FIDE Candidates 2024: All set for the chess tournament of the year in Toronto
The FIDE Candidates Tournament 2024 is set to take place in Toronto, Canada, from April 3 to 23, 2024. This event marks a historic occasion as it is the first time the Candidates Tournament will be held in North America. Another first for the 2024 edition: the FIDE Candidates and FIDE Women’s Candidates are organized together under one roof on the same dates. What: FIDE Candidates Tournament Where: The Great Hall, Toronto, Canada When: April 3-23, 2024 Who: Caruana, Nakamura, Firouzja, Nepomniachtchi, Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, Vidit, Abasov, Goryachkina, Lei, Koneru, Lagno, Tan, Anna Muzychuk, Vaishali R, Salimova Why: The winner will challenge the World Champion for the title All info: candidates.fide.com Eight players in each tournament have gone through the excruciating qualification process to earn a chance at becoming a challenger for the world championship title and facing World Champion Ding Liren and Women’s World Champion Ju Wenjun at the end of this year. In addition to the coveted first place, players will compete for a share of the prize funds of €500,000 in the Candidates Tournament and €250,000 in the Women’s Candidates Tournament. The lineups pique curiosity as several young talents enter the late stages of the world championship cycle for the first time. We are witnessing another generational shift in chess, and the only question that remains is whether the youngsters will make their mark this year or conquer the chess world in subsequent cycles. FIDE Candidates Tournament Participants: Ian Nepomniachtchi (FIDE, 2758) – qualified as the previous World Championship match runner-up. Praggnanandhaa R (India, 2747) – qualified as the 2023 World Cup runner-up. Fabiano Caruana (USA, 2804) – qualified as the third-place finisher at the 2023 World Cup. Nijat Abasov (Azerbaijan, 2632) – qualified as the fourth-place finisher at the 2023 World Cup after the winner, Magnus Carlsen, declined his right to participate. Vidit Gujrathi (India, 2747) – qualified as the 2023 Grand Swiss winner. Hikaru Nakamura (USA, 2789) – qualified as the 2023 Grand Swiss runner-up. Alireza Firouzja (France, 2760) – qualified as the best by rating on January 1, 2024. Gukesh D (India, 2747) – qualified as the 2023 FIDE Circuit winner. FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament Participants: Lei Tingjie (China, 2550) – qualified as the previous World Championship match runner-up. Kateryna Lagno (FIDE, 2542) – qualified as the 2022−23 Women’s Grand Prix winner. Aleksandra Goryachkina (FIDE, 2553) – qualified as the 2022−23 Women’s Grand Prix runner-up. Nurgyul Salimova (Bulgaria, 2426) – qualified as the 2023 Women’s World Cup runner-up. Anna Muzychuk (Ukraine, 2520) – qualified as the third-place finisher at the 2023 Women’s World Cup. Vaishali R (India, 2481) – qualified as the 2023 Women’s Grand Swiss winner. Tan Zhongyi (China, 2521) – qualified as the 2023 Women’s Grand Swiss runner-up. Humpy Koneru (India, 2546) – qualified as the best by rating on January 1, 2024. The rating spot became available as a replacement for the Women’s World Cup winner, since Goryachkina had already qualified through the WGP. As Ian Nepomniachtchi attempts to win his third consecutive Candidates Tournament, setting an unprecedented record, for youngsters like Praggnanandhaa (18) and Gukesh (17), as well as Vidit and Abasov, both in their late twenties, this will be their first Candidates event. Firouzja, the former world’s #2, despite being only 20 years old, already has one Candidates Tournament experience. Seasoned players Caruana (world’s #2) and Nakamura (world’s #3) are certainly two of the main favorites. For the first time, both do not need to cross the Atlantic to participate in the event, but instead, they can enjoy the home turf advantage. The women’s event marks the third Women’s Candidates since FIDE reformed the women’s world championship cycle in 2019. The fourth-highest-rated woman in chess history and the rating favorite of the tournament, Aleksandra Goryachkina, has already been a challenger for the World Championship in 2020. By the starting ranks, her closest rival seems to be Lei Tingjie, who lost the world championship match a year earlier. The two are currently rated world’s #3 and #4, closely followed by Koneru (#4) and Lagno (#5), the other two rating favorites of the tournament. Many sympathies will be with 22-year-old Vaishali R, the sister of Praggnanandhaa R. For both, this is their debut at the Candidates, marking the first time in history that a brother and sister participate in the final stage of the chess world championship qualification. Both events are double round-robin, meaning that each player will face seven of their rivals twice, once with white and once with black pieces. Fourteen rounds of the tournament will be played over three weeks, with four rest days. The first rest day, on April 8, will allow the participants and guests to witness the total solar eclipse, which will be visible across Toronto between 2:04 p.m. and 4:31 p.m., with the peak occurring at 3:19 p.m. FIDE and the Local Organizing Committee are committed to creating an unforgettable chess festival for enthusiasts from Toronto and beyond. Local chess clubs are preparing an extensive list of side events and activities, such as the Chess Olympiad torch relay, blitz and rapid tournaments, watch parties, chess documentary screenings, lectures, and masterclasses. Access to the main event, the venue of the Candidates Tournament, is by ticket. The most popular dates and times are already sold out. Local favorites GMs Eric Hansen and Aman Hambleton will host the fan zone situated at the tournament venue. The online broadcast of the event will, as usual, attract millions of views. The official FIDE show will feature GM Viswanathan Anand and GM Irina Krush as commentators. Shockingly, all this was on the verge of not happening due to the wait times for the players’ visas. On March 1, just a month before the tournament, FIDE issued a plea on social media, asking for the Canadian Government’s support in resolving an issue with visa application approvals. At that moment, most of the players, who had submitted their applications months earlier, had not received any updates on their status. Behind the scenes, FIDE, the Chess Federation of Canada,
Reykjavik Open 2024: Bogdan-Daniel Deac captures title
Bogdan-Daniel Deac triumphed in the Reykjavik Open 2024. The top seed GM from Romania clinched the title thanks to a crucial final-round victory. The 2024 edition of Reykjavik Open, a nine-round Swiss tournament supported by the FIDE Aid Package, took place from March 14 to 21 in Iceland’s capital. The event attracted over 400 players and had a strong women’s presence, with six out of the top 50 women in the world participating. Similar to many previous editions, the Reykjavik Open 2024 was a very close race with at least two players sharing the first place most of the way (the only exception was the sole lead by Alisher Suleymenov after Round 7). Going to the final ninth round as many as six players – Bogdan-Daniel Deac (Romania), Paulius Pultinevicius (Lithuania), Praveen Balakrishnan (USA), Sebastien Maze (France), Alisher Suleymenov (Kazakhstan) and Gudmundur Kjartansson (Iceland) – were tied for the top position with 6.5/8 while seventeen players trailed this sextet by a half-point. Only Bogdan-Daniel Deac emerged victorious in the last-round leaders’ clashes, prevailing over Alisher Suleymenov with the black pieces on board 1, while the games Pultinevicius – Balakrishnan and Maze – Kjartansson (Sebastian had a decisive advantage but let the victory slip away) were drawn. As a result, Bogdan-Daniel finished clear first with 7.5/9, a half-point ahead of seven players on 7/9, with Sebastien Maze and Paulius Pultinevicius making the podium based on a superior Buchholz. Final standings: 1 GM Bogdan-Daniel Deac 2690 7½ 2 GM Sebastien Maze 2551 7 3 GM Paulius Pultinevicius 2575 7 4 GM Praveen Balakrishnan 2490 7 5 GM Vahap Sanal 2558 7 6 IM Matthew J Wadsworth 2450 7 7 GM Gudmundur Kjartansson 2465 7 8 GM Hedinn Steingrimsson 2477 7 9 GM Emre Can 2551 6½ 10 IM Jakub Seemann 2451 6½ Photos: Ómar Óskarsson and Hallfríður Sigurðardóttir Official website: reykjavikopen.com/
FIDE torch relay reaches Africa
After it set off from India, the Chess Torch relay – which will travel the world celebrating the first centenary of FIDE – has reached the African continent Accompanied by FIDE officials, including Tshepiso Lopang, the President of the African Chess Confederation and Dana Reizniece-Ozola, Deputy Chair of FIDE’s Management Board, the torch arrived in Ghana’s capital, Accra. In Ghana, the inaugural leg of the celebration featured Reizniece-Ozola’s simultaneous chess game exhibition and enlightening lecture at the Senior Correctional Centre, which, despite the suggestion from its name, actually holds juveniles (under the age of 18) convicted of criminal or civil offences. The lecture was part of the “Chess for Freedom” project launched in 2021 and which has since then gained global attention and support. FIDE delegation also visited the final rounds of the African Individual Chess Championships 2024. 9-round Swiss events stretched from March 13-20 and were won by Bassem Amin (Egypt) and Jesse Nikki February (South Africa). A “Little Princess” girls’ chess tournament featured by the FIDE Commission for Women in Chess and a teachers training course by the FIDE Commission for Chess in Education was held. Reizniece-Ozola, together with the President of the Ghana Chess Association, Philip Elikem Ameku, met with senior chess, sports, and government officials of Ghana, including the Board Chairman of Ghana’s National Sports Authority, Seth Panwum, and the Vice President of the Ghana Olympic Committee, Mawuko Afadzinu. Highlighting the transformative power of chess in education, Seth Panwum remarked, “We want to develop the best versions of our young ones, and we see that chess in education can play a great role in it. Athletic, smart people are the future.” Mawko Afadzinu, the Vice President of Ghana Olympic Committee emphasized the importance of the African Games where chess was featured as one of the sports. This year Ghana played host to the 13th edition of the African Games and the GOC has promised to provide full support to the Ghana Chess Federation’s attempt to host the African School Chess Championship 2024 in the premises of the games. Expressing gratitude for Ghana’s hospitality, Reizniece-Ozola asserted: “The inclusion of chess in the African Games is a testament to its growing prominence. Our aspiration for Olympic recognition remains steadfast, and commencing the African leg of the Chess Torch relay in Ghana is a momentous step toward realizing our vision.” As the evening settled, the torch flame rose at the center of the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park in downtown Accra, which honors the legacy of the first president of Ghana. The park also has a chess connection – as it was there where the first chess club in Accra started. With the sounds of trumpets and drums, the Chess Torch was placed in an open-top car and embarked on a procession to the Independence Arch, where chess fans and onlookers enjoyed an evening of music and chess. The festivities culminated at the Coconut Grove Regency Hotel, where African chess champions, Egyptian Grandmaster Bassem Amin and Women International Master from South Africa Jesse February, ceremoniously passed the torch to Tshepiso Lopang, President of the African Chess Confederation, who ignited the cauldron, symbolizing the enduring flame of chess in Africa. With the chess flame reaching Africa, the “Mother Continent”, the relay continues, moving to Europe. On April 07 the torch ceremony will be held in Bern, Switzerland. Celebrations will be held on Bundesplatz, the social heart of the city and will also feature simultaneous exhibition games with top chess players, presentation of a postal stamp dedicated to the 100th anniversary of FIDE and Gala Dinner with FIDE100 awards. Photos: Niki Riga
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