Global Chess Festival: Judit Polgar Method earns international recognition
This year’s hybrid – on – and offline – Global Chess Festival has been a roaring success, with over 3000 visitors attending the event. Held on the 9th of October, the chess universe created in the Hungarian National Gallery has been home to many interactive programs, a series of lectures about creativity and innovation, and – last but not least – the Educational Chess Summit. The summit welcomed professionally acclaimed lecturers from all around the globe, exploring the power of chess in schools, which examples how educational chess can improve the pupils’ different skills, logical and critical thinking, self-esteem, and gave international recognition to the Judit Polgar Method. On the 9th of October, the Hungarian National Gallery went through a great transformation: it has become a chess palace, home to the Judit Polgar’s Global Chess Festival of 2021, bringing exciting lectures and activities for everyone who wanted to discover the diversity of chess: its connection to education, arts and science. Many countries joined the global celebration of the game: among others Nepal, Uruguay, Israel and Mexico, joined with their own local festivals, amplifying the event’s cross-cultural voice. Those interested were able to follow the event from the comfort of their home as well: apart from the 3.000 visitors in the Hungarian National Gallery, more than 45.000 viewers joined online from all around the world. Throughout the day, creativity and innovation took the main role: spectacular lectures like Ashwin Subramanian’s presentation about biofeedback – investigating the player’s pulse and eye movements and how it influences their performance and decision making. The Indian software engineer also described how analysing the data harnessed through biofeedback can help during preparation. Furthermore, according to Ashwin: “Thanks to biofeedback, even outsiders can witness the stress the players feel”, as biofeedback can be visualized during broadcasts. Presenters of the Educational Chess Summit have also showcased the latest results of their work regarding the effectiveness of chess in individual skill development. According to Ernő Rubik, gamifying education is the way to effectively engage and develop children. Jerry Nash, National Chess Education Consultant also stated that gamification does indeed have positive effects, highlighting that – according to his experience – children playing chess possess a certain “can-do attitude” towards any challenge that comes their way. In his speech, he claimed that “chess does not only change classrooms, but the whole culture of entire institutions.” He stands by the positive effect chess has on children’s attitude towards learning. Patronate of the event, Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth for the European Commission welcomed the visitors in a video message, where she praised the Judit Polgar Method. “I certainly hope that Erasmus+ teacher academies will engage with your Chess Palace approach.” Furthermore, the International Chess Federation, the European Chess Union and the Ministry of Human Capacities also endorses the exemplary nature of the Judit Polgar Method, by publishing a statement in order to popularize Judit Polgar’s chess-based educational programs throughout the world. In addition to thought-provoking presentations on the importance of chess in education, especially in STEM, many exciting games of chess were played the day leading up to and during the festival. Among them were the finals of the inter-office tournament of Morgan Stanley – which attracted more than 400+ entrants from across the investment bank’s global offices. During the festival, visitors were also invited to stop by the Morgan Stanley Chess Café, where they could challenge the firm’s chess masters for a game. Over the last few years, simuls have become a tradition of the festival. This year challengers could play in a simultaneous exhibition with Judit Polgar and grandmaster Zoltan Almasi. The lectures of the Global Chess Festival can be found on the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIJqim4QR5A A summary video of the event can be found on the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27IW64ogaSs Pictures: https://we.tl/t-W1NjvWVCBN Mission of the Judit Polgar’s Global Chess Festival Facebook Website Pictures Twitter The Global Chess Festival promotes the 1000 faces of chess all around the world. We aim to share the beauty of chess with 5 million people by 2025. Chess Connects Us! More Information: Csató Krisztina krisztina.csato@skyrocketgroup.hu About Morgan Stanley Morgan Stanley is a leading global financial services firm providing a wide range of investment banking, securities, wealth management and investment management services. With offices in more than 41 countries, the Firm’s employees serve clients worldwide including corporations, governments, institutions and individuals. For further information about Morgan Stanley, please visit www.morganstanley.com. For updates regarding our Budapest office, please visit www.morganstanley.hu.
FIDE launches the biggest chess event among prisoners
The first Intercontinental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners – the biggest ever chess event among correctional facilities – kicked off on October 13. 41 teams from 30 countries representing all continents participated in the tournament, which aimed to popularize chess as an efficient tool for reintegrating incarcerated people. The online opening ceremony featured FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich and Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart. In his introductory speech, Tom Dart talked about the importance of the tournament for the inmates. “It is remarkable how chess transforms so many people’s lives. In our jail system, we have well over a hundred of inmates engaged in chess. This event is a culmination of it. I cannot tell you how many of our people in this facility looked forward to it for like a year. They couldn’t wait for this day to come, because this is where they can represent their country in a sport that they are very good at, they are passionate about. We have a really good team this year. And I want to say thank you to FIDE and its President Arkady Dvorkovich; without FIDE this couldn’t happen,” he said. Arkady Dvorkovich underlined that chess could work as an educational tool for many people: “It’s my pleasure and honour to sent greetings on behalf of the International Chess Federation to all the participants and organizers of the first Intercontinental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners! We wanted to do something good for people who made mistakes and who are going through a difficult period in their lives but have all chances to recover from that and live a better life in future. And chess helps! And the fact that we have so many participants today is proof of this. 30 countries, around 40 teams after just a few months on preparation, but also a 10-year experience of working together. I would like to thank Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart and the world champion Anatoly Karpov, who was very instrumental and very enthusiastic about bringing chess to prisons all around the world. We are doing this on the occasion of the International Day of Education in Prison, recognized by the United Nations. For us, one of the things that is really important is to send a signal that chess is an excellent educational tool for everyone – kids, people at risk, like refugees, and whose people who made wrong steps in their lives.” FIDE Managing Director Dana Reizniece-Ozola added that the Chess for Freedom program launched by FIDE in May 2021will not be limited to hosting chess events among prisoners: “We shall continue with tournaments and conferences, but also we are willing to prepare a new methodology that could be used by the countries that don’t have a training system yet and are willing to introduce chess in prisons. We are also planning to research how chess impacts the inmates and concentrate on preventive measures, promoting chess to children and youth at risk. Many special guests – experts, chess activists, and chess teachers in prisons – joined the event’s broadcast. Among them was WGM Padmini Roup, an ambassador of the “Parivartan – Prison to Pride” project, launched by IndianOil for training prison inmates in specific sports: “We had training camps in 17 different prisons,” – she said. – “It’s a unique and new initiative, and I am very happy to be a part of it. I hope playing chess will give participants motivation to become better people. Also, this tournament is a team event, so it can teach how to be a team player. They come from different backgrounds, and a lot of them are normal people who had unfortunate times, wrong decisions at certain moments and ended up behind bars.” Some former prisoners also told their stories about chess helping them to change their lives. Simosakhe Ngwane, an ex-convict from South Africa, was one of them. “I started playing chess in prison, and I fell in love with the game,” he confessed. “Learning chess made me develop a positive attitude. It taught me that life is built by the decisions we make every day. If I do what’s right, then I can enjoy the positive results and enjoy life. Chess is very important for those in prison and people who don’t want to go to prison because it makes you think about the future and worry more about the consequences of your decisions now. Chess brings discipline and calm; you must wait, think, prepare before you make a decision or a move. I hope the program expands into schools as well because that’s where our kids start making mistakes.” The two-day tournament started with a group stage where all the teams, made of 4 players each, were divided into 6 groups competing in round-robin chess tournaments. Two top teams from each group advanced to the Championship round that will be played tomorrow, October 14. Those teams are Philippines and Mongolia (Group 1), Argentina and USA (Group 2), England and Croatia (Group 3), Russia 1 and Germany (Group 4), Zimbabwe and North Macedonia (Group 5), Georgia 1 and Palestine (Group 6). The event will continue tomorrow, on October 14, with the Championship round, where 12 teams divided into two groups will play round-robin tournaments with the winners facing off in the championship match. Two best women’s teams will play a separate final match. The broadcast of the event starts at 10:00 CET: https://youtu.be/T0c5rOZsSh0 The Championship can also be followed on Chess.com: https://www.chess.com/events/2021-intercontinental-chess-championship-for-prisoners/results To learn more about the Chess for Freedom program, please visit chessforfreedom.fide.com.
International Children and Youth Online Festival «ChessYes»: registration continues
The International Children and Youth Online Festival «ChessYes», an official side event to the FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss and Women’s Grand Swiss 2021, is halfway through on lichess.org with two tournaments (in U-8 and U10 categories) already completed and two more to be played. The winners and medalists of the online event in the categories U-8, U10 (open & girls) will get a free online 1.5-hour group lecture by GM Dmitry Gordievsky. Top-3 finishers in the categories U-12, U-14 (open & girls) will be awarded an online 90-min group lecture by GM Boris Gelfand – FIDE World championship runner up (2012). Applications for participation are accepted until October 16, 2021 (U-12) and October 20, 2021 (U-14). The registration is done via the official website of the tournament: https://chessyes.online/. The registration fee is €10. Since the registration deadline in U-12 and U-14 categories was extended many young players still have a chance to participate. Each tournament in age group consists of two stages: the Qualifying stage, two online 9-round Swiss System tournaments held from October 09-23, 2021, and the Final stage for top players, a 16-player Knockout tournament, played from October 24 to November 07, 2021. The time control for both stages is 5 minutes + 3-second increment starting from the first move. Online tournament regulations (pdf) Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond the organizers’ control, the offline event has been cancelled. Here is the statement by the tournament director Nadzeya Krauchuk in full: Dear Chess Friends, According to the decision No 662 of Cabinet of Ministers as of 11.10.2021., the state emergency situation was declared in Latvia due to deteriorating COVID-19 situation. Unfortunately, the legislation is changing together with the dynamics of the epidemiological situation worldwide. Therefore we will not able to organize the offline children chess festival “ChessYes” in Riga. The health of players, officials and all individuals participating in our sports event remains FIDE’s and Organizer’s top priority, even more so when it relates to children. We are still very happy to welcome you in our online chess festival chessyes.online and are looking forward to see you in Latvia again at our chess events in future! On behalf of the Organizers, Nadzeya Krauchuk, Tournament Director
Nicholas Pert wins British Championship
The British OTB championships, Swiss tournaments in various categories have been held in two different locations – University of Hull and Milton Keynes – and stretched over two weeks: Open Championship Final – Saturday 2nd October to Sunday 10th OctoberWomen’s Championship Final – Thursday 14th October to Sunday 17th OctoberSenior Championships Finals (50+ and 65+) – Monday 4th October to Sunday 10th OctoberJunior Finals – Saturday 2nd October to Sunday 3rd October In the absence of the top-six English grandmasters with a 2600-plus rating, Nicholas Pert (pictured below) entered the open competition (a 9-round Swiss tournament) as the top-rated participant and lived up to his reputation. The former World U18 champion scored 6½ points and clinched his maiden national title. There was a large 5-way tie for the second place, with Daniel Gormally and Marcus Havey finishing second and third respectively, thanks to better tiebreaks. Andrew Ledger gave the champion a good run for his money, coming into the final round as joint-leader. Unfortunately, the defeat at the hands of Hamish Olson relegated him to the sixth position in the final standings. Final standings open: 1 GM Pert, Nicholas ENG 2548 6½ 2 GM Gormally, Daniel W ENG 2480 6 3 FM Harvey, Marcus R ENG 2465 6 4 GM Hebden, Mark L ENG 2455 6 5 IM Ledger, Andrew J ENG 2329 6 6 FM Olson, Hamish SCO 2273 6 7 IM Mcphillips, Joseph ENG 2425 5½ 8 Finn, Peter ENG 1959 5½ 9 GM Arkell, Keith C ENG 2380 5 10 WFM Sucikova, Svetlana SVK 2175 4½ Mike Waddington Photo: Brendan O’Gorman In the Senior Championship 50+ (a 7-round Swiss tournament), Mike Waddington came in the clear first with an excellent score of 6/7, a full point ahead of Ian Robson and Donald Mason. Roger De Coverly netted 5 points in 7 games and emerged as the winner in the 65+ tournament, followed by Ivan Myall (4½) and Philip Stimpson (4). Roger De Coverly Photo: Brendan O’Gorman Kumar Avait Keerthi (U8), Cameron Crose (U10), Jude Shearsby (U12), James Merriman (U14) and Timur Kuzhelev (U18) took the titles in the British Junior Championship. Official website: www.britishchesschampionships.co.uk
WCC for People with Disabilities: Introducing the players
The 4th FIDE World Chess Championship for People with Disabilities – an event organized by Dresdner Schachfestival E.V. under the auspices of FIDE – will be held online from 4-14 November 2021. The 9-round Swiss tournament with 45 minutes + 30 seconds increment per move, starting from move 1, is an individual competition with an additional team ranking. Registration of the participants is still on until November 1, 2021. At the moment, players from 12 countries – Russia, USA, Georgia, Australia, Ukraine, India, Colombia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Poland, Iran and Uzbekistan – have already registered. Although every person has a unique story of willpower, perseverance and tenacity, they have one thing in common: their passion for chess. Griffin McConnell (USA) Griffin McConnell, 17, learned chess from his dad when he was just four years old and have constantly been playing ever since. He was diagnosed with epilepsy and had several brain surgeries to cut the seizure activity. The surgeries failed to stop his seizures, but they did not fail to end Griffin’s love for playing chess. “Chess was always a passion of mine.” – he confesses. Despite his young age, the achievements of Griffin McConnell are impressive. He placed third in the first and second FIDE World Youth Chess Championships for the Disabled in 2017 and 2018. He was invited, as the sole player representing the United States, to compete in the first FIDE Confederation Cup for People with Disabilities in Ankara, Turkey, in 2019. Griffin helped Team Americas win a bronze medal and was the only player in the tournament to win all four of his games. He was selected, by the tournament directors and judges, as the best player in the tournament; at the age of 15, he was also the youngest. In December 2020, Griffin played Board 2 for Team USA in the first FIDE Online Chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities and helped the team finish in the top-10. He played against higher rated players in all seven rounds and won four of his games despite having several seizures while playing. “A great icon for me is Thomas Luther. He is a grandmaster, but he has a disability. He is trying to create all of those tournaments that I’ve been into. I want to be like him,” Griffin says. Andrei Obodchuk (Russia) 11-time Russian champion, 8-time world champion, participant of 6 World Chess Olympiads, IM Andrei Obodchuk, 66, is one of the most experienced and titled participants of the 4th FIDE World Chess Championship for People with Disabilities. In 1994, Obodchuk became an international master, the first in the world among the disabled. His highest rating achieved is 2447. Obodchuk is also a well-known theoretician, an experienced trainer and author of the book “The Four Knights Game”, as well as several theoretical studies for “New in Chess”. Once, at a super tournament in Poikovsky, he defeated GM Alexander Onischuk with Black in the difficult line of Botvinnik’s variation – the game was included in the book “Revolution in the 70s” by Garry Kasparov. In October 2018, team Russia won gold medals at the 1st World Team Chess Championship for Disabled, with Andrei Obodchuk playing on Board 1. “Playing online is not the same as playing over the board. This is a completely different game,” Obodchuk says. Still, his performance in online events is as impressive as in OTB tournaments. In June 2020, Andrei Obodchuk finished second in the first World Online Championship of IPCA (the International physically disabled chess association affiliated to FIDE). He also played Board 2 for Russia in the first FIDE online Chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities, helping his team to win silver medals. Benjamin Akok (Australia) Benjamin Akok, 23, was born in Sudan. He doesn’t remember much about his home country, which in 1998 – the year Benjamin was born – was crippled by poverty, drought and one of the longest civil wars on record. When he was one, his family moved to Egypt, and a few years later, they settled in Melbourne, Australia. That aside, Benjamin Akok was born with cerebral palsy. “I like playing chess and participating in tournaments. I play in tournaments every year, and I improve every single year.” Benjamin says. Those who know Benjamin Akok notice that he is a very methodical thinker; he likes challenges to solve problems. And chess is a game that attracts people with that kind of thinking. Besides playing chess, Benjamin Akok is a young author who crafts children’s stories. Taking inspiration from his surrounding, he focuses on teaching the readers different values that can change society. He firmly believes that hard work and consistency leads to success. Registration of the participants of the 4th FIDE World Chess Championship for People with Disabilities is open until November 1, 2021, via online form. Tournament regulations (pdf) Further Information: Website: www.schachfestival.de worldchess-disabled.com/en/
Russian Championship Superfinals get underway in Ufa
The Superfinals of the 74th Russian Championship and the 71st Russian Women’s Championship are held in Ufa from October 8-21. The tournament is a part of the Chess in Museums international programme realised by the Chess Federation of Russia and the Elena and Gennady Timchenko Foundation. The line-up, open: Dmitry Andreikin (2728), Nikita Vitiugov (2727), Andrey Esipenko (2720), Kirill Alekseenko (2710), Vladimir Fedoseev (2704), Maxim Matlakov (2682), Alexandr Predke (2666), Pavel Ponkratov (2659), Aleksandr Rakhmanov (2657), Maksim Chigaev (2639), Alexander Motylev (2624), and Aleksandra Goryachkina (2602). The second-rated Nikita Vitiugov is in a cheerful mood The three-time Russian women’s champion Aleksandra Goryachkina has become the first woman to take part in the Russian Championship Superfinal. She qualified for this competition from the Russian Championship Higher League, having won bronze. The line-up, women: Polina Shuvalova (2509), Alina Kashlinskaya (2493), Natalija Pogonina (2467), Valentina Gunina (2462), Alisa Galliamova (2421), Anastasia Bodnaruk (2415), Olga Girya (2410), Leya Garifullina (2409), Marina Guseva (2394), Alina Bivol (2392), Daria Voit (2357), and Evgenija Ovod (2331). The opening ceremony, drawing of lots, and press conference were held in the Bashkir Nesterov Art Museum in Ufa on the 8th of September. Polina Shuvalova drew #1 Both tournaments are 11-round all-play-all events. The playing days are 9-14 and 16-20 October. The rest day is the 15th of October. The games will start at 3 PM local time (GMT +5). The time control is 90 minutes for the first 40 moves plus 30 minutes for the rest of the game with a 30-second increment per move starting from move one. The total guaranteed prize fund is 11 million rubles (roughly USD 152,000): 7 million rubles in the open section and 4 million rubles in the women’s tournament. The Superfinals are 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 About Chess in Museums programme Since 2012, the Chess Federation of Russia and the Timchenko Foundation have organised chess tournaments in the leading museums of Russia and the whole world. The World Chess Championship match between Vishy Anand and Boris Gelfand took place in the State Tretyakov Gallery (Moscow) in 2012. In 2013, the CFR and the Timchenko Foundation held the Alekhine Memorial. The first half of the super tournament was played in the Louvre (Paris), the second part took place in the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg. The Museum of Russian Impressionism in Moscow hosted the Tal Memorials in 2016 and 2018. Almost all Russian Championships Superfinals are held as part of the Chess in Museums programme. The tournaments took place in the Rukavishnikov’s Mansion in Nizhny Novgorod (2013), the Museum of Art in the Kazan Kremlin (2014), the Novosibirsk State Museum of Local History (2016), and the State Museum of Political History of Russia in Saint Petersburg (2017). In 2018, the players competed for the titles in the Magnezit Palace of Culture in Satka, where the exhibition of the well-known Soviet and Russian painter Geliy Korzhev was opened. In 2019, the Superfinals were held in two venues in the Udmurt Republic – in the Tchaikovsky Museum in Votkinsk, and the Palace of Peoples’ Friendship in Izhevsk. In 2020, the famous Cetral Chess Club in Moscow with a unique Chess Museum became the venue for the Superfinals.
FIDE endorses Judit Polgar Method
It is a core mission of FIDE (Fédération Internationale des Échecs) to research, monitor and promote best practices of chess in education programs across the globe. In that sense, we are happy to endorse the Judit Polgar Method, a proven and successful methodology that has already long been recognised as a unique and comprehensive approach in using chess to foster cognitive skills development as well as curricular enhancement in schools. The Judit Polgar Method has already been introduced in hundreds of schools in Hungary and China, and it is being rolled out further internationally. Its “Train the Teachers” program perfectly aligns with FIDE’s strategy and goals, since training teachers is the first step towards introducing chess massively in schools, and supply for the strong demand from the educational community. While FIDE is developing its own certification process, we also must support and join forces with all those who are working in the same direction. FIDE appreciates the existing partnership model and hopes for further strengthening of the cooperation with GM Judit Polgar, European Chess Union, and the Ministry of Human Capacities of Hungary. Together we will pursue the goal of bringing chess, and its educational benefits, to more children around the world.
Riga to host Lindores Abbey Blitz in honour of Mikhail Tal’s 85th birthday
In honour of the 85th anniversary of the birth of the 8th World Chess Champion Mikhail Tal, FIDE is delighted to endorse The Lindores Abbey Blitz, which will take place on 8th November in the historical Hanzas Perons venue in Riga, Latvia A number of leading world Grandmasters – many of whom will previously be taking part in the FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss and Women’s Grand Swiss – have confirmed they will be playing at the Blitz. The line-up so far is headed by leading world players such as Levon Aronian, Alexander Grischuk, Richard Rapport, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, as well as the two-time winner of the Tal Memorial Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, the former contender for the title of World Champion Boris Gelfand, former world youth champions Jeffery Xiong and Parham Maghsoodloo, and others. Among female players, the three-times Women’s World Blitz Champion Kateryna Lagno leads the field, joined by former Women’s World Champion and this year’s winner of the Women’s Chess World Cup, Alexandra Kosteniuk, as well as top women GMs Nana Dzagnidze, Harika Dronavali, Polina Shuvalova, and others. More players are expected to confirm their participation, including wildcards invited by the Organiser, with a maximum of 164 players taking part. The FIDE endorsed event is a part of a series of Lindores Abbey chess tournaments involving top-world Grandmasters, following Lindores Abbey Chess Stars (2019) and Lindores Abbey Rapid Challenge (2020). Georgiy Tal, the son of Mikhail Tal, will be the guest of honour at the Blitz event. In 2019 he visited Lindores Abbey and, together with the company’s General Manager Andrew McKenzie Smith, presented the World Champion Magnus Carlsen with a chess set made of amber. This amber chess set was presented by the Latvian Government to Mikhail Tal in 1960, following him becoming World Champion. Photo: Ron Kroon / Anefo FIDE Managing Director and Latvian WGM Dana Reizniece-Ozola welcomed the event in memory of the great chess champion: “Mikhail Tal, the famous Magician from Riga, is a legend that has influenced generations of chess players not only in Latvia but in the whole world. He has been a timeless trendsetter.” ‘With each game that will be played in this Blitz tournament, we will commemorate and celebrate Tal’s sharp, creative, and adventurous personality,’ Reizniece-Ozola added. Tournament rules and details: The tournament is organised by “RTU Sports” with the support of the Latvian Chess Federation and FIDE. The Swiss System tournament will have nine rounds. Each round will consist of two games played against the same opponent, one game with each colour. Players will be seeded based on their FIDE Blitz rating. In the absence of such a rating, the player’s FIDE Standard rating will be used. The time control will be 3 minutes plus 2 seconds per move, from move one. If the two or more players score the same points, the tie is decided by the following criteria, in order of priority: a) Buchholz; b) Most games won; c) Direct encounter between the players in the tie. The total prize fund is 60,000 USD. This includes a 10,000 USD fund provided by FIDE for prizes intended for female players only. Regulations for the FIDE Endorsed Tournament Lindores Abbey Blitz (pdf) The list of players who confirmed participation (as of 8th October) can be found here. Discover the Lindores Abbey chess initiative.
2021 U.S. Championship & U.S. Women’s Championship kick off in St-Louis
The 2021 U.S. Championship & U.S. Women’s Championship kicked off on October 6 in St-Louis, featuring 24 of the country’s top players battling it out for two national titles. In the U.S. Championship, only GM Ray Robson and GM John Burke managed to win their first-round games, while in the U.S. Women’s Championship, GM Irina Krush, WGM Katerina Nemcova, WIM Ashritha Eswaran, and tournament newcomer WGM Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova all started off with a victory. Check out the full replay of live coverage from the day here. The time control for the event is 90 minutes for the first 40 moves followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game with an additional 30-second increment per move starting from move one. Round 1 of the U.S. Championship saw the top seeds under heavy pressure early on, with World No. 2 GM Fabiano Caruana falling seriously worse out of the opening against Bruzon, So facing difficulties against Xiong, and Dominguez in huge trouble against Lenderman. But somehow, they all managed to survive their positions, and all three games were drawn. In the meantime, Ray Robson (pictured above) played an excellent game to defeat Naroditsky, making the most of his space advantage in an Alekhine Defense. The 2020 U.S. Junior Champion GM John Burke (pictured below), making his U.S. Championship debut, also won his game, a wild back-and-forth struggle against GM Darius Swiercz. In the critical moment, Swiercz missed his chance to land a decisive combination and instead fell into a slightly worse endgame, which Burke promptly converted. In the U.S. Women’s Championship there were four decisive results today, with multiple games decided in mutual time-trouble. Top seed and eight-time U.S. Champion GM Irina Krush won fairly smoothly against WIM Megan Lee, outplaying her opponent in a sharp 7.Qf3 Taimanov Sicilian. Nemcova also won, taking down the #3 seed Zatonskih, while Eswaran used her advantage in an opposite coloured bishops middlegame to defeat Sharevich. In what was the craziest game of the day, WGM Tatev Abrahamyan maintained a near-decisive advantage for most of the round against WGM Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova (also known as ‘Begim’), only to slip up at the very last moment, allowing her opponent serious counterplay which turned the game in Black’s favour. Round 2 of the 2021 U.S. & U.S. Women’s Chess Championships will take place October 7, starting at 12:50 PM CT. Catch all the action live with grandmaster commentators Yasser Seirawan, Maurice Ashley and Cristian Chirila on uschesschamps.com and on the Saint Louis Chess Club’s YouTube and Twitch.tv channels. 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)
Teams from 31 countries to participate in 1st Intercontinental Championship for Prisoners
Forty-three teams from 31 countries will play in the 1st Intercontinental Online Championship for Prisoners, a two-day event that starts on October 13, 2021 – the International Day of Education in Prisons. The championship is a part of the “Chess for Freedom” Program, launched earlier this year with an online conference and the invitational Online Chess Tournament for Prisoners from four countries. “We find this initiative very important; it allows FIDE to extend its impact behind the borders of purely chess world. Chess provides a route for incarcerated people into education; they find positive use of their leisure time and learn skills that help to turn their lives around. Playing chess teaches them how to improve their thinking and make better life decisions”, says FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich about the program. The Intercontinental Championship for Prisoners is held for the first time; still, many prisons and correctional facilities across the world took a keen interest in the initiative and joined by registering their teams to take part in the tournament. 43 teams, including 5 female teams and 3 juvenile teams comprised of four players with an unlimited number of substitutes, will be playing in the event’s group stage. Prisoners from Italy, England, Armenia, Spain, Palestine, Germany, Russia, United Arab Emirates, Columbia, Portugal, Philippines, Australia, Norway, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Mongolia, Uruguay, Ukraine, Serbia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Georgia, Zimbabwe, Turks & Caicos Islands, Croatia, Kyrgyzstan, Argentina, Cyprus, The Netherlands, USA and Macedonia are divided into six groups and will first compete in a round-robin chess tournament. Two top teams from each group will advance to the Championship round held on October 14. The tournament will be broadcast live on the FIDE Youtube channel. On Wednesday, October 13 at 11:45 a.m. EDT (4:45 p.m. CET), media are invited to attend an online press conference featuring FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich and Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart. The virtual press conference will be held in Zoom and uploaded on the FIDE Youtube channel later that day. Media can either send their questions to the FIDE press team (socialmedia@fide.com) or, if they would like to participate on Zoom, send their contact info (name, media, position, contact phone number and email) to the same address. Zoom meeting link and log-in details to join the conference: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81265595820Conference ID: 812 6559 5820. All the information about the Championship can be found at the official website of the program: chessforfreedom.fide.com/ About “Chess for Freedom” program Promoting chess as a tool for education is one of FIDE’s top priorities. However, the scope of work in this field is not limited to chess in school programs, and many other opportunities exist. In recent years we have witnessed the successful introduction of chess in prisons, through different educative programs across the world, with very positive outcomes. Aiming to support and promote this line of work, FIDE and the Cook County Sheriff’s Office (Chicago, USA) have signed a cooperation agreement, and together we are launching the “Chess for Freedom” program. Under the patronage of the 12th world champion Anatoly Karpov, the project kicked off in May 2020 with an online conference and an exhibition tournament with four participant countries. On October 13-14, the program will continue with the first Intercontinental Online Chess Championship for Prisoners – a much larger competition with the participation of tens of prisons representing all continents.