1st World Chess Games for Disabled 2011

Successful Closing of the 1st World Chess Games for Disabled

Written by Laura Jordan

The decision has been made! GM Thomas Luther is the winner of the 1st World Chess Games for Disabled.

The players were awarded in the categories: overall, the Physically Disabled (IPCA), blind (IBCA), deaf (ICSC) and the best teams. Each of the three best players in these categories were given medals and cash prizes.

Thomas Luther, who played for the chess festival ZMDI eV was able to achieve 7 points in 7 rounds for the tournament and win the gold medal. Apart from the overall victory, he also won the category rating IPCA. In the category blind chess players (IBCA) Olaf Dobierzin of the chess community Leipzig won the silver medal. Also silver won the Dresdner Thomas Rudolph, who won with his team IPCA II in the team score 17 points. 17 points were also reached from Russian deaf team. Both teams had only the IPCA Team I (21 points) in front of them with Thomas Luther, Andrei Obodchuk, Victor and Sergei Denisov Strekalovskiy.
Now there are 5 days, filled with new impressions and a good chess, behind us and we draw a final conclusion.

The 1st WCGD were a huge success and it is already looked expectantly at the next tournament in two years.

GM Thomas Luther, Germany (IPCA)

World Champion for Disabled 2011

Final ranking Final ranking categories IBCA, ICSC and IPCA Final ranking teams

Tournament Report

World Chess Games in the media

About the 1st World Chess Games for the Disabled is currently reported in the media. In addition to reports in newspapers, there were already three contributions on television:

We make an interim balance

The participants have now played 5 rounds for the title "World Champion of Chess Games for Disabled" and they give each other very little. Draws are given little and the chess players all do their very best. No wonder, as some have taken a long journey and many hardships upon themselves to take part in this tournament. Players from India (Amarnath Inaganti) and Uzbekistan (Amrillo Abdullayev and Ziyoda Kuchkarova), and a large Russian delegation and many players from Europe, like Italy (Michele Visco, and Marco Grudina, Ottavio Fini) and Spain (Andres Rey Taboada), gathered in Dresden.

Not always everything goes without problems. For example, when Thomas Rudolph a Dresdner and wheelchair users had to adjust to the unusual game against the blind Hans Jagdhuber. His opponent had a time problem because a helper had to announce all the moves Rudolph made yet the time was running down and this brought Jagdhuber in distress for the entire game. But the problem has been fixed for future games and up to now there have not been any greater conflicts.
On first place is still the Grand Master Thomas Luther from Germany andcontinues to defend his rank against chess friends from the German Deaf Association, with Sergey Salov, and the Russian delegation, with Andrei Obodchuk, who are with him in the top group.

Now there are only 2 rounds until the end of the tournament and to the final decision. It continues to be an exciting tournament.

Team competition of the 1st WCGD

Each player fights for the title in the 1st World Chess Games for the Disabled. But since the second round, they no longer have to fight all alone. The participants had 2 days to find together in teams of four, because at the WCGD it is not only the best player, but also the best team that wins. Now 8 teams have formed and with each victory the points don't only go to the player`s own account but also to the account of the group in which he or she plays. Some players showed a certain amount of creativity during the group formation, even if only sporadically. For example, the three Italian players Michele Visco, Marco Grudina and Ottavio Fini together with the Spanish chess friend Andre Rey Taboada called themselves „Team Latin deaf.”

Now, after the fifth Round the team Luther Obodchuk, Denisov and Strekalovskiy is, with 16 points in total, at the top and they will continue to try to keep their position.

By teaming the players up they get closer. It's not decided yet, which team will end up winning the title "World Chess Team Championship for the Disabled" and so we wish all chess friends good luck.

Our Tournament helpers

Each tournament organization needs helpers to ensure that everything runs smoothly. The same applies for the 1st World Chess Games for Disabled. However, the helpers must not only set up chess pieces , hand out score sheets, and hold the tournament together in the background, but also actively help with the games. For the disabled, it is essential that during some games an additional person helps them in different ways to keep the match going. For example, some of the helpers have to sit by a match with a blind player to move the chess pieces on the real board while the blind player has an additional board that is specially made for the braille or has to announce the moves of the opponent.

Currently there are more than 6 helpers for these games and they are responsible for games where the players didn't bring their own person to help them.
A special thanks goes to all of these helpers and their excellent work:

Hartmut Schöne, Helga Jäsche, Claus Förster, Maria Banda, Paul Schuberth, Heiner Orlovius and Orland Krug

The first three Rounds and it's not over yet

Now the first three rounds of the 1st World Chess Games for Disabled are over and the field of players is slowly parting. Still one of the front runners is GM Thomas Luther, and several players of the Russian delegation.

There was not much to say after the first round except that it came to an end without a single remis. The players were eager to win and draw offers were neither accepted nor spoken.

In the second round on Wednesday, 26.10.2011, then the situation was very different. Some players came in traditional clothing, as seen here Amarnath Inaganti from India, and were also somewhat forgiving with the draw. Thus, in the games Anfinogenov Artem (RUS) (D) against IM Sergey Salov, Viktor Varezhkin (RUS) against the above-named Inaganti from India and Wolfgang Krabbe (D) against Olaf Hoyer (D) played a draw.

IM Sergei Salov managed a small quibble in the third round. With a well-known opening trap in which his opponent Michael Gründer promptly fumbled, the Russians managed a quick win in eleven moves.

Of special interest is theTV transmission of the first four games, which in any major tournament, the ZMDI Dresden Chess Festival organizes, is broadcasted live on the internet and can also be seen in the hall on a large screen TV. The players are not disturbed in their thinking and interested parties can view and analyze all four games together on one screen.

Overall, the tournament is one of mutual respect and camaraderie among the players. The solution of any problems, that are almost inevitable at a tournament of this kind, takes place without problems and with mutual agreement.

This Tuesday demanded a lot from the players. There were two rounds played on one day, each game is almost 5 hours, a relatively long time, even when equipped with lots of patience and concentration. Another double round day will be Friday and it remains only to wish that the chess players will still play strong at the end of the day.

The 1st World Chess Games for Disabled have begun

On the 25th of October the first World Chess Games for Disabled (WCGD) began with their official opening ceremony. Because of this event important people of the town Dresden were in attendance: the federal law consultant Martin Keeve as a substitution for the president of the German chess federation, the president of the "Kreissportbund" Dresden, Jürgen Flückschuh and the hotel manager of the RAMADA hotel, where the tournament takes place, Jan Burghardt. The opening ceremony also contained a brisk dance performance by Lisa-Marie Gräfe and Steve Hädicke, both from the dance club Galaxy Dresden, who moved the audience with their standard and latin dance. The event got a special meaning because of the presence of the presidents of the three world associations for disabilities: Michele Visco as president of the ICSC (International Committee of Silent Chess), Ludwig Beutelhoff, president of the IBCA (International Braille Chess Association), and the president of the IPCA (International Physically disabled Association), Zbigniew Pilimon, from Poland.

With 35 players from 6 nations, some traveled from India and Spain, the WCGD gains international interest and experts call this world championship of all disabilities a forerunner that will influence the history of chess immensely.

Participating in this tournament is a well known chess player: GM Thomas Luther. He is already seen as one of the top players of this tournament and holds a very special position: Luther was appointed as the official "FIDE Adviser Chess for Disabled" at the last world congress.

The World Chess Games for Disabled will be held at the RAMADA hotel Dresden until next Saturday, the 29th of October, and promise lots of good matches with interesting players and plenty of good chess.

Michele Visco, ICSC President - Ludwig Beutelhoff, IBCA President - Zbigniew Pilimon, IPCA President - Dirk Jordan, Chief Organizer