Welcome to the Canadian Online Chess Center and Gaming Guide. From London Chess to Worldwide gaming, we examine the latest in news from global chess tournaments and online gaming events.

The World Chess Tournaments and Championships

Full coverage of this event is available at several locations. We continue to have our interviewers on location at the event to get an in-depth look at game coverage.

The Chess Tournaments and Championships around the world

Dominance in chess is something that every player strives for. The innate aim for perfection present within every player is beautifully complimented with a title. Understanding the need for recognition present within all the players, Federation Internationale Des Echecs (FIDE) or the World Chess Federation organizes a variety of competitions and tournaments across the world during a calendar year.

The tournaments and championships cater to all the different group of players. Separate championships are held for seniors, juniors, school students and disabled people to name a few. One common attribute about all the championships organized by FIDE is that there is an exemplary level of competition within the players. The competition assisted with the commendable management by FIDE not only makes for interesting viewership, but also adds an aura of perfection to the event.

The chess tournaments and championships organized by FIDE for the various categories of chess players are.

Women’s World Chess Championship

The Women’s World Chess Championship gives women who have mastered the art of chess from across the globe a chance to compete against each other for the coveted title. The championship takes place annually and is host to some of the most intriguing matches.

The most recent championship took place a few months ago in February of 2017. The event was held in Taiwan and witnessed some of the most nail biting matches between the competitors. The winner eventually was Tan Zhongyi from China, who outclassed everyone to lay her hands on the silverware. The Women’s World Chess Championship is gaining prestige year after year and has now reached a status comparatively similar to the Men’s championship. The presence of multiple sponsors and a high participation rate meant that the Women Chess Championship is here to stay.

The World Chess FIDE Grand Prix

The World Chess FIDE Grand Prix is basically a series of 4 consecutive events. The two contestants from the event will get a direct entry into the World Chess Championship, which is held later in the year. The event is host to some of the biggest names within the chess world.

Being a very recent addition to the world of chess tournaments, many people are not educated about the methodology of the FIDE Grand Prix. The tournament basically pairs 24 competitors, shortlisted through a rigorous and transparent selecting procedure. The competitors fight it out for the cash prize of $130,000 and a place in the World Chess Championship.

The selection procedure is very thorough and transparent, and makes sure that only the cream of chess players comes through into the tournament. Out of the 24 candidates, two players qualify for being the finalists in the World Chess Championship match of the previous year. 4 players make it into the Grand Prix for being semi finalists in the Chess World Cup of the previous year. Eight players qualify based on the ratings that they have, furthermore nine other players having a rating of at least 2700 will be selected by FIDE for the Grand Prix. Finally the one last player will qualify directly from his participation in the Association of Chess Professionals.

The selection procedure makes sure that the best battle against the best for a place in the World Chess Championships. The tournament is broadcasted on various platforms like the World Chess Club. The tournament is a new addition and promises to add attraction into the tournaments and rating systems of chess players.

World Amateur Chess Championship

The World Amateur Chess Championship gives rookies and budding chess masters a chance to battle it out against competitors from the same category. The championship is held every year and gives competitors to make a mark for themselves and to stand out as ones for the future.

With a very thorough list of regulations, the tournament makes sure that there is no bias present for or against any competitor. The tournament is for players with a rating of less than 2300. The categories are further divided into categories of under 2300, under 2000 and under 1700. Both men and women take part in the competition to prove their mettle in their respective categories. A separate event for women will be organized only if there are no less than 10 entries from women hailing from 2 different continents. If the requirement is not met, then the participating women will be merged with the men.

The tournament is an open one for competitors, and allows them to compete against one another. The player with the most points at the end of the games will be given the title. If there are two players with the same number of points, then the title should be handed over after considering the following points.

The winner of the match between the two players during the tournament will win the laurels. If the two players have not played each other, then this consideration becomes invalid.
The player with the most number of wins will be considered the winner. The points system is the conventional Swiss system, where 1 point is awarded for a win, and .5 for a draw.
The player with the greater number of games played with black will be declared the winner.

The player who is proclaimed as the winner, along with the top 5 ranked players will win a prize sum. The tournament offers a good learning curve and a competitive environment for the amateurs playing, which gears them up for the competitions that are to come in the future.

World Schools Chess Championship

Most of the greats of the game of chess have started their walk to the top at a very tender age. The fact that the paths towards success in chess starts from a young age, has been recognized by FIDE. As part of this recognition the World Chess Federation has provided school going children a chance to prove their mettle.

The tournament is divided into different categories to ensure that every player gets a fair chance at topping in their respective age group. The categories are, under 7, under 9, under 11, under 13, under 15, under 17.

The tournament will be played with the use of a time control, which will add to the overall excitement. Each player will get a total of 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, and 30 minute for the rest of the game. The winner will be decided based on the point system. If at the end of the championship, two players have the same number of points, then the winner would be decided using FIDE’s rules mentioned above in the amateur category.

Players taking the first three places will be awarded with Gold, Silver and Bronze medals, along with cash prizes and certificates. The certificates and the medals will help kick start the professional chess career of any kid within the championship.

World Team Championship

The World Team Championship is a bi-annual event which is held two times during the year. The teams are to be made up of 4 players, 1 captain and 1 reserve. The qualification to the championship would be given according to the following bases.

The world champion of the previous World Team Championship.
The top 3 teams in the FIDE rankings.
The top four continental champions.
A team which will be nominated by the president of the FIDE.
A team from the federation organizing the event, or the host team.

The captain will be part of the team, and will perform the roles of leading the team and communicating with the chief arbiter. Each team will play a match against all other teams and points will be given using conventional FIDE rules.

World Chess Cup

The world chess cup is one of the most anticipated events organized by the FIDE. There are 128 qualifiers that take place in the cup. The following federations will quality into the event.

World champion of the previous year along with the other semi-finalists
Women’s World Champion
World Junior champions
92 players from all of the continental championships
2 nominees from the FIDE president
1 top placed participant of the ACP tour
4 nominees from the organizers and 2 nominees from FIDE approved internet events

During the first 6 rounds, each round will be played over 2 games. The winner will be the player who scores 1.5 points first. After the 6^th round, the final 7^th round will be played over 4 games and the winner of the world cup will be the one who scores 2.5 points or more. The winner of the event will bag a cash prize of 120,000 dollars.

World Chess Championship for the disabled

The event is only for disabled children, thus entry will be regulated based on disability. Chess is a game much liked by many across the world. Disabled people take a special liking for the game, as it promises recognition without them having to move a limb.

All the teams will represent a national federation. All the members of the team should be members of the federation as well. The tournament will follow Swiss rules and will be of 7 rounds. Time duration of 90 minutes will be allotted for the first 40 moves, with the rest of the game to be wrapped off in the increment of 30 minutes. The winner obtains the title of the “World Chess Champion for Disabled”.

The title can be further distributed on the three kinds of disablements. The name of the title can be altered for the different disabilities. “World Chess Champion for Disabled – Winner of Braille section”, “World Chess Champion for Disabled – Winner of Deaf section” and “World Chess Champion for Disabled – Winner of Physically Disabled section”.

World Chess Championship

The World Chess Championship is by far the greatest Chess event. The event has seen the wrath of times, and has had many changes in the structure and management. The champions of this tournament have all went on to write down their names as the grand masters of this enticing yet difficult board game. The championship has been host to some of the greatest names in the world of chess and has had its trophy lifted by unparalleled geniuses.

The current reigning champion of the world chess championship is Magnus Carlsen of Norway. Emanuel Lasker has the record of a 26 straight world championships which cements his place as one of the greats of the game. The 11 rounds of the championship will be played using the Swiss system. The allotted time is 90 minutes for the first 40 moves and a time of 30 minutes for the rest of the game. Further 30 seconds per move will be given after the time is up.

The arbiters shall be selected by the players and cover all the details using 8-9 different languages. A complaint against the arbiter can be filed within 30 minutes of the decision. In case of a tie, normal FIDE rules mentioned above would be followed. The winner of the championship is given the title of the “Chess Grandmaster”.

The different chess tournaments and championships held during the year keep the fans and the players excited and engaged with the game. FIDE has recognized the need for exciting events, and through broadcasting deals and other methods, brings the excitement of the game to the viewers. The chess tournaments are very rewarding and reward the winner with eternal glory, which they can boast off. To top it all, there are no rules and regulations barring anyone from playing this game of ups and downs. Once you get a good grip of the rules, you can try out for any open tournament and make your presence felt.

Gambling Online and on Chess

We have gotten some questions about gambling on chess in Canada. Is it possible? And where can you bet?

Yes, it is possible to bet on the big chess games. You can do that on sports betting sites. Here is a list of some top places you can get more info and gamble online.

Leovegas.com ( Sports Chess Betting and Online Casino)
Chess Betting at unibet.com

Other forms of online gambling in Canada

However, remember that chess betting can be risky and you can lose all your money. So always play safe.

Legal age to gamble online is in Canada 19 and in some provinces 18.