“Capture”: changing the perception of chess through photography
More than a traditional exhibition, “Capture” is a project by photographer Stev Bonhage challenging the conventional perception of chess The exhibition was opened on Saturday evening in the center of the Swiss capital, Bern. Situated in a bustling public square within Bern’s historic Old City, “Capture” invites the audience to discover the colorful world hiding behind sixty-four black and white squares. From palaces to prisons, from world champions to children in slums, chess transcends boundaries, uniting people from all walks of life. More than a relentless pursuit of victory, the 64-square game creates a world of its own, combining life experiences, hopes, dreams and sorrows. It is this human story that Stev Bonhage hopes to communicate with the audience in his first chess exhibition, showcasing his work covering top international events and FIDE’s social initiative in refugee camps and prisons, where chess is played. The exhibition’s grand opening on Saturday evening welcomed esteemed guests, including former Women’s World Champion Aleksandra Kosteniuk, alongside FIDE officials and the President of the Swiss Chess Federation, André Vögtlin. Dana Reizniece-Ozola, Deputy Chair of FIDE’s Management Board, emphasized the exhibition’s significance in broadening public perceptions of chess. “FIDE is not only for professional chess players; it is so much more. FIDE is investing in many different initiatives – for women, children, projects for people with ADHD, people in prisons and many other groups… Chess is for everyone, and this exhibition aims to showcase that. We therefore hope that people who see these photos will be engaged and inspired to take up the game,” Reziniece-Ozola said. Stev Bonhage (born in 1985 in Germany) has been photographing chess since 2022. The photographs in the exhibition are based on his monograph “Capture”, representing a visual dialogue between chess and life, seen through the lens of the camera. It is part of his broader approach in which Bonhage wants to change the way chess is perceived. “Chess is something that brings everyone together. It combines tradition and change, and in life, you need a balance of the two. I always say that I am a better player off the board than on the board thanks to what I have learnt through the game,” Bonhage said. “Chess is a game of life. If I can come close to what chess has given me, this exhibition is what I want to give back,” he added. “Capture” is sponsored by Freedom Holding Corp. – a U.S.-based financial services company that has been supporting chess events in recent years – as well as the Kazakhstan Chess Federation and France’s energy giant, TotaleEnergy. “The ambition of Stev’s project and the quality of his work resonate deeply with our company’s values and aspirations. We support every effort to enhance chess, recognizing its significance in developing human potential in both life and business. We are proud to be sponsoring this project and look forward to the exhibition traveling to other countries, spreading the message of chess,” Freedom Holding said in a statement. “FIDE is grateful to the sponsors for their belief in our organization and support of the cause to promote chess more to the wider audience,” Dana Reizniece-Ozola said. Visitors are invited to experience the “Capture” exhibition, open 24 hours a day in Bern’s public square until April 14. After Switzerland, the exhibition will travel to Morocco as part of the next phase of the FIDE 100 celebration. Photos: Stev Bonhage
Arjun Erigaisi wins III Open Chess Menorca
The third edition of Open Chess Menorca, supported by the FIDE Aid Package, took place in Ciutadella de Menorca (Spain), in the 4-star MarSenses Paradise Club from April 02-07, 2024. The 9-round Swiss tournament with classical time control brought together nearly 300 players, including such big names as Arjun Erigaisi, Nihal Sarin (both India), Vladimir Fedoseev (Slovenia), Hans Niemann (USA) and Jorden Van Foreest (Netherlands), to name a few. The race for the title was very tight with several players sharing the top position most of the way. However, after the penultimate round the rating favorite Arjun Erigaisi scored a crucial victory over his compatriot Aryan Chopra and emerged as the sole leader with 7/8, heading to the final round a half-point ahead of six players. The Indian GM made a quick draw with the white pieces against Vladimir Fedoseev and allowed Kirill Alekseenko (Austria) and Maxim Chigaev (Spain), who notched up final-round wins, to catch up with him. As a result, three players tied for place with Erigaisi claiming the title thanks to a superior Buchholz. Interestingly, Indian players won all three editions of the Menorca Open. Alekseenko and Chigaev came second and third respectively. Final standings: 1 GM Erigaisi, Arjun IND 2756 7½ 2 GM Alekseenko, Kirill AUT 2655 7½ 3 GM Chigaev, Maksim ESP 2621 7½ 4 GM Fedoseev, Vladimir SLO 2690 7 5 GM Aryan, Chopra IND 2630 7 6 GM Yuffa, Daniil ESP 2607 7 7 IM Vogel, Roven GER 2528 7 8 GM Dardha, Daniel BEL 2630 6½ 9 GM Van Foreest, Jorden NED 2668 6½ 10 GM Krzyzanowski, Marcin POL 2510 6½ Complete final standings Photos: Open Chess Menorca Facebook Official website: openchessmenorca.com/
FIDE Candidates: Nepomniachtchi and Tan Zhongyi lead going to rest day
Four rounds have been played at the FIDE Candidates in Toronto, and the first rest day is upon us. The players will have the chance to experience the April 8th solar eclipse with a Lake Ontario cruise. The tournament continues to be a treat for the fans, with a lot of uncompromising fighting chess and decisive outcomes. Our man of the day is the winner of the two previous FIDE Candidates Tournament, Ian Nepomniachtchi, who became the sole leader with a win against Vidit. Ian, playing with White, was pressing Vidit out of the opening, both on the board and on the clock. “I can’t recall any occasion when I get two Berlins in a row and manage to get a game,” said Nepomniachtchi at the press conference. “11. g4 is a very rare move. 11…Ne7 12. Nh2 was the idea of my team. Nh2 doesn’t look good, but my plan is simple: I push f4-f5 and create some forcing play.” Later in the game, Vidit failed to coordinate his defensive setup, which allowed Nepomniachtchi to use his central passed pawn and piece activity to seal the deal. With two wins and two draws, the tournament has thus far been a smooth sailing one for the two-time World Championship Challenger. Hikaru Nakamura and Praggnanandhaa R were the first to finish today. Nakamura, with the white pieces, did not manage to get much out of the opening in the Ruy Lopez and agreed that a draw was the logical result. After the game, fan-favourite Nakamura met fans in the fan zone and spent time graciously signing autographs and taking selfies with his fans. “Oh my God, it’s Hikaru!” exclaimed a fan near the entrance when the American player stepped into the hall. Many spectators have been coming to the venue with chess boards and other memorabilia with hopes of getting autographs. Fans also bought various merchandise available for sale on-site in the fan zone. Gukesh D demonstrated creative defence in his game against the top seed Fabiano Caruana. When it seemed that Caruana was applying some pressure on White, Gukesh came up with two brilliant intermediate moves which helped Black to equalise. One of the moves was 23…cxb4 instead of capturing the knight en prise. White correctly realized that he couldn’t keep the extra piece because the black pawns on the queenside were too strong. For example, Black would be winning had the continuation been 24. Be3 b3 25. Qb2 Nd5. Caruana confessed in the post-game interview that he also missed Gukesh’s follow up, 24. cxb4 Qd4! After this, the evaluation of the position was completely equal. Caruana continued to try to squeeze water from the stone, but Gukesh remained precise till the end, and the players agreed to a draw on move 72. In the final game of the open section, Alireza Firouzja was up a pawn against Nijat Abasov, but it did not make much of a difference. Firouzja’s extra pawn was a doubled pawn on the kingside, and Abasov had enough defensive resources to make this an easy draw. Nevertheless, though Firouzja attempted to exploit every opportunity, the game finished in a draw on move 64. Today, the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament had the potential to produce three decisive results from some spectacular battles. Unfortunately, only one game lived up to expectations. Nurgyul Salimova, playing with White against Humpy Koneru, bounced back from her defeat yesterday by outplaying her more-experienced opponent. “I was out of my preparation very early on. She surprised me in the opening with 5…Ne4, but the position later turned into something that I have checked. So, it was not like I was completely unfamiliar. When she started pushing the pawns, it looked scary, but it felt like I was always in control,” commented Salimova after the game. Kateryna Lagno, up a pawn, had a winning position against the tournament’s leader, Tan Zhongyi. However, Lagno blundered in time trouble and stormed out of the playing hall after the game finished in a draw. Kateryna played very natural 52. Be5? but after the precise 52…Qe6! 53. Qe4 Bxd6 had to settle for a draw. The right path is 52. Bf2! and after 52…Qxd6+ 53. Kh1 Kg7 54. Qa7 Qd1+ 55. Bg1 White’s a-pawn will eventually cost Black her bishop. Anna Muzychuk also did not manage to convert her winning position into a full point. This is the second game in a row that the Ukrainian player had to settle for a draw. Similarly to yesterday, the path to victory was not an easy one. One precise move was required in her rook endgame against two passed pawns, and Muzychuk sadly did not manage to find it. The move in question is 53. Kf7! (or 53. Rg8 with the same idea) and after 53…g4 54. Rg8 Kf4 55. Kg6 f5 56. Kh5 Kg3 57. Rg6! Kf3 58. Kh4 White stops Black’s pawns. Anna, however, opted for 53. Re4+? but it failed to 53…Kf4 54. Kxf6 g4 and Black escaped with a draw. The game between Aleksandra Goryachkina and Vaishali R was a calmer battle. It did not have the surprises and the evaluation swings of the other three games, and the opponents split a point in an equal position. The tournament will be pausing for a rest day tomorrow. As it stands, Ian Nepomniachtchi is the sole leader in the FIDE Candidates Tournament, and Tan Zhongyi is the clear leader in the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament. The fifth round of the event will commence on April 9th at 14:30 EDT (Toronto). Standings after Round 4: Open: 1. Nepomniachtchi – 32-3. Caruana, Gukesh – 2.54-8. Abasov, Firouzja, Nakamura, Vidit, Praggnanandhaa – 1.5 Women’s: 1. Tan Zhongyi – 32. Goryachkina – 2.53-4. Salimova, Lagno – 25-8. A. Muzychuk, Lei, Vaishali, Koneru – 1.5 Round 5 pairings: Open: Firouzja – NakamuraGukesh – AbasovVidit – CaruanaPraggnanandhaa – Nepomniachtchi Women’s: Lei – LagnoVaishali – A. MuzychukKoneru – GoryachkinaTan – Salimova Written by WGM Anna Burtasova Photos: Michal Walusza and Maria Emelianova/Chess.com Official website: candidates2024.fide.com/ Partners: