Chess

Official website: http://thessaloniki2013.fide.comThe first round of the fourth stage of FIDE Grand Prix tournament in Thessaloniki got under way on 22nd May, with the Greek-Russian businessman Ivan Savvidis, main sponsor of the event, m...
Official website: http://thessaloniki2013.fide.comThe first round of the fourth stage of FIDE Grand Prix tournament in Thessaloniki got under way on 22nd May, with the Greek-Russian businessman Ivan Savvidis, main sponsor of the event, making the first symbolic move in the game Kamsky - Dominguez.After playing 1.e2-e4, Savvidis told Kamsky "now you have no right to lose this game". The American champion lived up to the expectations and went on to defeat Leinier Dominguez.Peter Svidler and Rustam Kasimdzhanov also started with victories, while the other three games were drawn. Results, pairings, standings and photo gallery are updated and can be found under the sidebar and top menu.Ponomariov - Caruana 1/2-1/2The first game to finish was the match between Ruslan Ponomariov and Fabiano Caruana. The players opened with Ruy Lopez and Caruana pointed that 9...Na5 was in important move to hold the setup. Ponomariov noted that none of the pieces or pawns were exchanged before move 16. Caruana then released tension in center and moved his Knight to f4 because there was no other way to defend the e5-pawn. Within the next dozen of moves a large number of pieces were exchanged. After the Queens also went off, a draw was signed according to Sofia rules.Ponomariov was happy with the result as "it is important to properly adjust to the new setting, and the new tournament." He also added that he is playing similar setups with black, he is familiar with many opening ideas, and that is why he took some time to find the most appropriate plan. He played all the logical moves, but black also played well and the draw is a fair result.Caruana reminded that most of the players competing in Thessaloniki also played last month in Zug Grand Prix and that he has the feeling "of playing the same tournament again".Ponomariov finally said that he is happy that the tournament is receiving a lot of attention from media and local chess fans.Svidler - Bacrot 1-0Peter Svidler was the first to score a victory in Thessaloniki. His game with Etienne Bacrot started as Semi-Tarrasch and for awhile it looked like black is doing fine. But later he started to err and Svidler used the opportunity to invade the seventh rank with the rooks.Bacrot admitted that he "lost control some time around 19...h6.". Svidler pointed that 21...Ba3 was unnecessary and that 21...Rc8 was to be preferred. He also criticized the retreat on 22nd move and suggested 22...Qa5 as possible improvement. White quickly mopped up and finished the game in 27 moves.Svidler also mentioned that he looked at 13. Ba3, but eventually black is on time to equalise since white doesn't have the winning move because of his own backrank weakness.Svidler feels greater pressure in Thessaloniki than he had in Norway Chess tournament because this event is a part of the World Championship cycle. He's been playing continuously in many tournament but after the Thessaloniki Grand Prix he will probably take a break until the World Cup in Tromso. He added that he might do live commentary for the Tal Memorial.Bacrot said he had some time to work on the openings, but he still didn't get into the proper competitive shape. He hopes to play better as the tournament progresses.Kamsky - Dominguez 1-0Gata Kamsky and Leinier Dominguez engaged in the Sicilian Naidorf defence. As usual, Kamsky went for the positional line and included his favourite a2-a4. He said that 15...Kh8 was interesting and that he got nothing out of the opening. That is why he decided to exchange the Queens and regroup the pieces.In the ensuing middlegame white retained some pressure after 31. e5. Dominguez criticized 32...f5 and felt that he should have played something else.Kamsky pointed that 36...Be5 was a mistake which handed advantage to white, and suggested 36...g5 as possible improvement. Dominguez tried to hold on but on move 44 he made a blunder in an already difficult position.Ivanchuk - Morozevich 1/2-1/2Vassily Ivanchuk and Alexander Morozevich pl
about 3 hours ago
Official website: http://thessaloniki2013.fide.comChess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Official website: http://thessaloniki2013.fide.comChess Daily News from Susan Polgar
about 4 hours ago
Official website: http://chess-results.com/tnr101373.aspxChess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Official website: http://chess-results.com/tnr101373.aspxChess Daily News from Susan Polgar
about 5 hours ago
… and the reason I love it is that speed chess is ridiculously entertaining. … and the reason I hate it is that speed chess magnifies all of my worst tendencies. Both of these reason were on full display in a mind-boggling sp...
… and the reason I love it is that speed chess is ridiculously entertaining. … and the reason I hate it is that speed chess magnifies all of my worst tendencies. Both of these reason were on full display in a mind-boggling speed game that I played with Linnea yesterday after the Aptos Library chess club was over. Here is the position where the mind-bogglingness started. I’m playing Black, Linnea is White, and it’s my move. Position after 1. g3. Black to move. FEN: r2q4/2p3k1/pb4r1/1p1pP1pp/3P1pnp/2PQ1NP1/PP3P1N/5RRK b – - 0 1 Up to this point I’ve been having a merry old time pushing all of my kingside pawns, but after Linnea’s move 1. g3 I started to get a whiff of trouble in paradise. On any pawn capture, the lines start opening up in an uncomfortable way around my king. And the knight on g4 is just in the way, making it hard for me to avoid the pawn captures. Is there anything I can do about this? Here I found what Rybka says is Black’s one and only correct move: 1. … Nxf2+! According to the computer, Black is now +1.9 pawns, and on any other move I would have been 0.0 or worse. So, huge props to me, right? Well, not so much. The problem is that after finding the only way out of trouble (temporarily), I didn’t think very hard about what got me into trouble in the first place. I played the next couple of moves on auto-pilot. Linnea played 2. Rxf2 g3 3. R2g2! and now we got to the most crucial position. Position after 3. R2g2. Black to p lay and lose. FEN:r2q4/2p3k1/pb4r1/1p1pP1pp/3P1p2/2PQ1Np1/PP4RN/6RK b – - 0 3 John Emms’ The Ultimate Chess Puzzle Book has a great chapter called “Find the Wrong Move!” This chapter is full of positions where somebody plays a move that seems completely natural and plausible, and yet is practically the worst move on the board. The above position would be a perfect one for that chapter. Find the wrong move! We were playing speed chess, remember. So I gave this position about 5 seconds thought, if that much, and played 3. … gh?? The “automatic recapture.” The only reason I even thought that long is that I had to check and make sure I wasn’t getting mated after 4. Rxg5. (I’m not getting mated because I play 4. … hgQ+, queening with check and removing the guard all at the same time.) What I missed is that Linnea can simply recapture on h2: 4. Rxh2! At this point my reaction went through the five stages of grief. Denial: Okay, she’s threatening to take on h5 and she’s threatening to take on g5 and she’s threatening Nh4 (the real killer), but surely I can do something about those things, right? Anger: This is ridiculous, how could I be losing this game? I’ve been winning for like 20 moves, and now all of a sudden there’s nothing I can do? Bargaining: Okay, how about if I give back a little bit of material. Say, … Qd7 or … Qh8? Depression: I have got to be the worst speed chess player in history. How can I pretend to be a “teacher” when I do things like this? Acceptance: Oh well, it’s only speed chess. I played 4. … Kh6 5. Nh4 Rg8 6. Nf5+ and resigned. The computer, of course, doesn’t go through the five stages of grief. Rybka simply says that after 4. Rxh2 White stands at +1.8 pawns. That’s right, one “automatic recapture” transformed the position from 1.9 pawns in Black’s favor to 1.8 pawns in White’s favor. Rarely have I ever seen a position where the seemingly obvious move was so radically, outrageously wrong. As I drove home in my car, it hit me that of course, there was no need for me to take the knight. It’s not going anywhere. I could have played 4. … g4, which puts another knight under attack and, more importantly, clears a path to h4 for the queen. It’s critically important for Black to keep the four pawns on the board until he can bring up rei
about 5 hours ago
Blogger John Moldovan [pictured] analyzes a game that he played against me in 1991 at the Kenilworth Chess Club.Round One: English Opening, Dutch DefenseJohn Moldovan (USCF 1781) - Jim West (USCF 2247), Kenilworth NJ 11/5/19911.Nf3 f51.....
Blogger John Moldovan [pictured] analyzes a game that he played against me in 1991 at the Kenilworth Chess Club.Round One: English Opening, Dutch DefenseJohn Moldovan (USCF 1781) - Jim West (USCF 2247), Kenilworth NJ 11/5/19911.Nf3 f51...c5 2.c4 Nc6 3.Nc3 g6 4.e3 Bg7 5.d4 d6 6.Be2 Bg4 7.O-O Nf6 8.d5 Bxf3 9.Bxf3 Ne5 10.Be2 O-O 11.f4 Ned7 12.Bd2 Ne8, Moldovan-West, Kenilworth NJ 11/10/1990; 13.Bd3+/- (Fritz8).2.g3 b6 3.Bg2 Bb7 4.O-O Nf6 5.c45.d4 e6 6.c4 Be7 7.b3 O-O 8.Nc3 Ne4 9.Qc2 d6 10.Ne1 Nc6!? (10...d5=) a) 11.Bxe4 fxe4 (11...Nb4?! 12.Bxb7! Nxc2 13.Nxc2 Rb8 14.Bc6+/-) 12.Qxe4+/=; b) 11,e3?! Nb4 12.Qb2 c5 13.a3 Na6 14.Nd3 Qd7, Moldovan-West, Kenilworth NJ 4/13/1991; 15.f3= (Fritz8);5.d3 e6 6.e4 fxe4 7.Ng5 Be7 8.Nc3 O-O 9.Ngxe4 Nxe4 10.Nxe4 Nc6=, Euwe-Tartakower, Bad Kissingen 1928.5...e6 6.b3 Be7 7.Bb2 O-O 8.d38.Nc3 Qe8 9.e3 a6 10.Ne2 c5 11.d3, Pontius Courtney-Moldovan, Springfield NJ 8/28/2005; 11...Nc6=.8...a5 9.Nbd2 Na6 10.a3 Qe8 11.Qc2 Nc5 12.Rab1A bit slow. An immediate 12.b4 is better, e.g. 12...axb4 13.axb4 Na6 14.b5 Nc5 15.Rxa8 Qxa8 16.Ra1+/=.12...Qh5 13.Bc3 g5 14.b4 axb4 15.Bxb4?15.axb4=.15...g4 16.Ne1 Bxg2 17.Nxg2 Qf7 18.f3 Qg7 19.e4?Correct is 19.d4 Nb7 20.fxg4 Bxb4 21.axb4 Nxg4 22.e3 Nd6+/=. Now Black gets a clear advantage.19...gxf3 20.Rxf3 fxe4 21.dxe4At this point, with my opponent in a lengthy think that must have lasted twenty minutes, it became obvious he was onto something. I was able to foresee his reply and prepare the entire sequence of moves through my 30.gxf4, a total of 18 plies.21...Nfxe4?Played because White would otherwise have "the better middlegame" (West). But 21...Ng4-+ is winning.22.Rxf8+ Rxf8 23.Nxe4 Qd4+ 24.Nf2 Ne4 25.Nf425.Qb2! Qxf2+ (25...Bc5? 26.Bxc5 Qxc5 27.Rf1+/-) 26.Qxf2 Nxf2 27.Bxe7 Nh3+ 28.Kh1 Nf2+ 29.Kg1 Nh3+ is =.25...Nxf2 26.Qxf2Fearing discovered check, I overlooked 26.Bxe7 Ng4+ 27.Kh1 Ne3 28.Qb2 Qe4+ 29.Kg1 Nxc4 30.Qa1 Qe3+ 31.Kg2 Qe4+ 32.Kg1 Qe3+ 33.Kg2=.26...Qxf2+ 27.Kxf2 Bxb4 28.axb4 e5 29.Ke3 exf4+ 30.gxf430...Ra8 31.Ke4White has only a slight edge here because Black's rook is too active. Unfortunately, I was in "major upset" fantasy land, believing that my passed f-pawn gave me winning chances.31...Ra2 32.Rd1 d6 33.Rg1+Beginning an unbelievably rapid decline. 33.h3 is still +/= (Fritz8), e.g. 33...Ra4 34.Rb1 c5 35.bxc5 Rxc4+ 36.Kd3 Rxc5 37.Rxb6 Rh5 38.Rxd6 Rxh3+ 39.Ke4 Rg3 40.Kf5.33...Kf7 34.h4One square too far. Now my rook can't protect the h-pawn.34...Rh2 35.Rg5?Better is 35.Ra1 with the idea of 35...Rxh4 36.Ra7 or 35...Ke7 36.Rg1 Kf6 37.Rg8 Rxh4 38.Rf8+ Kg6 39.Rf5.35...Rxh4 36.c5?36.Rf5+ Ke6 37.Rf8=/+.36...dxc5 37.bxc5 Rh6 38.cxb6 cxb6 39.Rb5 Rc6 40.Kf5??40.Rh5 h6 41.Rb5 Re6+ 42.Kd4 Kf6 43.f5 Rc6=/+ or 40.Kf3 Ke7 41.Kg4 Kd7 42.f5 h6 43.Rb3 Rf6 44.Kf4 Ke7 45.Kg4 Kd7=/+ (Fritz8).40...Rc5+ 41.Rxc5 bxc5 42.Ke5 h5, White resigns.The Kenilworth Chess Club held five 2nd Saturday Swisses in the fall of 1990 and spring of 1991. But, during the spring 1991 event, an onlooker leaned on a ping-pong table, knocking it over. My opponent complained to the New Jersey State Chess Federation, and there were no more tournaments.PGN
about 7 hours ago
The Child of the Cavern - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Les Indes noires (literally The Black Indies) is a novel by the French writer Jules Verne, serialized in Le Temps in March and April 1877 and published immediately afterward by P...
The Child of the Cavern - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Les Indes noires (literally The Black Indies) is a novel by the French writer Jules Verne, serialized in Le Temps in March and April 1877 and published immediately afterward by Pierre-Jules Hetzel.[1]…
about 7 hours ago
Live chess broadcast powered by ChessBomb and ChessdomChess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Live chess broadcast powered by ChessBomb and ChessdomChess Daily News from Susan Polgar
about 10 hours ago
Live chess broadcast powered by ChessBomb and ChessdomChess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Live chess broadcast powered by ChessBomb and ChessdomChess Daily News from Susan Polgar
about 15 hours ago
White to playHere we are back at the Golders Green Open. You may recall that I had a bit of a stinker in the morning rounds. Three games and three defeats with two of those zeros coming from the White side of the position you see above. ...
White to playHere we are back at the Golders Green Open. You may recall that I had a bit of a stinker in the morning rounds. Three games and three defeats with two of those zeros coming from the White side of the position you see above. Not that my pre-lunch failure to trouble the scorers is particularly relevant for this post. It's more how I lost that interests us today.This?In the first round I was up against Peter Poobalasingham. With an ECF 213 and FIDE 2270, he is by some distance the strongest opponent I've ever faced in rapid chess and comfortably inside the top ten of highest-rated opponents that I've ever played in any form of chess.Round three was rather different. There I was paired with Chris Andrescu who doesn't have a FIDE rapidplay rating and his ECF grade is getting on for 90 points lower than Poobalasingham's.In both games I played 6 dxc3. Two games with the same moves and the same plan: head directly for a queenless middlegame without passing Go.I'm reminded of some recent comments made, albeit in a different context, by our regular visitor RdC:-So the opening choice was a deliberate attempt to treat the grade as misleading as to strength and exploit the inexperience ... Whether you regard a draw as a acceptable result, can affect the choice of opening moves ....Roger, if you don't know him, is a strong player. Presumably he faces this kind of situation more frequently than the average bear simply by virtue of having more people below him on the rating list and as an experienced competitor I suspect he has a broader opening repertoire than most. So maybe Roger both gets to choose more often and has a wider range of openings available to him from which he can make that choiceWhat about the rest of us, though? What's the best strategy when facing opponents of very different strengths?Play your normal gameTake your opponent's grade into account when choosing your opening BORP? Index
about 15 hours ago
White to move. How should white proceed?Source: ChessToday.netChess Daily News from Susan Polgar
White to move. How should white proceed?Source: ChessToday.netChess Daily News from Susan Polgar
about 18 hours ago