Canada stages Zonal Tournaments at Easter
The last time Canadian chess conducted a national over-the-board championship was back in 2019! Fast forward now to Easter (April) 2022, and with pandemic restrictions being loosened, eager players from across this vast northern country gathered in the central city of Kingston, Ontario; to play in the Canada Zonal and the Canada Women Zonal. At stake were places on the Canadian teams for the upcoming Olympiad, and qualification for the next World Cup and Women’s World Cup. The playing location was a very comfortable hotel at the Kingston waterfront, with a dozen DGT boards relaying the top games across the big country and to multiple international chess servers. The 2022 Canada Zonal, with so much at stake (Olympiad team, World Cup) for just the top two winners, turned into a wonderfully aggressive tournament that resulted in some of the greatest upsets in Canadian chess history. Even though the field included a GM and six IMs, it was two FMs who truly shocked the event by tying for first place, a full point ahead of the third-place GM! FM Yuanchen Zhang, was the winner on tiebreaks, winning six(!) games en route to a score of 7-2. FM Shawn Rodrigue-Lemieux (pictured above), still a Junior, was unbeaten en route to the same score of 7-2. Canada Women Zonal The 2022 Canada Women Zonal was also very popular, with live video being continuously streamed on the BotezLive Twitch channel. Over the board, the top-ranked player, WGM Maili-Jade Ouellet, also still a Junior, was absolutely without a match, as she won all(!) of her games to finish with a perfect score of 9-0. Reserve Sections Other winners were: U2200 Savio Joseph Benher, U1900 Randika Balasooriya, and U1600 Aaron Reeve Mendes. Text: Aris Marghetis, IO/IA, Canada Photo: John Upper, ChessCanada Facebook
FIDE EDU Upcoming Courses for Lecturers and Teachers
Dear Member Federations, FIDE’s Chess in Education Commission accelerates its provision of training for Lecturers and Teachers of Educational chess. The Preparation of Lecturers course leads to the diploma of Chess in Education Lecturer and is intended primarily for those who will lecture to teachers in order to swell the number of teachers in the world who can teach educational chess. The course hones their existing skills and opens new vistas for those from the chess world without educational background. The training has a cost of €75, which covers both access to materials and preparation, and the exam. Those who successfully pass the course will receive the diploma of Certified FIDE Chess in Education Lecturer (CEL). This is valid for three years, and it implies an administrative fee of €50. The Preparation of Teachers course leads to the FIDE title of School Instructor. A 3-day (15 hours) course will help to develop participants’ knowledge and skills in educational chess, help them to find new digital tools and platforms for online learning, and get ideas on the application of important pedagogical approaches to the teaching process of chess basics. The course fee is €100. The last hour of the course will be devoted to an exam (multiple choice questions) with a pass mark of 65%. Candidates who achieve the pass mark will qualify for the FIDE title of School Instructor, subject to paying the title fee of €50. The schedule of the FIDE EDU upcoming courses is below: To join the courses, please register via the following links:The second course for teachers in Spanish (May 20-22)The third Preparation of Teachers Course (May 27-29)The Second Course for Teachers in French (June 17-19)The Fifth Course for Lecturers (July 08-10) Applicants are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Those who are ‘late’ will be placed on a waiting list and will thus be at the head of the queue for the next course.
Winners crowned at World Cadets & Youth Rapid and Blitz Championships
The World Cadets & Youth Championships 2022 for Rapid and Blitz were held in Rhodes, Greece, from May 1-3, 2022. With the participation of 331 players from 40 countries, it was the first massive event on the FIDE calendar for this year. According to the final standings of all under 8 to under 18 years old age categories, Ukraine won the most medals with 14 medals including 6 gold, followed by Poland with 11 medals including 2 gold, England with 10 medals including 4 gold and Turkey with 7 medals including 3 gold. The event was attended by the Governor of the South Aegean region, Mr George Hatzimarkos, and the Mayor of Rhodes, Mr Antonis Kampourakis, who, for many years now, have actively supported chess and its promotion among youth. The World Cadets & Youth Championships 2022 for Rapid and Blitz was part of the annual Rhodes Chess Festival. Its main sponsors were the Regional Government of South Aegean (Περιφέρεια Νοτίου Αιγαίου) and the Cultural & Sport Organisation of Rhodes Municipality (Δημοτικός Οργανισμός Πολιτισμού Αθλητισμού Ρόδου – ΔΟΠΑΡ). More information, including the complete results, final standings and photos from the event and the closing ceremony are available at rodos2022.com. Photos credit: Niki Riga