The Chess Olympiad year starts with an online training seminar organized by the Chess Federation of Russia and the Russian Chess Academy
The Russian Chess Academy ushered in a new chess year – the year that would feature the Chess Olympiad in Moscow – with a seminar for International / FIDE / National Arbiters and tournament organizers held in an online format (webinar) on January 14, 2022. Titled “Changes to the FIDE Regulations effective January 01, 2022”, this webinar in the Russian language attracted a vast audience. The Zoom platform counted 179 logged-in attendees from nine national federations: Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Moldova, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. No entry fees were charged to the attendees.
The participants of the webinar were welcomed by FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich. He expressed confidence that this important event would serve to share the best practices and processes.
The webinar attendees had a chance to learn about new developments in the chess regulations and understand the rationale behind them and study typical problems and issues.
Webinar Leader IA/IO/FL Alexander Tkachev (Russia), the CFR Technical Director, and the Director of the Russian Chess Academy explained that the changes that came into effect in January 2022 reflect a huge collaborative effort of the FIDE Council, the Qualification Commission, and the national chess federations that took part in the detailed survey that laid the groundwork for important modifications.
Many other stakeholders, such as the Arbiters’ Commission and the Fair Play Commission, took an active role in the process. The result is the new set of Regulations that better meet the needs of all segments of the global chess family: elite players, norm seekers, amateurs, organizers, and arbiters. “Working with the new Regulations will require some adjustment from all of us. Let’s keep our minds open and embark on this road together!” Mr Tkachev said. He also stressed the benefits of the collaboration between national federations connected by common geography, culture, history, or language.
The new editions of the FIDE Rating Regulations, FIDE Rapid and Blitz Rating Regulations, and FIDE Title Regulations that became effective in January 2022 were presented during the webinar. Some changes were made to comply with other FIDE documents that have priority (e.g., the FIDE Charter); others codify existing best practices that have already taken root to make the game of chess even more transparent, fair, and democratic. The seminar attendees were provided with the multi-page comparison tables that captured every change, addition, or deletion in the three Regulations documents. Common pitfalls that arbiters and organizers can encounter in title norm tournaments were explained by Guest Lecturer IA/IO Vadim Tsypin (Canada).
The agenda of the webinar also included the topic of changed responsibilities of the chief arbiters and the rating officers in organizer federations, as well as changes to report submission and norm certificate issuance. The expertise accumulated by the Chess Federation of Russia was shared with attendees.
Information and photos by the Chess Federation of Russia and the Russian Chess Academy
