Erigaisi, Nakamura and Aronian move up in March rating list
The FIDE rating list for March 2022 is out. The traditional Tata Steel festival, the first leg of the FIDE Grand Prix, Battle of Sexes in Gibraltar, Iberoamericano Championship in Mexico-city became the main rating-changers in February (the Tata Steel ended in January, but its results were incorporated in the March rating-list). Levon Aronian gained 13 points in the first leg of the FIDE Grand Prix in Berlin; combined with an 11-point loss by Caruana in Tata Steel Masters, this enabled him to rise to #4, the position he occupied back in November 2021. Photo: Official Photo FIDE Grand Prix Berlin Press Kit Wesley So and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov also picked up some rating points in Berlin to overtake Ian Nepomniachtchi. Magnus Carlsen, who recently voiced an ambitious goal of clearing the 2900 mark, earned 3 points in Tata Steel Masters, but all this gain was wiped out in a single draw against much lower-rated Geir Sune Tallaksen Osmoe, played in the Norwegian Premier League. Still, the World Champion’s top position in the rating list is indisputable. Women’s #1 Hou Yifan returned to action but lost 8 points in her match vs Bu Xiangzhi. Humpy Koneru (previously #3) no longer appears in the list due to inactivity; thus, all players below her rose one place, with Harika Dronavalli entering the top 10. Biggest gains (in both Open and Women top-100): Erigaisi, Arjun 2660 (+27) Sargsyan, Anna M. 2395 (+15) Nakamura, Hikaru 2750 (+14) Aronian, Levon 2785 (+13) Van Foreest, Jorden 2714 (+12) Stefanova, Antoaneta 2457 (+12) Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar 2776 (+9) Esipenko, Andrey 2723 (+9) Saric, Ivan 2687 (+9) Efroimski, Marsel 2446 (+9) Wojtaszek, Radoslaw 2694 (+8) Arjun Erigaisi, who was considered one of the main favourites before the start of Tata Steel Challengers, did not disappoint. The Indian youngster won the event with an excellent score of 10½/13, earned 27 rating points and made a roaring debut in the top-100 Open. Photo by © Lennart Ootes – Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2022 Anna Sargsyan turned in a solid performance in the Lozovatsky Memorial (the open won by Nikita Afanasiev), netted 15 rating points and deservedly became second in this category. Hikaru Nakamura returned to OTB chess with a bang by winning the first leg of the FIDE Grand Prix in Berlin and picking up impressive 14 points along the way. Photo: Official Photo FIDE Grand Prix Berlin Press Kit Jorden Van Foreest and Andrey Esipenko got their well-deserved rating points earned in Tata Steel Masters and continue to climb the ladder. Again, junior players outside of open and women top-100 can boast of more significant rating progress. Alice Lee (+111), Elif Mehmed (+61), Miaoyi Lu (+37), Roxangel Obregon Garcia (+37), Lara Schulze (+36), Christopher Yoo (+20), Balaji Daggupati (+20), to name just a few, considerably increased their rating.
World Team Championship postponed to November 2022
The International Chess Federation (FIDE) has decided to postpone the World Teams Championship 2022 to November 2022. The rights to host the tournament are retained by the Israeli Chess Federation. At the moment, due to the ongoing tragic events related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the participation of the Ukrainian team cannot be ensured and the Russian national team cannot be allowed to participate in the championship. In addition, a number of other teams have not confirmed their participation. FIDE calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities.
The Official Statement of FIDE Council
Today, on February 27, 2022, an extraordinary meeting of the FIDE Council was held on the current situation and the urgent measures to be taken after the military action launched by Russia in Ukraine. As stated by the FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, the FIDE Council regards its main mission in preserving the unity of FIDE and respecting the basic human rights enshrined in the FIDE Charter. In this regard, the FIDE Council has adopted a number of important emergency decisions. FIDE Council approves the following statement condemning the military action: “FIDE expresses its grave concern about the military action started by Russia in Ukraine. FIDE stands united against wars as well as condemns any use of military means to resolve political conflicts. FIDE will take any necessary action to ensure the security of chess players and other members of the chess community. No official FIDE chess competitions and events will be held in Russia and Belarus.” Following the call from IOC, the FIDE Council decides that no Russian and Belarusian national flag be displayed or anthem be played in all FIDE-rated international chess events. Instead – the national chess federation’s flag or the official symbol/logo shall be used. A simplified procedure for performing under the FIDE flag would be followed where it is crucial for the players or any other chess officials under the current geopolitical situation. In order to safeguard FIDE from reputational, financial, and any other possible risks, FIDE terminates all existing sponsorship agreements with any Belarusian and Russian sanctioned and/or state-controlled companies and will not enter into new sponsorship agreements with any such companies. FIDE Council condemns any public statement from any member of the chess community which supports unjustified military action and brings the case of chess grandmasters Sergey Karjakin and Sergey Shipov to the Ethics and Disciplinary Commission. The FIDE Council reaffirms the FIDE Congress dates, welcomes the AICF’s bid to host the 44th Chess Olympiad, and suggests 10 days for other bids. The FIDE Council suggests that regardless of the organization of the Chess Olympiad 2022, FIDE will organize the annual FIDE Congress during the previously planned dates – from 27.07.2022. till 02.08.2022. with the election date on 01.08.2022. The preference is to combine the FIDE Congress with the Chess Olympiad 2022. However, consultations with the potential organizers of the Chess Olympiad 2022 will be carried out and adjustment of the FIDE Congress dates is possible if it does not imply a notable delay of elections. The FIDE Council confirms that the continental elections shall be organized within their constitutional terms. The FIDE Council confirms its commitment to the continuation of all the established development programs for national federations, zones, continents, and affiliated organizations. * * * March 2, 2022 update: After receiving the opinion of Mr Rivello, the Chair of FIDE Constitutional Commission, the FIDE Council decides to suspend the title of the FIDE Ambassador for Life for Anatoly Karpov and asks the General Assembly to take a decision on the matter. The FIDE Council also approves that sanctioned persons would be denied to hold any honorary or official positions in FIDE and would not be invited to any official FIDE events. Both decisions have been taken by the majority of votes. 2022 Extraordinary FIDE Council Meeting: Protocol (click to download)
FIDE Grand Swiss & Women’s Grand Swiss 2023 – Call for bids
1.1 The International Chess Federation (FIDE) will hold the Grand Swiss Tournament & Women’s Grand Swiss Tournaments in the second half of 2023 (see the Tournaments Regulations for FIDE Grand Swiss and Women’s Grand Swiss). 1.2 FIDE is opening a bidding procedure to invite any federation member of FIDE or any organiser approved by the national federation to host the event. The federation’s letter of support may be provided later when the bid’s evaluation procedure is launched. 1.3 The bid may contain special proposals on financial and commercial conditions. The FIDE Council shall decide whether these conditions are admissible. 1.4 The Bidding Form shall be filled in by an Applicant. A signed copy shall be submitted as e-mail messages to the FIDE Secretariat to office@fide.com from 3 to 17 March 2022 by 23:59 Lausanne time (FIDE has a right to extend this deadline). All the documents shall be submitted in English. Additional documents may be requested by the FIDE General Strategy Commission (GSC) for further evaluation. 1.5 Bid Evaluation Report shall be presented by GSC for approval of FIDE Council. 1.6 Once the Organiser is granted the right to organise the event, a relevant announcement shall be made on the FIDE website. FIDE Technical Delegate (FIDE TD) may be appointed at the same time to supervise the event on behalf of FIDE in consultation with GSC.
92nd FIDE Congress: 2021 FIDE Zonal Council Minutes
FIDE publishes the Minutes of FIDE Zonal Council Meeting which was held on December 26th, 2021. Location: Warsaw/hybrid. Download FIDE ZONAL COUNCIL MINUTES (pdf)
2021 4th FIDE Council Agenda and Commissions reports/proposals
FIDE publishes the Agenda of the 4th FIDE Council meeting which was held on December 27th, 2021. Location: Warsaw/hybrid. Download FIDE COUNCIL AGENDA (pdf)
92nd FIDE Congress: 2021 FIDE General Assembly Minutes
FIDE publishes the Minutes of FIDE General Assembly meeting which was held on December 28th, 2021. Location: Warsaw/hybrid. Download FIDE GENERAL ASSEMBLY MINUTES (pdf)
2022 Extraordinary FIDE Council Meeting: Protocol
FIDE publishes the Protocol of the Extraordinary FIDE Council Meeting which was held online on February 27, 2022. Download PROTOCOL (pdf)
FIDE Grand Prix Belgrade: Round 1 Recap
The second leg of the FIDE Grand Prix organized by World Chess got off to a sharp start with four players securing victories and four games ending in a draw. The first round was opened with a brief ceremony where the players were welcomed by the Serbian minister for sport, Vanja Udovicic, who was one of the world’s best ever water polo players (the sport is very popular in Serbia and southern Europe). Together with the head of the Serbian Chess Federation Dragan Lazic, Mr Udovicic made the first move in the game between Richard Rapport and Vladimir Fedoseev. The first round of the second leg of the FIDE Grandprix concluded with Dmitry Andreikin, Nikita Vitiugov, Anish Giri and Vidit Gujrati scoring victories. The four other games all ended in a draw. The 16 players are split into four pools with four participants each. The winner of each pool progresses to the knockout semi-final, and the two winners meet in the final. Pool A The first game in Pool A was between two seasoned players – Alexander Grischuk and Dmitry Andreikin, which was won by Black. Andreikin out-calculated his countryman in a sharp Sicilian battle. Most likely, Grischuk missed a queen sacrifice 21…Qxe1! which gave Black a rook and two minor pieces in return. After Andreikin regrouped his pieces to launch a decisive attack, Grischuk capitulated. It was a rough day for both players. Andreikin landed in Belgrade just a few hours before the round, having to endure an almost epic travel ordeal changing flights between Moscow – St Petersburg – Istanbul and, finally, Belgrade. “I didn’t sleep much, and I was afraid of entering into a long boring endgame and that I might fall asleep”, noted Andreikin explaining that this made him opt for some sharper lines. At one point, he also semi-jokingly added that he wanted to play more interesting lines. Grischuk also said that it wasn’t his day, voicing his concerns about the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine and making a long sharp statement about the actions of the Russian government. The second game of Pool A, between Etienne Bacrot and Sam Shankland, ended in a draw. Bacrot took the initiative and created an edge for White, approaching a significantly better – if not won – position. However, he missed a couple of relevant moves giving space to the American to jump back into the game. After White’s 24.Qxb7?, Black equalised. There were plenty of interesting skirmishes afterwards, but nobody managed to get the upper hand. In the post-game interview, Shankland confessed to being “over-optimistic” with certain moves. “After 15.e5 Ne8, the more I was looking at the position, the more I thought I was checkmated”, said Shankland adding that afterwards “it got messy” and that he was “under a lot of pressure”, but that towards the end he managed to improve. Bacrot noted that he wasn’t very precise with executing his advantage. “I am not completely professional anymore. I had chances today, but I needed to play one or two good moves more”. Pool B This pool of players produced the longest and the shortest game played in the first round. The first game to finish on the first day of the Belgrade Grand Prix was between Pentala Harikrishna and Nikita Vitiugov. There isn’t really much to say about the game as White blundered on move 13. with Nxd5, ending up a pawn down and in a hopeless position. “I missed 13…Ne4… It just happened. I thought Black would take on d5…”. It just goes to show that these things happen even to the best professionals. “This is not the first time I blundered, and it won’t be the last time. It happens. But I will just think about tomorrow’s game and fight,” said Harikrishna. A much tougher struggle unfolded in the game between Anish Giri and Amin Tabatabaei, who were the last ones to finish, after nearly five hours of play. In the Giuoco Pianissimo of Italian Game so popular nowadays, Giri introduced a very interesting novelty with 10.b4. Tabatabaei struggled to find the best solution for a new situation that emerged. In the subsequent battle, Giri handily outplayed his opponent and scored a full point. In the post-game analysis, the two players reflected on the issue of dealing with mistakes and how to keep on fighting. Giri pointed out that even after making a big mistake, “it’s never too late” to make a comeback. “In chess and in life, you make a mistake, and it often happens that you continue making mistakes one after the other. In theory, if you’re able to improve just after one mistake, but in life, it’s different… You can learn from your mistakes; it’s just important that they don’t come at the crucial moment”, said Giri. Pool C The game between Richard Rapport – who has for some time now been living in Belgrade – and Vladimir Fedoseev ended in a draw. White managed to grab the initiative in the opening, putting Black in an uncomfortable position. Fedoseev resiliently held his ground, managed to find the right balance and, eventually, saved half a point. In the second game of the pool, Vidit Gujrathi scored an impressive victory over Alexei Shirov in a very sharp game. In a rare line of the Najdorf, Vidit introduced a novelty 8.Nd5 and the opponents stepped into uncharted territory. Shirov equalised with active play but was then maybe too aggressive with pawn-push, handing White the edge. The position remained dynamic and sharp but after 23…Qe8 Shirov lost a piece and, with it, the game. Pool D Both games in Pool D ended in a draw. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, playing as White, tested Alexandr Predke in the Ruy Lopez. Predke not only passed the test but also emerged better after a fierce clash in the centre. Maxime had to work hard for a draw and, eventually, he reached it. Following the game, the World Blitz Champion said that despite not being very satisfied with his performance, it was a “useful exercise” for him to play such a long game where he had to work a lot and calculate and that it will help him get into his form