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Thursday, May 9, 2013
2013 SPICE Cup Open - $11,000 guaranteed
2013 SPICE Cup Open
Sponsored by Webster University
and the Susan Polgar Foundation
St. Louis, Missouri
October 15-19, 2013
GM/IM norm opportunity - Minimum rating (FIDE) 2100
Limited to first 50 entries
4 IM/GM norms were earned last year: http://susanpolgar.blogspot.com
PRIZES: $11,000 guaranteed
$4,000-$2,000-$1,500-$1,000-$500
U/2400 FIDE $500-$250-$125
U/2300 FIDE $500-$250-$125
top female $250
October 2013 rating will be used
Limited FREE hotel accommodation (double occupancy) at the Crown Plaza available to foreign GMs.
ENTRY FEES:
Free to all GMs, IMs, WGMs and all FIDE rated players over 2300 (must complete all 9 rounds), if registered by September 30, 2013. $50 later or on site.
$100 to others if received by September 30, 2013. $150 later or on site.
VENUE:
Crown Plaza Clayton Hotel 7750 Carondelet Ave, St Louis, MO 63105 (FREE shuttle from the Lambert–St. Louis International Airport) $109/night, FREE Breakfast/Internet
Send entries to
Webster University - SPICE
470 E. Lockwood Ave
St. Louis, MO 63119
Questions or registration for titled players: Email: spice@webster.edu or call 314-246-8075
Questions or registration for titled players: Email: spice@webster.edu or call 314-246-8075
Women's Grand Prix round 6
12 GM Alexandra Kosteniuk 2491 0-1 GM Anna Ushenina 2491 9
10 WGM Wenjun Ju 2544 1/2 GM Kateryna Lagno 2548 8
11 GM Yifan Hou 2617 1/2 WGM Olga Girya 2463 7
1 GM Nana Dzagnidze 2545 1/2 GM Anna Muzychuk 2585 6
2 GM Tatiana Kosintseva 2517 1-0 GM Viktorija Cmilyte 2522 5
3 IM Bela Khotenashvili 2505 1-0 WGM Tuvshintugs Batchimeg 2298 4
hooiiy goop
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To have as many 'Anand' as possible
Pallavi Nair, TNN May 8, 2013, 06.11AM IST
INDORE: State chess association of Madhya Pradesh has a dream, to have as many 'Anand Vishwanathans' as possible. To fulfill this dream, the association has been ensuring a rise in chess tourneys in the state and a constant rise in prize money, which is gradually grabbing attention of youngsters. Rs 4 lakh was up for grabs at a chess tourney held at Bhopal, in December.
In the last five months, there have been many national and international level chess tournaments, conducted in MP, keeping the prize many in oodles. The association believes that this will be a great encouragement for the chess players.
State Chess Association secretary Kapil Saxena said, "Our association has organised many national and international level tournaments in the state. Increase in prize money encouraged people to turn towards the game of strategies."
"All India Chess Federation (AICF) directed us to form a committee and an association to bring improvement in status of chess in the state. Along with me, two other national level players, Rajesh Bhader, who is from Jabalpur and Mithilesh Jain, from Katni, started the state level chess association in December," Kapil said. This committee has now added a lot many members from various districts and it is conducting many state level tournaments.
All Indore Chess Association secretary Piyush Zamindar said, "Last year there used to be less championship conduct in the state with very low amount of prize money, which resulted in less no. of participants. But this year, there has been an increment and mostly U-10 and U-7 players seemed enthusiastic."
We have good players here, who can play well but there is lack of senior players to participate in big level tournaments. The upcoming tournaments will help players rating, he added.
Even the players do feel that there has been improvement in the number of championship and they are happy with prize money increment. Meghna Upadhyay, 15, says "Good prize money push us more towards this game and more number of tournaments gives us experience."
Sudarshan Malga who currently became state champ, believes that it is a good way to popularize this sport through large number of tournaments and to make it even better, state chess associations should start more number of coaching camps with international coaches.
Source: http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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You can get all the up to date chess daily news and information on facebook by visiting http://www.facebook.com/polgarchess and click the "like" button! You can also click the "like" button above.
Get up to date chess news and information on Twitter: http://twitter.com/SusanPolgar
My first four Facebook accounts are completely full with 5,000 friends each. If you want to add me as friend, please use this account http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003727959372 instead. I cannot accept additional request on my other accounts. Thanks!
You can view a number of videos from various chess events posted here: http://www.youtube.com/user/chessmarketing
Chess Train 2013
The price is also the same as last year: the train ticket costs 2.990 CZK (120 EUR) and the tournament fee is 1.490 CZK (60 EUR). If you take your non-playing partner, she/he can enjoy the way in the dining-car, in the luxury ot the first class carriage or in a quiet compartment, without paying the tournament fee, of course.
For the accomodation, you can use the hotels capacities reserved by the organizer and you can choose among 3, 4 or 5 stars hotels, or you can manage the accomodation on your own. Four nights (in Regensburg, Innsbruck, Salzburg and Český Krumlov) in 3* hotels cost 2.990 CZK (120 EUR) per person in double room (in 4* the price is 190 EUR and 390 EUR in 5* hotels).
More info: http://www.praguechess.cz
Women's Grand Prix update
The key game of the round five was the encounter between number one and number two in the tournament Hou Yifan and Anna Muzychuk. Slovenian player outplayed Hou Yifan and shares the first place with Ukrainian Katerina Lagno who drew her game against Anna Ushenina. Two Russian players Alexandra Kosteniuk and Olga Girya lost their games against Bela Khotenashvili and Ju Wenjun respectively. Another Russian Tatiana Kosintseva had winning position against Tuvshintugs Batchimeg but missed her chances a few times today. Viktorija Cmilyte and Nana Dzagnidze were the last to finish their game in a draw after 72 moves.
Tuvshintugs -Kosintseva 1/2-1/2
One of the theoretical lines of Ragozin appeared on the board and in the middle game White transferred his knight on f2 by playing Nd2-f1-g3-h1-f2. The position was about equal but White missed a chance to play 32.d6 and blundered 33…Bh5. Black had a huge advantage and missed the direct way to win a few times. 39…Rg2! Could have finished the game immediately after 40.Kg2 Rg8 31.Kf1 Qf3. Tatiana played differently but the position was still absolutely winning. After 44…Nf4 and the evaluation of the position went from -5 to 0 according to Houdini. Since that Black didn’t have real chances to fight for more than a draw.
Lahno-Ushenina 1/2-1/2
Anna Ushenina surprised her opponent with Ne7, so Katerina Lahno decided to go into a sharp position after Qb3-Qb7. World Champion spent a lot of time and found a nice idea 23…c5 cutting the diagonal for the bishop. Despite the fact that White had an extra pawn, Black got good compensation and after three time repetition the game between two Ukrainian players finished in a draw.
Cmilyte-Dzagnidze 1/2-1/2
The game finished in draw but only after both players got some winning chances. Nana Dzagnidze sacrificed an exchange and. according to Cmilyte, the position on the board was easier for Black to play. However White found a good opportunity to activate his pieces and after Rh7 it was White who was trying to play for more than draw. According to Viktorija Cmilyte f6 was a mistake. Black received good counter chances but didn’t manage to win.
Girya-Ju 0-1
In Kings Indian Russian player got an extra pawn and Black had to prove if he has enough compensation or not. Following the best Kings Indian traditions Ju Wenjun brought all her pieces to the King’s side and sacrificed another pawn. Computer defends White’s position but it’s hard to stay calm playing such position with White. Olga Girya made a mistake 29.Qb2 and it cost her full point. Ju Wenjun just finished the game with direct attack on the White’s king.
Khotenashvili-Kosteniuk 1-0
In one of the variations of Catalan players went into a sharp position and after provocative 20…f5 White got quite strong initiative. At the press-conference the players agreed It was a mistake to take 26.Qh5 and let Black to change the bishop for a strong knight on e6. “I just missed White’s strong move Qe2”, said Bela Khotenashvili. Just few moves later Black made a mistake Qf3 and got lost position. “At this moment I just could not calculate anything. I was surprised Black was not losing immediately”, said Alexandra Kosteniuk. The endgame was technically winning for White but Georgian player didn’t play precisely and former world champion could hold a draw after 56…Kb2.
Muzychuk-Hou Yifan 1-0
A very important victory for Anna Muzychuk, as she was not able to defeat the former world champion for several years. Check later on our website the game analysis provided by GM Adrain Mikhalchishin.
http://geneva2013.fide.com
Real game tactic
White to move. What is the best continuation for White?
r3r3/1pq2pk1/p2b2pp/4p3/5nbP/P1P1QNB1/BP3PP1/3RR1K1 w - - 0 1
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
3 white wins in Stavanger
Live games with computer analysis / Participants
Hikaru Nakamura is currently skipping the US Chess Championship to participate in Norway; his rival Wang Hao missed the Chinese National Championship for the same reason. They faced each other in the first round and battled in a Petroff Defense proposed by the Chinese.
Nakamura used the known plan of going for a direct attack on the kingside and did not regret this decision. He never stopped pushing to get a clear initiative. The Chinese defended stubbornly for a long time, but Nakamura’s positional edge eventually turned into an ending where he had two pieces for a rook. The American had no problems in converting this technical endgame and took the full point on move 42.
Sergey Karjakin wisely chose to play white in the first round after winning the blitz tournament yesterday. He was paired against Teimour Radjabov. They played recently in the Zug Grand Prix, where the Azerbaijani had the white pieces and the game finished in a draw.
This time, the Russian was white and a not-very-popular line of the Sicilian was seen on the board. Karjakin got the initiative in the queenside and gained a pawn in the middlegame. The struggle to convert this advantage into a full point was not a walk in the park, as black had some counterplay with his own passed pawn. However, Karjakin showed good technique and won the game in 41 moves.
Peter Svidler came from a rather disappointing performance at the Alekhine Memorial, but was fortunate enough to be paired against the lowest rated player with white in the first round. The multiple Russian champion beat Jon Ludvig Hammer in the longest game of the round.
The Norwegian used the Gruenfeld against the biggest expert of this line, but this was not the decisive factor in the game. They went early into a queen-less middlegame, however, the presence of four rooks made the position quite complicated. White had an advantage in development and control of the center, and converted it into a pawn advantage by move 35. Hammer tried to get counterplay in the rook endgame, but it was not enough to save the game.
Magnus Carlsen started with a draw against Veselin Topalov. They played 51 moves after a Symmetrical English was presented on the board. The number 1 in the world has white against Anand tomorrow, while Topalov will also make the first move against Radjabov.
Viswanathan Anand faced Levon Aronian once again, after their draw in the Alekhine Memorial. They split the point again, this time in a Closed Variation of the Ruy Lopez.
Pairings of the second round:
CARLSEN Magnus - ANAND Viswanathan
TOPALOV Veselin - RADJABOV Teimour
ARONIAN Levon - NAKAMURA Hikaru
WANG Hao - SVIDLER Peter
HAMMER Jon Ludvig - KARJAKIN Sergey
Can anyone stop Irina Krush?
1 WGM Foisor, Sabina 2.0 2300 - IM Krush, Irina 5.0 2470
2 WIM Ni, Viktorija 2.0 2262 - WFM Chiang, Sarah 0.0 2098
3 WGM Abrahamyan, Tatev 4.0 2280 - WGM Belakovskaia, Anjelina 2.0 2263
4 WGM Baginskaite, Camilla 2.5 2278 - IM Zatonskih, Anna 3.5 2466
5 WFM Kats, Alena 1.5 2144 - WIM Zenyuk, Iryna 2.5 2243
Karjakin, Nakamura, and Svidler strike first in Stavanger
| Karjakin, Sergey | - Radjabov, Teimour | 1-0 | |||
| Nakamura, Hikaru | - Wang, Hao | 1-0 | |||
| Svidler, Peter | - Hammer, Jon Ludvig | 1-0 | |||
| Anand, Viswanathan | - Aronian, Levon | ½-½ | |||
| Carlsen, Magnus | - Topalov, Veselin | ½-½ |
It will be a packed house at the SPF Fundraising Gala
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I would like to thank the Consulate General and the Hungarian Consulate, for hosting the magnificent gala again, and the countless supporters over the years, for their generosity. Our mission to help young people is not done.
In 10 years, no officer or board member of the SPF has received a penny in salary or compensation. Unlike many other foundations, other than minor expenses required to maintain the 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, all donations raised were used to fulfill our mission. This policy will not change.
I will post photos of this special event tomorrow.
My good friend, Mr. Jorge Saggiante, the organizer of the 2007 World Championship in Mexico City, has just generous donated the actual table and chair used by World Champion Vishy Anand when he won the World Championship in Mexico City, for the auction to raise money for the SPF.
The starting bid will be $12,500 and it will be shipped directly to the winning bidder.
Decription:
The world championship tables were manufactured in France by the company Hugues Chevalier and were designed especially for the World Chess Championship Mexico 2007. The table and the chairs are made in Sycamore wood (satin), and the chairs have special leather in orange color. In total, 4 tables and 8 chairs were produced, and each one is numbered and can never be reproduced. The original design was made by a famous Mexican architect.
The table and the chairs selected were placed as number one in the playing hall of the world chess championship in Mexico City in 2007. This table was the one Vishy Anand played the last game to clinch the World Championship title. The chess board and the electronic clock are not included.
Measurements:
Table: 110*90*75(H)cm
Chair: 59*60*89(H)cm
$64,000 no more
For more information, please contact:
Mike Wilmering
Communications Specialist
Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis
mwilmering@saintlouischessclub.org
Krush Pulls Away, Kamsky Draws at U.S. Championships
By FM Mike Klein
SAINT LOUIS (May 8, 2013) -- The push and pull of the 2013 U.S. Championship and U.S. Women’s Championship continued yesterday in round five, but this time the men pulled closer to the leader, while the leading lady began to push away from the field.
GM Gata Kamsky again did not get any advantage in the beginning moves. This time it was GM Joel Benjamin who equalized and even had the slightly better chances. After simplifying into a bishop endgame, an impasse was reached and the game was agreed drawn. Afterward, Kamsky chastised himself for forgetting that Benjamin played a solid variation against the London System. “That’s kind of amazing to me,” Benjamin said about the memory lapse. “It’s the only game I ever won against him! Maybe it was a more important game to me.” The game in reference was played at the 1991 U.S. Championship. Despite the loss, Kamsky went on to win the first of his three U.S. Championships.
Kamsky-Benjamin
Benjamin now sits tied for third with 3.5/5. “I wasn’t expecting to have a 2800+ performance rating. I thought I would need a few games to warm up. I didn’t think I could have such good form; I haven’t played serious chess in so long.” His last tournament game was curiously also against Kamsky at the Washington International in August 2012. Benjamin also pointed out that he has now played the top three seeds at the U.S. Championship. The win also ends the chances of anyone winning the Fischer Prize for a perfect score. “I saved the pot, I should get a share of that money,” Benjamin joked.
Next up for Kamsky in round six will be the black pieces against the red-hot GM Alex Onischuk, who won his third game in a row by besting GM Larry Christiansen. This is Onischuk’s first three-game winning streak at the U.S. Championship since 2006, went he went on to win his first and only title. Normally reserved in demeanor, Onischuk was buoyant after his game, partially because of the manner in which he is winning. After using a rook and four passed pawns to overcome GM Alex Shabalov’s queen yesterday, he switched to an Open Sicilian pawn formation today. Onischuk is almost exclusively a 1.d4 player. “Yesterday was a crazy game,” he said. “I guess I was inspired by that. We pretty much got a Sicilian. I didn’t know it of course.” Onischuk also liked that Kamsky no longer had a perfect score. “I’m glad he drew today so he’s not hunting for this $64,000 prize. That would be truly scary.”
Onischuk-Christiansen
Besides Kamsky, Onischuk and Benjamin, the only other player that is at least +2 is the most surprising of the bunch – GM Alejandro Ramirez. After a poor showing in 2012, he said he did not have that much time to prepare for this year’s iteration. Paradoxically, that did not stop him from winning again today over the well-studied GM Sam Shankland. “Shankland is known as a very booked-up player,” Ramirez said. “So I wanted to get him out of theory as soon as possible.” Ramirez said he knew the plan was working when they were both spending five minutes on every move.
Ramirez-Shankland
Ramirez will take black against Benjamin in round six. Unlike his opponent, Ramirez has not played the same level of competition. “I still haven’t played the big dogs yet,” he said. “Ideally I would want to play [Kamsky] because it would mean I’m having a really good tournament. But playing black would be a nightmare. Last time I played him was a massacre.” He said it was vital to get a good result in round five because Wednesday is the only day off in the competition. “There’s an aura around you that everything is wrong when you lose before the rest day.”
The last perfect score in Saint Louis is now IM Irina Krush, who won her fifth straight game and increased her lead in the women’s tournament to a full point over WGM Tatev Abrahamyan, who drew IM Anna Zatonskih today. There is no Fischer Prize for the ladies, but the manner in which she won today was reminiscent of a game Fischer won during his famed 20-game winning streak leading up to his world championship match. In their 1971 Candidates Match, GM Mark Taimanov could have ended the streak but inexplicably hung a rook in an equal position; today WFM Sarah Chiang, still winless, hung a piece to a similar two-move fork. Krush said the position was still “unpleasant” for white, even without the blunder. “I’m clearly playing for a win. The b-pawn doesn’t play,” she said.
Chiang-Krush
In a game that both players desperately wanted to win, Abrahamyan had a chance to keep pace but instead drew Zatonskih. Even with pawns all on one side of the board, white’s king was in the crossfire and could have been pressured more. Instead a series of trades on d3 made the game dead equal, thus pushing Krush’s lead to one point. “The fact that I missed something, it’s disappointing,” Abrahamyan said. She still controls her own destiny, which she said is critical. “It’s very important because you have to worry about your game and the results of other games. [Staying within one point] greatly increases your chances.” Looking ahead, Abrahamyan gets white against Krush in round eight.
Zatonskih-Abrahamyan
In other games, GM Yury Shulman just barely extended his somewhat ignominious drawing streak to 13 draws, which dates back to last year. The run is the third longest in U.S. Championship history. Today GM Varuzhan Akobian had him on the ropes. With all the chances in the middlegame, and transferring to a pawn-up endgame, Akobian was frustrated he did not earn the point. The king and pawn ending is fascinatingly complex, with Black often surviving by a mere tempo. After the game Akobian speculated that advancing the lagging e-pawn to e4 cost him the win. “I don’t know why I play it,” he said. “It was the 38th move (two moves before time control). I could have just played anything and thought more.”
Akobian-Shulman
GM Ray Robson won his second game in a row by beating GM Melik Khachiyan. Robson has now won all four games they have played. “Sometimes after you lose to somebody a few times, you get nervous,” Robson said. After a sluggish start with .5/3, Robson has won two in a row. He has chosen to play tennis the last two mornings instead of prepare. “Some players, I don’t know why, maybe because of how they look, I don’t do well against. Why does Federer always beat Nadal?” In this regard, Robson’s selective memory and prejudice toward the Swiss star showed. Rafael Nadal is actually 19-10 lifetime against Roger Federer.
Wednesday is the one and only rest day for all players. Some planned to walk, swim or simply sleep. Round six resumes Thursday at 1:00 p.m. Central, 2:00 p.m. Eastern. Tune in to www.uschesschamps.com for live grandmaster commentary of all the games.
Exam day for a US Championship participant
It is an incredible bad week for him due to the conflicting schedule. It is final exam week on campus. It is not easy focusing on a heavy load of school work, while preparing and playing in the US Championship, and fighting for a spot in the World Cup.
Ray had a horrendous start, losing a winning position in round 2, then proceeded to gamble and double down on the next game against veteran GM Alex Stripunsky. He failed miserably.
But he managed to calm down, relax, then defeated back to back GMs, Khachiyan and Marc Arnold to get back to even score. Next up for Ray is former US Champion Yury Shulman. I hope he can get back to fully focusing on his final 4 bouts after his exams are done.
I would also like to congratulate the St. Louis Chess Club for putting on another top notch event. This is how chess should be organized.
Kosteniuk, Hou Yifan lose
Round 5 results
3 IM Bela Khotenashvili 2505 1-0 GM Alexandra Kosteniuk 2491 12
4 WGM Tuvshintugs Batchimeg 2298 1/2 GM Tatiana Kosintseva 2517 2
5 GM Viktorija Cmilyte 2522 1/2 GM Nana Dzagnidze 2545 1
6 GM Anna Muzychuk 2585 1-0 GM Yifan Hou 2617 11
7 WGM Olga Girya 2463 0-1 WGM Wenjun Ju 2544 10
8 GM Kateryna Lagno 2548 1/2 GM Anna Ushenina 2491
http://geneva2013.fide.com
India refused to budge
PTI | May 7, 2013, 08.48 PM IST
NEW DELHI: The FIDE, world chess governing body, has revealed that it tried its best to convince India to allow Norway to stage one half of the 2013 World Chess Championship match but India has refused. accusing the body of "lack of transparency."
Following criticism by many European chess officials for awarding the World Championship final to Chennai, FIDE issued a statement from Baku.
On the issue of neutral venue, FIDE pointed out that in the past, both Viswanathan Anand and Veselin Topalov have played in their opponent's country.
It also said that according to its rules the World Championship cycle is not included in the list of events, for which the world body is obliged to have a bidding procedure as in the case of Olympiads.
FIDE also revealed that the Paris bid was higher than Chennai's bid, but the world body went ahead with the Indian city as it wanted "to respect its obligation".
The statement said,"Since the Candidates' Tournament ended, and GM Carlsen became the challenger of the coming World Championship Match. There have been several developments, mails exchange between all parties (Carlsen, Anand, FIDE), questions asked, and also speculations.
"FIDE would hereby like to put forward the current situation regarding this event.
"Directly after the 2012 match was awarded to Moscow, FIDE agreed to grant an option to Chennai. The PB and its meeting in Armenia in January decided that FIDE and AGON, who hold the rights for organising the whole cycle of the World Championship, were advised that India would take up its option to organise the World Championship match," the statement read.
"This was done on January 24 in Athens, where both parties agreed not to open a bidding procedure, but to grant an option to India, as requested," it further added.
FIDE also emphasised that according to its rules, the World Championship cycle was not included in the list of events, for which it was obliged to do so (like Olympiads, for instance).
"This has been deliberately done, because in many cases FIDE, having the priority in mind to secure the match and the cycle, was ready to give an option or even to grant the match if the proposal was attractive enough.
"Consequently three of the last matches were given to an organiser without a bidding procedure," the statement said.
"On March 15th India asked to extend the option until April 10th and FIDE agreed to it because it was clear that the bid would be accepted and just needed an approval of the Tamil Nadu State Parliament (sic), a session which took place on April 8th.
"One could ask why was the extension given to a date when the name of the challenger will be known already, and the simple answer is that FIDE, being convinced that the positive answer was just a matter of technicality, did not want to lose this bid for an alternative that gave no guarantee for a better result or any result at all," it read.
FIDE said when the approval of the bid by India was published and its representative was called to formalise it, on April 8th, GM Magnus Carlsen's manager contacted FIDE and asked to have a meeting to discuss the matter before a formal move is done with India.
"Carlsen and FIDE's representatives met in FIDE office on April 15th, when all claims were brought up by Carlsen's representatives and were answered by FIDE.
"Among the points raised and answered we would like to emphasise one and this is the issue which was also raised in media -- the question of neutrality," the statement said.
"Unfortunately it has always proved difficult to find a sponsor to such a match when the name of the challenger is not known yet. Therefore most of matches in the past were organised in one of the participant's countries.
"Consequently both World Champions Anand and Topalov played in their opponent's country - a natural result of the situation. On that day both parties signed a paper whereby it was agreed to give Norway an option to come up with an organiser for half of the match, provided that India would accept such a solution," it further added.
Despite trying its best to convince India to split the match with Norway, FIDE said, "India wanted to fulfil what has been approved by the government of the Tamil Nadu State and FIDE had to keep its obligations, and consequently an M.O.U was signed in Chennai on April 19th.
"One day later, the FIDE President visited France, where he got a proposal to organise the match in Paris. Ilyumzhinov promised to bring the proposal before the Presidential Board. The French proposal was higher than the Chennai one, with more contributions offered.
"However, the Board decided (unanimously with one abstention) that FIDE must respect its obligation and thanked the French federation and the city of Paris for their proposal, hoping that there will be another opportunity to have a big event in Paris."
FIDE clarified that it has acted with full transparency during the whole process, trying its best to secure the match and standing by its obligations and reputation.
"FIDE will do everything to secure equal conditions for both players and also will try and still trying to increase the prize fund for the match."
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Carlsen vs Topalov, Anand vs Aronian in rd 1 at Stavanger
Round 1
CARLSEN Magnus vs TOPALOV Veselin
ANAND Viswanathan vs ARONIAN Levon
NAKAMURA Hikaru vs WANG Hao
SVIDLER Peter vs HAMMER Jon Ludvig
KARJAKIN Sergey vs RADJABOV Teimour
Round by round pairings: http://norwaychess.com/en/program/parings-norway-chess-2013/
"Lack of transparency"
FIDE's decision to choose Chennai lacks transparency: Carlsen
Press Trust of India | Updated May 07, 2013 at 09:00am IST
New Delhi: Magnus Carlsen has expressed "deep disappointment" at world chess governing body FIDE's decision to award the World Championship final to Viswanathan Anand's hometown Chennai accusing them of "lack of transparency."
"I'm deeply disappointed and surprised by the FIDE decision to sign a contract for the 2013 match without going through the bidding process outlined in the WC regulations, and for not choosing neutral ground," Carlsen was quoted as saying by a media release.
"The bid from Paris clearly showed that it would be possible to have more options to choose from. The lack of transparency, predictability and fairness is unfortunate for chess as a sport and for chess players," he alleged.
Carlsen hoped that that agreement with All India Chess Federation and FIDE regarding terms and conditions will soon be reached. "My team and I will now start preparing for the match. The main thing now will be to come to an agreement with the Indian Chess Federation and FIDE regarding terms and conditions before and during the match. I really hope this process will run quick and smoothly."
"Lastly, I will not let the news from Baku diminish the joy and excitement derived from playing the top level Norway Chess tournament starting tomorrow," he concluded.
Source: http://ibnlive.in.com
Center Counter Rising by IM Andrew Martin ... and more
Beat the Ruy Lopez with the Berlin Variation (Empire Chess DVD Preview)
Introducing The Sniper! by GM Ron Henley
Posted on May 06,2013 By GM Ron W Henley in Strategy & Game Review, Chess Openings, All Articles w/ Videos. The Sniper Opening is a perfect example of Hypermodern opening theory - very early in the game, black invites white to establish a big center so that black may rapidly strike at this center from the sides and prove it to over-extended and weak. The Sniper Opening is a very effective tool for chess players of all levels as it can be employed against almost every opening move (excluding only rare moves like 1. b3 and 1. b4). Not only can you achiev[...]
Beating the Sicilian Defense, Benko Variation
Posted on May 05,2013 By William in Strategy & Game Review, Chess Openings. We opened the game with the Open Sicilian Defense, going into the Benko Variation with my opponent's early 6. ...Qb6. I think my 6. Bc4 was actually quite inaccurate there, and after having played that I should have captured 7. Nxc6 to avoid losing time retreating my light-squared bishop later. Losing this tempo so early in the opening definitely didn't help, but I think white had a playable position in the late opening/early middlegame. Black ha[...]
Center Counter Rising by IM Andrew Martin
Posted on May 03,2013 By OnlineChessLessons.NET Contributor in Strategy & Game Review, Chess Openings, All Articles w/ Videos. The Center Counter Defense (also known as the Scandinavian Defense) with 1. e4 d5 is a very interesting opening that is common among club level players but rarely seen by leading Grandmasters. This may lead you to believe that the Center Counter Defense is a ¨bad¨ opening and there are specific variations white can play that clearly refute the Center Counter and will guarantee white an excellent position from the opening. But this couldn't be far[...]
Winning with the English Opening - Blitz Chess
Posted on April 30,2013 By William in Strategy & Game Review, All Articles w/ Videos, Blitz/Bullet Chess. I opened with 1. c4 and the English Opening, and my opponent responded with a weird type of King's Indian Defense. Black made several strange moves in the opening (early Bg4, Na6, Nh6, Nb4) that allowed white to push those moves back to gain time and space. This led to a winning expansion and initiative on the kingside for white. Follow William for fresh daily updates: Follow @OnlineChessLess National Master Will Stewart specializes in Online Che[...]
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.
Introducing The Sniper! by GM Ron Henley
Posted on May 06,2013 By GM Ron W Henley in Strategy & Game Review, Chess Openings, All Articles w/ Videos. The Sniper Opening is a perfect example of Hypermodern opening theory - very early in the game, black invites white to establish a big center so that black may rapidly strike at this center from the sides and prove it to over-extended and weak. The Sniper Opening is a very effective tool for chess players of all levels as it can be employed against almost every opening move (excluding only rare moves like 1. b3 and 1. b4). Not only can you achiev[...]
Beating the Sicilian Defense, Benko Variation
Posted on May 05,2013 By William in Strategy & Game Review, Chess Openings. We opened the game with the Open Sicilian Defense, going into the Benko Variation with my opponent's early 6. ...Qb6. I think my 6. Bc4 was actually quite inaccurate there, and after having played that I should have captured 7. Nxc6 to avoid losing time retreating my light-squared bishop later. Losing this tempo so early in the opening definitely didn't help, but I think white had a playable position in the late opening/early middlegame. Black ha[...]
Center Counter Rising by IM Andrew Martin
Posted on May 03,2013 By OnlineChessLessons.NET Contributor in Strategy & Game Review, Chess Openings, All Articles w/ Videos. The Center Counter Defense (also known as the Scandinavian Defense) with 1. e4 d5 is a very interesting opening that is common among club level players but rarely seen by leading Grandmasters. This may lead you to believe that the Center Counter Defense is a ¨bad¨ opening and there are specific variations white can play that clearly refute the Center Counter and will guarantee white an excellent position from the opening. But this couldn't be far[...]
Winning with the English Opening - Blitz Chess
Posted on April 30,2013 By William in Strategy & Game Review, All Articles w/ Videos, Blitz/Bullet Chess. I opened with 1. c4 and the English Opening, and my opponent responded with a weird type of King's Indian Defense. Black made several strange moves in the opening (early Bg4, Na6, Nh6, Nb4) that allowed white to push those moves back to gain time and space. This led to a winning expansion and initiative on the kingside for white. Follow William for fresh daily updates: Follow @OnlineChessLess National Master Will Stewart specializes in Online Che[...]
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.
Karjakin tops Carlsen, Anand, and Nakamura in Norway Blitz
Both contenders of the upcoming World Championship, Magnus Carlsen and Viswanathan Anand, finished with 6 points. They were joined by American star Hikaru Nakamura with the same score. The tiebreak rules awarded Carlsen with second place, Anand third and Nakamura fourth.
Veselin Topalov did not have a good day at the office; he finished in the cellar after getting only one point in the whole event. His excellent form shown in the Zug Grand Prix makes us think that this just was a temporarily slip and that he will be fighting for the first place in the main event.
Final standings
1. Karjakin 6.5
2. Carlsen 6
3. Anand 6
4. Nakamura 6
5. Svidler 5.5
6. Radjabov 5
7. Hammer 3.5
8. Wang 3
9. Aroian 2.5
10. Topalov 1.0
Cross over appeal
By MARK LEWIS Associated Press
STAVANGER, Norway May 6, 2013 (AP)
He does fashion shoots with Liv Tyler, enjoys soccer-style sponsorships deals and was recently named one of Time Magazine's 100 most influential people. Who is this superstar? The world's top-ranked chess player.
With his trendy look and athletic physique, Norway's Magnus Carlsen has brought an injection of cool to the normally sedate world of global chess — extending its popularity beyond its niche following. The 22-year-old's home country is buzzing with excitement as he competes in a tournament here just months before he tries to crack the greatest prize in the game: the chess World Championship.
In November, the young Norwegian challenges the reigning world champ, Viswanathan Anand, for the title, which typically is contested every other year. The inaugural Norway Chess competition in Stavanger, starting Tuesday, is being widely touted as a dress rehearsal for the championship that is tentatively slated to be played in Chennai, India, where Anand enjoys home court advantage.
With the lure of Carlsen and the 43-year-old Anand, and the 275,500 euros prize money, the competition has attracted one of the strongest lineups ever assembled for a chess tournament. Even with the withdrawal in April of world No. 2, Vladimir Kramnik, the 10-man competition will feature seven of the world's top 10 players, and nine of the top 16, all vying for the 100,000 euros top prize.
"It is very good timing for us. It is very big for Norway that Magnus is doing so well and this probably wouldn't have been possible without him," said Norway Chess chairman Kjell Madland. "We hope it will be the first of very many big chess moments in Norway."
The competition is the first example of oil and gas-rich Norway, today one of the most successful welfare states in the world, leveraging Carlsen's brilliance to try to earn a place alongside more traditional chess superpowers like Russia, Armenia and the United States.
"It is right to say that when nations are in good shape, they tend to throw up good chess players," said Simon Terrington, a British chess writer, evoking Russian chess legend Garry Kasparov's observation that every world champion is a representative of the geopolitical age.
Russian mastery in the shape of Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov in the 1980s helped prop up an otherwise creaking Soviet ideology. Later, Viswanathan Anand's triumph in the World Championship in 2000 and his reign as world champ since 2007 has coincided with the re-emergence of India as a great world power. Carlsen took Anand's place at the top of the monthly world rankings in July 2011. Anand has since slumped to 5th.
Now Carlsen's prodigious brilliance is seen by some as bringing intellectual and cultural heft to the social welfare models of Nordic Europe, particularly Norway.
"Chess is connected to what you can call a kind of prestige in the sense that many people look upon the best players as very intelligent and many countries would like to be associated with this," said Joeran Aulin-Jansson, president of the Norwegian Chess Federation. "We hope that the next Magnus Carlsen will come from Norway, though the chances in such a small country are fairly slim."
Full article here.
French Junior Championships 2013 – Final Results
There were seven age categories both for boys and girls. All the groups were played with a time control of 90 minutes for the whole game and 30 seconds increments per move.
The championship finished on Sunday with a beautiful closing ceremony. Previously, an exciting round finished, full of unpredictable twists and turns.
The major of Saint-Paul-Trois Châteaux, Jean-Michel Catelinois, together with the FFE president Diego Salazar and other authorities, presented the winners and their prizes. At the end of the ceremony, the 2014 edition to be held in Montbéliard was announced.
Full list of winners below.
French Chess Federation website
The winners in each category:
Juniors
1. Paul VELTEN (Cote Basque Echecs) 2. Borya IDER (Mulhouse) 3. James EDEN (Villejuif)
Juniorettes
1. Lena ARMAS (Naujac) 2. Marine THURET (Montpellier) 3. Jade FLACHET (Sables d’Olonne)
Cadets
1. Roudolf GRIGORIAN (Villejuif) 2. Pierre BARBOT (Sautron) 3. Quentin LOISEAU (Rueil Malmaison)
Cadettes
1. Andreea NAVROTESCU (St Lô) 2. Cyrielle MONPEURT (Metz Fischer) 3. Julie FISCHER (Bischwiller)
Minimes
1. Guillaume LAMARD (Cannes) 2. Dorian MICOTTIS (Metz Fischer) 3. Yannick KAMBRATH (Clichy)
Minimettes
1. cécile HAUSSERNOT (Mulhouse) 2. Elise BELLAICHE (Villepinte) 3. Isabelle MALASSAGNE (Marseille Echecs)
Benjamins
1. Alexandre PIGEAT (Ste Foy) 2. Clément MEUNIER (Marseille Echecs) 3. Fahim MOHAMMAD (Créteil)
Benjamines
1. Mathilde CHUNG (Monaco) 2. Mathilde BROLY (Echiquier Toulousain) 3. Anais AZOUNI (Montreuil)
Pupilles
1. Thomas ARIZA (Bois-Colombes) 2. Quentin BURRY (Mulhouse) 3. Pierre-Basile COIFFAIT (Cannes)
Pupillettes
1. Florence ROLLOT (Carcassonne) 2. Noëla-Joyce LOMANDONG (Monaco) 3. Shanti TOURE (Noisiel)
Poussins
1. Marc-Antoine LOMANDONG (Monaco) 2. Jawad MAACHE (Montagne Noire) 3. Albert TOMASI (Ajaccio)
Poussines
1. Bérenice DE TALANCE (Vandoeuvre) 2. Béline YUAN (Rouen) 3. Teodora GASPODARU (Stanislas échecs)
Poussinets
1. Wassel BOUSMAHA (Créteil) 2. Baptiste ROUX (Bastia) 3. Célian ACHARD-ROZAN (Laragne)
Poussinettes
1. Sofia BELLAHCENE (Bischwiller) 2. Thao Nhi NGUYEN (Hyères) 3. Emma LE BIHAN (Guingamp)
Tourney Leaders Win Again at U.S. Championships
Tourney Leaders Win Again at U.S. Championships
By FM Mike Klein
SAINT LOUIS (May 6, 2013) -- A pair of runaway trains kept up their furious pace in round four of the 2013 U.S. Championship and U.S. Women’s Championship, held at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis. Both tournament leaders, GM Gata Kamsky and IM Irina Krush, won their fourth consecutive games to maintain their respective leads.
Kamsky took black against the fearless upstart GM Conrad Holt, who kept up his usual stoicism despite his first-ever game against the three-time champion. Kamsky said after some opening troubles in his first three matches, he wanted to get back to his comfort zone. “I decided to play something I know,” Kamsky said. “In the opening white posed me no problems.”
The game swung and became more dynamic after white’s e-pawn lurched forward. “When he played e4 and I saw I could open my bishops, I thought, ‘Let’s have some fun.’” The top-rated player eventually decided upon a series of moves that actuated a landmine, but even without Holt's complicity, a draw was attainable. “I was really liking that he took my a-pawn,” he said about Holt’s bravado. “There are some traps. I had a feeling my opponent was playing for a win. I got lucky.” Kamsky explained that white’s 31st move was not losing per se, but it forced white to find 32. Qe2 Bxg2! 33. Kxg2 Rxa6 34. Qxa6 Nf4+ 35. exf4 Qe4+. Black, who has sacrificed the majority of his army, then forces a repetition.
By FM Mike Klein
SAINT LOUIS (May 6, 2013) -- A pair of runaway trains kept up their furious pace in round four of the 2013 U.S. Championship and U.S. Women’s Championship, held at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis. Both tournament leaders, GM Gata Kamsky and IM Irina Krush, won their fourth consecutive games to maintain their respective leads.
Kamsky took black against the fearless upstart GM Conrad Holt, who kept up his usual stoicism despite his first-ever game against the three-time champion. Kamsky said after some opening troubles in his first three matches, he wanted to get back to his comfort zone. “I decided to play something I know,” Kamsky said. “In the opening white posed me no problems.”
The game swung and became more dynamic after white’s e-pawn lurched forward. “When he played e4 and I saw I could open my bishops, I thought, ‘Let’s have some fun.’” The top-rated player eventually decided upon a series of moves that actuated a landmine, but even without Holt's complicity, a draw was attainable. “I was really liking that he took my a-pawn,” he said about Holt’s bravado. “There are some traps. I had a feeling my opponent was playing for a win. I got lucky.” Kamsky explained that white’s 31st move was not losing per se, but it forced white to find 32. Qe2 Bxg2! 33. Kxg2 Rxa6 34. Qxa6 Nf4+ 35. exf4 Qe4+. Black, who has sacrificed the majority of his army, then forces a repetition.
Holt-Kamsky
This win puts Kamsky at 4-0, and still eligible for the $64,000 “Fischer Prize” for a perfect score. He is the only player to remain unblemished for this many rounds since the prize was first introduced in 2009. For his part, Kamsky insisted the award is so far-fetched, he did not even read the amount. “I heard something about if you go 9-0, you get something super-duper? But I don’t think it’s possible this day in age. Back in Fischer’s time it was possible.”
In the women’s tournament, pre-round leader Krush kept up her own streak. She dispatched three-time champion WGM Anjelina Belakovskaia in what Krush called an “interesting, strategic game.” The finish was worthy of an endgame study – Krush transitioned her favorable rook-and-pawn ending into a pawn race. While both pawns reach the finish line, Krush gets the move, and plays the simple tactic …Qh8+ and …Qg8+, skewering black’s final two pieces. Her veteran opponent saw the idea and resigned.
This win puts Kamsky at 4-0, and still eligible for the $64,000 “Fischer Prize” for a perfect score. He is the only player to remain unblemished for this many rounds since the prize was first introduced in 2009. For his part, Kamsky insisted the award is so far-fetched, he did not even read the amount. “I heard something about if you go 9-0, you get something super-duper? But I don’t think it’s possible this day in age. Back in Fischer’s time it was possible.”
In the women’s tournament, pre-round leader Krush kept up her own streak. She dispatched three-time champion WGM Anjelina Belakovskaia in what Krush called an “interesting, strategic game.” The finish was worthy of an endgame study – Krush transitioned her favorable rook-and-pawn ending into a pawn race. While both pawns reach the finish line, Krush gets the move, and plays the simple tactic …Qh8+ and …Qg8+, skewering black’s final two pieces. Her veteran opponent saw the idea and resigned.
Krush-Belakovskaia
Unlike Kamsky, who increased his lead by a half-point, Krush could not pull any further away from the field thanks to WGM Tatev Abrahamyan’s continued sparkling play. She beat WIM Iryna Zenyuk in a tactical melee to move to 3.5/4. The Sicilian Dragon was all theory for about 20 moves. Abrahamyan said her preparation has been paying off in Saint Louis, but, she said, “It’s so easy to overanalyze something, hallucinate something.” The attack down the h-file was typical but brutal.
Unlike Kamsky, who increased his lead by a half-point, Krush could not pull any further away from the field thanks to WGM Tatev Abrahamyan’s continued sparkling play. She beat WIM Iryna Zenyuk in a tactical melee to move to 3.5/4. The Sicilian Dragon was all theory for about 20 moves. Abrahamyan said her preparation has been paying off in Saint Louis, but, she said, “It’s so easy to overanalyze something, hallucinate something.” The attack down the h-file was typical but brutal.
Abrahamyan-Zenyuk
The game was the first of the day to finish in the women’s section. “Having a short game always helps you,” Abrahamyan said. “You have time to rest.” She will need it as she faces her toughest test so far in round five. Abrahamyan lines up with black against IM Anna Zatonskih. Historically, that is not such a bad offer. “I only beat her as black. I never beat her with white. The pressure is always on the higher-rated player.”
After losing a crucial game versus Krush yesterday, Zatonskih bounced back by besting WIM Viktorija Ni to get to 3/4. “It was difficult to win because she is such a solid chess player,” Zatonskih said. “Against someone who is lower-rated, you need to take some chances, and I know she is not feeling well.”
In the U.S. Championship, only FM John Bryant could have stayed within a half-point, but he never got in the game against GM Larry Christiansen. An early …Nc6 was summarily punished by the advance of white’s center pawns, and the passed d-pawn decided the game without issue. At two hours and 20 minutes, Christiansen’s win was the shortest game of the championship so far. “The game was in the bag pretty early,” he said. After the grueling defeat yesterday at the hands of Kamsky, Christiansen said today’s win was “just what the doctor ordered.” Previously he stated concern for his level of energy as the event progressed.
The game was the first of the day to finish in the women’s section. “Having a short game always helps you,” Abrahamyan said. “You have time to rest.” She will need it as she faces her toughest test so far in round five. Abrahamyan lines up with black against IM Anna Zatonskih. Historically, that is not such a bad offer. “I only beat her as black. I never beat her with white. The pressure is always on the higher-rated player.”
After losing a crucial game versus Krush yesterday, Zatonskih bounced back by besting WIM Viktorija Ni to get to 3/4. “It was difficult to win because she is such a solid chess player,” Zatonskih said. “Against someone who is lower-rated, you need to take some chances, and I know she is not feeling well.”
In the U.S. Championship, only FM John Bryant could have stayed within a half-point, but he never got in the game against GM Larry Christiansen. An early …Nc6 was summarily punished by the advance of white’s center pawns, and the passed d-pawn decided the game without issue. At two hours and 20 minutes, Christiansen’s win was the shortest game of the championship so far. “The game was in the bag pretty early,” he said. After the grueling defeat yesterday at the hands of Kamsky, Christiansen said today’s win was “just what the doctor ordered.” Previously he stated concern for his level of energy as the event progressed.
Christiansen-Bryant
Christiansen’s win puts him on 3/4, but since he has already played the leader, he has to hope for a Kamsky misstep. Also tied for second standing are GMs Alex Onischuk and Joel Benjamin.
Onischuk won a wild middlegame against GM Alex Shabalov that featured seven passed pawns, the only pawns remaining on the board. Thinking it to be a notable achievement, Onischuk said it actually happened less than a month ago, to none other than Kamsky (against GM Alexander Morozevich). Like his Olympiad teammate, Onischuk scored the win, but only after a circuitous king walk that the disapproving computer alternated between winning and drawing for black. “We were both concerned,” Onischuk said, with the smile of a man who just got back from an adventure. “He played very creative. He finds so many amazing moves. Everyone knows that Shabba can only play this way, so I had expected this. When he’s in good form with the white pieces, he can just crush you.”
Christiansen’s win puts him on 3/4, but since he has already played the leader, he has to hope for a Kamsky misstep. Also tied for second standing are GMs Alex Onischuk and Joel Benjamin.
Onischuk won a wild middlegame against GM Alex Shabalov that featured seven passed pawns, the only pawns remaining on the board. Thinking it to be a notable achievement, Onischuk said it actually happened less than a month ago, to none other than Kamsky (against GM Alexander Morozevich). Like his Olympiad teammate, Onischuk scored the win, but only after a circuitous king walk that the disapproving computer alternated between winning and drawing for black. “We were both concerned,” Onischuk said, with the smile of a man who just got back from an adventure. “He played very creative. He finds so many amazing moves. Everyone knows that Shabba can only play this way, so I had expected this. When he’s in good form with the white pieces, he can just crush you.”
Shabalov-Onischuk
Benjamin’s win over GM Varuzhan Akobian was more restrained, and the win was a much more traditional endgame. His win nets him a date with black on the top board, as he becomes the next player to try to unseat Kamsky. Onischuk gets white against Christiansen on board two.
Neither GM Yury Shulman nor second-seeded GM Timur Gareev could muster a win, but Shulman’s method of securing a draw was visually appealing. He simply left his queen en prise, whilst simultaneously moving his knight to a square threatened by a pawn. Picturesque, yes, but not best. Instead, a simple trade of rooks and subsequent knight improvement would have given black problems. Strangely Gareev did not take the queen and repetition right away, leaving the door ajar for an even better variation for Shulman. After 26…Kh7? 27. Rxd4 cxd4 28. Ne7 Rf3 29. Kg2 would have given white a plus since 29…c5+ is met easily by 30. Ncd5. “If I had seen Kg2, I would have played it,” Shulman said. Instead, he only saw 29. Qe2, and was justifiably scared by 29…Rxf2+! “Intuition should have told me to play it.” The draw extends Shulman’s U.S. Championship unbeaten streak to 16 games, although he is not proud of the series since 15 of the games were drawn.
Benjamin’s win over GM Varuzhan Akobian was more restrained, and the win was a much more traditional endgame. His win nets him a date with black on the top board, as he becomes the next player to try to unseat Kamsky. Onischuk gets white against Christiansen on board two.
Neither GM Yury Shulman nor second-seeded GM Timur Gareev could muster a win, but Shulman’s method of securing a draw was visually appealing. He simply left his queen en prise, whilst simultaneously moving his knight to a square threatened by a pawn. Picturesque, yes, but not best. Instead, a simple trade of rooks and subsequent knight improvement would have given black problems. Strangely Gareev did not take the queen and repetition right away, leaving the door ajar for an even better variation for Shulman. After 26…Kh7? 27. Rxd4 cxd4 28. Ne7 Rf3 29. Kg2 would have given white a plus since 29…c5+ is met easily by 30. Ncd5. “If I had seen Kg2, I would have played it,” Shulman said. Instead, he only saw 29. Qe2, and was justifiably scared by 29…Rxf2+! “Intuition should have told me to play it.” The draw extends Shulman’s U.S. Championship unbeaten streak to 16 games, although he is not proud of the series since 15 of the games were drawn.
Shulman-Gareev
Also lurking are GMs Alejandro Ramirez and Sam Shankland, who both won in round four to get to 2.5/4. They will play each other in round five. Bryant and Holt get a brief respite from playing the veterans as they face each other next round.
Other interesting matchups include IM Sam Sevian against IM Kayden Troff, the two youngest players in the tournament (today marked Troff’s 15thbirthday and the release of a James Bond-themed/live chess match music video that he appears in). GM Ray Robson and Yaacov Norowitz both got their first wins today, while college students and good friends GM Robert Hess and GM Marc Arnold will play one another from the bottom of the tables.
Next up for Krush is black against winless WFM Sarah Chiang. Krush said that with Abrahamyan so close, she will not necessarily be playing for a draw as black. “I’m hungry. Every game you play to win.” With their looming matchup in round eight, Krush was asked if she was excited by the possibility of the two being separated by only a half-point going into that round. “Any person wants to see their lead increasing,” she said.
Tune in tomorrow for round five, where the two chase packs will continue to try to reel in the leaders. Live grandmaster commentary can be found at www.uschesschamps.com at 1:00 p.m. Central, 2:00 p.m. Eastern.
Also lurking are GMs Alejandro Ramirez and Sam Shankland, who both won in round four to get to 2.5/4. They will play each other in round five. Bryant and Holt get a brief respite from playing the veterans as they face each other next round.
Other interesting matchups include IM Sam Sevian against IM Kayden Troff, the two youngest players in the tournament (today marked Troff’s 15thbirthday and the release of a James Bond-themed/live chess match music video that he appears in). GM Ray Robson and Yaacov Norowitz both got their first wins today, while college students and good friends GM Robert Hess and GM Marc Arnold will play one another from the bottom of the tables.
Next up for Krush is black against winless WFM Sarah Chiang. Krush said that with Abrahamyan so close, she will not necessarily be playing for a draw as black. “I’m hungry. Every game you play to win.” With their looming matchup in round eight, Krush was asked if she was excited by the possibility of the two being separated by only a half-point going into that round. “Any person wants to see their lead increasing,” she said.
Tune in tomorrow for round five, where the two chase packs will continue to try to reel in the leaders. Live grandmaster commentary can be found at www.uschesschamps.com at 1:00 p.m. Central, 2:00 p.m. Eastern.
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