FIDE WGP: Three-way tie in Cyprus with two rounds to go
With nine rounds in and only two to go, things have heated up in Cyprus, and not just because the sun has reappeared after a couple of rainy days! Not only is the tournament victory at stake but, more importantly, several players are contending for the overall win in the Grand Prix –20,000 euros extra prize money and two qualifying spots for the 2023-2024 Women’s Candidates cycle. A big deal, indeed! After this afternoon’s results, there is a three-way tie for first place with 5,5/9 with Tan Zhongi, Harika and Wagner, who unfortunately now has to share first place. Two of them face each other tomorrow. Shuvalova and Lagno are right behind, waiting for their opportunity to spring into the lead. Our guests today, performing the ceremonial first move, were Madhumita Hazarika Bhagat, High Commissioner of India in Cyprus, and Josie Christodoulou, Gender Equality Commissioner for Cyrus. Christodoulou opened the game with White for Tan Zhongyi while Madhumita Hazarika Bhagat played Harika’s first move with Black, at the same time wishing both of the players the best of luck. In a short interview, Madhumita Hazarika Bhagat put into words her feelings in the playing hall: “I am very proud to have played the first move for a very capable Indian player. The game has developed with an amazing history behind it – Vishy Anand has done us proud.” GM Lagno, Kateryna vs GM Kosteniuk, Alexandra (0.5-0.5) The round hardly began, but one of the games had already finished. Lagno and Kosteniuk decided to play it safe and agree to a draw in one of the many unforced three-fold repetitions in the Italian Game. Although the game only lasted fourteen moves, in accordance with the rules, the arbiter accepted the result. Rule 5.3 Draw by mutual agreement states: “The players cannot draw any game by mutual agreement before black’s 30th move. A claim for a draw before black’s 30th move is permitted only in cases of a draw by repetition or a stalemate”. IM Shuvalova, Polina vs GM Dzagnidze, Nana (0.5-0.5) Shuvalova has been getting great positions from the opening in her recent games but has been having some trouble converting, whereas Dzagnidze had a shaky start but has been scoring well in the second half of the event. Something went wrong for Shuvalova in the Advance variation of the Caro-Kan – it’s always hard to tell from the outside, but it seemed to me that Dzagnidze was more at home in the double pawn tension c4-d4/c5-d5. Shuvalova’s queen couldn’t find a safe square to hide behind. On move twenty, Dzagnidze found a nice tactic to win a pawn with 20…Nxe5!, effectively exploiting the pin on the d-file. However, Shuvalova’s tactical skills came to the rescue: she gave up a second pawn to open up the position and force a three-fold repetition thanks to the strength of her bishop pair. IM Kiolbasa, Oliwia vs IM Assaubayeva, Bibisara (0.5-0.5) A typical open Sicilian with opposite side castled kings. In a complex middlegame, Kiolbasa, playing with White, was controlling the d-file and putting pressure on Assaubayeva’s backward d-pawn. Meanwhile, Assaubayeva was manoeuvring her knights on the kingside, angling for strong dark squares. The key moment of the game, which both players discussed extensively in the press centre, was after 27.Nf1. Assaubayeva’s first idea was to play 27…Ng2!, and transfer her knight to f4, with a small positional edge. However, she changed her mind and went 27…Nb6, allowing Kiolbasa to regroup with 28.Qg3! isolating the black knight on h4 forever and allowing her knight on f1 to develop with tempi. Sensing that the game was starting to drift in her opponent’s direction, Assaubayeva offered a tactical draw which was accepted without much thought by her opponent. GM Tan, Zhongyi vs GM Dronavalli, Harika (0.5-0.5) Tan Zhongyi went for the exchange variation in the Queen’s Gambit, a line she already used to defeat Kiolbasa in the second round. However, Harika, supported this afternoon by India’s High Commissioner in Cyprus, was well-prepared and equalised effortlessly. Although the draw was agreed after fifty-five moves, Harika was never in danger: more than half of the moves were played out in a completely equal single rook ending. IM Mammadzada, Gunay vs WGM Wagner, Dinara (1-0) Although the game started out as – another – Sicilian Rossolimo, the middlegame pawn structure turned out to be more common of the French defence or the Exchange variation of the Slav. With some well-timed exchanges, Mammadzada created a few imbalances in the pawn structure – probably not enough for a win but definitely to press for the advantage in the endgame. Eventually, she won a pawn, although Wagner steered into an opposite-coloured bishop endgame, known for its high draw tendency. It’s hard to say if it was a draw at some point, but in any case, Mammadzada gave a masterclass on approaching and playing these types of endings, taking home the full point and her well-deserved second win of the tournament. GM Khotenashvili, Bella vs GM Goryachkina, Aleksandra (1-0) In a Neo-Grunfeld defence, Khotenashvili, playing with White, went for an apparently dangerous poisoned pawn grab on the queenside. She took her time to make the decision: her queen had been in trouble in the last couple of games. But fortune always favours the brave. Goryachkina tried to generate counterplay for the pawn but Khotenashvili kept things under control and increased her advantage. Under pressure, and after spending twenty-five minutes, Goryachkina blundered heavily. It’s always hard to tell what a player missed, but they do say that blunders generally occur after spending too much time on the clock. Goryachkina should have played 22…Rc4 with a slightly inferior position but everything to play for. Instead, she opted for 22…Bxf3? 23.Bxf3 and (I assume) realized that the intended move 23…Nf6 would lose to 24.Nxd5! Nxd5 and 25.Rc8! with an overwhelming advantage for White. Therefore, she had to permit Bxh5, and her pawn structure became seriously weakened. Towards the end, 35.d5! (instead of 35.f3) would have been a very nice tactic to finish off
2023 GCT Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland: Day 3 Recap
Jan-Krzyszstof Duda won the rapid portion of the 2023 Superbet Rapid & Blitz after ending the third day with a score of 13/18, sole leading the event going into the blitz portion tomorrow. With 18 rounds of blitz to play, Levon Aronian is currently in second with 12/18 while Wesley So and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave are tied for third with 11/18 points. Meanwhile World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen ended the day in clear fifth, after scoring two wins a draw to regain his usual form. RAPID | ROUNDS 7-9 The day started with Vachier-Lagrave defeating So, one of yesterday’s co-leaders, after finding a nice breakthrough in the middlegame: 25.d6! Opened up the bishop on c4 and was followed with g4-g5, posing serious problems. Also taking place in Round 7 was Carlsen finally scoring his first win of the event, taking advantage of several mistakes in the endgame by Deac: After 23…c5, Carlsen managed to exchange his c-pawn and then win White’s a-pawn, converting the resulting endgame. The former champ showed signs of his usual self today. | Photo courtesy of Grand Chess Tour, Lennart Ootes A draw by Duda with Shevchenko allowed him to pull ahead of So, as did Aronian who converted a nice middlegame advantage against Wojtaszek. In the next round Duda pulled ahead with a win over MVL, which featured a nice queen sacrifice for a rook and minor piece: After 19.Bxd3, Duda had a rook, bishop, and two pawns for Black’s queen, which proved to be more than enough. Last year’s winner looks poised to repeat his title this year. | Photo courtesy of Grand Chess Tour, Lennart Ootes In the meantime Carlsen started to pick up steam, displaying more endgame magic against Shevchenko to win his second game with Black in a row: After 39…Bd4!, Carlsen was able to activate his king via the c5-square. In the ninth and final round of the rapid Duda drew with Aronian, solidifying their first and second place standing, while MVL was the sole winner, defeating Shevchenko in a Sicilian Dragon to sneak into third place. MVL started slow with one win and five draws, but went 2-1 today to keep himself within reach of first. | Photo courtesy of Grand Chess Tour, Lennart Ootes Carlsen’s third game of the day was a wild encounter against Rapport, who missed some chances as the players went into a messy time scramble which eventually ended in a perpetual check. One win, one loss, and seven draws in the rapid for Rapport. | Photo courtesy of Grand Chess Tour, Lennart Ootes The 2023 Superbet Rapid & Blitz continues Wednesday, May 24, with tournament action live starting at 7:05 AM CT with Grandmaster commentators Yasser Seirawan, Var Akobian, Cristian Chirila and International Master Nazi Paikidze on grandchesstour.org and on the Saint Louis Chess Club’s YouTube and Twitch.tv channels. Text: IM Kostya Kavutskiy Photos: Courtesy of Grand Chess Tour and Spectrum Studios Credits available on Flickr. Further Information: Web: GrandChessTour.org | Twitter: @GrandChessTour Instagram: @GrandChessTour | Facebook: @GrandChessTour #GrandChessTour #SuperbetRapidBlitzPoland Venue: Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw, Poland May 21 – May 25, 2023 Press Contact: press@grandchesstour.org Livestream: GrandChessTour.org
5th FIDE World Championships for People with Disabilities: Registration is open
FIDE and the Polish Chess Federation are happy to invite all FIDE member federations, organizations affiliated with FIDE (IBCA, ICCD, IPCA) and eligible players to participate in the 5th World Chess Championships for People with Disabilities 2023. The championships will be held in Lublin, Poland from August 18 of August (arrivals) to August 28 (departures), 2023. Photo: Pankrzysztoff Only players with communication (hearing) impairments, visual impairments and physical disabilities are eligible to take part in the event. Players shall be approved by his/her National Chess Federation or organization affiliated with the FIDE or by the FIDE DIS Commission. The deadline for the registration is July 1, 2023. Regulations and invitation letter (pdf) Registration form 5th World Chess Championships for People with Disabilities official website will be launched by May 31. E-mail: wccpd2023@fide.com
FIDE WGP Cyprus: Wagner holds the lead with three rounds to go
Several guests made an appearance at the Nicosia Hilton this afternoon to follow the eighth round live. The ceremonial first move was played by Olga Milko, Business Development Director of Freedom Finance Europe, the main event’s sponsor. After starting the game between Assaubayeva and Khotenashvili, she was kind enough to spare some time to talk to us about the projects with the Cyprus Chess Federation. “Chess is the most underestimated sport as I see it now. After this tournament, I want to take a lot of initiatives to develop the sport in Cyprus, and probably in the next few years, we will see some great women and men taking part in international competitions of FIDE,” Olga explained proudly, having supported Bibisara in her game. Other guests included Alexandra Attalides, Member of Parliament for the Green Party; Annita Demetriou, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Cyprus and Criton Tornaritis, President of the Cyprus Chess Federation. Short interviews with all the guests can be found on FIDE’s Youtube Channel. IM Assaubayeva, Bibisara vs GM Khotenashvili, Bella (1-0) In an attempt to steer the game out of theory and surprise her opponent, Khotenashvili chose a very secondary move in the main-line Grunfeld (9…Qc7) that backfired. Confident after yesterday’s win, Assaubayeva played for the standard kingside attack and quickly exerted a huge amount of pressure both on the board and on the clock. In this position, Assaubayeva played 23.Ba4, hitting the knight and preparing to trap the black queen with the rooks. Instead, 23.Rf4! followed by ideas such as Qh3, f6, Rh4 would have led to a deadly attack. Although slightly worried that Khotenashvili would come up with a defence, Assaubayeva pushed through and notched up her second win in a row. After the game, she was popped into the press centre and gave a quick interview. “I am happy to be on 50%, and now I just want to play chess and see what happens. To relax here, I sometimes go to the gym or go for a walk, or just watch some videos,” she explained. GM Kosteniuk, Alexandra vs IM Kiolbasa, Oliwia (0.5-0.5) After four consecutive losses, Poland’s number two player IM Oliwia Kiolbasa finally scored half a point this afternoon in her encounter against GM Alexandra Kosteniuk. Playing with Black, Kiolbasa surprised her opponent with an offbeat line in the Sicilian, the Lowenthal variation. The idea worked well: Kosteniuk hesitantly played – 9.a3 was already a step in the wrong direction – and soon landed in serious trouble. At some point, she was probably lost, but there was never a clear-cut way to finish off the game, and Kosteniuk’s resilience in worse positions is notoriously well-known. In serious time trouble, Kiolbasa decided prudently to accept a three-fold repetition, probably a smart decision, with ten moves to go to the time control and no clear way to continue. “This is a completely different tournament. At the Olympiad (she won a medal), I was playing third-board against weaker opponents and here everyone is playing for a win, pressing to the end. It’s definitely a learning experience for me,” Oliwia explained pragmatically when I asked her how she was dealing with the tough tournament situation. WGM Wagner, Dinara vs IM Shuvalova, Polina (0.5-0.5) Wagner used up another one of her seven lives today. Shuvalova came to the game, as usual, with excellent opening preparation and blitzed out her first eighteen moves at the speed of light. Under such pressure, Wagner blundered a pawn and was already on the defensive; in addition, she was running out of time. However, in a complex position with an extra pawn, Shuvalova missed some chances to convert to a decisive advantage, and Wagner managed to bail out into an opposite-coloured bishop ending: even a pawn down, the draw was unavoidable. GM Dzagnidze, Nana vs GM Lagno, Kateryna vs (0.5-0.5) In an attempt to avoid any type of home preparation, Dzagnidze chose an offbeat variation in the Queen’s Gambit Exchanged, in the hope of creating an unfamiliar situation for Lagno. A tactical melee was the result, out of which Dzagnidze emerged with an extra pawn, albeit with very few winning chances due to the drawing nature of rook endings with four pawns against three on the same side. Lagno defended with precision and a draw was agreed on move sixty-eight. GM Goryachkina, Aleksandra vs GM Tan, Zhongyi (0.5-0.5) A classical match-up in women’s chess. Goryachkina and Tan Zhongyi have faced each other none less than ten times since their first encounter in 2015, with mixed results. Goryachkina eliminated Tan Zhongyi in the 2019 Women’s Candidates, but more recently, Tan Zhongyi unexpectedly eliminated Goryachkina in the 2022 Women’s Candidates. Today’s game was a theoretical Catalan Opening, which both players executed swiftly, directly side-stepping the middlegame. Following a 2018 game between Chinese GM’s Ni Hua and Lu Shanglei, which ended in a draw, they battled it out in a: knight-against-bishop endgame which was slightly better for Goryachkina. Aleksandra tried her best for sixty-two moves, hoping to secure an edge in the case of a mistake by her opponent, but, ultimately, had to settle for a three-fold repetition. GM Dronavalli, Harika vs IM Mammadzada, Gunay (0.5-0.5) As Harika explained herself in the post-game video: “It’s fair to say that I was lucky in this game, I didn’t play well at all.” Already on the opening, she spent more than fifteen minutes to play 14.c5, an incorrect plan in the position. The advantage was on Mammadzada’s side: she gradually increased the pressure, and it looked as if she was going to score her second win of the event. However, Harika spotted a very nice trick 51.f4!? in the opposite-coloured bishop ending that landed her a draw, although technically speaking, she was still losing. Don’t miss Harika’s analysis in the last interview of the afternoon, which was recorded on the board immediately after the game, and includes a brief explanation of how to handle these endings. Text: IM Michael Rahal (Nicosia, Cyprus) Photos: Mark Livshitz About Freedom Finance Europe Freedom Finance
FIDE WGP Cyprus R07: Missed opportunities
The seventh round of the Cyprus Women’s Grand Prix ended with a huge surprise: WGM Dinara Wagner, the lowest-rated player in the field, leads the event with four rounds to go and is on track for her second IM norm and, who knows, even a GM norm. In addition to the surprise leader, the key element of the day was several missed opportunities. Both Tan Zhongyi and Gunay Mammadzada won their opponent’s queen for a rook and a minor piece but were unable to convert. The ceremonial first move was played by Christiana Erotokritou, Member of the Cyprus Parliament for the Democratic Party and Chair of the Budget and Finance Committee. After the round had begun, Christiana was kind enough to talk to us: “My heart feels support for women who want to push themselves, to push their brains and their minds, to take their efforts to the next level. And whatever inspires your mind to move quicker, faster, better, more cleverly — I think that is something women should be inspired by. And that’s why I’m here.” Christiana is passionate about the game, and her choice of move – 1.e4 – was based on his suggestion. IM Shuvalova, Polina vs GM Dronavalli, Harika (0,5-0,5) The first game to finish ended in a draw by perpetual check. Shuvalova went for a well-known line in the Rubinstein variation of the Four Knights Opening, which leads to a forced draw with perfect play. The key move, which Black must know beforehand, is 14…Qh4! Any other move allows White to consolidate the position and convert the extra material. I found several Grandmaster games with the same continuation, among them Vasilevich vs Lagno. Once again, Shuvalova finished the game with more time on her clock than at the beginning. GM Kosteniuk, Alexandra vs IM Assaubayeva, Bibisara (0-1) Bibisara Assaubayeva scored her first win of the tournament against Alexandra Kosteniuk. They had faced each other many times, but only twice in classical chess, with one victory each. Their most recent game finished in a win for Assaubayeva with Black, in the Astana leg of the WGP. Funnily enough, most of their games have been Sicilian Defence in which Kosteniuk had the white pieces. “I don’t know why, but I always play with Alexandra Kosteniuk with Black but the results in our games are different. Today I was more prepared in the opening, and that’s it,” Bibisara explained to Press Officer Michael Rahal after the game. In today’s game, Assaubayeva went for 2…Nc6 and Kosteniuk once again played the Rossolimo Attack, one of her main weapons in Cyprus. It’s hard to say if Kosteniuk mixed up her move order or just wanted to get out of the book as soon as possible – in any case, after eight minutes of thought, she opted for 8.Na3 instead of the most theoretical 8.Bf4. However, there is an important difference: the bishop can’t get to d6, and therefore, there is less compensation for the sacrificed pawn. Assaubayeva played very well, nullifying her opponent’s initiative and consolidating her extra pawn, plus the two bishops. On move twenty, the engine was already suggesting +4 advantages for Black, and Assaubayeva wrapped up the game with ease. After the game, she was kind enough to spend some time with us discussing the encounter and her tournament up to now. IM Mammadzada, Gunay vs GM Goryachkina, Aleksandra (0,5-0,5) Mammadzada and Goryachkina are from the same generation. They played several times in the Under-10 and Under-12 European and World Girls Championships and subsequently in quite a few events, with Goryachkina generally taking the upper hand. But today Mammadzada was in top form. In an equal position that emerged in a theoretical line of Slav defence, Goryachkina overextended with 20…e5, allowing Mammadzada’s knights to create havoc. However, the real damage was done after the blunder 28…Qc7 Any other queen move would have allowed Goryachkina to hold a worse, but not lost position, but the c7 square was unfortunate – Mammadzada’s 29.Qc5! highlighted the threats to the a7 and b4 pawns but, more importantly, Ne7+ winning the queen, a combination that was unavoidable and occurred in the game. However, Goryachkina is a tough nut to crack. She defended with rook and knight tenaciously, and although Mammadzada played well enough to create the imbalance needed to convert, she was unable to seal the deal. IM Kiolbasa, Oliwia vs GM Dzagnidze, Nana (0-1) Nana Dzagnidze won her second game in Cyprus this afternoon by defeating Oliwia Kiolbasa in a fine game. As expected, Dzagnidze went for the Taimanov Sicilian, and Kiolbasa prepared an interesting side-line, with 7.a3 followed by the aggressive push 10.h4 and 11.h5. After the game, Dzagnidze mentioned that Kiolbasa had already played this line and that she came well prepared. Nonetheless, Dzagnidze is a very experienced grandmaster with a huge baggage of classical games behind her. After some thought, she came up with a very principled way to continue, winning a pawn for dubious compensation. Kiolbasa was still able to complicate matters and fight back in an open position with opposite-coloured bishops, but Dzagnidze kept her cool and notched up a point. When asked about how she forgets a bad game and prepares for the next one, Dzagnidze was very professional: “When you play such a tournament, you are obliged to forget about the previous game and concentrate on what you have now. And if you are a professional chess player, you need to do your best in every single game”. For Kiolbasa, there just doesn’t seem to be any light at the end of the tunnel. After her fourth loss in a row, and six out of the seven games, it will require a mighty effort for her to stand up to the pressure and carry on for the last four games. GM Lagno, Kateryna vs WGM Wagner, Dinara (0-1) This clash promised to be interesting. In their only previous game together, Lagno defeated Wagner in Astana at the first leg of the WGP series. In this afternoon’s game, Lagno
2023 GCT Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland: Day 2 Recap
Wesley So and Jan-Krzysztof Duda continued to lead the 2023 Superbet Rapid & Blitz after a hard-fought day resulted in 12 out of a total 15 games drawn. With three games left to play in the rapid portion, So and Duda are in first with 9.0/12 points, while Levon Aronian is in clear third with 8.0/12. Meanwhile a rusty Carlsen fared slightly better in today’s action, drawing all three of his games but without ever being worse. RAPID | ROUNDS 4-6 Surprisingly, all five games in the first round of the day were drawn, with Carlsen pushing MVL all the way in a two knights vs. pawn endgame but never managing to win. Perhaps the wildest game of the day was the encounter between Rapport and Duda, which featured some wild complications arising out of a Vienna Game that ultimately ended in a perpetual check: After 13…Qf1! both kings were in danger, with Rapport soon needing to give a perpetual. Carlsen looked in better form today, but has yet to win a game. | Photo courtesy of Grand Chess Tour, Lennart Ootes The fifth round was the only one with decisive results, as first Duda took advantage of a late-middlegame blunder by Wojtaszek which allowed him to transition into a winning queen ending: Wojtaszek’s 38…gxh4?? lost the game on the spot after 39.Qf4+!+-, with an easily winning bishop vs. knight endgame. Duda continued his excellent form during Day 2 | Photo courtesy of Grand Chess Tour, Lennart Ootes So kept pace, defeating Shevchenko after spotting a nice tactical resource to win a piece: The clever 47.Re1! ended the game on the spot after 47…Bc5 48.Re8+ Kh7 48.Ne4+-, winning a piece Picking up his first win was Deac, who exploited a serious blunder by Giri to win a pawn in the endgame, after which he duly converted. Deac has struggled so far but finally managed to score his first win. | Photo courtesy of Grand Chess Tour, Lennart Ootes Meanwhile Carlsen faced a c3-Sicilian from Aronian and executed an interesting positional exchange sacrifice, leaving him with two pawns and an unopposed bishop for the rook. But as the pieces got traded off neither side could make much progress and a repetition was eventually found. Two wins and four draws for Aronian, who remains just a point behind the leaders. | Photo courtesy of Grand Chess Tour, Bryan Adams The final round of the day again saw all draws, as in the battle of the leaders So missed a big chance against Duda which would have given him a clear lead, instead allowing a perpetual: Here Duda found 43…Ne3+!, forcing a draw by perpetual check. Still win-less, Carlsen started with 1.b3 against Giri and in the middlegame went for another positional exchange sacrifice. But he missed his only chance to get a clear advantage (34.d5), allowing Giri to eventually hold on with precise defense. The 2023 Superbet Rapid & Blitz continues Tuesday, May 23, with tournament action live starting at 7:05 AM CT with Grandmaster commentators Yasser Seirawan, Var Akobian, Cristian Chirila and International Master Nazi Paikidze on grandchesstour.org and on the Saint Louis Chess Club’s YouTube and Twitch.tv channels. Text: IM Kostya Kavutskiy Photos: Courtesy of Grand Chess Tour and Spectrum Studios Credits available on Flickr. Further Information:Web: GrandChessTour.org | Twitter: @GrandChessTourInstagram: @GrandChessTour | Facebook: @GrandChessTour#GrandChessTour#SuperbetRapidBlitzPoland Venue: Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw, PolandMay 21 – May 25, 2023 Press Contact:press@grandchesstour.org Livestream:GrandChessTour.org
Unprecedented Showdown: Ding Liren, Magnus Carlsen, Viswanathan Anand and Hou Yifan join GCL
The inaugural edition of Tech Mahindra Global Chess League will make history, featuring numerous chess icons that include a total of thirteen players who have been World Champions in different categories from 14 different countries. India/US/UK – 23rd May, 2023: Global Chess League (GCL), a joint venture between Tech Mahindra and FIDE, today announced the complete list of players for the upcoming inaugural edition. The first season of the Global Chess League will be held at the Dubai Chess & Culture Club from June 21st – July 2nd, 2023, in association with the Dubai Sports Council. It will feature reigning World Chess Champion Ding Liren, world’s top ranked chess player and five-time World Champion Magnus Carlsen, five-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand, and four-time Women’s World champion Hou Yifan, among others. Grandmaster Liren said, “Global Chess League appeared to be a fantastic opportunity from the moment I heard about it, and I was eager to participate. Not only is it an interesting format, but also, as an ICON player, I get to contribute to an exciting concept that will change the face of the chess world for years to come. Further, knowing that GCL will see participation from players worldwide, it will be a strong field, and I look forward to meeting all the players.” Carlsen is the world’s top-ranked chess player. A five-time World Chess Champion, and the reigning four-time World Rapid Chess Champion, Carlsen’s peak FIDE rating has been the highest in chess history. Speaking about his association with the league, the world’s top-ranked chess player Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen, said, “The Global Chess League will be a great new event in over-the-board chess that has never been done before. I am excited to be a part of this unique mixed-team format. Chess is played by many people worldwide, but it needs to catch up to other major sports as a spectator sport, and I am optimistic that GCL will contribute significantly to this. I look forward to meeting the team, competing against India’s exciting new generation of players, and enjoying the league’s team spirit.” All teams will compete in a one-of-a-kind joint team format at GCL, with each team consisting of six players a minimum of two women chess players per team. To add to the thrilling level of competition, five more World Champions will be competing in the Global Chess League, including reigning World Chess Champion Ding Liren, 2021 World Rapid Chess Champion Nodirbek Abdusattorov, 2021 World Blitz Chess Champion Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, 2013 World Rapid Chess Champion Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, 2008 Blitz Chess World Champion Leinier Domínguez, three-time Blitz Chess World Champion Alexander Grischuk, and 2018 World Rapid Chess Champion Daniil Dubov. Global Chess League will also feature top female superstars, including Grandmaster Hou Yifan, a four-time Women’s World Chess Champion and the second highest-rated female player of all time. She was a chess prodigy who was the youngest female player ever to qualify for the title of grandmaster at the age of 14. Hou Yifan is accompanied by Grandmaster Koneru Humpy, Grandmaster Harika Dronavalli, Grandmaster Kateryna Lagno, Grandmaster Alexandra Kosteniuk, Grandmaster Tan Zhongyi, Grandmaster Nana Dzagnidze, Grandmaster Bella Khotenashvili, Grandmaster Nino Batsiashvili, Grandmaster Irina Krush, International Master Polina Shuvalova, and 2018 European Women’s Champion in rapid chess, Elisabeth Paehtz. Chess Grandmaster Hou Yifan, four-time women’s world chess champion, said, “Global Chess League has already sparked widespread interest, and it is amazing to witness such fervour for the game of chess. I am grateful to Tech Mahindra and FIDE for inviting me to participate in the league’s inaugural season, and I cannot wait for the season to begin. GCL, with its unique joint format of men and women players on the same team, is certain to take the game in new directions and open doors that have never been explored before. Chess fans all over the world are in for a treat.” In addition to the renowned champions, the league will provide a stage for emerging talent from diverse nations, offering them an opportunity to compete against the very best in the world. Six U21 players will also compete in the GCL, with the trio of Grandmasters, Praggnanandhaa R., Raunak Sadhwani, and Nihal Sarin, leading the pack of prodigies. Grandmaster Jonas Buhl Bjerre, Grandmaster Javokhir Sindarov, chess prodigy and Grandmaster Andrey Esipenko complete the list of players in the category. The FIDE President, Arkady Dvorkovich, said, “The Tech Mahindra Global Chess League will feature chess icons, legends, and world champions from around the world, and we are excited to see the biggest names in chess compete for the top prize. This league promises a never-before-seen level of thrilling chess action, and the anticipation is palpable. We are confident the league will usher in a new era in the modern chess ecosystem.” In addition to the players mentioned above, the Global Chess League will feature several other superstars of chess, including chess Grandmasters Vidit Gujrathi, Gukesh D, Arjun Erigaisi, Teimour Radjabov, Yi Wei, Yu Yangyi, Richard Rapport, Kirill Shevchenko, Jan-Krzysztof Duda and Salem Salah. Jagdish Mitra, Chairperson, Global Chess League Board, said, “We are honoured to have some of the biggest names in chess for the inaugural edition. Apart from being great players, all of them have been ambassadors for the game in their respective countries and worldwide. With them on board, GCL only adds another feather to its cap in becoming a true game changer for the chess ecosystem by introducing a mixed-team format in chess in which men, women, and u-21 players will play on the same team. This is a true testament to our belief in providing equal opportunities to all, regardless of gender. We are certain that the league will drive and inspire a new generation of players to be interested in the growing chess community.” The league will also set the standards for technological innovations in the sport of chess as Tech Mahindra and FIDE will explore innovative ways to promote the game through interactive technology-enabled platforms by leveraging next-generation technologies such as 5G, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality, among others. About Tech Mahindra Global Chess League: The Global Chess League is the world’s first and largest official franchise league of its kind, with chess players from all over the world competing in a unique joint team format. It is a joint
FIDE on the situation in Arab Chess Federation
FIDE has been informed about the current situation in the Arab Chess Federation and the decision of the Arab Sports Union to appoint an interim committee to lead the ACF. In order to give a proper legal assessment of this decision, FIDE has sent official requests to the interested parties asking to provide updated Charters of both organizations, as well as other relevant information. FIDE will make efforts to resolve any issues through dialogue and in compliance with democratic procedures.
Chess for Freedom Conference brings together experts from all around the world
The first Chess for Freedom Conference, the three-day event, organized by FIDE and the Cook County Sheriff’s Office (Chicago, USA), was held in Chicago, USA from the 17th to 20th of May, 2023. More than 40 participants, including FIDE officials, representatives of national chess federations and prison staff involved in programmes that introduce chess to inmates, dicussed concepts of using chess as a rehabilitation tool for incarcerated people. Experts from all over the world shared information about their national initiatives and approaches to teaching chess in prisons. On the first day of the conference, the FIDE delegation visited the Cook County Jail, where chess programme was introduced to inmates more than 10 years ago. On the second day, they participated in the plenary sessions, featuring many experts from the worldwide chess community presenting their national initiatives and approaches to teaching chess in prisons. Participants were greeted by the FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich: “We are here to summarize, analyze and share our best practices accumulated since the start of the project. We will put together our methodologies in teaching chess to prisoners as well as holding chess competitions inside correctional facilities and among them. I hope that we will engage more countries and be able to promote this programme around the world.” In her introductory speech, Deputy Chair of the FIDE Management Board Dana Reizniece-Ozolatold about the development of the programme since its launch with the invitational online chess demonstration tournament for prisoners in May 2021. “Our future plans include the development of the training methodology, awareness raising activities and post-incarceration educational programmes. We believe in the possibility of joining our efforts in the implementation of this important social project and expect that the greatest results are yet to come,” she added. To demonstrate and explore how chess can be used to help rehabilitate incarcerated people, speakers of the conference shared experience of their countries and correctional facilities in introducing chess to inmates. According to IM Batchimeg Tuvshintugs, who works at the national Court Decision Making Agency, Mongolia was one of the first countries where chess was intruduced to prisons as a tool of rehabilitation. In 1958, the first Penitentiary and Prisoner Chess Championships were held, and the inmates were instructed to prepare well for future competitions. According to the archives, chess tournaments were regularly held among the prisoners on the occasion of holidays, and chess masters were invited to simultaneous exhibitions and trainings. These days, a variety of training and educational activities are organized for inmates, focusing on improving their skills and education, developing their talents, and spending their free time properly, based on their interests. As of January 2023, a total of about 350 prisoners are practicing chess in 15 prisons. In the future, in order to successfully implement and expand the “Chess in Prison” project, it is planned to connect the practice of chess with the reward system of the prisoners. Delegation from India presented “Parivartan – Prison to Pride” an initiative to engage and rehabilitate prison inmates across the country through sports coaching programmes. Launched in August 2021 by IndianOil, training programmes in chess, basketball, volleyball, badmintonand carrom are now covering over 2950 inmatesfrom 51 Prisons in 21 states of India. The chess coaches involved in the project include Grandmasters Abhijit Kunte and Surya Sekhar Ganguly, Woman Grandmasters Eesha Karavade, Soumya Swaminathan, Padmini Rout, and others. “We take pride of saying that chess was invented in India. In earlier days chess was played by kings and military commanders in order to develop strategy to defeat enemies. A new version of chess was procreated by FIDE and the Cook County Department of Corrections. This version is for liberating incarcerated people. Look forward to see that Chess for Freedom project reaches all prisons on the planet,” – said Mukeshranjan Das, Executive Director (HR) of Indian Oil. Among other topics of the conference were experiences of chess coaches who are teaching the game to inmates. Jop Delemarre, a Dutch chess trainer with more than 20 years of chess training experience, made a presentation “A prison becomes a home when you have the key”, where he gave some hints how to introduce chess to prisoners and motivate them to learn. “They don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care about them. One of the things you need to realize that in the beginning it is not about explaining chess – how the pieces move or the tactics work. You first need to give them the idea that you care for them, that you are giving them the opportunity to learn again and to activate their learning mindset.” Hector Guifarro was one of those speakers, who proved by personal example that the game has a positive impact on the lives of people who have ended up in jail after making a wrong choice. A former convict picked up chess while serving his sentence, and, after being released from prison, he took the path of helping others and teaching more and more people to play chess. One of his recent undertakings is an idea to combine boxing and chess lessons via “Chess for Fighters” classes. A program that introduces chess to youth in his community helps these children in the ring and in life. “Our goal is to make a difference in the community by keeping kids off the streets and teaching them the fundamentals of boxing and chess. But we won’t stop there. We want to build future chess champions and open the door for our youth to compete at chess tournaments at both state and national levels!” he said. To learn more about national initiatives and approaches to teaching chess in prisons, watch broadcast of the conference on FIDE Youtube or download presentations of the speakers: André Vögtlin – What can social chess do in society Anna DeLuna Fergusson – Using Technology to Expand Access to Chess in Corrections Arie van den Hurk – Chess in Dutch Prisons a promising new experience Batchimeg Tuvshintugs – History of chess in prisons in Mongolia Carl Portman – From Genesis to Revelation Dana Reizniece-Ozola – Chess for Freedom Grigg, Oldfield,
2023 GCT Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland: Day 1 Recap
The second leg of the 2023 Grand Chess Tour kicked off yesterday in Warsaw, Poland, with World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, Levon Aronian, and several other wildcards joining the GCT field for five days of non-stop rapid and blitz action. After the first day, Wesley So, Levon Aronian, and local favorite Jan-Krzysztof Duda lead with a score of 5.0/6, while Carlsen is in 7th place after scoring one loss and two draws The opening ceremony began with a drawing of lots and featured a simul where each of the tournament participants played in tandem on 25 boards, alternating moves. Local sport stars, chess influences, and local chess players got a chance to face the GCT field. In the end, the grandmasters won 19 games, with three draws and three losses. Photo Courtesy of Grand Chess Tour, Lennart Ootes RAPID | ROUNDS 1-3 The first round started off with multiple decisive games, including a huge upset as Wojtaszek defeated a gambling Carlsen, who chose the extremely risky (but festive) Polish Opening (1.d4 b5) and fell under heavy pressure from the outset. After 10.d5! Wojtaszek’s idea was to meet 10…exd5 with 11.e5!, sacrificing a pawn for a long-term initiative. The former Polish No.1 took down the Polish Defense…in Poland! | Photo courtesy of Grand Chess Tour, Lennart Ootes Other important results saw So defeating Deac, Rapport defeating Shevchenko, and Duda grinding out a win against Giri in a technical endgame: Here Duda played 52.Kd6!, transitioning to a winning rook ending. In Round 2 the players settled down a bit, as the games Carlsen-So, Giri-MVL, and Rapport-Wojtaszek all ended peacefully. In the meantime Aronian took advantage of a late endgame blunder by Shevchenko to pick up the full point, while Duda took the sole lead with 2/2 after defeating Deac in a long positional squeeze. After 41…b5!, Duda started to take over as Black. Local favorite Duda is one of three players tied for first. | Photo courtesy of Grand Chess Tour, Lennart Ootes The final round saw more action with Aronian winning his second game of the day as he defeated Giri in a rook endgame, while Vachier-Lagrave scored a brilliant attacking effort against Deac. But the most exciting game was won by So, who managed to exploit a late endgame blunder by Rapport in order to win while a full rook down: Rather than repeating moves for a draw, So found 55.Qf8!!, winning the game due to the dual threats of Qxh6+ (which leads to mate) and d8=Q. A great first day for So, who scored two wins and a draw. | Photo courtesy of Grand Chess Tour, Lennart Ootes In the meantime Carlsen drew his third round game against Duda, as he played the Caro-Kann and comfortably held a slightly worse endgame. I haven’t really played or studied chess much recently, and it was showing!” – Carlsen | Photo courtesy of Grand Chess Tour, Lennart Ootes The 2023 Superbet Rapid & Blitz continues Monday, May 22, with tournament action live starting at 7:05 AM CT with Grandmaster commentators Yasser Seirawan, Var Akobian, Cristian Chirila and International Master Nazi Paikidze on grandchesstour.org and on the Saint Louis Chess Club’s YouTube and Twitch.tv channels. Text: IM Kostya Kavutskiy Photos: Courtesy of Grand Chess Tour and Spectrum Studios Credits available on Flickr. Further Information:Web: GrandChessTour.org | Twitter: @GrandChessTourInstagram: @GrandChessTour | Facebook: @GrandChessTour#GrandChessTour#SuperbetRapidBlitzPoland Venue: Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw, PolandMay 21 – May 25, 2023 Press Contact:press@grandchesstour.org Livestream:GrandChessTour.org