Home Chess News 2022 FIDE World Amateur Championship

2022 FIDE World Amateur Championship

November 6, 2022

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2022 FIDE World Amateur Championship

The 2022 FIDE World Amateur Championships ended two weeks ago in Mellieha, located in the Northeast of Malta. Mellieħa takes its name from the ancient Punic and Roman salt-terms, as Mellieha means salt in Arabic.

The event, which ran from the 20th to the 30th of October, saw 197 players from 51 federations competing in three categories. The categories included U1700, U2000, and U2300 in the Open and Women sections. All the competitions were 9-round Swiss tournaments with classical time control.The prize fund was increased to €15,000 – from €10,000 last year.

FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich makes the ceremonial first move. Photos @Andreas Kontokanis.

Kenyan players

Glenda Madelta, the defending World Ladies U1700 Champion, failed to travel after failing to secure her visa. For some strange reason, the Austrian Embassy in Nairobi ignored that the organisers fully catered for Glenda Madelta’s total travel costs as defending champion.

Zayan Zamir was the sole Kenyan representative at the event. He scored a respectable five points out of nine rounds, scooping a massive 144 Elo points on the way.

In round six, Zayan Zamir had a miraculous escape in his encounter against Mielke Torsten.

Zayan Zamir flying the Kenyan flag at the global event. Photos @Andreas Kontokanis.

African players

The other African nations that participated in the event include Egypt, Tunisia, Nigeria and Morocco.

Adewole Adeyinka Samuel of Nigeria. Photos @Andreas Kontokanis.

Interesting chess facts about Maltese chess

The Malta Chess Federation was established in 1923 and will mark its 100th anniversary next year.

Malta first participated in the 1960 Olympiad. Their next Olympiad was in 1970, and they have taken part in all the Olympiads except for 1976 & 1978.

Malta organised the 1980 Chess Olympiad which Kenya won a silver medal thanks to the exploits of Saif Kanani. No other Kenyan has ever managed to win a medal at any Olympiad.

Kenyan team to the 1980 Chess Olympiad in Malta. Left to right, the late Joy Yongo, Fred Donde, MG Sharma (Chairman of Kenya Chess Association), Aslam Adam, Edwin Kinyanjui, and Sam Oulo. Photos credit Aslam Adam.

Saif Kanani (right with blue jacket) with Aslam Adam on his right in their match against Japan. Photos credit Aslam Adam.

Kenyan team to the 1980 Chess Olympiad in Malta. Left to right, that late Percy Baretto the late Joy Yongo, Edwin Kinyanjui, Fred Donde, and Aslam Adam. Photos credit Aslam Adam.

Team Kenya against Papau New Guinea. Photos credit Aslam Adam.

1980 Chess Olympiad - Former World Champion Anatoly Karpov adjusts his pieces while team mate Mikhail Tal ponders his next move. — 1980 Chess Olympiad – Former World Champion Anatoly Karpov adjusts his pieces while team mate Mikhail Tal ponders his next move. Photos credit Aslam Adam.

Interesting chess facts about Malta

Malta is an archipelago between Sicily and the North African coast in the central Mediterranean. It’s a nation known for historic sites related to a succession of rulers, including the Romans, Moors, Knights of Saint John, French and British.

The capital of Malta is Valletta, a fortified and walled city perched on the edge of a peninsula that juts out into the Mediterranean Sea.

Malta gained independence from the UK in 1964, after 160 years of British rule.

Out of 236 countries, Malta ranks 204th in size and the smallest in the European Union.

Malta has a population of just over 425,384

At just 17 miles wide, the tiny island of Malta is easy to explore, and you get from one end of the island to the other within minutes! The total land area is 316 km2

Selmun Palace at Triq Selmun in Mellieħa, Malta. Photos credit www.kiddle.co.

The official languages are Maltese, English, and Maltese Sign Language.

King George VI of England awarded Malta the George Cross for its bravery during the Axis Siege in the Second World War. To this day, the George Cross appears on the national flag.