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Xavier School San Juan Wins Jesuit Athletic Meet in the Philippines

Xavier School team, from left, bd 5 Nathan Emilio Valdez, bd 2 Jericho Winston Cu, bd 6 Kirk Xander Lim, bd 3 Ryan Gabriel Taguba, bd 4 AFM Philip Gregory Pe, bd 1 FM Ivan Travis Cu, Athletic Director Ms. Aimee Apolinario and Head Coach Rolando Yutuc

By Marlon Bernardino

Xavier School San Juan won the Jesuit Athletic Meet (JAM) Chess Team Tournament held September 24-26, 2025 at the Xavier University in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines.

FIDE Master (FM) Master Ivan Travis Cu bannered the squad that successfully defended its title in the High School Division of this prestigious tourney among Jesuit Schools in the Philippines.

Joining FM Ivan in the winning team were Jericho Winston Cu, Ryan Gabriel Taguba and Arena FIDE Master (AFM) Philip Gregory Pe.
Completing the victorious squad that is being mentored by Xavier School Athletic Director Ms. Aimee Apolinario and International Chess Federation Arbiter Rolando Yutuc are alternate players Nathan Emilio Valdez and Kirk Xander Lim.

Aside from winning the gold medal in board 1 after tallying a perfect score (4/4), FM Ivan also asserted his dominance to win the blitz category with 4.5 points, the same output of AFM Philip.
Xavier finished with 8 match points and 15.5 game points.
Ateneo de Manila University finished second with 8 match points and 15.0 game points followed by Ateneo de Zamboanga University with 7 match points and 12.5 game points.

Ateneo de Davao University HS placed fourth with 5 match points and 9 game points, Ateneo de Naga University placed fifth with 2 match points and 8 game points and sixth and last place Loyola College of Cullon with 2 game points.

Beyond the result, Xavier saw the victory as a breakthrough that validated the long hours they’ve invested in practice and preparation.

The Tournament Director was Carla Sucalit while National Arbiter Lorenzo Cuizon Jr. served as the Chief Arbiter in the chessfest -Marlon Bernardino-

2nd Kuwait International Chess Festival set 15-24 January 2026

Kuwait Chess Federation, with its prominent activities across Kuwait, is proud to announce the historical second chess Festival for various categories, featuring top players from around the world. This tournament is open to all FIDE players, of all ages and skill levels,
and offers a chance to showcase your talent, relish and compete for prizes.
By the Kuwait Chess Federation & Chess House Academy– Kuwait
1. Festival Events:
• 1.1 Open Masters: Open to all Fide rated players with standard rating of 1900 ELO and above with an exception for all Kuwait Players and GCC Players, the tournament will be (9) Rounds Swiss System with a time control of 90 minutes for the first 40 moves followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game with an addition of 30 seconds per move starting from move one.
• 1.2 Open Challengers: Open to all players with FIDE ID, The Tournament will be (9) Rounds Swiss System with Time Control of 60 Minutes plus 30 Seconds Increment from Move No.1.
• 1.3 Open Ladies: Open to all players with FIDE ID, The Tournament will be (9) Rounds Swiss System with Time Control of 60 Minutes plus 30 Seconds Increment from Move No.1.
• 1.4 Open Rapid: Open to all Player with FIDE ID, the tournament will be (9) Rounds with the Time Control of 10 Minutes plus 3 Seconds increment from Move No.1.
• 1.5 Open Blitz: Open to all Player with FIDE ID, the tournament will be (9) Rounds with the Time Control of 3 Minutes plus 2 Seconds increment from Move No. 1

Download 2nd Kuwait International Chess Festival-V3

8 Year Old Wins 21st Noypi x Robinson’s Magnolia 13-under FIDE-Rated Rapid Tournament

Champion 8 year old Marius Constante and tournament director National Arbiter Richard Dela Cruz.
By Marlon Bernardino
Marius Constante swept the seven round 21st Noypi x Robinson’s Magnolia Kids 13-under FIDE-Rated Rapid Chess Tournament 20th September 2025 in Quezon City, Philippines.
The eight year old Novaliches, Quezon City resident Constante, prevailed over Zyler Dayo, Elisha Caleb Lim, Keith Aldridge Gascon, Zachary Villavicencio, Ricky Ryan Besco, Ivan Cedric Licu and Tito Lorenzo Balibalos.
‘I dedicate this to Mama (Mary Ann Zabanal Constante) because she told me she wanted a medal as my gift to her this Christmas,” he said.
It was sportsman Jojo Legaspi and FIDE Master Noel Dela Cruz who provided the utmost support to Marius’ training.-Marlon Bernardino-

GM Sanan Sjugirov Wins 1st Buddhist Rapid Chess Championship

GM Sanan Sjugirov of Hungary won the 1st Buddhist Rapid Chess Championship held 18-21 September in Kalmykia, Russia. A total of 34 players from eight countries participated in the 9-round Swiss rapid chess championship, namely Hungary, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Philippines, Thailand and host Russia.

Sjugirov finished alone with 8 points for the gold medal. GM Tsydypov, Zhamsaran of Russia won the silver medal with 7.5 points followed by local bet IM Roman Shogdzhiev of Kalmykia with 6.5 points for the bronze medal. Visit chess-results.com for round by round results and standings.

GM Tsydypov, Zhamsaran of Russia won the blitz tournament with 10 points out of 11 rounds. GM Daniel Quizon of the Philippines won the silver medal while GM Sanan Sjugirov of Hungary won bronze in a tie at 9 points each.

Among those in photo in front of the Buddhist temple in Elista, Kalmykia are Thailand Chess Association president Sahapol Nakvanich (fourth from right) and Myanmar Chess Federation president Maung Maung Lwin (third from left).

IIEE Singapore Wins 7th level championships in IIEE Olympiad

The IIEE Singapore team won another level championship in the penultimate 9th round of the IIEE National Chess Olympiad. They lead the remaining 16-teams going into the last round scheduled October 3, 2025 via Lichess.
Mark Gerald Reyes led all scorers with 16 points and other Singaporean players with more than 10 points each include his brothers FM Narquingden, Chester Neil and Narquingel along with FM Alekhine Nouri, CM Jayson Visca, Adrian Esteva and Andres Bautista.
Singapore was tied with FCPL-Qatar at 114 each and Mapua at 111 but the Singapore team was able to score 14 points more and left both Mapua and FCPL-Qatar with 120 points apiece to both remain with 6 level championship.
These top 3 teams are already assured qualification intp the 10-team play-off battle Royale together with IIEE Saudi, Philippine Society of Mechanical Engineer (PSME) and International Chess Friends Federation (ICFF) who all have 3 level championships.
IIEE Metro Manila and IIEE Iloilo have 2 level championships. IIEE Mindanao has also 2 level championship but may drop out due to tie break in total points.
Teams with single level championship GMG Laguna, Faeldonia, Metro Central, Northern Luzon or Bicol need to notch it’s 2nd level championship on the 10th round.
Eastern Central Visayas and Bayanihan Chess Club could get the last slot if they could win the last round with total score of 59 points provided that those teams with single championship lose in their respective group level.

Yunus Khan of India Wins Dasman Classic Chess Championship in Kuwait

Yunus Khan of India finished alone with 7.5 points to win the Dasman Classic Chess Championship organized 10-18 September 2025 by the Kuwait Mind Sports Association in Kuwait.

Visit chess-results.com for round by round results and final standings and to download games.

Champion Yunus Khan of India (left)

Runner-up Amani Alazmi of Kuwait (left)

 

Third place Lodhi Khalid of Pakistan.

12th Beirut International Open Slated 17 to 27 October 2025

The Amicale Notre Dame – Chess Club is glad to invite you to participate in the “12th Beirut International Open – Chess Championship” from 17 to 27 October 2025

The “12th Beirut International Championship” is open to all players regardless of their title or rating.

The application should be returned not later than 12 October 2025 to Mr. Jacques Bedrossian. By mail: jack.bedrossian60@hotmail.com

Download New 12th Beirut Open Regulations

Giri and Vaishali Win FIDE Open and Women’s Grand Swiss in Uzbekistan

With 8/11, Anish Giri won the Open tournament outright, defeating Hans Niemann in the final round. Just half a point back, Matthias Bluebaum, Alireza Firouzja and Vincent Keymer shared second place. Thanks to a better tiebreak, it was Bluebaum who secured the second qualifying spot for the 2026 Candidates. In the Women’s event, on 8/11, Vaishali Rameshbabu and Kateryna Lagno tied for first and both qualified for the Candidates, but Vaishali took top spot on tiebreak. It was her second consecutive Grand Swiss victory – something never achieved before in either section.

Apart from qualifying for the Candidates for the third time in his career, being the sole winner meant Giri also pocketed $90,000.

In his first reaction to the victory, speaking in FIDE’s live broadcast, Giri said that the previous night he “visualised” a victory against Niemann: “There is this technique and… I saw myself win. Then I went a bit too far and started to think who will be in my team for the Candidates and I said I needed to stop at that point, as it was too far”.

The second place went to European Champion Matthias Bluebaum, who drew a tense game with Alireza Firouzja today. Firouzja finished third. The most unfortunate of the frontrunners was Vincent Keymer, who ended up fourth. He missed a chance to beat Bluebaum in round ten and went into the final day as sole leader only to fail to convert a better position against Erigaisi.

In the Women’s event, leaders Vaishali Rameshbabu and Kateryna Lagno both drew, sharing first place. The bronze went to Bibisara Assaubayeva, who missed a chance to tie for first after spoiling a winning position against Anna Muzychuk. She finished on 7.5/11, alongside Tan Zhongyi and Yuxin Song.

How the last day in Samarkand unfolded

Tension was palpable in the playing hall of the EXPO Centre in Samarkand, as players gathered for the final round of the 2025 FIDE Grand Swiss. On previous days, players often paused for photos with waiting fans. On the final day, the favourites rushed straight inside, razor-focused on their games.

The games started at 2 PM, an hour earlier than in the previous 10 rounds, to accommodate the closing ceremony and prize giving scheduled for 9 PM local time in Samarkand.

At stake were two places leading to the 2026 Candidates as well as a hefty prize fund of $855,000. In the Open section, with 7/10, five players were in the race for the top two places – Bluebaum, Firouzja, Giri, Niemann and Keymer. In theory, tiebreaks kept three more players in contention on 6.5/10 – Mishra, Erigaisi and Woodward. In the Women’s Grand Swiss – Vaishali and Lagno as the two leaders, as well as Assaubayeva, Tan and Song were in the race to be the winner. Out of the five, Tan – a former Women’s World Champion – has already qualified for the 2026 Candidates, thanks to finishing third in the Grand Prix.

Continuing the tournament’s departure from the tradition of making ceremonial moves only on the top board, FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich made the first move on board 57 in the Open, in the game between Divya Deshmukh and Ivan Cheparinov.

The full results and standings after the final, 11th Round, can be found here:

Women: grandswiss2025.fide.com/grand-swiss-women/ 

Open: grandswiss2025.fide.com/open/ 

Closing ceremony draws curtain on memorable Grand Swiss

The closing ceremony at the Silk Road by Minyoun Hotel conference hall provided a fitting end to what FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich called “a truly magnificent event”.

After the national anthems of Uzbekistan and FIDE were performed, distinguished guests – including the Director of the Youth Affairs Agency of Uzbekistan Alisher Saʼdullayev and Samarkand Region Governor Adiz Boboev – delivered congratulatory speeches, followed by the official prize-giving ceremony conducted by Chief Arbiter Laurent Freyd.

Arkady Dvorkovich, who awarded Anish Giri the victory cup, praised the tournament’s strength and drama. “Not only was this the strongest lineup of all the Grand Swiss tournaments so far, but it brought the most drama – with leadership ties and uncertainty well into the last round,” he said, congratulating the four qualifiers Giri, Bluebaum, Vaishali and Lagno before thanking all the participants for “putting on a great chess show which will be remembered in history.”

The FIDE President emphasised chess’s global reach and the symbolic importance of hosting the event in Samarkand, noting the ancient Silk Road city as having “strong roots” in chess history while also representing the game’s future.

With the 2026 Chess Olympiad also scheduled to take place in Samarkand, Dvorkovich expressed optimism about the continued partnership with Uzbekistan.

Written by Milan Dinic

Photos: Michal Walusza

From Final round drama at Grand Swiss in Samarkand: Giri triumphs, Vaishali makes history – International Chess Federation

Commonwealth Chess Championship Scheduled 8-17 Nov 2025 in Malaysia

by Ellie Emira

The Malaysian Chess Federation (MCF), under the auspices of the Commonwealth Chess Association and FIDE, is pleased to invite National Chess Federations from all Commonwealth countries to participate in the Commonwealth Chess Championship 2025, scheduled from 8 November (Arrival) to 17 November 2025 (Departure) at the Corus KLCC Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.
The Championship returns to Malaysia once again — this time at the historic venue where Yeoh Li Tian completed his final norm to become Malaysia’s first-ever Grandmaster!
The 2025 edition will feature both the Open Championship and age-group events from Under-8 up to Under-18. The Open event includes category prizes for Women, Veterans, Disabled players, and Under-20 competitors, while the age-group championships will be held separately for boys and girls in the Under-8, Under-10, Under-12, Under-14, Under-16, and Under-18 categories. All rounds will be played at the Corus KLCC Hotel Grand Ballroom, located on the 1st floor of the hotel.
For the Open Championship, each Commonwealth country may field one man, one woman, one senior (above 60), one junior girl (U20), and one junior boy (U20) as its official players. For the Age-Group Championships, each country may nominate one boy and one girl in each of the U8, U10, U12, U14, U16, and U18 categories, all recognised as official players.
The Standard Championship will be played over nine rounds with a time control of 90 minutes plus 30 seconds increment, while a Blitz Championship will also be held using a 3+2 time control across 7–9 rounds for the Open and Youth U18 categories.
A total prize fund of RM95,000 (approx. USD 22,900) has been allocated, with RM85,000 (approx. USD 20,000) for the Standard Championship and RM10,000 (approx. USD 2,900) for the Blitz event.
Entry fees are USD 75 for official players and USD 150 for additional players. Grandmasters (GMs) and International Masters (IMs) rated 2400+, as well as Women Grandmasters (WGMs) and Women International Masters (WIMs) rated 2250+, will enjoy free entry. A registration fee of USD 110 applies to all players, covering accreditation, airport transfers, and the Closing Dinner.

 

All participants are required to stay at the official hotels on a full-board basis. This includes breakfast at the respective hotels, with lunch and dinner provided via food coupons at the Corus KLCC Hotel.

 

The Corus KLCC Hotel will serve as both the main accommodation and tournament venue, while the De King Hotel will serve as the secondary option. Both hotels offer a scenic view of modern Kuala Lumpur, surrounded by skyscrapers and a vibrant nightlife. The organizer will provide free accommodation to all Official Representatives.

 

The registration deadline is 8 October 2025, with a 50% deposit required by this date. Late entries will be accepted until 30 October with a late fee of USD 50, and the deadline for full payment is 31 October 2025. Registration must be completed through the official registration form.

Registration – CCC2025Download
We look forward to welcoming players, officials, and guests from across the Commonwealth to Malaysia for an exciting and memorable championship in the heart of Kuala Lumpur.

21-year-old Filipino David Sarmiento wins Rapid Chess Championship in Emden, Germany

By Marlon Bernardino
David Ray Sarmiento, 21-year-old chess prodigy from Nueva Ecija, Philippines, won the 50th Anniversary Emden Chess Club Rapid Chess Championships held September 14, 2025 at the Culture Center in Emden, Germany.
Sarmiento was undefeated with an impressive score of 6.0 points from 5 wins and 2 draws.
David Ray Sarmiento’s triumph is a proud moment for the Philippines. It shall be recalled that Sarmiento finished second place at the B division of the Grenke Chess Open held from April 17-21, 2025 at the Kongresszentrum Karlsruhe, Germany. Sarmiento had 8.0 points on account of 7 wins and 2 draws, in a tie with Tim Lehmann of Germany, Daniel Aziz of the Netherlands, Elman Tariverdiyev of Germany and David Tulchnysky of Germany. The Filipino won runner-up honors after the tie break points were applied to bring home the 1,500 euros for his efforts.