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Friday, August 31, 2012
World Chess Championship - Would You Vote for This Format?
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
We're up for a bet with you that this chess video beats all the fun at the Istanbul Chess Olympiad for sure - wink! A chess video with a kid taking on an opponent twice his size and four times his age from Ulyanovsk, Russia.
Psst: We heard they're holding the next world chess championship on this format ;)
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
All that excitement and involvement with the Istanbul Chess Olympiad 2012 may have taken away some of the spotlight from other chess open tournaments. So, here's a nice report via Chessdom from the very interesting Botvinnik Chess Memorial 2012.
With a large field of 2600+ Grandmasters, the contest is pretty close after six rounds with GMs Alekseev, Areshchenko, Popov, Aleksandrov, Romanov, Bukavshin, Hovhannisyan and IM Demchenko all leading the field with 5,0/6.
They are closely followed by a large group of players with 4,5/6, among which are GMs Onischuk, Khairullin, Lysyj, Zvjaginsev, Khismatullin, Inarkiev, Khalifman, etc. GMs Timofeev, Tiviakov, Matlakov, Andriasian are trailing behind, but in a field of 237 players anything is possible to the end.
GM Robert Fontaine joins Agon as chief of staff to Andrew Paulson
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
International chess Grandmaster Robert Fontaine has joined Agon Limited, the rights holder to the World Chess Championship cycle, as chief of staff to founder and chief executive Andrew Paulson.
Mr Fontaine, the six-times under-20 youth champion for France, becomes a principal aide as Mr Paulson implements his strategy to organise and commercialise the ongoing World Chess Championship cycles, starting with the opening Grand Prix for the 2012/2013 cycle at Simpson’s-in-the-Strand in London in September. Mr Fontaine has won a number of international tournaments over his playing career, including Las Vegas in 2006, Stockholm in 2007 and Paleohora in 2009. He became a Grandmaster in 2002 and a member of the Olympiad chess team in 2004.
He is also known as a presenter for Europe-Echecs, where he interviewed champion players and politicians for video reportage on the world’s leading chess events.
Mr Fontaine said: “I heard about Andrew’s plans to restore chess to its rightful place as a leading global entertainment form, and was extremely interested to see how I could bring my experience to help him realise his ambitions. What Andrew is proposing can only benefit the international chess community through raising the profile of the game and opening up chess to a new generation of players.”
Mr Paulson, the chief executive of Agon, said: “Robert is incredibly well-connected in the chess world, and his experience of interviewing top-ranking Grandmasters and his deep understanding of the complexities of the game will be invaluable as we build up to the start of the next iteration of the world’s most compelling sport.”
On semi-retiring from competitive chess in 2005, Mr Fontaine became a professional chess coach as managing director of the chess club Cannes-Echecs, where he managed a team of ten teaching chess in schools to 4,500 children.
He also introduced chess to the employees of French electricity and gas companies by working with CCAS, the energy industry social fund, to help co-ordinate a scheme that has taught chess to 45,000 people since 2007.
Istanbul Chess Olympiad R3: Ukraine Survives Israel Scare in Open; China Ground Down Ukraine in Women's Section
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
The Istanbul Chess Olympiad 2012 is only three rounds old. The fun is just starting with stronger teams finding opponents closer in strength. Ukraine nearly lost against Israel, but for a cool turnaround by Ruslan Ponomariov. GM Ponomariov was clearly worse against his Israeli counterpart GM Maxim Rodshtein, but the former World Chess Champion somehow turned the tables after the first time control and managed to win the game. (left Ruslan Ponomariov).
GM Boris Avrukh ground down GM Pavel Eljanov, but GM Andrei Volokitin showed no mercy against GM Evgeny Postny. With Ivanchuk and Gelfand drawing on the top board, Ukraine won the match by 2,5-1,5.
Russia again played safely, scoring three draws and a win by Jakovenko in their match against Latvia. After yesterday's exhausting game with Lithuania, USA top board Hikaru Nakamura played the necessary 30 moves to take a draw with GM Eduardo Iturrizaga of Venezuela. Nakamura's team-mates cleared the rest of the opposing team for the convincing 3,5-0,5 victory.
Secret Chess Passion Revealed by Call-Me-Maybe Pop Star Carly Rae Jepsen!
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Guess what chess feature we just read on WPTV? Pop sensation Carly Rae Jepsen actually never tours without her chess set. The "Call Me Maybe" singer admits she grew up solving chess puzzles that her stepfather left her as he left home for work. She tells Rolling Stone magazine, "My stepfather used to teach it... (and) he'd put out a chess problem for me to solve. In high school I had a big crush on a boy who played chess, and I thought, 'This is going to be useful'."
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Chess has benefited from the digital camera and the Internet possibly much more than any other sport. That is why we have live chess feed from the world's best tournaments and awesome chess videos from all over. The Istanbul Chess Olympiad 2012 is no different. Here are some more chess videos to enjoy from Day 2 at the Chess Olympiad. Have fun. Thanks to the official press team for a great job at the Istanbul Chess Olympiad.
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Chess is a lifelong love affair with its surprises, twists and excitement. We continue our series of chess videos from around the world. This is a short chess film. A middle aged woman finds herself in an undefinable, black room without any walls. Suddenly, she's startled by a mantled creature that challenges her to a unique chess game...
Istanbul Chess Olympiad R2: Top Seeds Drop Points But Maintain Team Wins
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Defending champions Ukraine suffered a setback when their top board GM Vassily Ivanchuk lost to Qatar's GM Mohamad Al-Modiahki. But, they won the match 3-1. Ivanchuk was slightly better with Black but succumbed to a queen assault on the back rank. He resigned at once.
The United States beat Lithuania by 3,5-0,5 after Hikaru Nakamura beat GM Vidmantas Malisauskas in a marathon 107-moves chess game. Azerbaijan had no difficulty beating Ireland even though the latter's young talent FM Ryan Rhys Griffiths drew with GM Rauf Mamedov.France and India defeated Peru and Turkey 2016 respectively by a 3-1 score. Poland beat Costa Rica 4-0. China beat Italy with Wang Hao beating Italian-American Fabiano Caruana on the top board.
World Youth U-16 Chess Olympiad Begins in Istanbul
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012 Hi everyone,
The World Youth Under-16 Chess Olympiad is also taking place in Istanbul from August 28-Sept 6 parallel to the 40th World Chess Olympiad and in the same venue. Each team is composed of 4 players, 1 reserve and 1 captain (or Manager, Trainer). TCF provides free board and lodging for the teams for nine days.
The tournament will be run as a 10 Round Swiss. Each match between teams will be conducted over 4 boards. The pairings, scoring and tiebreak regulations are in accordance with the Pairing Rules for the Chess Olympiad. The time control is 90 minutes with 30 seconds increments per move starting from first move. Keep track via the official website.
Istanbul Chess Olympiad 2012 R1 - Top Seeds Win, No Team Upsets
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
The 40th World Chess Olympiad began in Istanbul and the first round saw top seeded teams sail along. A total of 158 teams are competing in the Open Section, while the Women Section has 124 teams. Most of the top players in each team sat out for the first round as the Swiss pairing puts higher rated teams against lower-rated ones. Nevertheless, world #4 Teimour Radjabov played on the first board for Azerbaijan, scoring an important victory against IM Michael Wiedenkeller of Luxembourg. Azerbaijan won convincingly 4-0.
Russia against Dominican Republic in Round 1
In the Open Section Ukraine began by defeating Iraq 4-0, in a reprise match of the opening of the 2010 Khanty-Mansiysk Olympiad, where Ukraine won the gold medal. Is the history repeating itself for Ukraine?
USA secured a perfect 4-0 score against Jordan, while Armenia scored 3-1 against Bolivia. Bolivia's first and only Grandmaster, Oswaldo Zambrana, stunned the much higher rated GM Sergei Movsesian. Russia gained a quick 3-0 against Dominican Republic, but in one of the longest games of the day FM William Puntier held GM Evgeny Tomashevsky to a draw.
In the Women's Section, the top seeded teams gained convincing victories. China, Russia, Georgia, USA, India and Poland scored 4-0 against Bandgladesh, Bolivia, Guatemala, New Zealand, FYROM and Dominican Republic, respectively.
However, WIM Lougain Dahdal of Jordan defeated IM Lilit Galojan of Armenia to reduce the losing margin to 1-3. WFM Gabriela Maria Avelar Bonilla from El Salvador snatched a draw from the much higher rated IM Anna Ushenina from Ukraine, however Ukraine still was victorious with 3,5-0,5 match score. You can also track all the live action at the official website.
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
We've been following the US chess scene and our amazed at the potential. The US has also just sent their strongest-ever chess team to the Istanbul Chess Olympiad.
Here is some chess news via the official US Chess Fed website. Fifteen-year-old David Hua has won the 44th annual Atlantic Chess Open held August 24-26. He played aggressively and avoid mistakes!
“I had no real expectations,” Hua said. That style and approach helped catapult Hua into history as the youngest player ever – or at least in recent history – to win first place in the Atlantic Open, organizers of the event told Chess Life Online. Hua took clear first place by scoring 4.5 out of 5 points.
“I don’t believe that I can recall anyone who was even close to that age,” said TD Steve Immitt, who ran the Atlantic Open from 1994 through last year and was on hand at this year’s event, which drew 310 to 320 players. Immitt said he thought the next youngest person to win the Atlantic Open was Eric Most, who was 17 or 18 when he tied for first at last year’s Atlantic Open with IM Yury Lapshun. Although this year’s tournament fielded only two GMs, two IMs and 20 masters, Immitt says the 4.5 out of 5 points that Hua scored was no easy feat. Read the full article at the Chess Life Online.
Vancouver Chess Kid Ashley Tapp Continues 'I-Will-Play-in-Slovenia Mission'
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Ashley Tapp in a Nakamura simul
Remember Ashley Tapp from Vancouver? The 12-year-old chess kid is determined to compete in the World Youth Chess Championship in Slovenia in November. The straight-A student is on a fundraising spree for her participation. Ashley was fundraising at the PNE Monday afternoon by playing any fairgoers willing to donate money and go head-to-head against Canada’s chess-playing girl qualified to play for the world title girls under 12.
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
The Istanbul Chess Olympiad has begun and here are some opening-ceremony videos. You can follow all the action live both with video and games at the official website. The complete pairings are available at this link. The World Chess Olympiad started today with the Turkish Minister of Youth and Sports Suat Kilic making the first move for GM Zhao Xue in the match China - Bangladesh. FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov and the Turkish Chess Federation President Ali Nihat Yazici were also present on the occasion.
Awesome Chess Endgame Training Software - GM Panchenko's Course
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Computer Chess Guru Steve Lopez describes the Chess King Training ENDGAME Software Series. A total of 300 THEORETICAL POSITIONS AND 350 PRACTICE EXERCISES, Recommended Level: INTERMEDIATE & ADVANCED PLAYERS 1500-2400 ELO. For club, intermediate and advanced players. This course is composed by GM Panchenko.
Its aim is to teach the students the intricacies of the endgame through a theoretic section, which includes over 700 games/lectures, each of them illustrating theoretical and practical endgame methods. The training section has more than 300 practical endgame exercises, covering every type of endgame a tournament chess player should know, from endgames with few pieces to complicated pawn endgames, etc. Knowing how to play chess endgames well will give you a big edge in tournaments. You get plenty of feedback and opportunity to track your progress. Critical knowledge to increase your understanding of chess endgames. You can choose the number of positions in the tests, as well as the material covered. Studying chess endgames will give you many positive results in practical play. You can get the best deal (as one disk or in combos) exclusively on www.chess-king.com.
Interesting Chess Video - Feynman on Chess, Science
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012 Hi everyone,
All those videos about chess and science or any other aspect of life bewitch us. Here is a nice compilation by Paul Schonfeld as Richard Feynman describes the process of scientific discovery to be like watching a small corner of a chess board and trying to figure out how the game works.
Richard Phillips Feynman (May 11, 1918 – February 15, 1988) was an American theoretical physicist. For his contributions to the development of quantum electrodynamics, Feynman, jointly with Julian Schwinger and Sin-Itiro Tomonaga, received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1965.
Istanbul Chess Olympiad Photo Trivia + Opening Ceremony Info
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
First up the chess photo trivia! These are the women's defending champions' team from Russia at the Istanbul Chess Olympiad 2012. Can you name all the people in the photo? Click on the chess team's photo to see the answer and read Chess Queen™ Alexandra Kosteniuk's post in her personal blog at www.chessqueen.com.
Meanwhile, the opening ceremony update is that it takes place today - August 27 at the WOW Convention Center at 21:30 local time in Istanbul.The ceremony will be broadcast live in four languages simultaneously via the official website. It will include a warm welcome to the participants, presentation of the host country, a rich cultural program, national and FIDE anthems, officials speeches, and the drawing of colours for the first round.
The opening ceremony will be preceded by a press conference of the Turkish national teams at 19:00 and by the Captains meeting at 20:00, both to be held at WOW Hotel.
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
The 3rd International Livigno Chess Open is grabbing interest from players from all over the world. Few weeks before the tournament (which will take place from 10th to 17th September in Livigno, a beautiful village on the Italian Alps) there are about 60 players who registered – among them 21 GMs and IMs, despite the Chess Olympiad taking place just before this event. In total no less than 17 nations are represented in probably one of the highest located chess competitions in the world.
Sergey Volkov (Russia – 2011 winner) has confirmed his participation, as well as 2009 Senior World Champion Miso Cebalo (Croatia) and quite a few players from India. Overall there are 26 players with Elo above 2400; 16 above 2500 and one above 2600, the Luxembourgian-Italian Alberto David. Moreover there will be a big group of Italian players, such as Duilio Collutiis, Andrea Stella, Alessio Valsecchi, Marco Codenotti and Fabio Bruno.
All of them will compete for the prize money (a total of 9,000 euro) as well as a prestigious Baume & Mercier watch, a whole Parmesan Cheese wheel (weighing about 40 kilos) and plenty of local products.
There will be two tournaments, one for the players with Elo above 2000 and one for all the others – therefore even less strong people will have their chance to have fun.
All this will take place in Livigno, a nice mountain resort in Italy surrounded by woods, with a great panorama and plenty of side activities. More information on the resort: www.livigno.eu. Deadline August 31. Find more info at the official website.
Isthmia Chess 2012 - GM Dmitry Svetushkin Wins Title on Tiebreak
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
GM Dmitry Svetushkin has won the International Chess Tournament Isthmia 2012, according to the latest tournament chess news via Chessdom.com. The 2nd International Chess Tournament Isthmia 2012 was held from August 18-25 August at the beautiful Alkyon Resort Hotel in Vrachati Korinthias, Greece.
GM Dmitry Svetushkin
In the thrilling finale Moldavian GM Dmitry Svetushkin defeated the earlier leader IM Shyam Sundar from India to finish with 7/9 points and claim the winner’s trophy on superior tie-break. The key game for Svetushkin was probably the 8th round encounter when he managed to escape from the grim position against the Dutch talent GM Robin Van Kampen.
Canadian IM Eric Hansen continued the string of excellent results after recently sharing the 5th place in the World Junior Championship in Athens. Possibly encouraged with the presence of his trainer IM Miodrag Perunovic, Eric performed splendidly, beating the strong GM Ioannis Nikolaidis in the last round with black pieces, to finish equal first (2nd on tie-break) and claim his first GM norm. IM Miroslav Miljkovic from Serbia earned his 2nd GM norm, while Sebastian Filippas from Greece scored an IM norm.
The B Group, reserved only for players rated under 1900, had 67 participants from France, Chile, China and Greece. Petros Rahmanidis (GRE 1710) is the convincing winner with 8.5/9, leaving the nearest follower point and a half behind. Five blind players also competed in this section.
The Blitz tournament with 56 players was held on 20-21st August. GM-elect Sahaj Grover took a clear with place with 7.5 points, leaving GM Sethuraman SP and GM Alexandr Fier half a point behind. (Photos courtesy of the official website.)
Final top standings (Group A): 1-3. GM Svetushkin Dmitry MDA 2569, IM Hansen Eric CAN 2472 and IM Shyam Sundar M. IND 2486 – 7.0 4-9. GM Fedorchuk Sergey A. UKR 2639, GM Van Kampen Robin NED 2565, GM Firman Nazar UKR 2535, GM Adhiban B. IND 2553, GM Iordachescu Viorel MDA 2645 and IM Maghalashvili Davit GEO 2482 – 6.5 10-14. IM Miljkovic Miroslav D SRB 2449, IM Georgiadis Ioannis GRE 2445, IM Akshayraj Kore IND 2483, GM Sethuraman S.P. IND 2546 and Filippas Sebastian GRE 2268 – 6.0 15-25. GM Nikolaidis Ioannis GRE 2562, IM Debashis Das IND 2446, IM Grover Sahaj IND 2516, GM Antic Dejan SRB 2506, IM Vishnu Prasanna V IND 2435, IM Perunovic Miodrag SRB 2461, IM Azaladze Shota GEO 2466, Nikolaou Georgios GRE 2224, Markidis Konstantinos GRE 2351, Vafiadis Kleanthis GRE 2317 and Galopoulos Nikolaos GRE 2402 – 5.5 etc
Istanbul Chess Olympiad 2012: Grab Free Phone Apps; Russian Girls Head for Title Defense!
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Just some more hours to go before the start of the mega event of the chess world - the Istanbul Chess Olympiad 2012 (Aug 27-Sept 10). You can access the official website of the event at this link. Chess Blog will keep you updated with the exciting developments in the coming days.
For now, here are the iPhone and Android apps for your smartphones to help you enjoy the chess Olympiad on the go. The Android application: “World Chess Olympiad 2012” developed for 40th Chess Olympiad in Istanbul, is available in Google Play Store. Use search or the following link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.kocakcan.chessOlympiad
Don't forget, Chess Queen™ Alexandra Kosteniuk, along with her Russian women's team, will be defending the 2010 Khanty-Mansiysk Chess Olympiad title. Click on the photo to read the special Chess Blog post. (One change, Alisa Galliamova replaced by Natalija Pogonina.)
London Chess Classic 2012-Hikaru Nakamura Completes Line-up
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Reigning US Chess Champion GM Hikaru Nakamura has also confirmed his participation in the London Chess Classic 2012. This completes the nine-player line-up for the mega chess festival to be held December 1-10, Kensington Olympia, London.
He joins World No 1 Magnus Carlsen, World Champion Vishy Anand, world No 2 Levon Aronian, the defending champion Vladimir Kramnik, the UK No 1 Mickey Adams, the UK No 2 Luke McShane, Women’s World No 1 Judit Polgar, and newly-crowned British Champion Gawain Jones, who will all battle it out for the year-ending elite spectacular in London. Three-time US champion Hikaru Nakamura is nicknamed the ‘H Bomb’ for his totally explosive and uncompromising style of play - not only that, but he always gives fan value by playing for a win either face to face or online and invariably will shun any draw offers. His fondness for double-edged moves once prompted Garry Kasparov, when he was acting as his coach, to urge him to play more solidly. But taming Nakamura is “like tethering a wild stallion,” according to chess columnists Harold Dondis and Patrick Wolff of The Boston Globe.
He’s now though firmly established himself as a member of the World Top-10 (currently No. 7), having first exploded into the elite club after he sensationally won the 73rd Tata Steel tournament in Wijk aan Zee in 2011, ahead of Anand, Aronian, Carlsen and Kramnik! This was the biggest success of his career and according to Kasparov was "the best result achieved by an American in 100 years.”
Hikaru Nakamura has broken every Bobby Fischer age-group record in the US save for that of being the youngest US champion. Naturally, comparisons with the late great American world champion have been made - and in late September, he finally gets his chance to follow in Fischer’s footsteps by being the top seed in the London Grand Prix, the first of six series that kicks off the next World Chess Championship Cycle.
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
We begin today a new chess series bringing you photographs and/or videos of chess scenes from the film world. Here's the Lite Chess Trivia for you this Sunday. You can share your favourite scenes too and earn credit on the #1 Chess Blog in the world.
Death Note MovieDescription From Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia Death Note (デスノート, Desu Nōto) is a series of two live-action Japanese films released in 2006 and a spin-off released on February 9, 2008. The two movies are based on the Death Note manga (and later anime) series by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. The films primarily center on a university student who decides to rid the world of evil with the help of a supernatural notebook that kills anyone whose name is written in it. The two films were directed by Shūsuke Kaneko, produced by Nippon Television, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures Japan.
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hello everyone,
Here's a fun photo of two strong chess grandmasters from eight years ago in our huge database of the world's best chess players - www.chesspics.com. This fun photo shows that it's not just chess grandmasters love to play. Can you name the two people in the photo?
By the way, what are these chess grandmasters playing and where?
St Louis Chess Club Gets New Acting Resident GM - Yasser Seirawan
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Grandmaster Yasser Seirawan will arrive in Saint Louis on September 3 to serve as the acting Resident Grandmaster of the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis. Seirawan, a four-time U.S. Champion and former World Championship contender, came out of retirement in 2011 to play in the U.S. Championship, which was held in Saint Louis. He cited the exciting developments of the Saint Louis chess scene as a contributing factor for his renewed interest in competitive chess and the U.S. Championship.
“First, it is a great event, and I wanted to thank the good folks at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis for all their wonderful work,” he said. “Secondly, I got bored watching the young lions at play and felt the urge to join them.”
Seirawan followed the 2011 U.S. Championship with a stunning performance at the 2011 World Team Championship, where he finished with a 2773 performance rating, which was almost 140 points higher than his rating at the time. This move will allow him to have a direct impact on the rapidly growing chess movement in Saint Louis.
On 16th August Grandmaster Ben Finegold has resigned his position as the Resident Grandmaster at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis. (For more information on the CCSCSL, visit www.saintlouischessclub.org.)
French Chess Champions 2012 Title Jointly to Vachier-Lagrave, Bauer, Bacrot, Edouard
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Christian Bauer, Etienne Bacrot, and Romain Edouard have been declared the joint winners of the French National Chess Championship 2012.
Vachier-Lagrave, Bacrot, and Edouard, as a mark of respect and show of humane spirit, decided to not play the tiebreak, but share the French national chess title with the fourth joint leader, Christian Bauer. GM Bauer tragically lost his four-month-old son and abandoned the tournament before the last round. The last round was cancelled and the three remaining joint leaders were to play the tiebreak. However, they all agreed to share the title in a show of humane spirit and sportsmanship.
The French Chess Federation had earlier announced the tiebreak for Saturday, but cancelled it after the players' statements.
Almira Skripchenko is French National Chess Champion for the Fifth Time!
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
In a performance marked by very strong and focused chess, Almira Skripchenko has won the French National Women's Chess Championship with a round to spare, according to the French Chess Federation website.
In the penultimate round, Skripchenko went to play already with a lead of 1.5 points over the nearest player Sophie Millet. Skripchenko needed to simply draw, while Milliet needed to go for an outright win to have a chance at the title. Both games were drawn. This is Almira Skripchenko's fifth French National Women's Chess title.
In the men's section, the last round had to be cancelled due to the tragic death of GM Christian Bauer's four-month-old son. He was in joint lead with three others. A tiebreak would now be played later between Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Romain Edouard and Etienne Bacrot.
Bratto della Presolana Chess Fest On; GM Alberto David Gets Italian Citizenship
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Chess Blog friend Adolivio Capece has just sent us news about one of the most important chess tournaments in Italy - in Bratto della Presolana (near Bergamo). It concludes on August 26 and has become one of the strongest chess tournaments in Italy with 11 GMs and 15 IMs playing in the Main Group (Magistrale). One of the Grandmasters is After 4 games, GM Panchanathan (India) is leading with perfect score. You can keep track of all the updates via the official website. Another interesting bit of news there is that GM Alberto David has now received the Italian citizenship and will be playing the next Italian Chess Championship (in Torino starting October 30) and, possibly, the Chess Olympiads 2014 as an Italian Grandmaster!
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Photography by Norbert Schoerner Courtesy RS&A
The Saatchi Gallery in London is all set to hold a special chess exhibition from September 8 - October 3. This collaboration with RS&A brings together 16 chess sets designed by some of the world's leading contemporary artists in celebration of the game of chess. These specially commissioned chess sets have been created by: Mauriio Cattelan, Jake and Dinos Chapman, Oliver Clegg, Tracey Emin, Tom Friedman, Paul Fryer, Damien Hirst, Barbara Kruger, Yayoi Kusama, Paul McCarthy,Alastair Mackie, Tim Noble and Sue Webster, Matthew Ronay, Tunga, Gavin Turk and Rachel Whiteread. Each set is individually crafted in a wide variety of different materials including wood, porcelain, glass, amber and silver. This exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery will be the first time that all 16 chess sets are displayed together and it will also be the first public showing of a new commission by British artists Tim Noble and Sue Webster. Famous for their shadow sculptures, the artists have taken the opportunity to return to their on-going fascination with dead animals and have created a woodland chess set complete with hand carved tree stump with bronze chess pieces inspired by the artists' collection of mummified animals - found on their farm in Gloucestershire - squirrels take the roles of King and Queen and frogs act as Pawns. From Alexandra Kosteniuk's www.chessblog.com Also see her personal blog at www.chessqueen.com
Boxing champion Vitali Klitschko took on former World Chess Champion Vladimir Kramnik in a chess exhibition match on Thursday. The match took place in Switzerland, where the WBC Heavyweight Champion is preparing for his September 8 defence against German contender Manuel Charr at Moscow's Olimpiisky arena.
"Kramnik, before putting me in check, offered a draw and I agreed," Klitschko was quoted as saying by the Ukrainian website. Klitschko, 41, is the first boxing champion with a Ph.D. degree, which earned him his nickname Dr. Ironfist. Kramnik, 37, held the Classical World Chess Championship title from 2000 to 2006, and the undisputed World Chess Championship from 2006 to 2007.
According to chess-news.ru, Kramnik would take out time to watch the boxing match during the chess olympiad which he is playing in Istanbul in a few days. From Alexandra Kosteniuk's www.chessblog.com Also see her personal blog at www.chessqueen.com
Prayers for GM Christian Bauer's Family for Sad Loss of their Four-Month-Old Son
We reach out to GM Christian Bauer and his wife Nathalie on the very sad loss of their four-month-old son Louis. We pray for the family and wish them courage in this time of tragedy. The last round of the French National Chess Championship 2012 has been cancelled. GM Bauer was to play the last round in joint lead with Etienne Bacrot, Romain Edouard, and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. May God give them the strength to face this tragedy. Our heartfelt condolences.
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12th Women's World Chess Champion
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