Kenyan Arbiter at the 25th FIDE World Senior Chess Championship

I always feel great pride when I see Kenya's name on the world chess stage.

Our love for Kenya and for chess!

Our ever charming Purity Maina has been waving the Kenyan flag during the ongoing 25^th World Senior Chess Championship event which runs from 9^th to 22^nd November 2015 in the beautiful and historic Italian city of Acqui Terme.

Purity Maina in action during a recent tournament

 Purity is a former Kenya Ladies Champion and has represented Kenya at various international events as a player and an arbiter.  She has been instrumental in getting Chess Kenya to carry out some CSR work in the past and goes to great lengths to promote our much loved game of chess.

Purity Maina with fellow arbiters and the oldest participant FM Grigorij Vagner from Russia

Acqui Terme has become a magnet for major events in the recent past.  Events held in this city have included Italian Team Championship U16,  Italian School Championship, and the Italian Championship.

One of the main tourist attractions of Acqui Terme is the La Bollente which is a hot sulphur spring at approximately 71 degrees Centigrade.

The famous La Bollente - photo www.tripadvisor.com

The event is run in 4 separate categories and include the following;

World Senior Chess Championship 2015 Open 50+ which has attracted 100 players with the highest rated player being GM Predrag Nikolic of Bosnia Herzegovina.  Predrag is a former Yugoslav Chess Champion.

GM Predrag Nikolic

World Senior Chess Championship 2015 Open 65+ which has attracted 150 players with the highest rated player being GM Anatoly Vaisser rated at 2505.  Anatoly is a former French Chess Champion and has played for France in two Olympiads.

World Senior Chess Championship 2015 Women 50+ which has attracted a total of 17 players with the highest rated player being WGM Galina Strutinskaia of Russia at 2227.

World Senior Chess Championship 2015 Women 65+ which has attracted 10 players with the highest rated player being GM Nona Gaprindashivili of Georgia.  Nona is the 6^th Women’s World Chess Champion (1962 – 1978) and a 5 tiime Women Soviet Champion (1964, 1973, 1981, 1983 & 1985).  Nona played a total of 11 Olympiads for the Soviet Union and once for Georgia.  She is also a former World Senior Chess Champion (2009). Incredible credentials for a player!

12 former Senior World Champions are participating this year:

Open tournaments:
Evgeni Vasiukov (RUS, winner in 1995)
Algimantas Butnorius (MNC, 2007)
Anatoly Vaisser (FRA, 2010, 2013, 2014)
Vladimir Okhotnik (FRA, 2011)
Jens Kristiansen (DAN, 2012)

Women tournaments:
Nona Gaprindashvili (GEO, 1995, 2009, 2014)
Valentina Kozlovskaya (RUS, 1996)
Tamar Khmiadashvili (GEO, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2010)
Elena Fatalibekova (RUS, 2004)
Galina Strutinskaia (RUS, 2011, 2012)
Yelena Ankudinova (KAZ, 2013)
Svetlana Mednikova (RUS, 2014)

Action photos

Clash of giants WGM Valentina Kozlovskaya (RUS) - GM Nona Gaprindashvili (GEO)

 

FM Grigorij Vagner of Russia who is 87 years.

Jamaica is represented in this event by the President of Jamaica Chess Federation QC Ian Wilkinson and CM Robert Wheeler.  The team has been sponsored by various organisations and includes the Kasparov Chess Foundation.  The Kasparov Chess Foundation has been extremely helpful to the smaller chess nations in Africa and it is great to see their support extended once again to Jamaica.  The Kasparov Chess Foundation had also sponsored the Jamaica satellite edition of the 2015 Millionaire Chess which was won by Ras Malaku Lorne.

Feeling happy with his position QC  Ian Wilkinson of Jamaica

Blindness is no disability - Avanzi Gioni of Italy

Italian Master Antonio Pipitone who is 89 years old.

Our ambassador - Purity Maina with a matching chess board skirt!

Further details of this event can be found on the official website and http://www.chess-results.com/tnr174982.aspx?lan=16&art=0&flag=30&wi=821

This report cannot be complete with the many photos.   All photo credits goes to Gerhard Bertagnolli.