World Team Championship 2022: China, India, Spain, and Uzbekistan advance
Azerbaijan, France, Poland, and Ukraine are eliminated When chess players, officials, and fans arrived at the Western Wall Plaza on Wednesday morning, they saw over one hundred Ethiopian Jews celebrating Sigd. Tour guide Shuki Cohen told the chess group, “The Ethiopian Jews are here in big numbers today, as Sigd is a once-a-year holiday.” After their tour of the Old City, which also included the Tower of David and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the USA team players and captain speculated about where the next championship might be held. Perhaps the championship’s next location will be discussed by the FIDE Council, which will be meeting on November 25 here in Jerusalem. Dozens of fans attend each round of the FIDE World Team Championship 2022. One is Fernando Maar from Toronto, Canada. From inside the playing hall, Maar watches the players’ faces and their moves on the display screens. Another fan is Mark Flaum from Ashdod, Israel. Flaum prefers the commentary room to the playing hall. Flaum said, “I don’t even need the commentary, just sitting five meters from the legend Vishy Anand is fantastic. However, I also like Almira and Vishy’s commentary because they don’t use computers. It’s human thinking.” Menachem Wertheim, tour guide, visited the tournament because his friend Moshe Slav, a former Chairman of the Israel Chess Federation, invited him. Wertheim was honoured to see Anand again because he played against Anand in a 2017 simul in Jerusalem. At the start of the quarterfinals, three of the world’s top 25 rapid-rated players were competing: France’s Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (2775) is ranked seventh in the world. Azerbaijan’s Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (2747) is ranked 12th, and his teammate Teimour Radjabov (2718) is ranked 25th. By the end of the quarterfinals, the teams of these three top players had been eliminated. Quarterfinals Round 1 Leontxo Garcia, a journalist for El Pais since 1985, rang the gong to start the first round of the quarterfinals. In yesterday’s match against the United States of America, India won 3-1 by winning two games as Black and drawing two games as White. In the first round of the quarterfinals, India repeated that winning formula beating France by a score of 3-1. First board Vidit Santosh Gujrathi as Black defeated Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in a topical line of the English opening. Third board S. L. Narayanan prevailed over against Laurence Fressinet after the Frenchman mishandled a slightly better endgame. Boards 2 and 4, where India had White, were draws. The last game to finish was board 4, where France’s Tigran Gharamian held a draw with one knight against Krishnan Sasikiran’s g- and h-pawns. Uzbekistan wrestled down Ukraine by a score of 3-1. Javokhir Sindarov got the best of Kirill Shevchenko in a sharp Sicilian battle with White and Jakhongir Vakhidov scored an excellent strategic victory over Igor Kovalenko. Spain and Azerbaijan tied their match 2-2, with every game drawn. China won over Poland 2.5-1.5 thanks to the victories of Lu Shanglei over Radoslaw Wojtaszek on the first board and Bai Jinshi over Mateusz Bartel (in both games, the Chinese players had White). Poland struck back on board 4, where Szymon Gumularz defeated Di Li but it was not enough to save the match. Round 2 Before round 2 of the quarterfinals, Elisha Sagi, the under-10 champion for all of Israel, rang the gong. After losing 1-3 the first round the French players were faced a daunting task but “les bleus” did the almost-impossible. In an exact reversal of round 1, France defeated India 3-1 by winning two games as Black with Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Laurent Fressinet taking revenge on their opponents. Spain defeated Azerbaijan 2.5-1.5. After the squads exchanged blows on boards 3 and 4, all eyes were on the game David Anton Guijarro against Teimour Radjabov, in which the Spaniard eventually pulled out a victory in a long endgame. Since Spain tied round 1, winning the round 2 match means that Spain advances to the semifinals. The Chinese players drew all four games against their Polish opponents. By tying round 2 after winning round 1, China progressed into the semifinals. Uzbekistan won 2.5 to 1.5 against Ukraine, advancing to semifinals since it also won the previous round. In an interview, the Uzbek first board Nordirbek Yakubboev says that his team intends to win gold in Jerusalem, just as it did in Chennai at the 2022 Olympiad. Tiebreak France and India played a blitz tiebreak, with a time control of 3 minutes with a two-second increment. India won the tiebreak 2.5 to 1.5. This Year in Jerusalem On the tour, Shuki Cohen said that Jews say, “Next year in Jerusalem.” The Chinese, Indian, Spanish, Uzbek players in the World Team Championship 2022 each hope that this year in Jerusalem will be when their team wins. Text: WIM Alexey Root, FIDE Press Officer, Jerusalem Photos: Dr. Mark Livshitz and Maria Emelianova Official website: worldteams.fide.com/
World Team Championship 2022: Four Teams Depart the Gathering
The Netherlands, Israel, South Africa, and the USA are eliminated On Tuesday morning, the Knesset (Israel’s parliament) hosted FIDE Deputy President and former World Chess Champion Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand and FIDE CEO Grandmaster Emil Sutovsky. The grandmasters played blindfolded, defeating three opponents each. Their opponents were Ze’ev Elkin, Minister of Jerusalem Affairs and Minister of Housing and Construction, Aviad Friedman, Director General of the Ministry of Construction and Housing, Raz Frohlich, General Manager, Ministry of Sports and Culture, Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage Ministry Director-General Netanel Izak, Yoav Kisch, Knesset member, and Eli Nacht, founder of Israel Empowerment Lobby. Besides being the name of Israel’s parliament, the word Knesset translates to “gathering.” At the start of the FIDE World Team Championship 2022, 12 teams from Africa, the Americas, Asia, and Europe gathered in Jerusalem. After each game, the opponents did a postmortem. Sometimes, the analysis took almost as long as the rapid game itself. Today, Tuesday, November 22, the fifth and final round of the pool stage took place. From Pool A, South Africa and the Netherlands exited the tournament. From Pool B, Israel and the United States of America were eliminated. Round 5, Pool A Before round 5, Husan Turdialiev, Chief of the Delegation of the Uzbekistan team, presented two gifts to Dr Zvika Barkai, Chairman of the Israel Chess Federation. One gift was a gold medal, as Uzbekistan won gold medals at the open section of the 2022 Olympiad. The other gift was a decorative plate. After presenting the gifts, Turdialiev struck the gong to start Round 5. France tied its match with China. Prior to this round, China had won every other match it played in Pool A. Both France and China progressed to the quarterfinals. As many expected, Spain defeated South Africa 4-0, and Spain advanced to the quarterfinals. The Captain of the South Africa team, Hendrik Petrus Du Toit, said that coming to Jerusalem was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for his players. To get this level of competition, Du Toit said, South African players must travel 9,000 miles. The Netherlands desperately needed to beat Ukraine to have a chance to make it to the quarterfinals, but it was not meant to be. The match ended 2-2, and the Netherlands was eliminated, whereas Ukraine tied for second place with France and Spain and progressed into the next stage. According to Grandmaster Max Warmerdam, Grandmaster Anish Giri would have come to Jerusalem if the Netherlands team had made it out of Pool A. Warmerdam said that the Netherlands team plans to tour Jerusalem before leaving for home. Round 5, Pool B In a very important match for the host team, Azerbaijan defeated Israel by a score of 2.5-1.5. Azerbaijan continues to the quarterfinals, and Israel got edged out of the tournament by Poland. Both teams scored equal match points and game points, but Poland, which drew its last match with Uzbekistan, had a better second tiebreaker (Sonneborn-Berger). Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan tied for first place in Group B and comfortably advanced. Meanwhile, India crushed the USA 3-1 after winning two games on boards 1 and 3 with black pieces. As a result, India progressed to the quarterfinals and the USA was eliminated. Final standings: Pool A Team MP GP 1 China 9 15 2 France 6 11½ 3 Spain 6 11½ 4 Ukraine 6 11 5 Netherlands 3 9½ 6 South Africa 0 1½ Pool B Team MP GP 1 Uzbekistan 7 12 2 Azerbaijan 7 11½ 3 India 6 10 4 Poland 4 9½ 5 Israel 4 9½ 6 United States 2 7½ Gens una sumus In the dining hall on Tuesday evening, players sat with their teammates, heads of delegations, and captains. They also talked with players from other countries. Several players moved their chairs closer together, creating, within their improvised table clusters, gatherings of many nations. Players from the eliminated teams and those remaining in Jerusalem exchanged cell phone numbers. Opponents over the board, friends over dinner – the FIDE motto Gens una sumus in action. Text: WIM Alexey Root, FIDE Press Officer, Jerusalem Photos: Dr. Mark Livshitz Official website: worldteams.fide.com/
World Team Championship 2022: Sunny days for China and Uzbekistan
Pool A: China dominates; Pool B, Uzbekistan narrowly leads Thus far, the chess teams competing in Jerusalem have enjoyed gorgeous weather. Each day has been sunny and warm, with highs approaching the mid-20s Celsius. But changes are coming for the weather and for the teams. Rain will arrive on Thursday, matching the mood of the four teams that will be eliminated by then. Twelve teams began the competition, divided into two pools of approximately equal strength based on the average rapid ratings of the four highest-rated players in each squad. Pool A had teams ranked 1, 4, 5, 8, 9, and 12. Pool B had teams ranked 2, 3, 6, 7, 10, and 11. On November 21, Rounds 3 and 4 of the pool stage were played. At the conclusion of Round 5 tomorrow afternoon, the top four teams from each pool will advance. After losing four matches, South Africa was eliminated from Pool A. In Pool B, the competition is much closer, with all the teams (including the USA sitting in the last place) having a chance to make it to the next stage. Round 3, Pool A France, the top-rated team in Pool A with a 2688 average, tied its match with Spain (2589). The last game to finish in that match was a 124-move win by Spain’s GM David Anton Guijarro against GM Jules Moussard of France. The Spaniard converted an extra exchange in a protracted endgame and chalked up a very important point to level the score. China (2557) somewhat surprisingly crushed Ukraine (2637) 3-1, with draws on boards 1 and 2 and victories on boards 3 and 4. The Netherlands is still missing its top-rated player, Anish Giri, which means the other players moved up a board. The Netherlands alternate, Grandmaster Robby Kevlishvili, has been covering the fourth board. Kevlishvili attends Saint Louis University, where he plays third board for their national champion college team. Kevlishvili says the weather in St. Louis was cold and that he is enjoying the warm weather in Israel. The Netherlands (2638) won 4-0 against South Africa (2261). Round 3, Pool B Playing on its home turf, team Israel (2589) drew with team Poland (2556). The teams traded blows on boards 1 and 2 while the encounters on boards 3 and 4 were drawn. India (2611) defeated Azerbaijan (2662), the highest-rated team in Pool B, by a score of 2.5-1.5. Vidit Gujrathi scored an unexpected victory on the top board after his opponent, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, blundered a knight in a very promising position. All the other games in this match were drawn. The top board for the United States of America, Grandmaster Hans Niemann, swam laps in the indoor hotel pool for five minutes, from 2:15 to 2:20 p.m. Despite the nice weather today, the Dan Jerusalem Hotel’s outdoor pool is closed. After swimming, Niemann donning a dark suit drew as Black against Grandmaster Nordirbek Yakubboev of Uzbekistan. Niemann’s teammates on boards 3 and 4 also drew, but Lazaro Bruzon fell to the youngest player in the tournament Javokhir Sindarov (born December 8, 2005). As a result, Uzbekistan (2524) beat the United States of America (2643) by a score of 2.5-1.5. Round 4, Pool A Ringing the gong to start round 4 were three children, Teddy, Nesli, and Britt, from the Beer Sheva Chess Club. Spain (2589) tied with Ukraine (2637), 2-2, while China (2557) steamrolled the Netherlands (2638) 3.5-0.5. The South African team (2262) went down against the ratings-favourite France (2688). China, France, and Ukraine are through to the quarterfinals. The last spot in the quarters will go to either Spain or the Netherlands, with the former favoured to get that spot as they face South Africa. Round 4, Pool B In a big win for the host country, Israel (2589) defeated the United States of America (2643) thanks to the victory by the two-time national champion Tamir Nabaty over Alexander Onischuk. Uzbekistan (2524) trounced India (2611), winning 3.5-0.5, while Azerbaijan (2662) and Poland (2556) split points, 2-2. Only Uzbekistan punched its ticket to the quarterfinals from Pool B, with other teams having chances to qualify for the next stage. Much depends on tomorrow’s results in Pool B. Standings after Round 4 In each match, the winning team gets two points. A tied match gives one point to each team. Losing a match gains no match points. If two teams finish round 5 with equal amounts of match points, the first tiebreaker will be the game points scored. With this in mind, winning a match by 3-1 or 4-0 is better than winning it by 2.5-1.5. The game points are in parentheses after the match score. Therefore, China 8 (13) means that China scored 8 match points, following the formula given in the previous paragraph, and 13 game points. Pool A China – 8 (13) France – 5 (9.5) Ukraine – 5 (9) Spain – 4 (7.5) Netherlands – 2 (7.5) South Africa – 0 (1.5) Pool B Uzbekistan – 6 (10) Azerbaijan – 5 (9) Israel – 4 (8) India 4 – (7) Poland – 3 (7.5) United States of America 2 (6.5) The fifth and final round of the pool stage begins at 3:00 p.m. local time on Tuesday, November 22. For more information, please visit FIDE World Team Championship 2022 official website. Text: WIM Alexey Root, FIDE Press Officer, Jerusalem Photos: Dr Mark Livshitz Official website: worldteams.fide.com
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