USA's Top Daily Chess News Blog, Informative, Fun, and Positive
hosted by Chess Queen™ & 12th Women's World Chess Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Chess Queen Kosteniuk is the Chess Cover Story in Echo Magazine in Switzerland
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013
Hi everyone,
Here's some cool chess news about Chess Queen™ Alexandra Kosteniuk: While she was playing in the Geneva Grand Prix last week (see her report for the moment in Russian and in English thanks to Google Translate), the French-Swiss magazine Echo came out with an article about chess, and the 12th Women's World Chess Champion was on the cover! Read all about it at ChessQueen.com - GM Alexandra Kosteniuk's personal chess blog.
Danzhou Chess GM Tournament: Ni Hua in Sole Lead with Perfect Score
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013
Hi everyone,
The 4th Danzhou Grand Master Chess Tournament is taking place in Danzhou, Hainan, from 20 May to 29 May 2013. Ten Chinese Grandmasters compete in the round robin tournament. Ni Hua is leading the field as the only player that maintained a perfect score after three rounds. Two of these victories were achieved with the black pieces.
The first victim of the fourth seeded player was Xiu Deshun. A very long and hard-fought battle finished with Ni Hua getting the faster passed pawns on the queenside.
In the second round the leader had to face the Dutch put up by Lu Shanglei. After a series of simplifications the players went into a queens and rooks endgame where white’s initiative was enough to get ahead. Shanglei resigned on move 41 when he is about to lose his rook. Young GM Wei Yi was the last one to fall. He played white and agreed to get in a sharp Ruy Lopez. A tactical sequence around move 22 left him a piece down and he decided to resign instead of suffering any longer. Rating favorites Bu Xiangzhi and Ding Liren are sharing second place with 2.5/3. (Chessdom.com)
Thessaloniki Chess Grand Prix 2013 Round 1: Svidler, Kamsky, Kasimdzhanov Win
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013 Hi everyone,
The first round of the fourth stage of FIDE Grand Prix tournament in Thessaloniki got under way on 22nd May, with the Greek-Russian businessman Ivan Savvidis, main sponsor of the event, making the first symbolic move in the game Kamsky - Dominguez. After playing 1.e2-e4, Savvidis told Kamsky "now you have no right to lose this game". The American champion lived up to the expectations and went on to defeat Leinier Dominguez. To complete the fortunate day for Mr Savvidis, his club PAOK Saloniki beat Asteras Tripolis 2-1 in the Greek Football Super-Liga play-off. Peter Svidler and Rustam Kasimdzhanov also started with victories, while the other three games were drawn. Results, pairings, standings and photo gallery are updated. Ponomariov - Caruana 1/2-1/2 The first game to finish was the match between Ruslan Ponomariov and Fabiano Caruana. The players opened with Ruy Lopez and Caruana pointed that 9...Na5 was in important move to hold the setup. Ponomariov noted that none of the pieces or pawns were exchanged before move 16. Caruana then released tension in center and moved his Knight to f4 because there was no other way to defend the e5-pawn. Within the next dozen of moves a large number of pieces were exchanged. After the Queens also went off, a draw was signed according to Sofia rules. Ponomariov was happy with the result as "it is important to properly adjust to the new setting, and the new tournament." He also added that he is playing similar setups with black, he is familiar with many opening ideas, and that is why he took some time to find the most appropriate plan. He played all the logical moves, but black also played well and the draw is a fair result. Caruana reminded that most of the players competing in Thessaloniki also played last month in Zug Grand Prix and that he has the feeling "of playing the same tournament again". Ponomariov finally said that he is happy that the tournament is receiving a lot of attention from media and local chess fans. Svidler - Bacrot 1-0 Peter Svidler was the first to score a victory in Thessaloniki. His game with Etienne Bacrot started as Semi-Tarrasch and for awhile it looked like black is doing fine. But later he started to err and Svidler used the opportunity to invade the seventh rank with the rooks. Replay the full game with Chess King. Svidler feels greater pressure in Thessaloniki than he had in Norway Chess tournament because this event is a part of the World Championship cycle. He's been playing continuously in many tournaments, but after the Thessaloniki Grand Prix he will probably take a break until the World Cup in Tromso. He added that he might do live commentary for the Tal Chess Memorial. Bacrot said he had some time to work on the openings, but he still didn't get into the proper competitive shape. He hopes to play better as the tournament progresses.
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013
Hi everyone,
Here is a super chess video on children and chess. It covers the Chess for Change programme in South Africa, children playing chess in the Bronx area in the US and more. Playing chess an-hour a-day is great for children. Sit back and enjoy the video.
World Junior Chess 2013 in Turkey from September 12
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013
Hi everyone,
The World Junior U20 Chess Championship 2013 will take place in Hatay, Türkiye, from 12th September (Arrival) to 27th September (Departure) 2013. Categories for Boys (Open) & Girls under 20 All national chess federations can send entries. Each National Federation can enter one (1) player born on or after 1st January 1993 in each of the boys (open) and girl categories, a maximum of two (2) invited players. Players with a personal right, according to FIDE rules, will also be accepted as invited players; Subject to age, entitled to participate are: a. The top 3 players of the previous edition. b. The Continental Junior Champions of the year preceding this edition. c. The top 6 (4 for Girls) Junior U20 players from the FIDE Rating List as of January 1st of the current year. d. World Youth U18 and U16 champions of the year preceding this edition. Additional (extra) players can also be registered. In order to ensure proper tournament standards, all invited players and all additional (extra) players must submit their registrations through their national federations until 12th July 2013 (registration deadline).
In accordance with Fide regulations an entry fee of 70 € (euros) is required for each invited player. This amount must be sent directly to Fide by their National Federation before the event. In accordance with Fide regulations an entry fee of 140 € (euros) is required for each additional (extra) player. This amount must also be sent directly to Fide by their National Federation before the event. For full details read this Fide notification about the World Junior Chess Championship 2013.
Fide Chess Grand Prix (Fourth Stage) Begins in Thessaliniki; Watch Live
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013
Hi everyone,
The opening ceremony of the 4th stage of FIDE Grand Prix Series 2012-2013 took place in the Amphitryon hall of Makedonia Palace Hotel in Thessaloniki (Greece) on the 21st of May.
The players and guests were greeted by the Tournament Director Theodoros Tsorbatsoglou, President of the Greek Chess Federation Georgios Makropoulos, General Secretary of Sports Kiriaki Gianakidou, Minister of Macedonia & Thrace Theodoros G. Karaoglou, Governor of the Region of Central Macedonia Apostolos Tzitzikostas, and FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov.
Chief Arbiter Takis Nikolopoulos then proceeded with drawing of lots. He called up the players to come to the table and pick of the rooks in the shape of White Tower, the famous landmark of Thessaloniki.
Veselin Topalov approached first and picked number 1. Next was Alexander Grischuk who chose number 12 and immediately the first match-up was known.
Also attending the opening ceremony were MP of the Greek Parliament and former Minister of Health Andreas Loverdos, FIDE Vice-President Ali Nihat Yazici, Head of the Appeals Committee Zurab Azmaiparashvili, AGON Chief Andrew Paulson, FIDE CEO Geoffrey Borg, consuls of USA and Bulgaria, and other distinguished guests.
The technical meeting for players, arbiters and organizers took place at 20:30. The players were briefed about the playing room and facilities and about the most important regulations - time control with increment only after move 60, no draw offers, zero tolerance rule, dress code.
Participants include three former World Champions Ruslan Ponomariov (Ukraine), Veselin Topalov (Bulgaria), Rustam Kasimdzhanov (Uzbekistan). GM Teimour Radjabov has withdrawn from the Thessaloniki Grand Prix for personal reasons and has been replaced by GM Etienne Bacrot from France.
Official commentators are GM Ioannis Papaioannou and GM Stelios Halkias.
Time control: 120 minutes for the first 40 moves, 60 minutes for the next 20 moves and then each player will be allotted 15 minutes after the second time control and an increment of 30 seconds per move will be allowed from move 61 onwards.
The Grand Prix Series consists of six tournaments to be held over two years (2012-2013). The 18 top players participate in 4 of these 6 tournaments. The winner and second placed player overall of the Grand Prix Series will qualify for the Candidates Tournament to be held in March 2014. Watch live at official website of the Chess Grand Prix.
One-Million-Rouble Chess Match: Sergey Karjakin vs Chess Robot ChessKa
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013 Hi everyone,
Human versus Chess Robot: This is as big as it gets! One of the strongest chess players in the world Sergey Karjakin will take on chess robot ChessKa for a prize-money of one million rubles.
The Blitz Chess Championships 2013 for Chess Playing Robots and a unique match between Russian Grandmaster Sergey Karjakin and chess robot ChessKa (aka Chess Terminator) will be held during 'Metalworking 2013' at the Exhibition Center in Moscow from May 27-27. Karjakin stands to win one million roubles if he beats the 'machine'.
Considering Mr ChessKa would not be getting tired so, in addition, kids from ages 6 to 10 in three age categories will also play with the robot. The providers of the event invite all young chess enthusiasts to compete with the robot and receive prizes. To apply for competition entry: chessrobot@yandex.ru.
Date
Event
May 27th, 2013
12.00 - 16.00
Children against robots
Blitz-tournament with robot for
children from 6 to 10 years old. Ceremonial awarding.
May 28th, 2013
12.00 - 16.00
Children against robots
Blitz-tournament with robot for
children from 6 to 10 years old. Ceremonial awarding.
May 29th, 2013
12.00 - 16.00
Children against robots
Blitz-tournament with robot for
children from 6 to 10 years old. Ceremonial awarding.
May 30th, 2013
12.00
World Chess Blitz Championship of
Chess Playing Robots 2013
May 31st, 2013
11.00 - 15.00
Millennium Chess Challenge
The match between the International
Grandmaster Sergey Karjakin and the
robot.
The commentator of the match is
Grandmaster Sergey Shipov.
Prize Fund is 1 million rubles.
General sponsor – the Group of companies DAMATE, www.acdamate.com with the support of the nonprofit organization Fund for support of the chess art www.chessdvor.ru.
World as a Chess Board: Maurice Ashley (Chess Video)
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013
Hi everyone,
Maurice Ashley sees the world as a chessboard. As a chess grandmaster, he enjoys competition, thinking and acting under pressure, and has found that the ancient game of chess lends itself to life strategies as well. Enjoy the short video speech on chess by the first Afro-American Grandmaster.
Lothar Schmid, who has died aged 85, was a German chess Grandmaster and a bibliophile said to possess the world’s most extensive private library of literature about the game.
Schmid earned his living helping his brothers to run the family’s publishing house, and as a player never reached the pinnacle; but his collection of books ran to many thousands of volumes, and included some great rarities.
He owned, for example, one of only 10 surviving copies of the first printed book about chess, Luis Lucena’s Repetition of Love and the Art of Playing Chess (Repetición de Amores y Arte de Ajedrez), published in Salamanca in 1497.
He also possessed all eight editions of Questo libro e da imparare giocare a scachi, published in Rome in 1512 by the Portuguese apothecary Pedro Damiano (1470-1544). The first bestselling chess manual of the modern game (it ran to eight editions in 50 years), it offered advice on how to play and introduced readers to the “smothered mate” (in which checkmate is delivered by a knight when the opposing king is unable to move because he is completely hemmed in by his own pieces). Damiano suggested that chess was invented by Xerxes the Great, King of Persia from 519 to 465 BC.
In 1562 the book was translated into English by James Rowbothum under the title The Pleasaunt and Wittie Playe of the Cheasts Renewed with Instructions Both to Learne It Easely, and to Play It Well.
Chess, Rowbothum declared, would help statesmen to understand “the graue and waightye affaires of Princes” and provide recreation for the mind; players would develop “a certaine studye, pollicie, wit, forcast, memorie, with other properties, to make men circumspect not onelye in playing this game, but also comparing it to a publick gouernement, or more properly a battel”.
Schmid was also well-known as the chief arbiter at several world championship matches, including the notorious clash at Reykjavik in 1972 between the American Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky, from the Soviet Union — an event which turned into a microcosm of the Cold War.
Fischer (who would eventually emerge the winner by 12½-8½) raged that the light was too bright; that he was being put off by the spectators and television cameras; even that the noses on the knights were too long. Meanwhile, the Soviets claimed that Fischer was being aided by experts communicating with him via a minute radio transmitter, and at one point they sent a sample of Spassky’s orange juice to Moscow to be tested for poison.
It is said that the match would have been even more stormy had it not been for Schmid’s skilful diplomatic interventions.
After Spassky had won the first game, Fischer refused to contest the second, and Schmid declared that Spassky had won by a forfeit. Fischer then threatened to walk out of the match altogether.
After the American had relented, Schmid still had his work cut out to get both players to the board. “I felt there was only one chance to get them together,” he later recalled. “They were two grown-up boys, and I was the older one. I took them both and pressed them by the shoulders down into their chairs and I said: 'Play chess now!’”
Schmid was again the arbiter when Fischer and Spassky played their so-called “Revenge Match” in Sveti Stefan in 1992. He also oversaw the world championship matches between Anatoly Karpov and Viktor Korchnoi in the Philippines in 1978, and between Karpov and Garry Kasparov in 1986 in London and Leningrad.
Lothar Maximilian Lorenz Schmid was born on May 10 1928 at Radebeul, near Dresden. His family co-owned the Karl May Press, which published the adventure novels of the German author Karl May (1842-1912), many of which were set in the American Wild West.
Aged 15, Lothar won the Dresden chess championship, and in 1948 he tied for fourth place in the German national championship in Essen; the following year he came third. In 1951 he achieved International Master status, and he became a Grandmaster in 1959.
Schmid played for West Germany at 11 Chess Olympiads, winning four individual silver medals (1950, 1952, 1968 and 1970) and two team bronze medals (1950 and 1964).
But his finest achievement as a player was probably in the tournament at Bamberg, in Bavaria, in 1968, when he shared second place with the reigning world champion Tigran Petrosian behind the Estonian Paul Keres.
He was also a top-class correspondence player, winning the first German Correspondence Championship (1950–52) and the first Eduard Dyckhoff Memorial (1954–56). In the World Correspondence Championship of 1956–59 he finished equal second .
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013
Hi everyone,
The European Chess Club Cup 2013 will take place on 19-27 October, 2013, in the conference center of the 5-star Rodos Palace Convention Resort which is regarded as one of the finest deluxe hotels on the Island of Rhodes. Rodos Palace offers luxurious accommodation, exquisite dining facilities and numerous recreational amenities, on a superb location just 2.5 km from the Medieval City of Rhodes! From each National Club Championship in European countries, one (1) to four (4) clubs qualify to the European Club Cup, depending on the strength of each national event. The European Club Cup will be held in 7 rounds for both categories (open/men teams with 6 boards and women teams with 4 boards), played with the Swiss system. The time control will be 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. Players may only agree to a draw after the 40th move has been made by black. According to FIDE regulations, the European Club Cup offers the possibility for players to achieve GM, IM, WGM and WIM norms based on 7 games.
Rodos Palace
The winners of the European Club Cup (currently SOCAR Azerbaijan) and the European Women’s Club Cup (currently Cercle d’Echecs de Monte Carlo) qualify directly to next year’s European Club Cup.
The total amount of 51,000 EUR, provided by travel agency AT Holidays, will be awarded to the winners of the European Club Cup, in both team and individual rewards! The prize distribution is described below in the official regulations of the event. Do not forget to consider the event’s sponsor AT Holidays when planning your next trip to Greece.
Special prices @ official hotel, the 5-star Rodos Palace
***** 53 euros per person per day in a double room, including breakfast, lunch and dinner (full board).
***** 78 euros per person per day in a single room, including breakfast, lunch and dinner (full board).
All registrations and bookings in Rodos Palace will be made through the Organising Committee and AT Holidays. The deadline for club registrations and bookings is 19 August 2013.
How to reach the Island of Rhodes The international airport of Rhodes (IATA code: RHO) is connected daily with many European capitals. The major airlines serving Rhodes are Olympic Airways and Aegean Airways. The sea port of Rhodes is also connected via ferry boats with Athens (Piraeus) and the nearby Turkish sea ports of Marmaris, Bodrum and Fethiye.
The Organising Committee will provide bus transfer from the airport and the port to Rodos Palace Hotel on the days of arrival and departure, in accordance with the official regulations.
Norway Chess 2013: Congratulations to Sergey Karjakin for Clear First at Super-Strong Tournament
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013
Hi everyone,
In an exciting finish to the Norway Chess Super Tournament 2013, Sergey Karjakin drew his last-round game with Veselin Topalov to win the tournament this Saturday. The Russian grandmaster was the only player to finish on 6/9. Magnus Carlsen drew his black game with Levon Aronian to finish shared second along with Hikaru Nakamura (who beat Jon Ludvig Hammer). Bringing back painful memories from the Wijk aan Zee event in January this year, Wang Hao defeated Vishy Anand in the last round. More updates to follow.
Follow Chess Queen Kosteniuk Hotel Reviews, Get Top Travel Tips
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013 Hi everyone,
One of the greatest advantages of being a chess professional is to be able to travel across the world and visit places one might not during a regular holiday.
Chess Queen™ Alexandra Kosteniuk is as passionate about her travel plans as her chess. She's finally decided to share her unique and special travelling experiences with her fans and has accepted an offer from the Russian web-site – TravelTipz.ru to write regular reviews about the hotels where she stays.
"I stay, the restaurants which I discover and different activities I take part in during my trips. I will share my reviews on my site, Twitter and Facebook. My first review is about the huge hotel Gaylord Opryland in Nashville, coming up soon! I hope you will like it and it may be useful to you!"
"Flying from one country to another, I make at least 10 trans-Atlantic flights a year. Most of my trips are associated with chess tournaments and in recent times I have noticed that the hotels, replaced one by one, pass by me as a string of identical images. That is why I am so glad to accept the proposal by traveltipz.ru to talk about my trips. I am sure now I will be more careful to consider those hotels where I stay, and then to share the observations on the pages of this site. Map of my travels usually reflects the chess events' calendar and this calendar does not always coincide with the usual tourist routes. But, nevertheless, I can assure you that the world through the eyes of a chess traveller is not just black and white, but a collage of striking and unusual experiences."
Have fun travelling with the 12th Women's World Chess Champion on her chess adventures!
Irene Kharisma Sukandar wins Alexander The Great Chess Open
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013
Hi everyone,
Latest chess news via Fide: WGM Irene Kharisma Sukandar from Indonesia took a clear first place in Alexander The Great Open by concluding the event with 6,0/7 points. Despite challenging the field with 2 GMs and 6 IMs, her result was rather convincing as she started with four consecutive wins and remained in sole lead until the end of the tournament.
Sukandar also added 25 elo points and raised her rating to 2395, only five points shy from the title of International Master. She already has six(!) IM norms.
IM Boris Itkis took the trophy for the third place thanks to the superior tie-break.
Top placed women are WIM Sandra Djukic, WIM Ljilja Drljevic (both from Serbia) and IM Masha Klinova (Israel).
Irene Kharisma Sukandar commented that she didn’t expect to win this tournament and just hoped to play a couple of good games, “I didn’t come here with the focus on the Open, I am here to accompany my sister who is playing in the World School Championship. But I did pretty well and I hope that my sister can follow in the footsteps.”
“After this tournament I will compete in six-player double round robin in Keckemet, Hungary. It will be a tough challenge as there are four Grandmaster participating. I just hope I can get another five elo points in that tournament,” (smiling).
Norway Chess Super Tournament 2013 Round 7: Sergey Karjakin in Lead
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013 Hi everyone, Round 7 of Norway Chess was another spectacular round, but this time even the venue itself was part of the spectacle. The players were transported by boat to Flor & Fjære, an incredible park at a small island just north of Stavanger, where the audience, press and the players themselves were offered the grand tour and a lovely meal in the restaurant. In the playing hall Svidler and Topalov tried for a world record in exchanging off all the pieces quickly, only to arrive in a pawn ending where the Russian soon squandered his small advantage and a draw was agreed. Wang Hao vs Aronian also drew, without too much ado. Meanwhile, Radjabov butchered his Catalan in surprisingly few moves, and Anand safely converted his advantage. Among the two guys in front, Carlsen seemed to struggle, only to see Hammer fall apart when his opponent got short on time. Hence, Carlsen extended his win streak to 3 games. The tournament leader Karjakin was back on track, deconstructing Nakamura’s Sicilian Najdorf rather convincingly, showing some good technique to clinch the full point in the end. Here is the full report by Hans Arild Runde via the official website.
The view for the players
The first game to finish was Svidler vs Topalov, another Sicilian Moscow variation with 3… Nd7. By move 17 all the pieces except a rook, a knight and a bishop for each side were gone, and by move 23 the players already were in a pawn ending! On the queenside Svidler’s a, b and c-pawns faced two split pawns on a6 and c6, while Topalov had a 4 vs 3 majority on the kingside, with all pawns in their starting positions, except the black pawn on e6. If Svidler would’ve played the very natural 24. b4 immediately, Topalov seemingly would’ve had to tread a bit carefully not to become worse, although the pawn ending looks drawn with accurate play. However, after 24. f4?! c5 25. b4 a5 26. b5 f5! black could easily close the kingside, leaving the white king no possible entry into the black position. This rendered the white protected passer in the b-file quite irrelevant, and a draw was soon agreed. Radjabov seemingly wanted to get out of the most popular lines in his open Catalan against Anand, playing an early 6. Qa4+ and 7. Qxc4 instead of castling. I’m not certain regarding the relative merits of 8. 0-0 and 8. cxd5, but in my database white does better with the latter and Radjabov went with the former. Both are probably playable. However, after 9. Nc3 Rc8 10. Be3?! white’s position already looks unpleasant after the response 10… b5! played by Anand. After 15 moves the world champion was clearly better, and when he landed his knight on a4 on move 20, white looked locked up and pretty much unable to carry out any active plans. Anand simply increased the pressure, bearing down on white’s cramped pieces, causing immediate crisis when the d-file was forced open on move 25. Black finished things off with some nice tactics when the game was long since lost for Radjabov. Wang Hao vs Aronian was a rather slow, maneuvering Reti, with only a pair of pawns coming off in the first 17 moves. Aronian’s 17… Qc7?! possibly was a minor inaccuracy, after which a more or less forced series of exchanges left the Chinese with a pleasant position with more space and the bishop pair after 22 moves. The line 23. Rac1 e5 24. Rfd1 Ne6 25. Bb6! would’ve resulted in a slightly cramped position and some problems to solve for Aronian. Instead white’s continuation 23. f4!? e5 24. fxe5 fxe5 25. b3 Ne6 seemingly allowed black to break free. After this lost opportunity for Wang Hao, the game quickly fizzled and a repetition was initiated on move 34. In the all Norwegian battle of the day, Carlsen chose a careful setup against Hammer’s open Catalan. The players completed their development and reached a fairly balanced middle game. Here Carlsen started to spend a lot of time, apparently struggling to find a good way to play for advantage. Eventually he chose to release the tension in the center by pushing c6-c5, challenging white’s d4-pawn. As early as move 24, black’s time management was slightly worrying for the Carlsen fans, and after 25. Nd4 Hammer’s position looked very comfortable, with nearly 30 minutes on the clock compared to Carlsen’s 3-4 minutes. Whether it was the unusual time situation or something else, Hammer somehow seemed to lose touch with the position at that time, and with 27. Nb5? he made a grave, positional error, offering black a clear advantage. Possibly he missed Carlsen’s 28… Nf6! and from here it quickly went downhill for Norway’s number two. Low on time black may have missed the cleanest execution on a couple occasions, but after move 35 Hammer’s position was hopeless, and when he resigned on move 41, black’s a4-pawn was simply unstoppable. The last game of the round was leading Karjakin’s fist fight with Nakamura in a Sicilian Najdorf. Karjakin chose the slightly unusual 7. Qe2 after which Nakamura chose to fianchetto his dark squared bishop – a nearly equally rare choice here. These two half-moves brought the game well out of common territory, and after the US number one’s 9… Qa5 we had a position not debated at the elite level before. Black castled short on move 14, with a slightly weakened pawn shelter due to having played 10… h6. Karjakin’s 18. h4 and 19. h5 looked dangerous for black, although Nakamura may still be fine. The first mistake probably was 22… fxg6?! when 22… Rxc3! 23. Qg4 (23. gxf7+ Rxf7 24. Qf2 Rc6) Qxg6 24. Qxg6+ fxg6 25. Rxd6 Rf7 26. Rg1 Nf8 looks sufficient for black. In the game 23. Rxd6 Ne5? was a big blunder that Karjakin could’ve punished even more directly: 24. Qd1! Nc4 25. e5 Qe7 26. Qg4 Kf7 27. Nd4! won material immediately due to the naked black king. 27… Nxd6? 28. exd6 is lost for black. However, Karjakin kept a big advantage also with 24. Qh1, due to black’s exposed king and weak 7th row. Nakamura’s attempt to defend on the 7th with 28… Rc7?! was busted when white uncorked 29. Nc5! after which black had to give up the queen for rook and knight after 29… Rxc5 30. Rd7 Rc7 31. Rxf7 Kxf7. By this time the position was winning for white, but after a pair of rooks came off on move 35, white had to display some fine technique to demonstrate the win with queen and pawns against rook, knight and pawns, partly due to the nicely placed c4-knight and the slightly awkward white king. This proved no problem for a strong technical player like Karjakin, though, and Nakamura eventually had to resign on move 59. Hence, after 7 rounds nothing much has changed at the top of the table. Karjakin is still leading half a point ahead of Carlsen, but the gap down from 2nd to Aronian and world champion Anand in shared 3rd has increased to a full point. By now it’s hard to picture any other winner of the event than Karjakin or Carlsen, with their opposition being more or less equally tough in the last two rounds. In shared 5th position we find Nakamura and Svidler, both currently at 50%, while Topalov in 7th at -1 still is hunting his first victory in Norway Chess. Wang Hao and Radjabov share 8th with 2,5 points, while Hammer still struggles in 10th with 1,5 points. Being up against the world champion with black in the next round, it’s certainly a challenge to improve on his current position! From Alexandra Kosteniuk's www.chessblog.com Also see her personal blog at www.chessqueen.com Don't miss Chess Queen™ YouTube Channel
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013
Hi everyone,
FIDE has announced the fourth stage of the Fide Chess Grand Prix Series to be held in Thessaloniki (Greece) between the 21st of May and 4th of June 2013. The 5-star Makedonia Palace Hotel and its owner, international business investor and philanthropist Ivan Savvidis, are Fide's sponsors for the 12-player Grand Prix Chess Tournament. The event is supported by well-known philanthropist Ivan Savvidi who wanted to bring an elite chess event to Greece.
"As Fide has its principal secretariat in Athens, we are quite happy to have such an elite event in Greece. Additionally, the Greek Chess Federation is one of the most experienced and organized chess Federations in the world and their involvement in the organization of the event will be critical to its success,” said Fide president President Kirsan Iljumzhinov.
The opening ceremony will take place at the Makedonia Palace Hotel at Thessaloniki at 6.30 p.m. on 21st of May. The games start at 14:00h local time except the last round. The prize fund to be shared by the players in Thessaloniki is 170,000 EUR, while the organizer provides further 70,000 EUR to the accumulated prize fund for the overall Grand Prix series standings.
Participants include three former World Champions - Ruslan Ponomariov (Ukraine), Veselin Topalov (Bulgaria), Rustam Kasimdzhanov (Uzbekistan). GM Teimur Radjabov has withdrawn from the Thessaloniki Grand Prix for personal reasons and has been replaced by GM Etienne Bacrot from France. Official commentators are GM Ioannis Papaioannou and GM Stelios Halkias.
Time control: 120 minutes for the first 40 moves, 60 minutes for the next 20 moves and then each player will be allotted 15 minutes after the second time control and an increment of 30 seconds per move will be allowed from move 61 onwards.
The Grand Prix Series consists of six tournaments to be held over two years (2012-2013). 18 top players participate in 4 of these 6 tournaments. The winner and second placed player overall of the Grand Prix Series will qualify for the Candidates Tournament to be held in March 2014.
Julio Granda Wins American Continental Chess Championship 2013
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013 Hi everyone, Peruvian GM Julio Granda won the American Continental Championship for second year in a row. He won his last round game to finish clear first at the event that took place on 6th – 15th May in Cochabamba, Bolivia, according to a Chessdom report.
Granda obtained 9.5 out of 11 points and finished a whole point ahead of his nearest follower, Cuban GM Isán Ortiz, who achieved 8.5 points. With 8 points, Argentine GM Diego Flores took clear third place. The big surprise of the event was given by the young Peruvian siblings GM Jorge Cori and WGM Daysi Cori, as they both got important victories in the last round to qualify to the upcoming World Cup.
GM Julio Granda Zuniga
The final round was filled with suspense, given that the players were fighting to get one of the four qualifying spots. Given that Granda already qualified last year with his first place in Mar del Plata, the biggest struggle was seen on boards.
Two main favorites, Cuban Lázaro Bruzón and Venezuelan Eduardo Iturrizaga, faced the young Peruvian siblings, Jorge and Deysi Cori. The strong Caribbean GMs knew that a win would get them in the desired spots, so they pushed hard to get it. Evidently, the Coris were more relaxed and handled the situation correctly; this attitude helped them get historic victories for their chess careers.
It is worth mentioning the fact that Argentine champion Diego Flores got a revenge from the last edition, when he was left out of the World Cup on tiebreaks.
Checkmate Cancer in Harford County on Saturday to Benefit Childhood Cancer Survivor Thomas Saacks
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013 Hi everyone,
Harford County residents are being asked to support two worthy fundraisers to benefit two families of sick children. The fundraisers are to benefit the family of a 9-year-old boy, who's been battling cancer, and the other to benefit the family whose 4 1/2-year-old son died a few weeks ago.
Saturday's Checkmate Cancer chess tournament will not only serve as a fundraiser for the Saacks family, but also will celebrate Thomas Saacks being in remission from liver cancer. It begins at 9 a.m. Saturday. Visit http://www.checkmatecancer.com, or the "Checkmate Cancer" community on Facebook for more information.
Sunday's Walk for Bear at Jerusalem Mill in Joppa will benefit the family of Jacob "Bear" Brzozowski, who died April 16 from a swelling in his brain. It's still unclear what caused it. The walk and tribute is from 10 a.m. to noon. Visit http://www.bearlegacy.net for more information.
Avid chess player
Thomas' mother, Sara Saacks, of Havre de Grace, said her family learned May 9 that Thomas, who is in third grade Meadowvale Elementary School, is in remission.
He was diagnosed with cancer after a rhabdoid tumor was found on his liver on Dec. 5, 2012, seven days before his 9th birthday. Thomas – who has been a member of Meadowvale's chess club for several years – endured surgery to remove the entire tumor, along with his gallbladder and part of his liver, his mother said.
The surgery was followed by six 21-day cycles of chemotherapy. All treatment was through Johns Hopkins' Pediatric Oncology division in Baltimore. Saacks said the experience was "very stressful."
"[It was] very stressful and just very hard on him," she said of her son. "The treatments were hard on him . . . but we are celebrating now that it's gone."
Saacks said Thomas joined the chess club while looking for an after-school activity, and blossomed into a player under the tutelage of Joe Schatz, a Meadowvale parent, who also lives in Havre de Grace, and heads up the club at the elementary school and at Havre de Grace Middle School.
Schatz is among the members of the Havre de Grace community organizing Saturday's Checkmate Cancer tournament, which will be held in Saint Patrick Hall at 650 Pennington Ave. in Havre de Grace.
He worked with the Church of Saint Patrick – which operates the hall, and where the Saacks are parishioners – the Emmorton Rec Council, many local businesses and more to put the event on to raise funds to help the Saacks family defray medical costs.
Many businesses have donated gifts to be given out as prizes.
Schatz said the Meadowvale club typically holds a tournament at the end of the year.
"We thought, 'Why not make that tournament bigger and have it as just a benefit for Thomas and his family?'" he said.
Schatz said 45 players have pre-registered and the tournament is set up to accommodate 100 to 120 players. Pre-registration is closed, but interested players can register between 8 and 8:45 a.m. Saturday. For $10, players can take part in four rounds in a "Swiss System"-style tournament.
Saacks said Thomas has returned to school and will be playing in Saturday's tournament, along with his father, Nick. She and Thomas' 6-year-old sister, Rachel, will be spectators.
She said her son was able to continue to play chess while in treatment, by using the SocialChess app for the iPad.
Saacks said the electronic chess "helped him be connected to" friends and classmates. "It was a great way for him to still have that interaction," she said.
Saacks said her son's teacher was "relentless in ensuring Thomas stayed connected to his classmates and school." "The teacher, assistant principal and principal, the school and entire system (HCPS) have gone above and beyond requirements and even expectations to not only support Thomas, but also to keep him connected to the classroom academically and socially," she wrote in an e-mail.
Mountain of bills "Bear," who attended pre-school at the Bel Air Athletic Club, suffered from unexpected seizures and was in the University of Maryland Medical Center for 10 days before he died. During his stay, he underwent a litany of tests to determine the cause of the swelling, but as of earlier this week, none had been found.
His parents, Patrick and Stacy Brzozowski, have a mountain of bills, including funeral bills, and Sunday's walk is not only a fundraiser for the family, but also a way to pay to tribute to a 4-year-old who touched many lives, one of the organizers said.
"We wanted to do a walk as a fundraiser for Bear to celebrate his love of the outdoors. Stacy and their family embrace living life to the fullest. Bear touched so many lives and he had such a sparkle and contagious energy. Bear deserves to be remembered and celebrated in a way that brings families and nature together. We hope that everyone joins us on Sunday to help show our and support for the family," Cathy Frattali, whose son went to pre-school with Bear, said.
Tickets for Sunday's fundraiser will be sold at the entrance to Jerusalem Mill; they are $20 per person, $30 per couple and $40 per family. Door prizes will also be awarded and friends and family are encouraged to pack a lunch to have a picnic in the park in memory of Bear.
European Chess Championship 2013: Alexander Moiseenko First on Tiebreaks
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013
Hi everyone,
The European Individual Chess Championship 2013 was held in Legnica, Poland from May 4 (day of arrival) until May 17 (day of departure) 2013. It took place at the Qubus Hotel 4*. No less than 286 players registered to participate, even though some left early as they had no chance to get one of the coveted 23 spots for the upcoming World Cup in Norway. 143 GMs and 63 IMs were among these players.
Ukrainian GM Alexander Moiseenko stood out from the very strong field from the “early middlegame” of the event. Already after 6 rounds, he was the sole leader with 5.5 points. It seemed unlikely that he would be able to keep this level throughout the event, but he almost did. He arrived as the sole leader to the last round, where he lost to Ian Nepomniachtchi. This allowed other nine players to join the leader on 8/11, however, Moiseenko took first place on tiebreaks, according to a Chessdom report.
Alexander Moiseenko and David Navara
Francisco Vallejo Pons and Aleksey Dreev both finished among the 23rd first qualified, but already had tickets for the World Cup, so the list of players that got a spot in the prestigious event goes down to the 25th place, thus including Russian GM Vadim Zvjaginsev and French GM Andrei Istratescu.
It is worth noting that none of the three highest rated players finished among the 23: Dmitry Jakovenko, Evgeny Tomashevsky and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave.
The special prize given to the player that achieved the biggest difference between his Rating Performance and his Elo rating was won by Polish Jakub Szostko, who performed 364 points above his rating.
Bela Khotenashvili Wins Foundation Neva Women's Chess Grand Prix in Geneva
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013
Hi everyone,
Georgia's Bela Khotenashvili has won the Foundation Neva Women's Chess Grand Prix 2013 in Geneva. Her nearest rival Anna Muzychuk had to win the game in order to catch the leader but Slovenian player didn’t get anything out of the opening and drew against 12th Women's World Chess Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk.
“I’m very happy to win this tournament and consider this result as the best one in my career so far. I would like to thank Georgian chess federation, President of GCF Giya Giorgadze and our coach Davit Jojua for their help,” said Bela Khotenashvili at the final press conference.
Hou Yifan missed winning chances in the endgame and lost the game against Nana Dzagnidze. Tatiana Kosintseva had a very good position after the opening but was spending a lot of time and lost against Ju Wenjun. Viktorija Cmilyte outplayed Olga Girya. As a result, Nana Dzagnidze tied for the third place with Tatiana Kosintseva.
Congratulations to all the girls who gave us almost two weeks of great chess games and showcased how fighting spirit can make chess just so exciting. Some of the draws were amazing and left fans and spectators in awe. All around everyone shared the joy of great chess.
The awarding ceremony took place after the last game was finished and was attended by Under Secretary-General, Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva, Mr. Tokayev, the founder of Neva Fondation Elena Timtchenko, FIDE President Kirsan Iljumzhinov, FIDE CEO Geoffrey Borg.
Don't be shy about contacting me
to share women's chess news
or to propose collaboration
Best chess wishes to you! Alexandra Kosteniuk
12th Women's World Chess Champion
Facebook, Twitter, Youtube
