FIDE’s FPL to form investigatory panel for Carlsen-Niemann controversy
UPDATE: The Investigatory Panel will be composed of Salomeja Zaksaite, Vinzent Geeraets, and Klaus Deventer. Following the recent developments in the Carlsen-Niemann controversy, FIDE’s Fair Play Commission (FPL) has decided to act ex-officio and create an Investigatory Panel (IP). Three members of the Commission will form this panel, and it will also have the possibility to call for a consultation with external experts wherever analysis is required. The focus of the investigation would be twofold: checking the World Champion’s claims of alleged cheating by Niemann and Niemann’s self-statement regarding online cheating. As stated by Fair Play Chairperson Salomeja Zaksaite, the FPL is ready to examine the circumstances, compile and analyze all the data and evidence available, and ascertain the facts and allegations that have been made public. The panel will ensure a fair ruling, protecting the rights of both parties during the investigation. “In the best interest of the chess community, we would kindly ask the public to refrain from speculations on the outcomes and potential sanctions until all available facts are well considered, and a proper investigation is finalized,” added Dr Zaksaite.
Change of leadership in the FIDE Women’s Commission
Eva Repkova and Christelle Jager-Hafstad have informed FIDE about their decision to step down from their respective positions as Chair and Secretary of our FIDE Commission for Women’s chess. This decision comes after a most intense year of work for the commission. Eva and Christelle stand ready to help the new team continue the ongoing projects and the positive momentum that has been created for women and our chess community. FIDE would like to express its gratitude for their dedication and many achievements in making this Year of the Women in Chess a success, starting a movement that will impact our organization for years to come. The new composition of the different commissions is currently being discussed, and they will be announced in the coming weeks.
Mr Short and Mr Iashvili appointed Director for Chess Development and Special Tasks Director
Some of the critical priorities of the International Chess Federation are promoting chess all over the globe, among people of all backgrounds and skill levels, and helping national chess federations, new and old, in their development. Two new positions are intended to increase the task force in these fields. Nigel Short (England) is appointed Director for Chess Development. The famous Grandmaster and chess promoter will concentrate on assisting countries that need extra attention. At the start, Mr Short will focus on several new federations to kick-start their development. He would particularly focus on helping to organize international tournaments in those countries that themselves lack such capacity. Tournaments and other comprehensive support would create new rated and titled players, thus raising the overall chess level to new heights. In his work, Mr Short will closely cooperate with FIDE commissions, especially Planning and Development, Trainers, Social and Educational. International Organizer Akaki Iashvili (Georgia) takes the position of Special Tasks Director. He will concentrate on chess events under the scope of the FIDE Events Commission, such as World Youth and Cadets championships, veteran tournaments, and events for people with disabilities. In his years as a FIDE Council member, Mr Iashvili coordinated the work of the Commission for the Disabled. His experience as a chess organizer is extensive and covers a decade of important European and world-level tournaments. He was the organizer of the recently finished World Cadets Championship in Batumi and other youth events in the past years, including Online Rapid World Cups for young players that allowed them to continue playing during the pandemic when over-the-board events were impossible. “We believe our work is not just about top players or world championship cycles. We want to see chess thrive all over the world, to have at least one rated tournament held in every country that is a member of FIDE, to ensure that chess is accessible for everyone, and to see more kids picking up chess. I hope that the new appointments will contribute to this ambitious task, and together we will reach our goals,” commented FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich.
Arkady Dvorkovich meets with President of Kazakhstan
On September 29, FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich met with President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Opening the conversation, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev congratulated Arkady Dvorkovich on his recent re-election as president of the International Chess Federation (FIDE). During the meeting Arkady Dvorkovich briefed the President of Kazakhstan about the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix Series, which brought together 12 strongest chess players of the world in Astana. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted that events of this level make a significant contribution to the development of chess sport in our country. “Chess is very popular in Kazakhstan, especially among children and young people. We have more than seven thousand chess clubs and classes, but we need to increase this number at least twofold. Now there are more than 200,000 people involved in chess. Kazakhstani chess players successfully perform at international competitions. We pay great attention to chess. A roadmap for the development of chess is in place and we are planning to launch a large project Chess in Schools” Tokayev said. In turn, Arkady Dvorkovich expressed his gratitude to Kassym-Jomart Tokayev for his personal support and promotion of chess in Kazakhstan, and also expressed FIDE’s readiness to share its successful international experience in introducing chess into the school curriculum. The participants of the meeting exchanged opinions on long-term cooperation between Kazakhstan and FIDE and discussed the prospects of holding major international tournaments in the country. Text and photos: akorda.kz/
2022 African Chess Championship: Bassem Amin and Shahenda Wafa claim titles
Egyptian players dominated the 2022 African Individual Chess Championship winning gold in both open and women’s sections. The competition took place in Lagos, the largest city in Nigeria, from September 18-27 and brought together 93 participants from 27 African countries. Both championships were 9-round Swiss tournaments with classical time control. FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich opened the 2022 African Individual championship and made the first ceremonial move in the competition. The open event turned into an exciting race of two rating favourites and compatriots, GMs Bassem Amin (pictured below) and Ahmed Adly, who were in the lead from start to finish. Coming into the final round a half-point ahead of Amin, Aldy managed only a draw against Dante Beukes. His main competitor jumped on the opportunity and caught up with Aldy after defeating Kenny Solomon. Photo by Madelene Belinki Just like a year before, the two Egyptian GMs tied for first place with an excellent score of 8/9, but this time around, the tiebreaks (rating average of the opponents) favoured Bassem Amin, who won his sixth title of African champion. Another Egyptian GM, Hesham Abdelrahman, finished third. Final standings Open: 1 GM Amin Bassem EGY 2663 8 2 GM Adly Ahmed EGY 2578 8 3 GM Hesham Abdelrahman EGY 2374 7 4 IM Silva David ANG 2315 6 5 IM Rakotomaharo Fy Antenaina MAD 2492 6 6 IM Ortega Amarelle Mariano CPV 2474 6 7 IM Beukes Dante M NAM 2295 6 8 FM Adebayo Adegboyega Joel NGR 2267 6 9 Eyetonghan Denyefa Callistus NGR 2079 5½ 10 IM Okeke Isaac Chukwudalu NGR 2180 5½ In the women’s section, the top-seed Shahenda Wafa (pictured below) of Egypt lived up to the expectations and took gold after netting 7/9. The champion finished a half-point ahead of Charlize Van Zyl (South African Republic) and Bridget Michael (Nigeria), who scored critical final-round victories and tied for second place on 6.5/9. The silver medal goes to Charlize by dint of the higher rating average of her opponents. Photo by Lennart Ootes Final standings Women: 1 WGM Wafa Shahenda EGY 2110 7 2 WIM Van Zyl Charlize RSA 1710 6½ 3 Michael Bridget NGR 1800 6½ 4 WFM Luzia Pires ANG 1839 6 5 WCM Ampaire Shakira UGA 1657 5½ 6 Onoja Iyefu Joy NGR 1762 5½ 7 Paulo Jemima ANG 1886 5½ 8 Ofowino Toritsemuwa NGR 1857 5½ 9 WFM Oloruntola Oluwatobiloba NGR 1918 5½ 10 WFM Mbatha Constance ZAM 1613 5
Huge excitement in Astana WGP
Kateryna Lagno leads the tournament with one round to go The tenth round of the Astana Women’s Grand Prix started off with two very quick draws by three-fold repetition. One of them seemed like an intelligent strategic decision by Kateryna Lagno in an effort to retain her top position in the standings and pile the pressure on her main rival, Aleksandra Goryachkina. With one round to go, Kateryna Lagno leads with 7½/10, Aleksandra Goryachkina is second with 7, and Zhu Jiner is third, sitting on 6 points. Tomorrow’s round will start at 1 pm instead of 3 pm and features several interesting match-ups. Kosteniuk vs Lagno and Vaishali vs Goryachkina will be the two main games of the day in the fight for clear first, while Zhu Jiner will be playing with White for second place and possibly a GM norm. Lagno, Kateryna — Abdumalik, Zhansaya (0.5-0.5) The round had practically just begun, and the first game ended in a draw. Playing with Black, Zhansaya Abdumalik, who already made a quick draw against Goryachkina yesterday, proposed the Zaitsev system in the closed Ruy Lopez. Half a point ahead of her rivals in the standings, Kateryna Lagno probably thought it was a good idea to go for a well-known theoretical move repetition, forcing a draw and extending her lead to a full point with a round to go. As a side note, the clocks showed 1:32,59 for Lagno and 1:34,18 for Abdumalik – players start with 1:30,30 with a 30-second increment. Shuvalova, Polina — Vaishali, Rameshbabu (0.5-0.5) The second game to finish in a draw was also a quick one. Saved by the bell and arriving just on time to the venue, Polina Shuvalova went for a side-line against Vaishali’s Sicilian Sveshnikov, which leads to a forced perpetual check for Black. Both players blitzed out their moves, which makes me think that they were content with the decision, making a draw in less than twenty moves. Goryachkina, Aleksandra — Kosteniuk, Alexandra (0.5-0.5) Undoubtedly the most important game of the round. Pressured from the start by Lagno’s draw, Goryachkina, who turns 24 today, needed a win to tie for first and go into the last round with options to win the tournament. According to my database, previous encounters between both of them produced a head-to-head record of 9-7 for Kosteniuk, although a few of the games were played when Goryachkina was still a junior. Nonetheless, Kosteniuk eliminated Goryachkina in the 2021 World Cup final last year, a huge result for her. Kosteniuk went for the very solid Slav Defence main line and, slightly surprised, Goryachkina spent 8 minutes and chose the side-line 12.e5 – there are several more popular options such as 12.Bf4 or 12.Rd1. The second key moment of the game occurred on the move fourteen when Goryachkina refrained from exchanging bishops on g6, weakening Black’s kingside. Kosteniuk seized her chance, exchanged most of the pieces on the c1 square and headed for an equal queen + knight ending in which both players agreed on a draw by three-fold repetition on the move thirty. Alexandra Kosteniuk gave us her thoughts on the game in a short interview. Kashlinskaya, Alina — Zhu, Jiner (0-1) Poland’s number one female player Alina Kashlinskaya started off the Grand Prix in great shape, but she has been struggling to find her form in the last few rounds. According to my database, she had played twice against Zhu Jiner previously, a draw in the Chinese Team Championship in 2017 and a loss last year in the 2021 Grand Swiss. In today’s game, by move transposition, the position resembled a classical isolated d-pawn structure. While Zhu Jiner was preparing to blockade the d5 square and finish her development, Kashlinskaya uncorked a seemingly promising bishop sacrifice, destroying the kingside of her opponent. She followed it up with a clean rook sacrifice that couldn’t be accepted because of mating threats. However, as Zhu Jiner explained in her post-game interview, she had it under control: although she was slightly worried, she didn’t think it was correct. The continuation of the game proved her point. With precise 17…Qf4! the Chinese player cold-bloodedly repelled White’s threats and forced Kashlinskaya’s resignation on move 24. Assaubayeva, Bibisara — Paehtz, Elisabeth (0-1) Although German’s number one female player hasn’t been in top form in Astana, she played a very nice positional game in the Carlsbad structure today with Black against Bibisara Assaubayeva. Her plan based on 26…b5 followed up by the kingside attack worked perfectly and netted her the full point in a key moment of the tournament. In her post-game interview, Paehtz reflected on her opponent’s playing style and experience when deciding her game strategy. She also discussed some of the issues that top women players have faced since the end of the pandemic. Tan Zhongyi — Wagner, Dinara (1-0) With her third win in the last four games, Tan Zhongyi made a huge step today to fight for fifth place in the tournament. Playing fast and confidently, she prevailed over Dinara Wagner in a masterfully played two bishops against a two-knight endgame. In fact, as FIDE’s General Director GM Emil Sutovsky shared on Twitter, the ending has a striking similarity to game 23 of the 1951 Botvinnik vs Bronstein World Championship Match. In her post-game interview, Tan Zhongyi discussed with Press Officer IM Michael Rahal her style of play and handling of the clock. Round 11 (final round) | Astana | 29.09.2022 Wagner, Dinara — Shuvalova, Polina Paehtz, Elisabeth — Tan, Zhongyi Zhu, Jiner — Assaubayeva, Bibisara Abdumalik, Zhansaya — Kashlinskaya, Alina Kosteniuk, Alexandra — Lagno, Kateryna Vaishali, Rameshbabu — Goryachkina, Aleksandra Text and interviews: IM Michael Rahal, FIDE Press Officer, Astana Photos: Anna Shtourman
FIDE’s statement on sexist remarks
During yesterday’s Women’s Grand Prix live broadcast, one of the announcers expressed some very embarrassing comments. Although we have great respect for Grandmaster Ilya Smirin as a chess player, the views he expressed on air are completely unacceptable, offensive, and do not represent any of the values that FIDE stands for. Therefore, we unreservedly apologise to all those who were offended. Additionally, GM Smirin will not continue as a FIDE commentator with immediate effect. FIDE not only strives to increase women’s representation in professional sports and official positions but also to change the perception of chess as purely a men’s world. Our community has to be a place where women feel safe and respected. Therefore, any action that carries disrespect, sexism or physical, verbal or emotional assault is unacceptable.
FIDE Chessable Academy resumes in October
FIDE Chessable Academy will resume in October 2022 after taking a break for the FIDE World Chess Olympiad held in Chennai, India. This grassroots and young talent development program is now in its second year, with 336 students between the ages of 8 to 16 from 72 National Chess Federations returning for the final two months of lessons this year. Classes are conducted online on Chessable Classroom, every weekend, and each lesson is two hours where students are divided into ten groups in three time zones, New York, Berlin, and Moscow, and held in English, Spanish and Russian, accommodating all levels of students right up to Grandmaster level. Lecturers for this last semester in 2022 are leading trainers Ramesh RB, Igor Stohl, Alexey Kuzmin, Farrukh Amonatov, Melikset Khachiyan, Mikhail Kobalia, Alonso Zapata, Bernal Gonzales and Michael Oratovsky. The program is developed and administered by FIDE Trainers Commission with sponsorship from Chessable.
FIDE WGP: Kateryna Lagno takes the lead in Astana
With two rounds to go, Kateryna Lagno is a half-point ahead of Aleksandra Goryachkina The Kazakhstan Chess Federation, in close collaboration with FIDE, is leaving no stone unturned in their desire to provide a clean and safe environment for the Women’s Grand Prix in Astana. One of the main concerns is guaranteeing that the players feel comfortable as soon as they arrive at the Astana Business Hub. The venue is spacious and well-lit, and players can access a special rest area with beverages, fruit and sweets. High-tech digital boards and clocks are being used for the games, and three different types of chairs are provided. With regard to anti-cheating, guarantees are solid. Among other measures, no spectators are allowed in the playing area, all participants are scanned before the game and randomly after the game, and there is a 15-minute delay on the live broadcast. Games will be won or lost, but from my point of view, both the hotel and the venue conditions are excellent. Abdumalik, Zhansaya — Goryachkina, Aleksandra (0.5-0.5) In the first game to finish, Zhansaya Abdumalik and Aleksandra Goryachkina repeated a well-known theoretical draw in the Ruy Lopez. Abdumalik scores half a point against the tournament leader while Goryachkina stays in the lead and saves energy for tomorrow’s important game against Kosteniuk As a side note, Aleksandra turns 24 tomorrow: a chance to celebrate with a quiet birthday dinner. However, this result did give Kateryna Lagno the chance to move into the sole lead if she defeated Zhu Jiner: stay tuned to find out! Tan, Zhongyi — Shuvalova, Polina (0-1) Although they have never faced each other in classical chess over the board, Tan Zhongyi defeated Polina Shuvalova by 17-10 in a gruelling 27-game match in the 2022 Women’s Speed Chess Championship. Shuvalova decided to repeat the Nimzo-Indian defence that she already used against Kashlinskaya in the fifth round, but Tan Zhongyi quickly deviated from the main line, going for a solid Ragozin exchange setup. Soon a d4-isolani position appeared on the board: active play for White’s pieces in exchange for the weak d4 isolated pawn. The crucial moment was when Tan Zhongyi invaded the seventh with her rook, which was a double-edged idea. Shuvalova tried to trap it, and in mutual time-trouble peppered with mutual errors, she managed to outplay her opponent and score her second win in a row. Polina was kind enough to give her insights into the game in an interview with FIDE Press Officer Michael Rahal. Wagner, Dinara — Assaubayeva, Bibisara (0.5-0.5) I could only locate two previous games between these two contenders: a win and a draw in favour of Wagner. With both players on 3.5/8, a win in this important game would catapult one of them to 50%. For today’s game, Assaubayeva, with Black, went for the popular Schallopp variation in the Slav defence: a new opening in this event. Possibly surprised by Wagner’s 10.0-0-0 (both 10.h3 and 10.g3 are far more common), Assaubayeva uncorked the unexpected novelty 10…a5!? And Wagner allowed the pawn to advance to a3, a thorn in the side of her castled king. After the exchange of queens, the game remained balanced for a while. Assuabayeva took advantage of Wagner’s deep time trouble to win a pawn, and even went into a rook ending with two extra pawns. But as they say, “All rook endings are drawn”, and today’s endgame wasn’t an exception. Paehtz, Elisabeth — Kashlinskaya, Alina (0.5-0.5) The German number one female player has generally had good results when facing Poland’s number one. According to the database, they have played classical games five times, with a four to one favourable score for Elisabeth. For the first time in this tournament, Kashlinskaya went for the Nimzo-Indian defence, against which Paehtz chose the popular Bd3-Nge2 setup. After the adventurous 8…e5!?, Paehtz spent 22 minutes evaluating the consequences of grabbing a pawn with 9.Bxf7+ and more than half an hour to calculate 12.Nf4, played back in 2010. It’s unclear whether the pawn sacrifice was preparation – you can argue that there is some compensation for Black – but at least Kashlinskaya was well ahead on the clock. Given her impending time trouble, Paehtz decided to return the extra pawn for an easier game, and after some more exchanges, a peaceful draw was agreed. Zhu Jiner — Lagno, Kateryna (0-1) In their first game face-to-face, Lagno went for the Four Knights Sicilian, which Elisabeth Paehtz has already used a couple of times in this tournament. Zhu Jiner chose the main line with White, but Lagno had prepared a reputable side-line (8…Bb7 instead of 8…Qc7). Zhu Jiner wasn’t caught by surprise. She blitzed out the best moves according to modern theory, momentarily sacrificing a pawn along the way. Lagno returned the pawn a few moves later, and the position remained equal. According to the computer, Zhu Jiner missed a huge chance with 25.a4! (instead of 25.Rc4) with the idea of 26.f5 and 27.Nxd7 in many variations. I also discussed these variations with Lagno before her interview, and she sensed that she might be in danger. However, Zhu Jiner wasn’t on her day and had a blackout. She went for a direct tactical attack but missed that after 28.exf6? she was losing the bishop on c5, which wasn’t hanging before. After losing two games in a row (against the two leaders), she still maintains her third place but is no longer a contender for the top spot in Astana. With this win, Lagno is the sole leader, half a point ahead of Aleksandra Goryachkina. But with two games to go, anything can happen, as she reminded us in her post-game interview. Kosteniuk, Alexandra — Vaishali, Rameshbabu (1-0) In spite of only having played one classical game (which ended in a draw), Kosteniuk and Vaishali clashed in one of the rounds of the 2020 Women’s Speed Chess Championship, which Kosteniuk won by 7-4. Against Vaishali’s Sicilian Defence, Kosteniuk went for the Rossolimo Attack and achieved a small edge in the opening. It’s
Winners crowned at FIDE World Cadet Championship
The FIDE World Cadet Chess Championship 2022 in the U8, U10 and U12 categories is in the books. In the final round, the participants, especially those contesting for medals, showed real fighting spirit. Not all the favourites made it to the podium, giving way to uprising lower-rated players. For example, in the Under 8 Open section, Indian Safin Safarullakhan (number 26 on the starting list) climbed as high as the third position in the final standings and took bronze. In the U8 Girls section, Lila Rzadkowska from Poland (19th on the starting list) also claimed bronze. On the other hand, in all other categories, the medals went to the top-10 rated participants. Final results in each category: U8 Open Llari Marc (FRA) Shogdzhiev Roman (FID) Safin Safarullakhan (IND) U10 Open Lacan Rus David (FRA) Smirnov Mark (KAZ) Liu Patrick (USA) U12 Open Uskov Artem (FID) Movahed Sina (IRI) Besou Hussain (GER) U8 Girls Charvi A (IND) Sivanandan Bodhana (ENG) Rzadkowska Lila (POL) U10 Girls Venskaya Nika (FID) Bassari Senem Gul (TUR) Siskou Evangelia (GRE) U12 Girls Shubhi Gupta (IND) Yousefian Maedeh (IRI) Goriachkina Oksana (FID) FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, who attended the final round, President of Georgian Chess Federation George Giorgadze and Akaki Iashvili, welcomed participants, coaches, guests and special guests at the closing ceremony as well as awarded winners. In his speech, Mr Iashvili mentioned that next year Batumi, Georgia, would host the World Cadet Rapid and Blitz Championships U8, 10 and 12, cementing the city’s status in the chess circuit. The winners were awarded diplomas, medals, cups, laptops and Apple devices. Photos : Mark Livshitz