FIDE President makes a tour of Latin America
The FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich is making an official visit to Latin America. Tomorrow, he will attend the closing ceremony of the XII South American Games in Paraguay, where chess has been part of the official program. His first stop was Sao Paulo, where he met the Brazilian delegate Darcy Lima. Even if brief, this was an important meeting: Darcy is one of the most active persons in the region, and this has been the first visit of a FIDE President to Brazil since 1995. The second stop was in Montevideo, where Arkady Dvorkovich met Robert Silva, President of ANEP, the national institution in charge of education in Uruguay. Together they discussed how to strengthen chess in schools program in the country. After the South American Games, the President will set off for Buenos Aires to attend the Pro-Am International Chess Tournament held as part of the celebrations for the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Argentinean Chess Federation.
French Championship: Jules Moussard and Almira Skripchenko win titles
GM Jules Moussard and IM Almira Sripchenko are new champions of France. The 27-year-old Moussard claimed his first national title, while Skripchenko won the women’s event for the seventh time (first time since 2015). The French Championship, a 16-player knockout tournament held in open and women’s sections, took place from 12-21 August 2022 in Albi, France. In case of a tie after two classical games, a 2-game Rapid (15+10) was played, followed by a 2-game Blitz (5+3) and an Armageddon (5 vs 4) if needed. Held for the first time since 2019, but in the absence of the two best French players, Alireza Firouzja and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, the open section brought together five players who represented France at the Chess Olympics in July in India. On his way to the final, Moussard consequently defeated Marc’Andria Maurizzi (2-0) and two former national champions, Christian Bauer (2.5-1.5) and Matthieu Cornette (3.5-2.5), while in another half of the draw Etienne Bacrot eliminated Adrien Demuth (1.5-0.5), Tigran Gharamian (2.5-1.5) and Laurent Fressinet (4-3). The final match was an exhilarating battle that came down to the wire. After two draws in classical games, Bacrot made a horrible mistake in the first rapid game, lost a piece and resigned soon afterwards. To his credit, Etienne roared back in the second game and levelled the score, sending the final to blitz. The opponents exchanged blows in blitz, both winning with black, and it boiled down to an Armageddon game. Playing with white and needing a victory, Moussard prevailed in a topsy-turvy encounter and clinched the title. In the match for third place, Laurent Fressinet defeated Matthieu Cornette by a score of 2.5-1.5 In the women’s draw, Almira Skripchenko beat Natacha Benmesbah in the final match (2-0) and won her seventh title. Almira became the most successful female French player ahead of Sophie Milliet (six titles). In the match for bronze WIM Andreea Navrotescu bested WFM Sarah Djidjeli (2-0) Draw – Open Section Draw – Women’s Section Official website: nationaux-albi-2022.ffechecs.org/ Photo: © FFE
FIDE World Youth U-16 Chess Olympiad 2022 crosses halfway
FIDE World Youth U-16 Chess Olympiad 2022 is in full swing in Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan. The 9-round Swiss tournament with classical time control brought together 34 teams from 22 countries. After five rounds of play, the fifth-rated Turkey-Red (Turkey-1) is leading the field with a perfect score of 10/10. The Turkish teenagers won all five matches, including hard-fought victories over higher-rated Uzbekistan-1 and Azerbaijan-1. Trailing the leader by two match points, Kazakhstan (the team lost to Turkey-1 in their fifth-round clash) and Cuba are sharing second place. As many as seven teams, including the rating favourites Iran, India and Azerbaijan-1, are tied for third position sitting on 7/10. With four rounds to go, it is still wide open as Turkey-Red has not faced Iran and India yet. Most likely, these matches will be crucial in deciding the champions. Top 10 after Round 5: 1 Turkiye-Red 10 15 2 Kazakhstan 8 12½ 3 Cuba 8 12 4 India 7 14½ 5 Uzbekistan-1 7 13 6 Azerbaijan-1 7 11 7 Mongolia 7 14½ 8 Iran 7 12 9 Turkiye-Anatolia 7 12 10 Azerbaijan-4 7 12½ Photos: official website Official website: youtholympiad.fide.com
Teams from 46 countries to take part in Intercontinental Championship for Prisoners
Over 85 teams from 46 countries will participate in the second Intercontinental Online Championship for Prisoners, a two-day event that starts on October 13, 2022 – the International Day of Education in Prisons. The Championship is a part of the “Chess for Freedom” Programme, launched back in May 2021. The project has become a vital part of FIDE’s social initiatives, where chess is used for educating and empowering various groups of society. The inaugural Intercontinental Championship for Prisoners took place in October 2021, with 41 teams representing 30 countries. This time the number of teams doubled: 85+ teams, including 12 female and 14 youth squads comprised of four players with an unlimited number of substitutes, will be playing in the group stage. Prisoners are divided into eight groups and will first compete in round-robin tournaments. Two top teams from each group will advance to the Championship round held on October 14. For the first time, separate tournaments will be organized for women’s and youth teams. In the run-up to the Championship, in some countries, national and regional chess tournaments for prisoners were held to determine the strongest players that would represent their countries on the international level. Others have chess training for inmates to improve their online and offline chess skills. The Championship, organized by FIDE and the Cook County Sheriff’s Office (Chicago, IL, USA) and hosted by Chess.com, will be played online and live-streamed on FIDE’s Youtube channel. The broadcast will include professional commentary and interviews with special guests – FIDE officials, government officers, members of the penitentiary administration and policymakers sharing the best practices of introducing chess to inmates, as well as former convicts proving from their own experience the positive impact of the game on prisoners. More info: chessforfreedom.fide.com/
2022 U.S. Championships kick off in St. Louis
Text: NM Vanessa West America’s strongest chess players enter to find fish swimming through a giant mechanical clock. Sharks loom above grandmasters. Chess celebrities are photographed before colossal projections of octopuses and jellyfish. Where are we? The opening ceremony for the 2022 U.S. Chess Championships held at the St. Louis Aquarium at Union Station, a space of wonder and imagination, fitting to celebrate the ultimate game of the mind. A swarm of chess strength at the St. Louis Aquarium. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Crystal Fuller In Round 1, young grandmasters Sam Sevian and Hans Niemann took the lead as the only winners in the U.S. Championship. In the U.S. Women’s Championship, many of the players were out for glory, kicking off the tournament with four decisive games. Opening Ceremony The opening ceremony began with a speech from Rex Sinquefield, co-founder of the Saint Louis Chess Club, welcoming US Chess to the city for their new headquarters. Rex went on to announce an ongoing expansion of the chess club, which parallels the current state of growth of American chess overall with GM Levon Aronian making his first appearance at the U.S. Championships, four players who’ve ranked within the world top ten competing, and a host of talented up-and-comers fighting for the crown. Eugene Torre and James Tarjan | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes Three notable chess figures were inducted into the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame: Daniel Willard Fiske, GM James Tarjan, and GM John Watson. Additionally, grandmasters Miguel Najdorf and Eugene Torre were inducted into the World Chess Hall of Fame. Tarjan and Torre gave sincere speeches offering insight into the history of chess. Lastly, to commence the U.S. Championships, the players drew lots by choosing from rows of stuffed otters and sharks. 2022 U.S. Championship GM Sam Sevian vs GM Elshan Moradiabadi 1-0 Sevian refused a repetition draw offer vs. GM Elshan Moradiabadi and pressed on for a win, eventually finding a way to break through on the kingside. Although Moradiabadi came close to holding the balance, Sevian’s 50.Ra7 was a turning point. After 50…gxf5 51.g6, Black has to give up material to prevent Rh7#. | 1-0, 61 moves Sevian begins the tournament tied for the lead with Niemann | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Crystal Fuller GM Hans Niemann vs GM Christopher Yoo 1-0 Niemann got the better of GM Christopher Yoo in a highly dynamic and chaotic middlegame. With 40…Re8, Niemann consolidates his material advantage, and his active rooks take over. | 0-1, 55 moves In his interview after the round, Niemann’s only comment on the game was, “It was such a beautiful game I don’t need to describe it.” All of the other games ended peacefully. 2022 U.S. Women’s Championship FM Alice Lee vs FM Ashritha Eswaran 1-0 Newcomer and youngest competitor, FM Alice Lee, gained the very first victory of the event in a thrilling game vs. FM Ashritha Eswaran. In the opening, Eswaran delayed development to push her kingside pawns up the board toward Lee’s castled king. Lee responded by running her king back towards the center, allowing Eswaran to break into her kingside and gain a rook on the seventh. With both kings in the center, the game spun into chaos with both sides attacking each other when Lee discovered a beautiful tactical sequence. With 25…d4! Black indirectly defends the b7-bishop (if 26.Rxb7? Qh1+) while opening its diagonal to enhance the king attack. After 26.exd4 Qh1+ 27.Ke2 Bf3+ 28.Kd3 Be4+ Lee won decisive material. | 0-1, 37 moves A powerful first game for twelve-year-old Lee at her U.S. Women’s Championship debut | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes WGM Begim Tokhirjonov vs WFM Sophie Morris-Suzuki 1-0 WGM Begim Tokhirjonov trapped WFM Sophie Morris-Suzuki’s bishop in the middlegame and then capped off her victory with a picturesque mating combination. Tokhirjonova checkmated with 36.Qxg7+! Qxg7 37. Re8# | 1-0, 37 moves Tokhirjonova starts her second appearance at the U.S. Women’s with a victory | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes WGM Jennifer Yu vs IM Anna Zatonskih 1-0 The last game to finish was well worth the wait. Jennifer Yu displayed stunning endgame technique with just seconds left on her clock to defeat second seed IM Anna Zatonskih after over five hours of battle. Just as it looked like Zatonskih might escape with a draw, Yu played the subtle yet decisive 78…Rg5! (if 78…Rxg6 79.hxg6 h5 80.Kf7 h4 81. Kxg7 both sides promote). And after 79.Rxg5 hxg5 80.Kf5 g4 Yu’s passed g-pawn quickly promoted. | 0-1, 84 moves Yu fought for hours to convert her extra pawn into the full point | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes WIM Megan Lee vs FM Rochelle Wu 1-0 WIM Megan Lee scored an upset victory against FM Rochelle Wu while the rest of the games ended in draws. The 2022 U.S. Chess & U.S. Women’s Chess Championships continue Thursday, October 6, starting at 1:20 PM CT. Tune in to watch WGM Anastasiya Karlovich, GM Yasser Seirawan, & GM Cristian Chirila provide live commentary on uschesschamps.com and on the Saint Louis Chess Club’s YouTube and Twitch.tv channels. Dates & Location:September 14 – September 16, 2022Saint Louis Chess Club Livestream:USChessChamps.ComYouTube: @STLChessClub | Twitch.tv: @STLChessClub Web: uschesschamps.com | Twitter: @STLChessClubInstagram: @STLChessClub | Facebook: @STLChessClub#USChessChamps #STLChessClub Press Contact:Rebecca Buffingtonrbuffington@saintlouischessclub.org Photo Credits:Photos and appropriate credits available on Flickr Saint Louis Chess Club | Building Champions 4657 Maryland Avenue, Saint Louis, MO 63108 | (314) 361.CHESS (2437)
Wesley So set to defend his Fischer Random title
Wesley So already knows the complete list of players who will challenge him for the Fischer Random world title, which will be held in Reykjavik from 25–30 October. With a prize fund of USD 400,000, this is the second edition of the FIDE World Fischer Random Championship, a discipline officially recognized by the International Chess Federation in 2019. “I am so excited to be competing in Fischer Random again! And in Iceland! It couldn’t be more special than to compete in that particular place, defending my title against the best players in the world. To play in Reykjavik, fifty years after the match between Fischer and Spassky, gives it a historical perspective that cannot be matched,” commented Wesley So. Along with the reigning Champion in this variety of chess, 29-year-old Wesley So from the USA, the current World Champion and World’s number one in Classical Chess, Magnus Carlsen, will also compete. The Norwegian was automatically qualified as the runner-up in the previous edition, held in Oslo. Ian Nepomniachtchi, Hikaru Nakamura, Vladimir Fedoseev, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Matthias Blübaum and Hjörvar Steinn Grétarsson complete the field for this interesting event, which will be broadcast live by NRK, the largest media organization in Norway, and RUV, Iceland’s major national broadcast company. These were their respective qualification paths: Wesley So (2774)2019 World Fischer Random Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen (2856)2019 World Fischer Random Chess Championship runner-up Vladimir Fedoseev (2688)Winner of the Online Knock-out Qualifier 1 at Chess.com Matthias Blübaum (2647)Winner of the Online Knock-out Qualifier 2 at Chess.com Nodirbek Abdusattorov (2713)Winner of the Online Knock-out Qualifier 1 at Lichess, organized by Offerspill Sjakklubb Hikaru Nakamura (2768)Winner of the Online Knock-out Qualifier 2 at Lichess, organized by Charlotte Chess Center, and the North American Corporate Chess League Ian Nepomniachtchi (2793)FIDE’s wildcard, as the third top finisher in the 2019 World Fischer Random Chess Championship and the world’s third highest-rated player Hjorvar Steinn Gretarsson (2533)Wildcard from the local organizing committee as the strongest Icelandic Grandmaster. What is Fischer Random Chess? Fischer Random is a chess variant invented by legendary Bobby Fischer, 1972-75 World Chess Champion. The game’s rules are the same as standard chess, but the starting position of pieces is randomly shuffled. It reduces the impact of opening theory and makes players contemplate game development from the first moves. Regulations for the 2022 FIDE World Fischer Random Chess Championship (pdf)
FIDE Arbiters’ Manual 2022 released
The FIDE Arbiters’ Commission just released the latest update of the FIDE Arbiters’ Manual, dated October 1, 2022. This new edition includes some important changes in regulations that every arbiter should be familiar with. It would also be highly recommended that players read this document – as well as, of course, the laws of chess. These are the main modifications that we recommend you check thoroughly: – Standards of Chess Equipment (Chapter 8) – FIDE Compliant Electronic Chess Equipment (Chapter 8) – Anti-cheating regulations (Chapter 3) – FIDE Rapid and Blitz Rating Regulations [B02] (Chapter 6) – Regulations for the Titles of Arbiters (Chapter 10) – New Role of the Captain (Chapter 9) FIDE would like to thank IA Shohreh Bayat, Councillor of the ARB Commission, for her work in this document, gathering contributions from Alex McFarlane, Gopakumar Sudhakaran, Sabrina de San Vicente, Andy Howie, David Sedgwick, Alex Holowczak, Matthew Carr, Aris Marghetis, Juergen Klueners. DOWNLOAD Arbiters’ Manual, October 2022 (pdf)
Arkady Dvorkovich meets with President of Azerbaijan
The President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received the President of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) Arkady Dvorkovich, its Vice-President Mahir Mamedov, and its General Director Emil Sutovsky. Mr Aliyev confirmed his support for the development of chess in the country, which is currently hosting the FIDE World Youth Olympiad. He reiterated the continuation and expansion of the “Chess in Education” program and expressed the readiness to host upcoming major FIDE events.
FIDE World Youth U-16 Chess Olympiad 2022 starts in Nakhchivan
FIDE World Youth U-16 Chess Olympiad 2022 kicked off in Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan. The 9-round Swiss tournament with classical time control brought together 34 teams from 22 countries with host Azerbaijan being the rating favorites. Each team shall comprise 4 players and a maximum of 2 reserves with at least one girl included in the team composition in each round. Each match between teams will be played over 4 boards. Prizes The best three teams receive Cups. Six (6) members of the best three teams will receive Gold, Silver and Bronze medals and memorable gifts. The best three players on the boards receive Gold, Silver and Bronze medals and memorable gifts. Tournament Schedule: Date Activity Time October 1 Arrival date October 2 Technical Meeting 10:00 October 2 Opening Ceremony 12:00 October 2 Round 1 15:30 October 3 Round 2 15:00 October 4 Round 3 15:00 October 5 Round 4 15:00 October 6 Round 5 15:00 October 7 Round 6 15:00 October 8 Round 7 15:00 October 9 Round 8 15:00 October 10 Round 9 10:00 October 10 Closing ceremony 18:00 October 11 Departure date Regulations for FIDE World Youth U-16 Chess Olympiad 2022 Official web-site: http://youtholympiad.fide.com Photo: Islam Igshid
Jose Carrillo Pujol elected new President of CCA
The CCA Assembly (FIDE America) took place on October 1, 2022, in the beautiful city of San Jose, Costa Rica. The General Assembly was attended by various authorities, such as Zone Presidents and Federation leaders. The main item on the agenda was the election of CCA Officials. After hearing the President’s and Treasurer’s reports, the 27 Federations present at the Assembly elected Mr Pepe Carillo as the head of the CCA for a four-year term. Here is the full composition of the ticket: President José Carrilo Pujol – (Panama) Deputy President Francisco J. Cruz Arce (Puerto Rico) Treasurer Erick Hernandez (El Salvador) Secretary Enrique Celi Frugoni (Uruguay) Member of the Board Carol S. Williams Pesqueira (Aruba) Member of the Board Sandy Rarzak (Trinidad and Tobago) Member of the Board Juan C. Mundaca Álvarez (Chile) The Assembly also paid tribute to President IA Jorge Vega for his nearly 20 years of dedicated work for chess in America. After that, the delegates approved the calendar for 2023.