Winners crowned at 64th World Congress of Chess Composition
The 64th World Congress of Chess Composition (WCSC 2022) is in the books. Еру highlight of its programm was the 45th World Chess Solving Championship. Congratulations to all the winners! Top-5 Open: 1 Danila Pavlov FID 84.5 2 Ural Khasanov FID 83.25 3 Piotr Murdzia POL 80.25 4 Bilguun Sumiya MGL 77.75 5 Eddy Van Beers BEL 77.5 Danila Pavlov Top-5 Women: 1 Anna Shukhman FID 53 2 Kamila Hryshchenko GBR 50.5 3 Denisa-Andreea Bucur ROU 42.75 4 Lilia Kosolapova FID 25.5 5 Nadezhda Ilchenko FID 24 Anna Shukhman Top-5 Seniors: 1 Jorma Paavilainen FIN 66.75 2 Mark Erenburg ISR 65 3 Michael Pfannkuche GER 61.75 4 Marjan Kovačević SRB 61.75 5 Ofer Comay ISR 60 Jorma Paavilainen Top-5 Juniors 1 Danila Pavlov FID 84.5 2 Ural Khasanov FID 83.25 3 Ilija Serafimović SRB 76.25 4 Kevinas Kuznecovas LTU 69.75 5 Mihnea Costachi ROU 64.25 Team Poland Top-5 Teams 1 Poland 162.75 2 Serbia 153.75 3 Germany 138.75 4 Belgium 133 5 Romania 131.75 You can find the complete results on the WCSC 2022 official webpage. The closing ceremony of the WCSC 2022 took place on the 18th of November 2022. It was attended by H.H Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Sharqi, Crown Price of Fujairah, Marjan Kovacevic, President of the World Federation for Chess Composition (WFCC), Dr Abdullah Ali Al-Barakat, 1st Vice-President of the World Federation for Chess Composition (WFCC), Sheikh Abdulla Bin Hamad Alsharqi, President of the UAE Bodybuilding Federation, Vice President of the Asian Bodybuilding and Physical Strength Federation, Dana Reizniece-Ozola, Deputy Chair of FIDE Management Board, Sheikh Saud Al Mualla, Vice-President of FIDE and President of Arab Chess Federation and other distinguished guests and the participants of the competitions. Dr Adbulla AAL Barakat, president of Fujairah Chess and Culture Club and chairman of the organising committee, expressed delight over the success of the 45th World Chess Solving Championship which took place in the UAE for the first time. He congratulated the winners and commended the UAE players, who showed their worth in a very stong competition. The World Chess Solving Championship was held under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Hamad Bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Crown Prince of Fujairah. Official tournament website: https://wccc2022.wfcc.ch/ https://www.facebook.com/fujairahchess Text and photos: Anastasiya Karlovich
Meltwater Tour Finals 2022: Carlsen takes the sole lead
Magnus Carlsen racked up his seventh straight rapid game win to snatch the sole lead at the half-way point of the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour Finals in San Francisco. The World Chess Champion put on another sparkling display in Round 4 of 7 as he thrashed Dutch No.1 Anish Giri 3-0 to march on towards victory in the $1.6 million Tour’s end-of-season hybrid event. Meanwhile, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Carlsen’s biggest rival in this tournament and throughout the 2022 Tour, lost a catastrophic match to Vietnam’s Liem Quang Le that puts a huge hole in his hopes. Duda and Liem played out two long draws before Liem broke through to win in 46 moves in the third. On screen, Duda looked devastated. Liem then turned the screw with 29…e5! in the fourth to win 3-1. He climbs to third position with seven points, behind Carlsen on 12/15 and Duda on 9. Carlsen’s opening game saw him play the now rare at the top level French Defence. It was a risk and quickly the newly-installed 2022 Tour Champion found himself in what he thought was a losing position. Carlsen admitted after: “I’d just missed his a4 move in the opening — after that I think I’m pretty busted!” Giri didn’t spot the chance to blow open the champion’s centre, though. The Dutchman sacrificed a bishop but it didn’t work and Carlsen took over. A wild game ended with Carlsen in front. Game 2 went worse for Giri. The Dutchman collapsed in the middlegame as he allowed Carlsen to active his bishop pair. Carlsen pinned Giri’s rook and the game ended in short order. It was Carlsen’s sixth rapid win in a row. Elsewhere, Indian teen Arjun Erigaisi got off the mark with 3 points and $7,500 as he beat Azerbaijan’s No.1 Shakhriyar Mamedyarov. Erigaisi had gone 11 games without a win in the event, but broke that run in the second and went on take the fourth too for a 3-1 score. Finally, the US star Wesley So won his second match in a row with a 2.5-1.5 victory over Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa. Both players, who were expected to challenge at the top, have failed to live up to expectations in this event so far. With three rounds to go, Carlsen remains the hot favourite. Yet he still has to play Duda on the final day. Day 5 of the Tour Finals 2022 kicks off at 15:00 ET / 21:00 CET on November 18. Watch the broadcast live on chess24.com or chess24’s YouTube and Twitch channels.
WCSC 2022: Danila Pavlov wins title, Marjan Kovacevic elected as WFCC President
The 64th World Congress of Chess Composition (WCSC) is in full swing in Fujairah, UAE. The first day of the World Solving Chess Championship saw FM Bilguun Sumia (pictured below) from Mongolia grab the lead. The member of the Mongolian chess national team he pulled a half-point ahead of the World Champion in solving Danila Pavlov and Nikos Sidiropoulos. In the interview after the first day of solving, Bilguun said he was happy with his result, and his goal was to become the first GM both in chess and in solving in the history of Mongolia. Before the final round, however, Piotr Murdzia from Poland shot ahead with 55.25 points, just 0.25 points ahead of his closest rival, Ural Khasanov. Boris Tummes and Danila Pavlov shared third place and were not far behind. In the last round, the reigning champion, FIDE solving GM Danila Pavlov (FIDE) showed his mettle. He produced the best result and won the championship, scoring 84.5 points. The 19-years-old Pavlov (pictured above) won the World Chess Solving Championship for the second time in a row. He also won all three additional solving competitions with different formats, which took place in Fujairah during these days and delivered a tremendous overall performance. Solving IM Ural Khasanov (FIDE) took the silver medal while solving GM Piotr Murdzia (Poland) finished third. The leader after the first day, Bilguun Sumiya (Mongolia), took fourth place in the event. The competition was attended by Sheikh Sultan Bin Saleh Mohamed Alsharqi (pictured below). Poland took gold medals in the team competition with 162.75 points, while Serbia came second with 153.75 points. Germany finished third on 138.75. You can always put yourself in the participants’ shoes and test your skills by tackling the problems from this contest. 64th World Congress of Chess Composition culminated in the WFCC Presidium election session, which took place on the 17th of November. There were two candidates for the position of the President of WFCC – Marjan Kovacevic (Serbia) and Thomas Maeder (Switzerland). With 13 votes versus 9 votes, Marjan Kovacevic became the new President of WFCC. Mr Kovačević has been FIDE Grandmaster in composition since 2007 and Grandmaster in solving since 1988. In previous years he held the position of WFCC Vice-president. The elections of Vice-presidents were held right afterwards, with four candidates contending for three positions. As voted, Abdulla Ali Hassan Aal Barket Alameeri (UAE) became the first Vice-president, Vidmantas Satkus (Lithuania) is the second Vice-President, and Dinu-Ioan Nicula (Romania) took the position of the third Vice-president. New WFCC President and three Vice-Presidents The program continues with the WFCC Closing Session and the closing ceremony, followed by the international blitz tournament, which will take place on the 19th of November. More than 270 players have already registered there, including GM Salem Saleh, GM Pavel Eljanov, and others. The total prize fund for all events is €40,000. Official tournament website: https://wccc2022.wfcc.ch/ https://www.facebook.com/fujairahchess Text and photos: Anastasiya Karlovich
FIDE Commissions for 2022-26 announced
FIDE is excited to announce the composition of the Commissions for the period 2022-2026. The role of the FIDE Commissions is crucial in servicing federations, improving our technical capacity, and accomplishing FIDE social goals. As the FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich explains, “the difference between corporations and organisations like FIDE, with an important social component, is that a large share of work is voluntary-based. People who love chess and are ready to devote their time and effort to chess are key to making us succeed. This is why we highly appreciate each and every person who is ready to serve, understanding that any position in FIDE provides a privilege to be part of exciting projects and initiatives, but even more so – it envisages new duties and responsibilities”. Tiberiu-Marian Georgescu (ROM, pictured below) is the new Chairperson for the TEC Commission, with Hendrik Petrus Du Toit (RSA) as Secretary. Besides being a Grandmaster, Tiberiu has a PhD in Economic Informatics, and is one of the founders of the company “Chess Coders”. At 31 years old, Tiberiu is one of the youngest Chairs, but he will have the opportunity to work hand in hand with one of the most seniors, Andrzej Filipowicz (POL). Named FIDE Honorary Member in 2006, Andrzej remains very much active at 84 years old, and he is always eager to pass on his experience and wisdom to younger arbiters. Yuri Garrett (ITA, pictured below), Previously a Secretary for the Fair Play Commission, will now be the Chairman, while Salomeja Zaksaite (LTU) will remain as a member. A very consolidated group, FPL retain its core members. The youngest of them, Bojana Bejatovic (MKD), will now be the Secretary, after having gained a lot of experience at events during the past couple of years. After being a Councillor since 2018, Stephane Escafre (FRA, pictured below) will now chair the Rules Commission. An International Arbiter for two decades, as well as a chess author and a Delegate for the French Chess Federation, he has also been in charge of Fair Play at European events, having a rich and varied experience. Marco Biagioli (ITA), who has been extremely valuable to FIDE in the past four years as Data Protection Legal Advisor, will be the Secretary of the Commission. Laurent Freyd (FRA, pictured below) changes hats, and after being the Chairperson of the Arbiters Commission, he will now oversee one of the most important FIDE Commissions: Planning and Development. During his work leading the Arbiters’ area, Laurent demonstrated great administrative and managing skills. This, paired with with IT background, makes him an excellent option for the PDC, where administrative experience is paramount. The Secretary of the Commission will be Kema Goryaeva, one of the most senior and experienced staffers at FIDE. Jerry Nash (USA, pictured below) is now the Chair of the Chess in Education Commission. With a background as a teacher, campus minister, and office administrator, Jerry has been extremely valuable to the Commission as an advisor since he joined the team in 2019 as a “senior adviser”. This role is now taken by Leontxo Garcia (ESP), while Rita Atkins (ENG) joins the team as Secretary. Anastasia Sorokina (AUS, pictured below) is the new Chair of the Women’s Commission. Anastasia’s career over the years has covered many areas, having succeeded as a player, coach, arbiter, organizer, and federative. In the past few years, she has also been heavily involved in several FIDE projects, particularly the ones related to social projects and education. This puts her in an excellent position to have a global perspective of what is needed to bring more women to all areas of chess. The new Secretary will be Shadi Paridar (IRA), who is currently the Vice-President of the Iran Chess Federation. Ivan Syrovy (SVK, pictured below) will Chair the Arbiter’s Commission for the next four years. Ivan had not previously been involved in the work of the Commission, but since obtaining the title of International Arbiter in 2009, he has been as a Chief Arbiter in multiple events, including some that are part of the World Championship cycle, like the Grand Prix in Berlin. His performance has always been impeccable, earning him the respect of all his peers. Nebojsa Baralic (SRB) will continue in his role as Secretary. All the Councillors have been renewed. After having been a FIDE Vice-President, a member of the DIS Commission, and organizer of countless chess events, our tireless colleague Akaki Iashvili (GEO) (pictured below) will juggle his work as Special Tasks Director with being a Chair of the Events Commission. Akaki has found himself in the role of Director of many of these events in recent years, so very few people have comparable experience. His predecessor, Ozgur Solakoglu (TUR), will remain connected to the Commission as Honorary Chair, while Yana Sidorchuk will be the new Secretary. As was announced during the past months, Sami Khader (JOR) was appointed Chairman of the FIDE Trainer’s Commission back in September, Sabrina de San Vicente (URU) chairs the Qualification Commission since April, and Geir Nesheim (NOR) was appointed last March as Chair of the Social Commission. Ahmed Adly is the Chairman of the Athletes Commission; note that contrary to most Commissions, members of ATH are selected in an electoral process. Thomas Luther (GER) will continue in his role as Chairperson of the FIDE Commission for the Disabled, Emil Sutovsky (ISR) will head the Global Strategy Commission, and Dr Marape Marape (BOT), will serve once again as Chair of the Medical Commission. The selection process According to FIDE Handbook, President appoints the Chairperson, a Secretary, and up to 3-4 councillors, who are voting members. Continental Federations can also appoint a non-voting member to each commission. The rest of the positions are filled after extensive consultations with Chairpersons, Continents and Federations. FIDE also received multiple suggestions from individuals. We would like to express our appreciation to all those who were part of the process and provided their input. When deciding about the final composition of the Commissions, the following principles have been taken into consideration, trying to find an optimum balance and making a compromise when necessary: – Proficiency of the candidates, including their former track record and relevance to the ongoing projects or
FIDE World Senior Chess Championship 2022 kicks off in Assisi, Italy
The 30th edition of the FIDE World Senior Championship began in Assisi, Italy. The country is hosting this event for the eighth time. After the tournaments in Arco (2001), Lignano Sabbiadoro (2005), Arvier (2006), Condino (2009), Arco (2010), Acqui Terme (2015 and 2017), Assisi, the capital of Umbria, a small town in the heart of Italy, picked up the baton. The event, organized by IO/IA Cristina Pernici Rigo from ArcoWorldChess, attracted 345 players from 53 national federations battling for the titles of World Champion in the categories Open 50+, Women 50+, Open 65+, and Women 65+. FIDE council approved a decision of the FIDE EVE commission that female players will play together in the Open section but will get separate women’s prizes and also are entitled to the Open prizes. This year the prize fund of the championship hit record-high € 37,000. After a technical meeting, a brief opening ceremony attended by FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, was held. Arkady Dvorkovich made the first ceremonial move in the game between GM John Nunn (ENG) and FM Sameer Sursock (LBN). The event brought together several former and current Senior World Champions:: Open tournaments: Anatoly Vaisser (FRA, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2016) Zurab Sturua (GEO, 2014) Vlastimil Jansa (CZE, 2018) Photo: David Llada Women tournaments: Nona Gaprindashvili, the reigning 65+ women’s champion (GEO, 1995, 2009, 2014-16, 2018-19, pictured above) Galina Strutinskaia (FID, 2011, 2012, 2015) Tatjana Bogumil (FID, 2016) Elvira Berend, the defending 50+ women’s champion (LUX, 2017-19) The championship is officiated by the chief arbiter IA Gerhard Bertagnolli (Italy). As many as thirty games will be broadcast daily on the internet. Photo: Federação Portuguesa de Xadrez The top-seed players are the well-known grandmasters Zurab Sturua (GEO, 2529) in the Open 50+ and John Nunn (ENG, 2580) in the Open 65+. Julio Santos from Portugal (pictured above), who celebrated his 92nd birthday on October 15, 2022, is the oldest participant in the 30th World Senior Championship. Official Website: scaccomattissimo.com/assisi-2022-en Complete results: chess-results.com/tnr691291.aspx?lan=1&art=0&flag=30
European Youth Champions 2022 crowned in Antalya, Turkey
The 2022 European Youth Chess Championship concluded yesterday in Antalya, Turkey, with an impressive closing ceremony. ECU President Zurab Azmaiparashvili, FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, ECU Deputy President Dana Reizniece-Ozola, President of Turkish Chess Federation Gulkiz Tukay and the ECU Board members attended the closing ceremony and joined the awarding. The ceremony started with impressive dance performances and was broadcasted live through the Turkish Chess Federation Youtube Channel. The competition brought together over 1000 players from 46 European federations, but only 12 participants claimed the titles of European Champion in their respective categories. Roman Shogdzhiev (FIDE, 1747) clinched the U8 championship thanks to better Buchholz over Marc Llari (FRA, 1769) – silver, and Ali Poyraz Uzdemir (TUR, 1566) – bronze, who had the same score of 7.5 points. The President of the French Chess Federation, Mr Eloi Relange, awarded the winners. Sofya Kokareva (FIDE, 1288) dominated the Girls U8 tournament and won gold with a perfect score of 9/9. She became the only player in the event to win all nine games. Sofya finished two points ahead of Zoe Veselow (ENG, 1435), who took silver and Lila Rzadkowska (POL, 1243), who clinched the bronze with 6.5 points and better tiebreaks over Darya Shynkar (UKR, 1020) and Beren Cetin (TUR). ECU Chief Executive Officer Erald Dervishi awarded the top finishers. Baver Yilmaz (TUR, 1722) came out on top in the Open U10 category after netting 7.5/9, a half a point ahead of a group of three players who tied for the second place. The tiebreak criteria determined the silver and bronze medalists. Gabriel Gabadadze (GEO, 1569) came second, Erik Golubovic (CRO, 1868) was third, and Murat Kutay Yardak (TUR, 1574) finished fourth. ECU Vice President Alojzije Jankovic and President of Turkish Chess Federation Ms Gulkiz Tulay awarded the winners. Marianta Lampou (GRE, 1415) triumphed in the Girls U10 section scoring an impressive 8.5 points. Kristina Zavivaeva (FIDE, 1313) won silver with 7.5 points, and Mirzaliyeva Leyla (AZE, 1226) came third with 7 points. ECU Secretary General Theodoros Tsorbatzoglou awarded trophies and medals to the winners. Patryk Cieslak (POL, 2088) clinched victory in the Open U12 category scoring 7.5 points, with four players tying for the second place with 7 points each. The tiebreaks (Buchholz) favoured Khagan Ahmad (AZE, 2135), who got silver, and Marat Gilfanov (FIDE, 1786), taking bronze. ECU Honorary Vice-President Mr Vanja Draskovic joined the ceremony and awarded the winners. Diana Preobrazhenskaya (FIDE, 1930) won the Girls U12 championship with 7.5 points. Veronika Iudina (FIDE, 1686) and Oksana Goriachkina (FIDE, 1694) shared second place, with the former claiming silver thanks to better Buchholz. Svyatoslav Bazakutsa (UKR, 2153) clinched gold in the Open U14 section netting 8/9. IM Ediz Gurel (TUR, 2449) finished a half-point behind and took silver, while Benik Agasarov (ARM, 2219) won the bronze medal with 7 points. ECU Vice-President Mr Gunnar Bjornsson awarded the medalists. Valeria Kleymenova (FIDE, 2141) scored 7.5 points and emerged as the sole winner in the Girls U14 section, while three players tied for second place on 7 points each. Yana Zhapova (FIDE, 2220) had the best tiebreaks and won silver, Sofiia Moskalets (UKR, 1430) came third. ECU Vice President Ms Eva Repkova awarded the Winners. IM Timothe Razafindratsima (FRA, 2453) won the Open U16 tournament after chalking up 7.5 points. He finished half a point ahead of three players who tied for second place, scoring 7 points each. The tiebreaks favoured Erdem Khubukshanov (FIDE, 2371), who got silver, over IM Emin Ohanyan (ARM, 2377) – bronze, and IM Aleksey Grebnev (FIDE, 2477), who came fourth. ECU Vice President Mr Malcolm Pein awarded the medalists. Three players tied for the top position in the Girls U16 section scoring 7 points each. Mariya Manko (UKR, 2085) had the best tiebreaks and claimed gold, Kata Karacsonyi (HUN, 2109) won silver, and Weronika Zabrzanska (POL, 1992) earned bronze. ECU Deputy President Dana Reizniece-Ozola joined the awarding ceremony and awarded the winners. IM Rudik Makarian (FIDE, 2505) scored 7.5 points to win the title in the Open U18 category in a close race with IM Murzin Volodar (FIDE, 2556) taking silver with 7 points. As many as six players tied for third place scoring 6.5 points. IM Mamikon Gharibyan (ARM, 2470) made the podium by dint of better tiebreaks. ECU President Mr Zurab Azmaiparashvili, FIDE President Mr Arkady Dvorkovich and President of Turkish Chess Federation Gulkiz Tulay awarded the winners. Fresh from her Girls 18 World Youth Chess Championship triumph, where she had scored the astonishing 11/11 WIM Mariam Mkrtchyan (ARM, 2334) dominated the Girls U18 section, netting impressive 8.5 points. Mariam finished 1.5 points ahead of Yelyzaveta Hrebenshchykova (UKR, 2296), who won silver with 7 points. Four players tied for the bronze medal scoring 6.5 points each, but WIM Sofiia Hryzlova (UKR, 2092) had best Buchholz and came third. ECU President Zurab Azmaiparashvili and President of Turkish Chess Federation Gulkiz Tulay awarded the top finishers. At the end of the awarding ceremony, the ECU President officially declared the event closed. Final rankings and all results can be found here. Text: europechess.org Photo: official website Official website: eycc2022.tsf.org.tr
64th World Congress of Chess Composition gets underway in Fujairah, UAE
The 64th World Congress of Chess Composition takes place in Fujairah, UAE, from the 12th to the 19th of November. There are many events scheduled, including the 45th World Chess Solving Championship. UAE is the first Arab country in the Middle East to organize the World Chess Solving Championship and to host a general assembly, as it has never been held in the region before. The 45th World Chess Solving Championship and 64th World Congress of Chess Composition will run under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Hamad Bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Crown Prince of Fujairah. At the opening ceremony on the 12th of November, the President of the Fujairah Chess Club, Dr Adbulla AAL Barket, welcomed all participants and expressed his gratitude and appreciation to Sheikh Hamad and Sheikh Saleh Bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Chairman of the Fujairah Department of Industry and Economy, for their unwavering support, which enabled Fujairah chess to experience amazing growth on a global scale and helped Emirate host this prestigious tournament. The Opening session of the 64th World Congress of Chess Composition took place on the 13th of November, with many important issues being discussed. The Congress continues with the Commissions meetings and ends on the 17th of November with the WFCC Presidium election session. On the 14th of November, the OPEN composition tournament was held. GM Danila Pavlov (pictured below) convincingly won the event, Eddy Van Beers took second place, and Ofer Comay came third. Eighty-one participants representing 23 countries are competing in the World Chess Solving Championship, which started today on the 15th of November. The competition will stretch over two days with thee rounds held daily. The participants are to solve different compositions (3 two-movers, 2 three-movers, 3 endgames, 3 helpmates, 3 more-movers and 3 selfmates) during a limited period of time. The most exciting moment comes at the end of the round. After the solvers give their solutions, they can leave the venue and compare their answers with the correct solutions distributed by the organizers. The participants compete in both individual and team categories. The teams consist of three (four at ECSC) solvers and the team leader, who may be one of the solvers. Teams consisting of only two (two or three at ECSC) solvers are also permitted. The members of the teams simultaneously compete in the individual championship. Many participants have more than one chess set on their table or don’t have any of them and try to solve from the diagrams on the paper they receive at the start of the round. In the rules for those competitions, a solver may use the chess board(s) and men made available by the organizer or his own set(s). The international blitz tournament will take place on the 19th of November. More than 270 players have already registered. The total prize fund for all events is €40,000. Official tournament website: wccc2022.wfcc.ch/ Facebook page: facebook.com/fujairahchess
Meltwater Tour Finals 2022: Carlsen off to flying start
The final stage of the multi award-winning Meltwater Champions Chess Tour got off to a dramatic start in San Francisco as Magnus Carlsen edged US star Wesley So. Carlsen and So, the two big rivals from the 2021 Tour, went head-to-head on Day 1 of the 2022 Tour Finals in a clash seen by the experts as a potential tournament decider. Playing in his first Tour event of the year, So battled hard but it was the Norway’s World Champion who came out on top – despite a series of blunders. The opener started with the notoriously drawish Berlin opening but it did reach an interesting game with Carlsen with the white pieces having a slight edge before it ended in a draw by repetition. So, the newly-crowned Chess.com Global Speed Chess Championship winner, then had Carlsen on the ropes in game 2 having been allowed to push a pawn to the seventh rank. But Carlsen, as he so often does, dug deep to find defensive resources that stopped So queening. So’s winning chances evaporated and the game ended in a draw after 113 moves. After coming back from the brink, Carlsen hit back hard. With the champion threatening to break through, So played 30… Qa8 which let Carlsen into his position. 35. Qg5+ followed and then the killer 39. Rxb7. Carlsen had made the breakthrough to go 2-1 up and So was left needing a win in the final rapid game. It looked like plain sailing for the Norwegian but a sudden one-move blunder in the final game let So level the score. Carlsen miscalculated playing the careless 25… Qg6 that allowed his queen to get pinned after 26. Nf6+ gxf6 27. Rg3. Carlsen was furious with himself. However, So could have played 27.Qxc6 and instead left the door open for Carlsen to set up a fortress. The World Champion, who has previously said he “doesn’t believe in fortresses”, duly did so and secured the draw he needed to win the match and take his Tour earnings over $200,000 for the season. So realised his own mistake and said afterwards he “forgot” about Carlsen’s defensive possibilities. Carlsen said: “To be honest, the match today was pretty weak by our standards. We can do better.” In the other matches, Jan-Krzysztof Duda was the first player to win a match – and $7,500 – defeating the Indian teenager Arjun Erigaisi 2.5-0.5. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov came out on top against Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa in the battle between the youngest and oldest players in the competition. Shakh, playing from Baku in the middle of the night, took a huge win against the teenage sensation who has set the 2022 season alight. It took a final game grind to beat the 17-year-old 2.5-1.5. The last match to finish was a tight encounter between Vietnam’s speed specialist Liem Quang Le and Dutch No.1 Anish Giri. After four straight draws, the match went to tiebreaks. Giri took the first and then secured the draw he needed in the second to win the match. Giri said after he thought the quality of the games were “very high”. Carlsen plays Erigaisi on Day 2, Liem faces So, Mamedyarov us up against Duda and Pragg takes on Giri. Day 2 of the Tour Finals 2022 kicks off at 15:00 ET / 21:00 CET on November 15. Watch the broadcast live on chess24.com or chess24’s YouTube and Twitch channels.
Chess for Social benefits and Women inclusion Conference set for December 1
FIDE Social Commission, FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess and French Chess Federation are pleased to announce the “Chess for Social benefits and Women inclusion & INFINITE CHESS Evolution” conference that will take place on December 01, 2022, in Paris, France. The conference will be held in a hybrid format and is open for both offline and online participation. The 4.5-hour event will be devoted to two topics: FIDE, ECU & FFC – Chess for Social benefits and Women & Social in the world: ambitions, projects, trends. Current and new social projects of the International Chess Federation, European Chess Union and French Chess Federation will be presented during the event. Besides, the preliminary results and the evolution of the pilot FIDE INFINITE CHESS Project will be announced. The panel of speakers includes Dana Reizniece-Ozola, Deputy Chair of the FIDE Management Board, Eloi Relange, President of the French Chess Federation, Franck Droin, ECU Social Comission Chairman, President of the Health Social Disability Commission of the FFE, Anastasia Sorokina, Infinite Chess Project Leader, Abhijit Kunte, 4th grandmaster of India, Coordinator of the Chess Social Projects in the Indian Oil Corporation and coach of the Indian National women team. The speakers will exchange experiences and showcase how chess helps people worldwide and make changes for the better. Topics and speakers: WHO Project – Eric Desailly FIDE INFINITE CHESS Project (chess for kids with autism spectrum disorder) – Anastasia Sorokina, Infinite Chess Project Leader, Natalija Popova, member of the ECU Social Commission, author of the FIDE Chess Program for kids with ASD, Ala Mishchanka, author of the FIDE Chess Program for kids with ASD, Special needs educational assistant, more than 15 years of experience (Canada), Researchers from the Chess Research Institute at ASPU named after Kh.Abovyan ICAR Project (International Chess Benefits Assessment Resources) – Franck Droin, ECU Social Commission Chairman, President of the Health Social Disability Commission of the FFE and ICAR Team Leader ECU Social Commission – ECU Social Commission Social trends – Alexandra Weldon, Head of Philanthropy, MOHARI group Prison to Pride: countrywide realisation of the Chess for Prisoners program – Abhijit Kunte, 4th grandmaster of India, Coordinator of the Chess Social Projects in the Indian Oil Corporation, coach of the Indian National women’s team Chess for women in FIDE – Dana Reizniece-Ozola, Deputy Chair of the FIDE Management Board, Anastasia Sorokina, Infinite Chess Project Leader, Anastasiya Karlovych, member of the ECU Social Commission. Chess like a tool for social responsibility – For Coloured Girls, Geraldine Engelman. CUTE: Ukrainian Women Program 2022-2025 – Franck Droin, ECU Social Comission Chairman, President of the Health Social Disability Commission of the FFE, Anastasiya Karlovych, member of the ECU Social Commission Second Brain Project – Virginie Dubois All attendees are required to register for the conference online using this link. You can find the detailed programme of the conference here. If you have any questions, please email them to socialchess@fide.com
Chess for Social benefits and Women inclusion Conference set for December 1
FIDE Social Commission, FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess and French Chess Federation are pleased to announce the “Chess for Social benefits and Women inclusion & INFINITE CHESS Evolution” conference that will take place on December 01, 2022, in Paris, France. The conference will be held in a hybrid format and is open for both offline and online participation. The 4.5-hour event will be devoted to two topics: FIDE, ECU & FFC – Chess for Social benefits and Women & Social in the world: ambitions, projects, trends. Current and new social projects of the International Chess Federation, European Chess Union and French Chess Federation will be presented during the event. Besides, the preliminary results and the evolution of the pilot FIDE INFINITE CHESS Project will be announced. The panel of speakers includes Dana Reizniece-Ozola, Deputy Chair of the FIDE Management Board, Eloi Relange, President of the French Chess Federation, Franck Droin, ECU Social Comission Chairman, President of the Health Social Disability Commission of the FFE, Anastasia Sorokina, Infinite Chess Project Leader, Abhijit Kunte, 4th grandmaster of India, Coordinator of the Chess Social Projects in the Indian Oil Corporation and coach of the Indian National women team. The speakers will exchange experiences and showcase how chess helps people worldwide and make changes for the better. Topics and speakers: WHO Project – Eric Desailly FIDE INFINITE CHESS Project (chess for kids with autism spectrum disorder) – Anastasia Sorokina, Infinite Chess Project Leader, Natalija Popova, member of the ECU Social Commission, author of the FIDE Chess Program for kids with ASD, Ala Mishchanka, author of the FIDE Chess Program for kids with ASD, Special needs educational assistant, more than 15 years of experience (Canada), Researchers from the Chess Research Institute at ASPU named after Kh.Abovyan ICAR Project (International Chess Benefits Assessment Resources) – Franck Droin, ECU Social Commission Chairman, President of the Health Social Disability Commission of the FFE and ICAR Team Leader ECU Social Commission – ECU Social Commission Social trends – Alexandra Weldon, Head of Philanthropy, MOHARI group Prison to Pride: countrywide realisation of the Chess for Prisoners program – Abhijit Kunte, 4th grandmaster of India, Coordinator of the Chess Social Projects in the Indian Oil Corporation, coach of the Indian National women’s team Chess for women in FIDE – Dana Reizniece-Ozola, Deputy Chair of the FIDE Management Board, Anastasia Sorokina, Infinite Chess Project Leader, Anastasiya Karlovych, member of the ECU Social Commission. Chess like a tool for social responsibility – For Coloured Girls, Geraldine Engelman. CUTE: Ukrainian Women Program 2022-2025 – Franck Droin, ECU Social Comission Chairman, President of the Health Social Disability Commission of the FFE, Anastasiya Karlovych, member of the ECU Social Commission Second Brain Project – Virginie Dubois All attendees are required to register for the conference online using this link. You can find the detailed programme of the conference here. If you have any questions, please email them to socialchess@fide.com