Russian Championship Superfinals get underway in Ufa
The Superfinals of the 74th Russian Championship and the 71st Russian Women’s Championship are held in Ufa from October 8-21. The tournament is a part of the Chess in Museums international programme realised by the Chess Federation of Russia and the Elena and Gennady Timchenko Foundation. The line-up, open: Dmitry Andreikin (2728), Nikita Vitiugov (2727), Andrey Esipenko (2720), Kirill Alekseenko (2710), Vladimir Fedoseev (2704), Maxim Matlakov (2682), Alexandr Predke (2666), Pavel Ponkratov (2659), Aleksandr Rakhmanov (2657), Maksim Chigaev (2639), Alexander Motylev (2624), and Aleksandra Goryachkina (2602). The second-rated Nikita Vitiugov is in a cheerful mood The three-time Russian women’s champion Aleksandra Goryachkina has become the first woman to take part in the Russian Championship Superfinal. She qualified for this competition from the Russian Championship Higher League, having won bronze. The line-up, women: Polina Shuvalova (2509), Alina Kashlinskaya (2493), Natalija Pogonina (2467), Valentina Gunina (2462), Alisa Galliamova (2421), Anastasia Bodnaruk (2415), Olga Girya (2410), Leya Garifullina (2409), Marina Guseva (2394), Alina Bivol (2392), Daria Voit (2357), and Evgenija Ovod (2331). The opening ceremony, drawing of lots, and press conference were held in the Bashkir Nesterov Art Museum in Ufa on the 8th of September. Polina Shuvalova drew #1 Both tournaments are 11-round all-play-all events. The playing days are 9-14 and 16-20 October. The rest day is the 15th of October. The games will start at 3 PM local time (GMT +5). The time control is 90 minutes for the first 40 moves plus 30 minutes for the rest of the game with a 30-second increment per move starting from move one. The total guaranteed prize fund is 11 million rubles (roughly USD 152,000): 7 million rubles in the open section and 4 million rubles in the women’s tournament. The Superfinals are organised by the Chess Federation of Russia with the support of the Russian Ministry of Sport, the Government of the Republic of Bashkortostan, and the Elena and Gennady Timchenko Foundation. The CFR general partner is PhosAgro. Partners: Aeroflot, Art Russe, Chess Federation of the Republic of Bashkortostan, and the Bashkortostan State M.V. Nesterov Art Museum. Photo: Eteri Kublashvili About Chess in Museums programme Since 2012, the Chess Federation of Russia and the Timchenko Foundation have organised chess tournaments in the leading museums of Russia and the whole world. The World Chess Championship match between Vishy Anand and Boris Gelfand took place in the State Tretyakov Gallery (Moscow) in 2012. In 2013, the CFR and the Timchenko Foundation held the Alekhine Memorial. The first half of the super tournament was played in the Louvre (Paris), the second part took place in the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg. The Museum of Russian Impressionism in Moscow hosted the Tal Memorials in 2016 and 2018. Almost all Russian Championships Superfinals are held as part of the Chess in Museums programme. The tournaments took place in the Rukavishnikov’s Mansion in Nizhny Novgorod (2013), the Museum of Art in the Kazan Kremlin (2014), the Novosibirsk State Museum of Local History (2016), and the State Museum of Political History of Russia in Saint Petersburg (2017). In 2018, the players competed for the titles in the Magnezit Palace of Culture in Satka, where the exhibition of the well-known Soviet and Russian painter Geliy Korzhev was opened. In 2019, the Superfinals were held in two venues in the Udmurt Republic – in the Tchaikovsky Museum in Votkinsk, and the Palace of Peoples’ Friendship in Izhevsk. In 2020, the famous Cetral Chess Club in Moscow with a unique Chess Museum became the venue for the Superfinals.
FIDE endorses Judit Polgar Method
It is a core mission of FIDE (Fédération Internationale des Échecs) to research, monitor and promote best practices of chess in education programs across the globe. In that sense, we are happy to endorse the Judit Polgar Method, a proven and successful methodology that has already long been recognised as a unique and comprehensive approach in using chess to foster cognitive skills development as well as curricular enhancement in schools. The Judit Polgar Method has already been introduced in hundreds of schools in Hungary and China, and it is being rolled out further internationally. Its “Train the Teachers” program perfectly aligns with FIDE’s strategy and goals, since training teachers is the first step towards introducing chess massively in schools, and supply for the strong demand from the educational community. While FIDE is developing its own certification process, we also must support and join forces with all those who are working in the same direction. FIDE appreciates the existing partnership model and hopes for further strengthening of the cooperation with GM Judit Polgar, European Chess Union, and the Ministry of Human Capacities of Hungary. Together we will pursue the goal of bringing chess, and its educational benefits, to more children around the world.
Riga to host Lindores Abbey Blitz in honour of Mikhail Tal’s 85th birthday
In honour of the 85th anniversary of the birth of the 8th World Chess Champion Mikhail Tal, FIDE is delighted to endorse The Lindores Abbey Blitz, which will take place on 8th November in the historical Hanzas Perons venue in Riga, Latvia A number of leading world Grandmasters – many of whom will previously be taking part in the FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss and Women’s Grand Swiss – have confirmed they will be playing at the Blitz. The line-up so far is headed by leading world players such as Levon Aronian, Alexander Grischuk, Richard Rapport, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, as well as the two-time winner of the Tal Memorial Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, the former contender for the title of World Champion Boris Gelfand, former world youth champions Jeffery Xiong and Parham Maghsoodloo, and others. Among female players, the three-times Women’s World Blitz Champion Kateryna Lagno leads the field, joined by former Women’s World Champion and this year’s winner of the Women’s Chess World Cup, Alexandra Kosteniuk, as well as top women GMs Nana Dzagnidze, Harika Dronavali, Polina Shuvalova, and others. More players are expected to confirm their participation, including wildcards invited by the Organiser, with a maximum of 164 players taking part. The FIDE endorsed event is a part of a series of Lindores Abbey chess tournaments involving top-world Grandmasters, following Lindores Abbey Chess Stars (2019) and Lindores Abbey Rapid Challenge (2020). Georgiy Tal, the son of Mikhail Tal, will be the guest of honour at the Blitz event. In 2019 he visited Lindores Abbey and, together with the company’s General Manager Andrew McKenzie Smith, presented the World Champion Magnus Carlsen with a chess set made of amber. This amber chess set was presented by the Latvian Government to Mikhail Tal in 1960, following him becoming World Champion. Photo: Ron Kroon / Anefo FIDE Managing Director and Latvian WGM Dana Reizniece-Ozola welcomed the event in memory of the great chess champion: “Mikhail Tal, the famous Magician from Riga, is a legend that has influenced generations of chess players not only in Latvia but in the whole world. He has been a timeless trendsetter.” ‘With each game that will be played in this Blitz tournament, we will commemorate and celebrate Tal’s sharp, creative, and adventurous personality,’ Reizniece-Ozola added. Tournament rules and details: The tournament is organised by “RTU Sports” with the support of the Latvian Chess Federation and FIDE. The Swiss System tournament will have nine rounds. Each round will consist of two games played against the same opponent, one game with each colour. Players will be seeded based on their FIDE Blitz rating. In the absence of such a rating, the player’s FIDE Standard rating will be used. The time control will be 3 minutes plus 2 seconds per move, from move one. If the two or more players score the same points, the tie is decided by the following criteria, in order of priority: a) Buchholz; b) Most games won; c) Direct encounter between the players in the tie. The total prize fund is 60,000 USD. This includes a 10,000 USD fund provided by FIDE for prizes intended for female players only. Regulations for the FIDE Endorsed Tournament Lindores Abbey Blitz (pdf) The list of players who confirmed participation (as of 8th October) can be found here. Discover the Lindores Abbey chess initiative.