Teams from 50 countries to participate in 3rd Intercontinental Championship for Prisoners
Over 100 teams from 50 countries will take part in the 3rd Intercontinental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners, a three-day event that starts on October 11 The championship is a part of the Chess for Freedom Program, launched two years ago to promote chess as a tool for education and social inclusion in prisons worldwide. The record number of participating teams and countries is a result of the continuous work by FIDE, the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, national chess federations, prison authorities and volunteers involved in promoting chess in prisons. The Chess for Freedom Program has become an impetus for countries across the world to start including chess in educational programs and organize competitions within correctional facilities. In some of them, national qualifiers are being held to determine the strongest male, female and youth teams that will be competing in the forthcoming intercontinental event. A chess wave from Mexico to Malawi The First National Online Chess Championship for prisoners recently took place in Mexico. Altogether, 142 prisoners from 15 teams competed in the event, organized by the National Chess Federation of Mexico in coordination with the Decentralized Administrative Body for Prevention and Social Readaptation. The top two teams in the Open section from the Federal Centers for Social Readaptation (CEFERESO) of Veracruz and Sonora, as well as the women’s team from CEFERESO No. 16 of Morelos, will represent Mexico in the upcoming Intercontinental Online Championship. Portugal is another recent example, where the qualifying event was organized by the Lisbon Prison Establishment in partnership with the Portuguese Chess Federation and Nova Chess at the University of Nova Lisbon. The event was attended by the Minister of Justice Catarina Sarmento e Castro. Smaller countries are also joining the project. Jersey, whose overall population is just over 100,000, will debut in the Intercontinental Championship. “Our prison is divided into four wings, and three of them have taken interest in playing chess occasionally. For a small prison with approximately 150 prisoners, this is not bad, as the uptake for many other courses reflects small numbers. Playing chess in the wings has become more serious as the international competition neared. We are now at the stage of the final internal competitions to decide the best four prisoners to represent us. One of the prisoners who competed last year was crucial in organizing a team on his wing. The previous positive experience he shared with the rest of the team has been invaluable in persuading many to join. It has lifted up the spirits and revealed their competitive sides,”- says Sanja Koppen, Head of Education at the States of Jersey Prison Service. In Malawi, the lineup of the Maula Prison team is already formed, and the players are having their last preparations before the event. They are trained by Susan Namangale, founder of Dadaz Chess Academy and the Global Head of The Gift of Chess. Launched a year ago, the Chess in Prison Program at Maula Prison is very popular among prisoners. “We are ready for the tournament and feel very motivated. We have good players and trained hard for the intercontinental tournament. Chess teaches us to think about our next move, not only on the board but in life as well,” says Steve Maruwo, a prisoner at Malawi’s Malua Prison and a participant of the upcoming intercontinental tournament. The 3rd Intercontinental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners will be broadcast on the FIDE Youtube channel with live commentary by WGM Almira Skripchenko, IM Michael Rahal, and WGM Keti Tsatsalashvili. They will be joined by special guests – FIDE officials, government officers, members of the penitentiary administration and policymakers, who will share the best practices of introducing chess to inmates, as well as former convicts who will be talking about their own experiences and the positive impact of the game on prisoners. Tournament regulations More info about the program can be found here: chessforfreedom.fide.com
World Chess Championship for the Blind starts on October 08 in Rhodes
The 2023 IBCA World Individual Chess Championship for the Blind and Visually Impaired will take place on the Island of Rhodes, Greece, from October 08-18. The event, organized by the International Braille Chess Association (IBCA), the Hellenic Sports Federation for Persons with Disabilities and the Chess Club “Ippotis”, will bring together 80 players from 31 countries. The competition is held as part of the World Chess Festival in Rhodes. The tournament will be held under the official IBCA and FIDE rules as a nine-round, Swiss system event, with one round played daily. Blind people use braille boards for playing chess. Such 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 center in which pieces are sturdily fixed with the help of nails in their bases. The rating favourite of the tournament is GM Marсin Tazbir (2494, Poland), the winner of the FIDE World Championship for People with Disabilities 2023. “When people play with me, they don’t think about my disability, they may not notice it. But sometimes, playing with people with disabilities can be hard for healthy people due to the psychological fact that you are playing against a handicapped person. Even though you still want to win, sometimes you feel a little bit guilty for yourself that you are playing such a game. The tournaments where people with disabilities can meet together and compete are something special. For all of us, it is a great opportunity to overcome our limits.” Tazbir says. The tournament will take place in the Rodos Palace Hotel on the northern seaside of the island. Event Schedule 08/10 – Arrivals09/10 – Technical Meeting, Opening Ceremony, Round 110/10 – Round 211/10 – Round 312/10 – Round 413/10 – Free day13/10 – Round 514/10 – Round 615/10 – IBCA Congress, Round 716/10 – Round 817/10 – Round 9, Closing Ceremony18/10 – Departures 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 regularly holds world championships for blind and visually impaired people. Starting list of players Regulations for the 2023 IBCA World Individual Chess Championship Photos: Mark Livshitz