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Tromso Chess Olympiad on Schedule in Norway Aug 1-15

June 7, 2014, 11:38 am
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Hello chess blog friends, you will be happy to know that the Tromso Chess Olympiad 2014 is on schedule as the organisers have obtained adequate funding, reports the event official website.

NOK 12 million for Chess Olympiad in revised budget
"Naturally, we are grateful and happy," said Chair of the Board of the Tromsø 2014 Chess Olympiad Hans Olav Karde, after learning that the Norwegian government coalition partners the Conservatives and the Progress Party, and support parties the Christian Democrats and the Liberals, have allocated NOK 12 million to the Chess Olympiad in the revised budget for 2014.

The Chess Olympiad has received NOK 12 million of the NOK 15.1 million in additional funding it applied for. This additional funding is required to cover the additional costs related to hosting the World Cup event in 2013 and the record-breaking registration for the actual Chess Olympiad, which will take place from August 1-14, 2014.
There will now be a Chess Olympiad in Tromsø
Hans Olav Karde added: That means the Chess Olympiad in Tromsø will go ahead. We still have a considerable task ahead of us to find sponsors and other contributors to cover at least NOK 3 million. In light of the additional government funding we have to bank on the success continuing and that the remaining funding will also fall into place.

As you know Chess Queen™ Alexandra Kosteniuk is also one of the official ambassadors for the Chess Olympiad 2014 in Norway. Here's her message:

“From the start I’ve been supporting the 2014 Chess Olympiad in Tromsø, and I’m counting the days to come and participate in this great event, which promises to be a truly historic event, uniting the best chess players in the world with an increasingly knowledgeable base of chess fans in Norway. See you soon in Tromsø!"

Have you read these others Chess Blog posts?

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

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal chess blog
at www.chessqueen.com
Don't miss Chess Queen™
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Cool Chess 'Magic' YouTube Video - Folding Chess Puzzle!

June 7, 2014, 12:03 pm
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Hello chess friends, we found this cool chess magic YouTube video, or you could call it the flat chess rubiks cube... very interesting! Play it out!









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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Tennis Superstar Tweets Chess Photo: Name both the Celebs!

June 7, 2014, 12:15 pm
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European Schools Chess Championship 2014 begins in Greece June 13

June 8, 2014, 11:10 am
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Hello chess friends, the European Schools Chess Championship 2014 begins June 13 in Kavala, Greece. The popular chess event will run until June 27 and here are the details via the official website.



Each National Federation or School Association or schools may enter an unlimited number of players in each of the 12 age groups. In case that one girl group has less than 10 participants, it will be merged with the same open age group category. 

Entitled to participate are players (Boys & Girls) who shall not have reached the age: 

Of 7, by 1st January 2014 (date of birth – January 1st, 2007 and after) – Tournament Under 7; 
Of 9, by 1st January 2014 (date of birth – January 1st, 2005 and after) – Tournament Under 9; 
Of 11, by 1st
January 2014 (date of birth– January 1st, 2003 and after) – Tournament Under 11; 
Of 13, by 1st January 2014 (date of birth – January 1st, 2001 and after) – Tournament Under 13; 
Of 15, by 1st January 2014 (date of birth – January 1st, 1999 and afer) – Tournament Under 15; 
Of 17, by 1st January 2014 (date of birth – January 1st, 1997 and after) – Tournament Under 17; 

Participants from the European Small Nations (FIDE Zone 1.10) have a 50% discount on registration and transportation fees. 

Accommodation and board will be provided at Galaxy Hotel (4 star) and Lucy Hotel (5 stars). Playing Hall is the City Conference Hall in walking distance. Every player is obliged to lodge at the official hotels. Every accompanying person that requests a visa from the Organizing Committee is obliged to lodge at the official hotels. Bookings are made only through the Organizing Committee (through registrations and bookings forms). 

The first European winner in each open age category is the European School Champion for 2014 and the first European girl in each girl age category is the European Girl School Champion for 2014. They will be awarded with trophies and special diplomas. 

The 6 first winners (U7, U9, U11, U13, U15, and U17) and the 6 Girl winners (U7, U9, U11, U13, U15, and U17) according to FIDE regulations will play as invited players in the 2015 World School Chess Championships in Singapore. 

GENERAL STANDINGS PRIZES 
6 open Champions 
(U7,U9, U11, U13, U15, U17) 
Invited participants World School 2015 
Special Gifts 
TROPHIES 
6 Girl Champions 
(U7,U9, U11, U13, U15, U17) 
Invited participants World School 2015 
Special Gifts 
TROPHIES 
Position 2-3 in each Category Chess Gifts Trophies 
Position 4-6 in each category Chess Gifts Medals 

SPECIAL PRIZES (total 10) 
1st player born 2006 (U9) 
1st girl born 2006 (GU9 ) 
Chess Gifts MEDALS 
1st player born 2004 (U11) 
1st girl born 2004 (GU11) 

Chess Gifts 
MEDALS 
1st player born 2002 (U13) 
1st girl born 2002 (GU13) 

Chess Gifts 
MEDALS 
1st player born 2000 (U15) 
1st player born 2000 (GU15) 

Chess Gifts 
MEDALS 
1st player born 1998 (U17) 
1st player born 1998 (GU17) 

Chess Gifts 
MEDALS 

TEAM PRIZES (total 3) 

Three special trophies for country or school delegations of 5 participants, which will play at least in 3 age groups (winners will be named according to the best 5 individual results). 

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal chess blog
at www.chessqueen.com
Don't miss Chess Queen™
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No Logo Norway Chess 2014 R4, 5: Vladimir Kramnik takes Sole Lead

June 9, 2014, 11:46 am
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Hello chess friends, have you been following the No Logo Norway Chess supertournament over the weekend? ROund 5 witnessed three decisive games including the first win of the tournament by World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen - from a losing game against none other than Levon Aronian!

World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen on his way to beating Levon Aronian. Photo: Official website - http://norwaychess.com/

The game lasted almost seven hours and it must have been a big psychological win for the World No. 1 over the World No. 2 as Magnus Carlsen came back to win from a surely lost position. Of course Norwegian fans would be over the top exulting at the victory. The win puts Carlsen back in contention for the title. 

On the other hand, the overnight tournament leader Fabiano Caruana blundered in a drawn Rook endgame giving the tournament a new leader in Vladimir Kramnik. 

The third decisive game of Round 5 had Anish Giri make all the best of a blunder by Veselin Topalov and win. The veteran Norwegian in the field, Simen Agdestein missed a clear win to settle for a draw with Alexander Grischuk. Peter Svidler as well, despite an advantage over Sergey Karjakin, had to settle for a draw. 

Earlier, Round 4 witnessed just one decisive game. All games were drawn except Sergey Karjakin playing with complete focus to turn a lost position into a victory over Alexander Grishuk. 

Detailed reports and excellent live commentary is available on the official website.

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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GM Maurice Ashley plays time-odds Chess Blitz - Macauley Peterson Video

June 9, 2014, 12:51 pm
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Hello chess friends, here's a fun chess blitz video with GM Maurice Ashley at his attacking best. It is the companion video to November Chess Life Magazine (pg. 30-35) interview with GM Maurice Ashley. Read more about this game at Chess Life Online. The video is by Chess Digital Strategies LLC - Macauley Peterson. Ashley starts with just 90 seconds to his opponent's 5 minutes in Fulton Park, Brooklyn, August 25, 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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Fischer Chess History Trivia Photo: Name the Lady Opponent!

June 9, 2014, 1:08 pm
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Hello chess friends, we found this lovely chess photo with chess legend Bobby Fischer taking on a pretty rival! Can you name the lady? We found this photo at the Blog TheseOriented without any specific credits. If you know any details, do post them in the Chess Blog comments.





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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Ready to Play Chess in the City of a Hundred Spires - Prague Golden Chess Festival June 22-29

June 10, 2014, 12:40 pm
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Hello chess friends, Prague - the City of a Hundred Spires - in the Czech Republic is all set to host the Golden Chess Open from June 22-29. 

In fact there is not going to be one chess tournament, but several

Tournaments
IM - closed tournament (22nd June - 29th June, 2014)
A - Open: Golden Prague Open (22nd June - 29th June, 2014)
Rapid Open (21st June, 2014)
Rapid Open U16 + U20 (20th June, 2014)


You can download the regulations for each of these events via the official website. Organizer: Chess Club Holdia DP Prague in coordination with Prague Chess Association and DDM Prague 
Place: DDM Prague - Karlínské Spektrum, Karlínské náměstí 7, Praha 8 – Karlín, Czech Republic 

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal chess blog
at www.chessqueen.com
Don't miss Chess Queen™
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A Chess First: Drone Video of Huge Scholastic Chess Tournament in Corsica!

June 10, 2014, 1:06 pm
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Hello chess friends, this is a cool first for chess. More than 3000 children played in the 11th Corsican Scholastic Chess Championships held in Bastia, Corsica recently. The organisers got a drone to capture a video! Check it out!







Speaking of chess in Corsica, do you know what's coming up in July? Click on the poster!



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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2014 U.S. Junior Closed Chess Championship from June 19-29

June 10, 2014, 1:38 pm
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Hello chess blog friends, it's the St Louis Chess Club in the news again. June 19-29 are the dates for the U.S. Junior Closed Chess Championships 2014. 

For the fifth consecutive year, the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis will host the Junior Closed Championship, the premier, invitation-only tournament in the country for the nation's top rising stars.

This event showcases the top students in the country and serves as the perfect example for two of our important goals: Promoting chess at the scholastic level and supporting chess at the top level by providing a professional environment for the country's top tournaments.

Meet the Players (USCF Ratings from May supplement):
GM Kayden Troff (2573)
IM Sam Sevian (2545)
IM Aleksandr Ostrovskiy (2521)
IM Luke Harmon-Vellotti (2515)
IM Jeffrey Xiong (2513)
FM Michael Bodek (2486)
FM Arthur Shen (2458)
NM Joshua Colas (2426)
FM Justus Williams (2366)
NM Matt Larson (2215)

Find the complete schedule and other details at the official website. 

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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MetroChess Interview: Levon Aronian Chess Career began at Age 10!

June 12, 2014, 1:04 pm
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Hello chess friends, here's a cool chess interview with World No. 2 Levon Aronian via the US Chess Federation website. The interview is by Kostya Kavutskiy.


As a prelude to the upcoming MetroChess and ACA Summer Chess Camp, headlined by lead instructor Levon Aronian, we interviewed Levon about playing chess in his childhood, as well as his road to becoming a professional chess player. His answers were, as usual, honest and genuine, and provide valuable insight into the life of one of the strongest and most creative chess players today.

1) Can you tell us what it was like to learn chess in your youth? What did you like about the game? Did you have any early ambitions to become #1 in Armenia, or the World Champion?

When I was 4 or 5 years old, my maternal grandpa tried to show me the game of chess, but I was more fascinated by the game of draughts (checkers) back then and I used to terrorize every guest that would visit my family by pestering them to play a game of draughts with me. My chess playing started when my sister re-introduced me to the game when I was about 9, and then it took off from there. My favorite thing in chess was that in comparison with draughts there was a big goal - the king! So from an early age I always went for risky, attacking options. I always had the feeling that I was a very good player from my earliest days. It's hard to say what my ambition or goal was back then, but whenever I got to beat everybody in my chess class, I wanted to play better opponents, and so on.

2) Did you attend any chess camps as a child, or group training sessions, or did you mostly train privately?

I was very lucky to have a great trainer staying at my house. Training with a then-strong IM Melik Khachiyan allowed me to blossom immediately, and I won my first Junior Championship of Armenia after just one year of getting to know the rules of the game. I visited one camp in my life and it was in Podolsk, Russia with the Petrosian Chess School when I was about 11 years old. There I met many of my future opponents, and trained under the guidance of famous chess trainers such as Alexander Nikitin and Aleksander Vaisman, and got to see Garry Kasparov himself who gave lectures for 2 days!

3) At what age did you begin to take chess seriously, and when did you first consider yourself a "professional chess player"?

Since I grew up in a very turbulent time, taking myself seriously was the only way. After the fall of USSR most scientists became jobless, and since my parents were in science, my early success in chess became the light for my family. It might sound strange, but my professional career started at the age of 10, when, with my mother's continuous efforts of knocking on every high ranked official's door, brought me my first sponsorship deal.

4) In 1994 you won the World Youth Championship u12, and in 2002 you became the World Junior Champion - how important were these victories to you? How did you deal with the pressure of the final rounds in those events?

Winning tournaments in my early years was vital for me and my family. Good results enabled me to find new sponsors, and without them I think I would never have become the player that I am. Pressure is always there; but playing in Armenia where everyone is a fighter made me skilled in last round situations.

5) Was there a particular moment in your career when you felt your personal chess "style" was developing?

I want to believe that I am still developing and I welcome new challenges. I do feel that most of the things I love in chess come from 3 people - Melikset Khachiyan, Arshak Petrosian, and Gabriel Sargissian.

6) Is there a particular part or subject of the game you enjoy studying? (openings, middlegames, endgames, tactical combinations, etc)

I really enjoy finding new ideas in the early stages of the game. The biggest joy in the modern chess era is the discovery of good moves that are not approved by the computer.

7) Can you name some of your favorite chess books growing up, or current favorites?

I absolutely adore "Attack with Mikhail Tal", by Mikhail Tal & Iakov Damsky, as well as Petrosian's and Larsen's annotated game collections. I love it when the book consists of light analysis but plenty of words describing the subtle psychological details.

8) In your view what is the main benefit of learning chess during childhood?

Chess can teach a person to appreciate beauty in things that are not visibly beautiful at first sight. In chess you need to dig deep to see the true meaning of some moves. Another thing I learned from chess is patience. Before you react, you need to understand the situation.

9) Is there any advice you can give to young developing chess players?

I think it's important to be good at tactics and calculation. Those skills you can develop by yourself, and for strategy you will need an experienced guide. The best thing that Melik did for me was to force me to solve and play blindfold chess - it helped my calculation and imagination.
The 2014 MetroChess and ACA Summer Chess Camp will take place from July 9-13th, in Glendale, California. Levon will be joined by several other top instructors, including GM Melik Khachiyan, GM Dejan Bojkov, IM Armen Ambartsoumian, IM Andranik Matikozyan, WGM Tatev Abrahamyan, and Jay Stallings. For full details, please visit http://metrochessla.com/camp2014/ . For any inquiries, please email info@metrochessla.com.

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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World Chess Championship 2014 in Sochi, Announces FIDE

June 12, 2014, 1:59 pm
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Hello chess friends, here's the World Chess Championship 2014 Magnus Carlsen vs Viswanathan Anand update via FIDE. At the press conference given to the INTERFAX news agency the FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhinov announced that the World Chess Championship Match between the current World Champion Magnus Carlsen (Norway) and the Challenger Viswanathan Anand (India) will be held in Sochi. “For the first time Sochi will host the World Chess Championship Match from 7th November to 28th November of this year on the territory of the Olympic village. The budget of the Match is $3,000,000,” said Ilyumzhinov.




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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US Chess Fed names Texas Tech Chess College of the Year, Alex Onischuk GM of the Year

June 13, 2014, 12:26 pm
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Hello chess friends, some hess update from Lubbock where Texas Tech has been named Chess College of the Year! The United States Chess Federation has awarded Texas Tech Chess College of the Year and head chess coach Alex Onischuk as Grandmaster of the Year.

Al Lawrence, Tech’s chess program director, said this is the first time in history a school has been honored with both awards in the same year.
“In chess, winning Gradmaster of the Year is a bit like a journalist winning the Pulitzer,” he said. “Coach Alex had an incredible year competitively, while at the same time devoting his full time to Texas Tech’s team.”

The chess program received its designation for skillful playing and community outreach.

The team will receive its awards in August at the U.S. Open Chess Championship in Orlando, Florida.

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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No Logo Norway Chess 2014: Karjakin wins 2nd Time, Carlsen 2nd, Grischuk 3rd

June 14, 2014, 1:02 pm
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Hello chess blog friends, the No Logo Norway Super Chess Tournament 2014 has been a huge success! Congratulations to Russia's GM Sergey Karjakin who has won the tournament for the second consecutive time. 

Russian GM Sergey Karjakin wins No Logo Norway Chess 2014. Photo: No Logo Norway Chess official website.

The final round had the possibility of three players winning the tournament - Sergey Karjakin, Fabiano Caruana and Magnus Carlsen. Carlsen grind out the solid play by his former trainer Simen Agdestein to stay in contention. Karjakin stayed cool and beat Caruana after the latter lost the thread of the game mid-way in time trouble. Caruana had rejected a draw with three-fold repetition giving the last game his best shot at the title. Karjakin did say at the tournament that he would have been happy with a draw situation.

In the other games of the day Vladimir Kramnik lost to Alexander Grischuk and you can find a most delightful press conference video by the Russian #1 at the official website.

Anish Giri, Peter Svidler and Veselin Topalov, Levon Aronian chose to draw their last round games. The final standings saw Karjakin with 6 points, Carlsen with 5.5 (second like last year) and Grischuk third with 5 points. Caruana and Topalov scored 4.5 points, Aronian, Svidler, Giri and Kramnik had 4.0 point, while Agdestein scored 3.5. Unfortunately, Agdestein's last place just does not do justice to the fabulous games he played in the tournament amongst the elite despite being the last seed!

Earlier, in the penultimate round, Karjakin had taken sole lead by beating Kramnik. Carlsen had only managed to draw with Svidler a game that even the latter was convinced he was going to lose. 

You can find lots of reports, videos and photographs on the excellent official website of the tournament. We sure look forward to Norway Chess 2015 already.


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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Sunday Chess Trivia Photo: What Artistic Chess Trophy is Nakamura Receiving?

June 15, 2014, 11:44 am
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Hello chess friends, now that's what we call a stylish chess trophy! Can you tell us what chess event has Hikaru Nakamura - US #1 - won to become the owner of this award? Read the FIDE site chess news update to know the answer.



From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal chess blog
at www.chessqueen.com
Don't miss Chess Queen™
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Cool Promo Video World Rapid, Blitz Chess Championships 2014 in Dubai June 16

June 15, 2014, 12:26 pm
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Hello chess blog, the World Blitz and Rapid Chess Championship 2014 is set to begin tomorrow in Dubai. The opening ceremony was held today. Some of the world's best chess players including the top-three are in Dubai now. World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen will of course be trying for a triple crown. Former World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand will also be looking for at least one of the two world titles. The newly-crowned No Logo Norway Chess winner Sergey Karjakin is in form. 

Here is the cool promo video of the World Rapid and Blitz World Chess Championship 2014.  You can find the opening ceremony video on the official website.








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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World Rapid Chess begins in Dubai: Day 1 Video, Report

June 17, 2014, 1:00 pm
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Hello chess blog friends, the very exciting World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships 2014 have begun in Dubai. Here is a cool Day 1 video by Vijay Kumar. On the first day, the first five rounds of the Rapid section were held.







A total of 113 participants from 46 countries 16th edition of the Championships. After the conclusion of five rounds on Day 1 we had Ian Nepomniachtchi, Sergey Karjakin (both from Russia) and Fabiano Caruana (Italy) in joint lead with 4. 5 points out of 5. The championship began with two major upsets in the first round itself as both Levon Aronian and defending champion Hikaru Nakamura lost to their lower-rated opponents. 
This lovely photo of the first day is by Anastasiya Karlovich. Click on photo to see the full album.
World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen made 2 draws against Gadir Guseinov and Evgeny Tomashevsky, won three games and after 5 rounds was placed half a point behind the leaders. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Laurent Fressinet, Le Quang Liem and Sergei Movsesian also had 4 out 5.

The only woman chess player in the fray, Judit Polgar began with a straight 3,5 out 4, defeating GMs Rauf Mamedov and Pentala Harikrishna. She was in shared second place after four rounds but plunged to the 10th place after losing to Karjakin in the fifth round. 

Twenty five year old Eduardo Iturrizaga Bonelli of Venezuela (2652) beat Hikaru Nakamura (2841) in 49 moves of an English Opening. Nakamura lost a Rook on the 41st move as he tried to prevent mating threats.

Then world number 2, Levon Aronian of Armenia, 32, also lost in round 1 to Indian GM Surya Shekhar Ganguly, 31, who utilised the Evans Gambit and won a Rook and pawn endgame in a marathon 69 moves. 

Find detailed reports, videos and photographs at the official website.
The FIDE World Rapid Chess Championship 2014 will consist of 15 rounds to be held in the first three days. Games are scheduled 3pm daily on 16th, 17th and 18th June. The Blitz championship follows with 21 rounds starting 3pm on 19th and 20th June. The total prize find of both tournaments is $400,000 with $40,000 for the winner of each championships.


The championship will be broadcast live on the tournament’s official website www.dubai2014wrb.com with online games and commentary. See the Photo Album of the first day (By Anastasija Karlovic)

In the Rapid Championship, each player will have 15 minutes + 10 seconds additional time per move, starting from move 1.


From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal chess blog
at www.chessqueen.com
Don't miss Chess Queen™
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World Rapid Chess Championship 2014: Spills, Chills, Thrills... and Carlsen Wins.

June 18, 2014, 12:43 pm
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Hello chess friends, three days of exciting rapid chess have concluded in Dubai with World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen becoming the new World Rapid Chess Champion 2014. That is a double along with is World Classical Chess Champion title! The World Blitz Chess Championship begins tomorrow in Dubai and everyone's asking the same question: Can Magnus pick up a third world title?

Meanwhile, looking at the rapid event, let's just say it was spills, chills and thrills all the way. Magnus Carlsen concluded the first day of play just 0.5 points behind leaders Ian Nepomniachtchi, Fabiano Caruana, Sergey Karjakin who had 4.5 points. Carlsen, along with Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Laurent Fressinet, Le Quang Liem and Sergei Movsesian had 4.0 points.

World Chess Champion Magnus Carlsen makes a double by winning the World Rapid Chess Championship 2014 in Dubai. Photo: Screenshot

However, the World Chess Champion concluded the second day of play with a clear lead after 10 rounds with 8 points. Levon Aronian was right behind at 7.5. There was quite a group at 7.0 points including Ian Nepomniachtchi, Fabiano Caruana, Evgeny Tomashevsky, Alexander Grischuk, Yu Yangyi, Viswanathan Anand and Peter Svidler. 

The third day of play was not easy at all today. Magnus stayed in a 0.5 lead after drawing with Levon Aronian in the 11th round (the first on the third day of play today), but suddenly lost the 12th round - the BIG ONE - to Viswanathan Anand. Most fans on twitter took it as a psychological win for the Indian and started calculating who was going to win the title by the time the 15 rounds ended.

The loss meant Caruana and Anand were suddenly in joint lead with 9.0 points. Carlsen was down to third at 8.5 points along with Yu Yangyi, Levon Aronian and Teimour Radjabov.

So, was it going to be Anand picking up the Rapid World title, or perhaps Caruana? Then came the 13th round. Could Carlsen pick himself, dust off the loss and go forward?

Magnus stood firm and beat Yu Yangyi, while Anand could only draw Carlsen and Levon Aronian could only draw Radjabov. This meant we again had three joint leaders after 13 rounds (two to go) -- Caruana, Carlsen and Anand at 9.5 each. The rest of the pack just 0.5 points away.

Round 14 was actually mad! Totally! Carlsen beat Grischuk in a game that was so obviously lost... that it must have been a heartbreak for the Russian Grandmaster to not win it. Carlsen won. Caruana also floundered and lost to Aronian. Radjabov held Anand to a draw.

The 15th round began with Carlsen needing just a draw with Radjabov to win the title. None of the other managed to catch him and he got a clear first. Karjakin could have won and drawn level to force a tiebreak score evaluation, but he lost to Morozevich. Anand and Aronian drew. Caruana beat Le Quang Liem to win the silver, while Anand got the bronze on better tiebreak score over Aronian.

Stay tuned at the official website for the Blitz World Chess Championship 2014 beginning tomorrow.

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal chess blog
at www.chessqueen.com
Don't miss Chess Queen™
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Dubai World Blitz Chess 2014 Day 1: Carlsen Leads, but Who is Lu Shanglei

June 19, 2014, 1:32 pm
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Hello chess friends, even while World Classical and Rapid Chess Champion, Magnus Carlsen was busy in his demolition run to the top of the standings, one Chinese youngster stole the Norwegian's thunder... for a while at least.

Dateline Dubai. Event - World Blitz Chess Championship 2014... and, we're talking about Round 8. Lu Shanglei, a relatively unknown Chinese GM, beat Magnus Carlsen to take lead. The Chinese GM, with six points, was paired to play Carlsen. Carlsen was leading with 6.5 points. 

Carlsen had reached Round 8 after beating Vladimir Fedoseev, Gadir Guseinov, Laurent Fressinet, Eduardo Bonelli Iturrizaga, P Harikrishna and defending champion Le Quang Liem. Carlsen only had one draw - in Round 5 - against Ian Nepomniachtchi. 
Shanglei had amassed six points after beating Shyam Sunder, Jasem Alhuwar, Evgeny Tomashevsky, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Alekseey Dreev and Peter Svidler! He had only one loss to Hikaru Nakamura in Round 5.
Yes, that youngster on the right! - Magnus Carlsen vs Lu Shanglei in Round 8 at World Blitz Chess Championship 2014. Screenshot via official website.

Then, the Chinese chess player ran into Carlsen and beat him in Round. Carlsen was quoted by the media as saying that he had underestimated the Chinese GM's strength and was irritated by the loss.

But, it didn't take long for Carlsen to bounce back. He completed Day after 11 round on top of the standings as the sole leader. Carlsen beat Markus Ragger, drew with Hikaru Nakamura and beat Shakhriyar Mamedyarov to lead with 9/11 points.

Here are the top board pairings for Round 12 beginning Day 2 on Friday at the World Blitz Chess Championships in Dubai.

Round 12 on 2014/06/20 at 15:00
1. GM Meier Georg 2663 8½ - 9 GM Carlsen Magnus 2837 
2. GM Nakamura Hikaru 2879 8½ - 8 GM Sargissian Gabriel 2689
3. GM Lu Shanglei 2668 8 - 8 GM Nepomniachtchi Ian 2816 
4. GM Fressinet Laurent 2705 7½ - 8 GM Le Quang Liem 2817
5. GM Anand Viswanathan 2827 7½ 7½ GM Harikrishna P. 2669

You can watch all the games live with a video feed and commentary at the official website. You can find lots of videos and a great photo gallery at the website as well.
The FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championships take place in Dubai, from June 15th (opening ceremony) to June 21st, 2014. The Rapid event was played from June 16th-18th over 15 rounds, at a time control of 15m+10s. World Champion Magnus Carlsen won that event. The Blitz runs from June 19th-20th and lasts 21 rounds at 3m+2s. The total prize fund for the tournament is US$400 thousand with $40 thousand for the winner of each championship. The world's best chess players are there in Dubai now.

Speaking about Shanglei, his Wikipedia entry states he is born July 10, 1995 and was, in 2011, the highest-rated under-16 chess player in Asia and the fifth highest-rated chess player in that age group in the world. 

The chess world is sure going to keep tabs on this Chinese youngster from now on!


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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Photo Chess Trivia: Who is Vishy Anand Chatting with?

June 19, 2014, 2:03 pm
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Hello chess friends, this chess photo by Anastasiya Karlovich of former World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand is from Dubai during the World Rapid Chess Championship 2014. Can you identify who Vishy Anand is chatting with?



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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