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Former world champion Viswanathan Anand and five other leading Indian players will compete in an online chess exhibition on 11 April to raise funds for country’s fight against COVID-19.

The Indians will take on players from across the world on the portal chess.com. Apart from Anand, India No 2 Vidit S Gujrathi, P Harikrishna, Baskaran Adhiban (all Grandmasters) and the country’s top two women players-Koneru Humpy and Dronavalli Harika will compete on 20-board event.

The event will be streamed live on chess.com/tv, where all donations made will be sent to the PM-CARES Fund.

Anand, who is stuck in Germany owing to the travel restrictions due to the coronavirus pandemic, tweeted: “Please support the Indian Chess Community’s support towards Covid 19 relief.”

To participate in the event, players must have a Chess.com blitz or FIDE standard rating of under 2000 and will be required to make a donation during the registration process.

A guaranteed game against Anand requires a minimum donation of $150. However, a $25 registration fetches the chance to play any two of the six Indian stars (one of whom may be Anand).

Just five spots are left to play against Anand.

Besides, the three biggest donors will get to play against Anand on additional boards during the live stream on chess.com/tv.

“It is a privilege that we can play our sport from home and collect funds for a good cause,” Harika told PTI.

On his part, the Chennai-based Adhiban said, “I am excited about the event. I am happy to support a good cause.

The first Kazakhstan national online blitz tournament Uide Bol (translated as Stay Home) Cup 2020 organized by Kazakhstan Chess Federation (KCF) in partnership with Kcell mobile telecom will start on April 11, 2020, on chess.com website. The registration started yesterday on the official website and will be open until April 10, 2020. Only citizens and residents of Kazakhstan are eligible to take part in the event. The participants shall not exceed a thousand people, will have a chance to play over virtual boards for the total prize fund of 2 million KZT (about USD 4,500). There will be separate prizes for women, seniors, juniors and children.

“The overwhelming majority of the population of Kazakhstan is now under quarantine conditions caused by the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. This tournament provides an excellent opportunity for its participants to have fun and even earn money with their chess skills. We hope that the KCF initiative supported by the Ministry of Culture and Sport of Kazakhstan, Qazaq Cybersport Federation, and Kcell JSC will bring together a record number of participants. I wish them good luck and success,” – Mr. Zhandos Abishev, Executive director of Kazakhstan Chess Federation, said.

The Asian Chess Federation recently hosted the 90th FIDE Congress and Extraordinary General Assembly in Abu-Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

The congress and extraordinary general assembly took place between February 26 – 29 at Dusit Thani Abu Dhabi 5*Hotel.

On February 27, witnessed FIDE Commission meetings (Constitutional, Ethics, Planning and Development and Verification); and Seminar on Chess Federation Management for Development Levels 3-5, facilitated by FIDE Planning and Development Commission.

February 28, the FIDE Extraordinary General Assembly as well as Zonal and/or Continental Meetings. On February 29, the FIDE Executive Board.

The congress and extraordinary general assembly was attended by 250 guests from over 150 nations including all national chess federation presidents, IOC officials and key stakeholders within the global sports business fraternity.

Below is a list of key Executive Board Decisions approved at the congress

– Financial matters

EB/01 The Treasurer’s report for 2018 was unanimously approved.

EB/02 The Verification Commission report was unanimously approved.

EB/03 The Treasurer was discharged from her responsibilities for the financial year 2018.

EB/04 The Budget for the financial year 2020 was unanimously approved.

– Reports of the Continental Associations

EB/05 The Reports of the Continental Associations were approved.

– Assessment of Сommissions’ achievements for 2019

EB/06 The Arbiters’ Commission report was approved.

EB/07 The title application recommendations presented in the Arbiters’ Commission report were approved with three (3) corrections given by the Chairman in his speech on the floor.

EB/08 The Chess in Education Commission report was approved.

EB/09 The Commission for the Disabled report was approved.

EB/10 The Commission for the Women’s Chess report was approved.

EB/11 The Constitutional Commission report was approved.

EB/12 The Ethics Commission report was approved.

EB/13 The Events Commission report was approved.

EB/14 The title application recommendations presented in the Events Commission report were approved.

EB/15 It is decided that the bids for the year 2022 will be opened in March.

EB/16 The bid from Russia for the World Senior Championships 2021 was approved.

EB/17 The bid from Malta for the World Amateur 2021 was approved.

EB/18 The bid from Italy for the World Senior Team Championship 50+ and 65+ 2021 was approved.

EB/19 The bid from Italy for the World Junior and Girls U-20 Championship 2021 was approved.

EB/20 The bid from Egypt for the World Cadet Championship U-8, U-10, U-12 2021 was approved.

EB/21 Two bids were received for the World Youth Championships U-14, U-16, U-18 2021, respectively from Italy and Russia. The EB was called to vote and the results of the voting were the following: 2 votes for Italy and 30 for Russia, 7 abstentions. Therefore, these Championships were awarded to Russia.

EB/22 Two bids were received for the World Cadet & Youth Rapid and Blitz Championships U-8, U-10, U-12 2021, respectively from Georgia and Croatia. The EB was called to vote and the results of the voting were the following: for 15 Croatia and 24 for Georgia. Therefore, these Championships were awarded to Georgia.

EB/23 A bid from Mexico for the World Youth U-16 Chess Olympiad 2021 was received when the prescribed bidding period was already over. It was approved to extend the bidding period for two weeks so that the Mexican Chess Federation could properly submit its bid.

EB/24 The Fair Play Commission report was approved.

EB/25 The following fair play procedures were approved: anti-cheating measures were proposed by the Fair Play Commission and FIDE is ready to support (by providing equipment and a commission of experts) the federations which intend to introduce such measures during the next most important tournaments.

EB/26 The Global Strategy Commission report was approved.

EB/27 The Medical Commission report was approved.

EB/28 The Online Commission report was approved.

EB/29 The Planning and Development Commission report was approved.

EB/30 The Qualification Commission report was approved.

EB/31 The title application recommendations presented by the Qualification Commission were approved.

EB/32 The proposal of taking note of the Rules Commission report and the request to the Commission to improve the recommendations was approved.

EB/33 It was acknowledged that the Social Commission report was not submitted and requested to the Commission to submit it soon.

EB/34 The Systems of Pairings and Programs report was approved.

EB/35 The Technical Commission report was approved.

EB/36 The Trainers’ Commission report was approved.

EB/37 The Trainers’ Commission’s recommendations on title applications and new FIDE academies were approved.

EB/38 The Data Protection Commission report was approved.

– FIDE Awards

EB/39 The EB approved the recommendations of three new FIDE Honorary Members: Yuri Averbakh (Russia), Khalifa Mohammed Al-Hitmi (Qatar) and Maia Chiburdanidze (Georgia).

– Miscellaneous

EB/40 The EB members are requested to send their comments about the creation of the Athletes Commission in the following days.

EB/41 FIDE activities regarding the organization of Fischer Random Chess Tournaments were approved.

List of Key Decisions of 90th Extraordinary General Assembly

– FIDE President’s report

EGA/01 The President’s report was approved.

– Admission of new Federations

EGA/02 The admission of the following new Federations as FIDE full members was unanimously approved: St. Lucia Chess Federation, Guinea Equatorial Chess Federation, Cayman Islands Chess Federation, St Kitts and Nevis Chess Federation, Grenada Chess Federation, Chad Chess Federation and Bulgaria Chess Federation*.

– Admission of new affiliated members

EGA/03 The admission of the following associations as new affiliated members was unanimously approved: Portuguese-speaking Federations Association and South Asian Chess Council (SACC).

– New FIDE Charter

EGA/04 The new Charter was approved and comes into force on March 01, 2020. The vote results were: 112 votes in favour, 1 abstention and 1 voted against.

– Financial matters

EGA/05 The amendments to the Financial Regulations (abolition of fees for participation in seniors’ events and those for Level 5 development countries, excluding membership fees) were unanimously approved and will be effective already for the second half of 2019.

EGA/06 It was decided that the Council will prepare a final version of the Financial Regulations by the next General Assembly to be held in Khanty-Mansiysk (Russia) and start working on a new version of the FIDE Handbook.

EGA/07 The appointment of E&Y as the External Auditor for the annual audit of the FIDE accounts for 2019 was unanimously approved.

– Elections for the vacant positions of the Ethics and Disciplinary Commission

EGA/08 The following appointees for the Ethics and Disciplinary Commission were elected: Khaled Arfa (Tunisia), David Hater (USA) and Johan Sigeman (Sweden).

*Please find the correct name of the Bulgarian Federation on the following link: https://fide.com/directory/member-federations

List of Key Decisions of Q1 2020 Presidential Board

– Financial matters

Q1PB-2020/01 The Treasurer’s report for the year 2018 and the budget proposal for the year 2020 were approved.

Amendments to the Financial Regulations

Q1PB-2020/02 The draft amendments to the financial Regulations were recommended to the EGA for final approval.

– Report from the Task Force appointed to review the current FIDE Statute

Q1PB-2020/03 The proposed new Charter which will replace the current FIDE Statute was unanimously recommended to the EGA for final approval.

– Extraordinary General Assembly and Executive Board

Q1PB-2020/04 It was decided to recommend to the EGA to vote for the vacant positions of the Ethics and Disciplinary Commission, by secret ballots, through relative majority.

– Other matters

Q1PB-2020/05 A decision was taken about the participation of Ding Liren at the Candidates Tournament in order to deal with the corona virus issue: if he arrives in Russia by the 2nd March, he will play as the other players, otherwise, the Council will discuss to let him play through video conference.

Asian Chess Federation is monitoring carefully the situation of the COVID-19 epidemic and consulting relevant agencies and national chess federations concerned. The novel coronavirus has infected over 116,000 cases worldwide with 4,088 deaths to this day.

Our priority is the safety of players and stakeholders.

Therefore, Asian Chess Federation has decided as a precautionary measure to postpone all events until the end of June.

In line with this decision, the Asian Amateur Chess Championship originally scheduled this April in Muscat, Oman is postponed by force majeure until further notice after the end of June.

The Asian Chess Federation further announced that all its Arbiters and Trainers Seminars will be conducted online where possible in order to avoid public gatherings and contain the spread of the corona virus.

The Asian Chess Federation expresses its solidarity with those countries affected by the coronavirus outbreak and shall endeavour to help all federations.

Emirates Steel, the only integrated steel plant in the UAE and a subsidiary of the General Holding Corporation (SENAAT), has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Abu Dhabi Chess and Culture Club. The MoU seeks to develop chess playing abilities amongst employees at Emirates Steel, alongside supporting the growth of community activities in the heart of Abu Dhabi.

The MoU was signed between Hussain Abdullah Khouri, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Chess and Culture Club, and Eng. Saeed Ghumran Al Remeithi, the CEO of Emirates Steel, at Emirates Steel’s headquarters in Abu Dhabi.

Employees of Emirates Steel based at the company’s headquarters in Abu Dhabi, will be able to benefit from free chess courses and equipment under the terms of the MoU. The training and chess sets will be provided by the Abu Dhabi Chess and Culture Club. The club will also provide manuals and guides on the tactics used to play the complex game, enabling Emirates Steel employees to improve their chess skills as well as their capability to think strategically and solve problems.

Speaking after the signing of the MoU, Eng. Saeed Ghumran Al Remeithi, CEO of Emirates Steel, commented: “Chess is a game that tests mental agility and perception, and the history of the pastime has long been associated with the Muslim world. At Emirates Steel, we are proud to have signed this MoU with the Abu Dhabi Chess and Culture Club to promote chess amongst our employees, and I hope that they quickly warm to this intriguing and complex pursuit.

“As an Abu Dhabi based company, we are proud to foster relationships with cultural institutions that can be found across the capital city of the UAE, including the Abu Dhabi Chess and Culture Club. Through working with such entities, we hope to promote their wider vision for the development of art and culture in the UAE,” Eng. Remeithi concluded.

Mr. Hussain Abdullah Khouri, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Chess and Culture Club, commented: “We are delighted to sign this memorandum with Emirates Steel. Chess is a cultured pastime that brings many cognitive benefits to its players, from strategic thinking to logical accuracy, and we feel it is useful for workers across numerous sectors in the UAE.”

“At the Abu Dhabi Chess and Culture Club, we are proud to partner with a company such as Emirates Steel and share with its employees the enjoyment and benefits associated with this game. I look forward to meeting its staff, and working with them to improve their game over the coming months,” Khouri concluded.

Police, comprising Grandmaster Niaz Murshed, Georgian GMs Jobava Baadu and Mikheil Mehedlishvili, International Master Mohammad Fahad Rahman, Fide Master Mohammed Abdul Malek and Women’s IM Rani Hamid, earned maximum 22 points out of 11 matches to clinch the title

Bangladesh Police emerged as the unbeaten champion in the Walton Refrigerator Premier Division Chess League after beating Janata Bank Officer Welfare Society comfortably by 3.5-0.5 game points in the final round at the National Sports Council auditorium lounge last Tuesday.

Police, comprising Grandmaster Niaz Murshed, Georgian GMs Jobava Baadu and Mikheil Mehedlishvili, International Master Mohammad Fahad Rahman, Fide Master Mohammed Abdul Malek and Women’s IM Rani Hamid, earned maximum 22 points out of 11 matches to clinch the title.

Last year’s champion Saif Sporting Club became runners-up with 20 points after beating Sonargaon Chess Club by 4-0 game points.

GM Reefat bin Sattar, GM Kovalev Vladislav of Belarus, GM Eltaj Safarli of Azerbaijan, GM Mollah Abdullah al Rakib, GM Ziaur Rahman and GM Enamul Hossain Razib played for Saif.

Niaz, who clinched the National Chess title last month, believes it was more difficult playing with a under-strength reserve team against the holder, who have six GMs.

Niaz too also played with asthma from the first day.“It feels good. I’m spending some good time but it was difficult. There were not enough reserve players so Fahad and I had to play continuously without rest. There was more pressure,” said Niaz yesterday.

South Asia’s first GM continued, “I was confident. The strategy I took also helped us. The plan was that I would face the (top-ranked) foreign GM in the second board and let others play others. It worked three times.”

Meanwhile, Uttara Central Chess Club placed third with 17 points while Titas Club and Bangladesh Navy jointly finished in the 4th-5th positions with 15 points each.

Untitled Michael Concio Jr. of the Philippines and WFM Ummi Fisabilillah of Indonesia won the Eastern Asia Juniors and Girls Championships, respectively, held 9-16 December 2019 in Tanauan, Batangas. The tournament was organized by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines under the auspices of the Asian Chess Federation and FIDE in cooperation with the Philippine Sports Commission and PAGCOR. Venue was at the First Asia Institute of Technology and Humanities and hosted by Lima Park Hotel in Batangas, Philippines.

Concio, 6^th seed at 2194, was undefeated with five wins in the first half of the tournament and four draws in the homestretch to total 7 points out of 9 rounds.  Fisabilillah bounced back after a shocking loss in the first round to finish alone with 7.5 points.

Concio and Fisabililla earn IM and WIM titles, respectively, and GM and WGM norms. Five countries participated in each tournament with 24 players in the boys division and 20 players in the girls division.

IM John Marvin Miciano and Jeth Romy Morado, both of the Philippines, finished second and third in the boys division. WFM Allaney Jia Doroy and defending champion WIM Kylen Joy Mordido won silver and bronze in the girls division.

All games were broadcast live. Visit asianchess.com for coverage and chess-results.com for round by round results and to download games. Read posts on facebook.