FIDE could be on the verge of scrapping its presidential term limit and allowing Russian incumbent Arkady Dvorkovich to run for four more years in office.

The world chess federation's current rulesbrought in as an election promise by Dvorkovichare contained in the FIDE Charter and state the president has to step down after two four-year terms in power.

But a controversial amendment, to be discussed when FIDE meets for its annual general assembly on Sunday, seeks to remove that clause. The motion was tabled by the federations representing 21 mostly small chess nations and has been listed on the agenda under "administrative matters."

Sunday's proposal, first uncovered by the site Chess-News, was highlighted by FIDE watchers on X, the platform formally known as Twitter. It drew immediate criticism.

GM Peter Heine Nielsen, a frequent commentator on FIDE matters, said:

Replies on his feed were quick to draw comparisons with Russian president Vladimir Putin, who circumvented constitutional term limits. Putin has held continuous positions as president or prime minister since 1999 and, due to an amendment to the constitution in 2020, is now exempt from presidential term limits until 2036.

Dvorkovich served as deputy prime minister under Putin from 2012 to 2018, and it has been suggested he is adopting the same methods:

GM Jacob Aagaard also noted that Dvorkovich went back on his key election promise to stop terms of office like the 23-year reign of his predecessor Kirsan Ilyumzhinov from happening again. Aagaard said:

Before he was elected in 2018, Dvorkovich told the media: "The FIDE President must serve the chess community, and regardless of the results of his work, a maximum of two presidential terms must be established."

During that election campaign, Dvorkovich received support from, among others, the influential Association of Chess Professionals.

In a pre-election endorsement posted on its website, the ACP stated: "ACP strongly supports the view that no President should be serving for more than two consecutive terms. This is vital to democracy in every major organization and FIDE is no exception."

The reaction in Russia to Dvorkovich winning was positive with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov telling the RIA news agency: "The election of the head of FIDE is very important, it's a global event, and, of course, we were rooting for Dvorkovich, a Russian citizen."

Announcing Dvorkovich's re-election in 2022 at the general assembly in Chennai, India, FIDE's own website stated:"Dvorkovich's second term will also be the last, as one of the first tasks that he undertook shortly after being elected in 2018 was to renew the FIDE Charter, introduce term limits, and other democratic reforms."

If approved, the change would allow the 51-year-old to extend his term as one of the few Russians still in charge of international sporting organizations since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The other main outlier is the International Judo Federation (IJF), under the leadership of its President Marius Vizer, reportedly a long-time close friend of Putin.

Since his election in a bruising contest back in 2018, Dvorkovich has faced constant criticism for his links to the Russian governmentparticularly since Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine.

On becoming FIDE president, Dvorkovich moved swiftly to deliver on his election promise and introduced Article 18.12 of the FIDE Charter which states: "A person cannot serve as FIDE President for more than two terms of four years. Terms may be consecutive or non-consecutive."

In his letter to FIDE, the president of the Andorra Chess Federation, Francesc Rechi Prez, argues the time is right for the change.

He said: "The 2023 GA is an appropriate moment to reverse/make the respective amendments to the Charter while this is the least politicized period in between elections, and there are no direct beneficiaries from adoption of the change in regulations."

Prior to the meeting, FIDE's Constitutional Commission confirmed the South African Chess Federation and the Bulgarian Chess Federation have no right to vote in the 2023 meeting.

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Could FIDE's Russian President Get A Third Term In Office? - Chess.com

It's a minor surprise that it doesn't happen more often, but GM Magnus Carlsen andGM Hikaru Nakamura were the winners ofTitled Tuesday on December 19. Carlsen scored 10/11 in the early event, beating Nakamura by half a point, and in the process extended his Chess.com blitz rating record to 3372 (before dropping six points with an 11th-round draw). Carlsen skipped the late event, which Nakamura won outright with 9.5 points.

The difference between first and second in the early tournament field of 567 ended up being Nakamura's draw in the fourth round. Carlsen and Nakamura drew each other in the eighth round, both made draws in the final round, and otherwise they won the rest of their games.

The Carlsen-Nakamura draw, a more back-and-forth game than you might expect (instead of mostly even all the way through), ended Carlsen's run but kept him in first place.

Carlsen maintained his lead in the following round by beating GM Nihal Sarin in just 25 moves after the Indian teenage sensation blundered a piece on move five. In the following round, Carlsen worked somewhat harder to defeat GM Shamsiddin Vokhidov.

In that same 10th round, second place was effectively decided, as Nakamura beat GM Vladislav Kovalev in a 31-move gradual rundown, putting a full point of separation between them.

GM Oleksandr Bortnyk had entered third place in the meantime, but he and Carlsen drew their last game in 14 moves, while Nakamura drew with Nihal and Kovalev defeated Vokhidov. As things shook out, the final result was Carlsen first, Nakamura second, Kovalev third and Bortnyk fourth.

December 19 Titled Tuesday | Early | Final Standings (Top 20)

(Full final standings here.)

Carlsen won $1,000, Nakamura $750, Kovalev $350, and Bortnyk $200. The $100 prizes went to IM Bojan Maksimovic in fifth place and IM Meri Arabidze as the highest-scoring woman at 7.5 points.

With 424 participants, the late tournament was also plenty busy, albeit minus Magnus. Hikaru filled that vacuum, although his path was not easy. But after starting on 4.5/6, Nakamura ripped off five straight wins to claim the tournament.

With Nakamura's early bumps, he did not reach first place until the tournament ended. In the meantime, Maksimovic had another strong tournament. As in the early tournament, the eventual second- and third-place finishers met in the 10th round, this time with Maksimovic defeating GM Hans Niemann.

But Nakamura, who was tied for 30th after six rounds, had worked his way into a tie for second and got his shot at Maksimovic.

It was Maksimovic who tried 1...a6, a move normally associated with Nakamura. It did not work out as the 21-year-old Bosnian would have liked, with an up-and-down game eventually favoring the American star.

Nakamura leapfrogged Maksimovic into first, while GM Velimir Ivic, who had been tied with Nakamura before the round, fell out of contention after losing to Niemann. Maksimovic retained second place on tiebreaks over Niemann and four other players on nine points.

December 19 Titled Tuesday | Late | Final Standings (Top 20)

(Full final standings here.)

Nakamura won the $1,000 first place prize, giving him $1,750 for his day's work. Maksimovic claimed $750 late, for an $850-day. Niemann won $350, GM Alexey Sarana in fourth place, and GM Matthias Bluebaum in fifth. GM Jiner Zhu won the $100 women's prize, scoring seven points.

Titled Tuesday is Chess.com's weekly tournament for titled players, with two tournaments held each Tuesday. The first tournament begins at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time/17:00 Central European/20:30 Indian Standard Time, and the second at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time/23:00 Central European/2:30 Indian Standard Time (next day).

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Carlsen, Nakamura Win Titled Tuesday - December 19, 2023 - Chess.com

KEARNEY The Kearney Park and Recreation Department is taking registrations for the inaugural Chess 101 class, scheduledfrom 6:30-7:30 p.m.Thursdays, Jan. 11 to Feb. 15.

Classes will be at the Harmon Park Activity Center and will be led by the Central Nebraska Chess Club using a tested curriculum from chesskids.com.

Classes are open to age 8 through adults.

Instructors will teach beginners the basics of chess. The cost is $35. For more information or to register, please contact Kearney Park and Recreation at 308-237-4644, stop by 1930 University Drive, or go online to http://www.kprreg.org.

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Checkmate: Park and Rec taking signups for chess class - Kearney Hub

Chess game: How cyberattacks and artificial intelligence are evolving  WVLT

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Chess game: How cyberattacks and artificial intelligence are evolving - WVLT

FIDE press release

The bid to secure the rights to host the FIDE Chess Olympiad 2028, FIDE Chess Olympiad for People with Disabilities 2028, and FIDE Congress 2028 was a joint effort by the Abu Dhabi Sports Council and the UAE Chess Federation.The proposed venue for these events is the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), the largest of its kind in the Middle East.

Before the vote, FIDE conducted visits to both Abu Dhabi and Genoa to inspect the proposed venues and facilities. Official meetings were held with local and government authorities in both cities and with potential organizers.

In Abu Dhabi, meetings were conducted with prominent figures, including His Excellency Aref Al Awani, the General Secretary of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, the President of the Asian Chess Federation, H.E. Tarim Matar Muhammad Tarim, the President of the UAE Chess Federation, and Hussein Abdullah Al-Khoury, the President of the Abu Dhabi Chess Club.

FIDE's inspection concluded that "Abu Dhabi presented a compelling bidding proposal, supported by the findings of the inspection visit on December 6th and 7th, 2023. The city boasts a robust transportation and accommodation infrastructure, a venue meeting top international standards, and experienced organizers capable of hosting world-class events not only in chess but in various other sports and spheres."

This marks the second time that the UAE will host a chess Olympiad, following the event held in Dubai in 1986.

Abu Dhabi and the UAE have recently demonstrated a strong commitment to organizing numerous chess events. In 2023 alone, the country hosted the inaugural Global Chess League, the 29th Abu Dhabi International Chess Festival, and the Asia Chess Amateur Championship. The city is set to host the Asian Youth Chess Championship next year.

FIDE.com...

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Abu Dhabi wins bid to host 47th Chess Olympiad in 2028 - ChessBase

The International Chess Federation (FIDE), together with the Asian Chess Federation and Zayed Higher Organization for People of Determination, with the support of the International Olympic Committee, FIDE Planning and Development Commission, and FIDE Social Commission, hold the first offline Asian Educational Seminar Chess for children with ASD. Learn & Teach. The event took place at the Al Ain Convention Center, UAE, from December 18 to 19.

Twenty-one chess teachers and coaches from 14 countries (Bangladesh, Vietnam, Azerbaijan, UAE, Sri Lanka, Lebanon, Philippines, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and others) explored the ways of teaching chess to children with autism spectrum disorder, studied a unique training program developed in 2021 and got practical advice on how to work with kids with ASD.

The following prominent figures participated in the seminar:

Speakers atthe seminar:

All participants were honoured to visit the Zayed Higher Organization for People of Determination in Al Ain and exchange teaching experiences with local experts. We thank Abdulla Ismail Alkamali for the hospitality and inspiring tour he provided personally for all the participants and the project team.

On December 19, FIDE, the Asian Chess Federation and Zayed Higher organization signed a Tripartite Memorandum of Understanding, a significant step forward to the further cooperation and expansion of partnership within the Infinite Chess project.

"Infinite Chess is our project where we use the game to improve socio-emotional wellbeing of children with autistic spectrum disorder. With this agreement we aim to provide new opportunities, empower and change lives of children with special abilities here in the region," saidDana Reizniece-Ozola, Project Supervisor and Deputy Chair of the FIDE Management Board.

Presentations (pdf):

Chess for Children with Autism and Spectrum Disorder by Natalia Popova - Part 1

Chess for Children with Autism and Spectrum Disorder by Natalia Popova - Part 2

Classroom Organization by Natalia Popova

FIDE Infinite Chess Project by Ala Mischanka - Day 1

FIDE Infinite Chess Project by Ala Mischanka - Day 2

Infinite Chess - Turkey by Melodi Dincel

Infinite Chess - Latvia Experience by Viesturs Kapce

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UAE hosts Asian Educational Seminar Chess for children with ASD. Learn & Teach - FIDE

Beating the d4-Berlin

After losing the first set of the match for the title, Wesley So needed to win two sets in a row to become the winner of the Champions Chess Tour.

On Saturday, the U.S. grandmaster opened with 1.b3 and lost the first game of the second set. He bounced back immediately, and then drew game 3. But Magnus Carlsen put an end to the tournament at once, as his win in game 4 granted him a third consecutive title in the series.

My Secret Weapon: 1.b3

Meanwhile, 1.b3 has also found its way into the practice of today's world elite, and now finally a modern top ten player has taken on the subject for ChessBase: none other than Grandmaster Wesley So!

In the post-match interview, Carlsen showed his well-known encyclopaedic chess knowledge by pointing out a notable fact:

It sort of comes full circle. When we had the first Champions Chess Tour event in 2020 [...] and I lost to Wesley in the Final, thats exactly when this line in the Queens Gambit that Wesley played today made it just difficult to play d4 at all its the Berlin versus d4.

Carlsen was visibly excited when he mentioned the aforementioned coincidence, as he also praised his opponents play and the format used in the final tournament of the cycle.

A worthy opponent Wesley So| Photo: chess.com / Thomas Tischio

Game 4 was a Semi-Tarrasch variation out of a Queens Gambit Declined, in which So thought for over 3 minutes (these were 15-minute games) before deciding to give up the bishop pair on move 14.

White was clearly in the drivers seat after 17...Bc518.Nxc5 Rxc5, but it was only four moves later that So committed a mistake that left him in a clearly inferior position.

22...Rb5 allowed the simple 23.Bc5, and the rook has nowhere to go (on the previous turn, Black needed to place the rook on d7 or d8 to avoid this line).

So tried 23...Na4, but after 24.Be2 Rxc5 25.bxc5 Nc3 White can untangle his pieces and maintain his material advantage starting with 26.Bh5+

Black tried to escape tactically, but it turns out that White also counts with tactical means to consolidate his advantage there followed 26...g6 27.Rd3 (attacking the knight) Bc4 28.Rd7+, gaining yet another tempo with a check.

28...Ke6 29.Rd6+ Kf7 30.Rc1 White continues to harass his opponents army.

Middlegame Secrets Vol.1 + Vol.2

Let us learn together how to find the best spot for the queen in the early middlegame, how to navigate this piece around the board, how to time the queen attack, how to decide whether to exchange it or not, and much more!

Now 30...Ne4 fails to 31.Rd4, and So threw in the towel. A classy final sequence by a classy, well-deserved champion!

Select an entry from the list to switch between games

Calculation Training for 1400-1600 players

Mastering these tactical motifs is essential to deepen your understanding of the game and become a better player. After all, you neither want to overlook the given chances by your opponent, nor blunder yourself!

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Magnus Carlsen wins third consecutive Champions Chess Tour title - ChessBase

After almost a decade, the chess24 website and mobile apps will be closed on January 31, 2024.

Dear chess24 community,

We've had a fantastic journey over the last decade, striving to create the best possible site to watch and learn chess. We're deeply grateful for your support, and how we managed to have a lot of fun together in the process.

As most of you probably know, we joined forces with Chess.com at the end of last year. It's been an exciting collaboration, and we've been working closely with the Chess.com team. We haven't been actively updating the chess24 website and mobile apps because we believe Chess.com is the future, offering a more robust platform for events, content, play, and community tools.

We realize chess24 is still a go-to site for many, especially to watch chess tournaments, but regrettably we will close down the chess24 website and mobile apps on January 31. This decision was not taken lightly, but due to limited resources, significant maintenance costs, and the aging technology of chess24, it was felt better to focus efforts on Chess.com, which has more potential for growth and innovation.

Despite the site closure, our commitment to delivering top-notch chess content remains unwavering. You can now find reports from our team at Chess.com/news, and you can keep up with events at Chess.com/events. Our top-notch coverage of elite chess remains at twitter.com/chess24com, and our amazing commentators and broadcast team are covering live events across both Chess.com and chess24 channels on YouTube, Twitch, and more. Finally, you will find our most popular chess24 premium series at Chess.com/lessons.

If you have any specific features from the chess24 site that you'd like to see on Chess.com, please share your feedback with us at support@chess24.com.

Thank you for being a part of the chess24 journey. We appreciate your support and are excited about the future; our love for chess is as strong as ever, and we're dedicated to creating an even better experience for you now on Chess.com.

Warm regards, The chess24 team

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Chess24 to close on January 31 - chess24 wall

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Cornell Cooperative Extensions offers free online courses on parenting.

ALBANY COUNTY Cornell Cooperative Extension is offering researched-based parent education programs designed to support parents and caregivers and provide strategies that have the best outcomes for babies through teenagers.

All programs are provided free of charge through Zoom. Advance registration is required with Maria DeLucia-Evans, human ecology resource educator, at or flyers with registration links may be found at https://albany.cce.cornell.edu/home-family/positive-parenting. Certificates of completion will be awarded to those who attend all sessions.

Each of the three programs is for a different age group:

The Magic Years

For parents and caregivers of babies through 4-year-old children, from noon to 1:15 p.m on Tuesdays, Jan. 9, 16, 23, 30, and Feb. 6.

Topics include strategies on how to manage parent and child stress while understanding and supporting the stages of child development. We will discuss how to create nurturing routines for bedtime, bathing, family meals, and toilet training. We will also better understand parenting styles and learn strategies for positive discipline tools that really work;

The Middle Years

For parents and caregivers of children ages 5 to 10, from noon to 1:15 p.m on Thursdays, Jan 11, 18, 15 and Feb. 1 and 8.

Topics include managing parent and child stress, understanding parenting styles, raising responsible children, improving family communication, and strengthening family relationships; and

The Tween/Teen Years

For parents and caregivers of children age 11 and older, from noon to 1:15 p.m on Fridays, Jan. 12, 19, and 26, and Feb. 2 and 9.

Topics include understanding parenting styles, tween and teen development, discipline strategies and managing stress. We will also discuss how to improve family communication and create a better understanding of tween and teen challenges.

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Free online education offered on parenting - The Altamont Enterprise

51 Talk Online Education just reported results for the third quarter of 2023

Source: iQoncept / Shutterstock

51 Talk Online Education (NYSE:COE) just reported results for the third quarter of 2023.

InvestorPlace Earnings is a project that leverages data from TradeSmith to automate coverage of quarterly earnings reports. InvestorPlace Earnings distills key takeaways including earnings per share and revenue, as well as how a company stacks up to analyst estimates. These articles are published without human intervention, allowing us to inform our readers of the latest figures as quickly as possible. To report any concerns or inaccuracies, please contact us at editor@investorplace.com.

Article printed from InvestorPlace Media, https://investorplace.com/earning-results/2023/12/coe-stock-earnings-51-talk-online-education-for-q3-of-2023/.

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COE Stock Earnings: 51 Talk Online Education Reported Results for Q3 2023 - InvestorPlace