Czech President has doubt in Kasparov's plan for Russia

Czech President not sure Kasparov's path right for Russia

Hluboka nad Vltavou- Czech President Vaclav Klaus said today Russia needs political changes, but he does not know whether it should follow the path indicated by the chess legend Garry Kasparov, leader of the Russian opposition, whom he met today.

Klaus met Kasparov at Hluboka where Kasparov plays an exhibition game with 26 players, including Klaus's son Jan Klaus and son of Industry and Trade Minister Martin Riman, Vaclav Riman.

Kasparov's rivals in the simultaneous game are also bankers, businesspeople and children.

Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg also accepted an invitation to Hluboka, but he said he will not play.

Klaus met Kasparov several times before and he knows his opinions.

"President Klaus wanted to learn more about the situation in Russia, to discuss Russian domestic problems and hear my opinions of the policy pursued by Putin's regime," Kasparov said at a press conference after the meeting.

Here is the full article.

Täby – biggest Women's Open in chess history

It was as bold as brass, the intention of the Swedish organizers enter the Guinness record book with the largest women's event ever. In attendance: 46 women grandmasters and 44 international masters (the Moscow Women Open 2008 in February had 26 WGMs and 12 WIMs). The winner in this and the Moscow Open: IM Anna Muzychuk of Slovenia. Illustrated report by Valery Golubenko. Read full story>>

Antonio 6th in Sydney Chess Open: Nolte upsets Armenian Super Grandmaster!

from People's Tonight

Final standings:
7 points -- S. Ganguly (India), Z. Zhong (Singapore), G. Jones (England), Z. Zhao (Australia)
6.5 -- M. Gagunashvili (Georgia), R. Antonio (RP), V. Akobian (USA), I. Bitansky (Israel), V. Malakhatko (Belarus), S. Solomon (Australia), D. Johansen (Australia), G. Lane (Australia)

SYDNEY, Australia -- The Philippines’ GM Rogelio Antonio Jr. settled for a draw with fellow GM Daryl Johansen of Australia to finish in a tie for fifth to 12 th places with 6.5 points in the 2008 Syndey Open international chess championship at the Parramatta Town Hall here.

Overall, Antonio finished in sixth place after the tiebreak scores.

The 46-year-old campaigner from Quezon City, who holds the country’s highest ELO rating of 2529, finished with five wins, three draws and only one loss.

Antonio finished half a point behind GM Surya Shekhar Ganguly of India, GM Zhang Zhong of Singapore, GM Gawain Jones of England and IM Zong-yuan Zhao of Australia.

Ganguly halved the point with Zhong, Jones whipped IM Atanas Kizov of Moldova and Zhao toppled GM Murray Chandler to forge a four-way tie for first place with seven points.

Ganguly, however, earned first place after the tiebreak results.

The other Filipino campaigners wil not come home empty-handed.

Julius Joseph de Ramos finished 21st with 5.5 points.

Sherily Cua and Catherine Perena also wound up with 5.5 points, good for 23rd and 27th places, respectively.

The other Filipino finishers were Homer Cunanan, 42nd place with five points; Leo Daylo Jr., 52nd place with 4.5 points; and Kimberly Jane Cunanan, 62nd with four points.

In India, Rolando Nolte pulled the rug from under second seed GM Smbat Lputian (ELO 216) of Armenia to share sixth to 12th places in the Kolkata Open GM tournament at the Gorky Terrace.

Nolte, seeded only 27th in the 114-player field, handed Lputian his second straight setback in the 10-round tournament.

The pride of Baguio City now has 4.5 points on three wins and three draws, only half a point behind top seed GM Krishnan Sasikiran of India and four other players.

With Sasikiran are GM Viktor Laznicka of Belarus, GM Ziaur Rahman of Bangladesh, GM Nguyen Anh Dung of Vietnam and IM Roy Sartashi of India.

Oliver Barbosa and Chito Garma completed a big day by beating Kutwal Shashiskant of India a nd Nikil Shyam of India, respectively.

Barbosa improved to four points on three wins, two draws and one loss, whiel Garma jumped to 3.5 points on three wins, one draw and two losses.

In the seventh round, Nolte will play white against No. 13 seed Shukrat Safin of Uzbekistan, Barbosa will test the mettle of No. 8 GM Ahmed Adly of Egypt and Garma wil square off with No. 81 WIM Kruttika Nadig of India.

World's Newest Grandmasters

Grandmaster titles awarded at the Presidential Board Meeting in Istanbul, TUR

Grandmaster

Country Name

BUL Iotov, Valentin
CHN Wen, Yang
GER Holzke, Frank
RUS Chuprov, Dmitry
RUS Deviatkin, Andrey
RUS Maslak, Konstantin
RUS Vokarev, Sergey
UKR Vovk, Yury

Conditional on rating - Grandmaster

ARM Harutjunyan, Gevorg
AUS Zhao, Zong-Yuan
AZE Safarli, Eltaj
ENG Williams, Simon K
ESP Salgado Lopez, Ivan
EST Liiva, Riho
PHI Gonzales, Jayson
RUS Ivanov, Alexander Al.

Woman Grandmaster

CHN Huang, Qian
HUN Rudolf, Anna
POL Krupa, Monika
RUS Fatianova, Tatiana

Philippines is targeting to produce five GMs for 2008. Jayson Gonzales would most likely to be the first this year. Best of luck to all Filipino aspiring Grandmasters!

3rd Kolkata Open GM tournament Updates: IM Rolando Nolte boosts another GM-norm bid!

from NCFP

IM Rolando Nolte defended well with the black pieces to salvage a draw with GM R.B. Ramesh of India to share 12th to 22nd places in the third Kolkata Open GM tournament held at the Gorky Terrace here Friday.

Nolte, seeded 20th in the country with an ELO of 2412, improved his total to 3.5 points, a full point behind top seed Viktopr Laznicka of Czech Republic, Nguyen Anh Dung of Vietnam and Ziaur Rahman of Bangladesh.
Another Filipino campaigner, IM Oliver Barbosa, also drew his match against IM Babu Sudhakar of India to remain in contention with three points.

A total of 113s from all over the world are seeing action in this tough, 10-round tournament organize by the Alekhine Chess Club in this 300-year-old city which once served as capital of British India. Read full story>>

Miskolc 2008: It's Peter Leko vs Magnus Carlsen

Two world-class players, both chess prodigies. This year the city of Miskolc in the north-east of Hungary will host a spectacular eight-game rapid chess match between national hero Peter Leko, Hungary's top grandmaster, and the 17-year-old Norwegian GM Magnus Carlsen. The event lasts from May 27 to June 1st and takes place in the National Theatre of Miskolc. Press release. Read full story>>

More upsets victory for Filipino chessers at Sydney International Open 2008

Philippine women candidate master Sherily Cua just pull out a stunning victory in a fine execution of chess endgame against a grandmaster from Serbia. WIM norm is virtually on the bag. Her opponents average rating was 2290.38 after 8 rounds, which means she only needed 4.5/9 to get the norm,provided her last round opponent was at least rated around 2000.


Sydney International Open 2008
Cua, Sherily (PHI)
GM Antic, Dejan (SERB)
E81

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 O-O 6. Be3 Nbd7 7. Qd2 c5 8. Nge2 a6 9. Nc1 cxd4 10. Bxd4 Ne5 11. Nb3 Be6 12. Nd5 Rc8 13. Bb6 Qd7 14. Be3 Bxd5 15. cxd5 Rc7 16. Be2 Rfc8 17. Nd4 Nc4 18. Bxc4 Rxc4 19. O-O Qc7 20. Rad1 Nd7 21. Rf2 Ne5 22. g3 Rc5 23. b3 Rc3 24. Qe2 Nd7 25. Rd3 Ne5 26. Rd1 Qd8 27. Kg2 Qf8 28. Rff1 Bh6 29. f4 Nd7 30. Rc1 Bg7 31. Qd2 R3c7 32. Rxc7 Rxc7 33. Rc1 Qc8 34. Rxc7 Qxc7 35. Qc2 Qd8 36. Nf3 Nf6 37. h3 Qd7 38. Qc4 e6 39. dxe6 fxe6 40. Bf2 d5 41. exd5 exd5 42. Qd3 Ne4 43. Bd4 Bxd4 44. Nxd4 Qc7 45. Qc2 Qxc2+ 46. Nxc2 Kf7 47. Kf3 Ke7 48. g4 Kd6 49. Ke3 b5 50. b4 Nc3 51. a3 Nd1+ 52. Ke2 Nb2 53. Ke3 Nc4+ 54. Kd4 a5 55. bxa5 Nxa5 56. Nb4 Nb3+ 57. Kc3 Nc5 58. Nd3 Ne6 59. Kb4 Nd4 60. Kc3 Nc6 61. Nb4 Na5 62. Nd3 Nc6 63. Nb4 Nd8 64. Nd3 Ne6 65. Kb4 Nc7 66. Kc3 Na6 67. Nb4 Nc7 68. Nd3 h5 69. Ne5 hxg4 70. hxg4 Kc5 71. Nxg6 d4+ 72. Kd3 Nd5 73. g5 b4 74. axb4+ Nxb4+ 75. Kd2 Kd5 76. f5 Nc6 77. f6 Ke6 78. Nf4+ Kf7 79. Kd3 Ne5+ 80. Ke4 Ng4 81. Nd5 1-0

15 year old Bobby Fischer

2008 Sydney International Open Chess Updates! GM Antonio wins, Fil-Aussie Raul Samar upsets Serbian GM

by e4h5
from Philippine Chess Web Forun

GM Rogelio Antonio back again to his winning form as he trashed FM Dariousz Swiercz in 5th round of the 2008 Sydney International Open Chess Tournament in New South Wales, Australia.

But the star of the day goes to unheralded Filipino-Aussie, Raul Samar, after posting an upset win against GM Dejan Antic of Serbia.

Samar along with Antonio both has 4 points each going to the sixth round. Antonio and Samar will next face IM Anna Zozulia of Belgium and GM Daryl Johansen of Australia, respectively.

Homer Cunanan and Leo Daylo Jr. also back to winning column after posting separate wins in the tourney.

Other Pinoys are not lucky enough as NM Joseph De Ramos, Catherine Perena and Manan-og lost to their respective round 5 assignments while Sherily Cua halved point with Atanas Kizov of Macedonia.

3rd Cacultta Open Grandmaster Chess Updates! Rd.3 - Barbosa wins, Nolte draw, Garma lost

by e4h5
from Philippine Chess Web Forum

National Master Oliver Barbosa downs FM Minzahuddin Ahmed of Bangladesh to lift his points to 2.5 points after three rounds of the 2008 Calcutta Open Grandmaster Chess Tourney in India.

The said win was after the upset draw of Barbosa against tournament top seed and Super GM Krishnan Sasikiran of India.

IM Rolando Nolte, who achieved his 1st GM norm just recently in the ASEAN Masters and is looking for his 2nd GM norm, halved point with GM Das Neelotpal of India to also score 2.5 points.

IM Nolte and NM Barbosa are currently in 6th to 19th places.

IM Chito Garma was not as unfortunate as he lost to 2007 World Junior Champion, GM Ahmed Adly of Egypt.

Barbosa, Nolte and Garma, who are all aiming to get a GM norm in this tourney, will next face GM Chanda Sandipan of India, GM Vladimir Dobrov of Russia and Sagar Shah of India, respectively.

Five of the Best Chess Book Ever Written according to Gabriel Schoenfeld

Perhaps you have read and studied some of the best known books about chess that is available so far in the local market. We have our own preferences of which of this great books we have studied gave us the best insight on learning the game. But in a given situation, we give chess critics and scholars the privilege of selecting which is which is the best of all time. Here's the Five Best Chess Book according to Mr. Gabriel Schoenfeld. Now, make your own pick!

Topalov: 'I think this is a very good time for chess'

2005-2006 FIDE World Champion talks about chess after Kasparov's retirement; also his thoughts about the wunderkid from Norway, 17 year old Magnus Carlsen, his up coming world championship match with Gata Kamsky and a New Year's present from he's girlfriend.

Interview with Yuri Vasiliev

So are you starting to feel that you are once again playing like you did in San Luis, and can crush everyone again?

I would say this: it is not always right to play for a win in every game. At certain moments I simply lose my head, as they say, I just want so much to win. And this sometimes leads to defeats. I need to control myself better.

Everyone is talking about Carlsen at the moment. What do you think of him? Who does he remind you of?

Magnus plays beyond his years. Excellent positional understanding, good endgame play. Ruslan Ponomariev, when he won the [FIDE World Championship] title at 18, had a similar style.

Kasparov made many interesting suggestions. But he also found himself up against the “united majority”. Do you miss Garry?

Strange as it may sound, I think that Garry’s retirement was a positive thing for the remaining players. The point is not that he was very strong, and retired when he could still have won the title back, but that he had always dominated all the attention of the mass media and sponsors. Without Kasparov, a tournament was of no interest to anyone. But as soon as he retired, the attention of the press, and those interested in putting money into chess, switched to the remaining players. Have you noticed how many new tournaments are springing up nowadays? This never happened in Kasparov’s day. In countries where there is a serious contender for the title, they organise tournaments to support him. When Kasparov retired, many people were afraid that interest in chess would wane, but in fact, it has grown. Read full story>>

Aronian wins Amber with 2 games to spare

Round 10 Blindfold

Ivanchuk-Mamedyarov 0-1
Van Wely-Topalov 1/2-1/2
Gelfand-Anand 0-1
Karjakin-Morozevich 1/2-1/2
Aronian-Kramnik 1/2-1/2
Carlsen-Leko 1/2-1/2

Round 10 Rapid

Mamedyarov-Ivanchuk 1/2-1/2
Topalov-Van Wely 1-0
Anand-Gelfand 0-1
Morozevich-Karjakin 1-0
Kramnik-Aronian 1/2-1/2
Leko-Carlsen 1/2-1/2



Combined scores after 10 rounds

1. Aronian 13½

2-5. Carlsen 11
Kramnik 11
Leko 11
Topalov 11

6-8. Anand 10
Ivanchuk 10
Morozevich 10

9. Karjakin 8½

10-12. Gelfand 8
Mamedyarov 8
Van Wely 8


Here's the highlight matches from the final round.

Ivanchuk,V (2751) - Anand,V (2799) [A29]

Amber Rapid Nice FRA (9), 25.03.2008
1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3 Bb4 5.Bg2 0-0 6.Nd5 Bc5 7.d3 Nxd5 8.cxd5 Nd4 9.Nd2 d6 10.e3 Nf5 11.Nc4 a5 12.Bd2 a4 13.b4 axb3 14.axb3 Rxa1 15.Qxa1 b5 16.Na5 Ne7 17.0-0

17...Bg4? Overlooking 18.Nb7 which wins White a pawn. 18...Qd7 19.Nxc5 dxc5 20.Qxe5 Qd6 21.d4 Be2 22.Qxd6 cxd6 23.Re1 Bd3 24.dxc5 dxc5 25.Rc1 c4 26.bxc4 bxc4 27.Bb4 Re8 28.Bxe7 Rxe7 29.Bf1 Bxf1 30.Kxf1 Re4 31.Ke2 f5 32.f3 Re5 33.d6 1-0.

The tragedy in this round was suffered by Magnus Carlsen in his blindfold game against Vladimir Kramnik, overstepping the time in a probably winning position.

Kramnik,V (2799) - Carlsen,M (2733) [E17]
Amber Blindfold Nice FRA (9), 25.03.2008
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Bb7 5.Bg2 Be7 6.Nc3 Ne4 7.Bd2 f5 8.d5 Bf6 9.Qc2 Qe7 10.Rd1 Na6 11.0-0 Nb4 12.Qb3 a5 13.Be3 a4 14.Nxa4 exd5 15.Nd4 dxc4 16.Qxc4 Bxd4 17.Bxd4 Nc6 18.Bxb6 cxb6 19.Nxb6 Rd8 20.Nd5 Ne5 21.Qb5 Bxd5 22.Rxd5 Nf7 23.Rfd1 Nf6 24.R5d2 g6 25.a4 0-0 26.a5 Rb8 27.Bb7 Nd8 28.Bd5+ Ne6 29.Qc4 Rfc8 30.Qa2 Nxd5 31.Rxd5 Rc7 32.a6 Ra7 33.Rd6 Kf8 34.Qa4 Ke8 35.b4 Ng5 36.Qa1 Nf7 37.Qd4 Qxd6 38.Qe3+ Qe6 39.Qxa7 Rxb4 40.Qa8+ Ke7 41.a7 Ra4 42.Qb7 Qc6 43.Qb8

Black has a knight for a pawn and could go on the attack with 43...Ng5. However, with just seconds on his clock Carlsen played 43...d6 44.Rb1 and then overstepped his time. 1-0.

2008 Sydney International Open Chess Updates! Antonio on top after 3 rounds

by Pisak e4h5

Antonio Rogelio Jr defeated FM Metz Hartmut of Germany in round 3 of the 2008 Sydney International Open Chess Championship in New South Wales, Australia.

Antonio is still tie in first place with seven others after posting 3 consecutive wins in as many games.Antonio will next face top seed and Super GM Zhang Zhong of Singapore in round 4. Read full story>>

GM Rogelio Antonio (Phi) vs FM Metz Hartmut (Ger)

1. e4 c6 2. c4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. cxd5 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nxd5 6. Nf3 Nc6 7. Bb5 Nc7 8. Ba4 e6 9. d4 Bb4 10. O-O O-O 11. a3 Bd6 12. Ne4 Be7 13. Qd3 Nd5 14. Bd2 Bd7 15. Bc2 g6 16. b4 a6 17. Bb3 Nb8 18. Rfe1 Bb5 19. Qc2 Nd7 20. Qa2 N7f6 21. Neg5 Qb6 22. Qb2 Rfc8 23. Nxf7 Kxf7 24. Ng5+ Kg7 25. Rxe6 Rc6 26. Rxe7+ Nxe7 27. d5 Rd6 28. Be3 Qd8 29. Ne6+ Rxe6 30. dxe6 Nf5 31. Rd1 Qe8 32. Bg5 Qe7 33. g4 Nh6 34. Bxh6+ Kxh6 35. g5+ Kg7 36. Rd4 h6 37. h4 Nd5 38. Rxd5+ Kh7 39. Qf6 Re8 40. Qxe7+ Rxe7 41. Rd8 hxg5 42. hxg5 Kg7 43. Bd5 Rc7 44. Kg2 1-0

Chess Tactic

White to move. Note: this chess tactic are quite tricky to solve. Enjoy!

Chess Trivia

There is an article in the May, 2007 issue of "Chess Life," about an opening variation called the "Modern Archangel." For which main line opening is this a variation?

3rd Calcutta Open Grandmaster ChessIndian Super Grandmaster held by Filipino NM Barbosa

by Bipin Shenoy

Calcutta, India: Oliver Barbosa of the Philippines held top seed Krishnan Sasikiran (2677) to a draw in the second round of the Calcutta Open Grandmasters Chess Tournament at Gorky Sadan on Tuesday. On a day of upsets, GM Koneru Humpy, too, could not penetrate the defences of IM S. Satyapragyan in a Ragozin Defence.

Sasikiran, playing white, obtained a superior position from the opening in a Slav Defence and won a rook for a knight in the middlegame. But he went astray in the ending, allowing his opponent to draw by perpetual checks.

IM Ponnuswamy Konguvel outwitted GM Alberto David of Luxemburg with black in a Sicilian Dragon. Konguvel obtained a passed pawn on the h-file in a queen and rook versus queen and rook ending which proved decisive.
M.S. Thejkumar defeated GM Abdulla Al-Rakib in a sharp game that came from a Queen’s Gambit and 15-year-old Bitan Banerjee held GM Eshan Ghaem Maghami in a Benko Gambit.

World junior champion Adly Ahmed of Egypt also had to settle for a draw against Akshayraj Kore of India after a protracted struggle which ended after 67 moves. Arghyadip Das held GM Sandipan Chanda with black in a closed Sicilian.

TOP BOARD RESULTS
Round II — Krishnan Sasikiran (1.5) drew with Oliver Barbosa (1.5); Nisha Mohota (1) lost to Smbat Lputian (2); Koneru Humpy (1.5) drew with S. Satyapragyan (1.5); Saptarshi Roy (1) lost to Victor Laznicka (2); Sandipan Chanda (1.5) drew with Arghyadip Das (1.5); David Alberto (1) lost to P. Konguvel (2); Akshayraj Kore (1.5) drew with Adly Ahmed (1.5); Nguyen Anh Dung (2) bt Vikramaditya Kamble (1); Abdulla Al-Rakib (1) lost to M.S. Thejkumar (2); Mahmood Lodhi (1) lost to Vladimir Dobrov (2); Safin Shukhrat (2) bt V. Saravannan (1); Watu Kobese (1.5) drew with Ziaur Rahman (1.5); Dibyendu Barua (2) bt Prathamesh Mokal (1); Sk. Nasir Ahmed (1) lost to Neelotpal Das (2); Ashwin Jayram (2) bt B.T. Murali Krishnan (1); Suvrajit Saha (1.5) drew with R.B. Ramesh (1.5); Tejas Bakre (2) bt Somak Palit (1); G.B. Prakash (1.5) drew with Sriram Jha (1.5); M.R. Venkatesh (2) bt Shankar Roy (1); Minhazuddin Ahmed (1.5) drew with Sundararajan Kidambi (1.5).

3rd Calcutta Open Grandmaster Chess Updates!

International Master Rolando Nolte hurdles his first two assignments in the 3rd Calcutta Open Grandmaster Chess Tournament in Calcutta, India. IM Nolte will next face tough Indian GM Das Neelotpal in round 3.

IM Chito Garma won against Rajpara Ankit of India in round 2 after a drawn round 1 game with Ananda Ghosh. IM Garma is set to play the 2007 World Junior Champ, Ahmed Adly of Egypt.

NM Barbosa made an upset draw against tournament top seed and India’s Super GM Krishnan Sasikiran (2677) in round 2 after demolishing Mishra Swayams of India. NM Barbosa is paired against FM Ahmed Minhazuddin of Bangladesh in round 3.

Full story is HERE

17th Amber Blindfold and Rapid Chess Tournament

Standings after 9 rounds:

1. Aronian 12½

2-4. Carlsen 10
Kramnik 10
Leko 10

5-6. Ivanchuk 9½
Topalov 9½

7. Anand 9

8. Morozevich 8½

9. Karjakin 8

10. Van Wely 7½

11. Gelfand 7

12. Mamedyarov 6½


Amber Rapid Round 9 Results:

Karjakin-Leko 1/2-1/2
Aronian-Morozevich 1-0
Carlsen-Kramnik 1/2-1/2
Ivanchuk-Anand 1-0
Van Wely-Mamedyarov 1/2-1/2
Gelfand-Topalov 1/2-1/2


Round 9 Blindfold Results:

Leko-Karjakin 1/2-1/2
Morozevich-Aronian 0-1
Kramnik-Carlsen 1-0
Anand-Ivanchuk 1/2-1/2
Mamedyarov-Van Wely 0-1
Topalov-Gelfand 1/2-1/2

GM Paragua, 13th place in Foxwoods Open

Filipino GM Mark Paragua made draw his last game against GM Keith Arkell of England which placed him 13th among 121 list of strong participants in the Foxwoods Open in Connecticut, USA.

With 5-2-2 win-draw-loss after 9 rounds, Paragua garnered 6 points overall.

Paragua’s only loss came from the hands of GM Darmen Sadvakasov of Kazakhstan in round 3 and tourney winner GM Alexander Shabalov of US in round 7.

GM Alexander Shabalov won the tournament after posting 7 points.

2008 Sydney International Open Chess Updates! GM Antonio and 5 other Filipinos in hot start

by Pisak

GM Joey Antonio, NM Joseph De Ramos, NM Ramon Manan-og, Catherine Perena, Sherily Cua, and Kimberly Jane Cunanan hurdle their first round assignments of the 2008 Sydney International Open Chess Championship in New South Wales, Australia.

GM Zhang Zhong (2617) of Singapore who also surpassed his round 1 tormentor is the tournament’s top seed. read full story >>>

Sydney based Filipina IM Arianne Caoili finishes strong in 2008 O2C Doeberl Cup

by Pisak

2006 GMA Cup campaigner GM Varuzhan Akobian of US secured the title by beating GM Dejan Antic in the final round of the recently concluded 2008 O2C Doeberl Cup – Premier Section in the Helenic Club of Canbera, Australia.

The final round battle in board one between GMs Akobian and GM Antic served as the title match of tournament.

Pinay Woman International Master Arianne Caoili halved point with Neil Wright of Australia.

HERE is the full article

RP GM MARK PARAGUA SHARES TOP HONORS IN CONNECTICUT CHESS

by Marlon Bernardino

FILIPINO GM Mark Paragua trounced Mongolian FM Tegshsuren Enkhbat in the sixth round to share the lead along with four others in the ongoing 2008 Foxwoods International Open Chess Championships yesterday in Connecticut, USA.

HERE is the full article

BACOLOD WOODPUSHERS TOPS ANGELES CHESS TOURNEY

Sizzling sisig, a popular Filipino dish from Pampanga made from parts of pig’s head and usually seasoned with kalamansi or chili peppers.




by Marlon Bernardino

BACOLOD CITY NATIVE Jerry Areque added another feather on his cap after winning the just concluded 2008 Angeles Chess Tournament at the Robinsons Mall in Angeles City, Pampanga.

HERE is the full article

Armenian GM Levon Aronian leads the 17th Amber Blindfold and Rapid Chess Tournament

After Round 8 Levon Aronian continues to lead in the overall standings of the Amber Blindfold and Rapid Tournament. In a direct encounter the Armenian grandmaster beat runner-up Vishy Anand 1,5-0,5. Magnus Carlsen moved into second place thanks to a 2-0 rout of Shakhriyar Mamedyarov. Peter Leko follows in third place, half a point ahead of Anand, Kramnik, Morozevich and Topalov.

HERE is the full article

In the meantime here's a notable game in Round 7 by fast rising prodigy Magnus Carlsen (2733) of Norway in a upset victory against current world champion Viswanathan Anand (2799) of India. Enjoy!

Carlsen,M (2733) - Anand,V (2799) [A20]
Amber Rapid Nice FRA (7), 22.03.2008

1.c4 e5 2.g3 c6 3.d4 e4 4.d5 Nf6 5.Bg2 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 Qe7 7.Nc3 0-0 8.a3 Bc5 9.e3 d6 10.Nge2 cxd5 11.Nxd5 Nxd5 12.cxd5 Nd7 13.0-0 Nf6 14.Bc3 Bg4 15.Bxf6 Qxf6 16.b4 Bb6 17.Bxe4 a5 18.bxa5 Rxa5

19.Bxh7+! Anand overlooked this petite combinations, which nets Carlsen a second pawn. With a little bit of wavering he took the full point. Kxh7 20.Qb1+ g6 21.Qxb6 Rfa8 22.Qd4 Qf3 23.Nc3 Re8 24.h3 Bf5 25.Qf6 Kg8 26.Rab1 Rxe3 27.Rxb7 Bc8 28.Qd8+ Kg7 29.Qxc8 Rxc3 30.Rxf7+ Kxf7 31.Qd7+ Kf6 32.Qd8+ Kf5 33.Qxa5 Rxa3 34.Qb4 Ke5 35.Qd2 Rd3 36.Qg5+ Qf5 37.Re1+ Kxd5 38.Qxf5+ gxf5 39.Kg2 Ra3 40.h4 Kd4 41.h5 d5 42.h6 Ra7 43.Kf3 Rh7 44.Re6 Kc3 45.Rc6+ Kd3 46.Kf4 Rf7 47.Kg5 Ke2 48.Rd6 1-0. This is the first time that the 17 year old boy wonder had won against the Indian chess tiger. Indeed, there is always a first time.

Chess Trivia

Who is this famous chess hero?

Hint: he was a world champion for 26 years

Cebu open its bids for the hosting of the 2012 Chess Olympiad

by Pinoychess

Bidding for 2012 Chess Olympiad is now open.

FIDE opens the bid for the following FIDE events:
Chess Olympiad 2012 - not later than 30 April 2008
World Junior and Girls U-20 Championship 2010 - not later than 30 April 2008 Women's Team World Championship 2011 - not later than 30 June 2008
Challengers Match Topalov - Kamsky 2008 - not later than 11 April 2008


Philippines, under NCFP prexy Butch Pichay said they will bid for the right to host the World Chess Olympiad in 2012 during the 6th Asian Championship in Cebu last year.

HERE is the full article

A new chess blog for everyone else

Welcome chess aficionados everywhere. This is my first venture in a new world of chess blogging. Please feel free to post your comments and suggestions to improve this blog.