You can now subscribe to the FIDE newsletter
FIDE has recently launched a bi-weekly newsletter, which aims to provide you with relevant information about happenings within our organization, and the member chess federations. Not only will you find information about current FIDE events, but we will also share with you the main decisions, case studies, and inspiring stories. The first issue, on March 16, was distributed exclusively among the members of the FIDE directory. You can check it out HERE. The second issue is in the oven right now, scheduled to be published on Monday, March 30. And from now on, it will be open for anyone to subscribe and receive it. All you have to do is to register at the following link. Please fill the form with your contact email, and your full name. At the bottom, you will need to give FIDE your consent to send you the Newsletter and, optionally, you can also authorize us to send you some other kind of communications in the future, like tournaments announcements, special offers or information about FIDE seminars.
FIDE 2020 Candidates: A roundup of the first part
The FIDE 2020 Candidates Tournament was brought to a halt after the decision of the Russian authorities to stop all international flights as of March 27. By that point, half of the tournament had been played (seven out of 14 rounds) and the chess community and the world, in general, had had a chance to enjoy spectacular games, a welcome distraction from the rolling news about the coronavirus. Explaining the decision to halt the Candidates, FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich said that the stopping of international flights to/from Russia would have “put too much pressure on the players and participants in terms of how and when they will be able to return home”. He added that FIDE did “everything to ensure the safe and secure return of everyone to their homes”. On the morning of the announcement by the Russian government, and following the decision to stop the event, FIDE immediately sorted out travel for both players and staff, by purchasing tickets and organizing a charter flight to ensure everyone’s speedy and safe return home. The Candidates tournament is one of the most important chess events of the year – to both the players and the chess community – and is directly connected to the match for the title of World Champion. This year’s event has a prize fund of 500,000 euros, which is the biggest ever for a Candidates tournament. FIDE was committed to doing everything in its power to ensure that play went ahead, providing maximum safety and security for all involved, which was maintained for the duration of the event. It should also be noted that every decision about the event was made in consultation and agreement with the players who took part. There have been questions as to whether the decision to go ahead with the event in the first place was right or wrong. FIDE maintains that when the decision was made to go ahead, it was done so taking into consideration the situation in Russia at the time (there were only a small number of cases and everything was done in coordination with the Russian authorities) and following discussions with the players. FIDE also put in place health & safety measures to ensure that the players, arbiters and the entire on-site staff had all the necessary protection. This included two daily check-ups with doctors, tests for coronavirus (two were carried out for the duration of the event, at the beginning and at the end, and all came back as negative), sanitizers and masks, as well as banning spectators and maintaining social distancing for all involved. It should also be noted that the constant health monitoring and high level of protection provided to everyone involved was much more stringent than anything currently available to the majority of people around the world on a daily basis. As World Champion Magnus Carlsen noted on his comments to Chess24, “having completed seven rounds has some merit – at least we tried, which I think in these days should not be discounted as nothing! I feel as though obviously this situation is chaotic and all those people who called for the tournament to be postponed from the start are going to say, ‘I told you so’ at this point, but I do feel as though they tried what they could and now it’s just not possible so they have to get the players out safely.” It is right to argue that the tournament took place under difficult, even unprecedented, circumstances. However, we are witnessing the creation of a new “normal”, where not just playing chess, but life, in general, will be completely different. How we do things in the future, in whichever field that may be, is very likely going to be significantly different from what it was before the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus. As Vishy Anand put it, “we are on the uncharted territory”. Bearing this in mind, FIDE’s decision to go ahead with the event was done by trying to minimize these disruptive circumstances. It was guided by having the best interests of chess at heart and in an attempt to help provide the chess audience and the public in general with a tournament that would lift everyone’s spirits during these troubled times, while also maintaining the health and safety of all involved. From the duration of the first part of the event, interest in chess has risen globally. The live stream and commentary of the 2020 Candidates have attracted a viewership of several million people around the world. Top-class players (including the current World Champion) took part in daily shows to comment on the games. Overall, chess portals with live commentary saw a strong increase in viewership. Reports about the 2020 Candidates appeared on prominent pages in media outlets around the world (Reuters, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Financial Times, The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, to name a few), giving chess attention which has not been seen for years. While concerns about the decision to continue with the event were pointed out (FIDE acknowledged them and always faced them head-on), the chess community was praised for its endeavor to have the only major sporting event in the world going ahead for as long as possible. In chess terms, the seven rounds played at the 2020 Candidates produced some of the best examples of chess play and chess spirit ever seen. In the first part, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Ian Nepomniachtchi gave the best performances but other participants showed a high level of preparation and sophistication in their play. All 28 games played in the first seven rounds provided excitement and novelty, pushing the overall quality of chess currently played in the world to a higher level. Following the agreement between FIDE and players before the event, with regards to the current global developments, the tournament has now stopped and will continue at a later stage when circumstances allow. In the meantime, FIDE has said that it remains committed to ensuring that the chess community continues to function during this period. The international chess body will use
Eduardo Mieles Viteri passes away
March 30, 2020 It is with the deepest sadness that we learned about the passing of Eduardo Mieles Viteri, who was President of the Ecuadorian Chess Federation, as well as a member of the FIDE Executive Board. Eduardo was also an International Arbiter and member of the Confederation of Chess for America. We are very thankful for his dedication and his contributions to promoting chess from all these institutions, and we would like to express our sincerest condolences to his relatives, his loved ones, and all the members of the chess community in Ecuador. In particular, our thoughts are with his son, the International Master Daniel Mieles Palau.
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A roundup of the first part of the 2020 Candidates FIDE canceled events and our swift towards online activities Online chess activity peaks during the global lockdown 50 years ago, the USSR was battling the rest of the World READ NEWSLETTER
Arkady Dvorkovich: “We are ensuring the safe return of players to their homes”
Following the announcement of the government of the Russian Federation about suspending all flights to and from the country as of March 27, the International Chess Federation (FIDE) has decided to halt the 2020 Candidates Tournament which was taking place in Yekaterinburg. In an interview for the Russian news agency TASS, FIDE President explained his decision. Q: Has FIDE discussed this decision to stop the event with the players, what do they think? Arkady Dvorkovich: We have been in touch with the players every day during the event and we were weighing all the risks all the time. FIDE believes that this is the best course of action under these circumstances. We remain committed to popularising chess and raising the spirits at this grave time, but we have always said that people’s lives and health are a priority for us. Q: Air traffic with other countries has been suspended by Russia. Won’t it be a problem for all the chess players to go home? Arkady Dvorkovich: This unique situation transpired suddenly. We are doing everything we can to provide the necessary support to everyone and get them home safely. Tickets for all the players and most other people involved in the tournament have already been purchased, and we are organizing all necessary logistics. FIDE is organizing and paying for all the travel costs and is working closely with everyone to ensure all is done safely and efficiently. Q: In your opinion, will the tournament be finished this year or when? Will Yekaterinburg remain the host? Arkady Dvorkovich: We will do our best for everything to be sorted out as soon as possible, following regulations and protecting the safety and interests of all involved. We remain confident that the event will be completed this year, in cooperation with our main partner – SIMA-land. The issue of exact dates and locations will be resolved in the near future, as soon as the global situation stabilizes. Q: Why did you decide to start the tournament when the virus was already spreading strongly around the world? Arkady Dvorkovich: This is a very important event for the players and the chess world. The situation in Russia was different at the beginning. We looked at different trajectories of the situation, including potential cancellations. At the same time, in terms of the medical safety measures, the Candidates Tournament was well prepared. All the players, arbiters and staff had medical checkups twice a day, tests for the detection of COVID-19 have been done and all came back as negative. Also, the spectators have been banned from the venue and the interaction between the players and the media has been put to a minimum. However, we concluded that the flight ban announced this morning would put too much pressure on the players and participants in terms of how and when they will be able to return home. Unfortunately, the situation with the pandemic is developing in the most negative scenario. We, therefore, believe that our decision to suspend the Tournament at this moment was correct. Again, we are doing everything we can to ensure the safe and secure return of everyone to their homes. Q: Is there a significant financial loss for FIDE due to the transfer? Arkady Dvorkovich: Our priority was and remains to make sure that everyone involved is safe and returns to their home. Losses are minimal and definitely not a factor in making this decision. We have a mutual understanding with our partners and sponsors, and we are grateful for their support. Q: In general, what is your view of what is happening in the spirting word and how things will develop? Arkady Dvorkovich: It is difficult to give estimates – no one knows for how long the acute phase of the crisis caused by the coronavirus will last. There are different opinions about how long the events should be postponed – 2-3 months or six months to a year. I believe that with the joint efforts of all countries and tough measures, we will be able to defeat the pandemic. Of course, it will be a slightly different world afterwards, but we will be stronger. The coming period will be used by FIDE to search for and find new ways and ideas, expand links between national federations, strengthen partnerships and share experiences. Nowadays we must use all the latest online formats to communicate with current and potential chess fans. We will, therefore, step up our online activities and do more to attract chess audiences to our online services and platforms through training, tournaments, and conferences. These are challenging times, but we see this as an opportunity and want to do our best to help the chess community and promote the game. Q: And an important question about the match for the title of World Champion. Is the match also being postponed? Arkady Dvorkovich: The match for the chess crown is due to take place at the end of the year. There is no question of changing dates.
Regulations of the Eighth FIDE World Cup in Composing 2020 published
REGULATIONS on holding the Eighth FIDE World Cup in Composing 2020: 1. TASKS AND OBJECTIVES The Eighth FIDE World Cup in Composing is held with the aim to: – develop and promote chess; – develop and promote chess composition as a constituent of chess culture; – expand the geography of participants; – decide the winners. 2. ORGANIZERS The organizers are the International Chess Federation (www.fide.com), with the participation of the World Federation for Chess Composition (www.wfcc.ch). The holding of the tournament is the direct responsibility of the Director and the Panel of Judges: The Director of the tournament is Alexander Bulavka (Belarus). A. Two-movers – Judge: Dragan Stojnic (Serbia) B. Three-movers – Judge: Miodrag Mladenovic (Serbia) C. Moremovers – Judge: Mikhail Marandyuk (Ukraine) D. Endgame studies – Judge: Yochanan Afek (Netherlands) E. Helpmates – Judge: Mikhal Dragoun (Czech Republic) F. Selfmates – Judge: Alexander Azhusin (Russia) G. Fairies – Judge: Vlaicu Crisan (Romania) H. Retros and Proofgames – Judge: Nikolas Dupont (France) 3. THE TIME FRAME OF THE EVENT The tournament will be conducted from April 1 to October 10, 2020. The closing date for submitting the entries is May 15, 2020. The director will send all compositions to the judges on uniform and anonymous diagrams by June 1, 2020. All judges are to submit their awards by August 1, 2020. 4. PARTICIPANTS Anyone wishing to take part in the tournament can do so. 5. PROCEDURE FOR PARTICIPATION In each section, only one composition by each author is acceptable and joint compositions are not allowed. The theme is free in all sections. In the fairies section (G), there is no restriction on stipulations, conditions, the use of fairy pieces, or the number of moves. In the selfmate section (F) and fairies section (G), only computer-tested problems (using Alybadix, Popeye, or WinChloe) are allowed; the participants should specify the version of the program they used to test their entry. Entries must be sent on diagrams with complete solutions and any comments by e-mail only to the Director’s address: tischka@tut.by. Participants should mention their postal address in the email. 6. TOURNAMENT AWARD After receiving the entries in anonymous form from the Director, the judges consider the submitted compositions, determine their originality, difficulty, esthetic appeal, search for possible anticipations, and decide their ranking in the tournament. In each section, compositions in first, second, and third places must be determined, as well as entries receiving honorary mentions and commendations. It is also possible to specify prize-winning compositions (no more than three per section). After ranking the entries, the judges are to send, within the preset period, their award, with the indication of numbers of the compositions in the award and related comments, to the Director of the tournament. After receiving the awards from the judges, the Director is to enter the names of the authors and provide the preliminary results for publication on the websites of FIDE and WFCC before August 15, 2020. During one month after the publication of the preliminary results, claims of defects and anticipations can be sent to the Director, who will accumulate and forward them to the judges. After receiving the claims, the judges will make the final decision on the results of the World Cup and send the final award to the Director. 7. PUBLICATION OF RESULTS The final results of this competition will be published on the FIDE and WFCC websites no later than Oсtober 1, 2020. 8. PRIZE-GIVING In each section, the Cup winner will be entitled to a money prize of 500 Euro, a Cup, a medal, and a certificate. Composers in 2nd and 3rd places will be awarded medals and respective certificates. The certificates for 1st-3rd places will be signed by the President of FIDE. The prizes and other distinctions are to be presented to the laureates on October 9, 2020, at the closing ceremony of the World Chess Composition Congress in Rodos (Greece) 9. ORGANIZATIONAL ISSUES These Regulations shall constitute an official invitation to the tournament.
2020 Executive Board Minutes
FIDE publishes the Minutes of 2020 Executive Board meeting which was held in Abu Dhabi, UAE on February 29th. Download 2020 FIDE Executive Board minutes (pdf)
FIDE stops the Candidates Tournament
Today, the government of the Russian Federation announced that starting March 27, 2020, Russia interrupts air traffic with other countries without indicating any time frames. FIDE can not continue the tournament without guarantees for the players’ and officials’ safe and timely return home. In this situation and on the basis of clause 1.5. Rules of Candidates Tournament, the FIDE President decided to stop the tournament. It will be continued later, with the exact dates to be announced as soon, as the global situation related to the COVID-19 pandemic will allow. As it was stipulated by the special rules agreed with the players before the start of the event, the results of the 7 rounds played remain valid, and the tournament will be resumed in the same composition starting with the games of the 8th round. FIDE is grateful to the players, officials, volunteers and the entire team of organizers, including the Chess Federation of Russia and the main partner of the tournament – SIMA-Land. Sincerely,Arkady Dvorkovich,FIDE President
Statement by the FIDE Council regarding the Chess Olympiad
Dear members of the chess community, As you know, the Chess Olympiad is the most popular FIDE event, attended by thousands of people, including players, coaches, officials, and spectators. The mission of Chess Olympiads is not only to determine the sportive results but also to popularize our game and unite chess lovers around the world in this truly global sports festival. At the same time, FIDE is deeply concerned about the growing COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on people’s lives. Taking into account the reports from the World Health Organisation (WHO) indicating the constant increase in the number of cases worldwide, and given today’s IOC statement regarding the Tokyo 2020 Olympic games, FIDE has decided to postpone the 44th Chess Olympiad (including the competition for players with disabilities) and the FIDE Congress. These events, to be held in Moscow and Khanty-Mansiysk during the summer of 2020, are rescheduled to the summer of 2021 at the same locations. FIDE will continue to work hard in order to support various chess activities, at the same time caring first and foremost about the health and well-being of the entire chess community. FIDE CouncilMarch 24, 2020
Vachier-Lagrave catches up with Nepomniachtchi
Halfway through the 2020 Candidates, there has been a change at the top as France’s Maxime Vachier-Lagrave defeated the leader after Round 6 Ian Nepomniachtchi in a duel for first place. Both players are now tied for the lead with 4.5 each. A group of four players is a full point behind them. The race is now wide open again as at least six players have a chance for first place. The game between Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (France) and Ian Nepomniachtchi (Russia) was a centerpiece of the day. The Russian started Round 7 with a whole point ahead of his closest rival and was hoping to keep his leading position. Before this round, the two met 13 times and the score is clearly in favor of the Frenchman: seven draws, one loss and five victories. However, Nepomniachtchi won their last game before the Candidates (Jerusalem 2019) in which the place in the Candidates 2020 was at stake. The position was sharp from the very opening, with Nepomniachtchi opting for the French Defence for the second time in this event. Commenting on the game, British Grandmaster Daniel King pointed out that the line, which Black chose to play, was very sharp, suggesting it was a very brave but risky decision of Nepomniachtchi. It seemed it was more the latter than the former as the Russian gradually got into time trouble under White’s pressure. First, the Frenchman started active operations on the queenside, since Black’s rook got stuck at the opposite flank, then he foiled Ian’s attempts to block the position and finally launched an attack in the center and the kingside. Black’s defense collapsed and Ian signed his capitulation just two moves after reaching the time control. Nepomniachtchi now might be regretting his opening choice of a very sharp line. Luck favors the brave, but not always. After the game, Vachier-Lagrave said that he was satisfied with how the tournament was going for him. “Apart from the game with Wang Hao, I played reasonably well [at the tournament]. I hope to continue this trend and to be able to stay on this journey”, the Frenchman said. After this victory, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave joined Nepomniachtchi at the top of the standings as both players now have 4.5 points out of seven games. Despite the two having the same amount of points, Vachier-Lagrave has better tiebreaks thanks to winning their direct encounter. Both Fabiano Caruana (USA) and Wang Hao (China) were on 50% before this round. Caruana, the winner of the 2018 Candidates had to pick up speed if he wanted to be in the race for the first place. However, he was facing Wang Hao, a dangerous and uneasy opponent who already had a good record against the World #2 – five victories, four draws, and no defeats. Still, the majority of the games were played seven or more years ago. Since 2013, the two faced each other just once, in the Isle of Man Grand Swiss in October 2019 (the game was drawn). After Caruana opened with 1.e2-e4 Wang Hao responded with his trusted Petrov Defence. The opponents castled on the opposite sides, presumably signaling a sharp game ahead, but on move 13 the queens left the board. Fabiano launched his g-pawn towards the Black king’s fortress, but this aggression was met with a classical counterattack in the center. The position quickly transpired into an endgame (as Caruana said in the post-game interview, he could not remember all the lines so opted to simplify). Black was slightly better but not enough to convert this tiny advantage into more than a half-point. The two agreed on a draw on move 41. With 3.5 points out of seven games, both players are still in the race for the top spot and hoping to kick into high gear in the second part of the tournament. Alexander Grischuk (Russia) continues to be the king of draws at the 2020 Candidates. The Russian split a point in all his games, including the Round 7 encounter with Anish Giri (The Netherlands). The two have played 14 times before this game with Giri leading by 2:1 (plus 11 draws). The game saw a relatively rare line of the English Opening bearing the name of Paul Keres. As in all previous games, Grischuk spent a lot of time in the opening but for a good reason, as he obtained quite a comfortable position. Like in Caruana – Wang Hao game the opponents castled on opposite sides, but after White’s breakthrough in the center and massive exchanges on d5-square, the game steered into an equal endgame in which the conflict was quickly exhausted. The opponents shook hands in a drawing endgame right after reaching the time control. In the post mortem, Giri said that Grischuk played well and managed to find the most sophisticated moves in the opening, holding the position. The Dutchman confessed to an unusual conflict of interest in this game, saying that although he “obviously wanted to win” he also wanted a series of draws by his opponent to continue. Both players have chances to fight for the first place as they are just one point behind the leaders (on 3.5 points after seven games). Ding Liren (China) drew as White with Kirill Alekseenko (Russia). Both players were on two points after six rounds and were at the bottom of the board before Round Seven. This was a duel between the Chinese pre-start favorite and the Russian wild-card. The two played twice before and both games ended in a draw. A popular Russian comedian Andrey Rozhkov, Yekaterinburg’s native, made the first ceremonial move in the game and seemingly raised players’ spirits. Black quickly managed to equalize in the Catalan Opening and got a flexible position. Ding Liren was not at his best in the middle game as at some point Alekseenko’s ambitions might have gone farther than just making a draw with Black. However, the Chinese never crossed the line in this game and the opponents sealed a draw by repetition in a rook ending. Both players were not enthusiastic about the outcome in