Grand Swiss exempt from the new coronavirus restrictions in Latvia
The 2021 FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss and Women’s Grand Swiss to take place with stricter health safety measures, following the introduction of a four-week lockdown in light of the worsening situation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic in Latvia The Latvian government has confirmed that international top-level sports events are allowed to be held during the monthlong lockdown. The list of authorized activities includes a total of 30 events, including the Basket Champions League, FIBA Euroleague Women, as well as the FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss and the Tal Memorial. The 2021 FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss and Women’s Grand Swiss have been allowed to take place after the organizers have provided guarantees of strict healthcare measures at the event, ensuring the tournament will be a safe, closed environment. In light of the new restrictions, the event will be closed to the public, and only players and accredited staff, as well as a limited number of accredited journalists, will be allowed to attend. Measures at the event will include accredited access only, on-site testing, access to sanitisers and masks, and social distancing. Further stricter measures may be introduced depending on the situation. All of the players and those who will have accreditations to attend must follow the health and safety protocols or will face immediate removal from the tournament. FIDE and the organizers would like to assure players and participants that we are doing our best to host the event in Riga in a secure and still comfortable way. FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich: “We are very grateful for the fact that the tournament has been allowed to take place. FIDE and its organizing partners will always prioritize the health and safety of players, participants and the staff involved in its events. We hope that the situation in Latvia will improve swiftly, and we call on everyone – including the players and staff at the Grand Swiss – to strictly follow the rules and to do their best to contribute to preventing and containing the spread of the virus”. Due to a sharp rise in the numbers of COVID-19 cases, the Latvian authorities have introduced a strict four-week lockdown from Thursday 21st October until 15th November. Nearly all stores, entertainment venues and schools will be shut and services suspended. A stay at home order will be in effect from 8 PM until 5 AM. More information about Covid-19 in Latvia can be found here: https://covid19.gov.lv/en. Official website: grandswiss.fide.com
Nikita Vitiugov and Valentina Gunina become new Russian champions
The Russian Championships Superfinals finished in Ufa on the 20th of October. Both events were 12-player round-robins with classical time control. In the last 11th round of the open tournament, Vladimir Fedoseev, who needed a win to catch up with the leader, lost to Pavel Ponkratov in a dramatic fight. The games Chigaev – Alekseenko, Goryachkina – Andreikin, Predke – Motylev, Rakhmanov – Vitiugov, and Esipenko – Matlakov were drawn. Grandmaster Nikita Vitiugov scored 7 points out of 11 to become the Russian champion for the first time in his career. “When the game was about to finish, I was confident that this was going to be a tie-break. It was a difficult moment: on the one hand, the tournament is over, and on the other hand, the fight for the first place is not yet out of the question. I already have experience finding myself in a similar situation and going down to Peter Svidler in a tie-break. I went for a walk because I simply wanted to be as fresh for the game as possible. I relaxed only when the situation clarified after the last move in the Esipenko – Matlakov game,” said the tournament winner. “As for my participation, this is my 15th Russian championship; I have played in as many superfinals as all other participants put together, and maybe even more. I was lucky in some games, but the opposite happened to me as well. The evaluation bar’s sudden spikes towards one or the other player happened in nearly every game. I would not give up and keep on fighting, but it was not without lucky strikes for me either. You will never win such a tournament without them.” he added. Maxim Matlakov won silver with 6½ points. Vladimir Fedoseev and Dmitry Andreikin tied for third place with 6 points each, but the bronze goes to Fedoseev thanks to more victories. It is worth mentioning that all three prize-winners are from Saint Petersburg. Final standings: 1 GM Vitiugov, Nikita 2727 7 2 GM Matlakov, Maxim 2682 6½ 3 GM Fedoseev, Vladimir 2704 6 4 GM Andreikin, Dmitry 2728 6 5 GM Predke, Alexandr 2666 5½ 6 GM Esipenko, Andrey 2720 5½ 7 GM Motylev, Alexander 2624 5½ 8 GM Ponkratov, Pavel 2659 5½ 9 GM Alekseenko, Kirill 2710 5½ 10 GM Goryachkina, Aleksandra 2602 4½ 11 GM Rakhmanov. Aleksandr 2657 4½ 12 GM Chigaev, Maksim 2639 4 In the women’s tournament, the critical game of the final round between Valentina Gunina and Polina Shuvalova ended in a draw. Having scored 8 points out of 11 without a single loss, Valentina Gunina (Moscow) became the four-time Russian Women’s champion. “Of course, I am very happy, but the final game was a nail-biter. I’d been preparing for one thing, but Polina chose the line, which she had never played before. Of course, it is hard to play against an unexpected variation. I thought that I did OK, but it isn’t easy to assess it without due analysis. Actually, I’ve been exhausted for the previous three days, so in such a case, one’s brain can generate interesting reactions; that’s why I’m glad that it all ended this way,” said Gunina after the game. Evgenija Ovod (Saint Petersburg) drew against Alina Bivol and took silver place with 7½ points, edging out Polina Shuvalova (Moscow), who also scored 7½ points but had to settle for bronze due to fewer games with Black. The games Galliamova – Guseva, Pogonina – Garifullina, Voit – Kashlinskaya, and Bodnaruk – Girya were drawn. Final standings: 1 GM Gunina, Valentina 2462 8 2 IM Ovod, Evgenija 2331 7½ 3 IM Shuvalova, Polina 2509 7½ 4 IM Kashlinskaya, Alina 2493 6½ 5 WGM Pogonina, Natalija 2467 6 6 WGM Garifullina, Leya 2409 6 7 IM Galliamova, Alisa 2421 5½ 8 GM Girya, Olga 2410 4½ 9 IM Guseva, Marina 2394 4 10 WGM Voit, Daria 2357 3½ 11 IM Bodnaruk, Anastasia 2415 3½ 12 IM Bivol, Alina 2392 3½ The Superfinals are a part of the Chess in Museums international programme realised by the Chess Federation of Russia and the Elena and Gennady Timchenko Foundation. The total guaranteed prize fund was 11 million rubles: 7 million rubles in the open section and 4 million rubles in the women’s tournament. The Superfinals were organised by the Chess Federation of Russia with the support of the Russian Ministry of Sport, the Government of the Republic of Bashkortostan, and the Elena and Gennady Timchenko Foundation. The CFR general partner is PhosAgro. Partners: Aeroflot, Art Russe, Chess Federation of the Republic of Bashkortostan, and the Bashkortostan State M.V. Nesterov Art Museum. Photo: Eteri Kublashvili
Wesley So and Carissa Yip clinch U.S. Championship titles
Wesley So and Carissa Yip are the new U.S. Champions. The 2021 U.S. Championship & U.S. Women’s Championship took place from October 6-19 in St-Louis, featuring 24 of the country’s top players contesting for two national titles. After a dramatic final round, the three leaders of the 2021 U.S. Championship (GM Fabiano Caruana, GM Wesley So, and GM Sam Sevian) battled for the title in a rapid playoff tiebreak on October 19. While Caruana was the only one with chances to secure the title outright (he failed to convert a decisive advantage in the game with Shankland), all three players drew their final round games to finish with 6½/11. So managed to defeat both Caruana and Sevian in the rapid round-robin, earning him the $50,000 first-place prize and his third national title. The first playoff game saw Caruana and So trade queens early on to reach a balanced endgame, where a mistake by Wesley gave Fabiano a chance to sacrifice a piece for a powerful initiative. Although So was forced to immediately give back the extra piece, he managed to keep the position playable, and as Caruana got down into time-trouble, the game quickly turned in Black’s favour. In an already winning endgame for So, Caruana ran out of time and lost the game. Having lost the first game, Caruana was in a must-win situation heading into the second round of the playoff. Playing Black against Sevian, Caruana gained a small edge on the board as he forced a queen trade to head into a pleasant endgame. After slowly building up the pressure, Caruana eventually found a winning tactical shot to decide the game. The third game saw Wesley just needing a draw to clinch the title, while Sevian was in a must-win situation. Essaying the King’s Indian, Sevian played in an offbeat style to create some imbalance in the position, but at the cost of weakening his own kingside. This allowed So to exploit Black’s weaknesses to seize the initiative and win an exchange, giving him a decisive edge. Sevian tried to put up resistance and keep the game complicated, but Wesley remained calm and slowly converted his advantage, winning the playoff. IM Carissa Yip clinched victory in the 2021 U.S. Women’s Championship with a round to spare after defeating IM Nazi Paikidze in the penultimate round. Yip scored 8½/11 and made history by becoming the first woman ever to defeat four former champions in a U.S. Women’s Championship. WGM Begim Tokhirjonova secured a clear second place with 7.0/11 after scoring three straight victories in the second part of the event and drawing her last-round game to jump ahead of GM Irina Krush, who finished in clear third. Text: IM Kostya Kavutskiy Photo: Courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes Livestream:USChessChamps.Com Web: uschesschamps.com | Twitter: @STLChessClubInstagram: @STLChessClub | Facebook: @STLChessClubYouTube: @STLChessClub | Twitch.tv: @STLChessClub#USChessChamps #STLChessClu 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)
Harriet Hunt wins British Women’s Championship
WGM Harriet Hunt triumphally returned after a 2.5-year hiatus from competitive OTB chess to win the British Women’s championship for the fifth time in her career. Interestingly enough, she clinched her fourth title more than 20 years ago, back in 1999. The Women’s Championship, a 7-round Swiss tournament and the last event of the British OTB Championship, took place at the University of Hull from 14th to 17th of October. Harriet Hunt Photo: John Saunders The future champion was somewhat rusty at the start losing in Round 3 but picked up steam and took clear first after winning four straight games (including the critical encounter with her main rival GM Ketevavan Arakhamia-Grant in Round 4). The silver medalist Katarzyna Toma beat both Hunt and Arakhamia-Grant, but the Round 5 defeat at the hands of Zoe Varney cost her dearly as she finished a half-point behind the champion. There was a three-way tie for third place, but tiebreaks favoured Audrey Keuh, who found herself in the third position on the podium. Final standings: 1 Hunt, Harriet V ENG 2414 5½ 2 Toma, Katarzyna ENG 2254 5 3 Kueh, Audrey ENG 2080 4½ 4 Arakhamia-Grant, Ketevan SCO 2376 4½ 5 Varney Zoe, ENG 1937 4½ 6 Singha, Swati IND 1438 4 7 Subramanian, Anusha ENG 1623 3½ 8 Pyun, Lindsay ENG 1443 3 9 Hariharan, Shambavi ENG 1109 3 10 Bridgeman, Niamh ENG 1802 2 11 Arora, Prachi IND 1437 1 Official website: britishchesschampionships.co.uk/
Praggnanandhaa wins Julius Baer Challengers Chess Tour Finals
India’s teen prodigy Praggnanandhaa has won the Finals of the ground-breaking Julius Baer Challengers Chess Tour. The event was launched by Play Magnus Group back in April to give young chess stars a springboard to stardom during the pandemic and beyond. It has seen 24 of the brightest talents from around the world take part representing 13 countries. The Tour has also been nominated for a prestigious ESG Award for its work promoting gender equality. At stake was a total prize pot of $100,000 and, for the individual competition winner, a regular spot in next year’s elite Meltwater Champions Chess Tour. The winning team, headed by chess legend Judit Polgar, will also fly to Dubai for the World Chess Championship next month. Praggnanandhaa, who defeated the American defeated Christopher Yoo 3-0 in the final to pick up $12,500, said: “I’m just very excited to play in the Meltwater next season.” The Julius Baer Challengers Chess Tour is unique in that throughout the series, all the players have received support from teams of coaches headed by two captains, Polgar and the former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik. The line-ups have also been “gender-balanced” to counteract the under-representation of female players at the top level of chess. Currently, there is only one female player among the top 100 in the world. It is part of a conscious effort by Play Magnus Group and the Swiss private bank Julius Baer to develop young talent, advance gender equality in the sport and find the next big stars in the game. Larissa Alghisi, Chief Communications Officer at Bank Julius Baer, said: “We are really proud of the young chess stars. Not only have they shown exceptional ability, but also a thorough commitment to the hard work it takes to become a part of the world elite. “Showing this effort in public coaching sessions streamed on the easily accessible online platforms for all has allowed them to inspire future generations of girls and boys alike, which is one of the core values of our bank.” Polgar, the strongest female player in the history of chess, said: “It’s been a dream-come-true opportunity to spend time with and guide these amazing young talents. I’m proud of what the Challengers Chess Tour has accomplished in such a short amount of time and can’t wait to meet my team in person in Dubai. “In chess – and in talent management – you have to look beyond only the chess advice. Accordingly, I feel it is important and gratifying to have been able to give the talented girls and boy players guidance, to build them up and boost their confidence so that they dare to aim as high as possible. Next season we’ll aim even higher.” The Tour saw four online rapid chess “Challenge” tournaments held over seven months leading up to the Finals, which ended on Sunday. In the Finals, Praggnanandhaa conceded just one draw in nine games at the end of season Finals. Praggnanandhaa was immediately congratulated on Twitter by his inspiration, Indian legend Vishy Anand and World Champion Magnus Carlsen. Anand said: “Congrats! Was a very convincing performance. Really proud of your play.” The 16-year-old was one of five members of Team Kramnik to have made it to the Finals. Team Polgar had already secured the team battle against Kramnik’s Team Kramnik. The Challengers Chess Tour will be back in 2022. Stay tuned on ChallengersChessTour.com for more information. For further information, please contact: Leon Watson, PR for Play Magnus Group leon@chessable.com +44 7786 078 770 About the Tour Fronted by the strongest female player of all time, Judit Polgar, and former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik, the Julius Baer Challengers Chess Tour runs alongside the hugely-popular Meltwater Champions Chess Tour. The Tour is organised by the Play Magnus Group and is designed to tackle head-on the lack of female role models competing in top events and promote emerging talent. More information here.
FIDE World Championship 2021: Safety measures for Expo 2020 visitors
As FIDE prepares for the forthcoming World Championship – the highlight of the world chess calendar – held at Expo 2020 Dubai between 24 November and 16 December 2021 – coronavirus safety measures are front and centre of planning. The health and safety of players, spectators and event crew with scrupulous safety measures is the highest priority of event organisers. The Expo 2020 Dubai has released an updated COVID-19 Guide to outline the measures implemented to manage the risks from coronavirus. Its fundamental principles apply to all operations and must be complied with at all times unless explicitly explained otherwise within the guide. VISITOR ENTRY PROTOCOLS All visitors aged 18 years old and above must present proof of at least one dose of any COVID-19 vaccine recognised by any Expo 2020 participating country or the World Health Organization (WHO) or a negative PRC taken within the previous 72 hours in order to enter the Expo site. The PCR test can be taken internationally, at the airport, at PCR testing facilities anywhere in the UAE, and at the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) Expo 2020 PCR Testing Facility. FACE COVERING All visitors must correctly wear a face covering or face mask at all times unless they have a medical exemption approved by DHA. SOCIAL DISTANCING Visitors must ensure that social distancing requirements are followed: 2 meters of social distancing maintained and venue capacity limits complied with. Visitor group sizes should not exceed a maximum of 15 people. HAND HYGIENE Visitors should use hand sanitisers or wash their hands frequently with soap and water. Read the complete EXPO 2020 Covid-19 Guide (pdf) before planning your visit to the FIDE World Championship 2021.
FIDE World Amateur Chess Championship kicks off in Rhodes
The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically affected many areas of life, including chess. Some tournaments were either cancelled or postponed; other ones were held in the online format. The 2021 Rhodes Chess Festival, featuring one of the first over-the-board World Championship in nearly two years, is a big step towards returning to joyful normal life after the pandemic. The Rhodes Chess Festival organized by IO Nikos Kalesis (GRE) includes several events: the 2021 FIDE World Amateur Championship, the 16th IBCA Olympiad, the 2021 IBCA Congress, the 44th World Chess Solving Competition, and the 63rd World Congress of Chess Composition. The festival was only made possible due to FIDE’s strategic vision and imitative, its affiliated member IBCA (the International Braille Chess Association), local organizers, and Greek regional and municipal authorities that made sure players could meet face-to-face adhering to the strictest health protocol. FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich sent the letter to the FIDE World Amateur Championship participants and expressed his gratitude to the Greek authorities for their support and contribution. Moscow, October 15, 2021 To the Participants of the 2021 FIDE World Amateur Chess Championship Rhodes, Greece Dear chess friends! It is my pleasure and honour to send greetings on behalf of the International Chess Federation to all the participants and organizers of the 2021 FIDE World Amateur Chess Championship, which is going to take place in Rhodes, Greece, from October 16-26, 2021. We are delighted that this event stipulates the return of the official FIDE competitions to the over-the-board format after nearly two years of mostly online tournaments due to the Covid-19 pandemics and restrictions. I thank the city of Rhodes, its municipality and the hotel “Rodos Palace” for their support and contribution to the organization of this important FIDE event. This World Championship once again proves that chess is an excellent educational tool for everyone and can be played not only by professionals but by all those who love this wonderful sport. I am confident that all the participants and spectators will enjoy the exciting games and let the strongest player win! Best regards, Arkady Dvorkovich FIDE President The opening ceremony on October 16 featured Mr Nikos Nikolis, Vice Governor of the Region of South Aegean, responsible for sports; Mr Antonis Kambourakis, Mayor of the Rhodes municipality; Mr Manos Konsoulas and Mr Ioannis Papas, Members of the Parliament of Greece; Dr Charudatta Jadhav (IND), the IBCA President and Ms Natasha Dalle, the IBCA Treasurer. Declaring the festival open, Mayor Kambourakis welcomed the participants to the island of Rhodes and emphasized an excellent collaboration between FIDE, the organizers and local authorities that made it possible for over three hundred participants from more than fifty countries to meet in person and enjoy chess. FIDE representative Mr Ozgur Solakoglu (TUR) read the letter from FIDE President, Mr Arkady Dvorkovich, which was met by applause from the audience. Chief Arbiter Mr Vadim Tsypin (CAN) guided the dignitaries to make the first symbolic moves on the first boards in two top sections. Six separate championships titles are at stake in the categories Open U-2300, Open U-2000, Open U-1700, Women U-2300, Women U-2000, Women U-1700. The total prize fund of the championship, raised with the generous help of local sponsors, is €10,000. Every round, the games on top boards in each category are broadcast live on the official website of the organizer: http://rodos2021.com. All the results and pairings can be found there as well. Information and photos by the Rhodes 2021 Chess Festival press service
Mongolia takes gold
Team Mongolia became the winner of the first Intercontinental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners after defeating Team Zimbabwe in the final of the biggest ever chess event among correctional facilities. The event was organized by FIDE and the Cook County (Chicago, IL, USA) Sheriff’s Office and coincided with the International Day of Education in Prison. Both matches of the day were tremendously close, showing that these two teams clearly deserved to be in the final. The first round of the final was won by team Zimbabwe 2.5 – 1.5, however, Mongolia bounced back and won the second set 3-1, winning the final on game points. In a short after-game interview IM and WGM Batchimeg Tuvshintugs told about the experience of Mongolia in teaching and playing chess in prisons: “I am a national team player and have a woman grandmaster title. And at the same time, I am working at the Court Decision Making Agency of Mongolia. We’ve been doing several projects in our country. First of all, we’ve been organizing different chess events in correctional units, and our staff plays chess too. Mongolian chess has a great history, especially in correctional units. Since 1956 we started organizing chess tournaments in all our correctional units, so it’s like a traditional tournament for us. The Mongolian amateur chess level is pretty high, I consider, so it’s no wonder our prisoners are doing quite well in this tournament.” Despite the loss on the final day of the event, team Zimbabwe was very excited about the performance of its players, already looking forward to playing in the next year tournament: “Chess in prisons program in Zimbabwe is ongoing for the past six years, ” said Thabo Elisha, Public Relations Director at Zimbabwe Chess Federation. “We are regularly having competitions, and this is the third time we are playing against people outside our continent. We are very satisfied with our performance and results we had against our opponents and touched by their stories. We want to thank organizers for hosting such an event. We will do our best and try to win the event next year. Our success this time will help us to develop chess in the prison program, attract more attention from companies, sponsors, and individuals. We hope to get more chess equipment for our team: chessboard and books, and to organize more chess events for prisoners. We will be looking forward to the next intercontinental event and our team will do its best to get on top!” FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich attended the online closing ceremony of the 1st Intercontinental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners and congratulated the finalists: “I want to congratulate Mongolia on winning the event and Zimbabwe on finishing second. These are great achievements and great inspiration for many people who are joining the chess community. I was in Chicago with Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart a couple of days before, greeting the US team on site in the prison, and had a lovely conversation about chess and played a game with one of the inmates. For me personally and for FIDE, it is a great inspiration to continue and to expand this project to more and more countries. And I hope that you, as the best teams of this championship, will share your experience and will continue to learn chess and to play chess, passing this love to other people around you.” The three-day tournament aimed to popularize chess as an efficient tool for reintegrating incarcerated people ran from October 13-15, 2021. The event attracted 41 teams from 30 countries representing all continents providing an opportunity for inmates to play with their peers across the globe.
Mongolia vs. Zimbabwe in the final, Georgia dominates women’s tournament
The teams of Mongolia and Zimbabwe will battle it out tomorrow (CET 10:00) for the gold in the first Intercontinental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners – the biggest ever chess event among correctional facilities. Both teams topped their groups in the championship stage today. Mongolia advances to the final Mongolia was the first team to progress to the final by winning the Group 1 round-robin tournament with a perfect score. Team Russia became a runner-up with four victories (the Philippines, Georgia, Palestine and Germany) and one loss (to Mongolia). “I think we underestimated our opponent in the beginning, and when we realized how strong they are, it was too late to turn the match around,” said Vladimir Sarkisov, player of team Russia. “This event is very important for all of us. It is a big honour to represent our correctional facility, our city and even our country on the international level. Every Sunday, we gather, study and play chess, and I give lectures on chess to my inmates. Sometimes we feel there is a lack of practice; with tournaments like this, we can play against new opponents and practice better.” Vladimir Sarkisov, team Russia Zimbabwe came out on top in Group 2, beating all its opponents – the USA, England, Croatia, North Macedonia and Argentina. North Macedonia finished second after splitting the points with the USA 2-2, defeating England 3.5-0.5, Croatia 4-0, Argentina 3-1 and losing to Zimbabwe 1-3. According to Chief Sup Moses Gukurume, Officer in Charge at Cikurube Maximum Prison, Zimbabwe, playing chess is an important part of the rehabilitation of inmates: “We are very happy to advance to the final of the first Intercontinental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners. It takes our rehabilitation programs to another level. It was very exciting for our players to interact with people who are outside their prison, outside Zimbabwe. We are encouraging our inmates to participate in activities that keep them busy, that exercise their minds and their bodies”. Leo Matimbe, team Zimbabwe captain, added that chess does not only help him during his time behind bars but gives hope for new opportunities in life: “Chess is the opening to reorganize my life and to look forward to a better future.” Team Zimbabwe For the first time in the history of international chess tournaments held in prisons, winners were determined in the women’s section too. Here, the Georgian team won all three matches and came in clear first, Russia finished second with two victories, Trinidad and Tobago scored 4 team points each, and Ukraine netted just 1 point. FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich congratulated the participants and winners of the women’s tournament: “My warm greetings and congratulations to the team of Georgia, who won the women’s tournament. You were really good! But also I would like to say to all the participants, please continue to play chess, and it will bring you more and more benefits in your life.” The final match of the first Intercontinental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners will start tomorrow, October 15, at 10:00 CET. The games can be followed live on the FIDE Youtube channel.
All India Chess Federation signs a historic agreement with MPL
The All India Chess Federation (AICF) signed a historic agreement with the MPL Sports Foundation for a sponsorship amount of Rs. 10,000,000 (approximately $132,860) for the Indian National Championships over the next five years, with a 20% increase every year. The agreement comes soon after Indian women’s first-ever silver medal in the World Women’s Team Championship, and the bronze medal at the Online Olympiad won by the national team. MPL Foundation, primarily associated with gaming, will hold the right to be the title sponsor for various National Championships across all formats starting from the U-7 age group. For the time ever, a corporate sponsor has entered into a long term agreement with the AICF. The credit primarily goes to the new team that has been getting a lot of praise for its efforts. The new team took over AICF in January this year and since then has compiled an impressive list of achievements, including: 1. Organization of Online Arbiter (Referee) refresher Courses and development of 500+ arbiters equipped to organize online and over the board events. 2. Training and certification of more than 1200 trainers for Chess in Schools program, conducted by Grandmasters and International Masters. 3. Organization of 28 national level championships online with participation of more than 15000 players. 4. AICF awarded prize money of Rs. 4,000,000 (roughly USD 53,200) in the national championships. 5. Creating a Covid-relief fund for chess fraternity involving such top Indian players like Anand, Koneru Humpy, D. Harika, Vidit Gujarati, etc. More than Rs. 1,300,000 (approximately USD 17,300) were distributed among 50+ beneficiaries. 6. Creating a welfare fund of Rs 5,000,000 (approximately USD 66,500) for players and arbiters for emergency assistance. 7. The Indian team participated in online Asian School championships & Western Asian Championships, winning 51 medals. 8. The Indian team participated in the Online World Youth Championships, winning four medals. 9. The Indian team captained by V. Anand took part in the Online Chess Olympiad and won bronze. 10. The Indian women’s team won the silver medal in the World Women’s Team Championship. “This is a new era for chess in India, and we are committed to keep working for the betterment of the game and also to make India the number one chess-playing nation in the world”, said Dr Sanjay Kapoor, President of AICF. AICF Secretary Bharat Singh Chauhan attributed this success to a selfless approach: “I am proud to say that we have people who are very committed to uplifting of the game; the game has grown many-folds in the last one year, and this is only the beginning.” About MPL Sports Foundation: MPL Sports Foundation(MPLSF), established in 2021, is the dedicated philanthropic arm of Mobile Premier League (MPL), India’s biggest esports platform, to steer all our community-based initiatives, going beyond mere corporate social responsibility. The Foundation supports meaningful activities and transformational change across various fields and works towards community service and nation-building.The foundation aims to democratise sports, make it more accessible, diverse, equitable and inclusive, and support and strengthen the development of sports, sports-related ecosystem and sporting culture in India, with a special focus on esports. Further information: Bharat Singh Chauhan, AICF Secretary E-mail: indianchessfed@gmail.com Mobile: 9810000007