Sander Severino wins first IPCA Online Championship
The first world online championship of IPCA (the International physically disabled chess association affiliated to FIDE) was held on June 16-17 in collaboration with the Israeli Chess Federation. The Swiss tournament was open to players with at least 50 percent disability and attracted 124 participants from 25 countries. The rapid chess (nine-round tournament took place on a popular chess platform of lichess.org. The chief organizer and director Lior Aizenberg was assisted by the deputy director of the ICF Assi Philosoph, International arbiters Olexaner Prohorov (Ukraine) and Yuriy Borsuk (Belarus). 34-year old FM Sander Severino from Philippine scored 8.5 out of 9 (2602 performance!) and emerged as the winner of the tournament, 1.5 ahead of the runner-up. IM Andrei Gurbanov (Israel), IM Andrei Obodchuk, and FM Ilia Liplin (both Russia) tied for second place with 7 points each. Lukasz Nowak (Poland), Jasper Rom (Philippines), IM Igor Yarmonov (Ukraine), Henry Lopez ( Philippines), IM Dmitry Scerbin (Russia), Alexandra Alexandrova (Israel), Bakytzhan Maikenov (Kazakhstan) shared 5th – 11th place with 6.5 points each. Alexandrova, who finished in the respectable tenth place, was awarded as the best woman player. Young Israeli grandmasters Nitzan Steinberg and Ori Kobo and IM Omer Reshef provided English commentary throughout the entire event via Twitch on the ICF official website. The closing ceremony, conducted in Zoom, saw ICF chairman Dr. Zvika Barkai greeting all the participants and the winners in particular. Special thanks go to the IPCA president Svetlana Gerasimova and its honorary president Zbigniew Philimon for their contribution to the event’s success. The IPCA annual World Championship was initially scheduled to be held at the end of June in the Israeli coastal city of Ashdod, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it had been postponed and hopefully will take place in October at the same venue. At the same time, it is planned to carry on this new online initiative in the coming years regardless of the epidemiological situation as it provides excellent opportunities to physically limited players in terms of logistics and finance.
Chess after COVID-19 online discussion to be held on June 29
FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich and the 14th World Champion Vladimir Kramnik will take part in an online discussion Chess after COVID-19, organized by Roscongress Foundation and FIDE. The event starts on June 29 at 11:00 Moscow time (8:00 GMT). “We will talk about the last tendencies in chess, FIDE’s initiatives aimed at promoting and developing online-chess and explosive growth of interest to our game during the pandemic. We are also going to discuss a possible resumption of live tournaments, the prospects of chess inclusion in the school curriculum, the legacy of the biggest chess events, and other relevant topics. As long-term partners with Roscongress Foundation, we have been holding chess receptions and other sports projects at the largest economic forums and continue our cooperation in the virtual environment.” Arkady Dvorkovich said. The discussion, powered by Telesport Media television studio, also features the executive director of Chess Federation of Russia Mark Glukhovsky, the rector of Russian State Social University Natalia Pochinok, State Duma Deputy Alikhan Kharsiev, the sports minister of Primorsky Kray Jan Kuznetsov and the director for development and strategic partnership of “Odnoklassniki” social media and social networking service Alexander Volodin. Vice Prime Minister of Udmurtia Mikhail Khomich will serve as a moderator. You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRP17U1TAXQ Roscongress Cup chess tournaments featuring Russian political and business elite have become a trademark of St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, and Russian Investment Forum in Sochi. During the pandemic, these events migrated into the online format.
Carlsen, Nepomniachtchi storm into semis of Chessable Masters
Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi breezed into the last four of the $150,000 Chessable Masters with dominating displays today. Carlsen, the reigning World Champion, needed just three games to dispatch his 2018 title challenger Fabiano Caruana and reach the semis. The Norwegian won the second and third games after a first game draw to take the set 2.5-0.5 and the match 2-0 without needing a third day. Carlsen said: “I’ve got to say it was a pretty good, clean day.” In the all-Russian match, Nepomniachtchi also faced little resistance as he blew apart Vladislav Artemiev in similar fashion 2.5-0-5. Tomorrow Hikaru Nakamura and Ding Liren resume their battle with the winner of the tie set to face Carlsen. The winner of the Alexander Grischuk – Anish Giri tie will go up against Nepomniachtchi. If either of the best-of-three matches is tied after tomorrow’s second set, it will go to a decider on Monday. About the tournament The Chessable Masters, broadcast live on chess24, is the next stage of the Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour which carries a total prize pot of $1 million, a record for the online game. The event, which runs until July 5, is being put on in association with Chessable and the tour’s Education Partner, leading Swiss private banking group, Julius Baer. The final winner will take home top prize of $45,000 and a ticket to the $300,000 tour Grand Final. Coverage begins with commentary in 10 languages at 16.00 CEST. You can watch it live here: https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tournaments/chessable-masters-2020-group-a#live Highlights English:https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1dpG2c-dmqs58tSDSZvxzGNqzgquJyO0g?usp=sharing FOR MORE INFORMATION:Leon Watsonleon@chessable.com+447786 078770
Asian Senior Championship to be held in mid-July on Chess.com
The Asian Chess Federation invites all National Chess Federations to participate in the Asian Seniors Online Chess Championships in over 50 and over 65 years old categories. The event will take place over July 13-21, 2020 on Chess.com. The competition is open to all players, regardless of rating or title who reach the age of 50 and 65 by December 31, 2020, and are members of National Chess Federations in FIDE Zones from 3.1 to 3.7. There is no limit to the number of participants per federation. All the participants should have a valid FIDE ID number. The deadline for registration is July 6, 2020. Zonal tournaments shall be 7-round Swiss System events held every day. The over-65 category may be round-robin of 7 rounds or shall be merged if there are few players. All players should complete their respective tournaments. Top 3 men and best women qualify for the Finals. The Finals will be 9-round Swiss System events for over-50 and over-65 categories. The time control in all the tournaments is 10 minutes + 2-second increment per move. Top three winners of each category will receive Gold, Silver and Bronze Certificates for the Zonals and Finals. A total of $3,000 will be distributed as follows. Money prizes are not shared. Prize fund distribution: Over 50 Over 65 Best women 1st – $500 1st – $350 Over 50 – $300 2nd – $400 2nd – $200 Over 65 – $100 3rd – $300 3rd – $150 4th – $200 4th – $100 5th – $150 5th – $100 6th – $150 Strict fair-play rules will be applied throughout the event. All players will be monitored via Zoom and may not leave seats during the game. Regulations for Asian Senior Online Championship (pdf) Registration form (pdf)
Chessable Masters: Ding and Giri take the lead
Chinese powerhouse Ding Liren underlined his credentials in the $150,000 Chessable Masters today with a cool first-set win over Hikaru Nakamura. The 27-year-old national number 1 drew first blood in the heavyweight pair’s race to the semis with a crucial second game victory. Nakamura tried to fight back and threw caution to the wind in the next two games, but couldn’t break through “The Chinese Wall”. Ding closed out the set 2.5-1.5. Nakamura, who has become a huge star in online gaming, has failed to find his form so far in this tournament and only just scraped into the last eight from his prelim group. Ding is now the firm favorite to make it through while Nakamura has to win on Sunday to take it to a decider on Monday or face an early exit. World Champion Magnus Carlsen or world number 2 Fabiano Caruana will lie in wait for the winner in the semis. In the other tie, it took a two-game blitz chess play-off and then an Armageddon tiebreaker to separate Anish Giri and Alexander Grischuk after they played out four consecutive draws. The draws were not without drama though. Giri spurned a clear chance to go in front in game two and allowed Grischuk to pull off a miraculous save. Watching online, Carlsen remarked on Twitter: “My boy @anishgiri snatching a draw from the jaws of victory.” Giri and Grischuk then went into a blitz play-off which saw two more draws – making six drawn games in total between the two. In the Armageddon game, Giri chose the black pieces with a time disadvantage so only needed to draw which he duly did to finally win the set. On Saturday Carlsen and Caruana are back in action with Caruana needing a win. Ian Nepominachtchi is ahead in the other quarter with a 1-0 lead over Vladislav Artemiev. About the tournament The Chessable Masters, broadcast live on chess24, is the next stage of the Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour which carries a total prize pot of $1 million, a record for the online game. The event, which runs until July 5, is being put on in association with Chessable and the tour’s Education Partner, leading Swiss private banking group, Julius Baer. The final winner will take home top prize of $45,000 and a ticket to the $300,000 tour Grand Final. Coverage begins with commentary in 10 languages at 16.00 CEST. You can watch it live here: https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tournaments/chessable-masters-2020-group-a#live Highlights English:https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1dpG2c-dmqs58tSDSZvxzGNqzgquJyO0g?usp=sharing FOR MORE INFORMATION:Leon Watsonleon@chessable.com+447786 078770
Ushenina and Gunina square off in first Grand Prix leg final
Anna Ushenina (Ukraine) and Valentina Gunina (Russia) became the finalists of the first Grand Prix leg of the Women’s Speed Chess Championship by FIDE and Chess.com Ushenina beat young Indian WGM Vaishali Rameshbabu 5.5-4.5 in a very close match coming from behind and taking an upper hand in the bullet portion. In the second all-Rusian semifinal, Gunina eliminated her compatriot GM Alexandra Kosteniuk 9-3. Valentina was on fire today despite being very tired from playing every day during the last week, as she confessed in a post-match interview. Unlike Kosteniuk, who was a seeded player, Valentina had to qualify for the Grand Prix and she did it only at the fifth attempt. The Russian GM will have a chance to recharge her batteries as there is a free day tomorrow before the final on Sunday. You can watch it live on our youtube.com/fidechannel and support your favorite player.
Loo Pin Xie wins FIDE Online Junior Cup for Players U20 with Disabilities
Following the success of its Online Cup for People with Disabilities, FIDE staged a similar event, the Online Junior Cup for Players U20 with Disabilities. The five-round Swiss tournament with time control 10 + 5 took place on a popular platform playchess.com on June 21, 2020. The event was officiated by Marco Biagioli (Chief Arbiter). The games were streamed live on the official site https://disabledchess.org/. The tournament brought together 38 junior players with various disabilities from 17 national federations, representing three continents. The participants and organizers were greeted by FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich: “We are doing our best to provide access to chess at the top level and for amateurs all around the world these days by organizing tournaments online. I am very happy that you will take part in this event today… Of course, we are all hopeful that the pandemic will end and we will be back to over-the-board events, but we have to explore all the options, all the possibilities to play chess.” Ilya Lipilin (Russia), Max Dave Tellor (USA), and Jarno Scheffner topped the starting list, but none of them made it to a virtual podium. Loo Pin Xie from Malaysia (rated just seventh) won all five games and deservedly took the title. Rozas Lazcano Valeska from Chile finished a half-point behind the champion and became the winner in the girl section. Another Chilean, Tapia Loncon Andres Saul lost a key last-round game to the eventual champion and tied for third place with four players but ended in the top-3 thanks to better tiebreaks. Final standings: Rank Name Rating FED Points 1 Loo Pin Xie 1570 MAS 5 2 Rozas Lazcano Valeska 1339 CHI 4.5 3 Tapia Loncon Andres Saul 1612 CHI 4 4 Kimsanboyev Axadxon 1638 UZB 4 5 Kieselbach Jannik 1379 GER 4 6 Rahatbekov Tilegen 1295 KGZ 4 7 Scheffner Jarno 1733 GER 4 8 Kieselbach Marvin 1447 GER 3.5 9 Lipilin Ilia 1983 RUS 3.5 10 Kartik Girish Nair 1283 IND 3.0 All the participants received souvenirs from FIDE, whereas the winners were awarded packages of goods, including a t-shirt, cap, and backpack with the logo of the event. The two top finishers were also presented with a 3-hour master-class by German Grandmaster Thomas Luther. Rozas Lazcano Valeska, the winner in the girl section and the second-place finisher in the open section shared her impressions of the event: “I am very happy to have participated in this tournament because it gives opportunities to people with different disabilities.” FIDE DIS has already started preparing its next online event for the players with disabilities which is scheduled for July 21, 2020. More details are coming soon. Live games: http://live.chessbase.com/games/1st-FIDE-Online-Cup-for-U20-with-Disabil?isCordova=False All the results: http://chess-results.com/tnr529007.aspx?lan=1&art=4&turdet=YES&flag=30 Video report with comments of GM Thomas Luther, FIDE DIS Chairman: https://dis.fide.com/LIVE_COMMENTS/m344
Chessable Masters quarterfinals: Carlsen savages Caruana
Magnus Carlsen‘s demolition job stunned world number 2, Fabiano Caruana, today as the Chessable Masters quarter-finals got underway. The World Champion got into his stride straight away showing the crushing style he is famous for in a dominant first game win. Caruana, US number 1, was forced to resign again in the second as Carlsen, playing from a beach house in Denmark, extended his lead to 2-0. In the third, Carlsen simply cruised to the draw that settled today’s four-game set 2.5-0.5 one game early. Carlsen now takes control of the best-of-three tie with Caruana needing to win on Saturday to take it to a decider. Asked how his day went, Carlsen said: “I would say it’s pretty good, just got to keep it up.” Speaking about his consistency, Carlsen added: “I wouldn’t say I’ve been consistent at all – it feels like I’ve lost a million games!” In the other quarter, the first game appeared to be heading for a draw before a disconnection saw Vladislav Artemiev run out of time and lose. The second ended in a draw before Artemiev, needing to avoid defeat in the third, fell disappointingly. Ian Nepomniachtchi goes 1-0 up in the quarter-final. Ding Liren against Hikaru Nakamura and Alexander Grischuk against Anish Giri will start their quarter-final ties tomorrow. About the tournament The Chessable Masters, broadcast live on chess24, is the next stage of the Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour which carries a total prize pot of $1 million, a record for the online game. The event, which runs until July 5, is being put on in association with Chessable and the tour’s Education Partner, leading Swiss private banking group, Julius Baer. The final winner will take home top prize of $45,000 and a ticket to the $300,000 tour Grand Final. Coverage begins with commentary in 10 languages at 16.00 CEST. You can watch it live here: https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tournaments/chessable-masters-2020-group-a#live Highlights English:https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1dpG2c-dmqs58tSDSZvxzGNqzgquJyO0g?usp=sharing FOR MORE INFORMATION:Leon Watsonleon@chessable.com+447786 078770
WSCC: Abrahamyan and Gunina advance to GP stage
WGM Tatev Abrahamyan and GM Valentina Gunina are the last two players to qualify for the Women’s Speed Chess Grand Prix. Today’s 1+1 bullet qualifier, the sixth and last one, brought together almost 200 players. Valentina Gunina convincingly won the Swiss part scoring 16,5 out of 21 and made it to the top-8 playoff stage for the fifth time. She was followed by WGM Daria Voit (16), WGM Hoang Thi Bao Tram (15,5), WGM Aleksandra Maltsevskaya (15), GM Nana Dzagnidze, WGM Polina Shuvalova, WGM Tatev Abrahamyan, and WGM Meri Arabidze (all with 14.5). In the playoff, WGM Tatev Abrahamyan whitewashed Voit 2-0 then prevailed over Hoang Thi Bao Tram 1.5-0.5 and claimed the qualifying spot. Gunina beat Arabidze 1.5-0.5 and then took the lead against Maltsevskaya 1-0. In the second game, the 17-year-old Russian bounced back so the destiny of the last ticket to GP decided in the Armageddon. As a winner of the Swiss event, Gunina could choose the color and true to herself, picked White. The game went smooth for her and finally, on her fifth try, Valentina advanced to the Grand Prix! The first Grand Prix tournament starts on June 24 at 12:30 PM GMT.
Chessable Masters: Vachier-Lagrave and Radjabov eliminated
The challenges of elite online chess events were laid bare today as Ding Liren overcame connection problems to book a place in the Chessable Masters knockout. China’s number 1 made it through a tight Group B despite suffering a loss when his internet failed against the eventual leader Anish Giri. On a day of twists and turns, Ding then benefitted from a quirk of the online game himself when one of his opponents – the top Russian player Ian Nepomniachtchi – suffered a mouse-slip. Nepomniachtchi, like Ding, recovered and went on to tie down a spot in the quarters. World number 2 Fabiano Caruana also qualified after finishing fourth overall. Giri said afterward: “I knew today that I would have to be fighting from the first game to the last so I was ready for that but I was quick lucky along the way.” On his Round 7 win, he added: “I was slightly better against Ding but it was going to be a draw and then he disconnected. “I’m really happy for him that he bounced back because it would be so unfortunate for him if he had to finish last because of the disconnect.” Today’s top four join World Champion Magnus Carlsen, Vladislav Artemiev, Hikaru Nakamura and Alexander Grischuk from Group A in the last eight. The day’s play started with Teimour Radjabov missing an early chance to get back in the running and having to settle for a draw against Nepomniachtchi. But then a bloody Round 2 really shook up the standings. Nepomniachtchi downed Caruana in scintillating style, Radjabov showed he still had plenty of fight in him to hit back against Vachier-Lagrave and Giri benefitted when Ding suffered the disconnection. Ding, playing from China, couldn’t reconnect and ran out of time to hand Giri victory the sole lead. Ding, however, bounced back in the next round to score a full-point against Nepomniachtchi after the Russian suffered a mouse-slip – another danger in online chess. Caruana also hit back beating Vachier-Lagrave while Radjabov-Giri ended in a draw. With two rounds to go, Giri was out in front with 5pts but the next five places in the table were separated by just a half-point leaving the race for the knockout stage wide open. In Round 9, Ding dished out a dominating display against Vachier-Lagrave to record back-to-back wins. It was a big blow to the French number 1. Radjabov also suffered when he spurned a golden chance to leapfrog Caruana when their manic game ended in a draw. Nepomniachtchi – Giri, meanwhile, was drawn. It teed up a thrilling Round 10 with everyone in with a shot. Caruana safely secured the half-point he needed with a quick draw against the already-qualified Giri. Nepomniachtchi ended Vachier-Lagrave’s slim hopes to claim his place while Ding and Radjabov ended in a perpetual check giving Ding the necessary half-point. Vachier-Lagrave and Radjabov are now eliminated before the tournament rest day tomorrow. During the action, Carlsen joined the commentary box and revealed he is hoping to face Giri in the final. Carlsen said: “There’s been significant action, it’s been so many twists and turns already and I have a feeling we haven’t heard the last of it… I would like to play Anish Giri in the final and I don’t think he’s going to be part of my bracket.” “I’m fine either way to be fair but, as I said earlier, probably Ding and Caruana are the best players in general so avoiding them in the quarter-finals wouldn’t be bad.” the World Champion added. About the tournament The Chessable Masters, broadcast live on chess24, is the next stage of the Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour which carries a total prize pot of $1 million, a record for the online game. The elite rapid chess event, which runs until July 5, is being put on in association with Chessable and the tour’s Education Partner, leading Swiss private banking group, Julius Baer. Players are split into two groups (A and B) of six which play on alternate days for the preliminary stage before eight progress to the knockouts starting on June 25. The A Group consists of Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, Daniil Dubov, Alexander Grischuk, Vladislav Artemiev and Pentala Harikrishna. The B Group features Fabiano Caruana, Ding Liren, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Teimour Radjabov, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, and Anish Giri. The final winner will take home the top prize of $45,000 and a ticket to the $300,000 tour Grand Final on August 9 to 10. Coverage begins with commentary in 10 languages at 16.00 CEST. You can watch it live here: https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tournaments/chessable-masters-2020-group-a#live Highlights English:https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1dpG2c-dmqs58tSDSZvxzGNqzgquJyO0g?usp=sharing FOR MORE INFORMATION:Leon Watsonleon@chessable.com+447786 078770