Chess for Freedom Conference: Rehabilitation through chess
The Chess for Freedom Conference, hosted by Indian Oil Corp. in collaboration with the All India Chess Federation and the Ministry of Justice, continues in Pune, India. The event explores the transformative power of chess as a rehabilitation tool in correctional facilities worldwide. On the second day of the conference, attendees discussed concepts of teaching chess to incarcerated people. Experts from all over the world shared information about their national initiatives and approaches to teaching chess in prisons. Ms. Rashmi Govil, Director of HR Indian Oil Corp, greeted the on-site participants from 12 countries and those joining the event online. “In chess, every piece is unique. Every piece has its own strength and weakness. And no piece can win the board; they can only do it together. The same is true with people. You need to have a team if you want to win. Even a small pawn has a chance to reach the other side of the board and become a piece. The more I think about it, the more I understand why people here are so passionate about the game. FIDE is doing a great job, creating waves across the globe, involving more and more countries in the project,” Ms. Rashmi Govil said. Indian Oil has been leading several social responsibility programs across India. One of them, the “Parivartan – Prison to Pride” program, aims to build confidence and improve the well-being of prison inmates through sports. According to the company’s values, channeling the energy of individuals in prison through sports can positively transform their lives. Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart (Chicago, USA), who oversees the world’s largest and oldest jail chess program, also sent a greeting speech to the conference participants. A program to teach inmates how to play chess was launched in the Cook County jail more than ten years ago, in 2012. “Our partnership with FIDE symbolizes more than just our shared passion for chess; it represents a commitment to nurturing talent, promoting education, and fostering a spirit of camaraderie among nations. Through educational programs, tournaments, and initiatives aimed at inclusivity, I am proud to work side by side with FIDE in our mission to make chess accessible to everyone, everywhere. As we look to the future, our collaboration aims to leverage the power of chess to teach critical thinking, patience, and strategic planning – skills that are invaluable in today’s world,” Sheriff Tom Dart said. Speaking about the benefits of the program, Mikhail Korenman, Chess Program Coordinator at Cook County Department of Corrections and Councillor of FIDE Social Commission, shared some compelling statistics on the results of the program. According to a comprehensive study held for 3 years, participants of the chess program were involved in fewer fights and batteries than statistically similar detainees who did not play chess, both while actively enrolled in chess and before/after participation in the program. Besides, recidivism rates are also lower for those people. Participants of the chess program in the Cook County Jail were significantly less likely to be re-booked than detainees in the comparison group. Another positive example of bringing chess to prisons was presented by Susan Namangale, Global Head of the Gift of Chess and Founder of Dadaz Chess Academy (Malawi). She has led the Gift of Chess in distributing chess sets to prisons in over 20 countries across Africa. Two teams of the Chess in Prison program in Dadaz Chess Academy attendees played the Intercontinental Chess championship among Prisoners in 2023. “Most of the prisons don’t have chess sets at all. So we started distributing them. We make sure that some chess sets provided by the Gift of Chess are reaching prisons. We believe chess unlocks potential, and even one chess set can change lives. And we want to make chess as accessible as possible,” Namangale said. Another initiative by the Gift of Chess was announced during the conference. With the help of the All India Chess Federation, the Gift of Chess will distribute 29000 chess sets across India – 1000 sets for each state. Some of them will go to Indian prisons. The Chess for Freedom Conference offered a promising outlook on utilizing chess to empower individuals and foster positive change within correctional facilities. More presentations and panel discussions of Day 2 can be seen on FIDE YouTube here: youtube.com/live/RK9Ll5K-22c Text and photos: Anna Volkova
FIDE World Youth Championships 2024: Registration is open
FIDE, the Confederation of Chess for Americas and the Brazilian Chess Federation invite all national chess federations to participate in the World Youth Chess Championships U14, U16, and U18. The competitions will take place in Florianopolis, SC, Brazil, from October 28 (date of arrival) to November 10, 2024 (day of departure). Every national federation can register one official player in each category (under 14, 16, 18 years old, Open and Girls). This total of six official players plus one accompanying person (captain or head of delegation with FIDE ID) are invited by the organizers. The players placed 1-3 in the previous U14, U16, U18 World Youth Championships 2023, and the respective Champions (gold medalists) of the last Continental Youth Championships have the personal right to participate in their category or a higher age group. Registration deadline is September 2, 2024. The first World Youth Chess Solving Championship will be held during WYCC on November 4th, mirroring the age and gender categories of the main event. FIDE World Youth Chess Championships 2024 official website will be launched by July 1: worldyouth2024.fide.com E-mail: worldyouth@fide.com Invitation letter with all the details (PDF) Photo: Oscar Fava
Making History: Countdown to Guinness World Records® attempt begins!
The countdown has started! With exactly one month to go, we are excited to execute our attempt to set a new Guinness World Record on July 20 in celebration of International Chess Day and the FIDE’s 100th anniversary. This ambitious event will unite chess lovers from around the globe, inviting organizers and players to participate in this historic moment. “We are thrilled to bring the chess community together for this extraordinary event. Our aim is to set a new standard and celebrate the game we all love. Your participation is crucial, and we look forward to seeing you on July 20, 2024,” says Laurent Freyd, Chief Arbiter of the Project. For Organizers: We are calling on organizers worldwide to join us by hosting over-the-board (OTB) tournaments on July 20, 2024. Your participation will not only contribute to breaking a world record but also celebrate the rich tradition of chess. Some prestigious tournaments have already joined our initiative, including a renowned high-level Biel Chess Festival in Switzerland, Liaocheng Festival in China, which aims to bring together 2000-3000 OTB players and 5000 online participants, Turnier auf der Schallaburg in Austria, in a beautiful Schallaburg Castle, and others. By showcasing your tournament on the global stage, you will attract more players and gain widespread recognition. Registration of the tournaments joining the attempt is done before July 15, 2024: https://100.fide.com/gwr/. Please note that the event shall be registered by the FIDE Arbiter, who will later perform the reporting procedure to record the attempt. For Players: We invite all chess players to support our record attempt by participating in OTB tournaments or playing online on Chess.com, Lichess, or FIDE Online Arena. Your participation will help us achieve this remarkable goal and demonstrate the unity and passion of the chess community. You can find the list of registered tournaments here, so pick, play, and participate in history! For Chess Fans: We will have a live broadcast of the attempt on FIDE’s YouTube channel, featuring players, influencers, officials, and organizers from around the world. This will be a fantastic opportunity to witness the global chess community coming together. The broadcast will include live coverage of the participating events held worldwide to celebrate World Chess Day and our GWR attempt. Join us in this historic endeavour and be a part of chess history! For more information and to register your tournament, please visit FIDE Guinness World Records Attempt. Let’s make history together on July 20, 2024! About the Guinness World Records Guinness World Records, originally known as the Guinness Book of Records, has emerged as the definitive authority on record-breaking achievements, stemming from the idea of resolving disputes in pubs with a book of facts. Today, it stands as a global brand, with offices spanning London, New York, Beijing, Tokyo, and Dubai, alongside a network of brand ambassadors worldwide. Its mission extends beyond the pages of its iconic book, now encompassing TV shows, social media, and live events, all aimed at documenting the extraordinary.