Nigel Short to visit Tonga in 2021
Have you ever dreamed of playing chess face to face against a Grandmaster? Nigel Short, the best British chess player of all time, is visiting Tonga in 2021 (exact dates to be confirmed), as part of a wider tour to promote chess in Polynesia. Twenty chess fans from the island will have the unique opportunity to play against him. Nigel will take on all opponents at once, board to board, move by move, in what is called “a simul exhibition”. This event is sponsored by the International Chess Federation (FIDE), and participation is completely FREE. The seats will be assigned by strict order of registration. If you want to take part, just send us an email to office@fide.com with the word “TONGA” in the subject line. Please tell us in the email what is your full name, age, and sex, since there is a minimum of seats reserved for juniors and girls. It is convenient if you also include a phone number, so we can reach out to you once the exact dates and venue are confirmed. Nigel Short is a Vice-President of FIDE. A former chess prodigy, he was ranked third in the world, and in 1993 he defeated Anatoly Karpov to become the first English player to play a World Chess Championship match. He was defeated by Garry Kasparov in the final. During his stay in Tonga Nigel will also host a roundtable where he will answer questions from the media and local chess fans. This is your chance to ask a Grandmaster how does it feel to play for the world championship title in chess, one of the longest and most prestigious traditions in the world of sports.
China takes 2020 FISU World University Mind Sports
Team China 1 became the 2020 FISU World University Mind Sports Online Champion, the event that brought together 551 student-players from four continents and 40 countries. The champions won all the matches in both the qualification stage and play-offs losing just a single individual game. In the semifinals, China 1 routed the top-seed Armenia 3.5-0.5, whereas Ukraine beat Belarus 3-1. After three games in the final were drawn the captain of team China Lei Tingije (silver medalist of the World Rapid Chess Championship) defeated a member of the Ukrainian Olympic Team, Iulija Osmak, and secured gold for her squad. In the match for third place Armenia prevailed over Belarus thanks to a nice victory by Shant Sargsyan over IM Mihail Nikitienko and took home bronze. Few minutes before the final FIDE Vice President Lukasz Turlej paid a visit to the virtual studio and spoke about the importance of chess in schools and universities. As chess supervisor of the event, Mr. Turlej said it was a big success and praised FISU and Polish University Sports Federation for organizing the Mind Sports Online. He also expressed confidence that chess is getting stronger and stronger in the family of university sport.
Wesley So wins 2020 U.S. Chess Championship
With an incredible run, GM Wesley So became the 2020 U.S. Chess Champion, scoring a fantastic 9.0/11 after finishing the day with two draws to win his second national title. “Winning a second title is really big for me. I’m really happy to have won it, this title is really prestigious.” said the champion. Displaying an amazing performance as well, GM Jeffery Xiong finished in clear 2nd with 8.5/11, while GM Ray Robson took 3rd with 7.5/11. In the final round, Wesley secured the title after making a quick draw with Hikaru Nakamura with white. This meant that the fight was now for second place, with both Jeffery Xiong and Ray Robson tied going into the last round with 7.5 points. Alex Lenderman played one of his best games of the event and managed to defeat Robson in an Exchange King’s Indian endgame. Meanwhile, Xiong was also in trouble against GM Alejandro Ramirez but managed to equalize and eventually capitalize on a late-game blunder. Final standings: Text: IM Kostya Kavutskiy Photo: Official website Official site: USChessChamps.com
First ever ISF World Schools Championship Online Chess goes big
The ISF World Schools Championship Online Chess 2020 was an online event, held on the virtual competition platform Premium Chess throughout October 2020. Young players from all over the world displayed a high-level performance in both age categories, U14 and U17. The final stage of the event, the finals in the U17 category (2003-2004-2005), took place over the last weekend, on October 24 and 25, 2020. Young players from Armenia (boys) and Georgia (girls) took the titles in these categories. Albert Gevorgyan (Armenia) came first in the open category, and Ekaterine Pipia (Georgia) won the gold in the girl category. Both players qualified for the ISF Gymnasiade Jinjiang 2020 (which will be held in China from 16th to 23rd of October 2021). The finals were broadcasted on 1 Play Sports social media channels and moderated by Soumya Swaminathan, former FIDE World Junior Girls champion. Full results and archive of the live stream:https://www.isfsports.org/isf-world-schools-championship-online-chess-2020
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FIDE news Chess in Schools Survey Australia takes the Asian Online Nations Cup Your chess club needs you! Joel Benjamin and Irina Krush add to their legend Brief news from National Federations Sports and business Anniversaries READ NEWSLETTER
Your chess club needs you!
This article was originally published in the FIDE Newsletter #17 (October 26, 2020). If you want to receive this biweekly publication directly in your inbox, please subscribe here. These are difficult times for everybody, and Chess Federations and clubs are not an exception. The situation is particularly dramatic in those countries where chess is not recognized as a sport, which greatly limits the sources of funding and those with strict restrictions for public gatherings still in place. Unfortunately for the English Chess Federation, they belong to both categories. ECF oversees a network of more than 600 chess clubs across the country, but not being considered a sports organization it is deprived of access to funding through government sports programs, and it is run by volunteers. It finances its activities through membership fees, but the numbers of ECF members have already dropped from around 12,500 in 2019 to less than 5,000 by the end of September. To make things worse, “In England, players are unable to meet and play in person because of the UK government’s ‘rule of six’ that restricts groups meeting up, as well as local lockdowns in place around the country”, explained Leon Watson in an article for Chess24, which bears the explicit title “English chess facing ‘hour of need’”. “Chess clubs, some of which date back 150 years, also face an uncertain future. Clubs in England often meet in venues such as pubs, community halls or hired rooms, which in some cases show no signs of reopening”, says Leon. In a direct appeal issued this week, ECF chief executive Mike Truran called on members to help: “Like many sports and leisure organizations we have taken an enormous hit over the past six months, and we need members’ help to continue providing online and over the board services now and in the future. Despite members’ best efforts so far, around 55 percent of members have not renewed yet. We will face serious financial difficulties and potential damage to our infrastructure if the current crisis extends too far into 2021 without sufficient membership income to sustain a cost base that we have already stripped back as far as we feel able.” In very similar terms a letter was sent out last Thursday addressing the members of the Dutch Chess Federation. “We hear from a number of clubs that there are members who are considering canceling their membership this year because they do not want to play competitions or matches in the clubs due to the coronavirus. If you belong to this group: we understand that you do not want to play chess over the board right now, but we still appeal to your solidarity with your club, and thereby also to support Dutch Chess Federation. Together we keep the sport of chess alive in the present time, and for future generations. Clubs are doing an enormous amount of work to make in real life chess possible. They are booking larger rooms, they are providing disinfectants, and this, of course, implies extra costs. In addition, many clubs organize online club nights as an alternative. That requires a lot of arranging and organizing for all those hard-working volunteers. The club desperately needs your support and help right now”. FIDE supports the plea of our English and Dutch colleagues. Chess clubs are part of the cultural heritage of chess, and while online chess has opened up a world of possibilities to us, it is in the clubs where most chess fans have taken the first steps. These institutions still play a crucial role in attracting new players to the game and building our community, since chess, like any other game, is above anything else a social activity.
Australia and India win Asian Online Nations Cup
Team Australia sensationally beat top-seed India in the final duel to win the Asian Online Nations Cup Chess Team Championship. Australia ranked sixth by average rating among 38 teams, finished fourth in the qualifying stage with 13 match points behind Iran (15), Philippines, and Mongolia (with 14 each). In the knockout phase, Australia beat Indonesia comfortably 3-1 in the first round of the quarterfinals and 3.5-0.5 in the second round. In the semifinals, Australia edged out Iran (2.5-1.5 and 3.5-0.5) and made it to the final. Meanwhile, the main favorite of the event team India consequently knocked out Mongolia and Kazakhstan and reached the final. Just before the finals against India, team captain Leonid Sandler sent a message that two players in their team had electrical power problems caused by typhoons in their area. He said that one player who was in Vietnam would try to go to a coffee shop to connect to the internet. The weaker reserve had to replace their board 4 who also had electrical problems caused by a typhoon. In the first round of the finals, GM Anton Smirnov (pictured below) and GM Max Illingworth scored victories over GMs B. Adhiban and S.P. Sethuraman, respectively. GM Temur Kuybokarov held GM Nihal Sarin to a draw to clinch the 2.5-1.5 win for Australia although a reserve player IM James Morris lost to Indian stalwart GM Krishnan Sasikiran. Photo: Lennart Ootes In the second round of the finals, GM Moulthun Ly restored connection and was able to play for Australia. GM Temur Kuybokarov beat GM Nihal Sarin while GM Surya Ganguly leveled the score. Two draws on the first and fourth boards were enough for Australia to draw the second-round match and take the title and the top prize of $5,000. In the women’s competition, India lived up to its top-seed billing and convincingly outplayed Indonesia in the final twice by the identical score of 3:1. On the way to the title, India steamrolled the opponents in the qualifying stage, then crushed Kazakhstan (4-0 and repeated 3.5-0.5) in the quarterfinals, clobbered Mongolia (3.5-0.5 and 4-0) in the semifinals. FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich honored the winners at closing ceremonies in Zoom with the attendance of FIDE Executive Director Victor Bologan, Asian Chess Federation Deputy President Bharat Singh, Organizing Committee Chairman Hisham Al Taher, and other officials. Oceania Chess Federation president Paul Spiller, Zone 3.2 president Syed Shahab Uddin Shamim of Bangladesh also congratulated the winners. Official site: http://asianchess.com/
Irina Krush takes 2020 U.S. Women’s Championship
GM Irina Krush left no chance for her rivals as she won both of her games on the final day to clinch 1st place with 8.5/11 in the 2020 U.S. Women’s Championship, her eighth national title victory. “After these four days of play, with all the stress, all the preparation, I mean for it to finally end in the way you want it to end, what you’ve been working for, I mean that just feels amazing”, said Irina in the post-round interview. “I feel the support of my friends, my family, my students, my coach, all these people that are supporting me, and watching the games and hoping I do well, I want to make them happy.” Chasing Irina until the very last moment was the recently crowned U.S. Girls’ Junior Champion, WGM Carissa Yip, who also won both of her final games to finish in clear 2nd place. Probably the biggest surprise of the event was 12th-seed IM Dorsa Derakhshani, who scored 7.5/11 points on her route to earning third place. Up next is the 2020 U.S. Chess Championship, which begins on Monday, October 26, with WGM Jennifer Shahade, GM Yasser Seirawan, and GM Maurice Ashley calling all the action live starting at 12:50 PM CDT on USChessChamps.com, YouTube, and Twitch.tv. Text: IM Kostya Kavutskiy Photo: Official website Official site: USChessChamps.com
Arkady Dvorkovich on Candidates: “It was a tough call”
Photo: Mikhail Metsel In his interview with TASS news agency, Arkady Dvorkovich, President of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), spoke about the postponement of the Candidates Tournament and the World Championship match and the negative effect the epidemic situation exerts on chess and sports events. – How difficult was it to make the decision to postpone the Candidates Tournament? – We had a long discussion. It was a tough call. The decision to postpone the Candidates to spring did not come easy. We did hope to complete the competition this year which would be both logical and fair. However, given a combination of factors detailed in FIDE’s statement, we came to the conclusion that there were more risks than benefits in completing the event this year. The discussions were held both between the participants and FIDE Council members. There were different points of view, but no prevailing one that it was necessary to complete the tournament this year at any cost. After weighing all the risks and potential benefits we decided to postpone the Candidates to the next spring. – Did this postponement affect FIDE financially? – It did not. We are much more worried about the continuity of this competition. There has been already a long break and now it is getting even longer. We are facing an almost one-year period between the first and the second parts of the Candidates. As for the financial side of this competition, we would like to express gratitude to our partners for confirming the full funding of the tournament. We see no problem here. – And in terms of sport competition? – I repeat, there is nothing good here, but everyone bowed to the inevitable. The disease rate has gone up so sharply that taking such risks is simply reckless. The situation in Russia is quite difficult right now. We could provide safe conditions for the tournament, but from a psychological standpoint, the players are under the pressure. Unfortunately, we can’t eliminate this negative factor. As for a backup option (Georgia) that FIDE Council voted for, the incidence of COVID-19 is also on the rise there, although there were no registered cases of this disease in Borzhomi (the alternative venue). Again, from a sports competition standpoint, it is sad, but the safety of participants and eliminating excessive psychological pressure are much more important. So it is a carefully weighted decision. – Is Yekaterinburg still the main venue? – Yekaterinburg remains the main venue. I don’t think we will need a backup venue for the spring. We will hold the second part of the Candidates Tournament in Russia, but we are very grateful to our colleagues from Georgia for the option they offered. They did a great job to bring this event to Georgia but unfortunately, it did not happen. Talking about spring, the preparation has already begun. We are going to find a specific venue, work out all protocols with the participation of federal and local authorities, including Rospotrebnadzor. We have enough time for preparation. – When can we expect an announcement on the date and venue of the second part of the Candidates Tournament? – We will make an announcement no later than two months before the start. Maybe we will do it even earlier – this winter and then will stick to these dates. – Is it a continuation of the Candidate Tournament, not a new event “from scratch”? Are we going to see the same lineup? – It is the second part of the Candidates Tournament with the same players participating. We are in constant contact with them. We had some problems as the players have various arguments, but still, it is a constructive dialogue. – Will the World Championship match be rescheduled as well? Will it take place in 2021 or it is hard to plan too far ahead? – We keep the dates that we talked about a few months ago when the postponement of the World Expo 2021 was announced. As before, we are planning to hold the match as part of this exhibition. Based on the preliminary consultations with our colleagues in Dubai it sounds feasible. – We see more and more online tournaments these days… – We do, but it’s great that finally there was a live tournament in Stavanger. Unfortunately, due to restrictions, only six players participated. Nevertheless, it was an interesting event, a real festivity for chess fans. The excitement was there until the penultimate round in which the Iranian Alireza Firouzja, playing under the flag of FIDE, lost in a drawn position to Magnus Carlsen. – Going beyond chess, in your opinion, how will the second wave of COVID-19 affect sport as a whole? – In team sports, I think, its influence will be not that strong. After all, if a footballer or a hockey player gets sick the matches are still played as reserve players come out. In chess it is more difficult – we do not expect any massive over-the-board competition this year. As for online events, we are planning several competitions. First of all, this is the Online Olympiad for Players with Disabilities. It will be held in the second half of November with many players from different countries participating. It promises to be a very interesting tournament. There are some other events in the making but it is too early to announce them.
Gibraltar to host the final stage of FIDE Women’s Grand Prix
The International Chess Federation is proud to announce that Gibraltar will host the final stage of the Women’s FIDE Grand Prix, to be played from January 17-29, 2021. The cooperation agreement between Her Majesty’s Government of Gibraltar, the organizers of the Gibraltar Chess Festival, and FIDE, will bring one more time to Gibraltar the best female chess players in the world. But this time, they will be competing in a crucial event in the race for the World Championship title, since the two best players from the Women Grand Prix Series qualify directly for the Candidates Tournament. Hosting this prestigious event opens a new chapter in Gibraltar’s continued tradition of supporting chess, in general, and the best female chess players, in particular. Since the inception of the Gibraltar Chess Festival in 2003, almost all the world’s top female players have taken part, including the greatest woman player of all time, Judit Polgar, as well as a total of seven Women’s World Champions. The Caleta Hotel, a traditional venue for this annual gathering of great minds, will be turned into an isolated environment to ensure the safety of the participants, and avoid any risks associated with COVID-19. There will be no other guests in the hotel during the entire duration of the event apart from the participants and the organizing team, and the competition will be held subject to and in accordance with Gibraltar Government Health Protocols. The Minister for Sport, Hon Steven Linares expressed his satisfaction about bringing this event to Gibraltar: “Our commitment to chess is clear for all to see, and hosting the Women’s FIDE Grand Prix locally just reinforces this pledge. The fact that FIDE has entrusted Gibraltar with the 4th stage of the series is a testament to the hard work that has ensured that we are considered a worthy organizer and reliable host. This is in no small part due to the tireless efforts of the team at the Caleta Hotel who have organized and developed the Gibraltar International Chess Festival and its junior version into what are now recognized as world-class events.” “We are proud to be partnering with the government of Gibraltar and the organizers of this prestigious chess festival. After Skolkovo, Monaco, and Lausanne, we couldn’t think of a better venue than Gibraltar to host the final event in the Women Grand Prix Series,” added the FIDE President, Arkady Dvorkovich. “It is in these difficult times when sports, as well as intellectual activities, are crucial to society, and chess unites both aspects combined in a thrilling, competitive game. Chess is respected and appreciated by the people of Gibraltar, and it receives resolute support from its authorities, for which I am very grateful.” Women’s FIDE Grand Prix Series: https://wgp2019.fide.com Gibraltar Chess Festival: http://gibchess.com Visit Gibraltar (Official Tourist board website): www.visitgibraltar.gi