FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament is concluded in Kazan
The Russian chess player Aleksandra Goryachkina won the event with two rounds to spare. The youngest participant of the tournament finished with 9.5 points out of 14 and secured the right to play the Women’s World Championship Match against the Women`s World Champion Ju Wenjun (China). The prize fund of the coming championship match is 500,000 Euro, which is 150% higher than in the previous match. Anna Muzychuk (Ukraine) is second with 8 points. Katerina Lagno (Russia) and Tan Zhongyi (China) shared 3-4 places with 7 points. Final standings: 1. Aleksandra Goryachkina (Russia) – 9.5, 2. Anna Muzychuk (Ukraine) – 8, 3-4. Kateryna Lagno (Russia), Тan Zhongyi (China) – 7, 5-6. Nana Dzagnidze (Georgia), Mariya Muzychuk (Ukraine) – 6.5, 7. Alexandra Kosteniuk (Russia) – 6, 8. Valentina Gunina (Russia) – 5.5. The closing ceremony took place in the Nogai Hotel, the tournament venue, on June 18. In the beginning of the ceremony, a special prize for the most beautiful game of the tournament, provided by the Russian Chess Federation and AB InBev Efes company, was awarded. The jury consisted of chairman Maxim Notkin, editor-in-chief of the 64-Chess Review, the tournament commentators GMs Sergey Shipov and Evgeny Miroshnichenko, and the Head of the Appeals Committee Jeroen van den Berg. A shortlist of four games was formed. The beauty prize was awarded to Mariya Muzychuk for the game Muzychuk-Goryachkina, played in the last round, by Natalia Rostova, the Deputy Director of the local branch of the AB InBev Efes, and Maxim Notkin. FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, RCF Executive Director Mark Glukhovsky, and Minister of sport of the Republic of Tatarstan Vladimir Leonov delivered speeches. The Chief Arbiter of the tournament, IA Hal Bond (Canada) announced the competition results. After his announcement, the players received their prizes from the honored guests. Total prize fund of the FIDE Women`s Candidates is €200,000. The organizers are FIDE, Russian Chess Federation, Government of the Republic of Tatarstan, Ministry of Sports of the Republic of Tatarstan, and city administration of Kazan. The tournament is sponsored by PJSC PhosAgro and Russian Railways. Official website: https://fwct2019.com/en/ Final table: https://fwct2019.com/crosstable
FIDE signs a cooperation agreement with Coca-Cola
It is with great satisfaction that we announce today a brand-new cooperation agreement has been signed between FIDEand the Coca-Cola company. Coca-Cola has a long history of supporting sports, a tradition which dates back nearly a century ago. The company is the longest continuous corporate partner of the IOC (since Amsterdam 1928), and it has helped numerous athletes and Paralympic athletes to achieve their goals. Working together with world-leading companies for the benefit of chess is one of FIDE’s top priorities. This cooperation with Coca-Cola is an honour that presents us with great opportunities to promote our sport. “Chess is not only the most popular of all games, played by millions of people (…). It is also a unique sport that requires a sharp mind, smart strategy and competitive spirit to be the best. These are values that Coca-Cola is proudly committed to supporting”, reads their announcement. The cooperation between FIDE and Coca-Cola will take off this summer with two pilot projects. The first one will be the Open rapid and blitz tournament that will be held in Riga in July (alongside the Grand Prix), which is set to be the strongest event of the kind in 2019. The second competition that will receive the support of Coca-Cola will be the Polish Team Chess Championship – Extraleague in Silesia, Poland, at the end of August. We will work together to ensure that these are merely the first steps of a long-lasting partnership. Overview: Coca-Cola and sportsTwitter: @CocaCola
Statement by FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment
Statement by FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment: “Fiercely competitive and universally established, chess has enchanted athletes and enthusiasts for centuries, regardless of their age, social status, gender, or faith. Chess appeals to the intellect, and it helps us to focus on the things we have in common with other people, rather than the superficial differences between us. It is part of FIDE’s core mission to endorse this cherished diversity across all levels of engagement, from early learning to world-class players. FIDE’s renewed policies are rooted in our firm commitment to women empowerment and gender equity. We believe that sport equate fairness, and equality of opportunity requires the recognition and understanding of social context. It is also our responsibility to address and dismantle any barriers that girls or women face at engaging in this sport. FIDE can only fulfill its global mission if we can inspire young girls and pave their way to immerse in the game, foster their talent and provide every opportunity for them to compete at the very top level. With the aim to increase women’s participation in the professional game, FIDE maintains female track in all professional series and an open track for all athletes. It is one of our goals to establish specific corporate partnerships to help female athletes reach their full potential and be rewarded accordingly. Finally, FIDE aims to increase women’s participation in executive roles within our organization, as well as to promote female leaders as our international partners and ambassadors of the game.” Arkady DvorkovichGeneva, June 10th, 2019
Ian Nepomniachtchi Wins the Moscow Grand Prix Tournament
The first leg of the FIDE Grand Prix organized by World Chess is over, and Ian Nepomniachtchi has taken a significant step toward trying to become the challenger for next year’s World Chess Championship match. But there is a long way to go before Nepomniachtchi, or someone else, will earn the right to play for the title. The match was decided by two rapid tie-breaker games after the regular games were both drawn. The first symbolic move in the game A. Grischuk – I. Nepomniachtchi was made by Alexander Ovechkin, a Russian professional hockey player, three-time winner of the World Championship as a member of the Russian national team, ice hockey winger of the Washington Capitals, the 2018 Stanley Cup owner. The first rapid tie-breaker game, which had a time control of 25 minutes per player with 10 seconds added after each move, and in which Nepomniachtchi was Black, was drawn in 37 moves. In the second game, Grischuk misplaced a knight on the side of the board, allowing Nepomaniachtchi to build up an overwhelming advantage. He eventually won a pawn as Grischuk ran short on time. After several errors by Grischuk, Nepomniachtchi was able to force an easily winning endgame. The win netted Nepomniachtchi 24,000 euros as well as vaulting him into first place in the series of four Grand Prix tournaments to select two players for next year’s Candidates Tournament. The winner of that tournament will become the challenger for the 2020 World Championship match to be held in November. Grischuk earned 14,000 euros and is also in good shape in the Grand Prix as he is in second place in the series. GP points after the first leg: 1. Ian Nepomniachtchi – 9,2. Alexander Grischuk – 7,3. Radoslaw Wojtaszek – 5,4. Hikaru Nakamura – 3,5-7. Peter Svidler, Wei Yi, Daniil Dubov – 2,8. Wesley So – 1,9-16. Anish Giri, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Levon Aronian, Teimour Radjabov, Sergey Karjakin, Nikita Vitiugov, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Dmitry Jakovenko – 0. The Closing Ceremony took place on May 29 and was attended by FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, Vice-President of the Russian Chess Federation and head of PhosAgro Andrey Guryev, CEO of World Chess Ilya Merenzon, the 12th World Chess Champion Anatoly Karpov and Executive Director of the Russian Chess Federation Mark Glukhovsky. Arkady Dvorkovich, FIDE President: “First of all, I would like to thank all our partners for their support in organizing this exciting event and all those people who were involved in making it happen. FIDE Grand Prix Series organized by World Chess is being held by the knock-out system for the first time and it seems to me that this competition was even more interesting and fascinating. Our participants displayed their best qualities both in standard and tie-break games. We will take into consideration all the lessons learned from this event and implement the best ideas from what we saw here”. Andrey Guryev, Vice-President of the Russian Chess Federation and head of PhosAgro: “The FIDE World Chess Grand Prix in Moscow has become one of the most interesting tournaments in the history of such events. For my part, I’ve been anchoring great hopes on Russian grandmasters and the Russian chess school. I think we can look to the future with confidence and work together on the long-awaited return of the chess crown to Russia”. Ilya Merenzon, CEO of World Chess: “In 2016 and 2018, the World Chess Championship cycle sparked somewhat of a chess mania in many countries and we are excited to see that it’s happening again. Exciting chess means more exciting chess fans and players!” Grandmaster Ian Nepomniachtchi thanked all his near and dear ones for their support as well as the organizers and Andrey Guryev personally as PhosAgro will make a sponsorship contract with the Russian player or two Russian players who will qualify for the Candidates Tournament from the FIDE Grand Prix Series organized by World Chess. The Grand Prix is being organized by World Chess, under the auspices of FIDE. Report by Dylan Loeb McClain
Increased prize fund for the World Senior Championships
Further to the recent FIDE decision to increase prizes for the individual World Championships for Seniors by 30.000 € in total, please find in the table below the new prize split (in euros), to be first implemented in Bucharest 2019. An additional provision of 20.000 € has been allocated to support individual nominees who are over 65 and find themselves in an unstable financial situation. Anyone who has contributed to the development of chess and meets these requirements is entitled to receive FIDE’s support. Applications including a CV can be sent, personally or on behalf of somebody else, to the FIDE Secretariat office@fide.com, until May 15th, 2019. Open section (+65 and +50) Women (+65 and +50)
FIDE new office in Lausanne is now fully operational
Following a decision by the 2018 Presidential Board meeting in London, FIDE has moved its headquarters from Athens to Lausanne, Switzerland. The main reason for the transfer was the wish of the President to be close to the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee, as well as to the main offices of other major sports associations. Exploring potential synergies with other sports associations is a line of work that the current FIDE administration wants to exploit. The new office, administrated by FIDE’s COO Willy Iclicki, is located within the Maison du Sport International or MSI (“Home of International Sport”), a unique complex that brings together under one roof several of the leading players in international sports administration. With a total of 5,500 m2 of office space, the MSI hosts around thirty international sports federations and organizations, and some twenty companies active in the field of sport. Strategically positioned on the Avenue de Rhodanie, by the shores of Lake Geneva, the facilities include a reception building and three office blocks, conference rooms, and a gym: a modern and functional complex in a prime location. FIDE has already a long chess history with Lausanne, a place that was home to our organization’s offices from 1995 until 2004. This city also hosted a FIDE World Championship Match, the one between Anatoly Karpov and Viswanathan Anand in 1998. Address:Avenue de Rhodanie, 541007 LausanneSwitzerlandoffice@fide.com
FIDE officially recognizes the World Fischer Random Chess Championship
This historic event will feature an online qualifying phase on Chess.com, beginning April 28, and is open to all players. The finals will be held in Norway this fall, with a prize fund of $375,000 USD. The International Chess Federation (FIDE) has granted the rights to host the inaugural FIDE World Fischer Random Chess Championship cycle to Dund AS, in partnership with Chess.com. And, for the first time in history, a chess world championship cycle will combine an online, open qualifier and worldwide participation with physical finals. “With FIDE’s support for Fischer Random Chess, we are happy to invite you to join the quest to become the first-ever FIDE World Fischer Random Chess Champion” said Arne Horvei, founding partner in Dund AS. “Anyone can participate online, and we are excited to see if there are any diamonds in the rough out there that could excel in this format of chess,” he said. “It is an unprecedented move that the International Chess Federation recognizes a new variety of chess, so this was a decision that required to be carefully thought out,” said FIDE president Arkady Dvorkovich, who recently visited Oslo to discuss this agreement. “But we believe that Fischer Random is a positive innovation: It injects new energies an enthusiasm into our game, but at the same time it doesn’t mean a rupture with our classical chess and its tradition. It is probably for this reason that Fischer Random chess has won the favor of the chess community, including the top players and the world champion himself. FIDE couldn’t be oblivious to that: It was time to embrace and incorporate this modality of chess.” The 2019 World Fischer Random Chess Championship features chess superstars such as World Champion Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, and Fabiano Caruana. Ian Nepomniachtchi, Wesley So, Alexander Grischuk and Peter Svidler are also confirmed to play. This historic event will feature a qualifying phase open to all players beginning April 28. Players can enter at www.FRChess.com, and the qualifying rounds will be hosted by Chess.com. “We are thrilled to be the organizing partner for the 2019 World Fischer Random Chess Championship,” said Daniel Rensch, chief chess officer of Chess.com. “We’re excited to be teaming up with Dund A/S to provide an accessible path to stardom for players around the world!” Download Press ReleaseDownload Regulations About Dund AS:Dund AS organized the 2018 unofficial Fischer Random (FR) world title match between classical chess champion Magnus Carlsen and recognized Fischer Random ace Hikaru Nakamura, who won the final Mainz tournament in the discipline in 2009. The enormous interest generated by the event, which stole nearly two million Norwegian television viewers away from the national obsession of the Winter Olympics, showed that the world was ready for more FR chess. About Chess.com:Chess.com is the world’s largest chess site, with a community of more than 27 million members from around the world playing millions of games every day. Launched in 2009, Chess.com is the leader in chess news, lessons, events and live entertainment. Visit Chess.com to play, learn and connect with chess—the world’s most popular game. About FIDE:The Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE) is the governing body of international chess competition. Founded in 1924, it was one of the first institutions of its kind and it is now one of the largest, with a total of 190 affiliated national chess federations. For more information:Dund AS:Founding Partner Arne Horvei arne@frchess.com+47 90662249 FIDE:Chief Communications OfficerDavid Llada press@fide.com+34 680312625 Chess.com:Director of EsportsNick Bartonnick@chess.com
FIDE and Grand Chess Tour to cooperate over scheduling
FIDE and the Grand Chess Tour are pleased to confirm that they will cooperate with regards to the final scheduling arrangements of participants in both the 2019 FIDE Grand Prix and the 2019 Grand Chess Tour. This will ensure that Players can accept invitations to both the 2019 Grand Chess Tour and the 2019 FIDE Grand Prix series should they wish to do so.
New FIDE: first 100 days
Tournaments • Smooth organization of major FIDE events, including both World Classical Championships (London and Khanty-Mansiysk)• Successful relocation and organization of King Salman World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships 2018 in a close partnership with the Saudi Chess Federation and the Russian Chess Federation. New standard of organization and specially devised programs attracted thousands of live spectators to the venue.• Restructuring and massive increase in the prize fund of the Women’s World Chess Championship Cycle. Introduction of Women Candidates Tournament and relaunch of Women Grand Prix series.• Introduction of FIDE GrandSwiss as a new qualification path for the Candidates Tournament in 2020. Support of continental and national federations • Allocation of a record 3 million Euro to the development fund.• Development of a clear KPIs system to evaluate the efficiency of use of allocated funds.• Agreements signed between FIDE and a number of national federations to provide assistance from the development fund aimed at achieving relevant KPIs.• Agreements between FIDE and continental federations to be signed during the Q1 2019. Budget 2019 • The Budget was significantly increased and restructured. The budgeted income of about EUR 6.5 million in 2019 will be the highest ever in FIDE history. Expenses are planned at EUR 5.5 million, which is almost three times higher than in the preceding years – with the Development fund getting the sharpest increase. EUR 925,000 will be set aside as a reserve fund, which will make FIDE financial situation significantly more sustainable.• Previously, FIDE spent about 85% of its income on its own office. In the current budget, this number is reduced to 35% and will be kept around that level in the future. At the same time, fees charged by FIDE will be cut up to 40% in average – thus reducing the burden on the players and national federations. FIDE is going to support the federations, and not the other way around as it used to be. Immediate transition matters • Successful management transition with no interruption in activities.• Upgrading internal compliance and AML processes allowed FIDE to re-establish its credibility and to open accounts in major European banks.• Finalizing preparations to relocate the main FIDE office from Athens to Lausanne to be completed in Q1 2019. Improvement of FIDE governance • Management Board created with the regular weekly meetings• Institutional procedures are implemented, with an aim to ensure FIDE governance according to the best organizational standards.• A team of professionals has been set up to conduct a fundamental revision of the FIDE Handbook in 2019 in order to prepare the amendments towards the 2019 FIDE General Assembly.• FIDE non-elected commissions were restructured in order to attract the best experts and to make the commissions more efficient; Chairs and members of the commissions have been appointed. Presidential Board members are appointed to overview the work of respective commissions.• More transparency in the nominations for the official tournaments will be delivered under the guidance of the relevant commissions.• Taskforce for review of all FIDE regulations has been established. Promotion of chess in media and interacting with the chess community • Considerable increase of FIDE activity in social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.• A taskforce has been created to drastically improve the FIDE website. FIDE strengthens and expands its public relations department – appointments are to be finalized in Q1.• Talks about the global cooperation between FIDE and major existing chess platforms have started.• Proper cooperation with mainstream media – East and West to be established soon – in this regards FIDE already held discussion with several global media houses.• Polls about World Cup and World Championship Match format have been conducted – with about 200 players expressing their opinion.• Thousands of inquiries sent to the FIDE office and management were answered timely and candidly – ensuring proper transparent communication between FIDE and chess people around the globe. 100 days is obviously a rather short period of time. But we are committed to our promise to bring the change and make the chess world a better place – and we will keep working hard to serve the global chess community. FIDE Team
89th FIDE Congress: 2018 FIDE General Assembly Minutes and Annexes
FIDE publishes the Minutes and Annexes of the General Assembly meeting that was held in Batumi, Georgia, 3-5 October 2018. Download the 2018 GENERAL ASSEMBLY MINUTES (pdf). List of Annexes 1. Audited accounts.2. Commented accounts for the year 2017.3. Fees paid to PB members in 2017.4. Verification Commission report.5. Proposal of Messrs. Makropoulos and Borg to establish a FIDE Advisory Board.6. Proposal by Mr. G Borg, Chairman of Central Board of Commissions.7. Proposal by FIDE Deputy President, Mr. Georgios Makropoulos, to establish a Commission on FIDE`s relations with IOC.8. Proposal by FIDE Deputy President, Mr. Georgios Makropoulos, and the President of the Ukrainian Chess Federation, Mr. Viktor Kapustin, to introduce in the FIDE Electoral Regulations changes.9. Over-the-board titles applications. 10. Proposal from Icelandic Chess federation for the rating of Fischer Random (Chess 960) Games.11. Arbiters’ Commission’s meeting Agenda and Appendices.12. Arbiters’ title applications.13. Arbiters’ Awards.14. Technical Commission’s Agenda.15. Technical Commission’s Minutes of the Commission meeting in Prague, 5-6 May 2018.16. Rules Commission’s Agenda for the meeting in Batumi.17. Proposed Amendments to General Regulations for Competitions (old name: Competition Rules) – final version after discussion with other Commissions.18. Minutes from the Commission Councillors Meeting in Poland, 20-24 April 2018.19. Systems of Pairings and Programs Commission’s Agenda.20. Chess in Schools Commission’s report and Appendices.21. Chess for Disabled Commission report.22. FIDE Ethics Commission`s report. 23. IO titles applications.24. Anti-Cheating Protection Measures.25. Anti-Cheating Regulations.26. Letter from the Governor of Colima, Mexico.27. Chief Arbiter’s report for FIDE Women’s World Championship Match 2018.28. Bid from Belarus Chess Federation for Chess Olympiad 2022.29. Bid from South Korean Chess Federation for Chess Olympiad 2022.30. Bid from Tunisian Chess Federation for Chess Olympiad 2022. 31. Bid from Georgian Chess Federation for World Cadet Championship 2020.32. Bid from Italian Chess Federation for World Cadet Championship 2020.33. Bid from Italian Chess Federation for World Senior Championship 2020.34. Bid from FYROM Chess Federation for World Senior Championship 2020.35. Chief Arbiter’s report for World Team Championship 50+, 65+ 2018.36. Bid from Greece Chess Federation for World Amateur Championship 2020.37. Bid from Italian Chess Federation for World Amateur Championship 2020.38. Agenda of the Medical Commission.40. Americas Continental Report.41. Minutes of Technical Commission.42. Minutes of Commission for Women in Chess.43. Minutes of Events Commission.44. Minutes of Commission for Disabled.46. Minutes of Medical Commission.48. Letter from the Minister of Youth and Sports of Bulgaria & Application of Bulgarian Chess Federation 1928.49. Minutes of Chess in Schools Commission.50. Minutes of Trainers’ Commission.51. Trainers’ Titles.52. Minutes of Constitutional Commission.53. Minutes of Fair Play Commission.54. Minutes of Systems of Pairings and Programs Commission.55. Minutes of Qualification Commission.56. Minutes of Social Action Commission.57. Minutes of Online Commission.58. Minutes of Commission of Chess Journalists.59. Minutes of Verification Commission.62. Minutes of Rules Commission.61. Minutes of AIDEF.63. Minutes of Social Projects Commission.64. Minutes of Central Board of Commissions.65. Minutes of Arbiters’ Commission.66. Minutes of Ethics Commission.67. Minutes of Development Commission.68. Minutes of African Chess Confederation.69. Report of African Continental President.70. Minutes of Asian Chess Federation.74. Minutes of European Chess Union.75. Minutes of American Chess Confederation.