FIDE Development Director Nigel Short visits Lesotho
FIDE Director for Chess Development GM Nigel Short visited over half of the African countries to promote the game during his career. From November 21-24, 2023, the Chess Federation of Lesotho (CFL) was delighted to welcome back the 1993 World Championship challenger to the kingdom of Lesotho for the third and final stop on his recent tour over Africa. He had previously visited Lesotho in 2017. GM Nigel Short arrived in Lesotho on the morning of November 21 and was welcomed by the Chess Federation of Lesotho (CFL) President and Vice President of Lesotho Sports and Recreation Commission, Tšeliso Motloheloa. Right away, he met with the CFL Executive members to discuss and finalize the schedule for the next two days. Lesotho Correctional Services Following a meeting with the CFL Executive Committee, the FIDE Director for Chess Development met with the officials of Lesotho Correctional Services. The meeting was attended by the President and Secretary General of the Lesotho Chess Federation, the Deputy Commissioners of the LCS, Mr Phomane, Ms Maseeiso and Advocate Mopa. Nigel Short with LCS Officials and CFL President The main topic of the discussion was Lesotho’s possible joining the Chess for Freedom programme, the initiative by FIDE, which aims to give inmates hope for the future beyond prisons. The LCS was very impressed with the Chess for Freedom and showed a great interest in participating in the upcoming Chess for Freedom competition. It suggested that both LSC and CFL should start making necessary preparations for the 2024 tournament and consider holding the inter-prison tournament or having the inmates participate in the local tournaments. Meeting Lesotho Sports Leadership LNOC and LSRC Nigel Short, together with CFL President Tšeliso Motloheloa and Secretary General Tlhoriso Morienyane, proceeded to meet with the leadership of both the Lesotho National Olympic Committee (LNOC) and Lesotho Sports and Recreation Commission (LSRC) at LNOC offices. Present at the meeting were Morake Raleaka, CEO of LNOC; Lebohang Khomari, LNOC member- Chess Attaché; Litšitso Motšeremeli, LSRC President; and Thabo Tsiki, LSRC CEO. The discussion revolved around the future of chess in Lesotho and its contribution to the sports fraternity. Nigel Short with the Leadership of CFL, LNOC and LSRC The CEO of LNOC appreciated and congratulated Lesotho chess for being part of the school curriculum since 2015. The options on how chess can be improved were also discussed, with the main issues being higher-level coaching for the local players and increasing the number of tournaments in the country to attract stronger players from neighbouring countries like South Africa, Zambia, and Angola. Trip to Maletsunyane Falls, meet-and-greet with local players. On November 22, the local chess federation gave Nigel a brief tour of the country to show him not only the tourist attractions but also other parts of Lesotho that are not easy to reach. Visiting Maletsunyane Falls in Semonkong, Maseru Following his trip to the highest single-drop waterfall in Africa, some local players had a chance to meet and greet Nigel. Of course, it would be incomplete without some blitz games. Several players and the Executive Committee members played blitz with GM Nigel Short and had an opportunity to network with potential sponsors. During the meet, greet and blitz at Avani Maseru. Seen with some of the Executive Members Coaching clinic and simul On the last day, GM Short offered training to about 13 local coaches and players at the Lesotho National Olympic Committee. He gave the players and coaches some pointers on the approaches to better chess development and improvement and shared his experiences of the 1993 World Championship Match. Offering training to local coaches and players and LNOC Nigel Short then went on to the British High Commissioner to Lesotho, where he had 22 players eagerly waiting to battle with him in a simul. The British High Commissioner himself also faced the renowned GM. Giving simul to 22 players including the British High Commissioner to Lesotho, His Excellency Harry McDonald After completing his mission to Lesotho, FIDE Director for Chess Development, Nigel Short had a dinner meeting with the CFL executive and His Excellency Harry McDonald to discuss the future of Lesotho’s chess. Having a diner meeting with CFl Executive Committee and His Excellency Harry McDonald, the British High Commissioner to Lesotho The visit by Nigel Short was very important to the Chess Federation of Lesotho and local chess. He has not only inspired the local players and administrators; all stakeholders he met showed interest and appreciated the efforts by FIDE in Lesotho through his visit. We believe that going forward, we will see positive change among players and potential sponsors. Written by Tlhoriso T.J. Morienyane, Secretary General Chess Federation of Lesotho
“Chess for Children with ASD. Learn and Teach” seminar announced
The International Chess Federation (FIDE), together with the Asian Chess Federation and Zayed Higher Organization for People of Determination, with the support of the International Olympic Committee, FIDE Planning and Development Commission, and FIDE Social Commission, pleased to announce the Asian Educational Seminar “Chess for children with ASD. Learn & teach”. It will be held offline from December 18-19 in Al Ain, UAE, at 14:00 – 17:00 (UAE time). Teaching chess to children with autism spectrum disorder positively impacts their communication abilities, speech, thinking, self-esteem and confidence. Speakers will present a unique training program they developed in 2021 and provide practical advice. The seminar aims to deliver core knowledge to potential chess teachers and coaches starting to work with children within our Infinite Chess project. Participation is free of charge, please fill out the registration form to save the place: forms.gle/4QLBWHDqsXPN1W2j7 Speakers of the seminar will talk about the ways of teaching chess to children with autism spectrum disorder and explain their methodology covering the following topics: • What is autism spectrum disorder? • How to teach chess to children with autism? • How to prepare the classroom? What else to pay attention to? The list of speakers includes: Natalia Popova – WIM, FIDE Trainer, leader of the two-year-long project teaching chess to children with autistic spectrum disorder (FIDE); Ala Mishchanka – Special needs educational assistant, more than 17 years of experience (Canada); Melodi Dincel – MD, child and adolescent psychiatry specialist at Istanbul University, Infinite Chess project partner (Turkey) Case study Turkey: lessons learned & recommendations on the efficiency of the training process Viesturs Kapce – FIDE Instructor, chess coach, Infinite Chess project partner (Latvia) Case study Latvia: lessons learned & recommendations on the efficiency of the training process Detailed seminar program: Day 1 14:00 – welcome speech by Hisham al Taher, General Secretary of Asian Chess Federation 14:05 – welcome speech by Abdulla Ismail Alkamali, Executive Director for People of Determination (UAE) 14:10 – welcome speech by Dana Reizniece-Ozola, Project supervisor, FIDE Deputy Chair 14:15 – welcome speech by the Anastasia Sorokina, Leader of the project, FIDE WOM Chair, Chairperson of Asian Chess Federation Social Commission 14:20 – Mishchanka Ala (co-author of the program, Canada) Introduction to Autism. Statistics. Treatment and early intervention. 14:50 – Coffee break 15:00 – Popova Natalia (co-author of the program, FIDE) Basic principles of the Chess programme for children with an autism spectrum disorder. Chess classes – Main ideas. Methodological guidelines for teachers. Topics 1 – 3 of the methodological guide. 15:40 – Coffee break 15:50 – Mishchanka Ala (co-author of the program, Canada) Challenges children with Autism face. How to set up Autism classroom. 16:20 – Popova Natalia (co-author of the program, FIDE) How I organised a chess space for children with ASD. Methodological guidelines for teachers. Topic 4 of the methodological guide. 17:00 – Questions Day 2 11:00 – Visi to Al Ain Autism Centre Zayed higher organisation for people of determination 14:00 – Mishchanka Ala (co-author of the program, Canada) How to teach children with ASD. Strategies. Lessons 1,2,3 of the methodological guide. Lesson16 of the methodological guide. 14:30 – Coffee break 14:40 – Popova Natalia (co-author of the program, FIDE) Methodological guidelines for teachers. Topics 5 – 16 of the methodological guide. Practical exercises. 15:10 – Melodi Dincel (MD, child and adolescent psychiatry specialist in Istanbul University, Infinite Chess project partner, Turkey) 15:30 – Viesturs Kapce (FIDE Instructor, chess coach, Infinite Chess project partner, Latvia) 16:00 – Coffee break 16:10 – Questions 16:20 – Final test for participants All participants successfully passed a final test will receive a Certificate of Attendance. Registration is open until 11 December 2023. Registration form https://forms.gle/4QLBWHDqsXPN1W2j7 For further inquiries, please contact: infinitechess@fide.com Maria Tamkovich, Project Coordinator
2023 FIDE Online GA: List of Member Federations having right to vote
FIDE is publishing a list of Member Federations having right to vote at the 2023 FIDE Online General Assembly. You can find the complete list HERE.
Call for Bids: World Championships 2024
FIDE Events Commission would like to announce the procedure “Call for Bids FIDE World Championships 2024” and invite FIDE member Federations to participate. The deadline to bid is December 21, 2023. There are two competitions: 1. World Senior Chess Championships 2024 2. World Amateur Chess Championships 2024 Dear bidders, more details about the procedure, including the Bid Form and Bid Form Annex, Bid and Deposit Fees you, can find HERE. Please pay attention to the General Regulations for FIDE Competitions (EVE) effective from December 1, 2023. The new document contains significant changes in the bidding process for official chess events.
FIDE December 2023 rating list published
The FIDE Grand Swiss and the European Team Championship were two major events impacting the December 2023 FIDE rating list. The top 10 saw a couple of changes this past month. After gaining another 10 points, Hikaru Nakamura climbed to #3 with 2788, while Anna Muzychuk earned 14 points and moved up to #7. Photo: Maria Emelianova, chess.com Biggest gains in top 100 Open and Women Guichard, Pauline IM FRA 2386 (+39) Tsolakidou, Stavroula IM GRE 2427 (+38) Munguntuul, Batkhuyag IM MON 2381 (+31) Vaishali, Rameshbabu IM IND 2497 (+30) Predke, Alexandr GM SRB 2689 (+28) Saric, Ivan GM SRB 2685 (+26) Esipenko, Andrey GM FID 2702 (+25) Stefanova, Antoaneta GM BUL 2442 (+25) Kamalidenova, Meruert WGM KAZ 2383 (+24) Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi GM IND 2737 (+22) Cori T., Deysi IM PER 2389 (+22) Sindarov, Javokhir GM UZB 2701 (+20) Garifullina, Leya IM FID 2423 (+20) Yakubboev, Nodirbek GM UZB 2661 (+18) Socko, Monika GM POL 2396 (+18) Unlike any other month this year, an unusually high number of players inside the top 100 Open and Women earned 20 rating points or more. Pauline Guichard nudged slightly ahead of Stavroula Tsolakidou to narrowly win this nomination. Both ladies did a great job in two most important competitions of November, picking up impressive 39 and 38 points respectively. The same applies to virtually all European players on this list while others greatly improved their rating thanks to excellent performance in the FIDE Grand Swiss 2023. Photo: Anna Shtourman Several players reached their highest position in the top 100 Open and Women: Vidit Santosh Gujrathi (15th), Javokhir Sindarov (35th), Alexandr Predke (43th), Nodirbek Yakubboev (77th), Vaishali Rameshbabu (13th, breaking in the top 20 women) and Stavroula Tsolakidou (39th). Javokhir Sindarov cleared the 2700 bar for the first time in his career, while Andrey Esipenko returned the 2700+ elite group.
Call for Bids: World Championships 2025
FIDE Events Commission would like to announce the procedure “Call for Bids FIDE World Championships 2025” and invite FIDE member Federations to participate. The deadline to bid is February 1, 2024. There are 12 competitions on the list: World Cadet U8, U10, U12 Championships World Youth U14, U16, U18 Championships World Junior U20 Chess Championships World School Chess Championships U7, U9, U11, U13, U15, U17 World Cup U8, U10, U12 World Cadet & Youth Rapid & Blitz Chess Championships World Youth U16 Olympiad World Schools Team Chess Championships World Senior Chess Championships (50+, 65+ Individual) World Senior Team Chess Championships (50+, 65+) World Amateur Chess Championships World Disabled Chess Championships Dear bidders, you can find more details about the procedure including the Bid Form and Bid Form Annex, Bid and Deposit Fees HERE. Please pay attention to the General Regulations for FIDE Competitions (EVE) effective from December 1, 2023. The new document contains significant changes in the bidding process for official chess events.
Fabiano Caruana wins 2023 Sinquefield Cup
After defeating Richard Rapport in the final round, Fabiano Caruana won the 2023 Sinquefield Cup with a score of 5.5/9, capping off an incredible triple-crown victory which included the 2023 Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz, Sinquefield Cup, and overall Grand Chess Tour. Finishing in second was Leinier Dominguez, who drew his last game against Levon Aronian, while third place went to Wesley So. Narrowly coming second in the overall Grand Chess Tour was Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, who finished with 28 tour points, just ahead of So in third. ROUND 9 VACHIER-LAGRAVE – FIROUZJA | ½-½, 28 moves A highly theoretical line in the 5.Re1 Berlin saw the player repeat moves early on, as they settled for a draw to finish the event. MVL finished second in the overall GCT, earning a bonus prize of $50,000. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes ARONIAN – DOMINGUEZ | ½-½, 33 moves In a 4.d3 Berlin Aronian did not get too much out of the opening, apart from a bit of central pressure. Dominguez played solidly and managed to achieve the key d5-pawn break, equalizing the situation. From there the pieces got traded off pretty quickly, as the players entered a completely drawn rook endgame. Dominguez indicated he may try to fight for the 2024 FIDE Candidates spot in the coming weeks. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes NEPOMNIACHTCHI – GIRI | ½-½, 50 moves An interesting Italian saw Giri play quite boldly in the middlegame, sacrificing a pawn on the queenside in order to activate one of his rooks. A timely queen exchange gave Black full compensation well into the endgame, as Nepomniachtchi managed to win an exchange but at the cost of two protected passed pawns for Black. From there the endgame was dynamically balanced, with neither player getting a chance for advantage. Nepomniachtchi-Giri: After 23…Qd8!, despite being down a pawn, Black offers a queen trade in order to remove White’s best defender. Giri trails So by eight points on the live FIDE ratings list. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes CARUANA – RAPPORT | 1-0, 40 moves After spending a few minutes Rapport chose the rare 5…g6 in a well-known position in the Semi-Slav, and managed to equalize rather comfortably after that. But as the players approached time-trouble, Rapport started to go wrong, and found himself in an unpleasant endgame. With Dominguez having drawn against Aronian, a win would give Caruana tournament victory outright. A further mistake by Rapport then allowed Caruana to create a very strong passed c-pawn, which he eventually cashed in to decimate Black’s kingside, winning the game. Caruana-Rapport: After 26.Rc4 Black’s position was already extremely difficult, as White has Rb7 coming in addition to pushing the c-pawn. Caruana repeats Firouzja’s feat from last year — winning the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz, Sinquefield Cup, and Grand Chess Tour all in a row. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes Find full standings and results on grandchesstour.org. The closing ceremony for the 2023 Sinquefield Cup will take place Saturday, December 2nd, at 5:30 PM prior to the Strategy Across the Board Gala. Written by IM Kostya Kavutskiy Official website:grandchesstour.org/2023-grand-chess-tour/2023-sinquefield-cup/
FIDE World Rapid & Blitz 2023: Registration deadline extended
The FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Championship will take place in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, from December 25-31 at the Congress Centre. This high-tech venue has hosted many international events, conferences, exhibitions, and shows. The registration deadline has been extended to December 11, 2023, 12:00 CET. Eligible players, accompanying persons, FIDE Principals and arbiters are invited to register via the following link: worldrapidandblitz2023.fide.com/registration/ The five-day tournament will bring together the world’s top chess players, vying for the title of the World Champion in Rapid and Blitz across the Open and Women’s categories. Photo: Lennart Ootes The reigning World Champion in rapid and blitz Magnus Carlsen (Norway) headlines the open competitions. Among those already registered for the open event are also Gukesh Dommaraju (India), Vincent Keymer (Germany), Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (Azerbaijan), Jan-Krzysztof Duda (Poland), Yu Yangyi (China), Levon Aronian (USA), former champions Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (France, Blitz – 2021; pictured above), Daniil Dubov (FIDE, Rapid – 2018), Nodirbek Abdusattorov (Uzbekistan, Rapid – 2021), alongside many other well-known chess players from all over the world. The women’s section of the FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Championship will feature all three reigning world champions Ju Wenjun (China, Classical chess), Tan Zhongyi (China, Rapid; pictured below) and Bibisara Assaubayeva (Kazakhstan, Blitz), Aleksandra Goryachkina (FIDE), Kateryna Lagno (FIDE), Humpy Koneru (India), Harika Dronavalli (India), Alexandra Kosteniuk (Switzerland), as well as many other chess stars. Photo: Lennart Ootes The final lists of the FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Championship will be published after the end of the registration process (December 11, 12:00 CET). Schedule: December 25 — Opening CeremonyDecember 26-28 — Rapid tournamentDecember 29-30 — Blitz tournament and Closing Ceremony Official website of the tournament: worldrapidandblitz2023.fide.com/ About the FIDE World Rapid & Blitz Championship The World Rapid & Blitz Chess Championship and the Women’s World Rapid & Blitz Chess Championship have been held annually since 2012. In rapid chess, each player begins the game with 15 minutes, and 10 seconds are added to their clock after each move. In blitz chess, each player begins the game with 3 minutes, and 2 seconds are added to their clock after each move. The reigning World Champions of the event: Rapid: Open – Magnus Carlsen (Norway) Women – Tan Zhongyi (China, Rapid) Blitz: Open – Magnus Carlsen (Norway) Women – Bibisara Assaubayeva (Kazakhstan) The total prize fund is 1 million USD dollars, with USD 700,000 going to the open championships and USD 300,000 to the women’s championships. OFFICIAL PARTNERS: Freedom Holding Corp. is a US-based financial services holding company. Through its operating subsidiaries, Freedom Holding provides services like retail securities brokerage, research, investment counselling, securities trading, market-making, retail banking, corporate investment banking and underwriting services in Eurasia. The Company has retail locations in Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Azerbaijan and Germany. The Company’s financial services business provides retail securities brokerage, research, investment counselling, securities trading, market making, corporate investment banking, underwriting, complementary banking services and retail banking services to its customers. Its subsidiaries include LLC Investment Company Freedom Finance (Freedom RU), a securities broker-dealer; LLC FFIN Bank (FFIN Bank); JSC Freedom Finance, a securities broker-dealer; Freedom Finance Cyprus Limited (Freedom CY), a broker-dealer; LLC Freedom Finance Uzbekistan (Freedom UZ), a broker-dealer and FFIN Securities, Inc. (FFIN). Official website: freedomholdingcorp.com/ Kaspersky is a global cybersecurity and digital privacy company founded in 1997. Kaspersky’s deep threat intelligence and security expertise is constantly transforming into innovative security solutions and services to protect businesses, critical infrastructure, governments and consumers around the globe. The company’s comprehensive security portfolio includes leading endpoint protection and specialized security solutions and services, as well as Cyber Immune solutions to fight sophisticated and evolving digital threats. Over 400 million users are protected by Kaspersky technologies and we help over 220,000 corporate clients protect what matters most to them. Learn more at kaspersky.com. Chessable is the world’s leading e-learning platform and home to the largest library of online chess courses, including masterclasses by chess world champion Magnus Carlsen, top-10 player Anish Giri and 8-time Russian chess champion Peter Svidler and many more. Chessable is the #1 science-backed chess training app to study chess openings , strategy and endgames. Learning chess from top GMs and coaches made easier. Official siteFacebookTwitterInstagram
2023 Sinquefield Cup: Day 8 Recap
In the penultimate round the action quieted down with four draws, as Fabiano Caruana and Leinier Dominguez continue to lead the Sinquefield Cup heading into the final day. The only game that turned into a fully-fledged fight was Rapport-Aronian, where the Romanian No. 1 pushed for some time in an opposite colored bishop endgame, but ultimately couldn’t generate any chances. ROUND 8 GIRI – CARUANA | ½-½, 14 moves A Closed Catalan led to a quick draw by repetition via the typical Nh5-Bd2-Nhf6 drawing mechanism. With Caruana having White in the last round against Rapport, he’ll be able to fight for tournament victory with a win. A short day for Caruana, who clinched the overall Grand Chess Tour yesterday. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes DOMINGUEZ – VACHIER-LAGRAVE | ½-½, 24 moves Essaying the Sveshnikov Defense, MVL chose the rare 12…Ne7, soon forcing Dominguez to spend lots of time in the opening. In a sharp position, Leinier walked into a three-fold repetition, which seemed to suit MVL as well. With the draw, Dominguez remains in the hunt to qualify for the 2024 FIDE Candidates by rating. Dominguez-Vachier-Lagrave: After 18…Nf5, Dominguez spent over thirty minutes before playing 19.f3, which led to a draw by repetition after 19…Qxf6 20.0-0 Qb6+ 21.Kh1 Qh6 22.Kg1 Dominguez is still just a single point behind So in the FIDE live ratings list. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes SO-NEPOMNIACHTCHI | ½-½, 37 moves A highly theoretical 4.Qc2 Nimzo led to the players simplifying the position rather quickly, ending up in a completely drawn opposite colored bishops endgame. After the game So admitted he was unhappy with his performance in yesterday’s loss to Caruana. Since So was slated to play against Duda (who withdrew in Round 2) in the final round, his tournament is now over. So looked to be on the way to his second Sinquefield Cup title, but a tough loss against Caruana thwarted his chances. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes RAPPORT – ARONIAN | ½-½, 57 moves In the only full game of the day, Rapport went for an aggressive handling of the Italian Game, advancing his kingside early on while leaving his own king in the middle of the board. A timely check allowed Aronian to trade the queens off, greatly reducing the risk to Black’s position. From there Rapport had a small edge in the endgame, but was never able to make anything with it, with the players eventually landing in a drawish opposite colored bishops ending. Rapport-Aronian: After 15.g4, White maneuvered with Nd2-f1-g3 to clamp down on the f5-square, but Black managed to create counterplay just in time. Rapport has shown some of the most fighting chess in the tournament, but has been left winless so far. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes FIROUZJA – FREE DAY The Sinquefield Cup continues on November 30, with live coverage starting at 1:15 PM CST. Catch all the action live with grandmaster commentators Yasser Seirawan, Peter Svidler, and Jovanka Houska on uschesschamps.com and on the Saint Louis Chess Club’s YouTube and Twitch.tv channels! Written by IM Kostya Kavutskiy Official website:grandchesstour.org/2023-grand-chess-tour/2023-sinquefield-cup/
Maria José Campos wins 2023 Argentinean Women’s Championship
WIM Maria José Campos is the new women’s champion of Argentina. The second seed representing FMDA Obras Aysa, won her maiden national title. The 74th edition of the most important female chess event in Argentina took place in Buenos Aires from November 20-28 and brought together virtually all the best players except for the #1 Candela Francisco Guecamburu. The 9-round Swiss tournament turned into an exciting race with several participants taking turns on the top of the standings. Interestingly, neither participant completed the event unbeaten. Heading into the final round, Maria Jose Campos and WIM Milagros Tatiana Brizzi (pictured below)lead the field with 6/9, followed by WIM Anapaola Rorda Rodas on 5.5/8. To make things even more interesting, Campos faced Borda Rodas with the white pieces, while Brizzi took on Karen Nerina Gaite also with white. Maria Jose prevailed over Anapaola in a topsy-turvy game and clinched the title. Milagros Tatiana did not manage to break the resistance of Karen Nerina and had to settle for silver. The runner-up became the only player to defeat the champion. As many as four players tied for the third place on 6/9, with Marisa Zuriel taking bronze thanks to a better Buchholz. Final standings: 1 WIM Campos, Maria Jose 2208 7½ 2 WIM Brizzi, Milagros Tatiana 2076 7 3 WIM Zuriel, Marisa 2165 6 4 WIM Borda Rodas, Anapaola 2261 6 5 Flores Mirabal, Nancy 1937 6 6 WFM Nejanky, Maisa 1951 6 7 WCM Gaite, Karen Nerina 1871 5½ 8 Ramirez, Marysol 1720 5½ 9 WIM Sarquis, Maria Belen 2194 5 10 WFM Adam, Ernestina 2036 5 Photos: Federación Argentina de Ajedrez Facebook