Schedule and Unique Scoring System Announced for the Inaugural Edition of GCL
Global Chess League to award bonus game points for starting with Black and winning, giving players incentive to go for the less preferred choice Triveni Continental Kings to clash with upGrad Mumba Masters in the opening encounter of the inaugural Global Chess League Ahead of the inaugural edition of the Global Chess League (GCL), the league has announced the tournament’s schedule and the scoring system. The tournament is set to be played in Dubai in association with the Dubai Sports Council from June 21, 2023 – July 2, 2023. The league, which introduces the franchise format to the sport of chess, also brings a completely new mixed-team format to the fore featuring the best from the ecosystem among men, women and U21 players. What is the Scoring System? Each team will have six players and a manager, who will be competing on six boards which will be played simultaneously. While each board will be called a game, all six combined boards will be termed one match. Once the board order is decided, it cannot be altered after drawing lots while deciding the run order of play. And in each match, all the players of one team will play with the same colour. A game won with Black pieces will result in 4 Game Points (GP) to the winning player. A victory for a player with White pieces will see them win 3 GP. A draw will be rewarded with 1 GP, and a defeat gets the player 0 GP. Each players’ GP will contribute to the Team’s total Match Points (MP). With regards to the calculations on Match Points (MP), a Team which scores more GP than their opposition will be rewarded with a bonus of 3 MP. If both the Teams are level on GP, they will be awarded 1 MP each. However, if a team scores fewer GP than the opposing team, they won’t get any MP for that match. Scoring System for Game Points (GP) 4 GP (3+1) A player wins the Game with Black Pieces 3 GP A player wins the Game with White Pieces 1 GP Draw 0 GP Defeat Scoring System for Match Points (MP) 3 MP The team that scores more Game Points 1 MP If both teams are level on Game Points 0 MP The team that scores lesser Game Points than the opponent The Final will be played over best-of-2 matches. There will be a drawing of lots to determine which Team is White in Match 1, this team will then be black in Match 2. The team who wins more matches will be the Champion. In the event of a tie: There will be a playoff blitz fixture, which will be a best-of-2 match. The team that was white in Match 1 and black in Match 2 will play white in Match 3 and black in Match 4. The time limit for each game will be all moves in 3 minutes plus 2 seconds. The Team that wins the most matches in the fixture will be the Champion. If the teams remain tied, there shall be a drawing of lots to determine a board from 1 to 6. The player from each Ttam on this board will then participate in a sudden-death blitz game. The time limit for this game will be 3 minutes plus 2 seconds per move. The player from the team who was white in Matches 1 and 3, will play white in this game. If the sudden death blitz game is drawn, then the procedure is repeated except that the colour of the player from each team alternates from the colour the team had in the preceding sudden death blitz game. If the tie remains unbroken, the above procedure is repeated until a sudden-death blitz game has a winner. Exciting Contests at Hand: The Global Chess League kicks off on June 22 after a glittering opening ceremony on the day before. Triveni Continental Kings will be up against upGrad Mumba Masters, starting the tournament in a grand manner. “One of the most distinctive aspects of the Global Chess League is a unique method of scoring the contests, in addition to sticking to traditional methods. Combined with the mixed-team format, this makes for an exciting tournament in Dubai. We are confident these features will appeal to fans and the global chess community,” said Jagdish Mitra, Chairperson of the Global Chess League Board. Speaking about the schedule and scoring system, the FIDE President, Arkady Dvorkovich, said, “Global Chess League is a truly unique tournament. The scoring system and the schedule has been designed in a manner that gives the fans an exciting experience and keeps them glued to their screens. We are looking forward to 10 days of exciting matches in Dubai.” Schedule of the Global Chess League: Date Time (GST) Match Number Match Lineup 22 June 17:3018:50 Match 1.1Match 1.2 Triveni Continental Kings vs upGrad Mumba MastersChingari Gulf Titans vs Ganges Grandmasters 23 June 14:0015:2017:3018:50 Match 1.3Match 2.3Match 2.2Match 2.1 SG Alpine Warriors vs Balan Alaskan KnightsTriveni Continental Kings vs Chingari Gulf TitansGanges Grandmasters vs SG Alpine WarriorsupGrad Mumba Masters vs Balan Alaskan Knights 24 June 14:0015:2017:3018:50 Match 3.2Match 3.3Match 3.2Match 4.2 SG Alpine Warriors vs Triveni Continental KingsBalan Alaskan Knights vs Ganges GrandmastersChingari Gulf Titans vs upGrad Mumba MastersTriveni Continental Kings vs Balan Alaskan Knights 25 June 14:0015:2017:3018:50 Match 4.1Match 4.3Match 5.2Match 5.1 Grad Mumba Masters vs Ganges GrandmastersChingari Gulf Titans vs SG Alpine WarriorsBalan Alaskan Knights vs Chingari Gulf TitansSG Alpine Warriors vs upGrad Mumba Masters 26 June 17:3018:50 Match 5.3Match 6.3 Ganges Grandmasters vs Triveni Continental KingsBalan Alaskan Knights vs SG Alpine Warriors 27 June 17:3018:50 Match 6.2Match 6.1 Ganges Grandmasters vs Chingari Gulf TitansupGrad Mumba Masters vs Triveni Continental Kings 28 June 17:3018:50 Match 7.1Match 7.2 Balan Alaskan Knights vs upGrad Mumba MastersSG Alpine Warriors vs Ganges Grandmasters 29 June 17:3018:50 Match 7.3Match 8.3 Chingari Gulf Titans vs Triveni Continental KingsGanges Grandmasters vs Balan Alaskan Knights 30 June 14:0015:2017:3018:50 Match 8.1Match 8.2Match 9.1Match 9.2 Grad Mumba Masters vs Chingari Gulf TitansTriveni Continental Kings vs SG Alpine WarriorsGanges Grandmasters vs Grad Mumba MastersBalan Alaskan Knights vs Triveni Continental
FIDE Fair Play Seminar in Baku, Azerbaijan, during World Cup 2023 announced
Dear Member Federations, The FIDE Fair Play Commission, in collaboration with the Azerbaijan Chess Federation, is pleased to announce the upcoming FIDE Fair Play Seminar, scheduled to take place in Baku, Azerbaijan, from July 31 to August 4, 2023. The seminar will coincide with the World Cup 2023, making it an ideal opportunity for chess arbiters, organizers, and others interested in gathering and learning crucial aspects of fair play in chess. The Seminar aims to provide fair play knowledge and share the best practices at events. Scope of the seminar: – Fair Play Legal Framework– Anti-Cheating Regulations– Prof. Regan’s Statistics– Technical devices and their usage– Fair Play Theory and Practice at OTB Events Lecturers will also deal with topics such as preparations for an event, interaction with tournament officials and spectators, crowd management, preventing or detecting cheating, observations, body language, psychological aspects and odd behaviours, statistics, etc., all in the spirit of recognizing, detecting, and preventing unethical practices and promoting a positive chess culture. At the end of the seminar, on the successful completion of the exam, the seminar participants will receive an FPE seminar norm as one of the requirements for the FPE title. The FIDE Fair Play Seminar is open to all chess enthusiasts, players, coaches, arbiters, organizers, and officials who share a passion for promoting fair play, learning more about the dark side of the sport and the practices of recognition and prevention, upholding the highest ethical standards in chess. Attendees will gain invaluable knowledge and insights to reinforce fair play practices within their respective chess federations and communities. Dates:July 31 to August 4, 2023 Location:Baku, Azerbaijan Seminar Language: English Seminar Lecturers:Yuri Garrett – FPL ChairBojana Bejatovic – FPL SecretaryVincent Geeraets – FPL CouncillorGopakumar M S – FPL CouncillorJürgen Klüners – FPL Member Registration:The number of places is limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. To reserve your spot, please send a registration email to fairplay@fide.com. Registration deadline: July 20. Seminar fee: 200 EURExam fee: 50 EUR We look forward to welcoming you at the FIDE Fair Play Seminar as we unite to shape a new chapter in the history of chess and fortify the foundations of fair play.
Qualified teams for the FIDE World Women’s Team Championship
FIDE is pleased to announce the qualified teams to take part in the 9th edition of the World Women’s Team Championship 2023, to be held from September 5-12 in Bydgoszcz, Poland: Bulgaria China Egypt France Georgia Germany India Kazakhstan Poland Ukraine USA A twelfth team will be nominated by the FIDE President. As in the previous edition, the twelve teams of four players each (plus two reserves) will be divided into two pools of approximate strength according to the average rating of the teams. The matches are decided by team points, with 2 points for the winning team and 1 each in case of a draw. Four teams will be eliminated at the pool stage, with the best eight teams advancing to a double-round knockout stage. At the pool stage, board points will be used as a tie-break, while in the knockout part, the eventual ties will be decided through blitz matches (see the tournament regulations for more details). The time control is 45 minutes for the whole game with an increment of 10 seconds per move starting from move 1. Regulations for the FIDE World Women’s Team Championship 2023
Serbian Championship: Aleksandar Indjic and Marina Gajcin clinch titles
GM Aleksandar Indjic and WIM Marina Gajcin are the new chess champions of Serbia. Aleksandar notched up his fourth victory in the national championship, while Marina took her maiden title. The Serbian Championship 2023 took place from June 6–14 in Senta, with the open and women’s tournaments running concurrently. Both competitions were 10-player round robins with classical time control. Aleksandar Injic entered the open section as the top seed and lived up to expectations leading the field from start to finish. Going into the final round a half-point ahead of his main rival Robert Markus, he gradually outplayed Borko Lajthajm and secured the title. The champion scored an impressive 7.5/9 and picked up 12 rating points. Robert Markus finished a full point behind and took silver; Milos Perunovic earned bronze. The defending 2022 champion Velimir Ivic netted only 5.5/9 and came fifth. Final standings Open: 1 GM Indjic, Aleksandar 2613 7½ 2 GM Markus, Robert 2582 6½ 3 GM Perunovic, Milos 2542 6 4 GM Ivanisevic, Ivan 2535 5½ 5 GM Ivic, Velimir 2597 5½ 6 IM Tadic, Stefan 2400 4 7 GM Kovacevic, Aleksandar 2484 3½ 8 GM Lajthajm, Borko 2341 2½ 9 FM Ljepic, Andrej 2207 2 10 Ivanovic, Marko 2262 2 WIM Marina Gajcin dominated the women’s tournament scoring an excellent 7.5/9 and leaving the competition far behind. WGMs Irina Chelushkina, Jovana Eric and WIM Sandra Djukic tied for second place on 5.5/9. The 2022 women’s champion, Irina Chelushkina and Jovana Eric had superior Sonneborn-Berger and won silver and bronze, respectively. Final standings Women: 1 WIM Gajcin, Marina 2252 7½ 2 WGM Chelushkina, Irina 2189 5½ 3 WGM Eric, Jovana 2210 5½ 4 WIM Djukic, Sandra 2107 5½ 5 WGM Manakova, Maria 2146 5 6 WFM Ostojic, Katarina 1989 4½ 7 Jovanovic, Anja 1929 4 8 WIM Drljevic, Ljilja 2156 3½ 9 Tadic, Ana 1853 3 10 Stankovic, Marija 1836 1 Photos: Šahovski savez Srbije Facebook Official website: serbiachess.org/
FIDE World Championships 2024 Call for Bids: One month left before the deadline
FIDE Events Commission would like to remind to all National Federations that the procedure “Call for Bids for FIDE World Championships 2024” will end for bidders on July 14, 2023. There are 11 competitions on the list: World Junior U20 Chess Championships 2024 World Senior Team Chess Championships 2024 World Senior Chess Championships 2024 World Youth U14, U16, U18 Championships 2024 World Amateur Chess Championships 2024 World School Chess Championships 2024 World Cadet & Youth Rapid & Blitz Championships 2024 World Cadet U8, U10, U12 Championships 2024 World U20 Junior Rapid & Blitz Championships 2024 World Schools Team Chess Championship 2024 World Cup U8, U10, U12 2024 (New) Dear bidders, please pay attention: FIDE Events Commission has changed its approach to accepting bid applications. From now on it will become stricter and more formalized. More details about the procedure, including the Bidding Federations Responsibility, Bid Form and Bid Form Annex, Bid and Deposit Fees you can find HERE.
Qualified players for FIDE Grand Swiss and Women’s Grand Swiss
FIDE is pleased to announce the first batch of qualified players for the FIDE Grand Swiss and Women’s Grand Swiss, according to the FIDE Rating List for June 1st. Both events are to be held in Douglas, Isle of Man, from October 23 to November 6. The full list can be found below. Qualified players can download their contracts from the following links, and return them signed to office@fide.com, with CC to alan@iomchess.com. They must also fill in their bank details in the form below and sent it together with the signed contract. Contract template for participants in the FIDE Grand Swiss Contract template for participants in the FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss Form: Bank Account Details (both for open and women’s) The deadline for players to confirm their participation is July 3, 12:00 CET. The organizing committee would appreciate it if those who plan to turn down the invitation could inform FIDE as soon as possible, so a reserve player can take their place. The deadline for reserve players is July 7, 16:00 CET, but they are encouraged to send their signed contracts at their earliest convenience. You will note from the contract that it is the players’ responsibility to arrange their own accommodation for 14 nights – there is no “official hotel”. You can find the full regulations on the FIDE Handbook: Regulations for FIDE Grand Swiss 2023 (PDF) Regulations for FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss (PDF) Qualified players, FIDE Grand Swiss # PLAYER FED FRLJune 23 1 Carlsen, Magnus NOR 2853 2 Firouzja, Alireza FRA 2786 3 Ding, Liren CHN 2780 4 Nepomniachtchi, Ian RUS 2779 5 Nakamura, Hikaru USA 2775 6 Caruana, Fabiano USA 2773 7 Giri, Anish NED 2772 8 So, Wesley USA 2765 9 Anand, Viswanathan IND 2754 10 Rapport, Richard ROU 2752 11 Radjabov, Teimour AZE 2747 12 Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime FRA 2747 13 Aronian, Levon USA 2742 14 Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar AZE 2740 15 Dominguez Perez, Leinier USA 2739 16 Grischuk, Alexander RUS 2736 17 Gukesh D IND 2736 18 Yu, Yangyi CHN 2734 19 Abdusattorov, Nodirbek UZB 2732 20 Duda, Jan-Krzysztof POL 2732 21 Le, Quang Liem VIE 2728 22 Topalov, Veselin BUL 2728 23 Wang, Hao CHN 2722 24 Wei, Yi CHN 2722 25 Vitiugov, Nikita FID 2721 26 Dubov, Daniil RUS 2716 27 Maghsoodloo, Parham IRI 2716 28 Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi IND 2712 29 Shankland, Sam USA 2711 30 Vallejo Pons, Francisco ESP 2706 31 Harikrishna, Pentala IND 2704 32 Erigaisi Arjun IND 2702 33 Artemiev, Vladislav RUS 2699 34 Sjugirov, Sanan RUS 2699 35 Niemann, Hans Moke USA 2695 36 Van Foreest, Jorden NED 2695 37 Bu, Xiangzhi CHN 2694 38 Eljanov, Pavel UKR 2694 39 Shevchenko, Kirill ROU 2694 40 Tomashevsky, Evgeny RUS 2694 41 Deac, Bogdan-Daniel ROU 2693 42 Sargissian, Gabriel ARM 2692 43 Xiong, Jeffery USA 2692 44 Anton Guijarro, David ESP 2691 45 Amin, Bassem EGY 2690 46 Keymer, Vincent GER 2690 47 Praggnanandhaa R IND 2690 48 Sevian, Samuel USA 2690 49 Navara, David CZE 2689 50 Robson, Ray USA 2689 51 Oparin, Grigoriy USA 2687 52 Alekseenko, Kirill FID 2686 53 Martirosyan, Haik M. ARM 2685 54 Sarana, Alexey SRB 2685 55 Tabatabaei, M. Amin IRI 2683 56 Esipenko, Andrey FID 2682 57 Nihal Sarin IND 2681 58 Howell, David W L ENG 2677 59 Fedoseev, Vladimir FID 2676 60 Wojtaszek, Radoslaw POL 2676 61 Grandelius, Nils SWE 2674 62 Kovalenko, Igor UKR 2674 63 Volokitin, Andrei UKR 2674 64 Kasimdzhanov, Rustam UZB 2673 65 Bacrot, Etienne FRA 2672 66 Bluebaum, Matthias GER 2672 67 Saric, Ivan CRO 2670 68 Naiditsch, Arkadij AZE 2669 69 Ni, Hua CHN 2669 70 Gelfand, Boris ISR 2668 71 Shirov, Alexei ESP 2668 72 Donchenko, Alexander GER 2667 73 Adams, Michael ENG 2666 74 Ponomariov, Ruslan UKR 2664 75 Cheparinov, Ivan BUL 2663 76 Matlakov, Maxim RUS 2662 77 Guseinov, Gadir AZE 2661 78 Korobov, Anton UKR 2661 79 Salem, A.R. Saleh UAE 2661 80 Kamsky, Gata USA 2659 81 Inarkiev, Ernesto FID 2658 82 Li, Chao b CHN 2658 83 Narayanan.S.L IND 2657 84 Kryvoruchko, Yuriy UKR 2656 85 Ivanchuk, Vasyl UKR 2655 86 Moussard, Jules FRA 2655 87 Nguyen, Thai Dai Van CZE 2653 88 Santos Latasa, Jaime ESP 2653 89 Liang, Awonder USA 2651 90 Predke, Alexandr SRB 2651 91 Melkumyan, Hrant ARM 2650 92 Ma, Qun CHN 2648 93 Malakhov, Vladimir FID 2646 94 Najer, Evgeniy FID 2646 95 Sindarov, Javokhir UZB 2646 96 Tari, Aryan NOR 2646 97 Gledura, Benjamin HUN 2645 98 L’Ami, Erwin NED 2645 99 Van Wely, Loek NED 2644 100 Mamedov, Rauf AZE 2642 Reserve players 1 Nyzhnyk, Illya UKR 2641 2 Sargsyan, Shant ARM 2640 3 Swiercz, Dariusz USA 2640 4 Yilmaz, Mustafa TUR 2639 5 Pichot, Alan ARG 2638 6 Yakubboev, Nodirbek UZB 2636 7 Cori, Jorge PER 2636 8 Idani, Pouya IRI 2633 9 Abasov, Nijat AZE 2632 10 Nabaty, Tamir ISR 2632 11 Fressinet, Laurent FRA 2632 12 Ragger, Markus AUT 2631 13 Hammer, Jon Ludvig NOR 2630 14 Petrosyan, Manuel ARM 2629 15 Meier, Georg URU 2629 16 Lenic, Luka SLO 2629 17 Gupta, Abhijeet IND 2628 18 Kuzubov, Yuriy UKR 2628 19 Karthikeyan, Murali IND 2628 20 Hou, Yifan CHN 2628 21 Papaioannou, Ioannis GRE 2628 22 Aravindh, Chithambaram VR. IND 2627 23 Durarbayli, Vasif AZE 2627 24 Popov, Ivan RUS 2627 25 Grigoryan, Karen H. ARM 2626 26 Aryan Chopra IND 2626 27 Iturrizaga Bonelli, Eduardo ESP 2626 28 McShane, Luke J ENG 2626 29 Areshchenko, Alexander UKR 2625 30 Bjerre, Jonas Buhl DEN 2624 Qualified players, FIDE Women’s Grand Swiss # PLAYER FED FRLJune 23 1 Hou, Yifan CHN 2628 2 Koneru, Humpy IND 2567 3 Ju, Wenjun CHN 2566 4 Goryachkina, Aleksandra FID 2557 5 Lei, Tingjie CHN 2554 6 Lagno, Kateryna RUS 2552 7 Kosteniuk, Alexandra SUI 2523 8 Tan, Zhongyi CHN 2523 9 Muzychuk, Mariya UKR 2515 10 Dronavalli, Harika IND 2510 11
Anna Zatonskih wins 2023 Cairns Cup
IM Anna Zatonskih became the winner of the 2023 Cairns Cup. Anna secured the title with one round to spare, an impressive result considering she won three games with the black pieces during the tournament. It was an intense and exciting final day of the event, with Zatonskih facing her longtime teammate and rival, GM Irina Krush. Despite already securing the event victory, Anna defended valiantly and managed to draw the longest game of the event on move 130, invoking the 50-moves rule. This draw sealed Anna’s undefeated run in the tournament and solidified her as the champion. It was truly an inspiring performance, especially considering she started as the last seed based on ratings. For her remarkable achievement, Anna won the grand prize of $45,000. GM Alexandra Kosteniuk had an important win on the final day, securing sole second place in the tournament. GMs Bella Khotenashvili and Irina Krush shared third place. The first game to finish was the one between GMs Bella Khotenashvili and Harika Dronavalli. The players went for a theoretical line in the QGD (Queen’s Gambit Declined). The game was balanced throughout, but in the end, it petered out to a draw. GM Bella Khotenashvili shares 3rd place | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Bryan Adams GM Elisabeth Paehtz played the Anti-Marshal line in the Closed Ruy Lopez and the position was balanced for some of the game. Unfortunately for her, she started burning time, and her position worsened. Elisabeth made the fatal mistake closer to the time control. 39. Ne3?? was a decisive blunder that allowed the clincher by Alexandra 39…d4!! Kosteniuk finishes the tournament with 5/8 (or, as she put it in the interview 6/9 🙂 ) and places sole 2nd. GM Alexandra Kosteniuk – full focus on | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Bryan Adams The game between GM Nana Dzagnitze and IM Gunay Mammadzada was a back-and-forth battle, with Gunay initially having the advantage but eventually blundering into a lost position. After 45. e4, Gunay played 45…Rh6?? Instead, she could have gone for 45…fxe4 46.Qxf6+ Rxf6 47.Rxf6 Kg7 with a decisive advantage She blundered again on moves 47 and 48, and it was Dzagnidze who ended up victorious. However, the most captivating game of the round was the one between Krush and Zatonskih. Despite already securing the tournament victory, Anna put up a strong fight. Krush had a chance to catch up with Kosteniuk and secure second place with a win, but she missed several winning opportunities in a rook and opposite colour bishop endgame. Both players were under time pressure, and Anna could have saved the game with the precise move, but she missed the opportunity as well. Ultimately, the game ended in a draw. It was probably the best-missed opportunity for Irina to seal the deal. In this position, she played 83. Bg5, instead 83.Bc3 would have won a piece after 83…Rxe7 84.Rxa4 +- IM Anna Zatonskih – final round focus mode| Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Crystal Fuller The event showcased intense and fighting chess, serving as an inspiration for the next generation of players to never give up and fight until the very end. Text: WGM Sabina Foisor Photos: Bryan Adams and Crystal Fuller Dates & Location: June 3 – 13, 2023World Chess Hall of Fame Livestream:USChessChamps.Com Web: uschesschamps.com | Twitter: @STLChessClubInstagram: @STLChessClub | Facebook: @STLChessClubYouTube: @STLChessClub | Twitch.tv: @STLChessClub#TheAmericanCup #STLChessClub Press Contact:Rebecca Buffingtonrbuffington@saintlouischessclub.org Photo Credits:Photos and appropriate credits available on Flickr
Winners crowned at 2023 FIDE World Cadets & Youth Blitz and Rapid Championship
The curtain fell on the FIDE World Cadets& Youth Rapid and Blitz Chess Championship 2023 held in Batumi at Hotel Euphoria. More than 450 boys and girls from 35 federations competed in under 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, and 18 years old age categories (girls and open to all). After six days and 11 rounds of exciting competition, all 120 medals were awarded to the best youngsters in each group. The closing ceremony of the World Chess Youth Championship in the conference hall of the Legend Hotel was attended by Deputy Minister of Education, Culture and Sports of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, Badri Nakashidze; the Head of the Sports Department, Irma Nizharadze; the Minister of Education, Culture and Sports of Adjara, Maya Khajishvili; the Mayor of Batumi, Archil Chikovani; ECU President, Zurab Azmaiparashvili; FIDE Special Tasks Director, the President of the Georgian Chess Federation, Akaki Iashvili; Georgian Chess Federation first Vice-President George Giorgadze and many other guests, as well as more than 500 participants and their parents. FIDE Special Tasks Director, the President of the Georgian Chess Federation, and the Tournament Director, Akaki Iashvili, thanked all the players and guests for participating. The government members told about the event’s preparation process and stressed a high organizational level. Zurab Azmaiparashvili also praised the host country, organizers and arbiters: “I am very glad that the Cadet World Championship was held in one of the wonderful countries of the world – Georgia.” The closing ceremony started with the performance of the Georgian anthem and national dances. Then, the first vice-president of the Georgian Chess Federation, Giorgi Giorgadze, awarded the participants of the Champions Match: Mariya Muzychuk, Anna Muzychuk, Nino Batsiashvili and Meri Arabidze. The members of the government awarded the best five players in all categories. Finally, the winners of the second World Youth Solving Championship received their trophies. Final standings Blitz Under 8 Open: Cheng, Louis (SCO) Nabiyev, Iman (KAZ) Le, Phan Hoang Quan Nguyen, Nhat Khuong Melkonyan, Davit Under 8 Girls: Sivanandan, Bodhana (ENG) Khusnitdinova, Husnorakhon (UZB) Sobirova, Mumtozbegim (UZB) Sarvaanica, A S (IND) Ruslanova, Dunya (TKM) Under 10 Open: Sklokin, Sergey (FID) Guo, Ethan (USA) Banerjee, Supratit (SCO) Bulgak, Damir (FID) Sason, Noam (ISR) Under 10 Girls: Sevastsyanchuk, Anastasiya (FID) Chiokadze, Barbare (GEO) Zavivaeva, Kristina (FID) Milner, Romi (USA) Berikkyzy, Alanna (KAZ) Under 12 Open: Moskvinov, Prokhor (FID) Korelskiy, Egor (FID) Dau, Khuong Duy (VIE) Karpenko, Anton (FID) Kviriashvili, Andria (GEO) Under 12 Girls: Altynbek, Aiaru (KAZ) Tong, Thai Hoang An (VIE) Akbari, Rosha (IRI) Aydogan, Arya (TUR) Venskaya, Nika (FID) Under 14 Open: Vetokhin, Savva (FID) Uskov, Artem (FID) Agasarov, Benik (ARM) Dinh, Nho Kiet (VIE) Gilfanov, Marat I (FID) Under 14 Girls: Nurgaliyeva, Zarina (KAZ) Kirtadze, Anastasia (GEO) Mgeladze Kesaria (GEO) Tabermakova, Leila (FID) Sgukhman, Anna (FID) Under 16 Open: Gurel, Ediz (TUR) Stribuk, Artiom (FID) Piliposyan, Robert (ARM) Navumenka, Mikhei (FID) Sapenov, Daniyal (KAZ) Under 16 Girls: Shvedova, Alexandra (FID) Norman, Kseniya (FID) Volchkova, Alena (FID) Hayrapetyan, Nvard (ARM) Amulya, Guruprasad (IND) Under 18 Open: Murzin, Volodar (FID) Grebnev, Aleksey (FID) Sahakyan, Aleks (ARM) Tsaruk, Maksim (FID) Prisacaru, Stefan-Emilian (ARM) Under 18 Girls: Omonova, Umida (UZB) Zeliantsova, Kseniya (FID) Nguyen, Hong Nhung (VIE) Shohradova, Lala (TKM) Tsotsonava, Elene (GEO) Photos: Guram Turashvili Official website: batumi2023.fide.com/ Live games Pairings and Results
2023 Asian Championship: Vohidov and Deshmukh clinch titles
GM Shamsiddin Vohidov (Uzbekistan) and WGM Divya Deshmukh (India) emerged as the winners of the 2023 Asian Continental Chess Championship. The event, with a prize fund of $100,000, held in the open and women sections, took place from June 3-12, 2023, in Almaty, Kazakhstan and brought together 129 players from 18 national federations. Shamsiddin Vohidov (pictured below) grabbed the lead in the open tournament after defeating Rinat Jumabayev in Round 6 leaders’ clash and never looked back. The 21-year-old from Uzbekistan scored 7/9 and finished clear first, a half-point ahead of a large group of players on 6.5/9, including top seed Arjun Erigaisi of India. GM Bardiya Daneshwar (Iran) and IM Alisher Suleimenov (Kazakhstan), who had the best opponents’ rating average, took silver and bronze, respectively. Final standings open: 1 GM Vokhidov, Shamsiddin UZB 2583 7 2 GM Daneshvar, Bardiya IRI 2555 6½ 3 IM Suleymenov, Alisher KAZ 2463 6½ 4 GM Puranik, Abhimanyu IND 2602 6½ 5 GM Tin, Jingyao SGP 2570 6½ 6 GM Erigaisi, Arjun IND 2702 6½ 7 GM Sethuraman, S.P. IND 2606 6½ 8 IM Madaminov, Mukhiddin UZB 2431 6 9 Utegaliyev, Azamat KAZ 2432 6 10 GM Jumabayev, Rinat KAZ 2590 6 Complete results The women’s tournament was dominated by Divya Deshmukh (pictured below), who netted an impressive 7.5/9, conceding her competition only three draws and becoming the only unbeaten participant. The champion’s compatriot, WGM Mary Ann Gomes, tied for second place with top-rated IM Batkhuyag Munguntuul. Both finished on 6.5/9, but silver goes to the Indian thanks to the highest opponents’ rating average. Final standings women: 1 WGM Divya, Deshmukh IND 2389 7½ 2 WGM Gomes, Mary Ann IND 2315 6½ 3 IM Munguntuul, Batkhuyag MGL 2397 6½ 4 WIM Balabayeva, Xeniya KAZ 2186 6 5 WIM Kairbekova, Amina KAZ 2146 6 6 WFM Khamdamova, Afruza UZB 2260 6 7 WIM Chitlange, Sakshi IND 2225 5½ 8 WIM Kamalidenova, Meruert KAZ 2350 5½ 9 WGM Alinasab, Mobina IRI 2347 5½ 10 WGM Gong, Qianyun SGP 2257 5½ Complete results The four top finishers in the Open Championship and the gold and silver winners in the Women’s Championship qualified for the 2023 FIDE World Cup will take place in Baku (Azerbaijan) from July 29 to August 26. 2023 Asian Continental Chess Championship was organized by Ministry of Culture and Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Asian Chess Federation, Kazakhstan Chess Federation with the support of Almaty city akimat. Freedom Holding Corp was the general partner of the competition. Photos: official website Official website: asianchampionship2023.kz/
World Cadets & Youth Blitz Championship 2023 starts in Batumi
The World Cadets & Youth & Blitz Chess Championship 2023, organized by FIDE and the Georgian Chess Federation, kicked off at the Euphoria Hotel in Batumi with a short opening ceremony. The blitz competitions in all categories are 11-round Swiss tournaments with 3-min + 2-second increment time control. The event brought together 426 participants from 35 countries. The event will be broadcast live with professional commentary by IM Valeri Gaprindashvili daily. The opening ceremony was attended by Deputy Minister of Education, Culture and Sports of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara – Badri Nakashidze, Head of the Sports Department- Irma Nizharadze, FIDE Special Tasks Director, the President of the Georgian Chess Federation, who welcomed the participants and wished them success. The government members made the first ceremonial move on several boards. On the first day, six rounds were played, with as many as five participants having the perfect score of 6 out of 6. Tomorrow, June 11, the final five rounds of the World Blitz Championship will be played at Legend hotel, followed by the closing ceremony scheduled for 8 PM local time. Photos: Mindia Malakmadze Official website: batumi2023.fide.com/ Live games Pairings and Results Champions Match Day 5 On the same day, the fifth round of the Champions Match was played in the conference hall of the Legend Hotel in Batumi. In the fifth round, Ukrainian players, Mariya and Anna Muzychuk had the white pieces. Mariya Muzychuk – Nino Batsiashvili (0.5-0.5) In the Rossolimo Sicilian Black gradually expanded on the kingside and grabbed the initiative. In subsequent play, Nino came up with a very strong queen sacrifice for a rook, a minor piece and a pawn and got a clear edge. However, Nino missed a powerful 38…Nc2! building up pressure and letting Mariya escape after 38…Nd1+ 39.Kg1 A draw by perpetual was agreed on move 61. Anna Muzychuk – Meri Arabidze (1-0) In the Carlsbad variation of Queen’s Gambit Declined, both opponents castled long, but Anna played much more purposefully and gradually got Meri on the ropes. Eventually, Muzychuk converted her huge positional advantage into extra material with some nice tactics. After 26.Rxc6! Rxc6 27. Nxc6 Bxc6 28.Qxa6 White emerged with an extra pawn and forced Black’s capitulation just a few moves down the road. The last round (the sixth round) will be held In Batumi at Legend Hotel at 11 AM local time. Live games Pairings and Results