Chess in the News

A page of odd chess snippets from around the world. The most recent items will be at the top.

Hindustan Times: December 28 – Anand, Humpy take Indian chess to new heights:
Viswanathan Anand and Koneru Humpy catapulted Indian chess to new heights while Parimarjan Negi also made his presence felt in the year gone by.
Anand led the way by winning the Corus Super Grandmasters championship for a record fifth time and in the process crossed the magic figure of ELO 2800 for the first time.
Anand became the only player in the tournament's 68-year-old history to win the event five times and there is no one following him to eclipse his record in the near future.
Humpy summed up the year by picking two gold medals -- in women's rapid individual and mixed team -- as the sport made its debut at the Asian Games in Doha while Negi became the second-youngest ever Grandmaster in the history of chess.
The chess revolution started by Anand in the 1990s has now snowballed into a big machine and it was evident by the feats of Indian players with Negi becoming the 15th GM. To read the rest of this article CLICK HERE.

KFSN Action News: December 28 – Chess cheat gets 10 year ban:
An Indian chess player has been banned for 10 years for cheating after he was caught using his mobile phone's wireless device to win games, chess officials said on Wednesday.
The player, Umakant Sharma, had logged rating points at a rapid pace in the last 18 months and also qualified for the national championship, arousing the suspicion of officials and bemusing rivals.
Mr. Sharma was finally caught at a recent tournament when officials discovered that he had stitched a Bluetooth device in a cloth cap which he always pulled over his ears.
He communicated to his accomplices outside the hall, who then used a computer to relay moves to him, Indian chess federation secretary D.V. Sundar said on Wednesday.
"We have banned him for 10 years," he told Reuters. "We wanted to send a clear message to such people."
Chess officials were also probing whether another player had similar advantages through such illegal means, he added.

DNA Sport: December 26 – The right mix of beauty and brains:
NEW DELHI: Kateryna Lahno has the looks to kill but it was not her beauty but the shrewd, manoeuvring brain which saw her win the Battle of Sexes on chequered board against local favourite Parimarjan Negi. Another feather added to her cap and Rs 3 lakh in pocket, the Ukrainian teen returns home with fond memories of India.
Kateryna’s 11-7 win against younger but higher-rated Parimarjan proved she was no pretty nitwit, rather a beauty with brain who is hardly interested in her opponent’s reputation. Mission accomplished, the Ukrainian blonde let her shoulder length hair down and talked about life outside the black-and-white squares.
To read the rest of this article CLICK HERE.

Sofia News Agency: December 22 – Bulgaria's Topalov Faces Chess Ban for Linking Kramnik to KGB:
Bulgaria's chess king Vesselin Topalov may be disqualified by FIDE for three years for violating the Code of Ethics by linking Vladimir Kramnik to the KGB in an interview for Spanish newspaper ABC.
People from outside who were Russians and were far from the world of chess helped Kramnik, Topalov said in the interview. These were either amateurs or people from the secret services, he added.
They were the ones who placed the Internet cable in Kramnik's toilet, he said.
Topalov also said that he was afraid for his life while in Elista and that he would never go to Russia again.
Nobody from Kramnik's team was involved in that, that's why they deny the whole thing, he said.
Topalov suspected FIDE's president Kirsan Ilymzhinov was also involved in the plot because he was a businessman who was obeying orders because there had to be a Russian champion.
For these words of Topalov Kramnik's manager Carsten Hensel lodged a claim with FIDE against the Bulgarian chess master. Hensel said he had always respected and liked Topalov and was disappointed by the Bulgarian's claims.
He also said that there was no possibility in Kramnik's toilet for a cable to be installed because security measures in Elista were very severe and all wireless devices were strictly forbidden.

BBC News: December 15 – 'Chess murders' Russian charged:
Moscow parks were some of the favoured dumping grounds A Russian who reportedly said he wanted to kill 64 people to correspond with the squares on a chess board has been charged in Moscow with 49 murders.
Alexander Pichushkin is suspected of being the "Bitsyevskiy maniac", named after the park where 14 of the victims' bodies were found.
He has allegedly confessed to killing 62 people over six years and reportedly said he had missed his goal.
Prosecutors say they only have evidence to pursue 49 cases. Mr Pichushkin, who worked at a small grocery store in south-west Moscow, was arrested in June on suspicion of killing a female colleague, whose body was found in Bitsyevskiy park the day before. The woman, Marina Moskaleva, had reportedly left Mr Pichushkin's number with her son before she was killed.

Chessbase News: December 15 – Danailov, Topalov challenge Kramnik:
Is it on again? Topalov and Danailov have issued a formal challenge to Kramnik to play a return match in Sofia before next year's world championship in Mexico.
FIDE regulations appear to support the challenge and Kramnik may be obliged to accept.
They have offered a prize fund of $1.5M plus $300K to go to FIDE in accordance with the regulation.
To read about it at Chessbase News  CLICK HERE.

Kateryna Lahno

India Times Sport: December 13 – Chess: Battle of the youngest:
NEW DELHI—Beauty at times can be deceptive. If you are to sit across a stunningly beautiful Kateryna Lahno on the chess board, making the right moves can be a bit difficult. There is a certain simplicity which adores this Ukrainian beauty which is not only enticing but would make any pageant contestant wither away in raw jealousy.
"Beauty is nothing. It is the mind which I think is important for me," Kateryna told TOI during an exclusive chat.
Without any doubt, Kateryna is the owner of a "beautiful mind". But the 17-year-old Ukrainian balances her looks and game quite well. Behind her attractive face, lies a sharp mind. No wonder then, she earned the WGM title at the age of 12 years and four months and eclipsed Judit Polgar’s record to become the youngest ever to win the WGM title.
On the board, even some of the top-notch GMs have had difficulty facing her. She can slice through her opponents with ease. But off it, Kateryna, an avid fan of soccer star Andriy Shevchenko, is just like any other teenager willing to conquer the world. "I would like to become the world champion," she says.
Kateryna is here to participate in a unique event where she would square up against the world’s youngest Grandmaster Parimarjan Negi. Like any other sportsperson, Kateryna has a word of appreciation for her opponent. "He (Parimarjan) is a strong player and defeated me in the one-off match that we played."
The event, the first of its kind in India, will be played from December 17 over 18 games and will have a total prize pool of Rs 5 lakh out of which Rs 3 lakh will be given to the winner while the loser will take home Rs 2 lakh. There will be six games each under FIDE time control, rapid chess and blitz formats and the winner will be announced taking into account the net score from all these games.

And since you were bound to ask I Googled it: Rs 5 lakh = Rs 500,000.

Bloomberg.com, Europe: December 12 – Russian Police Raid Office of Chess Champion Kasparov:
—by Sebastian Alison, Moscow
Russian police searched the office of former world chess champion Gary Kasparov, now in opposition to President Vladimir Putin, and took away newspapers and campaign documents to check if they were "extremist."
Kasparov runs The Other Russia, a coalition of opposition groups campaigning for greater democracy in Russia. Today he hosted a meeting of the All-Russia Civic Congress, a rights group, The Other Russia spokeswoman Natalya Morar said.
"While he was moderating the congress, we received information the police came to his office and began to search for different documents," Morar said. "They took away literature, saying they had come to find out if it was extremist."
During the search, which lasted about two hours, staff at Kasparov's United Civil Front were prevented from making phone calls or sending e-mails, Morar said.

GM David Bronstein – 1993

International Herald Tribune: December 07 – David Bronstein, chess grandmaster who defied Soviets, dies at 82:
David Bronstein, a Ukrainian-born grandmaster who played bold and intuitive chess, wrote one of the classics in chess literature, and came within one draw of becoming world champion, died Tuesday in Minsk, Belarus. He was 82.
His death was reported by the World Chess Federation. No cause was given.
From the end of World War II to the late 1950s, Bronstein was one of the top three players in the Soviet Union and among the five best in the world. In later years he defied Soviet authorities, at some cost, in not denouncing a defecting player.
In 1951 Bronstein became the first to challenge the world champion Mikhail Botvinnik, another Soviet player, who had won the title in 1948. The 24-game match was a seesaw affair between two men who disliked each other and played with contrasting styles. It ended in a 12-12 tie, allowing Botvinnik to retain the title, according to the rules of the match.
The outcome might have been different if Bronstein had not lost the penultimate game, in which he had a defensible position, or if he had not blundered in the sixth game when he had an easy draw.
For years afterward, there was speculation that Bronstein had been forced to lose so that Botvinnik, a favorite of the Soviet authorities, might retain the title. Bronstein denied the speculation, saying he had actually chosen not to win.
He explained his decision in "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," a book about his life and games written with Tom Furstenberg (1995, Cadogan Chess). "I had reasons not to become the World Champion," he wrote, "as in those times such a title meant that you were entering an official world of chess bureaucracy with many formal obligations. Such a position is not compatible with my character."

International Herald Tribune: December 05 – World chess champion Kramnik loses match 4-2 to Deep Fritz program:
BONN, Germany: World chess champion Vladimir Kramnik lost the sixth and decisive game against computer program Deep Fritz on Tuesday, ceding a hard-fought Man vs. Machine match 4-2.
Kramnik, seeking a final win to level the match, played an unbalanced opening with Black. He started strongly, but was ultimately outplayed by Fritz for the first time in the series.
Fritz also won game two when Kramnik inexplicably blundered into an immediate checkmate. The other four games were drawn with Kramnik possibly missing several chances.
"The outcome was not clear until the last moment," Kramnik said.
To read the whole article CLICK HERE.

India Times Sport: Dec 04 – Bluetooth trouble for chess player:
NEW DELHI, Dec 4: Technology and sports have been going well in modern times. But how technology can also play spoilsport was demonstrated in a rather bizarre manner during a chess game in the Capital on Tuesday.
When International Master Rahul Shetty sensed something wrong with a cap which his opponent Umakanth Sharma was wearing as they competed in a Round 7 game of the Subroto Mukherjee memorial chess tournament, he immediately reported it to the organisers. And much to everyone's astonishment, a bluetooth device was discovered from Sharma's cap.
"Though his guilt hasn't been proved yet, he was caught with a bluetooth which was tucked inside the cap during the game," said one of the officials.
According to a Delhi Chess Association (DCA) official, "Sharma's action goes against FIDE ethics which strictly prohibits players from carrying any electronic gadget."
In its Clause B of Article 12.2, FIDE, the world chess body, clearly forbids players from bringing mobiles or any other electronic means of communication, which is not authorised by the arbiter, into the playing venue. In fact, the rule says that If a player's mobile phone rings within a venue during play, the offending player would lose the game.
When Sharma was questioned, he failed to came up with a convincing explanation but claimed that the device was switched off when the game was on.
Sharma, who enjoys an impressive ELO rating of 2484 and was doing well in the tournament, has been barred from participating in the tournament. The matter has been reported to the All India Chess Federation (AICF) for further action.

And if you're like me and have never heard of Bluetooth, here's the official definition:
Bluetooth is a computing and telecommunications industry specification that describes how mobile phones, computers and PDAs can easily interconnect with each other and with home and business phones and computers using a short wireless connection.

Sun Star, Cebu: December 05 – Filipinos fall short in judo, chess:
THE Philippines judo bet John Baylon blew away what could have been the country’s first medal in the 15th Asian Games in Doha, Qatar.
The 41-year-old veteran lost twice in the 81 kg. division at the Qatar Sports Club Indoor. He lost first against eventual silver medalist Almas Atayev of Kazakhstan in the quarterfinals and to Rauf Hukmatov of Tajikistan in the repechage, losing his shot for a bronze medal.
International Master Darwin Laylo is on shaky ground after round seven in the Men’s Rapid Chess. IM Ronald Dableo and 14-year-old Jedera Docena of Tagbilaran City are already out of contention with still two rounds remaining.
Laylo can still salvage a medal at stake after figuring in an eight-way tie for fifth place with 4.5 points, along with GMs Saikiran and Harikrishna Pentala of India, Ehsam Ghae Mahami and Elsham Moradiabadi of Iran, Nguyen Anh Dung of Vietnam, and Fide World Knock Out champion Rustam Kasimdzhanov of Uzbekistan and IM Enamul Hossain of Bangladesh.

International Herald Tribune: December 04 – Chess grandmaster Humpy wins India's first gold medal:
DOHA, Qatar: Koneru Humpy claimed India's first gold medal of the 2006 Asian Games with a win in the women's rapid format chess competition.
Humpy, 19, defeated Kazakhstan's Dana Aketayeva in the ninth round of the rapid Swiss format to finish with eight points.
The silver medal went to China's Zhao Xue, who defeated Indonesian Irine Sukandar in the last round, but finished half a point behind Humpy. Qatar's Chen Zhu got the bronze.
The men's singles gold went to Kazakhstan grandmaster Murtas Kazhgalevey, whose final-round victory over Indian grandmaster Krishnan Sasikiran took him to 7.5 points — half a point clear of Vietnam's Thien Hai Dao and Bu Xiangzhi of China.
The singles events were played on the rapid format, but the players will return to the classic format for the team competition. The team event will feature mixed teams comprising at least one woman out of three players.

Hamilton (Canada) Spectator: December 01 – Computers have power but they can't dance:
One player best displayed the beauty of the game -- the troubled, addicted, adored Mikhail Tal
A 31-year-old Russian has reached the middle of a seven-day attempt to demonstrate that even in the silicon age, a human can still out think the computer. Vladimir Kramnik, the undisputed chess champion among carbon-based life forms, is playing a six-game match in Bonn, Germany against Deep Fritz, the most powerful chess program ever linked to a PC.
The match, which continues tomorrow, stands 2 points to 1 in Fritz's favour.
To read the rest of this entertaining article CLICK HERE.

International Herald Tribune: November 30 –Bobby Fischer's longtime companion still angry over treatment of chess icon:
DOHA, Qatar: Bobby Fischer is still living the quiet life in Iceland, the home he adopted after being held in Japanese custody for nearly a year. He still refuses to play chess, at least the version that everybody else plays. And he's still a wanted man, as far as the U.S. government is concerned.
Beyond that, there are many things the world may never know about the reclusive chess icon – and Miyoko Watai, Fischer's longtime companion, says she isn't going to break the silence.
"I prefer not to talk about private things," said Watai, who is in Qatar to manage Japan's chess team at the Asian Games.
Read the full article HERE.

Hartford Courant: November 28 – When Bobby Fischer Lit The Fire
By SHELBY LYMAN
It has been more than 1½ years since Bobby Fischer took refuge in Iceland, the scene of his legendary triumph over Boris Spassky more than 30 years before.
Although he received a tumultuous hero's welcome as his plane landed at midnight in Reykjavik, his sojourn in an apartment building at the edge of the Arctic Circle has been notably quiet, his privacy scrupulously respected.
Even though great talents are likely to thrive wherever they are born, that is probably not true of the super-sensitive American. Heralded as the first chess professional, Fischer's knowledge of the game was encyclopedic compared with his contemporaries. Unlike most of his peers, he also understood the critical importance of diet and physical conditioning.
But today, he would be one among many. Prodigies abound; the pursuit of chess knowledge is obsessive. Competition grows fiercer year by year as a seemingly bottomless cornucopia of grandmasters spills out around the globe.
Although the American prodigy was admirably up to the challenge of his time, he might have recoiled from the kind he would have faced today. As it was, his serious chess-playing career ended abruptly in 1972 at age 29, when he enigmatically withdrew from the chess stage after achieving his dream of becoming world champion.
I am reminded of Edna St. Vincent Millay's wonderful lines: ``The candle burns at both ends. It will not last the night. But ah, my foes and oh, my friends, it gives such lovely light."

People's Daily On Line: November 27 – Philippine chess players aim at medal finish in Doha Asian Games:
The Philippine chess squad hopes to win at least a medal in the 15th Doha Asian Games slated Dec. 1-15, local media reported on Monday.
"Our goal is to win a medal in Doha," coach Oliver Dimakiling was quoted by The Manila Bulletin daily as saying.
The Philippine squad hopes to make up for a disappointing performance in the 2005 Southeast Asian Games when it sees action in Doha, said the report.
Filipino chess players failed to win a single gold in last year 's Southeast Asian Games in Manila.
The report said IMs Darwin Laylo and Ronald Dableo will spearhead the country's bid after topping the qualifying event. Jedara Docena is the country's lone female participant.
Though Laylo and Dableo figured well in the recent President Arroyo Cup held in Manila where they finished tied for seventh to 16th places, they will have their hands full against Indian Viswanathan Anang and Chinese grandmasters, said the report.
"It's a tough field but we'll do our best to beat them," said Dableo.
Source: Xinhua

Sofia Weekly: November 23 – Bulgarian Minister Awards Prison Chess Tournament Winners:
Bulgaria's Justice Minister Georgi Petkanov awarded Thursday the winners in the first national chess tournament for prisoners.
Inmates received their awards in the Sofia prison.
Varna Prison inmates took first place in the team contest with 11 points, the second place was for the Burgas prisoners, who won 9 points. Sofia prison residents scored third with only half a point behind.
In individual games the first place winner was again from the Varna Prison, Lyubomir Stoyanov.
The winners were awarded with television sets and sports equipment.
Inmates from all the prisons asked the Minister if they will be cut a few months off their sentences if they win a first place in the tournament. Petkanov said he would dwell on the question.

Manila Standard: November 17 – Best chess minds clash:
THE country’s best chess minds clash against top foreign bets when the 2006 Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Cup Open and Chess Challenge begins its first push with no less than President Arroyo slated to open hostilities at the Duty Free Fiesta Mall in Parañaque.
Taking time out from her busy schedule, the country’s no. 1 sports patron will perform the ceremonial move against super grandmaster Alexander Onishuk during the 10 a.m. ceremony to be attended by top government and sports officials, invited guests and the participating foreign and local players.
Aside from Onishuk, the other top foreign players vying for the $6,000 top prize are Zhang Pengxiang (Elo 2636), Ni Hua (Elo 2621) and Zhang Zhong (Elo 2609), all of of China; GM Varushan Akobian (Elo 2598) of the US; GM Vladimir Belov (Elo 2589) of Russia; GM Utut Adianto (Elo 2589) of Indonesia, GM Viktor Mikhalevski (Elo 2580) of Israel; GM Edhi Handoko (Elo 2441) of Indonesia; and international masters Tahir Vakhidov (Elo 2522) of Uzbekistan, Wang Rui (Elo 2463), Zhou Weigi (Elo 2435) and Wang Li (Elo 2226), all of China.
Torre, the country’s most experienced player, will spearhead the Filipinos’ challenge in the tough, nine-round tournament.
To read the whole article please CLICK HERE.

Chessbase News: November 6 – Tal Memorial category 20 starts in Moscow:
Ten superstars are present at The Tal Memorial, which is being held from November 5th to 19th in Moscow. The rating average of is 2727 – only 15-year-old Magnus Carlsen misses the 2700 mark by two points. Round one saw wins by Aronian, Gelfand and Ponomariov. Bozhe moi – this is exciting chess!
The Tal Memorial chess festival is being held in Moscow from November 5th to 19th, 2006. It is a round-robin super-tournament of Category 20, with participants from seven countries. The rating favorite is Peter Svidler, 2750, Russia, the dark horse is 15-year-old Magnus Carlsen of Norway, at 2698 the only participant rated below 2700.
To read the whole article on Chessbase CLICK HERE.

Washington Post: October 28 – i. Mom beats tired champ.   ii. Draw-resistant GM Slugfest!:
i.   An intriguing controlled experiment in the art of chess preparation was conducted this week at the Category 20 Essent Chess Tournament, a four-grandmaster double-round-robin event under way in the Dutch city of Hoogeveen.
Tuesday's second round paired Hungarian GM Judit Polgar, just back from a year away from the game after the birth of her second child, and Bulgarian GM Veselin Topalov, just back from his grueling and unsuccessful world title match earlier this month with Russia's Vladimir Kramnik, a contest that included 12 games at classical time controls and a tense, four-game rapid playoff.
The result: A rusty Polgar defeated an exhausted Topalov in a sharp struggle that did credit to both players.
ii.   This article also reports on a draw-resistant GM "Slugfest" in which Black gets 3 points for the win and 2 for a draw, White gets 2 for a win, 1 for a draw.  
Read both stories by CLICKING HERE.

Azertac: October 30 – AZERBAIJANI GM CLAIMS ESSENT TOURNAMENT TITLE:
Azerbaijani chess grandmaster Shahriyar Mammadyarov claimed his win in the Essent tournament in Hoogeveen, the Netherlands, after beating Dutch Ivan Sokolov.
Mammadyarov gained 4.5 points and left behind Hungarian Judit Polgar, Dutch Ivan Sokolov and Bulgarian Veselin Topalov.
Meanwhile, another Azeri chess player Vasif Durarbeyli won gold medal in the Under-14 category in the world juniors championship in Batumi, Georgia.
Nijat Abbasov snatched bronze in the Under-12 category.
Nargiz Umudova won silver in the Under-18 category among women, while Gulnar Mammadova and Ulviya Fataliyeva scooped silver medals in the Under-16 and Under-10 categories respectively.

DNA News: October 28 – Humpy beats Karpov at Cap d'Agde:
CAP D'AGDE (France):Grandmaster Koneru Humpy scored a memorable win against former world champion Anatoly Karpov of Russia in the third round of the Cap D'Agde International rapid chess tournament here.
It took just 24 moves for Humpy to down the former numero uno in the group B match. Humpy played with white pieces.
As things stand in the group B after the third round, Andrei Volokitin of Ukraine is in sole lead on 2.5 points while Humpy stands joint second on 2 points along with Zhao Xue of China and Magnus Carlsen of Norway.
Four more rounds remain in this section. Parimarjan Negi, who is in the group 'A', inched to 2 points out of a possible four and is in with a chance for making it to the last four. P Harikrishna went down to former world women's champion Antoaneta Stefanova of Bulgaria.

ABS-CBN Interactive: Oct 23 – Mexico claims world chess record:
MEXICO CITY - Mexico City's largest square was jammed Sunday with some 14,000 chess players who claimed a new Guinness record for the largest number of simultaneously played games.
So many showed up, in fact, that nearly as many were turned away from Mexico's El Zocalo. Some 23,000 were registered, but "only" 14,065 could cram into the square.
"We expected about 13,000 players and we have 23,000 registered," said Mayor Alejandro Encinas as he made the first move on a giant chess board.
"We have broken the Guinness record."
Organizers said the effort topped the current Guinness record by nearly 1,700 players, set in nearby Pachuca, Mexico in June, 2005.
The Guinness Brewery launched the book in 1955 to settle disputes among drinkers of its brews.

Washington Times: Oct 21 – Picking the next champ:
Having just settled the question of who is the real world champion, we immediately move on to figuring out who will be the next world champion.
Russian GM Vladimir Kramnik's overtime win over Bulgaria's Veselin Topalov in their reunification title match in Elista, Russia, last week was barely over when all attention turned to the next championship cycle. The hopes of FIDE, the international chess organization, to end the disastrous civil war in the game over the past dozen years may hinge on its ability to organize and run a credible and competitive process to determine Kramnik's next challenger.
Right now, through a quirk in the qualifying process, Topalov isn't even in the field of candidates with a shot at the next title bout, although it looks likely FIDE organizers will find a way to get him a slot.
Many of the likely challengers were in action last week at the 2006 Europe Club Cup in the Austrian city of Fuegen, won on tiebreaks by the Russian Tomsk-400 squad. Tomsk top board GM Alexander Morozevich is one of four players automatically seeded into the next candidates cycle, along with Kramnik, Viswanathan Anand of India and Peter Svidler of Russia.
Brooklyn GM Gata Kamsky, the only American in the FIDE field, plays France's Etienne Bacrot in one of eight knockout matches for a chance to play in the candidates tournament. Hungarians Peter Leko and Judit Polgar (the only woman in the running) and budding Norwegian superstar Magnus Carlsen are among the other hopefuls.
To read the rest of this Washington Times article CLICK HERE.

New Haven Register: Oct 19 – McCheckmate: Chess players square off under the golden arches on Kimberly Avenue :
To the victors go the fries.
At least, that's how it works at the McDonald's restaurant on Kimberly Avenue, where fast food meets speed chess.
One Saturday a month, spindly prodigies and gray-haired masters meet up with other chess fanatics in the front lobby of the restaurant, ready for battle. They spend the afternoon matching wits in the restaurant's sleek booths, while hungry diners look on from their Quarter Pounders and supersized fries.
"It's a perfect marriage of location and game," says Jim Celone of Orange, who has organized highly successful chess programs at West Haven High School and other area schools. "This is a more social setting, but also a great opportunity for new players to get a taste of what a tournament is like. It's the first time we've done a tournament in a fast food restaurant."
On this day, nearly 30 players turn out for the competition. They range in age from grade-school kids to octogenarians.
To read the rest of this article CLICK HERE.

Chess Chat Forum: October 18 – ACT Junior Equal First in Japan Open:
The following advice was posted by "BFG" on the Chess Chat Forum.
Congratulations must go to Junta Ikeda, an ACT Junior, who finished equal first in the 30th Japan Open (7 - 9 October) with a final score of 7/8. He ended up finishing second on countback as he lost to the other person tied with him, Masahiro Baba, in the third round.
In the seventh round he beat the top seed, Ryosuke Nanjo, who had played Board 1 in the Japanese national team at the Torino Olympiad earlier this year. A fine effort from a local junior with a big future in chess.
(Junta Ikeda is the same junior who beat GM Ian Rogers at West Ryde last year.)

Focus Information Agency, Sofia: October 17 – Kramnik Rejects a Return Match vs. Topalov :
Moscow. Vladimir Kramnik, who won the unified World Championship Title dethroning Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria has refused to take part in a return match, Utro Ru writes. Kramnik said he would not consider the possibility of playing versus Topalov in March 2007.
“I understand that Topalov wants a return match, but I think that the moment is not appropriate for such “soap operas”, which can continue endlessly. There are other contenders for the title, too”, Kramnik said.

Sofia News Agency, Oct 15 – Bulgaria's Topalov Wants the World Title Back:
Bulgaria's chess king Vesselin Topalov, who lost the title of world's best chess grandmaster with a narrow defeat against Russia's Vladimir Kramnik, will insist on a return game, his manager announced in Sofia.
The regulations of the World chess federation (FIDE) allows every former world champion to challenge his opponent should he secure the prize of EUR 1,5 M, Silvio Danailov told journalists on Sunday.
According to Danailov the return match could take place in Sofia, on March 3, 2007.
Danailov suspects Kramnik will not accept the offer, which will force FIDE to strip him of the world's only chess king title.

DNA World, October 12 – Kasparov fears for life:
LISBON: Former chess champion Garry Kasparov, an outspoken critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said on Thursday he fears for his safety in the wake of the weekend murder of a critical Russian investigative journalist.
"I try to protect myself and my family as much as possible but I am aware that no protection is possible," he said in an interviewed published in daily Portuguese newspaper Jornal de Negocios.
"Putin's regime is seen in the West as a strange democracy, a Russian-style democracy. But in reality it is a police state. And the sooner Putin leaves, the better off the country will be," he added. To read the whole article CLICK HERE.

Telugu Portal, Oct 11 – Chess Software for the Blind:
Panaji, Oct 11 (IANS) India, currently hosting a global chess-for-the-blind meet in Goa, contributed to the cause with code. It has just launched software that helps the visually impaired chess players.
Called 'Talk 64', this software has been launched at the 11th Individual World Chess Championship for the Blind 2006, currently underway at Varca in South Goa.
Talk 64 is being called the "first-of-its-kind" chess software and its promoters see it as a boon for all chess players, which has been specially designed for the visually challenged.
"Talk 64 is the only fully featured chess software in the world, which has complete speech support, speaking out every single move played on the chessboard," said a statement released here to mark the software's release.
A "chatter" feature has been provided, where the software interacts with the player via comments, which give the player the feeling that he or she is playing with another person.
Talk 64 also helps a player enhance his or her skills by providing an analysis feature. Games can be saved and resumed and later analysed as well.
The voice, speed and pitch of the speech can be customised according to the user's preferences and sighted players can use the software without speech as well. Currently, full speech is supported in English and German.
To read the whole article CLICK HERE.

SunStar Davao, Oct 6 – First Descallar Chess Tournament:
THE 1ST Descallar Chess Tournament for kiddies blasts off October 7 and 8 at the Holy Cross of Davao College. This was announced Thursday by National Master Prospero `Bebot' Cruz during the regular Davao Sportswriters Association (DSA) Forum at the Tower Inn. Cruz said the two-day, seven-round Swiss system tournament is open to all kids 14 years old and below, and who are bonafide students of any schools. Cash prizes and certificates will go to the top finishers in the event, with the champion pocketing P2,000 and a certificate.

Could this be our own Levi Descallar sponsoring the tournament? Yes it is! Well done, Levi.

Chessbase News, Sep 21 – Magnus Carlsen, 15, Norwegian Chess Champion:
Two months ago two players tied for first at the 2006 Norwegian Championship: Magnus Carlson, 15-year-old chess prodigy, and his former teacher Simen Agdestein, 39, seven times national champion. From September 19–21 there was a playoff. The two standard games ended in draws, then Carlsen won both rapid chess games to take the title. To read the complete article at ChessBase CLICK HERE.

The Hindu, Sep 20 – Chess a medal sport at Asian Games:
New Delhi: World No.2 Viswanathan Anand will not take part in the Doha Asian Games where chess will figure as a medal sport for the first time in the event's history, the All India Chess Federation (AICF) Secretary, D.V. Sundar, said.
It is speculated that Anand is apprehensive about taking part in the team championship after he lost around 20 ELO points in the Chess Olympiad despite being a part of the second-seeded Indian team early this year.
It is believed that Anand had no problems taking part in the individual competition, as it would be played in his favourite rapid format. But according to the rules of the Asian Games, one has to take part in both categories. The team championship would be played in the classical format.
Anand's absence notwithstanding, India would still be among the favourites to clinch the three gold medals at stake.

Washington Times, Sep 16 –Unification Match on Tap:
In a consummation devoutly to be wished, rival world championship claimants Vladimir Kramnik of Russia and Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria are set to settle things over the chessboard in a 12-game match that kicks off next Saturday in the Russian city of Elista.
The match, played under classical time controls, should end a bitter and disastrous division in the chess world over the title belt dating back to 1993. In that year, Garry Kasparov broke with FIDE, the international chess federation, to stage his own title match against English challenger Nigel Short.
FIDE stripped Kasparov of his crown, and there have been at least two claimants to the game's most valuable property ever since. Kramnik, who defeated Kasparov in a 2000 match in London, considers himself the "classical" world champion, while FIDE recognizes Topalov. Aside from ending the organizational confusion and infighting, the match also happens to feature perhaps the two best players in the world, with a close match expected.
Opening ceremonies will be held Thursday in Elista, with the winner being the first player to obtain 61/2 points. A rapid playoff is set for Oct. 12 if the match ends in a tie. Both players will receive $500,000 for their efforts, and the winner automatically will be seeded into the FIDE world championship tournament next year.
Topalov has dominated the international circuit in recent times, but Kramnik has far more experience in tough one-on-one matches. Our forecast: Topalov with a late rally.

Sydney Morning Herald, Sep. 12 – Chess Queen's New Moves:
From champion chess player to TV dancing celebrity.
That's the unexpected path looming for 19-year-old Arianne Caoili, who has been named in the cast of the latest season of ratings hit Dancing With The Stars.
Caoili was just another chess professional until June, when she sparked a jealous clash between two grandmasters on an Italian nightclub dance floor during the World Chess Olympiad.
An admirer of Australia's number three, Briton Danny Gormally, sent Armenian chess star Levon Aronian sprawling when he danced with Caoili, who is also an aspiring singer.

India Times Sport, Sep. 11 – World Chess Championship for Blind:
PANAJI, Sept 11: Individual World Chess Championship for Blind would be held in Goa between October 8 to 19, a top All India Chess Federation for the Blind official said.
This would be the first time the championship is being held outside Europe since its inception in the year 1959, Ramakant Satam, President, AICFB said. "In all 35 countries have confirmed their participation for Goa event...We are getting more confirmations every passing day," he said.
All India Chess Federation for the Blind, affiliated to International Braille Chess Association and All India Chess Fedesration, will host this championship. "We got the honour of hosting it as we have successfully held Asian Blind Chess Tournament in the year 2003," he said.
Goa championship will see participation of 150 blind players from across the world including 15 International Masters (IMs), three International Women Masters (IWMs) and six FIDE Master (FM) and 30 FIDE-rated players.

Vishy Anand – World Rapid Champion

IBN Live, Mainz, Germany, August 21 – Anand is World Rapid Chess champion:
World number two Viswanathan Anand reserved his best for the final day scoring two thumping victories to stamp authority in the Grenkeleasing World Rapid Championship in the Mainz Chess Classic.
The Indian won his sixth title in a row, seventh on the trot in Classic and ninth overall, a record that is unlikely to get surpassed according to the pundits of the game.
Anand, who was tied at 3-3 when the seventh game commenced, won the match against Teimour Radjabov by a 5-3 margin on the final day of the week long chess extravaganza.
After a few initial hurdles, Anand was at his best in crushing Radjabov with black first and as the pressure of winning the final game downed on the Azerbaijani talent, the eighth and the final game also went the Indian's way.

Business Wire, San Matao, Ca., Aug. 15 – Kasparov Chess:
Glu Mobile, a leading creator and global publisher of mobile entertainment, today announced an agreement to develop and publish Kasparov Chess in partnership with Garry Kasparov, World Champion and the highest-ranked chess player of all time.
Kasparov Chess, which will be available on wireless carriers worldwide beginning in early 2007, will offer a number of ways to play including cross-carrier, international multi-player capabilities allowing players to challenge other chess players around the world. Complete features of the game will be announced upon launch.

Associated Content – Canton, Ohio – August 10 – Anaerobic Steroids Invade Professional Chess, by Allen Smith
Canton, Ohio - The professional chess world was rocked today when 13 year old chess prodigy, Bobby Baines was disqualified for testing positive for steroids.
Clayton Groman, Director of the United States Chess Federation announced during a press conference from his offices in Crossville, Tennessee that Baines was one of 17 professional chess players ranging in ages from 8 to 97 years old, that are under suspicion for blood doping and taking drugs on the USCF list of banned substances.
"We've had Mr. Baines in our crosshairs for quite some time," said Groman. "We first became suspicious when we noticed that he was becoming much more violent during matches and began exhibiting impaired judgment stemming from feelings of invincibility." During one recent chess match, Baines became upset over his opponent's delay in play and leaped over the table hoisting him up into an Airplane Spin.
"He's just a boy," pleaded Bobby's mother and manager, Agatha Baines.
To read the rest of Allen Smith's interesting article, CLICK HERE.

Pune Newsline, August 5 – Coming soon: A diploma in chess for wannabe GMs:
After Pune was chosen as the venue for the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games, here is another feather that will raise its status as a sports city. Come August-end, and the city will have a full-fledged diploma course in chess. In a first-of-its-kind move, the Symbiosis University has launched the three-year diploma for students who have passed Standard X who, for a change, will not be missing college lectures or bunking them to learn the game.
Here, students can learn how to make the moves from reputed chess players and all that one needs is the inclination and the willingness to learn.
Click here to read the whole article.

Kommersant: Russia's Daily On-Line, July 26 – The Return of the King?—Kasparov Plays a Move Back:
Garry Kasparov is coming back to professional chess after he announced retirement last year. On July 22, the great chess master will take on Viktor Korchnoi, Anatoly Karpov and Judit Polgar at the Lichthof Chess Champions Day in Zurich on the occasion of the 150th Jubilee of Credit Suisse.
Organizers of the 150th Jubilee of Credit Suisse confirmed yesterday that the Lichthof Chess Champions Day will take place with the five participants. The event with Garry Kasparov, Viktor Korchnoi, Anatoly Karpov and Judit Polgar playing is not on the FIDE calendar but it will surely steal the show this year.
The five champions are indisputably the greatest living chess players of the century.
Two matches for the FIDE champion title between Anatoly Karpov and the émigré Viktor Korchnoi as well as five chess champion games between Karpov and Kasparov have become chess history. The fifth participant of the upcoming event, Judit Polgar became the youngest chess champion beating Bobby Fischer in 1991 and has played at men’s tournaments with great success.
However, it is Kasparov’s presence at the Jubilee that hit all headlines. The legendary player said last year he was retiring from professional chess to concentrate on politics and writing. Kasparov, however, prefers not to call this tournament a comeback.
“I must say that retiring from serious play before Viktor Korchnoi made me a little uneasy,” the chess master commented his decision to play in Zurich. “When I first faced “Viktor the Terrible” [Viktor Korchnoi] in a serious game it was back in 1982 in Lucerne; I was 19 and he was 51. Now I’m a retiree and Korchnoi is still out there playing teenagers! Of course overall it will bring back pleasant memories from the great old days. World championship matches, bright lights, great chess and great competition.”

Chess Base News, July 22 – Karjakin wins Tomsk with 2834 performance:
At twelve Sergey Karjakin was the youngest GM of all time. At 16 he has just finished a category 18 double round robin tournament with Morozevich, Ponomariov, Kasimdzhanov, Rublevsky and Bologan a point and a half ahead of the field. The event was the 10th Petr Izmailov Memorial in Tomsk, Russia. We bring you games and impressions. Tournament details available from: Chess Base.

Formula 1 Chess Set

Advertisement, July 21 – Formula 1 Chess Set:
This is not a news item at all, but probably should be. It's an advertisement for a most unusual (and expensive) chess set. It's retailing for $US35,000, and at the current exchange rate that's not far short of $A50,000. Anyone for skittles?

This chess set from the Renault F1 Team Collection is made from parts of F1 cars. The board is made from the same carbon fiber as the Renault F1 cars. The chess pieces are made from parts of the wings, hubs, cockpit and suspension. Whilst the materials used include titanium, aircraft grade aluminum, sterling silver and leather. Guess what, the board is made from carbon fibre.The dimensions are 63.5 cms by 63.5 cms. If you feel like plopping down USD35,000 to indulge your inner Kasparov, it’s available for purchase from the Renault site.

Wichita Eagle, July 16 – Family's two tots are tough to beat in chess:
Four-year-old Dimitri Skerlev wrapped his tiny fingers around a chess pawn bigger than his hand, slid it diagonally forward, then scooted over to shake his next opponent's hand.
It was a pattern Dimitri repeated for an hour Saturday afternoon, as he battled opponents several times his age.
"I beat him twice!" he said of one 35-year-old opponent, beaming as he scampered over to his father, Dinko.
Dimitri and his sister Radina, 6, of Wichita, each played five simultaneous chess matches at the Lynette Woodard Recreation Center. The event was sponsored by the William Sanders Wichita Chess Center.
Each went head to head with five opponents, mostly between the ages of 5 and 12, making a move before turning to the next board placed side by side on a long table.
Radina, who won all of her matches -- two after her opponents resigned -- said winning was "not really hard."
Radina and Dimitri, children of Bulgarian immigrants, have only been playing chess for a few months, but are intuitive to the game's tactics, said their father, Dinko.
Dinko sets up chess scenarios for his children before he goes to work, and reviews them with Dimitri and Radina after he gets home at night, often using chess books or software to supplement the training.
"We were watching a chess DVD, and the world champion, Judit Polgar, was playing 300 people, and my daughter said, 'I can do that,' " he said. "I wanted them to get interested but didn't want to push them. But I started seeing their interest, they started asking me questions."

Sun Star, Cebu: July 14 – FIDE Ratings, July 2006:
Weselin Topalov has now exceeded Kasparov’s highest rating with an elo of 2813 after a fine performance at the M-Telmasters in Sofia, while Anand lost a few points at that event and a lot more at the Turin Olympiad where he scored only 50 percent. Levon Aronian gained 21 points with his fine performance at the Russian Team Championship and at the Turin Olympiad.
Kramnik’s fine performance at Turin enabled him to gain 14 points and is now at No.4. Michael Adams returns to the top 10 after gaining 12 points.
Ruslan Ponomariov’s poor showing lately cost him 17 points and dropped to 13th place from No.6. Other fine performances out of the top 10 were Skakhriyaz Mamedyarov’s gain of 23 points to rise to No. 12, David Navarra‘s massive gain of 61 points to go to No.14, Gata Kamsky’s gain of 26 points, and the two “schoolboys” Sergey Karyakin and Magnus Carlsen continued excellent performances where they rose to 27 and 34, respectively. The Philippines’ Mark Paragua, who was in the top 100 previously, is out.

In the Women’s section Judit Polgar remains at the top with a rating of 2710 (17th overall in the world) with India‘s Koneru Humpy 162 points behind. Alexandra Kosteniuk remains at solid third place, while Pia Cramling rose to fourth with Antoneatta Stefanova a point behind at fifth. No.8 is China’s darling FM Hou Yifan, who is only 12-years-old.

The top Junior player is Teimour Radjabov who is also 11th overall in the world. A year older is second-placer Pentala Harikrishna, followed by Kasparov’s heirs-apparent Sergey Karyakin, 16, and Magnus Carlsen, 15.

TOP 10 MEN   1) Veselin Topalov 31 Bulgaria 2813 2) Viwanathan Anand 37 India 2779 3) Levon Aronian 24 Armenia 2761 4) Vladimir Kramnik 31 Russia 2743 5) Peter Svidler 30 Russia 2742 6) Peter Leko 27 Hungary 2738 7) Vassily Ivanchuk 37 Ukraine 2734 8) Michael Adams 35 2732 9) Alexander Morozevich 29 Russia 2731 10) Boris Gelfand Israel 2729.
TOP 10 WOMEN   1) Judit Polgar 30 Hungary 2710 2) Koneru Humpy 19 India 2548 3) Alexandra Kosteniuk 22 Russia 2534 4) Pia Cramling 43 Sweden 2521 5) Antoanetta Stefanova 27 Bulgaria 27 6) Xu Yuhua 30 China 2517 7) Maia Chiburdanidze 45 Georgia 2504 8) Hou Yifan 12 China 2488 9) Tatiana Kosintseva 20 Russia 2479 10) Viktorija Cmylite 23 Lithuania 2476
TOP 10 JUNIORS   1) Teimour Radjabov 19 Azerbaijan 2728 2) Pentala Harikrishna India 20 2682 3) Sergey Karyakin 16 Ukraine 2679 4) Magnus Carlsen 15 Norway 2673 5) Andrei Volokitin 20 Ukraine 2662 6) Vugar Gashimov 20 Azerbaijan 2644 7) Alexander Areschenko 20 Ukraine 2641 8) Hikaru Nakamura 19 USA 2632 9) Ivan Cheparinov 20 Bulgaria 2632 10) Yue Wang 19 China 2610. TOP 10 COUNTRIES   This statistic is an indication of the playing strength of the countries concerned defining the average ratings of their top 10 players and the total number of grandmasters international masters and titled players, men and women.
1) Russia 2713, GMs –156, IMs – 430, titled –1601 2) Ukraine 2661 55 168 330 3) Armenia 2627 18 22 57 4) USA 2624 61 101 459 5) Hungary 2622 37 101 342 6) Israel 2616 33 40 132 7) France 2616 29 70 245 8) China 2616 19 12 81 9) Georgia 2604 22 27 90 10) Germany 2599 60 189 954 40) Philippines 2490 5 23 41.

Myer Tan Australian Grand Prix Leader Board, June 30:
Half-way results (as at June 30) are now available for the Myer Tan Australian Grand Prix series.
The Open section is led by Dusan Stojic of Victoria, ahead of George Xie, David Smerdon, Peter Froehlich, Darryl Johansen, Igor Goldenberg, and Ian Rogers.
Dusan Stojic also leads the junior section ahead of Junta Ikeda, Max Illingworth, Sherab Guo-Yuthok, Moulthun Ly and Raymond Song.
NSWCA Communication Officer Laura Moylan leads the women from Jessica Kinder, Carla de Goede, Sally Yu and Alexandra Jule.
Leading girls are: Jessica Kinder, Sally Yu, Alexandra Jule, Sophie Eustace, Vaness Reid and Australian Junior Champion, Angela Song.
Dusan Stojic has made it a trifecta by also leading he U2000 section. He is ahead of Neil Wright, Arthur Huynh, Alex Mendes da Costa and Sherab Guo-Yothuk.
Leaders in the U1600 group are Joshua Christensen, Yitao Lei, Sally Yu, Trent Parker and David Lam.
FULL RESULTS are available from the Chess Australia web site. CLICK HERE to view the complete list.

The Hindu, July 2 – Anand slips below 2800 ELO ratings :
Brussels, July 2 (UNI): After his poor showing in the Turin Chess Olympiad, Viswanathan Anand, has slipped below 2800 ELO ratings though he retained the second place in the latest FIDE chart headed by Bulgarian Veselin Topalov.
The Indian Grandmaster lost a record 24 ELO points and slipped to 2779 from previous 2803 while Topalov, who won the Mtel Masters in Sofia, gained nine points to remain on the top with 2813 points.
Topalov is the sole player now to have 2800 ELO rating points after Anand's exit from the coveted mark.
Armenian Grandmaster Levon Aronian, who was instrumental for his team winning the Turin Olympiad title, gained five points to keep the third place.
Meanwhile, Vladimir Kramnik of Russia, who returned to active chess after a year's absence, gained 14 points to regain the fourth place, while compatriot Peter Svidler lost one point and moved down from 4th to 5th place.
Peter Leko (Hungary), Vassily Ivanchuk (Ukraine), Adams (England), Alexander Morozevich (Russia) and Boris Gelfand (Israel) rounded off the top 10 positions.

New Statesman, NEW DELHI, July 1 – Negi reaches milestone:
Delhi’s chess prodigy Parmarjan Negi today won the third and final Grandmaster norm at the Chelyabinsk Region Super final GM tournament in Russia to become the second youngest ever in the world to win the title.
Negi achieved the feat at the age of 13 years, four months and 20 days to break the record of Norway’s Magnus Carlsen, who had achieved the feat in 2004 at the age of 13 years, three months and 27 days. Negi is the youngest GM in the world after Sergei Karjakin of the Ukraine. PTI

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