Getting more women’s teams to the Chess Olympiad
Out of 188 countries and territories that took part in the previous (2022) Chess Olympiad, 30 did not have a team in the women’s section. FIDE has set a goal to increase the number of women’s teams for the upcoming Olympiad scheduled in Hungary this September. That is how the “Empowering Queens of the Chessboard” project was born Launched in August 2023 by the Commission for Women’s Chess, the initiative aims to help recruit, train and finance women’s chess teams for the countries that did not have them in the previous Olympiad. More broadly, the goal is to take a step further in promoting chess among women and girls, which has been one of the key objectives of FIDE in the previous five years. The initiative is spread across three stages. The first, running from August to December 2023, consisted of a thorough analysis of conditions surrounding women’s chess in countries which have never sent female teams to the Olympiad. A survey found that lack of female players, training capacities and financing were the main reasons for these countries not sending women’s teams to the Olympiad. In November 2023, a seminar was organized to seek ways to overcome these challenges, including new strategies for attracting talent and securing funding. One of the key findings was that the motivation to play chess differs between men and women. While male players were more motivated by competitiveness, women tended to emphasize the social aspect. Consequently, in some countries, chess tournaments were followed by social events, providing women with more time to connect and socialize. Examples from countries that are more successful in engaging female players have shown that engaging schools is one of the key factors leading to an increased number of women chess players. The second stage of the project started in January this year. It will run until June, with a focus on building women’s teams in ten microstates/territories: Nauru, Guernsey, Cayman Island, Grenada, Mauritania, Saint Lucia, Liechtenstein, St. Kitts and Nevis, US Virgin Islands, St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Trainers of women’s national teams in those countries were already appointed. On weekends, they are having meetings with their teams to prepare for the Chess Olympiad 2024. Remarkably, 80% of the trainers are females too. The third stage of the project will focus on providing logistical and organizational support to teams and getting them ready for their first-ever Chess Olympiad. “Most of these countries which we have engaged have not only never had a female team at the Olympiad but also never had a female team at all, nor did they have any women in any level of chess – whether it is players, arbiters or organizers. The seminar we had, and the research conducted helped us gain a better understanding of the challenges for women’s chess and which concrete steps to take to increase female participation,” said Tris-Ann Richards, who is the president of the Saint Lucia Chess Federation and one of the instigators of the project. Thus far, five countries have recruited their inaugural Olympic women’s teams and are in the initial phase of their training program. The players from the Caribbean who are part of the draft Olympiad teams also participated in the Queens Gambit Challenge – Caribbean Edition, a comprehensive training program covering the fundamentals of chess, advanced strategies, and mental and psychological training. Each country has a professional coach assigned and will commence a three-month training program starting March 15 this year. The “Empowering Queens of the Chessboard” project is headed by Anastasia Sorokina, Chair of the FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess and Tris-Ann Richards (St. Lucia), Councillor in FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess, along with team members Yilmas Kartal, Paris Klerides, Akua Kosife Esse, Monalisha Khamboo and Herborg Hansen. You can read more about the project here: Empowering queens of the chessboard: National Female Team Development Seminar – FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess.
André Meylan and Marija Zvereva win 2024 Monaco Championship
André Meylan and WIM Marija Zvereva are the champions of Monaco 2024, both winning their maiden titles. The 2024 Monacan championship, a seven-round Swiss tournament with classical time control, brought together a record 28 players (19 men and 9 women), with men and women ranked separately. It all came down to the final seventh round in which the fourth seed, André Meylan (5/6), scored a crucial victory over Patrick Van Hoolandt and clinched the title as his main rival and co-leader, top seed GM Amir Bagheri fell to IM Damir Levacic. As a result, Damir took silver, while Amir had to settle for bronze. Meanwhile, in a clash of the leaders in the women’s section (both sitting on 4/6), Marija Zvereva prevailed over WCM Svetlana Berezovska to win gold with 5/7. WGM Tatiana Dornbusch leapfrogged Berezovska and claimed silver, scoring 4.5/7. Svetlana Berezovska completed the women’s podium. Final standings: 1 Meylan, Andre 2133 6 2 IM Levacic, Damir 2110 5½ 3 GM Bagheri, Amir 2378 5 4 WIM Zvereva, Marija 2045 5 5 GM Efimov, Igor 2329 4½ 6 FM Verdier, Patrice 2028 4½ 7 Ribbegren, Karl Johan 2104 4½ 8 WGM Dornbusch, Tatiana 2218 4½ 9 FM Van Hoolandt, Patrick 2008 4 10 WCM Berezovska, Svetlana 1739 4 Based on the results of the 2023 and 2024 Monacan championships, the following players qualified for the 2024 Olympiad in Budapest: Women section: WGM Tatiana Dornbusch, WIM Marija Zvereva, WCM Fiorina Berezovsky, WCM Svetlana Berezovska, WIM Martine Dubois. Open section: GM Amir Bagheri, André Meylan, GM Igor Efimov, IM Damir Levacic, FM Patrick Van Hoolandt. Photos: Monaco Chess Federation
Romanian Championship 2024: Parligras and Lehaci clinch titles
Only 0.5 Buchholz points separated GMs Mircea-Emilian Parligras and Constantin Lupulescu, who scored 7.5/9 and tied for first place in the open section of the 2024 Romanian Championship. Thanks to a slightly better tiebreaker, Mircea-Emilian won his fourth national title in classical chess. The Romanian Championship 2024 in Open, Women and Amateur sections took place in Complex Steaua de Mare in the coastal town of Eforie Nord from February 24 to March 02. All three competitions were 9-round Swiss events with classical time control. The open event was a close race, with several top-rated participants sharing first place most of the way. Only after Round 7 Mircea-Emilian Parligras emerged as the sole leader and came to the final round a half-point ahead of Constantin Lupulescu. Parligras made a quick draw with Filip Magold and secured the title, although Lupulescu beat Vladislav Nevednichy and caught up with the leader. As many as four players tied for third place, with David Gavrilescu taking bronze by way of a superior Buchholz. Interestingly, the three rating favorites (rated 2500+) occupied the entire podium. Final standings: 1 GM Parligras, Mircea-Emilian 2537 7½ 2 GM Lupulescu, Constantin 2589 7½ 3 GM Gavrilescu, David 2524 6½ 4 FM Magold, Filip 2400 6½ 5 FM Cnejev, Vladimir-Alexandru 2311 6½ 6 IM Ghimpu, Samuel-Timotei 2467 6½ 7 GM Nevednichy, Vladislav 2445 6 8 FM Ilinca, Felix-Antonio 2377 6 9 FM Tudor, Henry Edward 2239 6 10 FM Antal, Hunor-Zoltan 2272 5½ The women’s event saw the triumph of WIM Miruna-Daria Lehaci, who bagged her second straight national title. Miruna-Daria grabbed the lead after defeating one of her main rivals, Alessia-Mihaela Ciolacu, and preserved her top position in the standing to the very end. Although she made three draws at the finish, it was enough to secure the title with 7/9. Alessia-Mihaela Ciolacu, Elena-Luminita Cosma, Mihaela Sandu, and Corina-Isabela Peptan scored 6.5 and finished a half-point behind the champion with Ciolacu and Cosma winning silver and bronze respectively, thanks to superior tiebreaks. Final standings: 1 WIM Lehaci, Miruna-Daria 2227 7 2 WIM Ciolacu, Alessia-Mihaela 2175 6½ 3 WGM Cosma, Elena-Luminita 2238 6½ 4 WGM Sandu, Mihaela 2270 6½ 5 IM Peptan, Corina-Isabela 2314 6½ 6 WFM Obada, Ema 1969 6 7 WCM Trifoi, Mihaela-Ioana 2003 6 8 WCM Stanciu, Andreea-Briana 1960 5½ 9 WCM Batagan, Ilinca-Petra 1859 5½ 10 WCM Schiopu, Oana-Magdalena 1750 5 Photos: Federația Română de Șah Facebook
FIDE Candidates 2024: Pairings announced
The countdown of the FIDE Candidates 2024, the first-ever such competition in America, began on February 28 in Toronto, Canada with the drawing of lots for the Candidates and the Women’s Candidates. It was held in the famous Torontian chess pub Madison Avenue by the Chief Arbiter Aris Marghetis (Canada), assisted by the key members of the local Organizing Committee for the FIDE Candidates, WGM Anna Burtasova, Salim Belcadi, and GM Evgeny Bareev in the presence of over a hundred of chess fans. For the first time in history, both open and women’s events will take place simultaneously in the same venue. The participants of both competitions, 8-player double round-robins, received the following starting numbers: FIDE Candidates 2024: FIDE Women’s Candidates 2024: Order of drawing In accordance with the General Rules and Technical Recommendations for Tournaments / 06. Restricted Drawing of Lots, the players of the federation with the most number of representatives were drawn first. Where two or more federations had the same number of representatives, precedence was determined by the alphabetical order of the FIDE country code. Among players of the same federation, precedence was determined by the alphabetical order of their names. Candidates 2024: first draw 3 Indian players, then draw 2 USA players, then draw 3 remaining players. Women’s Candidates 2024: first, draw 2 China players, then draw 2 FIDE players, then draw 2 Indian players, then draw 2 remaining players. Note that standard Berger Tables for both double round robins have been modified so that none of the players ever has the same colour three times in a row. It is achieved by switching rounds 6 and 7, which has been a longstanding practice. FIDE Candidates and Women’s Candidates 2024 full pairings You can watch the entire drawing of lots on FIDE YouTube channel. Photos: John Upper
PICF 2024 Masters: Abdusattorov leads halfway through
The Prague International Chess Festival 2024, featuring Masters, Challengers, and Futures tournaments, crossed its halfway point after five days of play. Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzbekistan) and Parham Maghsoodloo (Iran) got off to a great start in the Masters event, scoring 3/4, but in Round 5, their paths diverged. The Uzbek GM convincingly outplayed Mateusz Bartel and is going to the rest day as the sole leader as the Iranian miraculously saved a lost rook endgame facing Richard Rapport. If Nodirbek continues in the same vein in the second half of the event, he will debut in the top-10 Open in the April rating list. Abdusattorov scored his most spectacular win so far in Round 3 against David Navara. In this see-saw game, Nodirbek had an advantage first, then misplayed it completely and found himself in a desperate situation. Luckily for him, David made a natural move 28…Rxf7, grabbing the bishop (instead of 28…Bh7!) but missed a stunner. Nodirbek Abdusattorov – David Navara 29. Rd6!! All the rest is simply bad for White, but with this brilliant move, Abdusattorov sealed the deal after 29…Rc8 30. Nxf7+ Qxf7 31. Rxd4 b3 32. b6 Rc2 33. Qf3 b2 34. b7 Qf8 35. Rdd1 Rc5 36. Qb3 1-0 Richard Rapport is the third remaining player scoring over 50% (3/5), while Praggnanandhaa R, David Navara and Gukesh D are sitting on 2.5/5. Standings after Round 5 Masters Anton Korobov of Ukraine and young prodigy Ediz Gurel from Turkey (pictured below) are sharing the lead in the Challengers event with an excellent score of 4/5. Jaime Santos Latasa of Spain is in third place, trailing the leaders by a half-point. Standings after Round 5 Challengers Aansh Nandan Nerurka of India leads the Futures tournament, a full point ahead of Pawel Brzezina from Poland. Tomas Andre and Evangelia Siskou are tied for third place. Standings after Round 5 Futures Photos: Petr Vrabec Official website: praguechessfestival.com/
Africa U8 Chess Champion wins prestigious national award in Kenya
Nathaniel Manyeki emerged as the 2nd runner-up in the Most Promising Personality of the Year 2023 category at the Sports Personality of The Year Award, Kenya (SOYA Awards). The reigning Under 8 Africa Youth Champion, Nathaniel, showcased his exceptional talent by achieving a perfect score at the Africa Youth Chess Championship held last year in Egypt. Amidst cheers and applause, Chess Kenya Federation officials, along with Nathaniel Manyeki’s family and friends, gathered at the KICC Nairobi for the award ceremony, celebrating his remarkable accomplishments. The SOYA Awards, marking its 20th anniversary this year, brought together a multitude of sportsmen and women from various disciplines across Kenya. This celebration of excellence united partners from esteemed organizations, including CMA, Safaricom, KAS, and the Paul Tergat Foundation. Nathaniel, who is the current Under 8 Boys’ Kenya National Chess Champion, the title he has held for three consecutive years, started playing chess in 2021 and has secured a podium finish in many regional tournaments under different age categories, frequently taking on bigger challenges in the open events against much higher rated players such as the Kenya and Uganda Open. Milestones Achieved: ● Current Africa Youth Chess Champion under 8 Open, having emerged victorious with 9/9 points at the 2023 championship in Cairo, Egypt. He was awarded the title of Candidate Master (CM). ● Represented Kenya in the African Youth Chess Championship ( Lusaka, Zambia, 2022) ● Represented the country in the Africa Schools Individual Chess Championships (Nairobi, Kenya) 2021 and ranked 4th U7 Open ● Current U8 National Chess Champion, the title he has held for three consecutive years (2021, 2022, 2023) ● Current U9 Open National Chess Champion (2023) ● National Chess Champion U7 Open ( 2021, 2022 ) ● Regional Champion and podium finisher in various competitions: (2022) – Kajiado 1st in U10 Open, Nairobi region 1st in U8 Open, Machakos Region 1st in U10 Open, St. Bakhita Open 1st in U8, Sanlam invitational 1st U12 Open, Village Market 2nd in U10 Open, (2021) Nairobi Region 2nd in U7 Open, Village Market Open 2nd U8 Open, Kitengela Open 1st U8 Open, Oshwal Academy 1st in U8 Open. He is also a part of the Business Meets Chess and Kids program, connecting business people with young chess players in an effort to help them improve their game and acquire the tools needed to play chess competitively.
FIDE Chessable Academy’s third season gets underway
The FIDE Chessable Academy’s 2024 season kicked off on January 13, drawing 450 students from over 100 federations and 22 FIDE Endorsed Academies into its arena Aimed at talented young players who are nominated by their national Federations and FIDE Endorsed Academies, the FIDE Chessable Academy brings together top players and coaches teaching a specially designed training program for future chess masters. The roster of lecturers featured esteemed coaches and chess legends, such as Hou Yifan, Stefanova Antoaneta, Rustam Kasimdzhanov, Alexander Khalifman, Boris Gelfand, Artur Jussupow, Mikhail Gurevich, Ramesh R B, Vladimir Potkin, Aleksey Dreev, Vladimir Malakhov, Victor Bologan, Igor Lysyj, Evgeniy Najer, Miguel Illescas, Yevgeniy Vladimirov, Surya Ganguly, Sergei Tiviakov, Anton Filippov, Melikset Khachiyan, Thomas Luther, Yannick Gozzoli, Farrukh Amonatov, Alexey Kuzmin, Igor Khenkin, Hicham Hamdouchi, Georgui Castaneda, Dejan Bojkov, Ilaha Kadimova, Robert Hungaski, Reynaldo Vera, Alonso Zapata, and Vishal Sareen. The program aims to unravel important skills and techniques. It includes a meticulous study of important chess openings explained by leading experts in these specific areas, exploring typical and innovative ideas, abundant secrets, as well as practical challenges and revealing various topics. The topics include the evaluation of the position and the plan, prophylactic thinking, principles of attack, principles of defense, how to play against the pieces, un-evident moves and full board vision, danger of passed pawns, practical rook endings, correct and incorrect attack, “bad” pieces, advantage realization principles, feeling of danger, the principle of two weaknesses in addition to other important topics. Organized into 12 groups, the program, slated to run until the end of April, unfolds with weekend sessions conducted in English, Russian, Spanish, and French. One of the focuses of the project is gender equality, as an equal number of female and male students actively participate, creating a diverse and inclusive chess community. So far, since its establishment in 2021, the academy has welcomed over 1000 students from more than 100 countries in its online sessions. “Having access to coaching and high-quality training material is essential for chess development. As the world’s leading chess courses platform, we are thrilled to be part of this important project, which levels the field for players of all ages and backgrounds. We sincerely hope to contribute to the development of future champions as well as future chess professionals,” Geert van der Velde, Head of Chessable.com, said. FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich emphasizes the academy’s role in personal development, stating that “the Chessable Academy is not just about mastering the game; it’s about creating well-rounded individuals. This feeds well into FIDE’s overall approach and strategy in popularizing chess – it is not just about the sport, it is about building your character and helping individuals grow as people”. Two in-person camps held in Dubai (2021) and Sitges, Spain (2022) served as global meeting points, fostering camaraderie among chess enthusiasts. The In-person Training Camp Breaking new ground, the academy introduces personal development training as a core component. The FIDE Chessable In-Person Training Camp, led by GM Judit Polgar and GM Artur Jussupow in Menorca from March 27 to April 2, promises to be a transformative experience. The “FIDE Personal Growth Academy” within the camp features experts like Dana Reizniece-Ozola, Geert van der Velde, Maria Yuste, and Natalia Ryzhenko, covering topics from healthy nutrition to personal brand development. How the participants of the course will be selected: The FIDE Trainers’ Commission and Chessable will carefully evaluate and choose the 12 students based on the following outlined criteria: Participants of any language and rating who fulfilled the attendance criteria (minimum 75% attendance) and were not selected for the camp will receive Chessable courses.
Prague Chess Festival 2024 kicks off in Czech capital
The sixth edition of the Prague Chess Festival, the strongest chess event played these days, featuring three Indian Candidates 2024 participants, commenced in the capital of the Czech Republic. The main star of the opening gala night was the 15th world champion and FIDE Vice-President Vishy Anand. Together with the Chairman of the Senate of the Czech Republic, Miloš Vystrčil, he opened the 6th Prague Chess Festival with an exhibition game. The gala night started with a magical light show at the Hotel Don Giovanni Prague. The festival ambassador Vishy Anand reminisced about his visit to Prague 22 years ago during his opening remarks and wished all the participants good luck. Miloš Vystrčil also shared his enthusiasm for the royal game and demonstrated his chess skills in the subsequent exhibition game. Mathematician and social innovator Karel Janeček talked about the advantages of the Decision 21 voting system. The public can try this multiple-vote system when choosing the best game of the round every day of the festival. You can vote on the best chess games online on the platform Decision 21. The opening ceremony was also attended by the chairman of the Chess Association of the Czech Republic Martin Petr, the president of the 1st Novoborsk Chess Club Roman Mužík, FIDE Secretary General Lukasz Turlej, Shri Hemant H. Kotalwar, Ambassador to the Czech Republic, the representatives of partners and participants of the Masters, Challengers and Futures tournaments. The Masters, Challengers and Futures tournaments are 10-player round-robins with classical time control, so we are in for 15 exciting games every round. The games start at 15:00. Don’t hesitate to come and see them in person at the Don Giovanni Hotel. The drawing lots for both tournaments took place right after the opening ceremony. MASTERS CHALLENGERS FUTURES Photos: Petr Vrabec Official website: praguechessfestival.com/ Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube
FIDE Chess School Award established
FIDE Education Commission is pleased to announce its new initiative: the launch of the FIDE Chess School Award. The award is established to enhance the quality and position of chess in the primary and secondary education systems around the world. We wish to provide recognition and motivation for existing Chess in Education activities and programs in schools through a certification process. The second objective is to inspire new schools to increase their level of involvement in educational chess. The FIDE Chess School Award provides an effective means to achieve these goals. Photo: Vincent Masole, FIDE School Instructor in Botswana Schools with inclusive programs that involve most of their students, many from varying abilities and backgrounds, have an excellent chance of receiving the award. Schools that celebrate diversity and demonstrate high social awareness in their communities, with a focus on commitment and shared interest between students, educators, and parents for a holistic, game-based approach to education beyond the traditional academic subjects, will also be granted the award. Several aspects of school chess are examined. There are ten questions altogether, and applicants are asked to answer each question in as much detail as possible and provide supporting evidence. Gold, Silver, and Bronze awards can be obtained depending on meeting all or some of the criteria. Applications are accepted in English, Spanish, Russian, and German languages, and we may add additional languages in the future. The application fee for the award is €150. Two application cycles are planned in each year. In the current cycle, applications are invited until March 31, with the awards announced in June. Please apply via the FIDE EDU website. For more information, see the FIDE Handbook or write to education@fide.com. Here are some reasons for applying:
FIDE World Corporate Chess Championship 2024: Registration is open
FIDE invites you to participate in the 2024 World Corporate Chess Championship, aimed at companies and corporations from across the world. Registration is now open on the 2024 World Corporate Chess Championship official website. Chess and business share similarities in strategic thinking, decision-making, competition, and the need for effective planning. Both involve navigating complex environments where individuals or companies must assess risks, seize opportunities, and formulate tactics to achieve their objectives. In both realms, success often hinges on the ability to analyze situations, make informed decisions, and adapt to changing circumstances. That is why bringing people from the world of business to chess makes sense! The inaugural World Corporate Chess Championship was held in 2021 and was completely online. The event witnessed a surge in interest from the business world, with participation from industry giants such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Facebook, Samsung, Ford, and others. The competition brought together 1,262 players representing 288 companies from 52 countries. Grenke Bank team emerged victorious, taking the title. This year’s edition will feature an over-the-board final, with top teams meeting in New York to decide the winner. Who can take part The event is open to teams representing legally recognized companies from all around the world. A participating company can register more than one team, with each team consisting of four members plus a team captain (who may or may not also be a player on the team). Every team has a right to have one invited player who is not directly employed at the company or a member of the board, while all other team members have to be working for/on the board of the company. In any round at any stage of the competition, each team must have at least one male and one female player playing. To ensure a level playing field, each team may only have one player whose FIDE standard rating exceeds 2400 (according to the January 2024 FIDE Rating list). The qualifying stages The FIDE World Corporate Chess Championship will consist of three stages: Online Qualifiers (played on Lichess.org) Online Knockout (played on Lichess.org) The Finals (played over-the-board at the grand finale in New York in June) The Online Qualifiers will be played in two different formats – Rapid (six rounds, played with a time limit of 10 minutes plus 2 seconds increment per move, starting from move 1) and Blitz (eight rounds, played at a time limit of 5 minutes plus 2 seconds increment per move, starting from move 1). The Online Qualifiers will be played as Team Swiss System tournaments. The team’s score shall be calculated as a sum of gamepoints. Each team will score 1 gamepoint for each game won, and ½ gamepoint for each game drawn, and 0 gamepoints for each game lost. The qualifier stages will take place on the following dates: Date Time Time control March 16 14:00 – 18:00 UTC Blitz March 17 14:00 – 18:00 UTC Rapid March 23 06:00 – 10:00 UTC Blitz March 24 22:00 – 02:00 UTC Rapid April 6 14:00 – 18:00 UTC Blitz April 7 06:00 – 10:00 UTC Rapid April 13 22:00 – 02:00 UTC Blitz April 14 14:00 – 18:00 UTC Rapid The top 8 teams in each qualifier’s final rankings will advance to the Online Knockout Stage. The knockouts will be organized on Saturday, April 20, between 14:00 and 18:00 UTC. The Finals will take place in New York on June 14-17. They will be played between eight winners of the Online Knockout Stage. The event will feature a group stage and a playoff stage. The prize Teams reaching the finals have their travel and accommodation expenses in New York covered. The winner will get FIDE’s recognition as the smartest company in the world. Players of the winning team will receive one Von Doren GRANDMASTER MARK II, WATCH. By taking a number of subtle style cues from chess, The Grandmaster Mark II pays tribute to the game that has captivated legions of followers for well over a millennium. The dial is steel white with a hint of shimmer, and the outer edge is decorated with a refined guilloché pattern as well as raised indexes in silver. Contrasted by cobalt blue lancet-shaped hands, the Grandmaster Mark II provides unbeatable readability. The Swiss Made STP 1-11 movement is visible through the caseback and is protected by a case of polished stainless steel and a double domed sapphire crystal. Delivered on an Italian handmade brown leather strap. Limited to 300 pieces. For more information see: vondoren.com/grandmaster-mark-ii Additionally, teams reaching the finals secure four seats each for an online simultaneous chess game against a participant of the FIDE Candidates Tournament 2024. Every participating team/corporate gets a digital diploma for participating. Regulations for World Corporate Chess Championship 2024 Official website