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hosted by Chess Queen™ & 12th Women's World Chess Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk
Saturday, May 10, 2014
15th Poikovsky Chess Cup begins May 11: Top Seed Pavel Eljanov Defends Title
Hello chess friends, the 15th Poikovsky Chess Tournament, named after the former world chess champion Anatoly Karpov, is going to take place on 11-20 May. The tournament format is 10-players round robin tournament.
Top seeded is last year’s winner Pavel Eljanov. His opponents are Ian Nepomniachtchi, Dmitry Jakovenko, Etienne Bacrot, Alexander Morozevich, Alexei Shirov, Alexander Motylev, Ivan Saric, Viorel Bologan, and Emil Sutovsky. *Report via FIDE Tournament website
Russian Jail Chess Cup Video Advert: Play for Your Life
Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2014
Hello everyone,
Russian Chess Federation: Jail Chess CupThe headline in Russian has a play on words: the first meaning is 'outplay your life' and at the same time it means 'change your life'.
TBWA\Moscow, The Russian Chess Federation, with the support of Anatoly Karpov and the Federal Penitentiary Service of Ryazan have come out in support of prisoners already on the road to rehabilitation and hosted a chess tournament between several prisons.
The finalists have been given a chance for early release.
The idea of a prisoners’ chess tournament was developed by the creative agency TBWA\ Moscow, on the request of the Russian Chess Federation. The concept of the campaign is communicated in the slogan, “Play for your life”; participation in a chess tournament as a way of receiving a letter of recommendation. TBWA\ Moscow developed the campaign based on the status of chess as an intellectual sport, one that makes the player think several moves ahead and assess the likely outcome of his decisions.
These qualities form an essential part of the rehabilitation process for those in correctional facilities. Any prisoner, regardless of their level of experience, could participate in the tournament. The only condition for entry was a desire to turn their lives around and engage in the rehabilitation process. All short films were shot on location in the Pre-trial Detention Centre, which helped communicate a real idea of the prisoners’ daily environment.
Cool Chess Video? Anatoly Karpov Playing Chess in Ice-Cold Water?
Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2014
Hello everyone,
We couldn't believe this YouTube video uploaded by KchessK. It's former World Chess Champion from Russia Anatoly Karpov playing chess in ice-cold water! Phew!
Who Says the Audience doesn't Whistle at a Chess Tournament? Cap D'agde Karpov Chess Trophy Video
Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013
Hello everyone,
The Cap D'Agde rapid tournament, "Second Anatoly Karpov Trophy" was held in France from October 25 - November 2, 2013. It was a A double round-robin qualifying four players into a knockout phase which saw the legendary Anatoly Karpov go right to the final and miss tragically on time, though that's said taking nothing away from the eventual winner Etienne Bacrot who held his nerve and went straight to the top. The time-control was 25 minutes plus 10 seconds increment per move.
Here is the excellent video by Europe Echecs. You will love the audience in this one for sure!
Anand has Experience, but Carlsen has his Chances: Karpov on World Chess Championship 2013
Alexandra Kosteniuk's Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) 2013
Hi everyone,
Former World Chess Champion Anatoly Karpov has taken a balanced view of the upcoming World Championship in Chennai, India this November between Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen.
Karpov said the world was awaiting the match with great interest. Karpov said it was clear that Anand and Carlsen were the "best players of our age". On the one hand, Carlsen, so far in his short career, has already achieved much, on the other, Anand has his experience. Karpov mentioned that he first met Anand when the latter was 16 and a talent in his own right. Karpov said it would be a difficult task to defeat Anand, but Carlsen has his chances.
Karpov also said, In India, Magnus will face some problems with the climate - to a lesser extent - and the food - more. He should be very careful. But, this was not about chess. On the board Carlsen should show all that he is capable of. "He has the knowledge, I think training with Kasparov (or maybe they are working together, I do not know) Carlsen imbibed a good understanding of the game, the understanding of a world championship match, and this is completely different than any tournament."
Karpov's advice: It is necessary to properly assess one's strengths and weaknesses, and the strengths and weaknesses of the opponent.
You can watch the original video on the msn website at this link.
Alexandra Kosteniuk's Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) 2013
Hi everyone,
Sunday chess video time: Here are two videos from the July 27 opening ceremony of the chess club 'Sokolniki'. A simultaneous was held with the 12th World Chess Champion Anatoly Karpov. There were lots of prizes as well!
Karpov-Inspired Chess Match between US, Russian Jail Inmates! Guess who won?
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013
Hi everyone,
Here is the BBC chess news report on the chess tournament between Russian and US jail inmates. The event was held via Skype. Patrick Jackson writes:
Convicts in Russia have teamed up to play a chess tournament via Skype with inmates at the biggest jail in the US, Chicago's Cook County Jail.
Ten convicts from Russian prisons sat down to play, with the encouragement of ex-World Champion Anatoly Karpov.
Cook County were guided by the head of its prison chess programme, Dr Mikhail Korenman, an old friend of Karpov.
The Russians won most of the 20 games but Cook County's prison chief told the BBC he was delighted by the event.
"We were just thrilled that this went so well," Sheriff Tom Dart said. "A lot of time and energy went into it, at very little cost, and it was executed perfectly, with no glitches."
The jail, which counts the gangster Al Capone and serial killer John Wayne Gacy among its former inmates, launched its chess programme just under a year ago after Karpov visited the facility.
According to Russia's federal prison service, inmates at prisons in Astrakhan, Samara, Saratov, the Yekaterinburg region and Krasnodar were involved.
Each convict played two games, the US inmates using secure lap-tops, placed on tables decorated with American and Russian flags.
They saw their opponents by video link but did not speak.
The final score was 15.5 games to 4.5 games in Russia's favour, Cook County announced.
Speaking before the game, the Russian prison service said the participation of Russian convicts in the chess event would not reduce their sentences.
However, it testified to "their desire to follow the path of correction", the service was quoted as saying by Itar-Tass news agency.
Asked by the BBC News website if the tournament would affect the American prisoners involved, Sheriff Dart said: "Not necessarily but it could because one of the things the judges take into consideration when they are sentencing individuals is their conduct in custody and involvement in a programme of substance like this does go quite a way."
'New lines of thinking' Before Wednesday's tournament, Cook County's chess-players had linked up for anonymous games with convicts in other countries such as Singapore, Croatia and Canada.
"For a lot of our inmates, they didn't even know where these countries were so it was just like a geography lesson," Sheriff Dart said.
"It just opened up a lot of lines of thinking that people had never had before."
Cook County Jail currently houses nearly 11,000 inmates and employs more than 3,800 correctional officers and support staff.
It is the largest single-site jail in America.
Speaking to CBS Chicago when the programme was being launched last year, Sheriff Dart said about the American prison chess players: "Their lifetime accomplishments could be summarised in about one second - zero.
"For them to get involved with something like this, where they're actually learning skills and having goals, and feel amongst themselves that they can accomplish things they set out to - it's the first time that's ever happened."
Prisons Chess: US Inmates versus Russian Prisoners in Online Event
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013
Hi everyone,
News agency RIA Novosti has reported that American prison inmates will take on Russian prisoners this month in a first-of-its-kind intercontinental chess match. "They do not accept draws. They go all in: either win or lose," chess enthusiast match organiser Mikhail Korneman said of the Chicago inmates, who will challenge prisoners from five Russian correctional facilities May 15.
The match, which will be conducted online, is the brainchild of Korneman, renowned Russian Grandmaster, former World Champion Anatoly Karpov and Tom Dart, an Illinois sheriff who launched a chess programme last year in Chicago's Cook County Jail as a way of encouraging inmates to deliberate and exercise caution when making decisions.
Karpov, whose titanic battles for chess supremacy with rival and compatriot Garry Kasparov captivated the world in the 1980s, has been a driving force in bringing chess to Russian prisons in recent years and was on hand last year when Korneman and Dart announced the programme.
"When Karpov was here, we started talking about [the match between prisoners]. He is very excited. It has never been done before," said Korneman, who moved to the United States from Russia two decades ago.
Ten inmates from the Cook County Jail, the largest jail in the United States with around 9,000 prisoners, will play two 15-minute games each against their Russian counterparts. The Russian side will be represented by prisoners from correctional facilities in the Astrakhan, Samara, Saratov, Sverdlovsk and Krasnodar regions.
The match will be played via a secure internet connection established specifically for the event.
Korenman, who brought former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to Kansas for a chess event in 2005, said it is difficult to predict which side might emerge victorious. The Chicago inmates "are not professional chess players but they do have knowledge and they like to go on the attack," he said.
"I think the match will be very interesting," Korenman added.
Korenman, Karpov and Dart have all advocated chess as a pastime that can help inmates correct the trajectory of their lives.
Caissa Chess Awards in Moscow: Chess Queen™ Alexandra Kosteniuk is Media Person of the Year 2012!
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Chess Queen™ Alexandra Kosteniuk has been declared 'Media Person of the Year 2012' at the Caissa Awards Night in Moscow on December 17. As you know, GM Kosteniuk is in Beijing right now to complete her tournaments at the Sport Accord World Mind Games 2012, where she has already won the Gold Medal in the Blitz event just on December 17. So, you can expect more details on the Caissa Award later on her personal blog at www.chessqueen.com. (Photo: Chess Queen™ Alexandra Kosteniuk with the women's Gold medal and GM Sergey Karjakin - also of Russia - with the men's gold medal in the Sport Accord Blitz.)
The 12th Women's World Chess Champion is an extremely Internet-savvy Grandmaster with a verified Twitter account, host of YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and LiveJournal accounts. Her Chess Blog has been voted best blog in the USA. She is regular at staying in touch with fans and promotes chess around the world with the latest chess news, views, and chess-learning tips. Her summary RSS page with links to all the accounts are at kosteniuk.com: Follow them all for the latest in chess news and World Champion's chess views/training!
The Caissa Chess Awards Night was held at the Central House of Literature in Moscow. The tradition was renewed after a long break in April of this year thanks to the charity Our Heritage Fund, with special thanks to Vladimir Palikhata, businessman and president of the Moscow Chess Federation, and Victoria Korol, president of the fund. The Award was given to 16 individuals. The splendid glass statues of the Chess Goddess Caissa were given not only to famous chess players, but also to politicians, businessmen and journalists who ensured chess has a place of honour in the life of the Russian capital.
“The Central House of Literature has a long history, a part of which is the tradition of regular chess nights. Last time we opened the intellectual game hall, which is now in use. Our Caissa Award is a sign of gratitude to people who have made substantial contributions for chess, for its development and popularisation, said Vladimir Palikhata in his opening address.
“Chess development is an integral part of our fund’s efforts which we accomplish jointly with the Moscow Chess federation and the Russian and international chess federations. This evening is devoted to the first Caissa Award ceremony for contribution to the development of this wise game in our capital. This ceremony will be annual and we hope the most prestigious in the world of chess,” said Victoria Korol, president of Our Heritage Fund. Eminent guests on the occasion included FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, Russian Federation First Deputy Prime Minister Arcady Dvorkovich, Russian Federation Parliament First Vice Speaker Alexander Zhukov, the First President of the USSR, Mikhail Gorbachev, and other famous politicians, businessmen, athletes, members from intellectual circles and the media.
Sergey Karjakin, who has this year won the World Rapid Chess Championships, was recognised as the best chess player of 2012. Valentina Gunina, playing for the Russian National Team helping them take two Olympiad championships as well as winning European Individual Chess Championship titles and the World Blitz Chess Championship, was recognized as the best female chess player of the year.
Hosts Margarita Mitrofanova and Mark Glukhovsky granted awards to former multiple World Chess Champion Anatoly Karpov, distinguished Grandmaster and 12-time Moscow Champion Evgeni Vasiukov, Russian Federation First Deputy Prime Minister Arcady Dvorkovich, Russian Federation Duma First Vice Speaker Alexander Zhukov, Moskomsport First Vice President Nikolay Gulyayev, businessman Andrey Filatov. Awards were also given to the company Rosneft and its president Igor Sechin and Businessman Gennady Timchenko.
A special guest of the event was the new Women’s Chess Champion Anna Ushenina. She also was presented a Caissa for Brightest Foreign Chess Player. The statue was handed to the champion by none other than the former USSR president, Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev. “It’s really nice winning an award like this,” said Ushenina.
“I would like to thank all those who are selflessly and faithfully supporting the development of chess in Moscow and throughout Russia. It’s just fantastic. It was thanks to the Russian school of chess that there was a nudge of development for the whole chess world. And it’s doubly nice that it is under continued support and development at the governmental level.”
In the course of the evening Anna played two “pair versus pair” games against the Russian Valentina Gunina, European champion. In the first game Ushenina’s partner was Vladimir Palikhata, with Alexander Zhukov playing for Valentina. For the second game, Palikhata joined Gunina against Ushenina and Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, President of FIDE. The moves were split between the teammates by turns, played in blitz format. The first game ended in a win for Gunina-Zhukov, the second was drawn.
Also of interest was a collection of chess and other cultural rarities open for viewing in the Our Heritage Gallery.
Annual Caissa Chess Award Recipients
1. Best Chess Player – Sergey Karjakin 2. Best Female Chess Player – Valentina Gunina 3. Best Journalist – the Kommersant, Alexey Dospekhov 4. Best Chess Journalist – Sergey and Marina Makarychev 5. Contribution to the Development and Promotion of Chess in Moscow and Worldwide – Anatoly Karpov 6. Mediaperson of the Year – Alexandra Kosteniuk 7. Best New Talent – Yuri Eliseev (World Champion under 16) 8. Partner of the Year – Moskomsport 9. Best Use of Chess Images in the Press – RBC Magazine, Editor-in-Chief Anton Popov 10. Chess Dynasty – Vladimir Yakovlevich Dvorkovich (posthumously), Galina Lvovna Dvorkovich, Arkady Dvorkovich 11. Greatest Contribution to Education of Future Generation – Company Rosneft and its President Igor Sechin 12. Development of “Chess Parliamentarism” – Alexander Zhukov 13. Best Television Coverage of Chess in the Capital – Moscow 24 14. Special Award “Our Heritage” – Evgeny Vasyukov 15. Event of the Year in Moscow – World Championship Match Anand – Gelfand sponsors – Andrey Filatov, Gennady Timchenko 16. Brightest Foreign Chess Player – Anna Ushenina From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
Kamsky Chess Lecture at ACP - Cool Chess Class on Karpov Game
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Here is a nice chess video. It is of GM Gata Kamsky 's lecture at the ACP Golden Classic. GM Kamsky analyses a crucial Anatoly Karpov World Chess Championship match.
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
NASA's rover Curiosity landed on Mars early Monday transmitting images back to Earth after traveling hundreds of millions of miles through space. It was a jaw-dropping landing process involving a sky crane and the world's largest supersonic parachute. It's a first for mankind! (Photo: Theme chess board based on the Alien movies franchise.) What's that got to do with chess? We're reminded of several things: - The Chessmen of Mars is an Edgar Rice Burroughs science fiction novel, the fifth of his famous Barsoom series. Burroughs began writing it in January, 1921, and the finished story was first published in Argosy All-Story Weekly as a six-part serial. Burroughs was a keen chess player, and played games with his assistant, John Shea, while writing the novel, which he invariably won. The novel can be classed as a planetary romance. This genre is a subset of science fiction, similar to sword and sorcery, but including scientific elements. - Is space like a chess board? In a study aimed at developing ultra-fast transistors using graphene, researchers from the UCLA Department of Physics and Astronomy and the California NanoSystems Institute show that dividing space into discrete locations, like a chessboard, may explain how point-like electrons, which have no finite radius, manage to carry their intrinsic angular momentum, or "spin." Read the full Chess Blog post. - Cool video: Astronauts vs earthlings chess match: Here is the first video coming in straight from space. STS-134 astronauts Greg Johnson and Greg Chamitoff ponder their next move for the Earth vs. Space chess match. The shuttle crew members also discuss their activities aboard the International Space Station and the benefits of playing chess. Read the full Chess Blog post. Crew of Mars-flight simulation play chess with ex-world champion Anatoly Karpov: More on space and chess: An international team of researchers launched a grueling simulation of a flight to Mars that will keep them locked in a cascade of windowless modules for 520 days - the amount of time required for a return trip to the Red Planet. As part of efforts to keep the crew in good spirits, they played a match with former world chess champion Anatoly Karpov! Read the full Chess Blog post.
Summer Chess Prize Draw - Listen to Full English Breakfast Radio Show
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Have you been listening to the super chess radio show Full English Breakfast? They have just released their latest episode which is also giving you the last chance to buy the fantastic Chess King training software with $49 discount coupon BREAKFAST and support the show! Once you do, e-mail ChessKing@TheFEB.com to enter their summer prize drawing.
The latest episode #23 is well depicted by the graphic. The chess radio show segments include Magnus and McShane, 60 Tomashevsky Seconds, Fix Yasser Seirawan's Wiki and more. The graphic includes [clockwise from left]: Anatoly Karpov, Magnus Carlsen, Luke McShane, Yasser Seirawan, Evgeny Tomashevsky. (Credit: SaintLouisChessClub.org, and Macauley Peterson)
You can hear The Full English Breakfast in the flash player below or visit their website here.
This is combining chess and cycling! Chess enthusiasts are invited to play a chess game which starts at the same time as the Tour de France against former world chess champion Anatoly Karpov. Karpov will visit the Tour de France on July 21 at the conclusion of the race at Champs-Elysées in Paris. But, before that, throughout the duration of the Tour de France, via the website Europe Echecs, he would play a chess match against the 'rest of the world' team.
Everyone who registers gets to play and vote for the best chess move for 24 hours via the Internet for the move to be played against Karpov."If I've never been to the Tour de France. Though, I have watched it on television. I see many similarities between chess and cycling. You need discipline and endurance. I can give one example of a chess match - the world chess championship against Viktor Korchnoi which lasted over two months and 32 games," said Karpov.
The Tour de France website is here. You can register for the chess game at this link.
Karpov-Seirawan Chess Exhibition: Karpov Pulls Off Win in Blitz Section
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Former World Champion Anatoly Karpov defeated four-time U.S. Champion Yasser Seirawan in a match held from June 10-13 at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis. In the first three days of play, two classical and two rapid games were drawn, increasing the tension as the players headed into a 10-game blitz match held on June 13.
Karpov-Seirawan
Karpov drew first blood in game one when he prevailed in a razor-sharp pawn endgame. But the match was far from over, as the two traded victories. Seirawan won a particularly nice game in round five, highlighting the weakness of Karpov’s second rank.
But after a half-time break, Karpov came back sharp and hungry, and he won three games in a row to clinch the match victory and $10,000 first prize.
The final score of the blitz match was 6-4 in Karpov’s favor while the overall match score (one point for each of the four draws in the classical and rapid) was 10-8.
At the post-game press conference both players spoke highly of the overall quality of the blitz match and the playing conditions. The tournament concluded with a cocktail party and tandem chess exhibition at the World Chess Hall of Fame. Karpov was inducted into the World Chess Hall of Fame in 2004, while Seirawan was inducted into the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame in 2006.
The blitz games with commentary by GM Ben Finegold and WGM Jennifer Shahade.
Legends' Chess Rapid - Time Squeezed Karpov Accepts Seirawan Draw
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Grandmasters Anatoly Karpov and Yasser Seirawan moved to their rapid matches after drawing the classical section. In the first game, Karpov achieved a dominant position in the same line of the Slav that they played in round one of the classical match. In the post-game commentary, Karpov and Seirawan agreed that Yasser's main hope was Karpov's time deficit. In the end, Karpov accepted Yasser's draw offer in a better position due to his rapidly dwindling clock. He also pointed out that even though black was worse in the final position, he had no active plans, so Seirawan's position was easier to play quickly.
Chess is Fun: Anatoly Karpov and Yasser Seirawan
In the second game, Karpov chose the Lasker Defense of the Queen's Gambit Declined. This surprised Yasser, and he did not get much with the white pieces. The game was drawn after 34 moves. A 10-game blitz showdown will determine the winner of this tight match. Tune in to livestream.com/uschess starting at 1 p.m. local/2 EST for live commentary by GM Ben Finegold and WGM Jennifer Shahade.
The players are also scheduled to host an extended live press conference via Livestream at 4:30 p.m. local time today, and chess journalists, bloggers and fans worldwide are encouraged to visit the Chess Club's Livestream channel and log in using Facebook or Livestream to submit questions. Questions can also be submitted using the hashtag USChess (#USChess) on Twitter. The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization that is committed to making chess an important part of our community. In addition to providing a forum for the community to play tournaments and casual games, the club also offers chess improvement classes, beginner lessons and special lectures. Recognizing the cognitive and behavioral benefits of chess, the Chess Club and Scholastic Center is committed to supporting those chess programs that already exist in area schools while encouraging the development of new in-school and after-school programs. For more information, visit www.saintlouischessclub.org.
Karpov in Cook County with Chess Interaction with Kids; Chess Initiative for Jail Inmates
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Former World Chess Champion was in Cook County to address kids playing in the tournament and their parents. He recounted some of his greatest career moments, many of them during the Cold War when tensions were high between the United States and the Soviet Union. At one point, he and U.S. world champion Bobby Fischer were at the top of their respective games. A match-up between the two chess titans came close a number of times, but never happened. Read the full story here.
The chess legend was also there for the Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart launching a chess program at the county jail in Chicago. The law enforcement officer hopes inmates can take what they learn from a game that rewards patience and problem-solving and apply it to their own lives. "We see it day-in and day-out that people want instant gratification and that often individuals do not think before they act," Dart said Monday. "Thoughtless actions will hurt you while playing chess and hurt you more on the street." Read the story here.
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
If you were around for the German chess league, you would have got a nice surprise. The 12th World Chess Champion - none other than Anatoly Karpov - played a game, for the first time this season, for his club SV Hockenheim, on Sunday in the Schachbundesliga.
The former World Champion drew against IM Martin Krämer in 78 moves. OSC Baden Baden maintained the lead in the competition and will face their closest rival, Werder Bremen, in the next Bundesliga weekend.
With his draw against Krämer, Karpov contributed to a 4-4 score in the match Hockenheim-SF Berlin. The 12th World Champion was better throughout the game, but the German IM made no mistakes.
Below is the game with Chess King. You can also read the full story in Chess Vibes.
Top chess video from first Fide chess world cup in 1982 - Seirawan versus Karpov
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2011
Hello everyone,
Time to sit back and enjoy this super chess video. Uploaded by Sirb0b1. It's Yasser Seirawan (USA) - Anatoly Karpov (RUS) in the first Fide World Chess Cup, 1982!
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12th Women's World Chess Champion
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