Chess in outer space
Today is the International Day of Human Space Flight (#HumanSpaceFlight), held on April 12 to commemorate the first space flight by Yuri Gagarin, in 1961. In this picture Yuri Gagarin, Grigory Nelyubov and Nikolai Kamanin are playing chess during the flight that took them to the Baikonur Cosmodrome, the legendary launching place in Kazakhstan from where the space exploration began. Seven days after this picture was taken, Gagarin would be leaving the atmosphere, starting a completely new chapter in the history of humankind. Truth be told, Gagarin was not particularly interested in chess – no more than the average Russian person. But nevertheless, chess was one of the very first human leisure activities brought to space by the cosmonauts. The set on this photo was carried aboard the Soyuz 3 and 4 capsules in 1968-1969. Magnetic pieces are not allowed on zero-gravity environments, because they could end up in unexpected places where they would interfere with the on-board instruments. The Soviets designed special chess sets, with pegs and grooves to keep the pieces in place. Photo: Chad Cullen / National Air and Space Museum, Washington. In June 1970 the Soviet astronauts Andrian Nikolayev (Mission Commander) and Vitaly Sevastyanov (Flight Engineer), who were aboard the Soyuz 9 spacecraft, played a consultation game against the earthbound Viktor Gorbatko (also an astronaut) and Nikolai Kamanin (Soviet general, and head of the astronaut training program). Sevastyanov and Nikolayev spent 18 days in space, a record at the time. Their mission was used to investigate the social and psychological implications of prolonged spaceflight. The zero-gravity chess board that they used, signed by the two cosmonauts as well as Boris Spassky (at that time the world champion), Mikhail Botvinnik, Igor Bondarevsky, Alexander Kotov, Salo Flohr, and Andor Lilienthal, was sold by Sotheby’s in 2018 for $1,250. Photos: Sotheby’s Vitaly Sevastyanov was an avid chess fan – so much so, that he would later become President of the Soviet Union Chess Federation from 1977 to 1986 and from 1988 to 1989. He played a very important role during those years when chess was still dominated by the Soviet players. Photo: Sputnik / Alamy Stock Photo Not only the Soviet cosmonauts took chess to outer space. Many of their American counterparts, the astronauts, were also keen players. For instance, the first man to walk on the moon, Neil Armstrong (1930-Aug 25, 2012) was a chess fan. In his biography by Leon Wagener (“One Giant Leap”), the author reveals that Neil played chess with his six-year-old son Mark, while he was quarantined upon his return from the Moon. Contrary to the Russians, the Americans didn’t come up with special designs for zero-gravity chess boards. Instead, they resorted to simple plastic pieces fitted with velcro. That’s what the NASA Astronaut Greg Chamitoff did in 2018 in order to take a chess set with him on the space shuttle. In August 2018 he played a chess match against Houston Mission Control and won two games against ground control while playing from the International Space Station (ISS). Photo: NASA. In 2008, NASA and the US Chess Federation teamed up to host a match between the astronaut and Earth. The USCF coordinated worldwide voting on the Earth’s moves, which were proposed by the K-3 champions, the Chess Club at Stevenson Elementary School in Bellevue, Wash. In honor of Human Space Flight Day and of the half-century anniversary of the Cosmos-Earth chess game (which took place on June 9, 1970), Roscosmos State Corporation for Space Activities, Chess Federation of Russia and Moscow Museum of Cosmonautics organize an online chess tournament among schoolchildren. The games will be played on chessplanet.ru on April 18. Info and registration (in Russian): Ivanishin (right) is seen on this picture playing chess with his colleague Chris Cassidy (left), at the Cosmonaut Hotel crew quarters at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan (the same place from where Gagarin took off), a few days before the launch took place. Photo: Andrey Shelepin/Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. If you happen to leave in Missouri, you are still on time to visit the exhibition “Ground Control: A Journey Through Chess and Space“, at the World Chess Hall of Fame. The exhibition is on view until April 26. The links between chess and space exploration demonstrate that the game of chess – and other strategy games – are intrinsic to humankind. They are part of our culture, and one of the oldest forms of human social interaction.
Candidates 1950: Where it all began
The first-ever 1950 Candidates Tournament in Budapest, Hungary, became a turning point in the history of chess. Before this event, there was no system in place to determine a challenger in a World Championship match. Any potential challenger had to negotiate with the champion himself, secure funding and arrange a match. After Alekhine’s death in 1946, followed by Botvinnik’s victory in the 1948 World Championship Tournament, FIDE organized the first World Championship cycle that included Zonal, Interzonal and Candidates tournaments. Five qualifiers of the Interzonal tournament (Saltsjobaden, 1948) were supposed to join four participants of the 1948 World Championship tournament (Reshevsky, Keres, Smyslov, and Euwe) plus Robin Fine in a double round-robin competition. Unfortunately, Reshevsky and Fine opted not to play (according to another version the U.S. State Department barred them from traveling to Hungary due to Cold War), while Euwe did not get a leave from the university. Subsequently, FIDE decided to replace them with players who finished 6th-9th in the Interzonal tournament: Miguel Najdorf, Gideon Stahlberg, Salo Flohr and Igor Bondarevsky (the latter withdrew). Vasily Smyslov, Paul Keres and the winner of the first Interzonal tournament David Bronstein entered the event as the main favorites but it was Isaac Boleslavsky who held the stage for the most of the event. Playing the tournament of his life, he demonstrated very solid opening preparation, deep strategic concepts, tenacity in defense and error-free calculation. Boleslvasky played one of his finest games in Round 6 in which he routed Smyslov in just 22 moves and joined the leaders. Boleslavsky – Smyslov 16. Ne4! Bxe3 17. fxe3 Rc2 18. Nbd6! Rf8 19. Bxa6 bxa6 20. g4 Ng7 21. Nf6 Bc6 22. Rfc1 1-0 Halfway through Boleslavsky was leading the field with an excellent score +3, followed by Keres (+2) and Bronstein (+1). The Estonian maestro won probably the most spectacular game of the event, which became his trademark. Keres – Kotov 10. Nxe6! Qxe6 (10… Nxh5 11. Qd5! Nb6 (11… Qxd5? 12. Nc7#) 12. Qxc4 Nxc4 13. Nc7+) 11. Nd5! Kd8 12. Bg4 Qe5 13. f4 Qxe4 14. Bxd7 Bxd7 15. Nxf6 gxf6 16. Bxf6+ Kc7 17. Bxh8, and White converted his extra exchange 1-0 In the second part of the event, Boleslavsky scored three more victories (the one over Szabo is particularly impressive) and pulled away. At some point, many thought that the 30-year old Soviet GM had punched his ticket to the World Championship match with Botvinnik. Indeed, after Round 16 Isaac was a full point ahead of Bronstein – the only player who had a theoretical chance to catch up with the leader. In the last two rounds, Boleslavsky made two quick draws, hoping that his old friend and compatriot would not be able to win both games, but that is exactly what happened! First David outsmarted Stahlberg with Black in a very complicated game, then in the final round facing Keres with White, he took a lot of risks but got to opponent’s king and so tied for the first place. Bronstein’s spurt in the second part of the tournament staggers imagination – the GM from Moscow scored 7 out of 9! The following fragment illustrates his high-voltage, aggressive style: Bronstein – Najdorf 13. f6! Kh8 14. d5 Na5 15. Ng3 gxf6 16. Nf5 Bc8 17. Qh5 Bxf5 18. exf5 Rg8 19. Rf3 Rg7 20. Bh6 Rg8 21. Rh3 1-0 The event in Budapest became the only Candidates Tournament to end in a tie for the first place (in London 2013 Magnus Carlsen and Vladimir Kramnik scored equal number of points but the former became the winner thanks to better tiebreaks). Bronstein and Boleslavsky had to play a playoff match, which was held in the summer of 1950 in Moscow. It ended in another tie, but Bronstein won the first decisive game and became the official challenger. One of the event favorites Vasily Smyslov was hovering around 50% almost all the way but his fortune changed in Round 16. After obtaining an overwhelming position, his opponent, Alexander Kotov went for a flashy combo but missed an important subtlety. Arguably, this game can be called a miscalculation of the tournament. Kotov – Smyslov Black looks hopeless. That’s what Kotov, Najdorf (who praised him for the played sequence) and even Smyslov himself initially thought. It turns out that White’s idea is refuted by 42…Rf2+! with an immediate win. Smyslov found this move and scored a full point. Since top-five finishers of the event were guaranteed spots in the Candidates 1953, this vexing defeat cost Kotov dearly – he ended up in sixth place, just a half-point behind Najdorf. Later Kotov did qualify for the Candidates 1953 after turning in the most impressive performance of his chess career at the Interzonal 1952 held in Stockholm. In two final rounds, Smyslov made two draws and finished clear third a half-point ahead of Keres, who lost steam in the second part of the event (4th place). Other players had their share of bright moments in Budapest but did not participate in the race for the top spot. Final standings:Source: Wikipedia Although the 1950 Candidates in Budapest was not the most spectacular event it set a trend and paved the way for the historical tournaments in Zurich (1953), Amsterdam (1956), Yugoslavia (1959) and Curacao (1962). It is symbolic that after many years of play-off matches and knockout tournaments, FIDE eventually returned to this good old round-robin format so popular among chess players and spectators all around the world.
FIDE Arbiters’ Commission releases Arbiters’ Manual 2020
The FIDE Arbiters’ Commission is pleased to release the edition 2020 of the FIDE Arbiters’ Manual. The document includes welcome word by FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich and an introduction written by Laurent FREYD Chairman FIDE – Arbiters Commission. This version contains updated regulations from the FIDE Handbook: – C02 and C05, by the Technical Commission about Tournaments – B02, by the Qualification Commission, about Rapid and Blitz rating Structured in 12 Chapters, the topics have been reorganized to follow the preoccupations of the arbiters: 1. Governing play: Roles and duties, Laws of Chess, Anti-Cheating, Pairings 2. Players’ focus: Ratings and norms 3. Technical references: Tournaments and tie-breaks 4. Administrative: titles and classifications of arbiters, application forms Since the new FIDE ARB Commission was nominated, Councilor IA Shohreh Bayat took the lead on the Manual. She closely worked with one of our valuable members IA Alex McFarlane in a real marathon of reviews, proposals and improvements. They also got notable contributions from IA Tomasz Delega (Chairman of the ECU Arbiters’ Council), IA Aris Marghetis (Former Secretary of the ARB and FIDE Lecturer), IA Alex Holowczak (Secretary of the Qualification Commission), IA Gopakumar MS (Member of the Fair Play Commission and FIDE Lecturer, IA Hal Bond (Member of the Planning and Development Commission and FIDE Lecturer). Many thanks to all contributors! Any feedback, comments, proposals to continue improving the Arbiters’ Manual are welcome! Feel free to address them to the ARB Commission (secretary.arbiters@fide.com & shohreh_b1987@yahoo.com)
FIDE distributes €35,000 among veterans
As it was previously announced, the International Chess Federation has budgeted the sum of €50,000 for a program to support chess veterans in 2020. Combined with the decision of waiving fees to our seniors, this is FIDE’s contribution towards giving back a little to those who devoted their entire life to chess. Like in 2019, the initial plan was to allocate €20.000 to provide stipends to individual nominees, and €30,000 to increase the prize fund of the World Seniors Championship. However, due to the ongoing uncertainty created by the global spread of the new Coronavirus, we still don’t know if this event will go ahead as planned, or it will have to be canceled/postponed. In view of these uncertainties, the dedicated panel working on the assignment by FIDE Council found advisable to redistribute this amount, allocating a record total amount of €35,000 directly to stipends. The general consensus was that this was much needed in these difficult times. After carefully considering the numerous applications received, the Council decided that these will be the 17 chess players, coaches, and promoters who will benefit from FIDE’s support: Alexander Nikitin (RUS)Heikki Westerinen (FIN)Viktor Zheliandinov (UKR)Vlastimil Jansa (CZE)Evgeni Melikset-Begi (GEO)Gabriela Olarasu (ROM)Viacheslav Dydyshko (BLR)Qi Jingxuan (CHN)Yaacov Zilberman (ISR)Slim Bouaziz (TUN)Gerry Walsh (ENG)Boris Itkis (MLD/ROM)Lyudmila Belavenets (RUS)Jesus Gonzales Bayolo (CUB)Dmitry Kayumov (UZB)Lkhamsuren Myagmarsuren (MGL)Emmanuel Omuku (NGR) Among the recipients, there are individuals from 16 different countries, representing 4 continents. The Council has also tried to have all bodies and categories represented: players, coaches, and arbiters. In terms of their dedication and contribution to chess, all the aforementioned individuals demonstrated outstanding merits, and they deserve not only this financial help but also the unanimous recognition of the chess community. About some of the recipients: Alexander Nikitin will always be remembered as one of Kasparov’s first mentors, but he also trained Etienne Bacrot, and coached Boris Spassky for his rematch against Bobby Fischer in 1992. Nikitin was also the head of the young chess players’ school of Spartak Sports Society, attended by many famous grandmasters including Alexander Grischuk and Dmitry Yakovenko. Heikki Westerinen was Finland’s first-ever Grandmaster (1975) and a four-time national champion (1965, 1966, 1970). Thanks to him the popularity of chess grew in this country, and he also left his mark in the international arena by virtue of his sharp style – being the King’s Gambit and the king hunts part of his personal trademark. Viktor Zheliandinov (17 March 1935) a Soviet-Ukrainian Chess player, International Master and coach. He achieved very good results in the strong Championship of the Soviet Armies, winning this event in Prague 1966 and coming out third in Gavana 1967. As a coach, he was a member of Karpov’s team during the 1985 match, but what he enjoyed the most was working with young players. His most famous pupil was Vassily Ivanchuk, whom he started coaching when he was a schoolboy, and continued to do so during his participation in the famous Linares tournament. More recently, he has worked with Mateusz Bartel. Daughter of master Sergey Belavenets who fell in a battle in 1942, Liudmila Belavenets (June 7, 1940) chose her field of work in his honor. Liudmila Belavenets was a strong player, winning the Women’s Soviet Chess Championship in 1975 and obtaining the Woman International Master in 1977. She achieved the highest results in correspondence chess, too: in 1990 she became the Women’s World Champion in this discipline. However, she won the hearts of many generations of young chess players as one of the most famous Moscow coaches. In 1973 she started to work in “Young pioneers” center, but is most known for her work in “Spartak” chess club named after Petrosian. She was the first coach of GMs Alexander Morozevich, Alexey Vyzmanavin, Andrei Sokolov. In 2010, Belavenets was awarded the title of FIDE Senior Trainer. Now, at 79, she is still active and surrounded by a new generation of young players. Slim Bouaziz became the first African person to earn International Grandmaster title. The leading Tunisian player for over 30 years, he participated in five Interzonal Tournaments and sixteen Chess Olympiads. During his long and prolific chess career, he has won the Arab Chess Championship twice (1986 and 1991) and shared first place in the international tournaments in Belgrade (1977) and Bucharest (1992). In 2014 Slim Bouaziz also became a FIDE International Organizer. Lhamsuren Myagmarsuren was the first player to represent Mongolia in an Interzonal Tournament. After winning the West Asian zonal tournament in 1966, he competed in the Interzonal Tournament in Sousse (1967). Four-time Mongolian champion (1965, 1980, 1981, 1982), he participated in 10 Chess Olympiads and won the individual gold medal at the fourth board in Leipzig (1960). Vlastimil Jansa won the Czechoslovak Chess Championship in 1964, 1974 and 1984. He represented his country at the Chess Olympiad on a number of occasions, winning a team silver medal in 1982. He is an author of several books and many theoretical articles, as well as a very active coach. Jansa played an important role in the development of David Navara, among others. At 77, he is still very active, having won the 2018 World Senior Championship in the 65+ category. Photo: DENÍK/Jaroslav Bílek
FIDE Trainers Commission announces a series of online seminars
The FIDE Trainers Commission (TRG) is pleased to announce a series of FIDE Trainer Online Seminars – no less than twenty are planned in the period between April 1 and September 30, 2020 – which will cover all geographical regions and accommodate all major languages. In particular, TRG acknowledges the interest and plans of the European Chess Union (ECU) to organize four seminars in June and another four in September 2020. TRG works with FIDE Affiliated Organizations and FIDE on promoting these FIDE Trainer Online Seminars and invites all parties concerned to cooperate with us and contribute to this initiative. Our first seminar was held for Europe (April 3-5) and was led by FIDE Senior Trainers Thomas Luther and Artur Jussupow. The next one will be for Asia – East Asia and Oceania (April 24-26) facilitated by the Philippine Academy for Chess Excellence le FIDE Senior Trainer Jayson Gonzales. The list of lecturers includes the biggest names in Asia, such as FIDE Trainer Awards winners Ramesh RB (India) and Yu Saoteng (China) and two chess legends, Asia’s first grandmaster Eugenio Torre (Philippines) and Asia’s first World Champion Xie Jun (China). May will see a German language seminar from (May 1-3) led by FIDE Senior Trainer Uwe Boensch who will be assisted by Artur Yussupow and Thomas Luther and a Spanish language seminar (May 22-24) led by FIDE Senior Trainer Alonso Zapata. The seminar schedule is available on the official website. Full details of each seminar are also published one the TRG website. All the questions regarding the seminars can be directed to trainers@fide.com.
CALL FOR BIDS: FIDE World Championships 2022
IMPORTANT: Please note that FIDE is considering an option to postpone the 2020 competitions to 2021, and the 2021 competitions to 2022. Thus, all those bidding for the 2022 events shall be prepared that their bids will be considered for 2023. Deadline 4th of September 2020 1. World Junior Chess Championships 2022 2. World Youth U16 Chess Olympiad 2022 3. World Youth (U14, U16 & U18) Chess Championships 2022 (Europe) 4. World Cadets (U08, U10 & U12) Chess Championships 2022 (Europe) 5. World Youth & Cadets Rapid & Blitz Chess Championships 2022 6. World School Chess Championships 2022 7. World Senior Chess Championships 2022 8. Word Senior Team Chess Championships 2022 9. World Amateur Chess Championships 2022 A bid for any FIDE Competitions onwards shall include the name of a FIDE licensed International Organizer. All bids should be submitted by the due date in a sealed envelope to the FIDE Secretariat, postal address: Avenue de Rhodanie 54, 1007 Lausanne, Switzerland. Alternatively, or scanned documents can be sent to the email: office@fide.com, by 4th of September 2020, 16:00 local time. Related documents: Full document with the call for bids (pdf) Bid form (pdf) Bid form annex (pdf)
World School Chess Championship is postponed
The International Chess Federation has decided to postpone the World School Chess Championship, which was scheduled to take place in Panama City, from May 28th to June 7th. The new dates are November 1-11, 2020. The Wyndham Panama Albrook Mall Hotel & Convention Center remains as the official hotel and playing venue, as it was initially planned: this hotel is located within 35 minutes from the two main airports: Tocumen International Airport (one of the main hubs in Central America), and the Panama Pacifico Airport. We regret the inconveniences that this may cause to the participants, but both FIDE and the Panama Chess Federation understand we have no option but to postpone the event in response to the coronavirus outbreak. The decision was made following the recommendations of the World Health Organization, the national sports authorities in Panama, and also attending to the concerns expressed by many participants and National Federations. Our top priority is the protection of public health. Bookings and deposits will be transferred to the new dates, and in case any participant is not able to attend the event in these new dates, he will be fully refunded for their hotel bookings and registration fees. We would like to note that since the reason for the postponement is force majeure and a recognized worldwide serious threat for public health, neither FIDE nor the organizers can be responsible for other expenses incurred by participants, including travel expenses and air tickets. However, since this is a global issue, most airlines are offering free changes or full refunds to all passengers who were supposed to travel during this period. FIDE is also considering the possibility to postpone all the remaining 2020 competitions to 2021, and the 2021 competitions to 2022. We will keep monitoring the situation, and an announcement will be made a minimum of 4 months prior to the planned starting date of the event.
Grand Chess Tour cancels 2020 season due to COVID-19
The Grand Chess Tour (GCT) regretfully announces the cancellation of its 2020 season. The global pandemic known as COVID-19 is impacting our lives, and all sporting events around the world are being canceled or postponed. “The Grand Chess Tour’s priority is the health and well-being of our participants, spectators, staff and partners,” said GCT Executive Director Michael Khodarkovsky. “The GCT board of directors reached this decision in collaboration with partners and sponsors based on recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO).” “We would like to reassure players and the world chess community that all our sponsors and partners: Superbet Group and Superbet Foundation, Vivendi SA, Colliers International, and the Saint Louis Chess Club have confirmed their commitment for the 2021 season,” said legendary World Champion and GCT President Garry Kasparov. “The sixth season is now to be held in 2021, and fans around the world can expect an expanded tour.” The Saint Louis Chess Club will await further developments and recommendations from medical and civic authorities before determining the fate of the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz, Sinquefield Cup, and Champions Showdown: Chess9LX, currently scheduled for August 24 – September 14 collectively. “The Saint Louis Chess Club hopes for the best global outcome possible,“ said Rex Sinquefield, founder of the Saint Louis Chess Club. “Our goal is to host these events as scheduled.” Details on dates and format for the Grand Chess Tour 2021 season will be announced in the coming months. Official site: grandchesstour.org.
2020 Extraordinary General Assembly Minutes
FIDE publishes the Minutes of 2020 FIDE Extraordinary General Assembly which was held in Abu Dhabi, UAE on February 28th. Download 2020 Extraordinary General Assembly Minutes (pdf)
Dzagnidze and Abdumalik shoot up in April rating list
FIDE April 1 rating listAll Top-100 listsAll rating lists – download Although chess competitions all around the world were suspended in March due to the outbreak of COVID-19, some tournaments were played at the beginning of the month (FIDE Women’s Grand Prix Lausanne and the traditional Nutcracker in Moscow) with their results being incorporated into the April ratings. Moreover, the first part of the FIDE 2020 Candidates also found its way into the list, which slightly influenced the standings in the TOP 10 Open. TOP 10 Open: 1. Magnus Carlsen – 2863 (+1)2. Fabianо Caruana – 2835 (-7)3. Ding Liren – 2791 (-14)4. Nepomniachtchi Ian – 2784 (+10)5. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave – 2778 (+11)6. Alexander Grischuk – 2777 (0)7. Levon Aronian – 2773 (0)8. Wesley So – 2770 (0)9. Teimour Radjabov – 2765 (0)10. Anish Giri – 2764 (+1) Photo: Maria Emelianova The leaders after the first part of the Candidates Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Ian Nepomniachtchi scored 4.5/7 each and picked 11 and 10 points respectively with the former moving 3 positions up. The pre-event favorites Fabiano Caruana and Ding Liren found themselves in the red zone rating wise but kept their spots in the top 3. Anish Giri netted just one rating point but even this small increase allowed him to tie for 10th place with Shakhriyar Mamedyarov. Biggest gains: 1. Bassem Amin – 2686 (+19)2. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave – 2778 (+11)3. Ian Nepomniachtchi – 2784 (+10)4. Andrey Esipenko – 2682 (+10)5. David W L Howell – 2663 (+10)6. Evgeny Tomashevsky – 2706 (+5)7. Luke J McShane – 2680 (+5)8. Jorden Van Foreest – 2682 (+4)9. Markus Ragger – 2679 (+4)10. Constantin Lupulescu – 2656 (+4) A rising star of African chess Bassem Amin was very productive in March. The GM from Egypt crushed the competition in the Arab Cities Chess Championship and Arab Chess Club Championship and earned 19 rating points – by far the biggest gain in the TOP 100 Open. Photo: Amruta Mokal, ChessBase India A young Russian GM Andrey Esipenko keeps climbing in the rating lists. This month he became one of the players to make the biggest progress thanks to his strong performance in the above mentioned Nutcracker tournament in which a team of Kings (Gelfand, Shirov, Tomashevsky, and Najer) played Princes (Sarana, Esipenko, Yuffa, and Lomasov) in classical and rapid chess. Eventually, Kings prevailed but it was not Esipenko to blame – Andrey scored solid +2 in classical games, netted 10 rating points and broke into the TOP 3 of the juniors rating list. Photo: Eteri Kublashvili Ironically, two “Kings”, namely Alexei Shirov and Evgeniy Najer dropped some rating points in March (in Sweden and in Moscow respectively) and had to leave the TOP 100 Open. On the other hand, their teammate Yevgeny Tomashevsky did very well in classical games in the Nutcracker 2020 and rose by 5 notches in the April rating list. Welcome to TOP 100 Open: Romain Edouard (2649)Sergei Movsesian (2649)Dariusz Swiercz (2649) We have three only three newcomers in April which hardly surprises anyone given the slump in chess activity around the globe. It is worth noting that two of them (Movsesian and Swiercz) did not play a single game in March. Photo: David Llada The third leg of FIDE Women’s Grand Prix in Lausanne saw the triumph of Nana Dzagnidze who scored the most important tournament victory in her career and picked up 15 rating points along the way. Maybe even bigger surprise was the performance by the 20-year old Kazakhstani Zhansaya Abdumalik. The #1 female junior finished third (+17 rating points) list and reached her career-high in the TOP 100 Women list. Photo: David Llada The participants of the recent Women’s World Championship match Ju Wenjun and Aleksandra Goryachkina had quite different tournament paths in Lausanne. The World Champion was far from her best which cost her 23 rating points, whereas the recent challenger turned in a strong performance and shared first place with Nana Dzagnidze. As a result, Goryachkina surpassed Ju Wenjun and returned into the top 3.