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Chess is My Life by Viktor Korchnoi BCM Dec 2005: Pentala Harikrishna wins at Hoogeveen

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Ostende 1906
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ChessBase Magazine 108 The Vienna Game by Gregory Huber

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Dutch A80-A85 by Boris Schipkov The Bb5 Sicilian by Richard Palliser

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Pocket Chess Endings Modern Chess Openings: Slav Defence by Alexander Kalinin

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Opening for White According to Anand 1 e4 Book 5 by Alexander Khalifman Pocket Encyclopedia of Middlegame

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The Scandinavian: The Easy Way by Andrew Martin The Trompowsky: The Easy Way by Andrew Martin

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New Titles from Moravia New In Chess Magazine 2005/7

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The Ruy Lopez Explained by Gary Lane De la Bourdonnais versus McDonnell, 1834 by Cary Utterberg

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Breaking Through Chess Informant 1-91 CD-ROM

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BCM, October 2005: Jonathan Rowson retains the British Championship You Move...I Win! by Alex Angos
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Win with the London System by Sverre Johnsen & Vlatko Kovacevic How to Beat 1 d4 by James Rizzitano

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Anthology of Chess Combinations 3rd Edition Russians versus Fischer by Dmitry Plisetsky & Sergey Voronkov

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Encyclopaedia of Chess Middlegame IV Squares Strategy 3 CD-ROM by Alexander Bangiev

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Classical Nimzo-Indian 4 Qc2 by Knut Neven New In Chess Yearbook 76

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The Batsford Book of Chess Records by Yakov Damsky Chess for Tigers (3rd ed) by Simon Webb

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ChessBase Magazine 107 How to Choose a Chess Move by Andrew Soltis

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New In Chess Magazine 2005/6 A First Book of Morphy by Frisco Del Rosario
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The Scotch Game Explained by Gary Lane The Chess World 1893 (Ed. & Publ. F A Cooley & A V Gisiger)

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Chess Openings for Black, Explained - A Complete Repertoire by Alburt, Dzindzichashvili and Perelshteyn The Mystery of Edward Pindar, Chess Nomad by Owen Hindle

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Two New Reprints from Moravia
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Catastrophe in the Opening by James Plaskett Starting Out: Benoni Systems by Raetsky & Chetverik

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ChessBase Magazine 106 The Queen's Bishop Attack Revealed by James Plaskett

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BCM, November 2005: new world champion Veselin Topalov BCM, December 2005: Pentala Harikrishna wins at Hoogeveen

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Last Edited: Monday 28 November, 2005 3:29 PM

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CHESS NEWS • news editor
Archive of Previous International News
Archive of Previous British News

 

4NCL, Rounds 3 and , 19-20 Nov 2005 [27/11/05]

Speelman, Gormally, Baburin and Arakhamia line up for Wood Green 1Wood Green are back at the top of the table, closely pursued by Guildford-ADC as usual. All the weekend's British Team League action can now be found at BCM's 4NCL news page, in zipped PGN format and games viewer windows.

Click here for 4NCL PGN downloads



(picture shows Jon Speelman, Danny Gormally, Alex Baburin and Ketevan Arakhamia)

 

Guernsey International Festival [27/11/05]

This year's Guernsey International Festival was beset by sadness at the deaths of its usual arbiter, Steve Boniface, a few days before the tournament started, and the congress founder, John Bisson, just after it closed. But the show went on as usual, as they both would have wanted. Oleg Korneev won the tournament ahead of Tiger Hillarp Persson and Robert Bellin. Kevin Thurlow and Fred Hamperl report on the tournament, with photos and games, and there are tributes to Steve Boniface and John Bisson. Click on the above link. Full game downloads now available.
 

Are you up for some Chess-Boxing? [09/11/05]

Chess-loving Guardian journalist Stephen Moss must be a prime candidate for the unofficial title of 'world's most courageous chess player'. Not content with interviewing Garry 'Ogre of Baku' Kasparov, getting Nigel Short to assess and stress-test his chess-playing abilities, and then asking Bobby Fischer to autograph his non-authorised version of Sixty Memorable Games (that took real chutzpah), he has now tried his hand at chess-boxing. This is not for the faint-hearted: read Stephen's account of his chess-boxing encounter in the ring with a super-fit German policeman at the Guardian website. Better still, go out and buy the paper: it has several photos of this rather scary sport.
   Whilst on the subject of boxing: the Guardian today also has the story of the chess-playing world heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko's retirement from the sport. His retirement statement is curious: "I seek new social and political challenges in my home country, Ukraine." Perhaps he borrowed the idea from Garry Kasparov, who retired from chess earlier this year in order to go into politics.
 

Gibtelecom Masters Presentation, 24 Oct [24/10/05]

Gibtelecom Blitz gameA presentation was held at the RAC Club Club, Pall Mall, London today to publicise the forthcoming 4th Gibtelecom Masters tournament (to be held at the Caleta Hotel, Gibraltar, from 24 Jan to 2 Feb 2006. This tournament is the strongest annual event held under the auspices of the English Chess Federation (note new name as of 22 October). The fourth edition of this ambitious event will feature 30+ GMs, headed by players of the calibre of Alexei Shirov and Nigel Short, and the intention is to develop the tournament still further in future years. After the presentation, there was a unique four-hander blitz game featuring world no. 14 Alexei Shirov partnered by 7-year-old Peter Andreev, playing leading English GM Jonathan Speelman partnered by 8-year-old Edmund Harding. Both juniors are members of Richmond Junior Chess Club, and they both gave a very good account of themselves and were not overawed by the occasion. Click here for a photo-report about this challenge game - and find out who the youngest player ever to checkmate (half a) grandmaster is...
Official Gibtelecom Masters website: http://www.gibraltarchesscongress.com/
 

FIDE World Championship, San Luis, Argentina [15/10/05]

San Luis logoThe FIDE World Championship started on 28 September in San Luis, Argentina. It is being played as an eight-player double cycle all-play-all. Competitors are Vishy Anand (IND, 2788), Veselin Topalov (BUL, 2788), Peter Leko (HUN, 2763), Peter Svidler (RUS, 2738), Judit Polgar (HUN, 2735), Michael Adams (ENG, 2719), Alexander Morozevich (RUS, 2707), Rustam Kasimjanov (UZB, 2670). Play takes place 28 Sept to 14 October, with three rest days on 2, 7, 12 October.
    Final
: Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria is the new FIDE World Champion, with one round to spare. His Rd 13 game against previous title-holder Rustam Kasimjanov was the last to finish after Topalov played a typically enterprising exchange sacrifice to wrest the initiative from his opponent and secure the half point he needed (he may even have been winning at a couple of points). The other three Rd 13 games also ended in draws. Kasimjanov ½-½ Topalov, Polgar ½-½ Svidler, Anand ½-½ Morozevich, Adams ½-½ Leko. Bulgaria has now pulled off a remarkable double which has not been done since Soviet times - they have both the FIDE men's/open and women's world champions, as Bulgarian GM Antoaneta Stefanova is current holder of the women's title. But there is still another world champion - Vladimir Kramnik, holder of the unofficial but more traditional version of the title by virtue of defeating the world's top player, Garry Kasparov, in 2000 and defending it against Peter Leko last year. The pressure will now be on both Kramnik and Topalov to unite the title by playing a reunification match. Rd 14 - with nothing left to achieve, Topalov took a quick draw with Polgar. Leko was the only winner, beating Kasimjanov. Adams came close to beating Morozevich but finished the tournament winless. Topalov ½-½ Polgar, Svidler ½-½ Anand, Leko 1-0 Kasimjanov, Morozevich ½-½ Adams.
Download games
Games Viewer 

FIDE World Ch, San Luis (ARG), 28 Sept - 14 Oct 2005    cat. XX (2739)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Final Crosstable                     1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8
----------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Topalov, Veselin       g BUL 2788 ** == 1= 1= 1= 1= 1= 1=  10.0  2889
2 Anand, Viswanathan     g IND 2788 == ** == 0= =1 01 1= 11   8.5  2811
3 Svidler, Peter         g RUS 2738 0= == ** 11 1= == == 1=   8.5  2818
4 Morozevich, Alexander  g RUS 2707 0= 1= 00 ** =1 =1 == ==   7.0  2743
5 Leko, Peter            g HUN 2763 0= =0 0= =0 ** =1 1= 1=   6.5  2706
6 Kasimdzhanov, Rustam   g UZB 2670 0= 10 == =0 =0 ** == 01   5.5  2668
7 Adams, Michael         g ENG 2719 0= 0= == == 0= == ** ==   5.5  2661
8 Polgar, Judit          g HUN 2735 0= 00 0= == 0= 10 == **   4.5  2606
----------------------------------------------------------------------

    Rd 12 - Topalov-Svidler was a sedate draw in 21 moves, so Topalov maintains his 1½ point lead. Anand caught up with Svidler by beating Leko in an (untypically) interesting Petroff Defence. Kasimjanov was a pawn up for much of his game against Adams but couldn't make it count. Morozevich-Polgar was a full-blooded game which only ended in a draw when the players ran out of weapons. 12 October is the last rest day, and it remains to be seen whether Kasimjanov and Polgar will stand in Topalov's way; two more draws will be good enough to give him the FIDE world championship title.
    Rd 11 -
Topalov's least good round of the tournament (but not actually bad)... he gave up the exchange for a pawn to keep Adams at bay and managed to do so. Meanwhile Topalov's closest rivals both won to get within shouting distance of him. Svidler must beat Topalov tomorrow to cut the deficit back to half a point - but he only has Black (If Topalov wins, he will be pretty well home and dry). Anand took his revenge on Kasimjanov. Polgar ½-½ Leko, Anand 1-0 Kasimjanov, Adams ½-½ Topalov, Svidler 1-0 Morozevich.
    Rd 10 -
Topalov is getting so close to the title that he can almost taste it. He played another good game today against Morozevich but perhaps nerves started to show as he failed to convert a two pawn advantage. Instead he sacrificed the exchange to reach a drawn position. FIDE's reigning champion was the only winner as Kasimjanov beat a tiring Polgar. Leko ½-½ Svidler, Kasimjanov 1-0 Polgar, Adams ½-½ Anand, Topalov ½-½ Morozevich.
    Rd 9 -
Morozevich won his third game in a row to tie for 3rd place with Anand. Topalov remains two points clear and edges closer to ultimate victory. Anand ½-½ Topalov, Polgar ½-½ Adams, Svidler ½-½ Kasimdzhanov, Morozevich 1-0 Leko.

   Rd 8 - Wins for Anand and Morozevich made no real difference to Topalov's huge lead. The leader's draw finally brought his run of wins (five) to an end. Topalov ½-½ Leko, Adams ½-½ Svidler, Kasimjanov 0-1 Morozevich, Anand 1-0 Polgar. October 7 is a rest day. The following day Anand has White against Topalov and the chance to reduce the gap between them to 1½ points - but that would still be a very big lead.
   Rd 7 - Topalov wins yet again in another all-decisive round. With Anand losing for the second time, it seems that only Svidler now has the remotest chance of catching the Bulgarian. White won all four games - Morozevich 1-0 Anand, Leko 1-0 Adams, Svidler 1-0 Polgar, Topalov 1-0 Kasimdzhanov.
   Rd 6 - This is starting to become Fischeresque - for the second round running, there is just one decisive result: a win (with Black) by the brilliant Bulgarian, Veselin Topalov. This time his victim was Judit Polgar. His lead is now a staggering 2 points after only six rounds played, and it is hard to imagine anyone catching him, short of a complete collapse in the second cycle. Just for the records, his current tournament performance rating is 3142! Rd 6: Anand ½-½ Svidler, Kasimjanov ½-½ Leko, Polgar 0-1 Topalov, Adams ½-½ Morozevich.

   Rd 5 - Veselin Topalov moved into a remarkable 1½ point lead by beating Svidler with Black. The other games were drawn. Svidler 0-1 Topalov, Polgar ½-½ Morozevich, Adams ½-½ Kasimjanov, Anand ½-½ Leko.
    Rd 4 - Once again there were four decisive games in this astonishingly bloodthirsty tournament. The surprise of the round was Anand's loss to Kasimjanov. Kasimjanov 1-0 Anand, Leko 1-0 Polgar, Topalov 1-0 Adams, Morozevich 0-1 Svidler.
    Rd 3 - Svidler 1-0 Leko, Anand 1-0 Adams, Polgar 1-0 Kasimjanov, Morozevich 0-1 Topalov.
    Rd 2 - All games drawn, but plenty of action. Topalov-Anand went right down to the wire, with Topalov seemingly on the brink of a win right up to the end after 97 moves.
    Rd 1 - A bad start for the two Hungarians, Polgar and Leko, who both lost with White. Rd 1 results - Svidler ½-½ Adams, Polgar 0-1 Anand, Leko 0-1 Topalov, Morozevich ½-½ Kasimjanov.
Official website
: http://www.wccsanluis.net/
- note that you have to register to watch the games live there, and it will cost you $40. The Internet Chess Club also has live coverage.


 

14th Monarch Assurance Isle of Man International, 24 Sept-2 Oct [03/10/05]

Monarch Assurance logoCheck out the official website - http://www.bcmchess.co.uk/monarch2005 - last year's winner Ehsan Ghaem Maghami is back to defend his title in the Isle of Man in a couple of weeks, but he faces tough opposition. The list of participants shows 25 grandmasters, 21 IMs and 4 woman grandmasters. Five players have 2600-plus ratings: Sergey Tiviakov (2678g, NED), Alexander Areshchenko (2625g, UKR), Mikhail Kobalia (2614g, RUS), Ehsan Ghaem Maghami (2603g, IRI) and Vladimir Epishin (2600g, RUS). Danny Gormally, Peter Wells, David Howell, Andrew Greet, Richard Palliser, Craig Hanley and John Cox will be waving the flag for the home nation. Latest: Alex Shabalov (USA) and Alexander Areshchenko (Ukraine) tied for first on 7/9, with Shabalov taking the trophy and title of Manx Monarch on tie-break.


 

 

Obituary: Two British Stalwarts [04/10/05]

Doug Bellis (1936-2005)We have sad news of two British chessplayers and organisers who have recently passed away. Doug Bellis (pictured left), who died aged 69 on 24 September, was originally from Essex and was a good enough player to have won the prestigious 'Battle of Britain' tournament in 1957 when its usual winners were people like Leonard Barden, Michael Franklin and John Fuller. He didn't play chess for many years but returned in the 1980s to become a highly successful match captain and club organiser, first of Mitcham Chess Club (whom he led to a number of Surrey league and cup wins), and then latterly of Wimbledon CC. A second marriage late in life brought him much happiness. Our condolences go to his widow Emer and his 10-year-old daughter Elizabeth. Keith Brown, who died on 1 October aged 58, was a well-known player, arbiter and organiser in the Merseyside area, who organised the British Blitz Championships on a number of occasions and arbited at the 4NCL in its early days. He was also an avid chess book collector. Condolences to his wife Janet and two children. His funeral is scheduled for 11 October at 11 am, at Widnes Crematorium, Brichfield Rd  Widnes.
 

Jon Speelman Simul against the Civil Service, 22 Sept [27/09/05]

Jon SpeelmanLook out, there's a 'Speelwolf' about... Jonathan Speelman played a 25-board simultaneous display against the Civil Service Chess Association as part of the organisation's centenary celebrations. He is one of the most amiable and approachable of grandmasters. Until the game starts, that is. After the handshake he is ruthlessly efficient. Only one of his opponents managed to hold him to a draw. Click on the above link for Ian Pheby's report, photos and downloadable/viewable games.




 

'Dream Team' at The Guardian [13/09/05]

Short and Barden at the GuardianNigel Short has joined The Guardian newspaper as 'our new chess columnist'. Good news for those of us who have enjoyed his wide-ranging and punchy columns in his former newspaper. Click here for an interview (by Stephen Moss) and here for Stephen Moss's new 'rookie' column in which he tells us about his chess lessons with the former world championship challenger. Hopefully Short's columns will be available online from the same source.
  The Guardian
's announcement of 'our new chess columnist' had me a bit worried for the present incumbent, as you will see further down in my letter to the Guardian editor. I'm pretty sure Leonard Barden is still going to be doing his Saturday columns, though it pays to be safe rather than sorry. "Dear Editor, Congratulations on signing up Nigel Short as 'our new chess columnist' (G2 front cover, 13 September). He is the Ian Botham of chess - occasionally boorish but never boring. But please reassure readers that he is additional to, and not instead of, Leonard Barden - the Richie Benaud of chess columnists, who has provided superlative coverage of chess in your pages for more than 50 years. The prospect of Barden and Benaud leaving the commentary box on the same day would be too much to take. Regards, John Saunders, Editor, British Chess Magazine". If you fancy adding your two-pennyworth, the Guardian's email address is letters@guardian.co.uk (put your full postal address)
 

Britain wins World Solving Team Championship [09/09/05]

Holmes logoThe 'Holmes and Watson' of British chess problem-solving - Jonathan Mestel and John Nunn - won the team gold medals for Britain at the 29th World Chess Solving Championship, held in Eretria, Greece on 6-7 September. The team from Britain (Jonathan Mestel, John Nunn, Michael McDowell) finished first, ahead of Israel and Finland. In the individual championship, first was Piotr Murdzia (POL) with 84 points, 2nd Mestel (80), 3rd Nunn (78½). The latter two scores were added together to represent the British score in the team competition. John Nunn also won an open solving competition which took place on 5 September. Detailed results can be found here.


 

Britbase Downloads [06/09/05]

Britbase logoNow is a good time to replenish your chess database for the coming season. There are lots of new games files to download from Britbase (which, if you have never visited it before, is an archive of British and Irish chess games). Click here for downloads of games from the just-finished Coulsdon International tournament where John Cox achieved his final IM norm; British Championship, plus Major Open and junior games; Staunton Memorial tournament (see further down the page); Irish and Scottish Championships; South Wales International; and the Jack Speigel Memorial tournament from Southend, plus Southend Open tournaments from 2001 right through to 2005.



 

3rd Staunton Memorial Tournament, 19-30 Aug [30/08/05]

Chess returned to the famous 19th century London chess venue, Simpson-in-the-Strand, on Friday 19 August with the start of the 3rd Howard Staunton Memorial tournament. This year it was extended to six players playing a double-cycle all-play-all: Jonathan Speelman (ENG, 2549g), David Howell (ENG, 2471m), Colin McNab (SCO, 2451g), Jonathan Levitt (ENG, 2441g), Jovanka Houska (ENG, 2342m), Lawrence Day (CAN, 2270m). Final: Colin McNab was ousted from joint first place and replaced by Jonathan Levitt, who beat the Scottish GM in 58 moves to share first place with Jonathan Speelman. This was a remarkable turnaround for Levitt, who had been in last place at the end of the first cycle but then reeled off 4½/5 (including four straight wins in his final four games) to share first. The (literally) underrated Canadian IM Lawrence Day also had an excellent finish (2/2) and dispatched Jovanka Houska with some tactical wizardry in his last game. Jovanka's consolation is that she can look back on wins against both of the two players who shared first place. The organisers can be pleased with only 12 draws in 30 games. Final Positions: 1-2 J Levitt , J Speelman 6/10, 3 C McNab, 5½, 4-5 L Day, D Howell 4½, 6 J Houska 3½. Rd 10 Results: Levitt 1-0 McNab, Speelman ½-½ Howell, Day 1-0 Houska • Download gamesGames ViewerCrosstable and Results
 

McShane wins in Igualada, 17-23 Aug [24/08/05]

There was a British success in Catalonia when English no.3 Luke McShane won the 'City of Igualada' Master tournament. In a double-cycle all-play-all of four players, McShane drew his first four games but then snatched first prize by beating Beliavsky and Korchnoi in the last two rounds. The penultimate round saw two extraordinary blunders: Korchnoi, a pawn up and with a near-winning position, lost on time to Volokitin, while Beliavsky left a bishop en prise to McShane in a relatively simple position. Time control 40/2 hrs, 1 hr for remaining moves. Scores: 1 L McShane (ENG, 2625g) 4/6, 2 A Volokitin (UKR, 2671g) 3½, 3 A Beliavsky (SLO, 2599g) 2½, 4 V Korchnoi (SUI, 2615g) 2 • Download gamesGames ViewerCrosstable and Results
 

Smith and Williamson British Championships, 1-12 Aug [13/08/05]

Jonathan Rowson, 2005 British ChampionThe British Championships have crossed the sea for the first time in their history. The 92nd BCF Congress took place in Douglas, Isle of Man, where the leading contenders were reigning champion Jonathan Rowson (2599g, SCO), John Emms (2509g, ENG), Stuart Conquest (2503g, ENG), Chris Ward (2485g, ENG), Simon Williams (2461m, ENG), Gawain Jones (2442m, ENG), Andrew Greet (2425m, ENG) and Richard Pert (2424m, ENG) in a field of 46. Final: Jonathan Rowson successfully defended the title he won last year in Scarborough. This makes him the 8th player to win the title two years in succession (after Atkins, Yates, Sultan Khan, Winter, Penrose, Speelman and Hodgson). Congratulations to him. Leading scores: 1 J Rowson (SCO) 8½/11; 2-3 S Conquest, S Haslinger 8; 4-5 J Emms, R Pert 7½, 6-7 S Gordon, A Greet 7, etc. Download complete games (rds 1-11)Official Website and Live Coverage: http://www.bcfservices.org.uk/live2005/


 

European Team Championships, Gothenburg, 30 Jul - 7 Aug [07/08/05]

The 15th European Team Championships ran from 30 July to 7 August in Gothenburg, Sweden. There were separate men's/open and women's competitions, over nine rounds, with 41 and 27 teams respectively. Each team was composed of four boards (from five-player squads).
Official Website: http://www.goteborgchess2005.se
S
ome line-ups: Russia - Svidler (2738), Dreev (2698), Motylev (2675), Bareev (2688), Timofeev (2661); Ukraine - Ivanchuk (2752), Moiseenko (2664), Karyakin (2645), Elyanov (2639), Kuzubov (2535); Armenia: Akopian (2705), Aronian (2724), Vaganian (2614), Lputian (2629), Anastasian (2595); Israel - Gelfand (2724), Sutovsky (2674), Smirin (2652), Avrukh (2652), Erenburg (2595); France - Bacrot (2729), Lautier (2672), Fressinet (2627), Bauer (2641), Dorfman (2592); Netherlands - Van Wely (2655), I.Sokolov (2691), Tiviakov (2678), Timman (2625), Van Den Doel (2587); England - McShane (2625), Speelman (2549), Gormally (2557), Wells (2529, capt), N.Pert (2493); Scotland - McNab (2451), Shaw (2449), Muir (2322), Upton (2250), Grant (2273); Wales - R.Jones (2320), Trevelyan (2196), Kett (2192), Spice (2175), D.James (2213); Ireland - Baburin (2523), Kelly (2504), Collins (2403), Orr (2305). England women: J.Houska (2342, captain), S.Lalic (2362), H.Richards (2150), I.Lauterbach (2156), J.Gilbert (2151); (no other UK or Irish women's teams entered)
Final Results: 1 Netherlands 15mpts/22gpts; 2 Israel 14/23½; 3 France 13/21½; 4 Greece 13/21½; 5 Ukraine 12/23½... 13 England 10/21; 14 Russia 10/20½... 32 Ireland 7/15... 38 Scotland 5/13½; 39 Wales 4/11. Great result for the sixth seeds, Netherlands. England would have been pleased to finish ahead of top seeds Russia (as well as five places above their seeding). Ireland and Wales finished exactly in their seeded position. Wales won a good victory over Scotland, who finished below their seeded position but had the consolation of finishing above Wales. UK and Irish players scores: England (McShane 6/9, Speelman 4/7, Gormally 5½/8, Wells ½/4, Pert 5/8), Ireland (Baburin 3½/9, Kelly 4½/9, Collins 4½/9, Orr 2½/9), Scotland (McNab 4/8, Shaw 3½/8, Muir 3/7, Grant 1½/7, Upton 1½/6), Wales (Jones 1½/8, James 2½/7, Kett 2½/7, Trevelyan 1/6, Spice 3½/8). Women's Championship: 1 Poland 15/23; 2 Georgia 14/21½; 3 Russia 12/22... 13 England 9/20½. An excellent victory for 12th seeds Poland. England did better than their seeding. There were a number of weird parallels between the English men's and women's teams' performances; they were both seeded 18th, finished 13th, their top boards both scored 6/9, third boards scored 5½/8 and fourth boards scored below par. England women's team: J Houska 6/9, S Lalic 4½/8, H Richards 5½/8, I Lauterbach 1/5, J Gilbert 3½/6.
 

Current Tournaments [14/07/05]

There are quite a number of events on the go at the moment... Dortmund Sparkassen (8-17 July, website http://www.chessgate.de/do2005/) - Naiditsch won with 5½/9 • Maccabiah Games, Jerusalem (10-20 July, website http://www.maccabiah-chess.co.il) - Smirin and Najer lead on 2/3, Judit Polgar gives a simul on 17 July • 2nd South Wales International (9-14 July, website http://www.southwaleschess.co.uk/SWI/) - 1 V Dobrov (RUS) 7½/9 • British Blitz Championship - 17 July: 1-2 Keith Arkell, Craig Hanley 12/16... Jovanka Houska is British Blitz Ladies Champion
 

Business as Usual... [07/07/05]

Despite the terrible bombings in London today, the BCM Chess Shop was open as usual. We survived two world wars so I guess we'll outlast a few bomb-throwing zombies. On behalf of everyone at the shop, I would like to thank customers and chess friends who have enquired after BCM's health and sent messages of support to us and our fellow Londoners.
 

Chess at London 2012 - Any Ideas? [07/07/05]

With all the euphoria generated by London's success in securing the 2012 Olympics, it is surely a good time to think how chess can grab a piece of the action for itself. Even if we rule out the chances of chess being played as part of the Olympics itself, this is an opportunity for something to be organised alongside. One thought - the last time the British Chess Federation held its annual congress in London was in 1948 - coincidentally, this was also the last time the Olympics were held in England's capital. What about it, BCF?
 

British Ukrainian Chess Magazine? [04/07/05]

BCM, July 2005: Special Ukrainian issue - Vasyl IvanchukA quick plug for the world's oldest chess magazine - that's us - still going strong in our 125th year. When we were born in 1881, there was no universally recognised world chess champion. So - no news there, then. This month we have lined up something a bit special - for one month only, British Chess Magazine becomes Ukrainian Chess Magazine! We are delighted to welcome guest editor Mikhail Golubev, who produced the July issue. He has commissioned some fascinating articles on chess in his native Ukraine, past and present. One of the contributors is former world champion Ruslan Ponomariov with annotations from the recently-concluded MTel Masters in Sofia. We hope readers will enjoy this homage to one of the great chess super-powers, and which currently holds the title of Olympiad champion. Don't miss out - to take out a subscription to BCM, or order single copies, go to the Magazine Subscription page. A special taster - download all six games of the hitherto secret training match played in 1996 between Mikhail Golubev and Ruslan Ponomariov.
 

Adams vs Hydra Computer, 21-27 June [27/06/05]

Watch your head, Mickey! Hydra about to sink its fangs into Adams in Game 1... ( Photo © BCM 2005)
Michael Adams puts his head in the Hydra's mouth... and gets it bitten off ( Photo © BCM 2005)

Britain's no.1 player of all time, Michael Adams, played the powerful Hydra chess computer in a six-game match at London's Wembley Conference Centre from 21-27 June. The winner of each individual game received $25,000, with $10,000 going to each player in the event of a drawn game. Hydra has a processing power of 200 million moves a second. It has yet to lose to a human opponent, having scored +6, =2, -0 against Ponomariov, Topalov, Vladimirov and Karyakin. The Hydra project is financed by the Abu Dhabi-based PAL Group, with a programming team headed by Chrilly Donninger and chess advisor GM Christopher Lutz. Latest: Final Match Score - Hydra 5½, Adams ½. Is this the end of the line for humanity in the struggle against digital chess players? It looks rather like it. Hopefully this means we can return to good ol' 'human versus human' chess, which is the only sort of chess which makes any sense. Even if it is not the end, future human chess superstars will have to think carefully before accepting sackfuls of cash for playing against a computer, because there is a high price to pay in terms of the loss of their professional prestige. Humanity calling all computers: you win, we lose - but now we're going to pull out the mains plug. Game 6 - win for Hydra - another drubbing for Michael Adams today, who goes home with a miserly $10,000 in return for his shattered prestige and morale. This perhaps ranks as the most one-sided high-profile chess match since Fischer beat Larsen 6-0 in 1971. The Hydra team are reported to be keen to match their beast against other world top ten players. But will any more chess super-grandmasters be willing to put their head on the block? "Every chess player has his price" is alleged to be the Hydra team's comment. Game 5 - win for Hydra - Adams was on the defensive again, but Hydra's knight found its way to f5, much as it did in Game 3 (in a different position), and White gradually consolidated its advantage. Game 4 - win for Hydra - Adams lost with White, in an endgame. Hydra managed to win a pawn, though it looked as if Adams should probably have been able to draw with best play. It is not yet clear where he went wrong. Game 3 - win for Hydra - Adams lost again with Black after switching from a Petroff to a Ruy Lopez defence. The game followed one of the English no.1's 1990s games until Hydra innovated with 16 Ng5. It is difficult to know exactly where Black went wrong, but perhaps it wasn't good to allow the exchange of the light-squared bishops, when the white knight establishes itself on f5. Hydra's 27 Rd6 looked unusual - and it would probably have been fatal in the hands of anyone/anything other than a tactical monster - but he followed it up with the bizarre but apparently crushing final move 28 Bxh6. Adams had seen enough and resigned, though the audience might have liked to see a few more moves. Adams now gets a day off while his opponent takes on amateur sparring partners. Game 2 - draw - Adams managed to draw a long, hard game today, playing White. At first it looked as though he was slightly better, but then the position became problematic as Hydra achieved the a5-a4 thrust to undermine Adams' queenside. But Adams' ingenious solution was to give up the exchange and then shut off all entry routes into his position. The draw was agreed on move 65. Game 1 - win for Hydra - Michael Adams lost the first match game to the Hydra computer in 33 moves after trying to defend the black side of a Petroff Defence. At the end, Adams was clearly stunned after his first encounter with the beast. He admitted he made "many mistakes" and was poorly prepared. "I seemed to be taking on Hydra and Christopher Lutz together!" But Hydra programmer Chrilly Donninger corrected him: "No, you were Christopher Lutz!" - he revealed that German GM Lutz had played down the same dubious line of the Petroff Defence in a practice session and suffered the same fate as the English star. Donninger claimed that, in subsequent analysis, they had decided that 14...Bd6 was an error and that Black could only then save himself with a series of highly accurate moves. Experts thought that Adams might have done better to try the exchange sacrifice 23...cxd4!? rather than the move played, after which defeat was inevitable. Asked by a spectator if he would risk playing the Petroff Defence again, a good-humoured Adams replied "Come back for Game 3 and you might find out!" • Download gamesGames ViewerOfficial website
 

Adams to Play Leko [01/01/05]

Britain's no.1 player, Michael Adams, has a busy time ahead of him. Before meeting the multi-headed digital monster Hydra in London later this month (see below), he meets Peter Leko in an eight-game rapidplay match in Miskolc, Hungary, from 2-5 June. Official website: http://www.lekoadams.info/
  

MTel Masters, Sofia, 11-22 May [23/05/05]

One of the year's major events is being played in Sofia, Bulgaria. Viswanathan Anand (IND), Veselin Topalov (BUL), Vladimir Kramnik (RUS), Michael Adams (ENG), Judit Polgar (HUN) and Ruslan Ponomariov (UKR) compete in a double-round six-player all-play-all. Website: http://www.mtelmasters.com/. Final: The tournament was a great success for home player Veselin Topalov, who has now won two two super-tournaments in a row, both with super finishes. He may well be considered the world's top player after the retirement of Kasparov. Scores: 1 Topalov 6½/10, 2 Anand 5½, 3-4 Polgar, Ponomariov 5, 5-6 Adams, Kramnik 4.
 

US Chess Grandmaster Arrested on Fraud Charges [18/05/05]

39-year-old US grandmaster Maxim Dlugy has been arrested at Sheremetyevo Airport, Russia, and charged with attempting to defraud a Perm metals plant of $9 million. A report in the Moscow Times said that Dlugy was detained on April 12 and transferred to Perm, where he is being held in custody. The newspaper reported that Dlugy represented a Virgin Islands-registered investment company called the Russian Growth Fund and that Garry Kasparov once served as a senior adviser at the Russian Growth Fund. This followed reports (see Moscow Times account) that the former world champion turned opposition politician was manhandled by police at a Moscow protest rally on 16 May.
 

Bundesliga Championship Play-Off, 8 May [09/05/05]

This year's Bundesliga (German League) championship was decided in a play-off match between SV Werder Bremen and SG Porz (Cologne). Stefan Löffler reports:Werder Bremen crowned a sensational season in the Bundesliga with a 4½-3½ victory over last year's champion SG Porz. It was a tie-break match after the season had ended in a dead heat for first place. The tie-break was played in the VIP lounge of the Werder Bremen football stadium. In spite of lagging by 60 rating points on average on each of the eight boards Werder claimed the match by two wins (Tomy Nyback and Zahar Efimenko) against only one win for Porz (Ivan Sokolov). A factor may have been youth: While Porz sported a team of roughly 40 years on average, Werder's average age is below 30. Luke McShane was top board for the new champions and added a German league champion's medal to the British league championship medal he won with Wood Green 1 the previous weekend. Coverage: http://www.schachbundesliga.de/
 

4NCL, Final Weekend [09/05/05]

The final three rounds of the 4NCL (British Team Championship) were played over the long weekend of 30 April to 2 May at West Bromwich Moat House. The competition reached its climax on 2 May with the clash between champions Guildford-ADC 1 and Wood Green. In the end, the two teams drew 4-4 giving Wood Green 1 the championship on game points - congratulations to them. Match result (Wood Green names first): Adams ½-½ Svidler, Shirov ½-½ Efimenko, Bologan 1-0 Lautier, Sokolov 0-1 Sutovsky, Nielsen ½-½ Rowson, McShane ½-½ Hebden, Gormally ½-½ Charbonneau, Cramling ½-½ Krush. There were some exceptional games played, including Alexei Shirov's defeat of Glenn Flear from round 10, and Emil Sutovsky's and Viorel Bologan's wins from the big match in the last round. Spectacular chess - look out for some stunning knight moves... click here for all Div 1 and Div 2 games Official website
 

FIDE World Championship Cycle 2005-7 [07/05/05]

FIDE has produced a 14-page document which describes the proposed workings of a new world championship system. Download complete document (MS Word format) from the FIDE website. There is also a useful summary at the ChessBase website. To summarise: the 128-player knock-out competition becomes the 'FIDE World Cup' and is relegated to the status of a world championship qualifying competition (akin to the old interzonal tournaments) to decide five players who go forward to a Candidates' competition. Three other players can qualify for the Candidates' via what is called a 'Last Chance Super-Tournament', and two more players qualify by virtue of finishing third and fourth in the proposed FIDE world championship which is pencilled in for Argentina later this year. So ten players play a round of Candidates' matches and the five winners are then joined by the runner-up from Argentina. A further round of matches produces three winners who are then joined by the winner from Argentina (i.e. FIDE's current world champion) for semi-finals and final. The Candidates' matches and final are played at (more or less) traditional 40:2hr/20:1hr time controls. Though overcomplex and bogged down in detail (why didn't they produce a press overview?), this proposal looks like a step in the right direction for the world championship but, as always with FIDE proposals, must be qualified by the words 'if it happens'. Will FIDE find sponsors and venues? Will the leading players agree to take part? Who knows...
 

British Chess News Round-Up: Feb/March 2005 [13/04/05]

Click on the link above for a summary of chess news from Britain and Ireland over the last two months or so. It includes a download of 2,344 British games played during that time. Among them are many games not yet published anywhere else. My thanks to all the tournament organisers who have gone out of their way to send me reports and games: your hard work is greatly appreciated. Also, it is heartening to see how rank and file chess is clearly thriving in this part of the world. Note the trend towards inputting games from major and minor tournaments. It is not just GMs and masters whose games appear on databases these days. The latest download includes the games of some 850+ players. Go careful out there, club players - any moves you make may be taken down and used in evidence against you!
     Headlines... Alexander Areshchenko wins the 2nd Coventry International, ahead of Kiril Georgiev... David Howell finishes ahead of two Swedish GMs at Jersey... Zoltan Gyimesi wins on tie-break in Cork... Leighton Williams wins Welsh Championship for the second time... Jack Rudd edges out Matthew Turner in the West of England Championship... Two England internationals, Simon Webb and John Fuller, have died... Cambridge defeated Oxford in the annual Varsity Match. Previous Round-Ups: Dec/JanOct/NovAug/SeptJune/July. Tournament reports and games are always welcome - .
    

Guardian Chess [09/04/05]

It is now possible to read Leonard Barden's Saturday Guardian newspaper column, and Jon Speelman's Sunday Observer newspaper column, online at http://sport.guardian.co.uk/chess/. There are also interviews with Bobby Fischer and Garry Kasparov by Guardian journalist Stephen Moss.
 

Bobby and Me [28/03/05]

Chess-playing Guardian journalist Stephen Moss takes his 1972 copy of My Sixty Memorable Games all the way to Reykjavik to get it autographed by the man himself - but will Fischer sign it? Read his account here in today's Guardian.
 

Fischer in Iceland [26/03/05]

Nearly 33 years after his world-famous match with Spassky, Bobby Fischer is back in Reykjavik, Iceland, after being being released from detention in Japan. Looking haggard and unkempt after a 24-hour plane journey from Tokyo via Copenhagen, the 62-year-old former world champion arrived to a warm welcome from his Icelandic fans, who now welcome the chess genius as a fellow countryman. Fischer kept calm amongst the hullabaloo, apologising for "imposing" on his new country and saying that, if Iceland grew tired of him, "they can take away my citizenship later". Reports: ChessBaseGuardian (1)Guardian (2) TimesBBCIcelandic TV
 

† Simon Webb (1949-2005) [22/03/05]

Readers will be saddened to learn that English IM and correspondence GM Simon Webb died on 14 March in the most tragic circumstances, reportedly killed by his own disturbed adult son at his home in Sweden. Full Story in The Times. Simon Webb was one of the most promising of the generation of players who made up the 'English Chess Explosion' of the 1970s. He was joint British U18 Champion in 1966 and once finished 4th in the European Junior Championship. He achieved his final IM norm in 1977 and shortly after switched to correspondence play, gaining his correspondence GM title in 1983. He moved to live in Sweden many years ago but remained active as a correspondence player throughout his life. He also played bridge internationally, in partnership with his younger brother Roger. He will probably be best remembered for his superb book Chess For Tigers, which provided the reader with sound and often humorous advice, particularly in regard to taking on stronger players. He will be sadly missed.
 

Kasparov: The Endgame [14/03/05]

Garry Kasparov gave his first major post-retirement interview to Stephen Moss of the Guardian this week. Click here - it is mainly about his political aspirations but there is some chess content and a revelation about his personal life. Kasparov doesn't take kindly to an intended compliment when the interviewer compares him with the Brazilian soccer star Ronaldinho.
 

Blackpool Congress, 11-13 Mar - Live Games [12/03/05]

There is live coverage of games at the Blackpool Congress this weekend - click here. Players include British and Scottish champion Jonathan Rowson, Mark Hebden and Harriet Hunt.
 

Kasparov Retires From Professional Chess [11/03/05]

At the press conference after his loss in the last round to Topalov, Garry Kasparov shocked the world by announcing his retirement from professional chess. He said that he had already made the decision well in advance of Linares, and that the knowledge that it would be his last game had contributed to his poor performance in the final game. He had become disillusioned with the top-level organisation of the game and disappointed that the FIDE championship match with Kasimdzhanov had not come about. He says he will still play some rapidplay chess for fun, but otherwise devote himself to writing and politics. ChessBase siteBBCGuardian UnlimitedRediff.comAljazeera.netMore Reports
   Garry Kasparov's retirement aged 41 will come as a blow to the standing of professional chess as he remains chess's one major celebrity in the world at large. This was amply demonstrated by the prominence of the retirement story in the general news media. If this really is the end of the line for Kasparov - and it is very hard to take - it seems appropriate to say 'Garry - thanks for all the entertainment you have given us'.
 

22nd Linares ' Supertorneo', 23 Feb - 10 Mar 2005 [10/03/05]

This year's Linares tournament features seven of the world's top players in a double-cycle all-play-all, category 20. The players are Garry Kasparov (2804, world ranked no.1), Viswanathan Anand (2786, no.2), Veselin Topalov (2757, no.3), Peter Leko (2749, no.5), Michael Adams (2741, no.7), Francisco Vallejo Pons (2686, no.18), Rustam Kasimdzhanov (2678, no.25). Main areas of interest: Kasparov's form following his Russian championship success in November; Peter Leko's form after his victory at Corus Wijk aan Zee; FIDE knock-out champion Rustam Kasimdzhanov taking on a world-class field; and whether Linares can improve its image after the dull 2004 tournament which featured 10/42 decisive games. Latest: Final Round - there was a last-round shock as Kasparov succumbed to Topalov in a king and pawn endgame, so the two of them finished first equal on 8/12. Kasparov was way below his best today, rather as he was in the final game with Deep Blue. Apparently the tie-break employed (most wins, followed by most wins with Black) means Kasparov is technically first - but it won't feel like it tonight. He will be hurting after throwing away such a big tournament lead. Veselin Topalov, on the other hand, will be celebrating his greatest triumph yet, and a 3/3 finish. It has been a while since he beat Kasparov at 'proper chess' (Amsterdam 1996 was the last time). Another unbeaten record was ended as Anand lost to Adams - a good finish for the Englishman who has had a number of good positions in this tournament, only to spoil them with tentative or indecisive play at the key moment. I wonder - when was the last time the world's no.1 and 2 players were beaten on the same day at real chess? Leko tried long and hard to win a fairly arid position but had to give up eventually and accept his 12th straight draw. The fact that he was the tournament's only unbeaten player will not compensate for his unenviable reputation as the 'draw-master'. Final scores: 1-2 Kasparov, Topalov 8/12, 3 Anand 6½, 4 Leko 6, 5 Adams 5½, 6-7 Vallejo Pons, Kasimdzhanov 4. Crosstable and ResultsDownload gamesGames ViewerSpanish Coverage (1)Spanish Coverage (2)
 

123rd Varsity Match, Oxford vs Cambridge, 5 Mar [06/03/05]

The world's oldest regular chess fixture, the annual Oxford University vs Cambridge University match, took place at the RAC Club in London on 5 March. This was the 123rd match in the series which commenced in 1873 and has continued every year since, apart from during world wars. This year Oxford outrated Cambridge on every board and were hoping to cut the deficit in the overall series score. Latest: Despite the rating differential, Cambridge won 5-3. Results (Oxford names first, Oxford white on odds): 1 Luke McShane (2614g) 1-0 James Vigus (2311f); 2 Tim Woodward (2333f) ½-½ Thomas Nixon (2195); 3 Merim Bilalic (2292f) 0-1 David Hodge (2165); 4 David Shaw (2197) 0-1 Richard Mycroft (2141); 5 Kieran Smallbone (2170) 0-1 Bernhard Klein (2094); 6 Ezra Lutton (2135) 0-1 Oliver Cooley (2097); 7 Sophie Tidman (2127wf) 1-0 Martin Rohrmeier (2000); 8 Mark Gray (2100) ½-½ Annie Powell 2026). Cambridge have now won 55 matches to Oxford's 50, with 18 drawn. ResultsDownload gamesGames Viewernote: download amended 8 March to include the final few moves of the board 3 game, Bilalic-Hodge. My thanks to David Hodge for supplying.

 

Jersey Chess Festival, 13-19 Feb 2005 [26/02/05]

There was a resounding success for two young players at the recent Jersey Festival. 14-year-old David Howell took first place ahead of two Swedish grandmasters, Jonny Hector and Tiger Hillarp Persson. In terms of individual results, 17-year-old Simon Fowler (whose BCF grade is only 170) claimed the scalp of GM Jonny Hector in the penultimate round, while David Howell beat GM Hillarp Persson in the last round to claim the first prize of £1,500. Final Standings: 1 David Howell 6/7, 2 Jonny Hector 5½, 3 Simon Fowler 5, 4-7 Tiger Hillarp Persson, Matthew Dignam, Alan Spice, Mark G Fraser 4½, etc. ResultsDownload all games [the game Fowler-Kobese amended - now also contains all the Major and Minor tournament games] • Games Viewer. Thanks to Arthur Brameld for the games, and Adam Raoof for the info. There is one prize left to give out - and its destination will be decided by BCM website readers - VOTE FOR THE BEST GAME (voting ends 16 March).
 

Cricket Good, Chess Bad? [13/02/05]

Chess was banned in Iran between 1979 and 1988 but it has since returned to the game with enthusiasm and success (viz. Ehsan Ghaem Maghami's success in last year's Monarch Assurance tournament, ahead of Korchnoi, Nakamura and others). But now we face the prospect of the same thing happening in Iraq if, as is expected, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani emerges as the new power in the country. The questions and answers listed at his website (www.sistani.org) make it clear that chess is 'absolutely unlawful'. Strangely, cricket playing and watching is allowed. I wasn't aware that cricket was played in Iraq, though chess is popular there. As former Private Eye editor Richard Ingrams put it in his Sunday column: "But hang on. Aren't we supposed to have been fighting to bring freedom to Iraq?" Reports: ChessBase websiteRichard Ingrams in The Observer • article on the legality of chess in Islam at AskAsia.org
 

Gibtelecom Masters, 25 Jan - 3 Feb [05/02/05]

The Gibtelecom Chess Festival is in progress at the Caleta Hotel, Gibraltar. It features several tournaments, in particular the Gibtelecom Masters, a ten-round swiss with an impressive line-up of grandmasters - Alexei Shirov, Alexei Dreev, Lev Aronian, Emil Sutovsky, Krishnan Sasikiran, Kiril Georgiev and the new US champion Hikaru Nakamura. Latest: Round 10 - five players shared for first place - 1-5 Aronian, Efimenko, Georgiev, Shirov, Sutovsky 7½/10, 6-10 Areshchenko, Gormally, Kotronias, Nakamura, Sargissian 7, etc. Danny Gormally had a superb tournament: he achieved his GM title - and overcame his fear of flying. As with the famous Arsenal and Netherlands soccer player Dennis Bergkamp, Danny's international appearances have been restricted by his fear of taking to the skies. He recently took a fear of flying course and came through it with flying colours (no apologies for the pun). After the adrenalin rush of the flight to Gibraltar, getting his final GM norm must have been a piece of cake. Congrats on the final norm, Danny. There were also IM norms for Thomas Rendle, Gary Quillan, Hamad Al-Tamimi and Saleh Jasim - congratulations to them. Crosstable and ResultsDownload games, Rds 1-10, complete (standardised names, ratings and several corrected results compared with the official website downloads)click here for the official website.
 

Peter Leko wins at Wijk aan Zee [30/01/05]

This year's Corus tournament is a category 19 event, with nearly all the top grandmasters except Kasparov (who was prevented from entering because of a potential clash with his mirage of a match with Kasimdzhanov). Final: Peter Leko deservedly won the Corus tournament, finishing half a point clear of last year's winner Vishy Anand and one point ahead of Veselin Topalov. All the last round games were drawn except for Van Wely beating Short. Scores: 1 Leko 8½/13, 2 Anand 8, 3 Topalov 7½, 4-7 Adams, Grischuk, Kramnik, Polgar 7, 8-10 Bruzon, Ponomariov, Van Wely 6½, 11 Svidler 6, 12 Short 5½, 13 Morozevich 4½, 14 Sokolov 3½ • Crosstable and ResultsDownload gamesGames Viewer • Official website www.coruschess.com
 

Kasparov: "Enough is Enough" [21/01/05]

Garry Kasparov has announced that he will not be playing a match with Rustam Kasimdzhanov for the FIDE world championship. Click here for his full statement and FIDE's response. Kasparov is understandably frustrated at the World Chess Federation's (FIDE) fruitless attempts to organise venue, date and prize fund for this match. The timing of his announcement is interesting - having to sit at home and watch the superb Corus Wijk aan Zee unfold on his computer screen - when he would dearly liked to have played - was clearly the last straw. Kasparov's withdrawal from the reunification process is a major, and possibly final, blow to any remaining credibility that FIDE's version of the title holds. For the future, we will have to await a rapprochement between Kasparov, Anand and the (true) world champion Vladimir Kramnik, perhaps via the offices of the Association of Chess Professionals. It is not just a question of arranging top-level matches: some form of fair and inclusive qualification process will have to be designed and implemented. Latest: FIDE have responded (20 Jan) - click on the above link.
 

Hastings: 'It's A Knock-out' [07/01/05]

The 80th Hastings International Congress started on 28 December and, including the Weekend competitions, runs to 9 January. This traditional congress has been given a radical make-over, with the old-style Premier and Challengers combined into one to make a big knock-out tournament ending in a two-game final on 5-6 January. When players are knocked out, they carry their score into a secondary ten-round swiss tournament. When the knock-out gets down to eight players, they play two games per round instead of one. One controversial new departure is a time limit designed to make up for the fact that the player drawing Black in any round is at a disadvantage. The rate of play is 40 moves in the first 70 minutes for White and 90 minutes for Black, plus 20 minutes for all the remaining moves, adding on one minute per move from the first. The time limit applies throughout all rounds in both tournaments; our understanding is that it is no bar to games being FIDE-rated or norms being achievable (though perhaps it should be).
Vladimir Belov, 2004/5 Hastings winnerFinal
: 21-year-old Russian grandmaster Vladimir Belov closed out his two-game match with Bartosz Socko with a draw to become the first winner of the new Hastings Knock-Out tournament. Though this year's field was not as impressive as in past years, and the format was somewhat controversial, there is no question that the most deserving player came through to win. Hastings has been a notable showcase for emerging talents for more than 100 years, from Pillsbury to Ponomariov, and it is just possible that Vladimir Belov is another such case. Challengers: 1-3 Monika Socko (POL), Alexei Barsov (UZB), Valery Neverov (UKR) 7½/10, 4-9 N Pert (ENG), J Gonzales (PHI), Z Efimenko (UKR), W Hendriks (NED), D Gormally (ENG) 7, etc.
    Final, Game 1: Russian GM Vladimir Belov is the 'leader in the clubhouse', having defeated Bartosz Socko in the first of the two final games. The final game is tomorrow and Socko needs a win to force a play-off. Better news for the Socko family in the Challengers: Monika Socko and Alexei Barsov lead with 7/9 with one round to go.

   Semi-Final Game 2 (4 Jan): The no.3 seed, Bartosz Socko, will meet the no.4 seed, Vladimir Belov, in the final. Socko and Barsov dispensed with the handicap games altogether and decided their tie on the blitz rapidplays. Pavlovic was outplayed from an innocuous-looking opening.

   Semi-Final Game 1 (3 Jan): not much of a fight today - Barsov ½-½ Socko (15 moves), Belov ½-½ Pavlovic (24 moves).
    Round 5.2
(2 Jan): And then there were four - Barsov (UZB), Pavlovic (SER), Belov (RUS), Socko (POL). The three teenagers Bluvshtein, Howell and Rendle finally ran out of steam, and now it is left to four established East European GMs to compete for the top positions. Round 5.1 (1 Jan): Happy New Year to all website readers. The tournament is now down to the quarter-finals, at which point two-game matches decide the ties. Officially we are now into the 'Premier' phase of the competition. There are two young Englishmen left to do battle with the GMs and IMs - local boys Thomas Rendle (18) and David Howell (14). Pairings: Barsov ½-½ (in only 10 moves!) Bluvshtein, Rendle 0-1 Pavlovic, Socko ½-½ Howell, Belov 1-0 Ziatdinov. Round 4 (31 Dec): 17-year-old Mark Bluvshtein of Canada could be his country's finest prospect since Abe Yanofsky. In this round he put out top seed Vasilios Kotronias in the rapidplays. Another top seed, Zahar Efimenko, was also eliminated (and, with only 1/4 to his name, he doesn't stand much chance in the 'Challengers' either). Li Wu's superb challenge ended in blitz play-offs against Milos Pavlovic; we will hear a lot more of this young talent in years to come. Gormally and Hebden also exited, leaving teenagers Thomas Rendle and David Howell to fly the flag of St George. Round 3 (30 Dec): though both Perts, Lalic and Jovanka Houska are out, Mark Hebden, Danny Gormally and Andrew Greet are still in the running, as are three young English talents: David Howell, Li Wu and Thomas Rendle. Most of the ties are going to form, and Zahar Efimenko is still in contention despite a feeble score of 1/3 so far. It is technically possible for him to win the tournament with 4½/10 (so long as his blitz play is up to the mark). Round 2 (29 Dec) - British interest in the knock-out dwindled as Nick Pert, Bogdan Lalic and Jovanka Houska were knocked out of the tournament in the second round. Round 1 (28 Dec): 84 players took part in the new Hastings knock-out - rather less than the desired 128. It meant that only 20 players were eliminated from the knock-out in round one (and went into the subsidiary swiss competition). As things turned out, nearly all the round one games were decisive, with a differential of about 300 rating points on most boards. There were two major surprises: two Ukrainian GMs lost to opposition of around 2200. USA's Raymond Kaufman beat GM Valery Neverov, while the 15-year-old England player Li Wu beat GM Zahar Efimenko. Despite the shock defeats of the two GMs, both of them qualified for round two anyway in accordance with the rules for so-called 'lucky losers', which in fact heavily favour high-rated (or high-board) losers. There was only one titled casualty in round one: US IM William Paschall who lost to Lithuanian woman player Rasa Norinkeviciute in the last game to finish, after being a pawn up for much of the game. Rd 1-10 ResultsDownload some Rd 1-10 gamesGames Viewer • Official website www.hastingschess.org.uk.
 

Women In Chess [23/12/04]

Click on the above link to go to the BBC website and listen to a radio interview (on the popular BBC Radio Four programme Woman's Hour) with the BCF Director of Women's Chess Claire Summerscale and leading British woman player Jovanka Houska on the subject of women in chess. In the interview Jovanka Houska mentions the reactions of men when they come up against her in competition; in particular that of a 'world-class grandmaster' who just couldn't believe he was unable to beat her in a recent match. She doesn't name him but she could well be referring to Alexander Belyavsky, who played 110 moves against her in a Bundesliga match in November before giving the game up as a draw. Well worth a listen!
 

Bobby Fischer: Iceland Offers Residency [16/12/04]

Bobby Fischer, who has been detained by Japanese authorities since July in connection with immigration irregularities, has been offered a possible chance to escape his predicament (and possible deportation to USA). Fischer's lawyers announced on 15 December that the Icelandic government is prepared to grant a residence permit to the former world chess champion, who won his title in 1972 on Icelandic soil. Fischer spoke on Icelandic TV via a telephone link from his place of detention in Iceland on 13 December - click here for a multi-media link (warning: some strong words and opinions voiced). The story is not over yet, however - it remains to be seen whether Japan is prepared to let Fischer go.
 

Nakamura wins the US Championship [08/12/04]

16-year-old Hikaru Nakamura won a play-off with Alexander Stripunsky to take the US championship title, played over nine rounds in San Diego (23 Nov - 5 Dec). Nakamura also took $25,000 in prize money. Nakamura and Stripunsky both scored 7/9 and were a full point clear of the field: 3-8 G Kaidanov, S Kudrin, Y Shulman, J Benjamin, G Serper, A Onischuk 6. Gata Kamsky was amongst those on 5½ - he scored +2, =7, -0 - he is clearly very rusty after a five-year lay-off. Another 16-year-old, Tatev Abrahamyan, was in a play-off for the women's title but lost out to Rusa Goletiani, 24, from Hartsdale NY, who takes the title and $12,500 first prize. They both scored 4½/9 and finished ahead of US Olympiad players Irina Krush, Anna Zatonskih and Jennifer Shahade. Official website: http://www.uschesschampionship.com/
 

BritBase

Just in case you haven't yet had a good look round this website, you might like to know that part of it, called 'BritBase', is a collection of downloadable PGN files containing British and Irish chess game scores, going back about 100 years. Started in 1998, it was the first national archive of downloadable games anywhere on the web. Latest (30 Jan 2005): British Championship 1909 complete, USA-GB cable matches 1909 and 1901.
 


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Britbase

Best and most comprehensive source of British tournament games available for free download in zipped PGN format, many not available anywhere else.
www.bcmchess.co.uk/britbase


 

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