Levon Aronian and Alice Lee win American Cup 2024
UPDATE March 22, 2024 After winning the final championship match against Irina Krush yesterday, Alice Lee forced the Grand Final match, which consisted of four rapid games and a blitz tiebreaker if necessary. The winner took the first prize and the title. Irina won the first game but Alice bounced back in the second one leveling the score. Krush won the third rapid game in a fine positional style and needed just a draw with white in the fourth rapid encounter to win the title. However, she blundered a pawn early in the opening and Alice won on demand to equalize again forcing a blitz (3+2) tiebreaker. The youngster gradually outmanoeuvred Irina with the black pieces in the first blitz game and took the lead for the first time in this match. Going into the second blitz game, Krush was in a must-win situation, and she chose the King-Indian Defence. Irina reached a winning position in a very complicated battle but slipped up in a critical moment and resigned. 14-year-old Alice won the blitz tiebreaker by 2-0 and became the 2024 American Cup Champion, claiming the first major title in her career. Levon Aronian emerged victorious at the 2024 edition of the American Cup after beating Wesley So in the final. After three draws in two classical and one rapid game in the open section, it all came down to the last rapid game in which Wesley So had white. Levon grabbed the initiative in a sharp line of the Nimzo-Indian, but Wesley defended well and reached equality only to make an inexplicable blunder on the move 34. After the natural 34. Kf2 White could have held things together. Wesley, however, played 34. Qc5+?? but after 34…Rd6! 35. Rh5 Qxd2 36. Rxh3 b6 Levon won the game and clinched the title. Coming into the final day of the competition with a one-point lead, Alice Lee needed to win one of the games as the player from the Elimination bracket. Irina Krush engineered a dangerous activity with her knights on the black side of Benoni but missed a hidden opportunity to increase pressure and allowed White to maintain balance. Moreover, a few moves down the road, Alice regrouped her pieces and infiltrated with her queen to Black’s queenside. Irina sacrificed her queen, hoping for a fortress, but Alice destroyed it with precise moves to win the game. With this win, Alice Lee earned herself a final elimination playoff match against Irina, which will be played on Day 10. Photos: Courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Crystal Fuller and Lennart Ootes Official website: uschesschamps.com/2024-american-cup/overview
FIDE WCCC 2024 starts with two qualifiers
The second 2024 World Corporate Chess Championship kicked off last week with two online qualifiers on lichess.org. The first blitz qualifier (5+2) featured four teams playing three double rounds. Impact Capital, led by GM Andrey Esipenko, emerged victorious with an impressive 17.5/24 points, finishing a clear 2.5 points ahead of Microsoft Team A. ABB Bank secured third place with 14.5 points. Qualifier 1 final standings The second qualifier, a rapid (10+2) tournament, brought together four teams, playing three rounds. Golomt Bank of Mongolia won all three matches and came out on top, scoring 9/12. PROBIT Sp. z o.o. lost to the winners but won two other matches to finish one point behind. Nanjing Spark Chess Technology Co.Ltd. netted 7/12 and took third place. Qualifier 2 final standings All eight teams advanced to the Online Knockout stage. The next two qualifiers will take place this weekend on March 23 (blitz) and March 24 (rapid) Full qualifiers schedule Registration is still open on the 2024 World Corporate Chess Championship official website.
African Championship 2024: Bassem Amin and Jesse February win titles
Bassem Amin (Egypt) and Jesse Nikki February (South Africa) are the new African Chess Champions. The top-seeded Egyptian GM, who clinched the title yesterday, continued his domination in the final round, defeating IM Andrew Kayonde (Zambia) with the black pieces. The champion scored an impressive 8.5/9, conceding his opponents just a half-point. The second seed, GM Bilel Bellahcene (pictured below, left), beat IM Mariano Ortega Amarelle of Cape Verde and finished second with 7/9. IM Chitumbo Mwali (Zambia; pictured above, right) pulled off a crucial victory over IM Fy Antenaina Rakotomaharo (Madagascar) and took bronze, netting 6.5/9. The sixth seed Zambian had a great tournament and picked up 39 rating points. Final standings Open: 1 GM Bassem Amin EGY 2670 8½ 2 GM Bilel Bellahcene ALG 2522 7 3 IM Chitumbo Mwali ZAM 2340 6½ 4 IM David Silva ANG 2358 6 5 FM Banele Mhango RSA 2193 6 6 Nicolas Cogan CIV 2070 6 7 IM Andrew Kayonde ZAM 2321 6 8 IM Odion Aikhoje NGR 2215 6 9 IM Fy Antenaina Rakotomaharo MAD 2454 5½ 10 FM Abdulrahman Abdulraheem NGR 2229 5½ Complete final standings In the women’s section, WIM Jesse Nikki February (RSA) needed just a draw against Lidet Abate Haile of Ephiopia to win the title, but it was not an easy task. The South African had a lost position at some point but eventually escaped with a draw and took gold with an impressive score of 7.5/9. The top and second seeds, WGM Shahenda Wafa (pictured above, left) of Egypt and WIM Lina Nassr from Algeria (both defeated by the champion with the black pieces), tied for second place on 6.5/9, with the latter winning silver thanks to a better opponents’ average rating. Final standings Women: 1 WIM Jesse Nikki February RSA 1920 7½ 2 WIM Lina Nassr ALG 2080 6½ 3 WGM Shahenda Wafa EGY 2083 6½ 4 Deborah Quickpen NGR 1945 6 5 Peninah Nakabo UGA 1836 5½ 6 Jemima Paulo ANG 1946 5½ 7 WIM Vania Fausto Da T. Vilhete MOZ 1829 5½ 8 Lidet Abate Haile ETH 1786 5½ 9 WFM Constance Mbatha ZAM 1799 5½ 10 WFM Ednasia Junior ANG 1915 5 Complete final standings Photos: Niki Riga and Ogunsiku Babatunde UPDATE March 20, 2024 Bassem Amin emerged as the winner of the African Championship 2024, clinching the title in the open section with a round to spare. GM from Egypt beat IM David Silva of Angola in the penultimate round to score 7.5/8 and became out-of-reach for all his competitors. GM Bilel Bellahcene (Algeria) and IM Andrew Kayonde (Zambia) are going into the final round, sharing second place on 6/8. Standings after Round 8 Open In the women’s section, the leader Jesse Nikki February (RSA) bounced back after yesterday’s loss, defeating Toritsemuwa Ofowino of Nigeria. IM from South Africa has an excellent chance for the African crown heading to the final round on 7/8, a full point ahead of Lina Nassr of Algeria (who scored a crucial victory over Peninah Nakabo of Uganda in Round 8). Deborah Ebimobo-Ere Quickpen (Nigeria) and Sharenda Wafa (Egypt) are tied for third place on 5.5/8. Standings after Round 8 Women UPDATE March 19, 2024 After seven rounds at the 2024 African Championship, Bassem Amin and Jesse Nikki February remained on top, with a one-point lead over their closest competitors. In Round 7 Amin defeated Jemusse Zhemba of Zambia to consolidate his leading position in the standings with 6.5/7. Bilel Bellahcene (Algeria) and David Silva (Angola) are tied for second place, trailing the leader by a full point. Jesse Nikki February suffered her first defeat in the competition at the hands of Deborah Ebimobo-Ere Quickpen of Nigeria. Still, she comfortably leads with 6/7, one point ahead of four players sharing second place. Standings after Round 7 Open Standings after Round 7 Women UPDATE March 18, 2024 After six rounds of exciting battles at the African Individual Championships 2024, Bassem Amin (Egypt) and Jesse Nikki February (South Africa) have emerged as the sole leaders in the open and women’s sections, respectively. The top seed GM Bassem Amin scored a crucial victory over one of his main rivals, GM Bilel Bellahcene of Algeria in Round 6, and grabbed the lead with 5/6. IM Chitumbo Mwali from Zambia had a chance to catch up with the Egyptian, but after drawing his game with David Silva (Angola), he trails the leader by a half-point (4.5/6). A group of four players is a full point behind Amin. Standings after Round 6 Open Jesse Nikki February (pictured above) has dominated the women’s section so far. The South African WIM notched up six straight wins, including victories over her main rivals, the top and second seeds WGM Shahenda Nafa (Egypt) and WIM Lina Nassr (Algeria), who are in second (5/6) and third (4/6) positions, respectively. Standings after Round 6 Women The African Individual Championships 2024 kicked off on March 13 in Accra, Ghana, the city that recently hosted the chess competition of the 13th African Games. Both open and women’s championships, 9-round Swiss events with classical time control, will stretch from March 13-20, 2024. Top African players, including Grandmasters Bassem Amin (EGY) and Bilel Bellahcene (ALG), International Masters Mariano Ortega Amarelle (CPV), Fy Antenaina Rakotomaharo (MAD), David Silva (ANG), Chitumbo Mwali (ZAM), Women’s Grandmaster Shahenda Wafa (EGY), and Women’s International Masters Lina Nassr (ALG) and Jesse Nikki February (RSA), have converged for this prestigious event. FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich participated in the opening ceremony and made the first ceremonial move in the women’s competition. In his short speech he thanked the organizers, greeted all the participants and touched on social aspect of chess competitions in Africa. “I hope everyone will show their best in this event. I also wish luck to all of you… Chess in African Games was more than just a sports event. We connected local chess communities with national governments and commissions so they can help you in your countries.” FIDE President also announced that in just a few
American Cup 2024: Aronian and Krush win Champions brackets
Levon Aronian and Irina Krush emerged as the winners from the Champion brackets after defeating Ray Robson and Alice Lee in their respective matches. Aronian needed just a draw on the second day after winning both games on the first day, and he comfortably sealed the deal, earning a bonus prize of $15,000. Leading by one point going into the second day, Irina Krush won the classical game with the black pieces and immediately decided the match in her favor (2.5-0.5) and gained a bonus prize of $9,000. Meanwhile, Wesley So knocked out Fabiano Caruana after winning the blitz tiebreaker in the Elimination bracket. Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova eliminated Jennifer Yu after prevailing in both games on the second day of their match. It set up the Elimination brackets with Ray Robson playing a rematch with Wesley So and Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova taking on Alice Lee. The winners will face Levon Aronian and Irina Krush, respectively. Photo: Courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes Official website: uschesschamps.com/2024-american-cup/overview
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World Junior U20 Championship 2024: Registration is open
FIDE and the Gujarat State Chess Association, on behalf of the All India Chess Federation, with the support of the Government of Indian Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, invite all FIDE Member Federations and eligible players to participate in the FIDE World Junior Chess Championship Under 20 in Gandhinagar, state Gujarat. The competition will take place from June 1-14th, 2024. Each National Federation can field one player born on or after January 1, 2004 in each of two categories – Open and Girls, with a maximum of two invited players and send as many additional players as they wish. Players with personal rights, according to FIDE rules, will also be accepted as invited players: Top 3 players of the previous edition of FIDE World Junior Championships. The Continental Junior Champions of the year preceding this edition. If a Continent did not organize a Continental Junior Championship, then the Continental Under 18 Champions of the year preceding this edition. The first three players in the starting list of both the Open and Girls tournaments, using the current rating list when the tournament starts. World Youth U18 and U16 champions of the year preceding this edition. The registration deadline for the players with personal rights, additional players and accompanying persons is May 1, 2024. FIDE World Junior Chess Championships 2024 official website is coming up soon: worldjunior2024.fide.com Email: worldjunior@fide.com Invitation letter and Regulations (pdf)
15th “Preparation of Teachers” course: Last call for registration
Dear Chess Friends, Get ready for another extraordinary chess experience. Mark your calendars: March 22-24, 2024, for our 15th edition of the “Preparation of Teachers” course – your gateway to becoming a certified FIDE School Instructor. Bonus: Successful candidates get lifelong access to OPENING MASTER PREMIUM chess databases. Conducted in English, this 3-day online course is designed to engage you in a practical experience aimed at introducing the game of chess and integrating it with academic and 21st-century skills such as critical thinking, creativity, communication, and collaboration. Read the detailed course description here. Led by distinguished commission members Anzel Laubscher and Boris Bruhn, this course caters to teachers, chess educators, beginner and advanced players with basic chess knowledge, and anyone with experience working with children. Reserve your spot by registering here. Registration closes on March 18, with only 20 spots up for grabs. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at edu.courses@fide.com
FIDE World School Championship 2024: Registration is open
FIDE and the Peruvian Chess Sports Federation (FDPA) invite all FIDE Member Federations and eligible players to participate in the FIDE World School Chess Championship in the Constitutional Province of Callao in Lima, Peru, from April 30 to May 10, 2024. The competition will be held in six age groups U7, U9, U11, U13, U15 and U17, with separate events in open and girls’ categories. Each National Federation can field as many players as they wish. The champions of the previous World School Championship and the Continental School Champions of the year preceding this edition will receive free accommodation and meals for ten (10) nights, sharing a double room. The deadline for the registration is April 6, 2024. To register for the event, national federations shall fill out the corresponding forms in English and Spanish provided in the Invitation letter, paragraph 10.1. Email: worldschool@fide.com Regulations and Invitation Letter Regulations and Invitation Letter (Spanish)
American Cup 2024: Round 2 recap
The second round of the American Cup 2024 featured dramatic matches as four players advanced to the finals of the Champions Bracket. Ray Robson held onto his lead over Wesley So by drawing two games on the second day and advanced to the final. Robson will take on Levon Aronian, who prevailed over Fabiano Caruana in the blitz tiebreaker (2-0) after the opponents drew all four regular (two classical and two rapid) games. Fabiano and Wesley will have another chance in the Elimination Bracket, facing off against Lernier Dominguez and Sam Sevian, respectively. After winning two games over Nazi Paikidze on the first day, Irina Krush lost the first one on the second day but bounced back in the rapid game to clinch the match by the score of 3-1. It sets up a final in the women’s section between Irina Krush and Alice Lee, who whitewashed Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova (3-0). It will be their third straight meeting in the American Cup finals. In the women’s Elimination Bracket, Nazi Paikidze will face Jennifer Yu, while Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova is taking on Zoey Tang. Photo: Courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes Official website: uschesschamps.com/2024-american-cup/overview
VAR and idChess broadcast debut in women’s tournament
The 55th edition of a popular ladies’ tournament in Serbia brought together strong female players from different countries. Video Assistant Referee (VAR) and idChess broadcast were used in the competition for the first time. The round robin with classical time control in Belgrade featured players from five countries: Lu Miaoyi and Xu Yuanyuan from China, Sandra Djukic, Elif Mehmed, Vera Vujovic and Sofia Pogorelskikh from Serbia, Aleksandra Maltsevskaya and Anna Kubicka from Poland, Evgeniya Doluhanova from Ukraine, and Bhakti Kulkarni from India. VAR was used in the competition for the first time. Video Assistant Referee (VAR) is the idChess technology that helps chess arbiters to make the right decisions in controversial situations. Through video recording and artificial intelligence, VAR shows which moves were made, allowing the arbiter to analyze controversial moments quickly. The arbiter can scrutinize the controversial episode using VAR and if necessary pause the video, rewind using the navigation on the timeline with the marks. The game broadcast is suspended until the circumstances are clarified. After the game, organizers and arbiters have a recording of chess notation (also broadcast and saved on the platform live.idchess.com) and a video recording of the game. The game is securely recorded in two ways, making any errors impossible. “I am happy to see VAR, Video Assistant Referee, for the first time in Serbia. This technology brings a guarantee of a fair game to chess. The decisions of arbiters will be objective since they are based on facts and the game records with VAR,” said Vladimir Sakotic, organizer of the tournament. “In addition to VAR, idChess helps us with broadcasting. People can watch games, both in real time and recorded.” The last round and award ceremony were held on March 10. Aleksandra Maltsevskaya (Poland) emerged as the winner with an excellent score of 7.5/9. Elif Mehmed (Serbia) and Lu Miaoyi (China) finished just a half-point behind the champion with the former taking second place thanks a greater number of victories.