As the year winds up in silent mode, the world of chess can’t grumble much. It did taste a different wine online. Yes, the star players felt strangled and deprived of the pure excitement of a real face-off. But 2020 did eventually bring out the glory of online chess. And the platform witnessed quite a few gripping games.
Here’s a stir-fry of the prominent chess events that brought some cheer to the 2020 gloom.
Online Chess Olympiad 2020
The eclipse of COVID-19 did not obscure India’s shining armours as the nation's chess team emerged the winners in the first ever online Chess Olympiad on 30th August. Although the server malfunctions gave way to a joint victory with the Russian team, the feat nonetheless pepped up the nation’s spirit amidst the virus boom. The previous laudable performance for the country’s chess team was the bronze in the 2014 Olympiad.
The online Olympiad was not without hiccups. The Olympiad was dotted with internet dysfunctions and team-appeals. In India’s quarter-finals with Armenia, internet disconnection raised delay and consequent difference of opinions that led to the Armenian team withdrawing from the game.
To read in detail, visit our blog India’s Golden Victory at the First Ever Online Chess Olympiad
The Champions Chess Tournament 2021
The year-end was spiced up with the second season of Champions Chess Tournament that witnessed quite a few delays due to the pandemic and finally opened with Skilling Open on 22nd of November.
In an initiative by the Play Magnus Group, the world’s leading chess masters would qualify to challenge the reigning chess champion over a series of ten tournaments. The series that sprawl over a period of 10 months include a total prize amount of USD 1.5 million.
In the initial episode of the chess tournament Skilling Open, the U.S. GM Wesley So emerged the surprise winner, defeating the reigning champion Carlsen 1.5-0.5 in the blitz tiebreak. The final was held on 30th November and the next event will soon follow on 26th December. The eight top players for the upcoming event have qualified from the previous Skilling Open.
World Youth Chess
The year ends with a happy note as India seals its victory in the Fide Online World Cadets and Youth Fast chess championships U-18 Open and U-16 Ladies session.
Nihal Sarin, India’s junior GM and Rakshitta Ravi, the Girls Worldwide Grasp (WIM) won the gold on similar tracks in December. Nihal and Rakshitta raised the toast with a 1.5-0.5 with the GM from Armenia Sargsyan Shant and the Chinese speaking WIM Music Yuxin respectively.
India’s another junior GM Gukesh D also had an impressive Armageddon decider with Murzin Volodar, the Russian IM.
Vishy Anand’s Chess Academy for Junior Masters
For India’s gem and five-times World Champion Vishy Anand, 2020 wasn’t that lukewarm with a biopic and a chess academy on the way. While Bollywood is bracing up for a movie on India’s eternal grandmaster, the investment firm Westbridge Capital has roped him in to initiate a Chess Academy for coaching the most talented young chess players in India.
WestBridge Capital, an investment company with a focus on mid-sized businesses in India collaborated with Anand to launch WACA or the WestBridge Anand Chess Academy. The announcement came on 14th December.
The academy will offer fellowship programs to the promising junior chess prodigies to hone them right in ranking top in world chess. Vishy Anand will be the chief mentor of the Academy and will begin by training the strongest five juniors —R. Praggnanandhaa (15 yrs), Nihal Sarin6 yrs), Gukesh (14), Raunak Sadhwani (15) and Pragganandhaa’s sister R. Vaishali (19).
Anand will be personally supervising the young players and tune their progress not only as a chess player but as individuals as well.
Does learning chess help in personality building? Read: Mentoring the Pre-teens: A parental guide on mind games and positive attitudes
Winding Up
For chess fans, further matches and championships will follow in 2021. The announcement for the Grand Chess Tour In 2021 came on 10th December.
The Grand Chess Tour consists of a series of international chess events that would test the finesse and mastership of the world's best players. The tour was inspired by the legendary Garry Kasparov.
The Grand Chess Tour (GCT) 2021 will feature five tournaments and follow a format that was initially organised for the 2020 version of the tour. The Tour participants will compete in five over-the-board events for total prize money that sums up to $1.275 million during the upcoming 2021 season.
The two classical tournaments will have a prize funding of $325,000 (per event). An amount of $150,000 each goes for the rapid and blitz events. Also, a bonus amount of $175,000 will be presented to the top three overall winners. The events are expected to be held from June – August 2021.
The first classical event of the 2021 season will be held in Bucharest, Romania in June. It will be followed by the 2021 Sinquefield Cup in August and will be the final series of the tour. Other rapid and blitz events will be held at locations including France, Croatia, Zagreb, and Saint Louis in the U.S.
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