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The FIDE Candidates and Women's Candidates 2024 will be held concurrently in Toronto, Canada, the International Chess Federation announced on Monday. Taking place on April 3-25, it will be the first time that the two tournaments will occur with the same schedule and venue. It is also the first time in history that the event will take place in North America.

In a statement published in the announcement, FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich said:

FIDE is happy to award such an important competition to Canada, a country that has made significant chess progress in recent years, with more kids playing the game, more titled players, and more chess fans and chess streamers.

He also emphasized the importance of combining the two Candidates tournaments at the same time and venue, stressing the goal to "bring the Women's Candidates to a wider audience, with a greater following."

The event will be sponsored by the Scheinberg family, who also helped sponsor the previous Candidates Tournament. Isai Scheinberg said: "My family and I are very happy that the Candidates Tournaments will be held in Canada, our home country."

The participants are not yet determined. The paths to qualification are the following (see here for more details):

The Candidates tournaments are the most prestigious over-the-board events in the world. The victor of each division will face the classical world champion and women's world champion, respectively, in the next cycle.

Reigning World Champion Magnus Carlsen opted not to defend his title this year. The classical world champion will therefore be determined next month in the FIDE World Championship 2023, contested between GM Ian Nepomniachtchi and GM Ding Liren. The runner-up will gain automatic entry into the FIDE Candidates 2024.

GM Ju Wenjun has been the women's world champion since 2018this will be her third title defense. Her challenger in the Women's World Championship 2023 will be determined at the beginning of April this year in the FIDE Women's Candidates Tournament 2022-23. The women's world championship match will take place on July 3 in Shanghai and Chongqing, China.

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FIDE Candidates And Women's Candidates 2024 To Be Held In Toronto - Chess.com

It took four rapid games before the victor was decided on the 10th and final day of The American Cup in St. Louis.

In the fourth game of their third match of the event, GM Wesley So blundered to lose a miniature to GM Hikaru Nakamura, who then became the second winner of the Open event of The American Cup.

It took three long, tough games to wear down So, who had missed some chances in game three to move ahead, but before that happened, a lot of moves were played in fascinating, albeit mostly queenless, positions, which is why it is almost prosaic that it was a mistake with the queen that cost So the game, the match, the tournament.

Let's dive into the action from day 10.

Game 1

Despite being rather long, it was clearly the least interesting of the four games. The first 17 moves had all been played before, including in a game with So playing the white pieces. Then Nakamura played a somewhat insignificant novelty when the game quickly went into a drawn rook ending. So showed the required technique and ultimately a stalemate appeared on the board.

Does that excite you? No, me either!

Game 2

Having gotten nothing out of 1.d4 in his previous White game, So opted for 1.e4 which, of course, means that we would either have to look at a Ruy Lopez Berlin Defense or an Italian Game, both of which can be both exceedingly dull or incredibly fascinating. Here, the players found their way to a Berlin Ruy, which, I must admit, initially looked quite drawish to me, but the players managed to make it very interesting despite the limited material.

However, in the end, it was still another draw.

Next step in the action would be two 10+5 rapid games.

Game 3

The colors remained the same, So playing White, and this time he essayed the Italian Game. Black seemed to equalize rather easily, but as Nakamura pointed out after the game, all of a sudden, it looked like Black was losing. This is a bit of an exaggeration, but when sitting at the board without an engine, it is hard to fault him for thinking that way.

Nevertheless, So didn't find the most testing continuation, and then Black was able to save himself.

This is our game of the day.

Game 4

I suspect that I was not alone in thinking that this match would continue all the way through to the armageddon game, but that was not to be.

Very quickly, this game started taking shape to be some sharp sauce where White's pieces would generate threats against Black's kingside. However, we never got to see a full illustration of this because suddenly, possibly from just sheer mental exhaustion, So blundered, and then the game was over, almost before it had really begun.

And just like that, the match was over. A bit anti-climactic, perhaps, but all good things have to come to an end.

A big congratulations to Nakamura on winning the second American Cup.

I think it is clear that this tournament has proven once more that the concept works and creates lots of exciting chess and that the different time controls challenge the players in different ways that we typically don't see in other tournaments.

After the game, Nakamura gave an interesting interview with the official broadcast team.

Next up, it was Wesley So's turn to be interviewed...

All Games

Concerning the prizes in the Open event, Nakamura picks up $50,000 plus the $10,000 bonus for winning the championship bracket. So gets a cool $35,000 for his brilliant effort. GM Levon Aronian, who lost the final of the elimination bracket, will receive a check for $25,000.

The remaining prize winners are GM Leinier Dominguez, $20,000; last year's winner, GM Fabiano Caruana, and GM Sam Shankland, each $18,000; and GM Sam Sevian and GM Ray Robson, each $12,000.

The American Cup is an over-the-board event in the U.S. capital of chess, St. Louis, featuring the country's top grandmasters. Split into Open and Women's categories, the players competed in a double-elimination knockout bracket while vying for their share of the $300,000 prize fund.

Previous coverage:

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After Blunder By So In 4th Game, Nakamura Wins The American Cup - Chess.com

A Twitch streamer hailed as the Worlds Sexiest Chess Player has spoken out about how she got urine soaked revenge on an ex-boyfriend - and his car.

Andrea Botez made a name for herself on the chessboard but her relationship details have caught the attention of her fans after a recent podcast.

She appeared with her sister Alexandra Botez, who also streams on Twitch, on the Thats What She Said podcast.

READ MORE: Meet the world's sexiest chess player who loves dressing up in barely-there cosplay

The topic turned to revenge and Andrea confessed that she decided to pee on her exs car after the breakup.

Whether she would have revealed it herself is another matter as it was her sister who brought it up.

Speaking on the podcast, Andrea said: It was a really toxic relationship. It was on and off all the time I would do it again.

It was really satisfying, I got it all out. Literally.

Her sister Alexandra added: This is why I dont upset Andrea. I dont want her to pee on my stuff.

Andrea is now waiting to step in the ring like many influencers now look to do.

She will take on YouTube star and Challenge Accepted creator Michelle Khare as Creator Clash 2s fourth female matchup.

Andrea is no stranger to the ring as this will be her second boxing match after her debut fight last year..

She took part in Ludwigs Mogul Chessboxing Championship but ended up losing to Dina Belenkaya.

Speaking on the fight, Andrea said: My first introduction to boxing happened through a mere accident when I signed up for a chess boxing championship

Even though I only had six weeks to train for that fight, during that time I felt a new type of discipline and focus that I hadnt experienced since I quit competitive chess.

The event, Creator Clash 2, will happen on April 15.

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'Worlds Sexiest Chess Player' confesses to revenge peeing on ex-boyfriend's car - Daily Star

There are new generations of chess champions in the making at the Times Square Migrant Chess Club, where young New Yorkers and immigrants are teaching recent arrivals how to master the game and a new city.High school tutor Victor with a pupil at the chess club. Photo: Naty Caez

Housed temporarily in the basement auditorium of Playhouse 46 at St Lukes among the remnants of the Stranger Things parody set, the Times Square Migrant Chess Club hosts young players for after-school lessons in learning the game, learning English and learning how to navigate New York. When W42ST stopped by one unusually warm spring afternoon, a deeply focused group of young players were gathered to learn from tutor Kyle Lancman, a Stuyvesant High School sophomore and one of the clubs founders. Chess is my passion, said Kyle, a ranked National Master of the game. To be able to teach it to people who are just moving to New York is really nice.

Kyles family, originally from Argentina, understand the challenge of navigating a new country and new city and realized that chess would be a good way to connect with the many migrant children who have arrived in Midtown Manhattan since last years influx of asylum-seekers. The thing with chess is that you dont really need to speak a language, said Kyles mother Lorna. Once you learn the rules and someones able to teach you some of the strategies, it bridges the gap.Kyle Lancman, a Stuyvesant High School sophomore and chess coach, co-founded the Midtown club with his twin brother Kaleb. Photo: Naty Caez

Kyle and twin brother Kaleb also understand the power of chess mentorship, having long worked with coach Russ Makofsky, founder of outreach nonprofit The Gift of Chess that organizes bilingual chess coaching and programming at public schools across New York City, including Hells Kitchens PS 111, home to a weekly weekend chess tournament.

The twins were talking with Russ to find students to tutor, said Lorna, and then suddenly the news started to show buses of people coming in every day. She added, We saw that schools were having an issue with not having enough Spanish speaking staff, so the idea fell into place that we could offer children tutoring in English through chess.

We figured that these kids were probably sitting in their hotel rooms without much opportunity to create community, said Russ. We got in contact with the pastor from St Lukes and were able to take over this space between shows.The Gift of Chess founder Russ Makofsky with students at the Times Square Migrant Chess Center. Photo: Jamaal Dozier

The four-day-a-week program quickly grew, said Lorna. In addition to chess, the twins tutor children in math mostly because thats what they like! she laughed while other volunteers offer workshops in everything from art to English, to wayfinding for new arrivals. It started with chess, said Lorna, and then it became chess and art and then parents were here, so weve been offering English for them too.

The program is a chance for migrant families not just to connect with longterm residents but also with other recent arrivals navigating their way through the city and the world of chess. Raydily Rosario, an internationally-ranked chess champion from the Dominican Republic moved to Hells Kitchen three months ago and has loved teaching other immigrants the game. Im so happy to give kids this opportunity, said Raydily, because I know what its like not to speak any English and for me to speak Spanish as a chess teacher makes it easier for them.

Stella Lillig, a New York-based artist and volunteer English tutor for the chess club, said she remembered what it was like when she moved from Colombia to the US in 1996, eventually landing in New York in 2004. Working with kids and their parents to learn English, explaining how Manhattan and Hells Kitchens grid is set up, how to communicate with New Yorkers Stella said that her pupils already seem more comfortable in their surroundings. New York can be really overwhelming, she said. But after coming here a lot of the kids and parents tell me theyre able to recognize more words and phrases that they need, and its a comfort to them.Raydily Rosario (left) and Stella Lillig teach at the club. Photo: Naty Caez

With coaching and tutoring from the Times Square team, some pupils even grew comfortable enough to compete in the New York State Scholastic chess championship in Saratoga Springs earlier this month. We wanted to give them an opportunity to play against the best players in the state, said Russ of the six children who competed with the club. They played a lot better than you would think someone who just learned to play chess would play, said Kyle. Lorna added: These kids literally started learning chess 40 days prior, and they were competing well against children who have private coaches and have been studying for years.

And though the Times Square Migrant Chess Club will soon have to relocate as Playhouse 46 at St Lukes remounts its popular Stranger Sings parody, additional programming will be held at PS 111, said Russ, who added that the organization is currently seeking funds to formalize a permanent future for the Migrant Chess Club. Kyle plans to continue coaching the students hes met at the Migrant Chess Club as long as its possible. Speaking through Kyle as a translator, at least one young chess champion in the making said she was enjoying the experience, telling us that she really liked it before going back to the board to plan her next move.A pupil works with high school coach Kyle Lancman at the Migrant Chess Club. Photo: Naty Caez

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Migrant Chess Club is Making Moves to Welcome Asylum-Seekers - W42ST magazine

Anya Taylor-Joy's 'sassy chess'

Golden Globe winner Anya Taylor-Joy discusses how important teamwork is to winning awards and how she fell in love with chess after learning to play it for hit show, "The Queen's Gambit." (March 1)

AP

While the chess community in Corpus Christi may not be a subculture you think of right away, it's slowly growing with a new chess tournament coming up Saturday.

The tournament will start at 5 p.m. at The Exchange in downtown Corpus Christi. There will be a $5 fee to participate.

Kiya Vance and Logan Hanna started the new chess event with their business, Wordofmouth, in February when the inaugural tournament was held at the downtown Cafe Calypso.

Vance, co-founder of the community collective aimed to "connect local artists of all kinds," said he has been a fan of chess his whole life and wanted to bring the community together through the game.

"Our end goal is to create a healthy, happy and large chess community where non-players don't feel pressured and new players feel like they're always learning," Vance said.

All ages and talent levels are welcome to participate.

Vance said he hopes to hold three tournaments a month in the future.

Awards will be given to the first five winners. First place will receive 15% of the entry fees as a cash prize.

For more information, visit instagram.com/wordofmouthlivemusic.

More:Water Street Village to close in mid-April; plans for property remain unknown

More:Restoration of The Ritz Theatre in downtown Corpus Christi set to 'reactivate' community

John Oliva covers entertainment and community news in South Texas. Contact him at john.oliva@caller.comor Twitter@johnpoliva.

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New chess tournament to be held in downtown Corpus Christi - Caller Times