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"
I don’t think I’ve blogged about chess players and stamps before. As a young child, I collected stamps and still have them all. Just the other day, I actually ordered a new stamp album for some other loose stamps. After a chess dot com article about the best top 5 female chess players of all time, I was intrigued by the name of Verna Menchik and found her on stamp too. That led me to some more exploration. I have a few favourite Grandmaster chess players of which Magnus Carlsen is one and quite like the artistic stamp sheets I’ve found on ebay. With graphic software packages available these days you can create some really artistic collages like these stamp sheets. It’s sad to know that Vera left her country after a family split just to come and die due to a WW2 bomb that hit her house in England – in 1944. She must have had a strong mind to continue playing chess during a time that it was very ‘odd’ for a female to play chess – even in England.
The best top 5 female players of all time Image: ebay Image: ebay
More about Vera:
Vera Menchik
Vera Menchik was born in Moscow in 1906 to an English mother, a governess, and a Czech father who managed several country estates. Vera’s younger sister, Olga, was born 15 months later. Details of their life in Moscow are sparse but it would appear that the girls enjoyed a relatively comfortable life in pre-Revolutionary Russia. They were introduced to chess by their father when Vera was about 9 years old. The years following the Russian revolution in 1917 were hard for the family. They lost their income and their home, and the family spit up. In 1921, Vera, Olga and their mother moved to England to live with their grandmother, whilst their father returned to Czechoslovakia.
It was in England that Vera took up chess more seriously, joining her local chess club in Hastings in 1923. At this time, it would have been unusual to see women playing at a chess club. For Vera it seemed like a natural move as her spoken English was very poor, so sitting in silence suited her perfectly. Vera’s talent was quickly recognised, and she became a pupil of Geza Maroczy, a Hungarian Grandmaster. Soon she was representing both the Hastings Chess Club and Sussex County in team matches and making good progress.
In 1927, the World Chess Federation held the first World Championship for women. At the age of 21, Vera was its first winner, beginning a streak ended only by the Second World War. She was the first woman to compete on the international elite chess circuit, travelling Europe and the Americas to do so. In 1937 she married Rufus H S Stevenson, who was involved in the chess world, moving into his house in Clapham, bringing her mother and sister with her. She was Mrs. Stevenson at home, but Vera Menchik in chess. Source: blog.cwgc.org
The Chess Stamps History
It all starts on May 11, 1923 in Borstendorf when a local German industry decides to advertise its business with a first specific postmark: “Papier factories, Draught and Chessboards Industries, Toy Pianos”.
The first International Chess Tournament to be announced through a postmark was held in Kecskemét, Hungary in 1927 and was won by the future world chess champion Alexander Alekhine.
The 6th Chess Olympiad, organized by the FIDE took place between August 16 and August 31, 1935, in Warsaw, Poland. To commemorate this important event and also the 12th FIDE Congress was used a special chess postmark. This was the first special olympiad postmark.
The first postage stamp with a chess topic was issued in Bulgaria in 1947. It was a stamp showing a knight with the vertical inscription ‘Balkan Games 1947’ and the horizontal inscription ‘Republic of Bulgaria’ to commemorate the 1947 Balkan Games, held in Sofia, Bulgaria on November 2-5, 1947.
On November 20, 1948 in the Hague (Netherlands) and Moscow (USSR), three chess stamps were issued to commemorate the World Chess Championship match-tournament that brought together the five strongest chess players of the time: Mijaíl Botvínnik, Vassily Smyslov, Paul Keres, Samuel Reshevsky y Max Euwe. These three stamps was the 1st World Chess Championship Stamps.
Another three chess stamps were issued in Budapest, Hungary to celebrate the first Candidates Tournament on April 9, 1950. These was the first Candidates Tournament Chess stamps.
The first Chess Olympiad commemorated by a special edition of stamps held in Dubrovnik (Yugoslavia) on August 20, 1950. There are 5 chess stamps whose FDC you can see above on the left of this page.
On November 1, 1951 seven stamps were issued in Cuba as part of the 30th anniversary of Jose Capablanca winning the world chess championship from Emanuel Lasker in 1921. This was the 1st stamps showing a portrait of a chess player.
The World Chess Candidates that takes place on March 10 – 30, 2016, is a dramatic tournament which determines the challenger for the World Chess Championship. The winner will play a match for the title against reigning World Champion Magnus Carlsen in November in the US.
Candidates Chess 2016 participants 1. Vishwanathan Anand (India) – The player who lost the 2014 World Championship Match 2. Sergey Karjakin (Russia) – as winner of the FIDE World Cup in Baku 3. Peter Svidler (Russia) – as the silver medalist of the FIDE World Cup in Baku 4. Fabiano Caruana (USA/Italy) – from FIDE Grand Prix 2014–15 5. Hikaru Nakamura (USA) – from FIDE Grand Prix 2014–15 6. Veselin Topalov (Bulgaria) – By rating 7. Anish Giri (Netherlands) – By rating 8. Levon Aronian (Armenia) – organizers nominee of rating higher than 2725 ELO Candidates 2016 details Details of the Tournament: Dates: March 8 – 29, 2016 Number of players: 8 Format: Double round robin tournament (14 rounds) Length: 22 days including arrivals, departures, opening and closing ceremonies Prize fund: EUR 561,000
Sergey Karjakin is going to the FIDE World Chess Championship Final 2016 in New York after winning the Candidates Chess 2016 tournament with 8,5/14. In the decisive round 14 Karjakin won the final game against Fabiano Caruana and surged a full point ahead in the standings. The Russian player is going to face the defending champion Magnus Carlsen.
I was super excited when Gert – also a chess enthusiast, who mainly blogs about great South African Afrikaans writers and poets and writes about movies, musicians, componists, etc. in general- informed me about the win of Henry Steel vs Gata Kamsky. I have been following this particular group of South African champs for the past few years in the ‘big‘ tournaments like these and they are a strong team of chess players and South Africa can be proud of them. Congratulations to Henry, we hope that your game against Kamsky will inspire the team to do even better. The following images are from Tromso, tweeted out to the twitter community by Susan Polgar.
@TarjeiJS Tweeted this: ‘Article of the dn.no announcing his new sponsorship deal with Nordic Semiconductor’
The view from Tromso, as tweeted by Svensen: ‘The view from my room is acceptable!’ – he is also tweeting about the Tromso Chess World Cup tournament
‘Millions flowing in for chess ace’
Magnus and the article as translated by ‘google-translate’ The article can be read in the Norwegian language from the link at the bottom of the entry. To all those little 10 year old boys always saying, ‘ I want to be a footballer’ – what about: ‘I want to be a Magnus Carlsen’ [hehe]
Norwegian sponsors will use the world’s best chess player opener with large customers, writing Todays Market.
On Saturday puts Magnus Carlsen heading to Chennai in India to prepare for the World Cup tournament pending against Viswanathan Anand in November.
On Monday techno now Nordic Semiconductor Carlsen fifth main, next to the law firm Simonsen, brokerage Arctic, newspaper VG house and software company Parallels.
Will he win the World Cup waiting nine million kroner in prize money. In addition, there are about six million in sponsorship revenue and miscellaneous other income.
Thankful After the DN understand the young chess player will stand to gain a gross turnover of between 15 and 20 million years.
The money goes through the company Magnus Chess, which since 2007 has had a total turnover of 27 million. The profit before tax amounts to 15 million dollars, and Carlsen had at the end of 2012, built up a solid equity of nearly 12 million.
‘ I am very grateful that I can live on something I think is so fun. Beyond that I’m not thinking so much about it’, says Magnus Carlsen about their financial chess moves.
It is time for the Chess World Cup 2013 – in Norway Please click here for the official site.
Photo and message from Europe-Echecs Twitter account See the official video to know who is taking part. My favourite this time? I think Etienne Bacrot.
Chess Players arriving at the university of Tromso for the opening ceremony – photo SPolgar [twitter]
Susan Polgar doing exactly what she says on these tweets
Susan interviews her ‘baby’ sister, Judit on 13/8/2013
NO Susan, he is NOT funny and insightful, read HERE why I don’t think he is and make sure you read the first 10 lines carefully. [hmf]
Tromso – image: Barents Observer
Lovely colourful houses in Tromso [image:getintotravel]
New Delhi: Viswanathan Anand will defend his World Chess Championship title against world number one Magnus Carlsen in his home city as FIDE today chose Chennai as the venue for the prestigious match.
Even as it has been reported that Carlsen was not keen to play in Chennai and instead preferred Paris as the venue, the FIDE Presidential Board confirmed Chennai as the venue during a meeting at Baku, Azerbaijan today.
The match between the Indian and his Norwegian opponent will be played from November 6 to 26.
“The agreement was signed today at Baku by Bharat Singh, Hony Secretary All India Chess Federation and FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov,” a press released stated.
Anand had defeated Boris Gelfand of Israel to retain his title in 2012. Source: Zeenews.india
Farewell Farewell
A variation on the Cento – used Shakespeare-lines about Chess
There stands the castle! My day’s delight is past great shouts within and all cry
A horse! A horse! I have a horse and a wandering knight. My skipping king ambles up and down
A wandering knight? The knight is here … a mean knight
Click HERE to play through the chess games of Cheparinov on chessgames.com
Some of the players: David Navara, Anish Giri, Johan-Sebastian Christiansen, Svetoslav Mihajlov, Ivan Cheparinov, Claude Hoegener, Sebastian Mihajlov, Gawain Jones and Per Isaksson
The tournament are held in Harpa, Reykjavik´s spectacular new music hall on the harbour : 19th – 27th February 2013
The City of Reykjavík has sponsored the tournament since its inception in 1964, when Mikhail Tal won it with a record 12½ points out of 13. The tournament was initially held every two years, but has since 2008 taken place every year. It was closed in its early years, but has been an open event since the 1980s. Throughout its history the Reykjavik Open has featured many of the strongest chess players in the world at the time, including Mikhail Tal, Nona Gaprindashvili, David Bronstein, Vasili Smyslov, Bent Larsen, Friðrik Ólafsson, Mark Taimanov, Lev Polugaevsky, Jan Timman, Victor Korchnoi, Samuel Reshevsky, Anthony Miles, Nigel Short, Hikaru Nakamura, Judit Polgar, Magnus Carlsen, Alexander Grischuk, Fabiano Caruana and Hou Yifan. Official site: reykjavikopen.com
Games can be followed live HERE on livestream or on the Chessbomb site. Click HERE to view the chess results of the various rounds of the tournament and rankings/pairings on the site of chess-results.com. Round 1 – Anish Giri
Indeed the name Prokofiev needs little introduction, as one of the greatest composers of the twentieth century. However his connection to chess might be a little less obvious, even to the musically enlightened. As to David Oistrakh, he was one of the very greatest violinists, whose virtuosity ranked alongside Fritz Kreisler and Jasha Heifetz. Both of them were passionate chess players, though Prokofiev more than one would believe.
Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev, born April 23, 1891, died March 5, 1953 was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor who mastered numerous musical genres and is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century, which include Igor Stravinsky, and Sergei Rachmaninoff. Among his best-known works are the 3rd Piano Concerto, the third and fifth symphonies, as well as composed family favourites, such as the ballet Romeo and Juliet – from which “Dance of the Knights” is taken – and Peter and the Wolf. Sergei Prokofiev fell in love with chess at an early age, and during his lifetime never lost his passion for the royal game, befriending chess greats such as Capablanca and Alekhine.The composer met Alekhine in his native Russia in 1900 during an international tournament held there. Alekhine was a member of the organizing committee and Prokofiev had volunteered to accommodate the guests and the players. As the years passed, their friendship solidified. He met Capablanca in January 1914 in Petersburg where the Cuban champion was playing a series of simultaneous games. Prokofiev tried his luck and even managed to win a game!
1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.c4 Bf5 4.Qb3 Nc6 5.Qxb7 Na5 6.Qa6 Nxc4 7.Nc3 e6 8.e4 dxe4 9.Bxc4 exf3 10.Qc6+ Nd7 11.g4 Bg6 12.Bg5 Be7 13.Bxe7 Kxe7 14.O-O-O Re8 15.h4 h5 16.gxh5 Bxh5 17.Nb5 Kf8 18.d5 Qf6 19.dxe6 Ne5 20.Qc5+ Kg8 21.exf7+ Bxf7 22.Bxf7+ Qxf7 23.Kb1 Rab8 24.Nxc7 Rbc8 25.Rc1 Re7 26.Qd6 Rexc7 27.Rxc7 Qxc7 28.Qe6+ Kh8 29.a3 Qc2+ 30.Ka1 Nd3 31.Rb1 Nxf2 32.h5 Qc6 33.Qf5 Ne4 34.Qxf3 Nd2 35.Qxc6 Rxc6 36.Rd1 Rc2 37.Rg1 Rc5 38.Rg6 Rxh5 39.Ra6 Nb3+ 40.Ka2 Ra5 41.Rxa5 Nxa5 42.b4 g5 43.Kb2 g4 0-1 Another great combination: Chess and music! What’s missing is the poetry! The closest I could get was the poem by Robert Frost. Please click HERE to read the entire article on Chessbase.
Fire and Ice – Robert Frost
Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice. From what I’ve tasted of desire I hold with those who favor fire. But if it had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate To say that for destruction ice Is also great And would suffice.
You can read my entry on Dance of the knightson this link. The music is also the theme music to The Apprentice.
A young Sergey Prokofiev with his inseparable board
and chess books. [Image: chessbase]
Prokofiev in his later years remained faithful to his true love [Image: chessbase]
This year, the voting results of the annual contest of the “64” became known later than usual. In the 10 th issue of the reports that the owner of the honorary prize was Magnus Carlsen. The Norwegian was the first chess player, who won the trophy three times in a row. The gap between him and the runner-up -Gelfand was very significant. The remaining places in the top ten was as follows: 3. Aronian 4. Svidler 5. Kramnik 6. Grischuk 7.Ivanchuk 8. Anand 9. Morozevich 10. Nakamura.
Kenny Solomon This is very exciting news for South Africa and South African Chess players. We’ve been waiting for a Chess Grandmaster. We knew it was just a matter of time…and the time has come! Congratulations to Kenny! Proudly South African!
September 11 2012 at 10:01am
Cape Town – A Mitchells Plain father who grew up in the township and played his first game of chess at 13, has become South Africa’s first chess grandmaster.
Kenny Solomon, 32 was in a team of five South Africans at the 2012 World Chess Olympiad in Istanbul for two weeks.
When results were announced at the weekend, he was one of eight international contestants awarded grandmaster – a title held for life. It is the highest title a player can attain and had been awarded to greats like Garry Kasparov and the late Bobby Fisher. To become a grandmaster a player must have a performance rating consistently above 2 500.
Solomon could not be reached as he was flying from Turkey to Italy, but Anant Dole, whom he taught chess for five years, said his rating had been around 2 600 over nine rounds at the Olympiad as well as at three other previous tournaments.
“The best rating in the world is 2 880. Kenny has been working very hard for the grandmaster title – even while he trained me he was preparing himself. He deserves it.”
Dole who lives in Constantia said Solomon moved to Italy last year to hone his skills.
“Playing top-class chess in South Africa is very difficult because there are few top-class players. Kenny was number one here, but for him it was not enough,” Dole, 19 said. He said Solomon was married with a daughter.
On his blog, Solomon said he started playing in Mitchells Plain aged 13 after his older brother, Maxwell, was flown to Manila to play in an Olympiad.
He began reading chess books, taught himself and in two years won the national championship. Also on the blog were messages, including one from a Sharon Snell who wrote: “South Africa’s first grandmaster. You are an inspiration to us all.”
Cultural Affairs and Sport MEC Ivan Meyer said: “We await with great excitement for the confirmation of his new status … making him only the second chess player from sub-Saharan Africa and only the eighth in Africa to ever achieve this.”
More titles… Steel & van den Heever Wednesday 12 September 2012
Congratulations to Henry Steel who was awarded the title of International Master (IM) for his sterling performance at the 2012 FIDE Olympiad. Henry’s rating also surpassed the 2400 mark. And congratulations to Donovan van den Heever who is awarded the title of FIDE Master (FM) for his rating breaking the 2300 barrier. Well done guys!.
It’s again time for the FIDE World Chess Championship – this time Anand vs Gelfand at the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow. Follow the link of the official site to read more.The prize fund is 2.55 million US Dollars. The winner gets $1,530,000 (60%) and the loser $1,020,000 (40%) Official site: Chess FIDE Moscow
This is the second entry on my blog, on THIS LINK you can follow the first 6 games – with some chess graphics too. Six games have been played. Six draws. Is it Anand’s tactic, is he warming up? What about a prediction: 6 more draws within the next week.
Game 7 – move 8
Game 7 – Anand explained where his ‘mistake’ was – the Bishop on C8!- which he lost
Game 7 moves – [grrr for the Houdine comments in the PGN-file too- I tried to remove it neatly]
Click HERE to play through game 7. The link will open in a new window.
Anand during the interview after Game 7 – explaining his Bishop-mistake +My opinion about move 26: unnecessary lost of his Knight on E4 too.
Game 8 Anand vs Gelfand 1-0
Game 9 – Gelfand vs Anand – 1/2-12
Game 10 Anand vs Gelfand – 1/2-1/2
Game 10 moves
Countdown starting – game 11
Anand – Gelfand – taking their positions
Standings
Game 11 Gelfand vs Anand – move 16
Anand – game 11
Game 11 – Gelfand
Game 11 – draw agreed
Game 11 Gelfand vs Anand – 1/2 – 1/2
Game 12 – Anand vs Gelfand 1/2-1/2
Standings: Anand 6 – Gelfand 6. Now – for the tie break on Wednesday! Still crossing my fingers for Anand!
It’s time for another big tournament – starting on a very special day! If you’re not sure who these ‘Kings’ are, click the Official site-link here. I might not have time blogging their games, but will follow the results of the rounds. This tournament takes place in Medias, Romania from 11-22 June.
Round 1 Click HERE to play through the games of round 1.
You can also the results HERE on the site of chessbase follow. There are links to play through the games played too. [All links in this post will open in a new window.]
The schedule of the tournament is the following: – 11th of June 15:30 1st Round – 12th of June 15:30 2nd Round – 13th of June 15:30 3rd Round – 14th of June 15:30 4th Round – 15th of June 15:30 5th Round – 16th of June Free day – 17th of June 15:30 6th Round – 18st of June 15:30 7th Round – 19nd of June 15:30 8th Round – 20th of June 15:30 9th Round – 21st of June 13:30 10th Round – 22nd of June Free day
Vishy Anand, current World Champion and seven times winner of the Magistral, comes back to Leon to face the strongest Spanish player, Alexei Shirov, on the 24th edition. This tournament is already a classic, one of the most prestigious in the chess calendar.
Anand and Shirov will play in Leon with a large audio-visual setting that will allow the public to “see the chess stars thinking”, thanks to big screens and live audio comments (by GM Illescas, eight times Spanish champion) and IM Michael Rahal.
The rules, written by the prestigious arbiter Joaquin Espejo, indicate that Anand and Shirov will play six games (Friday to Sunday, two per day) with 45 minutes per side plus Thirty seconds increment after each move in the magnificent León Auditorium. If needed, there will eventually be a tie-break of several five minute games.
SCHEDULE Thursday, June 2nd PLAYERS ARRIVAL – 20.00 Drawing of lots, CONDE LUNA HOTEL. Friday, June 3rd GAMES 1 AND 2 (16.30), LEON AUDITORIUM. Saturday, June 4th GAMES 3 AND 4 (16.30), LEON AUDITORIUM. Sunday, June 5th GAMES 5 and 6 (16.30) and, eventually, tie-breaks, LEON AUDITORIUM. Monday, June 6th – Prize giving 14:30 Simuls (17.30), LEON UNIVERSITY.
Game 1 Anand vs Shirov:1/2
Game 2- Anand vs Shirov : 1-0 Click HERE to play through their games.
Game 3 – Anand vs Shirov 1-0
Game 4 Anand vs Shirov – 1/2
Game 5- Anand vs Shirov
Game 5 – Anand vs Shirov 1/2
I love this next picture which I put together in Fireworks – it is a combination of about 10 different images.
Israeli chess grandmaster Alik Gershon broke the Guinness World Record in Tel Aviv early Friday morning for simultaneous games played, a title previously held by an Iranian chess player.
The thirty-year-old played 527 concurrent games, winning 87% of them. Please click HERE to read the complete article.
Gershon won 454 games, lost 11 and drew 58 games. [according to the BBC news article]
Image: chessbase – Alik Gershon [right] with Ignor Nor.
London Chess Classic 2 – Date: 8-15 December at Olympia.I attended the London Classic I last year in December and will definitely not miss this one too as Anand [my favourite] will be playing!You can read my entry about the 2009 Classic HERE on the 12th December 2009.
Image: londonchessclassic
Heading the line-up is the world chess champion, Viswanathan Anand from India; the teenage sensation who currently outranks him on the world chess rating list, Magnus Carlsen from Norway; and Anand’s immediate predecessor as champion, Vladimir Kramnik from Russia.
Vishy Anand is the one addition to the field that contested the first London Chess Classic in December 2009. Though undisputed world champion, Anand is currently not the highest rated player in the world, but he recently wrested back third place from Kramnik, so is considered the man most likely to stop Carlsen making it two London triumphs in a row. Anand has recently stated that his ambition is to regain his number one status, so it sounds like he already has plans for his clash with the prodigiously talented Norwegian in London.
Kramnik and Anand
London Chess Classic 2010 lineup
Carlsen, Magnus NOR 2826
Anand, Viswanathan IND 2800
Kramnik, Vladimir RUS 2780
Nakamura, Hikaru USA 2733
Adams, Michael ENG 2728
Short, Nigel D ENG 2690
McShane, Luke J ENG 2657
Howell, David W L ENG 2616
Clickherefor entry forms – to take part in the tournamnet [yes, you can play there too] andherefor tickets.
Anand – Game 4 -28th April Game 4: Anand leads by one point after the second Catalan opening in the match.
The fourth game of the FIDE World Chess Championship match between Viswanathan Anand of India and Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria saw another Catalan opening on the board. This is the first opening that was played twice in the match, the players are obviously willing to have a theoretical discussion. Topalov was the one to deviate from the second game, as early as on move 5, when he played the sharper Bb4+ instead of a6.
Similar to the earlier Catalan game, Black clutched onto the extra pawn while White tried to take advantage of his faster pieces’ development. Anand aggressively advanced in the center to break opponent’s pawn formation and open up the files and diagonals. At the same time, Topalov was carefully clearing the queenside in order to reduce the positional pressure.
The game appeared to be taking a normal course but then Anand’s sudden Knight movement (e3-g4) caught Topalov without guard and on the wrong foot. Not hesitating much, Anand knocked a piece sacrifice on h6 and picked a strong attack against the Black King. Still precision was needed in carrying out the assault, but Anand never blinked and found the crushing 25. e5!
Topalov continued for a few moves more, but resigned at the imminent danger of a mate. Anand takes the lead in the match 2,5-1,5, tomorrow is a rest day and the games continue on Friday at 15:00 Source: Official Site
Anand crushes Topalov in fourth game
The fourth game of the World chess championship match in Sofia saw Viswanathan Anand’s best performance to date with a slashing attack against challenger Veselin Topalov.
“Anand really played brilliantly today,” said commentator Zurab Azmaiparashvili, having watched the World champion sacrifice a pawn, then a knight and then a bishop to create a winning assault against
Topalov’s exposed king.
Anand was pleased with his performance. “It was a very complex position with a lot of tension on the queenside,” said Anand. “I thought (my 23rd move) was clinching it but you can’t be 100 per cent sure.”
Anand explained that in a key variation he was prepared to give away both his rooks as well to ensure a checkmate: “Once I saw that I knew I was winning.”
Poor start
After a poor start, Anand, 40, has taken the lead for the first time in the €2 million match and the Bulgarian challenger is looking shaky. “I though I had a decent position,” said Topalov, “but if I was able to answer so simply what went wrong then the result might have been different.
“Certainly my (20th move) was especially bad.”
Playing with white pieces, Anand used the Catalan Opening which had brought him success in game two but Topalov, 35, defended differently this time. Soon Anand sacrificed a pawn and Topalov needed no invitation to grab the material and attempt to hang on to it.
Anand’s unorthodox 10th move, moving a knight to the edge of the board, appeared to be new. However, a member of Team Anand, computer expert Eric van Reem, explained that Anand was following an earlier game, a precedent apparently unknown to Topalov who began thinking hard for the first time in the game.
Excellent compensation
Soon it became clear that Anand had excellent compensation for his pawn when the apparently offside knight moved to the centre, stymieing Topalov’s freedom of movement. Although the position was highly unbalanced — the type of game at which Topalov usually excels — Anand’s speed of play indicated that he had checked the ideas at home with his team and had everything under control.
Anand was coy when asked if the sacrifices were prepared with his team. “I won’t be able to tell you that until the match is over,” said Anand, who has managed to keep the identity of some of his helpers secret as well.
On the 23rd move, after cogitating for only five minutes, Anand sacrificed a knight and Topalov immediately found his king under massive fire. Another sacrifice followed and Topalov was soon defenceless. The challenger resigned after 32 moves and three-and-a-half hours’ play.
Anand leads Topalov 2.5-1.5 with eight games remaining after Wednesday’s encounter. The fifth game, with Topalov holding the first move, will be played on Friday starting at 5.30 p.m. IST. Source: http://beta.thehindu.com/sport/other-sports/article414219.ece GAME 5 – 30th April -Topalov vs Anand 1/2
Bulgaria Chess Master Topalov Hopes to Crush Anand’s Defense
Click on the image for a clear view -the article continues here:
“We hope to have finally figured out the secret of Anand’s defense. We have five people on our team working with top notch computers on this task, and we hope to see results today,” Danailov explained.
The first move of the fifth game of the Sofia World Chess Title Match was made Friday by Nobel Prize winning professor of economics Robert Mundell, known as “the father of the euro”.
Danailov said Topalov’s team met Professor Mundell during a tournament in China which was won by the Bulgarian chess master.
“I wanted to invite Professor Mundell as a guest during the last M-Tel Masters tournament but he was busy then. This time, however, he managed to find time to be our guest,” Danailov explained.
“It is a pleasure for me to be here. I have come as an economist and a fan of chess,” said the Nobel Prize laureate expressing his happiness to be present at the event.
After the second rest day, the FIDE World Chess Championship match between Viswanathan Anand of India and Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria continued today with game five in which Topalov played with White pieces.
The first symbolic move were made by the “father of the euro” professor Robert Mundell. The President of Bulgaria Mr. Georgi Parvanov visited the match.
The opening was replay of game three in which Anand used the Slav defence and comfortably held a draw. The expectation were that Topalov will find an improvement in the variation and fight for opening advantage.
But it was Anand who first diverted from the earlier game by moving 15…h5 instead of 15…h6. Topalov continued with the logical 16. Ne2 having in mind Nf4, to exploit the newly created situation with Black pawn on h5. Anand established strong Knight outpost on e5 and traded off a pair of Rooks to reduce White’s chances of gaining initiative.
After further exchange of minor pieces, an endgame with Rook and Bishop versus Rook and Knight has arisen. Anand’s 29…g5 initiated changes in the pawn structure, which allowed him to solve one issue and concentrate on pieces’ play.
Black Knight gradually suppressed White Bishop, which eventually landed on the backward d1-square. Right after the time-control, Topalov offered moves repetition before the situation goes out of the hand. Or perhaps it was a psychological move, attempting to test Anand’s resolve to play for a win, in case of which White would also have chances for full point.
But Anand needed no risk and accepted the threefold repetition. Draw signed on move 44. The current score is 3-2 in favour of Anand who tomorrow plays with White pieces. Live coverage on the official website starting at 14:45 local time.
Anand blacks out Topalov’s ambitions
Viswanathan Anand has retained his narrow lead over Veselin Topalov with a solid draw in the fifth game of the Indian’s world title defence in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Anand, playing black for the third time in the match, repeated the Slav opening which had neutralised Topalov’s ambitions in game three, and also came armed with a new 15th move.
Soon afterwards, as Anand was considering his 17th move, the playing hall — and indeed the entire Military Club — was plunged into darkness by a power blackout. The game timers were stopped by the arbiter but both players remained firmly in their seats, analysing in the dark.
Ten minutes later, emergency power provided some flickering light on the stage and five minutes later the light was good enough for the game to resume.
“I don’t know what would have happened if the lights had not gone on for an hour or more,” admitted Anand. “I don’t know what the rules are for such a situation.”
However, while play continued, the video screen above the players, relaying the game to the audience in the Military Club and to hundreds of thousands of viewers on the internet, remained inoperable. Audible protests from some of the frustrated spectators in the theatre were quickly muted by security guards and five minutes later normal broadcasting of the moves resumed.
Both players reacted calmly to the unexpected interruption, although Anand spent some time re-orientating himself with the position before he made his next move.
“It is very easy to make a mistake after a break in concentration like this,” said Anand, “so I decided to invest an extra ten minutes just to be sure.”
Once again Anand’s opening preparation proved superior to that of his Bulgarian challenger. “I missed Anand’s [22nd move],” confessed Topalov. “It was very strong. I will need to be more precise in future games.”
With other strong pawn moves Anand soon solved all his problems. “I managed to stabilise the position,” explained Anand, “after which I have nothing to complain about.”
Before long Topalov found himself staring at an equal endgame which offered no chances for a win to either player. After four hours play, both players could find nothing better than to repeat moves and a draw was agreed after 44 moves.
The draw was a perfectly satisfactory result for Anand as he retains a 3-2 lead in the best-of-12 contest and will hold the advantage of the first move, equivalent to the serve in tennis, in the next two games.
Anand refused, however, to express any comment on the state of the match so far, saying “I’m just taking it game by game.”
On the way to the Olympia Centre – where the London Chess Classic is being held
Black bird in a tree
Hammersmith-area – traffic and weather
The players…
Kramnik looked away shyly when I winked at him [hehe] and Nigel suddenly said to Michael Adams…you know what, she’s the only woman around here![NOT – there were many others]
aha! got him smiling!
The stage
And everyone wants the best shot
And I got mine too
Kramnik watching the electronic board
The electronic board, we were allowed to click-click only the first 5 min into the games
A Semi-giant set in the foyer – a lovely set
Art in the foyer, do I see a pawn’s head in this piece of art – or is it my chess-brain working overtime?[hehe]
bikes outside
Headless London pawns lined-up – standing vigilant – for McShane’s and Howell’s game?
Into the night
My impression/opinion of the London Chess Classic
It was great to see these GM’s in real life, they are all great people and great players. It was great to see them playing live on the stage, to see how they respond and their reactions during a tournament. I was very excited to see them as Kramnik is one of my favourite players. Carlsen too, as he’s young and many students can associate with him and he can be of an inspiration to many young players wanting to reach their goal of becoming a GM too?
The venue was great, it wasn’t my first time at the Olympia. If I can have a moan about a few things and maybe, just maybe someone will pick it up and do something about it. Firstly, the Ladies’ toilet near the auditorium was changed into a Gents room. The nearest Ladies was in the East Hall in a maze of corridors with doors enough to take 6mil people to heaven at any one time. I waited for an old lady as I knew she wasn’t going to find her way back. She was already stressed out when she saw me, saying she found it hard to find it – despite the little arrows you could follow. Secondly, the T-shirts were all in sizes Large -and up and then in a small, but no medium-sized-shirts. I was told by Philippa – the wife of Malcolm Pein [organiser of the tournament] – she’s an ex Saffa and spoke to me in Afrikaans, how nice! – that these shirts were not available in a medium-size- as they reasoned that females were not really going to buy it – duh! Was I going to be the only female wanting a shirt? Then I must be of a very rare specie! I did buy a large though, a mug and a pen. I think I will sleep in this large, baggy shirt.[lol]
The games. The chess games were great – sort of. I was very annoyed with Howell and McShane’s game. They didn’t have a good game, it was a boring game, right from the start. Later on I didn’t even follow their game on the board. Magnus played a good game up to a point and I lost interest. Kramnik’s game wasn’t up to the standard I expected from him and I didn’t follow his game – they finished first and quite early too. I was still thinking how to go about to get some autographs when Kramnik disappeared from the stage. One guy was lucky, he was near the exit on Kramnik’s side. You would think they would go to the foyer to mingle with the common chess players and where you can grab them for an autograph. I lost interest in all the games that were left and we left about 6pm. Our parking ticket was £25, all worth it, but will I do it again to see my favourite players in action? I don’t know, maybe. Maybe if us women don’t have to walk two miles for a ladies room, the chess games worth it and t-shirts in medium size [lol] [I must add, the first time I did use the toilet for disabled people, but I was given the look when I wanted to use it again]
On this photo I’m sitting on the right at the far end – you can’t see me! but you can see hubby on the left. The photo is from the official site. We played three games. We arrived at about 12:15-ish and played till about 13:40.
Denise Frick – South African-player taking part in the Women’s Invitational – image: Official site
If you have thought you’ve seen all the “big game” of the Chess World the past week on my blog…then you haven’t seen these “Chess Engines” of the Chess World. These guys look very serious and I think they mean it serious when it comes to chess. Shirov is currently playing in Azerbaijan too! Topalov will again have a blindfolded game – like last year. Ivanchuk is last year’s winner, wonder what will happen this year. On the official site you can read more player info by clicking on their images. Click HEREto read the interview with Topalov about his chess.
Please click HERE for the Official site. On my blog’s side bar (top right) you will find the link to LIVE-games. All images: Ivan A. Grigorov for mtelmasters
Vassily Ivanchuk, is a Ukrainian Grandmaster. His an ELO of 2787 on the FIDE January 2008 list, making him number 9 in the World and Ukraine’s number one. He played board one on the victorious Ukraine team at the 2004 Calvia Olympiad. As of November 2007 he is the World Blitz Chess champion.
World Champion to comment M-Tel Masters The World Champion in chess Antoaneta Stefanova will comment the games from the fifth edition of the super chess tournament M-Tel Masters. The competition will start on 12 May. For the title up to 23 May will compete the leader in the world ranking Veselin Topalov, Magnus Carlsen from Norway, the last year’s winner Vassily Ivanchuk from Ukraine, Leinier Dominguez from Cuba, Alexei Shirov from Spain and Yue Wang from China. The average ELO of the participants is 2755, which makes the tournament FIDE 21st category. Only five tournaments in history have been of that rank so far.
Bulgaria’s all time strongest female player won the chess crown at the World Championship in Elista in 2004. She is currently fourth in the ladies’ world ranking with an ELO of 2549.
The commentator’s place of Stefanova will be meters away from glass pavilion where the games from the tournament will be played. Her guests will be Bulgarian GMs and after each game she will be able to analyze the game with the participants.
The comments and analysis of Stefanova will be heard also online in real time on the web site of the tournament www. mtelmasters.com. The games from the tournament will start every day at16:00 local time, only the last round’s games will begin at 15:00.
The Venue: A glass pavilion on the square in front of the National Theatre Ivan Vazov – image: Official site
The first move made by the mayor of Sofia. MTel has started.
The Glass house where the tournament is taking place – in front of the National Theatre Ivan Vazov
Topalov played a game blindfolded.
Players ready for round 1
The first move..by the mayor of Sofia.
The Mtel Chess Masters Round 2- Images: Mtel Official site
Shirov vs Topalov Round 2 move 7
Shirov vs Topalov Round 2 end position 1/2
Ivanchuk vs Wang round 2 move 7
Ivanchuk vs Wang round 2 end position 0-1
Dominguez vs Carlsen round 2 move 7
Dominguez vs Carlsen round 2 end position 1/2
Round 3
Magnus Carlsen - Images: MTel
Wang vs Shirov
MTel Chess Round 3 Wang vs Shirov end position 1/2
MTel Chess Round 3 Carlsen vs Ivanchuk move 41
MTel Chess Round 3 Topalov vs Dominguez move 41
Carlsen vs Ivanchuk
Topalov
Pairings Rounds: 4-5-6
Round 4 – Results: 16th May 2009
Round 4 Carlsen vs Shirov move 7
Round 4 Carlsen vs Shirov end position
Round 4 Dominguez vs Ivanchuk move 7
Round 4 Dominguez vs Ivanchuk end position
Round 4 Topalov vs Wang move 7
Round 4 Topalov vs Wang end position
In both problems white moves and mates in two moves
See the “news”-link on the official site for Kostadinov’s Challenge. You can send your solution to him, his email is on the link too.
Round 5: 17th May 2009
Topalov – round 5
Supporters follow the games outside the glass house
Round 5 Ivanchuk vs Topalov move 7
Round 5 Ivanchuk vs Topalov move 22
Round 5 Ivanchuk vs Topalov move 30
Round 5 Ivanchuk vs Topalov move 44
Chess football – results- MTel-United 8!
Players played football on their day of rest. This is the evidence to show chess players are good at football too!
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!
ARONIAN Levon IVANCHUK Vassily –1-0
CARLSEN Magnus RADJABOV Teimour–1-0
TOPALOV Veselin ANAND Viswanathan–1-0 Image: chess.com The organisers are certainly making original efforts to make chess more accessible to spectators by placing the players in an “Aquarium” i.e. a giant, soundproofed glass box. This innovation was first seen earlier this year at the M-Tel Tournament, but in Bilbao the “Aquarium” will be situated outside in The Plaza Nueva in Bilbao.
Round 1 Round 3…Carlsen vs Topalov..image:chess.com Round 5 …6th Sept
Bilbao will receive from September 2 to September 13, the strongest tournament of the History of the Chess. A tournament of the category XXII with Elo’s average of the participants of 2775,63. Further more, for the first time ever an event of such characteristics will take place in the street, in the Plaza Nueva, right in the centre of Bilbao’s Old Town.
The six players participating are currently among the world’s top ten chess players headed by world’s champion and number one Viswanathan Anand. Along with him, Magnus Carlsen (number two), Vasili Ivanchuk (number three), Véselin Topálov (number six), Teimur Radyábov (number seven) and Levon Aronián (world’s number ten currently) will compete in Bilbao. No tournament had managed so far to gather such a high Elo’s average level (scoring system to order players’ ranking).
For the first time in a world’s elite tournament and surrounded by a strong international controversy, the Final Masters is going to apply the football scoring system, earning three points per game won and one point per draw, though players will not be allowed to agree a draw being the competition’s referee who will determine it.
The Final Masters has the official recognition of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) and it will be played in a double round league during ten days (plus a two-day break). The total prize money amounts to €400,000, sum only exceeded by World Chess Championships: €150,000 for the first classified, €70,000 for the second one, €60,000 for the third one, €50,000 for the fourth one, €40,000 for the fifth one and €30,000 for the sixth one.
Another great novelty in this tournament will be the playing place: the street, allowing a lot of people to follow the games live and directly. A huge soundproofed and air-conditioned glazed case is under construction to this purpose and it will be placed in the Plaza Nueva in Bilbao under a marquee which will also accommodate The Agora for analysis and comments, a space located by the glass case where the audience will also be able to enjoy comments from Chess Grandmasters among whom we can name Boris Spassky and Susan Polgar.
Standings after round 3..click on the image for a larger view
Pairings and results: round 3 — 4th Sept 2008 RADJABOV Teimour vs IVANCHUK Vassily–1/2
ARONIAN Levon vs ANAND Viswanathan –1/2
CARLSEN Magnus vs TOPALOV Veselin–0-1
Rounds 3-10…Pairings…source:chessbase
Anand I couldn’t care less about my mental power or whatever it is said about me in the chess encyclopaedias in a hundred years time”. Viswanathan Anand is no doubt one of the greatest genius in chess history in the last fifteen centuries. But his easy-going character makes him the complete opposite of Fischer, Kárpov and Kaspárov. World champion and number one at the age of 38, he lives in Collado Mediano (Madrid), the rapid of Madras wants to polish even more his record in Bilbao at a month from the struggle for the crown with Russian Vladímir Krámnik.
“Although it is my second world title, this one is more valuable because in 2000 chess was suffering from a schism and there were two champions. Now I am the only one. The dream has come true” he explained in Mexico City on 1st October 2007, before calling his parents who live in Chennai (former Madras) and his “Spanish father”, Mauricio Perea.
Carlsen
The ‘Mozart of Chess’
His second places at the Wijk aan Zee Corus (Holland) 2008 and at the Ciudad de Linares 2008, where he repeated his 2007 achievement, are a sign that this 17 years old Norwegian is already mature for even greater achievements. Magnus Carlsen recommends parents of child prodigies: “to give them support but without putting pressure on them. My father taught me to play chess when I was 5, but I wasn’t interested at the time and he left me alone”. At the age of 2 he already solved difficult jigsaws; at 5 he remembered the capitals, flags, areas and inhabitants of every country.
At 8, Magnus felt jealous one of his sisters played chess and that is where a career only comparable in precociousness with the ones of the sacred manes began. At 13 Carlsen became the youngest chess grandmaster in the world; and today, at the age of 17, he is among the world’s top five players in the rankings. He sleeps up to eleven hours, is a passionate fan of the Real Madrid and Spain is the country he knows best. When he is not travelling he attends a special school for sports talents. He has his particular opinion about money: “I don’t really know what to do with it”. I spend much less than I earn”.
Ivanchuk An adorable absent-minded wise man
His sensational victory in the Mtel Masters, Sofia 2008 gave him the right to be in the Bilbao Final Masters. But even without this feat, Vassili Ivanchuk deserves a place among the top-class chess players: at almost 40, he is the oldest luminary though he is nevertheless at the peak of his career. Chess lover to the core, tireless worker of encyclopaedic knowledge he is a genius absent-minded wise man of whom everybody – even his most bitter rivals- speaks very fondly.
“My secret is I don’t know how I managed to win those five first games one after the other. I certainly did have a little bit of what it is called the luck of the champions. But the key is I wasn’t aware of what I was achieving; otherwise I would have never managed to do it. I believe I am at the best of my career. I don’t feel a bit old to stay in the elite; particularly if I compare myself to Víktor Korchnói, who is at his 77 years old still in the front line!”. So modestly explained Ivanchuk his win in Sofia –undefeated, with eight of ten possible points-, one of the best results in chess history.
Topalov An exemplary fighter on his way up
He defeated Kasparov in what was to be his last game (Linares 2005) and he is a clear symbol of the differences between the current chess elite and the times of the Ogre of Baku.Natural, modest and very friendly, a fighter and well disciplined about his everyday training, and tries to keep a good image. That’s Veselin Topalov, the 33 year-old Bulgarian from Salamanca world chess champion in 2005 and currently number four in the chess rankings, with the clear aim to take up again the crown in 2009.
“I will never forget what happened to me when I was 8 years old in Ruse, my native city. After defeating me, one of the best players of the area gave me a row, he pulled my ears and almost hit me because I had played too fast, without thinking. A year later I played with him again in the same tournament, and I won, he remembers about his childhood in Bulgaria.
Topalov admits that it is impossible to be among the world’s top ten chess players without innate talents: “If we put it into round numbers, 60% of my success is due to the effort and 40% to the talent”.
Radjabov The kid that knocked out Kasparov
Even though chess is along with music and mathematics the activity that more child prodigies produces, very few have impressed so much as Teimur Radyabov. At 12, when he became European Champion U-18, he already showed a strategic depth and good manners not expected from someone of his age. At 14 he became grandmaster. At 15 he defeated Kasparov with the black pieces in Linares. Today he is 21 and has settled among the elite, though everything shows that he’s still got a long way to go, as he will most probably demonstrate in Bilbao.
One has to go back as far as the legendary Bobby Fischer in the 60’s to find feats as resounding as when Radyabov defeated Kasparov in 2003. Also born in Baku, he had never lost with white pieces to a human rival in the classical game since May 1996. Bearing in mind that both of them were born in Baku and were Guéidar Alíyev’s protégées (President of the Azerbaijan KGB when Kasparov was young and of the Azerbaijani Government when Radyábov was a child) one can better understand Kaspárov’s angry outburst that night: he did not shake hands with the winner and had a very late dinner, thumping his fist on the table while having chicken.
Aronian
An easy-going winner
He could be the boy from the shop around the corner, jet he is a great chess luminary: he is only 25 years old but has already won the World Cup and the Linares and Wijk aan Zee (twice) tournaments. That naturalness, his universal style and belonging to a country where chess is the national passion, as well as a balanced nervous system configure the 25 year-old Armenian Levon Aronian as a very solid value.
“I’m not prepared to compete with the big ones. The only advantage I have over those beasts is my total ignorance and fresh thinking”, Aronian said at Christmas 2005, a few days after having won the World Cup in Siberia and some days just before his debut in the Wijk aan Zee Corus Tournament (Holland), where he shared the 7th place of 14 participantespants. Just a month later he triumphed in Linares, the chess Wimbledon, so surprisingly as convincingly.
Images from different rounds from the Official site.
About.com…classic chess…64 great chess games ever played…follow this link
Round 6 Image: zeenews.com Fifth draw for Anand in Chess Grand Slam Bilbao, Sept 09: India’s Viswanathan Anand continued to search for his first win of the Chess Grand Slam Final being staged here, as he played yet another draw in the sixth round.
The world champion, who is back by Tech giant NIIT, Monday drew with Vassily Ivanchuk in 32 moves and took his total to 2.5 points on the traditional points system.
But here in Bilbao with draws fetching one point and wins three, Anand has five, while the leader is young Magnus Carlsen with 11 points from three wins and two draws and one loss.
The Ivanchuk-Anand game was a staid draw coming out from a Slav Defence, with Ivanchuk making a token effort to gain advantage and Anand thwarting this effectively for a 32-move draw.
Anand’s game has been somewhat subdued leading to the feeling that the world champion is not revealing any of his major preparations that he may have made for the world title match against Vladimir Kramnik next month.
Veselin Topalov, who beat Anand in the fifth round, and has 10 points with two wins and four draws, follows Carlsen. Lev Aronian, the only player with two losses, is third with six points, and Anand, Teimour Radjabov and Ivanchuk have five points each.
The tournament is a six-player double round robin event, one of the strongest in the history of the game.
The scoring system in this tournament is different and experimental. Players get three points for a win, one point for a draw and zero points for losing a game. For rating purposes the traditional 1-½-0 system will be used.
The prize fund for the event is 400,000 Euros, with the winner receiving 150,000 Euros, the second place 70,000 Euros, and so on, with the sixth player getting 30,000 Euros. The sums are unprecedented for an event like this. Only world championships have exceeded the amount.
The Topalov-Radjabov clash was more volatile, with the Bulgarian GM looking set to chalk up another victory in Bilbao. But after massive trade-offs after the time control Black had solved all his problems and in fact undertook some tentative attempts to play for a win. The draw came with a repetition at move 73.
Carlsen continued his great run with a solid win over Aronian. He sacrificed a pawn, which was part of theory, but then young Carlsen played a novelty which involves a second sacrifice on move 15. It loosely resembled the Gelfand-Kramnik game in Mexico City 2007, but that ended in a draw.
The novelty led to Carlsen forcing Aronian’s king to be stuck in the middle. Carlsen got one pawn back and then launched a blistering attack. He wrapped up the game in 32 moves.
In the seventh round, Anand will have black pieces against Radjabov, while Carlsen clashes with Ivanchuk and Aronian meets Topalov.
Scores after six rounds: Carlsen (11 points); 2. Topalov (10 points); Aronian (6 points); Anand, Radjabov and Ivanchuk (5 points each).
I was tagged byWipneusto write about my “slogan” in life…well, firstly I want to apologise, as this entry will be in Afrikaans…basically, I’m saying that I’m a “ready-steady-go”-person…as you can see from this picture…and that I believe to do what is expected from you, when it’s expected and also, try to do more than what’s expected and….to use my logical mind!/use your brain!! …and…be positive and see an opportunity in every problem! I don’t have patience with myself and in general, I want to get things done! So, if you’re a bit too slow for me, I’ll do your work too just to get the job done. I can’t hang around doing nothing and would use my logical mind to do what needs to be done.
Personally, I think Chess is the game to develop the logical mind!! Slide down to the bottom of this post to read about the logical mind…and read about Susan Polgar and her brilliant brain. Everybody has a brilliant brain, it depends on how you use it! I’ve said to so many children that there is no such thing as a dumb child…each child learns in a different way and the same with adults. You use your brain in a different way and some people don’t use it at all… it’s not that they are dumb..they have to learn how to use it.. And now…tagging time…(you can find them all on my blogroll) Ray (bookstoysgames)…Norrbu….Tony…and Luigi!
Vir iemand om saam met my te werk, moet dit seker een groot vet fees wees…Ek weet presies wat ek wil doen, hoe ek dit gedoen wil hê en wanneer ek dit wil doen. Ek raak gou besig met ander mense se “opdragte” as hulle nie gou genoeg ‘n ding doen nie… en gelukkig waardeer hulle dit wanneer ek dit doen. Ek geniet dit ook om meer as net te doen wat van my verwag word…nie omdat ek wil iewers wil “inkruip” nie, maar net bloot omdat dit in my natuur is om raak te sien wat gedoen moet word en om my logiese verstand te gebruik wanneer dit kom by dinge wat gedoen moet word. Sommige mense sien sekere take as benede hulle posisie en ander sal wil hê hulle moet eers gevra word om ‘n ding te doen – dalk dink hulle hulle word meer belangrik geag as hulle eers gevra word, maar in my oë sien ek dit eerder as ‘n geval van nie jou logiese denke inspan nie! Ek vra myself die vraag…waarom nie doen wat gedoen moet word, jy spaar energie/tyd, want sekere opdragte hou verband met ander en daarom gaan alles soveel vinniger as opdrag 1 uit die pad is en opdrag 2 kan voortgaan…ek vra myself ook soms, “dink mense nie vir hulself nie”? ek verkies om kinders in die laerskool te leer hoe om vir hulself te dink, hoe om verstandig te dink en net deur logika te gebruik, spaar dit almal baie pyne en deur in ‘n span te werk, maak jy dit vir almal ligter en almal is soveel gelukkiger! Jy ontwikkel jouself as mens en skep geleenthede vir jouself in in die proses dalk vir ander ook! Dit is nou waar “sien ‘n geleentheid in elke probleem” inkom!— en om eerlik te wees…(jammer vir die nie-skaakspelers…dis geen aanklag teen jul intelligensie nie!!)…skaak is ‘n spel wat jou beslis logika leer!
Met myself is ek baie ongeduldig… ek moet aan die gang bly en kan nie sit en niks doen nie, my familie – gesin – weet gewoonlik dat hulle met my altyd “gereed” moet wees… wanneer daar iewers heen gegaan moet word, is dit gewoonlik algemeen aanvaar dat almal gereed is wanneer hulle gereed moet wees…sjoe! Dit klink verskriklik…maar dis nie so erg nie! 😉 Wanneer ek skoolhou is dit deel van my algemene omgang met die kinders…”are you ready?” in Suid-Afrika was dit gewoonlik ‘n koor wat antwoord…”Ja…steady….” julle ken seker almal die “are you ready” van die Gladiators..wel, dis nou ekke…hoor dit in jou gedagtes en jy hoor vir my! lol….hier in London…sal daardie selfde koor kom met…”no!! wait!!”…hierdie Engelse is te stadig na my sin…… 😉
Read and enjoy this article about the logical mind…Don’t be held back..it says…
We are blessed to have such powerful minds to put to work for us. Unfortunately, our minds tend to end up getting a much bigger role than they should. This can cause us to be held to the same old comfortable reality, which I imagine, you would probably like to see improvements in!
Our logical mind has a definite purpose, it can figure things out, it can plan, it can analyze, figure out how to make things work, figure out how to implement a plan. These are all wonderful things that help us in our day to day life.
But the logical mind is just that, logical. It does what “makes sense”.
And just what makes sense to the logical mind? What has worked in the past. What it has seen work for others.
Hmm, let’s see, so if you are making decisions and living your life with your logical mind in charge, what could the future possibly look like?
Same as the past!!!
And is that what you want? I’m guessing no. We are always growing and expanding and with that comes the desire for more. That is a natural part of this life and it is a good thing.
So how can you prevent your logical mind from holding you back like this?
It helps to see it from a bigger perspective. You see, if the mind had the perspective of the soul it would have a much bigger picture of your life and of what is possible. It would not look to the past to see what to do. It would see the potential and move forward.
But the logical mind does not see this big picture. It only sees what is and what has been.
So if you are wanting to take your life to a new level, to break into wonderful new territory do you really want to be putting your logical mind in charge?
I don’t think so.
So how do you deal with this? Who is in charge then?
You.
You are not your mind. Your mind is a tool you have available to you.
And you have the ability to access higher information through your intuition. You can receive guidance from a higher part of yourself that sees the big picture.
It is up to you to choose how you make decisions in your life. From the logical mind, or maybe based on a higher knowing. You choose.
That is why your intuition is an important part of this journey to your even better life. It is your access to the big picture. And you may never get to see that bigger picture and that doesn’t matter. You just need the insight from the part of you that does see it.
Please click HEREto read the entire article.
Read about Susan Polgar, Woman Grandmaster in Chess…American…what she says…you can read her blog..it’s on my blog roll in the “Chess” section.
My Brilliant Brain –
Exploring the incredible inner workings of the human brain, this compelling three-part documentary series looks at a group of remarkable people and poses questions about the origins of genius: are these extraordinary abilities genetic, developed or acquired by accident? This episode focuses on Susan Polgar, the first female chess grandmaster, whose incredible story suggests that genius does not always have to be innate, but can be taught.
At 38 years old, Susan Polgar has reached heights that few women have ever equalled in the chess world. Despite the common assumption that men’s brains are better at understanding spatial relationships, giving them an advantage in games such as chess, Susan went on to become the world’s first grandmaster. Susan’s remarkable abilities have earned her the label of ‘genius’, but her psychologist father, László Polgar, believed that genius was “not born, but made”. Noting that even Mozart received tutelage from his father at a very early age, Polgar set about teaching chess to the five-year-old Susan after she happened upon a chess set in their home. “My father believed that the potential of children was not used optimally,” says Susan.
Throughout the rest of her childhood, Susan practised for hours, memorising thousands of moves and scenarios, and devouring books and stratagems. She took on the men in her local chess club at the age of five and began beating them. By the age of 15, she was the best female player in the world. A year later in 1985, she sensationally vanquished a male grandmaster for the first time. But Susan is not the only family member to achieve such incredible success – her younger sisters Judit and Zsófia are grandmaster and international master respectively, thanks to similar schooling from their father.
So how has Susan trained her brain to such a formidable degree? Chess is so complex a game that there are four billion choices for the first three moves alone. Susan has committed to memory tens of thousands of possible patterns and scenarios. Every time Susan sees a grouping of chess pieces on a board, she can browse through her back catalogue of memorised groupings, using instinct to tell her the right move. “We seem to heap a lot of praise on people’s calculating ability,” says former British champion William Hartston, “but we take for granted all sorts of mental abilities that are absolutely intuitive.”
Susan displays her skills as she takes on a friend at ‘Blitz’ – a form of chess in which players must complete their moves in just one minute. Susan uses her razor-sharp instinct to not only move her own pieces, but guess her opponent’s moves in milliseconds. “I have to trust my instincts, my recognition,” she explains. “It’s almost like guessing, but basing it on prior games and experience.”
In order to isolate the areas of her brain she uses when playing chess, Susan is given an MRI scan. There is an area at the front of the brain which deals with face recognition, allowing most people to remember a face in 100 milliseconds. Astonishingly, this is the very place where the experts find that Susan has moulded her recognition of 100,000 chess scenarios. Over years of childhood practice, Susan has hardwired these countless scenarios into her long-term memory and can recognise one in an instant – as quickly as someone might recognise the face of a friend or relative.
It is this lightning-quick instinct, coupled with a phenomenal memory and years of relentless practice, that have earned Susan the status of ‘genius’. Her story presents strong evidence to suggest that her father was right – genius may indeed be nurture over nature. “I really believe that if you put your mind to it,” reflects Susan, “you can achieve it, whatever it is”.
Article to be found HERE about Susan Polgar…”My brilliant brain”…
Image:www.sv-goerlitz.de/Foren/Gallery/images On THIS LINK you can watch a long-ish video about Susan and her brilliant brain. It is a video longer than 40 minutes and worth to watch. She wasn’t born with this brilliant brain, it was created….
Watch this movie about Susan Polgar and her “brilliant brain”.
As a space-lover..I couldn’t resist this picture! of the day…as it immediately reminded me about our brains…almost the shape too!
Image: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/
Congratulations Levon Aronian, Winner of the Asrian Memorial, 2008.
1st place: Levon Aronian 8.5 points
2nd place: Peter Leko 8 points
3rd place: Alexander Morozevich 7.5 points
4th place: Boris Gelfand 7.5 points
Live games link HERE… For the results on the tournament, follow the link to the official site or on the second link where you can play through their games too.
Chess Giants Yerevan 2008″ rapid chess tournament which will be held in Yerevan, Armenia from June 8-15, 2008. Eight giants of the chess world will pair off and play two games a day in what promises to be a week of fighting chess. You can follow the games every day at 18:00 PM local time (GMT+4) from Yerevan’s picturesque Opera House. Please click HERE for the Official site of Chess Giants. On THIS LINK you can play through their games as the tournament goes…enjoy!
Standings after 10 rounds
1. Leko, Peter HUN 2741 6½
2. Aronian, Levon ARM 2763 6
3. Sargissian, Gabriel ARM 2643 5½
4-5. Bu Xiangzhi CHN 2708 5
4-5. Gelfand, Boris ISR 2723 5
6. Morozevich, Alexander RUS 2774 4½
7. Adams, Michael ENG 2729 4
8. Akopian, Vladimir ARM 2673 3½
Note that due to the tragic news of GM Karen Asrian’s passing, the games scheduled for June 10 and June 11 have been postponed. The Chess Giants tournament will resume on June 12.Click HERE to read about his death.
According to the decision of the Armenian Chess Federation, the Chess Giants Yerevan 2008 tournament has been renamed the Karen Asrian Memorial and will be held traditionally in honor of our cherished champion.
In addition, the rapid open scheduled to have been played in parallel to the main tournament from June 12-15, has been cancelled.
It is with great sadness and difficulty we report to you that today, June 9, Armenian Grandmaster Karen Asrian passed away. He was 28 years old. Details will be forthcoming. Round 1 games started late after a moment of silence in GM Asrian’s memory.
Yerevan, Armenia, the Opera House is the round building on the left…and this is where this tournament takes place. Image: Britanica
In the valley of Biblical Mount Ararat lies the beautiful ancient city of Yerevan, the 12th capital of Armenia. Yerevan was built around the city-fortress of Erebuni established by the King Argishti the First the king of Urartu in the year 782 BC.The ruins of Erebuni still stand in the southeastern part of the city.
A large part of the Erebuni fortification had been reconstructed by 1968 when the city celebrated the 2750th anniversary of its foundation. The well-preserved walls permitted the complete reproduction of the layout of Erebuni.
Yerevan is situated in the north-eastern part of the Ararat Valley. Mounts Aragats, Azhdaak, and Ararat can be seen from the city. With its rugged terrain, Yerevan displays a 400m disparity between its lowest and highest points. The city is divided by Hrazdan River that flows in a picturesque canyon.
The climate in Yerevan is dry and sharply varied with temperatures in summer peaking over 35 C and falling below -15 C in winter.
Alexandra Kosteniuk is one of the beauties in the world of Chess! In this video you can see the game she played against GM Zoltan Almasi. It’s a blitz. Fast chess, also known as, blitz chess, lightning chess, bullet chess and rapid chess, is a type of chess game in which each side is given less time to make their moves than under the normal tournament time controls of 60-150 minutes (1-2½ hours) per player. Read HEREmore about blitz chess.
Please click HERE for the official site of Alexandra Kosteniuk. Alexandra Kosteniuk comments in detail her blitz game played in Moscow at the World Blitz Championships Qualifiers against one of the world’s top experts on the Berlin Wall defence.
Image…NYtimes
The model Carmen Kass in a five-minute blitz match against Viswanathan Anand in 2004.
Image:chessbase Read the review of this book here at the link at the bottom of this post….or click on the image to order the book.
Many of us, even those of us who don’t play either well or often, are familiar with chess. Some of us will be aware that some pieces are differently represented in different parts of the world, but I wonder how many of us are aware of the comparatively recent introduction of the queen?
Marilyn Yalom attempts three objectives in this interesting book. Firstly, and of most interest to me, she outlines a history of the game of chess and its likely spread across the world. Secondly, Dr Yalom explains the development of the piece currently known as the queen in most European chess play both in terms of its replacement of earlier pieces, and its emerging power. Finally, Dr Yalom makes a case for parallels between the emergence of the power of the chess queen and the rise of powerful female sovereigns in Europe.
While I am attracted to the notion of the role of the chess queen as a reflection of the rise of strong queens (such as Isabella of Castile), and a possible association with the cult of the Virgin Mary, this is of peripheral interest to me. What I did find fascinating was the history of the development of the game, especially the differences between cultures and countries. Dr Yalom advises that the chess queen did not appear on the board until about 1000: some 200 years after the game had been introduced to southern Europe. Yet, by 1497, the queen had developed from a weak piece (moving one square at a time on the diagonal) to the more formidable force that she is today.
Dr Yalom presents a wealth of information in this book. Whether you share her conclusions, her enthusiasm for the subject combined with her capacity to present a variety of interesting data in a readable and accessible way will make this an enjoyable read.
Those who are serious chess players may find some of the facts interesting. Those of us interested in the evolution of institutions of power and who choose to explore parallels between games of strategy and political realities should also enjoy this book.
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
The Mtel Chess Masters Round 2- Images: Mtel Official site
Today…round 13 – the final round! – was played in Baku, Azerbainjan. The first images in this post is about round 13, please slide down for round 12-results. More images of round 13 can bee seen on the official Baku2008.fide.com-site.
Tadaa! and here are the results of round 13…
Karjakin, Sergey 1/2 Kamsky, Gata 1/2
Svidler, Peter 1 Inarkiev,Ernesto 0
Navara, David 1 Cheparinov, Ivan 0
Adams, Michael 1/2 Gashimov, Vugar 1/2
Grischuk, Alexander 1/2 Radjabov, Teimour 1/2
Carlsen, Magnus 1 Bacrot,Etienne 0
Wang, Yue 1/2 Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar 1/2
Kamsky, Gata 1/2 Kerjakin, Sergey 1/2
Final ranking…
1 Gashimov Vugar 2679 AZE 8
2 Wang Yue 2689 CHN 8
3 Carlsen Magnus 2765 NOR 8
4 Mamedyarov Shakhriyar 2752 AZE 71/2
5 Grischuk Alexander 2716 RUS 7½
6 Adams Michael 2729 ENG 6½
7 Svidler Peter 2746 RUS 6½
8 Radjabov Teimour 2751 AZE 6
9 Kamsky Gata 2726 USA 6
10 Karjakin Sergey 2732 UKR 6
11 Cheparinov Ivan 2695 BUL 5½
12 Navara David 2672 CZE 5½
13 Bacrot Etienne 2705 FRA 5
14 Inarkiev Ernesto 2684 RUS 5
Game between Wang and Mamedyrov…move 29….round 13 This image is from the game between Bacrot and Carlsen…after move 34 Wang against Mamedyarov move…47 End position…Navara and Cheparinov End position: Grischuk and Radjabov
On this image you can see what the game board looked like between Carlsen and Adams in round 12. Click on images for a larger view.
Inarkiev playing white against Wang. Kamsky playing against Svidler
Final position of the game between Kamsky and Svidler
Gashimov against Grischuk…move 17 Gashimov against Grischuk…final position on the board
Radjabov against Navara…move 19
Final position of the board between Radjabov and Navara Mamedyarov against Bacrot move 49
All images from players: Baku2008-Fide Official site
…wow…I can’t make up my mind with all of these men…why do they all look so the same today!
….I was sure there was a fairy…just there!
Gata… I told you he didn’t touch that pawn…it was the pawn on H2…
…but sir…he touched it again! where are you now!….
…if you’re in the top position, this is how you pick up a piece…just watch..and you’ll win!
…..wow…they are sooooooo beautiful!
…eeny meeny miny moe!…..
Standings…after round 12
Wang Yue 2689 CHN 7½
Gashimov Vugar 2679 AZE 7½
Grischuk Alexander 2716 RUS 7
Mamedyarov Shakhriyar 2752 AZE 7
Carlsen Magnus 2765 NOR 7
Adams Michael 2729 ENG 6
Radjabov Teimour 2751 AZE 5½
Karjakin Sergey 2732 UKR 5½
Svidler Peter 2746 RUS 5½
Kamsky Gata 2726 USA 5½
Bacrot Etienne 2705 FRA 5
Cheparinov Ivan 2695 BUL 5
Inarkiev Ernesto 2684 RUS 5
Navara David 2672 CZE 4½
Pairings for round 13, the final round.
Round 13 on 05/05/08 at 14:00
Karjakin Sergey – Kamsky Gata
Navara David – Cheparinov Ivan
Grischuk Alexander – Radjabov Teimour
Adams Michael – Gashimov Vugar
Bacrot Etienne – Carlsen Magnus
Yue Wang – Mamedyarov Shakhriyar
Svidler Peter – Inarkiev Ernesto
Enjoy the video about round 13, the final round.
ENJOY! this movie about round 12…also to be seen on the Baku2008-Fide site.
On this image you can see the three winners in this tournament.
Chess players in Baku, Azerbaijan are now busy playing round 11, follow their games live on the “live” link on my blog. By looking at the images of the players, they all look very serious! On the game-images you can see what the chess boards looked like up to the particular move that can also be seen on the image. Please click on the games-images for a larger view. All other images are from the Official site.
Results of finished games…
Karjakin 1/2 Radjabov1/2
Adams 1/2 Mamedjarov 1/2
Grischuk 1/2 Carlsen 1/2
Cheparinov 1/2 Kamsky 1/2
Inarkiev 1 Bacrot 0
Yue Wang 1 Peter Svidler 0
Vugar Gashimov 1/2 David Navara 1/2
On these images you can see players on their way and getting examined by security…seems like Svidler was in a good, relaxing mood and even smiled friendly at the camera!…..
This photo has nothing to do with Baku Chess…a photo I want to share…Svidler and Anand… I think Svidler might be my “next” favourite player – I have a few and can’t make up my mind though, but I do enjoy his friendly personality that reflects from many photos. On this photo he’s sharing a “joke” with Anand…wonder if he was trying to advise Anand on how to be the best…if you look at his finger…lol!
Pairings for rounds 12 and 13:
Round 12 on 04/05/08 at 15:00
Kamsky Gata – Svidler Peter
Inarkiev Ernesto – Yue Wang
Mamedyarov Shakhriyar – Bacrot Etienne
Carlsen Magnus – Adams Michael
Gashimov Vugar – Grischuk Alexander
Radjabov Teimour – Navara David
Cheparinov Ivan – Karjakin Sergey
Round 13 on 05/05/08 at 14:00
Karjakin Sergey – Kamsky Gata
Navara David – Cheparinov Ivan
Grischuk Alexander – Radjabov Teimour
Adams Michael – Gashimov Vugar
Bacrot Etienne – Carlsen Magnus
Yue Wang – Mamedyarov Shakhriyar
Svidler Peter – Inarkiev Ernesto
After round 11:
1 Wang Yue 2689 CHN 7
2 Grischuk Alexander 2716 RUS 7
3 Gashimov Vugar 2679 AZE 6½
4 Mamedyarov Shakhriyar 2752 AZE 6
5 Carlsen Magnus 2765 NOR 6
6 Adams Michael 2729 ENG 6
7 Radjabov Teimour 2751 AZE 5½
8 Kamsky Gata 2726 USA 5½
9 Bacrot Etienne 2705 FRA 5
10 Cheparinov Ivan 2695 BUL 5
11 Karjakin Sergey 2732 UKR 5
12 Svidler Peter 2746 RUS 4½
13 Inarkiev Ernesto 2684 RUS 4½
14 Navara David 2672 CZE 3½
Enjoy this video-report about round 11 from the Official Fide-Baku site
In Baku, Azerbaijan, it was a rainy day today….In this image you can see Radjabov sharing his umbrella. In Round 10, Carlsen and Navara drew their game and Grischuck and Mamedyarov. Ivan Cheparinov-(Bulgaria) won his game against Teimour Radjabov (Azerbaijan).
Follow THIS LINK to watch some press conferences about different players.
Other results:
Gata Kamsky 1/2 Wang Yue 1/2
Gashimov Vugar 1/2 Karjakin Sergey 1/2
Inarkiev Ernesto 1/2 Michael Adams 1/2
Svidler Peter 1/2 Bacrot Etienne 1/2
Follow the “live” link on the side bar of my blog to follow the games live.
Please follow THIS LINK to see more photos taken today in round 10.
…..is that an expression of a blunder?
Round 11 on 03/05/08 at 15:00
Cheparinov Ivan – Kamsky Gata
Karjakin Sergey – Radjabov Teimour
Navara David – Gashimov Vugar
Grischuk Alexander – Carlsen Magnus
Adams Michael – Mamedyarov Shakhriyar
Bacrot Etienne – Inarkiev Ernesto
Yue Wang – Svidler Peter
This video is from the Official website of Fide-Baku-2008
Enjoy these images from the Baku-fide official site… round 9 was played today…
Please click HERE to play through some of the games of the Grandmasters played in round 9.
….ahw….isn’t he mummy’s sweet little boy!
….yeah, yeah, yeah….let’s do it…before they call it a 2move-checkmate-game!
…er….where is that rule again…the handshake rule… um…oh yeah…here…
…. that’s my boy! let’s shake it!
…oh dear!…who taught you to start with that pawn!!
….come on Magnus…I’ve been waiting for this day! ….you’re taking too long now!
Is everything alright, my boy? “Daddy” will keep an eye on you…ok…?
….and one more smile for mummy!..ahw…so sweet….
…er….I did say I’m sorry….so could we start playing now….you are playing white…ain’t you?
On the side bar of the blog you will find a link to “live games” to see what the players cooked up for us today in round 9.
Standings after round 9!
1 Grischuk Alexander 2716 RUS 6
2 Gashimov Vugar 2679 AZE 5½
Wang Yue 2689 CHN 5½
4 Radjabov Teimour 2751 AZE 5
5 Carlsen Magnus 2765 NOR 5
6 Mamedyarov Shakhriyar 2752 AZE 5
7 Adams Michael 2729 ENG 5
8 Bacrot Etienne 2705 FRA 4½
9 Kamsky Gata 2726 USA 4½
10 Svidler Peter 2746 RUS 4
11 Karjakin Sergey 2732 UKR 4
12 Cheparinov Ivan 2695 BUL 3½
13 Inarkiev Ernesto 2684 RUS 3
14 Navara David
Pairings for rounds 10-13. Tomorrow, the 1st May…is a free day.
Chess players in Baku had a free day yesterday! See how they spent their day…playing football…watch the second movie to see the players in action!
Images: Fide.com
Sergey Karjakin, from Ukraine, (Ukrainian: Сергій Карякін; born January 12, 1990 in Simferopol) is a top chess player. At the age of twelve years and seven months he became the youngest grandmaster in history. On the FIDE ranking list of April 2008, he has a rating of 2732, making him number 14 in the world, number 2 in the category of boys up to 20 years old and number 2 in the Ukraine. On this first movie you can see the interview held with him. Both movies can be watched on the Fide.com site too.
Round 6 will be played today. You can see the pairings on this image.
Round 5 can be called “The (K)nights..or is it..the day of the draws”…Click on the images for a larger view… on the second image…. Radjabov’s attention was caught by…. I wonder…by what! hehehe On this next image you can see the end position of Kamsky and Carlsen’s game… on the side bar of the blog..you will find a “live” link where you can play through the games of the day…and on THIS LINK you will find a games-link to all the games played so far in all the finished rounds.
On these images you can see the pairings for round 6-8. Tomorrow is a free day.
The Fortress Wall of Old City Baku
By Fuad Akhundov
The fortress wall of the old city of Baku is a source of pride to Bakuites. Not every city with a rampart constructed at the time of the Crusaders is so well preserved. Nor do many extend for a distance of 500 meters, as Baku’s rampart does. The rampart also enabled the preservation of the medieval image of the old town, with its numerous lanes, snaking streets and the flavor of an oriental city.
Initially, two ramparts encircled Baku. The internal rampart is almost completely preserved. It was constructed by King Manuchekhr II (1120-1149). The outer wall was much lower in height, and was installed by the local ruler, Zufuqar-khan in 1608-1609. The walls were surrounded by a deep moat that could be filled by underground water in times of danger.
The khanate of Baku (a kind of Muslim duchy) was annexed to the Russian Empire in 1806. The fortress walls were last used for defense in 1826. Cannons mounted on the walls repelled a last, desperate Persian attack.
At the beginning of industrial exploitation of oil in the 1870’s, Baku grew rapidly. In 1859, the population of the city barely exceeded 13,500 inhabitants, most of who lived inside the old city walls. By 1903, there were 143,000 Bakuites, and by 1913, the “black gold” had increased the population to more than 214,000.
The tiny medieval fortress was, of course, too small to hold all these people. So the outer rampart was taken down in 1884, along with the wall on side of the old city facing the sea. Stones from this wall were used to renovate the inner wall.
But Bakuites did not want to lose the old, outer wall forever. The primary entrance to the old city, Shemakha Gate had one gate in the outer wall, and one in the inner wall. So, as the outer was dissembled, stonemasons skillfully inserted a copy of the outer entrance into the inner wall, side by side with the original inside gate. A visitor with a sharp eye for color will notice that the stones of the left entrance are slightly whiter. City residents renamed the gates “Gosha-Gala Gapysy,” meaning, in Azeri, the Twin Gates. This is the only double entrance among the five gates of the fortress wall.
The most interesting detail over both entrances is the oldest coat of arms of Baku. It is composed of two lions, and the head of a bull with two discs around the bull’s head. The German traveler, Kempfer, deciphered the symbols in 1863, as follows:
Lions were often used in Oriental heraldry as symbols of strength. The bull and the cow were sacred animals to the Zoroastrians (even today, killing these animals is prohibited in India). The discs symbolized the sun and moon. So, Kempfer concluded, the lions (that is, the fortress walls) protect the bull (i.e., the city) during day (the sun) and night (the moon).
This oldest emblem of Baku probably did not meet with favor when Islam arrived in Baku, and was at some point consigned to history. Other emblems took their place until the 1880’s. Then, a new coat of arms was designed with three torch flames representing the Zoroastrian tradition. But the way the flames were carved in the limestone of the mayor’s office, they resemble moneybags. So people used to joke that the emblem had nothing to do with fire, but represented the wealth of Baku during the first oil boom.
Source: Read HERE MORE! about Baku.
see some wonderful photos about Baku on: bakuphotos.blogspot.com Read on THIS LINK about the world’s 25 dirtiest cities, which Baku is apparently one of them. Baku 2016 Olympic…Baku is officially bidding for the 2016 Summer Olympics …read on the link more…
Pollution
The World’s Dirtiest Cities
Tiffany M. Luck 02.26.08, 3:15 PM ET Unless you’re in the oil business, there’s little reason to brave the choking pollution of Baku, Azerbaijan. Fetid water, oil ponds and life-threatening levels of air pollution emitted from drilling and shipping land the former Soviet manufacturing center at the bottom of this year’s list as the world’s dirtiest city.
Baku is bad, but far from alone. For residents of the 25 cities on this year’s list, black plumes of smoke, acid rain and free-flowing sewage are part of everyday life. Not as immediately visible: the impact on the population’s health and life expectancy.
To see which cities in the world were dirtiest, we turned to Mercer Human Resource Consulting’s 2007 Health and Sanitation Rankings. As part of their 2007 Quality of Life Report, they ranked 215 cities worldwide based on levels of air pollution, waste management, water potability, hospital services, medical supplies and the presence of infectious disease.
All cities are positioned against New York, the base city with an index score of 100. For the Health and Sanitation Rankings, the index scores range from the worst on the list–Baku, Azerbaijan, with a score of 27.6–to the best on the list–Calgary, Canada, with a score of 131.7.
Lead-poisoned air lands Dhaka, Bangladesh, the No. 2 spot on the list. Traffic congestion in the capital continues to worsen with vehicles emitting fatal amounts of air pollutants daily, including lead. The World Bank-funded Air Quality Management Project aims to help.
“Addressing air pollution is the easiest way to be able to fix someone’s well-being because we’re always breathing, and there are all sorts of harmful particulates in the air,” says Richard Fuller, founder of the New York-based Blacksmith Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to solving the pollution problems of the developing world. “In fact, the biggest pathway for lead poisoning is particulates in the air. So in areas with a lot of air pollution, shutting down the worst forces of these types of pollution really does make a difference.”
Nos. 3 and 4 on this year’s list are the capital cities of Madagascar and Haiti, respectively. Antananarivo, Madagascar and Port au Prince, Haiti, both face the challenge of a rapidly growing urban population and the ever-growing need for efficient water and waste management.
Mexico City, Mexico, ranks No. 5 on this year’s list. Residents can thank industrial and automobile emissions for air quality so bad that city ozone levels fail to meet World Health Organization standards an estimated 300 days of the year. But things could be worse.
“Mexico City has actually seen great improvement recently in terms of air pollution,” says Dave Calkins, founder of the Sierra Nevada Air Quality Group and former chief of the Air Planning Branch of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in San Francisco. “So much so that the government actually has to campaign to let everyone know that pollution is still a problem.”
Economies suffer, too. Health care costs and lost productivity drag on business. Companies also face added costs in the form of remuneration packages when relocating employees and their families to some of these cities, noted Slagin Parakatil, senior researcher at Mercer. Cost-benefit analysis certainly suggests making progress toward cleanup. According to a study done by WaterAid, for every $1 spent on improved sanitation, the benefit equals $9 resulting from decreased cost of health care and increased productivity.
“If you do the numbers,” says Fuller, “to clean up the worst of it doesn’t really cost that much. It’s the 90/10 rule. To do 90% of the work only costs 10% of the money. It’s the last 10% of the cleanup that costs 90% of the money. For relatively little, we can do an awful lot to save a whole lot of lives.” Source: See the link in the start of this article.
Baku Round 5 from the Fide website
Click on the images to see a larger view. These are results from round 4, the Chess Grand Prix tournament in Baku, Azerbaijan. If you click HERE you will find a games-link and you can play through the games played in the previous rounds…on the side bar of my blog, you will find a link to the current round’s games.
All images from the Official Fide-Baku-Chess-site.
Azerbaijan is now a world of chess! GrandMasters in the world of Chess are there for this prestigious event taking place in Baku. Round 4 results now available too. On my side bar you can follow the games LIVE. Look for the “Fide Grand Prix”-link! Read HERE more about Azerbaijan.
Please click HEREto play through the games of Gashimov vs. Svidler, Carlsen vs. Inarkiev and Navara vs. Grischuk in round 3 played on the 23rd April. Click HERE for the results of round 4.
On this table you can see the results after round 3. The video can also be seen on
Baku’s Official website and it’s about round 2! See more photos on this link too.
Congratulations to Henry Steel who was awarded the title of International Master (IM) for his sterling performance at the 2012 FIDE Olympiad. Henry’s rating also surpassed the 2400 mark. And congratulations to Donovan van den Heever who is awarded the title of FIDE Master (FM) for his rating breaking the 2300 barrier. Well done guys!.
Chess Queen Alexandra
Posted in Chess, chess books, chess games, Chess Grandmasters, GM Almasi, GM Kosteniuk, Hungary, Kosteniuk, Kosteniuk comments on her chess game, Marilyn Yalom, Russia, Viswanathan Anand, tagged Alexandra Kosteniuk, Alexandra Kosteniuk images, Anand, Birth of the Chess Queen, Blitz Chess, Carmen Kass, Chess, Chess Blitz, chess books, chess games, Chess games of Alexandra Kosteniuk, Chess Grandmasters, GM Almasi, GM Kosteniuk, Grandmasters, Hungary, interactive chess games, Interactive chess games of Alexandra Kosteniuk, Kosteniuk, Kosteniuk comments on her chess game, Marilyn Yalom, Russia, Viswanathan Anand, Zoltan Almasi on 16/05/2008| 12 Comments »
Click on the images for a larger view.
Please click HERE to play through chess games of Alexandra. The link will open in a new window.
10 January 2009: News article about Alexandra…the link will open in a new window.
http://www.miamiherald.com/277/story/847451.html
On this link on my blog, http://chessaleeinlondon.wordpress.com/2008/09/12/alexandra-kosteniuk-winner-of-nalchik/ you can follow the games played in the World Women’s Chess Championships in between Kosteniuk and Yifan. There’s also more pictures of her to see.
Alexandra Kosteniuk is one of the beauties in the world of Chess! In this video you can see the game she played against GM Zoltan Almasi. It’s a blitz. Fast chess, also known as, blitz chess, lightning chess, bullet chess and rapid chess, is a type of chess game in which each side is given less time to make their moves than under the normal tournament time controls of 60-150 minutes (1-2½ hours) per player.
Read HERE more about blitz chess.
Please click HERE for the official site of Alexandra Kosteniuk.
Alexandra Kosteniuk comments in detail her blitz game played in Moscow at the World Blitz Championships Qualifiers against one of the world’s top experts on the Berlin Wall defence.
Image…NYtimes
The model Carmen Kass in a five-minute blitz match against Viswanathan Anand in 2004.
Image:chessbase
Read the review of this book here at the link at the bottom of this post….or click on the image to order the book.
Many of us, even those of us who don’t play either well or often, are familiar with chess. Some of us will be aware that some pieces are differently represented in different parts of the world, but I wonder how many of us are aware of the comparatively recent introduction of the queen?
Marilyn Yalom attempts three objectives in this interesting book. Firstly, and of most interest to me, she outlines a history of the game of chess and its likely spread across the world. Secondly, Dr Yalom explains the development of the piece currently known as the queen in most European chess play both in terms of its replacement of earlier pieces, and its emerging power. Finally, Dr Yalom makes a case for parallels between the emergence of the power of the chess queen and the rise of powerful female sovereigns in Europe.
While I am attracted to the notion of the role of the chess queen as a reflection of the rise of strong queens (such as Isabella of Castile), and a possible association with the cult of the Virgin Mary, this is of peripheral interest to me. What I did find fascinating was the history of the development of the game, especially the differences between cultures and countries. Dr Yalom advises that the chess queen did not appear on the board until about 1000: some 200 years after the game had been introduced to southern Europe. Yet, by 1497, the queen had developed from a weak piece (moving one square at a time on the diagonal) to the more formidable force that she is today.
Dr Yalom presents a wealth of information in this book. Whether you share her conclusions, her enthusiasm for the subject combined with her capacity to present a variety of interesting data in a readable and accessible way will make this an enjoyable read.
Those who are serious chess players may find some of the facts interesting. Those of us interested in the evolution of institutions of power and who choose to explore parallels between games of strategy and political realities should also enjoy this book.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060090650/ref=cm_rdp_product
Read Full Post »