Pune, India hosts Chess for Freedom Conference to promote global growth of chess in prisons
The second Chess for Freedom Conference, organized by FIDE, in collaboration with Indian Oil Corporation, and hosted by the All India Chess Federation and the Maharashtra Chess Association started on June 19, 2024, in Pune, India. Attracting dignitaries and chess experts from 12 countries, the event is aimed to explore the transformative power of chess as a rehabilitation tool in correctional facilities worldwide. This unique forum brought together officials from The International Chess Federation (FIDE), including Chair of the FIDE Social Commission Andre Voegtlin, Councillor of the Commission and manager of the Chess Program at Cook County Jail (USA) Mikhail Korenman, as well as chess professionals and penitentiary officers from Germany, Georgia, Ghana, India Kenya, Latvia, Malawi, Mexico, Mongolia, Switzerland, and USA, all in an effort to spread global awareness of the benefits of having chess programming in correctional facilities. FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich joined the conference online and praised participants’ efforts to bring more inmates into chess. “It is my pleasure to watch all the professionals, everyone involved in the implementation of the project all around the world. The Chess for Freedom project helps people who have made some mistakes in the past and serve their sentences to be prepared for their new lives and to make sure they feel responsibility for each move they make. Chess helps to do that. It helps to develop abilities that could be useful throughout the life of each person, including respect for the rules and opponents. And, of course, a strategic vision of what is happening around you. I hope that your interworking will bring a better understanding of how this project can be implemented and will help it to expand,” he said. Deputy Chair of the FIDE Management Board Dana Reizniece-Ozola, who was also present online, thanked organizers both for hosting the event and for promoting chess among prisoners: “We offer inmates a new path via chess, India really set a commendable example for the world to follow. This is one of the main reasons why we wanted to host the conference here, in India. We know that it is much better to see once than to hear one hundred times. Witnessing personal experiences, sharing tips, hearing stories could be useful for those who are still watching and thinking whether to join this initiative in their countries.” Among the speakers who shared their experience on the first day of the conference were Nadia Cristina Tovar Cruz, Chief of risk management and health safety of the Mexican federal judiciary system (Mexico); Dr. Cris Fanning, Executive Director – Programs and Risk Management, Kansas Department of Corrections (USA); Carl Portman, English Chess Federation Manager of Prisons chess (UK); as well as former inmates Steven Maruwo (Malawi), Hector Guifarro (USA), and Emmanuel Garcia (USA). In addition to presenting national programs for teaching chess in prisons, the participants also discussed on how to recruit new countries and correctional facilities for the Intercontinental Online Chess for Prisoners Tournament. Held in October 2023, the tournament featured 118 teams from 50 countries representing every continent. On the first day of the event, conference attendees also visited the Yerawand correctional facility, where IndianOil implements chess and other sports programs. They met with current program participants, their coaches and the prison’s administration and played chess in the prison yard. Launched by IndianOil in 2021, the “Parivartan – Prison to Pride” has impacted over 4100 inmates across 83 prisons in India. In collaboration with the prison departments of respective state police, IndianOil provides coaches to train inmates in different sports disciplines, including badminton, chess, carrot, table tennis, kho-kho, and basketball. The initiative aligns with the belief that making a difference in inmates’ lives can lead to benefits for society upon their return to normal life. The conference will continue tomorrow with more presentations, case studies and interworking. Both days are streamed live on FIDE YouTube channel and available via the following links: Day 1, June 19: youtube.com/live/ldI5NpTaiRw Day 2, June 20: youtube.com/live/RK9Ll5K-22c Text and photos: Anna Volkova
CAS upholds FIDE’s decision on South African Chess Elections
CAS – The Court of Arbitration for Sport, an independent institution based in Lausanne that resolves legal disputes in the field of sport, has dismissed the appeal filed by the Chess South Africa association regarding FIDE’s decision to hold FIDE-supervised elections for Chess SA in November 2023 The case stems from early 2023 when, due to internal issues, the South African Sports Federation and National Olympic Committee provisionally suspended Chess SA in March 2023, with the suspension being made final in April 2023. In May 2023, the FIDE Council passed a resolution addressing the conflicts within Chess SA and appointed a “Reverse Delegate” to organize elections, ensuring democratic procedures. This led to FIDE’s decision on October 6, 2023, to hold FIDE-supervised elections for Chess SA on November 25, 2023. The elections took place on the appointed date, a new Executive Board was elected, and Mr Andre Lewaks was elected as the President of Chess SA. However, FIDE decided to hold recognition of the outcome until all appeals were dealt with. FIDE’s decision to organize the elections was challenged on behalf of Chess SA in front of the FIDE General Assembly, and after losing the appeal, Chess SA and several Executive Board members appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). On June 17, 2024, CAS issued its final verdict: The appeal filed by Chess SA against the FIDE General Assembly decision of December 17, 2023, was declared inadmissible. The decision was made on the grounds that the Chess SA Executive Board did not have a quorum to authorize the lawyers to file the appeal. The appeal filed by certain members (natural persons) of the Chess SA Executive Board was also declared inadmissible, as those individuals had not filed an internal appeal with the FIDE GA in the first place and were not the addressees of the FIDE GA decision of December 17 2023. The ruling of CAS is final and subject to immediate execution as per Article 190, paragraph 1 of the Swiss Private International Law Act. Taking into account the CAS decision, FIDE officially recognizes the results of the elections held and wishes the new management success in advancing chess in the country. About Court of Arbitration for Sport The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is an institution independent of any sports organization which provides for services in order to facilitate the settlement of sports-related disputes through arbitration or mediation by means of procedural rules adapted to the specific needs of the sports world. The CAS was created in 1984 and is placed under the administrative and financial authority of the International Council of Arbitration for Sport (ICAS). The CAS has nearly 300 arbitrators from 87 countries, chosen for their specialist knowledge of arbitration and sports law. Around 300 cases are registered by the CAS every year. Official website: tas-cas.org/
Selected participants for the ChessMom Project announced
The FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess is pleased to announce the names of the five players selected to participate in the ChessMom pilot project during the 45th Chess Olympiad. This innovative program aims to support mother chess players by covering all expenses related to an accompanying caregiver, enabling them to participate in the tournament. The selected participants for this project are: Kashlinskaya, Alina (Poland)Nana Dzagnidze (Georgia)Osmak, Yuliia (Ukraine)Bantiwalu, Aster Melake (Ethiopia)Shipindo, Rauha (Namibia)Nkwanyane Nolwazi (Eswatini) We thank all the national federations for their support, and we hope this initiative evolves into consistent support for chess-playing mothers. Congratulations to the selected participants and we wish them great success at the Olympiad! For more information on initiatives for women’s chess, please visit our official website or follow us on our social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram). FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess