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June 18, Nepal
Indian IM Mohammad Nubairshah Shaikh became the champion of The SACC Chess Championship 2023. Only the undefeated player of the open category scored eight and a half points and bagged 150 thousand as a cash prize. Nubairshah was also the champion of the event’s first edition held in November 2019 in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Top-rated player of the championship GM Sayantan Das (India) was the runner-up with seven and a half points and got 100 thousand cash. The national champion of Nepal, FM Rupesh Jaiswal secured third place with six points and 50 thousand cash. Local hero Rupesh succeeds to score half points from each of the GM Das & IM Nubair.

In the women’s category, Indian WIM Sakshi Chitlange became the undefeated champion, scoring with full 7 points in 7 games and bagging 100 thousand cash. WFM Wadifa Ahmed of Bangladesh became the runner-up, scoring five and a half points, and bagged 60 thousand cash. Whereas national women champion of Nepal WFM Sujana Lohani succeeded to place in the third position, scoring four and a half points and bagging 40 thousand cash too.

Both divisions play in a round-robin league format. A total of 10 players from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Pakistan participated in the open category and 7 players from Bangladesh, India, and Nepal participated in the women’s category.

The Mayor of Lalitpur Metropolitan City, Mr. Chiribabu Awale hands over the trophy to the champion of both categories. An honorable member of Bagamati Provincial Assembly Madhsudan Poudel, the Mayor of the host town Gajendra Maharjan, the Deputy President of the South Asian Chess Council Dharmendra Kumar, and SACC Technical Delegate Haroon Or Rashid were also present at the prize-giving ceremony. The president of the Nepal Chess Federation Bidur Prasad Gautam declared the closing of the championship.

Final Standing Open:
Final Standing Women:

IA Umesh KC, Deputy Chief Arbiter (Councillor of the FIDE Rules Commission)

June 15, Nepal

The SACC Chess Championship 2023, organized by the Nepal Chess Federation, started at the Hotel View Bhrikuti in Godawari village of Lalitpur in Nepal with a short opening ceremony on June 13.

The individual round-robin championships in both the open and women’s sections are playing classical chess with 90 minutes plus 30 seconds increment time control. There are 10 players from six federations of South Asia in the open category and 8 players in the women’s section.

Indian GM Sayantan Das is the highest player in the open section, followed by defending champion IM Mohammad Nubairshah Shaikh of India. In the women’s section, another Indian WIM Sakshi Chitlange is the highest rated.

The event broadcasts live with commentary led by Sushrut Dahal with his team every round.

The opening ceremony was attended by Member Secretary of the National Sports Council (NSC) of Nepal Mr. Tanka Lal Ghising, Asian Chess Federation (ACF) Deputy President Mr. Bharat Singh Chauhan, Honorable member of Bagamati Provincial Assembly Mr. Raghunath Maharjan, FIDE director for chess development Mr. Nigel Short and South Asian Chess Federation (SACC) Deputy President Mr. Bharat Singh Chauhan. The President of the Nepal Chess Federation Mr. Bidur Prasad Gautam informed about the development process and the future plan of Nepal, welcomed the participants, and wished them success. The NSC member secretary Ghising and ACF deputy president Chauhan made the first ceremonial move to inaugurate the championship officially.

After the fourth round of the Open section IM Nubairshah is leading the event with 3.5 points and in the women’s section WIM Shakshi is has scored three points from the three rounds and leading the event.

The closing and prize-giving ceremony will be held on June 18 after the completion of round 9 in the open and round 7 in the women’s section.

IA Umesh KC, Deputy Chief Arbiter (Councillor of FIDE Rules Commission)

Official website: nepalchess.org/

Pairings and Results

Open: SACC OPEN

Women: SACC WOMEN 

Asian Amateur Chess Championships (Men & Women)

FIDE Rating Categories Under 1700, Under 2000

27 Aug – 04 Sep 2023

Dubai, U.A.E.

Invitation and Regulations

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council

The UAE Chess Federation (UAE CF) on behalf of FIDE and the Asian Chess Federation (ACF) invites all Asian National Chess Federations to participate in the Asian Amateur Chess Championship, to be held in Dubai – UAE from 27th August 2023 (arrival) to 4th September 2023 (departure).

DOWNLOAD THE REGULATION IN PDF FORMAT

1. Participation

1.1 The Asian Amateur Championships 2023 is open to all Asian amateur players, registered by their federation, who should not have a FIDE rating above 2000 at the start of the tournament.

1.2 Players should not have a FIDE title higher than FIDE Master (i.e., WIM, WGM, IM and GM).

1.3 All participants must have a FIDE ID to participate in this tournament.

1.4 All participants should fill this registration form:

https://forms.gle/pAuVGxPzUKqKshT36

2. Financial Regulations

2.1 Entry Free: The Entry Fee is 80 USD each player.

After the deadline of 15^th July 2023, the surcharge of 80 USD shall be applicable for late entries.

2.2 Registration Fee: All players and accompanying persons must pay fee: 70 USD, and should be received by bank transfer before the deadline of 15th July 2023. The registration fee includes the cost for airport transfers, accreditation cards, certificates, etc.

2.3 The travelling costs of all participants must be paid by themselves or by their national federations.

2.4 The deadline of registration is 15^th July 2023. However, organizers reserve the right to refuse registration after the deadline.

2.5 All the remaining payments must be paid upon arrival in cash.

2.6 Participants are advised to pay 50% of total cost as deposit of their expenses through the Bank account before 15 July 2023, the registration Deadline.

Bank Account: UAE Chess

Bank Name: Commercial Bank of Dubai (CBD) – Dubai

Account number: 1001543360

Swift code: CBDUAEAD

IBAN No.: AE200230000001001543360

Branch: Al Qusais Branch

Once the bank transfer has been received, the Organizing Committee will issue and send the assigned booking confirmation

3. Accommodation: (Hotel, Meals)

Playing Venue & Official Hotel

3.1 The playing venue shall be at the official Hotel “Bristol Hotel”, Dubai-UAE.

3.2 Check in time is 13:00 noon. Checkout Time is 12:00.

3.3 All other players and all accompanying persons should pay the cost for board and lodging (with breakfast, lunch & dinner) per person per night as given below prices in the official Tournament Hotel

3.4 All players and guests are invited to stay in Official Hotel: 4-star Bristol Hotel (****) with following prices:

Full Board (Breakfast, lunch and dinner) for per person per day:

The amount includes Entry & Registration Fees |  The amount includes Registration Fees

The amount includes Entry & Registration Fees   The amount includes Registration Fees

The amount includes Entry & Registration Fees   The amount includes Registration Fees  

Extra nights can be requested in advance and, upon availability, can be possible at a proportional cost:

3.5 All participants are obliged to lodge at the official hotels.

3.6 Booking of official hotel for the event should be done only through the organizers (UAE CF).

4. Tournament Format

4.1 The tournament shall be conducted as a Swiss System competition of 9 rounds and will be played according to FIDE regulations.

4.2 Time control: Each player will have 90 minutes with the addition of 30 seconds per move starting from the first move.

4.3 The games shall be played with DGT clocks. Pairings will be made by the Swiss Manager Program. Players from the same federation with more than 50% score shall not be paired together in the last round.

4.4 The default time will be 30 minutes for each round.

4.5 Tie Break: The final ranking order of the players is determined by the number of points scored. If at the end of the tournament two or more players are tied for ranking or any prize, tie shall be broken as in accordance with the following:

1. Buchholz Cut 1
2. Buchholz.
3. Direct encounter.
4. Sonneborn Berger.
5. Greater number of wins including forfeits.

5. Schedule

6.Prizes

6.1 Finishing first equal up to 3 players or Silver & Bronze Medal (after tiebreak) winners shall be awarded the CM/WCM title.

6.2 Certificates and cash prize will be awarded to top players in each category as given below.

6. Prize Fund 7500 dollar ($)

7. Technical Delegate, Chief Arbiter and Appeals

7.1 The Asian Chess Federation President after consultation with the organizing federation will nominate the Technical Delegate, Chief Arbiter, as well as the necessary assistant arbiters and other officials.

7.2 The Chairman of the Appeals Committee shall be nominated by the Asian Chess Federation President in consultation with the organizing federation.

The Committee shall be composed of three members and two reserves, all from different Federations, chosen from among the representatives of national federations present.

7.3 Protests must be submitted in writing to the Chairman of the Appeals Committee within fifteen minutes after completion of the relevant playing session. A protest shall be submitted with an accompanying fee of $100. If the protest is upheld, the protest fee will be returned otherwise it shall be forfeited to the organizing federation.

7.4 The decision of the Appeals Committee is final, binding and takes effect immediately.

8. Visa Arrangements

8.1 GCC citizens do not need a visa to enter the UAE. Some of the other nationalities can obtain a visa on arrival while others need to apply for a visa in advance. Find out if you need a visa to enter the UAE. https://www.visitdubai.com/en/plan-your-trip/visa-information

8.2 All players and accompanying person who are not on the above list and require a visa to enter the UAE, are required to send a color copy of their passport and a photo to the organizer’s email.

8.3 Visa Fee:  $30 for each player and accompanying person. Those who need to obtain a permit to enter the UAE from the organizing committee must pay the visa fee, no later than July 15, 2023.

8.4 A digital ID photo and clear scanned Passport Copy of each player or accompanying person should be uploaded in the registration form and submitted to the Organizing Committee.

9. Dress Code:

All Players are encouraged to wear uniforms that represent their national federation and/or the national flag. Shorts and slippers, sunglasses, sport caps and revealing attire are not allowed. Award winners should follow the dress code at the closing ceremony.

10. Organizer Contacts:

Vokhidov continues to lead in the men’s section, and Divya in the women’s section after the 8th round of the Asian Continental Chess Championship.
Only one round remains to be played in the Asian Continental Chess Championship. For some, it will be decisive in the battle for a spot in the World Cup, while others will strive to meet the qualification norm. As for the majority of chess players, they will simply play chess, putting aside the resolution of their sports tasks. But, ultimately, it is for this purpose that representatives from 17 countries have come to Almaty.

The victory in the men’s tournament is almost guaranteed for the Uzbekistan Grandmaster. Tomorrow, Shomsiddin Vokhidov will play with the white pieces against A. Suleimenov from Kazakhstan, who already has a ticket to the World Cup. It doesn’t make sense for both players to take risks, and a draw is highly likely. Yesterday, Alisher once again demonstrated deep calculation and precise evaluation of the position, defeating V. Praniz from India. Now we will cheer for the Pavlodar player, watching his games from Baku. Rinat Zhumabayev and Kazymbek Nogerbek, who drew their game against each other, as well as Azamat Utegaliyev, who managed to defend a challenging position against the rating favorite of the tournament, Arjun Erigaisi (India), still have good chances of qualifying. Moreover, Nogerbek and Utegaliyev have excellent prospects for achieving the Grandmaster norm.

So, before the final 9th round, the leaders’ standings are as follows: 1. Sh. Vokhidov (Uzbekistan) – 6.5; 2-5. B. Daneshvar (Iran), A. Suleimenov, A. Puranik (India), Tin Jing Chao (Singapore) – 6; places 6 to 13 are shared by eight participants, including Zhumabayev, Nogerbek, and Utegaliyev – all of them have 5.5 points and must play for a victory to maintain their chances of advancing to the next stage.

In the women’s tournament, Divya (India) confidently leads and can be said to be “lucky as the first-place finisher.” Meruert Kamalidenova held a draw in her hands for a long time while playing against Divya, but she made a terrible oversight despite having half an hour on the clock compared to her opponent’s 4-5 minutes. Fatigue and nerves are the only explanations. The same factors played a bad joke on A. Nurmanova. After the opening, Alua had an advantage and could reasonably hope for a successful outcome in her important encounter with Mari Gomes from India, but the game between friends-rivals, K. Balabaeva and L. Kurmangaliyeva, became decisive. Ksenia Balabaeva managed to avenge her defeat in the recent zonal tournament in Tajikistan and secured a clear fourth place. In the final round, she will play with the black pieces against the leader. Only a victory satisfies Ksenia. The bridges have been burned, there’s no turning back.

Results after 8 rounds: 1. Divya (India) – 7; 2-3. B. Mungutuul (Mongolia) and M. Gomes (India) – 6; 4. K. Balabaeva – 5.5; among the seven girls sharing places from 5 to 11, Kazakhstani players A. Nurman

Divya Deshmukh in the Women’s Section and Shomsiddin Vokhidov in Men’s Section are leading after Round 7
The seventh round became a “black day for black” at the Asian Chess Championship (Women’s section). Indeed, in the first ten boards, white pieces emerged victorious in nine (!) games. To be fair, it should be acknowledged that the reasons behind this were, on one hand, the uncompromising attitude of the female chess players and, on the other hand, a series of inexplicable blunders made in positions where there seemed to be no cause for concern. In a slightly worse position, Mari Gomes (India) did everything possible to allow her opponent to easily promote her pawn to a queen.

As a result, Divya Deshmukh (India) took a clear first place with a one-point lead over her competitors. In another intra-team encounter between Mungutul and Munzukh (both representing Mongolia), the black pieces, without much need, weakened the king and achieved a well-deserved checkmate. However, there were also well-played matches. Rufus Hamdamova (Uzbekistan) convincingly defeated the two-time champion of Kazakhstan Meruert Kamalidenova, and this victory allowed the capital chess player to secure a share of second place. Alinasab, an Iranian player, exerted pressure on the position of the white pieces for a long time but played inaccurately in the ensuing time trouble and missed an elegant tactical blow at the end. Alua Nurmanova carried out the final attack confidently and forcefully. Before the last two rounds, Divya Deshmukh is in the lead with 6 points. Alua Nurmanova, Meruert Kamalidenova, Mari Gomes (India), and B. Mungutul (Mongolia) are tied for second to fifth place, each with 5 points. Lia Kurmangaliev and Ksenia Balabaeva have 4.5 points, with the latter managing to save her game thanks to a clever trap into which her opponent Irene Sukandar from Indonesia unexpectedly fell.

In the men’s tournament, Shomsiddin Vokhidov (Uzbekistan) defended his leading position in the game against Arjun Erigaisi (India), but he is closely pursued by Aronyak Ghosh (India) and Tin Jing Chao (Singapore), who achieved victories in the current round. Kazymbek Nogerbek’s game left a positive impression as the talented youngster firmly controlled the situation against Indian player Puranik Abhimanyu, and in the final position, where a draw was agreed upon, he might have even had slightly better chances. The game between Azamat Utegaliyev and Rinat Zhumabayev also resulted in a draw. Alisher Suleimenov’s position against Daneshvar Bardia (Iran) caused concern for a long time, but at a critical moment, his opponent became nervous and failed to find the strongest continuation, after which the player from Pavlodar demonstrated the path to salvation with computer-like precision. A draw! Thus, four of Kazakhstan’s players are currently tied for fourth place and have excellent chances to qualify for the World Cup. Rinat Zhumabayev, Azamat Utegaliyev, Kazymbek Nogerbek, and Alisher Suleimenov each have 4.5 points, trailing the leading trio by just half a point.

Check the results for Men Section, Women Section

See the official website and  photo Album of the tournament

The Asian Chess Championship has reached two-thirds of its journey. The tension is increasing, and one could say it’s palpable, especially in the tournament hall. The most important game was played on the first board and revealed the sole leader of the tournament. Rinat Zhumabaev boldly ventured into intricate complications, but his opponent proved to be more precise. Before the final round, Shamsiddin Vokhidov (Uzbekistan) leads the pack, with a one-point lead over a large group of pursuers (12 players).

A fascinating game was played between Alisher Suleimenov and the 2016 Asian Champion, Sethuraman. The game was consistently in favor of the Kazakhstani player, although with occasional subtleties and implementation difficulties. With an elegant combination under the opponent’s time pressure, the Pavlodar player managed to tip the scales in his favor. Murtas Kazhgaleev and Azamat Utegaliyev fought uncompromisingly. The Grandmaster launched an attack but made an imprecise move at a critical moment in the game, allowing the defense to prevail. Kazymbek Nogerbek played a solid game as Black against an opponent with a decent rating. With three rounds remaining, Shamsiddin Vokhidov leads with 5.5 points out of 6. M. Madaminov (Uzbekistan), B. Daneshvar, Pur Amirreza (both from Iran), R. Zhumabaev, A. Suleimenov, A. Utegaliyev, K. Nogerbek (all from Kazakhstan), A. Puranik, V. Pranav, A. Erigaisi, G. Aronyak (all from India), and Z. Tin (Singapore) all have 4.5 points.

As always, the women’s section was fiercely contested. Mari Gomes (India) and B. Munguntuul (Mongolia) “haggled” for over a hundred moves before the white pawn finally promoted to a queen. Unfortunately, to the disappointment of Kazakhstani fans, Alua Nurmanova lost a hard-fought battle against D. Divya (India).

Kseniya Balabaeva and Meruert Kamalidenova spent a considerable amount of time determining who was stronger, and the game ultimately ended in a draw. N. Nurgali came close to success against experienced player Sukandar (Indonesia), but her opponent managed to fend off the attack. T. Munkhzul (Mongolia) secured an important victory, allowing her to claim the third position in the standings. After six rounds, the quartet of leaders transformed into a duo: M. Gomes and D. Divya (both from India) have scored 5 points each. T. Munkhzul has 4.5 points. K. Balabaeva, A. Nurmanova, M. Kamalidenova (all from Kazakhstan), B. Munguntuul (Mongolia), A. Khamdamova (Uzbekistan), and M. Alinasab (Iran) have 4 points each. N. Nurgali, A. Serikbay, and L. Kurmangaliyeva have 3.5 points and are still “in contention” for overall success if they finish strong.

June 7, 2023, Almaty. Today, the 5th round of the Continental Asian Chess Championship is taking place at the Baluan Sholak Sports Palace, with four more rounds ahead. The participants have reached the halfway point of the tournament, which means it’s time to summarize the intermediate results.

After the completion of the first four rounds in the Open Championship for men, Grandmaster Rinat Zhumabaev is leading the standings. Alongside another experienced member of the Kazakhstani national team, Murtas Kazhgaleev, they had a strong start. In the 2nd round, they had to face their opponents with the black pieces, which is always associated with considerable difficulties and risks. While Murtas quickly tilted the balance in his favor with an elegant yet not overly complex tactical strike against the multiple-time champion of Kyrgyzstan, Semetei Tologontegin, Rinat secured his victory through a tough battle. His opponent, Mohammad Rahman from Bangladesh, entrenched himself on the first two ranks and refused to yield an inch of his territory until he lost a pawn close to the time control. It was later revealed that it was a positional sacrifice by the grandmaster, who
had calculated the consequences much further than his opponent, ultimately proving to be correct.

In the 3rd round, Rinat Zhumabaev defeated International Master Aditya Samanta from India, and the 4th round ended in a draw against Iranian player Daneshvar Bardia, who currently occupies the second position after four rounds. Grandmaster Shamsiddin Vokhidov from Uzbekistan is in the third position. Several Kazakhstani players made it into the top ten, including Alisher Suleimenov, Azamat Utegaliyev, Ansar Aldiyar, Murtas Kazhgaleev, and Kazybek Nogerbek. Overall, we have six positions in the top ten.

In the women’s section, Amina Kairbekova had a good performance in the 2nd round, playing on the first board against experienced Iranian player Mobina Aminasab. Asel Serikbay and Liya Kurmangaliyeva faced each other right from the start. The game was played interestingly, and both girls showed a lot of creativity and a will to win, but Asel emerged victorious. Kseniya Balabaeva also started with two consecutive wins. Her opponent, Adelya Ospanova, held the initiative for quite some time as White but eventually succumbed to Kseniya’s precise play. Nazerkke Nurgali, too, started with a perfect score of 2 out of 2, defeating Ayana Abaeva from Kyrgyzstan in a technically precise manner.

After the third and fourth rounds, Alua Nurmanova and Meruert Kamalidenova earned a score of “minus five” as they garnered one and a half points from the two rounds. The game between Nazerkke Nurgali and Meruert Kamalidenova lasted 124 moves and ended in a draw.

After four rounds, Alua Nurmanova, Meruert Kamalidenova, and Nazerkke Nurgali are in pursuit, trailing the leaders by just half a point. The top position after the fourth round is held by Grandmaster B. Munguntuul from Mongolia.

Considering the intensity of the competition at the start, we can anticipate exciting emotions in the middlegame and, especially, at the finish of the championship. It is worth noting that today there is also a simultaneous game session for young chess players with the First Vice President of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation (KCF)
and Vice President of the Asian Chess Federation (ACF), Darman Sadvakasov.

The Continental Asian Chess Championship (Open Championship for men and Championship for women) will continue until the end of this week. The closing ceremony and the awarding of the winners will take place on June 11.

The tournament is organized by the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Kazakhstan, the Asian Chess Federation, and the Kazakhstan Chess Federation with the support of the Akimat of Almaty. The general partner of the tournament is Freedom Holding Corp.

Media Contact:
Daria Burkova
daria@kazchess.kz
+7 701 351 95 50

– Kazakhstan Chess Federation Press Release

On Saturday, June 3, 2023, the Continental Asian Blitz Chess Championship took place in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Blitz chess is one of the fastest variants of chess, where each player is given 3 minutes for the entire game, with an additional 2 seconds added for each move.

After nine rounds of intense competition, Kazakhstani athletes emerged victorious. The champion of the open blitz tournament was FIDE Master Arystan Isanzhulov from Semey, a 20-year-old player with a standard rating of 2408 and a blitz rating of 2450. Second place went to chess player Venkatesh Pranav from India, while our compatriot Denis Makhnev secured the third position.

Among the women, the gold medal was awarded to the Women’s International Master Kseniya Balabaeva from Almaty, an 18-year-old player with a standard rating of 2186 and a blitz rating of 2113. Divya Deshmukh from India claimed the silver medal, and Turmunhiin Munkhzuul from Mongolia took home the bronze.

The blitz championship took place at the Baluan Sholak Sports Palace and gathered 116 chess players from nearly 20 countries around the world. Our winners outperformed all the more renowned opponents—37 participants in the tournament had a blitz rating above 2300, with six of them having a rating above 2500.

According to Gulmira Dauletova, the Executive Director of the Kazakhstan Chess Federation (KCF), the annual blitz championships are traditionally held in Asia alongside classical chess competitions. Last year, Kazakhstan also secured the gold medal in the blitz tournament among the continent’s chess players, with Rinat Dzhumabaev taking the first place.

As tradition dictates, the tournament opened with the ceremonial first move. This honorary right was granted to the First Vice President of the KCF, Darman Sadvakasov, and the Vice President of the Federation, Marat Yesenov. Additionally, in one of the rounds, the General Secretary of the Asian Chess Federation, Hisham Al-Taher, made the first move.

On Sunday, June 4, 2023, the Continental Asian Chess Championship will commence in Almaty. The grand opening ceremony will start at 14:30, and admission is free. The general partner for both tournaments is Freedom Holding Corp. The organizers of the tournaments are the Akimat of Almaty, the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Kazakhstan, the KCF, the Asian Chess Federation, and FIDE. The competition partners are the Baluan Sholak
Sports Palace, Shymbulak Water, and Lichess.com.

– Kazakhstan Chess Federation Press Release