World Mind Games Online Chess: Win TVs, Watches More!!!

Hello chess blog friends, are you playing chess online in the chess section of the SportAccord Countdown Online Tournaments yet?

Chess Queen™ Alexandra Kosteniuk Official Ambassador 2014

Big Prizes!!!  

• Formula 1 grand prix tickets sponsored by presenting partner Alliance Renault-Nissan 

• Watches from World Mind Games official partner Rado

• Samsung TVs, tablets and gift cards

• A total cash prize purse of $12,000 will be shared between the winners of the different tournaments 




SportAccord has begun the countdown to the launch of the 4th edition of the World Mind Games Online Tournament on the 15th of September. The tournament, featuring Bridge, Chess and Go, is being organized by SportAccord in partnership with RSportz, the community-based global sports network and online platforms BridgeBase Online, Chess.com and Pandanet. 

The online tournament marks the countdown to the 4th SportAccord World Mind Games to be held in Beijing from December 11-17 this year. Last year’s online tournament attracted over 700,000 players from all across the globe and SportAccord expects to comfortably attract a higher number of participants through the tournament online portal www.onlinewmg.com. The portal will be the gateway for participants and enthusiasts for game rules, registration and all further information surrounding the SportAccord 2014 World Mind Games Online Tournament. 

Like in 2013, Chess Queen™ Alexandra Kosteniuk - the 12th Women's World Chess Champion and several-time champion at the World Mind Games - is the official ambassador at the event in Beijing for 2014 as well! Click on graphic (on left) to see some of last year's victory videos of GM Alexandra Kosteniuk.


And, another nice video, from 2012

SportAccord 2014 World Mind Games Online Tournament partners, Bridgebase Online, Chess.com and Pandanet will operate the online hosting of the disciplines of Bridge, Chess and Go, respectively.

SportAccord, the Union of International Sports Federations, operates and is in the process of organising 4 multi-sports games- the World Combat Games, the World Beach Games, the World Urban Games and the World Mind Games. The 4th edition of the SportAccord World Mind Games will be organized in Beijing from December 11-17, 2014, featuring Bridge, Chess, Draughts, Go and Xiangqi in cooperation with the respective international sports federations. The SportAccord World Mind Games unite the world’s best players in a quest for glory and prize money. SportAccord is constantly looking to engage more people in mind sports in a fun and exciting way through cultural programs and online games.

Online tournament dates: September 15 – November 15 Website: www.onlinewmg.com Official hashtag: #mindgames2014




From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal chess blog
at www.chessqueen.com
Don't miss Chess Queen™
YouTube Channel
 

Get Official FIDE Chess Rating Playing Online

Hello chess blog friends, yes, it's true, you can actually get an official chess rating now by playing chess from the comfort of your home! FIDE ONLINE ARENA is the newest member of the Premium Chess community of arenas. Thanks to Premium Chess’ advanced anti-cheating technology, members are for the very first time able to obtain official FIDE online ratings, with a planned merging of online and over-the-board blitz and rapid ratings, revolutionising the way we think about and play chess.

Every day is scheduled a master challenge, a simul, live video lesson, or a thematic tournament.Find here today's events.

The chess world’s ultimate prize is a FIDE rating or title. Only the top 3% of chess players in the world get there, ranging from active club players to the current World Champion phenomenon, Magnus Carlsen. In addition to awarding official FIDE ratings, FIDE online arena offers the complete chess experience: events broadcasting, official FIDE tournaments and match play, full statistical analysis, game archive, a multi-lingual interface, and much more.
GM's & IM's: one year's free membership

All IMs and GMs, including WGM’s and WIM’s, are entitled to one year’s FIDE online arena and/or Premium Chess full membership. Find out more.

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal chess blog
at www.chessqueen.com
Don't miss Chess Queen™
YouTube Channel

FIDE Online Chess Arena Launched Officially! Get a FIDE rating at Home

Hello chess friends,

Here is an exciting update via FIDE. They have officially launched the Online Chess Arena! Now you can get a chess rating from the comfort of your home. 

Here is FIDE president Kirsan Ilyumzhinov's message:

It is with great pride that I announce the formal launch of FIDE online arena on April the 4th – a truly historic day for the world of chess.

Thanks to the latest technology, chess players from every federation in the world will now have the opportunity to come together and play in official FIDE events for official FIDE ratings, unimpeded by distance, physical disability, shortage of available time, or any of the other obstacles that make attending official tournaments or match play difficult or impossible for many players.

Moreover, FIDE online arena creates new opportunities that in the past were only a dream, and the arena is certain to bring chess to millions of new players in the years ahead, as well as serving as an invaluable tool for education, broadcasting , chess in schools and many other crucial chess activities. The only limit for what is possible is our imagination.

Since the test version of FIDE online arena started, the project has generated enormous enthusiasm and interest, and we have been extremely grateful for the many messages of support for this initiative that FIDE has received from around the world.

As with other major sports, effective anti-cheating measures are crucial for guaranteeing the integrity of the game with players, the public , the media and sponsors alike. FIDE online arena truly excels in this regard as it is equipped with a highly sophisticated anti-cheating system that monitors all official games. This detailed monitoring is supplemented by a team of anti-cheating specialists and stringent FIDE anti-cheating procedures so that the maximum protection possible is provided.

Each arena member will have official FIDE Online Ratings for rapid, blitz and bullet chess.

Upon registration, a new member with an existing FIDE ID will be assigned initial ratings for rapid, blitz and bullet in accordance with his/her published over-the-board ratings. After every game played, these ratings will be updated, employing the same system used for official FIDE over-the-board ratings. After the establishment of an initial rating, unrated players' ratings shall be processed as per this system.

Upon the decision of the FIDE General Assembly at a date to be announced soon, FIDE over-the-board and online ratings for rapid and blitz will be merged into a single rating for each time control and published on the official FIDE website,

Gens una sumus is FIDE’s guiding principal and for this reason I am particularly excited by the introduction of FIDE online arena. Its unique ability to bring together chess players within and from every nation in the world can only strengthen the strong bonds that we share and that continue to unite us.

I am very pleased to announce that in celebration of FIDE online arena’s official launch all chess players with a FIDE rating and ID number are eligible for one month’s free membership.

Enjoy it! www.arena.myfide.net
I look forward to seeing you online.

Kirsan Nikolayevich Ilyumzhinov
President

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal chess blog
at www.chessqueen.com
Don't miss Chess Queen™
YouTube Channel

 

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.

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal blog at
www.chessqueen.com
Don't miss Chess Queen™
YouTube Channel

US Chess Online National Invitational Championship with USCF, Chesskid.com

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

Hi everyone, 

ChessKid.com is set to host the 2nd Annual Online National Chess Championship, June 14th-17th 2013. Founded and organized in June of 2012, last year's event was the first of its kind as the only ever online National Chess Championship - approved by the United States Chess Federation (USCF).

ChessKid.com is the "scholastic extension" of the world's largest chess website - Chess.com. By bringing so many of the nation's best and brightest youth chess players together for an event of this magnitude, ChessKid.com and the USCF hope to provide more exposure for the great game of chess, as well as all the benefits the game has on a child's cognitive development and critical thinking skills.

For many of these strong junior chess players (listed by age division below), it is their first experience playing in an "inviational / closed" event - a format generally reserved for very prestigious, high level tournaments. Like the first, this year's event brings together the nation's best scholastic chess players in each respective age group to battle over the web for a national title. To add to last year's Under 12 and Under 8 divisions, ChessKid.com has added two additional sections: an Under 10 and Girls Under 13.

The "Round Robin" format will see each player have a chance to face off against everyone in their age group. Each child will compete from a public location (mostly chess clubs) in their area, or from home under the observation from a "neutral" adult observer and their parents. The games will be broadcast over the internet, with live commentary from National and International Master level chess coaches. More information is available be provided by David Petty, davidpetty@chesskid.com.

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal blog at
www.chessqueen.com
Don't miss Chess Queen™
YouTube Channel

Watch ChessOK Online Grand Prix Super Final Live Today

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

Hi everyone,

The final qualification for the Online Chess Blitz Grand Prix Open 2012 took place on August 14. Four groups of 12 players each participated. Best two players from each of the groups would play the Super Final Tournament on August 15 at the ChessOk.com platform for online chess. 

Finalists and their respective score (max 11, winners passing to the Super Final are in bold)):

Group 1: 1. Volkov – 7.5; 2. Amonatov – 7. 3-4. Pridorozhnyi, Zhigalko – 6.5 each; 5-6. Papin, Smirnov – 6 each; 7-8. Ponkratov, Kharitonov – 5.5 each. 9. Rahmanov – 5; 10. Kiselev V.– 4.5; 11-12. Mischyk and Kovalev V. – 3 each.

Group 2: 1. Andreikin – 10.5; 2. Kovalenko – 8; 3. Khismatullin – 7; 4. Fedoseev – 6.5; 5. Yudin – 6; 6. Turov – 5.5; 7-8. Korobov, Badmacirenov – 5 each; 9. Zinchenko – 4.5; 10. Kharchenko – 4; 11-12. Grischenko, Khasangatin - 2 each.

Group 3: 1. Grishuk – 9; 2-3. Safarli, Deviatkin – 8.5; 4. Bocharov – 7.5; 5. Panarin – 6.5; 6-7. Azarov, Schaposhnikov – 5 each; 8-9. Galkin, Onischuk.V – 4.5 each; 10. Linchevsky – 4; 11. Kononenko - 2; 12. – Liascovich Lucas – (could not participate).

Group 4: 1. Zubov - 9; 2. Andriasian – 8.5; 3. Grigoryan – 7.5; 4-5, Bukavshin, Sjugirov – 6.5 each; 6-7. Terry, Vovk – 5.5 each; 8-9. Timofeev, Guseinovr – 5 each; 10-11. Kokarev, Ovetchkin – 3.5 each; 12. Dlugy – (could not participate). 

The Super Final Tournament will employ the Knockout system (4 games, Armageddon game if the score is 2:2). The players will start in the quarterfinals in the following pairs: Volkov - Safarli, Zubov - Kovalenko, Andreikin - Andriasian, Grishuk - Amonatov.

Watch the Super Final Tournament broadcast in the Tournaments & Broadcasts section of chessok.com, August 15, at 15-00 UTC.

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's

www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal blog at
www.chessqueen.com

Funny Chess Story: Man Suspected of Kidnapping While Playing Online

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

Hi everyone,

This is a funny chess story going around on the Internet. We found the English version at Chess Vibes. The German police arrested a man when one of his neighbors reported that he was shouting at someone in his apartment about not letting them escape. Supposedly this 60-year-old gentleman was shouting stuff like: You won't get out of here!

The incident happened in Lorräch, Germany. The chess player opened the door of his apartment quite surprised when the police landed up. Apparently he had been playing chess online and shouting at his virtual opponent. He told the officers that he wasn't keeping a prisoner but that he was a passionate chess player, involved in a chess game online.

The news has been picked up by a host of news sources like Südkurier, Neckar-Chronik, Op-Online andTV-Südbaden. It was also picked up by e.g. the major Dutch news site nu.nl and the biggest Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf.

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal blog at
www.chessqueen.com

Join Chess Fans to Play Against Russian National Chess Team - 17th Anniversary of 1st Correspondence Chess Match

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

Hi everyone,

Top Russian Grandmasters and members of the Russian national chess team, Peter Svidler, Sergey Karjakin, Alexander Grischuk and Evgeny Tomashevsky will play a team chess match against chess fans via a special website set up for the event.

This special chess event is being held to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the first-ever correspondence chess match played between Russian Grandmaster Alexander Petrov against three chess players from St. Petersburg. The correspondence game was played from April 27 to October 2, 1837. Petrov is known for the Petrov Defense or the Russian Defence - 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6. Petrov is also known as the great Russian theorist, chess master and writer. He was one of the strongest chess player in the first half of the 19th century.

The Russian Chess Federation is organising the chess match with general sponsorship by Gazprom via a specially created online site. Fans who register as members of the team will be able to send their movies. The move receiving the most votes would be played. You can register and take part.

Start Time - June 25, 2012 at 15:00 Moscow time.

There will be lot of prizes for those who send the most correct answers, best answers, etc.

Site of the match by correspondence

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal blog at
www.chessqueen.com

Super Chess Online Blitz Next Qualifying Event June 24

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

Hi everyone,

Did you take part in the first qualification event of the super prize-money online chess grand prix organised by the Russian Chess Federation on June 3? You could still take part even if you missed it. The next qualification event is on June 24 at 1600 UTC.

The event is being organised in the ChessOK playing zone. The prize money is a huge $38,000!

A total of 529 chess players took part in the first qualifying event. The players included 64 Grandmasters and 75 International Masters.

The 1st and 2nd places are shared by grandmasters Pridorozhnyi (Russia) and Kovalenko (Ukraine) – 11.5 points of 13 possible. The 3rd to 7th places are shared by 5 players: grandmasters Zhigalko (Belarus), Andreykin and Bukavshin (both from Russia), and masters Kovalev (Belarus) and Kantans (Latvia).

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal blog at
www.chessqueen.com