Ushenina and Gunina square off in first Grand Prix leg final
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.
Loo Pin Xie wins FIDE Online Junior Cup for Players U20 with Disabilities
Following the success of its Online Cup for People with Disabilities, FIDE staged a similar event, the Online Junior Cup for Players U20 with Disabilities. The five-round Swiss tournament with time control 10 + 5 took place on a popular platform playchess.com on June 21, 2020. The event was officiated by Marco Biagioli (Chief Arbiter). The games were streamed live on the official site https://disabledchess.org/. The tournament brought together 38 junior players with various disabilities from 17 national federations, representing three continents. The participants and organizers were greeted by FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich: “We are doing our best to provide access to chess at the top level and for amateurs all around the world these days by organizing tournaments online. I am very happy that you will take part in this event today… Of course, we are all hopeful that the pandemic will end and we will be back to over-the-board events, but we have to explore all the options, all the possibilities to play chess.” Ilya Lipilin (Russia), Max Dave Tellor (USA), and Jarno Scheffner topped the starting list, but none of them made it to a virtual podium. Loo Pin Xie from Malaysia (rated just seventh) won all five games and deservedly took the title. Rozas Lazcano Valeska from Chile finished a half-point behind the champion and became the winner in the girl section. Another Chilean, Tapia Loncon Andres Saul lost a key last-round game to the eventual champion and tied for third place with four players but ended in the top-3 thanks to better tiebreaks. Final standings: Rank Name Rating FED Points 1 Loo Pin Xie 1570 MAS 5 2 Rozas Lazcano Valeska 1339 CHI 4.5 3 Tapia Loncon Andres Saul 1612 CHI 4 4 Kimsanboyev Axadxon 1638 UZB 4 5 Kieselbach Jannik 1379 GER 4 6 Rahatbekov Tilegen 1295 KGZ 4 7 Scheffner Jarno 1733 GER 4 8 Kieselbach Marvin 1447 GER 3.5 9 Lipilin Ilia 1983 RUS 3.5 10 Kartik Girish Nair 1283 IND 3.0 All the participants received souvenirs from FIDE, whereas the winners were awarded packages of goods, including a t-shirt, cap, and backpack with the logo of the event. The two top finishers were also presented with a 3-hour master-class by German Grandmaster Thomas Luther. Rozas Lazcano Valeska, the winner in the girl section and the second-place finisher in the open section shared her impressions of the event: “I am very happy to have participated in this tournament because it gives opportunities to people with different disabilities.” FIDE DIS has already started preparing its next online event for the players with disabilities which is scheduled for July 21, 2020. More details are coming soon. Live games: http://live.chessbase.com/games/1st-FIDE-Online-Cup-for-U20-with-Disabil?isCordova=False All the results: http://chess-results.com/tnr529007.aspx?lan=1&art=4&turdet=YES&flag=30 Video report with comments of GM Thomas Luther, FIDE DIS Chairman: https://dis.fide.com/LIVE_COMMENTS/m344
Chessable Masters quarterfinals: Carlsen savages Caruana
Magnus Carlsen‘s demolition job stunned world number 2, Fabiano Caruana, today as the Chessable Masters quarter-finals got underway. The World Champion got into his stride straight away showing the crushing style he is famous for in a dominant first game win. Caruana, US number 1, was forced to resign again in the second as Carlsen, playing from a beach house in Denmark, extended his lead to 2-0. In the third, Carlsen simply cruised to the draw that settled today’s four-game set 2.5-0.5 one game early. Carlsen now takes control of the best-of-three tie with Caruana needing to win on Saturday to take it to a decider. Asked how his day went, Carlsen said: “I would say it’s pretty good, just got to keep it up.” Speaking about his consistency, Carlsen added: “I wouldn’t say I’ve been consistent at all – it feels like I’ve lost a million games!” In the other quarter, the first game appeared to be heading for a draw before a disconnection saw Vladislav Artemiev run out of time and lose. The second ended in a draw before Artemiev, needing to avoid defeat in the third, fell disappointingly. Ian Nepomniachtchi goes 1-0 up in the quarter-final. Ding Liren against Hikaru Nakamura and Alexander Grischuk against Anish Giri will start their quarter-final ties tomorrow. About the tournament The Chessable Masters, broadcast live on chess24, is the next stage of the Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour which carries a total prize pot of $1 million, a record for the online game. The event, which runs until July 5, is being put on in association with Chessable and the tour’s Education Partner, leading Swiss private banking group, Julius Baer. The final winner will take home top prize of $45,000 and a ticket to the $300,000 tour Grand Final. Coverage begins with commentary in 10 languages at 16.00 CEST. You can watch it live here: https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tournaments/chessable-masters-2020-group-a#live Highlights English:https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1dpG2c-dmqs58tSDSZvxzGNqzgquJyO0g?usp=sharing FOR MORE INFORMATION:Leon Watsonleon@chessable.com+447786 078770
WSCC: Abrahamyan and Gunina advance to GP stage
WGM Tatev Abrahamyan and GM Valentina Gunina are the last two players to qualify for the Women’s Speed Chess Grand Prix. Today’s 1+1 bullet qualifier, the sixth and last one, brought together almost 200 players. Valentina Gunina convincingly won the Swiss part scoring 16,5 out of 21 and made it to the top-8 playoff stage for the fifth time. She was followed by WGM Daria Voit (16), WGM Hoang Thi Bao Tram (15,5), WGM Aleksandra Maltsevskaya (15), GM Nana Dzagnidze, WGM Polina Shuvalova, WGM Tatev Abrahamyan, and WGM Meri Arabidze (all with 14.5). In the playoff, WGM Tatev Abrahamyan whitewashed Voit 2-0 then prevailed over Hoang Thi Bao Tram 1.5-0.5 and claimed the qualifying spot. Gunina beat Arabidze 1.5-0.5 and then took the lead against Maltsevskaya 1-0. In the second game, the 17-year-old Russian bounced back so the destiny of the last ticket to GP decided in the Armageddon. As a winner of the Swiss event, Gunina could choose the color and true to herself, picked White. The game went smooth for her and finally, on her fifth try, Valentina advanced to the Grand Prix! The first Grand Prix tournament starts on June 24 at 12:30 PM GMT.
Chessable Masters: Vachier-Lagrave and Radjabov eliminated
The challenges of elite online chess events were laid bare today as Ding Liren overcame connection problems to book a place in the Chessable Masters knockout. China’s number 1 made it through a tight Group B despite suffering a loss when his internet failed against the eventual leader Anish Giri. On a day of twists and turns, Ding then benefitted from a quirk of the online game himself when one of his opponents – the top Russian player Ian Nepomniachtchi – suffered a mouse-slip. Nepomniachtchi, like Ding, recovered and went on to tie down a spot in the quarters. World number 2 Fabiano Caruana also qualified after finishing fourth overall. Giri said afterward: “I knew today that I would have to be fighting from the first game to the last so I was ready for that but I was quick lucky along the way.” On his Round 7 win, he added: “I was slightly better against Ding but it was going to be a draw and then he disconnected. “I’m really happy for him that he bounced back because it would be so unfortunate for him if he had to finish last because of the disconnect.” Today’s top four join World Champion Magnus Carlsen, Vladislav Artemiev, Hikaru Nakamura and Alexander Grischuk from Group A in the last eight. The day’s play started with Teimour Radjabov missing an early chance to get back in the running and having to settle for a draw against Nepomniachtchi. But then a bloody Round 2 really shook up the standings. Nepomniachtchi downed Caruana in scintillating style, Radjabov showed he still had plenty of fight in him to hit back against Vachier-Lagrave and Giri benefitted when Ding suffered the disconnection. Ding, playing from China, couldn’t reconnect and ran out of time to hand Giri victory the sole lead. Ding, however, bounced back in the next round to score a full-point against Nepomniachtchi after the Russian suffered a mouse-slip – another danger in online chess. Caruana also hit back beating Vachier-Lagrave while Radjabov-Giri ended in a draw. With two rounds to go, Giri was out in front with 5pts but the next five places in the table were separated by just a half-point leaving the race for the knockout stage wide open. In Round 9, Ding dished out a dominating display against Vachier-Lagrave to record back-to-back wins. It was a big blow to the French number 1. Radjabov also suffered when he spurned a golden chance to leapfrog Caruana when their manic game ended in a draw. Nepomniachtchi – Giri, meanwhile, was drawn. It teed up a thrilling Round 10 with everyone in with a shot. Caruana safely secured the half-point he needed with a quick draw against the already-qualified Giri. Nepomniachtchi ended Vachier-Lagrave’s slim hopes to claim his place while Ding and Radjabov ended in a perpetual check giving Ding the necessary half-point. Vachier-Lagrave and Radjabov are now eliminated before the tournament rest day tomorrow. During the action, Carlsen joined the commentary box and revealed he is hoping to face Giri in the final. Carlsen said: “There’s been significant action, it’s been so many twists and turns already and I have a feeling we haven’t heard the last of it… I would like to play Anish Giri in the final and I don’t think he’s going to be part of my bracket.” “I’m fine either way to be fair but, as I said earlier, probably Ding and Caruana are the best players in general so avoiding them in the quarter-finals wouldn’t be bad.” the World Champion added. About the tournament The Chessable Masters, broadcast live on chess24, is the next stage of the Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour which carries a total prize pot of $1 million, a record for the online game. The elite rapid chess event, which runs until July 5, is being put on in association with Chessable and the tour’s Education Partner, leading Swiss private banking group, Julius Baer. Players are split into two groups (A and B) of six which play on alternate days for the preliminary stage before eight progress to the knockouts starting on June 25. The A Group consists of Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, Daniil Dubov, Alexander Grischuk, Vladislav Artemiev and Pentala Harikrishna. The B Group features Fabiano Caruana, Ding Liren, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Teimour Radjabov, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, and Anish Giri. The final winner will take home the top prize of $45,000 and a ticket to the $300,000 tour Grand Final on August 9 to 10. Coverage begins with commentary in 10 languages at 16.00 CEST. You can watch it live here: https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tournaments/chessable-masters-2020-group-a#live Highlights English:https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1dpG2c-dmqs58tSDSZvxzGNqzgquJyO0g?usp=sharing FOR MORE INFORMATION:Leon Watsonleon@chessable.com+447786 078770
National championships records
What follows is an improved version of an article originally published on the FIDE newsletter #7 (June 8, 2020). If you want to receive this biweekly publication directly in your inbox, please subscribe here. ############ Today, Ramon Mateo (pictured above), the only GM from the Dominican Republic, celebrates his 62nd birthday. A few weeks ago, a spontaneous debate sparked on social media when Ramon posted on his Facebook account that he won the National Championship in 1979, and then again in 2010. With a total of eight national titles under his belt, there is an impressive 31-year gap between his first and last victory. “Is this a world record of some kind?”, he wondered. While very praiseworthy, Ramon’s achievement is not a record. To begin with, the World Champion Max Euwe also dominated the chess scene in his country for more than three decades: he won every Dutch championship that he contested from 1921 until 1952, and additionally clinched the title again in 1955. That’s twelve victories in total, over a span of 34 years. Bernardo Roselli improves Euwe’s record by one year, having won the Uruguayan championship 19 times in 35 years. His first victory was in 1984, and the last one, in 2019. So, having won the last edition and being still the fourth highest rated player in the country, Bernardo has very good chances of keeping accumulating titles. In 2013, Roddy McKay won the 120th edition of the Scottish Championship when he was 62 years old, 39 years after first winning his first title (shared with Eric Holt) in 1974. What makes this result very remarkable is the fact that his previous victory had been 25 years before, in 1988, so Roddy’s victory can be seen as a huge comeback, in a country that is home to several Grandmasters. Oscar Panno won the 2nd World Junior Chess Championship in 1953, ahead of such future strong Grandmasters as Borislav Ivkov, Bent Larsen, and Fridrik Olafsson. That same year, he achieved his first victory at the Argentinian Championship. He would only manage to win this competition two more times: in 1985, and in 1992. Between his first and last (for now!) victories, there is a 39-year gap. Oscar Panno However, to find the current holder of the world record for the longest time span between a first and latest title in the national championship of a certain country, we have to go to Oceania. Last January, the International Master Paul Anthony Garbett (Auckland, 1952) shared first place in the New Zealand Open Championship, held in Tauranga. Paul’s 7th title (out of 27 participations) comes a whopping 46 years after his first victory in 1973/74. For 19 years, between 1996 and 2015, victory scaped him, but now he seems to be experiencing a second youth, achieving two more titles when he is already in his sixties. Paul might even be able to catch Anthony F Ker and Ortvin Sarapu, who won the NZ Championship a total of 14 and 20 times respectively. Rani Hamid Among the ladies, Rani Hamid of Bangladesh seems to be the record holder. She won her 19th National Women’s Chess Championship in 2018, thus qualifying for the Batumi Chess Olympiad at 74 years old. She had won the title for the first time 39 years before, in 1979, barely one year after learning how to play at age 34. Rani seems to have instilled some of this competitive spirit on her offspring: one of her sons, Sohel Hamid, was a national squash champion, and the other, Kaiser Hamid, was a professional football player and the captain of the Bangladesh Football Team during the 1980s and 1990s. Whenever we talk about competitive longevity in chess, it is almost impossible not to mention Viktor Korchnoi. The fact that Viktor changed countries at the peak of his career explains that he is not listed above, among those whose victories in a certain national championship spanned over three or four decades. However, Korchnoi could boast a record of his own: between his first victory at the USSR Championship in 1960, and his last victory at the Swiss Championship in 2011, there is more than half a century. Different countries, different eras, but the same winner.
Chess vs Coronavirus: 1-0, Checkmate!
A new world record No other international sports federation and no other official organized sports event, has ever reached the numbers achieved this past month by FIDE’s Checkmate Coronavirus initiative. There were 520,000 entries, 120,000 unique participants from at least 140 countries, in a marathon of 720 non-stop hours, and 2,762 tournaments. These staggering numbers, unprecedented and unthinkable for any sport, speak for themselves. Never before has FIDE or anyone else done so much, for so many in such a short time. Unity and solidarity The message of unity and solidarity was strongly endorsed. 20% of all Grandmasters and 10% of all FIDE titled players, joined their forces saying “Checkmate Coronavirus”. Some top GMs like Ding Liren, Anish Giri, Wang Hao, Peter Svidler, David Navara, and four Women’s World Champions, Hou Yifan, Alexandra Kosteniuk, Antoaneta Stefanova, and Tan Zhongyi, were among the many chess professionals who honored the project with their presence. The unity of the chess world was showcased by thousands of youngsters and amateur players who had a chance not only to win the prizes but also to test their skills against very strong opponents. FIDE President, Arkady Dvorkovich, invited the national chess federations to spread the message and actively engage in the initiative. The President’s letter found an overwhelming response. More than 60 national federations and two associations affiliated with FIDE, organized their own tournaments which were included in the project. Some federations staged more than 25-30 tournaments each, including School Championships and National Team Events! Moscow 2021 Olympiad We have received many stories from the main prize winners who will be invited to the Moscow 2021 Olympiad. Some of them are heart-warming. HisEloquency, an amateur chess player from Serbia said: “I didn’t even consider I would get drawn for a major prize, so I was very surprised, to say the least. I double, triple and quadruple checked everything before I started phoning friends and family. It all felt unreal”. Michael Danny Kurnia, 23 years old, from Indonesia, shared more or less the same exhilarating feelings: ”I was so happy that I couldn’t say any more words, I was just showing my cellphone to my brother, saying “How could I win?” Our winners are aged from 9 the youngest to 64 the oldest and from at least 37 countries: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, Egypt, France, Greece, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Myanmar, Netherlands, Pakistan, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, South Africa, Spain Sudan, Sweden, Tunisia, Turkey, UK, Uruguay, USA, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe! Aftermath Chess was affected by this pandemic like any other sport with tournaments postponed or canceled and clubs temporarily closed. Yet the nature of chess helped players, fans, and enthusiasts of our game to stay active and involved during this crisis whereas online chess got an unprecedented boost. Checkmate Coronavirus became one of many effective initiatives by FIDE in response to the crisis. It gave the chance to everyone, regardless of age, level of play, or any other division a real chance to win in the strict sense of this word and infused a new spirit to the Olympic motto of participation. The aftermath of Checkmate Coronavirus promises to be no less exciting than the chess battles in its tournaments. In July-September, top GMs will be giving masterclasses and play mini-matches with Checkmate Coronavirus winners. Very soon, more than 800 souvenir prize winners will get their FIDE Checkmate Coronavirus memorabilia. The 64 main prize winners are looking forward to visiting the 2021 Moscow Olympiad. And most certainly, we all wait for yet another great online chess initiative, which will unite us once again. Chess vs Coronavirus: 1-0, Checkmate!
WSCC: Vaishali, Cori get through to GP stage
WGMs Vaishali Rameshbabu and Deysi Cori punched the tickets to Women’s Speed Chess Championship Grand Prix after winning the 5th qualifier. Nearly 200 players took part in a 3+1 Swiss event and after 13 intense rounds of chess, the top 8 made it to the knockout playoff stage: IM Anastasia Bodnaruk – 10.5/13GM Valentina Gunina – 10WIM Vaishali R – 10GM Antoaneta Stefanova – 10IM Alina Kashlinskaya – 9.5GM Nino Batsiashvili – 9.5WGM Elena Tomilova – 9.5WGM Deysi Cori – 9.5 It was the fourth time the strongest Peruvian female player Deysi Cori found herself in a playoff and this one was a charm. In her first match, she knocked out Bodnaruk in the Armageddon game; in the second one, she crushed Stefanova 2-0. The 19-year-old Chennai-native Vaishali R played her third playoff in this competition and she did not miss the opportunity this time. In quarterfinals, Vaishali defeated Kashlinskaya 1,5-0,5 and then prevailed over Gunina 1.5-0.5 in the semi-final match for a spot in the Grand Prix stage. It was a lucky day for siblings. Both Vaishali R and Deysi Cori have prodigy brothers – the fourth-youngest GM in history Praggnanandhaa R and Jorge Cori, who became a GM at 14, respectively. The FIDE Chess.com Women’s Speed Chess Championship is an online competition for female players held between June 18 and July 20, 2020. The championship consists of four separate stages, with the first now underway. Six Swiss tournaments, followed by a knockout are played to deliver two qualifiers each for the Grand Prix stage that follows. WSCC Super Final in which two best players of Grand Prix face-off, crowns the competition. The Swiss tournaments are open to any titled women player (WCM/WFM/WIM/WGM/IM/GM). Each one of the Grand Prix legs has a total prize fund of 10,300 USD, with 3,000 going to the winner. The prize fund of WSCC Super Final amounts to 10,000 USD, with 6,500 going to the winner, and 3,500 to the runner up. More information about the FIDE Chess.com Women’s Speed Chess Championship can be found here.
Chessable Masters: Nakamura survives scare, Dubov out
Magnus Carlsen stormed into the Chessable Masters knockout stage today as his main rival overcame an almighty scare. The World Champion turned around a disappointing day 1 to march up the leaderboard and finish joint-top of Group A in the $150,000 online chess super-tournament. Carlsen said: “It was a bit nervy, at least at the very start, but certainly after I made a draw in the third game against Sasha [Alexander Grischuk] I calmed down and after that it was comfortable.” Meanwhile, Hikaru Nakamura – the #1 in blitz rating seen as Carlsen’s biggest threat – needed a dramatic final round win on demand to make it through. It averted what would have been a huge shock but meant Daniil Dubov, the young Russian who won the last Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour event, was dumped out instead. It was harsh on Dubov, who finished level on points with Nakamura and three-time World Blitz Champion Alexander Grischuk but went out on a tiebreaker. Vladislav Artemiev, the in-form Russian GM who led after the first day, finished level with Carlsen at the top on 6 points. The day’s play started with an eagerly-awaited marquee match between Carlsen and Nakamura which saw the Norwegian score a thumping win. Nakamura was never in it and, having drawn all his previous encounters, sunk below 50 percent and into the drop-zone. In the other games, bottom-of-the-barrel Pentala Harikrishna’s loss to in-form Vladislav Artemiev which also left the Indian teetering on the edge of elimination. Harikrishna badly needed a win against Carlsen to stay in the running but, despite counter-attacking hard, was held to a draw which effectively ended his challenge. Artemiev, who led Group A after the first day, then lost against Dubov and the result left the pair level at the top. Nakamura, meanwhile, split the point with Grischuk. Round 8 was cagey as all three games were also drawn. Nakamura saved a difficult position against Grischuk, who missed a good opportunity to put himself in the top 4. Round 9 set up a fascinating finish. Carlsen put in a virtuoso performance to down Dubov and leapfrog the Russian in a menacing fashion. It took Carlsen to 5.5 points and secured his place in the knockout alongside Artemiev, who safely drew against Grischuk. For Dubov, however, it meant he now needed a draw in the final round to go through. Nakamura, meanwhile, was by now clearly out-of-sorts. But yet again he escaped what seemed like a lost position, this time against Harikrishna, to pick up a fortunate draw. In the final round, Grischuk was fighting it out for one of the final two places with several scenarios possible. Nakamura finally found his form to beat Dubov and sneak into the top 4 on the pair’s head-to-head score while Grischuk powered past Harikrishna to also edge past his fellow Russian. Carlsen, Artemiev, Nakamura, and Grischuk now go through to the quarter-finals which start on Thursday and will be joined by four more players from Group B. About the tournament The event, which runs until July 5, is being put on in association with Chessable and the tour’s Education Partner, leading Swiss private banking group, Julius Baer. Players are split into two groups (A and B) of six which play on alternate days for the preliminary stage before eight progress to the knockouts. The final winner will take home top prize of $45,000 and a ticket to the $300,000 tour Grand Final. Coverage begins with commentary in 10 languages at 16.00 CEST. You can watch it live here: https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tournaments/chessable-masters-2020-group-a#live Highlights English:https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1dpG2c-dmqs58tSDSZvxzGNqzgquJyO0g?usp=sharingNew files at around 23.00 CEST FOR MORE INFORMATION:Leon Watsonleon@chessable.com
TTCA stages 1st Regional Online Chess Championship
The Trinidad and Tobago Chess Association (TTCA) recently hosted the 1st Regional Online Chess Championship, a blitz tournament (3 min +2 sec increment) for Under 18 youth with an ELO less than 1800, over the period June 13-17, 2020. There seemed to be vast excitement surrounding this event as 173 players from 14 countries in the Caribbean Region played in the qualifying round on June 13, 2020. The tournament was played in the Arena format where players were paired continuously for 90 minutes. The top 14 players then joined the National Under 18 Champions of Trinidad and Tobago, CM Sean Yearwood from St. Mary’s College and WCM Shemilah James from St. Francois Girls’ College, in the Round of 16. FM Adrian Atwell, FM Ryan Harper, and FM Joshua Johnson provided live commentary throughout the event. The competition was aligned with FIDE and CCA policy to make online chess as an important tool for development. It was also integrated into the FIDE project Checkmate Coronavirus. The competition was dominated by the Jamaican players, with Darren Mc Kennis, Jaden Shawand, and John Stephenson taking the first places. WCM Raehanna Brown became the best-performing female, whereas Rohit Mahtani was the winner in the Under 12 category. The TTCA President was overwhelmed by the success of the tournament: “We felt we needed to engage the community in a positive way and the team supported an online event extended to the Caribbean Region. I could not have anticipated the level of support especially given the very short notice. This was the first time we embarked upon such an initiative, going as far as to have live commentary. A great deal of work had to be done in the back end to facilitate this and I thank TTCA Treasurer, Keelan Hunte, who served as the ‘anchor’, ensuring that the technical details were effectively addressed.” Covid-19 has presented challenges to all sports, while other opportunities emerged. The TTCA will continue to uses these online channels to deliver its mandate as far as possible until it can safely return to over the board play. Videos of the various rounds can be found on the TTCA Youtube channel. The TTCA is committed to hosting more events that seek to further develop chess both locally and throughout the region.