First International Solving Championships of 2023 announced
As a traditional introduction to a solving season, the 19th International Solving Contest (ISC) will be held this Sunday, January 29. A set of chess problems will be simultaneously offered to more than 500 solvers around the world at 11 AM CET. The local controllers will be responsible for the legality of the results on site, while the central controllers Axel Steinbrink (Germany) and Luc Palmans (Belgium), will do the hard work of checking scanned solving sheets sent from all competitions. Chess composition lives on enthusiasm and voluntary work, even when it comes to such a huge project. The ISC type of hybrid solving competition is becoming increasingly popular since it allows enthusiasts from many countries to participate without extra costs. In 2023, the ISC will reach 42 locations in 26 different countries: Belgium, Brazil, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Great Britain, Georgia, Germany, Greece, India, Israel, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Mongolia, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Switzerland. There are three ISC categories ranging by format and levels of difficulty. Category 1 is for the most ambitious solvers, Category 2 is for solvers rated up to 2000, and Category 3 is for U13 solvers born in 2010 and later. The first two categories count for the solvers rating. They include 12 problems split into two rounds of 120 minutes each. There will twelve problems, two from each of the six different genres: mate in 2, mate in 3, mate in more moves, endgame, helpmate and selfmate. Category 3 is a youth competition aimed at popularizing composition and discovering new talents. It lasts 120 minutes and includes six problems: 4 in 2 moves, 1 in 3 moves, and 1 endgame. ISC is a relaxed and joyful event whose primary mission is to spread the beauty of chess art. You can see people of all ages, races and backgrounds joining it in very different ways. ISC participants from Bangalore (India), solving on the floor/ Photo Shankar Ram To test your solving skills and feel the atmosphere of this competition you can tackle two entries from the previous 2022 ISC edition. The first one is a hard nut to crack from Category 3: 1) White to play and mate in 2 moves (HINT: We are searching for an unconventional move) The next endgame was on the table for Category 2: 2) White to play and win (HINT: White is a piece up, but cxb3+ is a huge threat. Is it possible to coordinate pieces and take advantage of Black’s king vulnerable position?) You can find more ISC details on the Solving page of the World Federation for Chess Composition. Soon after the 19th ISC, the season of national solving championships will begin. Most of them are open for foreign participants, as the legs of the yearly World Solving Cup. The first one to come is the Finnish Chess Solving Championship, held annually since 1980. It will take place on Saturday, February 18, at Chess Arena in Helsinki. The announcement is published on the WFCC homepage, in the section World Solving Cup 2022-2023. The Finnish championship lasts three hours (from 1 to 4 PM in 2023) and is conducted in one session with 12-15 problems to be solved. There will also be a B-group for young and/or less experienced solvers with only orthodox mates and studies. The director of the competition, Neal Turner, a long-time Secretary of the WFCC, has been devoted to solving competitions in Finland for decades. The Finish Chess Problem Society (Suomen Tehtäväniekat) was established in 1935. From the 1st World Chess Solving Championship (WCSC) 1977, Finnish solvers were dominating. In the years 1977-95, their national team, led by Pauli Perkonoja, collected seven gold medals. This long-standing record was matched by the German team in 2002 and broken by the Polish squad in 2016. (Poland won 12 out of the last 13 WCSCs). In 1982 Pauli Perkonoja (born 1941) became the first solver to be granted the title of International Solving Grandmaster of the FIDE. He won the individual competition of the WCSC seven times (the first four times, it was an unofficial title). At the age of 64, Pauli won the 1st European Chess Solving Championship and soon after withdrew from international competitions. European Solving Champion at 64: Pauli Perkonoja (in 2005) | Photo Hannu Harkola Finland has produced two more World Champions and Solving Grandmasters. Kari Valtonen won WCSC 1984, and Jorma Paavilainen did it in 2001. International Solving Master Harri Hurme (1945-2019) was an irreplaceable member of the golden national team. Pauli Perkonoja still holds the Finnish record with 14 domestic titles, ahead of Jorma Paavilainen and Kari Karhunen, who won the national championship ten times each. The Finnish Chess Problem Society produces chess problem books and a high-quality magazine,”Tehtäväniekka”, edited by Jorma Paavilainen. The Society has been represented in the World Federation for Chess Composition by Hannu Harkola, now WFCC Honorary Member. A tireless worker on behalf of chess composition, Harkola has been involved in its international organization for more than 50 years. The solutions to the problems from the ISC 2022 1: (F. Giegold National Zeitung 1971) 1.Rc3! threatening with Rc7#; 1…bxc3 2.Qb7# 2: (Minski, Hergert original for ISC 2022) 1.Bc6! Rxc6 2.d5! Bxd5 3.Ra1+ Kb5 4.Nd4+ Kc5 5.Rb1! (threatening with 6.Rb5#) a6 6.Rb5+! axb5 7.Nb3+ cxb3 8.d4#! Official website: https://www.wfcc.ch/
The first Chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities: A milestone for chess
By Milan Dinic The first-ever Chess Olympiad for people with disabilities represents a historic event for FIDE and the chess world. Over 100 players from 33 countries will gather in Belgrade, Serbia, making a landmark moment for the chess world as the Chess Olympiad for people with disabilities becomes a part of the Chess Olympiad family. From the 29th of January to the 5th of February the Serbian capital will host the first chess Olympiad for people with disabilities. This is a watershed moment for the chess world as it inaugurates the biggest chess event dedicated to people with disabilities. Photo: guide.michelin.com/ Thirty three countries and three international squads have registered to take part in this team competition. They are led by Poland, the winner of the 2020 Online Olympiad for people with disabilities, and Hungary, the two highest-rated teams. A historic event At the end of 2020, FIDE organised the world’s first Online Olympiad for people who have disabilities. In November 2021 the 4th FIDE World Championship for people with disabilities was held online, with the participation of 249 players from 44 different countries. Moving from online to the over-the-board format has been one of the priorities of the International Chess Federation. Following the success of the First Online Olympiad for people with disabilities and the World Championship, FIDE focused on the ambition of organizing this competition live, in person or, as the chess community calls it – over the board. Empowering people with disabilities While teams from the IPCA, IBCA, and ICCD have traditionally been invited to compete in the Chess Olympiad, FIDE believes that having their own dedicated international tournament will allow many more people with disabilities to meet, connect, compete, and enjoy a chess event in the true Olympic spirit. “Chess is a unique sport where disabled people can reach a high professional level and flourish both as players and as individuals. We want to encourage that further! FIDE is fully dedicated to making chess inclusive and accessible to everyone. In particular, we want to give the deserved spotlight to those who face different daily challenges than most of us, and whose inspiration to rise should be noted, respected and celebrated”, FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich said. Dvorkovich noted that despite difficult times, FIDE has managed to pull through and fulfill its commitment to organising this Olympiad. He added that this is one of the most important events for FIDE this year and one of our key priorities in the long run. “While this Olympiad is not on a scale like the traditional Chess Olympiad, it is a hugely important step, and we will do our best to make it a successful one. We hope that over the coming days players and their team members and assistants as well as spectators will truly enjoy the event in Belgrade. This is a unique opportunity to gain a better understanding of how to work together in making chess truly inclusive and to do our best to overcome any life obstacle so that we all feel the spirit of Gens Una Sumus (FIDE’s moto meaning We are one people) among us”, Dvorkovic added. From the Online to the Over-the-Board Olympiad The first Online Chess Olympiad for those with disabilities took place from 20th November through 3rd December 2020. It was organised to coincide with the United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The online Olympiad saw 61 teams from 45 countries, with altogether nearly 400 players taking part. Poland took gold after defeating Russia in the final. The event was hailed as a great success by both the players and the organisers. The real challenge was to get a live, in-person, event – where people can come together. While this was not possible during the height of the Covid pandemic, as the restrictions and the impact of the virus eased FIDE made organising this Chess Olympiad a priority. Unlike in other chess tournaments, events for people with disabilities or impairments require a slightly different setting: from specialized boards and chess clocks to special score-sheets and audio/visual equipment, to in-person assistance and ease of access as well as more supporting staff and medical support. FIDE has developed comprehensive guidelines to facilitate the participation of people with disabilities in any official chess competition. These guidelines can be found in the FIDE Handbook. Serbia – a country with a strong chess tradition and experience in organizing sports events (including two Chess Olympiads) – was chosen to host the inaugural Olympic event. With the support from the Government of Serbia and local companies, and under the auspice of the Serbian Chess Federation, FIDE feels that it has established a strong partnership which can successfully deliver on organising such an important event. The hope is that this Olympiad will serve as a springboard for advancing chess and improving conditions for players with disabilities, by providing them opportunities to voice their opinions and show their flair both on and off the board. High hopes and a look towards the Paralympics Grandmaster Thomas Luther is the head of the FIDE Commission for players with disabilities. He had an instrumental role in securing that the first Olympiad for people with disabilities is organized to the standards and the specific needs of the participants. Photo: Karsten Wieland “This is an exceptional tournament where the spotlight will be on people with disabilities. We got this idea from the Paralympic movement which is big in the news and is helping people who usually don’t get the spotlight, to show what they can do. We want to make chess part of the Paralympic Games. This is one of the ideas FIDE has and we don’t want to give up on this”, says Thomas. He has huge hopes for the future of this event: “This is the first time an Olympiad for people with disabilities is being organised. When the first chess Olympiad was organised just 16 nations took part. In the last chess Olympiad in Chennai more than 180 nations
Tata Steel Masters: Carlsen keeps climbing the standings
Round 9 of the Tata Steel Masters saw several quick draws and two decisive outcomes. Magnus Carlsen continues moving up in the standings after scoring his third victory in the last four rounds. The World Champion shares third position with Wesley So, trailing Anish Giri by a half-point and Nodirbek Abdusattorov by a point. Gukesh D is coming out of a slump as he prevailed over his compatriot Praggnanandhaa D. With three rounds to go, the tournament seems wide open. Nodirbek Abdusattorov – Ding Liren ½–½ After surviving a scare in the previous round, the leader played it safe and had no objections to a draw. The game saw a solid line of Berlin in the Ruy Lopez in which White asked a couple of questions, but as soon Black found the right answers, a draw was agreed upon by repetition. Parham Maghsoodloo – Magnus Carlsen 0-1 The World Champion surprised his opponent in the Queen’s Gambit Decline by introducing a new idea 7…Bg4, the move that has never been seen at the top level before. Parham reacted with 8.Qa4+ but then moved his queen to a standard square c2, while Magnus immediately struck in the center. Things got very complicated, but when the dust settled, the opponents found themselves in an endgame with an extra pawn for White but Black had sufficient compensation. On move 22 Maghsoodloo had a chance to liquidate into a drawn rook ending, but despite a looming time trouble, he opted for a more ambitious continuation only to get into hot water just seven moves later. Magnus once again demonstrated his trademark endgame technique and scored a full point. Richard Rapport – Levon Aronian ½–½ The opponents made not a single original move in another version of Berlin, reproducing several drawn games (Anand – Grischuk and Carlsen – Ding Liren, to name a few). Wesley So – Anish Giri ½–½ The opponents followed the game Shankland – So in the Catalan up to move 15, when Giri deviated with 15…Bxc3, giving up his dark-squared bishop. It was a part of the right plan as on the next move, Anish played 16…Be4 and completely equalized. It triggered massive exchanges in the center, and the opponents soon shook hands in an even rook endgame. Gikesh D – Praggnanandhaa R 1-0 The opponents blitzed out their moves, following the footsteps of Anish Giri and Ian Nepomniachtchi (2020), but Black was first to deviate, striking in the center with 10…d5 (the first line of Stockfish). After a series of the best moves from both parts, Gukesh erred with 16.Rg2 but Praggnanandhaa did not find 16…fxe4! with a sizable advantage. Just a few moves down the road, Black offered his opponent a chance to grab the initiative, but White missed it. And then something very strange happened as Praggnanandhaa sacrificed a piece for just a pawn. White quickly consolidated, and his extra bishop became the decisive factor. Fabiano Caruana – Arjun Erigaisi ½–½ The opponents slowly maneuvered in one of the main lines of the Ruy Lopez, with Black confidently holding his ground. Moreover, after a couple of sluggish moves by Fabiano, Arjun emerged slightly better but reasoned that position did not offer much after all and sealed a draw by repetition. Jorden Van Foreest – Vincent Keymer ½–½ White emerged slightly better in the Chigorin System of Ruy Lopez, put pressure on the d6-pawn and eventually captured it, but Black had good defensive resources. The game took an unexpected turn on move 33 when Jorden missed nice tactics by his opponent. After 33…Bxh3! 34. Kxh3 (34. gxh3 Nf3+) Rd8! 35. g3 Qg6 Black regained a piece and equalized completely. Van Foreest’s trouble just started there as soon he found himself in a rook ending down a pawn. Although the position was equal, Black had some practical chances, and after White made a few inaccuracies, Keymer got the decisive advantage. However, just like a day before, Vincent failed to capitalize in a won rook endgame. This time around did not find the right setup with his king e5 and pawn on e5 and let Jorden salvage a draw. January 26 is the last rest day at the Tata Steel Masters. Grandmasters will return over the board on January 27 at 2 PM local time. Standings after Round 10: 1. Nodirbek Abdusattorov – 7; 2. Anish Giri – 6.5; 3-4. Magnus Carlsen and Wesley So – 6; 5-6. Levon Aronian and Fabiano Caruana 5.5; 7-8. Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa and Richard Rapport – 5; 9. Ding Liren – 4.5; 10-12. Gukesh D, Parham Maghsoodloo and Jorden Van Foreest – 4; 13-14. Arjun Erigaisi and Vincent Keymer 3.5. Photos: tatasteelchess.com, Jurriaan Hoefsmit and Lennart Ootes