2020 Global Chess Festival press conference announced
From casual fans to professional players, everyone can join in this year’s educational, scientific, artistic and sports activities as the chess festival event moves into online format. On Thursday 1 October, 2020, from 10 to 11 am, Olympic chess champion Judit Polgár, one of the greatest female players of all time, and Norbert Fogarasi, Managing Director of Morgan Stanley Budapest, the main sponsors of the event, and a board member of the Hungarian Chess Federation, will hold a press conference about the 6th Global Chess Festival, to be held on 10 October, 2020. You can join the press conference, following a brief registration procedure HERE, clicking on “LIVE”. Journalists can participate in the press conference online. A limited number of spaces will be available for TV crews and photographers to join Judit Polgár and Norbert Fogarasi in the Global Chess Festival’s digital control room under safe conditions, at the following address: RentIT, Komócsy utca 9, H-1141 Budapest. Our topics at the press conference: Pandemic and crisis management from a Grandmaster’s perspective. Chess has brought masters and students closer to each other across continents during the lockdown as millions have played online and streaming audiences have multiplied. Judit Polgár has built on her experience and tactical skills from chess tournaments to see the challenges of the past few months as opportunities, and has created an exciting online space for the Global Chess Festival that everyone can join. This year’s festivities will feature Garry Kasparov and the Polgár sisters. Chess in (remote) education. Chess helps education and the integration of various communities in society. Judit has invited internationally renowned experts to discuss various topics during this year’s Global Chess Festival. One of the topics will concern the handling of social and psychological problems of children from immigrant families, and the positive effect of chess on prison convicts. Judit has again invited more than 500 schools and 2,000 teachers to join the Global Chess Festival, and will discuss the recent work she has done in Hungarian schools among teachers. The role of chess in business. Norbert Fogarasi will talk about the lessons businesses can learn from chess, and how the skills developed while playing can benefit employees in many ways. Tournaments and the champions of the future. Judit will host several legendary competitors at this year’s festival, including chess Grandmaster and pro footballer Simen Agdestein, who discovered and mentored the talent of reigning World Champion Magnus Carlsen. Judit will discuss online tournaments and chess courses that everyone can join – from beginners to the champions of tomorrow. Events will include a virtual simultaneous exhibition with Judit and Sofia Polgár. Questions may be submitted through the online interface during the press conference under the QUESTIONS menu. Please indicate any requests for interviews in advance. A press release, photographs and a detailed festival programme will be shared with journalists. Please note that any and all on-site TV crew personnel will be requested to wear face masks. Thank you! For further information and interview requests please contact the person in charge from the GCF team Arpad Lipcsei: press@GlobalChessFestival.com Official website: http://www.globalchessfestival.com/
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Bringing chess to public spaces
This article was originally published on the FIDE Newsletter #15 (September 28, 2020). If you want to receive this biweekly publication directly in your inbox, please subscribe here. Jesus Medina, from The Netherlands, is not your average chess fan: he taught himself how to play when he was already 46. With a professional background in IT and tourism, he also holds a Bachelor’s degree in Education. When his older daughter was in primary school she was struggling with mathematics, and he thought that chess might help her to improve her calculation skills. “So I taught myself how to play watching Youtube tutorials, and then I taught her”. The plan worked out pretty well. “Her ability to concentrate improved a lot, and that, combined with remedial classes, helped her to build up her math skills”. The experience was so positive that Jesus took a strong interest in attracting more children to the game. “We all know the educational benefits of chess. If we want more kids to be exposed to chess, we have to make chess accessible, make it visible in those places where kids play: in city parks, squares, and schoolyards,” he explains. “You can’t want something if you don’t know that it exists. A lot of kids don’t play chess at home, or at school. They might not know that chess exists. By seeing chess tables in parks and squares, they will want to know more about the game, they’ll want to play it.” With this idea in mind, in 2018 he launched “Urban Chess”, a social initiative in the Netherlands to place public chess tables in city parks. In March that year, the first three public tables were inaugurated in Máxima Park in Utrecht. Two and a half years later, 17 Dutch municipalities have followed already, and his initiative has already received words of endorsement from chess personalities like Anish Giri, as well as Judit and Susan Polgar. “The structural Urban Chess approach can be copied in other countries as well”, explains Jesus. “I try to motivate people locally to reach out to their municipalities, and I guide them on how to proceed. I explain to chess enthusiasts how they can approach their city council and advise about the right communication: which arguments they should use, which ones they should better not”. He gives an example: “If you want this to work out, your approach with the authorities shouldn’t be ‘I want to promote chess’, but rather ‘we want to create social cohesion’ or ‘we want to promote an activity that helps in fighting brain decline’. That’s the idea that will appeal to them”. Jesus also offers advice on the financial part: how the costs can be covered, who and how they can approach for funding. “I highlight the importance of a ‘programming first’ approach: we plan certain activities that will take place around the chess tables, like workshops, simuls, charity events… We use this plan towards the city council to demonstrate that we have put some thought on it, that we have a plan and we will make sure that the chess tables will be used”. Jesús has a very active Twitter account and a website in English. You can also reach him via email: jcmedinamolina@gmail.com. Photo: https://twitter.com/jmedinamolina
2020 1st quarter FIDE Online Council Agenda
FIDE publishes the Agenda for the 1st quarter FIDE Online Council meeting which was held on May 12th, 2020. Download AGENDA (pdf)
2020 2nd quarter FIDE Online Council Agenda and Commissions reports
FIDE publishes the Agenda of 2nd quarter FIDE Online Council Meeting which was held on June 23, 2020. Download Agenda (pdf) Annex 7.2.1 Arbiters’ Commission report (ARB) Annex 7.3 Chess in Education Commission report (EDU) Annex 7.4 Commission for the Disabled report (DIS) Annex 7.5 Commission for Women’s Chess report (WOM) Annex 7.6.1 Ethics and Disciplinary Commission report (EDC) Annex 7.7.1 Events Commission report (EVE) Annex 7.9 Medical Commission report (MED) Annex 7.10 Planning and Development Commission report (PDC) Annex 7.11.1 Qualification Commission report (QC) Annex 7.12 Rules Commission report (RC) Annex 7.14 Systems of Pairings and Programs report (SPP) Annex 7.15 Technical Commission report (TEC) Annex 7.16.1 Trainers’ Commission Report on Status of FIDE Endorsed Academies Annex 7.17 Data protection GDPR Commission proposal Annex 7.18 Constitutional Commission report (CON)
Nodirbek and Nilufar Yakubboev are new Uzbekistani champions
Brother and sister Nodirbek and Nilufar Yakubboev became the 2020 Uzbekistani Champions. National championships, round-robin tournaments, started in March but were postponed after five rounds due to the epidemiological situation. The championship was resumed in fall with four final rounds played on September 21-24 in the capital of Uzbekistan Tashkent. Although Nodirbek is just 18 years old, this is his third national title – Yakubboev previously won this event in 2016 and 2018. The champion scored 7.5 out of 8, conceding just a half-point to another young GM Shamsiddin Vokhidov who finished second. Both are rapidly progressing, with Yakubboev currently ranked #17 in the world’s junior rating list. Together with their compatriot and champion’s namesake Nodirbek Abdusattorov, these three talented juniors are the future of Uzbekistani chess. Nodirbek’s elder sister, 20-year-old WIM Nilufar Yakubbaeva clinched her second national title in a row. After netting 7.5 out of 9, she finished a full point ahead of Umida Omova who took silver. Final standings – Open: 1. GM Yakubboev Nodirbek – 7.52. GM Vokhidov Shamsiddin – 73. GM Sindarov Javokhir – 4.54. FM Saydaliev Saidakbar – 45. IM Abdisalimov Abdimalik – 3.56. FM Madaminov Mukhiddin – 37. FM Artemenko Oleg – 2.5 8. Rakhmatullaev Almas – 29. IM Nigmatov Ortik – 2 Final standings – Women 1. WIM Yakubbaeva Nilufar – 7.52. WFM Omonova Umida – 6.53. WCM Khegay Yuliya – 54. WFM Saparova Sitora – 55. WGM Kurbonboeva Sarvinoz – 4.56. WIM Abdusattorova Bakhora – 4.57. WGM Gevorgyan Irina – 48. WCM Khamdamova Afruza – 3.59. WIM Baymuratova Sevara – 3.510 . Narzikulova Gulhae – 1
Svidler takes on winners of FIDE/Gazprom/Zenit competition
At the end of September, Zenit, a popular football club from St. Petersburg (Russia), Gazprom, General Sponsor of the Online Olympiad, and FIDE joined their efforts to stage a fun and exciting competition. Those who followed @?????_??? ????????? account had a unique chance play against GM Peter Svidler together with Anatoliy Tymoshchuk and win signed Zenit’s shirt. In order to do that, they had to catch three chess puzzles in their stories over September 19-20-21 and submit the solution to each of them in the answer to the story by 9 am CET the next day. It was amazing that so many people (fifty to be exact) solved all three chess problems given in @zenit_spb Instagram stories. A random draw held on Instagram Live (Sept 23, 6 pm CET) picked 15 lucky ones to play in the simul with GM Peter Svidler: @individoom, @dawut504, @mikhail_manuilov, @arjunkalyan617, @contr4s, @leonidkudriavtsev3, @gorkemcanakcili, @niall_fitzgerald16, @andyport2014, @elena.antipova.thymy, @say_my_name_quietly, @alex.z307, @ololoshenkin, @rostickkin, @aleksandra_stepanova_86. Two players – Anton Bagretsov and Bakhtiyar Askarov – managed to win their games against the renowned GM. They will receive Zenit shirts signed by the whole team, Svidler and Tymoshchuk. Anton, who played his game in Zenit’s shirt, will surely be happy to see his collection growing. Two more players made draws: Viktor Korennoy and ‘Mr-Najdorf’. 12 games finished in favor of the grandmaster, including the one against Zenit’s trainer Anatoliy Tymoshchuk. In a short interview after the simul, the grandmaster praised the opponents and admitted that his result could have been worse. Congratulations to the winners! All the participants of the simul will also get a shirt with Svidler and Tymoshchuk autographs. The simultaneous exhibition was streamed live on Zenit Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pl3dKdWwtjA
Play Magnus seeks listing on Oslo Stock Exchange
(Oslo, 24 September 2020) The Play Magnus Group has applied to list on the Oslo Børs’ Merkur Market. The technology company plans to raise capital in connection with the listing. Among the cornerstone investors are the American asset manager Luxor Capital, DNB Capital Management, TIN Fonder, and TD Veen. The co-founder and chairman of the board of the Play Magnus Group Anders Brandt said: “The company has developed enormously from a standalone app to becoming an industry leader with an ecosystem of innovative chess services. Our ambition is to create the world’s best experiences for playing, learning, and watching chess. This is by far the biggest investment ever in chess, and a listing on Merkur Market will secure a solid platform for further growth.” The Play Magnus Group has a 12-month revenue run rate of approximately USD 7 million and demonstrated the organic growth in the first half of this year of approximately 120 percent. “The market is growing, and we are in an early phase which requires further investments. We will invest heavily in technology development in the future and the company does not rule out further acquisitions. We will build on the success of the 2020 Chess Tour and further develop this to its full potential.” he added. The Play Magnus Group offers services for everyone to play, watch, and learn chess. Professional players can teach, create content, and compete on the company’s various platforms. The Group’s services consist of the Play Magnus App Suite, chess24, Chessable, and CoChess. In addition, in 2020 the Group launched a professional online chess competition, the Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour, which gained significant interest and captured viewers worldwide. The Play Magnus Group has more than 3 million registered users across platforms and approximately 35,000 monthly paying customers worldwide. In connection with the listing on Merkur Market on the Oslo Stock Exchange, the plan is to raise approximately NOK 400 million (USD ~42 million) in a combined primary and secondary offering. Magnus Carlsen, the current World Chess Champion, said: “The company has a unique vision and strategy for bringing chess to a wider audience. Our model will help many more chess players and coaches to be able to make a living from chess. The company has just started on this journey and I look forward to continuing to be a part of this adventure.” The private placement prices the Play Magnus Group at NOK 796 million. To stimulate liquidity for the listed shares, the original founders of Play Magnus AS, chess24 and Chessable will sell some of their shares as part of the private placement prior to the listing. The majority of the shares in the sale will be sold by LT Holdings Ltd, the largest current shareholder in Play Magnus. The plan is to carry out a book-building process starting on 24 September, with the first day of trading during the week of October 5, provided that the application is approved by the Oslo Stock Exchange. ABG Sundal Collier and SpareBank 1 Markets AS are the company’s financial advisers, Simonsen Vogt Wiig is the legal adviser while Corporate Communications AS is the adviser on IR and communications. For further comments, please contact: Leon Watson,Press,+44 778 607 8770,leon@chessable.com About the Play Magnus Group Founded in Norway by four-time World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen, the Play Magnus Group is a global leader in the chess industry focused on providing the premier digital experiences for the millions of chess players and students around the world. The company offers eLearning and entertainment services via its market-leading brands: chess24, Chessable, CoChess, Play Magnus and the Champions Chess Tour. The Group’s mission is to grow chess to make the world a smarter place.
ChessMatec announces free workshop
FIDE has recently entered a cooperation agreement with ChessMatec – Chess for Kids, an all-in-one chess learning platform. Next Thursday (October 1), the creators of this app will offer an online workshop to demonstrate its main features and will discuss the educative aspects of their tool. The workshop, open to everyone, will take place at 17:00 CET. In order to register, please send an email to ??????@??????????.??? with a copy to ?????????@????.??? This workshop might be of special interest to chess teachers, since “ChessMatec for Teachers” offers multi-student support and includes a Classroom Management solution that allows teachers to easily create classrooms, import students, and see helpful metrics. ChessMatec is currently available in English, Russian, Spanish, French, German, Turkish, Dutch, Polish, and Italian. Thanks to this agreement FIDE members are entitled to a 50% discount on yearly purchases of ChessMatec.
IMPORTANT: Online Olympiad for People with Disabilities
Dear member Federations: We would like to remind you that you can register more than one team in the upcoming Online Olympiad for People with Disabilities, to be held between November 20 and December 3, 2020. However, please note that all participants have to be previously registered in the directory of players with disabilities at the DIS website. You can check this database at this link: https://dis.fide.com/wr0. All your team members must be included in the database: this is a mandatory condition to be a participant in the event. In case any of your players are not included yet in the database, please send the players’ names and details to the FIDE VP Akaki Iashvili at iashvili.fide@gmail.com before 30 September 2020, using this form. Please provide a passport-size colored photo of your players as well. The Online Olympiad for the Disabled is sponsored by Pengcheng Chess Club.