Fide Chess Year Celebrations List 2011-2016

Alexandra Kosteniuk's Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) 2013

Hi everyone,

Here is a list of chess year celebrations' nomination list from 2011-2016 as announced by Fide.

Celebration Years – nominations 
The Presidential Board asked us to prepare a list of nominations for the next 5 years for "The year of …..". After considering various anniversaries it was decided to propose the following:
2011 Mikhail Botvinnik (World Champion 1948-1957, 1958-1960, 1961-1963) - 100 years anniversary of birth
2012 Bobby Fischer (World Champion 1972-1975) - 40 years anniversary of becoming World Champion
2013 Elisabeth Bykova (Women's World Champion 1953-1956, 1958-1962) - 100 years anniversary of birth
2014 Emanuel Lasker (World Champion 1894-1921) - 120 years anniversary of becoming World Champion
2015 Aron Nimzowitsch - 80 years since death
2016 Paul Keres - 100 years anniversary of birth

We decided to recommend 6 years ahead as 2016 seemed clear to us. -- Ignatius Leong and David Jarrett

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Austrian Chess Champions 2013: Peter Schreiner and Veronika Exler

Alexandra Kosteniuk's Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) 2013

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The 2013 Austrian National Chess Championships were held on 20-28th July at the hotel Büchel in Feldkirch. The tournament counted with 49 participants in the open section and 19 in the women’s category. International master Peter Schreiner arrived as the third seed and obtained clear first place after getting 7.5/9 points. He left first seed GM David Shengelia half a point behind. His 2613 rating performance will add 18 points to his Elo rating in the next FIDE official list. The women’s section saw a similar scenario. Clear winner was WFM Veronika Exler, who also obtained 7.5 points. Two players finished on 6.5/9; Anna-Lena Schnegg obtained second place and Katharina Newrkla got the third spot in the podium. The main section’s prize fund amounted to € 8.350 with € 2.000 reserved for the winner; the women’s section had a prize fund of € 1.950 with € 700 reserved for the winner.

Tournament website

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Vintage Chess Photo Trivia Quiz: Identify Players

Alexandra Kosteniuk's Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) 2013

Hi everyone, 

The simple chess trivia photo question today is who are the players?

 

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Dortmund Chess Round 5: Both Kramnik, Adams Win; Extend Lead

Alexandra Kosteniuk's Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) 2013

Hi everyone, 

It was an exciting day in Dortmund. Five very entertaining fights left us with three decisive results. Co-leaders Vladimir Kramnik and Michael Adams defeated Peter Leko and Wang Hao, respectively, to increase their advantage at the top of the standings. Yesterday, Wang Hao was half a point behind them, while today, the Chinese and Georg Meier are trailing by a point and a half.

It seems to be a tradition that positional players get better results at this event. The two more experienced elite players from the field won today using their patient and solid styles. The other decisive result was Dmitry Andreikin’s first win of the tournament; the Russian beat Igor Khenkin with white in a Caro-Kann.

It is no coincidence that Michael Adams was part of the top-10 for a long time some years ago. He keeps showing his class in strong events such as the London Classic and the GRENKE Tournament in Baden-Baden, where he faces the very best players without looking like an outsider. Today, he beat Wang Hao with white and did not allow his direct rival, Vladimir Kramnik, to pull away from the field.

Adams used the English opening instead of his more typical 1.e4. The Englishman started to manoeuvre his pieces while Wang Hao tried to gain the initiative. On move 21, the Chinese sacrificed an exchange for a pawn and the bishop pair. The position seemed rather equalized but very complicated. Suddenly, Wang repeated the story from the first round – he blundered decisively with Bg4, giving his opponent an easy win by move 30.

The 2004 World Championship match contenders battled today in Dortmund. Vladimir Kramnik defeated his long-standing rival Peter Leko with the white pieces. The Hungarian has been showing his reliable style both in Beijing – where he finished undefeated – and in Dortmund, where he had drawn all his games until today. However, he could not stop the former world champion in his favorite event.

A very slow Symmetrical English opening presented itself over the board. Kramnik fianchettoed both bishops looking for a long-term fight. Black seemed to have, at least, equalized the position. On move 22, Kramnik offered a sound piece sacrifice that would have led to complicated waters, but Leko rejected it. The position got simplified and everything seemed to be heading to a draw. The computer points at move 36 as the turning point where Leko made a mistake that eventually cost him a pawn. Kramnik converted his advantage with his usual mastery and took home the full point after 47 moves.

Dmitry Andreikin finally won a game in Dortmund. He defeated the lowest rated player of the field, Igor Khenkin. The experienced German grandmaster had been playing solidly, drawing all his games without getting into trouble against his higher-rated colleagues.

The first Caro-Kann of the tournament was seen on the board. Andreikin chose the Advanced variation and used the usual strategy of going for a kingside attack. Khenkin handled the opening correctly until he blundered decisively on move 18. Interestingly, the German allowed his colleague to show a checkmate, which arrived on move 27. On a separate note, today was Fabiano Caruana’s 21st birthday. The organizers congratulated him on the stage.

Standings after 5 rounds:
1 Kramnik, Vladimir RUS 2784 4
2 Adams, Michael ENG 2740 4
3 Meier, Georg GER 2610 2½
4 Wang, Hao CHN 2752 2½
5 Naiditsch, Arkadij GER 2710 2
6 Khenkin, Igor GER 2605 2
7 Fridman, Daniel GER 2629 2
8 Leko, Peter HUN 2737 2
9 Caruana, Fabiano ITA 2796 1½
10 Andreikin, Dmitry RUS 2727 1½

Official website

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Andorra Chess Open 2013: Andrey Vovk Wins Title

Alexandra Kosteniuk's Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) 2013

Hi everyone, 

Ukrainian Grandmaster Andrey Vovk is the new champion of the Andorra open. He finished in sole first place with 7.5 points. The event took place on 20-28th July at the Sant Gothard Hotel in Erts (La Massana). Vovk was the only player with 6.5 points that won his last round game, against the young Frenchman Eric Gaudineau. The game was a Ruy Lopez where white won a clear positional advantage. However, the Frenchman created complications on the kingside, which forced white to play accurately. The Ukrainian player did not falter and simplified the position to reach a rook endgame that he converted easily. Seven players tied on 7 points.

Players with 6.5 points, Eduardo Iturrizaga and Renier Vazquez, were the first to arrive at this score after drawing their game in just 10 moves, thus resigning chances to win the tournament. However, the game played on the third board between Grandmasters Marc Narciso and Maxim Rodshtein was very disputed. The Catalan player was able to win a pawn in the middlegame, but the truth is that his rival achieved a more than reasonable counterplay and finally the position was simplified to a theoretical opposite-colored bishops endgame that was completely drawn.

Finally, the exact order defined by the tiebreaker criteria was: 2. Maxim Rodshtein (ISR), 3. Renier Vazquez (ESP), 4. Eduardo Iturrizaga (SOLD) 5th. David Norwood (AND), 6th. Marc Narciso (ESP), 7th. Yannick Gozzoli (FRA) and 8th. Vladimir Hamitevici (MDA).

The prize for the best game went to International Master Lawrence Trent, thanks to his victory over Icelandic grandmaster Heddin Steingrimsson. (www.chessdom.com)

Rating categories winners:
Second place – 1849: Louis Pignataro (FRA)
First place – 1849: Bárbara Sánchez (ESP)
Second place 1850-1999: Isabelle Abello (FRA)
First place 1850-1999: Oriol Sánchez Urpí (ESP)
Second place 2000-2149: José Manuel Nieves (ESP)
First place 2000-2149: Jonathan Edwards (SCO)
Second place 2150-2299: Daniel Laclau (FRA)
First place 2150-2299: Bryan Macias (ECU)

Lawrence Trent obtained the best game prize

Andorran Chess Federation

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Namibia Chess: Junior Championships 2013 Held

Alexandra Kosteniuk's Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) 2013

Hi everyone,
 

The 2013 National Junior Closed Chess Championships provided excitement and a thrilling battle of the minds as 53 youngsters from all over the country went head-to-head at Academia Secondary School in the capital over the weekend. A National Champion was crowned for each age group during the three-day long tournament. Pre-tournament favourite Julian Isaaks (photo) lived up to his billing by winning the Open U20 section followed by William Kamberipa in second place and Willem Louw in third.

Uatjiri Hewicke was victorious in the Under 8 section, ending half a point ahead the promising Isabelle Els from Pro-ed Academy, while Aldo Horn won the U10 section with an unbeaten score of 7/7.

Windhoek Afrikaanse Privaatskool's Iwann du Toit topped the U12 section, as Mubasen /Hochobeb clinched the U14 title.

The U16 contest saw former Namibian Women's Chess Champion Nicola Tjaronda dominate her rivals and score an amazing 7/7 to claim the title in that category.

Immanuel Gariseb continued his run of always taking home a prize at local chess competitions when he won the U18 section.

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When World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand Played in Chennai!

Alexandra Kosteniuk's Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) 2013

Hi everyone, 

A nice chess article (AsianAge) on when World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand last played in Chennai. As you know it is going to be dateline Chennai this November when Anand takes on World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen.

The score line 4.5-1.5 in favour of GM Viswanathan Anand against erstwhile Soviet Union GM Alexey Dreev might not even raise an eyebrow today. But then, in 1991, Anand was just an upcoming GM from the so-called third world country while Dreev was a rising star from the illustrious Soviet school of chess.

An Indian defeating a Russian with such a resounding score line was a big achievement. The win not only thrust India’s first GM into the limelight, as he advanced to the quarterfinals of the world chess championship cycle, but it also put India on the global map of chess for organising a match of that stature.

“When I broke the news to Anand’s mother Susheela Viswanathan about holding the pre-quarterfinals match in Chennai, she was both happy and surprised. She asked me whether we would be able to pull off such a big event. By successfully conducting the match, we proved that we can organise high profile events,“ said Fide vice president D. V. Sundar, who added that the total prize fund of about `2 lakh was a big amount in 1991.

Anand’s father K.Viswanathan said he was thrilled to see his son win the quarterfinal. He visited the tournament hall every day to provide moral support to his son who was 21 years old then. Anand had for the first time qualified for the 1990-93 world championship cycle.

Susheela, who stayed with Anand at the tournament venue Trident Hotel, recalled the candidates’ match, and noted that everything went on smoothly. “The crowd behaved well and it was an enjoyable experience. In one game, Anand played a knight fork that took everyone by surprise. My son was very good in handling knights,” she added.

Ebenezer Joseph, India’s first Fide trainer, said the interest level was lower for the AnandDreev match. “Chess was not much popular in India those days,” he added. Anand’s performances took the game to the next level.

Players started getting jobs and the union government recognised the mind sport. Tamil Nadu’s first WIM Saritha Reddy, however, said the 1991 match created interest for chess in India. “Chess was not as popular in the early 90s as it is today and we didn’t have many promising young players. But I feel the Anand-Dreev match created a buzz. Today we have so many youthful grandmasters and the popularity of the game has grown manifold,” she added.

Saritha said Anand’s chances against Dreev were 50-50. The Indian GM, a five-time world champion now, may start as the underdog against Magnus Carlsen in the world championship match, which will be held in Chennai from November 6 to 26 later this year.

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Lack of Chess Books Keeps Iran Behind World-Level, Says Publisher

Alexandra Kosteniuk's Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) 2013

Hi everyone, 

There is a scarcity of chess books in Iran and that has slowed down the progress of chess in the country, according to a sports publisher in the country. Manager of Farzin Publications and a member of the Cultural Association of Sports Publishers Hussein Ghiasi has said there are very few compilations and authored works on chess in the Iranian book market, keeping Iran almost 150 years behind the world level of the game in other countries.

Speaking to the country's news agency IBNA, he said the high price of paper in Iran is one of the reasons for the low number of releases in the field, besides the expansion of virtual and online courses for chess. He further underlined the advantages of printed guidebooks for chess as offering more details on every move and position in the game. He said online and virtual courses of the game can never replace printed guidebooks. He went on to add that there are several perfect Persian translations of foreign works on chess available.

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Biel Chess: Ding Liren Gains the Lead with Two Rounds to Go

Alexandra Kosteniuk's Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) 2013

Hi everyone, 

 

The very dynamic Grandmaster Chess Tournament in Biel keeps giving us thrills. Today’s round saw a change in the lead: Ding Liren took over Etienne Bacrot’s place at the top. The Chinese beat Richard Rapport with black and added three points to his tournament score. The young national champion played very creatively during all the event and is now the favorite to take overall victory.

Meanwhile, Ian Nepomniachtchi obtained his first win against Alexander Moiseenko in a Sicilian. The only draw of the day was very interesting as well; Maxime Vachier-Lagrave could not convert his advantage against his compatriot, and early leader, Etienne Bacrot. This is not the first time in the event that Vachier-Lagrave misses a big chance to get a full point.

The youngsters’ battle between Richard Rapport and Ding Liren was definitely exciting, as expected. The players played straight-forward fighting chess from the very first move and took the game through a roller-coaster of tactical blows. Although their styles of play share the same desire to get the initiative, their results in this tournament are completely distant – Rapport stands alone at the cellar of the standings.

Ding Liren used his main weapon with black, the King’s Indian Defense. Rapport surprised everyone again with his early b3, sacrificing an exchange for black’s dark-squared bishop – his idea was to quickly get an attack on the king. Looking for chances to mate his rival, white sacrificed a big amount of material and was left with a lonely queen against two rooks and two pieces. The fight continued as the white queen had a lot of room to maneuver and, at least, try to give a perpetual. However, Ding defended accurately to finally claim the point after 58 moves.

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Dortmund Chess Round 4: Kramnik and Adams Lead

Alexandra Kosteniuk's Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) 2013

Hi everyone,

Four rounds have already been played in Dortmund and we have two leaders. Michael Adams and Vladmir Kramnik stand on top with 3/4 points. Wang Hao recovered from his first round blunder and won two out of three games to be the only player half a point behind the leaders. After breaking the 2800-barrier with his first win, defending champion Fabiano Caruana lost twice and needs to recover quickly if he wants to get a shot for the title.

Today’s round saw three decisive games. Vladimir Kramnik beat Georg Meier with black, Arkadij Naiditsch got his first win over out-of-form Dmitry Andreikin and Wang Hao used the white pieces to defeat Fabiano Caruana. The games were very tactical and entertaining for the spectators.

Today’s win by Vladimir Kramnik over Georg Meier showed both the deep preparation and great tactical ability of the former world champion. After the gift he received in the first round, where Wang Hao blundered terribly, the Russian drew two German players. The victory obtained today puts him back in the fight to get his eleventh title at this prestigious tournament.

Meier used one of Kramnik’s weapons, the Catalan. The Russian is known for his great knowledge of this opening with both colors, and proved it today. The fight began on the queenside, where black eventually won a pawn. Meier reacted going for a counterattack against the f7 square, but Kramnik used his queen as an effective defender. When black won a second pawn and closed the possibility of falling against a direct attack, the German decided to give up hopes.

Two strong young players battled today. Wang Hao defeated Fabiano Caruana with white in a 39-moves game. This was Wang’s second win of the event and Caruana’s second loss. With the German players showing that they will not be easy targets, it will be hard for the Italian to recover, but it would be naive to rule him out completely.

The Chinese opened with a Barcza system, and got the pair of bishops by move 13. Caruana activated his knights in the center but had to face his opponent’s counterplay on the kingside. The final blow came over the open h-file, where white put both his queen and rook in line. Caruana did not react correctly and gave up on move 30, when it is unavoidable to lose an important amount of material.

Dmitry Andreikin is not having a good tournament. Today, he lost his third game against Germany’s number 1 Arkadij Naiditsch. The Russian did not show his class at the Universiade event in Kazan and continues his bad run at this strong invitational.

The players went for the Ruy Lopez and the fight for the initiative began from the very first move. Andreikin played a quick g5, leaving his king rather weak, although he already had the advantage of the pair of bishops in exchange. Naiditsch activated his knights in the center and started to pick up black’s loose pawns. The result was an endgame where white has no less than five pawns for black’s bishop. Andreikin resigned on move 49. (www.chessdom.com)

Standings after 4 rounds:
1 Kramnik, Vladimir RUS 2784 3
2 Adams, Michael ENG 2740 3
3 Wang, Hao CHN 2752 2½
4 Khenkin, Igor GER 2605 2
5 Leko, Peter HUN 2737 2
6 Meier, Georg GER 2610 2
7 Naiditsch, Arkadij GER 2710 2
8 Fridman, Daniel GER 2629 1½
9 Caruana, Fabiano ITA 2796 1½
10 Andreikin, Dmitry RUS 2727 ½

Official website

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Bloomington Chess Activist Scott Set for National Honor

Alexandra Kosteniuk's Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) 2013

Hi everyone, 

Garrett Scott, founder of the Bloomington-Normal Martin Luther King Jr. Chess Day Chess Tournament, talks with his Kingsley Junior High School chess team before the start of competition Monday, Jan. 21, 2013, at Bone Student Center at Illinois State University. Scott will receive the United States Chess Federation's lifetime achievement award on Wednesday, July 31, 2013. (Pantagraph file photo, David Proeber)

BLOOMINGTON — Local chess players and coaches say the lifetime achievement award that Garrett Scott will receive Wednesday from the United States Chess Federation is definitely well deserved.

“I can’t think of a more deserving person than Garrett Scott to get a lifetime achievement award,” said Dan Irvin, an organizer and fan of chess tournaments in Bloomington-Normal. “He is the real heart blood of youth chess.”

Scott, 69, is retiring from decades of work with the national-level chess organization, but he will remain active at the local level. He said he is pleased with what he has accomplished.

“I am happy,” he said.

Irvin described Scott as a role model with a communitywide impact. “Beyond my parents, (he is) one of the people that had the most impact on my life and that of several generations in Bloomington-Normal,” he said.

Scott, a former Normal City Council member and speech pathologist for Bloomington District 87 schools, has coached dozens of promising young chess players. Among his students were members of state championship teams at University High School and Kingsley and Parkside junior high schools, all in Normal, and Bloomington High School and Oakland and Washington elementary schools, all in Bloomington.

He also has organized a myriad of chess tournaments — perhaps most notably the Bloomington-Normal Martin Luther King Jr. Day Chess Tournament, which started in 1988.

Each year, he tells students about his interaction with King and reminds them of the importance of making good decisions and working together.

Scott said he believes the award he will receive at the federation’s annual meeting in Wisconsin is not for him alone. It also honors the active chess community in Bloomington-Normal, he said.

In 1994, Bloomington and New York City shared the federation’s title of Chess City of the Year. “It was an honor to be considered on equal basis as New York City,” Scott said.

Some of the best young players across the nation competed in events that Scott helped arrange locally.

“A generation of American chess players came through Bloomington,” Irvin said, who worked with Scott during the 1990s in organizing the Maurice Irvin Chess Festival.

That tradition continues as Scott continues to mentor young chess players. Among them is Benjamin Nielsen, 16, of Normal. The teenager’s summer job is teaching 10 to 12 novice chess players in one-hour, weekly lessons.

“A few years ago I got lessons from Mr. Scott; now I give lessons,” Nielsen said.

“I am very happy Mr. Scott was part of my learning experience. I can’t tell you how much I respect him,” the teenager said. (Pantagraph.com)

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Chess Docu Algorithms Premieres in Africa

Alexandra Kosteniuk's Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) 2013

Hi everyone, 

The African premiere of a documentary that focuses on the blind chess players of India screened in the closing week of the Durban International Film Festival (Diff) and drew much interest in this community.

Algorithms was shot over three years and follows Charudatta Jadhav, a cham- pion chess player from Mumbai, who now mentors younger players and is championing their cause to become world- class blind chess players.

After the screening of the documentary, the director, cinematographer and editor, Ian McDonald, said he and his partner in making Algorithms (and the producer), Geetha J, followed Jadhav and the emerging young blind chess players Darpan Inani (totally blind), SaiKrishna ST (partially blind) and Anant Kumar Nayak (totally blind) for three years in their pursuit of success at various championship tournaments in India and other parts of the world.

“In the end we had about 250 hours of footage. When we were shooting it was observational style, we never really had an idea of where the film was going and who the key characters were, we only really knew this towards the end,” McDonald explains.
The film-maker says the shoot- ing process of the documentary was life-changing for him.
“I wanted to get closer… I was fascinated with blindness from the outside and how being blind represented a different way of being in the world. In a sense I was taught something fundamental about existence.

“We see these players as blind, we hear from their families about how they became blind, but as you stay in the blind community the blind factor kind of fades away. The focus is on their character strengths.”

McDonald also shared an experience he had while filming the team during a championship tournament in Serbia.

“After the matches they would have a post-mortem in their dark room. I would be like: ‘Hold on, can I open a curtain or put on a light?’, and they would say: ‘That’s your problem’, and suddenly I was the one with a disability, in my dependence on light,” he recalls.

What spurred the idea for this documentary was pure curiosity, McDonald explains.

“I came across a newspaper clipping about blind chess players and just out of curiosity we explored it further and discov- ered this emerging blind chess community.”

McDonald said he and Geetha chose not to rush the filming process of Algorithms: “This notion of ‘director’ and ‘producer’ are the terms we give in the industry.

“I don’t see myself as the director; Geetha was there all the way. It was collaboration. This wasn’t just important for the language, but for empathy and trust of the blind community. They don’t easily trust the seeing community, so a lot of the time was building that trust with them.”

Commenting on the cinematography of Algorithms, Geetha said: “Ian is a totally intuitive cinematographer. He is able to bring a kind of imagery about chess and the world of the blind that we have never seen before.” (iol.co.za)

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Awesome 'Chess' Pieces from Mongolia!

Alexandra Kosteniuk's Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) 2013

Hi everyone, 

Before chess came shatar, with battles fought on the steeps 900 years ago Norbu, 60, works on a Mongolian chess piece shatar, an intangible cultural heritage of the Inner Mongolian autonomous region. It is like chess, but this Mongolian cousin of the Western board game is different.

Norbu wears presbyopic glasses and stares at a tiny piece of wood. Beads of sweat ooze from his forehead as he focuses on carving the wood. The 60-year-old ethnic Mongolian says he has been emotionally attached to the small pieces of wood since childhood.

"I was not allowed to touch the chess pieces when I was a child. The adults were afraid I would break these treasures," he recalls. "The shatar sets were antiques passed down through the generations because not many people knew how to make new ones."

But Norbu's eagerness to play shatar motivated him to try to make his own set, and he proved good at it. With a knife and a drill, what started off as hobby became an adventure of promoting the age-old tradition.

Shatar has murky roots in the 13th century and is generally believed to derive from shatranj, a Persian game, which is also the embryo of modern chess. Shatar still keeps some of the original rules of shatranj. What distinguishes shatar from other chess variants are its chess pieces and slightly different rules.

Queens in shatar are shaped like lions or tigers. Bishops are replaced by camels. Pawns are carved into hounds while rooks look like carts.

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International Chess Festival Baku Open 2013 Sept 18-28

Alexandra Kosteniuk's Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) 2013

Hi everyone, 

The International Chess Festival Baku Open 2013, dedicated to the Independence Day of Republic of Azerbaijan, will take place on 18-28th September at the AF Hotel near Caspian Sea. The Festival is organized by the Azerbaijan Youth & Sport Ministry and Azerbaijan Chess Federation. The total prize fund is 50.000 USD. First place is 10.000 USD worth.

The Tournament A is open for the players rated higher than 2250 FIDE and for women rated higher than 2100.

The Tournament B is open for the players rated under 2250. Both groups will be played over 9 rounds of Swiss pairings.

Youth Tournament (Group C) will be held from 6th (arrival day) to 15th (last round) September at the Republican Chess Centre.

Organizing CommitteeAddress: Khaqani str. I, Baku, AZ1000, Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan Chess Federation
Tel: +99412 493-3841 or +99412 493-9084
Email: azerbaijanchess@yahoo.com
Website: www.chess.az; www.azerichess.az

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Lazaro Bruzon Wins Quebec Chess Open 2013

Alexandra Kosteniuk's Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) 2013

Hi everyone, 

Cuban Grandmaster Lazaro Bruzon continued the string of successes in Canada as he clinched first place in the 2013 Quebec Chess Open 2013 that finished tonight in Montréal.

The last round win against IM Leonid Gerzhoy pushed him ahead of Grandmasters Elshan Moradiabadi and Eduardas Rozentalis who drew their game on the top board.

Bruzon concluded the tournament with 7,0/9 points, while Rozentalis, Moradiabadi and Anton Kovalyov shared the second place with 6,5 points each. Earlier this month Bruzon won the Edmonton Chess International.

The Quebec Open Championship 2013 was held on 21-28th July at the beautiful venue in Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf, 3200 Côte Sainte-Catherine, Montréal. The tournament was played in six sections: Invitational, Open, Section A (U2200), Section B (U1700), Section C (U1300 and unrated) and Mini-COQ. (www.chessdom.com)

Round 9 top results:GM Moradiabadi Elshan 2551 – GM Rozentalis Eduardas 2619 ½ – ½
GM Bruzon Batista Lazaro 2689 – IM Gerzhoy Leonid 2462 1 – 0
GM Sulskis Sarunas 2559 – GM Kovalyov Anton 2606 ½ – ½
IM Panjwani Raja 2409 – GM Sambuev Bator 2530 ½ – ½
GM Sokolov Ivan 2650 – FM Ostrovskiy Aleksandr A 2403 1 – 0
GM Arencibia Walter 2526 – IM Hambleton Aman 2480 0 – 1
GM Perez Rodriguez Luis Manuel 2427 – IM Molner Mackenzie 2501 ½ – ½
GM Vera Reynaldo 2462 – IM Cheng Bindi 2406 0 – 1
FM Oliva Castaneda Kevel 2423 – GM Chirila Ioan-Cristian 2528 0 – 1

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Dortmund Chess: Adams, Wang Hao Score Wins

Alexandra Kosteniuk's Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) 2013

Hi everyone, 

The second round of the Sparkassen Chess Meeting in Dortmund saw four out of five games starting with 1.e4 e5. Wang Hao and Michael Adams both won their games with white in rather long struggles. After two rounds, four players are sharing first place with 1.5/2. The elite German event is just beginning.
The players chose slow fighting lines today. The Russians went for the Berlin Defense: Vladimir Kramnik held yet another draw with his beloved defensive weapon while his colleague Dmitry Andreikin suffered a loss against experienced GM Michael Adams. Daniel Fridman loss with the Petrov against Wang Hao.

German GM Daniel Fridman has used the Petrov effectively for a long time. This Defense has a reputation of extreme solidity and was the chosen weapon of players such as Boris Gelfand and Vladimir Kramnik for a long time. Today, Wang Hao was able to break the Russian wall in 48 moves thanks to his active accurate play.

The setup with opposite side castling was chosen by white. Even though this spoils the queenside pawn structure, it allows for a kingside attack. Wang Hao advanced his pawns fearlessly and started to handle his initiative carefully. By move 35, black had the pair of bishops, but they were highly uncomfortable sitting on c1 and d1. White’s queen was already close to the opposite king and things seemed pretty unclear. Fridman started to falter under pressure and the Chinese showed his class to get the full point after yesterday’s loss.

Dmitry Andreikin got an invitation to this event very deservedly. He is the current Russian champion and has proved his strength in events like the Tal Memorial. However, he started with the wrong foot in Germany; today was his second loss in a row. Michael Adams demonstrated how patient he can be when he has a small edge in seemingly lifeless positions.

The game started with a Berlin Wall put up by the Russian. The players went into the usual path, exchanging queens, giving black the pair of bishops and creating a long strategical battle. Everything seemed to be heading for a draw when bishops of opposite colors appeared on the board. Adams evaluated the position as slightly better for him and started to maneuver in order to get a win with his kingside pawn majority. The plan worked as Andreikin had to offer his hand in resignation after 64 moves.

The Berlin Wall that made Vladimir Kramnik world champion worked as a charm for the Russian. Arkadij Naiditsch avoided a heavy theoretical battle and decided that a draw was enough against such a strong opponent. The players signed the score-sheets after 38 moves.

Peter Leko and Fabiano Caruana discussed the very fashionable lines of the Spanish with d3. Caruana found a way to force a threefold repetition and get a solid draw with the black pieces. Locals Igor Khenkin and Georg Meier played a Queen’s Gambit Declined that finished peacefully after 45 moves. (www.chessdom.com)

Standings after 2 rounds:
1 Kramnik, Vladimir RUS 2784 1½
2 Meier, Georg GER 2610 1½
3 Caruana, Fabiano ITA 2796 1½
4 Adams, Michael ENG 2740 1½
5 Khenkin, Igor GER 2605 1
6 Leko, Peter HUN 2737 1
7 Wang, Hao CHN 2752 1
8 Fridman, Daniel GER 2629 ½
9 Naiditsch, Arkadij GER 2710 ½
10 Andreikin, Dmitry RUS 2727 0

Official website

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9-Year-Old Chess Expert Carissa Yip Making Waves in the US

Alexandra Kosteniuk's Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) 2013

Hi everyone, 

CHELMSFORD, Mass.—Only three years or so since first picking up the game of chess, 9-year-old Carissa Yip can already look down at 93 percent of the more than 51,000 players registered with the U.S. Chess Federation.

She has risen so far up the rankings that she has reached the expert level at a younger age than anyone since the chess federation began electronic record-keeping in 1991, a new level she reached in recent weeks.

Her father, Percy, who taught her until she began beating him within a year, said she could reach master level in as soon as a year.

“Some never reach master level,” he said. “From expert to master, it’s a huge jump.”

But Carissa, who will be a fifth-grader at McCarthy Middle School this fall, has improved by leaps and bounds.

She first played competitively at the MetroWest Chess Club and Wachusett Chess Club, at the latter of which she’s the top-ranked player. Last fall, she competed in an international competition in Slovenia, and in December, she’ll play the World Youth Championships in the United Arab Emirates.

Carissa is hesitant when asked about her accomplishments, saying she doesn’t spend much time thinking about them.

But she also set a goal for herself this year to reach 2,100; an expert is anyone over 2,000. Anyone at 2,200 is a master. She also wants to one day become the first female to win the overall championship — not just in the female category, her father said.
“It’s not like the rating matters,” Carissa said.

She later demonstrated her ability by playing with her back to the board, reading her moves to her father and keeping track of the whole board in her head. She has been called an intimidating player in an ironic way, because she’s far short of even 5 feet tall.

Her U.S. Chess Federation ranking places her in the top 7 percent of all players registered with the group and the top 2 percent of female players.

Closer to home, Carissa has impressed others who have been playing chess for far longer than she has been alive.

“This was not a record she won by a few days,” said Nathan Smolensky, the president of the Massachusetts Chess Association. “It was a significant margin. So it’s very impressive.”

Among other younger stars at the Boylston Chess Club in Somerville, where Yip has played, most are in their teens and are boys, Smolensky said.

“Even they say they were nowhere near this strength when they were that young,” he said.

Carissa also has three years to reach the next level, that of master, in time to set the record for youngest to reach that step as well, Smolensky said. Five-time U.S. women’s winner Irina Krush has the record for becoming a master at age 12.

George Mirijanian, program director for the Wachusett club and past president of the Massachusetts Chess Association, said Carissa and Percy Yip, both Wachusett members, both got a standing ovation when they arrived at the club last week after Carissa reached expert level.

“In my more than 50 years with the club, I had never witnessed such an exuberant outburst from club members,” Mirijanian said. “They are really proud of Carissa and what she has accomplished.”

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Dortmund Chess 2013 Round 1: Kramnik, Caruana and Meier Start with Wins

Alexandra Kosteniuk's Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) 2013

Hi everyone, 

Yet another edition of the long-standing elite Sparkassen Chess Meeting in Dortmund has begun. This time it is a single round-robin with ten players. Six international stars are joined by four members of the German team to get a very dynamic lineup. The highlight of the event is, once again, the presence of ex-world champion Vladimir Kramnik, who pretty much “owns” Dortmund, having won the event no less than ten times.

The Russian began with the right foot, beating Wang Hao with white. Replay the game with Chess King. The other two winners of the day were defending champion Fabiano Caruana, who beat Dmitry Andreikin with black, and Georg Meier, who outplayed Germany’s number one player Arkadij Naiditsch. Replay the game with Chess King.

The first result of the day left everyone wondering if there was a mistake in the relay. The game that faced Vladimir Kramnik and Wang Hao began as a very positional affair where a lot of simplifications took place rather quickly. The Russian, as usual, chose a continuation where he got a pawn advantage in a rook endgame. When the grinding was just beginning, the Chinese made a huge blunder and resigned immediately after his opponent played the obvious response. The game only lasted 26 moves.

In last year’s edition, Fabiano Caruana obtained what almost seemed impossible in the past decade: to win Dortmund instead of Kramnik. This result now has a special meaning, given that Caruana also took over Kramnik’s third place in the ratings after having a great first half of 2013. With today’s victory, the young Italian also arrived provisionally to the coveted 2800 mark in the live ratings list. Replay the game with Chess King

The game saw the defending champion using the Gruenfeld. Dmitry Andreikin avoided the main lines and tried to surprise his opponent in slow positional style. Caruana answered accurately, playing actively when needed and defending his king’s position if necessary. An opposite-colored bishop middlegame was reached and black started to gain the initiative. The Russian decided to sacrifice an exchange to avoid a quicker loss, but ended up resigning on move 43 anyway.

Another positional Gruenfeld was seen in the German battle between Georg Meier and Arkadij Naiditsch. However, the final result favored the white side led by the younger grandmaster. These players already faced each other earlier this year in another German super-tournament, in Baden-Baden.

The game was a very technical affair where the key factor was Meier’s dominance of the c-file with his pair of rooks. A slow process of increasing the pressure was handled masterfully by the young German and the players reached a rook endgame where white’s advantage of two pawns proved enough to get the full point. Naiditsch resigned on move 53.

Round 2 pairings:
Leko – Caruana
Naiditsch – Kramnik
Wang – Fridman
Adams – Andreikin
Khenkin – Meier

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114th Annual United States Open Chess Championship from July 27 in Wisconsin

Alexandra Kosteniuk's Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) 2013

Hi everyone, 

A photo from the Wisconsin Chess Association Website

The 114th Annual United States Open Chess Championship will take place on 27 July - 4 August 2013 at the Madison Marriott West, 1313 John Q Hammons Drive, Middleton, Wisconsin 53562.

Prize Fund
$50,000 based on 500 paid entries - else proportional - $40,000 Guaranteed!! [80% of each prize]. Top US player not otherwise qualified will qualify for the 2014 US Championship!
A one section tournament with Class prizes.

Prizes [Projected]
Top Places: $8000-4000-2000-1500-1000-700-500-400. Clear winner - $200 bonus.
If tie for first, top two on tiebreak play speed game [W - 5 min, B - 3 min and draw odds] for bonus and title.

Class Prizes:
Top Master[2200-2399]: $2400-1200-600-300.
Top Expert[2000-2199]: $2400-1200-600-300.
Class A[1800-1999]: $2400-1200-600-300.
Class B[1600-1799]: $2400-1200-600-300.
Class C[1400-1599]: $2000-1000-500-300.
Class D[1200-1399]: $1500-700-400-200.
Class E & Below[<1200 br="">Unrated: $700-400-200.

Special Prizes for Life Titles:
Special Prizes may be won in addition to a Place prize or a Class prize.

Top Life Senior Master U2500: $600
Top Life Master or Original Life Master U2300: $600
Top Candidate Master (or higher title) U2100: $500
Top First Category (or higher title) U1900: $500
Top Second Category (or higher title) U1700: $500
Top Third Category (or higher title) U1500: $400
Top Fourth Category (or higher title) U1300: $300

Note: Life Titles must be established by 1 July 2013. Special Life Title Prizes will be calculated and awarded by 23 August 2013.

Special Prizes for Mixed Doubles: [per couple]Special Prizes may be won in addition to a Place prize or a Class prize.

First Place - $800
Second Place - $600
Third Place - $400
Fourth Place - $200

A 'Couples' team is composed of a male and a female player. The average rating of the team must be under 1800. [A player may be rated over 1800 as long as the team's average rating is under the limit. Team composition must be submitted to the tournament staff prior to the start of the first game of the Four Day schedule.

Tournament Registration Desk in the Conference Center Foyer.
Report corrections, byes, membership payments etc. at the Registration Desk.
Phone: (931) 933-8251
This phone line is only active during the tournament...

Three different schedules for the first six rounds:

Traditional: 
40/2, SD/1; d5. [7/27] - [8/3] One round daily at 7 pm then the final round [8/4] at 3 PM.
6-Day Option: 40/2, SD/1 d5. [7/30] 7 pm; [7/31] to [8/2] Two games per day - one at 12 noon and the second at 7 PM.
4-Day Option: G/60; d5. [8/1] 12 NOON, 3 PM, 7 PM & 10 PM; [8/2] at 12 NOON, & 3 PM.

All schedules merge after Round 6 and compete for the same prizes.
Round Seven [ALL sections]: [8/2] 7 PM.
Round Eight [ALL sections]: [8/3] 7 PM.
Round Nine [ALL sections]: [8/4] 3 PM.

Half Point Byes: 
Must commit before round 4; Must be submitted AT LEAST two hours before the round[s] in question. Number of half-point byes available:
2000/up:: Up to 3 half-point byes
1400-1999:: Up to 2 half-point byes
Under 1400/Unrated:: Up to 1 bye
Notes:
Zero point byes are always available in any round if requested at least two hours before the start of the desired round!
Limit of one half-point bye in the last two rounds!

Entry Fee: Online, $145 by 6/16, $165 by 7/14, $185 after 7/14.
By mail, $147 postmarked by 6/16, $167 postmarked by 7/14; $187 postmarked by 7/21; Do not mail after 7/21!
By phone, $150 by 6/16, $170 by 7/14; $185 by 7/26. No phone entries after 7/26 [close of business at the Office]!
At site, all $190
GMs and WGMs are free.

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Biel Chess Round 4: Alexander Moiseenko, Etienne Bacrot in Lead

Alexandra Kosteniuk's Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) 2013

Hi everyone, 

The fourth round of the Breisacher Memorial in Biel was played today. The only decisive result of the day saw Ding Liren defeating co-leader Maxime Vachier-Lagrave with white. The other two games finished with draws. This leaves Alexander Moiseenko and Etienne Bacrot as the leaders, with Ding Liren a point behind (the Bilbao score system is being used). First seed Bacrot saved the draw yesterday against his compatriot Vachier-Lagrave and missed a chance to get sole lead today in his game against Alexander Moiseenko. Meanwhile, Richard Rapport and Ian Nepomniachtchi signed a peaceful draw in an opposite-colored bishops endgame. 

Ding Liren has shown steady progress in the last couple of years. In the very competitive Chinese chess scene, he managed to rise to third place behind Wang Hao and Wang Yue. The 20-year old is now in sole third place behind the leaders. His uncompromising style of play might shoot him right up the ladder or leave him empty-handed. In any case, the chess fans always welcome his presence in these strong events.

Etienne Bacrot

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave used his typical counter-attacking strategy with the black pieces, and faced an even more aggressive opponent. Ding Liren quickly advanced his h-pawn to shake black king’s defensive setup. By move 19, the computer already gave white an advantage of more than two pawns; Ding Liren converted his positional edge into a clear material advantage. The French grandmaster gave up on move 28.


The two leaders battled today. Alexander Moiseenko had the white pieces against Etienne Bacrot. The most experienced players of the lineup are proving that their unorthodox positional styles are good enough to beat the younger generations of active players. Today, a draw kept them both as favorites to fight for first place in the upcoming rounds.

The seemingly calm exchange variation of the Queen’s Gambit turned sharper when Moiseenko sacrificed his h-pawn for activity. Bacrot defended very accurately and went for a counterattack on the kingside. Moiseenko erred on move 29, but his French colleague was not able to find the sharp line suggested by the computer that gave him a clear advantage. Instead, he forced a threefold repetition to split the point after 34 moves.


The first game to finish was Richard Rapport – Ian Nepomniachtchi. The young stars played an interesting line of the Sicilian but proved they were well prepared and ended up simplifying the material rather quickly. They played a clearly equal opposite-colored bishops endgame until finally signing the peace treaty on move 34.

Tomorrow will be another exciting round. Co-leaders Bacrot and Moiseenko will face Richard Rapport and Ding Liren, respectively. (www.chessdom.com)

Standings after 4 rounds:
1 Alexander Moiseenko 2699 UKR 6
Etienne Bacrot 2714 FRA 6
3 Ding Liren 2714 CHN 5
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave 2719 FRA 5
5 Ian Nepomniachtchi 2717 RUS 3
Richard Rapport 2693 HUN 3

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Russia Leads World Youth U-16 Chess Olympiad in China

Alexandra Kosteniuk's Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) 2013

Hi everyone, 

Here's a short news item from China. The World Youth (Under-16) chess olympiad is being held from July 21-30 in Chongqing, China. After 5 rounds, the top seed Russian team has emerged as the sole leader. In the key Round 4 matches, top seed Russia outplayed 4th seed China (1) 3-1; 2nd seed India won against 5th seed Australia (1) with the same score while 3rd seed Hungary was held to a draw by 6th seed USA (2). In Round 5, 7th seed Turkey held the Indians to a draw while the Russians edged the Americans 2.5-1.5.

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2nd Fano on the Sea & Carnival International Open Tournament from July 29

Alexandra Kosteniuk's Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) 2013

Hi everyone, 

The 2nd Fano on the Sea & Carnival International Open Tournament is set to take place from 29th July to 4st August in Fano, Italy, next to the Adriatic Sea. The last-year edition was a complete success with 144 players in the field and overall victory by GM Yuri Solodovnichenko. Hungarian Grandmasters Banusz and Prohaska shared the second place, according to a Chessdo.com update.

The tournament is organized by the Fano Chess Club 1988 and Dario Pedini. The club celebrates 25th anniversary in 2013. The organizing team is already holding the Italian Rapid Championships for the past three years, and this April they gathered 500 players for the third edition!

In the upcoming Festival Mare di Fano the players will be divided in four groups – Open A for those rated above 1900, Open B for the U2000 participants, Open C for U1600 and Juniors U16.

Open A and Open B will be held over 9 rounds of Swiss system; 7 rounds for Open C and U16.
Time control: 90′ x 40 + 30′ + 30” from beginning
Top prize in the Open A is 700 EUR. The total prize fund is 6.000 EUR.

Top players are Ivan Ivanisevic (SRB 2653), Yuri Solodovnichenko (UKR 2570), Tamas Banusz (HUN 2600), Burmakin (RUS 2590), Prohaska (2560 HUN), Drazic (SRB), Stella (ITA), Shytaj (ITA), Caprio (ITA), Karina Ambartsumova (RUS 2300).The playing venue is SportPark Center. Partner Hotel *** Continental, Angela, Cristallo, Delaville and Nettuno, starting from 52 € in FB. Partner Restaurant: Cheffishhouse for a romantic dinner on the sea and yacht club, and LaCoppa for HQ Italian food.

On the final days of Fano Festival there will be a special guest star!
GM Richard Rapport (2693 HUN), World n°1 U18 and 1-ex aequo in U20 World Championship and Wijk Aan Zee B 2013, will come to Fano directly from Biel Chess Festival. He will take part in various exhibitions like simul (3 august), rapid tournament, (4) and lecture (5).

There will be a rich program with additional chess events throughout the week:
- 3 free lessons with International Masters Stella and Shytaj, H 9 AM
- Free piano concert at yacht club Marina dei Cesari, from romantic terrace with sea-view. H 20.30
- Awesome dinner at LaCoppa restaurant under the stars H21
- a blitz tournament and a bowling tournament, H 9.30 PM
- the summer edition of the traditional Fano Carnival, established in 1347!
- 3rd August H 21.30: Simul with Richard Rapport
- 4th August H 15.00: Open Rapid Tournament (1.500€) with Richard Rapport
- 5th August H 10.00: Lecture with Richard Rapport

Official website: www.fano2013.com

Email: scacchifano@yahoo.it
Mobile: +39-335-224916
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China-USA Chess Match 2013: Chinese Lead after Classical Stage

Alexandra Kosteniuk's Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) 2013

Hi everyone, 

The China – USA Match 2013 is taking place in Ningbo, Zhejiang, China on 19th-27th July 2013. This is the first match since the last edition played in 2001. The next match will be held in 2014 in New York. (Right: GM Ray Robson playing for the US team.)

The Chinese men are leading 14.5 – 10.5 after completion of the Classical stage. First seed Wang Yue is having a great tournament, obtaining 4.5/5 points and getting a rating performance of 2879 points.

In the women’s section, the Chinese team is even more dominating, although this is no surprise given the rating differences between both teams. The score after the Classical stage is 16.5 – 8.5. Ju Wenjun was the leader of China with 4/5 and a rating performance of 2486 points.

The rapid section of the event is a double round-robin (10 rounds) with the Schveningen system. The time control will be 25 minutes with 10 seconds increments per move. This section will run on 25th-27th July.

Players:

China men: GM Wang Yue 2705; GM Zhou Weiqi 2616; GM Wen Yang 2593; GM Xiu Deshun 2556; GM Lu Shanglei 2536.
USA men: GM Ray Robson 2628, GM Samuel L Shankland 2599, GM Gregory S Kaidanov 2577, GM Aleksandr Lenderman 2548, GM Yury Shulman 2542 (www.chessdom.com)

China women: WGM Ju Wenjun 2531; WGM Tan Zhongyi 2478; WGM Guo Qi 2443; WGM Ding Yixin 2432; WGM Wang Jue 2399.
USA women: WGM Tatev Abrahamyan 2316, WGM Sabina-Francesca Foisor 2281, C Iryna Zenyuk 2250, F Alisa Melekhina 2216, WM Viktorija Ni 2173.

Official website

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Vladimir Dvorkovich Memorial Chess Begins in Russia with GM Ivan Popov as Top Seed

Alexandra Kosteniuk's Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) 2013

Hi everyone, 

The 8th traditional chess tournament Vladimir Dvorkovich Memorial is taking place from July 22-30 in Taganrog, Russia. The tournament will be played over nine rounds of Swiss system with the classical time control. The prize fund of 9300 USD is provided by the Rostov Oblast Chess Federation and city of Taganrog. Top rated players are Grandmasters Popov Ivan 2632, Kryakvin Dmitry 2584, Belous Vladimir 2551 and Andreev Eduard 2501.
Tournament website


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