Asian Chess Federation and VADR Media create Checkmate Live
United Arab Emirates – (August 31, 2022) – Asian Chess Federation and Australasian-based VADR Media are pleased to announce that they have entered into an exclusive long-term partnership with the creation of Checkmate Live. The strategic partnership sees Checkmate live becoming the Asian Chess Federations’ official online tournament platform, data and broadcast partner. Asian Chess Federation General Secretary Hisham Al Taher (left) and John McRae, Founder and Managing Director of VADR Media The Asian Chess Federation (ACF) is the international governing body of chess across the Asian Continent, uniting 52 national member federations across Asia, the Middle East and Oceania. Its headquarters are in Al-Ain, the United Arab Emirates, and its President is His Highness Sheikh Sultan Bin Khalifa Al Nahyan. VADR is an executive production firm established in 2008 that produces and promotes new media, sports and entertainment. They ventured into e-sports in 2015 when they launched Let’s Play Live and subsequently grew it into Australia and New Zealand’s largest independent e-sports provider. Asian Chess Federation General Secretary Hisham Al Taher (center) signing the contract with John McRae (right), Founder and Managing Director of VADR Media, witnessed by David Jenns, Principal of White Wolf Strategies. Checkmate live is a new web3 initiative by the VADR team focused on producing and broadcasting OTB and online tournaments for a new generation of players. At its heart is a skills-based platform that provides the opportunity to compete and also win cash prizes, credits, and in-game assets in an XR-led, e-sports international chess series. His Highness Sheikh Sultan Bin Khalifa Bin Shakboot Al Nahayan, President Asian Chess Federation (ACF), commented: “Technology has played an important part in the journey and development of sports over the years, often overlooking chess. In recent years, the onset of online gaming and internet improvements has enabled greater access globally. The lack of effective integrity measures for online chess has also been a concern for the community hindering greater involvement. The partnership with Checkmate will allow the Asian Chess Federation to deliver competitive online tournaments and increase opportunities for our players. A key determining factor in the decision to partner with Checkmate was their commitment to improving the integrity of online chess and their ability to successfully create a solution that satisfies ACF’s vision for the future. Once launched, ACF will be able to host official online events that are inclusive and equitable and will provide even greater access for our members.” “We are delighted to have partnered Checkmate with the Asian Chess Federation and are extremely grateful for the support of His Highness Sheikh Sultan Bin Khalifa Bin Shakboot Al Nahayan. It was fortuitous that both His Highness and ACF Secretary General Hisham Al Taher also share our passion for chess and esports. We all jointly recognize the ability for competitive online chess to connect mates (friends), generations and nations”, said VADR Founder and Managing Director John McRae. It is estimated up to 700 million people play the 1500-year-old skill-based game. COVID-19 had a marked impact on its increasing popularity along with the release of Netflix hit mini-series ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ in 2020. This growth has seen a significant increase in chess being streamed online by influencers, major esports teams signing professional players and record online viewership numbers. A key focus for the Checkmate team since they started their planning was to improve the integrity of online chess games. “We identified the problem of online cheating and its impact on fair play early on and believe we have resolved this issue, although we are realistic that it will be an ongoing battle as players continue to try and game the system. We have achieved this through a mix of proprietary AI exclusive to Checkmate and existing technology, partnerships and the development of a strong integrity programme. As part of its roadmap, Checkmate will be releasing a third-party module for associations, federations and tournament organizers who wish to benefit from these efforts”, said McRae. Checkmate’s take on chess, the world’s oldest game, will launch in Q1 2023 on Web and Mobile. Media Contacts: Asian Chess Federation Hisham Al Taher Secretary-General Asian Chess Federation asianchessfederation@yahoo.com Checkmate John McRae Managing Director VADR Media john@vadr.media +61421001766
Alireza Firouzja wins 2022 Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz
The fifth day of Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz was smooth sailing for Alireza Firouzja, who made it to the top of the standings and won the 2022 St Louis Grand Chess Tour with four rounds to spare. Alireza scored amazing 8/9 points today and will collect $40,000 for his efforts. Firouzja’s rivals for first place, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Hikaru Nakamura, could not chase an unstoppable leader for too long today. After a couple of rounds, it was clear they could fight for second place only. Hikaru Nakamura was able to keep pace and finished the tournament in second place with one round to go, while MVL tied for third place with Fabiano Caruana, who fought hard today as well. There will be only two rest days for the players, and then the Sinquefield Cup Round 1 will begin on Friday, September 2, at 1:00pm. Things will heat up even more as the World Champion Magnus Carlsen joins the field. After 9 rapid games and 18 blitz games over the course of 5 days, Alireza Firouzja lost only one rapid game on the second day vs Levon Aronian and won 15 games. Such an achievement is incredibly impressive on its own, given the strength of the field. During the interview after the end of the tournament, It turned out that a long time ago, Alireza made a promise to himself to win his first tournament when he finally comes to St Louis. Alireza Firouzja: I could reveal a secret now, it was my promise for a long time if I come to St Louis, I will win my first tournament. Cristian Chirila: whom did you make that promise? Alireza: to myself. | Photo: GCT/Lennart Ootes ”The chess club in St Louis is really remarkable. I’m really in love with the club and really happy to be here”, said the winner. Alireza not only won the tournament but also crossed 2900 border in the blitz rating list. The winner was still a bit sad, as his accomplishment was not good enough to jump over Hikaru Nakamura in the world blitz rankings. Hikaru won both blitz games vs Fabiano | Photo: GCT/Lennart Ootes Hikaru started day 5 with a victory against Fabiano Caruana but suddenly lost two games in a row vs Alireza Firouzja and Levon Aronian. It seemed like the American grandmaster was losing his track, but he managed to stabilize his play after winning in the next round vs Sam Shankland. He scored an impressive 5.5/6 and finished the tournament in the sole second place, being the last after the first three days of rapid. Hikaru Nakamura in the studio | Photo: GCT/Lennart Ootes “I’m very happy with the way I played after those two unfortunate loses today, just won a couple of games at the end, so second place is pretty good,” said Hikaru. He was happy to show he still could play chess, as lots of people were saying after the rapid it was time for him to come back and retire. The good news for Hikaru’s fans – he will be back in Saint Louis for the Champions Showdown this September. Fabiano Caruana managed to catch MVL and tied for third place | Photo: Crystal Fuller The two players who tied for third place, MVL and Fabiano Caruana, had different journeys these days. Maxime was chasing the winner from day one and tied for first place a few times, while Fabiano Caruana was struggling to get to the top and stayed at a distance from the leaders for most of the tournament. The American redeemed himself in the second half, finishing with a score of 3.5/4, including a crucial win over Shakhriyar Mamedyarov in the last round. “I feel embarrassed with what happened in the end because I should have lost the last game,” said Fabiano, adding that he feels that his result was better than his play. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave | Photo: GCT/Lennart Ootes MVL slowed down in the blitz portion of Saint Louis GCT and finished day five with the same result as on the previous day – 4/9. Three draws in the last rounds with Aronian, Firuozja and Shankland helped Fabiano Caruana to catch the Frenchman in third place. The fight for the top places in the overall Grand Chess Tour standings continues. With the Sinquefield Cup starting on Friday, there are still several players who are in contention for the title of 2022 Grand Chess Tour Champion. Text: WGM Anastasiya Karlovich Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz Sponsors Further Information:Web: GrandChessTour.org | Twitter: @GrandChessTourInstagram: @GrandChessTour | Facebook: @GrandChessTour Venue: Saint Louis Chess Club August 25 – 30, 2022 Press Contact:press@grandchesstour.org Livestream:GrandChessTour.org Photos:Courtesy of Grand Chess Tour and Spectrum StudiosCredits available on Flickr.
FIDE to compensate for airfare losses at Rapid & Blitz 2021
Dear players, As you know, due to force majeure (the introduction of additional measures by the government of Kazakhstan in connection with the outbreak of the omicron virus), the Rapid and Blitz World Championships planned for Kazakhstan in December 2021 were cancelled and moved to a different location. Some players were unable to change or get a reimbursement for the flights they had already booked. Although legally, FIDE is not liable for this cancellation, we have done our best to find additional resources to cover those expenses and compensate players for their loss. We are happy to announce now that FIDE will cover these expenses for all players who: 1) were included in the official list of participants, regardless of whether they had previously informed FIDE about their financial loss. 2) were not included in the official list of participants, as long as they had reported their intention to participate and the losses in which they had incurred. We request all players in this situation to confirm the total amount of the loss by filling out the online form: worldrapidandblitz.fide.com/reimbursement In cases where the player has received a partial refund, we will probably get back to you requesting additional information. Reimbursements will be made within 10 days once all the relevant information has been collected by FIDE. The deadline to request reimbursement is September 30, 2022.