Top Six English Players Register for 5th London Chess Classic
Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013
Hi everyone,
Six leading English players, Michael Adams, Luke McShane, Nigel Short, Matthew Sadler, David Howell and Gawain Jones have accepted their invitation to play in the 5th London Chess Classic to be staged at the Olympia Conference Centre in Kensington, running from Saturday 7th December to Sunday 15th December.
Life begins at 41 for the UK No.1, Michael Adams, who was one of the world’s best players in the 1990s. He was a four-time semifinalist (1993, 1997, 1999 and 2000) in World Championship events, and in 2004 he made itto the final. He was ranked No.4 in the world in 2001 and 2002, but by 2009 had dropped to No.50.
Since then, the popular Cornishman has seen a renaissance in his game with a return to elite status; and this summer, he scored the biggest tournament victory of his career by winning the Sparkassen Chess Meeting in Dortmund, Germany, ahead of a field that included Vladimir Kramnik, the former world champion and world No. 3, and Fabiano Caruana of Italy, who is ranked fifth.
Luke McShane, 29, and Matthew Sadler, 39, both follow in that quaint English tradition -- much like C.H.O’D Alexander and Jonathan Penrose, who shocked top Soviet stars such as Botvinnik, Bronstein and Tal -- by being regarded as the world’s top two amateur players, as they hold down very demanding full-time professional jobs. McShane works in finance in the City, and Sadler in IT in The Netherlands - but while chess is now a “hobby” for both, the English No’s. 2 and 4 respectively still play to a very high standard.
Globe-trotting Nigel Short continues to add further successes to his long list of tournament victories, with this summer seeing the English No.3 share first prize in the Sigeman Invitational in Malmo, Sweden, and first on tiebreak in the Canadian Open Championship in Ottawa; and, on both occasions, ahead of talented younger rising stars.
Short, 48, consistently performs at or close to the elite GM 2700 rating level, as he fights off younger rivals by using his wealth of experience from a glittering career whose peaks include victory at the VAS Amsterdam tournament in 1991, ahead of Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov, a Candidates match victory over Karpov in 1992 and a world title challenge in 1993 to Kasparov. Short is also in demand as an online commentator for some of the world’s top tournaments -- but we are always glad to see him play!
David Howell, 22, and Gawain Jones, 25, are, respectively, the English No. 5 and 6, and also the last two winners of the British Championship titles - Howell storming to victory this summer in Torquay, for his second title (which he dedicated to his late father), and Jones, winning last year in North Shields. Both represented England at the very top at junior level, and have now become a regular fixture for their country at Olympiads and European Team Championships.
Adams, McShane, Short, Sadler, Howell and Jones will be cheered on by the patriotic home crowd expected to fill the Kensington Olympia, as they go into battle in the 5th London Chess Classic with the tough elite opposition of World Champion Vishy Anand, World Cup winner Kramnik, Caruana, Hikaru Nakamura, Boris Gelfand, Peter Svidler and Judit Polgar. The composition of the remainder of the 16-player field will be announced next week.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Labels: david howell, gawain jones, london chess classic 2013, luke mcshane, Matthew Sadler, michael adams, nigel short
London Chess Classic 2012 Round 5: Carlsen Holds on to Lead; Kramnik, Anand, Nakamura Win
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
The 2012 London Chess Classic is being held from December 1 - 10. All games were decisive in Round 5 at the London Chess Classic 2012. Vladimir Kramnik played a brilliant game to beat Luke McShane. World chess champion Viswanathan Anand scored his first win of the tournament as Gawain Jones decided to self-destruct in a slightly advantageous position with White. Magnus Carlsen beat Michael Adams to take his live rating to 2860.5. Nakamura held on to beat Judit Polgar in a marathon endgame.
Click on the games to replay the Round 5 games with Chess King.
Labels: gawain jones, Hikaru nakamura, Judit Polgar, levon aronian, london chess classic 2012, luke mcshane, Magnus Carlsen, michael adams, Viswanathan Anand, vladimir kramnik
London Chess Classic 2012 Round 3: Adams Beats Polgar, Carlsen Escapes Kramnik
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
The London Chess Classic 2012 Round 3 had plenty at stake - all for pawns really. On the one hand, World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen pulled off a draw against former World Chess Champion Vladimir Kramnik despite being pawn down. On the other, World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand had nothing to make with his pawn advantage and had to settle for a draw against gritty play by World No. 2 Levon Aronian. Michael Adams used his rolling pawn to ground down Judit Polgar in the only decisive game of the day. The fourth game was theoretical endgame between Gawain Jones and Hikaru Nakamura - also a draw.
Gawain Jones ½-½ Hikaru Nakamura
Michael Adams 1-0 Judit Polgar
Luke McShane (bye) – assisting commentary
Enjoy all the games of Round 3 with Chess King. Just click on the link of the game you want to view.
Round 4: Tuesday, Dec. 4th, 2012
Hikaru Nakamura - Michael Adams
Magnus Carlsen - Gawain Jones
Vishy Anand - Vladimir Kramnik
Luke McShane - Levon Aronian
Judit Polgar (bye) – assisting commentary
Standings after Round 3
1. Magnus Carlsen 7 / 3
Vladimir Kramnik
3. Michael Adams 6 / 2
4. Hikaru Nakamura 4 / 3
5. Viswanathan Anand 2 / 2
6. Gawain Jones 2 / 3
7. Luke McShane 1 / 2
8. Judit Polgar 1 / 3
Levon Aronian
Labels: 2012, gawain jones, Hikaru nakamura, levon aronian, london chess classic, luke mcshane, Magnus Carlsen, michael ajudit polgar, Viswanathan Anand, vladimir kramnik
London Chess Classic 2012 Round 2: Carlsen, Kramnik Win; Anand Escapes McShane
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
The second round at the London Chess Classic 2012 saw both Magnus Carlsen and Vladimir Kramnik win their games against Levon Aronian and Hikaru Nakamura. The highlight of the event so far is also the fact that World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen as broken Garry Kasparov's all-time highest rating of 2851 - though in live ratings as of now. Carlsen will have to maintain his performance throughout the tournament to have the record rating reflect in the Fide rating list to be released January 1, 2013 now. Carlsen's live rating is now 2856 as compared to Kasparov's record of 2851.
Meanwhile, World Chess Champion escaped a mean position with a draw against Luke McShane. Polgar tried hard against Gawain Jones, but the latter was up to the challenge.
The 2012 London Chess Classic is taking place in the Olympia Conference Centre from Saturday, December 1st until Monday, December 10th. Click on the links below to see each of the games with Chess King.
Round 2: Sunday, Dec. 2nd, 2012
Judit Polgar ½-½ Gawain Jones
Hikaru Nakamura 0-1 Vladimir Kramnik
Magnus Carlsen 1-0 Levon Aronian
Vishy Anand ½-½ Luke McShane
Michael Adams (bye) – assisting commentary
Round 3: Monday, Dec. 3rd, 2012, 14:00h
Levon Aronian - Vishy Anand
Vladimir Kramnik - Magnus Carlsen
Gawain Jones - Hikaru Nakamura
Michael Adams - Judit Polgar
Luke McShane (bye) – assisting commentary
Watch all the chess games live at the official website of the London Chess Classic, 2012.
Don't miss Chess Queen™
Labels: gawain jones, Hikaru nakamura, judit pogar, levon aronian, london chess classic, luke mcshane, Magnus Carlsen, Viswanathan Anand, vladimir kramnik
London Chess Classic 2012 Begins with Exciting Games
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012Hi everyone,
The London Chess Classic 2012 - the fourth edition of the event - began with an explosive set of games. All four games played in the first round on Saturday were decisive. First, former World Chess Champion Vladimir Kramnik beat Judit Polgar. Soon after, thanks to a blunder, Levon Aronian went down fighting against Hikaru Nakamura. Also, Gawain Jones lost to Michael Adams. In fact, three of the four decisive games were victories by Black.
Replay all the games with Chess King, your partner in super chess training:
Levon Aronian - Hikaru Nakamura 0-1
Luke McShane - Magnus Carlsen 0-1
Gawain Jones - Michael Adams 0-1
Vladimir Kramnik - Judit Polgar
Sunday's pairings of the second round are as follows: (The player with a bye spends the day in the commentary room)
Hikaru Nakamura - Vladimir Kramnik
Judit Polgar - Gawain Jones
Magnus Carlsen - Levon Aronian
Vishy Anand - Luke McShane
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal blog at
www.chessqueen.com
Don't miss Chess Queen™
YouTube Channel
Labels: gawain jones, Hikaru nakamura, Judit Polgar, levon aronian, london chess classic 2012, luke mcshane, Magnus Carlsen, michael adams, vladimir kramnik
Remco Heite Chess Begins with McShane, Sokolov, Van Wely, Sadler
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
The Remco Heite Chess Tournament 2012 is taking place from November 15 – 18th in Netherlands. It is a round robin tournament with Grandmasters Luke McShane, Ivan Sokolov, Loek Van Wely, Matthew Sadler, Ernst Spike, and Daniel Fridman.
The first round was played on Friday. Luke McShane and Loek Van Wely took the lead after victories against Ivan Sokolov and Daniel Fridman, while the game Sadler – Ernst finished draw.
Saturday and Sunday will have double rounds.
The Remco Heite Tournament is a biennial tournament. The first edition, in 2006, was won by Loek van Wely. In 2008, the first prize went to the Polish Grandmaster Bartlomiej Macieja. Englishman Luke McShane won in 2010.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal blog at
www.chessqueen.com
Don't miss Chess Queen™
YouTube Channel
Labels: daniel fridman, Loek Van Wely, luke mcshane, remco heite chess, sadler, sokolov
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.
Labels: Anatoly Karpov, Chess King, chess radio show, evgeny tomashevsky, luke mcshane, Magnus Carlsen, the full english breakfast, yasser seirawan
Tal Chess Memorial R7: Both Leaders Kramnik, Morozevich Lose; Five in Joint Lead
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Five players are in joint lead at the 7th Tal Chess memorial in Moscow. Consider that there are total of 10 players in the event playing a round-robin format! This unlikely situation came about when both joint leaders Alexander Morozevich and Vladimir Kramnik lost their games to Evgeny Tomashevsky and Luke McShane. Fabiano Caruana held his nerves and drew a tough game against Teimour Radjabov. The Hikaru Nakamura and Magnus Carlsen game was also a draw as was the Levon Aronian-Alexander Grischuk game. Two more rounds are to be played.
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| Amazing - Both Leaders Lost! |
(Carlsen and Nakamura possibly wondering about Kramnik and Morozevich.)
Standings:
1-5. Morozevich, Carlsen, Radjabov, Kramnik, Caruana - 4
6. Nakamura - 3.5
7-9. Grischuk, Aronian, McShane - 3
10. Tomashevsky - 2,5
The Tal Chess Memorial is being held at the Pashkov House in Moscow with 10 of the world's top players from June 8-18.Draw offers are not allowed until after the first time control. The prize fund is 100,000 euros. You can watch the excellent live broadcast of the event at the of Russian Chess Federation.
Labels: Alexander Morozevich, evgeny tomashevsky, luke mcshane, tal chess memorial, vladimir kramnik
Public wants Luke McShane for the Tal Chess Memorial 2012
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012Hello everyone,
Chessdom has just carried the news that the 7th Mikhail Tal Chess Memorial will take place from 7th to 19th June, 2012, in Moscow, Russia. Two weeks ago the RCF started the voting contest allowing the chess fans to select the 10th player. In the thrilling finale, English Grandmaster Luke McShane was placed on the top with 3860 votes. Alexei Shirov is second with 3732 votes, while Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (Azerbaijan) is third with 3682 votes.
Women’s World Champion Hou Yifan was supported by 1646 voters, which was enough only for the 4th position.
Magnus Carlsen, Vladimir Kramnik, Levon Aronian, Radjabov Teimour, Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana have confirmed the participation.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal blog at
www.chessqueen.com
Labels: luke mcshane, tal chess memorial
You too can play at the London Chess Classic 2010
Alexandra Kosteniuk's Chess News & Trivia (c) 2010
Hi Everybody,
You've heard about the London Chess Classic 2010.... Right? It's supposed to be the strongest-ever tournament to be held in Britain. Eight of the world's best players will be competing in the London Chess Classic from December 8-15 December 2010 at the Olympia Conference Centre. You can pick up tickets here!
And, that's the best part. You can get tickets not just to be a fan watching the greats but also play in a wide range of subsidiary events.
Of course, for the main event, Magnus Carlsen is going to be the defending champion. You can read our earlier blog entry here about the details of the London Chess Classic 2010.
The average rating of the 2010 London Chess Classic is 2729 – an unprecedented figure for a tournament held in Britain and also making it one of the strongest tournaments held anywhere in the world this year.
The 400-seater auditorium at the Olympia Conference Centre is very nice. As games end, spectators have the chance to hear the players’ immediate post-game comments as they are interviewed live in the commentary room.
There are all sorts of events and prizes for all chess standards and tastes, from the humblest beginner, and tournaments which last days at a time, or over the weekend – or for just part of a day (e.g. evening blitz events lasting no longer than 2½ hours).
Entry forms are available for download NOW from the tournament website at www.londonchessclassic.com. Apart from the eight-player elite tournament, there is a nine-round world-rated open which attracts professional grandmasters from around the world, chasing the £2,500 first prize. As in 2009, one of the legendary figures of the game, Viktor Korchnoi, will be playing simultaneous displays, where amateur players can experience what it is like to face the player who contested world championship matches with Anatoly Karpov in the 1970s and 1980s.
Tournament Line-Up
Name Title Country Rating (1/9/2010) World Ranking (1/5/2010) D.O.B. (dd/mm/yy)
Carlsen, Magnus grandmaster NOR 2826 1 30.11.1990 Anand, Viswanathan world champion IND 2800 3 11.12.1969 Kramnik, Vladimir ex-world champion RUS 2780 5 25.06.1975 Nakamura, Hikaru grandmaster USA 2733 15 09.12.1987 Adams, Michael grandmaster ENG 2728 18 17.11.1971 Short, Nigel grandmaster ENG 2690 48 01.06.1965 McShane, Luke grandmaster ENG 2657 85 07.01.1984 Howell, David grandmaster ENG 2616 167 14.11.1990
Last Year’s Tournament (n.b. win = 3pts, draw = 1pt)
Final Placings: 1 Magnus Carlsen (NOR) 13/21, 2 Vladimir Kramnik (RUS) 12, 3 David Howell (ENG) 9, 4 Michael Adams (ENG) 9, 5 Luke McShane (ENG) 7, 6 Ni Hua (CHN) 6, 7 Hikaru Nakamura (USA) 6, 8 Nigel Short (ENG) 5.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's Also see her personal blog at
Labels: adams, david howell, London Classic 2010, luke mcshane, Magnus Carlsen, nakamura, nigel short, Viswanathan Anand, vladimir kramnik
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