CHESS HOLIDAY

On May 3-12 Baku hosted the largest open chess festival in the Caucasus, Baku Open 2023 International Chess Festival, to commemorate the centennial anniversary of the national leader Heydar Aliyev. The event was attended by 607 chess players from 23 countries.

Path for young athletes

We are pleased to note that the Azerbaijani children chess players competing in Group C of the tournament were among the winners. These include M. Ahmedli, M. Bakirli, E. Bakhishova, T. Abbasov, M. Kazimzade, T. Ali, A. Bakhshizade, F. Mirzaliyeva and a number of other players in different age categories. Players who won in each age group are qualified for joining the European Youth Championship in Romania.

In Group B, Akaki Galichava (7.5 points, Georgia) was third. With eight points, Fariz Ahmedov ranked second. Eldar Musayev (8 points) became the winner, taking into account his additional coefficients.

Among the women in Group A, Desmuk Divya (India) took third place. Khanym Balajayeva, a member of the Azerbaijani national team, finished second. Bulgaria's Nurgul Salimova took the top step of the podium.

The winner of the Category A tournament was India's Leon Luke Mendonca with 7 points. Other chess players with the same number of points, Aleksandar Indjic (India) and Vladislav Kovalev (FIDE), shared second and third places respectively due to additional coefficients.

The total prize fund of the Baku tournament was $55,000. The winner in Group A received $12,000 and a special cup.

Unfortunately, national team members Rauf Mammadov, Eltaj Safarli and Nijat Abasov performed below their potential. The national team had high hopes for Vugar Asadli, Aydin Suleymanly and Muhammed Muradly, who also failed to achieve the expected result.

Baku to host World Cup

FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, who joined the International Chess Festival Baku Open 2023, announced an agreement to hold the World Chess Cup in Baku in July-August. The agreement has already been signed by Dvorkovich, Farid Gayibov, Minister of Youth and Sports of Azerbaijan, and Mahir Mammadov, president of the Azerbaijan Chess Federation (ACF).

Arkady Dvorkovich presented the ACF a chessboard on which the 13th game of the world championship match between Russia's Ian Nepomniachtchi and China's Ding Lizheng was played, with the signatures of both grandmasters.

Dvorkovich said that on July 29-August 25, after eight years, Baku will once again become the world chess capital: "The world cup is the most important tournament in our two-year calendar after the world championship. This tournament is more important than the others. The world cup is a very serious competition. Chess players who finish in the first three places will qualify for the Candidates Tournament."

Dvorkovich thanked the President of Azerbaijan and the national chess federation for supporting the world cup in Azerbaijan for the second time. "Chess has always been loved in Azerbaijan, which has done an exemplary work for its development. I should note state support to chess in your country. In July and August Azerbaijan will be the centre of the chess world. Many chess players are eager to participate in the world championship. They do their best in both domestic and international competitions to get here. More than 300 chess players are taking part in the tournament, 100 of whom are women. I am sure that millions of people around the world will be watching the event. A huge number of visitors will come to the country, and it will be a real celebration," Dvorkovich said.

The FIDE president added that a number of children's competitions are planned on the day of the world cup.

Incidentally, the world cup will not be the last chess competition to be held in Azerbaijan this year. A second international chess tournament is scheduled for September in Shusha. The organisation committee is currently negotiating the date and participants for the tournament.