THE WEEK IN CHESS 133 - 26th May 1997 by Mark Crowther

E-Mail          mdcrowth@netcomuk.co.uk
www             http://www.tcc.net/gmtchess.html
Tel or fax      01274 882143 [Bradford England]
Produced for Thoth Communications Corporation part 
of Grandmaster Technologies Incorporated.

1) Introduction
2) Madrid Tournament Spain
3) Linz Tournament Austria
4) Najdorf Memorial Tournament
5) XXXII Capablanca Memorial
6) Russian Chess Championships
7) FIRST TORONTO INTERNATIONAL OPEN by Vojin Vujosevic
8) Kstovo Open. 7th Stage of the Russian Cup
9) Kasparov and Iljumzhinov offer clashes to Deep Blue
Letter from Joel Lautier
10) Baby Blue correction
11) "OSCAR" AND TOP TEN CHESS PLAYERS OF 1996 by Vladimir Gaspariants
12) Chilean Championship by Pablo Rodríguez
13) Upcoming events
14)Theoretical Corner by Marco R. Martini (ITA)

Games Section

It Madrid ESP 1997                  25
It Linz AUT 1997                    35
Open Linz AUT 1997                 140
Najdorf Buenos Aires ARG 1997       28
Najdorf Open Buenos Aires ARG 1997  60
Capablanca Elite Havana CUB 1997    66
Capablanca Premier 1+2 1997        182
Capablanca Mixed Havana CUB 1997    84
Russia Cup GP 1997                 135
ch-CHI Vina del Mar 1997            94

1) Introduction

My thanks to Joel Lautier, Vojin Vujosevic, Net 64, Chess Assistant, Chess Planet, Art Wang, Vladimir Gaspariants, Pablo Rodríguez, Harald Grafenhofer, Herman van Riemsdijk,Philipp Schlosser, Jasen Luchan, Lothar Karrer and all those who helped out with this issue.

After Deep Blue last week, this week we have some chess. Not that its been completely forgotten with accounts of FIDE possibly inviting Deep Blue to its end of year event and Joel Lautier's response. Madrid, Linz, Havana, Buenos Aires and elsewhere, its almost been raining games, especially today. More games next week that have been squeezed out this week also. Its the start of the rainy season for chess with a deluge of great events expected. I hope that you enjoy this issue.

Mark

2) Madrid Tournament Spain

I have a feeling that this week marks the start of chess's Summer season. In the Summer there are almost too many events to keep track of and the variety of events shown this week seem to signal the start of that season. The strongest Tournament of the week is the tournament in Madrid. The Category 17 event has produced some truly bloodthirsty chess and a very high percentage of decisive results. The Madrid event will be followed in early June by one in Leon which will include a tournament and a match between Anand and Illescas.

There is daily coverage on the twic pages and live coverage at: Net 64/ El Pais

Round 1

The first round of the Madrid tournament saw some lively play. There were three wins for white with Beliavsky beating Piket (Piket was doing fine until he overpressed and got mated), Short beating San Segundo (opening battle leading to better middlegame and easy endgame win), Shirov beat Polgar (lively opening lead to advantage for Shirov, eventually Polgar's position started to creak and she overlooked a tactic and lost), there was a draw between Salov and Topalov where although Salov lost a pawn the position was still too blocked up for winning attempts. The final game saw Akopian get into some trouble against Illescas. In the end the game finished in a draw.

Round 2

Another round of decisive games. Piket's sac/loss of the exchange was refuted by Polgar in the simplest way. San Segundo too seemed to just be blown away, Short lost an ending that should probably be drawn against Topalov. Beliavsky and Akopian drew their clash leaving Illescas and Salov on the stage.

Round 3

4 decisive games today. Jeroen Piket is struggling. He lost on time after hanging a rook in round 3 against Akopian after getting a nice initiative from the opening. Salov won a strange game against Beliavsky. Short got an inferior ending against Illescas but the game ended in a draw. Shirov and Topalov got a very closed position from an exchange Ruy Lopez. Topalov assumed the initiative which Shirov stopped with an exchange sacrifice. A further piece sacrifice lead to an interesting position but one which the final result didn't appear in doubt and Topalov won eventually in 80 moves. San Segundo repeated the variation of the Sicilian he tried against Short against Polgar. The result was the same, white won.

Round 4

Topalov and Polgar have a certain history over the chessboard. Time after time we get tactical mayhem and today was no different. Its too early to say precisely where Polgar lost it (perhaps Rf7 instead of Qxg3 but I'm prepared for a one move refutation of that) but the game was very lively. San Segundo is well adrift in terms of rating and his 0/4 shows who the rest are trying to take points from. This time Piket did the job. Illescas drew with Shirov. Akopian is the main challenger to Topalov with a win over Salov today. I'm not sure whether Salov was forced to part with the exchange or if it was a winning attempt?!! His open King seemed to be an accident waiting to happen. Short walked into a mate against Beliavsky. To give us four decisive games. A very high percentage of decisive games so far (helped to be sure by the fact that San Segundo is outclassed) we're perhaps due for a quieter round soon.

Round 5

When Nigel Short gets fed up out comes the King's Gambit. Its been quite successful for him with his opponents struggling quite badly against its special challenges. Nigel did Akopian in round 5 of Madrid. Shirov and Beliavsky contested a lively draw in the fifth round with a weird material balance. Judit Polgar again tried her violent brand of tactics and again came unstuck, this time she lost to Illescas. Nevertheless an interesting game. A cheer for San Segundo who held the leader Topalov to a draw which was also his first half of the event. He held on well against Topalov's tactics. Salov's advantage did not prove great enough against Piket and that game was drawn.

Round 1 (1997.05.21)

Akopian, Vladimir         -  Illescas Cordoba, Miguel  1/2   65  A07  Reti (1.Nf3)
Beliavsky, Alexander G    -  Piket, Jeroen             1-0   51  D15  Slav defence
Shirov, Alexei            -  Polgar, Judit             1-0   36  B54  Sicilian
Salov, Valery             -  Topalov, Veselin          1/2   41  E29  Nimzo indian
Short, Nigel D            -  San Segundo, Pablo        1-0   51  B66  Sicilian

Round 2 (1997.05.22)

Topalov, Veselin          -  Short, Nigel D            1-0   69  C60  Ruy Lopez
Illescas Cordoba, Miguel  -  Salov, Valery             1/2   65  C60  Ruy Lopez
Beliavsky, Alexander G    -  Akopian, Vladimir         1/2   44  E09  Nimzo indian
Piket, Jeroen             -  Polgar, Judit             0-1   30  D85  Gruenfeld indian
San Segundo, Pablo        -  Shirov, Alexei            0-1   21  E90  Kings indian; Classical

Round 3 (1997.05.23)

Akopian, Vladimir         -  Piket, Jeroen             1-0   37  A13  English; 1.c4
Shirov, Alexei            -  Topalov, Veselin          0-1   82  C68  Ruy Lopez; Exchange
Salov, Valery             -  Beliavsky, Alexander G    1-0   51  A28  English; 1.c4 e5
Short, Nigel D            -  Illescas Cordoba, Miguel  1/2   64  B33  Sicilian; Sveshnikov
Polgar, Judit             -  San Segundo, Pablo        1-0   38  B66  Sicilian

Round 4 (1997.05.25)

Topalov, Veselin          -  Polgar, Judit             1-0   45  D38  Queen's gambit
Illescas Cordoba, Miguel  -  Shirov, Alexei            1/2   36  C78  Ruy Lopez
Akopian, Vladimir         -  Salov, Valery             1-0   55  A13  English; 1.c4
Beliavsky, Alexander G    -  Short, Nigel D            1-0   38  E38  Nimzo indian
Piket, Jeroen             -  San Segundo, Pablo        1-0   44  D53  QGD;

Round 5 (1997.05.26)

Shirov, Alexei            -  Beliavsky, Alexander G    1/2   46  B09  Pirc; Austrian
Salov, Valery             -  Piket, Jeroen             1/2   54  D62  QGD;
Short, Nigel D            -  Akopian, Vladimir         1-0   47  C34  Kings gambit
Polgar, Judit             -  Illescas Cordoba, Miguel  0-1   48  C60  Ruy Lopez
San Segundo, Pablo        -  Topalov, Veselin          1/2   44  E97  Kings indian; Main line


Madrid ESP (ESP), V 1997                               cat. XVII (2652)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
                                         1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
 1 Topalov, Veselin          g BUL 2725  * . . . 1 = 1 1 . =  4.0  2879
 2 Illescas Cordoba, Miguel  g ESP 2635  . * = . = = = 1 . .  3.0  2741
 3 Akopian, Vladimir         g ARM 2655  . = * = . 1 0 . 1 .  3.0  2731
 4 Beliavsky, Alexander G    g SLO 2665  . . = * = 0 1 . 1 .  3.0  2740
 5 Shirov, Alexei            g ESP 2690  0 = . = * . . 1 . 1  3.0  2707
 6 Salov, Valery             g RUS 2665  = = 0 1 . * . . = .  2.5  2664
 7 Short, Nigel D            g ENG 2690  0 = 1 0 . . * . . 1  2.5  2637
 8 Polgar, Judit             g HUN 2645  0 0 . . 0 . . * 1 1  2.0  2567
 9 Piket, Jeroen             g NED 2640  . . 0 0 . = . 0 * 1  1.5  2478
10 San Segundo, Pablo        g ESP 2505  = . . . 0 . 0 0 0 *  0.5  2312
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

3) Linz Tournament Austria

My thanks to Harald Grafenhofer and Lothar Karrer for the games and results from this fine event.

Forty-seven year old Valery Beim won the Linz tournament in Austria on tie-break from Hungarian Zoltan Almasi. 3rd and 4th place were shared by the World's youngest GM Etienne Bacrot and Igor Glek. All of these players will be delighted by their results. In 5th place was Ian Rogers who recovered to 50% after starting with 0/3. However these three losses were against the top three in the standings. In 6th and 7th were Oleg Romanishin and Viktor Korchnoi, neither of whom will be especially happy with their results. Harald Casagrand was the whipping boy of the event and only drew in the final round against fellow back marker Lanka.

Lothar Karrer also reported from the event.

In round 1 Korchnoi won the battle of the generations against Bacrot. IM Casagrande lost a promising position in time trouble and the interesting clash between Glek and Romanishin saw black sacrifice a piece but have to settle for a draw by perpetual check after a horrible error which lost a piece.

In round 4 there were four draws after hard fights. Lanka-Romanishin lasted 115 moves before Lanka agreed a draw. Romanishin had only 11 seconds left to get to the next time-control. The organizers were overwhelmed by the media interest experienced, for instance, a daily report is given by the local radio broadcasting station "Radio Upper Austria" (95.2 Hz) every day shortly after 4 p.m.

Round 9 saw the Israeli GM Valeri Beim, who has settled in Wels, Upper-Austria, profit not only from the quick draw between Bacrot and Almasi (19), but also contributed his part by beating Viktor Korchnoi convincingly.

Round 3 (1997.05.19)

Glek, Igor V        -  Bacrot, Etienne     1/2   64  B89  Sicilian
Rogers, Ian         -  Almasi, Zoltan      0-1   72  E05  Nimzo indian
Korchnoi, Viktor    -  Lanka, Zigurds      1/2   60  E99  Kings indian; Main line
Wach, Markus        -  Romanishin, Oleg M  1/2   36  C69  Ruy Lopez; Exchange
Casagrande, Harald  -  Beim, Valery        0-1   42  B06  Modern defence

Round 4 (1997.05.20)

Beim, Valery        -  Wach, Markus        1/2   19  D30  Queen's gambit
Almasi, Zoltan      -  Glek, Igor V        1/2   24  C14  French; Classical
Bacrot, Etienne     -  Casagrande, Harald  1-0   28  A44  Queen's pawn
Korchnoi, Viktor    -  Rogers, Ian         1/2   42  E91  Kings indian; Classical
Lanka, Zigurds      -  Romanishin, Oleg M  1/2  115  C96  Ruy Lopez

Round 5 (1997.05.21)

Glek, Igor V        -  Korchnoi, Viktor    1-0   65  C00  French
Rogers, Ian         -  Lanka, Zigurds      1/2   26  B89  Sicilian
Romanishin, Oleg M  -  Beim, Valery        0-1   42  A49  Queen's pawn
Wach, Markus        -  Bacrot, Etienne     1/2   87  B06  Modern defence
Casagrande, Harald  -  Almasi, Zoltan      0-1   56  D00  Queen's pawn

Round 6 (1997.05.22)

Almasi, Zoltan      -  Wach, Markus        1-0   51  B12  Caro-Kann
Bacrot, Etienne     -  Romanishin, Oleg M  1-0   77  B44  Sicilian
Rogers, Ian         -  Glek, Igor V        1-0   46  A46  Queen's pawn
Korchnoi, Viktor    -  Casagrande, Harald  1-0   31  D51  QGD;
Lanka, Zigurds      -  Beim, Valery        0-1   35  B06  Modern defence

Round 7 (1997.05.23)

Beim, Valery        -  Bacrot, Etienne     1/2    9  D31  Queen's gambit
Glek, Igor V        -  Lanka, Zigurds      1-0   33  E61  Kings indian
Romanishin, Oleg M  -  Almasi, Zoltan      1/2   38  D11  Slav defence
Wach, Markus        -  Korchnoi, Viktor    1/2   55  C18  French; Winawer
Casagrande, Harald  -  Rogers, Ian         0-1   57  A37  English; 1.c4 c5

Round 8 (1997.05.24)

Almasi, Zoltan      -  Beim, Valery        1/2   19  B09  Pirc; Austrian
Glek, Igor V        -  Casagrande, Harald  1-0   41  B01  Scandinavian
Rogers, Ian         -  Wach, Markus        1-0   30  B17  Caro-Kann
Korchnoi, Viktor    -  Romanishin, Oleg M  1/2   43  D85  Gruenfeld indian
Lanka, Zigurds      -  Bacrot, Etienne     0-1   38  B01  Scandinavian

Round 9 (1997.05.25)

Beim, Valery        -  Korchnoi, Viktor    1-0    0  A00  Irregular
Bacrot, Etienne     -  Almasi, Zoltan      1/2   19  D00  Queen's pawn
Romanishin, Oleg M  -  Rogers, Ian         1/2   28  A07  Reti (1.Nf3)
Wach, Markus        -  Glek, Igor V        0-1   35  B30  Sicilian
Casagrande, Harald  -  Lanka, Zigurds      1/2   12  D85  Gruenfeld indian


Linz AUT (AUT), V 1997                            cat. XII (2542)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
                                   1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
-----------------------------------------------------------------
 1 Beim, Valery        g ISR 2555  * = = = 1 1 1 = 1 1  7.0  2760
 2 Almasi, Zoltan      g HUN 2595  = * = = 1 = 1 1 1 1  7.0  2755
 3 Bacrot, Etienne     m FRA 2500  = = * = 1 1 0 = 1 1  6.0  2671
 4 Glek, Igor V        g RUS 2620  = = = * 0 = 1 1 1 1  6.0  2657
 5 Rogers, Ian         g AUS 2600  0 0 0 1 * = = 1 = 1  4.5  2535
 6 Romanishin, Oleg M  g UKR 2555  0 = 0 = = * = = = 1  4.0  2497
 7 Korchnoi, Viktor    g SUI 2635  0 0 1 0 = = * = = 1  4.0  2488
 8 Wach, Markus        m AUT 2415  = 0 = 0 0 = = * 0 1  3.0  2430
 9 Lanka, Zigurds      g LAT 2575  0 0 0 0 = = = 1 * =  3.0  2412
10 Casagrande, Harald  m AUT 2365  0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 = *  0.5  2117
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Three Winners at the Whitsun-Open

The Israeli GM Ram Soffer won the tournament due to his better BH-Rating ahead of the German VOEST-Linz-Legionaire GM Wolfgang Uhlmann. The third joint winner was surprisingly the untitleled Pole Jerzy Ciruk.

The best Austrian was IM Niki Stanec, who shared 4th-8th place behind the top-seeded Ukrainian GM Vladimir Malianuk (4), the Upper-Austrian Hermann Knoll and FM Peter Kranzl (8./9).

Other places: (9-14): IM Khaled Mahdy (9), FM Heinrich Rolletschek (10) and Guenter Moser (14), all on 6 points.

94 players participated in the "Open" from many different countries. Amongst them were 3 GMs, 4 IMs and 6 FMs.

Final Standings

   1   2 GM   SOFFER, RAM               2525 ISR 7.0  50.0 38.50  38.5 2279  
   2   3 GM   UHLMANN, WOLFGANG         2480 GER 7.0  49.5 37.50  41.0 2260  
   3  15      CIRUK, JERZY              2235 POL 7.0  47.0 35.25  37.5 2183  
   4   1 GM   MALANIUK, VLADIMIR P      2610 UKR 6.5  55.5 38.50  44.5 2301  
   5   4 IM   STANEC, NIKOLAUS          2460 AUT 6.5  54.5 37.75  43.0 2335  
   6   5 IM   SZALANCZY EMIL            2410 HUN 6.5  49.5 34.25  38.5 2212  
   7  17      KNOLL HERMANN             2225 AUT 6.5  49.5 32.75  39.0 2161  
   8  26 FM   KRANZL PETER              2205 AUT 6.5  46.0 31.25  37.0 2047  
   9   6 IM   MAHDY KHALED              2395 AUT 6.0  50.0 31.50  39.0 2203  
  10   7 FM   ROLLETSCHEK, HEINRICH     2345 AUT 6.0  50.0 30.75  39.0 2230  
  11   9 IM   RIGO, JANOS               2325 HUN 6.0  45.5 28.75  35.0 2126  
  12  24      VETTEL,MATTHIAS           2207 GER 6.0  44.0 27.75  34.0 2074  
  13  25      SCHELLE ARTUR             2205 GER 6.0  43.0 27.50  33.0 2013  
  14   8 FM   MOSER GUENTER MAG.        2340 AUT 6.0  42.5 27.50  34.0 2114  
  15  14 FM   HELLMAYR ALOIS MAG.       2240 AUT 5.5  50.5 29.50  39.0 2215  
  16  29      RUMPL ERWIN               2190 AUT 5.5  48.0 29.00  37.5 2206  
  17  13      KRANEWITTER NORBERT       2265 AUT 5.5  47.5 27.75  37.0 2131  
  18  21 FM   HOLZMANN HERBERT          2215 AUT 5.5  47.0 24.75  37.0 2106  
  19  30 OEM  WINIWARTER FELIX DR.      2165 AUT 5.5  46.0 25.25  36.5 2136  
  20  20 OEM  NIEDERMAYR HORST          2220 AUT 5.5  45.5 27.50  35.5 2043  
  21  12      GANAUS, HANNES            2265 AUT 5.5  45.0 25.75  34.5 2059  
  22  51      DOPPELHAMMER HERBERT      1948 AUT 5.5  44.5 24.75  34.0 2071  
  23  50      SCHNEIDER MARTIN          1954 AUT 5.5  43.5 24.50  34.0 2131  
  24  27      VOVSHA, ELI               2205 ISR 5.5  43.5 22.75  34.0 2068  
  25  34      BAERNER HELMUT            2115 AUT 5.5  41.5 23.50  33.0 2059  
  26  40      PORUBSZKI,GEORG           2045 GER 5.5  41.5 23.00  34.0 2069  
  27  46      EBERHART ARNOLD           1999 AUT 5.5  41.0 21.25  32.5 1956  
  28  11      GRABHER, HEINZ            2275 AUT 5.0  50.5 24.00  39.5 2194  
  29  23 MK   POSCH WERNER              2210 AUT 5.0  48.0 24.50  37.0 2188  
  30  16      DORNAUER, JOACHIM         2230 AUT 5.0  47.0 24.00  36.0 2112  
  31  31      BOEVEN,MANFRED            2150 GER 5.0  46.5 23.25  36.5 2058  
  32  47      SIMIC MILAN               1994 YUG 5.0  46.5 22.75  37.5 2128  
  33  41      BERTHOLD,ANDREAS          2043 GER 5.0  45.5 22.25  36.0 2088  
  34  67      SCHOEPF ANDREAS           1863 AUT 5.0  45.0 22.50  36.0 2037  
  35  22      KREISCHER GEORG           2215 AUT 5.0  44.5 21.50  35.0 2085  
  36  35      WIEDERMANN FRANZ DR.      2105 AUT 5.0  44.0 22.50  35.0 2162  
  37  43      SCHULZ PETER              2020 AUT 5.0  41.5 18.50  31.5 1921  
  38  10 FM   MARTI, GYORGY             2295 HUN 5.0  40.5 20.25  31.0 2040  
  39  63      SOMASUNDRAM JAYAKUMAR ING 1878 SRI 5.0  38.0 17.00  30.0 1901  
  40  18      MORCHAT, MIROSLAW         2225 POL 5.0  37.5 21.25  29.0 1867  
  41  28      HAGER HERBERT             2190 AUT 5.0  37.5 18.00  27.5 1921  
94 players

http://www.oesd.co.at/wz/schach/austria/HMENU.HTM

4) Najdorf Memorial Tournament

My thanks to Herman van Riemsdijk who is covering the event on the internet at:

http://www.hipernet.com.br/HiperChess/Najdorf.htm

This event commemorates a living institution Miguel Najdorf one of the World's oldest Grandmasters and has in recent year brought some very interesting chess between invited players and the best from a country where the chess is very strong but perhaps we don't see the players abroad very often.

Of interest is the participation of Patrick Wolff who isn't competing as much as he used to and is doing well after 6 rounds even after a loss in round 6.

Round 1 (1997.05.19)

Morovic Fernandez, Ivan  -  Spangenberg, Hugo        1-0   58  B36  Sicilian
Sutovskij, Emil          -  Panno, Oscar             1-0   32  C18  French; Winawer
Adianto, Utut            -  Campora, Daniel H        1/2   32  E15  Nimzo indian
Zarnicki, Pablo          -  Kotronias, Vasilios      1/2  101  B66  Sicilian
Ricardi, Pablo           -  Wolff, Patrick G         0-1   41  B52  Sicilian

Round 2 (1997.05.20)

Sutovskij, Emil          -  Adianto, Utut            1-0   66  B12  Caro-Kann
Wolff, Patrick G         -  Zarnicki, Pablo          1/2   19  C42  Petroff defence
Spangenberg, Hugo        -  Ricardi, Pablo           1-0   34  B54  Sicilian
Campora, Daniel H        -  Morovic Fernandez, Ivan  0-1   34  B97  Sicilian; Najdorf
Panno, Oscar             -  Kotronias, Vasilios      1/2   33  E68  Kings indian

Round 3 (1997.05.21)

Morovic Fernandez, Ivan  -  Sutovskij, Emil          1/2   21  B87  Sicilian
Adianto, Utut            -  Panno, Oscar             1-0   30  E21  Nimzo indian
Kotronias, Vasilios      -  Wolff, Patrick G         1/2   61  B96  Sicilian; Najdorf
Zarnicki, Pablo          -  Spangenberg, Hugo        0-1   28  B94  Sicilian; Najdorf
Ricardi, Pablo           -  Campora, Daniel H        1-0   18  B12  Caro-Kann

Round 4 (1997.05.22)

Sutovskij, Emil          -  Ricardi, Pablo           1/2   42  B92  Sicilian; Najdorf
Adianto, Utut            -  Morovic Fernandez, Ivan  1/2   32  E12  Nimzo indian
Spangenberg, Hugo        -  Kotronias, Vasilios      1-0   42  B70  Sicilian; Dragon
Campora, Daniel H        -  Zarnicki, Pablo          1/2   11  C22  1.e4 e5
Panno, Oscar             -  Wolff, Patrick G         0-1   38  A49  Queen's pawn

Round 5 (1997.05.24)

Morovic Fernandez, Ivan  -  Panno, Oscar             1/2   39  B42  Sicilian
Wolff, Patrick G         -  Spangenberg, Hugo        1-0   55  A08  Reti (1.Nf3)
Kotronias, Vasilios      -  Campora, Daniel H        1-0   53  C66  Ruy Lopez
Zarnicki, Pablo          -  Sutovskij, Emil          0-1   37  B53  Sicilian
Ricardi, Pablo           -  Adianto, Utut            0-1   50  B12  Caro-Kann

Round 6 (1997.05.25)

Morovic Fernandez, Ivan  -  Ricardi, Pablo           1-0   26  B57  Sicilian
Sutovskij, Emil          -  Kotronias, Vasilios      1/2   32  B31  Sicilian
Adianto, Utut            -  Zarnicki, Pablo          1-0   
Campora, Daniel H        -  Wolff, Patrick G         1-0   52  B01  Scandinavian
Panno, Oscar             -  Spangenberg, Hugo        Adjourned  


Buenos Aires (ARG), V 1997                               cat. XIII (2563)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                        1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 1 Morovic Fernandez, Ivan  g CHI 2580  * = . = 1 . 1 . 1 =  4.5 /6  2746
 2 Sutovskij, Emil          g ISR 2560  = * . 1 . = . 1 = 1  4.5 /6  2757
 3 Wolff, Patrick G         g USA 2575  . . * . 1 = 0 = 1 1  4.0 /6  2674
 4 Adianto, Utut            g INA 2615  = 0 . * . . = 1 1 1  4.0 /6  2674
 5 Spangenberg, Hugo        g ARG 2550  0 . 0 . * 1 . 1 1 .  3.0 /5  2648
 6 Kotronias, Vasilios      g GRE 2590  . = = . 0 * 1 = . =  3.0 /6  2544
 7 Campora, Daniel H        g ARG 2555  0 . 1 = . 0 * = 0 .  2.0 /6  2457
 8 Zarnicki, Pablo          g ARG 2560  . 0 = 0 0 = = * . .  1.5 /6  2381
 9 Ricardi, Pablo           m ARG 2575  0 = 0 0 0 . 1 . * .  1.5 /6  2379
10 Panno, Oscar             g ARG 2465  = 0 0 0 . = . . . *  1.0 /5  2344
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

5) XXXII Capablanca Memorial

There is always something quite romantic about this event which commemorates Cuba's World Champion Capablanca. Certainly the most famous edition was the 1965 one which marked Fischer's return to international chess (all-be-it that he didn't actually attend the event but instead played by telex.) but many of the Soviet Union's best players competed in this event over the years. Times have changed but the event has been interesting over recent years and the Cubans managed a very respectable field again this year. I would welcome any corrections to the names or scores, I hope the tables are correct. Peter Leko emerged the winner in the elite group from Tony Miles who was also successful in this event last year.

My thanks to Philipp Schlosser for the games. He reports that:

"In the Elite Group Ivan Morovic used his free days to play some games earlier, because he had to leave for another tournament in Buenos Aires [See elsewhere] while the other one in Cienfuegos was still on the way. His game vs. Walter Arencibia - which Morovic won is missing from the file. After holding a lost position vs. Kevin Spraggett in the 1st round and even winning a lost position against me in round 3 Peter Leko's play improved a lot during the second part of the tournament.(Unlike me: I kept on spoiling good and even winning positions [eg Leko, Beccerra and Arencibia] all the time...)

After the tournament some players left for Santa Clara (about 1h to go by car) to play in the next festival.

In August there should be another international Open in Havanna.

On the the final day Campomanes attended the event to lead some talks and to take part in the closing ceremony.

Elite Group

Havana CUB (CUB), V 1997                                   cat. XII (2550)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                        1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
 1 Leko, Peter              g HUN 2600  * = = 1 = = 1 1 1 1 = =  8.0  2720
 2 Miles, Anthony J         g ENG 2550  = * = = 1 1 = = = = = 1  7.0  2651
 3 Arencibia, Walter        g CUB 2560  = = * 0 = = = 1 1 = = =  6.0  2584
 4 Morovic Fernandez, Ivan  g CHI 2580  0 = 1 * = = = = 1 = = =  6.0  2582
 5 Spraggett, Kevin         g CAN 2580  = 0 = = * = = 1 = = = 1  6.0  2582
 6 Nogueiras, Jesus         g CUB 2545  = 0 = = = * = = = = 1 =  5.5  2550
 7 Becerra Rivero, Julio    m CUB 2510  0 = = = = = * = = = = 1  5.5  2553
 8 Schlosser, Philipp       g GER 2560  0 = 0 = 0 = = * = 1 1 1  5.5  2548
 9 Rodriguez, Amador        g CUB 2555  0 = 0 0 = = = = * = 1 1  5.0  2513
10 Borges Mateos, Juan      m CUB 2500  0 = = = = = = 0 = * = =  4.5  2489
11 Hernandez, Gilberto      g MEX 2540  = = = = = 0 = 0 0 = * 0  3.5  2417
12 Zapata, Alonso           g COL 2515  = 0 = = 0 = 0 0 0 = 1 *  3.5  2419
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Premier Group 1

Havana (CUB), V 1997                                cat. VIII (2431)
-------------------------------------------------------------------
                                          12345678901234
-------------------------------------------------------------------
 1 Luther, Thomas              g GER 2520 *======1=111=1  9.0  2564
 2 Matamoros Franco, Carlos S  m ECU 2480 =*===1=1=11=01  8.5  2536
 3 Franco, Zenon               g ESP 2460 ==*=======1111  8.5  2538
 4 Martin del Campo, Roberto   m MEX 2465 ===*=0=111=011  8.0  2515
 5 Vera, Reynaldo              g CUB 2510 ====*==0=11=11  8.0  2511
 6 Moreno, Alejandro           f CUB 2390 =0=1=*======1=  7.0  2462
 7 Gonzalez, Renier            f CUB 2385 ======*==0=11=  7.0  2463
 8 Rivera, Alberto             m CUB 2440 00=01==*====11  6.5  2430
 9 Blanco Fernandez, Alvaro    f CUB 2365 ===0====*==100  5.5  2378
10 Herrera, Irisberto          m CUB 2450 00=00=1==*=110  5.5  2372
11 Rodriguez, Pedro            f CUB 2385 000=0=====*1==  5.0  2347
12 Rohl, Juan                  m VEN 2415 0=01==0=000*=1  4.5  2321
13 De la Paz, Frank            f CUB 2395 =100000010==*1  4.5  2323
14 Leyva, Ricardo              f CUB 2370 00000==011=00*  3.5  2260
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Premier II Group

Havana CUB (CUB), V 1997                           cat. VIII (2427)
-------------------------------------------------------------------
                                          12345678901234
-------------------------------------------------------------------
 1 Blees, Albert               m NED 2405 *0==11=1111011  9.5  2603
 2 Galego, Luis                m POR 2475 1*=10011=0111=  8.5  2533
 3 Teske, Henrik               g GER 2500 ==*10=1=1101==  8.0  2508
 4 Lesiege, Alexandre          m CAN 2500 =00*=11=110=11  8.0  2508
 5 Perez, Rodney               f CUB 2385 011=*===0====1  7.0  2459
 6 Sieiro-Gonzalez, Luis       m CUB 2380 01=0=*==0=111=  7.0  2459
 7 Pecorelli Garcia, Humberto  m CUB 2460 =000==*=1=11=1  7.0  2453
 8 Hernandez, Roman            g CUB 2430 00=====*1====1  6.5  2426
 9 Vallejo Pons, Francisco     m ESP 2385 0=001100*01111  6.5  2430
10 Alvarez, Jose               m CUB 2405 0100====1*====  6.0  2399
11 Bellon Lopez, Juan Manuel   g ESP 2465 0011=00=0=*=01  5.0  2336
12 Paneque, Pedro              m CUB 2375 100==00=0==*==  4.5  2320
13 Pupo, Emilio                m CUB 2410 00=0=0==0=1=*=  4.5  2318
14 Lopez, Carlos Manuel        f CUB 2400 0==00=000=0==*  3.0  2217
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Mixed Group

Havana CUB (CUB), V 1997                                 cat. I (2258)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
                                             12345678901234
----------------------------------------------------------------------
 1 Bruzon,L                             ---- *11=01=1=01=11  9.0  2418
 2 Perdomo, Carlos Andres           COL 2330 0*==11===1=1==  8.0  2397
 3 Ross, David                    f CAN 2340 0=*01110===111  8.0  2397
 4 Gomez, Felix                   f CUB 2365 ==1*01==100=11  7.5  2327
 5 Arribas, Maritza              wm CUB 2270 1001*0==1=10=1  7.0  2277
 6 Delgado Crespo, Mairelys      wf CUB 2210 00001*1=1==1=1  7.0  2339
 7 Fandino, Roquelina            wf CUB 2205 ==0==0*==1=1==  6.5  2283
 8 Ribeiro, Fernando              f POR 2305 0=1====*0=011=  6.5  2304
 9 Larduet, Carlos                f CUB 2310 ===000=1*==1=1  6.5  2274
10 De Asis Dirceu, Viana jr         BRA 2380 10=1==0==*100=  6.0  2211
11 Hernandez, Tania              wm CUB 2195 0==10==1=0*0=1  6.0  2284
12 Guedes, Armando                  CUB 2285 =00=1000011*==  5.0  2189
13 Fierro Baquero, Martha Lorena wm ECU 2205 0=00===0=1==*0  4.5  2196
14 Frometa, Zirka                wm CUB 2205 0=0000==0=0=1*  3.5  2125
----------------------------------------------------------------------

6) Russian Chess Championships

The Russian Championship 1997 are to be held in Elista the venue for the last few years.The exact dates are 19.05-06.06.The format is very much similar to one which is scheduled for the FIDE World Championship. It will be KO-system and in every round there will be 2 games with regular time limit ( in case of a tie 2 rapid chess games will decide etc.)

Qualifiers for the third round are Rublevsky, Lastin, Yakovich, Tiviakov, Fominykh, Morozevich, Dolmatov, Bareev, Khalifman, Doirys, Sherbakov, Svidler, Filippov, Makarov and Dreev. More news next week with the details and some games.

7) FIRST TORONTO INTERNATIONAL OPEN by Vojin Vujosevic

Vojin Vujosevic reports from the first Toronto International open. The venue was the Downtown Toronto Best Western PRIMROSE Hotel steps away from the legendary Toronto Maple Leaf Gardens otherwise known as the Gardoonies. The first Toronto International Open with $25,000 in guaranteed prizes was under way. The actual sponsor and guarantor was the MTCBF - The Metro Toronto Chess Building Fund.

There were at least 290 players involved in chess combat, in this 7 round open Swiss FIDE rated, CFC rated tourney, divided into 6 groups.

TIO 1997 or The Miracle in Cabbage Town

Cabbage Town is the part of downtown Toronto adjacent to the Primrose Hotel where the tournament was played, mainly on the 2nd floor, although the top two groups played on the 23rd floor with its great view of the city.

Well, it's over. The first Toronto International Open has been played, 295 players took part, the visitors esp. Americans rather liked Toronto & $25,000 smackers have been divided among quite a few players in all six groups. The main group, the bragging rights for a year, and $3,000 were won by IM Rashid Ziatdinov, an ex-soviet player. He played all three IGM's and deserved to win.

Three Toronto guys: IM Lawrence Day, FM Goran Milicevic and former Canadian Junior Champion Eduardo Teodoro IV share the 2nd to 6th spot with IGM's Sergey Kudrin and Lev Psakhis & each received $1,020 for their trouble.

Nice performance was turned in by Eduardo Teodoro IV (the fourth!) who played the winner and two GM's in the last 3 rounds and did not lose. The IGM's displayed their class but did not appear to be as ambitious as the winner.

A lot of interesting fighting chess has been played, many people observed how enjoyable the tournament was and the seeds of hope for many happy returns have been sown.

By Canadian standards this was a delicious tournament being rivaled by only a couple of other tournaments for quality and size. What is different about this tourney is that the prizes are guaranteed by the Metro Toronto Chess Building Fund rather than some non-chess entity.

We are proud that Toronto the Good has lived up to its promise and paid out the prizes exactly as promised.

Of course, money is only the way to promote the game and make the event more attractive, chess should and did take the first place.

The details about the main group are visible below.

All the crosstables for all groups will be shortly available on the Canadian Chess Federation WEB page at

http://www.chesscanada.org

The other annual Canadian tournaments of interest are The Canadian Open this year in Winnipeg, Manitoba as well as The North Bay Open in North Bay, Ontario - for information check the CFC WEB site given above. Also interesting is the Quebec Open which is played in Montreal. All three are played in the summer.

           TIO 97, OPEN Section, May 16 - 19

    Name               rtng rd1 rd2 rd3 rd4 rd5 rd6 rd7 TOT

 1 Ziatdinov,Rashid IM.2485 +18 +43 + 7 = 2 = 5 = 3 +12 5.5
 2 Kudrin,Sergey GM....2612 +20 + 6 = 3 = 1 = 9 +22 = 5 5.0
 3 Psakhis,Lev GM......2610 +17 +15 = 2 =12 +16 = 1 = 7 5.0
 4 Day,Lawrence IM.....2486 -22 +40 +37 =15 +27 = 9 +18 5.0
 5 Teodoro IV,Eduardo..2440 +40 =22 +28 +27 = 1 = 7 = 2 5.0
 6 Milicevic,Goran FM..2380 +41 - 2 +33 H-- +10 = 8 + 9 5.0
 7 Gurevich,Dmitry GM..2635 =16 +29 - 1 +31 +12 = 5 = 3 4.5
 8 Findlay,Ian FM......2435 -31 =30 +34 +28 =17 = 6 +22 4.5
 9 Livshits,Ron IM.....2485 =23 =32 +35 +21 = 2 = 4 - 6 4.0
10 Nickoloff,Bryon IM..2475 +30 =27 =16 =17 - 6 +23 =14 4.0
11 Schleifer,Michael...2439 H-- =25 -17 +26 =23 +37 =15 4.0
12 Linskiy,Oleg........2415 =25 +23 +24 = 3 - 7 +17 - 1 4.0
13 Allan,Denis FM......2394 =36 H-- +18 -16 H-- +25 H-- 4.0
14 Djerkovic,Miladin...2391 -37 +41 =25 +29 -22 +27 =10 4.0
15 Vukadinov,Milan.....2390 +38 - 3 +32 = 4 H-- =21 =11 4.0
16 Tipu,Vincent........2367 = 7 +36 =10 +13 - 3 -18 +21 4.0
17 Vranesic,Zvonko IM..2348 - 3 +42 +11 =10 = 8 -12 +32 4.0
18 Kiviaho,Bob.........2326 - 1 +45 -13 +39 +24 +16 - 4 4.0
19 Spraggett,Grant FM..2432 -24 +38 -21 +30 +25 =20 U-- 3.5
20 Ochkoos,Youri.......2360 - 2 =34 H-- +33 +31 =19 U-- 3.5
21 Rajlich,Vasic.......2341 H-- =26 +19 - 9 +32 =15 -16 3.5
22 Ilic,Stanimir.......2329 + 4 = 5 -27 +37 +14 - 2 - 8 3.5
23 Filipovic,David.....2314 = 9 -12 =30 +41 =11 -10 +37 3.5
24 Krupka,David........2300 +19 H-- -12 H-- -18 +41 =26 3.5
25 Hua,Lefong..........2276 =12 =11 =14 +43 -19 -13 +35 3.5
26 Gregorz,Ralph.......2137 H-- =21 =43 -11 H-- +28 =24 3.5
27 Saleh,Maher.........2368 +34 =10 +22 - 5 - 4 -14 =31 3.0
28 Campbell,Brett......2325 H-- +39 - 5 - 8 =40 -26 +41 3.0
29 Kamberi,Sonny.......2318 H-- - 7 +36 -14 -37 =33 +39 3.0
30 Ciaffone,Robert.....2305 -10 = 8 =23 -19 -38 B-- +42 3.0
31 Glinert,Stephen.....2300 + 8 H-- H-- - 7 -20 H-- =27 3.0
32 Charbonneau,Pascal..2238 H-- = 9 -15 +35 -21 +42 -17 3.0
33 Ruiz,Richard........2176 H-- =35 - 6 -20 =36 =29 +45 3.0
34 Boross-Harmer,Peter.2044 -27 =20 - 8 +45 =35 +38 U-- 3.0
35 Nash,Barry..........2362 H-- =33 - 9 -32 =34 +36 -25 2.5
36 Hum,Peter...........2237 =13 -16 -29 =38 =33 -35 B-- 2.5
37 Heringer,Chris......2230 +14 H-- - 4 -22 +29 -11 -23 2.5
38 Turtel,Evan.........2219 -15 -19 H-- =36 +30 -34 H-- 2.5
39 Petrovic,Bozidar....1935 H-- -28 H-- -18 H-- +45 -29 2.5
40 Jung,Hans...........2303 - 5 - 4 +42 H-- =28 U-- U-- 2.0
41 Thiele,Frank........2076 - 6 -14 +45 -23 B-- -24 -28 2.0
42 Apostolov,Penka WFM.2070 -43 -17 -40 B-- +45 -32 -30 2.0
43 Mihaljevic,Josip....2370 +42 - 1 =26 -25 U-- U-- U-- 1.5
44 Salman,Nachum.......2255 +45 U-- U-- U-- U-- U-- U-- 1.0
45 Craggs,Michael......unr. -44 -18 -41 -34 -42 -39 -33 0.0

Report: Vojin Vujosevic.

8) Kstovo Open. 7th Stage of the Russian Cup

The 7th Stage of the Russian Cup 1996-97 took place in Kstovo between the 1st and 10th of May. It ended in a three way tie for first. My thanks to Chess Assistant for the games and results.

http://www.demon.co.uk/convekta/

Final standings 

1.      Volkov Sergey           RUS             2480    6.5
2.      Sakaev Konstantin       RUS     GM      2580    6.5
3.      Kharlov Andrei          RUS     GM      2555    6.5
4.      DOLMATOV SERGEY         RUS     GM      2560    6.0
5.      Ibragimov Ildar         RUS     GM      2555    6.0            
6.      TREGUBOV PAVEL          RUS     GM      2525    6.0
7.      Kharitonov Andrei       RUS     GM      2520    6.0
8.      Poluljahov Aleksandr    RUS     GM      2510    6.0
9.      Yandemirov Valeri       RUS     IM      2500    6.0
10.     Yurtaev Leonid          KGZ     GM      2495    6.0
11.     Kulikov Alexander       RUS             2285    6.0
12.     Bologan Viktor          MDA     GM      2575    5.5
13.     Gleizerov Evgeny        RUS     GM      2545    5.5
14.     Lastin Alexander        RUS     IM      2535    5.5
15.     Burmakin Vladimir       RUS     GM      2530    5.5     
16.     Kuporosov Viktor        RUS     IM      2500    5.5
17.     Voitsekhovsky Sergey    RUS     IM      2475    5.5
18.     Akhmadeev Vadim         RUS     IM      2450    5.5

9) Kasparov and Iljumzhinov offer clashes to Deep Blue

The post match reaction to the Deep Blue match continues. Gary gave a widely sindicated interview to Time magazine which certainly appeared in the Guardian in this country. The article can be read on-line at http://www.time.com/ it is in the technology section of the issue of May 26th. Vol 149 No 21. Kasparov's initial idea to offer a World Title match to Deep Blue seems to have disappeared, although his initial comments suggested a real match. Also his analysis of his own faults are becoming steadily more rational. However his perception that he is in control of the situation (Deep Blue needs to play a match against another strong GM and then play me) is severely at odds with the reality which is that IBM can and will do whatever it wants. I've skated over this issue this week and will return in more detail to it next week as time presses.

Fide President "King" Kirsan Iljumzhinov is reported to be about to invite IBM's Deep Blue to take part in the FIDE Knockout Championships in December it is reported. [The Times quotes Kirsan from the Russian Magazine Sport Express] It will be one of his four wildcard picks for the event. It remains to be seen what rules it will play under. This event with its slightly accelerated time-rates may be seen by IBM as the ideal event for the computer to play in. It also would concede a whole host of practical and important points to computer chess. One awaits both official confirmation (which I hope doesn't come, perhaps he was flying a kite to find out reaction) and player reaction with interest. In fact there has already been some player reaction, from Joel Lautier who sent this open letter to TWIC for publication (and GM and FIDE reaction)

Letter from Joel Lautier

Joel Lautier responds to the suggestion that Deep Blue be allowed into FIDE's World Championship tournament. He adds that although this news is not quite official, the matter seems too urgent to wait for some late confirmation.

Paris, 24th of May 1997

Dear Mr President,

I have just learned through the French Minitel that you are planning to use one of your wildcards for the World Championship for the benefit of IBM's computer Deep Blue.

Although I understand your wish to attract mass media coverage by allowing for the first time the participation of a computer in the official competition for the highest title, it seems to me that you have failed to consider a few aspects which make your decision unfair to chessplayers both from the sporting and ethic points of view.

1) The first question is simple: what is the sense of introducing the computer in a competition which is designed for human beings ? There is no field of activity where such a comparison between man and machine is thought to be really meaningful, and it is not clear why chess should be an exception.

2) The World Chess Championship is intended to determine the best chessplayer under the same rules for everyone, in order to guarantee that chances are equal for all. That is hardly the case with a computer, as it can play chess 24 hours a day for three weeks without any decrease in its strength of play. The further it will advance in the tournament, the stronger it will become for its opponents as they tire out.

3) Playing against a chess computer demands a thoroughly different approach than towards a human opponent. The time allowed between two matches is too little to allow anyone facing the computer to show up with an adequate preparation, whereas, in contrast, the computer has access to all the games of his opponents, millions of reference games and enormous amounts of opening and endgame knowledge during the game itself.

4) Some players, including the currently highest rated in the world rankings, don't seem to realize that by putting the title of world champion at stake against a computer, you are putting the very existence of chess in balance. And the scales have recently tipped very heavily on the wrong side for chess. It is my personal belief that humans are still stronger than the best computers, but we should be given the chance to prove it under equal conditions - that can only be achieved in separate events clearly aimed to measure human's and computer's chess abilities. The current format of the world championship doesn't fit this description: it is a combination of different time-controls (rapid games for tie-breaks), together with a very tight schedule that excludes any rest day in the early rounds.

It is my sincere wish that you will take time to weigh carefully all aspects of this capital decision for the future of chess.

Respectfully yours,

Joël Lautier

10) Baby Blue correction

Art Wang (one of the developers of the Chess Mentor program) corrects the game from last week. He says:

"The information regarding the visit by Palo Alto Chess Club members to play against Deep Blue Junior is accurate execpt for the result of my game against DB Jr. on the second visit. After witnessing what DB Jr. had done to my friends, I chickened out and took a draw by forced repetition or perpetual check and did not win the game. I posted the game and description of the visits on rec.games.chess.computer, and I am positive I gave the result as 1/2 - 1/2."

So here is the game again with the correct result (which puzzled a few this week). The result was given as 1-0 in Chess magazine which was my source.

Art Wang-Deep Blue Junior San Jose March 1997

1.f4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d5 3.e3 e6 4.d4 c5 5.c3 Bd7 6.Bd3 Nc6 7.Nbd2 Rc8 8.0-0 Bd6 9.Ne5 0-0 10.Rf3 Qb6 11.Kh1 Qa5 12.Rh3 g6 13.Qe1 Qc7 14.Qh4 Nh5 15.g4 Be7 16.g5 Nxe5 17.dxe5 h6 18.Qg4 hxg5 19.Rxh5 c4 20.Bc2 d4 21.exd4 gxh5 22.Qxh5 f5 23.Qg6+ Kh8 24.Qh6+ 1/2

11) "OSCAR" AND TOP TEN CHESS PLAYERS OF 1996 by Vladimir Gaspariants

The "64 — Chess Review" magazine summed up the results of an unprecedentedly wide consultation of chess journalists World Wide.

The twenty year old tradition of awarding the chess "Oscar" by the Association of chess journalists was interrupted in 1989 after the collapse of AIPE. Similar rewards were announced periodically but the main principle was disrupted: the awarding of "Oscar" by wide consultation based on top ten players of the last year. On the initiative of Alexander Roshal, the editor-in-chief of "64 — Chess Review" magazine the tradition was revived in 1996 and "Oscar-95" went to Garry Kasparov. Today the results of "Oscar-96" were summed up. In passing a kind of record has been achieved: we received 235 variants of the top ten and in the vote took representatives of mass media, men of letters and chess journalists (including "writing" grandmasters) from 50 countries. Another record: the world champion finished 956 points ahead of second (1-st place — 13 points, 2-nd — 11, 3-rd — 9, 4-th — 7, 5-th — 6, ... 10-th — 1).

TOP TEN-1996 ("64 — CHESS REVIEW")

 1. Garry KASPAROV (Russia)       — 2876 points
 2. Veselin TOPALOV (Bulgaria)    — 1918
 3. Anatoly KARPOV (Russia)       — 1873
 4. Vladimir KRAMNIK (Russia)     — 1827
 5. Viswanathan ANAND (India)     — 1768
 6. Vassily IVANCHUK (Ukraine)    — 1052
 7. Boris GELFAND (Byelorussia)   —  554
 8. Gata KAMSKY (USA)             —  525
 9. Nigel SHORT (Great Btitain)   —  445
10. Judit POLGAR (Hungary)        —  332.5

    Not far from top ten were:
11. Alexander KHALIFMAN (Russia)  —  212
12. Alexei SHIROV (Spain)         —  188.5
13. Alexander BELIAVSKY (Slovenia)—  146
14. Viktor KORCHNOI (Switzeland)  —   83.5
15. Michael ADAMS (Great Britain) —   7

The "Oscar-96" is over now and we are make studying in detail the material sent, which will be published in one of the next issues of "64 — Chess Review". Belated lists continue to be received and Deep Blue appeared in the top ten. But this is for the next competition, on the results of 1997, and "64 — Chess Review" plans to enlarge the amount of nominations.

12) Chilean Championship by Pablo Rodríguez

22-year old IM Jorge Egger was the undefeated winner of the LXI Chilean Championship held between March 17-28, in Vina del Mar. Egger, an Engineering student at the University of Chile, had also won this tournament in 1991. This time he won his first 10 games to secure the title and then drew the final three.

Half-a-point behind was Luis Valenzuela, who also got an IM-norm. Luis Rojas Keim, the former champion, finished third this time. The competitors aged from 13-year old Miguel Lobos to 82-year old IM Rene Letelier. Unfortunately this 60-year spanned game did not take place as Lobos had to left early to play an international tournament in Argentina. IM Hernan Salazar also left the tournament, due to personal reasons, before the fifth round.

Vina del Mar CHI (CHI), III 1997
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                   1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
 1 Egger, Jorge        m CHI 2410  * = = 1 = 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1  11.5  2541
 2 Valenzuela, Luis      CHI 2355  = * = 1 1 1 1 1 1 = 1 = 1 1  11.0  2505
 3 Rojas, Luis           CHI 2385  = = * 1 0 = 1 1 0 = = 1 1 1   8.5  2317
 4 Varas, Carlos         CHI 2295  0 0 0 * = = 1 1 1 1 1 1 = =   8.0  2301
 5 Rioseco, Fernando     CHI 2020  = 0 1 = * 0 = 0 1 = 0 1 0 1   6.0  2206
 6 Correa, Jaime       f CHI 2250  0 0 = = 1 * = 0 1 0 1 = 0 1   6.0  2188
 7 Carmona, Jose Luis    CHI 2165  0 0 0 0 = = * 1 = 1 = = 1 =   6.0  2195
 8 Rivera, Guillermo     CHI 2135  0 0 0 0 1 1 0 * = 0 1 1 1 =   6.0  2197
 9 Farias, Luis          CHI 2215  0 0 1 0 0 0 = = * 1 0 1 1 =   5.5  2163
10 Frey, Hugo            CHI 2235  0 = = 0 = 1 0 1 0 * = 0 = =   5.0  2131
11 Jorquera, Marcelo     CHI 2160  0 0 = 0 1 0 = 0 1 = * 1 0 =   5.0  2137
12 Letelier, Rene      m CHI 2205  0 = 0 0 0 = = 0 0 1 0 * 1 1   4.5  2111
13 Rosa, Fernando        CHI 2175  0 0 0 = 1 1 0 0 0 = 1 0 * 0   4.0  2082
14 Lobos, Miguel         CHI 2075  0 0 0 = 0 0 = = = = = 0 1 *   4.0  2090
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

13) Upcoming events

1997 Canadian Chess Challenge

The 1997 Canadian Chess Challenge, organized by the Chess'n Math Association - Canada's National Scholastic Chess Organization - was held in Montreal over the Victoria Day weekend (May 18-19). Each province is represented by 12 players - 1 in each grade from grade 1 - 12. This is the only annual chess event in this country where not only are there participants from each province, but each province receives equal representation. It was another great tournament which goes a long way to inspiring young Canadian talent. Check out the results at: http://www.generation.net/~casaubon/chess/may20.htm

REBEL vs ARTHUR YUSUPOV

From June 2 to June 6, Rebel in Italy will play 18 games against top grandmaster Arthur Yusupov. This program is regarded as the top PC program. The event will be an 18 game match with Arthur Yusupov over several time controls. There are 2 main links to the Rebel-Yusupov match are:

http://www.xs4all.nl/~rebchess/

http://www.xs4all.nl/~rebchess/italy.htm

14) Theoretical Corner by Marco R. Martini (ITA)

Special section in the games section
Email: avvmartini@mailbox.icom.it
WWW  : http://www.icom.it./user/scac