FIDE and Asian Chess Federation hold training program for refugees
Following the International Chess Federation’s vision to spread the game across all layers of society in an inclusive way that leaves no one behind including the refugees, and believing in the effect of every initiative towards a world of fairness and equity, Asia Chess Academy, supervised by the International Chess Federation and the Asian Chess Federation, has proceeded with its training program devoted to refugees launched in July of 2019. Asia Chess Academy, in cooperation with one of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) schools in Amman, conducted an intensive chess training program for 45 students. The program targeted students with no previous experience or knowledge about the game of chess and guided them all the way to a competitive level, where their minds clashed in the closing tournament celebrating World Refugee Day. The General Secretary of the Asian Chess Federation, Mr. Hisham Al Taher supervising the training session. With five hours of hard work every day, the program lasted for 9 days and witnessed the kids’ passion and desire to learn in every session. The perseverance the kids showed in improving their level changed the way they perceived the game; a great tool to utilize free time as they put it! On World Refugee Day, the day intended to draw the public’s attention and awareness of refugees and their suffering, the chessboard with its even distribution of black and white provided those kids with some equity they miss and gave them some hope for a just world. FIDE Executive Director, Mr. Victor Bologan, and FIDE International Director, Mohd Al-Mudahka wishing players good luck before the start of the tournament The Asia Chess Academy intends to stay committed to helping refugees. The Academy emphasized that its effort is sustained by the continuous support of FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, who consistently encourages such initiatives addressing refugees’ problems.
WSCC: Mammadzada, Dronavalli through to GP stage
The third qualifier for the FIDE Chess.com Women’s Speed Chess Championship Grand Prix is in the books. GM Natalia Zhukova owned the Swiss event leading throughout the 21 rounds of fierce battles and finishing clear first. However, in order to get one of the two qualification spots, a player needs to prove superior in the knockout playoff that includes the top eight finishers: GM Natalia Zhukova (Ukraine)WGM Deysi Cori (Peru)GM Valentina Gunina (Russia)GM Nana Dzagnidze (Georgia)WGM Nino Khomeriki (Georgia)GM Harika Dronavalli (India)IM Alina Kashlinskaya (Russia)IM Gunay Mammadzada (Azerbaijan) Here Zhukova succumbed to young Azerbaijani IM Gunay Mammadzada 0-2. Most likely the Ukrainian will try her luck in the next qualifier. In the semis, Mammadzada defeated GM Nana Dzagnidze in the Armageddon after going through a loss in their second game and claimed the qualification spot. Gunay made herself an excellent present for her 20th birthday that she had celebrated just a day earlier on June 19. Another qualification slot goes to Indian star Harika Dronavalli. In the quarters she defeated Valentina Gunina 2-0 and in another semifinal dispatched Alina Kashlinskaya 2-0. The FIDE Chess.com Women’s Speed Chess Championship is an online competition for female players held between June 18 and July 20, 2020. The competition consists of four separate stages, with the first now underway. Four more of these Swiss tournaments, followed by a knockout, will be played and to deliver two qualifiers each for the Grand Prix stage that follows. WSCC Super Final in which two best players of Grand Prix face-off, crowns the competition. The Swiss tournaments are open to any titled women player (WCM/WFM/WIM/WGM/IM/GM). Each one of the Grand Prix legs has a total prize fund of 10,300 USD, with 3,000 going to the winner. The prize fund of WSCC Super Final amounts to 10,000 USD, with 6,500 going to the winner, and 3,500 to the runner up. More information about the FIDE Chess.com Women’s Speed Chess Championship can be found here.
WSCC: Le Thao Nguyen, Munkhzul advance to GP stage
WGM Le Thao Nguyen Pham (Vietnam) and WIM Turmunkh Munkhzul (Mongolia) qualified for the Grand Prix of Women’s Speed Chess Championship. The second qualifier (a 3+1 Swiss tournament followed by an 8-player knockout) broke the record of the first one in terms of numbers, as 229 players took part in the competition. Top eight finishers made it to the knockout playoff: Le Thao Nguyen Pham (Vietnam, 11/13), Karina Ambartsumova (Russia), Vaishali R (India), Valentina Gunina (Russia, 10/13), Petra Papp (Hungary), Aleksandra Goryachkina (Russia), Turmunkh Munkhzul (Mongolia), and Deysi Cori (Peru, all scored 9.5/13). Full results of the second qualifier can be found here. In the playoff, the top Vietnamese WGM Le Thao Nguyen Pham continued her hot run beating Deysi Cori 1.5-0.5 and Petra Papp 1.5-0.5. WIM Turmunkh Munkhzul defeated Karina Ambartsumova in the decisive Armageddon game and then convincingly outplayed Vaishali R 2-0. This is arguably the greatest achievement in the chess career of 18-year-old Turmunkh, who became a WIM after tying for first (along with Medina Warda Aulia and Batkhuyag Munguntuul) at the 2019 FIDE Zone 3.3 Women’s Championship. The FIDE Chess.com Women’s Speed Chess Championship is an online competition for female players held between June 18 and July 20, 2020. The competition consists of four separate stages, with the first now underway. Four more of these Swiss tournaments, followed by a knockout, will be played and to deliver two qualifiers each for the Grand Prix stage that follows. WSCC Super Final in which two best players of Grand Prix face-off, crowns the competition. The Swiss tournaments are open to any titled women player (WCM/WFM/WIM/WGM/IM/GM). Each one of the Grand Prix legs has a total prize fund of 10,300 USD, with 3,000 going to the winner. The prize fund of WSCC Super Final amounts to 10,000 USD, with 6,500 going to the winner, and 3,500 to the runner up. More information about the FIDE Chess.com Women’s Speed Chess Championship can be found here.
Ushenina, Ning top 1st FIDE Chess.com WSCC Qualifier
As the top-two finishers of the first FIDE Chess.com Women’s Speed Chess Championship Qualifier, GM Anna Ushenina, and WIM Ning Kayiu on Thursday qualified for the Grand Prix phase. The first qualifier attracted an impressive turnout – the event brought together 223 players from 45 countries. Five more qualifier tournaments will follow from June 19 to June 23. Ning and Ushenina had finished among the top eight players in the nine-round Swiss, together with GM Valentina Gunina, GM Antoaneta Stefanova, WGM Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova, GM Aleksandra Goryachkina, IM Padmini Rout, and WGM Polina Shuvalova. Ning Kayiu, the former World Youth Chess Champion (Girls U14, 2018), was especially impressive as she defeated both Russian GMs Goryachkina and Gunina, while a former Women’s World Champion Anna Ushenina was too strong for Tokhirjonova and Rout. The last game between Ning and Gunina, a must-win for the Russian player, was just a real roller-coaster with the evaluation in an endgame changing many times. Eventually, Valentia lost on time in a winning position and let her opponent advance to Grand Prix. The FIDE Chess.com Women’s Speed Chess Championship is an online competition for female players held between June 18 and July 20, 2020. The format consists of four separate stages, with the first now underway. Five more of these Swiss tournaments, followed by a knockout, will be played and will deliver two qualifiers each for the Grand Prix stage that follows. WSCC Super Final in which two best players of Grand Prix face-off, crowns the competition. The Swiss tournaments are open to any titled women player (WCM/WFM/WIM/WGM/IM/GM). Each one of the Grand Prix legs has a total prize fund of 10,300 USD, with 3,000 going to the winner. The prize fund of WSCC Super Final amounts to 10,000 USD, with 6,500 going to the winner, and 3,500 to the runner up. The first three Swiss tournaments start at 7 a.m. Pacific time / 16:00 Central Europe. The last three will begin at 9 a.m. Pacific time / 18:00 Central Europe. More information about the FIDE Chess.com Women’s Speed Chess Championship can be found here. Text: Peter Doggers (chess.com)
1st FIDE Online Junior Cup for Players U20 with Disabilities kicks off on June 21
Following the success of its Online Cup for People with Disabilities, FIDE is launching a similar event, the Online Junior Cup for Players U20 with Disabilities. The five-round Swiss tournament with time control 10 + 5 will take place on a popular platform on playchess.com on June 21, 2020. The first round in the event officiated by Marco Biagioli (Chief Arbiter) and Rahim Gasimov (Deputy Chief Arbiter), starts at 2 PM GMT. The event will bring together 49 junior players with various disabilities from 17 national federations, representing three continents (the registration is closed now). This time around, America has a very broad representation: players from Colombia, Chile, Venezuela, Paraguay, and surely the USA will compete with their opponents from the Old World. Ilya Lipilin (Russia), Max Dave Tellor (USA) and Griffin Mcconnell (Philippines) top the starting list. The games will be streamed live on the official site https://disabledchess.org/
Magnus Carlsen wins Clutch Chess International
The Clutch Chess International tournament concluded with a gripping final match between World Champion Magnus Carlsen and World #2, Fabiano Caruana, with Carlsen claiming victory in the final round and taking home the grand prize of $50,000 and an additional $25,000 in clutch bonuses. This historical online tournament, hosted by the Saint Louis Chess Club and created by Grandmaster Maurice Ashley, featured electrifying knockout matches that had the audience glued to their seats after every move. Clutch Chess International offered the world’s best Grandmasters the opportunity to compete in the event, which boasted a $265,000 prize fund, the largest ever offered for an online chess event. Clutch Chess took place from June 6 – 14, 2020 with expert commentary by GMs Yasser Seirawan and Maurice Ashley, and WGM Jennifer Shahade throughout. This tournament proved to be the most-watched live event in the 12-year history of the Saint Louis Chess Club, with more than 28,000 fans watching Carlsen and Caruana battle it out on the final day of Clutch Chess International. “We thought the first Clutch Chess tournament would bring unexpected surprises and unmatched gameplay, but Clutch Chess International turned up the heat with even more aggressive matches, higher stakes, and nail-biting excitement throughout the tournament,” said Tony Rich, Executive Director of the Saint Louis Chess Club. “This was a golden moment of sportsmanship and fierce competition for fans during the quarantine.” The eight Grandmasters who competed in Clutch Chess International were Magnus Carlsen (reigning World Champion, Norway), Fabiano Caruana (World number 2, USA), Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (World # 5, France), Alexander Grischuk (World # 6, Russia), Levon Aronian (World # 7, Armenia), Wesley So (World # 8 and recent winner of Clutch Chess USA, USA), Leinier Dominguez (World # 6 in Rapid, USA), and Jeffery Xiong (USA # 5). Magnus Carlsen’s victory against Fabiano Caruana didn’t come easily. After a crucial win in round 10, the World Champion took a point lead going into the final two clutch games, where each win was worth three points. With a clutch victory in game 11, Caruana took a two-point lead and pocketed $13,000 as a clutch bonus. Going into the final game, Carlsen was in a must-win situation but nonetheless seemed relaxed and confident. In his post-game interview, the World Champion opined that neither of the players was defending difficult positions well, and revealed his strategy was to keep Caruana under pressure throughout the match. The final game was ultimately a one-sided affair after Carlsen’s powerful sacrifice on move 16 that allowed his pieces to converge on Caruana’s king, forcing resignation on move 31. “The tournament winner could have gone either way today, I won the first games and then the next few games Fabiano did better than I,” said World Champion Magnus Carlsen. “I knew that if I could put him under pressure then I would have a chance for the win. The way things went in the final game was a dream for me and I was ultimately able to go for the jugular at an early point and win the tournament,” said Clutch Chess International winner, Magnus Carlsen “Honestly Clutch Chess is a very interesting idea and I’ve enjoyed this unique format immensely. Fabiano is a force to be reckoned with and I look forward to competing against him again soon in the Magnus Carlsen Tour. He deserves credit for an excellent overall performance,” said Carlsen. The prize breakdown and scoring were similar to Clutch Chess USA, with $10,000 in bonuses awarded to players who delivered victories in the clutch games in each match, while drawn clutch games ultimately rolled the money into the final two clutch games of the event. The prize structure is such that if a competitor won the final two games, he could win as much as $70,000 in bonuses alone. Place Name Regular Earnings Clutch Bonus Total Prize Winnings 1 Magnus Carlsen $50,000 $25,000 $75,000 2 Fabiano Caruana $35,000 $21,000 $56,000 3-4 Wesley So $25,000 $12,000 $37,000 3-4 Levon Aronian $25,000 $6,000 $31,000 5-8 Alexander Grischuk $15,000 $4,000 $19,000 5-8 Jeffery Xiong $15,000 $2,000 $17,000 5-8 Leinier Dominguez $15,000 $0 $15,000 5-8 Maxime Vachier-Lagrave $15,000 $0 $15,000 This was the second installment of Clutch Chess, as Clutch Chess USA took place in May 2020 where Grandmaster Wesley So beat three other American Grandmasters and won $40,000 in prizes. For more information about the two recent Clutch Chess tournaments, to read daily recaps, and to re-watch the games with commentary, visit uschesschamps.com. About The Saint Louis Chess Club The Saint Louis Chess Club is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization committed to making chess an important part of our community. In addition to providing a forum for the community to play tournaments and casual games, the club also offers chess improvement classes, beginner lessons, and special lectures. Recognizing the cognitive and behavioral benefits of chess, the Saint Louis Chess Club is committed to supporting those chess programs that already exist in area schools while encouraging the development of new in-school and after-school programs. For more information, visit saintlouischessclub.org. For more information, please contact: Rebecca BuffingtonSaint Louis Chess Club(314) 277-3930rbuffington@saintlouischessclub.org
Mamedyarov wins World Stars Sharjah Chess Championship
Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (Azerbaijan) became the winner of the World Stars Sharjah Online Chess Championship 2020, a double round-robin tournament with 10 min +3 sec time control organized by the Sharjah Cultural & Chess Club. The event was held online on a popular platform Internet Chess Club (ICC) on June 12-13t 2020. The prize fund of the competition amounted to 10.000$. The Azerbaijani GM turned in an excellent performance and scored 7.5 out of 10. The champion didn’t lose a single game and showed an impressive 2886 rating performance. It’s also the first online chess tournament Shakhriyar won in his life. Pentala Harikrishna (India) finished second with 6.5 out of 10, a full point behind the champion. After winning three games in a row on Day 2 the Indian GM became the real contestant for the title. Before the final round, Mamedyarov and Harikrishna were sharing the first place and it came down to the wire – in Round 10 Mamedyarov defeated Salem Saleh, while Pentala Harikrishna lost against Radoslaw Wojtaszek (Poland). Wojtaszek finished in third place with 6 points, Rustam Kasimdzanov (Uzbekistan) is fourth just half a point behind. Salem Saleh (UAE) had a good start but scored only half a point on the second day and finished in fifth place. It was a really tough event for the highest-rated African player Bassem Amin (Egypt), who ended up in the bottom of the standings. The official commentators of the event GM Efstratios Grivas and WGM Anastasia Karlovich provided coverage throughout the event. Photos: Anastasia Karlovich Day 1: https://youtu.be/wK0hr_VEk9E Day 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8vzSjgfyiE&feature=youtu.be
Day 7: Carlsen and Caruana in neck-and-neck race
Day one of the Clutch Chess International finals was an absolute thriller from start to finish. The two highest-ranked players, World Champion Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana faced off in an echo of their 2018 World Championship match. This time around, both players left blood on the battlefield; the commentators were enthralled and fans were left on the edge of their seats during the back-and-forth affair. “How can you expect so many decisive games and trading blows?” Caruana reflected on the day in the postgame interview. “We certainly fought well,” Carlsen echoed his opponent’s sentiment. Tomorrow, one of these players will be crowned the Clutch Chess Champion and will take home the first-place bounty of $50,000, plus their share of $46,000 in clutch bonuses. The match started with two draws, but the final result belies the true story. Caruana himself later admitted that he was lucky to escape unscathed in the first game, as he found himself down a pawn in a rook and knight endgame. He was on the better side in the middlegame of their second encounter, but Carlsen neutralized with ease in the middlegame. Commentator Maurice Ashley praised the quality of the game and described it as a “high-class draw.” Carlsen drew first blood in game three with a stunning blow on move 25, tearing apart his opponent’s kingside and forcing a resignation 12 moves later. Caruana recovered quickly in the next game, as a blunder on move 43 cost Carlsen a crucial pawn and the game. The players weren’t done exchanging blows as the clutch games, worth two points each, were up next. Caruana put up a heroic defense in the middlegame with the black pieces, handling the position with absolute precision up to a certain point. However, his error came on move 44 and allowed Carlsen to pick up all his queenside pawns; Caruana resigned in a losing king and pawn endgame. With this win, the World Champion took a two-point lead in the match. The final game was another tough battle. Caruana found himself in another bad position but muddied the waters on move 24. Carlsen reacted poorly to the unexpected move, throwing away a winning advantage. Once Caruana was on the better side, he never let up, scoring a crucial win in a clutch game to even the score. In the postgame interview, Carlsen expressed his frustration about the result, as he thought he should have won the final game. Even so, the World Champion remained optimistic, as he feels that he has been playing better for most of the match. Tune in on Sunday, June 14 for the exciting finals of Clutch Chess, where World Champion Magnus Carlsen will square off against his familiar rival, World #2 Fabiano Caruana. GMs Maurice Ashley and Yasser Seirawan along with WGM Jennifer Shahade will call all the action starting at 12:50 PM CDT (19:50 CET) at uschesschamps.com. Text: WGM Tatev Abrahamyan You can watch the action LIVE at USChessChamps.com (official website) Press Contact: Rebecca Buffington rbuffington@saintlouischessclub.org
FIDE condemns racism in the strongest terms
During the past few days, we have received a few inquires about what is FIDE’s policy regarding racial discrimination, and how we deal with such cases. FIDE condemns racism in the strongest terms, and we stand for non-discrimination as one of the founding pillars of the Olympic Movement, to which FIDE belongs. This is reflected in the Olympic Charter, Fundamental Principle 6: “The enjoyment of the rights and freedoms set forth in this Olympic Charter shall be secured without discrimination of any kind, such as race, color, sex, sexual orientation, language, religion, political or other opinions, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.” Chess players tend to travel a lot, and the more you travel the more you are exposed to racism and xenophobia. Sadly, that has been the case for our colleague Pontus Carlsson and many others: we have heard their testimonies, and we would like to offer them our support. But most incidents occur outside the chess competitions: at chess tournaments, we are proud to say that the incidents are minimal, and we will stay alert to prevent this from happening. In fact, no one has filed a complaint about racial discrimination at any of our official events at least since the current administration took office in 2018. The Chess Olympiad, where players of 180+ countries live together for two weeks, is a true celebration of the unity of humankind in all our diversity. We believe there is something truly beautiful about chess: it makes us focus on what we have in common as human beings, rather than in what makes us different. The reason why is that when you play a game of chess with someone, it is like if you could see his/her thoughts. You get into your opponent’s brain, and you establish some kind of communication, even if both players don’t have a language in common. At the chess board, differences in age, sex, religion, color, or economical status become irrelevant: they simply vanish. You immediately develop some respect for a person you are exchanging ideas with at such a deep level. We could even say that chess is the ultimate equalizer. It is for this reason that chess is gaining so much popularity as an educational tool. The educational benefits of chess are not limited to intellectual development: the game is also a formidable tool for social development in children. The best contribution FIDE can do to fight racism is to keep working to bring this game to schools, and to honor our motto: “gens una sumus”. ####### For more information, please contact the FIDE Media Relations Team:Tel: +34 623021120, email press@fide.com
Day 6: Carlsen, Caruana to square off in the final
Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana qualified for the Clutch Chess International finals after defeating Levon Aronian and Wesley So in their respective matches. Carlsen’s four-point lead at the beginning of the day allowed for his smooth sailing to the finals, whereas Caruana had the titanic task of overcoming a four-point deficit in his own match. The world’s number one and two will face off in a 12-game match, reminiscent of their 2018 World Championship match. Carlsen already has $10,000 in the pocket for his clutch victories in the quarterfinals and semifinals, while Caruana banked $6,000. The players will battle it out for an additional $115,000 in prizes, including $30,000 in clutch bonuses. Fabiano Caruana vs Wesley So 9.5 – 8.5 “Doesn’t matter if I lose by 1 point or 8 points”, was Fabiano Caruana’s do-or-die mentality entering day two of the semifinals. Caruana came out swinging right off the bat, winning the first two games in queen endings. Not only did this result narrow the gap to two points, but it also put more pressure on So, who could no longer rely on his results from day one to carry him to the finish line. So was victorious in game three but resigned quickly in game four after getting his bishop trapped. It was time for Caruana to show his mettle and score points in the clutch games, where each win was worth three points. The first clutch game was a tumultuous affair; as the commentators were ready to call it in favor of Caruana, the world number two started misplaying the position in the time scramble. So’s costly mistake occurred on move 73, as he lost an important passed pawn and resigned a few moves later. In a must-win situation, where either a draw or a loss would disqualify him from the finals the same, So decided to settle for a repetition, allowing his opponent to advance. In the postgame interview, the 26-year-old admitted that he ran out of gas and praised Caruana’s play, stating “Fabiano today and yesterday were not comparable.” He graciously congratulated his countryman, wishing him the best of luck against the World Champion. Wesley So’s final earnings including clutch bonuses round up to $37,000. Magnus Carlsen vs Levon Aronian 12-6 To put it simply, nothing went right for Levon Aronian in this match. Just like yesterday, after achieving a superior position in game one, not only did Aronian let the advantage slip away, he actually lost the game. Later Carlsen noted that “when you win a position like that, not very much can go wrong.” The World Champion was already confident going into day two, but this game was certainly an additional boost, as it also gave him a five-point lead. The second game of the day was Carlsen’s favorite, as he demolished his opponent in a kingside attack. After peaceful results in the next two games, Aronian had to win the remaining two clutch games on demand. He had a promising start in the first clutch game, but by the time the players reached an endgame, it was he who was fighting to survive. With the draw, the World Champion clinched the spot with a round to spare; the final game was an effortless draw for both players. Aronian admitted that he’s returning to competitive chess after a two-month break and was in no shape to defeat the World Champion. He earned a total of $31,000 for his efforts, including $6,000 in clutch bonuses. Tune in Saturday and Sunday, June 13-14 for the exciting finals of Clutch Chess, where World Champion Magnus Carlsen will square off against his familiar rival, World #2 Fabiano Caruana. GMs Maurice Ashley and Yasser Seirawan along with WGM Jennifer Shahade will call all the action starting at 12:50 PM CDT (19:50 CET) at uschesschamps.com. Text: WGM Tatev Abrahamyan You can watch the action LIVE at USChessChamps.com (official website) Press Contact: Rebecca Buffington rbuffington@saintlouischessclub.org