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12th Women's World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk's Chess Blog for Latest Chess News and Trivia (c) 2013Hi everyone, Swedish Grandmaster Nils Grandelius has won the 2nd Golden Sands open tournament that was held 10-18th June in the Bulgarian sea resort Golden Sands. Grandelius defeated Indian GM Arun Prasad in the last round to complete the tournament with 7,5/9 points. Vladislav Nevednichy and MR Venkatesh were also victorious to catch Zbynek Hracek and Vladimir Georgiev in shared second place. WGM Mary Ann Gomes was the best placed woman with 6,5 points. (Chessdom.com) Final standing in the extended post.Final standings:1 GM Grandelius Nils SWE 2544 – 7.52 GM Hracek Zbynek CZE 2625 – 73 GM Nevednichy Vladislav ROU 2580 – 74 GM Georgiev Vladimir MKD 2532 – 75 GM Venkatesh M.R. IND 2506 – 76 GM Solak Dragan TUR 2598 – 6.57 GM Nabaty Tamir ISR 2579 – 6.58 GM Vidit Santosh Gujrathi IND 2554 – 6.59 IM Ashwin Jayaram IND 2472 – 6.510 GM Arun Prasad S. IND 2522 – 6.511 GM Spasov Vasil BUL 2565 – 6.512 GM Gupta Abhijeet IND 2600 – 6.513 GM Petrosian Tigran L. ARM 2649 – 6.514 IM Raznikov Danny ISR 2491 – 6.515 GM Rusev Krasimir BUL 2556 – 6.516 GM Chatalbashev Boris BUL 2560 – 6.517 GM Sengupta Deep IND 2548 – 6.518 GM Vajda Levente ROU 2617 – 6.519 WGM Gomes Mary Ann IND 2408 – 6.520 GM Solodovnichenko Yuri UKR 2565 – 621 GM Svetushkin Dmitry MDA 2605 – 622 GM Blagojevic Dragisa MNE 2524 – 623 GM Mareco Sandro ARG 2557 – 624 IM Bernadskiy Vitaliy UKR 2475 – 625 FM Bonafede Alessandro ITA 2353 – 626 GM Abasov Nijat AZE 2492 – 627 GM Grover Sahaj IND 2478 – 628 IM Givon Asaf ISR 2415 – 629 GM Shyam Sundar M. IND 2502 – 630 GM Sveshnikov Evgeny LAT 2512 – 631 GM Gopal G.N. IND 2522 – 632 GM Parligras Mircea-Emilian ROU 2565 – 633 IM Narayanan Srinath IND 2464 – 634 GM Drenchev Petar BUL 2485 – 635 IM Debashis Das IND 2482 – 636 IM Galinsky Timofey UKR 2439 – 637 IM Karthikeyan Murali IND 2435 – 638 IM Rombaldoni Axel ITA 2484 – 639 FM Ali Marandi Cemil Can TUR 2383 – 640 FM Lilov Valeri BUL 2434 – 5.541 IM Sanal Vahap TUR 2409 – 5.542 Paravyan David RUS 2373 – 5.543 IM Javakhadze Zurab GEO 2450 – 5.544 GM Berescu Alin-Mile ROU 2461 – 5.545 IM Arnaudov G. Petar BUL 2490 – 5.546 FM Anurag Mhamal IND 2401 – 5.547 GM Grigoryan Avetik ARM 2605 – 5.548 IM Stany G.A. IND 2384 – 5.549 Sagar Shah IND 2359 – 5.550 IM Ghosh Diptayan IND 2477 – 5.551 Pettersson Anders 1991 SWE 2279 – 5.552 IM Gorbatov Alexej RUS 2350 – 5.553 IM Dimitrov Pavel BUL 2310 – 5.554 WGM Pogonina Natalija RUS 2488 – 5.555 IM Cvetkovic Srdjan SRB 2387 – 5.556 FM Stojanov Stanislav BUL 2307 – 5.557 IM Georgescu Tiberiu-Marian ROU 2375 – 5.558 GM Gavrilov Alexei RUS 2454 – 5.559 FM Das Sayantan IND 2332 – 5.560 IM Skomorokhin Roman RUS 2331 – 5.561 WIM Raeva Elitsa BUL 2258 – 5.562 IM Arsovic Zoran SRB 2433 – 5.563 IM Kukov Velislav BUL 2396 – 5.564 IM Kanmazalp Ogulcan TUR 2382 – 5.565 IM Gagare Shardul IND 2407 – 566 IM Sveshnikov Vladimir LAT 2411 – 567 IM Swapnil S. Dhopade IND 2469 – 568 IM Arngrimsson Dagur ISL 2396 – 569 GM Ermenkov Evgenij BUL 2425 – 570 FM Aravindh Chithambaram Vr. IND 2328 – 571 IM Chighladze Iveri GEO 2396 – 572 IM Karavade Eesha IND 2398 – 573 GM Spassov Liuben BUL 2335 – 574 IM Nakar Eylon ISR 2390 – 575 GM Iturrizaga Eduardo VEN 2645 – 576 IM Atakisi Umut TUR 2351 – 577 IM Gagarin Vasilij RUS 2329 – 578 IM Roeder Matthias GER 2409 – 579 GM Drasko Milan MNE 2469 – 580 Iovcov Valerii MDA 2178 – 581 FM Friedrichs Klaus GER 2293 – 582 Baralic Nebojsa SRB 2259 – 583 WIM Baciu Diana MDA 2249 – 584 Tscharotschkin Michael GER 2217 – 585 WGM Soumya Swaminathan IND 2289 – 586 IM Virovlansky Semen RUS 2432 – 587 Goumas Georgios GRE 2401 – 588 Banov Boil BUL 2165 – 589 FM Hainke Guntram Dr. GER 2310 – 590 IM Dimitrov Radoslav BUL 2429 – 591 Xylogiannopoulos Antonios GRE 2129 – 592 GM Mekhitarian Krikor Sevag BRA 2544 – 593 FM Skomorokhin Vadim RUS 2383 – 594 IM Dimitrov Atanas GRE 2349 – 595 WGM Sukandar Irine Kharisma INA 2364 – 596 FM Bykov Alexey RUS 237

White to move. How should white proceed?Source: ChessToday.netChess Daily News from Susan Polgar

Magnus Carlsen crushes Viswanathan Anand Express news service : Moscow, Wed Jun 19 2013, 09:05 hrs With a win that is sure to confirm his status as the favourite for the World title, contender Magnus Carlsen crushed the incumbent Viswanathan Anand in less than 30 moves in the fifth round of the Tal Memorial on Tuesday. In what was their final game before they face off in the World Chess Championship final in November this year, Anand's passive play was clinically exploited by Carlsen in the confidence-boosting win. Anand and Carlsen may have begun this round far from the leaderspot in the table, but much of the focus was on their game, considering the impact a decisive result could have in the destination of the World title. Playing white, Carlsen opted for the Reshevsky variation of the Nimzo-Indian, a line that is not played too frequently at the top level. "I chose a line he hadn't faced for a long time. I hopefully he wouldn't be too prepared for that," said Carlsen in the post-match press conference. Tentative game The strategy worked as Anand (black) played a tentative game throughout, despite the Nimzo-Indian being one of the key components of his reportoire. After the opening, Carlsen had a central pawn majority as opposed to Anand's sentinels enjoying a numerical superiority on the queen side. Anand's passive play, especially a re-routing of the bishop to its starting place, allowed Carlsen the luxury of playing for two results, a win for white or a draw. "Now he's trying to transfer the bishop to f5 after which his problems would be much less at least. I think it's a decent enough positional move it just doesn't work. At least as far as I could see," said Carlsen. White exchanged his weak bishop and his position by around move 19 was so pleasant that whichever avenue of attack he chose, Anand would have had a terrible time trying to defend it. Anand's repeated attempts to have a quiet game only worsened his position and eventually, Carlsen's central pawn push, combined with his rook in the seventh rank meant black's position became untenable. When Anand resigned in the 29th move, he was even on material, but the writing was on the wall. He would soon be two pawns down and unable to prevent a pawn roll either along the middle of the board or on the queen's side. Carlsen later tried to downplay the significance of the win, but said it was good to show Anand that their frequent draws of late may not be the only outcomes possible. "It's good before the World Championship match to remind him that I can outplay him once in a while since obviously between us there have been a lot of draws, recently at least. But I'm not going to go around and think that's he's going to have such a bad day every day at the World Championship, I'll have to prepare for the worst, definitely," he said. In other results, Boris Gelfand beat an adventurous Alexander Morozevich who opted to go for an exchange down without an obvious recompense to join Hikaru Nakamura in the lead. Anand is placed joint eighth and will take on Nakamura, who beat him the last time the pair met, in round six. Results, round five: Magnus Carlsen bt Viswanathan Anand, Boris Gelfand bt Alexander Morozevich, Hikaru Nakamura drew with Dmitry Andreikin, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov drew with Fabiano Caruana, Vladimir Kramnik drew with Sergey Karjakin. Rankings, after round five: 1-2. Nakamura, Gelfand (3.5 pts); 2-4. Mamedyarov, Carlsen (3); 5-6. Andreikin, Caruana (2.5); 7-8. Karjakin, Anand (2); 9-10. Morozevich, Kramnik (1.5).Source: http://www.indianexpress.comChess Daily News from Susan Polgar

The 6th Paleohora Open Chess Tournament is set to take place on 19-26th June at the Municipality of Kandanos – Selino Community Centre, in Paleohora, Crete, Greece.The tournament is organized by the Municipality of Kandanos – Selino and Chania Chess Academy, with support from the Region of Crete and Greek Chess Federation.The 9-round Swiss event is providing possibility to win FIDE title norms. Total prize fund is 7000 EUR.Tournament directors are Papadimitrakis Ioannis and Naoum Giorgos, chief arbiter is Logothetis Sotiris.Last year winner was GM Andrey RychagovOfficial websitePre-registered players (top seeds):1. GM Zhigalko Andrey BLR 2617 2. GM Baklan Vladimir UKR 2613 3. GM Banikas Hristos GRE 2609 4. GM Svetushkin Dmitry MDA 2605 5. GM David Alberto ITA 2597 6. GM Borovikov Vladislav UKR 2564 7. GM Rychagov Andrey RUS 2561 8. GM Zubarev Alexander UKR 2559 9. GM Kharitonov Alexandr RUS 2546 10. GM Zinchenko Yaroslav UKR 2536 11. GM Maiorov Nikita BLR 2529 12. GM Gopal G.N. IND 2522 13. GM Tukhaev Adam UKR 2520 14. GM Popilski Gil ISR 2515 15. IM Colovic Aleksandar MKD 2490 16. GM Pap Misa SRB 2489 17. GM Baron Tal ISR 2467 18. GM Skembris Spyridon GRE 2458 19. GM Kapnisis Spyridon GRE 2451 20. IM Georgiadis Ioannis GRE 2449 21. GM Polzin Rainer GER 2446 22. IM Lekic Dusan MNE 2430 23. Markidis Konstantinos GRE 2376 24. Krishna C.R.G. IND 2339 25. IM Vuilleumier Alexandre SUI 2321 Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar

Voronezh international chess festival is in progress since June 10 to June 21. GM Igor Kovalenko (LAT) won the Chess960 tournament GM Vladimir Onischuk (UKR) won both the rapid and the blitz tournament. The Master Open (Russia Cup stage and ACP cup stage) is the main event, there are 82 participants in it including 24 GMs. GM Igor Kovalenko (LAT) and GM Yury Kuzubov (UKR) are leading with 4.5 points after 5 rounds. FIDE Open rating tournament and Sail of Hope tournament for handicapped people are also in progress. News: http://vrnchessfestival.org/en/newsChess Daily News from Susan Polgar

FM Alisa Melekhina - Win with the c3 Sicilian in 21 Moves or LessFM Alisa Melekhina - Win with the c3 Sicilian in 21 Moves or LessPosted on June 18,2013 By OnlineChessLessons.NET Contributor in All Articles w/ Videos. This game demonstrates the typical plans in the c3 Siclian for White, including how to execute a crushing piece attack against the Black king. Black chose a slightly inferior line, allowing White to make simple and natural developing moves. These moves led to a tactical miniature, typical of the Alapin and proving that it is not at all a "quiet opening." Even the strongest of players are not immune from having to play precisely against the c3 Sic[...]Kasparov's Greatest Hits by GM Damian LemosPosted on June 17,2013 By William in Strategy & Game Review, Chess Openings, All Articles w/ Videos, Classic Games (Pre 2010). The King's Indian Defense is one of the most popular and dangerous chess openings of all time. Former World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov employed the King's Indian Defense at the highest levels of chess, achieving remarkable success with the black pieces by using this aggressive opening system against 1. d4. In this chess video excerpt from the 3+ hour chess DVD ¨Kasparov's Greatest Hits¨, Grandmaster Damian Lemos analyzes one of Kasparov's most[...]A Chess Clinic with IM Andrew MartinPosted on June 14,2013 By OnlineChessLessons.NET Contributor in Strategy & Game Review, All Articles w/ Videos, Beginner's Corner. IM Andrew Martin is a world-renown chess trainer that focuses on improvement for beginner and intermediate players. In the below chess video excerpt from the chess DVD A Chess Clinic IM Andrew Martin is analyzing an interesting encounter between one of his students (a club level player) and an opponent rated over 400 points higher. It is fascinating to hear IM Martin's advice on facing higher-rated players and how he advises his students to not o[...]Black Shockers - The French Fort Knox by IM Andrew MartinPosted on June 12,2013 By OnlineChessLessons.NET Contributor in Strategy & Game Review, Chess Openings, All Articles w/ Videos. The Fort Knox Variation of the French Defense is an extremely solid sideline that has remained under-appreciated until recent years. In the below chess video excerpt from the chess DVD ¨Black Shockers Vol. 2 - French Fort Knox - Old Benoni¨ IM Andrew Martin explains that the Fort Knox Variation of the French Defense is a very sturdy response against 1. e4 and that black will almost certainly be able to achieve a playable equality from the opening[...]OnlineChessLessons.net is a producer of thousands of free chess articles and free chess videos by FIDE chess masters. They recently released the renowned Empire Chess series that has been taking the chess world by storm. Please consider checking out their chess blog and chess shop with tons of free updated previews.Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar

For the first time ever, World Championship challenger GM Magnus Carlsen will play a high-profile tournament in the United States.The World’s No. 1 ranked player will take on three other top-ten players in Saint Louis this September when he joins GMs Levon Aronian, Hikaru Nakamura and Gata Kamsky for the Sinquefield Cup, a four-player, double round robin scheduled to be held at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis (CCSCSL) September 9-15.In November, Carlsen will challenge GM Viswanathan Anand of India for the World Championship title.CCSCSL Executive Director Tony Rich said this event marks an important milestone for U.S. chess.“We are honored to bring the world’s best to Saint Louis this September,” Rich said. “Hosting an event of this magnitude is yet another sign that the U.S. is becoming a major player in the world chess scene.”Carlsen and Aronian currently sit atop the world rankings at No. 1 and 2, respectively, while Nakamura and Kamsky hold the No. 1 and 2 spots in the U.S.Nakamura is coming off one of the most successful three-game runs of his career having recently defeated GMs Vladimir Kramnik, Sergey Karjakin and Fabiano Caruana at the Tal Memorial, which has vaulted him back into fifth place in the world rankings.Kamsky also is coming off one of his most successful tournament performances in recent years with a second-place finish at the FIDE Grand Prix that recently concluded in Thessaloniki, Greece. Kamsky, who recently won his fourth U.S. Championship title, climbed back into the world’s top 10 for the first time since September 2011.The average FIDE rating for the field is over 2800, making it the strongest tournament in the history of the U.S.The opening ceremony will take place on September 8, and round 1 will begin at 1 p.m. CT on Monday, September 9.The Sinquefield Cup, which will feature a prize fund of $170,000, is named after the founders of the CCSCSL, Jeanne and Rex Sinquefield. Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar

Standings after 5 rounds1.Nakamura, HikaruUSA2784*.0.½11..13½2.Gelfand, BorisISR2755.*..½1½½1.3½3.Mamedyarov, ShakhriyarAZE27531.*..½½.½½34.Carlsen, MagnusNOR2864...*½0½1.135.Andreikin, DmitryRUS2713½½.½*..½½.2½6.Caruana, FabianoITA277400½1.*.1..2½7.Karjakin, SergeyRUS27820½½½..*..½28.Anand, ViswanathanIND2786.½.0½0.*1.29.Morozevich, AlexanderRUS2760.0½.½..0*½1½10.Kramnik, VladimirRUS28030.½0..½.½*1½Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar

Official website: http://dilijan2013.fide.comChess Daily News from Susan Polgar

Round 5 resultsNakamura, Hikaru - Andreikin, Dmitry½-½Gelfand, Boris - Morozevich, Alexander1-0Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar - Caruana, Fabiano½-½Carlsen, Magnus - Anand, Viswanathan1-0Kramnik, Vladimir - Karjakin, Sergey½-½Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar