Updated FIDE (Dutch) System Effective from July 1, 2025
The SPP Department of the Technical Commission is pleased to announce the approved updates to the C.04.3 FIDE (Dutch) System (handbook.fide.com/chapter/C0403202507). These amendments aim to simplify and enhance the end-of-round pairing process and introduce various types of Pairing Allocated Byes (PABs). Key changes include streamlining the pairing process, excluding players with fewer games from PAB candidacy, and exploring different solutions for PAB in the early rounds, such as half-point, virtual, and zero-point PABs, as well as other variable PAB solutions and considerations for full-point byes. The update draws on insights from the current FIDE (Dutch) System and the new Dubov System, indicating that some existing rules could be simplified for clarity, while a more comprehensive review could necessitate a new pairing system. We also want to draw your attention to C.04.2 General handling rules for Swiss Tournaments, C.04.4 Other FIDE-approved Pairing Systems, and C.04.5 FIDE-approved Accelerated Systems, which contain the documentation with the new references used in C.04.3 FIDE (Dutch) System. We extend our sincere appreciation to Mr. Roberto Ricca and the entire SPP Department for their dedicated efforts in refining the tie-break rules and their explanations. For any inquiries or further information, please contact Hendrik du Toit at secretary.tec@fide.com.
Baku Open 2024 announced
The Ministry of Youth & Sport of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijan Chess Federation are pleased to announce the Baku Open – 2024 Chess Festival dedicated to the 100th anniversary of FIDE. The festival will be held from June 28 (arrival day) to July 07 (last round and closing ceremony) in Baku Sport Hall. The program of the festival includes competitions in two sections (A and B), 9-round Swiss tournaments with classical time control. Group A is open to players with FIDE Elo above 2100 (Women – above 1800), Group B is open for young players with FIDE Elo and born in 2012 and later. Photo: Baku Sports Hall Facebook The total prize fund of the tournament amounts to USD 50,000, with USD 12,000 reserved for the winner of Section A. The first ten registered players with FIDE Elo above 2650 (as of June 1, 2024) and women with FIDE Elo above 2450 (as of June 1, 2024) will be provided with a full board. Schedule: Date Time Event Group B Group A 29 June 14:30 Opening ceremony 29 June 10:00 15:00 1st round 30 June 10:00 15:00 2nd round 01 July 10:00 15:00 3rd round 02 July 10:00 15:00 4th round 03 July 10:00 15:00 5th round 04 July 10:00 15:00 6th round 05 July 10:00 15:00 7th round 06 July 10:00 15:00 8th round 07 July 10:00 15:00 9th round 07 July 20:00 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 International Chess Festival Baku Open 2024 (PDF) Contacts:Azerbaijan Chess FederationЕ-mail: azerbaijanchess@yahoo.comWebsite: http://asf.org.az
Superbet Poland Rapid & Blitz: Magnus Carlsen captures title
Magnus Carlsen emerged as the winner of the 2024 Superbet Poland Rapid & Blitz. The World #1 became the leader of the Grand Chess Tour 2024 season and took home $40,000 first prize. Day 5 of the competition saw the thrilling finale in the race between tournament leader Wei Yi and World #1 Magnus Carlsen. Going into the final day, Wei was leading the tournament 2.5 points ahead of Magnus. The Chinese GM started well, beating Gukesh D in Round 10 of the blitz. Carlsen kept pace, taking over Kirill Shevchenko with Black in a very complicated game in which the young Romanian player had a dangerous attack. Kirill Shevchenko – Magnus Carlsen White has more than sufficient compensation for the sacrificed bishop. The best way to proceed suggested by the computer was 16. Rd2, gradually building up the pressure along the d-file. Kirill played seemingly logical 16. f4? opening the lines which turned out to be a serious mistake. After precise 16… Rb8! 17. Qh4 Qe3+ 18. Kb1 Qxf4 19. Qh6 Ng4 20. Nf5+ Qxf5 21. Qxf8+ Nxf8 Magnus repelled all the treats and emerged up a piece in an endgame. | 0-1, 23 moves. Wei Yi was completely lost against Keymer in the next round but got a lucky break after the young German blundered a stalemate combination. Vincent Keymer – Wei Yi After 70. Qf8+ Kh7 71. Qf5+ White forces a winning pawn endgame. Vincent, however, played the natural 70. c4?? completely missing 70…Qh2+! The queen is taboo because of the stalemate. Keymer tried 71. Kf1, but Black insisted on sacrificing the queen and after 71…Qg1+ 72. Ke2 Qe1+! a draw was agreed ½: ½. Carlsen, meanwhile, won a nice game against Praggnanandhaa, making good use of his two bishops and narrowing the gap with Wei Yi. In Round 12, the Chinese GM blundered a simple intermezzo against Jan-Krzysztof Duda, which cost him a minor piece and the game. Magnus, on the other hand, continued his winning streak, defeating Nodirbek Abdusattorov and shortening the distance to the leader. It set up a critical leaders’ clash in the next round. Magnus prevailed in a very long battle to catch up with Wei in the standings. Wei Yi bounced back in Round 14, converting his extra exchange against Anish Giri, but it was not enough to pull away as Magnus won his game against Vincent Keymer. Vincent Keymer – Magnus Carlsen Magnus has just played 57…Ke6? (the immediate 57…a2 was much better) offering White an excellent chance to escape for a draw with 58. h4! Vincent missed this opportunity and played 58. Ra6+ instead, but after 58…Kd5 59. Kg2 e6 Carlsen seamlessly converted his extra pawn. | 0-1, 82 moves Wei got lucky in the next round winning the game against Arjun Erigaisi after the Indian went for a tempting but erroneous combination. Arjun Erigaisi – Wei Yi In this position with an extra pawn, White miscalculated and sacrificed his queen with 32. Qxa8+?? However, after the precise 32… Rxa8 33. Rc8+ Rxc8 34. Rxc8+ Kh7 35. Ng5+ Kh6 36. f4 Nh7! 37. d5 Nxg5 38. fxg5+ Kxg5 Black emerged with a queen for a rook, forcing Erigaisi’s capitulation. | 0-1, 44 moves. Trying to keep pace with Wei, Magnus got lucky against Duda as the Polish GM missed a simple drawing continuation. Magnus Carlsen – Jan-Krzysztof Duda After natural 58…Kxh5, capturing White’s last pawn, the position is equal. Jan-Krzysztof opted for 58…Kf5?? but after 59. Rf4+ Ke6 60. Rh4 Rg3 61. Kf4 Rg8 62. Rg4 Rf8+ 63. Ke4 Ra8 64. Rg6+ it was all over for Black. | 1-0, 66 moves In Round 16, Wei Yi drew with Kirill Shevchenko, whereas Magnus pulled through and grabbed the lead for the first time after batting past Gukesh D in a crazy game. Gukesh D – Magnus Carlsen After 16…Bf8? played by Magnus (much better was 16…Nc4), he ran into a fantastic shot spotted by Gukesh 17. Rxg6!! The point is that after 17…fxg6 18. Bxg6+ Ke7 19. f5! White’s attack is way too strong. Carlsen tried 17…Nc4?! and Gukesh could have simply captured on c4 with a superior position. Instead, he went for the tempting 18. Qg2? with the idea of 18…Nxe3 19. Rxe6+. However, Magnus found a brilliant resource 18…Ndxe5!! freeing the d7-square for his king and taking control of the game. After 17. Rg3 Nxd3+ 18. cxd3 Nxe3 19. Rxe3 Qxh4 20. Rf1 Bd6 Magnus gradually converted his extra pawn into a full point. | 0-1, 43 moves In the penultimate round, Wei Yi, who trailed Magnus by a half-point, played a crucial game against Praggnanandhaa. After the Indian blundered a piece, the Chinese GM got a winning position but cracked under pressure and not just let his advantage slip away but lost. Magnus, meanwhile, drew with Giri and consolidated his lead, going into the final round a full point ahead of Wei. Facing Erigaisi in Round 18, the World #1 took a very solid approach and drew in the Four Knights Scotch to capture the title. Wei defeated Abdusattorov and finished a half point behind the winner. Third place goes to Jan-Krzysztof Duda, who had a great second day of blitz, winning three straight games at the end. Check out the Day 5 Recap Video by IM Kostya Kavutskiy Up next is the Superbet Romania Chess Classic, starting June 25. Photos: courtesy of Grand Chess Tour Official website: grandchesstour.org/tours/2024/
Nikita Khoroshev and Aleksandra Samaganova win Kyrgyzstan Championship
The Open and Women’s Kyrgyzstan Championships 2024 organized by the Kyrgyz Chess Union took place from May 1 to May 11 in the conference hall of the Kyrgyz Chess Union’s office. Both tournaments, 12-player round-robins with classical time control, were held under the supervision of International Arbiter Nurdin uulu Sardarbek. IM Nikita Khoroshev, with his exceptional performance, clinched the title in the open event. He scored an impressive 8.5 out of 11, including crucial victories over his main rivals, securing his top spot in the final standings. IM Asylbek Abdyzhapar and FM Eldiiar Orozbaev gave the champion a good run for his money, finishing a half-point behind him and tying for second place. Abdyzhapar claimed the silver due to a better Sonneborn-Berger, while Orozbaev settled for the bronze. Final standings Open 1 IM Khoroshev, Nikita 2352 8½ 2 IM Abdyzhapar, Asylbek 2353 8 3 FM Orozbaev, Eldiar 2379 8 4 IM Markov, Mikhail 2283 7½ 5 FM Zhakshylykov, Erzhan 2242 7 6 IM Tologon Tegin, Semetei 2347 6½ 7 FM Sezdbekov, Ruslan 2283 5 8 FM Maznitsin, Andrei 2164 4½ 9 NM Umarbekov, Aziz 2095 3½ 10 CM Sharshenbekov, Emir 2020 3½ 11 Kurbanbaev, Zalkar 1885 3 12 NM Esenbek Uulu, Ilimbek 2007 1 WFM Alexandra Samaganova (pictured below) dominated the women’s section, scoring 8.5/11 and finishing a full point ahead of WCM Begimay Zhanybekova and Asel Lesbekova. It is her fifth national title. Zhanybekova and Lesbekova tied for second place, netting 7.5/11, with the former taking silver as the winner of their direct encounter. Final standings Women 1 WFM Samaganova, Aleksandra 1915 8½ 2 WCM Zhanybekova, Begimay 1902 7½ 3 WCM Lesbekova, Assel 1880 7½ 4 WCM Sezdbekova, Aizhan 1869 7½ 5 WCM Abaeva, Aiana 1800 6½ 6 WMK Zhunusbekova, Aimonchok 1788 6 7 WFM Sovetbekova, Nurai 1961 5 8 Tursunalieva, Nurelina 1743 4 9 WMK Bekbasarova, Nurnisa 1720 4 10 WNM Omurbekova, Diana 1810 3½ 11 WFM Zairbek Kyzy, Begimai 1916 3½ 12 Sabyrbekova, Aizhan 1622 2½ Photos: Kyrgyz Chess Union