Montenegrin Championship: Nikita Petrov clinches title
GM Nikita Petrov is the new champion of Montenegro. The native of Novorossiysk (Russia), who recently changed federation, won his first national title in a tough contest with 10-time Montenegro champion Nikola Djukic. The Montenegro Championship 2024, an 11-round Swiss tournament with classical time control, took place from February 6-15, 2024, in the country’s capital Podgorica. The event brought together 52 best local players. It was an extremely close race from start to finish, with top-seed participants either taking turns on the top or sharing the lead almost all the way. In the end, Petrov and Nikola Djukic pulled away and came to the final round a full point ahead of Luka Draskovic and Denis Kadric. Facing Bozidar Ivanovic with the white pieces, Djukic grabbed the initiative early on, then made a serious mistake but eventually converted his slight advantage deep into the endgame to take the top position for a moment. Meanwhile, playing against Milan Drasko with Black, Petrov gradually outplayed his opponent but did not protect his last pawn in an endgame and let his advantage slip away completely. Still, Nikita had some practical chances with a rook and two minor pieces (no pawns) against Milan’s rook, knight and pawn, which materialized in time trouble after White’s king walked into a mating net. As a result, both leaders pulled off victories and finished on 9/11, but Nikita Petrov clinched the title thanks to a slightly better Buchholz. As many as three players tied for third place, netting 7.5/11, with Denis Cadric claiming bronze by a superior tiebreaker. Final standings: 1 GM Petrov, Nikita 2563 9 2 GM Djukic, Nikola 2521 9 3 GM Kadric, Denis 2586 7½ 4 GM Draskovic, Luka 2485 7½ 5 IM Smirnov, Artem 2406 7½ 6 FM Vukcevic, Nemanja 2275 7 7 IM Kalezic, Blazo 2407 7 8 Vujovic, Savo 2137 7 9 GM Nikcevic, Nebojsa 2338 6½ 10 FM Sukovic, Andrej 2339 6½ Photos: Šahovski savez Crne Gore Facebook
FIDE establishes closer cooperation with International School Sport Federation
At a ceremony in Paris, the President of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), Arkady Dvorkovich, and the President of the International School Sport Federation (ISF), Laurent Petrynka, signed a Memorandum of Understanding which aims to incorporate chess in sports events for students organized by the ISF The partnership outlines key objectives, including establishing chess as a recognized sport among National School Sports Federations, specifying FIDE’s role in organizing ISF Chess competitions, and promoting chess in education at local and international levels. Additionally, the collaboration seeks to attract school-age chess enthusiasts and enhance chess visibility in the media. FIDE and ISF will jointly initiate programs encouraging school students to embrace chess, promote girls’ school sports, and utilize school chess competitions as a platform for testing new rules and formats. FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich expressed his enthusiasm, stating, “ISF is the largest sports organization globally focusing on school sports. We are delighted to have signed this agreement to include chess in their events. With cooperation from ISF, we are opening new paths for young people to take up this beautiful sport.” ISF President Laurent Petrynka spoke highly of the value of chess: “Chess is an intensely competitive and strategic sport. Young individuals engage in chess to develop skills such as keen perception, quick thinking, and strategic planning, challenging and strengthening their mental resilience. Many qualities of chess make it highly suitable for promotion in schools.” “Within the framework of this MOU, ISF is committed to wholeheartedly promoting chess within ISF events and its member organizations, including national school sports federations. Harnessing the popularity of this sport, ISF aims to drive school sports and educational activities, fostering fair competition and gender equality in sports. Additionally, ISF is delighted to note that FIDE has officially included ISF Chess events in its calendar and will provide support in competition management, technical officials’ training, and other aspects to facilitate the rapid growth of global school sports.” The initial step following the agreement will be the inclusion of chess at the upcoming ISF Gymnasiade in Manama, Bahrain, from October 23 – 31. Hosted by the Kingdom of Bahrain and under the patronage of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the event will bring together school students from around the world to participate in 25 different sports, including para-sports, over eight days. Activities will range from inspiring workshops to seminars, providing students and teachers with a unique opportunity to interact with peers from across the globe. To learn more about the event and to register your team, please visit: events.isfsports.org/isf-gymnasiade-bahrain-2024/. Photos: Nicolas Launay About the ISF Established in 1972 and recognized by the International Olympic Committee since 1995, the International School Sport Federation (ISF) encompasses its motto, “We are school sport”. As the global umbrella for national school sports organizations, ISF engages with over 200,000 schools across 134 member countries. ISF provides school children aged 13-18 by hosting events globally and featuring a diverse competition and education program with over 30 sports, including para-sports. Its mission is to expand education through sport and encourage a healthy lifestyle, as well as support the physical and mental health of youth worldwide. ISF is hosting the world’s biggest international sports events for school students, including the flagship ISF Gymnasiades.
Iivo Nei and Andreas Dueckstein awarded Honorary GM title
FIDE Council awarded the title of Honorary Grandmaster to Andreas Dueckstein (Austria) and Iivo Nei (Estonia) for their consistently strong results in the 1950s-70s. Currently, FIDE Historic Commission is working on unified criteria for awarding the title of Honorary Grandmaster. Below are a few words about the awardees, summarizing their careers and achievements. Ivo Nei Photo: Ingmar Muusikus Born on October 31 1931, in Tartu, Estonia, Iivo Nei started playing chess inspired by his great compatriot Paul Keres. At the beginning of his career, Nei made a name for himself, finishing 3rd in a very strong USSR Juniors Championship (Leningrad, 1947) and tying for first with Korchnoi in the same event a year later (Tallinn, 1948). Eight-time Estonian champion (1951, 1952, 1956, 1960–1962, 1971, and 1974), Iivo won the Baltic Republics championships in 1961 in Palanga, in 1962 in Tartu, in 1963 in Estonia, and in 1964 in Pärnu. His major break came in 1964 when he tied for first with Paul Keres in Beverwijk (Hoogovens tournament, later known Corus and then Tata Steel) ahead of Portisch, Ivkov, Larsen and Parma. He later achieved solid results in Beverwijk 1966 (5th), Zinnowitz 1966 (4th-6th) and Tallinn 1969 (2-3rd). Still an active player, Iivo Nei productively worked with Nona Gaprindashvili and Maia Chiburdanidze as an assistant and was notably one of Boris Spassky’s seconds in the 1972 World Championship match. He later coached GM Lembit Oll. For many years Iivo Nei served as FIDE representative in Zone 1.7 (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) A popular author, he penned several books in Estonian and German. Andreas Dückstein Photo: kurier.at/ Born on August 2, 1927, in Budapest, Andreas Dueckstein moved to Austria at 22 and quickly became one of the country’s strongest players, winning the national championship thrice (1954, 1956, 1977). Andreas represented Austria in seven Chess Olympiads from 1956 to 1988, notably taking individual gold in Moscow (1956) and Nice (1974), both times playing on the second board. Following his strong performance in Moscow (1956), he was awarded the IM title. Regarded as a dangerous attacking player in his prime, Dueckstein scored victories over formidable opponents such as Max Euwe, Mikhail Botvinnik (who was the reigning World Champion at that time), and Bent Larsen. Over his long and successful chess career, Dueckstein built a good tournament record: 5th at Hastings (1958/59), shared 2nd at Zonal in Berg en Dal (1960), 4–6th at Vienna (1961), 3rd at Amsterdam IBM (1964), 4th at Palma de Mallorca (1965), 6-7th in Havre (1977). Photos (top): Ron Kroon and Wim van Rossem for Anefo (Dutch National Archives, The Hague)