January Fide Rating List is Out!
Topalove "topples" the list with 2783.
The Top 10 are:
1. Topalov 2783
2. Anand 2779
3. Kramnik 2766
4. Mamedyarov 2754
5. Ivanchuk 2750
6. Leko 2749
7. Aronian 2744
8. Morozevich 2741
9. Adams 2735
10. Gelfand 2733
The biggest suprise is undoubtly elevation of Mamedyarov to the 4th place. The young Azerbaijani is ready to challenge the worlds best!
Yours Truly went up 7 points to 2326.
Morozevich is Unstoppable!
Ups and downs appear to be normal for Morozevich. Only a month or so ago, he finished last in the Tal Memorial. 2 Days ago, he finished first in Pampalona with a 6/7 score (+5 = 2) and a 2900 + performance rating. Yakovenko was second with 5/7 and Alexei Shirov finished 3d with 4.5/7 (+4-2=1).
Well done, Alexandar!
Year 2006: My Achievements and Failures
Lets start on a good note:
- Made a comback to tournament chess
- Managed to Maintain my level of play despite lay-off
- Got started with chess coaching and "groomed" some good students
- Started this lovely Blog
The failures include:
- Still finding it difficult to find enough time to play big events (e.g. Aus Masters)
- My openings are at their lowest point
- Lack of motivation
Well, lets hope 2007 will be even better :).
Year 2007: My New Year "Chess" Resolutions
My new year chess resolutions are:
- To get my Fide rating to 2350
- To improve my students' ratings by 200 points each
- To play more chess than in 2006 :)
- To run some lecture series and get started with group coaching
Please feel free to suggest more goals for me to accomplish....
Australian Open 2006/2007: How Well is it Run?
I have had some negative thoughts about this Year's Aus Open. Is this the smallest Australian open in recent years? If yes, Why is it so?
To sum up:
a) some major clubs (e.g. MCC) have never recieved any promotional info about the open
b) no dedicated website (just a subdomain off the
http://www.actjcl.org.au instead)
c) no major sponsor secured
d) just 1 accomodation option provided (S76 twin share/ $62 triple) by the organizers, leaving majority of the intertate participants with the need to look around for accomodatione)
e) $180 entry fee (the highest ever as far as i can remember)
f) venue "in the middle of ....nowhere"
g) No live games Transmissions
Feel free to add to my list...
Pampalona: A Two-Horse Race
Dmitry Jakovenko and Alexander Morozevich are dominating the field in Pampalona, Spain. These days, it is quite uncommon to see two players score 3.5/4 in a XVI category round robin.
Round 4 Standings:
1. Morozevich, Alexander g RUS 2747 3.5; 2. Jakovenko, Dmitry g RUS 2671 3.5; 3. Bauer, Christian g FRA 2585 2.5; 4. Illescas Cordoba, Miguel g ESP 2620 2.0; 5. Shirov, Alexei g ESP 2720 2.0; 6. Wojtaszek, Radoslaw g POL 2630 1.5; 7. Laznicka, Viktor g CZE 2596 0.5; 8. Korneev, Oleg g RUS 2657 0.5.
Shlechter's Beautiful Attack: Fleisig - Shlechter (1893)
Karl Schlechter was well known to his contemporaris for his brilliant positional play. He was one of the most solid grandmasters of his time. However, in the following example - he displays splendid tactical talent.
Fleisig - Shlechter (Vienna, 1893)1. b4 e6 2. Bb2 Nf6 3. a3 c5 4. b5 d5 5. d4?! - not a very flexible move. It does not do justice to the white's Bishop on b2.
5... Qa5+ 6. Nc3 Ne4 7. Qd3 cxd4 8. Qxd4 Bc5 9. Qxg7 Bxf2+ 10. Kd1 - and here it starts! Yay!
10... d4!! 11. Qxh8+ Ke7 12. Qxc8 dxc3 13. Bc1 Nd7! 14. Qxa8 Qxb5 15. Bf4 Qd5+ 16. Kc1 Be3+!! - beautiful finish to a splendid attack!
17. Bxe3 Nf2! 0-1.
Beating the English 2: Huebner - Karpov(1977)
And here is an example of a more positional approach :).
Huebner - Karpov (Tilburg, 1977)1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 c5 3. Nf3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. g3 g6 6. d3 Bg7 7. Bd2 b68. Qa4+ Bd7 9. Qh4 Bc6 10. Bg2 e6 11. Qxd8+ Kxd8 12. Rc1 Na6 13. Nxd5Bxd5 14. Bc3 f6 15. a3 Ke7 16. O-O Rhc8 17. Nd2 Nc7 18. b4 Bxg2 19.Kxg2 cxb4 20. Bxb4+ Kd7 21. Bc3 Nd5 22. Bb2 Bh6 23. e3 Bxe3 24. fxe3Nxe3+ 25. Kf3 Nxf1 26. Nxf1 Rxc1 27. Bxc1 Rc8 28. Bb2 Rc2 29. Bxf6 Ra230. Ke3 Rxa3 31. Nd2 b5 32. Ne4 b4 33. Kd4 a5 34. Kc4 Ra2 35. h4 Kc636. Bd4 Re2 37. Be5 Re1 38. Bf6 Rb1 39. Be7 e5 40. g4 Rc1+ 41. Kb3 Kd542. Bg5 Rb1+ 43. Kc2 Rh1 44. Kb3 Rh3 45. Nf6+ Kd4 46. Nxh7 Rxd3+ 47.Kc2 a4 48. Be7 Rc3+ 49. Kb1 Rc7 0-1.
Beating the English 1: Serper - Korchnoi (1993)
Many tactical players hate being black against the "supersolid" opponents who play English as white. They find the opening terribly boring and do not believe they can sharpen things up from the start. However, there is always a way to initatiate complications (as demonstrated by "Victor the Terrible" in the game below.
Serper - Korchnoi (Groningen, 1993)1. c4 Nf6 2. Nc3 e5 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2 Nb6 7. O-O
Be7 8. Rb1 g5 9. d3 h5 10. a3 h4 11. b4 hxg3 12. hxg3 a6 13. b5 Nd4
14. Nxd4 exd4 15. bxa6 Rxa6 16. Nb5 Na4 17. e3 c6 18. Nxd4 Nc3 19. Qc2
Nxb1 20. Qxb1 Qd6 21. Qb3 Qh6 22. Re1 c5 23. Nf3 Bh3 24. Qxb7 Bxg2 25.
Qc8+ Bd8 26. Kxg2 Re6 27. Ng1 Qh1+ 28. Kf1 Rf6 29. e4 Rh2 30. Ke2
Rhxf2+ 31. Kd1 Rd6 32. Be3 Rxd3+ 33. Kc1 Rc3+ 34. Kd1 Qh6 0-1.
Morozevich and Shirov in Action!
A strong 8-player round robin event featuring Morozevic, Shirov, Yakovenko etc. is taking place in Pampalona, Spain.
Progress Scores after 2 Rounds:1. Wojtaszek, Radoslaw g POL 2630 1.5; 2. Morozevich, Alexander g RUS 2747 1.5; 3. Jakovenko, Dmitry g RUS 2671 1.5; 4. Bauer, Christian g FRA 2585 1.5; 5. Shirov, Alexei g ESP 2720 1.0; 6. Illescas Cordoba, Miguel g ESP 2620 0.5; 7. Laznicka, Viktor g CZE 2596 0.5; 8. Korneev, Oleg g RUS 2657 0.0
My Shortest Tournament Victory Ever!: Wildes-Baron (2006)
The following minuature was played at MCC's Saturday Allegro Series Event 2 days ago. It is rare that you can see a 3-move victory.
Wildes-Baron (2006)1.e4 e5 2. f4 d5 3. fxe5?? - a horrible error!
3...Qh4+ 0-1.I felt sorry for my opponent but what could i do? Sh..t happens.
Ivanchuk Wins Torre Memorial
Vasily Ivanchuk continued his impressive string of performances in South America.
Last month, he won Capablanca Memorial half point ahead of Bareev. Two days ago, Vasily celebrated victory at Torre Memorial - a strong nock-out event in Mexico. In the final, he scored a 1.5-0.5 victory over Lazaro Bruzon.
Australian Masters: Progress Scores
Australian Masters is taking place in Melbourne. At this stage, two players (Vladimir Smirnov and Jesse Sales) still have chances for an IM Norm. Progress scores after 9 rounds:
G.Xie 7/9 D.Johansen, D.Antic 6/9 J.Sales, V.Smirnov 5.5/8 I.Goldenberg, D.Stojic 5.5/9 C.Depasquale 4/8 E.Levi 2.5/9 D.Hacche 2/9 C.Gorka 1.5/8.
Women Too Can Play Beautiful Chess :) : Korbut - Kosintseva, T. (2006)
Korbut - Kosintseva, T. (2006)Russian Women's Championship Superfinal, 2006
W. Kh2, Qd2, Rb1, Nf5, Nf3, pp. c3, e4, g3, h3.
B. Kh8, Qd7, Ra8, Bc5, Be6, pp. d6, e5, f6, h7.
White to move.
And here comes a beautiful finish! :)
37. Qh6 Qf7? - the decisive mistake. Punishment is severe.
38. Rb7! Ra2+ 39. Kh1 Ra1+ 40 Kg2 Ra2+ 41. Kh1 Ra1+ 42. Ng1! Rxg1+ 43. Kh2 Qg6 44. Rxh7+! Qxh7 45. Qf8+ 1-0.
The "Fritz" Generation
When I started playing chess competitively 20 years ago, I realised that if I want to achieve good results, I have to work hard on my game. What did the hard work involve? Well, my preparation consisted of playing practice games against my friends, going to chess classes at the Moscow Palace of Pioneers and playing a lot of tournaments. At the time, I would look up to my chess coach for guidance and read chess books written by the all time greats such As Karpov, Kasparov, Botvinnik and others.
20 years have passed by... Today, we are "dealing" with a new generation of chess players. Today's juniors are busy a) preparing against specific opponents by looking through their games in the databases. b) memorizing the opening lines c) analyzing their games with Fritz d) playing blitz on the Internet. I think it is both fair and accurate to call today's generation of the chessplayers the "Fritz Generation".
Please do not get me wrong, I have no intention to deny the usefulness of chess engines and databases for improving one's game. However, many of the today's juniors never bother to go through the "classics". I was talking to a Junior at MCC and I was telling him that a particular set up used to be Larsen's sentimental favorite. To my great surprise, they guy did not know who Larsen was. He has also never heard of Bronstein, Keres, Gligoric etc. So is he a complete beginner? No he is not! His rating is is quite respectable and he makes sure that he runs all of his games through Fritz's engine. It has never occured to him that there was chess long before computers came to life!
When the Pawns go Marching in: Topalov - Shirov (1998)
It is quite common to see a piece sacrificed in a middlegame. Occasionally, sacrifices occur in the opening. However, endgame sacrifices are few and far between. In the following example, Shirov sacrificed a piece with the aim of ...ruining his opponents pawn structure!
Topalov - Shirov (Linares, 1998)
W. Kg1, Bc3, pp. g2, h4.
B. Ke6, Bf5, pp. a4, d5, f6, g6.
Black to move.
Black is two pawns up but the victory is far from easy due to the opposite colour bishops. Any "normal" continuation would leave White with good drawing chances. However Shirov uncorked
1...Bh3!! - and suddenly Black pawns are unstoppable!
2. gxh3 Kf5 3. Kf2 Ke4 4. Bxf6 d4 5. Be7 Kd3 6. Bc5 Kc4 7. Be7 Kb3! 0-1.
Black is OK: Enigma20 - Michael Baron (2006)
The following Allegro (15 min) game is a good example of Black's agressive play in a seemingly quite opening line.
Date "2006.12.19"][White "enigma20"][Black "MichaelBaron"][Result "0-1"][WhiteElo "2345E"][BlackElo "2471"][TimeControl "900+0"]
1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 c6 3. c4 e6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bb4 6. e3 b5 7. Bd2 a5 8. axb5 Bxc3 9. Bxc3 cxb5 10. d5 Nf6 11. dxe6 Qxd1+ 12. Kxd1 Bxe6 13. Rxa5 Rxa5 14. Bxa5 Ne4 15. Ke1 Nc6 16. Bb6 O-O 17. Nd4 Nxd4 18. Bxd4 Ra8 19. f3 Ra1+ 20. Ke2 c3!! 21. fxe4 c2 22. b4 c1=Q 23. Bxa1 Qxa1 24. g3 Bg4+ 25. Kd3 Qd1+ 26. Kc3 Qf3 0-1.
Playing for Win as Black: Vijayakumar-Baron (2006)
The Following game was played in the last round of Christmas Swiss. I had to win in order to finish second. It explains my choice of the opening line. The game turned out to be a very sharp struggle.
Vijaykumar R. - Baron (Melbourne, 2006)
French Defence
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. Qg4 Kf8!? - This move is obviously not best. However, it takes the game away from the well-known theoretical lines.
8. Nge2!? - White is also ready to burn the bridges. He abandons his Queenside pawns in order to concentrate on the kingside attack.
8...Qa5 9. Bd2 Qa4 10. Nf4 Nc6 11.Rb1 cxd4 12. Bb5 Qxc2 13. Bd3 Qa4 - 13...Nxe5 looks good but after 14. Qxg7+! white can go into the endgame two pawns down and because his bishps are so strong, black's pieces are still undeveloped and black's king is extremely unsafe on g7.
14. Nh5 - after Bb5 I had no intention to force a draw. For example 14...Qxa3 15. Bxc6 d4xc3!
14...Ng6 15. Bb5 Qc2 16. Rce1 Ncxe5! 17. Qg5 Qe4+ 18. Kf1 Bd7! - Its time for black to give up some of the extra material in order to complete development.
19. Bxd7 Nxd7 20. cxd4 Qd3+ 21. Kg1 f6 22. Qe3 Qxe3 23. fxe3 Kf7 24.Rc7 Rhd8 25. Rxb7 Rab8 26. Rxb8 Rxb8 27. Kf2 Rb2 28. Ke2 Nb6 0-1.14...
How to Win a Tournament: Jordan-Wallis (2006)
And here is the last round decider! Chris's play in this game is really impresive. He completely clubbed an experienced FM!
Jordan-Wallis (Melbourne, 2006)
1.Nf3 d5 2. c4 d4 3. e3 Nc6 4. d3 e5 5. Na3 Bb4+ 6. Nd2 Qg5 7. e4 Qg6 8. Nc2 a5 9. g3 f5 10. Nxb4 axb4 11. Bh3 Nf6 12. Bxf5 Bxf5 13. exf5 Qxf5 14. Qf3 Qh3 15. Ne4 Nxe4 16. Qxe4 O-O 17. Bd2 Rf7 18. Ke2 Raf8 19. Be1 Rf3 20. a3 Qg2 21. Qd5+ Kh8 22. Rf1 e4 23. axb4 Re3+ 24. Kd1 Qxf1 25. fxe3 Qxd3+ 26. Kc1 Nxb4 0-1
A good way to finish the tournament!
Winners are always lucky: Buda - Wallis (2006)
The following game was played in the firt round of the Christmas Swiss.
Buda - Wallis (Melbourne, 2006)
W. Kg1, Qh6, Rd1, Bb3, pp. a2, b2, c3, f2, g2, h2.
B. Kg8, Qb5, Rc6, Rf8. pp. a7, b7, e5, f6, f7, h7.
White to Move.
Alexander Buda fearlessly threw all his pieces at his opponent's King and was one move away from victory!
He could finish Chris Wallis off with a neat Bishop sacrifice
Bxf7+!.Unfortunately, Alex missed this opportunity ( I think he was in severe time-trouble) and the exiting struggle ended in a draw.
But remember this name! I have a feeling Alex is only 2 years away from getting his rating over 2000!
As for Chris, he was also extremely lucky in Round 4 against Jessie Jager. However, guess what! The winners are always lucky. I have never won a tournament in my life without being lucky in at least one game.
How to Win your opponent's Queen in 12 moves: Battle of the Poles
The following game was played in the first round of the Christmas Swiss. Black's queen was "mated" in 12 moves only.
Pechak - Kostrewa (2006)1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 e6 3. Bg5 h6 4. Bxf6 Qxf6 5. e4 Bb4+? 6. c3 Be7? 7. Bd3 d6?? 8. e5! - If black would resign here, it could be regarded as on of the shortest decisive games ever. 8... dxe5 9. dxe5 Qf4 10. g3 Qg4 11. h3 Qh5 12. g4 1-0.
Christmas Swiss: Second Place is OK!
I have spent this weekend playing in the Christmas Swiss Weekender at my beloved Melbourne Chess Club.
Despite being the top seed, I only managed 4/5. It was sufficient for the second place only but or well...given the poor quality of my play in the event (Particularly in the games against Pecak and Jordan), I was extremely lucky to finish the tournament without any losses.
Final Results:
1. Wallis - 4.5/5 (Well Done, Chris)
2 Baron - 4/5
3-6 Jordan, Pechak, Reid and Antolis.
I have got some interesting games from the event that I am planning to publish on this blog in the next couple fo days so please stay tuned!
"Chess Killer": Did Chess Make Him Crazy?
The Age (16/12/06) reports that a Russian Man dubbed "The crazy chess killer" has been captured in Moscow. The guy had a goal of committing 64 murders (one for each square of the chess board). He "succeeded" in slaughtering 49 people and would undoubtly kill another 15 if it would not be for his arrest.
Medical experts will examine the "Chess Killer" to determine whether he is sane enough to stand trial. Gosh, this world is full of crazy chess players!
Russian Championship Superfinal: Alekseev Wins
Evegeni Alekseev won the 2006 Russian Championship Suprfinal after a 1.5-0.5 playoff victory over Dimitry Yakovenko.
Final Round 11 Standings:1
. Jakovenko, Dmitry g RUS 2671 7.5; 2. Alekseev, Evgeny g RUS 2639 7.5; 3. Inarkiev, Ernesto g RUS 2628 7.0; 4. Svidler, Peter g RUS 2750 6.5; 5. Rublevsky, Sergei g RUS 2688 5.5; 6. Khairullin, Ildar m RUS 2543 5.5; 7. Tomashevsky, Evgeny g RUS 2595 5.5; 8. Grigoriants, Sergey g RUS 2582 5.0; 9. Nepomniachtchi, Ian m RUS 2545 5.0; 10. Khismatullin, Denis g RUS 2583 5.0; 11. Vitiugov, Nikita m RUS 2596 3.5; 12. Najer, Evgeniy g RUS 2648 2.5.
Kasparov's Office Raided!
Hot news from Moscow! Garry Kasparov's Office was raided by Russian Police. This was government's response to his "radical" political activities. Ever since his retirement from the chess scene, Kasparov has been one of the most outspoken critics of the Russian President and his government.
A Crazy Internet Blitz Game
And here is a crazy blitz game against an American NM. Both of us were having fun and it resulting in a very entertaining encounter.
[Event "GCS"][Site "GCS"][Date "2006.12.13" (3/0)
Eceprof (NM) - Michael Baron (FM)1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 g5 3. Nxg5 Bg7 4. c3 Nc6 5. Nf3 d6 6. Be2 Nf6 7. d3 Rg8 8. O-O Bh8 9. Bg5 Rb8 10. Nbd2 b5 11. d4 cxd4 12. cxd4 Bd7 13. Qb3 h6 14. Bh4 Nh5 15. e5 Nf4 16. Rfe1 Rxg2+ 17. Kh1 Bh3 18. exd6 Qxd6 19. Bxb5 Rg4 20. Bxe7 Bg2+ 21. Kg1 Nh3#
Play in Christmas Swiss!
This is going to be my next tournament! Lets celebrate Christmas with some good chess!
Where: Melbourne Chess CLub: 66 Leisester Street, Fitzroy 3065 (just off Brunswick Street, catch 112 West Preston Tram from Collins Street). Melways Reference: Map 2C, A5Schedule:Saturday 16th DecemberEntries Close: 10amRound 1: 11amRound 2: 3pmRound 3: 7pmSunday 17th DecemberRound 4: 11amRound 5: 3pmPrize Giving: 6:30pmTime Control: 60+30 seconds a move added f4rom move 1. Player must record throughout the game.Entry Fee:Working: $55Non Working: $45Under 18: $25-$10 for MCC Members (except U/18)Phone (Clubrooms): (03) 9416 3149Or: Malcolm Pyke: 9789 9727 a/h or 0408 150 196 b/h
Chess Player''s Visa Application Rejected!
Grandmaster Amir Baggeri (France) told me today that his Visa application for visiting Australia has been rejected. Thus, GM Baggeri will not be able to participate in the Sydney International and Doebrl Cup. It's a pity that Fide's moto "Gens Un Samsuns" (We are a one big family) sometimes does not work with the Australian immigration authorities.
Russian Championship Superfinal: 3 Rounds to go
3 Rounds to go in the Russian Championship superfinal! For now, GM Dmitry Yakovenko is the sole leader with 5.5/8. Petr Svidler, Evgeny Alekseev and Ildar Khairullin are all half-a-point behind.
The biggest surpise is performance onf the 16-year-old Ildar Khairullin. He has not even had time to secure a GM title yet, and has a modest fide rating of 2543 ( he is the bottom seed). However, he appears to be one of the main contestants for the prizes. Well Done, Ildar!
Round 8 Standings: 1. Jakovenko, Dmitry g RUS 2671 5.5; 2. Khairullin, Ildar m RUS 2543 5.0; 3. Svidler, Peter g RUS 2750 5.0; 4. Alekseev, Evgeny g RUS 2639 5.0; 5. Tomashevsky, Evgeny g RUS 2595 4.5; 6. Rublevsky, Sergei g RUS 2688 4.0; 7. Grigoriants, Sergey g RUS 2582 4.0; 8. Inarkiev, Ernesto g RUS 2628 4.0; 9. Nepomniachtchi, Ian m RUS 2545 4.0; 10. Vitiugov, Nikita m RUS 2596 2.5; 11. Khismatullin, Denis g RUS 2583 2.5; 12. Najer, Evgeniy g RUS 2648 2.0.
Bronstein's Masterpieces 3: Bronstein-NN (1953)
I have posted a couple of Bronstein's masterpieces some days ago. But wait! There are more to come :). David Ionovich Bronstein is undoubtly on of the greatest and most creative players ever. I could have the entire blog devoted to his games only!
The following game is sweet and short.
Bronstein -NN (1950) Simultanious Exibition
1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Qxd4 Nc6 4. Qa4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d5 6. Bg5 dxe4 7. Nxe4Qe7 8. O-O-O Qxe4 9. Rd8+ Kxd8 10. Qxe4 1-0.
Thank you, Everyone!
Just a quick thank you note to all of you for visiting my blog on a regular basis. I am very pleased to know that my audience is building-up slowly but surely. I am really happy to be able to share my chess thoughts, feeling ans emotions with you.
A special thx to all of those who sent their donations to my
webbaron@gmail.com PayPal account. You really made my Christmas the one to remember!
Fitzroy Open: Final Results
Yours' truly managed to overcome his disgusting play and win Fitzroy Open.
I finished on 4/5 and it was enough for the outright first place. Not the best of my tournaments though.
Final Scores:
Baron 4/5
Pyke 3.5/5
Voon 3/5
Lycett2/5
Kalish 1.5/5
Papadinis1/5
Good Endgame Technique: Bruzon-Korchnoi (2001)
One of the greatest "problems" currently faced by the majority of Australian chess players is lack of endgame technique. They are struggling to play out even relatively simple endgames. The following example is a very good illustration of confident play in technical positions.
Bruzon - Korchnoi (Hoogeveen, 2001)W. Kg3, Rg6, pp. f2, g4.
B. Ke4, Rd5, p. g5
White to Move.
Can you win this position for White against Korchnoi? For Bruzon, it was not a big deal!
1. Re6+ Re5 2. Rxe5 Kxe5 3. Kf3 Kd4 4. Ke2 Ke4 5. f3+! Kd4 6. Kd2 Ke5 7. Ke3 Kd5 8. f4 Ke6 9. fxg5 Kf7 10. Ke4 Kg6 11. Kf4 Kh7 12. Kf5 Kg7 13. g6 Kh6 14. g7! - Winning the opposition
14... Kxg7 15. Kg5 Kh7 16. Kf6 Kh6 17. g5+ Kh7 18. Kf7 Kh8 19. Kg6 1-0.
Russian Championship Superfinal: 5 Rounds to go
The 2006 Russian Championship superfinal has passed the half-way mark. While it is great to have so many young players (the average age of the participants is 22) in the field, not all of the youngsters appear to be having great fighting spirit. Quite a few games end up in a draw before move 20. I find it really disappointing. In round 6 alone, Khairullin-Vitugov was an 11 move draw (Khairullin is only 16 years old yet he is playing like a "true professional" while Grigoriants-Inarkiev lasted only 2 moves longer.
Round 6 Standings: 1. Jakovenko, Dmitry g RUS 2671 4.5; 2. Svidler, Peter g RUS 2750 3.5; 3. Khairullin, Ildar m RUS 2543 3.5; 4. Grigoriants, Sergey g RUS 2582 3.5; 5. Inarkiev, Ernesto g RUS 2628 3.5; 6. Alekseev, Evgeny g RUS 2639 3.5; 7. Rublevsky, Sergei g RUS 2688 3.0; 8. Nepomniachtchi, Ian m RUS 2545 3.0; 9. Khismatullin, Denis g RUS 2583 2.5; 10. Tomashevsky, Evgeny g RUS 2595 2.5; 11. Najer, Evgeniy g RUS 2648 1.5; 12. Vitiugov, Nikita m RUS 2596 1.5;
Russian Championship Superfinal: Update
Progress scores after 4 rounds:
1. Jakovenko, Dmitry g RUS 2671 3.0; 2. Svidler, Peter g RUS 2750 2.5; 3. Khairullin, Ildar m RUS 2543 2.5; 4. Nepomniachtchi, Ian m RUS 2545 2.5; 5. Alekseev, Evgeny g RUS 2639 2.5; 6. Grigoriants, Sergey g RUS 2582 2.0; 7. Rublevsky, Sergei g RUS 2688 2.0; 8. Khismatullin, Denis g RUS 2583 2.0; 9. Inarkiev, Ernesto g RUS 2628 2.0; 10. Tomashevsky, Evgeny g RUS 2595 1.5; 11. Najer, Evgeniy g RUS 2648 1.0; 12. Vitiugov, Nikita m RUS 2596 0.5.
Bronstein's Masterpieces 2: Bronstein-Ljuboevic (1973)
Bronstein - Ljuboevic (Petropolis
it, 1973)
1. e4 Nf6 2. e5 Nd5 3. d4 d6 4. c4 Nb6 5. f4 dxe5 6. fxe5 c5 7. d5 e68. Nc3 exd5 9. cxd5 c4 10. Nf3 Bg4 11. Qd4 Bxf3 12. gxf3 Bb4 13. Bxc4O-O 14. Rg1 g6 15. Bg5 Qc7 16. Bb3 Bc5 17. Qf4 Bxg1 18. d6 Qc8 19. Ke2Bc5 20. Ne4 N8d7 21. Rc1 Qc6 22. Rxc5 Nxc5 23. Nf6+ Kh8 24. Qh4 Qb5+25. Ke3 h5 26. Nxh5 Qxb3+ 27. axb3 Nd5+ 28. Kd4 Ne6+ 29. Kxd5 Nxg530. Nf6+ Kg7 31. Qxg5 Rfd8 32. e6 fxe6+ 33. Kxe6 Rf8 34. d7 a5 35. Ng4Ra6+ 36. Ke5 Rf5+ 37. Qxf5 gxf5 38. d8=Q fxg4 39. Qd7+ Kh6 40. Qxb7 Rg641. f4 1-0
Bronstein's Masterpieces 1: Bronstein-Keres (1955)
Bronstein -Keres (Goterborg
it, 1955)
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 c5 5. Bd3 b6 6. Ne2 Bb7 7. O-O cxd48. exd4 O-O 9. d5 h6 10. Bc2 Na6 11. Nb5 exd5 12. a3 Be7 13. Ng3 dxc414. Bxh6 gxh6 15. Qd2 Nh7 16. Qxh6 f5 17. Nxf5 Rxf5 18. Bxf5 Nf819. Rad1 Bg5 20. Qh5 Qf6 21. Nd6 Bc6 22. Qg4 Kh8 23. Be4 Bh6 24. Bxc6dxc6 25. Qxc4 Nc5 26. b4 Nce6 27. Qxc6 Rb8 28. Ne4 Qg6 29. Rd6 Bg730. f4 Qg4 31. h3 Qe2 32. Ng3 Qe3+ 33. Kh2 Nd4 34. Qd5 Re8 35. Nh5 Ne236. Nxg7 Qg3+ 37. Kh1 Nxf4 38. Qf3 Ne2 39. Rh6+ 1-0
How to Mate your Opponent in 5 moves?
The game below is my shortest victory ever!
Candian- Michael BaronUSChesslive Chess Server, 06.12.06
1.f4 e5 2. fe d6 3. exd6 Bxd6 4. Nf3 g5 5. h3?? Bg3x.
David Bronstein: 1924-2006
David Bronstein has passed away on December 5th, 2006. Bronstein has been recongnized as one of the strongest and the most creative chess players ever! His biggest achievement came in 1950 when he managed to win the WCC Candidates Tournament ahead of Smyslov, Keres and other great GMs. In 1951, he played Botvinnik for the Chess Crown. Unfortunately for Bronstein, the match was drawn (12:12) and it was sufficient for Botvinnik to retain his title.
In 1953, Bronstein took part in the Candidates Tournament in Zurich and tied for second with Reshevsky and Keres behind Smyslov. On completion of the even, Bronstein wrote "Zurich 1953" - arguably one of the best chess books ever! In 1956, he qualified to participate in the Candidates Tournament once again and tied for 3d with Spassky,Geller, Petrosian and Szabo behind Smyslov and Keres.
Bronstein was a great chess player, great chess author and most importantly - a great person!
Russian Championship Superfinal: Progress Scores
The scores after 2 rounds are:
Round 2 Standings: 1. Alekseev, Evgeny g RUS 2639 1.5; 2. Khairullin, Ildar m RUS 2543 1.5; 3. Khismatullin, Denis g RUS 2583 1.5; 4. Inarkiev, Ernesto g RUS 2628 1.5; 5. Jakovenko, Dmitry g RUS 2671 1.0; 6. Rublevsky, Sergei g RUS 2688 1.0; 7. Svidler, Peter g RUS 2750 1.0; 8. Tomashevsky, Evgeny g RUS 2595 1.0; 9. Grigoriants, Sergey g RUS 2582 1.0; 10. Najer, Evgeniy g RUS 2648 0.5; 11. Nepomniachtchi, Ian m RUS 2545 0.5; 12. Vitiugov, Nikita m RUS 2596 0.0
Lets Embrace Poker!
A lot of chess players are playing poker these days. Thus, I will occasionally post some poker stuff on this Blog. Hopefully, you will find it interesting.
Chess Lessons On the Net!
I have been recieving queries from overseas/interstate based chess-players who are interested in getting some coaching from me.
Do not worry, guys! You do not have to come to Melbourne just to get coached. The chess lessons are available online as well as face-to-face. My favorite Chess Server is US ChessLive. The basic memebership on the server is free for all so just go to
www.uschesslive.org, register and save their software on your desktop. Trust me, the UsChessLive interface is one of the best of its kind.
Looking forward to see you online soon :).
How to Confuse Your Opponent: Rujevic-Baron (2001)
In the game below, black was successful in putting white off with an unusual opening. It is amazing how white is playing natural developing moves...yet finds himself in trouble.
Event "Australian Masters"][Site "Melbourne AUS"][Date "2001.07.08"][EventDate "2001.07.07"][Round "2"][Result "0-1"][White "M Rujevic"][Black "M Baron"][ECO "B00"][WhiteElo "2355"][BlackElo "2321"][PlyCount "94"]
1. e4 b6 2. Nc3 Bb7 3. f4 e6 4. Nf3 Bb4 5. d3 d5 6. Bd2 dxe4 7. dxe4 Nf6 8.Bb5+ Nbd7 9. e5 Nd5 10. Nxd5 Bxd2+ 11. Qxd2 Bxd5 12. O-O a6 13. Be2 Qe7 14.c4 Bb7 15. Rac1 Rd8 16. Qc3 a5 17. a3 a4 18. Bd1 Nc5 19. Bc2 O-O 20. Rce1h6 21. Nd4 Rd7 22. Nf3 Rfd8 23. Re2 Nd3 24. Ne1 Qc5+ 25. Kh1 Nxe1 26. Rfxe1Rd4 27. Qe3 Rxc4 28. Qxc5 Rxc5 29. Kg1 g6 30. Rf2 Rc4 31. h3 h5 32. g4 hxg433. hxg4 Rdd4 34. Ref1 g5 35. Kh2 gxf4 36. Bd1 Kg7 37. Kh3 Rc1 38. Be2 Rxf139. Bxf1 Bd5 40. Kh4 c6 41. Kg5 f3 42. Kh4 Rd1 43. Kg3 Re1 44. Kf4 b5 45.Bd3 Rd1 46. Ke3 Rg1 47. Kf4 Rg2 0-1
Ant Getting Poured With Water: Baron - M. Dizdarevic (2001)
I found the following game of mine at the
www.chessgames.com Website. I was pleased to discover that some people actually do study my games. One of the comments in the Site's Kibitzer's Corner was: "he crushed an expert like an ant getting poured with water." Very nice piece to read indeed. :)
Event "Australian Masters"][Site "Melbourne AUS"][Date "2001.07.13"][EventDate "2001.07.07"][Round "7"][Result "1-0"][White "M Baron"][Black "M Dizdarevic"][ECO "B06"][WhiteElo "2321"][BlackElo "2095"][PlyCount "62"]
1. e4 g6 2. d4 Bg7 3. Nc3 d6 4. Bc4 Nc6 5. Be3 e5 6. Nge2 Nf6 7. f3 O-O 8.a3 a6 9. O-O b5 10. Ba2 exd4 11. Nxd4 Nxd4 12. Bxd4 Re8 13. Re1 Bb7 14. Bf2Nd7 15. Qd2 Rc8 16. Rab1 Be5 17. Nd5 Bg7 18. c4 c6 19. Ne3 Nc5 20. Red1 Bf821. Ng4 h5 22. Nh6+ Bxh6 23. Qxh6 Ne6 24. cxb5 cxb5 25. Bd4 Nxd4 26. Qxg6+Kh8 27. Qxh5+ Kg7 28. Qxf7+ Kh8 29. Rxd4 Rc7 30. Qf4 Re5 31. Qxe5+ 1-0
Russian Championship Superfinal: Who is Going to Win?
The 2007 Russian Championship Superfinal is starting in Moscow today (December, 3d). It is a 12 player round-robin event. It is a Category 15 tournament. Svidler, Rublevsky and Jakovenko are the top 3 seeds.
My money is on Svidler but I do not think he is going to have an easy ride to victory. You can see complete list of the participants below:
Evgeny Alekseev, Ernesto Inarkiev, Dmitry Jakovenko, Ildar Khairullin, Denis Khismatullin, Evgeniy Najer,
Ian Nepomniachtchi, Sergey Rublevsky,
Evgeny Tomashevsky, Nikita Vitiugov, Peter Svidler and
Sergey Grigoriants.Please note that 9 out of the 12 participants (names highlighted) are under 23 years of age! It shows that despite some recent failures (e.g. poor perfrmances at the last Chess Ollympiad and and European Team Championship) the "Russian Chess School" is still alive and can be looking forward to an extremely bright future!
French Defence, Baron Variation: Try it Out
And here is my new idea in French Defence.
1.e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 f5!?Try it out and let me know how you feel about it :).
How Could He Draw it?: A Miraculous Escape
The following problem is quite well-know. However, if you have never seen it before, it will not be that easy to solve.
Sarychev A. and Sarychev K. (1928)W. Kd7, p.c7.
B. Kf3, Bh7, p.b7.
White to move and draw.1. Kc8!! - Simply amazing!!!!!!..........
1...b5 2. Kd7!! b4 3. Kd6! Bf5 4. Ke5 Bc8 5. Kd4 with a draw.
How to Make the Sicilian Defence Look Boring: Positional Way of Handling the Sicilian as White
Event "GCS"][Site "GCS"][Date "2006.12.01"][White "MichaelBaron"][Black "Fired"][Result "1-0"][WhiteElo "2475"][BlackElo "2078"][TimeControl "900+0"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. g3 g6 4. Bg2 Bg7 5. d3 e6 6. f4 Nge7 7. Nf3 O-O 8. O-O a6 9. Be3 d6 10. a4 Rb8 11. Qd2 b5 12. axb5 axb5 13. Rae1 b4 14. Nd1 b3 15. c3 Ba6 16. g4 d5 17. exd5 Qxd5 18. Nf2 c4 19. d4 Qd7 20. Ne4 Qd8 21. Ne5 Nxe5 22. fxe5 Nd5 23. Bg5 f6 24. exf6 Nxf6 25. Nc5 Bc8 26. Nxe6 Bxe6 27. Rxe6 Rb6 28. Qe2 Rxe6 29. Qxe6+ Kh8 30. h3 h6 31. Bh4 g5 32. Bg3 Qe8 33. Qxe8 Rxe8 34. Be5 Re6 35. Ra1 Kh7 36. Ra7 Kg6 37. Be4+ 1-0
How to Beat a GM: If I Can Do It, So Can You
[Event "GCS"][Site "GCS"][Date "2006.11.30"][White "MichaelBaron"][Black "Bagheri"][Result "1-0"][WhiteElo "2501"][BlackElo "2344"][TimeControl "900+0"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 g6 3. Bf4 Bg7 4. e3 Nh5 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 d5 7. c3 g5 8. Bg3 Be6 9. Bd3 Nxg3 10. hxg3 c5 11. Nbd2 Nd7 12. O-O c4 13. Bc2 Qb6 14. Rb1 Qa6 15. e4 Qxa2 16. Ba4 dxe4 17. Nxe4 g4 18. Qc2 gxf3 19. Ra1 fxg2 20. Kxg2 Qxa1 21. Rxa1 O-O 22. Qe2 Nb6 23. Bc2 Bd5 24. Kg1 Rfe8 25. f4 e6 26. Nc5 Rec8 27. Be4 Rc7 28. Bxd5 exd5 29. Qg4 Kh8 30. Kf2 a6 31. Re1 Bf8 32. Qf5 Bg7 33. g4 Kg8 34. Re3 Rb8 35. g5 1-0
Fresh from the Internet: How to Crush your opponent with Black Pieces in Less than 20 Moves!
[Event "GCS"][Site "GCS"][Date "2006.11.30"][White "JonHecht"][Black "MichaelBaron"][Result "0-1"][WhiteElo "2000"][BlackElo "2507"][TimeControl "900+0"]
1. f4 e5 2. fxe5 d6 3. exd6 Bxd6 4. Nf3 g5 5. g3 h5 6. d4 f6 7. Bg2 h4 8. gxh4 g4 9. Nfd2 f5 10. Nb3 Qxh4+ 11. Kd2 Nc6 12. Bxc6+ bxc6 13. c3 f4 14. Qc2 Ne7 15. Qe4 Bf5 16. Qg2 f3 17. exf3 gxf3 18. Qf1 f2 19. Na3 Bf4+ 0-1
