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"
Images: Official site of London Classic/Ray Morris-Hill
Players left to r: Luke McShane, Hikaru Nakamura, Mickey Adams, Vladimir Kramnik, Viswanathan Anand, Malcolm Pein Tournament Director, Magnus Carlsen, Judit Polgar, Levon Aronian and Gawain Jones
Jason Kouchak – during the Opening Ceremony of the London Classic 2012
Jason Kouchak is a widely-acclaimed concert pianist who plays popular music and jazz as well as classical music. Jason was born in France and studied piano at the Royal College of Music in London, and at Edinburgh University. He has performed in major concert halls in London, Paris, St Petersburg and other venues in Europe and Asia. He has recorded five albums, including his own compositions, and appeared on BBC TV and the Japanese NHK channel. He has made regular guest appearances with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, and recorded and performed with Julian Lloyd-Webber. Jason’s tastes and talents underline the long-established link between chess and music. He is a committed and enthusiastic competition chess player, and played in the 2011 London Classic Open and 2009 Gibraltar tournaments as well as in other domestic chess competitions. Visit his site: Jasonkouchak.com
It’s the London Chess Classic – again! It started today and I hope to attend it next Saturday, as my favourite – Anand is playing. The link of the official site is on the side bar – with the logo of the London Classic. Today’s games started with a small opening ceremony. There were a couple of musicians to entertain the group of spectators in the auditorium. Chess is free at the classics for children! On this LINK you can read my entry about the classics in 2009. You can see my photos of the 2009 event. For the 2011 classics I had tickets, but unfortunately fell ill and couldn’t go. How sad.
This is a ‘cento‘ which I wrote a little while ago, by using Shakespeare lines. A ‘cento’ is a poem written by using lines or passages of other authors in a new form or order. I used different plays of Shakespeare where he quoted something about the game of chess.
A Game of Chess Sweet lord, you play me false For a score of kingdoms you should wrangle and I would call it fair play How fares the king? His hour is almost past
A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse! And I have horse – will follow where the game makes way. I have his horse! Give me another horse! So, the good horse is mine. My day’s delight is past, my horse is gone. The rascal hath removed my horse.
Are the knights ready to begin their triumph? A wandering knight? I am undone! The knight is here! Great shouts within all cry ‘the mean knight!’ Great is the humour of this dreadful knight.
I dare thereupon pawn My life I never held but as a pawn I have not pawn’d to you my majesty? I pawn’d thee none! I’ll send some bishop to entreat The bishop will be overborne by thee Wat says my bully rook?
There stands my castle! His queen, it was his queen! Queen of queens, how far dost thou excel? Come hither, come! Come, come, and take a queen Sir your queen must overboard! Will take your queen Farewell sweet queen!
I’ll move the king. The skipping king, he ambles up and down This may gall him for some check No mates for you! We’ll draw! My lord, your son drew my master Where’s the master? Play the men! Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown
Enjoy a some classical music – Haydn’s symphony nr 101 in D – the clock part 3- one of many favourites and Villar Rides. Unfortunately, not the whole track, but at least 3/4 of the track.
I’m glad about one thing: Aronian didn’t win. I was hoping that Kramnik would win, but a draw is good enough, for now.
I’ve been looking at the openings of the games played by Kramnik and Aronian, as I missed their games and could only follow game 6 on Saturday. It was interesting to see that both players did what I like to do – to capture my opponent’s Knight, as soon as I can. Well, maybe it was just them in these games, I can’t really say that’s how they always play. I love to keep my Knights for their unusual moves and that can come in very handy, especially with forks. Maybe in game 6 Kramnik decided with his Knight-move [move 7] that Aronian shouldn’t have his Knight – this time. When I played through their games, I found Game 3 quite a weird game! Some weird moves for Chess Grandmasters! [hehe] Maybe they were having fun. You can click on the images for a larger view. On this link HERE you can play through their games.
Kramink vs Aronian: Game 1
Aronian vs Kramnik: Game 2
Kramnik vs Aronian: Game 3
Aronian vs Kramnik: Game 4
Kramnik vs Aronian: Game 5
Aronian vs Kramnik Game 6
Rapid Game
This is the rapid game. Is it just ‘me’? Is this really a ‘great’ move? Aronian brought his Rook down to e1. He captures white’s Rook on a1. White moves his Bishop to d4. This is my question. Why did Aronian not see that move a few moves ahead. The King is pinned …with his Queen. – Is there a very good reason why he moved like he [Aronian] did. Why did he leave his King pinned? Why did Aronian not capture the Pawn on g6? Do I miss something?
Pleaseclick the image to go to the official site. The link will open in a new window.
Just saying: I hope Kramnik beats Aronian up, because Aronian thinks womencan’t play chess! [lol…I know Aronian has improved his chess over the past few years, but still…Kramnik, you go!]
Schedule Date Saturday 21 April – Saturday 28 April 2012 Venue Hotel Savoy Baur en Ville, Festsaal Rounds 6 (classical chess)
Rate of play – 40 moves in 120 minutes – 20 moves in 60 minutes – Rest of game in 15 minutes with an increment of 30 seconds per move starting after move 61
If a game ends within 3 hours in a draw, an additional Rapid Game will be played (which does not count for the overall result) Schedule
Fri. April 20: 19:00 Briefing Sat. April 21: 15:00 Round 1 Sun. April 22: 15:00 Round 2 Mon. April 23: Rest Day Tue. April 24: 15:00 Round 3 Wed. April 25: 15:00 Round 4 Thu. April 26: Rest Day Fri. April 27: 15:00 Round 5
This early drawing has a surreal quality created by the larger-than-life chess pieces and study of a face, surrounding the young man playing chess. In his later work Warhol would continue to play with scale, enlarging objects and people to increase their iconic status. The colour in this image was possibly completed at one of Warhol’s colouring parties, hosted at the fashionable Serendipity 3 café after it opened in 1954. He would encourage his friends – some of whom would have helped him create the original illustrations – to colour the works with an inventiveness that adds to their whimsical nature. This process looks forward to the production methods of Warhol’s legendary studio, the Factory, in the 1960s.
Art of Warhol here. The link will open in a new window.
David Howell
ENG
2613
The 8th Player in this tournament is David Howell
Cream of world chess to play in new London tournament.
London Chess Centre is proud to announce a world-class chess tournament to be held in London in December, 2009. The event will be an elite eight-player all-play-all in the most prestigious tournament in the capital since former world champion Anatoly Karpov won the Phillips and Drew Masters in 1984.
Since then, despite London hosting three world title contests, there has not been a tournament in which England’s leading players could lock horns with the world’s best on home soil. The December 09 tournament will be the first in a series of events designed to reinvigorate UK chess and promote the game and its undoubted educational benefits in schools and communities.
The tournament will be FIDE Category 19 with an average FIDE rating of 2700 and a minimum prize fund of €100,000. The eight players will comprise of three English and five world-class Grandmasters from abroad. Included in the prize fund will be a €10,000 Brilliant Game award along with separate prizes for each victory with the White and Black pieces. Matches will be covered live online where fans will be able to vote for Game of the Day.
The tournament has applied for membership of the prestigious annual Grand Slam of Chess which culminates in Bilbao and boasts a €400,000 prize fund.
The games will be under Classical Chess time control; 40 moves in two hours, 20 in the subsequent hour then an additional 15 minutes plus an increment of 30 seconds a move until the end of the game. The tournament will further benefit from the use of Sofia Rules which disallow early draws. Players will receive three points for a win and one for a draw.
Click on the image for a larger view for the Olympia Conference Centre at spot marked as A.
Contact Malcolm Pein (IM) Director London Chess Centre:
Chess Centre: 020 7388 2404 (London)
New London tournament to be in the Olympia Conference Centre.
I am delighted to announce that the London Chess Classic 2009 will be staged at one of London’s most prestigious venues; the Olympia Conference Centre. Olympia will provide excellent facilities including a 400 seat soundproof auditorium, two commentary rooms and multimedia presentation. There will be ample space for Open, weekend and Speed Chess tournaments plus junior training which will run alongside the main event from December 8th-15th inclusive.
The London Chess Classic 2009 will be the highest level tournament in London for 25 years and will be the first in a series of events designed to increase enthusiasm for chess in the UK and promote the game and its undoubted educational benefits in schools and communities. It is also our objective to bring the world championship to London in the Olympic year 2012.
England’s four leading Grandmasters; Michael Adams, Nigel Short, Luke McShane and David Howell will be pitched against a world class field that includes a former world champion Vladimir Kramnik and 18 year old Magnus Carlsen ranked world number three and widely seen a future holder of the world crown. One of China’s finest players; Ni Hua and the US Champion Hikaru Nakamura, complete the field.
Spectators will be treated to live commentary on the games from Grandmasters and will be able to play tournament or informal games all day. Ticket information will be available in September. For those who cannot attend there be will live coverage and commentary on the games on the internet.
Contact Malcolm Pein (IM) Director London Chess Centre:
Maybe, just maybe, I’ll get a chance to meet some of the Grandmasters in London – if I’m lucky! Meanwhile, the Scots want their Chessmen back! THE BRITISH Museum has put a set of elaborately carved chess figures at the heart of a new gallery despite demands that they be returned to Scotland.
The 82 Lewis Chessmen, which are between 800 and 900 years old and made from walrus and whale ivory, were seen in a Harry Potter film and inspired the children’s TV series Noggin The Nog.
Alex Salmond, First Minister of Scotland, wants them repatriated to Edinburgh to be reunited with the rest of the set discovered on the Outer Hebrides in the early 19th century.
Just as the Greek government wants the Elgin Marbles in London to be returned to Athens, Mr Salmond claims it is “unacceptable” for the British Museum to have 82 of the figures while the other 11 are in the National Museum of Scotland.
Please click HERE to play through annotated videos of the games of Anand and Kramnik, 2008. The link will open in a new window. It is also the “movies”-link on my blog..top page.
Images: Official site
The big day has arrived! Opening ceremony on today…Monday 13th October
LIVE CHESS…click on the link on the top right of my blog! Follow this new link with the games I blog and chess graphics about their games….
14th October – 2nd November 2008….Who is going to be the winner?? The battle for the highest Chess Title! You can find the OFFICIAL LINK on my side-bar in the “Admin”-section as well in the “Chess” section…look out for the same image as the image in top of this post…I will be following the Championships and blog about it too…you can also find a link underneath my “welcome” image…on the side bar of my blog..(right hand side- top – the link will open in a new window) Please click hereto look at statistics between the 2 players on Wiki…the link will open in a new window. Schedule for the World Chess Championship 2008:
All games start at 3pm! 2pm UK local time and 9am Eastern USA time. Game 1 Tuesday October 14 —1/2 Game 2 Wednesday October 15 Game 3 Friday October 17
Game 4 Saturday October 18 Game 5 Monday October 20
Game 6 Tuesday October 21
Game 7 Thursday October 23
Game 8 Friday October 24
Game 9 Sunday October 26
Game 10 Monday October 27
Game 11 Wednesday October 29
Game 12 Friday October 31
Tiebreak Sunday November 02
On this link of Chessgamesyou can play through Kramnik and Anand’s games where they played one another. A new window will open when you click on the link! If you slide down to Anand, you will find more games to play through and at the bottom of this post you will find more links on my blog…- with games to play through- that were all played during tournaments.
Where: Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany in Bonn
Overall Prize fund: 1,5 Million Euro
The match will consist of twelve games, played under classical time controls, in the period from October 14 to October 30, 2008. If there is a tie at the end of these games a tiebreak will be played on November 02, 2008. The prize fund, which will be split equally between the players, is 1,5 million Euro (approximately 2,1 million US Dollars) including taxes and FIDE licensee fees.
V. Kramnik and V. Anand. World Chess Championship Tournament Sep. 2007, Mexico City
Image: Official Site
1886 – 1946
Wilhelm Steinitz (Austria/USA) was the first official World Champion in the chess history. In 1886, he defeated Johannes Hermann Zukertort in the first classical tournament for the World Chess Champion title. They played 20 games against each other – and Steinitz won by 12.5:7.5 points. Steinitz defended his title up to 1894. Emanuel Lasker (Germany) deprived Steinitz of his title and remained champion for 27 years – a unique record in the chess history. The next World Chess Champions were José Raoul Capablanca, Alexander Alekhine and Max Euwe.
1948 – 1993
Since 1948, World Chess Federation (FIDE) started to organize the World Chess Championships. After Alekhine´s death in 1946, the new World Champion had to be determined. Thus, there was a tournament with several players where Mikhail Botvinnik (USSR) became a winner. Since that time, the reigning Champion should defend his title in a match against a challenger. Vassily Smyslov, Mikhail Tal, Tigran Petrossian and Boris Spassky – all of USSR – were the next World Champions. In 1972, Bobby Fischer (USA) broke through the dominance of the Soviet players by defeating Boris Spassky in Reykjavik. In 1975 Fischer refused to fight for his title, and as a result his challenger Anatoly Karpov was appointed as new Champion. Karpov – who played two times against Viktor Korchnoi and once against Garry Kasparov – kept his title until November 1985. Then it was Kasparov, who defeated Karpov by 13:11 points and became the new World Champion. 1986, 1987, and 1990 Kasparov succeeded in reserving his chess crown against Karpov, before he broke away from FIDE in 1993.
1993 – 2006
In 1993 Kasparov refused to defend his title under the conditions provided by FIDE – and together with his challenger Nigel Short (England) the World Champion decided to leave FIDE by holding the Championship match under the auspices of the new founded “Professional Chess Association” (PCA). Kasparov won the match against Short and retained the title of “Classical World Champion”. Two years later he won the next title match against Viswanathan Anand (India) in the New York World Trade Center. Finally it was Thursday, the 2nd November 2000, when Kasparov’s era ran out: with 8.5:6.5 victory Vladimir Kramnik (Russia) dethroned Kasparov, who did not manage to win a single game. Kramnik, at that time 25 years old, became the 14th Classical World Chess Champion. In October 2004 the next Championship took place: In Brissago (Switzerland) Kramnik held out against the attacks of the Hungarian Peter Leko and kept his title. Leko was qualified for this match by having won the Candidates’ tournament in 2002 in Dortmund.
On the other hand, FIDE continued organizing its own World Chess Championships from 1993 on. The FIDE title holders between 1993 and 2006: Anatoly Karpov (1993), Alexander Khalifman (1999), Viswanathan Anand (2000), Ruslan Ponomariov (2002), Rustam Kasimdzhanov (2004) and Veselin Topalov (2005).
The split of the chess world into two competitive championships ended in 2006. The duel between the Classical World Chess Champion Vladimir Kramnik and FIDE World Chess Champion Veselin Topalov took place in Elista from 23 September to 13 October 2006. In a historic battle this unification match combined both titles in one FIDE World Chess Championship. Having won this important event, Vladimir Kramnik became an undisputed World Chess Champion. Continue to read more on the Official site here: http://www.uep-worldchess.com/
Image: chessgames.com
VLADIMIR KRAMNIK
(born Jun-25-1975) Russia
Vladimir Kramnik was born in Tuapse, on June 25, 1975. In 1991 he won The World Under 18 Championship, and began a string of international success. At the Manila Olympiad 1992, he achieved a gold medal for best result on reserve board. Major tournament triumphs were soon to follow, such as Dortmund 1995, Tilburg 1997, and Wijk aan Zee 1998. Dortmund became a favorite stop, as Kramnik would go on to win seven more times, either as shared champion, or clear first. In 2000 Kramnik won his first Linares tournament, completing his set of victories in all three of chess’s “triple crown” events: Corus, Linares, and Dortmund. Kramnik would later capture additional Linares victories in 2003 (shared) and 2004.
In 2000 Kramnik reached the pinnacle by defeating long-time champion Garry Kasparov for the World Championship in London by the score of 8 1/2 to 6 1/2. Kasparov was reported as saying, “He is the hardest player to beat in the world.” The year 2002 saw Kramnik play an eight-game match against the program Deep Fritz (Computer) in Bahrain. The match ended in a 4-4 tie, with Kramnik and the computer each winning two games and drawing four. In 2006 the German organization Universal Event Promotion (UEP) would stage a return match of six games, which Kramnik lost, +0 -2 =4.
In 2004, Kramnik successfully defended his title by drawing a 14 game match against Hungarian GM Peter Leko in Brissago, Switzerland. His next title defense was in 2006, in a reunification match with the holder of the FIDE world title, Veselin Topalov. As part of his preparation for the match, Kramnik played first board for Russia in the 37th Chess Olympiad (2006), where he won the gold medal for best performance rating of all participants (2847). He also took part in the Dortmund Sparkassen (2006) supertournament, tying for first place with Peter Svidler.
The $1 million Kramnik-Topalov World Championship Match (2006), was played in Elista from September 21 to October 13, and drew record numbers of online followers on most major chess sites. After much controversy surrounding a forfeit in round 5, Kramnik won in the tiebreak phase, thereby becoming the first unified World Chess Champion since the schism of 1993.
Kramnik lost the unified World Champion title when he finished second to Viswanathan Anand at the Mexico City FIDE World Championship Tournament (2007). Kramnik will exercise his entitlement to a match for the World Championship against Viswanathan Anand in Bonn, Germany, starting 14 October 2008.
NOTABLE GAMES:
Kramnik vs Leko, 2004 1-0
Kasparov vs Kramnik, 1996 0-1
Leko vs Kramnik, 2004 0-1
Gelfand vs Kramnik, 1996 0-1
Kramnik vs Kasparov, 1994 1-0
Kramnik vs Kasparov, 2000 1-0
Leko vs Kramnik, 2004 1/2-1/2
Kramnik vs Anand, 2004 1/2-1/2
Kramnik vs Kasparov, 2001 1-0
Kramnik vs Morozevich, 2007 1-0
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS:
Kasparov-Kramnik World Championship Match (2000)
Kramnik-Leko World Championship Match (2004)
Kramnik-Topalov World Championship Match (2006)
It is an almost senseless challenge to describe Vladimir Kramnik in only a few lines. His personality has too many facets; his areas of interests are too diverse. What is clear is that Kramnik is not solely fixated on chess. Current affairs interest him just as intensively as numerous sport and cultural activities, several of which he regularly engages in. The cosmopolitan would love to enjoy life ever more intensively, but his drive to succeed holds this inclination within limits. What is it that marks out a world chess champion in him even though he doesn’t focus exclusively on chess?
People close to Kramnik often claim that this has something to do with his creative nature and strategic gifts. Kramnik considers chess less as a sport and more as the art of carrying out a long-term plan. The harmonious interplay of his pieces and the beauty of his game are already legendary. He is always searching for creative and new solutions, particularly when he is playing.
In many games, they say, he sees things that no computer can calculate and no other grandmasters could discover. The ingenious ideas would come to him quite easily, providing him with moments of pure joy. The artistic vein in the 32-year-old Muscovite must have been given to him in his cradle. His father Boris is a well-known sculptor; his mother Irina a music teacher. No wonder that journalists all over the world have dubbed Kramnik an “artist” or “painter”.
Kramnik started to play chess at the age of five. At 12, his enormous talent was recognized in Moscow and encouraged. As a teenager, Kramnik got better and better – at only 16, he won the U18 World Championship. The list of his victories is long. He has already finished all major tournaments in the world as the victor. And he holds a record which made sporting history: Kramnik was unbeaten at the highest level in 86 classical games over 18 months up to July 2000. World Championship
Thursday, November 2, 2000, London: Vladimir Kramnik became the World Chess Champion with a brilliant 8.5-6.5 result against Garry Kasparov (Russia), who could not win a single game. After Garry Kasparov had congratulated him, the greatest dream of his life became true. Exulting, Kramnik threw his arms up into the air in triumph. The audience’s applause and the subsequent tumult will not be forgotten. It was a historic moment in the history of chess: Kramnik had not only won the lion’s share of the two-million dollar prize money; his victory had ended Kasparov’s 15-year-long reign on the chess throne.
First Challenge
In 2004, he faced off in another World Championship Match, this time in Switzerland : Kramnik successfully defended his title against the Hungarian super grandmaster Péter Lékó. In a complex strategic battle, he pulled off a supreme coup, winning in the 14th game – the last in the match – with a 7:7 tie. Kramnik was lucky because it was agreed before the match that he had to be beaten outright based on points – the challenger Lékó came heart-wrenchingly close to doing so.
2005 was a year of ups and downs for the World Champion. Kramnik was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, entered intense medical treatment, and disappeared from the tournament hubbub for six months. The break seemed to rejuvenate the Russian – at his comeback in the 2006 Chess Olympiad in Turin , he had the best individual score of all 1,000 participants. Kramnik was successful in several tournaments thereafter and on 1 January 2008 he again occupied the no. 1 position in the FIDE world ranking list.
The Unification Match
In October 2006, Kramnik faced the biggest challenge: the unification match that would decide who the next unique, absolute World Champion would be. In a historic fight against all sort of adversities, Kramnik defeated the FIDE champion Veselin Topalov ( Bulgaria ) to become the first unified World Champion after 1993, the one and only official World Chess Champion. His win in Elista was one of the most impressive victories in all of sports history.
Highlights:
– World Chess Champion 2000-2007
– Undefeated in three World Championship Matches
– Three-time Olympiad winner as a member of the Russian team
– Russian Honoured Master of Sport
– Current ELO rating: 2788
Please click HERE to play through Kramnik’s games on chessgames.com The link will open in a new window.
VISWANATHAN ANAND All games on these links will open in a new window.
Please click HEREto play through a ‘Petrov Defence’- game which was played in 2003. This Sicilian game was played in 2001and this Sicilian Najdorf was played in 2003. (born Dec-11-1969) India
Viswanathan Anand, or “Vishy” as he is known to his fans, became in 1984 the youngest Indian to earn the title of IM at the age of fifteen. At the age of sixteen he became the Indian Champion. In 1987, he became the first Indian to win the World Junior Championship. At the age of eighteen, he became India’s first grandmaster. His prowess at quick-play chess earned him the nickname “The Lightning Kid.”
Anand contested a match with Garry Kasparov for the PCA World Chess Championship in 1995, but lost. Three years later he won a knockout tournament in Groningen to qualify to play for the FIDE title against Anatoli Karpov, but was defeated in rapid tie-breaks. a game by them in 1996 with the Reti-opening.
In 1998, he won the strongest Linares tournament ever, with an average rating of 2752, making it a category 21 event. In 2000, he beat Alexey Shirov to become the FIDE World Chess Champion. He is a four-time winner of the Chess Oscar award and the 2003 FIDE World Rapid Chess Champion. In spring of 2006, following a record-extending fifth victory at Corus Wijk aan Zee (2006), Anand became only the fourth player ever to crack the 2800-Elo mark in FIDE ratings, following Kasparov, Vladimir Kramnik, and Veselin Topalov. 2007 was a year of two memorable milestones for Anand. First, he finally achieved his longtime goal of becoming world #1 in ratings. After winning his second victory at Linares-Morelia (2007), he overtook Topalov to claim first place on FIDE’s April list. His second great success came at the FIDE World Championship Tournament (2007). Leading throughout the event, Anand captured the unified World Chess Champion title with an undefeated +4 score. A few months later, he won the Morelia-Linares (2008) outright for the third time. Anand’s first title defense will be in a match against challenger Vladimir Kramnik in October 2008. Please click HERE to play through the games of Anand. The link will open in a new window.
NOTABLE GAMES: Karjakin vs Anand, 2006 0-1
Anand vs Topalov, 2005 1/2-1/2
Anand vs Lautier, 1997 1-0
Anand vs Bologan, 2003 1-0
Anand vs Kasparov, 1995 1-0
Anand vs Ponomariov, 2002 1-0
Radjabov vs Anand, 2002 0-1
Kramnik vs Anand, 2004 1/2-1/2
Anand vs Karpov, 1996 1-0
Anand vs Kramnik, 2005 1-0
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS:
Kasparov-Anand World Championship Match (1995)
Karpov-Anand World Championship (1998)
FIDE World Championship Knockout Tournament (2000)
FIDE World Championship Knockout Tournament (2001)
WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS: Kasparov-Anand World Championship Match (1995)
Karpov-Anand World Championship (1998)
FIDE World Championship Knockout Tournament (2000)
FIDE World Championship Knockout Tournament (2001)
Acclaimed as the Fastest Brain in the world, Viswanathan Anand is the World Number one and World Champion. It is his success in the world scene that has made this ancient Indian game, a mass sport in India.The critics rate him as one of the biggest natural talents ever in the history of chess. His hallmark lightening speed and intuitive play came to be recognised when he became the first Indian Grandmaster in 1987.
On 29th September 2007 Anand became World Champion for the second time in his career. By winning the event in Mexico Anand becomes the Undisputed Champion, ending many years of schism in the chess world. An feat that is unique as he achieved it while being the World No.1. A honour shared by a select few. Anand became the first Asian to win the World Championships in 2000. In 2007 Anand reached the number one spot on the world ranking lists by winning the prestigious Linares tournament. He becomes the seventh person in modern chess history to reach the coveted spot. This is the first for an Indian and Asian . He won the prestigious Melody Amber, Blind & Rapid chess in Monaco in 2003, 2005, 2004(Rapid), 2006, 2007(Rapid). The Leon Magistral for the seventh time, Corsica Masters five times & the Mainz Classic a staggering ten times. His results in rapid chess make him one , if not the greatest player ever in chess history . If his talent as a Rapid chess player is legendary, his records in classical chess have been superlative. In January 2006, he became the only player in chess history to win the Corus Chess event 5 times in the tournament’s 70-year history. He has won the prestigious Corus event 5 times (1989,1998,2003,2004 & 2006), Linares Super Tournament 3 times (1998 , 2007 and 2008), Dortmund Sparkassen 3 times (1996,2000 & 2004) and other important events like, Madrid Masters, Biel etc.
One of the few non-Soviet players in the sport, Viswanathan Anand has been feted with many international awards. He is the proud recipient of the Chess Oscars given for the best player of the year . He received this award four times. (1997,1998, 2003,2004) (An unique distinction he shares with Bobby Fischer).In India he has received the civilian awards, Padma Vibhushan,Padma Bhushan, the Padmashree and the Arjuna Award. He is the first recipient of the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award. He has received other prestigious awards from private organisations .
Having travelled to close to 50 countries, Anand is also fluent in Spanish and German. One of the projects closest to heart is the NIIT Mind Champions Academy which aims at taking chess to over 1 million children from both Government and Private schools in India . Known as the Gentleman Champion in the chess world, Anand is a spokesperson for Vidyasagar, a NGO that crusades for the Inclusion of children with cerebral palsy and he also represents Avahan, the Bill& Melinda Gates Foundation initiative on AIDS. Anand is a keen follower of current affairs, world business and astronomy. Source: http://www.uep-worldchess.com/
On all of these links – on my blog – you will find games of Kramnik or Anand which you can play through — games they played during different tournaments.
Leko vs Naiditsch round 7 final position 1/2 Nepomniachtchi vs Gustafsson round 7 move 17 Nepomniachtchi vs Gustafsson round 7 final position 1/2
Ivanchuk vs Kramnik round 7 move 25
Ivanchuk vs Kramnik round 7 final position… 1 – 0
Van Wely vs Mamedjarov round 7 move 11…final results: 0 – 1
Please click HERE to play through the games of round 6.
Gustafsson…image: chess.com Standings after round 6…today it’s round7, the final round! Round 6…Sparkassen…Dortmund…please click on the images for a larger view….
Kramnik vs Nepomniachtchi round 6 move 16..final results…1/2 Mamedjarov vs Ivanchuk round 6 move 16…final results: 1/2 Naiditsch vs Van Wely round 6 move 11…final results: 1 – 0
Results of round 5…Sparkassen….Dortmund…. Please click HEREto play through the games of round 5.
Van Wely vs Gustafsson round 5 final position results: 0-1 Mamedjarov vs Kramnik round 5 move 33…end results… 1/2 Ivanchuk vs Naiditsch round 5 move 33…end results… 1- 0 Leko vs Nepomniachtchi round 5 move 29… move 30 f4 and game ends in a draw
Heinzel vs Trella round 5 move 28… end results… 1/2
Please click HEREto play through the games of round 4.
1: Gustafsson, J 2.5
2: Leko, P 2.5
3: Nepomniachtchi, I 2.5
4: Mamedyarov, S 2
5: Naiditsch, A 2
6: Kramnik, V 2
7: Ivanchuk, V 1.5
8: Van Wely, L 1
Dortmund – Sparkassen round 4 results:
Kramnik vs Leko 1/2
Gustafsson vs Ivanchuk 1/2
Litwak vs Trella 0-1
Naiditsch vs Mamedjarov 1/2
Nepomniachtchi vs Van Wely 1-0
Dortmund – Sparkassen round 3 results…
Ivanchuck vs Nepomniachtchi round 3 move 13 end results: 1/2
Van Wely vs Leko round 3 move 16 end results : 1/2
Mamedjarov vs Gustafsson round 3 move 20 end results: 1/2
Naiditsch vs Kramnik round 3 move 19 end results: 1-0
Naiditsch vs Kramnik…end position….1 – 0
Trella vs Van der Weide round 3 move 14 end results: 1/2
Sparkassen results round 2….please click on the images for a larger view. Click on THIS LINK to play through the games of round 2. Kramnik vs van Wely round 2 move 10
Kramnik vs van Wely…round 2 final position —Results: 1-0
Kluyner vs van der Weide round 2 move 12 — Results: 1/2
Leko vs Ivanchuk round 2 move 14
Leko vs Ivanchuk…final position round 2 —Results: 1-0
Nepomniachtchi vs Mamedjarov round 2 move 12 —Results: 1/2
Gustafsson vs Naiditsch round 2 move 16
Gustafsson vs Naiditsch…final position…round 2 results: 1-0
Endposition Gustafsson vs Kramnik 1/2 round 2
Ivanchuk vs Van Wely round 1 draw Naiditsch vs Nepomniachtchi round 1 draw Zelbel vs Klyuner round 1 draw Mamedjarov vs Leko round 1 draw
Gustafsson vs Kramnik round 1 draw
Dortmund…the 7th largest city in Germany, the 34th largest in the European Union. Sparkassen Chess Meeting from 28th June to 6th July The Dortmund Sparkassen Chess Meeting is an elite chess tournament held every summer in Dortmund, Germany. It is one of the three “majors” on the chess tournament circuit along with Corus and Linares. The reigning champion is Vladimir Kramnik.
Dortmund is an invite-only event, and only the strongest grandmasters are invited. The exception is that one slot at Dortmund is awarded to the winner of the annual Aeroflot Open in Moscow, a tournament that anyone with an Elo of at least 2550 is welcome to enter.
The tournament is usually played in a round-robin or double round-robin format. However, it took the form of a series of heads-up matches in 2002 and 2004.
Source: Wikipedia Please click HEREfor the Official site.
Source: Wikipedia…The Town Hall Image: Wikipedia…The City Centre of Dortmund
Read HEREmore about Dortmund on Wikipedia.
From 28th June to 6th July 2008 everything in Dortmund’s Civic Theatre will once again revolve around chess. Eight Grand Masters will compete for points and victories during this year’s Sparkassen Chess Meeting. The spectators at the classical chess tournament with the richest tradition in Germany can look forward to exciting games at this attractive venue. The festival mood of the Sparkassen Chess Meeting is heightened by the Sparkassen Open that will be played in Dortmund Town Hall.
The tournament rules: there will be a total of seven rounds so that each of the eight grand masters will play each opponent once. Once again the spectators in the Civic Theatre can follow the matches of the chess stars closely and in a pleasant environment: all games will be displayed live on big screens, and the German Grand Masters Dr Helmut Pfleger and Klaus Bischoff will provide live commentaries via headphones.
Participants…
Vladimir Kramnik, Russia 2788
Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Azerbaijan 2752
Peter Leko, Hungary 2741
Vassily Ivanchuk, Ukraine 2740
Loek Van Wely, Netherlands 2676
Ian Nepomniachtchi, Russia 2634
Arkadij Naiditsch, Germany 2623
Jan Gustafsson, Germany 2603
Shakhryar Mamedyarov
Ian Nepomniachtchi
Vassily Ivanchuk
Images: Chessdom.com and read HERE more on chessdom.
Time Schedule Sparkassen Chess Meeting 2008
Grand Masters‘ Tournament [Civic Theatre]
Saturday, 28th June 3 p.m. 1st round
Sunday, 29th June 3 p.m. 2nd round
Monday, 30th June day of rest
Tuesday, 1st July 3 p.m. 3rd round
Wednesday, 2nd July 3 p.m. 4th round
Thursday, 3rd July day of rest
Friday, 4th July 3 p.m. 5th round
Saturday, 5th July 3 p.m. 6th round
Sunday, 6th July 1 p.m. final round
PAIRINGS: Images: Chessbase…click on images for a larger view
Previous winners:
(1) 1928 Fritz Sämisch (2) 1951 Albéric O’Kelly de Galway (3) 1961 Mark Taimanov 1 1973 Hans-Joachim Hecht 2 1974 Victor Ciocâltea 3 1975 Heikki Westerinen 4 1976 Oleg Romanishin 5 1977 Jan Smejkal 6 1978 Ulf Andersson 7 1979 Tamaz Giorgadze 8 1980 Raymond Keene 9 1981 Gennady Kuzmin 10 1982 Vlastimil Hort 11 1983 Mihai Suba 12 1984 Yehuda Gruenfeld 13 1985 Yuri Razuvayev 14 1986 Zoltán Ribli 15 1987 Yuri Balashov 16 1988 Smbat Lputian 17 1989 Efim Geller 18 1990 Alexander Chernin 19 1991 Igor Stohl 20 1992 Garri Kasparov 21 1993 Anatoly Karpov 22 1994 Jeroen Piket 23 1995 Vladimir Kramnik 24 1996 Vladimir Kramnik 25 1997 Vladimir Kramnik 26 1998 Vladimir Kramnik 27 1999 Péter Lékó 28 2000 Vladimir Kramnik 29 2001 Vladimir Kramnik 30 2002 Péter Lékó 31 2003 Viktor Bologan 32 2004 Viswanathan Anand 33 2005 Arkadij Naiditsch 34 2006 Vladimir Kramnik 35 2007 Vladimir Kramnik
Image: Vladimir Kramnik…chess.com
Vladimir Kramnik (pictured) was born on 25 June 1975 in Tuapse, on the shores of the Black Sea in Russia. His father was Boris, a renowned sculptor and his mother was Irina, a music teacher. He learnt to play chess at the age of 5 and by the time he was 12 he was studying at the prestigious Botvinnik school in Moscow.
At 16 he won the World under-18 Championship and emerged onto the world chess scene with a Gold Medal at the 1992 chess olympiad in Manila.
In 2000 Vladimir Kramnik achieved what few had thought possible; he defeated the great Garry Kasparov 8.5-6.5 to take the title of World Chess Champion without losing a single game.
He successfully defended his title against Peter Leko in 2004 by dramatically winning the final game to tie the 14-game match 7-7. In 2006 he beat Veselin Topalov in a hugely controversial match which reunified the competing versions of the World Chess Championship title.
At the end of 2006 he married Marie-Laure Germon, a French journalist (pictured with Kramnik below).
He put his title on the line by agreeing to play in the World Championship Tournament in Mexico City in September 2007 against a world class field. Vishy Anand won the event to end Kramnik’s reign as World Champion.
Kramnik will have an opportunity to regain his title in October 2008 when he challenges Anand for the title in a match to be held in Bonn, Germany.
Enjoy the video of the “history” behind Kasparov and Deep Blue of IBM.
I like the idea of the music supporting this game of Kasparov!
Please Click HERE for a game between Kasparov and Kramnik 1994, Munich.
Please click HERE to play through a game of Karpov and Kasparov played in 1985 at the World Chess Championships.
Chess players’ quotes:
Even a poor plan is better than no plan at all. – Mikhail ChigorinUnknown:
If chess is a science, it’s a most inexact one. If chess is an art, it’s too exacting to be seen as one. If chess is a sport, it’s too esoteric. If chess is a game, it’s too demanding to be “just” a game. If chess is a mistress, she’s a demanding one. If chess is a passion, it’s a rewarding one. If chess is life, it’s a sad one. Vladimir Kramnik- Interview- 22/12/2005– “For us chess players the language of artist is something natural,” in his interview with German artist Ugo Dossi. “For me art and chess are closely related, both are forms in which the self finds beauty and expression …” Kramnik: “The development of beauty in chess never depends on you alone. No matter how much imagination and creativity you invest, you still do not create beauty. Your opponent must react at the same …. To a certain extent it is like a dance. Both dancers must be creative, in order to keep the creativity flowing. Tartakower:1.Chess game is divided into three stages: the first, when you hope you have the advantage, the second when you believe you have an advantage, and the third… when you know you’re going to lose! – Tarrasch .. 2. Chess, like love, like music, has the power to make men happy. – Alexander Alekhine: 3. ..”Chess is a beautiful mistress.”-Garry Kasparov… 4. ..”Chess is mental torture”…. Wilhelm Steinitz… 5. ….”Chess is not for timid souls. “…Kasparov.. 6. …”Chess is an art.”
Spoken by great men:"Give me 20 divisions of American soldiers and I will breach Europe. Give me 15 consisting of Englishmen and I will advance to the borders of Berlin. Give me two divisions of those marvellous fighting Boers and I will remove Germany from the face of the earth." - Field Marshal Bernard L. Montgomery, Commander of the Allied Forces during WW2.
"The Americans fight for a free world, the English mostly for honour, glory and medals, the French and Canadians decide too late that they have to participate. The Italians are too scared to fight, the Russians have no choice. The Germans for their Fatherland. The Boers? Those sons of Bitches fight for the hell of it." American General, George 'Guts and Glory' Patton.
Chessalee 
