PRESS RELEASE

TWO DEAF ISRAELIS TO LEAD WORLD ALL STARS TEAM AT FIDE CHESS OLYMPIAD IN TURKEY; PINCHAS IS NAMED HEAD OF WORLD ALL STARS CHESS DELEGATION

The 2012 Summer Olympics have just ended in London.

Now, the world is getting attention to another kind of Olympics – the 40th World Chess Olympiad, which will start on August 27th in the city of Istanbul, Turkey.

Imagine these scenarios: a select team of deaf and hard of hearing players is competing at the F.I.F.A. World Cup and facing high-level hearing teams from different countries in this world-class football tournament!

Or, a select team exclusively composed of deaf and hard of hearing basketball stars from different countries playing against the premier teams in the N.B.A. League!

Well, for some certain reasons, these two scenarios had never happened and these will most likely never happen in the near future.

However, there is the only sports in which the persons with hearing loss disability play under the flag of the I.C.S.C. against the normal hearing persons on an equal basis at a very prestigious worldwide and bi-annual sporting event called the Federation Internationale des Echecs (F.I.D.E.) World Chess Olympiad.

The I.C.S.C., which is an acronym for the 63-year-old International Committee of Silent Chess organization, is responsible for promoting of the game of chess among the deaf and hard of hearing people all over the globe.

According to the Turkish Organizing Committee’s recent press release, delegations from 162 different countries will send their men’s and women’s teams to Istanbul.

In addition, the three special teams – the I.C.S.C.Deaf World All Stars Team, I.B.C.A. (International Blind Chess Association) Team and I.P.C.A. (International Physically Disabled Chess Association) Team, will also be taking part at the event.

Here is the list of the names of those who made the 2012 I.C.S.C. Deaf World All Stars Teams:

Men
Gruenfeld Yehuda, Israel
Orsag Milan, the Czech Republic
Klasan Vladimir, Serbia
Salov Sergey, Germany
Frink Ferenc, Hungary
Team Captain: Schmid Jaroslav, the Czech Republic

Women
Baklanova Tatiana, Ukraine
Gerasimova Olga, Russia
Mucha Annegret Ulrike, Germany
Botalova Yulia, Russian Federation
Myronenko Natalya, Ukraine
Team Captain: Nazarova Olga, Italy

http://www.webalice.it/michess/Istanbul2012/pageIstanbul.htm

The unusual and unique thing about the 2012 I.C.S.C. World All Stars Team is that there will be the two representatives from a small country of Israel – Rafael Pinchas and Yehuda Gruenfeld – who will be leading the special chess delegation of deaf and hard of hearing players to Turkey.

Gruenfeld has been chosen to play on the Board Number One, while Pinchas, a long-time and versatile deaf sports administrator, is named as the Head of the 14-member Delegation. Pinchas had in the past his sports leadership involvement with the Deaflympic Teams in five different countries ( USSR, Israel, USA, Russia and Uzbekistan ); currently he is a Secretary General of the I.C.S.C. and President of the Israel Deaf Chess Council Amuta. Pinchas is also a Gallaudet University Class of 1979 graduate.

In retrospect, at the last 39th F.I.D.E. World Chess Olympiad held from 19th September to 4th October 2010 in the city of Khanty Mansiysk, the Russian Federation, over 2,000 elite chess players representing 149 teams from 142 countries vied for the top honors. In the men’s Open division, Ukraine came out first, the Russian Federation – second and Israel – third. The I.C.S.C. Men’s Deaf World All Stars Team finished in a very surprising 48th place in the Open Section. Among the women, the top three spots were won by the Russian Federation, China and Georgia, respectively. The I.C.S.C. Women’s Deaf World All Stars Team, too, fared very well by placing 59th out of 115 participating teams.

For additional information about Yehuda Gruenfeld’s chess background, the I.C.S.C. and 40th F.I.D.E. World Chess Olympiad results, please visit

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yehuda_Gruenfeld

http://www.webalice.it/michess/icsc.htm

http://www.fide.com/fide/directory/affiliated-organizations.html?comid=43&task=committee

http://www.chessolympiadistanbul.com/

Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
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