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Arpit Pandey won the Winter Cup Below 1600 FIDE Rating Open Chess Tournament held from 22^nd December, 2023 to 24^th December, 2023, at Orbit Resort, Udaipur Rajasthan second edition in loving memory of Sh. Prem Chand Mogra ji.

The tournament, organized by Chess in Lake City, attracted total 545 players from all over the India including five players from United States of America, Canada, There were a total of 316 International FIDE rated players.

Arpit Pandey of Maharashtra  won the tournament with 8  points out of 9 rounds to clinch the title and cash prize of Rs. 1,11,000 INR & Coveted Trophy. Runner up of the event was Vedant Varasada of Gujarat who won Cash prizes of Rs. 71,000 INR & Trophy. Ranjith Pratap of Tamilnadu won cash prizes of Rs.1,01,000 in rating category (1200 to 1399) &  Meetansh Dixit from Madhya Pradesh  won cash prizes of Rs.1,00.000 in rating category (1000 to 1199 ). A total of 92 cash prizes with 67 trophies were given to  winners in Different  Rating & Age categories.

Inauguration of the tournament was done by Chief Guest Sh.Chanchal Mishra (District Judge), Bharat Joshi (President Bar Association), and Rajesh Sharma (Secretary Bar Association), other dignitaries present were Advocate .Manish Mogra Org. Chairman, Shri Tushar Mehta (Chief Patron, Chess in Lakecity) Shri. Rajeev Bharadwaj, & Sanjeev Bharadwaj President Chess In Lakecity, &  IA Rajendra Teli  Chief Arbiter & IA Vikas Sahu Chess In Lakecity.

Prizes were distributed by Chief guest of the function Sh.Gajpal Singh Rathore, General Secretary Bharatiya Janata Party Udaipur Special guest Hari Singh Mogra, Neeraj Ji Nagori, Sudha Nagori, youth leader BJP and Chief Patron Lakecity Tushar Mehta, Dhruv Shrimali, former Vice President Mohanlal Sukhadia University, Rajendra Teli, Vice President Rajasthan. State chess associations existed.

Dr. SS Surana & IA Vikas Sahu Chess In Lakecity present in the Closing ceremony.

The team of Arbiters was headed by Chief Arbiter by IA Rajendra Teli and he was ably assisted by Dy. Chief Arbiter IA Sunil Soni & IA Neelesh Kumawat, Anti Cheating Arbiter :IA Deepak Chavan, Pairing Arbiter: IA Varun Kumar, Sector Arbiters: FA Manish Chandalia, FA Bhawesh Pandiyar, FA Deepak Komatkar, FA Joshi Amrish, FA Monika Sahu , FA Lalit Kapoor,SNA Varun Subhash Joshi,SNA Mukta Sahu,SNA Jayendra Chaturvedi,SNA Mayurdhwajsinh Jadav,SNA Kushal Patel,SNA Krishana Chandra Swarnkar worked hard to make the event a grand success.

Chess giants India and China topped the Asian Youth Chess Championship with two golds each and three silvers for India and one silver for China. The surprise was tiny Sri Lanka placing third with one gold and one silver, ahead of Vietnam and other chess powerhouses.

The event was supported by the FIDE Planning and Development Commission. Visit chess-results.com for round by round standings and results and to download games.

The 25th Asian Youth Chess Championship was organized 12-22 December 2023 at the Al Ain Convention Center in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates, by the Al Ain Chess Club under the auspices of the Asian Chess Federation and FIDE and in cooperation with the Abu Dhabi Sports Council and the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center.

Over 600 players from some 40 countries with parents and coaches came for a total of a thousand participants in a chess festival atmosphere.

Actually Russians playing under the FIDE flag won many individual medals as shown below but were not allowed to play as a team as resolved by the International Olympic Committee.

Asian Chess Federation president Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifah Al Nahyan (third from left) honors the top three federations: first place India (second from right), second place China represented by GM Li Chao (right) and third place Sri Lanka, represented by Sri Lanka Chess Federation president Luxman Wijesuriya (third from right). At left is UAE Chess Federation president Taryam Matar Taryam.

IM L.M.S.T. De Silva of Sri Lanka had to work extra hard for the gold medal in the Boys Under-18 category after a tie in all systems with Zhang Di of China necessitated an armageddon tie break. De Silva played black and forced 3-time repetition of position to claim the gold.

Here are photos of the awards ceremonies captioned under with names of the gold (1), siilver (2) and bronze (3) winners on the awards stand. (Photos by Hossam Eldin Mohammed).

Russians playing under the FIDE flag rallied to take the lead in many age groups after the penultimate round of the Asian Youth Chess Championship at the Al Ain Convention Center in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates.

In the girls under-8 age group, Parihar Kriyana of India leads alone with 7 points followed a half point behind by Angelina Vlad Ambartsumyan of Russia. Tied at 6 points each are erstwhile co-leaders Bijesh Divi and AS. Sharvaanica, both of India.

Russian Kristina Zavivaeva leads alonw with 7 points followed by Indians Ranganath Aadya with 6.5 points. Three players are tied at 6 points each, namely Bordoloi Pratitee and Digamber Sawal Diya of India, and Lu Xiahan (Luna) of New Zealand.

Chinese Gao Muziyan boasts a perfect 8 points in the under girls under-12.  Polina Smirnova of Russia follows with 6.5 points. Devindya Oshini Gunawardhana of Sri Lanka and Dominika Ivashentseva of Russia are tited at 6 points apiece.

Leila Tabermakova of Russia leads the girls under 14 with 6.5 points. Uliana Dudkina of Russia and Alserkal Rouda Essa of the UAE are close behind at 6 points each.

FM Ysns Zhapova of Russia leads the girls under-16 with 7 points followed by compatriot WFM Valeria  Kleymenova at 6.5 points. Tied at 6 points apiece are WFM Olga Dm. Karmanova of Russia dn WFM Ganta Kheerthi of India.

Laysa Latifah of Indonesia leads the girls under-18 with 7 points followed by G. Tejaswini of India with 6 points. A 3-way tie for third ensued among WFM Elnaz Kalakhmet of Kazakhstan and Vietnamese Lueong Hoang Tu Linh and WIM Nguyen Thien Ngan at 5.5 points each.

Vietnamese Le Phan Hoang Quan leads the boys under-8 with 7 points followed by Kapil Aarit of India and Vietnamese Nguyen Xuan Phuong at 6.5 points each.

In the boys under-10, Ramtin Kakavand of Iran leads alone with 7 ponts followed by Arseny Kleschevnikov of Russia and Talab Rami of Syria at 6.5 points apiece.

Mark Smirnov of Kazakhstan leads the boys under-12 with 7 points followed by a 5-way tie for second slot at 6 points apiece among Chen Zim (Js) and Jiang Haochen of China, Taimaz Temirbekov and Alexey Surikov of Russia and Elsultan Kaliakhmet of Kazakhstan.

Russian Aleksey Prokhorov leads the boys under-14 with 7 points followed by FM Edgar Mamedov of Kazakhstan at 6.5 points. Tied with 6 points each are Russians Vladimir Maslovsky and Marat Gilfanov.

Six players share the lead in the boys under-16 at 6 points each, namely FM Suresh Harsh of India, IM Erdem Khubukshanov and Kiril Otdelnov of Russia, Satria Duta Cahaya of Indonesia, Dang Anh Minh of Vietnam and FM Imangali Akhbiabay of Kazakhstan.

IM L.M.S.T. De Silva of Sri Lanka and Chine Zhang Di are tied for the lead in the boys under-18 with 6.5 points each. There is a 5-way tie for third slot with 5,5 points among FM Banh Gia Huy and FM Tran Dang Minh Quang of Vietnam, FM satbek Akhmedinov of Kazakhstan, Aziz Degenbaev of Kyrgyzstan and Davron Sharipov of Uzbekistan.

Indian players, erstwhile leaders in their respective age groups, were being overtaken by players from other countries in the homestretch of the Asian Youth Chess Championship at the Al Ain Convention Center in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. In photo above, Arbiters in the tournament gather for posterity.

Indians continued to lead the girls under-8 category after 7 rounds. Setting the pace at 1^st and second are Indians Parihar Kiyana at 6.5 points and A. S. Sharvaanica with 6 points. Angelina Vlad Ambartsumyan of Russia is in third slot with 5.5 points.

In the girls under-10, Kristina Zavivaeva of Russia is far away with a perfect 7 points followed by compatriot Victorial Makhina and Indian Ranganath Aadya.

China’s Gao Muziyan also leads with perfect 7 points in the Girls under-12 followed by B. Kirthika of India, Mariya Kholyavko of Kazakhstan and Polina Smirnova of Russia at 5.5 points each.

Russian Leilo Tabermakova leads the Girls under-14 with 6 points followed by WCM Alserkal Rouda Essa of the UAE and Uliana Dudkina of Russia at 5.5 points each.

WFM Ganta Kheerthi of India and FM Yana Zhapova of Russia share the lead with 6 points each in the Girls under-16 category. WFM Valeria Kleymenova of Russia and WCM Chloe Fan of Australia follow with 5.5 points each.

Laysa Latifah of Indonesia leads alone with 6 points in the Girls under-18 followed by G. Tejaswini of India at 5.5 points and Russian Zhanna Lesnykh, Iranian Parnian Ghomi and Vietnamese Nguyen Thien Ngan with 5 points apiece.

Asian Chess Federation Secretary Hisham Al Taher (right) on an inspection walk around the tournament hall. 

In the boys under-8, Vietnamese Le Phan Hoang Quan is alone in the lead with 6.5 points followed by Kapoil Aarit of India and Nguyen Xuan Phuong of Vietnam with 6 points each.

Mazen Fandi of Syria and Ramtin Kakavand of Iran are tied for the lead in the boys under-10 with 6 points each followed by a 4-way tie with 5.5 points each among Dmitry Al Novodvoskiy and Areseny Kleschevnikof of Russia, Alimzhan Zhauynbay of Kazakhstan and Talab Rami of Syria.

Mark Smirnov and Elsultan Kaliakhmet of Kazakhstan share the lead with 6 points each in the boys under-12 followed by a 3-way tie for third slot with 5.5 points among Chen Zimu and Jiang Haochen of China and Tamaz Temirbekov of Russia.

Aleksey Prokhorov of Russia leads the under-14 with 6 points. Tied for second slot are FM Edgar Mamedov ov Kazakhstan andRagavesh Velavaa of India at 5.5 points each.

IM Erdem Khubukshanov of Russia leads the boys under-16 with 6 points followed by FM Suresh Harsh of India at 5.5 points. Eight players are tied for third slot at 5 points each.

IM L.M.S.T. Des Silva of Sri Lanka continues to lead the under-18 category with 6 points followed by Zhang Di of China at 5.5 points and FM Satbek Akhmedinov of Kazakhstan at 5 points.

Leaders are fighting fiercely for the gold after the halfway mark of the Asian Youth Chess Championship at the Al Ain Convention Center in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates. In photo, Asian Chess Federation president Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifah Al Nahyan makes the ceremonial opening moves on top board as the opponents eye each other. From left are, Abu Dhabi Chess Club Chairman Hussein Abdullah Al-Khoury, UAE Chess Federation president Taryam Matar Taryam, Abu Dhabi Sports Council General Secretary H.E. Aref Al Awani and Asian Chess Federation General Secretary Hisham Al Taher.

Visit chess-results.com for round by round results and standings. Visit official site Asian Youth Chess Championships 2023 – Home (asianchess.com)

After six rounds, Indians set the pace in the youngest group, girls under 8. The top three are all from India, namely Parihar Kiyana, A.S. Sharvaanica and Bijesh Divi. The Russian Angelina Ambartsumyan, playing under the FIDE flag, Iranian Asma Hasanor and Vietnamese Vu Thi Yen Chi trail with 4.5 points each.

In the Girls under 10, Kristina Zavivaeva of Russia leads alone with 6 points followed by compoatriot Victoria Makhina and Bordoloi Pratitee of India with 5 points. Anna Ivaschenko of Russia, Ranganath Aadya of India and Nyanmdorj Enkhriikhen of Mongolia follow with 4.5 points each.

Chinese Gao Muziyan leads the Girls under-12 alone with 6 points followed by B. Kirthika of India with 5.5 points and compatriot V.C. Nivedito with 5 points.

Local hero Rouda Essa Alserkal of the UAE shares the lead at 5 points each with Russian Leila Tabermakova after they drew with each other in the sixth round. Russians Uliana Dudkina and Oksana Goriachkina, Niyousha Mohamadi of Iran and Kyrgyz Aimonchok Zhunusbekova are in striking distance with 4.5 points each.

FM Yana Zhapova of Russia leads the Girls under-16 with 5.5 points followed by WFM Ganta Kheerthi of India and WFM Valeria Kleymenova of Russia.

Laysa Latifah of Indonesia and G. Tejarwini of India share the lead with 5 points each in the Girls Under-18 section. WFM Elnaz Kaliakhmet of Kazakhstan, Zhanna Lesnykh of Russia and Luong Hoang Tu Lnh of Vietnam follow with 4.5 points each.

In the boys division, Le Phan Hoang Quan of Vietnam leads the under-8 alone with six points followed by Kapil Aarit of India with 5.5 points. Sharing third slot are Nguyen Xuan Phuong of Vietnam, Roman Shogdzhiev of Russia and Harry Wilford of Australia.

Ramtin Kakavand of Iran leads the boys under-10 with 6 points. There is a 3-way tie for second slot among Alimzhan Zhauynbay of Kazakhstan, Dimitriy Al Novodvoskiy of Russia and Mazen Fandi of Syria at 5 points apiece.

Mark Smiornov of Kazakhstan leads the under 12 with 5.5 points followed by Chen Zimul(Js) of China and Elsultan Kaliakhmet of Kazakhstan with 5 points each.

A three-way tie for first is being fought in the boys under-14 among FM Edgar Mamedov of Kazakhstan, Aleksey Prokhorov of Russia and Ragavesh Velavaa of India with 5 points each.

Similarly a 3-way tie for first ensued in the boys under-16 with FM Suresh Harsh of India and Russians IM Erden Khubukshanov and Kiril Otdelnov at 5 points each.

IM L.M.S.T. De Silva of leads the boys 18 grouop with 5 points. Three players share second slot with 4.5 points each, namely Zhang Di of China, FM Reja Neer Manon of Bangladesh and Aziz Degenbaev of Kyrgyzstan.

Abu Dhabi won the bid for the Chess Olympiad 2028. The FIDE General Assembly, meeting online on 17th December 2023, voted 96 in favor of Abu Dhabi, UAE vs 60 for Genoa, Italy.

In photo, Asian Chess Federation president Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifah Al Nahyan (seated, center) and to his right Abu Dhabi Sports Council General Secretary H.E. Aref Al Awani made the presentation to the General Assembly. Standing at right is UAE Chess Federation president Taryam Matar Taryam. Seated at left is Abu Dhabi Chess Club Chairman Hussein Abdullah Al-Khoury. Standing behind H.E. Al Awani is Asian Chess Federation General Secretary Hisham Al Taher.

The bid to secure the rights to host the FIDE Chess Olympiad 2028, FIDE Chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities 2028, and FIDE Congress 2028 was a joint effort by the Abu Dhabi Sports Council and the UAE Chess Federation. The proposed venue for these events is the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), the largest of its kind in the Middle East.

FIDE Executive Director Victor Bologan (center) and Secretary General Lukasz Turlej (second from right) during an inspection visit to Abu Dhabi.

Before the vote, FIDE conducted visits to both Abu Dhabi and Genoa to inspect the proposed venues and facilities. Official meetings were held with local and government authorities in both cities and with potential organizers.

In Abu Dhabi, meetings were conducted with prominent figures, including His Excellency Aref Al Awani, the General Secretary of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, the President of the Asian Chess Federation, H.E. Tarim Matar Muhammad Tarim, the President of the UAE Chess Federation, and Hussein Abdullah Al-Khoury, the President of the Abu Dhabi Chess Club.

FIDE’s inspection concluded that “Abu Dhabi presented a compelling bidding proposal, supported by the findings of the inspection visit on December 6th and 7th, 2023. The city boasts a robust transportation and accommodation infrastructure, a venue meeting top international standards, and experienced organizers capable of hosting world-class events not only in chess but in various other sports and spheres.”

FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovic (left, background) visiting Asian Chess Federation President Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifah Al Nahyan (right, background).

This marks the second time that the UAE will host a chess Olympiad, following the event held in Dubai in 1986.

Abu Dhabi and the UAE have recently demonstrated a strong commitment to organizing numerous chess events. In 2023 alone, the country hosted the inaugural Global Chess League, the 29th Abu Dhabi International Chess Festival, and the Asia Chess Amateur Championship. The Emirate is hosting the Asian Youth Chess Championship in Al Ain.

Vietnam topped the Asian Youth Blitz Chess Championship yesterday, 17th December 2023, with three gold, four silver and 3 bronze medals. India followed with equal number of gold medals but without any silver or bronze. Visit chess-results.com for round by round results and final ranking. The event was supported by the FIDE Planning and Development Commission.

Awarding medals in photo above are, from left, UAE Chess Federation president Taryam Matar Taryam, Abu Dhabi Chess Club Chairman Hussein Abdullah Al-Khoury, Asian Chess Federation president Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifah Al Nahyan and Abu Dhabi Sports Council General Secretary H.E. Aref Al Awani. (Photos by Hossam Eldin Mohammed).

Grandmaster Susanto Megaranto of Indonesia won the 11th edition of Kamatyas Invitational GM Tournament 2023 at the Grandmaster Eugene Torre Museum of Pan de Amerikana in Concepcion Dos, Marikina City Saturday, December 16, 2023. Visit chess-results.com for round by round results and final standings and to download games.

Megaranto took the crown with 6.5 points in this week-long FIDE Standard tournament jointly organized by International Master Roderick Nava (above photo, seated second from left) and National Master David Almirol of Kamatyas Chess Club.

Grandmaster John Paul Gomez and International Master Michael Concio Jr. of the Philippines came through with different results in the ninth and final round to finish tied for second.

International Master Michael Concio Jr. (left) versus Grandmaster Susanto Megaranto of Indonesia. Also in photo are International Arbiter Patrick Lee (left background) and International Arbiter Ricky Navalta.

Gomez downed International Master Jan Emmanuel Garcia while Concio held Megaranto to a draw in the final round. Gomez and Concio ended up tied at No. 2 and No.3 placers with 5.5 points apiece.

International Master Daniel Quizon toppled Woman International Master Miaoyi Lu of China while International Master Paulo Bersamina drew with International Master Joel Banawa of the United States. They finished with five points apiece.
Grandmaster Tuan Minh Tran split the points with Grandmaster Rogelio “Joey” Antonio Jr.

Tran, Garcia and Banawa were tied at 6th to 8th placers with 4.5 points each followed by Antonio who landed 9th with 3.0 points and Miaoyi at cellar dweller with 1.0 point.

by Marlon Bernardino
Final Standings and tournament payouts:
6.5 points—GM Susan Megaranto of Indonesia (($4,000 )
5.5 points—GM John Paul Gomez of the Philippines ($2,000), IM Michael Concio Jr. of the Philippines ($1,000)
5.0 points—IM Paulo Bersamina of the Philippines ($800 ) IM Daniel Quizon of the Philippines ( $700)
4.5 points—GM Tuan Minh Tran of Vietnam ($500),  IM Jan Emmanuel Garcia of the Philippines ($500), IM Joel Banawa of USA ($500)
3.0 points—GM Rogelio Antonio Jr. of the Philippines ($500)
1.0 points—WIM Miaoyi Lu of China ($500)

Asian Chess Federation president Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifah Al Nahyan presided over a hybrid Continental Assembly on 16th December 2023 at the Al Ain Convention Center in Al Ain, United Arab Emirates.

Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifah Al Nahyan (center) addressing the Assembly in the Convention Center auditorium and by Zoom. From left are Executive Director Casto Abundo of the Philippines, General Secretary Hisham Al Taher of the UAE, Sheikh Sultan, Treasurer Sahapol Nakvanich of Thailand and Deputy President Bharat Singh of India. Absent with apologies was Vice President Xu Yuhua of China.

Asian Continental Assembly supported the proposal to remove term limits for FIDE Presidency. The body unanimously supported the Olympiad bid of Abu Dhabi 2028.

The Assembly discussed the 2024 calendar of tournaments and awarded the following:

Kazakhstan shall organize the Asian Youth Chess Championships 2024 for age groups under 8,10, 12, 14, 16 and 18 in July 2024 in Almaty.

Thailand shall organize the Asian Schools Chess Championship in December 2024.

Sri Lanka shall organize the Western Asia Youth Chess Championship for age group under 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18 scheduled 1-9 June 2024. Luxman Wijesuriya offered to host the under-20 if there was no organizer.

Tagaytay, Philippines shall organize the Asian Amateur Chess Championship November 2024 in Tagaytay City, Philippines.