Home Announcement
Category:

Announcement

Africa ReportAnnouncementChess NewsIndividual

Breaking News: Africa Junior U20 Chess Championship Postponed

by Ogunsiku Babatunde
written by Ogunsiku Babatunde

At the beginning of the year, the Africa Chess Confederation released the tournament program for the year 2019, and with a host of these events done and dusted, attention turns to the junior events on the continent.

There are a number of junior events that were planned for, among which was the Africa Junior Chess Championship.

The Under 20 event was slated for Zimbabwe at the turn of the year and on the FIDE website, but after discussing with the leaders of the Zimbabwe Chess Federation, Africa Chess Media was able to gather that the rights for hosting were retracted from them and given to Zambia in January.

The officials of the Zambia Chess Federation also confirmed to us that they were indeed offered the rights to host, but considering the events they already had planned for the year, they respectfully declined and the ACC has been in search of a host for the event
since February 2019.

 

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
This means that:
1. The event slated for August 2019 has been postponed as seen in the above statement released by the ACC.
2. The new date will be determined by the new host nation.
3. The Africa Chess Confederation is in search of a host country for the said Junior event and are in talks with one.
4. Chess Federations within the African continent are invited to show an interest in organizing the said event.
5. The Africa Chess Confederation will do all they can to ensure that the said event is organized in the year 2019.

The Africa Junior U20 Championship is where the brightest young minds meet to test their knowledge of the sport and also build a reputation for themselves, just like players like GM Fawzy Adham of Egypt, IM David Silva of Angola, and many other juniors have done in the past.

We at Africa Chess Media will keep an eye on this story and update the continent on the latest information with regards to this and other continental events.

2 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestThreadsBlueskyEmail
Africa ReportAnnouncementChess News

New Zones Take Effect in Africa

by Ogunsiku Babatunde
written by Ogunsiku Babatunde

In the 1st quarter of the year, it was written by Kenya Chess Masala‘s Kim Bhari, that Fide would now add a new zone to the continent, to increase the zones in Africa to five (5), and everyone in Africa have been on the look out to when this would eventually materialize.
June 1, 2019, marks the official flag off of the new zoning for countries in Africa, and this would see some serious changes being made to the each of the zones, with the northern countries securing zone 4.1, the western countries moved to zone 4.2, the middle belt countries put together for zone 4.3, the eastern countries charged with the zone 4.4 and the southern countries bear the new zone 4.5 name.

Countries by New Zones:
Zone 4.1 – Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt
Zone 4.2 – Cape Verde, The Gambia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Senegal, Mali, Cote D’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Burkina Faso, Togo and Nigeria, *Niger, *Benin, *Guinea, *Guinea Bissau
Zone 4.3 – Equatorial Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe, Cameroon, Gabon, Central African Republic, Dr Congo, *Congo, *Chad
Zone 4.4 – Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Comoros, Seychelles, Mauritius, Burundi and Madagascar
Zone 4.5 – Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Swaziland, Lesotho and South Africa
These zones come to effect just after the initial four (4) zones had finished their championships for the year 2019, and preparation for the Africa Individual Chess Championship becomes ripe as Tunisia bills to host the final World Cup qualifier on the African continent for the year 2019.

Tunisia_2019_African_Individual_Chess_Championships_Invitation-1

Below are the winners of the African zones, who would be representing Africa at the World Cup for the year 2019. These players would fly the African flags fighting for their respective zones for the last time under the former structure, before the change:
Zone 4.1:

IMG_0737 (2)GM Bilel Bellahcene from Algeria, who with a straight 9/9, defeated all that came before him to win the zonal championship in excellent fashion, claimed the zone 4.1 trophy and also qualifies to represent the zone at the 2019 Chess World Cup in Russia.
Zone 4.2:

IMG_1166GM Ahmed Adly from Egypt, he had to fight his way through Ugandans and Kenyans, who knew this would be the last time they would get the opportunity to play the Egyptians and gave it their best. Even though they qualified ahead of the Egyptians two (2) years ago, they were unable to stop the brilliance of GM Adly this time around and he finished with a superb 8/9 points to claim the spot from the zone.
Zone 4.3:

IMG_0878IM Fy Rakotomaharo, the special young man from Madagascar who stands tall ahead of everyone n the zone, and he showed class as he won the event in a pool of top Southern players. Maybe home advantage or maybe he is just the defender of the Southern Africa, as he finished victorious with a whopping 8/9 points to qualify to represent the zone in Russia later this year.
Zone 4.4:

IMG_0745 (2)IM Anwuli Daniel, the 21 year old face of The Go For A Nigerian Grandmaster and the youngest International Master in the zone, claimed the title and World Cup spot with a brilliant performance in Ghana, where he outpaced every other more experienced and older opponents, in a pool of players that included International Masters, Fide Masters, Canidate Masters and other fighters, with about twenty (20) players from Nigeria and others who wanted the spot, with half a point ahead of his closest rival to claim the top spot.

Who will be the best performer at the World Cup!?

Do have your say in our comments box.

Note – starred (*) countries are pending to be added to the zones.

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestThreadsBlueskyEmail
Africa ReportAnnouncementChess News

The Grand Chess Tour Comes To Cote D’Ivoire

by Ogunsiku Babatunde
written by Ogunsiku Babatunde

2018 was the year of exceptional chess events in Africa, but none more so than the Cote D’Ivoire Rapid and Blitz tournament, which played host to some of the very best players from the four (4) different zones on the continent, inclusive of Africa’s super star chess player GM Dr Amin Bassem of Egypt.

GM Amin Bassem at the Cote D’Ivoire Rapid & Blitz Invitational: Photo Credit – Alina L’Ami

The format of play for the event was the one being used by the Grand Chess Tour organizers and it would suffice to say that the top guns in the tour organization were more than satisfied with what they saw, considering the limited resources available for the event and the result that was experienced. I bet the sponsors were more than pleased and have now committed more into the hands of the team.

This event was made possible through the efforts of the President of the Ivorian Chess Federation (FIDEC), Dr Essoh Essis, who has been pushing Garry Kasparov and the Kasparov Chess Foundation Africa to bring the Grand Chess Tour to Africa and Cote D’Ivoire since 2015/2016, and even though this push culminated in the organisation of the Rapid and Blitz event, which held in July, the dream that looked far fetched is now coming to pass, because one man would never give up on his dreams of seeing the very best players in the world come to his hometown and it has eventually happened.

Dr Essoh Essis Making the 1st Move at the Invitational Rapid & Blitz Event: Photo Credit – Alina L’Ami

The Grand Chess Tour team have now announced that they would have one edition of the event in Africa, and in no other country, but Cote D’Ivoire. This announcement came out during the closing ceremony, after Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura snuck a win on Grandmaster Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in the final of the Grand Chess Tour and World Chess Championship challenger, Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana stole the win over Grandmaster Levon Aronian, in the battle for third place.

I doubt if an event of this magnitude has found its way to African soil before now, where top Grandmasters come into town to not just play chess, but also give inspiration to African chess players amongst other developing events.

Africa Chess Media was proud to have covered the Cote D’Ivoire Rapid and Blitz tournament for top players across the continent, and is now proud to have gotten the rights to report the prestigious Grand Chess Tour to our esteemed audiences come 2019, and working with the experienced team that continuously put together the GCT for a few years now, would be a great honour for our team at Africa Chess Media.

The players are yet to be confirmed for the 2019 edition of the Grand Chess Tour, but it would definitely be a blast for Africans to meet with and probably even play a simultaneous against players like:

Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen:

Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen: Photo Credit – Grand Chess Tour

the dominant force in all formats of the game and a player who has shown incredible gifting and understanding of the game. Hopefully, he would be in the tour to Africa, since this would be an opportunity for him to finally step foot on the continent

Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura:

Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura: Photo Credit – Grand Chess Tour

He was in South Africa earlier in the year before traveling for the Gibraltar tournament and he is currently the chess.com brand ambassador as well as only second to GM Magnus Carlsen on the Rapid Live Rating list. GM Hikaru is an exciting player to watch (especially when playing blitz and bullet), and a lot of Africans hope to have the opportunity to meet the winner of the 2018 Grand Chess Tour, who won with a dramatic final blitz win over GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave.

Grandmaster Maxime Vachier-Lagrave:

Grandmaster Maxime Vachier-Lagrave: Photo Credit – Grand Chess Tour

Recently wrestled the blitz rating top dog away from GM Magnus Carlsen, which he lost back to the Big man after his last round loss to GM Hikaru Nakamura. The brilliant Frenchman and his Sicilian defence understanding has been a force to reckon with in all formats, but finished a painful second to Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura in the finals of the 2018 GCT. He would be highly welcomed to Africa and he would definitely be looking to return the favor paid to him on the last day of the event from GM Hikaru during the 2019 edition of the event.

Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana:

Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana: Photo Credit – Lennart Ootes

The World Chess Championship Challenger and one of the humblest super grandmasters currently (by popular opinion). He finished 3rd in the 2018 Grand Chess Tour and would be hoping that his final game form against Grandmaster Levon Aronian would continue in the 2019 edition and get one better for him, only time will tell. Currently not in the top 10 of either Rapid or Blitz Live Ratings, but he is the current 2nd best classical chess player in the world, and he would definitely fancy his chances.

Grandmaster Levon Aronian:

Grandmaster Levon Aronian: Photo Credit – Grand Chess Tour

The Armenian Grandmaster with the most appealing unorthodox style of play in tournaments, currently sits as 6th in Rapid Play Live Rating list and 5th in the Blitz section, opens up the position and plays it the way Tal said it should be played, where 2+2=5, and the only way out is only big enough for 1! He lost to GM Fabiano Caruana in the battle for 3rd place at the 2018 Grand Chess Tour and would be hoping to pick up his deadly form going into 2019. It would be a joy to have him on the continent

Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand:

Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand: Photo Credit – Grand Chess Tour

The Tiger of Madras, who was in Africa earlier in the year, is currently 7th on the Blitz Live Rating list and has been a force to reckon with in the world of chess for decades now, and has a lot of fans in Africa. He has spearheaded the revolution and chess boom in India and he is definitely a chess legend in all ramifications. Africa definitely loves Vishy.

Grandmaster Wesley So:

Grandmaster Wesley So: Photo Credit – Lennart Ootes

He lost out in the early stages of the GCT in London and currently in the South of Africa, GM So sits 4th in the current Rapid Rating list and he has been the Christians pick of an ideal chess grandmaster and Africa hopes to host him next year again.

It would be a great plus if Africa’s number 1, Grandmaster and Doctor Amin Bassem can be given the wildcard opportunity to battle against these awesome chess talents and others who may be added to the list.

2019 is upon us, and in a few days, we will have the plans and timings of the Grand Chess Tour, which would guide us as to when Africa will host these brilliant stars of the chess industry and the tour. This would help to start the preparation for the event amidst several other plans and events on the continent in the year.

The Love You feel in Cote D’Ivoire: Photo Credit – Alina L’Ami

Africa is definitely rising, evolving and development in various sectors of the continent might just be hinged on the chess industry getting it right……who knows!?

Would you say the Grand Chess Tour coming to Africa is a big deal?

Would you say a local tournament be put in place alongside the Grand Chess Tour or should chess players from all over the continent just travel down to Cote D’Ivoire to come see their heroes make the move?

What would you advice the organizers to do in order to get the best out of this major opportunity to Africans?

1 comment
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestThreadsBlueskyEmail
Africa ReportAnnouncementChess NewsCountry Reports

Limitless Minds Pushes The Envelope With Unusual Chess Event

by cosmoschipepoanafrican
written by cosmoschipepoanafrican

“Latlhela bofofu ka kwano o bone ka moo ditswerere tsa Botswana di dirang phapang ka teng!”

Limitless Minds Chess Academy, its organizing partners Rock and Roll Chess Master Botswana and Chess Motifs will be hosting the 2018 Botswana International Junior Open Chess Championships from the 30th of November to the 2nd of December 2018 at Botho University in Gaborone, Botswana.

The event is hosted under the auspices of the Botswana Chess Federation and targets players aged 21 and below. It is hosted in age category format from the age category in under 7- under 21 boys and girls.
Botswana Chess Federation has been organizing the event for over 6 years and this year, Limitless Minds Chess Academy requested for permission to organize and run it and it was granted.

The event will for the first time in its history feature physically challenged chess players both locally and from other African countries under the chess for the visually impaired.

Chess is a game of the mind and physically challenged players are rarely, if ever, accommodated in chess tournaments. At grassroots level it is almost non-existent. The irony of this is that at master-level a chess grandmaster’s most powerful and impressive skill is playing opponents with no sight of the board. The more opponents he can play blindfold the higher the prestige and pedigree of the master.

World Classical Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen showcasing in a 5 board simultaneous play in Vienna. | Image cred Gerhard Peyrer

This could be due to the scarcity of resources for the visually impaired player. Braille chess books and materials, computer programs with specialized applications to read out chess moves aloud, peg-type chess boards and braille pieces are more scarce than chicken teeth, especially here in Africa.

The aptly named organizer and spokesperson for Limited Minds, Neoyame Keesine, whose name means “My Gift”, says of the event: “Our initiative is motivated by our commitment to the development of chess in Botswana and to the inclusion of the marginalized and disadvantaged groups.
It is in our growth strategy as Limitless Minds Chess Academy to spread our footprint and take the game of chess to all corners of the country as well as host international events of high standard to measure the level of impact on our programs, expose young talent, market our country Botswana and also contribute to social inclusion through the incorporation of kids living with disability and other marginalized groups.
Limitless Minds Chess Academy subscribes to the International Sport Concept of Sport for All.

As our name Limitless Minds Chess Academy suggests we are unlimited in our thinking and in our approach to doing things. We believe that everything is possible and in a unique but fulfilling way would like to become the chess academy of choice. We would like to be the leading academy in Botswana and the whole of Africa when it comes to creativity, innovation and inclusion.”
The organising committe for Limited minds consists of Vincent Masole, Davies Banda, Neoyame Katisenge, Erick Takawira and Charles Masaiti.

The plan it is to broaden the section in future to include other disabilities. Limitless is currently training kids with autism and will be included in the event in future when they graduate from their training.

Africa Chess Media will be covering the event and we will adopt their motto as their motto challenges all of us that may we all “DARE TO RISE”!

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestThreadsBlueskyEmail
AnnouncementChess News

Portland Teens Travel to Promote Cross-Cultural Understanding Through Chess

by Ogunsiku Babatunde
written by Ogunsiku Babatunde

Equatorial Guinea, a Central African nation without a chess federation, is going through the change of a lifetime, as teenagers from Portland, USA in partnership with the United States Embassy in Malabu, and the Equatorial Guinea Embassy in Washington D.C, would be creating a change in the way the country sees chess, and here is the story of how it all began.

…..Showing the world that distance is not an issue when you believe in a cause!

After years of long-distance support, chess activists in Oregon will travel 8,000 miles to meet their counterparts in Equatorial Guinea.

Four Portland high school students will travel to the Central African nation of Equatorial Guinea this month to work directly with students and teachers in promoting cross-cultural understanding through chess education and competitive play. The trip, scheduled for November 14-23, is the culmination of a two-year collaboration with Equatoguinean chess activists. The cross-cultural exchange was initiated by students Avi Gupta and Seth Talyansky in 2016, after they made contact with educators and chess enthusiasts in Equatorial Guinea, and learned of the obstacles young players face due to a lack of existing chess infrastructure.

Malabo-aerial

Aerial view of Malabo, Capital city of Equatorial Guinea, located on Bioko Island. Image Credit: Ipisking

The four teens traveling to Equatorial Guinea are Avi Gupta (senior), Seth Talyansky (senior), Duncan Soiffer (junior), and Sean Uan-Zo-li (sophomore), all students at Catlin Gabel School in Portland. The efforts of Gupta and Talyansky over the past two years have been in collaboration with La Asociación Nacional de Ajedrez de Guinea Ecuatorial (ANAGE). On their trip, the four will work directly with ANAGE Technical Director Federico Ele Rano and his team to organize a chess festival that will include a youth tournament and the inaugural international Equatoguinean Open. They also plan to continue their effort to promote chess education in schools. Various National Chess Federations have backed the project, including those of the United States, Spain, and Brazil. The Oregon Scholastic Chess Federation (OSCF) and the Washington Chess Federation (WCF) have also contributed chess supplies for donation to Equatoguinean schools.

chess5-1140x684

Malabu-US Embassy Chess Tournament at the Hilton Hotel: Image Courtesy – https://gq.usembassy.gov/checkmate-u-s-embassy-malabo-supports-successful-chess-competition/

Their partnership with the US Embassy in Malabu brought about the support for a physical chess tournament in March, early this year, which culminated into a chess workshop to train several individuals about the understanding of the game of chess.

The trip to Equatorial Guinea is the culmination of years of work by Gupta and Talyansky to promote chess locally, nationally, and internationally. As leaders of the Catlin Gabel Chess Club, they launched the Catlin Gabel Chess Festival in 2016, an open, all-ages competition that initially drew a hundred and twenty three (123) players from 30 schools around the area, which included Inza Wood Elementary School in Wilsonville, the El Puente Bilingual School in Milwaukie, the Talmadge Middle School in Independence and Illahee Elementary School in Camas, Washington.

chess_image_3

Catlin Gabel Chess Festival, 2016: Photo Credit – https://www.catlin.edu/page.cfm?p=502&newsid=120

Since the inaugural Festival, Soiffer and Uan-zo-li have been substantially involved in the Festival planning and execution. In 2018, the Festival attracted a hundred and fifty (150) players from across Oregon and Southwestern Washington, including a delegation of first-time competitors from Hermiston, Oregon, that overnighted on the campus. Festival proceeds have gone toward numerous charitable causes, including a donation to the Portland Rescue Mission, and initiatives to support chess in Macedonia, Guatemala, and of course Equatorial Guinea.

The Portland students’ collaboration with chess players and educators in Equatorial Guinea began in 2016, when Talyansky contacted the country’s embassy in Washington, D.C, as a project for his Spanish class (Equatorial Guinea is the only Spanish-speaking country in Africa). Through the embassy’s consular secretary, Talyansky and his classmate Gupta were introduced to Federico Ele Rano, who would become their partner in Equatorial Guinea.

Maria Cano School

Kids from Maria Cano School learning how to play the game of chess. Image Credit: Federico Ele Rano

Working with Ele Rano, the Portland students have coordinated correspondence games with Equatoguinean players over email and WhatsApp; offered guidance on forming and operating a chess club; and shipped chess materials to their counterparts, including chess sets, clocks, and books.

THE FOUR PORTLAND STUDENTS TRAVELING TO EQUATORIAL GUINEA ARE AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEWS.

They can discuss these cross-cultural efforts before they depart for Africa on November 15, or after they return on November 22. They will be documenting their trip with photographs that they are also willing to share with media.

To arrange for an interview, you can contact the team members and spokespersons Avi Gupta at [email protected] and Seth Talyansky at [email protected]. You may also contact Ken DuBois, who happens to be the Catlin Gabel Director of Public Relations, at [email protected] and 503-867-3708.

Catlin-01

Catlin Gabel School, Oregon. Image Credit: https://www.walkermacy.com/projects/catlin-gabel-elementary/

Catlin Gabel School is an independent, non-sectarian, progressive coeducational day school serving 760 students from preschool through 12th grade. Our mission: to support inspired learning leading to responsible action through dedicated teaching, caring relationships, a challenging curriculum, and community service. Learn more at www.catlin.edu.

 

0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestThreadsBlueskyEmail
AnnouncementChampionshipsChess News

World Chess Releases Connection App For Chess Players Around The World

by Ogunsiku Babatunde
written by Ogunsiku Babatunde

With the World Chess Championship Match between GM Magnus Carlsen of Norway and GM Fabiano Caruana of the United States of America just a few weeks away, the World Chess, who are the organizers of the Match in London have released a connecting app for chess players around the globe, and even though it is called “The Dating App”, it is really meant for chess players to find each other as long as they are in close proximity to each other and are both using the app.

600x300_world_chess_graphic1511952489

According to The World Chess “We used the dating technology to develop an app, which helps you find chess playing partner near you. It’s pretty cool — you snap a selfie, post it, have an hour to ‘match’ (just like in dating apps) and agree on a location to play chess!”

This, in my opinion, is an awesome opportunity for most chess players in Africa who travel to locations where they know almost no chess player, and when they get to these locations, they start asking where are the chess players in this area either on Facebook or WhatsApp. But with this app, you find any chess player around anywhere you are, with the possibility of you being able to play over the board chess.

0_iPhone_X_5

Chess has gotten big with online play, but with the advent of this innovation, chess players will be able to play more games over the board (OTB), keeping in shape for leagues, tournaments, matches, among other tournaments available to each country. This will also help chess players find themselves easier, and would help with a numerical representation of the number of chess players all around the world.

The app is now live on Android and IoS, and everyone can download the app.

The app logo and name might need to change though, considering the fact that most African countries are very sensitive to nudity and culmination being so explicit, and considering the fact that most of the African federations are looking to develop the grassroots better, in order to provide the right future for the continent, these are the set of people that would be needing the app more than the adults, and it would definitely help these children to find more chess players within their various communities, or at least the instructors, parents, guardians and older ones can help do the search without bias as to the intention of such kids. Except the app is only for adults or has an age restriction.

Desktop_1_preview

Chess is an all inclusive sport and we do not want to be seen as discriminating or forcing people to think in a specific kind of way, which has seemingly been the norm from the initial announcement of the World Chess Championship Match venue.

At Africa Chess, we believe that The World Chess has the best interest of chess players at heart and everything being done are with the very best of intentions, which is why we are pointing out the brilliance of this app and the flaws found in it.

Have your say people and let us join hands to take chess to the future we all see and believe in, where workers leave their jobs to play chess and get paid well.

2 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestThreadsBlueskyEmail
AnnouncementElection News

Africa Chess Media to Host ACC 2018 Presidential Debate on WhatsApp

by Paras Gudka
written by Paras Gudka

Africa Chess Media makes history tonight as we host the first-ever WhatsApp debate between the 2018 African Chess Confederation presidential candidates.

Candidates:

  1. Lewis Ncube (Zambia)
  2. Dr Essoh Essis (Ivory Coast)
  3. Tshepo Sitale (Botswana)

Date: Saturday, 21 July 2018
Time: 9 pm CAT
Venue: https://chat.whatsapp.com/1GBhdAELCvx6Lro6InI3v7

Moderators:

  • Bruce Mubayiwa, Co-Founder (Zimbabwe)
  • Ogunsiku Babatunde, Co-Founder and CEO (Nigeria)
  • Olayemi Ajibade, Business Development Executive (Nigeria)
  • Cosmos Chipepo, Director of Content (South Africa)
  • Paras Gudka, Director of Web Operations (Kenya)
0 comments
0 FacebookTwitterPinterestThreadsBlueskyEmail
Newer Posts
Older Posts
Close