FIDE Candidates Tournament 2022 – Call for bids
1.1 The International Chess Federation (FIDE) will hold the Candidates Tournament in June-July 2022 (see the Tournament Regulations). 1.2 FIDE is opening a bidding procedure to invite any federation member of FIDE or any organiser approved by the national federation to host the event. The federation’s letter of support may be provided later, when the bid’s evaluation procedure will be launched. 1.3 The bid may contain special proposals on financial and commercial conditions. The FIDE Council shall decide whether these conditions are admissible. 1.4 Bid Forms shall be filled in by an Applicant. A signed copy shall be submitted as e-mail messages to the FIDE Secretariat to office@fide.com from 6 October to 20 November 2021 by 23:59 Lausanne time (FIDE has the right to extend this deadline). All the documents shall be submitted in English. Additional documents may be requested by the FIDE General Strategy Commission (GSC) for further evaluation. 1.5 Bid Evaluation Report shall be presented by GSC for approval of the FIDE Council. 1.6 Once the Organiser is granted the right to organise the event, a relevant announcement shall be made on the FIDE website. FIDE Technical Delegate (FIDE TD) may be appointed at the same time to supervise the event on behalf of FIDE in consultation with GSC.
FIDE Women’s Grand Prix Series 2022-23 – Call for bids
1.1 The International Chess Federation (FIDE) will hold the Women’s Grand Prix Series from August 2022 to June 2023 (see the Tournament Regulations). 1.2 FIDE is opening a bidding procedure to invite any federation member of FIDE or any organiser approved by the national federation to host the event. The federation’s letter of support may be provided later when the bid’s evaluation procedure is launched. 1.3 The bid may contain special proposals on financial and commercial conditions. The FIDE Council shall decide whether these conditions are admissible. 1.4 Bid Forms shall be filled in by an Applicant. A signed copy shall be submitted as e-mail messages to the FIDE Secretariat to office@fide.com from 6 October to 6 December 2021 by 23:59 Lausanne time (FIDE has the right to extend this deadline). All the documents shall be submitted in English. Additional documents may be requested by the FIDE General Strategy Commission (GSC) for further evaluation. 1.5 Bid Evaluation Report shall be presented by GSC for approval of the FIDE Council. 1.6 Once the Organiser is granted the right to organise one of the four Women’s GP tournaments, a relevant announcement shall be made on the FIDE website. FIDE Technical Delegate (FIDE TD) may be appointed at the same time to supervise the event on behalf of FIDE in consultation with GSC.
Alexey Sarana wins Junior U21 Round Table Championship
Alexey Sarana (Russia) came out the winner of the Junior U21 Round Table Open Championship, a nine-round Swiss tournament that took place in Park Hotel Imperial, Plovdiv, Bulgaria, from September 26 to October 3. Despite severe travel restrictions, the tournament attracted an impressive lineup. The event brought together 58 junior players, including 9 GMs, 8 IMs, 1 WGM and 4 WIM. The first edition of the tournament was organized by Chess club ChessBomb – Plovdiv under the auspices of FIDE and in cooperation with Bulgarian Chess Federation 1928, Plovdiv Municipality, boasted of the total prize fund of €20,000 with €10,000 going to the winner. The prizes were guaranteed by the main sponsor of the event Club Round Table Bulgaria. The organizers hope that this competition will become a traditional Junior Cup. After taking bronze at the 2021 European Individual in Reykjavik, Alexey Sarana continues his hot streak. The native of Moscow started right out of the gate, winning five straight games but slowed down a bit and finished with four draws allowing Arjun Erigaisi (India) to catch up with him at the finish line. The young Indian won a critical last-round game against Vugar Asadli with black pieces and also scored 7 out of 9. Nevertheless, Sarana emerged as the winner thanks to slightly better tiebreaks. Three players tied for third place, but Buchholz favoured Abhimanyu Puranik, who took the third prize. Final standings: 1 Sarana, Alexey RUS 7 2 Erigaisi, Arjun IND 7 3 Puranik, Abhimanyu IND 6½ 4 Bharath, Subramaniyam H IND 6½ 5 Gukesh D IND 6½ 6 Niemann, Hans Moke USA 6 7 Muradli, Mahammad AZE 6 8 Stoyanov, Tsvetan BUL 6 9 Petrov, Martin BUL 6 10 Van Foreest, Lucas NED 6
CFR Team takes the gold to Russia
The Russian players, competing in Sitges under the denomination “CFR Team”, are the winners of the Women’s Team World Championship, held in the coastal town of Sitges, Spain. It was a truly dominant performance by CFR Team, winning every single match and scoring 35 board points out of the 44 games played. However, their rivals in the final, team India, didn’t go down without putting up a good fight. During the first match, Vaishali R blundered an exchange with 30.Rd5 and lost shortly after, but her teammate Harika managed to defeat Goryachkina and put a tie on the scoreboard. The clash between Katerina Lagno and Bhakti Kulkarni was one of the most entertaining ones of the day, with both players going for the most aggressive alternatives, but Lagno emerged from the opening with a clear edge and never let her opponent get back on her feet. Meantime, on the fourth board, Mary Ann Gomes had a favourable position, first, and a healthy extra pawn in the ensuing endgame, but a heroic defence by Kashlinskaya gave the Russians a narrow victory: 2½-1½. Match 1 CFR Team 2½ – 1½ India GM Goryachkina, A. 0-1 GM Harika, D. GM Kosteniuk, A. 1-0 WGM Vaishali R GM Lagno, K. 1-0 IM K. Bhakti IM Kashlinskaya A. ½-½ WGM Gomes, M. A. In the second set, CFR Team seemed to have the match under control from the beginning. Vaishali went for a dubious line in the black side of a Sicilian against Polina Shuvalova, who found all the right moves to punish the lack of development by the Indian player. No player managed to break the balance on the top board, so Dronavalli and Goryachkina agreed to a draw in a rook ending. Vaishali, with black, forced a perpetual check against Kosteniuk in a position where she didn’t really have anything better than that. The decisive point came in the third board, where the unstoppable Katerina Lagno won once again, raising her personal score to an astonishing 9/10. This time her victory came in a double-edged rook and bishop endgame with 5 pawns for each side, where back’s majority in the queenside proved decisive. Match 2 CFR Team 3 – 1 India GM Goryachkina, A. ½-½ GM Harika, D. GM Kosteniuk, A. ½-½ WGM Vaishali R GM Lagno, K. 1-0 IM Tania, S. IM Shuvalova, P. 1-0 WGM Gomes, M. A. No sportsperson is truly happy after losing a final, but the performance by the Indian team was no short of memorable, and it didn’t take long for the smiles to return to their faces. The team led by Dronavalli made history by winning its first medal in this competition, despite the last-minute absence of Humpy Koneru, who was affected by travel restrictions and couldn’t make it to Sitges. With Korenu on the first board, India could have surely dreamed of getting the gold, and for sure they will be one of the teams to watch for in the 2022 Chess Olympiad in Moscow. The Women’s World Team Championship was played this year under a new format: two pools of six teams each, followed by a knock-out playoff with the eight best teams. The time control has been reduced to 45 minutes + 10 seconds per move, with two games to be played each day. This format allowed for the tournament to be played over just seven days instead of twelve, like previous editions, which makes it easier to stage, and more likely to count on the participation of all the top guns. More importantly, the changes seem to have succeeded in raising the interest of the fans, with the knock-out adding some intrigue and excitement. As FIDE’s General Director commented in our first report, “It is an experimental format, and we are not planning to make it extensive to the Olympiad or other tournaments. After holding this event, and the World Teams one next year, we will carefully weigh the pros and cons. We are aware that breaking is easier than building, so no changes are introduced unless there is strong confidence that they are needed. That was the case with the World Teams, and we hope that the new format will breathe new life into this competition”. Text: David Llada Photo: Niki Riga Official website: worldwomensteams.fide.com/
Magnus Carlsen wins first Meltwater Champions Chess Tour title
Magnus Carlsen has won the most viewed online chess event in history – the inaugural Meltwater Champions Chess Tour. A year of intense competition came to an end today as the Norwegian clinched first place overall in the Tour’s showpiece Finals event. Carlsen’s win was secured when closest rival Wesley So collapsed in a must-win match to leave the champ with an unassailable lead. Carlsen takes home $100,000 for winning the Finals with two matches to spare and the title of Tour Champion. He is also now considered the undisputed best online chess player in the world – the prestigious Tour’s true prize. While Carlsen’s victory was thoroughly deserved, So put up a fierce challenge from day one last November. Memorably, So beat Carlsen to win the first event, the Skilling Open, on his rival’s 30th birthday. But the man who went on to match Carlsen with an impressive three tournament titles appeared to finally run out of steam yesterday. Needing a win in today’s Round 7 match to stay in the race, So’s misery continued as a limp performance saw him quickly go 2-0 down against Levon Aronian. It meant the Filipino-born American had to win two remaining games just to take the match to tiebreaks. Yet an increasingly desperate So was unable to break down the wily Aronian in the third as the game ended with So crashing to defeat. The key match that decided the Tour was lost 3-0. Carlsen’s match against the Azerbaijani star Teimour Radjabov became irrelevant to the final result, with So challenge already ended. It was Radjabov who struck a fatal blow against So yesterday. The 2021 Meltwater Champions Chess Tour was the most viewed online chess event in history, with hundreds of memorable games and moments throughout the series of elite tournaments. For further information, please contact: Leon Watson, PR for Play Magnus Groupleon@chessable.com+44 7786 078 770
India will face off CFR Team for the gold
After the pool stage, it was already clear that the central question in the tournament was what would be the team to challenge CFR Team for the gold. The Russian players were simply swamping the opposition, and it was almost unquestionable that, in their current form, a very serious accident should happen for them not to be on the podium. In the end, it was India that earned the spot to fight with them in the final, but their path was far from easy. The first seminal match between India and Georgia was a very close one, and it ended in 2-2, but the Indians were close to snatching the victory. In the first clash, Nana Dzagnidze settled for a quick draw against Harika Dronavalli. The same result would appear on the second board shortly after, in the game between Vaishali and Batsiashvili, while in the lower two boards the teams exchanged blows: Mary Ann Gomes won a very good game against Salome Melia – with a King’s march included – while Kulkarni lost in the time scramble a game that should have ended in a draw. For the second match, both teams introduced some changes in the line-up, with Arabidze jumping into the battle and Salome Melia taking a rest, while India lined up Tania Sachdev. Again, a draw was reached in the first board, while Batsiashvili played poorly in the opening with White, and found herself lost very quickly against Vaishali. Javakhishvili scored the only victory for the Georgian team in an excellent game against Mary Ann Gomes, while Tania Sachdev chalked up the final and decisive point for the Indian team. The Indians could not hide their joy after reaching a final that means the first medal ever for their country in this competition. In the other semifinal, CFR Team faced their toughest rival so far. Ukraine, led by the Muzychuk sisters, is always a candidate to win any event they play in. The first set was tense and very close, with three draws in the top three boards. The match was decided in favour of the Russians thanks to the victory of Kashlisnkaya (pictured below) against Osmak. The match was far from over, though. Only yesterday, the Ukrainians hit back after losing the first round against Armenia, forcing a tie-break, and today they showed up after the short break with a determined look on their faces. The result was indeed an exhilarating fight with lots of emotions, where all the four games reached a decisive result: three victories went for the CFR Team, and one for the Ukrainians. In the clash of two former world champions, Mariya Muzychuk and Alexandra Kosteniuk, Mariya got away with the full point. It was the first defeat of a Russian player in the whole competition so far, but their performance is still impressive: out of 36 games, they have won 24, drew 11, and lost only one. The final will be played tomorrow at 14:00. In the eventuality of a victory by the Russian players, the organizers have opted for the same solution adopted during the Olympic Games. Instead of the Russian anthem, the Piano Concerto No. 1 by Tchaikovsky will be played. Text: David Llada Photo: Niki Riga Official website: worldwomensteams.fide.com/
CFR Team, Georgia, Ukraine and India advance to semis
Not a single Russian player has lost a single game of chess in Sitges: “CFR Team” keeps its dominant performance, and as expected, they advanced to the semifinals without much trouble. The squad whitewashed the FIDE Americas team in the first match by 4-0; in the second, the American players put up a real fight and had good chances in a couple of games, but lost by 3-1. In the seven matches played so far, CFR Team has won a total of 20 games, conceding eight draws, with no losses. Georgia also continues advancing, solid and steady. They decided the eliminatory in the first clash, defeating Azerbaijan by 3½-½, and then sealed their ticket to the semifinals with a draw 2-2. The team leader, Nana Dzagnidze, seems to be in good shape and, despite having lost a game in the pools stage, she has scored 4½/6 on the first board. The other two clashes were much closer, and, in particular, the match between Ukraine and Armenia was as dramatic as it gets. The first match was won by the Armenians by 3-1. Anna Muzychuk had a decisive attack against Danielian, but she underestimated the threat posed by black’s passed pawn, and that cost her the full point. Ushenina avoided a threefold repetition trying to find ways to win her game just to end up losing. However, things would take a turn in the second match, where the Ukrainians manage to put themselves together and hit back, winning by 3½-½ and forcing a tie-break. Only Anna Muzychuk conceded a draw, while Mariya, Osmak and Buksa won their games. The tie-break was very balanced, and when indicated that it would be a 2-2 draw, Lilit Mkrtchian blundered as queen against Mariya Muzychuk in a game where she had a massive advantage. The Ukrainians advance to the next round, where they will face the arduous task of trying to stop the CFR Team. India-Kazakhstan was a very close affair throughout. In the first set, which ended 2-2, the top two boards drew, while Mary Ann Gomes for India and Meruert Kamalidenova for Kazakhstan scored the victories for their respective teams. In the second round, India managed to punch the ticket to the semis. Harika won a fine game in the black side of a Ruy Lopez against Abdumalik. Sachdev lost to Kamalidenova, but it was Mary Ann who saved the day, winning her second game in succession and scoring the decisive point for her team. CFR Team – Ukraine, and Georgia-India will be the semifinal matches, with games starting at 15:00 CET. Text: David Llada Photo: Niki Riga Official website: worldwomensteams.fide.com/
October rating list: Firouzja and Rapport debut in top-10
September of 2021 was marked by several important chess competitions: the Norway Chess, European Individual Championship, European Club Cup and Sharjah Masters. Subsequently, those players who fared well in these events got a substantial rating boost. Although the top echelon remained basically intact as most players preserved their positions in the list, one thing just jumps out at you – Alireza Firouzja and Richard Rapport have debuted in the top-10. The Norway Chess 2021 was an uplift for both – the runner-up Firouzja picked up 16 points and third-finisher Rapport 10. Photo: Lennart Ootes 18-year-old Alireza Firouzja is one of the youngest ever players to reach the top-10, comparable to Garry Kasparov and Magnus Carlsen. In January 1981, 17-year-old Kasparov was #6 in the world, and Carlsen became #5 in March 2008, when he was 17 too. Biggest gains (within top-100 open) Mamedov, Rauf AZE 2673 (+19) Alekseenko, Kirill RUS 2710 (+17) Firouzja, Alireza FRA 2770 (+16) Navara, David CZE 2691 (+15) Eljanov, Pavel UKR 2691 (+11) Salem, A.R. Saleh UAE 2690 (+11) Rapport, Richard HUN 2770 (+10) Shirov, Alexei ESP 2659 (+7) Jumabayev, Rinat KAZ 2658 (+7) Anton Guijarro, David ESP 2658 (+7) Rauf Mamedov (pictured below) did a great job in the European Individual Championship and European Club Cup, picking up 9 and 10 points respectively and climbing 31 positions in the rating list. Kirill Alekseenko triumphantly returned into a 2700+ club following his strong performance at the European Club Cup. The same applies to David Navara, who netted 15 rating points and got closer to the 2700 mark. Photo: Thorsteinn Magnusson The 4th Sharjah Masters International Chess Championship 2021 ended in a four-way tie for first place, with Saleh Salem (+11), Pavel Eljanov (+11) and Amin Tababtabaei (+15) considerably increasing their rating. Amin Tababtabaei is on his way to Top-100 Open Photo: Anastasiya Karlovich Speaking of the absolute numbers, we can’t fail to mention some fantastic rating-jumps by the players outside of the Top-100 Open. It is no coincidence that most of them are under 20 – progress is particularly fast at the young age: Yana Zhapova (+103), Miruna-Daria Luhaci (+96), Zala Urh (+76), Nadya Toncheva (+69), Gukesh D (+41), Hans Moke Niemann (to name a few) shoot up in the junior rating lists.
2021 2nd FIDE Online Council Agenda and Commissions reports/proposals
FIDE publishes the Agenda of the 2nd FIDE Online Council Meeting which was held on August 2, 2021. Download Agenda (pdf) Annex 5.2a FIDE Online Chess Regulations Annex 5.2b Summary of Changes Annex 6.1 Global Strategy Commission’s report Annex 6.2.1 Arbiters’ Commission’s report Annex 6.3 Chess in Education Commission’s report Annex 6.4.1 Events Commission’s report Annex 6.5 Commission for the Disabled report Annex 6.6.1 First draft of the Ethics & Disciplinary Code Annex 6.7.1 Fair Play Commission’s report Annex 6.8 Medical Commission’s report Annex 6.9 Planning and Development Commission’s report Annex 6.10.1 Rules Commission’s report Annex 6.10.2 Rules Commission’s proposal Annex 6.11.2 Qualification Commission’s proposal Annex 6.12 Social Commission’s report Annex 6.13 Systems of Pairings and Programs Commission’s report Annex 6.14.1 Technical Commission’s report Annex 6.14.2 Technical Commission’s proposal (draft) Annex 6.15.1 Trainers’ Commission’s report Annex 6.15.2 Trainers’ Commission’s proposal Annex 6.16.1 Commission for Women’s Chess report Annex 6.17.1 Historical Committee’s report
Judit Polgar’s Global Chess Festival brings pioneers of education to the table
How can chess revolutionize education? How can self-esteem issues be tackled by this ancient game? What does our pulse say about our chess game? Thinkers from all around the globe will get together to answer these questions on the 9th of October, at Judit Polgar’s Global Chess Festival, which – for the first time – will be available in a hybrid form. At the press conference held on Thursday, new, world-famous presenters were announced, like Ernő Rubik, inventor of Rubik’s Cube and Dana Rezniece-Ozola, managing director of FIDE, Ms. Mariya Gabriel, patron of the Global Chess Festival and European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth also sent a video message to show her support towards chess education. Norbert Fogarasi, head of the Budapest office and Managing Director at Morgan Stanley, the event’s primary sponsor for the past three years, spoke about the connection between chess and STEM fields. He also discussed the importance of STEM skills within Morgan Stanley and financial services broadly. In a few days, the Global Chess Festival will conquer the walls of the Hungarian National Gallery, where the main topics will be creativity and innovation. Visitors will be presented with revolutionary ideas and initiatives inspired by chess in the fields of science, education, art and business. Is creativity a divine spark or a teachable method? How do pulse and blood pressure influence the performance of chess players? Visitors of Judit Polgar’s Global Chess Festival will find out with the help of this year’s presenters both on and offline. This year the Global Chess Festival hosts the Educational Chess Summit conference, where presenters prove: chess does deserve a place in classrooms as a profound way of skill development. Lorena Garcia, an educational researcher, will prove to the audience that chess can improve self-esteem and deters anxiety. Rita Atkins, British International Master, will show practical examples of incorporating chess in mathematics classes; Jesper Berger, international chess coach, will debunk a widespread theory: chess only develops children with exceptional capabilities; chess can be surprisingly beneficial for children suffering from learning disabilities. Fernando Moreno, a Spanish psychologist, is a recurring presenter at the Global Chess Festival – this time, he will discuss the “life lessons” chess can teach us. Furthermore, a screening of Judit Polgar’s and Ernő Rubik’s – inventor of Rubik’s Cube – discussion will be presented, where a whole new idea of education systems based on creative energies will emerge. The conference also welcomes Leontxo García, Spanish chess journalist, as co-host of the Chess Festival alongside Judit Polgar, but Dana Reizniece-Ozola managing director of FIDE, Bachar Kouatly, president of FIDE and Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth will also speak. “It has been a dream of mine to create a forum that makes a home for international discussions surrounding chess and education, a forum which showcases how the game can be incorporated into school subjects and brings kids’ strengths to the surface. The Educational Chess Summit is also a cultural trip: it shows how colourful the way we think about this around the world” – said Judit Polgar during her speech at the press conference. She also claims that “this year’s Chess Festival will be of historical significance, as Budapest never hosted a conference like the Educational Chess Summit before” – Judit Polgar told. Introducing young people to chess is also an important goal for Morgan Stanley Budapest, which has been sponsoring the Global Chess Festival for three years. With its close connection to STEM, chess provides an excellent foundation in many valuable soft skills, including strategic planning, problem-solving, decision-making and rational thinking – very similar to the skills necessary for many of the roles and functions carried out by the firm’s employees in Budapest. ‘In Budapest, we operate an important technology and analytics center within one of the world’s leading investment banks. The majority of our 2,500+ colleagues have a background in STEM fields, as they are closely related to what we do, from mathematical modelling to developing trading algorithms. We are committed to supporting STEM education, an area where chess can play an important role. Morgan Stanley has numerous chess players among its employees, including five international masters and this year, we were pleased to organize the finals of our inter-office chess tournament to coincide with the Global Chess Festival, attracting 400 players from our offices around the world. We are proud to partner with Judit Polgár and the Global Chess Festival again this year”, said Norbert Fogarasi, Head of Morgan Stanley’s Budapest office. Gender equality is also of paramount importance for Morgan Stanley, not only in the workplace but in STEM education as well. In 2018, the Budapest office, in partnership with the Association of Women in Science, launched a mathematics and coding course called Smartiz to help encourage female high school students to consider a career in STEM. Now in its 4th year, the goal of Smartiz is to ensure every talented child who enjoys science, technology, engineering and mathematics can go out and pursue careers in these fields, regardless of their gender. Big Chess Survey: the majority thinks that chess has a positive impact on studies and career A survey has been conducted in order to unravel the connections between chess and STEM-education under the aegis of the Global Chess Festival, with over 650 participants. Those who took part in the survey – mostly students – gave an in-depth insight to chess and its relevance to STEM. Almost half of the participants (45%) claimed that they play chess in order to develop their logic skills, but many opted into chess for the challenge and the competition. Over ⅔ of the participants think that chess develops their strategic thinking capabilities and many think that it has a rather positive impact on their decision-making skills and their abilities to recognize and analyze patterns. It is not surprising that the majority thinks that chess can have a positive impact on their studies and their career. The survey also concluded that for the majority of the participants (72%) there is no difference between the competences of men and women when it comes