Maryhill Museum of Art to host Jeremy Silman, Chess Events June 7
Hello chess friends, do you know the Maryhill Museum of Art in Goldendale, in the State of Washington, has a permanent chess collection? The museum is going to host a special chess festival on June 7 with Jeremy Silman:
Maryhill To Host International Chess Star Jeremy Silman
(GOLDENDALE, Wash., May 22, 2014) – International chess sensation Jeremy Silman will be at Maryhill Museum of Art on Saturday, June 7, 2014 to headline a series of chess-themed programs. Your Move! Celebrating the Game of Chess is presented in connection with the exhibition Cardboard, Clay and Crayons: Chess Sets by Young Northwest Artists, on view at the museum through July 31, 2014.
Jeremy Silman is an International Master in the game of chess, and one of the few people ever to win the U.S. Open, the American Open and the National Open. He has written three dozen books on chess including the highly acclaimed How to Reassess Your Chess. Silman was chess consultant for the movie Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone, and will recreate the Harry Potter game on Maryhill’s Grand Lawn, with commentary.
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A 1957 exhibit curated by the museum’s director Clifford Dolph led to the creation of this permanent exhibit of chess sets. Today there are about 100 sets of these sculptures in miniature, representing the many countries, cultures and periods in which chess has been played. Pix: Carved and Painted Gilded Wood Chess Set portraying King Arthur and the Knight of the Round Table, Italy 20th century. Photography: Mary Harrsch.
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Later in the afternoon, Silman will give a lecture and book-signing. An evening dinner at the museum will give chess enthusiasts an opportunity to socialize with the International Master.
As part of the day, members of the Washington Chess Federation (WCF) will present a series of blitz chess games; and later, will stage a simultaneous chess demonstration with Mr. Silman competing in concurrent games with WCF members.
JUNE 7 SCHEDULE OF EVENTSBlitz Tournament, rounds at 10 a.m., noon & 1:15 p.m.
Watch the game pieces fly in a flurry of activity as members of the Washington Chess Federation compete in rapid-fire games of chess. Free with museum admission.
Large Scale Chess on Maryhill’s Grand Lawn, 11 a.m.
Live re-creation of the chess game from Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone, on the Maryhill Grand Lawn. This outside activity is free.
Lecture: Jeremy Silman, 2 p.m.
Jeremy Silman is an International Master in the game of chess, and one of the few people ever to win the U.S. Open, the American Open and the National Open. He has written three dozen books on chess including the highly acclaimed How to Reassess Your Chess. After the talk, Silman will autograph books. Free with museum admission.
Simultaneous Chess, 3:15 p.m.
The public is invited to watch as Jeremy Silman plays simultaneous chess games with Washington Chess Federation members – about 10 games in all. Free with museum admission.
Reception and Salmon Dinner, 5:00 p.m.
Sample local wines and then enjoy a scrumptious Northwest salmon dinner with Jeremy Silman. $35/ museum members; $40/non-members. For reservations call 509-773-3733 ext. 25.
THE LEGACY OF CHESS AT MARYHILL
Maryhill Museum of Art’s permanent exhibition of international chess sets is a perennial favorite among museum visitors. A 1957 exhibit curated by the museum’s director at the time, Clifford Dolph, led to the creation of this permanent exhibition, which today includes about 75 sets representing the many countries, cultures and periods in which chess has been played. These sculptures in miniature present a fascinating intersection of art and chess, and are beloved by visitors of all ages.
In 2014, young artists (K-12), either working in teams or as individuals, were invited to create chess sets of their own design for display at Maryhill in the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust Education Center. The resulting exhibition, Cardboard, Clay and Crayons: Chess Sets by Young Northwest Artists, is on view now throughJuly 31, 2014. Generous support for Cardboard, Crayons and Clay is provided by the Charlotte Y. Martin Foundation.
ABOUT MARYHILL MUSEUM OF ART:
Housed in a glorious Beaux Arts mansion on 5,300 acres high above the Columbia River, Maryhill Museum of Art opened to the public May 13, 1940 and today remains one of the Pacific Northwest’s most enchanting cultural destinations. The museum was founded by Northwest entrepreneur and visionary Sam Hill, who purchased the property and began building the house with dreams of establishing a Quaker farming community.
When that goal proved untenable, Hill was encouraged by friends Loie Fuller, Queen Marie of Romania, and Alma de Bretteville Spreckles to establish a museum.
Maryhill Museum of Art boasts a world-class permanent collection, rotating exhibitions of the highest caliber, and dynamic educational programs that provide opportunities for further exploration by visitors of all ages.
On view are more than 80 works by Auguste Rodin, European and American paintings, objects d’art from the palaces of the Queen of Romania, Orthodox icons, unique chess sets, and the renowned Théâtre de la Mode, featuring small-scale mannequins attired in designer fashions of post-World War II France. Baskets of the indigenous people of North America were a collecting interest of Hill; today the museum’s American Indian collection represents nearly every tradition and style in North America, with works of art from prehistoric through contemporary.
Maryhill’s William and Catherine Dickson Sculpture Park features more than a dozen large-scale works by Northwest artists. The Maryhill Overlook is a site-specific sculpture by noted Portland architect Brad Cloepfil; nearby are Lewis and Clark interpretive panels. Four miles east of Maryhill is a life-sized replica of Stonehenge, Stonehenge Memorial, which Sam Hill built to memorialize local men who perished in World War I. Nearby, the Klickitat County War Memorial honors those who have died in the service of their country since World War I.The museum was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. In 2001 the museum was listed as an official site of the National Historic Lewis and Clark Trail and in 2002 was accredited by the American Association of Museums. In 2012 the museum opened the Mary and Bruce Stevenson Wing, a 25,500 square foot expansion that is the first in the museum’s history. The new wing boasts the M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust Education Center, a collections storage and research suite, a new cafe and terrace, and the Cannon Power Plaza with an installation of sculpture, and sweeping views of the Columbia River Gorge and Mount Hood in the distance.
VISITOR INFORMATION:
Maryhill Museum of Art is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., March 15 to November 15. Admission is $9 for adults, $8 for seniors, $3 for youth age 7-18 and free for children 6 and under. Admission to the Stonehenge Memorial is free; it is open from 7:00 a.m. to dusk daily.Sandwiches, salads, espresso drinks, cold beverages, and freshly baked desserts and pastries, as well as a selection of local wines are available at the museum’s cafe, Loie’s, from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily; the Museum Store features art and history books, jewelry, Native American crafts and other mementos.
Maryhill is located off Highway 97, 12 miles south of Goldendale, Washington. Drive times to the museum are 2 hours from Portland/Vancouver, 3.5 hours from Bend, 4 hours from Seattle, and 1.5 hours from Yakima. For further information, visit maryhillmuseum.org.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
World No Tobacco Day May 31: Play Chess, Not with Your Life (YouTube Video)
Hello chess friends, World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) is observed around the world every year on May 31. It is intended to encourage a 24-hour period of abstinence from all forms of tobacco consumption across the globe. The day is further intended to draw global attention to the widespread prevalence of tobacco use and to negative health effects, which currently lead to 5.4 million deaths worldwide annually.
Here is a nice YouTube video that puts chess in the no-smoking campaign message. Play chess, not with your life.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
Labels: chess advertisement, world no tobacco day
Bookmark Now: Are you Following These Six Cool Chess Blogs?
Hello chess friends, it's amazing to see how the Internet has changed availability of chess information in just the last few years. It's fun too. We just thought let's check out some of the chess blogs with cool content that you make a must on your weekend reading at the least... if not daily reading!!! Let us know if you want to add to the list. The list is in no specific order, just all the lovely chess blogs we've been finding great to read. News chess sites are not included.
1 - Chess Improver by GM Nigel Davies and Friends: The Chess Improver - quote and unquote - "is an independent and non-aligned site founded by GM Nigel Davies and written by chess teachers and enthusiasts. The focus is on chess improvement rather than politics or news, a stance that we are particularly proud of. Contributors may not necessarily agree with conventional wisdom, party lines or even each other, though we do have a policy of not deliberately trying to offend anyone." Enjoy!
2 - The Streatham & Brixton Chess Blog: Now this is one awesome chess blog with a list of contributors posting super chess content. You've got it all there - chess history, chess art, chess boxing, chess puzzles, chess reviews, chess games.... phew (stop for breath, go back to blog categories). Any chess lover worth his pawns will be hooked to the blog whether he belongs to the Streatham & Brixton Chess Club or not. Go on, bookmark it.
3 - Chess Queen Alexandra Kosteniuk's Chess Blog - OMG you mean you guys don't already know about this chess blog? ;) This is the chess blog where you find personal updates by the 12th Women's World Chess Champion, albums with exclusive photos, videos and links to GM Kosteniuk's various sites and social media accounts. Want to connect to a truly stylish and killer chess GM in real life? Go ahead join her Facebook, follow on Twitter, bookmark her websites and she will always reply to her fans.
4 - GM Gawain Jones: This is a sweet, personal blog by GM Gawain Jones and his wife Sue. It's a nice fun chess blog that keeps you entertained even as you get insight into the hectic life of a world-class Grandmaster.
5 - 9Queens: We like reading about the 9Queens Chess Blog because of the wonderful work they are doing for empowerment through chess. They offer free chess programmes in Tucson, Arizona and always come up with innovative ways to make chess popular. It's fun reading about the fun they are having with chess.
6 - The Chess Drum: Well this one's a bit of a news site, but it's a super chess blog actually as it champions the cause of Black chess players around the world. Definitely one of its kind chess blog on the planet.
Well that's for now. Feel free to send us suggestions to add to the list. Meanwhile, of course, don't forget to read www.chessblog.com.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
Labels: best chess blogs
Broken-Hearted Chess Guys' Trivia Q: Who's the Wonder GM Getting Engaged?
Hello chess friends, a whole lot of you might be a tad bit broken-hearted, yet happy at the same time. Yes, a wonder chess Grandmaster just got engaged in India. Can you name her? You can find more photos at www.chess-news.ru.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
Labels: chess marriage
Carlsen big favourite to win No Logo Norway Chess
Hello chess blog friends, World Chess Champion is all set to play another tournament next week and is the favourite to win it! CHeck this:
Carlsen big favourite to win No Logo Norway Chess
via NorwayChess.com
One of Europe’s biggest online gambling providers, Unibet, do not think the challenge from Fabiano Caruana and Levon Arionian can stop Norwegian chess genius Magnus Carlsen from adding the No Logo Norway Chess-trophy to his own personal trophy cabinet next week.
The outright odds for the Norwegian, ranked as number 1 in the world, is set at 1,75 with Unibet. The betting provider will also stream the chess matches live from No Logo Norway Chess in Stavanger for its Norwegian clients. Furthermore Unibet will provide odds on all the matches; and also offer live betting for the matches involving Magnus Carlsen.
- We can see an increased interest for betting on chess world-wide, and we believe that this tournament can make a breakthrough for chess as a sport to bet on for the online betting market in years to come, claim PR manager Kjell Hanssen at Unibet.
Even though Magnus Carlsen lost his matches against Levon Aronian and Fabiano Caruana during the Zurich Chess Challenge; Unibet do not believe the challengers have shaken Carlsen enough to rob him of the crown in his native country. The outright odds for Aronian going into the tournament is 6,00, while a flutter on Caruana pays back eight times your stake; if he were to win No Logo Norway Chess.
- As the defending champion we believe that Carlsen will be in top shape for the tournament in Stavanger. This time he plays on his own turf, and he wants to show the Norwegian public that he is the world number 1. We also believe he is hungry for revenge since he lost out in this tournament last year to Sergej Karjakin, says Hanssen.
Unibet rank the trio of Aronian, Caruana and Kramnik ahead of Alexander Grischuk who has made a big leap on the world ranking (from 6th to 3rd) during the last month. The outright odds for Grischuk, and Sergej Karjakin, is 15,0 to win in Stavanger.
The second Norwegian participant in the tournament, the former professional footballer, Simen Agdestein, is priced at 150,0 to shock the world of chess by winning in Stavanger.
Unibet’s outright betting for No Logo Norway Chess:
1. Magnus Carlsen (NOR) 1,75
2. Levon Aronian (ARM) 6,00
3. Fabiano Caruana (ITA) 8,00
4. Vladimir Kramning (RUS) 12,50
5. Alexander Grischuk (RUS) 15,00
6. Sergej Karjakin (RUS) 15,00
7. Veselin Topalov (BUL) 18,00
8. Peter Svidler (RUS) 25,00
9. Anish Giri (NED) 25,00
10. Simen Agdestein (NOR) 150,00
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
Labels: Magnus Carlsen, norway chess
Could a Worthy Challenger for World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen be a Chinese Youngster?
Hello chess blog friends, whenever a world champion is crowned, there is always talk of a successor. Leonard Barden writes in The Guardian an interesting piece on how the next World Chess Champion - to come after Magnus Carlsen - could well be Chinese! You can find a nice game and read the full article at The Guardian website, but here's the brief excerpt if you're running late... :
"The world’s youngest grandmaster turns 15 on Monday as he aims to become his country’s first player to contend seriously for the global crown.
China’s Wei Yi qualified as a GM at 13 years eight months, putting him fourth youngest on the all-time list where the current world champion, Magnus Carlsen, is third. Wei Yi also became the youngest ever to reach a 2600 rating and in the 2013 World Cup he knocked out the former finalist Alexei Shirov.
His subsequent progress has been slower, but his current 2634 rating is close to the world top 100 and makes him one of a handful of talents who can legitimately hope to become a future candidate for Carlsen’s throne.
A few weeks ago Wei Yi tied for third in the Chinese championship, half a point behind the winner, Yu Yangyi, who was the only player to beat the teenager. This week’s puzzle shows Yi’s best finish.
However, there are special problems for Wei Yi as he targets the world elite. China is unique among the leading chess nations in that it has several players in the top 100 despite little interest among its general population. The national game remains Chinese chess, which has different rules, and the country’s successes in international chess are due to well-directed government backing to identify young talent at an early age and provide intensive coaching and opportunities.
China will again be going for medals in the 150-nation world team Olympiad at Tromso, Norway in August. It will expect a top six finish among the men, and could take gold in the women’s event.
The frustrating development for Beijing is that, while its women players have won several world titles and the current champion, Hou Yifan, is the No2 female of all time behind only the legendary Judit Polgar, its male grandmasters seem to stall once they reach the world top 20-50. These have included Bu Xiangzhi, who was at one time the youngest ever GM, and Wang Hao and Wang Yue who have performed well in elite tournaments but have lacked consistency at the highest level.
China is still producing significant talents, among whom Li Chao, Ding Liren and Yu Yangyi are all in their early twenties and placing highly at international opens. But whereas a decade ago Chinese grandmasters often hunted in packs, the impression now is that, once established, they usually go their own way in gaining invitations. Arguably Chinese sports officials have been discouraged by the limited success of their previous efforts to develop a truly world class talent. Hence Wei Yi’s career has a wider significance in that, if his results take off, it will give chess a higher profile in the sports budget."
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
Labels: china chess, wei yi, world chess champion magnus carlsen
Rapid Chess not Harmful, but Spectator Friendly: Former World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand
Hello chessblog friends, former world chess champion Viswanathan Anand has said in the Indian city of Pune, while speaking to Times of India. He said, "In chess, rapid and blitz are default tiebreak options and you can never neglect them completely.
Anand said: "Though the slower format is played in competitions, almost all the players there come through playing a lot of blitz (5 minutes per player) and rapid (25/30 mins per player). It's good for training. It is good to play more games in a day than one game a day which requires high concentration. I don't think rapid is harmful. It's more spectator friendly."
Anand will play the World rapid and blitz championships in Dubai from June 15 to 21.
Anand also said the club/league/franchise culture needed to be given time to get established in India and that one can't compare club loyalties and more systematic approach with Europe.
The 44-year-old refused to talk much on his World title rematch against reigning champion Magnus Carlsen not receiving a bid.
On Carlsen's mind-boggling plus-23 score (difference between wins and defeats) in classical chess since January 2013, he said: "Very impressive ... nothing much to say about that. It was impressive last year and it keeps going up. I have to find some way to match when playing against him. Going by Khanty (Candidates success), I feel optimistic and positive."
On whether older players tend to focus on 'not losing' instead of winning, Anand said: "I have no idea. I just feel that I had a difficult phase. For no particular reason, I did well in Candidates ... and now I feel optimistic again."
Anand gave glimpses of his endearing personality when he obliged the kids with a Q&A session with all seriousness.
He also managed to squeeze in a tiny 'workshop' for chess parents. He told them to "relax a bit", saying five-six hours of practice in a day in most cases was not necessary.
"Results should not stop them (children) from enjoying," he said reminding a refined quote from his father, who had said "we backed Anand because he loved the sport."
On dealing with increasing coaching expenses for the sport, Anand said: "If parents feel that coaching is valuable, then it can kind of get into an arms' race. When parents feel it could be useful even without any evidence to base it on, then it's peer pressure.
"No parent wants to handicap their kid. But I believe coaching is best in moderation. The best way of learning is still practising a lot. Without diminishing the coaches, coaching works when you have many examples to show.
"Youngsters are taking the game far too seriously and at far too early an age. They are getting too competitive ... that's the age to have fun. I would advice parents not to be too obsessive about coaching."
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
Labels: blitz chess, rapid chess, Viswanathan Anand, world chess champion
Asian Star Chess Grandmaster 62-Year-Old Eugene Torre eyes Record at Tromso Olympiad
Hello chess friends, the Chess Olympiad is a very special event in chess history and there are several records that are linked to this amazing and awesome chess festival. Here is a very interesting story about Asia's star Grandmaster Eugene Torre who hopes to break another chess record by participating in the upcoming Chess Olympiad in Tromso, Norway, this August.
MANILA, Philippines - Grandmaster Eugene Torre hopes to break the record with most Olympiad stints as he vies for one of the two remaining slots in the national team in the Battle of the Grandmasters set next month.
Torre, 62, and Hungarian GM Lajos Portisch are tied for most Olympiad appearances with 20 each, including 19 straight, to break the old record of 18 held by Heikki Westerinen.
“It’s a nice feat but I’m more concerned on helping the team in any way I can,” Torre, Asia’s first ever GM, told The STAR the other day.
Should he fail to qualify, Torre said he will still go with the team as coach.
“But if I couldn’t make a team, I may come as coach of both the men’s and women’s teams,” he said.
The squad, however, will need not just Torre’s coaching and expertise but his vast Olympiad experience that should inspire a team composed mainly of young players like US-based Wesley So, Julio Catalino Sadorra and Oliver Barbosa, who were seeded outright by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines more than a week ago.
So, Sadorra and Barbosa are the country’s highest-ranked players with FIDE ratings of 2731, 2611 and 2592, respectively.
So, who is expected to move to No. 15 in the world ranking in the monthly FIDE rating list this June after topping the Capablanca Memorial in Cuba two weeks ago, is just 20 years old while Sadorra and Barbosa are both 27.
During his time, Torre has manned the top board a record 17 times, played 236 games – winning 86, drawing 111 and losing 39. He snared the bronze medal for Board One thrice in 1974 Nice, 1980 Malta and 1986 Dubai Olympiads.
The vintage Torre also skippered the Phl team to its best ever performance in the Olympiad – a seventh place finish in the 1988 edition in Thessaloniki, Greece, breaking the previous high of 11th in Nice.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
Labels: eugene torre, tromso chess olympiad 2014
Chess History Trivia Photo: Name the World Chess Champion Seated Right
Hello chess blog friends, does chess history excite you? Here's the mid-week chess trivia photo? Can you name the world chess champion (seated right) in the photo and the venue? A chess salute if you can name the year as well!
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
Labels: history chess, photo chess trivia, world chess champion
Malaysia Intercollegiate (Chinese) Chess Championships 2014 Begin
Hello chess friends, Xinhua news agency reports from Kuala Lumpur - the capital of Malaysia - that the The 4th Confucius Institute Cup Malaysia intercollegiate Chinese chess competition sponsored by University of Malaya began in the city on Sunday. The competition attracted more than 400 chess players throughout Malaysia. This competition sets up five group events including the primary school group, middle school group, high middle school group, women group and adults group. The champions of each group would form Malaysia chess delegation and visit Guangzhou chess institute in September. They would have several competitions with Chinese players.
Director of the Chinese Embassy Cultural and Education Office in Malaysia, Gao Wei said Chinese chess has a long history and a richness content. It is the essence of Chinese history, culture and wisdom. It would improve the players’ memory, thinking and logical reasoning.
Chen Zhong, Chinese director of Confucius institute, University of Malaya, mentioned that the institute has two purposes: To promote Chinese language and Chinese culture. The institute would hold more similar events in the future.
The Malaysia intercollegiate chess competition is an annual competition which started at 2011. It is one of the highly participated chess competition in Malaysia.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
Labels: malaysia chess, university of malaya
Complete FIDE Regulations for Chess960 Tournament Play
Hello chess friends, are you familiar with the chess960 rules? Here are the FIDE regulations that govern chess960 play in tournaments. We are sure you would find them useful.
From the FIDE Handbook
Appendix F. Chess960 Rules
F.1 Before a Chess960 game a starting position is randomly set up, subject to certain rules.
After this, the game is played in the same way as standard chess. In particular, pieces and pawns have their normal moves, and each player's objective is to checkmate the opponent's king.
F.2 Starting-position requirements
The starting position for Chess960 must meet certain rules. White pawns are placed on the second rank as in regular chess. All remaining white pieces are placed randomly on the first rank, but with the following restrictions:
a. the king is placed somewhere between the two rooks, and
b. the bishops are placed on opposite-coloured squares, and
c. the black pieces are placed opposite the white pieces.
The starting position can be generated before the game either by a computer program or using dice, coin, cards, etc.
F.3 Chess960 castling rules
a. Chess960 allows each player to castle once per game, a move by potentially both the king and rook in a single move. However, a few interpretations of standard chess rules are needed for castling, because the standard rules presume initial locations of the rook and king that are often not applicable in Chess960.
b. How to castle
In Chess960, depending on the pre-castling position of the castling king and rook, the castling manoeuvre is performed by one of these four methods:
1. double-move castling: by making a move with the king and a move with the rook,
or
2. transposition castling: by transposing the position of the king and the rook, or
3. king-move-only castling: by making only a move with the king, or
4. rook-move-only castling: by making only a move with the rook.
Recommendations
1. When castling on a physical board with a human player, it is recommended that the king be moved outside the playing surface next to his final position, the rook then be moved from its starting position to its final position, and then the king be placed on his final square.
2. After castling, the rook and king's final positions should be exactly the same positions as they would be in standard chess.
Clarification
Thus, after c-side castling (notated as 0-0-0 and known as queen-side castling in orthodox chess), the king is on the c-square (c1 for white and c8 for black) and the rook is on the d-square (d1 for white and d8 for black). After g-side castling (notated as 0-0 and known as king-side castling in orthodox chess), the king is on the g-square (g1 for white and g8 for black) and the rook is on the f-square (f1 for white and f8 for black).
Notes
1. To avoid any misunderstanding, it may be useful to state "I am about to castle" before castling.
2. In some starting positions, the king or rook (but not both) does not move during castling.
243. In some starting positions, castling can take place as early as the first move.
4. All the squares between the king's initial and final squares (including the final square) and all the squares between the rook's initial and final squares (including the final square) must be vacant except for the king and castling rook.
5. In some starting positions, some squares can stay filled during castling that would have to be vacant in standard chess. For example, after c-side castling 0-0-0, it is possible to have a, b, and/or e still filled, and after g-side castling (0-0), it is possible to have e and/or h filled.
Here is a nice video featuring 12th Women's World Chess Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk who is also won the Women's World Chess360 Chess title twice over.
Chess Queen™ Alexandra Kosteniuk has also held a 20-board chess960 simul! Read all about it at www.chessqueen.com.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
Labels: Alexandra Kosteniuk, Chess960
Calling all u-2200s for Chess in Spain Sept 18-28!
Hello chess friends, the Chess Club Centro Goya on the island of Gran Canaria (Spain) is hosting the first International Chess Tournament Centro Goya from September 18-28, 2014, at the Hotel Cristina Las Palmas, five stars, in the city of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Canary Islands, Spain), according to an update via FIDE.
This is a tournament for players under 2200 FIDE elo points and with prize money of 20.000 EUR, which will be distributed in more than 60 prizes.
More information at www.internationalgoyachess.com
Labels: hotel cristina las palmas de gran canaria, international chess centro goya, spain chess
Commented Chess Video by Magnus Carlsen playing 'Himself' at 20!
Hello chess friends, World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen continues to battle top-class chess players! He also plays with chess fans. Have you played the World Chess Champion yet through his Play Magnus app? Well, here's a cool new video by the World No. 1 where he takes on 'himself' as a 20-year-old.
Do you know you can train for free with another World Chess Champion? Check out www.chesskillertips.com!
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
Labels: commented chess game video, Magnus Carlsen, world chess champion
June 1 Last Date to Apply for the US NATO Chess Team
Hello chess friends, Col. David Hater's announcement on the US Chess Federation website calls for a chess players for a very special team selection. The U.S. will be sending a military chess team to the NATO Championship in Quebec from 8-12 September 2014. Individuals must be selected for the team and must pay their own expenses. For further information and to apply, please contact Colonel David Hater at dhater1@aol.com. Applications must be received by 1 June.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
Labels: david hater, nato chess, quebec chess, us chess
Monday Chess Trivia: Name the Legendary GM and Celebrity!
Hello chess friends, we found this old photo in a nice news translation by www.chess-news.ru. Can you name the legendary Grandmaster and the artist celebrity?
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
Labels: chess trivia photo
Liechtenstein Chess Open 2014 begins
Hello chess friends, the 32nd International Chess Open in the Principality of Liechtenstein has begun and will run from 23-31st May, 2014, at the Gemeindesaal Triesen. The chess tournament will be held under the aegis of S.D. Erbprinz Alois von und zu Liechtenstein.
The prizes in the main Open event will be: 1st – CHF 2’000, 2nd – CHF 1’500, 3rd – CHF 1’200, 4th – CHF 1’000, 5th – CHF 800, 6th – CHF 700, 7th – CHF 600, 8th – CHF 500, 9th – CHF 400, 10th – (until 10th Hort-System) CHF 300, 11th to 20th – (ranking) CHF 200. Last year's winner was Grandmaster Vadim Malakhatko.
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The prizes in the special Seniors Open (players born in 1954 or earlier) will be: 1st – CHF 800, 2nd – CHF 600, 3rd – CHF 400, 4th – CHF 300, 5th – CHF 200, 6th to 10th – CHF 100
Both groups will be played over 9 rounds of Swiss pairings. Chief Arbiter will be IA Albert Baumberger. More information on the official website.
History
The Chess-Federation of Liechtenstein is very proud of having been host for thousands of chess players from over 50 countries all over the world. The FL-Tournament in the Middle of Europe started its history in 1983 with 56 participants and a brilliant victory of Grandmaster Viktor Korchnoi. Also in the following two years Korchnoi couldn’t be stopped on his triumphal procession. In the year 1990 the number of participants reached nearly 200 chess players (193).
In the last few years the average was between 130 and 160 attending chess players, with 20 to 30 Fide titulars (GM, IM ,FM) p.a.
The perfect tournament conditions as the playing venue, the atmosphere between the players, the friendly staff and last but not least the attraction of the nice country Liechtenstein make the FL-Open an inherent part in the agenda of many chess players.
The tournament is split in two categories: The FL-Open and the Senior-Tournament. This year one of the most magnificent woman in the chess world, Ex-World champion Nona Gaprindashvili, will take part in the Senior-Tournament, which makes the organizing committee extremely proud.
The Chess Federation of Liechtenstein will be pleased to welcome chess players from all over the world taking part on the 32. FL-Open and it will also be a great pleasure for all members of the Liechtenstein Chess Federation to make the stay enjoyable.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
Labels: liechtenstein chess open
Chess Youngster Tanraj Sohal Sweeps Canadian Chess Championship And Sets New Records
Hello chess friends, here's some cool update about a nice chess youngster from Canada. Indo-Canadian chess youngster Tanraj Sohal has won the 2014 Canadian Chess Championship held in Winnipeg, Manitoba on May 18-19 in his grade level, reports the Link.
Tanraj, a Grade 12 student, had earlier won the Fraser Valley Regional Chess Championship in Surrey in February, 2014 and BC Provincial Chess Championship held in Richmond, BC in March.
Tanraj is the current BC Chess Champion (Best chess player in BC regardless of age).
Tanraj, who started playing chess when he was in Grade 1, has won both the Fraser Valley Regional Chess Championships and BC Provincial Chess Championships in his grade level from Grades 1 to 12, a record 12 consecutive years.
He has represented BC at the Canadian Chess Challenge held across Canada from 2003 to 2014, a record 12 years in a row. He has won the Canadian Chess Challenge (National Championship) 9 times, setting a new record for the highest number of national championships won by any player in the history of this tournament.
Canadian Chess Challenge is the annual event where each province is represented by their 12 Provincial Champions (one player from Grades 1 to 12). Canadian Chess Challenge is organized and sponsored by the Chess’n Math Association, Canada’s National Scholastic Chess Organization.
Each player plays 9 round robin matches over two days in their respective grades against each of the provincial champions. Tanraj was recognized by the Chess’n Math Association with a special plaque presentation as the only player in the history of the tournament to represent his province at the Canadian Chess Challenge for 12 consecutive years.
Tanraj was also honoured to carry the Canadian flag during the opening ceremony of the Canadian Chess Challenge.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
Labels: canada chess, tanraj sohal
Kazakhstan, China win Asian Nations Cup Rapid Chess Team Championship
Hello chess friends, some quick chess news update via FIDE about the Asian Nations Rapid Chess Cup:
The Kazakhstan men’s team upset the top seed Chinese team in the final to win the Asian Nations Cup Rapid Chess Team Championship in Tabriz, Iran. In the women’s division, the highly rated Chinese crushed the Indian women’s team to win the one-day event on 21st May. The Asian Nations Cup has three events, Rapid chess, Standard and Blitz. Ten men’s teams and 6 women’s teams are seeing action in this biannual event of the Asian Chess Federation.
Iran Chess Federation president Mohammed Kambouzia making the ceremonial moves in the semifinal match between Iran-A (right) and China. At right is President Khankishi of the East Azerbaijan Chess Association.
The Rapid chess format consisted of 5-round Swiss system preliminaries followed by semifinals and final.
Kazakhstan team photo: Left to right: GM Rinat Jumabayev, GM Petr Kostenko, GM Anuar Ismagambetov, GM Pavel Kotsur, Captain Serikbay Temribayev and reserve Ayan Akhmetov.
China topped the preliminaries with 9 match points followed by Vietnam with 8, Kazakhstan with 7, Iran A and Iran B with 6 match points each, India and Jordan with 4 match points each, Sri Lanka and Iraq with 3 match points and newcomer Oman with no team win.
The top four played a knockout Semifinal match after which the two winners faced each other in the finals. In the semifinals, China beat Iran-A 2.5-1.5 while Kazakhstan bested Vietnam by a similar slate. The finals were a tense struggle as three boards were in a tie. Chinese GM Ding Liren beat Rinat Jumabayev but Petr Kostenko evened the score at the expense of GM Ma Qun. As board two ended in a draw, it all depended on the board 3 game. In an exciting finish GM Pavel Kotsur outplayed youthful Wei Yi to clinch the title. In the women’s division, the six women’s teams played round robin preliminaries to select the qualifiers to the knockout semifinal and final. China dominated the prelims with 9 match points followed Iran-A with 7 match points, India with 5, Vietnam and Kazakhstan with 4 and Iran-B with 1 match point.
In the semifinals, China trounced Vietnam 3:1 while India edged Iran-A 2.5-1.5 as Harika Dronavali held to a draw Atousa Pourkashiyan’s strong attack with a pawn up in the Rook and pawn endgame. The finals were a decisive victory for China, 3:1 on wins by IM Shen Yang and WGM Guo Qi while the other two boards were drawn.
Labels: asian nations chess cup 2014
FIDE Releases List of Chess Officials for Tromso Chess Olympiad 2014
Hello chess friends, here is the main list of chess officials decided for the Tromso Chess Olympiad 2014 to be held in Norway:
Tromso Chess Olympiad: Officials and Match Arbiters
OFFICIALS
1. CHIEF ARBITER: IA Panagiotis Nikolopoulos (GRE)
2. DEPUTY CHIEF ARBITERS:
IA Karl Rist (NOR)
IA Faik Gasanov (AZE)
3. SECTOR ARBITERS:
IA R. Anatharam (IND)
IA Jesus Mena (ESP)
IA Anastasia Sorokina (AUS)
IA Irina Kayumova (UZB)
IA Elias Khairallah (LIB)
IA Mehrdad Pahlevanzadeh (IRI)
IA Hassan Khaled (EGY)
IA Carol Jarecki (IVB)
4. TAP:
Chairman: IA Ashot Vardapetian (ARM)
Members: IA Werner Stubenvoll (AUT)
IA Almog Burstein (ISR)
Heinz Herzog (AUT)
5. APPEALS COMMITTEE:
Chairman IA Jorge Vega (GUA)
Member IA Ali Nihat Yazici (TUR)
Member Vanik Zakharian (ARM)
MATCH ARBITERS
All the arbiters are kindly urgently requested to communicate with the 2014 Tromso Chess Olympiad Chief Arbiter IA Takis Nikolopoulos at takisnik@yahoo.com the following info:
1. Any previous experience in the Chess Olympiads as arbiter.
2. Any previous experience in tournaments with blind and handicapped players.
3. FIDE official languages spoken
For the complete and detailed list, check this FIDE news post.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
Labels: fide officials, tromso chess olympiad 2014
Russian GM Alexander Morozevich wins XV Poikovsky Karpov Chess Tournament 2014
Hello chess friends, Russian Grandmaster Alexander Morozevich has won the XV Poikovsky Karpov Chess Tournament 2014 organised May 11-20 in Nefteyugansk in the district of Ugra, Russia.
It was a 10-player round robin tournament featured strong competition, but the Russian Grandmaster took lead and held on to it scoring a winning performance of 6/9 points without losing a single game for a clear first. In second place was Dmitry Jakovenko with 5.5/9 followed by Etienne Bacrot and Alexei Shirov who tied for third with 5 points each.
Labels: Alexander Morozevich, poikovsky xv karpov chess 2014
Mid-Week Chess Trivia: Name this Legendary Dutch Chess Player!
Hello chess friends, here's your chess trivia teaser about a world chess champion: Identify this legendary chess player who was also a mathematician and an author. Hint: He was Dutch and the fifth player to become World Chess Champion (1935–37).
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
Labels: photo chess trivia, world chess champion
Kamsky, Krush Repeat as U.S. Chess Champions 2014!
Hello chess blog friends, have you been following the U.S. Chess Championships 2014? It's interesting that both the men and women's U.S. Chess Champions have retained there title! Here's the official report by Brian Jerauld.
SAINT LOUIS (May 21, 2014) -- You were expecting someone else?
The tight drama of the 2014 U.S. Championships turned out to be all for show. Several of the nation’s top 22 players took turns stealing headlines and taking their shots at the top, but when the dust of the near two-week long fight cleared, the two champions left standing were the same two champions as before.
Grandmaster Gata Kamsky has repeated as the U.S. Chess Champion, his fifth time holding the title, after defeating GM Varuzhan Akobian 1.5-0.5 in a playoff on Tuesday evening. As well, GM Irina Krush turned in a three-peat as the U.S. Women’s Champion, her sixth year as title holder, after knocking out WGM Tatev Abrahayam 1.5-0.5 in their own playoff on Tuesday. Though both champions admit struggling with the 2014 fields, Kamsky and Krush were the only players to finish undefeated.
“It has been a tough tournament for me, I can feel all these guys: They have been preparing and playing really well,” Kamsky said of his 11 challengers. “Of course, there were a lot of blunders because they wanted to win, but that made everything very competitive. It was nice to win this event.”
Kamsky was fortunate to even be playing chess in Tuesday’s playoff, after struggling to tally decisions for the entire tournament. With only three wins across 11 rounds, a scattering of uninspired draws left even Kamsky himself predicting a new national champion in the tournament’s earlygoing.
But Akobian and GM Aleksandr Lenderman, tied in first place entering the final round, fought each other to a draw when a win would have earned the title outright. It opened up the extra playoff day, which turned out to be a three-way playoff, as Kamsky finally caught pace with a final-round win over Josh Friedel on Monday. It was the first time all tournament Kamsky had appeared on the top of the leaderboard.
“I felt (the three-way playoff) was really exciting, it was really good for me,” Kamsky said. “Considering the game (Monday) that they played where Akobian could have won, I feel very lucky.”
Krush also left her sixth title in doubt, falling sick mid-event and suffering through a stretch of draws that left her a full point behind the leader with two rounds to go. But she caught pace with a win over rival IM Anna Zatonskih in round 8, then was fortunate that another draw in the final round was good enough to keep her up top - though not alone. The women’s competition also featured a three-way playoff.
Krush admitted the national championship is never easy, despite her consistent results.
“All of these championships are hard - it’s not like what people think ‘oh, she wins every year,’” Krush said. “But the thing is, they are always difficult. Maybe last year was my smoothest victory, but a year before that I had a playoff with Anna (Zatonskih), and now I had a playoff with Tatev.
“But this one was definitely hard, I felt like I had one obstacle after another. The fact that I had a mild fever in the middle of the tournament, and then I was drawing these games and found myself so far behind Anna - it just felt like so many obstacles. It’s like: ‘Where is the sun? Where is it? I couldn’t see it.”
Tuesday’s three-way playoff first began with a single Armageddon match designed to knock one player from each race. Kamsky and Krush had earned advantage due to tiebreaks, setting up Akobian and Lenderman, as well as Abrahamyan and Zatonskih, to square off in an Armageddon game. In the specialized match, the player with the black pieces receives draw-odds and only has to avoid losing to advance. Abrahamyan had black and knocked out Zatonskih with a perpetual check; Akobian passed over his draw odds and just brought Lenderman down by checkmate.
It set up the finals, which was two rapid games - 25 minutes with a 5-second-per-move increment - to declare the champion. Akobian drew the first game with the white pieces, while Kamsky won in the second game as white. In the women’s final, Krush took the full point in her first game as white, then played Abrahamyan to a draw in the second game.
“One thing I know is that in a rapid game you need good nerves and a fresh mind,” Krush said. “It’s not really decided by opening preparation.”
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
Labels: us chess championships 2014
Where are 2014 World Youth Chess Championships to be Held?
Hello chess friends, do you know where the 2014 World Youth Chess Championships are going to be held? Chess South Africa and its partners have won the rights to host the chess event in the beautiful coastal City of Durban!
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of Kwa Zulu-Natal, also tenderly known as the Zulu Kingdom. Durban is also the major centre of tourism in South Africa because of the city's warm subtropical climate and extensive beaches.
The Championships will be hosted at the International Convention Centre, Durban, Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa. The ICC Durban is one of the most advanced conference facilities in the world. The facility boasts the largest area of column free, flat floor, multi-purpose space in Africa coupled with state of the art technology. As well as being named Africa's Leading Conference Centre for the 10th year by the World Travel Awards, the ICC Durban has been voted amongst the top 20 conference centres in the world by the AIPC. The ICC Durban is purpose-built, fully air-conditioned and comprises six convention halls that are interlinked, but separate. Halls 4-6 double as convention and meetings spaces and the flat floor space for the ICC Arena makes it the leading indoor sports and entertainment venue in Durban which accommodates up to 10,000 spectators.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
Labels: world youth chess championships 2014
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