Category Archives: Chess
European Youth Classical, Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships 2024 Official regulations – European Chess Union
The European Youth Chess Championship 2024 will take place from 21st August to 1st September 2024 in Prague, Czech Republic, and the same venue will earlier host the European Youth Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships 2024 which will be held from 16th-21st August.
The European Youth Chess Championship 2024 will be played in 6 age categories: U8, U10, U12, U14, U16 and U18, open and girls sections separately. Each championship will be played in 9 rounds, swiss system, with time control of 90 minutes + 30 seconds increment.
The official venue of the Championship is ****TOP Hotel Praha, which is also one of the official hotels of the event. ****EA Hotel Embassy Prague is the second official hotel, and the organizers will provide daily transfers to the playing venue.
The Winners in each age section will become the European Youth Chess Champions of the respective age category. The first three players in each group will be awarded cups and medals and the first five players in each group will be awarded cups, diplomas and valuable prizes. Each participant will receive presents.
Each federation can register one invited player in each of the categories under 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18 (open and girls), and the maximum number of twelve (12) players (invited players). The players placed 1-3 in the European Youth Chess Championship 2023 will have the personal right to participate in the tournament in the corresponding age-category or a higher age-category. This privilege may be exercised once exclusively in the subsequent year following the year of the qualification.
All players must register through their national federations before 20th June 2024 (registration deadline). The entry form should be filled in by the national federation on the official website of the championship.
The European Youth Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships 2024 will take place from 16-21 August, in the same venue. The event features four separate competitions.
EUROPEAN YOUTH RAPID CHAMPIONSHIP 2024 -To take place from 17-18 August 2024-Six age categories: U8, U10, U12, U14, U16 and U18, open and girls sections separately-System of play: 9 rounds, swiss system, with time control of 15 minutes+10 seconds increment Prizes: the best 3 players in each category will be awarded trophies, medals and material prizes
EUROPEAN YOUTH BLITZ CHAMPIONSHIP 2024-To take place from 19-20 August 2024-Six age categories: U8, U10, U12, u14, U16, and U18, open and girls sections separately-System of play: 9 double rounds, swiss system, with time control of 3 minutes + 2 seconds increment.-Prizes: the best 3 players in each category will be awarded trophies, medals and material prizes
EUROPEAN TEAM YOUTH RAPID CHAMPIONSHIP -To take place on 19th of August 2024-Three age categories: U10, U14 and U18, open and girls sections separately-Open teams shall consist of 4 players from the same federation without reserves-Girls teams shall consist of 2 players from the same federation without reserves-System of play: 7 rounds, swiss system, with time control of 10 minutes + 5 seconds increment-Prizes: the best 3 teams in each category will be awarded trophies, medals and material prizes
EUROPEAN YOUTH SOLVING COMPETITIONS-To take place on 18th of August 2024-Three age categories: U10, U14 and U18, open and girls sections separately-Prizes: The best 3 players in each category will be awarded trophies, medals and material prizes
The events are open to players representing ECU member federations. All players have to register through their national federations before 5th June 2024 (registration deadline). The entry form should be filled in by the national federation on the official website of the championship.
Contact information:
AVE CHESS z.s., Pn 1892/4, 110 00 Praha, Czech RepublicTournament Director: IO Dr. Jan MazuchPhone: + 420 608 203 007E-mail: office@eycc2024.eu
Official website (information and online registration): http://www.eycc2024.eu
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European Youth Classical, Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships 2024 Official regulations - European Chess Union
Changes to qualification paths for the Candidates Tournament – FIDE
FIDE has introduced a series of changes to the qualification paths that will be in effect for the FIDE Candidates Tournament in 2026. Most notably, the runner-up from the World Championship match no longer automatically qualifies for the Candidates
The alterations are aimed at enhancing the competitive landscape, encouraging player participation, and ensuring a fair representation of the top contenders.
The amendments will impact the selection process through various paths.
The key changes and the renewed qualification paths for the Candidates Tournament 2026 are the following:
World Championship Runner-Up - no spot
The runner-up in the World Championship will no longer automatically get a spot in the next Candidates Tournament. Instead, the runner-up will now need to navigate the qualification process.
To compensate for this change, World Championship Match 2024 is also recognized as an eligible tournament for FIDE Circuit and the runner-up will receive special bonus points for playing the match. The points they gain in the match for the World Championship title will be calculated based on performance. This means the points gained for the FIDE Circuit will depend on the score of the match. If the match is lost on tie-breaks, the runner-up will get more points than when they lose in the standard part of the match with rounds to spare.
The highest-rated player - 1 spot
The spot reserved for the highest-rated player will now be determined by the six-month average rating, not the previous 12 months or the current rating.
This spot is exclusive to the player ranked first in the FIDE rating list. If the player withdraws, the qualification spot shall be awarded to the second-highest rated player. If the second-highest rated player has already qualified, the qualification spot will be redirected to FIDE Circuit 2025 path.
Notably, the six-month average rating rule eliminates the possibility of players relying on a "last chance" tournament in December of the year in the run-up to the Candidates.
FIDE Circuit - 2 spots
Two spots in the FIDE Circuit - for the years 2024 and 2025 - will serve as qualifying paths for the 2026 Candidates.
The final score will be the sum of a player's highest event scores, but not more than seven event scores. For reference, the score calculation for Circuit 2024 was based on five event scores.
Other main changes in FIDE Circuit rules:
1) for round-robin tournaments points are given to the top three places only,
2) a new bonus for sole 1st place without any tie-break criteria is added,
3) an unlimited number of tournaments in one country is allowed, in case the average rating of top eight players of each event is 2650 or higher.
Organizers of events taking place after July 1st, 2024, must notify FIDE GSC at least three months in advance.FIDE World Cup - 3 spots
The FIDE World Cup 2025 will provide three qualifying spots for players who finish 1st, 2nd and 3rd.
FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament - 2 spots
The FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament will offer two qualifying spots for the Candidates Tournament, for the players who finish 1st and 2nd.
This table highlights the difference between the existing and new qualification system fortheCandidates:
FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026 will witness eight players qualifying through distinct paths, emphasizing diversity and fairness, ensuring a competitive and merit-based selection process.
These changes have been carefully thought through, considering all important factors, with the aim of making the qualification process more engaging and fairer. This reflects FIDE's commitment to evolving and refining the qualification process, promoting a dynamic and competitive chess environment, FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich said.
As the chess community eagerly awaits the Candidates Tournament in Toronto, these alterations for the 2026 event are poised to shape a new era in the journey towards determining the World Chess Champion.
Related documents:
Regulations for FIDE Circuits 2024
Regulations for FIDE Circuits 2025
FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026: Qualification paths
More:
Changes to qualification paths for the Candidates Tournament - FIDE
"Not the way to speak if you are cultured" – Vladimir Kramnik goes off at Chess.com’s President after latter called him … – Sportskeeda
Grandmaster and former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik has returned to streaming with fervor, expressing strong criticism toward IM Danny Rensch, the current Chess.com President and COO. For context, over the past three months, Kramnik has been on a verbal rampage against the chess website, accusing it of insufficient efforts in combating cheaters.
In a recently uploaded video by Chess.com, Rensch addressed the ongoing controversy, suggesting that Kramnik's concerns are exaggerated, characterizing him as "frustrated and paranoid" regarding the issue. Kramnik wasn't particularly happy with the way he was addressed, remarking:
(Timestamp: 12:42)
The ongoing saga between Chess.com and Vladimir Kramnik seems to be receiving frequent updates, with developments surfacing almost daily. Yesterday (January 29, 2024), Kramnik responded to a video uploaded in October 2023, in which the Chess.com president said:
Vladimir Kramnik then highlighted the fact that it was nearly February 2024 and emphasized that Chess.com had made no apparent progress in demonstrating its commitment to removing cheaters from the platform. He said:
Kramnik had previously spoken about statistics regarding certain players he found suspicious. In response, Danny stated in his video that Kramnik's interpretation of these statistics is incorrect, according to some independent statisticians. Kramnik responded:
In another section, Danny expressed his belief that no more than 5% of players on the website cheat. In response, Kramnik promptly cited a 2018 article from Forbes, which reported on a study of nearly 10,000 online players, revealing that 37% of them admitted to cheating (25:33).
Vladimir Kramnik has also faced sanctions from Chess.com. In December 2023, his blog on the website was "muted" due to accusatory remarks he made against Twitch streamer and Grandmaster Hikaru "GMHikaru" and other young players.
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"Not the way to speak if you are cultured" - Vladimir Kramnik goes off at Chess.com's President after latter called him ... - Sportskeeda
Chess legend Viswanathan Anand steals the spotlight as he sings Roxxane in the crowd at Lollapalooza 2024 … – PINKVILLA
Chess legend, Viswanathan Anand, stole the show at Lollapalooza 2024 when he excitedly joined in with the crowd's singing during the legendary musician Sting's performance. Mr. Anand sang famous lyrics from The Police's smash song Roxanne, and a video of his happy moment went viral, receiving a lot of praise online.
Anand posted his video on Twitter and wrote, "When I was very young, songs like Every Breath You Take and Roxanne by The Police made a huge impression on me. Fast forward to now, and I can say I know most of their songs and Sting's solo albums as well. They've been a constant on my playlist over the years.
In the video, Anand can be seen singing and dancing to the song Roxanne while standing between the crowd. Anad's post has received massive views along with people flooding his comments section. Many people complimented on how cool Anand looked in the comments section.
The famous Sting, who is 72 years old, closed the second edition of Lollapalooza India with a performance that was electrifying and demonstrated that age is no limit to talent. The crowd went wild for an encore, yelling, "Once more! Once more!" when the former leader of The Police, known for singles including Desert Rose, Fields of Gold,and Every Breath You Take,performed.
Fans of all ages grooved to the sounds of a guy whose career has stretched over four decades at the event, which was staged in the wide expanse of Mumbai's bustling terrain.In addition, Nick Jonas performed alongside the Jonas Brothers during Lollapalooza.
Sting is a British singer-songwriter best known for his successful solo career and for being the frontman of the band The Police. He was born in Wallsend, Northumberland, England, on October 2, 1951. His unique blend of world music, pop, jazz, and other genres has been evident in his style of music.
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Chess legend Viswanathan Anand steals the spotlight as he sings Roxxane in the crowd at Lollapalooza 2024 ... - PINKVILLA
Unseen side of Viswanathan Anand: Watch Chess maestro sing Roxanne’s ‘You Don’t Have To’ in concert crowd – The Economic Times
Indian Chess maestro Viswanathan Anand surprised the online community when he shared a video of himself belting out the classic hit 'Roxanne' by Sting during Lollapalooza 2024. The video quickly went viral, showcasing a different facet of Anand that many hadn't witnessed before.In the X post caption, Anand shared the backstory, expressing his early admiration for songs like 'Every Breath You Take' and 'Roxanne' by The Police, which left a lasting impact on him. Over the years, these songs and Sting's solo albums have become a constant presence on his playlist. The video captures Anand's unfiltered enjoyment as he stands amidst a lively crowd, singing along to the iconic tune 'Roxanne.'On January 29, Anand also tweeted another video, this time featuring the band Sting, perhaps emphasizing his deep appreciation for the music that has influenced him.He also posted a photo with his son from the concert.Since the post was shared, it has garnered three lakh views, along with over 5,000 likes and numerous comments. The online community expressed their surprise and delight at seeing this side of Viswanathan Anand.Reactions poured in on the comment section of the post:
One individual exclaimed, "This is so cool."
A third person added, "Wow. This is a side of Vishy that was unseen."
A fifth humorously questioned, What parallel universe is this!?
Viswanathan Anand's unexpected musical performance at Lollapalooza 2024 has undoubtedly left an indelible mark on his fans, revealing a side of the chess legend that goes beyond the board.
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Unseen side of Viswanathan Anand: Watch Chess maestro sing Roxanne's 'You Don't Have To' in concert crowd - The Economic Times
University of Missouri triumphs at Pan-American Intercollegiate Team Championship 2024 – ChessBase India
Last year in December, GM Harshit Raja won Winter Chess Classic 2023 for Team A.A little over a fortnight later, Harshit once againwon another team event. This time for his school - University of Missouri Team A. It was also the first time in the school's history that the teambecame Pan-American Intercollegiate Team Championship. They along with the next three teams have secured a place in the President's Cup.
Champion - University of Missouri - Team A 5.5/6 | Photo: Saint Louis Chess Club
Runner-up - University of Texas at Dallas Team A 5/6 | Photo: University of Texas at Dallas
Second Runner-up - Webster University Team 4.5/6 | Photo: Webster University
Atotal of 173 players including 27 GMs, 22 IMs, 4 WGMs and 4 WIMs represented 40 teams all across the USA and Canada. The four-day six round Swiss League team tournament was held at McAllen Convention Center in McAllen, Texas, USA from 4th to 7th January 2024. The time control of the event was 90 minutes + 30 seconds increment per move.
Details
Official site
Tournament Regulations
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University of Missouri triumphs at Pan-American Intercollegiate Team Championship 2024 - ChessBase India
Meet the Indian-origin chess prodigies taking Britain by storm – The Indian Express
In August last year, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, on the verge of announcing a mega financial package for chess in the UK, invited two young chess prodigies to 10 Downing Street. They were eight-year-old Bodhana Sivanandan and 14-year-old Shreyas Royal both British citizens of Indian origin, just like Sunak himself.
Since the pandemic, India has gained a reputation as a land of young chess stars, but these two Indian-origin prodigies have made a reputation for themselves in England. Last year, Bodhana won the under-8 title at the World Cadet Championship. She is also the World Youth Champion and is presently ranked 30th in England in the womens category. Shreyas is currently ranked 19th in England among active players.
Over the course of two months, Bodhana has defeated three International Masters Lorin DCosta at the European Blitz Championship in Zagreb last month, and Lela Javakhishvili and Nurgyul Salimova at the European Womens Blitz Championship in Monaco last week besides holding multiple others like Grandmaster Elisabeth Paehtz to draws.
Shreyas, too, has made waves recently. At the London Chess tournament in December 2023, he managed to defeat GM Jules Moussard and drew with players like Indias Gukesh, a considerable achievement since Shreyas rating was at least 200 points lower than everyone else in the tournament. The performance at the London event also helped Shreyas earn his second Grandmaster norm, which puts him on course to become the youngest GM to represent England.
While Bodhana and Shreyas are British citizens, their families are first-generation migrants. Bodhanas parents lived in Tamil Nadus Trichy while Shreyas was born in Bengaluru.
Im an economic migrant to the UK, having moved in 2007. I work in the IT sector. Bodhana was born and brought up in London. She started playing chess when she was just five years old. We had no plans to make her play chess. She just stumbled across a chess board at home, and started to play, Bodhanas father Sivanandan Velayutham tells The Indian Express.
I knew just basic chess, so I downloaded Chess.com to help her learn by watching the videos there. Back then, I just got her a free version, thinking she might not continue the sport, he said.
Not only did Bodhana continue playing the sport, soon medals and trophies spoils of winning online tournaments started arriving at their home. Her talent also saw her become an ambassador for Chess.coms app for kids, ChessKid (the app also supports Shreyas).
While adulation for the young star has been unrestrained in the chess community, her parents are wary of letting it get to her head. Her rating is 1856. You need to be 2500 to become a GM. Its not easy its miles away. Shes getting a lot of appreciation because of her age and how shes winning. But we just make sure that shes grounded and doesnt start thinking shes a legend or something. Things can go wrong if not taken with the right attitude, Velayutham says.
As a school kid growing up in Londons Harrow, Bodhana does not have the same luxury of getting completely immersed in the sport the way Indian GMs like Gukesh did early on in their career.
On weekdays, she spends most of her time in school. Its not like the India model where you can skip school as an athlete. So she leaves at 8 am for school and then returns at 4 pm. She plays chess for about an hour a day. There are days when we go for chess tournaments in the evenings. But only on weekends does she spend two or three hours practising, he says.
Chess to the rescue
Shreyas was also around Bodhanas age when his chess talent made headlines in England. The tale goes that his father Jitendras work visa to the UK was expiring and was just days away from moving the family to Norway, when the chess fraternity in the country reached out to British MPs to lobby for Shreyas to stay because of his exceptional chess talent. UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid eventually agreed to tweak visa norms and England got itself a prodigy.
I had initially come to the UK for one year, then got an extension on my visa for another five years. But there was a cooling off period, so we were told we would have to leave. We were packing our things, when we got a call from the Home Office that we could stay on because of Shreyas exceptional talent, Jitendra tells The Indian Express.
Our local MP Matthew Pennycook and Leeds MP Rachel Reeves, besides the English Chess Federation, really fought for us to stay. Now were British citizens, he adds.
There is a fascinating story behind his name too when an astrologer suggested the initials of SR, his mother chose Shreyas (meaning superior) and plucked Royal out of thin air, anglicising his name much before he had even been to the UK.
Shreyas, who spends five to six hours on chess daily, has come within touching distance of becoming chess royalty the GM title. Hes missed the third and final norm by a whisker a couple of times, including at the FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament. But hes hopeful that hell cross the hurdle soon enough. Maybe me playing for England is a slight loss for India. But I feel India already has enough chess prodigies. I dont think I am such a huge loss (for a country like India), Shreyas says.
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Meet the Indian-origin chess prodigies taking Britain by storm - The Indian Express
Exclusive interview on KCF Academy – ChessBase
Don't miss this incredible opportunity to gain valuable perspectives from one of the world's top chess players. The interview will be a bonus feature, enriching your learning experience with unique insights into the mind of a chess grandmaster.
Great news for chess our chess friends! The doors to the Kasparov Chess Foundation Academy remain wide open for subscribers, even after the program has kicked off. The unique flexibility of our academy allows participants to join at any time and catch up on missed sessions.
Kasparov Chess Foundation Academy welcomes you to join at your own pace. Explore the recorded gems of wisdom, engage in live discussions, and become part of a vibrant chess community.
Join us on January 28, 2024 for a chat with Fabiano Caruana
Navigating the Ruy Lopez Vol.1-3
The Ruy Lopez is one of the oldest openings which continues to enjoy high popularity from club level to the absolute world top. In this video series, American super GM Fabiano Caruana, talking to IM Oliver Reeh, presents a complete repertoire for White.
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Exclusive interview on KCF Academy - ChessBase
The Tricky Work of Catching Chess Cheaters – The New York Times
The mechanics of how chess players might cheat increasingly occupies the minds of professional chess players, academics who build models to catch cheating and top chess platforms.
Professional cyclists have doped their blood. A baseball team used hidden cameras to steal signs. Chess players have used software to help them choose their next move.
As online chess has taken off, more young players are growing their skills on the internet rather than in official tournaments. This means their official chess ratings might not reflect their true strength as players. A strong amateur player who beats a titled player might arouse cheating suspicion, and its very difficult to prove whether or not someone has played fairly.
Cheating in online chess is relatively straightforward: players rely on the help of chess engines, which are freely accessible computer programs that can look at millions of possible moves and find the best one in any position. The engines perform better than even the strongest players, going back to IBMs Deep Blue defeating chess champion Garry Kasparov in 1997.
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The Tricky Work of Catching Chess Cheaters - The New York Times
Everyone knows the name of these chess piecesbut you need a high IQ to find the odd one out in the b… – The US Sun
YOU might just have a high IQ if you can find the odd chess piece in five seconds in this latest brainteaser.
Everyone knows the name of the chess pieces but you'll need more than knowledge to pass this test.
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You'll need perfect eyesight and good perseverance if you're to stand any chance of succeeding.
Furthermore, you'll also have to use all your cognitive senses to ensure you don't fall at the first hurdle.
And if you manage to come out the other side with the correct answer, then you must have a high IQ.
In the image provided by Jagran Josh, we can see 70 white knight chess pieces on a blue background.
Separated into five rows of 14 pieces, each knight - made up of a horses head and neck - is also facing the same way.
Already, you're up against the challenge.
But the odd one out is hidden within - you've just got to find it.
While you're limited for time, you still need to make sure you look at every part of the photo.
It's the only way you're going to succeed and avoid the risk of missing something crucial.
If you spot the odd chess piece, then congratulations.
But if you did so in five seconds or less, then you must have a high IQ.
If you're still struggling, however, then here's a clue for you.
Each of the horses heads on the knight chess pieces have eyes and a nose.
The odd chess piece out is missing one of those things.
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If that brainteaser wasn't challenging enough for you, however, then why not have a go at one of our many other optical illusions.
That includes finding the hidden doughnut in the image above.
Everyone can see the cat but you must have a high IQ and 20/20 vision if you find the sugary treat in nine seconds.
Alternatively, you may want to have a go at spotting the toy poodle hidden in this real-life optical illusion in under five seconds.
While this may look like a normal selfie, a toy poodle named Bell hides in plain sight.
If you're still not satisfied, then you must try the mind-boggling brainteaser which has become the latest viral challenge sweeping social media.
Hidden inside the desert-themed image is a sneaky cat - but only a true animal lover can spot it in under 15 seconds.
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