Casablanca Chess Week kicks off on May 30
Casablanca, a port city and the largest commercial hub in Morocco, will become home to a new chess initiative. The inaugural Casablanca Chess Week will take place from May 30 to June 4, 2022, and will showcase chess through several events. The organizers, Casablanca Events & Animation and the Casablanca Stock Exchange, with the help of sponsors and partners, plan to make the festival an annual event. This initiative aims to promote chess among all Casablanca residents, young and old, from any background or level of play. The wide range of activities will help them to discover and rediscover this game with multiple facets and benefits. The opening day on Monday, May 30, will offer a chance to play online against the top Morrocan GM, Hicham Hamdouchi, and attend the “Chess & Economics” Conference. This chess forum features such well-known chess personalities as famous chess journalist Leontxo Garcia (moderator), FIDE Managing Director Dana Reizniece-Ozola, FIDE Deputy President Bachar Kouatly, and Tarik Senhaji, Chief Executive Officer of the Casablanca Stock Exchange. Tuesday will cover the topic of women in chess with a visit to a non-profit organization for young girls and the “Women in Chess” Conference in the second part of the day. In the following days, the focus will be on chess as an educational and social tool. These days will be filled with masterclasses, workshops, and various playing activities, including an exhibition match between grandmasters Loek Van Wely and Hicham Hamdouchi. You can find the whole schedule of the Casablanca Chess Week on the event’s official website: ccw.ma/programme. All the activities of the festival are free. Twitter Facebook Instagram
Jorge Cori and Mitzy Caballero win Peruvian Championships
After two-years hiatus caused by the pandemic situation, the Peruvian Chess Federation held the 2022 National Chess Championships, an OTB 50-player 9-round Swiss tournament (open section) and a 9-player round-robin (women’s section). The events were held from May 17-22 in Club Tennis Las Terrazas Miraflores, Lima. GM Jorge Cori crushed the competition in the open tournament, conceding his opponents only four draws and took gold with an excellent result of 7/9. His sister, the top rated Peruvian woman, WGM Deysi Cori took part in the open section and scored impressive 6/9 (7th place in the final standings). IM Brian Escalante turned in a good performance and tied with the champion for the top position but lost the direct encounter and had to settle for silver. Escalante completed his first GM norm. GM Cristian Cruz came out third. Final standings Open: 1 GM Cori Jorge 2647 7 2 IM Escalante Brian Sebastian 2482 7 3 GM Cruz Cristhian 2582 6½ 4 GM Vera Siguenas Deivy 2498 6½ 5 Reyes Zavaleta Fabian 1902 6 6 IM Terry, Renato 2504 6 7 WGM Cori T. Deysi 2367 6 8 IM Fernandez Fernando 2435 6 9 Paredes Lagos Anthony 2117 5½ 10 IM Quirhuayo Chumbe German 2296 5½ WIM Mitzy Caballero emerged as the winner in the women’s section, netting 7/9. WFM Paula Paredes finished 1½ points behind the champion and took silver. WIM Ingrid Aliaga claimed bronze. Final standings Women: 1 WIM Caballero Quijano Mitzy 7 2 WFM Paredes Bustamante Paula 5½ 3 WIM Aliaga Fernandez Ingrid 5 4 Bravo Mallco Kate 4½ 5 WFM Garcia Andrada Heidy 4 6 Zarate Oyague Flor 3½ 7 WCM Aguilar Oblitas Yadhira 3 8 WFM Felix Vega Aurora 2 9 Tacas Cardenas Andrea 1½ Complete results of the Absolute National Chess Championship 2022 Complete results of the National Women’s Chess Championship 2022 Official website: ajedrezperu.pe/ Photo: official website
Prisons of Armenia stage qualifiers for Intercontinental Chess Championship
The second Intercontinental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners will be held from 13-14 October 2022, on the International Day of Education in Prison. Free and open to players representing any correctional facility without specification by age and gender of prisoners, the tournament is a part of the Chess for Freedom program and a continuation of the international championship first held in 2019 and the Intercontinental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners 2021. Ten countries have already registered their teams for the competition. They are Armenia, Australia, England, Germany, Italy, Norway, Philippines, Serbia, Turks and Caicos Islands and the USA. In some countries, national chess tournaments for prisoners are held to define the strongest players that will represent their countries on the international level. In the run-up to the Championship, the Penitentiary Service of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia and the Chess Academy of Armenia hosted a series of qualifying events at several of the nation’s prisons to determine the finalists who will form the teams representing Armenia at the online competition. To improve their skills and get ready for the second Intercontinental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners, the national team members will be trained by the Chess Academy of Armenia professionals. During the tournaments run from February till April, a scientific survey initiated by Smbat Lputian, deputy head of the Armenian Chess Federation, and carried out by the Armenian Chess Institute was conducted. Its results are important for the internal management to evaluate the impact of the program on the convicts. According to the research, chess culture is perceived among the convicts not only as a game but also as an opportunity to enter a new social space, a way of re-evaluating self-knowledge and one’s behaviour, acquiring new skills and new relationships, regardless of age, gender, race and nationality. The second edition of the Intercontinental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners is expected to bring together over 200 players from 50+ countries. Each country can have up to three teams for the event: main team team representing a female correctional facility with all four female team players team representing juvenoid correctional facility (under age of 20) Each correctional facility shall submit an application via an online Registration Form The registration deadline is September 21, 2022. There is no entry fee. Tournament regulations (pdf) Official website of the event: chessforfreedom.fide.com