FIDE World Senior Team Championship: Day 1 recap
The first round of the FIDE World Senior Team Championship saw the favourites play weaker teams, as it is usually the case in Swiss events. However, this didn’t mean there weren’t certain surprises on several boards. In the S50 section, the number one seed team, USA, won 3.5-0.5 against Canada, but they were on the verge of defeat on board one. Victor Plotkin (2193) was winning in the endgame against Alexander Shabalov (2465), but did not manage to convert the Fischer-esque endgame of rook and bishop vs. rook and knight. On the other boards, Kaidanov (2549), Ehlvest (2530) and Novikov (2513) didn’t have problems overcoming Barron (2108), Findlay (2123) and Dougherty (2062), respectively. In the game Findlay-Ehlvest Black played a pretty two-move combination. Black startded with 23…Bb4, freeing the eighth rank, and after 24.Qc1 Nxg3! led to immediate resignation in view of …Rg8 next, when mate on the g-file would follow shortly 0-1 In the duel between the English teams (England 1 and England 3) the stronger one prevailed. Yet even here on board one, Michael Adams (2662) couldn’t overcome Granat (2171) with the white pieces. It was a tough fight on board two and three, where Emms (2448) won a long rook endgame against Crocker (2161) with Black and Arkell weaved his magic in his favourite Carlsbad structure to suffocate Frostick (2112). Only on board four, Davies (2354) won easily against Hewson (2023), partly because of a successful opening surprise. Playing the Benoni with Black, he obtained an advantageous position early in the game, which he converted in a convincing fashion. Italy beat England W50 4-0, and in this match, we saw a spectacular game between Ortega (2410) and Jackson (2034). White (Ortega) reached a winning position and here 27.e5! (freeing the e4-square for the knight) would have been decisive. Instead, after 27.b3? Ne5 Black was suddenly not worse at all! Several moves later, with both sides trading imprecisions, White was winning again. Here 33.Qf5 was decisive, as the king can hide on f4 in case of checks. Instead, Ortega went for the overambitious queen sacrifice 33.Qxg4? Rg1 34.Kxf3 Rxg4 35.Kxg4 Bxc3, which landed him in a lost position! With only a rook for a queen, White perhaps was counting on 36.Rxb7, with the idea of Rb8, creating the threats against the black king and also planning b7. In order to prevent Rb8, Black now should have played 36…Qe8!, but instead he erred with 36…Qb5? after which 37.Kf5 was the best continuation. However, following his plan, White played 37.Rb8? and now after 37…Qe2 Black was winning again! Ortega went boldly ahead with 38.Kg5, but 38…Bd2 would have led to a forced mate. 38…Bf6, played by Black, was also sufficient to win the game. White sent his king all the way to h7, creating a mating threat of Rf8, and Jackson correctly sacrificed the bishop with Bg7. However, instead of winning with 41…Qxc2 or 41…Qe1, Black made a fatal mistake by grabbing the f2-pawn. Suddenly after 41…Qxf2?? 42.Nf5 White was winning! White hides from the checks with Nh6, and the b-pawn will promote. 1-0 An incredible game! The host team of North Macedonia Alkaloid whitewashed USA 5 Brothers, and in many other matches, the favourites were also rather ruthless. In the S65 section, the resistance of the underdogs was tougher. The top three favourites all won 3-1, allowing two draws in their matches. In the match on board one Switzerland-Germany Lasker Schachstiftung GK, the German Grandmaster Kalintschew (2377) won a high-tempo game against Kradolfer (1912). The final position deserves a diagram. White resigned as 26.Bg1 Re1! leads to mate. 0-1 The English team led by John Nunn (2569) won by the same score, making draws on board one, where Nunn played the currently out-of-fashion Velimirovic attack. True to his style, John obtained a nice attacking position, but then, instead of continuing in the same vein, he switched to a positional route. Here, a typical Velimirovic sacrifice 15.Nf5! was very strong, but Nunn chose the second-best 15.b4, which gave him an extra pawn after mutual imprecisions, but in an endgame with rooks and opposite-coloured bishops, he couldn’t convert his advantage. The Slovak number one, Lubomir Ftacnik (2452), had a similar fate, as he couldn’t achieve more than a draw from an inferior position against Burchardt (2153) from the Germany W65 team. The close matches at the start of the S65 section indicate that this will be a very closely fought event. A good example of underdogs’ resilience is the victory by the host team of North Macedonia over Italy (2.5-1.5), with a draw on board one between Ilic (2044) and Garcia Palermo (2410) wins for Kralevski (2054) and Stosevski (1968) against Messa (2289) and Cocozza (2226) and a loss for Hadzi-Manev (1865) against Trabattoni (2232). Standings after Round 1 S50 Standings after Round 1 S65 Round 2 starts tomorrow at 3 pm local time. Written by GM Alex Colovic Photos: Mark Livshitz Official website: seniorteam2023.fide.com/
FIDE Book Awards 2023 – Call for Nominations
Dear Authors and Publishers, The FIDE Trainers’ Commission (TRG) invites you to submit your nominations for the Yuri Averbakh/Isaac Boleslavsky Book Awards 2023. Eligible are chess books published in 2022. Publishers can submit up to three books, while authors may submit one book. Submissions should be emailed to trainers@fide.com, with a deadline of October 4, 2023. Once confirmed, TRG will advise where three copies of the books should be sent to the judges for review. The panel of judges will consist of three prominent chess personalities. The winner and two runners-up will be announced in the middle of December. The Boleslavsky Isaac FIDE Book Award was launched in 2009 for the best book and publications of remarkable instructional value. In 2019, the Award name was changed to the Yuri Averbakh/Isaac Boleslavsky Award, paying tribute to these two giants of chess literature. Nomination Form List of Winners 2008-2021
FIDE World Senior Team Championship 2023 kicks off in Struga, North Macedonia
The opening ceremony of the FIDE World Senior Teams Chess Championships was held at the summer terrace of the Hotel Izgrev, the playing venue of the event, with a breathtaking view of the pearl of the Balkans, the beautiful Ohrid Lake. The championship, played in 50+ and 65+ age categories, takes place from September 18-29. The competitions are 9-round Swiss tournaments with classical time control. Players, guests and officials were welcomed by the President of the Chess Federation of North Macedonia, Sasha Bogdanovikj, Honorary Chair of the FIDE Event Commission Ozgur Solakoglu and the deputy director of the Agency for Youth and Sport in North Macedonia Isak Lizami. Mr Sasha Bogdanovikj greeted all the guests and expressed gratitude to FIDE for honouring the Chess Federation of North Macedonia and giving it an opportunity to hold this prestigious event. Mr Isak Lizami wished success to all participants and expressed his willingness to support the activities of the Chess Federation of North Macedonia. He also stated that the Agency for Youth and Sport would continue supporting all the important initiatives by the Chess Federation of North Macedonia. During the opening ceremony, guests enjoyed a small music performance by one of the top music artists in the country, Andrijana Janevska, who sang some well-known international hits and some Macedonian traditional songs. The first round is scheduled to start on September 19 at 15:00 CEST. There are a total of 48 teams from 26 countries registered in the competition (22 teams in the 50+ age category and 26 teams in the 65+ age category), with 231 players participating in the competition. The games will be broadcast on the official FIDE Channel with expert commentary by GM Aleksandar Colovic. Official website: seniorteam2023.fide.com/ Photos: Mark Livshitz
FIDE Education Commission continues its development activities around the world
How do you introduce chess as an educational tool in classrooms on a regional or country-wide scale? The challenges for successfully implementing a chess in education (CIE) initiative can be as complex as the game of chess itself. CIE brings chess to the learners in their comfortable and familiar classroom environment. Introducing chess in the classroom proves to be equally educational to educators, federations, and even national governments. Knowledge is indeed power! FIDE’s Chess in Education Commission continues to assist federations in developing scalable and sustainable CIE initiatives. Recently completed visits to Zimbabwe and Nigeria included in-person Preparation of Teachers (PoT) courses alongside visits from government and business leaders. Partial funding from the International Olympic Committee enabled us to carry out this project effectively. Such activities laid the groundwork for the expansion of CIE and provided national federations greater visibility and credibility with stakeholders. The Chess in Education Development team and International Advisory Board from FIDE EDU expanded the resources for in-person training by including tangible resources and workbook materials for classroom use. For many countries, an in-person PoT course provides the opportunity to showcase the federation chess as an educational tool. The course allows for media coverage and meetings with key stakeholders in government and business. Federations that are seen as partners in education within the country may gain access to human and financial resources that would otherwise not be available. An added benefit is the influx of a new generation of young chess players. As a result, FIDE EDU has a positive impact on the educational environment, and the outcome of these projects is not merely the qualification of School Instructor titles to successful participants of our PoT courses but the empowerment of federations to the wide-scale introduction of CIE in their countries. Visits similar to those in Zimbabwe and Nigeria are scheduled or in the process of being scheduled for the remainder of the year. The confirmed PoT courses and accompanying stakeholder meetings include: 11-15 September: Guyana 25 – 30 September: Namibia (2 PoT deliveries, one in Windhoek and another in Swakopmund) 2-5 October: Nigeria 18 – 21 October: Tanzania 27 – 29 October: Cape Town, South Africa 25 – 28 November: Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe PoT courses are also planned in Botswana, Zambia, and The Gambia in December. Here are some highlights from our recent visits to Nigeria and Zimbabwe: The participants of the PoT course with the lecturers Anzel Laubscher (FIDE EDU member) and Jerry Nash (FIDE EDU Chair) in Lagos, Nigeria Jerry Nash dressed in traditional Nigerian attire with Anzel Laubscher, Prince Adeyinka Adewole and the most important participant Corporate simul hosted by Zimbabwe Chess Federation was a successful opportunity to create awareness and raise funds for Chess in Education locally Anyone interested in discussing the possibilities of developing CIE initiatives in their country may contact FIDE EDU by email: education@fide.com.
The final round to decide the winner of Cyprus Grand Prix and two Women’s Candidates
Grand Prix events are very long. Eleven rounds against strong opponents, adding game preparation and debriefing, can leave you without energy very quickly. Fatigue and exhaustion set in, and mistakes start to happen. The two-time European Champion, and current leader of the Grand Prix, Kateryna Lagno, summed the situation up perfectly. “Everybody is already very tired, and that’s why we are probably seeing some blunders.” For the first time in the tournament, all six games ended in draws, but most of them were hard-fought. With only one round to go, three players are still in the lead with 6/10 – Harika, Tan Zhongyi, and Wagner – while Lagno and Shuvalova are just behind on 5.5/10. Theoretically, up to six players could have a chance of grabbing the two coveted Candidates spots, and it will all depend on tomorrow’s results. The tenth-round ceremonial first moves were performed by Andreas Michailidis, President of the Cyprus Sports Organisation (pictured above) and Michalis Giorgallas, Cyprus Minister of Defence, in the game between Dinara Wagner and Tan Zhongyi. For Michalis Giorgallas (pictured below), it was his first time in a chess tournament. “I am very glad to be here and excited to host the tournament in Cyprus. I don’t know how to play, but I hope that my first move will give success and glory to my player.” Andreas Michailidis, in his capacity as President of the Cyprus Sports Organisation, is a regular in local events organised by the Cyprus Chess Federation – “It’s a great honour for Cyprus to host this event and for FIDE to have chosen our country and our organisation supports the tournament 100%. I admire the patience, the courage, and the expertise of the players. We don’t yet have top-level players in Cyprus, but we are working on this, and very soon, we shall compete at the highest level”. The event was also honoured by the presence this afternoon of Louiza Christodoulidou Zannetou, the Law Commissioner for Cyprus and President of the Gender Equality Committee. She was happily surprised when she went inside the playing hall: “My first reaction was that I had to go out, so as not to disturb them because I realised that they needed their peace and concentration to perform at the maximum level.” IM Assaubayeva, Bibisara vs GM Goryachkina, Aleksandra (0.5-0.5) After her loss yesterday, Goryachkina decided to play it safe today, choosing the solid Slav defence as Black. Assaubayeva went for the modern 4.Bf4 line in the Exchange variation, but Goryachkina neutralised the opponent’s initiative with the standard …Bg4-h5-g6 manoeuvre, exchanging White’s dangerous light-squared bishop. According to the engine, Black was already slightly better when both players agreed to a draw on move twenty after an unforced three-fold repetition. Goryachkina will play White in the final round against Harika – depending on the rest of this afternoon’s results. She may need a win to secure one of the two Candidate’s spots. WGM Wagner, Dinara vs GM Tan, Zhongyi (0.5-0.5) The second game to finish, after just about two and a half hours of play, was a solid affair. Co-leading the event by the slightest of margins, it seemed unlikely that they were going to take many risks. Tan Zhongyi went for one of the most solid lines in the Bogo-Indian defence with Black, a favourite of Ulf Andersson in the eighties. Wagner spent about twenty minutes on move twelve, deciding how to deal with the double pawn tension in the centre. The engine suggests that maybe 14.b4!? was a better try for an advantage. Once they started trading-off pieces on the d-file, it became clear that the game would end in a draw, which was agreed on move forty-one. GM Dronavalli, Harika vs GM Khotenashvili, Bella (0.5-0.5) Playing with Black, Khotenashvili opted for the Symmetrical variation in the English Opening, employing the so-called Botvinnik System, conceding a permanent weak square on d5 but gaining a firm grip on the dark squares. Her opening choice against the tournament co-leader worked out well: going into the middlegame Bella equalised comfortably, and her only problem was, once again, falling behind on the clock. An important idea in Harika’s strategy was to notice that 21…f5, which at first glance wins the bishop on c3, does not work due to 22.Ng5! Rxc3 23.Nxe6, and since 23…Qxe6? fails to 24.Bd5, White is already slightly better. However, this time the position was reasonably simple to play, and after 28…f5 it was clear that Black had no problems at all and that a draw would be the most likely outcome. Finally, both players agreed to share the point on move thirty-one. IM Kiolbasa, Oliwia vs GM Lagno, Kateryna (0.5-0.5) A tense but equal game, very typical of the Ruy Lopez Berlin variation. Lagno equalised comfortably coming out of the opening but was unable to create an imbalance. “I tried to create something, but she found this b4-Ne1 plan, and it looks like it’s just equal. Maybe I should have played 22…b4 myself instead of 22…g6,” Lagno explained after the game. After that, it was Kiolbasa who could have had a chance had she found 28.Nd3! but low on time Oliwia went for the clear-cut 28.Rd1-d7, and a draw was soon agreed upon. Lagno was kind enough to talk to us after the game. “It’s a hard tournament, everybody is tired already. But there is still one game to go, and I should stay concentrated.” When asked about the added stress of playing for the two Candidate spots, Lagno explained that she was trying to concentrate on the games. “I try not to think about it too much, and I don’t think it affects my play, but I see that everybody is very tired already, and that’s why we are probably seeing some blunders.” GM Dzagnidze, Nana vs IM Mammadzada, Gunay (0.5-0.5) Dzagnidze tried to surprise her opponent in the opening with the offbeat 4.h3 idea in a Delayed Alapin Sicilian. The point is to play 5.Bd3-c2 and further on advance d2-d4 but preventing the
Invitation: FIDE Congress and General Assembly 2023
Dear Member Federations, FIDE officials and Members of FIDE Commissions, Please find below the official invitation to the annual Congress and General Assembly 2023 from FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich. The events will take place online during the period from 11 to 17 December, 2023. Schedule of the event: FIDE Commissions meetings: December 11-13, 2023 FIDE Council meeting: December 14, 2023 FIDE Zonal Council meeting: December 16, 2023 FIDE General Assembly: December 17, 2023 The exact time of the meetings, agenda, hosting platform, and invitation link will be provided in future communication. If a National Federation or an Affiliated Organization would like to propose an item to be included in the online General Assembly agenda, it shall provide the FIDE Office with all the necessary documents, using the email office@fide.com. According to the FIDE Charter, these proposals should reach the FIDE offices at least two months before the opening date of the General Assembly, by October 17, 2023. INVITATION FIDE CONGRESS AND GENERAL ASSEMBLY 2023 (PDF)
Winners crowned at European Youth Championship 2023
The European Youth Chess Championship 2023 is in the books. Held in six age categories – U8, U10, U12, U14, U16 and U18 (open and girls sections separately) – from September 5-14 in the Ceremony Hall Dorna in Mamaia, Romania, the event attracted over 900 participants from 46 European federations, including more than 100 titled players. All twelve competitions were 9-round Swiss events with classical time control. The event saw the triumph of Azerbaijani players, who collected four gold medals; Poland won three golds, while the home country, Romania, got two titles. It was a close race in many sections, with the champions determined by a superior tiebreak. The champions and top-finishers of the European Youth Chess Championship: Open U8 1. Mohammad Kazimzadeh (AZE)2. Luca Protopescu (FRA)3. Artem Kucher (UKR) Girls U8 1. Mehriban Afmadli (AZE)2. Daria Kravchuk (UKR)3. Mariam Rekhviashcvili (GEO) Open U10 1. Vladimir Sofronie (ROU)2. Marc Llari (FRA)3. Ali Poyraz Uzdemir (TUR) Girls U10 1. Maria Anistoroaei (ROU)2. Lilian Schirmbeck (GER)3. Zuzanna Kaminska (POL) Open U12 1. Khagan Ahmad (AZE)2. Henry Edward Tudor (GER)3. Alfred Nemitz (GER) Girls U12 1. Kinga Lajdamik (POL)2. Blanka Ejsymont (POL)3. Saadat Bashirli (AZE) Open U14 1. Rustam Rustamov (AZE)2. Benik Agasarov (ARM)3. Baptiste Lissillour (FRA) Girls U14 1. Kesaria Mgelazdze (GEO)2. Mariam Tsetskhladze (GEO)3. Sofiia Moskalets (UKR) Open U16 1. Jakub Seemann (POL)2. Diego Macias Pino (ESP)3. Jachym German (CZE) Girls U16 1. Agnesa Stepania Ter-Avetisjana (LAT)2. Dila Baloglu (TUR)3. Maria Siekanska (POL) Open U18 1. Arsen Davtyan (ARM)2. Khazar Babazada (AZE)3. Elham Abdrlauf (NOR) Girls U18 1. Martyna Wikar (POL)2. Ayan Allahverdiyeva (AZE)3. Juliette Cornileau (FRA) Complete results Official website: euromamaia2023.com/ Photos: official website
FIDE World Junior Rapid & Blitz U20 Championship 2023: Registration deadline extended
The Organizing Committee announces that the registration deadline for the participants of the first ever FIDE World Junior Rapid & Blitz U20 Chess Championship has been extended to September 20, 2023. The competition with a total prize fund of €25,000 will take place will Pula, Sardinia, October 9-16, 2023 Each National Federation can register any number of players. Personal rights will receive the winners of the World Youth Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship in Batumi 2023 and first 10 players on the starting list (10 for the open list and 10 for the girls’ list). Regulations and invitation letter (pdf) Official website: juniorrapidandblitz2023.fide.com Email: juniorrapidandblitz2023@fide.com Photo: Olaf Tausch
FIDE World Amateur Championship 2023: Registration deadline extended
The Organizing Committee of the FIDE World Amateur Chess Championship announces that the registration deadline has been extended to September 28, 2023. The competition will take place in Muscat, Oman, from November 1-11, 2023. There will be separate Championships three FIDE rating categories: Under 2300 Under 2000 Under 1700 There shall be separate Women’s Championship(s) if there are at least ten players from at least two continents in each category. The Championships are open for players registered by their national federation. FIDE member federations have the right to send as many players as they wish. Official website: worldamateur2023.fide.com E-mail: worldamateur2023@fide.com
The deadline for submitting 2028 Chess Olympiad bid set for November 7
On August 15, 2023, FIDE opened a bidding procedure for the 2028 Chess Olympiad. As a part of the Olympiad bid, the bidder should also hold the Chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities and FIDE Congress. The first four weeks were allocated to the expression of interest process. Potential bidders could express their interest by 6 p.m. CET on September 12, 2023. During this period, four potential organisers have come forward. As a result, the bidding process will now last 12 weeks, as per the decision of the FIDE Council. Therefore, the deadline to submit bids to office@fide.com is now set for 6 p.m. CET on November 7, 2023, which is eight weeks from September 12. Each bidding application shall be filed per the form provided in Appendix 3 to the Regulations. The Applicant shall attach the following: Letters of support from a national federation and relevant local authorities, Supporting documents (government letters, contracts, bank guarantees, etc.) at the total amount of the bid’s budget. Irrevocable guarantee issued by: a) any of the Top 100 World Banks rated on The Bankers database or another bank which may be agreed with FIDE or b) a verified government guarantee for the amount of three hundred thousand (300,000) Euros to support the bid. Additional documents may be requested by FIDE for further evaluation. The complete requirements from the organiser, including financial obligations, are determined by section 6 of the Regulations. For any relevant clarifications regarding the regulations and application requirements, the applicants are kindly asked to send a written enquiry to office@fide.com The nearest General Assembly shall award the right to host the events to the Applicant with the highest number of votes received. Regulations: 2028 Chess Olympiad Regulations FIDE Congress Regulations for the Competition for Players with Disabilities will be added later.