• CHESSFLASH WORLD NEWS January 29, 2007, Wijk aan Zee, Holland. ARMENIAN SUPER GRANDMASTER L.ARONIAN HAS WON THE "CORUS" INTERNATIONAL ON TIEBREAK CALCULATION (8.5 /13 rounds) over T.RADJABOV and former world champion V. TOPALOV...They split over $150,000 to boot ....World absolute champion V. KRAMNIK effortlessly, as usual, went undefeated in the event and is now a chess millionaire several times over... welcome all over the globe ....having mowed down Mr. Topalov not once but twice (Elista, Russia world title match 2006) ...in addition to laughing at the ridiculous claims of cheating made by the sore loser Mr. Topalov.

• CHESSFLASH WORLD NEWS December 3, 2006 Bonn, Germany. KRAMNIK BLUNDERS $500,000. After 5 fantastic man versus chess computer games completed today, the verdict is in: World absolute chess champion V. KRAMNIK WILL LOSE ONE HALF MILLION DOLLARS ($500,000) as a direct result of a totally unforced, incredibly overlooked CHECKMATE IN ONE MOVE played in the early game number two IN A SUPERB POSITION TO BOOT, ruining effortless 4 draws - in-a-cakewalk play by the great super grandmaster Mr. Kramnik. With one game remaining, Mr. Kramnik cannot win and must forgo the one half million dollar bonus on offer for winning the gala thriller.....one very bright spot for mankind...Mr. Kramnik effortlessly demonstrated anew equal play for the black pieces versus the computer - proving that the great professional chess player can effortlessly draw (tie) at will ...if the cash is right! Poor Mr. Kramnik is now left with overall terrific play, plus his mere $500,000 original starting fee...Life is indeed tough in Bonn!

• CHESSFLASH WORLD NEWS July18, 2006 Baltimore, Maryland USA. GRANDMASTER A. WOJTKIEWICZ wins Philadelphia "World Open" then dies at age 43. Tragic news just in: cancer and liver problems have taken the life of a much traveled chess legend...his last event was just two weeks ago.. a mutliple all grandmaster first place tie for all the cash. A good exit for this chess fighter... He would have it no other way...he played all over the nation after serious Latvian/Polish/ USSR problems and was indeed lucky to reach the US freedom boat alive. I did not know him well but almost everyone in the chess world encountered him somehow, somewhere...a vibrant chess memory.

• CHESSFLASH WORLD NEWS -- June 4, 2006. ARMENIA IS THE GOLD MEDAL WINNER IN THE WORLD TEAM OLYMPIAD CHAMPIONSHIPS. Turin, Italy. Armenia wins the huge (150 nation!!!) WORLD CHESS TEAM OLYMPIAD. On the shoulders of L."the ruthless one" ARONIAN, V. "chess tourist" AKOPIAN and its all universe lower board superstar G.SARGISSIAN (who somehow forgot a tie) draw was possible for much of the event, reeling off PLUS 8 wins in 13 rounds. The United States scored a very unexpected bronze third place medal with an electrifying 3.5/4 last round miracle finish versus Norway. (FINAL RESULTS: 1.ARMENIA, Gold medal 36/52 2.China, silver medal 34 points 3.United States, bronze medal, 33 points)

• CHESSFLASH WORLD NEWS -- May 29, 2006 -- SPASSKY DEFEATS KARPOV! Porte Vecchio, Corsica. One of the greatest chess grandmasters of all time has struck again at age of 69! With terrific endgame play B. SPASSKY wins the $25,000( plus appearance fee) prize "Le Match des Legendes" 2006 versus former world title holder A. Karpov. FINAL RESULT: Spassly 1.5/2 versus Karpov....just a reminder to young readers of Mr. Spassky's incredible career match record that made him a multi-millionaire over 46 years ( and a star of French wine commercials with nice ladies stroking his hair!). Spassky stalked giants in match play: Petrosian (twice!), Tal, Korchnoi (twice!) FISCHER (TWICE!), Karpov twice...and best of all legendary Mr. Spassky (agent oochess) once took one million dollars via suitcase out of war torn Belgrade and made it out alive.

• CHESSFLASH WORLD NEWS May 22, 2006 Sofia, Bulgaria. With a fabulous four game conclusion- a wipeout of four 2700 elo level players on home town turf .... world chess champion V. TOPALOV won $130,000 /the M-TEL 6 SUPER GRANDMASTER DOUBLE ROUND ROBIN EVENT CONCLUDED TODAY..6.5/10 games..... In his classic , cliffhanger "ooooh that was close folks" come from behind fashion .... Mr. Topalov survived an awesome "murderers' row" plus score performance by the amercian( come from the dead- the "independent operator") G. KAMSKY who quite unexpectedly mowed down ANAND, PONOMARIOV,SVIDLER, BACROT WITH 1.5-.5 in his mini matches with them...only two fierce losses versus the gentleman world champion kept the New Yorker Mr. Kamsy from the biggest chess upset ever recorded: 6/10 CLEAR/undivided SECOND PLACE- still mucho l big bucks city!.... Mr. Kamsky's fatal error( in a condItion of top flight" chess rust" ) was to beg , invite "macho chess' with the super theorist and murderous attacking player Mr. Topalov...... A startling full game ahead with just two rounds remaining, Mr. Kamsky refused to play the elegant but quiet"unsporting, un macho" 1e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ ! (Rossolimo-Kasparov-Fischer) attack which limits all black counterplay with genuine winning chances ONLY for the first player ..chess killers like Fischer,Kasparov, Emanuel Lasker and Alekine would have played this in a heartbeat...." shoot the spectators"- to win is the thing period!...(See my book THE ITALIAN GAMBIT SYSTEM for a survey of this line..Mr Kamsky should have had this saafety first line ready to pop, red hot, up to date, pronto)... but instead played to the gallery, into the valley of theoretical death...the main line homeland security theory mecca of Mr. Topalov : 3d4 cxd4 4Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6! (Nadjdorf-Fischer-Browne variation) etc................ Mr. Kamsky was swiftly escorted to the real world of Topalov, the latest blowtorch theory novelty for one hundred grand in a hurry - was dead lost with the white pieces before move 20......Only this detour will sllightly tarnish Mr. Kamsky's absolutely incredible, gripping performance which will at last bring a big time pro player to America once more ...and totally eliminate do nothing chess amatuer organizations( like the US chess federation) from mega buck tourney player selection events from now on ....If Mr. Kamsky is not in it ..it isn't!.........on another note: this tourney made history.... NO DRAWS BY AGREEMENT WERE EVER ALLOWED...ONLY THE REFEREE WAS ALLOWED TO CALL A DRAW SAVE THREE TIME POSITION REPETITION, 50 no event, exchanges , dead moves...PERPETUAL CHECK, STALEMATE OR NO MATERIAL LEFT ON THE B0ARD SAVE THE KINGS...The result? Mr. Kamsky won in 102 moves (!!) verus E. Bacrot /France. Mr. Kamsky had a rook only, Mr. Bacrot a knight) ....after poor defense of a drawn position Mr. Kamsky even won! This "no agreement" rule prevents cheating, "fraud by draw"... the fixing of tourneys, theft of money in the last rounds with no game being actually played as occurred in an absurd Seatte, Washington US Chess federation championship event which cost totally naive, helpless (and very angry) Washington organizers $250,000 for absolutely nothing... All mickey mouse US chess federation events to this day permit "fraud by draw agreement" (and cheating by computer fraud is really just winked at in all US chess federation joke tournaments no matter what they tell you- they apparently just want your money and could not care less what happens after that"you sneak out of the playing room and check a pocket computer or go to your hotel room to get mega computer advice-no biggie!Cheat, just do not make it obvious or admit it to us. Keep it cool.Wink, wink." ) despite notable, herculean efforts by US grandmaster Maurice Ashley to force play or forfeit the game.Big money chess with Mr. Kamsky included will hopefully wipe all this stupid US chess federation nonsense out..or better yet, erase the US chess federation itself.

• CHESSFLASH WORLD NEWS- April 23, 2006 Berlin, Germany W. Unzicker dies at age 80...The great post World War II German grandmaster defeated Fischer, Botvinnik, Tal, Keres, Reshevsky , Smyslov, Larsen and Korchnoi.... Mr. Unzicker fades as a solid world olympiad team player, a quiet chess shadow who was here, there and everywhere amidst a half century long chess career.

• CHESSFLASH WORLD NEWS - March 12, 2006 Linares, Spain World chess cup winner L. "THE RUTHLESS ONE"ARONIAN/ Armenia (8.5/14) playing the black chess pieces... shocks Linares leader P.LEKO, wins a murderous mucho pawns up endgame.. WINS the $125,000 in Linares super grandmaster 7 player double round robin- final round thriller. The doomed Mr. Leko ..leading all the way while coasting with one draw after another... was bombed in back to back thrillers by world chess champion V. TOPALOV / Bulgaria - second place tie ( 8/14) and Mr. Aronian, now world rated #5 and skyrocketing. The times they are changing!

• CHESSFLASH WORLD NEWS - January 29, 2006 Wijk aan Zee, Holland. As expected World chess champion V. TOPALOV (Bulgaria) and world #2 V. ANAND ( India) have won the big bucks 14 player annual super tourney with 9-4 scores. American G. Kamsky defeated Mr. Anand early in the fiercely fought event

• CHESSFLASH WORLD NEWS- December 16, 2005 Rome, Italy After a chess career that went from Emanuel Lasker, Capablanca and Alekhine to modern day italian masters... the worlds oldest grandmaster E. PAOLI has died at age 97. He was a terrific promoter-organizer along the way.... evergreen, truly a feisty individual.. .... Mr. Paoli was still competing in world chess federation rated tourneys in his nineties

• CHESSFLASH WORLD NEWS- December 16, 2005 Khanty Mansyisk (Siberia) First there were 132 ...now there is only one survivor!..With a shocking 1.57 million oil rich U.S. dollars given to 132 chess players from around the world..the knockout all- expense- paid 10 player world title qualification for the world chess championship and the WORLD CHESS CUP concluded today.... the sensational coup: World cup winner of the 2 game final sudden death match elimination ( plus sudden death rapid chess to decide the tie): Mr. L. ARONIAN , 23 year old Armenian grandmaster over former world title holder PONOMARIOV of Russia. US chess great G.KAMSKY ( New York) was the terrific (ninth place!) 2006 world chess title qualifier following much rust.Some comeback indeed! An independant operator if ever there was one...Mr. Kamsky has again given the US a true world title player out of nowhere...via his own remarkable bootstraps and raw courage. ###Chesslab note: We remind readers around the world that you can follow Aronian/Ponomariov/Kamsky's every world class competitive move simply by typing in their names and punching both colors in the mighty 2 million plus game CHESSLAB database...and its all free FOREVER.

• CHESSFLASH WORLD NEWS- November 21, 2005 Salt Lake City, Utah - Just three weeks after winning a Utah chess tourney, Russian grandmaster-immigrant I.Ivanov has died at the age of 58. World famous as a ferocious bus/chess traveler, Mr. Ivanov once created a sensation by defeating then world chess champion A. Karpov in team match play.... before heading over the Russian border forever.

• CHESSFLASH WORLD NEWS- November 3, 2005 New Orleans, Louisiana PAUL MORPHY GRAVE INTACT..... In response to worldwide inquiries Chesslab's very own New Orleans professional chess master Jude Acers today visited the New Orleans tomb of American chess meteor/world chess champion Paul Charles Morphy (1837-1884)-with two American Red Cross workers. It is INTACT- SAVED by $50 ,000 remodeling shortly before the monster Katrina hurricane struck..all 8 members of the Morphy family gravesite are now in one tomb. Note for daily visitors with cameras... OPEN 9AM- 3PM but DAYLIGHT HOURS ONLY FOR TOURISTS TO EVEN APPROACH. Not safe at night)

• CHESSFLASH WORLD NEWS November 3, 2005 ONE MILLION DOLLARS AT STAKE....World chess champion V. TOPALOV(Bulgaria) faces monster chess computer HYDRA for one million dollars in prize money ....set for July 2006, 6 games.

• CHESSFLASH WORLD NEWS/ October 13, 2005 V. TOPALOV (BULGARIA) IS WORLD CHESS CHAMPION, WINS $300,000....San Luis, Argentina - He has done it. He doesn't talk..he just kills..... He has defeated G. Kasparov in winter 2005 NOW ...won the 8 player monster $1 million world chess title event with one round to spare..UNDEFEATED here in 13 rounds MR. TOPALOV IS the real deal...the undisputed 30 year old champion of the world with one game remaining ...it was awesome- MR. TOPALOV'S tournament of a lifetime with virtuoso petite endgame play, switcherooooooo opening systems, murderous attack in the middlegame'. fabulous physical conditioning .... and today he employed the legendary "Berlin anti Ruy Lopez" defense with the black defending pieces.. that very same Emanuel Lasker "best by test" defense tha made V. KRAMNIK a millionaire five years ago / made MR TOPOLOV world champion this afternoon...Mr. Topalov raged with a shocking six wins and one draw right out of the box- then proved he was NUMERO UNO world champion with ferocious draws to float home- draws that will by themselves be talked about for a long, long time...only miracle Houdini like escapes two pawns down (!!) by both India's V. ANAND and great russian fighter MOROZEVIC prevented Mr. Topalov from finishing a monsterous 3 points ahead of the 8 player world top ten field with one round remaining...Strangely, Bulgaria has NO real support of chess, a pathetic lackluster chess public......Until today people there barely knew MR. TOPALOV was alive! The bizarre finale: Bulgaria has BOTH the mens and ladies world chess title holders TODAY...just unbelievable.. ( THE BULGARIAN FORMULA: "starve them to success!").....Mr. Topalov, learning his lesson pronto has moved to Spain for the big bucks. Result:1. V. TOPALOV, CHESS CHAMPION OF THE WORLD (w6d7 lost 0)..one round remaining).. NEXT UP: READERS PLEASE NOTE THE 128 PLAYER-1.5 MILLION DOLLAR GUARANTEED WORLD CHESS CUP..moved up to start November 6, 2005. How sweet it is!!

• September 26,2005 San Luis, Argentina - OH HOW SWEET IT IS!!! It is good to be alive.... in time to see one million dollars go up for grabs- 8 players - the chess championship with the great V.ANAND OF INDIA .. heavily favored to clean house....Ends October 16th ...THEN EVERYBODY MOVES AROUND THE WORLD TO FABULOUS $1.3 MILLION DOLLAR -128 PLAYER WORLD CHESS CUP December 3-24,2005 at oil rich Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous repubic of Russia. Start packing chess fans!

• CHESSFLASH WORLD NEWS, May 22, 2005, Minneapolis, Minnesota USA.
  Monster cash, nifty people...$500,000 dollars absolutely guaranteed HB global l world chess challenge has a fiery 21 year old winner in a hurry...Z. IZORIA (GO)....like a real superstar Mr. Izoria spent just 72 hours in Minneapolis, collected $50,000 thank you very much. A man in a hurry needs to know what time it is to catch the plane anew. That brand new spiffy $7,000 Politani watch around Mr. Izoria's wrist should help considerably!! . . Now friends, that's what I call a bonus! FINAL iZORIA (W6,D3, LO 7.5/9)

• May 2, 2005. Brooklyn, New York. Chess grandmaster/super chess theorist - prolific chess author LEONID SHAMKOVICH has died (April 2005) at age 81. ..winner of 1976/78 U.S. Open events..I well recall his marvelous kitchen phone conversations with world number one ranked player G. KASPAROV during my 1991 New Jersey visit with chess master/ co-author / real estate tycoon JAN CARTIER...who backed the seriously ill l Mr. Shamkovich all the way to kingdom come....My favorite Shamkovich story- "I am a very accurate player! I have to see even abc!" .... he interrupted me when he heard "of course you will win this without analysis " ...Like Fischer, Mr. Shamkovic carefully visited Morphy's New Orleans 1837 birthplace ( the Beauregard House ) then where the New Orleans chess meteor-tragedy died in 1884( now Brennans restaurant).
  

• March 11, 2005 Linares, Spain. Kasparov retires from professional chess forever.... Topalov crushes Kasparov in Final Round -- King and Pawn Endgame... Linares International Last round to split $250,000 cash with the world number one rated player...It's one of the most spectacular and joyous moments in world chess history...Fireworks in Bulgaria! The hard working class hero V. Topalov (Bulgaria) today shocked the chess world by defeating G. Kasparov in one of the great come-from-behind victories of all time..... Although tied with Mr. . Kasparov for a quarter of a million dollars, Mr. Topolov, a wonderful gentleman (and suit and tie promo dream!), is the real winner. He defeated Kasparov (l.5-.5), and the entire chess world is agog with delight....... Mr. Kasparov, certainly one of the most unpopular world chess champions of all time, was caught disappearing during play four times last year during Linares play - convicted worldwide, without trial, of using a computer during play...his retirement brings worldwide applause and (as Kasparov noted in his farewell retirement address) there is no sympathy for Gary Kasparov in world chess promotion and pro chess players...The level of poverty (both cash and organizational) delivered by his elite private matches left the chess world in tragic shape and only he is to blame...his statement " the greatest mistake I ever made was leaving the official world chess championship (FIDE)" will truly stand as his everlasting epitaph...Now the entire chess world must be rebuilt from the ground up. Mr. Kasparov's million dollar rip-off of grandmaster A. Shirov, who earned a match personally guaranteed by Mr. Kasparov after Kramink was defeated in playoff without loss of a single game, stands as absolutely the greatest chess swindle in professional world match ...Left $65,000 in debt while Mr. Kramnik was paid $200,000 for losing, Mr. Shirov watched in agony as first Anand of India and Kramik were offered his rightfully earned match...Mr. Kramnik then put Mr. Kasparov away for all time with a crushing defeat in which Kasparov did not win a single game while raking in millions of unearned dollars in private deals concurrently...Mr. Kasparov's refusal to move a piece he touched, in world rated pro Linares play, versus then teenager Judit Polgar plunged her into tears...("It was the hand of god!" ) gave full warning as to the disaster Mr. Kasparov would become..."Do not question god..the rules do not apply to me"...An incredible chess author,a great player with his fabulous, must read My Great Predexessors Volumes selling at all time record chess levels in five languages.... Mr. Kasparov has other fish to fry...thank goodness. He has to go. Final Results : Linares 2005 1. Topalov/Kasparov $250,000 8/12 3. Anand (India) 6.5 -13 players.

• February 1, 2005 Corus International/Wijk aan Zee Holland- Mr. Peter Leko (Hungary) has pocketed one half million dollars in the past 90 days. He won the worlds greatest chess tourney here and got four hundred grand previously for his 14 game drawn match with V. Kramnik. FINAL RESULTS 1. P. LEKO (8.5/13 ) 2. Anand(India) 8 3.Topolov 7.5 .....Kramnik 7, 14 players

• January 9, 2005. Arnold Denker 1914-2005. A 90 year old US chess legend dies. Jude Acers Remembers: Eyewitness - International chess grandmaster Arnold S. Denker, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA. Greyhound bus station...final interview with the 1944 U.S. Chess champion (New York- 15.5 points out of 17 possible!) who defeated R. Fine in their classic individual encounter.... Victories later versus S. Reshevsky,, I.A. Horowitz, I. Kashdan...scored versus 5 world chess champions including Botvinnik and Fischer.....founder of the most successful national youth chess event in american history -"the Denker" high school annual shootout .... final 'word for word' quotes in July 16, 1977....
  " Jude, the bulletin says you are giving 16 events in Florida..why not 40? .... I am for everything to ballyhoo chess..it changed my life...chess is something to get excited about" Denker on the future of chess/ crooks in the US Chess federation " " The welfare of US chessplayers must be the main issue if chess is to advance. It has to pay to be a great player. Because I had just retired as a successful businessman people wanted me to inspect the US chess federation books. There was then no question that the US chess federation was run by crooks and theives..they simply stole with phony contracts, took money for years of sevice and the like ..alll the time while leaving players destitute...even Fischer was playing for peanuts while living in near poverty in New York ... But remember you still need a strong US chess federation to represent the players for the future..."
  
  Final Denker's Remarks on A. Alekhine / World Chess Champion - the only player ever to defeat Capablanca in match play.... "I Knew Alekhine well and drank with him all over the world...natually there comes a time when you are jolted out of your limited chess world by a player's greatness. For me it was walking into the chess club while Alekhine was playing five lower echelon masters simulltaneously BLINDFOLDED beating them easily. When I saw that I knew he was world class plus.That did it for me forever...Nobody studied chess like Alexander. I remember he carried a notebook with him everywhere , writing analysis in it in bars.He was particularly interested in how to win with a queen and extra pawn versus the queen." ON ALEKHINE'S PRO NAZI "chess journalism" " I was the the unfortunate witness, to verify that Alekhine's own handwriting penned those imfamous articles. I knew both German and his handwriting. He wrote them. I told Albert Horowitz to go with a flat statement in Chess Review and also endorsed a world wide ban of Alekhine.... Here I made a grave error. Alekhine had been my friend. You do not desert a friend. I should have stuck with him as he was dying in Lisbon and try to find the facts, the pressures of war on him. Nowadays I agree with Larry Evans who wrote in Chess Life that you have to be awfully careful about banning people in chess...people change, have horrendous mental problems sometimes..war time duress. We are all sinners and you can take that to the bank. Holier than thou does not work!" "Can you imagine Jude?..just this. It is a bar in Berlin , Germany closing in the wee hours with just Alekhine and me left in the thirties....tipping one glass after another around the bar chess board...He is unable to even walk back to his hotel safely...So I actually lifted him over my shoulder to get him up the stairs...the whole world of chess on my shoulder- imagine!....Make no mistake..Alekhine loved chess more than anyone ever...he was also anxious to put on a good show, a good lecture and appearance all over the globe. I even helped him with his tuxedo and corset before public appearances. There was nothing like Alekhine ever. "

• October 17, 2004 Brissago, Switzerland. With $800,000 p-rize money at stake V. KRAMNIK today pulled off a last round miracle win (endgame finesse!) to tie the 14 game match with P.LEKO. FINAL SCORE: Kramnik W2,L2, d10(7) versus Leko (7)

• July 16, 2OO4 Tokyo, Japan Japanese immigration authorities have detained former world chess champion Bobby Fischer. Fischer was allegedly trying to leave the country with an invalid passport. Full text HERE

• June 17, 2OO4 Budapest, Hungary KORCHNOI AGAIN At a spright young age 73 V. KORCHNOI (Switzerland), the most active grandmaster of all times (4,500 +officially rated games!) has astonished the chess world by again winning first prize -the 11 G. Marx International all grandmaster tournament. Korchnoi 7.5/10 (ahead of Beliavsky, Portisch)

• March 5, 2004. Linares, Spain It is all over folks and for the third time " I Introduce tough defense" chess millionaire/ world chess champion V. KRAMNIK has won Linares- the super 7 player grandmaster mucho bucks cash tourney- on guaranteed tie break regardless of games to be completed. KRAMNIK W2D10( 7(12) Absolute sensation of the tourney was 16 year old future chess world champion T. Radjabov who beat Kasparov last year, notching a dead even four draws versus Kasparov/Kramnik in this years tourney!!.He won his final two games (!!) to finish at 50% in the strongest tourney in the world. Unbelievable but true.### Jude Acers/ CHESSLAB/NEW ORLEANS/ (Editor's note: To see all of this teenage chess rocket's games' just type in "Radjabov" and hit both colors on the mighty two million plus games Chesslab search engine..they come up wild and wonderful- ten games at a time.

• Nov 18, 2003. New York Athletic Club, New York City, NY K-Ching! K-ching! Kasparov - Fritz X3D computer 4-game match. Final Result: DRAWN : 2-2
  .....It is all over folks and once more the human grandmaster chess player justs "coasts like a joke "within the safe draw- in -a -walk game margin for another gigantic wonderful payday in a tragic world where chess professionals are generally treated as mere beggars! Ole! Drawing at will with the well known "margin of the draw" ,employing closed positions to kill the computer in an emergency( and all with use of marvelous chess historical encyclopedias like Chesslab!).... land great cash bonanza offerings .....allow a top pro player to effortlessly deal with the worlds strongest computers...END OF CASE. Final score:1. KASPAROV d2,L2, W2,d2 ( 2 points) vs. X3D FRITZ COMPUTER

• Sep 03, 2003. New York, NY. $1,000,000 one more time...
  Brace yourself. It is chess life on television for 17 hours ESPN Nov 11-18, 2003. Fritz 3D computer continues its serial war with former world chess champ G. Kasparov - for the fifth time.

• March 12, 2003. Passau, Germany. Ludek Pachman (1924-2003). We regret the passing of a man who defeated Fischer twice and had a lifetime even score with the world chess champion. Author of 80 chess books, L. Pachman was one of the greatest chess theorists of all time...

• March 9, 2003. Linares, Spain. Without a loss of a single game ... demonstrating anew who is really the World Champion... V. Kramnik has defeated Kasparov without a loss of a single game. Kramnik split the 1st place with P. Leko (7/12). Anand with Kasparov 1/2 point behind.

• February 7, 2003. New York Athletic Club... It was never supposed to happen, folks, but ...I told you so! For the 3rd time in 6 months a world top 10 chess grandmaster has EASILY handled the world's top chess computer programs in a 3-3 tie match, walking at will to "money-in-the-bank" insurance ties during final games. $750,000 was paid to Kasparov vs Deep Junior Chess ($250,000).

• November 12, 2002. Bled, Slovenia. Among 141 chess team nations ... the winner is ... Team Russia (38.5/56) gold, Hungary - silver & Armenia -- bronze. Team USA got 41st place.

• October 20, 2002. Manama, Bahrain. Kramnik gets $800,000 with the draw against Deep Fritz (4-4) & sets up another $1,000,000 rematch.
  Mr. Kramnik's stunning personal appearances throughout this gala event (impressing royalty & schoolchildren alike) virtually guarantee a million dollar return match payday. A gentleman, a grandmaster murderous in simple positions and finesse, Mr. Kramnik is already a trademark in the chess world.

• August 22, 2002. Bahrain.  The cash is up.  The monster match is on in Bahrain with world number 1 money winner V. Kramnik (crushed Kasparov without losing a single game for 1 million dollar prize). The winner here again guaranteed a 1 million dollar cash prize in an 8 game match against the world computer champion Deep Fritz. Match starts October 4, 2002. The loser gets a $paltry 600,000 with a tie netting $800,000 each. Fritz computer will donate all moneys received to charity.

• July 18, 2002. Shanghai, China.  As predicted by ChessLab commentator Jude Acers, it has happenned again... Powered by a murderous 3-0 final round wipeout on lower boards the Chinese international team has narrowly defeated (by 1/2 point) the United States for the second year in a row.  (Four-day challenge international team event).

• May 5, 2002. Prague, CZ.  V. Anand of India today won the superstar sudden death elimination $600,000 "Eurotel "tourney ahead of Karpov, Kramnik, Kasparov, Ivanchuk, Shirov. Mr. Anand defeated Karpov today 1.5-0.5(final) with Mr. Karpov taking a sensational second prize ahead of Kasparov, Kramnik. Mr. Kasparov was eliminated earlier by Ukranian grandmaster Ivanchuk. (32 players)

• May 1, 2002. Prague, CZ. World top ten chess grandmaster V. Ivanchuk of Spain today eliminated former world chess champion G. Kasparov in the sudden death "EDUROTEL KNOCKOUT" -500,000 euro PRIZEFUND-super 16 grandmaster   event.Legendary A. Karpov shocked the chess world with a comeback indeed,   eliminating Kasparov's conqueror V. Kramnik. Mr. Ivanchuk and Mr. Karpov now proceed to the semifinals.

• January 23,2002. Moscow Russia. The unbeliavable has happenned...with great courage & under murderous fire from V. Ivanchuk, 18-year old chess grandmaster R. Ponomariov has won the FIDE knockout chess championship and $400,000. Ponomariov drew the final 2 games necessary for 4.5 points to become the youngest FIDE world champion of all time. He earned it on fighting spirit alone throughout the 100 plus player worldwide competition. Final: Ponomariov: 4.5 - Ivanchuk: 2.5 & $200,000

• January 22,2002. Moscow Russia. Fantastic 18 year old world chess sensation Ruslan Ponomariov won a dead lost nbsp; round 5 game today via several miracles in time pressure to all but guarantee the FIDE world chess title versus V. Ivanchuk. Mr. Ponomariov has two wins and 3 draws (with three games remaining.) Only two draws or one point now makes him the youngest FIDE chess champion of the world ever. 4.5 points are required for victory. After round 6: Ponomariov 3.5 Ivanchuk 1.5

• December 14, 2001. Moscow, Russia. 18 year old super chess prodigy R. Ponomaryov plays for the world FIDE title against fellow Ukranian Ivanchuk. Ivanchuk had earlier defeated FIDE chess champion Anand in the final electrifying game of the 3 million dollar FIDE world chess championship today.

• December 1, 2001. Moscow, Russia.  In a long overdue grim harvest .. the mult-imilliondollar collapse of the US Chess federation bureacratic boondoggle has led to the wipeout of all nine U.S. players in the second round of the 128 player- 3 million dollar tourney here. Beseiged with no training tourneys, no sponsor funds, virtually no media coverage, living out of a suitcase right off the plane..... all US players were eliminated in round one save A. Shabalov who advanced to execution today only because of his victory over US compatriot Kaidanov. World chess champion V. Anand (India) remains in command following the elimination of A. Karpov (Russia) by a chinese player

• November 14, 2001. London, England. British chess playing immortal, first ever official British grandmaster Anthony Miles has died at his home at age 46...  A winner of the junior championship of the world as a teeniebopper, Mr. Miles was the most traveled
  and popular British player/eccentric... Plus A fabulous chess commentator throughtout his life......Ultimately though Mr. Miles will forever be remembered for one moment at the chess board when, on the first move, Mr. Miles(Black Pieces) pushed his rooks pawn to a6 square to enormous cascading laughter in the playing hall versus A.Karpov, world chess champion who was the the most successful tourney player of all time. Mr. Miles won the game igniting his legend. He recalled that players all over the world reach for their a7 pawn as he approached and shoved it forward as greeting.He was, stated simply, a giant
  
• October 26, 2001. New Windsor, New York. The United States Chess Federation director Mr. George Defeis that half a century old national chess rating agency will definitely file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

• October 14, 2001. Moscow , Russia  US Players named: $3,OOO,OOO world chess championship qualifiers (Nov 25-Dec 12, 2001 in Palace Meeting Hall The Kremlin, Moscow) are: Yermolinsky, Goldin, Gulko, A. Ivanov, Kaidanov, Benjamin, Gurevic, Christiansen, Shabalov ...115 players sudden death knockout elimination

• September 18, 2001. Moscow, Russia A. Suetin Dies Of Heart Attack At Age 74.   A noted chess author, participant in 10 soviet chess championships, Mr. Suetin was remembered for a stirring 12 game set to in various events with a 6-6 tie
  versus world top five grandmaster V. Korchnoi. Not a single game was drawn, white winning absolutely every game.

• August 3, 2001. Biel. V. Korchnoi, age 70, stunned the world today by winning the Biel grandmaster 6gm tourney with 1/2 point over of Svidler and ahead of Gelfand.

• July 23, 2001. Dortmund, Germany. 6-player super GM tourney. Final result: 1. Topalov (Bulgaria) Kramnik (Russia) 6.5/10

• July 10, 2001. Mainz, Germany. FIDE World chess champion V. Anand (India) has defeated World #1 chess moneywinner V. Kramnik (Russia) in sudden death playoff after their 10-game world rated match was tied one win apiece. All games in ChessLab after July 15, 2001.

• June 3, 2001. Shanghai, China. One more time a 6-women Chinese team has crushed the rest-of-the-world women superteam by 10 game points! All games now in ChessLab.

• May 22, 2000. Merida, Mexico. FIDE World chess champion V. Anand (IND) has won the 4 grandmaster mucho cash event. 1. Anand -- 4.5/6  2. Short (ENG) -- 3.5     3. Khalifman (RUS) -- 3   4. Hernandez (MEX). All games now in ChessLab.

• May 7, 2001 London, England. Bahrain Contracts for October 1 Million Dollar Kramnik vs. Deep Fritz Computer Match!
  It's grim news for former world top grandmaster G. Kasparov: who says nice guys don't finish first? ....Led by chessplaying Bahrain government leader Mr. Yousuf Shirawi (Former national chess champion), it's for real -- another million dollar guaranteed match contract is on the way for world number one chess grandmaster V.Kramnik! With  shades of Deep Blue versus Kasparov, the red hot super cash player Mr. Kramnik (has already beaten Kasparov three times, no losses,winning all big money play) will oppose "Deep Fritz" computer in a sensational October, 2001 24 game, million dollar final elimination showdown. Time limit:40 moves for each side in 90 minutes thinking time.(Jude Acers/ChessLab note: World chess fans hoping for a Kasparov-Kramnik rematch can now   kiss it goodbye. Immensely popular all over the globe,positively  courteous, a   real team worker with his fellow professional players Mr. Kramnik now   collects big time .... It is quite amazing but true- Mr. Kramnik stands to make millions by never playing a rematch.

• April 29, 2001. Zurich, Switzerland -V.Kramnik has once again defeated former world number one player G. Kasparov, leaving little doubt as to the
  world chess  future...Mr. Kramnik won the elite super GM  Victor Korchnoi 70th Birthday International Tourney with a final round two game elimination match Kramnik 1.5- Kasparov 0.5   A stunned critic, New York Times/ Chess Life columnist Robert Byrne had  commented recently  "There is now  a serious question as to whether Kasparov will ever again win a single game from Kramnik."

• April 5,2001. Budapest. Hungary.  Mr. Christian Sanchez has confirmed   that international chess grandmaster Gerardo Barbero has died of eye cancer.at age 40.....Argentine champion (1984) and world olympiad  team board one (1990) ..Mr. Barbero was one of the very few argentine "official" grandmaster players ever.#   Jude Acers/Chesslab note: if you would like to see Mr. Barbero's outstanding games just go to Chesslab data base search, type in Barbero, hit "either color" and get all his games from 1990 on. To get  all available Barbero lifetime games just go to" historical" search  listing with the same process.

• March 18, 2001. Seattle, Washington. Powered by its crushing ( "I play for the money, honey") board one , the great Ye Jiang Chaun and the world's youngest chess grandmaster Bu Xiangzhi, the Chinese world chess delegation easily won the world team match versus the United States completed today.     One half point down at the half way point of the 40 game, 4 day competition, the all -chinese good guys got down to  deadly serious business  with their hosts  in  a most unfriendly round three massacre...coasted to a well deserved  victory with a 5-5 split today ...as predicted by Jude Acers/ ChessLab the underfinanced, underprepared , internationally outclassed lower US  boards were decisive as American  players V. Bhat and Nakamura, two of the nations greatest young talents who cannot be truly supported internationally by the deservedly bankrupt,  truly pathetic US Chess federation bureaucracy ......  were both  just  mowed down in the final round by Ni Hua and teenage super chess rocket Bu.  We can only be grateful to the Chinese..it could have been a lot worse, believe me. That's all folks.
  
• February 2, 2001. Linares, Spain V.ANAND (India), the winner of the 100 player- $600,000 plus first prize FIDE chess championship of the world, has apparently joined the world's #1  ranked  player V.KRAMNIK (Russia) in warning by absence-nixing the annual February grandmaster tourney scheduled here ...virtually destroying the expected  elite  class of the event. Both super players have made it clear that the "absurd" $60,000 guarantee to G. Kasparov (at the expense of other players in the event) had to go unless their fees were equal....Mr. Kramnik, who has now effortlessly crushed Kasparov (without losing a single game in their last 15 encounters) is taking no prisoners whatsoever from now on... courteously informing organizers worldwide that money talks. "No dough-no go."

• December 24, 2000. Tehran, Iran. V. Anand of India today won the FIDE chess championship of the world with a 3-d unanswered victory over A.Shirov of Spain. Final: Anand (3.5points) ($633,000) Shirov  (.5) $300,000 plus.....100 players from all over the world competed in the fabulous sudden death knockout elimination event for $3.5 million dollars. All games now in ChessLab.

• December 15, 2000. New Delhi, India. The fantastic $3.5 million dollar 100 player elimination is over and now... it is official despite two "dead lost" one million dollars "miracle save" positions enroute: A one billion plus Indian television audience will see  national hero V. Anand go for one million dollars (6-game world chess federation title match) versus A. Shirov (ESP). Anand (Ind) W1, L0,D3-Adams(ENG)  SHIROV  (ESP)W2 L1 D1-Grishuk (Rus). More than 1,000 media people from India now head to the final match location:Tehran, Iran!)                                                      
  Mr. Shirov today pulled off a collossal draw by perpetual check against world wide (17 year old!) Russian sensation A. GRISHUK in today's final round to  quite literally steal a magnificent 6 game world chess federation knockout championship match from the ferocious, well mannered prodigy. Had Grishuk played the calm recapture  30.Bxb2 rather than 30.Bxf7ch?? he would have shocked the entire chess world once more. (Weep not for  Grishuk and Adams- they  make $200,000 plus for their efforts in surviving the 100 player worldwide  sudden death KO event) Four days earlier  Mr. Anand, shaking all India, was operating on prayer and gasoline fumes alone with a dead lost game versus former world knockout champion A. Khalifman who failed to advance his king with a routine capture to win all the gold instantly eliminating his opponent!  Mr. Anand held on grimly to best England superstar M. ADAMS today, plunging all India into a   televised  media chess frenzy like none the world has ever seen. Calm, mild mannered, confident, backed by a stunning wife, all-Indian good guy Mr. Anand joins Mr. Shirov and world number one ranked player V. Kramnik (defeated Kasparov +2 LO D13) as unheard of chess diplomats, killer  gentleman whilst  uncompromising competitors at the chess board.  Mr. Shirov, commonly referred to worldwide as "PLANET SHIROV"  simply because his games are out of this world, added at least   five more thrillers that show why he is widely regarded as the real world champion...having already defeated V. Kramnik W2L0d8...deprived of a "world title" match by Mr. G. Kasparov, former world #1.

• December 11, 2001. Budapest, Hungary. Kramnik - Leko match set for Budapest (Jan 2-8, 2001)
  A big money match for a big money player! The ten-game world wide broadcast internet struggle between  bona fide  chess millionaire V. Kramnik (RUS) (world #1 ranked player, defeated Kasparov +2-0=13) and P. Leko (HUN) is all  set to go..ten games, rapid time controls,  two per day with rest day January 5th. Location: Hotel Kempinski in downtown Budapest. Sponsor is the long time backer of the meteoric hungarian ace, Westfalische Ferngas AG (WFG). All games in ChessLab as they pop.

• November 11, 2000. Isstanbul, Turkey .  The greatest international chess congress of all time (126 nations!!) has ended -- 37th World Chess Federation team   Olympaid.  Final Results : 1. Russia (gold medal)  2. Germany (silver) 3. Ukraine (bronze).  All available games now updated at www.ChessLab.com.

• November 1, 2000. London, England. V. Kramnik wins $1.3 million!  With a 38 move - round 15 draw V. Kramnik today ended the age of Kasparov, decisively, winning a $2,ooo,ooo challenge match.. Mr. Kramnik, undefeated throughout, won two, drew 13, lost   ZERO versus former world number one player G. Kasparov. This ferocious match was decided by Mr. Kramnik's devastatinly simple opening theory selections, his fierce "don't mess with me-you are only dreaming if you think you can beat me Mr. Kasparov! " attitude. Count  Mr. Kramnik' s terrific endgame practicality to boot...... No victory in world chess history    was ever more richly earned  at the chessboard , indeed, away from it.  FINAL SCORE: Kramnik W2, L0 D13 (8.5 points) $1.3 million -- Kasparov W0, L2, D13 (6.5 points)  ($600,000 plus) All games on ChessLab.

• October 28, 2000. London, England  With a 33 move draw today in round 12,   V. Kramnik is virtually guaranteed a walk to the $2,000,000 "world championship" first prize versus world #1 rated chess grandmaster G. Kasparov. Kramnik now has 7 points in the 16-game match, requiring only 3 draws in the four remaining games for the 8.5 points needed to win  (1/2 point is given for a draw)... Mr. Kramnik has a monstrous two game lead with 4 rounds remaining. Mr. Kramnik will become an instant millionaire in 6 days.  Shocking the entire chess world Mr. Kramnik has not lost a single game, even having a full piece and pawn advantage in yet another "should have been" easily won encounter with Kasparov who drew- by not one but four miracles early in the match... Kramnik W2, L0, D10.  Kasparov wW0, L2, D10. All games in ChessLab.

• October 25, 2000. London, England.   V. KRAMNIK 1 -  Kasparov 0.   Round 10, Kramnik won with just 25 moves...... with 6 games remaining in the ferociously fought- wild and wooly- $2,000,000 stakes 'world championship' match. Mr.Kramnik leads by two games and is now widely  considered the certain winner, requiring just 2.5 points out of remaining 6 possible. Mr. Kramnik  (who often goes 90-100 games with out a single loss) just needs 5 draws to win the gold (8.5 points make Mr. Kramnik a chess millionaire!  Results after round 10 with 6 games remaining: KRAMNIK W2 L0 D8 (6)   Kasparov W0 L2 D8

• October 21, 2000 Hoogoven, Holland. The FIDE world chess champion A. Khalifman (St. Petersburg. Russia ) has achieved the highest performance rating in world chess history with 5 straight wins against  top grandmasters to win first prize here ..EL0 3028 performance ranking

• September 25, 2000. Vienna, Austria. A memorial service is planned for Austrian chess grandmaster and noted theorist (the modern defense ...g6/Pirc/Umfimsev)  Karl Robatsch 1929-2000.  Mr. Robatsch became an instant grandmaster with  his 1960 world team championship olympiad gold medal performance -winning 11, drawing the remainder. A ferocious worker at the chessboard, Mr. Robatsch had suffered from both throat and stomach cancer for a long time.......It is strange to note that his death occurs just four months  after the man his name is associated with in all the chess manuals- Mr. Umfimsev. 

• September 14, 2000 Shenyang, China. Anand wins $350,000 First World Chess Cup. The sole winner/survivor of the murderous $350,000-24 player  First World Chess Cup Knockout tourney is super grandmaster Mr. V. Anand of India. Mr. Anand ($50,000 richer) rockets into Sydney, Austrailia next for a chess demonstration at the Olympics. Anand, who is regarded as arguably the best blitz-rapid chess player in the world, is a huge celebrity in India and can no longer walk the streets there without attracting massive crowds. A tremendous upset occurred in the ladies competition: 1. Xu Yuha (China). You can view games of the World Chess Cup online at ChessLab.com.

• September 14, 2000. Shenyang, China.  During the $350,000 First World Chess Cup, Brooklyn teenage sensation Irene Krush held to a draw the world women's title holder Xie Jun (China) en route to a most respectable even score. Miss Krush will receive the international chess master title at the next world chess congress - Istanbul, October 2000.

• September 1, 2000. Seattle, Washington.  Ulvestad dies at 88. As confirmed by Russell Miller/Insidechess online -- He knew all the greats! An inventive razor-sharp chess theorist and legendary chess traveler, Mr. Ulav Ulvestad of Seattle played in the 1948 U.S Chess Championship (South Fallsburg, NY) ...scoring a murderous 2.5-.5 versus the tourney's top three finishers, himself finishing  fourth in the  20-player field... Cheerful everywhere for well over one half century in the chess world, Mr. Ulvestad once lived in Spain and represented Andorra in the 1970 Siegen World Chess Team Olympiad.

• August 16, 2000. Shenyang, China.  First world chess federation world cup lineup announced!!   World chess champion A. Khalifman, U.S Champion Gulko and 24 player super field go after $350,000 here Sept 1-13,2000.  Players include Anand, Ivanchuk, Gelfand and Svidler in the world cup spnsored by the world chess federation (FIDE). A 24 woman cash bonanza toruney features world womens title holder Jun Xie of China with sensational Brooklyn teenager Irina  Krush at third seed for cash!

• July 31, 2000. Copenhagen, Denmark  Boris Gulko, the current chess champion of the United States, ties for first place in the monster 165 player Politiken Cup July 17-28th, 2000 with Bo Hansen and Hector. Boris Gulko, now in his fifties, sports a huge plus score against the highest rated chess grandmaster of all time -- G. Kasparov. 

• July 21, 2000. Finland. Grandmaster Bagirov dies at the chessboard... Bagirov, the internationally renowned author and player was playing a rapid game in Finland and died at the board on July 21, 2000. He was widely known for his work on opening theory, notably a two-volume study of the English Opening. He was 64

• July 19, 2000. London, England.  Two million dollar  chess match (16 games): World #1 rated  Kasparov- #2 Kramnik is set for October 8-November 4,2000.   Location: Riverside Studios -games at 3pm London time...Game Days: Tuesday,Thursday,Saturday,Sunday. 

• July 10, 2000. Kustanai, Russia. Ufimtsev Dies.  One the the most   notable "hypermodern" inchworm chess , nuts and bolts chess theorists ever, A.Ufimtsev has died at age 86. Along with V. Pirc (1907-1980), Mr. Ufimstsev played 1...d7-d6 or 1...g7-g6 and dared you to do something about it!   An economist in the red terror Stalinist years, he was never well known outside Russia where he defeated world class players  S.Flohr, V. Smyslov among others.  It was a note of humor that Mr. Ufimtsev was a terrific attacking player with a disguised opening system. More importantly, he somehow managed to stay alive while printing unique chess analysis, reproduced worldwide for 6 decades.In conversation he felt the presence of Mr.Pirc always..pointing out that his variations of defense differed greatly from the Yugoslavian grandmaster. Regardless, they enter world chess history together

• July 2000. Elista, Russia. Mid-Year 2000 World Chess Rankings. Mid year world top 100 rating lists show the world top ten players are: 1.KASPAROV  (2849)    2.  Kramnik 2770  2. Anand 2762  3. Morozevich  2756    5. Adams 2755  6. Shirov 2746  7. Leko 2743  8. Ivanchuk 2719   9. Topalov  2707 10.Krasenkow  2702     ........other notable rankings  #12 Karpov (gone but not forgotten) 2696  and the two United States $3.5 million dollar world chess championship qualifiers in New Delhi, India (November 25, 2000)  #36 Seirawan 2647 and  #40 Gulko  2643    

• June 27, 2000. Frankfurt, Germany.  World number one rated player G. Kasparov was defeated by Hungarian chess rocket P. Leko.  V. Anand of India wins the 6 grandmaster super  Fujitusu-Siemens chess giants  Tourney June 22-25,2000.   FINAL SCORES: 1. ANAND 7.5/10 2. Kasparov 6 3. Kramnik 5 4. Shirov 4 5-6 Leko Morozevich 3.5

• June 20, 2000. Shenyang, China. A guaranteed $350,000 Mens-Womens World Chess Cup Tourney will be held in September, 2000 in Shenyang, China.  US Chess Champion Boris Gulko or US Top rated Grandmaster Y. Seirawan are eligible to play versus the World field certain to include FIDE World Chess Champion Khalifman.
  
• May 30, 2000. Sarajevo, Bosnia. G. Kasparov gets a miracle save, wins "Bosnia 2000" $100,000 Super GM. Tourney...Shirov, Adams are in second place. A huge semi-final round upset loss by A. Shirov (Spain) versus "outsider" Movesian (Cze) permitted the world's number one rated chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov  to "come in the back door", defeating the very same Movesian the following day for victory with the black pieces! A tremendous boost for world class British player Michael Adams was his fourth straight victory to secure equal second prize with Shirov.   Final standings: "Bosna 2000" May 16-29,2000  1.KASPAROV (RUS) 8.5/11 2-3 Shirov (ESP) Adams (ENG) 8.0     4-6Topalov, Bareev, Morozevich 6.0  7.Sokolov 4.5 8-ll Georgiev, Movesian, Short, Gurevich 4.0  12. Bacrot
  3.0. All games are now in ChessLab.

• May 25, 2000. Sarajevo, Bosnia. Red-hot super grandmaster A.Shirov (Spain)(6-2) easily held world number one rated player G. Kasparov to a 27 move draw today. Mr. Shirov, (denied  a "guaranteed"one million dollars  title match versus Kasparov two years ago -- easily  the greatest chess rip-off ever recorded) is   now poised  to kill with a one half point lead over three players (Kasparov, Morozevich, Adams 5.5-2.5) with just three games left to play in the $100,000 super grandmaster 12 player event. Mr. Shirov is playing fantastic, fierce chess with imagination and courage, fearing no one. (Play over  Mr. Shirov's games on the ChessLab screen and you will not believe your eyes..such imagination!) He has repeatedly told the media that Kasparov will be an ex-worldchampion in a hurry if they ever meet in the long denied match - one that many observers believe Mr. Kasparov will never permit...

• May 23, 2000. Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. The red hot $100,000 12 player super GM tourney (May 6-29, 2000) is in full swing with savage fight for the 1-st prize between G. Kasparov and A. Shirov -- both at 5-1 score.

• May 3, 2000. Bali, Indonesia.  Scoring the greatest chess tournament victory ever recorded by a woman, Judit Polgar (Hungary) has captured an undivided first prize in the super grandmaster Japfa Classic /10 player tourney, ahead of world FIDE chess champion Khalifman (!) and Karpov(!!). Miss Polgar scored a terrific last round win with the black pieces against South Ameneyrica's very strong Milos to sneak away with all  the cash.   With her recent victories over Karpov (5-1) and Spassky in professional matches already in the history books,  Miss Polgar clearly establishes herself as the leading female player in history. 1. POLGAR (6.5/9)  2-3 Khalifman,Karpov (6)  4. Milos   5.5  5. Seirawan.   6. Timman (10 players) All games now in ChessLab.

• April 28, 2000. Portland Oregon. Arthur Dake, the oldest competitive chess gramdmaster in history, has died at the age of  90 in his sleep in peace. (See commentary)

• April 20, 2000 Oakham, England. With an electrifying final round win over Hummel (US) the  teenage chess sensation Irina Krush (NY) has achieved her second international  chess master qualification title norm.(three results required)... Miss Krush played ferocious chess throughout with five wins, three losses and a solitary draw (5.5/9)  in the ten player Millennium Grandmaster Qualifier  . ..  Miss Krush shared equal third place with grandmaster  Ward.  Mr. Hummel also was no slouch -- defeated the first prize co winner Gormally who tied with the undefeated Pert, both of England.

• April 18, 2000. Copenhagen, Denmark.  From Internet chess reporter   Eric Bentzen's  world wide chess bulletin: Danish chess immortal Bent Larsen has undergone brain  surgery for removal of an oedema following sudden withdrawal in the 2000 Danish championship. Larsen, one of the greatest tournament players of all time, once scored  5 straight international tourney first prizes..finished ahead of Botvinnik, Smyslov, Spassky in several superclass events. Mr. Larsen had suffered from diabetes for some time.

• March 27, 2000. London, England.   World top five chess grandmaster V. Anand of India has shocked the chess world today by rejecting a two million dollar ($2,000,000)  -16 game match with world number one rated superstar G. Kasparov. Mr. Anand reportedly  demanded $300,000 from the fund being  held in escrow in advance , withdrew when the cash did not arrive. Mr. Malcolm Pein (The Daily Telegraph) reports that V. Kramnik of Russia will be offered the challenger's role with launch date April 5, 2000 for all arrangements....the startling developments today complete the near miracle luck of Mr. Kramnik, now guaranteed  $665,000 loser's purse and the Kasparov match in one of the apparently great rip-offs of all time --.Mr. Kramnik was badly beaten, losing two and drawing 8, winning NONE  versus superstar A. Shirov for a Kasparov match two years ago...Readers will recall that  Mr. Kramnik WAS PAID  A REPORTED 200,000 FOR LOSING, Mr. Shirov left with huge bills, received nothing for winning when world number one Kasparov disappeared with collapse of the "guaranteed 3 million dollar"   Kasparov-led  match arrangements. Mr. Shirov, ALREADY   deprived of one million dollars PLUS  a match with Kasparov  earned one thousand times over, must now only  watch in agony as fate robs him of everything anew. Mr. Shirov, probably a de-facto world chess  champion after defeating all of the top three available chess players in MONACO last week ( including Anand, Kramnik, Karpov etc. with a tremendous first place score: 14.5/22  in the Melody Amber half blindfold play/half rapid event, is so far quite the most unlucky chess grandmaster in history...

• March 19, 2000. Des Planes, Illinois USA  -  after Oxford American Magazine (March - April 2000 issue 250,000 copies) ran an 8-page profile on him in ("The Chess King of Decatur Street", Jude Acers, the New Orleans professional chessmaster and ChessLab's own monster road touring machine (see Jude Acers Tours)  will present an address "American chess immortal: Frank J. Marshall -- Chess Apache"  at the huge (90th birthday!) celebration for Arthur W. Dake -- the world's oldest chess grandmaster at the Henry Ford Restaurant, Portland, Oregon April 8, 2000.

• March 10, 2000. Linares, Spain. In Linares Super GM 6 Player double round robin tournament, the first prize ( $50,000) was shared between V. Kramnik and G. Kasparov (both 6/10). Khalifman, Leko, Shirov and Anand shared  tied for 3-6 places. A. Khalifman (FIDE World Chess Champion fully paid now -- $600,000 richer) -drew both thrillers with world number one rated chess player: Kasparov. Note: Mr. Khalifman has never lost a single game to Kasparov  while Anand has a minus 10 score versus Kasparov...All games in ChessLab.

• March 8, 2000. Oxford, Mississippi.  An incredible 7 page coverage (3 photos) on  New Orleans  professional chess master Jude Acers (ChessLab's very own road monster touring chess master!) went on sale worldwide today (Oxford American Magazine....March -April issue)   250,000 copies were printed already...(see more on J. Acers here)

• March 8, 2000. Winnipeg, Canada. "The man who beat Botvinnik" and later stopped Fischer cold in a thrilling  "last hurrah" draw (Israel 1968) is dead at age of 74. International Chess Grandmaster  Daniel A. Yanofsky ( March 26,1925- March 5,2000) died after three months in a Canadian hospital following a broken hip injury on December 8, 1999.  Cause of death was cancer with congestive heart failure. On the scene, Mr. Cecil Rosner recalls that even while approaching  the end a month ago.. the 8 times Canada champion was trying to help chess by letter, trying to save the Winnepeg  Chess centre from financial extinction from his hospital bed. An attorney by trade, Mr. Yanofsky wanted no part of the bureaucratic idiocy of US- Canadian amateur  chess federations, and wisely chose to avoid chess as a profession for his entire lifetime. He was, unquestionably, as an amateur, the greatest Canadian chess player of all time...

• February 21, 2000.  Bermuda. 8 game world rated match February 8-19, 2000. Adams (England) 5  (won 2-drew 6-lost none!)  vs. Seirawan (U.S.) 3. All games in ChessLab.
  
• February 20, 2000. Haifa, Israel. GM Jerome Piket of Holland today outplayed world number one rated superstar Gary Kasparov with one draw and one win (Piket 1.5-Kasparov 0.5) to score the greatest chess upset..  Piket (a 472-1 long shot) scored big in time pressure to take home $20,000. All games in ChessLab.

• February 15, 2000. San Francisco, CA. Chess immortal GM George Koltanowski dies at age 96. Full text here.

• January 31, 2000. Wijk aan Zee, Holland. 14 player international tourney.   1-st place -- Kasparov  (50,000 Guilders) undefeated (6 wins, 7 draws) 9.5/13   2-d place -- tie: Kramnik, Leko, Anand (also entirely undefeated!!) 3 wins, 10 draws 8/13.  All games in ChessLab since Feb 2, 2000. All games in ChessLab.

• January 25, 2000.  Moscow, Russia.  A.  Vyzmanavin dies ..... Another great young  world chess federation  (FIDE) 2600+ ELO player has died amidst reported  poverty, depression.  Alexey Vyzmanavin, age 40, died of apparent natural causes while living alone, his body not being found for six days.   Mr. Vyzmanavin, a legendary competitive  demon in  Moscow "blitz" chess  parks was USSR  co-champion in 1990. Well known worldwide, he won "serious money" in long forgotten  Kasparov "PCA" events.  Mr. Vyzmanavin  had not played in two years.

• January 13, 2000. Budapest, Hungary. In exhibition challenge match between Peter Leko (Hungary, 2701) and current FIDE champion Alexander Khalifman (Russia, 2628), P. Leko has prevailed with the score 4.5 : 1.5. The winner took $10,000 while the loser's portion was $5,000. Match was conducted Jan 3 - Jan 9, 2000. All games will be in ChessLab after Jan 15, 2000. All games in ChessLab.

• January 6, 2000. Linares, Spain. The world's top competitive grandmasters Kasparov and Khalifman will face each other at the fantastic Linares World Tourney  February 28-March 10th -- double round robin.

• January 5, 2000. Russia. Another GM got a free ticket to the three million dollar 2000 FIDE world chess championship  (November)/100 player event! And he is the winner of Russia's national knockout chess championship --  Konstantin Sakaev -- won two straight games  versus Bezgodov in the finals held December, 1999.
  
• December 27,1999 Bermuda.  Adams (UK)-Seirawan (US). Two world class grandmasters, already seeded automatically into FIDE world chess championship 2000 ($3 million minimum guaranteed/ November 2000) face each other in a fantastic vacation setting... a 10 game match! Location: Canadian Pacific Hamilton Princess Hotel (Feb. 8-18,2000) . Their last year's wild and woolly match was drawn with the score  =2-2=6. All games in ChessLab.

• December 16,1999. New Windsor, New York. Two world top - 50 grandmasters are already placed in the November 2000 $3,000,000 world Knockout (100 players) FIDE chess championship by default!  The U.S.Chess federation policy board (facing financial ruin and massive desertion of long time adult members) has announced total cancellation of the 2000 Zonal national chess championship, leaving Y. Seirawan (Seattle) and B.Gulko (New Jersey) guaranteed FIDE world title players based on 1999 tourney results.

• December 12, 1999. Lausanne, Switzerland. FIDE World Chess Champion A. Khalifman has pledged his full support of the FIDE world chess title event in 2000 and will defend his magnificently earned ($600,000 paid for!) honors November 25 -- December 14, 2000 (approximate dates for the next FIDE World Chess Championship).

• December 6,1999 Lucerne, Switzerland.  World Chess Federation top 100 ratings show the leading six grandmasters are: 1. Kasparov (inactive) : 2851,  2. Anand (India) 2767,  3.Kramnik(Russia) 2756, 4.Morozevich (Russia) : 2746 5. Adams (England): 2735   6. Shirov (Spain) : 2729.  FIDE World chess champion Khalifman is listed as number 28th only despite having mowed down 7 of the worlds strongest players while winning 600 grand to boot in the Las Vegas, 1999 world title competition! Two US players remain atop the world top 50 list: Seirawan (Seattle)#37 ELO 2646 and U.S. champion Gulko (New Jersey) #42 ELO 2643.

• November 22, 1999  Budapest,  Hungary.  After shocking news that the entire Polgar superstar chess family will evacuate Hungary en masse - good cheer was indeed  at a premium for this serious chess Mecca...Lo, for Budapest, the coup of a FIDE world chess champion who ACTUALLY PLAYS!  Mr. A. Khalifman, the FIDE official world chess champion, having bested 100 players for $600,000 plus  in Las Vegas showdown faces the Hungarian number one Peter Leko in a 6 game match (January 3-9,2000).
  
• November 20, 1999.  Until now, Macintosh has been the only platform that did not work correctly with ChessLab.com. Daren Dillinger, the Mac ChessLab user and the chess columnist for the Florida Times-Union newspaper, has just discovered that the latest Netscape 4.7 browser for Mac  works perfectly with ChessLab: Daren Dilinger used Power Mac and iMac with OS 8.6 and Netscape 4.7 (you can download Netscape 4.7 from www.netscape.com)

• November 19, 1999. Isle of Man. For the second year in a row, this prestigious annual chess tournament was won by GM Emil Sutovsky (ISR 2610), who shared his 1-st place with GM Sergei. Shipov (RUS 2662). 16 grandmasters were taking part including Short (ENG 2675) , Tiviakov (NED 2650), Sutovski (ISR 2610), Baburin (IRE 2593), Emms (ENG 2597), Psakhis (ISR 2581), Kiriakov (RUS 2554), Lalic (CRO 2550), Shneider (UKR 2550), Kudrin (USA 2543), Hebden (ENG 2510), Rowson (SCO 2494), Ward (ENG 2473), Agnos (GRE 2455), Kosteniuit (RUS 2324). 

• November 9, 1999. St. Petersburg Russia.  Chigorin Memorial in St. Petersburg, Russia has attracted chess players from 10 countries, including 39 grandmasters. After 7 rounds, S. Volkov (2575), A. Lastin (2552), A.Grischuk (2549) and E. Najer (2562) are ahead with 5 points. All games are online in ChessLab database.

• November 7, 1999. Bastia, France.  In the match between E. Bacrot (2592) with J. Polgar (2671), Bacrot won 3:1. All chess games are online in ChessLab database.

• October 23, 1999.  In the Internet match Kasparov vs. World, the World team has resigned. The game is now searchable online in ChessLab database. Kasparov vs. World match wraps up with a horrible fiasco with Microsoft losing a move suggestion by I. Krush  (?). Reuters, Yahoo,world wide media now hot on the story, fraud charged.  Jude Acers/ChessLab believes that Kasparov's victory was richly earned -- he hung in there grimly, kept the game alive period. The World's move 58...Qe4?? suggested by E. Bacrot was listed as losing in all variations given on October 10-th by FIDE champion Khalifman and Grandmaster Chess School.   It appeared full one week before the World was led astray by French grandmaster and national champion E. Bacrot.  Bacrot's suggestion lost outright-immediately at 2:04 AM EST Friday October 15, 1999.  World News Reaction here **  Full game commentary/analysis here.

• October 3, 1999 Yerevan, Armenia. Alexander Galkin (Russia) became the new World Junior chess champion of the world. (10.5/13), 67 players. Among girls, Maria Kouvatsou (Greece) became the World Junior champion. All games have been loaded into ChessLab database. Results are at: http://www.armchess.am/afterround13.html

• September 23, 1999.  At ChessLab.com you will find a new September issue of ChessLab Online Interactive Magazine with problems, puzzles, interactive commented games. In this issue we continue the daily coverage of Kasparov vs. World.

• September 15,1999. New Delhi, India. The dreaded day has come -- the virtual cancellation of the 3 million dollar Kasparov - Anand 1999 "ultimate chess match" has been confirmed by Mr. Kuruvilla Abraham, (Anand's manager).  Sponsors reportedly now back out,unable to overcome the enormous promo connection of MSN-Zone and Microsoft in the public eye with Number One chess player Kasparov that reportedly discouraged a silicon-based sponsor from coming forward.  (There is also another shadow called A. Khalifman - the new FIDE chess champion!).... Canadian rock mega promoter Serge Grimaux has reportedly been party to a million dollar guarantee to Mr. Anand regardless!

• September 15, 1999 Canada. The candidate from Canada for the new FIDE year 2000   $3,000,000 world chess championship is Alexandre Lesiege,  Canada's champion, having bested (7-2) 26 players in the first ever Swiss zonal.  An interesting feature of the event: all players scoring 66% automatically become international masters. Three of the players have already qualified. All games are loaded in ChessLab database.

• September 9, 1999 Salt Lake City, Utah. Boris Gulko won 1999 Interplay US Championships by defeating Gregory Serper in the finals 2.5 - 0.5  (http://www.uschess.org/news/world99/usgames) ALL of the Salt Lake 1999 games are already in ChessLab database You can search on Salt Lake for location with 1999 for year, optionally adding names of players.

• September 7, 1999 Rotterdam, Holland.  Jan Timman, Holland's only world class grandmaster has done it again --.he defeated the world  number one rated player Garry Kasparov in an international chess festival exhibition game... Mr. Timman, eternally young wizard, just keeps on trucking, absorbing setbacks here and there like a real sportsman...strictly class...Years ago he beat Kasparov (one win and one draw) in the $80,000 first prize- Immopar tourney final round at Champs Elysee theater in Paris, France. And I will have you know... he used the Petroff Defense "Acers-Trifunovic" variation in a game that was voted a world top ten theoretical game by Informator.

• September 3, 1999. London.  G. Kasparov shares his thoughts on  Kasparov vs. World Match. Full text here.

• August 30, 1999. Las Vegas, Nevada. CONGRATULATIONS to Mr. A. Khalifman, the FIDE World Chess Champion! ALL Las Vegas 1999 games are now online and searchable in ChessLab.com database.   See Finals here.

• August 28, 1999. Las Vegas, Nevada. In the $1,000,000 final FIDE World chess championship title match Khalifman achieved a 3.0-2.0 lead with one game remaining, where Khalifman is almost certain to become the World Champion as he plays White. This match gives new meaning to the word endgame, with most games going all the way in marathon work for both players.

• August 22, 1999. Las Vegas, Nevada.  With a  worldwide internet audience tuned in... A. Khalifman (Russia) received an unexpected ("unforced error") extra piece from V. Akopian (Armenia) while defending the Black pieces in a nevertheless fiercely contested first round.  This provides huge impetus to the world title aspirations of the St. Petersburg veteran grandmaster. Akopian 0- KHALIFMAN 1 with Mr. Khalifman having the white pieces next time at bat, $1,000,000 cash riding on the six game set.  See Finals here.

• August 22, 1999. China- The $200,000 Women's World Chess Championship Match has ended with a Xie Jun (China) victory over  Svetlana Gallimova (Russia) 8.5 : 6.5.

• August 19, 1999.  In its August, 1999 issue of ChessLab Interactive Magazine, Kasparov vs. World game is published with comments along with puzzles and problems.  Kasparov vs. World will continue to be published throughout the month of August as the game proceeds. You can view the ChessLab Interactive Magazine from the tab control 'Magazine 8/99' on the right-hand side of the ChessLab board.

• August 19, 1999.  Las Vegas, Nevada. The $3,000,000 chess championship of the World Final 6-game match will be played by Vladimir Akopian of Armenia, the victor in two endgames versus English world top ten player Michael Adams.  His opponent is either Alexander Khalifman (Russia) or L. Nisipeanu (Romania) who are tied up in their match -- each player won with White.  Round 6 results here. A strong St. Petersburg grandmaster A. Khalifman had a $300,000 blunder . Needing only a draw for victory in the four game match (and guaranteed world title million dollar final match versus already qualified Akopian (Armenia), Khalifman faced a bishop against knight endgame versus Romanian meteor,  true overnight sensation L. Nisipeanu of Romania..with  nerves of steel. With an unexpected "Scotch Game" opening, Nisipeanu  waited for the one in a million opportunity to win a blocked position.  As a miracle, it came suddenly when for no reason whatsoever. Mr. Khalifman opened the position up increasing the scope of the sole remaining Nisipeanu piece- the bishop. The rest was endgame history ala 27 year world chess champion  Dr. Emanuel Lasker, chess history with  a huge multimillion dollar  playoff  at fast time controls today that  determines who plays Akopian for the championship of the World!
       It is not known whether one can recover from an (at least $300,000) single move unforced error but we are about to find
  out this evening. I wouldn't want to be in Mr. Khalifman's shoes! (Wait...scratch that. ..he gets over $100,000 even if he loses today. As a favor to Mr. Khalifman,  I will go instead!) It all ends in 2-4 hours of fast play for the chess championship of the world, $600 grand dollar six game final match. Who will win? Do not ask me -- I do not know either one of these gentlemen..it is  wonderful indeed for the whole chess world,  just when a huge promotion  boost was appropriate. Armenia, Russia and Romania are of course now totally chess mad nations as they watch their countrymen up close and personal playoff for a $600 grand live on internet- television feed. It really is pure blood chess, matador in the arena..       

• August 17, 1999. ChessLab.com has added a new feature to the site -- there is a new hyperlink  'Load Game' under the ChessLab board. You can use this feature to load your own PGN games into ChessLab board for analysis or search by position.

• August 15, 1999. Las Vegas, Nevada.  In the most sensational chess upset,, four players have eliminated including all heavily  favored 2700 plus ELO scale rivals (V. Kramnik, A. Shirov) leaving only 2700+ Michael Adams (England) as likely coming chess champion of the world. A great chance for England to challenge Kasparov/Russian chess dominance on promo dollars and make Adams an instant millionaire in 14 days! They   will now play $100,000 plus! 4 game elimination matches to determine the chess champion of the world and who gets $600 grand... As always, all games are loaded and searchable online in ChessLab database.

• August 13, 1999. Las Vegas, Nevada.  In a surprise development in Round 5 day 2 of FIDE World Chess Championship, L. Nisipeanu (Romania) has defeated A. Shirov (Spain), the main contender for the championship title.  L. Nisipeanu has advanced to Round 6 together with A. Khalifman (Russia) who won his match with J. Polgar (Hungary).  For such an important game, A. Shirov's style was wild beyond imagination. The total cost of this single loss for Shirov could be as much as $600,000.. This also  appears to present a $100,000 plus to the courageous defend- like -granite Romanian sensation L. Nisipeanu. It is projected that A. Khalifman (IF  he gets by  Nisipeanu!) will play Kramnik (not yet qualified by any means!) for the chess championship of the world in Round 7. Kramnik is now favored to win it all. Full Round 5 results here. All games are loaded and searchable online in ChessLab database.

• August 11, 1999. Las Vegas, Nevada. With a fabulous, stunning, wild victory that showed attacking genius of the highest order, followed by 2-d day's great defense -(versus N. Short's  King's Gambit (!!), A. Shirov  has qualified for round 5 advancement in the $3,000, 000 FIDE World Chess Championship... along with Akopian.. All other players had to face a grueling, murderous  Round 4 tie-break finale.   ChessLab readers, you owe yourself the treat of a lifetime.....Shirov's games must be seen, played over to be believed. The attacking rage of Tal, Alekhine is again upon us. All Round 4 games have been loaded into ChessLab database. You can search on Las Vegas for site & 1999 for year or on names of players. Round 4 results can be seen on ChessLab.com here. After tie-breaks, J. Polgar, A. Khalifman, V. Kramnik, M. Adams, M. Movsesian and L. Nisipeanu were victorious and will also play in Round 5.

• August 10, 1999. Las Vegas, Nevada.  First day of Round 4 results of $3,000,000 Las Vegas FIDE World Chess Championship are available here. Out of 8 games played, 7 were draws, and only A. Shirov (Spain) scored a victory over his opponent N. Short (England).

• August 09, 1999. Las Vegas, Nevada.  In another surprise development in $3,000,000 Las Vegas FIDE World Chess Championship, P. Leko (Hungary) lost to S. Movsesian (CZE) and E. Bareev (Russia) lost to V. Akopian (Armenia) in tie breaks of Round 3. A. Shirov (Spain), however, scored 2 victories over G. Milos (Brasil) and remains one of the 2 main favorites along with V. Kramnik (Russia) to win the championship title. Full results of Round 3 here.

• August 08, 1999. Las Vegas, Nevada. The 2-games knock-out format of the FIDE Las Vegas World Championship can be pretty tough on the pre-tournament favorites. P. Svidler (Russia), one of the favorites, got eliminated in Round 3 (see Round 3 results). Another favorite, A. Shirov (Spain) is having a tough fight with Milos (Brasil) -- their match went into overtime. Those who advanced to Round 4 early include Khalifman, Ivanchuk, Zvjaginsev, Judit Polgar, Kiril Georgiev, Fedorov, Dreev, Adams, Short, Topalov and Kramnik.

• August 05, 1999. Las Vegas, Nevada  All 9 of the American contestants in the 100 player $3,000,000 world chess chess championship were eliminated at the conclusion of Round two, tiebreak day. Round 2 results are here.

• August 03, 1999. Las Vegas USA. Only 3 (out of 8) American players who played in round 1 have advanced to join Gata Kamsky in round two.  Defending US Open co-champion Boris Gulko advanced in two games, defeating Reinderman. Two Americans advanced in tie-breaks: Alex Yermolinsky defeated Ken Spraggett and Tal Shaked pulled off an upset, defeating Babula in two games. $3,000,000 FIDE World Chess Championship is proceeding with round 2 starting today and seeded players joining the action. During Las Vegas event, ChessLab.com database is updated within 1 -2 days.  You can search on Las Vegas for site & 1999 for year or on names of players. Round 1 results can be seen on ChessLab.com here. Official site is here. Be warned: FIDE's official site is very slow. 

• August 02, 1999. Las Vegas, Nevada. World Chess Federation (FIDE) president Kirsan Iljumzhinov, fresh from signing a giant blown up theatrical $3,000,000 check on stage for all to see, announced Hong Kong as the site for the 2000 world title event --the last week in November- all December 2000..... The world top- 100 available players WILL AGAIN RECEIVE A MINIMUM of $3,000,000 NATURALLY. . Anything less would be positively uncivilized... During his all- aglow -with -rapturous -joy Las Vegas press conference, Mr. Iljumzhinov expressed complete delight with the $22 million U.S. dollars he has spent on chess so far, explaining that while some people enjoy investing in cars or the stock market "I like investing in chess." I certainly like that!

• July 30, 1999. St. Petersburg, Russia. The Grandmaster Chess School has released A. Khalifman's comments,  backing the worldwide chess-to-all-people FIDE Chess Championship worth $3 million dollars. With  red hot remarks that will make tycoon sponsor -Fide president Kirsan Ilumzhinov positively  bask in Las Vegas sunshine, Mr.Khalifman  is "Leaving for Las Vegas" where he will play with team mates Peter Svidler (a potential FIDE world champion ) and Konstantin Sakaev (see Interview).

• July 30, 1999. Kazan, RUSSIA.  It is for $200,000 and it is for real: The Women World Chess Championship starts on the very day of the FIDE World title event in Las Vegas...Alisa Galliamova (Russia) versus Xie Jun (China) with the games going all the way through August 28th if necessary.  Second half of the match will be in Shenyang, China ... World Chess Federation official Willy Iclicki has confirmed that the former champion Z. Polgar (New York) turned down a guaranteed by FIDE $200,000 match in China before being forfeited, losing together with her title a much coveted $3,000,000 Las Vegas world title slot as well. My verdict: worst career move of all time. We are going to send Irene Krush next time.

• July 28, Las Vegas.  Substitute players were just invited for the 3 million dollar world chess championship...(Las Vegas, July 31 1999) A. DREEV is flying in with uncertain participation status and there were last minute calls to: ANDERSSON, LAUTIER, MILOV.  Not playing: Karpov, Morozevich, Z Polgar, Velimirovic.  More invitations are possible at this late hour ...

• July 28, Los Angeles.  Jack Peters, Los Angeles Times Sunday chess columnist for two decades wrote: "Less than a year ago, many observers predicted that Anand and Kramnik would soon surpass Kasparov. In 1999, though , Kasparov has won four straight elite tournaments with apparent ease.... His rating, a record 2841 before his Frankfurt success seems unapproachable by Anand (#2 at 2771) and Kramnik (#3 at 2760) We should enjoy the sight of an outstanding champion in his prime."

• July 24, Las Vegas, Nevada.  There has been a stunning development that may propel U.S. World top 50 - rated grandmaster Yasser Seirawan (Seattle) into the the three million dollar world chess championship July 30 -- three players are now almost certainly out of the list and SEIRAWAN IS STANDING BY. The usually   reliable Club Kasparov news index confirms (July 21,1999) that WORLD TOP RATED # 1 seeded player MOROZEVICH, S.POLGAR , KARPOV ARE OUT ALMOST CERTAINLY.  None have signed their player contracts. An interview of Karpov is cited at Club Kasparov, where Karpov is stating flatly that he is "90% certain" he will NOT play.

• July 18, 1999. Prague, Czechoslovakia - With five wins, one draw   A.SHIROV (Spain)-world number two ranked chess grandmaster- rolled to victory and a $65,000 prize following  the Eurotel Cup  challenge match  versus JUDIT POLGAR (Hungary).  (http://chess.lostcity.nl/eurotel99/default.cfm)   Mr. Shirov was deprived of one million dollars (and a world title match he richly earned by defeating V. Kramnik with a two wins, 8 draw wipeout).... only to see the unquestioned world number one player Kasparov disappear into the sunset with no cash, no"as agreed guaranteed match".... A coming world champion (if there ever was one) Mr. Shirov arrives to play in Las Vegas for the $3,000,000 world title in the second round at Caesars Palace August 2,1999.

• July 8, 1999 Frankfurt, Germany  SIEMENS GIANTS WORLD 4 PLAYER GRANDMASTER TOURNEY (25 minutes per game for each player, 4 games contested with each opponent)  FINAL:  Powered by a three draw and one victory performance versus  A. Karpov (FIDE world chess champion), the world number one rated    Garry Kasparov raced to a full point and a half first place margin. 1.KASPAROV  2812  7.5/12   (2.)ANAND  2781 6/12    (2)KRAMNIK  2751  6/12   4.KARPOV  2710    4.5/12  The event is considered remarkable as Kasparov has been beaten repeatedly by Kramnik, Anand,Timman and others in quick play chess and was not considered even their equal in this rapidly coming of age media event chess.Mr. Anand is generally referred to worldwide as the best speed, rapid transit, 5 minute player in the world... (In a five minute world speed championship game  -$50,000 first prize was won by Tal over both  Kasparov, Karpov.)  Kasparov once stalemated his opponent while a queen and bishop up, striking his forehead, shouting "What am I doing?". Also ...in a wild press conference Mr. Karpov  stated  that he wanted the coming July 3Oth-  100 player 3 million dollar world chess championship( Caesars Palace, Las Vegas) be  renamed "The World Cup", cleverly  retaining his title by nomenclature.

• July 6, 1999. Lucerne, Switzerland  World Chess Federation monthly July 1999 ratings show the world top ten grandmasters: 1.KASPAROV  2841     2.ANAND (India) 2771  3.KRAMNIK   2760    4.MOROZEVICH   2751    5.SHIROV (Spain) 2722    6.GELFAND  (Israel) 2713   7. KARPOV   2709      8.ADAMS (England) 2705  9. IVANCHUK  2702     10.LEKO (Hungary)  2699...The only United States player in world top 50 is #30 SEIRAWAN of Seattle, Washington.  Amazingly, VICTOR KORCHNOI (Switzerland), now approaching 70 years of age, is easily in world top 20, in  seventeenth place with ELO 2676! World leading woman JUDIT POLGAR of Hungary(far and away the strongest female player in history) remains the only woman ranked in the entire 100 top players, at 19-20 place  with 2671 ELO points.

• July 1, 1999  Prague, Czechoslovakia- A $100,000 guaranteed Euro-Tel challenge match ($65,000 paid to the winner) will take place July 11 between J. Polgar  and A Shirov.  J. Polgar is the world number one female player and the strongest female player of all time -- she has  defeated both Karpov and Spassky in their previous matches. A. Shirov is the world number two ranked super grandmaster who was denied a "guaranteed" one million dollars and a match with  Kasparov last year after his two wins 8 draws crush of Kramnik. World number one rated player Kasparov will present  the trophy! (Courtesy Mr. Russell Miller, Inside Chess)

• June 30, 1999.  San Francisco, California. The oldest competitive chess grandmaster in history, 89-year old Arthur Dake will appear here at the Dake Honorary Chess Tournament July 11-20, 1999  (commentary)

• June 28, 1999. Pairings have been announced for the (July 30 - August 27) FIDE World Chess Championship in Las Vegas Nevada (commentary and pairings).  Karpov has confirmed his participation starting with round 2.

• June 25, 1999. KASPAROV VS. THE WORLD is the most exciting and, potentially, largest online gaming event ever!  Moves made so far: (Garry Kasparov plays White)  Four internationally renowned Chess Analysts are on hand to help the players with game analysis and suggested moves, but the final call is up to the player's votes. Online voting tool can be used to submit responses: http://www.zone.com/kasparov/Join.asp.   Etienne Bacrot, 16, Florin Felecan, 19, Irina Krush, 15 and Elisabeth Pähtz, 14 comprise the World Team experts.  Just as a baseball umpire, the referee of the match (GM Danny King) has the power to remove any player. The prizes will include the autograped chess set and a chance to meet world number one rated player.  Sicilian defense was chosen -- this is already a real risk (1...e7-e5 and 1...c7-c6 are strongest versus Kasparov, period.) Sicilian is also what Kasparov knows beyond words as a priest knows his pater noster.... see match commentary

• June 24, 1999. Shenyang, China A $100,000 women's world FIDE chess championship match Xie Jun (China) versus Alisa Galiamova (Russia) will be held here July 3-27,1999. Z. Polgar (New York), the current champion, was unable to reach an agreement with FIDE and refused to play in China, demanding a $200,000 minimum. FIDE has informed Z. Polgar that her title was forfeited.

• June 22-New York, NY World Chess Federation and U.S. National chess  federation both confirm that the World's top 10 player Gata Kamsky of USA has accepted his invitation to 3 million dollar  (100 players) FIDE chess championship, Las Vegas, Nevada July-August at Caesars Palace Hotel and Casino. Kamsky emerges from his three year retirement (medical student). He still maintains his colossal 2700+ world rating.

• Las Vegas, Nevada. June 20, 1999.  The representative of the FIDE Mr. Shiloh Quinn of Montreal Canada confirmed that there was a serious movement and some compromise between FIDE and A. Karpov concerning A. Karpov's participation in the three million dollar world championship July 30- August 27, 1999 in Caesars Palace. V. Anand of India was declared out of Las Vegas championship..lured by a reported one million dollar guarantee,. Anand has agreed in writing to play an October match with world chess federation number one rated player -- G. Kasparov. The dilemma of Las Vegas officials was that the personable (voted number one player in the world 1998- with Kasparov only fourth) Anand was guaranteed one million dollars. If Anand had agreed to play in Las Vegas with 8 other players, he would have been forced to sign a mandatory exclusivity contract with FIDE-World chess federation. There would have been no guarantees remotely approaching one million dollars.

• Lima, Peru. June 15, 1999  Julio Granda Zuniga has retired.   The colorful South American  number one player has retired with no complaint whatsoever, simply preferring agriculture and attention to his family. Zuniga passed on participation in Peruvian national championships and world title play in Las Vegas. Coming directly from his farm(!), he won premier honors in New York and Amsterdam events, played electrifying games during his ten year international career and spiced up the world chess literature...

• Leon, Spain. June 14, 1999. Advanced Chess Match between Karpov and Anand has completed with the overwhelming Anand's victory 5:1. Both players used computer databases to aid their play. All of the games are loaded in ChessLab database (Location: Leon ESP).

• New Windsor, New York. June 14, 1999.  The United States Chess Federation confirms the final list of three million dollar  USA world title players in Las Vegas;  Nick DeFirmian (US champion), Joel Benjamin, Dmitry Gurevich, Tal Shaked, Boris Gulko, Sergey Kudrin, Alexander Ivanov. The  world chess championship hotline number is 1-888-243-7748

• New Orleans, Louisiana -  Confirmed rating lists of the Kasparov-led 3 million dollar World Chess Council" (WCC) show YASSER SEIRAWAN of   Seattle, Washington (USA)  now rated above the World Chess Federation Champion (FIDE) Karpov. This is the first time in chess history that an American not eligible for World title play (eliminated on tiebreak playoff) has ever been so ranked..... Seirawan will require a special nomination by megabuck financier Kirsan Iljumzhinov, the president of the World Chess Federation (FIDE) who slipped a cool 50 million dollars (ironclad guaranteed) to finance five world title events open to 100 plus players from all over the globe- set for July30- August 30 l999 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada... Seirawan has defeated both Karpov and Kasparov in world rated play, beat world top five player V. Ivanchuk in the (Holland) event where Iljumzhinov shelled out $6 million in December 1997. Seirawan held  world top ten ADAMS of England to a drawn match in Bermuda during the winter..A former junior chess champion of the world and a (former!) Cosmopolitan Magazine "Bachelor of the month" Seirawan  is also somewhat of an oddity: a nice person amidst a world  of chess cannibals...He has published INSIDE CHESS MAGAZINE for 11 years and will publish it fully online in January 2000... A classic dresser with a master of ceremonies winner image, Seirawan has admitted that just the wardrobe threads alone for Las Vegas are going to cost a veritable fortune, with a new duds daily a must. Anything less would be uncivilized in a world of chess cannibals...

• Phoenix , Arizona   More than 1,900 children competed in the 1999 NATI0NAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHAMPIONSHIPS MAY 14-16,  an all time record.

• Phoenix , Arizona.  The 15 year old world chess sensation IRINA KRUSH (U.S. Women's Chess Champion) has stunned the chess world by drawing a 4 game match with International Grandmaster TAL SHAKED (World title qualifier in Las Vegas.) She is scheduled to play for the  $500,000 prize fund in the FIDE Women's Chess   Championship later this year.  Krush,Irina  USA 2375    0 =1 = (2) (2477) ; Shaked,Tal   USA 2477 1 =0 = (2)   (2375)
  

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