Spanish Championship: Iturrizaga and Khademalsharieh claim titles
GM Eduardo Iturrizaga and IM Sarasadat Khademalsharieh emerged as the winners of the Spanish Championship 2023. A Caracas native, Iturrizaga claimed his third straight title while Khademalsharieh scored her first victory in the Spanish Women’s Championship. The competition, a 9-round Swiss tournament with classical time control, took place from October 12-21 in Marbella. Both men and women competed in one event but were ranked separately, with the highest-scoring female player claiming the Spanish Women’s Champion title. The tournament turned into a very close race, with several players tying for the top position most of the time. Eduardo Iturrizaga, Alan Pichot and Maksim Chigaev came to the final ninth round as join leaders, with Eduardo and Alan facing off against each other and Maxim playing with Daniil Yuffa trailing by a half-point. All three games on the top boards were drawn, meaning the leaders finished on 7/9, but Eduardo Iturrizaga won the title thanks to a better Buchholz. The same criteria decided the fate of the women’s crown as Sarasadat Khademsharieh and the defending champion Marta Garcia Martin both netted 6/9, with the former ending up one position higher in the final standings. Final standings: 1 GM Iturrizaga Bonelli, Eduardo 2427 7 2 GM Pichot, Alan 2416 7 3 GM Chigaev, Maksim 2405 7 4 GM Yuffa, Daniil 2342 6½ 5 GM Cuenca Jimenez, Jose 2296 6½ 6 GM Gines Esteo, Pedro 2450 6 7 GM Lopez Martinez, Josep 2417 6 8 GM Alsina Leal, Daniel 2408 6 9 IM Suarez Gomez, Julio 2378 6 10 IM Khademalsharieh, Sarasadat 2374 6 11 IM Garcia Martin, Marta 2352 6 12 FM Tabuenca, Danie 2293 6 Complete results Photos: Patricia Claros Aguilar and FEDA Facebook page Official website: feda.org/feda2k16/
2023 FIDE Grand Swiss brings grand expectations
The strongest Swiss event of the year is around the corner. In the scenic Isle of Man, the first round starts on 25 October and in the next 12 days we will witness a magnificent chess spectacle full of fierce battles. The Grand Swiss is a pivotal part of the FIDE World Championship cycle. Its democratic nature attracts players from all over the world, giving them a chance to qualify for the Candidates Tournament. Two coveted top spots in the open event and two in the women’s tournament lead to Toronto, where next spring the FIDE Candidates Tournament and the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament will take place. This is a chance to write one’s name in chess history, a chance that in the past was available only to selected few. 114 players will be playing in the open section. The list of favourites includes Fabiano Caruana, who already has qualified for Toronto from the World Cup in Baku, Hikaru Nakamura, who will seek a return to the Candidates that went so well for him (except for the last round) last year in Madrid, Alireza Firouzja, the winner of the previous Grand Swiss in Riga 2021, Anish Giri, who desperately wants another shot at the title after his last Candidates appearance in 2020/21 in Yekaterinburg, Gukesh D, who at 17 entered the top 10 and became India’s number one after 37 years of Anand’s domination. These are only the top five on the starting list, but you should check the full list and pick your favourites, though you’ll have a hard time with such a wide choice! Photo: Saint Louis Chess Club | Lennart Ootes The Grand Swiss is also a part of the FIDE Circuit and it adds an additional twist to the tournament intrigue. The winner of the FIDE Circuit will qualify for the Candidates Tournament and there is an intense battle underway for the top spot. The current leader of the Circuit, Fabiano Caruana, has already qualified, so second placed Gukesh D and third placed Anish Giri, the two players who have a reasonable chance of winning it, will try to do their best in this event. There are 50 registered players in the women section. Former candidates and World Champions top the starting list: Aleksandra Goryachkina, the current holder of the World Cup, winner of the Candidates Tournament in 2019 and runner-up of the World Championship match in 2020; 12th Women’s World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk, also winner of the World Cup in 2021, 15th Women’s World Champion Mariya Muzychuk, 16th Women’s World Champion Tan Zhongyi and World Championship runner-up and World Rapid and Blitz Champion Anna Muzychuk (pictured below). Photo: David Llada Both tournaments will have record-breaking prize funds. In the open section the prize fund is $460,000 while in the women section it amounts to $140,000. Fans can follow the Grand Swiss 2023 by watching live broadcast of the event with expert commentary on FIDE YouTube and Twitch with expert commentary by GM David Howell and IM Jovanka Houska. Get ready for a remarkable display of chess prowess at the Isle of Man and may the best players win! The official website of the tournament: grandswiss.fide.com Written by GM Alex Colovic
WCCC 2023 passes its midpoint
The World Cadets Chess Championship 2023 crossed the halfway mark. Since there is no day off, endurance and stamina are becoming increasingly important on the final straight. After six rounds of play in the open tournaments, Roman Shogdzhiev (FIDE; U8) and Khuong Duy Dau of Vietnam (U12) lead with a perfect score of 6/6, while in the U10 competition, Ethan Guo (USA) and Supratit Banerjee (Scotland) are tied for the top position, netting 5.5/6 The leaders in the girl’s sections, Bodhana Sivanandan (England; U8), Xue Tianhao (China; U10) and Diana Preobrazhenskaya (FIDE; U12) all scored six straight games. Although there are five sole leaders in six tournaments, the closest rivals are trailing by just a half point. With five rounds to go, all the competitions are still wide open. The Governor of South Sinai, Khaled Fouda, made the ceremonial first move in Round 5. During his visit to the event, the future plans for hosting chess tournaments in Egypt were discussed. Standings after Round 6: Open U8 Open U10 Open U12 Girls U8 Girls U10 Girls U12 Photos: Sergei Indeikin Official website: wccc2023.com/
FIDE Executive Director Victor Bologan visits Kenya
On October 18, Kenya warmly welcomed FIDE Executive Director GM Victor Bologan, who landed in Nairobi and was received by Chess Kenya President Benard Wanjala. It is the first stop of his official visit to four Zone 4.4 countries. The visit is to ensure that federations are aligned with the purpose and vision of FIDE through real conversations with the leaders of sports. Other countries Victor is expected to visit are Madagascar, Mauritius and Seychelles. First on the list was a strategic session with esteemed Kenyan Ministry of Sports officials, led by Mr. Jackson Indakwa, the Technical Director of Sports, and Mr. Douglas Ratemo, Assistant Commissioner of Sports and Liaison Officer for Chess Kenya Federation. The meeting revolved around fostering collaboration and synergy among Chess Kenya, the Ministry of Sports, and FIDE, with the primary goal of nurturing and expanding chess within Kenya. FIDE Executive Director reiterated FIDE’s unwavering dedication to supporting the continent of Africa. Kenya, in particular, holds a prominent position on FIDE’s list of priority federations, highlighting the significance of chess within the country. Notably, Victor Bologan shed light on Kenya’s aspiration to host the World Schools Championship. To make this endeavour a reality, he stressed the importance of the Kenyan government’s extending its support in facilitating and hosting this prestigious international event. The meeting marked a pivotal step toward fortifying the bridge between chess enthusiasts, governing bodies, and FIDE as we collectively strive to propel chess to new heights within Kenya. Later on, Victor graced the halls of the KBA Group of Schools. He took on a tough challenge, simultaneously facing off against 50 enthusiastic students. KBA, known for its exceptional commitment to teaching chess, has woven chess into the very fabric of its curriculum. With over 3,000 students, every single one is introduced to the royal game, treating it as a subject as vital as any other. Victor’s left an indelible mark as he delivered an astonishing score of 50-0. However, what truly touched everyone was the radiant joy on the faces of these young chess enthusiasts. For all of them, it was their first time playing against a GM, an experience they’ll cherish forever. Chess continues to inspire and create magical moments.
FIDE Women’s Grand Prix Series 2024-25 – Call for bids
1.1 The International Chess Federation (FIDE) will hold the Women’s Grand Prix Series 2024-2025 (see the Tournament Regulations). 1.2 FIDE is opening a bidding procedure to invite any federation member of FIDE or any organiser approved by the national federation to host the event. The federation’s letter of support may be provided later when the bid’s evaluation procedure is launched. 1.3 The bid may contain special proposals on financial and commercial conditions. The FIDE Council shall decide whether these conditions are admissible. 1.4 Bidding Form shall be filled in by an Applicant. Signed copies shall be submitted as e-mail messages to the FIDE Secretariat to office@fide.com from October 20, 2023, to February 1, 2024, by 23:59 Lausanne time (FIDE has a right to extend this deadline). All the documents shall be submitted in English. Additional documents may be requested by the FIDE General Strategy Commission (GSC) for further evaluation. 1.5 Bid Evaluation Report shall be presented by GSC for approval of the FIDE Council. 1.6 Once the Organiser is granted the right to organise one of the four Women’s GP tournaments, a relevant announcement shall be made on the FIDE website. A FIDE Technical Delegate (FIDE TD) may be appointed at the same time to supervise the event on behalf of FIDE in consultation with GSC.
Marcin Tazbir triumphs at IBCA World Championship
Marcin Tazbir is the new IBCA World Champion. The Polish GM completed the World Championship for Blind and Visually Impaired undefeated with an excellent score of 8 points in 9 games. Congratulations! The defending champion, IM Predrag Nikac (Montenegro), took second place with 7.5 points, while bronze went to FM Alexey Streltsov (Israel) after a six-person tiebreak. The nine-round Swiss tournament featured 82 players from 29 countries. Among them were one GM, five IMs and three FMs, making it one of the strongest IBCA World Championships ever. Final standings: 1 GM Tazbir, Marcin POL 2499 8 2 IM Nikac, Predrag MNE 2283 7½ 3 FM Streltsov, Alexey ISR 2343 6½ 4 Djakashov, Kuralbay UZB 2133 6½ 5 Kolpakov, Vladyslav UKR 2238 6½ 6 CM Jandric, Damjan SRB 2090 6½ 7 Bibikov, Yuriy KAZ 2050 6½ 8 Adiyaman, Rene GER 2122 6½ 9 IM Stachanczyk, Jacek POL 2066 6 10 IM Dukaczewski, Piotr POL 2088 6 Complete results The closing ceremony of the event turned into a great night with the prize awards to the winners and a spectacular show of traditional Greek music with local singers and dancers. The cups and medals to the winners were presented by the Deputy Mayor of Rhodes, Konstantinos Taraslias, the President of the Aegean Consumers Association, Georgios Avgerinos and the newly elected President of IBCA, Jörgen Magnusson. Everyone is already looking forward to the next IBCA World Championship in 2025! Photo highlights of the event:facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=chessingreece&set=a.802210368367921 IBCA official website: ibca-info.org
2023 U.S. Championships: Fabiano Caruana and Carissa Yip win titles
Top seed GM Fabiano Caruana clinched victory in the 2023 U.S. Championship after his win over GM Abhimanyu Mishra in Round 10, securing his second straight national title with a round to spare. The champion scored an impressive 8/11 and consolidated his top position in the FIDE Circuit leaderboard. IM Carissa Yip became the 2023 U.S. Women’s Champion after a dramatic final round, which saw both her and key rival WGM Begim Tokhirjonova losing their games, allowing Yip to keep first place and clinch her second national title. 2023 U.S. Championship Although Caruana had already secured tournament victory in the penultimate round, the rest of the podium was very much up for grabs, with So, Dominguez, and Mishra all in contention. So made a quick draw with Caruana to reach 6.5/11, while Dominguez had to hold a worse knight endgame against Niemann to reach 6.5 as well. Catching up was Mishra, who played an excellent positional game to score against Aronian, joining the tie for second place. Mishra-Aronian: 45.Rb1 forced resignation, due to the threats of Nxf5, Rb8+, and Rbb7 The U.S. Junior Champion ended with five wins, three losses, and three draws in his first U.S. Championship. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes Also winning in the final round was Sevian, who found a dynamic sacrifice against Tang in the early middlegame, leaving his opponent’s knight trapped on the queenside for most of the game: Sevian-Tang: 13.axb4! left White completely winning after 13…Nxa1 14.Nc6+- Shared second for So, who was one of a few players without a loss in the event. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes 2023 U.S. Women’s Championship Going into the final round, Yip was leading by half a point, with Tokhirjonova needing to win to have a chance at forcing a playoff tiebreak. At first, things looked great for Begim, as Yip fell under serious pressure by FM Ruiyang Yan, while Begim had a huge advantage in the middlegame against 2022 champion WGM Jennifer Yu. But then things turned around as it looked like Yip had escaped and was even pressing in a double-rook endgame, while Tokhirjonova-Yu simply became a complete mess. All of a sudden, Yip ended up blundering and losing in the rook endgame, which meant Begim would just need a draw to force a playoff, while a win would clinch the title for her outright. Yip-Yan: 56.c7! would have kept a draw in hand for White. Instead Yip played 56.b5? with no good response after 56…Rf1-+ But in mutual time-trouble, Tokhirjonova misplayed a difficult position and would go on to lose, as Yu managed to decide the game thanks to her passed c-pawn. This meant Yip would keep her half-point lead and clinch a tournament victory. Tokhirjonova-Yu: 56.Rxc2! was the only saving move, sacrificing a piece but drawing the game due to the strong passed a-pawn. This is the second U.S. Championship title for Yip, who first won in 2021. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes A painful end for Begim, who also finished second in 2021. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes Earning 3rd place was young IM-elect Alice Lee, who after an up-and-down event, finished with a nice win over FM Ashritha Eswaran. But the game of the day went to WGM Tatev Abrahamyan, who conducted a stellar attack against GM Irina Krush to finish in clear fourth. After starting the event with 0.5/3, Alice scored 8/9 to end in clear third. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes Abrahamyan-Krush: 25.Rxh7! capped off a powerful attack, with White soon mating after 25…Kxh7 26.Bf5+- Three straight wins to close the event for Tatev. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes Written by IM Kostya Kavutskiy Photo Credits: Photos and appropriate credits available on Flickr
Judit Polgár’s 9th Global Chess Festival: Ours is the decision on the world
More than 4,000 people visited the Hungarian National Gallery over the weekend on October 14th for the on-site events of the 9th Judit Polgár Global Chess Festival. This year, the festival expanded to a two-day event, and on October 15th, 220,000 people from around the world joined the online programs. The 9th Global Chess Festival, supported by Morgan Stanley, dedicated an entire weekend to exploring how we can make good decisions in life through chess. From outstanding speakers to world-renowned chess influencers, Chess Olympiad participants, grandmasters, and the audience played a crucial role in shaping both on-site and online events this year. During the two days of the event, in-person and online, nearly 350,000 people at the festival were curious about the programs, e.g. how chess and artificial intelligence can reform education. The main theme of this year’s festival was decision-making, as Judit Polgár, the festival’s founder, stated: “I believe that in today’s world, it is particularly important for us to be aware of the consequences of our decisions. When choosing the theme, I wanted people to think a bit about when and how decisions are made, from the smallest to the most significant, or how they can be modified once made. Chess allows us to practice and develop this process so that during the game, people develop a kind of flexibility and become instinctive in finding quick solutions to different life situations. In today’s world, existence and survival are at stake, and continuous reconsideration and replanning are essential. This flexible mindset plays a key role in our decision-making.” The role of chess and artificial intelligence in acquiring future skills On October 15th, the Educational Chess Summit was held online, featuring speakers like Shameed Sait, an artificial intelligence expert, and Prof Barry Hymer, Professor of Psychology in Education at the University of Cumbria, discussing the role of chess and artificial intelligence in education and other innovative development methods. The event brought together speakers from 6 continents. Prof Hymer outlined the core tenets of mindset theory. “Through artificial intelligence-driven chess games, children can encounter multiple possible outcomes during the game, making it easier for them to learn and practice the consequences and effects of individual decisions. AI using chess helps teach children flexible thinking and the acquisition of 21st-century key skills,” as highlighted in the presentation of the artificial intelligence expert Shameed Sait. “Morgan Stanley not only supports the Global Chess Festival but also shares a commitment to education with Judit Polgár,” said Norbert Fogarasi, head of Morgan Stanley’s Budapest office. “We support various educational programs, especially in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) fields, and our main goal is to encourage as many young women as possible to develop their talents in these fields. A great example of this is Smartiz, a series of mathematical and programming sessions for high school girls organized in collaboration with the Women in Science Association. We are also proud that during the festival, our volunteer staff, in addition to chess, introduced dozens of children to the mysteries of robot programming.” Polgár Judit vs. 76,000 Chess Players Those who visited the National Gallery on Saturday witnessed a unique hybrid chess simul, where Judit Polgár played against 29 selected players, as well as Tania Sachdev, the Indian champion, Chess Olympiad bronze medalist, influencer, and Alessia Santeramo, the Italian champion, Chess Olympiad participant, streamer, and their communities. Decision-making played a significant role here as well, as the two influencers asked their followers what their next move should be. The organizers had a special world premiere for the festival’s second day. Over 200,000 people followed the unconventional e-sports event, the chess triathlon, on Sunday, where four mixed teams competed in three events. The unconventional contest of chess mixed teams (Gellért Karácsonyi & Dana Reizniece-Ozola, Alessia Santeramo & David Howell, Zsóka Gaál & Ferenc Berkes, Miguel Illescas & Olga Alexandrova) was won by team Mighty Fox, Zsóka Gaál & Ferenc Berkes. “We can achieve significant changes in life, especially in leadership positions, both at social and global levels, if we can understand the consequences of our decisions and adapt to new situations. I believe that we should be open to the world and all changes, and it is worth teaching this to our kids. Our goal is to prepare children for the challenges of the future through chess, with the Chess Palace program, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, so that they can make the best decisions in their adulthood. We hope that this year’s Global Chess Festival was able to pass on not only the love of the game but also the recipe for making good decisions to the visitors,” said Judit Polgár. The programs of this year’s festival can be viewed at the following link: https://www.globalchessfestival.com/index.php/en/live The festival summary video can be viewed at the following link: https://youtu.be/691En9gzrJA?si=w90KpzDl3nnfTyl1 More information: press@juditpolgar.com
FIDE WCCC 2023 kicks off in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt
The World Cadets Chess Championship 2023 commenced today in the International Youth and Sport City, Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. The event, held in six categories (Open U-8, Girls U-8, Open U-10, Girls U-10, Open U12 and Girls U-12) brought together 502 young players representing 66 national federations. All six Swiss tournaments with classical time control run concurrently in a spacious arena. Attending the opening ceremony were President of Egyptian Chess Federation Hesham Elgendy, General Mayor of Sharm el-Sheikh representing Governor of South Sinai Ramah Hashim, FIDE Special Tasks Director Akaki Iashvili, Senator Ramy Galal, Deputy Minister of Sports of Egypt Mohamed Fathi who addressed the participants in short speeches and wished them good luck. After Senator Ramy Galal made the first ceremonial move the competition got underway. In less than two-week time we will know all six champions. Regulations for FIDE WCCC 2023 Photos: Sergei Indeikin Official website: wccc2023.com/
2023 IBCA World Championship: Tazbir leads, Magnusson elected as new President
After seven rounds played at the The 2023 IBCA World Chess Championship for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Rhodes, GM Marcin Tazbir of Poland is leading the race with 6.5 points. IM Predrag Nikac (Montenegro) is following closely with 6.0 points while FM Alexey Streltsov (Israel) and Yuriy Bibikov (Kazakhstan) are tied for third place on 5.5/7. Top 10 after seven rounds: 1 GM Tazbir, Marcin POL 2499 6½ 2 IM Nikac, Predrag MNE 2283 6 3 FM Streltsov, Alexey ISR 2343 5½ 4 Bibikov, Yuriy KAZ 2050 5½ 5 IM Dukaczewski, Piotr POL 2088 5 6 Kolpakov, Vladyslav UKR 2238 5 7 IM Stachanczyk, Jacek POL 2066 5 8 Grybas, Gintaras LTU 1921 5 9 FM Magnusson, Jorgen SWE 2240 5 10 IM Nizam, Rasim BUL 2150 5 Complete standings and Round 8 pairings The IBCA Congress was also held in Rodos Palace hotel on Sunday morning and a new Presidential Board was elected for 2023-2025, in accordance with article 1.3 of the IBCA Electoral Regulations. More details about the elections procedure and the 2 nominated candidates can be found on the official website of IBCA: https://ibca-info.org/2023-ibca-elections A total of 52 countries are members of IBCA and 34 countries casted their vote. The final results of the IBCA elections 2023 were: 1. Ticket of Presidential candidate Jörgen Magnusson (Sweden): Votes: 23Percentage: 67.65% 2. Ticket of Presidential candidate Sergio Harnandan (Netherlands): Votes: 11Percentage: 32.35% The President of IBCA for the term 2023-2025 now is FM Jörgen Magnusson (pictured below). The new Presidential Board also includes IM Piotr Dukaczewski (Poland) and IM Nikos Kalesis (Greece) as Vice-Presidents, Olivier Deville (France) as General Secretary and Thorsten Müller (Germany) as Treasurer. The previous President of IBCA Dr. Jadhav Charudatta (India) has been approved unanimously by the Congress as Honorary President in recognition of his tremendous work for IBCA. Photo highlights of the event: https://facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=chessingreece&set=a.802210368367921 IBCA official website: ibca-info.org