01 01 E-MAGAZINE APRIL 2021 GM Victor Bologan wins 1st European Online Parliamentary friendship tournament! 32 MPs participated the event! After 18 days of European Online Amateur Chess Championship, the Winners of groups A,B,C and D have been announced! 1000+ players participated in European Online Amateur Chess Championship 2021 European Online Amateur European Parliamentary event #EuropeanAmateur IAN NEPOMNIACHTCHI WINS FIDE CANDIDATES TOURNAMENT
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E-MAGAZINE
APRIL 2021
GM Victor Bologan wins 1stEuropean Online Parliamentaryfriendship tournament!32 MPs participated the event!
After 18 days of European OnlineAmateur Chess Championship,the Winners of groups A,B,C andD have been announced!
1000+ playersparticipated in EuropeanOnline Amateur ChessChampionship 2021
European Online Amateur
European Parliamentary event
#EuropeanAmateur
IAN NEPOMNIACHTCHIWINS FIDE CANDIDATES
TOURNAMENT
Briefly..
1st European Online Parliamentary Friendship Chess Tournament
with participation of 32 MPs from 15 countries took place on 16th of
April 2021. GM Victor Bologan (Republic of Moldova) scoring 6 points
won the competition.
1000+ players from 49 federations participated in European Online
Amateur Chess Championship 2021 organised from 10th to 28th of
April.
European Small Nations Chess Championship 2021 took place
from 17th-25th April 2021 in a hybrid format,(FIDE Zone 1.10). The
winner of the event, IM Wiedenkeller Michael (LUX) was granted one
of the European spots for the FIDE World Cup 2021.
European Online Hybrid Qualification event for the FIDE World
Cup, is schduled from 22nd to 30th May 2021. The guidelines for
venues were sent to Naitonal Federations.
ECU announced a number of activities for May 2021.
contents
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European Chess Union has its seat in Switzerland,Address: Rainweidstrasse 2, CH-6333, HunenbergSee, Switzerland .European Chess Union is an independentassociation founded in 1985 in Graz, Austria;European Chess Union has 54 National FederationMembers;Every year ECU organizes more than 20 prestigiousevents and championships;
Ian Nepomniachtchi wins FIDECandidates Tournament!
European Parliamentary Ch
GM Victor Bologan winsEuropean Online ParliamentaryFriendship tournament
European Amateur
European Amateur OnlineChess Championship 2021final report
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Small Nations Championship
European Small Nations ChessChampionship 2021 as an hybridevent - final report
#EWCC2021
European Women IndividualChess Championship 2021 -Official regulations
Mitropa Cup 2021
Mitropa Cup 2021 beingplayed as hybrid event
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16
Women's Chess Weekend
European Girls' and Women'sChess Weekend
Upcoming in May
Mr. Theodoros
Tsorbatzoglou speaks for
chessdom
Arbiters Corner
Legends questions
Fun Zone
Newsletter April 2021
Candidates Tournament
After another 7 rounds wereplayed this year, IanNepomniachtchi (RUS)became the Winner of theevent with a round to spare!Before the last, 14th round,Nepomniachtchi was full pointahead of the first runner-upAnish Giri, and in directencounter, Nepomniachtchihas a victory.
A loss in the last round leftNepomniachtchi Ian withscore of 8.5 points, but thatwas enough for the sole firstplace.
With a victory in the lastround Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (FRA) scored 8points and took second place,while Anish Giri (NED) wasthird with 7.5. points.
NEPOMNIACHTCHI WINS CANDIDATES
FIDE CandidatesTournament continued from19th of April 2021 inYekaterinburg, after it wasstopped due to Covid19pandemic.
Photos from theOfficial Website
The World ChessChampionship Match 2021 willbe held from 24th November –16th December in Dubai.The battle for the mostimportant title in the sport ofchess will be between thereigning champion MagnusCarlsen and his challenger IanNepomniachtchi.
3Newsletter April 2021
In the Closing and Awardingceremony of the event ECUVice-President DanaReizniece-Ozola took part,awarding Maxime-VachierLagrave for the second place.
Total prize fund of the eventwas 500.000 EUR.
All the details can be foundon the Official Website.
GM Victor Bologan (Republic ofMoldova) scoring 6 points to emergeon the top.
GM Van Wely Loek (theNetherlands) scored 5.5 points towin silver e-medal, while two playerstied for the third place: ManukianArtak (Armenia) and Shtepa Sergey(Ukraine), with 5 points each.According to tiebreak criteria,Manukian Artak took the third place,and Shtepa Sergey came fourth.
The event was played individually,but the scores of the top threeplayers from one Parliamentaryteam were cumulative for the Teamrankings.
The team winner of the European
Parliamentary Friendship Chess
Tournament became Armenia
(scoring 13.5 points).
Second place came to EuropeanParliament Team with 12 points andTeam of Ukraine.
European Parliamentary Chess Tournament
1st European OnlineParliamentary FriendshipChess Tournament withparticipation of 32 MPs from15 countries took place on16th of April 2021.
Some of theparticipants ofthe eventcompeted fromthe Parliamentvenues!
All the gameswere LIVEbroadcastedtogether withcommentariesby WGM KetiTsatsalashvili.
Opening Ceremony
The Opening ceremony of theevent took place shortly beforethe start of the 1st round, whereECU President Mr. ZurabAzmaiparashvili, ECU Vice-President Mrs.Dana Reizniece-Ozola, ECU Secretary GeneralMr. Theodoros Tsorbatzoglouand FIDE Executive DirectorVictor Bologan (participant ofthe event!) addressed all theparticipants.
4Newsletter April 2021
Three unrated players (no anyFIDE rating) tied for the firstplace in a special category forthe best ranked unratedparticipants, each with 4.5 points.Tiebreak criteria decided that thefirst place in this special categorygoes to Hayrapetyan Mkhitar(Armenia) with score of 4.5points. Second place came toGarcia Del Blanco Iban (Spain)and Mamoulakis Haralabos(Greece) took third place.
Results can be found on the ECUWebsite.
he events for A,B and C groupswere played within two stages:Qualification and Finals (withparticipation of top rankedparticipants from Qualificationphase), while D group had only oneFinal stage that decided theWinners.
More than 400 players from 43European federations participated inthe Qualification event of A group(for players rated 1000-1400) andthe best 250 players proceeded tothe Finals.The Winners became:1.Kovalenko Ivan (UKR), 8/9 points2.Erarslan Okan (TUR), 8/9 points3.Huseynova Dinara (AZE), 7.5points
Full prize list and rankings can befound on the ECU Website.
European Online Amateur ChessChampionship 2021 for playersrated 1401-1700 (group B) tookplace with more than 300 playersfrom 45 federations,the Winners are:1.Erarslan Okan (TUR) 7.5points2.Celik Ege Yigit (TUR) 7.5 points3.Kumar Prajit Sai (NED) 7.5 points
EUROPEAN ONLINE AMATEUR CHESSCHAMPIONSHIP 2021 WINNERS
European Online Amateur Chess Championship 2021launched on the 10th of April with the event for players rated1000-1400 (A group). The event was played through TorneloOnline platform till 28th of April within A,B,C and D groups.
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European OnlineAmateur Championship
European Online AmateurChess Championship tookplace from 10th-28th of April2021, through Tornelo Onlineplatform.The event was played within 4rating categories (A,B,C and D)within Qualification and Finalstages, with 8 and 9 rounds,respectively.Time control was: 10 min + 2sec bonus increment
5Newsletter April 2021
European Online Amateur ChessChampionship for players rated1701-2000 (group C) took placefrom 24th-25th April through TorneloOnline platform. 355 players from 46European federations participatedthe Qualification event and topranked 208 players proceeded toFinals that decided the Winners.The Winners are:1.De Winter Arthur (NED) 9/9 points2.Sahakyan Arman K (ARM) 9/9points3.Celik Berkay (TUR) 8 points
Final results, full prize list and FairPlay Panel announcement can befound on the ECU Website.
With the last stage of the EuropeanOnline Amateur ChessChampionship 2021 for playersrated 2001-2300 (group D) theEuropean Online Amateur ChessChampionship 2021 concluded andthe Winners have been decided:1.Patrelakis Evaggelos (GRE) 9points2.Makridis Dimitrios (GRE) 8 points3.Cofmann Veaceslav (GER) 7.5pointsFinal standings can be found here.Final results and Fair Play Panel
After very intense finish of theevent and 6 hours fights inthe last round two players tiedfor the top throughout theevent: IM WiedenkellerMichael (LUX, 2445) and GMZiska Helgi Dam (FAI, 2532).Both players won theiropponents in the round 9 toscore 8 points, each, and totie for the first place.
Tiebreak criteria decided thatfirst place and a ticket to thenext FIDE World Cup goes toIM Wiedenkeller Michael(LUX, 2445)!
Second place went to GMZiska Helgi Dam (FAI, 2532)while GM Efimov Igor (MNC,2416) was third with 7 points.
European Small Nations Championship
European Small NationsHybrid ChessChampionship 2021 tookplace from 17th-25th April2021 through TorneloOnline platform.
European SmallNations Hybrid event
European Small NationsChampionship 2021 was playedfrom 17th-25th April 2021 in ahybrid format. Each ESNA 1.10Zone member Federationnominated one of its playersand the event was held with 10participants, as a 9 roundsround-robin tournament, withtime control 120 minutes for thegame for each player, with 30seconds increment per movefrom move 1.
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The winner of the event, IM
Wiedenkeller Michael was
granted one of the ECU
spots in the forthcoming
FIDE World Cup 2021.
All the details about the eventand final standings can befound on the ECU Website.
REGULATIONS
European Women Individual ChessChampionship - Official Regulations
European Women Individual Chess Championship2021 will take place from 8th-21st of August 2021, inIasi, Romania.
he event will be played in 11 rounds,Swiss system, with time control 90minutes for 40 moves plus 30 minutesfor the rest of the game with anincrement of 30 seconds per move,starting from /move one.
The total prize fund of the event will be60.000 EUR.
The 21st European Individual Women
Chess Championship is a
qualification event for the FIDE
Women’s World Cup 2022 or 2023.
According to the FIDE regulations andthe ECU Board decision, at least 10players will qualify. The number ofqualification spots may be increasedwith a decision prior to the start of theChampionship.
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7Newsletter April 2021
All players and accompanying personsshall be accommodated in the official****UNIREA Hotel due to the specialsanitary measures for the conduct of thechampionship. Unirea Hotel is the officialplaying venue of the event.
The event is open for all playersrepresenting the Chess Federationsmembers of the European Chess Union,regardless of their title or rating.Applications should be sent by nationalfederations and there is no limit ofparticipants per federation. Registration
deadline is 20th of June 2021.
All players and accompanying personsshall be accommodated in the official****UNIREA Hotel due to the specialsanitary measures for the conduct of thechampionship.All the players should follow medicalprotocol which is described in the OfficialRegulations of the event that can bedownloaded down below.
All details and information can be foundon the ECU Website.
UPCOMING
MITROPA CUP 2021
Mitropa Online Cup 2021 will be played as an OnlineHybrid event in a period from 3rd-12th May 2021through Tornelo Online platform.
he event will be held in two sections,Open and Women, with 9 rounds. Eachteam, in both sections, will be composedof 4 players plus two reserve players,with one captain per time.
Time control of the event will be 90minutes for 40 moves, followed by 30minutes to finish the game, with 30seconds increment for each move,starting from move one.
The event will be calculated for FIDEratings.
Each Federation of the Mitropa circuitwas allowed to nominate one team forthe open section and one team for thewomen section to represent it. List ofregistered teams and players can befound on the following link.
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8Newsletter April 2021
Every team play from a designatedvenue, decided by his/her ChessFederation, which cannot change duringthe Tournament unless major eventsbind the player or the Federation to doso.
The governing body of the MitropaOnline Cup 2021 is the OrganizingCommittee nominated by the SwissChess Federation, affiliated by ECU.The event will be organized with the kindsupport of the Swiss Chess Federation.
The Mitropa Cup is the annual team
chess tournament for national teams
from Central Europe. The traditional
team event this year brings together
10 nations competing against each
other in an Open and a Women
section on 4 boards each. Austria,
Croatia, Czech Republic, France,
Germany, Hungary, Italy, Slovakia,
Slovenia, Switzerland.. The event
commenced in 1976 in Innsbruck.
Details about the event can be found onthe ECU Website.
EUROPEAN GIRLS' AND WOMEN'SCHESS WEEKEND
European Girls' andWomen's Chess Weekendwill be marked Online from15-16 May, with differentactivities: tournaments,coaching sessions,simultaneous exhibitions,workshops and paneldebates open to all girlsand women chess players!
o ensure only female players participatein the tournaments, all tournaments arepassword protected. Passwords havebeen shared with all participatingfederations.Alternatively, participants can send anemail with name, date of birth and homecountry/town to following email address:[email protected].
Tournaments will be played throughlichess platform, within a few categories:for beginners, for players rated U1300,for players U1800 and for others.
International girls and women teambattle will be organized with nationalfederations. Contact:https://lichess.org/@/Female_Europeansif your federation wants to be part of thebattle.
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9Newsletter April 2021
UPCOMING IN MAY
During the weekend, four simultaneousexhibitions will be organised with: WGMUnuk Laura (live commentaries by WIMLara Janzelj & WIM Teja Vidic), WFMDenise Trippold (live commentary WFMNikola Mayrhuber), WGM Petra Papp,(live commentary WIM Inna Agrest) andGM Marie Sebag.
There will be 3 blocks of coachingsessions open to everyone and do notrequire sign up. Sessions will take placeover twitch or zoom with WIM JanaSchneider, WIM Lara Janzelj and WIMTeja Vidic (Twitch), GM Marie Sebag,and small groups coaching sessions willtake place with WGM Petra Papp and IMElisabeth Pähtz.
All the information and links can befound here.
UPCOMING IN MAY
1st Online Workshop“Equal Opportunities”
The 1st Online Workshop “Equal Opportunities” will takeplace from 16th-19th of May 2021.
he main aim of the Workshop isto introduce and explore the mostimportant information aboutchess players with disabilities.The participants will analyse thesituation in chess and reachbasic skills for interacting andaccommodating people withdisabilities acting as Organiser,Trainer and Arbiter.
Details and registration form areavailable in the ECU website,altogether with contactinformation.
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10Newsletter April 2021
The following are the goals of theworkshop:> Increase participants’awareness of disability issuesand disability culture. > EducateChess Arbiters, Trainers &Organisers providing specialcertificates of specialization.> Inform about Europeanprograms and activities relatedwith sports & disability
The lecturers are:>Trainers: Thomas Luther, GMand FIDE Senior Trainer>Organizers: TheodorosTsorbatzoglou, FM andInternational Organizer>Arbiters: Carolina Muñoz Solis,WIM and International Arbiter
The event will be played in a Knockout system with matches of 2standard games + tiebreak ifneeded.
Rounds 2,3 and 4 will be pairedaccording to regulations of the eventwhich are published on the ECUWebsite, while the Final phase willbe played as a Swiss tournament of36 players, 9 rounds with a timecontrol of 10 minutes + 3 seconds ofan increment.
Time control of the standard gameswill be 120 minutes for the wholegame with an increment of 30seconds per move, starting frommove one. Tiebreak matches willconsist of 2 games with reversecolour, with a time control of 10minutes + 3 seconds of anincrement per move. If the score isstill level after tiebreaks, the winnerof the match will be decided in anArmageddon game.
European Hybrid Qualification TournamentEuropean Hybrid QualificationTournament for the FIDE World Cupwill take place from 22nd-30th Mayand will be played in several venues,through Tornelo online platform.36 players will qualify for the FIDEWorld Cup 2021.
UPCOMING IN MAY
The total prize fund for the event will
be 32.000 euros. Money prizes can notbe shared, but will be distributedaccording to tiebreak criteria which isdefined within the regulations of theevent.
European National Federation havethe right to nominate:A. European Players rated 2550and over (according to FIDEStandard rating list from 1st of April2021)B. 8 additional players if a nationalqualification event will take placeC. 5 additional players if a nationalqualification event will not take place
Registrations are made by theNational Federation filling the specialregistration form and sending it [email protected].
Registration deadline isMonday 10th May 2021.
REGISTRATIONS
Hybrid event
11Newsletter April 2021
All the players compete from theapproved tournament halls percountry. Tournament halls shall beselected and installed by federationsand local organisers. Each Nationalfederation may select up to 2venues that will be approved byEuropean Chess Union. Inexceptional cases, ECU may decideon more venues in one country.
In each playing venue, Zoom callswith screen sharing are mandatory.The event’s Chief Arbiter shall beprovided with all Zoom recordings.A detailed guide for the venues setup will be sent to Nationalfederations.
All details about the event,altogether with Officialregulations and registrationform can be found on theECU Website.
UPCOMING IN MAY
The 1st Francophone Online Chess
Team Cup will take place from 15th-16thof May 2021, through Tornelo onlineplatform.The event will be played as a Teamevent, with teams consisting of 4amateur players + 2 reserve players.In each round, at least one femaleplayer shall represent the team.The event will be played in 11 rounds,Swiss system, with time control: 15minutes + 5 seconds per move.In each round, each team shall becomposed of one player rated below2000 (FIDE) and 3 players rated below1800 (FIDE), according to the FIDErating list published on May 1st 2021.The event is open to teams and playersrepresenting AIDEF memberfederations. Registration to thecompetition shall be done through theAIDEF email address [email protected] registration deadline is May 12th
2021, 23h59 CEST.
The 1st Francophone Online Chess
Team Championship will take placefrom 29th-30th May 2021, throughTornelo Online platform.
Teams shall consist of 4 players+2reserve players, and in each round, atleast one female player shall be presentin the team composition.
FRANCOPHONIE CHESS EVENTSThe Francophone ChessAssociation (AIDEF) organises 1stFrancophone Online Chess TeamCup and Francophone Online ChessTeam Championship this May. Theevents will be played online throughTornelo Online platform.
Francophone Chessevents 2021
Francophone Chess events in2021 will take place Online.
The Francophone ChessAssociation (AIDEF) organises1st Francophone Online ChessTeam Cup and FrancophoneOnline Chess TeamChampionship this May, andboth will be played onlinethrough Tornelo Onlineplatform.
12Newsletter April 2021
The 1st Francophone Online chessTeam Championship will be played in 11rounds, Swiss system, with time controlof 15 minutes + 5 seconds per move.The event is open to players and teamsrepresenting AIDEF memberfederations. Registrations shall be donethrough the AIDEF email address:[email protected]. Registration deadline
is May 26th, 2021, 23h59 CEST.
All details about events and Officialregulations can be found on the ECUWebsite.
INTERVIEW
Mr.Theodoros Tsorbatzoglouspeaks to Chessdom
ECU Secretary General Mr. Theodoros Tsorbatzoglougave an exclusive interview for the popular Chess newsportal, which came back with a full redesign.
Among questions about European chess,Mr.Tsorbatzoglou emphasized the big importance ofwomen chess and their successes in other spheres in life.
13Newsletter April 2021
14Newsletter April 2021
We are here with the General
Secretary of the highest governing
body of chess on the old continent.
Mr. Tsorbatzoglou. The ECU has just
launched a very nice heritage video. It
is one of the many ECU initiatives
that we see lately. Can you tell us
more about it?
The positive thing about this pandemicera of about 2 years is that it gives usthe need and the time to further developour digital and creative services. Wehave developed in various areas suchas online competitions, training, courses,meetings, e-commerce accounts. Wehave also increased our creative team,coordinated by our PR and marketingmanager Ms Tea Kipshidze.This video is a part of their work, andyou will see more in the near future. Inthe last 2 years we have been workingmore on repositioning and upgradingECU in the European Sport Market. Themain project in this direction is theGolden Pawn Award Ceremony. A veryambitious event was organized inNovember 2019 for the first time inMonte Carlo and gave the new imageand status of European Chess Union.The event is planned to resume after thepandemic break in 2022. The EuropeanParliamentary Tournament, which endeda few days ago, was also a success forthe first event and we are entering aseries of European Parliaments. Thecooperation in supporting youth chessactivities with the European InvestmentBank- Institute the funding fromErasmus program are other remarkableexamples, on what we want to build onand connect ECU, European high profileinstitutions, European values andsporting heritage.
INTERVIEW
"We want to connect ECU with European high profileinstitutions, European values and sporting heritage"
The interview of ECU Secretary General bychessdom.com:
Mr. Theodoros Tsorbatzoglou
IIn the video the success and high
standings of European players in the
world rankings is mentioned. Just
recently Ian Nepomniachtchi qualified
through the Candidates for a all-
European World Chess
Championship 2021 final against
Magnus Carlsen.
The strength of European Chess is anobvious fact. It was a great result of IanNepomniachtchi, but also in secondplace was Maxime Vachier-Lagrave(FRA) and in third Anish Giri. They allshowed that they are ready to challengethe reigning world champion MagnusCarlsen (NOR) for the world title. In thiscontext, I just want to say that I hope theEuropean federations will not lose any oftheir great players in the future. Playertransfer rules should be harmonized withinternational standards in major sportsfederations. The transfer of playersbetween countries should not be treatedas a club transfer, but as a processcompatible with the representation of acountry.The World Championship is going to
be played in Dubai as part of the
Dubai Expo. Is this a chance to
present the European chess to a
wider audience and more
international partners?
The last two World Championships inNew York and London were greatadvertisement for Chess. Dubai match isalso a very promising venue, linked tothe World Expo. I don’t think WorldChampionship matches are a place topromote European Chess particularly.FIDE does a very good job in organizingthese matches, which are the mostvaluable chess events in the world, soit’s better to follow and support FIDE inthis, as the result is beneficial for thewhole chess community. Of course I willgladly visit the venue and be part of thehistorical moment.
Do you believe the events through
this difficult year brought permanent
changes as to where chess is
played? Are they positive changes for
the sport – do they bring it to larger
audience and make it more
accessible?
Yes, aside from the many problems thepandemic has caused for players,events, and chess clubs, associations,there is an upside. Chess continues tobe played online and is gaining moreaudience, even attracting new sponsorswho are more interested in digital anddistant activities. Online chess platformshave been improved and much betterorganized to receive millions of players.Twitch and YouTube have opened up anew revenue stream for chess players.Coaches are becoming more adept atremote training and many refereesbecame more diligent than before.By resuming over the board activitiesand keeping some online events, we areexpanding our services and accessibility.There are some events such ascorporate and parliamentarycompetitions that are more convenientfor participants when they are organizedonline or in hybrid mode. That is,through hybrid events that are betterregulated now, we can have bettercommunication and competitionsbetween continents.
You are from Greece and your country has just entered the “green” zone regarding the pandemic situation. Othercountries on the continent are resolving the situation step by step too. Is it time for chess to return on the board?Yes, it is time to resume activities over the board. Step by step, because not all events are the same cases. National events yes,international opens yes with all the rules existing in each country. As for the official European Championships, we are ready withthree (3) major championships in August and at least 3-4 more are planned from September to December. Youth/school events,these are among the most difficult cases since there are no vaccines yet for Juniors U18 they are mass events that require largevenues and gatherings.
There are also more restrictions and special permissions for federations to sendyouth squads abroad. But as ECU we will make every effort after the updates foreach month to organize as many as possible over the board events in 2021.
"As ECU we willmake every effortafter the updatesfor each month toorganize as manyas possible overthe board events in2021."
15Newsletter April 2021
Women chess has been gaining
popularity on the continent. The
movie by Netflix “Queen’s gambit”
certainly helps. What are the
initiatives that ECU plans?
Both ECU and FIDE are very focused inwomen’s chess and throughdevelopment programs. In the last twoyears many related activities have beenorganized. In May we have theEuropean Girls’ and Women’s Week incollaboration with German Youth ChessFederation and the support of FIDEWomen’s and FIDE PDC Commission.It is true that the Netflix series “Queen’sGambit” has created a chess trend andmore followers for our game. But whenwe talk about women’s chess, we canbe proud of the Women chess topplayers who are very successful and inthe mainstream politics. RecentlyAntoaneta Stefanova was elected inBulgarian Parliament and she receivedan honorary mandate to form agovernment. Our Vice-President DanaRezience-Ozola was elected the bestMinister of Finance in the EU two (2)years in a row and Viktorija Čmilytė-Nielsen is the Speaker of the LithuanianParliament! It will be a better world ifmore women and additionally chessplayers get more involved in the politicsof the states.
ARBITERS CORNER
Missed translation...
I've always thought that knowing languages helps in life.It's easier to travel, get a job or be an arbiter on chesstournaments.But ...
I have been a chess arbiter since 1989.During this time, I used mainly twoPolish pairing programs, first it wasSwiss Perfect and then Chess Arbiter.Both programs were released in Englishat some point, and since I basically workonly for international tournaments, Istarted using only the English versions. Ilike both programs very much, but oneof them has not been developed for along time and is only suitable for runningfriendly tournaments, but the other isused successfully in Poland to this day.
I used the Chess Arbiter in Europeantournaments until 2013, but then startedusing the Swiss Manager. But in 2017,for FIDE World Cup 2017 I used ChessArbiter again, to make the arbiter report(TRF files) faster.
Text by:IA TomaszDelega
Chairman ofthe ECUArbitersCouncil
16Newsletter April 2021
For online events I still prefer to useChess Arbiter, because is more flexible– for example I can collect allinformations needed inside of theprogram, having not only club/team ofthe players, but also their nicknames oremail addresses.This software is also very useful forpreparing CSV import file with the list ofplayers for Tornelo, because you caneasily create html file and then just copy-paste data from a browser into the CSVtemplate from Tornelo, and theneverything is ready.
However, for the results calculations Iuse Swiss Manager.
Missed translation...
Recently, I was pleased to agree torun Jan Macieja Memorial – an OTBblitz tournament in memory of thegreat visionary and organizer ofmany spectacular chess events inPoland, starting from the MillenniumBlitz World Cup in 2000 thoroughseveral European Championships. Ireceived the draft of regulations andI told my colleagues that I havesome doubts regarding tiebreaks,mainly because Chess Arbiter hasn'timplemented virtual opponentmethod for Buchholz calculation incase of unplayed games.
They replied that many Polish arbiterschecked these calculations andeverything works as it should, and theyask me to check again, if possible,because maybe they are not right.So I opened Chess Arbiter and checked.Only one FIDE method for tiebreaks isavailable “FIDE system (for Buchholz
and S-Berger – unplayed games
counted as a draw against the player
himself)”.
It is what FIDE rules said before. But ifseveral people telling you that virtualopponent method works here …
17Newsletter April 2021
ARBITERS CORNER
I made manual calculations and they areright, it works! So how it is possible that Ididn't know about it? I changed thelanguage version into polish and saw thesame place in polish language “FIDE
method 2012 (virtual opponent for
unplayed games)”.
Everything is clear now, knowinglanguages is not always works ;-)
18Newsletter April 2021
1) What are You doing in life in the
current moment?
Waiting for the end of the currentcoronavirus disaster.
2) Your recollections with meetings
with the World Champions?
I told about them in detail in the followinginterview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JoP3SMxGUo
3) Your best game?
It is impossible to name one. Nowadayscomputers find mistakes in every game.My best combination - from the gameagainst Alexander Lagunow(Dnepropetrovsk 1985).
4) Which Your achievement You
consider to be the most important?
Advance to the fifth round of the FIDEWorld Championship (Groningen 1997)and Top 10 in the world rating list in2000.
5) Best and most important chess
books?
Hard to name a few in every area ofchess knowledge. I would recommendKasparov's "My great predecessors"series for the history of chess ideas andDvoretzky's "Endgame manual" forendgames.
6) How did You start Your career?
My grandfather brought me to theMoscow Palace of Pioneers in 1972,where I instantly got the 3rd category,started playing in tournaments, and wascoached by the famous chess educator,Evgeny Penchko.
7) Your favourite openings?
I am devoted to some opening systemslike the Sveshnikov system of theSicilian defence, The Bagirov system inthe Kings Indian defence etc. althoughgenerally I don't like today's extensivelygrown opening theory, based oncomputer analyses.
MEET CHESS LEGEND GM Michal Krasenkow10 questions by GM Adrian Mikhalchishin
Interview byGM Krasenkow Michal
LEGENDS QUESTIONS
MEET CHESS LEGEND GMKrasenkow Michal
Photo by: Przemysław Jahr
8) Who was the most difficult and the
easiest opponent in Your career?
There are GMs against whom I had avery good score, e.g. the late AloyzasKveinys. Of difficult opponents, againstwhom I have a poor score, I can nameIgor Khenkin.
9) Non chess best book, film and
singer for You.
I can't name a single book or film. Singer- definitely Vladimir Vysotsky, the greatRussian singer-songwriter.
10) Favourite city, food and drink.
It is hard to name a single city. MaybeTromso in Norway, due to fantasticnature and landscapes. Of food - hm...probably dumplings.
FUN ZONE
For this edition of theECU E-Magazine weprepared for you 4positions where Whitemates in 3 moves!
(1842 - 1888) was one of the leadingworld players for most of the 1870sand 1880s. He was Polish-German-British who lost to Wilhelm Steinitz inthe 1st World Chess Championshipin 1886. In an unofficialChampionship he was defeatedby Steinitz in 1872.
Zukertort preferred closed or semi-closed openings such as 1.Nf3 or1.c4 and in fact, in the early 1880s1. Nf3 was known as "Zukertort'sOpening", 40 years before it becameknown as the Reti Opening.
Best chess quote by JohannesZukertort:>Chess is the struggle against
