Improve Your Chess!

Blunders: Where do they come from?

2007-04-26T08:33:00.000+10:00

Where do blunders come from? If only one could scan his brain and eliminate the "blunder gene" completely! My Anzac Day Weekender ended with a "tragedy". I blundered a piece in one move in a completely winning position.

Does it mean i should get disillusioned in chess? I do not think so. I guess I should be humble instead and simply accept that blunders are part of the game..same as brilliancies :).

Australian Day Weekender Day1: It is Clear that Nothing is Clear!

2007-04-21T23:31:00.000+10:00

The Aus Day Weekender attracted a small but compact field. Top 5 seeds are all rated above 2100. Lets see what is going to happen tomorrow.

City of Melbourne Open 2007: What a strong field!

2007-04-17T22:45:00.000+10:00

City of Melbourne Open started last Monday at MCC. The field is quite compact but very strong. It includes 2 IMs (Guy West and Mirko Rujevic) 1 FM (Doug Hamilton) and a number of other strong players (Malcolm Pyke, Jesse Jegger, Panno Skiotis). Lets see who wins! :)

Battle of the FMs: A Positional Sacrifice

2007-04-17T22:02:00.000+10:00

In the following game black made two concequtive pawn sacrifices..simply to gain some positional benefits.

[Event "GCS"][Site "GCS"][Date "2007.04.17"][White "SirPacMan"][Black "MichaelBaron"][Result "0-1"][WhiteElo "2216"][BlackElo "2305"][TimeControl "180+0"]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 O-O 5. f3 d6 6. Be3 Nc6 7. Qd2 e5 8. d5 Nd4 9. Nge2 Nxe2 10. Bxe2 Nh5 11. g4 Nf4 12. Bxf4 exf4 13. Qxf4 c5 14. h4 b5 15. cxb5 a6 16. bxa6 Bxa6 17. Bxa6 Rxa6 18. g5 Qb6 19. Qd2 Rb8 20. Rh2 Be5 21. Rg2 Qb4 22. a3 Qc4 23. Rc1 Rab6 24. Ne2 Qa6 25. b4 cxb4 26. axb4 Rxb4 27. Rf2 Rb2 28. Rc2 Qa1+ 29. Nc1 Bg3 30. Kd1 Bxf2 31. Qxf2 Rxc2 32. Qxc2 Qd4+ 33. Qd3 Qg1+ 34. Kc2 Rc8+ 35. Kb3 Qxc1 36. e5 Rb8+ 0-1.

Australian Day Weekender: April 21-22 at MCC

2007-04-14T17:06:00.000+10:00

An innagural Weekend tournament will be taking place at the MCC next weekend. I am not 100% sure that i will be free to play (due to the work committements) but hopefully, i will make it.

Please note that the tournament has been registered as a GP event this year!

Rogers Wins Doebrl Cup!

2007-04-10T15:55:00.000+10:00

Australian Grandmaster Ian Rogers scored an outright victory at the innagural Doebrl Cup in Canberra. Ian finished on 6/7 half a point ahead of David Smerdon, Steven Solomon and Gary Lane. It was very pleasing to see the Australians finish the tournament ahead of visiting overseas stars!

Portish at his Best: Portish-Petrosian (1967)

2007-04-07T15:54:00.000+10:00

[Event "It"]
[Site "Moscow"]
[Date "1967.??.??"]
[EventDate "?"]
[Round "?"]
[Result "1-0"]
[White "L Portisch"]
[Black "T Petrosian"]
[ECO "D13"]
[WhiteElo "?"]
[BlackElo "?"]
[PlyCount "48"]

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. cxd5 cxd5 4. Nc3 Nf6 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. Bf4 e6 7. e3 Bd6
8. Bg3 O-O 9. Bd3 Re8 10. Ne5 Bxe5 11. dxe5 Nd7 12. f4 Qb6 13. O-O Qxe3+
14. Kh1 Qb6 15. Qh5 Nf8 16. Rf3 Ng6 17. Bf2 Qd8 18. Nb5 Nce7 19. Nd6 Bd7
20. Bh4 Qb6 21. Rh3 h6 22. Bf6 Qxb2 23. Rf1 Nf5 24. Bxf5 1-0.

Lajos Portish - 70!

2007-04-07T15:49:00.000+10:00

Lajos Portish, famouse Hungarian grandmaster selebrated his 70th birthday a couple of days ago. Lets wish him many happy returns ..and many happy chess games to come!

An Exiting Finish: Another Internet Blitz Game

2007-04-05T14:15:00.000+10:00

The following game was played with a 3/0 time control. It is obviously full of mistakes but White's sacrificial play is exiting to watch i guess .

[Event "GCS"][Site "GCS"][Date "2007.04.05"][White "MichaelBaron"][Black "eceprof"][Result "1-0"][WhiteElo "2377"][BlackElo "2065"][TimeControl "180+0"]
1. c4 e6 2. Nc3 d5 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nf3 Bb4 5. Bg5 Nbd7 6. e3 c6 7. Bd3 dxc4 8. Bxc4 Qa5 9. O-O Bxc3 10. bxc3 Ne4 11. Bh4 Qxc3 12. Rc1 Qa5 13. Qc2 Ndf6 14. Ne5 O-O 15. Bd3 Nd6 16. Bxf6 gxf6 17. Bxh7+ Kg7 18. f4 Rh8 19. Rf3 Rxh7 20. Rg3+ Kh8 21. Ng6+ fxg6 22. Qxg6 Qd8 23. e4 Bd7 24. Rc5 Qf8 25. Rh5 Qf7 26. Rxh7+ Qxh7 27. Qxf6+ 1-0.

MCC Championship 2007: Mirko Rujevic and Richard Voon Tie for First

2007-04-03T19:25:00.000+10:00

MCC (Melbourne Chess Club) Championship has ended in a tie for first between Mirko Rujevic and Richard Voon. Its worth noting that both players are over 60 years of age! It shows that age is clearly no obstacle for preserving one's chess strength.

MCC Committee promises to organize an exiting play-off for the title in the near future.

David Smerdon Scores his Second GM Norm in Thailand!

2007-04-03T18:59:00.000+10:00

Finally, this long awaited news has arrived! David Smerdon scored his Second GM norm at Thailand Open in Bangkok. Now, he is required to score his third and final Norm + get his Fide rating above 2500 to qualify for the GM title.

What Does it Take to Beat a World Champion: I. Ivanov - Karpov (1979)

2007-04-01T07:39:00.000+10:00

In the following game, an "ordinary" master crushes the World Champion with a powerful attack.

Ivanov, I. - Karpov

USSR, 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.

The April 2007 Fide List is Out!

2007-03-31T22:13:00.000+10:00

Well, no major changes to the rating list have take place. Rogers, Zhao, Johansen and Smerdon are still at the top of list!

Special Deal for Melbourne Chess Players!

2007-03-30T15:01:00.000+10:00

Online chess lessons are fun..but not quite as much fun as face-to-face ones!

Thus, I decided to introduce a special Deal for the Melburnians. You can get a 2 hr introductory lesson for the price of an 1 hour lesson!

Hurry Up! The offer expires on April, 30th.

Amber 2007: Kramnik Wins!

2007-03-30T14:57:00.000+10:00

Final Round 11 Standings:

Blindfold 1. Kramnik, Vladimir g RUS 2766 9.0; 2. Morozevich, Alexander g RUS 2741 7.0; 3. Gelfand, Boris g ISR 2733 7.0; 4. Ivanchuk, Vassily g UKR 2750 6.5; 5. Svidler, Peter g RUS 2728 6.5; 6. Aronian, Levon g ARM 2744 6.0; 7. Radjabov, Teimour g AZE 2729 5.0; 8. Anand, Viswanathan g IND 2779 5.0; 9. Carlsen, Magnus g NOR 2690 4.0; 10. Leko, Peter g HUN 2749 4.0; 11. Van Wely, Loek g NED 2683 3.5; 12. Vallejo Pons, Francisco g ESP 2679 2.5.

Rapid 1. Anand, Viswanathan g IND 2779 8.5; 2. Kramnik, Vladimir g RUS 2766 6.5; 3. Carlsen, Magnus g NOR 2690 6.5; 4. Leko, Peter g HUN 2749 6.5; 5. Ivanchuk, Vassily g UKR 2750 6.5; 6. Aronian, Levon g ARM 2744 6.0; 7. Svidler, Peter g RUS 2728 5.5; 8. Gelfand, Boris g ISR 2733 4.5; 9. Morozevich, Alexander g RUS 2741 4.5; 10. Radjabov, Teimour g AZE 2729 4.0; 11. Vallejo Pons, Francisco g ESP 2679 4.0; 12. Van Wely, Loek g NED 2683 3.0.

Combined 1. Kramnik, Vladimir g RUS 2766 15.5; 2. Anand, Viswanathan g IND 2779 13.5; 3. Ivanchuk, Vassily g UKR 2750 13.0; 4. Svidler, Peter g RUS 2728 12.0; 5. Aronian, Levon g ARM 2744 12.0; 6. Morozevich, Alexander g RUS 2741 11.5; 7. Gelfand, Boris g ISR 2733 11.5; 8. Carlsen, Magnus g NOR 2690 10.5; 9. Leko, Peter g HUN 2749 10.5; 10. Radjabov, Teimour g AZE 2729 9.0; 11. Vallejo Pons, Francisco g ESP 2679 6.5; 12. Van Wely, Loek g NED 2683 6.5.

Melbourne Chess Club Championship 2007: An exiting last round to look forward to

2007-03-28T16:47:00.000+10:00

The MCC championship has come to an exiting finish (possibly the most exiting finish in years). 4 (or possibly 5 depending on the outcome of the postponed game) players are going into the last round on 6/8. Thus, the tournament's outcome is anybody's guess.

Jagger, Hamilton, Rujevic and Skyotis are on 6/8. Richard Voon is on 5/7 and has a postponed game against someone rated below him. Some of the pre-tournament favorites like Guy West and Malcolm Pyke appear to be out of contention for the top spot.

Sydney International: 140 Entries Recieved!

2007-03-28T16:43:00.000+10:00

The field for the Sydney International Chess Tourament (www.chessaustralia.com.au/open) has been been growing like mushrooms after a rain. There are now 140 entries (including 9 GMs) in the field.

Luckily for the male participants, the field includes a number of extremely attractive female players.

Hope against Hope: A Miraculous Escape!

2007-03-26T23:50:00.000+10:00

In the following chess problem, white finds a miraculous escape out of a seemingly hopless position.

G.Zakhodiakin

1930

W. Ka2, Bf8, Ne5, pp. g5, g6.

B. Kh8, Nf5, pp. h7, f2.

White to move and draw.

When your position appears to be in such a miserable state, do not you feel like resigning? Hang on! You can actually draw it, believe it or not :).

1. g7! Nxg7 2. Nf7+ Kg8 3. Bc5! f1Q 4. Nh6+ Kh8 5. Bd6! with a draw!

Amber 2007: Kramnik is still in the lead

2007-03-25T21:39:00.000+10:00

Vladimir Kramnik maintans his lead at the Amber 2007. However, the struggle for first is still very close!

Round 7 Standings:

Blindfold 1. Kramnik, Vladimir g RUS 2766 6.5; 2. Gelfand, Boris g ISR 2733 5.0; 3. Ivanchuk, Vassily g UKR 2750 4.5; 4. Svidler, Peter g RUS 2728 4.5; 5. Morozevich, Alexander g RUS 2741 3.5; 6. Radjabov, Teimour g AZE 2729 3.5; 7. Anand, Viswanathan g IND 2779 3.0; 8. Aronian, Levon g ARM 2744 3.0; 9. Leko, Peter g HUN 2749 3.0; 10. Carlsen, Magnus g NOR 2690 2.5; 11. Van Wely, Loek g NED 2683 1.5; 12. Vallejo Pons, Francisco g ESP 2679 1.5.

Rapid 1. Anand, Viswanathan g IND 2779 5.5; 2. Aronian, Levon g ARM 2744 5.0; 3. Ivanchuk, Vassily g UKR 2750 5.0; 4. Kramnik, Vladimir g RUS 2766 4.0; 5. Morozevich, Alexander g RUS 2741 3.5; 6. Carlsen, Magnus g NOR 2690 3.5; 7. Leko, Peter g HUN 2749 3.5; 8. Svidler, Peter g RUS 2728 3.0; 9. Radjabov, Teimour g AZE 2729 2.5; 10. Gelfand, Boris g ISR 2733 2.5; 11. Vallejo Pons, Francisco g ESP 2679 2.5; 12. Van Wely, Loek g NED 2683 1.5.

Combined 1. Kramnik, Vladimir g RUS 2766 10.5; 2. Ivanchuk, Vassily g UKR 2750 9.5; 3. Anand, Viswanathan g IND 2779 8.5; 4. Aronian, Levon g ARM 2744 8.0; 5. Svidler, Peter g RUS 2728 7.5; 6. Gelfand, Boris g ISR 2733 7.5; 7. Morozevich, Alexander g RUS 2741 7.0; 8. Leko, Peter g HUN 2749 6.5; 9. Carlsen, Magnus g NOR 2690 6.0; 10. Radjabov, Teimour g AZE 2729 6.0; 11. Vallejo Pons, Francisco g ESP 2679 4.0; 12. Van Wely, Loek g NED 2683 3.0.

8th Poikovsky Karpov tournament: The Siberian Chess Party is over!

2007-03-25T21:19:00.000+10:00

The 8th Karpov tournament ended in a convincing victory for Dmitry Jakovenko.

Final Round 9 Standings:

1. Jakovenko, Dmitry g RUS 2691 6.0; 2. Onischuk, Alexander g USA 2663 5.0; 3. Alekseev, Evgeny g RUS 2661 5.0; 4. Bologan, Viktor g MDA 2658 5.0; 5. Istratescu, Andrei g ROM 2619 4.5; 6. Rublevsky, Sergei g RUS 2677 4.5; 7. Dreev, Alexey g RUS 2658 4.0; 8. Sutovsky, Emil g ISR 2629 4.0; 9. Tkachiev, Vladislav g FRA 2649 3.5; 10. Zhang Pengxiang g CHN 2643 3.5.

Lasker's Most Spectacular Win: Lasker-Bauer (1889)

2007-03-24T17:03:00.000+11:00

Emmanuel Lasker is rightfully regarded as one of the greatest chess-players of all times. After all, he was the World Champion for 27 years! So far, noone else managed to surpass this outstanding achievement of his. However, his most famous game was played when he was 21 years of age and his great victories were still to come.

Lasker - Bauer

Amsterdam, 1889

1.f4 d5 2.e3 Nf6 3.b3 e6 4.Bb2 Be75.Bd3 b6 6.Nc3 Bb7 7.Nf3 Nbd7 8.O-O O-O9.Ne2 c5 10.Ng3 Qc7 11.Ne5 Nxe5 12.Bxe5 Qc613.Qe2 a6 14.Nh5 Nxh5 15.Bxh7+ Kxh7 16.Qxh5+ Kg817.Bxg7 Kxg7 18.Qg4+ Kh7 19.Rf3 e5 20.Rh3+ Qh621.Rxh6+ Kxh6 22.Qd7 Bf6 23.Qxb7 Kg7 24.Rf1 Rab825.Qd7 Rfd8 26.Qg4+ Kf8 27.fxe5 Bg7 28.e6 Rb729.Qg6 f6 30.Rxf6+ Bxf6 31.Qxf6+ Ke8 32.Qh8+ Ke733.Qg7+ Kxe6 34. Qxb7 Rd6 35. Qxa6 d4 36. exd4 cxd4 37. h4 d3 38. Qxd3 1-0.

Chess Logo Competition

2007-03-24T10:31:00.000+11:00

GM Baggeri has recently announced start of his "Chess Logo" competition. The winner's logo will serve as the official logo of the Chess Website and Playing Zone that are currently under development! The first prize is a beautifully crafted chess set. Interesed? Please drop me a line for more info.

An opening for all seasons: 1.e4 e5 2.d4!?

2007-03-22T23:31:00.000+11:00

I have spent today's afternoon on a long chess lesson with a student of mine. During the lesson, we were examining sharp and original positions arising out of the extremely sharp but yet rare Central Opening (1.e4 e5 2.d4!?). The student was facinated...and so was I :).

Shortly after the lesson, I tried the Central Opening in an internet allegro game.

[Event "GCS"][Site "GCS"][Date "2007.03.22"][White "MichaelBaron"][Black "Petrosk"][Result "1-0"][WhiteElo "2399"][BlackElo "2067"][TimeControl "900+0"]

1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Qxd4 Nc6 4. Qe3 b6 5. Nc3 Bb7 6. Bc4 Nf6 7. e5 Bc5 8. Qf4 Qe7 9. Nf3 O-O 10. O-O Nh5 11. Qe4 Na5 12. Bd5 c6 13. Bb3 Nxb3 14. axb3 f5 15. Qc4+ Qe6 16. Rd1 Rfd8 17. Bg5 d5 18. Qh4 Qe8 19. Bxd8 Rxd8 20. Rxa7 Rb8 21. Qg5 b5 22. Raa1 g6 23. Qd2 Ng7 24. h4 Ne6 25. Re1 Kg7 26. Ne2 Qe7 27. Nf4 h6 28. b4 Bxb4 29. Nxe6+ Kh7 30. c3 Bxc3 31. Neg5+ hxg5 32. Nxg5+ Kg8 33. Qxc3 c5 34. Ra7 d4 35. Qb3+ c4 36. Qxb5 Qc7 37. e6 Qc6 38. Rxb7 Qxb7 39. Qxb7 Rxb7 40. e7 1-0.

want to know more about resuts of the great tournaments from the past? then visit www.chessmetrics.com

2007-03-21T20:40:00.000+11:00

I have recently stumbled across www.chessmetrics.com and it turned out to be a great website! It contains all the tournament results since 1850's or so as well as "historical ratings" that enable chess fans worldwide to compare chess players from different genrations. This is truly an amazing website!

Who is Australia's Greatest Chess-Player ever?

2007-03-21T20:27:00.000+11:00

There is a big debate going on at http://chesschat.org. The debate is about determining Australia's strongest chess player of all times and it has sparcled a lot of controversy. There are about as many different oppinions as there are participants to the debate.

In my opinion, the title of the "strongest Australian chess-player ever" should be awarded to Lajos Steiner. Back in 1927-1930, he was rightfully considered as a "World's top 10" player. It is thrilling to think that an Australian chessplayer was taking part (and fairly successfully) in the very same events as Alekhine, Capablanca, Rubinstein and other great champions.

Amber 2007

2007-03-20T00:54:00.000+11:00

Round 2 Standings:
Blindfold:
1. Kramnik, Vladimir g RUS 2766 2.0; 2. Morozevich, Alexander g RUS 2741 1.5; 3. Aronian, Levon g ARM 2744 1.5; 4. Svidler, Peter g RUS 2728 1.5; 5. Ivanchuk, Vassily g UKR 2750 1.5; 6. Gelfand, Boris g ISR 2733 1.0; 7. Vallejo Pons, Francisco g ESP 2679 1.0; 8. Anand, Viswanathan g IND 2779 1.0; 9. Leko, Peter g HUN 2749 0.5; 10. Carlsen, Magnus g NOR 2690 0.5; 11. Radjabov, Teimour g AZE 2729 0.0; 12. Van Wely, Loek g NED 2683 0.0.

Rapid
1. Aronian, Levon g ARM 2744 2.0; 2. Anand, Viswanathan g IND 2779 1.5; 3. Ivanchuk, Vassily g UKR 2750 1.5; 4. Kramnik, Vladimir g RUS 2766 1.5; 5. Morozevich, Alexander g RUS 2741 1.0; 6. Carlsen, Magnus g NOR 2690 1.0; 7. Gelfand, Boris g ISR 2733 1.0; 8. Leko, Peter g HUN 2749 1.0; 9. Radjabov, Teimour g AZE 2729 0.5; 10. Svidler, Peter g RUS 2728 0.5; 11. Vallejo Pons, Francisco g ESP 2679 0.5; 12. Van Wely, Loek g NED 2683 0.0.

Combined
1. Aronian, Levon g ARM 2744 3.5; 2. Kramnik, Vladimir g RUS 2766 3.5; 3. Ivanchuk, Vassily g UKR 2750 3.0; 4. Morozevich, Alexander g RUS 2741 2.5; 5. Anand, Viswanathan g IND 2779 2.5; 6. Gelfand, Boris g ISR 2733 2.0; 7. Svidler, Peter g RUS 2728 2.0; 8. Leko, Peter g HUN 2749 1.5; 9. Carlsen, Magnus g NOR 2690 1.5; 10. Vallejo Pons, Francisco g ESP 2679 1.5; 11. Radjabov, Teimour g AZE 2729 0.5; 12. Van Wely, Loek g NED 2683 0.0.

Student Files: Update

2007-03-18T10:41:00.000+11:00

Last night, a chess student of mine who is rated in the 700s was playing an experience 2265-rated FM. Unfortunately, he lost in the end. However, he did manage to give the Master a very good game.

Well done!

Noble Park CC Championship: A Cut-Throat Competition

2007-03-18T10:36:00.000+11:00

Noble Park CC championship turned out to be one of the strongest club tournaments in Australia. There are an IM and 2 FMs as well as a bunch of upcoming juniors participating. After 5 rounds, there is a 5-way tie for first between the Stojic brothers, Lin, Rujevic and Dizdarevic. The joint leaders are on 4/5. FM Jesse Sales is on 3.5/5 and is tracing the leaders by o.5. FM Abdulwahab Rashid is on 3/5 and is equal 7th with 6 others.

Speed Up, My Friend! : The new Fide Time Control is Announced

2007-03-17T14:28:00.000+11:00

Fide has just announced introduction of a new time control to be used in the official FIDE events. Believe it or not, it is going to be 1 hr/per game plus 10 seconds/per move. ...

What can I say... Introduction of this new time control is going to mean the end of the classical chess the way we know it! From my personal prospective, I have no reason to be sad. After all, I play fairly fast! Also, the new time limit will almost certainly make the top level chess more spectacular than it is now. However, quality of the chess games played is about to become a secondary factor.

8th Poikovsky Karpov Tournament

2007-03-16T22:51:00.000+11:00

A strong 10-player round robin has started at a small (but rich!) Siberian town of Poikovsky.

Round 1 Standings:
1. Jakovenko, Dmitry g RUS 2691 1.0; 2. Dreev, Alexey g RUS 2658 0.5; 3. Istratescu, Andrei g ROM 2619 0.5; 4. Onischuk, Alexander g USA 2663 0.5; 5. Rublevsky, Sergei g RUS 2677 0.5; 6. Sutovsky, Emil g ISR 2629 0.5; 7. Tkachiev, Vladislav g FRA 2649 0.5; 8. Zhang Pengxiang g CHN 2643 0.5; 9. Alekseev, Evgeny g RUS 2661 0.5; 10. Bologan, Viktor g MDA 2658 0.0.

Happy Birthday, Veselin

2007-03-16T00:01:00.000+11:00

Veselin Topalov is celebrating his birthday today. In my opinion, Topalov is the one of the most brilliant players ever. Fellow grandmasters who say that he is a computer-cheat are simply envious of his great talent!

Good News! My student beats someone rated 800 points above him!

2007-03-15T23:53:00.002+11:00

Some good news have just arrived from sunny queensland. My 700-rated student has won a tournament game against someone rated 1500! Good on you, Victor! Keep up the good work!

Chess-Players: Are They Sane?

2007-03-14T16:36:00.000+11:00

I have noticed that quite a large percentage of chess-players have some form of mental sickness or disorder. I am wondering if chess can be regarded as a 'contributing factor" for these disorders to develop. Otherwise, it could be an indicator of chess players being "superspecial". After all, intellectuals always have more mental problems than others :).

The Battle of the World Champions: Berliner-Fisher (1957)

2007-03-13T23:21:00.000+11:00

How relevant are correspondence chess achievements in evaluating one's chess strength? The vast majority of the world's top correspondence players have been at least Master strength at the OTB events!
In the following game, 14 yo Robert Fisher (future world champion) faced Hans Berliner, future correspondence chess world champion.

Berliner - Fisher

New-York State Championship, 1957

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 e5 6. Nge2 O-O 7. Be3 c68. d5 cxd5 9. cxd5 Ne8 10. Qd2 f5 11. O-O-O Nd7 12. Kb1 Nef6 13. Nc1fxe4 14. fxe4 Ng4 15. Bg1 Bh6 16. Qe1 Nc5 17. Nd3 Nxd3 18. Bxd3 Bd719. Bb5 Bxb5 20. Nxb5 a6 21. Na3 Rc8 22. h3 Nf6 23. Be3 Bxe3 24. Qxe3Qa5 25. Rhe1 b5 26. Rc1 Qa4 27. Nc2 Rf7 28. a3 Rfc7 29. Nb4 Rxc1+30. Rxc1 Rxc1+ 31. Qxc1 a5 32. Qc8+ Kg7 33. Qc7+ Kh6 34. Qc1+ g5 35. h4Nxe4 36. Nc6 b4 37. Qe1 bxa3 38. hxg5+ Kg7 39. Nxa5 a2+ 40. Ka1 Nc541. b4 Nb3+ 42. Nxb3 Qxb3 43. Qe4 Kg8 44. g6 h6 45. Qf5 Qxd5 46. Qd7 Kf847. b5 Qd1+ 48. Kxa2 Qa4+ 49. Kb2 Qb4+ 50. Kc2 Qc5+ 51. Kb3 Qd5+ 52. Ka3e4 53. Qh7 Qd3+ 54. Ka4 Qd4+ 55. Ka5 Qa1+ 56. Kb6 Qf6 57. Kc7 Qg7+1/2-1/2.

Sydney International: Looking Forward to the strongest tournament to take place in Australia ever!

2007-03-12T13:37:00.000+11:00

Sydney International appears to be living up to the expectations. So far, 82 chess-players have entered already and the field includes 10 GMs, 9 IMs and countless FMs :). The tournament is to take place in Sydney early in April.
For more information, visit www.chessaustralia.com.au

Computers are Laughing at us: Rybka crushes GM Ehlvest in a Handicap Match

2007-03-12T13:25:00.000+11:00

A match between GM Ehlvest (World championship candidate and one on the world's top Grandmasters in the late 80's). and Rybka has taken place in New Jersey, USA. GM Ehlvest was given a pawn handicap in each and every one of the 8 games played. The match outcome turned out to be devastating for the human kind!

Rybka won 5.5:2.5 (+4-1=3). So is there any point in playing computers?

Australia's Chess Beauty Queen is back!

2007-03-11T17:46:00.000+11:00

This year' Ballarat Begonian Open is indeed a special event! WIM Katrin Aladjova-Wills - Australia's most beautiful female chess player ever is making her comback to competitive chess. Lets wish Katrin good luck with the tournament and hope that she will play in many more Australian events.

Morelia-Linares 2007: The Chess Party is Over!

2007-03-11T17:42:00.000+11:00

The innagural Morelia-Linares chess tournament has just finished in Linares, Spain. Vish Anand was successful in holding on to his lead till the very end!

Final Round 14 Standings:

1. Anand, Viswanathan g IND 2779 8.5; 2. Carlsen, Magnus g NOR 2690 7.5; 3. Morozevich, Alexander g RUS 2741 7.5; 4. Aronian, Levon g ARM 2744 7.0; 5. Svidler, Peter g RUS 2728 7.0; 6. Ivanchuk, Vassily g UKR 2750 6.5; 7. Topalov, Veselin g BUL 2783 6.0; 8. Leko, Peter g HUN 2749 6.0.

Beating the Great: Bologan - Anand (2003)

2007-03-10T20:59:00.000+11:00

Even the world's strongest players are mortal! Vishy Anand is currently leading 2007 Morelia-Linares tournament with 1 round to go. However, even the best of us are "capable" of playing badly every now and then. In the following game, Anand is getting crashed comprehensively!

Bologan - Anand

Dortmund, 2003

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bf5 5. Ng3 Bg6 6. h4 h6 7. Nf3 Nd7 8.h5 Bh7 9. Bd3 Bxd3 10. Qxd3 Ngf6 11. Bf4 e6 12. O-O-O Be7 13. Kb1 Qa5 14.Ne5 Rd8 15. Qe2 O-O 16. Ng6 Rfe8 17. Nxe7+ Rxe7 18. Rd3 Ree8 19. Rhd1 Qd520. Rg1 b5 21. Qd2 a5 22. Ne2 b4 23. g4 Ne4 24. Qe3 Ng5 25. Rc1 Nb6 26. b3a4 27. Bc7 Qa5 28. f4 Nh7 29. g5 hxg5 30. fxg5 Rd7 31. Bxb6 Qxb6 32. Rg1axb3 33. cxb3 Qa5 34. g6 fxg6 35. hxg6 Nf6 36. Rg5 Rd5 37. Re5 Ng4 38. Rxe6Rf8 39. Qh3 Nh6 40. Rxc6 Rdf5 41. d5 1-0.

The Server is Back to normal!

2007-03-09T11:02:00.000+11:00

There have been some "service outages" on the USChessLive Chess Server (the server that i am using for my online chess lessons). The good news is that things appear to be getting back to normal and the server is accessible at all times once again!

Is this the Best Game Ever Played?: Botvinnik - Capablanca (1938)

2007-03-09T10:45:00.000+11:00

Some years ago, a Dutch Television Show surveyed its viewers about the best game of chess ever played. The game below was voted as the best game ever! Is it really that great? Feel free to judge for yourself!

Botvinnik-Capablanca

Avro-Tournament

Amsterdam, 1938

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 d55.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 c5 7.cxd5 exd5 8.Bd3 O-O9.Ne2 b6 10.O-O Ba6 11.Bxa6 Nxa6 12.Bb2 Qd713.a4 Rfe8 14.Qd3 c4 15.Qc2 Nb8 16.Rae1 Nc617.Ng3 Na5 18.f3 Nb3 19.e4 Qxa4 20.e5 Nd721.Qf2 g6 22.f4 f5 23.exf6 Nxf6 24.f5 Rxe125.Rxe1 Re8 26.Re6 Rxe6 27.fxe6 Kg7 28.Qf4 Qe829.Qe5 Qe7 30.Ba3 Qxa3 31.Nh5+ gxh5 32.Qg5+ Kf833.Qxf6+ Kg8 34.e7 Qc1+ 35.Kf2 Qc2+ 36.Kg3 Qd3+37.Kh4 Qe4+ 38.Kxh5 Qe2+ 39.Kh4 Qe4+ 40.g4 Qe1+41.Kh5 1-0.

Should chess be encouraged at all Times?

2007-03-09T00:10:00.000+11:00

I have cought some of my students playing chess on the internet during university tutorials. While I always encourage people (students included) to persue chess, in this particular instance - I had to put an end to their chess activities. Sad, isn't it?

Chess Website: Anyone interested?

2007-03-07T10:41:00.000+11:00

I have been thinking for some time about developing an e-commerce friendly chess website (since there are not many commercial chess sites around). Any interested Web developers out there?

Ballarat Begonia Open 2007: A Gentle Reminder

2007-03-07T10:15:00.000+11:00

Just a gentle reminder to the Blog's readers that Ballarat Begonia Open is taking place this weekend in Ballarat School of Mines. It has established itself as one of Australia's biggest weekend tournaments.

So do not miss it!

The birth of the variation: Capablanca - Marshall (1918)

2007-03-06T17:24:00.000+11:00

Marshall attack in Ruy Lopez is arguably one of the most facinating opening lines. It has been around for nearly 90 years, but it is yet to go out of fashion.

The following game is of historic significance as it has given birth to the variation.

Capablanca - Marshall

New York, 1918.

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 O-O 8.c3 d59.exd5 Nxd5 10.Nxe5 Nxe5 11.Rxe5 Nf6 12.Re1 Bd6 13.h3 Ng4 14.Qf3 Qh4 15.d4Nxf2 16.Re2 Bg4 17.hxg4 Bh2+ 18.Kf1 Bg3 19.Rxf2 Qh1+ 20.Ke2 Bxf2 21.Bd2 Bh422.Qh3 Rae8+ 23.Kd3 Qf1+ 24.Kc2 Bf2 25.Qf3 Qg1 26.Bd5 c5 27.dxc5 Bxc5 28.b4Bd6 29.a4 a5 30.axb5 axb4 31.Ra6 bxc3 32.Nxc3 Bb4 33.b6 Bxc3 34.Bxc3 h635.b7 Re3 36.Bxf7+ 1-0.

It is easy to get carried away: Alpen - Michael Baron (2007)

2007-03-05T22:22:00.000+11:00

In the following Internet blitz game, National master from Island got carried away with his attack. I think this game is a very good illustration of how it is possible to overpress in a simple position.

[Event "GCS"][Site "GCS"][Date "2007.03.05"][White "alpen"][Black "MichaelBaron"][Result "0-1"][WhiteElo "2195"][BlackElo "2399"][TimeControl "300+0"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. h3 f6 6. O-O Be6 7. Qe2 Qd7 8. Rd1 O-O-O 9. d3 Bc5 10. Be3 Bxe3 11. Qxe3 Ne7?!! - an interesting provocation. White is invited to pentrate black's position with his Queen.

12. Qa7 Qd6 13. Qa8+?! Kd7 14. Qxb7?? Ra8 15. Nbd2 Rhb8 16. Nc4 Rxb7 17. Nxd6 cxd6 18. b3 Kc7 19. d4 Bf7 20. c4 c5 21. dxe5 dxe5 0-1.

Morelia-Linares 2007: Anand and Carlsen are still in the Lead

2007-03-04T22:36:00.000+11:00

Anand and Carlsen are still sharing the lead at the Linares super tournament. 16 year-old Carlsen appears to be extremely lucky to be holding on to his lead. His play is far from perfect and all of his victories have been scored when his opponents overpressed in promising positions. Or well, this is the treatment underdogs get from the established chess gurus.

Round 9 Standings:

1. Anand, Viswanathan g IND 2779 5.5; 2. Carlsen, Magnus g NOR 2690 5.5; 3. Ivanchuk, Vassily g UKR 2750 5.0; 4. Aronian, Levon g ARM 2744 4.5; 5. Svidler, Peter g RUS 2728 4.5; 6. Topalov, Veselin g BUL 2783 4.0; 7. Leko, Peter g HUN 2749 3.5; 8. Morozevich, Alexander g RUS 2741 3.5.

From Bill Jordan "With Love"

2007-03-04T00:41:00.000+11:00

The following simple but instructive position was shown to me by Bill Jordan at Melbourne Chess Club today.

W. Kg8, p. a2.
B. Kg6, p. a3.

White to move and Draw.

1. Kf8? loses. However, 1. Kh8! draws.

Ballarat Begonia Open 2007: Do not Miss one of the Biggest Weekenders of the Year!

2007-03-02T23:25:00.000+11:00

41st Ballarat Begonia Open will take place in Ballarat School of Mines, March 10 - 12 2007.

This tournament promises to be build on the success of previously held tournaments and is growing in popularity every year.Due to the increasing number of entries received for the tournament in recent years, it is proposed to utilise accelerated pairings in the early rounds, at the discretion of the arbiter.Refreshments and light snacks will be available at the tournament canteen. Neat casual dress is considered desirable, and NO SMOKING is permitted within the tournament building.

Prizes
Open +Rating Groups (3 sections)

Note: all prizes are guaranteed!

MCC Grand Scandal: What happened at Melbourne Chess Club?

2007-03-02T23:21:00.000+11:00

There is currently a grand scandal going on at Melbourne Chess Club. Scott Stewart (the Club's Tournament Organizer) has been accused of stealing funds from the MCC and expelled from the club. The details are yet to be confirmed!

What is Happening with the World Championship?

2007-03-01T23:24:00.000+11:00

Fide is changing the World Championship rules at the "speed of light". During his last press-conference, Illumzhinov announced that if Kramnik fails to win the next world championship tournament that is planned to take place in Mexico at the end of this year, he will be entitled to challenge the tournament's winner to a title match.

Simply Amazing!

2007 South European Championship: Atalik wins

2007-03-01T23:12:00.000+11:00

2007 South European championship has just ended in France. The tournament was won by Suat Atalik from Turkey. Silva went to Manuel Apicella from France, with Bronze goin to Selim Belhodia from Tunisia. Congratulations to all the prize winners!

How to Beat Korchnoi in 13 moves: Morozevich-Korchnoi (2004)

2007-02-28T17:50:00.000+11:00

Even the greatest chess players have their "days off". It is hard to imagine someone as great as Korchnoi losing in 13 moves only at a prestigious team event. However, "sh..t happens" :(.

Morozevich - Korchnoi

Calvia, 2004

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. d3 b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 7. Nc3 d6 8.Nd5 Ng4 9. O-O Na5 10. Bg5 f6 11. Bd2 Nxb3 12. axb3 c6 13. Ba5 1-0.

Melbourne Chess Club Championship 2007: The Battle of the Generations!

2007-02-27T21:03:00.000+11:00

MCC championship has passed the half-way mark. It is extremely pleasing to see both "the young and the old" contesting the championship. After 5 rounds, the tournament is led by a teenager (Jesse Jager) and a 60 yo pensioner (Mirko Rujevic) and they are breaking away from the middle-aged participants. Thus, the tournament results prove once again that chess tournaments can be contested (successfully!) at any age!

Julio Granda-Zuniga Turns 40!

2007-02-26T22:11:00.000+11:00

Julio Granda-Zuniga the strongest Peruvian chess-player ever is turning 40 today. Julio is arguably one of the greatest chess talents ever born! He was raised on a farm and never got any formal chess schooling. However, it has not prevented him from becoming the strongerst South American player of the 1990's.

Happy Birthday, Julio!

Morelia-Linares 2007: Anand and Carlsen are sharing the Lead.

2007-02-26T21:58:00.000+11:00

The first half of the Morelia-Linares tournament is over. Now the participants are moving from Mexico to Spain. Surpisingly, young Magnus Carlsen is still in the lead (it is indeed surprising given that he is the bottom seed). Anand managed to catch up with him after his hard-fought victory over Leko (at one stage, Leko held a clear advantage).

Progress scores after 7 rounds:

1-2. Carlsen, Anand 4.5/7. 3. Ivanchuk -4/7 4-5. Aronian, Svidler - 3.5/7 6-7. Topalov, Leko 3/7 8. Morozevich - 2/7.

My Student's Chess Blog

2007-02-25T23:11:00.000+11:00

Chess Blogging is becoming a popular passtime. I guess it is not only the chess skill that i am passing on to my students but also passion for blogging.

One of my students has just started a chess blog of his own: http://tamang902.blogspot.com/. Lets wish him good luck with it. Hopefully, his blog will develop at the same fast pace that his chess is developing at!

Playing to your opponent's strength: Smyslov - Tal (1964)

2007-02-24T20:46:00.000+11:00

When you meet an opponent whose chess style is contrasting to yours, you should be prepared to fight on the "enemy's territory". When you see the following game, you will probably feel that there was a mistake with the players' names. Tal (a tactical genious) gets Smyslov (endgame guru) into a "boring" endgame and outplays him comprehensively.

Tal - Smyslov

Moscow, 1964

1. c4 g6 2. Nc3 Bg7 3. g3 c5 4. Bg2 Nc6 5. b3 e6 6. Bb2 Nge7 7. Na4Bxb2 8. Nxb2 O-O 9. e3 d5 10. Nf3 Nf5 11. O-O b6 12. Na4 Bb7 13. cxd5exd5 14. d3 Qf6 15. Qd2 Rad8 16. Rfd1 Rfe8 17. Rab1 Nd6 18. Ne1 d4 19.e4 Qe7 20. Nc2 f5 21. exf5 Ne5 22. f4 Nf3+ 23. Bxf3 Bxf3 24. Re1 Qe225. Rxe2 Rxe2 26. Qxe2 Bxe2 27. Nb2 gxf5 28. Re1 Bh5 29. Nc4 Nxc4 30.bxc4 Re8 31. Kf2 Rxe1 32. Kxe1 Kf8 33. Kd2 Ke7 34. Ne1 a6 35. a4 a536. Kc2 Be8 37. Kb3 Bc6 38. Ka3 Kf6 39. Kb3 Kg6 40. Ka3 Kh5 41. h3 Kg642. Kb3 Kg7 43. Ka3 Kf6 44. Kb3 Be8 45. Ng2 Bh5 46. Kc2 Be2 47. Ne1 Bf148. Nf3 Bxh3 49. Ng5 Bg2 50. Nxh7+ Kg7 51. Ng5 Kg6 52. Kd2 Bc6 53. Kc1Bg2 54. Kd2 Kh5 55. Ne6 Kg4 56. Nc7 Bc6 57. Nd5 Kxg3 58. Ne7 Bd7 59.Nd5 Bxa4 60. Nxb6 Be8 61. Nd5 Kf3 62. Nc7 Bc6 63. Ne6 a4 64. Nxc5 a365. Nb3 a2 66. Kc1 Kxf4 67. Kb2 Ke3 68. Na5 Be8 69. c5 f4 70. c6 Bxc671. Nxc6 f3 72. Ne5 f2 0-1.

Aeroflot Open 2007: Alekseev wins

2007-02-24T00:39:00.000+11:00

Aeroflot Open proved to be a major break-through for young chess starts from developing countries.

The tournament's top division was won by 2006 Russian champion Evgeny Alekseev who finished on 7/9, half-point ahead of 4 other young players - 2 from Russia and 2 from China.

Australia's David Smerdon scored respectable 4.5/9 in the A2 division.

Planning Chess Lessons: Who is the Boss?

2007-02-22T20:42:00.000+11:00

I had a very interesting discussion with one of my online (he is based in USA) students. He was a little bit worried about the rate at which his chess is progressing and he was suggesting his own "study schedule" for us to follow. So who should determine the study areas for chess lessons? Is it the students' job or is it something the coach needs to look into?

In my opinion, there are two aspects of the problem:

A) Identifying the weaknesses to work on - this is something the student and the coach need to work together on

and

B) Establishing the "action plan" to address those weaknesses/training needs

The question is, should the coach determine what the action plan should focus on or should the student develop his "action plan" by himself and ask the coach for validation and support?

Capablanca's Last Great Victory: Capablanca - Golombek (1939)

2007-02-21T17:04:00.000+11:00

Capablanca - Golombek

Margate, 1939

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 d5 5. cxd5 exd5 6. Bg5 c67. e3 Nbd7 8. Bd3 h6 9. Bh4 O-O 10. Nf3 Re8 11. O-O Be712. Bg3 Nf8 13. h3 Be6 14. Rab1 Nh5 15. Bh2 g6 16. Ne5 Ng717. b4 Bf5 18. Na4 Bxd3 19. Qxd3 Nd7 20. Rfc1 Nxe5 21. Bxe5Bd6 22. Bxd6 Qxd6 23. b5 cxb5 24. Qxb5 Ne6 25. Nc3 Red826. Qxb7 Qa3 27. Nxd5 Qxa2 28. Nb4 Qa4 29. Nc6 1-0.

To quote Golombek: " It was a unique feeling of helplessness. Of course, I knew very well I was outclassed not only by him but also by all the other seven world champions against whom I have played. But at least when I played them I had the feeling (often illusory) that there was at least a chance for me, possibly to draw and even, on rare occasion, to win. In the game with Capablanca there was no such feeling. Even my first move looked a little suspect to me!"

Who is the strongest chess player of all times?

2007-02-21T16:50:00.000+11:00

There have been an ongoing debate about the relative strength of chessplayers coming from different generations. No wonder! It is hard to compare Tal's tactical jenious with Capablanca's endgame technique. Besides, every single world champion has been a 'giant of thought" in his own right.

Majority of the chessplayers believe that the two greatest chess-players ever are Garry Kasparov and Bobby Fisher. As far as I am concerned, Kasparov and Alekhine (at his best) are the greatest. After all, Their domination over their contemporaris has been simply amazing.

Chess and Meditation

2007-02-20T21:10:00.000+11:00

I have been practicing meditation for some time now and i feel that it really helps me to "pull myself together" and concentrate. I wonder if I could improve my chess results by meditation during tournament games. I do not see any reason why it should be disallowed so i will try it next time I am playing a tournament game.

So if you are my next opponent, Beware!

Morelia-Linares 2007: Anand and Ivanchuk are in the Lead.

2007-02-20T20:50:00.000+11:00

Vishi Anand and Vassily Ivanchuk are sharing the lead with 2/3. Topalov is (surprisingly) on 1/3 only. Despite the large number of draws, few of the games have been boring.

Scores after 3 rounds:

1-2. Anand, Ivanchuk - 2/3 3-6. Aronian, Leko, Svidler, Carlsen - 1.5/3. 7-8. Morozevich, Topalov - 1.

What is the Worst Chess Book you have ever read?

2007-02-19T09:39:00.000+11:00

Some time ago, I have published a list of book that I feel are essential for all the chess players to read. Today, i would like to go to another extreme and talk about chess books that are completely useless (and yes - there are many of those).

The book I am holding in my hands right now is "Basic Chess" by David Clemence. The books is written very poorly and lacks clear logic as well as good games (most of the games that the author uses to illustrate his points have been selected rather poorly) but surely it is not the worst chess book ever!

Aeroflot Open 2007: Change of Guard

2007-02-19T09:23:00.000+11:00

And Surprises continue! After 5 rounds, the main section is led by Stanislav Novikov - a little known Moscow Grandmaster. Stanislav's Fide rating is 2535 only and he is seeded 75th! It is hard to imagine him holding on to his lead..but you never know.

Leading Scores after 5 rounds:

1. Novikov - 4.5/5 2-4. Jakovenko, Alekseev, Tomashevsky - 4/5.

It is worth noting that all 4 of the leaders are representatives of the "new wave" of the Russian Chess School. It is good to see the new generation of Russian chess players replacing the old guard successfully.

The Echo of Linares 1: Karpov - Topalov (1994)

2007-02-18T14:39:00.000+11:00

Now that Morelia-Linares tournament has started, it is about time we recall some of the great games played in Linares over the years!

Karpov - Topalov

Linares, 1994

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. Nf3 cxd4 4. Nxd4 e6 5. g3 Nc6 6. Bg2 Bc5 7. Nb3Be7 8. Nc3 O-O 9. O-O d6 10. Bf4 Nh5 11. e3 Nxf4 12. exf4 Bd7 13. Qd2Qb8 14. Rfe1 g6 15. h4 a6 16. h5 b5 17. hxg6 hxg6 18. Nc5 dxc5 19. Qxd7Rc8 20. Rxe6 Ra7 21. Rxg6+ fxg6 22. Qe6+ Kg7 23. Bxc6 Rd8 24. cxb5 Bf625. Ne4 Bd4 26. bxa6 Qb6 27. Rd1 Qxa6 28. Rxd4 Rxd4 29. Qf6+ Kg8 30.Qxg6+ Kf8 31. Qe8+ Kg7 32. Qe5+ Kg8 33. Nf6+ Kf7 34. Be8+ Kf8 35. Qxc5+Qd6 36. Qxa7 Qxf6 37. Bh5 Rd2 38. b3 Rb2 39. Kg2 1-0.

Linares Starts Tonight!

2007-02-17T23:22:00.000+11:00

The innagural Linares supertournament is starting tonight. The event is 8 player double round-robin featuring Anand, Topalov, Svidler, Leko, Aronian, Ivanchuk, Morozevich and Carlsen. I hope that Topalov (my sentimental favorite) is going to do well!

Melbourne Chess Club Allegro: 2007 Season has started!

2007-02-17T22:08:00.000+11:00

The first Allegro of the 2007 has taken place today.

The results are:
1. Baron 6.5/7 2. Pecak 6/7 3. D. Lindberg 5.5/7.

Phillippines Open: Another strong Asian event

2007-02-16T11:30:00.000+11:00

The $40,000 Philippine International Open and Philippine International Challenge are scheduled 10-20 April 2007 in Subic, Olongapo City, National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) president Prospero Pichay (photo) announced. The resort venue gives participants the chance to combine a chess and beach holiday.

I guess it is a good tournament for Auzzie chess tourists to consider. It is taking place shorty after completion of the Thailand Open. I am very pleased to see that number of good tournaments in Asia is increasing.

Aeroflot Open 2007: 7 joint leaders on 2/2

2007-02-16T11:18:00.000+11:00

Aeroflot Open, the world's strongest open tournament is taking place in Moscow. The depth of the field is simplying amazing! Vallejo is on 0/2 and he is playing Lahno! Many 2600+ GMs are under the 50% mark.

The 7 joint leaders so far are: Predojevic, Areshnenko, Tomashevsky, Ganguly, Novikov, Minasian and Hou Yafan 2/2. We should particularly admire Hou's performance. This little Chinese girl crushed two 2600+ GMs! Hopefully, her impressive play will continue throughout the tournament.

What's a Queen Between Friends: Tal - Hecht (1962)

2007-02-15T20:03:00.000+11:00

Games involving qeen sacrifice are always special, arent' they?

Tal - Hecht

Varna, 1962

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.Nc3 Bb45.Bg5 Bb7 6.e3 h6 7.Bh4 Bxc3+ 8.bxc3 d69.Nd2 e5 10.f3 Qe7 11.e4 Nbd7 12.Bd3 Nf813.c5 dxc5 14.dxe5 Qxe5 15.Qa4+ c6 16.O-O Ng617.Nc4 Qe6 18.e5 b5 19.exf6!! - A generous and spectacular queen sacfice!

19... bxa4 20.fxg7 Rg821.Bf5 Nxh4 22.Bxe6 Ba6 23.Nd6+ Ke7 24.Bc4 Rxg725.g3 Kxd6 26.Bxa6 Nf5 27.Rab1 f6 28.Rfd1+ Ke729.Re1+ Kd6 30.Kf2 c4 31.g4 Ne7 32.Rb7 Rag833.Bxc4 Nd5 34.Bxd5 cxd5 35.Rb4 Rc8 36.Rxa4 Rxc337.Ra6+ Kc5 38.Rxf6 h5 39.h3 hxg4 40.hxg4 Rh741.g5 Rh5 42.Rf5 Rc2+ 43.Kg3 Kc4 44.Ree5 d445.g6 Rh1 46.Rc5+ Kd3 47.Rxc2 Kxc2 48.Kf4 Rg149.Rg5 1-0.

Happy Valentine's Day to all the Chess Players and "Chess Widows'!

2007-02-14T20:12:00.000+11:00

Happy Valentine's day to all chess players and their partners! My thoughts are with the "chess widows" who tolerate their partners' obsession with chess!

Saturday Allegro is Back!

2007-02-14T19:44:00.000+11:00

Good news for the speed chess affectionados! Melbourne Chess Club Saturday Allegro is back! The tournaments will take place every saturday at 2pm. The Entry fee is $5 for MCC members and $10 for non-members. The top 3 prizes ($30, $20 and $10 respectively).

See ya there!

Online Lessons: My highest "Performance Rating" Ever!

2007-02-13T12:15:00.000+11:00

This week, I have 12 online lessons scheduled! If all of the lessons go ahead, it is going to be my "personal best" in online lesson delivery! Let the productivity grow!

Aeroflot Open Starts in Moscow Today!

2007-02-13T12:00:00.000+11:00

Aeroflot Open starts in Moscow today. You can follow the even (including live game transmissions from top boards) at www.aeroflotchess.com. There are 3 Australians participating in the event (including David Smerdon) so lets wish them Good Luck...and title norms. Aeroflot Open is well known for its title norm opportunities. In the past 5 years, 97 players managed to score title norms at this wonderful event! It must be the most "norm-productive" event in the history of chess!

Rooks Do not Matter! : Gaprindashvili - Servati (1974)

2007-02-12T18:37:00.000+11:00

In the following game is a good example of "punishing chess". Black got carried away with his plan and comletely missed White's mating attack!

Gaprindashvili - Servati

Dortmund, 1974

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 g65.c4 Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Nc3 Ng4 8.Qxg4 Nxd49.Qd1 e5 10.Nb5 O-O 11.Be2 Qh4 12.Nxd4 exd413.Bxd4 Qxe4 14.Bxg7 Qxg2 15.Qd4 Qxh1+ 16.Kd2 Qxa117.Qf6 1-0.

Wow, That was quick, wasn't it?

Turkey: The Chess Capital of the World!

2007-02-12T18:17:00.000+11:00

From January 28 to February 3rd the Turkish Youth Championship with 1300 participants was held in Antalya. We could only wish for 1300 participants at Australian Junior Championships! I wonder if this was an absolute record for junior tournaments! Well done, Turkey!

MCC Thursday Night Tournaments

2007-02-11T18:02:00.000+11:00

Check this out: there is a new even on the Melbourne Chess Club Calendar!

Where: 66 Leicester Street, Fitzroy 3065 ( Melways Map 2C, A5)Time Control: 60 minutes + 60 seconds\move

Schedule of Play
Thursday 22nd FebruaryEntries close: 6.30 pmRound 1 7.30 pm
Thursday 1st MarchRound 2 7.30 pm
Thursday 8th MarchRound 3 7.30 pm
Thursday 15th MarchRound 4 7.30 pm
Thursday 22nd MarchRound 5 7.30 pm

Entry fee: $45 working, $35 non-working, less $10 MCC members
Contact: Melbourne Chess Club on 9416 3149 or
Club Secretary, Malcolm PykePhone: 0408 150196
email:familypyke@optusnet.com.au

I am still deciding whether i should be participating in this event or not.

Fide to Investigate Topalov?

2007-02-11T17:59:00.000+11:00

There have been some accusations made against Veselin Topalov (the world's highest rated grandmaster) that he somehow (not clear how) communicates with his coach and Manager IM Silvio Danailov and recieves some valuable help :). These accusations bring a smile on my face. To me, it looks like Kramnik and Co, (and Fide is fully on Kramnik's side these days) are simply trying to eliminate an important competitor in their quest to maintain the Chess Crown!

Averbakh in Australia

2007-02-10T11:13:00.000+11:00

It has been brought to my attention that GM Averbakh who celebrated his 85th birthday earlier on this week has in fact visited Australia back in 1960 and has taken part (off contest) in the Australia championship.

In the following game, he crushed one of our top players.

Averbakh - Geus

Australian Championship, 1960

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Bg5 dxe4 5.Nxe4 Be7 6.Bxf6 Bxf67.Nf3 Nd7 8.c3 O-O 9.Qc2 b6 10.O-O-O a5 11.h4 Qe7 12.Nfg5 g613.f4 Bb7 14.h5 Bxe4 15.Nxe4 c5 16.hxg6 fxg6 17.d5 exd518.Rxd5 Rae8 19.Bc4 Kg7 20.Bb5 Rd8 21.g4 Qe6 22.Rd6 Qxg423.Bxd7 Rxd7 24.Rxf6 Re8 25.Rxb6 Qxf4+ 26.Nd2 Re2 27.Rxh7+Kxh7 28.Qxg6+ Kh8 29.Qh5+ Rh7 30.Qxe2 1-0.

Yuri Averbakh - 85

2007-02-09T02:45:00.000+11:00

Yuri Averbakh - a well known endgame specialist, chess author and grandmaster is celebrating his 85th birthday anniversary!

Averbakh was one of the participants in the famouse Candidates Tournament in Zurich in 1953. However, his biggest success came a year later when he won 1954 USSR championship 1.5 points clear of Korchnoi and Taimanov and 2 points clear of Korchnoi!

In the 1956 USSR championship, Averbakh managed to tie for first with Spassky and Taimanov ahead of Tal, Korchnoi, Polugoevsky, Boleslavsky and many other strong players.

Despite his outstanding health (he is still a very active person), Averbakh retired from compatitive chess relatively early in order to focus on writing books as well as chess administration duties. It turned out to be a very wise move that brought him a lot of recongition in the chess community. Today, GM Averbakh is running his own internet School of chess and he is editor-in-chief of "Chess in Russia" - on of the world's best know chess journals!

My Personal Best!

2007-02-08T02:16:00.000+11:00

Today I have played 69 2/0 games against Rook37 at the UsChessLive chess server. The result was +67 = 2 - 0. Given that my opponent's blitz rating i around 2000, this is my best blitz performance ever!

How strongly could a 10 yo boy possibly play: Kasparov - Muratkuliev (1973)

2007-02-08T02:04:00.000+11:00

In the following game, 10 yo Garry Kasparov has not given his seasoned opponent a single chance!

Kasparov - Muratkuliev

Baku, 1973

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.d4 exd4 6.e5 Ne4 7.O-O Be7 8.Re1Nc5 9.Bxc6 dxc6 10.Nxd4 O-O 11.Nc3 Ne6 12.Nf5 Bg5 13.Qg4 Nd4 14.Bxg5 Bxf515.Qg3 Qc8 16.Rad1 Nxc2 17.Re2 Qe6 18.Bf6 Bg6 19.Bxg7 Kxg7 20.Rxc2 Rad821.Rcd2 Qe7 22.h4 Kh8 23.Qg5 Qxg5 24.hxg5 Rxd2 25.Rxd2 Bf5 26.f4 Kg7 27.Kf2 h5 28.gxh6+ Kxh6 29.Kf3 Rg8 30.Ne4 Bg4+ 31.Ke3 Kg6 32.Nf6 1-0.

Not bad for a 10-year old :).

How to Make your Chess Club more Attractive: How to encourage member loyalty?

2007-02-05T17:56:00.000+11:00

My attitude to loyality is simple. People should be encouraged to spend more time at the club, by providing them with a nice, enjoyable environment. If a club is full of friendly people who shower every day and are generally nice ppl to interact with. I am sure the membership list is going to grow on an ongoing basis.

So why reward loyalty? If I am having a great time at a Club it is a reward in itself. As for memebers who do make extraordinary contribuitions, I guess its nice to give them at least a mention on the club honour board.Some time ago, there was a certain official at a certain club who was "harassing" memebers into making donations to that club. Luckily, he is no longer involved in the Club's administration and the club is now under significanlty better management. There is something that many people fail to understand: If you keep running around asking ppl for $10 donation etc., it is not going to make the chessclub sustainable! Instead of asking memeber to provide them with a fish, the club should learn how to fish!A much simpler strategy for achieving sustainability is to run various events and to ensure that say 20% of all entry fees collected goes towards the club!One thing that amazes me is lack of chess related activities in most clubs. I think Canterbury CC is currently the only chess club (please correct me if I am wrong, cause I may be (and I sincerely hope it is the case) wrong) that runs chess lecture series! This could be a great event as well as a great fundraiser. I am sure that many of the stronger players would not mind delivering some lectures to the fellow club memebers for a nominal fee (in fact, that fee they could also donate to the club if they are in a good mood on the day) as long as they are asked nicely.To sum things up: I am loyal to my local swimming pool, because i love swimming there. I am local to the local VegieBar because i love the food there. I am also very tempted to make some sarcastic comment about being loyal to a girl/guy and the reasons ppl are loyal but i would rather not say it since it is a family-friendly server So why would someone be loyal to a chessclub? Is it because the Club occupies the important place in their lives, or because it is their "social responsibility" to support it?

Najer wins Moscow Open

2007-02-05T17:50:00.000+11:00

Evjeny Najer won Moscow Open on tie-break from Vassily Emelin. Both players scored 7.5/9. Svetushkin, Malakhov, Smirnov, Vorob'jev, Kazhgaleev, Dobrov and Alexandrov finished half-a-point behind.

Ilya Nizhnik - The new superstar from Ukraine

2007-02-05T00:22:00.000+11:00

Moscow Open - one of the world's biggest Open events finished in Moscow last night. The biggest suprise of the event came in the group B of the competition. The U2300 event was won by Ilya Nizhnik - 10 year old Ukranian boy who managed to finish in front of many FMs and even a couple of IMs. His 8/9 score gave him outright first place!

Congratulations, Ilya!

Noble Park Allegro: Sales and Pecak tie for first

2007-02-03T21:21:00.000+11:00

The allegro took place Noble Park CC this afternoon.

Final Scores:

1-2. M.Pecak, J.Sales 6 3. M.Rujevic 5 4-5. S.Stojic, D.Dragicevic 4.5 6-8. D.Stojic, D.Partsi, Z.Pehar 4 9-11. A.Rashid, M.Dizdarevic, M.Kudric 3.5 12-16. S.Ferris, R.Voon, M.Sucevic, E.Tionko, N.Szuveges 3 17-19. S.Jago, E.Toro, M.Savic 2.

Rubinstein's Last Victory: O'Kelly - Rubinstein (1946)

2007-02-03T21:15:00.000+11:00

The following game was played at a ...retirement village for mentally sick! While Rubinstein's health (mental health in particular) was declining, he was still capable of playing nice endgames!

[Site "Brussels, Belgium"]
[Date "1946.02.??"]
[White "O'Kelly de Galway, Alberic"]
[Black "Akiba Kiwelowicz Rubinstein"]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3 Qe7 6.O-O O-O 7.Qe2 d6 8.Nbd2 Nd8 9.b4 a6 10.bxc5 axb5 11.cxd6 cxd6 12.d4 Bd7 13.Re1 Nc6 14.Nf1 Ra4 15.Bb2 Na5 16.N3d2 Nc4 17.Nxc4 bxc4 18.Qd2 Rfa8 19.a3 R8a6 20.Rad1 Rb6 21.Bc1 Ra8 22.Qe3 Rba6 23.Ng3 exd4 24.Rxd4 b5 25.h3 Re8 26.Qg5 h6 27.Qh4 Nd5 28.Qxe7 Nxe7 29.Red1 Nc8 30.Nh5 f5 31.Ng3 fxe4 32.Rxe4 Rxe4 33.Nxe4 Bf5 34.Rd4 Bxe4 35.Rxe4 Kf7 36.h4 d5 37.Re5 Re6 38.Bf4 Rxe5 39.Bxe5 h5 40.f3 Ne7 41.Bd4 Nf5 42.Bf2 d4 43.g4 d3 44.Kf1 hxg4 45.fxg4 Nh6 46.g5 Ng4 47.Be1 g6 48.Bd2 Ke6 49.Kg2 Kf5 50.Kg3 Ne5 51.Be3 Nf7 52.Kf3 Ne5+ 53.Kg3 Nf7 54.Kf3 Nd6 55.Bd4 Ne4 56.Bg7 Nd2+ 57.Ke3 Nb1 58.Bd4 Nxa3 59.Kd2 Nc2 0-1.

How many World Champions Do we Need?

2007-02-02T22:11:00.000+11:00

According to the Russian Newspaper "Sport-Express" Danailov and Topalov are really annoyed with FIDE because it is failing to organise the Topalov-Kramnik match, despite all the legal requirements being satisfied by the Bulgarian team. Danailov is now threatening to run his own world championship cycle.

Or well, lets wait and see what happens!

No Game is Easy: Raine - Baron (2007)

2007-02-02T21:48:00.000+11:00

In the following game, Markus gave me a run for my money! It is only in the very end that Black managed to get on top (despite extremely successful opening).

Raine - Baron

Australian Day Weekender, 2007.

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Bd3 dxc4 7. Bxc4 b5 8. Bd3 a6 9. a4 b4 10. Na2!? - apparently (according to Markus) this idea belongs to Kramnik.

10...c5 11. Bd2 Qa5 12. Nc1 cxd4 13. Nxd4 Bb7 14. f3 Bd6 15. 0-0 Qh5 16. g3 0-0 17. Rf2 Rd8 18. Be2 Rc8 19. Ncd3 Qa5 20. Nc3 Ne5 21. Nxb4 Qb6 22. a5 Qa7 23. Nd4 Nc4 24. Bxc4 Rxc4 25. Qb3 Rdc8 26. Nd3 Bd5 27. Qb6 Qd7 28. Qxa6 e5 29. Nb5 Bb8 30. Nc3 Bxf3 31. b3 Rxc3 32. Bxc3 Rxc3 33. Ne1 Bb7 34. Qb6 Nd5 35. Rd2 Nb6 36. Rxd7 Nxd7 37. a6 Ba8 38. b4 Ba7 39. Ng2 Rc2 0-1.

How to Crush the Sicilian: Savige - Baron (1991)

2007-02-01T10:46:00.000+11:00

In the following game, it has taken black 14 moves to achieve a completely winning position. Obviously, it would be impossible without God's grace as well as some help from the opponent.

C. Savige - M. Baron

Australia Day Weekender, 2007

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 e6 7. f4 b5!? - a supersharp Polugaevsky variation. 8.e5 dxe5 9. fxe5 Qc7 leads to extremely wild positions.

8. Qf3 Bb7 9. Bd3 Nbd7 10. 0-0-0 Be7 11. g3? - this move does not seem to serve any purpose. It also restricts black-square bishop's mobility.

11...Rc8 12. Rhe1 h6 13. Bh4 b4 14. Na4? Qa5 - now black simply wins a piece. 15. b3 will be followed up by 15...g5!

15. f5 e5 16. b3 exd4 17. Qf2 Nc5 18. Qxd4 0-0 19. e5 dxe5 20. Rxe5 Rfd8 21. Qg2 Rxd3 22. Rxe7 Rxd1+ 23. Kxd1 Qd8 + 0-1.

Teach Your Girlfriend Chess: She is not going to beat you anyway :).

2007-01-31T10:37:00.000+11:00

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!

2007-01-30T13:36:00.000+11:00

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.com

Lets wish our representitives good luck!

WebDesigner Wanted!

2007-01-30T13:34:00.000+11:00

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!

2007-01-29T10:58:00.000+11:00

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!

2007-01-29T10:54:00.000+11:00

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!

2007-01-28T22:13:00.000+11:00

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

2007-01-27T17:58:00.000+11:00

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!

2007-01-27T17:55:00.000+11:00

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!