Chess Palace, exhibitions and amateur competitions at 45th Chess Olympiad
Chess Olympiad, the largest global chess event, will be hosted this year by Budapest between 10 and 23 September. Legendary players and rising stars will come together to compete. Hosted by the BOK Sports and Conference Centre, the Olympiad will offer an array of satellite events. The Judit Polgár Chess Foundation will take you on a special adventure to its Chess Palace, the International Chess Federation (FIDE) will present its 100-year history in an exhibition, and you can participate in competitions, a chess quiz and more, organized by the Hungarian Chess Federation. Chess enthusiasts and those who are just getting to know this sport can take part in the events of the 45th Chess Olympiad for free. The venue is the BOK Sports and Conference Centre, open on competition days, games are scheduled between 3 pm and 9 pm. Attendance is free, but there is limited audience capacity: visitors can watch the games of the Olympiad from the stands, but on-the-spot registration is required. In order not to disturb the games and the players, no electronic devices are allowed on the stands. The grand opening ceremony is on 10 September, and the games of the Olympiad start on 11 September. The opening ceremony will be an event worthy of the Olympiad. Lilla Vincze, the Hungarian singer from the band Napoleon Boulevard, and French pianist, singer and composer Jason Kouchak will perform together. Kouchak is known for his work and charitable activities globally, from the UK to France, Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong. Their chess-themed song will premiere at the opening ceremony of the 45th Chess Olympiad. The song Royal Game draws inspiration from chess games and speaks about human relationships and the games we play in those. Besides Royal Game, Lilla Vincze and Jason Kouchak will sing songs in three languages, in Hungarian, in English and in French to highlight the cultural diversity of the chess community. It’s no coincidence that they sing about chess: Jason Kouchak is an amateur chess player, and while he does not take part in competitions, chess plays a central role in his life. Royal Game will not be the only premiere at the opening ceremony, the official song of the Chess Olympiad will also be performed live for the first time. The song Trojan War was created by Rose May and Raul in a songwriting camp organized by Artisjus and zeneszöveg.hu. This way the opening ceremony will be an event where various cultures and nations, and also various generations can come together. Only players competing at the Olympiad and the press can attend the opening ceremony, but there will be a number of exciting events for the general public. From 11 September, the EXPO in Hall C will offer free events and activities. You can watch the games live on a screen and listen to experts analysing the key games from the previous day. In addition to the events, there will be several exhibitors with chess-related stands, including Women in Chess and DGT. At DGT, you can check out the state-of-the-art chessboards with Bluetooth functionality that competitors also use. If you would like to buy some special merchandise as a keepsake from the 45th Chess Olympiad, you can do that, too. The Judit Polgar Chess Foundation will invite children and adults to the magical world of the Chess Palace. This is a project of the greatest ever female chess player, Judit Polgár, where you can explore a fantasy chess world and its inhabitants. You can also get the autograph of the Polgár ladies, Zsuzsa, Zsófia and Judit. The International Chess Federation (FIDE) is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. An exhibition will mark this special occasion at the Chess Olympiad, with highlights from the past 100 years of the federation and the chess community. FIDE is also bringing an urban installation, Capture, with photos of people playing chess from around the world. You can visit the exhibition in Vigadó Square between 17 and 22 September. FIDE will have several conferences and seminars at the event. For further information, please visit fide.com/news/3189 The Hungarian Chess Federation is also offering a number of events and activities at the Olympiad. You can take part in a walkabout chess quiz, enrol in competitions and watch the simultaneous displays at the event. Further information: chess.hu/tovabbi-esemenyek/ The 45th Chess Olympiad is organized by the National Event Management Agency, in cooperation with the Hungarian Chess Federation and the International Chess Federation.
Official Swiss Team Pairing System rules announced
Dear Members, We are excited to announce the official Swiss Team Pairing System rules, set to take effect on 1 August 2024. The newly established rules, detailed in the Basic Rules for Swiss Systems (C.04.1) and the General Handling Rules for Swiss Tournaments (C.04.2.A, C.04.2.C, C.04.2.D), have traditionally been applied to individual competitions. Now, these rules have been thoughtfully adapted for team events. Notably, articles 6 and 7 from the Basic Rules are excluded from application to teams due to the unique nature of team compositions, which can be adjusted between rounds. This flexibility ensures a balanced distribution of White and Black pieces across teams, diminishing the significance of piece color compared to individual competitions. The adaptation allows for different team formats, where some tournaments may disregard the importance of piece color altogether, while others may maintain a lesser but still relevant consideration. Moreover, Article 2 of the General Handling Rules, which deals with the initial order of teams, has been intentionally omitted. Determining team strength involves multiple complex factors, thus each competition may define the initial team order based on its specific regulations. We extend our heartfelt thanks to the FIDE Technical Commission SPP Department, under the guidance of Mr. Roberto Ricca, for pioneering these essential rules for Swiss Team Tournaments. For any inquiries or additional information, please do not hesitate to contact FIDE TEC at secretary.tec@fide.com.
2025 World Cup qualification quotas updated
The key changes for the 2025 edition include an updated distribution of continental spots based on 2024 ratings FIDE has updated the qualification quotas for the 2025 World Cup, and the Women’s World Cup – one of the most important global chess events, next to the Olympiad and the World Championship matches. “The World Cup represents a flagship event for FIDE, and each cycle, we carefully consider changes and adjustments. The final distribution of continental spots was determined after the ECU and ACC used their rights (described in the Rules: World Cup – Art 2.1.VII; Women’s World Cup – Art 2.1.VI) and transferred numbers of Olympiad spots to their Continental Events,” said Grandmaster Pavel Tregubov, secretary of FIDE’s Global Strategy Commission. “It should be noted that in the Open section of the Olympiad, only 80 teams will gain Olympiad spots for their federations, as the number of spots is reduced accordingly. Particularly, Europe will get 11 fewer Olympiad spots, and Americas – 9 fewer Olympiad spots. In the Women’s section of the Olympiad, 35 teams instead of 50 will gain Olympiad spots”, he added. For the World Cup, the number of players who can qualify remains the same – 206 – but the allocation of spots has changed, reflecting the new ratings and standings as of January 2024. Africa now has three spots, while the Americas have 21. Europe is on 41, while Asia is on 35. The nominations by FIDE President have increased from three to four. For the Women’s World Cup, the continental spots distribution has been adjusted based on updated rating lists. A slight modification in the number of spots has been made: Europe will now have 21 spots and Asia 20. Additionally, nominations by the FIDE President have increased from one to two. Final Distribution of Qualification Spots for Continental Events SPOTS Africa Americas Asia Europe World Cup Granted 3 3 3 3 Top 8 juniors 0 0 6 2 Top 60 players 0 9 26 25 Transferred Olympiad spots – 9 – 11 TOTAL 3 21 35 41 Women’s World Cup Granted 3 3 3 3 Top 4 girls 0 0 4 0 Top 23 players 0 0 13 10 Transferred Olympiad spots – 7 – 8 TOTAL 3 10 20 21 Qualification regulations can be found here: World Cuphandbook.fide.com/files/handbook/QualificationForWorldCup2025.pdf Women’s World Cup:handbook.fide.com/files/handbook/QualificationForWomenWorldCup2025.pdf For any questions and further information, please contact the Global Strategy Commission – gsc@fide.com