Everything/Anything and…Chess…"Despite the documented evidence by chess historian HJR Murray, I've always thought that chess was invented by a goddess"–George Koltanowski: from the foreword to:"Women in chess, players of the Modern Age"
Source: Please click here to read the article on the site of ‘Business Insider.’
The Sinquefield Cup Chess Tournament is on at the moment in St Louis and I’ve been following some of the games and thought it was high time to blog about a ‘big’ tournament again. The images above are from twitter The link below is game 7 where Anand is playing against Wesley So. You can see the moves up to move 11 by Anand. Please click HERE to follow the game live. 1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 Nf6 4 d3 Bc5 5 Bxc6 dxc6 6 Nbd2 O-O 7 O-O Re8 8 Nc4 Nd7 9 b3 a5 10 a4 f6 11 Be3 Bb4 12 Rc1 b5
Chess Sinquefield Cup round 7 Anand vs Wesley So
Round 7 – Aronian and Nakamura
Round 7 – Magnus vs Grischuk
Round 7 – Caruana vs Vachier Lagrave
Magnus Carlsen on his way to the playing venue – photo: @CCSCSL SaintLouisChessClub
Norwegian camera teams may have been swarming around Magnus Carlsen before his meeting with world number two Levon Aronian, but the serious chess spectators had eyes firmly fixed on the start of Kramnik-Topalov, where the feud that began in their acrimonious 2006 world title match has resulted in permanently frosty relations.
by GM Jonathan Tisdall
Some of the games played today round 5. On this link you can follow the live games or play through games already played in previous rounds.
Tromso round 5: Topalov vs Kramnik
Round 5: Kramnik vs Topalov 1-0
Round 5: Ivan Cheparinov vs Peter Svidler 1/2-1/2 Round 5: Aronian vs Carlsen 1/2-1/2
Round 5: Barileng Gaealafshwe vs Kenny Solomon 0-1 On this youtube.com/watch?v=-xABHJdf31o link you can see Kenny as South Africa’s Chess Grandmaster and it’s strange that Fide still has him as an IM on his profile here: ratings.fide.com/card.phtml?event=14300192 Melissa Greeff is South Africa’s first Women Chess Grandmaster.
Chess art at Tromso
Tromso 2014 starts Friday 1st August – Thursday 14th August
Click HERE for the schedule. These are some of the open teams that take part in this chess olympiad.
South Africa Captain: CM Lyndon Bouah Average Rating: 2327 1. IM Steel Henry Robert – 2399 2. IM Solomon Kenny – 2376 3. IM Kobese Watu – 2341 4. FM Van den Heever Donovan – 2277 5. IM Gluckman David – 2241
Norway 1 Captain: Ole Christian Moen Average Rating: 2639 1. GM Carlsen Magnus – 2881 2. GM Agdestein Simen – 2628 3. GM Hammer Jon Ludvig – 2628 4. GM Johannessen Leif Erlend – 2528 5. GM Lie Kjetil A. – 2528
Netherlands Captain: GM Vladimir B. Tukmakov Average Rating: 2668 1. GM Giri Anish – 2752 2. GM Tiviakov Sergei – 2656 3. GM Van Wely Loek – 2654 4. GM L’Ami Erwin – 2647 5. GM Van Kampen Robin – 2631 Israel Captain: IM Alexander Kaspi Average Rating: 2670 1. GM Gelfand Boris – 2753 2. GM Rodshtein Maxim – 2672 3. GM Smirin Ilia – 2660 4. GM Postny Evgeny – 2641 5. GM Sutovsky Emil – 2625
England Captain: GM Peter K Wells Average Rating: 2673 1. GM Adams Michael – 2743 2. GM Short Nigel D – 2665 3. GM Jones Gawain – 2654 4. GM Sadler Matthew – 2653 5. GM Howell David – 2650
China Captain: GM Jun Xu Average Rating: 2679 1. GM Ding Liren – 2714 2. GM Wang Yue – 2713 3. GM Yu Yangyi – 2675 4. GM Ni Hua – 2653 5. GM Wei Yi – 2634
United States of America Captain: IM John W. Donaldson Average Rating: 2686 1. GM Nakamura Hikaru – 2775 2. GM Kamsky Gata – 2712 3. GM Onischuk Alexander – 2659 4. GM Akobian Varuzhan – 2653 5. GM Shankland Samuel L – 2632
Hungary Captain: IM Tamas Horvath Average Rating: 2693 1. GM Leko Peter – 2737 2. GM Rapport Richard – 2701 3. GM Almasi Zoltan – 2692 4. GM Polgar Judit – 2685 5. GM Balogh Csaba – 2648
Game 6 move 32 – I feel Anand could have made a better move with his pawn on d, which he ‘gave’ away. Game 6 move 33 – game looks like a draw to me – Anand not sure what to do? Bet you they are going to draw this one! Game 6 still going – move 41
@TarjeiJS Tweeted this: ‘Article of the dn.no announcing his new sponsorship deal with Nordic Semiconductor’
The view from Tromso, as tweeted by Svensen: ‘The view from my room is acceptable!’ – he is also tweeting about the Tromso Chess World Cup tournament
‘Millions flowing in for chess ace’
Magnus and the article as translated by ‘google-translate’ The article can be read in the Norwegian language from the link at the bottom of the entry. To all those little 10 year old boys always saying, ‘ I want to be a footballer’ – what about: ‘I want to be a Magnus Carlsen’ [hehe]
Norwegian sponsors will use the world’s best chess player opener with large customers, writing Todays Market.
On Saturday puts Magnus Carlsen heading to Chennai in India to prepare for the World Cup tournament pending against Viswanathan Anand in November.
On Monday techno now Nordic Semiconductor Carlsen fifth main, next to the law firm Simonsen, brokerage Arctic, newspaper VG house and software company Parallels.
Will he win the World Cup waiting nine million kroner in prize money. In addition, there are about six million in sponsorship revenue and miscellaneous other income.
Thankful After the DN understand the young chess player will stand to gain a gross turnover of between 15 and 20 million years.
The money goes through the company Magnus Chess, which since 2007 has had a total turnover of 27 million. The profit before tax amounts to 15 million dollars, and Carlsen had at the end of 2012, built up a solid equity of nearly 12 million.
‘ I am very grateful that I can live on something I think is so fun. Beyond that I’m not thinking so much about it’, says Magnus Carlsen about their financial chess moves.
Click HERE to play through the chess games of Cheparinov on chessgames.com
Some of the players: David Navara, Anish Giri, Johan-Sebastian Christiansen, Svetoslav Mihajlov, Ivan Cheparinov, Claude Hoegener, Sebastian Mihajlov, Gawain Jones and Per Isaksson
The tournament are held in Harpa, Reykjavik´s spectacular new music hall on the harbour : 19th – 27th February 2013
The City of Reykjavík has sponsored the tournament since its inception in 1964, when Mikhail Tal won it with a record 12½ points out of 13. The tournament was initially held every two years, but has since 2008 taken place every year. It was closed in its early years, but has been an open event since the 1980s. Throughout its history the Reykjavik Open has featured many of the strongest chess players in the world at the time, including Mikhail Tal, Nona Gaprindashvili, David Bronstein, Vasili Smyslov, Bent Larsen, Friðrik Ólafsson, Mark Taimanov, Lev Polugaevsky, Jan Timman, Victor Korchnoi, Samuel Reshevsky, Anthony Miles, Nigel Short, Hikaru Nakamura, Judit Polgar, Magnus Carlsen, Alexander Grischuk, Fabiano Caruana and Hou Yifan. Official site: reykjavikopen.com
Games can be followed live HERE on livestream or on the Chessbomb site. Click HERE to view the chess results of the various rounds of the tournament and rankings/pairings on the site of chess-results.com. Round 1 – Anish Giri
This year, the voting results of the annual contest of the “64” became known later than usual. In the 10 th issue of the reports that the owner of the honorary prize was Magnus Carlsen. The Norwegian was the first chess player, who won the trophy three times in a row. The gap between him and the runner-up -Gelfand was very significant. The remaining places in the top ten was as follows: 3. Aronian 4. Svidler 5. Kramnik 6. Grischuk 7.Ivanchuk 8. Anand 9. Morozevich 10. Nakamura.
Kenny Solomon This is very exciting news for South Africa and South African Chess players. We’ve been waiting for a Chess Grandmaster. We knew it was just a matter of time…and the time has come! Congratulations to Kenny! Proudly South African!
September 11 2012 at 10:01am
Cape Town – A Mitchells Plain father who grew up in the township and played his first game of chess at 13, has become South Africa’s first chess grandmaster.
Kenny Solomon, 32 was in a team of five South Africans at the 2012 World Chess Olympiad in Istanbul for two weeks.
When results were announced at the weekend, he was one of eight international contestants awarded grandmaster – a title held for life. It is the highest title a player can attain and had been awarded to greats like Garry Kasparov and the late Bobby Fisher. To become a grandmaster a player must have a performance rating consistently above 2 500.
Solomon could not be reached as he was flying from Turkey to Italy, but Anant Dole, whom he taught chess for five years, said his rating had been around 2 600 over nine rounds at the Olympiad as well as at three other previous tournaments.
“The best rating in the world is 2 880. Kenny has been working very hard for the grandmaster title – even while he trained me he was preparing himself. He deserves it.”
Dole who lives in Constantia said Solomon moved to Italy last year to hone his skills.
“Playing top-class chess in South Africa is very difficult because there are few top-class players. Kenny was number one here, but for him it was not enough,” Dole, 19 said. He said Solomon was married with a daughter.
On his blog, Solomon said he started playing in Mitchells Plain aged 13 after his older brother, Maxwell, was flown to Manila to play in an Olympiad.
He began reading chess books, taught himself and in two years won the national championship. Also on the blog were messages, including one from a Sharon Snell who wrote: “South Africa’s first grandmaster. You are an inspiration to us all.”
Cultural Affairs and Sport MEC Ivan Meyer said: “We await with great excitement for the confirmation of his new status … making him only the second chess player from sub-Saharan Africa and only the eighth in Africa to ever achieve this.”
More titles… Steel & van den Heever Wednesday 12 September 2012
Congratulations to Henry Steel who was awarded the title of International Master (IM) for his sterling performance at the 2012 FIDE Olympiad. Henry’s rating also surpassed the 2400 mark. And congratulations to Donovan van den Heever who is awarded the title of FIDE Master (FM) for his rating breaking the 2300 barrier. Well done guys!.
It’s again time for the FIDE World Chess Championship – this time Anand vs Gelfand at the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. Follow the link of the official site to read more.The prize fund is 2.55 million US Dollars. The winner gets $1,530,000 (60%) and the loser $1,020,000 (40%) Official site: Chess FIDE Moscow
This is the second entry on my blog, on THIS LINK you can follow the first 6 games – with some chess graphics too. Six games have been played. Six draws. Is it Anand’s tactic, is he warming up? What about a prediction: 6 more draws within the next week.
Game 7 – move 8
Game 7 – Anand explained where his ‘mistake’ was – the Bishop on C8!- which he lost
Game 7 moves – [grrr for the Houdine comments in the PGN-file too- I tried to remove it neatly]
Click HERE to play through game 7. The link will open in a new window.
Anand during the interview after Game 7 – explaining his Bishop-mistake +My opinion about move 26: unnecessary lost of his Knight on E4 too.
Game 8 Anand vs Gelfand 1-0
Game 9 – Gelfand vs Anand – 1/2-12
Game 10 Anand vs Gelfand – 1/2-1/2
Game 10 moves
Countdown starting – game 11
Anand – Gelfand – taking their positions
Standings
Game 11 Gelfand vs Anand – move 16
Anand – game 11
Game 11 – Gelfand
Game 11 – draw agreed
Game 11 Gelfand vs Anand – 1/2 – 1/2
Game 12 – Anand vs Gelfand 1/2-1/2
Standings: Anand 6 – Gelfand 6. Now – for the tie break on Wednesday! Still crossing my fingers for Anand!
Thank you to BiB for the link sent to me. It’s great if you have someone who likes to share some great news like this! This boy is only 15, this is a big WOW for him.Is it my imagination, or are there more and more younger players who achieve this GrandMaster status in the last ten years? It’s fantastic, more and more children are getting exposed to chess at a very young age, which is great!Well done to India!
May 8, 2012, 2:12 am India Gets a New Grandmaster By THE NEW YORK TIMES
Vaibhav Suri became India’s newest grandmaster last Sunday when he won the Luc Open in Lille, France, Dylan Loeb McClain writes in The New York Times. At 15 years, he is the 27th youngest grandmaster in history.
“Some players who have become a grandmaster at such a young age have gone on to join the elite, but others have floundered,” Mr. McClain writes. “And some relatively late bloomers have risen to the top.”
The world champion, Viswanathan Anand, 42, who inspired a generation of Indian players, was 18 when he became a grandmaster, Mr. McClain writes. (Mr. Anand began his defense of the title on April 28 against Boris Gelfand of Israel.)
I’m glad about one thing: Aronian didn’t win. I was hoping that Kramnik would win, but a draw is good enough, for now.
I’ve been looking at the openings of the games played by Kramnik and Aronian, as I missed their games and could only follow game 6 on Saturday. It was interesting to see that both players did what I like to do – to capture my opponent’s Knight, as soon as I can. Well, maybe it was just them in these games, I can’t really say that’s how they always play. I love to keep my Knights for their unusual moves and that can come in very handy, especially with forks. Maybe in game 6 Kramnik decided with his Knight-move [move 7] that Aronian shouldn’t have his Knight – this time. When I played through their games, I found Game 3 quite a weird game! Some weird moves for Chess Grandmasters! [hehe] Maybe they were having fun. You can click on the images for a larger view. On this link HERE you can play through their games.
Kramink vs Aronian: Game 1
Aronian vs Kramnik: Game 2
Kramnik vs Aronian: Game 3
Aronian vs Kramnik: Game 4
Kramnik vs Aronian: Game 5
Aronian vs Kramnik Game 6
Rapid Game
This is the rapid game. Is it just ‘me’? Is this really a ‘great’ move? Aronian brought his Rook down to e1. He captures white’s Rook on a1. White moves his Bishop to d4. This is my question. Why did Aronian not see that move a few moves ahead. The King is pinned …with his Queen. – Is there a very good reason why he moved like he [Aronian] did. Why did he leave his King pinned? Why did Aronian not capture the Pawn on g6? Do I miss something?
It’s time for another big tournament – starting on a very special day! If you’re not sure who these ‘Kings’ are, click the Official site-link here. I might not have time blogging their games, but will follow the results of the rounds. This tournament takes place in Medias, Romania from 11-22 June.
Round 1 Click HERE to play through the games of round 1.
You can also the results HERE on the site of chessbase follow. There are links to play through the games played too. [All links in this post will open in a new window.]
The schedule of the tournament is the following: – 11th of June 15:30 1st Round – 12th of June 15:30 2nd Round – 13th of June 15:30 3rd Round – 14th of June 15:30 4th Round – 15th of June 15:30 5th Round – 16th of June Free day – 17th of June 15:30 6th Round – 18st of June 15:30 7th Round – 19nd of June 15:30 8th Round – 20th of June 15:30 9th Round – 21st of June 13:30 10th Round – 22nd of June Free day
Vishy Anand, current World Champion and seven times winner of the Magistral, comes back to Leon to face the strongest Spanish player, Alexei Shirov, on the 24th edition. This tournament is already a classic, one of the most prestigious in the chess calendar.
Anand and Shirov will play in Leon with a large audio-visual setting that will allow the public to “see the chess stars thinking”, thanks to big screens and live audio comments (by GM Illescas, eight times Spanish champion) and IM Michael Rahal.
The rules, written by the prestigious arbiter Joaquin Espejo, indicate that Anand and Shirov will play six games (Friday to Sunday, two per day) with 45 minutes per side plus Thirty seconds increment after each move in the magnificent León Auditorium. If needed, there will eventually be a tie-break of several five minute games.
SCHEDULE Thursday, June 2nd PLAYERS ARRIVAL – 20.00 Drawing of lots, CONDE LUNA HOTEL. Friday, June 3rd GAMES 1 AND 2 (16.30), LEON AUDITORIUM. Saturday, June 4th GAMES 3 AND 4 (16.30), LEON AUDITORIUM. Sunday, June 5th GAMES 5 and 6 (16.30) and, eventually, tie-breaks, LEON AUDITORIUM. Monday, June 6th – Prize giving 14:30 Simuls (17.30), LEON UNIVERSITY.
Game 1 Anand vs Shirov:1/2
Game 2- Anand vs Shirov : 1-0 Click HERE to play through their games.
Game 3 – Anand vs Shirov 1-0
Game 4 Anand vs Shirov – 1/2
Game 5- Anand vs Shirov
Game 5 – Anand vs Shirov 1/2
I love this next picture which I put together in Fireworks – it is a combination of about 10 different images.
Here’s the evidence: Two adult tickets – 11th December 2010. Anand, the moment of truth…and yes, this will be my second too. Watch this space for the photos…[click the image for a larger view] Anand is my favourite and I do look forward to seeing him in action. Edit: Sadly, I couldn’t attend the event due to illness!
Viswanathan Anand became the undisputed world chess champion in 2007 and has since defended the title twice in matches with Vladimir Kramnik in 2008 and Veselin Topalov in 2010. In an age when more and more players are playing professional chess, with infinitely more sophisticated training resources and information available to them, his achievement in defending the top spot from all comers is as impressive as any of the successes of his championship predecessors.
Vishy, as he is affectionately known to colleagues and fans, is a hero in his native India, putting him on a par with the nation’s top cricketers. From Tamil Nadu, he was taught the game by his mother when he was six and made rapid progress. His intuitive sight of the board and super-fast speed on the move marked him out as a future champion from his mid-teens. He became national champion in 1985, world junior champion in 1987 and a grandmaster in 1988.
Anand joined the chess super-elite in the early 1990s and he qualified to play Garry Kasparov in the PCA World Championship of 1995. Against all the odds he took the lead in the match in the ninth game but eventually ran out the loser by 7½-10½. Vishy pursued the FIDE version of the title and had a near miss in 1999 against Anatoly Karpov despite some unfortunate tournament scheduling which required him to play the final match immediately after a gruelling qualification event. In 2000 he won the FIDE version of the title in Tehran and held it until 2002.
Following the reunification of the chess world championship in 2006, Anand won a world championship match-tournament in 2007 ahead of the reigning world champion Vladimir Kramnik. Though the latter graciously ceded all claim on the title to his rival, many purists amongst pundits and fans longed to see the championship decided under traditional matchplay rules. Their wish was granted in 2008 when Anand and Kramnik played a match in Bonn. The Indian made no mistake, defeating his Russian opponent fair and square, and thus becoming only the second world champion ever to have won the world title in both tournament and match formats. Anand duly defended his title in a match in 2010 against world number two Veselin Topalov, on his opponent’s home ground in Bulgaria. His next challenge is due in 2012, when it is hoped that the match will be played in London.
Some past world champions have become known to the general public for their off-board eccentricities and personal rivalries but not so Viswanathan Anand. Throughout his career he has shown himself to be the perfect Indian gentleman who dispels attempts to provoke or upset him with a disarming smile. Indeed, one of the major difficulties facing his rivals is that he is simply impossible to dislike! For example, when preparing for his 2010 world title match, his behind-the-scenes assistants included the previous champion Vladimir Kramnik, whom Anand had defeated two years earlier, and Magnus Carlsen. With the charm of Capablanca, the industriousness of Botvinnik and the natural talent of Kasparov, Anand will be a hard man to beat in London in 2010. He lives in Spain with his wife Aruna, who is also his manager. Please click HERE for the Official site and to read about the other players. The Players:
Chess is Free for Children at the London Classic 2010 [Read on the link of the Official site more about it – on their homepage]
Israeli chess grandmaster Alik Gershon broke the Guinness World Record in Tel Aviv early Friday morning for simultaneous games played, a title previously held by an Iranian chess player.
The thirty-year-old played 527 concurrent games, winning 87% of them. Please click HERE to read the complete article.
Gershon won 454 games, lost 11 and drew 58 games. [according to the BBC news article]
Image: chessbase – Alik Gershon [right] with Ignor Nor.
GM Alexei Shirov and Michael Adams – photo:ECC2010Chessdom
The European Club Cup 2010 is now on in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. Some of my old favourite players are playing. Although time is little to follow the tournament, I will make an effort over the coming weekend to check out more of the games. Shirov is an old time favourite and Michael Adams – an English player I saw in action December, is also an upcoming favourite of mine. Click HERE for the Official site and for results and live games.
I’ve read a lot about Philidor the last couple of days as he was – as a chess player – also a great composer of his time. [Of course, if you don’t know it, it was Philidor who said…‘The pawns are the soul of chess.’] I’ve thought to create an entry about research that was carried out about chess and music – and have found some useful information, but very basic and I think we all know that already, but also came across an interesting article…and you can read an extract of it and the complete article on the given link – which is more about Steinitz. So many beginners think about the Pawn as just a piece to move if they don’t know what to move and I sometimes struggle with students not to move their Pawns unless they have to. I think Philidor was a bright spark! He composed beautiful music and played some brilliant chess. The info from Wikipedia is quite interesting. Read why he died in London. Chess is also a game full of strategies which you can apply to your everyday life – as we all know, but there are now companies making use of Chess players to support them in their business and training their staff in Chess strategies in order to excel in the company. The following quotes about Chess were found on one such Chess Consultant’s site. If you have a Twitter account, you can follow jacobm – as he is such a consultant and these quotes are from his site.
“Knights are the curvy pieces that bring a circular aspect to an essential linear game.”
– J. Rowson, Scottish Grandmaster
“The handling of the Rooks demands a great understanding of the strategy suited to a particular position.”
– L. Pachman, Czech Grandmaster
“Whenever you have a Bishop, keep your pawns on opposite color squares.”
– J.R. Capablanca, Cuban World Champion 1921-1927
“The game of Chess is not merely an idle amusement; several very valuable qualities of the mind are to be acquired and strengthened by it, so as to become habits ready on all occasions; for life is a kind of Chess.”
– Benjamin Franklin
“When the chess game is over, the Pawn and the King go back into the same box.”
– Italian proverb
“Every Pawn is a potential Queen.”
– J. Mason, 19th Century Irish chess master
“The handling of the Rooks demands a great understanding of the strategy suited to a particular position.”
– L. Pachman, Czech Grandmaster
“What do you want to achieve or avoid? The answers to this question are objectives. How will you go about achieving your desired results? The answer to this you can call strategy”
– William E Rothschild
THE HISTORY OF CHESS AS WE conceive of it today can be safely assumed to start with the composer (of music) François-André Danican Philidor (1726–1795). His undoubted status as a ‘founding father’ stems mainly from the famous sentence that everyone associates with his name, ‘the pawns are the soul of chess.’ That ‘pawns are the soul of chess’ is the fundamental law of chess theory. It is the identification and elaboration of the fact that pawns are heavily limited in their movement, so that the structure of pawns is much more static and rigid than that of pieces; this, coupled to the fact that an advantage of a pawn is usually enough to win the game (if the endgame, where pawns are potential queens, is reached), gives the handling of pawns an importance and a difficulty that goes beyond that of pieces. The consequences of a pawn move are lasting, and cannot generally be pondered by ‘concrete analysis,’ the sheer calculation of variations. Moving pieces always involves of course the risk of mistakes and blunders that immediately ruin a game—but these can be calculated and avoided. Moving pawns means a much more subtle risk, for relevant negative consequences might appear a long time afterwards; there is no need for blunder to lose a game because of a pawn move. This distinction between pawns and pieces is at the core of the distinction between ‘strategy’ and ‘tactics,’ the two branches of chess theory, training, education, etc. (Strategy is the identification of the general long-term ideas and plans of the game, usually based on the configuration of pawns reached after the opening; tactics refers to the actual moves and short-term variations that execute the plans, and it usually focuses on the action of pieces. ‘Tactics consists in knowing what to do when there is something to do; strategy is about knowing what to do when there is nothing to do,’ Tartakower is reported to have said.) In this sense, the discovery of strategy, and with it the birth of chess theory as such, is essentially linked to the name of Philidor. Thus (and I choose the following source for no other reason than having it at hand—assertions to the same effect are easily found in any book on chess strategy), It was master Filidor, the luminous French musician and chess player, the first to understand, already at the end of the eighteenth century, the importance of pawns in chess; it is actually with him that the game’s positional strategy is born. This is what the name Philidor means for chess today. He plays the role of the symbolic point of reference, the recipient that contains the essence and the primary source of chess theory. But, as usually happens with such figures—think of Thales as the father of philosophy, Pithagoras as the father of mathematics, and even of Aristotle as the father of empirical science—, he himself is exiled from his name, and what he actually thought or understood is ignored in favor of what we think and understand. Historical fact is of little importance for the role of the figure—just as Homer, and more recently as Saussure, he is defined by us as the author of his works, rather than his works being defined for us as the product of his efforts. In fact, ‘the pawns are the soul of chess’ is a corruption of what Philidor really said. (The fate of this sentence is similar to that of other myths like Newton’s apple or Galileo at the Tower of Pisa: dubious recollection of facts modified by tradition to suit its fancy.) The actual quotation from Philidor’s foreword to his 1749 Chess Analysed or Instructions by Which a Perfect Knowledge of This Noble Game May in a short Time be Acquir’d (his own translation of the Analise des E´checs) reads. My chief intention is to recommend myself to the public, by a novelty no one had thought of, or perhaps ever understood well. I mean how to play the Pawns. They are the very life [not ‘soul’] of this game. They alone form the Attack and the Defence; on their good or bad situation depends the Gain or Loss of each Party. And then, immediately: A player, who, when he had played a pawn well, can give no Reason for his moving it to such a square, may be compared to a General, who with much practice has little or no Theory. Philidor’s wording (Attack, Defence, Reason, Theory) reveals that ‘strategy’ and ‘tactics’ are not part of his conceptual net. When ‘the pawns are the soul of chess’ is interpreted today, what it brings to mind is the classification of pawns into weak pawns (isolated, doubled, hind pawn) or strong pawns (passed pawns), some especial configurations (chain of pawns, hanging pawns), and the concept of weak and strong squares. All this obviously remains at best inarticulate in Philidor’s book. As Cecil Purdy says, “in Philidor’s system of play, it is not at all evident to a mediocre player even if experienced why ‘on the good or bad situation (of the pawns) depends the gain and loss to each Party.’ ” Follow this link to read the complete article, the link will open in a new window. -[ it is a PDF-document]
http://www.fedegarcia.net/writings/steinitz.pdf François-André Danican Philidor (September 7, 1726 – August 31, 1795) was a French chess player and composer. He was regarded as the best chess player of his age, although the title of World Chess Champion was not yet in existence. Philidor’s book Analyse du jeu des Échecs was considered a standard chess manual for at least a century. He was commonly referred to as André Danican Philidor during his lifetime.
Chess career
Philidor started playing regularly around 1740 at the chess Mecca of France, the Café de la Régence. It was also there that he famously played with a friend from ‘New England’, Mr. Benjamin Franklin. The best player in France at the time, Legall de Kermeur, taught him. At first, Legall could give Philidor rook odds, a handicap in which the stronger player starts without one of his rooks, but in only three years, Philidor was his equal, and then surpassed him. Philidor visited England in 1747 and decisively beat the Syrian Phillip Stamma in a match +8 =1 -1, despite the fact Philidor let Stamma have White in every game, and scored all draws as wins for Stamma. The same year, Philidor played many games with another strong player, Sir Abraham Janssen, who was then the best player in England, and with the exception of M. de Legalle, probably the best player Philidor ever encountered. He could win on an average one game in four of Philidor, at even terms; and Philidor himself declared that he could only give to Janssen the pawn for the move.
In 1754, Philidor returned to France, after nine years of absence spent mostly in Holland and England. He was now a much stronger player, having successfully played with opponent of the calibre of Philip Stamma and Abraham Janssen, but, as G. Allen reports in The life of Philidor, it was not until his match with de Legal in 1755 that he can be considered the strongest player in the world.
“When Philidor left Paris, in 1745, although he had for some time been playing even games with M. de Legal… he had not ceased to recognize his old master as still his master and superior. But nine years of practice, with a great variety of players, had authorized him to look for neither superior nor equal; and when, in 1755, a match was arranged between the pupil and his master, who was still at the height of his strength, the result placed the crown firmly and indisputably upon the head of Philidor.”
In 1771 and 1773 Philidor made brief stays in London to play at the Salopian coffee-house, Charing Cross and at the St James Chess Club. In 1774 the Parloe’s chess club, on St James street, in London, was created and Philidor obtained a remuneration as a Chess Master every year, for a regular season from February to June. Philidor stayed faithful to this agreement until the end of his life and he was replaced by Verdoni only after his death. It is rightly in this place Philidor encountered Mr. George Atwood, famous mathematician and physician, lecturer at Cambridge University. In an article of J. J. O’Connor and E. F. Robertson [1], devoted to George Atwood, there is the following passage:
” Atwood was a renowned amateur chess-player and among other opponents played games against the famous French player Philidor, who was regarded as the unofficial world champion.”
H E Bird records :
“Of the players who encountered Philidor, Sir Abraham Janssens, who died in 1775, seems to have been the best, Mr. George Atwood, a mathematician, one of Pitt’s secretaries came next, he was of a class which we should call third or two grades of odds below Philidor, a high standard of excellence to which but few amateurs attain. One of most interesting features of Atwood as a chess player is that he recorded and preserved some of his games, an unusual practice at that time. These records have survived, among them the last games that Philidor played which were against Atwood at Parsloe’s Club in London on 20 June 1795.”
In England, Philidor astounded his peers by playing three blindfold chess games simultaneously in the chess club of St. James Street in London on 9 May 1783. Philidor let all three opponents play white, and gave up a pawn for the third player. Some affidavits were signed, because those persons who were involved doubted that future generations would believe that such a feat was possible. Today, three simultaneous blindfold games would be fairly unremarkable among many chess masters. Even when he was in his late years, when he was 67 years old (1793), he played and won two blindfold games simultaneously in London.
Philidor, both in England and France, was largely recognized in each of this fields and got a lot of admirers, protectors and also friends, like were the French philosophers Voltaire, Rousseau and the famous English actor David Garrick (1717–1779).
In December 1792, however, when he was then age 65, Philidor had to leave definitively France for England. He was fleeing the French Revolution (1789–1799), because his name figured on the Revolutionary banishment list, established by the Convention nationale. This was not probably due to his ideas (indeed it seems Philidor was rather reserved about his opinions apart from music and chess), but very likely in view of the traditional attachment of his family to the King’s family service [2].
Andrew Soltis writes that Philidor “was the best player in the world for 50 years. In fact, he was probably about 200 rating points better than anyone else yet alive—set apart by the mysteries of the game he had solved.”
It was said that the reason why Philidor emphasized the pawns in the chess game was related to the political background during the eighteenth century of France, and that he regarded pawns as the “Third rank” on the chess board (citizens were regarded as the third rank of the society before the French Revolution started in 1789). He also included analysis of certain positions of rook and bishop versus rook, such analysis being still current theory even today. He is most famous for showing an important drawing technique with a rook and pawn versus rook endgame, in a position known as the Philidor position. The Philidor Defense(1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6) is named for him. Philidor’s book was the very first (1) that gave detailed annotations on how to play the middle-game, (2) that presented chess strategy as a whole, and (3) that presented the concepts of the blockade, prophylaxis, positional sacrifice, and mobility of the pawn formation.
Philidor joined the Royal choir of Louis XV in 1732 at the age of six, and made his first attempt at the composition of a song at the age of 11. It was said that Louis XV wanted to listen to the choir almost every day, and the singers, while waiting for the king to arrive, played chess to relieve their boredom; this may have sparked Philidor’s interest in chess.
Anand vs Topalov ..the battle continues! Anand is my favourite…go Anand! See my other entries HEREandHERE where you can see chess graphics of their other games, especially on the first link.
See the Official Website’s link to the sidebar of my blog…top right.
The FIDE World Chess Championship match resumed on Monday with Viswanathan Anand once again having the White pieces, as according to the regulations, the piece colors are alternating halfway through the match.
The players seem to be very persistent in thorough investigation of the Catalan opening, as the same setup appeared four times when Anand had White pieces.
Once again Topalov switched the variation, and included 4…Bb4+ instead of 4…dxc4. Later on, instead of the almost automatic 8. Qc2, Anand preferred the rare 8. Bf4, which prompted Black to immediately capture the pawn on c4 and then hang on it with b5.
The similar position was seen in the encounter Gelfand-Ivanchuk. Topalov varied from that game by playing 11…Bd7.
Anand accepted the gift in the view of exchange on a8, and the game became highly imbalanced as Black caught up the initiative.
A timely opening of the a-file and breach to the 7th rank gave Anand solid counterplay. After the exchange of the Bishops, it appeared that White managed to stabilise and block the dangerous d-pawn.
Topalov brought his heavy artillery to the 2nd rank, but could not achieve more than perpetual check as White kept the enemy Queen under contact attack.
But Anand refused the possibility of perpetual, on two occasions, and continued to fight for more. Nevertheless, the Black passed pawn demanded lots of caution, and White was unable to gain more with the Knight burdened on f2. The draw was finally agreed on move 58.
Game eight is taking place tomorrow, with Veselin Topalov playing the White pieces. Live commentary at the official website is starting at 14:45 local time.
Anand retained the title of the World Chess Champion
The last classical game of the FIDE World Chess Championship was opened with Lasker variation of the Queen’s Gambit Declined as Viswanathan Anand sought for a solid defence in which White would have only minimal chances to score a victory. The opening went quietly until Anand moved the slightly unusual 16…Nf6. This was the moment where Veselin Topalov took a bit longer to decide on the middlegame plan.
Topalov allowed Black to trade the Be4 and in return he forced an isolated pawn on c5. But is was not easy to besiege this pawn as Black successfully coordinated pieces and obtained excellent counterplay.
White took some time to consolidate the position and avoid tactics on the back-rank and against the Knight on d2. Anand silently offered a moves repetition with Bd3-a6, but Topalov snubbed the offer.
White established the Knight on c4, while Black Bishop possessed a long diagonal from a8. Exactly in this moment, Topalov erred in an attempt to prevent Black’s e5-e4. He played e4 himself, but Anand did not hesitate long before breaking the formation with 30…f5 and 31…e4.
Topalov carelessly traded the pawn on e4 and fell under a strong attack. The Black battery Queen-Rook-Bishop worked perfectly in the pursuit after White King. It looked like the game was over, and even Anand admitted that he couldn’t see a defence for White, but Topalov found some remarkable resources and managed to prolong the game.
But with a series of precise moves, Anand managed to convert the advantage and bring victory home on move 56. The final score is 6,5:5,5.
Thus Anand retained the title of the World Chess Champion! Congratulations!
Anand – Game 4 -28th April Game 4: Anand leads by one point after the second Catalan opening in the match.
The fourth game of the FIDE World Chess Championship match between Viswanathan Anand of India and Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria saw another Catalan opening on the board. This is the first opening that was played twice in the match, the players are obviously willing to have a theoretical discussion. Topalov was the one to deviate from the second game, as early as on move 5, when he played the sharper Bb4+ instead of a6.
Similar to the earlier Catalan game, Black clutched onto the extra pawn while White tried to take advantage of his faster pieces’ development. Anand aggressively advanced in the center to break opponent’s pawn formation and open up the files and diagonals. At the same time, Topalov was carefully clearing the queenside in order to reduce the positional pressure.
The game appeared to be taking a normal course but then Anand’s sudden Knight movement (e3-g4) caught Topalov without guard and on the wrong foot. Not hesitating much, Anand knocked a piece sacrifice on h6 and picked a strong attack against the Black King. Still precision was needed in carrying out the assault, but Anand never blinked and found the crushing 25. e5!
Topalov continued for a few moves more, but resigned at the imminent danger of a mate. Anand takes the lead in the match 2,5-1,5, tomorrow is a rest day and the games continue on Friday at 15:00 Source: Official Site
Anand crushes Topalov in fourth game
The fourth game of the World chess championship match in Sofia saw Viswanathan Anand’s best performance to date with a slashing attack against challenger Veselin Topalov.
“Anand really played brilliantly today,” said commentator Zurab Azmaiparashvili, having watched the World champion sacrifice a pawn, then a knight and then a bishop to create a winning assault against
Topalov’s exposed king.
Anand was pleased with his performance. “It was a very complex position with a lot of tension on the queenside,” said Anand. “I thought (my 23rd move) was clinching it but you can’t be 100 per cent sure.”
Anand explained that in a key variation he was prepared to give away both his rooks as well to ensure a checkmate: “Once I saw that I knew I was winning.”
Poor start
After a poor start, Anand, 40, has taken the lead for the first time in the €2 million match and the Bulgarian challenger is looking shaky. “I though I had a decent position,” said Topalov, “but if I was able to answer so simply what went wrong then the result might have been different.
“Certainly my (20th move) was especially bad.”
Playing with white pieces, Anand used the Catalan Opening which had brought him success in game two but Topalov, 35, defended differently this time. Soon Anand sacrificed a pawn and Topalov needed no invitation to grab the material and attempt to hang on to it.
Anand’s unorthodox 10th move, moving a knight to the edge of the board, appeared to be new. However, a member of Team Anand, computer expert Eric van Reem, explained that Anand was following an earlier game, a precedent apparently unknown to Topalov who began thinking hard for the first time in the game.
Excellent compensation
Soon it became clear that Anand had excellent compensation for his pawn when the apparently offside knight moved to the centre, stymieing Topalov’s freedom of movement. Although the position was highly unbalanced — the type of game at which Topalov usually excels — Anand’s speed of play indicated that he had checked the ideas at home with his team and had everything under control.
Anand was coy when asked if the sacrifices were prepared with his team. “I won’t be able to tell you that until the match is over,” said Anand, who has managed to keep the identity of some of his helpers secret as well.
On the 23rd move, after cogitating for only five minutes, Anand sacrificed a knight and Topalov immediately found his king under massive fire. Another sacrifice followed and Topalov was soon defenceless. The challenger resigned after 32 moves and three-and-a-half hours’ play.
Anand leads Topalov 2.5-1.5 with eight games remaining after Wednesday’s encounter. The fifth game, with Topalov holding the first move, will be played on Friday starting at 5.30 p.m. IST. Source: http://beta.thehindu.com/sport/other-sports/article414219.ece GAME 5 – 30th April -Topalov vs Anand 1/2
Bulgaria Chess Master Topalov Hopes to Crush Anand’s Defense
Click on the image for a clear view -the article continues here:
“We hope to have finally figured out the secret of Anand’s defense. We have five people on our team working with top notch computers on this task, and we hope to see results today,” Danailov explained.
The first move of the fifth game of the Sofia World Chess Title Match was made Friday by Nobel Prize winning professor of economics Robert Mundell, known as “the father of the euro”.
Danailov said Topalov’s team met Professor Mundell during a tournament in China which was won by the Bulgarian chess master.
“I wanted to invite Professor Mundell as a guest during the last M-Tel Masters tournament but he was busy then. This time, however, he managed to find time to be our guest,” Danailov explained.
“It is a pleasure for me to be here. I have come as an economist and a fan of chess,” said the Nobel Prize laureate expressing his happiness to be present at the event.
After the second rest day, the FIDE World Chess Championship match between Viswanathan Anand of India and Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria continued today with game five in which Topalov played with White pieces.
The first symbolic move were made by the “father of the euro” professor Robert Mundell. The President of Bulgaria Mr. Georgi Parvanov visited the match.
The opening was replay of game three in which Anand used the Slav defence and comfortably held a draw. The expectation were that Topalov will find an improvement in the variation and fight for opening advantage.
But it was Anand who first diverted from the earlier game by moving 15…h5 instead of 15…h6. Topalov continued with the logical 16. Ne2 having in mind Nf4, to exploit the newly created situation with Black pawn on h5. Anand established strong Knight outpost on e5 and traded off a pair of Rooks to reduce White’s chances of gaining initiative.
After further exchange of minor pieces, an endgame with Rook and Bishop versus Rook and Knight has arisen. Anand’s 29…g5 initiated changes in the pawn structure, which allowed him to solve one issue and concentrate on pieces’ play.
Black Knight gradually suppressed White Bishop, which eventually landed on the backward d1-square. Right after the time-control, Topalov offered moves repetition before the situation goes out of the hand. Or perhaps it was a psychological move, attempting to test Anand’s resolve to play for a win, in case of which White would also have chances for full point.
But Anand needed no risk and accepted the threefold repetition. Draw signed on move 44. The current score is 3-2 in favour of Anand who tomorrow plays with White pieces. Live coverage on the official website starting at 14:45 local time.
Anand blacks out Topalov’s ambitions
Viswanathan Anand has retained his narrow lead over Veselin Topalov with a solid draw in the fifth game of the Indian’s world title defence in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Anand, playing black for the third time in the match, repeated the Slav opening which had neutralised Topalov’s ambitions in game three, and also came armed with a new 15th move.
Soon afterwards, as Anand was considering his 17th move, the playing hall — and indeed the entire Military Club — was plunged into darkness by a power blackout. The game timers were stopped by the arbiter but both players remained firmly in their seats, analysing in the dark.
Ten minutes later, emergency power provided some flickering light on the stage and five minutes later the light was good enough for the game to resume.
“I don’t know what would have happened if the lights had not gone on for an hour or more,” admitted Anand. “I don’t know what the rules are for such a situation.”
However, while play continued, the video screen above the players, relaying the game to the audience in the Military Club and to hundreds of thousands of viewers on the internet, remained inoperable. Audible protests from some of the frustrated spectators in the theatre were quickly muted by security guards and five minutes later normal broadcasting of the moves resumed.
Both players reacted calmly to the unexpected interruption, although Anand spent some time re-orientating himself with the position before he made his next move.
“It is very easy to make a mistake after a break in concentration like this,” said Anand, “so I decided to invest an extra ten minutes just to be sure.”
Once again Anand’s opening preparation proved superior to that of his Bulgarian challenger. “I missed Anand’s [22nd move],” confessed Topalov. “It was very strong. I will need to be more precise in future games.”
With other strong pawn moves Anand soon solved all his problems. “I managed to stabilise the position,” explained Anand, “after which I have nothing to complain about.”
Before long Topalov found himself staring at an equal endgame which offered no chances for a win to either player. After four hours play, both players could find nothing better than to repeat moves and a draw was agreed after 44 moves.
The draw was a perfectly satisfactory result for Anand as he retains a 3-2 lead in the best-of-12 contest and will hold the advantage of the first move, equivalent to the serve in tennis, in the next two games.
Anand refused, however, to express any comment on the state of the match so far, saying “I’m just taking it game by game.”
On the way to the Olympia Centre – where the London Chess Classic is being held
Black bird in a tree
Hammersmith-area – traffic and weather
The players…
Kramnik looked away shyly when I winked at him [hehe] and Nigel suddenly said to Michael Adams…you know what, she’s the only woman around here![NOT – there were many others]
aha! got him smiling!
The stage
And everyone wants the best shot
And I got mine too
Kramnik watching the electronic board
The electronic board, we were allowed to click-click only the first 5 min into the games
A Semi-giant set in the foyer – a lovely set
Art in the foyer, do I see a pawn’s head in this piece of art – or is it my chess-brain working overtime?[hehe]
bikes outside
Headless London pawns lined-up – standing vigilant – for McShane’s and Howell’s game?
Into the night
My impression/opinion of the London Chess Classic
It was great to see these GM’s in real life, they are all great people and great players. It was great to see them playing live on the stage, to see how they respond and their reactions during a tournament. I was very excited to see them as Kramnik is one of my favourite players. Carlsen too, as he’s young and many students can associate with him and he can be of an inspiration to many young players wanting to reach their goal of becoming a GM too?
The venue was great, it wasn’t my first time at the Olympia. If I can have a moan about a few things and maybe, just maybe someone will pick it up and do something about it. Firstly, the Ladies’ toilet near the auditorium was changed into a Gents room. The nearest Ladies was in the East Hall in a maze of corridors with doors enough to take 6mil people to heaven at any one time. I waited for an old lady as I knew she wasn’t going to find her way back. She was already stressed out when she saw me, saying she found it hard to find it – despite the little arrows you could follow. Secondly, the T-shirts were all in sizes Large -and up and then in a small, but no medium-sized-shirts. I was told by Philippa – the wife of Malcolm Pein [organiser of the tournament] – she’s an ex Saffa and spoke to me in Afrikaans, how nice! – that these shirts were not available in a medium-size- as they reasoned that females were not really going to buy it – duh! Was I going to be the only female wanting a shirt? Then I must be of a very rare specie! I did buy a large though, a mug and a pen. I think I will sleep in this large, baggy shirt.[lol]
The games. The chess games were great – sort of. I was very annoyed with Howell and McShane’s game. They didn’t have a good game, it was a boring game, right from the start. Later on I didn’t even follow their game on the board. Magnus played a good game up to a point and I lost interest. Kramnik’s game wasn’t up to the standard I expected from him and I didn’t follow his game – they finished first and quite early too. I was still thinking how to go about to get some autographs when Kramnik disappeared from the stage. One guy was lucky, he was near the exit on Kramnik’s side. You would think they would go to the foyer to mingle with the common chess players and where you can grab them for an autograph. I lost interest in all the games that were left and we left about 6pm. Our parking ticket was £25, all worth it, but will I do it again to see my favourite players in action? I don’t know, maybe. Maybe if us women don’t have to walk two miles for a ladies room, the chess games worth it and t-shirts in medium size [lol] [I must add, the first time I did use the toilet for disabled people, but I was given the look when I wanted to use it again]
On this photo I’m sitting on the right at the far end – you can’t see me! but you can see hubby on the left. The photo is from the official site. We played three games. We arrived at about 12:15-ish and played till about 13:40.
Denise Frick – South African-player taking part in the Women’s Invitational – image: Official site
Magnus Carlsen from Norway – is he the Mozart of Chess?
The Big Eight
and…this is my ticket for Saturday!
Click HERE for the Official site. The link will open in a new window.
Standings after round 3
Enjoy the Music of Mozart – Piano Concerto no 20 in D Minor
Pairings for round 4 – Saturday 12th December – I was hoping to see Carlsen vs Kramnik in action, but…you can’t have your bread on both sides buttered…
Howell vs Carlsen – round 3
Womens Invitational-section
Denise Frick – South African WIM is taking part in this section
David Howell and Magnus Carlsen round 3 – draw
Howell vs Carlsen – move 48 round 3
Howell vs Carlsen move 60 round 3
Howell vs Carlsen – move 79 – 1/2 round 3
Magnus Carlsen: the rise and rise of chess’s answer to Mozart
If Magnus Carlsen had not had an elder sister, he would never have been gnawed by sibling rivalry, and if he had not been gnawed by sibling rivalry, he might never have become a world-famous chess-player. On such accidents of birth, genius can depend.
“I first tried interesting Magnus in the game when he was four or five,” says Henrik Carlsen, father of the precocious Norwegian teenager, just turned 19, who has been called the Mozart of chess. “But he was too young. It was only when he was eight, watching me play chess with his elder sister, Ellen, that he caught the chess bug in earnest. By the age of nine, he was able to beat me. By the age of 13, he was an international grandmaster.” Not just a grandmaster, one of the elite of world chess, but at 13 years, four months and 27 days, one of the youngest Grandmasters in the history of the game. That turbulent American genius Bobby Fischer did not become a grandmaster until he was 15 and a half, middle-aged in comparison, while Russia’s Garry Kasparov, often regarded as the greatest chess-player of all time, was 17, practically senile, before he reached the same mark.
It is the sheer precociousness of the young Norwegian – Carlsen is now ranked number one in the world – that has captured the imagination of chess lovers, who will be able to see him in action at the London Chess Classic next week. The comparisons with Mozart are inescapable. Kasparov has now retired from top-flight chess, but is so fascinated by the prospects of this Scandinavian wunderkind that he has signed up as his coach. Imagine being a fly on the wall at their training sessions. The intellectual voltage would kill you.
Carlsen sounds mildly irritated when the Mozart comparison is wheeled out. “I’m not sure why people have to talk like that. It’s not something I ever think about.” But he concedes that the life of a chess prodigy can sometimes be lonely. “I think that’s the price of success in many walks of life. If you want to get to the top, there’s always the risk that it will isolate you from other people.”
Ultimately, it is a love of the game, the Norwegian insists, not some stern work ethic, that drives him on. “I spend hours playing chess because I find it so much fun. The day it stops being fun is the day I give up. Without the element of enjoyment, it is not worth trying to excel at anything.”
As for Carlsen’s genius – and one can hardly avoid the word – there were clues long before he started showing his paces at chess. Before he was two, he could solve jigsaw puzzles with more than 50 pieces. From jigsaws he graduated to Lego, constructing models that would have challenged teenagers. Feats of memory came easily to him. By the age of five, scarily, he knew the area, population, flag and capital of every country in the world.
“Boys are very good at focusing their attention on one thing at a time,” reflects his father. “Girls are better at multitasking. I would not say Magnus is naturally hard-working. In fact, he can be quite lazy at times. But when he is following his intuition and curiosity, there is no stopping him.”
If the life of a child chess prodigy can be quite intense, Carlsen has not been put under relentless pressure by ambitious parents. Instead he has enjoyed a normal, even outgoing, childhood. In 2003, when he was still 12, his parents took him and his sisters out of school for a year, packed them into a minibus and, in the adventure of a lifetime, embarked on a tour of Europe.
The itinerary was partly dictated by the international chess tournaments in which Carlsen was due to play. But there was also time for sightseeing, museum visits, even three weeks on a beach in Crete. What an exhilarating contrast to normal schooling.
You could never call Magnus Carlsen normal, not with his extraordinary talents. But if his natural milieu is the chessboard, there is a part of him that loves the great outdoors, fresh air and physical exercise. Ask him if he would rather have been a world-famous footballer than a chess-player, and his answer might surprise chess fans.
“I would probably have to say yes. Who could resist being a famous footballer? Chess only appeals to quite a small minority. It does not have the cachet of a mainstream popular sport.”
What lessons from his childhood would he want to pass on to his own children, if and when he has them? “I can’t say I’ve given that much thought. I guess what my parents taught me is that, as a parent, you need to be supportive without being pushy. They were very happy to let me play in tournaments and made sacrifices so that I could, but they didn’t force their own agenda on me. They let me follow my own enthusiasms.”
FIDE has recognised the achievements of Melissa Greeff [15] by indicating that she will be awarded the prestigious title of International Woman Grandmaster.CONGRATULATIONS Melissa!! You do us PROUD! Baie Geluk, Melissa, ons het hiervoor gewag, ons het eintlik geweet jy’s reeds ‘n Grandmaster, ons het slegs vir die aankondiging gewag! We already knew you were one… we’ve been waiting for the announcement only!! [news:official site: chessa.co.za]
You can see her Fide profile on this link. The link will open in a new window.
Click on this link this link to see her games during the “First Saturday” tournament in Budapest and onthis link to play through her games interactively on chessgames and 365chess. Links will open in a new window.
Melissa – 15 year old student in her school uniform- photo:
herschel.org.za/news/senior-news/165/check-mate
Melissa vs Groetz at the Arctic Chess Challenge
The same time, congratulations to the Springboks! You are still my heroes when it comes to rugby!
The following message from Jennifer Shahade to Melissa:
Nikita: Send my congrats to WGM Greef! Her family was so hospitable when I was in SA, hope to visit again sometime soon.
Two of South Africa’s young chess players are now taking part in the First Saturday Chesstournament –in Budapest – to gain the title of Fide Master. Players have to gain norms to qualify for titles. Both Melissa and Jenine have already the title of Woman International Master. Melissa plays in Tournament A and Jenine in Tournament B. GM Peter Leko – one of the top players of the GM’s, also gained his title at this tournament in Budapest. If you click on the first image with the logo of First Saturday, you will get taken to the official website of the tournament.
Chess Titles: explained
Grandmaster (shortened as GM, sometimes International Grandmaster or IGM is used) is awarded to world-class chess masters. Apart from World Champion, Grandmaster is the highest title a chess player can attain. Before FIDE will confer the title on a player, the player must have an Elo chess rating of at least 2500 at one time and three favorable results (called norms) in tournaments involving other Grandmasters, including some from countries other than the applicant’s. There are also other milestones a player can achieve to attain the title, such as winning the World Junior Championship. International Master (shortened as IM). The conditions are similar to GM, but less demanding. The minimum rating for the IM title is 2400. FIDE Master (shortened as FM). The usual way for a player to qualify for the FIDE Master title is by achieving a FIDE Rating of 2300 or more.
Candidate Master (shortened as CM). Similar to FM, but with a FIDE Rating of at least 2200.
All the titles are open to men and women. Separate women-only titles, such as Woman Grandmaster (WGM), are also available. Beginning with Nona Gaprindashvili in 1978, a number of women have earned the GM title, and most of the top ten women in 2006 hold the unrestricted GM title.
Source: Wikipedia
Results: Fide Master Norm – Tournament A: Melissa
Round 1: Peter Segelken vs Melissa Greeff —0-1
Round 2: Melissa Greeff vs Andras Zoltan —1-0
Round 3: Zoltan Czibulka vs Melissa Greeff —1-0
Round 4: Melissa Greeff vs Kristof Koczo —1-0
Round 5: Michael Yip vs Melissa Greeff —0-1
Round 6: ***
Round 7: Melissa Greeff vs Jozsef Katona —1/2
Round 8: Rene Rauer Hansen vs Melissa Greeff —1/2
Round 9: Melissa Greeff vs Csaba Schenkerik —1-0
Round 10:Yorick Ten Hagen vs Melissa Greeff —1/2
Round 11:Melissa Greeff vs Lajos Borda —1/2
While we’re on the topic of girls….Natalia Pogonina is a Woman Chess Grandmaster. She’s a WGM’s I’ve only discovered a few days ago! She’s written a book about women and chess. On any chess site, there are always threads in the forums about the question: why are there less women playing chess, or: why are there less Women Chess Grandmasters, etc. etc…it’s endless…all the different topics. It’s good to know that the men like to talk about us, it shows that they have at least something to talk about…haha… Chess is a game for people who can use their logical mind and if they can’t reason in a logical way too, well, then I have a few questions to ask too. I think the reasons are straightforward and we don’t have to argue about it or start any conversations about this topic. Men should really start accepting the reasons. Some of them even enjoy to put women down, maybe to feel better about themselves and their own shortcomings? Do make an effort to read what Natalia says. I’ve also GM Yelena Dembo’s site-link for you. Click on the images of the GM’s and you will be taken to their sites. Links will open in a new window.
WGM Yelena Dembo If you click HERE you can play through her best games.
WGM Natalia Pogonina
On June 5, 2009 WGM Natalia Pogonina and Peter Zhdanov got married – she a Women’s Grandmaster, he a successful IT-specialist and debate expert. Peter is also Natalia’s manager, together they are writing a book called “Chess Kamasutra”. Today they share with us their views on the perennial topic why women are worse at chess than men, and take a look at the future of women’s chess.
“They’re all weak, all women. They’re stupid compared to men.
They shouldn’t play chess, you know. They’re like beginners. They lose every single game against a man.There isn’t a woman player in the world I can’t give knight-odds to and still beat.”
Robert James Fischer, 1962, Harper’s Magazine
Chess is often divided into men’s chess and women’s chess. The classification is quite relative, since women can participate in tournaments for men, while men can’t take part in women’s events. This discrimination has always been a subject of heated discussions. So, is it true that men are better than women in chess, and if so, then what are the reasons for that? Genes?
Chess is an intellectual sport, physical strength is by far not the key factor there. Endurance is also not a factor, because women are probably even more enduring than men.
Some say it’s about the level of testosterone that affects competitiveness – men are more likely to be trying to excel at something than women. However, if we look at the percentage of so-called “grandmaster draws” among women and men then we’ll see that women’s fighting spirits are definitely higher. You may say that it’s an exception from the rule, but we still doubt that it’s the high level of testosterone that makes top women players good at chess.
So, maybe women are just less smart than men? According to multiple studies, on the average the answer is “no”. Then what’s the problem?
Historical reasons Women have started playing chess professionally long after men. Nowadays the number of professional women chess players is growing, but the proportion is still incomparable. There are very few women in chess, so they have meager chances to enter the world chess elite.
Look at the top-300 list of chess players and count the number of women there. If you don’t miss anyone, you’ll find only three of them. Almost one to a hundred, “great” ratio, isn’t it? A few more illustrative figures: according to FIDE’s website, there are 20 female players who hold the GM title to 1201 male grandmasters (about 1 to 60), 77 female IMs to 2854 male (about 1 to 37), 239 WGMs and 7 female FMs to 5400 male FMs (about 1 to 22). Side note: notice the downward trend?
Upbringing and social stereotypes
The other important issue is that in order to become a top chess player you’ve got to study chess diligently from early childhood. Parents (who have a large influence on their children’s choice of hobbies) deem chess as a strange pastime for a girl, and also do not appreciate the fact that their daughter will be spending a lot of time with male adults or teenagers (especially when leaving home to play in tournaments).
Roy Gates (Southern California, USA) recalls:
I think that there’s definitely some cultural/sociological bias at work that has made it more difficult for women to excel in chess. I realized a few years ago (after it was pointed out to me by an ex-girlfriend) that I was taking a much more active role in my nephew’s chess education than I was with my niece despite the fact that she was more eager to play/learn and seemed to take to the game much quicker. I had subconsciously not taken her interest in chess seriously and was mortified when I realized I was helping to perpetuate the myth that boys are better chess players.
Michael Ziern (Frankfurt, Germany) adds:
It is hard to convince parents to send girls to tournaments along with their male club colleagues. Parents are often afraid to allow their 10 or 12 year old girl to travel around with a group of boys and young men. If girls play fewer tournaments, they do not improve so quickly and lose interest. In order to solve this problem, my club cooperated with clubs from neighboring towns to have greater groups of girls who could share rooms in youth hostels, make friends etc. with some success.
Moreover, serious chess studies require substantial investments (coaches, trips etc.), while it’s a well-known fact that women chess players can’t make a decent living playing chess unless they’re at the very top. That’s why parents discourage their daughters’ interest in chess – what’s the point of wasting so much time on a dubious activity?
When Natalia was twelve she even had to move to another city to get access to good coaching and financing – life in Russia in the 90s used to be tough for anyone, not to mention chess players. So she and her coach could hardly find money for the chess trips and had to carry heavy bags full of chess books with them and sell the volumes in order to compensate the expenses.
Psychology
This factor seems to me to be the most important. A stereotype exists in chess that women are no match for men. It is based on statistical data. That’s why many female chess players are taught from early childhood that they’ll never make it to men’s level. TV and books are also trying to convince them that it’s unreal. But all this is a myth! The first woman to break it was the incredible Judit Polgar, the greatest woman chess player of all times.
Different priorities?
What if women are just not interested in chess? Could it be one of those activities that appeal to men more than to women (like playing PC games, fighting, shooting, cussing etc.?). There was even an amusing hypothesis that chess is for immature and weird people, so women (who tend to mature faster than men) don’t take up such a strange occupation.
Robert Tierney (Binghamton NY, USA):
Adding my two-cents here, I think the question is phrased wrong. “Why do women play chess worse than men” is an improper question, framed in a male-dominated area with a male-dominated history. Since everyone (here) seems to agree that women are quicker learners than men, and mature quicker than men, perhaps they are too intelligent to spend more time at something that is just a game, as Morphy stated several times. Maybe the question should be, are men too stupid or too immature to quit obsessing on chess? Then maybe we wouldn’t have this topic getting abused over and over again. “Chess is a sign of lack of intelligence”–now wouldn’t that be a kick in the head?
Different tastes and priorities are probably part of the answer, but they are also closely connected with the other reasons. For instance, priorities are largely affected by social stereotypes and upbringing, so if (theoretically) we change them (e.g. encourage boys to play dolls and girls to study chess), we may see a completely opposite result.
This early drawing has a surreal quality created by the larger-than-life chess pieces and study of a face, surrounding the young man playing chess. In his later work Warhol would continue to play with scale, enlarging objects and people to increase their iconic status. The colour in this image was possibly completed at one of Warhol’s colouring parties, hosted at the fashionable Serendipity 3 café after it opened in 1954. He would encourage his friends – some of whom would have helped him create the original illustrations – to colour the works with an inventiveness that adds to their whimsical nature. This process looks forward to the production methods of Warhol’s legendary studio, the Factory, in the 1960s.
Art of Warhol here. The link will open in a new window.
David Howell
ENG
2613
The 8th Player in this tournament is David Howell
Cream of world chess to play in new London tournament.
London Chess Centre is proud to announce a world-class chess tournament to be held in London in December, 2009. The event will be an elite eight-player all-play-all in the most prestigious tournament in the capital since former world champion Anatoly Karpov won the Phillips and Drew Masters in 1984.
Since then, despite London hosting three world title contests, there has not been a tournament in which England’s leading players could lock horns with the world’s best on home soil. The December 09 tournament will be the first in a series of events designed to reinvigorate UK chess and promote the game and its undoubted educational benefits in schools and communities.
The tournament will be FIDE Category 19 with an average FIDE rating of 2700 and a minimum prize fund of €100,000. The eight players will comprise of three English and five world-class Grandmasters from abroad. Included in the prize fund will be a €10,000 Brilliant Game award along with separate prizes for each victory with the White and Black pieces. Matches will be covered live online where fans will be able to vote for Game of the Day.
The tournament has applied for membership of the prestigious annual Grand Slam of Chess which culminates in Bilbao and boasts a €400,000 prize fund.
The games will be under Classical Chess time control; 40 moves in two hours, 20 in the subsequent hour then an additional 15 minutes plus an increment of 30 seconds a move until the end of the game. The tournament will further benefit from the use of Sofia Rules which disallow early draws. Players will receive three points for a win and one for a draw.
Click on the image for a larger view for the Olympia Conference Centre at spot marked as A.
Contact Malcolm Pein (IM) Director London Chess Centre:
Chess Centre: 020 7388 2404 (London)
New London tournament to be in the Olympia Conference Centre.
I am delighted to announce that the London Chess Classic 2009 will be staged at one of London’s most prestigious venues; the Olympia Conference Centre. Olympia will provide excellent facilities including a 400 seat soundproof auditorium, two commentary rooms and multimedia presentation. There will be ample space for Open, weekend and Speed Chess tournaments plus junior training which will run alongside the main event from December 8th-15th inclusive.
The London Chess Classic 2009 will be the highest level tournament in London for 25 years and will be the first in a series of events designed to increase enthusiasm for chess in the UK and promote the game and its undoubted educational benefits in schools and communities. It is also our objective to bring the world championship to London in the Olympic year 2012.
England’s four leading Grandmasters; Michael Adams, Nigel Short, Luke McShane and David Howell will be pitched against a world class field that includes a former world champion Vladimir Kramnik and 18 year old Magnus Carlsen ranked world number three and widely seen a future holder of the world crown. One of China’s finest players; Ni Hua and the US Champion Hikaru Nakamura, complete the field.
Spectators will be treated to live commentary on the games from Grandmasters and will be able to play tournament or informal games all day. Ticket information will be available in September. For those who cannot attend there be will live coverage and commentary on the games on the internet.
Contact Malcolm Pein (IM) Director London Chess Centre:
Maybe, just maybe, I’ll get a chance to meet some of the Grandmasters in London – if I’m lucky! Meanwhile, the Scots want their Chessmen back! THE BRITISH Museum has put a set of elaborately carved chess figures at the heart of a new gallery despite demands that they be returned to Scotland.
The 82 Lewis Chessmen, which are between 800 and 900 years old and made from walrus and whale ivory, were seen in a Harry Potter film and inspired the children’s TV series Noggin The Nog.
Alex Salmond, First Minister of Scotland, wants them repatriated to Edinburgh to be reunited with the rest of the set discovered on the Outer Hebrides in the early 19th century.
Just as the Greek government wants the Elgin Marbles in London to be returned to Athens, Mr Salmond claims it is “unacceptable” for the British Museum to have 82 of the figures while the other 11 are in the National Museum of Scotland.
This entry is like scrambled eggs! ..some English..some Afrikaans… some reading…some listening…some chess, some poetry, make your pick and choose what you want to do…and I hope you find something good here….I’m going to explain in short what the magazine is about. This is a South African family magazine, since the 1900’s and I’ve blogged about it before, but want to blog more and focus more on poetry that was published in these issues and about the fashion of the time and whatever you’ll find here…it’s really a mix! The three issues are in this post as PDF files if you want to download it and my other entry is only in English, if you want to click on the link to read the English-entry posted in 2007.
You will find a poem by Goethe.. The Fisherman…translated in Afrikaans in 1915/6 – by someone. The poet’s name was unfortunately not published, only initials, at least it said that the poem was translated from the German-poem. The poems in this entry are written in Afrikaans, but Afrikaans was still busy developing and you will spot the similarities to the Dutch Language in the words/phrases. By looking at these images you can get a pretty good idea of what the fashion of the time was like, the captions with the images will also guide you and you’ve thought that my blog is a chess blog only…hehe..actually, my blog says…anything/everything and chess! But as always, I will try and link something in my entry to chess, if possible! So…here it goes…some extracts of sites – links which you can follow too – that tells us that chess was a game that was enjoyed by South Africans too…from early years on….and for those of you who want to listen so some beautiful Afrikaans music…there’s a song for you to listen to…called..”Korreltjie Sand” – (grain of sand), the poem of Ingrid Jonker…as sung by Chris Chameleon. The following three links are pdf’s which you can download and it’s old Huisgenoot-mags. All the links will open in a new window. These files are quite large, they do take a few seconds to download. Wees geduldig! huisgenoot-julie-1916
This link is from my blogwhere I’ve previously posted in English about Ingrid Jonker with external links you can enjoy. She comitted suicide by walking into the sea.
By downloading the pdf-format of the old Huisgenoot issues, you can compare the covers which is interesting to see how much it’s changed. Even the format has changed over the years from a quite larger format to what it is now.
At the bottom of this link, – for people who want to do some “listening” only…there are some music files…some music from the good old “past”…I know the South Africans reading here – especially if you’re not “at home” – will appreciate these songs… and if you want to download the songs in a zip folder, go to this blog and voila! music-a-la-in-a-jiffy…or is it in a “zip”-py! For English “foreigners” reading here…”Rabbit” was one of South Africa’s rock band of the mid 70’s and they had a big hit…”Charlie”…read about Trevor Rabin…one member of the band…and why he’s now in Hollywood! You can listen to Charlie too…and a few other brilliant songs…all by Saffa-artists. Do enjoy! The first song at the bottom of this post, is an Afrikaans love song though..so go on, play it for your girl friend/boy friend…the title of the song…something like..”Are you still thinking of me”?
If you can’t read the following paragraph…it is Afrikaans! Ek het in Sept 2007 ‘n blog-inskrywing gemaak oor die 1916-Huisgenoot en hier sal jy ook die skakel kry na Tukkies waar ek die Huisgenoot-publikasies gekry het. Dit is in PDF-formaat en die skakels sal in ‘n nuwe bladsy oopmaak. Elkeen van die publikasies is sowat 8 MB en neem ‘n paar sekondes om af te laai en oop te maak. Wees maar bietjie geduldig. Daar is nog ‘n paar gediggies vanuit hierdie toeka-se-dae-uitgawes wat ek sal byvoeg met die tyd. Ek hoop julle geniet die musiek hier ook!
Chess played in South Africa in the early years: Organised club league chess is over 100 years old in Cape Town. Cape Town chess club, the oldest in South Africa (founded in 1885) together with Woodstock, Tokai and the YMCA club formed a union of clubs in 1907. Each club entered one team in the league at a fee of 1 pound-1-0 per team in the same year.
Teams of five competed in the inaugural competition. Cape Town was expected to win and did so but only by one point. In the double round robin they scored 10 match points, Woodstock 9, YMCA 6 and Tokai 0. Cape Town sensationally lost in the opening round to Woodstock, a club barely a year old, and had to field to their strongest possible team for the replay which they won by a single point. Source: Chess for all. The link will open in a new window. Some Chess records …about South Africa… Longest running correspondence chess rivalry. Reinhart Straszacker and Hendrick van Huyssteen, both of South Africa, played their first game of correspondence chess in 1946. They played for over 53 years, until Straszacker died in 1999. They played 112 games, with both men winning 56 games each. Source… https://www.chess.com/article/view/records-in-chess The Chessmaster Borislav Kosti toured South Africa in the 1920’s. I’ve lost my original link about him, but found another link…just after his image…and here’s a wiki-link too..http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borislav_Kosti%C4%87
Bora (Borislav) Kosti – a Chess Grandmaster of the 1920’s
Bora Kostic was born on 24 February 1887 in Vrsac. His first chess steps he started when he was ten, and as early as he was in grammar school he was one of the best chess-players in Vrsac. His biggest competitor from the grammar school days was five years older, Sava Gerdec, who taught him the chess theory. Their fight for the chess reputation was finished when Kostic went to study to Budapest. He finished Oriental trade academy there, but without neglecting chess.
His first great chess result was achieved in Budapest 1909, when he won at the tournament of the greatest Hungarian chess amateurs. This victory opened the door of the Vienna chess society to young Kostic, and that was the chess metropolis of that time.
In 1911 he achieved sensational victory in the match with the American champion, Frank Marshall. His first real “baptism of fire” Bora Kostic had that same year at the International grand master tournament Karsbad (Karlove Vari). In extraordinarily strong competition he won the title of the international master. Then followed the visit to Nordic countries where he won over the champions of Danmark and Sweden, as well as the very powerful Rudolf Spielmann.
In 1913 he moved to the capital of Argentina, Buenos Aires where he worked as the chess lecturer at the Military academy. He had been cruising on one Argetine warship across many seas. In Argentina he won in the matches with all their best players, and also the champion of this country, Roland Ilja, 6:0.
In 1915 he went to New York and started the chess tour from the east to the west coast. On that famous six-month-long tour, Bora Kostic achieved the world record in the number of played games on simultaneous exhibitions. Out of 3281played games he lost only 112, and made draw in 237. During his stay in America he visited Nikola Tesla, while he was the chess teacher to the famous tenor singer Enrico Caruso.Playing numerous games and tournaments, master tournament of the “Manhattan chess” club being the most famous in 1918, Bora Kostic was ranked immediately after Capablanca on the whole American continent. Especially because their four games played at two tournaments ended draw. That was why their match in 1919 happened, when the genius Capablanca won with the great result.
In the same year he returned to Europe and in Hastings took the second place after Capablanca. The next year in Hastings he took the first place with 100% gained points, which nobody repeated during the long tradition of this tournament. Then came important tournament results: Gothenburg 1920 – IV place, Budapest 1921 – III-IV place, Hague 1921 IV-V place. In England he played simultaneous games and blind productions, animating the chess world with enthusiasm.
In Yugoslavia of that time the rivalry between dr Milan Vidmar and Bora Kostic was evident. Unfortunately, the match, the result of which should have shown who should have been given the title of the Yugoslav champion, was never organized.
Bora Kostic especially liked to travel and see new countries and customs, but also to play at the chess tournaments during those travels. So he organized world chess tour which lasted from 11 November 1923 to 28 May 1926. As he himself said to his friend Kosta Jovanovic immediately before the trip: “I want to see the world, those parts of the world that were only the objects of my imagination. I believe that on that trip there will be a lot of interest for chess. ” That was the mission which brought commercial success of great scale to the world chess. Certain Yugoslav master, demonstrating chess on, so to speak every step, in different countries, talks about his homeland about which many people have never even heard before. First he set off to Australia and New Zealand. Then over South Africa overland to Kenia, where the famous match on the equator was played. Bora Kostic was on the northern hemisphere, and his opponent on the south. His next stop was India, where he was at the end met by maharaja from Patiale (Schandagar), who organized tournaments on the hights of the Himalayas. From there he went to Nepal and on Tibet, and then to the island of Java in Indonesia. From Java he crossed to Sumatra where he played with the chief of the Bataki tribe. From there he moved to the Philipines, and then to Hong Kong and China. From China he moved to the Soviet Union from where his return to Vrsac began. Through Siberia, over Irkutsk, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Sverdlovsk, Moskow, Odessa, Leningrad to Riga. Everywhere he played simultaneous matches, blind games, matches, and as he himself confessed the greatest number of lost games he had, were played just in the Soviet Union. Finally, at the end of May 1926, he arrived to Vrsac and ended the first part of his trip around the world at the chess-board. Tireless chess traveller, he put foundations for the future chess links among the peoples of the whole world. …
First chess Olympics were played in 1927. godine. Bora Kostic played at the first board of the Yugoslav representation and won 8,5 points out of 15 games. The following year he won in Trencanske Toplice, and in 1930 he was IV in Nice. In the same year he continued his trip around the world. He went to Mexico where he stayed eight months. From there he went to Cuba, then to America, and came back from there in the middle of 1931 to arrive to the Olympics which took place in Prague. On that Olympics Yugosalvia was IV, the contribution of Bora Kostic on the third board was very important.Then came extraordinarily strong tournament in Bled , which was marked by the world champion Alekhin.
The first Yugoslav championships took place in 1935 in Belgrade. Bora Kostic shared the first place with Vasja Pirc. Bora Kostic achieved the greatest tournament result in 1938 in Ljubljana at the Yugoslav championships. With 10,5 points out of 15 games he won over the best Yugoslav players, as well as over Szabo, Tartakower and Steiner.
At the beginning of World War II the chess activity stopped for all those who did not want to play in Nazi Germany. Among them was also Bora Kostic who spent some time in the concentration camp in Veliki Beckerek (Zrenjanin) because of his patriotism. After the war he took part at several championships and smaller tournaments, and the last competition at which he won was the tournament of veterans – Zurich 1962.
Bora Kostic died in Belgrade, 3 November 1963. Perhaps, when we take into consideration only the objective power of some players, Uncle Bora would not be ranked in the world top. It may happen that his rich talent has worn out on his road filled with all kinds of events. The circumstances he lived under later did not allow him to fullfill his creative potentials to their full extent. However, as the chess-player he was a unique, extraordinary person. He devoted his life to chess and he was thrilled with it to the end of his life.The magic of the chess game took him to the great life adventure – to the long journey through the exotic, in that time unknown world. Source: See the link by his photo- it will open in a new window. You can play through his games on the link too.
Mode : Neklyne en haarstyle / Fashion: Necklines and hairstyles
Girl's dress
Marriage-couple
Mode/Fashion
Modes van 1916/Fashion 1916
Akteurs/Actors
Chris Chameleon singing “Korreltjie Sand” – (Grain of Sand)
Korreltjie Sand – lyrics
korreltjie korreltjie sand
klippie gerol in my hand
klippie gesteek in my sak
word korreltjie klein en plat
sonnetjie groot in die blou
ek maak net ‘n ogie van jou
blink in my korreltjie klippie
dit is genoeg vir die rukkie pyltjie geveer en verskiet
liefde verklein in die niet
timmerman bou aan ‘n kis
ek maak my gereed vir die niks
korreltjie klein is my woord
korreltjie niks is my dood
korreltjie klein
korreltjie sand kindjie wat skreeu uit die skoot
niks in die wêreld is groot
stilletjies lag nou en praat
stilte in doodloopstraat
wêreldjie rond en aardblou
korreltjie maak ek van jou
huisie met deur en twee skrefies
tuintjie met blou madeliefies pyltjie geveer en verskiet
liefde verklein in die niet
timmerman bou aan ‘n kis
ek maak my gereed vir die niks
korreltjie klein is my woord
korreltjie niks is my dood
korreltjie klein
korreltjie sand (5x)
You can read about Chris Chameleon on this link which will open in a new link.
The Original poem
Korreltjie niks is my dood Ingrid Jonker (1933-1965)
Korreltjie korreltjie sand
klippie gerol in my hand
klippie gesteek in my sak
word korreltjie klein en plat
Sonnetjie groot in die blou
korreltjie maak ek van jou
blink in my korreltjie klippie
dit is genoeg vir die rukkie
Kindjie wat skreeu uit die skoot
niks in die wêreld is groot
stilletjies lag nou en praat
stilte in doodloopstraat
Wêreldjie rond en aardblou
ek maak net ‘n ogie van jou
huisie met deur en twee skrefies
tuintjie met blou madeliefies
Pyltjie geveer in verskiet
liefde verklein in die niet
Timmerman bou aan ‘n kis
Ek maak my gereed vir die niks
Korreltjie klein is my woord
Korreltjie niks is my dood
Kontras Wit is die wêreld,
wit van die sneeuw.
Bokant die water
sweef daar ‘n meeuw;
blouw is die hemel,
nergens ‘n wolk:
oral is daar vrede
rondom die kolk.
Spierwitte wêreld,
diep in jouw siel
sug jij en smag jij
om te verniel;
skijn is jouw vrede,
donker jouw hart:
jij is maar blij oor
ander se smart
A D Keet: Amsterdam, Kersmis 1914
Digter Is Hij
Digter is hij, die digters-taal
Diep uit die grond van sijn hart kan haal;
En hij voel in sijn hart ‘n heerlike drang
Om ‘n vlugtige stemming in woorde te vang.
Digter is hij, die verse maak–
Verse, wat duisende harte kan raak.
Maar hij weet nie, waar hij die mag van haal:
Dis ‘n gawe, wat bo uit die hemel daal.
Digter is hij, die oog en oor
Tref met ‘n pragtige woordekoor;
En hij skep sijn lied soos ‘n vooltjie vrij,
Die sijn hele siel aan die wêreld belij.
Digter is hij, die sing en sing,
Fraai als ‘n vooltjie, wat vreugde bring:
Want hij hef sijn stem op ‘n lieflike maat
Van die môre vroeg tot die awend laat.
Digter is hij, die deur en deur
Voel, wat rondom en in hom gebeur;
Die sijn siel se gevoelens uit kan giet
In ‘n lewende, sprekende, roerende lied.
A D Keet
Wagter op die Toring
I (Januarie 1913)
Wagter op die toring,
sê, wat sien jij daar?
Ek sien duisend-duisendtalle
voor die gragte, voor die walle,
om die vesting aan te val.
Maar geen grag sal hul oor steek nie,
en geen poort sal hul deur breek nie,
want die burgers op die mure
staan getrouw en pal.
Wagter op die toring,
sê, is daar gevaar?
Is eie strijd dan uitgestrede,
dat die vijandsvlag in vrede
oor ons eie vesting waai?
Ag! die wagter lê in bande,
neergevel in bitt’re skande,
want die burgers op die mure
het die burg verraai.
II
(Junie 1915)
Wagter, die nag is donker,
donker en o, so bang:
vijande buite, wat raas en woed,
vriende gekeerd teen hul eie bloed,
en oor die burgers ‘n doodse slaap–
wagter, die nag was bang.
Trouw was jouw wag op die voorste wal,
helder en luid jouw basuingeskal,
maar oor die burgers ‘n doodse slaap–
wagter, hoe lang, hoe lang?
Wagter, siedaar, die skadewee
versmelt als, ‘n ligte skim
Hoor ‘n geruis in die beendre! die dood
voel nuwe lewe ontkiem in haar skoot.
Strijders, ontwaakte, die swaard ontbloot!
Wagter, ‘n goue môreson
verrijs aan die oosterkim.
—H A FAGAN
Die Visser
(Uit die Duits van Goethe)
Die water ruis, die water rol:
‘n visser sonder smart
sit daar te hengel vredevol,
ja koel tot in sijn hart.
En wijl hij loer en wijl hij sit,
deel sig die vloed in twee:
‘n vogtig meerwijf, haelwit,
stijg uit die siedende see.
Sij sing tot hom, sij spreek tot hom;
“Wat lok jij uit mijn skoot
“met mensekuns en menselis
“mijn kinders tot die dood?
“Wis jij hoe rijk die vissies is
“hier onder in die see,
“dan sou jij afdaal en gewis
“ook vind die ware vree.
“Moet nie die son en maan hul rig
“vir laafnis tot die vloed?
“Toon golwe-aad’mend hul gesig
“nie tweemaal skoner gloed?
“Ag jij die diepe hemel lig,
“die vog-beglansde blouw?
“Lok nie jouw eie aangesig
“jou in die eeuw’ge douw?”
Die water ruis, die water rol;
benat sijn naakte voet;
sijn hart word van verlange vol
als hij ‘n minnegroet.
Sij spreek tot hom, sij sing tot hom:
weerstaan kon hij nie meer;
half trek sij hom, half sink hij in,
en niemand sien hom weer.
J J S
Aan Mijn Vaderland
Trouwe liefde al mijn dae,
sweer ek jou met hand en hart!
Al jouw vreug is mijn behae,
en jouw leed mijn diepste smart!
Want mijn alles, selfs mijn lewe,
dank ek jou, mijn vaderland:
dis van jou mij vrij gegewe,
uitgereik met milde hand.
Daarom sing ek jou mijn sange
en mijn lied’re vir altijd;
daarom is ook mijn verlange
en mijn strewe jou gewijd.
Maar ons is nie net verenig
als jij in die sonskijn baai:
ek wil ook jouw smarte lenig,
als die stormwind anstig waai.
En nie net met woordeklanke
is ek tot jouw diens bereid:
met mijn daad is jij te danke
in jouw nood en angs en strijd.
Ek sal pal staan, tot ek sterwe
teen tiranne, wat jou druk:
tronk, verbanning wil ek erwe,
eer ek voor hul gruwels buk.
Is die nagte soms ook duister,
eind’lik daag dit in die oos,
en die dag vol glans en luister
bring die matte strijder troos.
Trouwe liefde al mijn dae.
sweer ek jou met hand en hart!
Al jouw vreug is mijn behae,
en jouw leed mijn diepste smart!
W.K. van Elssen
WINTER
Die eikebome
staan bleek en kaal,
en die popliere
als as so vaal,
Oor tuin en velde
kom elke nag
‘n kille laken
van spierwit prag.
Die newels drijwe
die vleie oor
en keer die sonskijn
aan al kant voor.
Die awendwindjie
speel langs die hang,
druk ijsig soene
op elke wang.
Dis oral aaklige!
Natuur is dood;
en ook mijn harte
word swaar als lood.
Maar nee, mijn liefste!
ek kan nie treur:
jouw liefde lewe
om op te beur.
Jouw oë melde
in minnegloed
waar wintersweeë
vergeefs teen woed.
Dit wil mijn siele
verwarm, verblij,
en vir die lente
reeds voorberei.
W K van Elssen
THE FISHERMAN.
THE waters rush’d, the waters rose,
A fisherman sat by,
While on his line in calm repose
He cast his patient eye.
And as he sat, and hearken’d there,
The flood was cleft in twain,
And, lo! a dripping mermaid fair
Sprang from the troubled main.
She sang to him, and spake the while:
“Why lurest thou my brood,
With human wit and human guile
From out their native flood?
Oh, couldst thou know how gladly dart
The fish across the sea,
Thou wouldst descend, e’en as thou art,
And truly happy be!
“Do not the sun and moon with grace
Their forms in ocean lave?
Shines not with twofold charms their face,
When rising from the wave?
The deep, deep heavens, then lure thee not,–
The moist yet radiant blue,–
Not thine own form,–to tempt thy lot
‘Midst this eternal dew?”
The waters rush’d, the waters rose,
Wetting his naked feet;
As if his true love’s words were those,
His heart with longing beat.
She sang to him, to him spake she,
His doom was fix’d, I ween;
Half drew she him, and half sank he,
And ne’er again was seen.
Goethe: 1779
An Afrikaans love song…
Luister na “Dink jy darem nog aan my”
Sias Reyneke was member of “Groep Twee” – (Group Two)
Joy: Paradise Road
Joy
Master Jack
It’s a strange, strange world we live in, Master Jack.
You taught me all I know and I never look back.
It’s a very strange world and I thank you, Master Jack.
You took a coloured ribbon from out of the sky,
and taught me how to use it as the years went by.
To tie up all your problems and make them believe.
And then to sell them to the people in the street.
It’s a strange, strange world we live in, Master Jack.
You taught me all I know and I never look back.
It’s a very strange world and I thank you, Master Jack.
I saw right thru the way you started teaching me now.
So someday soon you could get to use me somehow.
I thank you very much you know you’ve been very kind.
But, I’d better move along before you change my mind
It’s a strange, strange world we live in, Master Jack
No hard feelings if I never come back
It’s a very strange world and I thank you, Master Jack
You taught me all the things the way you’d like ’em to be.
But I’d like to see if other people agree.
It’s all very interesting the way you describe
But I’d like to see the world thru my own eyes.
It’s a strange, strange world we live in, Master Jack.
No hard feelings if I never come back
You’re a very strange man and I thank you, Master Jack.
You’re a very strange man and I thank you, Master Jack.
You’re a very strange man, aren’t you, Master Jack?
Four Jacks and a Jill with “Master Jack”
http://www.mnet.co.za/Mnet/Shows/carteblanche/story.asp?Id=2876 Rabbit…South Africa’s rock group from the 70’s with Duncan Faure, Trevor Rabin, Dave Matthews…read the next article about Trevor! Read this article about Trevor Rabin… now in Hollywood…writing the score for Hollywood movies…-follow the link to Mnet.
He wrote the score for Hollywood movies like Enemy of the State, Armageddon and National Treasure and won more awards than he can count, including several Grammies.
It started off with classical piano lessons as a boy. ? He then embarked on a lifelong love affair with the guitar. The name is Trevor Rabin, South Africa’s celebrated guitarist, singer, songwriter and composer.
You might remember him from Rabbit or Yes, but Trevor Rabin has left the rock stage for the lights of Hollywood. He has written the score for 25 movies.
Here at his Los Angeles home studio, he creates the stuff Hollywood dreams are made of.
A stone’s throw from the houses of the producers and actors he composes for, Trevor is crafting away at the music of yet another feature film – Glory Road, to be released soon
If you would watch or listen to a movie without the music, you would be amazed as to what a difference the score makes. And that is where Trevor has found a new profession – playing with our emotions. Continue reading on the link in the start of this article…and now you can listen to..Charlie!
For the Official site of Corus, please click here.For Live Games, click on the Corus-logo on the side bar of my blog or click here. If you click on the images, you will get a larger view. All images are from the Official site and all links will open in a new window. At the bottom of this post you can play through the games of some players in Group A.
Corus Schedule: Grand Masters Group A rounds 1 to 6
To see the schedule for the other rounds, please click here for rounds 7-13. Please click HERE to play throughthe game of Carlsen vs Radjabov. Carlsen played white in round 1 against Radjabov. The game will open in a new window.
Corus Group A Round 1 results
On the link here, the site of Chess.com,you can play through the games of Aronian,L (2750) vs. Wang Yue (2739); Kamsky,G (2725) vs. Adams,Mi (2712); Van Wely,L (2625) vs. Dominguez Perez,L (2717); Stellwagen,D (2612) vs. Movsesian,S (2751); Carlsen,M (2776) vs. Radjabov,T (2761); Karjakin,Sergey (2706) vs. Morozevich,A (2771) and Ivanchuk,V (2779) vs. Smeets,J (2601). All the games from Round 1, Corus Group A. The link will open in a new window.
Corus Group A Round 2 results
For the games of round 2please click on this link to play through the games. Please click on the image for a larger view of the results of round 2.
Carlsen round 12..end position and move list.
Sergey – Corus round 12 – final position and move list Play through games on this link played in round 12 and view the standings after round 12 too.
Sergey Karjakin, winner of Corus 2009
Corus Final Results…please click on the image for a larger view – image: chess.com
Sergey Karjakin, round 13 final position and move list
I believe this is a good combination: chess, poetry, art and music! I’ve started recently reading Dean’s poetry blog and glad that I’ve discovered his blog. This poem in this post, is today’s entry on his blog and I’ve really enjoyed it and thought to share it with you. If you’re a lover of poetry, make sure to visit his blog, if you don’t, you will regret it! If you don’t like poetry, then you still should visit his blog and you will immediately fall in love with his poems! I have a present for you today too, let’s call it an early Christmas present if you like, a composition by Jim Brickman. Finally, for my chess-lovers (and those who think they might become chess-lovers!) I’ve got a few games here (do check back as I have about ten more to blog in this entry!) played a few days ago in the Dresden Olympiad. This post is almost as good as “wine women and song!”:) All links will open in a new window.
Remember me to the world
And all the beautiful girls
I never kissed; if there’s one regret
That is it: that I left any lovelies’
Lips unblessed, her heart repressed
Remember me to the wind, which
Blows wherever it goes; still, or not
Any feeling does not cost, but what you
Do with it: recall I am that
Innocent, awake to only wonder told
Remember me to the sun; the heat,
The blaze, worries public or hidden,
I have had them all, unbidden: most
Of all when you see that woman or girl,
Remember me, my dear, to the blessed world
Read more about Dean on his biography-link on his blog!
Over 500 poems and prose poems published since 1972 in over 130 literary publications in Canada, the USA, England, Australia, New Zealand, etc., such as Descant, Carleton Literary Review, Poetry WLU, The Prairie Journal, Freelance, Nexus, Bitterroot, Oxalis, Bogg, Aileron, RE:AL, Art Times, Pegasus, Impetus, On The Bus, and many others. More have been published in newspapers, magazines, online and in anthologies, recorded and paper.
Music: Jim Brickman: Dream comes true
Please click HERE to play through the game of Nyback from Finland vs Carlsen played in round 6, Dresden 2008.
Carlsen
Please click HERE to play through the game of Dominguez from Cuba vs Gata Kamsky in round 6, Dresden 2008.
Chess Games of Round 8: South African chess players as well as: Magnus Carlsen, Boris Gelfand, Ivan Cheparinov, Topalov, Radjabov, Yelena Dembo and a few more GrandMaster-games to play through on my blogger-blog, please click on the link here and it will open in a new window.
Click on the logo and you will be taken to the Official site and the “live” link will take you straight away to the live-games! Both links will open in a new page.
Please click HERE to see more results of games played in round 1 and round 2. The link will open in a new window. Please click HERE to see lots of South African Chess player-pics and to see the results of rounds 3-6. At the bottom of this post you will find a link to play through games of round 5, where South Africa played Luxembourg.
On this link…see their games of round 6 and you can play through their games interactively. Also, the games of Kramnik and Ivanchuk (my favourite) of round 6 can be found on this link. The page will open in a new link.
ARONIAN Levon IVANCHUK Vassily –1-0
CARLSEN Magnus RADJABOV Teimour–1-0
TOPALOV Veselin ANAND Viswanathan–1-0 Image: chess.com The organisers are certainly making original efforts to make chess more accessible to spectators by placing the players in an “Aquarium” i.e. a giant, soundproofed glass box. This innovation was first seen earlier this year at the M-Tel Tournament, but in Bilbao the “Aquarium” will be situated outside in The Plaza Nueva in Bilbao.
Round 1 Round 3…Carlsen vs Topalov..image:chess.com Round 5 …6th Sept
Bilbao will receive from September 2 to September 13, the strongest tournament of the History of the Chess. A tournament of the category XXII with Elo’s average of the participants of 2775,63. Further more, for the first time ever an event of such characteristics will take place in the street, in the Plaza Nueva, right in the centre of Bilbao’s Old Town.
The six players participating are currently among the world’s top ten chess players headed by world’s champion and number one Viswanathan Anand. Along with him, Magnus Carlsen (number two), Vasili Ivanchuk (number three), Véselin Topálov (number six), Teimur Radyábov (number seven) and Levon Aronián (world’s number ten currently) will compete in Bilbao. No tournament had managed so far to gather such a high Elo’s average level (scoring system to order players’ ranking).
For the first time in a world’s elite tournament and surrounded by a strong international controversy, the Final Masters is going to apply the football scoring system, earning three points per game won and one point per draw, though players will not be allowed to agree a draw being the competition’s referee who will determine it.
The Final Masters has the official recognition of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) and it will be played in a double round league during ten days (plus a two-day break). The total prize money amounts to €400,000, sum only exceeded by World Chess Championships: €150,000 for the first classified, €70,000 for the second one, €60,000 for the third one, €50,000 for the fourth one, €40,000 for the fifth one and €30,000 for the sixth one.
Another great novelty in this tournament will be the playing place: the street, allowing a lot of people to follow the games live and directly. A huge soundproofed and air-conditioned glazed case is under construction to this purpose and it will be placed in the Plaza Nueva in Bilbao under a marquee which will also accommodate The Agora for analysis and comments, a space located by the glass case where the audience will also be able to enjoy comments from Chess Grandmasters among whom we can name Boris Spassky and Susan Polgar.
Standings after round 3..click on the image for a larger view
Pairings and results: round 3 — 4th Sept 2008 RADJABOV Teimour vs IVANCHUK Vassily–1/2
ARONIAN Levon vs ANAND Viswanathan –1/2
CARLSEN Magnus vs TOPALOV Veselin–0-1
Rounds 3-10…Pairings…source:chessbase
Anand I couldn’t care less about my mental power or whatever it is said about me in the chess encyclopaedias in a hundred years time”. Viswanathan Anand is no doubt one of the greatest genius in chess history in the last fifteen centuries. But his easy-going character makes him the complete opposite of Fischer, Kárpov and Kaspárov. World champion and number one at the age of 38, he lives in Collado Mediano (Madrid), the rapid of Madras wants to polish even more his record in Bilbao at a month from the struggle for the crown with Russian Vladímir Krámnik.
“Although it is my second world title, this one is more valuable because in 2000 chess was suffering from a schism and there were two champions. Now I am the only one. The dream has come true” he explained in Mexico City on 1st October 2007, before calling his parents who live in Chennai (former Madras) and his “Spanish father”, Mauricio Perea.
Carlsen
The ‘Mozart of Chess’
His second places at the Wijk aan Zee Corus (Holland) 2008 and at the Ciudad de Linares 2008, where he repeated his 2007 achievement, are a sign that this 17 years old Norwegian is already mature for even greater achievements. Magnus Carlsen recommends parents of child prodigies: “to give them support but without putting pressure on them. My father taught me to play chess when I was 5, but I wasn’t interested at the time and he left me alone”. At the age of 2 he already solved difficult jigsaws; at 5 he remembered the capitals, flags, areas and inhabitants of every country.
At 8, Magnus felt jealous one of his sisters played chess and that is where a career only comparable in precociousness with the ones of the sacred manes began. At 13 Carlsen became the youngest chess grandmaster in the world; and today, at the age of 17, he is among the world’s top five players in the rankings. He sleeps up to eleven hours, is a passionate fan of the Real Madrid and Spain is the country he knows best. When he is not travelling he attends a special school for sports talents. He has his particular opinion about money: “I don’t really know what to do with it”. I spend much less than I earn”.
Ivanchuk An adorable absent-minded wise man
His sensational victory in the Mtel Masters, Sofia 2008 gave him the right to be in the Bilbao Final Masters. But even without this feat, Vassili Ivanchuk deserves a place among the top-class chess players: at almost 40, he is the oldest luminary though he is nevertheless at the peak of his career. Chess lover to the core, tireless worker of encyclopaedic knowledge he is a genius absent-minded wise man of whom everybody – even his most bitter rivals- speaks very fondly.
“My secret is I don’t know how I managed to win those five first games one after the other. I certainly did have a little bit of what it is called the luck of the champions. But the key is I wasn’t aware of what I was achieving; otherwise I would have never managed to do it. I believe I am at the best of my career. I don’t feel a bit old to stay in the elite; particularly if I compare myself to Víktor Korchnói, who is at his 77 years old still in the front line!”. So modestly explained Ivanchuk his win in Sofia –undefeated, with eight of ten possible points-, one of the best results in chess history.
Topalov An exemplary fighter on his way up
He defeated Kasparov in what was to be his last game (Linares 2005) and he is a clear symbol of the differences between the current chess elite and the times of the Ogre of Baku.Natural, modest and very friendly, a fighter and well disciplined about his everyday training, and tries to keep a good image. That’s Veselin Topalov, the 33 year-old Bulgarian from Salamanca world chess champion in 2005 and currently number four in the chess rankings, with the clear aim to take up again the crown in 2009.
“I will never forget what happened to me when I was 8 years old in Ruse, my native city. After defeating me, one of the best players of the area gave me a row, he pulled my ears and almost hit me because I had played too fast, without thinking. A year later I played with him again in the same tournament, and I won, he remembers about his childhood in Bulgaria.
Topalov admits that it is impossible to be among the world’s top ten chess players without innate talents: “If we put it into round numbers, 60% of my success is due to the effort and 40% to the talent”.
Radjabov The kid that knocked out Kasparov
Even though chess is along with music and mathematics the activity that more child prodigies produces, very few have impressed so much as Teimur Radyabov. At 12, when he became European Champion U-18, he already showed a strategic depth and good manners not expected from someone of his age. At 14 he became grandmaster. At 15 he defeated Kasparov with the black pieces in Linares. Today he is 21 and has settled among the elite, though everything shows that he’s still got a long way to go, as he will most probably demonstrate in Bilbao.
One has to go back as far as the legendary Bobby Fischer in the 60’s to find feats as resounding as when Radyabov defeated Kasparov in 2003. Also born in Baku, he had never lost with white pieces to a human rival in the classical game since May 1996. Bearing in mind that both of them were born in Baku and were Guéidar Alíyev’s protégées (President of the Azerbaijan KGB when Kasparov was young and of the Azerbaijani Government when Radyábov was a child) one can better understand Kaspárov’s angry outburst that night: he did not shake hands with the winner and had a very late dinner, thumping his fist on the table while having chicken.
Aronian
An easy-going winner
He could be the boy from the shop around the corner, jet he is a great chess luminary: he is only 25 years old but has already won the World Cup and the Linares and Wijk aan Zee (twice) tournaments. That naturalness, his universal style and belonging to a country where chess is the national passion, as well as a balanced nervous system configure the 25 year-old Armenian Levon Aronian as a very solid value.
“I’m not prepared to compete with the big ones. The only advantage I have over those beasts is my total ignorance and fresh thinking”, Aronian said at Christmas 2005, a few days after having won the World Cup in Siberia and some days just before his debut in the Wijk aan Zee Corus Tournament (Holland), where he shared the 7th place of 14 participantespants. Just a month later he triumphed in Linares, the chess Wimbledon, so surprisingly as convincingly.
Images from different rounds from the Official site.
About.com…classic chess…64 great chess games ever played…follow this link
Round 6 Image: zeenews.com Fifth draw for Anand in Chess Grand Slam Bilbao, Sept 09: India’s Viswanathan Anand continued to search for his first win of the Chess Grand Slam Final being staged here, as he played yet another draw in the sixth round.
The world champion, who is back by Tech giant NIIT, Monday drew with Vassily Ivanchuk in 32 moves and took his total to 2.5 points on the traditional points system.
But here in Bilbao with draws fetching one point and wins three, Anand has five, while the leader is young Magnus Carlsen with 11 points from three wins and two draws and one loss.
The Ivanchuk-Anand game was a staid draw coming out from a Slav Defence, with Ivanchuk making a token effort to gain advantage and Anand thwarting this effectively for a 32-move draw.
Anand’s game has been somewhat subdued leading to the feeling that the world champion is not revealing any of his major preparations that he may have made for the world title match against Vladimir Kramnik next month.
Veselin Topalov, who beat Anand in the fifth round, and has 10 points with two wins and four draws, follows Carlsen. Lev Aronian, the only player with two losses, is third with six points, and Anand, Teimour Radjabov and Ivanchuk have five points each.
The tournament is a six-player double round robin event, one of the strongest in the history of the game.
The scoring system in this tournament is different and experimental. Players get three points for a win, one point for a draw and zero points for losing a game. For rating purposes the traditional 1-½-0 system will be used.
The prize fund for the event is 400,000 Euros, with the winner receiving 150,000 Euros, the second place 70,000 Euros, and so on, with the sixth player getting 30,000 Euros. The sums are unprecedented for an event like this. Only world championships have exceeded the amount.
The Topalov-Radjabov clash was more volatile, with the Bulgarian GM looking set to chalk up another victory in Bilbao. But after massive trade-offs after the time control Black had solved all his problems and in fact undertook some tentative attempts to play for a win. The draw came with a repetition at move 73.
Carlsen continued his great run with a solid win over Aronian. He sacrificed a pawn, which was part of theory, but then young Carlsen played a novelty which involves a second sacrifice on move 15. It loosely resembled the Gelfand-Kramnik game in Mexico City 2007, but that ended in a draw.
The novelty led to Carlsen forcing Aronian’s king to be stuck in the middle. Carlsen got one pawn back and then launched a blistering attack. He wrapped up the game in 32 moves.
In the seventh round, Anand will have black pieces against Radjabov, while Carlsen clashes with Ivanchuk and Aronian meets Topalov.
Scores after six rounds: Carlsen (11 points); 2. Topalov (10 points); Aronian (6 points); Anand, Radjabov and Ivanchuk (5 points each).
I was tagged byWipneusto write about my “slogan” in life…well, firstly I want to apologise, as this entry will be in Afrikaans…basically, I’m saying that I’m a “ready-steady-go”-person…as you can see from this picture…and that I believe to do what is expected from you, when it’s expected and also, try to do more than what’s expected and….to use my logical mind!/use your brain!! …and…be positive and see an opportunity in every problem! I don’t have patience with myself and in general, I want to get things done! So, if you’re a bit too slow for me, I’ll do your work too just to get the job done. I can’t hang around doing nothing and would use my logical mind to do what needs to be done.
Personally, I think Chess is the game to develop the logical mind!! Slide down to the bottom of this post to read about the logical mind…and read about Susan Polgar and her brilliant brain. Everybody has a brilliant brain, it depends on how you use it! I’ve said to so many children that there is no such thing as a dumb child…each child learns in a different way and the same with adults. You use your brain in a different way and some people don’t use it at all… it’s not that they are dumb..they have to learn how to use it.. And now…tagging time…(you can find them all on my blogroll) Ray (bookstoysgames)…Norrbu….Tony…and Luigi!
Vir iemand om saam met my te werk, moet dit seker een groot vet fees wees…Ek weet presies wat ek wil doen, hoe ek dit gedoen wil hê en wanneer ek dit wil doen. Ek raak gou besig met ander mense se “opdragte” as hulle nie gou genoeg ‘n ding doen nie… en gelukkig waardeer hulle dit wanneer ek dit doen. Ek geniet dit ook om meer as net te doen wat van my verwag word…nie omdat ek wil iewers wil “inkruip” nie, maar net bloot omdat dit in my natuur is om raak te sien wat gedoen moet word en om my logiese verstand te gebruik wanneer dit kom by dinge wat gedoen moet word. Sommige mense sien sekere take as benede hulle posisie en ander sal wil hê hulle moet eers gevra word om ‘n ding te doen – dalk dink hulle hulle word meer belangrik geag as hulle eers gevra word, maar in my oë sien ek dit eerder as ‘n geval van nie jou logiese denke inspan nie! Ek vra myself die vraag…waarom nie doen wat gedoen moet word, jy spaar energie/tyd, want sekere opdragte hou verband met ander en daarom gaan alles soveel vinniger as opdrag 1 uit die pad is en opdrag 2 kan voortgaan…ek vra myself ook soms, “dink mense nie vir hulself nie”? ek verkies om kinders in die laerskool te leer hoe om vir hulself te dink, hoe om verstandig te dink en net deur logika te gebruik, spaar dit almal baie pyne en deur in ‘n span te werk, maak jy dit vir almal ligter en almal is soveel gelukkiger! Jy ontwikkel jouself as mens en skep geleenthede vir jouself in in die proses dalk vir ander ook! Dit is nou waar “sien ‘n geleentheid in elke probleem” inkom!— en om eerlik te wees…(jammer vir die nie-skaakspelers…dis geen aanklag teen jul intelligensie nie!!)…skaak is ‘n spel wat jou beslis logika leer!
Met myself is ek baie ongeduldig… ek moet aan die gang bly en kan nie sit en niks doen nie, my familie – gesin – weet gewoonlik dat hulle met my altyd “gereed” moet wees… wanneer daar iewers heen gegaan moet word, is dit gewoonlik algemeen aanvaar dat almal gereed is wanneer hulle gereed moet wees…sjoe! Dit klink verskriklik…maar dis nie so erg nie! 😉 Wanneer ek skoolhou is dit deel van my algemene omgang met die kinders…”are you ready?” in Suid-Afrika was dit gewoonlik ‘n koor wat antwoord…”Ja…steady….” julle ken seker almal die “are you ready” van die Gladiators..wel, dis nou ekke…hoor dit in jou gedagtes en jy hoor vir my! lol….hier in London…sal daardie selfde koor kom met…”no!! wait!!”…hierdie Engelse is te stadig na my sin…… 😉
Read and enjoy this article about the logical mind…Don’t be held back..it says…
We are blessed to have such powerful minds to put to work for us. Unfortunately, our minds tend to end up getting a much bigger role than they should. This can cause us to be held to the same old comfortable reality, which I imagine, you would probably like to see improvements in!
Our logical mind has a definite purpose, it can figure things out, it can plan, it can analyze, figure out how to make things work, figure out how to implement a plan. These are all wonderful things that help us in our day to day life.
But the logical mind is just that, logical. It does what “makes sense”.
And just what makes sense to the logical mind? What has worked in the past. What it has seen work for others.
Hmm, let’s see, so if you are making decisions and living your life with your logical mind in charge, what could the future possibly look like?
Same as the past!!!
And is that what you want? I’m guessing no. We are always growing and expanding and with that comes the desire for more. That is a natural part of this life and it is a good thing.
So how can you prevent your logical mind from holding you back like this?
It helps to see it from a bigger perspective. You see, if the mind had the perspective of the soul it would have a much bigger picture of your life and of what is possible. It would not look to the past to see what to do. It would see the potential and move forward.
But the logical mind does not see this big picture. It only sees what is and what has been.
So if you are wanting to take your life to a new level, to break into wonderful new territory do you really want to be putting your logical mind in charge?
I don’t think so.
So how do you deal with this? Who is in charge then?
You.
You are not your mind. Your mind is a tool you have available to you.
And you have the ability to access higher information through your intuition. You can receive guidance from a higher part of yourself that sees the big picture.
It is up to you to choose how you make decisions in your life. From the logical mind, or maybe based on a higher knowing. You choose.
That is why your intuition is an important part of this journey to your even better life. It is your access to the big picture. And you may never get to see that bigger picture and that doesn’t matter. You just need the insight from the part of you that does see it.
Please click HEREto read the entire article.
Read about Susan Polgar, Woman Grandmaster in Chess…American…what she says…you can read her blog..it’s on my blog roll in the “Chess” section.
My Brilliant Brain –
Exploring the incredible inner workings of the human brain, this compelling three-part documentary series looks at a group of remarkable people and poses questions about the origins of genius: are these extraordinary abilities genetic, developed or acquired by accident? This episode focuses on Susan Polgar, the first female chess grandmaster, whose incredible story suggests that genius does not always have to be innate, but can be taught.
At 38 years old, Susan Polgar has reached heights that few women have ever equalled in the chess world. Despite the common assumption that men’s brains are better at understanding spatial relationships, giving them an advantage in games such as chess, Susan went on to become the world’s first grandmaster. Susan’s remarkable abilities have earned her the label of ‘genius’, but her psychologist father, László Polgar, believed that genius was “not born, but made”. Noting that even Mozart received tutelage from his father at a very early age, Polgar set about teaching chess to the five-year-old Susan after she happened upon a chess set in their home. “My father believed that the potential of children was not used optimally,” says Susan.
Throughout the rest of her childhood, Susan practised for hours, memorising thousands of moves and scenarios, and devouring books and stratagems. She took on the men in her local chess club at the age of five and began beating them. By the age of 15, she was the best female player in the world. A year later in 1985, she sensationally vanquished a male grandmaster for the first time. But Susan is not the only family member to achieve such incredible success – her younger sisters Judit and Zsófia are grandmaster and international master respectively, thanks to similar schooling from their father.
So how has Susan trained her brain to such a formidable degree? Chess is so complex a game that there are four billion choices for the first three moves alone. Susan has committed to memory tens of thousands of possible patterns and scenarios. Every time Susan sees a grouping of chess pieces on a board, she can browse through her back catalogue of memorised groupings, using instinct to tell her the right move. “We seem to heap a lot of praise on people’s calculating ability,” says former British champion William Hartston, “but we take for granted all sorts of mental abilities that are absolutely intuitive.”
Susan displays her skills as she takes on a friend at ‘Blitz’ – a form of chess in which players must complete their moves in just one minute. Susan uses her razor-sharp instinct to not only move her own pieces, but guess her opponent’s moves in milliseconds. “I have to trust my instincts, my recognition,” she explains. “It’s almost like guessing, but basing it on prior games and experience.”
In order to isolate the areas of her brain she uses when playing chess, Susan is given an MRI scan. There is an area at the front of the brain which deals with face recognition, allowing most people to remember a face in 100 milliseconds. Astonishingly, this is the very place where the experts find that Susan has moulded her recognition of 100,000 chess scenarios. Over years of childhood practice, Susan has hardwired these countless scenarios into her long-term memory and can recognise one in an instant – as quickly as someone might recognise the face of a friend or relative.
It is this lightning-quick instinct, coupled with a phenomenal memory and years of relentless practice, that have earned Susan the status of ‘genius’. Her story presents strong evidence to suggest that her father was right – genius may indeed be nurture over nature. “I really believe that if you put your mind to it,” reflects Susan, “you can achieve it, whatever it is”.
Article to be found HERE about Susan Polgar…”My brilliant brain”…
Image:www.sv-goerlitz.de/Foren/Gallery/images On THIS LINK you can watch a long-ish video about Susan and her brilliant brain. It is a video longer than 40 minutes and worth to watch. She wasn’t born with this brilliant brain, it was created….
Watch this movie about Susan Polgar and her “brilliant brain”.
As a space-lover..I couldn’t resist this picture! of the day…as it immediately reminded me about our brains…almost the shape too!
Image: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/
Congratulations Levon Aronian, Winner of the Asrian Memorial, 2008.
1st place: Levon Aronian 8.5 points
2nd place: Peter Leko 8 points
3rd place: Alexander Morozevich 7.5 points
4th place: Boris Gelfand 7.5 points
Live games link HERE… For the results on the tournament, follow the link to the official site or on the second link where you can play through their games too.
Chess Giants Yerevan 2008″ rapid chess tournament which will be held in Yerevan, Armenia from June 8-15, 2008. Eight giants of the chess world will pair off and play two games a day in what promises to be a week of fighting chess. You can follow the games every day at 18:00 PM local time (GMT+4) from Yerevan’s picturesque Opera House. Please click HERE for the Official site of Chess Giants. On THIS LINK you can play through their games as the tournament goes…enjoy!
Standings after 10 rounds
1. Leko, Peter HUN 2741 6½
2. Aronian, Levon ARM 2763 6
3. Sargissian, Gabriel ARM 2643 5½
4-5. Bu Xiangzhi CHN 2708 5
4-5. Gelfand, Boris ISR 2723 5
6. Morozevich, Alexander RUS 2774 4½
7. Adams, Michael ENG 2729 4
8. Akopian, Vladimir ARM 2673 3½
Note that due to the tragic news of GM Karen Asrian’s passing, the games scheduled for June 10 and June 11 have been postponed. The Chess Giants tournament will resume on June 12.Click HERE to read about his death.
According to the decision of the Armenian Chess Federation, the Chess Giants Yerevan 2008 tournament has been renamed the Karen Asrian Memorial and will be held traditionally in honor of our cherished champion.
In addition, the rapid open scheduled to have been played in parallel to the main tournament from June 12-15, has been cancelled.
It is with great sadness and difficulty we report to you that today, June 9, Armenian Grandmaster Karen Asrian passed away. He was 28 years old. Details will be forthcoming. Round 1 games started late after a moment of silence in GM Asrian’s memory.
Yerevan, Armenia, the Opera House is the round building on the left…and this is where this tournament takes place. Image: Britanica
In the valley of Biblical Mount Ararat lies the beautiful ancient city of Yerevan, the 12th capital of Armenia. Yerevan was built around the city-fortress of Erebuni established by the King Argishti the First the king of Urartu in the year 782 BC.The ruins of Erebuni still stand in the southeastern part of the city.
A large part of the Erebuni fortification had been reconstructed by 1968 when the city celebrated the 2750th anniversary of its foundation. The well-preserved walls permitted the complete reproduction of the layout of Erebuni.
Yerevan is situated in the north-eastern part of the Ararat Valley. Mounts Aragats, Azhdaak, and Ararat can be seen from the city. With its rugged terrain, Yerevan displays a 400m disparity between its lowest and highest points. The city is divided by Hrazdan River that flows in a picturesque canyon.
The climate in Yerevan is dry and sharply varied with temperatures in summer peaking over 35 C and falling below -15 C in winter.
Please click Chessgames here to follow the results of games and to play through games played on any particular day!
If you click on the link of CHESSCLUByou can watch the “game of the day” on a movie!
Round 11 : Final round…results
Svidler, Peter ½ – ½ Van Wely, Loek
Ivanchuk, Vassily 1-0 Eljanov, Pavel
Karjakin, Sergey ½ – ½ Carlsen, Magnus
Volokitin, Andrei 1 – 0 Alekseev, Evgeny
Jakovenko, Dmitry ½ – ½ Nisipeanu, Liviu-Dieter
Onischuk, Alexander 0 – 1 Shirov, Alexei
Carlsen still leading!
Round 10 : Results
Van Wely, Loek 0 – 1 Ivanchuk, Vassily
Eljanov, Pavel ½ – ½ Karjakin, Sergey
Carlsen, Magnus ½ – ½ Volokitin, Andrei
Alekseev, Evgeny ½ – ½ Jakovenko, Dmitry
Nisipeanu, Liviu-Dieter ½ – ½ Onischuk, Alexander
Shirov, Alexei 1 – 0 Svidler, Peter
Round 9 results:
Karjakin, Sergey ½ – ½ Van Wely, Loek
Volokitin, Andrei 0 – 1 Eljanov, Pavel
Jakovenko, Dmitry ½ – ½ Carlsen, Magnus
Onischuk, Alexander ½ – ½ Alekseev, Evgeny
Nisipeanu, Liviu-Dieter 1 – 0 Shirov, Alexei
Ivanchuk, Vassily ½ – ½ Svidler, Peter
Results: Round 8
Van Wely, Loek 1 – 0 Volokitin, Andrei
Eljanov, Pavel ½ – ½ Jakovenko, Dmitry
Carlsen, Magnus ½ – ½ Onischuk, Alexander
Alekseev, Evgeny 1 – 0 Nisipeanu, Liviu-Dieter Svidler, Peter ½ – ½ Karjakin, Sergey
Shirov, Alexei 0 – 1 Ivanchuk, Vassily
Round 7 results:
Jakovenko, Dmitry 1 – 0 Van Wely, Loek
Onischuk, Alexander 0 – 1 Eljanov, Pavel
Nisipeanu, Liviu-Dieter 0 – 1 Carlsen, Magnus
Alekseev, Evgeny ½ – ½ Shirov, Alexei
Volokitin, Andrei ½ – ½ Svidler, Peter
Karjakin, Sergey ½ – ½ Ivanchuk, Vassily
Please click HERE to play through games of round 7.
Magical Magnus conjures win over Shirov
Round 5 at Foros and yet another elite Grandmaster crumbles in the face of Magnus Carlsen’s relentless pressure. Alexei Shirov is a formidable player and has himself come close to the World Championship crown, but today he became Carlsen’s latest victim.
Shirov answered 1.d4 with the Slav defence and Magnus chose the popular ‘Moscow’ variation in reply. A balanced opening developed into an even middlegame, but as in previous games, Magnus kept creating tricky problems for his opponent to solve and soon Shirov fell into time trouble as he sought to find the best answers.
It was on the 61st move that Shirov finally cracked, allowing Magnus to catch his King in a mating net.
Elsewhere on another exciting day, the closest challenger to Magnus failed to keep up the pace as Sergey Karjakin lost with the Black pieces against Andrei Volokitin. The other decisive games saw Nisipeanu put Van Wely to the sword in a Najdorf Sicilian and Svidler employed his favourite Grunfeld defence to good effect against Onischuk.
Vassily Ivanchuk fought hard against Dmitry Jakovenko, but an extra pawn in a Knight ending was not enough and the game ended all-square after 72 moves.
Magnus Carlsen now leads by a clear 1.5 points with a very impressive score of 4.5/5. If the world rankings were published today then Carlsen would be ranked second in the world, with only World Champion Vishy Anand ahead of him.
Please click HEREto play through the games of round 5…played on the 12th June.
Van Wely, Loek ½ – ½ Onischuk, Alexander
Eljanov, Pavel ½ – ½ Nisipeanu, Liviu-Dieter
Carlsen, Magnus ½ – ½ Alekseev, Evgeny
Svidler, Peter ½ – ½ Jakovenko, Dmitry
Ivanchuk, Vassily ½ – ½ Volokitin, Andrei
Shirov, Alexei ½ – ½ Karjakin, Sergey
Ukrainian Chess Federation International Chess Tournament from 7-20 June 2008
Please click HEREto play through the games of round 1and onTHIS LINKyou can see the results of rounds 2 and 3. On THIS LINK you can play through games played in round 2.
Results Round 3
Carlsen, Magnus 1 – 0 Van Wely, Loek
Eljanov, Pavel 1 – 0 Shirov, Alexei
Alekseev, Evgeny 1 – 0 Svidler, Peter
Nisipeanu, Liviu-Dieter ½ – ½ Ivanchuk, Vassily
Onischuk, Alexander ½ – ½ Karjakin, Sergey
Jakovenko, Dmitry 1 – 0 Volokitin, Andrei
Standings …Round 4
Van Wely, Loek vs Alekseev, Evgeny
Eljanov, Pavel vs Carlsen, Magnus
Svidler, Peter vs Nisipeanu, Liviu-Dieter
Ivanchuk, Vassily vs Onischuk, Alexander
Karjakin, Sergey vs Jakovenko, Dmitry
Shirov, Alexei vs Volokitin, Andrei
Day of Rest…Balaklava…
~Day of Rest…Balaklava…Images: Official site of Aerosvit
Magnus Carlsen, Norway, 2765
Peter Svidler, Russia, 2746
Vasiliy Ivanchuk, Ukraine, 2740
Alexei Shirov, Spain, 2740
Sergey Karjakin, Ukraine, 2732
Dmitry Jakovenko, Russia, 2711
Evgeny Alekseev, Russia, 2711
Pavel Eljanov, Ukraine, 2687 See 4 more players’ photosHEREwith more information on all players.The list of participants:
1. Carlsen, Magnus NOR 2765
2. Svidler, Peter RUS 2746
3. Ivanchuk, Vassily UKR 2740
4. Shirov, Alexei ESP 2740
5. Karjakin, Sergey UKR 2732
6. Jakovenko, Dmitry RUS 2711
7. Alekseev, Evgeny RUS 2711
8. Eljanov, Pavel UKR 2687
9. Volokitin, Andrei UKR 2684
10. Nisipeanu, Liviu-Dieter ROU 2684
11. Van Wely, Loek NED 2676
12. Onischuk, Alexander USA 2664
June 8th, 2008, Round 1, Time 15:00…ALL rounds start at 15:00 —every day!
June 9th, Round 2
June 10th, Round 3
June 11th, Round 4
June 12th, Round 5
June 13th, Round 6 June 14th, REST DAY June 15th, Round 7
June 16th, Round 8
June 17th, Round 9
June 18th, Round 10
June 19th, Round 11
Foros, Crimea is the settlement in the Ukraine where this tournament is taking place…
The region is also known as the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and lies on the northern coast of the Black Sea. The population is two million inhabitants, the capital is the city of Simferopol.
Foros, where the AeroSvit tournament is held, is a small village situated about 40 km from Yalta, in the southern part of Crimea. The climate conditions are gorgeous. Foros is the place were the dacha (summer-house) of the President of Ukraine is situated. The Russian writer Maxim Gorkiy lived and worked for some time in Foros. Today Ukrainian politicians and businessmen own summer houses there. Students spend their summers in Foros. There is the orthodox Foros Church and a beautiful national park. What is also good in Foros – you spell the name of the village exactly the way you pronounce it – F-o-r-o-s.
Source: chessbase
Last 2 Images: chessbase
In Foros, you will get this monument about Yuri Gagarin, the first man in Space! Click HERE to read more about him.
Alexandra Kosteniuk is one of the beauties in the world of Chess! In this video you can see the game she played against GM Zoltan Almasi. It’s a blitz. Fast chess, also known as, blitz chess, lightning chess, bullet chess and rapid chess, is a type of chess game in which each side is given less time to make their moves than under the normal tournament time controls of 60-150 minutes (1-2½ hours) per player. Read HEREmore about blitz chess.
Please click HERE for the official site of Alexandra Kosteniuk. Alexandra Kosteniuk comments in detail her blitz game played in Moscow at the World Blitz Championships Qualifiers against one of the world’s top experts on the Berlin Wall defence.
Image…NYtimes
The model Carmen Kass in a five-minute blitz match against Viswanathan Anand in 2004.
Image:chessbase Read the review of this book here at the link at the bottom of this post….or click on the image to order the book.
Many of us, even those of us who don’t play either well or often, are familiar with chess. Some of us will be aware that some pieces are differently represented in different parts of the world, but I wonder how many of us are aware of the comparatively recent introduction of the queen?
Marilyn Yalom attempts three objectives in this interesting book. Firstly, and of most interest to me, she outlines a history of the game of chess and its likely spread across the world. Secondly, Dr Yalom explains the development of the piece currently known as the queen in most European chess play both in terms of its replacement of earlier pieces, and its emerging power. Finally, Dr Yalom makes a case for parallels between the emergence of the power of the chess queen and the rise of powerful female sovereigns in Europe.
While I am attracted to the notion of the role of the chess queen as a reflection of the rise of strong queens (such as Isabella of Castile), and a possible association with the cult of the Virgin Mary, this is of peripheral interest to me. What I did find fascinating was the history of the development of the game, especially the differences between cultures and countries. Dr Yalom advises that the chess queen did not appear on the board until about 1000: some 200 years after the game had been introduced to southern Europe. Yet, by 1497, the queen had developed from a weak piece (moving one square at a time on the diagonal) to the more formidable force that she is today.
Dr Yalom presents a wealth of information in this book. Whether you share her conclusions, her enthusiasm for the subject combined with her capacity to present a variety of interesting data in a readable and accessible way will make this an enjoyable read.
Those who are serious chess players may find some of the facts interesting. Those of us interested in the evolution of institutions of power and who choose to explore parallels between games of strategy and political realities should also enjoy this book.
Congratulations to Henry Steel who was awarded the title of International Master (IM) for his sterling performance at the 2012 FIDE Olympiad. Henry’s rating also surpassed the 2400 mark. And congratulations to Donovan van den Heever who is awarded the title of FIDE Master (FM) for his rating breaking the 2300 barrier. Well done guys!.
Chess Queen Alexandra
Posted in Chess, chess books, chess games, Chess Grandmasters, GM Almasi, GM Kosteniuk, Hungary, Kosteniuk, Kosteniuk comments on her chess game, Marilyn Yalom, Russia, Viswanathan Anand, tagged Alexandra Kosteniuk, Alexandra Kosteniuk images, Anand, Birth of the Chess Queen, Blitz Chess, Carmen Kass, Chess, Chess Blitz, chess books, chess games, Chess games of Alexandra Kosteniuk, Chess Grandmasters, GM Almasi, GM Kosteniuk, Grandmasters, Hungary, interactive chess games, Interactive chess games of Alexandra Kosteniuk, Kosteniuk, Kosteniuk comments on her chess game, Marilyn Yalom, Russia, Viswanathan Anand, Zoltan Almasi on 16/05/2008| 12 Comments »
Click on the images for a larger view.
Please click HERE to play through chess games of Alexandra. The link will open in a new window.
10 January 2009: News article about Alexandra…the link will open in a new window.
http://www.miamiherald.com/277/story/847451.html
On this link on my blog, http://chessaleeinlondon.wordpress.com/2008/09/12/alexandra-kosteniuk-winner-of-nalchik/ you can follow the games played in the World Women’s Chess Championships in between Kosteniuk and Yifan. There’s also more pictures of her to see.
Alexandra Kosteniuk is one of the beauties in the world of Chess! In this video you can see the game she played against GM Zoltan Almasi. It’s a blitz. Fast chess, also known as, blitz chess, lightning chess, bullet chess and rapid chess, is a type of chess game in which each side is given less time to make their moves than under the normal tournament time controls of 60-150 minutes (1-2½ hours) per player.
Read HERE more about blitz chess.
Please click HERE for the official site of Alexandra Kosteniuk.
Alexandra Kosteniuk comments in detail her blitz game played in Moscow at the World Blitz Championships Qualifiers against one of the world’s top experts on the Berlin Wall defence.
Image…NYtimes
The model Carmen Kass in a five-minute blitz match against Viswanathan Anand in 2004.
Image:chessbase
Read the review of this book here at the link at the bottom of this post….or click on the image to order the book.
Many of us, even those of us who don’t play either well or often, are familiar with chess. Some of us will be aware that some pieces are differently represented in different parts of the world, but I wonder how many of us are aware of the comparatively recent introduction of the queen?
Marilyn Yalom attempts three objectives in this interesting book. Firstly, and of most interest to me, she outlines a history of the game of chess and its likely spread across the world. Secondly, Dr Yalom explains the development of the piece currently known as the queen in most European chess play both in terms of its replacement of earlier pieces, and its emerging power. Finally, Dr Yalom makes a case for parallels between the emergence of the power of the chess queen and the rise of powerful female sovereigns in Europe.
While I am attracted to the notion of the role of the chess queen as a reflection of the rise of strong queens (such as Isabella of Castile), and a possible association with the cult of the Virgin Mary, this is of peripheral interest to me. What I did find fascinating was the history of the development of the game, especially the differences between cultures and countries. Dr Yalom advises that the chess queen did not appear on the board until about 1000: some 200 years after the game had been introduced to southern Europe. Yet, by 1497, the queen had developed from a weak piece (moving one square at a time on the diagonal) to the more formidable force that she is today.
Dr Yalom presents a wealth of information in this book. Whether you share her conclusions, her enthusiasm for the subject combined with her capacity to present a variety of interesting data in a readable and accessible way will make this an enjoyable read.
Those who are serious chess players may find some of the facts interesting. Those of us interested in the evolution of institutions of power and who choose to explore parallels between games of strategy and political realities should also enjoy this book.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060090650/ref=cm_rdp_product
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