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The US Chess Girls Club has been invited to compete against Grandmaster Judit Polgar for a special simul event, Judit Polgar vs. the World at 9 a.m. ET on Sunday, Mar. 20.

The simul features Polgar facing off virtually against 10 teams from all over the globe, captained by popular chess personalities including notable female players like Anna Rudolf, the Botez sisters, and Anna Cramling.

Following the games, Polgar will summarize and analyze the moves, discuss strategies, and give feedback on the teams performances.

US Chess Womens Director Jennifer Shahade will captain the US Chess team. This is an exciting opportunity for the Girls Club, she said. Judit is one of the strongest attacking players ever and the greatest female player of all time. It will be an honor to play and learn from her.

Female and non-binary players of all ages who are interested in joining the US Chess Girls Team for this event, should register through our Google form.

Our team will be a truly international team, Shahade added. Well be including our cross-cultural program partners with Business Meets Chess & Kids, the Lighthouse Chess Club, and WGM Nadya Ortiz's Colombian group. Chess-in-the-Slums, based in Nigeria, will also help us make our first moves.

According to Shahade, the invitation to the Girls Club was extended after Polgars positive experience visiting with the Girls Club last summer.

Judit Polgar vs. the World will be broadcast live at https://www.twitch.tv/chessconnectsus.

The US Chess Girls Club board will be streamed live with commentary by WFM Alessia Santeramo on her twitch channel.

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US Chess Girls Club Invited to "Judit Polgar vs. The World" - uschess.org

The landscapes in Davide Monteleones images of Chinas belt and road initiative are very familiar to me. We can see desert, uninhabited wasteland and views along the Yangtze River and in north-west China. There are also photographs showing the characters Stay strong, Wuhan! on skyscrapers in neon lights.

They are reminiscent of images I took in China, which captured dilapidated cities before they were rebuilt; energy plants; the development of impoverished areas and large-scale architecture. At that time, I wanted to write a new encyclopedia to elucidate new concepts and thoughts that emerge with rapid urbanisation, and to form a new language. The project was too ambitious, and I did not complete it. It was my failed belt and road.

Stay strong, Wuhan! The Chinese city of Heihe seen from Blagoveschensk, Russia, across the frozen Amur River, February 2020

The initiative, which has been likened to the Silk Road trade routes of imperial China, was proposed by the current Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, as a blueprint to reposition China in the era of globalisation, and to change the world order in a Chinese way. The thinking behind this $1tn project is ambitious. Such long-term planning, coherent political goals and effective implementation are rare, both in Chinese and in human history. The ruling party in China has laid bare its determination to occupy an important role in the world.

Local people at work on the Great Renaissance dam, Ethiopia, September 2019. The mammoth project, which began on the Blue Nile in 2011, is one of the largest hydroelectric power plants in the world. China has contributed about $1.8bn of the $4.8bn total cost

The Tecno Mobile factory in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, September 2019. The Chinese phone manufacturer stopped doing business in Asia in 2008 to focus on the African market. It is now the second biggest supplier of smartphones on the continent

The goals of the belt and road initiative are pragmatic, unlike those proposed by the Chinese Communist party in their early days, and embodied in slogans such as Exceeding the UK, Catching the US in the 50s and 60s. China, with a huge amount of accumulated wealth and managerial and production experience, has understood that it can fill the gaps in parts of the world that are forgotten and abandoned by the west. These regions thirst for a strong economic entity to piece together fragmented, disorganised territories with longstanding historical differences. This is where China comes in.

About 145 nations have joined the belt and road initiative by signing a memorandum of understanding with China, including countries in Europe, south-east Asia and the Middle East. It is an initiative that mainly focuses on basic infrastructure and engineering projects, such as transportation through rail, road and ports, to facilitate global trade and offer solutions to the problems of developing countries as the Chinese saying goes, If you want to be rich, build roads first. Many people in China, and also in the developing world, feel optimistic about this initiative, and mock Europe and the US for failing to match its vision.

Aktau, Kazakhstan, October 2017. The citys port offers access to the Caspian Sea; from 2016 to 2020, trade between China and the Caucasus region almost doubled

A monument in Nurkent, Kazakhstan, October 2017. The newly built town will accommodate 100,000 workers serving the nearby Khorgos dry port. A Chinese logistics company has 49% ownership of the land

The belt and road was not a decision taken on a whim. The idea comes from an article by Mao Zedong titled People of the world, unite and defeat the US aggressors and all their lackeys, published in 1970 and commonly known as the 520 statement. In this article, Mao prompted the developing world to be united and fight against western political power led by the US. He stressed the importance of nationalist revolutions, independence and liberation movements as the wave of unstoppable historical change. Mao quoted the Confucian philosopher Mencius a just cause attracts much support, an unjust one finds little to illustrate his belief that people in the world would triumph over Anglo-American imperialism.

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When my generation was growing up, these thoughts permeated the entire country. I belong to the same generation as Xi. We were encouraged to have the entire motherland in mind and the whole world in view and to start revolutions everywhere in the world. These arrogant ideas relate to the ideology of that era. Based on these thoughts, the belt and road initiative is a strategic move that corresponds to the countrys rapid development. The question is: will its goals be achieved in a world that is much more complicated than it once was?

Sihanoukville, Cambodia, December 2019. The once quiet tourist town on the coast has been transformed, its skyline dominated by casinos built to accommodate those seeking to avoid the ban on gambling in mainland China. More than 90% of businesses are Chinese-owned and locals complain the newcomers are turning the city into a de facto colony, forcing up rents and making them second-class citizens in their homeland

Monteleones photographs are broad in scope and encompass many stories and strange landscapes. The Italian photographer began his project in Russia in 2014 before visiting vast rail and road projects across Asia; container ports; factories; casinos; and the Grand Renaissance dam in Ethiopia. The images clearly depict Chinas strategic ambitions, very different from the original Silk Road, which operated from around 130BC until the mid-15th century. The Silk Road was a network of trade routes, whereas the belt and road initiative embeds a political ambition beyond commerce. The issue in question here is: who will be the centre of the world? Who will rise to world power?

A copy of Moscows St Basils Cathedral in Manzhouli, China, August 2015. The small city on the Russian border is one of Chinas biggest trade hubs. The Ukrainian crisis has given fresh impetus to Chinese efforts to forge a closer relationship between the two nations, as Russia faces sanctions from the west

From my perspective, China refuses to waver in its policies, no matter what setbacks it encounters. The belt and road initiative is its counterattack in a global game of chess. The democracies of Europe and the US are very different from China.

Under pressure to solve short-term problems during their terms of office in order to get re-elected, western governments concentrate their efforts on capital projects and economic competition. The corporatocratic west, primarily measuring political success according to economic profitability, has lost its vision of pursuing mutual benefit and the wellbeing of humankind.

This, however, is not to say that China is necessarily bringing real benefits to the developing world. The belt and road initiative, launched to benefit China, is tinted with colonialism.

It leads this ancient country of 1.4 billion people to a swamp of pragmatism and egoism. While China is pumped up with ambition, it also sinks into contradiction and confusion, because of its lack of self-awareness. The ideological superstructure and economic base will be at odds with each other for a long time.

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Ai Weiwei on the new Silk Road: 'This is China's counterattack in a global game of chess' - The Guardian

PTI

Lausanne, March 16

World chess governing body FIDE on Wednesday suspended Russia and Belarus from all its tournaments until further notice due to the invasion of Ukraine, jeopardising the two countries participation in the 44th Chess Olympiad in India later this year.

FIDE, however, said in individual tournaments of the World Championship cycle, players from these two countries can participate under the world bodys flag. Russia invaded Ukraine in February and found support from Belarus.

Taking into account the current recommendations of the IOC, the FIDE Council suspends the national teams of Russia and Belarus from participation in official FIDE tournaments until further notice, the FIDE said in a statement.

In the individual tournaments of the FIDE World Championship cycle, players from these countries will be able to participate under the FIDE flag.

The International Olympic Committee had recommended all the sports federations to exclude Russia and Belaruswhich has extended support in the invasionfrom international events, but had left the final decision to individual governing bodies.

Several international federations have since then banned athletes from Russia and Belarus from their events.

The recently concluded Beijing Winter Paralympics had also excluded athletes from these two countries just before the start of the showpiece.

The 44th Chess Olympiad will be organised in Chennai later this year, making it the second major global event of the sport to be held in India after the World Championship match in 2013.

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World chess body FIDE suspends Russia and Belarus from its official events - The Tribune India

Chess players from seven countries around the world have converged in Kimberley for the Mojo Chess Extravaganza. The players are battling it out in their different categories.

The tournament is the first in the world and ends on the 27th of March.

Honing their skills to perfect their craft, the diamond city is playing host to this international game. And the rule of the game is to overthrow your opponent.

With the queen and king being the most important pieces on the board, this game improves concentration and develops problem-solving skills amongst others.

The Vice President of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) Nigel Short says the tournament is important for the continent.

Just to promote the game in South Africa. South Africa is of course extremely important in chess, not only in chess but in chess in this region and for Africa as a whole. So its great to see a lot of people and battling, battling away, says Short.

The event is an economic booster for the city. The end game is to protect your king while defeating your opponents king for the prize money. When that happens, its checkmate.

VIDEO: Chess becoming a growing sport in South Africa

Read More On The Topic On TDPel Media Below

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Kimberley hosts Mojo Chess Extravaganza with players from seven countries around the world - TDPel Media

(Photos by Matt Zatkoff)

Over Presidents Day Weekend, 332 chess players formed 79 teams in Schaumburg, just north of Chicago, Illinois for the 2022 U.S. Amateur Team North (USATN), the first in-person iteration since the record-breaking, pre-pandemic showing in 2020.

Considering the state of the world, this well-above-average attendance was inspiring and an encouraging reminder of the power of the chess boom we are experiencing. As always, the story of the weekend was one of vibrant tomfoolery, replete with jokey names, silly costumes, and the joy of watching several generations of chess players, from unflappable seasoned vets to fidgety first-timers, all sharing in a special annual tradition.

The action on the boards was far from amateur hour and maybe a little less warm and fuzzy.

The main point of contention at the USATN was between local teams from the storied University of Chicago: UChicago A and UChicago B. Lettering aside, their primary distinction was their approach to their rosters.

Per USATN rules, a 4-player teams average rating must be below 2200. UChicago A fielded a strong and balanced team, with an impressive average rating of 2195.

UChicago A

FM Chandran, Kapil

2445

Eichinger, Christoph

2252

Sunjic, Dylan

2151

Heggli-Nonay, Oliver

1934

UChicago B employed a different strategy, fielding not one, but two grandmasters for their top boards, and an FM on board three. Now you may be saying, Well, JJ, who could possibly be on board four to keep their average under 2200? That would be Brian Hu, provisionally rated 812 at the start of USATN, his second-ever US Chess rated tournament.

UChicago B

GM Liang, Awonder

2701

GM Balakrishan, Praveen

2604

FM Graif, William

2338

Hu, Brian

812 (P)

With UChicago Bs rating averaging a mere 2113, these killer Bs floated like a butterfly behind a half-dozen other groups in the pre-tournament standings. It was an open question whether the imbalanced makeup of these Bs could sting against teams with four players rated above 2000.

Their strategy seemed precarious. All it would take would be one freak loss from a titled player to blow the race wide open. And it did. In the second round, team TrixR4Kids came through on board three with Ekansh Mehrorta (1909) pulling a 429-point upset over Graif.

By round four, non-collegiate super team dreamy knights, captained by Iowan masters Joseph Wan and James Neal, slowed down UChicago A thanks to boards three and four victories by Shreya Mangalam and Aria Hoelsey.

Going into the fifth and final round, local high schoolers GM Wannabes were the only team to hold a perfect score and looked like favorites to win.

GM Wannabes

Ladan, Nicholas

2256

Gupta, Aditya

2208

Platnick, Elijah

2123

Barretto, Ryan

2054

On board one for the Wannabes, Nicholas Ladan was in fine form, holding off an all-in attack from fellow local Michael Auger.

(Annotation by JJ Lang)

Eichenger likewise began with an overwhelming position shortly out of the black side of a closed Sicilian, but after missing a few chances to clarify, gave Gupta chances to clinch the entire event with a draw, but eventually pushed through.

(Annotation by Christoph Eichinger)

The Wannabes did not wanna be rolled over and bounced back to salvage a draw on the bottom boards. When the dust settled, the Chicago collegians held the high schoolers to a half-point. But in doing so, cleared the way for their classmates on UChicago B to catch the Wannabes.

The final round saw UChicago B pitted against the dreamy knights.

dreamy knights

Wan, Joseph

2294

Neal, James

2201

Mangalam, Shreya

2167

Hoesley, Aria

2071

With the white pieces, Balakrishnans clutch victory over Neal was a one-sided affair.

(Annotation by JJ Lang)

This, along with Graifs win over Mangalam on board three, looked like it would close the book on any dreams of Wannabe upsets, as long as Liang could hold a draw as black.

After Liang saw his advantage drift away following a few inaccuracies, a draw appeared to be the most likely result. That is, until he pulled out one of those last-minute saves that always seem to show up for GMs, but not the rest of us.

(Annotation by Awonder Liang; read his recap with additional games.)

Although Hoesley leveraged her 1200-point rating edge over Hu for a board four win, UChicago B was ultimately victorious, scoring 3-1. This performance tied the Wannabes at 4/5, but UChicago B edged them out on tiebreak points, allowing them to come out on top.

Whether an upset or a cause to be upset, UChicago B finished atop the standings thanks to 5-0 performances and board prizes from GM Awonder Liang and GM Praveen Balakrishnan on boards one and two.

FM William Graif, the 2019 Canadian Junior Champion, clinched a number of matches with a 4-1 performance on board three. On board four, 812-rated Brian Hu picked up 116 rating points with a 1-4 performance, underscoring the immense difficulty of his pairings.

I was impressed by the significant number of traveling teams from other midwestern universities. The University of Illinois sent two teams from Champaign, and Washington University sent two more from St. Louis. There were also teams from Oberlin, Northern Illinois and, get this, five teams from Purdue.

My own team had the (mis)fortune of playing Purdues A squad in the second round, losing 2.5-1.5 in large part due to my opponent Andrew Bernal fighting through my unorthodox opening choice (and a 170-point rating gap) to thoroughly outplay me and earn the win.

(Annotation by JJ Lang)

The amateur spirit of the tournament was in full effect from psychedelic costumes down to team names ranging from timely to irreverent.

First, we had the fan-favorite names like The Socially Isolated Pawns, who also managed to win clear first with a 5-0 score in the u1600 section. Some of the high school teams chose to take the opportunity for inside jokes.

Barely a week off their Illinois state championship victory, Stevenson High School registered under the name 44-24, a not-so-subtle nod to their victory over rivals Barrington, or, as they appeared on the cross-table, the 3x State Championsalmost, referring not to their failure as a three-peat, but their success at almost getting to the top spot three years in a row.

While the rest of us will wait for next year (and can only hope that Liang and Balakrishnan graduate a year or two early), UChicago B is off to the semi-finals against the other amateur directionals.

This may some ruffle feathers in the East, where there is a rule preventing teams from having a more than 1,000-point differential between boards three and four.

While this rule is logical for preserving the amateur spirit of the event, my own sense throughout the weekend was that many players were excited to get paired against grandmasters (And I almost had him, too! declared local blitz legend Tom Murphy, referring to his round one encounter against Liang), and the true camaraderie of the various college teams added to the feel of a weekend designed to bring out the team spirit in chess.

So, UChicago Bs victory a story of a group of come-from-behind plucky underdogs, or of a rule-skirting super-team? Quite frankly: who cares!

Perhaps a team of three titled players who did not know each other would compromise the feel of this event, but instead what we witnessed was two teams of local college players who seemed to genuinely enjoy spending the weekend together, sharing their love of the game.

While I cant imagine calling UChicago Bs victory an upset, I also cant imagine being critical of two grandmasters choosing to put in a full weekend of entertaining chess for a pair of $50 Amazon gift cards and a chance to hang out with their friends.

Sounds like a bunch of amateurs to me.

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