Susan Polgar Chess Daily News and Information

Upset chess tactic

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Polgar) — Sat, 26 May 2012 17:34:32 PDT

A major upset occurred. White to move. How should white proceed?

Source: ChessToday.net

China dominates Asian Nations Chess Cup

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Polgar) — Sat, 26 May 2012 17:23:15 PDT

Asian Nations Chess Cup

This event has just finished in Zaozhuang, China with host players dominating the field.

Final Standings after 9 rounds
(match points/individual points):

Men' section:

1. China-1 – 17 (28½),
2. India – 15 (26½),
3. China-2 – 13 (23½)
4. Vietnam – 12 (25½)
5. Iran – 11 (22½)
6. Singapour – 10 (22)
7. Indonesia – 10 (20)
8. Kazakhstan – 9 (17½)
9. Iraq – 9 (17) etc.

14 teams

Women' section:

1. China-1 – 18 (30½)
2. China-2 – 14 (26½)
3. India – 14 (21)
4. China-3 – 11 (20)
5. Vietnam – 8 (18)
6. Iran – 8 (16½)
7. Indonesia – 7 (16) etc.

10 teams

Source: ChessToday.net

WC game 11 video by Chessdom

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Polgar) — Sat, 26 May 2012 17:08:42 PDT

2nd International Chess Tournament of Forni di Sopra

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Polgar) — Sat, 26 May 2012 16:53:06 PDT

2nd International Chess Tournament of Forni di Sopra

The 2nd International Chess Tournament of Forni di Sopra will take place from June 16th to 23rd, 2012, in Forni di Sopra, part of the Friulian Dolomites Natural Park and one of the jewels of the Italian Alps.

Update, 26th May: GM Ivan Salgado from Spain top seeded, many talented female players in the field (list bellow).

Following the tremendous success of the inaugural event in 2011, which was won by GM Carlos Matamoros, Accademia Internazionale di Scacchi, Circolo Scacchistico Udinese, ScacchiRandagi, FSI and Comune Forni di Sopra have decided to continue the chess tradition in the heart of the Dolomites.

The playing hall is the Palasport of Forni di Sopra. The complex includes swimming pool / gym with large and bright conference rooms no more than 5 minutes walking distance from the center.

The A section is available to players with an elo above 2000, 9 rounds Swiss system , time control 90′x 40 moves + 30′ + 30”
The B section is open to players with an elo above 1600 ELO (and lower than 2000 ELO), 8 rounds Swiss system, time control 90′x 40 moves + 30′ + 30 ”
The C section is open to players with an elo under 1600, 8 rounds Swiss system, time control 90′x 40 moves + 30′ + 30 ”

The total prize money amounts to 10,000 Euro. Top three prizes in the Open A are 1400, 900 and 700 EUR respectively.

The arbiters of the tournament will be: IA Antonio Sanchirico, IA Gerhard Bertagnolli and NA Filippo Capizzi.

Players list bellow.

Registration fees are as follows:
• Ordinary Registration: € 55,
• over 60, women, U16 and for players with ELO higher than 2300: € 40,
• free to GM and IM

The tournament will be covered on www.scacchirandagi.com and www.accademiainternazionalediscacchi.com and the top 30 boards will be broadcasted live.

The Ovens Valley is surrounded by the Alps on the north and on the south by the Carnian of the Dolomites Mountains of Friuli, which was recently declared World Heritage location. As an important and popular tourist resort, Forni di Sopra offers a pure environment with many opportunities to practice different sports.

Forni di Sopra is also part of Authentic villages: the houses still retain the typical architecture carnica, evoking the atmosphere of a storybook. Evidence of past history are also present, findings have allowed the participation of UNESCO.

Pre-registered players:

1 GM Salgado Lopez Ivan ESP 2623
2 Tregubov Pavel V GM RUS 2596
3 GM Korneev Oleg ESP 2586
4 GM Leon Hoyos Manuel MEX 2579
5 GM Matamoros Franco Carlos ECU 2548
6 Narciso Dublan Marc GM ESP 2541
7 Alsina Leal Daniel GM ESP 2540
8 GM Mirzoev Azer AZE 2538
9 Dvirnyy Daniyyl IM ITA 2515
10 Rotstein Arkadij GM GER 2512
11 GM Romanishin Oleg UKR 2511
12 IM Naroditsky Daniel USA 2479
13 GM Naumkin Igor RUS 2472
14 Ninov Nikolai IM BUL 2471
15 IM Rombaldoni Axel ITA 2469
16 GM Okhotnik Vladimir FRA 2463
17 Bruno Fabio IM ITA 2447
18 Stella Andrea IM ITA 2441
19 WGM Guramishvili Sopiko GEO 2408
20 Borgo Giulio IM ITA 2395

26th International Open Tournament Pula

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Polgar) — Sat, 26 May 2012 15:29:44 PDT

The Croatian Chess Federation and Chess Club “Pula” are organizing the 26th International Open Tournament Pula 2012 from 9th to 16th June at the Hotel Histria in Pula, Croatia.

Within the short registration period already 256 players are signed to take participation. The tournament will be played over 9 rounds of Swiss system.

The prize fund is 11.000 EUR. First place brings 1400 EUR and there are also many special and class prizes.

Last year winner was GM Aleksandar Kovacevic.

Registered players:

1. GM Zelcic Robert CRO 2560 (Pula Open winner in 2010)
2. GM Drazic Sinisa SRB 2528
3. GM Romero Holmes Alfonso ESP 2521
4. GM Saric Ante CRO 2513
5. GM Martinovic Sasa CRO 2504
6. GM Tratar Marko SLO 2503
7. FM Fodor Tamas Jr HUN 2502
8. GM Jovanic Ognjen CRO 2488
9. GM Fercec Nenad CRO 2460
10. IM Sipos Istvan HUN 2445
11. IM Aguettaz Maxime FRA 2443
12. GM Cebalo Miso CRO 2437
13. IM Genocchio Daniele ITA 2430
14. IM Lizak Peter HUN 2423
15. IM Nguyen Chi-Minh FRA 2419
16. IM Franic Milan CRO 2414
17. IM Geirnaert Steven BEL 2412
18. IM Bedouin Xavier FRA 2402
19. IM Danner Georg AUT 2401
20. FM Medak Bojan CRO 2398

Young people turn out in big numbers

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Polgar) — Sat, 26 May 2012 16:36:07 PDT

Artwork by Mike Magnan

Big turn out in schools chess
Arin Kumar
Sunday, May 27, 2012

THE Fiji Chess Federation is expecting a large number of participants for tomorrow's Primary and Secondary Schools Chess Championship.

The event will be held at the Fiji Association of Sport and National Olympic Committee and organisers are expecting a tough event.

FCF general secretary Teliko Koroi said none of the 'oldies' will participate therefore a 'young' champion will be crowned.

"This is an annual tournament which is dedicated to the student population from Class 1 to Form 7," Koroi said.

"Competition is predicted to be at cut-throat levels as a number of young players have managed to sharpen their skills at the recent Fiji International Open Championship," she said.

She named youngsters like Keez Terubea, Jacqui Masilomani, Ken Fong, Kabrina Terubea, Menash Fareed, Neelam Kumar, Amy Bale, Edwin Pedraverde and Isha Raicker as some players to look out for.

Former national champion Manoj Kumar said even tough chess may look boring, it becomes 'addictive' once played.

"Despite its lack of visual appeal, chess can be a very addictive sport to those who take interest," Kumar said.

"As a school teacher, nothing makes me happier than a group of children playing chess - of course, after their fair share of other physical sports," he said.

Entries are still open for the event and interested players can register before the start of the tournament at 8.15am tomorrow.

Source: http://www.fijitimes.com

Is Online Chess Good For You?

noreply@blogger.com (Online Chess) — Sat, 26 May 2012 15:18:34 PDT

Karpov on Fischer: Volume 1 – The Quest For The Crown!
Posted on May 23, 2012 by GM Ron W Henley in All Articles w/ Videos, Classic Games (Pre 2010), Strategy & Game Review

Introducing the comprehensive 3-Volume DVD set “Karpov on Fischer” – where former World Chess Champion Anatoly Karpov and Grandmaster Ron W. Henley analyze and evaluate the legendary Bobby Fischer’s rise to the chess crown in 1972 and his famous 1992 return match with Boris Spassky. In this DVD series, it is just too easy to sense Karpov’s incredibly deep positional understanding as he explains the reasons behind Fischer’s brilliant moves. GM Henley is no slouch [...]

Is Online Chess Good For You?
Posted on May 26, 2012 by William in General Chess Articles

Technology has changed a lot of things about chess in the last 20-30 years and the best players have learned to successfully evolve with these changes. Looking at our current World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand and the Challenger for the 2012 World Chess Championship, Boris Gelfand, we can clearly see how they have adapted to remain at the pinnacle of chess for the past 2 decades. Vassily Ivanchuk has also set quite an example, as [...]

Live Rapidchess on ICC – Double Fianchetto Game
Posted on May 25, 2012 by William in All Articles w/ Videos, Blitz/Bullet Chess, Strategy & Game Review

Blitz Video #1: WStewart vs rpenquin I decided to open flexibly with Nf3 and c4, and proceeded with a double-fianchetto opening. After 9. …Na6 I tried to seize the initiative with 10. g4!? The position became complicated in the middlegame and I went wrong with 23. e5 – although black did have pressure due to his control of my dark squares (notably f4 and e5). 23. e5 conceded the important d5 square to the black [...]

How to Know When to Sacrifice the Exchange
Posted on May 22, 2012 by William in Classic Games (Pre 2010), General Chess Articles, Strategy & Game Review

So now that we know how awesome it is to create dynamic imbalances from previous articles, we still need to acknowledge that there is an appropriate “time and place” to mix it up with a sacrifice. One of the most frequent sacrifices in chess is the “exchange sacrifice” – an absolute classic sac that can be personified in many different forms. For example, Tigran Petrosian was famous for defensively sacrificing the exchange to construct an [...]

Follow William for fresh daily updates: Follow @OnlineChessLess

National Master Will Stewart specializes in Online Chess Classes and maintains a daily updated Chess Blog with Free Chess Videos.

Is anyone out there listening?

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Polgar) — Sat, 26 May 2012 13:42:00 PDT

World Chess Championships: All India Chess Federation fails to cash in on the duel
V Krishnaswamy Moscow, May 26, 2012 | UPDATED 16:35 IST

Whether or not Boris Gelfand manages to become the first Israeli to win the World Chess Championships in Moscow, the Israeli Chess Federation (ISF) is not missing out on any opportunity to promote the sport in the country.

They are hoping Gelfand's success will do things for their country's chess what Viswanathan Anand's success did for Indian chess. In 1998 Gelfand, born in Minsk, Belarus, moved to Israel, where he is a national chess hero.

While the Israeli federation is trying to cash in on Gelfand's success, the All India Chess Federation (AICF), which has had Anand as their standard- bearer for almost two decades, is not even present in Moscow.

It is also no secret that India's current position and strength in the world chess is largely a byproduct of Anand's success. His success may have fired the imagination of all Indian parents, who in turn supported their children to pursue the sport, but the AICF has time and again failed to cash in on the event.

Over the past one month, each time Gelfand walks from his hotel to the match venue - the Tretyakov Gallery - he is accompanied by Israel chess officials.

Anand, meanwhile, comes to the hall in a car. He is accompanied by members of his hand-picked team, which include his wife, Aruna. Prominent by their absence are AICF officials.

No, Anand does not miss them, simply because they have never been there! One wonders if the AICF has even been in touch with Anand. The news is that an AICF official was planning to come, but his visa was turned down.

An Indian playing for his fifth world championships title would be big for any federation and the AICF could have used it to promote chess. Is anyone out there listening?

Source: http://indiatoday.intoday.in

Chess trivia

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Polgar) — Sat, 26 May 2012 08:55:00 PDT

Can you name this former 2600+ player?

The final 100 meter dash

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Polgar) — Sat, 26 May 2012 07:48:34 PDT

Gelfand earns draw in Game 11 of World Chess Championship
By JPOST.COM STAFF
05/26/2012 17:31

Game 11 of the World Chess Championship between Israel's Boris Gelfand and Viswanathan Anand ended in a draw in Moscow on Saturday leaving the match tied at 5.5-5.5 with only one more game to play.

If the final game ends in a tie as well, the competitors will square off in a series of speed matches to determine a winner.

Source: http://www.jpost.com

Chess work ethic to its highest level

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Polgar) — Sat, 26 May 2012 07:38:33 PDT

High standards credited to Fischer
Saturday May 26, 2012 8:58 AM

Before the rise of Bobby Fischer, international chess — even among the vaunted Soviets — was sometimes a quasi-amateur affair.

Several of the top Soviet grandmasters depended on inspiration rather than diligence and preparation.

In a category of his own was the young Mikhail Tal, whose creative flair at the board astonished and terrified foes. Often, he seemed to make up his game as he went along.

His moves weren’t always correct, but, in the hurly-burly of struggle, they were effective. He became world champion at 24.

At the other extreme were players such as Fischer, Efim Geller and Viktor Korchnoi: harbingers of a more radical work ethic to come, laboring with little respite at the chess grindstone.

Mikhail Botvinnik set a new standard for preparation and performance.

But it was the young American, Fischer, who raised the professional banner and chess work ethic to its highest level.

As he explained to fellow grandmaster Larry Evans, Fischer focused on the game, consciously or unconsciously, 24 hours a day.

The previous bohemian approach to chess is no longer workable. This is, as some older grandmasters wistfully and woefully explain, largely both the contribution and the curse of Robert James Fischer.

Shelby Lyman is a Basic Chess Features columnist.

Source: http://www.dispatch.com

Unhappy Nakamura?

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Polgar) — Sat, 26 May 2012 07:20:00 PDT

Book and Twitter

Edition Olms has published a book titled Figthing Chess with Hikaru Nakamura by Karsten
Müller/Raymund Stolze.

GM Nakamura's reaction on Twitter suggests that he is not really happy:

"It is truly disgusting that people are allowed to write books and profit off of our games without our permission".

Source: ChessToday.net

More practical chess tactic

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Polgar) — Sat, 26 May 2012 17:29:10 PDT

Black to move and win.

Source: ChessToday.net

35th Ikaros International Chess Tournament

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Polgar) — Sat, 26 May 2012 07:52:57 PDT

The 35th Ikaros International Chess Tournament 2012, Aegean Open Championship 2012, will take place on 7-15th July in Agios Kirykos, Ikaria island, Greece.

Venue: Athletic Center of Agios Kirykos, Ikaria island , Greece.
Dates: 7-15 July 2012.
Playing System: Nine (9) Rounds Swiss. FIDE rules apply.

Rate of play:
Ninety (90) minutes plus 30 seconds per move (from move 1) for the completion of the game for each player. Players that do not show up for their game after one (1) hour from the official start of a round are be forfeited.

Schedule:
1st Round: Saturday 07/7 7.00 p.m.
2nd Round: Sunday 08/7 7.00 p.m.
3rd Round: Monday 09/7 11.00 a.m.
4th Round: Monday 09/7 7.00 p.m.
5th Round: Tuesday 10/7 7.00 p.m.
6th Round: Wednesday 11/7 7.00 p.m.
7th Round: Thursday 12/7 7.00 p.m.
8th Round: Friday 13/7 7.00 p.m.
9th Round: Saturday 14/7 11.00 a.m.
Prize Giving: Sunday 15/7 11.00 a.m.

Tie-breaks: 1. Bucholtz
2. Median Bucholtz
3. Number of wins
4. Sum of progressive scores

Prizes:
The prizes will be € 3000 in total and will be shared as follows:

General Standings: Special Categories:
1st winner € 800 1st Lady € 300
2nd winner € 500 2nd Lady € 160
3rd winner € 200 3rd Lady € 100
4th winner € 160 4th Lady € 60
5th winner € 130 5th Lady € 30
6th winner € 100 1st Veteran € 130
7th winner € 80 2nd Veteran € 80
8th winner € 60 3rd Veteran € 40
9th winner € 40
10th winner € 30

Important Note 1: The female and veteran players, who are eligible for two money-prizes (general standings and special category), receive both prizes, one from the general standings and one from the special category. Cup prizes and medals will be awarded to all winners of the tournament. Medals will also be awarded to the three best juniors and girls in the categories below 20, 18, 16, 14, 12, 10, 08 years of age.

Important Note 2: The money-prizes are divided according to the Hort system among the players with the same final score. (With Hort system every player gets first 50% of the prizes according to his rank. The other 50% are distributed uniformly within a scoregroup over the players).

More info here: http://www.chessdom.com/35th-ikaros-international-chess-tournament/

Gelfand - Anand game 11 LIVE!

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Polgar) — Sat, 26 May 2012 06:55:06 PDT

Live chess broadcast powered by ChessBomb and Chessdom

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O 5. Bd3 d5 6. Nf3 c5 We have the Nimzo Indian again.

7. O-O dxc4 8. Bxc4 Bd7 This is a rare move. It seems that Anand wants to stay away from the main line. Gelfand is spending a considerable amount of time with this next move. He is surprised with 8...Bd7. I believe Korchnoi and Yusupov played it in the past but it is only on rare occasions. This is crunch time so Gelfand is being extra cautious. He knows that Anand has a surprise for him so he's trying not to go deeper into it. Something like 9. Qe2 is too normal. So I expect him to try something unusual like 9. a3.

9. a3 Ba5 10. Qe2 Bc6 11. Rd1 Bxc3 Black cannot play 11...Nbd7 because of 12. d5. Therefore, he must give up his Bishop

12. bxc3 Nbd7 Now I believe that both players are on their own. 13. Bd3 Qa5 Once again, Gelfand has the Bishop pair. Unfortunately for him, the Bishop on c1 is kind of useless right now.

Not sure what Anand has in mind to allow but I'm not buying it. 14. e4 is my pick.

14. c4 Gelfand is nervous about getting into a sharper 14. e4 to allow Qxc3. I don't blame him since it is his final white game and it's really crunch time. If this would have been in a regular tournament game, I think Gelfand would have done it.

14...cxd4 15. exd4 I like white here +=

15...Qh5 16. Bf4 If Anand chooses to, we can see Knights vs Bishops again.

16...Rac8 Anand wants to keep his Bishop longer. Gelfand is back to his deep thinking mode after 16...Rac8. He's way down on time.

17. Ne5 Qxe2 18. Bxe2 Nxe5 19. Bxe5 Rfd8 20. a4 Now 20...Ne4 and the position is equal. Black should have no problem holding this game.

20...Ne4 21. Rd3 The idea of 21...f6, followed by Be8 can prove tricky for white.

21... f6 22. Bf4 Be8 It is still technically equal but white must be careful, something which is hard to do in time pressure.

23. Rb3 and now if Rxd4 24. Be3 Nc5 25. Rxb7 Nxb7 26. Bxd4 =

23...Rd4 24. Be3 Rd7 1/2

Anand will have white in the final game. If no progress is made, they will head into the rapid / blitz playoff.

Special chess tactic

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Polgar) — Fri, 25 May 2012 23:27:02 PDT

White to move. Does White have enough compensation for the pawn? How would you proceed as White?

Women’s World Rapid and Blitz Championship 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Polgar) — Fri, 25 May 2012 23:22:21 PDT

Artwork by Mike Magnan

The Women’s World Rapid and Blitz Championship 2012 will be held from 30th May to 6th June at the Sheraton Hotel, Batumi, Georgia.

The event is organized and conducted by the ACP and the Georgian Chess Federation and approved by FIDE.

Format
Rapid Swiss, 11 rounds
Blitz Swiss, 15 rounds

Time control
Rapid 25 min + 10 seconds
Blitz 4 min + 2 seconds

FIDE Rules for Rapid Chess and FIDE Rules for blitz are applied.
Zero tolerance rule will not be applied.
The game is lost by the player who arrives at the chessboard after her flag has fallen.

Right of participation

Every female player with the Elo of 2500+ in one of the official FIDE rating lists as well as all former World Champions and Olympic Champions have the personal right to participate in the Championship.

Besides, every national federation can nominate one player for participation in the Championship. In addition, up to five more players can be nominated from the same federation, provided they have Elo of 2300+ in one of the official FIDE rating lists in 2012.

Georgian Chess Federation will get three additional wild cards as a host of the event.

Schedule

30 May – Arrival, Opening Ceremony, Technical meeting.
31 May – Rapid (rounds 1-3) 15:00, 17:00, 19:00
1 June – Rapid (rounds 4-6) 15:00, 17:00, 19:00
2 June – Rapid (rounds 7-9) 15:00, 17:00, 19:00
3 June – Rapid (rounds 10-11) 15:00, 17:00
4 June – Blitz (rounds 1-8) 15:00, 15:30, 16:00, etc…
5 June – Blitz (rounds 9-15), 15:00, 15:30, 16:00, etc… Closing Ceremony.
6 June – Departure

Prizes

The total prize fund of the two events of 100.000 (one hundred thousand) USD is distributed as follows:

Rapid:
1st place 12000 USD
2nd place 9000 USD
3rd place 7000 USD
4th place 6000 USD
5th place 5000 USD
6th place 4000 USD
7th – 8th place 3000 USD each
9th – 10th place 2000 USD each
11th – 12th place 1500 USD each
13th – 15th place 1000 USD each

Blitz:
1st place 10000 USD
2nd place 7000 USD
3rd place 5000 USD
4th place 4000 USD
5th place 3000 USD
6th place 2000 USD
7th – 10th place 1500 USD each
11th – 13th place 1000 USD each
14th – 15th place 500 USD each

In case of a tie, all prizes will be split equally, except for the first prize.
In case of a tie for the first place, the tie-break will be played among the two players with the highest Median Buchholz.
The details of the tie-break match will be announced at the technical meeting.
In case of a tie for the second and third places, the medals will be awarded based on the Median Buchholz.

The winners of the Championships will be declared Women’s World Rapid Champion-2012 and Women’s World Blitz Champion-2012 respectively.

Accommodation

All the players who have a personal right of participation will be provided with the full board accommodation in the Sheraton Hotel, Batumi.

All other participants are free to choose from the variety of the hotels in Batumi.
The organizers will offer a special price for the official hotel(s).

The information will be published on the official website www.e2e4.ge

Confirmation of participation

All the participants should confirm their participation not later than May 1st, 2012.
Late registration might be approved only by the special decision of the organizing committee.

Contact information

Director of the Championship, George Giorgadze, giorgadze_g@yahoo.com

Technical director, Akaki Iashvili, akaki.iashvili@yahoo.com / tel: +995577414121

An evening at the St. Louis Opera

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Polgar) — Sat, 26 May 2012 16:02:12 PDT

Attending the Opera Carmen with Webster University President Stroble (at the St. Louis Opera which locates at the charming campus of Webster University)

The theater stage of the St. Louis Opera, the same stage which the participants of the 9th Annual SP Girls' Invitational will play on

Dominguez is Cuban Chess Champion

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Polgar) — Sat, 26 May 2012 17:12:59 PDT

GM Leinier Dominguez Perez won the 2012 edition of the Cuban Chess Championship. Dominguez won against Lazaro Bruzon in the final match with the score 1,5-0,5, taking the full point with white in a 38 mover Ruy Lopez game.

This is the fourth title for Dominguez after his succeses in 2002, 2003, and 2006. It also interrupts the serie of GM Bruzon who won the event in 2004, 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2010.

Third place in the competition was for GM Yuniesky Quesada who finished 1-1 with GM Isam Ortiz, but won the 15 minutes tiebreak rapid game.

The next big competition for Dominguez is Biel Chess 2012, you can read all about his success in the Spanish version of Chessdom.

Dominguez – Bruzon 1-0

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8 9. h3 Bd7 10. Rd1 Kc8 11. g4 Ne7 12. Ng5 Be8 13. f4 h5 14. Kg2 hxg4 15. hxg4 f6 16. Ne6 Bd7 17. Nxf8 Rxf8 18. f5 fxe5 19. Re1 c5 20. Rxe5 Nc6 21. Rxc5 Re8 22. Nc3 b6 23. Rd5 Nb4 24. Rd2 g6 25. fxg6 Bxg4 26. a3 Nc6 27. Rd5 Ne7 28. Rg5 Bd7 29. Bf4 Bc6+ 30. Kg1 Rh8 31. Bh2 Kb7 32. g7 Rhg8 33. Rf1 Rae8 34. Rf7 Kc8 35. Nb5 Bxb5 36. Rxb5 Kd7 37. Re5 Kd8 38. Bf4 1-0

Find the best continuation

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Polgar) — Sat, 26 May 2012 06:52:58 PDT

White to move. How should white proceed?

Source: ChessToday.net

Try to win with black?

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Polgar) — Fri, 25 May 2012 14:42:44 PDT

Anand should try to win with dark-coloured pieces
Hari Hara Nandanan, TNN | May 26, 2012, 02.43AM IST

CHENNAI: The Grandmasters are already talking about the tie breaks in the World Chess Championship in Moscow and the chess fraternity is divided in its opinion about the calibre of the contestants but the defending champion Viswanathan Anand and the challenger Boris Gelfand know the rapid tiebreak games are still miles away.

Two big games - on Saturday and Monday - are still remaining in the match.

Anand and Gelfand are likely to continue their safety-first policy in these last two games as they are aware of the consequences of one loss in a two-game match.

Anand's World Chess Championship games since 2007 show that he is the only one to have won with black pieces and he will have black in Game 11. His match against Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria was decided on the last black and for the record, even his crushing defeat of Vladimir Kramnik of Russia in 2008 started with two black wins in Games 3 and 5.

It is difficult to predict who'll have the edge in the rapids because reputation does not mean much in those time-controls. Anand had found this the hard way in both his tiebreaker matches against Kamsky (1994) and Karpov (1998).

The chess lovers don't seem to be happy that too many games are drawn without any fight; they are also upset over the amount of theory that is being summoned to the table to drift the games into unchartered territory.

Curiously, both the players seemed reluctant to get into a contest over the board and were content to try their home preparations.

Game 10 was typical of this theoretical debate. The interesting part was that black could surprise white with a novelty as early as Move Five and the credit for that should go to Gelfand.

"It's always pleasant to apply a novelty on move 5. It doesn't happen every day," commented Gelfand later. "I liked the series of moves where black attacks the knight four times in a row. Black should play precisely but I think the position holds, which I actually demonstrated."

Yet, the novelties do not bring wins for their masters, which is a huge concern. Probably, this match will be remembered for the ideas that black, in general, brought to the board for getting equality. It remains to be seen whether Anand can recreate his black magic in Game 11 to break this trend.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Does India deserve an Anand?

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Polgar) — Fri, 25 May 2012 12:29:02 PDT

Viswanathan Anand: The lone warrior
Friday , May 25, 2012 at 17 : 40

The IPL is in its final stages and the cricket mad citizens are keenly watching the playoffs. As the country catches onto the cricket frenzy, coincidentally there is something else also happening in another part of the world. Perhaps the greatest sportsperson India has ever produced is fighting a World Championship battle in the wilderness of Moscow. Vishy Anand is fighting yet again and as always we don't give too much attention to him. Why? Is this indifference because of our obsession with a single sport?

At the outset I like to put a couple of things into perspective. First, chess is a sport which is played in over 100 countries and has been dominated by Russians for decades. Second, Anand is a phenomenon who broke this stranglehold of the Russians (after Fischer in 72) on the World Chess scene. In Indian lingo, terminologies such as phenomenon are used at frequent intervals but in Anand's case, he fully justifies the meaning of the word. 4 times World Chess Champion in all formats of the game, India's youngest and first Grandmaster, multiple Chess Oscar winner; you name an accolade in the world of chess, Anand has done it. In a game which is played across almost every country in the world, this man has single handedly transgressed the global mind field and emerged triumphant touchwood on almost all occasions. Such is the magnitude of achievement of Anand but do we bother to even acknowledge it?

The counter argument to the lack of popularity of sports like chess is that people are not aware of the intricacies of the game. This to my mind is not convincing. Its an excuse which has little credence because we follow lots of games that we don't understand much. We didn't understand cricket till we are taught how to play the game by the colonial masters. It is so ironical that Chess, being first played in erstwhile India, cannot be understood by the Indians themselves! Like all other sports, familiarity comes with an intention to learn the basics of the game. This intention to learn about other sports comes from an ability to evolve as a narrow minded sporting society to a diverse multi-faceted sporting powerhouse. Sadly, this single sport obsession reflects a large picture about out social development.

This trend reflects a lot more about our society. Our obsession with cricket, which ironically the white man enslaved us into, has turned into a farce for any other sport in India. Like any other sport, chess is no exception to this trend in India. Have you ever wondered, why do most developed economies are accomplished in a wide array of sports? Why do so many world beaters come from such countries with smaller population in comparison to India? A developed and a progressive society are reflected in the diversity of sports that specific country caters to. Sadly, our state of sporting affairs has been so single minded that the idea of other sports entering into the fray is simply not acceptable. Even in our news, such major occurrences are by lines unless someone wins something big. This attitude of single sport melodrama leaves us not only regressive and narrow minded individuals but also deprives people like Anand their due.

It infuriates me at times, when I see frivolous headlines completely overwhelming such a major event involving a world class Indian. I have followed all of Anand's championship wins from his loss to Kasparov a couple of decades ago. It ached hard when he lost to Karpov so narrowly in 1999. I was overjoyed when he beat Shirov to be World Champ in 2000. The icing on the cake was when he thumped Kramnik in 2008 so convincingly. In all these instances, the gentlemanly demeanour of the World Champion was so elegant that you just were in awe of the man. His demeanor in itself is a tribute to India as much as his world titles are. Again, in all these world champ cycles, he was neither given the attention nor the due that he so truly deserves. The wider question of improving the state of chess in India needs to answer other questions. Questions such as how much are we willing to bother about other sports? How much is corporate India helping people like Anand out in his sponsorship?

Most importantly why is it always back page news when IPL wannabes throng the first pages? These questions require a separate post to analyze and answer them. Beyond these detailed questions lies a fundamental point that I want to address here.

My point in this post is very simple. In an age where playing for the country has been trivialized, here is a sportsperson who has succeeded despite the system in such an emphatic manner. All we can do is show him the respect that he deserves and the consistent support that he requires to achieve what he wants to.

When Kasparov was the World Champ for years, he was the toast of Russia for decades. When Bobby Fischer won in 72, he was hailed as the captain who spearheaded the intellectual shift from the Soviet Union to the US. When Anand wins, a couple of gala functions would take place and after that we would forget him till he wins his next World Championship, that's how our hero is treated in India.

Sometimes, I do ask myself "Does India deserve an Anand?" The answer sadly is not always a yes, hopefully things change.

Source: http://ibnlive.in.com

One championship team welcomes another

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Polgar) — Fri, 25 May 2012 12:15:43 PDT

Meeting the Queen… of Chess
St. Louis Business Journal by Ellen Sherberg , Publisher
Date: Friday, May 25, 2012, 1:49pm CDT

Susan Polgar knows her moves whether they’re around the chess board, the baseball diamond or the world according to Webster University.

As the winner of four women’s world championships, she is a living legend in the chess universe. It’s a legend she started to craft at the age of 4 (yes, 4!) when she won the Budapest Championship for Girls under 11 with a perfect score of 10-0!

Ranked No. 1 in the U.S., Queen Susan, as I like to think of her, charmed the crowd at a reception earlier this week that welcomed her and her team to Webster University. They had been at Texas Tech which could no longer maintain funding.

But you know how it is in St. Louis… we like champions so Webster wooed and won.

Those other champions with the birds on the bat played a role, too. As Queen Susan explained, she and family were trying to decide whether to stay in Texas or pick up their pawns and move across the board. It was Oct. 28 and the Cardinals were playing the Texas Rangers, so the kids suggested that whichever team became world champions should determine where the next move would take place.

You know how that turned out!

One championship team welcomes another as the Webster Chess Team will include new members from all over the world.

As you can probably tell by now, I know very little about chess… but I can certainly recognize royalty and appreciate that Susan Polgar will up the game for all of us in St. Louis.

Source: http://www.bizjournals.com

World Championship Video Report by Europe Echecs

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Polgar) — Fri, 25 May 2012 05:58:16 PDT

Practical chess tactic

noreply@blogger.com (Susan Polgar) — Thu, 24 May 2012 20:56:43 PDT

White to move. How should white proceed?

Source: ChessToday.net