NICK BARNETT CHESS

THE STANDINGS in the FIDE Online Olympiad (at the time of writing) stood at: Russia 18, India 17, China 16, Greece 15, USA 15, Azerbaijan 14, Hungary 14, Ukraine 13, Bulgaria 13, Poland 13, Armenia 12, Germany 11 Twelve South Africans currently competing are: GM Solomon Kenny 2442; IM Mabusela Johannes Manyedi 2297; FM Barrish Daniel 2183; FM Mhango Banele 2035; FM De Abreu Roberto 2066; CM Khumalo Keith 1921; WCM Modi Sonia 1959; WIM February Jesse Nikki 1839; WFM Fisher Michelle M 1725 WIM Van Zyl Charlize 1686; WCM Selkirk Rebecca 1799; WCM Marais Nina 1685; The tournament finishes on the 30th August. You can follow here: https://olymp.fide.com/ * * * REMEMBER to check Facebook.com/SAChessplayers to keep up to date with events on the South African Chess landscape. * * * IN THE ABSENCE of FIDE being able to get the interrupted Candidates off the ground, Carlsen is not sitting on his hands: following his winning the Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour 2020, a return of the Tour, starting in November has been announced. With 70 million online views during the tournament, it is not surprising that Chess24 has thrown its weight and a prize fund to match, behind the initiative. Reflecting on his namesake tournament Carlsen said: ‘It has been a dream come true to see the growth of chess and the fans embracing online chess as a thrilling spectator sport. ‘Hikaru pushed me to the limit in the Tour Final and I look forward to fighting hard to stay on top in the coming season.’ Arne Horvei, Tournament Director of the Chess Tour 2020 said: ‘The biggest change is that next season will be a nearly year-long Tour with tournaments running regularly from November to the Tour Final in September. Establishing a full year-long season of chess will provide a platform for the players to regularly compete at the highest level, for record prizes, and for fans to follow exciting chess throughout the year’. * * * TWO TRADITIONAL tournaments organized by the Saint Louis Chess Club will be held online next month: the Champions Showdown: Chess 9LX (Sept. 11-13) and the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz (Sept. 15-19). The first tournament is a round-robin this year, meaning that GM Garry Kasparov and GM Magnus Carlsen will meet in an official event for the first time since 2004 - in Reykjavik, when Carlsen was 13 years old and Kasparov 41, a year before he would retire. Kasparov's other rivals will include Fabiano Caruana, as well as the reigning Chess960 World Champion Wesley So and the Iranian prodigy GM Alireza Firouzja. *** For comment or news please write to thechessnik@gmail.com