youth Championship. Players will participate in the following categories: Under 8 years old, under 10, under 12, under 14, under 16, and under 18; Open and Girls sections. This is an international tournament where FIDE Titles and norms will be awarded to the top 3 players in each section. Trophies will also be awarded to the top players in each section. This will be a FIDE and US Chess rated tournament. Players may register online through the event website. The early entry fee is $150.00 thru June 15 (This includes $25 for FIDE America and all rating fees). The tournament is a 9-Round, Swiss with a time control of 90 minutes plus 30-second increment per move. The tournament schedule allows players and their parents the time to enjoy all Chicago has to offer. Arrival day is Monday, August 16 with a Blitz tournament scheduled at 5 PM. There will be two rounds each day from August 17 – 20. At 10 AM & 4 PM. On Saturday, August 21, the final round is at 9 AM and the closing ceremony is at 3 PM. The organizers have arranged with the hotel a special rate of $165 (USD) for single/double occupancy, triple $189, quad $214; plus tax. This rate is good for three days pre and post-event for those who want to arrive early or stay after the tournament to enjoy all the city has to offer. The organizers recognize the challenges presented by COVID-19 and are implementing precautionary measures to prevent and reduce the spread of COVID-19 among players and guest at the tournament. Details can be found on the event website. To register for the tournament, make hotel reservations, or for more details visit www.naycc2021.com Contact: info@naycc2021.com FIDE Official Chess Learning Partner FIDE General Partner