April 2014 Chess Ratings: Carlsen, Judit top Lists; Kramnik, Kosteniuk top Russians!
Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2014
Hello everyone,
The April FIDE 2014 chess ratings list is out and World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen stays at the top with 2881. In second place is Levon Aronian despite losing 18 points and slumping to 2812. The big gain is by former World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand who is not world no. 3 at 2785 with a cool 15-point gain. He has edged out Vladimir Kramnik who has gone to the fourth slot with a four-point loss. Here is a list of the top-20 players with rating:
Rank Name Title Country Rating Games B-Year
1 Carlsen, Magnus g NOR 2881 0 1990
2 Aronian, Levon g ARM 2812 14 1982
3 Anand, Viswanathan g IND 2785 14 1969
4 Kramnik, Vladimir g RUS 2783 14 1975
5 Caruana, Fabiano g ITA 2783 0 1992
6 Grischuk, Alexander g RUS 2777 0 1983
7 Karjakin, Sergey g RUS 2772 14 1990
8 Topalov, Veselin g BUL 2772 14 1975
9 Nakamura, Hikaru g USA 2772 0 1987
10 Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar g AZE 2760 14 1985
11 Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime g FRA 2758 0 1990
12 Dominguez Perez, Leinier g CUB 2757 0 1983
13 Svidler, Peter g RUS 2756 14 1976
14 Adams, Michael g ENG 2753 2 1971
15 Gelfand, Boris g ISR 2753 0 1968
16 Ivanchuk, Vassily g UKR 2753 0 1969
17 Vitiugov, Nikita g RUS 2747 0 1987
18 Giri, Anish g NED 2745 0 1994
19 So, Wesley g PHI 2738 0 1993
20 Wang, Hao g CHN 2734 0 1989
Among the women chess players, Judit Polgar keeps her No. 1 spot and is followed by Hou Yifan. Koneru Humpy is in the third spot.
GMs and former World Chess Champions Vladimir Kramnik (World No. 3 among men) and Alexandra Kosteniuk (World No. 8 among women) remain the top Russians in the world with 2783 and 2527 respectively.
Here are the top-20 women chess players in the world:
Rank Name Title Country Rating Games B-Year
1 Polgar, Judit g HUN 2685 11 1976
2 Hou, Yifan g CHN 2618 11 1994
3 Koneru, Humpy g IND 2613 0 1987
4 Muzychuk, Anna g SLO 2560 0 1990
5 Zhao, Xue g CHN 2552 0 1985
6 Dzagnidze, Nana g GEO 2550 11 1987
7 Lagno, Kateryna g UKR 2543 0 1989
8 Ju, Wenjun wg CHN 2527 11 1991
9 Kosteniuk, Alexandra g RUS 2527 0 1984
10 Muzychuk, Mariya m UKR 2524 0 1992
11 Khotenashvili, Bela g GEO 2513 11 1988
12 Kosintseva, Nadezhda g RUS 2513 0 1985
13 Cmilyte, Viktorija g LTU 2511 2 1983
14 Gunina, Valentina g RUS 2508 2 1989
15 Hoang, Thanh Trang g HUN 2508 1 1980
16 Harika, Dronavalli g IND 2507 10 1991
17 Cramling, Pia g SWE 2507 3 1963
18 Ruan, Lufei wg CHN 2503 0 1987
19 Ushenina, Anna g UKR 2501 0 1985
20 Pogonina, Natalija wg RUS 2499 0 1985
Not much rating changes have taken place for the top-20 women this month, but then we have a fantastic new women's chess event coming up this April. Do you know which chess tournament it is and did you read our Chess Blog post about it? Yes, it is in Khanty Mansiysk!
Here is the FIDE page dedicated to chess ratings.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal chess blog
at www.chessqueen.com
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Queen™
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Labels: anand, april fide chess ratings, Aronian, Carlsen, humpy, judit, Kosteniuk, Kramnik, Muzychuk, yifan
Norway Chess 2014: Carlsen, Caruana, Aronian, Topalov, Karjakin, Svidler Confirmed
Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013
Hello everyone,
Here is the latest chess news update via FIDE: Eirik T. Gullaksen of Bergensjakk.no stated that six players have been confirmed for the super-tournament Norway Chess 2014. World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana, WCC Candidates Levon Aronian, Veselin Topalov, Sergey Karjakin and Peter Svidler are part of the 10-player field. The remaining four names will be announced later. The dates are 2-13th June.
As it was last year, the tournament will take place in different venues. So far confirmed are Inge Brigt Aarbakke factory hall in Bryne, Vågen Videregående Skole – High school in Sandnes, and the main arena in Scandic Hotel Stavanger Forus.
The organizers are making efforts to secure two additional venues. The players will be staying on the new Scandic Stavanger City hotel which will open its doors in May.
Kjell Madland, Norway Chess Chairman, said for Aftenbladet that former World Champion Viswanathan Anand will not participate this time, but is looking forward to come back for Norway Chess 2015.
Madland added that the first prize will be 100,000 EUR, as last year, and that possibly one spot in the tournament will be awarded to the winner of the “Nordic Challenge Tournament”.
The organizers have signed new partners for the next event, including the SR-Bank and Conventor AS.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
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Labels: Aronian, Carlsen, caruana, gullaksen, Karjakin, norway chess 2014, svidler, topalov
Alekhine Chess Memorial 2013 Round 4: Adams, Vachier-Lagrave, Gelfand, Aronian in Joint Lead
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013
Hi everyone,
Round 4 games of Alekhine Memorial were played in Paris on April, 24. Like in Round 3 four games out of five ended in a draw. The key game of the round was played between Levon Aronian and Peter Svidler. It was hard to predict however that this would be the only effective game of the round. Yet, Aronian’s fighting mood was clearly seen. It seems that he tries to catch up what he missed when he played in Candidates Tournament in London.
Aronian performed a deep home preparation against Svidler’s hallmark in Grunfeld defense. Russian grandmaster, World Cup winner, couldn’t solve his opening problems and got a bad endgame, where Aronian gained a strategic advantage. Before the first time control was reached the game was consistently won for white. As all other games ended in a draw Levon Aronian joined the tournament leaders – Gelfand, Adams and Vachier-Lagrave.
Boris Gelfand, who was playing black, met some minor opening problems that were created by Nikita Vitiugov, but managed to avoid all the threats and drew the game. French grandmaster Maxime Vachier-Lagrave played white against World champion Viswanathan Anand. He got a slight advantage, but before the first time control Maxime made a mistake and his opponent capitalized on opponent’s error and drew the game as well. At the press conference after the game Vachier-Lagrave mentioned that the position on the board still remained equal.
The game between Chinese prodigy Ding Liren and former World champion Vladimir Kramnik ended earlier than others. Kramnik showed a precise way to equality. The game between Laurent Fressinet and Michael Adams looked much more dramatic. French grandmaster tried to change the tournament leader, however Adams performed an obstinate defense and saved himself half a point that still keeps him in the leading group of the tournament.
Places after four rounds: 1-4. Adams, Vachier-Lagrave, Gelfand, Aronian – 2.5 points; 5-7. Kramnik, Ding Liren, Fressinet – 2 points; 8-9, Vitiugov, Anand – 1.5 points, 10. Svidler – 1 point.
Round 5 pairings: Gelfand – Aronian, Adams – Vitiugov, Svidler – Vachier-Lagrave, Kramnik – Fressinet, Anand – Ding Liren.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
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Labels: adams, alekhine chess memorial 2013, Aronian, Gelfand, vachier-lagrave
Norway Chess 2013 Promo Video with Magnus Carlsen
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012Hi everyone,
This chess video is not for the faint-hearted! It's a music video with Magnus Carlsen playing chess on The Pulpit Rock in the Norwegian Lyse fjord in the Stavanger region. The promo video has been produced for Norway Chess 2013 by Genesis Film. The Norway Chess 2013 Super Tournament will be held from May 7th to 18th 2013 in several different locations in the Stavanger-region. Already registered to play are Carlsen, Anand and Aronian!
Labels: anand, Aronian, Carlsen, Chess video, magnus calrsen, norway chess 2013
5th Chess Masters Final in Sao Paulo, Bilbao with Anand, Carlsen, Aronian, Karjakin, Vallejo, Caruana!
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Five of the eight best chess players in the world will compete in the 5th edition of the Chess Masters Final to be held in Sao Paulo and Bilbao from September 24 to 29.
These include reigning world chess champion Viswanathan Anand, World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, World No. 2 Levon Aronian, Sergey Karjakin, Fabiano Caruana and Paco Vallejo.
Sao Paulo, Brazil's economic capital, will host the first half of the tournament from September 24 to 29. The second and deciding half will be played in Bilbao from October 8 to 13. Sao Paulo and Bilbao will, this year, once again host the Grand Slam Chess Masters Final, making both cities for the second consecutive year the world Chess capitals. The tournament will be played via a double half-robin league. The Brazilian megalopolis will host the first half from September 24 to 29 and the second and defining half will be played in Bilbao from October 8 to 13.
The last edition of the Grand Slam masters Final, first shared by Sao Paulo and Bilbao (the championship's fixed venue) was held from September 25 to October 1 in Brazil and October 5 to 11 in the Biscayan capital. Norway's Magnus Carlsen, number 1 in the world chess rankings, walked away with the title of champion on that occasion.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
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Also see her personal blog at
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Labels: anand, Aronian, bilbao chess, Carlsen, caruana, chess masters final, Karjakin, sau paulo chess, vallejo
Tal Chess Memorial Round 3 - Morozevich, Radjabov Lead
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Great games continue to be played at the Tal Chess Memorial 2012 in Moscow at the beautiful Pashkov House. In Round 3, Alexander Morozevich beat Alexander Grischuk. Levon Aronian decided to go for a risky line and went down fighting to Luke McShane. Three chess games - Carlsen-Caruana, Radjabov-Kramnik, and Nakamura-Tomashevsky - were drawn.
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Morozevich and Grischuk in
Round 3 at Tal Chess Memorial 2012 |
Round 3 standings:
1-2. Morozevich, Radjabov – 2,5;
3. Kramnik – 2;
4-5. Aronian, Carlsen – 1,5;
6-10. Grischuk, Caruanа, McShane, Nakamura, Tomashevsky – 1.
Round 4 pairings (June 12th):
Morozevich – Radjabov
Carlsen – Grischuk
Kramnik – Aronian
McShane – Nakamura
Caruana – Tomashevsky
Monday is the rest day. You can watch the Tal Chess Memorial live at the official website
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
Also see her personal blog at
Labels: Aronian, Carlsen, morozevich, Radjabov, tal chess memorial
Mikhail Tal Chess Memorial from June 7
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
The 7th Mikhail Tal Chess Memorial will take place from 7th to 19th June, 2012, in Moscow, Russia, according to the Russia Chess Federation website.
The RCF reports that Magnus Carlsen, Levon Aronian and Vladimir Kramnik have already confirmed their participation. The venue, tournament format and other participants will be announced later. The previous edition was held in November 2011, but this time the tournament is moved to June.
Mikhail Tal Memorial, winners of the previous editions:
2006 – Levon Aronian, Peter Leko, Ruslan Ponomariov – 5½ /9
2007 – Vladimir Kramnik 6½ /9
2008 – Vassily Ivanchuk 6 /9
2009 – Vladimir Kramnik 6½ /9
2010 – Levon Aronian, Sergey Karjakin, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov – 5½ /9
2011 – Magnus Carlsen and Levon Aronian – 5½ /9
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
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Also see her personal blog at
www.chessqueen.com
Labels: Aronian, Carlsen, Kramnik, mikhail tal chess memorial
Tal Chess Memorial R 6 and 7: Ivanchuk beats Nakamura; five players in joint lead
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2011
Hello everyone,
Just when we were about to say that the sixth round at the VI Tal Chess Memorial in Moscow ended in all draws for the third round in a row, the nice one decisive game of Round 7 happened. All games were drawn in the sixth round and the seventh round except Vassily Ivanchuk beating Hikaru Nakamura in the seventh round!
Now, Ivanchuk joins Levon Aronian, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Magnus Carlsen and Sergey Karjakin in the lead with all of them having 4 points in seven rounds. There are two more rounds to be played.
Have a look at the pairings for the eighth and ninth rounds and you are unlikely to miss the finish of the tournament.
Round 8: Thursday, November 24, 2011
- Magnus Carlsen Ian Nepomniachtchi
- Levon Aronian Peter Svidler
- Vladimir Kramnik Sergey Karjakin
- Vassily Ivanchuk Boris Gelfand
- Vishy Anand Hikaru Nakamura
Round 9: Friday, November 25, 2011
- Hikaru Nakamura Magnus Carlsen
- Boris Gelfand Vishy Anand
- Sergey Karjakin Vassily Ivanchuk
- Peter Svidler Vladimir Kramnik
- Ian Nepomniachtchi Levon Aronian
You can access the official website at this link. Meanwhile, here are all the games of Round 6 and 7.
Labels: 2011, Aronian, Boris gelfand, Hikaru nakamura, Ian Nepomniachtchi Levon, Magnus Carlsen, peter svidler, sergey karjakin, tal chess memorial, Vassily Ivanchuk, vishy anand, vladimir kramnik
Tal Chess Memorial R5: All games drawn after ballistic chess;
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2011
Hello everyone,
Even though all the games were drawn in the fifth round at the VI Tal Chess Memorial in Moscow on Sunday, the round was an exhausting one. Absolutely. Nepomniatchtchi, Aronian and Carlsen were all poised to win but the defenses were equally tenacious.
The standings after Round 5 have Aronian, Carlsen, Karjakin and Nepomniachtchi with 3 points, Anand, Ivanchuk and Svidler 2.5 points, Kramnik and Nakamura 2.0 points and Gelfand with 1.5 points.
Vladimir Kramnik at the Tal Chess Memorial
Here are all the games of Round 5 while you can access the official website at this link.
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Labels: anand, Aronian, Carlsen, Gelfand, Ivanchuk, Karjakin, Kramnik, nakamura, nepomniachtichi, svidler, tal chess memorial 2011
'Hottest' London winter ever - Chess Classic 2011 with Carlsen, Anand, Kramnik, Aronian, Nakamura, Adams, Short, McShane, Howell
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2011
Hi everyone,
Four 2800+ chess players
to feature in
London Chess Classic 2011
It is surely going to be the best-ever line-up of chess players at a major British tournament with the London Chess Classic 2011. There will be four of the six highest-rated players of all time at the event.
Running from 3rd-12th December, the third annual Classic will be the strongest tournament in the history of British chess, with the world’s best chess players competing in 36 high-profile matches.
For the first time ever in the game, four Grandmasters have simultaneously passed the 2,800 mark in the World Chess Federation (FIDE) rating system and this year’s event will make history as all four players will take part in the tournament.
Leading the field will be world number one Magnus Carlsen, who returns to London’s Olympia Conference Centre to defend the title he won in 2010. Joining Carlsen as part of the star-studded line-up will be World Chess Champion, Viswanathan Anand from India, his immediate predecessor as World Champion, Vladimir Kramnik from Russia, and Armenian Levon Aronian, ranked world number three and the reigning World Blitz Chess Champion.
Also taking part in the elite Classic tournament will be American star Hikaru Nakamura. Check out the full line-up at the official website.
Apart from the elite Classic tournament, other professionals from around the world will be chasing a £2,500 first prize for the nine-round world-rated Open. Separately, a host of events and prizes are available to chess players of all ages and standards.
The tournament is once again being brought to the UK’s capital by the charity ‘Chess in Schools and Communities’. CSC, a registered charity which promotes the playing and teaching of chess in schools, will also host a ‘chess festival’ at the event which will feature five days of free school activities and tournaments, to which over 1000 children are expected to attend.
Children under 16 are admitted free to the London Chess Classic, with adult tickets just £15 per day (£20 at weekends) and £100 for access to all ten days of the tournament. Adult and Junior ticket holders receive admission to the tournament, plus a guaranteed seat in the auditorium and access to the Commentary Room where some of the UK's leading Grandmasters will give insights into the play and answer questions.
All proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to the CSC charity. To buy tickets and for more information on the CSC initiative, please visit: www.londonchessclassic.com and www.chessinschools.co.uk.
In case you missed our earlier posts on the CSC events, check them out now.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
Also see her personal blog at
Labels: adams, anand, Aronian, Carlsen, Howell, Kramnik, London Chess Classic 2011, McShane, nakamura, Short
Video Aronian - Kosteniuk 0-1
Here's one more video for you, of my game from the last World Blitz Chess Championship, in which I won against Grandmaster Levon Aronian, rated #5 in the world (ELO 2786).
P.S. Here is the PGN file for this game:
[Event "World Blitz Campionship 2009"] [White "Aronian, Levon"] [Black "Kosteniuk, Alexandra"] [Result "0-1"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. e3 a6 6. a4 c5 7. Bxc4 Nc6 8. O-O Be7 9. dxc5 Qc7 10. Qc2 Bxc5 11. Rd1 O-O 12. Ne4 Be7 13. Bd2 b6 14. Bd3 Nd5 15. Neg5 g6 16. Rac1 Bb7 17. h4 Rac8 18. h5 Bxg5 19. Nxg5 Qe5 20. f4 Nxf4 21. exf4 Qd4+ 22. Kh2 Nb4 23. Qb3 Nxd3 24. Rxc8 Rxc8 25. hxg6 hxg6 26. Be1 Qxf4+ 27. Bg3 Qxg5 28. Qxd3 Qh5+ 29. Kg1 Bd5 30. Rf1 Bc4 31. Qc3 Rc5 32. Rf2 Qd1+ 33. Kh2 Rh5+ 0-1 Labels: Aronian, Kosteniuk, World Blitz Chess Championship
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The April FIDE 2014 chess ratings list is out and World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen stays at the top with 2881. In second place is Levon Aronian despite losing 18 points and slumping to 2812. The big gain is by former World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand who is not world no. 3 at 2785 with a cool 15-point gain. He has edged out Vladimir Kramnik who has gone to the fourth slot with a four-point loss. Here is a list of the top-20 players with rating:
