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hosted by Chess Queen™ & 12th Women's World Chess Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk

 

Monday, September 30, 2013

Nona Gaprindashvili Chess Cup held in Tbilisi

Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013  

Hi everyone, 

Ministry of Sport and Youth affairs of Georgia and Georgian Chess Federation have organized the Nona Gaprindashvili Cup open tournament to honor the legendary Women’s World Champion. The event was held on 9-17th September in Tbilisi and Nona Gaprindashvili was the chief arbiter. A total of 156 players from eight countries, including 14 Grandmasters, competed in the 9-round Swiss tournament. Georgian Grandmasters Luka Piachadze and Levan Pantsulaia shared the first place with 7,5/9 points each. Paichadze takes the winner’s trophy on better tie-break. Official website



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St Petersburg Chess Rapid Cup: Maxim Matlakov, Anastasia Bodnaruk Winners

Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hi everyone, 
 
Daniil Linchevski, Vladimir Bykov, Maxim Matlakov and Igor Bolotinsky (Photo by I. Sudakova)

Grandmasters Maxim Matlakov and Anastasia Bodnaruk are the winners of the St. Petersburg Rapid Cup final, which was held on 28-29th September at the Overtime Chess Club. After the preliminary qualification earlier this month, 32 men and 16 women gathered this weekend for the final knockout event. GM Maxim Matlakov beat GM Daniil Linchevski 1,5-0,5 in the final match to claim the Cup in men’s section. The women’s final had an exciting finish when Anastasia Bodnaruk won the Armageddon game against Dina Belenkaya to take the top prize in this section. (www.chessdo
m.com)

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Bangladesh Chess News: National Championship Begins

Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hi everyone, 

Here is some chess news from an emerging chess nation: Bangladesh. The Berger Paints 39th National Chess Championship-2013 began at the Media Center of the Bangladesh Olympic Association in Dhaka recently.

Fourteen chess players including four Grandmasters - reigning national chess champion Murshed Niaz, Rahman, Ziaur, Abdulla Al-Rakib and Hossain Enamul - two International Masters Minhazuddin Ahmed and Abu Sufian Shakil, five FIDE Masters Ahmed, Sk. Nasir, Islam Kh. Aminul, Chatterjee Debaraj, Hasan Mehdi and Mohammad Javed and three FIDE rated players Ahmed Shafiq, Md. Jamal Uddin and Mohammed Hafizul Islam Chapal are participating in the event. 

GM Hossain Enamul versus FM Islam Kh. Aminul

All Grandmasters are directly participating in the national chess event and the 10 players qualified via the National ‘B’ Chess Tournament. The event is being held in all-play-all (round-Robin) system. Ghulam Mohammed Quader, Commerce Minister of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh and President of Bangladesh Chess Federation, and Syed Shahed Reza, Secretary General of Bangladesh Olympic Association, inaugurated the event.

Berger Bangladesh Limited is sponsoring this significant National ‘A’ Chess Championship in Bangladesh that would also select the country's national team. Games and Results are available in www.chess-results.com.

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Sunday, September 29, 2013

Oslo Chess International becomes Håvard Vederhus’ memorial, Begins Today

Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013  

Hi everyone,
The 2013 edition of Oslo Chess International will take place in Norway, 29 September – 6 October 2013. The tournament organized by Hans Olav Lahlum and Akademisk Sjakklubb Oslo is a 9-round Swiss open for all players having the official titles GM, IM, FM, WGM, WIM or WFM from FIDE. 

Also qualified are other male players with an official FIDE-ELO of at least 2150, and other female players with an official FIDE-ELO of at least 2000.

Registration and more information at the official website

Oslo Chess International becomes Håvard Vederhus’ memorial

by Hans Olav Lahlum

After consultations with the family of Håvard Vederhus, the organizer of Oslo Chess International has decided that the 2013 edition will be played as a memorial tournament and given the sub heading Håvard Vederhus’ memorial.

Håvard Vederhus (born November 10th 1989) was as a child a talented chess player. He took fourth place in the Under-11 class in the Norwegian championship at Gausdal in 1999, beating the one year younger Magnus Carlsen in the process.
Håvard continued played the Norwegian championship and remained an active member of Oslo club SK 1911 until the age of 16. His father and older brother were also members of this club.

Next to studies, music and christian engagements Håvard’s life was later dominated by politics. He became leader of AUF in Oslo, the Norwegian Labour Party’s youth organization, and was considered one of the party’s greatest young talents when he was shot and killed at Utøya during the terror attack July 22nd 2011.

Oslo Chess International is meant to be a tournament for both the elite and the masses. As a chess player Håvard Vederhus belonged to the latter, as he chose to apply his talents in other arenas. By this he became a good example of a man who in his youth enjoyed chess and the chess community, bringing him experiences and lessons to be applied later in life.

His premature death was a great loss also to his many friends in the Norwegian chess community. The organizer, who has recently written a biography on Håvard, wishes to highlight this during Oslo Chess International.



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Saturday, September 28, 2013

World Junior Chess 2013: Yu Yangyi of China, Alexandra Goryachkina of Russia Crowned Champions

Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013  

Hi everyone, 
 


FIDE World Junior Chess Championships 2013 for boys & girls under 20 were held in Kocaeli, Turkey, from 12th to 27th September 2013.

In the Open section top-seeded GM Yu Yangyi of China drew GM Vidit Santosh Gujrathi (India) in the final round to claim the title of World Junior Chess Champion.

Last year champion Alexander Ipatov (Turkey) defeated IM Aleksandar Indjic (Serbia) but this was sufficient only for the second place and silver medal.

Yangyi collected 11/13 points, while Ipatov has 10,5 points. A full point behind Ipatov are Gujrathi and Jorge Cori (Peru), who beat SP Sethuraman. Gujrathi won the bronze medal on better tie-break.

In the Girls section Russian WGM Alexandra Goryachkina won the last round game against WIM Paula Andrea Rodriguez Rueda (Colombia) to convincingly take the title of World Junior Champion with 10,5/13 points.

WIM Zhansaya Abdumalik (Kazakhstan) held the higher rated WGM Padmini Rout (India) to finish clear second on 9,5 points and claim the silver medal.

After the loss of Rodriguez Rueda, there was a fearless battle for the bronze medal. WIM Hejazipour Mitra (Iran) and WGM Alina Kashlinskaya (Russia) were victorious against Indonesia's Medina Warda Aulia and Sihite Chelsie Monica, respectively, to share the third place with 9,0 points each. Kashlinskaya won the bronze medal on higher tie-break. Former World Champion Garry Kasparov attended the closing ceremony.
 
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Disney Plans Film on Kasparov ‘Deep Blue’ Chess Battle

Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013  

Hi everyone,

US entertainment giant Disney has acquired the screen rights to a play about Russian chess legend Garry Kasparov’s 1997 match against the IBM computer Deep Blue, a milestone battle between the human brain and artificial intelligence, the show business website Deadline.com reported Friday. British playwright Matthew Charman will adapt his play about the match, “The Machine,” for Disney-based Mandeville Films and Television, Deadline.com reported.
The play, which was staged in New York City this month, centers around the clash between Kasparov and the Deep Blue team led by Taiwanese-born computer scientist Feng-Hsiung Hsu.

He defeated Deep Blue in 1996 but lost a rematch the following year in a watershed moment for the development of powerful chess computers that have revolutionized the game, as well as symbolic turning point for the development of artificial intelligence.

After the loss, Kasparov accused Deep Blue’s programmers of intervening during the games, which was not allowed under the rules of the match. Deep Blue was subsequently dismantled despite Kasparov’s demand for a rematch. (RIA Novosti)

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Friday, September 27, 2013

London Chess Classic 2013: Online Entry for Festival Events Now Open

Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hi everyone, 
 


Chess in Schools and Communities is delighted to announce that online entries are now open for the UK's largest chess festival. The 5th London Chess Classic will run Saturday 7th - Sunday 15th December 2013. The marquee event is the ‘Super Sixteen’ Rapidplay featuring the World’s Elite and the Best of British. The festival also has events for all abilities and ages, with over £18,000 in prize money. 

In addition, there are blitz tournaments and Grandmaster simultaneous displays with former British Champions Julian Hodgson, John Nunn and Jon Speelman.

FIDE Open (9 round Swiss event)
Saturday 7th - Sunday 15th December (with a guaranteed £10,500 prize fund and the top two after 4 rounds going into the Super Sixteen) Ten Grandmasters and six International Masters have already entered the FIDE Open, including the following five super-GMs:

Matuesz Bartel: 2635
Sabino Brunello: 2617
Viorel Iordachescu: 2609
Robin Van Kampen: 2606
Jon Ludvig Hammer: 2605

Weekday Tournaments (5 round Swiss events)

Weekday Classic FIDE U2000: Monday 9th - Friday 13th December

Weekday Classic ECF U135: Monday 9th - Friday 13th December

Weekend Tournaments (5 round Swiss events)

Weekend Classic A (Open, U170, U145, U120): Saturday 7th - Sunday 8th December

Weekend Classic B (Open, U2000, U1800, U120): Friday 13th - Sunday 15th December

Rapidplay Tournaments (6 round Swiss events)

English Junior Rapidplay: Saturday 7th December

Classic Rapidplay A: Sunday 8th December (FIDE Rated)

Classic Rapidplay B: Saturday 14th December (FIDE Rated)

Classic Rapidplay C: Sunday 15th December (FIDE Rated)

All events will be held at the Olympia Conference Centre, Hammersmith Rd, London, W14 8UX.

Official tournament website: www.londonchessclassic.com

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Zudov Chess Memorial in Nizhny Tagil, Russia: Grandmaster Dmitry Bocharov wins on Tiebreak

Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013  


Hi everyone,



The 9th International Chess Tournament in memory of Honorary President of the Chess Federation of Nizhny Tagil E.G. Zudov was held on 12-22nd September in Nizhny Tagil, Russia. The tournament was the stage of the Cup of Russia in chess among men.

The event gathered 40 players from Moscow, Penza, Samara, Tyumen, Novosibirsk, Sverdlovsk and Perm regions, as well as representatives of Italy and Ukraine.

Among the participants were Dmitry Kokarev and Marina Romanko, winners of the Moscow Open Cup of Russia.

Grandmaster Dmitry Bocharov 2596 and IM Vladislav Nozdrachev 2479 shared the first place with 6,5/9 points each. Bocharov took the winner's trophy on better tie-break.

The total prize fund was 450,000 RUB, with 75,000 RUB dedicated to the winner.

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Thursday, September 26, 2013

World Chess Championship 2013 Parallel Events: Vishnu Prasanna wins Chennai Blitz

Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hi everyone, 
The countdown to the World Chess Championship between Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen has begun. The organisers have a list of parallel chess activities lined up. The first one was a beach blitz chess event in Chennai.

Grandmaster elect V Vishnu Prasanna of Chennai won the event with a cool 8.5 points from nine rounds at the Multipurpose Indoor Stadium taking home about $1400. He beat three Grandmasters in the run - Deepan Chakkravarthy, B Adhiban and Shyam Sundar. His only draw was with former local state champion M Kunal.

Also, Woman Grandmaster and several-time Indian National Women's chess champion Vijayalakshmi Subbaraman was the highest-scoring woman player with 7 points.

Final Placings: 1. V Vishnu Prasanna 8.5, 2 N Sudhakar Babu 8, 3 P Shyam Nikil 7.5, 4-12 B Adhiban, J Deepan Chakkravarthy, R B Ramesh, M Shyam Sundar, S Arun Prasad, R Ramnath Bhuvanesh, Ram S Krishnan, Siva Mahadevan, Vijalakshmi Subbaraman 7 pts

The All-Indian Chess Federation video of the event


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Wednesday, September 25, 2013

14-year-old math, chess talent Luke Vellotti enrolls at UCLA

Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hi everyone, 
Luke Vellotti, a chess international master and National Advanced Placement Scholar, is one of about 20 younger-than-usual students who have enrolled at UCLA over the past decade.

"I'm probably most excited to be at such a challenging school with such great professors in such a great city," said Vellotti, whose ambitions include becoming a doctor and earning the title of chess Grandmaster. "I know that at UCLA I'll be able to push myself harder than I've been able to in Boise." At 10, he completed an introductory engineering course at Boise State. In 2011 and 2012, he won both the Idaho math championship and the state’s science bowl competition. 

Watch this video and you can also read a nice report by Rebecca Kendall.




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Photo Chess Trivia: How many Girls Can you Name?

Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hi everyone, 
 
For all the fans of women's chess, here's a group photo from the opening ceremony of a recent chess tournament. How many strong chess Grandmasters can you name and can you identify the place?
 

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Indonesia Chess: Medina Warda Aulia becomes Indonesia's Second WGM

Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hi everyone, 

Indonesia chess has just got its second women’s grandmaster (WGM)! Medina Warda Aulia defeated FM (FIDE master) Lanita Stetsko of Belarus at the World Junior Chess Championship in Kocaeli, Turkey, on Monday to fetch the honor for her country.

The Indonesian chess player scores seven points from 10 of 13 rounds for her her third WGM norm after she recorded her first and second norms in Singapore in 2011 and Russia in 2012.

A chess player has to book a set of three WGM norms for a full WGM title, as required by the international chess authority FIDE.

“She has played opponents with a ratings average of 2266. On the Direct Titles table issued by FIDE on July 1, a player scoring seven points is entitled to WGM norm if their opponents have a rating average between 2251 and 2289,” team manager Kristianus Liem said in a press release on Tuesday.

“Medina has met the other requirements that at least four opponents hold a WGM title, six are titled and eight are rated,” he said.

Kristianus said that Medina would also augment her rating by 24 points next month from her current rating of 2301.

Stetsko was the sixth player Medina defeated in the tournament. The five others were Ani Krumova, Ivana Maria Furtado, Maria Bezgodova, Aleksandra Goryachkina and Alina Kashlinskaya.

She lost to Irina Bulmaga and Rout Padminia while her two draws came against Wang Jue and Sabina Ibrahimova. Monday’s win came on the back of two consecutive losses and a draw. In the game Medina was typically aggressive despite playing black. She was two pawns ahead early with control of the game. She needed only 23 moves to force Stetsko to concede after her opponent failed to make amends for the loss of a piece.

Medina is now ranked fifth on the provisional standings, along with three other players. Bulmaga leads with eight points followed by Deysi Cori T and Goryachkina, each with 7.5 points. Medina’s win, however, failed to inspire her three teammates.

WIM Chelsie Monica Sihite lost to WIM Khademalsharieh Sarasadat of Iran in the girls’ division while Muhammad Luthfi Ali and Farid Firman Syah in the boys’ division bowed to IM Marcel Kanarek of Poland and Javier Benitez Lozano of Mexico respectively.

Medina becomes Indonesia’s youngest player to attain a WGM title. She has done so at the age of 16 years, two months and 16 days.

Irene Kharisma Sukandar, the only other active Indonesian WGM player achieved the title at the age of 16 years, seven months and 18 days at the Chess Olympiad in Dresden, Germany, in 2008

Medina’s achievement was applauded with enthusiasm back home.

“Praise be to God. Congratulations!” GM Utut Adianto, the country’s chess icon since turned lawmaker, said.

Hashim S. Djojohadikusumo, chairman of the Indonesian Chess Association (Percasi) promised to hold a thanksgiving ceremony.

Eka Putra Wirya, a member of Percasi’s advisory board, said the association and chess lovers deserved to be congratulated on Medina’s achievement.

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Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Grand Slam Chess Masters Final VI in Bilbao this October

Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hi everyone, 

Four of the best international players this year - the Armenian and current Olympic champion Levon Aronian, the Frenchman Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, the Azeri Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, and Brit Michael Adams will all star in the Masters Grand Slam Final VI, one of the world's most prestigious chess tournaments, which will be played in Bilbao between the seven.

Now in its sixth edition, the Bilbao tournament adopts a square format, being out at the last minute two of its regular players: the current world champion Indian Viswanathan Anand, and number 1 world ranking Norwegian Magnus Carlsen (also champion of the last two editions of the Bilbao Final).

Despite these last minute absences, the roster presented by the Bilbao Masters Final 2013 is one of the best chess rosters of today. Formed by four international Grandmasters, who have reaped the best results over this year; even in the absences of Anand and Carlsen, who have focused on their preparation for the World Championship; as has been pointed out by the director general of Bilbao Ekintza, Nora Sarasola, and committee spokesman organizer and commentator of the competition, Leontxo Garcia during the presentation ceremony of the sixth Grand Slam Final.

The reigning Olympic champion and No. 2 world ranking, Armenian Levon Aronian, won this year's prestigious Alekhine Memorial Championship in Paris and St. Petersburg.

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Time to Observe New Things in Other Parts of Life: Women's World Chess Champion Hou Yifan

Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hi everyone,

Women's World Chess Champion Hou Yifan has said winning the title against Anna Ushenina "was not as easy as people think!" In an interview with Anastasiya Karlovich for the official website, Hou Yifan also said there was so much else to "expand life" for her like her education, life and other interests. She hinted that she might not defend her title next year. Hou Yifan was also all praise for Ushenina even though she blanked out the latter with three wins and four draws.

The closing ceremony of the World Women’s Chess Championship 2013 match was held in the Taizhou Hotel in Taizhou, China on the morning of the 23rd of September.

The distinguished guests, among who were Continental President from Americas Jorge Vega, FIDE Vice President Mr. Nizar Ali Elhaj, FIDE official David Jarett, the vice-president of Chinese Olympic Committee and Assistant Director of National Sports Bureau, Mrs. Xiao Min, General Secretary of Chinese Chess Assosiation GM Ye Jiangchuan, Delegate & Vice General Secretary Mrs. Abigail TIAN, the organizers and sponsors from “China Medical center” congratulated the new World Champion Hou Yifan and former world champion Anna Ushenina.

Mrs. Xiao Min, the vice-president of Chinese Olympic Committee and Assistant Director of National Sports Bureau officially сlosed the Women’s World Championship Match 2013.
Pictures from the closing ceremony.

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Monday, September 23, 2013

Zone 2.3 Chess: Cuban GM Yaniet Marrero earns Entry to Women's World Chess Championship 2014

Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hi everyone, 

Havana, Sep 23 (Prensa Latina) Cuban Grandmaster Yaniet Marrero has won the only place in the Women's World Chess Championship by winning the Zone 2.3 Chess Tournament of America for women. She was the Cuba women's chess champion in 2011. She won the tournament with 7, 5 points which included six wins and three draws. She picked up 23 rating points.

The Zone 2.3 women's chess tournament was played in San Salvador based on the Swiss System with 16 competitors from six countries.


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Women's World Chess Championship 2013: Ushenina's Loss to Yifan due to bad Time management, says Second Khalifman

Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hi everyone, 



The self-destruction of Anna Ushenina at the Women's World Chess Champion Hou Yifan has been a big disappointment for the Ukrainian Grandmasters' fans. In an interview to Anastasiya Karlovich, one of Ushenina's seconds, Grandmaster Alexander Khalifman blames time management for the major problems.

Anastasiya Karlovich: It remains a mystery for many people still what happened to Anna Ushenina in the Women’s World Championship Match. Please tell us about it. What were the reasons for her defeat?
Alexander Khalifman: We realized that Yifan was the favourite, yet the match was not hopeless. Anna has some weak points, but we thought Anna would be able to keep the balance. Well, what to say, just everything started to fall apart, from the very first game, and it continued later on. It is difficult to estimate what happened. Whether Anna was not psychologically ready for the level of pressure, or something else, but there was one obvious problem she could not solve till the end - her time management. One should not spend so much time! She should have done something with that during the match. 

Actually we should have tried to work on it before the match. I feel it was my fault as well. It became crucial when Yifan. having so many pluses already, could also add such an advantage as Anna’s time troubles in each game. 

And then the third game was played. It was absolutely a terrible day! It is unclear what happened on that day. And yet, the real critical moment in the match was in the fifth game. It was the most important, the most decisive and actually the final one.
If Anna would have taken that unfortunate pawn on h4, I think she would have won this game. We could see that Hou Yifan felt uncomfortable at this point and the time was equal - a rare case during the match. The score could have been 2-3 and Anna could have taken the psychological initiative. The match could have started from the beginning. Of course it's silly to say that Anna would have been the favorite.



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Sunday, September 22, 2013

Win London Chess Classic FIDE Open to Play in the Super-Sixteen with Anand, Kramnik and other Top Players

Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hi everyone, 

Chess in Schools and Communities has announced a novel event for any chess player, of any rating, to have their dream come true and compete alongside the World’s Elite and the Best of British at the 5th London Chess Classic, running from Saturday 7th December to Sunday 15th December 2013.


This year the LCC FIDE Open will qualify the two highest-scoring players after four rounds into the ‘Super Sixteen’ Rapidplay that features an all-star cast headed by World Champion Viswanathan Anand and the former champion Vladimir Kramnik. If more than two players are tied at the end of round four, the spots will be decided on a rating tie-break (the two players with the highest rating going forward). Anyone transferred will not lose out financially, as the lowest prize in the Super Sixteen is greater than the top prize in the FIDE Open.

This means there are now 15 spots accounted for in the Super Sixteen. And the final slot will be decided by a ‘Wild card’ selection to be announced by the organisers of the London Chess Classic in late November 2013.

The London Chess Classic FIDE Open is fast becoming one of the must-play Swiss Events on the international calendar - and this year, it will have a bumper prize-fund of over £10,000 (!), as
well as the guaranteed participation of a minimum of 12 Grandmasters.

The 5th London Chess Classic will again be the largest Chess Festival held in the UK. Apart from the headlining Super Sixteen and the FIDE Open, there will also be a smorgasbord of side events catering for players of all ages and all ratings: a FIDE Weekday Tournament, 2 Weekend Tournaments, 4 Rapidplay Tournaments, 4 Blitz Tournaments and 3 Grandmaster Simultaneous Displays from past British Champions Julian Hodgson, John Nunn and Jon Speelman.


It promises to be the best chess you’ll play or see all year! The 5th London Chess Classic will run from Saturday 7th December to Sunday 15th December at the Olympia Conference Centre in
Kensington. For more information and to enter online: www.londonclassic.com. For ticket and tournament related queries, call our hotline now: 020 7486 7015.

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Saturday, September 21, 2013

GM Vladimir Fedoseev wins Alexander Zakharov Chess Open 2013

Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hi everyone, 
 
GM Vladimir Fedoseev has won a clear first at the open chess tournament dedicated to the 70th birthday of International Master Alexander Zakharov (Rostov on Don), Honored Coach of Russia, was held over 10 days in the tourist complex "Akvaloo" (Krasnodar Territory). The tournament was attended by 65 players, including 22 Grandmasters, many of them being students and friends of Alexander Ivanovich Zakharov.

The 18-years old GM Vladimir Fedoseev (St. Petersburg) took a clear first place with an undefeated 7,5/9 score. Ivan Bukavshin (Tolyati) and Sanan Sjugirov (Lipetsk) shared the second place with 6,5 points each.

Official website

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Paris Chess Grand Prix begins Sept 21

Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hi everyone, 


The final tournament in the Chess Grand Prix series 2012/13 begins today in Paris. Three players of the twelve participants: Sergey Karjakin, Peter Svidler and Teimour Radjabov, stepped out of the tournament, being replaced by: Evgeny Tomashevsky, Etienne Bacrot and Laurent Fressinet. Therefore, the current and final starting list would be:

Bacrot, Etienne: the former child prodigy remains one of the strongest French players and promises to satisfy the locals demands with an honorable spot in the final standings;


Caruana, Fabiano: had a meteoric rise in the past year, winning several big tournaments with his versatile playing style; currently he is one of the two players from this tournament (next to Grischuk) with a chance to make it to the Candidates event if he will grab the first place unshared;


Dominguez, Perez Leinier: coming from a country where chess is enormously popular, the country of Capablanca, the Cuban player proved his class by winning one of the previous GP editions, the strong Thessaloniki event; he has now the highest rating of his career, 2757;


Fressinet, Laurent: in the past few years he established himself as a 2700+ player and recently won the Men's Rapid at SportAccord World Mind Games in Beijing;


Gelfand, Boris: has been around on top level chess for more than 25 years – a classical player with a phenomenal weaponry; he recently had a peak in his career when he qualified for the World Championship match against Anand, who only managed to defeat him by winning the tiebreak; the 8th Tal Memorial of this year was also won by Boris, so we shall see if experience will again prevail over the youth impetus;


Giri, Anish: for the Dutch prodigy, the GP series is a wonderful launching platform on his way to the very top, because Anish aims for nothing less than his abilities;


Grischuk, Alexander: in a shoulder to shoulder combat, Grischuk is the second contender for the final spot in the Candidates event, under the same clause as Caruana: to win unshared in Paris; as a versed player in the Candidates: Mexico (2007) and Kazan (2011) – the Russian time-trouble lover will be an interesting player to be watched;


Ivanchuk Vassily: alias “Chucky” is a rather unpredictable and very original player, who, if in his best shape, can literally beat anyone in the world!; needles to mention his provocative but multilateral playing style, with a proverbial memory and always in search of the truth;


Nakamura Hikaru: the American proves that he can (!), with his very ambitious and aggressive style;


Ponomariov Ruslan: former world champion and one of the youngest GM in the history, the Ukrainian amazes with his branded skills of getting water out of stone, in some of what other people would regard as the most deserted positions;


Tomashevsky Evgeny: is in great shape, as we could see from his amazing fighting skills in the World Cup, where he eliminated Aronian, Morozevich and Kamsky! He only lost against Dmitry Andreikin; had he won, he would have been qualified for the Candidates already!


Wang Hao: the strongest Chinese player at the moment, Wang Hao has the fame of being able to upset the top class elite, as he showed to all of us this year in his beautiful wins against Carlsen in Norway and twice Anand (Norway + Wijk Aan Zee);

If only Caruana and Grischuk have the chance to outrun Mamedyarov, to join Topalov in the next Candidates event, what will be other players fighting for, besides glory, rating points and the mere pleasure of playing chess?

Money is quite a good motivation trigger, so the prizes of 240 000 Euros is not an insignificant amount, with the specification that 170k will be paid out after the event and 70k will be going to the accumulated prize fund of 420k, which will go to top ten players overall.


PRIZE € (Euros) GP PTS
1st 25,000 120+50
2nd 22,500 110+30
3rd 20,000 100+10
4th 17,500 90
5th 15,000 80
6th 13,000 70
7th 12,000 60
8th 11,000 50
9th 10,000 40
10th 9,000 30
11th 8,000 20
12th 7,000 10

Excerpted from a nice detailed pre-tournament report by WGM Alina l'Ami at the official website.


From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal chess blog
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World Chess Congress for Compositions, Solving begins in Batumi Sept 21

Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013  

Hi everyone,
The Georgian Chess Federation and Georgian Chess Composition Association are organising the the 56th World Congress of Chess Composition (WCCC) and 37th World Chess Solving Championship (WCSC) in Batumi at the Black Seaside of Georgia. 
Dates
The 56th World Congress of Chess Composition (WCCC) and 37th World Chess Solving Championship (WCSC) will be held from 21 to 28 of September, 2013. (WCSC on Tuesday and Wednesday, September 24th and 25th)

Venue
The event will be held in the very centre of Batumi in 5-star hotel “Intourist”. There is a 15 km from Batumi International airport to the hotel “Intourist”. Distance from Tbilisi (capital of Georgia) to Batumi is 360 km.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
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Bulgaria Bids for World Chess Candidates 2014

Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hi everyone, 
 
The Bulgarian Chess Federation has bid for the Candidates Tournament 2014 the winner of which will take on the reigning world chess champion - Anand or Carlsen. Bulgaria has proposed the city of Kozloduy for the Candidates Tournament proposed for March 2014. Russia has already bid for the event with Khanty-Mansiysk as the proposed venue.

Bulgarian Grandmaster Veselin Topalov has qualified to play the Candidates because he has already won the Grand Prix series 2012/2013.

The Candidates Tournament to determine the challenger for the 2014 World Chess Championship Match shall be organised in the first quarter of 2014 and represent an integral part of the World Chess Championship regulations for the cycle 2012-2014. Eight (8) players will participate in the Candidates Tournament and the winner qualifies for the World Chess Championship Match.

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
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at www.chessqueen.com
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Friday, September 20, 2013

Test Your Chess: Five Puzzles to Check Your Level

Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hi everyone, 


How do you train for your chess? Using chess software is one of the easiest ways to train by yourself. In fact, chess learning has never been so easy as now. You could train with the Houdini-powered Chess King - the affordable and strongest training partner you could find on the planet. But, first... a chess test: Let's see how you can crack these five puzzles. Just click on the diagrams to check your answers.

If you solve all these chess puzzles quickly, you're well on your way to becoming a titled player!








1. White checkmates in three

2. White checkmates in two

3. Little more difficult: White checkmates in two

4. White checkmates in two: Try a little patience!

5. White checkmates in six...


Even if you couldn't solve these puzzle, try training with Chess King and you will see the improvement for yourself within a fortnight!




From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com

Also see her personal chess blog 
at www.chessqueen.com
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European Team Chess Championship 2013 in Warsaw 7-18 November

Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hi everyone, 
 


The European Team Chess Championship - one of the biggest and most prestigious chess events in the world - will be held this year in Warsaw, Poland from November 7-18 at the Novotel Warszawa Centrum Hotel. 

The Championship is the most important chess event in Poland since 1935. The President of the Republic of Poland - Bronisław Komorowski - is the honorary patron and several Polish celebrities have agreed to be member of the honorary committee.

The City of Warsaw and Ministry of Sport and Tourism have given the Polish Chess Federation a significant support since a bid procedure. For the first time in the history of this tournament all games will be broadcast on-line on the Internet. A total of 67 countries have already confirmed their participation in the Championship.

The official venue of the Chess Championship - Novotel Warszawa Centrum Hotel - is located in the very heart of Warsaw, only a few steps away from the famous Palace of Culture and Science.

The official website of the Championship is: www.etcc2013.com

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal chess blog
at www.chessqueen.com
Don't miss Chess Queen™
YouTube Channel
 

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