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"
Bloemfontein [ˈblum.fɔn.ˌtɛi̯n] is the capital city of the Free State Province of South Africa and, as the judicial capital of the nation, one of South Africa’s three national capitals – the other two being Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Pretoria, the administrative capital.
Bloemfontein is popularly and poetically known as “the city of roses”, owing to the abundance of these flowers and the annual rose festival held there. The city’s Sesotho name is Mangaung, meaning “place of cheetahs”.
Logo – Free State Chess
The South African Women’s Open Chess Championships start tomorrow – 9th August [Women’s day in South Africa too!] in Bloemfontein. The Venue is Kruitberg Primary School. The tournamnent ends on the 12th August. I hope for some results and photos from Chessa, whilst the tournament is on, meanwhile – enjoy some photos of the capital.
Results: SA Women’s Open 2012 -please click on the image for a larger view
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%) Chess FIDE Moscow Anand vs Gelfand – Official site here.
The World Chess Championship 2012 is a match between the current world champion Viswanathan Anand of India and Boris Gelfand of Israel, winner of the Candidates tournament. The match started on 10 May and is expected to end on 30 May 2012. It is played in the Engineering Building of the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, Russia and will determine the World Chess Champion. The match is held under the auspices of FIDE, the World Chess Federation. The prize fund is 2.55 million US Dollars.
The defending champion is Anand, having held the title since 2007. He last defended his title by winning the World Chess Championship 2010 against Veselin Topalov. The challenger is Gelfand, who won the tournament of eight-player Candidate Matches.- Wikipedia
The State Tretyakov Gallery is the national treasury of the Russian fine art and one of the greatest museums in the world. Founded in 1856 by the Moscovite merchant Pavel Tretyakov, the Gallery was donated to the city of Moscow in 1892. Throughout the years, the Tretyakov Gallery developed into not only an immense museum known around the world, but also an important research center engaged in the preservation, restoration and study of its treasures, as well as raising public awareness of them. Today, the Tretyakov Gallery is home to over 170,000 works of art.
The Tretyakov Gallery Engineering Wing which will host the match is designed for large exhibitions, conferences and other cultural events. Source: chessbase
World Chess Champion, Gary Kasparov is visiting South Africa!! Kasparov was the top rated player for 21 years. He will be playing some chess on the 12th November. Pres Zuma has recently launched the MOVES FOR LIFE Chess development programme. From the link:
Kasparov comes from Moscow to South Africa on 12 November to form a joint venture with Tshwane/Pretoria based chess educational project Moves for Life (MFL).
13th Chess World Champion, Garry Kasparov, has announced that he wishes to link his Kasparov Chess Foundation to MFL to take the successful MFL formula to other African countries.
He has added that he plans to work with MFL to make Johannesburg the chess capital of Africa
Kasparov stated:. “I was greatly inspired by the words of President Zuma last October, when he spoke so movingly on the many benefits of chess for children – and of his remarkable connection to my beloved game. I am happy to join him and the South African Moves for Life programme in a commitment to bringing chess to schools across the country and for turning Johannesburg into the continental capital for chess.”
Kasparov will be visiting South Africa as the guest of MFL from the 12th – 15th November to promote the Kasparov Chess Foundation link up with the Moves for Life programme.
The Moves for Life programme was launched by President Zuma last year and has since expanded to over 50 schools around the country, resulting in measurable improvement in maths and science performance amongst children
Watu Kobese, Moves for Life trustee and one of South Afriva’s top chess players Operations says: “The game of chess impacts positively on Maths, Science and comprehension abilities while also imparting valuable life skills to children. In learning to play chess, children are mastering a wide range of skills such as pattern recognition, classifying information, reasoning by analogy, following principles, calculating possible sequences of events and critical thinking — which in fact helps with all their academic subjects,”
President Jacob Zuma, is clear that there is a place for chess in South Africa’s education system. When President Zuma launched the MFL initiative in 2010, he highlighted the benefits of chess saying, “We want to convince parents and teachers that chess is one of the most powerful tools available to strengthen and enhance a child’s mind.”
Moves for Life is now training over 6000 children per week and has trained more than 200 educators in 2011 both to teach chess in schools and also as an extra-curricular activity.. According to Kasparov, “The Moves for Life programme is already doing a wonderful job and we expect to cooperate and aid them in developing both their chess and sponsorship efforts. To promote our activities, chess in the media, and to inspire the grassroots, I will personally donate my time, to train South Africa’s most promising young players as well as the country’s elite teams, as I have done in the United States with great success.
The mission of the Kasparov Chess Foundation: Africa will be to bring the many educational benefits of chess to children throughout Africa by providing a complete chess curriculum with associated enrichment programs. The foundation promotes the playing of chess as a cognitive learning tool in classes and in after-school programmes for primary and high schools. The Moves for Life programme has both the South African experience as well as the material developed uniquely for the African situation. Through collaboration both KCF and MFL will be able to optimise all available resources and reach their respective goals.
“Chess is an individual sport, but promoting chess is not. With your support, Johannesburg will take a prominent place alongside New York, Brussels and Sao Paulo,” says Kasparov.
In June this year the Kasparov Chess Foundation launched its European leg, based in Brussels. The Foundation has ambitious plans to develop a programme for the entire European Union. On September 20th, the Kasparov Chess Foundation Europe presented its proposal at the Headquarters of the European Union.
Update: Saturday 12/11/2011 Was really disappointed when reading on CHESSA’s site about MFL, Kasparov, etc. I agree, MFL is a PRIVATE company and HERE is Dr Kemm, one of the 5 trustees of MFL and hopefully he will do something to get CHESSA also involved in this important visit – a visit our Chess players look forward to. This is a visit that happens only ONCE in a life time and Chess South Africa is not even fully involved! MFL: You CAN do something about it.
Update [again] – Saturday 19/11/2011
If you are interested to read Mickey’s reaction as a MFL-trustee – you can read his comments in the comments box. It’s sad to know that MFL actually contacted CHESSA and that CHESSA asked MFL to cancel Kasparov’s visit. I think CHESSA needs to ‘grow up’ and show that they are there for the Chess community in South Africa and that they are serious about developing Chess in South Africa. CHESSA’s article is misleading the general public about their role in Kasparov’s visit. CHESSA is obviously not thinking about their international image.
It’s a long time since I’ve blogged something chessy – so here goes… time is tight! I don’t even have enough time to play a proper chess game. Luckily, it’s almost Easter Hols and then I might have a few spare hours to play a game or two. I do miss playing chess though! I’ve come across this movie-article and thought to share it with you. The movies can’t go without chess! It’s Spring and trees around us are almost covered in blossoms. This flower-pic was taken in August last year. I hate these bees we have here, they are surely not friendly and look quite scary.
In ‘Queen to Play’ Sandrine Bonnaire plays a chambermaid empowered by playing chess.
Chess as a Slow Dance of Seduction
By STEPHEN HOLDEN
Published: March 31, 2011
Caroline Bottaro’s tangy comic bonbon, “Queen to Play,” plucks the game of chess out of the metaphorical realm of spy thrillers and reimagines it as a fable about relationships and upward mobility. Adapted from Bertina Henrichs’s novel “The Chess Player,” this slight but captivating movie (Ms. Bottaro’s directorial debut) compares the strategies of chess to the erotic maneuvers in a flirtatious pas de deux that may be more satisfying than actual sex. At the same time, a woman’s winning the game symbolizes female empowerment in a man’s world and ascent from working-class drudgery to the bourgeoisie.
Hélène (Sandrine Bonnaire), the movie’s sly, middle-aged Cinderella, is an attractive chambermaid at a luxury hotel in Corsica. While going about her chores, she observes a chess game being played by a sexy American couple (Jennifer Beals and Dominic Gould) on the balcony of their suite. Stealthy moves accompanied by insinuating eye contact culminate with the woman’s defeating the man and flashing Hélène a smile of conspiratorial glee.
Hélène takes the hint, and at a birthday party for her husband, a handsome dockworker named Ange (Francis Renaud), she presents him with an electronic chess set in the hopes of reigniting the spark in their marriage. Ange is mystified and vaguely annoyed by the gift. When he expresses no interest in learning the game, Hélène begins teaching herself to play and quickly becomes obsessed.
“Queen to Play” is a lighthearted, grown-up fairy tale in which chess consumes Hélène’s imagination and transforms her life. As she mops a black-and-white checkered floor, it becomes a surreal dreamscape. At a restaurant she makes chess pieces out of crumbled bread and pushes them around the squares of the red-and-white tablecloth.
The intimate looks exchanged by the characters as they compete for advantage in a game in which the queen is the most powerful piece tell us as much about them as anything they say. Sometimes chess even suggests a mental striptease in which the players shed their defenses as they exchange glances and dare each other to go forward. At other times it conjures a war between the sexes, with Hélène the feminist upstart challenging male dominance.
Avid to learn more, she discovers a chess set in the house of Dr. Kröger (Kevin Kline, in his first entirely French-speaking role), a widowed American professor for whom she works as a part-time housecleaner. She volunteers to clean his place in exchange for weekly chess lessons. A mysterious figure suffering from an unidentified lung ailment, Kröger agrees. When, after only a few lessons, she is regularly beating him, he urges her to enter a local tournament.
In small but significant ways, “Queen to Play” defies expectations. It dangles the possibility of an affair between Hélène and Kröger in games that the film likens to courtship rituals in a classic screwball comedy. But their flirtation is never physically consummated.
Hélène’s relationships with her husband and rebellious teenage daughter, Lisa (Alexandra Gentil), undergo surprising transformations. Ange, initially threatened by Hélène’s passion, which keeps her out late and distracts her from housework, is initially so suspicious that he follows her to a lesson and spies on her. But once he realizes that she has a gift, his jealousy turns to admiration, and the flame of desire is rekindled. Lisa, who is so ashamed and contemptuous of her parents for being “poor” that she refuses to invite boyfriends to the house, becomes her mother’s fervent champion.
Ms. Bonnaire’s Hélène subtly evolves from a harried, resentful domestic wearing a perpetually hurt expression into a woman who discovers her power. Mr. Kline, as the haughty, secretive professor with a kind heart under a prickly exterior gives one of his finest screen performances, executed with minute fluctuations in his body language.
In their most delicious scene Hélène and Kröger play an imaginary game of chess away from the board. Gazing into each other’s eyes, they engage in what has the ring of intellectual pillow talk. Although the conversation is entirely chaste, in the intensity with which they study each other’s signals, they might as well be newlyweds.
QUEEN TO PLAY
Opens on Friday in Manhattan.
Directed by Caroline Bottaro; written by Ms. Bottaro and Caroline Maly, based on the novel “The Chess Player,” by Bertina Henrichs; director of photography, Jean-Claude Larrieu; edited by Tina Baz Le Gal; music by Nicola Piovani; set design by Emmanuel de Chauvigny; costumes by Dorothée Guiraud; produced by Dominique Besneard and Michel Feller; released by Zeitgeist Films. In French, with English subtitles. Running time: 1 hour 36 minutes. This film is not rated.
WITH: Sandrine Bonnaire (Hélène), Kevin Kline (Dr. Kröger), Francis Renaud (Ange), Jennifer Beals (the American Woman), Dominic Gould (the American Man), Valérie Lagrange (Maria) and Alexandra Gentil (Lisa).
A version of this review appeared in print on April 1, 2011, on page C8 of the New York edition..
I had no intention to blog about what you’re going to read in this post. My intention was to blog about the type of chess player you might be – do you see yourself in one of the photos in the above image? – and to put the question to you: What kind of chess player are you? Do you think carefully about your move…do you make the move instantly?…Are you a careless player? There are many more questions I could have asked you – I think you know them all. Maybe the picture ties in- in some way – with what I’ve found and which I want to share with you.
In my SEARCH I came across this link and thought to add the information- for readers who haven’t read it before or haven’t read something similar on my blog before. The next question is: Have you got what it takes to be a chess player? [a serious chess player – I might add] Even children sometimes turn up in large groups very eager to play/learn and then discover that chess is actually not for them – or not what they thought it is all about. At the bottom of this entry you’ll find a link to an entry on my blog about Chess Personalities and a link to Brunel University about research they’ve done. Enjoy the reading from the above link quoted:
Traits of a Good Chessplayer Quote of the Month: Not all highly intelligent people play chess well, and not everyone who plays chess well is highly intelligent (although if you ask them…!) A beginner often wonders if he has what it takes to become proficient at the Royal Game. The answer is that there are many aspects of intelligence and personality that correlate with the potential to become a good chess player. Almost everyone realizes that a lot of hard work will be necessary to climb the ladder of chess success, and few want to put in many hours of work with little prospects for reward. Knowing that you have some of the requisite talents is always helpful in keeping up your spirits. Several lists of applicable chess traits have been published, so I thought it would be fun to give it a Novice Nook spin. I have separated the traits into four groups: “IQ” Aspects Physical Traits Personality Traits Emotional Traits …but there is quite a bit of overlap, so these are really just rough groupings. “IQ” Aspects Memory – The ability to remember things is certainly a “no-brainer”, insofar as being helpful for chess. First there is the obvious ability to retain more chess patterns and what you know about them, including opening and endgame knowledge, tactical positions and ideas, positional maneuvers. In addition, there is also everything else you “know” about chess – including guidelines, how to handle a six-hour World Open game, and the information in Novice Nook. The better the memory, the better you can store the information and retrieve it quickly and accurately. It is also well documented that memory is not as sharp when you get older, so age does degrade this ability. Note: “Knowledge” is not an ability, but it is the information you retain better with a good memory. It is also worth noting that knowledge is not correlated one-to-one with your playing strength; for example, a player who reads more books and retains more knowledge is not always better than one who has read much less. As one of my chess friends once said, “Never confuse ignorance with stupidity” – the corollary being “Never confuse knowledge with intelligence.”
Spatial Relationships – I call the special vision which enables one to understand what is happening on a chessboard “Board Vision”. But the general ability to process spatial relationships is more than just that chessspecific skill; it is the capability to see and/or imagine what is happening in two or three dimensions. An example of how this is tested would be the type of IQ test question where they show you an unfolded cube and you are asked to fold it in your head and select which of four folded cubes could be created from the fold. The ability to visualize geometric patterns is valuable in chess when you are trying to look ahead and imagine a possibly occurring position. An example of an error using this ability would be a “retained image” – when you fail to see that a piece has moved off its square and you visualize it doing something on a later move when, in fact, if that line were actually played that piece would no longer be there!
Deductive Logic – This is the “If A implies B and B implies C, then A implies C” type of logic. In chess you need deductive logic to figure out what is forced and what is not. For example, during analysis of a position you need to be able to look at a move and deduce something like “Because of so-and so, if my opponent does not stop my killer move (or whatever), then I can do this, so he must make move A or move B to prevent it or else I win.” A common deductive error would be assuming your opponent will make a move that you think is forced when in fact another move is better. Of all the skills in chess, I believe that this one is perhaps the most popularly recognized by the general public. Your deductive logic is another part of the thinking process that slows as you get older.
Physical Traits Concentration – Playing chess correctly requires a lot of thought(!) The better able you are to concentrate and focus your thoughts on the task at hand, the better. If your mind is wandering – even thinking about a mistake you made earlier in the game – that can only hurt you. Lack of concentration detracts from your ability to perform from the task at hand, which is usually finding the best move in the current position within the given time available.
Stamina – This is the physical ability to sit and play without excessive tiredness or fatigue throughout not just a long game, but possibly even a long series of games in a tournament or match. One of the problems older players have is lack of stamina; they get tired more easily. You can increase your stamina by eating and drinking correctly before and during a long game, getting proper rest, and entering the event in good shape. That is why it is helpful to have an aerobic sport, like tennis, jogging, or swimming, to augment your chess lifestyle – these are beneficial for your non-chess welfare, too!
Nerves – In the course of chess history, it has been stated about several toplevel grandmasters that were not serious World Champion candidates because they did not have the nerves for top-level play. Playing chess for fun is one thing, but playing for your livelihood – or your place in history – is quite another. It requires strong nerves to play chess at the highest level, but having “bad nerves” affects your play negatively at any level.
Personality Traits Carefulness – Of all the traits that make for a good chess player, one of the most important is the ability to take your time on each move and try to find the best one. And of the personality traits that support this ability, being careful is the key trait. Interestingly, one can be too careful and, in that case, you may even be afraid to move for fear of making a mistake. This fear inevitably leads to time trouble, requiring fast moves and resulting in even bigger mistakes than the ones you had been avoiding by taking 12 minutes instead of 6. Therefore, the best chess players are the ones that are careful, but not pathologically so. It should be noted that players who are not naturally careful in life can learn to be careful in chess! I have seen several players who were able to overcome their natural tendencies, but of course to do so one has to feel strongly that it is worth the special effort!
Caring – This trait is different than carefulness, and is actually more closely related to some of the emotional traits below. You want to care about your move, your result, your rating, and your reputation, but not too much. If you don’t care at all, you won’t work to improve it/them, and if you take these too personally then chess becomes too involved with your personal image and you will find it hard to take the necessary risks to play and improve.
Determination – This is one area in which I score well. I will not stop at something until I get it right. My wife thinks I am a little nutty because I once took almost a year on the same tough cryptogram – I would not skip it or take a hint or look up the answer. She is right, of course, but that same determination paid me good dividends when I wanted to become an expert, a master, and get my FIDE rating (back in the days when you had to have a FIDE rating of at least 2205 to get one). One should differentiate game-time determination to obtain the maximal outcome (“will to win” or “fighting spirit”) with the longer-term career goal determination to do whatever it takes to become the best player you can. During a simultaneous exhibition at a local high school, I once met a student who, when he found out I was a chess master, said “Really? Wow! That’s cool. I live for chess.” I was a little amazed by this pronouncement, so I said, “If you live for chess, then why don’t you play in tournaments? For example, come a few miles down the road and play in some of the big events at the Adam’s Mark Hotel.” His disappointing reply, “Oh no! I couldn’t possibly do that!” I guess that makes him like a kid who lives for baseball but cannot possibly think of playing in Little League! His answer was not a mark of determination! Note: “Killer-instinct” is not the same as “fighting spirit”. Killer-instinct is an intense desire to either beat down the opponent, or at least finish off a won game. Good chess players seem to have either one of two special traits: killer instinct or expert problem solvers. Without one of those two traits it is hard to have the determination and perseverance to play hard each move, game after game. I am more the problem solver type – I want to find the best move each and every time and I am not trying to wound my opponent’s ego.
Perseverance – This trait is similar to determination, but it represents not the will to do well, but the ability to carry on that will despite whatever roadblocks are presented: lack of time to play and study, unexpected and unnerving losses, the skepticism of others, etc. Again, there is short-term game-time perseverance and the more common long-term career goal perseverance. Surprisingly, I find a lot of students who have the determination (otherwise they would not hire me as their chess coach), but lack the perseverance – they want quicker results than is possible, get discouraged at the inevitable setbacks, and cannot maintain their chess determination for the years that are required to reach their lofty goals. Since extensive chess progress can only be measured in years, it is not surprising that many players cannot persevere in what it takes to maintain improvement over that time period. Note: I did not forget “Willpower”, but it is mostly contained within determination and perseverance.
Capability to overcome natural shortcomings for the good of your chess play – This is a special type of trait which enables you to not dwell or be held back by any shortcomings you have, but to be able to rise above them due to your strong desire to play well and improve. Almost every player thinks, “I’m not this or I am not that.” Everyone has shortcomings in one area or another. No one has a great memory and great deductive logic and great nerves and everything else – even the Fischers and Kasparovs are not perfect (but they are a lot closer than the rest of us!) However, some players let their concern about these shortcomings hold them back. Further, in some cases, these shortcomings can mostly be overcome by will. For example, suppose you are naturally impatient or not very careful. It still may be possible, when sitting down at the chessboard, to say to yourself, “OK, I am naturally impatient (or not careful), but if I am going to play good chess I have to take my time on every move and be very careful on every move or else I can let the game slip away just by that one bad move.” If you are able to say this to yourself, you may be able to overcome your natural impatience for the good of your game. Once you get in the habit of consistently practicing correctly, then it becomes easier and easier, despite any natural tendencies otherwise.
Confidence – Like many of these other traits, either extreme is bad: too much confidence is overconfidence, which often leads to carelessness, or lack of respect for the opponent. On the other hand, if you play with lack of confidence your results will surely suffer. Chess is a mental sport, and one’s lack of confidence often becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Let me augment this observation with a brief story: As a teenager I had a friend who played regularly and studied chess diligently. For example, in the openings he learned the English and the Caro-Kann. But in tournaments his low rated opponents did not play into his study lines and he suffered from very poor results, getting an 1100 rating based on several events. He then quit playing. Ten years later he had not played nor picked up a chess book, but asked to play in one of my invitational round robin tournaments, filled with players rated 1300-1500. Despite not having played in a decade and being the lowest rated player, he finished in second place with a performance rating of almost 1700. I asked him how this was possible. He said that maturity made the difference – he no longer worried about what his opponents were doing and just enjoyed playing. Whereas before he doubted his ability and was affected by his opponent’s weird play, now he was confident that he could just play well and do the best he can. So the extra 500 points or so of playing strength was almost all due to his new-found confidence and lack of worry.
Awareness – A player who can keep his awareness and be cognizant of what is important has a big advantage. For example, when an experienced player starts to realize that the time is running short and time management is becoming a bigger and bigger part of the play, he has an advantage over an opponent who either is not as aware of the importance of this change, or is so but does not change his priorities. Similarly, being aware of possibilities, such as unexpected opponent blunders, or sudden changes in the phase of the game, is a distinct asset.
Flexibility – In a similar manner to awareness, flexibility of plan and action is a big asset. If you are not flexible enough to adapt to the change in state, then being aware of that state is not much use. It is also very important to be flexible in your learning. This flexibility is related to the next trait, openmindedness. Open-Mindedness – The ability to listen and to consider new ideas (or realize that the old ones you have are at least somewhat misbegotten), is very important. It is very difficult to learn if you “know” you are right or not open to new ideas, or possibilities of what you are doing wrong. A brilliant, stubborn beginner probably will never get past the beginner stage since it will be very difficult to learn from his mistakes, even (or especially!) if they are pointed out to him. The good news is that in chess if you are not very openminded you tend to retard your own progress. Therefore, if you can recognize the cause of this lack of progress, it may jar you out of your complacency.
Emotional Traits Ability to deal with losses as a learning tool – This is a very important indicator of how good a chess player someone is going to become. Suppose a player take losses so hard and personally that you can’t speak to them and they don’t want to review or think about the game. Then not only will they not be able to optimally learn from those losses, but eventually the realization that they are going to lose thousands of games in order to become a good player will wear them down. At the other extreme we have someone who doesn’t care at all if they lose – they, like the tough loser, will also not review their games, because “it is just a game” and why should they spend effort to avoid repetition of their cause of defeat if it does not matter? These players are doomed to repeat their mistakes over and over and never get much better. The best outlook is somewhat in between: you cannot take your losses too personally but you have to be the type who vows never to lose the same way twice. A player who takes great interest in their shortcomings and studies them in such a way as to minimize the chance of recurrence will usually be much better than the players who are at each extreme.
Pride in your moves and your reputation – I think this trait is a little underrated. Players who take pride in each move have an advantage over players who are don’t care that much about each move. These latter players are often surprised when I ask them about what considerations went into a particular move, as if to say “Why should you care? It is not that important to me” or “This is just a medium speed internet game – why should I try my best?” But almost all strong players share the concern that they put in the proper effort on each move (time permitting) and try to reach the correct decision, or at least do the best they can. Can you imagine Garry Kasparov annotating one of his games and writing, “I made this move without much thought – I really didn’t care if it was a good one or not”?! Ability to deal with setbacks, bad moves – This is different than perseverance, which enables you to maintain your will after setbacks of any type. Perseverance is therefore part of this trait, but not the only part. For example, the ability to maintain equanimity – not lose your cool – when things have gone wrong, is important. Players who get upset and let previous moves affect their judgment of the current move, or even think about the previous move instead the current move, are almost making a big mistake. Playing chess is fun – This is the most common trait shared by chess players. Humans who lack this trait may become good scientists, doctors, lawyers, engineers, golfers, bridge players, video game champions, businessmen, or whatever, but they won’t become good chess players. Studying chess is fun – This is the flip side of the previous trait: take random chess players at a chess club and hand them Capablanca’s Best Games and ask them to read it, a certain percentage will decline and the rest will gladly accept. The ones that accept almost always find that doing chess work is fun. Assuming they have not already read this book and that no extraneous factors are at work, the ones that decline usually like to play chess, but find the studying side tedious. When I work with beginning chess players of all ages, this is one of the first things I notice: everyone wants to get better, but only the ones who find doing the “work” side fun will ever have a chance of getting anywhere. No matter how much the others are determined to get better, they can never overcome the fact that doing the “unfun” work on a hobby like chess cannot last very long.
Coachability – Despite some fiction to the contrary, no one becomes really good at chess in isolation. Many factors, including some of the above, can contribute to this trait. A player might have many reasons they are less coachable: bad listening skills, stubbornness, know-it-all, doesn’t care enough, lack of maturity, or just believes that books alone can make him a great player. In any case, coachable players obviously have an advantage in the long run.
Conclusion Next time you run into someone who says, “So-and-so is really smart – he would make a good chess player”, consider how well that person fits some of the above, “non-IQ” criteria. And how well did you score? If you were above average on most of the critical requirements, that may mean that you have a promising career ahead – assuming you are not damagingly low on a couple of others! A player is usually only as good as his weakest link will allow him to be.
Click HERE to read about Chess Personalities and research done by Brunel University. The link will open in a new window.
Benjamin Franklin playing chess…’And lastly, we learn by chess the habit of not being discouraged by present bad appearances in the state of our affairs; the habit of hoping for a favorable chance, and that of preserving in the search of resources.’ -Benjamin Franklin, ‘The Morals of Chess’
I like playing chess on chesscube for a couple of reasons…I always find someone to play a quick realtime game -my time is little and I’m not anymore interested in playing games going on for ages – I like the interface and the colours. This first game was played today and I was just on time to win this game…as I’m always in a hurry…I try to think fast, move fast – and sometimes end up with fast blunders too. My opponent spent 7 minutes before he decided to sacrifice his Queen -and in the process I did the same and won his Bishop. I have the pgn-file for you to follow if interested.
Mmmm…I always keep my Knights as long as I can…wonder if you can spot in this next game why…I have some of the colours of chesscube on this image too. Very visual for someone like me…This player resigned the game.
These two images were posted on Zee’s blog about a year ago. Her husband helped his boss with a project for his daughter – in Primary School. He made this lovely chess set for her! Unfortunately, he didn’t get the highest marks as it wasn’t made by the girl herself. [hehe–stoute kabouter!] I think next time she will think twice before asking uncle Zee to do her school project. [*wink]
Connie is one of my online chess-friends – and keen blogreader – and we had some good chats about his 8year old twins. They are both keen chess players and even advised him about his moves against me. He was also informed by them that he didn’t stand a chance in our last game…[guess what, he wasn’t impressed with their prediction, hehe] …two clever girls if you ask me. They took part in a tournament during August – in the Northern Cape region and have been selected to take part in the national Junior Chess Championships which takes place in December. Congrats to him and his family, I know the girls will do well. He’s sent me the tourney details and photos a while ago, but busy me, didn’t have the time to do a proper entry about them. So, here goes! I’ve quoted Connie’s comments here – in Afrikaans. His twins took the first two places. Enjoy the photos. If you don’t know the Northern Cape Province of South Africa, it is a vast area. You easily travel 400km from one town to another and that makes it difficult for all children to take part in chess activities in the Province, although some parents club together and share the travel costs. There were 7 rounds but u/8 played only 5 rounds and the remaining 3 rounds were only friendlies.
North Cape Chess – u/8 – 21 & 22 AUGUST – DE AAR
Results after round 5
No Name Score
1 BERNIZE 5.0
2 MARILIZE 4.0
3 STETHEN 2.5
4 JESSICA 2.0
5 CHRISSIE 1.0
6 ALBERT 0.5
Die doel was om die spelers wat by die ander toernooie goed gevaar het verder uit te sif vir die spanne vir die SA Juniors. O/8 is egter heel oopgestel omdat daar nie genoeg spelers was nie soos ek jou vertel het. Daar was omtrent 180 spelers almal saam, dis nou van o/8 tot seniors. O/8 was daar 8. Een het kort voor die begin ontrek en ‘n ander moes o/10 deelneem omdat hy in voor Des. verjaar. Die ses wat oorgebly het is nou almal in die o/8 span wat gaan deelneem in Des.(4 spelers en 2 reserwes). Daar was 7 rondtes vir alle ouderdomme maar vir die o/8 het net die eerste 5 getel. Die ander 2 was net vriendskaplike spelle.
Hulle het elke spel Wit begin met e4 en swart e5. Daarna was dit of Bc4 of Nf3. Dieselfde patroon ook met swart. Party spelle het hulle sommer Bc4 gevolg met 3. Df3 ( wat ek juis vir hulle gese het nie om te doen nie!) Dit het gevolg dat 2 van hulle 14 spelle nie eens 3 minute geduur het nie.(Scholars mate) Jy sal sien op een van die fotos, toe ek bo by die gallery kom om hulle af te neem, was Marelize reeds klaar. Bernize was in die foto nog besig om teen Stethen te speel.
Die was hulle 4de Amptelike toernooi. Daar was ook ‘n paar vriendskaplike spelle tussen hulle skool, Newton Laerskool, en Kimberley Junior. In hulle skoolspan is hulle nommer 1 en 2. Nommer 3 Ryno Annandale, is die een wat ontrek het by De Aar.
Hulle altwee se gunsteling kleur is wit, Bernize beweer hier dis nie so nie maar haar kwaadgeid as sy swart moet speel vertel ‘n ander storie… Daar is ongelukkig nie voor Desember nog ‘n amptelike toernooi nie. Dorpe in die Noord-Kaap is baie ver uitmekaar. Die 3 groot dorpe is almal omtrent 400 kilos uitmekaar wat die reelings en vervoer nogal duur maak. Noord Kaap skaak beoog wel informele toernooie vir oefening sowel as fondsinsameling. As ek moet skat speel die 2 ongeveer tussen 6 en 8 ure skaak per week. Partykeer minder, partykeer meer. Hulle oefen ook nou op die o/12 juffrou se aandrang saam met die o/12’s.
Please click on the images for a large, clearer view
Connie’s twins can be seen left and rigt at the end-table busy having serious chess-discussions with the boys.
Hmm…shall I move my bishop to D5 or….
Chess tournaments can be very exhausting for any 7-8 year old and the dads were clever to know that…or was it the mums!
I would love to have a chess set like the Lewis chess-men! Have you seen them in the British Museum? They are beautiful!
Lewis chessmen reunited after 170 years for tour of ScotlandFigures carved from whale teeth and walrus ivory found in Western Isles at some point before 1831
They were worked from polished walrus ivory and whale teeth by Norse craftsmen more than 800 years ago, and weigh in at less than 245 grams.
Now, more than 170 years after the Lewis chessmen were found buried under a Scottish beach, many will be reunited after years of wrangling.
The Scottish culture minister, Michael Russell, and Bonnie Greer, the deputy chair of the British Museum’s trustees, confirmed 30 of the 93 chess pieces will be reunited for the first time in more than a century for a tour of Scotland.
The Lewis chessmen have puzzled historians and irritated Scottish nationalists since they were found on a beach on Uig, on the west side of Lewis in the Western Isles, at some point before 1831.
Some believe they may have been buried for safekeeping by a merchant travelling from Norway to Ireland; others think they belonged to a nobleman in what was then a powerful island kingdom linked to Norway.
The set was broken up after being exhibited by the Scottish Society of Antiquaries in 1831, which could not afford to buy it. An Edinburgh dealer sold the pieces for 80 guineas to the British Museum, which now holds 82 of them. The remaining 11 are kept by the National Museum of Scotland.
Russell said the Scottish National party government firmly believed the entire set belonged in Scotland, but had compromised with the British Museum.
Nationalists claim the controversy is akin to the row over the Elgin marbles, but others say the chessmen were freely sold when Scotland could not afford them.
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.
If you click on the logo, you will get taken to the official site of Dresden and the “Live” image will take you straight to the “live”-games-link. On this link you can play through games played in round 8. Players from the SA team and also GM’s like Boris Gelfand, Magnus Carlsen, Ivan Cheparinov, Alexei Shirov, Topalov, Yelena Dembo, Nigel Short, Peter Leko, etc. The link will open in a new window. You can now play through two games, I will add more soon when I’ve got more time! Please click HEREto play through the game of Kamsky and Ivanchuck and a few other players in round 11, the final round on chess.com. The link will open in a new window. http://chessaleeinlondon.blogspot.com/2008/11/dresden-olympiad-2008.html
On this next link you can play through games of round 6. The SA-team games plus games of Kramnik and Ivanchuk. The link will also open in a new window.
GM Eduardo Iturrizaga..Watu Kobese’s opponent in round 9
More games to play through will be added soon, also games of about 15 GM’s. So, keep watching this space!
Statistics of Eduardo
Statistics of Watu
Watu Kobese..image: chessaol
Melissa Greeff Image: chessaol.wordpress.com
Melissa: Statistics…Melissa has a personal score of 6.5 so far at the Olympiad, a score not many other females could equal in this tournament. Well done to Melissa!
Results of the ladies after round 10…you can see Melissa having 7 out of 9…she didn’t play in round 5.
Please clickHERE to play through the game of Melissa Greeff in round 9 played on the 22nd November at the Chess Olympiad 2008. Links in this post will all open in new windows.
Please click HERE to play through Watu Kobese’s game played in round 9.
Please clickHERE to play through the game of Kenny Solomon played in round 9.
Please click HEREto play through the game of Carmen de Jager in round 9.
Please click HEREto play through the game of Anzel Solomons played in round 9.
Please click HERE to play through the game of Daniel Cawdery played in round 9 vs Jose Sequera Paolini of Venezuela.
Melissa Greeff round 10 move 27
Dresden round 10 Melissa Greeff end position…1/2
Round 10 move list: Melissa Greeff, see the last move with the chess graphics
Dresden round 10: Results of the ladies – SA vs Scotland
Image: chessaol.wordpress.com
Kenny’s game – 1/2
Dresden round 10: Results of the men’s team
Dresden round 11: Results of the SA Ladies against UAE…3-1..well done ladies!
SA ladies on the left..image: chessaol.wordpress.com
Dresden round 11 Results of the SA men against IPCA (International Chess Organisation for Physically Disabled)…3-1..well done boys!
SA men on the right..image: chessaol.wordpress.com
The Gaprindashvili Cup – click on the image for a clear view, or follow this link: The link will open in a new window.
Today, 18th Nov was a free day for the chess players at Dresden, but, they were treated with a Fashion show. You can see some of the images here. I don’t know if I like them all though! You can see a few more on the link. Click on the images to see a larger view.
Please click HERE to see more results of games played in round 1 and round 2. The link will open in a new window. 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 you can play through games played in round 6. The link will open in a new window.
Click on the top image/logo to access the official site of Dresen 2008, it will open in a new window and on the “live” image for the live games.
South African players: Men
South African players: Ladies
Dresden Schedule
The South African women’s team at Dresden
All images in this post: HERE the official chess blog of Chess SA. The link will open in a new window.
Carmen de Jager
Monique Sischy
Melissa Greeff
Jenine Ellappen
Anzel Solomons
Henry Steel
Watu Kobese
Please click HERE to play through a game of Watu Kobese against Jennifer Shahade played in Philadelphia in June 1998. The game was Kobese’s.
Kenny Solomon
Johannes Mabusela
Daniel Cawdery
Some of the round 3 results- click on images for larger view
Melissa Greeff round 3 move 39 …0-1
Melissa Greeff round 3 move list
Daniel Cawdery round 3 end position 1/2
Daniel Cawdery round 3 move list
Monique Sischy round 3 end position 0-1
Monique Sischy round 3 move list
Round 4 16 Nov women’s team against Norway and men’s team against Pakistan
Melissa round 4 move 18
Jenine round 4 move 17
Anzel round 4 move 17
Monique round 4 move 17
Daniel round 4 move 17
Henry round 4 move 14
Kenny round 4 move 12
Johannes round 4 move 12
South Africa vs Pakistan Images from players: chesssaol.wordpress.com
South African Ladies’ team vs Latvia
Results of the ladies’ team after round 4
Results of the men’s team after round 4
Round 5 results: South Africa vs Luxembourg 17th November 2008
Henry Steel vs Jeitz Christian Dresden round 5…1-0
Mietek Bakalarz vs Kenny Solomon Dresden round 5 …0-1
Pierre Gengler vs Johannes Mabusela Dresden round 5…1/2
Watu Kobese vs Fred Berend Dresden round 5…1-0
Watu Kobese round 5 move list
Kaydanovich vs Monique Sischy Dresden round 5…0-1
Round 5 Monique Sischy move list
Anzel Solomons vs Gelina Melnik Dresden round 5 …1-0 Please click HERE to play interactively through the games of round 5. The link will open in a new window.
Click on the top image/logo to access the official site of Dresen 2008, it will open in a new window and on the “live” image for the live games. Click HERE for round 1 live games. The link will open in a new window. Then click on the country and it will take you to a window where you can click on “live”. There is a separate link to the Women’s section.
Please click on THIS LINK to see more images of the South African team at Dresden and for more results. The link will open in a new window.
„There is an incredible treasure of all kinds in this beautiful place” wrote Goethe about Dresden. Today Saxony’s state capital has rebuilt its glamorous position step by step. Dresden as cultural metropole is a worldwide center of attraction – and a strong location for economy and science. Dresden’s microelectronics cluster (ZMD, AMD, Infineon), Fraunhofer Institutes, the Max-Planck Institutes, the Technical University and the College of Arts represent an environment offering a mentality which is also determining for chess. Thus, Dresden is, for example, City of Science 2006.
Intelligence has here been at home already very early. 1083 the Bohemian daughter of a king, Judith, brought along a precious chess game as dowry to Saxony. Therewith, Dresden’s match as a chess city was begun. Alone since 1991 210 international and national relevant chess events could be experienced. Stars like Anatoly Karpov or Garry Kasparov are in Dresden oftentimes. Even the castling is close by to relax.
Elena Winkelmann is one of Germany’s greatest chess talents. Here she is playing in front of the emblem of the EURO 2007 and the Chess Olympiad, the Crown Gate of the Zwinger.
A dignified framework: the venue of the Olympiad 2008 in the ICD Dresden is located directly on the river banks on the old side of the city. Church of our Lady, Semper Opera, Castle, Bruhl’s Terrace – the famous baroque ensemble is only a few steps away. And every visitor right away feels the special flair of hospitality and love for cultural engagement in the whole city. Read on the Official Site more about Dresden. Image: Dresden2008
Please click HERE to access the official site where you can locate your country to view the players/teams that will take part. The links in this post will all open in a new window.Please click HERE to read about Jennifer Shahade’s visit to South Africa and you can see images from her and her visit.
Simen Agdestein, Norwegian Grandmaster toured South Africa during March and said SA has great chess talent, the problem South Africans face…is the fact that they are far from Europe to play tournaments! You can see his image in this post where he played chess in a restaurant in South Africa.
Kenny Solomon
Carmen de Jager, Anzel Solomons and Monique Sischy
Image: Chessbase..Dresden Chess 2008…map with details
1. Congress Center Dresden (Playing Hall) 2. Hotel Maritim Hotel
3. Westin Bellevue
4. Museum Japanese Palais
5. Art‘otel
6. Freiberger Arena (Opening Ceremony)
Dresden: Schedule…Info: Chessbase
Image: spotlightgermany.com
Watu Kobese….Image: farm1.static.flickr.com/5/4967409_aa51644369
Please click HERE to play through a game of Watu Kobese against Jennifer Shahade played in Philadelphia in June 1998. The game was Kobese’s.
Grootmeester Simen Agdestein van Noorweë speel ‘n potjie informele skaak in ‘n restaurant in Pretoria. Sy hoed is ‘n aandenking van Suid-Afrika. Foto: Waldo Swiegers
SA hét talent, sê skaak-grootmeesterMar 03 2008 01:21:33:830AM – (SA)
Neels Jackson
Suid-Afrika se skaakspelers is erg ondergegradeer.
Dís die mening van mnr. Simen Agdestein, Noorweegse grootmeester, wat die naweek saam met ’n groep van sy skaakleerlinge in Suid-Afrika aangekom het om deur die land te toer. Hulle speel die naweek ook in ’n internasionaal gegradeerde toernooi by die Hoërskool Waterkloof in Pretoria.
Agdestein sê as Suid-Afrika nie so ver van Europa was nie en meer van sy spelers kon gereeld aan internasionale toernooie deelneem, sou die land al verskeie grootmeesters opgelewer het.
Hy was op sy dag die wêreld se no. 16-speler, maar hy lê hom nou toe op skaakafrigting by ’n Noorweegse sportskool. Hy is een van nege Noorweegse grootmeesters.
Dat hy ook ander talente het, blyk daaruit dat hy sy land agt keer as doelskieter van die nasionale sokkerspan verteenwoordig het.
Hy het ook aan die Noorweegse weergawe van Strictly come dancing deelgeneem, maar sê hy het vroeg uitgeval weens ’n swak ronde met die tango.
Die sportskool waar hy skaakafrigting doen, het ’n samewerkingsooreenkoms met die Hoërskool Waterkloof se skaaksentrum gesluit. Die Noorweërs se besoek is deel van dié ooreenkoms.
Skaak help kinders volgens hom nie net met hul verstandelike ontwikkeling nie. Dit verryk ook hul lewe deurdat hulle mense op ’n ander manier leer ken.
Hy bestempel dit as ’n geson-de aktiwiteit – baie beter as rekenaarspeletjies, wat hy as “ silly ” bestempel.
Image: Wikipedia..The symbol of the 6th Olympiad held in 1935 in Warshaw by J Steifer.
Birth of the Olympiad
The first Olympiad was unofficial. For the 1924 Olympics an attempt was made to include chess in the Olympics Games but this failed because of problems with distinguishing between amateur and professional players.While the 1924 Summer Olympics was taking place in Paris, the 1st unofficial Chess Olympiad also took place in Paris. FIDE was formed on Sunday, July 20, 1924, the closing day of the 1st unofficial Chess Olympiad. FIDE organised the first Official Olympiad in 1927 which took place in London.The Olympiads were occasionally held annually and at irregular intervals until World War II; since 1950 they have been held regularly every two years.
Read more about the history of the Chess Olympiad on this link which will open in a new window.
Image: Wikipedia
Bobby Fischer’s score card from his round 3 game during the Chess Olympiad in 1970…he played against Miguel Najdorf in Warshaw.
Children in Nepal playing chess! Image: susanpolgar.blogspot.com/2008/11/picture-of-the-day-global-chess.html
Dresden Opening Ceremony images
Dresden Opening Ceremony
Results: Round 1
Dresden round 1: South Africa’s Woman’s team against Tunisia
Results round 1: Hong Kong vs South Africa
Dresden round 1: England vs Turkey
Round 2 results – games played on Friday 14th November 2008
Melissa Greeff Round 2 move 19
Melissa Greeff Round 2 draw
Melissa Greef Round 2 move list – 1/2
Monique Sischy Round 2 move 14 – 1/2
Watu Kobese round 2 move 20
Watu Kobese Round 2 Dresden end position and move list – 1/2
I have a couple of articles/posts on my blog about chess and the link between chess and academic performance, the research that was done by various people, the reasons why your child should play chess etc. Today’s article is no difference and I’ve added an article about chess and the 7 dimensions, which you might enjoy and then 3 of my own games. I’ve taken out my opponents’ nicknames this time. Two games were friendlies and the last game was a rated game. As Ray mentioned the other day on his blog- (if you love playing chess, please play him on chess.com, his blog-link is on my blog roll and you can leave him a message on his blog, but be aware, he’s no softy when it comes to chess! Don’t come back to me crying! lol!) -that I used to blog only games where my opponents were defeated…(no comments…:) Anyway…I have blogged awhile ago some of my games where I was the complete loser! Enjoy the games here…You will notice that I played white in all three the games. You can play through these games, the game-links will open in a new window. If you wanna play me, I do play now on chess.com. If you follow the link on my sidebar, register, then you will automatically be a friend of me and we can play!
You will also find an article you might not be able to read…that’s Afrikaans! The article is about Ezet, she took part in the World Youth Championships that ended last week in Vietnam. The link of the Saffa-players and their results is also available to be viewed. On this link here you can find the official site of the World Youth Chess Championships in Vietnam. The link will open in a new window. http://wycc2008.vietnamchess.com/index.php
Chess Improves Academic Performance
Chess has long been recognized throughout the world as a builder of strong intellects, but only recently has the United States begun to recognize chess’s ability to improve the cognitive abilities, rational thinking and reasoning of even the least promising children. Chess brings out latent abilities that have not been reached by traditional educational means. It promotes logical thinking, instills a sense of self‑confidence and self‑worth, and improves communication and pattern recognition skills. It teaches the values of hard work, concentration, objectivity, and commitment. As former World Chess Champion Emmanuel Lasker said, “On the chessboard lies and hypocrisy do not survive long.”
In Marina, CA, an experiment with chess indicated that after only 20 days of instruction, students’ academic performance improved dramatically. George L Stephenson, chairman of the Marina JHS math department, reported that 55% of students showed significant improvement in academic performance after this brief smattering of chess instruction.
Similarly, a 5‑year study of 7th and 8th graders by Robert Ferguson of the Bradford, PA School District showed that test scores improved 173% for students regularly engaged in chess classes, compared with only 4.56% for children participating in other forms of “enrichment activities” including Future Problem Solving, Dungeons and Dragons, Problem Solving with Computers, independent study, and creative writing. A Watson‑Glaser Thinking Appraisal evaluation showed overwhelmingly that chess improved critical thinking skills more than the other methods of enrichment.
Educators at the Roberto Clemente School (C.I.S. 166) in New York report that chess has improved not only academic scores, but social performance as well. In 1988, Joyce Brown, an assistant principal and supervisor of the school’s Special Education department, and teacher Florence Mirin began studying the effect of chess on their Special Education students. When the study began, they had 15 children enrolled in chess classes; two years later they had 398‑
“The effects have been remarkable,” Brown says. “Not only have the reading and math skills of these children soared, their ability to socialize has increased substantially, too. Our studies have shown that incidents of suspension. and outside altercations have decreased by at least 60% since these children became interested in chess.”
Connie Wingate, Principal, P.S. 123 in New York, says of a New York City school chess program, “This is wonderful! This is marvelous! This is stupendous! It’s the finest thing that ever happened to this school. I am most sincere. It has been an absolute plus for the students who were directly involved as well as for the rest of the school… If I could say one thing to funders, it would be this. If they ever walked down 140th St. and 8th Ave. and had the opportunity to see where our children come from, they would know that these children deserve every single break that they can get. They are trying, through chess, to apply themselves and do something to better themselves. And that filters into the entire school and community… More than anything else, chess makes a difference… what it has done for these children is simply beyond anything that I can describe. The highest scoring student in out school is a member of the chess team. He became the highest scoring kid in the school after he joined the chess team. All four are in the top quarter of the school, and they weren’t before. Academically, they are doing much better in class, and it’s in no small part because of chess. Just how they feel about themselves, their self‑esteem, makes them all winners.”
Jo Bruno, Principal, P.S. 189, ‑Brooklyn, NY:. “In‑chess tournaments the child gets the opportunity of seeing more variety and diversity. There are kids who have more money than they have, but chess is a common denominator. They are all equal on the chessboard. I believe it is connected academically and to the intellectual development of children. I see them able to attend to something for more than an hour and a half. I am stunned. Some of them could not attend to things for more than 20 minutes.”
Jerome Fishman, Guidance Counselor, C.J.H.S 231, Queens, NY: “I like the aspect of socialization. You get into friendly, competitive activity where no one gets hurt. Instead of two bodies slamming into each other like in football, you’ve got the meeting of two minds. It’s strategic, and you use logic to plan an attack scheme. Aside from being good for the cognitive development of these youngsters, chess develops their social skills, too. It makes them feel they belong. Whenever we get a child transferred from another school who may have maladaptive behavior, our principal (Dr. Wilton Anderson) suggests chess as a way of helping him find his niche. It also helps kids learn how to be better friends. They analyze the game and talk it over afterwards. I even had a couple of kids who never had much in common start going to each other’s houses to play chess and swap Chess Life magazines. We’ve got kids literally lining up in front of the school at 6:45 am to get a little chess in before classes start.”
On this link you will find these articles to read. Articles on Chess.. The link will open in a new window.
Chess Improves Academic Performance
More Schools Learn Power of Checkmate
Chess Makes Kids Smarter
From Street Kids to Royal Knights
Role of Chess in Modern Education
One Boy’s Chess Story
Chess is the Gymnasium of the Mind
Chess and Education
World Youth Chess Championships…see the official link in top of this entry.
Ezet het aan die Wêreld Junior Skaakkampioenskappe deelgeneem en op die link kan die uitslae gevind word. Ezet Roos, ’n gr. 11-leerling van die Afrikaanse Hoër Meisieskool in Pretoria, gaan in Oktober vanjaar baie min van haar skoolbank sien. Dié talentvolle skaakspeler gaan aan twee toernooie in dié maand deelneem. Sy gaan eers na Beijing vir die World Mind Games en daarna na Viëtnam om aan die Wêreldjeugkampioenskap deel te neem.
Ezet het al ses keer na dié kampioenskap gegaan en het al elke jaar sedert sy tien jaar oud was Suid-Afrikaanse kleure gekry.
Ezet het ook haar skaakvermoëns in verskeie lande ten toon gestel.
“Ek was al in Spanje, Griekeland, Rusland en Turkye. Rusland is ’n vreemde land, maar die mense speel baie goed skaak. Hulle begin baie jonger as ons speel.”
Hoewel sy meen die Oos-Europese lande se gehalte van spel is veel beter as hier, sê sy Suid-Afrikaners hoef glad nie terug te staan vir lande soos Australië of Nieu-Seeland nie.
“Ons sukkel dalk teen lande soos Rusland, maar verder doen ons heel oukei.”
Volgens haar vereis skaak ’n ander soort fiksheid as ander sportsoorte.
“Mense dink skaak is nie ’n sport nie, maar net soos ander sportsoorte is dit onvoorspelbaar. Jy kan so hard oefen soos jy wil, maar jy weet nooit wat gaan gebeur nie.
“As jy in toernooie speel, moet jy vyf uur lank konsentreer. Jy is dalk nie soos met ander sporte uitasem nie, maar dit maak my baie moeg en ná ’n wedstryd wil ek net slaap.”
“The chessboard is the world, the pieces are the phenomena of the Universe, the rules of the game are what we call the laws of Nature and the player on the other side is hidden from us”
(Thomas Huxley)
7 – Dimensions of Life article submitted by:Dr J Slobodzien The link of the article is at the bottom of the post and it will open in a new window.
1. Social / Cultural Dimension – I started seeing that your chess pieces are like family members and significant others in your life that you try to protect the best you can. We are all alike (black or white in chess) and we try to move and communicate in ways that will support our mutual goals. Unfortunately though, you end up losing the ones you love.
2. Medical/ Physical Dimension – In order to maintain a healthy body we must maintain a balance of moving (exercise), eating (our opponents pieces), and resting (knowing when not to move).
3. Mental/ Emotional Dimension – Chess forces us to think really hard about our actions, the consequences of our actions, and how our behavior affects others and the world around us. It also gives us opportunities to experience and deal with emotions – like anger, revenge, grief, and joy, etc.
4. Educational/ Occupational Dimension – Chess develops our attention span, concentration abilities, and memory – so that we can learn, be trained and skilled, and maintain satisfying work experiences.
5. Spiritual/ Religious Dimension – I didn’t notice a spiritual side to chess until one of my pawns first got transformed (born-again) into a Queen. At that point, I realized that our weakest members in life have the potential to become our strongest heroes. Chess also develops our faith in a set of organized beliefs and practices much like religion.
6. Legal/ Financial Dimension – Chess teaches us that there are consequences for not obeying the law (not playing by the rules of the game). There are also rewards for logically and systematically making the right moves in life.
7. Self-Control/ Higher Power Control Dimension- Chess teaches us that even though we may follow all the rules, all of the time – we do not have total control of our destiny (who wins the game and who loses). As Thomas Huxley so eloquently put it in his famous quote above (“the player on the other side is hidden”).
Please click HERE to play through the games of Anand/Kramnik on the site of nytimes(gambit). The link will open in a new window.
Images: Official site
Follow THIS LINKon my blog to see the results of all their games, move-by-move, also to follow many other links to sites with games played previously, including a link to the Official site…and…on THIS LINK ..also on my blog, you can go through annotated movies of their games played through the WCC 2008. Enjoy! Links will open in a new window.
News Article from the BBC:
Anand retains world chess title
Anand said he had given one of his best-ever performances
India’s Viswanathan Anand has retained his FIDE World Chess Championship title by beating Russia’s Vladimir Kramnik in the German city of Bonn.
Anand won three games, drew seven times and lost once en route to winning the competition by 6.5 points to 4.5.
He and Kramnik will share the total prize fund of 1.5m euros ($1.94m).
Anand became FIDE world champion last year by winning a tournament in Mexico, where Kramnik was again runner-up. Anand first won the title in 2000.
Kramnik, the Classical World Chess Champion, had competed in the 2007 World Chess Federation (FIDE) world championship with the understanding that if he lost, he would get a chance to reclaim the title by playing a match against the winner in 2008.
“Vladimir pushed me into giving my all. I’ve given one of my best-ever performances here in Bonn,” Anand, 38, told the AFP news agency after his victory on Wednesday.
“I tried everything, but it just wasn’t enough. Life is like that and defeat is part of it,” Kramnik conceded.
Anand, who was born in the southern Indian city of Madras (Chennai), divides his time between India and Spain.
Known as the “Tiger from Madras”, his achievements have triggered huge interest in the game in India with chess clubs mushrooming in many parts of the country.
Annotated Videos of Anand and Kramnik ‘s games can be played through on this link, it is on my blog (the “movies” page) and the link will open in a new window. You can also click on that page (top of my blog)
Game 1…Kramnik and Anand…
Image: Official site…Anand vs Kramnik
The World Chess Championships 2008 has started! Anand vs Kramnik! The two Chess Engines of the World! 1. Please click HERE to play through their 2008 World Chess Championships games on chessgames. The link will open in a new window. 2. Please click HEREif you want to read more about the two players, play through more games or if you want some games in algebraic notation. The link will open in a new window.
3. Please click HEREif you want to play through previous games of Anand and Kramnik on the Official site. The link will open in a new window.
4. On The Official site you can follow the games LIVE. The link will open in a new window. If you click on the top image/logo in this post, it will take you to the Official site’s homepage. The link will open in a new window. 5. If you click HEREyou can view a list of games played by Anand/Kramik..it’s a Wiki-link and it will open in a new window. Find similar links in the second link of this post where you can also find some games in algebraic notation.
Games start 2pm for UK local time, 9 am Eastern USA time
Standings: After Game 9 Results of the games between Anand and Kramnik Game 1 Kramnik vs Anand…1/2
Game 2 Anand vs Kramnik…1/2
Game 3 Kramnik vs Anand…0-1
Game 4 Anand vs Kramnik…1/2
Game 5 Kramnik vs Anand…0-1
Game 6 Anand vs Kramnik…1-0
Game 7 Anand vs Kramnik… 1/2
Game 8 Kramnik vs Anand … 1/2
Game 9 Anand vs Kramnik … 1/2
Game 10 Kramnik vs Anand..1-0
Game 11 Anand vs Kramnik.. 1/2
Kramnik vs Anand…game 1…opening
Kramnik vs Anand…game 1 move 11
Kramnik vs Anand…game 1 move 21
Kramnik vs Anand…game 1 end position
Game 1 move list
GAME/Round 2…Anand vs Kramnik….
Game 2 15th October 2008…move 11
Anand vs Kramnik ….Game 2 move 17
Anand vs Kramnik game 2 move 24
Anand vs Kramnik game 2 Final position…1/2
Kramnik vs Anand..Game 3 move 7
Kramnik vs Anand…Game 3 move 14 Kramnik vs Anand…Game 3 move 20 Kramnik vs Anand…Game 3 move 25 Kramnik vs Anand…Game 3 move 30 Kramnik vs Anand…Game 3 move 33 Kramnik vs Anand…Game 3 end position 0-1 Game 3 move list Anand vs Kramnik…Game 4 move 7 Anand vs Kramnik…Game 4 move 12 Anand vs Kramnik… Game 4 move 19 Anand vs Kramnik…Game 4 move 24
Anand vs Kramnik…Game 4 endposition
Game 4 move list
Kramnik vs Anand…game 5 move 7 Kramnik vs Anand…game 5 move 14
Kramnik vs Anand…game 5 move 21
Kramnik vs Anand…game 5 end position
Game 5 move list
Anand vs Kramnik game 6 move 7
Anand vs Kramnik game 6 move 14
Anand vs Kramnik game 6 move 20
Anand vs Kramnik game 6 move 27
Anand vs Kramnik game 6 move 34
Anand vs Kramnik game 6 move 39
Anand vs Kramnik game 6 final position
Game 6 move list
Anand vs Kramnik Game 7 move 7 Anand vs Kramnik Game 7 move 13
Anand vs Kramnik Game 7 move 19
Anand vs Kramnik Game 7 move 25
Anand vs Kramnik Game 7 move 31
Anand vs Kramnik Game 7 end position
Game 7 move list
Kramnik vs Anand game 8 move 7
Kramnik vs Anand Game 8 move 14
Kramnik vs Anand Game 8 move 21
Kramnik vs Anand Game 8 move 28
Kramnik vs Anand Game 8 move 36
Kramnik vs Anand Game 8 final position
Game 8 move list
Anand vs Kramnik Game 9 move 7
Anand vs Kramnik Game 9 move 14
Anand vs Kramnik Game 9 move 19
Anand vs Kramnik Game 9 move 27
Anand vs Kramnik Game 9 move 32
Anand vs Kramnik Game 9 move 41
Anand vs Kramnik Game 9 end position
Game 9 move list
Kramnik vs Anand Game 10 move 7
Kramnik vs Anand Game 10 move 18
Kramnik vs Anand Game 10 move 23
Kramnik vs Anand Game 10 Final position
Game 10 move list
Anand vs Kramnik Game 11 move 7
Anand vs Kramnik Game 11 move 13
Anand vs Kramnik Game 11 end position
Anand vs Kramnik Game 11 move list
On this linkof Chessgames you can play through Kramnik and Anand’s games where they played one another before. On link 1 in this post you can play through the current games of the championships in Bonn. A new window will open when you click on the link!
I’ve seen Romeo and Juliet ages ago, I can only recall certain parts of it, think I need to go and see it again. The Dance of the Knights is quite fresh in my mind…I’ve found the music for you to download too if you want to! Take a listen and enjoy the youtube movie. You can also read about the “Knight’s tour” in chess…almost like the “Dance of the Knights”;) The music was composed by Prokofiev and was also the theme music of the tv program “The Apprentice”. If you click on links, it will open in a new window.
History..links open in a new window.
The pattern of a Knight’s Tour on a half-board has been presented in verse form (as a literary constraint) in the highly stylized Sanskrit poem Kavyalankara written by the 9th century Kashmiri poet Rudrata, which discusses the art of poetry, especially with relation to theater (Natyashastra). As was often the practice in ornate Sanskrit poetry, the syllabic patterns of this poem elucidate a completely different motif, in this case an open knight’s tour on a half-chessboard.
The first algorithm for completing the Knight’s Tour was Warnsdorff’s algorithm, first described in 1823 by H. C. Warnsdorff. Read more on this link.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knight’s_tour
How do astronauts pass the time in between whatever it is that they do whilst they are up there in space? There’s not much room to move about, so physical activities are pretty much out. You could listen to music or read, but what if you feel the need for a bit of friendly competition with ground control?
Greg Chamitoff is a 46 year-old American astronaut currently orbiting the earth as one of the crew of the International Space Station. He also happens to be a keen amateur chess player and didn’t want a little thing like being in space to stop him playing a game or two. He therefore took a lightweight chess set into orbit with him and challenged all the various mission control centres on earth to a joint game.
Millions of miles and 30 moves later, Greg was victorious. Buoyed by his success, he has now challenged each mission control centre to an individual game.
Read more about Greg Chamitoff here on his Wikipedia site and the his flight here on Nasa’s site.
Original article on Chess com where you can play through his game! This post entry was post no 980!
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).
This document- benefitsofchessinedscreen2 -has got all the information you’re looking for. The benefits of chess and also research that was done. The link will open in a new window.
CHESS IMPROVES ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE Chess has long been recognized throughout the world as a builder of strong intellects, but only recently has the United States begun to recognize chess’s ability to improve the cognitive abilities, rational thinking and reasoning of even the least promising children. Chess brings out latent abilities that have not been reached by traditional educational means. It promotes logical thinking, instills a sense of selfconfidence, and self-worth, improves communication and pattern recognition skills. It teaches the values of hard work, concentration, objectivity, and, commitment. As former World Chess Champion Emmanuel Lasker said, “On the chessboard lies and hypocrisy do not survive long.”
….in chess, unlike in many other sports, you don’t ever have to retire. Age is also not a factor when you’re looking for an opponent –young can play old and old can play young. Chess develops memory. The chess theory is complicated and many players memorize different opening variations. You will also learn to recognize various patterns and remember lengthy variations. Chess improves concentration. During the game you are focused on only one main goal — to checkmate and become the victor. Chess develops logical thinking. Chess requires some understanding of logical strategy. For example, you will know that it is important to bring your pieces out into the game at the beginning, to keep your king safe at all times, not to make big weaknesses in your position and not to blunder your pieces away for free. (Although you will find yourself doing that occasionally through your chess career. Mistakes are inevitable and chess, like life, is a never-ending learning process.) Chess promotes imagination and creativity. It encourages you to be inventive. There are an indefinite amount of beautiful combinations yet to be constructed. Chess teaches independence. You are forced to make important decisions influenced
only by your own judgment. Chess develops the capability to predict and foresee consequences of actions. It teaches you to look both ways before crossing the street. Chess inspires self-motivation. It encourages the search of the best move, the best plan, and the most beautiful continuation out of the endless possibilities. It encourages the everlasting aim towards progress, always steering to ignite the flame of victory. Chess shows that success rewards hard work. The more you practice, the better you’ll become. You should be ready to lose and learn from your mistakes. One of the greatest players ever, Capablanca said, “You may learn much more from a game you lose than from a game you win. You will have to lose hundreds of games before becoming a good player.” Chess and Science. Chess develops the scientific way of thinking. While playing, you generate numerous variations in your mind. You explore new ideas, try to predict their outcomes and interpret surprising revelations. You decide on a hypothesis, and then you make your move and test it. Chess and Technology. What do chess players do during the game? Just like computers they engage in a search for the better move in a limited amount of time. What are you doing right now? You are using a computer as a tool for learning. Chess and Mathematics. You don’t have to be a genius to figure this one out. Chess involves an infinite number of calculations, anything from counting the number of attackers and defenders in the event of a simple exchange to calculating lengthy continuations. And you use your head to calculate, not some little machine. Chess and Research. There are millions of chess resources out there for every aspect of the game. You can even collect your own chess library. In life, is it important to know how to find, organize and use boundless amounts of information. Chess gives you a perfect example and opportunity to do just that. Chess and Art. In the Great Soviet Encyclopedia chess is defined as “an art appearing in the form of a game.” If you thought you could never be an artist, chess proves you wrong. Chess enables the artist hiding within you to come out. Your imagination will run wild with endless possibilities on the 64 squares. You will paint pictures in your mind of ideal positions and perfect outposts for your soldiers. As a chess artist you will have an original style and personality. Chess and Psychology. Chess is a test of patience, nerves, will power and concentration. It enhances your ability to interact with other people. It tests your sportsmanship in a competitive environment. Chess improves schoolwork and grades. Numerous studies have proven that kids obtain a higher reading level, math level and a greater learning ability overall as a result of playing chess. For all those reasons mentioned above and more, chess playing kids do better at school and therefore have a better chance to succeed in life. Chess opens up the world for you. You don’t need to be a high ranked player to enter big important competitions. Even tournaments such as the US Open and the World Open welcome players of all strengths. Chess provides you with plenty of opportunities to travel not only all around the country but also around the world. Chess is a universal language and you can communicate with anyone over the checkered plain. Chess enables you to meet many interesting people. You will make life-long friendships with people you meet through chess. Chess is cheap. You don’t need big fancy equipment to play chess. In fact, all you may need is your computer! (And we really hope you have one of those, or else something fishy is going on here.) It is also good to have a chess set at home to practice with family members, to take to a friend’s house or even to your local neighborhood park to get everyone interested in the game. CHESS IS FUN! Dude, this isn’t just another one of those board games. No chess game ever repeats itself, which means you create more and more new ideas each game. It never gets boring. You always have so much to look forward to. Every game you are the general of an army and you alone decide the destiny of your soldiers. You can sacrifice them, trade them, pin them, fork them, lose them, defend them, or order them to break through any barriers and surround the enemy king. You’ve got the power!
Celone (2001) “Chess significantly increased student scores in non-verbal intelligence, which reflected increased abilities in abstract reasoning and problem solving.”
Smith and Sullivan (1997) “Chess education has a substantial positive effect on analytical thinking skills which are important in math, engineering and the physical sciences. The impact was particularly strong among girls.”
Rifner (1992) “Problem solving skills that chess teaches will transfer to tasks in other academic domains, including reading comprehension and math, and to enhanced performance on standardized tests of academic achievement.”
Van Zyl (1991)(South Africa) “Chess nourishes latent learning abilities, and reinforces skills in logical and abstract thinking, impulse control, endurance and determination. This was manifest as a significant improvement in both verbal and non-verbal IQ scores after three years of chess instruction.”
Liptrap (1997). “Students receiving chess instruction scored significantly higher in standardized tests of both math and reading.”
Chess is fast track to brainier kids
Hero of US movie teaches local schools the art
April 10, 2006 Edition 1
Robyn Cohen
Fifteen years ago, David MacEnulty began teaching chess at a school in the South Bronx in New York. His students – many came from unstable backgrounds – not only turned into champions but developed self-esteem and excelled in their careers after leaving school.
MacEnulty’s experiences are fictionalised in Knights of the South Bronx, a film starring Ted Danson, which premiered on American TV late last year.
David MacEnulty is the author of three books, published by Random House: The Chess Kids Book of Tactics, The Chess Kids Book of the King and Pawn Endgame, and The Chess Kids Book of Checkmate.
He has written six e-books (two in collaboration with grandmaster Miron Sher) for the Official US Chess Federation Software and produced three videos of chess instruction.
David Berman, a South African who lives in New York for nine months of the year, saw the film in the US. Berman, who is a hedge fund manager, lives in Bantry Bay with his family for the rest of the time. Somehow, between the deal making and commuting between the Big Apple and Mother City, he also finds time for chess.
He is passionate about the game and has taught his children to play from a young age. Shortly after seeing Knights of the South Bronx on TV, he was at a chess tournament in which his son Yaakov was playing.
Someone pointed out MacEnulty: “You see that guy over there – he is the one in the film.” Berman promptly invited MacEnulty to Cape Town – “to go to the beach, maybe play a little chess”. That meeting grew exponentially to a chess road show in our city which has sparked an excited reaction from children and staff at local schools.
The film was screened at the Labia in Orange Street and received standing ovations. Schools phoned the two Davids begging them to visit.
During their two weeks in Cape Town, they went to about 20 schools; sometimes with 300-400 pupils attending. They went to private and disadvantaged schools; addressed student and staff bodies after screening the film and answered questions.
The response was “unbelievable” – with children and teachers clamouring for more. They want chess at school.
Berman’s motivation in bringing MacEnultyto Cape Town? His reason, he said, was to produce “conclusive evidence that chess makes kids smarter. It enhances creativity, problem solving, memory, concentration, self-esteem, maturity and other abilities that a parent or teacher would desire”.
I attended a screening at a school in the southern suburbs and, despite poor sound and picture quality and constant interruptions, the children were riveted.
It is a classic story of triumph over adversity with chess as the ticket out of a life with limited prospects.
MacEnulty as mentor and teacher extraordinaire provided a catalyst, motivating children to excel at chess and apply their newly acquired self-esteem to other aspects of their lives.
After the screening, MacEnulty answered questions. In the flesh he is even more charismatic than Ted Danson and it is easy to see why this dynamic teacher has inspired so many children to stretch their brains in directions they had never considered possible.
He also has a terrific sense of humour. The film, he admits, is a somewhat fictionalised account of the facts. In real life, it took his team years to get to championship status – not the one year depicted in the film.
There’s a moving scene in the film where a child plays chess with his dad who is in prison. This did not happen in real life. The jails were far away, but it is true that several of the children had parents behind bars.
The characters are largely composites of the real-life children he taught. But, as with the real life children, he had to teach the child actors how to play chess. As to whether his wife is still moaning about his life as a lowly substitute teacher (as depicted in the film): “Well, let’s put it this way, I no longer have a wife.”
In the film he is a corporate type who has ended up in the Bronx as a substitute teacher, but the real MacEnulty was employed as chess coach. He has also been an actor and musician.
Still, it makes for a compelling film and the star is undoubtedly chess – which is the bottom line. It gets the message across, loud and clear, and children throughout city schools are buying into the prospect of getting into this game.
That is good news for parents and teachers. Research indicates that chess accelerates learning skills in a huge way. The two Davids cited a number of dazzling statistics showing chess can improve IQ and comprehension retention rates.
They were results of a survey undertaken by the America’s Foundation for Chess (AF4C). Numerous studies confirm the benefits of chess instruction on students and academic performance, especially maths and reading. The studies all pointed out that “there is a positive effect of chess on intellectual achievement; not a single report fails to find such a connection”.
The researchers investigated and documented the impact of chess on a broad spectrum of academic areas: improved performance by students of diverse ages, intellectual abilities, economic and cultural backgrounds.
Chess, they report, has made a difference to children all over the world. For example, Smith and Cage (2000) observed southern, rural, black, secondary school students and found students who were taught chess scored “significantly higher on all measures of academic achievement, including math, spatial analysis, and non-verbal reasoning ability”.
Closer to home, there is Van Zyl (1991), who studied South African high school students. After three years of chess instruction, he concluded that there was a “significant improvement in both verbal and non-verbal IQ scores”.
He surmised that “chess nourishes latent learning abilities and reinforces skills in logical and abstract thinking, impulse control, endurance and determination”. The studies cited in this survey are impressive.
As a parent, it seems we all need to get wise to the benefits of chess. That is easier said than done. Our children’s concentration spans are often ambushed by TV, cellphones and other distractions.
Let’s face it, it is easier to switch on the telly than to haul out a chess board. Not all of us know how to play. “You don’t know how to play – why should we?” chorus the children – and they are correct.
As with everything, it is not enough to extol the virtues of a topic. It has to be presented in a way which makes it exciting.
Take the following example: My husband taught our children (then in grade 1 and 2) the rudiments of the game and they loved it. They attended sessions with chess whiz kids at their school and had a great time. The young teachers – national champions – gave prizes to their students which added to the excitement.
It ended when the young mentors were unable to continue due to their schedules at middle school.
My daughters learnt chess at school, but soon gave up. Why? It was boring. The teaching lacked the buzz they had been accustomed to. Chess was not part of the curriculum. It was the grudge activity where pariahs hung out because they had no one else to play with at break. Or that was the perception.
In actual fact, there were some seriously good players at the school but it seems that if you were a newcomer, this wasn’t an exciting gig.
I have seen children playing the game at home, but they would not go near a board at school because it wasn’t cool; because the teacher shouted or because they felt inadequate, playing with the brains of the school.
It seems this is not uncommon. Berman e-mailed comments to me from Peter, a SA chess coach who cautions: “Just a warning: I see the old disease of schools supporting only the top 15 players and maybe a few reserves. Chess is for all; it is a language; it helps all pupils to bring order into their academic careers and speed.”
Indeed, chess teachers need to take cognisance of the abilities of all students and need to frame the learning process as an exciting adventure – just as MacEnulty has done at the schools he has taught at in the Bronx and elsewhere.
There is a need to train the trainer. Berman is doing everything in his power to get MacEnulty back in town during the winter holidays (June/July) to run programmes with teachers.
The long-term goal would be to get chess into schools as part of the curriculum – taught during school hours. Chess is for all and with that in mind, they are hoping to get funding so the game can benefit all children.
Berman is also keen on twinning schools to encourage social interaction. A programme like this takes funding, and Berman is hedging his moves and encouraging corporations and others to make some good financial moves in getting chess into action at curriculum level.
The day after watching the film and hearing MacEnulty speak, my daughters and their friends hauled out the chess board and dusted it off. They played a game on Saturday evening which went on for hours. They were all exhausted and remarked that it was a jol, but that they were tired – their brains were sore.
I do apologise for not updating this post the last week of the Olympiad as we suddenly went away for a week! World Under-16 Chess Olympiad started yesterday in Mersin, Turkey with the participating of 125 players from 19 different countries and a total of 27 teams participating. It is going to be held between 16-25 August. The coverage of the event is going to be available from the official website.
Schedule:
South African participants: Coach: Martin Botha
CRAIG BORNHEIM
WERNER KANNEMEYER
ANDE MEYER
FRANCOIS VAN NIEKERK
JAISHIL MODI
STEPHAN ENSLIN
SAYEN NAIDU
STEFAN DU TOIT
GAWIE HENDRIKSZ
LAETITIA VAN WYK
On these images – from the Official site – you can see some of the South Africans taking part in this Olympiad in Turkey.
Team results round 2 played 18/08/2008 at 10:00
2.3 GEORGIA FED 3 – 1 ENGLAND FED 1 FM BREGADZE Levan 2399GEO 1:0 ZHOU Yang-Fan 2259ENG
2 JANIASHVILI Irakli 2192GEO ½:½ KILPATRICK Callum 2203ENG
3 DAVARASHVILI Nodar 2220GEO 1:0 YNOJOSA Felix Jose 2101ENG
4 NIKOLASHVILI Giorgi 2197GEO ½:½ SEN Subin 2050ENG
2.8 SOUTH AFRICA-A FED 1-3 TURKIYE-B FED 1 MEYER Andre 1702RSA 0:1 ATMAN Berkan 1941TUR
2 BORNHEIM Craig 0RSA 0:1 KANLI Kaan 1972TUR
3 MODI Jaishil Bhadrashil 0RSA 0:1 KERIGAN Demre 1892TUR
4 HENDRIKSZ Gabriel 0RSA 1:0 TEKELI Taylan Can 1829 TUR 2.10 SOUTH AFRICA-B FED 1½-2½ TURKIYE-GIRLS-AFED 1 KANNEMEYER Werner 1862RSA 1:0 KAYA Emel 1889TUR
2 ENSLIN Stefan 0RSA 0:1 SOP Selen 1870TUR
3 DU TOIT Stefan 0RSA 0:1 SOYLEMEZ Cansu 1849TUR
4 VAN NIEKERK Francois 0RSA ½:½ SASMAZEL Burcu 1837TUR
WORLD YOUTH UNDER-16 CHESS OLYMPIAD Round 3 on 2008/08/18 at 16:30
At Mersin, there are at least two castles, the one “by” the sea (Korykos) and the one “in” the sea (Kiskalesi). Actually, you can’t drive up the coast and not see marble ruins scattered all over the place. Supposedly, a king built the one on the island to keep his daughter ‘safe’ from suitors, but he might have put it in deeper water. As it is, you can swim to it.
It’s been months since I’ve blogged one of my chess games! These games here were on draft for about a month and I’ve thought to get them out here now. I’m not going to say a lot about it, – like previous games – all I want to say is, play through the games, read what I’ve said and hey! the Grandmasters are busy playing and some of them finished the British Champs last week…I was definitely not invited,- not this year, and last year I was way to busy playing chess to go! hehehe..- so what you get here, is really, really a few games of a novice in comparing to those Grandmasters! and a few games of somebody that loooooooves the game and also somebody who plays it for the fun and enjoyment of the game! If you’re not into chess, please go through all the other posts, there’s a lot more than just chess on here! or, move on to the next blog, but I want to tell you one thing! You don’t know what you’re missing if you don’t play chess! It’s not that boring game you think it is! You want me to tell you more…shout!! and I can keep you busy for hours without end. Dig into this site for tons of chess stuff if you’re a chess lover too! and enjoy! Click on the links and the games will open up in a new window. Click on this link to play through a few games where I was a complete loser in most of them… https://chessaleeinlondon.wordpress.com/2008/02/08/chess-game-20/
I played white in this game. I haven’t got much to say, only that I didn’t capture his Knight in move 22, as I wanted to save my Rook, for in case …Bg5-f6…. and I was blocked by his Rook on move 26 and my Queen was driven back again. In move 36 I forked his King/Queen/Bishop and I think I couldn’t ask for a better end position.
White again…In this game I’ve thought at one stage the game was my opponent’s game and for some reason I missed the opportunity twice to capture his Knight! I think I wasn’t really focused in this game as I sometimes play my games just for the fun of chess! I finally turned this game into a win with my King and Rook. These games are all games where I won, but I’ve blogged a few games before where I was really the bad loser! So, please don’t think it’s all win, moonshine and roses for me!
Not much about this game where I played black… I enjoyed it and like some other games…my mind was set on something else and then, out of the blue, I realised (duh! hello!!) that I only have that one move! I don’t think my opponent realised that too…play through it and see what a sudden checkmate that was!
Nothing exciting about this game where I played white, except that I looooooove this game from move 30 onwards. Play through it and see how I used my Bishop/Queen whilst my own Rook was in danger too and with my Knights in place, I’ve thought it was really a good end. I invaded him from all sides here…lol
In this game I played white – a game against one of my favourite chess friends on Chess World. I often play him more for the fun and chat and thought to blog one of our games where he got into too much chat! That’s the problem on the chess site, I often chat too much and lose out on my games! hehehe… who cares! I would like “torridon” to know that I blog this game to “celebrate” our chess friendship on the site. He’s really a pleasure to play and makes me laugh about things in life.
Finally, two games I finished recently against the Earl… his rating is about double mine! and he refuses to play rated games, we always play friendlies only, as he knows one thing, and that’s with all the chatting, he comes only second! These two games are two brilliant examples of how he came second…oh, I’m only joking about the rated games! I’ve now discovered how to win a game against him and he knows for sure to be aware of my evil moves! He doesn’t know it yet, but I’m about to challenge him for a rated game! hehehe…I just wonder if he would accept it! Earl….? are you ready!?
I recently finished this game in a tourney and it’s the first tourney in ages which I won…I quite like the way I used my Knights. I will sacrifice a Bishop in order to keep my Knights! In this game I also saw the gap for my Rook to capture either a pawn or his Bishop…and if it’s the pawn first…his Bishop was going to be next as with the pawn-capture his King would be in check! I think that made him resigning the game.
One of those times in chess that you think..duh! hello! you can checkmate your opponent! and you feel like a real beginner, knowing very little! Can that be identified/classified as a type of syndrome…hehehe…
I think this is brilliant! Just think how the children can keep themself busy playing chess during breaks! and you will get more children interested in the game! As you can see from these images, these stands can be placed anywhere! I think these people deserve a 10/10 for this idea. See more info on this site: http://www.ramlodi.co.za/
There is little doubt that a development plan that benefits all the parties involved, is a development plan that is bound to succeed, and Mind Sports SA believes its development plan backed by Ramlodi Outdoor Advertising can put together an exciting and dynamic programme, where everyone wins.
Mind Sports South Africa (MSSA) is an affiliate of the South African Confederation of Sport and Olympic Committee, and is responsible for the good governance and promotion of Historical figure games (also known as wargames), Board games (such as Diplomacy, Checkers, Draughts, Morabaraba, etc), and Computer games (whether they are played on ‘cell phones, Sony® PSP’s, personal computers or similar).
The programme is based on open-air game stands at schools, which receive a monthly payment while the game stand is sponsored, and MSSA is focussed on ensuring that the games played in an ever increasing number of schools.
The Morabaraba game stand, which has been used to develop strong mathematical skills. The programme’s official rollout has been aided by the Tshwane University of Technology, which has sponsored a number of game stands being distributed to schools, beginning at Pretoria West High, where a delighted Headmistress Rita Coetzee took delivery of the first two stands.
As soon as the stands were positioned in the quad, learners descended en masse to the game stands and began to play. Only when the bell rang signifying the end of break did the learners leave the stands.
Steven Kekana of Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) was also delighted with the response of the learners to the game stands, as the game of Morabaraba is well known to have a strong linear mathematical background, and has previously been used by Tshwane University of Technology to identify learners who have strong mathematical skills.
Additional stands will be set up at schools in Benoni, Johannesburg, Witbank, Nelspruit, Attridgeville, and Mamelodi within the month.
World Junior Chess Champion 2008…ABHIJEET GUPTA —Image: Official site.
World Junior Girl Chess Champion 2008 …HARIKA DRONAVALLI —Image: Official site
Final standings after round 13
Final standings after round 13
Image: chessbase WORLD JUNIOR CHESS CHAMPIONSHIPS IN TURKEY AND THE WORLD JUNIOR GIRLS CHESS CHAMPIONSHIPS IN TURKEY 2008
This post will be updated on a daily basis as the tournament goes..from round 8 on. All the results of rounds 1-7 can be found on this link… https://chessaleeinlondon.wordpress.com/2008/08/01/world-junior-chess-championships-2008/ on my blog. I will use two colours for the different sections…greenfor the Juniors and blue for the Girlssection. The two images will help you with the sections of the blog post. The “newspaper” image in the top-half…is the indication that it’s the girls-section and the “Turkey”-newspaper (which is not a real newspaper) is for the Juniors section. As soon as the results of each round is available, I will update the post. Meanwhile, you can follow the link to the Official site. All images of players and results/standings etc. will be from the Official site too. Click HERE to play through the games on Chessgames. Please click HERE for the Official site.
World Junior Girls…results round 8
Standings after round 8:World Junior Girls
1 IM HARIKA Dronavalli 2461 IND 7
2 WGM MUZYCHUK Mariya 2413 UKR 6½
3 WIM MIKADZE Miranda 2258 GEO 6
4 WFM NAKHBAYEVA Guliskhan 2170 KAZ 6
5 WIM SOUMYA Swaminathan 2293 IND 6
6 WFM NIKOLOVA Adriana 2242 BUL 5½
7 WFM SEVERIUKHINA Zoja 2300 RUS 5½
8 GUO Qi 2048 CHN 5½
9 WFM ABRAHAMYAN Tatev 2277 USA 5
10 WFM OZTURK Kubra 2188 TUR 5
Pairings and results: World Junior Girls Round 9: 11th Aug 15:00
1 IM HARIKA Dronavalli 2461 IND vs WIM SOUMYA Swaminathan 2293 IND-1/2
2 WFM NAKHBAYEVA Guliskhan 2170 KAZ vs WGM MUZYCHUK Mariya 2413 UKR-1/2
3 WFM SEVERIUKHINA Zoja 2300 RUS vs WIM MIKADZE Miranda 2258 GEO-0-1
4 GUO Qi 2048 CHN vs WFM NIKOLOVA Adriana 2242 BUL-1/2
5 WFM OZTURK Kubra 2188 TUR vs WIM MAJDAN Joanna 2323 POL-1-0
6 WFM PERTLOVA Sona 2217 CZE vs WFM HOOLT Sarah 2298 GER-1/2
7 KAZIMOVA Narmin 2148 AZE vs WGM MAMEDJAROVA Turkan 2284 AZE-1/2
8 WFM ABRAHAMYAN Tatev 2277 USA vs WIM IVAKHINOVA Inna 2248 RUS-1-0
9 WIM NADIG Kruttika 2241 IND vs PREETHI Rajkumar 2183 IND-1/2
10 WFM BODNARUK Anastasia 2394 RUS vs MUMINOVA Nafisa 2242 UZB-1/2
World Junior Girls round 9 board 1: Harika move 7
World Junior Girls round 9 board 2: Nakhbayeva move 11
World Juniors round 9 board 3: Severiukhina move 8
World Junior Girls: Standings after round 9:
1 IM HARIKA Dronavalli 2461 IND 7½
2 WGM MUZYCHUK Mariya 2413 UKR 7
3 WIM MIKADZE Miranda 2258 GEO 7
4 WFM NAKHBAYEVA Guliskhan 2170 KAZ 6½
5 WIM SOUMYA Swaminathan 2293 IND 6½
6 WFM ABRAHAMYAN Tatev 2277 USA 6
7 WFM NIKOLOVA Adriana 2242 BUL 6
WFM OZTURK Kubra 2188 TUR 6
9 GUO Qi 2048 CHN 6
10 PREETHI Rajkumar 2183 IND 5½
PAIRINGS AND RESULTS: ROUND 10 : 12TH AUG 15:00
1 WIM MIKADZE Miranda 2258 GEO 7 vs 7½ IM HARIKA Dronavalli 2461 IND-1/2
2 WGM MUZYCHUK Mariya 2413 UKR 7 vs 6½ WIM SOUMYA Swaminathan 2293 IND-1-0
3 WFM NAKHBAYEVA Guliskhan 2170 KAZ 6½ vs 6 WFM ABRAHAMYAN Tatev 2277 USA-1-0
4 WFM NIKOLOVA Adriana 2242 BUL 6 vs 6 WFM OZTURK Kubra 2188 TUR-0-1
5 WGM NEMCOVA Katerina 2372 CZE 5½ vs 6 GUO Qi 2048 CHN-1-0
6 WFM BOROSOVA Zuzana 2254 SVK 5½ vs 5½ WGM FOISOR Sabina-Francesca 2337 ROU-1/2
7 PREETHI Rajkumar 2183 IND 5½ vs 5½ WFM SEVERIUKHINA Zoja 2300 RUS-0-1
8 WFM HOOLT Sarah 2298 GER 5½ vs 5½ KAZIMOVA Narmin 2148 AZE-0-1
9 WGM MAMEDJAROVA Turkan 2284 AZE 5½ vs 5½ WIM NADIG Kruttika 2241 IND-1-0
10 WGM CORKE Anya 2255 HKG 5 vs 5½ WFM PERTLOVA Sona 2217 CZE-1-0
World Junior Girls…round 10 board 1
Standings after round 10: World Junior Girls:
1 IM HARIKA Dronavalli 2461 IND 8
2 WGM MUZYCHUK Mariya 2413 UKR 8
3 WIM MIKADZE Miranda 2258 GEO 7½
4 WFM NAKHBAYEVA Guliskhan 2170 KAZ 7½
5 WFM OZTURK Kubra 2188 TUR 7
6 WIM SOUMYA Swaminathan 2293 IND 6½
7 WGM MAMEDJAROVA Turkan 2284 AZE 6½
8 WFM SEVERIUKHINA Zoja 2300 RUS 6½
9 WGM NEMCOVA Katerina 2372 CZE 6½
10 KAZIMOVA Narmin 2148 AZE 6½
Pairings and results: round 11 World Junior Girls: 13th Aug 15:00
1 WFM OZTURK Kubra 2188 TUR 7vs8 IM HARIKA Dronavalli 2461IND-0-1
2 WFM SEVERIUKHINA Zoja 2300 RUS 6½vs8 WGM MUZYCHUK Mariya 2413UKR-1/2
3 WIM MIKADZE Miranda 2258 GEO 7½vs6½ WGM NEMCOVA Katerina 2372CZE-1/2
4 KAZIMOVA Narmin 2148 AZE 6½vs7½ WFM NAKHBAYEVA Guliskhan 2170KAZ-1-0
5 WIM SOUMYA Swaminathan 2293 IND 6½vs6½ WGM MAMEDJAROVA Turkan 2284AZE-1-0
6 WFM BODNARUK Anastasia 2394 RUS 6vs6 WGM CORKE Anya 2255HKG1-0
7 WGM FOISOR Sabina-Francesca 2337 ROU 6vs6 WFM NIKOLOVA Adriana 2242BUL1/2
8 WIM GOMES Mary Ann 2316 IND 6vs6 WFM BOROSOVA Zuzana 2254SVK-1-0 9 WFM ABRAHAMYAN Tatev 2277USA 6 vs 6 GUO Qi 2048CHN-1/2
10 WIM DAULETOVA Gulmira 2267KAZ 6vs6 WFM PAIKIDZE Nazi 2277GEO-0-1
Standings after round 11:
1 IM HARIKA Dronavalli 2461 IND 9
2 WGM MUZYCHUK Mariya 2413 UKR 8½
3 WIM MIKADZE Miranda 2258 GEO 8
4 WFM NAKHBAYEVA Guliskhan 2170 KAZ 7½
5 WIM SOUMYA Swaminathan 2293 IND 7½
6 KAZIMOVA Narmin 2148 AZE 7½
7 WFM OZTURK Kubra 2188 TUR 7
8 WIM GOMES Mary Ann 2316 IND 7
9 WFM SEVERIUKHINA Zoja 2300 RUS 7
10 WGM NEMCOVA Katerina 2372 CZE 7
World Junior Girls: Pairings and results: round 12- 14th Aug 15:00
IM Harika Dronavalli, rated 2461, from India..image: Chessbase
World Junior Chess Championships…round 8 results
Standings after round 8: World Juniors
1 GM LI Chao B 2590 CHN 6½
2 IM BRAUN Arik 2533 GER 6½
3 GM HOWELL David 2561 ENG 6
4 GM SAFARLI Eltaj 2527 AZE 6
5 WGM HOU Yifan 2557 CHN 6
6 GM POPOV Ivan 2549 RUS 6
7 GM RODSHTEIN Maxim 2605 ISR 6
8 IM SANIKIDZE Tornike 2486 GEO 5½
9 GM SO Wesley 2577 PHI 5½
10 GM NGUYEN Ngoc Truong Son 2579 VIE 5½
IM KRAVTSIV Martyn 2555 UKR 5½
IM MELKUMYAN Hrant 2507 ARM 5½
Pairings round 9: 11th Aug 15:00
1 GM LI Chao B 2590 CHN vs GM RODSHTEIN Maxim 2605 ISR-0-1
2 IM BRAUN Arik 2533 GER vs WGM HOU Yifan 2557 CHN-1-0
3 GM HOWELL David 2561 ENG vs GM POPOV Ivan 2549 RUS-1-0
4 GM ANDREIKIN Dmitry 2604 RUS vs GM SAFARLI Eltaj 2527 AZE-1/2
5 GM NGUYEN Ngoc Truong Son 2579 VIE vs IM MELKUMYAN Hrant 2507 ARM-1/2
6 IM KRAVTSIV Martyn 2555 UKR vs GM SO Wesley 2577 PHI-0-1
7 IM SANIKIDZE Tornike 2486 GEO vs GM NEGI Parimerjan 2529 IND-1/2
8 GM MAMEDOV Rauf 2627 AZE vs IM HAMMER Jon Ludvig 2494 NOR-1/2
9 GM LAZNICKA Viktor 2601 CZE vs GM WEN Yang 2487 CHN-0-1
10 GM ZHIGALKO Sergei 2583 BLR vs FM NECHEPURENKO Roman 2476 RUS-1-0
World Juniors round 9 board 1: Li Chao, move 8 World Juniors round 9 board 2 : Braun…move 9
World Juniors round 9: board 3.. David Howell, move 8.
World Juniors – Standings after round 9:
1 IM BRAUN Arik 2533 GER 7½
2 GM HOWELL David 2561 ENG 7
3 GM RODSHTEIN Maxim 2605 ISR 7
4 GM LI Chao B 2590 CHN 6½
5 GM SAFARLI Eltaj 2527 AZE 6½
6 GM SO Wesley 2577 PHI 6½
7 WGM HOU Yifan 2557 CHN 6
8 GM POPOV Ivan 2549 RUS 6
9 GM BRKIC Ante 2530 CRO 6
IM SANIKIDZE Tornike 2486 GEO 6
Pairings and results: round 10 : 12th Aug 15:00
1 GM RODSHTEIN Maxim 2605 ISR 7 vs 7½ IM BRAUN Arik 2533 GER-1-0
2 GM SO Wesley 2577 PHI 6½ vs 7 GM HOWELL David 2561 ENG-1-0
3 GM SAFARLI Eltaj 2527 AZE 6½ vs 6½ GM LI Chao B 2590 CHN-1/2
4 GM BRKIC Ante 2530 CRO 6 vs 6 GM ANDREIKIN Dmitry 2604 RUS-1-0
5 GM NEGI Parimerjan 2529 IND 6 vs 6 GM ZHIGALKO Sergei 2583 BLR-1-0
6 GM WEN Yang 2487 CHN 6 vs 6 GM NGUYEN Ngoc Truong Son 2579 VIE-0-1
7 WGM HOU Yifan 2557 CHN 6 vs 6 IM MELKUMYAN Hrant 2507 ARM-1/2
8 GM GUPTA Abhijeet 2551 IND 6 vs 6 IM SANIKIDZE Tornike 2486 GEO-1-0
9 IM BOROS Denes 2472 HUN 6 vs 6 GM POPOV Ivan 2549 RUS-1-0
10 GM RAMIREZ Alejandro 2531 CRC 6 vs 6 IM CAN Emre 2460 TUR-1-0
World Juniors: Rodshtein vs Braun board 1 round 10
Wolrd Juniors: Standings after round 10:
1 GM RODSHTEIN Maxim 2605 ISR 8
2 IM BRAUN Arik 2533 GER 7½
3 GM SO Wesley 2577 PHI 7½
4 GM LI Chao B 2590 CHN 7
GM HOWELL David 2561 ENG 7
6 GM SAFARLI Eltaj 2527 AZE 7
7 GM BRKIC Ante 2530 CRO 7
8 GM NGUYEN Ngoc Truong Son 2579 VIE 7
9 GM GUPTA Abhijeet 2551 IND 7
10 GM NEGI Parimerjan 2529 IND 7
World Juniors -Pairings and results: round 11: 13th Aug 15:00
1 GM NGUYEN Ngoc Truong Son 2579VIE 7vs 8 GM RODSHTEIN Maxim 2605ISR-1-0
2 IM BRAUN Arik 2533 GER 7½ vs 7½ GM SO Wesley 2577PHI-1-0
3 GM LI Chao 2590CHN 7 vs 7 GM NEGI Parimerjan2529IND-0-1
4 GM HOWELL David 2561ENG 7 vs 7 GM BRKIC Ante 2530CRO-1-0
5 IM BOROS Denes 2472HUN 7 vs 7 GM GUPTA Abhijeet 2551IND-0-1
6 GM SAFARLI Eltaj 2527AZE 7 vs 7 GM RAMIREZ Alejandro 2531CRC-1-0
7 WGM HOU Yifan 2557CHN 6½ vs 6½ GM MAMEDOV Rauf 2627AZE-1/2
8 IM MELKUMYAN Hrant 2507ARM 6½ vs 6½ GM LE QUANG Liem 2577VIE-1-0
9 GM ANDREIKIN Dmitry 2604RUS 6 vs 6 IM HAMMER Jon Ludvig 2494NOR-1-0
10 GM RAGGER Markus 2527AUT 6 vs 6 GM LENIC Luka 2584SLO-1/2
World Juniors: Standings after round 11
1 23 IM BRAUN Arik 2533 GER 8½
2 14 GM HOWELL David 2561 ENG 8
3 28 GM SAFARLI Eltaj 2527 AZE 8
4 2 GM RODSHTEIN Maxim 2605 ISR 8
5 9 GM NGUYEN Ngoc Truong Son 2579 VIE 8
6 19 GM GUPTA Abhijeet 2551 IND 8
7 26 GM NEGI Parimerjan 2529 IND 8
8 11 GM SO Wesley 2577 PHI 7½
9 6 GM LI Chao B 2590 CHN 7
10 16 WGM HOU Yifan 2557 CHN 7
World Juniors: Pairings and results: Round 12 – 14th Aug 15:00
1 GM GUPTA Abhijeet 2551IND 8vs8½ IM BRAUN Arik 2533GER-1-0
2 GM RODSHTEIN Maxim 2605ISR 8vs8 GM HOWELL David 2561ENG-0-1
3 GM NEGI Parimerjan 2529IND 8vs8 GM NGUYEN Ngoc Truong Son 2579VIE-1-0
4 GM SO Wesley 2577PHI 7½vs8 GM SAFARLI Eltaj 2527AZE-1/2
5 GM MAMEDOV Rauf 2627AZE 7vs7 IM KRAVTSIV Martyn 2555 UKR-1-0
6 GM ANDREIKIN Dmitry 2604RUS 7vs7 WGM HOU Yifan 2557 CHN-0-1
7 IM MELKUMYAN Hrant 2507ARM 7vs7 GM LI Chao B 2590 CHN-1-0
8 GM RAMIREZ Alejandro 2531CRC 7vs7 GM ZHIGALKO Sergei 2583 BLR-1/2
9 GM LE QUANG Liem 2577VIE 7vs7 IM BOROS Denes 2472 HUN-1-0
10 GM BRKIC Ante 2530CRO 7vs7 GM AMIN Bassem 2561 EGY-0-1
World Juniors round 12 board 1 move 15
World Juniors round 12 board 1 final position
World Juniors round 12 board 2 move 15
World Juniors round 12 board 2 move 53
Standings after round 12:
1 GM HOWELL David 2561 ENG 9
2 GM GUPTA Abhijeet 2551 IND 9
3 GM NEGI Parimerjan 2529 IND 9
4 IM BRAUN Arik 2533 GER 8½
5 GM SAFARLI Eltaj 2527 AZE 8½
6 GM RODSHTEIN Maxim 2605 ISR 8
7 WGM HOU Yifan 2557 CHN 8
8 GM SO Wesley 2577 PHI 8
9 GM NGUYEN Ngoc Truong Son 2579 VIE 8
10 IM MELKUMYAN Hrant 2507 ARM 8
World Juniors: Pairings and results of round 13: 15th Aug at 10:00 am
1 GM HOWELL David 2561 ENG 9vs9 GM GUPTA Abhijeet 2551 IND-0-1
2 IM BRAUN Arik 2533 GER 8½vs9 GM NEGI Parimerjan 2529 IND-1/2
3 GM SAFARLI Eltaj 2527 AZE 8½vs8 GM RODSHTEIN Maxim 2605 ISR-1/2
4 GM AMIN Bassem 2561 EGY 8vs8 GM MAMEDOV Rauf 2627 AZE-1-0
5 GM NGUYEN Ngoc Truong Son 2579 VIE 8vs8 GM SO Wesley 2577 PHI-1/2
6 WGM HOU Yifan 2557 CHN 8vs8 GM LE QUANG Liem 2577 VIE-1-0
7 GM LAZNICKA Viktor 2601 CZE 7½vs8 IM MELKUMYAN Hrant 2507 ARM-1/2
8 GM ZHIGALKO Sergei 2583 BLR 7½vs7½ IM ASHWIN Jayaram 2436 IND-1-0
9 IM SJUGIROV Sanan 2545 RUS 7½vs7½ IM KARTHIKEYAN Pandian 2402 IND-1-0
10 GM RAMIREZ Alejandro 2531 CRC 7½vs7½ GM WEN Yang 2487 CHN-0-1
World Juniors round 13 board 1 move 17
World Juniors round 13 board 1 final position…David Howell
Daleen, Pratish and Corno practicing chess on the rooftop of the hotel.
I do hope you enjoy this report from Corno and the few pictures…all from the Official site : Chessa. I do hope to update this post soon with more info on the South Africans taking part in the World Junior Chess Championships in Turkey, as well as the World Junior Girls Chess Championships the same time. See my post about the World Junior Chess Championships for more results on the two Saffas with other results too.
Results : Round 8
29 ANTON Sarah 1681 AUS 2½ 0 – 1 2 WFM WIID Daleen 1931 RSA
45 RAMSURRUP Pratish 1809 RSA 2½ 0 – 1 2½ OLIVER Gareth 2196 AUS
Pairings and results: Round 9 : 11th Aug 15:00
49 FM GROVER Sahaj 2306 IND 2½ 2½ RAMSURRUP Pratish 1809 RSA-1-0
We left South Africa proudly on the 31st July 2008 filled with enthusiasm. The flight was lovely and our night at Istanbul was just as good. We did a lot of sight-seeing in Istanbul as we knew we were in for a hard time in Gaziantep as this tournament is regarded as the hardest junior chess championship in the world. We arrived in Gaziantep, which has a population of 1, 25 million and average temperature of 40 ° in summer. From the airport we left for our hotel, the Ugur Plaza Hotel, which is a very nice 5 star hotel. The tournament is very strong as there are more than 10 Grandmasters and over 20 International masters playing. Turkey is growing rapidly in chess and they have over 2 million youngsters taking chess courses in schools. Here are some pictures of Turkey.
Pratish enjoying an ice-cream on Istanbul square.
The South African team with Hou Yifan.
Round 1:
South Africa had a difficult start with Daleen playing Padmini Rout from India with a rating of 2257 and Pratish playing Ashwin Jayaram from India with a rating of 2436. Daleen was on the backfoot with the black pieces. Pratish played a very nice game with some interesting ideas and held his opponent for a long time but got outplayed in the endgame. Here follows his game:
South Africa got their first point through Daleen Wiid. She convincingly won her game against Milian Salatic.
Pratish Ramsurrup got outplayed in the opening and lost against Vitaly Neimer of Israel with a rating of 2316.
The top seed Rauf Mamadov also lost in round 2 and was a big upset for the tournament. He is a Grandmaster from Azerbaijan with a rating of 2627. Although with a 13 round tournament there is still lots to play for.
Round 3:
Unfortunately both the South Africans lost and had problems with their openings. On this top level you cannot make one mistake and a lot of opening knowledge is required.
One of the tournament favorites’ Hou Yifan the current women’s World Champion is playing in the open section. She is seed number 16 with a rating of 2554 a Women Grandmaster from China. It was an honor to meet her.
Round 4:
Pratish got his first win to open his account we hope he will get much more wins and gain much more experience from this tournament. Daleen unfortunately lost to an experiences player from Norway. She played an interesting game and learnt a lot from it especially how to play this specific opening with the different ideas and structures. In this round the top seed Rauf Mamedov again lost. He is only on 2 out of 4 so as we can see this is a very strong tournament. So the South Africans must just be strong and gain a lot of experience from this tournament. Hou Yifan played a very nice game and she has a score of 3,5 out of 4 in the open section. I will publish her game tomorrow.
Coaches Report
Turkey 2008
Corno Klaver
Other Chess news: Congratulations to our 2 top players and coaches Daniel Cawdery and Monique Sischy who will represent South Africa at the Olympiad in Dresden, Germany in November. We are proud of you.
Update from Corno on the South African players in Turkey!
Round 5: Here is Hou Yifan’s game from yesterday. A very attacking, aggressive game to claim the win.
(4) Hou,Yifan (2557) – Arun,Prasad (2492) [B53]
World Juniors Gaziantep Turkey
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4 Nc6 5.Bb5 Bd7 6.Bxc6 Bxc6 7.Nc3 h6 8.Be3 e5 9.Qc4 Nf6 10.0-0-0 Qc8 11.Qd3 a6 12.Nh4 b5 13.f4 b4 14.fxe5 dxe5 15.Nd5 Bb5 16.Qd2 Qc6 17.Nf3 Nd7 18.Nxb4 Qc4 19.Nd5 Qxa2 20.Nc7+ Kd8 21.Qc3 Qa1+ 22.Kd2 Qa4 23.Nd5 Rc8 24.Bb6+ Nxb6 25.Nxb6 1-0
Daleen wasn’t feeling well today and lost due to lack of concentration. Many of the players are getting ill and this tournament isn’t just a test of playing strength but also of endurance and stamina.
Pratish played a good game against a 2218 but lost by choosing the wrong attacking plan. I thought he missed a few opportunities to win the game.
(5) Vavric,Pavel–2218 –..Rampsurrup,Pratish –1809– [B50]
World Juniors Gaziantep Turkey
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.c3 Nf6 4.Be2 Nc6 5.d3 Bg4 6.h3 Bh5 7.0-0 e6 8.Nbd2 Be7 9.Nc4 d5 10.exd5 Nxd5 11.g4 Bg6 12.Nfe5 Nxe5 13.Nxe5 0-0 14.c4 Nb4 15.Qb3 Bd6 16.Nxg6 fxg6 17.Be3 Rf7 18.d4 cxd4 19.Bxd4 Nc6 20.Be3 Qh4 21.c5 Bc7 22.Kg2 Raf8 23.Rad1 Kh8 24.Rd2 Ne5 25.f4 Nc6 26.Qxb7 Na5 27.Qe4 g5 28.Rf3 gxf4 29.Bf2 Qf6 30.b4 Nc6 31.Qxc6 e5 32.Qxf6 gxf6 33.Bd3 Rd7 34.Re2 Rfd8 35.Bf5 Rg7 36.Rd3 Rb8 37.a3 a5 38.Be1 h5 39.Kf3 hxg4+ 40.hxg4 axb4 41.axb4 Kg8 42.Red2 1-0
Round 6:
Pratish scored his second win of the tournament by outplaying his Turkish opponent. Daleen’s condition worsened and she withdrew from this game to rest and hopefully get better. Here is a rating of the tournament so far:
Rated things: Rating out of 5 with 5 the best:
Flight 4
Hotel 5
Food 3,5
Playing venue 2
Player interaction 4 Round 7:
Daleen came back with a vengeance and played a nice combination to go two pawns up in the endgame. Well done Daleen.
(6) Wiid,Daleen – Dai,Irmak [C24]
World Juniors Gaziantep Turkey
1.e4 e5 2.Bc4 Nf6 3.d3 d5 4.exd5 Nxd5 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.0-0 Bc5 7.Re1 f6 8.h3 Nde7 9.Nc3 Bf5 10.a3 Qd7 11.Ne4 Bb6 12.Ng3 0-0-0 13.b4 a6 14.Rb1 Na7 15.a4 c6 16.Qe2 Be6 17.Be3 Bxe3 18.Qxe3 Kb8 19.Nxe5 Qc7 20.Bxe6 Qxe5 21.Qxe5+ fxe5 22.Rxe5 1-0
Pratish also played a very good game. The game preparation went perfect and he gained a useful advantage. He was a pawn up and missed lots of winning chances, but he couldn’t convert it to a win in the endgame and drew the game.
(7) Sousa,Ricardo (2133) – Rampsurrup,Pratish (1809) [A08]
World Juniors Gaziantep Turkey
1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 c5 3.Bg2 Nc6 4.0-0 e5 5.d3 f6 6.Nbd2 Be6 7.e4 Nge7 8.c3 Qd7 9.a3 d4 10.c4 g5 11.Rb1 Ng6 12.Qa4 a5 13.Rd1 h5 14.Nf1 h4 15.Rd2 hxg3 16.fxg3 Bh3 17.b4 cxb4 18.Rdb2 Bxg2 19.Kxg2 Ra6 20.Bd2 Bd6 21.axb4 Nxb4 22.Qxd7+ Kxd7 23.Ne1 b6 24.Kf3 Ne7 25.Kg4 Raa8 26.Bxb4 Bxb4 27.Nc2 Bc5 28.h3 Nc6 29.Nd2 Nb4 30.Nxb4 axb4 31.Nb3 Ke6 32.Rf1 Ra7 33.Rff2 Rha8 34.Rh2 Bd6 35.Rhf2 Ra3 36.Rfc2 Rc8 37.Rb1 Rc7 38.Rbb2 Ra8 39.Rb1 Bc5 40.Rbb2 Bd6 41.Rb1 Be7 42.Rf1 Rca7 43.Rff2 Ra3 44.Rb2 Rc8 45.Rfc2 Rc7 46.Rb1 1/2-1/2
Tomorrow is a rest day and we going to do some sight seeing. We are going to visit an old castle and some museums. Round 8 to follow and it’s a tri-nations match up today. Both the South Africans are playing Aussies. Make us proud bokke!!!
Coaches Report
Turkey 2008
Corno Klaver
Round 8: Daleen Wiid won comfortably after the opening with a kingside attack. Pratish Rampsurrup had a drawn endgame but missed the draw in time trouble in the end. South Africa 1 – Australia 1. Here is a picture of the mosaïek we saw in the museum on the rest day.
Round 9: Pratish had a tough opponent in round 9. He played Fide Master Sahaj Grover from India with a rating 2306. It was a very complicated Najdorf position where Pratish had a queen for 3 pieces. I think he misplayed the position and had a chance to have a better position as black. Here is the position:
Pratish played, 18. …Rac8 which I think is to slow. He should either play 18. … f6 immediately or even better 18. … b4 follow by 19. Ne4 f6! This will give him an advantage. It is still complicated to play but the dangerous e7 pawn will fall and Pratish can start to organize his pieces.
Daleen swapped of queens early and outplayed her opponent in the endgame.
Round 10:
Daleen played a spectacular game to win her 4th game in a row. She is on fire. Here was the position she reached and made a nice sacrifice and finished her opponent off.
Daleen played 20. Nxh7! exd4 21.Bg5 Be7 22.Rfe1!
Round 11:
Daleen now faces her toughest challenge of the tournament playing WIM Deimante Daulyte from Lithuania with a rating of 2288. Good luck Daleen, mate it 5 in a row!
Coaches Report
Turkey 2008
Corno Klaver
Free day …chess junior players on their trip in Turkey…I can see Corno and Pratish…but wonder where is Daleen…Corno?
Follow this link for more about the World Junior CC in Turkey
GM Dimitri Reinderman in SA…image: www.chessa.co.za the Official site.
Well done to Marlene Roets who was the only player to draw against special guest Grand Master, Dimitri Reinderman, in the simultaneous event, where he participated against 25 women.
Other Chess news: Congratulations to our 2 top players and coaches Daniel Cawdery and Monique Sischy who will represent South Africa at the Olympiad in Dresden, Germany in November. We are proud of you.
Image: gjca.co.za
SA Women’s Open 2008
SA Women’s Open : Pairings round 4…source: Gauteng Junior Chess Association
This is only the pairings for the first 10 boards, see http://www.gjca.co.za for more pairings
SA Women’s Open 2008: Final results after round 5
Small message to Chessa: Please, this is an Official Tournament! It could make my task a lot easier if this was published on your Official site, which is Chessa! Gauteng Juniors is not SA’s official site!
As soon as I have more news… I will update this post! hmmm…I could update it at last! with hours of searching and sniffing….and at last found info on a non-official site…Gauteng Juniors…thank you! Gauteng Juniors for publishing the results and the pairings…I do hope Chessa take notice of my message to them! Meanwhile, if you have zillions to spend, then Cresta is for you…a shopping centre in Randburg..near Jo’burg..hop off your flight and hop into this shopping centre… Cresta
Results of the SA Open Chess Championships- Section A : July 2008
Other chess news: from Chessa-site: Congratulations to D Solomons, A Goosen, D Van den Heever, J Ophoff, H.R Steel and D Cawdery who have been awarded their CM Titles
Watu Kobese IM (South Africa)..Image: farm1.static.flickr.com
This is a news article about Watu playing chess on the 29th June in Pretoria in a simul to raise money for the Ramlodi chess festival in July. A Grade 7-student (u/14) checkmated him in a game! Rian Cox is also a Springbok Chess player. Read more about the RAMLODIChess Festival here and you can visit the Official site here … On THIS LINK you can play through his games on Chessgames.
On THIS LINK you can read about the Chess simultaneous on the Kolonnade Centre’s site.
Skaakkampioen kom toe ’n Ermeloër teë
Jun 29 2008 06:13:41:670PM – (SA)
Mnr. Watu Kobese, Suid-Afrika se skaakmeester met die hoogste gradering tans, het Pretorianers – 40 van hulle – eergister by die Kolonnade-inkopiesentrum in Pretoria die stryd aangesê.
’n Oorlogsveld van 40 skaakborde is staangemaak terwyl Kobese opponente begin lok het.
“Ek glo skaak kry nie genoeg erkenning in Suid-Afrika nie. Selfs die onderwysdepartement moet verstaan dat skaak help met jou leerwerk en kognitiewe denke,” het die skaakfoendi gesê.
“ ’n Skaakbord het ’n X- en Y-as wanneer ’n mens byvoorbeeld aan wiskunde dink. Skaak is baie goedkoop en jy het geen spasie nodig daarvoor nie. Skaak is vir my soos musiek en kuns. Dis ’n intellektuele plesier. Dit leer jou ook om jou opponent te respekteer.
“Daar word gemeen dat skaak jou sosiale karakter weerspieël. Ek is ’n baie aggressiewe onkompromistiese speler. ’n Mens moet skaakfiks wees. Sodra jy slaplê, verlaag jou sin vir gevaar. ’n Rede vir my sukses is die vermoë om vinnig variasies te bereken op die skaakbord.
Soos ek aanstap van een opponent na die volgende, hou ek my moeilike opponente in gedagte en werk solank aan daardie skuiwe in my kop. Ek vrees Russiese spelers die meeste. Hulle leer skaak van vroeg af op skool.”
Terwyl die tuisopponente peinsend die skaakbord voor hulle bestudeer, stap Kobese al skuiwende van een spel na die volgende. “Skaak laat jou verder dink,” vertel Werner Buys (10) van Rayton. “Skaak is werklik fun en dit gee ’n mens kans om jou tyd ordentlik te bestee.”
En toe kom die groot gif in die klein botteltjie. Uit die 47 skaakspele wat Kobese gespeel het, was een spel ’n probleem.
’n Gr. 7-leerling van Ermelo en ’n o.14 junior skaak-Springbok, Rian Cox, vertel: “Ek het my ruiter vir twee van Watu se pionne opgeoffer, dit alles om Watu se koning oop te kry. En in die 21ste skuif was dit skaakmat.”
Hannah Kneen–8jr — van Johannesburg hou die volgende skuif van mnr. Watu Kobese, ‘n skaakmeester, dop. ‘n Geldinsameling is die naweek by die Kolonnade-inkopiesentrum in Pretoria gehou vir die Ramlodi-skaakfees wat op 18 Julie in Pretoria begin. Foto: Leon Botha
Chess champ takes on 20 opponents at Hay
May 25 2008 Media Wales
Former chess grandmaster Boris Spassky will today take on 20 opponents simultaneously – including one in Antarctica.
Spassky will take up the challenge at the Hay Festival, in mid Wales.
And, with Antarctica 8,000 miles away, it will be the longest distance live chess match ever attempted.
Spassky’s on-line opponent on the continent will be Ian McNab, a field technician with the British Antarctic Survey based on the Rothera Research Station.
His other 19 opponents, who include comedian Dom Joly, Liberal Democrat Welsh Assembly Member Peter Black, and a number of the area’s leading child chess prodigies, will play him in person.
Mr MacNab, 52, from Manchester, said: “I am not very optimistic. I would describe myself as an amateur, but I was quite good as a teenager. I don’t think that Boris has much to be afraid of.”
The former outdoor pursuits instructor is part of a British team of 21 scientists and experts who are undertaking a long-term monitoring of environmental and maritime changes in the region.
Their next physical contact with the outside world will not take place until the arrival of a supply ship in October 2008.
Spassky, a 71-year-old Russian, became grandmaster at the age of 18 and proceeded to win the Soviet Chess Championship twice.
He was in the world’s top ten players for most of the years between the mid 50s and the mid 80s.
The simultaneous chess match will take place at 6pm at Richard Booth’s Bookshop, in Lion Street, Hay-On-Wye.
The challenge pre-emts the former world number one’s talk at the annual literary festival tomorrow about his famous loss to Bobby Fischer, in Reykjavik, at the height of the Cold War in 1972.
Source of article : HERE … We visited Wales a few years ago and I wanted to travel back through this “town of books”…Hay-on-Wye…and on THIS LINK
you can read what I said about the town…I’ve added two pictures here from that link…and on THIS LINK you can see my pics about Aberystwyth, in Wales where we visited friends.
You can clearly see the slot to leave your money at the “Honesty Bookshop” in Hay-on-Wye.
Hay Castle is where the “Honesty Bookshop” is…where you pay 50p per book and you can see the slot on my first pic for the money!
Ivanchuk’s last game…played in round 10…against Cheparinov…as by Kingscrusher of Chess World.
Image:chessdom
Image: discover-bulgaria.com…the building where the tournament is being held.
Ivanchuk the winner of Mtel…Final results…
Ivanchuk…image:chessdom
Ivanchuk Vassily 2740 UKR 8
Topalov Veselin 2767 BUL 6,5
Radjabov Teimour 2751 AZE 5,5
Cheparinov Ivan 2695 BUL 4
Bu Xiangzhi 2708 CHN 3
Aronian Levon 2763 ARM 3
Please click HEREto play through the games of round 10 — the final round.
Results round 10…the final round… Topalov, V vs Radjabov, T….1/2
Cheparinov, I vs Ivanchuk, V….0-1
Aronian, L vs Xiangzhi, Bu….1/2
Round 10 (final)…Aronian vs Xiangzhi…end position Round 10 — Cheparinov vs Ivanchuk…end position… 0-1
Round 10 — Topalov vs Radjabov…end position…1/2
Cheparinov…image:Chessdom
Aronian and Xiangzhi
Topalov
Standings after round 9:
Ivanchuk Vassily 2740 UKR 7
Topalov Veselin 2767 BUL 6
Radjabov Teimour 2751 AZE 5
Cheparinov Ivan 2695 BUL 4
Bu Xiangzhi 2708 CHN 2,5
Aronian Levon 2763 ARM 2,5 Please click HEREto play through the games of round 9. Round 9: Results… in blue…with the images… Xiangzhi beats Topalov!!
Round 9 Radjabov vs Cheparinov…after move 11 Round 9: End position – Radjabov vs Cheparinov… 1/2
Round 9: Xiangzhi vs Topalov…after move…13 Round 9: Xiangzhi vs Topalov…move 33 Round 9: End position….Xiangzhi vs Topalov….1-0!
Round 9: Ivanchuk vs Aronian ….. move…11
Round 9: Ivanchuk vs Aronian …end position….1/2 Results round 8
Topalov, V vs Cheparinov, I = 1-0
Aronian, L vs Radjabov, T = 0-1
Xiangzhi, Bu vs Ivanchuk, V = 1/2
Images:Europe-echecs
The amazing Veselin Topalov (artist’s impression pictured!) convincingly won his 8th round game against his countryman and friend, Ivan Cheparinov to close the gap to former runaway leader Vassily Ivanchuk to just half a point.
Ivanchuk was definitely second best in his game but hung on to draw against Bu Xiangzhi. Since his 5/5 start, Ivanchuk has now drawn his last three games.
Please click HEREto play through the games played in round 8.
Pairings round 9:
Xiangzhi, Bu vs Topalov, V
Ivanchuk, V vs Aronian, L
Radjabov, T vs Cheparinov, I
Round 7: Xiangzhi vs Radjabov…end position
Round 7: Topalov vs Ivanchuck…end position
Round 7: Aronian vs Cheparinov … end position
***This post will be updated as the tournament goes… so everyday’s results – till round 10 – will be added in this post. Click on images for a larger view. Please click on THIS LINK to see the results of rounds 1-5…also, to read about Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria where this Master’s tournament is taking place!
On this link HEREyou can play through games played in earlier rounds and see the results of round 6 and see two video annotations about Ivanchuk’s games in rounds 4 and 5.
On THIS LINK you can follow the video reports after each round….and HERE you will find the games from all the rounds being played. On my blog’s side bar you will find a LIVE “MTel”- link to the current games of the day they’re busy playing.
Results round 7:
Ivanchuk vs Topalov 1/2
Radjabov vs Xiangzhi 1-0
Cheparinov vs Aronian 1/2
Round 8: May 16, 15.00 EEST (12.00 UTC)
Round 9: May 17, 15.00 EEST (12.00 UTC)
Round 10: May 18, 14.00 EEST (11.00 UTC)
Tie breaks: 19.00 EEST (16.00 UTC)
Closing ceremony: 20.00 EEST (17.00 UTC)
Cocktail party: 21.00 EEST (18.00 UTC)
Images:MTelmasters.com… the official site
Sofia, 15 May 2008- Author’s copy of the ancient Bulgarian icon “St. Trinity” will be the special prize of the winner in the super chess tournament M-Tel Masters 2008. The author of the icon is the famous Bulgarian painter Katya Bajlekova the size if the icon is 62 x 46 cm and the image is aged by a special technology.
The special prize will be handed to the winner in M-Tel Masters 2008 at the official closing ceremony of the tournament on May 18.
Traditionally, for a fourth year in a row the winner of the Sofia super chess tournament receives as a special prize a copy of an ancient Bulgarian icon. As a three-time winner of M-Tel Masters Veselin Topalov already has in his collection a copy of the icons “Entering Jerusalem”, “St. George the Winner” and “Four Saints – Warriors” by the same painter.
Source: Mtelmasters.com This video is about the final round…round 10
This video is about round 6….Ivanchuck against Radjabov
This next video is about Topalov playing round 8 against Cheparinov by Chess World.
The MTel Masters Chess tournament is taking place in Sofia…capital of Bulgaria…read HERE about the city, Sofia on my blog and see who are the players – six of them – taking part in this tournament. In the two videos here, you can see how they play football, dressed in blue. Then you can see how the glass box was built. This glass box is where the players sit, it has one way glass….the public can watch them, but the players can’t see the public! It was specially assembled for this tournament in the Military building in Sofia.
Chess game 30….This is one of my own games…it lasted only for 8 moves! I played black and my opponent resigned when he realised his Queen was trapped…please click weather vs. Nikita1HEREto play through the game. It will open in a new window. This game has shown me how easy it is to get your Queen trapped by moving it too early in a game.
Results round 5: Please click HERE to play through the games of round 5….and it seems to me that…Ivanchuk is on his way to fame! The results in round 5:
Veselin Topalov 1-0 Bu Xiangzhi
Levon Aronian 0-1 Vassily Ivanchuk
Ivan Cheparinov ½-½ Teimour Radjabov Click on THIS LINK to play through a few games from the first 3 rounds and also, see 2 videos of Ivanchuck’s games in rounds 4 and 5….
Results of rounds 2-4
Please click HEREto play through the games of round 2 and to see the standings after round 2! The games take a few seconds to load. If you click HERE you can view the games of round 3 and the standings after round 3…the games take a few seconds to load…
Results of round 4:
On THIS LINK you can play through the games of round 4 and see the results.
The positions after round 4:
Ivanchuk, Vassily UKR 2740 4 Topalov, Veselin BUL 2767 2½ Radjabov, Teimour AZE 2751 1½ Aronian, Levon ARM 2763 1½ Cheparinov, Ivan BUL 2696 1½ Bu Xiangzhi CHN 2708 1
Please click HEREfor the MTEL site and live games…on the side bar of my blog you will find the MTEL-link to live links too. The M-Tel Masters tournament will take place between the 8th and the 18th May in Sofia, Bulgaria. The competitors in this ultra-strong double round-robin tournament are:
Veselin Topalov Bulgaria ELO 2767
Vassily Ivanchuk Ukraine ELO 2740
Levon Aronian Armenia ELO 2763
Teimour Radjabov Azerbaijan ELO 2751
Ivan Cheparinov Bulgaria ELO 2695
Bu Xiangzhi China ELO 2708
This event forms part of the ‘Grand Slam’ circuit which also includes the tournaments at Wijk Aan Zee, Moreila/Linares and Mexico City. The four winners of these tournaments will play against one another in a final tournament in Bilbao in September. Info…chess.com
Schedule
Blindfold: Topalov vs Juett (winner in the game Play like Topalov 2007): May 06, 19.00 EEST (16.00 UTC))
Press conference: May 07, 12.00 EEST (09.00 UTC)
Official opening: May 07, 18.00 EEST (15.00 UTC)
Cocktail party: May 07, 19.00 EEST (16.00 UTC)
Round 1: May 08, 15.00 EEST (12.00 UTC) Round 2: May 09, 15.00 EEST (12.00 UTC) Round 3: May 10, 15.00 EEST (12.00 UTC) Round 4: May 11, 15.00 EEST (12.00 UTC) Round 5: May 12, 15.00 EEST (12.00 UTC)
Rest Day: May 13
Football: FC Levski vs Chess United
May 13, 12.00 EEST (09.00 UTC)
Round 6: May 14, 15.00 EEST (12.00 UTC) Round 7: May 15, 15.00 EEST (12.00 UTC) Round 8: May 16, 15.00 EEST (12.00 UTC) Round 9: May 17, 15.00 EEST (12.00 UTC) Round 10: May 18, 15.00 EEST (12.00 UTC)
Tie breaks: 19.00 EEST (16.00 UTC) Closing ceremony: 20.00 EEST (17.00 UTC)
Cocktail party: 21.00 EEST (18.00 UTC)
Image:chessbase
Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria
Five things to see in Sofia
Bulgaria joined the EU in January and Sofia, its capital, is ready for visitors. It may not be as glamorous as those favorite eastern European capitals, Prague and Budapest, but this city of just over a million, surrounded by snow-covered peaks, is a pleasant surprise.
Start at the statue
Almost everything is in the center of town and can be visited on foot. Start a tour at the statue of St. Sofia, the city’s patron whose golden statue was erected atop a tall pedestal five years ago. The citizens of Sofia are said to love the statue but the church condemns it, contending that it is not a religious rendition of a saint. They may have a point: The golden saint, wearing a form-fitting gown with a plunging neckline, looks more like a Greek goddess.
Roman remains by the rotunda
Head over to the Sheraton hotel, which was built in front of the oldest and best preserved building in Sofia, the 4th-century St. George Rotunda. This ancient church is surrounded by ruins of the Roman town of Serdica. Within the structure, three layers of frescoes were discovered, the oldest dating to the 10th century.
Battenburg Square
Walk through Alexander Battenburg Square, named after the man who became the country’s first prince in 1879 when the country was liberated from 400 years of occupation by the Turks. Pass the National Art Gallery, a yellow building which was the former royal palace, and continue down Tsar Osvoboditel Boulevard past the Russian Church of St. Nicholas. This is Sofia’s prettiest church with a bright yellow-tiled exterior, gilded domes, and an emerald green spire, all sparkling in the sun-a delightful jewel in the midst of the busy city. It was built in 1913 in the traditional Moscow decorative style as the project of a Russian architect.
St. Alexander Nevski
The golden dome of St. Alexander Nevski Cathedral, the city’s largest place of worship, dominates the skyline. Built between 1908 and 1912, it commemorates the 200,000 Russian soldiers who perished in the Bulgarian War of Liberation.
The majority of Bulgarians are Christian Orthodox and their churches are lavishly decorated with frescoes, icons, chandeliers-and candles. Some are dark and mysterious places with just the flickering of candles casting a soft glow on the silver that covers many of the icons. Thanks to large clear windows, St. Alexander Nevski is brighter than most orthodox churches.
Markets
There’s a lively and colorful street market near the church. Everything from Russian fur hats and lacquered boxes to icons, embroidery, and flea market bric-a-brac is for sale. And on Vitosha Boulevard, the city’s main shopping thoroughfare, pedestrians saunter down the middle of the street, which is closed to all traffic except trams, and is as busy as the city’s covered market. In the middle of the market hall, surrounded by shops-bakeries, butchers, vegetable stands, and souvenir boutiques-are a fountain and two popular restaurant/bar complexes.
Source: Internationalliving.com
Sofia is the capital of Bulgaria. The city was founded around 7 000 years ago in a close proximity to the Vitosha Mountain and has now turned into a real cosmopolitan city. As it is with other capitals, Sofia is the centre of the political, cultural and business life in Bulgaria. The city offers many international events, as well as theatres, operas, concert halls, museums and galleries. The place is also suitable for congresses, symposia, meetings and conferences because its business centre and hotels are very near the centre of the city. For the comfort-lovers there are many luxurious five, four and three-stars hotels. And for those who want comfort, rest and tranquility, there are many small private hotels in Sofia’s surroundings.
Read more: bulgaria-trips.info/Sofia/sofia.html
image:bghouses.com
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