Vladislav Artemiev wins Abu Dhabi Super Blitz Challenge
The event by Abu Dhabi Chess & Culture Club was held on Chess.com on April 15 and became one the strongest online tournaments ever. “Based on the directives of the authorities to the residents to stay at home during the lockdown, the Abu Dhabi sports council took the initiative to organize a big online event,” said Hussein Abdullah Khouri, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Abu Dhabi Chess & Culture Club. $10,000 prize fund with $5,000 going to a winner attracted an impressive field. More than 1100 titled players started the race, including superstars like Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Alexander Grischuk, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Anish Giri and others. The time control was usual for regulars of blitz events on chess.com: 3 minutes + 1 second increment. The first stage was an 11-round Swiss tournament with the top eight finishers going to the playoff. Seven players finished on 9.5/11: GMs Nihal Sarin, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Oleksandr Bortnyk, Peter Svidler, Daniil Dubov, Vladislav Artemiev, and somewhat surprisingly FM Artur Avalyan. GM Parham Maghsoodloo was the luckiest one of the big tie on 9/11 – he had the best tiebreak to close the top 8 rankings. Several upsets included Nakamura, Caruana, Grischuk, and Giri failing to qualify as well as Andreikin falling out of the top despite being a sole leader after round 9. The playoff stage consisted of mini-matches of 2 games and a 5/4 armageddon as a tiebreaker and had the players to be on camera for the duration of the games as an additional anti-cheating measure, as well as a treat for spectators. The facial expression of Peter Svidler blundering and losing to Daniil Dubov in the Armageddon of their quarterfinal said it all before the winning move was made by Dubov. Quarter-finals: Nihal Sarin – Parham Maghsoodloo 2-0Oleksandr Bortnyk – Artur Avalyan 1.5-0.5Vladislav Artemiev – Ian Nepomniachtchi 2-0Daniil Dubov – Peter Svidler 2-1 Vladislav Artemiev proved the Russian saying “a champion always has luck on his side” in the very first game of the playoff when his opponent Ian Nepomnichtchi blundered mate in a totally winning position. The current European champion did not stumble again and was very convincing in the next matches, though. In the semis, Oleksandr Bortnyk eliminated Nihal Sarin 2-0 and Vladislav Artemiev knocked our Daniil Dubov by the same score. Nobody could stop Artemiev that evening. Being on a roll, he smashed Bortnyk with his signature 2-0 in the final to take home the main jackpot of $5,000. Bortnyk earned $3,000 for his second place. Dubov defeated Nihal Sarin in the match for third and took home $1,500. Following this victory, Artemiev also became the number-one-rated blitz player on chess.com. Photo: chess.com
Firouzja beats Carlsen in the Banter Blitz Cup final
The 132-player knock-out event with the total prize fund of $50,000 stretched from the beginning of autumn. The final on April 15 saw Magnus Carlsen and the crowd favorite 16-year-old Alireza Firouzja clash in a 16-game (3 minutes, no increment) blitz battle for $14,000 first prize. On the way to the ultimate showdown, Carlsen defeated GM Sanan Sjugirov in the semis and GM Nils Grandelius in the quarters. Firouzja eliminated GM SL Narayanan (SF) and GM Georg Meier (QF). Due to a lack of over-the-board events, this match was a real treat to spectators and lived up to the highest expectations. Firouzja grabbed the lead after winning the first game with Black but Carlsen bounced back in game 3 and kept coming back after each win of the youngster. The opponents kept this pace for 11 games and the score was still even. In game 12, Carlsen took the lead for the first time, but Firouzja leveled the score right away. They exchanged the blows in games 14 and 15 again to find themselves on an even score before the last game. Game 16 went perfectly for Firouzja as he outplayed the world champion in his own element – the endgame. After it was over, Carlsen complained about being in a bad shape but gave credit to his opponent: “He’s amazingly strong. Full credit!” Both players streamed and commented on the games live, thus “Banter Blitz”. You can replay the match by the following links.Carlsen: https://chess24.com/en/live/video/banter-blitz-cup—magnus-carlsen-vs–alireza-firouzjaFirouzja: https://chess24.com/en/live/video/banter-blitz-cup—firouzja-vs–carlsen In just a couple of days, Carlsen and Firouzja will meet over the virtual board again – the strongest online event of this spring, “Magnus Carlsen Invitational” starts on April 18.
UPDATE: FIDE workshop for tournament organizers
UPDATE: April 15, 2020 More than 90 people attended the first workshop by FIDE Competitions Director Maxim Korshunov. In view of this success, we have decided to repeat it next week, again on Monday and Tuesday (April 20-21). The content, format, and other details regarding the workshop remain exactly the same (see below). Likewise, a second stage workshop with more advanced content (for those who have already attended the first one), will be held on April 27-28. Maxim joined FIDE in September last year, having previously worked at the Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup (as stadium manager, leading a team of more than 150 direct subordinates), the World EXPO 2015 in Milan (as Deputy Head of Department at the Russian Pavilion), and the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi 2014 (as Senior Manager within the Organizing Committee). The conference will be be held over ZOOM. In order to register, simply send an email to korshunov@fide.com. Prior to the start, the organizer will send a link from where you can join the lecture. Schedule:20.04.2020 [Monday], 12:00 (GMT 0)21.04.2020 [Tuesday], 12:00 (GMT 0) Title – Event operational planning tools Lecturer – Maxim Korshunov, FIDE Competitions director. Description – The lecturer will show operational tools that can help chess organizers to deliver the best practices of worldwide events: During the conference you will find out: a) How to prepare operational plans for an eventb) How to create responsibility assignment matricesc) How to do daily check-lists and check the venue on a day-to-day basisd) How to plan and deliver the zones of the venue for the different client groupse) How to activate a sponsorship f) How to integrate activities together with local authorities. Photo: Eteri Kublashvili
Arkady Dvorkovich: I have no regrets
FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich gave a big interview to a popular Russian newspaper Kommersant. This is the first part of this interview. Let’s start with the Candidates Tournament. You opened it in the middle of March, exactly on the day the Ministry of Sport of the Russian Federation issued an order imposing severe restrictions on sports events in the country. Do you have any regrets about your decision to run this event? After all, you had to put in on hold halfway through. Arkady Dvorkovich: I have no regrets. It was a conscious decision. I personally weighed all the factors that had to be taken into consideration before the event. First and foremost, it was about chess fans all around the world as so many people were looking forward to watching this competition. I was 100% sure that we would provide the health security of all the participants and people involved in the organization of this tournament. It was a critical factor. Besides, it was very important not to disrupt the World Championship cycle and to do our best to keep to the schedule. Another key factor was providing equal rights and conditions for all the participants. For example, Ding Liren arrived in Russia in advance on March 1, to get the required 14-day quarantine. Had we failed to ensure his participation in the Candidates Tournament (the decision was being made at the end of February) the entire event would have been in question. The final line-up was formed 10 days before the event. All the participants reaffirmed their willingness to contend for the chess crown. We did not have sound reasons to postpone the tournament. Some participants, for example, Alexander Grischuk complained about the atmosphere and the problems with concentration during the games. Were you aware of that? A.D.: First of all, there were no official complaints. We quickly reacted to all requests, made many concessions, took into considerations even tiny details to create a comfortable psychological atmosphere. Don’t forget, that all the players are real professionals. Allow me to remind you about the order by the Ministry of Sport of the Russian Federation. Essentially, this order canceled all the sports competitions in Russia, didn’t it? A.D.: The Candidates Tournament is not a mass sport event as there were only eight players participating. It was not affected by these restrictions. We were in constant contact with regional authorities, the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation and Rospotrebnadzor (Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Welfare) regarding the event and got the green light. I understand that it is very hard to make projections right now. Do you have any scenarios regarding the completion of the event – plan A, plan B, and plan C? A.D.: We do. Plan A – the optimistic scenario – is to hold the second part of the event in August or September. Many experts believe that this is a realistic timeframe bearing in mind how the situation with the COVID-19 has been evolving. We might return to normal life by the middle or the end of the summer. In this case, the winner of the Candidates Tournament will have enough time for thorough preparation for the World Championship match – approximately 3 months. But again, this is an optimistic scenario, under which the title match will be held in December of 2020 as planned. Are there less optimistic scenarios? A.D.: A less optimistic plan is to move the entire cycle a few months later. However, this is an undesirable alternative for us. We believe that the first, optimistic scenario can materialize. Let me clarify just in case. Will the second part of the Candidates be held in Yekaterinburg? A.D.: It will. I see no obstacles. We have the confirmation from our key partners, SIMA Land company and the regional authorities. They expressed their willingness to hold the second part of the event in Yekaterinburg. Naturally, if some other location wants to host it, we will consider such a request. At present, Yekaterinburg remains our priority. Let’s return to the World Championship match. Will it be held in Dubai in December as you mentioned before? A.D.: We hope it will take place in December in Dubai. In the case of force-majeure, we will be considering the alternatives. Presently, our partners are still willing to hold this match. If there is any contract? A.D.: We agreed on the terms. It remains just to sign the contract. At the beginning of the year, FIDE published the terms and conditions of bidding for the right to hold the World Championship match. One of the key conditions was a guaranteed prize fund of at least €2,000,000. Is this condition met? A.D.: Sure. Why Dubai, exactly? A.D.: The idea came about several months ago in connection with EXPO-2020 that will be held in this city. The World Expo will provide maximum interest to the venue. Plus, its theme – The Global Mind – is consonant with chess. We entered into the negotiations and reached a mutual understanding. Dubai was not the only bidder. We considered several options but Dubai looks the most attractive one. I am a little concerned that you are going to hold the title match as part of EXPO. Do you think it might downgrade the event, make it some sort of a side order to the main course? A.D.: Of course not. This match is not a part of EXPO, we will just use its platform. It will be one of the central events of this period, which is going to attract the maximum audience. In other words, you are confident that this symbiosis will increase the exposure of the match. A.D.: Definitely. You already mentioned that in the best-case scenario there would be three months between the completion of the Candidates tournament and the start of the World Championship match. Indeed, it is enough for the participants to prepare for the competition, but is it a sufficient period to promote and advertise the match? Previously this process took twice as long. A.D.: We will start
South vs. North Chess Star Online Match ended in a draw
On March 30 – April 10, the Chinese Chess Association organized an online North vs South match that was live on CCTV5, the main sports broadcaster in China. The show reached 2 million views. Each team consisted of eight players five male and three female members, including such stars as grandmasters Yu Yangyi (2709), Wang Yue (2669), Li Chao (2683) playing for North and GM Wei Yi (2732), former women’s world champion Tan Zhongyi (2510) representing for South. There was a rule regarding the players’ age: 2 players in each team had to be born in the 1940s-1950s, 2 players in the 1960s-1970s, 2 players in the 1980s, 2 players in the 1990s and 2 players in the 2000s. The gimmick of the show was that the players were hidden under nicknames and neither audience nor commentators knew who was playing the game. The coaches of each team chose their players without knowing who the opponent would be. The Chinese chess community called this tournament a mystery TV series, as in each “episode”(round) spectators and commentators could guess the real identities of the players by their silhouette photos. The players were revealed after the games were over and proceeded to a flash interview where they shared their emotions and told stories from their chess careers. The match ended in a draw, 4:4.
FIDE Newsletter #003 is out
Welcome to the FIDE newsletter Welcome to the bi-weekly FIDE Newsletter. The coronavirus crisis conditions most of the content in our third issue: all official competitions have been halted, but the online chess activity never ceases, and in fact, it is thriving. For many, the global lockdown is a great opportunity to acquire new knowledge and skills, so FIDE is launching a series of online seminars and workshops, as well as a campaign to encourage the members of our chess family to strive for self-improvement. Content: Stay home, stay safe, stay sharp! FIDE news and activities Online events FIDE distributes €35,000 among chess veterans Chess in outer space Happy birthday, Garry Kimovich! Stay home, stay safe, stay sharp! The UN considers the COVID-19 pandemic the most challenging crisis since the Second World War. Probably it is also the most global event ever experienced in human history, and many think that we will come through the crisis reinforced as a society. With an estimated four billion people under a lockdown of some kind, this can also be an opportunity to improve and grow as individuals. From the International Chess Federation, we would like to encourage you, first and foremost, to follow the public health recommendations. Stay home, and stay safe! But we would also like to encourage you to stay active, both mentally and physically. Exercising will strengthen your immune system, improve your mental health, and make you feel better about yourself during this frightening period. Maybe you can’t go to the gym, but you can still get great workouts anywhere you are thanks to YouTube. There are plenty of fitness channels with free videos, offering a huge variety of exercises, from aerobics and pilates to bootcamp and boxing. Most people will enjoy more free time than usual during the lockdown. We have a near-limitless offer of TV shows, but, what if we make productive use of this time instead? A book is usually more enriching. Learning a new language is always a good option. Doing the same things but in a new and different way is common advice to prevent and limit brain aging, so why not to take up a new chess opening? Or set yourself a goal, like coming out of the quarantine as a stronger player: try and break your own rating record online! SUBSCRIBE YOURSELF HERE
TTCA receives Award for Top Sporting Organization
The Trinidad and Tobago Chess Association (TTCA), was awarded the Jeffrey Stollmeyer Award for Top Sporting Organization-Large for 2019 during the First Citizens Sports Foundation Awards virtual presentation aired last night on local TV stations. This honor followed previous awards received by the TTCA as Top Sporting Organization-Small Category in 2015, 2016 and 2018. The other nominees for the Large Category were the Trinidad and Tobago Hockey Board and the National Association of Athletics Administrations of Trinidad and Tobago, both of which were dominant recipients of this award in the past. This was indeed a milestone for chess in Trinidad and Tobago as it was benchmarked against mainstream sports in the country. The Jeffrey Stollmeyer Award is given to a national governing sports body that has outstandingly showcased initiatives and made significant administrative improvements and real steps towards the development of its athletes. Additionally, the youth nominees for chess, WCM Shemilah James and IM Alan-Safar Ramoutar, were shortlisted as two of the top 10 youth athletes for their performances in 2019. The TTCA President, Sonja Johnson, told that she was very proud yet humbled by the recognition given to the TTCA in the national sporting landscape as this puts the TTCA well on its way to becoming one of the Top 5 sporting organizations in Trinidad and Tobago. Ms. Johnson also remarked that this achievement was a collective effort and expressed her heartfelt thanks to her executive members. She also expressed gratitude to the players, parents, arbiters, clubs and the International Chess Federation. “The funding granted by FIDE really assisted us in achieving this milestone and I would personally like to thank FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich for providing the level of support to help us make such an impact.” Ms. Johnson added. Ms. Johnson also cited the increased focus on developing strategic partnerships as one of the key elements of success of the TTCA and specifically recognized FIDE, the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs, The Trinidad and Olympic Committee and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Magnus Carlsen stages online super tournament
While the global spread of COVID-19 is preventing offline sports events from happening, Magnus Carlsen decided to organize an 8-player online event with a whopping prize fund of $250,000. The winner of the tournament is guaranteed $70,000. The world champion has turned to the online chess world a while ago, first organizing Play Magnus company after obtaining the world championship title in 2013. Recently, he has significantly extended his presence in the game’s online sector when “Play Magnus” merged with popular Internet portal chess24 in the spring of 2019, followed by buying Chessable and extending the range of services of all the companies in the group. The online super tournament that was announced on April 2, sees the world champion challenge seven of his biggest rivals to a 2-week battle. The event featuring Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana, Ding Liren, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Anish Giri, Hikaru Nakamura, and Alireza Firouzja will be streamed on Chess24 with commentary in 9 languages. The $250,000 tournament will be running from April 18th to May 3rd with the following format: 8 players first compete in a single round-robin over 7 rounds Each match features four 15+10 rapid games, where the winner gets 3 match points and the loser 0 If the match ends 2:2 an Armageddon game (5 vs. 4 minutes) is played, with the winner getting 2 points and the loser 1 The top four players after Round 7 enter the Final Four knockout – if match points are equal, game points are the first tiebreaker The semi-finals, 3rd place match and final use the same 4-game match system and decide the overall winner
Faig Gasanov turns 80
Faig Gasanov turns 80 today! The patriarch of Azerbaijani chess made a significant contribution to the development of the game in one of the strongest chess countries in the world. He was a chief arbiter of the Chess Olympiad 2016 and all the editions of Gashimov Memorial in Shamkir. Gasanov is also widely known as a host of weekly Şahmat klubu (Chess Club) program, which is broadcasting each Sunday in AzTV. He has been presenting this chess show for 51 years. Now he continues to serve the chess world as vice-president of the Azerbaijan Chess Federation. The President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed a decree to award Faig Gasanov the Sharaf Order (Order of Honor) for his outstanding achievements in promoting sport in the country. Many happy returns of the day!
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Stay home, stay safe, stay sharp! FIDE news and activities Online events FIDE distributes €35,000 among chess veterans Chess in outer space Happy birthday, Garry Kimovich! READ NEWSLETTER