Portuguese Championship: André Sousa clinches third title
IM André Sousa won the Portuguese Championship, a 10-player round-robin that took place at Teatro Garcia de Resende, in Évora city from September 7-15. It is his third national title over six years. Sousa secured the first prize with a round to spare after defeating Jose Padeiro in the penultimate round. The champion turned in an excellent performance 7 out of 9 (five wins and four draws) and picked up 17 rating points. The rating-favourite Jorge Ferreira finished second a full point behind the champion (he has yet to win his first title); the young FM Bruno Martins came clear third, earned 24 rating points, and stamped himself as the future of Portuguese chess. The 16-time national champion and the record holder António Fernandes was looking for the 17th national title in Évora, but the tournament turned into a big disappointment for him. Final standings: 1 IM Sousa, Andre 2406 7 2 GM Ferreira, Jorge 2520 6 3 FM Martins, Bruno 2335 5½ 4 IM Dias, Paulo 2335 4½ 5 IM Rocha, Sergio 2344 4½ 6 NM Fidalgo, Andre 2263 4½ 7 FM Veiga, Jose 2369 4½ 8 FM Santos, Jose 2344 4 9 FM Padeiro, Jose 2235 3 10 GM Fernandes, Antonio 2343 1½ In the women’s tournament, Filipa Pipiras won the title in a close competition with Sara Monteiro whom she beat in the winner-takes-it-all final-round clash. This defeat relegated Monteiro to the third position while Camila Avelino took silver. Photo: Official website Official website: fpx.pt
Intercontinental Online Championship for Prisoners: Last call to register
The first Intercontinental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners will take place from 13-14 October 2021. Organized as a part of the Chess for Freedom program, it aims at introducing chess as a tool for education and social inclusion in prisons of different countries. Registration for participation is open here until September 21. So far, prisons and correctional facilities from 23 countries have ready registered for the competition. Inmates from India, Italy, England, Armenia, Argentina, Spain, Palestine, Iran, Lybia, Germany, Russia, Czech Republic, United Arab Emirates, Portugal, Columbia, Philippines, Australia, Norway, Ecuador, Uruguay, Mongolia, Ukraine, USA are getting ready for the October event. Teams comprised of four players with an unlimited number of substitutes each will first compete in a round-robin chess tournament on Wednesday, October 13. The top teams will be battling it out in the finals on Thursday, October 14. “The Intercontinental Chess Championship among the Prisoners is a bridge for freedom for hundreds of men and women across all continents that can be used as an efficient tool for re-integration of prisoners to the normal life”, says the Cook County Jail chess instructor Mikhail Korenman, whose team won the silver medal of the “Chess for Freedom” online tournament held earlier this year. “We got new members of the team after May event. There is a competition to be part of our team; the tournament definitely raised the interest of the inmates in chess. We have weekly chess lessons, and before the championship, we plan to have four days of practice with the computers on Chess.com”. Mikhail Korenman conducts chess classes at the Cook County Jail. Photo by Phil Velasquez (Chicago Tribune) Team of Uruguay has also registered for the Intercontinental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners. The Director of Youth and Adult Education, Marisa Grosso said the team was looking forward to the coming tournament and stressed that the results of teaching chess in detention centers are very positive. “We have chess teachers in various prisons of the country, and we noticed that inmates are playing chess with great enthusiasm. Chess is not just a game; it improves strategic thinking and shows the importance of teamwork. Prisoners play in teams and help each other, so there they also learn to respect other people, their time and efforts”, he explains. Free and open to players representing any correctional facility without specification by age and gender of prisoners, the tournament will be played online and live-streamed on Chess TV and FIDE’s Youtube channel. In parallel with the championship, the live broadcast will feature guests discussing various topics and sharing their experience in teaching chess in prisons. Regulations for Intercontinental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners (pdf) Chess for Freedom Presentation (pdf)
FIDE signs MoU with International School Sport Federation
The International Chess Federation has signed the memorandum of understanding with the International School Sport Federation (ISF), the governing body for school sport, which comprises children between the ages of 13 to 18, on ensuring the development and promotion of chess through school sport. The document was signed by FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich and ISF President Laurent Petrynka within the framework of the School Sport Forum held in Belgrade, Serbia. Specifically, the partnership will encourage and support youth education through chess sport and culture, contribute to the social and intellectual development of youngsters, and promote chess sport and chess in education on a local and international level. Arkady Dvorkovich said that joint efforts of both federations in organizing school chess events and promoting chess among youngsters across the world is a win-win opportunity for FIDE and ISF. “This memorandum will give a pass to our expanded collaboration in the developing of school sports and chess in particular. We support integrating chess in multi-sport events. We do it all the time, but being at the school level is a special thing for us. It’s our great pleasure to work with your team to bring chess and other sports to countries and regions that are in high demand for educational and sports activities in schools and also creating good examples of sportsmanship and fair play. Looking forward to new ideas and projects! FIDE will be an active part of your school movement. Thanks a lot for your trust, and we will respond the same way!” he stated. “Chess is inside ISF, as the smartness, the intelligence of chess, the fact that chess is the link between people – all these values are the values of school sports as well” – added ISF President Laurent Petrynka. Based in Belgium, the ISF has been organizing international competitions to encourage education through sport and student-athletes since its foundation in 1972. ISF was recognized by the IOC in 1995, and it currently has 113 members competing in 45 different sports disciplines. Many of these sports have their own World Schools Championships every two years, while others are part of the bi-annual Gymnasiade.