PlusCity Grand Prix: All set for the strongest XXI century chess event in Austria
A popular chess festival in the PlusCity shopping center (Linz, Austria) organized by ÖSB President Michael Stöttinger is returning this year even bigger. The PlusCity Rapid and Blitz Grand Prix stretching from June 30 to July, 2023, includes Rapid (10+5) and Blitz (3+2) tournaments and the Open Austrian Team Championship. All three competitions are Swiss tournaments (15, 9 and 9-round respectively). The prize fund amounts to EUR 50,000, surpassing that of the European Rapid and Blitz Championship (EUR 44,000). In the individual competitions, EUR 5,000 is reserved for the winners (EUR 2,500 in both rapid and blitz), with money prizes for the top 10 finishers. In addition, prizes are awarded in eight rating categories as well as to women and young people U12, U14, U16 and U18. The event can boast a strong lineup that includes Etienne Bacrot (FRA), Parham Maghsoodloo (IRI), Eduardo Iturrizaga (SPA), Alan Pichot (ARG), Arkadij Naiditsch (AZE), Zdenko Kozul (CRO), Georg Meier (URU), Anna Muzychuk (UKR) and many other titled players. CONTACT: grandprix@grandmaster.eu Regulations PlusCity Rapid and Blitz Grand Prix (in German and English)
World Schools Team Championship 2023 in Aktau, Kazakhstan: Registration is open
FIDE and the Kazakhstan Chess Federation invite all FIDE member federations and eligible players to participate in the World Schools Team Championship 2023 (WSTC). The competition will be held in Aktau, Kazakhstan (Caspian seaside) from August 3 (arrivals) to August 8 (departures), 2023. The playing venue is Halyk Arena. The championship will be played in two categories: Under 12 (players who shall not have reached the age of 12 before January 1, 2023). Under 18 (players who shall not have reached the age of 18 before January 1, 2023). National Federations may allocate a maximum of three qualifying places to the two categories in total. Each team shall consist of four main players, one reserve, and one non-playing captain. All members of the team must have a FIDE ID. About 50 National Federations first to enter with preliminary confirmation of participation in WSTC have already received the right to nominate one of their teams to have “invited team” status (with free accommodation and a travel grant), and the Organizing Committee will contact them directly. The deadline for registration is July 3, 2023. The registration form is available for all the teams via the following link: https://wstcc2023.fide.com/registration/ FIDE member federations will be able to add data or modify the registration using an edit link before the registration deadline. The edit link will be delivered via an official email provided during the registration. Photos for accreditation and passport data for a visa should be prepared beforehand. Contact email: wstcc@fide.com Regulations and invitation letter (pdf) Photo: welcome.kz
Global Chess League Day 4: SG Alpine Warriors grab the lead
Dubai, 25th June 2023 – The fourth day of the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League started with a huge upset as the team of Ganges Grandmasters, who have been dominating the first three days of the event suffered a defeat at the hands of Ronnie Screwvala’s upGrad Mumba Masters. The heroes of the day are the team of SG Alpine Warriors, who won both of their matches to emerge at the top of the scoreboard. After a tough start, the Chingari Gulf Titans scored their first victory, giving them a chance to reach the finals. It was a busy day in Dubai as a large number of spectators came to follow the matches in the Global Chess League. The crowd exploded with excitement when the famous Indian cricket player Yuzvendra Chahal appeared, to support the team of SG Alpine Warriors. Ganges Grandmasters vs upGrad Mumba Masters (6:11) This was an encounter between the leaders of the Global Chess League and the team in the middle. The Ganges Grandmasters have been dominating the league, having won all three matches played and securing nine match points. The story was somewhat different for upGrad Mumba Masters: they won one match, lost one and drew one, and started day four from the middle of the scoreboard with four match points. Having won the coin toss, the Ganges Grandmasters decided to play with white pieces. Despite the first-move advantage, things didn’t go their way. Harika Dronavalli got the first victory of the match, beating Bella Khotenashvili and gaining important four game points for the upGrad Mumba Masters. As other games ended in a draw, Viswanathan Anand managed to strike back on board one where he was playing the best French player Maxime Vachier-Lagrave who was leading black pieces. The Frenchman opted to give up a pawn in the opening for some initiative. In a sharp exchange, the Frenchman misplayed when he put his queen on the wrong square and ended in a losing position which he couldn’t save. Despite this victory, the team of Ganges Grandmasters were staring at defeat in the match as Richard Rapport was losing to none other than the great Alexander Grischuk, who became the hero of the match, having sealed the victory and three crucial match points for the upGrad Mumba Masters. The playing hall at the Le Meridien Hotel erupted with excitement and joy after the match, as team upGrad Mumba Masters supporters celebrated their victory. A big blow for Ganges Grandmasters and a huge confidence boost for upGrad Mumba Masters. Chingari Gulf Titans vs SG Alpine Warriors (6:11) In another surprise of the day, the team of SG Alpine Warriors won the coin toss but opted to play as Black. This is the second time it has happened in the Global Chess League that a team winning the coin flip decided to pin their hopes more on Black (due to an extra point in case Black wins) than on the initiative of the first move. On board one, it was Jan-Krzysztof Duda against the reigning world champion in rapid and blitz, Magnus Carlsen. It was Duda who ended Carlsen’s world record run of 125 games unbeaten and who knocked him out of the World Cup back in 2021. Despite Duda’s obtaining a slightly better position, Magnus managed to unsettle the white king and, in the end, and went for a threefold check repetition. It seems Carlsen wanted to avoid taking any risks against the man who broke his longest winning streak. The match was tough as halfway on, neither side managed to make a breakthrough. Mamedyarov was the first to score, defeating Gukesh and bringing Titans first three game points in the match. Then came a giant blow: in a completely winning position, Titans’ Nihal Sarin was under time pressure and made a fatal error giving away the victory to the Warriors and a one-point edge in the match. As three more games ended in a draw, all eyes turned to the game between Polina Shuvalova and Elisabeth Paehtz. In a rook endgame, Paehtz was better and defeated her opponent with black pieces, securing victory for the Warriors. This win launched the SG Alpine Warriors to the top, next to Ganges Grandmasters, with both teams now on nine match points (but team GG has a better game points score – 38 vs 34). The second two matches of the day saw the Chingari Gulf Titans win their first match convincingly, despite playing with black pieces. Balan Alaskan Knights vs Chingari Gulf Titans (3:15) This was the first time in the Global Chess League that a team was playing a round back-to-back. The Balan Alaskan Knights won the coin flip and decided to play as White. Both the Titans and the Knights suffered three defeats in four matches; while the Knights managed to win one team encounter, the Titans were yet to bag their first match victory. The Titans came out swinging from the start – both Mamedyarov and former women’s World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk gained a decisive advantage in their matches, raising hopes for a first victory for the Chingari Gulf Titans. Also, Polina Shuvalova secured an edge against Nino Batsiashvili. The Knights were in trouble as the only board where they achieved some advantage was in the game where Teimour Radjabov was slightly better against Daniil Dubov. In the match of the women’s World Champions – Kosteniuk, playing as Black, forced Tan Zhongyi to surrender. Moments after, Mamedyarov, also as Black, defeated the 2021 World Rapid Champion Nodirbek Abdusattorov, giving more wind to the Titans’ sails. Duda and Nepomniachtchi agreed on a draw, but then also Teimour Radjabov (the only player with a more promising position in this match in the Knights team) drew with Dubov. Things were definitely going south for the Knights. The final blow came when Sadhwani misplayed and allowed Nihal Sarin to score – a third black victory for the Knights! Despite having a better position, Polina Shuvalova wasn’t confident in the
Global Chess League Day 3: Ganges Grandmasters reign supreme
Dubai, 24th June 2023 – The Ganges Grandmasters maintained their dominant streak as they kicked off the third day of the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League (GCL) with yet another impressive victory. They are the only team in the Global Chess League to have three victories out of all three matches. SG Alpine Warriors – Triveni Continental Kings (8:7) The first match of the day was a duel between two teams in the middle of the scoreboard, looking to make a push to the top. Following the first two rounds, both had three Match Points each and 15 Game Points. The coin toss decided that Triveni Continental Kings would play as white. The team achieved the initiative from early on. The most anticipated encounter took place on board one with a faceoff between two icon players, world heavyweight Levon Aronian (as White) and the highest-rated chess player, Magnus Carlsen. Both sides put up a fierce fight, and Carlsen ended up defending an uncomfortable position with a minute on his clock against Aronian’s eighth. Aronian pushed hard, but Magnus, the best endgame player in the world, was confident and held his opponent to a draw. As two other games ended in a draw, the score was 3:3. The first break came when GM Yu defeated Gukesh with white, scoring important three game points for the Kings. The tables turned on the Kings when Indian Praggnanandhaa beat Jonas Bjerre, scoring four game points and erasing the advantage created by Yu. Everything was hanging on the game between Irina Krush (SG Alpine Warriors) and Kateryna Lagno (Continental Kings). Despite Krush’s creating a dominating position, both sides were in serious time trouble. The fact that Lagno is a three-time World Champion in Blitz came in handy as she managed to keep her nerve and get a draw. The final score of the match was 7:8 in Game Points for SG Alpine Warriors, giving them another critical three match points. In the post-game interview, Carlsen noted that “wins with Black are so valuable” (as they bring four instead of three points which White gets for victory), which makes the whole thing more exciting. “People are still trying to find the optimal strategy here and we’re seeing some interesting decisions that you don’t see in team chess”. Ganges Grandmasters Vs Balan Alaskan Knights (11:6) It was an encounter between the two leaders on the scoreboard. The match began with an intriguing prelude as Henrik Carlsen, the father of Magnus Carlsen, conducted the coin toss to determine the colours. The flip favoured the Ganges Grandmasters, and they picked to play with White. Right from the outset, it was clear that the Ganges Grandmasters were not ready to relinquish their hold on the tournament. Board one witnessed a swift draw between Viswanathan Anand and Ian Nepomniachtchi, where the leader of the Balan Alaskan Knights made 30 moves without even spending a minute! Simultaneously, things were firing up on board six between two prodigies: GG’s Andrey Esipenko took the initiative early on against Raunak Sadhwani and went on winning. Soon, team Balan Alaskan Knights found themselves in trouble as they were losing on more boards. The only ray of hope for them was in the Chinese matchup on board four. In a game between two former women’s World Champions, Ganges Grandmasters’ Hou Yifan was losing badly to Tan Zhongyi playing as Black, making an important comeback for the Knights. However, at the same time, Ganges’ Leinier Dominguez Perez and Richard Rapport had a significant advantage in their games. While Perez converted his into a victory, Rapport blundered in time trouble, allowing his opponent Abdusattorov to escape with a draw. Despite an impressive rook sacrifice, Balan Alaskan Knights’ Bella Khotenashvili lost to her Georgian compatriot Nino Batsiashvili which was very disappointing. With a commanding score of 11 game points to 6, the Ganges Grandmasters secured yet another triumphant victory, solidifying their position at the top of the leaderboard and earning three valuable match points. After three days of play at the inaugural Tech Mahindra Global Chess League, the team of Ganges Grandmasters is at the top, having won all three matches they played. With 9 match points out of three matches, Ganges Grandmasters have a significant lead. They are chased by Triveni Continental Kings, who are on six match points and have the same number of game points as GG (32) but have played four matches. SG Alpine Warriors are also on six match points but have 23 game points. upGrad Mumba Masters have four match points, and Balan Alaskan Knights have three, but they are the second team in the Global Chess League to have played four matches. Chingari Gulf Titans have a tough challenge ahead. They are at the bottom of the board, with just one match point, having failed to win any of the matches. Here follows a detailed look at the final two matches of the third day of the Global Chess League. upGrad Mumba Masters vs Chingari Gulf Titans (6:6) Chingari Gulf Titans entered this match as the only team without a victory in the Global Chess League after the first two days. Commencing with black pieces, they had a difficult task to tackle. While the teams exhibited equal strength on the top three boards at the outset of the round, the momentum on the bottom three boards was shifting towards upGrad Mumba Masters: India’s top woman player Humpy Koneru managed to take the initiative against the former World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk following a slip. India’s second top-rated woman player Harika Dronavalli was pressuring Polina Shuvalova, and Javokhir Sindarov got an edge against Nihal Sarin. As the games on the top boards ended in a draw drama unfolded on the last board, where Sindarov made a grave mistake and found himself in a lost position. However, Nihal Sarin made a blunder in a completely winning position and allowed Sindarov to make a lucky escape with a draw. Following a draw on board five between Shuvalova
European Solving Championship: Polish solvers regain titles, Lithuanians keep rising
Photo: Eddy van Beers (Belgium, bronze), Kacper Piorun (Poland, gold) and Piotr Murdzia (Poland, silver) The season of the official solving competitions organized by the World Federation for Chess Composition is getting closer to its final and the most important stage: the 46th World Chess Solving Championship in Batumi (September 2-9). The 16th European Chess Solving Championship is in the books, and only four more legs of the World Solving Cup 2022/23 remain. The European Chess Solving Championship brought together 75 solvers from 18 countries in sunny and friendly Bratislava at the entrance to the Old City. As usual, the ECSC festival included several solving and composing tournaments. The major event, European Team and Individual Championship, went smoothly, officiated by experienced FIDE Solving Judge Marko Klasinc from Slovenia. Being FIDE Master for Chess Composition and FIDE Solving Master helped him to select a set of 18 solver-friendly compositions of high artistic quality. None of them was too difficult, but all together, they were tough enough to prevent even the best solvers from scoring the maximum of 90 points. Waiting for the new set of problems to solve The problems were spread over six rounds, each including three entries from different genres: 1. twomovers (20 minutes), 2. threemovers (60 minutes), 3. endgames (100 minutes), 4.selfmates (50 minutes), 5. moremovers (80 minutes) and 6. helpmates (50 minutes). The main favourites, multiple world champions Piotr Murdzia and Kacper Piorun, cruised through the first day with perfect results, the same as the 4th seed Marko Filipović from Croatia. The challenges and tension started mounting on the second day. Filipović lost 5 points on selfmates and gave up third place to Vladimir Podinić from Serbia, who in turn lost all 15 points in the next round of moremovers. Meanwhile, the Polish duo kept their cool and had perfect results all the way to the final round. Before three helpmates, later easily solved by several solvers (the shortest time was only 23 out of 50 minutes), Murdzia had a slight advantage in time over Piorun (250:259 minutes) and an excellent chance to win. The last round proved that tension affects even the best of the best. It all came down to the last two problems. The first one was a helpmate in four moves with two intended solutions. 1 Helpmate in 4 moves, 2 solutions Both leaders found only one solution, each of them missing a different one. Since both spent a maximum of 50 minutes and missed one solution each, it looked as if Murdzia won on time tiebreak, but see what happened with one of his solutions in helpmate in 2 moves: 2 Helpmate in 2 moves, 3 solutions This complex position, with three different pawn batteries set to open the lines of wB, wR and wQ, hides unusual regrouping of white guns in each solution. Probably, the trickiest solution is 1.Kf4 Rc4 2.Bxg7! e5# Eight-minute difference decided the tight race between the two favourites in the 2023 Polish Championship, but this time around 9 minutes had no importance as, in a hurry, the 8-time World champion switched the order of two black moves and wrote 1.Bxg7, jumping over the wRc3 on the first move. This rarely-seen blunder (1.5 points) was enough for Kacper Piorun to finally celebrate his first European victory after already having five world champion titles under his belt. Eddy van Beers from Belgium won the bronze medal and completed the expected domination of the top three seeds. Kamila Hryshchenko (GBR; below, center), Denisa-Andreea Bucur (ROU; below, left) and Daria Dvoeglazova (ISR; below, right) became the best female solvers (pictured with WFCC President Marjan Kovačević). With the top two individual scores, the Polish solvers had a massive chance for team victory, but it was not guaranteed since the three best results of four team members count in each round. Piotr Górski, another ex-world champion, was the only team member to have perfect 45 points on the second day, while Jakub Marciniszyn contributed in the 2nd, 3rd and 6th rounds. This lucky combination explains the convincing Polish win with 260 out of possible 270 points: when one of the solvers had a bad round, the other three made up for that! With their sixth European title, Polish solvers matched the record held by Serbian team, but in the meantime, new contenders for team medals emerged. Lithuanian solvers started their rise in 2018 when Martynas Limontas won the World Solving Cup and kept winning medals in this prestigious competition. Thanks to these impressive results, Lithuanian solvers got strong support on the governmental level, and this year another rising star was born. Aged under 18, Kevinas Kuznecovas reeled off several victories at the World Solving Cup to become the overall WSC leader after 13 out of 17 WSC legs. Given that his countryman Limontas holds 2nd WSC place, the silver medal for the Lithuanian team was no surprise, but the two WSC leaders wouldn’t have made it alone. Vidmantas Satkus became a hero of the team climbing to the 5th individual place, while Viktoras Paliulionis also contributed in a tense last round. Checking solutions after a round The bronze medal for the Slovakian team was a great satisfaction for the hosts and their organizing team. Having an average rating much lower than the 4th placed Serbian team, Tomáš Peitl, Richard Dobiáš, Juraj Lörinc and Marek Kolčák leapfrogged the defending champions and put the icing on the cake of their organizing efforts. Once again, the team’s success didn’t come from the sum of individual results but from a lucky match in each round, which usually comes with good team spirit. In fact, Marek Kolčák and Tomáš Peitl weren’t solving only chess problems in Bratislava. They were among the main members of the ECSC organizing committee, together with Marián Križovenský, Tomáš Peitl, Ľubomír Širáň and Milan Šumný. As mentioned before, ECSC is a massive festival, and this time, the organizers had to take care of not less than four different solving events and two thematic tournaments in composing. Marek Kolčák, an architect by profession, engaged several members of his artistically inclined family to help surf through the organizing duties. His daughter Nela Kolčák was on registering desk, his brother-in-low Erik Rothenstein was performing a musical program on saxophone during ceremonies, and his mother Běla Kolčáková inspired the official banner with one of her chess paintings
FIDE World Cup 2023: Official website is launched
The official website of the FIDE World Cup 2023 and FIDE Women’s World Cup 2023 is up. All the information related to these competitions can be found there. The event has seen its combined prize pool boosted to a whopping USD 2.5 million, the single largest one at any chess event in the world. The knock-out chess extravaganza, held every two years, will celebrate its 10th edition in Baku, Azerbaijan, from July 30 to August 24, 2023. The opening ceremony is scheduled for July 29, and all the first-round matches will be played on July 30. Photo: azernews.az/ Both competitions will be held at the Baku Marriott Hotel Boulevard. 146 of the 206 participants in the World Cup 2023 in Baku, and 71 of the 103 Women’s World Cup participants, have already been confirmed. The field will be completed between June 15-30, at the conclusion of the Zonal tournaments and the period that eligible federations have been given to submit their nominations. FIDE World Cup 2023 official website: worldcup2023.fide.com/
Global Chess League: Chess legends face off
The second day of the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League witnessed the debut of Magnus Carlsen, the strongest chess player in the world. Carlsen played his first game against Ian Nepomniachtchi, a two-time challenger for the world crown. SG Alpine Warriors – Balan Alaskan Knights (9-7) The first to face each other were the teams of SG Alpine Warriors and Balan Alaskan Knights. The match saw the two strongest players of the event making their first appearance in the Global Chess League – the current world champion in rapid and blitz and the top-rated player in the world, Magnus Carlsen, and the two-time world champion candidate, Ian Nepomniachtchi. The game was largely calm ending in a draw relatively quickly, which was not the case for the rest of the games. Balan Alaskan Knights gained a significant advantage as Teimour Radjabov won as black, earning them four crucial points. Fortunately for the SG Alpine Warriors, they made a comeback with two victories, securing six points. After draws on two other boards the result was 8-6 for SG Alpine Warriors. Everything was hanging on the last game between Indian chess hope Gukesh D who was up against Nodirbek Abdusattorov, the 2021 rapid world champion. Abdusattorov made a strong push from the early stages, but Gukesh managed to hold his ground, ensuring his team’s victory with a final score of 9-7. “I had a small edge but it was largely even through. I wanted to play a more interesting game but this one went the way it did,” said Carlsen who also noted that he is excited to be taking part in this event which is more dynamic and different to most others in chess. Chingari Gulf Titans – Triveni Continental Kings (7-8) In match four the Chingari Gulf Titans played as white against Triveni Continental Kings. Both started with a defeat on the first day and were looking for their first victory. It started well for the Titans whose players obtained better positions and grabbed the initiative in the match. In the duel of the prodigies, Nihal Sarin scored an impressive victory against Jonas Buhl Bjere, setting the Titans off to a good start. However, following a mistake in a tense game, Daniil Dubov allowed Wei Yi to score as black, making a comeback for the Triveni Continental Kings. As the four other games ended in a draw – including between heavyweights Jan-Krzystof Duda and Levon Aronian, this meant that Wei Yi’s victory was crucial to secure them an overall edge of 8:7 in the match. The second half of the second day of the Tech Mahindra Global Chess League witnessed the great Vishy Anand face off against Magnus Carlsen when SG Alpine Warriors went up against Ganges Grandmasters. The SG Alpine Warriors were playing their second match of the day, winning the coin toss, they opted to play with the white pieces. Ganges Grandmasters – SG Alpine Warriors (11-6) All eyes were on board one where – for the first time in years – Magnus Carlsen was up against Vishy Anand, the man he beat in 2013 to claim the title of world champion for the first time. Carlsen seized the initiative early in the game and soon won a pawn. The former world champion Vishy Anand was in a tough sport – defending an inferior position, he gradually fell into time trouble. After an exchange of heavy pieces, Carlsen ended up in a significantly better endgame and step-by-step converted his advantage. In the end, Anand had to resign to his old foe. In the post-game interview, Carlsen and Anand shared their thoughts and impressions on the game and what it means to play one another. “There’s always a special touch when we play”, said Anand. “It was good to play Vishy, but right now, I am more concerned about my team”, Carlsen added. And he was right. Luckily for the Ganges Grandmasters, they bounced back. Carlsen’s attention proved well-placed as the Ganges Grandmasters made a remarkable comeback, securing victories on boards two and five. Richard Rapport convincingly defeated GM Gukesh, while Bela Khotenashvili triumphed over Elisabeth Paehtz. With the remaining three games ending in draws, despite their loss on board one, the Ganges Grandmasters crushed the SG Alpine Warriors by a final score of 11 to 6. Balan Alaskan Knights – Triveni Continental Kings (14-5) Both sides went in hard and the games were tough. Following a slip of the wrist as early as move eighth, Nino Batsiashvili ended up in a worse position against one of the top Indian female players in the world, Harika Dronavalli. However, while Batsiashvili was managing to hang on, her teammates Tan Zhongyi and Raunak Sadhwani scored victories, giving their team a huge eight-point lead early on. With top-icon players Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Ian Nepomniachtchi drawing, the pressure was on Grischuk and Vidit to save the day for upGrad Mumba Masters. As is often the case for Grischuk, he ended up in time trouble early. Despite managing to hang on, he eventually misplayed and lost. At the same time, Dronavalli finally brought Batsiashvili to defeat – it was clear the Balan Alaskan Knights won the match. Although the winner of the match had already been decided, this was not the end. Vidit Gujrathi of upGrad Mumba Masters achieved a winning position against Teimour Radjabov but found himself in desperate time trouble. Radjabov kept posing problems, fighting back, and Vidit finally slipped. In the end, it was a draw, after 123 moves! Day round-up – June 23, 2023 Match 3 SG Alpine Warriors 9 – 7 Balan Alaskan Knights Queen of the match – Irina Krush King of the match – Teimour Radjabov Match 4 Triveni Continental Kings 8 – 7 Chingari Gulf Titans Queen of the match – Polina Shuvalova King of the match – Wei Yi Match 5 Ganges Grandmasters 11 – 6 SG Alpine Warriors Queen of the match – Bella Khotenashvili King of the match – Richard Rapport Match 6 Balan Alaskan Knights 14 – 5 upGrad Mumba Masters Queen of the match – Harika Dronavalli King of the match – Raunak Sadhwani Text: Milan Dinic Photos: Global Chess
Сhess revolution has started: Global Chess League kicked off with the first two matches
Dubai, June 22, 2023 – The inaugural edition of the Global Chess League, which aims to revolutionise chess, has started in Dubai, with the first two matches taking place. Just before 5.30 PM local time in Dubai, when the first match was due to start, viewers from across the world tuned in to a broadcast to follow the games live on TV. In a first for chess – the game was broadcast live to sports networks on both sides of the Atlantic, from America to Australia. They were all witnessing history in the making as the first two matches of the Global Chess League unfolded on a world stage. For the first time ever, chess employs a well-established football practice of flipping the coin to choose the side. In the case of chess, the flip of a coin was used to decide the colour of the pieces. In another novelty, the entire team was playing with the same colour of pieces, unlike in standard chess events where both teams have an equal number of black and white boards. In the new circumstances, the side playing with white pieces has the initial advantage of the first move, which might prove valuable for the outcome. upGrad Mumba edges behind Triveni Continental The first teams to face each other were Triveni Continental Kings, who were up against upGrad Mumba Masters. After the coin toss, it was decided that Triveni Continental Kings would be playing with white pieces, giving a small but important edge to the team in their first match. Led by Levon Aronian, a super GM who has long been among the world’s best players, the Triveni Continental Kings played a steady match vs upGrad Mumba Masters. Despite the initiative of the first move, the Kings failed to capitalise on their advantage. In a slightly better position and with more time, Levon Aronian misplayed and allowed Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (another Icon player of the Global Chess League) to equalise and bring the game to a draw. The team faced another setback when Chinese Grandmaster Yu Yangyi suffered a defeat at the hands of another heavyweight, Alexander Grischuk, giving upGrad Mumba Masters an important advantage as a victory with black pieces counts as four points. Yu Yangyi – Alexander Grischuk Having outplayed his opponent in the Italian Game Alexander chose the simplest and safest way to capitalize on his positional advantage. After 32…Qxh2+ 33. Qxh2 Bxh2 34. Kxh2 Bxf5 35. Bxf5 Rxf5 36. Ng3 Rg5 37. f4 Rg4 38. Nf5 Nxf4 39. Rg1 Rg2+ Black slowly but surely converted his two extra pawns in an endgame 0-1 Despite Yu’s compatriot Wie Yi scoring a victory against India’s Vidit Gujrathi and earning three points, the Kings were still a point short. Unfortunately for them, all three other games ended in a draw. It meant that upGrad Mumba Masters secured eight points while the Triveni Continental Kings ended on seven, thus losing the match, despite the initial white pieces advantage. Apart from the eight points achieved in their games, the winning team was awarded another three points for winning the match. In the post-match press conference, Levon Aronian and Maxime Vachier-Lagerave shared their thoughts about the match and the new concept of organising chess events. “This event is unusual for us as we are in a team with players we know well, but with whom we have never actually been playing as team members, and this event features a completely new concept,” both Levon and Maxime noted. “I feel a lot of responsibility. You are familiar with these players but usually as opponents, not as members of the same team. Also, as the leading player in the team I feel I have to motivate others”, said Levon Aronian. “In our team Sasha Grischuk [one of the most experienced top players in the Global Chess League] made us all feel inspired. He showed us motivation, and that is what is needed when in a new surrounding, playing a new event”, said Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. Both agreed that this new concept brings “excitement” and “novelty” to chess, which will improve the way the game is seen. “Both Levon and I are strong advocates for bringing the media and the public more into chess, and events like this help a lot”, said Maxime Vachier Lagrave. Ganges Grandmasters secure a huge victory over Chingari Gulf Titans The second match of the day was between Ganges Grandmasters and Chingari Gulf Titans. The Ganges Grandmasters were lucky to make their debut at the GCL playing with the white pieces. The Ganges team has seasoned and experienced world players such as the legendary Indian GM and five-time world champion Vishy Anand as well as the former women’s world champion Hou Yifan. The team also has Richard Rapport, one of the most creative chess players of the younger generation, who played a crucial role in Ding Liren’s path to securing the world chess crown (acting as his second and advising him during the match for the world title). The advantage of playing with white pieces and experience came in handy as Vishy Anand beat Jan-Krzysztof Duda, the winner of the World Cup 2021. Vishy Anand – Jan-Krzysztof Duda Black’s king is left alone and Vishy immediately jumps on the opportunity to launch a deadly attack. 36. g5! fxg5 37. Qxe5 Qa6 38. f4 gxf4 39. Nd5 Bxd5 40. Rg1+ and Jan-Krzysztof resigned facing imminent checkmate 1-0 Vishy’s early victory gave an important boost to the Ganges team. Hou Yifan was the second to score, defeating another former Women’s World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk, in a thrilling game. Those two victories were the only decisive outcomes of the match, as the other four games ended in a draw. In the end, the Ganges Grandmasters won with ten game points, while the Titans ended on four. With an added three match points following their victory, the Ganges Grandmasters have had an excellent start and have capitalised hugely on their advantage of playing with white pieces. Vishy Anand was clearly happy after the match and
National preparations for FIDE World Schools Team Championship go big around the Globe
The inaugural edition of the FIDE World Schools Team Championship will take place in Aktau, Kazakhstan from August 3-8, 2023. With just a little more than a month left, national federations are forming their teams and evaluating the results of the first stage of this global event, the national scholastic championships. One of the perks of being quick to register is that the first 50 National Federations can nominate one of their teams for an “invited team” status and receive free accommodation and travel grants. But first and foremost, it is vital to form a formidable lineup! Many countries included the FIDE flagship event in the existing system of their national school competitions. For example, in Austria, the scholastic championship is held in four categories – Oberstufe, Unterstufe, Volksschule, and Mädchen, and the team winner of Oberstufe (Under 18) is eager to take part in the World Championship. Germany, Bulgaria, Kenya, and other federations chose this path, too. Many of them, like Belgium or Barbados, already held their national championships earlier in the year. In Greece, 116 teams and 1300+ children participated in the national championships! Now, the winners got a fantastic opportunity to defend their colors at the international level. Belgian school championship On the other side of the Atlantic, 19 teams from all over Canada participated in a dedicated hybrid qualifier for the Finals. In another part of the world, Bhutan also organized a special National Team Championship at the beginning of June to find out who’s going to Kazakhstan. The new FIDE event inspired some federations, like Cyprus or Pakistan, to hold their first-ever national school team chess championships. 1st Pakistan School Chess Championship Some federations, like Ecuador or England, are still to hold their national qualifiers at the end of June and July. It is inspiring to see the quick and enthusiastic response from the chess federations all over the Globe, showcasing how massive the scholastic chess movement is and promising a fantastic World Championship in August. Zimbabwe School Chess Championship, district level
GCL makes its grand debut: “A brand new revolution in an ancient sport”
The inaugural edition of the Global Chess League officially opened in Dubai in a ceremony which saw tech entrepreneurs, big sports names and chess fans celebrate the launching of a project which will showcase the game in a completely different light Dubai, known for its innovative spirit, has become home to another pioneering project, this time in the world of chess. Following the match for the title of World Champion in 2021 between Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi, the city has again embraced chess, but this time, it seems, on a much grander scale. The ceremony marked the beginning of an exciting new chapter for chess, as the Global Chess League aims to revolutionize the game and expand its reach globally. India’s tech giant Tech Mahindra partnered with the International Chess Federation (FIDE) to launch the first chess franchise, the Global Chess League, which promises to make the game more accessible to everyone, regardless of their level of play. Among the VIPs at the event were HE Saeed Mohammed Hareb (Secretary General of the Dubai Sports Council), Anand Mahindra (Chairman of the Mahindra Group), Arkady Dvorkovich (President of the International Chess Federation, FIDE) famous Australian cricketer Steve Waugh, Indian tennis star Sania Mirza as well as CP Gurnani (Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Tech Mahindra). They were joined by Parag Shah, Director – Global Chess League and Member of Group Executive Board, Mahindra Group, and Jagdish Mitra, Chairperson of the Global Chess League Board. It all started with a tweet Speaking at the ceremony, the visionary behind the Global Chess League, Anand Mahindra (Chairman of the Mahindra Group), shared the story about how the event was born. “In 2020, I was watching the Chess Olympiad online. I got hooked on it because of the commentary of some young chess enthusiasts who also happen to be comedians. I tweeted about this, complimenting them. One of them replied to my tweet and threw me a challenge – if you like this, why don’t you create a chess league as you did in other sports? So, I started this. A few days later [FIDE President] Arkady Dvorkovich got in touch saying he saw my tweet, and here we are today”, Anand Mahindra said. “Some of the best ideas in the world happen from a series of happy coincidences”, the Chairman of the Mahindra Group said. He emphasized the league’s commitment to advancing chess and fostering its growth worldwide. We are making “a brand new revolution in an ancient sport”, Mahindra concluded. “The Champions League of Chess” The President of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) Arkady Dvorkovich thanked Tech Mahindra and the Indian companies taking part for putting the Global Chess League together, creating a partnership “built on trust”. “We started this journey a long time ago, and the story Anand Mahindra told about how this whole thing started is true. This project brings a fresh look at chess and more technology – something we sometimes forget when organizing traditional events”, the President of FIDE said. Dvorkovich highlighted the important role the Global Chess League will play in expanding the game of chess and furthering its global reach. “We want to make a Champions League of chess, and I hope we succeed in it”, said Dvorkovich. An eye on chess in every part of the world One of the key aspects of the Global Chess League is the aim to use new technologies to provide better and more understandable access to chess to a broader (non-chess) audience. Tech Mahindra’s MD & CEO, CP Gurnani shared his company’s plan to leverage technology and digital transformation to enhance the chess experience for fans worldwide. “When I went to look at the venue, I had tears in my eyes. Not because of the journey we took, but how the sport will now look. I saw dozens of cameras in the playing venue and some of them belong to global sports broadcasters from all around the world. That gave me a huge confidence that at the launch of the Global Chess League we are witnessing a movement which will translate into big numbers and transform the game”. CP Gurnani’s speech emphasized the league’s commitment to embracing innovation and placing fans at the heart of the project across the globe. The guests were then shown a video – The Big Move – taking them on a journey through history, transition and the future of chess. The video was accompanied by an act featuring dancers whose performance symbolized the evolution of the game and its integration into contemporary society. Chess in every sport Cricket is a big game in India and the Gulf area, so it was no surprise that the audience erupted with applause when Australian cricket legend Steve Waugh appeared on stage. He was joined by Indian tennis star Sania Mirza. The two took part in a discussion about the connection between chess and cricket. “The more I think about it, the more I see that, in a lot of ways, cricket is very similar to chess. A lot of strategy, thinking ahead, planning”, Steve Waugh said. “I was a team captain, and the camera was most often on me. I didn’t always want my emotions to be seen. There is a lot of bluffing involved in cricket, and I guess there is some of that in chess in a way – you need to portray confidence even when you feel you’re vulnerable”, said Waugh. Talking about the connection between chess and tennis, Sonia Mirza noted that “in tennis, we make small decisions every second, and those decisions are based on what the opponent might do”. “There is a similarity to chess in every sport – in every competition, you need to think ahead and plan how to react to your opponent’s move”, Mirza noted. She also reflected on playing the tennis doubles (where Mirza successfully competed with another tennis legend, Martina Hingis) – “in critical moments, you have to take ownership. The appearance of the Waugh and Mirza highlighted one of Global Chess League’s core messages –