Σκακιστικά νέα

European Youth Team Chess Championship 2022 concluded yesterday in Thessaloniki, Greece. The event was played from 12-18 July and broke the participation record with 53 teams competing in two age categories: U12 and U18, open and girls sections separately.

Grandmaster Jergus Pechac is the recipient of the Gligoric Trophy 2021 in recognition of his exemplary behaviour and fair play spirit. The decision was made by the special Award Commission chaired by Mahir Mamedov, Judit Polgar, and Eugene Torre.

The 11th IBCA World Women’s and Junior Chess Championships for the Blind and Visually Impaired, organized by the IBCA, the French Blind Chess Association, and the Maison d’Échecs de Toulouse Lardenne, chief organizer Mr. Laurent Kruk, took place in Castelnaudary, France, from July 10-18, 2022. The participants, representing 18 federations from three continents, used specialized Braille chess boards, talking clocks, and voice recording equipment.

The 27th edition of the annual Pacific Coast Chess Open was played 15-17 July at the Los Angeles Airport Hilton and featured six rating sections: Premier (2000+), U2100, U1900, U1700, U1500 and U1200, with a guaranteed prize fund of 25.000$.

The 27th edition of the annual Bradley Chess Open took place 15-17 July at Sheraton Hartford Hotel at Bradley Airport, Windsor Locks, Connecticut. The event was played in 5 sections: Major (for players rated 1900+), Under 2100, Under 1800, Under 1500 and Under 1200, with a guaranteed prize fund of 15.000$.

The 15th annual Chicago Class 2022 took place 15-17 July at the Westin Chicago North Shore Hotel, Wheeling, Illinois., featuring 7 tournaments: Master (for players rated 2100+), Expert (for players rated 1900-2199), Class A (for players rated 1700-1999), Class B (for players rated 1500-1799), Class C (for players rated 1300-1599), Class D (for players rated 1100-1399) and Class E (for players rated U1200).

Within the framework of the 49th International Dortmund Chess Festival, the No-castling World Masters 2022 was to start today, Monday, 18 July, with the game between Vladimir Kramnik and Viswanathan Anand. Before the start of the event, Kramnik experienced health problems, so he had himself tested for an infection and was found to be COVID-19 positive.

The South African Open Chess Championship 2022 took place from 9-17 July 2022 in Cape Town. The event featured six different tournaments: Championship section, B section, U12 section, U16 section, U20 section and Blitz tournament with a prize pool of R140.000 (~8.000 EUR).

The 30th edition of the Heart of Finland Chess Open / Nordic Open Chess Championship takes place from 18-24 July 2022 in Jyväskylä marking the 100th anniversary of the Finnish Chess Federation. The event features two separate competitions: Open and Seniors, played in 9 rounds, swiss system, with time control: 90 min/40 moves + 30min + 30sec/move. The total prize fund will be 17.000 euros. 

The 2022 Canadian Open Chess Championship took place 11 – 17 July at the Hillfield Strathallan College, Hamilton, Ontario.