Iconic Wall Street venues to host 2024 World Rapid & Blitz Championship
Both the Open and Women’s tournaments will be held in historic venues at the heart of New York’s financial district FIDE is pleased to announce the venues for both the Open and Women’s competitions of the 2024 World Rapid & Blitz Championship, which will take place from 26 to 31 December. For the first time, this prestigious event – one of the most prominent chess tournaments in the world – will be held in New York City. Photo: cipriani.com/ The Open tournament will take place at Cipriani Wall Street, a historic architectural landmark located in the heart of New York’s financial district. Built in 1841 in the Greek Revival style, the building has previously housed the New York Merchants’ Exchange, the New York Stock Exchange, the U.S. Customs House, and served as headquarters for the National City Bank. Today, Cipriani Wall Street is renowned as a grand and luxurious venue, and this will mark the first time it hosts a chess tournament of this scale. The Women’s tournament will be held right across the street at 48 Wall Street, another historic venue that once housed the Bank of New York & Trust Company Building and the Museum of American Finance. Photo: 48wallnyc.com/ Wall Street is synonymous with global financial power and is home to the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), the world’s largest stock exchange. The area also hosts the headquarters of several Fortune 500 companies across industries like media, technology, and real estate. “The Championships will be held in world-class venues, which underlines the unique place chess occupies in the society. I see this event as a potential landmark moment for our game,” said Emil Sutovsky, CEO of FIDE. “We are thrilled to organize an event of this scale in the heart of global finance, and we believe shares of Chess are to rise globally as a result of it. FIDE is grateful to our partners and sponsors at Freedom Capital Markets for their support,” Sutovsky added. FIDE first announced in June that the World Rapid & Blitz Championship will take place in New York. In early September it was revealed that the event will feature a new two-stage format combining the Swiss System with knockout finals. For the first time, a rest day will be included, during which the Chess on the Wall Street Conference will explore the intersections of chess, finance, and business. Venues: – Open tournament: Cipriani Wall Street 55 Wall Street, between William & Hanover Streets, New York, NY 10005 – Women’s tournament: 48 Wall Street 48 Wall Street, New York, NY, 10005 More information about tickets, prize pools, and event details will be released soon.
Kakuma Refugee Team shines in 2024 Jumuiya Ya Afrika Mashariki Open
The 2024 Jumuiya Ya Afrika Mashariki Open Chess Tournament recently concluded at the M-PESA Foundation Academy, Kenya. This FIDE-rated tournament brought together over 440 chess enthusiasts from across Eastern Africa for a weekend of intense competition, camaraderie, and celebration of the game’s unifying power. The tournament featured three categories: U1400 & Under 12, U1700, and the Elite Section. Each category showcased a vibrant mix of young prodigies and seasoned veterans, all vying for glory on the 64 squares. Players in the U1400 & Under 12, and U1700 categories faced off in six rounds of 60-minute games, while those in the Elite Section battled through 90-minute classical time control games. Thom Ngong from South Sudan claimed the top spot, in the Elite Section, with his compatriot Mach Chol securing second place. FM Sergejs Klimakovs from Latvia was third. Chitundu Limbikani (left) versus M Sergejs Klimakovs of Latvia Achuoth Deng from Kakuma Refugee Chess Club emerged as the winner in the U1700 Section, followed by Bradly Wathimba from Makini School in second place. Ader Ajak, also representing Kakuma Refugee Chess, was third. Adrian Kariuki of Membly Titans took first place in the U1400 & Under 12 category. Shem Apamo and Nigel Njoroge, from Mavens Chess Club, came in second and third place, respectively. The event’s biggest highlight was a remarkable performance by the Kakuma Refugee Chess Team, competing under the banner ‘Chess for Protection.’ Their resilience and talent were on full display as they won the prestigious Best Club/School Award. Participants competed not only for the glory of victory but also for a range of coveted prizes. These included substantial cash awards, a one-year license to an exclusive chess database, and gleaming trophies and medals. The Gift of Chess organized the event with the unwavering support of key partners: FIDE, Chess Kenya, Opening Master, Afribot, Snapic Production, Confucius Institute, idChess, and Opic. Their invaluable support made this event a resounding success, and we are grateful for their contribution to the chess community. Phylis Mbaire Ngigi was the Tournament Director, with FA Karanja Amos as the Chief Arbiter and FA Kyalo Cynthia Wayua as his deputy, officiating the competition. Text and photos: Kenya Chess Masala
50th India Women’s Championship: P. V. Nandhidhaa wins maiden title
WGM P. V. Nandhidhaa of Tamil Nadu emerged as the winner of the 50th India National Women’s Chess Championship. The competition, an 11-round Swiss tournament, took place in Chettinadu Public School from October 3-13, 2024. The event brought together 150 best female India’s players from all across the country (except for the members of the golden Olympiad team) and saw a thrilling finale. The tournament was a tight race, with the top-rated players taking turns on the top of the standings. Going into the final 11th round, Nandhidhaa and J Saranya were jointly leading the field with 8/10, closely followed by a big group of players on 7.5/10. P. V. Nandhidhaa outplayed Priyanka Nutakki of Andhra Pradesh on the top board and clinched her maiden national title with an impressive score of 9 points as her main rival Saranya, J suffered a defeat at the hands of IM Rout Padmini. Three players tied for second place netting 8.5/10 with K Priyanka and Padmini Rout earning silver and bronze respectively, thanks to superior Buchholz. Final standings: 1 WGM Nandhidhaa, P V 2322 9 2 WIM Priyanka, K 2075 8½ 3 IM Padmini, Rout 2328 8½ 4 WGM Kiran, Manisha 2030 8½ 5 WFM Saranya, J 2048 8 6 WIM Chitlange, Sakshi 2188 8 7 WGM Gomes, Mary Ann 2298 8 8 WGM Varshini, V 2142 8 9 WGM Rakshitta, Ravi 2322 8 10 IM Kulkarni, Bhakti 2363 8 Complete standings The awarding ceremony was attended by IAS Ayush Venkat Vats, Sub-Collector of Devakottai, who praised India’s recent double medal-winning performance at the Chess Olympiad and expressed hope for the continued development of chess talents through such tournaments. Stephen Balasamy, General Secretary of TNSCA, S. P. Kumaresan, Chairman of Chettinadu Public School, and K. Arunkumar, Vice Chairman, were also present, with Kumaresan emphasizing that this tournament would remain a memorable event for the participants Photos: Deepti S Official website: https://aicf.in/
Nigel Short takes part in Turkmenistan’s chess festivities
A chess legend, FIDE Director for Chess Development, Nigel Short, was the center of attention of Turkmenistan’s chess and sports community last week. The 59-year-old grandmaster from England, famous for challenging World Champion Garry Kasparov in a title match back in 1993, participated in a number of events in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, during his visit to the country from October 9-12. The most memorable of them for the guest was the Federation Cup blitz tournament on October 10, which Nigel Short won, scoring 7.5 out of 9. GM Maksat Atabayev (FIDE blitz rating – 2377) Ashgabat and CM Amanmuhammet Khommadov (2316) tied for first position with the winner but took 2nd and 3rd places, respectively, on a tie-break. Atabayev drew his game against the 1993 world crown contender, while Hommadov notched up a memorable victory over the famous grandmaster but lost points in games with other opponents. The competition’s closing ceremony was attended by the British Ambassador to Turkmenistan, Stephen Conlon, who personally presented his fellow countryman with the well-deserved gold medal. Forty-five top finishers of the tournament in various categories, including standard, rapid and blitz, as well as in age categories, were also awarded cups, medals, certificates, cash prizes from the Turkmenistan Chess Federation, as well as presents and gift certificates from sponsors, including Regus, Intertek, Erem, ImdatBot and Ýigit. In total, more than 300 chess players took part in the Federation Cup tournament series. The distinguished foreign guests were also given gifts, namely the national Turkmen costume – don (gown) and telpek (fur hat). The British Ambassador and the English grandmaster also visited a small chess museum located in the Ashgabat Chess and Checkers School and observed the educational process in the elementary grades of the school. A giant chessboard in the school’s foyer aroused a particular interest among the distinguished guests. They used it to play a thematic game, which started with the English Opening. Nigel Short, FIDE Director for Chess Development, arrived in the Turkmen capital at the invitation of the British Embassy and the State Committee for Physical Culture and Sports to participate in an exhibition and conference dedicated to the development of sports in Turkmenistan. During his stay, he also gave a simultaneous exhibition to ten young players, which lasted more than two hours and ended with Nigel Short winning all the games. The youngsters gained valuable experience playing with the famous grandmaster and got a lot of positive emotions. At the request of the country’s coaches and leading chess players, GM Short held a separate meeting with them to discuss issues related to the development of chess players’ skills, coaching activities and creating an environment for the fast-paced and sustainable development of chess in the country. According to Mr Short, “the beauty of Ashgabat, the presence of a suitable chess infrastructure, as well as the talent and drive of young Turkmen chess players to develop and win make Turkmenistan ready to host international chess tournaments of the highest level.” “The successful performance of both national teams of Turkmenistan at the 45th World Chess Olympiad should give a new impetus and confidence to bring the level of play in Turkmenistan on par with such countries as Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan,” added the legendary grandmaster, who took part in seventeen Chess Olympiads over his illustrious career. Nigel Short is an English GM, widely regarded as one of the greatest British chess players ever. Born on June 1, 1965, in Leigh, Lancashire, he gained international fame in 1993 when he played a World Chess Championship match against Garry Kasparov, becoming the first Englishman to contend for the world title. Although he lost to Kasparov, participating in that match remains a milestone in chess history. Nigel Short has also been active as a chess commentator, coach, and administrator. Text and photos: Turkmenistan Chess Federation