Mediaboss Marketing

Chess.coms top event for women, the $70,000 Julius Baer Womens Speed Chess Championship, is back next month and this time with a big-name sponsor and six of the strongest players on the planet.

Defending champion GM Kateryna Lagno and the near-legendary GM Hou Yifan, the world number-one for eight years and last years runner-up, have confirmed they will resume their speed chess rivalry.

Both will battle it out in the main event from November 13 to 22, which is supported by the Swiss private bank Julius Baer.

The stellar lineup also includes the highly-decorated GMs Alexandra Kosteniuk and Valentina Gunina. Kosteniuk and Gunina are two of the finest and fastest women players, and both former champions.

Indias GM Harika Dronavalli, the runner up to Hou in 2021, will also return alongside fellow countrywoman IM Vaishali Rameshbabu, the fast-rising 22-year-old from Chennai and sister of the prodigy GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu.

Here's what happened in last year's dramatic final:

Two more spots are available from what promises to be an exciting qualification event, open to all titled women, from November 8 to 9. This year, however, the format for the first stage is slightly different.

The Julius Baer Womens Speed Chess Championship is being brought into line with the Speed Chess Championship and the Junior Speed Chess Championship which means the qualifier will see a 14-round Swiss on day one followed by a top-8 double elimination bracket on the second day.

The winner of each bracket on day two will advance from the qualifier to the main event. Play will begin at 9 a.m. ET / 15:00 CEST / 18:30 IST on both days.

The main event starting November 13 will see an eight-player single elimination bracket, with seedings determined by a Chess.com panel. The six players listed above have been directly invited, and will be joined by the two qualifiers.

All matches will be played over 5+1, 3+1 and 1+1 time controls. The exact schedule will be confirmed later.

Antje Hembd, Head Global Sponsoring & Partnership Julius Baer, said: We are thrilled to support the Womens Speed Chess Championship for the first time and to help to empower women and create a more equitable, diverse and exciting chess landscape.

"This year Julius Baer has been included in the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index (GE). This inclusion shows our commitment to advance to the topic and to share our results transparently supporting our Diversity & Inclusion vision to foster an inclusive environment built on care.

This years Julius Baer Womens Speed Chess Championship is the fifth edition of the event, which has seen a series of thrilling finals since it first burst onto the scene four years ago.

GM Elina Danielian, who reached the main event as a qualifier, won the inaugural WSCC in 2019 defeating Gunina 15-13 in the final. Danielian was dethroned in 2020 by GM Anna Ushenina, who beat Kosteniuk in the final. Hou then took the title in 2021, toppling Dronavalli, before Lagno won it against Hou in 2022.

You can watch the live broadcast on Chess.com/TV or on our YouTube and Twitch channels. Find out more about the 2023 Julius Baer Women's Speed Chess Championship in our event guide here.

See original here:
Hou Yifan Out For Revenge Against Lagno In 2023 Julius Baer ... - Chess.com

A hush fell over Kendall Cram Lecture Hall on National Chess Day last Saturday morning, Oct. 14. Kings and queens shuffling across boards replaced the sounds of idle chatter as the 1st Annual Tulane Quick Chess Tournament commenced.

Tulane Chess Club and Downriver Chess Club of New Orleans teamed up to organize their first annual tournament. According to Downriver Chess Clubs co-owner Richard Campbell, this tournament represented 20% of Louisianas top contenders in the United States Chess Federation, with participants from as far as Mobile, Alabama. Tulane Chess Clubs co-president, junior Carter Williams, echoed this success with the 100 participants and additional spectators.

Tulane University Provost Robin Forman observed the tournament. Forman has been playing chess for decades and became a U.S. chess master in 1996.

My time spent at the Tulane chess club has reminded me of the joyful chaos and comradery of in-person chess, with the laughter and the sounds of pieces crashing, the boisterous congratulations and celebrations of victory, the consolations and lessons learned from defeat, all of which is missing from the online games, Forman said in a statement to Tulane Chess Club.

This five-round, USCF-verified tournament welcomed many notable players of different skill levels. Ten-year-old Leo Le-Tran battled against national master senior Nicholas Matta. Matta won second in the tournament behind Tulane Law School student Dexter Webster.

A ten-year-old was one of the best players and beat one of our strong club members, Williams said. Thats how chess goes; chess is known as the great equalizer. You could be a homeless person versus a king and its a completely equal playing field.

The Tulane Chess Club was formed nearly three years ago, following the spike in chesss popularity during quarantine and the subsequent release of the hit show The Queens Gambit.

In my perspective, chess is an art form, director of growth and marketing junior Trevor Johnson said. People look at the game in different ways. Everybody has their own style. People create their own vision and they create a plan and they execute it. Thats what I really love about chess.

The Tulane Chess Club had about 10 members playing in the tournament, all striving to live up to the legacy of Paul Morphy, a Tulane Law alum and unofficial world chess champion, who is still regarded as one of the greatest players of all time.

We feel honored and obligated to live up to his legacy, Johnson said. He revolutionized the game in two years, immediately after graduating from Tulane. While he was here, he worked hard and studied both law and chess and he went on to change the world. I really like that as a metaphor for the overall Tulane spirit. Thats who were here to represent today.

View original post here:
Good knight for chess: Tulane hosts tournament - Tulane Hullabaloo

Mr Camerons committee has met once since ASX was forced by ASIC in late October to introduce additional oversight following concerns ASX could be repeating its past mistakes, which forced it to pause the CHESS replacement last November. He said it would take around 10 days to digest the ASXs plans before it makes recommendations on whether the market is likely to back it.

I havent seen the grand plan or know what it looks like or what is in it, but I expect we get from ASX, prior to our meeting on October 31, a lot of specific information as to what the CHESS replacement, in overall terms, will look like now.

The group plans to meet again on November 9 to finalise its position.

The ASXs subsidiary clearing and settlement boards are due to meet on November 15 to approve the solution design and vendor. If the committee was to report widespread concerns, ASX may be forced to push back finalising the plans until the new year.

Committee chair Deborah ONeill probed Mr Cameron on whether the timelines provided sufficient time to carefully interrogate something that is so complex and has been cause of such concern over a long period of time already.

Mr Cameron said he felt the twin pressures and tension of having enough time to form a view, while also helping ASX make this decision as quickly as it sensibly can.

You and others would like to see a resolution of this without unnecessary delay, he said.

Its also clear in the regulatory expectations letter, that ASX is not to make this decision and it is their decision, not ours until the new advisory group has been given sufficient time to form a view about that and to be able to advise them. That is explicitly stated in the statement of regulatory expectations.

The Parliamentary Joint Committee also heard details of the composition of the group and how it will function.

Mr Cameron said its 10 members had been chosen to serve in their individual capacity, except ASX CEO Helen Lofthouse. But he said she had agreed to recuse herself from some deliberations, so the group could make decisions free of any undue influence from ASX.

The other advisory group members are: David Braga, Richard Burns, David Ferrall, Belinda Gibson, Marnie Reid, David Travers, Scott Webster, Chris Williams.

All are bound by strict confidentiality agreements to ensure they dont communicate sensitive ASX information back to their organisations.

Mr Cameron said he had wanted Emma Quinn, CEO of alternative equity market operator CBOE, to be part of the committee, but she was unable to sign up to the groups confidentiality requirements.

Do you have confidence in the ethical fibre of the people who are sitting around that board, to undertake this work in the national interest? Ms ONeill asked Mr Cameron.

He replied that he did, pointing to their skills and expertise across different parts of the market that would reflect a wider view. All the groups meetings will be observed by ASIC, the Reserve Bank, and the ACCC.

The group does not include people who are shrinking violets, Mr Cameron said.

Theyre perfectly capable of speaking their mind. And frankly, I think they would speak their mind, even if Ms Lofthouse was in the room the whole time. But we have already agreed, and she has demonstrated a willingness to, absent herself from time to time, so there is no doubt members of [the] group have the opportunity to reflect among themselves, and not be influenced by her mere presence in the room.

Mr Cameron said his aim was to get broad consensus, and he will report divergent views to ASX and regulators.

Ms Lofthouse and ASX chairman Damian Roche will appear in front of the Parliamentary Joint Committee from 1:15pm AEDT. ASIC chairman Joe Longo will follow in the afternoon. ASXs board of directors narrowly avoided a second strike at its annual meeting on Thursday, where 21 per cent of shareholders voted against the remuneration report.

View post:
New CHESS advisory group 'won't be railroaded' by ASX - The Australian Financial Review

Three wins on the fly for GM Daniel Naroditsky in October's Bullet Brawls have left the American commentator in clear second on the all-time leaderboard with seven wins and closing quickly on GM Hikaru Nakamura, who has won the two-hour arena 10 times since its inception in April.

Indonesia's IM Yoseph Taher won $250 for second place and forced Naroditsky to push all the way to the end after streaking to a score of 232, while GM Jose Martinez rounded out the podium and earned $150 for his efforts.

Fresh from her I'M Not A GM Speed Chess Championship group stage victory, IM Polina Shuvalova finished 32nd in the arena and picked up the top female prize of $100 with 80 points to her name. Aspiring master Jason Leverett managed to win the community event, amassing 65 wins along the way.

The next edition of Bullet Brawl will take place on Saturday, October 21, 2023, at 1 p.m. ET/19:00 CEST.

How to review games?The games from October's second Bullet Brawl can be found here.

Strong finishes have typically been the lynchpin in victorious Bullet Brawl performances; however, in October's second edition, it was a 19-game unbeaten streak to kick off the event that put Naroditsky in the box seat.

While the U.S. GM was the top seed, several dangerous GMs including Oleksandr Bortnyk, Matthias Bluebaum, Sergei Zhigalko, and Nihal Sarin, who played the event after drawing his fourth round against IM Aditya Samant at the Qatar Masters, opted to play.

Following his third-place finish in October's first Bullet Brawl, Taher was the only competitor capable of keeping pace with Naroditsky, though, in their games against one another, Naroditsky was able to win all three.

The Blockade Variation of the Old Benoni Defense was the battleground for one of these key top-of-the-table clashes and despite the opening's name, the middle of the board quickly opened up in favor of Naroditsky. With an eight-second advantage on the clock, the now seven-time victor hopped his knights toward Taher's king and won a full rook.

For Taher, the loss took a toll on his momentum and spelled a patchy period while Naroditsky continued steaming ahead.

The winner's run was characterized by high-accuracy games, his trademark tactical speed, and most notably, the ability to sense important moments against the field's highest-rated players. In a game against popular streamer GM Tuan Minh Le, Naroditsky spotted a timely queen move that changed the fate of a game that looked destined to be drawn.

Shuvalova's efforts on Saturday provided a glimpse into what viewers can expect come Monday when the aptly named "Flawless_Fighter" takes on IM Lawrence Trent in the I'M Not A GM Speed Chess Championship Semifinals. Playing NM Dimitry Korol, Shuvalova intuitively found a brilliant move in one second and secured a win up by 20 seconds on the clock seconds later.

A monopoly on October's Bullet Brawl titles would see Naroditsky move to within striking range of Nakamura's all-time wins record of 10. Following the conclusion of the Qatar Masters, it should come as no surprise to see Nakamura return to challenge Naroditsky and defend his mantle.

Standings

Bullet Brawl is an exciting new titled arena that features Chess.com's top bullet specialists and now takes place weekly on Saturdays. The format is a two-hour arena with a 1+0 time control; the prize fund is $1,000.

Much like Titled Tuesday and Arena Kings, Bullet Brawl often features top GMs, including Hikaru Nakamura, Daniel Naroditsky, Andrew Tang, Tuan Minh Le, and many more!

Previous coverage:

Visit link:
Naroditsky Wins Third Straight Bullet Brawl - Chess.com

The Fiji Chess Federation has received a major boost with a three-year sponsorship program from telecommunications company Vodafone.

With Candidate Master (CM) Taione Sikivou as president and reigning National Chess Champion, FCF managed to win the attention of Vodafone Fiji when it bagged three nominations at the 2023 Fiji Sports Awards for Sports Team of the Year.

The nominations were Fiji Chess Olympiad Team, National Male Athlete of the Year Provisional FIDE Master (FM) Rudr Ravi Prasad of The University of the South Pacific, and Sports Volunteer of the Year CM Goru Arvind.

Vodafone Fijis head of sponsorship Adriu Vakarau said his company was pleased to be sponsors of chess in Fiji, and they hoped to develop and encourage the sport around the country.

We are thrilled to collaborate with Fiji Chess to promote diversity in sports and stimulate intellectual growth through chess.

Chess is a universal game, and our partnership will reflect this inclusivity by encouraging participation from all corners of the country, he said.

As part of this sponsorship, Vodafone Fiji is committed to a range of initiatives focused on nurturing young chess talent.

This commitment aligns with the companys broader mission to invest in empowering, enabling, and encouraging diverse sports initiatives in the country.

Fiji Chess and Vodafone Fiji have outlined a series of youth empowerment programs, including school tournaments for talented young players, and initiatives to create a strong platform for aspiring enthusiasts to develop their skills.

Through these programs, Vodafone Fiji aims to help young individuals build life skills such as strategic thinking, problem-solving, and resilience.

The chess community in Fiji is thrilled to partner with Vodafone Fiji who have agreed to help our sport for at least the next 12 months, stated General Secretary Goru Arvind.

Our team is signing a contract for a record value of $25,000 which is the highest for chess in Fiji from any local sponsor since 1979.

Upcoming events under the newly formed partnership are the Vodafone Fiji National Under-20 Rapid Chess Championship and the 2023 National Chess Championship which will be played over five days under 90 minutes plus 30 seconds per move time-control.

Here is the original post:
The Fiji Times Three-year sponsorship for chess Fiji - Fiji Times