Jerguš Pecháč awarded the Gligoric Trophy
Grandmaster Jerguš Pecháč is the recipient of the Gligoric Trophy 2021 in recognition of his exemplary behaviour and fair play spirit. The decision was made by the special Award Commission chaired by Mahir Mamedov, Judit Polgar, and Eugene Torre. The 21-year-old Slovak GM made the headlines last year when, in the second round of the European Qualification Tournament, which was played under a hybrid format, his opponent Boris Gelfand blundered a full queen due to a mouse slip. This event was a qualifier for the World Cup in Sochi, and despite the high stakes at play, Pecháč graciously offered a draw to his opponent, not taking advantage of Gelfand’s unfortunate mistake. With his action, Jerguš risked not reaching the third round, but luckily for him, he advanced anyway by winning the Armageddon. While Jerguš was perfectly on his right to continue the game, and he is a consummated competitor, he also demonstrated that winning at all costs is not a priority. The respect for the opponent he showed with his noble gesture is an example to the entire chess community, one that Svetozar Gligoric himself would have applauded. Photo: European Chess Union
Levon Aronian seals FTX Road to Miami title win
America’s newest e-sports chess star Levon Aronian shrugged off a slow start to the FTX Road to Miami to clinch his first title of the 2022 Meltwater Champions Chess Tour season. The 39-year-old Armenian, the oldest player in the tournament, overpowered China’s former child prodigy Wei Yi on day two of the final. Both players have now qualified for the $310,000 FTX Crypto Cup in Miami next month. Aronian lifts up to 9th in the overall Tour standings with a total of $37,750 earned so far, one place above Wei. Aronian said he felt “amazing” after the win. Aronian, an undoubted big beast in world chess, entered the $150,000 event as the favourite but struggled in the early rounds and only just made the cut to get into the knockout. “I didn’t really deserve to be top eight,” he admitted. “Because my play was very, very poor but after that I think I got myself together and I played better.” When the pressure was really on, Aronian’s class shone through as he knocked out India’s impressive teenager Arjun Erigaisi in the quarters and then World Cup winner Jan-Krzysztof Duda in the semis. Aronian, a Tour winner in the Goldmoney Asian Rapid last season, ended Wei’s challenge with two games to spare after a winning a wild first match that could have gone either way by 2.5-0.5 yesterday. Aronian, who was playing from Yerevan but has recently transferred federations to the US, took the lead when Wei suffered what appeared to be a catastrophic mouse-slip under intense time pressure. Until that point, it had looked like a dead draw. Then, sensing he needed to do something, China’s No. 3 started the second game with 1. g3 and quickly threw caution to the wind. Aronian had at least two golden chances to finish off Wei in just two games, but missed them. Wei, playing from Hangzhou City, escaped with a draw and lived to fight game 3. In the third, Wei took even bigger risks with the eyebrow-raising 3. g4 offering a free pawn, which Aronian didn’t take, and then the committal 8. h4. Aronian, however, stayed calm and gradually took advantage to seal the win. Aronian said: “I think this was definitely one of my performances. Play-wise I think I was being resilient, which is very important, and it’s a good confidence boost. I think I’ll try to build on this.” The FTX Road to Miami was the fifth leg of the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour and the qualifier for the Tour’s next Major, the FTX Crypto Cup. The two finalists, Wei and Aronian, have now secured their places. FTX is the Official Cryptocurrency Exchange Partner of the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour and was the title partner of the first FTX Crypto Cup in the inaugural season of the Tour. For further comments contact: Arkus Fredriksson, Chief Strategy Officer, Play Magnus Grouparkus@playmagnus.com Arne Horvei, Tour Director, Play Magnus Grouparne@playmagnus.com Jay Morakis, CEO of M Group Strategic Communications (for FTX)ftx@mgroupsc.com About the Meltwater Champions Chess TourThe Champions Chess Tour is the leading online chess Tour worldwide determining the world’s best chess player over a full competitive season of online chess. The 2022 season begins in February 2022 and features monthly tournaments culminating in a Final in November 2022. The best chess players in the world are competing in rapid chess. All games take place online on www.chess24.com with players competing for a total prize pool of over USD 1.5 million. For more information visit www.chess24.com/tour. About Play Magnus GroupPlay Magnus Group is a global leader in the chess industry focused on providing premier digital experiences for millions of chess players and students. The company offers e-learning and entertainment services via its market leading brands: chess24, Chessable, iChess, New In Chess, Everyman Chess, Magnus Academy, Aimchess, the Play Magnus App Suite, and the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour. The Group’s mission is to grow chess to make the world a smarter place by encouraging more people to play, watch, study, and earn a living from chess. Play Magnus Group is listed on Euronext Growth Oslo under the ticker PMG. www.pmg.me About FTX.COM FTX is a crypto asset trading platform built by traders, for traders. FTX strives to be an intuitive yet powerful platform for all kinds of users, and to be the most innovative trading platform in the industry. To learn more about FTX.COM, please visit: https://ftx.com/ FTX.COM is not available to US residents or residents of other prohibited jurisdictions, as set out in its Terms of Service.
Winners crowned at 2022 U.S. Championships
The final day of the 2022 U.S. Senior, U.S. Junior, & U.S. Girls’ Junior Championships was one of the most thrilling finishes at a National Championship and one to be remembered for years, with all the titles being up for grabs until the final round, the day was certainly an emotional rollercoaster. In an incredible turn of events, and after 9 hard-fought rounds, 5 players tied for 1st in the Senior Championship. They played a mini rapid tournament among each other in a rapid time control of 10 minutes + 2 seconds delay. After an exciting mini-tournament the players with the highest amount of points (they both had scored 2.5/3) happened to have to face each other in the final round. The battle was between GM’s Larry Christiansen and Alex Shabalov. In the penultimate and final battle, it was Shabalov who won the game to take home the title of 2022 US Senior Champion and pocket $20,0000. GM’s Larry Christiansen, Vladimir Akopian, Maxim Dlugy and Dmitry Gurevich shared 2nd place and each won $9,000. The Junior Championship was the only championship where the Champion was decided after the 9th round, and in the end it was GM Christopher Yoo who won first place. Yoo dominated the field throughout the event, though he suffered a loss in Round 7, he kept his cool throughout the entire competition and didn’t succumb to the mounting pressure. Ultimately he finished the tournament with a draw in the final round against IM Carissa Yip. He pocketed $12,000 in addition to a $10,000 scholarship, jointly supported by US Chess and Dewain Barber and a spot at this year’s US Championship. GM Andrew Hong finished second winning $8,000, while GM Abhimanyu Mishra and IM Balaji Daggupati shared 3rd place each winning $4,500. The Girls’ Championship had a dramatic turnaround. After leading the entire tournament, WFM Sophie Morris-Suzuki lost her final game against local favorite FM/WGM Thalia Cervantes. Having caught the leader, by winning the game, Thalia forced a playoff to decide the title of Girls’ Junior Champion. FM/WGM Jennifer Yu also won her final round making it a 3-player tie for first. The girls played a round robin with a time control of 10 minutes with 2 seconds delay. In a dramatic turn of events each girl scored a point, giving each of them a second equal chance to win the event. The second time around, it was FM/WGM Jennifer Yu that won against both Sophie and Thalia. Jennifer pocketed $6,000 in addition to a $10,000 scholarship, jointly supported by US Chess and Dewain Barber and a spot at this year’s US Women’s Championship. FM/WGM Thalia Cervantes and Sophie Morris-Suzuki took home $3,500 each. U.S. Senior Championship Round 9 in the Senior Championship began and ended with 5 players tied for first place that ultimately ended the day with a five way playoff. The final round was not without many ups and downs however, given that at some point there was even a chance for a 6th player to tie for 1st place. The 6th player who could have tied for 1st, was GM Gregory Kaidanov. He played a dominating game against IM Khmelnitsky and was set to win, until a blunder in an unbalanced endgame where he was up a rook for 2 pawns unfortunately put an end to his winning chances as the rook wasn’t able to stop his opponent’s passed pawns anymore and the game ended in a repetition. Four of the co-leaders were playing each other and they all played entertaining chess, with all of the games finishing after the time control. GM Alex Shabalov – the 2022 U.S. Senior Champion | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Crystal Fuller GM Alex Shabalov gained some initiative against his opponent, GM Dlugy’s Qd6 Scandinavian, and had an interesting idea to play 13. b5 followed by 14. d5 to break open the position and put pressure on his opponent’s king in the center. However, the advantage was minimal and Dlugy was able to trade to a balanced rook bishop vs rook knight endgame, where Black had a pawn up, but it was doubled on the h-file and the players agreed on a draw on move 57. GM Larry Christiansen – 2nd place finisher | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes The other co-leaders battling against each other were GM’s Dmitry Gurevich against Larry Christiansen. The latter opted for a Queen’s Indian Defense which led to a position with hanging pawns. Gurevich tried to be aggressive, creating an attack on the kingside, playing 18…g4, however that only seemed to weaken his position giving Christiansen the edge and very good chances to win. Unfortunately he missed a few opportunities to convert the game. The final one being most likely his choice of trading the rooks on move 31, with 31…Rxg1?? He may have thought that trading pieces due to his extra pawn would be sufficient to convert. Instead he could have played 31…Rh5 keeping his rook for the attack which could have sealed the deal and brought him the title. Gurevich defended fiercely and the game ended in a draw. GM Vladimir Akopian- 3rd place finisher | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Crystal Fuller The only player who was not playing a co-leader was GM Akopian. He was paired with GM Nick De Firmian, who did not have the best tournament results but it was great to see De Firmian fight until the bitter end; choosing the Alekhine Defense and getting a good position with winning chances against the highest seed. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to convert his advantage allowing GM Akopian to maintain the co-lead and join the others in a playoff. The Playoff was mainly an affair between GM’s Larry Christiansen and Alex Shabalov. Both of them dominated their opponents and had to face each other in the final round of the 5 player Round Robin Event. The opening choice was a symmetrical English, where it was GM
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International Chess Day 2022 Jerguš Pecháč, awarded the Gligoric Trophy Nikolai Krogius (1930-2022) Romania and Azerbaijan to host FIDE youth competitions Brief news from National Federations READ NEWSLETTER
IBCA World Women’s and Junior Championships celebrate solidarity in the global Braille family
The 11th IBCA World Women’s and Junior Chess Championships for the Blind and Visually Impaired, organized by the IBCA, the French Blind Chess Association, and the Maison d’Échecs de Toulouse Lardenne, chief organizer Mr. Laurent Kruk, took place in Castelnaudary, France, from July 10-18, 2022. The participants, representing 18 federations from three continents, used specialized Braille chess boards, talking clocks, and voice recording equipment. On a rest day, the organizers kindly offered a boat trip on the Canal du Midi, France’s major navigable waterway that connects the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, and an excursion to the medieval fortified city of Carcassonne, inhabited since 3500 BC and famous for an eponymous board name. The battle for the junior title went down to the wire. Tage Johansson, a student of renowned Swedish coach and Braille organizer Jörgen Magnusson, showed a lot of character coming from behind. Ranked 5th-4th-3rd-2nd as the tournament progressed, he climbed slowly but steadily and claimed gold after pulling off a decisive victory in the last round. Bravo to a talented player and to a magnificent teacher! Gold Medal Tage Johansson (SWE) Silver Medal Aryan B Joshi (IND) Bronze Medal Michal Racis (POL) In the Women’s championship, WIM Liubov Zsiltzova-Lisenko from Kyiv, Ukraine, dominated the field, scoring 8.5 points out of 9. Her achievement was universally cheered as yet another manifestation of cohesiveness and solidarity. Players from war-torn Ukraine faced numerous obstacles to their participation in the 2022 IBCA World Team Ch. in North Macedonia and the 2022 IBCA World Women’s Ch. in France but were able to overcome them all with the help of the worldwide Braille chess family that organized a successful fundraising effort and ensured players’ safe passage. National Braille associations of Sweden, Germany, Canada, North Macedonia, France, Italy, as well as the IBCA itself, generously contributed enough money to make possible both the participation of Team Ukraine in the Championship in Ohrid and the participation of Liubov Zsiltzova-Lisenko, Ukraine’s best female Braille player, in the Championship in Castelnaudary. This is a great example of solidarity that transcends borders! Gold Medal WIM Liubov Zsiltzova-Lisenko (UKR) Silver Medal WFM Anna Stolarczyk (POL) Bronze Medal Emilia Egeman (POL) In an emotional interview taken after the completion of the final round, the Women’s Champion Liubov Zsiltzova-Lisenko said: “I came from a country which is ravaged by war. On February 24, Russia started unprovoked aggression, which is universally condemned by the United Nations and other international bodies. Every day, Russia is bombing our peaceful cities, killing civilians, including children. It was very difficult for me to play in this competition. I didn’t train or prepare. I was crying non-stop, mourning relatives, friends, and colleagues who were killed. I would like to thank the IBCA, the worldwide Braille community, and the French organizers for resolving all financial issues and making it possible for me to come here. I tried very hard to win this championship for my country and to tell you the truth about the situation in Ukraine. Thank you for your solidarity. Please continue supporting Ukraine.” The closing ceremony on July 17 featured Mr. Patrick Maugard, Mayor of Castelnaudary; Mr. Philippe Greffier, President of the Unions of communes Castelnaudary Lauragais Audois (CCLA); Dr. Charudatta Jadhav (IND), the IBCA President; Ms. Diana Tsypina (CAN), the IBCA 2nd Vice-President; Mr. Pierre Leblic, President of the Ligue Échecs Occitanie; Mr. Jérôme Reboul, director general of Mutualia Alliance Santé, the principal sponsor; Mr. Guy Spanghero, owner and general manager of the IBIS Style hotels; Ms. Laurie Delorme, Vice-President of the French Chess Federation (FFE); Mr. Franck Drouin, Chairman of the Health, Social and Handicapped Commission of the FFE; Ms. Sabine Chabert, Ms. Nicole Cathala, Ms. Valérie Gomez, authorized representatives of municipal agencies in charge of tourism and the affairs of the disabled. The ceremony started with a live rendition of the French anthem. Then, Mayor Patrick Maugard thanked all participants and officials for coming to Castelnaudary and reminded them of the rich history of the province of Lauragais and the Occitane region. For ten days, the world capital of Cassoulet opened its heart to disabled players. He highlighted excellent collaboration between the IBCA, the organizers and local authorities that made it possible for the participants to meet in Castelnaudary in person and to enjoy chess. Mme Clementine Kruk read the heartfelt message from Mr. Bernard Duthoit, President of the French Blind Chess Association, who sadly couldn’t attend in person due to COVID-19. The IBCA President, Dr Charudatta Jadhav, thanked the French authorities, the local organizers, and the IBCA Board members for all the hard work they put into two very difficult events. When we were looking for a venue for this competition, we were immediately won over by the enthusiasm of the teams from the town of Castelnaudary, led by Mayor Maugard, and from the Union of communes Castelnaudary Lauragais Audois, led by Mr Greffier and Ms Chaubert, and we would like to thank all team members warmly for going an extra mile to ensure great conditions for players and officials. Your devotion and selflessness allowed the best women and juniors to shine. Chief Arbiter Stephen Boyd (FRA) announced the official results. The dignitaries presented the players with medals and trophies. The winners were met with a huge applause. National anthems of Sweden and Ukraine were played. About IBCA The International Braille Chess Association (IBCA) is the supreme body responsible for chess for the blind and visually impaired. The IBCA is part of the International Blind Sports Federation and an Affiliated Member of FIDE. Founded in 1958, the IBCA has grown to more than sixty countries on four continents. Its major competitions include the Blind Chess Olympiad and the Blind World Chess Championships.