FIDE Grand Prix Belgrade Finals: Game One Recap
Dmitry Andreikin and Richard Rapport drew their first game in the finals of the FIDE Grand Prix Belgrade The final match of the second leg of the Grand Prix Series organized by World Chess was opened by FIDE Deputy President and renowned grandmaster Bachar Kouatly. Starting with the Petroff, the players moved to the Four Knights game and then switched to the Scottish Game. Somewhat surprisingly, Dmitry Andreikin opted for a very drawish course. The opponents played out a popular line that has been tested many times in high-level games. After massive exchanges, a well-known drawish endgame emerged on the board, that Andreikin played himself just a month ago. As innocuous as it may seem, Black has to demonstrate some accuracy in this ending. Suffice it to say that Vidit Gujrathi lost this very endgame with Black in Tata Steel Masters 2022. Richard Rapport knew all the correct answers, and, after the exchange of bishops, White got a tiny edge in the rook endgame thanks to a more active rook. However, despite his king being cut off on the eighth rank and White being able to pose some threats, Black’s position was fundamentally solid as a rock. Andreikin tried to squeeze water from a stone by sacrificing a pawn and activating his king but quickly realised that Rapport had more than sufficient defensive resources. Following the repetition of moves, the opponents shook hands and split a point. Today’s game had a distinct psychological dynamic. Andreikin opted for a very solid line where the position was even but where Black had to be constantly on alert. In such drawish positions, it is easy for one side to lose focus and it seemed that Andreikin – who spent much more time thinking about the moves than his opponent – was hoping that would be the case. However, Rapport did not relax one bit and played precisely, making sure he ends up with half a point. In the second game Rapport will be White while Andreikin will be Black. The second game of the Grand Prix finals will be played on Sunday, 13th March at 3 PM local (CET) time. The FIDE Grand Prix Series is brought to you by World Chess. Leading partners supporting the FIDE Grand Prix Series 2022 include: Kaspersky as the Official Cybersecurity Partner; Algorand as the Official Blockchain Partner; Prytek as the Technology Transfer Partner; FIDE Online Arena as the official Partner. Text: Milan DinicPhoto: Mark Livshitz Official Photo FIDE Grand Prix Belgrade Press kit
FIDE and FFE host international conference “Chess for Mental Health”
The “Chess for Mental Health” international event, a joint effort of FIDE and French Chess Federation (Fédération Française des Échecs or FFE) with the support of Imagine Institute, Teladoc Health and AESIO Mutuelle, was held on March 9 2022, in Paris. “Among its many assets, the game of chess brings many benefits in the service of mental health. Achievements and projects are multiplying at the international level. The French Chess Federation is proud to host this international conference organized by our Health Social Disability Commission and our International Commission,” Eloi Relange, the President of FFE, said. “We have set up Health Social Disability Commission of FFE to pilot a set of programs dedicated to issues related to health, well-being and social inclusion through the game of chess. The Infinite Chess Program is the first of a set of measures focused on research and mental health in order to make chess a new tool at the service of health professionals and citizens,” Franck Droin, President of the Health Social Disability Commission of the FFE, added. The list of other key participants of the conference included Ministry of Health and Solidarity Franck Belivier, FIDE Managing Director Dana Reizniece-Ozola, Prime Minister Services Interministerial Delegate Autism and neurodevelopmental disorders Claire Compagnon, World Health Organization Director, Mental Health and Substance Use, WHO Devora Kestel, President of the Psychiatric French Society and President of CNQSP FFE, “Health Social Handicap” Maurice Bensoussan and others. “Professional sport is not the only mission of FIDE. Chess and sports, in general, have to be used for other goals as well to make society stronger. Chess is an excellent tool for doing that, and we are trying to use these opportunities. Especially lately, we have developed various social initiatives where chess is used not for the sake of teaching the game itself but for the sake of social cohesion, increasing mental skills, girls empowerment and other things. Last year we also adapted our social responsibility guidelines, which goes very well with those principles that have been already encoded in our charter and policies,” FIDE Managing Director Dana Reizniece-Ozola noted. Introducing chess to children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder is one of the key social initiatives of FIDE. The INFINITE CHESS Project aims to enhance knowledge and awareness about chess for children with ASD, give practical advice for teachers and parents, study the benefits of introducing chess and develop teaching methods. In the second part of the conference, Anastasia Sorokina, FIDE Vice President and leader of the INFINITE CHESS project, opened the discussion on chess for children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder, which was followed by presentations made by specialists from different countries, who shared their practical experiences in teaching chess to children with ASD. Speakers, including Natalia Popova, curricula author, leader of the two-year-long project teaching chess to children with ASD, Ala Mishchanka, Special needs educational assistant with more than 15 years of experience, Luis Blasco De La Cruz of FIDE’s Commission for Chess in Education, María Rodrigo Yanguas, WFM and a sports psychologist, Erick Takawira, Director of the KZN Chess Academy, and Kanthi Devi Sarjoo, speech/language pathologist/audiologist from the Browns’ School, Emmanuel Nieman, Chess Trainer, Eric Desailly of Foundation Ellen Poidatz, François Lescure, President of Teladoc Health France, and Sophie Krief, CEO of AESIO Mutuelle, covered various topics related to mental health, including autism, DYS, concentration, hyperactivity. The results of their studies showed that chess could improve multiple aspects of mental health. According to the speakers, many recent studies have already highlighted the benefits of playing chess to support the development of children with autism spectrum disorders, the DYS (dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia) or attention and hyperactivity disorders. But these results must be confirmed by new studies, more extensive and more followed over time. “Observational data compiled indicated that chess is a viable medium to improve children’s social skills with an autistic spectrum disorder. The use of role-playing in the chess lessons elicited emotive language and developed their creativity and imagination,” Kanthi Devi Sarjoo, Browns’ School Speech-Language Pathologist/Audiologist (South Africa) said. Finally, Aurélie Renard-Vignelles, Edith Jebob Duvernet, Maxence Augier, and Dr Maurice Bensoussan discussed troubles of DYS, concentration, and hyperactivity. Presentations are available for download (pdf): 1 – Chess and Mental Health – Dana Reizniece-Ozola Presentation 2 – Chess and Mental Health – INFINITE Autism Anastasia Sorokina 3 – Chess and Mental Health – South African experience 4 – Chess and Mental Health- Autism French Project 5 – Chess and Health – Spanish Experience Maria Rodroguo Yangas 6 – Chess and mental Health – ADHD and DYS French Projects 7 – Chess and Mental Health – Luis Blasco de la Cruz
Ekaterina Atalik wins Turkish Women’s Championship
IM Ekaterina Atalik emerged as the winner of the Turkish Women’s Chess Championship, claiming her third straight and sixth overall title. The 2022 Arzum Turkey Women’s Chess Championship, a nine-round Swiss tournament with classical time control took place in Balikesir Provincial House under the sponsorship of Arzum Elektrik Ev Aletleri A.Ş. The event brought together 81 participants from all over the country although some top players did not take part. The #1 in the Turkish women rating list IM Ekaterina Atalik entered the event as a prohibitive favorite and did not disappoint. The only IM in the tournament, she crushed the competition and scored 8/9 conceding her opponents just two draws (including a short one in the final round to secure the title). WFM Yulia Gökbulut (pictured below) finished second, just a half-point behind the champion, and picked 21 rating points. WCM Çiğdem Onur netted 7/9 and claimed bronze. As the tournament fate would have it, the champion and the silver winner did not meet over the board in this tournament. The closing ceremony was attended by the President of Turkish Chess Federation Gülkız Tulay, Ayvalık District Governor Hasan Yaman, Balıkesir Provincial Director of Youth and Sports Lokman Arıcıoğlu, Ayvalık District Sports Manager Şükrü Balkan, VE Hotels Ayvalık Hotel Manager Mehmet Şahin Kork, referees, players and parents. Ayvalık District Governor Hasan Yaman, made a speech in which he expressed his satisfaction with the championship held in Balikesir Ayvalık and his desire to hold other chess tournaments in the future. Final standings: 1 Atalik, Ekaterina 2415 8/9 2 Gokbulut, Julia 1902 7½/9 3 Onur, Cigdem 2004 7/9 4 Hereklioglu, Sude 1917 6½/9 5 Akat, Elifnaz 1673 6½/9 6 Alagoz, Zumra Meryem 1573 6½/9 7 Isgenderova, Hayale 2202 6/9 8 Caglar, Sila 2182 6/9 9 Acarbay, Algi 1985 6/9 10 Catal, Uktenur 1833 6/9 Official website: http://kadinlar2022.tsf.org.tr/ Photo: official website