Lysyj and Gunina become 2014 Russian Chess Champions
Hello chess blog friends, The Russian Chess Championship Super Final, the 67th for men and the 64th for women, took place from November 27 to December 8 in the city of Kazan, in a branch of the State Museum of Fine Arts of the Republic of Tatarstan (the Khazine Gallery).
The tournament is a follow-up of the Chess in Museums project, an international programme run by the Russian Chess Federation (RCF) in conjunction with the Elena and Gennady Timchenko Charitable Foundation.
The Super Final’s participants played in a hall hosting an exposition of paintings by Nicolai Fechin, a famous artist born in Kazan. The works exhibited in the hall included the famous pictures Slaughterhouse and Showering with Water. Students of the Fechin Kazan Art School are attending the tournament every day to do sketches of the players. When the competition completed, the jury also awarded the best works.
In the final round of the men’s tournament, Nikita Vitiugov beat Ian Nepomniachtchi to take the title while Valentina Gunina beat Alisa Galliamova to win the women's section. Dmitry Jakovenko and Denis Khismatullin were second and third in the open section. Alisa Galliamova and Aleksandra Goryachkina were second and third in the women's section.
The Superfinal’s closing ceremony was held at the Khazine Gallery on the same day. The participants received congratulations and awards from Vladimir Leonov, Tatarstan Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports; Igor Baradachev, Deputy General Director of the Elena and Gennady Timchenko Charitable Foundation; Gennady Zakharov, President of the Tatarstan Chess Federation; and Mark Glukhovsky, Chairman of the Management Board of the Russian Chess Federation. Prizes were also awarded to students of the Kazan Art School, who had been sketching the players during the event. Ulyana Babakayeva won the third-place prize, whereas the second prize went to Ksenia Vlasova and the first to Elvina Sabirova.
Andrey Filatov, President of the Russian Chess Federation, summed up the event: “The Kazan Superfinal has been a real feast for both participants and fans and has yet again showcased Russia’s outstanding chess talent. I congratulate with all my heart Russian Champions Igor Lysyj and Valentina Gunina on this great victory.
On behalf of the Russian Chess Federation, I would like to thank the first President of the Republic of Tatarstan, head of the Organising Committee of the Superfinal Mintimer Shaimiev, thanks to whose personal involvement the competition was held at the highest standard; head of the Republic of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov and Mayor of Kazan Ilsur Metshin for the opportunity to hold the tournament at one of Russia’s best regional museums; and our loyal partner ‒ the Elena and Gennady Timchenko Charitable Foundation.
As part of the Chess in Museums project, we were able to combine chess and art once again. This combination not only provides an impressive backdrop to the dramatic chess matches, but also brings new audiences to museum halls. The Superfinal gave chess fans a unique opportunity to enjoy the participants’ good play and to familiarise themselves with works by the great Russian-American artist Nicolai Fechin. The RCF and the Elena and Gennady Timchenko Charitable Foundation will continue this project and I am confident that a large number of impressive games held in Russian and the world’s best museums are still ahead of us.”
Deputy General Director of the Elena and Gennady Timchenko Charitable Foundation Igor Baradachev said: “To conclude another Russian Championship Superfinal jointly held by the RCF and the Timchenko Foundation as part of the Chess in Museums project, I would like to thank everyone who has made a huge contribution to making this event happen at the highest level here in Kazan. I hope that the participants and the audience have truly enjoyed the harmony of beauty, art, elegance and sport on the chess boards and the easels. For the first time, a synergy of chess and art has given us not only chess champions, but also nice paintings drawn during the game, their authors receiving well-deserved awards.” (Update via FIDE)
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Russian President presides over World Chess Championship Awards Ceremony
Hello chess blog friends, the closing ceremony of the World Chess Championship between Magnus Calrsen (Norway) and Viswanathan Anand (India), won by Carlsen 6.5-4.5, took place on November 25th in the Main Media Center in Sochi. For the first time in the history of the World Chess Championships (which began in 1886) the closing ceremony was attended by a head of the host country: the Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the Main Media Center and expressed his gratitude to the grandmasters for their high-quality games.
Vladimir Putin said: “This match between the two strongest grandmasters of the planet has truly become the focal point of the entire world chess championship. Millions of chess fans from all over the world followed it. As I have just been told, this was about 2 million people in over 100 countries every day. I am certain that the honest and fierce struggle of two equal and respectable players has met the expectations of millions of fans across the globe.
Chess is fairly considered an important part of world culture. In Russia it has traditionally enjoyed special respect.
We are happy and proud that the Olympic city of Sochi hosted the decisive match for the world chess crown.
This city is filled with a festive atmosphere of sports and competition, and the participants in this match have demonstrated the same qualities as the Olympic athletes did during the Winter Olympics.
The match to determine the World Chess Champion will definitely serve to further develop chess in Russia and the world at large.
We in Russia have a special love for chess. Let me remind you that this country gave the world ten champions.
We have about 540 thousand people doing this sport, while the number of those who like to spend their free time over a game of chess runs into millions.
Once again, my congratulations to Magnus Carlsen on his outstanding victory! I wish you success!”
The FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov awarded the players with memorable medals, and then crowned Magnus Carlsen with laurels and gave him the Grand Champion's Cup. “You played a great match, – said Mr. Ilyumzhinov to the players. – Millions of young chess fans follow you and want to become great masters someday, just like you. We are grateful to the Russian Government and the Russian President Vladimir Putin for their assistance in organizing the match. The level of organization met the highest standards. I announce the 2014 match closed. The next one, in 2016, will be played in USA”.
Read more »Labels: Magnus Carlsen, russia chess, Viswanathan Anand, vladimir putin, world chess championship 2014
Funny Chess Moment with World No. 3 Alexander Grischuk - Video
Hello chess friends, on FIDE chess ratings list July 1, GM Alexander Grischuk of Russia is the current World No. 3 and also the No. 1 Russian chess player. We were reminded of this funny Grischuk chess video and thought about sharing it with you. Grischuk is a creative and expressive Grandmaster apart from, of course, being a very strong Grandmaster. You may remember his clash with Kuka Monster as well. For now, the funny video!
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
Labels: alexander grischuk, funny chess video, russia chess
Power Chess Girl: Name her and her Chess Star Husband
Hello chess trivia lovers, here's a nice photo of a cool and strong woman chess player. Not only is she a killer Grandmaster herself, but along with her husband, makes one of the top power chess couples of the planet. Can you name her and her husband?
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
Labels: Chess trivia, russia chess, ukraine chess, woman chess player
Two Chess Stars Meet - Identify
Hello Chess Blog friends, when two Russians - world chess champions at that - play chess it's bound to be an exciting and memorable game. Here's a memorable photo from the World Chess Blitz 2009. Can you name the two chess stars? The photo is brought to you by www.chesspics.com - the award-winning database of chess portraits!
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
Labels: russia chess, world chess champion
1000-Watt-Smile Chess Girl: Who's She, What has She Achieved Recently?
Hello Chess Blog friends,
You will have no problem answering these chess trivia questions if you've been reading Chess Blog regularly: Who's she and what has she achieved in chess recently? Read this Chess Blog post for the answer.
Photo: Nikolay Bochkarev/Women's World Rapid Chess in Khanty Mansiysk 2014.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
Labels: photo chess trivia, russia chess, women chess players
Sergey Karjakin: Russia’s Next Chess Sensation
Hello everyone,
|The Russia & India report has a nice profile of Sergey Karjakin - Russia's next chess sensation. Enjoy.
Sergey Karyakin, the 24-year-old Russian grandmaster. Source: Vladimir Vyatkin / RIA Novosti
Sergey Karjakin, the 24-year-old Russian Grandmaster born in Simferopol, entered the Guinness Book of World Records at the age of 12. At the 2014 Candidates tournament, which was held in Khanty-Mansiysk, he finished in second place behind former world champion Viswanathan Anand. Karjakin can now regard himself as the third best chess player in the world, behind world champion Magnus Carlsen and Anand.
Unable to live without chess
“I started playing chess when I was a little over five years old,” Karjakin said. “I was at home, watching TV, when I suddenly heard in a commercial: ‘A Pawn becomes a queen.’ I asked my father: ‘What is this about?’ He explained to me that this is about figures in a chess game. He showed me how to play, and I loved it. Once, when I was walking with my mother in Simferopol, we suddenly walked past the Palace of the Pioneers. Mom told me that when I am old enough, I will attend their chess club. A few days later we were once again walking past that place and I asked my Mom: ‘Mom, please, sign me up for that chess club now, I can’t live without chess.’ The coach checked the way I play, and let me sign up for the club, despite the fact that the other guys were much older than me.”
From Ukraine to RussiaKarjakin’s professional growth slowed down for a while, when he, while still a citizen of Ukraine, was faced with the lack of qualified teachers. Already the winner of the 2009 World Chess Olympiad as a part of the Ukrainian team, Karjakin obtained Russian citizenship and moved to Moscow.
Shortly after this event Karjakin’s marriage with Ukrainian chess player Catherine Dolzhikova fell apart. He now has a girlfriend named Galia, who he met at one of his tournaments. Galia is responsible for the grandmaster’s personal site and she is also a professional photographer.
Personal manager and supercomputerAfter moving to Russia, Karjakin’s results went straight uphill. He became the winner of several competitions of the highest category and in 2012 he won the world title in speed chess. About two years ago, Karjakin concluded a long-term sponsorship agreement with Alpari and hired a personal manager.
“It is very important to have a permanent sponsor,” Karjakin said. “For example, to simply buy a computer filled with cutting-edge chess software it will cost about $50,000. Besides this, it is important to contribute to keeping personal mentors and it is desirable to have trainers for physical preparation. Even the simplest training camp with accommodation and meals is very expensive. Alone, on your own prize earnings it will be impossible to upkeep this lifestyle and work pattern. It is easier for Magnus Carlsen – he has a huge number of advertising contracts. All of Norway is ready to work for Magnus.”
Friendship with Carlsen
In May 2013, Karjakin had one of his major victories, winning the super tournament in Stavanger, Norway, which included the ten best players of the world. The Russian grandmaster beat Carlsen, his main rival and host of the competition by just half a point. Six months later Carlsen, the Russian’s peer won the World Championship, beating Anand.
“Those who think that Magnuss and I are bitter rivals are completely wrong,” Karjakin said. “We are only rivals when it comes to the chessboard.. as for life - we are friends. We chat on the internet, communicate on Skype. I remember how once during a tournament in Moscow we went bowling and were out all night. At about 6 a.m. we decided to go home, but Magnus wanted to see what our city looks like. So we went down to the subway station when suddenly a group of guys ran up to us. They scared us a bit at first, but it turned out that they recognized Carlsen and wanted to take a picture with him. The Norwegian was pretty surprised.”
The road aheadDespite Karjakin’s many wins in different super tournaments, chess analysts believed that he was not yet ready to fight for the chess crown. But in Khanty-Mansiysk, the Russian made all the scepticism dissolve. Although he started the tournament on a bad note dropping to second to last place, Karjakin managed to win several times in the second round and eventually finished the competition in second place.
“In Khanty-Mansiysk I myself became fully aware of my potential,” Karjakin said. “I am 24 years old, and two year ago Boris Gelfand won the Candidates tournament while being 43 years old. So I still have everything ahead of me. I have been in the list of the top ten strongest chess players in the world for quite some time and this is a serious indicator of stability. But to be an equal to Carlsen is extremely difficult. His strongest feature is that he almost never makes mistakes, he plays like a machine. Right now I am not able to do the same.”
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
Labels: russia chess, sergey karjakin
The Machine - Chess Play Premiere in Manchester; Hadley Fraser as Garry Kasparov
Alexandra Kosteniuk's Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) 2013
Hi everyone,
Philip Radcliffe writes about the premier of chess play 'The Machine' in Manchester this Sunday. First up is the neat chess scene (before you read the rest of the review).
Checkmated: Hadley Fraser as Garry Kasparov in 'The Machine' Photo: Helen Maybanks
It isn’t so much man versus machine as man versus the man behind the machine. Famously, in 1997 the Russian chess grandmaster and world champion Garry Kasparov faced IBM's supercomputer RS/600SP, known as Deep Blue, in New York City. But behind the faceless machine was another genius, its Taiwan-born architect Dr Fen Hsiung Hsu. Both had much at stake – and not just a game of chess. Kasparov sought undisputed supremacy in the face of an opponent programmed – and reprogrammed between games – by a team of scientists and chess experts. Hsu sought to fulfil a computer scientist’s dream. And IBM sought supremacy for commercial gain.
Read more »Labels: Garry Kasparov, hadley fraser, helen maybanks, IBM, man vs machine chess, philip radcliffe, russia chess
Fun Chess Cartoon Video from Russia
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
There's no age for watching cartoons and if it's a chess cartoon... then, there's definitely no age! Enjoy this popular chess cartoon from Russia. Don't forget to send us your favourite chess videos as well.
Labels: chess cartoon, Chess video, russia chess
Fide Chess Rating Trivia Quiz!
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Have you checked Chess Queen™ Alexandra Kosteniuk's Fide rating progress yet? Click on graph to read her personal blog entry.
Here is our Fide rating chess trivia quiz! You must be reading the news about the October 2012 rating list so let's check what you remember from yesterday ;)
1- What is World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand's rating and world ranking?
2-Who is the oldest Grandmaster in the world top 100 and what is his rank and rating? (Hint: No he is not Vassily Ivanchuk. He is from Germany)
3-Who is the oldest rated woman chess player in the top-100 and what is her rank and rating?
4-Who has been ranked world #1 most times and how many times?
5-Which country has the most number of Grandmasters in the world... oh no! that's way too easy. Yes, it's Russia ;) So, how many GMs does Russia have and which country has the next highest number of GMs? Tricky?
6-In the women's category, China has the highest average rating of 2479 with 30 GMs and 23 IMs. But, which country has a whopping 215 Grandmasters and 495 IMs among women chess players?
We will post the answers in the comments tomorrow so don't forget to check back if you don't want to go hunting. Checkmate if you don't know the answers already!
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
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Labels: Chess Queen Alexandra Kosteniuk, chess quiz, Chess trivia, fide rating, Garry Kasparov, GM, grandmaster, IM, russia chess, Viswanathan Anand
Blind Chess Olympiad R6: Spain, Russia Lead
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
India “A” scored a stunning 2.5 – 1.5 win over Spain, moving into third spot with 9 match points after the sixth round of the TATA 14th IBCA Chess Olympiad for the Blind 2012 at Hotel Le Royal Meridien, Chennai on Friday. Despite the loss, Spain shares the lead along with Russia at 10 match points. Sharing the third spot were India “A”, Russia and Ukraine at 9 match points. Further behind were Germany, United Kingdom and Serbia at 8 match points.
Fortune favored the hosts, as Kishan Gangolli got the first point when Palacios Perez Manuel’s mobile phone went off in the second board. The Laws of Chess specify, “if any mobile phone or other electronic means of communication in the playing venue produces a sound, the player shall lose the game”.
Makwana Ashvin (India A) playing
Clemente Llamero Roberto (Spain)
Overcoming their early deficit Spain equalized scoring in the top board through Desanjose Candalija Eduardo. Darpan Inani drew on the third board, leaving the match poised at 1.5 -1.5 each. All hinged on the fourth board, where the fortunes fluctuated and finally Makwana Ashvin capitalized on his extra pawn to clinch the issue in favor of India “A”. Top seed Russia came back strongly scoring a 3-1 win over Germany. Russians drew both the blacks, scoring over Germans with white pieces. The match win over Germany takes Russia to the top of the table with 10 match points along with Spain.
Fourth seed Ukraine swept United Kingdom 3.5 – 0.5, with International Master Colin Crouch offering the lone resistance in the top board. Serbia improved their chances scoring over Poland in the fourth table. The crucial win takes Serbia to 8 match points. LIVE webcast of the games can be viewed at the official website
Results (Round 6):
Spain (10) lost to India “A” (9), Germany (8) lost to Russia (10), Ukraine (9) beat United Kingdom (8), Poland (6) lost to Serbia (8), Columbia (6) lost to Sweden (7), Iran (5) lost to Venezuela (7), Slovenia (7) beat Italy (4), Bulgaria (4) playing Romania (4), Croatia (6) beat Slovakia (4), Kazakhastan (6) beat Turkey (3), France (3) lost to India “B” (5), Denmark (4) beat The Netherlands (1).
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal blog at
www.chessqueen.com
Labels: russia chess, spain chess, tata ibca chess olympiad for blind
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