Dear Colleagues,
The year 2022 was a turning point for the ACP when we tried to give the organisation a different direction.
We devised a strategic plan with two main changes in mind.
First was that ACP pivoted to a think-tank, an organisation that would analyse and present ideas to the chess public.
Second was using our Twitch channel to organise streams on important topics.
As a result of the first change we continuously worked on the proposal for creation of a World Open Circuit, which we first aired in November 2020. The work resulted in improvements of the text and its final version was widely supported by practically everybody who was acquainted with it. While ACP didn’t receive any recognition or mention, I believe that this work resulted in FIDE’s creation of a FIDE Circuit, a modified version of ACP’s World Open Circuit.
There is no patent on ideas, but as long as the chess world is improved, I consider ACP’s task to have been achieved. We announced our position in a special public statement.
The second change led to organisation of five very successful streams on ACP’s Twitch channel. The streams were intended to address vital topics like Ukraine and the chess world, gender equality in chess, a presidental debate before the elections for a new FIDE president and personal finance for chess players. Our guests included FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, FIDE’s CEO Emil Sutovsky, Deputy Chair of FIDEs Management Board Dana Reizniece-Ozola, GMs Peter-Heine Nielsen, Elisabeth Paehtz, Jacob Aagaard, Daniel Gormally, Andrii Barishpolets, Bachar Koutaly, Irina Bulmaga, former World Champion Susan Polgar, ECU General Secretary Theodoros Tsorbatzoglou, FM James Eade, CEO of the Eade Foundation, Luca Barillaro, financial consultant. Our hosts were Zoe Varney, WGMs Dina Belenkaya, Keti Tsatsalashvili and Maria Gevorgyan and Yuri Garrett.
I would like to thank everybody who took part in the above streams and made them possible.
ACP continued with providing prizes for its Premiums. We had two prizes at the European Individual Championship held in March in Slovenia and also at the European Rapid Championship held in December in Poland.
ACP condemned the events from 24 February and in order to show support it gave free Premium membership to all Ukrainian players who expressed desire to join the association.
In December ACP agreed a cooperation with the online chess analysis platform Chessify to offer discount for renting of powerful chess engines.
To sum up, ACP did turn a new page with the activities it accomplished throughout the year, but the limitations of the financial and human resources and the lack of interest from the public remained the main problems.
Alex Colovic
ACP President