Isle of Man joins FIDE
The General Assembly approved the admission of the Isle of Man Chess Association as an affiliated organization. This is in recognition of the Isle’s continued contribution to chess, including what promises to be one of the world’s major chess events next year, the FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss. The vote saw 107 votes in favor and just 4 against, with a further 4 abstentions. The status of “Affiliated Organization” is slightly below that of full “Member Organization”, which according to Article 9.4 of the FIDE Charter, would demand a territory to be recognized by the United Nations and the International Olympic Committee. Howard Dobson, the Chairman of the Isle of Man Chess Association, said: “In 2019, our chess friends and colleagues at IOM International Chess Limited successfully organized the FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss Tournament as part of the FIDE World Championship Cycle. Furthermore, they recently won the bid to host the 2021 Grand Swiss and the Women’s Grand Swiss. In light of this, plus Isle of Man’s history of hosting high class international Swiss events extending back to the early 1990s, we believe that it is important that FIDE should acknowledge Isle of Man’s status in the chess world”.
91st FIDE Congress: decisions, documents, numbers
Since its foundation 96 years ago, FIDE has celebrated 91 Congresses. This annual meeting, where the most important matters are discussed and voted on, has been held almost without interruption for nearly a century. Only five editions had to be canceled, due to force majeure. Just a few years ago, a global pandemic would have surely meant the cancelation of the FIDE congress. But in 2020, with broadband internet connection available almost everywhere in the world, we have managed to hold this event entirely online. The meetings were held via Zoom, and those of general interest were also broadcast via Youtube. This wouldn’t have been possible without the cooperation, will, and patience, of all our member federations, delegates, and commission members. Most of us have already mastered the use of Zoom and other video-conference solutions during 2020, but for many others without technological savvy, the experience posed a little challenge. An additional difficulty was that, with our members being spread across the whole planet in different time zones, we all had to make a little effort, and while some of our members had to get up early in the morning, for many others the meetings concluded well past midnight. We want to thank all participants for their patience, and in particular, to all those who had to make an extra effort to adapt to this new format. We would also like to thank our IT department, headed by Vladimir Kukaev and Gennady Rakhvalov, who provided explicit tutorials and provided assistance to the delegates during the whole process. Here is a recap of some of the most important decisions and topics discussed during this week at the General Assembly, the Zonal Council, and the Commissions’ meetings. The entire meeting is available on the FIDE Youtube channel. FIDE Treasurer report An important report at every General Assembly is the one by the FIDE Treasurer, which is normally offered right after the President’s opening speech. Zhu Chen shared the news that FIDE has now opened a Swiss bank account, which means that the organization is now ready to accept credit card payments, something crucial in order to organize activities like seminars, et cetera. The Treasurer informed that Ernst & Young concluded their audit for the year 2019 in which they examined every transaction, and “they were fully satisfied with FIDE’s internal control procedures”. The delegates voted in favor of appointing Ernst & Young again for the 2020 audit. Chen informed the delegates that FIDE’s cash balance is currently just below 3 million euros, and she expects it to be a bit over 4 million euros by the end of the year thanks to some advance payments that are expected in the next weeks related to next year’s World Championship match and the FIDE Chess.com Grand Swiss. “We are in a very small group of International Federations that have managed to deal with the crisis on our own, without applying for support from IOC or public funds. We must be proud of this achievement”, she added. The Treasurer also spent some time analyzing how the pandemic has impacted FIDE’s budget, compared to what was originally approved in February. The budget took a serious blow, but FIDE’s good situation allowed for even further reductions in several fees: in particular, the ones applied to titles and transfers. These new reductions are added to the ones already established in previous budgets, following the strategic plan announced by Arkady Dvorkovich during his electoral campaign. As for the budget for 2021, FIDE has prepared a very conservative estimate, but the budget will probably be reviewed, and it will depend greatly on the income generated by the World Championship match. FIDE’s Director-General Emil Sutovsky briefed the attendants about the most recent developments on the match and the candidates, and he said that he expects the match to generate a profit for FIDE of at least 1,5 million euros. The report of the FIDE Treasurer, the budget for 2021, the new Financial Regulations, the appointment of Ernst & Young, and the report of the Verification Commission were all approved without objections. Trainers Commission, by the numbers Leading up to the Trainers Commission Meeting held as part of the Online FIDE Congress, its secretary Peter Long shared a presentation that reported on the work done by this commission. In 2019, TRG organized a total of 38 seminars, which totaled 902 participants – using 42 different lecturers. Besides offering rotation which is a practice that the new FIDE management has established, this also tapped on the expertise of a large number of trainers. Of these seminars, 13 took place in Asia, 11 in Europe, 8 in Africa, and 1 in the Americas, while 5 of them were held online. This experience proved to be very useful for what was to come! In 2020 there was a shift to having seminars by region and language, so while TRG organized just 23, many were in cooperation with the continental chess bodies and even held together with other commissions, and so have become more available to many usually unable to attend when organized by country. Of these, 16 are already completed, and 7 will be held during the next few days. In total, there have been 605 participants and 37 different lecturers to date, 11 in English, 3 in Russian, 3 in Arabic, 2 in Spanish, 1 in German, and 1 in Portuguese. 2021 will see a complete shift to a teaching curriculum where the subjects have moved beyond just teaching to play chess, to include areas such as psychological and training issues and the use of technology, and critically needed by trainers today, and lecturers will be focused on sharing their own methods and the best practices. In total, 1,573 titles were awarded during these two years (note that very often the titles are awarded sometime after the seminar has concluded). Regarding academies, there are currently 42 FIDE Endorsed Academies, of which 14 are in Asia, 13 in Europe, 9 in Africa, and 6 in the Americas. At the end of 2019, there were 30 so 2020 added 12 more. More information: https://trg.fide.com FIDE honorary titles
Barrientos and Castrillon Gomez win Colombian Championship
GM Sergio Barrientos and WIM Melissa Castrillon Gomez clinched the titles of Columbian chess champions. The national championship was held in Fusagasuga in open and women sections from December 1 to December 8. Both competitions were 12-player round-robin tournaments with the time control of 90 min /40 moves + 30 min/end +30-sec increment starting from the first move. Sergio Barrientos took the open section by storm scoring 9½ points out of 11. The Medellin-born GM conceded just three draws to his opponents winning eight games. Esteban Valderrama Quiceno finished 1½ points behind the champion and took silver, but most importantly he completed his first GM-norm. David Arenas rounded out the top three claiming bronze. Final standings open: 1. GM Barrientos Sergio (2463) – 9½ 2. IM Valderrama Quiceno Esteban (2424) – 83. GM Arenas David (2452) – 7½4. GM Rios Cristhian Camilo (2464) – 75. IM Sanchez Sebastian Felipe (2431) – 6½6. GM Ruiz Castillo Joshua Daniel (2501) – 6½7. IM Panesso Rivera Henry (2355) – 5½8. FM Soto Miguel Angel (2291) – 59. IM Avila Pavas Santiago (2399) – 410. FM Quinones Garcia Santiago (2233) – 3½11. FM Lozano Ramirez Nestor Favian (2234) – 1½12. FM Becerra Juan David (2351) – 1½ Ironically, the top trio in women’s competition netted the same amount of points as the podium in the open tournament. WIM Melissa Castrillon Gomez was unrivaled in the women’s championship finishing 1½ points clear of WIM Valentina Argote Heredia. Lizeth Chirivi Angie overtook several higher-rated opponents and secured bronze. Finals standings women: 1. WIM Castrillon Gomez Melissa (2172) – 9½2. WIM Argote Heredia Valentina (2192) – 83. WFM Chirivi Angie Lizeth (1991) – 7½4. WIM Chirivi C Jenny Astrid (2093) – 6½5. WIM Orozco Lina Yomayra (2065) – 66. WCM Viveros Erica Johana (1963) – 5½7. WFM Pachon Adriana (2037) – 5½8. WIM Ramirez Heimy Polgar (2077) – 59. Macias Chavarro Manuela (1741) – 4½10. Moncada Correa Sara (1897) – 3½11. Hernandez Bermudez Manuela (1638) – 312. WFM Pulido Diana Marcela (1916) – 2 Photo: Federación Colombiana de Ajedrez Facebook
Chess Olympiads: Moscow 2022, Budapest 2024
One of the main concerns of our member federations and the chess community, in general, was the uncertainty related to the two next Olympiads: Moscow 2021, and Minsk 2022. Besides, hosting the chess Olympiad comes with the associated responsibility of organizing the World Cup as well, which under the current situation is an additional complication. The FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich explained the situation and the decision made as follows: “Given that the Republic of Belarus and its government have decided that they cannot hold the Olympiad, we have tried to find a solution, another host for the 2022 Olympiad and the World Cups. But we couldn’t find an alternative. If you add to the picture the pandemic, we have been left with no other choice than to have just one Olympiad during this period. We have received a kind proposal from the Russian government to host the two World Cups simultaneously next year, 2021, and to have the Olympiad in Russia 2022.” The FIDE president clarified that, as long as the circumstances allow it, Khanty-Mansiysk will still host the FIDE Olympiad for players with Disabilities and the FIDE Congress in Khanty during the summer next year. The news was hardly a surprise, given the difficult circumstances. No one was happy to hear that we all will have to wait until 2022 to enjoy a chess Olympiad, but the slight disappointment quickly dissipated when the representatives of the Hungarian Chess Federation presented their project for Budapest 2024. The tournament is scheduled to run from September 10 to September 23 at the renovated Hungexpo Exhibition and Conference Centre, with a total budget of 16,6 million euros. Political authorities, chess legends, and prominent members of the Hungarian Olympic movement and the sports administration have expressed their unconditional support to the event. You can download a complete presentation for Budapest 2024 here.
Serbian Chess Championship kicks off in Vrnjačka Banja
The 14th individual chess championships of Serbia for men (open) and women began in the hotel “Fontana” in Vrnjačka Banja. The 10-player round-robins stretch from December 07-13. Only players, organizers, and sponsors are allowed on the premises. The vice-president of the Serbian Chess Federation Obren Ćetković greeted the participants on behalf of the organizers, the director of the Championship Marijan Stričević, and local officials. Ivona Borojevic, director of marketing and sales of the hotel “Fontana”, and Dane Stanojcic, deputy president of the Municipality of Vrnjacka Banja made the first symbolic moves in the competition. The defending champion GM Ivan Ivanisevic (2608), GM Alexandar Indjic (2604), and GM Robert Marcus (2592) topping the starting list are considered to be the main favorites. In Round 1 all three scored victories and took the lead in the competition. Official website: http://serbiachess.net/ Photo: official website
#20
91st FIDE Congress Moscow 2022, Budapest 2024 FIDE in good financial shape Trainers Commission, by the numbers FIDE Honorary Titles Isle of Man joins FIDE Brief news from National Federations “The power of chess in education” Anniversaries READ NEWSLETTER
Hou Yifan wins Belt and Road World Women Summit
Photo: Maria Emelianova (chess.com) Women’s # 1 Hou Yifan made a winning return to the virtual board in a 2-day rapid tournament Belt and Road 2020 World Chess Women Summit. This rapid chess (15+5) round-robin event took place on chess.com and brought together ten female players including three GMs from the women’s top-10. Hou Yifan started with a bang scoring four victories in a row right out of the gate. Women’s #1 was in control throughout the tournament distance and despite losing two games to her compatriot Lei Tingjie and Nana Dzagnidze finished clear first a full point ahead of Sarasadat Khademalsharieh and Tan Zhongyi who tied for second. Final standings: 1. Hou Yifan – 6½2. Sarasadat Khademalsharieh – 5½3. Tan Zhongyi – 5½4. Lei Tingjie – 55. Zhansaya Abdumalik – 4½6. Mariya Muzychuk – 4½7. Zhao Xue – 3½8. Antoaneta Stefanova – 3½9. Nana Dzagnidze – 3½10. Ekaterina Atalik – 3 The games are available on chess.com.
2020 FIDE Online General Assembly Agenda
FIDE Online General Assembly 6 December 2020 AGENDA 1. FIDE President’s address 2. Obituaries 3. Roll-call 4. Appointment of the 3 Scrutineers (if technically possible) Section 1 – Report of FIDE President Section 2 – Financial matters 2.1 Report of the FIDE Treasurer. Annex 2.1 2.2 Verification Commission report. Annex 2.2 2.3 Discharge of the Treasurer.The General Assembly is requested to discharge the Treasurer from the responsibilities for the financial year 2019. 2.4 Budget 2021. The GA is invited to approve the 2021 Budget. Annex 2.4 2.5 Appointment of External Auditor for annual audit of FIDE accounts for 2020 The GA is invited to re-appoint Ernst&Young as the auditor of FIDE accounts for financial year 2020. 2.6 New Financial Regulations The GA is invited to approve the new Financial Regulations. Annex 2.6 Section 3 – Federation and Membership issues 3.1 Admission of a new affiliated organisation The Isle of Man applied to become an affiliated organisation of FIDE. Annex 3.1 3.2 Federation issues 3.2.1 English Chess Federation’s motion Annex 3.2.1 3.2.1.1 Mr.Kambouzia’s letter Annex 3.2.1.1 3.2.1.2 Letters from Iran Chess Federation Annex 3.2.1.2a and Annex 3.2.1.2b 3.2.1.3 Letter from NOC of the Islamic Republic of Iran Annex 3.2.1.3 3.2 1.4 Letter from Chess Federation of Canada Annex 3.2.1.4 3.2.1.5 Motion of FIDE President of Iran Annex 3.2.1.5 Section 4 – Administrative matters 4.1 Changes in the FIDE Handbook 4.1.1 Laws of Chess (amendment regarding Online chess) Annex 4.1.1 4.1.2 General Assembly Internal RulesThe GA is invited to approve the General Assembly Internal Rules. Annex 4.1.2 4.1.3 Zonal Council RulesThe GA is invited to approve the Zonal Council Rules. Annex 4.1.3 4.1.4 English Chess Federation’s motions. Annex 4.1.4 Section 5 – FIDE Calendar 5.1 World Championship match 2021 5.2 Women’s World Cup 2021 and World Cup 2021 5.3 Chess Olympiads 5.3.1 Chess Olympiad 20215.3.2 Chess Olympiad 20225.3.3 Chess Olympiad 2024 Following the bidding procedure which ended on May 1st, 2020 the following valid bid has been received: – Budapest, Hungary Annex 5.3.3 The General Assembly is invited to vote on the bid. Section 6 – Online Chess 6.1 Online tournament projects and FIDE Laws of Online Chess 6.2 Online FIDE activities Section 7 – Continental Associations 7.1 Report of Continental Association for Europe. Annex 7.17.2 Report of Continental Association for Americas. Annex 7.27.3 Report of Continental Association for Asia. Annex 7.37.4 Report of Continental Association for Africa. Annex 7.4 Section 8 – Miscellaneous 8.1 FIDE Awards 8.2 91st FIDE Congress 2021.The event will be held in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia 8.3 Other matters 8.3.1 Jamaica Chess Federation’s proposal Annex 8.3.1 Closure
2020 FIDE Online General Assembly Agenda
In the following links, you can find the agenda for the FIDE Online General Assembly taking place today (December 6, 2020), as well as links to all annexes. We would like to remind you that the General Assembly will be broadcast via Youtube. Live BROADCAST (Youtube) FIDE Online General Assembly 6 December 2020 AGENDA 1. FIDE President’s address 2. Obituaries 3. Roll-call 4. Appointment of the 3 Scrutineers (if technically possible) Section 1 – Report of FIDE President Section 2 – Financial matters 2.1 Report of the FIDE Treasurer. Annex 2.1 2.2 Verification Commission report. Annex 2.2 2.3 Discharge of the Treasurer.The General Assembly is requested to discharge the Treasurer from the responsibilities for the financial year 2019. 2.4 Budget 2021. The GA is invited to approve the 2021 Budget. Annex 2.4 2.5 Appointment of External Auditor for annual audit of FIDE accounts for 2020 The GA is invited to re-appoint Ernst&Young as the auditor of FIDE accounts for financial year 2020. 2.6 New Financial Regulations The GA is invited to approve the new Financial Regulations. Annex 2.6 Section 3 – Federation and Membership issues 3.1 Admission of a new affiliated organisation The Isle of Man applied to become an affiliated organisation of FIDE. Annex 3.1 3.2 Federation issues 3.2.1 English Chess Federation’s motion Annex 3.2.1 3.2.1.1 Mr.Kambouzia’s letter Annex 3.2.1.1 3.2.1.2 Letters from Iran Chess Federation Annex 3.2.1.2a and Annex 3.2.1.2b 3.2.1.3 Letter from NOC of the Islamic Republic of Iran Annex 3.2.1.3 3.2 1.4 Letter from Chess Federation of Canada Annex 3.2.1.4 3.2.1.5 Motion of FIDE President of Iran Annex 3.2.1.5 Section 4 – Administrative matters 4.1 Changes in the FIDE Handbook 4.1.1 Laws of Chess (amendment regarding Online chess) Annex 4.1.1 4.1.2 General Assembly Internal RulesThe GA is invited to approve the General Assembly Internal Rules. Annex 4.1.2 4.1.3 Zonal Council RulesThe GA is invited to approve the Zonal Council Rules. Annex 4.1.3 4.1.4 English Chess Federation’s motions. Annex 4.1.4 Section 5 – FIDE Calendar 5.1 World Championship match 2021 5.2 Women’s World Cup 2021 and World Cup 2021 5.3 Chess Olympiads 5.3.1 Chess Olympiad 20215.3.2 Chess Olympiad 20225.3.3 Chess Olympiad 2024 Following the bidding procedure which ended on May 1st, 2020 the following valid bid has been received: – Budapest, Hungary Annex 5.3.3 The General Assembly is invited to vote on the bid. Section 6 – Online Chess 6.1 Online tournament projects and FIDE Laws of Online Chess 6.2 Online FIDE activities Section 7 – Continental Associations 7.1 Report of Continental Association for Europe. Annex 7.17.2 Report of Continental Association for Americas. Annex 7.27.3 Report of Continental Association for Asia. Annex 7.37.4 Report of Continental Association for Africa. Annex 7.4 Section 8 – Miscellaneous 8.1 FIDE Awards 8.2 91st FIDE Congress 2021.The event will be held in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia 8.3 Other matters 8.3.1 Jamaica Chess Federation’s proposal Annex 8.3.1 Closure
Carlsen and Nakamura advance to semifinals
GM Magnus Carlsen defeated GM Vladislav Artemiev 13.5-9.5 whereas GM Hikaru Nakamura dispatched GM Vladimir Fedoseev 21.5-5.5 in Thursday’s quarterfinals of the Speed Chess Championship. Carlsen will now face GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in the semifinals; Nakamura will now face GM Wesley So. Before this Speed Chess match, Carlsen and Artemiev had played four games at fast time control, with the Norwegian winning two besides two draws. However, the players drew twice in the 2020 Chessable Masters this summer. Carlsen was the favorite and Artemiev a dangerous dark horse. The match started equal, with a win for Artemiev, then one for Carlsen, followed by a draw. In game four, it was Artemiev who took the lead for the second time when he won a model game against his opponent’s Hedgehog setup. Carlsen retaliated and then after another draw won two games in a row and finished the five-minute games 5-3 on the scoreboard in his favor. Artemiev put his opponent under pressure in the first two 3+1 games (both draws) and then won the third, to bring back the margin to a point. Carlsen seemed furious on camera and perhaps that was because he kind of lost to himself in this game: However, every time Carlsen lost, he bounced back immediately with a win—and in this case, two. He was leading by three points, and in hindsight, we had reached the critical moment of the match. Indeed, Artemiev was completely winning in the next two games but lost both! The Russian player finally managed to string together two victories in games 20 and 21, bringing the score to 12-9. But by then, there wasn’t enough time left to make up for those three points. As the match was over, Artemiev reflected: “I think the match was very interesting and uncompromising but also I can say that I have big problems when I am down to my last seconds and probably I missed some great chances. But OK, it’s a fight and it’s only my problem so thank you Magnus, and congratulations.” Carlsen: “I have to say that the match overall was tough. Almost every game was tough. I think over the course of the match there was one game which I won without any hiccups. So if you’re talking about angry that was sort of my constant mood throughout the match. Every game was long. It felt like I was outplayed in almost every game and it was just a massive struggle. I played Vlad before so I knew that he is very strong and I knew that the match was never going to be easy but still, when you’re there, we both really felt the tension very much and in that sense, it was a very interesting and very open match as well.” The Nakamura-Fedoseev match was a repeat of the final of the Super Swiss, an one-day qualifier to the Speed Chess Championship in early October. Nakamura won 7.5-5.5 back then and Fedoseev became the qualifier because the winner was already seeded into the SCC as the reigning champion. In Titled Tuesdays, Nakamura scored 5-3 vs. Fedoseev between May and September of this year. All in all, he was the favorite but not by the huge margin that came on the scoreboard. He was in brilliant shape, while Fedoseev was not having his day. Nakamura started with an incredible 9-0, the second-best opening score in Speed Chess history. The games were not that lopsided actually, but somehow things went wrong for Fedoseev time and time again. The five-minute segment comprised the first eight of those nine wins for Nakamura, who said: “I played well when I had very little time on the clock, I think that was probably the main thing that I did well in the 5+1.” After the first break, Fedoseev wasn’t yet allowed a fresh start as he lost another game in an equally disappointing fashion. 10-0 would have meant “adoption,” but that didn’t happen as Fedoseev held the 10th game to a draw. After another loss and another draw, he finally managed to score his first win in game 13. Fedoseev promptly won another game, but Nakamura then finished the three-minute segment with three more wins. The score before the bullet was a devastating 14-3. However, we should honor where honor is due. The Move of the Match came from Fedoseev, who found a brilliant queen sacrifice in the second bullet game. Sadly for him, he couldn’t convert the game later on. Fedoseev got two wins and a draw in the bullet segment, with seven wins for Nakamura. The latter revealed that before the match he had taken his opponent very seriously: “Not to discredit my previous opponents, but for all the previous matches I didn’t actually do any preparation whatsoever whereas for this match I did quite a bit of preparation. Credit to Vladimir who is a very strong player and who did beat Alireza [Firouzja] in the first round.” Fedoseev: “The match started with a huge disconnection from my side and then I tilted. I don’t think that in the world we can name a second player who is so good as Hikaru in the situation when his opponent is tilting and that’s why this match ended how it ended. Also, he was perfectly concentrated till the end of the match. I found many great tactical ideas but he always was better physically and mentally and again and again outplayed me.” The 2020 Speed Chess Championship Main Event is a knockout tournament among 16 of the best grandmasters in the world who will play for a $100,000 prize fund, double the amount of last year. The tournament runs from November 1 to December 13, 2020, on Chess.com. Each match will feature 90 minutes of 5+1 blitz, 60 minutes of 3+1 blitz, and 30 minutes of 1+1 bullet chess. Text: Peter Doggers