Highlights from World Social Chess Initiatives Marathon
The Year of Social Chess launched with its first event – an online conference shedding light on innovative ways chess is driving social inclusion and empowering communities How can a simple board game transform lives, unite communities, and inspire change? On the morning of January 19, the FIDE Social Chess Commission launched its first event to celebrate 2025 as the Year of Social Chess. The World Social Chess Initiatives Marathon gathered coaches, scientists and NGO representatives who use chess in social inclusion projects to discuss their work and challenges. Spanning multiple countries and case examples, the participants of the conference shared their experiences, highlighting different perspectives on the role chess can play in social inclusion. The conference opened with a question to the participants – What does social chess mean to you? In a list of words proposed as answers to this question, two stood out as the most selected among participants: inclusivity and impact. This sentiment was also highlighted in the opening remarks by FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, who highlighted the importance his team has given to promoting social initiatives that bring people together. “Chess is more than a sport – it is a powerful social and educational tool. That is why FIDE takes it as its responsibility not only to promote chess competitions but to also make the game more available and accessible to everyone, everywhere. With this in mind, we proudly declare 2025 as The Year of Social Chess during which FIDE will organize projects and launch initiatives aimed at connecting individuals, organizations and institutions across the globe to use the power of chess for community building and personal growth,” Dvorkovich said. Deputy Chair of the FIDE Management Board, Dana Reizniece, who has actively participated in social inclusion chess events in previous years, highlighted some of the biggest success stories of the projects so far: from the case of Héctor Guifarro, whose life was changed thanks to learning chess while serving a seven-year prison sentence, to the 3,000 refugee children trained by FIDE though the Chess for Freedom project. Reizniece also announced a new ambitious plan “to increase the number of kids engaged with chess in education from 25 to 50 million, and we will work hard to deliver that,” setting it as one of the key goals for the initiatives launched in the Year of Social Chess, which will continue in the years to come. “Be it yours or ours – every move counts,” said Reizniece, emphasizing the importance of every single effort made when it comes to social inclusion. FIDE Social Commission Chair Andre Vögtlin outlined that this Marathon is “the opportunity to start a process that will go beyond 2025”. “It is a start [of a process] to reunite all of us and bring all the social chess projects together and line the foundation for a social chess journey which will last for years to come”. Vögtlin noted that the goal for 2025 is to establish a global network of social chess enthusiasts, educators and players and create initiatives which will have an impact beyond 2025, engaging national federations, sponsors and local communities. The Social Commission also aims to conduct studies that showcase the impact of chess in different social communities, creating a valuable database for an evidence-based approach to using the game to empower different groups. These sentiments were echoed by Dr M. R. Das – the Indian Oil Corporation Executive Director and ambassador of Social Chess for India – who said that the low cost associated with playing chess, makes the game easily accessible everywhere in the world. He also noted India’s role in the social chess projects, including in schools and prisons. Key presentations from the first session of the Social Chess Marathon conference: Chess and the parallels of everyday life Ákos Vizsolyi, a mental health professional and chess coach, shared his experiences on the role chess can play in everyday life, including on the company level, helping executives and employees make decisions and better coordinate their work. Noting the complex dynamics which exist in multi-level organizations, whether formal or informal, Vizsolyi explained that chess can play a role in the development and strengthening of competencies, the practice of self-reflection, decision-making processes and strategic vision. Taking responsibility for the consequences of the moves in chess, the reality on the chess board reflects the reality of decisions in work and everyday life, thus providing a useful paradigm to test and experience potential scenarios. “The activities of chess players and decision makers are very similar in a long list of aspects – objectives and goal setting, conceiving of strategy, planning, visibility level and control level,” said Vizsolyi highlighting the multi-level connections chess has with everyday life. Chess against failure Frédéric Zaborski, a retired French teacher, founded the NGO “Échecs contre échec” (“Chess against failure”) in 2016, running in France, Cambodia, Laos, Brazil and Mexico. The focus of the organization is to use chess as an educational tool to combat failure and promote personal development, primarily among students and marginalized communities. The organization aims to provide schools with chess equipment, sending club members or local players to educational institutions to introduce students to chess. Drawing on his experiences in chess education, Zaborski emphasized the need for a clear agreed commitment and action plan with the schools on introducing chess to children, in order for the projects to thrive. “As a former teacher, each student has their own way of understanding things. A teacher therefore must use different modes of approach,” Zaborski said. “The main mistake is that the presentation/discovery of the chess board is often made too quickly, discouraging many students. Before being introduced to the rules, the student must understand the board – the geometry, space. That is not easy for all. Chess teachers must spend more time on this initial step,” he noted. OLIMPIA Chess Academia (Spain) and Chess2all (Portugal) Jose Francisco Suarez Roa a psychologist and chess player from Spain spoke about the initiatives OLIMPIA Chess Academia has been organizing on the
Tata Steel Chess 2025 commences in Wijk aan Zee
One of the most prestigious events on the chess calendar, the Tata Steel Chess Tournament, has kicked off in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands on January 18. Traditionally referred to as the “Wimbledon of Chess,” the tournament attracts the world’s top chess grandmasters, emerging talents, thousands of amateur players, and a global audience of live and online spectators. In 2025, the Tata Steel Chess Tournament celebrates its 87th edition. Both the Masters and Challengers events count toward the FIDE Circuit 2025, with valuable points at stake. The Masters event, a 14-player round-robin with classical time control, features a stellar lineup, including reigning World Champion Gukesh D (playing his first event after claiming the title), world #2 Fabiano Caruana, Arjun Erigaisi (recently joining the prestigious 2800 Elo club), last year’s winner Wei Yi, and Uzbek prodigy Nodirbek Abdusattorov, among others. The first round provided several exciting battles that kept chess fans on the edge of their seats. Pentala Harikrishna, Vincent Keymer, and Gukesh D secured victories, taking an early lead in the tournament. Masters Round 1 results: In the Indian derby, Harikrishna – Erigaisi Black comfortably equalized in the classical variation of Dragon Sicilian, but one inaccuracy by Arjun allowed Pentala to trade his queen for two rooks and get an edge. Forced to defend an inferior position, Black did not demonstrate necessary resilience and accuracy. Harikrishna slowly but surely took full control and forced capitulation on move 63. Leon Mendonca and Vincent Keymer had a theoretical discussion in a topical line of the Two Knights Defence in which Black has a compensation for a pawn. On move 18 Vincent introduced an important novelty 18…d4! and reached an equal position. However, in subsequent play, White did a better job and after advancing his queenside pawns achieved a winning position. Still, with active black pieces lurking around the white king, precise calculation was required. Leon Mendonca – Vincent Keymer After 31. Qxh5+ Kg8 32. Bd4! White would have been still better. The point is that the natural 32…Bxg2? fails to 33. Qxg6, followed by 34. Rxg2, winning. Instead, the Indian GM blundered with 31. Rc1?? immediately resigning after 31…Qxh3, in the face of imminent checkmate. 0-1 In the most exciting game of the round, the reigning World Champion Gukesh D sacrificed a bishop, but Anish Giri was up to the challenge. The home player defended resourcefully, repelled White’s threats and launched an attack of his own. In an extremely complicated position, the opponents traded mistakes several times, but Anish eventually obtained a winning position after a series of brilliant moves. Gukesh D – Anish Giri Unfortunately for the Dutchman, he missed the decisive 35…Ng4!! (the only move). The main point is that 36. Re4 loses to 36…Qb6+ 37. Kh1 Qb1+. Instead, Giri played 35…Qb6?? immediately, allowing Gukesh to turn tables with 36. Qf6+! After 36…Qxf6 37. exf6 Bxg2 38. Kxg2 Nd3 39. Re8+ the endgame is absolutely hopeless for Black. Anish threw in the towel three moves later. 1-0 Challengers Round 1 results Round 1 of the Challengers event, that attracted several promising youngsters, including Faustino Oro, Ediz Gurel, Aydin Suleymanli and Nogerbek Kazybek, was even more combative, with five games out of seven ending decisively. As a result, five players share the lead going into the second round. Photos: Tata Steel Chess, Jurriaan Hoefsmit Official website: tatasteelchess.com
FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich interview: “We need a long-term solution”
FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich spoke with ChessBase India’s Sagar Shah about FIDE’s activities in 2024 and its plans for 2025. They also discussed the dress code incident involving Magnus Carlsen, the shared title between Carlsen and Nepomniachtchi, Freestyle Chess, and more. Below is an abridged version of the interview. The full version is available on the ChessBase India YouTube Channel. – The year 2024 was like filled with so many things and on interview I want to talk about all that FIDE has done in 2024 and also what the plans will be for 2025 so maybe your first thoughts about the year 2024. – First of all I’m really happy that we successfully ran all major competitions at a very high level, with increased prize funds and expanded visibility. With sponsorship from various parts of the world, these events were held in iconic locations, including the final part of the World Championship match in Singapore and the World Rapid and Blitz Championships in New York. Congratulations to the new World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju. It is an amazing achievement and a big thing for India, I can guess it. FIDE team worked hard to organize those events, to raise funding and to make sure that players are in the comfortable conditions. I would particularly like to thank the Chair of Global Strategy Commission and FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky who did a great job with his team and PR staff providing the best possible environment for all players. I know that some people have issues with Emil and criticize him, but the way he is working like 20 hours a day sometimes and putting all his heart and efforts into events organization and fundraising is really amazing and deserves very high evaluation. I find these personal attacks on him unacceptable. Of course, you can criticize constructively. You can argue with people, including myself. If you want to attack, attack me, but not people who work really hard. I send a strong message to everyone: no personal attacks, including on people who maybe you do not like or disagree with. They do a great job. 2024 showed and 2025 will prove it. Of course, it is not just about one person. The entire FIDE team worked hard. I really want to thank Vishy Anand for his outstanding contribution both in Budapest in New York as well as other locations. He has had a great chess career, actually it continues; he is #10 in the world after all, but he started doing more and more and more FIDE Deputy President work. It is a really big thing. Dana Reizniece also works very hard on various projects and handle relationships with federations. Additionally, Akaki Iashvili, Lukasz Turlej, Nigel Short all play crucial roles and I deeply appreciate their efforts. If I did not mention someone, they should not feel bad about it. There are so many people to mention. I am very grateful to our team, which is getting bigger and bigger. Since our ambitions are getting bigger and bigger, we are expanding FIDE’s road to social projects and initiatives. While 2024 was a year of some major events and FIDE’s 100-year anniversary, the 2025 is about social mission of chess, in addition to all major events. We are finishing the year with an expanded chess community with more countries actually involved. Our next challenge is how to make our spectatorship base even broader and make chess even more commercially attractive. – Those were some very important points that you brought up I want to talk about a few of them that you touched upon especially the ones about the personal attacks. There were two issues at the World Rapid and Blitz in New York. The first one is this dress-code incident and the second one – sharing first place in the blitz event. – The time difference was very big, and I was unwell, so unfortunately I was not present when the decision was being made. I don’t criticize anyone involved — neither our team nor Magnus, who acknowledged the violation and was ready to comply with penalties. So, I don’t think anyone is really guilty in this situation. It was just a sequence of things that led to a suboptimal result that was not good for anyone. I personally would suggest a different solution if I would be there, but again it is not about criticizing anyone. It is just a lesson that we should learn. I know perfectly that Magnus did not have an intention to violate the dress code. It is the most important part for me. I think that it is good that we found a solution and Magnus could participate in the blitz event that increased the attention to the tournament. He also went to the conference that we had before the blitz tournament, which is also good as it attracted many VIPs to the Wall Street Gambit conference. I think everyone understands that some of his words after this jeans accident were just too much. He knows that, I know that, everyone knows that, but we found the way to move forward and it is good. I don’t criticize anyone right now for that; we left this moment behind. As for sharing the blitz title, I think it is a lesson in terms of regulations. The regulations were not perfect. Basically, we created the risk that it can last forever, which is not good. After two games nobody would expect that it could end up like that, but Ian was back in the game, leveled the score and it happened. So regulations were not perfect, it is clear. My argument basically was that players did not have real motivation. It was evident even without any videos that I saw only next morning about their joking suggestions. I really think it was kind of a joke since they knew they were being recorded, in the camera just in front of them. Actually, I didn’t see
Call for Bids FIDE World Championships 2025 and 2026 concluded
FIDE Events Commission (EVE) announces the results of the late procedure Call for Bids FIDE World Championships 2025 and 2026. By the deadline of January 15, 2025, EVE received a total of seven bids: 3 bids are for the 2025 World Cadet U8, U10, U12 Championships Bid documents Chess Federation of Kazakhstan Bid documents Chess Federation of Spain Bid documents Chess Federation of Türkiye 1 bid is for the 2026 World Cup U8, U10, U12 + 2026 World Chess Championships U8, U10, U12 Bid documents Chess Federation of Georgia 1 bid is for the 2026 World Youth U7, U9, U11, U13, U15, U17 Championships Bid documents Chess Federation of Brazil 1 bid is for the 2026 World Cadet and Youth Rapid and Blitz Championships Bid documents Chess Federation of Serbia 1 bid is for the 2026 World Senior Championships Bid documents Chess Federation of Serbia
Applications open for 2025 Freedom Asian Chess Initiatives (FACI)
The Kazakhstan Chess Federation invites national chess federations to apply for the 2025 Freedom Asian Chess Initiatives (FACI) project, supported by Freedom Holding Corp. in partnership with FIDE and the Asian Chess Federation. The FACI project aims to develop chess potential in Asian countries. By joining this project, your federation will benefit from: Comprehensive training programs: Sessions tailored for players, trainers, and arbiters to enhance their skills and expertise. Material support: Provision of chessboards, clocks, and essential equipment to aid local activities. Educational resources: Curricula and materials designed for school programs to foster chess education. In 2024, federations from Cambodia, Nepal, Oman, Tajikistan, and Sri Lanka greatly benefited from tailored training sessions, simultaneous exhibitions, and support during the Chess Olympiad. As part of the new phase, the project aims to expand its reach by inviting more countries to participate. FACI strives to unite chess communities, create new opportunities for talented players, and strengthen chess culture throughout the region. Application deadline: January 19, 2025, 12:00 PM Astana time (UTC+5).Apply here: Application FormRegulations: FACI Regulations Stay tuned for updates on our website and social media channels for the latest developments in the FACI project. New achievements and exciting horizons in the chess world await!
Educational Seminar “Chess for children with an autism spectrum – Learn and teach” announced
The International Chess Federation is pleased to announce the FIDE online Educational Seminar “Chess for children with an autism spectrum – Learn and teach”. The seminar will take place via ZOOM on January 18, 2025, from 13:00 to 14:00 CET. The event follows the success of the previous workshops held since 2021, which you can find on our website. Teaching chess to children with autism spectrum has been shown to positively impact their communication abilities, speech, thinking, self-esteem and confidence. The seminar’s speakers will present a unique training program developed in 2021 and provide practical advice. The seminar aims to deliver core knowledge for potential chess teachers and coaches working with children in the Infinite Chess project. Topics covered:The speakers will explore effective methods for teaching chess to children on the autism spectrum and explain their methodology, including: • What is autism spectrum?• How to teach chess to children with autism?• Behavior challenges and parents participation in learning process: expectations & involvement.• How to prepare the classroom? What else to pay attention to?• Digital tools for students with autism spectrum. Featured speakers: Natalia Popova – WIM, FIDE Trainer, co-author of the project’s Handbook (FIDE); Ala Mishchanka – Special needs educational assistant, more than 22 years of experience, co-author of the project’s Handbook (Canada); Evguenia Charomova – Bachelor of Science, Masters in speech therapy, Former New Zealand women’s chess champion, Speech-Language Therapist (New Zealand); Dr Ankita Sanghavi – Founder and Director of Innocent Times School (India); Viesturs Kapce – FIDE Instructor, chess coach, Infinite Chess project partner (Latvia); Melodi Dincel, M.D. – a specialized Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist (Turkey). How to participate: Join us via zoom link. Participation is free. For further inquiries: E-mail: infinitechess@fide.comProject Coordinator: Maria TamkovichInfinite Chess website: infinitechess.fide.com/
European Women’s R & B Championships 2024: Ushenina and Maltsevskaya claim titles
Anna Ushenina (Ukraine) and Aleksandra Maltsevskaya (Poland) emerged victorious at the 2024 European Women’s Rapid and Blitz Championships, securing the rapid and blitz titles, respectively. The European Women’s Rapid & Blitz Chess Championships 2024 took place from January 10 to 12 in Novotel Hotel, in Monte Carlo, Monaco. The first event on the schedule, the Blitz Championship, was a 13-round Swiss tournament held on January 10, featuring 126 players from 28 European federations. In a highly competitive event, 12th-seed Aleksandra Maltsevskaya took the lead in Round 8 after defeating Anna Ushenina but suffered a setback in Round 10 against Eline Roebers (Netherlands), allowing Roebers to catch up. Heading into the final 13th round, Maltsevskaya and Roebers were tied for the lead with 9.5/12. However, their paths diverged there: Maltsevskaya secured a crucial victory against Bella Khotenashvili (Georgia) to clinch the title, while Roebers fell to the 2023 champion, Alexandra Kosteniuk (Switzerland). Kosteniuk and Ushenina, who also won her final-round game, tied for second place, with Ushenina earning silver due to a superior Buchholz. Final standings Blitz: 1 Maltsevskaya, Aleksandra POL 2324 10½ 2 Ushenina, Anna UKR 2329 10 3 Kosteniuk, Alexandra SUI 2430 10 4 Roebers, Eline NED 2322 9½ 5 Tsolakidou, Stavroula GRE 2274 9½ 6 Rudzinska, Michalina POL 2117 9 7 Arabidze, Meri GEO 2378 9 8 Khotenashvili, Bella GEO 2347 9 9 Batsiashvili, Nino GEO 2225 9 10 Paehtz, Elisabeth GER 2355 8½ Complete final standings The European Women’s Rapid Championship 2024, an 11-round Swiss tournament held from January 11 to 12 at the same venue, was equally thrilling, with several players sharing the top spot throughout the event. Entering the final 11th round, three participants—Anna Ushenina (pictured below, right), Yuliia Osmak (both Ukraine), and Sarasadat Khademalsharieh (Spain; pictured below left)—shared first place with 8/10. All three drew their final games, allowing Eline Roebers, who defeated Nino Batsiashvili (Georgia), to join them in the standings. The Buchholz tiebreak favored Ushenina, awarding her the gold medal. Khademalsharieh took silver, while Osmak completed the podium with bronze. Final standings Rapid: 1 Ushenina, Anna UKR 2348 8½ 2 Khademalsharieh, Sarasadat ESP 2344 8½ 3 Osmak, Yuliia UKR 2306 8½ 4 Roebers, Eline NED 2332 8½ 5 Javakhishvili, Lela GEO 2295 8 6 Stefanova, Antoaneta BUL 2385 8 7 Kosteniuk, Alexandra SUI 2491 8 8 Narva, Mai EST 2339 8 9 Cramling, Pia SWE 2354 8 10 Sliwicka, Alicja POL 2255 8 Complete final standings Photos: European Chess Union Facebook
European Women’s Rapid & Blitz Championships 2024 begin in Monte Carlo
The European Women’s Rapid & Blitz Chess Championships 2024 have commenced in Monte Carlo, Monaco. The European Women’s Blitz Chess Championship 2024 is the first event on the schedule, taking place on January 10. The 13-round Swiss tournament, with a time control of 3 minutes plus a 2-second increment, features a prize fund of €15,200 and has attracted 134 players from 28 European federations. Defending champion GM Alexandra Kosteniuk (SUI, 2430) leads the field in the blitz event. Other top seeds include GM Antoaneta Stefanova (BUL, 2392), IM Ann Matnadze Bujiashvili (ESP, 2379), IM Meri Arabidze (GEO, 2378), IM Dinara Wagner (GER, 2368), IM Sarasadat Khademalsharieh (ESP, 2356), and GM Elisabeth Paehtz (GER, 2355). The European Women’s Rapid Chess Championship 2024, an 11-round Swiss tournament with a time control of 15 minutes plus a 10-second increment, is scheduled for January 11-12 at the same venue. The event, offering a prize fund of €31,300, has drawn 148 participants. GM Alexandra Kosteniuk (SUI, 2491) also defends her title in the rapid event and headlines the starting list. Among the top-seeded contenders are GM Elisabeth Paehtz (GER, 2407), IM Stavroula Tsolakidou (GRE, 2393), GM Antoaneta Stefanova (BUL, 2385), GM Bella Khotenashvili (GEO, 2361), IM Ekaterina Atalik (TUR, 2355), and GM Pia Cramling (SWE, 2354). Live video broadcast of the event is available on the ECU YouTube channel with the commentaries by GM Alojzije Jankovic, GM Amir Bagheri and IM Almira Skripchenko.
Iniyan wins 15th Chennai Open
The 15th Chennai Open International Grandmasters Chess Tournament for the Sakthi Group Dr. N. Mahalingam Trophy was held in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, from January 2 to January 9, 2025. A total of 176 players, including 16 Grandmasters (GMs) and 21 International Masters (IMs) from 21 countries, participated in the 10-round Swiss tournament. Third seed GM Iniyan P triumphed with an impressive score of 8.5/10, scoring seven wins and three draws. In the final round, he secured a decisive victory over GM Deepan, who had been co-leading the event until that point, clinching the championship title. GM Venkatesh also won his final-round game to finish second, while top seed IM Aronyak Ghosh claimed third place. Final standings: 1 GM Iniyan, Pa 2508 8½ 2 GM Venkatesh, M.R. 2362 8 3 IM Aronyak, Ghosh 2544 7½ 4 GM Deepan, Chakkravarthy J. 2413 7½ 5 IM Sammed Jaykumar, Shete 2379 7½ 6 IM Kaustuv, Kundu 2409 7½ 7 GM Siddharth, Jagadeesh 2515 7 8 IM Vaz, Ethan 2412 7 9 GM Das, Sayantan 2434 7 10 FM Mohamed, Anees M 2334 7 Complete final standings Photos: IA R Anantharam
21st “Preparation of Teachers” course by FIDE EDU announced
Dear Chess Friends, Get ready for another extraordinary chess experience. Mark your calendars: January 17-19, 2025, for our 21st edition of the “Preparation of Teachers” course – your gateway to becoming a certified FIDE School Instructor. Bonus: Successful candidates get lifelong access to OPENING MASTER PREMIUM chess databases. Conducted in English, this 3-day online course is designed to engage you in a practical experience aimed at introducing the game of chess and integrating it with academic and 21st-century skills such as critical thinking, creativity, communication, and collaboration. Read the detailed course description here. Led by distinguished commission member Anzel Laubscher and commission secretary Rita Atkins, this course caters to teachers, chess educators, beginner and advanced players with basic chess knowledge, and anyone with experience working with children. Reserve your spot by registering here. Registration closes on January 13, with only 20 spots available. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at edu.courses@fide.com