FIDE Women’s Grand Prix Gibraltar: Opening Ceremony
The final leg of the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix, was opened by the Hon. Steven Linares, Gibraltar minister for Minister for Sport, Culture, Heritage & Youth at the Caleta Hotel on Friday evening. Stuart Conquest, chess grandmaster and organiser of the multi-award-winning Gibraltar International Chess Festival, opening the ceremony, said “It’s the most prestigious event we’ve ever run.” After a beautiful rendition of the Gibraltar national anthem by Michelle Brown, and the playing of the FIDE anthem, Stuart introduced the minister, who also refers to himself as ‘the minister for chess.’ Speaking on behalf of the Gibraltar government, he expressed Gibraltar’s pride in being invited to host such an important chess event, and in particular a women’s event, given the Gibraltar Festival’s long-standing role in supporting and boosting the women’s game since its inception in 2003. When the opportunity came to host an official FIDE event which is part of the women’s world championship cycle, it was a great honour to accept. It was his great pleasure to declare the tournament open. The audience, which included players, officials and local sponsors, then viewed a video message from the FIDE president, Arkady Dvorkovich, recorded earlier the same day. The president also alluded to the important role Gibraltar and its chess festival had played in the development of women’s chess over the years and expressed his particular pleasure that FIDE was able to show its gratitude by holding an official event in Gibraltar. Nigel Short, who will be a co-commentator for the first half of the tournament, then took the podium and entertained the audience with some impromptu observations. The former world championship runner-up, who has himself won three Gibraltar Masters titles, took particular pleasure in the fact that the tournament marks the return of over-the-board chess in an official world championship qualifier. As a traditionalist, OTB chess remains his favourite form of chess, though he also welcomes the huge recent upsurge in chess activity online, as a result of the global success of the Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit. Nigel amused the audience by referring to the competitors as ’12 Beth Harmons but without the narcotics’. Each competitor has then introduced in turn and took the stage to pose for photos with the minister. Because of travel difficulties, nine of them were present in the room, with another two, who had only just arrived at the venue, not present in the room. The twelfth, Valentina Gunina, is due to arrive on Saturday, the day of the first round. Text and photo: John Saunders
In memory of Max Euwe on the 120th anniversary of his birth
The fifth World Champion Max Euwe was born on May 20, 1901, precisely 120 years ago. A champion, whom many call accidental, a champion whose games are somewhat understudied, a champion who, in fact, has never even been a professional chess player. How did this happen? Was it just a confluence of circumstances or there is some logic behind his ascend to the top? Let’s try to figure it out. Young Max quickly came to the forefront of Dutch chess, winning the national by the age of 19. But chess went hand in hand with his studies – Euwe dreamed of becoming a mathematician. He enrolled at the University of Amsterdam, and not only graduated with honours but also continued his research and received his Ph.D. by the age of 25. In 1926 Euwe was already such a respected maestro that Alekhine offered Max to play a short match when preparing for his duel with Capablanca. It was a close match – Euwe lost but was quite satisfied with the +2-3=5 result. The Dutchman was getting a taste for it, and although Euwe did not forget about mathematics, he tried his hand not only in tournaments (there were still few in the late twenties) but also in matches. Two duels with Bogoljubov were particularly interesting. Efim Dmitriyevich won both 10-game matches by a minimal margin. Curiously, these matches were called First FIDE Championship Match and Second FIDE Championship Match, respectively. Photo: Amsterdam City Archives / Vereenigde Fotobureaux NV As the winner, Bogolyubov had the moral right to challenge Alekhine, which he did. Max kept his chin up, he felt that he could already play with the best of the best on equal footing. In 1930 Euwe beat Capablanca in Hastings and challenged the legendary Cuban to a duel. Once again, his opponent was stronger and won this hard-fought match by a score of +2-0=8. It should be noted that Euwe was certainly lucky to be born in Holland. This rich country suffered relatively little damage from the First World War and has always treated chess with respect. It is no coincidence that all these matches were played in Holland. Subsequently, Timman would follow a similar path, but half a century later he did not manage to make it all the way to the top. Euwe was doing a great job combining work with chess. He started a family, moved up the career ladder to become a respected teacher, but at the same time he decided to work more on the game, taking a break from tournament play. Indeed, Euwe played very little for a year and a half and then in the summer of 1934 started moving from one tournament to another performing consistently well (with just one exception). Max beat his countrymen Van den Bosch and Landau (6:0 and 4.5:1.5), tied for second place with Flohr at the strongest tournament of the year in Zurich, finishing just one point behind Alekhine but beating him in the head-to-head encounter. Later on, he won Hastings 1934/35, defeating Botvinnik along the way. His only hiccup was a 50% score in a tournament against the strongest Soviet masters. However, I am sure that Max learned a lot from this trip. By 1935 Euwe was an undisputed player of the top-5 or even the top-3. Comparing him with other champions we can see that, say, Petrosian’s results were no more convincing. So the Dutchman certainly had the moral right to challenge the World Champion. At the same time, everyone (and Euwe himself) considered Alekhine to be the favourite. An unofficial training match with maestro Rudolf Spielmann, which the challenger supposedly lost 4-6, did not inspire optimism. However, since the games of this match are not available, it is hard to say how committed Euwe was when playing. Whatever the case, Euwe was diligently preparing for the match, patching up his trademark Slav, Defence, working on his “first serve” – the opening preparation with white. It should be noted that Euwe has always been an advocate of closed openings. The Dutchman even went to Vienna to work with Becker’s archives. He got some help from a recognized opening guru Ernst Gruenfeld, studied endgames with Marozy, and invited Flor (who was in the top-5 at this point) to be his second. Flohr thought that such assistance would be improper and accepted this offer on the condition that Alekhine would not mind. The Russian champion was magnanimous, noting that all such preparation would be too little too late. And then something unthinkable happened. Photo: National Archives of The Netherlands Alekhine, who always approached any competition very professionally, was surprisingly flippant this time. The first signs of this attitude became visible in his match with Bogoljubov in 1934 – but it was a competition of unequal opponents after all. However, he found his match this time. Why did this happen, how many games did Alekhine play being tipsy, how important is the fact that the match was played in nine Dutch cities? All of these matters require careful analysis. One thing is clear – there is no room for an accident in a long 30-game match. Alekhine was not in his optimal condition that is for sure. But the fact that a chess player of his caliber was unable to come round and beat Euwe speaks volumes of the Dutchman as an opponent. Euwe won 15½:14½ and became the fifth world champion. He was always humble about his victory and did not react publicly to Alekhine’s words about the crown being lent out for two years. The Dutchman was not afraid of putting his reputation at risk as he continued to play a lot, and although Max did lose the chess crown in 1937, he remained a top player for one more decade. Playing in the AVRO 1938, the event that brought together the eight best players of that time, Euwe turned in a decent performance scoring 50%. In 1940 the former World Champion Euwe locked horns with Keres and again
Attention FIDE World Cup participants
Dear chess friends, Next week the Organizing Committee expects the final confirmation from the Russian Foreign Ministry on visa support for the participants of the World Cup. In order to collect and process the necessary information, the World Cup ?????? ???????????? ?????? will be launched next week. Those participants (players and accompanying persons) who need an Entry Visa to Russia will be provided with ???? ?????????? ??????? (ENG and RUS). These letters are mandatory to obtain an Entry Visa in the Russian Consulates in participants’ home countries or abroad. The Visa Invitation Letter will be available for downloading from the System after a participant is accredited by the Registration Manager. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, those Non-Russian citizens who don’t need an Entry Visa to Russia, still need to provide a passport copy and passport details through the System to be able to enter the Russian Federation.
Women’s World Cup: List of qualified players
The list of participants of the FIDE Women’s World Cup, scheduled for July 2021, has nearly shaped up. Canada is the only remaining federation to run qualifiers in early June. World Championship 2018 (4) 1. GM Ju Wenjun (CHN)2. GM Kateryna Lagno (RUS)3. GM Alexandra Kosteniuk (RUS)4. GM Mariya Muzychuk (UKR) https://ugra2018.fide.com/pairings/ U-20 (2) 2018 – WGM Aleksandra Maltsevskaya (RUS) http://wjcc2018.tsf.org.tr/en/component/turnuva/?task=fileview&kid=978 2019 – WGM Polina Shuvalova (RUS) http://chess-results.com/tnr479944.aspx?lan=20&art=1&rd=11&flag=30 Average Rating (5) 1. GM Hou Yifan (CHN)2. GM Humpy Koneru (IND)3. GM Anna Muzychuk (UKR)4. GM Harika Dronavalli (IND)5. GM Tan Zhongyi (CHN) Continental – Africa (3) 2019 1.WGM Shrook Wafa (EGY)2.WIM Sabrina Latreche (ALG)3. WIM Ayah Moaataz (EGY) Continental – Americas (8) 2018 WGM Deysi Cori (PER) 2019 WIM Maili-Jade Ouellet (CAN) Zone 2.1: 1. WGM Jennifer Yu (USA)2. WGM Tatev Abrahamyan (USA) Zone 2.3: WIM Yerisbel Miranda (CUB) Zone 2.4: WIM Anahi Ortiz Verdezoto (ECU) Zone 2.5: WIM Gabriela Vargas (PAR) Zonal 2.2: The nominee will be decided shortly Continental – Asia (12) 2018 IM Padmini Rout (IND) 2019 IM Dinara Saduakassova (KAZ) Zone 3.1: IM Sarasadat Khademalsharieh (IRI) Zone 3.2: WIM Sultana Sharmin Shirin (BAN) Zone 3.3: IM Medina Aulia Varda (INA) Zone 3.4: WIM Yakubbaeva Nilufar (UZB) Zone 3.5: 1. WGM Zhu Jiner (CHN) 2. WGM Huang Qian (CHN) 3. WGM Zhai Mo (CHN) 4. GM Lei Tingjie (CHN) Zone 3.6: WGM Julia Ryjanova (AUS) Zone 3.7: IM Kulkarni Bhakti (IND) Continental – Europe (28) 2018 GM Valentina Gunina (RUS) GM Nana Dzagnidze (GEO) GM Anna Ushenina (UKR) IM Ekaterina Atalik (TUR) GM Antoaneta Stefanova (BUL) IM Elisabeth Paehtz (GER) WGM Klaudia Kulon (POL) GM Aleksandra Goryachkina (RUS) IM Gunay Mammadzada (AZE) IM Iulia Osmak (UKR) IM Lela Javakhishvili (GEO) IM Karina Szczepkowska (POL) GM Marie Sebag (FRA) WGM Laura Unuk (SLO) http://chess-results.com/tnr338143.aspx?lan=20&art=1&rd=11&turdet=YES&flag=30 2019 IM Alina Kashlinskaya (RUS) IM Inna Gaponenko (UKR) WGM Pauline Guichard (FRA) WGM Ulviyya Fataliyeva (AZE) IM Stavroula Tsolakidou (GRE) WGM Jolanta Zawadzka (POL) GM Pia Cramling (SWE) IM Anastasia Bodnaruk (RUS) GM Monika Socko (POL) WGM Anastasya Paramzina (RUS) WGM Marina Brunello (ITA) WGM Turkan Mamedjarova (AZE) IM Nurgyul Salimova (BUL) WGM Dina Belenkaya (RUS) http://chess-results.com/tnr423302.aspx?lan=20&art=1&rd=11&flag=30 In case of the withdrawal of a zonal and continental tournament qualifier, she is substituted with the highest-ranked player from the respective tournaments (the links can be found in this document). In all other cases, the rating criteria are applied. The list of reserve players by rating: 1. WGM Pogonina, Natalija (RUS)2. WGM Girya, Olga (RUS)3. IM Abdumalik, Zhansaya (KAZ)4. GM Khotenashvili, Bela (GEO)5. IM Bulmaga, Irina (ROU) All qualified players are required to sign their respective contracts (Player’s Contract for Participation in the FIDE Women’s World Cup 2021) and send them scanned to the FIDE Secretariat – office@fide.com by 4 June 2021 11:59 pm Lausanne time. We would welcome the most prompt response from the players. In accordance with Article 2.1.V of the updated recently FIDE Women’s World Cup Regulations, thirty-nine Federations are selected according to the average rating of their five highest-rated women players in the December 2020 FRL (not more than 15 per Continent). These Federations should nominate any player of their choice who is registered to their Federation by June 9th, 2021 (in addition to players already qualified through other paths). N FEDERATION Avg of Top 5, FRL Dec 2020 1 China 2544 2 Russia 2516 3 Georgia 2473 4 Ukraine 2469 5 India 2455 6 United States of America 2406 7 Kazakhstan 2401 8 Poland 2395 9 France 2388 10 Spain 2371 11 Hungary 2364 12 Azerbaijan 2362 13 Bulgaria 2361 14 Germany 2356 15 Armenia 2345 16 Netherlands 2342 17 Romania 2336 18 Iran 2333 19 Mongolia 2328 20 Cuba 2322 21 Serbia 2318 22 Turkey 2315 23 Vietnam 2303 24 Indonesia 2284 25 Canada 2256 26 Argentina 2244 27 Uzbekistan 2206 28 Australia 2187 29 Colombia 2162 30 Brazil 2130 31 Philippines 2129 32 Mexico 2121 33 Peru 2096 34 Egypt 2084 35 Venezuela 2028 36 Chile 2016 37 Turkmenistan 2016 38 Saudi Arabia 2014 39 Malaysia 2012 Please note that the deadline for submission of nomination, as well as for nominees’ confirmation of participation is 9 June. As previously announced, FIDE World Cup and FIDE Women’s World Cup were expanded to 206 and 103 players, with prize funds in both competitions substantially increased.
Ahead of FIDE WGP Gibraltar: standings and full pairings
The Women’s FIDE Grand Prix Gibraltar postponed due to COVID-19 restrictions in the British Oversea Territory will take place from May 22 to June 2, 2021. Hosting this prestigious event opens a new chapter in Gibraltar’s continued tradition of supporting chess, in general, and the best female chess players, in particular. Since the inception of the Gibraltar Chess Festival in 2003, almost all the world’s top female players have taken part, including the greatest woman player of all time, Judit Polgar, as well as a total of seven Women’s World Champions. The fourth and final leg of the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix will be hosted by Caleta Hotel. As usual, twelve players will compete in a round-robin tournament. All the rounds (except the final one – TBA) start at 15:00 local time. The event will be very important in regards to two qualifying spots for the FIDE Women Candidates Tournament. They are reserved for the two winners of the Series, but we must keep in mind that the leader after three legs Aleksandra Goryachkina (398 series points) already has a place in the Candidates Tournament as a previous world championship match runner-up. Consequently, her spot will be awarded to the next top-scorer of the Grand Prix which promises a fierce fight. Humpy Koneru (293 points) and Alexandra Kosteniuk (193) follow Goryachkina in the overall standings, but both won’t play in the final leg. Nana Dzagnidze (180), Kateryna Lagno (180), Anna Muzychuk (165), Alina Kashlinskaya (130), Maria Muzychuk (120) all have a chance to pick up the needed points in Gibraltar and claim the qualifying spot. Winning an event scores 160 points, second place – 130, and third – 110. The list of participants: 1 IM Gunay Mammadzada 2443 AZE 2 IM Irina Bulmaga 2440 ROU 3 IM Zhansaya Abdumalik 2472 KAZ 4 GM Mariya Muzychuk 2544 UKR 5 GM Nana Dzagnidze 2524 GEO 6 IM Alina Kashlinskaya 2494 RUS 7 GM Valentina Gunina 2421 RUS 8 GM Kateryna Lagno 2546 RUS 9 GM Anna Muzychuk 2535 UKR 10 IM Dinara Saduakassova 2500 KAZ 11 IM Elisabeth Paehtz 2467 GER 12 GM Antoaneta Stefanova 2470 BUL FULL PAIRINGS: Round 1 on 2021/05/22 IM Gunay Mammadzada (2443) – GM Antoaneta Stefanova (2470)IM Irina Bulmaga (2440) – IM Elisabeth Paehtz (2467)IM Zhansaya Abdumalik (2472) – IM Dinara Saduakassova (2500)GM Mariya Muzychuk (2544) – GM Anna Muzychuk (2535)GM Nana Dzagnidze (2524) – GM Kateryna Lagno (2546)IM Alina Kashlinskaya (2494) – GM Valentina Gunina (2421) Round 2 on 2021/05/23 GM Antoaneta Stefanova (2470) – GM Valentina Gunina (2421) GM Kateryna Lagno (2546) – IM Alina Kashlinskaya (2494) GM Anna Muzychuk (2535) – GM Nana Dzagnidze (2524) IM Dinara Saduakassova (2500) – GM Mariya Muzychuk 2544 IM Elisabeth Paehtz (2467) – IM Zhansaya Abdumalik (2472) IM Gunay Mammadzada (2443) – IM Irina Bulmaga (2440) Round 3 on 2021/05/24 IM Irina Bulmaga (2440) – GM Antoaneta Stefanova (2470) IM Zhansaya Abdumalik (2472) – IM Gunay Mammadzada (2443) GM Mariya Muzychuk 2544 – IM Elisabeth Paehtz (2467) GM Nana Dzagnidze (2524) – IM Dinara Saduakassova (2500) IM Alina Kashlinskaya (2494) – GM Anna Muzychuk (2535) GM Valentina Gunina (2421) – GM Kateryna Lagno (2546) Round 4 on 2021/05/25 GM Antoaneta Stefanova (2470) – GM Kateryna Lagno (2546) GM Anna Muzychuk (2535) – GM Valentina Gunina (2421) IM Dinara Saduakassova (2500) – IM Alina Kashlinskaya (2494) IM Elisabeth Paehtz (2467) – GM Nana Dzagnidze (2524) IM Gunay Mammadzada (2443) – GM Mariya Muzychuk 2544 IM Irina Bulmaga (2440) – IM Zhansaya Abdumalik (2472) Round 5 on 2021/05/26 IM Zhansaya Abdumalik (2472) – GM Antoaneta Stefanova (2470) GM Mariya Muzychuk 2544 – IM Irina Bulmaga (2440) GM Nana Dzagnidze (2524) – IM Gunay Mammadzada (2443) IM Alina Kashlinskaya (2494) – IM Elisabeth Paehtz (2467) GM Valentina Gunina (2421) – IM Dinara Saduakassova (2500) GM Kateryna Lagno (2546) – GM Anna Muzychuk (2535) Round 6 on 2021/05/27 GM Antoaneta Stefanova (2470) – GM Anna Muzychuk (2535) IM Dinara Saduakassova (2500) – GM Kateryna Lagno (2546) IM Elisabeth Paehtz (2467) – GM Valentina Gunina (2421) IM Gunay Mammadzada (2443) – IM Alina Kashlinskaya (2494) IM Irina Bulmaga (2440) – GM Nana Dzagnidze (2524) IM Zhansaya Abdumalik (2472) – GM Mariya Muzychuk (2544) Round 7 on 2021/05/29 GM Mariya Muzychuk 2544 – GM Antoaneta Stefanova (2470) GM Nana Dzagnidze (2524) – IM Zhansaya Abdumalik (2472) IM Alina Kashlinskaya (2494) – IM Irina Bulmaga (2440) GM Valentina Gunina (2421) – IM Gunay Mammadzada (2443) GM Kateryna Lagno (2546) – IM Elisabeth Paehtz (2467) GM Anna Muzychuk (2535) – IM Dinara Saduakassova (2500) Round 8 on 2021/05/30 GM Antoaneta Stefanova (2470) – IM Dinara Saduakassova (2500) IM Elisabeth Paehtz (2467) – GM Anna Muzychuk (2535) IM Gunay Mammadzada (2443) – GM Kateryna Lagno (2546) IM Irina Bulmaga (2440) – GM Valentina Gunina (2421) IM Zhansaya Abdumalik (2472) – IM Alina Kashlinskaya (2494) GM Mariya Muzychuk 2544 – GM Nana Dzagnidze (2524) Round 9 on 2021/05/31 GM Nana Dzagnidze (2524) – GM Antoaneta Stefanova (2470) IM Alina Kashlinskaya (2494) – GM Mariya Muzychuk 2544 GM Valentina Gunina (2421) – IM Zhansaya Abdumalik (2472) GM Kateryna Lagno (2546) – IM Irina Bulmaga (2440) GM Anna Muzychuk (2535) – IM Gunay Mammadzada (2443) IM Dinara Saduakassova (2500) – IM Elisabeth Paehtz (2467) Round 10 on 2021/06/01 GM Antoaneta Stefanova (2470) – IM Elisabeth Paehtz (2467) IM Gunay Mammadzada (2443) – IM Dinara Saduakassova (2500) IM Irina Bulmaga (2440) – GM Anna Muzychuk (2535) IM Zhansaya Abdumalik (2472) – GM Kateryna Lagno (2546) GM Mariya Muzychuk 2544 – GM Valentina Gunina (2421) GM Nana Dzagnidze (2524) – IM Alina Kashlinskaya (2494) Round 11 on 2021/06/02 IM Alina Kashlinskaya (2494) – GM Antoaneta Stefanova (2470) GM Valentina Gunina (2421) – GM Nana Dzagnidze (2524) GM Kateryna Lagno (2546) – GM Mariya Muzychuk 2544 GM Anna Muzychuk (2535) – IM Zhansaya Abdumalik (2472) IM Dinara Saduakassova (2500) – IM Irina Bulmaga (2440) IM Elisabeth Paehtz (2467) – IM Gunay Mammadzada (2443)
Vasif Durarbayli wins Azerbaijani Championship
Vasif Durarbayli is a new Azerbaijan Champion. The 29-year old native of Sumgait won his first national title and punched a ticket to the FIDE World Cup. The Azerbaijani Championship took place in Nakhchivan from May 03-18 2021 and was held in two stages. Twelve participants competed in a round-robin with the top four advancing to the knockout stage. Each match consisted of two classical games. If tied, a 2-game rapid match (15 min + 10 seconds) was played, followed by a blitz portion (5 min +3 second) and an Armageddon game if needed. Vasif Durarbayli, Nijat Abasov, Eltaj Safarli, and Nidjat Mamedov (2609) advanced to the playoff stage: 1 GM Durarbayli, Vasif 2606 7½ 2 GM Abasov, Nijat 2665 7 3 GM Safarli, Eltaj 2598 7 4 GM Mamedov, Nidjat 2609 6½ 5 GM Asadli, Vugar 2572 6½ 6 IM Suleymanli, Aydin 2535 6 7 GM Abbasov, Farid 2528 5½ 8 IM Muradli, Mahammad 2449 5½ 9 GM Iskandarov, Misratdin 2535 5½ 10 IM Gadimbayli, Abdulla 2470 4 11 IM Garayev, Kanan 2331 3½ 12 GM Sevdimaliyev, Urfan 2371 1½ In the semifinals, Vasif Durarbayli whitewashed Nidjat Mamedov whereas Nijat Abasov prevailed over Eltaj Safarli in the rapid games after two draws in classical format. In a dramatic final match, the future champion lost the third game with white pieces after two draws and found himself in a do-or-die situation. Durarbayli went through a lost position with black in Game 4 but managed to turn the tables on his opponent, levelled the score, and went on to win both blitz encounters. In the match for third place, Nidjat Mamedov defeated Eltaj Safarli and took bronze. Official website: asf.org.az Photo: official website of Azerbaijan Chess Federation
Albania wins first Online Chess Cup by Teams of Francophonie
Following the trend of developing online chess, the AIDEF – Francophone Chess Association – organized the first edition of the «Coupe d’échecs en ligne par équipes de la Francophonie». This tournament with the time control of 15 minutes + 5 seconds, run from May 15-16, attracted 30 amateur teams from four continents, selected by their federations. In order to participate, every team had to be affiliated with AIDEF and include at least one female player, one player below 2000 ELO and three players below 1800 ELO. The competition took place on Tornelo gaming platform under the supervision of international arbiter Laurent Freyd (France), assisted by arbiters Zoheir Slami (Morocco), Pierre Denommee (Canada), Mario Kran (Ivory Coast) and Timothé Scaillet (Belgium). On the first day, the event fell a little behind the original schedule due to some technical problems, but eventually, it kicked off to a great start. After the first day of the competition, Albania grabbed the lead winning all five matches. However team Moldova leapfrogged Albania on the second day in Round 10, going to the final round as a clear leader. The Moldovans had a seemingly firm grip on the situation, but unfortunately for them, the team lost the final match against Canada, which allowed Albania to come out on top. After all the games were analyzed and verified by the fair play commission the final results were announced: 1. Albania – 18 points (+9 -2) 2. Moldova – 17 (+8 =1 -2) 3. Canada – 16 (+6 =4 -1) Congratulations to the winning team which consisted of four young players: 1. WCM Shuqja, Klean (15 years old) 6.5 points / 11 2. Xhembulla, Aleksander (15 years old) 7.5 points /11 3. Ramaj, Ergit (13 years old) 4 points /11 4. Boci, Petro (17 years old) 9.5 points / 11 The winners will receive a medal and a copy of the album “Chess in Art” https://chessinart.com and a commemorative trophy provided by the Albanian Chess Federation. The awards ceremony, medals and trophies will be in presented during the closing dinner of the 8th edition of the “Rencontres Internationales des Echecs Francophones” at the end of 2021. All the results and the complete ranking were published on Chess-results: https://chess-results.com/tnr558897.aspx?lan=1&art=0&rd=11 The Francophone Chess Association thanks all the players, the captains and the arbiters for their participation and invites you for the “Championnat d’échecs en ligne par équipes de la Francophonie” which will be reserved for national teams with no ELO limit. Text: Patrick VAN HOOLANDT, AIDEF president Official website: https://aidef-tournois-en-ligne.com/
Nodirbek Abdusattorov wins Zone 3.4 Open Championship
The Zone 3.4 Zonal Open Championship (the zone includes Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan) was held in Tashkent from May 6-15, 2021. The 9-round Swiss tournament with classical time control brought together 34 players, battling for two slots in the upcoming FIDE World Cup. The prize fund of Zone 3.4 Open Championship in the amount of $3,000 was provided as a grant from Asian Chess Federation. Two top GMs from Uzbekistan the namesakes Abdusattorov and Yakubboev entered the competition as rating favourites and both delivered on expectations. Nodirbek Abdusattorov turned in an excellent performance scoring 8 out of 9 points and finished 1½ points ahead of Yakubboev and Petr Kostenko. The second qualifying spot in the FIDE World Cup goes to Nodirbek Yakubboev thanks to better tiebreaks (higher average rating of his opponents). Final standings: 1 GM Abdusattorov Nodirbek UZB 2627 8 2 GM Yakubboev Nodirbek UZB 2605 6½ 3 GM Kostenko Petr KAZ 2404 6½ 4 GM Vokhidov Shamsiddin UZB 2529 6 5 GM Kazhgaleyev Murtas KAZ 2575 6 6 GM Vakhidov Jakhongir UZB 2533 5½ 7 IM Suleymenov Alisher KAZ 2438 5½ 8 IM Nigmatov Ortik UZB 2421 5½ 9 IM Assaubayeva Bibisara KAZ 2381 5 10 Sattarov Bobir UZB 2459 5
Enyonam Sewa Fumey, FIDE’s General Secretary, changes position
In a letter dated today, 15 May 2021, Enyonam Sewa Fumey has communicated his decision to step down as FIDE General Secretary, a position he has held since the elections in Batumi, Georgia on October 3, 2018. Enyonam Sewa will continue to be a part of FIDE, joining the FIDE Social Commission. This is one of the areas of work that has experienced important growth in recent times, and Enyonam’s experience and passion will be of great value there. “I truly believe that chess used for social goodwill allows us to bring our beautiful game beyond the borders of professional sports. I sincerely hope this mutual agreement between me and the FIDE leadership will produce good fruits and allow me to fully use my energy for the promotion of chess”, reads his letter. Enyonam Sewa Fumey was one of the first people to take side with Arkady Dvorkovich when he revealed his intention to run for FIDE President and his name was one of the five included when he first announced his ticket, on June 29, 2018. He also leads the Togolese chess community as the President of the Togo Chess Federation (FTDE), which was officially founded in 2012 and joined FIDE shortly afterwards. The International Chess Federation would like to express its gratitude to Enyonam Sewa for his services as General Secretary, and we are immensely proud that we will keep having him working by our side, in one of our priority areas for the development of chess.
Yu Yangyi and Tan Zhongyi defend national titles
The Chinese Championships in open and women sections took place in Xinghua Jiangsu, a city in Eastern China (just like in the previous year) from May 07-15 2021. Both tournaments were 12-player round-robins with the time control of 90 minutes for the entire game, plus a 30-second increment starting from move one. The open section was a four-man race between Yu Yangyi (pictured below), Wei Yi, Li Di, and Lu Shanglei taking turns on the top throughout the tournament distance. Yu Yangyi, Wei Yi, Li Di scored 7/11 each and tied for first place with Yu Yangyi coming out on top thanks to the best result in the direct encounters (he beat Wei Yi in their 10th round clash whereas Li Di lost Wei Yi and drew with Yu Yangyi). The 26-year old native of Huangshi defended the champion title that he had won at the end of 2020. Photo: John Saunders The Women’s World Champion Ju Wenjun participated in the open section but finished in the red (-1) two points behind the top trio. Final standings open: 1. Yu, Yangyi 2709 7 2. Wei, Yi 2732 7 3. Li, Di 2561 7 4. Lu, Shanglei 2615 6 5. Ju, Wenjun 2560 5 6. Xu, Yinglun 2554 5 7. Xu, Zhihang 2506 5 8. Xu, Xiangyu 2573 5 9. Zhao, Jun 2638 5 10. Liu, Yan 2524 5 11. Bai, Jinshi 2618 4½ 12. Xu, Yi 2527 4½ Photo: John Saunders In the women’s tournament, the defending champion and the top-rated player Tan Zhongyi (pictured above) was on a ball again and secured gold with a round to spare. Ning Kaiyu and Zhu Jiner shared second place finishing half a point behind the champion. The silver goes to Ning Kaiyu thanks to the victory in their direct encounter. Final standings women: 1. Tan, Zhongyi 2510 8½ 2. Ning, Kaiyu 2327 8 3. Zhu, Jiner 2459 8 4. Song, Yuxin 2290 6½ 5. Xiao, Yiyi 2301 6 6. Zhai, Mo 2366 6 7. Wang, Yu A. 2294 4½ 8. Gu, Tianlu 2267 4½ 9. Li, Xueyi 2328 4½ 10. Ren, Xiaoyi 2267 3½ 11. Yuan, Ye 2081 3½ 12. Gu, Xiaobing 2263 2½