World Senior Championship 2022: It’s halftime!
While the FIFA World Cup kicked off in Qatar, it is halftime at the 30th FIDE World Senior Chess Championship in Assisi, Italy. After six rounds of play, Monday, November 21, is the rest day, so most players spend it visiting beautiful places in the region (Perugia, Gubbio or Siena). In the meantime, let’s take a quick look at the standings of WSCC 2022: After Round 6 (out of 11 rounds), there are two leaders in the Open 50+ section: GMs Darcy Lima (pictured below, right) from Brazil and GM Frank Holke (pictured below, left) of Germany scored 5.5 points each and will lock horns in Round 7. Two GMs are just a half-point behind. Milos Pavlos (SRB) and GM Fernandez Ivan Morovic (CHI) will face off in the next round, trying to catch up with the leader(s). As many as thirteen players, including the top-rated participant GM Zurab Sturua (GEO), are sitting on 4.5/6 but still have a shot for the title. The best female players in this section are GM Ketevan Arakhamia-Grant (SCO) (pictured below) with 4.5 points, followed by WGM Elvira Berend (LUX), WGM Monica Calzetta Ruiz (ESP) and WIM Sophia Tereladze (GEO) with 4 points. In the Open 65+ section, the main favourite of the tournament, GM John Nunn (ENG), is the sole leader. After a quick draw with black against the 2018′ World Senior Chess Champion GM Vlastimil Jansa (CZE), Nunn is the only player to score 5.5 points, and for sure he is determined to stay in this position until the end of the tournament. After their game, Nunn (pictured below) and Jansa went to the fair-play-check, and it was quite interesting to hear them discuss some lines they had in mind about their games at Chess Olympiad in Luzern in 1982 (40 years ago!). A group of seven players is trailing Nunn by just a half-point: GM Vlastimil Jansa (CZE), IM Nathan Birnboim (ISR), GM Garcia Jose Luis Fernandez (ESP), IM Jean Hebert (CAN), IM Boris Maryasin (ISR), FM Jaroslav Mojzis (CZE) and GM Jens Kristiansen (DEN). In the ranking for the best female players, GM Nona Gaprindashvili (GEO) is leading with 4.5 points, followed by WGM Galina Stutinskaia (FID) with 4 points and WFM Larisa Khropova (FID) with 3.5 points. Side events: Two FIDE-rated blitz tournaments were played over the last few days. The first competition saw IM Laszlo Krizsany (HUN) coming out on top, ahead of IM Fred Berend (LUX) and GM Keith Arkell (ENG). GM Keith Arkell (ENG) won the second blitz tournament finishing ahead of IM Alon Mindlin (ISR) and IM Fred Berend (LUX). Some statistics and interesting facts: There are 51 nations from all 6 continents The percentage of female players is 8.5% 24% of the players come from the hosting federation (Italy), 10% from Germany, 4.7% from Israel and 4.6% from England. The most experienced player was born in 1930 and comes from Portugal: Mr Julio Santos The youngest players were born in 1972 (8 players in total); one of them is also from Portugal The average age in section Open 65+ is 71 years The average age in section Open 50+ is 58 years The complete results can be found here. Official Website: scaccomattissimo.com/assisi-2022-en/ Text: Gerhard Bertagnolli
World Team Championship 2022: Day 1 recap
Pool A: the favorites challenged; Pool B: smooth sailing for the top-rated teams The Israel Chess Federation, in close collaboration with FIDE, has raised the level of chess excitement in Jerusalem. An opening ceremony on Sunday, starring internationally renowned mentalist Lior Suchard, set the stage for tension-filled rounds 1 and 2. After each amazing act by Suchard, several in the audience wondered aloud, “How did he do that?” Suchard replied, “I could tell you, but then I would have to kill you.” Likewise, in Sunday’s games, mind-bending manoeuvres led to soul-crushing defeats in time scrambles. Out of 12 matches played, 10 ended decisively. Clearly, teams were out to kill. In Pool A, some rating favourites stumbled. In Pool B, the top-rated teams generally prevailed. Venue The Dan Hotel Jerusalem and the organizing team have provided ideal playing and auxiliary spaces. The playing hall is spacious and well-lit, with clear signage. Spectators instantly know which teams are playing. The team rosters are posted next to each match, so spectators can see who is playing on each of the four boards. Imagining the room as a chessboard, the players occupy files b-g while ropes cordon off the a- and h-files, where dozens of spectators switch their gazes between the seated players and large display screens showing games in real-time. Players can access a special area with beverages, fruits, and sweets and use “players only” restrooms. Commentating from a nearby room filled with chess fans are former World Champion GM Viswanathan Anand and IM Almira Skripchenko. The technical crew has its own room near another room set aside for members of the press. Procedures Anti-cheating precautions are strict. No cell phones or bags are allowed in the playing hall. Everyone – participants, spectators, officials, etc. – is scanned before being allowed to enter the playing hall. The pool stage is played with rapid time control (45 min + 10-second increment). On Wednesday, the top four teams from Pool A and the top four teams from Pool B advance, facing off in quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals from Wednesday through Friday. While the matches also are played with the same time control, the tiebreak games will be in blitz 3+2 format. Many dignitaries took part in the opening ceremony, and three of them also performed roles in the playing hall. In round 1, Ze’ev Elkin, Minister of Jerusalem Affairs and Minister of Housing, made the first ceremonial move for Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, who had White. President of the European Chess Union, GM Zurab Azmaiparashvili made the first move for Black, Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Yakubboev. Right before Round 2, Moshe Slav, FIDE Delegate from Israel, rang the gong signalling the start of the battles. Round 1, Pool A 1 Netherlands Spain 1½ : 2½ 2 France Ukraine 1½ : 2½ 3 South Africa China ½ : 3½ The average rating of each participating team comes from its four highest-rated players by rapid rating. The Netherlands has a rating of 2638, including GM Anish Giri’s rapid rating of 2721 in that average. However, the Netherlands played without their leader in Rounds 1 and 2, as Anish is still on his way from the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour Finals in San Francisco. Despite having a lower average rating of 2589 Spain beat the Netherlands by a score of 2.5-1.5. While the other three boards were draws, GM David Anton Guijarro (pictured below) delivered a win on board two to clinch the match for Spain. Another upset was Ukraine’s (2637) defeating France, the top-rated team in Pool A (2688 rating average). The last game to finish in that match was an encounter on the first board in which Vasyl Ivanchuk (Ukraine) drew against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (France). Ukraine tipped the balance in their favour thanks to the victories by Kirill Shevchenko and Igor Kovalenko over Jules Moussard and Tigran Gharamian respectively. As expected, China (2557) dispatched much lower-rated South Africa (2261). With two upsets in Pool A in round 1, the commentators thought that the only safe prediction was that South Africa would exit the competition at the end of the round-robin stage. Round 1, Pool B 1 India Israel 2 : 2 2 Poland United States 1½ : 2½ 3 Azerbaijan Uzbekistan 2½ : 1½ Making the host federation proud, Israel (2589) drew on all four boards to tie with India (2611). The United States of America (2643) defeated Poland (2556), with draws on the top three boards and GM Varuzhan Akobian‘s winning his game over Szymon Gumularz and the match for the United States. Azerbaijan (2662), the highest-rated team in Pool B, prevailed over Uzbekistan (2524), the lowest-rated team in Pool B, 2.5-1.5. At the end of Round 1, the commentators were unwilling to make predictions about which Pool B teams would survive the round-robin stage. Round 2, Pool A 1 Spain China 1 : 3 2 Ukraine South Africa 3½ : ½ 3 Netherlands France 1½ : 2½ China (2557) beat a slightly higher-rated Spanish team (2589) after scoring victories on boards one and four. Grandmaster Kenneth Solomon drew on the first board, but his South African team (2262) could not do much against Ukraine (2637). The ratings-favourite France (2688) downed the Netherlands (2638) by 2.5-1.5. After two rounds, there have been three upsets in six matches in Pool A. Every match in Pool A ended in a victory. Standings after Round 2: 1. China – 4 (6½); 2. Ukraine – 4 (6); 3. France – 2 (4); 4. Spain – 2 (3½); 5. Netherlands – 0 (3); 6. South Africa – 0 (1). Round 2, Pool B 1 Israel Uzbekistan 1½ : 2½ 2 United States Azerbaijan 1 : 3 3 India Poland 2 : 2 Uzbekistan (2524) upset Israel (2589) 2.5-1.5, and Azerbaijan (2662) convincingly won against the USA (2643). India (2611) drew with Poland (2556) after the teams exchanged blows on boards 3 and 4. Discounting the two tied matches (one in round 1 and one in round 2), there were four decisive outcomes on Sunday in Pool B. Standings after Round 2:
Magnus Carlsen crowned 2022 Tour Finals champion with a round to spare
Magnus Carlsen showed his near complete dominance in online chess once again today as he marched to victory in the 2022 Meltwater Champions Chess Tour Finals with a round to spare. The World Champion blew away 17-year-old sensation Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa to seal the final event of the season held at the SHACK15 venue in San Francisco. Going into today’s Round 6 matches, only Poland’s World Cup winner Jan-Krzysztof Duda stood any real chance of overtaking Carlsen on the tournament leaderboard. But having lost yesterday to surrender the lead to Carlsen, despite the champ dropping a point himself, Duda lost again to US star Wesley So. Carlsen has won five of the nine events on the 11-month Tour with Duda in second place winning two. In this event, he has so far won 14 of his 16 games and is undefeated in his 6 matches. It has been an incredible performance. Game 1 saw Carlsen decline a draw by repetition while Pragg had a promising attack. But the youngster’s 34. Bf6 mistake allowed a trade of rooks and his attack fizzled out. Then Carlsen took control to close out a win. The second game saw Pragg get agonizingly close to beating Carlsen for the third time on the Tour this year before a complete turnaround. The teenager from Chennai was heading for the win with Carlsen desperately trying to find a perpetual check before a one-move mistake allowed the champ to swap off queens. Pragg appeared to panic and blundered further with 37…exd5? leaving him in a hopeless position. TheNorwegian was 2-0 up and needed just a draw to secure the match and the tournament. In a must-win situation, Pragg gave up two rooks in an attempt to launch an attack on Carlsen’s king, but the champ stayed cool and defend well to repeat the position three times and force the draw. Pragg said he was surprised by his opponent’s opening choices, which included the rarely used at the top level 1.b3, and made a mistakes in time trouble. In victory, Carlsen said: “I’m relieved, it was a tough match today.” Asked whether he would celebrate before tomorrow’s final round, Carlsen added: “It’s a bit too early to celebrate today, that’s for sure.” In the other matches the resurgent Wesley So crushed Duda 3-0 to leapfrog him into second. Tomorrow’s final round sees Duda (10pts) and So (12pts) in a race for second-place. So started slowly but has won four matches back-to-back while Duda, who faces Carlsen, has lost two on the bounce. Another player who has see his form turn around in the tournament is the 19-year-old Indian Arjun Erigaisi who beat Liem Quang Le 2.5-0.5 and who now stands fourth in the table. The Azerbaijani No.1 Shakhriyar Mamedyarov also ended a run of 15 games without a win as he beat Anish Giri 2.5-0.5. Day 7 of the Tour Finals 2022 kicks off at 15:00 ET / 21:00 CET on November 20. Watch the broadcast live on chess24.com or chess24’s YouTube and Twitch channels.
Winners crowned at 64th World Congress of Chess Composition
The 64th World Congress of Chess Composition (WCSC 2022) is in the books. Еру highlight of its programm was the 45th World Chess Solving Championship. Congratulations to all the winners! Top-5 Open: 1 Danila Pavlov FID 84.5 2 Ural Khasanov FID 83.25 3 Piotr Murdzia POL 80.25 4 Bilguun Sumiya MGL 77.75 5 Eddy Van Beers BEL 77.5 Danila Pavlov Top-5 Women: 1 Anna Shukhman FID 53 2 Kamila Hryshchenko GBR 50.5 3 Denisa-Andreea Bucur ROU 42.75 4 Lilia Kosolapova FID 25.5 5 Nadezhda Ilchenko FID 24 Anna Shukhman Top-5 Seniors: 1 Jorma Paavilainen FIN 66.75 2 Mark Erenburg ISR 65 3 Michael Pfannkuche GER 61.75 4 Marjan Kovačević SRB 61.75 5 Ofer Comay ISR 60 Jorma Paavilainen Top-5 Juniors 1 Danila Pavlov FID 84.5 2 Ural Khasanov FID 83.25 3 Ilija Serafimović SRB 76.25 4 Kevinas Kuznecovas LTU 69.75 5 Mihnea Costachi ROU 64.25 Team Poland Top-5 Teams 1 Poland 162.75 2 Serbia 153.75 3 Germany 138.75 4 Belgium 133 5 Romania 131.75 You can find the complete results on the WCSC 2022 official webpage. The closing ceremony of the WCSC 2022 took place on the 18th of November 2022. It was attended by H.H Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Sharqi, Crown Price of Fujairah, Marjan Kovacevic, President of the World Federation for Chess Composition (WFCC), Dr Abdullah Ali Al-Barakat, 1st Vice-President of the World Federation for Chess Composition (WFCC), Sheikh Abdulla Bin Hamad Alsharqi, President of the UAE Bodybuilding Federation, Vice President of the Asian Bodybuilding and Physical Strength Federation, Dana Reizniece-Ozola, Deputy Chair of FIDE Management Board, Sheikh Saud Al Mualla, Vice-President of FIDE and President of Arab Chess Federation and other distinguished guests and the participants of the competitions. Dr Adbulla AAL Barakat, president of Fujairah Chess and Culture Club and chairman of the organising committee, expressed delight over the success of the 45th World Chess Solving Championship which took place in the UAE for the first time. He congratulated the winners and commended the UAE players, who showed their worth in a very stong competition. The World Chess Solving Championship was held under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Hamad Bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Crown Prince of Fujairah. Official tournament website: https://wccc2022.wfcc.ch/ https://www.facebook.com/fujairahchess Text and photos: Anastasiya Karlovich
WCSC 2022: Danila Pavlov wins title, Marjan Kovacevic elected as WFCC President
The 64th World Congress of Chess Composition (WCSC) is in full swing in Fujairah, UAE. The first day of the World Solving Chess Championship saw FM Bilguun Sumia (pictured below) from Mongolia grab the lead. The member of the Mongolian chess national team he pulled a half-point ahead of the World Champion in solving Danila Pavlov and Nikos Sidiropoulos. In the interview after the first day of solving, Bilguun said he was happy with his result, and his goal was to become the first GM both in chess and in solving in the history of Mongolia. Before the final round, however, Piotr Murdzia from Poland shot ahead with 55.25 points, just 0.25 points ahead of his closest rival, Ural Khasanov. Boris Tummes and Danila Pavlov shared third place and were not far behind. In the last round, the reigning champion, FIDE solving GM Danila Pavlov (FIDE) showed his mettle. He produced the best result and won the championship, scoring 84.5 points. The 19-years-old Pavlov (pictured above) won the World Chess Solving Championship for the second time in a row. He also won all three additional solving competitions with different formats, which took place in Fujairah during these days and delivered a tremendous overall performance. Solving IM Ural Khasanov (FIDE) took the silver medal while solving GM Piotr Murdzia (Poland) finished third. The leader after the first day, Bilguun Sumiya (Mongolia), took fourth place in the event. The competition was attended by Sheikh Sultan Bin Saleh Mohamed Alsharqi (pictured below). Poland took gold medals in the team competition with 162.75 points, while Serbia came second with 153.75 points. Germany finished third on 138.75. You can always put yourself in the participants’ shoes and test your skills by tackling the problems from this contest. 64th World Congress of Chess Composition culminated in the WFCC Presidium election session, which took place on the 17th of November. There were two candidates for the position of the President of WFCC – Marjan Kovacevic (Serbia) and Thomas Maeder (Switzerland). With 13 votes versus 9 votes, Marjan Kovacevic became the new President of WFCC. Mr Kovačević has been FIDE Grandmaster in composition since 2007 and Grandmaster in solving since 1988. In previous years he held the position of WFCC Vice-president. The elections of Vice-presidents were held right afterwards, with four candidates contending for three positions. As voted, Abdulla Ali Hassan Aal Barket Alameeri (UAE) became the first Vice-president, Vidmantas Satkus (Lithuania) is the second Vice-President, and Dinu-Ioan Nicula (Romania) took the position of the third Vice-president. New WFCC President and three Vice-Presidents The program continues with the WFCC Closing Session and the closing ceremony, followed by the international blitz tournament, which will take place on the 19th of November. More than 270 players have already registered there, including GM Salem Saleh, GM Pavel Eljanov, and others. The total prize fund for all events is €40,000. Official tournament website: https://wccc2022.wfcc.ch/ https://www.facebook.com/fujairahchess Text and photos: Anastasiya Karlovich
FIDE Commissions for 2022-26 announced
FIDE is excited to announce the composition of the Commissions for the period 2022-2026. The role of the FIDE Commissions is crucial in servicing federations, improving our technical capacity, and accomplishing FIDE social goals. As the FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich explains, “the difference between corporations and organisations like FIDE, with an important social component, is that a large share of work is voluntary-based. People who love chess and are ready to devote their time and effort to chess are key to making us succeed. This is why we highly appreciate each and every person who is ready to serve, understanding that any position in FIDE provides a privilege to be part of exciting projects and initiatives, but even more so – it envisages new duties and responsibilities”. Tiberiu-Marian Georgescu (ROM, pictured below) is the new Chairperson for the TEC Commission, with Hendrik Petrus Du Toit (RSA) as Secretary. Besides being a Grandmaster, Tiberiu has a PhD in Economic Informatics, and is one of the founders of the company “Chess Coders”. At 31 years old, Tiberiu is one of the youngest Chairs, but he will have the opportunity to work hand in hand with one of the most seniors, Andrzej Filipowicz (POL). Named FIDE Honorary Member in 2006, Andrzej remains very much active at 84 years old, and he is always eager to pass on his experience and wisdom to younger arbiters. Yuri Garrett (ITA, pictured below), Previously a Secretary for the Fair Play Commission, will now be the Chairman, while Salomeja Zaksaite (LTU) will remain as a member. A very consolidated group, FPL retain its core members. The youngest of them, Bojana Bejatovic (MKD), will now be the Secretary, after having gained a lot of experience at events during the past couple of years. After being a Councillor since 2018, Stephane Escafre (FRA, pictured below) will now chair the Rules Commission. An International Arbiter for two decades, as well as a chess author and a Delegate for the French Chess Federation, he has also been in charge of Fair Play at European events, having a rich and varied experience. Marco Biagioli (ITA), who has been extremely valuable to FIDE in the past four years as Data Protection Legal Advisor, will be the Secretary of the Commission. Laurent Freyd (FRA, pictured below) changes hats, and after being the Chairperson of the Arbiters Commission, he will now oversee one of the most important FIDE Commissions: Planning and Development. During his work leading the Arbiters’ area, Laurent demonstrated great administrative and managing skills. This, paired with with IT background, makes him an excellent option for the PDC, where administrative experience is paramount. The Secretary of the Commission will be Kema Goryaeva, one of the most senior and experienced staffers at FIDE. Jerry Nash (USA, pictured below) is now the Chair of the Chess in Education Commission. With a background as a teacher, campus minister, and office administrator, Jerry has been extremely valuable to the Commission as an advisor since he joined the team in 2019 as a “senior adviser”. This role is now taken by Leontxo Garcia (ESP), while Rita Atkins (ENG) joins the team as Secretary. Anastasia Sorokina (AUS, pictured below) is the new Chair of the Women’s Commission. Anastasia’s career over the years has covered many areas, having succeeded as a player, coach, arbiter, organizer, and federative. In the past few years, she has also been heavily involved in several FIDE projects, particularly the ones related to social projects and education. This puts her in an excellent position to have a global perspective of what is needed to bring more women to all areas of chess. The new Secretary will be Shadi Paridar (IRA), who is currently the Vice-President of the Iran Chess Federation. Ivan Syrovy (SVK, pictured below) will Chair the Arbiter’s Commission for the next four years. Ivan had not previously been involved in the work of the Commission, but since obtaining the title of International Arbiter in 2009, he has been as a Chief Arbiter in multiple events, including some that are part of the World Championship cycle, like the Grand Prix in Berlin. His performance has always been impeccable, earning him the respect of all his peers. Nebojsa Baralic (SRB) will continue in his role as Secretary. All the Councillors have been renewed. After having been a FIDE Vice-President, a member of the DIS Commission, and organizer of countless chess events, our tireless colleague Akaki Iashvili (GEO) (pictured below) will juggle his work as Special Tasks Director with being a Chair of the Events Commission. Akaki has found himself in the role of Director of many of these events in recent years, so very few people have comparable experience. His predecessor, Ozgur Solakoglu (TUR), will remain connected to the Commission as Honorary Chair, while Yana Sidorchuk will be the new Secretary. As was announced during the past months, Sami Khader (JOR) was appointed Chairman of the FIDE Trainer’s Commission back in September, Sabrina de San Vicente (URU) chairs the Qualification Commission since April, and Geir Nesheim (NOR) was appointed last March as Chair of the Social Commission. Ahmed Adly is the Chairman of the Athletes Commission; note that contrary to most Commissions, members of ATH are selected in an electoral process. Thomas Luther (GER) will continue in his role as Chairperson of the FIDE Commission for the Disabled, Emil Sutovsky (ISR) will head the Global Strategy Commission, and Dr Marape Marape (BOT), will serve once again as Chair of the Medical Commission. The selection process According to FIDE Handbook, President appoints the Chairperson, a Secretary, and up to 3-4 councillors, who are voting members. Continental Federations can also appoint a non-voting member to each commission. The rest of the positions are filled after extensive consultations with Chairpersons, Continents and Federations. FIDE also received multiple suggestions from individuals. We would like to express our appreciation to all those who were part of the process and provided their input. When deciding about the final composition of the Commissions, the following principles have been taken into consideration, trying to find an optimum balance and making a compromise when necessary: – Proficiency of the candidates, including their former track record and relevance to the ongoing projects or
FIDE World Senior Chess Championship 2022 kicks off in Assisi, Italy
The 30th edition of the FIDE World Senior Championship began in Assisi, Italy. The country is hosting this event for the eighth time. After the tournaments in Arco (2001), Lignano Sabbiadoro (2005), Arvier (2006), Condino (2009), Arco (2010), Acqui Terme (2015 and 2017), Assisi, the capital of Umbria, a small town in the heart of Italy, picked up the baton. The event, organized by IO/IA Cristina Pernici Rigo from ArcoWorldChess, attracted 345 players from 53 national federations battling for the titles of World Champion in the categories Open 50+, Women 50+, Open 65+, and Women 65+. FIDE council approved a decision of the FIDE EVE commission that female players will play together in the Open section but will get separate women’s prizes and also are entitled to the Open prizes. This year the prize fund of the championship hit record-high € 37,000. After a technical meeting, a brief opening ceremony attended by FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, was held. Arkady Dvorkovich made the first ceremonial move in the game between GM John Nunn (ENG) and FM Sameer Sursock (LBN). The event brought together several former and current Senior World Champions:: Open tournaments: Anatoly Vaisser (FRA, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2016) Zurab Sturua (GEO, 2014) Vlastimil Jansa (CZE, 2018) Photo: David Llada Women tournaments: Nona Gaprindashvili, the reigning 65+ women’s champion (GEO, 1995, 2009, 2014-16, 2018-19, pictured above) Galina Strutinskaia (FID, 2011, 2012, 2015) Tatjana Bogumil (FID, 2016) Elvira Berend, the defending 50+ women’s champion (LUX, 2017-19) The championship is officiated by the chief arbiter IA Gerhard Bertagnolli (Italy). As many as thirty games will be broadcast daily on the internet. Photo: Federação Portuguesa de Xadrez The top-seed players are the well-known grandmasters Zurab Sturua (GEO, 2529) in the Open 50+ and John Nunn (ENG, 2580) in the Open 65+. Julio Santos from Portugal (pictured above), who celebrated his 92nd birthday on October 15, 2022, is the oldest participant in the 30th World Senior Championship. Official Website: scaccomattissimo.com/assisi-2022-en Complete results: chess-results.com/tnr691291.aspx?lan=1&art=0&flag=30
European Youth Champions 2022 crowned in Antalya, Turkey
The 2022 European Youth Chess Championship concluded yesterday in Antalya, Turkey, with an impressive closing ceremony. ECU President Zurab Azmaiparashvili, FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, ECU Deputy President Dana Reizniece-Ozola, President of Turkish Chess Federation Gulkiz Tukay and the ECU Board members attended the closing ceremony and joined the awarding. The ceremony started with impressive dance performances and was broadcasted live through the Turkish Chess Federation Youtube Channel. The competition brought together over 1000 players from 46 European federations, but only 12 participants claimed the titles of European Champion in their respective categories. Roman Shogdzhiev (FIDE, 1747) clinched the U8 championship thanks to better Buchholz over Marc Llari (FRA, 1769) – silver, and Ali Poyraz Uzdemir (TUR, 1566) – bronze, who had the same score of 7.5 points. The President of the French Chess Federation, Mr Eloi Relange, awarded the winners. Sofya Kokareva (FIDE, 1288) dominated the Girls U8 tournament and won gold with a perfect score of 9/9. She became the only player in the event to win all nine games. Sofya finished two points ahead of Zoe Veselow (ENG, 1435), who took silver and Lila Rzadkowska (POL, 1243), who clinched the bronze with 6.5 points and better tiebreaks over Darya Shynkar (UKR, 1020) and Beren Cetin (TUR). ECU Chief Executive Officer Erald Dervishi awarded the top finishers. Baver Yilmaz (TUR, 1722) came out on top in the Open U10 category after netting 7.5/9, a half a point ahead of a group of three players who tied for the second place. The tiebreak criteria determined the silver and bronze medalists. Gabriel Gabadadze (GEO, 1569) came second, Erik Golubovic (CRO, 1868) was third, and Murat Kutay Yardak (TUR, 1574) finished fourth. ECU Vice President Alojzije Jankovic and President of Turkish Chess Federation Ms Gulkiz Tulay awarded the winners. Marianta Lampou (GRE, 1415) triumphed in the Girls U10 section scoring an impressive 8.5 points. Kristina Zavivaeva (FIDE, 1313) won silver with 7.5 points, and Mirzaliyeva Leyla (AZE, 1226) came third with 7 points. ECU Secretary General Theodoros Tsorbatzoglou awarded trophies and medals to the winners. Patryk Cieslak (POL, 2088) clinched victory in the Open U12 category scoring 7.5 points, with four players tying for the second place with 7 points each. The tiebreaks (Buchholz) favoured Khagan Ahmad (AZE, 2135), who got silver, and Marat Gilfanov (FIDE, 1786), taking bronze. ECU Honorary Vice-President Mr Vanja Draskovic joined the ceremony and awarded the winners. Diana Preobrazhenskaya (FIDE, 1930) won the Girls U12 championship with 7.5 points. Veronika Iudina (FIDE, 1686) and Oksana Goriachkina (FIDE, 1694) shared second place, with the former claiming silver thanks to better Buchholz. Svyatoslav Bazakutsa (UKR, 2153) clinched gold in the Open U14 section netting 8/9. IM Ediz Gurel (TUR, 2449) finished a half-point behind and took silver, while Benik Agasarov (ARM, 2219) won the bronze medal with 7 points. ECU Vice-President Mr Gunnar Bjornsson awarded the medalists. Valeria Kleymenova (FIDE, 2141) scored 7.5 points and emerged as the sole winner in the Girls U14 section, while three players tied for second place on 7 points each. Yana Zhapova (FIDE, 2220) had the best tiebreaks and won silver, Sofiia Moskalets (UKR, 1430) came third. ECU Vice President Ms Eva Repkova awarded the Winners. IM Timothe Razafindratsima (FRA, 2453) won the Open U16 tournament after chalking up 7.5 points. He finished half a point ahead of three players who tied for second place, scoring 7 points each. The tiebreaks favoured Erdem Khubukshanov (FIDE, 2371), who got silver, over IM Emin Ohanyan (ARM, 2377) – bronze, and IM Aleksey Grebnev (FIDE, 2477), who came fourth. ECU Vice President Mr Malcolm Pein awarded the medalists. Three players tied for the top position in the Girls U16 section scoring 7 points each. Mariya Manko (UKR, 2085) had the best tiebreaks and claimed gold, Kata Karacsonyi (HUN, 2109) won silver, and Weronika Zabrzanska (POL, 1992) earned bronze. ECU Deputy President Dana Reizniece-Ozola joined the awarding ceremony and awarded the winners. IM Rudik Makarian (FIDE, 2505) scored 7.5 points to win the title in the Open U18 category in a close race with IM Murzin Volodar (FIDE, 2556) taking silver with 7 points. As many as six players tied for third place scoring 6.5 points. IM Mamikon Gharibyan (ARM, 2470) made the podium by dint of better tiebreaks. ECU President Mr Zurab Azmaiparashvili, FIDE President Mr Arkady Dvorkovich and President of Turkish Chess Federation Gulkiz Tulay awarded the winners. Fresh from her Girls 18 World Youth Chess Championship triumph, where she had scored the astonishing 11/11 WIM Mariam Mkrtchyan (ARM, 2334) dominated the Girls U18 section, netting impressive 8.5 points. Mariam finished 1.5 points ahead of Yelyzaveta Hrebenshchykova (UKR, 2296), who won silver with 7 points. Four players tied for the bronze medal scoring 6.5 points each, but WIM Sofiia Hryzlova (UKR, 2092) had best Buchholz and came third. ECU President Zurab Azmaiparashvili and President of Turkish Chess Federation Gulkiz Tulay awarded the top finishers. At the end of the awarding ceremony, the ECU President officially declared the event closed. Final rankings and all results can be found here. Text: europechess.org Photo: official website Official website: eycc2022.tsf.org.tr
64th World Congress of Chess Composition gets underway in Fujairah, UAE
The 64th World Congress of Chess Composition takes place in Fujairah, UAE, from the 12th to the 19th of November. There are many events scheduled, including the 45th World Chess Solving Championship. UAE is the first Arab country in the Middle East to organize the World Chess Solving Championship and to host a general assembly, as it has never been held in the region before. The 45th World Chess Solving Championship and 64th World Congress of Chess Composition will run under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Hamad Bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Crown Prince of Fujairah. At the opening ceremony on the 12th of November, the President of the Fujairah Chess Club, Dr Adbulla AAL Barket, welcomed all participants and expressed his gratitude and appreciation to Sheikh Hamad and Sheikh Saleh Bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Chairman of the Fujairah Department of Industry and Economy, for their unwavering support, which enabled Fujairah chess to experience amazing growth on a global scale and helped Emirate host this prestigious tournament. The Opening session of the 64th World Congress of Chess Composition took place on the 13th of November, with many important issues being discussed. The Congress continues with the Commissions meetings and ends on the 17th of November with the WFCC Presidium election session. On the 14th of November, the OPEN composition tournament was held. GM Danila Pavlov (pictured below) convincingly won the event, Eddy Van Beers took second place, and Ofer Comay came third. Eighty-one participants representing 23 countries are competing in the World Chess Solving Championship, which started today on the 15th of November. The competition will stretch over two days with thee rounds held daily. The participants are to solve different compositions (3 two-movers, 2 three-movers, 3 endgames, 3 helpmates, 3 more-movers and 3 selfmates) during a limited period of time. The most exciting moment comes at the end of the round. After the solvers give their solutions, they can leave the venue and compare their answers with the correct solutions distributed by the organizers. The participants compete in both individual and team categories. The teams consist of three (four at ECSC) solvers and the team leader, who may be one of the solvers. Teams consisting of only two (two or three at ECSC) solvers are also permitted. The members of the teams simultaneously compete in the individual championship. Many participants have more than one chess set on their table or don’t have any of them and try to solve from the diagrams on the paper they receive at the start of the round. In the rules for those competitions, a solver may use the chess board(s) and men made available by the organizer or his own set(s). The international blitz tournament will take place on the 19th of November. More than 270 players have already registered. The total prize fund for all events is €40,000. Official tournament website: wccc2022.wfcc.ch/ Facebook page: facebook.com/fujairahchess
Chess for Social benefits and Women inclusion Conference set for December 1
FIDE Social Commission, FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess and French Chess Federation are pleased to announce the “Chess for Social benefits and Women inclusion & INFINITE CHESS Evolution” conference that will take place on December 01, 2022, in Paris, France. The conference will be held in a hybrid format and is open for both offline and online participation. The 4.5-hour event will be devoted to two topics: FIDE, ECU & FFC – Chess for Social benefits and Women & Social in the world: ambitions, projects, trends. Current and new social projects of the International Chess Federation, European Chess Union and French Chess Federation will be presented during the event. Besides, the preliminary results and the evolution of the pilot FIDE INFINITE CHESS Project will be announced. The panel of speakers includes Dana Reizniece-Ozola, Deputy Chair of the FIDE Management Board, Eloi Relange, President of the French Chess Federation, Franck Droin, ECU Social Comission Chairman, President of the Health Social Disability Commission of the FFE, Anastasia Sorokina, Infinite Chess Project Leader, Abhijit Kunte, 4th grandmaster of India, Coordinator of the Chess Social Projects in the Indian Oil Corporation and coach of the Indian National women team. The speakers will exchange experiences and showcase how chess helps people worldwide and make changes for the better. Topics and speakers: WHO Project – Eric Desailly FIDE INFINITE CHESS Project (chess for kids with autism spectrum disorder) – Anastasia Sorokina, Infinite Chess Project Leader, Natalija Popova, member of the ECU Social Commission, author of the FIDE Chess Program for kids with ASD, Ala Mishchanka, author of the FIDE Chess Program for kids with ASD, Special needs educational assistant, more than 15 years of experience (Canada), Researchers from the Chess Research Institute at ASPU named after Kh.Abovyan ICAR Project (International Chess Benefits Assessment Resources) – Franck Droin, ECU Social Commission Chairman, President of the Health Social Disability Commission of the FFE and ICAR Team Leader ECU Social Commission – ECU Social Commission Social trends – Alexandra Weldon, Head of Philanthropy, MOHARI group Prison to Pride: countrywide realisation of the Chess for Prisoners program – Abhijit Kunte, 4th grandmaster of India, Coordinator of the Chess Social Projects in the Indian Oil Corporation, coach of the Indian National women’s team Chess for women in FIDE – Dana Reizniece-Ozola, Deputy Chair of the FIDE Management Board, Anastasia Sorokina, Infinite Chess Project Leader, Anastasiya Karlovych, member of the ECU Social Commission. Chess like a tool for social responsibility – For Coloured Girls, Geraldine Engelman. CUTE: Ukrainian Women Program 2022-2025 – Franck Droin, ECU Social Comission Chairman, President of the Health Social Disability Commission of the FFE, Anastasiya Karlovych, member of the ECU Social Commission Second Brain Project – Virginie Dubois All attendees are required to register for the conference online using this link. You can find the detailed programme of the conference here. If you have any questions, please email them to socialchess@fide.com