Mobile Phones can be Very 'Dangerous' for Chess Players! (Funny Video)

Hello chess blog friends, you've seen the new chess rules released by FIDE which make it mandatory that players DO NOT carry mobile phones to the playing venue. Check out the official new chess laws at this FIDE link. For now, here's a funny video - indeed a mobile phone can be very, very 'dangerous' for a chess player! Enjoy watching this YouTube video. Possibly, it's Indian. Do write to us if you have a fun chess video to share.






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FIDE/ACP Anti-Cheating Chess Panel Meets at University of Buffalo, NY

Hello Chess Blog friends,

On April 21-23, the FIDE/ACP Anti-Cheating Committee met at the Department of Computer Science and Engineering of the University at Buffalo, NY, for finalizing the proposal to the General Assembly for the new Anti-Cheating regulations. The meeting was also an occasion for a first-hand evaluation, together with leading academic experts, of the sophisticated anti-cheating tool developed by Prof. Kenneth Regan. FIDE wishes to thank the University at Buffalo for hosting this very important meeting and for devoting its professors' time to this project. (Update via FIDE)

Left to Right: Konstantin Landa, Kenneth Regan, Israel Gelfer, Klaus Deventer, Yuri Garrett, Laurent Freyd

You can read all Chess Blog posts related to the subject of cheating in chess by clicking on the photo.

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World Chess Championship 2014: FIDE Invites Venue Bids

Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hello everyone,

BIDDING PROCEDURE FOR THE FIDE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH 2014 

1. Following the success of last year's World Championship match in Chennai, FIDE and its commercial partner AGON are searching potential venues for the 2014 FIDE World Championship match, where the world champion Magnus Carlsen will defend his title against a challenger to be determined from the Candidates Tournament in Khanty-Mansiysk this March.

2. The World Championship Match 2014 shall take place from 6 November (game 1) to 25 November 2014 (possible tiebreaks/closing ceremony).

3. Each bid shall contain the following particulars as minimum:

a) Proposed venue of the event.
b) Proposed prize fund for the players (should be offered net of any applicable local taxes). The prize fund for the 2013 event in Chennai was 1,850,000 euros.
c) The contribution to FIDE (net of any applicable local taxes and not less than 20% of the prize fund), as stipulated in article 13.2, as well as the financial obligations stated in article 14 of the World Championship Match 2014 regulations.
d) Commitment to cover all the other financial obligations to FIDE, in accordance with the regulations of the World Championship Match 2014.
e) Commitment to cover all organizational costs, in accordance with the regulations of the World Championship Match 2014.
f) Category of official hotel (minimum 4 stars), and name if possible, with special room rates for visitors, including meals.
g) A statement that the applicant accepts the regulations of the match without any reservations.
h) An invitation for 2 (two) members of the FIDE Commission for World Chess Championships and Olympiads to inspect the proposed venue and examine the other conditions, with all travel/hotel expenses paid by the bidder.
i) The applicant's name, signatures and authentication.

4. In order for a proposed bid to be considered, it should be accompanied by a 9-month term bank guarantee covering the amount of prize fund (in Chennai 2013 this was 1,850,000 euros), the FIDE contribution (20% over and above the prize fund), 5% for WCOC budget and 5% for the commercial rights plus 32,500 euros covering stipends of Principals as described in article 14.5 of the match regulations. This guarantee should be from a bank that FIDE bankers, UBS of Switzerland, are able to confirm as acceptable.

5. Alternatively to the above paragraph, a bidder can deposit in FIDE's bank account the amount of 200,000 euros by the deadline of 10 March 2014 (refundable if the bid is rejected), another 50% of the prize fund before 31 May 2014 and the balance of all remaining obligations before 31 August 2014.

6. A bid is considered valid if it is accompanied with a non-refundable Bid Fee of 2,000 euros payable to FIDE.

7. No bidder can propose a sponsor which shall be in conflict with the regulations of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

8. The bids, including all original documents and particulars, should arrive by registered post to the FIDE Secretariat, post address: 9 Syggrou Ave., 11743 Athens -Greece. The bidding process will close on 10 March 2014, 13:00 GMT.

9. When the deadline has expired, the FIDE President or his representative shall open the received envelopes in order to assess the bids. FIDE will inform the bidding parties of the results within 3 days after the deadline. The final contract with the successful bidder shall be signed within 10 days afterwards.

10. FIDE reserves the right to accept a bid based on the evaluation of all criteria under article 3 of the present bidding procedure and not only that of the prize fund. FIDE also reserves the right not to award any bid at all, however favorable it might be.

Released by the FIDE Secretariat, 9 January 2014

Regulations for the FIDE World Championship Match (FWCM) 2014
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FIDE Notification on Borislav Ivanov Case (Chess Fairplay)

Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hello everyone,

FIDE is closely following the developments of the story with regards to the Bulgarian chess player Borislav Ivanov.

We are in receipt of several inquiries and proposals in respect of this issue, with ACP proposing some serious steps. (Y. Garrett letter).

ACP representatives joined FIDE in a Committee which is now preparing a whole system of measures against all kinds of cheating. The Committee will present a proposal to FIDE's Anti-Cheating Commission for the approval of the 2014 FIDE General Assembly to take immediate effect.

FIDE is aware of the damage caused by this unfortunate incident and is seriously considering various proposals.

However, FIDE has not received any official communication from the Bulgarian Federation in this respect and this is the second incident involving the same player from this Federation.

Having in mind all legal aspects of any action against Mr. Ivanov, FIDE is going to bring this case before the FIDE Ethics Commission, for their follow up and decision. (FIDE)

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SportAccord Stats: Chess Popularity on the Rise

Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hello everyone,

Here is an interesting report via Fide on the increasing popularity of chess. It is based on the statistics with SportAccord which is the international body that includes all sport federations. 

SportAccord has 93 member organizations including chess. According to research carried out by visiting the official websites of all those international sport organizations, FIDE is in 14th place by the number of member federations. Most international sport federations cover 5 continents: Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania. FIDE, as do a few other federations, puts Oceania under the Asian continent.

The world rank of international sport federations

Thirteen Federations have more members than FIDE. Those Federations are: Volleyball (220), Table Tennis (218), Athletics and Basketball (212), Football and Tennis (209), Taekwondo (205), Aquatics (Swimming-203), Judo (200), Boxing (196), Wight Lifting (189), Karate (188) and Body Building (182). Of those with more than FIDE, only Body Building and Karate are non-Olympic sports. It means that chess has surpassed 21 of the 33 Olympic sports (26 summer and 7 winter sports are accepted as Olympic).FIDE aims to pass 200 members in the next 4 years and to achieve the top ten rank among all sports federations. If you are wondering about the countries which are not yet members of FIDE, here they are.

In Asia: Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Kiribati, North Korea, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, Tonga, Oman, Tuvalu, Samoa, American Samoa and Vanuatu. That's 15 more countries that are not members of FIDE yet. The Asian Continent currently has 50 members and very soon will be the number one continent, with the largest number of members in the FIDE Family.

In Africa: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Chad, Congo-Brazzavile, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Niger and South Sudan, a total of 12 countries are not at the moment members of FIDE. FIDE has been working intensively in Asia and Africa to access all countries. In Africa, FIDE has 41 member federations now.

In the Americas, 35 national chess federations are members of FIDE. 13 countries or territories are members of other International sport organizations, but not yet members of FIDE. Those are, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Cayman Islands, Dominica, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Since FIDE statutes require a territory to be recognized by the United Nations, French overseas regions (French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and, in the Indian Ocean, Mayotte and Réunion) are not able to join FIDE.

The same applies to those few European federations, affiliated to some international sports organizations, that cannot be accepted as FIDE members. Otherwise, Europe has a full complement of 54 national federations.

Also Read:

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World Senior Chess Championship 2015: FIDE Calls for Bids

Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013
Hello everyone,

 

FIDE has called for bids for the World Senior Chess Championships 2015. The World Senior Chess Championships 2014 are already scheduled to be held in Kalabaka, Greece from October 25-November 6.

With effect from 1st January 2013, a bid for any FIDE Competition from 2015 onwards shall include the name of a FIDE licensed International Organizer. All bids should be submitted by the due date in sealed envelope or scanned documents to the FIDE Secretariat, postal address: 9 Syggrou Avenue, 11743 Athens - Greece / Fax: (+30) 2109212859 / Email: office@fide.com by 31st October 2013, 16:00 local time (UTC/GMT + 2 hours). Each bid should be accompanied with a bid fee. Bid fee 500 euros

Bid Fees are not refundable. Bid fees should be paid the latest by 8th November 2013 to the FIDE bank account (free of charges) or to be enclosed in the bid envelope.

FIDE EVENTS COMMISSION http://events.fide.com/

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ACP President Emil Sutovsky Proposes Special Fund for Veteran Chess Players

Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hello everyone,

The ACP president Emil Sutovsky published an open letter in which he addresses FIDE president Kirsan Ilyumzhinov with a proposal to establish a special three-year program. Here is the letter: 

"Dear Mr. President,

Let me address you on behalf of the ACP Board at a time when the cooperation between FIDE and the ACP is bearing important fruits in the World Championship cycle stability, Anti-Cheating effort and other important fields.

I'd like to address you on a topic which is at the very heart of the long life of a chess player.

Many living chess players, in the course of their career, have had a substantial impact on the chess and cultural life of their countries, and continue to be a powerful source of inspiration for the younger generations worldwide long time after they passed their prime.

True chess legends, who maintained the chess glory and tradition throughout the years, often without a significant financial reward. We all grew up on their games, read the books written by these noble veterans, and - more in general - the chess world owes a lot to these masters who preserved and enriched our unique chess culture.

The rewarding status of chess legend, however, often clashes with the resulting economic position, especially once age takes its toll and the time for retirement comes. Unfortunately, in most cases, the later years are very difficult years for these noble veterans, who often become forgotten by the contemporary world and usually have little or no access to pension funds or other sustenance. In these circumstances even a small help can sometimes make a big change.

Read more »

World Chess Day July 20: Fide President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov Interview in The Voice of Russia

Alexandra Kosteniuk's Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) 2013

Hi everyone, 

Fischer facing Boris Spassky, Chess Olympiad, Havana, 1966. Photo credit: © RIA Novosti, Paporov

A few minutes with the President of the International Chess Federation (FIDE): July 20th, is the 89th anniversary of the founding of FIDE, the International Chess Federation, in honour of which The Voice of Russia posed a few questions to its president, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov.


DK: Let’s begin with what we might call a demographic question. It seems to me that elite chess players have been getting a lot younger over the last half century. Is that just my imagination, or have you noticed the same?

Ilyumzhinov: Well, yes, chess has gotten younger, because of technology, meaning computers and the internet. Whereas formerly you needed to have a sizeable chess library to properly analyze top-level games, nowadays all you need is a computer. It is no accident, therefore, that the age of players has been dropping, akin to what we saw in gymnastics a while back, for instance. Elite players can be very young, age 15 to 20. For example, a few years ago 16 year-old Hu Yifan of China became women’s world champion, and in London just a few months ago 22 year-old Magnus Carlsen of Norway won the right to play a match for the world title. Young elite Grandmasters like Sergei Kariakin and Ian Nepomniashchii, among others, are only about 20, and you can’t compare 40-50 year old players with them. Chess has indeed gotten a lot younger, both women’s and men’s chess.

DK: Chess fans are much better acquainted with world champions than they are with players who haven’t achieved that level of glory, and I assume that when growing up as a chess enthusiast you were similar. It would be interesting to hear who was the first world champion with whom you were able to meet and have a real conversation. And what you may remember of that meeting.

Ilyumzhinov: The first world champion I met was Mikhail Tal, from Riga. He became champion very young, when he was not yet 25 {he was 23 –D.K.}. The two of us met in Kalmykia, of course. I’ve met Vassily Smyslov, Boris Spassky, and others, including Garry Kasparov, and Anatoly Karpov. But more than any of them, I remember meeting Bobby James Fischer, or Robert Fischer. I got acquainted with him in Budapest, in December 1995, and I played four games against him. I consider Fischer a chess genius. His games are all very interesting, and he is a genuine gold standard of chess for many, for several generations of chess players.

DK: Of all your predecessors as President of FIDE, who was the most senior one to give you advice, and do remember much about that advice?

Ilyumzhinov: Well, let me say that FIDE exists since 1924, so we’ll be celebrating its 90th anniversary next year. We have had six presidents, I being the sixth. I had a close relationship since 1994, before I became FIDE president, with President Florencio Campomanes, from the Phillipines. At that point he had already been atop FIDE for 12 years. We had met briefly in Moscow once, but then I spent time with him in Manila in 1994, and I couldn’t help but see how this man devoted his life so fully to chess, to propagating chess. When Campomanes was president, chess was still not very popular in Africa and in many countries in Asia. He went to those countries himself; he opened chess clubs and chess schools. His motto was “Chess for me is not just a game. It’s not just a hobby. It is all of my life.” He lived by chess, and perhaps you could say he died with it.

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Women's World Chess Championship 2014: Fide Announces Bidding Procedure

12th Women's World Chess Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk's Chess Blog for Chess Daily News and Trivia (c) 2013

Hi everyone, 

Fide has announced the bidding procedure for the Women's World Chess Championship to be held in 2014. The chess championship would be on the knock-out tournament format. 

1. FIDE is opening a bidding procedure for the FIDE World Women’s Championship (knock-out system, 64 players) to be held in October-November 2014.

2. Each bid shall contain the following particulars as minimum: a) Acceptance of dates range for the event between 10 October and 30 November 2014. 
b) Proposed venue of the event.
c) Proposed prize fund for the players (minimum 450,000 USD &; should be offered net of any applicable local taxes).
d) The contribution to FIDE (net of any applicable local taxes and not less than 20% of the prize money) as stipulated in chapter 3.9 as well as all the financial obligations stated in chapter 3.21 of the World Women’s Championship 2014 Regulations.
e) Commitment to cover all the other financial obligations to FIDE, in accordance with the Regulations of the World Women’s Championship 2014.
f) Commitment to cover all organizational costs, in accordance with the Regulations.

g) Category of official hotel (minimum 4-stars), and name if possible, with special room rates for visitors (including meals).
h) A statement that the applicant accepts the regulations of the event without any reservations.
i) An invitation for 2 (two) members of the FIDE Commission for World Chess Championships and Olympiads to inspect the proposed venue and examine the other conditions, with all travel/hotel expenses paid by the bidder.
j) The applicant's name, signatures and authentication.

Read more »

Quick Chess Quiz: The Grand Prix Series (2012-2013)?

Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hi everyone, 

Here is a quick chess quiz about the Grand Prix Series. How many questions can you answer?

- How many tournaments does the Chess Grand Prix Series (2012-2013) include?

- Can you name each venue?

- What's the time control for the games in the Grand Prix Series?

- What do the overall winner and second-placed player qualify for?

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Online Chess Playing Zone with Super-Strong Anti-Cheating Technology by Fide Soon!

Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hi everyone, 

Here's a piece of very interesting chess news coming from Fide. The Fide PB in Tsakhkadzor has okayed and the Fide PB in Baku has confirmed that a special online playing zone is to be launched soon. The best part is that the platform will be equipped with super-strong anti-cheating technology. This is a joint project with CNC with a term of 10 years. The project will be run on the CNC web. 

The chess playing zone will be free for anyone to register and play there. But users who wants to earn Fide elo ratings (for rapid, blitz and bullet) will pay €25 per year.

There will be online world chess championships and all other Fide events. Also Fide titles for amateurs and professionals will be taken under consideration in this playing zone.

FIDE will be paid 20 % of the following revenues of the chess playing zone (for the first 12 months 10%): membership fees and advertising fees. For all titles given by Fide, 80% of titles fees will be paid to Fide. To extend the contract after 10 years CNC web should pay 50% of registration fee for chess players as members over a certain number achieved by then.

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World Chess Championship 2013 in Chennai: Papers Signed in Baku Today

Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hi everyone, 

FIDE presidential board meeting which is in progress at Baku, Azerbaijan today confirmed Chennai as the venue of the World Chess Championship Match 2013 between Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen. The agreement has been signed today at Baku by Bharat Singh Chauhan, Honorary Secretary, All India Chess Federation and Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, FIDE president. A note has been put up at the All-India Chess Federation website, though confirmation from FIDE is awaited. 

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World Chess 2013 - Rapid & Blitz: All Players +2500 Eligible

Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hi everyone,

FIDE has announced that all players rated above 2500 may take part in the World Rapid and Blitz Championships to be held in Khanty Mansiysk, Russia. Registrations will take place on May 1, 2013. The prize money for each of these World Championship is 200,000 US Dollars. This is happening for the first time that any player rated above 2500 can participate. Federations also have certain options to nominate players. Here are the relevant Fide links for more information on these events.

Full Regulations
Invitation
Accommodation
Transport

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World Chess Championship Match 2013: Fide Signs MoU with Indian Fed

Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hi everyone,

FIDE Vice President Israel Gelfer has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the All India Chess Federation in Chennai regarding the World Championship Match 2013, states the Fide website. The All-India Chess Federation on its part has a much detailed news report on their website as compared to Fide. Below is the MoU jpg.

About the contents of the MOU signed, D.V. Sundar, Vice President FIDE, on the AICF website, said the prize fund will be USD 2.55 million and it will be paid in two parts and that the draft contract will be sent in 10 days. Israel Gelfer who arrived in the Indian city of Chennai on Thursday thanked the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa for showing interest in the World Chess Championship 2013 match from Nov 6-26, 2013. 

In 2011, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa had bid for the Anand v Gelfand match. Russia put up a higher bid and took the match. India was given the right of first refusal. (Also read an interesting piece in Chess Magazine Black & White titled: World Chess 2013: Is it Chennai 100%?)

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Fide, ACES Europe Sign Pact for Chess in Schools

Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hello everyone,

Left to Right: Mr. Swanson, Vice President of ACES, Mr. Lupattelli, President of ACES, Mr. Ilyumzhinov, Mr. Yazici.

The agreement between FIDE and ACES EUROPE for the promotion of chess in schools in Europe was signed last night in Valencia, with the signatures of FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumnzinov and FIDE Vice-President Ali Nihat Yazici and ACES Europe President Gian Francesco Lupattelli and Vice-President of the association John Swanson.

The Agreement was signed in the presence of the local authorities, the President of the Spanish Chess Federation Mr. Ochoa with Mr. Cuevas, the President of the Italian chess federation Mr. Pagnoncelli with Mr. Paulesu, GM Lexy Ortega and Alessandro Dominici, who helped Mr. Yazici in the organization of the meeting, and others guests.

The Agreement stands for the creation of European CIS Towns (CIS - “Chess in Schools”), as the part of “European Towns of Sport” Award - ACES EUROPE project which was recognized and supported by EU 10 years ago and has been running since.

After signing, the meeting was followed by a dinner during which the true spirit of the agreement and cooperation was evident with satisfaction for all: President Lupattelli officially handed over the invitation to FIDE for the next ACES EUROPE event on the 6th of November 2013 to be held in the European Parliament, and FIDE President Ilyumzinov replied inviting him to visit Moscow and the sports sector of the city.

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Fide Releases Licensed Arbiters' List; Further Applications Invited

Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012

Hi everyone,

The FIDE Arbiters' Commission publishes the list of licensed arbiters so far. The procedure of acquiring the license will continue. The non-licensed arbiters should contact their respective federations in order to obtain the license. You can see the list here (updated 03-01-2013).

After FIDE Treasurer's decision, the Arbiters' names of non-service Federations will not be published, until these Federations pay their overdue FIDE arrears, according to a Fide official notification.

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Women's World Chess Championship 2013: Fide Releases Details of Bidding Procedure

Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012

Hi everyone,

 

BIDDING PROCEDURE FOR THE FIDE WORLD WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH 2013

1. The FIDE Presidential Board decided to open a bidding procedure for the FIDE World Women’s Championship Match 2013 between the current World Champion Anna Ushenina (Ukraine) and challenger Hou Yifan (China).

2. Each bid shall contain the following particulars as minimum:

a) Acceptance of exact dates for the event between 10 to 28 September 2013.
b) Proposed venue of the event.
c) Proposed prize fund for the players (minimum 200,000 euros & should be offered net of any applicable local taxes).
d) The contribution to FIDE (net of any applicable local taxes and not less than 20% of the prize money) as stipulated in Article 13.2 as well as the financial obligations stated in Article 14 of the Rules & Regulations of the World Women’s Championship Match 2013.
e) Commitment to cover all the other financial obligations to FIDE, in accordance with the Rules & Regulations of the World Women’s Championship Match 2013.
f) Commitment to cover all organizational costs, in accordance with the match regulations.
g) Category of official hotel (minimum 4- stars), and name if possible, with special room rates for visitors (including meals).
h) A statement that the applicant accepts the regulations of the match without any reservations.
i) An invitation for 2 (two) members of the FIDE Commission for World Chess Championships and Olympiads to inspect the proposed venue and examine the other conditions, with all travel/hotel expenses paid by the bidder.
j) The applicant's name, signatures and authentication.

3. In order for a proposed bid to be considered, it should be accompanied by a 6-month term bank guarantee covering the amount of prize fund (minimum 200,000 euros), the FIDE contribution (20% over and above the prize fund), 5% for the WCOC budget, 5% for the commercial rights (not including live broadcast) and 32,500 euros covering stipends of Principals as described in article 14.5 of the match regulations. This guarantee should be of irrevocable form and from a bank that FIDE bankers, UBS of Switzerland, are able to confirm as acceptable.

Alternatively to the above paragraph, a bidder can deposit in FIDE’s bank account the amount of 100,000 euros by the deadline of 29 March 2013, refundable if the bid is rejected, and the remaining payments will be finalized in the signed contract between FIDE and the organizer(s).

4. A bid is considered valid if it is accompanied with a non-refundable Bid Fee of 1,000 euros payable to FIDE.

5. No bidder can propose a sponsor which shall be in conflict with the regulations of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

6. Τhe commercial agency of FIDE (CNC) reserves all rights for the live transmissions of the event and its games. The organiser of the event can have its own website and if the organiser wishes to implement the live transmission of the games, CNC must be consulted beforehand.

7. The bids, including all original documents and particulars, shall arrive by registered post to the FIDE Secretariat, post address: 9 Syggrou Ave., 11743 Athens - Greece. The bidding process will close on 29 March 2013, 13:00 GMT.

8. When the deadline has expired, the FIDE President or his representative shall open the received envelopes in order to assess the bids. FIDE will announce the results within 20 days after the deadline. After the organizer has been selected, FIDE and the organizer shall sign a contract covering the organization of the FWWCM, the terms of payments and all other financial and technical requirements.

9. FIDE reserves the right to accept a bid based on the evaluation of all criteria under article 2 of the present bidding procedure and not only that of the prize fund. FIDE also reserves the right not to award any bid at all, however favourable it might be.

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More Blitz, Rapid Chess Tournaments: FIDE Tells Federations

Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012


Hi everyone,

FIDE is focused on promoting rapid and blitz chess. In a recent official announcement, FIDE says that they encourage more federations to further popularise and organize more Rapid and Blitz tournaments. A step in this direction is that the QC, after consultation with the Treasurer, has agreed to defer payments for rating reports and rating fees for Rapid and Blitz tournaments until at least 1 January 2014. Also, the QC will present its draft regulations for title awards for Rapid and Blitz at the 2013 Congress. Ideas can be submitted to ignatius.leong@fide.com before 31 January 2013.

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Turkish Chess Fed vs GM Suat Atalik: ACP Open Letter To Fide and Chess Community

Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012

Hi everyone,

Open letter to FIDE and the chess community

The ACP Board recently received a letter from GM Suat Atalik, from Turkey, requesting a reaction concerning his recent case with the Turkish Chess Federation (“TCF”) and the Greek Chess Federation (“GCF”)

The Facts
Mr. Atalik informed us that his national chess federation, the TCF, has inflicted him a 15-month ban from national and international events following his infringement of applicable Turkish regulations. Reportedly, the reason behind the ban was Mr. Atalik’s denial to ask for permission to play abroad and his refusal to sign an undertaking. The TCF’s decision was supported by the Turkish Judiciary. 

Mr. Atalik also reported that, upon request of the TCF based solely on its internal ruling, the GCF contacted tournament organizers in Greece asking them to deny the participation of Mr. Atalik in their events.

ACP’s Understanding of the Case
It is the understanding of the ACP Board that this is a very sensitive case that demands the utmost attention by the whole chess community, especially FIDE, as it may become a dangerous precedent. We are already witnessing a vicious attempt at introducing a new rule, that aims at enabling an automatic ban of a player from all FIDE events based on the decision of his national chess federation (the proposal is included into the Agenda of the FIDE Congress in Istanbul).

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French Chess Cheating Case: Fide Suspends Hauchard, Feller and Marzolo

Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012

Hi everyone,

Fide have just posted the judgement rendered by the FIDE Ethics Commission in the case “French Team”, concerning a complaint submitted by the French Chess Federation against Sébastien Feller, Arnaud Hauchard and Cyril Marzolo. A report was submitted by the FIDE Executive Director, in reference to facts allegedly committed during the 2010 Chess Olympiad in Khanty-Mansiysk (Russia), for an alleged violation of par. 2.2.5 of the FIDE Code of Ethics.

The Ethics Commission rules that:
- all submitted objections and preliminary requests have to be dismissed;
- Mr. Sébastien FELLER, Mr. Arnaud HAUCHARD and Mr. Cyril MARZOLO are responsible for the violation of par. 2.2.5 of the FIDE Code of Ethics;

- Mr. Arnaud HAUCHARD has to be sanctioned with the exclusion from the participation in all FIDE tournaments, as a player or as a member of a national delegation, for a period of 3 (three) years, starting from the 1st of August 2012;

- Mr. Sébastien FELLER has to be sanctioned with the exclusion from the participation in all FIDE tournaments, as a player or as a member of a national delegation, for a period of 2 (two) years and 9 (nine) months, starting from the 1st of August 2012;

- Mr. Cyril MARZOLO has to be sanctioned with the exclusion from the participation in all FIDE tournaments, as a player or as a member of a national delegation, for a period of 1 (one) year and 6 (six) months, with a suspension of the sanction for the last nine months, under probation, in accordance with the decision of the CNOS (Comité National Olympique et Sportif Français); for what concerns the effects of the present decision, the validity of the already executed suspension since 27 May 2011 can be confirmed, but it has to be affirmed the competence of the FIDE EC regarding the evaluation of the period of probation, starting from 27 February 2012 till 27 November 2012, and the French Chess Federation has to be requested to send the FIDE Secretariat a report on the behavior of Mr. Cyril MARZOLO during the above mentioned period of nine months;

- FIDE Secretariat and FIDE Presidential Board have to be informed of the present decision for all possible consequences related to the results of the games played by Mr Sébastien FELLER during the 2010 Chess Olympiad, concerning ratings, rankings and prizes;

- a written motivation will follow and will be communicated to the parties by the FIDE Secretariat. 

You can read the PDF at the Fide website. Read some previous Chess Blog posts on the issue at this link.

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's

www.chessblog.com

Also see her personal blog at

www.chessqueen.com