Growing chess in Africa

The Masters section was the subject of our previous report on the Djerba Chess Festival. However, this wonderful event is not only about the Masters. It consisted of five more tournaments, Open A (+2000), Open B (1600–2000), Open C (-1600), Amateur Open, Blitz, and several side events including daily training sessions with French GM Romain Edouard, simultaneous exhibitions and chess and psychology conferences run by the psychoanalyst Abdessalem Sami.

In the Open A, WIM Michalina Rudzinska from Poland and French IM Benjamin Defromont were going neck and neck, alternately occupying the first or second place throughout the tournament. In the final rankings, they tied for first, but Benjamin had a better tiebreak score and was proclaimed the winner. Michalina was second, and in third place emerged the Algerian FM Massinas Djabri.

Rudzinska got silver and a third IM norm. She needs to increase her rating for it to become official, but her WGM title is now secured.

Michalina Rudzinska receives her IM norm certificate

Improve your pieces - a winning system you need to know

In this course, we will learn how to identify passively placed pieces in any given situation and how to improve their health by bringing them into active squares.

The Open A gold and bronze winners: Benjamin Defromont and Massinas Djabri

The Open B winners were: 1^st Wael Chakroun (TUN), 2^nd Rami Taher (LBA), 3^rd Hugo Legrand (FRA). The winner, Tunisian Chakroun Wael, also gained 170 rating points, impressively.

Local talent Chakroun Wael won gold in the B Open

The C Open was won by 14-year-old Arezki Bouhini from Algeria. He was followed by two Tunisian players, Youssef Al-Sakhiri and Fouzi Tlili.

Algerian golden boy, Arezki Bouhini

At the end of his final game, Arezki simply walked into the commentary room and asked to comment on some of the games, which official tournament commentator, Tunisian IM Houssem Meftahi gladly obliged.

Commentators Houssem Meftahi and Arezki Bouhini

Youssef Ben Amor, winner of the Amateur Open

The Amateur Open was organised especially for the members of the Djerba Chess Club. This was meant to give them a taste of an official competition, and it served as a great chess lesson.

Middlegame Secrets Vol.1 + Vol.2

Let us learn together how to find the best spot for the queen in the early middlegame, how to navigate this piece around the board, how to time the queen attack, how to decide whether to exchange it or not, and much more!

The chess club is fully sponsored by the organiser/sponsor of the Djerba Chess Festival, Chokri Saidi. It was opened four years ago by Anatoly Karpov, Saidi’s long-standing friend and supporter. It is one of many clubs and schools in Tunisia that Mr Saidi sponsored and provided with chess material. In Gabes, the city on the continent right across from Djerba, Saidi founded the Gabes Chess Academy that serves with chess training in Tunisia and the neighbouring region. The Academy also caters for physically impaired players.

The Djerba amateurs with the club’s president and Tunisian IA Mohamed Ali Baktach, an experienced youth trainer from Bizerte

Kuwaiti entrepreneur Zaid Alzaid, owner of the Home of Chess Academy with headquarters in Dubai, kibbitzing his son’s game (Meshal Alhejab) in the Open A

Algerian pride: Bilel Bellahcene and Lina Nassr, Algerian, African and Arab champions

Polish girls: WIM Michalina Rudzinska (on the left) and WFM Katarzyna Dwilewicz

Masters’ participants Divya Deshmukh and Aryan Tari would regularly engage in a friendly consultation before the start of their games

French connection: GM Bachar Kouatly, a former president of the French Chess Federation and FIDE’s deputy and his son, Sami, director of Europe Echecs

The dedicated team of arbiters led by Tunisian IA Béchir Messaoudi (in the middle, standing)

Arbiter’s joy: IA Béchir Messaoudi signing an IM norm

The top-notch organizing team: (from left) Aymen, Ilyes, Amine and Hamda

Endgame essentials you need to know Vol.1 & Vol 2

In this video course, GM Surya Ganguly joins IM Sagar Shah and drawing from his colossal experience, shares some uncommon endgame wisdom. The material mostly features positions with rook against rook and a pawn, and starts by covering the fundamentals.

The tournament’s video editor and compiler, Amyra Boukhris, and a friend on the beach

Warm traditional bread made on the spot by Leilla, dipped in olive oil, a hearty reinforcement during the games: Diana and Leilla

Ladies dressed in richly decorated traditional Djerban outfits accompanied the Prize Giving Ceremony. The organiser/sponsor Chokri Saidi, in his farewell speech, expressed his joy for the festival fulfilling one of his great missions: promoting African chess.

One more Djerba Festival came to its conclusion, confirming its great contribution to the development of chess in the region. Even the weather was on our side; the Djerban winter regaled us with sunny days throughout its duration. It was a great honour having among us Ivanchuk and all the grandmasters. Your presence helps African chess to develop and grow. I am a businessman, but nothing gives me greater pleasure than seeing children and players from all over the region and from further abroad giving all their being into a game of chess. We have already put into gear preparations for our next edition and I can assure you it will be bigger.

Chokri Saidi: “Your presence helps African chess”

Chess and famous Djerban pottery craft on the grounds of the Fiesta Beach Hotel

Fiesta Beach Hotel: a ten-day true fiesta courtesy of Djerba Chess Festival

A spectacular Djerban sunset

Since 2022, UNESCO has officially inscribed Tunisia’s Djerba island on the World Heritage List.

Djerba is home to more than 300 centuries-old mosques of unique Djerban architecture

The famous 9^th century Sidi Yeti Mosque perched on a hill overlooking the sea

I had the privilege of knowing Souad Anane Lesina, a born and bred Djerban, a former UNESCO official, an erudite, in love with her island of whose history and culture she possesses great knowledge. Our friendship dates from my time spent in Budapest, more than ten years ago. On this occasion, I could not have wished for a better host, guide and friend on the island of Djerba.

Djerbans are proud of their traditions: Diana Mihajlova and Souad Anane Lesina in traditional Djerban cloths

Links

• Jeddah and Djerba to host emerging chess talents
• Chokri Saidi: “I like to believe that God invented chess”
• Jeddah Youth Chess Festival: Erdogmus comes out on top
• Arabian Karpov Cup: Rouda Essa Al Sarkal stuns the field