Arkady Dvorkovich meets with President of Argentina
On October 12, 2022, the FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich was received by the President of Argentina, Alberto Fernández. During the meeting, they discussed how to promote chess in schools and youth chess. The meeting with the President was part of the program dedicated to the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the Argentinian Chess Federation, one of the founder members of FIDE. Alberto Fernandez vehemently expressed his full support for chess. One of the possibilities that were discussed was the opportunity to hold Chess Olympiad in South America in 2028, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Buenos Aires Chess Olympiad in 1978. The FIDE president also met with Gabriel Lerner, Secretary of State for Youth, Family, and Social Development. They discussed the multiple applications of chess as a social tool, giving some best-practice examples for chess in prisons, for seniors, et cetera. Another important meeting took place with Conrado Carrasco Quintana, a representative of the Ministry of Sports and the person responsible for the sports federations in Argentina. The organisation of chess competitions of different levels was the main topic of discussion. Arkady Dvorkovich also met with Daniel Osvaldo Scioli, one of the most influential political figures in Argentina. Current Minister of Productive Development, Scioli is a former Governor of the Buenos Aires province, Argentina’s vice-president, and President of the Senate. Apart from his career as a politician and as a businessman, Scioli has been a prominent sportsperson who competed in swimming, tennis, basketball, and then offshore powerboat racing, a discipline in which he won many titles. Of course, such a competitive person also loves chess! Naturally, the FIDE president also visited the “Pro-Am International Chess Tournament” held to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Argentinian Chess Federation. With a total of 173 players and 20 Grandmasters, this is the strongest tournament held in Argentina since the World Championship in San Luis in 2005.
FIDE approves new composition of Management Board
We are pleased to announce the composition of our new Management Board, following the FIDE Council voting approval of the proposal presented by its President, Arkady Dvorkovich. The full list of members and positions will be as follows: Chairman of the Management BoardFIDE President, Mr Arkady Dvorkovich Deputy Chair of the Management BoardMrs Dana Reizniece-Ozola Board Members: FIDE Deputy PresidentMr Viswanathan Anand FIDE TreasurerMrs Zhu Chen FIDE Chief Executive OfficerMr Emil Sutovsky FIDE Executive DirectorMr Victor Bologan FIDE Special Tasks DirectorMr Akaki Iashvili FIDE Director for Chess DevelopmentMr Nigel Short Secretary GeneralLukasz Turlej FIDE Chief Operating OfficerMs. Sava Stoisavljevic FIDE Legal DirectorMr. Aleksandr Martynov
World Sight Day: Chess perspective
World Sight Day, observed annually on the second Thursday of October, is an international day of awareness to draw attention to global eye health issues, blindness and visual impairment. Chess is a game for everyone and is widely played by visually impaired people. WIM Natasha Morales Santos (pictured below) is the second highest-rated female chess player in Puerto Rico. At the 44th Chess Olympiad in Chennai, she defended the first board of the national women’s team. And she did that playing on her special braille board. From birth, Natasha can’t see with the left eye and has only partial vision in the right. “Earlier, I did not know about the Braille board, so I played on the regular board, but I lost many games because I used to get tired and get constant headaches trying to keep up with opponents on a regular board. I loved chess, but I couldn’t carry on that way. That’s when the Puerto Rican federation helped us find a braille board,” she said in an interview for Sportstar magazine during the Olympiad. Photo: Anna Volkova, Chennai 2022 Braille chess board has special modifications that help visually impaired players. All the black squares are elevated a few millimetres to be easily identified by touch, and each of the squares has a hole in the centre in which pieces are sturdily fixed with the help of nails in their bases. “I don’t have a problem talking about my disability because it’s something I am born with,” says Natasha Morales Santos. “I don’t like it when the only important thing is my disability. Yes, it is a quality I have and an impairment, but it does not describe me as a person or a player.” Natasha Morales Santos and many like her set an example for other players with a similar disability. Another inspiring figure is the reigning women’s world champion among the blind and visually impaired, WIM Lubov Zsiltzova-Lisenko from Ukraine, who scored a whopping 8.5 out of 9 at the latest edition of the championship, held in France. There is a special organization that governs chess for the blind and visually impaired people, International Braille Chess Association (IBCA). It is affiliated with FIDE and regularly holds IBCA world championships. The 2023 IBCA Individual World Chess Championship for Blind and Visually Impaired will take place in Greece.