E-MAGAZINE MARCH 2021

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European Hybrid Qulification

European Hybrid Qualification Tournament for the FIDE World Cup will take place from 22nd-30th May and will be played Online as a hybrid event, through Tornelo online platform.

FIDE Candidates Tournament continues this month, after it was stopped due to Covid19 pandemic.

SF Deizisau e.V. wins European The event continues in Yekaterinburg, , Online Club Cup 2021 from 19th-28th April. Briefly..

European Online Club Cup 2021, after a spectacular final stage the German team SF Deizisau e.V wins the event. 91 teams participated and 18 teams continued to Play-offs. The best 10 teams qualified for the finals which took place on 30th-31st March.

European Online Amateur Chess Championship, 10th-28th April The event will be played on Tornelo Online platform in 4 rating categories (A, B, C and D). More than 600 players coming from 48 European Chess federations have already registered for the event.

European Small Nations Chess Championship 2021 taking place from 17th-25th April 2021 in a hybrid format, following a unanimous has its seat in Switzerland, decision by the ten ESNA member countries. (FIDE Zone 1.10). Address: Rainweidstrasse 2, CH-6333, Hunenberg See, Switzerland . European Chess Union is an independent association founded in 1985 in , Austria; European Online Hybrid Qualification event for the FIDE World European Chess Union has 54 National Federation , 22nd-3oth May 2021. The official regulations published. Members; Cup Every year ECU organizes more than 20 prestigious events and championships; www.europechess.org [email protected] contents

ECU Online Club Cup French Chess Fed. 100 years Candidates Tournament 03 The Winner of European Online 09 International Conference for the 12 FIDE Candidates Tournament Club Cup became the German occasion of 100 years anniversary continues this month! team SF Deizisau e.V! of France Chess Federation Hybrid Tournament #MagnusInvitational Arbiters Corner 05 European Hybrid Qualifaction 10 wins Magnus 13 Legands Questions Tournament for FIDE World Cup Invitational Tournament

ESNA Hybrid Event Montenegro Chess Festival Fun Zone 07 European Small Nations 11 Brief report on Montenegro 15 Hybrid Championship preview Chess Festival 2021

Newsletter March 2021 SF Deizisau e.V. wins European Online Club Cup 2021

After an intense final stage of European Online Club Cup 2021 the German team SF Deizisau e.V wins the event!

91 teams took part in the event and 18 teams advanced to Play-offs. The best 10 teams of Play-offs qualified for the final phase which took place on 30th-31st March and decided the Winners of the event!

Newsletter March 2021 3 Team of SF Deizisau e.V. scored 14 GM Vidit Santosh Gujrathi (IND, 2726, The Awarding ceremony of the event match points to be the sole Winner of Novy Bor), with performance 2786 was took place on Friday 2nd of April, with the event, while second place came to the best individual player of board 2. participation of the Medalists, ECU Clichy Echecs 92 from France with 13 President Mr. , match points. Two teams tied for the The best player of Board 3 is GM Socko President of Cercle bronze medal with a score of 11 match Bartosz (POL, 2618, Poland Hussars), d'Echecs de Monte-Carlo, Mr. Jean points, each: Mednyi Vsadnik (Russia) Performance: 2674. Michelle Repeire. and Poland Hussars (Poland), but according to board points, Mednyi Thee best individual player of board 3 is Vsadnik took third place. GM Esipenko (RUS, 2701, Mednyi Vsadnik), Performance: 2767. Special prize “” is awarded to a winner of the best game of The best reserve player of the event European Online the tournament! The Winner of the prize is GM Keymer Vincent (GER, 2591, SF Chess Club Cup is Artemiev Vladislav who won Bartel Deizisau e.V.), with Performance: 2812. European Club Mateusz! Cup took place from 27th-31st March 2021 through Tornelo The best individual players per board, online platform. will be awarded special prizes according All the rounds and games of the event to their performance: the top three were broadcasted live from the ECU The event was played within individual board players will receive e- LIVE studio, together with commentaries three stages: Qualification, medals, while the best players per board by WGM Keti Tsatsalashvili and her play-off and Finals, with a total will be awarded a money prize of 400 special guests: ECU President Zurab prize fund of 14.000 EUR. EUR. Azmaiparashvili, ECU Vice Presidents: Adrian Mikhalchishin, Dana Reizniece- Details about the event can be 1st Board best player is GM Duda Jan- Ozola and Eva Repkova. found on the ECU Website. Krzysztof (POL, 2729, Poland Hussars), Performance: 2890

Newsletter March 2021 4 EUROPEAN HYBRID QUALIFICATION TOURNAMENT FOR THE FIDE WORLD CUP

European Hybrid Qualification Tournament for the FIDE World Cup will take place from 22nd-30th May and will be played in several venues, through Tornelo online platform.

36 players will qualify for the FIDE World Cup 2021.

Newsletter March 2021 5 The event will be played in a Knock out system with matches of 2 standard games + tiebreak if needed.

> 1st Round – Preliminary round (Random pairings) >2nd Round – 288 players >3rd Round – 144 players >4th Round – 72 players >Tiebreaks for Prizes

Rounds 2,3 and 4 will be paired according to regulations of the event which are published on the ECU Website, while the Final phase will be played as a Swiss tournament of 36 players, 9 rounds with a of 10 minutes + 3 seconds of an increment. All the players compete from the Time control of the standard games approved tournament halls per will be 120 minutes for the whole country. Tournament halls shall be game with an increment of 30 selected and installed by federations seconds per move, starting from and local organisers. Each National move one. Tiebreak matches will federation may select up to 2 consist of 2 games with reverse venues that will be approved by colour, with a time control of 10 European Chess Union. In minutes + 3 seconds of an exceptional cases, ECU may decide increment per move. If the score is on more venues in one country. still level after tiebreaks, the winner of the match will be decided in an In each playing venue, Zoom calls Armageddon game. with screen sharing are mandatory. The event’s Chief Arbiter shall be The tournament will not be provided with all Zoom recordings. calculated for the FIDE rating. A detailed guide for the venues set up will be sent to National federations. Hybrid event Prizes REGISTRATIONS Registration deadline is The total prize fund for the event will Monday 10th May 2021. be 32.000 euros. Money prizes can not be shared, but will be distributed European National Federation have according to tiebreak criteria which is the right to nominate: defined within the regulations of the A. European Players rated 2550 event. All details about the event, and over (according to FIDE altogether with Official Standard rating list from 1st of April Prizes are: 2021) 1st place- 3000 EUR regulations and registration B. 8 additional players if a national 2nd place- 2500 EUR qualification event will take place form can be found on the 3rd place- 2000 EUR C. 5 additional players if a national ECU Website. qualification event will not take place 4th-6th place- 1500 EUR 7th-10th place- 1250 EUR Registrations are made by the 11th-20th place- 1000 EUR National Federation filling the special 21st-30th place- 500 EUR registration form and sending it to [email protected]. Newsletter March 2021 6 European Small Nations Hybrid Championship 2021

European Small Nations Championship 2021 takes place from 17th-25th April 2021 in a hybrid format, following a unanimous decision by the ten ESNA member countries of Zone 1.10. The winner of the event will be granted one of the ECU spots in the forthcoming FIDE World Cup 2021.

ach ESNA member Federation The Championship will be played on nominated one of its players and the the platform Tornelo.com. Every event will be held with 10 venue will be supervised by one participants, as a 9 rounds round- local arbiter who will connect a E robin tournament, with time control second camera to grant a full sight 120 minutes for the game for each of the venue itself. All the venue player, with 30 seconds increment cameras will be connected to a per move from move 1. Starting rank specific videoconference that will be list can be found on the following set up and circulated by the Chief link. Arbiter Marco Biagoli.

Every player will play from a Official Regulations of the event can designated venue, decided by his be found on the ECU Website. Chess Federation, which cannot change during the Tournament unless major events bind the player or the Federation to do so.

Newsletter March 2021 7 UPCOMING IN APRIL

Europan Online Amateur Chess Championship schedule

European Online Amateur Chess Registrations and entry fee payments Championship will take place from are available online per category: 10th-28th April 2021, on the Tornelo Group: 1000 – 1400: playing platform. https://tornelo.com/chess/orgs/ europechess/events/ The event will be played in 4 rating eaocc-2021-1000-1400 categories: A – For players rated 1000-1400 Registration deadline for group A is B – For players rated 1401-1700 7th of April. C – For players rated 1701-2000 D – For players rated 2001-2300 Group: 1401 – 1700: https://tornelo.com/ chess/orgs/europechess/events/ FIDE Standard ratings from April 2021 eaocc-2021-1401-1700 Group: 1701 – rating list will be considered. 2000: https://tornelo.com/chess/orgs/ europechess/events/ The event will be played according to eaocc-2021-1701-2000 Group: 2001 – the Swiss System for all rating groups 2300: https://tornelo.com/chess/orgs/ with time Control: 10 min + 2 sec bonus europechess/events/ #EOACC2021 increment eaocc-2021-2001-2300 Prize list Day – 1 All groups: Qualification Stage, 8 rounds, minimum 250 qualifiers to the The prize list of European Online Amateur Chess final stage. More than 600 players coming from Championship 2021 includes Day – 2 Final Stage, 9 rounds, 250 48 European federations registered money prizes for the best players. Any player belonging to one for the event, and the current starting ranked players and Women European National Chess Federation list of players can be found here. players, as well as special has the right to participate. prizes for the best ranked Youth Participants without a valid FIDE ID can players of categories for boys issue one through their National Chess Official regulations of the event, and girls U12, U14, U16 and Federation (is a fast procedure). schedule and full prize list are available U18, and special prizes for the The tournament(s) is not valid for FIDE on the ECU Website. best ranked players rated Rating. U1200, U1550, U1800 and U2150.

Newsletter March 2021 8 For the occasion of 100 years anniversary of , the International Conference took place on 20th March 2021, emphasizing the significance of France as a chess nation for the development of chess in other European countries.

International Chess Conference for the occasion of 100 years anniversary of France Chess Federation

enown chess historians from In ten lectures (5 were in French, France, Germany, England, 4 in English, 1 in Spanish), the Spain, Poland and the Czech speakers spoke about almost R Republic were invited to 500 years of French chess Conference to present their history. research on the topic. The Conference started with speech about first manuscripts Among the participants of the from the 15th century and the Conference were also: FIDE 18th century, and continued to President Mr. the great Philidor and his and ECU President Mr. Zurab reception in England and Russia. Azmaiparashvili Speakers also gave new insights into the legendary Deschapelles as well as the foreign chess professionals in the Café de la Régence of the 19th century.

Newsletter March 2021 9 Anish Giri wins #MagnusInvitational

Magnuc Carlsen Invitational tournament as part of the Meltwater Chapions Chess Tour took place from 13th-21st March 2021.

Anish Giri (NED) took a victory against in the final match to become the Winner of Magnus Invitational event.

The Finals were played within two days, and after equal score after 8 played games, the match proceeded to tiebreak blitz match, where Anish Giri convincingly With a 1st place of Magnus defeated Nepomniachtchi Ian Invitational, Anish Giri won a with 2-0 ticket for the Finals of score. Meltwater Champions Chess Tour which will be held from Reigning World Chess 25th September- 3rd October, Champion with a total prize fund of played a play-off match 300.000 $. against for the third place of the event, and Details can be found on the after two days of fights Official Website of the event. Carlsen won both matches to claim the 3rd place and prize of 25.000$.

Meltwater Champions Chess Tour Meltwater Champions Chess Tour contains 10 tournaments, which conclude with Final event, taking place from 25th September - 3rd October Finals between 2021. Anish Giri and The next event on the Ian schedule is Regular#3 from Nepomniachtchi 24th April-2nd May 2021.

Newsletter March 2021 10 Montenegro Chess Festival 2021

Montenegro Chess Federation, in cooperation with the chess club „Elektroprivreda“ from Nikšić, organized Montenegro Chess Festival from 26th of February to 25th of March.

Two IM tournaments were held in Nikšić, while the host of GM and Mix tournaments was Podgorica. IM and GM tournaments were 10 players round- robin with ten participants each. The Mix tournament was played with 16 participants.

The Winners of Montenegro Chess Festival IM tournament 2021/01, February 26th – March 4th (10 participants, 9 round): 1. Alivodic Dario MNE 2189 6,5 2. IM Nikac Predrag MNE 2320 5,5 3. GM Nikcevic Nebojsa MNE 2412 5,5 The Mix event took place from 19th-25th The Winners of Montenegro Chess of March in Podgorica, and after 9 Festival IM tournament 2021/02, March played rounds the Winners are: 5-11th (10 participants, 9 round): 1. GM Sanal Vahap TUR 2571 8,5 1. FM Pecurica Milos MNE 2320 7 2. IM Suleymanli Aydin AZE 2512 6,5 2. GM Nikcevic Nebojsa MNE 2412 6,5 3. GM Thybo Jesper Sondergaard DEN 3. IM Nikac Predrag MNE 2320 5 2572 5,5 Montenegro Chess Festival GM 2021/01 tournament took place from 12-18 March (10 participants, 9 round) and the Winners are: All the results of the events can be found 1. GM Djukic Nikola MNE 2521 7 on the following link. 2.GM Delchev Aleksander BUL 2526 5,5 3. IM Suleymanli Aydin AZE 2512 5,5

Upcoming events: Montenegro Chess Festival 2021 The organizers are calling everyone who is interested in future participation to contact them, emphasizing that these tournaments are going to become traditional. The dates of the forthcoming tournaments are 16-22 April and 23-29 April. GM Nikola The organizers provided IM and Djukic won the tournaments for players with a Grandmasters rating below 2300, while GM event tournaments will be held according to the possible interest.

Newsletter March 2021 11 UPCOMING FIDE CANDIDATES TOURNAMENT

FIDE Candidates Tournament continues this month, after it was stopped due to Covid19 pandemic.

The event that decides who will be the Challenger for the title, will resume on the 19th of April in Yekaterinburg, Russia.

Results of the first 7 rounds which were played last year are valid and the event continues with a lead of Nepomniachtchi Ian (RUS) and Maxime Vachier- Lagrave (FRA), who tie for the top scoring 4.5 points each. The event will take place from 19th-28th April 2021 and the (USA), Anish Winner will play for the title of the Giri (NED), (CHN) World Chess Champion against and (RUS) Magnus Carlsen! tie for the third place with 3.5 points, each, while Total prize fund of the event is and Kirill Alekseenko have a 500.000 EUR. score of 2.5 points, each.

All details and regulations can be found on the Official Website of the event.

Candidates Tournament Schedule

19th April 2021, Round 8 20th April 2021, Round 9 21st April 2021, Round 10 (22nd April 2021, rest day) 23rd April 2021, Round 11 24th April 2021, Round 12 (25th April 2021, rest day) 26th April 2021, Round 13 27th April 2021, Round 14 28th April 2021, tie-breaks (if required)

Newsletter March 2021 12 ARBITERS CORNER

Text by: IA Tania Karali

National Online Arbiter (NOA) Certification Course, April 12th - 13th

For almost one year, ECU and FIDE It will be organised in two days, April have turned to online chess as a means 12th and 13th, for 2.5 hours on each to continue chess activity. Many minor day, and will consist of lectures and and major tournaments were organised, various examples from practical various formats were tested and a lot of experience. Regarding Hybrid events, experience gathered. In the beginning of the ECU Online Youth Championship 2021, several commissions put all of this will be presented as a model, where experience together and published the more than 700 players from 40 FIDE Online Chess Regulations. federations participated and were ECU soon followed and published the spread in 60 venues. ECU Annex for Online Competitions. After the Course, a certification from ECU will be given to attendants who fulfil However, publishing regulations is the following criteria: usually not enough. In the past months, • Sufficient knowledge of English the ECU Arbiters' Council has organised (conversational level) 3 successful seminars for International • Sufficient skills to work on a personal For a Course to be organised a or FIDE Arbiters who wished to be computer (advanced user level) minimum of 20 participants is trained as Online Arbiters and work in • Sufficient knowledge of at least one needed and maximum number ECU events. The seminars consisted of platform for online chess can be 30. both theory (explanation of regulations) • Deep understanding of Fair Play and practice (familiarising with playing principles for online chess The application deadline is on zones) and concluded in an exam on the April 8th and there are still final day. The language of the Course will be available places, so make sure to English, but there is a chance to register in time. After certifying 60 arbiters from 27 organise it in the future in other European federations and 5 arbiters languages (for example, Russian, from other continents (the full list can be Spanish, German and French), provided found here: https://docs.google.com/ that a sufficient number of participants spreadsheets/d/ express their interest in advance. To 1Pn5JLJxobvZp004BGycNsE2qqcfbND register for the Course in English, you vNP2t5NQ6A8fY/edit#gid=0) may click here. it is time to launch the National Online Arbiter Certification Course. If you wish to preregister for a future course in a different language, you may The Course addresses all arbiters who click here. are licensed as NAs or higher and wish Detailed regulations for the seminar can to be informed about be found here. • the FIDE Laws of Chess (overview) By attending the seminar you will be • the FIDE and ECU Regulations for taught all you need to know about online events working in online events and will get a • Fair Play regulations thorough view of the duties of an online • the various Hosting Internet Platforms arbiter. You will get acquainted with the • handling Video Conference Calls different platforms and gain a good through Zoom understanding of the Fair Play • using Slack as means of regulations. communication among arbiters *Links related to the Article can be found • Hybrid events within the Online version of Magazine.

Newsletter March 2021 13 LEGENDS QUESTIONS

MEET CHESS LEGEND GM Włodzimierz Schmidt The Winner of 35 different Medals in Polish Championships

1) What are You doing in life in the current moment? I am still actively interested in chess. I watch and analize games from top tournaments. However, most of the time I study openings and especially the analysis of very complicated variations from very different openings.

2) Your recollections with meetings with the World Champions? In 1968-1986 I played ten games with five world champions. Most of them with V. Smyslov (+1=1-2), B. Spassky (+0=1-2) and I lost with T. Petrosian, A. Karpov and G. Kasparov. The games were difficult, however my opponents also made some mistakes.

3) Your best game? – Włodzimierz Schmidt, 0-1, Aarhus DEN, 1971-09-08.

4) Which Your achievement You consider to be the most important? The first places in few strong international tournaments, such as MEET CHESS LEGEND GM 8) Who was the most difficult and Memorial of Włodzimierz Schmidt the easiest opponent in Your Polanica Zdrój 1973 and 1981, career? 10 questions by GM Adrian (Vasas) 1986. Specifically, I didn't have the hardest Mikhalchishin and easiest opponent. I treated 5) Best and most important chess everyone seriously. My successes books? were largely the result of very good D. Bronstein – Zuerich 1953, opening preparation. Especially M. Dvoretsky – Handbook of blacks which are always harder to endings. play. 6) How did You start Your career? 9) Non chess best book, film and 10) Favourite city, food and The biggest success at the singer for You. drink. beginning of my career was the first/ It's hard for me to name one book. I don't have a favorite city second place in Polish These are books on economics, new because I felt good Championships up to twenty years. everywhere. technologies, consumer electronics, I was fourteen years old! The food is: dumplings and computers and the Internet. pizza. Movie: Pretty Woman with Julia Drinks are coffee and various 7) Your favourite openings? Roberts and Richard Gere. teas. Sicilian, French, Kings Indian and Anna German's songs. Gruenfeld defense - all black.

Newsletter March 2021 14 FUN ZONE

>However hopeless the situation For this edition of the appears to be there yet always exists the possibility of putting up ECU E-Magazine we a stubborn resistance. prepared for you 4

>Even the best grandmasters in positions where White the world have had to work hard mates in 3 moves! to acquire the technique of endings. has said >A player can sometimes afford the luxury of an inaccurate move, Solutions from or even a definite error, in the February Magazine about opening or middlegame without #Puzzle 1: necessarily obtaining a lost 1.Qxg7!+ Kxg7 2.Nf5+ Kg8 position. In the endgame ... an 3.Nh6# chess: error can be decisive, and we are #Puzzle 2: rarely presented with a second 1.Na7+! Bxa7 2.Qxc6+ bxc6 3.Ba6# chance. #Puzzle 3: 1.Rh8+! Kxh8 2.Qh1+ Kg8 >Chess is a test of wills. 3.Qh7# Puzzle 4: >An innovation need not be 1.Qf7+! Nxf7 2.Nf6!+ gxf6 especially ingenious, but it must 3.Bxf7# be well worked out.

Newsletter March 2021 15