<p class="lead">On May 30, the Indian superstar and FIDE Online Arena Ambassador Vidit Gujrathi will play and stream the <a href="https://chessarena.com/tournaments/18066">2nd Open Arena Tournament</a> on Arena, and the winner will receive a pocket chess set signed by Vidit.</p>
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<img src="https://worldchess.com/news/pictures/Frame-139.png" width="1600" height="800" alt="" />
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<p>The <a href="https://chessarena.com/tournaments/17311?fbclid=IwAR27RvkM9QeJdUIMrF4PbYen2F1yU23CkOOcG3lTEq0agEL6rnmz5ibpf3Q">first Open Arena Tournament</a> with GM Vidit Gujrathi attracted 1520 players from 90 countries. The Indian GM not only played but made sure to entertnain his audience with his <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbYPa69QWUY">funny comments and cheerful personality!</a></p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/FideOnlineArena/status/1520325709738221568">https://twitter.com/FideOnlineArena/status/1520325709738221568</a></p><p>On May 30th, 15:30 UTC / 21:00 IST, Vidit will host his <a href="https://chessarena.com/tournaments/18066">2nd Open Arena Tournament</a> and the winner will receive a <a href="https://shop.worldchess.com/collections/chess-sets/products/world-chess-pocket-set">premium pocket chess set</a>, worth of $199.00, personally signed by Vidit!</p>
<p>Participation: free<br />
Time-control: blitz 3+2<br />
System: Arena</p>
<p>Join the tournament <a href="https://chessarena.com/tournaments/18066">here</a>, invite your friends and have fun with GM Vidit Gujrathi.</p>
<p><a href="https://chessarena.com/tournaments/18066" class="wchess_button">Join the Tournament</a></p>


Join Vidit’s 2nd Open Arena Tournament

<p class="lead">IM and WGM Elisabeth Paehtz gives an exclusive interview to World Chess about her experience in the army, women’s chess in Germany, recent successes in chess tournaments and much more.</p>
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Elisabeth Paehtz: “People either love me or hate me”

<p class="lead">The Polish GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda won the 2022 Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland half a point ahead of Vishy Anand and Levon Aronian. But Duda was not the only “winner” as Fabiano Caruana (+10) and Levon Aronian (+9) climbed the blitz rating list after their remarkable performance, surpassing Carlsen who is now downgraded to 4th place!</p>
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<p>The former World Champion Vishy Anand had a stunning performance in the rapid chess but unfortunately faded in blitz. Nevertheless, the 52-year-old GM still tied for first after losing his last two games against Duda.</p>
<p>“I was very focused against Vishy, I thought it was very important to win against him because he was the leader at the time, and also I hadn’t managed to beat him in this game in my life!” Duda commented after his triumph.</p>
<p>Even after his two consecutive losses though, the Indian GM was very close. In the final round, Duda and Aronian were co-leaders with 23 points, while Anand and Caruana had 22.5. Vishy beat Wojtaszek, while Aronian-Caruana ended in a draw. Duda needed this last round point but he found himself in a losing position against Kirill Shevchenko.</p>
<p>“The last game was kind of funny. It was a very nervous game, of course, but it was fun, and I’m very satisfied with my play overall.”  Duda said about his last game, which ended in his favor after a brilliant bounce back!</p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/GM_JKDuda/status/1528802616502894593">https://twitter.com/GM_JKDuda/status/1528802616502894593</a></p>

Duda is the 2022 Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland King

<p class="lead">After Karjakin’s <a href="https://worldchess.com/news/all/gm-sergey-karjakin-is-banned-for-6-months-for-real/">6-months ban</a> from competitive chess left an open spot for the 2022 Candidates Tournament, the Chinese GM Ding Liren started a successful marathon of rated games in order to be eligible for the tournament.</p>
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<img src="https://worldchess.com/news/pictures/51132737892_420ff3984c_k.jpg" width="2047" height="1260" alt="" />
<div class="e2-text-caption">Photo: FIDE / Lennart Ootes</div>
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<p>Invitation of Ding Liren, while officially issued by FIDE, is contingent on Sergey Karjakin’s appeal to CAS, the highest court for sports disputes. According to Karjakin, he will seek to repel the ban.</p>
<p>Ding Liren needed to play 30 games between 1 June 2021 and 30 April 2022 to take over Kaarjakin’s spot as the highest-rated player. In a mission that almost seemed impossible for most people – even though the chess community was cheering for him all the way, the Chinese GM proved that anything can happen!</p>
<p>The Chinese Chess Association organized a 4-player quadruple round-robin in Hangzhou (12 games); a 6-game match against Wei Yi (6 games); and finally a 10-round qualifier to the Asian Games (10 games). Completing 28 games with an impressive score of 20.5 points (13 victories, 15 draws, and no loss), Ding Liren finished the quest of 26 games, and also surpassed Alireza Firouzja in the rating list and is now number two again.</p>
<h3>After Liren’s qualification, the participants of the Candidates tournament will be:</h3>
<p>Ian Nepomniachtchi – 2021 World Chess Champion Match runner-up<br />
Alireza Firouzja – Grand Swiss winner<br />
Fabiano Caruana – Grand Swiss runner-up<br />
Jan-Krzystof Duda – World Cup winner<br />
Hikaru Nakamura – Grand Prix winner<br />
Richard Rapport – Grand Prix runner-up<br />
Ding Liren – *Replacement for Karjakin<br />
Teimour Radjabov – Wild Card</p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/FIDE_chess/status/1526213219584552962">https://twitter.com/FIDE_chess/status/1526213219584552962</a></p>

Ding Liren Will Play In 2022 Candidates

<p class="lead">Maxime Vachier-Lagrave wins the <a href="https://worldchess.com/news/all/2022-superbet-chess-classic-romania/">2022 Superbet Chess Classic</a> in Romania after an impressive 3/3 score on the last day against Alireza, So, and Aronian.</p>
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<img src="https://worldchess.com/news/pictures/20220323150903_IMG_4210-1.jpg" width="2560" height="1707" alt="" />
<div class="e2-text-caption">Photo: World Chess</div>
</div>
<p>The French GM did not make the cut for the 2022 Candidates, but as he said last year after winning the Sinquefield Cup: “I have absolutely no doubt that I am part of the chess elite. I want to prove it tournament after tournament.” He is clearly acting on this plan based on his performance at the 2022 Superbet Chess Classic. A convincing win is something you rarely see in top-level chess these days (if you don’t take the 2022 Championship match into account).</p>
<p>The last round of the Superbet was critical, with MVL fighting against the tournament’s favorite Alireza Firoujza. MVL beat Alireza with black, climbed to the 10th place in the live rating list, and tied for first with 5.5 points along with the US grandmasters, Welsey So and Levon Aronian.</p>
<p>A single round-robin between the three would decide the winner of the tournament. The 31-year-old Frenchman managed to beat both in playoffs to win the event!</p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/GrandChessTour/status/1525540421845278720">https://twitter.com/GrandChessTour/status/1525540421845278720</a></p>

MVL wins Superbet Chess Classic 2022

<p class="lead">Communist Party chess team, represented by GMs Alexander Grischuk, Vladimir Potkin, Alexey Dreev et al. took part in the <a href="https://chess-results.com/tnr633431.aspx?lan=11&art=8">Russian team championship</a> in Sochi and came third. The team’s name, besides ensuring a perfect clickbait title for this article, outlines the hysterical landscape of Russian chess club sponsorship, where various entities for little money enshrine their (often) unsavory brands with a chess sanctity. Case in point: the Communist Party chess team.</p>
<p>The Russian chess club championship, less prestigious than the individual championship, gives grandmasters a good opportunity to spend time in Sochi, the famous resort town by the Black Sea, and to maintain form. Chess players also make money, usually charging the sponsoring organization on a per-game basis. Top GMs usually collect around $2,000 per game plus bonuses.</p>
<p>Regional chess federations are expected to send at least one team to the National Team championship, and they are keen to fund local patrons or sponsors who apply their brand (or last name, in case of the individual sponsor) to the team’s name and branding. Hence the teams rotate their names often, and sometimes very unpredictably. In the 2022 edition of the team championship, there were 8 teams. The winning team, from Moscow, changed its name several times in the last 5 years, remembered in a previous incarnation as ‘Our Heritage’, the same as the eponymous non-profit organization financed by the Moscow Chess Federation’s previous president.</p>
<p>The Commumist Party of Russia took its sponsorship seriously and provided the hammer and sickle-decorated polos to its stars, so here are the photos, courtesy of the Russian Chess Federation.</p>
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<img src="https://worldchess.com/news/pictures/7569E492-0A3D-4B5E-A978-8B54AA335992.jpeg" width="1400" height="933" alt="" />
<div class="e2-text-caption">Alexander Grischuk, center, in the Communist Party of Russia polo, looks handsome as always</div>
</div>
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<img src="https://worldchess.com/news/pictures/67AD0CFD-023F-481D-BC4D-D98736BC1CCB.jpeg" width="1400" height="933" alt="" />
<div class="e2-text-caption">One of the teams sports ‘USSR’ on their jackets</div>
</div>


Communist Party Team Almost Wins Russian Chess Championship, Sadly

<p>Ian Nepomniachtchi (Nepo), Russian Grandmaster and 2021 Championship challenger, beat Alireza Firouzja with White in Round 2 of Superbet Chess Classic. The game was captivating not only because of chess (it was chaotic), but also because everyone is watching for Firouzja’s chances to win the Candidates Tournament. The reason — Magnus Carlsen recently said that he would play the Match only against Firouzja. Apparently, chances are slim.</p>
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<img src="https://worldchess.com/news/pictures/9E7D3455-3106-45B4-9344-4718D79C38CE.jpeg" width="1600" height="1067" alt="" />
<div class="e2-text-caption">Nepo in Moscow in 2019</div>
</div>
<p>Nepo, grumpy but visibly pleased with the result, was first to point out that he managed to win the first classical game since September 2021. He laughed that he is one of the world’s top experts in the Queen vs Rook and Knight ending, referring to the now famous game 6 of the 2021 World Chess Championship. He lost that one.</p>
<div style="position: relative; width: 600px; max-width: 100%; padding-bottom: min(calc(100% + 210px), 810px);"><iframe src="https://widget.k8stage.worldchess.com/?theme=dark&cb-theme=worldchess&game-data-url=https://worldchess.com/api/online/gaming/f9666079-04e0-466b-80ab-f662e517f350/&url=https://chessarena.com/broadcast/17409/f9666079-04e0-466b-80ab-f662e517f350" frameBorder="0" style="display: block; position: absolute; width: 100%; height: 100%; border-radius: 10px;"></iframe>
</div><p><a href="https://grandchesstour.org/2022-grand-chess-tour/2022-superbet-chess-classic">Superbet Chess Classic</a>, part of the Grand Chess Tour, organized by Garry Kasparov, is taking place in Bucharest, Romania, and features the world’s top players. You can follow the games live on <a href="https://chessarena.com/broadcasts/17409">World Chess</a>.</p>


Nepo Beats Firouzja, Carlsen’s Preferred Opponent

<p class="lead">Today, the Appeal Chamber of the FIDE Ethics and Disciplinary Commission (EDC)  has announced its decision to dismiss the appeal presented by GM Sergey Karjakin, and confirmed the 6-month ban that was imposed by the EDC.</p>
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<p>On February 27, 2022, the FIDE Council decided to bring <a href="https://worldchess.com/news/all/gm-sergey-karjakin-is-banned-for-6-months-by-fide-ethics/">the case of GM Sergey Karjakin</a> to the Ethics and Disciplinary Commission for his public statements on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. On March 21st, 2022, the player was found guilty by the EDC of breach of article 2.2.10 and was banned for 6 months from participating as a player in any FIDE-rated chess competition.</p>
<p>The consequences for the Russian GM were severe after this decision, as he would miss the Candidates Tournament, the key event of the World Chess Championship cycle, and the chance to take part in the title match. This is why in an interview with Tass, a Russian news agency, Karjakin said that <a href="https://worldchess.com/news/all/sergey-karjakin-said-to-take-fide-to-court/">the appeal</a> is the only thing on his mind at the moment.</p>
<p>Today, May 6th, 2022, the Appeal Chamber of the FIDE Ethics and Disciplinary Commission (EDC) has announced its decision to dismiss the appeal presented by GM Sergey Karjakin, which shall remain in effect while under appeal unless the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) directs otherwise.</p>
<p>Karjakin expected this decision and is likely to go to CAS, having complied with the due process (he could not go directly to CAS without trying to appeal the FIDE decision first). Karjakin will likely demand an emergency session in CAS given that the Candidates takes place in June, and likely to have his day in court. He will also likely use the unfortunate statements by FIDE official Emil Sutovsky, who was duped in talking to Russian pranksters posing as Ukrainian officials.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.fide.com/news/1736">Official Announcement</a></p>


FIDE Bans Sergey Karjakin Again, Possibly

<p>Garry Kasparov, former World Champion and the main force behind the <a href="https://grandchesstour.org/2022-grand-chess-tour/2022-superbet-chess-classic">Superbet Chess Classic</a>, which starts today, is sitting courtside right before the tournament opens.</p>
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<img src="https://worldchess.com/news/pictures/AAA28857-AD1F-480D-9FE8-DA4BA97F405B.jpeg" width="1200" height="649" alt="" />
<div class="e2-text-caption">Photo by Lennart Ootes, Grand Chess Tour</div>
</div>
<p>Superbet Chess Classic, an event that hosts the elite chess players, is part of the Grand Chess Tour. <a href="https://chessarena.com/broadcasts/17409">Watch it</a> on World Chess.</p>


Photo of the Day: Kasparov Courtside

<p class="lead">GM Anish Giri gave an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPBYJBUulys&ab_channel=WorldChess">exclusive interview</a> to WGM Dina Belenkaya and talked about his weaknesses, his favorite YouTube channels, his friendship with Vidit Gujrathi; books, politics, food, trash-talking, and his future plans.</p>
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<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YPBYJBUulys?enablejsapi=1" allow="autoplay" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<p>The interview started with Dina showing Anish an old photo of him playing on a train! The Dutch GM recognized it and added: “When I was small I had a friend with whom we would even play on the phone! I think these interactions early in your career are very helpful because such high doses of chess can accelerate the growth”.</p>
<p>On the books he has written, Anish admitted that he is not sure if he should do it because “you normally write books after your career, but it was an interesting little experience”! On the “After Magnus” book though, Anish said that it was entirely an idea of New in Chess Magazine and added: “Usually when I don’t like something and they ask me to do it, I’m too lazy to say no! I think that sometimes it’s easier to accept things and just do it like this book. I have no emotional attachment to this book!”</p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/FideOnlineArena/status/1521764385869516802">https://twitter.com/FideOnlineArena/status/1521764385869516802</a></p><p>Later Dina challenged Anish when he asked him which are his strengths and weaknesses as a chess player. “This is very difficult because even if I knew, I wouldn’t reveal them to you” Anish responded! Eventually, he said that one of the things he pays close attention to is preparation and his weakness – that is happy to give away – is that he can’t lie!</p>
<p>Moving on with the interview, Anish talked a lot – literally a lot! – about food, said that he watches streams to be in touch with the youth, individuated Hikaru, BotezLive, and Vidit as the 3 top streamers right now, and highlighted that the Indian language is best for trash talking!</p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/theworldchess/status/1521851224928264193">https://twitter.com/theworldchess/status/1521851224928264193</a></p><p>There would not be a Dina-Anish interview if there was not a question on his friendship with Vidit in which Anish said: “At the end of the day when it comes to Vidit, I will always be able to forgive him for whatever wrong he does!”</p>
<p>Watch the whole interview <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPBYJBUulys&ab_channel=WorldChess">here.</a></p>


GM Anish Giri: “My weakness is that I can’t lie”

<p class="lead">The <a href="https://grandchesstour.org/">2022 Grand Chess Tour</a> kicks off on May 5th with the <a href="https://grandchesstour.org/2022-grand-chess-tour/2022-superbet-chess-classic">2022 Superbet Chess Classic Romania,</a> in Bucharest.</p>
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<img src="https://worldchess.com/news/pictures/871848.719daad2.5000x5000o.666537263dc8.png" width="1600" height="900" alt="" />
<div class="e2-text-caption">Alireza Firouzja in Wijk aan Zee. Photo: Jurriaan Hoefsmit/Tata Steel Chess</div>
</div>
<p>The tournament lasts until May 14th and features a 10-player round-robin battle for a total of $350,000 in prize money. Among the players are the US Champion and <a href="https://worldchess.com/news/all/wesley-so-is-the-winner-of-the-third-leg-of-the-fide-grand-prix/?fbclid=IwAR0jD7qv6qnhNl86OjJrM09rUY4Y4GOAw-tj_6NhzHoiPHnqVktfOrJVrxA">Leg 3 FIDE Grand Prix winner</a> Wesley So, World No.3 and <a href="https://worldchess.com/news/all/what-happens-if-carlsen-quits-the-championship-cycle/">the favorite to be the next Challenger</a> Alireza Firouzja, 2018 Challenger Fabiano Caruana, 2021 Challenger Ian Nepomniachtchi, the 2022 Candidates qualifier Richard Rapport and one wildcard player, Romanian GM Bogdan-Daniel Deac.</p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/GrandChessTour/status/1520843006554755073">https://twitter.com/GrandChessTour/status/1520843006554755073</a></p><p>We’ll be following the event because it would hopefully give us a warm-up for the Candidates Tournament that is planned for June 2022. The event’s drama — who is actually stronger, i.e. who will win the Candidates: Firouzja, World’s Number 2, or Nepo, who surprisingly collapsed in the 2021 Match but is probably keen to prove himself, or Fabiano Caruana, a seasoned player who lost to Carlsen on tie-breaks in 2018.</p>
<p>The Superbet Chess Classic Romania is sponsored by Superbet Foundation, a nonprofit arm of the eponymous Romanian <a href="https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/superbet">betting company</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://chessarena.com/broadcasts/17409">Watch it with us,</a> every day at 15.00 EEST (14.00 CEST, 08.00 ET)</p>


2022 Superbet Chess Classic Kicks Off in Romania

<p class="lead">Noam Sason, 8, <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/8-year-old-israeli-wins-european-chess-championship/">won the European school chess championship</a> for children under 9 in Rhodes, Greece. He scored 7 out of 9 and defeated players from Turkey, Greece, Georgia, Romania, and Ukraine.</p>
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<img src="https://worldchess.com/news/pictures/97B79EE5-A3AE-4E04-84ED-3BA751F14363.jpeg" width="1600" height="1067" alt="" />
<div class="e2-text-caption">Spectators at the 2016 World Chess Championship Match in New York’s South Street Sea Port</div>
</div>
<p>Noam’s success comes on the heels of his other chess accomplishments, as well as support from his parents. Family support, both moral and financial, appears to be a requirement for young children to excel in chess. That counters common thinking that chess, unlike sports that require expensive gear, like golf or hockey, is immune from financial barriers. You still need money, apparently. We spoke with chess professionals to try to figure out how much it costs to raise a chess champion, and here is our napkin sketch-budget.</p>
<p>‘If the child won the under-9 championship, he or she has probably studied chess since the age of five’, — says Nikita Kim, founder of a chess education startup. ‘At this age, talent is prevalent, and most kids had similar amounts of training, usually two or three hours per week in a group and probably an hour or two per week individually. After the age of 10, talent is phenomenally important, but hours you put into your chess career make the difference, and I believe that those who made a conscious decision to become chess professionals, will make the cut’, — explains Kim.</p>
<p>Average children’s group chess course can run approximately $250 per month, and individual sessions range from $15 to $50 per hour depending on the country. Parents are also expected to travel to tournaments at least twice per year, so their children get to play in a competitive setting. Average cost of a tournament, including travel and hospitality, is about $1200 for a family.</p>
<p><b>Calculation (per year)</b></p>
<div class="e2-text-table">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" border="0">
<tr>
<td>Expense</td>
<td>Amount</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Group training</td>
<td>$3,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Individual training</td>
<td>$2,000</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Tournaments</td>
<td>$2,400</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Study Aids</td>
<td>$200</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Total per year</td>
<td>$7,600</td>
</tr>
</table>
</div>
<p>Of course, chess has proven educational benefits apart from a chance to become a World Champion, but it appears that the sport has financial barriers to entry: it requires parents’ commitment to spend at least $22,000 over three years as well as to invest time to travel to tournaments to give their children a fair shot at becoming a chess player.</p>


8-year-old Israeli Wins European Chess Championship. Now Let’s Talk Money.

<p class="lead">In an exclusive interview with World Chess and WGM Dina Belenkaya, Leinier Dominguez talked about the traumas in professional chess, broke down his chess career, acknowledged the most important things in his life, and explained more about his preparation for the Grand Prix.</p>
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<p>The Cuban-born American GM, Leinier Dominguez had a – more of a – conversation with DIna, showing his calm and funny side, as well as his high sense of professionalism.</p>
<p>Dominguez said that he plays online but he prefers offline tournaments because of their atmosphere. Additionally, he noticed that online tournaments will make more sense if we will figure out better anti-cheating systems.</p>
<p>In his life, Dominguez admitted that family life and his Christian faith are the most important things for him. “Chess is traumatizing if you don’t have another part of your life to balance it” the American GM added.</p>
<p>About the World Championship match, Dominguez believes that Ian was too emotional during the Match and that Firouzja is the strongest opponent for Magnus!</p>
<p>Watch the full interview with Leinier Dominguez  on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzRK55o3ML8&t=3s&ab_channel=WorldChess">World Chess YouTube channel.</a></p>


Dominguez: Chess is traumatic sometimes

<p class="lead">Vasil Ivanchuk, a famous Ukrainian Grandmaster, was just breaking down his blitz game against Magnus Carlsen (“a winning position which I spectacularly lost in just a few moves) when <a href="https://youtu.be/2Fz6Q5yWGiA?t=2892">the air raid alert sirens went off</a>. Kyiv was being bombed again. Ivanchuk, famous for his passion for the game, calmly continued with the analysis.</p>
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<div class="e2-text-caption">Ivanchuk during Rapid and Blitz Championship in Berlin in 2015. The event was organized by World Chess</div>
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<p>The game Ivanchuk was analysing was played recently during the Norway — Ukraine Solidarity Match. The World Champion and other top players took part in the event to show their support for Ukraine, but no one expected such a vivid example of how the war affects people in Ukraine, let alone professional chess players.</p>
<p>Ivanchuk said that his career has been affected by both COVID-19 and the war and he has not been able to take part in the events for several years now. He hopes that soon the war will end and he will be able to resume with the tournaments. ‘Of course, my normal life is playing chess,’ — said Ivanchuk.</p>
<p>We could not put it better than Reddit user xmuskorx who <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/chess/comments/ueyi6v/ivanchuk_reviews_his_game_against_carlsen_ignores/">commented on the incident</a>: ‘People who drop bombs on Ivanchuk should be ashamed’.</p>
<p>UPDATE: In support of Ukraine, World Chess has decided to <a href="https://shop.worldchess.com/collections/gifts/products/anti-war-t-shirt">produce an anti-war t-shirt</a> for the team based on this story. After having received numerous requests, we are making it available for purchase, with all profits being donated to UNICEF to support their Ukraine relief effort.</p>


Ivanchuk Reviews His Game Against Carlsen, Ignores Air Raid Alert

<p class="lead">World Chess today introduced Prize Money Tournaments — online tournaments with entry fees and monetary prizes. The Prize Money Tournaments will be organized by World Chess and select partners, such as federations and clubs, and will allow chess players to play for actual monetary prizes, similar to the offline events.</p>
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<p>Setting up and participating in a <a href="https://chessarena.com/tournaments/17818">Prize Money Tournament</a> on FIDE Online Arena, the official gaming platform of the World Chess Federation, is easier than ever — you can pay the entry fee via a credit card or PayPal and register to the event immediately. Winners will receive their prizes via PayPal.</p>
<p>This feature was one of the most requested by clubs and tournament organizers which had to develop different workarounds to run Prize Money Tournaments. The World Chess team also was interested in releasing this feature because playing for a prize, however small it may be, adds motivation to perform your best in a tournament and allows chess fans to feel excitement of a real chess tournament by playing online.</p>
<p>All Prize Money Tournaments will be subjected to a deep FairPlay analysis to ensure there are no fairplay violations. World Chess will organize Prize Money Tournaments with the initial $85.00 prize fund and $1.5 entry fee weekly. Once the feature is available to clubs and federations, the number of Prize Money Tournaments is expected to increase to dozens per week, making FIDE Online Arena the single biggest destination for tournaments with monetary prizes.</p>
<p>The World Chess team is pleased to offer its members another opportunity to hone their chess skills in such an exciting way. To register for the first Prize Money tournament, visit the <a href="https://chessarena.com/tournaments/17818">tournament page</a>.</p>
<p>If you are an organizer and would like to run Prize Money Tournaments online, please join <a href="https://form.asana.com/?k=MEN-einSn0FEa9Bi-w1rjA&d=596543070089116">waiting list</a> and we’ll get in touch with you shortly.</p>


World Chess Introduces Prize Money Tournaments

<p class="lead">World Champion Magnus Carlsen scored a convincing win over Polish No.1 Jan-Krzysztof Duda in the first round of the eponymous event, <a href="https://chess24.com/tour/oslo-esports-cup-starts-with-thumping-win-for-carlsen/">Meltwater Champions Chess Tour</a>.</p>
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<div class="e2-text-caption">Carlsen against Duda, round 1 of the E-Sports Cup</div>
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<p>The $210,000 all-play-all event is the new season of the online event organized by Carlsen’s company, PlayMagnus. It will be played over seven days in Oslo and, according to the organizers, is “the world’s first fully in-person chess e-sports event”. Carlsen won the previous edition of the Series and will probably continue to dominate the field. The event’s line-up features top-level players, with some missing — notably, Wesley So, who decided to opt out to focus on over-the-board chess, according to his manager.</p>
<p>According to his interview, Carlsen is using the event to experiment with the openings and expand his repertoire: “I’ve definitely been trying to play creatively in many of these events so I intend to continue that. Not as a rule, but once in a while and I think it’s been working pretty well getting my opponents a little out of book and keeping them on their toes,” — said Carlsen.</p>
<p>The organizers tried to invite some new players to the Series to ensure that there is media interest in the event where Carlsen is a clear favorite. We’ll enjoy following Indian Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, who recently catapulted into the elite level. He managed to dispatch his opponent, the Dutchman Jorden van Foreest, in only three games.</p>
<p>The Champions Tour gives start to a busy chess season, with the <a href="https://www.fide.com/news/1700">American Cup</a> taking place in St. Louis, and the Grand Chess Tour, a OTB series established by Garry Kasparov and Rex Sinqfuild just a few days away.</p>
<p>You can follow all of the events on <a href="https://chessarena.com/broadcasts">World Chess</a> as well as on the official websites of the organizers.</p>


Champions Tour Under Way: Blockbuster With Predictable Scenario

<p class="lead">In an exclusive interview with World Chess, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, a French “super GM” (a chess-speak for one of the world’s strongest chess players), said that on his way to becoming an elite chess player, he thought that he reached his peak at 2680. At that level, he could not secure enough stable income to feel safe.</p>
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<p>2680 is a rating that very few people will ever reach (you earn a grandmaster title, the highest in the sport, at 2500). Yet MVL still failed to earn stable income. Most players make money by coaching, competing for monetary prizes, getting government stipends, or scoring sponsorship endorsements, but most of the sponsorship money goes towards the top-20, leaving thousands of professional players on the sidelines.</p>
<p>It became easier, according to MVL, when he broke 2700 and burst into the top 10 in 2015. Then things got better financially, admits Maxime.</p>
<p>Watch the full interview with Maxime Vachier-Lagrave on <a href="https://youtu.be/gp3mgnSxlVk?t=242"> World Chess YouTube channel</a>.</p>


MVL: I Struggled to Make Ends Meet at 2680. The Future Was Insecure

<p class="lead">In an <a href="https://www.vg.no/sport/i/G3Llvl/her-forklarer-carlsen-hvorfor-han-trolig-gir-fra-seg-vm-tittelen">interview with VG</a>, a Norwegian news site, Magnus Carlsen, the undefeated World Chess Champion, gave the strongest indication to date that he will not defend his title, come the World Chess Championship match next year. But he can still change his mind.</p>
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<div class="e2-text-caption">Magnus Carlsen in London in 2018. He won his match against Fabiano Caruana.</div>
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<p>Our Norwegian is a bit rusty, but it’s clear from the interview that Carlsen, citing lack of motivation, informed his team that the Championship in Dubai was his last. Carlsen still thinks this way and clearly wants to break away from the title which defines him yet yields very little returns every time he needs to defend it, so why not step down undefeated and continue being the best in the sport for years without the stress of having to defend the title.</p>
<p>What does this mean for chess? For one, it will dramatically debase the Championship title: what’s the point in fighting for it while the strongest player is not in the fight at all? The Match will also lose a lot of media attention: Carlsen is the sport’s only real superstar. Without him, the Championship match will turn into a fairly mundane three weeks.</p>
<p>Carlsen will inevitably leave the Championship cycle. If not next year, then the year after that. Maybe, this pill needs to be swallowed by the chess world sooner rather than later because it gives Carlsen ample time to decide to come back if he feels like it in a few years. Sure, he will need to win the Candidates again, but this simply means more chess drama, something the fans would appreciate.</p>
<p>The Match is currently expected to take place in the early 2023. The winner of the Candidates Tournament will play against the incumbent Champion. In case the Champion refuses to play, the Match will be between the winner and the runner-up of the Candidates Tournament.</p>


Magnus Carlsen Will Really, Really Give Up His Championship Title, Maybe

<p>Arkady Dvorkovich, 50, a former Russian deputy-prime minister, is having a really, really hard term as a FIDE president. He had to steer the organization during the Covid pandemic and now is campaigning for the second term amid the war with Ukraine. He is the only Russian who heads an international sports organization.</p>
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<div class="e2-text-caption">Arkady Dvorkovich in Moscow</div>
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<p>Last week, the Swiss Ministry of Sport <a href="https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/switzerland-wants-russian-and-belarusians-excluded-from-sports-federations/47521632?utm_campaign=teaser-in-querylist&utm_content=o&utm_medium=display&utm_source=swissinfoch">called on the International Olympic Committee</a> for the Russian officials and athletes to be banned from sports federations. This demand is especially important given that FIDE, chess governing body, has its head office in Switzerland and is recognized by the IOC.</p>
<p>Dvorkovich was one of the few Russian officials to denounce the war in Ukraine. He also allowed the FIDE Committee of Ethics to ban an elite Russian player and outspoken Putin supporter Sergey Karjakin from a top chess tournament. The decision turned out to be controversial as FIDE was criticized both in the chess world (notably, by the world champion Magnus Carlsen who <a href="https://www.essentiallysports.com/us-sports-news-chess-news-is-it-correct-to-ban-people-magnus-carlsen-finally-breaks-silence-on-sergey-karjakins-fide-ban/">believes that players should not be banned</a> for opinions) and in Russia, where Dvorkovich was blamed for not stepping up to protect his country’s interests. In a recent interview, Dvorkovich <a href="https://www.sports.ru/chess/1108310957-arkadij-dvorkovich-zanimatsya-delom-karyakina-upolnomochen-nezavisimyj.html?ext=yandex&utm_source=yxsport&utm_medium=desktop">distanced himself</a> from the decision and stated that he was not involved.</p>
<p>Ukraine, whose many players enlisted into the army to fight the Russian invasion, <a href="https://www.ukrchess.org.ua/index.html">has opened a criminal case against Dvorkovich</a> and other chess players and officials who appeared to support Russia in some of their statements. The criminal case against Mr. Dvorkovich has ceremonial significance at the moment but is likely to be used by his opponents while the FIDE President and his team are campaigning for the second term. And the job is getting harder by the day.</p>
<p>To be re-elected, Mr. Dvorkovich has to deploy all of his brinkmanship to ensure that his team is supported by Russia and the countries that traditionally vote for a Russia-endorsed candidate (such as former USSR republics), as well as the European chess federations, most of which are busy supporting Ukraine and calling on Russia to stop the war. Mr. Dvorkovich also needs to enlist support of the Americas, as well as Asia and Africa. In FIDE, like in other sports federations, one country gets one vote, and Mr. Dvorkovich’s team is busy with building alliances while it’s increasingly hard for a Russian citizen to travel, let alone have meetings on the government level.</p>
<p>FIDE elections are scheduled for July 2022, and the candidates have only a month to officially file their election tickets. At this moment, Mr. Dvorkovich is the only candidate who publicly announced that he will run for FIDE President. He has not announced his ticket.</p>


Pressure Mounts on FIDE President Not to Seek Re-election

<p>Levon’s fiancee Anita Ayvazyan gives an exclusive interview to WGM Dina Belenkaya about moving to America, her artist career, the pros and cons of being in a relationship with a professional chess player and more!</p>
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Exclusive Interview With Ani Ayvazyan

<p class="lead">10 elite Grandmasters face each other in the classic round-robin tournament that takes place in Bucharest, Romania. It is staged by and is part of the <a href="https://grandchesstour.org/2022-grand-chess-tour/2022-superbet-chess-classic">Grand Chess Tour</a>, a circuit of chess events organized by former world champion Garry Kasparov. Here is Round 3 of the event in photos. All photos by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/grandchesstour/albums/72177720298714286/with/52055806952/">Lennart Ootes</a>, Grand Chess Tour official photographer.</p>
<p>Fabiano Caruana, World’s number 3 at the moment, has 1.5 points after 3 draws.</p>
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<p>Richard Rapport vs Bogdan-Daniel Deac. Rapport blundered on move 40 and lost an important game to the young Romanian GM. This game created a lot of excitement among chess commentators who usually praise Rapport for his measured and precise play.</p>
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<p>Alireza Firouzja taking a stroll during his game againt Levon Aronian. The Iran-born star held an overwhelming advantage against Aronian who spent an hour analyzing his position after a blunder. The game was expected to end with a full point to Alireza but Aronian magically managed to hold the position and turn it into a draw.</p>
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<p>Following the game, Aronian was very pleased by the result and posed for photos with fans.</p>
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<p>Wesley So is back in Europe again after a quick trip to the US. So just won the FIDE World Chess Grand Prix in Berlin and is now back to take part in the Superbet Chess Classic. So is at the top of the board with 2 points. He drew against his compatriot Fabiano Caruana in Round 3.</p>
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<p>Nepo is also leading the pack with two points. All eyes are on his performance after the disastrous 2021 World Chess Championship match. He needs to be in his best shape in a month to try to win the Candidates Tournament which will take place in Madrid in a month.</p>


Superbet Chess Classic: Round 3 in Photos

<p class="lead">In an exclusive interview with World Chess and WGM Dina Belenkaya, the Dutch chess star Anish Giri said that having people tweeting annoying things about FIDE all the time is not chess politics.</p>
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<p>We’ve seen many professional chess players getting involved in politics, with the most blatant example of the former World Champion Gary Kasparov. After his retirement from chess in 2005, Kasparov turned to politics and created the United Civil Front, a social movement whose main goal is to “work to preserve electoral democracy in Russia”.</p>
<p>Recently, after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, we’ve seen him even more active and publicly against GM Sergey Karjakin who is also very much into politics. The Russian GM and 2016 Challenger is a fierce Russian nationalist and was recently banned for 6-months from participating as a player in any FIDE-rated chess competition by the FIDE Ethics and Disciplinary Commission (EDC).</p>
<p>According to the latest news as well, Indian former World Champion Vishy Anand has made a dramatic entrance into chess politics by joining Arkady Dvorkovich’s campaign to be re-elected as FIDE President.</p>
<p>Under this context, GM Anish Giri was asked if he has ever thought involving in chess politics or politics in general, with the Dutch GM responding: “If there will be some politics left by the time I end my chess career, maybe! But right now, it’s hard for me to imagine it. [...] I don’t think we have chess politics as such. There is infrastructure, FIDE and so on, but it’s not like we have a lot of developments. We have elections and some things happen I guess. We have people who are tweeting annoying things about FIDE all the time, but I don’ call that chess politics.”</p>
<p>Watch Giri’s whole interview <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPBYJBUulys&ab_channel=WorldChess">here</a>.</p>


Anish Giri: “I don’t think we have chess politics as such”

<p class="lead">Popular chess site chess.com has been blocked by Russian authorities for alleged violations against Russian chess players. Sergey Karjakin, Russian elite Grandmaster and outspoken Putin supporter has been recently banned by the site and appealed to the authorities to investigate chess.com.</p>
<p>The site has voiced support for Ukraine after Russia attacked the country. Later, chess.com switched the flag of its Russian members to FIDE. According to Karjakin, this amounts to a severe violation of Russia’s rules. The country’s Prosecutor’s office has requested to ban the site.</p>
<p>Chess.com has been active in Russia and recently invested in Russian-languages streaming, adding Alexandra Kosteniuk, former Women’s World Champion, to its list of streamers.</p>
<p>World Chess would like to praise chess.com and other members of the chess community that has united against the war and call for immediate ceasefire.</p>
<p>Update: According to news site Meduza, two pro-Ukraine articles by chess.com resulted in an outright ban because chess.com uses “https” (secure) architecture, and blocking of a singe page results in a full block on the site. It is unclear whether chess.com will remove the articles in question to make the site available to Russian chess players.</p>
<p>Chess.com responded to the ban by inviting the Russian users to deploy VPN when attempting to use the site from Russia.</p>
<p>Sergey Karjakin, who is, according to the news reports, responsible for reporting chess.com to the authorities, suggeste in a tweet that chess.com should publicly apologize to Russia for ‘spreading fakes’ in exchange for allowing chess.com to work in the country.</p>
<p>Chess.com is one of many sites that have been banned by the Russian authorities after the country invaded Ukraine and adopted draconian laws against free speech.</p>
