Teach Your Girlfriend Chess: She is not going to beat you anyway :).
Chessbase has published an interesting article that discusses sex differences in intellectual performance. The article appears to be dscriminatory towards femail chess players. So let me publish the findings here, and you can deside for yourself whether you would like to agree with them or not:
Men and women differed in chess ability in all age groups even after differences like frequency of play (read: level of training) or age were taken into account. The disparity between men and women in ability exists at the beginning and persists across all age groups.
No greater variance is to be found in men than women – if anything in most age groups women had a higher variance then men.
Women and men do not drop out more or less frequently when ability and age are factored out. For example, if you are not very good at chess you are more likely to stop playing tournaments, but girls and boys that are equally good are equally likely to stop playing. This strikes a blow at the differential dropout hypothesis.
If you look at the participation rate of women and relate that to performance, you find that in cases where the participation rate of women and men is equal the disparity in ability vanishes.
Source: http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=3642
Aeroflot Open 2007: Australians are coming to Moscow!
A number of Australians are planning to come to Moscow (my home city) to take part in the innagural Aeroflot Open (the world's strongest open tournament). The Australian contingent will be led by IM David Smerdon. Fore more information about this wonderful event, check out
www.aeroflotchess.comLets wish our representitives good luck!
WebDesigner Wanted!
I am loking for a webdesigner who would like to get involved in a number of Web Projects on a profit-share basis.
Are you interested? If yes, pls email
webbaron@gmail.com for more information!
MCC Championship is Starting Tonight!
The innaguaral Melbourne Chess Club Championship is starting tonight at 7 pm. It is still not too late to enter this lovely event! The list of participants includes two former Australian champions (Guy West and Doug Hamilton) as well as IM Mirko Rujevic. Unfortunately, I will not be able to participate in the event due to my work commitements. However, I will still be an interested spectator :).
Corus Wijk aan Zee 2007: 3-Way tie for first!
Aronian crushed Tiviakov in the final round to catch up with Radjabov and Topalov. Kramink won a nice attacking game against Van Wely to finish outright 4th.
Final Round 13 Standings Group A: 1. Aronian, Levon g ARM 2744 8.5; 2. Topalov, Veselin g BUL 2783 8.5; 3. Radjabov, Teimour g AZE 2729 8.5; 4. Kramnik, Vladimir g RUS 2766 8.0; 5. Anand, Viswanathan g IND 2779 7.5; 6. Svidler, Peter g RUS 2728 7.0; 7. Navara, David g CZE 2719 6.5; 8. Karjakin, Sergey g UKR 2678 6.5; 9. Ponomariov, Ruslan g UKR 2723 6.0; 10. Motylev, Alexander g RUS 2647 5.0; 11. Tiviakov, Sergei g NED 2667 5.0; 12. Van Wely, Loek g NED 2683 5.0; 13. Carlsen, Magnus g NOR 2690 4.5; 14. Shirov, Alexei g ESP 2715 4.5.
Australian Day Weekender 2007: YAY! I Win!
Australian Day Weekender finished in MCC today. Your truly managed to finish outright first on 6.5/7. Not a bad result, but I am bit sad i stuffed up a nice game against Pecak. Games to follow soon ( I promise). I did enjoy playing so I am looking forward to playing more tournaments in the near future.
Corus 2007: Topalov faulters against Svidler
Round 11 ouf the Corus tournament produced some interesting results. The most surprising of the results was Topalov's loss to Svidler. Topi is still in the lead but he is now a mere half-point ahead of Svidler, Aronian, and Rajabov. That leaves the tournament wide open!
The leading Scores after round 11 are:
1. Topalov 7.5/11 2-4. Rajabov, Svidler, Aronian 7/11 5-6. Kramnik, Anand 6.5/11.
Michael Wei - 2007 Australian Junior Champion!
Congratulations to Michael Wei on winning 2007 Australian Junior Championship. As far as I know, it is his first big result. Lets hope he will have more impressive victoris to add to his record in the near future!
Australian Day Weekender 2007: 4 Way Tie for First
Australian Day Weekender has started in MCC today. After 2 rounds, 4 players (yours truly, Pecak, Savige and Skiotis) are on 2/2. 4 others are on 1.5/2.
I have played a couple of interesting games today. I will publish them with brief annotations in the near future.
Chess: What Do We Learn From It?
Anatoly Karpov's new book is not about chess alone! The title is "Chess and the Art of Negotiation" and the great chess-player is trying to draw a parralel between chess and business. I find such approach extremeley interesting since I always believed that chess can be instrumental in developing one's logical and analythical thinking patterns. The rumour is that Kasparov is also about to release a book of similar nature that will link chess to business! Lets hope it is a strat of a new trend. Who knows, may be one day soon - chess will be tought in business schools around the world!
Ladies First: Pretty girls destroy Super-GMs!
The first round Gibraltar Open brought a number of upsets. The most exiting of those upsets are undoubtly great performances of the female participants against Super-GMs! The ladies sent the top seeds a clear message that they should be taken seriously. :)
Krush (2449) - Akopian (2700)
Gibraltar Masters, 2007.
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 b6 5. Nge2 Ba6 6. a3 Bxc3+ 7. Nxc3 d5 8.Be2 dxc4 9. e4 Nc6 10. Be3 Na5 11. Qc2 O-O 12. Rd1 Nd7 13. h4 Bb7 14. h5 h6 15.Rh3 f5 16. d5 f4 17. Bxf4 exd5 18. Be3 c6 19. exd5 Qe8 20. Rg3 Kh8 21. Ne4 cxd522. Qc3 Ne5 23. Nd6 Qe7 24. Nxb7 Nxb7 25. Rxd5 Rae8 26. f4 Qh4 27. Kf2 Rf5 28.b4 cxb3 29. Bf3 Nc5 30. Bxc5 bxc5 31. Rxe5 Rexe5 32. fxe5 Rg5 33. Bd1 Rxg3 34.Qxg3 Qd4+ 35. Ke1 Qe4+ 36. Kd2 b2 37. Bc2 b1=Q 38. Bxb1 Qxb1 39. Qf4 Qa2+ 40.Ke1 Kg8 41. Qe4 Qxa3 42. Qd5+ Kh8 43. e6 Qe3+ 44. Kd1 c4 45. Qd8+ Kh7 46. e7Qg1+ 47. Kc2 Qxg2+ 48. Kc3 Qf3+ 49. Kb4 a5+ 50. Kc5 Qxh5+ 51. Kc6 Qg6+ 52. Kc7Qg3+ 53. Kc8 1-0.And the following struggle is 100 moves long!
Nakamura - Arakhamia
Gibraltar Masters, 2007.
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Nc3 e5 4. Bc4 Be7 5. d3 Nf6 6. O-O O-O 7. Ng5 h6 8. f4exf4 9. Nh3 Ne5 10. Nxf4 Nxc4 11. dxc4 d6 12. b3 Ng4 13. Nfd5 Bg5 14. Qe1 Bxc115. Rxc1 Be6 16. Qg3 Qg5 17. Rcd1 Rad8 18. h3 Ne5 19. Qxg5 hxg5 20. Nb5 Nc6 21.Ndc7 Bc8 22. c3 g4 23. hxg4 Bxg4 24. Rxd6 a6 25. Rxd8 Rxd8 26. Na3 Rd2 27. Rc1Rxa2 28. Nc2 Ne5 29. Ne3 Be2 30. Ncd5 Bd3 31. Rd1 Bxe4 32. Ne7+ Kh7 33. Kh2 g634. Kg3 Nd3 35. N7d5 Kg7 36. Nf4 Nxf4 37. Kxf4 Bxg2 38. Nxg2 Rxg2 39. Rd6 Rf2+40. Ke4 Rf6 41. Rd1 Rb6 42. Rb1 Rd6 43. Ke5 Rd3 44. b4 cxb4 45. cxb4 f6+ 46.Ke6 Re3+ 47. Kd6 Kf7 48. Rh1 Re6+ 49. Kc7 Rc6+ 50. Kxb7 Rxc4 51. Rb1 f5 52.Kxa6 f4 53. b5 Ra4+ 54. Kb7 Ke6 55. b6 g5 56. Kb8 f3 57. b7 Rf4 58. Re1+ Kf559. Rb1 Rc4 60. Ka8 Ra4+ 61. Kb8 Rc4 62. Ka8 Ra4+ 63. Kb8 Re4 64. Kc7 Re8 65.Rd1 g4 66. Rd8 Rxd8 67. Kxd8 f2 68. b8=Q f1=Q 69. Qc8+ Kf4 70. Qc7+ Kf3 71.Qf7+ Kg2 72. Qd5+ Qf3 73. Qd2+ Kf1 74. Qc1+ Ke2 75. Qc2+ Ke1 76. Kc7 g3 77.Qc1+ Kf2 78. Qd2+ Qe2 79. Qf4+ Kg2 80. Kd6 Qa6+ 81. Kc5 Qa5+ 82. Kc6 Qc3+ 83.Kd6 Kg1 84. Ke6 g2 85. Kf5 Qh3+ 86. Kg5 Kh1 87. Qe4 Qg3+ 88. Kf5 Kg1 89. Qb1+Kh2 90. Qb2 Qh3+ 91. Kf4 Qg3+ 92. Kf5 Qd3+ 93. Kf4 Qd6+ 94. Kg4 Qd7+ 95. Kf4Qc7+ 96. Kg4 Qc8+ 97. Kf3 Qa8+ 98. Kf4 Kh1 99. Qb5 g1=Q 100. Qd5+ Qg2 0-1.
Corus Wijk aan Zee 2007: Topi Dominates!
It finally happened (as expected)! Veselin Topalov is 1 point clear of Radjabov and 1.5 points clear of Aronian, Anand, Kramnik and Svidler with 3 rounds to go. The Bulgarian superstar appeas to be unstoppable!
Round 10 Standings Group A:1. Topalov, Veselin g BUL 2783 7.5; 2. Radjabov, Teimour g AZE 2729 6.5; 3. Aronian, Levon g ARM 2744 6.0; 4. Anand, Viswanathan g IND 2779 6.0; 5. Kramnik, Vladimir g RUS 2766 6.0; 6. Svidler, Peter g RUS 2728 6.0; 7. Ponomariov, Ruslan g UKR 2723 5.0; 8. Karjakin, Sergey g UKR 2678 5.0; 9. Navara, David g CZE 2719 4.5; 10. Motylev, Alexander g RUS 2647 4.0; 11. Tiviakov, Sergei g NED 2667 4.0; 12. Van Wely, Loek g NED 2683 3.5; 13. Carlsen, Magnus g NOR 2690 3.0; 14. Shirov, Alexei g ESP 2715 3.0.
Ian Nepomniachtchi - Remember this name, he will be a superstar one day!
The Chorus tournament boasts big names: Anand, Topalov etc. It can also boast very interesting Group B and Group C events. Group C is being dominated by someone a Russian boy with a long and confusing surname. However, we'd better get used to it and remember the name well! His 8/9 score is simply outstanding!
Round 9 Standings Group C: 1. Nepomniachtchi, Ian m RUS 2587 8.0; 2. Krasenkow, Michal g POL 2651 6.5; 3. Berg, Emanuel g SWE 2586 6.0; 4. Hou Yifan wf CHN 2509 5.5; 5. Bosboom, Manuel m NED 2375 5.0; 6. Spoelman, Wouter m NED 2414 5.0; 7. Negi, Parimarjan g IND 2538 5.0; 8. Van Haastert, Edwin m NED 2391 4.5; 9. Peng Zhaoqin g NED 2431 4.0; 10. Kosintseva, Nadezhda m RUS 2496 3.5; 11. Van der Wiel, John g NED 2511 3.0; 12. Brynell, Stellan g SWE 2501 2.5; 13. Jonkman, Harmen g NED 2425 2.5; 14. Willemze, Thomas m NED 2393 2.0.
What an amazing Defence: Porreca - Bronstein (1954)
In the following game Bronstein played one of the most amazing defensive moves I have ever seen!
Porreca - Bronstein
Belgrade, 1954
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 dxe4 4.Nxe4 Bf5 5.Ng3 Bg6 6.h4 h6 7.Nh3 Bh7 8.Bc4 Nf69.Nf4 Nbd7 10.O-O Qc7 11.Re1 Bg8 !? this is simply amazing! 12.Nd3 e6 13.Bf4 Bd6 14.Bxd6 Qxd6 15.Nf5 Qf8 16.Qf3 O-O-O17.Ng3 Bh7 18.a4 Bxd3 19.Bxd3 Qd6 20.a5 a6 21.Ra3 g5 22.h5 Qf4 23.Qe2 Kc7 24.c3 Rhe825.Ne4 Nxe4 26.Qxe4 Qxe4 27.Bxe4 Nf6 28.Bf3 g4 29.Bd1 Rg8 30.Re5 Rd5 31.Ra4 Rg5 32.Bb3 Rdxe533.dxe5 Nd7 34.Bd1 Nxe5 35.Re4 Rxh5 36.Bxg4 Nxg4 37.Rxg4 Rxa5 38.Rg7 Rf5 39.g4 Rf6 40.Kg2 Kd641.Kg3 e5 42.Rg8 Kd5 0-1.
How Many Days should it take Tournament Organizers to distribute Prize-Money?
It is a common practice for tournament organizers to 'pay-off" the prize winners on the day the tournament ends. However, I am having a very "interesting experience" with one of the major Australian Clubs right now. The tournament finished in November. I was told that they need to pay me by check (even though my prize was only $60 and a week later i got $200 or so cash prize from the same club) and the check is waiting to be signed ...bla...bla..bla....
Last time i visited the club i was told that my check was "in the mail". Now i am wondering if there are any check-eating bugs living in my mailbox Has anyone had similar experiences?
MCC Championship is starting next Monday!
2007 Melbourne Chess Club championship is starting next monday at 7 pm. Entries close at 6 pm The tournament is open to the MCC Members only. The Entree fee is $65/55 (Concession).
No prizes are guaranteed (as always) but the first prize of $500 is expected.
Battle of Generations 2: Bernstein - Najdorf (1954)
And here is another amazing battle of generations. Najdorf who was inside the worlds top 5 in 1954 is getting smashed by Osip Bernstein who was the worlds' oldest active grandmaster at the time!
Bernstein, O. - Najdorf
Montevideo, 1954
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 d6 3.Nc3 Nbd7 4.e4 e55.Nf3 g6 6.dxe5 dxe5 7.Be2 c6 8.O-O Qc79.h3 Nc5 10.Qc2 Nh5 11.Re1 Ne6 12.Be3 Be713.Rad1 O-O 14.Bf1 Nhg7 15.a3 f5 16.b4 f417.Bc1 Bf6 18.c5 g5 19.Bc4 Kh8 20.Bb2 h521.Nd5 cxd5 22.exd5 Nd4 23.Nxd4 exd4 24.d6 Qd725.Rxd4 f3 26.Rde4 Qf5 27.g4 hxg4 28.hxg4 Qg629.Re8 Bf5 30.Rxa8 Rxa8 31.gxf5 Qh5 32.Re4 Qh333.Bf1 Qxf5 34.Rh4+ gxh4 35.Qxf5 Nxf5 36.Bxf6+ Kg837.d7 1-0.
Battle of Generations: Larsen - Gruenfeld (1961)
In the following game Bent Larsen take on Legendary Ernst Gruenfeld, the father of Gruenfeld defence. No wonder, it was difficult for Gruenfeld to hold his own against a super GM who was over 40 years junior to him!
Larsen - GruenfeldHoogvens, 1961
1.g3 d5 2.Bg2 e5 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.O-O Nf6 5.c4 Be7 6.cxd5 Nxd5 7.Nc3 Be6 8.d4 Nxc39.bxc3 e4 10.Nd2 f5 11.Rb1 Na5 12.Rb5 b6 13.Re5 Qd7 14.Nxe4 fxe4 15.d5 Bf7 16.Bg5 O-O17.Rxe7 Qxd5 18.Qxd5 Bxd5 19.Rd1 Bxa2 20.Rdd7 Rf7 21.Rxf7 Bxf7 22.Bxe4 Re8 23.f3 Bg6 24.Bd5+ Kh825.e4 c6 26.Ba2 h6 27.Be3 c5 28.Bd5 Rc8 29.Bf4 Nc6 30.Bxc6 Rxc6 31.Be5 Re6 32.Bxg7+ Kg833.Rxa7 Bf7 34.Bd4 cxd4 35.cxd4 Rd6 36.d5 Bxd5 37.exd5 Rxd5 38.Rb7 Rb5 39.Kg2 Rb2+ 40.Kh3 Kh841.g4 b5 42.Kg3 Kg8 43.h4 Rb4 44.g5 h5 45.f4 Rb3+ 46.Kg2 Rb1 47.Kf3 Rh1 48.Ke4 Rxh449.Kf5 Kf8 50.Rxb5 Kg7 51.Rb7+ Kf8 52.g6 Kg8 53.Kg5 Rg4+ 54.Kh6 Rxf4 55.Rb8+ 1-0.
2007 Australian Junior Championships: Michael Wei is in the lead!
The Aus Junior championships have passed the equator.
Michael Wei is in the lead with the picket fence 6/6 score. He is followed by Chris Wallis, Junta Ikeda and Zhigen Lin who are one point behind on 5/6.
It is also pleasing to see young Melbournians James Morris and Alex Buda performing well above their respective ratings!
One Does not Have to be a Grandmaster to defeat a World Champion 1: I.Ivanov - Karpov (1979)
Chess is a sport so nothing is impossible. In the following game, World Champion is defeated by a National Master (he did become an IM later on in life though).
I. Ivanov - Karpov USSR Team Championship, 1979.
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 a65.Nc3 b5 6.Bd3 Bb7 7.O-O Ne7 8.Kh1 Nbc69.Nxc6 Nxc6 10.Qg4 h5 11.Qe2 Ne5 12.f4 Ng413.Rf3 Qh4 14.h3 Bc5 15.Bd2 g6 16.Raf1 Qe717.a3 f5 18.Re1 Qf8 19.b4 Bd4 20.a4 Rc821.Nd1 Qf6 22.c3 Ba7 23.axb5 axb5 24.exf5 gxf525.Bxb5 Bxf3 26.Qxf3 Rc7 27.c4 Bd4 28.Qd5 Kd829.Qd6 Nf2+ 30.Nxf2 Bxf2 31.Be3 Bxe3 32.Rxe3 Qe733.Qd2 Ke8 34.Qd4 Rg8 35.Qb6 Qg7 36.Qxe6+ Kd837.Qd5 Ra7 38.Rd3 Ra1+ 39.Kh2 Ra2 40.Bc6 Ra741.Qc5 Rc7 42.Qb6 Kc8 1-0.
Do you ever sing during the tournament games?
www.64.ru has published a very interesting article by WGM Anna Burtasova. Anna revealed that she often sings (not outloud though) during tournament games and it helps her to concentrate on the game (hmm..for me it would be rather distracting).
This article has sparkled some debate in the Russian chess press. Suddenly, it is turning out that there are other chess players who also happen to sing during the games as well as players who prefer to recite poetry or solve puzzles. I guess it gives new meaning to the concept of "concentration".
Corus Wijk aan Zee 2007: Strong Players are always lucky!
Teimour Radjabov is in the sole lead with 4.5/5. Anand and Topalov are 2ndEqual on 3.5/5. Teimour got extremely lucky in Round 5 as his position against Novara was completely lost. However, he managed to change the tables with a nice swindle. But the truth could very well be that the strong players are always lucky!
Round 5 Standings Group A: 1. Radjabov, Teimour g AZE 2729 4.5; 2. Anand, Viswanathan g IND 2779 3.5; 3. Topalov, Veselin g BUL 2783 3.5; 4. Aronian, Levon g ARM 2744 3.0; 5. Kramnik, Vladimir g RUS 2766 3.0; 6. Karjakin, Sergey g UKR 2678 2.5; 7. Ponomariov, Ruslan g UKR 2723 2.5; 8. Navara, David g CZE 2719 2.5; 9. Svidler, Peter g RUS 2728 2.5; 10. Motylev, Alexander g RUS 2647 2.0; 11. Van Wely, Loek g NED 2683 2.0; 12. Tiviakov, Sergei g NED 2667 1.5; 13. Carlsen, Magnus g NOR 2690 1.5; 14. Shirov, Alexei g ESP 2715 0.5.
Crazy Gambits: Have you ever tried them out?
In my next life, I will not be a boring positional player! I would like to try out some crazy gambits. So what is the most crazy gambit you have ever played?
Some Gambits have a solid positional basis. For example in Slav Gambit (1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3. Nc3 e6 4. e4 dxe4 5. Nxe4 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 Qxd4 7.Bxb4 Qxe4+) offers white two bishops and control over the center in exchange for two pawns.
Other Gambits are rather tactical (.1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3. Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 g4 5.0-0 gf 6.Bxf7+).
I must admit i am not a "gambit man" I am way too scared to sacrifce material in the opening. Or well, one day i will try!
2007 Australian Junior Championships: 10 Players in the Lead with 3/3
Australian Junior Championships are taking place in Canberra.
After 3 rounds, 10 players are in the lead with a 100% score:
Leading Standings after 3 Rounds:1-10 Harris, Ikeda, Wallis, Schon, Van Dijk, Wei, Tse, Lin, Buda, Donaldson 3/3 11-12. Lazarus, Morris 2.5/3.The biggest "surprise pack" of the event is young Alex Buda from Melbourne who has already defeated to significanlty higher-rated opponents to maintain his clean sheet.
Australian Day Weekender: Special Offer!
If you are taking part in the Australian Day Weekender, feel free to approach me! I will be happy to go through your game at no cost! And yes, its obligation free :).
Corus Wijk aan Zee 2007: Radjabov Leads!
The first super tournament of the year is taking place in Wijk aan Zee, Holland. Teimour Radjabov is in the sole lead with 2.5/3.
Round 3 Standings Group A:1. Radjabov, Teimour g AZE 2729 2.5; 2. Aronian, Levon g ARM 2744 2.0; 3. Anand, Viswanathan g IND 2779 2.0; 4. Navara, David g CZE 2719 2.0; 5. Svidler, Peter g RUS 2728 2.0; 6. Kramnik, Vladimir g RUS 2766 2.0; 7. Topalov, Veselin g BUL 2783 2.0; 8. Karjakin, Sergey g UKR 2678 1.5; 9. Ponomariov, Ruslan g UKR 2723 1.5; 10. Motylev, Alexander g RUS 2647 1.0; 11. Tiviakov, Sergei g NED 2667 1.0; 12. Shirov, Alexei g ESP 2715 0.5; 13. Carlsen, Magnus g NOR 2690 0.5; 14. Van Wely, Loek g NED 2683 0.5.
Australian Chess Tales 2
And here is a story from an MCC allegro tournament. Curiously, the surname of the person i was playing is exactly the same as the surname of the Geelong chess player i was referring to in my first Tale.
I started an allegro game with my king on d8 and queen on e8. after move 4 or so i noticed that my pieces were not set properly and tried to fix the descrepancy. To my great surprise my opponent (who was desperate to win $10 prize) claimed that if the pieces are set incorrectly and more than 3 moves have been played we had to continue the game with the king on d8 and queen on e8). I was not sure what the rule was (and the tournament arbiter was one of those typical Auzzie arbiters who does not know the rules and the rules do not know him ), so anyway...i had to continue the game with my king on d8....and this was two knights defence....So i was a pawn down with a king in the center about to get mated.This ba...rd immediately offered a draw....cause he was still not sure if he can beat me from that position. i was really furious. To me, it was a cause of bad sportsmanship. So i refused the draw offer and told him (hey i was only 20 or so at the time and far more emotional in my responses than i am now). That he is a f..ing loser who sleeps on the street and that i am going to f..him, f...his position and..ff........).
Anyway, the game continued and tried harder than i ever try against Rogers and Johansen and won! That was one of my sweetes victories ever!As for the K on d8, it had to go to c7,b6, a5, a6, back to b6, a7, b8.After this it was fully safe Of course it could have got mated during this lovely trip..but who cares!
Australian Chess Tales 1
Some years ago, I was playing in Geelong Open. In Round 2 I was paired against a local 1700 rated player (pls do not confuse him with his MCC namesake). As the game progressed, my opponent started dropping pieces one after the other. I was patiently waiting for his resignation..but it never came.I was a little bit annoyed and after the game was completed, I could not help pointing out to him that in some positions "there is really little if any point in playing on"!
To which my oponent replied: " I know it, but i paid $40 entry fee. so by making a greater number of movies on the chessboard, i am getting better value for money" :).
Australian Day Weekender: See You There!
Melbourne Chess Club Australia Day Weekender6th, 27th and 28th January
1st $300 2nd $200 3rd $100 (Based on 40 entrees)
Entry fee: $55 full, $45 concession, $25 u/18, less $10 MCC Members.
The are already a number of confirmed entries including myself!
MCC January 2007 Invitational:Final Scores
MCC January Invitational Tournament has ended today. Unlike the Aus Masters, the tournament ran smoothly. There were no withdrawals and all the games were played on time.
Jesse Jager "blitzed" the field to score 10/11. Malcolm Pyke finished second on 9/11/.
Final Scores:
1. Jager 10/11 2. Pyke 9/11 3. Lindberg, D. 7.5/11 4. Voon 7/11 5. Morris, J. 6.5/11 6. Davis, T. 6/11 7. Raine 5.5/11 8. Stewart 4/5/11 9. Antolis 3/11 10-11. Szuveges, N. Wyss 2.5/11 12. Beattie 2
2007 Australian Junior Championship is starting in Canberra
The 2007 Australian Junior Championship is starting in Canberra today. Hopefully, the tournament will become a "showcase" for the new wave of talented auzzie chess players. The tournament's games and scores can be found at:
http://www.actjcl.org.au/ausjuniors2007/bulletins.php
Australian Open2006/2007: Final Scores
Congratulations to the IM Zong-Yuan Zhao on winning the event!
Final scores:
1. IM Zhao 9.5/11
2. GM Rogers 9/11
3-4 GM Bluvinstein, GM Johansen 8.5/11
5 GM Antic 7.5/11
6-8 IM Rujevic, FM Goldenberg, Tredinnick 7/11
Queen vs. Knight ..and the Struggle Goes on: Stead-Baron (2007)
Queen vs. knight is usually a decisive material advantage. In the following game, I had to play very accurately to convert my extra queen.
Stead -BaronCantebury Open, 2007
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 e6 5. Bg5 Qa5!? 6. Bxf6 gxf6 7. e3 a6 8. cxd5 cxd5 9. Qa4+ Nc6 10. Qxa5 Nxa5 11. Bd3 Bd7 12. 0-0 Bd6 13. Rfc1 f5 14. Ne5 Bxe5 15. dxe5 Rac8 16. Ne2 Ke7 17. Nd4 Nc4 18. Bxc4 Rxc4 19. Rxc4 dxc4 20. Rc1 Rc8 21. Kf1 b5 22. Ke2 Rc5 23. f4 Bcc8 24. b4 cxb4 25. Nxb3 Rxc1 26. Nxc1 Bb7 27. g3 Bd5 28. Kd3 Kd7 29. Kd4 Kc6 30. Nd3 a5 31. a3 h6 32. Nc5 b4 33. axb4 axb4 34. Nd3 Kb5 35. Nb2 Be4 36. g4 Bc2 37. gxf5 exf5 38. Kd5 b3 39. Kd6 Be4 40. Ke7 Bd5? - no need to hold on to the f7 pawn. I should have simply focused on queening my b pawn. After this mistake, black's position is still winning but he has got to be accurate!
41. Kf6 Be6 42. h4 Kb4 43. h5 Kc3 44. Na4+ Kc2 45. Kg7 Bd7 46. Nc5 b2 47. Nd7 b1Q 48. Nxf7 Qb7 49. e6 Kd2 50. Kf6 Kxe3 51. Kxf5 Qe4+ 52. Kf6 Qxf4+ 53. Ke7 Kd4 54. Nf6 Qg5 0-1.
MCC January Invitational: Leading Scores
MCC January invitational is taking place at Melbourne Chess Club. The tournament is a 12 player round robin.
Leading Scores After 7 rounds:
1. Jager 6/7
2. Pyke 5.5/7
3. Voon 5/7
It is very pleasing to see Cedric Antolis, a 12-year-old "Melbourne Chess Club-bred" junior scoring 50% so far despite being the bottom seed. All of Cedric's opponents outrate him by 300 points or more but it does not seem to stop him from playing good chess!
Even Simple Positions Are Sometimes not that Simple! 1
In the following study, there are only 6 pieces on the board (kings included). In fact, there are 2 kings and 4 pawns and no "heavy artillery". However, the position is far from being simple :).
N. Grigoriev (1937)
W. Ka6, pp. g2, h2.
B. Ka2, pp. g5, h6.
White to Move and Win!
When i saw this position for the first time, I felt that there must be some mistake (typo) in the chess book. The position looked dead drawn. It took me a while to find the winning plan!
1. g4! - fixing Black's pawn structure 1... Ka3! 2. Ka5! - maintaining the opposition 2...Ka2 3. Kb6! Kb3 4. Kb5! - now the White's plan is becoming transparent. 4...Kb2 5. Kc6 Kc3 6. Kc5 Kc2 7. Kd6 Kd3 8. Kd5 Kd2 9. Ke6 Ke3 10. Ke5 Ke2 11. Kf6 Kf3 12. Kf5 Kg2 13. Kg6 - the King's journey to the Kingside is over and white wins. 1-0.
This is How "Modern Chess" Started Out!: Reti - Capablanka (1924)
Today, it is quite common for chessplayers to adopt a "hyper-modern" playing style. But where does this style come from? The first hyper-modern game every played is below! Needless to say, it has brought Richard Reti world-wide acclaim cause his new strategy was sufficient to defeat Capablanca!
Reti - Capablanca
New York, 1924
1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. b4 Bg7 4. Bb2 O-O 5. g3 b6 6. Bg2 Bb7 7. O-O d68. d3 Nbd7 9. Nbd2 e5 10. Qc2 Re8 11. Rfd1 a5 12. a3 h6 13. Nf1 c5 14.b5 Nf8 15. e3 Qc7 16. d4 Be4 17. Qc3 exd4 18. exd4 N6d7 19. Qd2 cxd420. Bxd4 Qxc4 21. Bxg7 Kxg7 22. Qb2+ Kg8 23. Rxd6 Qc5 24. Rad1 Ra7 25.Ne3 Qh5 26. Nd4 Bxg2 27. Kxg2 Qe5 28. Nc4 Qc5 29. Nc6 Rc7 30. Ne3 Ne531. R1d5 1-0.
Leko Wins ACP World Cup!
Peter Leko defeated Vassily Ivanchuk in te final of the ACP World Cup at Odessa Ukraine. Both rapid games were drawn and so was the first blitz game. However, in the 2nd blitz game, Leko crushed Ivanchuk's Alekhine's Defence convincingly
Canterbury Summer Open 2007: The most spectacular game
And here is the most spectacular game of the event!
H. Liston - R. VijaykumarCanterbury Open, 2007.
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. a4 Bf5 6. Ne5 Nbd7 7. Nxc4 Qc7 8. g3 e5 9. dxe5 Nxe5 10. Bf4 Nfd7 11. Bg2 g5 12. Ne3 gxf4 13. Nxf5 Ng6 14. 0-0 0-0-0 15. Qc2 fxg3 16. hxg3 h5 17. Rfc1 Kb8 18. a5 h4 19. a6 hxg3 20. Nxg3 Nf4 21. Nb5 Qb6 22. axb7 Nxg2 23. Kxg2 Rh2+! a nice way to finish this sharp struggle!
24. Kxh2 Qxf2+ 25. Kh3 Bd6 26. Nxd6 Rh8+ 27.Kg4 Ne5 + 28. Kg5 f6x.
ACP World Cup: Semifinals Today!
ACP World Cup that is currenctly taking place in Odessa, Ukraine has reached semifinal stage.
1/4 results:
Leko-Rublevsky 1-0 1-0
Shirov-
Gelfand 0-1 1/2
Morozevich-
Radjabov 0-1 1/2
Bacrot-
Ivanchuk 1/2 0-1
The semifinal pairings are:
Leko - Gelfand
Ivanchuk - Radjabov
Canterbury Summer Open 2007: Final Leading Scores
Canterbury Summer Open has concluded today. It resulted in a 5-way tie for first between IM Leonid Sandler, FM Michael Baron (thats me!), Sam Chow, Chris Wallis and Sheng Lee. We finished on 5/6 and collected $300 each.
Some games from the event are to follow!
Canterbury Summer Open 2007
Canterbury Summer Open has started today. Organisers have done a good job to attract 76 entries! It is particularly pleasing to see a lot of juniars participating. Unfortunately impressive turnout did not promt the organizers to increase the prize fund. Less then 50% of the entry fees collected appear to be going towards the prize fund.
I did not have a chance to "get my hands on" any of the games by other participants so here is my game from the 2nd round.
Bekker, G. - Baron, M.Canterbury Open, 2007.
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Nf3 e6 5. Bg5 dxc4 6. e4 b5 - Botvinnik Variation is one of the sharpest lines in the Slav Defence. It requires both sides to play accurately.
7. e5 h6 8. Bh4 g5 9. Nxg5 hxg5 10. Bxg5 Nbd7 11. exf6 Bb7 12. Be2 - 12. g3 is more common and is regarded as the main line.
12...Qa5 13. 0-0 0-0-0 14. Bf3 Nc5 15. Qd2 Nd3 16. Be3 Qc7 17. g3 c5! - now white's position is falling apart!
18. Bxb7+ Qxb7 19. dxc5?? Ne5 20. Qe2 Nf3+ 0-1.
Who Will Become Australia's next GM?
Who will become Australia's next GM? In the Past, I would bet all my money on David Smerdon but now I am not so sure. IM Zhao has come out of "semi-retirement" to play a tournament of his life and is about to secure his first GM norm at the Australian Open in Canberra. Lets wish him good luck!
ACP World Cup is Starting Today!
ACP (Professional Chess Players Associations) World Cup is starting today in Odessa, Ukraine.
The participants are:
Alexander Morozevich (Russia), Peter Leko (Hungary), Boris Gelfand (Israel), Teimour Radjabov (Azerbaijan), Alexei Shirov (Spain), Etienne Bacrot (France), Sergey Rublevsky (Russia), Evgeny Bareev (Russia), Arkadij Naiditsch (Germany), Pentala Harikrishna (India), Ivan Sokolov (Netherlands), Victor Bologan (Moldova), Hikaru Nakamura (USA), Farrukh Amonatov (Tajikistan), Vasily Ivanchuk (highest rated Ukrainian Grandmaster) and Ilia Smirin (Israel). you can follow the games live at:
http://worldcup.pivdenny.com/en/
Positional Queen Sacrifice: Nezhmetdinov-Chernikov (1962)
Positional Queen sacrifices are few and far between. But here is one!
Nezhmetdinov - Chernikov (USSR, 1962)1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. Nc3 Bg7 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Bc4 O-O 8. Bb3 Ng4 9. Qxg4 Nxd4 10. Qh4 Qa5 11. O-O Bf6 12. Qxf6 Ne2+ 13. Nxe2 exf6 14. Nc3 Re8 15. Nd5 Re6 16. Bd4 Kg7 17. Rad1 d6 18. Rd3 Bd7 19. Rf3 Bb5 20. Bc3 Qd8 21. Nxf6 Be2 22. Nxh7+ Kg8 23. Rh3 Re5 24. f4 Bxf1 25. Kxf1 Rc8 26. Bd4 b5 27. Ng5 Rc7 28. Bxf7+ Rxf729. Rh8+ Kxh8 30. Nxf7+ Kh7 31. Nxd8 Rxe4 32. Nc6 Rxf4+ 33. Ke2 1-0.
Australian Open 2006/2007: No Major Upsets
The 2006/2007 Australian Open is taking place in Canberra. Unfortunately (Or fortunately for the favorites) no really major upsets have taken place. Zhao and Rogers share the lead with 5.5/6 a clear point ahead of the rest of the field. The remaining GMs (Bluvinstein, Johansen and Antic) are all on 4.5/6.
GM Bagheri starts a new Blog!
French/Iranian GM Amir Bagheri has just started a new blog:
http://amirbagheri.freehostia.com . Hopefully, we will see a lot of interesting articles there.
Are you Feeling to Shy to come to my House?
When i started with the chess coaching, I have coached majority of my students online. However, it is getting to the point when "face-to-face" chess lessons appear to constitute over 60% of the total number of lessons delivered weekly.
I live in Caulfield South (3162) Initially, I have planned to deliver my lessons from my home only. However, some students have been "too shy" to come to my house. Seriously speaking, While I do live quite close to the City (20 min by train) not everyone enjoys travelling in the evening or on weekends.
The good news is that if you live in the other side of the town, we can arrange for chess lessons to be delivered at my Office (CBD Location) or at MCC.
So do not be too shy!
Join me at 2007 Canterbury Summer Open
Yes, Chess is addictive!
I will spend my next weekend playing in the 2007 Canterbury Summer Open. Feel free to join me over there :). Also feel free to discuss all your chess coaching needs in-between my games (pls pls pls do not "jump on me" while i am thinking over my moves :) ).
You can enter the tournament online at:
http://www.boxhillchess.org.au/e2007/e0701cso/entry.htm.
Moro's Boo Boo: Morozevich - Yakovenko (2007)
Can you imagine a super GM stuffing up a simple engame? Well, nothing is impossible :).
Morozevich - Yakovenko (2007)W. Kg4, Qg3.
B. Kh1, Rh2.
This position is simple. White is on a way to an easy victory. With 4 pieces left on the board, little can go wrong. However, Morozevich lets the win to slip through his fingers.
111.Kf3? Rf2+! 112.Ke3 Re2+! 113.Kd3 Rd2+! 1/2:1/2.
Famous Opening Traps 1: Mating the Caro-Kann
The following mating trick is quite famous.
1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nbd7 5. Qe2 Ngf6?? - This obvious move is a horrible blunder!
6. Nd6x 1-0.
