Black to move. Is this a draw or win for Black?

8/1b3B1k/8/8/Kp2pp2/2P5/4P3/8 b - - 0 1

Netanyahu Ties in Chess Against Gelfand
March 9, 2010
Filed under: Israel News
Y.W. Editor @ 2:25 pm

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Monday took an hour from his busy schedule for a game of chess against world champion Boris Gelfand. Jewish Agency for Israel Chairman Natan Sharansky was at the prime minister’s side, assisting and lending support. Sharansky is known as a formidable chess player.

The game ended in a tie, as did an earlier game between Sharansky and Gelfand.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
www.theyeshivaworld.com

Local students to compete in chess tourney
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
The Hillsboro Argus

Chess for Success will host Oregon's largest scholastic chess tournament Friday and Saturday at the Oregon Convention Center.

Students from W.L. Henry, Lincoln Street and Patterson elementary schools will be among more than 500 students competing to be 'king or queen of the boards.'

Students at all levels - elementary, middle and high school - will come together for team and individual competition. Of the 60 schools participating, 19 are Chess for Success schools.

Play begins at 9 a.m. on both days.

Chess for Success is not just a chess program looking for the next Bobby Fischer. It is a leading education organization for K-8th-grade students in Oregon and Southwest Washington that uses the game of chess to help kids become smarter and self-confident.

For nearly 20 years, Chess for Success has helped thousands of students in low-income schools succeed in the classroom and in life. Chess for Success is addressing two community needs: closing the achievement gap for low-income and minority students; and preparing students to be a successful part of tomorrow's global workforce.

Source: http://www.oregonlive.com

Petition from chess players at the 11th EICC in Rijeka
The zero default time questioned again
Report by Chessdom

The participants of the European Individual Men and Women's Chess Championsh in Rijeka have submitted a petition to the Organizing committee and the ECU President Boris Kutin in which they request changing the delay tolerance from 0 to 30 minutes. They require this measurement to be valid from the 4th round. The petition was signed by 110 participants.

Due to request, on the behalf of Organizing committee, the president of the Executive Committee Damir Vrhovnik said: “The organizers are trying to do their best for the sake of our players. In accordance to that, on the behalf of Organizing committee and myself, I support the participants' request. However, this question is under the European Chess Union' jurisdiction and therefore, they are the ones who must make the decision“.

The rules of chess according to FIDE

At the Presidential Board Meeting 2009 Q1 the zero default time was discussed and it was decided that, "the PB approved changes in the Laws of Chess including that the default time would be zero unless otherwise specified in the regulations of the tournament." The specific FIDE rule is now present in the Laws of Chess, saying,

6.6 a. Any player who arrives at the chessboard after the start of the session shall lose the game. Thus the default time is 0 minutes. The rules of a competition may specify otherwise. b. If the rules of a competition specify a different default time, the following shall apply. If neither player is present initially, the player who has the white pieces shall lose all the time that elapses until he arrives, unless the rules of the competition specify or the arbiter decides otherwise.

As per tournament regulations in Rijeka (text here) no specification about time of appearance at the board is present, thus, the FIDE regulations for zero default time are valid.

Stay tuned for more details on the matter, we will bring you all reactions by the arbiters, appeals committee, the players, ECU, and FIDE officials.

Black to move and win. How should Black proceed?

Source: ChessToday.net (check out Chess Today website for more information about the best daily chess newspaper)

Update March 5, 2010

Today Alexander Morozevich informed the organizers of the Amber Blindfold and Rapid Tournament that much to his regret he was forced to withdraw from the tournament for private reasons. Alexander Grischuk has accepted the invitation to come to Nice at such short notice to replace his countryman. Alexander Grischuk is the reigning Russian champion and is the current number 7 in the world rankings.

March 13-25, 2010, Nice, France

The 19th Amber Blindfold and Rapid tournament, organized by the Association Max Euwe in Monaco, takes place from March 13 (first round) to March 25 (last round) at the Palais de la Mediterranée, splendidly located on the famous Promenade des Anglais in Nice. The total prize-fund is € 216,000.

The twelve participants are (in alphabetical order): Levon Aronian (Armenia), Magnus Carlsen (Norway), Leinier Dominguez (Cuba), Vugar Gashimov (Azerbaijan), Boris Gelfand (Israel), Alexander Grischuk (Russia), Vasily Ivanchuk (Ukraine), Sergey Karjakin (Russia), Vladimir Kramnik (Russia), Ruslan Ponomariov, Jan Smeets (The Netherlands) and Peter Svidler.

Every day four sessions will be played, two blindfold sessions and two rapid sessions. The first session starts at 14.30 hrs. The fourth session finishes around 20.00 hrs. (Note: the final round on March 25 starts at 12.30 hrs. March 17 and 22 are rest days.)

http://www.amberchess2010.com/

Silvio Danailov candidate for ECU President
Danailov to hold reception during EICC

Silvio Danailov, executive director of the Grand Slam Chess Association and manager of Veselin Topalov, will run for ECU President. The candidacy of a Bulgarian representative has been a rumor since December, when President Georgi Parvanov announced after his meeting with the FIDE President Kirsan Ilymzhinov that Bulgaria will have its own candidate for ECU. Now the news is official via announcement on the EICC Rijeka page.

Rijeka, 09.03

Mr. Silvio Danailov, vice-president of the Bulgarian Chess Federation will host a reception for delegates and guests of the ECU General Assembly on Saturday, 13th March at 9PM, in Opatija at the hotel Millenium (M. Tita 109).

At the reception Mr. Danailov will announce his candidacy for the President of the European Chess Union at the upcoming elections and will present the basic guidelines of his programme.

Here is part of the program that the team of Danailov is preparing. He will be in direct competition with another important figure in chess - Ali Nihat Yazici, his presentation was brough to you exclusive by Chessdom during the ETCC in Novi Sad.

Stay tuned for details and updates on the coming ECU race.

Abu Dhabi prepares for Grand Prix Blitz tournament
Entries free and open to all, Abu Dhabi Chess and Culture Club board member says
Staff Report
Published: 00:01 March 9, 2010

Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi National Islamic Finance (ADNIF), the Islamic finance and banking arm of the National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD), joined hands with the Abu Dhabi Chess and Culture Club (ADCC) to unveil the 2010 ADNIF Grand Prix Blitz Chess tournament.

Starting from Thursday, the 2010 ADNIF Grand Prix Blitz Chess Tournament will see a total of ten monthly events. Ten players will be entered into the final showdown along with two invited stars.

Addressing a press conference here yesterday, Aref Al Khouri, ADNIF general manager said: "This sponsorship reflects our strong relationship with Abu Dhabi Chess and Culture Club. It also confirms ADNIF's understanding and appreciation of roles played by arts, sports and recreational activities to encourage and facilitate sustainable development and welfare."

Monthly prizes

"ADNIF, officially launched last year, looks forward to support projects and activities that benefit all segments of society," he added.

"The sponsorship also reflects ADNIF and NBAD's commitment to serving and building Abu Dhabi and the wider UAE nation by supporting milestone events and financing projects in different economic sectors to achieve the Abu Dhabi Vision 2030," Al Khouri said.

Hussain Abdullah Khouri, ADCC board member, said entries were free and open to all nationalities and genders.

"Even if someone misses the deadline for the first event they can still join at any stage. We will be considering six of their best performances. We will also be having monthly prizes and a grand final will be held to coincide with the National Day Celebrations," Khouri added.

The ADCC official thanked Abu Dhabi Sports Council, under whose umbrella the Grand Prix is being held.

Source: http://gulfnews.com

Founder of Lubbock Chess Club answers some questions about group

Sunday, March 07, 2010
Story last updated at 3/7/2010 - 4:37 pm
Avalanche Journal

This week we have a special interview conducted by Chase Watters, member of the Texas Tech Knight Raiders nationally ranked chess team, and former president of the Texas Tech Knight Raiders Chess Club. His guest is Sam Houchin, founder of the new Lubbock Chess Club.

1. How did you revive the Lubbock Chess Club into existence?

I was invited to a game night at a friend’s house. We played several group-oriented games and as the evening began to wind down my friend, and host for the night, Chris expressed an interest in playing chess. He brought out the board and the rest just followed suit. Soon, several of us were playing weekly and we started searching for a local club to join.

We were surprised to find that the previous Lubbock Chess Club had disbanded several years ago. In our online search we found a newsletter generated by the TTU Knight Raiders that led us to a “chess game night” at Barnes & Noble on a Friday night. There, we met several members of the Knight Raiders and the idea of reviving the Lubbock Chess Club was born.

2. What is the relationship of the Lubbock Chess Club with SPICE and/or the TTU Knight Raider Chess Club?

Once we began playing routinely several nights a week with members of the Knight Raiders, it was brought to Susan Polgar’s attention that we were interested in starting Lubbock Chess Club.

She immediately jumped in and helped us to initially organize our efforts and to locate a weekly meeting place. Combined with the ongoing support and participation of the Knight Raiders, we have had very successful club attendance to date.

3. Who is welcome to come and play with the Lubbock Chess Club? Are novice chess players and kids welcome to play?

All are welcome. Male or female, any age or skill level. Chess is a game for people of all ages and you can learn to play at any time. So come play even if you have never seen a chess board or if you are a highly advanced player.

4. How many players typically come and play at the Lubbock Chess Club, and what is the typical strength of those players?

It varies. We have an average of 18 to 20 regular players. Some nights we have as many as 30 plus players and 12 to 14 on others.

5. Is there a fee to join the Lubbock Chess Club?

At this time there is not a fee to join the club. However, in order to provide for the membership in the future we are in the process of formalizing the club with officers, by-laws, constitution and, of course, fees. Preliminary discussion on fees has been $20 per year for an adult membership, $15 per year for college students, and $10 per year for persons younger than 18.

6. What are some upcoming events that the Lubbock Chess Club is planning?

Since we are still getting off the ground we don’t have any events on the current schedule. We plan on sponsoring tournaments, leagues, chess ladders, and blitz tournaments in the future.

7. Why do you like playing chess?

In my opinion, chess is the ultimate game having a positive effect on a player’s attitude toward learning and cognitive achievement.

Chess play engages the human brain and employs new ways of thinking, imaginative processes, and creativity. Chess also develops your critical and analytical thinking ability and contributes to the increase of intelligence, problem solving skills, memorization and concentration. A little competition is also great for mental alertness, patience, sportsmanship, as well as challenging your sense of accomplishment.

8. How do you like playing chess at Lin’s Buffet on Mondays?

Lin’s provides us with a large, open, comfortable area to meet and play along with a wide variety of delicious food items to choose from. They offer a 10 percent discount to all members and, while we encourage dining, it is completely optional.

8. Where do you see the Lubbock Chess Club six months from now, and one year from now?

The current version of the Lubbock Chess Club is in its infancy. In the future we hope to offer chess instruction for any age and a comprehensive chess library available to all members.

Our primary purpose is to have fun and to promote the popularity of chess. We hope to eventually conduct tournaments and other forms of chess competition.

I feel that our membership will increase with time and advertising. As for the community, we hope to reach out to the school districts in the Lubbock area and promote the subject of chess and hopefully integrate it into their scholastic curriculum.

Source: http://www.lubbockonline.com

ChessHeroes is two years old

On this day, March 5, my chess blog ChessHeroes was born. CH is now two years old! We have posted around 800 posts here, met many people from all walks of life, from different places and different races and through the years, here's (only) a dozen things I could think of about being an amateur blogger, the toughest job in the world!

Here are over 215 pictures so far from the 2010 SP National Open for Boys and Girls in Carefree, Arizona. Approximately 300 young players are competing for over $100,000 in prizes including chess scholarships to Texas Tech University, high tech netbook computers, and a lot more.

http://picasaweb.google.com/SPICEChess/2010SPNO

The rest of the prize giving pictures will be uploaded soon.

Round 4 top board pairings:

Bo.	No.			Name	FED	Rtg	Pts.	Result	Pts.		Name	FED	Rtg		No.
1	5		GM	Vallejo Pons Francisco	ESP	2708	3		3	GM	Timofeev Artyom	RUS	2655		36
2	37		GM	Krasenkow Michal	POL	2652	3		3	GM	Jobava Baadur	GEO	2695		10
3	11		GM	Naiditsch Arkadij	GER	2691	3		3	GM	Efimenko Zahar	UKR	2640		48
4	83		GM	Pelletier Yannick	SUI	2611	3		3	GM	Inarkiev Ernesto	RUS	2667		24
5	175		IM	Skoberne Jure	SLO	2509	3		3	GM	Nisipeanu Liviu-Dieter	ROU	2661		28
6	35		GM	Nepomniachtchi Ian	RUS	2656	3		3	GM	Maiorov Nikita	BLR	2510		170
7	7		GM	Adams Michael	ENG	2704	2½		3	IM	Martinovic Sasa	CRO	2509		174
8	15		GM	Caruana Fabiano	ITA	2680	2½		2½	GM	Potkin Vladimir	RUS	2606		89
9	79		GM	Lysyj Igor	RUS	2615	2½		2½	GM	Sargissian Gabriel	ARM	2675		16
10	17		GM	Kurnosov Igor	RUS	2674	2½		2½	GM	Aleksandrov Aleksej	BLR	2601		94
11	81		GM	Petrosian Tigran L	ARM	2612	2½		2½	GM	Areshchenko Alexander	UKR	2670		18
12	21		GM	Moiseenko Alexander	UKR	2668	2½		2½	GM	Lupulescu Constantin	ROU	2598		96
13	98		GM	Erdos Viktor	HUN	2593	2½		2½	GM	Bareev Evgeny	RUS	2667		22
14	23		GM	Grachev Boris	RUS	2667	2½		2½	GM	Melkumyan Hrant	ARM	2582		110
15	29		GM	Riazantsev Alexander	RUS	2660	2½		2½	GM	Halkias Stelios	GRE	2580		111
16	101		GM	Stocek Jiri	CZE	2591	2½		2½	GM	Khismatullin Denis	RUS	2657		34
17	41		GM	Fridman Daniel	GER	2650	2½		2½	GM	Mastrovasilis Dimitrios	GRE	2574		119
18	145		IM	Nikolov Momchil	BUL	2550	2½		2½	GM	Sutovsky Emil	ISR	2650		42
19	43		GM	Zhigalko Sergei	BLR	2648	2½		2½	GM	Kovacevic Aleksandar	SRB	2574		118
20	45		GM	Gustafsson Jan	GER	2646	2½		2½	GM	Ragger Markus	AUT	2572		122
21	147		GM	Zelcic Robert	CRO	2547	2½		2½	GM	Zvjaginsev Vadim	RUS	2643		46
22	49		GM	Mamedov Rauf	AZE	2639	2½		2½	GM	Lopez Martinez Josep Manuel	ESP	2548		146
23	51		GM	Sokolov Ivan	BIH	2638	2½		2½	GM	Grigoryan Avetik	ARM	2565		131
24	61		GM	Delchev Aleksander	BUL	2625	2½		2½		Podolchenko Evgeniy	BLR	2502		179
25	159		GM	Szabo Gergely-Andras-Gyula	ROU	2525	2½		2½	GM	Kokarev Dmitry	RUS	2622		68
26	71		GM	Iordachescu Viorel	MDA	2621	2½		2½	IM	Sulashvili Malkhaz	GEO	2490		190
27	185		IM	Hovhannisyan Robert	ARM	2498	2½		2½	GM	Belov Vladimir	RUS	2619		72
28	199			Nabaty Tamir	ISR	2485	2½		2½	GM	Khairullin Ildar	RUS	2617		76
29	3		GM	Movsesian Sergei	SVK	2709	2		2½	GM	Chirila Ioan-Cristian	ROU	2487		192

Women's top board pairings:

Bo.

No.

Name

FED

Rtg

Pts.

Result

Pts.

Name

FED

Rtg

No.

1

24

GM

Arakhamia-Grant Ketevan

SCO

2447

3

3

GM

Kosintseva Tatiana

RUS

2524

4

2

17

GM

Socko Monika

POL

2465

3

3

WGM

Chelushkina Irina

SRB

2319

61

3

25

IM

Muzychuk Mariya

UKR

2444

2½

2½

GM

Stefanova Antoaneta

BUL

2555

1

4

28

IM

Khurtsidze Nino

GEO

2434

2½

2½

IM

Kosintseva Nadezhda

RUS

2554

2

5

3

IM

Muzychuk Anna

SLO

2533

2½

2½

WGM

Bodnaruk Anastasia

RUS

2384

40

6

5

GM

Cramling Pia

SWE

2523

2½

2½

WGM

Zawadzka Jolanta

POL

2404

32

7

9

WGM

Zhukova Natalia

UKR

2492

2½

2½

IM

Matveeva Svetlana

RUS

2373

42

8

13

IM

Cmilyte Viktorija

LTU

2485

2½

2½

IM

Sedina Elena

ITA

2334

56

9

27

IM

Moser Eva

AUT

2437

2½

2½

GM

Dzagnidze Nana

GEO

2479

14

10

39

IM

Bojkovic Natasa

SRB

2384

2½

2½

IM

Rajlich Iweta

POL

2459

18

11

41

WGM

Galojan Lilit

ARM

2380

2½

2½

WFM

Gunina Valentina

RUS

2457

20

12

21

IM

Skripchenko Almira

FRA

2456

2½

2½

IM

Purtseladze Maka

GEO

2299

71

13

51

WGM

Cosma Elena-Luminita

ROU

2346

2½

2½

IM

Ushenina Anna

UKR

2452

22

http://chess-results.com/tnr29567.aspx?lan=1

Kasparov - Caruana perhaps in October at Milano

It could take place in October at Milano - a mini-match between the number one Italian player Fabiano Caruana, who will be 18 years old on the 30th of July, and the ex-champion of the world Garry Kasparov, who is the trainer of the number one FIDE rated player in the world, Magnus Carlsen.

Valerio Luciani, whose publishing house Ediscere has published (in Italian) the celebrity series of Kasparov's books "My Great Predecessors", has informed the Italian magazine "Torre & Cavallo" that the negotiations have entered an advanced stage, and that the competition could be of four games either rapid or blitz.

Obviously, for events to take place involving persons of this caliber, the signing of contracts in required.

http://www.messaggeroscacchi.it/?p=2210

Special thanks to Lou for the information.

Interview with GM Le Quang Liem
After Moscow and Aeroflot Open, by Yana Melnikova
Report by Chessdom

Le Quang Liem of Vietnam, winner of the two major international tournaments in Russia - Moscow Open and Aeroflot Open, shared in an interview with Yana Melnikova his impressions of Moscow and how he is preparing for a competition.

Yana Melnikova - Liem, congratulations on your victory in the Aeroflot Open. In the recently concluded tournament Moscow Open, you also had excellent result - took the bronze after sharing first place. Tell us why you decided to play in Moscow?

Le Quang Liem - Russia is the country of chess, and here I can play against very strong chess players. I liked both of the tournaments. They are organized at a high level, very professional, very ambitious. I want to highlight the "Aeroflot" - I believe this is the strongest open tournament in the world. Next year I will gladly play in Moscow again.

Yana Melnikova - Is the victory in the Aeroflot Open the biggest success in your career?

Le Quang Liem - I think so. But earlier, I also successfully competed in strong tournaments - for example, in 2009 I won major open tournaments in India and China, and many competitions in my own country.

Yana Melnikova - Tell us about your road to success. With whom do you work?

Le Quang Liem - I have been playing chess since childhood. Most of the time I work on my own, but I do have a few trainers. About a year ago I began to collaborate with GM Evgeny Bareev, and I believe that my good results arrived mostly thanks to him. Evgeny did a lot to help me to progress, he can identify weaknesses in my game and help me make steps for the overall improvement.

Yana Melnikova - Do you play on the Internet chess zones? What is the role of the blitz games?

Le Quang Liem - I play on ICC and on Playchess. I try not to stay online for a very long time because I don't think that playing blitz will help me increase my chess level. For me it is purely entertainment, I go to play a couple of games only when there is spare time.
Yana Melnikova - How much do you work on chess?

Le Quang Liem - On average, about four hours a day.

Yana Melnikova - What are your future plans, objectives for the near future?

Le Quang Liem - My goal is to reach the level of 2700, as soon as possible. I won in Aeroflot and got the opportunity to play in Dortmund. This is my chance to show the skill at a high level, and I will work very hard to make a proper preparation.

Yana Melnikova - Did you like it in Moscow?

Le Quang Liem - Yes, of course! The people are very friendly. There is a lot of snow though, quite different from my country.

Mainstream media about Le Quang Liem's victory at Aeroflot Open

White to move. How should White proceed?

Source: ChessToday.com

White to move. How should White proceed?

Source: ChessToday.net

Players gear up for World Chess Olympiad Trials
By Olusola Babarinsa
March 8, 2010 12:55AM

Chess players invited by the Chess Federation of Nigeria (CFN) for the first stage of the World Chess Olympiad Trials, which holds in the National Stadium from 21st to 27th March, say they are ready to do the nation proud.

The invitation to participate in the trials was sent to 118 chess players after almost three hours of deliberation of the Chess Federation Technical Committee. The Chess Olympiad is schedule to hold in Khanty -Mansiysk, Russia from 19th September to 4th of October 2010.

The World Chess body, FIDE has written to all federations that preliminary registration must be forwarded by May 20th and the final list of players must reach the secretariat on or before 15th of July.

Bunmi Olape, who represented Nigeria at the 2004 Chess Olympiad in Mallorca, Spain, says nothing will stop him from representing his country at the global championships later in the year.

Olape, a National Master, said; "I have been representing Nigeria at different Olympiads since 2004, I don't see any reason why I should not scale through the trials. Though there are a lot of young players coming into chess now, I still believe I have what it takes to get into the finals and the championships itself. It is all about how prepared one is and I am prepared."

Here is the full article.

Can you name this strong chess player?