Magnus Carlsen vs the World LIVE Commentary

Magnus Carlsen vs. The World

Click here to replay the game.

Will it be 1. d4, 1. e4, 1. Nf3, 1. c4, or something else? :) Are you ready?

Less than 30 seconds to go!

1. d4 Nf6 Judit and Vachier-Lagrave voted for 1...Nf6. Technical difficulty with Nakamura's first move but he finally chose 1...f5.

2. c4 Lagrave and Nakamura voted for 1...g6 but Judit chose 1...e6.

2...g6 The World chose 2...g6 by 51%-49% over 1...e6.

3. Nf3 Magnus quickly played this move.

3...Bg7 was a unanimous choice by all 3 players.

4. g3 Magnus chose to go into a solid continuation. This is a wise idea as he knows that some fans at home are armed with computer software. Therefore, it may not be wise to get into sharp crazy stuff. Lagrave and Judit voted for 4...0-0 while Nakamura chose 4...d6

4...0-0 The World chose this one.

5. Bg2 Now Judit and Nakamura chose 5...d6 while Lagrave suggested 5...c6

5...d6 The World chose the majority choice.

6. Nc3 Judit, Lagrave and Nakamura all took their time suggesting this move.

6...Nc6 7. 0-0 Now Judit recommended 7...e5 while Lagrave and Nakamura chose 7...a6.

7...e5 The World chose to go with Judit's recommendation over Nakamura and Lagrave! Even though 7...a6 is a more popular choice, 7...e5 may be a better choice against Magnus.

8. d5 Ne7 was a unanimous choice.

9. e4 Lagrave chose 9...Nd7, Nakamura chose 9...c6 and Judit chose 9....Ne8

9...c6 This is not a great choice. 9...Ne8 or 9...Nd7 (played by Ivanchuk vs Kasparov) are both superior choices in my opinion.

10. a4 A surprising choice by Magnus. Judit recommends 10...Ne8, Lagrave 10...a5 and Nakamura 10...Bg4.

10...Bg4 Another unusual choice, quite suspicious. It does not make sense in the normal scope of this opening. Another very surprising choice. The problem with this move is 11.h3 and Black either has to move the Bishop back or trade the Bishop which is not a great idea.

11. a5 Judit and Lagrave chose 11...cxd5 while Nakamura chose 11...Qd7.

11...cxd5 Now the only competent response is 12...cxd5.

12. cxd5 Nakamura and Lagrave chose 12...Qd7 while Judit chose 12...Ne8. I personally prefer 12...Rc8

12...Qd7 Magnus has a decent space advantage for the moment.

13. Be3 A logical move. I do not like Black's position at all. Black has no real counter attack chances as White's position is solid. Judit recommends 13...Nh5 while Lagrave and Nakamura chose 13...Rfc8. I like Judit's recommendation. I believe that 13...Rfc8 is an inferior option.

13...Rfc8 14. Qa4 Exchanging Queens would favor White in the endgame. Judit recommends 14...Qd8 to avoid exchanging Queens while Lagrave recommends 14...Ne8. It seems that Nakamura is taking a time out. This plan recommended by Nakamura does not seem to work out for the World for the moment. Magnus has a strong edge in this endgame.

14...Ne8 White is better in space and piece placement.

15. Nd2 I am very surprised that the World got into a messy inferior position this quickly. Both Lagrave and Judit recommends 15...Qd8 while Nakamura picked 15...Nc7. It seems that the World GMs are quite frustrated at this moment. They know that they are in trouble.

15...Qd8 Now 16. Nc4 basically enhances White's advantage. 16. Qb4 is also very good.

16. Qb4 Nakamura and Judit recommend 16...Nc7 while Lagrave chose 16...Bd7. 16...Nc7 is bad because Black is completely lost after 17. h3 The problem is the World keep mixing choices between the recommendation of the 3 GMs. This does not work. The World has to pick one plan and go with it. Mixing things up will lead to a disastrous result.

16...Nc7?



17. Nc4? Magnus missed the best move 17. h3!

17....Na6 18. Qxb7 The position is quite lost for the World. Lagrave and Judit recommend 18...Nc5 while Nakamura picked 18...Rxc4.

18...Rxc4 19. Qxa6 Judit and Lagrave chose 19...Rb4. Nakamura is still thinking.

19...Rb4 20. f3 IMHO, 20...Bc8 is the only move.

20...Bc8 21. Qe2 White is still better. A pawn is a pawn. However, the World is lucky to duck 17. h3 which would have given White a decisive advantage. Judit and Nakamura chose 21...f5 while Lagrave picked 21...Qd7.

21...f5 22. Qd2 Now 22...f4 may be the best shot for counter playing chances. Judit and Nakamura recommended 22...Ba6 while Lagrave chose 22...f4. I like 22...f4 a little better.

22...Ba6 Now I would think that Magnus will play 23. Rfc1.

23. Rc1 Judit and Lagrave chose 23...Qd7 while Nakamura picked 23...Qb8. I think 23...Qd7 is a better move to prevent 24. Na4.

23...Qb8 24. Na4 Judit and Lagrave chose 24...Rb3.

24...Rb3 The logical choice for White now is to exchange Rook and simplify the position with 25. Rc3.

25. Rc3 My choice is 25...Rb4. Judit and Nakamura also picked 25...Rb4 while Lagrave chose 25...f4.

25...Rb4 26. Rca3 A very interesting move. White is threatening Nb6! One of the problems for Black is the move 23...Qb8. The other Rook belongs on b8 and not the Queen. Judit and Lagrave recommended 26...f4 while Nakamura chose 26...Rb7. If 26...f4 27. gxf4 exf4 28. Bxf4 Rd4 29. Qc1 +/-

26...f4 Another very strong option for White is 27. Nb6 fxe3 28. Qxb4+/-. Without much time, only 60 seconds, the safest choice may be 27. Bf2.

27. Bf2 A safer but slightly inferior choice to 27. Nb6. Nakamura recommends 27...Bh6, Lagrave 27..fxg3, Judit 27...Rb7. I would go with Nakamura's choice here.

27...Bh6 However, 28. g4 and Black has almost nothing here. Magnus has called for extra time here, an extra 2 minutes.



28. Nb6 Magnus wants to end this with a bang. But 28. g4 is a wiser move. White is still better.

28...fxg3 29. Qxb4 +- This is now hopeless for the World.

29...gxf2 30. Kxf2 Lagrave recommended 30...Bf4, Nakamura 30...Bc8, Judit 30...axb6.

30...Bc8 Now 31. Rb3 and the game is simply over. Black has no chance to defend this position.

31. Rb3 axb6 32. Qxb6 The position is resignable for Black. Judit and Nakamura picked 32...Qa7 while Lagrave chose 32...Qxb6.

32...Qa7 33. a6 Magnus can smell the sweet victory now. Black has absolutely no real counter play in this position. There is practically no chance for Magnus to blow this game now.

33...Kf7 34. Qxa7 Rxa7 35. Rb6 Ke8 Another free pawn is coming with 36. Rxd6.

36. Rxd6 Bf8 Magnus can simply continue with 37. b4

37. Rb6 Good but not as good 37. b4

37...Nxd5 Now 38. Rb8 Bc5+ 39. Kg3 Ne7 40. Bh3 Bd6 41. Rxc8+ Nxc8 42. Bxc8and White is 2 pawns up with Bishop opposite color endgame. However, Black has no chance to defend this.

38. Rb8 Bc5+ 39. Kg3 They are following the suggested line above.

39...Ne7 40. Bh3 Kd8 Now 41. Bxc8 Nxc8 42. Rc1 +-

41. Bxc8 Nxc8 42. Rc1 Rc7 and now 43. Rxc5!! and Black should resign as 43...Rxc5 44. a7!

43. Rxc5! Rxc5 44. a7 +- The world resigns! A dominating performance by Magnus!

Magnus will have White against the World

I just got off the phone with my sister Judit who is on location right now. Don't forget to follow the LIVE commentary right here (11 am Texas time and 12 pm NY time).

LIVE commentary of the Magnus vs the World game

I will do LIVE commentary of the Magnus Carlsen vs. the World game tomorrow right here at 11:00 AM (Texas time and 12:00 pm NY time).

Here are the rules of the game:

* Magnus Carlsen will be based in the Penthouse of the Cooper Square Hotel in New York.
* Magnus will play on a physical chessboard and have no access to external support.
* The three GMs supporting the World Team will be located in a different location and will suggest their moves on a computer.
* A butler, present in Magnus’ room, plays the chosen moves of the World Team on Magnus’ physical chess board.
* The only contact between Magnus and the three GMs will be through an arbiter, who will assist both sides in the running of the challenge and rule on any disputes.

The game will be played LIVE with strict time controls, as follows:

* Magnus has 1 minute thinking time per move.

* When Magnus makes his move on his physical board, it stops his countdown clock.

* A game operator inputs this move into a computer, which reveals it to the three GMs and the online audience, and triggers the GMs time clock.

* The GMs now have 1 minute to determine their response.

* When the GMs propose their counter move choices to the online viewers, their countdown clock stops.

* The online viewing public now has 1½ minutes to place their votes.

* During this time, a commentary team discusses the three proposals, while the computer counts the votes.

* When the 1½ minutes are up, the most popular move is shown on the online feed.

* The butler in Magnus’ suite now plays that move on his physical board on behalf of the World Team. As soon as this is completed, Magnus’ clock reactivates and he has 1 minute to make his follow-up move.

* If all 3 GMs propose the same next move, it gets made automatically without an online vote.

* Both Magnus and the World Team are allowed three ‘Extra Time’ periods. These grant them an additional 2 minutes thinking time on a particular move (giving a total of 3 minutes).

* These are triggered by making a request to the arbiter, who will monitor the additional time and the number of ‘Extra Time’ periods taken.

Special rules

1. Violation of the 1 minute rule:

- If any player has not made his move within 60 seconds, that side automatically loses 1 ‘Extra Time’ period. This allows them an additional 2 minutes thinking time on that particular move (giving a total of 3 minutes). This continues until all 3 ‘Extra Time’ periods are used.

- In the case of The World Team, this also happens regardless of which of the 3 GM’s run out of time. This means that the same player could use up all of The World Team’s ‘Extra Time’ periods.

- If any side exceeds the 60 seconds and has no more ‘Extra Time’ periods left, that side looses the match.

2. Draw

- Both parties can request a draw at any point during the match. In the event of a draw offer by Magnus, the three GMs will discuss this verbally amongst themselves – it will not be offered to the vote by the online World Team. A majority decision by two GMs will decide acceptance or rejection of the offer.

3. Two or three different moves with the same percentages

- If two (or all three) of the GMs suggested moves receive exactly the same percentage vote from the online World Team, the move with the greater physical count number will be played. In the event that both (or all three) receive exactly the same number of votes, the move that reached the vote number first will be played.

Official website: http://rwcc.g-star.com

Magnus vs the World poll

Who will win the Magnus Carlsen vs. the World match?
	The World
	Draw
	Magnus Carlsen
	G-Star and all the publicity they receive
	Liv Tyler
	The chess community
pollcode.com

RIP GM Bent Larsen

Bent Larsen passed away yesterday

Denmark's chess legend Bent Larsen passed away September 9th

Denmark's greatest chess player ever, Bent Larsen, passed away Thursday evening, the 9th of September.

Danish Chess Union President Lars-Henrik Bech Hansen said for the DSU official website:

Bent Larsen was in a class and a model for an entire generation of chess masters around the world. While he was on top, he won tournaments in front of the world elite, including seven world champions, and he was in his time the only western challenger against Soviet chess domination. His importance to chess in Denmark as a chess player and inspiration is unsurpassed, and his achievements and games will forever be carved into Danish and international chess history.

The Chessdom.com team expresses condolences to Bent Larsen's family, friends, and chess fan.

More details coming.

Bent Larsen

Jørgen Bent Larsen (4 March 1935 – 9 September 2010) was a Danish chess Grandmaster. He has been a six-time Danish champion, and a Candidate for the World Chess Championship on four occasions: 1965, 1968, 1971, and 1977. He won three Interzonal tournaments: Amsterdam 1964, Sousse 1967, and Biel 1976. Larsen won several dozen major international tournaments during his career, and was awarded the first Chess Oscar in 1967.

Larsen is considered to be the strongest chess player ever born in Denmark, and strongest in Scandinavia at least until the emergence of Magnus Carlsen. Since the early 1970s, he has lived for part of the year in Las Palmas and in Buenos Aires, with his Argentinian-born wife.

Larsen, who was born in Thisted in Denmark, represented Denmark twice in the World Junior Championship, in 1951 at Birmingham (placing fifth), and 1953 at Copenhagen (placing eighth). He never graduated in Civil Engineering, but decided to become a chess professional. He became an International Master at the age of 19 in 1954, from his bronze-medal performance on board one at the Amsterdam Olympiad. He won his first of six Danish Championships in 1954, and repeated in 1955, 1956, 1959, 1963, and 1964.

Larsen defeated Friðrik Ólafsson in an exhibition match at Oslo 1955 by 4.5-3.5. He won at Copenhagen 1956 with 8/9.

Larsen became an International Grandmaster in 1956 with his gold-medal performance on board one at the Moscow Olympiad. He tied for 1st-2nd places at Hastings 1956-57 on 6.5/9 with Svetozar Gligorić. At Dallas 1957, he scored 7.5/14 for a shared 3rd-4th place; the winners were Gligorić and Samuel Reshevsky.

At the 1957 Wageningen Zonal, he tied for 3rd-4th places, along with Jan Hein Donner, with 12.5/17; there were only three qualifying berths, so the two players had to dispute a playoff match. Larsen won by 3-1 over Donner at The Hague 1958 to qualify for his first Interzonal, at Portorož 1958. Larsen could score only 8.5/20 for 16th place, and was not close to qualifying. But he scored his first major individual international success by winning Mar del Plata 1958 with 12/15, ahead of William Lombardy, Erich Eliskases, Oscar Panno, and Herman Pilnik.

Larsen went into a slump beginning with the 1958 Interzonal. He tied 5th-6th in a powerful field at Zurich 1959 with 9.5/15, behind winner Mikhail Tal, Gligorić, Paul Keres, and Bobby Fischer. But Larsen placed only 4th in a middle-range field at the 1960 Berg en Dal Zonal 1960 with 5.5/9, and did not advance to the Interzonal. He recovered by sharing 1st-2nd places at Beverwijk 1961 on 7.5/9 with Borislav Ivkov. At Zurich 1961, he tied for 6th-7th places with 6/11, as Keres won ahead of Tigran Petrosian. At Moscow 1962, he shared 7th-11th places with 7.5/15 (Yuri Averbakh won).

Around this time Larsen diversified his style, switching over to risky and unusual openings in some of his games, to try to throw his opponents off balance; this led to the recovery of his form and further development of his chess. He finished 2nd at the 1963 Halle Zonal with 13/19, behind winner Lajos Portisch, to advance to the Interzonal the next year. At Belgrade 1964, he shared 5th-6th places with 10/17 (Boris Spassky won). He tied for 5th-7th places at Beverwijk 1964 on 9.5/15; Keres and Nei won. Larsen's unusual openings were on full display at the 1964 Amsterdam Interzonal, where he shared the 1st-4th places on 17/23 with Boris Spassky, Mikhail Tal, and Vasily Smyslov, advancing as a Candidate.

In the 1965 Candidates' matches, he first defeated Borislav Ivkov at Bled by 5.5-2.5, but lost in the semi-final, also at Bled by 4.5-5.5 to former world champion Mikhail Tal. He won a playoff match for alternates, an eventual third-place Candidates' position, against Efim Geller by 5-4 at Copenhagen 1966. In 1967 he won the Sousse Interzonal after Fischer withdrew, then won his first-round match against Lajos Portisch by 5.5-4.5 at Porec 1968. In Malmö, however, he lost the semi-final by 2.5-5.5 to Boris Spassky, who went on to win the title.

In 1970 he shared 2nd in the Palma de Mallorca Interzonal, on 15/23, behind Bobby Fischer. He reached his top rank in the Elo rating system at the start of 1971, equal third in the world (with Korchnoi, behind Fischer and Spassky) with a rating of 2660.[1] He then defeated Wolfgang Uhlmann by 5.5-3.5 at Las Palmas 1971. But then he lost the semi-final 0-6 at Denver to Fischer, who also went on to win the title.

Larsen later claimed in a Kasparov.com interview (1998) that his one-sided loss to Fischer was due in part to his condition during the match: "The organizers chose the wrong time for this match. I was languid with the heat and Fischer was better prepared for such exceptional circumstances... I saw chess pieces through a mist and, thus, my level of playing was not good."

In 1973 he failed to advance from the Leningrad Interzonal; he tied for 5th-6th places with 10/17, with Anatoly Karpov and Viktor Korchnoi winning. In 1976 he won the Biel Interzonal, but lost his 1977 Candidates' match, a rematch of their 1968 encounter, to Lajos Portisch by 3.5-6.5 at Rotterdam. In the Riga Interzonal of 1979, Larsen scored 10/17 for 7th place, and did not advance.

Starting in the mid-1960s, Larsen enjoyed a very successful run in major tournaments around the world, and he and Fischer became the two strongest players outside the Soviet Union. Larsen played in a lot of strong events, at least as many as any other top player, and repeatedly finished ahead of the top Soviet players. He won at Le Havre 1966 with 9/11, ahead of Lev Polugaevsky. At Santa Monica 1966, he placed third with 10/18, behind Spassky and Fischer. He won at Havana 1967 with a powerful 15/19, ahead of a strong group which included Mark Taimanov, Smyslov, Polugaevsky, Gligoric, and Miroslav Filip. He shared 2nd-3rd places at Dundee 1967 with 5.5/8, behind Gligoric. At Beverwijk 1967, he was 4th with 8.5/15 (Spassky won). At Monte Carlo 1967, he shared 3rd-4th with 6/9, behind Fischer and Efim Geller. He shared 1st-2nd at Winnipeg 1967 with 6/9, along with Klaus Darga, ahead of Spassky and Keres. He won at Palma de Mallorca 1967 with 13/17, ahead of Smyslov, Mikhail Botvinnik, Portisch, Gligoric, and Borislav Ivkov. He was awarded the first Chess Oscar in 1967.

Somewhat unusual for the late 1960s, Larsen, as one of the world's top players, often entered large Open tournaments run on the Swiss system, and had plenty of success. He won the Canadian Open Chess Championships at Toronto 1968 and St. John's 1970. He also won the U.S. Open Chess Championships at Aspen 1968 and Boston 1970.

Larsen shared 2nd-3rd places at Palma de Mallorca 1968 with 13/17, along with Spassky; Viktor Korchnoi won. Larsen won at Monte Carlo 1968 with 9.5/13, ahead of Botvinnik, Smyslov, Vlastimil Hort, Robert Byrne, Portisch, and Pal Benko. He defeated Heikki Westerinen by 6-2 in a 1969 exhibition match at Helsinki. In a playoff match for third place in the Candidates Tournament, he defeated Mikhail Tal at Eersel 1969 by 5.5-2.5 in a rematch of their 1965 encounter. He won at Palma de Mallorca 1969 with 12/17 ahead of Petrosian, Korchnoi, Hort, and Spassky. There was a further victory at Buesum 1969 with 11/15 ahead of Polugaevsky. At San Juan 1969, he scored 9/15 for a shared 6th-7th place (Spassky won).

Larsen won at Lugano 1970 with 9.5/14, ahead of Olafsson. In the USSR vs Rest of the World match at Belgrade 1970, he played first board for the World side, ahead of Fischer, and scored 2.5/4 against Spassky and Leonid Stein. At Leiden 1970, he shared 3rd-4th places with 5.5/12, (Spassky won). He defeated Lubomir Kavalek in a 1970 exhibition match at Solingen by 6-2. He won at Vinkovci 1970 with 10.5/15, ahead of David Bronstein, Hort, and Gligoric. At Palma de Mallorca 1970, he shared 6th-7th places with 9/15 (Panno and Ljubomir Ljubojevic were joint winners). Larsen shared 8th-9th places at San Antonio 1972 on 8.5/15 (Portisch, Petrosian, and Anatoly Karpov triumphed). He won at Teesside 1972 with 11/15, ahead of Ljubojevic and Portisch. At Las Palmas 1972, he shared 2nd-3rd places on 11/15 (Portisch won).

Larsen won at Hastings 1972-73 on 11.5/15, ahead of Wolfgang Uhlmann. At Bauang 1973, he scored 6/9 for 4th place (Kavalek won). Larsen won at Grenaa 1973 in the Nordic Championship with 8.5/10. He won again at Manila 1973 with 12.5/15, ahead of Ljubojevic and Kavalek.

He represented Denmark six times in Olympiad play, always on first board, and compiled an aggregate score of 75/109 (+61 =28 -20), for 68.8 per cent, according to olimpbase.org. He always played a very high number of games, almost all of the rounds, and won three board medals, one gold and two bronzes.

* Amsterdam 1954, board one, 13.5/19 (+11 =5 -3), board bronze medal;
* Moscow 1956, board one, 14/18 (+11 =6 -1), board gold medal;
* Munich 1958, board one, 13/19 (+11 =4 -4);
* Havana 1966, board one, 11/18 (+9 =4 -5);
* Lugano 1968, board one, 10.5/18 (+8 =5 -5);
* Siegen 1970, board one, 13/17 (+11 =4 -2), board bronze medal.

In 1988 he lost a game to Deep Thought in the Software Toolworks Championship, becoming the first Grandmaster and the player with the highest Elo rating (by then 2560) to be defeated by a computer in tournament play.

Larsen has continued to play occasionally in tournaments to the present day. In 1999 he finished 7th of 10 in the Danish Championship, but in the 2000 event he was forced to withdraw when he became seriously ill with an edema, requiring brain surgery. He has played in only a few tournaments in Buenos Aires since then. He was 4th in the 2002 Najdorf Memorial knock-out. In the September 2010 FIDE list, he has an Elo rating of 2415.

More about Bent Larsen

Wikipedia / FIDE

The big trio at Corus (now Tata Steel) Chess

Tata Steel Chess 2011
Corus to be renamed Tata Steel

The traditional Corus Chess Tournament in Wijk Aan Zee will have a different name starting next year Tata Steel Chess.

This is the second change of name for the event in their 73 editions history. The traditional tournament has been running since 1938 under the name of Hoogovens, and was renamed later in 2000 Corus.

The format of Tata Steel Chess will be preserved. A total of 3 groups will be present (A, B, and C), with some of the top world players in the A group. Each group will preserve the 14 players round robin format. Until now the tournament reveals 3 names - the current number 1 GM Magnus Carlsen, the World Champion GM Viswanathan Anand, and the 5th in the September FIDE rating list GM Vladimir Kramnik. Interesting to note, these players also participate in the Bilbao Final Chess Masters.

The rest of the field will be announced after the end of the 2010 Chess Olympiad in Khanty Mansiysk.

The rumor of the renaming of the tournament has been around for some time, and was first publicly confirmed after a GSCA meeting talk with journalists. The information is confirmed now by official press release at the Corus website, that from next year will be under the domain name tatasteelchess.com.

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There are more than 75 lessons in each level available for review!

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I developed the structured curriculum, personally teaching most of the courses along with other top chess players and professional instructors who will be joining the faculty as the school grows. Polgar Chess University is initially offered in this format:

- Courses identified by level - Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced

- Three general courses, one at each level, run concurrently

- Course lessons are prerecorded lectures that may be viewed at your convenience

- A new lesson in each course is offered each week, on Mondays

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Please visit http://www.PolgarChessUniversity.com for more information.

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Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin

My Twitter Page: http://twitter.com/SusanPolgar

My first two Facebook accounts have both reached the 5,000 friends limit. Therefore, I cannot add or accept more friends (or you may have to wait for months before I can even accept).

This is my new 3rd Facebook account and I can only accept friend's request on this one. The content is identical on all 3 accounts so there is no need for multiple account friend's request.

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5 tie for the lead at Spanish Championship

Leaders after 6 rounds:

Rk.		Name	FED	RtgI	Pts.	TB1	TB2	TB3	n	w	we	w-we	K	rtg+/-
1	GM	ARIZMENDI MARTINEZ Julen Luis	ESP	2540	5,0	21,5	16,5	24,5	6	5	3,88	1,12	10	11,2
2	GM	VALLEJO PONS Francisco	ESP	2697	5,0	21,5	16,5	24,0	6	5	4,86	0,14	10	1,4
3	IM	MORENO RUIZ Javier	ESP	2491	5,0	19,5	15,5	22,5	6	5	4,27	0,73	10	7,3
4	GM	MAGEM BADALS Jordi	ESP	2589	5,0	18,5	14,0	21,0	6	5	4,52	0,48	10	4,8
5	GM	SALGADO LOPEZ Ivan	ESP	2595	5,0	18,0	13,5	21,0	6	5	4,81	0,19	10	1,9
6	GM	HERRAIZ HIDALGO Herminio	ESP	2480	4,5	22,0	17,0	24,5	6	4,5	4,00	0,50	10	5,0
7	GM	ILLESCAS CORDOBA Miguel	ESP	2591	4,5	21,0	16,5	24,0	6	4,5	4,88	-0,38	10	-3,8
8	IM	ALONSO ROSELL Alvar	ESP	2485	4,5	21,0	16,0	24,0	6	4,5	3,60	0,90	10	9,0
9	IM	PENA GOMEZ Manuel	ESP	2421	4,5	19,5	15,0	22,0	6	4,5	3,62	0,88	10	8,8
10	IM	RECUERO GUERRA David	ESP	2457	4,5	19,5	14,5	22,5	6	4,5	3,77	0,73	10	7,3
11	IM	ARGANDONA RIVEIRO Inigo	ESP	2408	4,5	19,5	14,5	22,0	6	4,5	4,02	0,48	10	4,8
12	GM	SAN SEGUNDO CARRILLO Pablo	ESP	2511	4,5	19,0	14,5	22,5	6	4,5	4,55	-0,05	10	-0,5
13	FM	SANCHEZ ALLER Fernando	ESP	2323	4,5	18,5	14,0	21,0	6	4,5	3,15	1,35	15	20,3
14	IM	LARINO NIETO David	ESP	2451	4,5	17,5	13,5	20,0	6	4,5	4,92	-0,42	10	-4,2
15	GM	TODORCEVIC Miodrag	ESP	2434	4,5	17,5	13,0	20,0	6	4,5	5,10	-0,60	10	-6,0
16		FERNANDEZ LOSADA Daniel	ESP	2126	4,5	16,0	11,5	17,0	5	3,5	1,60	1,90	15	28,5

Full standings here: http://chess-results.com/Tnr37747.aspx

Kasparov/Crumiller consultation game

Jon Crumiller (left) just played a consultation game in London. His partner was Garry Kasparov and their opponents were Nigel Short and Vujatovic. Here is the game, courtesy of TWIC.

Short, Nigel and Vujatovic (2690) - Kasparov, Garry and Crumiller (2812) [B42]
Staunton Memorial Consultation Game (London, ENG), 08.09.2010

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a6 5.Bd3 Bc5 6.Nb3 Be7 7.Qg4 g6 8.Qe2 d6 9.0–0 Nd7 10.a4 b6 11.Na3 Qc7 12.Nc4 Bb7 13.a5 b5 14.Nb6 Nxb6 15.axb6 Qxb6 16.Na5 Bc8 17.Be3 Qc7 18.c4 b4 19.e5 Rb8 20.Bd4 f6 21.exf6 Nxf6 22.c5 0–0 23.cxd6 Bxd6 24.Rfc1 Bxh2+ 25.Kh1 Qf4 26.Rxc8 Qxd4 27.Rc4 Qd6 28.Rd1 Kh8 29.g3 Qd5+ 30.Kxh2 Qxa5 31.Qxe6?? Qh5+ 32.Rh4 Qxd1 33.Bxg6 Ng4+ 0–1
　
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Checkmate in 3

White to move and checkmate in 3.

2r2k2/4p3/4Rb2/3Q3p/1p3P2/p6P/1qn1NP1K/6R1 w - - 0 1

Young minds take to the chess board

Young minds take to the chess board
10 Sep, 2010 09:36 AM

The game of chess is very much alive and kicking in the New England.

Arguably, it is one of the most effective teaching tools available to children.

Not only does chess raise intelligence quotient (IQ) scores, it strengthens problem solving skills, teaces how to make difficult and abstract decisions independently and enhances reading, memory, language, and mathematical abilitie.

The Primary Schools one-day chess tournament was again hosted by St Mary’s last Friday.

A record 40 teams battled it out all dy with some very tightly contested matches.

Players came from as far as Emmaville, Ross Hill, Black Mountain, and Inverell.

The day was very pleasant with supervising adults being very impressed with the spirit of sportsmanship displayed.

Here is the full article.

Magnus Carlsen on Dutch TV

Chess trivia

Can you name this legendary chess player?

No One Is Bigger Than Chess

Disclaimer: As a matter of fairness, I will publish articles, letters, and information from both parties when I receive them.

No One Is Bigger Than Chess
By WIM Beatriz Marinello
Former President of the US Chess Federation

Why didn’t the U.S. Chess Federation support my decision to accept the invitation to be part of Mr. Kirsan Ilyumzhinov’s Presidential Ticket?

I will answer this question matter of factly.

Back in February (2010), I was approached by Mr. Michael Khodarkovsky who is the President of the Kasparov Chess Foundation and a U.S. Chess Federation’s FIDE Delegate. At that time, Michael Khodarkovsky informed me that GM Ron Henley wanted to talk to me about GM Anatoly Karpov running for FIDE President. He told me that Mr. Henley also asked for a meeting with him. I mentioned to Michael Khodarkovsky that I could not meet with Mr. Henley at the time, but maybe later. Early in March, I agreed to meet with Mr. Henley since I have known GM Henley for a long time and I always thought he was a nice person.

The same week, I received a letter from FIDE President, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov inviting me to be part of his electoral ticket. When I meet with Mr. Henley, he offered to appoint me as FIDE Vice President in Mr. Karpov’s Presidential Board and compensation for actively campaigning.

After carefully reviewing the situation, I considered that FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov was the best candidate as FIDE President, and I was highly supportive of his team as well.

I did not think that Former World Champions Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov, both great players and important members of our community, were the best people to run FIDE.

In the past they were both chess enemies, and I considered how this could create potential issues between them, in case that GM Anatoly Karpov became FIDE President. I also thought, that their motivations were not in the best interest of FIDE and GM Karpov was lacking the necessary experience to run an organization such as FIDE.

Something just didn’t quite fit or feel right about this situation and I held firm in this belief.

Additionally, I also did not wish to divide the Americas, since we have been working for 10 years in building a block in the American Continents.

During this time it also became clear that the Karpov team was going to try to split the continent by dividing the Americas in hopes of gaining ground in that region.

My vision is for a united chess community, which is best represented by Mr. Ilyumzhinov’s Ticket and his team.

Once I made the decision, I asked the U.S. Chess Federation’s Executive Board for a meeting, innocently I also included Michael Khodarkovsky as FIDE Delegate to join us in a conference call.

At the conference call, all members of the board (5) were present: President, Jim Berry; Vice President, Ruth Haring; VP of Finances, Randy Bauer; Members at Large, Michael Atkins and Bill Goichberg.

Mr. Goichberg is a former U.S. Chess Federation President and the main tournament organizer in the United States. Mr. Goichberg is very anti-FIDE and especially very anti-Kirsan Ilyumzhinov.

I presented the situation to the Executive Board, Mr. Bauer got disconnected from the conference call, so he did not hear everything and did not vote. However, the Board took an unofficial vote. Mr. Berry and Ms. Haring voted ‘Yes’ to endorse me as a candidate in Mr. Ilyumzhinov’s ticket, Mr. Atkins said that he did not know enough, but was initially agreeable to support me, but decided to abstain, and Mr. Goichberg voted ‘No’ to my endorsement.

Acting on Mr. Khodarkovsky’s advice the Board postponed the meeting for two days later. At the time, I did not know that Mr. Kasparov was the person running the campaign for Mr. Karpov and Mr. Khodarkovsky clearly had a conflict of interest, since he works for the Kasparov Chess Foundation and he is also serving as USA FIDE Delegate.

During those two days, Grandmaster Kasparov and Grandmaster Henley made several phone calls asking the Board members not to endorse me in order to prevent me from joining Kirsan’s ticket and to only support Mr. Karpov. He even called a very influential person in U.S. Chess, who is also a major sponsor of the U.S. Chess Federation.

This whole situation reminded me of the 1994 Presidential FIDE Election, when the U.S. FIDE Delegate was Mr. Fan Adams and in a meeting held prior to the Chess Congress in Moscow, the U.S. Chess Federation decided to support the candidacy of Mr. Kouatly, but then after GM Kasparov’s phone calls to members of the U.S. Chess Federation’s Board, the United States changed their position at the last minute in favor of FIDE President Mr. Campomanes, resulting in the resignation of Mr. Adams. Back then, many promises were made but nothing happen in the end.

Now, back to March, 2010, two days after we had a conference call, we met again over the phone with the members of the Federation’s Executive Board, Mr. Khodarkovsky and GM Henley. Karpov’s team made a new offer to me in exchange for me not accepting Kirsan Ilyumzhinov’s invitation to be a member of his electoral ticket. The offer was an appointment in GM Karpov’s Presidential Board (in the event that he won the election) and full support to become Continental President. In addition they would not require that I campaign on behalf of Mr. Karpov.

I told them that I would not accept the offer. One hour later, Bill Hall, USCF Executive Director and Ms. Haring called me to tell me that I should accept the offer or else they would not endorse me and that they would even remove me as Zonal President.

By then it became clear that I was dealing with a very undemocratic organization, and the way in which they were pressuring me and trying to force me to accept Karpov’s offer by use of threats, convinced me more than ever that I was making the right decision.

I did not accept the offer, the board did not remove me as Zonal President, but the U.S. Chess Federation sent me a letter denying me the endorsement and making a statement that they would not support anyone who is on Mr. Ilyumzhinov’s ticket.

Fortunately, the National Federations of Chile and Brazil gave me an endorsement since I am also a member of these Federations.

Full article here.

Chess trivia

Can you name the legendary player seated on the left with the dark suit?

Bonus question: Can you name his opponent?

Optimistic about the future of chess in India

Anand backs CWG-bound Indian athletes
New Delhi, September 9, 2010

World chess champion Viswanathan Anand is more concerned about how many medals India would win in the Commonwealth Games than the controversies in the run-up to the mega event, scheduled to kick off here on October 3.

“I don’t know the details of the preparedness but I’m concerned about the number of medals we would win. I hope our athletes will win medals in the Delhi Games,” Anand said while wishing Indians luck.

Anand also said that the row over his citizenship is history now and the honorary doctorate degree will be conferred on him very soon.

“We have set a future date,” said Anand.

Anand, an Indian passport holder who has lived and trained in Spain for a while, was to be conferred the degree by the University of Hyderabad but what was supposed to be a simple ceremony, snowballed into a major controversy when it emerged that the Human Resource Development Ministry had questioned Anand’s citizenship.

HRD minister Kapil Sibal had to step in and settled the issue by offering an apology to Anand.

Asked about the future of chess in India, Anand sounded optimistic. “We have just crossed million students in NIIT Mind Champions Academy and they play 20 games on the server.

“It’s very exciting as millions of kids are learning everyday. We will identify some talents. Five to 10 years from now, you will see the result,” Anand said.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com