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| Amber: Carlsen pflügt durchs Feld | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Mit unverändertem Tempo durchpflügt Magnus Carlsen das Feld beim Amberturnier in
Nizza. Heute war es Jan Smeets, der sich die obligatorische 0:2 abholte. aber
auch Vassily Ivanchuk ist weiter gut unterwegs, wenn auch nicht in dem Tempo,
dass der Norweger vorlegt. Der Ukrainer gewann mit 1,5:0,5 gegen Levon Aronian.
Mit dem gleichen Ergebnis schlug Vugar Gashimov Ruslan Ponomariov. Klare
2:0-Siege feierten außerdem Boris Gelfand gegen Vladimir Kramnik und Alexander
Grischuk gegen Lenier Dominguez. Svidler und Karjakin spielten 1:1. Offizielle Seite... Mehr... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Carlsen wins 2-0 again, joins Ivanchuk in the lead | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 19th Amber Blindfold and Rapid Tournament takes place at the Palais de la Mediterranée in Nice, France, from March 12 to 25, 2010. The event is organized by the Association Max Euwe of chess maecenas Joop van Oosterom, which is based in Monaco. The total prize-fund is € 216,000. The following twelve grandmasters take part: Magnus Carlsen (Norway, 2813), Vladimir Kramnik (Russia, 2790), Levon Aronian (Armenia, 2782), Alexander Grischuk (Russia, 2756), Boris Gelfand (Israel, 2750), Peter Svidler (Russia, 2750), Vasily Ivanchuk (Ukraine, 2748), Vugar Gashimov (Azerbaijan, 2740), Ruslan Ponomariov (Ukraine, 2737), Sergey Karjakin (Russia, 2725), Leinier Dominguez (Cuba, 2713) and Jan Smeets (The Netherlands, 2651). Games round 4Game viewer by ChessTempo Round 4 reportMagnus Carlsen catches up with Vasily Ivanchuk after third 2-0 wipe-out Magnus Carlsen was understandably ambitious to continue his winning streak in his blindfold game against bottom-seed Jan Smeets. Despite a modest opening set-up (that started with 1.g3) he indeed got an edge, but there was no reason for Black to despair yet. Afterwards Carlsen commented that had Smeets just stayed put, instead of becoming active with 31…Rc3, he didn’t see how he could have made progress. Smeets’ action was based on a miscalculation. After 32…Rxc4 the only reply he had counted on was 33.Rd6+, but instead Carlsen dealt a killer blow with 33.Bg5. Three moves later Black resigned, raising Carlsen’s winning streak to five.
The blindfold game between tournament leader Vasily Ivanchuk and defending champion Levon Aronian suddenly ended when the board was still full of pawns and pieces when on move 25 White offered a draw. In a slightly unorthodox Ruy Lopez it seemed that Black had obtained a good game, but Aronian wasn’t so sure. When he was asked why he had accepted the draw, he simply replied: ‘Because I am worse.’ And he elaborated that his pieces might look nice and active, but that White can slowly continue h3, Rd1 and c4, and on top of that he didn’t like the g5-h4 pawn-structure on the kingside either.
In the blindfold game between Peter Svidler and Sergey Karjakin a tense Sicilian with chances for both sides saw an untimely and unfortunate end when on move 42, White put a knight en prise. Following his resignation yesterday against Carlsen when there was still everything to play for, this was a new blow for the Russian grandmaster. Boris Gelfand didn’t hide his contentment after he had won his blindfold game against Vladimir Kramnik. ‘It’s always nice to win against such a great player’, he almost humbly commented. The Israeli grandmaster more or less blamed Black’s defeat on the opening system he had chosen, the Bg4-system that is mainly popular among some Azeri players. One of the ideas of the black approach is the exchange sacrifice on e3 that also happened in this game. Gelfand wasn’t convinced of its correctness and suggested Black should have looked for something else at that point. He pointed out the sad offside position of the black knight on c7 in particular and quoted Tarrasch who said that if one piece doesn’t take part in the play there’s something wrong with the entire position. Gelfand was satisfied with his plan Bd1 and Ne2 which allowed him to cement his advantage and slowly but surely win the game.
Ruslan Ponomariov seemed determined to blow up Vugar Gashimov’s Benoni Defence in their blindfold game and judging by the comments of the kibitzing grandmasters in the hospitality lounge he was soon on his way to realize that objective. But then the Benoni is a resilient customer and although his position looked highly suspect, Gashimov seemed to have no wish to surrender without a fight. He stayed afoot in the complications and he could have even taken over the initiative if instead of 31…Rh8+ he had gone 31…Rxf4 32.Rxf4 Qh6+. But soon he was in the driver’s seat anyway when White first missed the winning continuations 32.Kg2 and next 32.Kg1. Instead the players ended up in a rook ending with one pawn (white) against two. This they played on for many more moves until on move 68 the computer indicated a threefold repetition and the game was drawn.
Alexander Grischuk was clearly satisfied after his blindfold win against Leinier Dominguez and he had every reason to. In a Sicilian Najdorf that his opponent had clearly prepared (Dominguez blitzed out his first 18 moves), the Russian champion was in a creative mood and managed to create attacking chances with pointed play. Probably the key moment of the game was the point where White played 23.Qh5, a move that Black had missed and that netted White the important f7 pawn. Grischuk kept playing strong and incisive chess and after 63 moves he had earned a well-deserved point.
Report & photos © official website, more here Videos
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Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:25:11 +0000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ivanchuk in sole lead after three rounds in Nice | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 19th Amber Blindfold and Rapid Tournament takes place at the Palais de la Mediterranée in Nice, France, from March 12 to 25, 2010. The event is organized by the Association Max Euwe of chess maecenas Joop van Oosterom, which is based in Monaco. The total prize-fund is € 216,000. The following twelve grandmasters take part: Magnus Carlsen (Norway, 2813), Vladimir Kramnik (Russia, 2790), Levon Aronian (Armenia, 2782), Alexander Grischuk (Russia, 2756), Boris Gelfand (Israel, 2750), Peter Svidler (Russia, 2750), Vasily Ivanchuk (Ukraine, 2748), Vugar Gashimov (Azerbaijan, 2740), Ruslan Ponomariov (Ukraine, 2737), Sergey Karjakin (Russia, 2725), Leinier Dominguez (Cuba, 2713) and Jan Smeets (The Netherlands, 2651). Games round 3Game viewer by ChessTempo Round 3 reportVasily Ivanchuk in sole lead Vasily Ivanchuk immersed in thought at the start of his blindfold game against Sergey Karjakin. Following a 1½-½ win over his former compatriot the Ukrainian grandmaster is in the sole lead. Alexander Grischuk and Boris Gelfand played a blindfold game that at first sight may have looked lively and entertaining for the spectators. However, they were following a theoretical line and after the game Grischuk summed up his assessment of what had happened as ‘very boring’. White had a small advantage in the ending that appeared on the board, but it never took on serious proportions and the games petered out to a draw. For Gelfand the line evoked old memories: ‘The last time I played this line was in 1988 in Vilnius. Against Goldin at the Soviet Young Masters.’ Certainly an interesting footnote to this game.
When Leinier Dominguez arrived at the board for his blindfold game against Ruslan Ponomariov, the Ukrainian grandmaster already sat waiting impatiently. As he laughingly told the arbiter: ‘I am nervous, let’s start!’ Once he was allowed to start the game, Ponomariov went for 4…g6 against the Ruy Lopez, a set-up that is sometimes considered slightly suspect, but mostly leads to satisfactory play for Black. Dominguez certainly obtained an edge, but with precise and active play Ponomariov comfortably equalized and once they reached a rook endgame with three pawns on each side, there were few reasons left not to draw the game.
The blindfold game between Vugar Gashimov and Vladimir Kramnik saw the Russian grandmaster play another Pirc. However, this time it didn’t bring him much pleasure, as his mix of set-ups landed him in a risky position. Things looked threatening for Kramnik, especially when on move 26 Gashimov got a golden opportunity. With 26.Rxd6 he could have been a healthy pawn up, as 26…Ne8 is answered by 27.Rxh6, but instead of all this the Azeri grandmaster played 26.Nxd6 and a few moves later he agreed on a draw.
The blindfold game between Peter Svidler and Magnus Carlsen started with a comic prologue when, once they were seated behind their laptops, the Norwegian discovered much to his dismay that he wasn’t White is this game, as he had believed, but Black. The comedy of errors was continued in the game and even after the Russian had resigned, when the spectators in the hospitality lounge switched on some engines. In the game Carlsen invited Svidler to play a full-fledged Dragon, but instead White opted for a more quiet approach. For some time there was nothing new under the sun until White played a new move, 19.Qf4 (19.Qe2 had been seen). The comedy of errors came back to life on move 20, when Svidler suddenly had second thoughts about the intended 20.Rxd7 because of 20…Qc6 21.Rxb7 Rxf4 22.Bd5 and now 22…Qf6 wins for Black. However, both players had missed 22.Rb6 with an edge for White. On move, 22 Svidler refrained from 22.Qh3 because he didn’t like 22…Nf4, but after the move he played, 22.Qe1, he was unpleasantly surprised by 22…Bxg2. Now Black developed a raging attack, but was it was deadly as Svidler acknowledged when, after 25…Nd4, he resigned? Indeed it would have been if Black had played 24…Nh4+ (instead of 24…Nf4+). But now things were different, as in the final position the engines immediately showed the amazing 26.Nd7!, attacking the rook on f8, and there is no immediate win and the position looks drawish.
When Sergey Karjakin, who is now playing for Russia, sat down to play his former compatriot Vasily Ivanchuk there was little doubt that a fierce clash would follow. In the blindfold game Ivanchuk gradually managed to took over the initiative and when he pushed 19…c4! it was clear that Karjakin faced a difficult defence. The final mistake White made on move 32, when playing his bishop to a3, he allowed Black to invade his position and force his surrender. Jan Smeets was happy with the outcome of the opening of his blindfold game against Levon Aronian. After all he was allowed to play the improvement he had suggested after his game against Karjakin in Round 2, 17.Be4 instead of 17.Ne4. White got an edge, but failed to exploit it. His first inaccuracy was 24.Rac1 where 24.a4 was called for, but the real mistake was 26.Bxd8?, an exchange that was prompted by his fear that Black’s knight would come to e6 and White’s bishop on f6 would end up out of play. Now Smeets suddenly found himself in an unpleasant rook endgame, which Aronian first converted in a winning pawn endgame and then into a winning queen endgame. Report & photos © official website, more here Videos
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Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:30:14 +0000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Amber R2: Carlsen bounces back, beats Aronian 2-0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 19th Amber Blindfold and Rapid Tournament takes place at the Palais de la Mediterranée in Nice, France, from March 12 to 25, 2010. The event is organized by the Association Max Euwe of chess maecenas Joop van Oosterom, which is based in Monaco. The total prize-fund is € 216,000. The following twelve grandmasters take part: Magnus Carlsen (Norway, 2813), Vladimir Kramnik (Russia, 2790), Levon Aronian (Armenia, 2782), Alexander Grischuk (Russia, 2756), Boris Gelfand (Israel, 2750), Peter Svidler (Russia, 2750), Vasily Ivanchuk (Ukraine, 2748), Vugar Gashimov (Azerbaijan, 2740), Ruslan Ponomariov (Ukraine, 2737), Sergey Karjakin (Russia, 2725), Leinier Dominguez (Cuba, 2713) and Jan Smeets (The Netherlands, 2651). Games round 2Game viewer by ChessTempo Round 2 reportCarlsen bounces back with 2-0 win over defending champion Aronian Magnus Carlsen fared excellently in Round 2 with two wins over Levon Aronian. After the round the Norwegian was happy to comment on his blindfold game for the tournament website. Just like last year the second round of the Amber tournament clashed with the final stage of Paris-Nice, the 8-stage cycling race that started in Paris (you had guessed that much) a week ago. For many hours the Promenade des Anglais was crowded with people waiting for the denouement of the 68th edition of this legendary race and we can tell you that quite a number of chess fans mingled among these spectators. But after, early in the afternoon, Alberto Contador had won his second Paris-Nice, three years after his first victory, they could concentrate on chess again. Right they were. After the drama in Round 1 there was every reason to look forward to the developments in Round 2. ![]() The final stage of the cycling course Paris-Nice finished today, about two hundred metres from the venue and about two minutes after the second round started | Photo Nadja Wittmann ![]() Alberto Contador after winning the final stage of Paris-Nice | Photo Nadja Wittmann Magnus Carlsen was obviously eager to fight back after yesterday’s dramatic 2-0 loss, but with Levon Aronian as opponent this was easier said than done. Moreover the Norwegian had the black pieces in the blindfold game and one would think that his first concern should be not to lose again. Already before the tournament Carlsen had prepared the King’s Indian and his ambition to steer for a highly complicated struggle worked out beyond expectation. To begin with he got the chance to implement an idea he had seen in a game Eljanov-Radjabov; a quick counter-push on the queenside to undermine White’s centre followed by a piece sacrifice (20…Nxd5) to break up that same centre. The tactical complications that ensued demanded a lot from both players and it was soon clear that Carlsen felt more at ease. Aronian missed the push 22…e4, a seemingly contradictory move that seems to contribute little to Black’s wish to open up lines and files, but which in fact is the right move to keep his initiative going. White could still have put up some resistance with 25.Bg5 (instead of 25.Nxf2), but Aronian had also missed 25…Qh4, which in case of 26.Be1 is followed by the deadly 26…Be5. Three moves later Aronian threw the towel. Carlsen found it easy to smile again when a couple of minutes later he spoke to the press. ![]() Blindfold: Carlsen beats Aronian with Black in a spectacular King's Indian Jan Smeets had no trouble acknowledging that he had been completely lost in his blindfold game against Sergey Karjakin, as he was happy enough with the half point that he had saved miraculously. In a Ruy Lopez with 3…Nge7 and 4…g6, White drifted into trouble when he played his knight to e4 on move 17 (better 17.Be4) and followed this up with 20.Nf6+. Things quickly went from bad to worse and with 35…Kf8 Black could have forced his resignation. But even the pawn ending that Karjakin allowed his opponent, was lost for Black if only he had found 46…h5. Now the Dutch grandmaster could save the draw, even if, as usually, he was very short of time for the greater part of the game. ![]() Dutchman Jan Smeets managed to draw twice with Sergey Karjakin The blindfold game between Vasily Ivanchuk and Peter Svidler not surprisingly saw a Grünfeld Defence, an opening in which the Russian is one of today’s greatest specialists. Afterwards he called the opening phase of ‘mild theoretical importance’, as Ivanchuk deviated on move 11 from an earlier game Gelfand-Svidler. In that game White played 11.Be2, Ivanchuk preferred to first play 11.Nf3. Almost forced the players ended up in an ending that Svidler had (of course) looked at before and although Black’s play is not entirely carefree he felt that it should be a draw objectively speaking. As a possible improvement for White he indicated 21.Bc6, the way it went now the point was quickly shared. Boris Gelfand recovered from his poor performance in the first round with a win in the blindfold game against Vugar Gashimov. Nevertheless he called it ‘a stupid game’, as he had spoiled an excellent opening position to end up in a problematic situation. The last trick he wanted to try in order to extricate himself from this situation was 20.Nxd5. Now he was lucky as Gashimov could have played 22…Qb4 and White might as well resign. After 22…Qc7, White’s problems were not over yet, but when Black blundered with 23…Qxc4?, he suddenly was presented with a winning position. For the rest of the game Gelfand kept his eyes on the ball and converted his advantage without further problems. The blindfold game between Vladimir Kramnik and Leinier Dominguez was a fascinating fight. Obviously Kramnik emphatically played for a win, but Dominguez fought back in his customary razor-sharp style. The game was decided when in a highly complicated position the Cuban grandmaster continued 36…Kh7 where his only chance was 36…Bf8. With the text-move he invited a forced mate and a couple of moves before this mate would become reality, Dominguez resigned. ![]() Deep concentration: Leinier Dominguez and Vladimir Kramnik The blindfold game between Ruslan Ponomariov and Alexander Grischuk saw a Catalan Opening, similar to a game Ponomariov had played with colours reversed against Gelfand in the final of the recent World Cup. Instead of 10…Bb7, as Ponomariov had played, Grischuk went 10…Ba6. White obtained the bishop pair, but with a symmetrical pawn-structure it was difficult to exploit that slight advantage. Both players invested a lot of time as there were always tactics to be considered with opposing rooks on the c-file, but when Grischuk offered the opportunity to repeat moves and agree to a draw, Ponomariov saw no good reason to play on. 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Sun, 14 Mar 2010 20:32:01 +0000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Amber: Ivanchuk und Ponomariov mit dem besten Start | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Mit 0:2 zog Magnus Carlsen zum Auftakt des 19. Amberturniers heute gegen Vassily
Ivanchuk den Kürzeren. Der Ukrainer nimmt folgerichtig die Spitzenposition in
der Tabelle ein, die er mit seinem Landsmann Ruslan Ponomariov teilt. Dieser
hatte sich mit dem gleichen Resultat gegen Boris Gelfand durchgesetzt und war
besonders stolz, weil er hier seine erste Blindpartie überhaupt gespielt und
auch gleich gewonnen hatte. Zu positiven Gesamtergebnissen kamen außerdem
Svidler gegen Smeets und Gashimov gegen Dominguez. Offizielle Seite... Partien und Impressionen... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Amber Blindfold and Rapid Chess Tournament | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Amber Blindfold and Rapid Chess Tournament will start tomorrow in Nice, France with 12 strong players: Magnus Carlsen – Norway Vladimir Kramnik - Russia Levon Aronian – Armenia Alexander Grischuk – Russia Peter Svidler – Russia Boris Gelfand – Israel Vasily Ivanchuk - Ukraine Vugar Gashimov – Azerbaijan Ruslan Ponomariov – Ukraine Sergey Karjakin - Russia Leinier Dominguez – Cuba Jan Smeets – The Netherlands | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Amber Chess Tournament | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() The 19th Amber Blindfold and Rapid tournament takes place from March 13 (first round) to March 25 (last round) at the Palais de la Mediterranée, splendidly located on the famous Promenade des Anglais, number 13-15, in Nice. The tournament is organized by the Association Max Euwe in Monaco. The total prize-fund is € 216,000. The twelve participants are: 1. Magnus Carlsen – Norway 2. Vladimir Kramnik - Russia 3. Levon Aronian – Armenia 4. Alexander Grischuk – Russia 5. Peter Svidler – Russia 6. Boris Gelfand – Israel 7. Vasily Ivanchuk - Ukraine 8. Vugar Gashimov – Azerbaijan 9. Ruslan Ponomariov – Ukraine 10. Sergey Karjakin - Russia 11. Leinier Dominguez – Cuba 12. Jan Smeets – The Netherlands The rate of play is 25 minutes per game per player. With every move made in the blindfold games 20 seconds is added to the clock, with every move made in the rapid games 10 seconds is added. Every day four sessions will be played, two blindfold sessions and two rapid sessions. The first session starts at 14.30 hrs. The fourth session finishes around 20.00 hrs. (Note: the final round on March 25 starts at 12.30 hrs. March 17 and 22 are rest days.) Official website | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Ivanchuk beats Carlsen 2-0 in first round Amber | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 19th Amber Blindfold and Rapid Tournament takes place at the Palais de la Mediterranée in Nice, France, from March 12 to 25, 2010. The event is organized by the Association Max Euwe of chess maecenas Joop van Oosterom, which is based in Monaco. The total prize-fund is € 216,000. The following twelve grandmasters take part: Magnus Carlsen (Norway, 2813), Vladimir Kramnik (Russia, 2790), Levon Aronian (Armenia, 2782), Alexander Grischuk (Russia, 2756), Boris Gelfand (Israel, 2750), Peter Svidler (Russia, 2750), Vasily Ivanchuk (Ukraine, 2748), Vugar Gashimov (Azerbaijan, 2740), Ruslan Ponomariov (Ukraine, 2737), Sergey Karjakin (Russia, 2725), Leinier Dominguez (Cuba, 2713) and Jan Smeets (The Netherlands, 2651). Games round 1Game viewer by ChessTempo Round 1 reportFirst day sensation: top-seed Carlsen loses 2-0 to ‘Mr Amber’
There were also references to Steely Dan’s Hey Nineteen, Joe Jackson’s Nineteen Forever and Chanel 19 (by some strange coincidence Coco Chanel was presented the famous Chanel logo – two C’s elegantly locked together – by the owner of the Chateau de Cremat about a century ago!) and of course the twelve grandmasters were welcomed, with a special mention for Vasily Ivanchuk, ‘Mr Amber’, who participated in all 19 tournaments. Once the drawing of lots had taken place, we could start to think about the pairings for the first round and the overall chances of the participants. Who is the top-favourite for first place? Vladimir Kramnik, who won a record of six Amber tournaments? Levon Aronian, who won the last two editions? Or Magnus Carlsen, the world’s number one, who very appropriately celebrated his 19th birthday a couple of months ago? In any case the opening round didn’t go as they may have hoped. Not at all.
Today at 14.30 the first round started of a blindfold and rapid spectacle that will keep us entertained for the coming fortnight (the 11th and last round is on March 25). As always the players started with two blindfold sessions (in each of which six GMs played) followed by two rapid sessions and immediately there were some intriguing pairings. When Ruslan Ponomariov saw at the drawing of lots that he had to play Boris Gelfand in the first round, he wondered aloud if he had to play Gelfand for the rest of his life. What he meant to say was that this was his first official competition since the dramatic final Gelfand and he played in the World Cup last December, a lengthy final that was only decided in the blitz games. Ponomariov’s second remark was that he wanted to have his revenge for that lost final. The only problem was that the first game was a blindfold game and his experience in that discipline was almost zero. In fact he had asked to play a training game on the day of his arrival in Nice. To avoid any complications he decided to play fast and to remain fully concentrated, not even considering the option of going to the toilet if needed. The approach worked well, as with the help of Gelfand his opening was a great success and after 15.Ng5 he felt that he was spoiled for choice when looking for a way to exploit his advantage. The game was practically decided when Ponomariov captured Black’s h-pawn. The rest was simple and he converted without any problems. After the game he was greatly relieved that this game for which he had been so nervous had gone so well. ‘Perhaps it turns out that I am not so bad at blindfold chess.’ He also shared his impression of playing chess on a screen that only shows an empty chess board: ‘It’s just like a computer game!’
Russian champion Alexander Grischuk had his work cut out for him when he immediately had to play Vladimir Kramnik. There could be no misunderstanding about Kramnik’s intentions as he played almost all his moves instantly. ‘He wanted to trick me’, smiled Grischuk after the game. Playing with white he had to leave the initiative to Black, but to his mind Kramnik went too far in his winning attempt. But even if Black ended up in a difficult position, the situation was still far from lost and things only got hopeless when he reverted to the desperate 38…Nxg4, where it seemed that Black could have stayed in the game with 38…Nf3. Now things were easy for Grischuk and the handful of seconds he still had on the clock proved enough to win an important scalp.
The encounter between debutants Dominguez and Gashimov took a relatively quiet course, although the grandmaster from Azerbaijan offered to play a sharp Benoni, an invitation that was quietly turned down with Rodriguez. They ended up in a rook endgame that was slightly better for Black, but it was his lavish use of time that did Dominguez in. With more than ten minutes less on the clock he committed a few inaccuracies and when Gashimov stormed down the board with two passed pawns it was clear that the fight was over. After the game Gashimov was congratulated on his blindfold debut and confessed that he had not especially prepared for this unusual type of chess. ‘I played one training game two days ago against Ruslan (Ponomariov), this was my second game.’ Magnus Carlsen openend his blindfold game against Vasily Ivanchuk with 1.a3, aiming for an open battle, unburdened by theory and steering clear of any possible preparation of his opponent. The plan wasn’t a success, even if he managed to win a pawn, but Black got such good compensation that the Norwegian top-seed must have regretted his unorthodox approach. He kept looking for his chances, but Ivanchuk remained fully concentrated and his advantage was such that at some point the white position should collapse. An oversight on move 31 sped up the end of the game and floored another top-favourite.
‘It’s been a while, clearly’, Peter Svidler commented after he had beaten Jan Smeets in his first Amber blindfold game in three years. Svidler had an edge from the opening, but Smeets should have been able to hold a draw. Things got funny when Svidler, played his 39th move thinking Black’s bishop was on e6 (it was on d7). That it was not, he found out when Black played 39…Ne6+ and picked up the pawn on g5. This was not a problem in itself as now White can go 40.Nd5+ and pick up the b6 pawn, but not knowing where the black bishop was, Svidler now reasoned that it was on c6, which ‘prevented’ this knight jump. Smeets on his part got confused by White’s 44.Bxg6 and panicked with 45…Be6 when 45…Kg5 was still a draw. Well, in fact he would have even won, as (still thinking the black bishop was on c6) Svidler had planned to answer 45…Kg5 with 46.Be4 Kxh6 47.Bc6, thinking he would capture a bishop but in fact giving one away. After this comedy of errors had ended, Smeets was left with a lost position and had to resign soon. Sergey Karjakin obtained a winning position in the blindfold game when in a sharp opening tussle Levon Aronian committed a serious error. Instead of 19…Bg5?, the Armenian grandmaster should have played 19…Bh4 or 19…Rb4. Things looked bleak for Aronian, but then he didn’t win himself a reputation for ‘slow-motion’ swindling for nothing last year. And this time, too, he almost escaped when Karjakin allowed a repetition of moves. But Aronian was going for the whole hog and thinking he was winning he didn’t repeat moves, but played 36…Nxc3, which turned out to be a losing move. Report & photos © official website, more here Videos
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Sat, 13 Mar 2010 20:34:21 +0000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Efimenko and Jobava lead in Rijeka | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 11th European Individual Men and Women’s Chess Championship is held from 5th to 19th of March 2010 in Rijeka, in new Zamet Centre sports hall. The event is organized by chess club “Rijeka”, in agreement with the Croatian Chess Federation under the auspices of the City of Rijeka and the European Chess Union. It is open to all players representing the chess federations which comprise the European Chess Union (FIDE zones 1.1 to 1.9) regardless of their title or rating. There is also no limit of participants per federation. The championship is based on Swiss system in accordance with the ECU Tournament Rules and FIDE Rules of Chess. The rate of play is 90 minutes for 40 moves plus 30 minutes for the rest of the game with an increment of 30 seconds per move, starting from move one. As always, the European Championship is a qualification event for the next World Cup. According to FIDE regulations and the decision of the ECU Board, 22 players will qualify. Rounds 6-7The four players on 4.5/5 obviously met in the sixth round on Thursday. Baadur Jobava reached a better ending which suddenly turned into an easily winning one, when his opponent exchanged a pair of knights. Position after 39…Kd7 ![]() After 40.Ne3?! Nxe3 41.Kxe3 Bb7! the b3 pawn was just too weak, and it kept the White knight passive on c1. Black didn’t even have to put his bishop on d5; the threat was enough. After winnin a few nice White games, Nisipeanu was on the wrong side of a devastating attack in round 6. Efimenko was in a killing mood: Position after 15…Rd8 ![]() White is better developed than Black, who desperately needs more space, but won’t get it in this game. 16.g4! Nhf6 17.Bf4 Qb6 18.g5!? The more quiet 18.h3 also gives White a clear plus. 18…Nh5 Perhaps 18…hxg5 19.Nxg5+ Kg8 was the lesser evil, but it looks very dangerous too. 19.Ne4 Nxf4 20.Qf4 Rf8 ![]() 22.c5! Qxb2 23.Bc4 This extra piece pointing at the opponent’s kingside position decided the game. In the women’s section Monica Socko is the only player on 6/7. Today is a rest day in Rijeka. We brought the news unofficially last week already, and now according to the official website Karpov has now officially announced his candidacy for FIDE President:
![]() Selection of games rounds 6-7Game viewer by ChessTempo ![]() Zahar Efimenko, in shared first place, here in his round 6 game, beating Nisipeanu ![]() Baadur Jobava, also on 6/7 Photos courtesy of the official website, more here Links
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Sat, 13 Mar 2010 15:24:05 +0000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Who will win Amber? – second preview video | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 19th Amber Blindfold and Rapid Tournament takes place at the Palais de la Mediterranée in Nice, France, from March 12 to 25, 2010. The event is organized by the Association Max Euwe of chess maecenas Joop van Oosterom, which is based in Monaco. The total prize-fund is € 216,000. Preview video by Macauley PetersonThe world’s number one player, Magnus Carlsen, is the top-seed in Nice. Also present are Levon Aronian, the winner of the past two Amber tournaments, and Vladimir Kramnik, who won the Amber tournament a record six times. These three players are clearly the big favourites, but what about Alexander Grischuk, who replaced Alexander Morozevich less than a week ago? Or the ever unpredictable Vasily Ivanchuk? Or Ruslan Ponomariov, who is back among the world’s elite? The following twelve grandmasters will take part (between brackets their country and their rating in the March 1, 2010 world rankings): Magnus Carlsen (Norway, 2813), Vladimir Kramnik (Russia, 2790), Levon Aronian (Armenia, 2782), Alexander Grischuk (Russia, 2756), Boris Gelfand (Israel, 2750), Peter Svidler (Russia, 2750), Vasily Ivanchuk (Ukraine, 2748), Vugar Gashimov (Azerbaijan, 2740), Ruslan Ponomariov (Ukraine, 2737), Sergey Karjakin (Russia, 2725), Leinier Dominguez (Cuba, 2713) and Jan Smeets (The Netherlands, 2651). Every day four sessions will be played, two blindfold sessions and two rapid sessions. The first session starts at 14.30 CET. The fourth session finishes around 20.00 CET. The final round on March 25 starts at 12.30 CET. March 17 and 22 are rest days. The rate of play is 25 minutes per game per player. With every move made in the blindfold games 20 seconds is added to the clock, with every move made in the rapid games 10 seconds is added. Like in previous years, many more will be posted on the official website during the tournament. Besides, you can expect something new this year: live chess with audio commentary, streaming footage from the playing hall and live commentary sessions with the top GMs! Link | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fri, 12 Mar 2010 07:57:20 +0000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Amber Blindfold and Rapid tournament 2010 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Magnus Carlsen (2813) (NOR) brVladimir Kramnik (2790) (RUS) brLevon Aronian (2782) (ARM) brAlexander Grischuk (2756) (RUS) brPeter Svidler (2750) (RUS) brBoris Gelfand (2750) (ISR) brVasily Ivanchuk (2748) (UKR) brVugar Gashimov (2740) (AZE) brRuslan Ponomariov (2737) (UKR) brSergey Karjakin (2725) (RUS) brLeinier Dominguez (2713) (CUB) brJan Smeets (2651) (NED) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:04:47 +0000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Zero Tolerance? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| After four rounds at the European Indivdual Chess Championships, just two players lead the men's event with perfect scores. GM's Baadur Jobava of Georgia and and Zahar Efimenko of Ukraine (pictured) have a half point lead over a 15-strong chasing... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:39:24 -0800 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chess Olympiad 2012 Logo and History | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() Hi everybody! I just got back from Colombia and am preparing a post about it for you. Before that, I'd like to share the following with you, about the Chess Olympiads: The organizers of the 40th Chess Olympiad which will take place in 2012 in Istanbul, invite you till the 31st of March to vote for your favorite logo of the event, here. The Chess Olympiad is a very special event. A tournament where one can really feel the moto of the FIDE - Gens Una Sumus! A little bit of history about the Chess Olympiads: The first world team competition took place in Paris in 1924 and was reported as the 'Chess Olympic Games.' It is not, however, counted as one of the official 'Chess Olympiads'; on the one hand it was not organised by FIDE, while on the other the method of scoring was different from that worked out later. The year 1924 is a milestone in chess history not so much because of this competition but because it saw the formation of the International Chess Federation (Federation Internationale des Echecs) by the players present in Paris. The first President of FIDE, Dr Rueb, of Holland, was also elected in Paris, and for a quarter of a century he fulfilled this important office with great skill and diplomacy. In 1927, representatives from sixteen countries assembled in London to take part in the first of the series of international team competitions which have become known as Chess Olympiads. The naming of FIDE's team championship as the "Chess Olympiad" is of historical origin and implies no connection between this event and the Olympic Games, which means that, unfortunately, chess Olympiad medals are not Olympic medals, and a clear distinction should be made about it. Therefore it is misleading and untrue to call the medals earned in chess Olympiads as "Olympic". In the first three Olympiads the board order of the players was not fixed and therefore was not necessarily identical with their strength. But since 1931 it has been the rule that the playing order submitted with the entry must be adhered to throughout the competition. If a player is rested, those below him have to play a board higher. The first women's chess olympiad has been held in 1957, and from 1972 it takes place every two years together with the men's chess olympiad. The full table of the men's and women's olympiads you can find on the olimpbase.org The 2008 Olympiad was held in Dresden, Germany. The 2010 Olympiad is going to be held in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia in September this year. The 2012 Olympiad is going to be held in Istanbul, Turkey. There is already a bid for the 2014 Olympiad by Tromso, Norway. The host for the 2014 Olympiad will be decided during the General Assembly of FIDE in Khanty-Mansiysk this year. I already took part in 5 Olympiads. In 1998 I took part in my first ever Olympiad which took place in Elista, Russia. I played for the Russia-3 team which was also called the team of Kalmykia. Our team was seeded 33rd at the beginning of the event but we managed to do very well and at the end shared 6-9th places. I scored 10 out of 13 and took the silver medal on my board. In 2002 I played in my second Olympiad but it was my first Olympiad for the national team of Russia. Our team took silver medals, behind the Chinese women. In 2004 in my third Olympiad, I played for the first time on the first board. I met over the board against 3 former (Xie Jun, Maia Chiburdanidze, Susan Polgar) and one reigning (at that time) World Champions (Antoaneta Stefanova) and lead my team to the bronze medals. In 2006 in Turin I played once again on the first board for Russia and this time we took silver medals behind the team of Ukraine. In 2008 in Dresden I played on the first board for Russia once again. For the first time since the Olympiad in Moscow in 1994 our women's Russian team didn't take medals. We shared the third place but was fourth on tie-breaks. So this year we will try to do our best in Khanty-Mansiysk and I'm sure it will be a great event. ![]() But for the moment go to the official web-site of the 2012 Chess Olympiad in Istanbul and vote for the logo you like most. Posted by: Alexandra Kosteniuk Women's World Chess Champion | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wed, 10 Mar 2010 04:08:00 +0000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Chess Queen Becomes Champion for Peace | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() MONACO, MARCH 3, 2010 – WOMEN'S WORLD CHESS CHAMPION ALEXANDRA KOSTENIUK TODAY JOINED "CHAMPIONS FOR PEACE", A CLUB OF TOP INTERNATIONAL ATHLETES COMMITTED TO SERVING PEACE IN THE WORLD THROUGH SPORT. Champions for Peace, an initiative from "Peace and Sport, l'Organisation pour la Paix par le Sport" is now delighted to count 39 heroes from the winner's podium who actively or symbolically help to create a genuine culture of peace throughout the world using sport. They represent 24 nationalities, 25 Olympic and non-Olympic sports disciplines, 49 World Champions, 20 Olympic Champions and more than a hundred national and regional titles. At 25, reigning women's world chess champion Alexandra Kosteniuk brings her international reputation and her numerous victories to promote this noble cause. Initiated to the game of chess at 5 years old, she started collecting international awards from the age of 10, became world champion Girls U-12 in 1996, Women’s European Champion in 2004, Russian Champion in 2005, before winning the supreme women’s world title in 2008. The same year she won the first-ever gold medal in ‘Mind Sports Games'. Alexandra holds the highest title available to men and women chess players – Grandmaster. Beyond her talent and performance, through her leadership in chess education excellence, Alexandra brings unprecedented experience and motivation to the Champions for Peace initiative. For over 10 years, her high moral standards, ethics and charisma have made her an inspiration and role model for her generation and for millions of fans all over the world. A true ambassador for chess worldwide and on the web, Alexandra has always worked to ensure that her favourite sport serves peace, human development and social progress. In her role of "Champion for Peace", she will travel to Colombia in the near future to launch a program for peace and social cohesion, initiated by Peace and Sport in partnership with the NGO Colombianitos and the International Chess Federation (FIDE). This program will over time enable 4,000 children living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods in cities in Colombia to learn chess. "I am very pleased to be part of the Peace and Sport movement," declared Alexandra Kosteniuk. "I want to give back to the world the love and happiness that I have received through the wonderful game of chess. I firmly believe that chess serves the cause of peace by improving the lives of young people. I have seen firsthand how chess helps students to develop the skills they need to be successful in life." Joel Bouzou, President and Founder of Peace and Sport, himself a World Champion and Olympic Medallist, added: "We are deeply honoured that the Chess Queen has joined the Champions for Peace family. Alexandra has proved to the world that "Chess is Cool". It’s a real pleasure to be able to count on her enthusiasm, determination and intelligence to inform new audiences and convince policy-makers that sport can and must contribute to sustainable peace." Other Champions of Peace include such sporting legends as SERGEY BUBKA (Olympic Champion and six-times World Champion, Pole Vault, Ukraine); FRANKIE FREDERICKS (double World Champion, 100 and 200 metres, Namibia); CATHY FREEMAN (Olympic Champion and double World Champion, 400m, Australia); YELENA ISINBAYEVA (double Olympic Champion and double World Champion, Pole Vault, Russia), CHRISTIAN KAREMBEU (World Champion, Football, France) BRADLEY MCGEE ( Double Olympic Champion, World Champion, cycling, Australia), PAULA RADCLIFFE (World Champion, Marathon, United Kingdom) as well as many more. Press contacts PEACE AND SPORT press@peace-sport.org www.peace-sport.org Diego Garcés diego@kosteniuk.com www.kosteniuk.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tue, 09 Mar 2010 07:38:39 +0000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vassily Ivanchuk wins in Caxias do Sul - 9-rounds rapid tournament, IM Sandro Mareco with same point | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The XI Torneio Festa da Uva with 9 rounds Swiss and rapid time control was held in Caxias do Sul, the second largest city in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The tournament had a colossal turnout of 292 participants, and among them special stars Vassily Ivanchuk from Ukraine and legendary Ulf Andersson from Sweden. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Grischuk replaces Morozevich at Amber | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 19th Amber Blindfold and Rapid Tournament takes place at the Palais de la Mediterranée in Nice, France, from March 12 to 25, 2010. The event is organized by the Association Max Euwe of chess maecenas Joop van Oosterom, which is based in Monaco. The total prize-fund is € 216,000. The world’s number one player, Magnus Carlsen, is the top-seed in Nice. Also present are Levon Aronian, the winner of the past two Amber tournaments, and Vladimir Kramnik, who won the Amber tournament a record six times. The following twelve grandmasters will take part (between brackets their country and their rating in the March 1, 2010 world rankings): Magnus Carlsen (Norway, 2813), Vladimir Kramnik (Russia, 2790), Levon Aronian (Armenia, 2782), Alexander Grischuk (Russia, 2756), Boris Gelfand (Israel, 2750), Peter Svidler (Russia, 2750), Vasily Ivanchuk (Ukraine, 2748), Vugar Gashimov (Azerbaijan, 2740), Ruslan Ponomariov (Ukraine, 2737), Sergey Karjakin (Russia, 2725), Leinier Dominguez (Cuba, 2713) and Jan Smeets (The Netherlands, 2651). Every day four sessions will be played, two blindfold sessions and two rapid sessions. The first session starts at 14.30 CET. The fourth session finishes around 20.00 CET. The final round on March 25 starts at 12.30 CET. March 17 and 22 are rest days. The rate of play is 25 minutes per game per player. With every move made in the blindfold games 20 seconds is added to the clock, with every move made in the rapid games 10 seconds is added. Below you’ll find an appetizer video. Like in previous years, many more will be posted on the official website during the tournament. Besides, you can expect something new this year: live chess with audio commentary, streaming footage from the playing hall and live commentary sessions with the top GMs! VideoLink | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Four-way tie at Reykjavik Open | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Reykjavik Open took place February 24 – March 3 in the capital of Iceland. It was a 9-round Swiss with 104 players (20 GMs, 16 IMs). The rate of play was 1.5 hours for 40 moves plus 30 minutes to end te game, with an increment of 30 seconds starting from move 1. The main sponsor was MP Bank, the bank started by grandmaster Margeir Pétursson and the only bank in Iceland that more or less managed to avoid the biggest damage in the crisis so far.
In the end the first place was shared between Abhijeet Gupta (India), Yuriy Kuzubov (Ukraine), Ivan Sokolov (The Netherlands) and Hannes Stefansson (Iceland). Sokolov recovered well from his terrible result at his last open, the open in Cappelle-la-Grande. For local hero Stefansson it was the third time in a row that he ended (shared) first, and the fifth time in total. ![]() Selection of gamesGame viewer by ChessTempo ![]() Veterans meet: Alexey Dreev (Russia) vs Oleg Romanishin (Ukraine) ![]() Newcomers meet: Yuriy Kuzubov (Ukraine) vs Ilya Nyzhnyk (Ukraine) ![]() Peruvian rising star Jorge Cori vs Iceland's number two (on rating still behind the inactive Johann Hjartarson) Hannes Stefansson ![]() Ivan Sokolov (The Netherlands) vs Irina Krush (USA) ![]() A draw in the last round between Hannes Stefansson and Abhijeet Gupta ![]() The fifth victory for Stefansson Photos courtesy of the tournament website Links | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Thu, 04 Mar 2010 10:44:29 +0000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Chess Queen Becomes Champion for Peace | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() PRESS RELEASE RELEASED MARCH 3, 2010 by PEACE AND SPORT & CHESSQUEEN: The Chess Queen Becomes Champion for Peace MONACO, MARCH 3, 2010 – WOMEN’S WORLD CHESS CHAMPION ALEXANDRA KOSTENIUK TODAY JOINED "CHAMPIONS FOR PEACE”, A CLUB OF TOP INTERNATIONAL ATHLETES COMMITTED TO SERVING PEACE IN THE WORLD THROUGH SPORT. Champions for Peace, an initiative from “Peace and Sport, l’Organisation pour la Paix par le Sport” is now delighted to count 39 heroes from the winner’s podium who actively or symbolically help to create a genuine culture of peace throughout the world using sport. They represent 24 nationalities, 25 Olympic and non-Olympic sports disciplines, 49 World Champions, 20 Olympic Champions and more than a hundred national and regional titles. At 25, reigning women’s world chess champion Alexandra Kosteniuk brings her international reputation and her numerous victories to promote this noble cause. Initiated to the game of chess at 5 years old, she started collecting international awards from the age of 10, became world champion Girls U-12 in 1996, Women’s European Champion in 2004, Russian Champion in 2005, before winning the supreme women’s world title in 2008. The same year she won the first-ever gold medal in ‘Mind Sports Games’. Alexandra holds the highest title available to men and women chess players – Grandmaster. Beyond her talent and performance, through her leadership in chess education excellence, Alexandra brings unprecedented experience and motivation to the Champions for Peace initiative. For over 10 years, her high moral standards, ethics and charisma have made her an inspiration and role model for her generation and for millions of fans all over the world. A true ambassador for chess worldwide and on the web, Alexandra has always worked to ensure that her favourite sport serves peace, human development and social progress. In her role of "Champion for Peace", she will travel to Colombia in the near future to launch a program for peace and social cohesion, initiated by Peace and Sport in partnership with the NGO Colombianitos and the International Chess Federation (FIDE). This program will over time enable 4,000 children living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods in cities in Colombia to learn chess. "I am very pleased to be part of the Peace and Sport movement,” declared Alexandra Kosteniuk. “I want to give back to the world the love and happiness that I have received through the wonderful game of chess. I firmly believe that chess serves the cause of peace by improving the lives of young people. I have seen firsthand how chess helps students to develop the skills they need to be successful in life." Joel Bouzou, President and Founder of Peace and Sport, himself a World Champion and Olympic Medallist, added: "We are deeply honoured that the Chess Queen has joined the Champions for Peace family. Alexandra has proved to the world that "Chess is Cool". It’s a real pleasure to be able to count on her enthusiasm, determination and intelligence to inform new audiences and convince policy-makers that sport can and must contribute to sustainable peace." Other Champions of Peace include such sporting legends as SERGEY BUBKA (Olympic Champion and six-times World Champion, Pole Vault, Ukraine); FRANKIE FREDERICKS (double World Champion, 100 and 200 metres, Namibia); CATHY FREEMAN (Olympic Champion and double World Champion, 400m, Australia); YELENA ISINBAYEVA (double Olympic Champion and double World Champion, Pole Vault, Russia), CHRISTIAN KAREMBEU (World Champion, Football, France) BRADLEY MCGEE ( Double Olympic Champion, World Champion, cycling, Australia), PAULA RADCLIFFE (World Champion, Marathon, United Kingdom) as well as many more. For more info see Alexandra's Post | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 11? Campionato Europeo Femminile | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Con Sedina, Zimina, le sorelle Brunello e Tonel! L?11? Campionato Europeo Individuale Femminile si preannuncia di altissimo livello. Infatti sono presenti cinque delle prime sette giocatrici europee, fatta eccezione per la n?1 mondiale Judit Polgar e la Campionessa Mondiale in carica Alexandra Kosteniuk. Tra l?altro nelle prime 10 posizioni della classifica mondiale ci sono solo due giocatrici extra-europee (l?indiana Humpy Koneru e la cinese Hou Yifan), quindi questo Campionato è sicuramente di valore assoluto. Ma partiamo dalle nostre rappresentanti, che sono cinque:
MI Elena Sedina, Elo 2334
MI Olga Zimina, Elo 2319
MI Femminile Marina Brunello, Elo 2217
Roberta Brunello, Elo 2043
Giulia Tonel, Elo 2023 Ovviamente il loro compito è difficilissimo, considerando che, su ben? 165 giocatrici preiscritte, cioè?appena 3 in meno del record stabilito nella precedente edizione, disputata a San Pietroburgo (Russia), hanno numeri di tabellone variabili dal 58 della Sedina al 149 della Tonel. Di sicuro per le nostre sarà un'esperienza altamente formativa, perchè non capita?spesso di poter giocare 11 turni a questi livelli! Vediamo ora l?elenco delle Top-20 partecipanti, in ordine di Elo: 1 GM Stefanova Antoaneta BUL 2555 Antonaeta Stefanova, n? 4 mondiale e n?1 del tabellone
la "slovena" Anna?Muzychuk, n? 3 del tabellone?
Tatiana Kosintseva, vincitrice nel 2007 e nel 2009 In questo Campionato è molto difficile pronosticare il nome della vincitrice, considerando il fatto che tra la n?1 Stefanova e la n?20 Gunina ci sono meno di 100 punti Elo di differenza. Certo, 11 turni sono molti e per vincere sarà necessario ottenere un punteggio molto alto. Lo scorso anno la russa Tatiana Kosintseva e l'armena Lilit Mkrtchian fecero 8,5 punti e dovettero sfidarsi in uno spareggio per stabilire la vincitrice. La vittoria andò alla Kosintseva, che quindi bissò il successo del 2007. Tra le altre partecipanti possono vantare un successo nel Campionato anche la Zhukova (nella?1^ edizione,?2000), la?Stefanova (nel?2002 all'età di 23 anni) e la Cramling (nel 2003). Vediamo l'albo d'oro della manifestazione:?
? ? ? ? ? ? ? Sono previsti 11 turni di gioco dal 6 al 17 marzo, con turno di riposo il 13. Eventuali spareggi si giocheranno il 18.?L'orario di inizio delle partite è fissato alle ore 15,30. Tempo di riflessione: 90 minuti per 40 mosse + 30 minuti per finire + 30 secondi di incremento a mossa. Sito ufficiale, QUI Partite in diretta, QUI E' obbligatorio un bel FORZA RAGAZZE! ? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2010-03-05T18:30:00+01:00 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Chess Queen Becomes Champion for Peace | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() PRESS RELEASE RELEASED MARCH 3, 2010 by PEACE AND SPORT & CHESSQUEEN: The Chess Queen Becomes Champion for Peace MONACO, MARCH 3, 2010 – WOMEN’S WORLD CHESS CHAMPION ALEXANDRA KOSTENIUK TODAY JOINED "CHAMPIONS FOR PEACE”, A CLUB OF TOP INTERNATIONAL ATHLETES COMMITTED TO SERVING PEACE IN THE WORLD THROUGH SPORT. Champions for Peace, an initiative from “Peace and Sport, l’Organisation pour la Paix par le Sport” is now delighted to count 39 heroes from the winner’s podium who actively or symbolically help to create a genuine culture of peace throughout the world using sport. They represent 24 nationalities, 25 Olympic and non-Olympic sports disciplines, 49 World Champions, 20 Olympic Champions and more than a hundred national and regional titles. At 25, reigning women’s world chess champion Alexandra Kosteniuk brings her international reputation and her numerous victories to promote this noble cause. Initiated to the game of chess at 5 years old, she started collecting international awards from the age of 10, became world champion Girls U-12 in 1996, Women’s European Champion in 2004, Russian Champion in 2005, before winning the supreme women’s world title in 2008. The same year she won the first-ever gold medal in ‘Mind Sports Games’. Alexandra holds the highest title available to men and women chess players – Grandmaster. Beyond her talent and performance, through her leadership in chess education excellence, Alexandra brings unprecedented experience and motivation to the Champions for Peace initiative. For over 10 years, her high moral standards, ethics and charisma have made her an inspiration and role model for her generation and for millions of fans all over the world. A true ambassador for chess worldwide and on the web, Alexandra has always worked to ensure that her favourite sport serves peace, human development and social progress. In her role of "Champion for Peace", she will travel to Colombia in the near future to launch a program for peace and social cohesion, initiated by Peace and Sport in partnership with the NGO Colombianitos and the International Chess Federation (FIDE). This program will over time enable 4,000 children living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods in cities in Colombia to learn chess. "I am very pleased to be part of the Peace and Sport movement,” declared Alexandra Kosteniuk. “I want to give back to the world the love and happiness that I have received through the wonderful game of chess. I firmly believe that chess serves the cause of peace by improving the lives of young people. I have seen firsthand how chess helps students to develop the skills they need to be successful in life." Joel Bouzou, President and Founder of Peace and Sport, himself a World Champion and Olympic Medallist, added: "We are deeply honoured that the Chess Queen has joined the Champions for Peace family. Alexandra has proved to the world that "Chess is Cool". It’s a real pleasure to be able to count on her enthusiasm, determination and intelligence to inform new audiences and convince policy-makers that sport can and must contribute to sustainable peace." Other Champions of Peace include such sporting legends as SERGEY BUBKA (Olympic Champion and six-times World Champion, Pole Vault, Ukraine); FRANKIE FREDERICKS (double World Champion, 100 and 200 metres, Namibia); CATHY FREEMAN (Olympic Champion and double World Champion, 400m, Australia); YELENA ISINBAYEVA (double Olympic Champion and double World Champion, Pole Vault, Russia), CHRISTIAN KAREMBEU (World Champion, Football, France) BRADLEY MCGEE ( Double Olympic Champion, World Champion, cycling, Australia), PAULA RADCLIFFE (World Champion, Marathon, United Kingdom) as well as many more. Press contacts Peace and Sport Diego Garcés About Peace and Sport “Peace and Sport, L’Organisation pour la Paix par le Sport” is a neutral and apolitical international initiative based in the Principality of Monaco and placed under the High Patronage of H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco. Peace and Sport puts sport and its structuring values at the heart of development projects led within communities in crisis around the world. With interventions in areas of post-conflict, extreme poverty or lacking social cohesion, Peace and Sport makes sport a vehicle for tolerance, respect, sharing and citizenship at the service of sustainable peace. Supported by governments, world sport governing bodies, international organizations, major international companies in the private sector and international sports champions, Peace and Sport creates synergies between various different stakeholders to carry out four types of action: ? Organizing an annual International Forum (next edition in Monaco, 1 - 3 December 2010) ? a Resource Centre for sport and peace, ? The Peace and Sport Awards, to reward individuals and initiatives contributing to peace, ? Locally-Based Projects; concrete actions in different regions of crisis in the world. Today, Peace and Sport has operations in Cote d'Ivoire, Burundi, Israel-Palestine, Timor Leste, Colombia and plans to intervene in Haiti in the near future. Peace and Sport was founded by Joel Bouzou, current President of the organisation. Mr. Bouzou is an Olympic medallist, world champion of Modern Pentathlon and current Secretary General for the International Union of Modern Pentathlon (UIPM). He is also Advisor to H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco. Alexandra Kosteniuk’s Web Resources Web sites: Social sites: Read/Download Press Release in English or Read/Download Press Release in French Posted by Alexandra Kosteniuk Women's World Chess Champion | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wed, 03 Mar 2010 01:46:00 +0000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mammadyarov rises to sixth place in FIDE rating | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() Shahriyar Mammadyarov rises to sixth place in FIDE rating Tue 02 March 2010 05:55 GMT The international chess federation (FIDE) has released the list of the strongest chess players of the world. According to News.Az, Shahriyar Mammadyarov is the strongest Azerbaijani grandmaster in the renewed table about ranks. He rose to the sixth place though two months ago he was just 11th. His coefficient is 2760. Vugar Hashimov lowered from the seventh to 12th place with 2740 points. Teymur Rajabov has the same number of points and is 13th. He rose 3 points. The top five include Magnus Carlsen (2813), Veselin Topalov (2805), Vladimir Kramnik (2790), Vishi Anand (2787) and Levon Aronyan (2782).On the whole, the Azerbaijani team has 2637 (the average index of the ten best chess players of the country) and takes seventh place after Russia, Ukraine, China, France, India and Israel. Elmir Aliyev News.Az http://www.news.az | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2010-03-02T01:00:00.001-06:00 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 16-Jähriger gewinnt Cappelle-Open | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Der 16-jährige Yaroslav Zherebukh gewann das Open von Capelle-la Grande. Als
einziger Spieler erreichte der Ukrainer 7,5 Punkte. Neun Spieler kamen auf 7
Punkte, darunter mit Parimarjan Negi (IND), Romain Edouard (FRA) und Martyn
Kravtsiv (UKR) drei weitere Nachwuchsspieler. Die Deutschen Florian Dinger,
Alexander Raykhman und Andreas Strunski erzielten IM-Normen.
Junioren-Weltmeisterin Deysi Cori Telli machte eine IM-und eine Frauen
GM-Norm. Über 650 Spielern nahmen an dem Open teil. Turnierseite... Mehr... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mon, 22 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| GM Moskalenko responds to ChessVibes review of Revolutionize Your Chess | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In his review of Revolutionize Your Chess our reviewer Arne Moll wrote that he didn’t like the book. He used strong words, like ‘amazingly silly’, ‘rather confusing’, ‘extremely simplistic’ and ‘hopelessly flawed’. Here’s GM Moskalenko’s reaction:
Update 14:40 CET: meanwhile Arne Moll has responded in the comments – we’ll give it here as well:
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Mon, 15 Feb 2010 09:43:03 +0000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Winter and Women Playing Chess | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() Hello everybody! While I was traveling all around Europe many interesting women's events have been played. The national championships in Georgia, Armenia and Romania have been finished during January. The women's tournament of the Moscow open was very strong, as well as women showed many great results in strong open and closed tournaments. Anna Muzychuk finished the Corus B tournament with a respectful 5,5 out of 13 in a very strong field. The final standings of the B-tournament can be seen here. Salome Melia became the Georgian champion 2010 with a nice result - 10 out of 13, followed by Nino Khurtsidze (9,5 points) and Maia Lomineishvili (8,5 points). The final table can be seenhere. Anahit Kharatyan is the Armenian champion 2010. She took 6 points out of 9 and the clear first place. The full table is here. Elena-Luminita Cosma is the new Romanian champion 2010. She shared the first place with 7 points out of 9 with Iozefina Paulet but was better on tie-breaks. The bronze medal with 6,5 points out of 9 won Cristina-Adelina Foisor. The final standings can be seen here. The game between Valentina Gunina and Anastasia Bodnaruk from the Russian Superfinal 2009 was voted among the best 10 games of December on the Russian web-site www.chesspro.ru . You might have already seen this game with my comments on one of the previous posts, here. Only the photo-finish was able to determine the winners of the exciting Moscow-open. Before the last round Zhao Xue was leading the event with 7 points out of 8 and was followed by 3 strong chess-players - Valentina Gunina, Salome Melia and Nazi Paikidze. Salome Melia with the white pieces was able to win against Zhao Xue, while Nazi Paikidze won also with white against Gunina. So Melia and Paikidze shared the first place with 7,5 out of 9 but the tie-break was better for Nazi Paikidze who became the winner of the Moscow-open 2010. The final table can be seen here. From February 9 to February 18, 2010 the very strong Aeroflot-open takes place. There are 5 ladies who decided to take part in the strongest A1 tournament: the Kosintseva's sisters, Hou Yifan, Lela Javakhishvili and Marie Sebag. After 3 rounds Nadezhda and Tatiana both have 2 points out of 3, winning in the first round and making 2 draws in the 2nd and 3rd round. From February 10 to February 18 in Bucarest, Romania a strong women's closed tournament takes place. The participants are: Beta Khotenashvili (Georgia, 2461), Maria Muzychuk (Ukraine, 2447), Cristina Foisor (Romania, 2440), Eva Repkova (Slovakia, 2434), Salome Melia (Georgia, 2431), Corina Peptan (Romania, 2411), Irina Turova (Russia, 2386), Anita Gara (Hungary, 2370), Szidonia Vajda (Hungary, 2369) and the new Romanian champion 2010 Elena-Luminita Cosma (2332). The official web-site is here. Even though we are right now in the middle of winter, chess battles are heating all around the world. Don't you think it's because chess should be named a winter olympic sport? ;) By the way,the Winter Olympic Games is starting tomorrow in Vancouver, Canada. What are your favorite winter sports (beside chess, of course) and what are the athletes and countries you will be routing for? Posted by: Alexandra Kosteniuk Women's World Chess Champion | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Thu, 11 Feb 2010 17:48:00 +0000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The history of women's chess | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() Here are the list of all the women who achieved or earned the Grandmaster title:
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2010-02-09T16:23:00.008-06:00 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michael Adams Wins Gibtelecom Masters | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Gibtelecom Masters, a part of the 8th Gibraltar Chess Festival and one of the top open tournaments in the world, was held from 26th January until 4th February at the Caleta Hotel. After ten rounds of the regular competition according to the Swiss system, four players qualified for the knockout semifinal which had to produce the overall winner and award the first prize of £15,000.English Grandmaster Michael Adams has won the 8th Gibtelecom Masters after a four-player play-off. He did it the hard way, losing the first game of his semi-final against German GM Jan Gustafsson and having much the worst of the second game before Gustafsson blundered a piece. There followed an Armageddon game, with Adams obliged to win, which he did in some style. In the other semi-final Paco Vallejo Pons of Spain won his first game quite comfortably against Chanda Sandipan of India. He was comfortable in the second game but Sandipan fought back to the point where he should have won, only the make a terrible blunder which cost him the win. The final saw Adams in his best form, soon securing a strong advantage which he carried through to victory. In the return, Vallejo Pons got a bad position but his attempt to mix the game up cost him a piece and he could only draw. The two-game mini-matches were played at a time control of 10 minutes with 10 second increments and the Armageddon game at 5 minutes to 4. By John Saunders, for the official website In the struggle for the main women's prize of £8,000, WGM Natalia Zhukova from Ukraine and GM Humpy Koneru from India both finished with 7.0 points, but the big purse goes to Zhukova who had higher TPR (2686, in comparison to Koneru's 2663). Total prize fund for the entire Festival was £112,500. Full results and standings ![]() Michael Adams ![]() Natalia Zhukova ![]() Gata Kamsky ![]() IM Harika Dronavalli (2471) ![]() WFM Iva Videnova (2301) ![]() Future star from Peru - IM Jorge Cori (2483) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sat, 06 Feb 2010 02:35:00 +0000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Final FIDE Grand-Prix Tournament | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() The final FIDE Grand-Prix tournament is set to take place on 9-25th May in Astrakhan, Russia. The event is crucial to determine who will be the second qualifier for the Candidates Matches 2010-2011. Levon Aronian has already qualified and opted not to participate - current standings. As with the previous Grand Prix stages, the tournament format is round robin with 14 players. Participants: Vladimir Akopian (Armenia) Evgeny Alekseev (Russia) Pavel Eljanov (Ukraine) Vugar Gashimov (Azerbaijan) Boris Gelfand (Israel) Ernesto Inarkiev (Russia) Vassily Ivanchuk (Ukraine) Dmitry Jakovenko (Russia) Peter Leko (Hungary) Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (Azerbaijan) Ruslan Ponomariov (Ukraine) Teimour Radjabov (Azerbaijan) Peter Svidler (Russia) Wang Yue (China) FIDE Grand Prix index page | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fri, 05 Feb 2010 11:29:17 +0000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 22 Armenians at Aeroflot Open | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() 17:50 05/02/2010 » Sport 22 Armenian chess players to take part in Aeroflot-Open 22 Armenian chess players will take part in the Aeroflot-Open chess festival due in Moscow, Russia February 9-17, Armenian Chess Federation reported.GMs Gabriel Sargissian, Arman Pashikian, Zaven Andriasian, Hrant Melkumyan (Armenia), Sergey Grigoriants (Russia), Yuriy Hayrapetian (Ukraine) are taking part in the main, the A1 tournament. GMs Tigran Kotanjian, Davit G. Petrosian (Armenia), Melikset Khachiyan (USA), Artur Gabrielian and FM Poghos Nahapetian (Russia) are among the participants of the A2 tournament. Source: Panorama.am | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2010-02-05T08:42:00.001-06:00 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dramatic Finish at Corus | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2010 Corus Chess Tournament, which was composed of three 14-player groups and took place on 16-31st January, had a thrilling finish with the last round deciding on who will win the main group A.Magnus Carlsen sat for the final game with a half point advantage ahead of the former world champion Vladimir Kramnik and tournament's earlier leader Alexei Shirov. Kramnik was the first to give up on the ambition to claim a full point after the last year winner Sergey Karjakin comfortably held equality with black pieces in the Queen's Indian defence. Meanwhile, Carlsen tried to squeeze something out of the equal position against Fabiano Caruana, and Alexei Shirov jumped into the fire hoping to clear the way to Leinier Dominguez's King by sacrificing the material. The developments in this game provoked Carlsen to risk more while searching for a win and secured clear first place. However, Shirov burned his clock to find precise moves which maintain the attack and consequently run into the horrible zeitnot. On the 30th move Dominguez erred but accompanied his move with a draw offer, which Shirov, with only few seconds remaining, accepted. Now Carlsen needed only half a point to become a sole winner, but Caruana was already pressing for a full point in the slightly better endgame. After the persistent defence, Carlsen took a well deserved draw and trophy for the first place. Dutch champion Anish Giri battled his way through a higher rated opposition to win the Corus B and qualify for the next year's main event. He collected 9.0 points from 13 games and practically secured the first place even before the last round. The Chinese GM Li Chao B, top-seeded in the Corus C, also reserved the first place in advance, but he finished the tournament in style, with a win over the Netherland's GM Zhaoqin Peng. Corus A final standings: 1. GM Magnus Carlsen, Norway - 8.5 2-3. GM Alexei Shirov, Spain and GM Vladimir Kramnik, Russia - 8.0 4-5. GM Viswanathan Anand, India and GM Hikaru Nakamura, USA - 7.5 6-7. GM Vassily Ivanchuk, Ukraine and GM Sergey Karjakin, Russia - 7.0 8-9. GM Leinier Dominguez Perez, Cuba and GM Peter Leko, Hungary - 6.5 10. GM Fabiano Caruana, Italy - 5.5 11-12. GM Loek van Wely, Netherlands and GM Nigel Short, England - 5.0 13-14. GM Jan Smeets, Netherlands and GM Sergey Tiviakov, Netherlands - 4.5 Corus B final standings: 1. GM Anish Giri, Netherlands - 9.0 2. GM Arkadij Naiditsch, Germany - 8.5 3. GM Ni Hua, China - 8.0 4-5. GM Wesley So, Philippines and GM Erwin l’Ami, Netherlands - 7.5 6-7. GM Parimarjan Negi, India and GM Pentala Harikrishna, India - 6.5 8-9. GM David Howell, England and GM Emil Sutovsky, Israel - 6.0 10-11. WGM Anna Muzychuk, Slovenia and GM Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu, Romania - 5.5 12-13. GM Tomi Nyback, Finland and GM Dimitri Reinderman, Netherlands - 5.0 14. GM Varuzhan Akobian, USA - 4.5 Corus C final standings: 1. GM Li Chao B, China - 10.0 2. GM Abhijeet Gupta, India - 8.5 3-4. GM Daniele Vocaturo, Italy and IM Robin van Kampen, Netherlands - 8.0 5-6. GM Ray Robson, USA and GM Robin Swinkels, Netherlands - 7.5 7. FM Benjamin Bok, Netherlands - 7.0 8-10. WGM Marya Muzychuk, Ukraine, FM Stefan Kuipers, Netherlands and IM Nils Grandelius, Sweden - 6.0 11. GM Kjetil Lie, Norway - 5.5 12. GM Zhaoqin Peng, Netherlands - 5.0 13-14. WGM Soumya Swaminathan, India and Sjoerd Plukkel, Netherlands - 3.0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mon, 01 Feb 2010 09:03:27 +0000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Anand was lucky to beat Shirov in Corus Chess tourney | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
World champion Viswanathan Anand ended his long chain of draws with a lucky victory over Spaniard Alexei Shirov in the tenth round of the ‘A’ group of the Corus chess tournament. Having drawn the first nine games, Anand yet again tried hard to be back on his winning ways but missed a simple tactic which might have seen him on the receiving end. However, Shirov missed the opportunity at the fag end of the first time control and instead landed in a lost position which the Indian ace converted without much ado. Ahead of the third and final rest day, this welcome break for Anand saw him jump to joint fourth spot with just three rounds remaining in this category-19 event. Russian Vladimir Kramnik emerged as the new sole leader on seven points after Shirov’s disastrous loss. The Russian played drew with Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine on a day that also saw Magnus Carlsen uncork the French defense and winning a fine game against defending champion Sergey Karjakin. Carlsen and Shirov are joint second with 6.5 points each while Anand shares the next position along with Hikaru Nakamura of United States, Leinier Dominguez of Cuba, Vassily ivanchuk of Ukraine and Karjakin who all have 5.5 points each. In the ‘B’ group, P Harikrishna suffered a shocking loss against Dmitri Reinderman of Holland, while Parimarjan Negi played out a draw with Ni Hua of China. Harikrishna was outdone in an English opening by Reinderman who stuck form. Harikrishna lost a couple of Queen side pawns in the middle game and his counter play bid did not really materialise as Reinderman won in 58 moves. Parimarjan Negi yet again held a higher ranked opponent to an easy draw. Playing the black side of a Queen’s gambit declined, Parimarjan had no difficulties in equalizing out of the opening and timely exchanges forced the game in a level ending. The peace was signed in 51 moves. Anish Giri of Holland remained at the top of the tables in this section after taking a draw with top seed German Arkadij Naiditsch. The 15-year old now has seven points and Erwin l’Ami of Holland and Ni Hua are still on his toes a half point behind. Parimarjan is joint fifth on 5.5 points while Hari slipped to joint seventh spot on 5 points. Grandmaster Abhijeet Gupta suffered his second reversal in as many days in the ‘C’ group as the Indian could not find an adequate method to combat Norwegian Lie Kjetil and sacrificed a pawn early in the opening. Kjetil played the ensuing middle game quite well to romp home in 53 moves. World junior girls’ champion Soumya Swaminathan scored her first victory in the event at the expense of Swede Nils Grandelius. The Pune-based got an attacking position early in the opening and she was a treat to watch in tactical complications. Grandelius resigned in 36 moves. Chinese Li Chao increased his lead to a whopping 1.5 points after beating Robin Swinkles and took his tally to 7.5 points in all and a group of four follow him with six points each. Abhijeet with 5.5 points is joint fifth here while Soumya stands 13th in the 14-players competition. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2010-01-29T10:19:25Z | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wijk aan Zee Round 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Source: Chessbase ![]() On his blog for Arctic Securities Magnus writes: Sergey Karjakin (20) is from Ukraine but has recently moved to Moscow and is in the process of switching federations. His is currently trained by Dokhoyan, a former associate of Kasparov. Karjakin became a Grandmaster at 12, the youngest ever, and is famous for being a second for FIDE Knockout World Championship winner Ponomariov at the age of 11! We are both born in 1990 though nearly a year apart, and he was already a master player when I played my first children tournament. For many years he was the top rated player born in 1990 and earlier until I briefly past him in October 2004 and permanently (up to now) from October 2006 onwards. Against his 1.e4 I chose the French Defence, an opening I haven’t played at a serious level before. He did not get any advantage out of the opening and seemed quite uncomfortable in the middle game when my counterplay got going. After several inaccuracies from him the tactics in the position all favoured black, and he found nothing better than to sacrifice an exchange for my active knight. I found a precise way to force the exchange of queens and one pair of rooks, and the endgame was easily won. Finally! All our previous classical chess encounters have ended in draw. I felt focused and determined today and was of course very satisfied to win after yesterday’s dismal result. Shirov lost to Anand while Kramnik drew against Ivanchuk. Kramnik is sole leader with 7/10 while Shirov and I are sharing 2nd at 6.5 with three rounds to go. I’m white against Lenier Dominquez, Cuba after the free day. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wesley So looks for first Corus win | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A well rested Filipino GM Wesley Barbasa So is looking for his first win in the 72nd Corus international chess championship group B as he battles Indian GM Pentala Harikrishna in the 5th round at the De Moriaan Community Centre in Wijk Aan Zee, Netherlands. The 16-year-old So, 2009 Corus C group champion, drew his first four round assignment against top seed GM Arkadij Naiditsch of Germany, GM Erwin l’Ami of the Netherlands, GM Varuzhan Akobian of the United States and GM Parimarjan Negi of India. So gets his much needed rest on Wednesday before tackling Harikrishna. Over-all, So tallied a total of 2 points and joins the 6th placers in the company of Negi, Naiditsch, former World Championships finalist Romanian GM Liviu- Dieter Nisipeanu and Finnish GM Tomi Nyback. “Crucial game ni Wesley (So) sa fifth round, hope manalo siya,” said National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) president Prospero “Butch” Pichay Jr., who bankrolled the local and international chess campaign of So together with Filway Marketing Inc. CEO Hector “Chito” Tagaysay. Dutch GM Anish Giri and Chinese GM Ni Hua, both leading in the 13 round-robin tournament with 3 points will each try to maintain their lead. Giri will go up against Israeli GM Emil Sutovsky while Ni will face England’s GM David Howell. Individual Standings after round 4, Group B: 3 points— GM Anish Giri (Netherlands), GM Ni Hua (China) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2010-01-21T11:49:25Z | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Harikrishna beats Naiditsch, Anand-Nakamura drawn, Shirov leads 4/4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Indian Grandmaster Pentala Harikrishna showcased his amazing middle game skills, as he outplayed GM Arkadij Naiditsch of Germany in the fourth round of the Corus Super GM tournament at Wijk Aan Zee, The Netherlands. Starting with a knight sacrifice on the 20th move, Hari ripped open Naiditsch’s kingside, that was bereft of good defence. Maneuvering his queen admirably, along with the twin threat of pawns on the centre and flank, Hari forced the German to concede the game, as he threatened to queen his pawn on the 42nd move. Hari scores his successive win in as many rounds and moves to second spot with 2.5 points, half a point behind Anish Giri and Ni Hua. In another Group B match up between two world class juniors, Delhi based Parimarjan Negi drew with Wesley So of the Phillippines. Earlier, World Champion Viswanathan Anand drew his Group A game against US Champion Hikaru Nakamura. Local star Loek van Wely suffered his third straight reverse, this time against Ukraine legend Vassily Ivanchuk. Ending in draws were Dominguez-Leko, Karjakin-Caruana, Kramnik-Tiviakov games. Shirov kept his tryst with form defeating Jan Smeets, and moving to an impressive 4/4 score. Nakamura, Ivanchuk and Carlsen follow Shirov at 3.0 points from four rounds. The first of the three rest days falls tomorrow, 20th Jan, 2010. Official Site : LIVE GAMES : http://livechess.chessdom.com/site/ Pentala Harikrishna – Arkadij Naiditsch 1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 d5 3. Bg2 c5 4. O-O Nc6 5. d3 e6 6. Nbd2 Be7 7. e4 O-O 8. Re1 b5 9. e5 Ne8 10. Nf1 b4 11. h4 Nc7 12. Bg5 Nb5 13. N1h2 Nbd4 14. c3 Nxf3+ 15. Nxf3 h6 16. Bf4 bxc3 17. bxc3 Rb8 18. Nh2 Qa5 19. Ng4 Rd8 20. Nxh6+ gxh6 21. Bxh6 f5 22. Qh5 Bf8 23. Qg6+ Kh8 24. c4 Qc7 25. cxd5 Nd4 26. d6 Qd7 27. Rac1 Bb7 28. Rxc5 Rbc8 29. Rxc8 Rxc8 30. Bxf8 Rxf8 31. Qh6+ Kg8 32. Qg6+ Kh8 33. Qh5+ Kg8 34. Rc1 Rc8 35. Qg6+ Kh8 36. Rxc8+ Bxc8 37. h5 Ba6 38. Qh6+ Kg8 39. Qe3 Qa4 40. Qg5+ Kf7 41. Qe7+ Kg8 42. d7 1-0 Viswanathan Anand – Hikaru Nakamura 1. d4 f5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 g6 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. O-O O-O 6. b4 Nc6 7. a3 d5 8. Bb2 Ne4 9. Nbd2 Be6 10. e3 a5 11. b5 Na7 12. Qe2 a4 13. Rfc1 c6 14. bxc6 bxc6 15. c4 Nc8 16. Bc3 Ncd6 17. cxd5 Nxc3 18. Rxc3 Bxd5 19. Ne5 Bxg2 20. Kxg2 Bxe5 21. dxe5 Qa5 22. Rac1 Qxe5 23. Rxc6 Qb2 24. Qd3 Rfd8 25. R1c2 Qb5 26. Qxb5 Nxb5 27. Nb1 Rd3 28. Nc3 Nxc3 29. R2xc3 Rdd8 30. Rb6 Kf7 31. Rb4 Rd2 32. Rcc4 Rd3 33. Rxa4 Rxa3 1/2-1/2 Alexei Shirov – Jan Smeets
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5 d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Nc6 7. O-O Be7 8. c4 Nb4 9. Be2 O-O 10. Nc3 Bf5 11. a3 Nxc3 12. bxc3 Nc6 13. Re1 Re8 14. cxd5 Qxd5 15. Bf4 Rac8 16. h3 h6 17. Nd2 Na5 18. Nf1 Qb3 19. Qd2 Nc4 20. Bxc4 Qxc4 21. Ne3 Qb5 22. c4 Qd7 23. c5 Bg6 24. Rac1 c6 25. Nc4 f6 26. Bxh6 gxh6 27. Qxh6 Bh7 28. Re3 Bf8 29. Rg3+ Kh8 30. Qxf6+ Bg7 31. Qg5 Bxd4 32. Rd1 Rf8 33. Kh2 Rcd8 34. Ne5 Qc7 35. Rxd4 Rxd4 36. Ng6+ Kg7 37. Nxf8+ 1-0
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Tue, 19 Jan 2010 16:42:10 +0000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 13-year-old Ilya Nyzhnyk wins Groningen Open | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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13-year-old International Master Ilya Nyzhnyk of Ukraine stunned the chess world emerging a clear first in the traditional Groningen Chess Festival scoring 7.5 points from nine rounds. Nyzhnyk finished a clear point ahead of GMs Reinderman and Werle. In the final round Nyzhnyk defeated Russian Grandmaster Andrei Deviatkin (2604) to complete his famous triumph. This 1996 born star is currently rated 2495 in January 2010 list and is all set to conquer the chess world in a short while from now.
This mega chess festival took place between December 18-30, 2009 in Groningen, The Netherlands. It included several open tournaments with the Groningen Open having in its particiaption list 13 GMs, 13 IMs and 11 FMs. Indian duo of IM Venkatachalam Saravanan and FM Sahaj Grover performed well scoring 5.5 and 4.5 points respectively.
Official Site : http://www.schaakstadgroningen.nl/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=102&Itemid=60 Final Standings : http://www.schaakstadgroningen.nl/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=84&Itemid=111 Illya Nyzhnyk – Dmitri Reinderman 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 cxd4 5. Nxd4 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 O-O 8. Qd2 Nc6 9. g4 Be6 10. O-O-O Nxd4 11. Bxd4 Qa5 12. a3 Rab8 13. Kb1 Rfc8 14. h4 b5 15. Nd5 Qxd2 16. Rxd2 Nxd5 17. exd5 Bxd5 18. Bxg7 Bxf3 19. Rh3 Bxg4 20. Rg3 Kxg7 21. Rxg4 Rc5 22. Re4 Rb7 23. b4 Rf5 24. Bd3 d5 25. Rd4 Re5 26. Kb2 f5 27. a4 bxa4 28. Ka3 Kf6 29. b5 h6 30. Rxa4 Re3 31. Kb4 e6 32. Kc5 g5 33. Kc6 Rg7 34. hxg5+ hxg5 35. Kd6 g4 36. Rh2 g3 37. Rh6+ Kg5 38. Rxe6 Rxe6+ 39. Kxe6 g2 40. Ra1 f4 41. Rg1 f3 42. Bf1 Kf4 43. Kxd5 Ke3 44. c4 Kf2 45. Bxg2 fxg2 46. Rxg2+ Rxg2 47. c5 Ke3 48. b6 axb6 49. cxb6 Rb2 50. Kc6 Kd4 51. b7 Ke5 52. Kc7 Rc2+ 53. Kd7 Rb2 54. Kc7 Rxb7+ 55. Kxb7 1/2-1/2 Illya Nyzhnyk – Andrei Deviakin 1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Qc2 dxc4 5. Qxc4 Bf5 6. g3 e6 7. Bg2 Nbd7 8. O-O Be7 9. Nc3 O-O 10. Qb3 Qb6 11. Nd2 Qxd4 12. Qxb7 Rab8 13. Qxc6 Ne5 14. Qa6 Qd7 15. Nb3 Rb6 16. Qa4 Qxa4 17. Nxa4 Rb4 18. Nc3 Rc8 19. h3 h5 20. Kh2 Ne4 21. Nxe4 Bxe4 22. Bd2 Bxg2 23. Kxg2 Re4 24. Rac1 Rb8 25. Bf4 Bf6 26. Rc2 Rbb4 27. Rfc1 g5 28. Bd2 Rb5 29. Bc3 Rc4 30. Bxe5 Rxc2 31. Bxf6 Rxc1 32. Nxc1 Kh7 33. Bc3 Kg6 34. Nd3 f6 35. b4 e5 36. a4 Rb8 37. Nc5 Rc8 38. Kf3 a5 39. Ke4 f5+ 40. Kd5 axb4 41. Bxb4 Rd8+ 42. Kc4 h4 43. gxh4 Rd4+ 44. Kb5 Rxh4 45. a5 Rxh3 46. a6 g4 47. a7 Rh8 48. Nd7 Ra8 49. Nxe5+ Kf6 50. Nc6 f4 51. Kb6 g3 52. fxg3 fxg3 53. Kb7 g2 54. Bc5 1-0 V Saravanan – Frisco Nijboer 1. Nf3 d6 2. d4 g6 3. c4 Bg7 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. e4 O-O 6. Be2 e5 7. Be3 c6 8. d5 Ng4 9. Bg5 f6 10. Bh4 c5 11. Nd2 Nh6 12. f3 Nf7 13. a3 Na6 14. Rb1 Bd7 15. Bd3 h5 16. Bc2 Bh6 17. Bf2 f5 18. Ba4 Bxa4 19. Qxa4 h4 20. Qc2 Qf6 21. Ke2 Nc7 22. Rbg1 Bxd2 23. Qxd2 f4 24. g3 hxg3 25. hxg3 Kg7 26. gxf4 exf4 27. Bh4 Qe5 28. Nd1 b5 29. Nf2 Qd4 30. Qxf4 Qxb2+ 31. Kf1 Qa1+ 32. Kg2 1-0
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Sun, 17 Jan 2010 08:57:10 +0000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Amber 2010 field announced, Anand & Topalov opt out | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The traditional blindfold and rapid annual Amber Super GM chess tournament will be sans Anand and Topalov this time around. With the world championship scheduled a few weeks later during April 2010, the Indian and Bulgarian Grandmaster chose to skip this event. In the just announced Amber 2010 field World No.1 Magnes Carlsen leads the interesting pack which includes Kramnik, Aronian, Gelfand, Gashimov, Ivanchuk, Svidler and Morozevich among others. The 19th Amber Blindfold and Rapid Tournament takes place at the Palais de la Mediterranée, a legendary hotel on the world-famous Promenade des Anglais in Nice, France, from March 12 to 25, 2010. The event is organized by the Association Max Euwe of chess baron Joop van Oosterom, who is also a former world champion of correspondence chess. Named after his daughter, Melody Amber, the tournament is usually held in March. The new World No.1, Magnus Carlsen, is the top-seed in Nice. Also present are Levon Aronian, the winner of the past two Amber tournaments, and Vladimir Kramnik, who won the Amber tournament a record six times.
The following 12 Grandmasters will take part : Magnus Carlsen (Norway, 2810), Vladimir Kramnik (Russia, 2788), Levon Aronian (Armenia, 2781), Boris Gelfand (Israel, 2761), Vugar Gashimov (Azerbaijan, 2759), Vasily Ivanchuk (Ukraine, 2749), Peter Svidler (Russia, 2744), Ruslan Ponomariov (Ukraine, 2737), Alexander Morozevich (Russia, 2732), Sergey Karjakin (Russia, 2720), Leinier Dominguez (Cuba, 2712) and Jan Smeets (The Netherlands, 2657).
Official site : http://amberchess2010.com/
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Sat, 16 Jan 2010 18:25:45 +0000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010 Corus Chess (Wikj ann Zee, Netherlands) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The annual Corus Chess tournament is currently taking place in Wijk aan Zee, the Netherlands. This years promises to be an exciting event with a variety of players from around the globe. This tournament will be bolstered by a number of young stars who have born in the past few years. Below are the participants of the Group “A”.
Main Site: http://www.coruschess.com/ Video by Europe Echecs (GM Robert Fontaine) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sat, 16 Jan 2010 20:40:10 +0000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Liem upset in Rd 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() Parsvnath international chess - Quang Liem upset in Rd 2 NEW DELHI On a day when higher rated players found the going tough, unseeded D. Lakshmanrao stunned tournament favourite Grandmaster Le Quang Liem of Vietnam in the second round of the eighth Parsvanath International chess tournament here on Thursday. Lakshmanrao defeated Quang Liem in 32 moves to leave the 93rd ranked player in the latest Fide rankings gasping. Fide Master Sayantan Das held GM Ziaur Rahman of Bangladesh, Fenil Shah drew with Ukrainian GM Martyn Kravtsiv and Sohan Phadke split points with GM Alexander Zubarev of Ukraine to register the other surprises of the day. However, Iranian GM Ehsan Ghaem Maghami had it easy against S. Mari Arul to take his tally to two points from as many rounds. Russian GMs Maxim Turov and Dmitry Kyrakvin also outplayed their respective opponents, IM Gopal Ravi Hegde and compatriot WFM Elena Semenova. Among the Indians, GM Dibyendu Barua beat Santu Mondal, GM Deepan Chakkravarthy defeated Laltu Chatterjee, IM Himanshu Sharma got the better of Kanthilal Dave, IM M.R. Lalith Babu pipped CM Bhagwat Sood and FM Sahaj Grover comfortably won against Jitendra Kumar Chaudhary. In the women's section, IM Tania Sachdev and WGM Nisha Mohota won their respective games against Karma Pandya and Atishay Ajmera. Earlier in the first round, second seed GM Lenic Luka of Slovenia was held by Shiv Shankar Dave. Tenth seeded Kazakh Grandmaster Rinat Jumbayev was denied victory by a much lower rated Tamil Nadu lad L. Barath. Meanwhile, the highest rated Indian S. Arun Prasad got a bye in the first two rounds on account of his participation in the world team chess championships in Turkey. Source: http://epaper.asianage.com Special thanks to Jagdish Dube for sending us the info. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2010-01-15T06:27:00.001-06:00 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Russia wins World Team Championship | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 7th World Team Championship takes place at the Merinos Congress Centre in Bursa, Turkey from January 3rd till 14th, 2010. It’s a 9-round round-robin with 10 teams of 6 players: 4 players + 2 reserves, and one coach/captain. The time control is 90 minutes for 40 moves +30 minutes to end the game, with 30 seconds increment from the start. At the tournament the zero-tolerance rule is in effect, and draw offers are not allowed before move 30. Teams are Russia, Brazil, Round 9A 2-2 against Israel would probably have been enough for Russia, since the USA, 1 match point and 1.5 board points behind, would never score a 4-0 against Azerbaijan. Well… perhaps it was theoretically possible in the end, since the Azeri’s showed up without Gashimov and Radjabov. But Guseinov, Mamedyarov and the two Mamedovs held the Americans to 2-2 thanks to excellent opening preparation. And so the Russians won the title quite convincingly in the end. After their surprising loss against Greece in round 2 they won all their matches (including a 3-1 against main rival USA) and drew with Armenia. In the last round they were too strong for Israel, where Boris Gelfand is still in a class of his own. He drew with Grischuk, but boards 2-4 lost 2.5-0.5 and Sutovsky must have been losing too. ![]() Black just won an exchange and exchanged queens, but White managed to hold this. Vitiugov’s last move against Rodshtein was pretty: ![]() 33.Qxf7+! 1-0 Their 3-1 win against Egypt paints a too rosy picture for the Armenians. OK, Adly was outplayed by Aronian, but Amin was doing alright for most of the game against Akopian and it looks like Ezat could have drawn against Pashikian with 57.Bf7. India finished an excellent tournament with a convincing 3.5-0.5 victory over Brazil. Both Egypt and Turkey scored one win and one draw in Bursa but Turkey finished last with just half a board point less. In the last round, Firat saw ghosts: ![]() Here White resigned, but 31.g3 is not clear at all. Mamedyarov seems to be fully back in the world elite. After some strong months at the end of 2009, he scored the highest tournament performance rating in Bursa: 2950. Although we were a bit skeptical about the tournament formula (and we still are about the way teams are being selected – where on earth was the Ukraine?) we must say that the combination of strong and weak teams at least led to very interesting fights, and several brilliant games. If this event set an example for the rest of the year, 2010 will see great chess. The next big one already starts in two days: the Corus Chess Tournament. Travelling from Bursa to Wijk aan Zee are Akobian, Harikrishna, Nakamura, Robson and Sutovsky. World Team Ch 2010 | Results round 9
World Team Ch 2010 | Round 9 (final) standings
World Team Ch 2010 | Rating statistics after round 9 (top 20)
Games round 9Game viewer by ChessTempo Links | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Thu, 14 Jan 2010 11:32:32 +0000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 Indian players at Corus | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() Corus Chess: Anand leads Indian challenge January 10, 2010 19:52 IST Five-time champion and World No 3 Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand [ Images ] will spearhead a five-man strong Indian challenge at the prestigious Corus Chess Tournament starting in Wijk Aan Zee, The Netherlands, on Monday. Anand, a reigning world champion, is the lone Indian in the elite Group A of the event, which he has won thrice jointly and twice individually. The rest of the Indian team comprises of P Harikrishna and Parimarjan Negi in Group B and Abhijeet Gupta and Woman Grandmaster Soumya Swaminathan in Group C. Barring World No 2 Bulgarian Veselin Topalov, who will square off against Anand in a World Championship in April this year, all the top players will compete in the Corus event. That includes World No 1 Norwegian Magnus Carlsen [ Images ] and other top performers like Russian Vladimir Kramnik [ Images ] and Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine in Group A. Anand first won the title in 1989 jointly with Predrag Nikolic, Zoltan Ribli and Gyula Sax. He had to wait for nine years to lift his second title and this time he shared it with Kramnik. The individual wins for the Indian came in 2003 and 2004 before he shared it with Topalov in 2006. To their credit, Harikrishna, Abhijeet and Sowmya have won world junior titles, while Negi is the youngest ever Indian to become a Grandmaster. Source: http://sports.rediff.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2010-01-10T09:19:00.001-06:00 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hastings 09/10 ends in fourway tie | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2009-10 Hastings tournament took place December 28th – January 5th at the Horntye Park Sports Complex in Hastings, England. It was a 9-round Swiss with Drozdovskij , Edouard, Hracek, Istratescu and Howell as the top seeds. The time control was 100 minutes for 40 moves, then 50 minutes for 20 moves and then 15 minutes to finish the game + 30 seconds per move starting from the 1st. After his fine performance in London, David Howell had a good start in Hastings, where he was the only with a 100% score after three rounds. After a draw in round 4 he was joined by Yuri Drozdovskij (Ukraine), Romain Edouard (France), Andrei Istratescu (Romania) and Mark Hebden (England). In round 5 Istratescu beat Howell with Black due to a big blunder by the young English grandmaster. The Romanian GM kept his lead until round 8, and at that point he was sharing first place with Hebden. The two drew in just 11 moves in the last round, and were joined by Howell and Edouard, who beat their opponents Hracek and Ansell with the black pieces. As always, the tournament website’s round reports were provided by the witty, and classical Steve Giddins. In his first report he started by claiming that he’s been “possessed by the permanent feeling of having been born between 50 and 100 years too late”, and that, well, he doesn’t really like anything that’s connected to the modern world, including art and films. The perfect round report author for a classical tournament such as Hastings, we’d say, and for anyone who wants to refresh his knowledge of Latin I can recommend his articles as well. ![]() Selection of positions (from Steve Giddins’ round reports)Game viewer by ChessTempo ![]() GM Keith Arkell (ENG, 2464), 6/9 ![]() GM Zbynek Hracek (CZE, 2624), 6/9 ![]() GM Yuri Drodovskij (UKR, 2625), 6.5/9 ![]() GM Danny Gormally (ENG, 2479), 6.5/9 ![]() GM Mark Hebden (ENG, 2522), 7/9 ![]() GM David Howell (ENG, 2597), 7/9 ![]() GM Romain Edouard (FRA, 2620), 7/9 ![]() GM Andrei Istratescu (ROM, 2624), 7/9 Photos © John Saunders Video by Dave ClaytonLinks | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Thu, 07 Jan 2010 13:44:46 +0000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Team Championship | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The World Team Championship is kind of like an uber-Olympiad, where the leading teams get to play without having to bother themselves with the riff-raff. Well that was the intention when it was set up, but it has never quite achieved that aim. The 2010 edition is under way in Turkey, although there are already problems with the event. The teams that qualified to play were the 4 Continental Champions (Asia, Europe, Africa and the Americas) , the top 3 teams from the last Olympiad, the host country, and 2 invited teams. There has been some complaints about the fact that Ukraine was not invited (as it was high finisher at the Olympiad), but I think it is more significant that Armenia, Israel and Greece (who were invited), are all playing, given the historical difficulties between Turkey and each of these countries. Indeed the only country who should have played but didn't show was China, and this snub was apparently political. While the event may not be as important as originally hoped, it did have one significant effect on the Chess Olympiad. In the 2005 tournament Russia was trailing going into the last round and needed a 3.5-0.5 win over China to take gold. It of course did this, and this result is one of the reasons that FIDE moved from game points to match points for the 2008 Olympiad. More comprehensive coverage of this event, including the format/composition issues can be found here at Chessvibes. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wed, 06 Jan 2010 12:44:00 +0000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| What are the Best Women Chess Countries? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I came across today the rating list of the best chess countries in women's chess, as compiled by FIDE using the average of the top 10 women chess players of each country. It's very interesting to study this list. You can see that China and Russia are ahead of the other countries, basically because they have a lot of good lady players. You will note that for both those countries their 10th player is still above 2400 ELO, which makes it easier to build strong teams for national team competitions such as the Chess Olympiads. That proves the point that for a country to have a good national team it's not enough to support the top players but one needs to start at the grass-roots, and get as many players to start chess as possible. Especially important is to try to get chess into schools, to show both boys and girls that chess is a cool game, that will help them in their studies and later on in life. And of course that will provide a larger pool of talent for many women players to grow and hopefully as many as possible candidates for representing their country in the national team. Competition at the top is good. The best proof of it is the fierce competition there is in Russia to be part of the national team. Due to that uncertainty to be part of "The Team", everybody trains real hard and everyone's rating increases. The result is that Russia is the only country who has 4 lady players whose rating is above 2500 ELO (the two Kosintseva's, Pogonina and me), and players with 2450 ELO have little or no chance to be part of the National Team. So I congratulate all chess teachers, coaches, and educators, and thank them for the great work they do to promote chess to our youth and introduce them to our wonderful game. That's the only way that our countries will get strong national teams, thereby winning medals and providing incentive for others to follow their leadership. The top Chess Countries for Women's Chess are as follows: 1. China 2481 1 Hou, Yifan g CHN 2590 14 1994 2 Ju, Wenjun wg CHN 2512 4 1991 3 Zhao, Xue g CHN 2504 4 1985 4 Ruan, Lufei wg CHN 2479 2 1987 5 Xu, Yuhua g CHN 2478 3 1976 6 Qin, Kanying wg CHN 2466 0 1974 7 Tan, Zhongyi wg CHN 2464 3 1991 8 Shen, Yang wg CHN 2444 2 1989 9 Huang, Qian wg CHN 2439 3 1986 10 Zhang, Xiaowen wg CHN 2437 24 1989 2. Russia 2470 1 Kosintseva, Nadezhda m RUS 2533 9 1985 2 Kosteniuk, Alexandra g RUS 2523 10 1984 3 Kosintseva, Tatiana g RUS 2515 8 1986 4 Pogonina, Natalija wg RUS 2501 0 1985 5 Tairova, Elena m RUS 2455 0 1991 6 Gunina, Valentina wf RUS 2448 7 1989 6 Korbut, Ekaterina m RUS 2448 0 1985 8 Romanko, Marina m RUS 2433 6 1986 9 Kovalevskaya, Ekaterina m RUS 2428 4 1974 10 Ovod, Evgenija m RUS 2415 0 1982 3. Georgia 2444 1 Chiburdanidze, Maia g GEO 2514 0 1961 2 Dzagnidze, Nana g GEO 2506 19 1987 3 Javakhishvili, Lela m GEO 2493 7 1984 4 Khotenashvili, Bela m GEO 2461 8 1988 5 Khukhashvili, Sopiko m GEO 2438 7 1985 6 Melia, Salome m GEO 2431 9 1987 7 Khurtsidze, Nino m GEO 2414 13 1975 8 Matnadze, Ana m GEO 2407 9 1983 9 Tsereteli, Tamar wg GEO 2403 9 1985 10 Lomineishvili, Maia m GEO 2371 0 1977 4. Ukraine 2417 1 Lahno, Kateryna g UKR 2518 16 1989 2 Gaponenko, Inna m UKR 2470 16 1976 3 Zhukova, Natalia wg UKR 2462 8 1979 4 Ushenina, Anna m UKR 2452 6 1985 5 Muzychuk, Mariya m UKR 2447 0 1992 6 Vasilevich, Tatjana m UKR 2414 0 1977 7 Zdebskaja, Natalia wg UKR 2402 16 1986 8 Cherednichenko, Svetlana wg UKR 2349 0 1984 9 Hryhorenko, Nataliya wm UKR 2344 9 1986 10 Melamed, Tatiana wg UKR 2312 0 1974 5. Hungary 2388 1 Polgar, Judit g HUN 2682 4 1976 2 Hoang Thanh Trang g HUN 2487 0 1980 3 Madl, Ildiko m HUN 2385 7 1969 4 Gara, Anita m HUN 2370 17 1983 5 Vajda, Szidonia m HUN 2369 17 1979 6 Gara, Ticia wg HUN 2354 8 1984 7 Medvegy, Nora Dr. m HUN 2344 0 1977 8 Schneider, Veronika wm HUN 2315 0 1987 9 Lakos, Nikoletta wg HUN 2292 5 1978 10 Rudolf, Anna wg HUN 2283 16 1987 6. India 2384 1 Koneru, Humpy g IND 2614 8 1987 2 Harika, Dronavalli m IND 2471 11 1991 3 Karavade, Eesha wg IND 2405 11 1987 4 Tania, Sachdev m IND 2398 11 1986 5 Meenakshi Subbaraman wg IND 2353 11 1981 6 Mohota, Nisha wg IND 2330 11 1980 7 Gomes, Mary Ann wg IND 2325 24 1989 8 Soumya, Swaminathan wg IND 2323 24 1989 8 Swathi, Ghate wg IND 2323 0 1980 10 Padmini, Rout wm IND 2294 37 1994 7. Poland 2349 1 Rajlich, Iweta m POL 2455 13 1981 2 Socko, Monika g POL 2450 14 1978 3 Zawadzka, Jolanta wg POL 2391 19 1987 4 Dworakowska, Joanna m POL 2374 7 1978 4 Majdan, Joanna wg POL 2374 7 1988 6 Kadziolka, Beata wg POL 2328 14 1986 7 Szczepkowska-Horowska, Karina wm POL 2322 5 1987 8 Jaracz, Barbara wg POL 2284 5 1977 9 Przezdziecka, Marta wg POL 2265 5 1988 10 Matras-Clement, Agnieszka wm POL 2251 5 1982 8. USA 2330 1 Zatonskih, Anna m USA 2466 0 1978 2 Krush, Irina m USA 2455 5 1983 3 Goletiani, Rusudan m USA 2366 0 1980 4 Baginskaite, Camilla wg USA 2343 0 1967 5 Rohonyan, Katerina wg USA 2329 0 1984 6 Foisor, Sabina-Francesca wg USA 2306 0 1989 7 Abrahamyan, Tatev wf USA 2286 4 1988 8 Melekhina, Alisa wm USA 2262 5 1991 9 Zenyuk, Iryna c USA 2255 11 1986 10 Battsetseg, Tsagaan wm USA 2230 0 1972 9. Germany 2328 1 Paehtz, Elisabeth m GER 2484 9 1985 2 Michna, Marta wg GER 2370 8 1978 3 Kachiani-Gersinska, Ketino m GER 2346 7 1971 4 Schleining, Zoya wg GER 2334 0 1961 5 Levushkina, Elena wg GER 2307 0 1984 6 Ohme, Melanie wm GER 2300 7 1990 7 Borulya, Ekaterina Uriivna wg GER 2296 0 1969 8 Juergens, Vera wg GER 2290 0 1969 9 Trabert, Bettina wg GER 2278 0 1969 10 Tammert, Iamze wf GER 2277 0 1971 10. Romania 2323 1 Foisor, Cristina-Adela m ROU 2440 10 1967 2 Peptan, Corina-Isabela m ROU 2411 7 1978 3 Motoc, Alina wg ROU 2349 10 1985 4 Cosma, Elena-Luminita wg ROU 2332 7 1972 5 Paulet, Iozefina wg ROU 2314 14 1989 6 Voicu, Carmen wg ROU 2297 7 1981 7 Hamdouchi, Adina-Maria wg ROU 2295 12 1979 8 Olarasu, Gabriela wg ROU 2277 0 1964 9 Sandu, Mihaela wg ROU 2259 6 1977 10 Moldovan, Corina wm ROU 2257 1 1983 11. France 2320 1 Sebag, Marie g FRA 2510 8 1986 2 Skripchenko, Almira m FRA 2456 0 1976 3 Milliet, Sophie m FRA 2404 13 1983 4 Leconte, Maria wg FRA 2330 6 1970 5 Collas, Silvia m FRA 2313 7 1974 6 Guichard, Pauline wm FRA 2291 21 1988 7 Maisuradze, Nino wg FRA 2249 19 1982 8 Schweitzer, Viktoriya wm FRA 2221 1 1959 9 Delorme, Laurie wm FRA 2219 0 1984 10 Roumegous, Marina wm FRA 2207 10 1964 12. Serbia 2317 1 Maric, Alisa m SRB 2387 9 1970 2 Bojkovic, Natasa m SRB 2384 9 1971 3 Manakova, Maria wg SRB 2346 2 1974 4 Chelushkina, Irina wg SRB 2326 18 1961 5 Belic, Jordanka wg SRB 2313 0 1964 6 Rakic, Marija wm SRB 2306 3 1990 7 Stojanovic, Andjelija wg SRB 2301 32 1987 8 Benderac, Ana wg SRB 2299 6 1977 9 Maksimovic, Suzana wg SRB 2272 0 1962 10 Drljevic, Ljilja wm SRB 2233 9 1984 13. Bulgaria 2297 1 Stefanova, Antoaneta g BUL 2545 7 1979 2 Djingarova, Emilia wg BUL 2359 0 1978 3 Nikolova, Adriana wm BUL 2336 13 1988 4 Voiska, Margarita wg BUL 2325 7 1963 5 Videnova, Iva wf BUL 2301 17 1987 6 Velcheva, Maria wg BUL 2266 0 1976 7 Raeva, Elitsa wm BUL 2263 7 1987 8 Genova, Lyubka wm BUL 2260 2 1983 9 Gocheva, Rumiana B. wm BUL 2164 0 1957 10 Chilingirova, Pavlina wm BUL 2150 0 1955 14. Netherlands 2282 1 Peng, Zhaoqin g NED 2402 9 1968 2 Lanchava, Tea m NED 2349 2 1974 3 Schuurman, Petra f NED 2345 7 1968 4 Bensdorp, Marlies wm NED 2313 12 1985 5 Muhren, Bianca wg NED 2280 11 1986 6 Sziva, Erika wg NED 2258 1 1967 7 Haast, Anne NED 2234 3 1993 8 Schut, Lisa wm NED 2219 19 1994 9 De Mie, Mariska wf NED 2212 2 1979 10 Hamelink, Desiree wm NED 2208 0 1981 15. Spain 2278 1 Alexandrova, Olga m ESP 2391 0 1978 2 Calzetta Ruiz, Monica wg ESP 2359 8 1972 3 Vega Gutierrez, Sabrina wg ESP 2332 7 1987 4 Pares Vives, Natalia f ESP 2296 10 1955 5 Llaneza Vega, Patricia wm ESP 2273 7 1979 6 Robles Garcia, Claudia wm ESP 2251 6 1990 7 Hernandez Estevez, Yudania wm ESP 2245 0 1973 8 Vega Gutierrez, Belinda wf ESP 2218 0 1985 9 Trujillo Delgado, Dafnae wm ESP 2210 0 1983 10 Garcia Vicente, Nieves wm ESP 2209 3 1955 16. Cuba 2266 1 Pina Vega, Sulennis wg CUB 2333 0 1981 2 Linares Napoles, Oleiny wm CUB 2293 4 1983 3 Arribas Robaina, Maritza wg CUB 2286 17 1971 4 Ordaz Valdes, Lisandra Teresa wm CUB 2277 5 1988 5 Marrero Lopez, Yaniet wg CUB 2269 9 1983 6 Vigoa Apecheche, Yanira wf CUB 2268 21 1987 7 Perez Rodriguez, Jennifer wf CUB 2258 0 1987 8 Ramon Pita, Vivian wg CUB 2254 17 1963 9 Llaudy Pupo, Lisandra wm CUB 2218 0 1987 10 Corrales Jimenez, Zenia wf CUB 2200 0 1989 17. Slovakia 2263 1 Repkova, Eva m SVK 2434 0 1975 2 Stockova, Zuzana m SVK 2401 0 1977 3 Pokorna, Regina wg SVK 2382 0 1982 4 Borosova, Zuzana wm SVK 2307 0 1988 5 Mrvova, Alena SVK 2239 0 1978 6 Machalova, Maria wf SVK 2206 0 1984 7 Gregorova, Zuzana wf SVK 2187 0 1985 8 Machalova, Veronika wf SVK 2163 0 1986 9 Varholakova, Niki wf SVK 2159 0 1983 10 Banasova, Katarina SVK 2147 0 1984 18. Armenia 2259 1 Mkrtchian, Lilit m ARM 2503 9 1982 2 Danielian, Elina m ARM 2495 11 1978 3 Galojan, Lilit wg ARM 2374 8 1983 4 Aginian, Nelly wg ARM 2298 6 1981 5 Hairapetian, Anna wf ARM 2204 13 1989 6 Andriasian, Siranush wm ARM 2198 13 1986 7 Aghabekian, Liana ARM 2174 0 1986 8 Gasparian, Narine wm ARM 2122 0 1982 8 Movsisian, Naira wg ARM 2122 0 1977 10 Kharatyan, Anahit ARM 2096 0 1987 19. Czech Republic 2254 1 Jackova, Jana m CZE 2403 16 1982 2 Kulovana, Eva wg CZE 2302 8 1987 3 Nemcova, Katerina wg CZE 2272 9 1990 4 Pertlova, Sona wm CZE 2262 7 1988 5 Sikorova, Olga wm CZE 2256 0 1975 6 Richtrova, Eliska wg CZE 2233 0 1959 7 Korenova, Martina wm CZE 2226 0 1975 8 Cedikova, Katerina wm CZE 2216 4 1981 9 Pirklova, Hana CZE 2190 0 1982 10 Blazkova, Petra wm CZE 2178 0 1978 20. Vietnam 2251 1 Le, Thanh Tu wg VIE 2344 0 1985 2 Pham, Le Thao Nguyen wm VIE 2325 9 1987 3 Hoang, Thi Bao Tram wg VIE 2318 21 1987 4 Nguyen, Thi Thanh An wg VIE 2291 17 1976 5 Le, Kieu Thien Kim wm VIE 2226 16 1981 6 Nguyen, Thi Mai Hung wf VIE 2223 19 1994 7 Nguyen, Thi Tuong Van wm VIE 2207 17 1980 8 Dang, Bich Ngoc wf VIE 2203 0 1984 9 Nguyen, Thi Thuan Hoa wm VIE 2196 0 1970 10 Mai, Thi Thanh Huong wm VIE 2180 0 1974 Posted by Alexandra Kosteniuk Women's World Chess Champion www.chessblog.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wed, 06 Jan 2010 19:12:00 +0000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Taking a shot at the Aeroflot Open | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() Chess masters to play in Russia’s Aeroflot Open Monday, January 04, 2010 Chess masters Le Quang Liem and Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son will compete at the Aeroflot Open in Russia from February 8-19. The Vietnamese registered in the A1 category for the masters competition, whose rating is from 2,550 up. They will face strong rivals from China, Ukraine and the host teams. The winners of this category will receive 21,000 euros (US$30,000), 12,000 euros and 7,000 euros respectively. The annual Aeroflot Open attracts many of the best chess masters of world. — VNS Source: http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2010-01-05T07:34:00.001-06:00 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 13-year-old Nyzhnyk wins Groningen Open; Timman beats Van Kampen 2.5-1.5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Groningen Chess Festival took place December 18-30 in Groningen, The Netherlands. There were several open tournaments; in the top group a total of 64 players participated (13 GMs, 13 IMs and 11 FMs). Besides, this year’s festival included a match between GM Jan Timman, Dutch Junior Champion in 1966 when he was 14 years old, and Robin van Kampen, who won the Junior Championship this year, at the same age. Video reportBefore continuing with the pictorial report, I’ll first give the video report below. The organizers tell about their tournament and also about its long tradition; the video includes footage from the 1946 tournament in Groningen! The Timman-Van Kampen match was quite exciting and attracted a lot of attention from the participants in the open groups. The board was nicely placed in the centre of the venue, with a Christmas tree and a demonstration board behind the players. ![]() The Timman-Van Kampen match The match started smoothly for Timman, who exchanged queens in game 1 for a better ending which he won easily. In a difficult, queenless middlegame Timman was the first to err in game 2 and after many more complications, Van Kampen managed to level the score. In the same Slav variation as in the first game, Van Kampen turned up much better prepared for game 3. He had looked at the line together with Anish Giri and many other young Dutch talents, who all stayed together in ‘hotel ship’ De Mars, a boat located in the city center. The game was drawn after 32 moves. ![]() The boat where the Dutch talents stayed Game 4 was again very interesting; in a Kan Sicilian Timman invited his young opponent to sacrifice his queen and Van Kampen accepted the invitation. Soon Timman had to give back his own queen, but also in the ending the position remained sharp. When Van Kampen missed his last chance (30.b4) the game and the match was over; Timman had won 2.5-1.5. ![]() In the Open group Dimitri Reinderman was leading with 4 out of 4 during the rest day (Christmas Day). In the next round the Dutch grandmaster dropped his first half point, to 13-year-old IM Ilya Nyzhnyk. This was the turning point in the tournament. In round 6, Reinderman and Giri drew quickly, and so did Greenfeld and Werle on board 2 and Nijboer and Swinkels on 3. Nyzhnyk beat Ernst with the black pieces and the next round the Ukrainian super-talent defeated Chadaev. While his rivals prevented each other from winning the tournament, Nyzhnyk finished strongly with a draw against Werle and a last-round win against Deviatkin. Sipke Ernst, quite a strong grandmaster himself, said about Nyznyk: “He was just playing with us. I haven’t seen this since Carlsen crushed everyone in Corus C.” ![]() Nyzhnyk, next to his mother, just after he beat Chadaev in round 7 Winning in Groningen undefeated with 7.5/9 and a 2741 performance rating is an amazing result for a 13-year-old. It was Nyzhnyk’s second grandmaster norm – his first was scored already in April 2008 when he won the Nabokov Memorial in Kyiv, Ukraine. At the moment of writing Nyzhnyk is 13 years, 3 months and 7 days old and so chances are high he’ll become the youngest grandmaster in the world somewhere in 2010. Groningen Open 2009 | Final Standings (top 40) No. Name Score WP SB PS rat. TPR W-We
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1. Nyzhnyk, Illya 7.5 48.5 40.00 38.0 2494 2741 +2.75
2. Werle, Jan 6.5 53.0 36.75 35.5 2565 2670 +1.28
Reinderman, Dimitri 6.5 52.0 36.75 37.5 2575 2662 +1.11
4. Chadaev, Nikolai 6.0 50.0 30.00 32.0 2567 2555 -0.03
Greenfeld, Alon 6.0 48.5 31.00 32.0 2559 2571 +0.23
Nijboer, Friso 6.0 47.0 29.50 32.5 2561 2545 -0.12
Brandenburg, Daan 6.0 46.5 30.75 32.0 2481 2573 +1.22
Baklan, Vladimir 6.0 46.5 30.75 30.0 2655 2549 -1.04
Giri, Anish 6.0 45.5 29.00 32.0 2585 2582 +0.04
Deviatkin, Andrei 6.0 45.0 28.00 29.0 2608 2503 -0.82
Poetsch, Hagen 6.0 36.5 23.75 26.5 2361 2410 +0.70
12. Ernst, Sipke 5.5 46.0 26.50 26.5 2587 2432 -1.55
Meijers, Viesturs 5.5 46.0 26.00 28.5 2488 2456 -0.29
Kleijn, Christov 5.5 46.0 25.50 28.0 2383 2461 +0.99
Pruijssers, Roeland 5.5 44.5 24.75 26.5 2413 2434 +0.35
Saravanan, V 5.5 44.0 24.75 29.5 2356 2499 +1.78
Podzielny,Karl-Heinz5.5 42.0 21.50 28.0 2456 2425 -0.18
Hoffmann, Michael 5.5 40.5 23.25 27.0 2509 2365 -1.47
Caspi, Israel 5.5 40.0 20.75 26.0 2423 2402 -0.09
20. Swinkels, Robin 5.0 47.5 25.25 31.5 2500 2484 -0.16
Bok, Benjamin 5.0 47.0 23.50 29.0 2337 2523 +2.14
Kantans, Toms 5.0 43.5 20.75 24.5 2281 2486 +2.30
Popilski, Gil 5.0 42.5 20.00 26.0 2441 2394 -0.49
Pijpers, Arthur 5.0 42.5 18.75 23.0 2201 2366 +1.86
Wiel van der, John 5.0 41.0 21.50 25.0 2475 2373 -1.10
Berkovich, Mark A 5.0 37.5 17.50 23.5 2406 2283 -1.30
Groenewold,Jan Joris5.0 36.0 18.00 18.5 2145 2313 +1.96
28. Grover, Sahaj 4.5 43.5 18.75 26.0 2372 2429 +0.72
Heemskerk, Wim 4.5 40.5 17.50 21.5 2236 2320 +0.94
Klein, David 4.5 40.5 16.75 21.5 2262 2364 +1.14
Bijlsma, Nick 4.5 39.5 17.50 20.0 2075 2255 +1.98
Afek, Yochanan 4.5 39.5 16.75 21.5 2285 2330 +0.39
Hoeksema, Erik 4.5 38.0 17.00 22.5 2331 2233 -1.14
Paulet, Iozefina 4.5 37.5 12.00 20.0 2312 2217 -1.07
Haast, Anne 4.5 33.5 14.25 19.0 2251 2229 -0.34
36. Burg, Twan 4.0 48.5 21.00 25.5 2460 2340 -1.34
Genova, Lyubka 4.0 45.0 19.50 21.0 2263 2317 +0.57
Genov, Petar 4.0 44.5 17.75 26.5 2476 2299 -1.98
Piasetski, Leon 4.0 39.0 14.75 18.5 2269 2238 -0.48
Donker, Roel 4.0 38.0 16.50 20.5 2140 2259 +1.13
Timman-Van Kampen & all of Nyzhnyk’s games for replayGame viewer by ChessTempo ![]() The famous 'Martini Tower', at the central square in Groningen ![]() The venue was the University's Sports Centre ![]() GM Jan Timman, former world's number 2 ![]() IM Robin van Kampen, one of the biggest Dutch talents at the moment ![]() Two old friends sharing thoughts about a position: Jan Timman and Hans Böhm ![]() Local hero GM Jan Werle, a regular guest at the sports centre, finished shared second... ![]() ...together with GM Dimitri Reinderman from Amsterdam ![]() Good years or bad years, Friso Nijboer always plays in Groningen ![]() Anish Giri enjoyed it last year and was happy to return ![]() But 13-year-old Ilya Nyzhnyk was the strongest - we'll hear much more about this young lad - but first a bit of history... ![]() ...because photos from the 1946 event were hanging at the venue - here an overview of the playing hall back then ![]() The participants in order of the final standings (if one of our readers can put them in the right order of this photo, let us know!): Botvinnik, Euwe, Smyslov, Najdorf, Szabo, Boleslavsky, Flohr, Lundin, Stoltz, Denker, Kotov, Tartakower, Kottnauer, Yanovsky, Bernstein, Guimard, Vidmar, Steiner, O'Kelly de Galway, Christoffel ![]() Boleslavsky, Euwe and Smylov ![]() Smyslov vs Botvinnik, who would play three World Championship matches - Stolz and Yanovsky are watching ![]() L-R Najdorf, Guimard and Steiner ![]() Tartakower (standing) and Vidmar Links
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| Aronian, Carlsen, Kramnik in Amber 2010, Anand and Topalov not | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Viswanathan Anand and Veselin Topalov were invited, but apparently they decided to skip this year’s event because just a few weeks later their World Championship match is scheduled. In fact half of the field of last year is different: Leko, Radjabov, Kamsky and Wang Yue also don’t play next time; new compared to last year are Gelfand, Gashimov, Svidler, Ponomariov, Dominguez and Smeets. For the 2010 edition we should consider Aronian, Carlsen and Kramnik as the big favourites. But what about the rest of the field? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fri, 01 Jan 2010 17:30:37 +0000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| January 2010 FIDE Rating list released! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
GM Magnus Carlsen There is a new king in the world ranking of chess. The nineteen-year old Magnus Carlsen (2810, +9) has officially vaulted over 2800 mark to become only the 5th person in history to eclipse the magical figure. It appears as if 2800 is the old 2700. Approximately 10 years ago, there were only a handful of players having reached the 2700 level. There are currently 34 players over 2700 with a number of players having reached the mark previously and fallen below. Carlsen has had a meteoric rise to the world’s number one position and some project that he may break Garry Kasparov’s 2851 mark. Being knocked from his comfortable perch, Veselin Topalov (2805, -5) is more focused on his upcoming match with World Champion Viswanathan Anand (2790, +2). The match will take place in Bulgaria in April 2010. Some believe Carlsen will be vying for the title in the next cycle. However, there are a lot of viable candidates in the loop. Out of the top 20 juniors, 12 countries are represented. For the top 20 girls, two nations dominate the list… Russia (6) and China (4). Vladimir Kramnik (2788, +16) scored a nice victory in the recent Tal Memorial placing 1/2-point ahead of Carlsen. Kramnik had dropped precipitously prior to winning the ‘Toiletgate’ match against Topalov, but has overcome ailments to regain his form. In fact, many state that he is playing more aggressively. Armenia’s Levon Aronian (2781, -5) switched places with Kramnik and dropped to the #5 spot. Rounding out the top ten, you have FIDE World Cup winner Boris Gelfand (2761, +3) who gained only a few points are the tournament performance is added to his tally. Vugar Gashimov (2759, +1) is Azerbaijan’s #1 and in an recent interview he stated the possibility of becoming the top-rated player one day. He lead his nation to a win in the prestigious European Team Championship and they will be a favorite to win a medal at the 2010 Olympiad. Vassily Ivanchuk (2749, +10) continues his fluctuation in and out of the top ten. He regained some points are a strong showing at Tal Memorial, but had an early exit from the World Cup losing to rising star Wesley So (2656, +14) of the Philippines (pictured left). A Chinese player has reached the top ten for the first time in history and his name is Wang Yue (2749, +15). With his solid style and consistency, Wang continues to climb the rating ladder and can clearly be considered in the elite class. With invitations rolling in, he has had opportunities to show the talent that had been developing since his youth days. There seems to be more talent in the Chinese pipeline. Peter Svidler (2744, -10) rounds out the top ten, but has hit skids lately. He bombed in the Tal Memorial with 3.5/9, was eliminated in the FIDE World Cup quarterfinals and just a week ago he lost in 23 moves to talented junior, Sanan Sjugirov (2610, -2). In women’s chess, nothing has changed in terms of the order. Judit Polgar has been on top for decades and is now regaining form. Hou Yifan (2590, +2) is hot on the heels of world #2 Koneru Humpy (2614, +11). Humpy scored a good result in the match featuring the Queens vs. Veterans, but entered in a public dispute with her federation about her contractual committments. While she continues to play primarily against women, her improvement has not been very dramatic since reaching 2600 two years ago. Former World Champion Antoaneta Stefanova (2545, +4) has remained steady over the past year, but the new sensation in the women’s section is Nadezhda Kostineva (2533, +15) of Russia. She has vaulted over 2500 and is now the top-rated Russian woman. Kostineva overtakes World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk (2523, -6) who had held the top position since she first won the title at age 17. She will most probably keep the top board at the Olympiad regardless of the rating difference. Kosteniuk was blanked by Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (2741, +22) in the FIDE World Cup but helped Russia win the European Team Championship. As the world’s number one Carlsen leads the Juniors and French #1 Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (2730, +12) is now second and Sergey Karjakin (2720, -3) is third. All were born in 1990 and will dominate the list for a few more years. Karjakin has recently changed his federation from Ukraine to Russia. GM Fabiano Caruana is knocking at the door of the 2700 club. Here he plays Sweden’s GM Pontus Carlsson enroute to winning Corus ‘C’ earlier last year. Italian #1 Fabiano Caruana (2675, +33) has pilled up points at a rapid pace and is approaching 2700. He made the fourth round of the FIDE World Cup finally losing to Gashimov. Ian Nepomniachtchi (2658, +32) of Russia gained a whopping 31 ELO points in the Russia Final with 8.5/10! Perhaps one of the junior receiving the most praise (besides Carlsen) is Wesley So of the Philippines (2656, +14). He got to the 4th round of the FIDE World Cup beating Gadir Guseinov (2614), Vassily Ivanchuk (2749) and Gata Kamsky (2693). One of the best thing about the juniors list (and other lists) is the wide diversity of nations represented, a fact not solely because of emigration from strong nations. Out of the top 20 juniors, 12 countries are represented. For the top 20 girls, two nations dominate the list… Russia (6) and China (4). Hou Yifan (2590, +2) is the #20 junior, but the top girl.
Jorge Cori and sister Daysi of Peru. Daysi Cori of Peru is the sole representative on the girl’s list from the Western Hemisphere. Her brother Jorge recently made headlines by fulfilling the requirements a Grandmaster at age 14 and earlier winning the under-14 title. Daysi won the under-16 girl’s title. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fri, 01 Jan 2010 02:08:37 +0000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The traditional opens have started | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Photo © Rilton Cup Reggio EmiliaThe 52nd edition of the “Torneo di Capodanno” takes place December 28th – January 6th at the Astoria-Mercure hotel in Reggio Emilia. It’s a 10-player round-robin with GM Fabiano Caruana, GM Michele Godena, GM Daniele Vocaturo, IM Sabino Brunello (all from Italy), GM Gata Kamsky (USA), GM Eltaj Safarli (Azerbajan), GM Baadur Jobava (Georgia), GM Konstantin Landa (Russia), GM Viktor Bologan (Moldavia) and GM Zoltan Almasi (Hungary). The rounds start at 14:30 CET and GM Miso Cebalo annotates the games for the public at the venue every day; admission is free. The rest day, missing since the 40th edition (1997-98), has been reintroduced: no games will be played on January 1st. A nice preview on the tournament can be found here. Results round 1: Brunello-Safarli 0-1, Landa-Jobava 1/2, Bologan-Caruana 0-1, Almasi-Godena 1/2, Vocaturo-Kamsky 0-1. At first Vladimir Malakhov was going to play in Reggio, but because of his success at the World Cup the Russian Chess Federation wanted him on the team for the upcoming World Team Championship in Bursa, Turkey. The Italian organizers were then helped by Gata Kamsky, who was happy to step in. Rilton CupThe 39th edition of the Rilton Cup takes place December 27th – January 5th in the beautiful Mälarsalen, Münchenbryggeriet in Stockholm, Sweden. The stars at this big, 9-round Swiss are Radoslaw Wojtaszek (Poland), Luke McShane (England), Eduardas Rozentalis (Lithuania), Igor Lysyj (Russia) and Jon Ludvig Hammer (Norway), who won the open in London earlier this month. Ever since I played in the 2004/2005 edition I’m planning to return to Stockholm and the Rilton Cup. It’s a wonderful tournament with a fantastic tradition and history which they keep reminding you of. For instance, on the tournament website you can find a nice picture gallery of participants from the early years onwards. In this year’s event two rounds have been played so far; in the first Lysyj and Hammer were held to a draw by FMs Mads Andersen and Osmo Kauppila and already in the second round Wojtaszek played an IM (his name was Arnd Lauber and he manageg to draw) and McShane even a GM (Aleksandr Shimanov, who also held the draw). A tough event for the top seeds. Hastings Chess CongressHastings, like Wijk aan Zee, is a coastal town of minor importance. However, it plays a major role in British history and the reason is of course the Battle of Hastings: on October 14, 1066 the Norman army led by Duke William of Normandy defeated the English army led by King Harold II. It is said that the Normans introduced chess to Hastings: this William the Conqueror was a chess player and once broke a chess board over the head of his nephew, Louis the Fat, having accused him of cheating… One of the strongest chess tournaments ever held was Hastings 1895, but it wasn’t won by one of the favourites, amongst them Lasker, Steinitz, Chigorin or Tarrasch. No, it was Harry Nelson Pillsbury from the USA. Which tournament can say that over the years all world champions except Bobby Fischer and Garry Kasparov have played? Here’s an impressive list of the winners. This year to favourites are Yuri Drozdovskij (Ukraine), Zbynek Hracek (Czech Republic), Andrei Istratescu (Romania), Romain Edouard (France) and David Howell (England). The games of the top boards of round 1 can still be replayed at the live section. And more…Naturally more tournaments are being played these days. I’ll mention one, the Groningen Chess Festival, which I visited yesterday to make a video report. This will be published later this week. In the open Ukrainian super-talent Ilya Nyzhnyk is leading with two rounds to go, while the 4-game match between Jan Timman and Robin van Kampen is 1.5-1.5 after three games. Later more on this event. Links | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tue, 29 Dec 2009 09:47:05 +0000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| So to Rejoin Top 100 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
There's big news coming from The Philippines regarding the ascent of GM Wesley So back into the world's top 100 players. Marlon Bernardino reports in Business World:His sterling performance in this year’s World Chess Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, after beating World no. 12 GM Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine in round 2 and last year’s World Chess Cup titlist GM Gata Kamsky of the US in round 3, gained him 15.8 points and he is expected to climb to 2656 when the Jan. 1, 2010 FIDE-RP rating list is formally released in a few days. He currently has an Elo rating of 2640. His best Elo rating is 2646 in July 2009 then lost two Elo in September 2009 (2644) and four Elo in November 2009 (2640). Of course, the Australians don't have anyone with the firepower of Wesley So. The Aussie top dog is only a distant 2572. He can still play, but he ain't going anywhere near Corus anytime soon. In next month's Corus event, grandmaster So steps up from Group C to Group B. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mon, 28 Dec 2009 11:45:00 +0000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Star Interview: Anna Zatonskih | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() This year has been a great year for US players. Two very successful US-championships for men and women have been held in Saint-Louis, many young American players participated successfully in the youth championships and after visiting the Supernationals and National scholastic chess tournaments in the US one can say that chess is definitely on the go in the USA. From October 4 to October 13, the 2009 US women's chess championship took place. The tournament had the highest prize-fund in the history of the US women's championships. All the strongest women US players took part in it and it was won convincingly by Anna Zatonskih with the fantastic result of 8,5 out of 9. Immediately after the tournament I asked Anna a few questions and it is a pleasure for me now to introduce this new chess star on my blog: the strong chess-player, adventurer and chess mom Anna Zatonskih! Interview of Anna Zatonskih conducted by Alexandra Kosteniuk: Alexandra Kosteniuk - Congratulatation on your win at the 2009 women's US chess championship! 8,5 out of 9 - is an impressive result! Tell us a little bit about the tournament, the organization, how it felt to play in Saint Louis. Anna Zatonskih - The organization was just superb! That was already my second trip to Saint Louis this year. The first one was for the men’s US chess championship and was not very successful for me. I just started the tournament, played two games and was hospitalized. My friends were telling me: “Don’t’ worry, you’ll get better, you’ll come back in October and will take first prize”. The organization team in Saint Louis is just great. In May, during the US men’s championship I was staying at the main organizer’s home. Everybody is very kind and you feel like playing chess. You feel like you are doing something really important. Also, there was the highest prize-fund of the women’s US championships in history. Everything that we wished for, was instantly done by the organizers. The playing hall was very nice. I think I wouldn’t be mistaken if I’d say that the Saint Louis Chess Club is the best chess club in America and also the best chess club I have ever seen. When you are in this club you can see that people who have created it love chess and put their soul in every detail as it was their house. The media coverage of the event was fantastic. The ICC boradcasts of Jeniffer Shahade, Macauley Peterson were just great. Many interesting side-events took place during the tournament. AK – What was your best game in the tournament? AZ – A few moves that I made during this tournament were special for me. First of all, it’s the move b5 in the game against Irina Krush. the position before 22. ... b5! It is rather a simple move but it doesn’t come to your mind, I didn’t notice it immediately. [Event "ch-USA w"] [Site "Saint Louis USA"] [Date "2009.10.6"] [Round "3"] [White "Krush,I"] [Black "Zatonskih,A"] [Result "0-1"] [Eco "D56"] 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Be7 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4 O-O 7.e3 Ne4 8.Bxe7 Qxe7 9.Rc1 Nxc3 10.Rxc3 c6 11.Qc2 Nd7 12.cxd5 exd5 13.Bd3 Nb6 14.O-O Be6 15.Rb1 a5 16.Nd2 Nc8 17.Ra3 Nd6 18.Qc5 Qc7 19.Rc3 Rfc8 20.Rbc1 Qd8 21.h3 Bf5 22.Bf1 b5 23.Rb3 Nb7 24.Qa3 b4 25.Qa4 c5 26.dxc5 Nxc5 27.Qb5 Rab8 28.Qe2 a4 0-1 Second, the 41st move a4 in the game against Alisa Melekhina The position before 41. a4! [Event "ch-USA w"] [Site "Saint Louis USA"] [Date "2009.10.10"] [Round "6"] [White "Zatonskih,A"] [Black "Melekhina,A"] [Result "1-0"] [Eco "E62"] 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.g3 O-O 5.Bg2 d6 6.Nf3 Bd7 7.O-O Qc8 8.Re1 Bh3 9.Bh1 Bg4 10.Bg5 Re8 11.Qd2 c6 12.Rad1 Nbd7 13.Bh6 Bh8 14.Ng5 Nf8 15.Bg2 Ne6 16.f3 Nxg5 17.Bxg5 Bh3 18.Bxh3 Qxh3 19.e4 Nh5 20.Qf2 Bf6 21.Be3 b6 22.f4 c5 23.e5 cxd4 24.Bxd4 dxe5 25.fxe5 Bh8 26.Nd5 Rac8 27.b3 Qe6 28.Bb2 Ng7 29.Rf1 h5 30.Nf4 Qf5 31.Qe2 Ne6 32.Nd5 Qg4 33.Qg2 h4 34.gxh4 Qxh4 35.Rd3 Bg7 36.Rh3 Qg5 37.Rg3 Qh5 38.Rh3 Qg5 39.Rg3 Qh5 40.Qf2 g5 41.a4 Rcd8 42.Qf5 Qg6 43.Qg4 Kh7 44.h4 Bh6 45.Qf3 Rf8 46.h5 Qc2 47.Rg2 g4 48.Qxg4 Rg8 49.Rxf7+ Kh8 50.Rxc2 Rxg4+ 51.Rg2 Rxg2+ 52.Kxg2 Nf4+ 53.Nxf4 Rd2+ 54.Kf3 Rxb2 55.Ng6+ Kg8 56.Rxe7 Rxb3+ 57.Ke4 Rb4 58.Rc7 Rxa4 59.e6 Ra1 60.Rc8+ Kg7 61.e7 Re1+ 62.Kd5 Kf7 63.Rf8+ 1-0 and also the Be4 move from my game with Foisor. ![]() The position before 56. ... Be4! [Event "2009 US Women's Ch."] [Site "St.Louis"] [Date "2009.10.12"] [Round "8"] [White "Foisor, Sabina Francesca"] [Black "Zatonskih, Anna"] [Result "0-1"] [Eco "D35"] 1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Be7 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bf4 Nf6 6.Qc2 c5 7.e3 cxd4 8.exd4 Nc6 9.Bb5 Qb6 10.Nge2 O-O 11.Bxc6 Qxc6 12.O-O Be6 13.Rac1 Rac8 14.f3 Qd7 15.g4 b5 16.a3 Ne8 17.Qb3 a6 18.Bg3 Rc4 19.Rcd1 f6 20.Rfe1 Bf7 21.Nf4 Nc7 22.Qc2 b4 23.axb4 Bxb4 24.Qf5 Qxf5 25.gxf5 Nb5 26.Nfe2 Nxc3 27.bxc3 Bxc3 28.Nxc3 Rxc3 29.Kf2 Rfc8 30.Re3 Rxe3 31.Kxe3 Rc3+ 32.Rd3 Rxd3+ 33.Kxd3 Bh5 34.Ke3 a5 35.Bd6 Kf7 36.Kf4 Ke8 37.Ba3 a4 38.Ke3 Kd7 39.h3 Kd8 40.Bf8 Ke8 41.Bc5 Kf7 42.h4 Kg8 43.Kf4 Be8 44.Ba3 Bb5 45.Ke3 Kf7 46.Bb4 Bc4 47.Kd2 Bf1 48.Ke3 Bh3 49.Kf4 Ke8 50.Ba3 Kd7 51.Bf8 Kc6 52.Ke3 Bxf5 53.Kd2 g5 54.Be7 gxh4 55.Bxf6 h3 56.Be5 Be4 0-1 I also won the prize for the best game of the tournament for my game against Alisa Melekhina but for me it’s difficult to name the best game, all my games were pretty well-played. I didn’t have any worse position almost anywhere except for the first game. AK - Tell us a little bit about the special event that you participated in before the start of the championship. You played a 5 boards-simul blindfolded. A blindfolded defending champ. Photo Betsy Dynako AZ - Yes, we played in the Modern Art Museum, I played against 5 players. 2 players were from Saint Louis, one player from the club, one more was the organizer of the women’s championship Rex Sinquelfield, who is doing a lot for chess in the region. Except the men’s and women’s US championships that took place in SL this year, there are big chess programs for kids, the kids chess center and they are trying to include chess to school’s programs, so we are very fortunate that so great people live in SL! The fifth players of the simul was the cousin of Rex. I would say that the strongest players were 1700-1800 and the others are a little bit weaker. Of course I felt tremendous pressure since there were quite many people watching and I was very afraid to forget anything. The games of the simul can be found here. AK - Did you have any prior experience with this kind of simuls? AZ - When I was working in Long Island in a very good non-for-profit organization which is called the Great Knights, I often gave blindfolded simuls in clubs and they were quite successful, kids liked it but especially their parents. So I had some experience with this kind of simuls and when we talked with Jennifer about different possible events during the championship we decided that a blindfold simul is an interesting idea. AK - Weren’t you afraid that the blindfolded simul just before the beginning of the important US championship is a too difficult challenge for your brain? They say that blindfolded chess is a very big strain for the brain and in the USSR this kind of chess was even prohibited due to the belief that it could be dangerous for health. AZ – Well, some players of the tournament asked me this question. But since people from Saint Louis are doing such an amazing job for chess and I thought if I could help somehow to popularize chess as well I should do it. I thought that people will like it and they even talked about it on the radio. People might not remember my name after the simul but they knew that I was the one who gave the simul on 5 boards. I also wasn’t afraid, because I was not sure about my form since in September I played badly in the women’s world team championship, so in order to get somehow to a better chess mood I decided that I have to do something a little bit extraordinary, maybe that helped. And also the championship started only on the next day so I had some time to rest. AK – What did you do after China? What changed since then? AZ – I wouldn’t say that I did anything special. Maybe I just decided to relax and took it easy. AK – Who helped you throughout the tournament. AZ – My husband, GM Daniel Fridman was helping me, but since at the same time he was participating in the European Club Cup and we had 7 hours time difference, he was just giving me some advice, ideas, which were helpful and were very important for me. And honestly I don’t think that on our level the openings are the most important part of the game. AK – By the way, about the level of play. I have a few questions regarding this issue to you. First of all, shortly after the end of the championship the Wall Street Journal published an article where the author asks to abolish women’s titles. AZ – Yeah, I read this article. . AK – Ok, so what’s your opinion regarding this article? And the second question about it, what’s your point of view about the difference between women’s and men’s chess? And why do men play stronger then women at the moment? AZ – Well, I think there are many differences between men and women. We should first say that we should popularize more women’s chess, we should create more possibilities for women that will attract to chess. About the article I don’t think that it’s a problem to have men’s and women’s titles and women’s titles motivate women and girls to continue playing and participate in tournaments. Maybe with some time it will be worth considering to abolish some of those titles but it’s definitely not for today. For example when I was giving lessons to kids I notice that there were much more boys then girls probably even 80% to 20%. And we have to change this, since chess is helpful for boys as well as for girls. Chess helps children to succeed in school and there are many good words about it that have already been said. Also 200 years ago there were only men playing while women were mainly housewifes and also I think chess was at the beginning invented as the game for the kings that teaches the strategical principles of battles, so at the beginning chess was considered to be a war game and war is the privilege of men. In the modern world, however, we can see that there are many girls who go to the army. Especially in Israel, in US there are many such women. I often fly in airplanes and see these girls. And it's the same for chess, nowadays there are many more girls and women who play chess. That’s why the difference between women’s and men’s chess 50 years ago was just huge, today, maybe slowly but steadily women are moving forward chesswise and most likely in a few more years women will play chess better compared to today. Also professional chess requires a lot of energy and often women who become mothers face problems since to play chess professionaly one needs to go to chess camps and to go away for a long time and according to Nature women tend to prefer to spend more time with their family. So in other words we have been created differently and we have different priorities in life. And I think it’s absolutely natural to have separate women’s and men’s tournaments. In the USSR we had different categories and in order to get this category a man or a woman needed to fulfill some norms and these norms were different for men and for women, so if we consider chess a sport, why should we have the same norms for men and for women? AK – Yes, but the supporters of the Wall Street Journal article say that chess is not a physical, but rather an intellectual kind of sport and women can compete on the same level with men. Of course being a professional chess player myself I understand that one need to have great physical capabilities to play chess professionaly on a very high level but still these people say that women should be able to compete on the same level as men on the intellectual fields. AZ – Well, chess is like gymnastics for the brain, but it’s still gymnastics. On the professional level when the average game can last for 5-6 hours, plus four hours of preparation one definitely needs a lot of physical strength. And still, we need to motivate more young girls to play chess and the titles are one of the way to motivate them. It's the same way with titles, as when players get trophies and medals playing in tournaments. AK – What do you think is the most important step in improving women chess what are we lacking? AZ – It’s a good question. We have a few good organizations that are doing a great job for promoting kids chess, so I think we have to do the same thing for women chess. In the US they are doing a great job for promoting youth chess, you and I both visited the Supernationals in Nashville in April this year and we saw how many kids participate, so we need to do the same with women. We have to create these organizations that will try to attract more girls to chess and will motivate them with different kind of scholarships to stay in chess and to continues playing chess professionaly. Ak – Anna, tell me, for a very long time you represented the Ukraine and then you decided to change federations. First of all where were you born? AK – And then you changed federation, by the way what is your point of view in regards of changing federation at the recent cogress of FIDE, where this problem has been discussed, since after Sergey Karjakin decided to change his federation from the Ukraine to Russia many people think the rules shall be sricter. And tell us, since you have seen both sides of chess in the Ukraine and in the US, why did you decide to change federation? AZ – I can understand that if a player plays one Olympiad for one country then he changes his federation and at the next Olympiad plays for another country, that's ok. But I think it’s not right if every single Olympiad the player changes federation, one – for one country, the other one – for another, the third one – for some other country, I think first of all we have to have some restrictions. AK – So why did you decide to change your federation? AZ – Well, in the Ukraine I had some problems which I’m not ready to share with the world. I immigrated to the US and started to live here, and I changed my federation not instantly but after some thought. Also at that time we had a special programm that supportedpreparation for the women’s team for the chess olympiads and we had a very good support. And at that moment I thought that it’s the right decision, I lived in this country and I loved this country and that’s why I decided to change my federation. Today I live in Germany since I’m married to a German GM however I’m not planning to change my federation for the moment. AK – What do you consider your homeland? For people like you, who were born in one country, then moved to another now live somewhere else. Az – I have very strong ties with the Ukraine. When I watch the Olympic Games I always root for the Ukraine. But I've lived in the USA for a long time, and also like it very much. So it’s a very difficult question I would say both the Ukraine and the USA are my homelands. AK – Can you tell us what differences you see between people in the Ukraine and in the USA? AZ – Well, first of all, if we compare the USA with Europe, in the US nobody feels they are foreigners. Everybody is very patient to your accent, to your problems, they are trying to help, in some way people in the US are more well-wishing, open. Maybe that’s because the average level of living is higher in the US, than for example in the Ukraine. For example when I was living in the US on Long Island I like it there very much. AK – How did you start playing chess? AZ – I was the only child in my family. My parents were also chess-players. My dad has a rating around 2300, at some point he played even stronger. So they are big admirers of chess and they supported my chess lessons very much. I was about 4 or 5 years old when I started to play but I went to a chess club much later, at the age of 9 or 10. AK – When did you decide to become a professional chess player? AZ – I had many hobbies in my childhood. I was taking quite seriously track-and-field athletics classes, I also visited the theatrical club. At one point I couldn’t’ anymore go to track-and-field athletics so I started to spend more time playing chess. I became the champion of my city. So I would say that at the age of 13-14 I knew that most likely chess would be my profession. AK – What are your main achievements in chess? AZ – According to perfomance, it’s my win in the recent US championships in Saint-Louis. It’s difficult to say, but I think it’s the highest perfomance of my chess career so far. So I am a 3-times US champion, I was also the Ukranian champion among women and girls. Also my result of the 2008 chess olympiad, where we took the bronze medals and I took the gold medal on my board, and also the result of the 2004 chess olympiads. AK – If we look at your results, there are many big successes after you became a mom in March 2007. I understand that normally the birth of a child can not help a professional chess player but in your case it seems that it motivated you even more. AZ – Well, if we look at the facts 10 years ago I had the same Elo rating. But somehow my daugther Sophia motivates me because I think since I’m leaving my baby alone when going to tournaments I have at least to try to show the best result possible. Maybe these thoughts motivate me. And also this huge love for my baby gives me more power. AK – Does you dauhgter say anything when you leave for tournaments? AZ – She is very close to her grandma and I don’t have a problem with that. My mom has been with her since her birth and now she is very close to her. AK – How often do you study chess? How many hours per day? AZ- As much and refularly as possible. Especially just before and during tournaments. AK – What in your point of view is the most important part of a chess game to study – opening, middle game or endgame? And what part of the game you would recommend to study to beginners? AZ – For beginers, it’s definitely not the opening. So they have to focus on the basics which are the middle game and the endgame. AK - Do you prefer to play chess with men or with women? AZ – Hmm, I don’t really see the difference. I play in both kind of competitions. AK - What is your favorite chess book? AZ – I would definitely recommend “ My System” of Nimzowitsch, it’s a classic, that influenced my playing style a lot. AK - If you had not become a chess player what career would you have chosen? AZ – It’s a difficult question, I was studying accounting at the university. But now I’m more interesting in genes engineering, physics, psychology, something scientific. AK - When did you feel happiest about being a chess player? Why? AZ – I have two special moments. First one is my game against Votava in the Reikjavik-open, The position before 17. ... Qxf3+ [Event "Reykjavik op 21st"] [Site ""] [Date "2004.3.14"] [Round "7"] [White "Votava Jan"] [Black "Zatonskih Anna"] [Result "0-1"] [Eco "A00"] 1.g3 e5 2.Bg2 d5 3.c4 dxc4 4.Na3 Nf6 5.Nxc4 Bc5 6.Nxe5 Bxf2+ 7.Kxf2 Qd4+ 8.Ke1 Qxe5 9.Qa4+ Nbd7 10.Qf4 Qe6 11.Qxc7 O-O 12.b3 Ne5 13.Nf3 Nd3+ 14.Kf1 Re8 15.Nd4 Qg4 16.Qc3 Bf5 17.Bf3 Qxf3+ 18.Nxf3 Bh3+ 19.Kg1 Rxe2 20.Qxd3 Rg2+ 21.Kf1 Rxd2+ 22.Ke1 Rxd3 23.Ke2 Rd7 24.Re1 Ng4 25.Bd2 Re8+ 26.Kd1 Nf2+ 27.Kc2 Bf5+ 0-1 and now in Saint-Louis where I showed the best result of my career and people respected that. AK - What is your favorite non-chess book? AZ – I have many favorite books. First of all it’s Master and Margarita by Bulgakov, and Arch of Triumph by Remark; AK - Whom do you consider the best chess player in history? AZ – I would say it’s Kasparov and Fischer AK - What do you like doing besides playing chess? AZ – I like going out with my dauhgter and explaining her all the simple things. I also like riding a bicycle, going to the mountains. During the 2008 women's world chess championship in Nalchik I dreamt about going to the top of the Elbrus Mountain. AK - What is the best chess country in the world? AZ – I have heard a lot of good things about Iceland. AK - What is the best organized women’s tournament you took part in? AZ – Saint Louis and also I remember a rapid tournament in China in 2005. AK - What is your goal in chess? AZ – I don’t really have a goal in chess, I try to enjoy the game. AK - What is your favorite chess piece? AZ – All pieces, maybe the most important one - the king. AK - What is your favorite kind of food? AZ – I like chinese, indian food, spicy food. AK - What is your favorite place in the world? AZ – First of all, it's Curacao, I tried scuba-diving there for the first time, and basically I like all water kind of sports very much. There is also a place Blue Lagoon in Iceland that’s I liked very much, and the Elbrus area amazed me a lot. Anna, thank you very much for your time. I wish you all the best and we hope to hear of your great results in the future! Posted by: Alexandra Kosteniuk Women's World Chess Champion | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sat, 26 Dec 2009 04:34:00 +0000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Beliavsky Defeats Taimanov's Taimanov With 4 Queens On Board | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alexander Beliavsky (Belyavsky) was born December 17, 1953 in Lviv, Ukraine. He is now living in Slovenia. In 1973, he won the World Junior Championship. Beliavsky won the USSR Championship in 1974, 1980, 1987, and 1990. He was a candidate for th... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sun, 13 Dec 2009 10:59:30 -0800 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Does the Soviet School of Chess still rule? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chess has a storied history. There are many theories of its origin stemming from either India or China and going to Persia through the Middle East across the Sahara and into Europe. Some say that chess went through Central Asia and into Eurasia. Regardless of where chess started and how it got there, the form the Moors brought into Spain appears to be the precursor to the form that we play now. Today there is a question circulating… it pertains to the apparent changing of the guard in chess. With the retirement of Garry Kasparov, the changing of the guard had begun. The transition was not a smooth one and a scramble ensued within the disjointed chess world. Before Kasparov, several Soviet champions drew inspiration from Mikhail Botvinnik who became a symbol of the Soviet School of Chess. There would exist a single line of domination for 50 years effectively ending with Kasparov. Vladimir Kramnik had this to say about the World Champion:
In the modern era, there were a lot of new talented players and the chess behemoth representing the Soviet Union was led by Anatoly Karpov followed by Garry Kasparov. The era from Botvinnik to Kasparov represented the glory years of the Soviet tradition and it remains an important time in chess history. While many of the strongest chess nations were once a part of the Soviet empire, does the “Soviet School of Chess” still reign supreme in the face of rising powers such as China and India? One may believe the proof is still evident when approximately 70% of the world’s top 100 players are from Russia and the former Soviet republics. However, there are some changing trends. The trend of globalization has brought about a “chess wave” and currently the top three players are from Norway, Bulgaria and India. When Viswanathan Anand (right) became World Champion, it signaled a new era. Certainly a different time from when there was at least one “K” in the top ten for three decades. As the largest Soviet remnant, Russia has not scored an Olympiad medal in three straight Olympiads and its players no longer dominate tournaments as before. In addition, tournament winners span a variety of countries. The former Soviet bloc still represents an influential and formidable tradition, but what has become of the “Soviet School of Chess”? Does it still exist? Did it ever exist in the magnitude of its reputation? During the recent FIDE World Cup, there were 27 players from Russia competing out of 128. Nearly eighty-percent of the total players were from the former Soviet bloc. The tournament was won by a veteran from Belarus, Boris Gelfand, who now plays for Israel. Despite the high percentage of players from the outset, Russia did not place a player in the final match. However, the last eight players were from the “Soviet tradition”. Perhaps one can argue that the tradition is alive, but there are also other developments indicating that the balance of power is shifting. Does it remain a monolithic ideology or is it a deep-seated culture that has diverged into different approaches to chess? Back in 2006, Vladimir Kramnik complained about the lack of young talent coming up in Russia. He remarked that the veterans were indeed very strong, but needed to make way for young players with great stamina. Other nations in the former Soviet bloc seem to be thriving despite their small size. The Ukraine won the Olympiad in 2004 and Armenia has won in 2006 and 2008. Azerbaijan recently won the European Team Championship. Each of these teams have young stars making of a great part of their success. Of course, we cannot forget that both Israel (#3 in the world) and the U.S. (#8) consist of a number of of Soviet emigres. ![]() Russia’s Peter Svidler and Vladimir Kramnik at the 2008 Olympiad in Dresden. These two elite players work to bridge the gap of the old and new. Photo by Daaim Shabazz. If one has to answer whether the Soviet School is still relevant, there is no question that it is very much a force. However, times are changing and the method of assimilating mass amounts of knowledge in a short time (to reach a critical analysis) has overtaken the method of deeply analyzing select classic games and positions. Other regions have proved that other techniques can be used with great effect. Many of the promising juniors being produced today are from many parts of the world who do not have the benefit of a rich chess culture, yet they are making a mark and entering the upper echelon with improvised techniques. “But unfortunately I don’t see much talent coming from our country ~Vladimir Kramik in 2006
If we look at the rise of China, there may be an argument that there is a “massification” of talent, but that argument has not panned out yet. China has a very well-defined system for producing talent… a strong player as national trainer (GM Ye Jiangchuan) and government support. The number of players they produce is selective, yet all of the players appear to be very strong and well-prepared. Liu Wenzhe wrote a book about the “Chinese School of Chess” but it is not clear how close that model is being followed today. The nation has created a powerhouse in less than 30 years and its women have dominated chess for more than two decades. China currently holds the #5 ranking (behind Russia, Ukraine, Israel and Azerbaijan). They have produced four 2700s and have a cadre of young strong players who are unrated and indeed ready to enter the chess stage. Li Chao and Yu Yangyi showed great promise in the FIDE World Cup, not to mention Hou Yifan, a legitimate talent.
Wesley So represents a new era of chess players. Photo by Galina Popova courtesy of FIDE. India has the benefit of a great icon in World Champion Anand and perhaps more of a massification effect in terms of young talent. We are witnessing the “Anand Effect” or “Anand Boom” similar to what happened in the U.S. with Bobby Fischer. India has excelled in many of the age group world championships and in 2008 won both the boy’s and girl’s junior titles. Overall, India is now ranked as the #6 federation (counting the top 10 players). The players have strong support from the corporate sector, but internal rankling could slow process. Vietnam and the Philippines have begun to show promise with young talent such as Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son and Wesley So, respectively. Cuba has led the way in showing that there are other methods for producing elite players and have Lenier Dominguez. Iran has also made tremendous strides in producing strong talent. In North America, there is Hikaru Nakamura who has soared over 2700 and is has developed a unique approach to chess development. What does all this mean? It means that while the Soviet School of Chess still has tremendous influence in terms of chess training, literature and tradition, methods are evolving quickly. The methods still show results, but is perhaps losing ground. Kramnik has made such comments in a 2006 interview when asked about the rising Russian players.
In Dresden, it was not to be. Armenia would take gold again on the strength of Levon Aronian and Gabriel Sargissian. Israel took silver and the U.S. took the bronze. For the time being, Russia, the Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Armenia will keep the tradition strong, but how long can we continue to identify success as a result of the “Soviet School”? Garry Kasparov was perhaps the first player from the Soviet School to make effective use of the traditional methods along with the use of databases. Players like Ruslan Ponomariov, Teimour Radjabov and Sergey Karjakin are steeped more in the information age than previous generations, but one can still see the influence of the Soviet tradition. The idea of studying classic games is invaluable as are the deep studying of middlegame positions, but the means by which that is done will change drastically. Younger players are finding other ways to practicalize their preparation.
Photo by Galina Popova courtesy of FIDE. Viktor Korchnoi has been very critical of the new generation by saying that too much reliance is placed on computers and databases. One thing for sure… computers and databases are here to stay. Other nations are certainly benefiting from the mass amount of data, powerful engines and access to strong players on the Internet. In interviews, Anand has described the role of computers in “leapfrogging” and leveling the field.
The methods as taught by many Soviet trainers will still have some relevance, but will require some adaption if they are going to continue to be affective against players who require speed and volume of many games over the depth and critical analysis of fewer games. The Soviet School as we know it will never be the same. Eventually, it will have to give way to a more dynamic pedagogy. It’s going to be exciting to see where the world of chess is headed. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fri, 25 Dec 2009 02:26:45 +0000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| So to compete in Corus | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wesley So to compete in Netherlands next month abs-cbnNEWS.com 12/18/2009 6:35 PM MANILA, Philippines – Following a magnificent performance in the recent World Chess Cup, young Filipino grandmaster Wesley So will again compete with some of the world renowned players in the 72nd Corus chess tournament this coming January. The Corus chess tournament, an elite event in the Fide calendar, will be held in Wijk Aan Zee, a North Sea resort in the Netherlands from January 15 to 31, 2010. So, the reigning Corus Group C champion, will be participating in Group C. There are three sections in tough Corus chess—A, B and C, according to chess columnist Frank “Boy” Pestano. “Wesley has been invited to play in Group B. To be invited to Corus is like to be invited to the White House,” he said. Participants in Corus Group B (all GMs) are Ni Hua of China, Arkadij Naiditsch of Germany; Emil Sutovsky of Israel, Pentala Harikrishna of India, Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu of Romania, Varuzhan Akobian of the USA, David Howell of England, Parimarjan Negi of India, Tomi Nyback of Finland, Anna Muzychuk of Slovenia, and Erwin l’Ami, Dimitri Reinderman and Anish Giri of the Netherlands. The 16-year-old So recently posted a fourth-round finish in the World Chess Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia, subduing World No. 12 GM Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine in Round 2 and World Chess Cup last year’s titlist GM Gata Kamsky of the US in Round 3. It is arguably the country’s best showing in World Chess Cup history, surpassing the efforts of his compatriots GMs Rogelio Antonio, Darwin Laylo and Mark Paragua (who competed in the 2005 edition of the tournament). So gained 15 points in the event. He now has a live ELO rating of 2655. Breaking the 2700 barrier The Bacoor, Cavite based chess player earlier said he will be working to break through the 2700 ELO barrier. "I dream that sooner or later, I will come to the magical point 2700. I don't know how much time I will need for that," said So, whose local and international campaign is being supported by NCFP president Prospero “Butch” Pichay Jr. and Filway Marketings Inc. CEO/President Hector “Chito” Tagaysay. GM Eugene Torre, Asia’s first grandmaster, has stated in a local radio program said So has the goods to be among the world’s best. "The talent and skills are already there and he has proven that. This year could be a test of character and nerves for him because everybody knows him already," said Torre. -- by Marlon Bernardino as of 12/18/2009 6:35 PM Source: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2009-12-18T07:30:00.001-06:00 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Most highly regarded triumphs of Israeli chess | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() 15/12/2009 Israeli grand master Boris Gelfand wins Chess World Cup By Eli Shvidler, Haaretz Correspondent Israeli chess grand master Boris Gelfand achieved one of the most highly regarded triumphs of Israeli chess on Monday, when he took home the grand prize in the Chess World Cup competition in the Russian city of Khanty Mansiysk. Gelfand, 41, defeated former world champion Ruslan Pnomariov of Ukraine in the finals tie-breaker with a score of 7-5. This achievement gives Gelfand, who is ranked sixth in the world, a ticket to compete for the world champion title along with the eight best players in the world in 2010. Some 128 top chess players competed for the title along with Gelfand in the Chess World Cup, most of the participants also carrying the title of 'grand master.' Gelfand had twice participated in duels in 1993 and in 1996. He reached the semi-finals the second time, where he lost to former world champion and one of the world's best players, Anatoly Karpov. Source: http://www.haaretz.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2009-12-15T07:05:00.001-06:00 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Cup final: Ponomariov-Gelfand go to tiebreaks | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The fourth and final long game of the FIDE World Cup final ended, like the first three, in a (35-move) draw. That left the players, Boris Gelfand of Israel and Ruslan Ponomariov of Ukraine, tied 2:2 and going into the tiebreaks. The winner earns a place in the FIDE world championship match and pockets $96,000. The runner up gets $64,000. Musically illustrated report. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| World Cup: Stichkampf! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Die Entscheidung um den Sieg beim World Cup fällt morgen im Stichkampf. Heute
beendeten Boris Gelfand und Ruslan Ponomariov auch ihre vierte Fianlpartie ohne
Sieger. Mit den weißen Steinen versuchte Gelfand in der Katalanischen Eröffnung
Druck auf Ponomariovs Stellung auszuüben, doch der Ukrainer neutralisierte diese
Bemühungen relativ mühelos. Nun entscheiden morgen die besseren Nerven, wer am
Kandidatenturnier teilnehmen darf. Turnierseite... Mehr... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sun, 13 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Soviet methods still reign in the chess world | Leonard Barden | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Two decades after the USSR broke up, Soviet training methods remain potent at the chessboard. When the field of 128 was reduced to the quarter-finals in the current World Cup, all eight grandmasters remaining had their education from Soviet coaches. The final four-game match now in progress to decide who qualifies for the 2010 candidates is between Ukraine's Ruslan Ponomariov, who won the 2002 World Cup as a teenager, and Boris Gelfand, the 41-year-old top seed. In the semi-finals Ponomariov beat Vlad Malakhov 4-2 while Gelfand eliminated Sergey Karjakin 2-0. In both the semi-final and in the game below the Israeli veteran defeated opponents more than half his age. Sergey Karjakin, 19, who lost to Gelfand 0-2, chose the 'safe' Bishop's Opening in an attempt to avoid the Petroff 2 Nf3 Nf6, but after 1 e4 e5 2 Bc4 Nf6 3 d3 Nc6 4 Nf3 Be7 5 0-0 0-0 6 Bb3 d5 7 exd5 Nxd5 8 h3 a5 9 a4 Nd4 10 Nxd4 exd4 11 Re1 was rocked by the new plan Ra6! White should have bailed out for a draw by 12 Bxd5 Qxd5 13 Rxe7 Rg6 14 f3 Bxh3 15 Re2 Qxf3 16 Qf1 Bxg2! but instead fell to a crushing attack on his king. Gelfand's 1 c4 English Opening had a tiny edge against France's junior world champion when Black erred by 16...f5? (better c6 17 bxc6 bxc6 18 Ne3 Rb8) after which 17 Nh4! and 19 Qh5! homed in on the weak light squares. When Gelfand launched a second front down the open b file, Black's defences collapsed. B Gelfand v M Vachier Lagrave 1 c4 Nf6 2 Nc3 e5 3 Nf3 Nc6 4 a3 g6 5 g3 Bg7 6 Bg2 O-O 7 O-O d6 8 d3 h6 9 Rb1 Be6 10 b4 Qd7 11 b5 Nd8 12 a4 Bh3 13 Nd5 Bxg2 14 Kxg2 Ne8 15 e4 Ne6 16 Bb2 f5? 17 Nh4 Kh7 18 exf5 gxf5 19 Qh5 c6 20 bxc6 bxc6 21 Ne3 f4 22 Nef5 Rf6 23 d4 exd4 24 Nxd4 Nxd4 25 Bxd4 Re6 26 Qf5+ Kg8 27 Rfe1 Nc7 28 Bxg7 Kxg7 29 Rb7 Re7 30 Rxe7+ Qxe7 31 Qxf4 Kg8 32 Nf5 1-0 3117 P Svidler v V Malakhov, World Cup 2009. Black (to play) can choose a plausible move which loses instantly or a less obvious one which wins instantly. Can you find both? 3117 1...dxe1Q?? 2 Bxf7+ Rxf7 (Kg7 3 Qg6+) 3 Qxf7+ forces a speedy mate. The game ended dxe1N+! and White resigned due to 2 Rxe1 Qf2+ and Ng3 mate. guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fri, 11 Dec 2009 19:21:16 GMT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chasing the Super GM dream | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() Chess phenom So nears Super GM dream By Marlon Bernardino Cebu Daily News First Posted 07:52:00 12/11/2009 FOR his recent string of success in top international chess tournaments, young Filipino chess phenom GM Wesley So is now on the threshold of fulfilling his life-long dream of achieving Super Grandmaster status. A chess player needs an ELO rating of at least 2700 to earn a Super GM title also known as the “Hydra GM” status. National Chess Federation of the Philippines head Prospero Pichay said So’s feat of reaching the fourth round in the recent 2009 World Chess Cup in Khanty- Mansiyk, Russia proves that the Filipino GM is very capable of breaking the 2700 barrier. “He’d probably attain super grandmaster status in 12 months time,” said Pichay. So of Bacoor, Cavite has an ELO rating of 2640 and is ranked No. 7 among the world’s junior chess players. He was the last Asian and youngest player to reach the fourth round of the World Cup. The competition saw the 16-year-old So vanquishing World Chess Cup defending champion Super GM Gata Kamsky of the US in Round 3. So also upset world No. 12 GM Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine in Round 2. His run was stopped when he lost to Russian super GM Vladimir Malakhov (ELO 2706) in the fourth round. Source: http://globalnation.inquirer.net | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2009-12-11T00:10:00.000-06:00 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Cup final: first game Ponomariov-Gelfand drawn | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The four-game final of the 2009 World Cup has started, with Israeli GM Boris Gelfand playing a Petroff against Ruslan Ponomariov of Ukraine. The game ended after 37 moves in a draw. We use the opportunity to show you some of the art on display at the playing venue in Khanty-Mansiysk, and the fascination some people feel for the world cup trophies. Illustrated report. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fri, 11 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Cup: Erste Finalpartie remis | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Nach einem Tag Ruhe begann heute das Finale des World Cups in Khanty-Mansiysk zwischen Boris Gelfand und Ruslan Ponomariov. Der frühere
FIDE-Weltmeister führte in der ersten Finalpartie die weißen Steine und ließ
sich im Gegensatz zu seinem ehemaligen Sekundanten Sergey Karjakin, der im
Halbfinale gegen Gelfand ausgeschieden war, auf die Russische Verteidigung
ein. Der Ukrainer folgte der Partie Akopian gegen Kasimdzhanov, GP Jermuk
2009, ohne aber Gelfand in Verlegenheit bringen zu können. Im 37. Zug endete
die Partie durch Dauerschach. Turnierseite... Mehr... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ein Mattangriff aus dem Nichts | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Morgen steht beim World Cup die erste Partie des Finales Gelfand - Ponomariov
auf dem Programm, heute ist in Khanty-Mansiysk Ruhetag. Gelegenheit für uns,
auf einen spannenden Moment im Endspiel Karjakin - Mamedyarov zurückzublicken.
Mamedyarov hatte zuletzt 49...Tb2? gezogen (Diagramm) und damit seinem
jungen Gegner unverhofft die Gelegenheit gegeben, die Partie durch Mattdrohungen
zu entscheiden. Mit welchem unerwarteten Zug sicherte sich der 19-jährige
Ukrainer den Gewinn? GM Karsten Müller hat das Endspiel für ChessBaseMagazin
Online analysiert. Partie Karjakin-Mamedyarov... Endspiel-DVDs im Shop... Größeres Diagramm... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wed, 09 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A mate attack out of the blue | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Today will see the first game of the final Gelfand-Ponomariov at the World Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk. Opportunity for us to look back on an exciting moment from the endgame Karjakin - Mamedyarov. Mamedyarov had just played 49...Rb2? (diagram), thus giving his young opponent the unexpected chance to decide the game by mating threats. Which surprising move helped the 19-year-old Ukraine to secure victory now? Karsten Müller has analysed the endgame Karjakin-Mamedyarov for ChessBaseMagazine Online. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| It's Gelfand vs. Ponomariov for the World Cup | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Boris Gelfand of Israel will play Ruslan Ponomariov of Ukraine in the final of the World Cup. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wed, 09 Dec 2009 04:57:06 +0000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Cup: Ponomariov gewinnt Halbfinal-Stichkampf | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ruslan Ponomariov entschied heute beim World Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk den
Halbfinal-Stichkampf gegen Vladmir Malakhov mit 3:1 für sich. Dabei hatte
der Ukrainer jedoch einige bange Minuten zu überstehen. Zunächst war
Malakhov mit den schwarzen Steinen spielend in Führung gegangen, wobei ihm
einmal mehr seine Hauptwaffe, der Chebanenko-Slawe, zur Seite stand. Auch in
der zweiten Partie stand der Russe zunächst hoch überlegen und im höheren
Sinne auf Gewinn. Nach einigen Ungenauigkeiten wendete sich jedoch das Blatt
und Ponomariov glich aus. Die nächsten beiden Partien entschied der frühere
FIDE-Weltmeister dann ebenfalls für sich. Turnierseite... Partien, Impressionen... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tue, 08 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Cup Halbfinale: Gelfand schlägt Karjakin | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Boris Gelfand hat heute durch einen Sieg mit den schwarzen Steinen über Sergey
Karjakin das Tor zum Finale weit aufgestoßen. Im Wunsch, der sehr sicheren
Russischen Verteidigung des Israeli auszuweichen, wählte Karjakin das
Läuferspiel. Auf 11.Te1 antwortete Gelfand mit einem schicken Turmmanöver
(Ta8-a6-g6), mit dessen Hilfe er viel Druck auf Karjakins Königsflügel ausübte.
Die Annahme eines Bauernopfers brachte dem Ukrainer in der Bilanz ein verlorenes
Endspiel. Morgen hat Gelfand mit Weiß, beste Chancen auf den Einzug in die
nächste Runde. Ruslan Ponomariov gelang es in der zweiten Halbfinalpartie nicht,
Vladimir Malakhovs Chebanenko-Slawen in Schwierigkeiten zu bringen. Turnierseite... Ergebnisse, Partien... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sun, 06 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Andrey Sumets gewinnt Palma Open | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Mit dem Ukrainer Andrey Sumets gewann ein Großmeister das sehr dicht
besetzte Open von Palma de Mallorca, der nicht unbedingt zu den
Top-Favoriten zählte. Dabei gehört der im Westen nicht sehr bekannte
29-Jährige mit 2604 Elo nicht unbedingt zu den Elo-Leichtgewichten, auch
wenn dies in der Rangliste der Schachgroßmacht Ukraine nur "ferner liefen"
bedeutet (Platz 16). Sein Landsmann Yuri Drozdovskiy, eigentlich der
Elofavorit, beendete das Turnier im Verfolgerfeld. Andreas Albers berichtet
aus Palma. Turnierseite... Bericht, Bilder, Partien, Endstand... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Fri, 04 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| World Cup: Karjakin und Malakhov legen vor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Von den 128 im World Cup gestarteten Teilnehmern sind nun nur noch acht Spieler übrig
geblieben. Einer von ihnen wird am Kandidatenturnier teilnehmen. Viele
Favoriten sind inzwischen ausgeschieden, aber kein Außenseiter hat es in die
5. Runde geschafft. Der eloschwächste Spieler im Feld ist nun Vladimir
Malakhov (2709, Bild). Der Russe kam allerdings heute zu einem Sieg mit den schwarzen
Steinen über seinen Landsmann Peter Svidler. Für den zweiten Tagessieg
sorgte Sergey Karjakin, mit 19 Jahren der Jüngste, aber trotzdem ein "alter Hase". Der Noch-Ukrainer besiegte mit Weiß Shakhriyar
Mamedyarov. Remis trennten sich Boris Gelfand und Dmitry Jakovenko sowie
Ruslan Ponomariov und Vugar Gashimov. Turnierseite... Ergebnisse und Partien... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Thu, 03 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ivanchuk: "Sorry Fans, war nicht so gemeint." | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Nach seiner Niederlage gegen Wesley So und seinem Ausscheiden aus dem World
Cup war Vassily Ivanchuk so deprimiert, dass er in einem Interview in
Khanty-Mansiysk tatsächlich laut über seinen Rücktritt vom Profischach
nachdachte. Inzwischen hat es sich der unvergleichliche Spitzengroßmeister
aber doch anders überlegt. In einer kurzen Erklärung bei
Chesspro.ru verkündete der Ukrainer
seinen Rücktritt vom Rücktritt. "Liebe Schachfreunde, Fans und Kollegen.
Bitte entschuldigt mein emotionales Interview. Ich war so enttäuscht nach
meiner Niederlage. Aber unter keinen Umständen werde ich mit dem Schach
aufhören. Vassily Ivanchuk" Mehr (eng.)... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Anna Sharevich gewinnt ND-Gala | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Etwas überraschend gewann Anna Sharevich am vergangenen Donnerstag die von
der Tageszeitung Neues Deutschland im Berliner Verlagshaus durchgeführte
4.ND-Schach-Gala. Neben der späteren Siegerin bildeten diesmal die für
Slowenien spielende Ukrainerin Anna Muzychuk sowie die beiden deutschen
Nationalspielerinnen Elisabeth Pähtz und Maria Schöne das Feld. Nach der
Vorrunde lagen die beiden eloschwächeren Spielerinnen Anna Sharevich und
Marie Schöne in Front und qualifizierten sich für den Finalkampf. Hier hatte
dann die Weißrussin das Glück auf ihrer Seite und gewann im Stichkampf. Dr.
René Gralla berichtet aus Berlin. Frank Hoppe hat das Ereignis in Bildern
fest gehalten. Artikel beim ND... Bericht, Bilder, Partien... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Tue, 01 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eyeing the Quarterfinal | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() So eyes q’final seat against Russian GM By Marlon Bernardino Cebu Daily News First Posted 07:44:00 12/01/2009 Filed Under: Chess Filipino Wesley So (2640) hopes to do something no Filipino has done in 26 years, when the 16-year-old chess prodigy guns for a seat in the quarterfinal round against Russian GM Vladimir Malakhov in the 2009 World Chess Cup in Khanty-Mansiysk Center of Arts in Russia. Antonio and Laylo lost in the first round. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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![]() So ousts Kamsky, reaches 4th round Monday, November 30, 2009 WESLEY So ousted defending World Cup champion Gata Kamsky of the United States with a 41-move draw of a Dutch Defense Saturday and advanced to the fourth round of the event at Khanty Mansiysk. “I sacrificed a pawn and got some chances. But at one point, I went too far and the advantages for my opponent were clear enough. I offered a draw so as not to suffer,” said Kamsky in the World Cup tournament bulletin. Kamsky said he did not underestimate So. “No, it is not the case. So was playing better and he deserved the victory,” said Kamsky in the tournament bulletin. The 16-year-old high school junior from Cavite earlier trounced Kamsky, a former world championship challenger, in a French Defense on Friday in the first of their two-game mini-match. Kamsky was So’s second super grandmaster victim after the Ukrainian superstar Vassily ivanchuk. “He is on a roll now after beating Ivanchuk, whom I consider to be a stronger player than Kamsky,” said honorary World Chess Federation president Florencio Campomanes in a phone interview. So’s next foe is the winner in the four-game tiebreakers between Pavel Eljanov of the Ukraine and Vladimir Malakhov of Russia. This match is set on Sunday. Chess writers worldwide have been praising So, the youngest player in the World Cup, which selects the challengers for the world championship currently held by Viswananthan Anand of India. Former women’s world champion Zsuzsa Polgar called So, who played in her tournament last September, the “real deal.” Russian grandmaster Sergei Shipov, the World Cup analyst, said the fact that So, who grew up in a non-chess country, plays this well “speaks of his talent.” “To make the picture clear, we should also mention that he is practically self-educated and very enthusiastic. He has no coach and no financial support from the [Philippine] government,” the tournament bulletin said. So, in an earlier interview in the tournament bulletin, said: “We don’t get any financial support from the government. They don’t give money for tournaments, coaches—nothing. Our National Federation pays our tickets. That’s it. You realize at one moment that to reach some professional level you need private sponsors. I would be happy with some US$20 to 30 thousand a year.” Source: http://www.manilastandardtoday.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| All eyes on So | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() All eyes on GM So as RP ace battles Russian November 30, 2009, 4:54pm KHANTY-Mansiysk, Russia —Grandmaster Wesley So, the biggest revelation in the ongoing 2009 World Chess Cup, battles GM Vladimir Malakhov in the Round of 16 of the 2009 World Chess Cup Monday at the Khanty- Mansiysk Center of Arts here. After toppling two of the tournament’s biggest names, So seeks a seat in the quarterfinals against Malakhov, the first time he will be facing a Russian in the knockout-style tournament. “I know that I should always do my best in the classical games of each round. If I win one game, I’m almost there,” said So, who is already assured of $30,000 (about P1.46 million) in prize money. So, 16, has been described by the foreign media as a “a fantastic gold nugget causing the World Cup irreplaceable losses with his upset victories.” His victory over Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine in the second round was so shocking, the all-time great is contemplating on quitting the sport. Heartbroken over his defeat, Ivanchuk said he would leave professional chess and become a chess fan. World Cup champion Gata Kamsky of the United States, So’s victim in the third round, took his defeat better. “My opponent was better prepared,” Kamsky conceded after the loss. “So was playing better and he deserved the victory. So opened his campaign with a win over GM Gadir Guseinov of Azerbaijan, winning all three playoff matches after splitting their first two classical games. Ranked 59th, So is the second lowest seeded player still in the field and is the only Asian remaining apart from two players from Azerbaijan. Source: http://www.mb.com.ph | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| So turned down draw offer in game 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() World Chess Cup 4th rd spot within So's reach 11/28/2009 | 07:47 PM Filipino teen Grandmaster Wesley So continued his giant-killing ways when he scalped defending champion GM Gata Kamsky of the United States in Friday’s third round of the 2009 World Chess Cup at the Khanty-Mansiysk Centre in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia. So, who barged in the 32-player field after scoring a second-round upset win over former world championship contender GM Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine, the 16-year-old stunned Kamsky in the opener of their crucial two-game third-round showdown. Once again handling the black pieces, So needed 53 moves of the French defense to turn back the older and more-experienced Kamsky, who offered a draw with the Bacoor, Cavite native in the 18th move. But So, who is one of the world's top junior players with an ELO of 2640, playing with calm and ease, refused Kamsky’s offer. In the end, So got the advantage with a queen, rook, knight and four pawns as his remaining pieces against Kamsky’s queen, rook, knight and two pawns. With more active pieces, So attacked Kamsky’s widely-exposed king on g2 to force the Novokuznetsk, Russia-born woodpusher to give the match to the Filipino. "I really played very well against him (Kamsky). I was prepared for the game. I caught him at the opening and he spent a lot of time," said So. “I just hope that tomorrow I will be also lucky." Source: http://www.gmanews.tv/So, who will play the white pieces, only needs a draw against the 27th ranked Kamsky (ELO 2695) to reach the 16-player fourth round that is being played at this Scandinavian resort-like town in Western Siberia. If Kamsky wins the match will go into a rapid tiebreak match on Sunday. – GMANews.TV | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| The Young Phenom So vs the Grinder Kamsky | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
So stuns Ukrainian superstar Manila Standard Today Friday, November 27, 2009 WESLEY So escaped near-defeat to eliminate Ukrainian superstar Vassily Ivanchuk in the second game of their two-game mini match and advanced into the third round of the World Cup Wednesday night at Khanty-Mansyisk. So drew with Ivanchuk, recognized by chess experts as one of the most artistic players in the game, in 46 moves of a Slav Defense. Ivanchuk joined fourth seed Alexander Morozevich of Russia and fifth seed Teimour Radjabov of Azerbaijian as the big losers in the World Cup after two rounds. He finished with a score of 1.5-.5, after upsetting Ivanchuk in the first game on Tuesday. He will face American grandmaster Gata Kamsky, a former prodigy, who lost to Anatoly Karpov for the world championship in 1997, in the third round Friday. Ivanchuk is the second super grandmaster So has scalped after a sensational win over Chinese ace Ni Hua in the 2008 Olympiad in Dresden. So has also drawn against two other superstars, Alexei Shirov of Spain and Sergey Karjakin of the Ukraine . Kamsky eliminated Joey Antonio in the first round, and is considered by chess experts as the anti-thesis to So, who favors complicated play. Kamsky, eliminated in the final challengers match for the world title in 2008, is rock steady and cool in defense. Filipinos witnessed Kamsky’s grace under fire when he hung on in a bad position to beat the veteran Ruben Rodriguez in the 1992 Olympiad. The 16-year-old So, a third-year high school student from Cavite and the youngest player in this qualifying event for the world championship, is in a spot where no Filipino player has entered before. Source: http://www.manilastandardtoday.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| RP team opens bid in World Chess Cup | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
RP team opens bid in World Chess Cup abs-cbnNEWS.com 11/21/2009 8:03 PM MANILA -- The World Chess Cup has officially begun, with three Filipino grandmasters (GM) Wesley So, Rogelio “Joey” Antonio Jr., and Darwin Laylo facing tough opponents in the first round of the competition’s knock out stage in Khanty Mansiysk, Russia. The 16-year-old So will have GM Gadir Guseinov of Azerbaijan as his first opponent. According to an on-line commentary of chess Website Red and White, Guseinov is one of the strong GMs from Azerbaijan. The commentary however said Guseinov is the “"unlucky" guy to face the So”. If So succeeds in his first-round match, he will face either GM Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine or GM Alexei Bezgodov of Russia in the second round. Antonio, meanwhile, will be the underdog against defending champion GM Gata Kamsky of the US who topped the 2007 edition at the expense of Spanish GM Alexei Shirov. Antonio first met Kamsky in the 2005 HB Global Challenge in Minneapolis, USA. The game, where Antonio employed his pet line caro-kann defense, ended in a draw. Should Antonio pull an upset this time against Kamsky, he will face the winner between GM Emil Sutovsky of Israel and GM Zhou Weiqi of China in the second round. Laylo, the third Filipino participant in the World chess Cup, will test the mettle of GM David Navara of Czech Republic. The World Chess Cup, which has a total prize fund of $1.6 million, will run from November 20 to December 15. By Marlon Bernardino as of 11/21/2009 8:03 PM Source: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Leonard Barden on Chess | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ten of the world elite are competing at Moscow's Tal Memorial, which ends today and is one of the strongest tournaments in chess history. But the winner in the event's first half was a flu virus which affected several grandmasters and encouraged a minimalist, cautious approach. Ukraine's Vasily Ivanchuk wore a face mask, and a high 80 per cent of the first five round games were drawn. The sickest player was Magnus Carlsen, 19, who had trained beforehand with Garry Kasparov and was expected to unleash some opening bombs in his campaign to become world No 1. But Norway's golden teen was close to defeat against Vlad Kramnik in the opening round and then opted to fight his bug by antibiotics and a solid, low risk strategy. As the bug subsided, the leaders before the final round were Vlad Kramnik 5.5/8, Vasily Ivanchuk and the world champion, Vishy Anand, 5, Magnus Carlsen 4.5. Below, Anand gives a lesson in how to cash in a small edge. Svidler began with the Grunfeld 3...d5, the most popular opening in Moscow. White chose a calm line, Black's 13...Nb4 improved on theory, and three moves later Rfd8-d6 would have been level. Svidler's more passive plan provoked an attack along the f file, but Black was still holding until 25...fxe4? (f4!) after which 29 b4! cracked the defences. If 29...Rc8 30 bxc5 Qxc5 31 Rexd4 wins a piece, and in the game Anand also gained decisive material. V Anand v P Svidler 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 g6 3 Nc3 d5 4 cxd5 Nxd5 5 Bd2 Bg7 6 e4 Nb6 7 Be3 0–0 8 h3 e5 9 Nf3 exd4 10 Bxd4 Bxd4 11 Qxd4 Qe7 12 Qe3 Nc6 13 Bb5 Nb4 14 Rc1 Be6 15 b3 a6 16 Be2 Nc6 17 0–0 f6 18 Rfe1 Rad8 19 Bf1 Bf7 20 Nh2 Be6 21 f4 Nd4 22 f5 Bf7 23 Ng4 gxf5 24 Nh6+ Kh8 25 Qf2 fxe4 26 Rxe4 Qd6 27 Rd1 c5 28 Nxf7+ Rxf7 29 b4 f5 30 bxc5 fxe4 31 Qxf7 Nf3+ 32 Qxf3 1–0 3113 1 Qce3+! If Ka8 2 Qea3, or Ka6 2 Qa4, or Qb6 2 Qfa3. Traps are 1 Qcc5+ Qb6 or 1 Qcd4+? Ka6 or 1 Qfc5+? Ka8. guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2009 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:15:00 GMT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Carlsen beats Ponomariov in round 8 Tal Memorial | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Tal Memorial takes place November 4-18 in Moscow, Russia. The category 21 round-robin has Viswanathan Anand (India, 2788), Levon Aronian (Armenia, 2786), Magnus Carlsen (Norway, 2801), Vladimir Kramnik (Russia, 2772), Peter Leko (Hungary, 2752), Boris Gelfand (Israel, 2758), Vassily Ivanchuk (Ukraine, 2739) Alexander Morozevich (Russia, 2750), Peter Svidler (Russia, 2754) and Ruslan Ponomariov (Ukraine, 2739). The first four rounds of the round-robin are held in hotel “National” on November 5, 6, 7 and 8. Rounds 5-9 take place in the Main Department Store GUM on Red Square. The time control is the classic 40 moves in 2 hours, then 20 moves in 1 hour and then 15 minutes plus 30 seconds increment to finish the game. The rounds begin daily at 15:00 Moscow time which is 13:00 CET. Round 8Top seed Magnus Carlsen seemed fully recovered today and played like a young Mikhail Tal. He “thought it was time to switch opening moves,” as he explained during the post-game press conference (very much done in Corus style, with a demoboard in the press room – you can still watch it here!). “Forgive me my ignorance,” Carlsen continued, “but I didn’t know the move 10…Ne5 at all.” So much for everyone who thought that the very interesting novelty 11.Qe1 was strong preparation by the Carlsen/Kasparov team… Carlsen allowed Ponomariov to take one of his bishops, because he considered the more natural 14.Bf2 d5 to be fine for Black. “And I wanted to line up my knights to take on e6 some day,” he said with a smile. Ponomariov then should have played the normal 15…Be7, when Black in fact threatens 16…e5 and is absolutely fine. “I wouldn’t recommend the way I played with White,” Carlsen admitted. However, the way Ponomariov neglected his development couldn’t be recommended either, and the move 20…d5 was already desperation. Carlsen is still not feeling 100%, but “it helps to win games,” he ended the press conference. The draw in Kramnik-Leko was quite spectacular but unfortunately it was all theory for no less than 26 moves. Immediately after they left an old Yusupov-Sax game, the two liquidated to a queen ending that was about equal, and so it makes you wonder whether the two friends were up to a real fight today. Gelfand might be the oldest participant but he’s in excellent shape and therefore difficult to beat, especially with the black pieces. And so Anand played it safe today, and drew in a Catalan, just like his neigbour in the standings, Ivanchuk. The Ukrainian however had to show some endgame technique to keep a difficult rook ending against Aronian. Instructive material, which was explained very clearly by our live commentator GM Dimitri Reinderman. The game between Morozevich and Svidler had the same result and was even played out till bare kings. On move 19 Morozevich went for a long and forced line that led to a QR-QR ending with five pawns each. In the second phase of the game both players seemed to be playing for a win, which made it a fascinating struggle between the two top GMs from Russia. Because nobody faltered, the point was split in the end. Tomorrow the last round starts at the same time: 13:00 CET. Naturally all eyes will be focused on Ivanchuk-Kramnik, and Anand-Aronian. Our live coverage will be done all the way from Sydney, Australia, by GM Ian Rogers. Free free to tune in! Games round 8 [GM Dimitri Reinderman]Game viewer by ChessTempo Tal Memorial 2009 | Round 8 Standings
Tal Memorial 2009 | Schedule and resultsFollowing an excellent idea of Georg in the comments, we write something about Mikhail Tal every day.
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Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:57:28 +0000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Second Bundesliga weekend | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The top matches of the following weekend will take place in Bremen and Mülheim. The host team Bremen will face on Saturday the team of Eppingen. Both teams are expected to fight for the first places in the Bundesliga. Bremen is one of the few teams who can challenge the German Champion OSG Baden-Baden. In Mülheim the host team will face the team of Solingen, two teams of the upper half of the chart. The German Champion OSG Baden-Baden is playing at home and is odds-on favourite in the matches against the teams of München and Erfurt. All teams involved at the playing venue Bremen agreed to announce their lineups two days in advance. Bremen will play on the first board with Pavel Eljanov from Ukraine, who is ranked number 17 in the world after some outstanding performances in the last months. Her premiere in the Schachbundesliga will celebrate Anna Muzychuk from Slovenia. ![]() GM Anna Muzychuk (2532, Slovenia) She is one of the few female players, and the strongest one, in the highest German chess league. She will play on board eight for SC Eppingen. You can check all lineups and parings of the matches in Bremen by following this link. 3rd round: Saturday, 14th of November 2009, 2 pm Playing venue Baden-Baden (Routing) Playing venue Mülheim (Routing) Playing venue Emsdetten (Routing) 4th round: Sunday, 15th of November 2009, 10 am Playing venue Baden-Baden Playing venue Bremen Playing venue Emsdetten Live coverageAll games of the Schachbundesliga are covered live in the internet. At the particular date of the matches you can get access to the games via the website of the Schachbundesliga. Teams
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| Tal Memorial R7: Ivanchuk beats Gelfand, now shared 2nd with Anand | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Tal Memorial takes place November 4-18 in Moscow, Russia. The category 21 round-robin has Viswanathan Anand (India, 2788), Levon Aronian (Armenia, 2786), Magnus Carlsen (Norway, 2801), Vladimir Kramnik (Russia, 2772), Peter Leko (Hungary, 2752), Boris Gelfand (Israel, 2758), Vassily Ivanchuk (Ukraine, 2739) Alexander Morozevich (Russia, 2750), Peter Svidler (Russia, 2754) and Ruslan Ponomariov (Ukraine, 2739). The first four rounds of the round-robin are held in hotel “National” on November 5, 6, 7 and 8. Rounds 5-9 take place in the Main Department Store GUM on Red Square. The time control is the classic 40 moves in 2 hours, then 20 moves in 1 hour and then 15 minutes plus 30 seconds increment to finish the game. The rounds begin daily at 15:00 Moscow time which is 13:00 CET. Round 7Ivanchuk’s mouth mask isn’t news anymore, but what about his play? Isn’t the Ukrainian playing surprisingly strongly since he’s wearing it? Has his mask been checked by a metal detector? Joking aside, Ivanchuk did play another very good game today and defeated Gelfand to reach a +2 score. Accurate calculation proved that White could take a pawn on a7 without having his bishop really trapped, and so Ivanchuk went for it. A difficult variation pointed out by our GM commentator Wouter Spoelman showed that Gelfand could probably have reached equality, but in the game White kept a slight advantage. A big mistake in the rook ending suddenly led to a lost position for Gelfand. Kramnik’s game started as promising as his first six, but this time his opponent Aronian wasn’t planning to give in. Playing it safe, a short but exciting middlegame led to a drawn endgame. Anand and Morozevich seemed to be steering to a very quick draw out of the opening, but in reality White did have a small edge. With accurate play (18…Ra7, 19…b6 and 20…b5) Black still solved his problems relatively quickly. Ponomariov-Leko and Svidler-Carlsen were two more draws but the latter left the fans and our commentator a bit puzzled. Wasn’t Carlsen’s extra pawn in the final position worth anything? With two rounds to go the Tal Memorial is entering the decisive, and probably very exciting final phase. The unpredictable Ivanchuk has suddenly moved up to shared second place with Anand, just half a point behind the leader, Kramnik. The World Champion first plays Gelfand with Black, and ends with the white pieces against Aronian. Kramnik plays Leko with White tomorrow, Ivanchuk has Aronian with Black. And… the last round has the top encounter Ivanchuk-Kramnik! Tomorrow at 13:00 CET our live coverage of the 8th round starts with GM Dimitri Reinderman. The last round, on Saturday, will be covered all the way from Sydney, Australia, by GM Ian Rogers. Free free to tune in! Games round 7 [GM Wouter Spoelman]Game viewer by ChessTempo Tal Memorial 2009 | Round 7 Standings
Tal Memorial 2009 | Schedule and resultsFollowing an excellent idea of Georg in the comments, we try to write something about Mikhail Tal every day.
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| Schweinegrippe - auch in Moskau? | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Zur fünften Runde erschien Vassily Ivanchuk beim Tal-Memorial in Moskau mit Atemschutz. Ob der Ukrainer sich selber vor Erregern schützen wollte oder aber seine Kollegen vor sich ist nicht völlig klar. In jedem Fall erregte er bei diesen viel Aufmerksamkeit und jede Menge mehr oder weniger offenes Gelächter. Bilder vom best besetzten Turnier der Saison sind ja bisher leider Mangelware, aber der russische Sportkanal hat bei Youtube ein Video von der Runde eingestellt, in dem man die Szene zu sehen bekommt und Ivanchuk im Anschluss seine Motivation erläutert - allerdings auf russisch. Bilder und Video... | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kramnik 2.0 leads in Moscow | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Tal Memorial takes place November 4-18 in Moscow, Russia. The category 21 round-robin has Viswanathan Anand (India, 2788), Levon Aronian (Armenia, 2786), Magnus Carlsen (Norway, 2801), Vladimir Kramnik (Russia, 2772), Peter Leko (Hungary, 2752), Boris Gelfand (Israel, 2758), Vassily Ivanchuk (Ukraine, 2739) Alexander Morozevich (Russia, 2750), Peter Svidler (Russia, 2754) and Ruslan Ponomariov (Ukraine, 2739). The first four rounds of the round-robin are held in hotel “National” on November 5, 6, 7 and 8. Rounds 5-9 take place in the Main Department Store GUM on Red Square. The time control is the classic 40 moves in 2 hours, then 20 moves in 1 hour and then 15 minutes plus 30 seconds increment to finish the game. The rounds begin daily at 15:00 Moscow time which is 13:00 CET. Round 6Like yesterday, Ivanchuk played with a mouth mask today (he didn’t start with it, but put it on later in the game). In the comments of yesterday’s report some visitors wondered why Carlsen himself didn’t wear a mouth mask, instead of Ivanchuk. Meanwhile, we’ve come across the article “Surgical masks versus respirators for flu protection” which involves a recent scientific claim that different types of masks and how they’re worn, may be crucial to their effect.
![]() Ivanchuk with mouth protection | Picture Macauley Peterson Well, whatever Ivanchuk was wearing today, he wasn’t negatively affected by it. He played a strong game with Black against Morozevich; quite an original Sämisch King’s Indian. Usually it’s Black pushing away a knight on g3 with h7-h5-h4, but this time it was White who started pushing his h-pawn. Ivanchuk reacted by chasing away Nc3 and then pressing on White’s centre with …f5 – a classical strategy which culminated in the win of pawn d5 on move 28. Thanks to his strong bishop pair, Ivanchuk didn’t have to hurry in converting his advantage. Gelfand scored his first win of the tournament, basically profiting from just one big mistake by Aronian. The Armenian’s 24th move can be called a blunder at this level since White’s response involved a simple double attack. After winning a pawn, the oldest participant proved that he’s still going strong, giving his opponent no chance to survive. The important fight between Carlsen and Anand, the top seed versus the World Champion, ended in a draw after both sides had had their chances. In an untheoretical, Slav kind of position Anand quickly gave back an extra pawn to be able to finish his development, after which the position was roughly equal. The position became sharper when White started focusing on a kingside attack and Black continued an assault on the queenside. Missing 26.f5, Carlsen’s attack was strong enough for a perpetual, but not more. Leko and Svidler also drew after White’s small advantage evaporated. Perhaps Leko missed a chance on move 27. Kramnik again played by far the longest game of the round, and again the most interesting game as well. How great is the chess he’s been playing so far! The former World Champion seems reborn – is it too early to speak of the New Kramnik? For the moment we’ll keep it at “Kramnik 2.0″. But it takes two to tango; Ponomariov defended resourcefully against White’s activity and kept on looking for ways to profit from his opponent’s king that was stuck in the centre. An extremely sharp middle game was followed by a new phase after the time control, when like yesterday, Kramnik had reached a favourable ending. This time he was an exchange up, but Black should have been able to draw it somewhere. However, as so often the defender had a harder task and Ponomariov missed the chance to reach a theoretical draw. Instead, a famous ending arose which every Dutch chess player knows from the game Timman-Velimirovic, Interzonal 1979. These days the tablebase tells the verdict immediately, and as it turned out Kramnik had a more favourable version than Timman thirty years ago. The Zugzwang win at the end explains the whole ending in one move. ![]() The final phase of the Kramnik-Ponomariov game... ![]() ...Ponomariov making the move 80...Bg3... ![]() ...Kramnik plays 81.Re4, bringing the fatal Zugzwang on the board... ![]() ...after which Ponomariov resigned, after more than 6.5 hours of play. Today’s live commentary was done by GM Dimitri Reinderman – his insightful comments can be replayed in the viewer below. With three rounds to go, Kramnik is in sole lead again, with 4.5/6, followed by Anand on clear second place with half a point less. Morozevich, Svidler and Leko are all on -2. Games round 6 [GM Dimitri Reinderman]Game viewer by ChessTempo Tal Memorial 2009 | Round 6 Standings
Tal Memorial 2009 | Schedule and resultsFollowing an excellent idea of Georg in the comments, we try to write something about Mikhail Tal every day. Today we decided to include a few videos posted on YouTube. In the first not only Tal, but also Petrosian and Smyslov can be seen, in 1959 in Beograd. A year later Tal won the World Championship (second video). Links | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Tal Memorial R5: Anand beats Leko, leads with Kramnik | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Tal Memorial takes place November 4-18 in Moscow, Russia. The category 21 round-robin has Viswanathan Anand (India, 2788), Levon Aronian (Armenia, 2786), Magnus Carlsen (Norway, 2801), Vladimir Kramnik (Russia, 2772), Peter Leko (Hungary, 2752), Boris Gelfand (Israel, 2758), Vassily Ivanchuk (Ukraine, 2739) Alexander Morozevich (Russia, 2750), Peter Svidler (Russia, 2754) and Ruslan Ponomariov (Ukraine, 2739).
Round 5Yesterday was the only rest day at the Tal Memorial and in fact it was Mikhail Tal’s birthday: November 9th, the same date as the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. For today’s round the players changed venues from Hotel National to Main Department Store GUM on Red Square which might have been a bit tricky as far as the internet connection was concerned, but luckily it didn’t have any effect on the tournament’s official live broadcast. ![]() Main Department Store or GUM, a modern namer for the main department store in many cities of the Soviet Union, known as State Department Store in the Soviet times. This one is actually a shopping mall. Prior to the 1920s the place was known as the Upper Trading Rows. | Photo: Josef F. Stuefer In the chat screen of our own live broadcast, already before the round had started someone asked about the condition of Magnus Carlsen. The Norwegian had “flu like symptoms”, as we were told by a member of their team, then Chessbase reported it was a “throat infection” and then we read Magnus describing it himself as “a sore throat and also fever”. But that was November 8th, when he was “already feeling better”. Anyway, Ivanchuk didn’t want to take any risks, and came to the board with his mouth protected. Blogging for the |