Carlsen on ambitions in Almaty and the greatest lesson learnt from chess
In the first press conference of the World Rapid and Blitz, World Champion Magnus Carlsen and FIDE president Arkady Dvorkovich answered a broad set of questions from the media The first press conference of the World Rapid and Blitz chess championships was held on 26th December at the Almaty telecentre, the official communications centre of the government of Kazakhstan. The conference was attended by national and international media. Present at the conference were Magnus Carlsen, five-time World Chess Champion, Arkady Dvorkovich, FIDE President, Dauren Abaev, Minister of Culture and Sports of Kazakhstan, Galim Khusainov, President of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation, Darmen Sadvakasov, Vice-President of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation, as well as Sergey Lukyanov, Chairman of the Management Board of Freedom Finance, main sponsor of the event. Almost all of the questions were directed at Magnus Carlsen, five-time World Chess Champion. Carlsen first complimented the organisers on the opening ceremony: “It was a good ceremony with a nice and clear message – welcome to Kazakhstan. Not only me but a lot of people felt welcomed.” Here are the key quotes from Carlsen’s responses. On his ambitions in Almaty Magnus Carlsen was asked whether the fact that this is the last time he is appearing in the World Rapid and Blitz as the world champion in classical chess has any impact on how he approaches this event. “These championships have been very important for me for a decade, and they will continue to be an event to enjoy and covering for. I am always on the hunt for more titles and wins, and that will not change in the future regardless of the classical championship.” On playing Hans Niemann Carlsen was also asked if he would play against Hans Niemann if the two were paired. “I don’t have an answer. I understand it’s a question that people want an answer to, but I hope you can understand I can’t answer it.” On the role of chess in improving mental health Speaking about the recent rise in the popularity of chess, Carlsen noted the impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on forcing people to stay indoors, but he also pointed to the rising awareness of mental health and the role chess can play in improving it: “Across many societies, there’s an emphasis on having not only a healthy body and a healthy mind and chess is quite suitable.” Carlsen was asked if chess players work with mental coaches. “I never felt the need. I feel like I usually understand the reasons for my successes and failures. I haven’t felt the need to speak to professionals. I have people in my life I can talk to about these matters”, said Carlsen. “People who work with me work hard so I can work less and focus more on the games. I think about chess all the time – I visualise the games and think about the ways I can improve. There is not a lot of deliberate practice or something that people perceive as work. I never wanted a classic nine-to-five job, and I don’t think I can ever treat chess as this… I think my way goes to show that there are several ways to obtain a goal.” On the biggest lesson chess taught him The world champion was also asked what the biggest lesson chess is has taught him. “Chess has taught me that spending a lot of time on chess will make you good at it. Everything is not necessarily transferable. The most helpful thing I learnt from chess is to make good decisions on incomplete data in a limited amount of time.” On Kazakh chess players There have been many good Kazakhstani players of the past, Carlsen noted. “One of the early good victories was against Evgeniy Vladimirov, who was a very strong player in the 1980s and 1990s and notable as Kasparov’s coach… Zhansaya Abdumalik is one of the best female players in the world. There are some strong young players. For now, there has been more success for Uzbekistan, your neighbours, but I’m sure that’s motivating for the youngsters here.” On shogi and other board games “I am fascinated by other board games, especially the Japanese game shogi. As for go, I don’t know much about the game. I understand that it’s insanely complex. It’s more of a pure game than chess because the rules are simple and clear, and yet the game itself is so complicated. I’m used to playing chess, so I feel that it is more interesting because the pieces have different qualities. Chess has been around for a long time, and it’s still far from being figured out by us humans. It’s a wonderful game”. How to become world champion? The final question of the press conference was asked by a four-year-old. As usual, kids at that age ask questions which sound so simple but are very difficult. The question: How to become a world champion? Carlsen’s response? “Very easy, you just have to defeat the previous world champion!” Arkady Dvorkovich: A new era for chess Other questions at the press conference were directed at FIDE president Arkady Dvorkovich. Dvorkovich praised Kazakhstan as the hosts and noted that FIDE “are always happy to come back” to this country. “Kazakhstan chess federation is well positioned to host FIDE events. We rely on the continuous support of the government and the Kazakhstan Chess Federation”, said Dvorkovich. Summarising the year behind, Dvorkovich noted that it was “one of the toughest and one of the most successful years for FIDE”. “Interest in chess is growing online and over the board. We contributed to that by doing our best. It was unfortunate that we had to shift the Olympiad, but we were able to do it, and we had a record number of participants in Chennai. We also held more than ten official FIDE championships postponed due to the pandemic. Chess is back on track both online and over the board.” Dvorkovich also announced more projects focused on schools
“Welcome to Kazakhstan”: World Rapid & Blitz Championships officially opened in Almaty
The World Rapid and Blitz Championships were officially opened in Almaty on 25th December. In a 90-minute long ceremony, the hosts put on a spectacle which celebrated chess and promoted the culture and distinctiveness of Kazakhstan. The Baluan Sholak Sports Palace was packed with spectators – teenagers from chess schools, local and government officials, special guests and chess lovers from all over who came to celebrate the opening of the World Rapid and Blitz Championships, which have returned to Kazakhstan after a decade. It seems that the hard work and effort put into planning an opening ceremony for a huge chess event is often underappreciated. Such undertakings involve hundreds of people – from project managers, stage designers, speech writers, coordinators, choreographers, and performers down to technicians, cameramen and volunteers. In Almaty, the Kazakhstan Chess Federation staged a seamless 90-minute ceremony which featured singers, dancers, two choirs and a local pop group. Everything was in light blue and golden yellow – the colours of the national flag of Kazakhstan. It was obvious that the organisers – the Kazakhstan Chess Federation – were keen on promoting their country, with the ceremony featuring two videos celebrating Kazakhstan’s culture, history and society. One video included a scene where the nation’s top chess players speak with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. With the vocal and choreographic composition “Welcome to Kazakhstan” featuring a mixture of words in Kazakh and English, the ceremony was a seamless balance between celebrating the national and the international. Following the performance of the national anthem by the State Choir of Kazakhstan – which included men in suits and ladies in light blue evening gowns – a children’s choir took the stage performing the famous world hit single from 1985, “We are the world”. Everything on stage was about sending the message of peace and love from Kazakhstan. The musical part of the ceremony was followed by three brief speeches. The Minister of Culture and Sports, Dauren Abayev, read out a letter from the Head of State, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev (who was born in Almaty) in which he expressed gratitude to FIDE for awarding Kazakhstan with the World Rapid and Blitz Championships. In his letter, President Tokayev highlighted the recent achievements of Kazakhstan’s chess players and noted: “Their success inspires the younger generation to engage in sports.” “We will continue this investment in chess in cooperation with FIDE”, president Toyakev’s letter read, underscoring that this is an integral part of the country’s “strategic goal of strengthening human potential”. A similar tone was echoed in the message of the Akim (mayor) of Almaty, Erbolat Dosaev, who also highlighted the gratitude of the local authorities for being able to host such a huge global chess event. FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich expressed gratitude to Kazakhstan on behalf of the international chess community: “Thank you for receiving us here this year. One year after your promised – you delivered on your promise. We’re very grateful.” Dvorkovich also thanked Freedom Finance for their huge support for the event. “In the next few days, we will celebrate chess. We all love our game, we all love chess. We’re excited about this event. It’s not just a sport, not just a game. Players from all around the world are participating here, and we’re expecting a great time. The great players will show their best, and the audience will enjoy”, said Dovrkovich. Afterwards, FIDE President was given a chapan (or shapan), a long loose robe which is a traditional dress of Kazakhstan, worn both by men and women. A similar dress was also given to Magnus Carlsen later on. The final part of the ceremony was the drawing of lots. The top-rated players in each category – Kateryna Lagno (Women Blitz), Alexandra Kosteniuk (Women Rapid), Hikaru Nakamura (Open Blitz) and Magnus Carlsen (Open Rapid) – emerged on stage, which was welcomed by massive applause from the audience. In the presence of the Chief Arbiter Amir Erfan Hashemi from Iran and the heads of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation, all four players drew a chess piece from a red basket presented on a platter by a woman wearing a traditional Kazakh dress. The drawing of lots was as follows: Kateryna Lagno (Blitz) – White Alexandra Kosteniuk (Rapid) – Black Hikaru Nakamura (Blitz) – Black Magnus Carlsen (Rapid) – Black The ceremony was concluded with a performance by a local pop group “Alpha”. Round 1 of the World Rapid Chess Championships starts on Monday, 26th December, at 3 PM local time. The organisation of the event and support The World Rapid and Blitz championships are held by the Kazakhstan Chess Federation together with the International Chess Federation and with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Sports, as well as the Akimat of the city of Almaty. The event is made possible thanks to the agreement with Freedom Finance, which becomes a General Sponsor of the event. Freedom Broker is an investment company and a stockbroker. Provides access to NYSE, NASDAQ, LSE, HKEX and other largest stock exchanges on the planet. Text: Milan Dinic Photo: David Llada Official website: worldrapidandblitz2022.fide.com/ ORGANIZERS: GENERAL PARTNER: PARTNERS:
World Rapid and Blitz 2022 winter wonderland: It’s about to get hot in Almaty
The 2022 World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships take place in Almaty (Kazakhstan) between Sunday, the 25th of December and run through until Friday, the 30th of December Traditionally, this time of year, the chess world comes together to loosen up and decide who the best world players are when facing time pressure. After ten years, the event is returning to Kazakhstan, the largest land-locked country in the world (with over 2.7 million kilometres square, it is five times the size of France!) and which – if you didn’t know – is the birthplace of the modern apple (not the company)! Unlike in 2012, this time, the host city will not be the capital Astana, but Almaty. The event will be held at the Baluan Sholak Sports Palace in the city centre. Named after the acclaimed Kazakh composer, singer, poet, dombra player, dzhigit and wrestler Baluan Sholak (1864-1919), the venue seats up to 5,000 people and is home to Almaty’s women’s ice hockey team Aisulu Almaty. The former capital of Kazakhstan, which is also its largest city with nearly two million residents, is situated in the country’s southeast, close to the border with Kyrgistan, and is not the warmest place to spend the winter. It is easy to understand why given that the last week of December is expected to have temperatures between -4 and -11 degrees! However, Almaty is about to be hit by a “heatwave” as the world’s hottest chess players gather at the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships to decide who is the best. The best of the best With the conditions for the event stipulating that players have to be rated at least 2550 in the open section, or 2250 in the women’s, or being reigning national champions in order to be eligible to play in Almaty, it’s no surprise that the list of players is made of the best of the best the chess world has to offer. Photo: David Llada In the Open section, Nodirbek Abdusattorov is defending the crown from the 2021 Rapid and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave will try and hold on to his world title in the Blitz. In the Women’s division, Alexandra Kosteniuk is defending the gold she won in the 2021 Rapid, while Bibisara Assaubayeva is defending her title in the Blitz. With nearly 300 players taking part from over 50 countries, split between the Open and the Women’s tournament, the chess world is ending 2022 on a high note with a huge spectacle. In the Open event, the field is led by the reigning world champion in classical chess, Magnus Carlsen (who also won the rapid and blitz world championships in earlier editions). This is the last time Carlsen is taking part in the World Rapid and Blitz as a world champion in classical chess (as he decided not to defend his crown in 2023). Photo: Sergey Alekseenok He is joined by a score of medal winners and champions, including Nodirbek Abdusattorov (the 2021 winner of the Rapid), Hikaru Nakamura (winner of the silver and bronze medals in the previous world rapid and blitz championships), Jan-Krzysztof Duda (runner-up of the last year’s world blitz), Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (current world blitz champion), Ian Nepomniachtchi (the second-time challenger for the title of world champion in classical chess and winner of medals in previous rapid and blitz world championships), to name a few. The full list of participants can be found here (for the Open Rapid) and here (for the Open Blitz). The women’s event is headlined by the defending world champion in rapid and the runner-up at the 2021 blitz Alexandra Kosteniuk. A former women’s world champion in classical chess, Kosteniuk just won gold in the European rapid and silver in the European blitz, so she will be looking for a double crown! She is followed by Kateryna Lagno (who also has gold medals from the world rapid and blitz events), as well as a plethora of strong world players such as Tan Zhongyi, Aleksandra Goryachkina, Nana Dzagnidze, Antoaneta Stefanova and others. Bibisara Assaubayeva, a Kazakh native, will be the focus of much attention in the women’s competition. She had an outstanding performance in the 2021 edition, taking first place in the blitz and coming second in the rapid. Photo: Anna Shtourman The list of participants in the women’s section can be found here (for the Rapid) and here (for the Blitz). Both the Open and the Women’s will be played under the Swiss system format. Full details of the regulations for the events can be found here for the Open and here for the Women’s competitions. One million dollars in prizes The total prize fund is one million USD dollars, with 700,000 USD going to the open championships and 300,000 USD to the women’s championships. Prizes in USD Open Women Rapid 350,000 150,000 Blitz 350,000 150,000 Tournament schedule December 25 — Opening Ceremony December 26-28 — Rapid competitions December 29-30 — Blitz competitions and Closing Ceremony Additional events During the World Rapid and Blitz Championships there will be several additional chess events for the public held at the Baluan Sholak Sports Palace: Women’s master class about “The role of women in chess”, followed by a simul with woman GM Dana Reizniece-Ozola (10.00-13.00 on 27th December) Open blitz tournament for amateurs (10.00-13.00 on the 28th December) Blitz tournament for children (10.00-13.00 on the 29th December). The organisation of the event and support The World Rapid and Blitz championships are held by the Kazakhstan Chess Federation together with the International Chess Federation and with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Sports, as well as the Akimat of the city of Almaty. The event is made possible thanks to the agreement with Freedom Finance, which becomes a General Sponsor of the event. Freedom Broker is an investment company and a stockbroker. Provides access to NYSE, NASDAQ, LSE, HKEX and other largest stock exchanges on the planet. Text: Milan Dinic Photo: Anna Shtourman, David Llada and Sergey Alekseenok Official website: worldrapidandblitz2022.fide.com/ ORGANIZERS: GENERAL PARTNER: PARTNERS:
Brazilian Championship: Fier and Terao win titles
GM Alexandr Fier and FM Juliana Sayumi Terao are the new Brazilian chess champions. It is Alexandr’s fourth national title and sixth victory in a national championship for Juliana Saymi. The 88th Absolute Brazilian Championship and the 61st Brazilian Women’s Championship took place at the Hotel Jangadeiro in the city of Recife, capital of Pernambuco, from December 15-23. Both events were Swiss tournaments with classical time control. Just like last year, the rating favourites Alexandr Fier and the defending champion Luis Paolo Supi started strong, winning four straight games, but the latter fell to Diego Rafael Di Berardino, who grabbed the lead after Round 5. Fier, however, beat Di Berardino in Round 7 and pulled ahead. Coming into the final round a half-point ahead of three players tied for second place, Alexandr defeated Guimaraes Diogo Duarte with black pieces and clinched the title with an excellent score of 9.5/11. GM Yago De Moura Santiago and IM Roberto Junio Brito Molina finished a half-point behind the champion and shared second place. The silver medal goes to Santiago, thanks to a slightly better Buchholz. Final standings: 1 GM Fier Alexandr 2600 9½ 2 GM Santiago Yago De Moura 2458 9 3 IM Molina Roberto Junio Brito 2385 9 4 GM Lima Darcy 2424 8½ 5 IM Di Berardino Diego Rafael 2453 8 6 GM Matsuura Everaldo 2433 8 7 NM Do Nascimento Christian Almeida 2087 8 8 FM Gauche Charles 2221 8 9 NM Da Silva Erick Feitosa 1892 8 10 FM Alboredo Julia 2213 7½ The women’s championship saw the dominance of the rating favourite FM Juliana Sayumi Terao, who steamrolled her opponents, winning all nine games and securing the title with a round to spare. NM Ellen Larissa Bail netted 7/9 and won silver; the second-rated Kathie Goulart Librelato earned bronze. Final standings: 1 FM Terao Juliana Sayumi 2240 9 2 NM Bail Ellen Larissa 1875 7 3 WIM Librelato Kathie Goulart 2194 6½ 4 WFM Cincinato Thalita Ariane C. 1845 6 5 NM Tamarozi Isabelle 2005 5½ 6 Eger Laura Luisa 1791 5½ 7 Correa Lorenna Martins 1654 5½ 8 Miranda Marina Lima 1647 5 9 WCM Da Cunha Gabriela Goes 1687 5 10 WNM Brambilla Renee Blandy T. 1661 5 Official website: cbx.org.br/
FIDE Executive Director visits the Maldives
In mid-December, FIDE Executive Director GM Victor Bologan visited the Republic of Maldives and had several productive meetings with the local authorities. First, the FIDE Executive Director met with the Minister of Youth Sports and Empowerment, Mr Ahmed Mahloof and the President of the Maldives Chess Association, Mr Hussain Shiyan. Victor Bologan thanked Minister Ahmed Maloof for his support for chess in the country and commended the dedication of the local chess executive team. During the meeting, various ways of developing chess in the Maldives were broadly discussed, including the implementation of a proper system for chess training, multiple approaches to taking players to the next level and strengthening chess relations with partners. Minister Ahmed Mahloof highlighted the importance of holding international chess events in the Maldives, which will attract new tourists to the popular archipelagic state. Victor Bologan spoke in detail about the FIDE structure and various social activities and projects FIDE has been carrying out over the recent years, such as Chess in Prison, Chess in School and Chess for Children with Special Needs. Minister Ahmed Mahloof stressed the importance of introducing Chess in Prison and Chess Schools (the projects are expected to be launched in the Maldives in 2023) and detailed the Sports Award in the Maldives, one of the most important local events. He also inquired about a possible visit by the FIDE President to the Maldives. The next stop was the Maldives Olympic Committee, where Victor Bologan met with the Senior Executive Team. Hussain Shiyan President of Maldives Chess Association, Board Member of the Maldives Olympic Committee, President of the Non-Olympic Sports at Maldives Olympic Committee; GM Victor Bologan, FIDE Executive Director; Mr Mohamed Abdul Sattar, President of the Maldives Olympic Committee; Mr Ahmed Ismail, Vice President of Maldives Olympic Committee; Mr. Mohamed Tholal, Vice President of the Maldives Olympic Committee; Thamooh Ahmed Saeed; Secretary General President of the Maldives Olympic Committee Mohamed Abdul Sattar welcomed GM Victor Bologan to the Maldives and underlined the importance of FIDE executives’ visiting small countries. FIDE Executive Director praised the Maldivian sports system and noted that some huge nations like the United Kingdom, the United States, and France had not included chess in Olympic Committee yet, whereas the Maldives already took chess under the Olympics umbrella. The parties also discussed the chess development in the Maldives and the important role the Maldives Olympic Committee has been playing in this process. Lastly, Victor Bologan gave a master class to the young players of the Maldives Chess Association and thanked Maldivians for their warm hospitality.
Rilton Cup announces cooperation with FIDE’s Fair Play Commission
FIDE’s Fair Play Commission (FPL) is helping the Stockholm Chess Federation with implementing fair play measures before and during the 50th edition of the Rilton Cup, Sweden’s biggest open chess tournament. The Secretary of the Fair Play Commission, Bojana Bejatovic, and Ana Srebrnič were appointed as the Fair Play Officers of the tournament. FIDE’s newly elected Fair Play Commission will hold its first commission meeting in Stockholm during the Rilton Cup on January 4 and 5. Also, the first live seminar to obtain Fair Play Expert norms will be held in Stockholm on the day after the Rilton Cup on January 6. “We sought out help from FIDE to assist us with the Fair Play”, said Birger Wenzel, Chairman of the Rilton Committee. “We are grateful that Fair Play Officers from FIDE are helping us to prepare for the tournament and that they will also be present during the event. We are learning so much from our ongoing conversations with Yuri Garrett and his team. We went from the stage of ‘unconsciously incompetent’ to ‘consciously incompetent’, but with the help of FIDE, we can hopefully soon become ‘consciously competent’ and ensure fair play not only at the Rilton Cup but also in all tournaments in Stockholm.” Yuri Garrett, Chairman of the FPL, added: “It was and is a joy to work with the Organizing Committee of the Rilton Cup. This is a team of very dedicated and experienced people who understand that prevention and best practices are vital in the fight for guaranteeing Fair Play at major events. I can’t wait to be in Stockholm with my team to lend a helping hand and contribute to the success of the event. And, if I can take this liberty, I would love to abuse of this space to ask all top organizers from all over the world to follow in the graceful steps of their Swedish colleagues.” The Rilton Cup is the first tournament to be part of FIDE’s new qualification path to the Candidate Tournament. The Deputy Chair of FIDE’s Management Board, Dana Reizniece-Ozola, commented: “The Rilton Cup is actually a unique tournament among the commercial/open events paying so serious attention to fair play measures and cooperating with FIDE FPL. Such an attitude is very important in those tournaments that will want to comply with qualification criteria.” The fair play measures will be in accordance with Swedish law and are going to be both visible and less visible during the Rilton Cup. The 50th edition of the Rilton Cup, Sweden’s biggest open chess tournament will take place from December 27 to January 5 in Stockholm.
Taione Sikivou wins 2022 Vodafone Fiji Chess Championship
CM Taione Sikivou of Narocivo, Rewa, had an unbeaten run of five wins and two draws with siblings Tanvi Prasad and Rudr Prasad to clinch the 2022 Vodafone Fiji National Chess Championship. The champion netted 6/7, the same score as CM Manoj Kumar, who finished second after losing the direct encounter to Sikivou. 20-year-old Yash Maharaj of the University of the South Pacific, CM Goru Arvind and 17-year-old Rudr Prasad of Jai Narayan College finished 3rd, 4th and 5th, respectively, on 5/7. The championship, with a prize pool of $ 1,000, was officiated by FIDE National Arbiter William Bennion. After four days of intense chess, the award ceremony graced by Vodafone Fiji Head of Recharge and Distribution, Mr Nilesh Singh, took place. In addition to the trophies and medals, the winners received several mobile phones. “Fiji Chess Federation and all its players are thankful to Vodafone Fiji for partnering with our team for the 2022 National Chess Championship, which helped us to select our 2023 Oceania Zonal reps in Australia from 23-28 January,” stated General Secretary Goru Arvind. “The Open and Women’s National Champion have qualified to represent Fiji against some of the best chess players from Australia, New Zealand and smaller Pacific Island Countries.” Sixteen-year-old Tanvi Prasad of Jai Narayan College won the Women’s National Chess Championship title thanks to superior tiebreaks over Jacquelyn Masilomani. Both scored 4/7. Anisha Eshal Bari finished 3rd in the Women’s Division with 3.5/7 in her first chess tournament. Newcomer Zayne Elmond Keshwan impressed in his maiden tournament by winning the Secondary School’s Division (4/7) thanks to better tiebreaks over Ayush Chand of Jai Nayaran College and Ryan Kumar, who scored an equal amount of points. As a result, Zayne Elmond Keshwan was given the Best Beginner Award. “With our official playing venue at Fiji Olympic House becoming operational this month, we are eager to host the 2022 National Blitz Chess Championship in January 2023,” said Goru Arvind. “The event is once more sponsored by Vodafone Fiji to support our growing sport,” he added. The Primary School’s Division saw the victory of Arnav Lal of Deenbandhoo Primary School while Anush Shay Chand of Gospel Primary School and 8-year-old Yash Yuvaan Prasad of Deenbandhoo Primary School secured the 2nd and 3rd positions, respectively. The Vodafone Fiji National Blitz Chess Championship will be held in January 2023.
Ivan Farago (1946-2022)
FIDE is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of GM Ivan Farago (Hungary) in his 76th year of age. Born in Budapest in 1946, Ivan started to play competitive chess at his age of 12. His first significant success came in 1964 when he scored 70% at the World University Championship in Krakow. He was best individual scorer of all teams three years later. He became IM in 1974 and GM in 1976. He won the 1986 Hungarian Championship and took silver in 1979 and 1981. Ivan Farago delivered some outstanding performances as a member of the Hungarian National team. He won silver medals with the team at the European Team Championships in 1977 and in 1980 and bronze in 1983. Farago’s greatest achievement was the silver medal at the Chess Olympiad in Malta, 1980. He devoted his life to chess playing passionately always investing all his energy. His death is a big loss of the world sports and chess society. The Hungarian Chess Federation lost one of their own. FIDE extends its sincere condolences to Ivan Farago’s family, friends, and loved ones. Photo: Gerhard Hund
Statement by the Fair Play Chair on the Carlsen-Niemann investigation
While the Carlsen-Niemann Investigatory Panel has been working very hard in the past few weeks, the investigation is not yet completed. This is due to the complexity of the matter at hand, which requires the Investigatory Panel to search for and analyze all relevant evidence, and also to consult with external experts where needed. The IP cannot disclose the content and interim outcome of its efforts; however, the Fair Play Commission wants to reassure all interested parties and the chess community that the IP is committed to its work and that constant progress is being made. The final report will be published as soon as technically possible.
Estonian Championship: Volodin and Sinitsina clinch titles
The 2022 Estonian Championship, held in two sections (open and women) took place in the Paul Keres Chess House in Tallin from December 10-18. The competition marked the centenary of the Estonian Chess Championship. The first edition, won by Paul Rinne, was played almost one hundred years ago in Tallinn, from December 26, 1922, to January 6, 1923. The open section, a 10-player round-robin with classical time control, saw a close race among the rating favourites GM Aleksandr Volodin, GM Kaido Kulaots and untitled Andrei Timoshin, who became the revelation of the tournament. Heading into the final round on 6.5/9, a half-point ahead of his main competitors, Volodin faced Timoshin with the black pieces, while Kulaots took on Nikita Rychagov with White. After Volodin drew with accurate defence, all eyes were on the game Kulaots – Rychagov. The tournament’s highest-rated player did not overcome Black’s resistance and had to settle for a draw. As a result, Alexandr Volodin finished clear first on 7/9 and clinched his third national title. Timoshin and Kaido tied for second place, with the former claiming silver thanks to a better Sonneborn-Berger. Timoshin completed an IM norm and picked up 71 rating points. Final standings: 1 GM Volodin, Aleksandr 2440 7 2 Timoshin, Andrei 2179 6½ 3 GM Kulaots, Kaido 2513 6½ 4 IM Seeman, Tarvo 2405 6 5 GM Kanep, Meelis 2412 5 6 IM Kiik, Kalle 2369 4 7 IM Sirosh, Ilja 2386 3½ 8 Rychagov, Nikita 2180 3 9 Medar, Marti 2069 2 10 Soot, Margus 2121 1½ The women’s championship brought together just five players competing in a round-robin format. The rating-favourite Anastassia Sinitsina dominated the field and conceded her opponents just a half-point. Sofia Blokhin finished a full point behind and took silver; Marina Levchenko came third. Final standings: 1 WFM Sinitsina, Anastassia 2175 3½ 2 WFM Blokhin, Sofia 2065 2½ 3 Levchenko, Marina 1625 2 4 Ivanova, Lidia 1482 2 5 Haapsal, Maria Ioanna 1386 0 Photo: ERR Official website: maleliit.ee/et/