Nicolas Croad wins 2021 New Zealand Championship
Photo above: Croad receives the Silver Rook trophy from the President of NZ Chess Federation FM Nicolas Croad became the winner of the 2021 New Zealand Championship. It’s his second national title. The 9-round event (NZ Open) was a part of the 128th Congress held in Palmerston North from January 2-12. The top four boards were broadcast live throughout the event. The second-rated Croad scored 7.5 out of 9, conceding just three draws to his opponents, and finished a full point ahead of the top-rated participant and his old rival FM Ben Hague (second with 6.5 points). From left to right: Anthony Ker, Leonard McLaren and Felix Xie Three players, namely Felix Xie, IM Antony Ker (14-time NZ champion), and Leonard McLaren tied for third place. Final standings: 1. Nicholas Croad (2455) – 7½2. Ben Hague (2497) – 6½3. Felix Xie (2110) – 64. Anthony Ker (2440) – 65. Leonard McLaren (2293) – 66. Robert Smith (2290) – 5½7. Russell Dive (2407) – 5½8. Ryan Winter (2165) – 59. David Cilia Vincenti (2276) – 510. Hao Tang (1950) – 5 The 128th Congress also hosted Major Open, Rapid, Lightning, and Junior championships. Major Open: 1. Clinton Wells (7/9); 2-4. Alan Winfield, Dion Charles, and Karl Holdo – 6½ NZ Lightning: 1. Anthony Ker – 8½/9 2. Ben Hague – 7½ 3. Russel Dive – 7. NZ Junior: 1. Josh Langford – 6/9 2.Weng Xintong (Winston) – 5½ 3-8. Daqi Mao, Isabelle Ning, Kendrick Botong Zhang, Euan McDougall, Paul He, and Thomas Vander Hoom – 5.
Svetozar Gligoric Trophy 2020
The FIDE Council approved, during its 4th quarter 2020 meeting, the proposal to consider online chess events when awarding the Gligoric Trophy for the year 2020. The decision is only natural, considering that the vast majority of chess events during 2020 were played online. Candidates to win the Svetozar Gligoric Trophy shall have demonstrated during the period January 1st, 2020, to December 31, 2020, the following accomplishments: – Outstanding gesture or action of sportsmanship during the sports event.– Outstanding contribution to the popularization of the values and principles of Fair Play.– Outstanding support towards initiatives on enforcement of ethical values.– Promotion of integrity and high ethical standards. The spirit of the “Fair Play Svetozar Gligoric Trophy” is to give recognition to an individual who, during the previous year, had displayed exemplary behavior that promotes the spirit of fair play and sportsmanship in chess. We would like to stress again that this is an award for the nominee’s accomplishments during the previous year, and NOT a recognition of a lifelong career. Nomination Procedure The winner of the Gligoric Trophy is selected annually by the Award Commission chaired by Mr. Mahir Mammedov and its two members, the Grandmasters Mrs. Judit Polgar (FIDE Honorary Vice-President), and Mr. Eugenio Torre. Proposals for Nominations (Nomination Letter) shall be submitted by Continental Federations, National Federations, and FIDE Commissions, to the Gligoric Trophy Award Commission (gligorictrophy@fide.com) no later than February 20, 2021. Individual nominations, including self-nominations, are permitted, but they should be channeled through the Federation associated with the nominee. Please note, that Commission’s decision is final and not open to discussion, nor shall the members of the Commission be requested to give any justification beyond what they wish to, with their final announcement. About the award The fair play award named after Svetozar Gligoric was established by FIDE in 2019. In the 1950s and 1960s, Svetozar Gligoric was one of the top players in the world and one of the World’s most prominent, owing to his particularly engaging personality. At the chessboard, Gligoric was an uncompromising fighter and at the same time a symbol of gentlemanhood and correctness. His impeccable reputation has been a deserved result of his success in chess games and fair-play manners. Gligoric’s trademark was high respect to his chess opponents: his main principle was – It’s chess pieces, not a man I play against! It is no coincidence that the book of Gligoric’s selected games is called “I play against pieces!” Svetozar Gligoric Award is a recognition of sportsmen who exercise the fundamental values of Fair Play both during and beyond the game. It’s a way of thinking rather than a mere behavior and includes the concepts of: FairnessTo enjoy the victory is not enough. Triumph must include fairness and honestyRespectWritten rules are mandatory. Unwritten rules of respect to all are obligatoryFriendshipRivalry in sport does not exclude friendshipTeam SpiritA genuine consideration for othersEqualityCompeting on equal terms is essentialToleranceThe ability or willingness to accept what you may not agree withCareTrue champions care about each other
No fees for rating Rapid and Blitz tournaments
Last December, the General Assembly approved the new financial regulations, which came into effect on January 1st. These regulations cover all administrative matters and fix some important omissions. Among other changes, the regulations now include a reference to Rapid and Blitz tournaments, which were not contemplated before. Article 1.2 of appendix 2 of the Financial Regulations mentions that “All rated tournaments are subject to rating fees. FIDE Council, at its sole discretion, may waive or reduce rating fees for rapid and blitz tournaments for a given year.” We are happy to confirm that the FIDE Council has indeed decided “to waive rating fees for over-the-board Rapid and Blitz tournaments held in 2021 and 2022”. This decision is in line with FIDE’s general strategy of reducing all kinds of fees as much as possible. In the coming days, we will publish a more detailed report on how administrative fees have been reduced or waived altogether during the past two years. More information: New FIDE Financial Regulations (effective from January 1, 2021)Previous version of the FIDE Financial Regulations (effective until December 31, 2020)
Team Hikaru raises $355,720 for CARE
It all happened so quickly that you may have missed it, but December 30 left us with what was probably one of the chess highlights of the year 2020. In just about four hours, “Team Hikaru” – namely, Levy Rozman and Anna Rudolf – managed to raise $355,720 for CARE (Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere), a major international humanitarian agency delivering emergency relief and long-term international development projects. The fundraising stream took place during one of the rounds of the online Airthings Masters tournament, the second event in the Champions Chess Tour. In fact, that was the day when Hikaru got knocked out from the tournament, which allowed him to join the last moments of the stream where his colleagues Levy and Anna were commenting on the games. The idea of doing this fundraising stream began to take shape a couple of months ago, when Hikaru offered a 77 board online simul, effortlessly raising around $10,000 for Doctors Without Borders. That made Hikaru and his manager ‘Chessbae’ realize that they could probably set even higher goals. “Since Hikaru’s audience is truly global, we knew that we wanted to raise money towards an international charity. So we chose CARE, one of the most reputable global charities, that first came up with the concept of ‘care package’ in 1945”, explains Chessbae. Remarkably, the highest single donation received was ‘just’ $2,000, and only a handful of them surpassed the amount of $1,000. That means the participation was really massive, with a huge number of people donating small amounts. The stream was watched by 885,216 people, with 23,844 average viewers, reaching its peak at 38,031 spectators. “I’m incredibly proud of Anna and Levy for running this charity stream and thrilled that Chessbae set up the details and helped run the event. I was astonished that the stream raised over $350k in four hours and because of the success, we all hope to do it again. It’s our goal to raise 3 million US through the length of the Champions Chess Tour. It’s a high goal, but I think we can make it”, said Hikaru. “The growth of chess was one of the few positives of 2020, and I think it is our duty as the game’s ambassadors to set a positive example and give back to people who need it most. On the day of the stream, the chat was absolutely electric. We shattered our initial expectations by 250% and the community was excited to keep pushing for a higher goal. We are growing the game of chess and trying to help humanity—can there be a better job?”, added Levy. More information: www.carewithteamhikaru.com
FIDE Women’s Grand Prix Gibraltar rescheduled
FIDE and the organizing team of the Women’s FIDE Grand Prix in Gibraltar have decided to re-schedule the competition to a later date. The decision is taken in response to the development of the coronavirus pandemic in Gibraltar, where, unfortunately, the number of cases has increased significantly in recent weeks. In view of this, Chief Minister Fabian Picardo announced a new lockdown on January 2, which will be in place until at least January 16. During his press conference, Mr. Picardo said that “the numbers of new infections with Covid-19 in our community are remarkably high and concerning.” To ensure the safety and well-being of the players and all the staff involved in the event, we have decided to postpone it. The tournament will be held in late February if conditions allow. FIDE and the organizing team will keep working closely with the Gibraltar authorities to ensure that the competition meets and exceeds the recommendations of the local government and health authorities. Women’s FIDE Grand Prix Series:https://wgp2019.fide.com Gibraltar Chess Festival:http://gibchess.com Visit Gibraltar (Official Tourist board website):www.visitgibraltar.gi
Francis Anquandah and Felix Tobi win Ghana championship
Francis Anquandah and Felix Tobi Abena are new Ghana national chess champions. Anquandah scored 7 points in a 10-player round-robin that brought together most of the country’s top-rated players. Joseph Mensah came in second just a half-point behind the champion; Adu-Poku Kwabena took bronze. Ghana’s first and only International Master and multiple champion, Francis Anquandah won his first national title back in 1986, the same year he participated in his first Olympiad. His longtime rival and also multiple champion of Ghana John Hasford did not get to the podium this time and finished fourth. ½ Final standings open: 1. Francis Anquandah 7/92. Joseph Mensah – 6½3. Adu-Poku Kwabena – 64. John Hasford – 55. Cephas Fomevor – 4½6. David Ameku – 47. Edward Thompson – 3½8. Dwamena Aikings – 3½9. Prince Akpa – 2½10. Lionel Adu Jr. – 2½ The rating-favorite of the 5-player double round-robin national women’s championship, Tobi Felix lost only one game and won nine to finish 1½ points clear of the runner-up Maud Benson. This is the fourth consecutive title for Tobi. Final standings women: 1. Felix Tobi – 9/102. Benson Maud – 7½3. Ashley Christiana Naa Merley – 74. Majid-Michel Lady Rowena – 3½5. Addo Pearl – 36. Zakaria Minawara – 0
Reminder to member federations
Dear member federations, In the wake of the new year 2021, we would like to draw your kind attention to the following obligation of each Federation-member of FIDE, in accordance with the FIDE Charter: Article “11. Obligations of Member Federations Member Federations must: n) Communicate a copy of their current statutes to FIDE Offices, adding a translation into English, if written in a different language;” Therefore, we would appreciate your kind urgent providing the FIDE Secretariat office@fide.com with the said document and its translation into English, where applicable. Please provide your Statutes by February 1st, 2021. Thank you in advance. Best regards, FIDE Secretariat
Michael Adams clinches British Online Championship title
Photo above: David Llada This weekend, Michael Adams became the winner of the Caplin British Online Chess Championship. England’s top-rated player defeated IM Ameet Ghasi in an exciting play-off for the title, after both scored 7 out of 9 in the main event. This is the 8th national title for Michael Adams, who first won the British Chess Championship in 1989, at just seventeen years old. In between, he also won in 1997, 2010, 2011, 2016, 2018, and 2019. His dominance in the national competition seems to be only increasing over time as if he had left behind his peer group, while none of the young talents has progressed enough to catch up with him. Final standings open: 1. Michael Adams (2716) – 72. Ameet Ghasi (2485) – 73. Matthew Wadsworth (2416) – 6½4. Matthew Turner (2509) – 65. Daniel Fernandez (2466) – 5½6. Mark Hebden (2453) – 5½7. Bogdan Lalic (2402) – 5½8. Harry Grieve (2351) – 5½9. Tanmay Chopra (2273) – 5½10. Tristan Cox (2141) – 5½ Photo: Paul Truong In the women’s competition, the main favorite Ketevan Arakhamia-Grant (pictured above) steamrolled her opponents and finished with a perfect score of 7 points out of 7. Despite low rating Nina Pert came in second, two points behind the champion; Dagne Ciuksyte is third, thanks to better tiebreaks over Trisha Kanyamarala and Olivia Smith. Final standings women: 1. Ketevan Arakhamia-Grant (2380) – 72. Nina Pert (1537) – 53. Dagne Ciuksyte (2294) – 4½4. Trisha Kanyamarala (2180) – 4½5. Olivia Smith (2012) – 4½6. Lara Putar (1930) – 47. Tashika Arora (1744) – 48. Imogen Dicen (1630) – 49. Alice Lampard (1763) – 410. Maria Emelianova (2113) – 3½ The Caplin British Online Championships included 20 different tournaments for various age groups from cadets to seniors held on the Chess.com platform with different time controls and stretched from December 21 to January 3. All standard play events were based on a game a day with 7 rounds of qualifiers and 9 rounds of finals each in Swiss format. Official website: www.englishchess.org.uk
FIDE approves Online Chess Regulations
The FIDE Council has approved a new set of rules to be applied to official online chess competitions. The document, which will be incorporated into the laws of chess, is the result of a joint effort by a dedicated task force, in which several FIDE Commissions were involved. “The vast experience of different competitions held online has been taken into account: many commissions’ experts (mainly arbiters and Fair Play Panel members) have been involved in FIDE major events and other online competitions held throughout 2020. The initial draft was prepared by the Rules Commission, with invaluable input from the Arbiters and the Qualification Commissions. Fair Play and the FIDE Commission for people with Disabilities also added specific rules adjusted to the online format, which are included as appendixes. During the final stage, the Global Strategy Commission was responsible for consolidating all the inputs, giving the documents its final shape”, explains Pavel Tregubov, Secretary of the GSC. The document’s structure is similar to that of the “over-the-board” Rules of Chess. The first part refers to basic rules, while Part II addresses specific rules for online competitions. Part III is entirely devoted to competition rules and divided into two subparts: A) Online competitions with supervision B) Hybrid competitions. The so-called “hybrid competition” is a new format where the games are played online, but the participants are physically present in a public place like a club, federation headquarters, hotel, et cetera. “We see a lot of potential in this format, which would allow hosting chess competitions with participants scattered across multiple venues, in a branded environment. This increases the opportunities for media exposure and sponsorship activations”, explains David Llada, FIDE’s Chief Marketing and Communications Officer. FIDE expects the hybrid format to be used in some official events in the near future, and some Continents have expressed their intention to hold their Zonal and even Continental Championships under this format. FIDE Online Chess Regulations (pdf)
FIDE appoints Dana Reizniece-Ozola as Managing Director
The International Chess Federation is proud to announce the appointment of Dana Reizniece-Ozola as Managing Director. She will be in charge of a wide range of vitally important areas of FIDE work, including administrative and financial matters, as well as functioning of most of the commissions. The main directions Ms. Reiznice-Ozola will oversee include chess in education – an area she sees as a top priority. She will also be in charge of development – a field in which Dana can contribute with her vast experience to the good work already done by the FIDE Planning and Development Commission (PDC). The third major line of work will be related to establishing relationships with other international institutions. Apart from being a very strong player – Woman Grandmaster who has won multiple titles, Reizniece-Ozola is a renowned politician and a Member of the Parliament of the Republic of Latvia, an institution she first joined in 2010. She has held the positions of Minister of Economics (2014-2016) and Minister of Finance (2016-2019), but she has also worked as the Chairperson of the Commission on Education, Culture and Science, Member of the Legal Affairs Commission, Member of the European Affairs Commission and Secretary of Budgetary and Finance (Tax) Commission in the Parliament. She has already made use of the experience gained in the political arena for the benefit of chess, having been a member of the board of the Latvian Chess Federation and, as well as Vice-President for the European Chess Union. “I will be happy to give my input in the further development of FIDE. The world would clearly acknowledge the international chess federation not only as a strong supporter to professional chess players and organizer of high-level chess competitions but also as a socially responsible organization that fosters chess in education and enhances social inclusion with this royal game”, states Dana. “Dana is an over-achiever, whose work and interests have stretched across different fields during her career, and she made high profile contributions in many different areas. In 2017, she was named Finance Minister of the Year in Europe. But not so many people know that she was leading the project of developing the first Latvian Satellite, which was launched that year. That speaks volumes about her qualities as a project manager and team leader”, said the FIDE president Arkady Dvorkovich. “But something I would like to point out is the fact that, despite the demands of her successful professional career, she has always managed to stay involved in chess, demonstrating true love for the game”. As a player, Dana was a young talent who achieved outstanding results in youth competitions. She tied for first in the U14 World Junior Championship in 1995, got a silver medal in the U18 World Youth Championship in 1998, and won two consecutive European Youth Chess Championships in 1998 and 1999. She achieved the title of Woman Grandmaster in 2000 and is a four-time winner of the Latvian Women’s National Championship (1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001). She has represented her country at eight Chess Olympiads and five European Team Championships, defending the first board. In 2016, she made headlines all over the world when, while being the incumbent finance minister, she managed to defeat the reigning World Champion Hou Yifan at the Baku Chess Olympiad. Only a few days ago, she played a brilliant game that game her team the victory in the First Division of the 4NCL Online League. Photo: Jānis Deināts