WORLD INDIVIDUAL DEAF CHESS CHAMPIONSHIPS 2012

PRESS RELEASE April 1, 2012

RECORD NUMBER OF ENTRIES FOR 2012 WORLD INDIVIDUAL CHESS CHAMPIONSHIPS

For the first time in the 63 year-old history of the ICSC, the 15th World Individuals Championship will take place in the region of Asia - the city of Almaty, Kazakhstan.

As of the March 28, 2012 Preliminary Entry Form submission deadline, it is reported that a record total of 160 chess players and officials from 19 different countries have already registered to take part at the upcoming worldwide premier chess festival among the deaf, hard of hearing and deaf-blind people in Almaty.

Kazakhstan, the host nation ( 37 players and officials ), Russia ( 34 ) and Poland ( 15 ) are, so far, registered as the largest delegations for the Championships.

Other countries, which have expressed their interest to take part at the Championships, are as follows:

Kazakhstan ( 37 players and officials )

Russia ( 34 )

Poland ( 15 )

Ukraine ( 6 )

Croatia ( 4 )

Israel ( 10 )

Bulgaria ( 2 )

Slovakia ( 2 delegates for the 31st ICSC Congress only )

Nigeria ( 2 delegates for the 31st ICSC Congress only )

Azerbaijan ( 6 )

USA ( 1 )

Scotland ( 6 )

Moldova ( 4 )

Armenia ( 6 )

Uzbekistan ( 10 )

Czech Republic ( 2 )

Spain ( 2 )

Italy ( 5 )

England ( 6 )

P.s. after the March 28, 2012 deadline, the following applications were received by:

Belarus ( 7 )

Germany ( 4 )

Lithuania ( 2 )

Sweden ( 2 )

Hungary ( 1 )

The last World Individual Championships were held in 2008 in St. Gallen, Switzerland.

The current reigning World Champions in different categories are:

Veselin Georgiev of Bulgaria ( Men's Individual )

Tatiana Baklanova of Ukraine ( Women's Individual )

Sirojiddin Zaynidinov of Uzbekistan ( Boys' Individual )

Annegret Mucha of Germany ( Girls' Individual )

Alexander Sleptsov of Azerbaijan ( Deaf-Blind )

Sergey Salov of Germany ( Men's Blitz )

Yulia Botalova of Russia ( Women's Blitz )

Krzysztof Checiak of Poland ( Open ).

Note: the inagural and last World Championships in Blitz were held in Estoril, Portugal, in 2010.

http://web.tiscalinet.it/estoril2010/olympiad10.htm

For details of previous events in St. Gallen, Switzerland, please visit

http://web.tiscalinet.it/icsc_w/St_Gallen/List2008.htm

For additional details of the 2012 World Championships, please visit

http://www.almaty-2012deafworldchess.com/

by Pinchas Rafael, ICSC Secretary-General.

PRESS RELEASE November 13, 2011

ICSC SECRETARY-GENERAL VISITED ALMATY

Mr.Rafael Pinchas, the ICSC Secretary-General has just returned from the city of Almaty, Kazakhstan. There he made an on-site inspection visit related to the organization of the 15th ICSC World Individual Championships, which are scheduled to take place September 27 through October 7, 2012.

Here are the key points of the visit:

1. the Organizing Committee was formed with the following leading persons in charge of the running of the event:

President - Burul Begakhmet

Vice President/Treasurer - Maxim Rozhkov

Secretary-General - Yelena Rozhkova;

2. a financial backing pledge was obtained by the Kazakhstan Ministry of Sports and the Almaty Municipality;

3. a beautiful, and spacious Hotel-Sanatorium - ALTYN KARGALY - has been chosen as the main venue of the 2012 Championships and the 31st ICSC Congress, which is planned to take place on October 1st, 2012; see the hotel website

http://www.altyn-kargaly.kz/

4. competitions in the following categories will be held

Men's Individual

Women's Individual

Juniors - Boys ( up to the age 19 )

Juniors - Girls ( up to the age 19 )

Deaf-Blind

Blitz

Seniors - Men ( age 60+ )

Seniors - Women ( age 55+ )

Open

5. by the end of this month the Organizing Committee will send out invitation letter, program schedule and other relevant information, including the Preliminary Entry Form ( Form 1 ) to all ICSC country-members.

Newspaper (Russian language)

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