International Chess Festival Baku Open 2023 announced
The Ministry of Youth & Sport of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijan Chess Federation are pleased to announce the Baku Chess Open festival dedicated to the 100th anniversary of national leader Heydar Aliyev. The festival will be held from May 3 (arrival day) to May 12 (last round and closing ceremony) in Baku Crystal Hall, an indoor arena built to host the Eurovision Song Contest 2012. The program of the festival includes competitions in three sections (A, B and C), 9-round Swiss tournaments with classical time control. Group A is open to players with FIDE Elo above 2250 (Women – above 2100), Group B is for players with FIDE Elo below 2249 (Women – below 2099), Group C will bring together rated players and youngsters under 12 (born in 2011 and earlier). Baku Crystal Hall Photo: Interfase (Wikipedia) The total prize fund of the tournament amounts to USD 55,000, with USD 12,000 reserved for the winner of Section A. The first ten registered players with FIDE Elo above 2650 (as of May 1, 2023) and women with FIDE Elo above 2450 (as of May 1, 2023) will be provided with a full board. Schedule: Date Time Event 04 May 14.30 1st round 05 May 15.00 2nd round 06 May 15.00 3rd round 07 May 15.00 4th round 08 May 15.00 5th round 09 May 15.00 6th round 10 May 15.00 7th round 11 May 15.00 8th round 12 May 12.00 9th round 12 May 18.00 Closing ceremony Photo: thediaryofanomad.com/ The capital of Azerbaijan has a lot to offer besides chess. The guests of this open-minded and hospitable city are welcome to stroll along the Caspian promenade, visit the Old City and enjoy the unique blend of ancient and new. Regulations for the International Chess Festival Baku Open 2023 (PDF) Contacts: Azerbaijan Chess FederationWhatsapp: +994 77 732 99 76Е-mail: azerbaijanchess@yahoo.comWebsite: http://asf.org.az
FIDE Grand Swiss and WGS offer record prize funds
Photo: Mark Livshitz The International Chess Federation introduced updated regulations for Grand Swiss 2023 and Women’s Grand Swiss 2023 (WGS), the events to be held in Douglas, Isle of Man, from October 23 to November 6. Compared to the previous editions, the main changes involve the qualification system, increased prize money and prize fund distribution as well as travel and accommodation conditions. Qualification for Grand Swiss Invitations for Grand Swiss shall be determined according to the following criteria: A. One hundred players qualify by FIDE rating One hundred players shall qualify by their rating. For this purpose, the FIDE rating in June FIDE Standard Rating List shall be used. In case of equality, the total number of rated games in 12 standard rating periods from July 2022 to June 2023 shall be decisive: the player with the most number of games shall qualify. If these numbers are equal, the drawing of lots shall decide. Only players who played at least 10 rated games counted in any of the 12 standard rating periods from July 2022 to June 2023 are eligible. B. Women’s World Champion GM Ju Wenjun (as at 31 December 2022). C. Four Continent spots. Each spot shall be decided by the respective Continental President by July 31, 2023. D. Four players nominated by the FIDE President. Qualification for Women’s Grand Swiss Invitations for WGS shall be determined according to the following criteria: A. Forty players qualify by FIDE rating Forty players shall qualify by their rating. For this purpose, the FIDE rating in June FIDE Standard Rating List shall be used. In case of equality, the total number of rated games in 12 standard rating periods from July 2022 to June 2023 shall be decisive: the player with the most number of games shall qualify. If these numbers are equal, the drawing of lots shall decide. Only players who played at least 10 rated games counted in any of the 12 standard rating periods from July 2022 to June 2023 are eligible. B. Four Continent spots. Each spot shall be decided by the respective Continental President by 31 July 2023. C. Four players nominated by the FIDE President. PRIZES The total prize fund for Grand Swiss 2023 is USD 460,000 (compared to 425,000 in the previous edition) and the number of prizes has increased from 40 to 46. The amount is net and cleared of any local taxes. The money prizes shall be allocated as follows: PLACE PRIZE, USD PRIZE TOTAL, USD 1st 80,000 80,000 2nd 60,000 60,000 3rd 40,000 40,000 4th 35,000 35,000 5th 30,000 30,000 6th 25,000 25,000 7th 20,000 20,000 8th 18,000 18,000 9th 15,000 15,000 10th 12,500 12,500 11th – 15th 8,000 40,000 16th – 20th 5,000 25,000 21st – 25th 3,000 15,000 26th – 30th 2,500 12,500 31st – 46th 2,000 32,000 TOTAL 460,000 The total prize fund for Women’s Grand Swiss is USD 140,000 (compared to 125,000 in 2021) and the number of prizes has increased from 20 to 23. The amount shall be net and cleared of any local taxes. The money prizes shall be allocated as follows: PLACE PRIZE, USD PRIZE TOTAL, USD 1st 25,000 25,000 2nd 17,500 17,500 3rd 15,000 15,000 4th 13,000 13,000 5th 11,000 11,000 6th 8,000 8,000 7th 7,000 7,000 8th 6,000 6,000 9th 5,000 5,000 10th 4,000 4,000 11th – 15th 2,500 12,500 16th – 23rd 2,000 16,000 TOTAL 140,000 Daily and travel allowances also have grown significantly. Each registered player receives: An Accommodation & Meals Daily Allowance of USD 150 for each night spent on IOM, up to a maximum of fourteen nights (i.e. up to a maximum allowance of USD 2,100 per player). A Travel Allowance. The chess federation to which the player belongs shall determine the amount*: USD 950 for all players belonging to a chess federation in Europe. USD 1,600 for players belonging to a chess federation from the rest of the world. *The Organiser retains the right to compensate the travel fee according to the actual residence of the player. Grand Swiss 2023 and Women’s Grand Swiss schedule: DAY DATE START TIME EVENT 1 23 October n/a Arrivals* 2 24 October To be advised Opening Ceremony & Technical Meeting 3 25 October 14:30 Round 1 4 26 October 14:30 Round 2 5 27 October 14:30 Round 3 6 28 October 14:30 Round 4 7 29 October 14:30 Round 5 8 30 October 14:30 Round 6 9 31 October n/a Free day 10 1 November 14:30 Round 7 11 2 November 14:30 Round 8 12 3 November 14:30 Round 9 13 4 November 14:30 Round 10 14 5 November 14:00 Round 11 & Closing Ceremony 15 6 November n/a Departures Regulations for FIDE Grand Swiss 2023 (PDF) Regulations for FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss (PDF)
The home of chess welcomes Women’s Grand Prix
By Milan Dinic The third tournament of the four-stage Women’s Grand Prix will start on the 24th of March. After Astana (in September 2022) and Munich (in February of this year), the event returns to Asia, as the Indian capital New Delhi will be the host city for the third leg of the Women’s Grand Prix India, the birthplace of chess and the country where the game experiences enormous fame, has continued to promote international chess. Following the successful organization of the 44th Chess Olympiad in Chennai in 2022, the third leg of the Women’s Grand Prix, which will start in New Delhi on 24th March is another step in that direction. Altogether 16 players are taking part in the four-tournament Women’s Grand Prix cycle. Each tournament features 12 players, each playing in three of the four tournaments. The top two players will qualify for the Women’s Candidates Tournament. The 12-player line-up in Delhi has some of the strongest women players, including world number three Aleksandra Goryachkina, current Women’s World Blitz champion Bibisara Assaubayeva (pictured below) and former Women’s World Rapid and Blitz champion Kateryna Lagno. Current Women’s Grand Prix leader (and former world champion), Alexandra Kosteniuk, will not be playing in this leg and is saving her chances for the fourth – and final – tournament in the series, in May. Photo: Lennart Ootes The host country will have three players taking part. Two are well-known heavyweights in the chess world: Harika Dronavalli (three-time bronze medal winner in the Women’s World Chess Championship) and Humpy Koneru (the youngest woman ever to become GM, she has been at the top of women’s chess since 2005). India’s third hope is Chennai native IM Vaishali Rameshbabu. The older sister of GM Praggnanandhaa R, she currently has two GM norms and is considered to be one of the brightest upcoming stars in chess. GMs Anna and Mariya Muzychuk have withdrawn from the event and have been replaced by IMs Nino Batsiashvili and Vaishali Rameshbabu. What to expect in Delhi? The tournament in Delhi is the final run for Zhu Jiner in this edition of the Women’s Grand Prix. After coming in third in the inaugural tournament in Astana, the Chinese player was slightly behind in Munich, coming in 5th place. While she is currently in second place in the overall standings, Zhu needs to perform very strongly in Delhi if she is to secure one of the two cards leading to the Women’s Candidates. Kateryna Lagno missed the Munich stage but is still at the top – currently third in the overall rankings – riding the wave of her impressive victory in Astana and will surely be after the top place in Delhi. Riding the same wave is Alexandra Goryackina, now in shared 5-6thplace in the Grand Prix, who is a strong contender in Delhi. The eyes of the local audience will be on the trio of their very own players. Humpy Koneru (pictured below) has 130 points from Munich and is currently in shared 5-6th place, while Harika Dronavalli is in the middle of the overall score broad. The tournament in Delhi will start with an Indian derby on board two, as Humpy will be leading white pieces against Harika. Photo: Lennart Ootes Looking to take advantage of playing in her home country will be IM Vaishali R, who already had a solid performance in the first leg in Astana, finishing in sixth place. The latecomer to the Delhi event (joining as one of the replacements) will have a greater surprise factor, which may play into her hands. Georgian Nana Dzagnidze is also one to look out for: the former European Women’s Champion and Blitz Champion won third place in Astana. Delhi will be her second appearance in this cycle, and she will be looking to capitalize on the solid score set in the event’s first leg. The path to Delhi: The first and second leg of the Women’s Grand Prix From 18 to 28th September 2022, Astana, Kazakhstan, hosted the inaugural Grand Prix tournament. The event was dominated by the rating favourites and Kateryna Lagno (pictured below) came up first with 8/11, followed by Alexandra Goryachkina, half a point behind. Both players did not suffer a single loss in that tournament! China’s Zhu Jiner came in third after losing two games in the finish. The same trio will appear in the New Delhi edition of the WGP series, already announcing excitement ahead. Photo: Anna Shtourman The second leg of the event was held in the Bavarian capital, Munich, from 2nd to 13th February 2023. Former Women’s World Champion and winner of the 2021 World Cup, Alexandra Kosteniuk, won with 7.5/11. In Munich, Kosteniuk proved that fortune favours the brave as she managed to turn around and win several games where she was struggling. Her strong start with four victories and steady performance later on meant that even the final-round loss (to Zhu Jiner) did not prevent her from being the sole winner of the second leg. India’s Humpy Koneru came in second, with half a point behind, followed by Nana Dzagnidze. Photo: Mark Livshitz About the Women’s Grand Prix The FIDE Women’s Grand Prix consists of four tournaments played between September 2022 and May 2023 and includes 16 women players who take part in three of the four tournaments. The two players who score the greatest number of cumulative points in the series shall qualify for the FIDE Women Candidates Tournament 2023-24. The players participating in the Women’s Grand Prix have been selected based on their performance in key FIDE events and their ELO. Also, each of the four local tournament organizers has a right to nominate a player of their choice. The time control for the tournament is 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with an increment of 30 seconds per move starting from move one. The total prize fund for each one of the four events is
Women’s Candidates Final: Lei Tingjie and Tan Zhongyi face off in Chongqing, China
By IM Michael Rahal (Barcelona, Spain) March 20th, 2023 The 2023 FIDE Women’s Candidates Final will be disputed in Chongqing (China) from March 27th to April 6th. Chinese Grandmasters Lei Tingjie and Tan Zhongyi will face each other in a six-game classical chess match. The winner will receive 60,000 Euros and the right to challenge the current Women’s World Champion, Ju Wenjun, for the title in July. The players Rated 2545, Grandmaster Lei Tingjie qualified for the Women’s Candidates Tournament by clinching the 2021 FIDE Gran Swiss in Riga with one round to spare. The winner of the 2015 Moscow Open and silver medallist in the 2016 Women’s World Rapid Championship, she has represented China on several occasions with outstanding performances: among others, a gold medal at the 2016 Asian Nations Cup in Dubai and the 2018 Batumi Olympiad. Photo: Michal Walusza Currently ranked fourth and ninth on the Chinese and World rating lists, respectively, Lei Tingjie recently secured her spot in the final by convincingly winning the 2022 Monaco Pool A Women’s Candidates tournament, defeating Mariya Muzychuk in the quarter-final and her sister Anna Muzychuk in the semi-final. Former Women’s World Chess Champion in 2018, Grandmaster Tan Zhongyi was a child prodigy, winning the World Youth U-10 Girls Chess Championship in 2000 and 2001, followed by the World Youth U12 Girls Chess Championship in 2002. Currently rated 2526, she stands in fifth place in the Chinese rankings and number twelve overall in the world. Winner of the Women’s World University Chess Championship in 2012 and the 2014 Asian Women’s Blitz Championship, she broke through in 2015, becoming the Chinese Women’s Champion, amongst several other phenomenal results. Photo: Lennart Ootes Having qualified for the Candidates thanks to her brilliant third place in the 2021 Sochi Women’s World Cup, she won her place at the final with a compelling result in the 2022 Khiva Pool B Women’s Candidates tournament: she consecutively defeated none other than Kateryna Lagno and Aleksandra Goryachkina. The match Scheduled for six games plus a tie-break (if necessary), and with a 60.000 euro first prize on the line, the winner will also gain the right to challenge the current champion, Ju Wenjun, for the title in July. According to my database, Lei Tingjie and Tan Zhongyi have faced each other on twenty-eight occasions, with a total score of 16,5 to 11,5 for Tan Zhongyi. However, and more to the point, most of the games have been played at a fast time control, whereas this match will feature six classical games. The venue Strategically positioned as a gateway to China’s west, Chongqing is China’s major modernized manufacturing base, a financial center and an international transport hub in Western China. Photo: Jay Huang Home to more than 32 million people, it was an obvious choice for hosting the event as both players were born in the city. In addition, it’s an important center of chess activity in the country, abode to many important chess clubs and academies. A fun fact – both Lei Tingjie and Tan Zhongyi are teammates at the Chongqing Sports Lottery Chess Club. Official website: womenscandidates.fide.com/