http://gameknot.com/ World chess news digest by GameKnot.com, where you can play chess online! en-us The Tal Memorial tournament, a tribute to the eighth world chess champion, Mikhail Tal, began Thursday with five hard-fought draws. The 10-player field is stellar, featuring Viswanathan Anand of India, the world chess champion, who is ranked No. 3 in the world; Magnus Carlsen of Norway, No. 2; Levon Aronian of Armenia, No. 4; Vladimir Kramnik of Russia, No. 5; Boris Gelfand of Israel, No. 7; Peter Svidler of Russia, No. 8; Peter Leko of Hungary, No. 9; Alexander Morozevich of Russia, No. 10; Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine, No. 12; and Ruslan Ponomariov of Ukraine, No. 13. In other words, 10 of the top 13 chess players in the world are competing. It is always tough to ... http://gameknot.com/news.pl?id=12663;ext=1 Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:48:35 GMT Ray Robson of Florida has just won the Pan American Junior with a 8-1 score and in the process has won his third Norm, qualifying for the title of Grandmaster. He becomes the youngest chess Grandmaster in US history, just a couple of weeks shy of age 15. Bobby Fischer was 15 years 4 months plus when he got the title. Robson is this year’s winner of the annual Samford award. He was born in Guam and moved to the United States at the age of 5. His achievement is further testimony of the value of the Samford fellowships, awarded through the US Chess Trust, a creation of the Samford family of Georgia, which provide subsidies for promising young American chess players to ... http://gameknot.com/news.pl?id=12641;ext=1 Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:43:37 GMT The young and powerful team of Azerbaijan clinched the gold medal at the 17th European Team Chess Championship in the Serbian city of Novi Sad on Friday. They won seven matches, drew one and lost to Armenia, scoring 15 out of possible 18 match points. But their victory was a close call. It hung on one bad rook move, a losing blunder, played by the Dutchman Daniel Stellwagen against Vugar Gashimov in the last round. At the same time, Russia stumbled with a 2-2 tie against the Spanish team and finished with 14 points. Ukraine won the bronze on a tiebreak over Armenia, each ending with 13 points. Gashimov and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov were the top performers on ... http://gameknot.com/news.pl?id=12647;ext=1 Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:53:23 GMT A 19-year-old Norwegian turned in an impressive performance at the 17th European Team Chess Championships in Serbia, which ended on Saturday. A Norwegian teenager had been expected to do well at the chess tournament, but the surprise was that he turned out to be Jon Ludvig Hammer and not Magnus Carlsen, who does not turn 19 until the end of November. Carlsen, a chess prodigy who will be No. 2 in the world on the next list, was supposed to play for Norway, but he withdrew to spend more time preparing for the Tal Memorial tournament in Moscow, which begins on Nov. 5. Carlsen’s father, Henrik, explained that his son wanted to play in ... http://gameknot.com/news.pl?id=12639;ext=1 Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:30:47 GMT The US Chess League offers ample opportunities to examine games between highly rated chess players. Here is one in which Patrick Wolff annotates for himself, played on first board for the San Francisco Mechanics v. the Miami Sharks. In this game Wolff crosses up Julio Becerra, the 2006 Most Valuable Player in the league, by choosing as White a Two Knights Opening instead of a Ruy Lopez. The result is a closed game in which Black loses considerable time reconnoitering his Knights. White’s 27th move breaks what looks like a granite center and Black’s Queen Bishop Pawn becomes a target. In the end, Black has to choose between loss of a Rook or a King and so ... http://gameknot.com/news.pl?id=12629;ext=1 Sun, 01 Nov 2009 17:36:30 GMT There is history between English and Bulgarian chess grandmasters. Four years ago when Nigel Short was a commentator at the world chess championship in San Luis, Argentina, some players told him of suspicions that Veselin Topalov, who won the title after a fast start, was receiving outside help. Short later called for an inquiry, though he did not join the cheating claim. Nothing was ever proved, but Topalov and his manager blamed Short for damaging the current world No1's reputation. So last year at Corus Wijk aan Zee Topalov's aide, Ivan Cheparinov, refused Short the traditional pre-game handshake, and was forfeited. After an appeal the game was rescheduled ... http://gameknot.com/news.pl?id=12631;ext=1 Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:51:36 GMT The strongest chess tournament of the year, the Tal Memorial, begins Thursday in Moscow. World chess champion Viswanathan Anand of India, former champion Vladimir Kramnik of Russia, chess prodigy Magnus Carlsen of Norway and seven other stars, all ranked among the world's top 13, will compete in a round robin. The only notable absentee is Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria, ranked first in the world. Mikhail Tal was world chess champion in 1960 and a passionate devotee of speed chess until his death in 1992. As a tribute, the World Blitz Chess Championship will follow Nov. 16. The field will include all players in the Tal Memorial plus 10 more grandmasters. Last year, ... http://gameknot.com/news.pl?id=12626;ext=1 Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:56:58 GMT Some chess openings are perennially popular. Others are rarely used, particularly among elite chess players, and often for good reason. The unpopular chess openings can be broken down into three categories. The Bad: the Grob (1 g4), the Latvian Gambit (1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 f5) and the Sokolsky (1 b4) among them. They are risky and give opponents too many opportunities to seize the advantage. The Ugly: Some chess openings are neglected not from any intrinsic failing, but because they are simply not faddish. In 1995, when Viswanathan Anand of India, the current world chess champion, played a title match against Garry Kasparov of Russia, he surprised his opponent with ... http://gameknot.com/news.pl?id=12620;ext=1 Thu, 29 Oct 2009 16:52:05 GMT The US Chess Federation held the US Women’s Championship during October, courtesy of the St. Louis Chess Club and its founder, Rex Sinquefield. Oddly, none of the contestants was born in the United States, though most are permanent residents or citizens here. Jennifer Shahade, twice American Women’s Champion and chess author, served as commentator (along with GM Ben Finegold) for the tourney, but was not competing. Shahade has two of the necessary norms to become an IM. However, she has not been playing in chess tournaments recently, saying she is too busy with her other activities, poker, videos, and Chess Life Online. In the 2008 women’s chess ... http://gameknot.com/news.pl?id=12611;ext=1 Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:37:02 GMT In the slow flow of the Argentine tango, the dancers suddenly stop and make a few violent moves before they slow down again and return to their unhurried glide. That's the essence of "zwischenzug" in chess. The German word describes an unexpected move, played instead of an obvious recapture or a retreat with an attacked piece. It could be a simple counterattack or the beginning of a spectacular combination. The American chess grandmaster Josh Friedel performed four zwischenzugs during his brilliant victory against the Dutch master Migchiel De Jong in the Open group of the 13th Unive chess tournament, played this month in the Dutch town ... http://gameknot.com/news.pl?id=12601;ext=1 Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:41:15 GMT The World Chess Federation (FIDE) announced that the 12-game world chess championship match between champion Viswanathan Anand of India and challenger Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria would take place in Sofia, Bulgaria. Tentative dates are April 5 through 24. The Bulgarian prime minister, Boiko Borisov, promised that the Bulgarian government would pay the prize fund of 2 million Euros (about $2.96 million) and organizational costs. He assured that "neutrality would be guaranteed." Singapore and Turkey also submitted bids to host the match. Surprisingly, FIDE received no bid from India, although Anand is a national hero credited with making the game of chess ... http://gameknot.com/news.pl?id=12593;ext=1 Sun, 25 Oct 2009 16:39:07 GMT There is increasing reflection among chess commentators that Norwegian youngster Magnus Carlsen, age 18, may be destined to be world chess champion, especially because of reports that Garry Kasparov is coaching Carlsen. Here is a game won by Carlsen against Teimour Radjabov from the Pearl Spring 2009 tourney, in Nanjing, China, a chess tournament with a towering average rating of 2,754. In this game, Carlsen as White eschews 3. d4 in favor of Bb5 against the Siclian defense, a line that eerily resembles a Ruy López. It is a tough struggle, in which Radjabov elects to develop his Knights in lieu of rapid castling. He gets those Knights posted on ... http://gameknot.com/news.pl?id=12591;ext=1 Sat, 24 Oct 2009 16:51:43 GMT The campaign to improve England's standing is currently facing a tough test at the European team chess championship at Novi Sad, Serbia, and the junior (under-20) world chess championship at Puerto Madryn, Argentina. Both chess events began on Wednesday. With Nigel Short coaching the British chess champion, David Howell, in South America, England's Novi Sad quintet includes Luke McShane, 25, Simon Williams, 29, and Stephen Gordon, 23 in support of the experienced Michael Adams, 37, and Stuart Conquest, 42. All are grandmasters and their rating average is over 2,600, yet such is the competition that England's seeding is a modest 18 among ... http://gameknot.com/news.pl?id=12587;ext=1 Fri, 23 Oct 2009 16:42:42 GMT The leading items of the news last week involved the small nation of Norway. One was the Nobel Peace Prize to President Obama for “Yes you can.’’ The other was plaudits to 18-year-old Magnus Carlsen for “Yes, you did!’’ For what Carlsen did was level his opponents in the second Nanjing Pearl Spring Chess Tournament in Nanjing, China and lift his FIDE chess rating beyond that of world chess champion Viswanathan Anand and behind top-rated Veselin Topalov. This year the contestants all had ratings above 2700 and Topalov’s rating was a towering 2813. Topalov was last year’s clear winner. Besides Topalov and Carlsen, the other contestants were Dmitry Jakovenko of ... http://gameknot.com/news.pl?id=12574;ext=1 Wed, 21 Oct 2009 16:53:22 GMT The U.S. Junior chess champion Ray Robson will turn 15 on Sunday. He got himself a nice birthday present: the grandmaster title. Competing at the Pan-American Junior Championship this month in Montevideo, Uruguay, he scored seven straight wins and drew in the last round, securing first place and the GM title. He is currently the youngest chess grandmaster in the world. Together with GM Alex Lenderman, Robson will represent the United States at the 48th Junior World Chess Championship, Oct. 21-Nov. 4, in Puerto Madryn, Argentina. Zatonskih's Sweeping Victory. The defending chess champion, IM Anna Zatonskih, 31, did not leave anything to chance at ... http://gameknot.com/news.pl?id=12575;ext=1 Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:45:56 GMT Magnus Carlsen had already won the Nanjing elite chess tournament with a round to spare at the start of this week's game, but the 18-year-old Norwegian spurned halving out and won impressively. The victory gave him a 3000 tournament performance and raised his world chess rating to over 2800, the youngest in chess history and only the fifth 2800 ever. His predecessors, with their peak ratings, were Garry Kasparov 2851, Veselin Topalov 2813, Vlad Kramnik 2811 and Vishy Anand 2803. Bobby Fischer at 2785 and Anatoly Karpov 2780 could be reckoned worth 50 points higher allowing for rating inflation. The betting now is that Carlsen will win the 2010 candidates and ... http://gameknot.com/news.pl?id=12573;ext=1 Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:06:28 GMT The United States women’s chess champion, Anna Zatonskih, easily defended her title last week and dominated the championship tournament in St. Louis. Afterward, Zatonskih, who has a 2 ½-year-old daughter, joked, “I am trying to prove that motherhood did something good.” In the chess tournament, which ended on Tuesday, Zatonskih yielded only one draw and scored 8.5 out of a possible 9 points. The victory was a relief for Zatonskih, who had struggled recently, particularly at the Women’s World Team Championship last month in China, where she scored only 2 points in 7 games. In a telephone interview, Zatonskih said she wants to have another child, but ... http://gameknot.com/news.pl?id=12572;ext=1 Sun, 18 Oct 2009 16:46:18 GMT Photographs taken during trips that Bobby Fischer made to the Philippines in 1967 and 1973, after he became world chess champion, have appeared in a group of three videos on YouTube. Descriptions of the videos say that they were part of the belongings left behind by Fischer in a storage locker in Pasadena, Calif. Those belongings were bought at auction earlier this year by Rex A. Sinquefield, a financier who sponsored this year’s U.S. Chess Championship and U.S. Women’s Chess Championship. The photographs show Fischer being feted and entertained by President Ferdinand Marcos, the leader of the Philippines, and his wife, Imelda. The scenes are, in some ways ... http://gameknot.com/news.pl?id=12569;ext=1 Sat, 17 Oct 2009 17:32:54 GMT Like many games of skill, chess is easy to learn and fun to play — but difficult to master. Although the goal is to checkmate the enemy king, don't expect an early knockout. The opening is roughly defined as the first dozen or so moves. The purpose is not to win outright, but to reach a playable middle game. By following these simple guidelines you should be able to sit down and play an intelligent game of chess. Here are some chess opening tips: 1. Always play to dominate the middle of the board. Occupy, attack or watch the center. 2. Develop ALL your men fast, not just one or two. The opening is a race for rapid and continuous development. 3. Develop knights before ... http://gameknot.com/news.pl?id=12563;ext=1 Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:40:52 GMT With a win in Round 8 of the U.S. Women’s Chess Championship, Anna Zatonskih is the national chess champion, defending the title she won in 2008. It is the third title for Zatonskih, who also won in 2006. Zatonskih clinched the title with a round to go by scoring 7.5 points out of 8. She led from start to finish and had a one point lead over Camilla Baginskaite, the 2000 champion, going into the eighth round. While Zatonskih kept up the pace by beating Sabina Foisor, she got an assist from Irina Krush who beat Baginskaite. Krush, the 1998 and 2007 chess champion, had been expected to be the main competition for Zatonskih, but she got off to very bad start with ... http://gameknot.com/news.pl?id=12554;ext=1 Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:09:04 GMT For 20 years, Garry Kasparov was the top-ranked chess player in the world. There were times, particularly in the early to mid-1990s, when he was so dominant that he seemed to win effortlessly, even against his closest competitors. In the chess tournaments he entered, the true competition was often only for second place. For the last few months, Kasparov, who retired in 2005, has been training Magnus Carlsen, an 18-year-old Norwegian. Many top chess players say he will almost certainly become world champion one day. Carlsen is the most talented player to emerge in the West since Bobby Fischer. But he has been unable to push through to ... http://gameknot.com/news.pl?id=12550;ext=1 Tue, 13 Oct 2009 16:46:34 GMT After becoming an established and successful artist, Marcel Duchamp, one of the father’s of Dadaism, turned his focus to playing chess, a game that enthralled him. He once famously remarked that “while all artists are not chess players, all chess players are artists.” The merits of such a statement, particularly in light of the ability of computers to play chess so well, are debatable. But Duchamp, the creator of such works as “Nude Descending a Staircase No. 2” (1912) and “The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even (The Large Glass)” (1915-23), spent a large part of his life as a serious chess player. An exhibition called “Marcel Duchamp: The Art of Chess,” at ... http://gameknot.com/news.pl?id=12547;ext=1 Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:44:32 GMT Magnus Carlsen, 18 and already everyone's choice as the next world chess champion, won his first elite grandmaster tournament this week when he led all the way at Nanjing, China. The young Norwegian also advanced into the top two in the world chess rankings, ahead of the reigning world champion, Vishy Anand, and behind only Veselin Topalov, who finished runner-up at Nanjing and lost the game below. Carlsen's recent training from Garry Kasparov, the all-time No.1, showed in his more solid opening repertoire. Out were his risky Dragon Sicilians, in was the Scotch 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 d4 that helped win one of Kasparov's title matches with Anatoly Karpov. He began ... http://gameknot.com/news.pl?id=12544;ext=1 Sun, 11 Oct 2009 16:57:55 GMT Magnus Carlsen of Norway wrapped up his complete domination of the 2nd Pearl Spring chess tournament in Nanjing, China, by beating Dmitry Jakovenko of Russia in the last round on Friday. That gave Carlsen a score of 8 points out of a possible 10. Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria, the world’s No. 1 chess player, was left far behind in second place with 5.5 points. Carlsen‘s performance pushed his world ranking to No. 2 and his rating, the system used to determine rankings, over 2800, at least according to an unofficial estimate. He is only the fifth player in chess history to surpass this mark. The others, all world champions, were Garry Kasparov of Russia, Vladimir Kramnik of ... http://gameknot.com/news.pl?id=12543;ext=1 Sat, 10 Oct 2009 17:45:13 GMT After five rounds, Anna Zatonskih, the reigning chess champion, has opened up a one point lead in defense of her title at the United States Women’s Chess Championship. Camilla Baginskaite, the 2000 champion, and Alisa Melekhina are tied for second and third. Irina Krush, another former champion (1998 and 2007), who was thought to be Zatonskih’s biggest challenger, is mired in a four-way tie for fourth through seventh. Like the regular United States Chess Championship, the women’s tournament is being held at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis. The club has played host to the two chess events (and will host the 2010 ... http://gameknot.com/news.pl?id=12542;ext=1 Fri, 09 Oct 2009 17:07:12 GMT With two rounds to play, Magnus Carlsen of Norway has already wrapped up at least a tie for first in the 2nd Pearl Spring chess tournament in Nanjing, China. (UPDATE: Carlsen has clinched first place with a draw against Teimour Radjabov of Azerbaijan in Round 9.) Pearl Spring is part of the Grand Slam Chess Association, a confederation of the strongest chess tournaments of the year. Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria, the No. 1 player in the world, is in second place, two points behind. Nanjing is also hosting the second women’s Grand Prix tournament. Like the men’s Grand Prix, the women’s is a series of chess tournaments to select challengers for ... http://gameknot.com/news.pl?id=12538;ext=1 Thu, 08 Oct 2009 16:45:35 GMT Former world chess champion Garry Kasparov easily defeated his predecessor, Anatoly Karpov, in an exhibition match in Valencia, Spain. Kasparov won 3-1 in 25-minute games and 6-2 in five-minute games. The largest margin of victory in their five world chess championship matches, between 1984 and 1990, was only two points. Karpov, 58, still plays occasionally in tournaments, while Kasparov, 46, officially retired in 2005. Yet Karpov seemed rustier. He lost several games, including at least one winning position, by running out of time. The rivals will play another chess match in France in December. Proceeds will go to charity. ... http://gameknot.com/news.pl?id=12535;ext=1 Wed, 07 Oct 2009 19:12:28 GMT Something magnificent and bizarre is going on at the Second Pearl Spring elite chess tournament, underway in the Chinese city of Nanjing. The 18-year-old Magnus Carlsen is demolishing the competition, which includes some of the world's best chess players. The Norwegian superstar won four games and allowed only one draw in the first half of the tournament. It may be the second-best start in a double-round event after Veselin Topalov scored six wins and one draw in the first half of the world chess championship in San Luis, Argentina, in 2005. The Bulgarian grandmaster won the world title by drawing all seven games in the second half. Carlsen started ... http://gameknot.com/news.pl?id=12524;ext=1 Mon, 05 Oct 2009 16:43:27 GMT For many of us, a game of chess is challenging enough, but when you are the current two-time U.S. Women's Chess Champion, you have to challenge yourself. That's why Saturday Anna Zatonskih, 31, played five players blindfolded. The chess event was held at the Contemporary Art Museum in St. Louis. Zatonskih called out her moves while a partner moved the pieces. She was told what move her opponent made, but she had to remember her previous moves. Even blindfolded, Zatonskih beat all five of her opponents. The demonstration was all part of the 2009 Women's Chess Championships in St. Louis. Tournament play begins Monday. ... http://gameknot.com/news.pl?id=12521;ext=1 Sun, 04 Oct 2009 16:50:25 GMT Garry Kasparov crushed his old rival Anatoly Karpov 9-3 in their speed chess rematch in Valencia last week and showed that his skills remain strong and sharp despite his five-year retirement from competitive chess. The K v K silver jubilee event sparked the widest mainstream media coverage of chess since the Toiletgate scandal of 2006, and the pair are likely to perform again in December in Paris, probably in the Louvre. One notable failure in Valencia was the live internet coverage. It could not keep up the five-minute blitz chess games, while a web camera showed only the players, not the board position. Their five world title matches in 1984-7 were all ... http://gameknot.com/news.pl?id=12512;ext=1 Sun, 04 Oct 2009 00:04:10 GMT