Basque Chess at World Mind Games: Gold for Hou, Silver for Kosteniuk

Hello chess blog friends, chess can be strenuous, particularly if you you play Basque Chess. Beijing World Mind Games chess section concluded with the Basque chess version that has players take on their opponent with both White and Black at the same time over two boards in each round!

Men’s: 1. Nepomniachtchi Ian (RUS) 2. Radjabov Teimour (AZE) 3. Vachier-Lagrave Maxime (FRA)
Women’s: 1. Hou Yifan (CHN) 2. Alexandra Kosteniuk (RUS) 3. Zhao Xue (CHN)

The Russians seem to be quite at good at this version of hectic chess picking up two medals - Ian Nepomniachtchi picked up the gold in the open section and ChessQueen Alexandra Kosteniuk took the silver in the women's section.

“I feel much better now that I’ve won a medal, I couldn’t show my best in the beginning and this was frustrating” stated Nepomniachtchi. The 24-year-old Russian, living in Moscow arrived at the World Mind Games just after playing in the national championships back home. Koneru Humpy - the golden girl of Indian chess - was pitted against Hou Yifan in the last round and the result could have gone either way, but eventually it was Zhao Xue who got the bronze.

You can find lots of photos and videos on the official site. The FIDE website of the SportAccord World Mind Games also has great reports and photographs by Alina L'Ami.

SportAccord World Mind Games is a multi-sport event centred on the gymnasium of the mind and highlighting the great value of the mind sports. The 2014 edition will take place from 11-17 December. As well as the first, second and third editions in 2011, 2012, and 2013 the event includes five mind sports of great popularity and influence worldwide - Bridge, Chess, Draughts, Go and Xiangqi (Chinese Chess). The event is a showcase of some top-level mind games performances with the world's best players. The Cultural and Social Programme is an integral part of the event and through a series of activities, it aims at increasing and improving mind sports' influence and practice in schools. 

Ever more countries and regions integrate the mind sports as an important part of their education programmes. Mind sports suit well a wide range of people not only in terms of age; these sports can be equally played by people with certain physical disability. The characteristics of the mind games themselves, make these sports particularly appropriate for the use of various resources, such as new technologies. 

The launch of a new media platform is the springboard for the organisation of online tournament and encourage to practice these sports through the Internet – players from all over the world are able to compete and win attractive prizes! These traditional games, where intelligence, strategy and intuition are protagonists, combined with innovative and modern elements, can create and bring new and unique experiences to a large and highly diversified group of people.

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
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Top Chess Stars at World Mind Games Beijing Dec 11 - Be There!

Hello chess blog friends, the Chess events at the 
SportAccord World Mind Games 2014 begin in Beijing December 11. The chess events at the SportAccord World Mind Games 2014 are under the auspices of the World Chess Federation (FIDE). The exciting events witness 32 players, 16 men and 16 women, competing for a rich haul of medals. The disciplines on the programme will be for both men and women Rapid, Blitz, Basque System. This year again, 12th women’s world chess champion Chess Queen Alexandra Kosteniuk will be the official Chess Ambassador of the 2014 Sport Accord World Mind Games. This is the fourth edition of the Mind Sports Games. It’s a unique multi-sport event which highlights the great value of Mind Sports. The world’s best players will deliver top-level performances and create new valuable experiences based on intelligence, strategy and exercise of mind.

Check out the official website here.


Here is the official trailer of the World Mind Games

You will recall that GM Kosteniuk got the very first Gold Medal in the Blitz Event of the first edition of the IMSA Mind Sports Games, by beating ex-world champion Antoaneta Stefanova in the blitz final 2-1. It was very tough because she started by losing the first game. Below are the 3 games in video.



Also read previous posts on the World Mind Games at ChessBlog.


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SportAccord Stats: Chess Popularity on the Rise

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

Hello everyone,

Here is an interesting report via Fide on the increasing popularity of chess. It is based on the statistics with SportAccord which is the international body that includes all sport federations. 

SportAccord has 93 member organizations including chess. According to research carried out by visiting the official websites of all those international sport organizations, FIDE is in 14th place by the number of member federations. Most international sport federations cover 5 continents: Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania. FIDE, as do a few other federations, puts Oceania under the Asian continent.

The world rank of international sport federations

Thirteen Federations have more members than FIDE. Those Federations are: Volleyball (220), Table Tennis (218), Athletics and Basketball (212), Football and Tennis (209), Taekwondo (205), Aquatics (Swimming-203), Judo (200), Boxing (196), Wight Lifting (189), Karate (188) and Body Building (182). Of those with more than FIDE, only Body Building and Karate are non-Olympic sports. It means that chess has surpassed 21 of the 33 Olympic sports (26 summer and 7 winter sports are accepted as Olympic).FIDE aims to pass 200 members in the next 4 years and to achieve the top ten rank among all sports federations. If you are wondering about the countries which are not yet members of FIDE, here they are.

In Asia: Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Kiribati, North Korea, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, Tonga, Oman, Tuvalu, Samoa, American Samoa and Vanuatu. That's 15 more countries that are not members of FIDE yet. The Asian Continent currently has 50 members and very soon will be the number one continent, with the largest number of members in the FIDE Family.

In Africa: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Chad, Congo-Brazzavile, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Niger and South Sudan, a total of 12 countries are not at the moment members of FIDE. FIDE has been working intensively in Asia and Africa to access all countries. In Africa, FIDE has 41 member federations now.

In the Americas, 35 national chess federations are members of FIDE. 13 countries or territories are members of other International sport organizations, but not yet members of FIDE. Those are, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Cayman Islands, Dominica, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Since FIDE statutes require a territory to be recognized by the United Nations, French overseas regions (French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and, in the Indian Ocean, Mayotte and Réunion) are not able to join FIDE.

The same applies to those few European federations, affiliated to some international sports organizations, that cannot be accepted as FIDE members. Otherwise, Europe has a full complement of 54 national federations.

Also Read:

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Carlsen vs Anand World Chess Championship will Showcase importance of Fitness in Chess

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

Hello everyone,

The game of chess is known as a sport that is a thinking man’s game, where clever strategy and foresight are the heavy artillery, while brute physical strength is not even considered eligible. However, not many people realise that a lot of physical training goes into the making of a chess champion.

Hours are spent in the gym training to make the body a willing servant through which the mind can impose its will.

The World Chess Championship is likely to showcase the myriad facets of the game at the highest level as Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carslen face off.

World No 1 Carlsen is well known for playing long and physically taxing games and is usually reluctant to agree to draws – something that goes with his terrier-like approach. Since the championship is expected to be a demanding affair, the 43-year-old Anand has been cycling, swimming and walking in his bid to be prepared for his much younger opponent. “Anand can expect some long games against Carlsen. That will be demanding on his body and considering that, he has to be at his physical best,” says GM Dibyendu Barua.

Dr Sanjeev Sahni, sports psychologist, who has worked with more than a few top chess players, can walk the talk in this department.

“To be a top level player, one needs to have a combination of talents working in peak condition. The first few things that come to mind are good anticipation time, attentional focus and decision-making abilities. Each individual has an innate anticipation and focus, while taking decisions within a stipulated time helps in honing these strengths,” says Sahni.

“After that, one looks at neuro-muscular coordination — the synergy between mind and body, and finally, electrodermal response, a change in the electrical properties of the skin in relation to stress.”

Sahni, a former Sports Authority of India scientist for 14 years, was known as ‘the electronic psychologist’ because of the psycho-diagnostic equipment that he helped develop for athletes back in the day.

“The problem is that in India we still think that one psychologist for an entire team is a good bargain, whereas abroad each player has one!” he exclaims.

The most overlooked part in chess is the need for the body to be a good medium. Many people dismiss chess or even golf as sport because it doesn’t fulfill their idea of physicality.

However, Dr Alok Pandey, avid chess player and psychologist feels that if the mind is in control then the physical will follow suit, but it is getting there that is difficult.

“One little distraction can cause a monumental change in the game. Players have to stay alert and manage the conditions better than their opponent. Walking from time to time helps in releasing any muscle spasm from continuous sitting and consistent movement of the eyelids prevents strain,” he advises.

Pandey, a retired Indian Air Force Wing Commander, argues that while being patient has its rewards, having body awareness is imperative to withstand the various pressures that are always trying to surface. “There is no way around developing oneself if one wants to compete at the highest level. In the end it has to be a synthesis of mind and body and that is the ultimate test.” (The New Indian Express)

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
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Chess WADA – Anti-Doping Policy, Nutrition and Health

12th Women's World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk's Chess Blog for Latest Chess News and Trivia (c) 2013

Hi everyone,

Anti-Doping Information
The 2013 WADA Prohibited List and Monitoring Program can be found at: http://list.wada-ama.org/ 

The most relevant banned substances for chess are:
• Amphetamines – e.g. Adderall, Ritalin
• Ephedrine and Methylephedrine – Prohibited by WADA when its concentration in urine is greater than 10 micrograms per milliliter
• Pseudoephedrine is prohibited when its concentration in urine is greater than 150 micrograms per milliliter

Substances not present on the Prohibited List but represented in the Monitoring Program:
• Caffeine – Included in WADA 2013 Monitoring Program and relevant for in-competition testing only. Any test reading of less than 400 milligrams poses no problem.
• Codeine – A common ingredient in, for example, preparations used to treat coughs and stomach upsets. Any dosage is highly unlikely to be significant when taken in normal therapeutic quantities.

Psychopharmacological Cognitive Enhancement
The notion of ‘cognitive enhancing’ drugs has gained periodic attention in the media and it is clear that such pharmacology has the potential to be of benefit in chess, an essentially cognitive sport. Modafinil, Adderall andRitalin are potentially implicated.

Modafinil is primarily prescribed for the treatment of shift work sleep disorder and excessive daytime sleepiness – its main function is to improve wakefulness. However, it has been seen to produce apparent cognitive enhancement effects in healthy non-sleep-deprived people though it is unclear whether these effects are sufficient or durable enough to consider it to be a cognitive enhancer.

Whilst Modafinil has been shown to improve some aspects of working memory, such as digit manipulation and pattern recognition memory, the results related to spatial memory, executive function and attention are equivocal.

Adderal and Ritalin are primarily prescribed for the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder – Adderall is primarily a mixture of four amphetamine salts whilst Ritalin is a psychostimulant with some structural and pharmacological similarities to cocaine.

Sources:
Turner DC, Robbins TW, Clark L, Aron AR, Dowson J, Sahakian BJ (2003). "Cognitive enhancing effects of modafinil in healthy volunteers". Psychopharmacology (Berl.) 165 (3): 260–9

Randall DC, Viswanath A, Bharania P, Elsabagh SM, Hartley DE, Shneerson JM, File SE (2005). "Does modafinil enhance cognitive performance in young volunteers who are not sleep-deprived?". J Clin Psychopharmacol 25 (2): 175–9

Baranski JV, Pigeau R, Dinich P, Jacobs I (2004). "Effects of modafinil on cognitive and meta-cognitive performance". Hum Psychopharmacol 19 (5): 323–3

Baranski JV, Pigeau R, Dinich P, Jacobs I (2004). "Effects of modafinil on cognitive and meta-cognitive performance". Hum Psychopharmacol 19 (5): 323–32

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Chess Helps Wounded Warriors Adapt after Injuries

Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hi everyone, 

Sarah Rafique pens a nice feature on how chess is helping wounded soldier recover and adapt after injuries. A very nice article to read. 

 

Chief Warrant Officer-3 Brenda Taylor doesn’t remember if her opponent moved a piece or, if so, to where. A typical chess game for Taylor consists of asking many questions.

She’s been playing chess every week for about a month, but as far as improving her skills, the soldier in the Warrior Transition Brigade has to relearn everything.

“As soon as we’re done and I get back to my room, I forget,” Taylor said June 5 during an adaptive reconditioning program, which offers chess to wounded warriors. “It’s a slow process for me.”

Taylor, who was diagnosed with traumatic brain injury, joined the Warrior Transition Brigade earlier this year after a rocket accident in Afghanistan in February.

Taylor, who has been in the Army 18 years, lives in the barracks.

“My kids are grown, so I don’t have anybody here,” she said. “But (the soldiers) are my family so we support each other. … It means a lot because they’re going through the same things I am, so they understand. It’s at different levels, but they understand. They know when we’re having bad days. They can come up to me and just touch me and not say anything and it means a lot.”

Susan Wilson, the adaptive reconditioning program site coordinator, said the group has grown from just a few participants the first day, to drawing more than 20 wounded warriors some weeks.

Read more »

NZ Chess Master Vivian Joyce Smith Receives Order of Merit

Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hi everyone, 

Vivian Joyce Smith of Mount Maunganui has been made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to chess. Vivian Smith is a World Chess Federation women’s chess master who encouraged women’s chess in New Zealand. Vivian played in her first National Chess Championship in 1978 and played as Third Board for the New Zealand Women’s Chess team at the Chess Olympiad in Buenos Aires the same year.

She represented New Zealand at 15 Olympiads, most recently in 2010 at Khanty-Mansisk in Siberia as a player and manager of the women’s team. She earned the title of FIDE Candidate Master in 2005 and the Women’s FIDE Master Title in 2008. She won her first New Zealand Championship in 1982, followed by a further nine championship wins, and joint first placing in the 2007 New Zealand Seniors’ Chess Championship.

She was elected to the management committee of the New Zealand Chess Federation in 2001. She initiated ‘Girls’ Weeks’: a week-long programme of chess for schoolgirls in both Auckland and Christchurch. From having no female titled players in 2001, New Zealand now has six titled female players including Women’s International master Sue Maroroa, a former student of Vivian’s. She has promoted inter-school chess competitions in Auckland and nationwide.

The Mount Maunganui resident first played chess when her brother was given a set as a child but she did not take the game seriously until she was 27. "I think I'm the only New Zealander that's ever got a medal at an olympiad. That was probably my biggest highlight," she was quoted as telling the media.

Read more »

Not Chess News, but 'Chess-Triggered' Food for Thought

Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hi everyone, 

We just found these two very interesting articles which are not directly related to chess, but have a chess motif and worth reading. The first one is controversial and disturbing, but has a "chess man" link. The second article reminds us about a debate we've conducted here on Chess Blog before!

1. Bring up the bodies: a controversial anatomy exhibit comes to Moscow

by Joy Neumeyer

A man sits playing chess. Hunched over in concentration, he reaches to move one of his pieces. He could be any lover of the game - only his brain is exposed, as are all of his muscles. The chess man is one of dozens of bodies on display in "Mysteries of the Body: The Universe Within," now at Moscow's Vetoshny Art Center. The macabre traveling exhibit displays human specimens preserved by "plastination," a process that replaces body fluids with liquid plastic. It's spurred human rights protests, bitter rivalries between scientists - and in Moscow, as in most previous locations, it's a packed house.

Before coming to Moscow, "Our Body: The Universe Within" (the show's international title) had successful runs in the U.S., Europe and South America; other parts of the collection are now on display in Florida and Nicaragua. (You can read the full article here.)

2. Not Just a Pretty Face

by Hannah Dawson

In chess, there is a tactic called 'The Cleavage Attack'. This is where a woman leans in, her breasts pressing towards the table behind her opponent's troops, so disconcerting him that she wins the game. Is this the kind of game we want to play? Is this the kind of recipe for success that we want to write? That is one of the subjects for debate at 'How The Light Gets In', the festival of philosophy and music which runs down by the river at Hay, in parallel with the literary festival. The premise is that we openly discriminate in favour of intelligence. The question is whether this is a mistake: ought we to prize beauty as much as brains? Or, to put it in the terms of Catherine Hakim, one of the panellists, ought we to maximise and reward erotic capital? (You can read the full article here.) 

But, that reminds us about a Chess Blog debate!

Psychology: Are Beauty and IQ related?

Check it out. If you have still not commented, maybe you would like to! Have fun playing chess and reading Chess Blog.

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's

www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal blog at
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Don't miss Chess Queen™
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London Nightclub Video: Choose Chess, Boxing or Sexy Hula Hoop Swinging!

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

Hi everyone,

A few clips from a Saturday night at the Scala nightclub and London's Chess Boxing scene. The video is by the very talented Macauley Peterson. After the sexy hula hoop-swinging, the chess starts about 1:38 minutes!

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
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Cool Chess and Shogi Video: GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave vs FM Habu

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

Hi everyone, 

GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and FM Yoshiharu Habu in a chess and shogi match in Kobe, western Japan, Sept 2012.

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (born 21 October 1990) is a French chess Grandmaster and the 2009 World Junior Chess Champion. He completed his final grandmaster norm at age 14 years, 4 months, in 2005. His rating on the November 2009 list was 2718 (23rd in the world and third in the top 20 juniors). Yoshiharu Habu, F.M. (羽生善治 Habu Yoshiharu, born September 27, 1970) is a professional shogi player and a chess FIDE Master.




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It's Chess for Seniors! Stay Young!

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

Hi everyone,

Chess, seniors, staying young, keeping illness away...We always love to read articles about chess and benefits. Here's one from guampdn.com titled "Staying active and challenging your mind: Lifelong habits for seniors could ward off Alzheimer's disease".

Your move: Miriam Piana, left, awaits Glynis Almonte's move as other members of the Guam ECHECS (Island Chess) Fide Zone 3.6 chess club watch their match at McDonald's in Harmon on Sept. 23. Virgilio Valencia/For Pacific Sunday News 

Read more »

Former Mr World, 3-Time Mr Britain Turns to Chess!

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

Hi everyone,

We found an interesting feature on a bodybuilding champion turning to chess. That speaks volumes! He won the Mr World title and three Mr Britain titles.

Former Brighouse man Robert Mitchell walked away from bodybuilding when he was at the height of his powers because he was disillusioned with the public perception of the world he belonged to. He had notched up a number of notable successes in the bodybuilding world, culminating with the amateur Mr World title in 1985 and three Mr Britain titles.

But, after winning his third national title, Robert took a step back from the hobby that had engrossed him since the age of 13. “I felt the world of professional bodybuilding had become associated with beefcake. It seemed to be less and less about the physical and mental dedication required.”

Now Robert is taking on a new challenge, applying himself with the same determination and dedication that he once brought to bear on bodybuilding. His ambition is to triumph in the world of amateur chess and he recently returned from representing England in Dubai where he came sixth out of 74 players in the World Amateur Chess Championship.

He maintains that there are many similarities between the two disciplines. “Both require high levels of concentration and a determination to succeed. I am a competitive person but mostly I want to do better for myself.” Read the full article here.

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
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FIDE Chess Motto: One Billion Clever People

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

Hi everyone,

Fide president Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, in an interview to Olga Pshenitsyna of The Voice of Russia, says Fide is aiming for one billion people on the planet who play chess!

The 20th of July is celebrated as the International Day of Chess. This holiday has been initiated by the World Chess Federation. On this day, different themed events and competitions are being held under the auspices of FIDE. On this day, multy-board chess plays are held even in places of detention.
Of the 7 billion of the planet’s population, 600 million of them play chess. But Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, the President of the International Chess Federation (FIDE), believes that it is not enough. In an exclusive interview with the Voice of Russia he has told that he was planning to increase the number of chess players in the world to one billion in the next five years.

”I have set the task to increase the number of chess players in the world from 600 million to one billion people in the next five-six years. Our motto is “one billion clever people”. Why have I declared this idea? The reason for everything that is going on in the world right now – I mean wars, conflicts, financial and political crises – does not lie in the fact that there is not enough money, gold, oil or gas. And certainly not in the fact that people are so angry with each other. The reason is that the states and the systems are ruled by short-sighted people who have come into politics by accident. If we increase the number of chess players to one billion people, the critical mass will increase, too. For people belonging to this critical mass the probability of becoming members of Parliaments, mayors, ministers, presidents, and kings is much higher. And thus the number of future incorrect decisions will decrease”.

- Chess is being introduced into the school curriculum. What effect can it produce?

- In 1993 the President of Kalmykia introduced chess into schools on an optional basis. And after a year it was noticed that in those schools where children were taught to play chess, discipline and test results improved. I was five years old when I learned to play chess. Chess trains our brain and develops both the left and right hemispheres. It is no coincidence that world chess champion Mikhail Botvinnik used to say that chess was a synthesis of science, culture and sport.

- What is happening to chess in Russia?

- Chess is popular in Russia now, especially with children. When I introduced chess into the schools of Kalmykia, many of my colleagues - governors, and presidents of republics - supported this idea. In Moscow chess is developing as well. Recently I was invited to one of Moscow's kindergartens, where three-year-old children are learning to play chess. Children become more attentive. There is a principle in chess: first think, and then make a move.

- Do you know of such cases in history when politicians invited chess players to make some political decisions?

- I was 15 years old when I became the champion of Kalmykia in chess among adults. And I became a member of the Young Communist League City Committee. While in the army, I was the champion of the North Caucasus district, and our Party Committee used to invite me to participate in solving political issues. Janos Kadar, the head of Hungary, is a chess player. He was making decisions at the country level. Winston Churchill, the British Prime Minister, while interviewing somebody for a job in the government, was in the habit of asking: "Do you play chess, or not?" He knew that a chess player could calculate several moves ahead. Before signing a decree or adopting a law every politician must calculate how it is going to work, and how people are going to react to it. Therefore, it is desirable for politicians to train their brains, and play chess.

- In the past, chess players could only rely on their own brains while preparing for competitions, and now they can’t do without computers. Is there a threat that technology is going to supplant human brains?

- Scientists and science fiction writers have already written that one fine day a computer brain would seize power over mankind. We have already reached the level, when a program begins to make original moves. Why has a man used to beat a computer at chess? Because he used to make an unconventional move, and the computer was taken aback. Now computers begin to think unconventionally, and this is a progress. But when a man is playing with a man, he's not using a computer. In this case human brains are competing. But a person needs to develop. And his brain should develop, too.

Today a chess boom can be observed in many countries of the world. And programmes of developing and disseminating this ancient game are accepted at the state levels. Even in Mongolia, where chess has never been very popular, two international tournaments have already been held. Chess is taught in schools in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Latin American countries. At the beginning of every academic year, the President of Uruguay presents every first former with a mini-computer containing a chess program. In China children are taught to play chess in kindergartens from the age of five.


From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal blog at
www.chessqueen.com

Chess Unlikely to be Olympic Sport During My Time, Says Vishy Anand

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

Hi everyone,

World chess champion Vishy Anand said getting chess included in the Olympics is a lengthy process and it is not likely to happen during his playing days.

 

"Not really. At the moment, it is pretty remote, and anyway, due to the lag, from acceptance till the day it finally becomes a medal sport; I mean, first you become a demonstration sport, then a medal sport, so there is a huge lag. It essentially does not apply to me anymore. I will not play in the Olympics. It will be well into the future before that happens," Anand said.

Anand expressed optimism about the current young Indian chess players. He predicted that they would eventually establish themselves among the top players in the world. "I think it will inevitably follow. We have many people doing it occasionally. I believe eventually somebody will break that thing and just be a stable top-10 player. The nice thing is, it's happening both in the men's game and the women's game. So Koneru Humpy, for instance, is quite stable as number two-number three in the world among women," he said.

Anand further said he was committed to taking his sport to as many schools as possible, in order to increase the existing pool of young chess players, as well as empowering students with skills that would help them in their studies.

"One of the things I focused on in the last eight or nine years is to get chess more into schools. The idea was to increase participation levels in chess, but especially target(ing) young students, based on the idea that chess itself can be very healthy in school, to train certain skills which are useful in studies as well. At the NIIT Mind Champions academy we have now crossed one and a half million students, and that is a big milestone for us," he said.

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
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Also see her personal blog at
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Professional Chess is Very Hard: GM Akopian

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

Hi everyone,

 

Yes, professional chess requires a sacrifice. Check out what Armenian Grandmaster Vladimir Akopian has to say. "I don't want my boys to be professional chess players, because it's too hard," Akopian was quoted as saying by Xinhua, after he swept a clean victory against Wei Yi, a 13-year-old boy who is one year younger than his oldest son Valeri, in the 10th round of the 2012 Chinese Chess League Division A.

When he was 14 in 1986, Akopian was crowned the World Under-16 champion. Three years ago, he was named "Honoured Master of Sport of the Republic of Armenia". "Besides, if you want to become a top 10 chess player, you have to work very hard, thinking about nothing but the game," said Akopian.

Referring to the 40th Chess Olympiad which will run from August 27 to September 10 in Istanbul, Turkey, Akopian said the twice champion Armenia will fight for the first place, though he admitted that luck is important. "In team work, the sense of responsibility is the most difficult part to handle, but we will definitely go for the top spot," said Akopian.

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
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Also see her personal blog at
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Ultimate Chess List of World's Top Business Honchos

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

Hi everyone,

We found this great article on chess players/lovers in business! Gus Lubin and Samantha Cortez compiled a list in Business Insider of 24 executives who are exceptional at chess. The article begins with a very nice quote by Bob Rice. In Three Moves Ahead: What Chess Can Teach You About Business, Rice wrote: "The more you look at the business world, the more you see that successful companies and the people who run them use chess strategies routinely (whether they know it or not)."

Some of the names that Lubin and Cortez have listed:

Jared Hecht, Co-founder of GroupMe
Andrei Filatov, Co-owner, N-Trans Group
Seth Bannon, Founder & CEO, Amicus
Rex Sinquefield, Co-founder, Dimensional Fund Advisors, Author
Victoria Livschitz, Founder, CEO, Grid Dynamics
Joe Lonsdale, Co-founder, Palantir Technologies and Addepar
Josh Weinstein, Founder of YouAre.TV
Elina Groberman, Former Deutsche Bank trader
Barney Pell, Co-Founder of Powerset; Founder of Moon Express
Boaz Weinstein, Hedge fund manager
Alan Trefler, CEO, Pegasystems
Peter Thiel, Hedge Fund Manager, Venture Capitalist, Co-Founder of PayPal
Vivek Rao, Former quantitative financial analyst
Max Dlugy, Manager, Diversified Property Fund; Co-founder, International Chess Management Inc.
Michael Wilder, Partner at McDermott Will & Emery
Patrick Wolff, Director of Grandmaster Capital

Can you name her, tell us her chess rating
and her claim to fame in the business world?

... and several others including Bill Gates, George Soros, Carl Icahn, Pierre Omidyar, Michael Birch, A.G. Lafley, Jim Slater, Douglas Hirsch and Auren Hoffman.

You could suggest someone if they have been missed in the full list of chess players in business.

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's

www.chessblog.com

Also see her personal blog at

www.chessqueen.com

Parimarjan: I am stronger mentally

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

Hi everyone,
 

Negi (right)

A week after he became the youngest player to win the Asian Chess Championship in Vietnam, Parimarjan Negi still gets the odd phone call congratulating him on the achievement. The 20-year-old however doesn't want to get too excited about the result that puts him in the company of big names like K Sasikiran, SS Ganguly and P Harikrishna. “To be the youngest person to win the Asian Championship doesn't mean much. For my sponsors and supporters, sure it is important. But for me it is just a title. What is more important for me is the quality of my game play,” says Negi, currently in Zaozhuang , China playing for the Indian team in the Asian Nations Chess Cup.

The victory in Ho Chi Minh City wasn't easy for Negi. He was trailing early in the contest after a defeat in the initial game of the competition but managed to recover time. Six straight wins gave him the title with a round to spare. So much so he could afford to lose the last round. It is this recovery, more than anything else that heartens Negi.

“In the past when I would lose one game it would tend to become a streak. Last year I played in many tournaments where that happened and I would pick up a couple of defeats together. I haven't done anything different. I guess it is a natural progression but also something that comes with effort. Psychologically I have become stronger,” he says. Read the full story in The Indian Express.

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal blog at
www.chessqueen.com

An inspiring chess story of a champion!

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

Hi everyone,

We found this inspiring article about a visually challenged chess player from India. She is a woman who braved several odds to do well in life. Indeed, chess is inspiring. If you have a similar story to share, do send it to us. Don't forget to spread the cheer of chess yourself too.

Sportsperson crosses all hurdles with ‘I can’ spirit
By Shabana Ansari | Place: Mumbai | Agency: DNA

You can read another article on this player here.
Vaishali Salavkar wears several hats with ease — chess champion, half-marathon runner and professional masseuse. And between all this, she has managed to find time to raise a 12-year-old daughter.

That Vaishali is partially visually challenged is one of the many things that makes her an inspiration for many.

She recently won her sixth national blind chess title and now plans to take advanced coaching so that she can play against sighted opponents. "A few months training and I am sure I can do it," she says.

 

It is this ‘’I Can" spirit that has egged her on to achieve commendable personal and professional goals.

Vaishali has a skin condition called albinism which makes her melanin-deficient and partially sighted. "I can’t see anything from my right eye and the left can only make out shapes, not faces, unless they are really close," she adds.

Growing up in a society which is not necessarily sensitive to the needs of the differently-abled, Vaishali struggled for years to fit in. One of the teachers at her school saw a spark in Vaishali and taught her to play chess as an extracurricular activity. "I beat him at a game and there has been no looking back since," she says.

The 40-year-old loves to jog and has also participated in the 7km Dream Run and the 21km half marathon a couple of times along with her husband Narendra and other members of the National Association of the Blind.

"A lot of physically challenged people take up activities that are perceived to be difficult or beyond their reach. For me, the loud cheers and encouragement from the viewers and fellow participants are exhilarating," Vaishali says.

She and her husband keep fit by brisk walking and light jogging. The couple is helped in their regime by their daughter Tanvi. "When Tanvi was born, I couldn’t help but wonder if I would be able to take care of her or whether sightless parents can bring up a well-adjusted child," she says.

And when Vaishali started playing chess in 1999, she was worried whether she would be able to juggle her job and parenthood with her passion for the game. "But I have managed to do all that is important to me with sheer determination on my part and a lot of help from my husband," she adds.

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal blog at
www.chessqueen.com

Kids win chess trophy for school first time in 21 years

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

Hello everyone,
 

It thrills us to know whenever someone is having fun with chess. So, we share this nice chess news about 10 talented students representing Jefferson Jr. High School in Woodridge who have, for the first time in 21 years, won the Southeast Dupage Elementary Athletic Association Chess Tournament held at Lace School in Darien Saturday.

The Jefferson team captured first place in the season-ending match-up against six other teams in the school conference, pulling an upset over top-ranked Cass Jr. High School in Darien.

The local players also bring back another trophy to Jefferson for coming in third place in the season with a 7-5 record. Wechman had been telling the nine boys and one girl for days that he knew they could checkmate their way to a surprise win at the tournament.. Each team consists of 10 players ranked by their coach from first to tenth based on chess ability and past performance. The top player of one team competes only against the top players from the other teams at the first board level, on down to the tenth board level.

Five players from Jefferson took home those championship medals for winning their board level: Bashkim on third board, Austin Moca on fourth board, Amber Moca on seventh board, Walter Marsh on eighth board and Anish on tenth board. Four of them won all four games, and Amber won three games and had a draw (worth half a point) in one game.

Three of the champions – Austin, Amber and Marsh – are still in elementary school but were invited to join the team based on their superb chess ability. Austin is in sixth grade, and his sister Amber is in fourth grade at Willow Creek school; Marsh is in fifth grade.

We wish them all great fun with chess always.

Don't forget to share your chess stories with us too.

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's

www.chessblog.com

Also see her personal blog at

www.chessqueen.com

Chess for hope and light... even for the visually challenged!

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

Hello everyone,

Of all the chess news we like to carry, it's always very gratifying when we have a story that brings to us the hope and joy of life as inspired by chess. We found this chess report on a national-level open chess tournament held for the visually impaired in India.

And, nice quotes about chess came from the exciting participants. Twelve-year-old said, "the visually impaired are no less than anybody,". He was the youngest participant at the event. The  four day rated National Level Open Chess Tournament for the visually challenged ran from January 1-4.

The tournament was conducted to mark the Louis Braille Day by Samarthanam Trust, along with All India Chess Federation for the Blind. The tournament had 71 visually impaired players from 11 different states across India. The tournament had both men and women participants with no separate categories. Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled, a Bangalore based NGO, funded the tournament along with free boarding and lodging facilities for the players.

The tournament was aimed at providing a platform for the visually impaired in the field of chess. "Chess is one game where visually impaired players can compete with normal players," says Devaraj, Head Master, Samarthanam School. "Such competitions builds in qualities like advance thinking, strategic thinking and confidence among the players. These things help them further in life too," says Mahantesh G Kivadasannavar, founder, Samarthanam.

"My son has participated in various chess tournaments in our State but its the first time outside," says Guntha Jagannatham. He was accompanying his son, Guntha Sai Krishna, for the tournament from Andhra Pradesh.

"Wish to play with Vishwanathan Anand one day," says 18-year-old, Sai Krishna. He also added that if there is commitment towards the game and confidence to play, anybody can win.

"There are lot of strong players around," says Ashwin K Makwana, 27, Gujarat, the winner of the tournament. He received a cash prize of six thousand rupees. He also added that he was surprised to see so many young players in the tournament who had taken up chess seriously. Makwana is also the current National Champion under All India Chess Federation for the Blind.

The Tournament had two players from Karnataka. The second place was taken by 19-year-old Kishan Gangolli, Karnataka. He received a cash prize of Rs. 4500. "I tried very hard but could not reach the first place," he said. Gangolli had also participated and secured 6th place in the U-19 World Chess Olympaid in 2011. ⊕

You can read the original report here. 

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's

www.chessblog.com

Also see her personal blog at

www.chessqueen.com