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The players and officials from seven (7) of the ten ASEAN countries – Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and hosts Philippines – have been travelling the last two days to participate in the 30th SEA Games Chess Sports competitions.

Photos: L & R: The chess competition venue at Subic Bay Travelers Hotel & Event Centre.

Medals are at stake, five gold, five silver and five bronze, in traditional ASEAN Chess, and in Rapid Chess and Blitz Chess for men and women.

Photos: L: National Technical Officials, and R: Chief Arbiter(s), Technical Delegate, Competitions Manager.

The very best each country has to offer is present and today and the following seven days will see intense battles, not only in the medal sports but the various exhibition events which are Fischer Random Chess 960, Online Chess, and Team Problem Solving.

We will provide comprehensive official coverage of the 30th SEA Games Chess Sports competitions here at: http://asianchess.com/media/news/

A total of 87 players, including two grandmasters, six International Masters from Afghanistan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and hosts Bangladesh, are participating in open section

Bangladesh Grandmasters Ziaur Rahman and Enamul Hossain Razib were off to a winning start, as the inaugural edition of the SAARC Chess Championships 2019 got underway at the Fars Hotel & Resorts in Dhaka Monday. The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is a union of states that includes Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

A total of 87 players, including two grandmasters, six International Masters from Afghanistan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and hosts Bangladesh, are participating in open section, while 22 players including two women’s International Masters are participating in women’s section.

Zia beat FIDE Master Saif Uddin Lavlu while Razib defeated Krishna Thapa of Nepal. Bangladesh IM Mohammad Fahad Rahman beat Mukitul Islam Ripon, FM Mohammed Abdul Malek beat Khandokar Nazre Mowla, and FM Syed Mahfuzur Rahman beat Mezanur Rahman in the other opening round matches.

Benzair Ahmed, president of Bangladesh Chess Federation and Director General of RAB, inaugurated the event as chief guest while Berik Balgabaev, adviser of FIDE (World Chess Federation) president was present as special guest.

The tournament is sponsored by Russian state corporation Rosatom and co-sponsored by Saif Powertec Limited, Rupayan Group and Al-Arafah Islami Bank Limited.

TO: All Fide Affiliated Chess Federation in Asia

Zone 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6 And 3.7

1. INVITATION / DATES

The Chinese Chess Association, on behalf of the Asian Chess Federation and FIDE, invites all Asian Federations to participate in the in the 2^nd Asian Nations Cup Under 14 Chess Team Championships, which will be held in Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province, China from 18-27 December 2019.

2. PARTICIPATION

2.1 Chinese Chess Association (CCA) has the pleasure of inviting your Chess Federation to participate in the 2^nd Asian Nations Cup Under 14 Chess Team Championships

2.2 All chess federations in Zones 3.1 to 3.7 shall have the right to participate in the Asian Nations Cup Under-14 Team Championship.

2.3 All the players who shall not have reached the age of 14 by January 1st 2019 (born 2005 or later) are entitled to participate.

2.4 Each eligible federation has the right to send one team having free board and lodging from December 18^th to December 27^th. Each team shall comprise 4 players and 1 reserve and 1 captain (as manager, trainer, Head of Delegation).

2.5 The Head of Delegation represents the federation and takes full responsibility for the conduct of members of its delegation.

2.6 Each eligible federation has the right to send additional teams by paying their costs, but can win only one trophy.

2.7 The host country may have a third team and shall hold a fourth team in reserve but can win only one trophy per category.

3. REGISTRATION & ENTRY FEE

 3.1 Each eligible federation has the right to send additional teams fully at their own costs.

3.2 Each player, official and accompanying person shall pay US$100 registration fee for the event to the bank account listed below in 11.3. This includes also free transportation from and to Shenzhen airport.

3.3 The Entry fee of US$150.00 per team as stipulated in the Asian Chess Federation

Financial Regulations shall be paid to Asian Chess Federation directly, to account:

Account Name: Asian Chess Federation

Account Number: 11381190

Bank: Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank

Address: Al Murabba Branch, Al-Ain, United Arab Emirates

SWIFT Code: abdiaead

IBAN: AE640500000000011381190

4. RULES AND REGULATIONS

 4.1 The Asian Chess Federation President represents the interests of the Continent and is empowered to take the final decision on all questions relating to the Championship as a whole. A Technical Delegate shall be appointed by the Asian Chess Federation President.

 4.2 The tournament shall be run on a 9 round Swiss system. or Round Robin with eight or fewer teams. Teams from the same country with more than 50% score shall not play each other in the last round.

 4.3 Each match between teams will be conducted over 4 boards.

 4.4 The team captain must present the final list of 4 players, in board order, to the Chief Arbiter at least one hour before the start of a round.

 4.5 If any specific team list is not presented on time, the team in question must play the round using the top four players.

 4.6 The order of the players, as indicated by the overall team list, cannot be altered, hence reserves may play on the bottom boards only.

 4.7 If the board order in which a team plays differs from the board order of its overall list, the team’s score for the round shall be reduced by one game point for every deviation from the correct sequence. (Example: for playing 1-2-4-3, two points are forfeited; the score shall not, however, be reduced below zero). The use of any player who does not figure in the overall list will cause the round to be forfeited 4-0.

 4.8 The time control: 90 min. for the whole game with 30 sec. increment from the first move. The games shall be played on digital clocks. 

5. CHIEF ARBITER

 5.1 The Asian Chess Federation President, after consultation with the CCA, shall nominate the Chief Arbiter and other Arbiters.

 5.2 The Chief Arbiter may, in consultation with the ACF, issue additional written regulations to inform the exact playing hours and take care of other details not covered by these regulations. 

6. APPEALS COMMITTEE

 6.1 The Appeals Committee shall be selected before the beginning of the tournament

6.2 The ACF President, after consultation with CCA shall nominate the Chairman. The Committee shall be composed of five members and two reserves from seven different federations.

6.3 No member of the committee shall have the right to vote on questions concerning his own federation. However, every member is entitled to participate in the discussions.

6.4 Protests, including protests against decisions of the Chief Arbiter or his assistants, must be submitted in writing to the Chairman of the Appeals Committee within 15 minutes after completion of the playing session.

6.5 A protest shall be submitted with an accompanying fee of $200 or its equivalent in local currency. If the protest is upheld, the protest fee will be returned, otherwise it shall be forfeited to the organizing federation

7. SCORING

7.1 The scores determining the finishing order are calculated as follows.

7.2 Each team’s place in the order of classification will be decided by the number of match points it has scored. Winner will get 2 points, a draw will give each team 1 point, and a loss is scored as 0 points.

7.3 If any teams finish with equal match points, the tie shall be resolved as follows:

1. by game points in total.
2. if a tie again results, the scores obtained by the tying teams against each other will decide, i.e. Direct Encounter.
3. if a tie again results, then the sum of Sonnenborn-Berger points will be used, calculated as follows:

•  by the sum of the game points of all opponents defeated plus one half of the game points of all the opponents with which a tied result was achieved. If a tie still results, then
•  match points of each opponent, excluding the opponent who scored the lowest number of match points, multiplied by the number of game points achieved against this opponent;

1. if a tie again results, it shall be decided by Direct Encounter board count (Berlin System) as follows:

• win on Board 1 = 4 points
• win on Board 2 = 3 points
• win on Board 3 = 2 points
• win on Board 4 = 1 point

In case of drawn games these points are shared. If the board-count results in no victory for either side then the board points of Board 4 are canceled and so on upwards until the tie is broken.

if a tie still results between teams in contention for medals, these teams shall play one blitz match (with 3 mins + 2 sec increment) against each other. In the case of two teams, colors on top board will be reversed from previous encounter; in case of tie apply (d) above. In case of tie, one player from each team shall play a sudden death match.

8. PLAYING SCHEDULE

Date	Activity	Time
Dec, 18	Arrival
	technical meeting	20:00
Dec, 19	Opening ceremony	14:00
	Round 1	15:00
Dec, 20	Round 2	15:00
Dec, 21	Round 3	09:00
	Round 4	15:00
Dec, 22	Rest Day
Dec, 23	Round 5	09:00
	Round 6	15:00
Dec, 24	Round 7	15:00
Dec, 25	Round 8	09:00
	Round 9	15:00
Dec, 26	Blitz	09:00
	Prize giving ceremony	14:30
Dec, 27	Departure

 

9. PRIZES

9.1 The title of Asian Nations Cup Under-14 Team Champion 2019 is bestowed on the winning team. 

9.2 The best three teams shall receive a trophy, all 6 members of the three teams will also receive Gold, Silver and Bronze medals. 

9.3 Board Prizes: Players assigned to the same board number in their respective team lists shall be in competition for individual board prizes namely: Gold, Silver and Bronze medals. For the purposes of this award, the players’ performance rating shall be compared. If the performance rating is equal, the tie shall be broken in the following order: (a) the number of games; (b) Direct Encounter; (c) average rating of opponents, higher is better.(d) the greater number of wins. 

• Only players who have played a minimum of 6 games shall be eligible for board prizes
• The host team may receive only one trophy but shall be entitled to individual board medals.

10. DRESS CODE

All Players are obliged to wear uniforms that represent their national federation and/or the national flag. Shorts and slippers, sun glasses, sport caps and revealing attire are not allowed. Award winners should follow dress code at opening and prize giving ceremony.

11. HOTEL ACCOMMODATION & PAYMENT
    

11.1 Free accommodation and full board will be provided to the invited teams(6 people at maximum from each team) from the December 18^th (lunch) to December 27^th (breakfast). Invited participants will be accommodated in double rooms.

11.2 Extra person shall pay US$80 per person per day full board in double room or US$140 per person per day in single room.

11.3 Payments should be made to the following account:

SWIFT：CMBCCNBS

Beneficiary’s Bank： China Mercha nts Bank,H.O.Shenzhen China

Beneficiary’s a/c no.：6214 8378 2890 9097

 Beneficiary：Zhang Zhimei

 Address：China Merchants Bank Tower NO. 7088, Shennan Boulevard,Shenzhen China 11.4 Hotel and playing venue is shenzhen golden lily hotel. Address is Opposite to XiLi

 Lake wildlife Pake Nan Shan District. Shen Zhen.

 11.5 All participants are obliged to stay in the official hotel and book room through organizers. 

12. TRAVEL

 12.1 The traveling expenses must be paid by the participants or their National federations.

 12.2 The organizer will arrange shuttle bus from / to Shenzhen international airport to official Hotel on arrival / departure dates. 

13. CONTACT INFORMATION

 Chinese Chess Association Li Kaimin (Cindy)

 Email: <2647506476@qq.com>

 Telephone: 0086-10-87559171

 Copy to: asianchessfederation@yahoo.com

Fresh from his third-place finish in Bucharest, Viswanathan Anand will be looking for another strong showing at the Tata Steel Chess India Rapid & Blitz starting Friday. This will be the seventh leg of Grand Chess Tour. Anand currently occupies the sixth spot in the GCT (32 points) standings and a podium finish in Kolkata will guarantee him a spot in the GCT Finals, which will take place next month in London. World champion Magnus Carlsen, who has already qualified for the knockout phase, tops the table with 54.5 points.

Levon Aronian, Ding Liren and Wesley So are the other strong players in the 10-player round-robin tournament. Besides Anand, Pentala Harikrishna and Vidit Gujrathi are the other Indians in the fray.

After a below-par show in Zagreb, Croatia, Anand has had a good run on the Tour, finishing second in Paris, joint third in classical event in St Louis, and third in the recently concluded event in the Romanian capital. After winning the blitz event in Kolkata last year, Anand has pleasant memories of the city. Of course, this year’s tournament is much stronger, being part of the GCT. Going by his current results, Anand is expected to do well in Kolkata, and make the cut for London.

If Anand performs well in rapid (first part of event), the five-time world champion’s chances of finishing in the top three will improve. Another crucial factor for Anand having a successful tournament is to avoid blunders, which happens more often in faster time controls.

“For fans’ sake, I hope Anand can make it to the semifinals, though it won’t be easy,” was India GM Sundararajan Kidambi’s assessment of Anand’s chances in the tournament. Wild card entrants Harikrishna and Gujrathi can make an impact in the tournament because both are equally adept in rapid and blitz formats. Harikrishna outwitted Czech No 1 David Navara in a rapid match this year, while Gujrathi performed exceptionally well in blitz en route to winning the Biel GM Tournament in Biel, Switzerland.

“Excellent chance for Hari and Vidit to show their skills among top players. They will surely topple a few big players,” reflected Kidambi when queried about whether Harikrishna and Vidit will make a mark in the event.

Carlsen has had a great year, winning the first seven events. However, law of averages finally caught up with the Norwegian, as he failed to win his next three tournaments in St Louis rapid and blitz, Sinquefield Cup and Grand Swiss. Added to that, Carlsen suffered a humiliating defeat to Wesley So (1-5) in the finals of the inaugural Fischer Random World Chess Championship in Baerum, Norway. The World No 1 will be highly motivated to find his winning touch in Kolkata. However, it’s not going to be easy, when one considers the depth of the field. As a matter of fact, Carlsen will be crossing swords with Anand for the first time in India after his World Championship victory in Chennai (2013).

Levon Aronian, who has won two titles in GCT this season, Ding Liren and Hikaru Nakamura, are the other contenders for the title.

GCT explainer

Grand Chess Tour consists of seven tournaments. Two classical events and five rapid and blitz combined events. Kolkata will be the final leg of the Tour before the knockout phase. The top four will qualify for the GCT Finals in London, which will comprise semifinals and finals.

Filipino-American Grandmaster Wesley So on Sunday hailed Viswanathan Anand as his inspiration, saying that he had no clue how the Indian chess legend was still going strong and was among the best in the world. “He is an inspiration. I don’t think I could play at this level 20 years from now. It’s incredible what he is doing,” Wesley said on the sidelines of the Tata Steel Chess India event where the recently-crowned World Fischer Random Chess champion met budding chess players.

Wesley, one of the top players in the world, will be seen in action in the penultimate round of this year’s Grand Chess Tour (GCT) in Kolkata from November 22.

The 26-year-old was asked whether he thought former world champion Anand, who will turn 50 next month, could continue further.

“It’s very difficult. Fifty is quite pushing it, but we will see,” said Wesley, who recently crushed world champion Magnus Carlsen 2.5-13.5 in the first ever World Fischer Random Chess Championship final held at Carlsen’s home city Oslo.

“It still amazes me how he does it,” he said of Anand, who became the first Grandmaster from India in 1988.

“Chess players’ prime is mid 20s to mid or early 30s. So it’s clear that he is past his prime, but he is still one of the best players in the world and is in the top 10. I don’t know how he does it. He is fit and a hardworker. He is a big inspiration,” Wesley said.

He added that Anand was so intelligent that he could have been something great even if he did not become a chess player.

“He is a magnificent person and a gentleman. My family likes Vishy a lot. I have been competing with him regularly for the last five years. If he wasn’t a chess player, he would be great in something else.

“He is very intelligent. I can only imagine how good he was 20 years ago when they said he was the fastest player on the planet,” said Wesley, who lost to Anand in the fifth round of the Altibox Norway chess tournament earlier this year.

On his shock win over Carlsen, the former world number two said that it was unexpected.

“Winning the championship was unexpected. Magnus was there and I was seeded No. 4. It was a big success for me this year,” he said.

He also said that Carlsen would be itching to take revenge and it could very well be at the Tata Steel Chess India meet.

“He would want to beat me. He doesn’t like losing tournaments,” said a smiling Wesley.

Asked if World Fischer Random Chess, which is a new format, is the way forward, Wesley said, “I think every player who has played it, likes it. I haven’t heard much criticism so far.”

He also praised India for producing young Grandmasters of late.

“India has a lot of rising talent. I am very happy to be here. I met a lot of kids and it makes me happy,” Wesley said.

The world’s top 10 players will match wits during the rapid and blitz meet between November 22 and 26 in the penultimate leg of the GCT.

The iconic National Library will stage the mega event where Anand will be facing Norwegian Carlsen for the first time in India since his 2013 World Championship defeat in Chennai.

Anand battled to a creditable third place after an unbeaten nine-round blitz streak on the final day of the GCT Superbet rapid and blitz championship in Hungary.

Anand is now placed sixth with 32 points and his fate on whether he can make the GCT Finals, which carries a prize purse of $350,000 and will be held in London from November 30 to December 10, will be decided here. The top four will make the finals.

Sandhya Goli bagged gold at the Asian Amateur Women Chess Championship 2019 held at Kathmandu in Nepal from November 9 to 14.

The Rajamahendravaram girl represented Asia, in Under-2100, open section category, after she won the World Women Amateur Chess Championship 2019, U-2300 held in Mexico in the month of July.

Sandhya won five of the nine matches, faced a draw in two and lost the other two, as she won six points out of nine.

Her current world rating is 1908. Sandhya now became the only female to be selected for the World Amateur Chess Championships to be conducted in 2020.

While Sun Furong from China won second place, Sujana Lohani from Nepal secured the third position.

“It is a very proud moment for me. I am elated that I could bring glory to my country. I am also thankful to the Indian government as I am the only one officially selected by them to represent our country at the world-stage,” she said.

She will be on Europe tour between December, 2019 and February next year. She will represent India in Grand Master tournaments to be held in Greece, 25th Chess Festival to be held in Italy and other NORMS tournament in Europe.

FIDE on Monday, 18th September, 2019 announced the dates and venue of the King Salman World Rapid & Blitz Championships-2019.

According to the 3-year contract signed in 2017, the company Sela Sport Company Limited acting for and on behalf of the General Sports Authority of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as well as, a partner of FIDE and the owner of the rights to the World Rapid & Blitz Championships 2017-2019.

This year’s the tournament will be hosted in Moscow from 25 to 30 of December 2019.

Tournament schedule:

December 25 — Opening Ceremony

December 26-28 — Rapid competition

December 29-30 — Blitz competition

Following the joint efforts of the organizers a prize fund of 1 million US dollars has been secured for this event. The organizer will provide full board accommodation in a standard room 4-star hotel minimum, from December 25th to 31st 2019, to the players who meet the following criteria:

Open competition

Players rated at least 2750 in any of the FIDE rating lists (Standard, Rapid or Blitz) from January 1st to December 1st, 2019.

Women’s competition

Players rated at least 2500 in any of the FIDE rating lists (Standard, Rapid or Blitz) from January 1st to December 1st, 2019.

Vietnam won 14 medals, including four gold, four silver and six bronze, at the Southeast Asia Chess Championships 2019, which concluded in the northern province of Bac Giang on November 3 after nine days of competition.

The four gold medalists included Vo Thi Kim Phung, Le Tuan Minh, Hoang Thi Bao Tram, and Do Hoang Minh Tho.

The tournament was held by the Vietnam Sports Administration, the Vietnam Chess Association and the Bac Giang Provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

It attracted more than 60 players from Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Indonesia and the Philippines.

The players competed in individual events for men and women, including rapid, blitz and standard chess

At the opening ceremony of FIDE Grand Prix in Hamburg, FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich made two important announcements.

Arkady Dvorkovich, FIDE President, said: “We are officially opening the third leg of the FIDE Grand Prix Series, organized by World Chess. This time we are running a tournament in Hamburg, a city known for its chess culture. We are grateful to our Hamburg colleagues for their hospitality and help. We hope that the games will please all chess enthusiasts”.

The main events of World Chess Olympiad 2020 will be moved from Khanty-Mansiysk to Moscow. Khanty-Mansiysk will host the first-ever Chess Para-Olympics.

Two countries – UAE and Argentina – submitted the bids to host the FIDE World Chess Championship Match 2020.

The Candidates’ Tournament will determine the next challenger for current World Champion Magnus Carlsen for the world chess championship crown.

Filipino-American chess whiz Wesley So toppled on Saturday chess world champion Magnus Carlsen to snag the first World Fischer Random Chess Championship.

So, who previously played for the Philippines before moving to the US in 2014, beat Carlsen 13.5-2.5 in the final match of the three-day series.

Unlike standard chess, Fischer Random games start with the pieces jumbled, forcing players to drop strategies based on standard chess openings.

“”I’m very happy! It’s my favorite type of chess, and it hasn’t been popular until the last couple of years,” So said. “I usually win tournaments the first time and never again.”

So said Carlsen would have easily beat him in standard chess.

“I’m very happy to be the world champion but it doesn’t change much. I think he was shaken in our game 2, and wasn’t able to bounce back, but he congratulated me right after the match, he is a great sportsman,” So said.