Anish Giri becomes youngest GM to win Reggio Emilia 2012

Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012


Hello everyone,


Congratulations to Grandmaster Anish Giri for winning the Reggio Emilia Chess Event 2012 and also setting the record of becoming the youngest-ever chess player to do so.





It wasn't all that straightforward though. American grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura, who had been leading all the way, went into self-destruct mode even tweeting that he was "running out of gas" towards the end. The last round saw leaders Nakamura and Morozevich lose.


In the women's section, Sopiko Guramishvili held on to a steady show beating Anna Sharevich to collect the top honours.


Final standings, men (3 points for a win, 1 for a draw):
1. Giri Anish 2714 NED – 16
2-4. Nakamura Hikaru 2758 USA, Morozevich Alexander 2762 RUS and Caruana Fabiano 2727 ITA – 15
5. Ivanchuk Vassily 2775 UKR – 12
6. Vitiugov Nikita 2729 RUS – 8


Final standings, women (regular scoring):
1. Sopiko Guramishvili – 8.0
2. Anna Sharevich – 7.0
3. Marina Brunello – 6.5
4. Iva Videnova – 3.5
5. Maria De Rosa – 3.0
6. Marianna Chierici – 2.0


You can access the official website at this link.


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Reggio Emilia chess interviews with Morozevich, Ivanchuk, Giri - cool chess videos

Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012


Hi everyone,


Here are three super chess interviews from the Reggio Emilia Chess Cup in Italy. You have Alexander Morozevich, Vassily Ivanchuk, and Anish Giri. We will bring you the latest standing and chess news updates from the event shortly. Enjoy.











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Gashimov, Pons win Reggio Emilia Chess Masters

Chess news and chess trivia blog (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2011

Find nice photos of Vugar Gashimov at www.chesspics.com.

Hi Everyone,

Vugar Gashimov and Francisco Vallejo Pons drew their games in the final round to jointly win the 53rd Torneo de Capodanno in Reggio Emilia, Italy. The winner's trophy went to Gashimov because of better tie-break.

Also, are you sure how to checkmate with bishop and knight? You can learn it from Vassily Ivanchuk in his game from Morozevich that we have here.

Run the moves through our pgnplayer or watch in flash below.



Round 9 results

• Sergei Movsesian - Francisco Vallejo Pons 1/2-1/2
• Michele Godena - Fabiano Caruana 1/2-1/2
• Alexander Onischuk - Vugar Gashimov 1/2-1/2
• David Navara - Nigel Short 1-0
• Vassily Ivanchuk - Alexander Morozevich 1-0

Final standings:

• 1-2. Vugar Gashimov AZE 2733 and Francisco Vallejo Pons ESP 2698 - 6.0
• 3-5. Vassily Ivanchuk UKR 2764, David Navara CZE 2708 and Sergei Movsesian SVK 2721 - 5.0
• 6-7. Fabiano Caruana ITA 2709 and Alexander Onischuk USA 2683 - 4.5
• 8. Alexander Morozevich RUS 2700 - 4.0
• 9. Nigel Short ENG 2680 - 3.5
• 10. Michele Godena ITA 2549 - 1.5

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Reggio Emilia Chess Tournament R8: Vallejo Pons, Gashimov tied for lead with one round to go

Chess news and chess trivia blog (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2011

Hello Everyone,

It's back to Francisco Vallejo Pons in the lead along with Vugar Gashimov after eight rounds at the 53rd Torneo di Capodanno in Reggio Emilia, Italy. There is just one more round left.

Round 8 results

• Caruana Fabiano-Movsesian Sergei ½-½
• Gashimov Vugar-Navara David 1-0
• Morozevich Alexander-Godena Michele 1-0
• Short Nigel-Ivanchuk Vassily 0-1
• Vallejo Pons Francisco-Onischuk Alexander 1-0

Standings after Round 8

1.	Gashimov, Vugar	g	AZE	2733	5½
2.	Vallejo Pons, Francisco	g	ESP	2698	5½
3.	Movsesian, Sergei	g	SVK	2721	4½
4.	Caruana, Fabiano	g	ITA	2709	4
5.	Morozevich, Alexander	g	RUS	2700	4
6.	Onischuk, Alexander	g	USA	2683	4
7.	Ivanchuk, Vassily	g	UKR	2764	4
8.	Navara, David	g	CZE	2708	4
9.	Short, Nigel	g	ENG	2680	3½
10.	Godena, Michele	g	ITA	2549	1

At the dinner with the chief organiser of the tournament.

Here is a nice game from the eighth round which you can see in our flashplayer below or check in the pgnplayer.

PGN: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6 8. c3 O-O 9. h3 Nb8 10. d4 Nbd7 11. Nbd2 Bb7 12. Bc2 Re8 13. Nf1 Bf8 14. Bg5 h6 15. Bh4 g6 16. N1h2 Bg7 17. dxe5 dxe5 18. Ng4 g5 19. Bg3 Nxg4 20. hxg4 Qe7 21. a4 c5 22. Nd2 Nf6 23. Nf1 Qe6 24. f3 h5 25. gxh5 Nxh5 26. Bf2 Rad8 27. Qc1 Nf4 28. Ne3 Qg6 29. axb5 axb5 30. Ra7 g4 31. fxg4 Bxe4 32. Nf5 Bxc2 33. Qxc2 Qxg4 34. Be3 c4 35. Rb7 Rd3 36. Bxf4 Qxf5 37. Bc1 Qc8 38. Ra7 Bf8 39. b4 Qe6 40. Qf2 Rxc3 41. Bd2 Rb3 42. Rf1 Qd5 43. Be3 Rxe3 44. Rxf7 Bh6 45. Qf5 Qd3 46. Qg4+ Kh8 47. R7f6 Rh3 48. gxh3 Qh7 49. Kh1 Bf4 50. Qf3 Rg8 51. Rb6 Qc2 52. Qh5+ Qh7 53. Qxh7+ Kxh7 54. Rf3 1-0



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Reggio Emilia Chess Tournament R7: Gashimov beats Vallejo Pons, catches up with lead

Chess news and chess trivia blog (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2011

Hello Everyone,

The seventh round at the 53rd Torneo di Capodanno in Reggio Emilia Italy saw the leader Vallejo Pons go down fighting to Vugar Gashimov. This allowed the latter to catch up with joint lead. Also, Ivanchuk lost his second game in a row which is a rarity for the grandmaster.

Vugar Gashimov and Martha Fierro (The latter is providing commentary for the tournament.)

Round 7 results

Ivanchuk, Vassily	- Navara, David	0-1
Movsesian, Sergei	- Morozevich, Alexander	1/2-1/2
Onischuk, Alexander	- Caruana, Fabiano	1/2-1/2
Vallejo Pons, Francisco	- Gashimov, Vugar	0-1
Godena, Michele	- Short, Nigel	0-1

Standings after 7 rounds

1.	Gashimov, Vugar	AZE	2733	4½
2.	Vallejo Pons, Francisco	ESP	2698	4½
3.	Movsesian, Sergei	SVK	2721	4
4.	Onischuk, Alexander	USA	2683	4
5.	Navara, David	CZE	2708	4
6.	Caruana, Fabiano	ITA	2709	3½
7.	Short, Nigel	ENG	2680	3½
8.	Morozevich, Alexander	RUS	2700	3
9.	Ivanchuk, Vassily	UKR	2764	3
10.	Godena, Michele	ITA	2549	1

Here is the nice Vallejo Pons-Gashimov game. You can go through the moves via our pgnplayer or watch in flash below. Enjoy.

PGN: 1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 c6 4. Nf3 d6 5. Be2 Nf6 6. O-O O-O 7. h3 Nbd7 8. Bf4 Qa5 9. Nd2 Qc7 10. a4 e5 11. Be3 Ng4 12. Bxg4 exd4 13. Bxd4 Bxd4 14. Nc4 Bc5 15. a5 Ne5 16. Nxe5 dxe5 17. Bxc8 Raxc8 18. Qe2 Bb4 19. a6 b5 20. Na2 Be7 21. Nc1 Rfd8 22. Nb3 Qb6 23. Rfd1 Kg7 24. Qg4 c5 25. Nd2 c4 26. Nf1 Bc5 27. Qg3 Rxd1 28. Rxd1 Qxa6 29. Qxe5+ Qf6 30. Qxf6+ Kxf6 31. Rd5 Ke6 32. g4 a6 33. Nd2 c3 34. bxc3 Bb6 35. c4 bxc4 36. Kf1 a5 37. Rb5 Bd8 38. Ke2 a4 39. Nb1 Ra8 40. Na3 Be7 41. Nxc4 a3 42. Rb6+ Kd7 43. Rb1 Kc6 44. c3 a2 45. Ra1 Kb5 46. Ne3 Bc5 47. Kd3 Bxe3 48. fxe3 f6 49. h4 h5 50. gxh5 gxh5 51. Kc2 Kc4 52. Kb2 Rb8+ 53. Kc2 Rg8 54. Rxa2 Rg2+ 55. Kb1 Rxa2 56. Kxa2 Kxc3 57. Kb1 Kd2 0-1

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Reggio Emilia Chess Tournament R6: Vallejo Pons leads by one point

Chess news and chess trivia blog (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2011

Hello Everybody,

It is obvious by now that Grandmaster Francisco Vallejo Pons has made up his mind about winning the 53rd Reggio Emilia Masters Chess Tournament in Italy. There were four decisive games in the sixth round.

Round 6 results

Gashimov, Vugar	- Ivanchuk, Vassily	1-0
Caruana, Fabiano	- Vallejo Pons, Francisco	½-½
Navara, David	- Godena, Michele	1-0
Short, Nigel	- Movsesian, Sergei	0-1
Morozevich, Alexander	- Onischuk, Alexander	0-1

Standings after 6 rounds

1.	Vallejo Pons, Francisco	g	ESP	2698	4½
2.	Movsesian, Sergei	g	SVK	2721	3½
3.	Onischuk, Alexander	g	USA	2683	3½
4.	Gashimov, Vugar	g	AZE	2733	3½
5.	Caruana, Fabiano	g	ITA	2709	3
6.	Ivanchuk, Vassily	g	UKR	2764	3
7.	Navara, David	g	CZE	2708	3
8.	Morozevich, Alexander	g	RUS	2700	2½
9.	Short, Nigel	g	ENG	2680	2½
10.	Godena, Michele	g	ITA	2549	1

Seen a two-piece sacrifice by a grandmaster lately? Here is the nice game from Round 6. You can watch it in flash below or enjoy in our pgnplayer.

PGN: 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. g3 b6 4. Bg2 Bb7 5. Qe2 d6 6. d4 Nf6 7. e5 Nfd7 8. Bg5 Qc8 9. d5 Bxd5 10. Nc3 Bc6 11. exd6 h6 12. O-O-O Qa6 13. Qe3 hxg5 14. Nxg5 Bxg2 15. Nxe6 fxe6 16. Qxe6+ Kd8 17. Rhe1 Kc8 18. Nd5 Kb7 19. Nc7 Rh6 20. Qg8 Qa4 0-1

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Reggio Emilia Chess Tournament R5: Vallejo Pons maintains lead

Chess news and chess trivia blog (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2011

Hello Everyone,

Grandmaster Francisco Vallejo Pons is in good form as he holds on to his lead at the 53rd Reggio Emilia Masters Chess Tournament in Italy. All the games were drawn in the fifth round except for Vassily Ivanchuk beating Michele Godena and moved to the second spot.

Meanwhile, the 1st Rapid 'Torneo di Capodanno Reggio Emilia' was held on January 2 with the participation of strong Italian and foreign players. The winner was WGM Yulia Kochetkova, second was FM Andrea Stella, a young Italian player, and 3rd place went to Italian women Olympic player IM Olga Zimina. All of them scored 6.5 out of 8.

Rapid winners WGM Yulia Kochetkova,

FM Andrea Stella and IM Olga Zimina

Standings after 5 rounds

1.	Vallejo Pons, Francisco	g	ESP	2698	4
2.	Ivanchuk, Vassily	g	UKR	2764	3
3.	Movsesian, Sergei	g	SVK	2721	2½
4.	Caruana, Fabiano	g	ITA	2709	2½
5.	Onischuk, Alexander	g	USA	2683	2½
6.	Short, Nigel	g	ENG	2680	2½
7.	Gashimov, Vugar	g	AZE	2733	2½
8.	Morozevich, Alexander	g	RUS	2700	2½
9.	Navara, David	g	CZE	2708	2
10.	Godena, Michele	g	ITA	2549	1

You can check the official website here. Meanwhile, here is the nice Godena-Ivanchuk game from Round 5. You can run the moves in our pgnplayer or watch in flash below.

PGN: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. d4 exd4 6. O-O Be7 7. e5 Ne4 8. Nxd4 O-O 9. Nf5 Nc5 10. Qg4 g6 11. Bxc6 dxc6 12. Nxe7+ Qxe7 13. Qe2 Re8 14. Re1 Bf5 15. Nc3 Rad8 16. h3 h5 17. Bh6 Ne6 18. Be3 Qb4 19. Rab1 Nd4 20. Bxd4 Rxd4 21. a3 Qc5 22. Qe3 Rc4 23. Rbc1 Kg7 24. Qg3 h4 25. Qh2 Re6 26. Re3 a5 27. g4 hxg3 28. Qxg3 Qe7 29. Ne2 g5 30. c3 c5 31. f4 Rg6 32. Kh2 gxf4 0-1

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's

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Ivanchuk top seed at 53rd Torneo di Capodanno chess tournament in Reggio Emilia, Italy

Chess news and chess trivia blog (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2010

Off to an Italian campaign!

Find great photos of

Grandmaster Vassily Ivanchuk at www.chesspics.com

Hi Everybody,



Vassily Ivanchuk is the top seed at the 53rd Torneo di Capodanno in Reggio Emilia - a quaint little town in the middle of Italy. The town takes the credit for being the 'birthplace' of the Italian national flag in the late 1700s.



The city used to be the property of the Este family which included Duchess of Mantova - Isabella. She was known for hosting some of the best chess players of the time. Surely, the chess tradition in Reggio Emilia dates back to more than 500 years!

The 53rd edition of the Torneo di Capodanno runs from December 28, 2010 to January 6, 2011. The tournament will be played at hotel Astoria Mercure.



Scacchierando Blog has printed 300 postcards as gift for the visitors of the 53rd Reggio Emilia's Tournament.

The list of players attending the tournament include:

• Vassily Ivanchuk UKR 2764
• Vugar Gashimov AZE 2733
• Sergei Movsesian SVK 2721
• David Navara CZE 2708
• Fabiano Caruana ITA 2709
• Alexander Morozevich RUS 2700
• Francisco Vallejo Pons ESP 2698
• Alexander Onischuk USA 2683
• Nigel Short ENG 2680
• Michele Godena ITA 2549

You can check the official site with live broadcast of games here.

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
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Also see her personal blog at
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