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
Don't miss Chess
Queen™
YouTube
Channel
Labels: anand, april fide chess ratings, Aronian, Carlsen, humpy, judit, Kosteniuk, Kramnik, Muzychuk, yifan
Funny Chess Videos Featuring Ivanchuk, Kramnik, Grischuk, Kuka Monster, Anand and Kasparov!
Zurich Chess Challenge Feb, 2013 to Feature Anand, Gelfand, Caruana, Kramnik
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand, his most recent challenger Boris Gelfand, the former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik and the rising star Fabiano Caruana will be competing in the second Zurich Chess Challenge, according to a press release.
From 23 February to 1 March 2013 they will face each other in a double round-robin tournament at the Savoy Hotel, Paradeplatz, Zurich. The games will be played with a classical time-control of 2 hours for 40 moves, 1 hour for the next 20 moves and 15 minutes plus a 30-second increment for the remainder of the game. In case of a draw before move 40, an additional exhibition game will be played (result not counting).
Following on from the 2012 Zurich Chess Challenge, which was a match between Kramnik and Levon Aronian, the main sponsor, Oleg Skvortsov of International Gemological Laboratories, Moscow, is making it possible for another highly attractive event to be staged by the Zurich Chess Club.
The 2013 tournament marks the sixtieth anniversary of the legendary Candidates’ Tournament, won by Vassily Smyslov, and will be a highlight of the chess calendar.
ParticipantsVladimir Kramnik (Russia, Elo 2795, #3 on the current World ranking list), Fabiano Caruana (Italy, 2786, #5), Viswanathan Anand (India, 2775, #6), Boris Gelfand (Israel, 2751, #14).
SchedulePlay daily from 23 February to 1 March 2013 (free day: 26 February). Spectators are welcome.
Main sponsorIGC International Gemological Laboratoriesis a Russian institute providing gemological services, such as diamond grading reports, enhanced diamonds identification, man-made/synthetic diamonds and imitation detection as well as certification of diamonds, gemstones and jewelry in the Russian Federation. IGC is the Russian branch of GCI – a group of gemological laboratories located worldwide.
Co-sponsors
Labels: anand, caruana, Gelfand, Kramnik, zurich chess challenge
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
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal blog at
www.chessqueen.com
Don't miss
ChessQueenTV
Labels: anand, Aronian, bilbao chess, Carlsen, caruana, chess masters final, Karjakin, sau paulo chess, vallejo
Chess Unlikely to be Olympic Sport During My Time, Says Vishy Anand
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012Hi 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
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal blog at
www.chessqueen.com Labels: anand, Chess, olympics
World Chess Championship 2012 Revisited Trivia Quiz
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Exactly a month ago we were all preparing to go into the tiebreak of the Anand-Gelfand World Chess Championship 2012. There was excitement all around - not just in Moscow. How much do you remember of what transpired in Moscow this last month? Here's a quiz to find out. Enjoy remembering the world chess championship 2012.
1- Can you identify the two people in the photo?
... and the four people in this photo?
The answer is at Mate in Moscow.
2- Who said this is? (Hint: Not Boris Gelfand)
"I went to school in Dnepropetrovsk, but there wasn’t a single university in the city that had a chess programme. So I had to choose between Moscow, Minsk and Lviv."
The answer is at the official world chess championship website.
3- This position appeared on the chess board in which game? You can replay the game with Chess King.
4- Can you identify the event and the participants? The answer is here.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal blog at
www.chessqueen.com Labels: anand, Chess trivia, Gelfand, World Chess Championship 2012
Anand, Gelfand Both Get Home to Grand Welcome
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
In the very frenzied, attacking, and spectacular rapid chess being played at the Batumi Women's World Rapid, we did not miss keeping track of where World Chess Champion India's Viswanathan Anand and his Challenger Israel's Boris Gelfand were!
As expected, there are hundreds of reports on the Internet as the two very talented chess players were received in their respective countries to a grand welcome.
World chess champion Viswanathan Anand was greeted by fans at the Chennai airport on Saturday as he reached home after winning his fifth world chess championship title. Officials from the Indian Chess Federation and Anand's family members were also there to greet him. Anand's press conferences have already become a big source of discussion in the Indian media.
Meanwhile, Boris Gelfand too landed at the Ben Gurion Airport to be greeted by fans and family members in Israel. His chess friends and chess federation officials were there as well. Gelfand also had his baggage trolley missing for a while, but it was recovered soon enough. In reference to the World Chess Championship, Gelfand said, "I was truly excited, and I hope this will elevate chess in Israel to its rightful place. I think it's a very good thing for the public that every child will know what chess is."
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
Labels: 2012 world chess championship, anand, Gelfand
'Russian Chess Link' - Anand Tells Putin the Truth!
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, shakes hands with World Chess champion Viswanathan Anand from India, right, and Boris Gelfand of Israel in the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, Thursday, May 31, 2012. Putin has met with the new world chess champion Viswanathan Anad and runner-up Boris Gelfand over a cup of tea in his residence. Indias Anand beat Gelfand of Israel on Wednesday 2.5-1.5 in a rapid tiebreaker following a 6-6 draw. (AP Photo/RIA Novosti, Alexei Druzhinin, Government Press Service)
According to Vosizneias report, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin has met with world chess champion Viswanathan Anand and runner-up Boris Gelfand over a cup of tea in his residence. Putin lauded both players for “an outstanding game.”
India’s Anand beat Gelfand of Israel on Wednesday 2.5-1.5 in a rapid tiebreaker following a 6-6 draw played at the Tretyakov Gallery, one of Russia’s finest museums.
Anand told Putin over tea Thursday that he had learned to play chess in a Soviet cultural center in his hometown when he was a child. “So we brought this on ourselves!” Putin said.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
Also see her personal blog at
Labels: 2012 world chess championship, anand, Gelfand, putin
World Chess Champion - India Twitter Trend: Is Indian Model Going to Strip for Anand Victory?
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
 |
I'm a good
kid - I don't read tweets! |
The Indian subcontinent takes cricket love to pretty manic heights and chess figures much less in the media unless, of course, if the news is about World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand.
Indian model Poonam Pandey was the talk of Indian media and twitter trends two days back for 'stripping' on twitter to celebrate the victory of Kolkata Knight Riders - a team owned by India movie superstar Shah Rukh Khan - in the Indian cricket league tournament just two days back.
The Indian twiterati is having fun this Wednesday after Vishy Anand won the 2012 world chess championship by beating Boris Gelfand.
Here are some popular tweets. With no ill-will intended, we celebrate the creativity of chess fans from India - particularly that Anand is seen with such good will that fans actually expect the model to 'cover up' for him!:
Angry Bombay Girl @shadymumbai
Now that Poonam Pandey has removed all her clothes for Cricket ... For Vishwanathan Anand .. she might consider Wearing some for a Change
doctor at large @doctoratlarge
Poonam Pandey puts on a saree to celebrate Anand's win
greatbong @greatbongPoonam Pandey will take off her clothes for Anand also? Toplessalov ?
rajneesh kapoor @MrMrRajneesh
Now that Viswannathan Anand has won the World Championship, Poonam Pandey must show all the Mating Positions.
Faking News @fakingnews
I just hope Poonam Pandey doesn't post a pic to 'celebrate' Viswanathan Anand winning World Chess Championship.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal blog at
www.chessqueen.com
Labels: anand, Gelfand, poonam pandey strip, world chess championship
Anand-Gelfand Tiebreak, Press Conference Video Plus Chess King Analysis
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012Hi everyone,
World Chess Championship 2012: Here is a very nice video of the tiebreak played between Viswanathan Anand and Boris Gelfand in Moscow today. It includes the post-match press conference. You can also see the Houdini 2 Pro Analysis generated in Chess King here.
Labels: anand, Chess King, Gelfand, World Chess Championship 2012
World Chess Live Tiebreak: Anand Leads
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
World chess champion Viswanathan Anand of India is leading Israeli challenger Boris Gelfand in a rapid tiebreaker to decide their title match in Moscow.
Tied at 6-6 after 12 games, they are now playing four rapid games with a shortened time limit of 25 minutes per player. The first game was a draw with Anand winning the second game. They drew the third game and Anand leads 2.0-1.0.
Hundreds of chess fans are watching Wednesday's tiebreak in a hall at the State Tretyakov Gallery, one of Russia's finest museums. The winner takes home $1.5 million, while the loser is awarded $1 million. Anand last successfully defended his title in 2010 against Bulgarian challenger Veselin Topalov.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal blog at
www.chessqueen.com
Labels: 2012 world chess chammpionship, anand, Gelfand, tiebreaker live
Game 12 Video from Anand, Gelfand 2012 World Chess Match Plus Svidler Interview
World Chess Championship 2012 Name the Game Quiz
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
The 12 games in the 2012 Anand Gelfand World Chess Championship have ended in Moscow on Monday. The match is tied at 6-6 and now heads for the tiebreaks to be played on Wednesday. You can watch the tiebreaks live on the official website from Moscow time 1200 hours.
Meanwhile, here is a quiz. Can you recognize these five positions from the 12 games played at the 2012 Anand-Gelfand World Chess Championship in Moscow? Just guess the Game number and click on the photo to go to the Chess King detailed analysis of the moves and game. Happy Chess Guessing!
Can You Name the Game?
(Click on Photo to see answer at Chess King.)
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
Labels: 2012 world chess championship, anand, chess quiz, Chess trivia, Gelfand
History at 2012 World Chess Championship - Speed Chess Tiebreak to Decide World Chess Champion
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
The final game in the 2012 World Chess Championship has been played. The score is tied at 6-6. Viswanathan Anand and Boris Gelfand head for the first-time-in-history speed chess tiebreak to decide the top title.
Game 12 was much like the previous two games — the players got the Queens off early and let the game dribble down into a draw. There was excellent live broadcast of Game 12 at the official website. The 14th World Chess Champion, Vladimir Kramnik, was in the commentary box. Check out the complete analysis of the game with Chess King.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal blog at
www.chessqueen.com Labels: 2012 world chess championship, anand, game 12 moves, Gelfand, tiebreak world chess
Chess Figures of the 20th Century - Special Exhibition in Moscow
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Here is a nice article by Joy Neumeyer about a special exhibition on chess.
Until June 24 at the Multimedia Art Museum, Moscow, 16 Ul. Ostozhenka, m. Kropotkinskaya, www.mamm-mdf.ru
Open Tue.-Sun., noon-9 pm
It’s a chess-stravaganza at the Multimedia Art Museum, which is honoring this month’s World Chess Championship in Moscow with an exhibition devoted to the game. The exhibition features hundreds of photographs of Russian grandmasters such as Viktor Korchnoi, Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov playing in major championships and friendly matches, accompanied by detailed commentary. Vintage match posters and chess sets are also on display, including 19th-century antiques and the first Soviet set, Gorod i Derevnya (“City and Town”).
Visitors can catch two chessthemed films. “Chess Fever,” a 1925 comedy by Vsevolod Pudovkin, follows a man whose love of chess causes him to miss his own wedding; it includes an appearance by chess legend Jose Raul Capablanca as himself. “Grandmaster,” a 1972 drama featuring Viktor Korchnoi, was removed from distribution after Korchnoi defected to the West.
The museum provides chess sets for those inspired to play a match. In June, grandmaster Vladimir Kramnik will face off against children for a mini-championship in the exhibition hall; check the website for the date and time.
Don't miss it!
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
Also see her personal blog at
Labels: 2012 world chess championship, anand, chess exhibition, Gelfand, moscow art chess
World Chess Championship Draw Problem: Chess King Suggests How We Can Make Anand, Gelfand Go for Win
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.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
Also see her personal blog at
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
Anand-Shirov Leon chess match videos plus Caro Kann novelty by Anand
|
|
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:
