CFR Team, Georgia, Ukraine and India advance to semis
Not a single Russian player has lost a single game of chess in Sitges: “CFR Team” keeps its dominant performance, and as expected, they advanced to the semifinals without much trouble. The squad whitewashed the FIDE Americas team in the first match by 4-0; in the second, the American players put up a real fight and had good chances in a couple of games, but lost by 3-1. In the seven matches played so far, CFR Team has won a total of 20 games, conceding eight draws, with no losses. Georgia also continues advancing, solid and steady. They decided the eliminatory in the first clash, defeating Azerbaijan by 3½-½, and then sealed their ticket to the semifinals with a draw 2-2. The team leader, Nana Dzagnidze, seems to be in good shape and, despite having lost a game in the pools stage, she has scored 4½/6 on the first board. The other two clashes were much closer, and, in particular, the match between Ukraine and Armenia was as dramatic as it gets. The first match was won by the Armenians by 3-1. Anna Muzychuk had a decisive attack against Danielian, but she underestimated the threat posed by black’s passed pawn, and that cost her the full point. Ushenina avoided a threefold repetition trying to find ways to win her game just to end up losing. However, things would take a turn in the second match, where the Ukrainians manage to put themselves together and hit back, winning by 3½-½ and forcing a tie-break. Only Anna Muzychuk conceded a draw, while Mariya, Osmak and Buksa won their games. The tie-break was very balanced, and when indicated that it would be a 2-2 draw, Lilit Mkrtchian blundered as queen against Mariya Muzychuk in a game where she had a massive advantage. The Ukrainians advance to the next round, where they will face the arduous task of trying to stop the CFR Team. India-Kazakhstan was a very close affair throughout. In the first set, which ended 2-2, the top two boards drew, while Mary Ann Gomes for India and Meruert Kamalidenova for Kazakhstan scored the victories for their respective teams. In the second round, India managed to punch the ticket to the semis. Harika won a fine game in the black side of a Ruy Lopez against Abdumalik. Sachdev lost to Kamalidenova, but it was Mary Ann who saved the day, winning her second game in succession and scoring the decisive point for her team. CFR Team – Ukraine, and Georgia-India will be the semifinal matches, with games starting at 15:00 CET. Text: David Llada Photo: Niki Riga Official website: worldwomensteams.fide.com/
October rating list: Firouzja and Rapport debut in top-10
September of 2021 was marked by several important chess competitions: the Norway Chess, European Individual Championship, European Club Cup and Sharjah Masters. Subsequently, those players who fared well in these events got a substantial rating boost. Although the top echelon remained basically intact as most players preserved their positions in the list, one thing just jumps out at you – Alireza Firouzja and Richard Rapport have debuted in the top-10. The Norway Chess 2021 was an uplift for both – the runner-up Firouzja picked up 16 points and third-finisher Rapport 10. Photo: Lennart Ootes 18-year-old Alireza Firouzja is one of the youngest ever players to reach the top-10, comparable to Garry Kasparov and Magnus Carlsen. In January 1981, 17-year-old Kasparov was #6 in the world, and Carlsen became #5 in March 2008, when he was 17 too. Biggest gains (within top-100 open) Mamedov, Rauf AZE 2673 (+19) Alekseenko, Kirill RUS 2710 (+17) Firouzja, Alireza FRA 2770 (+16) Navara, David CZE 2691 (+15) Eljanov, Pavel UKR 2691 (+11) Salem, A.R. Saleh UAE 2690 (+11) Rapport, Richard HUN 2770 (+10) Shirov, Alexei ESP 2659 (+7) Jumabayev, Rinat KAZ 2658 (+7) Anton Guijarro, David ESP 2658 (+7) Rauf Mamedov (pictured below) did a great job in the European Individual Championship and European Club Cup, picking up 9 and 10 points respectively and climbing 31 positions in the rating list. Kirill Alekseenko triumphantly returned into a 2700+ club following his strong performance at the European Club Cup. The same applies to David Navara, who netted 15 rating points and got closer to the 2700 mark. Photo: Thorsteinn Magnusson The 4th Sharjah Masters International Chess Championship 2021 ended in a four-way tie for first place, with Saleh Salem (+11), Pavel Eljanov (+11) and Amin Tababtabaei (+15) considerably increasing their rating. Amin Tababtabaei is on his way to Top-100 Open Photo: Anastasiya Karlovich Speaking of the absolute numbers, we can’t fail to mention some fantastic rating-jumps by the players outside of the Top-100 Open. It is no coincidence that most of them are under 20 – progress is particularly fast at the young age: Yana Zhapova (+103), Miruna-Daria Luhaci (+96), Zala Urh (+76), Nadya Toncheva (+69), Gukesh D (+41), Hans Moke Niemann (to name a few) shoot up in the junior rating lists.
2021 2nd FIDE Online Council Agenda and Commissions reports/proposals
FIDE publishes the Agenda of the 2nd FIDE Online Council Meeting which was held on August 2, 2021. Download Agenda (pdf) Annex 5.2a FIDE Online Chess Regulations Annex 5.2b Summary of Changes Annex 6.1 Global Strategy Commission’s report Annex 6.2.1 Arbiters’ Commission’s report Annex 6.3 Chess in Education Commission’s report Annex 6.4.1 Events Commission’s report Annex 6.5 Commission for the Disabled report Annex 6.6.1 First draft of the Ethics & Disciplinary Code Annex 6.7.1 Fair Play Commission’s report Annex 6.8 Medical Commission’s report Annex 6.9 Planning and Development Commission’s report Annex 6.10.1 Rules Commission’s report Annex 6.10.2 Rules Commission’s proposal Annex 6.11.2 Qualification Commission’s proposal Annex 6.12 Social Commission’s report Annex 6.13 Systems of Pairings and Programs Commission’s report Annex 6.14.1 Technical Commission’s report Annex 6.14.2 Technical Commission’s proposal (draft) Annex 6.15.1 Trainers’ Commission’s report Annex 6.15.2 Trainers’ Commission’s proposal Annex 6.16.1 Commission for Women’s Chess report Annex 6.17.1 Historical Committee’s report
Judit Polgar’s Global Chess Festival brings pioneers of education to the table
How can chess revolutionize education? How can self-esteem issues be tackled by this ancient game? What does our pulse say about our chess game? Thinkers from all around the globe will get together to answer these questions on the 9th of October, at Judit Polgar’s Global Chess Festival, which – for the first time – will be available in a hybrid form. At the press conference held on Thursday, new, world-famous presenters were announced, like Ernő Rubik, inventor of Rubik’s Cube and Dana Rezniece-Ozola, managing director of FIDE, Ms. Mariya Gabriel, patron of the Global Chess Festival and European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth also sent a video message to show her support towards chess education. Norbert Fogarasi, head of the Budapest office and Managing Director at Morgan Stanley, the event’s primary sponsor for the past three years, spoke about the connection between chess and STEM fields. He also discussed the importance of STEM skills within Morgan Stanley and financial services broadly. In a few days, the Global Chess Festival will conquer the walls of the Hungarian National Gallery, where the main topics will be creativity and innovation. Visitors will be presented with revolutionary ideas and initiatives inspired by chess in the fields of science, education, art and business. Is creativity a divine spark or a teachable method? How do pulse and blood pressure influence the performance of chess players? Visitors of Judit Polgar’s Global Chess Festival will find out with the help of this year’s presenters both on and offline. This year the Global Chess Festival hosts the Educational Chess Summit conference, where presenters prove: chess does deserve a place in classrooms as a profound way of skill development. Lorena Garcia, an educational researcher, will prove to the audience that chess can improve self-esteem and deters anxiety. Rita Atkins, British International Master, will show practical examples of incorporating chess in mathematics classes; Jesper Berger, international chess coach, will debunk a widespread theory: chess only develops children with exceptional capabilities; chess can be surprisingly beneficial for children suffering from learning disabilities. Fernando Moreno, a Spanish psychologist, is a recurring presenter at the Global Chess Festival – this time, he will discuss the “life lessons” chess can teach us. Furthermore, a screening of Judit Polgar’s and Ernő Rubik’s – inventor of Rubik’s Cube – discussion will be presented, where a whole new idea of education systems based on creative energies will emerge. The conference also welcomes Leontxo García, Spanish chess journalist, as co-host of the Chess Festival alongside Judit Polgar, but Dana Reizniece-Ozola managing director of FIDE, Bachar Kouatly, president of FIDE and Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth will also speak. “It has been a dream of mine to create a forum that makes a home for international discussions surrounding chess and education, a forum which showcases how the game can be incorporated into school subjects and brings kids’ strengths to the surface. The Educational Chess Summit is also a cultural trip: it shows how colourful the way we think about this around the world” – said Judit Polgar during her speech at the press conference. She also claims that “this year’s Chess Festival will be of historical significance, as Budapest never hosted a conference like the Educational Chess Summit before” – Judit Polgar told. Introducing young people to chess is also an important goal for Morgan Stanley Budapest, which has been sponsoring the Global Chess Festival for three years. With its close connection to STEM, chess provides an excellent foundation in many valuable soft skills, including strategic planning, problem-solving, decision-making and rational thinking – very similar to the skills necessary for many of the roles and functions carried out by the firm’s employees in Budapest. ‘In Budapest, we operate an important technology and analytics center within one of the world’s leading investment banks. The majority of our 2,500+ colleagues have a background in STEM fields, as they are closely related to what we do, from mathematical modelling to developing trading algorithms. We are committed to supporting STEM education, an area where chess can play an important role. Morgan Stanley has numerous chess players among its employees, including five international masters and this year, we were pleased to organize the finals of our inter-office chess tournament to coincide with the Global Chess Festival, attracting 400 players from our offices around the world. We are proud to partner with Judit Polgár and the Global Chess Festival again this year”, said Norbert Fogarasi, Head of Morgan Stanley’s Budapest office. Gender equality is also of paramount importance for Morgan Stanley, not only in the workplace but in STEM education as well. In 2018, the Budapest office, in partnership with the Association of Women in Science, launched a mathematics and coding course called Smartiz to help encourage female high school students to consider a career in STEM. Now in its 4th year, the goal of Smartiz is to ensure every talented child who enjoys science, technology, engineering and mathematics can go out and pursue careers in these fields, regardless of their gender. Big Chess Survey: the majority thinks that chess has a positive impact on studies and career A survey has been conducted in order to unravel the connections between chess and STEM-education under the aegis of the Global Chess Festival, with over 650 participants. Those who took part in the survey – mostly students – gave an in-depth insight to chess and its relevance to STEM. Almost half of the participants (45%) claimed that they play chess in order to develop their logic skills, but many opted into chess for the challenge and the competition. Over ⅔ of the participants think that chess develops their strategic thinking capabilities and many think that it has a rather positive impact on their decision-making skills and their abilities to recognize and analyze patterns. It is not surprising that the majority thinks that chess can have a positive impact on their studies and their career. The survey also concluded that for the majority of the participants (72%) there is no difference between the competences of men and women when it comes