USA and England triumph in World Senior Team Championship 2024
The FIDE World Senior Team Chess Championship 2024 is in the books. This year, Polish Krakow, known for its iconic Market Square, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, hosted the event. The championship brought together 65 teams and 307 players (including 32 GMs) from all over the world, boasting the highest number of Grandmasters playing in a chess competition on Polish soil this year. The event was held in 50+ and 65+ categories, with women’s teams competing in the 9-round Swiss open tournaments with classical time control. In the 50+ competition, the USA (Jaan Ehlvest, Alexander Shabalov, Melikset Khachiyan, Igor Novikov, and Alex Yermolinsky) retained their title won last year in North Macedonia. The team’s only hiccup occurred in Round 5 when they narrowly lost to Italy. Going into Round 7, one point behind the leaders Iceland, team USA scored a convincing victory 3-1 and forged ahead. USA finished strong, whitewashing Israel (4-0) and defeating Slovakia (2.5-1.5) and capturing the title (16/18). Italy (pictured above), the only team to beat the champions, finished just a point behind (15/18) and took silver. England 1, led by Michael Adams, scored 14/18 and claimed bronze. Final standings 50+: 1 USA 16 2 Italy 15 3 England 1 14 4 Iceland 13 5 England 2 12 6 Slovakia 11 7 USA Too 11 8 Brazil 10 9 Estonia Women 10 10 Israel Rishon Lezion 10 Complete final standings 50+ The top seed England 1 (John Nunn, Anthony Kosten, Jonathan Mestel, Paul Littlewood, and Terry Chapman) emerged victorious in the fiercely competitive 65+ section, scoring an impressive 16/18. The team drew with their main rivals France and Israel 1 and won seven matches. Israel came second netting 15/18, while France, leading with three rounds to go had to settle for bronze after losing to England 2 in Round 7 and drawing with Italy in Round 9. Final standings 65+: 1 England 1 16 2 Israel 1 15 3 France Cercle d’Echecs de Strasbourg 14 4 England 2 12 5 Italy 11 6 Slovakia 11 7 Germany Eppingen 11 8 Germany Schachfreunde Mitteldeutschland 10 9 England 3 10 10 Finland 10 Complete final standings 65+ Photos: Mark Livshitz and Michal Walusza Official website: worldseniorteam2024.fide.com
SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia: Caruana forges ahead
Fabiano Caruana emerged as the sole leader after Round 6 of the Superunited Rapid and Blitz Croatia. After defeating Levon Aronian and Ivan Saric the #1 American player drew with Wesley So to finish the day on 9/12. Wesley So, trailing the leader by just a single point, had a good second day, beating Vidit and making draws with Nepomniachtchi and Caruana. The current challenger Gukesh D picked up steam netting 5/6 on the second day of the competition. Alireza Firouzja turned in a solid performance winning one game and making two draws. The former leader Maxime Vachier-Lagrave slowed down a bit, scoring just 2/6. All three are tied for third place sitting on 7/12. Round 4 The day started with a one-minute silence. The Grand Chess Tour commemorated the former world champion Magnus Carlsen’s mother who passed away at the age of 61. It has been the most combative round so for with all the games ending decisively. Nepomniachtchi, Firouzja and Gukesh D scored their first victories in the event. Even more importantly the young Indian toppled the leader Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in a topsy-turvy game. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave – Gukesh D Maxime pressured his opponent most of the way, but after a series of mistakes he had to demonstrate accuracy with 43. Rf1! covering the critical f3-square. The Frenchman, however, played 43. Rh1?? and immediately resigned after 43… Qf3+ due to checkmate in four moves. Round 5 Fabiano Caruana continued his impressive run and grabbed the lead after beating Ivan Saric. The home player maintained balance for awhile but eventually cracked under pressure. Ivan Saric – Fabiano Caruana 32. g4? (32. h5 and 32. Rb1 were reasonable alternatives) 32… fxg4 33. Qxg4 Nc3 34. Nxc3? and after 34… bxc3 35. Qe2 Ra4 White’s position became hopeless. | 0-1, 38 moves. All other games were drawn. Gukesh D had an overwhelming position against his countryman Vidit, but completely misplayed it and was losing. Luckily for the current challenger, his opponent found the winning idea but chose a wrong move order and the game was drawn. Round 6 Wesley So had a great chance to swap places with Fabiano Caruana but failed to convert his sizable endgame advantage. Wesley So – Fabiano Caruana After 82… Kg4 83. Kf2 Ra2+ 84. Kf1 Rb2 85. Bc7 Rb4 86. Be5 Rb3 Black would have been in full control. Wesley however removed the prop from under his knight with 82… g4? and Fabiano escaped with a draw. Gukesh D scored his second win of the day after turning tables in a highly unpleasant position against Ian Nepomniachtchi. Photos: Lennart Ootes Official website: grandchesstour.org/
CAS announces its decision in the case of the Bulgarian Chess Federation 2022 vs FIDE
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the ultimate authority for resolving sports-related disputes through arbitration or mediation, has ruled that it has no jurisdiction over the appeal launched by the Bulgarian Chess Federation against FIDE’s decision to reject its membership application. In 2016, the Bulgarian Chess Federation was suspended from FIDE and the ECU following corruption allegations, which were confirmed in an investigation conducted by the FIDE Ethics Commission. In October 2023, both the Bulgarian Chess Federation 2022 (BCF 2022) and the Bulgarian Sports Chess Federation (BCSF), created following the unification process in Bulgarian chess guided by FIDE and ECU, applied for membership in the International Chess Federation (FIDE). The FIDE Council rejected the BCF 2022 application on December 14, 2023. The decision was made on the grounds that the organization didn’t participate in the unification process within the Bulgarian Chess Federation, coordinated by FIDE and the ECU. At the same time, it was decided that the BSCF’s application would be moved forward to the General Assembly (GA) for a decision. On December 17, 2023, the FIDE GA decided to admit BSCF as a FIDE member for Bulgaria. In January 2024, BCF 2022 appealed the GA decision to admit BSCF as a FIDE member for Bulgaria. On July 10, the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that it does not have jurisdiction to entertain the appeal filed by BCF 2022, which is a non-member, against the admission of BSCF as a FIDE member for Bulgaria. According to the court, such a decision does not fall within the material scope of Article 35 of the FIDE Charter. Additionally, the court emphasized that BCF 2022 failed to name BSCF as a mandatory passive joiner to the appeal. About Court of Arbitration for Sport The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is an institution independent of any sports organization which provides for services in order to facilitate the settlement of sports-related disputes through arbitration or mediation by means of procedural rules adapted to the specific needs of the sports world. The CAS was created in 1984 and is placed under the administrative and financial authority of the International Council of Arbitration for Sport (ICAS). The CAS has nearly 300 arbitrators from 87 countries, chosen for their specialist knowledge of arbitration and sports law. Around 300 cases are registered by the CAS every year. Official website: tas-cas.org/
SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia: Vachier-Lagrave takes sole lead
Marking the midway point of the tour is the SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz Croatia, which started on July 10. Following the same format as the Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland, it offers the competitors a chance to display their skills under immense time pressure in a double round-robin tournament. Held in Zagreb, Croatia, the SuperUnited Rapid & Blitz continues to be one of the major stops in the Grand Chess Tour. The event features seven full-tour players and three wildcard players, Levon Aronian (USA), who replaced Magnus Carlsen (World #1 withdrew due to an urgent family matter), Vidit Gujrathi (India) and Ivan Saric (Croatia). By the end of Day 1, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave seized the sole lead in the competition after defeating Levon Aronian and Ivan Saric, while drawing his third-round game with Wesley So. Fabiano Caruana and Wesley So trail the French #2 by one point, sharing second place. Firouzja, Anish Giri, and Nepomniachtchi all started the tournament with three draws. Photos: Lennart Ootes Official website: grandchesstour.org/
Final Call for the World Guinness Records Attempt!
FIDE is delighted to announce that the World Guinness Records attempt for the most chess games played within 24 hours has garnered incredible global participation! So far, we have 201 tournaments from 53 countries registered and joining us in the attempt to set a new milestone for the chess world! This is your last week to join this historic event as an organizer. Setting a new world record in chess is a global initiative, and exciting events in various formats are happening across continents. From a simultaneous exhibition at the picturesque Château d’Asnières in France, to rapid-fire blitz tournaments like the Chess Knight Academy’s 15th Blitz Chess Tournament in India and major classical events like the Biel Chess Festival in Switzerland, there’s something for everyone. No matter the size of your tournament, we invite you to be a part of history. Don’t miss this opportunity – register your event by the end of the week. The registration of the tournaments participating in the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS Attempt is available via the official FIDE Guinness World Record Attempt page.https://100.fide.com/gwr/ Registration deadline: July 15, 2024 About the Guinness World Records Guinness World Records, originally known as the Guinness Book of Records, has emerged as the definitive authority on record-breaking achievements, stemming from the idea of resolving disputes in pubs with a book of facts. Today, it stands as a global brand, with offices spanning London, New York, Beijing, Tokyo, and Dubai, alongside a network of brand ambassadors worldwide. Its mission extends beyond the pages of its iconic book, now encompassing TV shows, social media, and live events, all aimed at documenting the extraordinary.
Winners crowned at ICCD World Deaf Chess Championship 2024
ICCD World Deaf Chess Championship 2024 recently concluded in Belgrade, Serbia. Founded in 1949 in Copenhagen, Denmark, the International Chess Committee of the Deaf (ICCD) sees its main goal in popularizing chess playing among deaf people of all nations, upgrading their cultural level and chess proficiency, and achieving close international cooperation between deaf chess players in their game pursuant to the chess rules and in any other sports events. The championship, which ran from June 25 to July 6, brought together hearing-impaired players representing 26 national federations. The program included six main competitions in open, women, junior, and senior categories, as well as several side events. The 18th ICCD World Individual Deaf Chess Championship, a nine-round Swiss tournament, was a fiercely competitive event. The rating favorites Yehuda Gruenfeld (Israel) and Pawel Piekielny (Poland) dominated the field, both scoring 7/9 and tying for first place. The Israeli GM secured the victory on a superior Buchholz tiebreak, with the 25th seed Sultan Kozhakhmetov of Kazakhstan taking bronze. 18th ICCD World Individual Deaf Championship final standings WIM Tatiana Baklanova and WCM Natalya Myronenko (both from Ukraine) were in a league of their own in the 8th ICCD World Individual Deaf Ladies Chess Championship. The Ukrainians netted an impressive 8/9 and shared the top position, with Tatiana capturing the title thanks to just a 0.5 Bucholz difference. Zuzanna Lukasik of Poland finished third. 8th ICCD World Individual Deaf Ladies Championship final standings The champions, Yehuda Gruenfeld and Tatiana Baklanova, confirmed their class, winning blitz events. Tatiana earned a triple crown, also taking the women’s rapid event, while Pawel Piekielny triumphed in the open rapid tournament. In the 4th ICCD World Deaf Individual Senior Championship, just 0.25 Sonneborn Berger points separated the champion, Sergej Salov (Germany), from the runner-up Berik Nurymov (Kazakhstan). Both scored 5/7 and tied for first place. Abdigappar Adilbaev (Uzbekistan) completed the podium thanks to a better tiebreaker over Jaroslav Schmid. The top seeds, Marsel Shayusupov (Uzbekistan) and Bruno Glas (Slovenia) reigned supreme in the junior event and tied for the top position with 8/9. Thanks to a slightly better Sonneborn Berger, the title goes to Marcel, while his countryman Sardor Turgunboev won bronze. ICCD official website: chessdeaf.org/
Swedish Championship 2024: Vitaly Sivuk retains title
GM Vitaly Sivuk won the Swedish Championship 2024 defending his national champion title. Like last year, the Swedish Chess Championship 2024 featured several categories, from a youth tournament to the Sverigemästarklassen, a round-robin tournament with classical time control for Sweden’s top chess players. in Växjö’s spacious Fortnox Arena from June 28 to July 7. From L-R: Östlund, Hector, Seo, Lokander, Pantzar, Hillarp, Blomqvist, Galperin, Sivuk The defending champion took an early lead with four straight victories. Surprisingly, Vitaly then drew all remaining games, but it was enough to secure the title with 6.5/9 points. The 2022 champion Jonny Hector finished a half point behind and took silver, while Erik Blomqvist captured bronze thanks in no small part to his spectacular penultimate-round victory over Tiger Hillarp. Final standings: 1 GM Vitaly Sivuk 2569 6½ 2 GM Jonny Hector 2410 6 3 GM Erik Blomqvist 2527 5½ 4 IM Martin Lokander 2474 5 5 GM Platon Galperin 2551 5 6 IM Jung Min Seo 2442 5 7 GM Tiger Hillarp 2455 4½ 8 IM Milton Pantzar 2480 3 9 GM Daniel Semcesen 2451 2½ 10 FM Joar Östlund 2334 2 Complete results in all categories Official website: schack.se/ Photos: Lars OA Hedlund
WSTCC 2024: Iceland and France lead after six rounds
The FIDE World Senior Team Chess Championship has crossed the half-way mark. After six rounds of exciting battles the players have a rest day on Monday. It is a great chance to go sightseeing in this beautiful city, which offers wonderful architecture and cultural monuments. FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich attended Round 6 and made the first ceremonial move on board 1 in the match Canada vs Iceland in the 50+ section. “We are very happy that the World Senior Team Championship is here in Krakow, Poland this time. The organizers do everything to make it a high quality event and they succeeded,” he said. “It is very important to make our senior players happy. They made great chess careers, they made many good friends and they are happy to come back, playing over the board with each other, having join memories and also visiting new places. It is very important for FIDE the make chess accessible to all ages and World Senior Team Championship is a part of this great tradition,” FIDE President added. The standings in the tournament after Round 6 are as follows: In the 50+ competition, Iceland leads with 11 team points, closely followed by Italy, Israel, England 2, Canada, and the USA, all sitting on 8 points. The leaders scored five wins and drew their match with England 1, led by Michael Adams. Standings after six rounds 50+ In the 65+ section, France Cercle D’Echecs de Strasbourg seized the top position (11/12) after defeating Slovakia, while their main rivals England 1 and Israel drew their match. As a result, England 1 goes to the rest day in second place; Israel is third. Standings after six rounds 65+ The race for the titles is still very close in both sections, with three rounds remaining. In other news, FIDE “Capture” photo exhibition by Stev Bonhage was opened here in Krakow, following the one in Morocco just a week earlier. Official website: worldseniorteam2024.fide.com Photos: Mark Livshitz
Fabiano Caruana wins Superbet Chess Classic Romania
Fabiano Caruana emerged victorious at the Superbet Chess Classic Romania in Bucharest after a dramatic final day. The first of two classical events, this tournament was a 10-player round robin with nine tour regulars and one wildcard, local Romanian favorite Bogdan-Daniel Deac. With double the prize fund of the rapid events, the players fought for a total purse of $350,000. Fabiano took the lead in Round 4 and maintained it until the last round. However, he suffered defeat at the hands of Anish Giri, which allowed Alireza Firouzja Gikesh D and Praggnanandhaa R to catch up and tie in first place. Alireza had every reason to be disappointed as he missed a golden opportunity to secure the title outright after misplaying a winning position against Praggnanandhaa. With all other games of the final round ending in draws, a total of four players tied for first place, leading to a round-robin rapid chess tiebreaker to determine the winner. Although 38 out of 45 classical games in the main event were drawn, all the tiebreaker games ended in victories. The unfazed Fabiano Caruana (deemed to be not as good at faster time controls) passed this rapid chess test with flying colours. The American GM won all three games and clinched the title and the $68,750 first prize. Alireza Firouzja lost to Fabiano but scored two wins to take second place, while Praggnanandhaa and Gukesh finished third and fourth, respectively. Photos: Grand Chess Tour/Lennart Ootes Official website: grandchesstour.org/
Ziaur Rahman (1974-2024)
FIDE is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of GM Ziaur Rahman after suffering a stroke while competing against fellow grandmaster Enamul Hossain Rajib in the 12th round of the National Chess Championship in Dhaka on July 05, 2024. He was 50. According to local media, at one stage, he fell to the ground at around 6 PM. Fellow chess players and officials then rushed Ziaur Rahman to the Ibrahim Cardiac Hospital in Shahbag, where the doctors soon declared him dead. Bangladesh’s most decorated chess player left behind his wife and a son. Graduated from the University of Dhaka, he earned the International Master (IM) title in 1993 and the GM title in 2002. Ziaur Rahman held the highest FIDE rating ever achieved by a Bangladeshi chess player (2,570 in October 2005). In 2021, he won the Mujib Borsho Invitational at Dhaka, scoring 7.5/9. Later that year he took part in the FIDE World Cup. In 2022, the 15-time national champion Ziaur Rahman made history by representing Bangladesh in the 44th Chess Olympiad with his son, Tahsin Tajwar Zia. They were the first father-son duo to be on a national chess team. FIDE extends its sincere condolences to Ziaur Rahman’s family, friends, and loved ones. Photo: FIDE/Madelene Belinki