Speelman on chess -- 27-Nov-05
The 44th World Junior Chess Championship took place in Istanbul from 9-22 November. The premier junior (in this case under-20) event on the calendar, the World Junior was first contested in Birmingham 1951 when the Yugoslav Boris Ivkov was first in a field of just 18. Initially biennial, it became an annual chess event from 1973 onwards and counts a galaxy of chess stars among its past winners. ... |
Chess loses a fighter -- 26-Nov-05
Russian-born U.S. grandmaster Igor Ivanov, one of the best chess players on the North American scene in the 1980s and 1990s, died of cancer earlier this month at his Utah home at the age of 59. ... One of his most famous wins was his brilliancy-prize victory over Seattle GM and multiple U.S. champion Yasser Seirawan at the 1991 U.S. chess championship. The final tactic, involving two consecutive queen offers, was deemed the best combination of the year by the editors of Informant magazine. ... |
Speelman on chess -- 20-Nov-05
We're currently in the midst of a succession of official FIDE events. Starting with the World Chess Championship Tournament itself in San Luis Argentina in October, this has continued with the World Team Chess Championship in Beersheva at the beginning of this month, the World Junior Chess Championship, which is currently in progress in Istanbul; and the FIDE World Cup which gets under way a week today in Khanty-Mansiysk in Siberia, an 128-player knockout which is a stepping stone on the way to their projected World Chess Championship Tournament in 2007. ... |
Barden on chess -- 19-Nov-05
Playing to the rules has a special connotation in the biennial chess Olympiad, in which more than 150 nations compete, and the quadrennial world team chess championship. Squads are of six players, with four taking part in each individual match. Because scoring is primarily on game rather than match points, there is a premium on fielding two or three players who can score heavily against weaker teams. ... |
Speelman on chess -- 13-Nov-05
The World Team Chess Championship finished in Beersheva in Israel on Thursday in victory for the favourites Russia by the narrowest possible margin after a dramatic 3.5-0.5 last round win against the erstwhile leaders China. Rank outsiders before the event, the young, strong and ambitious Chinese chess team, none of whose members is currently rated even in the top 50, had somehow coalesced into a unit hugely stronger than the sum of its parts; and in the first seven rounds swept away all before it. ... |
Barden on Chess -- 12-Nov-05
China has made a quantum jump into the leading chess nations, and almost achieved one of the great historic upsets, in this week's world team chess championship in Beersheba, Israel. Beijing's unheralded team beat the Olympiad champions Ukraine, crushed the US 3.5-0.5 and led the mighty Russians by four points with only eight games left. But in Thursday's final round Moscow's elite grandmasters beat China 3.5-0.5 and regained the world chess title by only half a point. ... |
Russia wins world chess team championship -- 10-Nov-05
Russia captured the world chess team championship Thursday with a last-minute, come-from-behind victory over the surprised Chinese chess team. The two teams had been battling for the top spot since the chess tournament began Nov. 1, with the Russians edging ahead on the tournament's final day by winning its last three matches against the Chinese. Russia finished with 22 points, followed by China with 21.5 points. ... |
China Eyes First Chess World Title -- 08-Nov-05
China's national chess team yesterday sought to expand its narrow lead over heavily favored Russia in search of its first world chess championship title. The two teams have been battling for the top spot since the chess tournament began November 1, with the Chinese men's team on Monday poking ahead by a half point. Heading into a matchup yesterday with the third-place US chess team, China had 16 points. Russia has 15.5 points. ... |
Israeli city joins the great chess capitals of the world -- 06-Nov-05
A sleepy southern Israeli city that is passionate about the game of chess has had the honor of hosting the World Team Chess Championships of the game of kings. The world's top chess players - who traveled last week from as far away as China and Cuba - sat at their numbered, blue-draped tables utterly focused on their games as the 10-day chess tournament got underway. ... |
Armenia Third after Three Tours of World Chess Championship -- 04-Nov-05
The third tour of the World Chess Championship took place in Beer Sheva, Israel. The Armenian chess team met with the Ukrainian chess players and won 2.5:1.5. The victory was gained by Levon Aronyan, who played with Vasiliy Ivanchuk. The other three games were played in a draw. ... |
Cuba Faces China at World Chess -- 03-Nov-05
The Cuban chess team is in pursuit Thursday of its second win in the World Chess Championship as it faces off with the Chinese menīs side in the third round. Cuba, which finished eighth at Calvia 2004 Olympics, lost 3-1 to heavyweight Russia in her debut Monday and defeated Chinaīs women with the same score the following day. ... |
Cuban World Chess Team Loses to Russia in First Round -- 03-Nov-05
The Cuban team participating in the World Chess Team Cup in the Israeli city of Beer Sheva scored two ties and two losses in the first round of the chess competition. According to the Cups official web site, Russias Svidler won an exemplary chess game against Lazaro Bruzonīs tough Berlin variation. Svidler gradually improved his position on the kingside and eventually created a decisive passed pawn. ... |
New chess champ has a novel way of winning -- 02-Nov-05
Vaselin Topalov, a Bulgarian chess grandmaster, is on top of the world. In mid-October, Topalov, 30, won the chess championship organized by the World Chess Federation by a margin of a point and a half over most of the world's best chess players. His performance was so dominant (he won six of his first seven games) that by the midpoint of the tournament, the suspense was all but over. ... |
Speelman on chess -- 29-Oct-05
While the wonderful FIDE World Chess Championship tournament has naturally held centre stage in recent weeks, there has also been plenty of chess action elsewhere with literally thousands of games played between players in chess tournaments open and closed. The two strongest chess events both featured one of the very best players not to play in San Luis, the current world number six Vassily Ivanchuk; ... |
Speelman on chess -- 22-Oct-05
It's just over a week now since the FIDE World Chess Championship tournament came to its conclusion. The successor to the only previous such, when Mikhail Botvinnik became chess champion in the Hague and Moscow 1948, it was a great event in the chess world and will have ramifications for years to come. So close, it's very hard to get perspective but today I'll celebrate the moment when Veselin Topalov became assured of victory and have a small tentative stab at what will follow. ... |
Barden on chess -- 22-Oct-05
Even before Veselin Topalov secured his Fide chess world crown last week, talk had turned to a title unity match with Vlad Kramnik. The Bulgarian's opening burst of 6.5/7 destroyed the field at San Luis and he halved out the remaining rounds. Topalov is now ranked No1 after Garry Kasparov's retirement but Kramnik beat Kasparov, then defended his chess title in 2004 against Peter Leko, winner of an eliminator that included Topalov. ... |
FIDE to hold next world chess championship in 2007 -- 18-Oct-05
The World Chess Federation (FIDE) presidential board has decided to hold the men's chess world championships every two years, and the next world championship will be held in September-October 2007 ... |
World Chess Championship: Topalov wins world chess title, Anand second -- 15-Oct-05
Bulgarian Grandmaster Veselin Topalov played a leisurely 14th round game against Hungarian Grandmaster Judit Polgar and was first to draw the game in just 25 minutes to become the World chess champion. With this title win, Topalov has gained almost 20 Elo points and crossed the 2800 mark. ... |
World Chess Championship: Bulgarian Veselin Topalov new world chess champion -- 14-Oct-05
Topalov, with his unsurpassable score of 9.5 points from 13 games, emerged the new World chess champion, 2005. Anand shares the second place along with Peter Svidler, who has also scored eight points. The 14th round game will only be a formality for Topalov, while Anand and Svidler will have to fight it out for the second spot. ... |
World Chess Championship: Topalov set to annex World Chess crown -- 13-Oct-05
It looks implausible but the fortunes in the World Chess Championship can still change in the remaining two rounds. The Bulgarian Veselin Topalov is set to annex the chess crown with 9 points in his kitty and now needs just two draws against Rustam Kasimdzhanov of Uzbekistan and Hungarian Judit Polgar. In the game against Kasimdzhanov, Topalov will have black and that's where he will have to be a bit more careful as Polgar is just out of sorts in the million dollar chess competition being played on a double round robin basis. ... |
World Chess Championship: Topalov Top of World Chess, Anand Follows -- 12-Oct-05
Viswanathan Anand scored a thumping victory against Peter Leko of Hungary and caught Peter Svidler of Russia on second spot after the 12th round in the World Chess Championship San Luis, Argentina. The second victory on the trot also helped Anand move closer to championship leader Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria after the latter took a quick draw as white against Svidler. The other two games of the day also ended in draws with Michael Adams of England signing peace with Rustam Kasimdzhanov of Uzbekisan and Russian Alexander Morozevich failing to breach the solid defenses of Hungarian Judit Polgar. ... |
World Chess Championship: Anand avenges defeat, beats Kasimdzhanov -- 11-Oct-05
Vishwanathan Anand overshadowed Rustam Kasimdzhanov of Uzbekistan to emerge clear third after the 11th round of the World chess championship in San Luis, Argentina. The fourth victory by the Indian chess ace also helped him move within two points of championship leader Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria as the latter survived a scare before getting a draw against Michael Adams of England. In the other decisive chess game of the day, Peter Svidler made his bid for the second place by defeating another contender Alexander Morozevich of Russia while Judit Polgar put an end to her losses by taking a draw with fellow Hungarian Peter Leko. ... |
World Chess Championship: Topalov continues to lead -- 10-Oct-05
... Topalov continues to lead at the top of table with eight points after 10 rounds with six wins and four draws. He is followed by Peter Svidler who drew his tenth round with Peter Leko. The tenth round's only decisive game saw Rustam Kasimjanov beat Judit Polgar. ... |
World Chess Championship: Topalov Draws Anand, Keeps Lead -- 10-Oct-05
Viswanathan Anand failed to dislodge leader Veselin Topalov in the ninth round and was forced to take a draw in just 17 moves of their game in the FIDE World Chess Championships in San Luis, Argentina. The draw meant that Topalov is still on top with a two-point lead over Peter Svidler. ... Alexander Morozevich continued his winning run with a third win in a row, beating Peter Leko. That helped Morozevich to five points and a share of third place with Anand. ... |
Bulgarian is Europe's top Chessboxer -- 09-Oct-05
... The WCBO (World Chess Boxing Organisation) organised the event where so-called chessboxers went through interchanging four-minute-rounds of chess and two-minute boxing rounds. ... |
World Chess Championship: Anand beats Polgar, moves to third place -- 07-Oct-05
... Anand came back strongly to beat Judit Polgar of Hungary in the eighth round of the World Chess Championship in San Luis, Argentina. ... However, there was not much change at the top as Bulgarian Veselin Topalov maintained a two-points lead over nearest chess rival Peter Svidler of Russia after taking an easy draw with fourth-placed Peter Leko of Hungary. ... |
World Chess Championship: Topalov Unstoppable at World Chess in Argentina -- 06-Oct-05
... Veselin Topalov's onslaught continued with his sixth victory in seven games. His latest victim was defending chess champion Rustam Kasimdhzanov, who beat him in Triploli last year. Topalov won a 73-move game in the Ruy Lopez Closed and now has 6.5 points in seven games and is two points clear of Peter Svidler, the second placed player, who beat Judit Polgar. Anand is at 3.5 points sharing third place with Peter Leko who beat Michael Adams. ... |
World Chess Championship: Anand draws again, Topalov extends lead -- 05-Oct-05
Viswanathan Anand played his third draws in six games to stay in the tied second place with Peter Svidler, even as Veselin Topalov continued his brilliant run with a fifth win in six games at the World Chess Championships in San Luis, Argentina. ... Anand and Svidler now have 3.5 points each, while Bulgarian Topalov extended his lead to full two points after six rounds of the chess tournament. ... |
World Chess Championship: Topalov Keeps Atop World Chess in Argentina -- 04-Oct-05
Anand held an advantage but could not convert it into a win as he played a draw with Peter Leko in the fifth round of the World Chess Championships. ... Michael Adams and Rustam Kasimdzhanov were also engaged in a Sicilian Najdorf but settled for a quick draw after 29 moves. The fourth chess game was in Philidor's Defence pattern between Judit Polgar and Russia's Alexander Morozevich. Polgar looked strong against Morozevich but did not get more than the split point. ... |
World Chess Championship: Anand loses to Kasimdzhanov -- 02-Oct-05
Defending chess champion Rustam Kasimdzhanov handed Viswanathan Anand a crushing defeat in the fourth round of the World Chess Championship being played in San Luis, Argentina. The loss proved quite expensive for Anand as he lost the joint lead and was relegated to third spot in the US$ 1 million prize money chess event being played on a double round robin basis among eight chess players. On another eventful day, when every chess game produced a result, Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria made most of his opportunities to grind down Michael Adams of England, emerging as the sole leader with 3.5 points from four games. ... |
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