World Senior Chess Championship

Annual chess tournament

The World Senior Chess Championship is an annual chess tournament established in 1991 by FIDE, the World Chess Federation.

The 2024 tournament will take place in Porto Santo, Portugal from November 16–29, 2024.[1]

## Overview

[edit]

Originally, the minimum age was 60 years for men, and 50 for women.

Since 2014, the Senior Championship is split in two different age categories, 50+ and 65+, with separate open and women-only tournaments. Participants must reach the age of 50 or 65 years by December 31 of the year of the event. There is a category for players 75+ which provides special prizes.[2]

The championship is organized as an eleven-round Swiss system tournament. It is an open tournament, and each FIDE member federation may send as many players as desired. The separate women's tournament is held only if there are enough participants (at least 10 women from four different FIDE zones).

The winners of the open tournaments (both age categories) are awarded the title of Grandmaster if they do not already have it and the winners of the women's tournaments (both age categories) are awarded the title of Woman Grandmaster if they do not already have it.

So far one World Chess Champion, Vasily Smyslov, has gone on to win the World Senior Championship as well, winning the first such championship aged 70 in 1991. Nona Gaprindashvili is the only Women's World Chess Champion to obtain the women's World Senior title as well.

The oldest World Senior Champion, male or female – before the split in two different age categories was made – was Viktor Korchnoi, who won the title at the age of 75 and a half (in 2006, his only participation).[3]

Vlastimil Jansa then won the 65+ section at the age of 76 in 2018 (his first gold medal), Gaprindashvili won the same year in the women's group 65+ at the age of 77. Julio Ernesto Granda Zuniga of Peru (born in 1967) is the youngest Senior World Chess Champion, section 50+, at the age of 50 in 2017.

For comparison, the oldest reigning World Chess Champion ever was Wilhelm Steinitz, who held the title until the age of 58 years, 10 days.[4] The oldest reigning classical World Chess Champion since the inception of the World Senior Chess championship in 1991 was Viswanathan Anand, who held the title until age 43 when he lost to Magnus Carlsen.

## History

[edit]

The 8th World Senior Championship was held 9–23 November 1998 in Grieskirchen, Austria. Vladimir Bagirov (Latvia) won the 200-player open section on tie-break over Wolfgang Uhlmann (Germany), both with 8.5/11. Ten players tied a half point behind with 8.0/11, including former World Championship Candidates Mark Taimanov and Borislav Ivkov, the first ever World Junior Chess Champion. WGM Tamar Khmiadashvili (Georgia) won the 24-player women's section outright with 9.5 points.

The 13th World Senior Championship was held 16–29 November 2003 in Bad Zwischenahn, Germany. IM Yuri Shabanov (Russia) won the 272-player open section 9.0/11 on tie-break over GM Jānis Klovāns (Latvia) and IM Vladimir Bukal (Croatia). Khmiadashvili (Georgia) won the 22-player women's section 7.5/9 on tie-break over WGM Marta Litinskaya-Shul (Ukraine).

The 14th World Senior Championship was held 24 October–5 November 2004 in Halle (Saale), Germany. IM Yuri Shabanov (Russia) defended his championship, winning the 215-player open section on a tie-break with five players scoring 8.5/11. GM Elena Fatalibekova (Russia) won the 19-player women's section outright with 8.0/9.

The 16th World Senior Chess Championship was held 11–23 September 2006 in Arvier, Italy. Former World Chess Championship challenger and top seed GM Viktor Korchnoi (Switzerland) won the 126-player open section 9.0/11. Competing in his first and sole Seniors' Championship, Korchnoi won his first four games, drew in the fifth round with Jānis Klovāns, and then won the next three again.[3] Entering the ninth round with a full point lead, Korchnoi drew his final three games to take the € 3000 gold medal. WGM Ludmila Saunina (Russia), won the 14-player women's section by a full point, 8.5/11, to earn € 700.

## Winners

[edit]

# | Year | City | Open Tournament winner | Women's Tournament winner

|
|
|
|

1 | 1991 |  Bad Wörishofen (Germany) |  Vasily Smyslov (Russia) |  Eva Ladanyine-Karakas (Hungary)
2 | 1992 |  Bad Wörishofen (Germany) |  Efim Geller (Russia) |  Eva Ladanyine-Karakas (Hungary)
3 | 1993 |  Bad Wildbad (Germany) |  Mark Taimanov (Russia) |  Tatiana Zatulovskaya (Russia)
4 | 1994 |  Biel/Bienne (Switzerland) |  Mark Taimanov (Russia) |  Eva Ladanyine-Karakas (Hungary)
5 | 1995 |  Bad Liebenzell (Germany) |  Evgeny Vasiukov (Russia) |  Nona Gaprindashvili (Georgia)
6 | 1996 |  Bad Liebenzell (Germany) |  Alexey Suetin (Russia) |  Valentina Kozlovskaya (Russia)
7 | 1997 |  Bad Wildbad (Germany) |  Jānis Klovāns (Latvia) |  Tatiana Zatulovskaya (Russia)
8 | 1998 |  Grieskirchen (Austria) |  Vladimir Bagirov (Latvia) |  Tamar Khmiadashvili (Georgia)
9 | 1999 |  Gladenbach (Germany) |  Jānis Klovāns (Latvia) |  Tamar Khmiadashvili (Georgia)
10 | 2000 |  Rowy (Poland) |  Oleg Chernikov (Russia) |  Elena Fatalibekova (Russia)
11 | 2001 |  Arco (Italy) |  Jānis Klovāns (Latvia) |  Elena Fatalibekova (Russia)
12 | 2002 |  Naumburg (Germany) |  Juzefs Petkēvičs (Latvia) |  Marta Litinskaya (Ukraine)
13 | 2003 |  Bad Zwischenahn (Germany) |  Yuri Shabanov (Russia) |  Tamar Khmiadashvili (Georgia)
14 | 2004 |  Halle, Saxony-Anhalt (Germany) |  Yuri Shabanov (Russia) |  Elena Fatalibekova (Russia)
15 | 2005 |  Lignano Sabbiadoro (Italy) |  Liuben Spassov (Bulgaria) |  Ludmila Saunina (Russia)
16 | 2006 |  Arvier (Italy) |  Viktor Korchnoi (Switzerland) |  Ludmila Saunina (Russia)
17 | 2007 |  Gmunden (Austria) |  Algimantas Butnorius (Lithuania) |  Hanna Ereńska-Barlo (Poland)
18 | 2008 |  Bad Zwischenahn (Germany) |  Larry Kaufman (USA) and  Mihai Suba (Romania) [5] |  Tamāra Vilerte (Latvia)
19 | 2009 |  Condino (Italy) |  Mišo Cebalo (Croatia)[6] |  Nona Gaprindashvili (Georgia)[6]
20 | 2010 |  Arco (Italy) |  Anatoly Vaisser (France)[7] |  Tamar Khmiadashvili (Georgia)[7]
21 | 2011 |  Opatija (Croatia) |  Vladimir Okhotnik (France) |  Galina Strutinskaya (Russia)
22 | 2012 |  Kamena Vourla (Greece) |  Jens Kristiansen (Denmark) |  Galina Strutinskaya (Russia)
23 | 2013 |  Opatija (Croatia) |  Anatoly Vaisser (France) |  Yelena Ankudinova (Kazakhstan)
24 | 2014 |  Katerini (Greece) |  Anatoly Vaisser (France) (65+)
Zurab Sturua (Georgia) (50+) |  Nona Gaprindashvili (Georgia) (65+)
Svetlana Mednikova (Russia) (50+)
25 | 2015 |  Acqui Terme (Italy) |  Vladimir Okhotnik (France) (65+)
Predrag Nikolic (Bosnia and Herzegovina) (50+) |  Nona Gaprindashvili (Georgia) (65+)
Galina Strutinskaia (Russia) (50+)
26 | 2016 |  Mariánské Lázně (Czech Republic) |  Anatoly Vaisser (France) (65+)
Giorgi Bagaturov (Georgia) (50+) |  Nona Gaprindashvili (Georgia) (65+)
Tatiana Bogumil (Russia) (50+)
27 | 2017 |  Acqui Terme (Italy) |  Evgeny Sveshnikov (Russia) (65+)
Julio Granda (Peru) (50+) |  Tamar Khmiadashvili (Georgia) (65+)
Elvira Berend (Luxembourg) (50+)
28 | 2018 |  Bled (Slovenia) |  Vlastimil Jansa (Czech Republic) (65+)
Karen Movsziszian (Armenia) (50+) |  Nona Gaprindashvili (Georgia) (65+)
Elvira Berend (Luxembourg) (50+)
29 | 2019 |  Bucharest (Romania) |  Rafael Vaganian (Armenia) (65+)
Vadim Shishkin (Ukraine) (50+) |  Nona Gaprindashvili (Georgia) (65+)
Elvira Berend (Luxembourg) (50+)
30 | 2022 |  Assisi (Italy) |  John Nunn (England) (65+)
Zurab Sturua (Georgia) (50+) |  Nona Gaprindashvili (Georgia) (65+)
Elvira Berend (Luxembourg) (50+)
31 | 2023 |  Terrasini (Italy) |  John Nunn (England) (65+)
Michael Adams (England) (50+) |  Galina Strutinskaia (Russia) (65+)
Monica Calzetta Ruiz (Spain) (50+)

## See also

[edit]

* European Senior Chess Championship
* Asian Senior Chess Championship

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "World Senior Chess Championship 2024". Retrieved 16 November 2024.
2. ^ "World Senior Championship 2023 prize fund breaks record". FIDE. 6 July 2023. Retrieved 17 November 2024.
3. ^ a b "Viktor Korchnoi wins World Senior Championship". chessbase.com. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
4. ^ Wall, Bill. "Older Chess Players". chess.com. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
5. ^ "Presidential Board meeting 1st quarter 2009". FIDE. Archived from the original on 28 February 2019. "The PB corrected the mistake done by the organizer of the World Senior Championship and announced GM Kaufmann and GM Suba as co-winners."
6. ^ a b Sergio. "Gaprindashvili and Cebalo become World Senior Champions". chessdom.com. Retrieved 16 November 2024.
7. ^ a b "Tamar Khmiadashvili and Anatoly Vaisser are World Senior Champions". chessdom.com. Archived from the original on 20 April 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2024.

## General references

[edit]

This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (November 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

* FIDE, "D.VIII.01. World Senior (Women) Championship", FIDE Handbook, archived from the original on 2007-06-08
* Crowther, Mark (23 November 1998), THE WEEK IN CHESS 211: 8th World Senior Championships, London Chess Center
* FIDE, World Senior Championship 2003
* FIDE, World Senior Championship 2004
* 15th World Senior Chess Championship, Chess-Results.com

## External links

[edit]

* Website for the 2024 tournament in Porto Santo, Portugal

* v
* t
* e

Chess international championships

World|

* Open
* Women's
* Olympiad (open)
* Olympiad (women's)
* Amateur
* Blitz
* Chess960
* Composition
* Computer
* Computer Speed
* Junior
* Rapid
* Senior
* Solving
* Team
* Youth

Supranational|

* African
* Junior
* Arab
* Asian
* Junior
* Senior
* Team
* Baltic
* Commonwealth
* EU Individual Open
* European
* Junior
* Youth
* Senior
* Team
* Club Cup
* Mediterranean
* North American
* Youth
* Oceania
* Pan American
* Junior
* Team
* Intercollegiate Team
* South American

See also: {{Chess national championships}}

* v
* t
* e

Chess

Outline|

* Chess theory
* Chess titles
* Grandmaster
* Computer chess
* glossary
* matches
* engines
* software
* Correspondence chess
* FIDE
* Glossary
* Online chess
* Premove
* Internet chess server
* list
* Rating system
* world rankings
* norms
* Variants
* List
* World records

Equipment|

* Chess set
* chessboard
* Dubrovnik chess set
* Staunton chess set
* Chess pieces
* King
* Queen
* Rook
* Bishop
* Knight
* Pawn
* Fairy
* Chess clock
* Chess table
* Score sheets

History|

* Timeline
* Versus de scachis
* Göttingen manuscript
* Charlemagne chessmen
* Lewis chessmen
* Romantic chess
* Hypermodernism
* Soviet chess school
* Top player comparison
* Geography of chess
* Africa
* South Africa
* China
* Europe
* Armenia
* Spain
* India
* Notable games
* List of chess players
* amateurs
* female
* grandmasters
* Women in chess
* Chess museums
* Bobby Fischer Center
* Gökyay Association Chess Museum
* World Chess Hall of Fame

Rules|

* Castling
* Cheating in chess
* Check
* Checkmate
* Draw
* by agreement
* Fifty-move rule
* Perpetual check
* Stalemate
* Threefold repetition
* En passant
* Pawn promotion
* Time control
* Fast chess
* Touch-move rule
* White and Black

Terms|

* Blunder
* Chess notation
* algebraic
* descriptive
* PGN
* annotation symbols
* symbols in Unicode
* Fianchetto
* Gambit
* Key square
* King walk
* Open file
* Half-open file
* Outpost
* Pawns
* backward
* connected
* doubled
* isolated
* passed
* Swindle
* Tempo
* Transposition
* Trap

Tactics|

* Artificial castling
* Battery
* Alekhine's gun
* Block
* Checkmate patterns
* Combination
* Decoy
* Deflection
* Desperado
* Discovered attack
* Double check
* Fork
* Interference
* Overloading
* Pawn storm
* Pin
* Sacrifice
* Queen sacrifice
* Skewer
* Undermining
* Windmill
* X-ray
* Zwischenzug

Strategy|

* Compensation
* Exchange
* the exchange
* Initiative
* first-move advantage
* Middlegame
* Pawn structure
* Hedgehog
* Isolated Queen's Pawn
* Maróczy Bind
* Minority attack
* Piece values
* Prophylaxis
* School of chess

Openings|

| Flank opening|

* Benko Opening
* Bird's Opening
* Dunst Opening
* English Opening
* Grob's Attack
* Larsen's Opening
* Zukertort Opening
* King's Indian Attack
* Réti Opening

|

King's Pawn Game|

* Alekhine's Defence
* Caro–Kann Defence
* French Defence
* Modern Defence
* Nimzowitsch Defence
* Open Game
* Four Knights Game
* Giuoco Piano
* Italian Game
* King's Gambit
* Petrov's Defence
* Philidor Defence
* Ponziani Opening
* Ruy Lopez
* Semi-Italian Opening
* Scotch Game
* Two Knights Defense
* Vienna Game
* Owen's Defence
* Pirc Defence
* Austrian Attack
* Scandinavian Defense
* Sicilian Defence
* Alapin
* Dragon/Accelerated Dragon
* Najdorf
* Scheveningen

Queen's Pawn Game|

* Budapest Gambit
* Colle System
* Dutch Defence
* English Defence
* Indian Defence
* Benoni Defence
* Modern Benoni
* Bogo-Indian Defence
* Catalan Opening
* Grünfeld Defence
* King's Indian Defence
* Nimzo-Indian Defence
* Old Indian Defense
* Queen's Indian Defence
* London System
* Richter–Veresov Attack
* Queen's Gambit
* Accepted
* Declined
* Slav Defence
* Semi-Slav Defence
* Chigorin Defense
* Torre Attack
* Trompowsky Attack

Other|

* List of openings
* theory table
* List of chess gambits
* Irregular
* Bongcloud Attack
* Fool's mate
* Scholar's mate

Endgames|

* Bishop and knight checkmate
* King and pawn vs king
* Opposite-coloured bishops
* Pawnless endgame
* Queen and pawn vs queen
* Queen vs pawn
* Queen vs rook
* Rook and bishop vs rook
* Rook and pawn vs rook
* Lucena position
* Philidor position
* Strategy
* fortress
* opposition
* Tarrasch rule
* triangulation
* Zugzwang
* Study
* Tablebase
* Two knights endgame
* Wrong bishop
* Wrong rook pawn

Tournaments|

* List of strong chess tournaments
* Chess Olympiad
* Women
* World Chess Championship
* List
* Candidates Tournament
* Chess World Cup
* FIDE Grand Prix
* Other world championships
* Women
* Team
* Rapid
* Blitz
* Junior
* Youth
* Senior
* Amateur
* Chess composition
* Solving
* Computer chess championships
* CCC
* CSVN
* North American
* TCEC
* WCCC
* WCSCC

Art and media|

* Caïssa
* Chess aesthetics
* Chess in the arts
* early literature
* film
* novels
* paintings
* poetry
* short stories
* Chess books
* opening books
* endgame literature
* Oxford Companion
* Chess libraries
* Chess newspaper columns
* Chess periodicals

Related|

* Arbiter
* Chess boxing
* Chess club
* Chess composer
* Chess engine
* AlphaZero
* Deep Blue
* Leela Chess Zero
* Stockfish
* Chess problem
* glossary
* joke chess
* Chess prodigy
* Simultaneous exhibition
* Solving chess

* Chess portal
* Category

*[Germany]: Germany
*[Russia]: Russia
*[Hungary]: Hungary
*[Switzerland]: Switzerland
*[Georgia]: Georgia
*[Latvia]: Latvia
*[Austria]: Austria
*[Poland]: Poland
*[Italy]: Italy
*[Ukraine]: Ukraine
*[Bulgaria]: Bulgaria
*[Lithuania]: Lithuania
*[USA]: United States
*[Romania]: Romania
*[Croatia]: Croatia
*[France]: France
*[Greece]: Greece
*[Denmark]: Denmark
*[Kazakhstan]: Kazakhstan
*[Bosnia and Herzegovina]: Bosnia and Herzegovina
*[Czech Republic]: Czech Republic
*[Peru]: Peru
*[Luxembourg]: Luxembourg
*[Slovenia]: Slovenia
*[Armenia]: Armenia
*[England]: England
*[Spain]: Spain
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template