WSCC GP Leg 4: Koneru and Kosteniuk face-off in the final
Humpy Koneru and Alexandra Kosteniuk will meet in the final of the fourth and last leg of the Women’s Speed Chess Grand Prix on July 19. The semifinals saw two close battles. The rivalry between Hou Yifan and Humpy Koneru goes back to 2011 when the two played a world championship match, confidently won by the Chinese chess star. Today Indian #1 took revenge – the players went neck and neck until the last bullet game which Humpy won with Black by weaving the mating net around the white king to clinch the victory 6-5. It was a painful loss for the world’s highest-rated player as she failed to qualify for the Super Final spot. The second semifinal between Alexandra Kosteniuk and Sarasadat Khademalsharieh started as a very tight match too. Kosteniuk had a one-point lead going into the bullet portion but proved superior in the fastest time control extending it to comfortable four points, 7.5-3.5. “I was not too happy with my play. Early on, in the first games, I missed a lot of small tactics. That made me worried. But all’s well that ends well,” summarized Kosteniuk. With this victory, Kosteniuk eliminated one of the rivals on the way to the vacant Super Final spot. As Ushenina and Gunina are sitting on the top of the WSCCP standings with 22 GP points, it’s all in Kosteniuk’s hands now. If she wins the final against Koneru on Sunday, the July 20 Super Final match will be Kosteniuk vs Ushenina (the Ukrainian has a better tiebreak over Gunina). If Kosteniuk loses to Koneru (who is out of the race), the Super Final will become the third instance of Leg 1 and 2 finals – Ushenina vs Gunina.
United Nations: “Chess for recovering better”
To celebrate the International Chess Day, on 20 July (10:00-12:00 EST), top chess personalities, including the FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, Viswanathan Anand, Vladimir Kramnik, Levon Aronian, and Hou Yifan, will take part in a high-level virtual event – “Chess for Recovering Better”. The event will be attended by the United Nations and government officials, permanent missions to the UN, representatives of civil society, academia, and other relevant stakeholders. It will be broadcast live by the UN, and also at FIDE’s Youtube Channel. This meeting aims at providing a platform to discuss the unique capabilities leveraged by chess in supporting social cohesion, equality, and inclusion, with a focus on COVID-19 response and recovery efforts for building back better. From the concept note of the event: “Globally, chess is recognized as a powerful tool for promoting the values of discipline, equality, respect for rules, and mutual understanding. In 2019, the UN General Assembly unanimously adopted resolution 74/22 under agenda items “Sport for development and peace” and “Culture of peace”, designating the 20th of July as World Chess Day. The resolution acknowledges the important opportunities offered by chess in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SDGs, such as strengthening education and health, fostering solidarity and promoting cooperation, gender equality, inclusivity, and peace. Throughout history, games and sports have helped humanity to survive times of crisis by reducing anxieties and improving mental health. While the coronavirus outbreak has forced most gaming and sports activities to scale down, chess has demonstrated remarkable resilience, adaptability, and very strong convening power in time of the pandemic. Over the past few months, the overall interest in chess is reported to have doubled, with more players than ever coming together to participate in chess events that are being increasingly held through online platforms.” Chess for Sustainable Development The United Nations recognizes that sports, the arts, and physical activity have the power to change perceptions, prejudices, and behaviors, as well as to inspire people, break down racial and political barriers, combat discrimination and defuse conflict, and therefore contribute in promoting education, sustainable development, peace, cooperation, solidarity, social inclusion and health at the local, regional and international levels. Chess is one of the most ancient, intellectual, and cultural games, with a combination of sport, scientific thinking, and elements of art. As an affordable and inclusive activity, it can be exercised anywhere and played by all, across the barriers of language, age, gender, physical ability, or social status. Chess is a global game, which promotes fairness, inclusion, and mutual respect, and noting in this regard that it can contribute to an atmosphere of tolerance and understanding among peoples and nations. Chess also offers important opportunities in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals, including strengthening education, realizing gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls and fostering inclusion, tolerance, mutual understanding, and respect. About International Chess Day FIDE has been celebrating the International Chess Day since 1966, following a recommendation of UNESCO. The date marks the establishment of the International Chess Federation, which was founded during the Paris 1924 Summer Olympics. On December 12, 2019, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution proclaiming 20 July as “World Chess Day”, as per their own denomination. The resolution was tabled by Armenia and co-sponsored by 52 other countries. Armenia’s Ambassador to the UN, Mher Margaryan, presented chess as a consensus builder that “can transcend national boundaries and break down racial, political and social barriers.” The impact of COVID-19 on sport Sport is a major contributor to economic and social development. Its role is well recognized by Governments, including in the Political Declaration of the 2030 Agenda, which reflects on “the contribution sports make to the empowerment of women and young people, individuals and communities, as well as to health, education, and social inclusion objectives.” Since its onset, the COVID-19 pandemic has spread to almost all countries of the world. Social and physical distancing measures, lockdowns of businesses, schools, and overall social life, which have become commonplace to curtail the spread of the disease, have also disrupted many regular aspects of life, including sport and physical activity. This policy brief highlights the challenges COVID-19 has posed to both the sporting world and to physical activity and well-being, including for marginalized or vulnerable groups. It further provides recommendations for Governments and other stakeholders, as well as for the UN system, to support the safe reopening of sporting events, as well as to support physical activity during the pandemic and beyond.
Hou Yifan, Koneru, Kosteniuk and Khademalsharieh through to semifinals
Hou Yifan, Humpy Koneru, Alexandra Kosteniuk, and Sarasadat Khademalsharieh made it to the semifinals of the final leg of the Women’s Speed Chess Grand Prix. Three quarterfinal matches happened to be a rather lopsided affair. Playing with great speed and confidence Hou Yifan eliminated talented Zhansaya Abdumalik (7.5-3.5), Alexandra Kosteniuk steamrolled Harika Dronavalli (9-3), Sarasadat Khademalsharieh turned in another strong performance and swept aside Anna Muzychuk (7.5-3.5). Eager to secure her spot in the Super Final, Valentina Gunina pushed hard in her match with Humpy Koneru, but her opponent was also in a feisty mood. In the last bullet game, Valentina had an excellent chance to level the score by simply advancing her queenside pawns in a rook ending but she brought her king in the center instead and allowed Humpy to escape and win the match. Gunina finished her GP campaign and got two more points for this leg and caught up with Anna Ushenina on 22 GP points but the latter has better tiebreaks (more game points). It means that Anna Ushenina is guaranteed a place in the Super Final. Hou Yifan, Khademalsharieh, and Kosteniuk are still in the contest for the second spot. It will make semifinals even more exciting. One of the contenders for the Super Final spot, Kosteniuk shared her impressions of the event so far: “This tournament started very shaky, yesterday I was not happy with the way I performed [against Bibisara Assaubayeva] – too many blunders and I could not keep calm. Today it was a little bit better. Of course, I got lucky in some of the games, but this luck does not come out of anything. You’re playing against very strong opponents and in order to make them blunder you really need to work hard.”
WSCC GP Leg 4: Gunina catches up with Ushenina
The Women’s Speed Chess Championship is on the home stretch as Grand Prix Leg 04 started today with Round of 16. Interestingly enough, Sarasaddat Khademalsharieh and Irina Krush have been pitted against each other in the first round for the third time with the Iranian prevailing again. Most favorites convincingly won their matches, but in three encounters the higher-rated players had to work hard. Anna Muzychuk was on the verge of losing to 18-year-old Munkhzul Turmunkh. World’s #7 entered the bullet with a two-point deficit (2.5-4.5) but scored three straight victories to claim the match. Alexandra Kosteniuk vs. Bibisara Assaubayeva was a close affair utill the last two bullet games in which the European Blitz Champion downed her resilient opponent. It was nip and tuck in Humpy Koneru vs Olga Girya match until the last bullet game that the Indian won with White to advance into the quarterfinals. After Valentina Gunina got at least 2 GP points for progressing to the quarters of the last leg, Lagno is for sure out of the Super Final match. Kosteniuk, Hou Yifan, and Khademalsharieh hope to win the GP Leg 4 to get the maximum 12 points and catch up with the overall leaders Ushenina and Gunina (both have 22 points).
WSCC 2020: Schedule and Results
Women’s Speed Chess Championship Grand Prix final standings: Alexandra Kosteniuk wins the final leg of the Women’s Speed Chess Grand Prix and qualifies for the Super Final match against Anna Ushenina. Kosteniuk dictated the proceedings in the final match against Humpy Koneru. She took the lead in the 5+1 minute games, however, Koneru bounced back in 3+1. The former world champion won the final game of this portion to enter the bullet stage with a minimal lead 4.5-3.5. Alexandra won two bullet games, sealed the victory (7-5) and claimed 12 GP points. In the match for third place, Hou Yifan defeated Sarasadat Khademalsharieh 7,5-3,5. WSCC Grand Prix Leg 4 – Round of 16 The current leader Anna Ushenina (22 GP points) and the runner-up Kateryna Lagno (20) sit out the fourth event, meaning that two spots in the Super Final are still up for grabs – at least four other participants have chances to qualify. Even Ushenina is not guaranteed a slot in the Super Final yet. Since the winner of the tournament gets 12 GP points and the runner-up – 8, Kosteniuk, Hou Yifan, and Khademalsharieh seek to win the final leg. For Gunina, winning her first match and claiming 2 GP points may be enough, while advancing to the semis will secure her a place in the Super Final. WSCC Grand Prix – Standings after Leg 3 Kateryna Lagno became the winner of the third leg of the Women’s Speed Chess Championship Grand Prix. In the final match against Hou Yifan, she took an early lead crushing her opponent 3-0 in 5+1 blitz. In 3+1, players exchanged blows and entered the bullet portion with 5-2 in favor of Lagno. The match seemed done and dusted but apparently, it was too early to jump to conclusions as Hou Yifan staged an incredible comeback winning three 1+1 games in a row and leveling the score! The tiebreak of two bullet games followed, with the first ending in a draw. The dramatic culmination of the match came in the second game when Hou Yifan, an exchange up, made a fatal mouse slip that cost her a rook, a game, and a match! Hou Yifan reacted with dignity, smiling at her mistake and resigning right away. In the match for third place, Alexandra Kosteniuk defeated Sarasadat Khadamalsharieh 7-4. Kateryna Lagno got 12 GP points for her first place, finishing the GP campaign with 20 points on a shared (with Valentina Gunina) second place right behind the leader Ushenina (22 points). WSCC Grand Prix Leg 3 – Round of 16 Standings after WSCC Grand Prix Leg 2 Valentina Gunina emerged as the winner of the second leg of the Women’s Speed Chess Championship Grand Prix and picked up 12 GP points. In the final match, she took revenge on Anna Ushenina, to whom she had lost the previous Leg 1 final match. Ushenina earned 8 points for her runner-up finish and tied for the overall lead in the series with Gunina. Going into the bullet portion of the final match against Ushenina, Gunina who was playing at a higher tempo, had the lead 4.5-3.5. Most likely the Russian GM was quite optimistic about her chances as she is known for her prowess in the fastest time controls. The Ukrainian GM was close to bouncing back in the first bullet game as was up an exchange but missed a perpetual check. In the next game, Anna went from bad to worse as she blundered a queen. Valentina extended the lead to 6-4 with just 4 minutes to go. A smashing attack by Gunina in the next game pretty much decided the match in her favor as there was no comeback from 4-7. However, Ushenina scored a consolation goal in the last game to finish it on 5-7. In the match for third place, Kateryna Lagno did not give any chance to Sarasadat Khademalsharieh and collected 6 GP points. For her efforts, Sarasadat received 5 GP points. WSCC Grand Prix Leg 2 Pairings (Round of 16) Standings after WSCC Grand Prix Leg 1 Grand Prix, First Leg GM Anna Ushenina wins the first Grand Prix of the Women’s Speed Chess Championship. In the final, she defeated Valentina Gunina 7-4. For her efforts, Ushenina gets 12 GP points & 3,000 USD. “It’s a really interesting tournament and a very hard one because everyone is very strong. I enjoyed being part of it,” said Anna Ushenina in a post-match interview. The runner up Gunina gets 8 GP points and 2,000 USD. Alexandra Kosteniuk defeated Vaishali R 7-4 in the match for third place and claims the bronze medal, 6 GP points, and 1,000 USD. Three more legs are to be played in the Speed Chess GP, the next one starts on July 1. Leaderboard after the first of Grand Prix tournaments: GM Anna Ushenina UKR 12 GP points GM Valentina Gunina RUS 8 GP points GM Alexandra Kosteniuk RUS 6 GP points WIM Vaishali Rameshbabu IND 5 GP points GM Katerina Lagno RUS 2 GP points GM Ju Wenjun CHN 2 GP points WIM Munkhzul Turmunkh MGL 2 GP points WGM Le Thao Nguyen Pham VIE 2 GP points Anna Ushenina (Ukraine) and Valentina Gunina (Russia) became the finalists of the first Grand Prix leg of the Women’s Speed Chess Championship by FIDE and Chess.com Ushenina beat young Indian WGM Vaishali Rameshbabu 5.5-4.5 in a very close match coming from behind and taking an upper hand in the bullet portion. In the second all-Rusian semifinal, Gunina eliminated her compatriot GM Alexandra Kosteniuk 9-3. Valentina was on fire today despite being very tired from playing every day during the last week, as she confessed in a post-match interview. Unlike Kosteniuk, who was a seeded player, Valentina had to qualify for the Grand Prix and she did it only at the fifth attempt. The Russian GM will have a chance to recharge her batteries as there is a free day tomorrow before the final on Sunday. You can watch it live on our youtube.com/fidechannel and support your favorite player. Valentina Gunina and Alexandra
Eduardo Iturrizaga clinches Iberoamericano Online title
Iberoamericano Online, a blitz tournament (3 min + 2 seconds increment) on a popular platform chess24.com brought together 64 strongest GMs from Central and South American countries and Spain battling in knockout format. The first round matches consisted of 6 games, the second round – 8 games, third round – 10 games, whereas quarterfinals, semifinals and final were played as best of 12 games. Francisco Vallejo (2710), David Anton (2703), Jorge Cori (2652), Alexei Shirov (2647) and Lazaro Bruzon (2644) topped the list of rating favorites but classical rating and success in blitz are not necessarily strongly correlated – only Jorge Cori (Peru) managed to reach quarterfinals. However, at this stage, the Peruvian succumbed to the future winner of the event Eduardo Iturrizaga (Venezuela) in a very close match in which two extra games were played (6.5 – 7.5). It was the toughest test on Iturrizaga’s path to glory – after winning this critical quarterfinal battle, the fist Venezuelan GM confidently beat Ivan Salgado (Spain) in the semifinal and then in the final prevailed over Luis Paulo Supi (Brazil). Iturrizaga took a very good start in the final, winning three games in a row after a draw in the first encounter. His Brazilian opponent did not pack it in and closed the gap to only one point, but it was his last success in the final. Iturrizaga kicked into high gear and sealed the title with one game to spare. Semifinals Final Photo: David Llada Official site
Katerina Lagno wins Leg 3 of WSCC Grand Prix
Kateryna Lagno became the winner of the third leg of the Women’s Speed Chess Championship Grand Prix. In the final match against Hou Yifan, she took an early lead crushing her opponent 3-0 in 5+1 blitz. In 3+1, players exchanged blows and entered the bullet portion with 5-2 in favor of Lagno. The match seemed done and dusted but apparently, it was too early to jump to conclusions as Hou Yifan staged an incredible comeback winning three 1+1 games in a row and leveling the score! “I did not play well in the last games, everything went wrong. I don’t feel this 1+1 time control and I had a bad Internet connection, so everything was not in my favor,” commented Kateryna Lagno after the match. The tiebreak of two bullet games followed, with the first ending in a draw. The dramatic culmination of the match came in the second game when Hou Yifan, an exchange up, made a fatal mouse slip that cost her a rook, a game, and a match! Hou Yifan reacted with dignity, smiling at her mistake and resigning right away. Kateryna Lagno admitted that luck was on her side: “I am happy because I already thought that I’d lose the match… It all ended with a mouse slip and it’s big luck of course.” Now she gets 12 GP points under her belt, finishing the GP campaign with 20 points on a shared (with Gunina) second place right behind the leader Ushenina (22 points). In the match for third place, Alexandra Kosteniuk defeated Sarasadat Khadamalsharieh 7-4.
International Chess Day to be celebrated on July 20
“Dear chess friend, Very soon, on July 20th, we will celebrate International Chess Day. As you probably know, this also marks FIDE’s 96th anniversary. This is a day to celebrate chess, and from the International Chess Federation, we would like to reinforce this tradition. Last year many of you joined us in this celebration, and thanks to that we achieved resounding success: many people and institutions from “outside” the chess world echoed our campaign, and we managed to attract more people to our sport. This year we will also count on the invaluable support of the United Nations and UNESCO. We would like to invite you to take part in this celebration again. Our plan for the International Chess Day 2020 is simple but ambitious: we want to make an appeal to the members of our chess community and ask you to teach someone how to play chess to mark this day. You will find detailed instructions below. I would kindly ask you to distribute this information among your friends, members of your chess club or federation, associates and sponsors, and representatives of the media in your respective countries. Arkady DvorkovichFIDE President” WHO? Preferably a kid (it would be easier, and more rewarding for you both!), but it can also be a grown-up. Learning chess has beneficial effects, at any age! Choose someone close to you. You can change somebody’s life by teaching him/her a beautiful game, but you will also be spending some quality time and creating or reinforcing a special bond with that person. If your children already play, maybe you can invite your nephew or your son’s best friend. Maybe you can finally teach your boyfriend how to play, or your high-school best mate. Or you could propose this as an after-work activity with your colleagues at the office. WHEN? July 20th falls on a Monday, so the plan is that we devote to this action the weekend, from Friday to Sunday (July 17-19). Then, on Monday, we share our experience on social media. Can we start the week with one million new chess players? We believe so. HOW? Some of you might be seasoned chess teachers, but many others have never taught the basics chess to absolute beginners. During the days leading to the weekend, try to gather some materials, watch some tutorials, and do some reading. From FIDE, we will stimulate the exchange of information and will share the most interesting ones, in different languages. Let’s help each other with the preparations. SOCIAL MEDIA Last year, on the International Chess Day, 3,842 tweets from 2,342 different contributors used the hashtag #Internationalchessday. That means we reached an audience of more than 18 million people and 47 million potential impacts – and that’s on Twitter alone! The campaign was also massively followed across other social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook, and International Chess Day became a trending topic in several countries. The trend was so strong that many global brands, institutions, and celebrities, joined the initiative. Let’s try to reach even higher numbers this year! You can start using the hashtag #Internationalchessday in your social media posts during the weekend leading to July 20th. But the very important day is Monday: please make sure to make at least one or two posts with the official hashtag, if possible early in the morning. That will ensure that other users will follow. If you have any doubts or suggestions, or you think you can contribute to this campaign in some other way, please don’t hesitate to contact us: David Lladadavid.llada@fide.com+ 34 623 021 120
WSCC GP Leg 3 final: Katerina Lagno to clash with Hou Yifan
Women’s Speed Chess Leg 3 final is set: Hou Yifan takes on Kateryna Lagno. The semi between Hou Yifan and Iranian star Sarasadat Khadamalsharieh was a one-sided battle. The world’s #1 female player who was inactive for a couple of years for her Oxford studies is getting back in shape with every game played has left no chance for her opponent, winning 9-2. The match between two good friends and the Russian national team colleagues, Kateryna Lagno and Alexandra Kosteniuk, was much more intense. It was tied at 4.5-4.5 with just 3 minutes to play. In the next bullet game, the opponents were seemingly steering towards a draw when Lagno suddenly found winning chances in the opposite-colored bishops endgame. Kosteniuk resigned right in time with two seconds left on the countdown meaning that she had another comeback attempt. Nevertheless, Lagno was the one to dictate the proceedings as she won it without much of a fight clinching the match 6.5-4.5. In the broadcast interview, Lagno paid respects to her opponent in the final Hou Yifan: “I missed her, I missed her so much! I think she is really one of the strongest players so it was a pity she stopped playing, she is very talented. I understand it will be a hard match but I am very happy to see her playing chess again.” The final will take place on Sunday, July 12 after a free day. Tune in at 13:30 CEST (an hour earlier than usual).
FIDE on PB decision of June 2013 relating to direct titles achieved before 1st July 2005
At the June 2020 meeting of FIDE Council, consideration was given to the PB decision of June 2013 relating to direct titles achieved before 1st July 2005 but not claimed. It was decided that sufficient historical information is available for titles (FM/WFM/CM/WCM) achieved through a published rating or from an Olympiad result prior to 1st July 2005 to be considered. If a player believes that he or she is entitled to a direct title based on the results of these competitions, he can submit an application to the Qualification Commission without attaching documents to confirm his application, limiting himself to a reference to the results of the relevant Olympiad. This change does not affect unregistered title norms earned before 1st July 2005, which remain ineligible for title applications. The decision was made on the advice of the Qualification Commission.