The Premier Chess Club of Northeast Ohio!
The shocker of round six: Vassily Ivanchuk only drew his game against Teimour Radjabov, the first time he has dropped half a point in this tournament. His performance has dropped to a dismal 3155. Both Bulgarians, Cheparinov and Topalov, won their games and are in second and third place. A prominent visitor was Boris Spassky, who commentated for the spectators. Full pictorial report.
This is something new: a blog report by a top Chinese GM, describing the course of a Super-GM tournament. Wang Yue talks about the circumstances surrounding the First FIDE Grand Prix, which he won last week in Baku (together with Gashimov and Carlsen). Of course in Chinese, but thankfully translated by one of our readers. Thanks also to his Big Sister, who forced him to write it.
The summit match between top seed Veselin Topalov and tournament uberplayer Vassily Ivanchuk ended in a hard-fought 49-move draw. Ivanchuk continues to lead Topalov by a full point, while the Bulgarian is a point and a half ahead of the next-best players. Teimour Radjabov beat the luckless Bu Xiangzhi, who has 1.0/7 and a performance of 2427. Express report.
Their rating difference is just 116 points. But former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik is dominating the rapid chess match against top Czech GM David Navara. Kramnik won the first three of eight games, drawing the fourth for a halftime stand of 3.5:0.5. A big gala event kicked off the CEZ Chess Trophy, with blindfold chess and (you believe it) hacky sack displays. Illustrated report.
Breaking news: Russian chess journalists Yuri Vasiliev has now confirmed
that the semifinal Candidates Match between Veselin Topalov and Gata Kamsky
will take place in Lvov, Ukraine, for a prize fund of US $750,000. The full
story, including Yuri’s verbatim interview with Chernenko, will appear tomorrow on ChessBase. Here first details.
He is known foremost as a positional player and endgame specialist, but hardly
as a master of attack. Yet 12th World Champion Anatoly Karpov was (and is) capable
of beautiful attacking play. In Wednesday night’s Playchess
show Dennis Monokroussos shows us a particularly impressive example against Hungarian GM Gyula Sax in Linares 1983. See you on the server.
Former world-champion Rustam Kasimdzhanov has proven a highly entertaining
author in the Fritz trainer format. He recorded several DVDs and regularly
contributes to ChessBase Magazine. John Elburg, chess reviewer for more than ten
years now, watched his DVDs on
‘Anti-Moscow Gambit’ and
‘Strategy’. Conclusion: Simply thrilling! Buy them now or read this
review with samplers.
The FIDE Grand Prix in Baku ended a week ago. Now another big event starts in the capital of Azerbaijan: the Third President’s Cup. Two rounds have already been played. Before we receive and publish first reports from this tournament we take a look back at the Grand Prix, with a round-up report by Zahir Ahmadov and some spectacular photography by Farid Khayrulin. A visual feast.
World chess champion Viswanathan Anand is set for his title-defending match against challenger Vladimir Kramnik in October. Anand says Kramnik’s challenge and taunts don’t bother him because he believes “the main thing” is to win. “My own tendency is to just ignore him,” Anand told Karan Thapar on Devil’s Advocate in CNN-IBN Live. Videos and transcripts.
The Editor of Chess
Notes presents a challenge: half a dozen positions to solve from over-the-board play, ranging from quite straightforward to labyrinthine. But which are which? Although few, if any, clues are being given, readers are assured that there are some truly beautiful lines to puzzle out.
When’s the last time we have seen anything like this? The amazing Vassily Ivanchuk has won his fifth game in succession, beating Levon Aronian. He has won all games of the first half of the category 20 tournament, and has beaten all of the other players, three times with black and twice with white. Veselin Topalov is also on fire, winning his third game, against Bu Xiangzhi. Express report.
This is it, a potentially all-time record-breaking run: Vassily Ivanchuk has his fourth game in round four, continuing to maintain a perfect score in a category 20 tournament with a 2737 average rating of the participants. His performance, if that can be counted for a 4/4 score, is 3530. Express report.
The second in a series of columns on “Fritz11 tweaks” discusses some of the options found under the “Game” tab, specifically those which control when the Fritz program will resign or accept a draw. You can find more in the latest ChessBase Workshop.
He was born on May 10th 1928 in Dresden, Germany, son of a book publisher and heir to the Karl Mai adventure series. Lothar Maximilian Lorenz Schmid became one of Germany’s strongest grandmasters – and internationally famous as the arbiter in great matches, and a one of the world’s leading collectors of chess books. Today he turns eighty. Happy birthday, Lothar!
For the third time in three rounds Vassily Ivanchuk scored a full point, utterly crushing Chinese GM Bu Xiangzhi, who could have resigned right out of the opening. Veselin Topalov beat his second Ivan Cheparinov with the black pieces. Ivanchuk leads with a perfect 3.0/3 score. Express report.
For the third time in three rounds Vassily Ivanchuk scored a full point, utterly crushing Chinese GM Bu Xiangzhi, who could have resigned right out of the opening. Veselin Topalov beat his second Ivan Cheparinov with the black pieces. Ivanchuk leads with a perfect 3.0/3 score. Express report.
In a new ChessBase Workshop series, columnist Steve Lopez examines ways to “tweak up” your Fritz software. The first of the series covers the various settings contained within the “Clocks + Notation” tab of the Options dialogues. Learn more in the latest Workshop.
It was a wild and vicious game, one of the most enjoyable we have seen in a long time. Both sides had chances, and it was the trademark throw-everything-at-the-enemy strategy of Veselin Topalov that failed against Vassily Ivanchuk, possibly the most experienced player in top-level chess. The other games were drawn. Express report.
The new issue of CBM is in large part devoted to Vishy Anand. The world champion and no.1 of the
world annotates some of his latest masterpieses from Morelia/Linares and Wijk in
audio format. Also top players like Aronian, Radjabov, and Caruana have
contributed to the new DVD. 11 opening surveys (Alekhine, Jänisch Gambit etc.)
and the regular columns make it
a superb training course.
The traditional Chess Oscar, which has been conducted (with a break) since
1967, is awarded on the basis of votes cast by chess journalists for the ten
best player of the past year. World Champion Anand was selected by 130 experts.
In second place was Vladimir Kramnik, and third was Gata Kamsky. This is Anand’s
fifth Chess Oscar – more than any other Western player.
The first round of the MTel Masters – a double round robin with six grandmasters – brought three decided games. Both the “home boys”, Veselin Topalov and Ivan Cheparinov, won their games against Levon Aronian and Bu Xiangzhi respectively. And Vassily Ivanchuk scored a shock black-piece victory over Teimour Radjabov. Express report with video.
The first round of the MTel Masters brought three decided games. Both the “home boys”, Veselin Topalov and Ivan Cheparinov, won their games against Levon Aronian and Bu Xiangzhi respectively. And Vassily Ivanchuk scored a shock black-piece victory over Teimour Radjabov. The event is being held in an “aquarium” – a revolutionary concept that just might represent the future of chess.
The first round of the MTel Masters brought three decided games. Both the “home boys”, Veselin Topalov and Ivan Cheparinov, won their games against Levon Aronian and Bu Xiangzhi respectively. And Vassily Ivanchuk scored a shock black-piece victory over Teimour Radjabov. The event is being held in an “aquarium” – a revolutionary concept that just might represent the future of chess.
The first round of the MTel Masters brought three decisive games. Both the “home boys”, Veselin Topalov and Ivan Cheparinov, won their games against Levon Aronian and Bu Xiangzhi respectively. And Vassily Ivanchuk scored a shock black-piece victory over Teimour Radjabov. The event is being held in an “aquarium” – a revolutionary concept that just might represent the future of chess.
Baku, Azerbaijan, seems almost a factory for great chess players. Garry Kasparov,
Teimour Radjabov, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Vugar Gashimov, Vladimir Akopian, and
the star of today’s Playchess show, Emil
Sutovsky. Dennis Monokroussos shows us a beautiful attacking game by the now-Israeli
GM, played in 2002. See you on the server.
In his recent chess-3
essay Gene Milener claimed that chess variants like shogi indicate that the
high draw rate in chess is due to insufficient piece power in the game. He then
described a variant that would add piece power while being as close to chess as
possible. Reactions to the essay ranged from interest to disdain. Here is a selection
of feedback from our readers.
Moving on from mysteries, the chess historian Edward Winter now turns to myths.
Euwe’s ’sportsmanship’ in playing a rematch against Alekhine
in 1937, allegations that Frederick Yates gassed himself, and the Lasker v Janowsky
match wrongly called a world title contest. These cases are explored by the
Editor of Chess Notes,
who sets out the facts here.
Azeri GM Vugar Gashimov defeated Alexander Grischuk to take the lead away from the Russian player. He joined Wang Yue of China in the lead. Magnus Carlsen defeated Michael Adams to join the pursuers half a point behind. Peter Svidler and David Navara won their black games against Gata Kamsky and Teimour Radjabov. Full report with analysis, pictures and videos.
Once a week grandmaster Nigel Davies gives live online training on the Playchess
server, from 11 p.m. to 12 a.m. UK time. That means it starts at midnight
CEST, 6 p.m. New York or 08:00 a.m. Sidney. This time, due to team commitment,
the show will be on Tuesday, May 6th. Send in your questions.
There are three winners of the First FIDE Grand Prix in Baku: Vugar Gashimov, Wang Yue and Magnus Carlsen, all of whom ended at 8.0/13 points. The leaders Gashimov and Wang drew their games, while the incredible Magnus Carlsen scored his second win in succession (when it mattered!) to join the leading group. Express report.
Once a week grandmaster Nigel Davies gives live online training on the Playchess
server, from 11 p.m. to 12 a.m. UK time. That means it starts at midnight
CEST, 6 p.m. New York or 08:00 a.m. Sidney. This time, due to team commitment,
the show will be on Tuesday, May 6th. Send in your questions.
Sergey Tiviakov and Kateryna Lahno won their titles outright, but there were a number of playoffs for the medals and places in the FIDE World Cup. Reconstruction everything was not easy, but we have tried to prepare a clear overview of the games, results, medal winners and qualifiers. We bring you these together with a big pictorial report from Plovdiv.
Eight players were tied for first, and all played against direct rivals in the final round. All games were drawn, except Sergey Tiviakov vs Emil Sutovsky. The Dutch GM (Tiviakov) scored and took the title of European Champion all by himself. In the women’s section Kateryna Lahno became the champion with and identical score (8.5/10) and a 2600+ performance. Express report.
It’s over, the period of sole leadership for Alexander Grischuk. The Russian GM drew with Magnus Carlsen in round eleven of the FIDE Grand Prix tournament, while Wang Yue from China scored a victory over Peter Svidler. Grischuk and Wang now lead with 7.0/11 and 2800+ performances. Ernesto Inarkiev defeated Etienne Bacrot with black. Express report.
It’s over, the period of sole leadership for Alexander Grischuk. The Russian GM drew with Magnus Carlsen in round eleven of the FIDE Grand Prix tournament, while Wang Yue from China scored a victory over Peter Svidler. Grischuk and Wang now lead with 7.0/11 and 2800+ performances. Ernesto Inarkiev defeated Etienne Bacrot with black. Express report.