List of Open Tournaments to receive FIDE Aid Packages 2024
Following a successful implementation of the FIDE Aid Package for Opens in 2022 and 2023, the program was extended for the year 2024. The total amount of Aid Package Program 2024 reached €200,000. This impressive amount will be distributed among multiple tournaments across four continents selected by FIDE. In the historic year of FIDE’s 100th anniversary, we are excited to announce the tournaments to receive the FIDE Aid Packages 2024. The list in pdf and docx formats can be found below. With some applications still being processed, several tournaments may be added later. List of selected Opens Tournaments 2024 (pdf)List of selected Opens Tournaments 2024 (docx)
Georgian Women’s Championship: Lela Javakhishvili wins fifth title
Lela Javakhishvili emerged as the winner of the Georgian Women’s Championship 2024. One of the most titled Georgian chess players, Lela clinched her fifth national title. She previously won this event in 2001, 2007, 2014 and 2016. The Georgian Women’s Chess Championship 2024, a 10-player round-robin with classical time control, took place from February 9-18 in the country’s capital Tbilisi. As is often the case in Georgian Women’s championships, it was a very close race among the top-rated players and the members of the national team IM Lela Javakhishvili, GM Nino Batsiashvili, IM Meri Arabidze and GM Bella Khotenashvili. Lela Javakhishvili delivered an outstanding performance, scoring 7.5/9. Most importantly, the native of Telavi defeated her main rivals, Nino Batsiashvili and Meri Arabidze, in the direct encounters to clinch the title. The champion became the only unbeaten player in the event. Nino Batsiashvili (7/9) and Meri Arabidze (6.5/9) stayed in the contest for the most part but could not keep up with the champion and took silver and bronze, respectively. Final standings: 1 IM Javakhishvili, Lela 2438 7½ 2 GM Batsiashvili, Nino 2447 7 3 IM Arabidze, Meri 2461 6½ 4 GM Khotenashvili, Bella 2464 6 5 IM Melia, Salome 2355 4 6 WFM Mgeladze, Kesaria 2040 4 7 WCM Tsetskhladze, Mariam 1881 3 8 Donghvani, Nia 2029 2½ 9 WFM Lomaia, Diana 2001 2½ 10 WFM Kirtadze, Anastasia 2089 2 Photos: Georgian Chess Federation Facebook
FIDE World Cadet U8, U10, U12 Championships 2024: Call for Bids
FIDE Events Commission would like to announce the procedure “Call for Bids FIDE World Cadet U8, U10, U12 Championships 2024” and invite all FIDE member Federations to participate. The bid deadline is March 7, 2024, 15:00 CET. Dear bidders, more details about the procedure including the Bid Form and Bid Form Annex, Bid and Deposit Fees you can find HERE.
In memory of David Bronstein on the 100th anniversary of his birth
Today is 100 years since the birth of David Bronstein. David Bronstein was an outstanding grandmaster, and yet – a unique case for a man who almost became world champion – his immediate contribution to popularizing chess is no less important. Bronstein authored several great books. Along with Zurich-1953 (written for the most part by his senior friend and mentor Boris Vainstein), I would mention the remarkable “200 Open Games”. And how many wonderful and memorable articles he wrote how many insightful predictions! Judge for yourself: In his essays “On the Way to the Electronic Grandmaster” and “Chess of the Third Millennium”, Bronstein predicted much of modern computer and online chess, albeit in the terminology of 1978 (the book “A Beautiful and Furious World”, co-authored with Smolyan). “…A chess player would use a machine to extensively analyze the variants chosen based on his knowledge and intuition to test strategic ideas and control errors. It would have added at least 500 points on the professor A. Elo’s rating scale.” Photo: Eric Koch pour Anefo — Dutch National Archives, The Hague “Today, we don’t know any chess player, including the world champion, who, having made the first move, can recite all possible variations as he sees them on a tape recorder. But if the best chess players in the world were contesting with a microphone, everyone would hear how beautifully they think. However, FIDE is clueless that by organizing tournaments of talking grandmasters, the federations would gather an appreciative audience of millions. (In this case, you can’t hide your own helplessness behind other people’s moves.) Masters could use television technology to speak to the public in the language of chess symbols in such tournaments. Such a game, among other things, would remove certain inferiority from those playing since the public considers an unexpected move for themselves as a surprise for the grandmaster as well. And with closer contact, the audience would fantasize less and penetrate deeper into highly skilled and creative thinking.” “It is likely that some publisher will release a game of ‘Chess Tests’ in time. Different positions will pop out of a box for a certain amount of time, while a counter will indicate a score depending on the quickness of the solution choice.” Photo credit: D. Prants, via https://muis.ee “The Chess House Central Machine Service will appear, and you can join the computer by telephone and play with it if you like – the whole family. After the game, the computer will send you, along with your energy bill, a copy of the game.” Bronstein was a pioneer in many ways, and it is a pity that he did not become world champion. I think many of his original ideas would have received a much broader appeal. A pupil of Alexander Konstantinopolsky (by a funny coincidence, also born on February 19), he stood out both in his playing style and opening repertoire. Bronstein, along with Boleslavsky, is credited with introducing the King’s Indian Defense to the top competitive level. Thanks to them, the opening was for some time called the “Ukrainian Defence”, as two friends – Bronstein from Kyiv and Boleslavsky from Dnepropetrovsk – who had worked together since their youth, actually brought this opening into the highest tournament level. “Devik”, as he was called, played with great panache sacrificing pawns and pieces. The trajectory of his rise was very steep. Who knows how his fate and chess history would have turned out had he preserved the lead in the title match with Botvinnik in 1951? It was 11.5:10.5 on the scoreboard with just two games to play, and all he needed was not to lose. If Bronstein had held on then, many things would have been different. Having become vice-champion at 27, Bronstein could not overcome the shock of missing this chance. For another fifteen years after the match, he played at a high level and, most importantly, was bursting with ideas. Rapid chess is also Bronstein’s brainchild and even time increment called Fischer’s was originally spotted by Bronstein in Shogi, and only then, slightly modified, was adapted in chess. There were many other things: his books, where truth is mixed with fantasy but permeated with love for chess, different engaging formats, etc. Gradually, he got older; his marvelous ideas interspersed with eccentric ones, and more and more often, David reminisced about to the 1951 title match he had failed to win. This indelible bitterness was present in many of his late speeches and articles. It was felt in talks with him as well. I had a chance to talk to the legendary veteran quite a bit and even received a compliment from him during a game with van Wely (1997). After I made a subtle move, Bronstein, who hung around the table for a long time, waited for me to stand up, took me under the elbow and said in a loud whisper: “You’re playing 21st-century chess!” Photo: Anne Fürstenberg He was an eccentric, one-of-a-kind person who talked a lot, sometimes even losing his interlocutor’s attention. Bronstein gushed out most of his interesting ideas in his younger years. David lived a long life, but he was the kind of person who gave out almost the entire stock in the first half of the journey. Still, this alone more than suffices for a place in any chess pantheon. He loved chess passionately into his old age. David loved talking about it. He loved experimenting. He continued to play in tournaments even in his 70s. Bronstein always had a lot of fans, and the organizers opened doors for him. Was he a wise man as the artist portrayed him? Probably not. He was a man capable of thinking up countless original ideas. Sometimes paradoxical. Sometimes deliberately provocative. But they were brilliant and had far-reaching consequences. He was always in the limelight, no matter what he did, whether it was his brilliant play and top-level skills of a practical player, an array of ideas in the King’s Indian, Dutch,
FIDE launches the ChessMom initiative
FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess is pleased to announce a new initiative focused on supporting Professional Chess Players going through motherhood The ChessMom pilot project aims to provide support for professional chess players who are mothers of infants under one year old. Specifically, through this initiative, all expenses related to an accompanying or caregiver person for ten female players traveling with their infants to the 45th Chess Olympiad will be covered. Dana Reizniece-Ozola, FIDE’s Deputy Chair of the Management Board, expressed her support, drawing on her personal experience as a chess player and mother of four. “As a chess player and as a mother of four children and as someone who actively played chess, I understand how hard it is for mothers who are professional players to cope with both maintaining their career and living and fulfilling the critical role a mother has in the first year of their child. FIDE, therefore, fully supports this initiative by the Commission for Women’s Chess, and we will actively look towards other ways on how we can help and support chess mothers in the future,” said Dana Reizniece-Ozola. The Chess Olympiad organizer will recognize both the child and the accompanying caregiver as integral parts of the National Official Delegation, granting them all applicable rights. This includes discounted full board rates where applicable, with FIDE covering lodgings, meals, and any other applicable discounted fees as part of the Official Delegation. National Delegations should, therefore, consider a child and the accompanying caregiver as part of the National Official Delegation, with all applicable rights. “In recent years, we have seen many initiatives by FIDE in favor of Women. Now we address the most important one in their adult lives, motherhood. Our players should not have to choose between family and chess. I hope this pilot program transitions to become the norm in the near future,” said Francisco J Cruz Arce, WOM Member and ChessMom Project Leader. WOM urges National and Continental Federations to review and adjust their requirements for National Teams to include provisions for chess players who are mothers. The hope is that this initiative will evolve into consistent support for professional chess players experiencing motherhood during significant tournaments. “The idea of the project is to keep professional chess players in chess in the early stages following the birth of a child. Many chess players can’t come to the Olympiad and other chess events because there is no possibility for them to take care of a baby. This project can become a great social initiative,” said Anastasia Sorokina, WOM Chair. For more information, please contact the project Leader Francisco J Cruz Arce: fj_007@yahoo.com
FIDE Endorses ChessNoteR N6 & N9 devices
FIDE Technical Commission is delighted to announce that the FIDE Council has officially endorsed the ChessNoteR N6 and N9 devices (MB-2024-02). Developed by Black Mirror Studio, the ChessNoteR (chessnoter.com) is a groundbreaking approach to digitizing chess notations for offline gameplay. Deployed on two specially customized Android devices, the NEXUS 6 and NEXUS 9, this solution ensures heightened security and efficiency. The exclusive focus on the ChessNoteR software and essential device settings significantly enhances fair play measures in tournament conditions. Key features of these devices include streamlined tournament and opponent management, versatile board setting options, and the capability to easily transfer games to computers. Such innovations promise to benefit players in competitive settings substantially. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to IA Arasu B, IA Dinu-Ioan Nicula, and IA Hendrik du Toit of the FIDE Technical Commission for their diligent evaluation of these devices. For any inquiries or additional information, please contact Hendrik du Toit at secretary.tec@fide.com.
Cuban Championship: Ernesto Quesada and Lisandra Ordaz win titles
LX Cuban Absolute (Open) Championship and XLVIII National Women’s Championship were held almost simultaneously in the different parts of the island – Holguin and Pinar del Rio, respectively. The open tournament saw a close race of three top seeds, Luis Ernesto Quesada Perez, Omar Almeida and Carlos Daniel Albornoz Cabrera, who scored 7/9 and tied for first place in the end, finishing a half-point ahead of Lelys Stanley Martinez Duany. To determine the winner, a three-player tiebreaker was played in which Luis Ernesto Quesada emerged victorious, taking the title of Cuban champion. Omar Almeida finished second and took silver, while the top-rated Carlos Daniel Albornoz had to settle for bronze. Kudos to FM Kemel Antonio Gallo, who netted 6/10 and completed an IM norm. Final standings Open: 1 GM Luis Ernesto, Quesada 2560 7 2 GM Omar, Almeida Quintana 2506 7 3 GM Carlos Daniel, Albornoz 2603 7 4 GM Lelys Stanley, Martinez 2462 6½ 5 GM Dylan Isidro, Berdayes 2501 6 6 FM Kemel Antonio, Gallo 2348 6 7 IM Michel Alejandro, Diaz 2461 6 8 IM Jorge Roberto, Elias 2468 6 9 GM Ermes, Espinosa Veloz 2490 5½ 10 IM Rider, Diaz Murgada 2440 5½ The women’s event was also a close affair as IM Lisandra Ordaz Valdes and the youngest participant, WFM Leannet Mariah Bosch Valls, totalled 7.5/10 and shared first place. Another exciting tiebreaker took place a few hours after the final round, with Ordaz and Bosch facing each other in a duel for the national crown. After the opponents traded blows in the rapid 15+10 games, Lisandra Ordaz won both blitz games and clinched the title. As many as three players tied for third place, with Miranda Llanes Yerisbel winning bronze (just like in 2023) thanks to the superior rating average of the opponents. Final standings Women: 1 Lisandra Teresa, Ordaz 2310 7½ 2 Leannet Mariah, Bosch 2079 7½ 3 Yerisbel, Miranda Llanes 2262 7 4 Yaniela, Forgas Moreno 2265 7 5 Roxangel, Obregon Garcia 2118 7 6 Ineymig, Hernandez Gil 2143 6 7 Oleiny, Linares Napoles 2188 5½ 8 Melissa, Rodriguez Dominguez 2011 5½ 9 Amanda Maria, Muniz 2116 5½ 10 Vivian, Ramon Pita 2042 5 Photos: Cuba Chess Facebook Official website: supercubadatabase.simdif.com/
Magnus Carlsen wins Freestyle Chess G.O.A.T. Challenge
“It feels awesome to win the event,” said Magnus Carlsen after clinching the inaugural Freestyle Chess G.O.A.T. Challenge on Friday after beating Fabiano Caruana in the second game of the final. Carlsen will take home the $60,000 first prize, whereas Caruana earned $40,000. The 2024 Freestyle Chess G.O.A.T. Challenge, an over-the-board Chess960 classical tournament took place from February 9-16 in Weissenhaus, Germany. The competition consisted of a round-robin rapid that determined the pairings of the main event, a single-elimination bracket played with classical time control. Magnus Carlsen was the only player in Weissenhaus who had to defeat eight challengers, as Jan Henric Buettner noted at the prize-giving ceremony: seven grandmasters and himself. As the G.O.A.T. in the tournament of his choice, Carlsen was under more pressure than anyone else right from the start. He stood up to it. In the semi-final Magnus Carlsen went 1.g2-g4 and consequently wrote “Grob” on his scoresheet. In the second game of the final against Fabiano Caruana (the first one was drawn) he again opened with g2-g4 – and wrote “Polish”. That was difficult to understand. A deeper look at the starting position reveals the explanation. What is called the “kingside” in traditional chess and still has no name in the 960 (“g-side”, says Carlsen), Carlsen tended to locate on the left side of the board, i.e. on the c-side. That’s why g2-g4 seemed to him like b2-b4 – Polish. With Carlsen accurately writing “Polish Opening”, he avoid confusion with the “Polish Defense” (1…b7-b5). However, for 1.b2-b4, “Polish” is more of a third name after the more common “Orangutan” and “Sokolsky”. Regardless of the opening, Carlsen had the white pieces, and that’s huge in 960 with its high number of decided games compared to chess1. Already before the quarterfinals Carlsen had said that he thought it was a great advantage to start a match with White. His results reflect why he might be right: three white games, three wins. Asked by Fiona Steil-Antoni about his favorite game of the tournament, he named the final one against Caruana: “It won me the tournament, and it was also fairly good.” Carlsen was not completely satisfied with his chess overall: “Sometimes I played too impulsively.” Nevertheless, he often managed to penetrate deep into the unfamiliar position and capture its essence, he said. This may also apply to the second game against Caruana, in which the challenger soon had his back to the wall. “A miniature” was what Peter Leko feared in the opening. At times it looked as if Caruana would stabilize, but in the end, he was outplayed quite comfortably. Levon Aronian won the fight for third place and $30,000 thanks to a convincing win with the white pieces against Nodirbek Abdusattorov ($20,000). Alireza Firouzja secured fifth place ($15,000) and qualification for the 2025 edition (alongside the top four) by drawing with Gukesh Dommaraju ($12,000) while Vincent Keymer ($10,000) also won his second game vs. Ding Liren ($8,000) to finish in seventh place. Final standings: By Conrad Schormann and Peter Doggers Photos: Freestyle Chess G.O.A.T. Challenge official website Official website: freestyle-chess.com/
Montenegrin Championship: Nikita Petrov clinches title
GM Nikita Petrov is the new champion of Montenegro. The native of Novorossiysk (Russia), who recently changed federation, won his first national title in a tough contest with 10-time Montenegro champion Nikola Djukic. The Montenegro Championship 2024, an 11-round Swiss tournament with classical time control, took place from February 6-15, 2024, in the country’s capital Podgorica. The event brought together 52 best local players. It was an extremely close race from start to finish, with top-seed participants either taking turns on the top or sharing the lead almost all the way. In the end, Petrov and Nikola Djukic pulled away and came to the final round a full point ahead of Luka Draskovic and Denis Kadric. Facing Bozidar Ivanovic with the white pieces, Djukic grabbed the initiative early on, then made a serious mistake but eventually converted his slight advantage deep into the endgame to take the top position for a moment. Meanwhile, playing against Milan Drasko with Black, Petrov gradually outplayed his opponent but did not protect his last pawn in an endgame and let his advantage slip away completely. Still, Nikita had some practical chances with a rook and two minor pieces (no pawns) against Milan’s rook, knight and pawn, which materialized in time trouble after White’s king walked into a mating net. As a result, both leaders pulled off victories and finished on 9/11, but Nikita Petrov clinched the title thanks to a slightly better Buchholz. As many as three players tied for third place, netting 7.5/11, with Denis Cadric claiming bronze by a superior tiebreaker. Final standings: 1 GM Petrov, Nikita 2563 9 2 GM Djukic, Nikola 2521 9 3 GM Kadric, Denis 2586 7½ 4 GM Draskovic, Luka 2485 7½ 5 IM Smirnov, Artem 2406 7½ 6 FM Vukcevic, Nemanja 2275 7 7 IM Kalezic, Blazo 2407 7 8 Vujovic, Savo 2137 7 9 GM Nikcevic, Nebojsa 2338 6½ 10 FM Sukovic, Andrej 2339 6½ Photos: Šahovski savez Crne Gore Facebook
FIDE establishes closer cooperation with International School Sport Federation
At a ceremony in Paris, the President of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), Arkady Dvorkovich, and the President of the International School Sport Federation (ISF), Laurent Petrynka, signed a Memorandum of Understanding which aims to incorporate chess in sports events for students organized by the ISF The partnership outlines key objectives, including establishing chess as a recognized sport among National School Sports Federations, specifying FIDE’s role in organizing ISF Chess competitions, and promoting chess in education at local and international levels. Additionally, the collaboration seeks to attract school-age chess enthusiasts and enhance chess visibility in the media. FIDE and ISF will jointly initiate programs encouraging school students to embrace chess, promote girls’ school sports, and utilize school chess competitions as a platform for testing new rules and formats. FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich expressed his enthusiasm, stating, “ISF is the largest sports organization globally focusing on school sports. We are delighted to have signed this agreement to include chess in their events. With cooperation from ISF, we are opening new paths for young people to take up this beautiful sport.” ISF President Laurent Petrynka spoke highly of the value of chess: “Chess is an intensely competitive and strategic sport. Young individuals engage in chess to develop skills such as keen perception, quick thinking, and strategic planning, challenging and strengthening their mental resilience. Many qualities of chess make it highly suitable for promotion in schools.” “Within the framework of this MOU, ISF is committed to wholeheartedly promoting chess within ISF events and its member organizations, including national school sports federations. Harnessing the popularity of this sport, ISF aims to drive school sports and educational activities, fostering fair competition and gender equality in sports. Additionally, ISF is delighted to note that FIDE has officially included ISF Chess events in its calendar and will provide support in competition management, technical officials’ training, and other aspects to facilitate the rapid growth of global school sports.” The initial step following the agreement will be the inclusion of chess at the upcoming ISF Gymnasiade in Manama, Bahrain, from October 23 – 31. Hosted by the Kingdom of Bahrain and under the patronage of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the event will bring together school students from around the world to participate in 25 different sports, including para-sports, over eight days. Activities will range from inspiring workshops to seminars, providing students and teachers with a unique opportunity to interact with peers from across the globe. To learn more about the event and to register your team, please visit: events.isfsports.org/isf-gymnasiade-bahrain-2024/. Photos: Nicolas Launay About the ISF Established in 1972 and recognized by the International Olympic Committee since 1995, the International School Sport Federation (ISF) encompasses its motto, “We are school sport”. As the global umbrella for national school sports organizations, ISF engages with over 200,000 schools across 134 member countries. ISF provides school children aged 13-18 by hosting events globally and featuring a diverse competition and education program with over 30 sports, including para-sports. Its mission is to expand education through sport and encourage a healthy lifestyle, as well as support the physical and mental health of youth worldwide. ISF is hosting the world’s biggest international sports events for school students, including the flagship ISF Gymnasiades.