QCA and Northwestern University in Qatar hold joint course “Chess and Strategic Thinking”
“Truly innovative and groundbreaking initiative” was the way Arkady Dvorkovich, the current President of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), Chairman of the Organizing Committee of 2018 Football World Cup in Russia and former deputy Prime Minister of Russia, described a new course “Chess and Strategic Thinking” offered jointly by the Qatar Chess Association and Northwestern University in Qatar, a university partner of Qatar Foundation. Dvorkovich pointed out that FIDE is looking closely to this experience in Qatar to replicate it across other universities worldwide. The first course that combines strategic and critical thinking with chess was delivered as part of a full credited program in Liberal Arts. In his speech, which was attended in a hybrid format by all 20 students participating in the course, FIDE President promised to visit Doha in the nearest future to give further support to the development of chess in Qatar. The course “Chess and Strategic Thinking” was developed by Grandmaster and Head Coach of the Qatar National Team, Victor Bologan and Jairo Lugo-Ocando, who is a professor in residence at Northwestern University in Qatar as part of the Liberal Arts program. The course was open to all students in Education City. In addition, there were guest lecturers such as President of the Qatar Chess Association Mohamed Al-Mudahka considered the best Arabic chess player of the 20th Century and Miss Zhu Chen, former Women World Champion. Besides the credits counting towards their degree, the participating students also received a certificate from the Qatar Chess Association. “It is the first time in Qatar that a chess course is offered as part of an accredited program in a university. It is also a novelty in the Middle East region despite its long history of engagement with that game. It allows students to develop strategic and critical thinking by exploring key notions and concepts around strategy while playing chess”, said Victor Bologan. “The fact that it combines strategic and critical thinking with our game is truly wonderful. It is a great idea that will help students to apply a particular perspective to life”, he added. “Study after study shows that young people playing chess see significant improvements in their learning ability and enhance their employability. Many companies and organizations often like candidates that can think critically and strategically”, said Lugo-Ocando. “Of course, this is not only about playing chess but rather a way of exploring strategic and critical thinking, studying different aspects of Game and Complexity Theories, while learning about Conflict Resolution and Confrontational Strategy in real life. All this why students also learn by playing”, added Professor Lugo-Ocando. The course was held intensively for five weeks (May-June 2021) in a row with 3-hours daily lessons, lots of homework, chess tournaments, individual training and consultations. The final grade will be composed of attendance (which was excellent!), a chess tournament and a test, and the final essay, which should describe a political, economic, social or historical situation using chess terms and strategic thinking taught during the course.
Ding and Aronian take the lead after Day 2
Armenian star Levon Aronian and China’s Ding Liren share the lead in the Goldmoney Asian Rapid before the cut is made tomorrow. Aronian started like a train on the second day and led right until the end having gone five unbeaten on day one. That run stretched to 10 as Aronian scored back-to-back wins in his first two games to move top of the $100,000 event’s leaderboard early on. But draws in the next three games allowed Ding, who won a key final game against Peter Svidler, to catch him up. First, Aronian toppled World Champion Magnus Carlsen, who lost his first game for the second day in a row. The 38-year-old then crushed the India teen star Arjun Erigaisi before securing a draw against the in-form Dutchman Anish Giri. Meanwhile, Carlsen again struggled to get into gear in the early stages of a Meltwater Champions Chess Tour event and ended the day fifth on 6/10. Having lost to Aronian in the opener, Carlsen found himself in big trouble again in a blockbuster round 7 against Giri. Giri’s had two knights rampaging into Carlsen’s position and the game looked lost. But the champ woke up from his “knightmare” and managed to escape with a draw after finding a last-gasp resource to force a three-fold repetition. Giri, who revealed he has just become a father for the second time, must have been kicking himself. He had started the day with a level score against the Tour leader – that stays the same, for now. Vladislav Artemiev also put in a phenomenal performance to go joint-third with Wesley So on 6.5/10, half a point ahead of Carlsen. And 17-year-old Arjun Erigaisi also impressed, ending the day out of the drop zone. But the real battle is tomorrow when the 16 scramble for places in the top eight, while the bottom eight bow out. Salem Saleh, Daniil Dubov, Peter Svidler, Jan-Krzyzsztof Duda and Erigaisi are all on the edge, with the youngster Alireza Firouzja half a point behind. With five rounds to go before the knockouts start, any one of them could lift themselves into contention or drop out of sight. The Goldmoney Asian Rapid is broadcast live on Norwegian TV station TV 2 and streamed with commentary in several languages on chess24’s YouTube and Twitch channels. Highlights will also be available in 60 countries on the Eurosport app. Play resumes tomorrow at 13:00 CEST. All games will be played on the chess24.com playzone. For further information, please contact: Leon Watson, PR for Play Magnus Groupleon@chessable.com+44 7786 078 770
Five-way split for the lead after Day 1
The $100,000 Goldmoney Asian Rapid got off to a fast start today – but not for World Champion Magnus Carlsen. The Norwegian suffered a disappointing first-game loss after the exciting teen star Alireza Firouzja threw caution to the wind in the opener and won. Carlsen always recovers, however, and scored his first win in the very next round with a trademark endgame powerplay against Hou Yifan, the world’s top female player. After another draw and a win, the champ scored a win against Salem Saleh, the first UAE player to compete on the Tour. Carlsen ended the day on 3.5/5 and in a five-way tie for the lead. Carlsen is going for a hat-trick of wins in the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour as the online chess season’s seventh leg begins. He said after that he’s aiming for a “better way” into the knockout stage than he managed in the last event, the FTX Crypto Cup, when he nearly crashed out early. Carlsen added: “This was a very decent start. I’m never really hard on myself in these first days because I’m never really in top gear.” Joining Carlsen on 3.5/5 is China’s Ding Liren, who made the early running, Levon Aronian, and the two Russians Vladislav Artemiev and Daniil Dubov. Ding, nicknamed the “Chinese Wall”, is benefitting from this tournament’s earlier start time after having previously had to play into the early hours of the morning because of his timezone. Of the four Indians taking part, the youngster Arjun Erigaisi and Vidit Gujrathi lead on 2.5/5 with Gukesh D and B Adhiban both struggling – despite displaying some fiery chess – on 1/5. Today’s performance puts the leaders in a solid position to make the cut on day three when the field is halved and eight of the 16 players drop off. The Goldmoney Asian Rapid is broadcast live on Norwegian TV station TV 2 and streamed with commentary in several languages on chess24’s YouTube and Twitch channels. Highlights will also be available in 60 countries on the Eurosport app. Play begins tomorrow at 13:00 CEST. All games will be played on the chess24.com playzone. The full line-up: Magnus Carlsen – #1 Tour Standings Wesley So – #2 Tour Standings Anish Giri – #4 Tour Standings Levon Aronian – #7 Tour Standings Alireza Firouzja – Wildcard / #12 Tour Standings Vidit Gujrathi – Wildcard Ding Liren – Wildcard Jan-Krzysztof Duda – Wildcard Vladislav Artemiev – New Invite / Wildcard Saleh Salem – New Invite / Wildcard Hou Yifan – New Invite / Wildcard Arjun Erigaisi – Indian Qualifier Adhiban Baskaran – Indian Qualifier Gukesh D – Gelfand Challenge Daniil Dubov – Premium Vote Peter Svidler – Premium Vote For further information, please contact: Leon Watson, PR for Play Magnus Groupleon@chessable.com+44 7786 078 770
Hou Yifan and Harika Dronavalli progress into semis
Two quarterfinals of the FIDE Chess.com Women’s Speed Chess Championship were played on Friday, June 25. In the first one, Hou Yifan beat Bibisara Assaubayeva 13½:9½ and became the second semifinalist of the FIDE Chess.com Women’s Speed Chess Championship. The youngster from Kazakhstan put up a good fight, but in the end, it was not enough against the women’s top-rated player who convincingly won two out of three segments of the match. Bibisara only managed to prevail in the 3+1 section by a minimal margin. In the semis, Hou Yifan takes on the winner of Lei Tingjie vs. Antoaneta Stefanova duel, scheduled for Monday. In the second quarterfinal match of the day, Harika Dronavalli overpowered Anna Muzychuk 13½:8½ and clinched the third spot in the semifinals of the FIDE Chess.com Women’s Speed Chess Championship. It was a tightly contested battle, but Harika had an edge in all three segments of the match. “Somewhere in between 5+1, I lost two games out of my blunders and felt that something was going wrong and I had to fight back. I think that was the crucial moment of the match,” said the winner after the games. Later she added: “All I tried was to have an interesting match for people to enjoy, that was my whole point, and I think we succeeded.” Anna Muzychuk gave full credit to her opponent: “Today Harika played better so she deserved to win the match and I congratulate her on this achievement.” Harika’s next opponent is Kateryna Lagno. The semifinal matches are scheduled for July 1-2. The FIDE Chess.com 2021 Women’s Speed Chess Championship is an online competition for titled female players. The qualifiers for the event took place from May 28-June 6, while the main event runs from June 10 to July 3. Players are battling for their share of a total prize fund of $66,000. Fans can follow the FIDE Chess.com Women’s Speed Chess Championship by watching the live broadcast with expert commentary on Chess.com/TV and Chess.com’s Twitch channel. They will also be able to enjoy the event through Chess.com’s Events page (https://www.chess.com/events). More info and a full schedule of the FIDE Chess.com Women’s Speed Chess Championship can be found here.
Lagno beats Dzagnidze to advance into semis
GM Kateryna Lagno (Russia) becomes the first semifinalist of the FIDE Chess.com Women’s Speed Chess Championship 2021 after defeating Nana Dzagnidze (Georgia) in today’s quarterfinal match 14:8. Katerina got off to a flying start and although Nana closed in a couple of times, Lagno proved herself to be a better player, particularly under mutual time pressure. “It was a tough match. Nana was winning in several games that she could not convert, so I started to win game after game and it gave me some confidence,” commented the winner. “I am not very experienced [in bullet]. Overall, online chess is not really my cup of tea, but I am trying to improve – recently I have started playing online regularly,” said Nana Dzagnidze. Lagno’s semifinal opponent will be the winner of Harika Dronavalli vs. Anna Muzychuk quarterfinal match, to be played on Friday, June 25 at 16:00 CEST. The FIDE Chess.com 2021 Women’s Speed Chess Championship is an online competition for titled female players. The qualifiers for the event took place from May 28-June 6, while the main event runs from June 10 to July 3. Players are battling for their share of a total prize fund of $66,000. Fans can follow the FIDE Chess.com Women’s Speed Chess Championship by watching the live broadcast with expert commentary on Chess.com/TV and Chess.com’s Twitch channel. They will also be able to enjoy the event through Chess.com’s Events page (https://www.chess.com/events). More info and a full schedule of the FIDE Chess.com Women’s Speed Chess Championship can be found here.
Latvia to stage the International Children and Youth Chess Festival “Rudaga – Kaissa 2021”
The FIDE Endorsed International Children and Youth Chess Festival «Rudaga – Kaissa 2021» will be held from 23 July to 1 August 2021 in Jūrmala, Latvia. The event is organized by the non-governmental organization “Rudaga Plus” and supported by FIDE, Latvian Chess Federation, Jurmala City Council, Children and Youth School of Education and Creativity “Rudaga” (Jurmala, Latvia), chess club “KAISSA” (Riga, Latvia), and Semarah Hotel “Lielupe” (Jurmala, Latvia). The festival includes three tournaments with three different time controls – Rapid (7 rounds held on July 24 and 25), Standard (Swiss System, 7 rounds held on July 26 – July 28 and July 30 – August 01) and Blitz (9 rounds, July 29). During «Rudaga – Kaissa 2021» festival creative and intellectual workshops, children friendship tournaments, master classes, simuls, a dedicated photo-corner and other entertainment activities will be organised. All participants of the event must be born in 2001 or later and have FIDE IDs (except rapid tournament players born in the year 2013 and younger). The registration fees for participation are 15 EUR for Blitz tournament, 25 EUR for Rapid tournament and 35 EUR for Standard tournament. Children with special needs and orphans are exempt from the fee. In addition to standard prizes – commemorative cups, diplomas, medals and memorable gifts – the winner of the Standard tournament among boys and girls will receive accreditation for the World Chess Olympiad 2022, an entrance ticket for the Opening Ceremony and accommodation for two nights in the official hotel of the Olympiad. Participation in the tournament is confirmed by an invitation sent by the Organizer, based on received applications, lists of participants and payment of the registration fee. Applications for participation are accepted until July 20, 2021 (if you need a visa, applications are accepted until July 10, 2021). Application forms: Registration for the Standard tournament: https://cutt.ly/xnKl1CP Registration for the Rapid tournament: https://cutt.ly/znKzqdg Registration for the Blitz tournament: https://cutt.ly/knKlKmF Tournament Regulations (pdf) Organizer’s contacts: Tournament Director: Inessa Testelecs, +371 29236910, chess.rudaga@gmail.com Chief Arbiter: Natalia Popova, International Arbiter Category D, Belarus, nata_chess@mail.ru
Budapest Chess Olympiad 2024: The contract is signed
The contract for the Budapest Chess Olympiad 2024 is now officially signed. On Wednesday, June 23, FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich visited the Hungarian capital Budapest to meet with the organizers of the Chess Olympiad 2024. The signing of the contract for the most important team chess competition was the high point of the day. FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, Laszlo Szabo, President of Hungarian Chess Federation, and Attila Mihok, Executive Director of the NSÜ – National Sports Agency of Hungary put their signatures under the document. Evgeny Stanislavov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation in Hungary, was also present. In his speech, FIDE President noted that the pandemic created obstacles for organizing sports events and chess tournaments in particular, but he firmly believes that there is enough time to organize the 2024 Olympiad on the highest level. “Hungary has incredible chess traditions, with great players like Lajos Portisch, Zoltán Ribli, Polgar sisters, and many others, a very active chess federation, and the support of national authorities and a beautiful city of Budapest. That is what makes it a perfect place for this most important team event,” said Arkady Dvorkovich. Legal support for the preparation and terms negotiations of the contract was provided by KIAP, Attorneys at Law – the official legal partner of FIDE. The Chess Olympiad 2024 is scheduled to run from September 10-23 at the renovated Hungexpo Exhibition and Conference Centre, with a total budget of 16,6 million euros. Political authorities, chess legends, and prominent members of the Hungarian Olympic movement and the sports administration have expressed their unconditional support to the event.
Wesley So wins 2021 Paris Grand Chess Tour
It may have been close at times, but in the end, it was smooth sailing for Wesley So who made it to the top of the leaderboard for the 2021 Paris Grand Chess Tour. Although his rival for first place, Ian Nepomniachtchi chased the American the entire day, Wesley So ultimately took home the first place win with a round to spare. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Alireza Firouzja fought hard today as well. Despite the fact that they both lost in the final round, the two finished the day tied for third place and then it was a tie for fifth between Levon Aronian and Richard Rapport. Vladimir Kramnik Kramnik felt rusty today, and it is not something the top chess contenders forgive. Over the two days of blitz, Kramnik was inventive, imaginative, and unafraid to take chances on the board. Unfortunately, he was not sharp enough when the tactics and fireworks inevitably happened to disrupt his games. Regrettably, the Russian made uncharacteristic mistakes and was consistently outcalculated among his competitors. Fabiano Caruana Unfortunately, World #2 did not become a contender at the top of this tournament’s leaderboard, and the last day was not a strong improvement for Caruana either. Luckily the American won twice today with black against Radjabov and Svidler, which meant that the day was still successful but not enough to move him to the top standings. Caruana’s previous final standings of seventh in Bucharest and now placing eighth in Paris shows that his chances to fight for the 2021 Grand Chess Tour title might be quickly slipping away. Richard Rapport After losing to Aronian on the second blitz game of the day, it could have been easy to dismiss Richard Rapport as not finding his form. But he came back fighting with three near-consecutive wins against Caruana, Radjabov and Firouzja that greatly improved his overall tournament results. The Hungarian ended up tied for fifth with Armenian player, Levon Aronian. Teimour Radjabov The tournament was sadly a bit of a disaster for Radjabov, he finished the final day of Paris with three losses in a row. The talented Azerbaijani will need to go back to the drawing board to see what went wrong in both the rapid and blitz sections as he gears up for his next Grand Chess Tour event. Unfortunately, Radjabov finished last in the event, even with Kramnik’s not-so-stellar performance in the blitz, which offset Bacrot’s excellent rapid portion. Peter Svidler The 8-time Russian Champion started the day in third place, but he was unable to keep pace and maintain the third-place position among his fellow competitors. Throughout the day he was in a fight for third place with Firouzja, Aronian and Vachier-Lagrave, but he fell apart in the second half of the day. Losing three games in a row saw him tumbling down the standings, finishing in seventh position overall. Levon Aronian A very solid +2 score on the last day of blitz was unfortunately not enough for Levon to achieve third place, even though the Armenian was fighting tenaciously throughout the day’s blitz games. Although Aronian’s games were fun to watch and his score in the blitz was good with +1 over these two days, it wasn’t enough to overcome his result in the previous rapid portion ultimately tying for fifth with Richard Rapport. Alireza Firouzja Amazing chess was played today by one of the shining stars of the game. His unique comeback story from the win-less rapid to a blisteringly hot performance in the blitz section stole all the viewer’s hearts. A tie for third place is a great result for the young phenom and future of our sport. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave Vachier-Lagrave himself considered his play today to be “too uneven”. Indeed, masterstrokes and brilliant games were sometimes marred or wiped by multiple blunders or unnecessary losses. Still, tying for third place is not an awful result for the French #1. He hopes to be in better shape with his participation in the upcoming Croatia Grand Chess Tour stop. Ian Nepomniachtchi The World Championship Challenger had a great event. A good performance in the rapid portion, followed by strong showings in both days of blitz. His 21.5 total points would have won the last Paris Rapid & Blitz, that edition won in 2019 by Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (21 points total for that first place win). This year, however, Wesley So was on fire for this year’s Paris leg. Huge kudos to Nepomniachtchi for trying his hardest against So in the final round, despite the result not mattering for the standings as So clinched with a round to go. That being said, Nepomniachtchi lost that final game against the tournament winner! Wesley So What a scintillating performance by the American player! Wesley So didn’t simply win the tournament – remained completely unbreakable. Aggressive positions, slow positions, endgames, openings – it didn’t matter what type of position appeared on the board, So was able to masterfully play it and win. The American superstar has lost only one game between the 36 Grand Chess Tour games he has played so far this season: 9 in Bucharest (classical) and 27 in Paris (rapid and blitz). Congratulations to the 2021 Paris Grand Chess Tour winner, Wesley So! So’s mother, Lotis Key, has been an important part of the American’s success Text: GM Alejandro Ramirez Photo: Grand Chess Tour, Lennart Ootes Official website: grandchesstour.org
Turkish Women’s Championship: Atalik clinches her fifth title
IM Ekaterina Atalık won her fifth national title after outperforming all the competitors in the 2021 Turkish Women’s Championship. Sponsored by a major Turkish home appliances company, Arzum, the event, a 7-round Swiss tournament, took place from June 13-19 in the beautiful halls of Çorum Museum which is also home to many important archaeological findings from Hattusa, the ancient capital of Hittites, and other settlements that lie inside the borders of the modern-day city of Çorum. The championship was expected to be a two-horse race between IM Ekaterina Atalık and WGM Kübra Öztürk Örenli and so it turned out to be in the end despite all the best efforts of the young and upcoming players in a dense field of 32 participants. The two regulars of the Turkish national team took the first two places with 6.5 and 6 points respectively after seven hard-fought rounds. Their eagerly awaited game ended in a draw after a tense battle, so the half-point loss WGM Öztürk Örenli suffered at the hands of the young Azra Ece Koç in the second round proved to be decisive for the championship race. 17-year-old WFM Esma Doga Duran finished clear third, a full point ahead of the rest of the field. The utmost care was given to the epidemiological regulations throughout the championship. The successful completion of the event without any health concerns sets an important example for the long-awaited full-scale return to OTB chess. Final standings: 1 Atalik, Ekaterina 6½ 2 Ozturk Orenli, Kubra 6 3 Duran, Esma Doga 5½ 4 Onur, Cigdem 4½ 5 Sahin, Hayrun Nisa 4½ 6 Kocyigit, Buse Naz 4½ 7 Gokbulut, Julia 4½ 8 Kalayci, Nino 4 9 Incecik , Seyma Zeynep 4 10 Akti, Ezgi 4 Text: Tarik Selbes Photo: official website Official website: kadinlar2021.tsf.org.tr
Amadou Lamine Cissé wins Senegal National Championship
Amadou Lamine Cissé won Senegal National Championship with an exceptional result of 9 out of 9 points. Cissé secured the title with a round to spare. The first part of the Senegal National Championship was held at Cours Sainte Marie De Hann from December 4, 2020, to December 6, 2020. The event was open for both Senegalese and foreigners. The seven-round Swiss tournament brought together 44 participants. Top ten Senegalese finishers qualified for the Senegal Closed National Chess Championship. The second and final leg of the Senegalese Chess Championships took place from June 11-20, 2021 at the Arène Nationale in Dakar, Senegal. The National Championship was originally supposed to be held in late December 2020 just after the Senegal Open Championship but was postponed due to tightened Covid-19 measures. The event was a 10-player round-robin tournament with a time control of 90 minutes for 40 moves followed by 30 minutes to the end of the game, plus a 30-second increment starting from move one. In second place with 7.5/9 is the top-rated Senegalese player Gbedo Sy Mansour who finished 1½ points ahead of third place. Bernard Lesbros and Mouhamadou Mourtada Fall tied for third place on 5½/9 with the former taking bronze thanks to better tiebreaks. Nadezhda Marochkina – the only lady participant in the tournament – proved herself against men’s competition by scoring 4½/9 and was crowned undisputed 2020 Senegalese Women National Chess Champion. Final standings: 1 Cisse, Amadou Lamine 9 2 Mansour, Gbedo Sy 7½ 3 Lesbros, Bernard 5½ 4 Fall, Mouhamadou Mourtada 5½ 5 Marochkina, Nadezhda 4½ 6 Wane, Al Hassane 3½ 7 Badji, Sekou Aransbene 3 8 Dioum, Mouhamadou Falilou 2½ 9 Diop, Wara 2 10 Kaundum, A. Robert Diatta 2 Official website: fesec.org Text and photo: Amadou Lamine Cisse