3rd Preparation of Teachers course announced
FIDE and its Chess in Education Commission are pleased to announce the third Preparation of Teachers course. The course will be held in the English language online from July 01-03, 15:00-20:00 CET each day. The target audience is teachers with good chess basics knowledge and experience working with children. It is recommended that you have at least a level of B1 in English. Candidates for this course should have experience teaching in school and at least some knowledge of pedagogy, psychology and chess basics (how the pieces move, including articles 1-5 of the Laws of Chess – FIDE Handbook E.01 – is enough). Successful candidates will obtain the FIDE title of School Instructor. School Instructors introduce school students to the basic chess rules to improve their educational and social level and to broaden the base of chess players worldwide. They are not trying to create masters or grandmasters. It is a 3-day (15 hours) course with 2-3 breaks each day that will help develop participants’ knowledge and skills in educational chess, help them 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 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. FIDE Chess in Education Titles are awarded for life and can only be suspended or revoked by a decision of the FIDE Ethics & Disciplinary Commission or FIDE Council, while an EDU Licence is a certification by FIDE and EDU of current proficiency to teach at the indicated level of the awarded FIDE EDU title. Chess in Education Titles, when awarded, include a three (3) year licence. Renewal of the licence requires the completion of a renewal course. During the final six months of the validity of the licence, a title-holder may renew the licence for a further three-year period to run from the end date of the current licence by following the normal procedure and paying the appropriate fees (currently €50). Here is the course description in more detail: https://cloud.fide.com/s/3PqzaH2eRGRoSb7 Candidates who wish to attend the course must complete and return the Registration Form The cut-off date for applications is June 29. However, please note that applicants are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis and the absolute maximum number of places on the course is 30. Those who are ‘late’ will be placed on a waiting list and thus be at the head of the queue for the following course. Candidates must also pay the course fee of €100 by June 30 at the latest. Candidates should note that several pre-course emails will be sent to them containing links to material that they will be expected to be familiar with. These will generally be sent out starting on June 25, so those who leave applications until the last minute are likely to find themselves at a disadvantage.
2022 Candidates, Round 3: The calm before the storm
Ahead of the rest day, all four games in the third round of the 2022 Candidates finished with a draw Following three rounds of the Candidates, Fabiano Caruana and Ian Nepomniachtchi are in the lead with two points. Behind them are Duda, Firouzja, Rapport and Nakamura on 1.5. They are followed by Teimour Radjabov and Ding Liren with one point. While some of the Candidates may not be happy with their performance today, they all achieved an important goal: not to go into a free day with a defeat hanging over their heads. Despite all games ending in calm waters, it wasn’t smooth sailing in all of them. Teimour Radjabov and Ian Nepomniachtchi were the first to finish, splitting a point after nearly two hours of play. In a familiar line of the Catalan, Radjabov, playing as White, opted for massive exchanges, leading to an even position. Nepomniachtchi had a solid defence, and after a few courteous moves, the two agreed on a draw in a rook endgame. It seems that both sides welcomed the result. For Radjabov, it was an important break ahead of the rest day. After surviving a surprise attack by the aggressive young lion Firouzja in the first round, then suffering a loss to Nakamura in the second, he needed a break. With one point out of three games, he is still not out of the race for the top. Nepomniachtchi also had reasons to be content: with 1.5 points in two very difficult games, a draw as Black ahead of the rest day was a satisfying result, especially as he finished round three as one of the two leaders in the tournament. The world’s second highest-rated player Ding Liren let a victory slip away against Richard Rapport in the Grünfeld. Following Rapport’s decision to sacrifice the exchange early in the game, Ding managed to gain an advantage. It wasn’t overwhelming, but White was clearly better. Moreover, after Rapport’s mistake on move 21, Ding dug up the strongest 22.Kf1, for which Chess.com commentator IM Daniel Rensch called him a ‘machine’. However, he then failed to find a clear-cut path to victory on the next move and allowed Black to make a lucky escape with a draw. The disappointment was obvious on the face of the Chinese player, who quickly left the playing hall after the game. Many see Ding as one of the favourites, but in the first three games – with two draws and a loss – he has not demonstrated the level of play and creativity he is renowned for. As for Rapport – he goes to the rest day with 1.5/3. Having blundered a victory in the second round and saving a lost game in the third, he should probably hope that the rest day will help him stabilise his performance. The game between American Fabiano Caruana and Jan-Krzysztof Duda of Poland was played until only the kings were left on the board. The American played the English attack in the Najdorf variation of the Sicilian, a line he is known to be one of the best experts. Still, that didn’t show on the board as Duda got a slightly better endgame and had more chances to play for a win. However, Caruana defended accurately and ensured the game ended with a draw. Caruana probably isn’t very happy with a draw with white pieces in a line he knows well, but with two points out of three games, he is in the shared first place. The Polish superstar Jan-Krzysztof Duda also has no reason to be disappointed, having played strongly in all three games and showing his teeth to more experienced players. The most anticipated game of the day was between the 19-year-old superstar Alireza Firouzja and the unlikely qualifier for the Candidates, Hikaru Nakamura. It was the first time the two had played a classical game, and it was the first time in the tournament that Firouzja was leading white pieces (having played with Black in both of the first two games). Firouzja managed to surprise Nakamura in the Nimzo-Indian and got a very promising endgame. Although on the back foot, the American defended himself well and, despite some imprecisions, managed to find the right moves when it mattered the most. Firouzja’s determination to push until the very end is proven by the fact that only the two kings and a knight remained on the board when a draw was agreed upon after five hours of play. In the three rounds so far, both Firouzja and Nakamura showed resilience. Their score of 1.5/3 means that they are in a solid position for the rest of the tournament. Here follows a closer look at the games from Round 3 of the Candidates. Ding Liren vs Richard Rapport: The great escape The history of the encounters between Ding and Rapport suggests the two are evenly matched. They have played ten times before in classical games, with seven ending in a draw and Ding leading Rapport 2:1 in victories. In Madrid, Ding was on the brink of extending that lead, but he didn’t. In the Grünfeld, White (Ding) got more initiative in the centre but was exposed to attacks from Black’s heavy pieces. In a familiar line, Rapport opted for the rarer move 14…Qd6, with the idea of offering an exchange of queens, which would help Black attack the pawns. Ding rightly refused to trade the queens and then started with an advance on the kingside with the h4 move, which would prove to be very important in the later stage of the game. Rapport responded with a natural 17…Rfd8, but 18.Bg5! came as a highly unpleasant surprise for Black. Rapport opted to sacrifice an exchange by playing 18…Nxd4, hoping that his bishops pair plus an extra pawn was enough of a compensation. It was not the case, though, as after a subtle 22.Kf1 by Ding, Rapport captured on e2 with his knight and found himself on the verge of defeat. Surprisingly (given that Ding spent a lot