Vaclav Finek wins Czech Open 2024
The biggest talent of Czech chess, fourteen-year-old IM Vaclav Finek (2452), emerged as the winner of the 2024 Czech Open. The 2024 edition of the Czech Open in Pardubice, supported by the FIDE Aid Package, took place from July 19-27 and brought together 721 players from 37 countries. The festival included four main 9-round Swiss tournaments with classical time control. A – Pardubice Open In a major sensation, the main event saw the triumph of 9th seed Vaclav Finek and 24th seed IM Ameya Audi of India. Both pulled off crucial final-round victories over GM Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu (Romania) and Valentyn Prokofiev (Ukraine), respectively and tied for first place with an excellent score of 7.5/9. Just a half-point of Buchholz advantage separated the champion, Vaclav Finek (pictured below, left), from the runner-up, Ameya Audi. As many as four players shared third place scoring (7/9), with GM Jiri Stocek of the Czech Republic completing the podium. “I think I played an awesome tournament, and I was especially pleased with the 100% win rate with white pieces,” said Vaclav Finek in a short interview. IM Klaudia Kulon (pictured below) from Poland became the best woman of the event. Klaudia achieved a great performance 2509 and finished in 6th place. Four norms of the international title were fulfilled in the main tournament: the IM norm by Petr Gnojek (CZE), Valentyn Prokofiev, and Vladyslav Fishchuk (both from Ukraine). The norm of WIM goes to Noga Orian (ISR). Final standings: 1 IM Finek, Vaclav CZE 2452 7½ 2 IM Audi, Ameya IND 2381 7½ 3 GM Stocek, Jiri CZE 2528 7 4 GM Zanan, Evgeny ISR 2476 7 5 IM Hrbek, Stepan CZE 2402 7 6 IM Kulon, Klaudia POL 2379 7 7 GM Nisipeanu, Liviu-Dieter ROU 2583 6½ 8 FM Prokofiev, Valentyn UKR 2337 6½ 9 IM Pulpan, Jakub CZE 2383 6½ 10 IM Noe, Christopher GER 2520 6½ Complete final standings Pardubice Open B – MOTORGAS OPEN Ukrainian Roman Tyshniuk became the only foreign player to win one of the main events. He came out on top in the Motorgas Open, scoring 7.5/9. Jachym Hrbek had the same score but finished second due to an inferior tiebreak, while Inchan Park (KOR, 7/9) was third. Final standings B- Motorgas Open C – GASCO OPEN The tournament under 1700 was won by 11-year-old Jan Kozusnik (CZE, 8/9), ahead of Hyunbin Choi (KOR, 8/9) and Oskar Gresek (CZE, 7/9). Final standings C – GASCO Open 30+ STAPRO OPEN The Czech players dominated the tournament for players aged 30, occupying the podium. First became Miroslav Muron (7.5/9), followed by Vit Zemlicka (7/9) and Tomas Vesely from the local club Rapid Pardubice (7/9). Final standings 30+ STARPRO Open Photos: Czech Open Official website: czechopen.net/en/
U.S. Championships: Akopian, Lee and Yoo clinch titles
The US Junior and Senior Championship concluded on July 25, with three national champions crowned in Saint Louis. All three competitions—the US Junior, US Junior Girls, and U.S. Senior championships—were 10-player round-robin tournaments with classical time control. The total prize fund of the championships exceeded $135,000. GM Vladimir Akopian dominated the U.S. Senior Championship, securing the title with a round to spare with 7/9. The resident of Glendale, California, scored 4.5/5 at the start and never looked back. Akopian, the only unbeaten player in the tournament, received a $20,000 prize for his effort. GM Jesse Kraai suffered two losses, including one to the champion in Round 5, but finished strong with four straight victories to take silver. GMs Joel Benjamin and Larry Christiansen tied for third place on 5/9. GM Christopher Yoo confirmed his status as a rating favourite, convincingly winning the title at the junior event. The only undefeated player in the tournament, he drew with top-four finishers and beat five other participants to score an impressive 7/9. Justin Wang finished a full point behind the champion and took silver. Andrew Z Hong and Jason Wang both netted 5.5/9 and tied for third place. Last year’s winner, Alice Lee, successfully defended his title (7/9) in a close race with Rose Atwell, who finished just a half-point behind. In hindsight, their see-saw clash in Round 3, which Lee won, tipped the balance in her favor. With her junior title, Alice qualified for the upcoming U.S. Women’s Championship. Iris Mou scored 6/9 and earned bronze. Photos: Lennart Ootes and Crystal Fuller/Saint Louis Chess Club Official website: uschesschamps.com/
Lê Quang Liêm wins Biel Grandmaster Triathlon for third straight year
Lê Quang Liêm won the Biel Grandmaster Triathlon Tournament for the third time in a row. The Vietnamese player secured the title after defeating the world #8 Praggnanandhaa in the penultimate round. Lê Quang Liêm, the 2013 World Blitz Champion, showed once again that the triathlon format played in Biel suits him perfectly. The Biel Chess Festival, supported by the FIDE Aid Package, featured GMT-Masters and Challengers tournaments (held for the first time) and several side events. The Masters and Challengers 6-player round robins combined three different time formats (blitz, rapid and classic), counting towards the final score. A win in a classical game was worth 4 points, with 1½ points for a draw and 0 for a loss. In the Rapid (15min+5s) segment, a victory was worth 2 points and a draw 1 point. The blitz (3+2) was played as a double round-robin with 1 point for a win and ½ points for a draw. The top four players from the triathlon competed in another classical single round-robin. With his third win in the Biel Grandmaster Tournament, Lê Quang Liêm drew level with Alexander Morozevich and only needs one more win to equal the record of four wins in a row, which Maxime Vachier-Lagrave achieved between 2013 and 2016. In the winner’s interview after the game, Lê hinted that it would be nice to equal this achievement. Haik Martirosyan of Armenia (pictured below, left) finished second, while Praggnanandhaa R bounced back from his loss in the penultimate round to take third place. The Armenian lived up to his reputation in the Grandmaster Triathlon as an expert in the rapid cadences by being the best in rapid and the second-best player in blitz. It was a rather mixed tournament for the rating-favorite Praggnanandhaa that came to a conciliatory end. The Indian seized his chance to bronze by defeating Abhimanyu Mishra in the final round and completed the podium. Final standings GMT-Masters Salem Saleh of UAE achieved an even more convincing victory in the GMT-Challengers, clinching the title with two rounds to spare. It is the Emirati’s greatest success in his tenth participation in Biel. Alexander Donchenko secured second place after winning over Vaishali R in the penultimate round. The only female player in the tournament, Vaishali, put in a solid performance to finish third. Final standings GMT-Challengers Rinat Jumabayev (KAZ), Leon Luke Mendonca (IND), Ayush Sharma (IND) and IM Mukhiddin Madaminov (UZB) tied for first place in the Master Tournament MTO with the Kazakhstani GM (pictured below) prevailing in the tie-break. Final standings Master Tournament MTO Text and photos: Biel Chess Festival official website Official website: bielchessfestival.ch/
New Guinness World Record: Over seven million chess games played in one day!
On International Chess Day, July 20, a monumental achievement was realized as over 350 events took place worldwide, both online and over the board, setting the record for the most chess games played in 24 hours While the initial goal was to surpass one million games, the total number played was an astounding 7,284,970. A total of 109 chess federations participated, reporting their results globally. The federations with the highest number of games were Sri Lanka (9,848 games), India (9,397 games), and Kazakhstan (8,759 games). Sri Lanka and India also hosted the most registered tournaments for this competition, each with 78, followed by China with 45. To validate the record, specific conditions were required: all games, whether online or offline, had to be played within a 24-hour period and registered as part of the FIDE 100 Guinness World Records Attempt. Each player could participate in multiple games, but the minimum time control was set at 3 minutes plus 2 seconds, excluding bullet games. Among the more than seven million games played, 75,132 (just over 1%) were over-the-board, with the rest played online across five platforms: Chess.com (including ChessKid), Lichess, FIDE Online Arena, SimpleChess, The Chess Alliance, and Zhisai. Chess.com, including its ChessKid platform, contributed the largest number of eligible games, exceeding six million. “This is a great success for FIDE and for chess, and I am very proud that we achieved this on the day we celebrated 100 years since the founding of our great organization,” said FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich. Speaking on FIDE’s YouTube Channel during a special six-hour live broadcast of International Chess Day celebrations, Dvorkovich described the events as a “celebration of the spirit of victory for chess.” “This is just the first century [of FIDE]. Many more centuries are ahead of us,” he added. “We are happy to share this moment with millions worldwide, especially those who helped set the Guinness record. Many people will start playing chess from this day,” Dvorkovich concluded. A Huge Undertaking The Guinness World Records attempt was a massive project, prepared over several months. International Arbiter Laurent Freyd, the key instigator and supervisor from FIDE’s side, highlighted the event’s uniqueness. Speaking from the 57th International Chess Festival in Biel, Switzerland, Freyd remarked, “As an arbiter, you manage some players at an event. Today, it’s about managing 350 arbiters running events worldwide, with many players participating!” The Guinness World Records receives about 65,000 applications annually, each vetted by experts. For the FIDE attempt, Carl Saville, the Guinness World Records Official Adjudicator and a chess fan was sent to Biel. Together with Lauren Freyd, he closely monitored the event’s developments. At the end of the day, Saville joined FIDE’s live broadcast to announce: “After reviewing the documents and verifying the final guideline verification, I can confirm that FIDE has achieved a total of 5.4 million games played, setting a new record! FIDE – you are now, officially, amazing!” As he spoke, more results came in, and by the end of the 24-hour period, the total reached a stunning 7,284,970 chess games played globally—a record hard to set and likely even harder to surpass. “This fantastic record is the result of a tremendous collaborative effort. We are grateful to all national federations, tournament organizers and chess enthusiasts involved,” said Andre Voegtlin, Chair of FIDE’s Social Commission. On the importance of records The six-hour FIDE YouTube broadcast featured prominent figures from the chess world and some of the current and former top Grandmasters, including Vidit Gujrathi, Levon Aronian, Nigel Short, former women’s world champion Alexandra Kosteniuk and her husband Pavel Tregubov, former world champion Vishy Anand, and Emil Sutovsky. One of the guests was Alireza Firouzja, the 21-year-old Iranian-born Grandmaster naturalized in France and regarded as one of the most promising young chess players. “Chess took our childhood and everything with it, so it cannot be just a game. It’s a game we all love, one you get addicted to and cannot stop playing,” Firouzja said. He also emphasized the importance of world records: “Since childhood, I’ve always looked at the records – becoming the youngest world champion, eyeing the rating records. Records stay in history, and they motivate you to reach and break them.” With the setting of this record, FIDE has also set a new and promising challenge that will benefit the game: any future records will depend on more chess games being played, thus putting a challenge to chess enthusiasts of the future to do more and aim higher.
Youth Solving Championships – FIDE & WFCC special project
The FIDE Centenary celebrations include some new and promising projects in cooperation with the WFCC. In November, World Solving Championships for girls and boys, the biggest ever youth-solving competitions will be held as part of FIDE major events for cadets (U8, U10, U12) and juniors (U14, U16, U18). Juniors will be solving eight problems and endgames on November 4, during the free day of the World Youth Chess Championships in Florianópolis, the capital of southern Brazil’s Santa Catarina state. Cadets will have their solving championships on November 21, the rest day of the World Cadet Chess Championships in Montesilvano, a city in the Abruzzo region of Italy. While celebrating this historical breakthrough in promoting chess composition among new generations, it’s time to recall the prehistory that allowed us to take a considerable step forward. More than 30 years ago, different countries started applying the national solving championship model in the context of national youth chess championships. On the European level, it debuted in 2002, with the first such event organized in Serbia during the European Youth Blitz and Rapid Championship, and in the age categories U10, U14, and U18. Roughly the same format has been adopted by most of the hosts of this type of European chess competition, but some countries were not ready to organize these events. In other words, those competitions depended on the activity of the local chess composers and their relations with the national chess federations. The longer-lasting chess competitions with classical time control were more suitable for organizing solving contests during the mandatory free days. Such a concept was brought to the platform of global FIDE events in Batumi 2006, when the director of the World Youth Chess Championships 2006 Akaki Iashvili initiated World Youth Solving Cup in the age categories U10, U14 and U18. We owe it to his long-lasting cooperation with the Grandmaster of Chess Composition David Gurgenidze, a chess writer, historian and trainer, in short – a Georgian chess legend. These two prominent Georgian chess personalities opened the doors for future solving competitions as a part of FIDE youth events. FIDE solving events pioneers Akaki Iashvili and David Gurgenidze at the closing ceremony of the World Congres of Chess Composition in Batumi 2023 / Photo WFCC However, after Batumi 2006 and Antalya 2007, the next such competition had to wait till 2016, when the FIDE championships were again organized in Georgia. In 2022, as the FIDE Special Tasks Director, Akaki Iashvili recommended solving competitions to become a part of all FIDE youth events. In Batumi 2022 (221 participants) and again in Batumi 2023, these events were branded as World Youth Solving Championships U10, U14 and U18. A month ago Batumi hosted a newly introduced Cadets World Cup (U8, U10 & U12), with 132 players taking part in the solving competition called the Cadets World Solving Cup. The youngest generations enjoyed uncovering subtle combinations in seemingly simple positions. To get full points for the Mate in 2 moves below, it was enough to write the correct first move of White, but to find it, one needs to anticipate all Black’s replies. The surprising solution is quite enjoyable: Yuri Selyavkin, “Vpered”, 1985 White to play and mate in 2 moves Since 2006, David Gurgenidze has directed all FIDE solving events (in the photo gallery below during the Cadets World Solving Cup 2024), with only one of the six competitions (Antalya 2007) held outside Georgia. The organizers’ goodwill and personal affinities with local chess composers determined whether such competitions would be held. The next step was to ensure regularity of solving championships and to avoid improvisation, whatever country gets the role of the organizer of the FIDE championships. That’s where fruitful cooperation between WFCC and the FIDE officers has helped enormously. It started in Fujairah 2022, when the FIDE Deputy Chair Dana Reizniece-Ozola came to honor the closing ceremony of the World Congress of Chess Composition (WCCC). The communications with the main WCCC organizer, Akaki Iashvili, continued at the WCCC 2023 in Batumi. As the Chair of the FIDE Events Commission, Akaki Iashvili negotiated with the organizers in Brazil and Italy to enrich their chess program with official solving championships under the standardized rules, conditions and guidance of the WFCC. In January 2024, as a special guest of the 20th International Solving Contest in Fujairah, the FIDE Executive Officer Victor Bologan (pictured at the closing ceremony, with the WFCC Vice-President Abdulla Ali Aal Barket on his left) showed a great interest in solving competitions and shared his ideas how to promote them. He suggested including the youth-solving championships into the special FIDE & WFCC projects in 2024, marking the FIDE Centenary. Photo: Fujairah Chess & Culture Club The future of this big joint project will largely depend on the success and overall effects of the two inaugural competitions in November. Our preparations started over a year ago, with forming a working group headed by the WFCC Vice-President Dinu-Ioan Nicula. An International Chess Arbiter with more than 20 years of experience in directing solving competitions at chess events, he prepared all the relevant documents and accepted the role of selector for the November competitions. Some other members of our society have shown great enthusiasm in joining the project. Instructions for writing solutions with illustrative examples were prepared by Ilija Serafimović and Marcos Maldonado Roland, who also contributed to logistics in Brazil, where Ricardo de Mattos Vieira took the role of main judge. All the WFCC documents were agreed upon with the FIDE Events Commission first and then with the local organizers. These documents were enclosed in the official invitations sent to all national chess federations and later on the official websites of both FIDE events. WFCC Secretary Mohammad Alhallak has prepared the registration forms and the newly opened WFCC page on the Chess-Results server. With a kind support of Heinz Herzog, the creator of the Chess-Results server, WFCC now has a permanent license to use the most popular server for announcements and results of the
Team lineups announced for record-breaking 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest
FIDE is excited to announce the participating teams of the 45th Chess Olympiad. The Chess Olympiad is growing with every edition, and the 45th in Budapest is going to be the largest. The record-breaking 193 teams in the Open section and 181 squads in the Women’s competition will gather in the Hungarian capital from September 10-23 to battle in the biggest team chess event of the biennium. Notably, several women’s teams – Liechtenstein, Guernsey, Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Kitts and Nevis, the US Virgin Islands, St. Lucia, Nauru, and the Cayman Islands – will make their debut in Budapest. St. Kitts and Nevis female team – one of the first-timers in the upcoming Olympiad In a historic move toward inclusivity, the 2024 Chess Olympiad will welcome a team of refugees, as officially approved by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). This groundbreaking decision aims to promote diversity and support displaced individuals, reinforcing chess as a tool for positive change. 2024 FIDE Chess Olympiad Open Teams Team USA captained by John Donaldson tops the starting list in the open section. Although Hikaru Nakamura opted not to participate, with an average rating of 2758 the US fielded a formidable lineup of Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So, Leinier Dominguez Perez, Levon Aronian and Ray Robson and looks like one of the pre-tournament favorites. India 2 in Chennai – Praggnanandhaa R and Gukesh D will play for the main team in Budapest The Indian team, which features the current challenger Gukesh D and top tenners Arjun Erigaisi and Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, is stronger than ever and undoubtedly will be one of the main contenders for gold. The reigning champions team Uzbekistan preserved the winning roster and will be eager to repeat their 2022 success and retain the title. Notably, none other than Vladimir Kramnik will serve as the team captain. After missing the 44th Chess Olympiad, China is sending two teams to Budapest. It will be interesting to see how the reigning World Champion, in-form Wei Yi, Yu Yangyi and others will perform in the Hungarian capital. Magnus Carlsen leads Norway, but the world #1 will need a lot of help of his teammates to contest for the podium. Even if the team doesn’t succeed, Magnus will have a shot at winning individual gold, repeating his achievement at the European Team Championship. Poland, Netherlands, England (reinforced by Nikita Vitiugov) and the home team Hungary (boosted by the return of Richard Rapport) all have very solid, balanced lineups and cannot be discounted. Last but not least, a young and ambitious Iranian team might surprise many and become a “joker-in-the-pack”. 2024 FIDE Chess Olympiad Women Teams Team Georgia captained by Vladimir Tukmakov enters the women’s competition as the rating favorite. The runners-up in Chennai 2022 the Georgian ladies (Nana Dzagnidze, Nino Batsiashvili, Lela Javakhishvili, Bella Khotenashvili and Salome Melia) will try their best to move one step up and win coveted gold. The second seed India that won bronze in Chennai will miss Humpy Koneru this time, but with a rising star Divya Deshmukh joining Rameshbabu Vaishali, Harika Dronavalli, Vantika Agrawal and Tania Sachdev in Budapest, the team seems to be a real contender for the title. China has as many as four players in the women’s top 10, but none of them will play in Budapest. Nevertheless, seeded fourth, this young team led by Zhu Jiner and 14-year-old national champion Lu Miaoyi can go far if they catch the wind in their sails. In the absence of the Muzychuk sisters, who skipped the Olympiad, sixth-seeded Ukraine will face the challenging task of defending its title. The Ukrainian ladies will most likely not succeed, but we can’t write them off completely. The third and fifth seed, Poland and Azerbaijan, fielded their best players and will be teams to be reckoned with. Bringing together acclaimed heavyweights and rising stars from all across the globe playing for their national teams, the Chess Olympiad is an event like no other. We are in for an eleven-day magnificent spectacle showcasing chess brilliance in Budapest. Photos: Lennart Ootes, Madelene Belinki, Mark Livshitz and Stev Bonhage
From Paris and the world with chess: FIDE celebrates 100 years since its founding
Chess stars and officials gathered in Paris on International Chess Day – July 20 – as the chess world marked the centenary of the founding of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) FIDE officials, including President Arkady Dvorkovich, Deputy Chair of FIDE’s Management Board Dana Reizniece-Ozola (who also heads the FIDE100 celebrations), FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky and FIDE Director for Chess Development Nigel Short, along with former world champions Vishy Anand, Zhu Chen, Alexandra Kosteniuk, and a host of other renowned players and chess officials from France and around the world, met in Paris for the central ceremony celebrating 100 years since the founding of FIDE. On International Chess Day, FIDE also launched its Guinness World Record attempt for the most games played online and over-the-board in 24 hours. Over 109 national federations and major online chess platforms took part, with almost 350 events globally. “This is a memorable day for the entire chess world. Our organization is among the oldest sporting bodies in the world. Over the past 100 years, FIDE has been the central driving force for the development of chess globally, and that remains one of our organization’s key goals. Today, we are not celebrating just the centenary of FIDE. We are also celebrating human strength, creativity, and innovation, which the chess world has been demonstrating since its early days,” said Arkady Dvorkovich, President of FIDE. The celebrations started on the morning of July 20 with a walk to the historic 9th Arrondissement (City Council), the place where FIDE was founded in 1924. The guests – including representatives from nations who participated in the 1924 event – signed a replica of the original Memorandum of FIDE. From there, the guests proceeded to the famous Montmartre Cemetery where, among many well-known people from history, lies the final resting place of the great Alexander Alekhine (world champion between 1927-1935 and 1937-1946) and the founder of FIDE Pierre Vincent. The guests then gathered at the Chateau de Asnieres, an 18th-century palace on the banks of the Seine, for a simul hosted by world champions as well as the official opening of the book “Chess Players, from Charlie Chaplin to the Wu-Tang Clan,” a collection of images of chess players from the last 130 years. The central celebration of the day was the FIDE100 Torch Relay, which has been traveling the world for several months now, celebrating chess and creating a symbolic link between FIDE and the Olympic spirit. The ceremony took place at the Chateau de Asnieres, with the guests and FIDE officials welcoming the torch. “I am delighted that we are having the Torch Relay ceremony in Paris, just a few days before the start of the Olympic Games. Throughout the year we have had celebrations across the globe – from India, to Africa, North and South America, places in Europe and now in Paris. The Torch Relay isn’t over, nor are our celebrations. We plan more events, including the Chess Olympiad in Budapest, and I am looking forward to all of them,” said Dana Reizniece-Ozola, who has been in charge of organizing the celebrations globally. Photos: Niki Riga
Ten goals for next 100 years of International Chess Federation
On July 20, 1924, the last day of the Summer Olympics in Paris, 15 delegates from all over the world signed the proclamation act of what was originally known as “Fédération Internationale des Échecs” or “FIE” (shortly after the acronym was changed to “FIDE”). Symbolically, precisely a century later, the representatives of the same countries met in the Town Hall of the IX Arrondissement, Paris, where the original act was signed, and outlined FIDE’s goals for the next 100 years. As we celebrate the first centenary of FIDE and its achievements, we – the below signed – also want to put forward the vision for the next 100 years of the International Chess Federation. Our commitment is to advance chess, embracing its educational, cultural, intellectual and lifestyle benefits, ensuring it stands as a beacon of excellence, inclusivity and unity among the people of the world. To this end, we want to put forward Ten Goals For The Next 100 Years Of The International Chess Federation. 1. Global Expansion and Accessibility Chess should continue in its stride to reach every part of the globe – every major city, town, village, house or hut, every distant and remote place, including space. While chess is played by millions around the world, there are vast opportunities to increase the interest in and popularity of the game. In doing so, the chess world must always be guided by the principles of inclusivity, making sure everyone has enough opportunities and resources to learn and enjoy chess. 2. Digital Revolution Chess should leverage technologies and the online revolution to make it more accessible online and more appealing to the coming generations, by emphasizing its practical value in real life. This includes more and better organized online tournaments, virtual coaching, interactive learning tools in as many world languages as possible, as well as creating online communities of chess players. 3. Educational Integration As a useful tool for developing skills such as critical thinking and problem-solving, chess should seek to broaden and deepen its ties with educational institutions. Many countries have introduced chess in their educational system, but there are more which need to follow. For those countries where chess is taught as a subject, teaching materials and styles need to be further developed and integrated with the best scientific practices in education. Youth camps and scholastic tournaments and educational programs with Grandmasters should also be included. 4. Cultural Promotion Chess has a rich history which has also led to the development of a distinguished subculture, attracting people from all walks of life and of all ages. The life, experiences and identities that are created around the chessboard serve as a cultural melting pot and a source for ideas and identities. As such, the cultural promotion of chess should be developed further and the game should seek to connect more with arts and sciences. 5. Innovation and Technology Chess was the first sport and the ultimate testing field where human and machine intelligence squared off. The rapid progress of development and use of Artificial Intelligence in work and daily life is already having a large impact on the world and is likely to produce profound changes in the way we live our lives. Chess has already experienced this through the rise of the chess engines but AI brings new possibilities which the chess world should explore and seek to adapt to its needs – from AI-driven platforms providing personalized coaching and insights to players, to interactive learning, virtual-reality experiences, community building, to anti-cheating detection. 6. Inclusivity and Diversity While the chess world has largely been in step with championing gender and identity equality and respect, this topic needs to always be at the forefront of any agenda or policy in the chess world. From getting more women to play chess and stay in the game professionally, to events for people with disabilities – chess must be a game for all, regardless of their age, abilities and background. 7. Environmental Responsibility Chess events and chess players should contribute towards being responsible for the environment by promoting and practising environmentally friendly practices and values. FIDE activities – including tournaments and events – should be environmentally friendly, seek to highlight the importance of protecting the environment and aim to lower the carbon footprint. 8. Global Awareness Use the popularity of chess and interest in the game to raise awareness of important global social and environmental issues and challenges such as climate change and encourage the chess community to take an active role in addressing these issues. 9. Strengthening of Governance and Ethics As a growing international organization, FIDE should always seek to uphold the highest standards of governance, transparency and ethical behavior. This includes developing and maintaining a high standard of anti-cheating measures but also includes actively advocating ethical values and behavior. 10. Social Impact In recent years, FIDE has spearheaded social initiatives aimed at helping and empowering those in need – from the Chess for Refugees program to Chess in Prison and projects focusing on mental health, among others. FIDE and the chess world should seek to actively develop, support and engage in similar projects which benefit society, at any level. The chess world should use its voice and reach to drive change for the better in society. Commitment to the Future As we celebrate the past, we look towards the future with hope and faith that chess can be a force for good in the world and a source of inspiration for people across the globe. FIDE PresidentArkady Dvorkovich President of the Argentina Chess FederationMario Petrucci President of the Royal Belgian Chess FederationLaurent Wery President of the Chess Federation of CanadaVlado Drkulec Delegate and International Director of English Chess FederationMalcolm Pein Delegate of the Royal Dutch Chess FederationVincent Geeraets Representative of the Finnish Chess FederationJouni Lehtivaara President of the French Chess FederationEloi Relange President of the Hungarian Chess FederationZoltan Polyanszky-Tamasi President of the Italian Chess FederationLuigi Maggi President of the Polish Chess FederationRadoslaw Jedynak President of the Romanian Chess FederationVlad
Happy International Chess Day!
Today, on International Chess Day, we celebrate a century since the establishment of the Fédération Internationale des Échecs – FIDE, which took place here, in Paris, in 1924. During the past 100 years, FIDE has sought to safeguard, develop, and promote chess. From standardizing the game rules and tournament regulations to introducing the rating system, awarding titles, and organizing new events and competitions, FIDE has always been at the forefront of the chess world. As we look towards the future, we should reflect on the remarkable journey of chess over the past 100 years, celebrated globally this year with the FIDE100 project. We honor the famous players and coaches and the remarkable individuals who helped build FIDE and unite the chess world. Thanks to their efforts, chess is now played by millions of people worldwide – from enthusiasts to professionals, both online and over the board, all sharing a passion for the game. The achievements of the past century inspire us to aim higher and push harder to ensure that chess continues to thrive for generations to come. May the next 100 years of FIDE bring more success for chess and even more chess to the world. Let us always remember and live by our motto: Gens Una Sumus – We Are One Family. And finally – to celebrate International Chess Day, today we are organizing the Guinness World Records attempt – for most games played online and over the board in 24 hours. I hope you will join us and enjoy! FIDE PresidentArkady Dvorkovich You can find the video of this congratulatory speech on the FIDE YouTube Channel.
Pawel Sowinski triumphs in Slovakia Chess Open
Slovakia Chess Open 2024 concluded in Piestany. Held with financial support from the FIDE Aid Package, the chess festival featured two tournaments Open A and Open B running from July 09-17. Both competitions, 9-round Swiss tournaments with classical time control, attracted about 200 players representing 19 national federations. The Open A tournament saw a minor sensation as the 17th seed, 14-year-old FM Pawel Sowinski of Poland (pictured below, right), navigated a strong field to score an impressive 7/9. The second seed, Tomas Laurusas, also netted 7/9 but finished runner-up due to the inferior Buchholz tiebreaker. Both finished the event unbeaten, picking up 25 and 8 rating points, respectively. A large group of players tied for the third position with another youngster, Ilamparthi A R of India, completing the podium. Final standings Open A 1 FM Sowinski, Pawel POL 2433 7 2 GM Laurusas, Tomas LTU 2563 7 3 IM Ilamparthi, A R IND 2434 6½ 4 GM Shyam, Sundar M. IND 2493 6½ 5 GM Demchenko, Anton SLO 2609 6½ 6 GM Aczel, Gergely HUN 2498 6½ 7 IM Moksh, Amit Doshi IND 2368 6½ 8 IM Haring, Filip SVK 2497 6½ 9 IM Aradhya, Garg IND 2418 6 10 IM Hrbek, Stepan CZE 2402 6 Complete final standings Open A Complete finals standings Open B Photos: Slovakia Chess Open Facebook Official website: slovakiachessopen.sk/piestany_2024/