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Nakhchivan Chess begins - Korobov, Zhukova Top Seeds

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Hello everyone, a traditional chess event, the Nakhchivan Chess Open tournament has begun in Azerbaijan with Anton Korobov and Natalia Zhukova as top seeds in the open and women's section respectively.






The traditional open in Heydar Aliyev's memory started in Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan on Sunday. There are six players with 2600+ rating among 54 participants: Korobov (2696), Khismatullin (2682), Mamedov (2660), Safarli (2656), Shimanov (2636), Smirnov (2626), Guseinov (2621), Korneev (2618). Natalia Zhukova is rating favourite in women's section.

The International Chess Festival Nakhchivan Open - 2014 held in memory of leader Heydar Aliyev will take place in Azerbaijan at the Nakchivan Chess Center from May 3 to May 13.
The Tournament will be held as the Swiss system (9 rounds). The rate of play will be 90 minutes for 40 moves plus 30 minutes for the rest of the game with an increment of 30 seconds per move, starting move one.

The tournament is open to players with an elo of 2250 and above though women player with a rating of 2100 and above are eligible to play.

Prizes:
1 place - 10000 $ 11 place - 600 $ 21 place - 300 $
2 place - 5000 $ 12 place - 500 $ 22 place - 300 $
3 place - 3000 $ 13 place - 400 $ 23 place - 200 $
4 place - 2000 $ 14 place - 400 $ 24 place - 200 $
5 place - 1500 $ 15 place - 400 $ 25 place - 200 $
6 place - 1200 $ 16 place - 350 $ 26 place - 150 $
7 place - 1000 $ 17 place - 350 $ 27 place - 150 $
8 place - 900 $ 18 place - 350 $ 28 place - 150 $
9 place - 800 $ 19 place - 300 $ 29 place - 150 $
10 place - 700 $ 20 place - 300 $ 30 place - 150 $
Prizes for the best 3 (three) players from Azerbaijan:
1 place - 2000 $ 2 place - 1000 $ 3 place - 500 $

Women's prizes:
1 place - 600 $ Valuable prize for the young player (under 18) who show the best result.

Tournament B
This section is for players rated below 2249.
Prizes
1 place - 1000 $ 6 place - 100 $
2 place - 500 $ 7 place - 100 $
3 place - 300 $ 8 place - 100 $
4 place - 150 $ 9 place - 75 $
5 place - 150 $ 10 place - 50 $

Between elo 1750-1999
Between elo 0-1749
200 $ 100 $
150 $ 75 $
100 $ 50 $

Prize for the best senior player :
1 place - 100 $

The best players from Nakhchivan

1 – st place - 300 $ 2 – nd place - 200 $ 3 – rd place - 100 $

Tournament C (children)
Children’s tournament age till 12 years.
Winners are awarded certificates and prizes.

Official website - www.azerichess.az



From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
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Kazakhstan National Chess begins with Kazhgaleyev, Nakhbayeva Top Seeds

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Hello Chess Blog readers, Another national chess championships are taking place in the strong chess country of Kazakhstan. The events run from May 3-12 in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan.


WGM Guliskhan Nakhbayeva

The open section, or the men's section, is a 12-player FIDE round robin with an average rating 2417 (seventh category). GM Murtas Kazhgaleyev is the first seed. The tournament is valid for achieving GM and IM norms. The women's section is a 9 round Swiss, including 28 players. WGM Guliskhan Nakhbayeva is the top seed, according to a FIDE news update.


You can watch the games live and find more information at the official website.

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
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Two Chess Stars Meet - Identify

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Hello Chess Blog friends, when two Russians - world chess champions at that - play chess it's bound to be an exciting and memorable game. Here's a memorable photo from the World Chess Blitz 2009. Can you name the two chess stars? The photo is brought to you by www.chesspics.com - the award-winning database of chess portraits! 




From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
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FIDE Chess Federation Transfers: Anna Muzychuk to Play for Ukraine, Anna Sharevich for USA, Nisipeanu for Germany

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Hello Chess Blog friends, A quick chess federation changes' update for some of the well-known stars of the chess world! Several chess stars have changed their federation this year.



Notable chess players among them are Anna Muzychuk and Anna Sharevich. Anna Sharevich used to play for Belarus, but will now play for the USA. Anna Muzychuk has played for ten years for Slovenia and now returns to play for her country of birth, Ukraine.

World Senior Chess Champion 2013 player Margarita Baliuniene moves from Lithuania to Denmark. World Cup player for Cuba, Fidel Corrales Jimenez moves to the USA. Sharanya Iyengar, who has played the World Youth for Girls U12 for Kenya, moves to India. Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu who represented Romania will now play for Germany.

For a complete list of chess federation transfers, check out this FIDE website link.

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
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Norway Chess 2014 Players' List Complete - Carlsen, Aronian, Grischuk, Caruana, Kramnik, Topalov, Karjakin, Svidler, Giri, Agdestein

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Hello Chess Blog friends, All players are now confirmed for the Norway Chess 2014 tournament. The average rating of all players is 2774 making it one of the strongest tournaments around.

Here is a list of the players as announced by the official website:

  • Magnus Carlsen
  • Levon Aronian
  • Alexander Grischuk
  • Fabiano Caruana
  • Vladimir Kramnik
  • Veselin Topalov
  • Sergey Karjakin
  • Peter Svidler
  • Anish Giri
  • Simen Agdestein
The Norway Chess Tournament is also special because it will be held across several venues!

The Pulpit Rock

  • 02.06.2014 17.00 Blitz Flor & Fjære – closed event
  • 03.06.2014 15.30 1st round Hotel Scandic Stavanger Forus
  • 04.06.2014 15.30 2nd round Hotel Scandic Stavanger Forus
  • 05.06.2014 15.30 3rd round Hotel Scandic Stavanger Forus
  • 06.06.2014 15.30 School tournament Vitenfabrikken, Sandnes
  • 07.06.2014 15.30 4th round Vågen VGS, Sandnes
  • 08.06.2014 15.30 5th round Hotel Scandic Stavanger Forus
  • 09.06.2014 15.30 6th round Aarbakke fabrikkhall, Bryne
  • 0.06.2014 15.30 7th round Hotel Scandic Stavanger Forus
  • 11.06.2014 TBA Celebrity tournament TBA
  • 12.06.2014 15.30 8th round Hotel Scandic Stavanger Forus
  • 13.06.2014 15.30 9th round Hotel Scandic Stavanger Forus
TBA = To be announced

The official website has a nice note about the venues of the Norway Chess Tournament 2014:

The idea behind Norway Chess was not only to arrange one of the strongest tournaments in the world, but also to show the world our beautiful country and region. A traditional chess tournament is normally held in a fairly neutral venue, where the game and the players are in focus. We will of course also focus on the players, but we will give the event a edge by showing beautiful and unique surroundings while playing chess.

The event got a lot of positive feedback from the viewers and spectators from around the world last year. Not the least from the players and their seconds and families. We will of course bring this feedback with us in Norway Chess 2014. Another important element here is of course our partners, which in various ways benefits from this from of organizing the tournament.

One of the most exciting tournament venues last year was the Aarbakke AS factory at Bryne. Also the players were very pleased with this venue. Here they could sit behind a glass wall, without any noice from the spectators. The audience could follow both from a tribune, just a few meters from the stars, or from screens situated in different places in the building. As we all know a chess game can take some time to finish, and during the games at the Aarbakke factory the spectators used the opportunity to look around the hall and study the techniques and products. We are very happy that Inge Brigt Aarbakke is a sponsor and partner also this year, and will again open his great factory hall for players and spectators.
Vågen Videregående Skole, a high school located in a modern building in the center of Sandnes, is a new venue this year. Cooperation with Vågen Videregående fits well with our focus on young talents and chess for the future. Increased interest in chess in all age groups is very positive in many ways, and such cooperation with the educational institution is very important. We look forward to seeing many young chess fans at Vågen Videregående in June.
Scandic Hotel Stavanger Forus is this year’s main arena, and several of the rounds will be held there. All though the players will be staying at the brand new Scandic Stavanger City hotel which will open its doors in May. Again this year we have cooperation with Bavaria and we look forward to transporting the chess players to the playing venues with great chess cars. The cooperation with Scandic is excellent and they have promised chess surprises for all their guests during the tournament.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
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‘Anand-Carlsen match on schedule’, no bid notwithstanding: FIDE Vice-President Sundar

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Hello everyone,



We have an interesting update via The Hindu about the World Chess Championship match between Viswanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen this year.

The World chess championship match between Magnus Carlsen of Norway and India’s Viswanathan Anand, FIDE (world chess governing body) says, will be held from November 6, but it is not yet sure where.

FIDE’s deadline for receiving bids ended recently without a single bid. FIDE vice-president D.V. Sundar, however, assured that the Word championship would be held as per the schedule. “We will find a venue soon,” he said. “Sometimes, such things do happen, but FIDE is confident of staging the World title match at the proposed time.”

That FIDE has not found a venue, or a sponsor, for a World championship match involving a charismatic reigning champion like Carlsen and a popular challenger like Anand has surprised the chess world.

“It is surprising that a match featuring Carlsen hasn’t any takers at all,” said veteran Grandmaster Pravin Thipsay. “We cannot understand why Norway has not bid. If there is no match, Carlsen could retain his title, so it is not the headache of Norway to find a sponsor.”

India ruled out

Since Chennai had hosted the last World championship match last November, India could also be ruled out.

Indian Grandmaster Pravin Thipsay believes that the World championship would go ahead. “Kirsan has been the biggest sponsor of FIDE ever since he took over as its president,” he pointed out. “If he does not find a country or sponsor for the World championship match, he would organise it himself. It is too prestigious an event for FIDE and Kirsan.”



From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
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U.S. Senate passes Resolution naming St. Louis 'National Chess Capital'

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Hello everyone, more chess news that makes Saint Louis a star chess city!

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Senate has passed a resolution naming St. Louis the "National Chess Capital."




The resolution was introduced by Sen. Clair McCaskills (D-Mo.) and Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) and was passed Monday night. It recognizes after-school chess programs, which help students learn problem-solving skills and improve test scores.

St. Louis will host the 2014 U.S. Championship and 2014 U.S. Women's Championship May 7-20 at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis. This is the sixth consecutive year the tournaments will be held in our city.

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
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Power Chess Girl: Name her and her Chess Star Husband

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Hello chess trivia lovers, here's a nice photo of a cool and strong woman chess player. Not only is she a killer Grandmaster herself, but along with her husband, makes one of the top power chess couples of the planet. Can you name her and her husband?



From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
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John Nunn Chess Simul June 8 in Oxfordshire!

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Hello everyone, this is a 'rare' chess simul - |The British Chess Federation has announced that English chess legend GM John Nunn will be giving a (rare) simultaneous exhibition against 20 boards in Hanwell, Oxfordshire on Sunday 8th June at 2pm.
There are still a few boards available at the very reasonable price of £22 to include a free magazine and photo opportunities, signings etc. There will also be special prizes.
If you would like to play against John or think you know someone who might then please do contact carl.portman@hotmail.co.uk or phone 01295 738001.

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
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Estonia Chess Champions 2014 - Kaido Kulaots and Narva Mai

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Hello Chess Blog friends, the Estonia Chess Championships have concluded with GM Kaido Külaots and WCM Narva Mai winning the titles in the open and women's section.

The medalists. From left to right: WFM Regina Narva, WIM Monika Tsõganova, WCM Mai Narva, GM Kaido Külaots, FM Ottomar Ladva, IM Tarvo Seeman 

The FIDE report by Tarmo Tuul states the 2014 Estonian Chess Championships took place from April 28 to May 4, in Tallinn. This year's event was also important in determining the Olympic team composition, additionally, the results of the men's tournament will also determine who will have the right to play in the revived Baltic Zonal chess Tournaments. 

Spectators could hope for a week of uncompromising and fighting chess which the chess players did not fail to deliver as there were few quick draws. Men's tournament gathered 10 participants. The main favorites were GM Kaido Külaots and last year's winner FM Ottomar Ladva. 

The drawing of lots ensured an interesting finish – Külaots and Ladva were to play in the last round. By that time both were beyond the reach of other players, with Külaots half a point ahead. Ladva had the Black pieces and chose risky continuations which gave Külaots a large advantage. The GM, however, forced a draw which was sufficient for win him his eigth national title. The silver medal went to Ladva and bronze to IM Tarvo Seeman. 

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
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World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen on Vugar Gashimov Chess Memorial 2014 (Video)

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Hello Chess Blog friends, World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen has recently uploaded a fresh new video to his YouTube channel speaking about the very exciting Vugar Gashimov Chess Memorial held in Shamkir. Join Magnus and his manager, Espen Agdestein, for a discussion on what caused his two losses and other insights!








From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
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Romantic Chess Trivia: Identify Talented GM, Intelligent Wife!

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Hello everyone, we love to chess-tease our friends with all sorts of chess trivia questions, photos, videos and quizzes. We just chanced upon this very beautiful photo of a talented and handsome young Grandmaster with his intelligent and pretty wife. Cannot resist sharing... can you name the GM... and his wife? Click on the photo to read an interview at www.chess-news.ru.

Photo - Dzheyhun Alekperov

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
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New York Chess - Mayor's Cup Chess a Huge Hit with Schools

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Hello Chess Blog friends, the recent Mayor's Cup chess event in New York City was a huge success. More than 400 400 of the city's top-rated youth chess players competed in the 2014 NYC Mayor's Cup Chess Championships at PS 11 - The William T. Harris School for a chance to be crowned the "Best in the City."  


Three chess teams were tied in the standings of the Junior High/High School Open section heading into the final round, but Edward R. Murrow High School (Brooklyn) finished strong and took home the Cup, while PS 160K (Brooklyn) finished as the top team in the Elementary Open section. Alisher Podavonov (Brooklyn Tech) finished first in Junior High/High School Open section individual standings, and Aidan Ahram (NEST+m) was the top individual in the Elementary Open section.

The chess tournament, which was open to all NYC students in grades K-12 who are rated 600 or higher by the US Chess Federation, was produced by NYC & Company in partnership with Chess-in-the-Schools.

The teams from Edward R. Murrow HS, NEST+m and Stuyvesant were all tied atop the standings of the Junior High/High School Open section (grades 6-12, rated over 1,500) heading into the final round of play. In the end, Edward R. Murrow HS took home the Cup for the second time in the past three years as their top four players all finished in the top 20. NEST+m finished in second place followed by Stuyvesant, who finished third.

In the individual competition, defending champion Isaac Barayev (NEST+m) and Alisher Podavonov (Brooklyn Tech) were the only two competitors left in their section that had perfect scores as they prepared to face each other in the final round of play. Podavonov took home the gold medal as he defeated Barayev in the deciding match, and Barayev ended up in fifth place because of tiebreakers. Alex Spinnell (Stuyvesant) finished second followed by Shawn Swindell (Murrow) in third and Ashanti Murray (FDA) in fourth.

PS 160K took home the Cup as the top team in the Elementary Open section (grades K-5, rated above 1,100), while the team from PS 124M took silver, and last year's Elementary team champions from PS 503K finished in third. In the individual scoring, Aidan Ahram (NEST+m) and Jun Yan Li (160K) both finished with perfect scores, but Ahram was awarded the gold medal, while Li took home the silver due to tiebreakers. Tyler Roonprapunt (Dalton School) finished in third place followed by Justin Dalhouse (282K) in fourth and last year's Elementary individual champion Justin Chen (124M) in fifth.

In the Junior High/High School Novice section (rated under 1,500), East Side Community High School finished first followed by Edward R. Murrow HS and 318K. In the individual standings, Samuel Zhang (Stuyvesant) took home gold in that section followed by Allen Li (318K) and Ash Egyud (East Side Community HS).

In the Elementary Novice section (rated under 1,100), the team from Avenues: The World School took home first place followed by the team from PS307Q, who finished second, with the team from 503K, finishing in third place. The individual scoring was very tight, but in the end, Kunchok Khando (139K) took home the gold medal followed by Michael Ramon (218X) and Ryan Christi Chen (NEST+m) because of tiebreakers.

To find the complete team and individual results, please visit the NYC Mayor's Cup Facebook page. -- Shaun Smith/USchess.org



From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
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Viswanathan Anand to play Chess Exhibition for Chief Executive Officers in Dar es Salaam on June 5

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Hello Chess Blog friends, former World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand has a very interesting chess tour lined up for June. Anand will visit Tanzania for five days on invitation from Tanzania Chess Foundation chairman Vinay Choudhury who is also the executive member of Tanzania Chess Association (TCA).

Photo: tatasteelchess.com

Guess what the former World Chess Champion will be doing there! Anand will take part in a tournament named Chess for Chief Executives Officers (CEO) on June 5 in Dar es Salaam, preside over a chess match between Tanzania and Kenya and other chess events. 

"We have changed the dates to suit his program, he is very busy and he requested us if he can come earlier than planned. We could not hesitate but accept his request, He will do a lot of activities including visiting some Schools where the Chess Foundation is conducting trainings for young players," said Choudhary, adding that Anand’s visits to Tanzania and the international match against Kenya has been sponsored by SpiceNet Tanzania Limited. Choudhury said Tanzania does not have a rated chess player and he hopes to help change that. 

Chess players from Tanzania are expected to play against visiting counterparts from Kenya in an international friendly to be staged at the Dar es Salaam Gymkhana Club (DGC) next month. (Based on reports by http://www.ippmedia.com)


From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
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Chess Trap: Norway uses Houdini to Force Magnus Carlsen to a Draw!

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Hello everyone, chess is happening big time in Norway thanks to World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen's appeal. As always, The Week in Chess was right on top of the live action!

Mark Crowther's report: Magnus Carlsen took on the rest of Norway in a match on the VG website on Thursday 8th May 2014 . The presenter was Mads Andersen. A team of three wise men Simen Agdestein, Jon Ludvig Hammer and Leif Erlend Johannessen suggested moves and Hans Olav Lahlum enforced the rules and was on the sofa. Members of the Norwegian public voted on the moves on the VG website. The event took place in the Oslo City shopping center. 

A "Mystiske Nordmannen" dressed in red made the moves at the board. The audience had to guess who it is. He is "Not good at chess" and had to be prompted some times to play the right moves. It turned out to be skier Oddvar Bra who is extremely famous in Norway. Carlsen was well on top at one stage but each of the helpers could ask for help from Houdini three times during the game by ringing a bell and a counter-attack eventually forced Carlsen to take a draw.



Stormester and Stormester Facebook Page has lots of more photos. You can expect more updates later on World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen's Facebook Page as well. Check out the hash tag #vgsjakk for all the fun.

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
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US Chess Championships 2014 Begin Today; World Chess Hall of Famers Inducted

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Hello Chess Blog friends, US chess history is set for new action with the national championships beginning today. Here is the press update by Brian Jerauld from the Saint Louis World Chess Hall of Fame and the venue of the US National Chess Championships 2014. Get, set, stay tuned...

SAINT LOUIS (May 7, 2014) -- Grandmasters Gata Kamsky and Irina Krush: Please return your crowns.

Time expired on both champions’ reign over the nation Wednesday night in Saint Louis, with the opening ceremonies of the 2014 U.S. Championship and U.S. Women’s Championship ringing the bell for a new round of challengers to the national title. 



GM Irina Krush, the reigning U.S. Women's Champion, is interviewed by a local news crew.

To earn his crown back - and the lion’s share of $172,000 in prizes - Kamsky will need to beat out 11 of America’s top grandmasters, including U.S. Open winner Josh Friedel and wildcard Mackenzie Molner; while Krush will be up against nine of the nation’s best females, including 13-year-old Ashritha Eswaran, for the U.S Women’s Championship. Rounds begin daily at 1 p.m. local time through May 20, with full coverage of the event on www.uschesschamps.com.

Wednesday’s opening ceremonies were held at the World Chess Hall of Fame, which sits directly across the street from the venue for the tournaments, the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis. The event featured the drawing of lots to determine pairings and colors for both round-robin tournaments. Here are the pairings for Wednesday’s first round, highlighted by an instant clash between top-seeded Kamsky and two-seed Timur Gareev.



In the U.S. Women’s Championship, the reigning champion Krush takes on WGM Katerina Nemcova, a University of Texas - Brownsville student who is a newcomer to the U.S. Women’s Championship.
 


The 2014 opening ceremonies also featured the induction of two new selections into the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame, as well as two selections into the World Chess Hall of Fame, which are both housed in the same building. The U.S. Chess Trust added Abraham Kupchik, the 13-time winner of the Manhattan Chess Club Championship; as well as Jacqueline Piatigorsky, initiator of the U.S. Junior Closed Championships and organizer of two of the strongest American tournaments in history, the Piatigorsky Cups.

Added to the World hall was Maya Chiburdanidze, women’s world chess champion from 1978-1991 and only the second woman to earn the grandmaster title. Also honored was Paul Keres, the “crown prince of chess” who was seven times a World Championship candidate, yet never a winner.

The ceremonies also received remarks from International Arbiter Carol Jarecki, CCSCSL Executive Director Tony Rich, Jeff Rainford (Chief of Staff to St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay), as well as U.S. Championship sponsors Rex and Jeanne Sinquefield. Much attention and applause was spent on St. Louis’ recent designation by Congress as the U.S. capital of chess.

The 2014 U.S. Championship will offer a $64,000 “Fischer prize” to any player in the U.S. Championship who runs the table with all victories. The prize honors the 50th anniversary of the American legend accomplishing such a feat with a 11-0 score in the 1963-64 U.S. Championship. It has never been repeated.

Both tournaments begin Thursday afternoon at 1 p.m., with every move broadcast live and discussed by the powerful commentary team of GMs Yasser Seirawan, Maurice Ashley and WGM Jennifer Shahade on www.uschesschamps.com.

Local viewers may enjoy live commentary by GMs Ben Finegold and Robert Hess. Entry to the event is free for annual members of the Chess Club but costs just $10 per day for non-members.

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
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U.S. Chess Trust Managing Director Position

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Hello chess friends, here is a chess position requiring responsibility and commitment. The U.S. Chess Trust is looking for a managing director.

U.S. Chess Trust update: 
Barbara DeMaro is retiring from her long time position of Managing Director (MD) of the charitable US Chess Trust. We are now looking to contract out the position.

The primary focus of the Trust is to provide assistance to low income programs, such as Title 1 schools, in order to help them establish chess programs.

The Trust also actively supports scholastic chess programs in general. The Trust’s newest focus is on how chess can be used to combat cognitive disabilities due to aging.


The MD position is considered part-time and is compensated at 25K/yr., with the potential to earn more based on fund raising performance. Along with fund raising, there are a number of administrative duties including:


  • making sure all appropriate forms are correctly filed for IRS, Massachusetts, CFC, and other organizations (Florida? Orange County?)
  • sending out the annual mailing and processing donations from the mailing
  • acknowledging donations
  • administering the Samford fellowship program (including obtaning names and addresses of fellows and making sure checks are sent on time)
  • handling the chess sets distribution (including obtaining a source and taking care of requests)
  • making sure any other needed checks are written (for example for half my expenses at Hall of Fame inductions, for half of inductee expenses if there are live inductees)
  • actively participating in Annual Meeting and arranging for telephone hookup
  • attending Denker-Barber closing ceremony and writing needed checks
  • -administering Denker-Barber program during the year (former award winners sending in documentation of college attendance)
  • dealing with phone calls and correspondence
  • dealing with Trustee inquiries
  • making sure payments to USCF are made on time
  • administering the Scholar Chessplayer program in terms of getting checks to awardees

If interested, please send a resume to jeade@uschesstrust.org andhwinston@uschesstrust.org.


Chess History Trivia Photo: Name Players, Event, Year!

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Hello chess friends, it's time for a chess history trivia photo. Can you name the legendary players in this old photo? Can you also recall the event and the year? Click photo to check the answer in wikipedia.


From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
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Capablanca Chess Memorial 2014 begins with Dominguez as Top Seed, Almasi as Defending Champion

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Hello chess friends, particularly from Latin America! It is time again for that great chess tournament in Havana, Cuba - The Capablanca Chess Memorial.




The event begins with Cuban Grandmaster Leinier Domínguez versus Ukrainian Grandmaster Vassily Ivanchuk in the first round today, in the Elite Group. The tournament will be played at the  Habana Riviera Hotel. Leinier is the top seed at 2768 with Ivanchuk right behind at 2753. 


The Elite Group will include six-player double round robin, the strongest in the history of the event.
The players are Leinier Dominguez (Cuba, winner in 2004, 2008 and 2009), Vassily Ivanchuk (Ukraine, winner in 2005-2007 and 2010-2012), Wesley So (Philippines, first participation), Francisco Vallejo (Spain, winner in 2001), Zoltan Almasi (Hungary, winner in 2013) and Lazaro Bruzon (Cuba, winner in 2002) -- Official website

Don't forget, Vassily Ivancuk has won the Capablanca Chess Memorial six times!

Cuban Lazaro Bruzón (2682) is paired to play Philippine Wesley So (2731) and defending champion Hungarian Zoltan Almasi (2693) has to play Spanish Francisco Vallejo (2700) in the first round.

The chess festival includes a premier group and open group as well with former Cuban national chess champion Yuniesky Quesada (2642) as top seed followed by Peruvian Emilio Cordova (2616) in the premier section. 

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




Tromso Chess Olympiad Aug 2014: Take a Cruise to Norway!

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Hello chess friends, how about taking a cruise to the Chess Olympiad in Tromso this August? Here's a cool new offer via the official website for the Chess Olympiad. By the way, don't forget, Chess Queen Alexandra Kosteniuk is also the ambassador for the Chess Olympiad.


Vestland Classic has partnered with the Tromsø 2014 Chess Olympiad to offer both a unique cruise up the Norwegian coast from Trondheim to Tromsø and a floating hotel and tournament venue during the Olympiad itself.



Experience the high summer 

along the Norwegian coast on board 
MS Nordstjernen
TRONDHEIM – TROMSØ 28 JULY – 1 AUGUST 2014
Join us on a voyage to Tromsø and the Chess Olympiad

Day 1 (28 July) TRONDHEIM
 
Depart Trondheim at 17.00.We sail out of the Trondheimfjord and take a northerly course across Folda towards Helgeland and Vegaøyan.

Day 2 (29 July) VEGA

Morning arrival in Vega.
In 2004 Vegaøyan was inscribed on UNESCO’s List of World Heritage Sites. On Vega you may join a hike in this unique egg and down site and also visit the ‘E-house’, a museum and documentation centre for eider ducks.
Depart Vega at 15.00. We sail across the Vestfjord to the Lofoten Islands and Reine.

Day 3 (30 July) REINE – HENNINGSVÆR

Morning arrival in Reine.
Reine is a beautiful fishing village comprising 350 inhabitants in Moskenes municipality. You may join a guided coach tour from Reine to Henningsvær, an idyllic fishing village in Vågan municipality. The ship sails to Henningsvær in the afternoon. Overnight stay at the dockside in Henningsvær.

Day 4 (31 July) HENNINGSVÆR – TROLLFJORDEN
 

Depart Vega at 13.00. Before departure we would recommend a visit to Galleri Lofotens Hus, which houses the largest collection of paintings from North Norway.

We sail from Lofoten and Henningsvær through the Raft Sound, where the highlight of the day is the Trollfjord. This fjord is 2 km long and scarcely 100 metres wide. The Trollfjord is renowned throughout the world as one of the most beautiful fjords along the Norwegian coast. The voyage continues north towards Tromsø.

Day 5 (1 August) TROMSØ

We sail along the outer side of Senja, Norway’s second largest island, towards our destination, Tromsø, where we arrive at 07:00. In Tromsø, the MS Nordstjernen will function as a hotel ship during the Chess Olympiad from 1 – 17 August.

Rates

28 July – 1 August 2014
Trondheim – Tromsø from NOK 6,000


Prices include ticket, double occupancy cabin and full board. Excursions and beverages for meals are not included. Single cabin supplement NOK 400 per day

For further information and to make a booking, contact:

booking@vestlandclassic.com
Tel: +47 909 37 808
www.vestlandclassic.com
Floating hotel

During the Chess Olympiad we can be your hotel room. Book your hotel room in Tromsø at: https://viaregi.no/nordstjernen




MS Nordstjernen chess tournament

In partnership with the Chess Olympiad we are planning to hold one or more chess tournaments on board the ship. For further information on the tournaments, please visit www.tromso2014.no
MS Nordstjernen – a floating, national cultural monument

The ship has an intimate and historic atmosphere. Its saloons, restaurant and cafeteria have been preserved with their original artwork and style from the 1950s.
The MS Nordstjernen was given its beautiful name after the star the Vikings called the lodestar, the star that shines in the north
The ship was built in Hamburg in 1956 for Bergenske Dampskipselskap
The ship can carry 290 passengers
Number of beds: 150
Number of cabins: 72
Artwork: Paul René Gauguin
The ship was listed in 2012

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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