Areshchenko wins Zurich Jubilee on tiebreak

GMs Alexander Areshchenko and Boris Avrukh were leading after 8 rounds and both won their last-round game on Saturday to share first prize at the Zurich Jubilee Open. Next weekend will be very exciting, with Anand, Karpov, Kasparov, Khalifman, Korchnoi, Kramnik, Spassky, Polgar, Ponomariov and Topalov coming to Zurich. Read more

No change in K-factor, for the moment

For the moment the K-factor won’t be changed, but instead “studied further to clarify all aspects and consequences of a possible change”. FIDE writes this in a press release on their website about the Presidential Board meeting which was held June 16-17 in Krakow, Poland. Read more

Rex Sinquefield purchases Bobby Fischer’s chess collection

A collection of valuables and belongings of Bobby Fischer, which appeared as an item on eBay several times in recent years, was yesterday purchased by Rex Sinquefield, founder and board president of the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis.
Read more

4th FIDE Grand Prix (Nalchik) announced

In a press release the organizers of the 4th FIDE Grand Prix announce their tournament, to be held 14th-29th April 2009 in Nalchik, Russia. Akopian (Armenia), Alekseev (Russia), Aronian (Armenia), Bacrot (France), Eljanov (Ukraine), Gelfand (Israel), Grischuk (Russia), Ivanchuk (Ukraine), Kamsky (USA), Karjakin (Ukraine), Kasimdzhanov (Uzbekistan), Leko (Hungary), Mamedyarov (Azerbaijan) and Svidler (Russia) will play. Read more

Results from the FIDE Presidential Board meeting in Istanbul

The World Championship match between Anand and Topalov will be delayed until spring 2010, and the UEP bid for organizing the Wch cycle 2010-2011 has been accepted by FIDE. In 2011 there will be either Candidates Matches or a Candidates Tournament with Kamsky, the loser of Anand-Topalov, two players from the Grand Prix, the winner of the World Cup, the two highest rated players not already qualified and a player nominated by the organizer. These are the most important decisions made at the FIDE Presidential Board meeting that was held from March 5th to 8th in Istanbul, Turkey. Read more

Cream of world chess to play in new London tournament

For the first time in 25 years, London will have a chess tournament with the world’s best players. From December 10 to 17, 2009 a single round-robin with eight players (five world-class grandmasters and three English players) will be held in the capital of the United Kingdom. The tournament boasts a minimum prize fund of ‚Ǩ 100,000 and has applied for membership of the Grand Slam. Initiatior Malcolm Pein: “We’re going to focus on the public and the media.” Read more

UEP makes bid for Candidates Tournament 2010 and WCh Match 2011

A brief note that had been on the FIDE website for a few days was followed by an official press release by UEP today: Universal Event Promotion, who were responsible for the Anand-Kramnik World Championship match in October last year, have made an official proposal for the organisation of the forthcoming World Championship cycle. Read more

Pearl Spring joins Grand Slam, Topalov and Karjakin first qualifiers for 2nd Final

The Pearl Spring Chess Tournament of Nanjing (China) has joined the Grand Slam 2009 next to Corus (Wijk aan Zee, The Netherlands), Ciudad de Linares (Spain), Mtel Masters (Sofia, Bulgaria) and the Masters Final (Bilbao, Spain). Representatives from the Grand Slam Chess Association are planning a fifth tournament from a country in South-America. Press release. Read more

ACP: “Players’ rights have been neglected”

In a new press release the Association of Chess Professionals calls for an “even higher standard of management” and recommends tournament organizers to “act carefully when announcing events which are not completely guaranteed yet.” They argue that by kicking Al Modiahki and Pelletier out of the Grand Prix, “players’ rights have been neglected”.
Read more

ACP joins the debate

In a press release today the Association of Chess Professionals (ACP) joins the debate surrounding the World Chess Championship cycle. Pinpointing the weak (and strong) aspects of the recent changes, they recommend FIDE “to build a sustainable dialog with chess players, where the ACP could play a role of mediator.” Read more

Next Page »