48th Ilmar Raud Memorial - In memorial of member of the Estonian team that scored 3rd at the Chess Olympiad in Buenos Aires. Organizer: Viljandi CC Fellin. The event is a part of Kodumasinad series 2014 (http://www.eestimale.ee/sari2014/) held by The Estonian Chess Support Organization. Time and place: June 30-July 6 2014 in Viljandi Sports Center (http://www.viljandimaa.ee/spordikeskus/) Vaksali 4 (500 meters from the bus station, by the Square of Liberty).

Regulations     • Results    • LIVE GAMES

The Baltic Summer Chess Camp 2014 (BSCC2014) is an event in which children from different countries assemble together for chess training and competition and have fun. Participants are expected from the Baltics, UK and elsewhere. It is an opportunity not only to play chess but also have a family holiday in the European Capital of Culture for 2014.

[ Read more ... ]

3rd International Chess Festival “Vidzeme Summer” - LIMBAŽI, Latvia, July 24-27,  2014 (Children, Blitz and Open rapid tournaments)
The festival is supported by the Limbaži Region Council, Limbaži City Council and Riga Chess Federation. GM Alexei Shirov confiirmed his participation in A tournament. The venue of the tournament is administrative building of Limbaži Region, 16 Riga Street.

Regulations     Results:  Open - | A | B |   Children - | A | B |   Blitz      Gallery

„BALTIJA CUP 2014” - June 15-21, 2014, Palanga, Lithuania - Open, Youth and Blitz tournaments.

+370 686 82025, Этот e-mail адрес защищен от спам-ботов, для его просмотра у Вас должен быть включен Javascript

• Regulations    
• Results:  IM  |  Open A  |  Open B  |  Open C  |  Open C7 |  Blitz - ( I ) ( II ) ( III ) ( IV )
• Gallery:  |  IM, Open A  |  Open B  |

Author: Juri Agafonov  |  Translated by Lauris Laimiņš and John Foley (CSC, Chess in Schools and Communities)

A major "Chess and Education Conference" was held in London on 7-8 December 2013. The conference was held during the 5th Congress of the London Chess Classic, which also included chess tournaments for children and adults, amateurs and professionals, as well as exhibitions and seminars.

The Chess in Schools movement is being developed around the world by public organisations with the support of enthusiastic individuals, state and municipal structures, chess federations and clubs. Three dozen countries were represented on the conference. The only notable absentee was the international chess federation (FIDE) which has its own programme.

Conference participants shared their experiences of teaching children chess in different countries, discussed the organisation of learning, the choice of strategy, fundraising, and public relations policy. In an extra day, December 6, there were specialist talks about issues of science research - teaching methods and the impact of chess on children's development.

Key topics:

• Chess as a separate course or as an aid in the development of mathematical, logical, and communication abilities;
• Education for all children (chess as a compulsory subject) or on a selective basis as an elective;
• When to start training - in kindergarten or in primary school;
• Evaluation of the effectiveness of investments in ''Kids Chess movement'' and financial models;
• Chess for boys and girls;
• Schooling books and computer solutions.

The ways of developing chess in schools varies across the world. The Chess in Schools project is rapidly developing in  Denmark, Sweden, Estonia, Armenia, Hungary, South Africa, Germany, Britain and France. Latvia lags behind in implementing the social and educational benefits of chess, so its development deserves a detailed consideration.

Juri Agafonov,
yuri.agafonov (at) gmail.com

Related links:

• PHOTOS: |  Этот e-mail адрес защищен от спам-ботов, для его просмотра у Вас должен быть включен Javascript   |
• Presentations
• Chess and Education London Conference 2013

Author: Juri Agafonov  |  Translated by Lauris Laimiņš and John Foley (CSC, Chess in Schools and Communities)

The “Chess in Schools” movement is developing worldwide.  An interesting approach has been developed in South Africa by Marisa van der Merwe. Although South Africa is the most economically developed country in Africa and has huge reserves of natural resources  there are also severe social problems. Its population of 52 million people have an average annual per capita income of $12,000  (compared to Latvia - 2 million people and $21,000) with a very uneven distribution.  Unemployment is around 40%; one in seven of the population is illiterate and a third of working people earn less than $2 a day. There are high levels of crime and HIV infection reducing life expectancy to around 50 years. The schools experience difficult conditions - not all schools have access to electricity and the water supply and it is necessary to accommodate the 11 national languages.

Marisa uses chess as a way to introduce children to mathematics, science and life skills. This concept, which is branded as the MiniChess Program, is intended to make children “school ready”. It consists of a 4-year course for children from the ages of 5 to 9, starting with the simplest concepts and gradually, step-by-step , developing their knowledge and skills. Using chess problems and examples, children learn arithmetic as well as geometric notions of space and the shapes of objects. The programme improves concentration and ability to solve logical problems. Amongst the other improvements cited are literacy, planning skills, co-ordinate systems, and learning to comply with the rules of a game. Marisa claims that all this develops children's thinking and confidence in a fun way, preparing them for our rapidly changing world. The MiniChess Program consists of text books, teachers guides, workbooks and computer programs to support the learning process.

As of now there are no chess grandmasters in South Africa but 45,761 children were engaged in Marisa's programme in 2013! The World Junior (under 18 years old) World Chess Championship for 2014 will be held in South Africa which is likely to stimulate interest in the game further.

Related links:

• www.minichess.co.za
• http://youtu.be/YyizX8WgebA
• Marisa van der Merwe – MiniChess: Understanding Maths and Science through Chess at Presentations
• MiniChess Shoprite/Checkers Woman of the Year project
• Presentation at Chess and Education Conference at the Classic (8 December 2013) -  [ Video ]  [ Docs ]

Juri Agafonov,
yuri.agafonov (at) gmail.com

Chess weekend in Kaunas, 9-11 May, in hotel Europa Royale****  (Miško g. 11, Kaunas)
Tournament A – classical control: 3 days (5 rounds: Friday at 18:00, Saturday at 10:00 and 16:00, Sunday at 9:00 and 14:00), time control - 90 min. + 30 s, arrival until 17:30,  registered in FIDE. Fee - 75 Lt.
Tournament B – rapid chess:  2 days (9 rounds: Saturday from 11:00, Sunday from 10:00 ), time control 25 min. + 10 s, arrival until 10:30 on Saturday. Registered in FIDE. Fee- 40 Lt.
A separate tournament for children up to 10 years may be organized, if necessary (not registered in FIDE).

Regulations

Author: Yuri Agafonov

All through the long history of chess people try to understand what it is: game, art or science. An interesting research on chess and its role in society has been conducted in year 2014 by Estere Fedoseeva, 11th grade pupil of Plaviņas Gymnasium, under the guidance of teacher of mathematics and physics Anita Seikovska.

The objective of the study was exploration of development of chess in Latvia and particularly in Plaviņas district. Issues on history of competitions, dynamics of chess popularity and reasons for absence of interest towards chess have been explored. Different research methods were applied: gathering and analysis of the public information, interviews with chess players of the district, videorecordings of competitions, survey of 421 pupils and 21 teachers of Plaviņas Gymnasium.

In primary school (1-4 grades) 44% of scholars know how to play chess, another 18% of children would like to learn to play, other 38% are not interested in chess. Why they are not interested? They prefer computer games (52%), 45% do not have free time for chess. In 5-9 grades interest for chess gets lower. 30% of scholars know how to play chess, 49% of pupils are not interested in chess. The reasons are “no free time” and “do not like chess”. In upper grades (10-12) proportion of pupils who consider that they know how to play chess reduces to 26%. Reasons for absence of interest towards chess are the same and in the same ratio – no time and do not like chess.

Teachers have a more positive attitude towards this intellectual activity: 52% know how to play, 10% would like to learn to play, 38% have no interest (63% are involved in other activities, 25% do not need chess, no physical activity – 12%).

Overall result for Plaviņas Gymnasium: one third of the pupils know how to play chess, almost a third would like to learn to and one third does not wish to attend. At earlier age chess is more interesting. This result was also confirmed by survey of local chess players. Consequently, chess training should start from early age, when interest is higher!

Estere has gathered and summarized statistics of local chess tournaments that are regularly held thanks to enthusiasm of U.Melderis.

Extensive school research included also video clips of blitz chessplayer games in lack of time. This part of the work was one of the reasons for undeservingly low assessment of the work on school research contest. The jury considered that a human can not think and make moves so fast, that “this video is a trick – high speed recording”. Obviously, they do not know how quickly founder of Microsoft Bill Gates has lost Magnus Carlsen. The richest man on Earth had two minutes and the world champion – thirty seconds in his disposal. However, eleven seconds were for Carlsen sufficient to checkmate the opponent: http://youtu.be/84NwnSltHFo.

• Presentation: Chess in Plaviņas - 2014
• Video: Blitz Chess / Estere Fedoseeva, 2014

Yuri Agafonov, PhD
yuri.agafonov (at) gmail.com

International Chess Festival “Pskov 2014”:  June 20 - July 1, 2014, Pskov, Russian Federation – Blitz Marathon, Classical and Rapid Chess Tournaments, FIDE rated.

Regulations:   EN  RU      [ Read more ... ]     Results: |  E  |  D  |  A  |  B  |  T  |  K  |

The IV International Chess Festival „RIGA TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OPEN 2014” - August 15-24, 2014, Riga, Latvia. Five main ELO tournaments and an additional blitz tournament; the total prize pool of the festival - 25000 EUR.
   
     
Regulations:  EN  LV     Official Site      List of players:  |  A  |  B  |  C  |  D  |  E  |  F  |     
 

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RIGA TECHNICAL UNIVERSITY OPEN 2013

Chess Festival "Liepajas rokade - 2014": July 10 - 13, 2014, hotel "FONTAINE ROYAL" (Stūrmaņu iela 1, LIEPAJA, LATVIA). Total Prize Amount: 5 000 EUR.

      
Regulations     Results:  [ Open ]  [ Team ]  [ Blitz ]   
      

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Liepajas rokade - 2013

X Baltic School Chess Festival will be held in 5 star Radisson Blu Daugava Hotel, 24 Kugu street, Riga, Latvia from August 25 (day of arrival) until August 30 (day of departure) 2014. Tournament system and rate of game:
The team tournament will be played according to the Swiss System in 7 rounds.
Time control: 90 minutes per game per player + 30 seconds per move starting from the move 1.
Only FIDE ratings will be used for the pairings. Fund of individual board prizes - 1000 EUR.

Regulations      Schedule       Read more ...    List of players

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IX Baltic School Chess Festival - 2013

Latvian Railway Open, 28-30 March 2014
The tournament was held at the Latvian railway museum in Riga, Latvia. The festival featured leading Latvian grandmasters as well as a few very strong foreign grandmasters and chess lovers from all around the world.
The tournament was held in three groups A, B and C. Tournament A is 14 round Swiss with the time control 15 minutes for each player plus 6 seconds increment for each move. First round on 28th of March 2014 at 17.30 hours, last round on 30th of March at 15.00 hours. The total prize fund is 11150 Euros.

Regulations:  LV  EN  RU       Results: |  A  |  B  |  C  |       Games (PGN)

Gallery:  |  1  |  2  |  3  |  4  |        Video

CHESS CONGRESS DRUSKININKAI 2014 (Druskininkai, Lithuania, January 17–22, 2014) - 2 Rapid and 1 Blitz chess tournaments (9 rounds, Swiss system), FIDE Trainers' Seminar - January 17–19, 2014).

Regulations

Results:    Druskininkai Rapid    Aquapark Open    Blitz Dainava

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CHESS CONGRESS DRUSKININKAI 2013

THE PRELIMINARY TOURNAMENT  - Swiss system 7-round rapid chess (15+15 minutes + a 5-second increment) tournament in one group. Tie-breaking: Buchholz method (the sum of the final scores of the opponents). For further tie-breaking, the score of the weakest opponent is eliminated from the overall Buchholz score, after that the scores of the two weakiest opponents and so on. Tournament is part of the yearly series of rapid chess events organized by the The Estonian Chess Support Organization.

THE MAIN TOURNAMENT  - 9-round rapid chess (15+15 minutes + a 10-second increment) roundrobin tournament. 5 participants gain the entrance from the preliminary tournament, 3 - personally invited from abroad and 2 - from Estonia. Tie-breaking: Berger system.

Regulations      [ Read more ... ]       

Results:   PRELIMINARY TOURNAMENT    MAIN TOURNAMENT     BLITZ       LIVE

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Paul Keres Memorial - 2013

Chess in Schools:
Estonian experience and Latvian opportunities

Discussion: Jekabpils, 10 November 2013

Riho Liiva,
Director of Kasparov Chess Foundation MTÜ,

Vitālijs Orlovs, LR Saeimas deputāts

Dr. Yuri Agafonov, Professor

Related links:

Chess and Education Conference at the Classic

Author: nightmarechess.com

In order to develop and popularize chess vortal nightmarechess.com, from 1st until 7th of December every night at 20:00 Latvia local time (GMT + 2:00) online chess tournaments will take place with free attendance to all players. Time control 3 minutes plus 2 seconds for each move made. The number of rounds depends on the number of participants. 
Eligible to receive prizes are only players who do not use unfair practices, including playing chess with help from computer analysis.

Prizes:

• A player who has played highest number of games in a tournaments series (additional indicators - total score and highest place earned) – 20 LVL or $40
• Additionally we will provide incentive prize for administration favorite - most active player for casual games (outside tournaments) - 20 LVL or 40$.
• First three places on main tournament on 7th of December, 1st: 25 LVL or $50, 2nd: 10 LVL or $20, 3rd: 5 LVL or $10

Nightmarechess.com administration may participate in tournaments without competition for prizes.
The same player can win multiple prizes.

Tournament rules

Аuthor: Riho Liiva, riholiiva (at) hotmail.com

The pilot project on teaching chess at school that started last autumn in Estonia became so popular that this year chess will be taught already in at least 35 schools involving more than 1,500 children.
It was chess legend Garri Kasparov himself who helped to implement the project “Chess into Schools” in Estonia. Kasparov who through his foundation promotes chess studies in different parts of the whole world, says: “Chess not only changed my life, but also shaped my character.” Adding that in terms of education, it is no longer necessary for children to remember as much information as possible. “There is so much information available nowadays so the key is to teach children how to swim and successfully navigate in this sea of information. Chess is ideal in teaching such skills”.

The impact of chess at school was studied in a survey that included 100 schools in New York. Of 3,000 students who participated in the study, those who attended chess lessons also did best in math and native language. Teaching chess also improves attendance, as shown by analyses conducted in schools in Johannesburg (South Africa) and São Paulo (Brazil).

In November 2011, the international programme on introducing chess into schools that was launched by Garri Kasparov received strong endorsement also from the European Commission. Several European countries are now planning to start teaching chess at schools.

In the autumn 2012, about a dozen schools in Estonia launched a pilot project for teaching chess at schools which involved 650 students, mainly second-graders. The pilot project was co-financed by Garri Kasparov’s charitable donations collected through simul chess exhibitions and by other chess players. The pilot project was so successful that it is now also supported by the Ministry of Interior, which finds that chess is good for children’s development, and helps to prevent youth problems related to lack of hobbies. As a result, the project already involves 35 schools and more than 1,500 students.

“Estonians have always loved chess and have been very successful in chess, which is why it‘s no miracle that chess study has started so successfully,” explained Kasparov. “The success of the programme is also shown by the fact that children who started to study chess last autumn have become active young chess players and now attend chess classes,” added the chess legend.

The chess study programme developed by the Kasparov Chess Foundation is targeted at schoolchildren aged from 8 to 16. In the Estonian pilot project, chess lessons were started in the youngest age group. Under the programme, chess teachers are not required to have in-depth chess knowledge or special education and will be trained by the foundation.
“This may seem hard to believe, but many teachers had no significant skills of chess before they joined the programme,” explained Riho Liiva, the initiator of MTÜ Kasparov Chess Foundation who himself has been actively playing chess since childhood. “From the teachers’ viewpoint, teaching methods and materials are excellent and we had no major problems during the pilot project.” Chess is being taught both in Estonian and Russian and is available all over Estonia because there is at least once school in every Estonian county that has weekly chess lessons. Chess is also taught in after-school child-minding activities and the programme’s initiators hope that one day chess will become a select subject in Estonian schools.

“Children love chess so much that they even play it during recess,” said Margit Brokko, coordinator of the “Chess into Schools” programme. Speaking of the benefits of chess lessons, Brokko says that they include developing one’s cognitive skills such as critical thinking, improving focusing and sense of discipline, helping imagination, developing problem-solving skills and creating a positive competitive spirit. Chess-players also learn how to take responsibility for their decisions.
The biggest dream of chess legend Kasparov is to make chess a high-tech game so that it would also attract the next generation. His vision is to create a so-called Chess Facebook where children would not only play chess, but also communicate with each other, developing the other and equally important feature of chess - an excellent mean of communication.

Riho Liiva
November 2013
riholiiva (at) hotmail.com

A-Tournament - for everyone - „International Paul Keres Memorial Tournament“
B-Tournament – for youth players - „Youth Tournament Tallinn 2014“
A – Tournament was held from January 10 to January 16 in Paul Keres Chess House (Tallinn, Vene Str 29). The competition was organized in 9-round Swiss System in accordance with the FIDE Laws of Chess. The rate of play - 90 minutes for the entire game with an increment of 30 seconds per move starting from move one. Registration to the A-Tournament - E-mail: Этот e-mail адрес защищен от спам-ботов, для его просмотра у Вас должен быть включен Javascript .

Regulations    

Chess weekend in Kaunas, 6-8 December, in hotel Daniela**** (A. Mickevičiaus g. 28, Kaunas).
Tournament A – classical control: 3 days (5 rounds: Friday at 18:00, Saturday at 10:00 and 16:00, Sunday at 9:00 and 14:00), time control - 90 min. + 30 s, arrival until 17:30,  registered in FIDE. Fee - 75 Lt.
Tournament B – rapid chess:  2 days (9 rounds: Saturday from 11:00, Sunday from 10:00 ), time control 25 min. + 10 s, arrival until 10:30 on Saturday. Registered in FIDE. Fee- 40 Lt.

Results:  |  A  |  B  |  B10  |      Gallery      [ Read more ... ]