Quantcast
Channel: CHESS NEWS BLOG: chessblog.com
Viewing all 1506 articles
Browse latest View live
↧

Online Chess Simul with Women's World Chess Champ Hou Yifan: FIDE Online Arena, May 15

May 14, 2014, 7:22 am
$
0
0
Hello chess friends, you can now play the women's world chess champion Hou Yifan of China in an online chess simul!

The FIDE Chess Online Arena has some special events coming up.
Women’s World Champion Hou Yifan takes on FIDE online arena full members in the 1st weekly time-handicap master challenge:
Thursday May the 15th
2pm - 3pm CET (12pm – 1pm UTC)


When its’ one solid hour of non-stop time handicap challenges even the World’s No 1 women player can be put under serious pressure. Exciting & entertaining chess is guaranteed.

Join the fun - Join now.
Become a full member and get official FIDE ratings, unequalled anti-cheating protection and master simuls & challenges
Click here for full membership

Every week full members will have the opportunity to go head to head with the world’s finest chess players in the online arena.

Women’s World Champion Hou Yifan, Alexey Shirov, Rafael Leitao, Tania Sachdev, Alexy Dreev, Alexander Ipatov, Arkadij Naiditsch and Viktor Moskalenko are some of players' simuls that have been planned so far. 

Coming soon:
GM Phenomenon Alexander Ipatov May 20th
GM Superstar Aleksej Shirov May 23th

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


↧
Search

Magnus Carlsen heads Norwegian Chess Olympiad Teams

May 14, 2014, 7:59 am
$
0
0
Hello chess friends, the Norwegian Chess Federation has announced the four chess teams that will represent Norway at the 2014 Chess Olympiad in Tromsø, according to the official website update. 




The top team, which features World Champion Magnus Carlsen on first board backed up by four more grandmasters, was described by the chairman of the selection committee as “the best Norwegian national team in history”.

Norway’s first team
The Norwegian first team in the Open Section will look as follows:
GM Magnus Carlsen (Stavanger Chess Club)
GM Simen Agdestein (Oslo Chess Club)
GM Jon Ludvig Hammer (Oslo Chess Club)
GM Kjetil Lie (Asker Chess Club)
GM Leif Erlend Johannesen (Oslo Chess Club)


Grandmasters Simen Agdestein, Jon Ludvig Hammer and Leif Erlend Johannesen


Thomas Robertsen, Chair of the Elite Committee of the Norwegian Chess Federation, commented:
This is the best Norwegian national team in history. The first team in the open section consists exclusively of grand masters. We have a world champion, and some very good players who if they are in form can be a match for anyone. Magnus leads the way, but has a wonderful collection of strong players behind him; a great blend of creativity, experience, solidarity and tremendous will. This bodes well!

The Norwegian Chess Federation has strong hopes of seeing the best ever performance by the Norwegian team at the Chess Olympiad, and is really looking forward to seeing this team playing at home in Tromsø in August. With live broadcasts on television and the internet, Norwegians can begin looking forward to a very exciting competition at the highest level.

The women’s first team consists of:
Sheila Barth Sahl (Black Knights)
Niina Koskela (SOSS (Selskapet for Osloemigrerte Sørlandssjakkspillere))
Olga Dolzhikova (Oslo Chess Club)
Ellen Hagesæther (Academic Chess Club Oslo)
Silje Bjerke (Chess Club of 1911)

Thomas Robertsen explained:
On the women’s side, we have also named an extremely experienced and strong team. These are the best players in the country, and they are committed to really performing at the Olympiad. This is a very solid squad.

Norway's second teams

The remaining teams are as follows:

Open second team:
IM Frode Elsness (Moss Chess Club)
IM Frode Urkedal (Chess Club of 1911)
IM Torbjørn Ringdal Hansen (Chess Club of 1911)
IM Aryan Tari (Vålerenga Chess Club)
Johan Salomon (Nordstrand Chess Club)

Reserves:
IM Espen Lie (Asker Chess Club)
GM Rune Djuurhus (Nordstrand Chess Club)

Women’s second team:
Monika Machlik (Tromsø Chess Club)
Ellisiv Reppen (Oslo Chess Club)
Line Jin Jørgensen (Stavanger Chess Club)
Edit Machlik (Tromsø Chess Club)
Anita Grønnestad (Bergen Chess Club)

Reserves:
Torill Skytte (Oslo Chess Club)
Yerazik Khachatourian (Oslo Chess Club)

Robertsen added:
Both second teams will also be exciting to follow. There is a good geographical spread on the women’s side with players from Oslo, Stavanger, Bergen and Tromsø. It’s unlikely Norway has been represented by twins before, and it is nice that the Machlik sisters also come from the host city of the Chess Olympiad.


Edit and Monika Machlik will both represent Norway at the 2014 Chess Olympiad in their home city | photo: Tromsø Sjakklubb


The Norwegian Chess Federation adds:
The board order will be determined closer to the start of the championship.
In the event one of the first team players withdraws, he or she will be replaced by a player from the second team.
Two of the players in each of the second teams are based on the commitment to talent in the national recruit teams. This applies to Aryan Tari, Johan Salomon, Monika and Edit Machlik. In the event that one of these players is forced to withdraw, they will be replaced by other young talents from the national recruit teams.

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


↧
↧

Photo Chess Trivia: Which Country held their 1st Ever National Chess Championship just last Week? Who won the Title?

May 14, 2014, 8:12 am
$
0
0
Hello chess friends, one Asian country has just got their first-ever national chess champion! Can you name the country and the champion? Click photo to read the detailed FIDE report on the event. 



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


↧

U.S. Chess 2014 Men R6, Women R5: Akobian, Lenderman and Krush, Zatonskih in Joint Lead

May 14, 2014, 8:52 am
$
0
0
Hello Chess Blog friends, here's the latest updates from the U.S. Chess Championships 2014 in Saint Louis where the men have played six rounds and the women have played five rounds. Brian Jerauld catches all the action in which leaders of both the sections slipped! Unfortunately, now none of the players will be able to break Bobby Fischer's record of a perfect 9 at the U.S. Chess Championships.

Championship begins today at 1 p.m. CT, 2 p.m. ET. Catch all the action live at www.uschesschamps.com/live.

Ranking after round 6 Men's section
1 GM Akobian, Varuzhan 4.0
2 GM Lenderman, Aleksandr 4.0
3 GM Kamsky, Gata 3.5
4 GM Onischuk, Alexander 3.5
5 GM Gareev, Timur 3.0
6 GM Shankland, Samuel L 3.0
7 GM Robson, Ray 3.0
8 GM Naroditsky, Daniel 3.0
9 GM Friedel, Joshua E 3.0
10 GM Ramirez, Alejandro 2.5
11 GM Erenburg, Sergey 2.0
12 GM Molner, Mackenzie 1.5

Ranking after round 5 Women's section

1 GM Krush, Irina 4.0
2 IM Zatonskih, Anna 4.0
3 WGM Abrahamyan, Tatev 3.0
4 WIM Zenyuk, Iryna 2.5
5 WGM Foisor, Sabina-Francesca 2.5
6 NM Eswaran, Ashritha 2.5
7 WGM Nemcova, Katerina 2.0
8 FM Melekhina, Alisa 2.0
9 WIM Ni, Viktorija 1.5
10 WGM Baginskaite, Camilla 1.0 

SAINT LOUIS (May 14, 2014) -- Now the fists are flying - though nobody is coming out of the pile.

Despite a slow, draw-filled start, the U.S. Championship heated up as it passed its halfway point, with Tuesday’s sixth round featuring another day of bloodshed to shake up the standings. Aleksandr Lenderman, who had raced out to an early lead with three wins through the first four rounds, has now been slowed to a crawl with just a half point over the last two. Sam Shankland issued the frontrunner his first loss of the tournament on Tuesday, while Varuzhan Akobian (4/6) turned in his second quality win in a row to catch pace with Lenderman on top. 



Tied for third a half-point behind the leaders are Gata Kamsky and Alex Onishuck (3.5/6), who stayed unbeaten after a straightforward 32-move draw; and five other players trail in a logjam with 3 points apiece. Ray Robson and Josh Friedel both won on Tuesday to join the cluster, while Timur Gareev suffered his second consecutive loss.
Meanwhile, the 2014 U.S. Women’s Championship - previously showing no shortage of decisions - had its closest round of balance yet. Anna Zatonskih turned in the lone win of the day over Ashritha Eswaran, gaining a half point on the rest of the field with all draws. Combined with tournament leader Irina Krush’s nailbiting escape with a draw from Tatev Abrahamyan, Zatonskih has now caught back up with the leading pace. Abrahamyan (3/5) trails by a point in clear third.

Lenderman’s method of operations through the first portion of the 2014 U.S. Championships had been formed around well-prepared openings, confidently played and designed to surprise - which made it all the more obvious that things had gone wrong early on Tuesday.

Lenderman was rocked back into his seat just after the day began, tentatively progressing through the opening after being the first to admit that Shankland’s 2...e6 - the first time ever played by his opponent - had completely destroyed his preparation.
“Normally Sam plays the Grunfeld, maybe the Slav - he has never started with this particular move order,” Lenderman said. “I still had ambitions to maybe outplay my opponent later on, in equal position, but he just kept finding all these good moves, creating problems for me out of nowhere.”


Lenderman spent considerable time thinking about his third move, and proceeded to tiptoe through the opening with caution. Meanwhile, Shankland was rapidly showcasing his brand-new line: 9...Qa5 was played instantly, sending Lenderman into the tank for the second time in the game. His response, 10. Rd1, was weak and let black in on an early attack that scattered white’s queenside. Both the isolated a- and c-pawns later became objects of black’s desire.

Akobian had played through four balanced draws through the tournament’s start, but for the second day in a row squeezed out a full point from his opponents’ slightly worse positions. The imbalance came early on Tuesday, after both sides looked to be thrown into fresh territory in the game’s opening moves: Akobian spent 20 minutes thinking on his response to 3...dxc4, and Alejandro Ramirez put time in after 5. a4. His 7...c5 allowed Akobian the edge on development.

White’s bishop pair stayed menacing through the middlegame, while the kingside pawns put a cramp on the black castle. Akobian’s 42. f5 was an interesting idea that allowed a backwards pawn, but did well in freezing several black pieces in the area - but 46...g5+ was a surprise that kept Ramirez fighting for another 40 moves.
“I had a big advantage and was just trying to find a way to win, but I missed this g5 move in the endgame - I thought he was just resigning afterward, actually,” Akobian said. “Maybe I should have played h4 earlier to prevent this idea, I think I had time to do that. But even after g5, f6 was very weak, so I think I was always in control.”

While g5 bought Ramirez some extra time, it created a backwards pawn of black’s own, a weakness that stayed the focus through the rest of the endgame. 49...Rxe4 offered the exchange sacrifice, bailing out and seeking compensation in the form of a fortress. It almost came.

Zatonskih had slipped out of a first-place tie with Krush after Monday’s draw with Viktorija Ni, leaving her desperate for the full point in Tuesday’s match against Eswaran - the lowest-rated player in the field and 500 points Zatonskih’s inferior. But where some competitors have quietly grumbled about the lack of preparation material available for the 13-year-old -- she has no games in the database -- Zatonskih pulled out an old-school trick in the French defense that her young competitor was unlikely to have prepped herself.
“In the opening, I played (5.) Be7 - it was an opening I played many years ago,” Zatonskih said. “Of course, I play so many openings that (Eswaran) probably didn’t prepare this line - my last game was 12 years ago, maybe more. I think she was not aware of what was going on in this variation; she got, almost from the opening, a slightly worse position.”

The surprise brought some early swapping of minor pieces, with 9. Qd2 and subsequent queenside castling slowing up white’s opening. Eswaran’s 19. Qc7 was a hasty push inside, immediately dropping her g-pawn with threats of back-rank mate. Also proving to drive her backwards was 32. b4, met immediately by a5 to crack open the white king’s protection. Eswaran soon after lost her bishop to a skewer at 37...Qb1+.

Tournament leader Krush broke her first sweat of the tournament, as third-seed Abrahamyan made the reigning champion frantically work just to see the time control on Tuesday. The round five matchup featured more of a positional struggle rather than the tactical slugfest the two have created in the past, and both players had just six minutes of clock left with 15 moves left before the bonus.

Krush caught the worst of it, playing on increment after 30...Kh7 at a pivotal point in the game that demanded much calculation. She dropped a pawn with 35. Rxb5, though played accurately - and quickly - enough down the stretch to make control and defuse the situation to a draw.
Championship begins today at 1 p.m. CT, 2 p.m. ET. Catch all the action live at www.uschesschamps.com/live.

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


↧

9Queens Chess Fourth Friday Family Fun Knight May 23 in Tucson

May 14, 2014, 9:25 am
$
0
0
Hello chess friends, we keenly follow all the chess activities of 9Queens - doing amazing things to make chess so popular in Arizona. Here is news of their next chess event: 

Fourth Friday Family Fun Knight!6:00pm - 8:00pm | 6230 E Speedway Blvd, Tucson, 85712May 23 

Join them for an evening of chess on the Fourth Friday Family Fun Knight (before the family chess Knight goes on summer break). All ages and skill levels are welcome!


9Queens are always hosting fun chess events. You can read all Chess Blog posts on them at this link. 

WHY ARE THEY CALLED 9 QUEENS?
In chess, the queen is the most powerful piece on the board. Although every player begins the game with only one queen, every pawn has the potential to become a queen. In theory, it is possible to transform all 8 pawns into queens, thus creating a position in which there are 9 queens on the board. 9 Queens is a metaphor for the all too often unrealized capacity to empower all children through chess.

THE MISSION
9 Queens is dedicated to empowering individuals and communities through chess by making the game fun, exciting, and accessible. They offer free chess education programs specifically designed to promote critical thinking skills, academic performance, and self-confidence. Their mission is to use chess as a tool to motivate, empower, and engage under-served and under-represented populations to realize their potential and achieve academic and personal success.

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


↧
↧

FIDE Chess Ratings Blitz, Rapid: Spot Your Favourite GMs!

May 14, 2014, 9:52 am
$
0
0
Hello chess friends, it is exciting to see chess ratings for blitz and rapid chess published by FIDE. The top players in the men's rapid ratings are Hikaru Nakamura 2841, Fabiano Caruana 2840, Alexander Grischuk 2828 and World No. 1 in standard, World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen is at No. 4 with 2827. Vassily Ivanchuk is ranked fifth with 2828 rating points. 

Rapid World Top 10
Rank Name Title Country Rating Games B-Year
1 Nakamura, Hikaru g USA 2841 0 1987
2 Caruana, Fabiano g ITA 2840 0 1992
3 Grischuk, Alexander g RUS 2828 0 1983
4 Carlsen, Magnus g NOR 2827 0 1990
5 Ivanchuk, Vassily g UKR 2811 14 1969
6 Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar g AZE 2799 0 1985
7 Svidler, Peter g RUS 2787 0 1976
8 Aronian, Levon g ARM 2785 0 1982
9 Karjakin, Sergey g RUS 2781 0 1990
10 Malakhov, Vladimir g RUS 2776 23 1980

There's a little shake-up in the blitz list, but Hikaru Nakamura continues to be No. 1.

Blitz World Top 10

Rank Name Title Country Rating Games B-Year
1 Nakamura, Hikaru g USA 2879 0 1987
2 Karjakin, Sergey g RUS 2866 0 1990
3 Aronian, Levon g ARM 2863 0 1982
4 Carlsen, Magnus g NOR 2837 0 1990
5 Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime g FRA 2835 0 1990
6 Anand, Viswanathan g IND 2827 0 1969
7 Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar g AZE 2822 0 1985
8 Le, Quang Liem g VIE 2817 0 1991
9 Nepomniachtchi, Ian g RUS 2816 0 1990
10 Grischuk, Alexander g RUS 2801 0 1983

In the women's rapid and blitz list there are not many changes between the two lists or even as compared to the main world top list. Judit Polgar leads in all the lists.

Rapid Women Top 10
Rank Name Title Country Rating Games B-Year
1 Polgar, Judit g HUN 2656 0 1976
2 Koneru, Humpy g IND 2611 0 1987
3 Hou, Yifan g CHN 2600 0 1994
4 Lagno, Kateryna g UKR 2599 15 1989
5 Kosteniuk, Alexandra g RUS 2579 15 1984
6 Stefanova, Antoaneta g BUL 2578 15 1979
7 Ju, Wenjun wg CHN 2572 0 1991
8 Dzagnidze, Nana g GEO 2547 15 1987
9 Muzychuk, Anna g UKR 2546 15 1990
10 Gunina, Valentina g RUS 2536 15 1989

Blitz Women Top 10

Rank Name Title Country Rating Games B-Year
1 Polgar, Judit g HUN 2673 0 1976
2 Muzychuk, Anna g UKR 2665 30 1990
3 Hou, Yifan g CHN 2662 0 1994
4 Dzagnidze, Nana g GEO 2591 30 1987
5 Kosintseva, Tatiana g RUS 2578 30 1986
6 Zhao, Xue g CHN 2576 30 1985
7 Stefanova, Antoaneta g BUL 2569 30 1979
8 Gunina, Valentina g RUS 2560 39 1989
9 Kosteniuk, Alexandra g RUS 2548 30 1984
10 Lagno, Kateryna g UKR 2540 30 1989

For complete lists, check this FIDE link.

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


↧

Nepal Chess News: MK Kayastha wins Mt Gauri Shankar Chess Open

May 15, 2014, 8:55 am
$
0
0
Hello chess friends, Nepal is a growing chess country that has taken to chess only in the last few years. We like to share any chess news coming from the country which was, earlier, known as the Himalayan Kingdom. It's a republic now, but back to chess. The Mount Gauri Shankar international chess tournament concluded in the scenic town of Charikot recently. A lot of Indians and Bangladeshis are seen at chess tournaments held in Nepal.

Madan Krishna Kayastha of Nepal won the title of the Mt Gauri Shankar third Internationa Chess Tournament. Kayastha settled for a draw against Indian FIDE Master Joydeep Dutt of India in the final round match to accumulate 7.5 points and remained unbeaten in nine rounds at the Gauri Shankar Multiple College. Kayastha won six and drew three matches. With the title, Kayastha received Rs 50,000.

Former Nepal champion Badri Lal Nepali finished second after he shared points with Bangladesh’s Sadiq Ahmed in the ninth round. Nepali earned seven points and pocketed Rs 30,000. Likewise, Kumar Gaurav of India came third on progressive points after he was tied with three other players on 6.5 points. His countryman Joydeep Dutt was fourth, while Nepal’s Himal Lama and Rijendra Rajbhandari came fifth and sixth respectively.

Winner of the first edition, Nepal’s Rajendra Prasad Shrestha was seventh, while Bhupendra Niraula came eighth. Rajan Puri of Nepal and Bangladesh’s Ahmed completed the top 10. India’s Sohini Ganguly was the best among women players, while Nandan Kumar won the unrated section title. Bikram Dhoj Shrestha of Dolahka was adjudged the best among the local players.

Other winners of the tournament included Frenchman Stephen Luhui (1900-2100 rated), Himal Rai (1700-1899 rated) and Govinda Shrestha (1500-1699 rated). Also, Nepal’s Prabhat Lama, Shreyak Thapa and Muskan Acharya and India’s Garima Gaurav won the age-category titles. 


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


↧

World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen vs. Himself as a 7-Year-Old on Play Magnus (Video)

May 15, 2014, 9:18 am
$
0
0
Hello chess friends, this particular chess video of World Chess Champion could surely have been possible thanks to modern technology. The World Chess Champion takes on 'himself' as a seven-year-old in a chess game on Play Magnus. You can listen to the World Chess Champion's thoughts and commentary on the game in the video from Magnus Carlsen's official YouTube channel.








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


↧
Search

U.S. Chess Championships 2014: Akobian, Zatonskih in Front; Reigning Champs Trail on Rest Day

May 16, 2014, 12:20 pm
$
0
0
Hello chess friends, there's no going away from the U.S. Chess Championships 2014 even on the rest day. Big excitement happening with the leads swinging so, here's the report by Brian Jerauld:

SAINT LOUIS (May 15, 2014) -- The show, for the moment, has been stolen.

After the bloodiest day yet - eight fought-out decisions across 11 games and another nail-biting escape with a draw by reigning women’s champion Irina Krush - both U.S. Championship races have new frontrunners as the tournaments turn down the home stretch.


Varuzhan Akobian (5/7), the No. 4 seed seeking his first national crown, turned in his third quality win in a row Wednesday, leaving him in sole possession of first place of the 2014 U.S. Championship, unbeaten through seven rounds. Also without defeat is reigning champion Gata Kamsky (4.5/7), who trails in clear second after knocking down previous tournament leader Aleksandr Lenderman. Four players share a tie for third with 4 points.

In the women’s competition, Anna Zatonskih now leads with 5/6 after waiting out Camilla Baginskaite, who hung herself in a 102-move rook-and-knight vs. rook endgame late Wednesday evening. Reigning champion Irina Krush (4.5/6), who had entered the day tied with Zatonskih, lost pace with a draw against Alisa Melekhina after barely making time control for the second day in a row. Krush sits alone in second place, with Iryna Zenyuk (4/6) in clear third.
Both tournaments enjoy a rest day on Thursday.
Follow all the action live at www.uschesschamps.com/live.

Akobian had treaded water with four straight draws through the U.S. Championship’s opening, leading some to question his long-term tournament strategy. The critics have been silenced after his third consecutive victory - two of them with the black pieces, including Wednesday’s impressive stand against Ray Robson.
“I had been trying, but sometimes you can try really hard and it just wasn’t working out,” Akobian said of his drawing start. “In those openings, I was just not getting the positions I like to play.
“But winning as black is very important in this kind of field. You think maybe a draw is a good result, but whenever you have the opportunity, you have to play for a win.”

Akobian found yet another opportunity up front on Wednesday after equalizing early in a Catalan. Robson opened with a surprise, but not much: His 1. d4 may have strayed from his own tradition, but it played right into Akobian’s wheelhouse - a lifelong d4 player.

Robson has already lost twice in these U.S. Championships and 19. Bh3 coupled with 21. Ng5 showed that the 20-year-old was now shifting tournament gears toward aggression, though the attack ultimately left the f3 square weak. After exchanging minor pieces, Akobian picked up a free pawn there with 25...Qxf3.

The advantage was good enough to hold through the endgame, especially after Akobian’s 46...g5 put Robson’s remaining army in a near-state of zugzwang.

Lenderman was looking strong as tournament leader, collecting three wins through the first four rounds, but has since gone ice cold with just a draw over the last three. Not favorable is the schedule: He drew the black pieces against reigning champ Kamsky, and is slated as black again against Alex Onischuck after the rest day. The two are tied in third with 4/6.

On Wednesday, the veteran knocked Lenderman out of preparation early in a King’s Indian Attack, setting up a positional battle early to take the 22-year-old on in the middlegame, later stating: “Once you feel that a guy is in great form, you take a cautious approach. You don’t go in swinging right from the opening.”

The move 11. h4 a5 started sprints up the board from opposing wing pawns, though toward much different results: Lenderman only earned space and a frozen queenside after 12...a4, while Kamsky earned a vicious nail into black’s position with 13. h6.

Kamsky’s 16. Nxd4 aimed to stack black’s d-file, though its opening of the c-file became the focus of Lenderman’s middlegame initiative. By move 30. Kh2, however, the white fortress was looking sharp and the h6 nail dangerous; Lenderman’s weakness on the d-file finally fell at 32. Nxd4.

Kamsky closed with technique, liquidating the minor pieces and relieving the queenside. His pawn advantage turned into a downhill a-file passer.

“Alex has been a hard-working guy, slowly improving over the last four or five years,” Kamsky said of his opponent. “I remember that all of my games with him were really tough, and the way he played here, the way he just took off in the start like that, was no surprise to me. I’m sure he is still going to leave his mark, as long as he doesn’t take these two losses badly. He just has to forget about these games and just start the tournament anew.”



Krush was setting up familiar storylines as leader with 3.5 points through four rounds, but she has struggled to collect draws out of the last two. Just after the now-former leader was forced to race through a complex endgame against Tatev Abrahamyan in round 5, playing the last 10 moves on her clock’s 30-second per-move increment, she found herself in even warmer waters at time control against Alisa Melekhina in round 6.

Melekhina’s Blumenfeld Gambit earned her fantastic play in the opening and complicated matters early, quickly challenging the development - and the clock - of the reigning champion. Krush was late arriving to her castle on move 19, and when she got there, the black army had it well surrounded. 19...g5 threw the kitchen sink.

Both players’ clocks had fallen below 10 minutes with 15 moves until time control, though Krush was under duress. Melekhina’s 26. Rxa4 was the first of two exchange sacrifices - this one admittedly unsound - which proved to be fantastic plays against Krush’s clock: One of her moves was made with just one second remaining.
“I couldn’t see any concrete wins, and I took a big risk with the exchange sacrifice in time trouble,” Melekhina said. “That probably shouldn’t have worked, but I was playing on her time, and in the end I managed to get an advantage. I sacked again, right at the time control.”

Indeed, black’s second sacrifice at 40...Rxh3+ was a bit more sound and left Krush staring at a losing position for the first portion of her bonus time control. Melekhina didn’t have quite enough resources to close in the endgame, however, taking a well-earned half-point by perpetual check.

Thursday was the players’ rest day, and round 8 of the U.S. Championship and round 7 of the U.S. Women’s Championship is taking place May 16, at 1 p.m. CT, 2 p.m. ET. Follow all the action live at www.uschesschamps.com/live.


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



↧
↧

Russian GM Boris Savchenko wins Nakhchivan Chess Open 2014

May 16, 2014, 12:43 pm
$
0
0
Dear chess friends, Russian Grandmaster Boris Savchenko has won the 2014 Nakhchivan Chess Open that was held on 4-12 May at the Chess Center in Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan.

Savchenko, Aleksandr Shimanov (Russia), Eltaj Safarli and Rauf Mamedov (both Azerbaijan) finished with 6,5/9 points each, but Savchenko took the winner’s trophy on best tie-break. The Russian also added 21 points to his FIDE rating.

Winner Boris Savchenko - More photos at www.chess-news.ru

The Festival was organized by the Azerbaijan Youth & Sport Ministry, Azerbaijan Chess Federation and Nakhchivan AR Chess Federation. (FIDE/Chess.az)

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


↧

GM Rinat Jumabayev is Kazakhstan National Chess Champion 2014

May 16, 2014, 1:24 pm
$
0
0
Hello chess blog readers, considering the upcoming Chess Olympiad, here's more national chess news: The 2014 Kazakhstan Chess Championship for men was held from 3rd to 12th May, 2014 in Astana, the capital city of Kazakhstan. The tournament was a 12 player FIDE round robin with an average rating 2417 (seventh category).

GM Rinat Jumabayev was the winner with an impressive score of 9/11 points, a full point ahead of the runners-up. Second place is for GM Anuar Ismagambetov with 8/11 points, while GM Murtas Kazhgaleyev takes the bronze. (FIDE)

Official website

Final standings:
1 GM Rinat Jumabayev 2561 9
2 GM Anuar Ismagambetov 2508 8
3 GM Murtas Kazhgaleyev 2570 7,5
4-6 IM Aslan Aitbayev 2420 6
IM Kirill Kuderinov 2442 6
GM Rustam Khusnutdinov 2495 6
7 IM Evgeny Egorov 2356 5,5
8 Erkin Kozganbay 2362 5
9-10 GM Petr Kostenko 2507 4,5
Ayan Akhmetov 2386 4.5
11 Denis Makhnyov 2187 4
12 Anton Gurkin 2206 0

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


↧

Funny Chess Scene (Big Bang Theory) - How Boys Behave when they Lose to Girls!

May 16, 2014, 1:52 pm
$
0
0
Hello chess friends, time for some chess fun! So how do guys behave when they lose a chess game to a girl? Check out the video. The first part of the video is when Penny beats Leonard at chess in The Big Bang Theory. 







The Big Bang Theory is an American sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady. The show is primarily centered on five characters living in Pasadena, California: roommates Leonard Hofstadter and Sheldon Cooper, both physicists; Penny, a waitress and aspiring actress who lives across the hall; and Leonard and Sheldon's equally geeky and socially awkward friends and co-workers, mechanical engineer Howard Wolowitz and astrophysicist Raj Koothrappali. The geekiness and intellect of the four guys is contrasted for comic effect with Penny's social skills and common sense.

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


↧

Aussie Chess History: Giant Old Chess Set Found in Town Hall Store

May 16, 2014, 2:29 pm
$
0
0
Hello chess blog friends, they've found an old giant chess set in a town hall building! Daily Mercury reports: KINGS, Queens and their knights in shining armour lost their gloss and their kingdom as they lay forgotten and decaying, entombed in a storeroom of the Old Town Hall on Sydney St.

That was until retiree and Lions Mackay North member, Chris Todd, jumped up at this week's Mackay Regional Council meeting and told councillors there was nothing for seniors like himself to do in the city centre.

What about letting his Lions club put in a big chess game, just like many European towns had, Mr Todd asked the councillors.

Happy to oblige her loyal constituent and to the surprise of some, Mayor Deirdre Comerford revealed that indeed, such a big chess set did exist.

But where?


Bernarr Alexander (left) and Chris Todd from Lions Mackay North club engage in a quick battle of chess at the little known location in Mackay City centre. Photo: Peter Holt

It was in the village green, behind the former Old Town Hall building that will soon re-invigorated as the Mackay City Centre that Mr Todd went looking and found the tiled chess board, tucked away and forgotten at the rear of the garden.

The chess pieces were tracked down away from their kingdom in a storeroom.

Mr Todd will get together with City Centre coordinator Bernarr Alexander and he and his club will discuss if the playing board can be moved closer to the street front.

Mr Todd hopes to attract more people to gather at the site for a social game.

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


↧
↧

Super-Star Chess GMs Trivia Photo: Name them, Name Event!

May 16, 2014, 2:48 pm
$
0
0
Hello chess friends, this is a high-powered gathering of chess stars for sure. Question for you - Where and what was the event? It surely wasn't the Candidates though it could easily pass of as one at first glance! ;) We will post the answer in the comments... hopefully though may Chess Blog readers beat us to it!


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


↧

Hay Festival: Timetable at World's Biggest Literary Festival Features Chess

May 17, 2014, 10:26 am
$
0
0
Hello chess friends, here's a neat chess story from Wales Online. Last year a giant chess board at Hay featured not only Kings and Queens but a real life Duchess. Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, played chess with primary school children from Wales when she paid a visit to the annual literary festival. And chess is once again back on the timetable for this year's event.

Chess at Hay will be launched on the back of the successful 'Chess in Schools” programme which was set up in January this year at selected primary and secondary schools in Merthyr Tydfil. 

Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall plays chess with children from Hay on Wye primary school.

The chess programme will be held in the Scribbers Tent where the Merthyr-based Stephens and George Centenary Charitable Trust will play host to a chess extravaganza featuring children aged between six and 15-years-old and of varying abilities.

The children will be joined by Daily Telegraph chess correspondent and International Chess Master Malcolm Pein as well as the Chess in Schools and Communities Trainer Sarah Kett.

Vanessa Jones is head trustee of the charity that has spearheaded the Chess in Schools programme.
She said: "We're delighted to be at Hay again this year, this time with an opportunity to showcase the benefits associated with playing chess including problem-solving skills and also the ability to think strategically."

Louise Bibby, the head teacher of Gwaunfarren Primary School in Merthyr Tydfil said chess was having a positive impact on the children at her school.

She said: "It has been an absolute joy to observe the pupils making decisions with reasons and thinking strategically, while having fun.

"Behaviour has improved and we hope to develop this further as an after-school club, in order to involve more pupils."

For more details on Chess at Hay and chess in general contact Helen Hughes on 01685 388888 or email Helen.hughes@stephensandgeorge.co.uk

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


↧
Search

Akobian, Zatonskih Create Space; 2014 U.S. Women’s Title On the Line

May 18, 2014, 9:10 am
$
0
0
Hello chess friends, the round after a rest day in a chess tournament is usually quite interesting - will the overnight leader extend lead or lose rhythm? What happened at the U.S. Chess Championships? Read report by Brian Jerauld to find out more!

SAINT LOUIS (May 17, 2014) -- Rest days are meant for relaxation and preparation, a chance to collect one’s self and focus on the finish line. It’s a time to tighten up your stride for the home stretch.

But nobody got the memo in Saint Louis.


GM Varuzhan Akobian has pushed his lead to a 
full point with just three rounds to go in 
the U.S. Championship. Image Credit Lennart Ootes.

The 2014 U.S. Championships, hosted by the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis, returned from its break for one of the most chaos-driven rounds since the tournament began. In an afternoon that began with Camilla Baginskaite’s instant resignation after a touch-move snafu on move 15, picking up her a-pawn out-of-order instead of first tending to her double-attacked knight, the majority of Friday’s games followed a similar theme of head-scratching play amidst bruising back-and-forth drama.

Timur Gareev and Alejandro Ramirez settled on a fairy-tale draw that featured a two-pawn gambit in the opening, a crushing pendulum-swing of an attack in the middlegame and a magic recovery in the endgame. Tatev Abrahamyan fell horribly behind early in a Grunfeld, yet outmuscled Viktorija Ni in an endgame to win back her half-point.

But despite the methods, both U.S. Championship leaders, Var Akobian (6/8) and Anna Zatonskih (6/7), increased their respective leads entering the final weekend while their closest chasers fell away.

Irina Krush (5/7) struggled to her third consecutive draw, falling a full point behind Zatonskih and setting up a do-or-die match for Saturday afternoon, another chapter in the duo’s epic decade-long rivalry. Akobian gained ground after reigning U.S. Champion Gata Kamsky was fearlessly attacked to a draw by U.S. Junior champion Daniel Naroditsky.

None of America’s 22 best players made better use of their rest day than Aleksandr Lenderman. Lenderman was the early leader of the U.S. Championship, but he was headed in the wrong direction with just a draw over the last three rounds after suffering a shocking loss to Sam Shankland in round 6, and then getting rolled by Kamsky the following afternoon. The promise of the black pieces against bend-but-never-break Alex Onischuk loomed large through a rainy rest day.

But Lenderman found a reset button.

“My approach was to try and completely forget about what happened through the first half of the tournament,” Lenderman said. “Approach like it is a new tournament. (Onischuk) never loses - but he does sometimes … it could happen, and I figured today he’s going to try and battle against me because I lost two games in a row. He was going to try and pressure me, so I knew I would get more chances than maybe I would normally get; and I was pretty optimistic that if I had a good mindset, then I would have my chances.”



Onischuk enjoyed an advantage out of the Nimzo-Indian opening, but went wrong after battle opened up on the c4 square. White picked up a pawn at 17. Bxc4, albeit a moment too late: His 15. Rfd1 seemed one patient move too many. Black used the extra time to bring in another knight to help the battle at c4, and when it finally opened up, the white queen lay prone to several pins. Instead of alleviating the position, Onischuk just mistakenly defended it with the error 21. Rac1 and was instantly losing. Lenderman’s 21...b5 attacked the knight; 23...bxc4 won it.

White pushed on into an endgame, hoping to find play from a connected passer on the d-file, but Lenderman left no hope on the table: 38. Qb6 was another error pounced on immediately by white, this one promising to lose his queen to an eventual skewer.

Akobian’s schedule had looked a bit more favorable, returning after the rest day on a three-win streak and with the white pieces against Sergey Erenberg, who was winless in his first U.S. Championship at -2. Still, the 31-year-old had tricks prepared to throw the tournament leader out of his comfort level early.

“(Erenberg) surprised me - like all my opponents have been - playing an opponent he doesn’t usually play,” Akobian said. “He played the Queen’s Gambit Accepted, which I had looked at a little bit, but it wasn’t anything deep because it was not his opening.”


Akobian was enjoying a small lead out of the opening, including an annoying pawn advanced on e5 and a battery on the open c-file. Akobian’s 24. Bxa7 seemed to allow equalization, a trade that relieved some of the pressure against black, but it did not last for long: Erenberg passed on the chance to trade queens, misjudging the threat of white’s passed a-pawn.

“The crucial moment was (30.) Qb6,” Akobian said. “He had to exchange queens and go for this endgame that had some drawing chances -- but it was very unpleasant. So, in time trouble, he went Qc3 and missed this very strong Qd8-Qd1, protecting the rook and pushing the passed pawn. I think it was probably lost at that point.”

A round earlier Alisa Melekhina had refused to just roll over and surrender her half-point to tournament-leader Irina Krush, instead pushing the reigning champion to the brink just to find a draw. Melekhina came with the same intent on Friday, this time against Zatonskih -- though this time the leader powered through where Krush could not.

Melekhina repeated the same line she had used in round 2 against Sabina Foisor, a personalized gambit that sacrificed a central pawn at 8...Nxd4. Last week, it had worked to bring Melekhina into a winning endgame; on Friday, Zatonskih was waiting.

“I know she likes to give up pawns,” Zatonskih said of Melekhina’s penchant for early sacrifices. “I considered some different gambits on the day off, and I prepared some analyzed work with some rare variations, some gambits. But with so many lines, I wasn’t sure if she would repeat it.”

Melekhina did not receive much compensation for the pawn, perhaps a slight lead on development and some small initiative in chasing a black queen out of position. She did enjoy a lodged e-pawn and opened up more lanes with 21. Rxd5, though the clearance only provided Zatonskih’s bishop with devastating control of the a8-h1 diagonal - and white with no light-squared bishop to protect it. White’s greed to recover the pawn from the early gambit was punished after 24. Rf4, a threat on black’s stacked pawn ignored after 24...Rc2, relatively pinning white’s bishop.

The white army was soon uncoordinated, and Zatonskih eventually collected both of white’s queenside pawns to join her third from the gambit. Black easily leaned on the straightforward advantage, liquidating the major pieces and allowing its bonus pawns to win the game.

The Women’s field has collectively put a stop to Krush’s stomping of it, her last three opponents putting up more than enough fight to keep their half-point out of the reigning champion’s clutches. Not helping her chances toward another title was uncharacteristically sub-par play against Sabina Foisor on Friday.
“I made a horrible move right out of the opening - an awful move (15...Bxd5),” Krush said. “After that, it’s almost resignable in so many ways. Just a very bad position. It was an uphill struggle from that point on.”

Indeed, Krush sweated through her third-consecutive game, worse when Foisor’s 22. Qg6+ jammed the black king into the corner. Middlegame liquidation only served to help white’s advantage, until Foisor opted out of a queen trade, choosing instead to seek victory with her best piece.

Black struggled to mount a coordinated attack, however, and the board equalized as time trouble hit both players. By move 52, both were playing on increment, causing Foisor to miss some chances down the stretch that may have brought victory. She instead bailed out to an opposite-colored bishop endgame.


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




↧

Elementary Chess Championship in Texas: Thomas Edison Charter School Team wins

May 18, 2014, 9:45 am
$
0
0
Hello chess friends, One of the best young chess teams in America comes from an inner-city school in Wilmington. Four students from Thomas Edison Charter School tied for first place among 600 teams and 2,200 students from all over the country at the Elementary Chess Championship in Dallas, Texas, last weekend. They faced off against 35 teams and a total of some 230 students.



The teammates include: sixth-grader Cashmere Young, who took second place overall in the tournament; Madalyn Yates and Mark Coney, fifth-graders who tied for 19th place; and Shanea Higgin, a sixth-grader who tied for 46th place.

“It’s the greatest feeling in the world,” Young said. “I was very excited and very happy. It felt like all the hard work we’ve done practicing paid off.”

Young now adds a trophy half his own size to the growing collection at Edison. Principal Salome Thomas-El has made chess a pillar of the school, believing it’s a way for students from the at-risk neighborhoods the school serves to learn how to grow from mistakes and challenge themselves intellectually.

“Coming from a neighborhood with a high murder rate, coming from a neighborhood where there might not be as much hope as they want, they feel like they can persevere and overcome,” El said. “It’s a game-change for them to go to this national stage and see that they can compete on any level.”

El said most of the schools competing were from far more affluent areas. The school that tied for number one is a Montessori magnet school, for example.

The Dallas competition was the second one Edison students traveled to this year. The other one, in Atlanta, pitted their elementary students against junior high students, but the team still took home third place overall.

“They were going toe-to-toe against students who were much older than them, but they definitely held their own,” El said.

Though the school still has some bills to pay off for things like food, transportation and registration, El said the team was only able to compete at all because of donations from supporters.

Read more: Delaware Online

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



↧
↧

Logjam Atop Leaderboards at U.S. Chess Championships 2014

May 18, 2014, 10:36 am
$
0
0
Hello chess blog friends, the U.S. Chess Championships 2014 is heading towards its exciting conclusion, reports Brian Jerauld: 

SAINT LOUIS (May 18, 2014) -- Irina Krush has decided to play this one out.

Only one round remains in the 2014 U.S. Women’s Championship, though for a moment, it wasn’t entirely clear the extra day would be needed. The five-time reigning champion Krush
skidded into the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis on Saturday afternoon, having just suffered three straight draws and falling a full point behind the leader’s pace.

Sobering the mood even more was the woman who sat in front of her - both in the standings and now across the board: Anna Zatonskih, Krush’s enemy No. 1 and a four-time champion herself, ready to call it halves on their decade-long rivalry.
Irina Krush stayed cool under pressure in a must-win showdown against her main rival Anna Zatonskih. Image Credit: Lennart Ootes.

And like everyone else, Krush could do the math: Saturday was win or go home.

But she answered the call in Monday’s round 8, taking early advantage as white and spending the rest of the 75-move thriller slowly squeezing out any hope for a draw. The result knots the two in first place with 6/8, and also allowed Tatev Abrahamyan (5.5/8) into the fold after her win over Ashritha Eswaran.

Monday’s round 9 will settle matters: Zatonskih takes white against Katerina Nemcova (4.5/8), Krush defends as black against Viktorija Ni (3/8), as does Abrahamyan against Camilla Baginskaite (1.5/8). If necessary, a playoff is scheduled for Tuesday. The women’s tournament takes a scheduled rest day Sunday.

There is also a share for the lead atop the U.S. Championship, as time dwindles away with two rounds remaining. Varuzhan Akobian entered Saturday in clear first by a full point but never got comfortable in his eventual loss - his first of the tournament - to Sam Shankland.

Akobian stays in first with 6/9, though now shares the position after Aleksandr Lenderman caught pace after materializing a surprising win from a drawn-looking position against Daniel Naroditsky. Reigning champion Gata Kamsky - unbeaten, yet only at +1 through 9 rounds - picked up another draw with Mackenzie Molner and now trails a half-point behind the leaders in third place (5.5/9). Also in third place is 2013 U.S. Open winner Josh Friedel, the lowest-rated player in the field who has quietly turned in 3.5 points across the last 4 rounds to enter the fray.

The final two rounds of the U.S. Championship promise a web of matchups between the four leaders, including Sunday’s headliner between Akobian and Kamsky.




Krush was certainly no stranger to pivotal matchups with Zatonskih, and Monday’s game left little doubt as to what hung in the balance.
“Of course it was a must-win,” Krush said. “If you want to do anything in this championship, it’s a must-win. You can’t ask other people to do your work for you.

“I had sort of fallen asleep for a few rounds there, and woken up in this situation. The minimum I could do to get this tournament back on track is to win today, because otherwise I just wouldn’t deserve to be the champion.”

Though both players seemed lost early through the Catalan line, Krush was instantly the aggressor, skirting the early center fight and wrecking black’s queenside in the opening. After 13. Rxc4 cleaned up the early tactical swap of the queens and minor pieces, Zatonskih opted out of castling to protect her isolated c-pawn with 13...Kd7. It soon became the focus of Krush’s attention.

Pressing for a draw while Krush pressed for a win, Zatonskih eventually bailed on the weakness with 35...c4 to swap it out - though white simply refocused its forces on the also isolated a-pawn. Krush converted to a material advantage with 39. Rxa7.

Black’s e-pawn passer still gave chances, however, through the majority of a long rook-and-bishop endgame that challenged both players on the clock. 70...Ra8 was an interesting idea to bring black’s pawn to promotion, though ultimately failed when Krush sacked her rook at 71. Rxe2 to eliminate the threat. Black’s remaining rook was powerless to stop the connected pawns.
“I had a bad position out of the opening; I was surprised,” Zatonskih said. “I had this planned for white, I just forgot the lines. I just completely don’t remember them.

“(Krush) has improved her endgame dramatically recently. Before, it was worse, but now ...”

Shankland may no longer be in the race for the national title, but it doesn’t leave him any less dangerous of an opponent: Tension has filled each one of his games this tournament, his adversaries holding their breath on what kind of opening-book potion he might have concocted just for them. The 22-year-old had already reached into his bag of tricks in round 6 to knock then-leader Lenderman from his pedestal, and on Saturday he did it again to another frontrunner in Akobian.

Akobian defended in the Caro-Kann and admitted displeasure with white’s 7.c3, exemplified by his awkward 10...Bc5 that left the piece useless and wandering through much of the middlegame. Starting with 15...Be7, where the dark-squared bishop likely should have first moved, Akobian moved the piece five times in six moves.

The leak of tempo was an over-reliance on the solidarity of the Caro-Kann structure. As a result, black’s king never made it out of the center, and Akobian later lamented on missing the opportunity to play h5. White occupied the square instead at move 20, leaving black’s kingside in distress.

Challenged on the clock from the opening, Akobian was under two minutes still with ten moves to go before the 40-move time control, and his army collapsed in a hot mess under the pressure. His 28...g5 was an awkward-looking push, though his 29...d4 only served to open the board and reveal his uncoordinated pieces. In the undoing, Akobian’s queen found itself trapped by pawns on the queenside, requiring a sacrifice of his bishop at 35...Bxb4.

“(Var) pointed out that c3 is not the most challenging theoretically, and it doesn’t have the highest reputation - but i think it’s actually dangerous and I had some new ideas,” Shankland said. “It’s very sharp and for black to equalize, he has to really know his stuff and play into the sharp stuff, which can be very intimidating if you don’t know it. He played this strange-looking move Bc5, and very quickly I was quite comfortable with my position.”

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



↧

Where are 2014 World Youth Chess Championships to be Held?

May 21, 2014, 10:07 am
$
0
0
Hello chess friends, do you know where the 2014 World Youth Chess Championships are going to be held? Chess South Africa and its partners have won the rights to host the chess event in the beautiful coastal City of Durban! 



Durban is the largest city in the South African province of Kwa Zulu-Natal, also tenderly known as the Zulu Kingdom. Durban is also the major centre of tourism in South Africa because of the city's warm subtropical climate and extensive beaches.

The Championships will be hosted at the International Convention Centre, Durban, Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa. The ICC Durban is one of the most advanced conference facilities in the world. The facility boasts the largest area of column free, flat floor, multi-purpose space in Africa coupled with state of the art technology. As well as being named Africa's Leading Conference Centre for the 10th year by the World Travel Awards, the ICC Durban has been voted amongst the top 20 conference centres in the world by the AIPC. The ICC Durban is purpose-built, fully air-conditioned and comprises six convention halls that are interlinked, but separate. Halls 4-6 double as convention and meetings spaces and the flat floor space for the ICC Arena makes it the leading indoor sports and entertainment venue in Durban which accommodates up to 10,000 spectators.

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



↧

Kamsky, Krush Repeat as U.S. Chess Champions 2014!

May 21, 2014, 11:15 am
$
0
0
Hello chess blog friends, have you been following the U.S. Chess Championships 2014? It's interesting that both the men and women's U.S. Chess Champions have retained there title! Here's the official report by Brian Jerauld.

SAINT LOUIS (May 21, 2014) -- You were expecting someone else?

The tight drama of the 2014 U.S. Championships turned out to be all for show. Several of the nation’s top 22 players took turns stealing headlines and taking their shots at the top, but when the dust of the near two-week long fight cleared, the two champions left standing were the same two champions as before.

Grandmaster Gata Kamsky has repeated as the U.S. Chess Champion, his fifth time holding the title, after defeating GM Varuzhan Akobian 1.5-0.5 in a playoff on Tuesday evening. As well, GM Irina Krush turned in a three-peat as the U.S. Women’s Champion, her sixth year as title holder, after knocking out WGM Tatev Abrahayam 1.5-0.5 in their own playoff on Tuesday. Though both champions admit struggling with the 2014 fields, Kamsky and Krush were the only players to finish undefeated.



“It has been a tough tournament for me, I can feel all these guys: They have been preparing and playing really well,” Kamsky said of his 11 challengers. “Of course, there were a lot of blunders because they wanted to win, but that made everything very competitive. It was nice to win this event.”
Kamsky was fortunate to even be playing chess in Tuesday’s playoff, after struggling to tally decisions for the entire tournament. With only three wins across 11 rounds, a scattering of uninspired draws left even Kamsky himself predicting a new national champion in the tournament’s earlygoing.

But Akobian and GM Aleksandr Lenderman, tied in first place entering the final round, fought each other to a draw when a win would have earned the title outright. It opened up the extra playoff day, which turned out to be a three-way playoff, as Kamsky finally caught pace with a final-round win over Josh Friedel on Monday. It was the first time all tournament Kamsky had appeared on the top of the leaderboard.
“I felt (the three-way playoff) was really exciting, it was really good for me,” Kamsky said. “Considering the game (Monday) that they played where Akobian could have won, I feel very lucky.”

Krush also left her sixth title in doubt, falling sick mid-event and suffering through a stretch of draws that left her a full point behind the leader with two rounds to go. But she caught pace with a win over rival IM Anna Zatonskih in round 8, then was fortunate that another draw in the final round was good enough to keep her up top - though not alone. The women’s competition also featured a three-way playoff.

Krush admitted the national championship is never easy, despite her consistent results.
“All of these championships are hard - it’s not like what people think ‘oh, she wins every year,’” Krush said. “But the thing is, they are always difficult. Maybe last year was my smoothest victory, but a year before that I had a playoff with Anna (Zatonskih), and now I had a playoff with Tatev.
“But this one was definitely hard, I felt like I had one obstacle after another. The fact that I had a mild fever in the middle of the tournament, and then I was drawing these games and found myself so far behind Anna - it just felt like so many obstacles. It’s like: ‘Where is the sun? Where is it? I couldn’t see it.”

Tuesday’s three-way playoff first began with a single Armageddon match designed to knock one player from each race. Kamsky and Krush had earned advantage due to tiebreaks, setting up Akobian and Lenderman, as well as Abrahamyan and Zatonskih, to square off in an Armageddon game. In the specialized match, the player with the black pieces receives draw-odds and only has to avoid losing to advance. Abrahamyan had black and knocked out Zatonskih with a perpetual check; Akobian passed over his draw odds and just brought Lenderman down by checkmate.

It set up the finals, which was two rapid games - 25 minutes with a 5-second-per-move increment - to declare the champion. Akobian drew the first game with the white pieces, while Kamsky won in the second game as white. In the women’s final, Krush took the full point in her first game as white, then played Abrahamyan to a draw in the second game.

“One thing I know is that in a rapid game you need good nerves and a fresh mind,” Krush said. “It’s not really decided by opening preparation.”

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



↧
Viewing all 1506 articles
Browse latest View live
Search