GM Baadur Jobava and GM Zahar Efimenko are top of the table after round 4 of the European Individual Chess Championship. They have perfect 4,0/4 after today’s game and are half a point ahead of the chasing pack.
The XI Torneio Festa da Uva with 9 rounds Swiss and rapid time control was held on 6-7th March in Caxias do Sul, the second largest city in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The tournament had a colossal turnout of 292 participants, and among them special stars Vassily Ivanchuk from Ukraine and legendary Ulf Andersson from Sweden.
Silvio Danailov, executive director of the Grand Slam Chess Association and manager of Veselin Topalov, will run for ECU President. The candidacy of a Bulgarian representative has been a rumor since December, when President Georgi Parvanov announced after his meeting with the FIDE President Kirsan Ilymzhinov that Bulgaria will have its own candidate for ECU. Now the news is official via announcement on the EICC Rijeka page.
We publish the new regulations produced by the FIDE Medical Commission which come into effect from July 1st 2010. They bring the FIDE code into line with the WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) 2009 World Anti-Doping Code and have been accepted by WADA.
Please donwload the FIDE Anti-Doping Regulations in PDF format.
The FIDE President’s delegation arrived from Cambodia to Laos late at night on 5th March and started its programme the following morning at 8am with the Minister for Energy. By 9am, FIDE President called upon the Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh at the Prime Minister’s Office.
FIDE President gave a brief introduction about FIDE and the Republic of Kalmykia. He explained FIDE’s role and its target to achieving a global chess-playing population of 1 billion. He also impressed on the Prime Minister how neighbouring Vietnam started humbly but today is a major chess power in Asia.
The Prime Minister welcomed the FIDE delegation and expressed interest to develop the Chess in Schools programme. The Prime Minister expressed grateful thanks to FIDE President and the Asian Chess Federation for their readiness to help finance the popularisation and development of chess in Laos.
Meeting between FIDE President and the Prime Minister of Laos
Gift from FIDE President to the Prime Minister of Laos
FIDE President pins FIDE collar pin for the Prime Minsiter of Laos
Another Head of State becomes a Friend of FIDE
FIDE delegation, with staff from the Russian Embassy to Laos meeting sports officials of Laos
Mr Sengphone Phonhamath (Director-General Elite Sports Department), Mr Boualane Sylipanya (Vice-Presdent of Lao National Sports Committee), FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, FIDE General Secretary Ignatius Leong, and Mr Kasem Inthara (Olympic Council of Asia Sport Committee Member)
FIDE President and his delegation on a super quick visit to the famous pagoda in Laos
Visit to the famous pagada in Laos
FIDE General Secretary presents the teaching manuals from ASEAN Chess Academy to Mr Boualane Sylipanya (Vice-Presidnet of Lao National Sports Committee)
MONACO, MARCH 3, 2010 – WOMEN’S WORLD CHESS CHAMPION ALEXANDRA KOSTENIUK TODAY JOINED “CHAMPIONS FOR PEACE”, A CLUB OF TOP INTERNATIONAL ATHLETES COMMITTED TO SERVING PEACE IN THE WORLD THROUGH SPORT.
Champions for Peace, an initiative from “Peace and Sport, l’Organisation pour la Paix par le Sport” is now delighted to count 39 heroes from the winner’s podium who actively or symbolically help to create a genuine culture of peace throughout the world using sport. They represent 24 nationalities, 25 Olympic and non-Olympic sports disciplines, 49 World Champions, 20 Olympic Champions and more than a hundred national and regional titles.
At 25, reigning women’s world chess champion Alexandra Kosteniuk brings her international reputation and her numerous victories to promote this noble cause. Initiated to the game of chess at 5 years old, she started collecting international awards from the age of 10, became world champion Girls U-12 in 1996, Women’s European Champion in 2004, Russian Champion in 2005, before winning the supreme women’s world title in 2008. The same year she won the first-ever gold medal in ‘Mind Sports Games’. Alexandra holds the highest title available to men and women chess players – Grandmaster.
Beyond her talent and performance, through her leadership in chess education excellence, Alexandra brings unprecedented experience and motivation to the Champions for Peace initiative. For over 10 years, her high moral standards, ethics and charisma have made her an inspiration and role model for her generation and for millions of fans all over the world. A true ambassador for chess worldwide and on the web, Alexandra has always worked to ensure that her favourite sport serves peace, human development and social progress.
In her role of “Champion for Peace”, she will travel to Colombia in the near future to launch a program for peace and social cohesion, initiated by Peace and Sport in partnership with the NGO Colombianitos and the International Chess Federation (FIDE). This program will over time enable 4,000 children living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods in cities in Colombia to learn chess.
“I am very pleased to be part of the Peace and Sport movement,” declared Alexandra Kosteniuk. “I want to give back to the world the love and happiness that I have received through the wonderful game of chess. I firmly believe that chess serves the cause of peace by improving the lives of young people. I have seen firsthand how chess helps students to develop the skills they need to be successful in life.”
Joel Bouzou, President and Founder of Peace and Sport, himself a World Champion and Olympic Medallist, added: “We are deeply honoured that the Chess Queen has joined the Champions for Peace family. Alexandra has proved to the world that “Chess is Cool”. It’s a real pleasure to be able to count on her enthusiasm, determination and intelligence to inform new audiences and convince policy-makers that sport can and must contribute to sustainable peace.”
Other Champions of Peace include such sporting legends as SERGEY BUBKA (Olympic Champion and six-times World Champion, Pole Vault, Ukraine); FRANKIE FREDERICKS (double World Champion, 100 and 200 metres, Namibia); CATHY FREEMAN (Olympic Champion and double World Champion, 400m, Australia); YELENA ISINBAYEVA (double Olympic Champion and double World Champion, Pole Vault, Russia), CHRISTIAN KAREMBEU (World Champion, Football, France) BRADLEY MCGEE ( Double Olympic Champion, World Champion, cycling, Australia), PAULA RADCLIFFE (World Champion, Marathon, United Kingdom) as well as many more.
Press contacts
PEACE AND SPORT
press@peace-sport.org
www.peace-sport.org
Diego Garcés
diego@kosteniuk.com
www.kosteniuk.com
The 11th European individual men and women’s chess championship is taking place on 5th to 19th of March 2010 in Rijeka, Croatia. The tournaments are qualifiers for the next World Cup, part of the World Championship cycle. According to FIDE regulations and the decision of the ECU Board, 22 players will qualify. Prize fund is 150.000,00 EUR for the men section and 75,000.00 EUR for the women.
In the usual opening speeches it was stressed that with 425 participants in men’s competition and 165 by women, as well as with 246 grandmasters, all the records are beaten, which creates a serious challenge for all the future organizers. The rating leaders in both competitions are Zoltan Almasi (HUN) and Antoaneta Stefanova (BUL).
Three rounds have been played and 13 players in men and 4 in women’s section have singled out on the top with perfect three points:
Men - GM Naiditsch Arkadij (GER 2691), GM Vallejo Pons Francisco (ESP 2708), GM Jobava Baadur (GEO 2695), GM Pelletier Yannick (SUI 2611), GM Timofeev Artyom (RUS 2655), IM Martinovic Sasa (CRO 2509), IM Skoberne Jure (SLO 2509), GM Krasenkow Michal (POL 2652), GM Inarkiev Ernesto (RUS 2667), GM Nisipeanu Liviu-Dieter (ROU 2661), GM Efimenko Zahar (UKR 2640), GM Maiorov Nikita (BLR 2510) and GM Nepomniachtchi Ian (RUS 2656).
Women - GM Socko Monika (POL 2465), GM Arakhamia-Grant Ketevan (SCO 2447), WGM Chelushkina Irina (SRB 2319) and GM Kosintseva Tatiana (RUS 2524).
Full results can be found on the official website. The games are starting at 15:30 with live relay of the top 60 boards.
In addition, there is live video coverage that features multiple web cameras that focus on top boards, as well as general views of the playing hall, showing players, spectators, and guests. As the games progress, the remaining interesting positions and battles are featured.
