Grischuk Wins ACP Chess Rapid Knockout 2013 in Riga

Grandmaster Alexander Grischuk of Russia has won the fifth edition of the ACP Rapid Knockout Cup - 2013 in Riga, Latvia. The final match Grischuk-Nepomniachtchi reached the Armageddon stage, after the players drew both rapid games after exciting fight, and later exchanged the victories in the blitz games. In the final game, Grischuk gained an advantage in the opening, and emerged victorious.

Ian Nepomniachtchi plays 44. ...Kf4. Grischuk went for 45. QxRg7. Can you see a spot another great continuation for Grischuk?

Grischuk, Alexander - Nepomniachtchi, Ian

Result: 1-0

Site: Riga

Date: 2013.09.15

[...] 1.d4 ♘f6 2.c4 g6 3.♘f3 ♗g7 4.e3 O-O 5.♗e2 d5 6.cxd5 ♘xd5 7.e4 ♘b6 8.O-O ♗g4 9.♘bd2 ♘c6 10.d5 ♘b8 11.a4 c6 12.a5 ♘6d7 13.h3 ♗xf3 14.♘xf3 ♘f6 15.♕b3 ♕c8 16.♗g5 ♘xe4 17.♗xe7 ♖e8 18.d6 ♘xd6 19.♗xd6 ♖xe2 20.♘g5 ♕d7 21.♖ae1 ♖xb2 22.♕c4 ♘a6 23.♖e7 ♕f5 24.♖xf7 ♕d5 25.♖xg7+ ♔xg7 26.♕c3+ ♔g8 27.♕xb2 ♕xd6 28.♕xb7 ♘c7 29.♘e4 ♕e5 30.♕xc6 ♖f8 31.♕c4+ ♔g7 32.♖d1 ♖f7 33.♘c5 h5 34.f3 ♕e3+ 35.♔h1 ♕f2 36.♕c3+ ♔h7 37.♖d8 ♖g7 38.♘e4 ♕f1+ 39.♔h2 ♕b5 40.♘f6+ ♔h6 41.♖h8+ ♔g5 42.♘e4+ ♔f4 43.♕xg7

43.g3+ ♔f5 44.♕f6# (0:00:00),42...Kf4 Yes it's checkmate in two! But any way, Grischuk is winning all the way since quite some time.

43...♘d5 44.♕d4 and Nepomniachtchi resigned!

Earlier, Grischuk knocked out Peter Svidler and Nepomniachtchi knocked out Ponomariov in the semi-finals. The final match was commented jointly by Grandmasters Alexei Shirov (who was replaced by GM Artur Neiksans during the tie-break) and Emil Sutovsky. All the photos and videos are available on the official website: www.acp-cup.com. The ACP Cup was organised by the Association of Chess Professionals together with the Latvian Chess Federation. The venue for the tournament is provided by Rietumu Bank, which has one of the best premises in Riga for hosting exhibitions, auctions and other cultural and intellectual events. The bank is also participating in the financing of the tournament.

The Association of Chess Professionals (ACP) is a not-for-profit organisation, whose main purpose is the protection of chess professionals’ rights and the practice and promotion of chess worldwide, in particular through the organisation of chess tournaments and other chess events. (All photos by Lennart Ootes).

* ACP Rapid Chess in Riga: Spectacular Knockout with 16 Fighters Sept 13-15
* ACP Rapid Chess Riga Day 1: Three Easy Knockout Punches to Enjoy

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Exciting ACO World Amateur Chess Championship 2014 in Rhodes

Do you love chess and can play it well? Even if you're caught up in your profession the year round, this is one chess tournament that you would hate to miss. You can become a world chess champion (in your category) as well! By now already more than 180 players have registered. 

Save your Early Bird offer till 15 September 2013! 

After that date the prices will increase by 50 EUR per person! The last edition was booked out already several months prior to the start of the tournament,
therefore an early decision is recommended.

Through this link you can find all information in PDF format:
http://www.amateurchess.com/world-amateur-chess-championship-rhodes-2014/Deutsch: http://www.amateurchess.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/rhodes_deutsch.pdf
Русский: http://www.amateurchess.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/rhodes_russian.pdf
Español: http://www.amateurchess.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/rhodes_espanol.pdf
ελληνικά: http://www.amateurchess.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/rhodes_greek.pdf

Here you can find the full regulations: http://www.amateurchess.com/world-amateur-chess-championship-rhodes-2014/

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ACP Rapid Chess Riga Day 1: Three Easy Knockout Punches to Enjoy

There was exciting chess on the first day of the ACP Rapid Chess Cup in the art gallery of Rietumu Bank in Riga. The live commentary was followed by local chess fans and thousands of spectators online at the official website.

Here are the results:
Grischuk - Fressinet : 3:1 (on the blitz tie-break)
Mamedyarov-Kovalenko: 1.5:0.5
Nepomniachtchi - Moiseenko: 1.5:0.5
Svidler - Jakovenko : 1.5:0.5
Radjabov - Shirov : 1.5:0.5
Malakhov - Eljanov : 1.5:0.5
Ponomariov - Morozevich: 1.5:0.5
Wojtaszek - Ivanchuk : 1.5:0.5
  

Photos: Lennart Ootes

Saturday pairings for the 1/4 final:
Click to WATCH LIVE India 4.30 pm

Grishuk - Wojtaszek (at 14:00 Riga time = 13:00 CET)
Mamedyarov - Ponomariov (18:00 Riga time = 17:00 CET)
Nepomniachtchi - Malakhov (18:00 Riga time = 17:00 CET)
Svidler- Radjabov (14:00 Riga time = 13:00 CET)

*India is 2 1/2 hours ahead of Riga

Here are three knockout punches to enjoy from Day 1 at the ACP Rapid Chess Cup

Svidler - Jakovenko 1-0
Black just played 53... Rf5. Why is that a blunder?

Ivanchuk - Wojtaszek 0-1
Black just attacked the White Rook on e1 with Bc3. White saved the Rook to e2. Was that correct?

Kovalenko - Mamedyarov 0-1
White has resigned in a well-known position. Do you know how to win from here?

Answers 

A: 1.Ke4+ Ke6 forced protecting Rook 2.Rd6 winning

B: Even though White is in a squeeze, Re2 loses immediately as the Knight on d3 goes. Better would have been Rd1. The game progressed 1.Re2 f5 2.Bf3 Qxd3
C: You don't even need to struggle with the Lucena position in this as Black just needs to keep the White King cut off and take the King down to the support of the g-pawn and roll it down to Queen.

Yes, it's all about the basics! You can do it too with your chess!

- Zainab Raza Undulusi

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What's Carlsen Doing in St Louis?

The strongest chess tournament in US history, the Sinquefield Cup, is underway in Saint Louis. World's top two Grandmasters are locked in battle with America's top two Grandmasters. The players are  Hikaru Nakamura, Gata Kamsky, Levon Aronian and Magnus Carlsen. Here is a curtainraiser video with former American women's chess champion, Jennifer Shahade.

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ACP Rapid Chess in Riga: Spectacular Knockout with 16 Fighters Sept 13-15

We have an extended weekend of some spectacular chess coming up! Beginning Friday, 16 of the world's best chess fighters will go after a haul of $75,000 at the ACP Chess Cup 2013 in Riga, Latvia. The format is an exciting knockout one with time controls of two games of 25 minutes each (increment 10 seconds).

Venue: Rietumu bank headquarters:

7 Vesetas St., Riga, LV-1013

ACP Chess Cup Live India Time at official website: India time 4.30 pm. 

The Association of Chess Professionals, along with the Latvian Chess Society, is holding the event in Riga, Latvia, from September 12 to 15. The opening ceremony was held Thursday evening, so the games begin Friday. Who would you like to put your chips on (listed according to rapid rating order)?

Blitz Specialist: Alexander Grischuk - With his chess play endorsed by none other than the legendary Garry Kasparov, this Russian Grandmaster can easily call himself a blitz specialist. He has won the Chess World Blitz Championship twice (2006, 2012) and, at one time, had the highest blitz rating on the Internet Chess Club. 

Federation: Russia
Birth Date: October 31, 1983
Birth Place: Moscow, Russia
Residence: Moscow, Russia / Odessa, Ukraine
Title: Grandmaster since 2000
World ranking: 4
FIDE Rating: 2785
World Rapid ranking: 2
FIDE Rapid Rating: 2830

Aggressive Sharp-Shooter: Shakhriyar Mamedyarov - The reigning Chess World Rapid Champion is a sharpshooter who virtually ran away with the crown scoring 11.5 out of 15 in Khanty Mansiysk in June this year. He's aggressive, has strong instincts and is daring enough to innovate in the openings. 

Federation: Azerbaijan
Birth Date: April 12, 1985
Birth Place: Sumgayit, Azerbaijan
Residence: Sumgayit, Azerbaijan
Title: Grandmaster since 2002
World ranking: 7
FIDE Rating: 2775
World Rapid ranking: 4
FIDE Rapid Rating: 2822
 

Wolf Incognito: Ian Nepomniachtchi - Another of those young Grandmasters brought up in the rich traditions of Russian chess, don't go by his animated conversations and sweet looks. Given the chance, he devours the enemy with relish. Former European and Russian champion he has also worked with World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen. 

Federation: Russia
Birth Date: July 14, 1990
Birth Place: Bryansk, Russia
Residence: Moscow, Russia
Title: Grandmaster since 2007
World ranking: 29
FIDE Rating: 2717

World Rapid ranking: 6
FIDE Rapid Rating: 2804

Petersburg's Hard-Hitter: Peter Svidler - The six-time Russian champion plays chess like Sachin Tendulkar bats. He even uses the handle Tendulkar on the Internet Chess Club. Svidler is a Chess960 specialist who can play any endgame - the most recent and spotlight hogging one being the destruction of Magnus Carlsen at the London Chess Candidates 2013 in the last round. When in form, Svidler only hits sixes.... er.. checkmates.

Federation: Russia
Birth Date: June 17, 1976
Birth Place: Saint Petersburg, Russia
Residence: Saint Petersburg, Russia
Title: Grandmaster since 1994
World ranking: 15
FIDE Rating: 2746
World Rapid ranking: 10
FIDE Rapid Rating: 2761

Pawn Squeezer: Teimour Radjabov - A King's Indian expert, the youngster from Baku who, in Linares 2003, not yet 16 years old, became the first player in seven years to beat the legendary Garry Kasparov with the black pieces in a rated game, a feat no one repeated before Kasparov's retirement two years later. He's also an ACP Rapid Cup from Odessa, 2008. He knows how to squeeze out a win after capitalizing on minor advantages. 

Federation: Azerbaijan
Birth Date: March 12, 1987
Birth Place: Baku, Azerbaijan
Residence: Baku, Azerbaijan
Title: Grandmaster since 2001
World ranking: 21
FIDE Rating: 2733
World Rapid ranking: 11
FIDE Rapid Rating: 2760

Nuke Button: Vladimir Malakhov - The nuclear physicist-turned-chess player brings the same meticulous calculation and deep study to the chess board as to his earlier profession. Give this Russian a chance, and he will finish you mercilessly. He's the button on a nuclear warship, just don't press.
Federation: Azerbaijan
Birth Date: March 12, 1987
Birth Place: Baku, Azerbaijan
Residence: Baku, Azerbaijan
Title: Grandmaster since 2001
World ranking: 21
FIDE Rating: 2733
World Rapid ranking: 11
FIDE Rapid Rating: 2760

Complicated Chameleon: Alexander Morozevich - Confuse them first then kill them! This Russian talent likes to complicate even simple positions much to the chagrin of his opponents. He dares use even the most unpopular openings in top-level chess without any fear of defeat. A difficult opponent to prepare in battle for, Morozevich is the powerhouse that went up to be World No. 2 at one time. He enjoys gambits and is a Chigorin Defense specialist.

Federation: Russia
Birth Date: July 18, 1977
Birth Place: Moscow, Russia
Residence: Moscow, Russia
Title: Grandmaster since 1994
World ranking: 18
FIDE Rating: 2739
World Rapid ranking: 16
FIDE Rapid Rating: 2742

Anand Ally: Radoslaw Wojtaszek - He has been one of the four seconds to World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand since his successful title defence match against Vladimir Kramnik in October 2008, also assisting him in defending his title in April–May 2010 against Veselin Topalov and in May 2012 against Boris Gelfand. No one is going to take him lightly what with his access to the World Champion's dossier.

Federation: Poland
Birth Date: January 13, 1987
Birth Place: Elbląg, Poland
Residence: Elbląg, Poland

Title: Grandmaster since 2005
World ranking: 47
FIDE Rating: 2701
World Rapid ranking: 19
FIDE Rapid Rating: 2735

Unpredictable Alter-Ego: Vassily Ivanchuk - Possibly the most unpredictable Grandmaster in the world. He can lose easily, or beat even the strongest... specifically the likes of Carlsen and Kramnik. If it were not for Ivanchuk's exploits at the London Chess Classic this year, Viswanathan Anand might as well be defending his crown against someone else instead of Carlsen. You never know which Ivanchuk will show up at the board: The killer, or the killed! Either way, you know he's going to affect the final standings.

Federation: Ukraine
Birth Date: March 18, 1969
Birth Place: Kopychyntsi, Ukraine
Residence: Lviv, Ukraine
Title: Grandmaster since 1988
World ranking: 22FIDE Rating: 2731
World Rapid ranking: 24
FIDE Rapid Rating: 2725

Attacking Tiger: Ruslan Ponomariov - A former FIDE World Chess Champion, his opening repertoire is an attacking one. An attacking tiger, Ponomariov goes into battle all cylinders firing. This youngest Grandmaster in the world at one time, never hesitates to experiment. 

Federation: Ukraine
Birth Date: October 11, 1983
Birth Place: Horlivka, Ukrainian
Residence: Kiev, Ukraine
Title: Grandmaster since 1998
World ranking: 14
FIDE Rating: 2756
World Rapid ranking: 25

Hard-nut-to-Crack GM: Pavel Eljanov -  A steady player who relishes positional chess and savours creative combinations, Pavel Eljanov has made steady progress up the FIDE world rankings, and on the September 2010 FIDE Elo rating list, Eljanov had a rating of 2761, making him number 1 in Ukraine and number 6 in the world. In May 2010, he won the Astrakhan FIDE Grand Prix with a score of 8/13. He's going to be a hard nut to crack at the ACP event.

Federation: Ukraine

Birth Date: May 10, 1983
Birth Place: Kharkov, Ukraine
Residence: Kharkov, Ukraine
Title: Grandmaster since 2001
World ranking: 42
FIDE Rating: 2706
World Rapid ranking: 29
FIDE Rapid Rating: 2712

Home-Crowd Favourite: Alexei Shirov - Alexei Dmitrievich Shirov is a Soviet-born Latvian chess Grandmaster and the home crowd is going to be cheering for him for sure. He has consistently ranked among the world's top players since the early 1990s, and reached a ranking as high as number four in 1998. Shirov is also a well-regarded chess author. To him also the credit of helping bring the tournament to Riga.
Federation: Latvia

Birth Date: July 4, 1972
Birth Place: Riga, Latvia
Residence: Riga, Latvia
Title: Grandmaster since 1990
World ranking: 55
FIDE Rating: 2696
World Rapid ranking: 39
FIDE Rapid Rating: 2706

Stubborn Samurai: Laurent Fressinet -  As stubborn as they come. He's in the record books for playing the longest rapid chess game during a tournament in the world against 12th Women's World Chess Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk. A former French and European champion, he's recently rubbed shoulders and tossed pieces with World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen. He's armed to the teeth, in good form and raring to go.

Federation: France
Birth Date: November 1, 1981
Birth Place: Dax, France
Residence: Paris, France
Title: Grandmaster since 2000
World ranking: 38
FIDE Rating: 2708
World Rapid ranking: 46
FIDE Rapid Rating: 2690

Dark Horse: Dmitry Jakovenko -  This Russian Grandmaster has learned chess from Garry Kasparov's former trainer Alexander Nikitin. He's been the world u-18 champion and, at one time, was ranked number one in Russia ahead of Vladimir Kramnik. A believer in modern chess ideas built on traditional Russian chess theory, he could be the surprise horse to back in the ACP Cup race.

Federation: Russia
Birth Date: June 29, 1983
Birth Place: Omsk, Russia
Residence: Nizhnevartovsk and Moscow, Russia
Title: Grandmaster since 2001
World ranking: 23
FIDE Rating: 2724
World Rapid ranking: 53
FIDE Rapid Rating: 2678

Laser Precise: Alexander Moiseenko - Reigning European Chess Champion, this Grandmaster from Ukraine has a string of tournament victories to his credit from Istanbul to Edmonton to Montreal and more. He brings to the table laser precision in play and could be the nemesis of higher-rated players in Riga over the next two days. 

Federation: Ukraine

Birth Date: May 17, 1980
Birth Place: Severomorsk, Russia
Residence: Kharkov, Ukraine
Title: Grandmaster since 2000
World ranking: 41
FIDE Rating: 2706
World Rapid ranking: 63
FIDE Rapid Rating: 2669

Steel Solid: Igor Kovalenko - Another one for the home crowd, he's the reigning Latvia Chess Champion. He's known for his grounded, steady play without reckless risks. Being the last seed, everyone is likely to go after his throat, but he's "steel-throated considering" his careful and fast play. He has excellent nerves as well!

Federation: Latvia
Birth Date: December 29, 1988
Birth Place: Novomoskovsk, Ukraine
Residence: Riga, Latvia
Title: Grandmaster since 2011
World ranking: 117
FIDE Rating: 2644
World Rapid ranking: 128
FIDE Rapid Rating: 2633

The first round matches are split between two shifts.And so, the pairings are:

Afternoon shift (starts at 14:00 Riga time = 13:00 CET = India 16.30)

Mamedyarov - Kovalenko
Nepomniachtchi - Moiseenko

Malakhov - Eljanov

Wojtaczek - Ivanchuk

Evening shift (starts at 18:00 Riga time = 17:00 CET = India 20:30)

Grischuk - Fressinet

Svidler - Jakovenko

Radjabov - Shirov

Morozevich - Ponomariov

-- Zainab Raza Undulusi 

( Readers can also find some fun and interesting 

chess articles by this writer at our partner site www.worldchesschampionship2013.com)

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Women's World Chess Championship Anna Ushenina vs Hou Yifan Begins

Ukraine's Anna Ushenina - reigning Women's World Chess Champion - begins her defence of the title in Taizhou Hotel, China today against China's Hou Yifan. The opening ceremony of the match was held on Tuesday. Xiao Min, the vice-president of Chinese Olympic Committee and Assistant Director of National Sports Bureau, declared the Women’s World Championship Match open. Ushenina got White in the drawing of colours ceremony. 

Yang Junan, the President of Chinese Chess Association, welcomed guests to Taizhou and said, “Through years’ development, under the lead of government and chess association, chess in Taizhou is very popular and contributes a lot to the development of chess in China. Here also comes out many excellent chess players among whom Hou Yifan is the outstanding representative. I believe that this event held in Taizhou will further raise the reputation of Taizhou and promote chess in this city."

FIDE President Kirsan Iljumzhinov congratulated everybody with the start of the Match, expressed his gratitude to Ms. Xiao Min, the Vice president of Chinese Olympic Committee and Assistant Director of National Sports Bureau, the Mayor of Taizhou city Mr. Xu Guoping, FIDE Vice-President Mr. Chu Bo, the President of Chinese Chess Association Mr.Yang Junan, for the attention which chess receives here.

After the opening ceremony the Women’s world champion Anna Ushenina, FIDE President Kirsan Iljumzhinov and guests were invited for the excursion to impressive China Medical City.

In the evening the World champion Anna Ushenina and challenger Hou Yifan inspected the playing venue and checked the lighting. The Chief Arbiter Panagiotis Nikolopoulos drew the attention of the participants to time control, "zero tolerance" rule and the absence of any restrictions concerning draw offer. The members of the Appeals Committee Chairman Jorge Vega, David Jarett and FIDE Supervisor Ali Nihat Yazici were introduced to players.

The first game will start at 3 p.m. local time on 11th of September.

Official website http://taizhou2013.fide.com/

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An Incredible Secret KGB Chess Tactic used by Putin to Checkmate the US

We just received this fascinating article from our friend Dr Michael Metzger who is a Russian and KGB expert now defected to the West. We look forward to receiving your opinion on the subject at editor@blackandwhiteindia.com, or at our Facebook post about the article. (Yes, Dr Michael Metzger also sent this story to KarlRemarks.com, so readers need not worry that we plagiarized.)

Kavlov in 1949, a secret photograph taken by US intelligence camera concealed in his chess board.

Russia’s incredibly quick response to John Kerry’s suggestion yesterday that Syria could avert a US strike if it handed its chemical weapons was a masterful tactical move by the Kremlin master. Putin instructed his Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to make a statement that Russia will ensure that Syria will surrender and agree to the destruction of its chemical weapon, extending a process a lifeline to president Obama who was struggling to convince US representatives of the necessity of attacking Syria.

Many commentators have pointed that Putin’s quick thinking has offered a convenient solution for all involved, but few have recognised the role that chess played in this incident. Keen enthusiast of the game will recognise that Putin’s proposal was a variation on the classic ‘Jabowntski sacrifice’, in which a functionally-degraded chess piece is sacrificed to create space for manoeuvre elsewhere. But that is only half the story. Few people will know of the role chess played in Soviet strategic thinking and the various programmes that the USSR established to train its military and intelligence elites in the art of Zevsebia, or chess-think. Chess-think was for the USSR what game theory was for the US during the Cold War, but the Soviets went further than the Americans in making chess-think second nature to their cadres. 

According to Soviet documents that were declassified in 2004, the first Zevsebia programme was initiated in 1932 when Stalin, an obsessive chess player, put the man who would later head the NKVD Beria in charge of running the programme. Beria recruited Russian chess grandmaster Kavlov, also a keen amateur boxer who won a bronze medal in the 1924 Olympics, and charged him with developing the outline of the programme.

Kavlov’s template was to survive almost unchanged until 1986, when Gorbachev, who had an aversion to chess, cancelled the programme after decades of successful operation during which it trained hundreds of the top Soviet cadres. Kavlov’s combination of intellectual and physical rigorous training provided a winning formula for the programme, and Stalin often joked that graduates were ‘our own Supermen’.

One of the few known Jabowntski sacrifice notations

The programme was only offered however to a small number of top operatives that had the appropriate levels of mental and physical fitness to pass the rigorous training. In the KGB for example, only agents promoted to the prestigious X2, nicknamed the steel professors, were allowed to receive a Zevsebia training. The X2, as you might have expected, was Vladimir Putin’s old unit in the KGB. An even more interesting fact is that the six remaining Zevsebia graduates are all associated with Putin’s inner policy circles, as former Kremlin insider Yuri Nodov revealed in his critical but obscure 2008 book ‘The Circle’. 

In one of the few available written documents on Zevsebia, Nodov published a description of the programme and its training routines in his book, providing a valuable insight that has gone largely unnoticed in the West. Not only were the trainees subjected to intensive training in tactics, military theory, chess and physical fitness, they were forced to compete in chess under extreme conditions. 

For example, the trainees were forced to play rounds of chess inside refrigerator rooms at below-zero temperatures. They were also made to compete inside very hot rooms, invariably while hopping one foot or doing push-ups. It isn’t surprising than fewer than fifteen per cent of all candidates graduated from the programme. It won’t come as a surprise that Putin came top of his class. Putin no doubt came across the ‘Jabowntski sacrifice’ during his Zevsebia training, as Russian chess players were forbidden to use it in play and it remained a tactic known only to those within the intelligence community. 

Stalin had good reasons to maintain the secrecy. During the siege of Leningrad, he and Beria and Kavlov implemented a variation of the manoeuvre by offering Hitler forces what appeared to be a valuable strategic position on the outskirts of the Zabvadna, only for the jubilant Nazis to realize too late that this allowed Stalin to outflank them and finally manage to break the long siege. Yaroslav Mitske’s book ‘The Gamble’ has a detailed description of the operation. Mitske also describes how Stalin had the sixty officers who were in charge of the operation shot after the war ended to preserve the secrets of the ‘Jabowntski sacrifice’, no doubt because of his paranoia.

Young Putin at the Zevsebia school, in its trademark uniform.

For Zevsebia experts, there is no doubt that Putin’s manoeuvre yesterday when he offered to sacrifice the Assad regime’s chemical weapons in return for staving off the US attack was inspired by the classic chess move. The Kremlin will no doubt dismiss those reports as fantasy, as it has done for decades but the evidence is there for all to see. It’s not a little bit ironic that the manoeuvre that allowed the US to save face was developed by the Soviets for precisely the opposite reason. 

Stalin and Beria at a visit to the Zevsebia school in 1947. 

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Sinquefield Chess Video: Nakamura

Hikaru Nakamura is the top chess player in the United States, among the ten best in the world, and he’s playing in one of the year’s biggest tournaments in his and our backyard. He’s moved to St. Louis to pursue his dream of a chess world championship. Here's a video feature on the American player and the Sinquefield Chess Cup starting today in St Louis.

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Chess.com €50 Discount for ACO World Chess Championship 2014

The Amateur Chess Organization (ACO) and Chess.com have partnered for a special opportunity for discounted rates for the ACO World Chess Championship 2014!



Did you know that every chess player now has the opportunity to become a world champion?

 That's right! As we look forward to this November's “professional level” World Championship Match between Carlsen and Anand, the world's largest group of amateur chess enthusiasts (that's right, you guys) should know that there is also the ACO World Amateur Chess Championship to consider!

All players rated below 2400 can compete in the Championship, and this year Chess.com has partnered with ACO to offer members a very special discounted entry fee. 

The World Amateur Championships are broken into different 7 rating classes, ensuring that each player has a fair chance of becoming world champion in his or her class!

 About the ACO...

Don't know about the ACO?...The Amateur Chess Organization organizes events for amateur chess players all around the world.

The 1st ACO World Amateur Chess Championship (WACC) took place in Dubai in 2012 and had 72 players.

The 2nd ACO Championship was held on the Greek island Crete in May 2013, where 168 players from 28 countries participated.


The 3rd ACO World Amateur Chess Championship (WACC) will take place on the beautiful Greek island of Rhodes on June 7th-16th, 2014.

...And this year's championship is an “open tournament” (everyone can sign-up!) and has total cash purse of 5000 Euros!

Sections:A: 2200 – 2400
B: 2000 – 2199
C: 1800 – 1999
D: 1600 – 1799
E: 1400 – 1599
F: 1200 – 1399
G: Unrated – 1199

The winner of each rating group will become the 2014 ACO World Amateur Champion of their respective rating class.

Chess.com Members who register by emailing this address will receive the special discount of 50 EURO per player / entry!

acowacc@chess.com

More information can be found at the official tournament website!


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Women’s World Chess from Sept 10

Women’s World Chess Championship Match 2013 between the current World Champion Anna Ushenina of Ukraine and her challenger, Hou Yifan of China (former World Champion 2010-2012), is scheduled to start on September 10.

The drawing of colours will be conducted during the opening ceremony which will take place at 3 p.m. The player getting the white colour in game one plays game five with the black pieces). The time control is: 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with an increment of 30 seconds per move starting from move one.
 

The winner of the ten-game match is the first player to reach 5.5 points or more. If the scores are level after the regular ten games, after a new drawing of colours, four tie-break games will be played, with 25 minutes for each player and an increment of ten seconds after each move.

If the scores are level after the four rapid games, then, after a new drawing of colours, a match of two games will be played with a time control of five minutes plus three seconds' increment after each move. In case of a level score, another two-game match will be played to determine a winner. If there is still no winner after five such matches (i.e. after ten games), one sudden death game will be played. This involves a drawing of lots, the winner being able to choose the colour. The player with the white pieces receives five minutes, the player with the black pieces four minutes, with an increment of three seconds per move from move 61 on. In case of a draw, the player with the black pieces is declared the winner.

The prize fund for this match is 200,000 Euros and will be split between the players as follows:
60% for the winner and 40% to the loser if the match ends within the 10 regular games. In case the winner is decided by tie-break games, she will receive 55% and loser 45%.

Anna Ushenina holds the title after the 2012 Women's World Chess Championship (knockout format) in Khanty-Mansiysk while Hou Yifan had a right to challenge her after she became first in the Grand Prix Series 2011-2012.

Anna Ushenina and Hou Yifan played their first game in 2006 during World Chess Olympiad (Turin, Italy) and the game ended in a draw. In 2007 another draw was signed during Russian team championship. Hou Yifan took the lead in their encounter in 2007-2008 when she won three games in a row. However, in the end of 2008 Anna Ushenina managed to outplay Chinese prodigy during the European Club Cup. Another draw in 2009 and the players stopped meeting over the board for the next 4 years, till 2013! Anna Ushenina defeated Hou Yifan with black pieces in their last encounter during Geneva Grand Prix.

Games between these two have been consistently hard-fought. Hou Yifan is one point ahead according to overall results. For her part, however, Anna Ushenina played 7 out of 8 games with Black and has victory in their last game at Geneva GP in 2013.

According to FIDE rating Hou Yifan (2609) holds the second position among women after Judit Polgar. Anna Ushenina (2500) is on 17th place.

The official hotel and playing venue: http://www.chunlanhotel.com/
The official website: taizhou2013.fide.com

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Adhiban wins Barcelona Sants Chess

Former world under-16 champion B. Adhiban, who recently went all the way to the third round at the Chess World Cup, has won the Barcelona Sants Open chess tournament this Monday. It's been a great run for Indian chess as Pentala Harikrishna recently won the Biel Chess Tournament, Parimarjan Negi won in Copenhagen, S.P. Sethuraman won Leiden and M.R. Lalith Babu won the Vlissingen event.

Adhiban was the only titled Indian in the 298-player contest and finished a point ahead of Lazaro Bruzon of Cuba. The second to fifth places were shared by Cori Jorge (Peru), Vladimir Potkin (Russia), Jan Gustafsson (Germany) and Firat Burak (Turkey) with eight points each. 

The tournament format was 10-round Swiss. There were two playing groups: Open A (all players eligible) and Open B (U2000). Open Internacional de Sants is part of the 10th Catalan Chess Circuit. -- Agencies

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World Jr Blind Chess Bronze for Darpan

Nineteen-year-old Vadodara boy Darpan Irani is back home after making a splash at the World Individual Junior Blind Chess Championship at Belgrade in Serbia.

At the event, organised by the International Braille Chess Association from August 21 and September 1, Darpan won a bronze medal — a first medal win in the category by India in 16 years since the country's blind chess federation was recognised by the international recognising body.

Darpan defeated his nearest rival from Serbia in the world junior individual braille chess championship to emerge third, missing silver medal by just half a point.However, Darpan is more than happy to have won the first medal for his country, and believes he could have done much better had he focused more on practising chess rather than on his Chartered Accountancy studies, which are equally important for him if not more.

"This is the first time India has won any medal in this category, and I am glad to have emerged victorious. It was a do-or-die situation in the last round, as drawing was not an option. Drawing would not have fetched me a medal," he said.

Though, this was the first time Darpan won big, it wasn't the first time he played at the international level. He played in Serbia in 2010 and in Greece in 2011

This was the first time he had travelled abroad without his parents accompanying him. "Organisers insisted on my parents accompanying me but I refused, because I would have to become independent someday. After a lot of discussions and deliberations, they finally agreed," he said.

Of the nine games that were played in the tourney, Inani could not perform well in the first four, which dimmed his chance to win gold. "There were some miscalculations due to time pressure, so I had to repeat moves. Moreover, I made some technical errors in between," he said.

Darpan already has several wins to his credit. He became the youngest person to win the national chess championship for the blind in 2010. -- PTI

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Kramnik wins World Cup: Final Video

Vladimir Kramnik claimed victory in the FIDE World Cup after he drew the fourth classical game in the final match against Dmitry Andreikin. The overall score in the match was 2.5:1.5 in Kramnik's favor. The former World Champion won the first game of the final match while the other three games finished in a draw. The former World Chess Champion didn’t lose a single game during the event and showed great play. He won four out of seven matches in classical chess and the three others in rapid. His opponents were G.Bwalya, M.Kobalia, A.Areshchenko, V. Ivanchuk, A.Korobov, M.Vachier-Lagrave and D.Andreikin.

 

FIDE World Cup 2013: video report Day 24 Final Game 4, with Susan Polgar, Kema Goryaeva and Anastasiya Karlovich.

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World Cup Semis: 3 Russians, 1 French

The World Cup semi-finals begin at India Time 6.30 pm in Tromso. The two ratings favorites in their matches - Peter Svidler and Fabiano Caruana - lost in rapid chess against Dmitry Andreikin and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave respectively in the tiebreaks on Sunday.

Photo: Anastasiya Karlovich

Peter Svidler lost the first game and didn’t manage to even the score in the second. Fabiano Caruana drew with White against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave but lost the second game. Three Russian players - Vladimir Kramnik, Dmitry Andreikin and Evgeny Tomashevsky - plus Frenchman Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, will play in the semi-finals.

Playing with Black Maxime Vachier-Lagrave made a smart opening choice in the first game and managed to equalise quite easily. He was unsure if he chose the most precise way to make a draw but it seems Black was in no real danger during the whole game.

In the second game Fabiano Caruana chose the Dutch Defence but Black got a passive position without counterplay. White's main idea was to push e4 at the right moment and when he finally succeeded in carrying out his plan Black’s position collapsed.

Fabiano Caruana lost his chance to qualify for the Candidates via the FIDE World Cup. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave will play against Vladimir Kramnik, who knocked out Anton Korobov the day before.

Dmitry Andreikin successfully followed the same scenario as in the previous match against Sergey Karjakin. After two draws in classical chess he won the first rapid game against Peter Svidler. Neither Karjakin nor Svidler could level the score. In the second game Andreikin forced a draw in a better position and goes through to the semi-finals. Peter Svidler, the winner of the World Cup in 2011, leaves Tromso.

Dmitry Andreikin will play now against Evgeny Tomashevsky. Both players are from Saratov (Russia). The fight in the semi-final matches will be very tough as only two out of the four players will qualify for the Candidates Tournament in March 2014.

Time controls and rules
The time control for each two-game match is 90 minutes for the first 40 moves followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with an increment of 30 seconds per move starting from move one. If the score is equal there are two rapid chess tiebreak games, played at a rate of 25 minutes for each player with an increment of 10 seconds per move. If the score is still equal then two accelerated games will be played, with a time control of 10 min + 10 sec. If the score is still equal two more games will be played at 5 min + 3 sec. If the winner is still not determined then a final Armageddon game with 5 minutes for White and 4 minutes for Black, with a 3 sec increment after move 60, will be played. In this game Black has draw odds (i.e. he wins if the game is drawn).

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Kasparov Secrets: Intuition, Discipline

Garry Kasparov : 'A game designed for me'
The chess grandmaster tells Al Jazeera the key to his success has not only been his talent but his discipline and intuition.

Acknowledged by many as the greatest chess player of all time, Garry Kasparov has been marching to his own algorithm his whole life.

Born in Baku in 1963, Kasparov has taken on the greatest champions and won. And since retiring from the game, he has been involved in a political battle with one of the most powerful and controversial men alive - Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia.

Sir David Frost travels to Abu Dhabi to join Kasparov on his mission to promote chess in the Gulf. Kasparov shares his secrets of the game, discusses milestones in his life and expands on why chess should be compulsory in school curriculum. He even offers a few tips to some of the young chess players.

 

Kasparov impressed his parents at a very young age, when he finished a chess game they were struggling to solve. "I knew it was a game designed for me," he tells Sir David.

After losing his father when he was only seven, Kasparov's mother dedicated her life to nurturing her son's talent.

For a young boy, there was no better place to be a gifted chess player than the former Soviet Union. The game which is 1,500 years old, was actively promoted by Soviet leaders as to them, chess was a way of demonstrating not only sporting but intellectual superiority.

By 1976, Kasparov had won all the Soviet junior titles, and by the age of 14, he knew he would be a real contender. "I knew I was good, even special," he says.

Kasparov tells Sir David the key to his success has not only been his talent but his discipline and intuition: "if you don't trust your intuition you will never become a good decision maker".

Strategising is a crucial element of the game and Kasparov can visualise up to 15 moves ahead. And demonstrating his exceptional memory, he recalls games and moves as far back as 30 years ago. Some of those games include headline-making matches against his arch-rival, Anatoly Karpov.

"Karpov is a very solid player, positional, quiet…. I'm totally the opposite… Any match of that calibre is a personal rivalry, period," he tells Sir David.

For five months in 1984, the two players battled it out but the International Chess Federation eventually intervened to call it a draw. Kasparov was furious and remains so to this day. He tells Sir David how he broke away from the federation, forming his own alternative, the International Chess Association. The institution did not last and it coincided with the demise of the Soviet Union.

But, the crumbling of the Soviet Union triggered a personal tragedy for Kasparov.

In 1990, Kasparov and his family, who are of Armenian descent, were caught up in the vicious programmes against Armenians in Azerbaijan, forcing thousands of ethnic Armenians to flee. And that is when Kasparov escaped to Moscow.

"The psychological trauma was awful - this thought is still painful" he says.

Following his move to Moscow, Kasparov engaged against a new partner - IBM's super computer, Deep Blue, which created huge interest worldwide.

But most recently, having retired from the game of chess, Kasparov has embarked on a new mission - to bring democracy and justice to Russia and to see Putin ousted from power. He tells Sir David of his treatment at the hands of Russian police, of being arrested and his time in a Russian prison, and why he was keen to stand up for the members of the rebel pop group Pussy Riot, who were jailed after an anti-Putin video.

Kasparov finishes his conversation with Sir David by telling him why he is now too old to play competitive chess and the show ends with an extraordinary twist on Garry Kasparov's future - he will no longer be returning to Russia.

The Frost Interview can be seen each 

week at the following times 

GMT: Friday: 2000; Saturday: 1200; 

Sunday: 0100; Monday: 0600.

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Kasparov on World Cup Last Eight

No chess event worth its value is complete without a comment from the legendary 13th World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov. The World Cup is down to the last eight and here are Kasparov's comments (official FB Page):

"The chess World Cup knock-out tournament in Tromso, Norway, is down to the final eight players. As has become something of a tradition, this is a good time for me to take stock now that the field is a manageable size. Several of the big rating favorites were eliminated in round four, including America's Nakamura, former world championship challenger Gelfand, and my compatriot Karjakin. 

"They both lost to much lower-rated opponents and there is almost no chance to recover in this format. One loss usually guarantees elimination no matter how well you played in your other games. Nakamura is surely a better player than Korobov, but the American played poorly in their match and was punished.

"Morozevich suffered a similar fate against Tomashevsky today in a marathon tiebreak session. Tomashevsky played without pressure and this nothing-to-lose mindset often helps the underdog in these events. But I cannot call any of this final eight "tourists"; they all deserve their spots and should provide tough matches for their more famous opponents.

"Good nerves are critically important to success in the KO format. The tension is very high at every moment and the most talented player can suffer a breakdown and be unable to concentrate. This is especially true in the rapid and blitz tiebreak games. So it's no surprise to see veterans like Kamsky, Svidler, and Kramnik move on to the round of eight. Of course, they are all also very strong players. 

"Nerves are important, but moves still matter! Even in this "lottery" format, good chess is required by the winner. Svidler and Kamsky have both won this event before. Svidler has played the most interesting chess so far, while Kramnik has been very solid.

"So despite Grischuk and Karjakin's elimination, Russia is well-represented. Karjakin made some big statements before the event about his ambitions on the highest title, but his play in Tromso failed to back up those statements. (The two finalists in Tromso will automatically qualify for the next stage of the world championship cycle.)

"Svidler and Kramnik are big favorites in their matches against Andreikin and Korobov, respectively. This is partly due to the level of chess shown so far in Tromso and partly out of respect for the rating system and what we might call regression to the mean for the underdogs. It is cumulatively less and less likely lower-rated players will continue to play above level, even in a single event and even in a relatively random one like a knock-out tournament. (An exception is very young stars, who are often underrated.) But surprises are really no surprise in this format, even with only four matches!

"Kamsky is a slight favorite versus giant-killer Tomashevsky (before beating Morozevich he eliminated world #2 Aronian). The match closest to being a toss-up is Italy's Caruana versus Vachier-Lagrave of France. Caruana is higher rated and capable of the better chess, but he has not been convincing in Tromso. And fate may yet demand compensation for the huge gift Caruana received in his match with Malakhov! 

"A certain loss with white in their first tiebreak game in round two turned into a win for Caruana. While there is no luck in chess, I do believe in good fortune and the goddess Caissa often demands payment sooner or later. We will see that was "winner's luck" for Caruana or if the bill will come due against Vachier-Lagrave.

My congratulations to every member of the final eight and I wish them all good chess and good nerves!"

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World Cup: Four Russians in Last Eight

Four Russians, one French, one American, one Italian and one Ukrainian Grandmaster has made it to the last-eight at the World Chess Cup 2013 being played in Tromso, Norway. Also in the last-eight is defending champion Peter Svidler. 

Round 5 pairings:
Tomashevsky Evgeny RUS 2706 – Kamsky Gata USA 2741

Vachier-Lagrave Maxime FRA 2719 – Caruana Fabiano ITA 2796

Kramnik Vladimir RUS 2784 – Korobov Anton UKR 2720

Andreikin Dmitry RUS 2716 – Svidler Peter RUS 2746

In the Round 4 tiebreaks, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave knocked out Gelfand Boris and Andreikin Dmitry pulled off a major upset by knocking out Sergey Karjakin. Peter Svidler got the better of Le Quang Liem ending Vietnam's challenge at the World Cup. Evgeny Tomashevsky ground out Alexander Morozevich in an exciting tiebreak where fortunes swung both ways.

Gata Kamsky qualified in the classical games with super attacks against Shakhriyar Mamedyarov along with Fabiano Caruana who got the better of Julio Granda Zuniga. Valdimir Kramnik beat Vassily Ivanchuk and Anton Korobov got the better of Hikaru Nakamura, 

Watch live the World Chess Cup 2013 from India time 6.30 pm.

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