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“Chess for Freedom” Chess in prisons (1): the Cook County case Workshop: “Equal Opportunities” Brief news from National Federations Celebrating Bob Wade Birthdays: Joel Lautier READ NEWSLETTER
Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa wins Polgar Challenge
Indian prodigy Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa booked himself a chance to take on the very best in chess with a stunning victory in the Polgar Challenge. The 15-year-old from Chennai secured the first online title in the Julius Baer Challengers Chess Tour and a $3,000 top prize with a round to spare on Sunday. Pragg wins not just the cash purse but a golden ticket to the next event in the elite Meltwater Champions Chess Tour on April 24 where he can test himself against the best. With just four games finishing off the tournament today, a hotly-anticipated final round decider against top seed Nodirbek Abdusattorov was on the cards. But that clash of the top two title-chasers overnight became irrelevant as Pragg simply won his first three games and therefore couldn’t be stopped. Chess legend Judit Polgar, a former top 10 player and the strongest female player in the game’s history, said the youngster’s win was “fully deserved and extremely convincing”. Pragg’s coach for the tour, former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik, said it’s not unrealistic to predict he will play a match for the World Championship someday: “His talent is on the scale of the guys who we all know!” Kramnik added: “He reminds me so much of a young Vishy (Anand), in every way.” The Julius Baer Challengers Chess Tour returns on June 10 for the Gelfand Challenge when the two teams of players will be competing for a $15,000 prize pot and another wildcard entry into the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour. You can see the full results in detail and the games on chess24’s website here. For further information, please contact: Leon Watson, PR for Champions Chess Tourleon@chessable.com+44 7786 078 770 About the Tour: Fronted by the strongest female player of all time, Judit Polgar, and former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik, the Julius Baer Challengers Chess Tour will run alongside the hugely popular Meltwater Champions Chess Tour. The Tour is organised by the Play Magnus Group and is designed to tackle head-on the lack of female role models competing in top events and promote emerging talent. More information here. Team Kramnik:Nodirbek Abdusattorov (aged, 16, Uzbekistan); Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa (15, India); Dinara Saduakassova (24, Kazakhstan); Jonas Bjerre (16, Denmark); Leon Mendonca (15, India); Lei Tingjie (24, China); Christopher Yoo (14, United States); Olga Badelka (18, Belarus); Carissa Yip (17, United States); Nurgyul Salimova (17, Bulgaria) Team Polgar:Nihal Sarin (aged 16, India); Awonder Liang (17, United States); Vincent Keymer (16, Germany); Gukesh D (14, India); Sarasadat Khademalsharieh (24, Iran); Volodar Murzin (14, Russia); Polina Shuvalova (20, Russia); Zhansaya Abdumalik (21, Kazakhstan); Jiner Zhu (18, China); Gunay Mammadzada (20, Azerbaijan)
Celebrating Bob Wade
This weekend would have been Robert Graham Wade‘s 100th birthday. Born on April 10, 1921, in Dunedin (NZ), he was New Zealand champion three times, British champion twice, and played in seven Chess Olympiads and one Interzonal tournament. When Bob passed away in 2008, chess websites were flooded with eulogies and messages from his chess colleagues. He was an uncontroversial, well-loved and generous personality, who left a mark on all those he encountered. Wade won two New Zealand Championships in a row, in Wellington 1943-44 and Auckland 1944-45, and then again in his hometown of Dunedin, in 1947-48. In order to pursue a career as a chess player he wanted to face stronger opposition, so he moved to Europe shortly after that, where international chess was coming back to life after the long hiatus caused by World War II. Following a couple of very active years, Bob achieved the International Master title thanks to his shared 5–7th place in the super-strong tournament of Venice 1950, won by Kotov. In 1950 he settled in England, and in 1958 he earned the title of International Arbiter. He made much of his living as a writer, arbiter, coach, and promoter, and wearing all these different hats he earned the respect of his peers and the chess community. “After he retired from professional play, Wade authored many books and was a key part of the ‘English Chess Explosion’ that began after the Fischer-Spassky match in 1972. Wade’s enormous library was consulted by many aspiring young players, as well as by established GMs such as Tony Miles. Even Bobby Fischer sought his assistance when preparing for Boris Spassky”, writes Malcolm Pein in his column today for The Telegraph. Indeed, in the days before computer databases, Bob’s library at his house in South London, constantly enlarged by Batsford’s publications (to which he served as chess editor), magazines, and tournament bulletins, was often used by British and foreign players in preparation for tournaments. Wade made use of all this material to create a file on Boris Spassky and help Bobby Fischer prepare for his 1972 World Championship match. “He was one of the most influential figures in the English Chess Explosion and the nicest person you could ever meet”, wrote Malcolm Pein on Twitter. “He did so much for English chess without courting recognition. He occasionally offered me stern but sympathetic advice – and was usually right”, added Daniel King. “Bob helped in establishing the TWIC (The Week in Chess) database, the leading source of online chess news; was an arbiter at the Kasparov v Nigel Short 1993 world title series and at the annual Oxford v Cambridge match; and continued to encourage young talent. He helped many future GMs from Jonathan Speelman to David Howell, and his sharp wit, kindness and generosity made him probably the most liked personality in English chess”, remembers Leonard Barden. Bob has an opening line named after him, which is probably one of the highest forms of recognition a chess player can get. After playing 1.d4 d6 2.Nf3 Bg4 for decades, this is known now as the Wade Defence. But this is by no means the only tribute he has received: in 1979 he was awarded the title of Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, usually known by its acronym, OBE. A memorial tournament in his honour was held this weekend in Auckland, New Zealand, with the victory by Gawain Jones. Photo Credit: British Chess Magazine
Praggnanandhaa in pole position to win Polgar Challenge
Indian prodigy Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa is in pole position to win the Polgar Challenge as the online chess event enters its final day. The 15-year-old from Chennai won three in a row before being held to a draw against fellow Indian D Gukesh. A final-round loss against Germany’s Vincent Keymer was the only blemish on his copybook. With just four rounds left to play on Sunday, Team Kramnik star Pragg is on 12/15 with top seed Nodirbek Abdusattorov is just a half-point behind. Nihal Sarin, another Indian talent, and Awonder Liang are another half-point behind on 11/15 but it is Pragg and Abdusattorov who are the hot favourites. The two leaders are due to face each other in a mouth-watering Round 19 game that could decide the winner of the first Julius Baer Challengers Chess Tour event. At stake is a chance to play in an elite Meltwater Champions Chess Tour tournament and face World Champion Magnus Carlsen. In the team battle, Team Polgar edged ahead with 75 points to Team Kramnik’s 71, despite Pragg and Abdusattorov both representing the second team. Before the start of play, it was announced that due to connection problems IM Dinara Saduakassova, from Uzbekistan, had pulled out of the tournament. Play Magnus Group, the Tour organiser, made the following statement on how the event would proceed without her: Four more rounds will follow on Sunday as the first leg of the new $100,000 Julius Baer Challengers Chess Tour reaches its climax. The 20 young talents on show are divided into two teams, Team Kramnik and Team Polgar. The overall day 1 score finished 25-25. The young stars of chess represent 12 nations and are competing for a prize pot totalling $100,000 and places on the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour. They are receiving coaching and support from teams of coaches, which include world champions and legends of the game. The Polgar Challenge, named after Judit Polgar, is the first of four tournaments before a tour final in September organised by the Play Magnus Group. The team that wins the Julius Baer Challengers Chess Tour overall will also get a trip to this year’s World Chess Championship in Dubai. You can see the full results in detail and the games on chess24’s website here. For further information, please contact: Leon Watson, PR for Champions Chess Tourleon@chessable.com+44 7786 078 770 About the Tour: Fronted by the strongest female player of all time, Judit Polgar, and former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik, the Julius Baer Challengers Chess Tour will run alongside the hugely popular Meltwater Champions Chess Tour. The Tour is organised by the Play Magnus Group and is designed to tackle head-on the lack of female role models competing in top events and promote emerging talent. More information here. Team Kramnik:Nodirbek Abdusattorov (aged, 16, Uzbekistan); Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa (15, India); Dinara Saduakassova (24, Kazakhstan); Jonas Bjerre (16, Denmark); Leon Mendonca (15, India); Lei Tingjie (24, China); Christopher Yoo (14, United States); Olga Badelka (18, Belarus); Carissa Yip (17, United States); Nurgyul Salimova (17, Bulgaria) Team Polgar:Nihal Sarin (aged 16, India); Awonder Liang (17, United States); Vincent Keymer (16, Germany); Gukesh D (14, India); Sarasadat Khademalsharieh (24, Iran); Volodar Murzin (14, Russia); Polina Shuvalova (20, Russia); Zhansaya Abdumalik (21, Kazakhstan); Jiner Zhu (18, China); Gunay Mammadzada (20, Azerbaijan)
News from Member Federations
We would like to remind you that we have at your disposal the email socialmedia@fide.com so you can share with us any relevant news. “Dear Member Federations: Over the past couple of years, FIDE has worked diligently to improve its outreach. Our website receives every day more than 50k visits (unique users), but it is our social media channels that are growing at a really fast pace, with 103k followers on Twitter, 85k on Facebook, and 96k on Instagram. Last year, we have successfully launched a bi-weekly Newsletter, which has now 7,000 subscribers, and a new VKontakte page, for the Russian-speaking fan base. More importantly, during this time we have also established a regular relationship with many members of the media, and FIDE’s media database contains now the contact details of approximately 1,700 journalists in different fields, from all over the world. We would like to remind you that these channels are at your disposal, to give visibility to your activities. Your sponsors, partners, and supporters will surely appreciate getting some international publicity. For obvious reasons, we can’t possibly publicize all your activities, but as per policy we will always report about: National Championships (both in open and women’s categories) National Team Championships The appointment of a new President to the National Federation. Secondarily, we routinely publish about: Promotional activities involving high authorities, sponsors, or celebrities Important news about chess in education (i.e.: the launching of a national or regional program for chess in schools). Social projects related to chess. Additionally, in social media, we can always make room for interesting or original activities, particularly if these stories are accompanied by nice audiovisual materials. It is important that the photos or videos are of good quality. We would really appreciate your cooperation in this regard. As they say, please “help us to help you”. We have a contact email, socialmedia@fide.com, dedicated to receiving this kind of news, and we kindly request you to send us a brief report about your main events and more relevant activities. Please give us a heads up when your national championship is about to start, and send us a few photos whenever you organize a social event. We cannot do this without your cooperation! Apart from the aforementioned contact email, please feel free to reach out to me directly (david.llada@fide.com / +34 623 021 120), if you have any questions or you need my assistance. We are at your disposal. Best regards,David Llada FIDE – Chief Marketing and Communications Officer” EXAMPLES
Day 2: Praggnanandhaa scores eight wins in a row
Indian prodigy R Praggnanandhaa took his winning run to an incredible eight in a row today as he emerged the clear leader of the Polgar Challenge online chess event. The 15-year-old, playing for Team Kramnik, dominated his opening two games against America’s top female player Carissa Yip and Jiner Zhu, of China. Two wins in those games added to Pragg’s four back-to-back victories yesterday – and then he benefited from some luck to just storm on from there finishing on 8.5/10. Incredibly, after being tied 25-25 overnight, Team Kramnik and Team Polgar are still locked on 50-50 – although the top three on the individual leaderboard all represent Team Kramnik. Pragg did not have it all his own way, however. His run was nearly derailed in Round 8 by Bulgaria’s Nurgyul Salimova, 17, who missed a chance to win on the spot and then nearly saved a draw against him. Pragg was too strong and a slip in the endgame from Salimova allowed the teenager from Chennai to force a seventh win. Meanwhile, there was disappointment for Kazakhstan’s Dinara Saduakassova who was forced to forfeit all her remaining games after Round 8 because of a bad internet connection. Saduakassova’s departure handed Pragg another win in Round 9 – albeit without playing – to make it eight full points in a row after losing his first game in the tournament. It also gifted Pragg a rest going into the final round of the day. He ended the day with a draw against US teen Awonder Liang, who was celebrating his 18th birthday. Top seed Nodirbek Abdusattorov, 16, had kept pace until he suffered his first loss in Round 8 against another Indian prospect, Goa’s Leon Mendonca. Both Abdusattorov, from Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and American Christopher Yoo had been level with Pragg overnight but fell back today. The two chasers did however pullback in Round 10 to finish just half a point behind Pragg on 8/10. Yoo remains unbeaten and faces Pragg in Round 11 tomorrow. A win in that and he will take the lead. Five more rounds will follow tomorrow before the first event of the new $100,000 Julius Baer Challengers Chess Tour reaches its climax on Sunday. The young stars of chess represent 12 nations and are competing for a prize pot totalling $100,000 and places. They are receiving coaching and support from teams of coaches, which include world champions and legends of the game. The Polgar Challenge, named after Judit Polgar, is the first of four tournaments before a tour final in September organised by the Play Magnus Group. The team that wins the Julius Baer Challengers Chess Tour overall will also get a trip to this year’s World Chess Championship in Dubai. For further information, please contact: Leon Watson, PR for Champions Chess Tourleon@chessable.com+44 7786 078 770 About the Tour: Fronted by the strongest female player of all time, Judit Polgar, and former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik, the Julius Baer Challengers Chess Tour will run alongside the hugely popular Meltwater Champions Chess Tour. The Tour is organised by the Play Magnus Group and is designed to tackle head-on the lack of female role models competing in top events and promote emerging talent. More information here. Team Kramnik:Nodirbek Abdusattorov (aged, 16, Uzbekistan); Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa (15, India); Dinara Saduakassova (24, Kazakhstan); Jonas Bjerre (16, Denmark); Leon Mendonca (15, India); Lei Tingjie (24, China); Christopher Yoo (14, United States); Olga Badelka (18, Belarus); Carissa Yip (17, United States); Nurgyul Salimova (17, Bulgaria) Team Polgar:Nihal Sarin (aged 16, India); Awonder Liang (17, United States); Vincent Keymer (16, Germany); Gukesh D (14, India); Sarasadat Khademalsharieh (24, Iran); Volodar Murzin (14, Russia); Polina Shuvalova (20, Russia); Zhansaya Abdumalik (21, Kazakhstan); Jiner Zhu (18, China); Gunay Mammadzada (20, Azerbaijan)
Three-way tie for the lead after Day 1
The Polgar Challenge, the first event of the new $100,000 Julius Baer Challengers Chess Tour, got underway today with a series of fighting games that ended in a three-way tie for the lead. Top seed Nodirbek Abdusattorov grabbed the first win of the five-month tour with a convincing victory over Bulgarian teen Nurgyul Salimova. Abdusattorov, from Tashkent, Uzbekistan, famously beat two Grandmasters in a tournament when aged only nine. The ambitious 16-year-old aims to be World Champion one day and showed his class by finishing joint-top of the table on day one of four after scoring an unbeaten 4/5. Abdusattorov shares the lead with India’s exciting prodigy R Praggnanandhaa and the youngest International Master in American history, 14-year-old Christopher Yoo. Round 1 finished with eight decisive outcomes and only two draws. Round 2 followed the pattern with only two more draws. In total, there were only 14 draws in 50 games played over the first five rounds – a stat that demonstrated the fighting chess on display. The 20 young talents on the show are divided into two teams, Team Kramnik and Team Polgar. The overall day 1 score is 25-25. Going into the final round of the day China’s Lei Tingjie was the leader after beating America’s top-ranked female player, 17-year-old Carissa Yip. However, Lei was caught by Abdusattorov after a final-round loss to Praggnanandhaa that allowed both of them to leap-frog her. The young stars of chess represent 12 nations and are competing for a prize pot totalling $100,000 and places on the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour. They are receiving coaching and support from teams of coaches, which include world champions and legends of the game. The Polgar Challenge, named after Judit Polgar, is the first of four tournaments before a tour final in September organised by the Play Magnus Group. The team that wins the Julius Baer Challengers Chess Tour overall will also get a trip to this year’s World Chess Championship in Dubai. For further information, please contact: Leon Watson, PR for Champions Chess Tourleon@chessable.com+44 7786 078 770 About the Tour: Fronted by the strongest female player of all time, Judit Polgar, and former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik, the Julius Baer Challengers Chess Tour will run alongside the hugely popular Meltwater Champions Chess Tour. The Tour is organised by the Play Magnus Group and is designed to tackle head-on the lack of female role models competing in top events and promote emerging talent. More information here. Team Kramnik:Nodirbek Abdusattorov (aged, 16, Uzbekistan); Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa (15, India); Dinara Saduakassova (24, Kazakhstan); Jonas Bjerre (16, Denmark); Leon Mendonca (15, India); Lei Tingjie (24, China); Christopher Yoo (14, United States); Olga Badelka (18, Belarus); Carissa Yip (17, United States); Nurgyul Salimova (17, Bulgaria) Team Polgar:Nihal Sarin (aged 16, India); Awonder Liang (17, United States); Vincent Keymer (16, Germany); Gukesh D (14, India); Sarasadat Khademalsharieh (24, Iran); Volodar Murzin (14, Russia); Polina Shuvalova (20, Russia); Zhansaya Abdumalik (21, Kazakhstan); Jiner Zhu (18, China); Gunay Mammadzada (20, Azerbaijan)
Alireza Firouzja wins 2021 Bullet Chess Championship
GM Alireza Firouzja won the 2021 Bullet Chess Championship presented by SIG. The Iran-born super-GM first eliminated top favourite GM Hikaru Nakamura in the semifinals and then was too strong for GM Andrew Tang in the final. The Bullet Chess Championship presented by SIG ran April 5-7, 2021 on Chess.com among the very best bullet players on the planet. Only World Champion Magnus Carlsen was missing from an otherwise star-studded field. Firouzja earned $10,000 for his victory. Semifinals In the semifinals, the action started with GM Daniel Naroditsky, making his first moves in the championship, against Tang. Because GM Eric Hansen had to withdraw at the last moment, Naroditsky reached the semis without playing. Charlotte resident Naroditsky didn’t need much of a warmup as he took a 4-3 lead before the half-time break and later increased it to 6-4. Tang, however, levelled the score to 6-6 with incredibly fast play. As 7-7 was on the scoreboard with three minutes left, Tang convincingly won two games in a row to secure a place in the final. Right after, the much-anticipated match between Firouzja and Nakamura started. It was a repeat of the final of the Bullet Open Championship from the end of 2020 and also of the 2019 quarterfinal when both times Nakamura emerged victoriously. The American GM was definitely the slight favourite again, also because he had just beaten GM Arjun Erigaisi 13-3 the other day. Nakamura had an excellent start and was about to go 3-0 when he blundered a piece and it was 2-1 instead. He still reached 4-1 anyway, winning game five in the nick of time. With Nakamura leading 6-3 at halftime, few would have predicted Firouzja to win this match. However, the second half saw a completely different picture with the Iran-born prodigy winning that second “set,” also nine games, 7-2 to take the match 10-8. “[During the break] I thought I had to play more relaxed and play more like I’m playing every day against Naroditsky or like this,” Firouzja explained his comeback. “That way I could have a chance, at least.” The end was an absolute nailbiter, with Nakamura winning a must-win game to make 8-9 with 21 seconds left on the match clock. Having double the amount of time (22 seconds vs. 11 for Firouzja) he seemed on his way to flag his opponent, make 9-9 and force a playoff. He also could have won a piece there but instead, he blundered his own rook. “It was a bit of luck I guess, but overall I think I played good chess against Hikaru,” Firouzja would later say. “The first games were a bit shaky but after that, it was pretty decent.” Final Having taken such a huge hurdle, Firouzja then dominated the final against Tang. He won the first five games before Tang, who was sporting his Cloud9 jersey, could do something back. Now known for his slow starts, Tang had come back from being down 5-1 the day before. This time, it wasn’t going to happen as he simply couldn’t get into top form while Firouzja is simply on fire these days – he also won the last two Titled Tuesdays. By winning the last two games, Tang could at least set an “acceptable” final score but the 11-6 didn’t leave any doubts. Firouzja took the $10,000 first prize while Tang earned $6,000. Both Nakamura and Naroditsky won $2,500. Firouzja definitely had his share of winner’s luck as GM Vladislav Artemiev had him on the ropes in the quarterfinals and only needed to let the match clock run down for nine more seconds to win their match. Instead, the Russian GM resigned, allowing another game after which Firouzja eventually won. Speaking after the final, Firouzka called that quarterfinal match “a miracle,” adding: “I should have lost that, a 100%. I got lucky, I guess.” The 2021 Bullet Chess Championship is presented by Susquehanna International Group, LLP (SIG). SIG is a global quantitative trading firm founded with a growth mindset and an analytical approach to decision-making. As one of the largest proprietary trading firms in the world, SIG benefits the financial markets by providing liquidity and ensuring competitive prices for buyers and sellers. SIG brings together the brightest minds, the best technology, and an expansive library of industry data to design and implement qualitative trading strategies that make it leaders in the financial markets. Beyond trading, SIG is active in global private equity, structured capital, and institutional brokerage. Text: Peter Doggers (chess.com) Photo: Chess.com
Line-up revealed
Judit Polgar and Vladimir Kramnik reveal the 20 young stars lined up to play in the $100k Julius Baer Challengers Chess Tour 20 young chess talents from 12 countries Gender-balanced teams led by two legends Winners get a chance to take on the elite $100k prize pot for junior online event The names are in – a line-up of 20 stars from 12 nations ready to compete in the new Julius Baer Challengers Chess Tour. From among them, the next big thing in chess will emerge. Who will it be? Starting on April 8, two teams of young players handpicked to take part in a new series of five events will go head-to-head for a prize pot totaling $100,000. This journey will be unlike any other in chess. Not only is it gender-balanced to find the best in male and female talent, but the four “Challenge” tournaments and the tour final – all played online – will provide a unique training ground for every competitor. Watch the players grow as Judit Polgar and Vladimir Kramnik, two of the greatest names in chess, mentor them. Teams of coaches, which include world champions and yet more legends of the game, will also be on hand to offer support and guidance. Who will progress the most? Will we find a player ready to make the next step up? The players have been divided into two teams, Team Polgar and Team Kramnik, competing in a series of four four-day round-robin tournaments organised by the Play Magnus Group before the grand finals. The first tournament, the Polgar Challenge, will start on April 8 and will be followed by the Gelfand Challenge, the Hou Yifan Challenge and the Kramnik Challenge. Then in September, the Tour Finals will take place. Judit, Vladimir and members of the Play Magnus Group, met the players in a pre-tournament Zoom meeting last week and then gave their teams their first team-talks. Judit spoke of how she hoped the gender-balanced events would help female players gain confidence in the game and told how managing a team would be challenging for her too. She said: “It’s a great opportunity for the youngsters to win an event and qualify for a Meltwater Champions Chess Tour event which is probably for most one of the most important goals here. But I think anyone who is invited to an event here will definitely not leave without great experiences. “In five months we are going to be meeting the players and following them, together with Vladimir as both of us have our team. “Chess is an individual sport, but at the same time sometimes it becomes a team sport. That will be very interesting and challenging for both me and Vladimir to see how we can manage them and have great teamwork between them.” Kramnik thanked the sponsors Julius Baer and Play Magnus Group, the tour organisers, for putting on a “priceless” event during the lockdown and told his players it was an “incredible opportunity” for them. Addressing the players, the former world champion said: “First of all this big project is about learning. Yes, the result is important and you want to win but the one who will be on top later, who has the best career, is not necessarily the one who will win this tournament, it is the one who will learn most from each tournament, each project you have on your way.” Kramnik, now aged 45 and retired, added: “This is an incredible opportunity for you to learn, to progress in chess.” Sebastian Kuhnert, Chief Development Officer for the Play Magnus Group, also told the group: “I feel really amazed that all the great coaches have committed to this great project and I feel we are starting a new era in chess. It started with what we did a year ago [with what became the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour] and now it goes into the next cycle that we are starting together with you.” In a separate Zoom call to his team, Kramnik said: “Good luck to all of you! Try to enjoy the journey because it’s important to learn, first of all, to improve and to come out of it a better player – that’s the main goal – and, of course, to try to secure our trip to Dubai – because it’s quite expensive to go there! Give your best!” Grandmaster Boris Gelfand, who will assist Kramnik as a coach, revealed Team Kramnik would start preparing immediately. The 2012 world title challenger added: “It’s a great opportunity and I wish good luck to everyone!” Winners of the individual events will get a rare chance to compete on the elite stage in a Meltwater Champions Chess Tour event, and perhaps take on World Champion Magnus Carlsen. The team that wins the Julius Baer Challengers Chess Tour overall will also get a trip to this year’s World Chess Championship in Dubai. All matches will be played in chess24.com’s PlayZone and broadcast live with expert commentary from 16:00 CEST on chess24’s YouTube, Twitch and Facebook channels. Team Kramnik: Nodirbek Abdusattorov (aged, 16, Uzbekistan)Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa (15, India)Dinara Saduakassova (24, Kazakhstan)Jonas Bjerre (16, Denmark)Leon Mendonca (15, India)Lei Tingjie (24, China)Christopher Yoo (14, United States)Olga Badelka (18, Belarus)Carissa Yip (17, United States)Nurgyul Salimova (17, Bulgaria) Team Polgar: Nihal Sarin (aged 16, India)Awonder Liang (17, United States)Vincent Keymer (16, Germany)Gukesh D (14, India)Sarasadat Khademalsharieh (24, Iran)Volodar Murzin (14, Russia)Polina Shuvalova (20, Russia)Zhansaya Abdumalik (21, Kazakhstan)Jiner Zhu (18, China)Gunay Mammadzada (20, Azerbaijan) About the Tour: Fronted by the strongest female player of all time, Judit Polgar, and former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik, the Julius Baer Challengers Chess Tour will run alongside the hugely popular Meltwater Champions Chess Tour. The Tour is organised by the Play Magnus Group and is designed to tackle head-on the lack of female role models competing in top events and promote emerging talent. More information here. For further information, please contact: Leon Watson, PR for Champions Chess Tourleon@chessable.com+44 7786 078 770
World Women’s Team Championship 2021 – Call for bids
The International Chess Federation (FIDE) will hold the World Women’s Team Championship in the second part of September and the first part of October 2021 (see the tournament regulations). 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. Bid Forms shall be filled in by the applicants. A signed copy shall be submitted as e-mail messages to the FIDE Secretariat to office@fide.com from 3 April to 2 May by 23:59 Lausanne time. All the documents must be submitted in English. Additional documents may be requested by the FIDE General Strategy Commission (GSC) for further evaluation. GSC will present the FIDE Council a report with an evaluation of the bids received. Once the Organiser is granted the right to organise the event, this will be announced on the FIDE website. FIDE may appoint a Technical Delegate (FIDE TD) to supervise the event on behalf of FIDE in consultation with GSC.