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SportAccord Stats: Chess Popularity on the Rise

December 3, 2013, 8:32 am
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Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hello everyone,

Here is an interesting report via Fide on the increasing popularity of chess. It is based on the statistics with SportAccord which is the international body that includes all sport federations. 

SportAccord has 93 member organizations including chess. According to research carried out by visiting the official websites of all those international sport organizations, FIDE is in 14th place by the number of member federations. Most international sport federations cover 5 continents: Africa, Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania. FIDE, as do a few other federations, puts Oceania under the Asian continent.

The world rank of international sport federations

Thirteen Federations have more members than FIDE. Those Federations are: Volleyball (220), Table Tennis (218), Athletics and Basketball (212), Football and Tennis (209), Taekwondo (205), Aquatics (Swimming-203), Judo (200), Boxing (196), Wight Lifting (189), Karate (188) and Body Building (182). Of those with more than FIDE, only Body Building and Karate are non-Olympic sports. It means that chess has surpassed 21 of the 33 Olympic sports (26 summer and 7 winter sports are accepted as Olympic).FIDE aims to pass 200 members in the next 4 years and to achieve the top ten rank among all sports federations. If you are wondering about the countries which are not yet members of FIDE, here they are.

In Asia: Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Kiribati, North Korea, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, Tonga, Oman, Tuvalu, Samoa, American Samoa and Vanuatu. That's 15 more countries that are not members of FIDE yet. The Asian Continent currently has 50 members and very soon will be the number one continent, with the largest number of members in the FIDE Family.


In Africa: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Chad, Congo-Brazzavile, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Niger and South Sudan, a total of 12 countries are not at the moment members of FIDE. FIDE has been working intensively in Asia and Africa to access all countries. In Africa, FIDE has 41 member federations now.

In the Americas, 35 national chess federations are members of FIDE. 13 countries or territories are members of other International sport organizations, but not yet members of FIDE. Those are, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Cayman Islands, Dominica, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Montserrat, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Since FIDE statutes require a territory to be recognized by the United Nations, French overseas regions (French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and, in the Indian Ocean, Mayotte and Réunion) are not able to join FIDE.

The same applies to those few European federations, affiliated to some international sports organizations, that cannot be accepted as FIDE members. Otherwise, Europe has a full complement of 54 national federations.

Also Read:


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Green Chess: Print, Plant and Play!

December 4, 2013, 8:20 am
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Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hello everyone,

This is a neat theme chess set. You can go green while playing chess, and the best part is you don't have to go out to buy this chess set. A 3-D printing format is available online. All you need to do is download, print, plant and play!



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27th Belgrade Chess Open 2013: GM Tosic Miroslav wins on Tiebreak ahead of IM Dusan Lekic

December 4, 2013, 8:46 am
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Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hello everyone,

Grandmaster Miroslav Tosic has won the 27th Belgrade Chess Open Championship for the Belgrade Trophy after beating IM Dusan Lekic on tiebreak. They both shared the first place at the chess tournament with 7.5 points each. Tosic counted a slightly better tie-break and was awarded with the winner’s trophy.

The 27th Belgrade International Open Championship (Belgrade Trophy) was held from 24th November to 2nd December in Obrenovac. 182 players competed in the nine round Swiss event. (www.chessdom.com)

Top Final standings:
1. GM Tosic Miroslav SRB 2404 – 7.5
2. IM Lekic Dusan MNE 2417 – 7.5
3. GM Stanojoski Zvonko MKD 2417 – 7
4. Vucinic Gojko SRB 2294 – 7
5. IM Firat Burak TUR 2435 – 7
6. FM Posedaru Bogdan ROU 2324 – 6.5
7. GM Savic Miodrag R SRB 2537 – 6.5
8. GM Antic Dejan SRB 2465 – 6.5
9. IM Georgescu Tiberiu-Marian ROU 2459 – 6.5
10. FM Sredojevic Ivan SRB 2402 – 6.5
11. GM Atalik Suat TUR 2572 – 6.5
12. GM Abramovic Bosko SRB 2426 – 6.5
13. GM Todorovic Goran M SRB 2480 – 6.5
14. IM Velickovic Sasa SRB 2365 – 6.5
15. Deac Bogdan-Daniel ROU 2276 – 6.5
16. IM Nenezic Marko SRB 2417 – 6.5
17. Danov Lyubomir BUL 2178 – 6.5
18. FM Draskovic Luka MNE 2261 – 6
19. GM Gleizerov Evgeny RUS 2548 – 6
20. GM Cabrilo Goran SRB 2404 – 6

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
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World team Chess Round 8: Russia Leads with one Round to go; Ukraine, China one Match Point away

December 5, 2013, 6:00 am
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Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hello everyone,

Russia is leading the World Team Chess Championship 2013, with 13 match points, after eight rounds in Antalya, Turkey. China and Ukraine are right behind with 12 match points. Armenia has 10 match points. 

Ukraine had been leading the World Team Chess Championship 2013 since the start, but it's not easy to underestimate the Russians - particularly at chess. Round 8 saw the 'big match' Russia versus Ukraine.  


In the top fight Ivanchuk-Kramnik, the Ukrainian didn't want to play yet another Berlin and chose a pet line of famous grandmaster Sveshnikov in Giucco Piano. It was perhaps unexpected for Kramnik but he solved all his problems and when Ivanchuk missed a pretty tactic got a very slight advantage even, though nothing meaningful was there and the game ended in a draw. 

On the second board a good Scheveningen game was played between Karjakin and Korobov and in the end a draw was a quite deserved and a good result, especially for the Russias as they had the upper hand on the fourth board. 

Moiseenko employed a Sideline against Grünfeld and surprised Grischuk but with accurate play Black achieved total equality and made an easy draw. The decisive result came from the Nepomniachtchi-Kryvoruchko game on the fourth board. Young Russian star Ian Nepomniachtchi got a nice advantage right out of the opening and pressing on the backward black pawn on c7 forcing Black to play c6 and create another weakness on d6. 

In the resulting unpleasant position with two rooks and queens, Kryvoruchko played a terrible blunder on the 40th move with Qa1, leaving his queen stranded between enemy forces. The game ended after two more moves when the Black Queen got trapped. A very important win which probably brought the gold from Ukraine to Russia. 

Of course there's one more round and Egypt will try their best to cause a major upset against Russia but keeping in mind that Ukraine is playing Armenia, it's much more likely that the upset will come from the Armenian team if at all. 

The second most important match with regard to standings was played between China and Germany. It followed pretty much the same trend as the Ukraine-Russia match. On first three boards nothing really happened and all of them ended in draws. On the last board Yu used the predictability of Baramidze to his advantage and came well prepared for Breyer. When Baramidze gave up a piece for the attack, Yu easily fended off all the threats and won the game with an extra piece. With this win China almost guaranteed the third place and if Armenia beats Ukraine and they win against Turkey they can even have the silver.

Netherlands got the same result today as in yesterday's round against Russia. Aronian's win against Giri and Akopian's endgame play are to single out from the three victories in the match. On the last board L'Ami sacrificed a pawn for some initiative but instead got nothing and then totally collapsed, not causing any trouble to Tigran Petrosian. Even in the Tiviakov-Sargissian game, it was the Armenian player who had a slight advantage but Tiviakov held the draw.

The Azerbaijan-Egypt match saw the only result which hadn't happened in this championship before: 4-0! Nothing to comment upon, a very impressive result by the Azeri team and a very depressing result for the Egyptian team who are playing here without two of their strongest players. For an exciting finish they should make Russia sweat a bit tomorrow however and Ukrainians are hoping exactly for that!

Finally the surprise of the day! The hosts had lost all their matches except versus Egypt before and probably the coach of USA thought of the match as a good opportunity to make Nakamura rest a bit before his game against Giri in the final round. However as one Scottish poet wrote, "The best-laid plans of mice and men, often go awry." and that's exactly what happened. By the way interestingly Ipatov also rested in the Turkish team, so it wasn't exactly clear who surprised who. On the first board Solak played a good and solid game against Kamsky, achieving a slight advantage which he couldn't turn into anything tangible. Yilmaz, who had no points before today, got a clear advantage against Onischuk with black however Turkey's coach let him to make a draw as the coach thought of the match as winning at that point since on fourth board Can had an equal position against Akobian and Esen had already won against Robson with white on third board. Just like Ipatov has done against Aronian, Robson sacrificed two pieces for a rook and two pawns but Esen proved that playing with pieces is much easier and won a nice game when his opponent was in time trouble. 

So everything seemed to be set for a Turkey win but Akobian pushed quite brilliantly against Can to score a win and save at least a match draw for USA. A huge disappointment for USA, but a very good result for the hosts. They could achieve even more in this match of course, but a match draw against USA is for sure nothing bad. Consider the fact that Russians who climbed to the top today, got beaten with 3-1 by USA before!

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
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Fiji National Chess Championship 2013 begins this Friday

December 5, 2013, 7:01 am
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Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hello everyone,

The Fiji National Chess Championship 2013 is set to begin on Saturday with top seed being Manoj Kumar who is the favourite to win in the men's category following the non-participation of defending champion Candidate Master Sanmogam Goundar.

"Many people think that chess is just another board game but it is a lot more than that," former national champion Kumar said.

"To sit and concentrate on a single match for four to five hours under FIDE regulations takes years of practice. In many high level games, it only takes a single miscalculation to turn the tables completely," he said.

The final tournament of the year will have players including CM Calvin Prasad, Ronald Terubea, Noel Adricula and Goru Arvind while Women's Candidate Master (WCM) Gloria Sukhu and Women's FIDE Master (WFM) Hilda Vukikomoala in the women's category.
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Antalya World Chess Team 2013: Russia wins Title, Board 4 Gold for Nepomniachtchi, Board 2 Silver for Karjakin, Reserve Board Bronze for Vitiugov

December 6, 2013, 5:45 am
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Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hello everyone,

Russia has won the World Chess Team Championship 2013 in Antalya, Turkey. Ukraine had lead the chess championship team standings from the first, but they ran into the Russian brick wall in the eighth round. Russia beat Ukraine, took the lead and won the title by beating Egypt in the last round. (Photos: Anastasiya Karlovich/official website)


On top of the world: The Russians

The team of Russia – Vladimir Kramnik, Alexander Grischuk, Sergey Karjakin, Ian Nepomniachtchi, and Nikita Vitiugov – scored 15 match points (7 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss) and took the gold medal. The other medals were divided on first tiebreak of game points, as China and Ukraine both finished with 14 match points (7 wins, 0 draws, 2 losses). Silver went to China with 23 match points and bronze to Ukraine with 22 match points.

This is the fourth World Team Championship title for Russia. Besides the one in 2013, they have won the gold in 1997, 2005, and 2010. This is the first time Kramnik, Karjakin, and Nepomniachtchi are part of the winning team. For Vitiugov, this is a second title, while it is the third title for Grischuk.

The winning captains: Xu Yun (China), Yury Dokhoian (Russia) and Olexandr Sulypa (Ukraine)

Board Medals were as follows:

Board One 1. Levon Aronian 2. Hikaru Nakamura 3. Vassily Ivanchuk with TTCF Vice President Askin Keles

 Board Two 1. Anton Korobov 2. Sergey Karjakin 3. Ding Liren

Board three 1. Daniel Fridman 2. Alexander Onischuk 3. Yue Wang

Member of Appeals Committee Petr Pisk presented the awards
to successful players on Board 4 1. Ian Nepomniachtchi 2. Xiangzhi Bu 3. Yuriy Kryvoruchko

Chief Arbiter Anastasia Sorokina presented the awards to successful players on reserve board 1. Varuzhan Akobian 2. Yu Yangyi 3. Nikita Vitiugov


Final standings (teams)
1 Russia 15
2 China 14
3 Ukraine 14
4 USA 10
5 Armenia 10
6 Netherlands 9
7 Germany 8
8 Azerbaijan 7
9 Turkey 3
10 Egypt 0

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London Chess Classic 2013 Super Sixteen Draw Announced

December 6, 2013, 6:28 am
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Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hello everyone,

On the same day as the football World Cup draw is made in Brazil, the London Chess Classic is also officially announcing their groups for the ‘Super Sixteen’ Rapid tournament that will start on Wednesday, 11th December at the Kensington Olympia. The draw for the group stages took place on Wednesday 4th December at Ravenscroft Primary School in Newham.

Pupils at the school conducted the draw in the presence of tournament director Malcolm Pein and deputy arbiter David Sedgwick.

Ravenscroft were the first school to take part in Chess in Schools and Communities scheme in 2010 and are now coached by FM Jerzy Dzybowski. The school has excelled in local competition and will be presented with an award for outstanding achievement from the British Chess Educational Trust at the London Chess Classic next week.

The players were divided into four pools on the basis of their FIDE Rapidplay ratings, using Standard play ratings for players without Rapidplay Ratings. Qualifier 1 will be the qualifier with the higher score from the first four rounds of the Open, or the qualifier with the higher rating if both have the same score. One player from each pool was placed into each group and a subsidiary draw determined each player’s position within the group:

Group A
Luke McShane
Qualifier 1
Michael Adams
Vishy Anand

Group B
Vladimir Kramnik
Jonathan Rowson
Matthew Sadler
Peter Svidler

Group C
Boris Gelfand
Gawain Jones
Hikaru Nakamura
Judit Polgar

Group D
Nigel Short
Fabiano Caruana
Qualifier 2
David Howell

The full pairings and times for each of the four groups can be found on the Classic Official tournament website: www.londonchessclassic.com.

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World Chess Championship Match-Experience is bit Over-Rated as Factor: Magnus Carlsen

December 6, 2013, 8:50 am
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Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hello everyone,

World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen was cornered for a series of interviews right after beating Viswanathan Anand in Chennai this November. Here are the questions asked to the new World Chess Champion in an article from The Sports Star (We skipped the portrait and went straight to the questions in the interview. Some questions have already been asked and answered several times before by Magnus Carlsen, but a nice evening reading.):

Excerpts from interview with World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen

Question: In the days following the World Championship, usually, the winner spends time talking about the triumphs. Why did you stay away from the media?

Answer: A little bit tired, a little bit exhausted from all the events of the last few days. If you found me uncooperative, that’s probably the reason.



Coming to your triumph, was it easier than you expected?

It was certainly easier than what I had expected at the start. I thought, if I manage to play at my highest level, Anand would not manage to win a game. And I thought that usually I should be able to press him in a number of games and in one or two of them, he should crack. And he did.

How did you take it when many thought that Anand’s experience could negate your energy in the match?

I think, perhaps, at the start, it could have mattered since the first two-three games, I was nervous. Perhaps, not ready for the big occasion. And I think, after three games, I had already matured (laughs). I had the ‘feel’ for the championship. I think, match-experience is also a bit over-rated as a factor, because every match has a life of its own. Anand might have played many matches like this before. It doesn’t mean it’s going to be anything similar to this one.

Did you plan to target Anand in any specific area of his game?

Nothing special apart from playing 40 to 50 good moves in every game. That was my main goal. I had to keep playing because I think you’ve worked so hard before the match. You’ve worked so hard to get there. So, I think you need to work very hard on the board. If the position is not a draw, you should not agree for a draw. You should play it out. If you want to win a World Championship match, you need to play well not only for one or two hours, but four or five or six…

Do you first play with the computer and then check the position over the board or the other way round?

Ideally, during training sessions, that is what I do. I look at the board before I can solve the computer.

Talking of your pre-match preparations, it was said that you used a super computer. Is it true?

Well, it’s not only about me who has been working on a super computer. It’s been my ‘seconds’. As for me, it’s been more important to check the lines, to guide them, to sometimes play on the board what they have been doing.

Is your approach any different from Anand’s?

I think my approach is a little bit different from Anand’s. I think, as for now, I’m the better player. So he needs to find an advantage with the help of the computer while I just need to equalise his advantage there and not fall too far behind.

How much time did you spend ahead of each game during the championship?

I would spend anything from two hours to 10-15 minutes before any game each day. Looking through some lines and just double-checking the stuff. Apart from that, I would spend time in the evening sometime if it was unclear what I was going to play the next day. Basically, I did not do too much during the match apart from playing the games.

What was the thought behind not revealing the identity of your ‘seconds’ even after the match? Was it your decision or a collective one?

It’s mainly my decision. That’s the way I’ve understood it. It’s nice that I am going to play another World Championship match (in 2014). It doesn’t mean that I’m not very grateful for their hard work. They have done a wonderful job. I think it is nice for the future matches not to reveal too much.

You once said the format that allows a champion to play only against the challenger was not a fair one. What would you say now?

I thought about it. I’ll need some time to enjoy the title and then think what I am going to do next.

Garry Kasparov stayed at the top for over a decade and a half, showing motivation in abundance despite marriage and other family responsibilities. What do you think can keep you going?

I don’t know what will happen. I think, as long as I stay motivated, I will continue to do very well. I don’t know what it will take for me to stay motivated — whether I will have to forego other things. Leading up to the World Championship, I haven’t done much else than chess. So, I am looking forward to relaxing now and having a more balanced life.

Considering your style of play, which is very different from your great predecessors, do you see yourself as a ‘revolutionary’ in this era?

Yes, may be a little bit. But I think, it’s also been the trend in recent times that people are trying to gain some playable positions from the opening (phase) rather than (looking for) too much of an advantage. Obviously, I play the middle-game and the endgame better than most people, so I can afford to take such an approach.

Knowing the respect and admiration you share with Anand, what would you be telling him, if asked, in this hour of disappointment?

I don’t know what I would be telling him. Difficult to give people advice. My only advice to Anand will be to have some rest. Take some time to figure things out and then decide what he wants. If he decides to come back, it’s wonderful. If he doesn’t, he has every reason to be very happy with what he’s got.

Do you realise that the world crown comes with certain responsibilities, like promoting the sport as its best-known ambassador?

Yes. Already for sometime now, I’m involved with chess in schools. I think, it’s wonderful to develop children as good chess players but most of all, for all the benefits that chess has in school and in life for kids. I think it is a wonderful game.

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
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RIP Nelson Mandela: Of Chess Set Mandela gave Queen Elizabeth!

December 6, 2013, 10:22 am
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Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hello everyone,
We are reminded of two Chess Blog posts from the archives as we pay tribute to Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, the South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, politician and philanthropist who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999








Chess Set from Africa

Chess Blog picked this from The New York Times: During a state visit to Britain, in 2010, President Jacob Zuma of South Africa went to Buckingham Palace, where there was an exhibition of items from his country. During the tour, Queen Elizabeth II showed President Zuma a chess set that Nelson Mandela gave her in 1996. The pieces appear to be African tribesman.

Zuma and Mandela chess solace in prison
This Chess Blog post we picked up when South African President Jacob Zuma, earlier this year, praised Indian chess player Abhijit Gupta for winning the Commonwealth Championships in the coastal city of Port Elizabeth in Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Zuma, said in his speech, he had learned to play chess while imprisoned on Robben Island along with Nelson Mandela.

“Chess provided a solace to us that we needed in those conditions of isolation and deprivation. It propelled our minds beyond the confines of the prison walls and allowed us to reflect and to position our thoughts strategically to fight the (apartheid) regime,” Zuma said as he explained how prisoners had made chess sets out of soap and driftwood.

RIP Nelson Mandela - the one and only there ever was.

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Fiji Chess Championship 2013 Begins

December 7, 2013, 6:27 am
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Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hello everyone,

Twelve-year-old Menash Fareed upset Candidate Master Goru Arvind in the first round of the National Chess Championship on Thursday. A new champion will be crowned in the JR White-sponsored chess tournament at the Fiji Olympic House on Saturday because defending champion Dr Sanmogan Goundar who is based in Australia was not able to make it for the tournament.

Fiji Chess Federation president Dr Virgilio de Asa said only nine men's are participating in the event.

"The upset of round one was Menash Fareed beating Olympiad rep Goru Arvind," he said.

"In other matches, CM Calvin Prasad beat CM Noel Adricula, New Zealand based Asish Gautam beat John Caldera of Rakiraki and CM Manoj Kumar beat Ronald Terubea."

The women's chess championship will begin today.

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Danyyil Dvirnyy is Italian Chess Champion 2013

December 7, 2013, 6:49 am
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Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hello everyone,

Grandmaster-elect Danyyil Dvirnyy convincingly won the 73rd Italian Chess Championship by finishing the event with 8,0/11 points, a full point ahead of the last-year champion GM Alberto David and GM Sabino Brunello.
 


The Championship was held from 21st November to 2nd December at the Hotel Villa Maria Regina, via della Camilluccia 687, in Rome. Earlier Rome hosted the prestigious event 66(!) years ago.

Despite the notable absence of Fabiano Caruana, the Championship featured five Grandmasters and had a field with the average elo 2478.

The playing format was 12-player round robin. The total prize fund was 14,000 EUR, with 3000 EUR awarded to the winner.

Final standings:
1. IM Dvirnyy Danyyil 2560 – 8,0
2-3. GM David Alberto 2580 and GM Brunello Sabino 2615 – 7,0
4. IM Rombaldoni Denis 2462 – 6,5
5. GM Garcia Palermo Carlos 2450 – 6,0
6-7. GM Godena Michele 2501 and GM Rombaldoni Axel 2530 – 5,5
8-9. IM De Filomeno Simone 2431 and IM Stella Andrea 2454 – 5,0
10. IM Caprio Guido 2418 – 4,0
11. IM Bruno Fabio 2414 – 3,5
12. FM Cocchi Andrea 2322 – 3,0

At the end of the competition two players have been drawn for the anti-doping control. (Chessdom.com)

More information on Scacchierando

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SpareBank 1 Nord-Norge first major sponsor for Chess Olympiad 2014

December 7, 2013, 6:59 am
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Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hello everyone,

Chess Olympiad Tromsø 2014 has presented its first major sponsor – Sparebanken Nord-Norge. Sparebanken Nord-Norge’s sponsorship of the Chess Olympiad is worth NOK 6 million (approx. 710,000 Euro). 

“It is important for the bank to be involved, as a player in regional development. The Chess Olympiad will be an important event for the region,” says Sparebanken Nord-Norge Communications Director, Stig Arne Engen. 

“We think that local ownership and commitment is critical in order to achieve success, and therefore we’re extremely pleased that the bank is now making the first moves,” says Chess Olympiad Tromsø 2014 Marketing Manager, Lene Hansen. SpareBank 1 Nord-Norge SpareBank 1 Nord-Norge offers banking services for all types of customers throughout the entire region, with 72 branches in Nordland, Tromsø, Finnmark and Svalbard. 

The bank also has banking operations in Russia, in St. Petersburg and Murmansk, through North-West 1 Alliance Bank. In addition, SpareBank 1 Nord-Norge offers services via the internet and mobiles. 

With approx. 244,000 private clients and approx. 36,500 corporate clients (including public sector, clubs and associations), SpareBank 1 Nord-Norge is an important factor in regional development – now also as a sponsor of the Chess Olympiad Tromsø 2014.

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
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London Chess Classic 2013 Chess in Schools and Communities Events for Kids

December 8, 2013, 8:18 am
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Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hello everyone,

The 5th London Chess Classic takes place at Olympia from Saturday 7th December to Sunday 15th December 2013. CSC school events at previous Classics have proved great successes and shall be running them again this year. The programme will be delivered by professional chess tutors and is intended for children of all chess abilities, from complete beginners upwards. These events will run from 10.00 am to 3.30 pm each day, with a break for a sandwich lunch. All primary and secondary schools are invited to participate. Please note that space is limited to 400 children per day and priority will be given to current CSC schools. Photographs will be taken at all LCC events which may appear on the CSC website and the charity’s promotional material. Members of the press may also film some of the events for broadcast. Appropriate parental consent should be obtained beforehand. Please contact Nevil Chan on 020 7935 3445 if you have any queries. Also check the official website of the London Chess Classic 2013.

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Chess players compete in Germany to help street children in Istanbul

December 9, 2013, 6:28 am
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Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hello everyone,

The intercultural Chess Club “Satranç Club 2000“organized the 7th Intercultural Rapid Chess Tournament in Cologne, Germany. Half of the proceeds have been donated to the Children of Hope Association, which helps impoverished children on the street in Istanbul, in cooperation with the Sister Cities Association of Cologne and Istanbul. Turkey’s Ambassador to Cologne Hüseyin Emre Engin attended the opening of the tournament, expressing his support for such events.


The Satranç Club was founded in the year 2000 by members of Turkish origin and now, many other nations are part of the club, thus realizing the World Chess Federation (FIDE) motto “Gens una Sumus” (We are one family). Istanbul and Cologne have been sister cities since 1997. (Hurriyet Daily News)

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal chess blog 
at www.chessqueen.com
Don't miss Chess Queen™
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Kuala Lumpur Chess Tournament helps Raise funds for Haiyan Typhoon Victims

December 9, 2013, 7:34 am
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Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hello everyone,

Kuala Lumpur (Dec 8, 2013): The Cheras Chess Academy raised RM5,770 to help typhoon Haiyan victims by organising a one-day chess tournament among its members today.

"Kids For Chess" founder Collin Madhavan who initiated the effort, pulled together parents and children to help raise funds for theSun Typhoon Haiyan Relief Fund.

"I wanted to involve the children in this fund-raising effort to create awareness of what is happening outside the comfort of their homes," said Madhavan, an avid chess tutor for children and adults.


Raja (centre) presenting the donation to Gurunathan (right). Also in the picture is KER1M member Jeya Krishnan. SUNPIX by CAROL LEONG WAI SUM


At the fundraiser today, many of his friends and the chess community came together for a simultaneous chess match at the International Youth Centre in Bandat Tun Razak, here.

Meanwhile, the Persatuan Kesejahteraan Rakyat 1Malaysia (KER1M) which was touched by the plight of the victims has donated RM3,000 to the fund. Ceros Raja, private secretary to KER1M president Datuk Ranjith Raja, presented a cheque for the amount to theSun distribution channels senior manager G. Gurunathan. Raja expressed his sadness over the disaster which hit the Philippines and which left many of its citizens without a home.

"As Malaysians, we should be more concerned about those facing hardship on a daily basis, including those abroad," he said. With the two latest donations, the Sun Typhoon Haiyan Relief Fund breached the RM400,000 mark today. On Nov 8, 2013, Typhoon Haiyan had torn through the central Philippines, leaving a trail of devastation.

In thanking donors, theSun managing editor Freddie Ng hoped more Malaysians would donate generously towards the worthy cause. "Thousands of people were killed, but millions more are at risk of death from hunger and disease," he said.

Funds collected through the Sun will be chanelled solely to Mercy Malaysia for immediate on-site health and medical relief operations. (The Sun Daily, Kuala Lumpur)

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal chess blog
at www.chessqueen.com
Don't miss Chess Queen™
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Battle of Generations Chess Match: Alexei Shirov defeats Daniil Dubov

December 9, 2013, 7:52 am
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Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hello everyone,

The Moscow-based Center for New Technologies “Digital” hosted the Battle of Generations match between GM Daniil Dubov (2641) and GM Alexei Shirov (2685) on 2-8th December. Shirov was convincing in the classical games, winning four and drawing two for the overall 5-1 victory. The match consisted of six games with the FIDE time control 90 min/40 moves + 30 min + 30 sec (from move one).




According to the regulations, in case of a draw with regular time control, a pair of blitz games 5′+3′ would follow. Of the four blitz games Dubov won two and two were drawn. However, the blitz games are not counted toward the match score.

The match was organized by ChessTV and sponsored by businessman Oleg Skvortsov. Grandmaster Sergey Shipov provided live online commentary.
Replay the games with computer analysis (Text via Chessdom/Photos by the Russian Chess Federation)

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
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Also see her personal chess blog
at www.chessqueen.com
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Chess History Trivia Photo: Identify Everyone!

December 9, 2013, 8:26 am
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Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hello everyone,

In this chess players' photo from the archives of Russian Chess site Chesspro.ru, can you identify everyone? We will post the answer (with the link to the original article) in the comments section in a few days so don't forget to check back.

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal chess blog
at www.chessqueen.com
Don't miss Chess Queen™
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Bahrain International Open Rapid Chess Championship 2013 held

December 10, 2013, 6:58 am
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Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hello everyone,

You don't usually find lots of chess news coming in from Bahrain. Here's a nice chess update that we are happy to share: Bahrain Chess News: Well-known local chess players Ayyad brothers, Hussain and Maher, dominated the seniors division at the the Bahrain International Open Rapid Chess Championship which was held at the Golden Tulip Bahrain Hotel recently. 

Hussain and Maher clinched first and second place, respectively in the event, which was played over 70 rounds in the Swiss system with rapid time control of 25 minutes plus 10 seconds increment after each move. Hussain claimed the final victory after tallying 6.5 points. Maher followed with six points. 

In third place was Ahmed Alghamdi of Saudi Arabia, who with Fadi Malkawi, Ali Alghasra, Ahmed Abdullateef, Sheer Mohamed and Dado Cagampan. 

More than 80 participants from 11 different countries competed in three different categories in the competition, which offered a total prize fund of BD2,000. In the women's section, sisters Sara and Zainab Alafoo finished equal first after a superb performance. They were followed by Bayan Hameed in third place and with a better tie-break than Fatima Jawad, who finished fourth. Maleeha Hussain was fifth. 

In the juniors category, Canadian Adnan Habib managed to keep the lead with a score of five points, while the experienced Arpit Hamirwasia slew down after leading the early stage of the competition and finished in second. 

Third Briton Easan G and Indian Anvay T shared third place with four points each. Three players shared places fifth through seventh, including Mahmood Abdulla, Salman Al Mahmood and Abishek Ganesan. The awarding took place directly after the last game. Bahrain Mind Sports Association (BMSA) president Hassan Bukhamas was present. 

Bukhamas also thanked the organising committee and Golden Tulip general manager Abdulraheem Al Sayed and the staff for the great effort in bringing the event to success. The tournament was organised by the BMSA with the support of the Bahrain Olympic Committee and Asian Chess Federation. Players came from India, the US, Canada, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines, Nepal, the UK, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia and hosts Bahrain. Four Fide masters and one Candidate master, in addition to many internationally rated players made this event such a unique opportunity for the local players to try their skills and gain some ELO points. (Gulf Daily News)

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal chess blog 
at www.chessqueen.com
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Wendell Muesa is Guyana National Chess Champion 2013

December 10, 2013, 8:24 am
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Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hello everyone,

Some national chess news from Guyana: With some consistent chess, Wendell Muesa earned 6 points and became the Guyana National Chess Championship on Sunday. The chess tournament was held at the Ocean Spray Hotel, Rupert Craig Highway and Stanley Place Kitty. 

Defending champion Taffin Khan was second at 5.5 points. Third place went to Anthony Drayton. Glenford Corlette and Errol Tiwari were tied for the fourth spot. Corlette won on tiebreak. 

Davion Mars and Roberto Neto scored 2 points apiece while Rashad Hussain failed to register a point and remained in the cellar.

Khan and Muesa faced off on the second day of the competition and the latter player triumphed after sacrificing a rook for Khan’s knight and bishop which restricted Khan from attacking or counters and afforded Muesa a slight advantage and the eventual win. Muesa had said then that his toughest challenge was past and he had envisaged a smooth sailing thereafter. He suffered a setback when former junior champion, Anthony Drayton, won their succeeding games. Muesa rebounded with victories over Mars and Neto while benefiting from a walkover after Hussain failed to turn up for their game on Saturday last. 

In the meantime, Khan defeated Mars on Saturday and followed up with wins over Corlette and Tiwari on Sunday but in the end the earlier loss to Meusa was decisive and cost him his crown.

Meanwhile, a relaxed Meusa spoke with Kaieteur Sport at his home and admitted that the competition was truly fierce. He said that he was more impressed than surprised and he feels that this is indeed good for the future of the sport. The new champion commended the Tournament Director, Irshad Mohamed, for the professional way in which he conducted the tournament. “He managed the tournament expertly and kept a tight rein on discipline and order,” said the new champion.

The national championship now over, Meusa said that he would like to take his game to another level. He said that the parent body, FIDE, will be hosting a chess Olympiad in Norway and the best 5 players out of Guyana will be eligible to participate.
“I would like to see such players like (Taffin) Khan; he is still a great player, Drayton has the skill to develop into a great player and would be a great asset on the team; National Junior Champion, Haifeng Su is also a good strategist and could hold his own while I would suggest that (female player) Maria Gonsalves be considered for this tournament,” said Muesa.

The new champion currently enjoys a FIDE rating of 1966 and said that he is aspiring to surpass 2000 which would represent the highest rated FIDE player locally. Muesa feels that much more should be done if chess is to continue along the developmental trend and calls on Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Frank Anthony to support the establishment of a Chess club to harness the budding talent in Georgetown and other regions.
He is thankful to the many organisations that continue to place faith and funds in the sport and singled out Demerara Distillers Ltd, Banks DIH Ltd, Red Cherry, Trophy Stall and Caribbean Containers Inc. “These firms are true friends of chess and it would be nice if other corporate entities could join them in support of the sport,” concluded the new chess champion. (Kaieteur Sport /Guyana)

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal chess blog 
at www.chessqueen.com
Don't miss Chess Queen™
YouTube Channel


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SportAccord World Mind Games (Chess): World's Top GMs play Rapid, Blitz in Bejing Dec 12-18

December 10, 2013, 9:33 am
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Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hello everyone,

The opening ceremony of the Mind Sports Games Chess 2013 is going to take place today in Beijing. The games begin on Wednesday. In the chess section, the event is going to be the one of the strongest rapid and blitz events of the year with the participation of some of the world’s top Grandmasters.


The men's section includes Sergey Karjakin, Levon Aronian, Alexander Grischuk, Vassily Ivanchuk, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Leinier Dominguez Perez, Le Quang Liem, Ruslan Ponomariov, Teimour Radjabov, Hao Wang, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Wang Yue, Gata Kamsky, Peter Leko, and Anish Giri.
The women's section includes Yifan Hou, Humpy Koneru, Anna Muzychuk, Nana Dzagnidze, Kateryna Lagno, Alexandra Kosteniuk, Antoaneta Stefanova, Valentina Gunina, Ju Wenjun, Marie Sebag, Zhao Xue, Tatiana Kosintseva, Pia Cramling, Anna Ushenina, Elizabeth Paehtz, and Viktorija Cmilyte.

Schedule
Wednesday, December 11th Opening ceremony
Thursday, December 12th 14:00-19:00 Rapid Event: 1-4 rounds (men), 1-4 rounds (women)
Friday, December 13th 14:00-19:00 Rapid Event: 5-7 rounds (men), 5-7 rounds (women)
Saturday, December 14th 14:00-19:00 Blitz Event: 1-10 rounds (men), 1-10 rounds (women)
Sunday, December 15th 14:00-19:00 Blitz Event: 11-20 rounds (men), 11-20 rounds (women)
Monday, December 16th 14:00-19:00 Blitz Event: 21-30 rounds (men), 21-30 rounds (women)
Tuesday, December 17th 14:00-19:00 Basque System: 1-3 rounds (men), 1-3 rounds (women)
Wednesday, December 18th 11:00-16:00 Basque System: 4-5 rounds (men), 4-5 rounds (women) &
Closing Ceremony
Thursday, December 19th Departure


SportAccord which is the umbrella organization for both Olympic and non-Olympic sports as well as a major organizers of conferences and sporting events. The World Mind Games was held for the first time in 2008 and consisted of 5 disciplines: chess, bridge, draughts (checkers), go, and xiangqi (Chinese chess). Here is the World Mind Games video trailer.





Also, don't forget Chess Queen™ Alexandra Kosteniuk is the official chess ambassador of the SportAccord World Mind Games. Did you read about it on the www.chessqueen.com page?






From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal chess blog
at www.chessqueen.com
Don't miss Chess Queen™
YouTube Channel




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