Decisions of the 3rd quarter FIDE Online Council Meeting
Decisions of the 3rd quarter FIDE Online Council Meeting 30 September 2020 Q3OC-2020/1 To approve the Agenda for the meeting. Q3OC-2020/2 To approve the President’s proposal to monitor the progress in the All-India Chess Federation. Q3OC-2020/3 To approve the Treasurer’s report and note the External Auditors’ report for the year 2019. Q3OC-2020/4 To approve the President’s proposal to further discuss the fee reduction proposal and to finalize it by November 06, 2020. Q3OC-2020/5 To note the information provided by Mr. Iclicki regarding preparations for the 2020 online GA. Q3OC-2020/6 To recommend to the General Assembly to admit the Red Sea and Aden Gulf Chess Association as an affiliated organization of FIDE. Q3OC-2020/7 To call upon the Constitutional Commission to play a more active role regarding the situation in South Africa and to request Mr Rivello to come up with a proposal in the next weeks. Q3OC-2020/8 To note that the final decision regarding the 2020 Candidates’ Tournament shall be taken by October 05, 2020 conditional on the results of the analysis of the current situation in the respective countries. Q3OC-2020/9 To note the update provided by Mr Sutovsky regarding the 2021 World Championship Match. Q3OC-2020/10 To note that the decision regarding the organization of the Women’s World Cup and World Cup 2021 shall be taken at the Online GA. Q3OC-2020/11 To note the information provided by Mr. Sutovsky in respect to Women’s Grand-Prix. Q3OC-2020/12 To authorize President to CONSULT with the Moscow authorities regarding timing of the 2021 Olympiad. Q3OC-2020/13 To note that Belarus official Bodies didn’t demonstrate reliability as FIDE partners and violated their legal obligations to FIDE regarding the events of the 2022 Olympiad cycle; to demand respective compensatory payments and to reserve the right to pursue other legal action. Q3OC-2020/14 To note information regarding the organization of the World Online Corporate Championship 2020. Q3OC-2020/15 To note information regarding the organization of the World Bullet Championship 2020. Q3OC-2020/16 To note that the draft regulations for the 2020 World Online Youth and Cadet Championships shall be provided for the Council’s further consideration. Q3OC-2020/17 To express gratitude to the FIDE President and the entire team for a successful organization of the 2020 Online Olympiad and to request to take into account the lessons from the event in order to improve regulations and practices for the future. Q3OC-2020/18 To approve President’s proposal in respect of the Iranian Chess Federation to request drafting of two versions of communication formal and diplomatic to be sent to all FC members for further consideration. Q3OC-2020/19 To note the GSC report. Q3OC-2020/20 To approve the new arbiters’ title applications. Q3OC-2020/21 To approve the list of recommendations of the Arbiters’ classification upgrades. Q3OC-2020/22 To note the ARB report. Q3OC-2020/23 To note the EDU report. Q3OC-2020/24 To note the DIS report. Q3OC-2020/25 To note the WOM report. Q3OC-2020/26 To note the EDC report. Q3OC-2020/27 To approve the President’s information regarding the appointment of Mr. Dabilani Buthali (BOT) as the third member of the EDC Fact-finding Committee. Q3OC-2020/28 To approve the new organizers’ titles. Q3OC-2020/29 To note the EVE report. Q3OC-2020/30 To note the FPL report. Q3OC-2020/31 To approve new Anti-Doping Regulations. Q3OC-2020/32 To note the MED report. Q3OC-2020/33 o note the PDC report. Q3OC-2020/34 To approve the new OTB titles and norms including the ones obtained in Gibraltar Masters 2020. Q3OC-2020/35 To approve Vice-President Short’s proposal to open an official inquiry into the violation of the 2019 FIDE Fair Play resolution and the FIDE Pairing Rules by the Chief Arbiter at the Gibraltar Masters 2020. Q3OC-2020/36 To note the QC report. Q3OC-2020/37 To note the RC report. Q3OC-2020/38 To note the SC report. Q3OC-2020/39 To note the SPP report. Q3OC-2020/40 To note the TEC report. Q3OC-2020/41 To approve the NEW trainers’ titles and new academies. Q3OC-2020/42 To approve the TRG report. Q3OC-2020/43 To approve President’s proposal to redraft a proposal on Academies and titles including a clear distinction between titles and certification process, the latter serving a separate function both in FIDE system and as a signal to all interested parties; to include the stipulation that titles are for life and that trainers shall pay for re-certification; send a proposal to the FC members in a month time. Q3OC-2020/44 To approve the Data Protection Committee proposals on GDPR conditional on double-checking the terminology. Q3OC-2020/45 To approve the creation of the Athletes’ Commission. Q3OC-2020/46 To approve internal rules for the Athletes’ Commission taking into consideration the comments by Mr Short and Mr Dvorkovich. Q3OC-2020/47 To approve the creation of the Historical Committee; to continue awarding the titles of Honorary member, Life member and most esteemed Friend of FIDE. Q3OC-2020/48 To investigate how the organization of the forthcoming Zonal events may be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Q3OC-2020/49 To approve the proposal of the FIDE President to charge GM Cheparinov a minimum applicable fee for his transfer and approve his transfer. Q3OC-2020/50 To note that the next online meeting of the FIDE Council will take place on December 04, 2020, prior to the 2020 FIDE General Assembly.
FIDE announces partnership with International School Sport Federation
FIDE is proud to announce a partnership agreement with the International School Sport Federation (ISF), the international governing body for school sport, which comprises children between the ages of 13 to 18. Based in Belgium, the ISF has been organizing international competitions to encourage education through sport and student-athletes since its foundation in 1972. ISF was recognized by the IOC in 1995, and it currently has 113 members which compete in 45 different sport disciplines. Many of these sports have their own World Schools Championship every two years, while some others are part of the bi-annual Gymnasiade. ISF is currently organizing its first-ever virtual world schools championship: the World SchoolsChampionship Online Chess 2020, an online tournament organized for school-going youth aged 13-17. This competition managed to attract 340 young chess players from 39 countries, representing five continents. It was within the framework of this competition that, on 7 October 2020, ISF president Mr. Laurent Petrynka participated in a virtual meeting with FIDE president Mr. Arkady Dvorkovich to discuss the cooperation during the event, and laid the foundations for future cooperation between FIDE and ISF in order to promote chess among the global school network. “The partnership between FIDE and The International School Sport Federation is a natural fit since our values and core mission align perfectly”, explains the FIDE President, Arkady Dvorkovich. “Both institutions are members of the Olympic family, and as such we consider sport as a way to promote inclusion, development, education, and gender equality. Chess is a great tool to improve educational outcomes and it keeps gaining recognition in school programs all over the world, while ISF’s goal is to encourage education through sport and student-athletes. It is a great satisfaction to enter this partnership agreement, and I believe that both with the ISF and FIDE will be reinforced by joining efforts in many future initiatives.” ISF President Laurent Petrynka added: “We are honored to sign a partnership and work with FIDE on ISF World Schools Championship Online Chess 2020. Chess is included in schools all over the world, and presents an important part of school sport. We will continue to develop chess in ISF events, including ISF Summer Gymnasiade. We are delighted to have FIDE supporting the ISF World Schools Championship Online Chess 2020. This cooperation will also strengthen our efforts to bring and connect the Olympic movement to schools across the globe.” Below you can read the full text of the joint statement: The International School Sport Federation (ISF), represented by President, Mr. Laurent Petrynka, and the International Chess Federation (FIDE), represented by President, Mr. Arkady Dvorkovich, wishing to establish a partnership that serves the interests of both parties, NOW, THEREFORE, STATE AS FOLLOWS: 1. The ISF has the mission to organize worldwide School Sport events, hence promoting education through sport. The ISF, an IOC-recognised organization, strives to ensure cordial relations with all International Sport Federations whose aims and objectives are similar to its own. 2. FIDE, an IOC-recognised organization, has undertaken to promote, develop, establish the rules and organize events in Chess at all levels on a worldwide basis. 3. The ISF and FIDE are aware of the continuously growing need for international cooperation in this regard and recognize that they both adhere to Olympic values and spirit. The parties also recognize the role played by sport as a factor in promoting inclusion, development, education, and gender equality. 4. The ISF and FIDE jointly confirm that the ISF World Schools Championship Online Chess 2020 will be organized according to the FIDE technical rules and regulations. The ISF will promote cooperation with FIDE during this event and will encourage all participants to obtain memberships in their national chess federations, members of FIDE. 5. The ISF and FIDE undertake to discuss future cooperation in good faith and to sign a Memorandum of Understanding in order to integrate the sport of Chess in the program of ISF events, to ensure harmonious development and promotion of the ISF and FIDE events. Date: October 08, 2020 Signatories: Mr. Laurent Petrynka, President of ISF Mr. Arkady Dvorkovich, President of FIDE LINKS: ISF website World SchoolsChampionship Online Chess 2020
FIDE Online General Assembly 2020: List of Delegates
FIDE is publishing the list of delegates of the FIDE Online General Assembly as is required by the FIDE Electoral Regulations Section 5.A.1. LIST OF DELEGATES (pdf) According to FIDE Electoral Regulations Section 5.A.2 At the latest five weeks before the opening session of the General Assembly, the President of each member federation shall inform the FIDE Secretariat in writing of any changes to be made to this list. If there has been no such notification by this deadline, and there is no delegate on the list that was published on the FIDE website pursuant to Section (1) above, the delegate shall be the President of the federation. FIDE recommends that the following wording be used for informing the Secretariat, until 31 October (CET 17.00), of any change to be made to the list of delegates in accordance with this paragraph. “I, the President of the federation of _____________________ hereby inform FIDE that the Delegate of my federation at the FIDE 2020 Online General Assembly will be _____________________. Date : _____________________ Signature: _____________________” —–FIDE Secretariat
Norway Chess R04: Carlsen grabs the lead
In Round 4 the joint leaders Levon Aronian and Fabiano Caruana stumbled whereas Magnus Carlsen did not miss his chance to overtake them and to grab the pole position. The battle between Jan-Krzysztof Duda and Aryan Tari – two players who did not score even a half-point in three rounds – the latter prevailed in Armageddon after the classical game was drawn. The central game of Round 4 Carlsen – Caruana saw a popular line of Nimzo-Indian in which Black (Caruana) reached a satisfactory position although White had some pressure on c4-pawn. Somewhat unexpectedly Fabiano decided to sacrifice this pawn but did not get anything in return. Still, Black could have put a stubborn resistance but after 30… Rc6? 31.c5! Caruana was doomed. Levon Aronian and Alireza Firouzja had a discussion in the Caro-Kann defense. After Black solved all his opening problems and demonstrated accuracy in the subsequent maneuvering game the opponents agreed to a draw on move 31. The Armageddon game was full of swings with the evaluation changing several times in the course of this fast-paced encounter. Levon obtained a great attacking position with White and could have finished off his opponent several times but after failing to find the best continuations eventually collapsed in a knight endgame. Aryan Tari had some chances to score three points in the classical game with Jan-Krzysztof Duda but the Polish GM escaped into a drawn rook ending. For the first time in this tournament, two out of three games came down to Armageddon. After Aryan blundered a piece Jan-Krzysztof came very close to victory but being in a terrible time-scramble, he missed not only a win but also a draw. Photo: Lennart Ootes Official site: https://norwaychess.no/en/
Global Chess Festival Online kicks off on October 10
The sixth edition of the Global Chess Festival founded by Judit Polgar takes place on October 10th, 2020. The event highlights art, education, science, and sport in connection with chess. As tradition has it, the Festival is held on the second Saturday of October and this time this resulted in a special date: 10/10/2020! This year’s festival is special in many ways. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic the entire festival has been moved online. Nevertheless, the forum offers you a full and varied program for young and old alike. There are 40+ programs waiting for the guests on a virtual platform that was specially designed for this event. All through the day, there are Champions Talks with celebrities such as Garry Kasparov, Vladimir Kramnik, the Polgar Sisters, Jan Timman, John Nunn, and Simen Agdestein (who discovered and trained the current World Champion Magnus Carlsen). The guests of the festival can listen to lectures on Chess and Decision-Making in Sports, Chess in Prisons and Business Lessons that can be drawn from chess. There is a Master Class by Judit in which she looks at highlights of her rich career, and Judit and Sofia Polgar give simuls. If you want to play yourself you can also sign up for Chess Tournaments open to amateurs in the age groups 4 to 120 with beautiful prizes. Relax while watching a film on Chess Brains or the Polgar family. Check out the full list of programs here. Selected programs: Judit Polgar Method (10:40 CEST) Business Lessons from Chess by Norbert Fogarasi, Managing Director, Morgan Stanley, Hungary (14:30 CEST) Chess and Soccer Champions Talk with Simen Agdestein (ALL DAY) Chess Behind Bars by Carl Portman Dessert with the Polgar sisters by Yasser Seirawan (18:30 CEST) Champions Talk with Chess Scientist John Nunn by Judit Polgar (ALL DAY) 14th World Champion Vladimir Kramnik, AI and the new chess variants (15:30 CEST) A friendly talk by Judit Polgar with Garry Kasparov (19:30 CEST) Champions talk with Chess Artist Jan Timman by Judit Polgar (ALL DAY) If you want to take part in the Global Chess Festival, you can register here. Official website: http://www.globalchessfestival.com/
Play Magnus listed on Oslo Stock Exchange
First chess company traded since the 1990s The ancient game’s biggest investment ever Founded by World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen (Oslo, 8 October 2020) Play Magnus Group, the tech firm founded by World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen, has been listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange today. The company has now gained more than 250 shareholders and is trading on Oslo’s Merkur Market. Shareholders have provided the company with NOK 300 million ($30.2m) in fresh equity, which will be used for technology development and further growth. “This is a milestone in the company’s history, and we are proud that many strong institutional investors have decided to join the team. Now, we are ready to take the next step for the company, and a listing on Merkur Market will be important for the company’s ability to continue its strong growth,” said co-founder and chairman of the board of Play Magnus Group, Anders Brandt. In combination with the capital increase, some of the existing shareholders sold a small part of their shares. The transaction implies a valuation of the equity of Play Magnus Group at NOK 796 million ($85.8m).Following the share issue, the American asset manager Luxor Capital is the largest shareholder with 10.96% of the shares. Magnus Chess, owned by Magnus Carlsen and his family owns 9.5% of the company. The issue was also significantly oversubscribed. In total, the company now has just over 250 shareholders.The World Chess Champion said: “The company’s unique vision is to make chess available to new target groups all over the world. In addition, our model will help many more chess players and coaches to be able to make a living from chess. The company has just started on this journey and I look forward to being part of it going forward.” Play Magnus Group offers services where everyone can play, watch, and learn chess. The group’s services consist of the Play Magnus App Suite, chess24, Chessable and CoChess. In addition, in 2020 the group launched a professional online chess tournament, the Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour, which gained significant interest and viewership worldwide. Play Magnus Group has more than 3 million registered users across the platforms and approximately 35,000 monthly paying customers worldwide. Play Magnus Group has an annual revenue run-rate of approximately USD 7 million, with around 120% YoY revenue growth for H1 2020. ABG Sundal Collier ASA and SpareBank1 Markets AS are acting as Joint Bookrunners in connection with the Private Placement. About Play Magnus Play Magnus AS was established by Magnus Carlsen, Espen Agdestein, and Anders Brandt in 2013. Play Magnus Group offers solutions for chess players all over the world through its ecosystem of products and services. The company offers eLearning and entertainment services through its market-leading brands: chess24, Chessable, CoChess, Play Magnus, and The Champions Chess Tour. Play Magnus’ group’s vision is to grow chess to make the world a smarter place
Norway Chess R03: Aronian joins Caruana at the top
Fabiano Caruana scored just one point in Round 3 and allowed Levon Aronian to catch up with him after beating Jan-Krzysztof Duda. Magnus Carlsen is just one point behind the leaders after winning the all-Norwegian battle with Aryan Tari. Jan-Krzysztof Duda’s woes continue as he suffered another defeat, this time at the hands of Levon Aronian. After quick exchanges in the opening, the opponents reached an absolutely equal rook endgame but by making one inaccuracy after another the Polish GM found himself in a tough position which he failed to hold. Fabiano Caruana got some initiative with black pieces against Alireza Firouzja but the youngster managed to consolidate his position and the opponents shook hands on move 36. The Armageddon game saw the Queen’s Gambit Accepted with colors reversed in which Firouzja’s pawns on the queenside proved to be much more dangerous than Caruana’s central pawns. Alireza stopped the leader and now sits on 5.5 points. Magnus Carlsen went for a sharp line of the Rauzer with Black but up to some point his opponent Aryan Tari was playing with precision and obtained a promising position. However, the younger of two Norwegians went astray on move 23 and then four moves down the road missed a spectacular blow 26…Re1! Although the World Champion did not take the shortest way to victory, the result of the game was never in doubt. Standings after Round 3:1-2. Aronian, Caruana – 73.Carlsen – 64. Firouzja – 5.55-6. Duda, Tari – 0
Norway Chess R02: Caruana shoots ahead
Alireza Firouzja slammed a rook down in disgust as he lost on time to Magnus Carlsen in an Armageddon game where he’d looked to be cruising to victory. That left Alireza tied for 2nd place with birthday boy Levon Aronian, who made Aryan Tari regret playing the Marshall against one of its best exponents. Out in front after two rounds of Altibox Norway Chess is Fabiano Caruana, who made it 6/6 with a convincing win over Jan-Krzysztof Duda, though the Polish star put up strong resistance before conceding defeat in 94 moves. Carlsen ½-½ Firouzja (Magnus wins in Armageddon) This match-up between the current and perhaps future kings of chess has already become a classic, and it lived up to its billing on Tuesday in Stavanger. The classical game saw Alireza Firouzja play the Queen’s Gambit Declined, and in fact the same line that the watching Vladimir Kramnik had played against Magnus in the Legends of Chess in July. Alireza varied on move 10, however, and then followed up with the bold 11…b5!? What followed was a tense battle, with Magnus coming close to a winning advantage. “The computer shows that 35.Bd6! wins”, said Magnus, but he also noted of 35…d4 36.exd4 Rxf3+ 37.Kg1! that, “I didn’t even consider a line where I’m letting him take on f3!” Magnus instead played 35.Bd3, which he thought was much better for him, only to be shocked by 35…d4 36.e4 Ra8 37.Bc4 Rc2! The World Champion described that move as “incredibly unpleasant”, and it was the kind of moment he had in mind when he summed up: “I feel like I missed too many things today. It’s about the opponent as well, since he has a very tricky style, he always plays for some little tactics, but I feel like today was not great, so I still have a way to go.” That meant Magnus would play Armageddon for the second day in a row, and chess fans were treated to a repeat of the Carlsen – Firouzja game in the World Blitz Championship late last year. This time Alireza had the black pieces and only needed a draw, and while Magnus had 10 minutes to his opponent’s 7, that gap had been cut to a minute when Firouzja went for the bold 13…f5. Magnus burnt up more time before playing 14.0-0-0?! (short castling looks much safer) and soon Firouzja was completely on top. It looked like he had everything worked out until 31.Rxf3: 31…Rxf3 32.Qxf3 Qxh2+! 33.Re2 Qxg3!! was exactly in Alireza’s style, and there would have been no hope left for Magnus. After 31…Nxg3, however, the position simplified to a roughly equal rook and pawn endgame. That should still have been enough for Alireza, but in fact, by the final position things had gone wrong for the Iranian wunderkind, since, as in the World Blitz Championship, Firouzja lost on time! “It was obviously pretty undeserved, the Armageddon thing, but it happens!” said Magnus, who admitted he’d been “completely outplayed” for most of the game. It was another painful loss for the 17-year-old, but in the bigger picture, it only cost him half a point. Alireza is a point ahead of Magnus thanks to winning a classical game in Round 1, and Kramnik summed up, “so far the play of Alireza Firouzja is very convincing”. Caruana 1-0 Duda The leader, on a perfect 6/6, is Fabiano Caruana, who was in impressive form for a second game in the row. Jan-Krzysztof Duda continues to disappoint in the opening, this time finding himself in deep positional danger by move 20, before he made things much worse with 23…b6? Fabiano himself later commented on the move, “I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw it, because it just looks dead lost”. He felt 23…Nbd7 was essential, while in the game Black was in a hopeless situation when the white pieces were able to occupy the outposts on a6 and c6. To Duda’s credit, however, he kept cool and brought the game to a simplified ending where White’s two minor pieces were too much for Black’s rook, but it took another 60 moves for Fabiano to finally drive a stake through his opponent’s heart and pick up the full 3 points. Aronian 1-0 Tari Levon Aronian was celebrating his 38th birthday and even later had a concerto performed in his honor! He was able to enjoy it since he’d earlier beaten local hero Aryan Tari, who sprang a surprise in the opening by playing the Marshall. During a Banter Blitz session earlier this year, Levon (“LeeVaughn”) had joked about Black’s pawn sacrifice being a “common blunder”. Of course, he’s arguably the world’s leading player of that opening with Black, and his response was to test Aryan in the main lines: “I was thinking my opponent played the Marshall for the first time in his life, so I should try to play something structural so he would have to think how to attack.” Aryan was clearly struggling to formulate a plan and, imperceptibly, his compensation for the sacrificed pawn slipped away until he simply found himself in a dead lost endgame. Tari played on for a while, but there was to be no heroic resistance and he resigned on move 48. That means Aronian joins Firouzja in second place behind Caruana, with the scoring system this year rewarding classical wins to the full. Text: Colin McGourty (chess24.com) Photo: Lennart Ootes Official site: https://norwaychess.no/en/
Norway Chess R01: Caruana and Firouzja take early lead
Fabiano Caruana and Alireza Firouzja are the early leaders of Altibox Norway Chess after winning their classical games with the black pieces. Fabiano bamboozled Aryan Tari with a bold pawn sacrifice in the opening, while Jan-Krzysztof Duda seemed to have dug himself out of an opening disaster only to let Firouzja take over in time trouble. Magnus Carlsen’s unbeaten classical streak stretched to 122 games as he drew against Levon Aronian before winning their Armageddon game. There are 3 points for a classical win, 1.5 points for a win in Armageddon and 1 point for a loss in Armageddon More to follow Text: chess24.com Photo: Lennart Ootes Official site: https://norwaychess.no/en/
Chess meets history
On October 1, in 17 districts of Antalya, chess was taken to amazing historical places under the Turkish Chess Federation’s project “Chess meets history”. About a thousand players took part, with chess boards being placed in Alanya Castle and ancient cities Phaselis, Perge, Finike, and other landmarks. The Turkish Chess Federation is planning to expand this project to all historical points of the county. Another interesting project by the Turkish Chess Federation “Chess in Streets” has been held for the sixth time this year from September 12 to September 20, 2020, with hundreds of players from all over the country participating under the motto “put on your mask, keep your distance and make your move”. They supported this initiative by playing chess in gardens, streets, seasides, mountains, and forests.