Alekhine's Parrot

TheParrot Says…Welcome to the archive of the weekly leader of chess events around the world.  Chessville welcomes your Feedback to TheParrot on this week’s news by writing to TheParrot@Chessville.com where selected letters will be featured.

“Looking at the landscape of players, it seems that established players will dominate U.S. teams for several years. It takes extraordinary talent and determination for a Nakamura to develop; we will not see young players join him on the team until our community does more to help our young players. Outside of the Samford Fellowship and occasional gatherings organized by the Kasparov Chess Foundation, there is almost nothing we do for our young talent. There is much focus on participation, but very little on excellence. Until we shift some of that focus, we will not develop players as fast as we import them.”

This statement seems to deliberately exclude USCF itself from this list of promoters, but surely 30 employees who exist as agents to deploy USCF’s mission, must do something other than administer scholastic chess ratings? Or is that the real mission of USCF?

Last Summer the Parrot noted that of the 30,000 adult USCF members only about 12,000 of them had played even one rated game in the past 12 months. Requests for activity ratings of these 12,000 went unanswered by a shy USCF, so that an unknown amount of these 12,000 may have only played in one weekend Swiss during the entire year! Who knows?

GM Benjamin’s article says that it is hard to make money at the top in the USA, and immigrant players have dominated the prize-fund scene, but it seems just as true that the middle-ground of ‘club’ chess players are also under-motivated to participate in traditional rated chess.

While the annual intake of scholastic players-in, equals scholastic players-lost, both the numbers of overall players and their activity ratings are in decline. Overall USCF lost 10,000 memberships 2003/2004. Perhaps everyone fled to the internet as an alternative to playing legally rated games, or are players bored by long time-controls?

USCF’s challenge in 2007 will be to investigate out what future they have as a chess organization. And to look at their own role in the increasingly anemic home-base of traditional ratings, or declare themselves little more than a ratings agency for Scholastic players. But even that has competition!

USCF’s Mission Statement to expand chess in the US is largely abandoned and redundant. Is this really what USCF has been about for the past 25 years since the Fischer-boom? The organization may have capitalized on it, but what now? What about the next 25 years?

“devoted to extending the role of chess in American society”

The problem is not examining what these countries are doing right [and its not money for top players] instead its getting anyone to even look at us compared with them, as if we cared.

Chess Press Worldwide

Chessville Wants Writers:  Contribute to ChessVignettes, Chessville Vignettes is an edited Chessville reader's column. Send 500-700 words of player biography or anecdote to Vignettes@chessville.com and we may feature your contribution in a future column, plus your name as contributor, and add it to the Vignettes archive.  A Chessville editor may edit the text and/or provide any necessary graphics, including copyright-free photographs and national flag of the player.

ACP Wants Writers: A new forum has been introduced to the ACP website http://www.chess-players.org/eng/index.html who also state that their poll of members about Draw Offers will be published ‘soon’.  Well, they said that on Dec 6^th, and seem to be drawing it out…

The Hastings Congress is taking place 28th December 2006 - 7 January 2007. Among participants there are Gagunashvili Merab g GEO 2611, Ikonnikov Vyacheslav g RUS 2587, Hebden Mark g ENG 2545, Tahirov Farhad g AZE 2545, Neverov Valeriy g UKR 2538, Gofshtein Zvulon g ISR 2509, Pavlovic Milos g SCG 2507, Pert Nicholas g ENG 2502.

Live games are available, although technical problems prevented round 1 broadcasts, says the official site www.hastingschess.org.uk though there seem to be problems with round 2 as well.

The XVI Pamplona tournament is taking place 21st-29th December 2006. Participants: Morozevich Alexander g RUS 2747, Shirov Alexei g ESP 2720, Jakovenko Dmitry g RUS 2671, Korneev Oleg g RUS 2657, Wojtaszek Radoslaw g POL 2630, Illescas Cordoba Miguel g ESP 2620, Laznicka Viktor g CZE 2596, Bauer Christian g FRA 2585.

MORO WINS by a whole point! Final standings:
1 Morozevich - 6.0
2 Jakovenko - 5.0
3 Shirov - 4.5
4 Bauer - 4.0
5 Wojtaszek - 3.0
6 Illescas - 2.5
7 Laznicka - 2.0
8 Korneev - 1.0

 Official site: www.chesspamplona.com

A report from the Indian newspaper, The Hindu, exposes more Chess-CHEATING:

The All India Chess Federation has slapped a ten-year ban on Umakant Sharma, a chess player from Southern Railway, for using a Bluetooth device during a FIDE-rated tournament in Delhi and gaining unfair advantage through it. At the meeting, the AICF Treasurer, Bharat Singh Chauhan, exhibited the device to the members. This is the first time that the Federation has taken such a severe action against a player in the country. The Federation Secretary, D.V. Sundar, said Sharma and another player D.P. Singh, an International Master have been under the scanner ever since it was noticed that the two had risen phenomenally in their Elo rating – from 1930 to 2484 in the case of Sharma and from 2350 to 2500 for Singh – in the space of just one and half years. "Not even Viswanathan Anand has progressed with such speed," said Mr. Sundar.

It was the week before Christmas
And all through the house
Nothing was stirring
Not even a bad-bishop.

In the traditional quiet week before a major holiday, chess organizers are preparing for after-Christmas tournaments, and also resolving on what to do and not to do in 2007…

What forwards us, what ails us?

After awarding $10,000 to an individual for fundraising purposes, some USCF executive board members have again come under pressure for requiring no performance measurements of how award monies should be deployed. The board was criticised by current board member and ex-USCF president Marinello in its own forum. This current scandal follows close on an award for a much larger sum, $50,000, for a magazine and web-makeover earlier this year, which was also without any bidding process, and by all accounts, without even a written plan.

Now the organisation is under heavy fire by forum members whose membership monies are being ‘awarded’ and even by delegates asking if it is prudent to make awards of money without any bidding process, and with little or no performancaqnce criteria?

I think this is a clear call about what ails us.

Chess Press Worldwide

Susan Polgar, an aspirant for the Fide Presidency, wrote at her own blog site on what ails us – in an article titled Chess Governance - Time to change?

“One of the things I would like to fight hard against is corruption in chess. Chess is a major sport with 40-45 million people (according to CBS and other sources) who know how to play the game in the United States and 700 million around the world. More than 160 countries are members of FIDE.

And yet, the same small group of people keep controlling various national organizations as well as FIDE year after year. It would not be bad if they have a vision, ability, experience and passion to run these organizations. The problem is things are getting worse, not better.

The FIDE system of 1 nation 1 vote does not work because of corruption. It is not difficult to buy or exchange votes. Players and fans are screaming about changes but the same thing happens in every election. Practically nothing has changed.

The USCF system got a little better with OMOV (One man one vote) but there are still plenty of flaws. There are no sound provisions for removing officers who violate the code of conducts on a timely basis. There are still too much bureaucracy and inefficiency which hinder the welfare and growth of chess.”

The grandmaster then addressed what forwards us?

“What about other countries? What system do you have and which is the best election system to ensure that the best most qualified people will have a chance to help chess? What is your take?”

CBS NEWS in Canada makes a strong link with chess and democracy, and reports Chess giant Kasparov leads anti-Putin rally

“Ahead of the rare rally, authorities pulled hundreds of opposition activists off buses and trains and detained them along with scores of others, in many cases without explanation, organizers claimed.”

CNN also carried reports on this unusual opposition rally.

The Parrot supposes that since Russia is so currently and historically influential on the world chess scene, calls for addressing corruption by such people as Susan Polgar, to the effect that democracy is for sale in chess, does not bode well for Kasparov’s address to the same issues in Russian government.

If you can’t fix our game of chess, then we might have even smaller expectation of fixing much more complex things in society.

"When you are so corrupt and used to living beyond the law, you are used to getting what you want," Kasparov said at the rally.

While Kasparov literally addresses the task of what ails his country, ours is to do so in chess, no? Since we can have little effect on international politics – but we can and should respond to S. Polgar’s call to clean up what ails us in our own game, since who else will?

The St. Petersburg based company Shahcom has announced that it will provide live broadcasts of the First ACP World Rapid Cup in Odessa from January 4th to 8th 2007.

Participants are: Alexander Morozevich (Russia), Peter Leko (Hungary), Boris Gelfand (Israel), Teimour Radjabov (Azerbaijan), Alexei Shirov (Spain), Etien Bacrot (France), Sergey Rublevsky (Russia), Evgeny Bareev (Russia), Arkadij Naiditsch (Germany), Pentala Harikrishna (India), Ivan Sokolov (The Netherlands), Viorel Bologan (Moldova), Hikaru Nakamura (USA), Farrukh Amonatov (Tadjikistan).

Details: www.chess-players.org.

Topalov and his manager speak strongly about corruption in FIDE, supported by Russian KGB, or FSB as it is now called.  GM Topalov said in a press statement "the Kremlin will never admit they poisoned that Russian spy, which seems obvious, or that Kramnik cheated."  Topalov added that he felt in physical danger and will not go back to Kalmykia again.  Then added his thought that President Ilyumzhinov was not personally responsible for what transpired, he was acting on orders.

Whereas rivals for the Fide election have now teamed up to form a company: FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov and Bessel Kok announced after a meeting in Prague, 21 December 2006, a Memorandum Of Understanding agreeing on the formal launch of a company called Global Chess BV. Capitalised by an initial 4.5 million Euro and supplemented by an additional 5.5 million Euro for future ventures.

Perhaps the reader will decide if this forwards us or ails us?  Why Bessel Kok would associate with what is almost universally held to be a FIDE ripe with corruption, lacking confidence of players and sponsors, is unknown.  Money alone?

In other ACP news 2 items were announced:

Not only did we manage to find a sponsor for the ACP Masters, but we also reached a few goals on the chess-political scene.  For instance, the ACP will have his own representative in the World Chess Championship Committee and will, therefore, be taking an active part in all questions concerning the World Championship Regulations.

You will soon find on our website www.chess-players.org a poll on draw offers.  This topic has been discussed intensively in the last few years.  The chess public is often hard to please, and some tournament organizers have decided to adopt some measures to fight against short draws.  Your opinion is important to us.  It will help us to determine which direction to follow in this matter.  The questionnaire is almost ready and will be released soon.

European Individual Championships 2007
The 8th European Individual Championships for Men and Women will be held in Dresden in April 2007. Whilst open to all, these tournaments will be amongst the most prestigious events in next year’s calendar, and will be qualification events for the next World Cup (for men) or the next World Championship (for women) reports the British Chess Federation.

India beat China in Asian Championship.

Reporting on the event was scarce, and possibly drowned by 30 other sports but as a chess summary India drew with Kazakhstan in the final round to tally 22.5 points for the gold, a full 5 points ahead of China who beat Bangladesh 2:1 for 17.5 points and the silver medal. Iran shocked Qatar 3:0 to jump to third place with 16.5 points and grab the bronze medal.  It was a heartbreaking loss for the host who were running third going into the last round.  Said FIDE.  Otherwise there is not much more coverage, but lots of ceremonial pictures.  Official site: http://www.doha-2006.com/index.aspx

Further IN:  Joining me will be Dr. Mikhail Korenman, NM Randy Bauer and FM Paul Truong. Said Susan Polgar last week about her bid for the USCF executive board.  Paul Troung was recently interviewed by Chessville about his career in chess, and the future of the game in an extensive 20 Questions session.

This week the Parrot spoke with Randy Bauer, and discussed a variety of issues, including his own role in calling for more responsibility at USCF and regular performance evaluations for everyone. We then turned to discussing Susan Polgar:

The Parrot wrote:  "… the thing with S. Polgar is that she loves the game.  She is devoted to it, and needs no other qualifications at all!  Whereas the rest of the candidates need to state their cases, et ca.  People admit this of Polgar since she demonstrates it beyond any personal intriguing or benefit.  It has been something missing from American chess, a sort of immigrant-purity factor, that simply loves the game regardless of how others behave - and this, by all accounts, is completely winning."

Randy Bauer responded:  "It's very true. When I was elected the last time, Susan sought me out, and we had a conversation that lasted at least 30 minutes (keep in mind we had never met before) about a variety of chess topics -- she is very passionate about building chess in this country, and it was obvious to me that she would provide the energy, drive, determination, etc., to get it done. You're right that we should focus on results, and she has delivered.

The newest US Rating Lists show 3 US GMs above 2700:  Gata Kamsky 2752, Alex Onishuk 2712, and Hikaru Nakamura 2707.  Top listed women players are [above 2400 points]: Susan Polgar 2597, Anna Zatonskih 2492, Irina Krush 2449 and Rusudan Goletiani 2411.

Chess Press Worldwide

Interestingly Marie Woolf, Political Editor Reports in the Independent newspaper in the UK says that chess is second only to football [soccer to you Yanks] in the UK.  “Chess is played by more than four million people in Britain and is second only to football in popularity.”  Though confounds her report with conflating it with sport and the Olympics, which I think are unlikely reasons for its popularity as a ‘sport’ and her interest all to do with money, being in the UK, national lottery funds.  “Tony Blair has been lobbied by scores of advocates, including Russian grandmaster Gary Kasparov, and a Parliamentary motion was put down demanding British chessplayers in international tournaments be given government funding.” She said.

The reader might think that without the money or the Olympics Britain’s interest in chess would not be worth mentioning.

Kasparov had been invited to the television program "Christiansen", but then uninvited because of ‘technical problems’ exclaimed Kasparov, who did not think the excuse credible because 48 hours repair time seemed adequate ‘for a major German TV station’.

Kasparov’s reactions in Russian and German can be viewed on the web at this site, which also includes some archival material of a younger GM.

In the United States the United Press reports on democracy in Russia: “Senators from both parties South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham and Delaware Democrat Joe Biden urged the Bush administration to stand up to Putin.”

Chess News: EDUCATION

Help Wanted! If you would like contribute your knowledge and experience in support of a PhD thesis in chess, write to the Parrot.

Last week many of you did so – those of you with severe disabilities, and also those of you who have organized chess for disadvantaged people. Much thanks! It is moving to witness this level of contribution  which helps substantiate the feeling that this is truly a world game, owned by all its players.

It is not well said in English, so you must suffer the Parrot’s Gaelic!

            Ged chuir iad thu ‘n tràth-s
            Chladh na leachainn fuidh ‘n làr
            Chaoidh cha dealaich mo ghràdh
            ‘s mo spèis riut.

World Championship Challenge: Mr. Danailov, manager of GM Topalov and President of Kaissa chess management EOOD, has thrown down the gauntlet for a rematch with World Champion Kramnik, citing FIDE’s own rules of engagement, which oblige the challenger to come up with the prize fund, which he has done with $1,000,000 to the winner and $500,000 to the loser. It remains to be seen if this will even be accepted by FIDE as a legally upheld challenge, or how any match can take place within the next 6 months, since both players’ schedules are full – January is fully taken up with Wijk aan Zee for both of them, and Topalov is at Linares most of February.

The 2007 World Chess Championship is due to take place in Mexico City in September and World Champion Kramnik has stated simultaneously with receiving the Topalov challenge that he will attend it.  It is unknown what he is doing in the mean-time, or if any other challengers have come up with a prize fund and made other challenges [any 2700-rated player may issue a challenge.]

The Super-Final of Championship of Russia taking place in Moscow 3rd-15th December 2006.

What do readers think – Should Chessville ask GM Topalov and his manager Mr. Danailov for an interview?

Final standings:
1 Alekseev - 7.5
2 Jakovenko - 7.5
3 Inarkiev - 7.0
4 Svidler - 6.0
5 Rublevsky - 5.5
6 Khairullin - 5.5
7 Tomashevsky - 5.5
8 Grigoriants - 5.0
9 Nepomniachtchi - 5.0
10 Khismatullin - 5.0
11 Vitiugov - 3.5
12 Najer - 2.5

Evgeny Alekseev from Saint-Petersburg is the Champion of Russia-2006.  Our congratulations to 21 y.o. compatriot!  Evgeny Alekseev beat Dmitry Jakovenko 1.5:0.5 in a rapid playoff (15 min.+10 sec.)

Remarkably for modern chess, in the later rounds Black was outscoring White!  This analysis follows wins with both colors for the past 6 rounds.

Round 5 W-0 B-2
Round 6 W-0 B-1
Round 7 W-1 B-3
Round 8 W-1 B-2
Round 9 W-2 B-1
Round 10 W-0 B-4

The Women Super-Final of Championship of Russia took place in Gorodets (Nizhegorodsky region) November 29th - December 12th.  Ekaterina Korbut became the Champion of Russia-2006.  Alexandra Kosteniuk left the event because of illness.

Final standings:
1 Korbut - 8
2 Tairova - 7.5
3 Kosintseva T. - 7.5
4 Kosintseva N. - 7.5
5 Kovalevskaya - 7
6 Galliamova - 6
7 Shadrina - 5.5
8 Zaiatz - 4.5
9 Matveeva - 3.5
10 Bodnaruk - 3.5
11 Gunina - 2.5
12 Komiagina - 2.5

Official site for both Superfinals was: www.russiachess.org which is v e r y s l o w .  .   .    .      .

European Individual Championships 2007
The 8th European Individual Championships for Men and Women will be held in Dresden in April 2007. Whilst open to all, these tournaments will be amongst the most prestigious events in next year’s calendar, and will be qualification events for the next World Cup (for men) or the next World Championship (for women) reports the British Chess Federation..

In Memoriam: David Ionovich Bronstein

FIDE regrets to announce the death of Grandmaster David Bronstein in Minsk, Belarus on 5 December 2006.

David Ionovich Bronstein was born 19 February 1924 in Bila Tserkva, near Kyiv, Ukraine.

The Champion of Ukraine (1939), of Moscow (1946), of USSR (1948 and 1949). The winner of the first Interzonal tournament (1948) and the first Candidates Tournament in Budapest (1950).

He drew the challenge match for the title of world champion by a score of 12-12 with Mikhail Botvinnik, the reigning champion (1951).

He represented USSR at the Olympiads of 1952, 1954, 1956 and 1958, winning board prizes at each of them.

"Beauty is the most important aspect of chess...
We are passing our knowledge and our understanding of beauty
to the next generations, and thus life goes on for ever."
said David Bronstein.
 

Fighting talk from http://susanpolgar.blogspot.com/2006/12/i-will-run-for-2007-uscf-executive.html:

IN: “I have made my decision. I WILL run for the 2007 USCF Executive Board.  I love chess and I cannot stand what some chess politicians have done to US Chess and the USCF.  We HAVE to do better!

With four open seats, the future of the USCF depends on the upcoming Executive Board election. Many members want a new and improved USCF and are fed up with politics as usual. The level of animosity between the chess politicians is incomprehensible.”

–  Susan Polgar, wrote earlier this week.

Further IN: Joining me will be Dr. Mikhail Korenman, NM Randy Bauer and FM Paul Truong.  I fully expect that some of the chess politicians will make as much noises as possible to derail our efforts.  Some will do everything they can to protect their pseudo power.

The Parrot will appraise all four candidates in a subsequent report which will, by all accounts, radically re-orient US chess prospects and its organization.

OUT: "In light of the recent findings of the USCF Ethics Committee regarding games I played in the early 1990s I feel that it is in the best interest of both USCF and the chess community that I resign my position as a member of the USCF Executive Board as well as FIDE Zonal President and all FIDE Committees and Commissions. ..." - Robert B. Tanner

Chess Press Worldwide

David Bronstein wrote a number of chess books and articles. Many of them like the Zurich International Chess Tournament 1953, The Modern Chess Self Tutor, 200 Open Games became bestsellers.  No one wrote such a universally acknowledged brilliant tournament report as Zurich ’53, and this is now, as it has been, the unchanged opinion of the world’s chess press, since its publication.

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice passed all his examinations, and successfully passed them to other generations of chess players around the world.  Obituaries focusing on his contributions to chess have appeared in the quality press all round the world.

Gary Kasparov commented on some Russian games recently, and frankly, seemed a bit impatient with the young kids now playing.  “'How was it possible not to sacrifice the exchange?” He asks.  But commentators and critics don’t make the news Mr. Kasparov, unless they are exceptional, helpful and can answer their own questions!  Players get to be interviewed on the Sports channel, since chess after all is not really a spectator sport.

Photographic credits Misha Savinov

On Tuesday 21st March 2006 contracts were signed between Brighton University and English Chess Federation to house the National Chess Library in University Centre Hastings.  Representing the University were Margaret Wallis Head of Co-ordination and Development and Sarah Eatwell Information Services Manager, signing for English Chess Federation were President Gerry Walsh and Manager Cynthia Gurney.

Chess News: EDUCATION

Help Wanted!  If you have some practical experience with unsighted players or players with significant other disabilities, and would like to contribute your knowledge and experience in support of a PhD thesis in chess, contact TheParrot who will then connect you with the doctoral candidate.  Some “in vivo” studies are contemplated, and also chess players willing to conduct and report on-going contributing research are welcomed to make contact.  This research is also being generously supported by Grandmasters around the world, and leading chess software and hardware companies.  Cognitive psychologists are especially invited to make contact, even more so if they are familiar with the work of Adrian de Groot and/or Howard Gardner as well as in gender differentiated studies!

Game 1: Saturday 25.11.2006 Kramnik - DEEP FRITZ 1/2
Game 2: Monday 27.11.2006 DEEP FRITZ - Kramnik 1-0
Game 3: Wednesday 29.11.2006 Kramnik - DEEP FRITZ 1/2
Game 4: Friday 01.12.2006 DEEP FRITZ - Kramnik 1/2
Game 5: Sunday 03.12.2006 Kramnik - DEEP FRITZ 1/2
Game 6: Tuesday 05.12.2006 DEEP FRITZ - Kramnik 1-0

Official site: www.rag.de/microsite_chess_com/

Unnoticed in the meanwhile was world #11 Radjabov, who lost to Deep Junior in Florence.  At least no one said it was a fighting draw, or could think of any hype at all, and the event seems to have been universally ignored since no one could think of any reason to stay awake.

The SuperFinal of Championship of Russia taking place in Moscow 3rd-15th December 2006.

Round 5 standings
1 Jakovenko - 3.5
2-7 Svidler, Khairullin, Alekseev, Nepomniachtchi, Inarkiev, Grigoriants - 3.0
8 Rublevsky - 3.5
6-9 Khismatullin, Tomashevsky - 2.0
11 Najer, Vitiugov - 1.0

Interestingly, White has won 7 games, and black 6. Alekseev and Inarkview have both won two games. Tomashevsky, Najer and Vitiugov have not yet scored a whole point.

The Women SuperFinal of Championship of Russia takes place in Gorodets (Nizhegorodsky region) November 29th - December 12th.

Round7 standings
1-2 Kosintseva T., Tairova - 5.5
3 Korbut - 5.0
4-5 Kosintseva N., Galliamova - 4.5
6-7 Shadrina, Kovalevskaya - 4.0
8-10 Zaiatz, Bodnaruk, Matveeva - 2.0
11-12 Komiagina, Gunina - 1.5

As comparison, many more of the women’s games are decisive; White has won 20 games, and black 10.  Making 30 from 40 decisive results from the women, but 13 from 30 for the men.  The problem of excessive draws in chess seems to be a gender problem!

Official site for both Superfinals is: www.russiachess.org

In what was unquestionably the most exciting match in USCL history, the San Francisco Mechanics won the league title in the tiebreak after the score was tied at two in regulation. An IM has to beat a GM to bring it home... Read the whole story at the official site: www.uschessleague.com

Chess Press Worldwide

And Chessville makes the news. In response to the announcement about the Fide Presidency and Susan Polgar, GM Ray Keene OBE, a practiced Fide-watcher, said:

“I would be very supportive if Susan Polgar would openly declare her candidacy and start working for it now.”

Ex Chess Life Editor Larry Parr writes from Kuala Lumpar:

Kirsan Ilyumzhinov will remain FIDE president as long as he wishes to use the organization.  Another eight to 12 years looks likely.  Susan Polgar would be a snap-of-the-fingers choice over the real-life gangsters now in power.  But to win, she would have to employ bribery and, in truth, become a crook herself. The necessary deal-making and vote buying (banning mobile phone cameras from the voting booths next time won't work; there will be a new ploy) must doom reform before it begins.

     Chess waxes a bit on the fringes and wanes in the mainstream.  There is now a single world champion, but he presides over a radically depreciated world title for a game that Garry Kasparov and others believe is in danger of becoming a lost art when compared with the play two decades earlier.  The intellectual and cultural cachet that inflated our media balloon has been punctured.

     How do we reinflate our status?  By repairing FIDE eight, 12 or possibly 16 years hence?  By then, the chess world that we knew will be a decayed carcass. 

     The Polgar candidacy?  Susan will waste her time and drag herself down.  So will Paul Truong.  A new world chess organization is needed.  Period.

Larry Parr

Drugs anyone? A continuation of how chess is perceived by mainstream media: National Public Radio has an audio file http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6559226&sc=emaf

Which looks at new drug–testing efforts by Fide aimed at the Asian games.

The Morning Edition radio-progam, November 30, 2006  ·  The latest target of doping tests: chess players.  Next month's Asian Games will see the debut of chess as a featured sport, and drug testing for competitors.  The World Chess Federation hopes that, by raising international standards, chess will someday be an Olympic sport.  The top official in the chess world admits he isn't sure how drugs might enhance a player's performance.  But what's an Olympic sport without drug testing?

Chess News WORLDWIDE:

The XLI Capablanca Memorial took  place 19th-30th November 2006.

Final standings:

1 Ivanchuk - 6.5
2 Bareev - 6.0
3 Miton - 5.0
4 Dominguez - 4.5
5 Bruzon - 4.0
6 Nogueiras - 4.0

Official site: www.inder.co.cu/capablanca/

Kramnik v Fritzzzzzzzz

In a preamble chat with a correspondent, we agreed that Kramnik v Computer was as sleepy a match up as could be devised, and the Parrot said he thought the boring level of chess was similar to what happened between Kasparov v “Deep6”, but here is the current world champion overlooking mate in 1, which I think he did once before against Fritz [in Bahrain?]

Apart from the zzzzzzzz-factor, this isn't like chess at all, and rather than just ignore reporting these games, The Parrot would prefer to ignore reporting two computers, at least computers have an honest zzzzzzzz-factor.  But I frankly have run out of zzzzz’s to comment on the following, which even a million dollar prizzzzzzze doezzzzzn’t …

<snore>

[Event "Kramnik - Deep Fritz"]
[Site "Bonn, Germany"]
[Date "2006.11.27"]
[White "Deep_Fritz(C)"]
[Black "Kramnik(GM)"]
[Opening "QGA: 3.e4"]
[ECO "D20"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e4 b5 4. a4 c6 5. Nc3 b4 6. Na2 Nf6 7. e5 Nd5 8. Bxc4 e6 9. Nf3 a5 10. Bg5 Qb6 11. Nc1 Ba6 12. Qe2 h6 13. Be3 Bxc4 14. Qxc4 Nd7 15. Nb3 Be7 16. Rc1 O-O 17. O-O Rfc8 18. Qe2 c5 19. Nfd2 Qc6 20. Qh5 Qxa4 21. Nxc5 Nxc5 22. dxc5 Nxe3 23. fxe3 Bxc5 24. Qxf7+ Kh8 25. Qf3 Rf8 26. Qe4 Qd7 27. Nb3 Bb6 28. Rfd1 Qf7 29. Rf1 Qa7 30. Rxf8+ Rxf8 31. Nd4 a4 32. Nxe6 Bxe3+ 33. Kh1 Bxc1 34. Nxf8 Qe3 35. Qh7#

Following the leaders in Round 7 are on 2^nd board, GM Neelotpal Das and IM M.R. Venkatesh was a Sicilian Sveshnikov. The higher rated GM Neelotpal Das sacrificed his Rook for a Knight. However, the compensation was not sufficient. Venkatesh strengthened the grip on the game by creating a dangerous passed pawn on ‘b’ file. This tied up the defense of white and two Rooks of black created multiple threats. White resigned on move 55 when faced with heavy material loss.

On the 3^rd board, GM Sandipan Chanda edged out the more experienced veteran GM Dibyendu Barua in a French Defense opening in a hard fought 60 moves to remain in close heels of the leader. He is occupying the sole 2^nd spot with 6/7 points.

Three players with a score of 5.5/7, GM Abhijit Kunte, IM Himanshu Sharma and WGM S. Vijayalakshmi are jointly in the 3^rd position. IM Himanshu prevailed over IM Abhijeet Gupta, who suffered his 2^nd consecutive defeat and WGM Vijayalakshimi, who is also holding the title of men’s IM beat her compatriot, WGM Swati Ghate to remain in the hunt for top positions.

STOP PRESS: Final: Nigel Short, who led by half a point going into the final round, finished off with a win with Black against Surya Ganguly to make sure of retaining the Commonwealth championship. Short's nearest rivals drew so he finished a whole point clear of the field. Final scores: 1 Short 9/10, 2-3 Chanda Sandipan, MR Venkatesh 8.

Nothing happened in the USA this week.

Chess Press Worldwide

What is the world reporting about the chess scene? This week the BBC reports on a Chess star 'confided in friend'

Jessie Gilbert fell from an eighth floor hotel window. A chess prodigy told a fellow competitor that her father had abused her, a court has heard.

Jessie Gilbert, 19, allegedly confided in Joseph Redpath, now aged 21, after the pair became close during a chess competition in March 2003.

"Jessie told me that the reason she had been upset with any sexual contact was because her father had abused her."  -  Joseph Redpath
 

Chess News WORLDWIDE:

The XLI Capablanca Memorial is taking place 19th-30th November 2006. In the main event play Vassily Ivanchuk g UKR 2741, Evgeny Bareev g RUS 2683, Lenier Dominguez g CUB 2655, Lazaro Bruzon g CUB 2648, Kamil Miton g POL 2638 , Jesus Nogueiras g CUB 2554. It's a 6 player double round robin tournament.  Round 1 standings:

1-2 Ivanchuk, Nogueiras - 1.0
3-4 Dominguez, Miton - 0.5
5-6 Bareev, Bruzon - 0.0
Official site: www.inder.co.cu/capablanca/

Tal Continued, with Tal Blitz Cup

Final standings:
1. Anand, Viswanathan IND 2779 23.0
2. Aronian, Levon ARM 2741 21.0
3. Radjabov, Teimour AZE 2729 20.5
4. Svidler, Peter RUS 2750 20.5
5. Ponomariov, Ruslan UKR 2703 19.5
6. Morozevich, Alexander RUS 2747 18.0
7. Grischuk, Alexander RUS 2710 18.0
8. Gelfand, Boris ISR 2733 18.0
9. Carlsen, Magnus NOR 2698 17.5
10. Karpov, Anatoly RUS 2668 17.5
11. Karjakin, Sergey UKR 2672 17.0
12. Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar AZE 2728 17.0
13. Polgar, Judit HUN 2710 17.0
14. Leko, Peter HUN 2741 16.5
15. Jakovenko, Dmitry RUS 2671 15.5
16. Bologan, Viktor MDA 2659 10.5
17. Timofeev, Artyom RUS 2662 10.0 15
18. Jobava, Baadur GEO 2650 9.0

Official site: www.russiachess.org/eng

Konstantin Sakaev became the winner of the final of the Cup of Russia in Moscow. The final knock-out system contained 48 chess players.  Last 8 qualifiers were: Alexander Galkin, Konstantin Sakaev, Igor Lysyj, Oleg Korneev, Mikhail Kobalia, Ernesto Inarkiev, Artem Timofeev, Vadim Zvjaginsev, Alexander Riazantsev Igor Kurnosov, Evgeny Najer, Alexei Dreev, Pavel Smirnov, Evgeny Alekseev, Vladimir Malakhov.  Letter from GM Drazic, Novi Sad (Serbia).  Official site: www.russiachess.org/eng
 

Letter from Serbia:
Dear chess friends please could you publish an advance notice of the tournament  18-25.03.2007.  Over 2250 ELO, and under 2250 ELO, each has15 prizes, organiser: GM Drazic. The Parrot hope he’s got this right, since his Croat-language is a bit shaky, but more information is at hand at www.drazic.co.yu and GM Drazic contacted at sdrazic@eunet.yu.

Letter from Czech Republic:
Dear chessfriends, Let us invite you cordially to the 6th International Chess Festivals in the Czech Republic - PRAGUE OPEN 2007 (11.-18.1. 2007 - 2 FIDE opens, one of them with a possibility to fulfill IM norm, active chess and blitz tournament, more information at the address http://www.czechtour.net/praha/index.php) and MARIENBAD OPEN 2007 (Marienbad is the second largest spa town in the Czech Republic, 19.-27.1. 2007 - closed GM tournament, closed IM tournament, FIDE open, active chess and blitz tournament, http://www.czechtour.net/marlazne/index.php).  With best regards, Jan Mazuch.  Dr. Jan Mazuch, Director of CZECH OPEN & CZECH TOUR - j.mazuch@avekont.cz CZECH OPEN - International Festival of Chess, Bridge and Games - http://www.czechopen.net CZECH TOUR - International Chess Festivals Series - http://www.czechtour.net International Chess Calendar - http://www.avekont.cz/calendar/ Sachovy kalendar turnaju v CR a SR - http://www.avekont.cz/kalendar/

Commonwealth Chess Championship 2006 in Mumbai [formerly Bombay].  Nice Venue!  And yes, they are in Asia’s largest glass pyramid.  The Times of India carries the following report:

MUMBAI, Nov 23: International Master Abhijeet Gupta of India assumed the sole lead with four points by crushing Woman Grand Master S Meenakshi in the fourth round of the $14,000 Commonwealth Chess Tournament on Thursday.

Indian Oil's Gupta, playing with white pieces, appeared to have prepared adequately in the Slav defence as his pieces obtained good positions and won the encounter against Meenakshi in 31 moves.

In a notable upset WGM D Harika outsmarted GM Abhijeet Kunte after she took full advantage of her rival's unimaginative play when he overstretched his position.  She won a piece on move 24 and thereafter showed good technique to romp home.

Elsewhere 'safety first' tactics were adopted on the top boards.  The game between overnight leaders, Ganguly v/s Kidambi, Tejas Bakre v/s Pravin Thipsay and Saptarshi Roy Chowdhury v/s Neelotpal Das were dull affairs as they agreed to split points within 20 moves.

The lone fight was observed on the top board between Venkatesh and the top-seeded defending champion, GM Nigel Short of Britain.  The Ruy Lopez opening opted by Venkatesh saw a theoretical battle with both players on an equal footing.

After the exchange of most of the pieces, Venkatesh managed to win a pawn on move 45.  However, the extra pawn was not sufficient in the Knight ending and the players agreed to a draw on move 51.

In other notable upsets, Arghyadip won against GM Niaz Murshed of Bangladesh, Karthikeyan against WGM S Vijayalakshmi, G Rohit against WIM Bhagyashree Thipsay and FM Priyadarshan against IM R R Laxman.

Twelve players, including Harika, shared the second spot -- the others being Short, Venkatesh, Surya Sekhar Ganguly, S Kidambi, Tejas Bakre, Pravin Thipsay, Saptarshi Roy Chowdhury, Neelotpal Das, Arghyadip Das, P Karthikeyan and Praveen Kumar.

15 GMs, (including GM Nigel Short), 5 WGMs and 25 IMs, from nearly 15 countries have already confirmed their participation in this event. In all, around 150 players are expected to participate in this event.

SUSAN POLGAR Update: This week the Susan Polgar Foundation added a new board member, one of the most popular radio personalities in the US with 9 million listeners in 279 stations nightly. Delilah is the Oprah of radio. Delilah immediately promoted the SPF on her show. In addition, SPF just made more agreements with other chess organizations that have about 10,000 children playing chess and NONE of them are USCF members.

Susan Polgar landed at JFK Tuesday from Seattle to attend a global leadership summit [GGLC] in Manhattan with 5 Nobel Prize Winners and dozens of who's who in the corporate world. She is the only person invited to represent the global chess community.

I tracked the conference to this URL, where there are either live cameras or recording of panel activity: http://www.creativeleadershipsummit.org/index.htm  More tracking led me to Susan’s own Panel:

YOUR CUSTOMER’S BRAIN
With a more global and multi-cultural world, how can business develop global understanding of trends and demands? How do we develop better corporate understanding of the emotions and psychology in our decision-making process? What are the trends and patterns of the new customer and how do we keep up with him?

Dr. Antonio Damasio, Dornsife Professor of Neuroscience and Director, Brain and Creativity Institute. University of Southern California
Christian Deseglise, Global Head of Emerging Markets, HSBC Asset Management
Alexander Galitsky, Entrepreneur and Partner, Russian Technologies
Arianna Huffington, Author; Co-founder and Editor, The Huffington Post
Susan Polgar, Chess Grandmaster
Moderator: Chrystia Freeland, US Managing Editor, Financial Times

Last week, National Geographic finished filming the first segment about chess with Susan in Manhattan. Filming in Budapest takes place in 2 weeks and in Orlando in December. This will be shown worldwide and it is one of the biggest chess documentaries in history. The world chess and education conference asked Susan to be their honorary speaker in their upcoming conference with representative worldwide.

Susan was in the NY Times again Tuesday in an article with Mr. Agus of Goldman Sachs. And she will also be on an  upcoming Delilah show with Josh Groban, Wynona, Neil Diamond, Gloria Estefan, etc.

Chess Press Worldwide

In an article appearing elsewhere at Chessville, GM Ray Keene reports an anecdote:- The story is told that one committee meeting of the British Chess Federation had to be cancelled because the group was inquorate. Mr Soanes turned up, but Mr Ritson-Morry was in jail for embezzlement, while Mr Stammwitz was in jail for bigamy. His feeble protestations at the trial of: 'I forgot about the other one,' not unnaturally having been brushed aside.

Chess News WORLDWIDE:

Read an interview conducted by Rustem Dautov with leading French woman player GM Almira Skripchenko, on why she plays poker, and the prospects of chess in France, as well as her opinions anout taking part in the Cap D’Agle rapid tournament with the best of the world’s young players; Radjabov, Carlsen and Karjakin, as well as women players Kosteniuk, Koneru, Stefanova and Zhao, plus the ‘professor’, Anatoly Karpov who she says she has never faced before: At www.ruschess.com.

Computer Wars: The author of the chess playing program Rybka, Vasik Rajlich, writes to say he has “managed to increase his program even more significantly and now its leadership among chess playing programs is beyond question.  It is confirmed not only by the rating of independent agency CEGT (around 3000), but also by the significant victory at the Dutch Open Computer Chess Championship with the result 9 out of 9!”

The Greatest [Chess] Show on Earth:

The Mikhail Tal Memorial took place in the Central Chess Player's House in Moscow November 6th-19th 2006.  Unfortunately Thursday’s play was another short draw session, with all games drawn, one in 17 moves.

How strange to see these particular last 4 players trailing the field, I would have thought before the tournament that they might be predicted to lead it, except young Carlsen, but including Aronian.  I had private hopes that Carlsen would have done better, but after all, he is keeping pace with Svidler, Shirov, and Morozevich - and the longer the Tal memorial goes, the more it favors young players with more stamina - perhaps he'll get a couple of scalps yet?  Carlsen, Shirov and Maredyarov have not yet won a game in 8 tries, and only Aronian and Svidler won with white and black.

Final standings:
1-3 Ponomariov, Aronian, Leko - 5.5
4 Gelfand - 5.0
5-7 Mamedyarov, Grischuk, Svidler - 4.5
8-9 Shirov, Carlsen - 3.5
10 Morozevich - 3.0

A blitz qualifier began at the same time, to join both groups together in a final, and the results after the first day were: After four double rounds, Alexey Dreev leads with 6.5 points, Vladimir Malakhov and Baadur Jobava have 6 points, Joel Lautier and Ilya Smirin collected 5.5 points. Sergey Rublevsky, Dmitry Jakovenko, Viorel Bologan, Rustam Kasimdzhanov, Denis Khismatullin, Teimour Radjabov and Evgeny Najer are tied for 6th-12th with 5 points. Tomorrow the participants will play the remaining five double rounds, and six winners will qualify for the Tal Blitz Cup.

Judit Polgar made some comments on arriving in Moscow: What are your plans for this visit, apart from playing, of course?

I think I am going to rest, as I don’t have so much time with two children at home.  They are staying now with my mother-in-law and my mother.  Probably we are going to walk somewhere around as well…

Official site: www.russiachess.org/eng

Coming Soon: Commonwealth Chess Championship 2006 in Mumbai [formerly Bombay].  Nice Venue!  And yes, you get to play in Asia’s largest glass pyramid.  The official website was still not operational at press time.  From other sources I believe the event is due to begin on the 17^th of November.

The Commonwealth Chess Association is spearheaded by GM Nigel Short as its President and Mr. Ravindra Dongre as its Deputy President. The association has the membership of 54 countries under the umbrella of Commonwealth countries, with nearly 20 active countries like UK, Australia, Canada, Scotland, South Africa, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Malaysia, India, etc. According to Mr. Dongre, GM Nigel Short has toured extensively to attract participation of more number of countries and as also to make the game more popular. The 2007 edition of this event would be hosted by South Africa.  With a countdown of two weeks from now, 15 GMs, (including GM Nigel Short!), 5 WGMs and 25 IMs, from nearly 15 countries have already confirmed their participation in this event. In all, around 150 players are expected to participate in this event.