Panamanian championship: Sanchez Alvarez and Vasquez Jaen win titles
The Panamanian championship (open and women’s sections) took place from April 27 to May 5 in the Creole Chess Club, Panama. Both tournaments were 10-player round-robins with classical time control. Despite suffering an unexpected defeat at the hands of Andre Mendez in Round 4, the rating favourite, IM Roberto Carlos Sanchez Alvarez, scored an impressive 7/9 and clinched his third straight national title. Three players tied for second place, netting 6/9 each, with Slim Roses Alex Antonio and Efren Andres Ramos Espinoza claiming silver and bronze, respectively, based on the results of the direct encounters. The women’s event was a much closer contest with several players rated 1600+ vying for the top position. Lourdes Lorena Vasquez Jaen emerged victorious, finishing a half-point ahead of three players sharing the second place. Sonneborn-Berger-Tie-Break variable favoured Yolys Desiree Rondon Chancon and Ashley Alexandra Castillo Beitia, taking silver and bronze, respectively. Unlike the champion, both completed the event unbeaten. Interestingly enough, the three titled players taking part in the women’s tournament did not make it to the podium. Final standings Open: 1 Sanchez Alvarez, Roberto Carlos 2441 7 2 Alex Antonio, Slim Roses 2143 6 3 Ramos Espinoza, Efren Andres 2136 6 4 Leon Archibaldo, Orlando Andres 2195 6 5 Tapia Ostolaza, Alexei 2227 5½ 6 Sanchez Manzanares, Jorge Luis 2078 5 7 Neira Rodriguez, Carlos Fernando 2015 4 8 Andre, Mendez 1943 3½ 9 Riquelme, Eduard 1873 1 10 Jimenez Pedro 1813 1 Finals standings Women: 1 Vasquez Jaen, Lourdes Lorena 1613 7 2 Rondon Chacon, Yolys Desiree 1699 6½ 3 Castillo Beitia, Ashley Alexandra 1608 6½ 4 Chung Hurtado, Yaleika 1698 6½ 5 Gonzalez Ramirez, Yaribeth 1643 6 6 Munoz Henriquez, Alba Esther 1602 4 7 Lobo Jimenez, Mariana Esther 1381 3½ 8 Navarro Valdes, Mariana Del Carmen 1276 2½ 9 Chavarria Troy, Keytleen Denis 1427 2 10 Arosemena Castillero, Betty 1472 0½
FIDE delegation meets with representatives of Asian federations in Bangkok
On May 5 Bangkok hosted a meeting between representatives of 16 different chess federations from the Asian continent, a FIDE delegation headed by its President Arkady Dvorkovich, and the FIDE Planning and Development Commission (PDC), chaired by Sonja Johnson. This is the third continental meeting organized this year by FIDE and PDC, following the ones held in the Americas (Mexico City, February 17) and Africa (Kampala, February 22). These meetings serve multiple purposes, starting with the introduction of FIDE’s development and social programs. For instance, in Bangkok, FIDE VP Anastasia Sorokina made a Presentation of the successful program “Infinite Chess”, for children with an autism spectrum disorder. Secondly, these periodical meetings are crucial to discuss the specific needs and challenges of different federations. As Dana Reizniece-Ozola pointed out, “The feedback from the federations is basic to streamline our support in the most effective way, and also to draft policies”. The meetings also play an important role in stimulating the exchange of experiences among the participating federations, effectively increasing the levels of cooperation, cohesion, and engagement. Very often, important projects have been set into motion after these gatherings!