Susan Polgar Chess Daily News and Information

at 7/05/2009 10:22:00 PM

White to move. Is this a win or draw for White? How should White proceed?

8/8/1B6/4p3/1b6/1N2K3/Ppk2p2/4R3 w - - 0 1

at 7/05/2009 07:38:00 PM

Naiditsch, A (2697) - Kramnik, V (2759) [C42]
Sparkassen GM Dortmund GER (4), 05.07.2009

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Bd6 7.0–0 0–0 8.c4 c6 9.Re1 Bf5 10.c5 Bc7 11.Nc3 Nd7 12.Qc2 Re8 13.Be3 h6 14.b4 Ndf6 15.h3 Qd7 16.Ne2 Bxh3 17.Ne5 Bxe5 18.dxe5 Rxe5 19.f3 Rae8 20.Bf4 Rh5 21.fxe4 dxe4 22.Bc4 Bxg2 23.Ng3 Bf3 24.Qb3 Rh4 25.Bd6 Qh3 26.Bxf7+ Kh7 27.Qb2 Ng4 0–1
　
Click here to replay the game.

[White "Jakovenko, D."]
[Black "Leko, P."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "E49"]
[WhiteElo "2760"]
[BlackElo "2756"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 d5 6. a3 Bxc3+ 7. bxc3 dxc4 8. Bxc4 c5 9. Nf3 Qc7 10. Ba2 b6 11. O-O Bb7 12. Bb2 Nbd7 13. Qe2 cxd4 14. cxd4 Bd5 15. Bxd5 exd5 16. Ne5 Rac8 17. Rac1 Qb7 18. Qb5 Nb8 19. f3 a6 20. Qd3 b5 21. Bc3 Nc6 22. Bb4 1/2-1/2

[White "Bacrot, E."]
[Black "Carlsen, M."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D44"]
[WhiteElo "2721"]
[BlackElo "2772"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 dxc4 7. e4 b5 8. e5 g5 9. Nxg5 hxg5 10. Bxg5 Nbd7 11. g3 Bb7 12. Bg2 Qb6 13. exf6 c5 14. d5 O-O-O 15. O-O b4 16. Na4 Qb5 17. a3 exd5 18. axb4 cxb4 19. Be3 Nc5 20. Qg4+ Rd7 21. Qg7 Bxg7 22. fxg7 Rg8 23. Nxc5 Rxg7 24. Bd4 Rc7 25. Nxb7 Rg6 26. Ra5 Qxb7 27. Bxd5 Qb8 28. Be5 Qb6 29. Bxc7 Qxc7 30. Rfa1 a6 31. Rxa6 Rxa6 32. Rxa6 c3 33. bxc3 bxc3 34. Be4 Qc4 35. Bf5+ Kd8 36. Ra1 Qe2 37. Kg2 Qe5 38. Rd1+ Ke7 39. Bb1 f5 40. h3 Kf6 41. Rd3 Qe4+ 42. Kh2 Qe1 43. Rf3 Qxb1 44. Rxc3 Qf1 45. Rf3 Ke5 46. Rf4 1/2-1/2

at 7/05/2009 07:28:00 PM

Round 4 results

Bacrot, Etienne	- Carlsen, Magnus	½-½
Jakovenko, Dmitry	- Leko, Peter	½-½
Naiditsch, Arkadij	- Kramnik, Vladimir	0-1

Standings after 4 rounds:

1-2.	Carlsen, Magnus	g	NOR	2772	2½
1-2.	Kramnik, Vladimir	g	RUS	2759	2½
3-5.	Bacrot, Etienne	g	FRA	2721	2
3-5.	Leko, Peter	g	HUN	2756	2
3-5.	Jakovenko, Dmitry	g	RUS	2760	2
6.	Naiditsch, Arkadij	g	GER	2697	1

Official site: http://www.sparkassen-chess-meeting.de/cms/

at 7/05/2009 11:09:00 AM

White to move. Is this a win, draw, or loss for White?

7k/B6p/5K1N/8/8/p7/3b1p2/8 w - - 0 1

at 7/05/2009 10:37:00 AM

It's not just about sports at the international Jewish Olympics
By Karin Kloosterman
July 05, 2009

Countering stereotypes that Jewish people are better known for their thinking skills than athletic prowess is the 18th Maccabiah Games happening July 12 to 23 throughout Israel.

The once in every four years Jewish version of the Olympics is expected to draw more than 5,300 athletes from around the world, and a couple of thousand from Israel. It will be the largest event of its kind ever, say organizers.

The United States is expected to send some of its most promising Jewish athletic stars to the event, considered one of the five largest sporting events in the world by participation.

This year those from the US expected to come include swimmer Jason Lezak, a gold medalist from three Olympics Games, Sydney Athens and Beijing. "The man responsible for Michael Phelps' victory in the relay," says event spokesperson Yaron Michaeli.

Three competitions in one

Always held in Israel, the games include three separate competitions: Open, Juniors, and Masters, and every Israeli citizen, and every Jewish person from around the world is eligible to compete. This year participation is expected to come from Jewish people representing some 50 different countries.

And to meet the needs of the chess players who want to be in the "game," the International Chess Festival, part of this year's Maccabiah Games, will take place in Netanya starting on July 12. According to festival organizers there will be a game for everyone, pro level all the way down to amateurs.

"Chess will be fantastically high-level in all divisions: Jews are traditionally great in Chess, and a lot of the world's top talent will be here. Ten Jewish Grandmasters are coming to a special competition," added Dr. Gilad Weingarten the Maccabiah sports department chairman.

Here is the full article.

at 7/05/2009 10:29:00 AM

Chess Club

Residents are trying to start a Pleasanton Chess Club (CA), primarily for kids. Anyone interested can email PleasantonChess@yahoo.com. Please provide email address, name, phone number and USCF rating, if any.

at 7/05/2009 10:00:00 AM

Sweden Chess Championship
Emanuel Berg in firm lead after six rounds
Report by Chessdom.com

The Sweden Chess Championship is taking place from 28th June to 11th July in Kungsors. The round robin tournament consists of 13 rounds and the entire festival includes numerous additional events for masters, juniors and veterans.

The second-seeded GM Emanuel Berg is dominating the Championship and holds 5.5 points after six rounds. Famous columnist GM Stellan Brynell is distant second with 4.0 points. The highest rated GM Tiger Hillarp Persson is on modest 50% score, sharing the same number of points with national hope IM Nils Grandelius, who shined at the recent Sigeman chess tournament.

Round 6 results:

Hanninger Simon - GM Brynell Stellan ½ - ½
GM Ernst Thomas - FM Nithander Victor 1 - 0
GM Akesson Ralf - IM Blomqvist Erik 1 - 0
GM Berg Emanuel - GM Hillarp Persson Tiger 1 - 0
Glimbrandt Torbjorn - FM Semsecen Daniel ½ - ½
IM Tikkanen Hans - GM Cramling Pia 0 - 1
IM Johansson Jan - IM Grandelius Nils ½ - ½

Round 6 standings:

1. GM Berg Emanuel 2610 - 5.5
2. GM Brynell Stellan 2463 - 4.0
3. GM Cramling Pia 2528 - 3.5
4. GM Ernst Thomas 2414 - 3.5
5. GM Akesson Ralf 2493 - 3.5
6. IM Tikkanen Hans 2425 - 3.5
7. FM Semsecen Daniel 2387 - 3.0
8. GM Hillarp Persson Tiger 2618 - 3.0
9. IM Grandelius Nils 2491 - 3.0
10. FM Nithander Victor 2422 - 2.5
11. Hanninger Simon 2167 - 2.0
12. IM Johansson Jan 2440 - 2.0
13. Glimbrandt Torbjorn 2244 - 1.5
14. IM Blomqvist Erik 2436 - 1.5

at 7/05/2009 09:55:00 AM

216 players at the SA Open 2009
GM Gawain Jones shares the lead
Report by Chessdom.com

The ChessCube SA Open 2009 has started in Melbourne and Cape Town. A total of 216 players have joined the competition, the first in history to have FIDE rated games over the internet.

Exactly one of the player moving from thousands kilometers distance is heading the table. This is GM Gawain Jones, who is participating via the ChessCube platform from Melbourne. He has full 2,0/2 points and is sharing the lead woth 29 more players, among which GM Komarov (one of the seconds of Ruslan Ponomariov), IM Simutowe, GM Van Der Nat, IM Kobese, IM Mabusela, etc.

Today is round 3 of the historical competition, you can follow the long distance games online at ChessCube.

Standings

JONES, G ENG ENG 2
KOMAROV, D UKR UKR 2
SIMUTOWE, A ZAM ZAM 2
WANG, P NZL NZL 2
VAN DER NAT, NP RSA RSA 2
MABUSELA, JM RSA RSA 2
MAKOTO, R ZIM ZIM 2
LAWRENCE, G RSA RSA 2
MOSETHLE, KK RSA RSA 2
PERETZ, L RSA RSA 2
DOLE, A RSA RSA 2
PHIRI, R ZAM ZAM 2
SIMUTOWE, M ZAM ZAM 2
VAN RENSBURG, RP RSA RSA 2
RUJEVIC, M AUS AUS 2
THERON, A RSA RSA 2
MARTIN, DL RSA RSA 2
KOBESE, AKW RSA RSA 2
MEINTJES, JC RSA RSA 2
MCCALLUM, B RSA RSA 2
AMINI, D ZIM ZIM 2
WILLENBERG, SR RSA RSA 2
MENYATSOE, BP RSA RSA 2
THERON, PF RSA RSA 2
KOOPSTADT, RT RSA RSA 2
FARLAM, AJ RSA RSA 2
KAO, J RSA RSA 2
DIEDERICKS, M RSA RSA 2
LOUW, LT RSA RSA 2

Official site: www.saopen2009.com

at 7/05/2009 08:19:00 AM

White to move. Is this a win, draw, or loss for White? No computer lines please.

k7/7p/PP3p2/K7/4p1P1/2Rp4/2r5/8 w - - 0 1

at 7/05/2009 08:11:00 AM

Vassily Ivanchuk ends slump
By Jack Peters, International Master
July 5, 2009

Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine drew his last two games to claim first prize in the Kings tournament in Bazna, Romania. Ivanchuk finished with an outstanding score of 7-3 in the double round robin.

Boris Gelfand of Israel took second prize at 6-4, followed by Teimour Radjabov of Azerbaijan and Alexey Shirov of Spain at 5 1/2 -4 1/2 . Former U.S. champion Gata Kamsky and the Romanian representative, Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu, shared last place with winless 3-7 scores.

Ivanchuk, one of the most exciting and least consistent grandmasters, emphatically ended a slump that cost him more than 80 rating points since November. The poor result of Kamsky, one of the steadiest, was the greatest surprise of the tournament.

Candidates matches

Kamsky fared better when the World Chess Federation (FIDE) announced the rules for the Candidates matches which will select the challenger for the 2011 world championship. Kamsky, who lost a February match to Veselin Topalov to determine the current challenger to world champion Viswanathan Anand, will be seeded into the eight-player event.Others will be the loser of the Anand-Topalov match, the winner of November's World Cup, the two top finishers in the 2008-09 Grand Prix, two players chosen by rating and one chosen by the organizer.

FIDE plans to assemble the eight players in one location during the last quarter of 2010. The players will contest three rounds of matches in a period of 23 days. The first two rounds will consist of four-game matches, and the third round will last six games. Ties will be broken with games of 25 minutes or quicker.

This plan improves on the various methods FIDE used to determine challengers since the mid-1990s. The substantial prize fund of 420,000 Euros (about $588,000), with a minimum of 30,000 Euros (about $42,000) to each first-round loser, sounds attractive. However, complications may arise. FIDE has not yet found an organizer for the final tournament of the Grand Prix or for the Anand-Topalov match, which is tentatively slotted for early 2010.

Here is the full article.

at 7/05/2009 08:00:00 AM

OUR GMS MOVE UP
by GM Andy Soltis
Posted: 12:50 am
July 5, 2009

In a rarity in nearly 40 years of international ratings, several Americans are joining the world's elite players.

The international chess federation (FIDE) issues a new rating list every three months, and the July 1 edition shows that the five top US players are among the 100 highest rated -- and three are among the 35 highest rated.

Gata Kamsky, is now 18th in the world, Hikaru Nakamura moved up to 26th place and Alexander Onischuk vaulted to 34th. Nakamura was one of the busiest grandmasters in the world in the past three months, and his successes included winning the US Championship with a Kasparov-like 2807 performance.

Also, Yuri Shulman debuted on the top 100 list at 85th place. And Yasser Seirawan, who had announced his retirement several years ago when he moved to the Netherlands, returned to the top 100 when he won four games in the Dutch team league and advanced to number 93.

Americans have appeared on FIDE's top-rated lists since ratings were introduced in 1970 but there were usually only two or three US players among the elite -- such as when Bobby Fischer, Lubos Kavalek and Robert Byrne -- were in their prime more than 30 years ago.

Source: NY Post

at 7/05/2009 07:48:00 AM

Will Federer break the all-time Grand Slam record with his 15th or will Roddick stop Federer to win his 2nd Grand Slam?

Wimbledon Final will start in 15 minutes.

at 7/05/2009 07:39:00 AM

Antonio, 7 others lead National Open chess
07/05/2009 12:54 PM

MANILA, Philippines – Top seed GM Rogelio Antonio Jr. trounced NM Emmanuel Senador and GM John Paul Gomez whipped NM Edgardo Garma to forge an eight-way tie for the lead after the fourth round of the Victory Central Mall National Open chess championship.

Antonio, who was held to a draw by Rhobel Legaspi in the third round, regained his winning form to subdue Senador while Gomez, who settled for a draw with Allan Macala in the second round, came back strong to beat Garma, raising their score to 3.5 points in the nine-round tournament.

Seventh seed GM Jayson Gonzales also made his presence felt to turn back Legaspi and join the hunt for the top prize of P100,000.

FM Adrian Pacis also created a big surprise as he pulled the rug from under IM Rolando Nolte.

The four players thus join erstwhile leaders IM Richard Bitoon, GM Darwin Laylo, GM Mark Paragua and IM Barlo Nadera in the lead.

Bitoon settled for a draw with Nadera, as did Laylo against Paragua.

All eight players now have 3.5 points out of a possible four.

NM Efren Bagamasbad outclassed Richard de la Cruz, Rolando Andador humbled Melvin Salutan, David Elorta bested Rainier Labay, Ronald Llavanes overpowered FM Leonardo Carlos and Ali Branzuela crushed Efren Arguelles to lead a big group of players with three points.

Also with three points are Alex Millagrosa, who beat Mirham Perez, and unheralded Alvin Divinagracia, who stopped Allan Macala.

IM Chito Garma and Robert Suelo drew their match to lead another batch of players with 2.5 points. - GMANews.TV

at 7/05/2009 07:28:00 AM

Psychiatry calls to chess champion Nelly Estrada

By Erica Molina Johnson / El Paso Times

Posted: 07/05/2009 12:00:00 AM MDT

The patience, foresight and decisiveness that helped Nelly Estrada become a champion chess player promise to help her succeed in medical school and launch a career in psychiatry.

"I have always been fascinated about the way the mind works," said Estrada, 21. "Because I'm a chess player, I like to think about what is happening in our brains, why we think the way we think, why we express the way we express ourselves."

She said psychiatry allows that exploration along with consideration of societal factors, not simply biological phenomena.

Estrada, who was born in El Paso and raised in Juárez, recently graduated from the University of Texas at Brownsville with a bachelor's degree in biology. She attended the school on a chess scholarship.

Her dad taught Estrada how to play chess when she was only 10. She went on to win five Mexican national chess championships and one in the United States.

"(Chess) made me a better decision maker, so I think I can use that to be a better physician. And chess has taught me self-discipline and that you have to work to achieve your goals," she said. "I can use that in every aspect of my life."

In addition to focusing on chess and her studies, Estrada also took steps in Brownsville to prepare for medical school and a career in medicine by working in a pediatrician's office.

"I was doing everything. I worked as a receptionist, as a medical assistant. I was taking vital signs and giving vaccines, drawing blood out and doing influenza tests," she said. "It's going to help me because I'm going to be less nervous because I've done it already."

Estrada hopes to remain in El Paso to practice medicine.

Source: http://www.elpasotimes.com

at 7/05/2009 07:07:00 AM

Magesh wins Montcada title

NEW DELHI: Grandmaster P. Magesh Chandran topped a four-way tie to win the Montcada International Open chess tournament at Montcada, Spain, on Friday.

Magesh, one of the two overnight leaders, drew the ninth and final round with his second seeded compatriot S. Arun Prasad to tally seven points.

The results (ninth round, involving Indians): P. Magesh Chandran (7) drew with S. Arun Prasad (6.5); Jordi Fluvia (Esp, 6.5) bt S. Kidambi (5.5); Tania Sachdev (5) lost to Carlos Burgos (Esa, 6).

Indians standings: 1. Magesh, 11. Arun, 22. Kidambi, 33. Tania.

Source: http://www.hinduonnet.com