Σκακιστικά νέα

The FIDE Events Commission held a meeting in Graz, Austria from 20 to 22 February 2014, as preparation for the 85th FIDE Congress.

The Commission evaluated the preparations for the FIDE World Chess Championships 2014 and decided on a program of supported actions and inspections. Various subjects about the tournament regulations were discussed and a number of proposals will come to the next FIDE Congress for approval.

Ukrainian Grandmaster Sergey Fedorchuk grabbed the winner’s trophy at the Vladimir Petrov Memorial 2014 after narrowly edging GM Aleksej Aleksandrov in the race for the first place. Fedorchuk finished with 12 points from 15 games, while Aleksandrov had 11,5 points, leaving the next group a full point behind.

Grandmaster M R Venkatesh (BPCL) with 8.5 points won the 66th Birthday celebrations of “Thanga Tharagai” Puratchi Thalavi AMMA Honorable Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu lightning chess tournament that concluded at Multipurpose Indoor Stadium, Chennai here today.

On February 22 the FIDE President arrived to UAE where he met with the Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan. It was agreed to hold one of FIDE Grand Prix series in Emirates in 2015.

During the 84th FIDE Congress in Tallinn, the the current President of FIDE Kirsan Ilymzhinov and the former World Champion Garry Kasparov announced their candidacy for the FIDE Presidential elections 2014

The chess engines Fire 3.1 (ELO 3102) and Naum 4.6 (ELO 3053) lead Stage 1b of the strongest computer chess championship TCEC. After 3 rounds they have collected 2,5/3, half a point more than last year’s finalist and rating favorite in the group Stockfish (ELO 3181).

A FIDE Seminar for International Organizers was held on 6-8 February 2014, Moscow, Russia.

This seminar was organized during the Moscow Chess Open by the FIDE Events’ Commission (EVE), the Russian State Social University (RSSU) and the Moscow Chess Federation with the support of the Russian Chess Federation.

A FIDE Arbiters’ Seminar is going to be organized from 12 to 16 April 2014 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, by the Uzbekistan Chess Federation and under the auspice of FIDE.

The venue of the Seminar will be Shodlik Palace Hotel, in Tashkent.

FIDE Women World Rapid & Blitz Championships 2014 will take place on 23-30th April in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia.

The events will be both Swiss pairings tournaments and will be held over two days for Blitz and three days for Rapid.

The Blitz will have fifteen rounds with each player playing with white and black against his paired opponent, Swiss event. The Rapid will be also fifteen rounds, but only one game as paired, Swiss event.

The Ballarat Chess Club will host the 48th Begonia Open over the Labour Day long weekend from Saturday 8 March to Monday 10 March 2014, at the Ballarat Clarendon College: Sewell Pavilion, 1425 Sturt Street, Ballarat, Australia.

This tournament promises to build on the success of previously held tournaments and is growing in popularity every year. There were 127 entries last year with James Morris taking the tournament trophy.